MOVIE REVIEW BOL

The literal English translation of this weeks new release Bol is to speak out and talk - which this film does in plenty. Director Shoaib Mansoor has a reputation of speaking out on subjects otherwise taboo or dangerous. In his last venture Khuda ke Liye he spoke of Islam, its interpretation and relevance in a modern society while in Bol he takes another aspect of Islam and dwells on the inherent inequality between genders and the virtues of family planning. The film released 2 months back in Pakistan and releases in India on Eid.

The story is a touching tale. Hakeem Saab with his ability to produce only daughters ( rather sarcastically put in the movie), his battered wife, five "paanch-paas" daughters and their life in shackles. Many commonly misunderstood tenets of Islam are questioned rather fearlessly which is a good thing for a society in flux but where does it stand on the high pedestal of world cinema. hmm... that is exactly what I am coming to.

There are few unforgettable things about the film.First is the rather brave story with some bold powerful performances by Hakeem Saab( Manzar Sehbai) and his eldest daughter Zainub (Humaima Mallik). There interface almost always is electrifying. Also endearing is the knack of weaving in humour with a powerful story such as this that is bound to make hearts ache and minds question authority while appeasing your funny bone. Laughs pop out from unexpected scenes. Contrasting Hakim Saab's world with that of a dancing girl, daringly spoofing everything from cricket fanaticism to Hakim's ability to have only baby girls indeed adorns itself in the league of intelligent humor.

However the fate of this story is the perfect case of aiming to be the bride and ending up as the bridesmaid. First is the length. It is long!! something that the story does not warrant so you are bound to fidget in your chair a couple of times. Then there are slips in story and characterization  that are unpardonable. The girls in the movie , their outlook and mannerisms do not bear witness to the tag of being uneducated and "paachvi - paas". Take for instance the other daughter Ayesha (Mahira Khan) who takes only a few seconds to get acclimatised to the limelight and stage fright. The end of the film is also flawed. Its too abrupt and the way loose strings are tied up looks almost childish. Making his acting debut is singer Atif Aslam .Although his music in the film is good , his acting abilities strike a discordant note. Hope it proves to be a warning for him as much as it does for us.

All in all it is a film packed with emotion, high drama and humor. It manages to caress our heart and inspire us to question authority but could easily have been better if the numerous glitches had been avoided. So a ration of 7/10 from me!

MOVIE REVIEW NOT A LOVE STORY

Ever thought the newspaper article that you are chewing upon could be the plot of the next film


that you watch. Well in a world where Ram Gopal Verma resides with his film-making urges


unabated it is very much possible. This week’s new release Not a Love Story is not even a good


story. Infact it is a gory story scavenging on the real life murder of Neeraj Grover for which


Maria Susairaj and her boyfriend were held responsible. The case is still fresh in our minds after


receiving unflinching media attention. When Susairaj was released after serving a punishment of


3 years there were many questioning the legal justice system and when RGV spoke of his film


project and casting Susairaj in it many questioned his mental state.




The film has finally been released with Mahie Gill playing the part of an ambitious struggling


actress Maria Susairaj, Deepak Dobriyal as her mad passionate lover and Ajay Gehi as Neeraj


Grover, the man who was killed by the lover in a fit of rage. I don’t know whether we should be


happy or a tad bit disappointed that RGV completely sticks to the newspaper /TV version of the


murder. There is nothing in the story that we don’t already know. No fresh details or perspective


is put forth. Add to this his refusal to take a stand. The film neither completely damns the


murderers nor does it make us empathize with them.




Even after the gruesome murders Anusha (Mahie Gill) and Robin (Deepak Dobriyal) are shown


to be strangely intertwined in the bond of love that can be best described as esoteric. Just when


we decide to keep an open mind and try to understand the pulls and pressures that could have


pushed an otherwise simple girl to partner a crime such as this, the story and characterization


furnish no details of the angst of her character. It is ironical that a girl who came to Mumbai to


make a name for herself only manages to do so by getting herself and her family to disrepute.




Inspite of this the film is not totally worthless. The first half is lucid and gripping. The story is


neatly put out and while we know where it all is heading, RGV does manage to keep us


Interested and glued. Things begin to rattle after the interval. Mahie Gill's incessant crying and


her ringtone stretch on well past the expiry date making us feel totally irritated. Since it is “not” a


love story the general hue of the film is dark and bloody – literally.  Deepak Dobriyal enthralls


us with his gritty performance.




Violence and blood are both expected and accepted but what is difficult to stomach is the placing


of the camera. The angles from which scenes are shot are not just unusual but sometimes in bad


taste and nauseating. As RGV decides to zoom and pan, the camera in question seems to be


totally characterless in nature at times literally barging into Mahie Gill’s body. The movie ends


on a strange note too. Contrary to the title, we see an attempt to show the partners in crime as


hapless lovers being persecuted by society.




Are we surprised…? Well not really. The most important thing to watch an RGV film is to


acclimatize oneself to his topsy turvy universe. Once you are ready to do that nothing seems


too difficult to digest.  No alien to controversy, Not A Love Story is an unapologetic attempt by


RGV to present his views. I would give it a rating of 5/10 – an average attempt that you can wait


and watch on TV rather than go all the way to the theatre to book tickets for!

Not just 'Anna'-ther coffee table conversation!!

Sitting at the Cafe, I can't help but overhear a conversation that a mother is having with her young daughter(looks no more than 12yrs old). The child wants 2 know what corruption means. Mothers reply : "Beta agar hum Shanti ke paise le lein(I am assuming Shanti is the maid) aur apne ghar kharch mein use karein to usse corruption kehte hain. Anna uncle isi liye fight ker rahe hain. Papa agar tax nahin denge to police unhe pakad legi par agar politicians tax nahi de to koi unhe nahi pakad ta". (If we take our maid Shanti's money and use it to buy things for ourselves then that is called corruption. If your dad doesn't pay his taxes then the Police would punish him,but when politicians don't pay takes no one holds them accountable). The daughter's eyes are all lit up. "Anna is brave mumma", she says. No matter where we stand on the issue of fasting, Anna has brought about a remarkable change. People are now talking about corruption not as a sad inevitable reality but as an evil worth fighting against and defeating.

I am still eavesdropping. I can hear words such as "Kalmadi" and "CWG". The mother goes on to say :"agar aap home-work nahi karoge to teacher diary mein complaint likhti hai na. agar woh na likhe to partiality hoti hai. Government ne Kalmadi ki complaint nahi Kari tabhi Anna uncle keh rahe hain ki sab logon ko punish karo" (If you don't do the home-work then your teachers writes a complaint in your dairy. If she doesn't do her duty properly then its called partiality. The government did not complain about Kalmadi. Therefore Anna uncle wants to punish everyone). The daughter is now totally quiet. She digs her fork into the waffles. But her mood is pensive. I am now trying to read her face. Poor child. What would she be thinking about all the "big", elderly people around her? " Mummy how  long will it take?"she finally asks.  The mother hasn't really heard her, or she is buying time. She right now is tending to her other daughter. This daughter is still younger , she is jumping and points at a magazine cover with the picture of a man climbing. She says"mumma big mountain per chadhne mein time lagta hai"( Mumma, it takes long to climb up a big mountain).  Mumma forgets about corruption and Anna. She replies "haan aur chote mountain per chadhne mein kam time lagta hai. Par jab aap chadh jaaoge to bohot mazza aata hai"( yes, and it takes less time to climb a smaller one but once you have reached the top and achieved the feat then its a wonderful feeling and you have great fun).

Now this is random conversation. But guess the answer to the question "mumma how long will it take?" lies in there. Its a tall hard mountain climb- our fight against corruption. We will be faced with many challenges, many questions - one of the first will be if the climb is at all worth it. We might loose our way, take the same beaten track or probably find a new course to reach the top, there might be dearth of oxygen and food on our journey. People will tell us to either turn back during bad whether or climb some other "chotta" mountain but through all the doubts, fears and suspense we need to only remember what the mother said"ek baar upar pahunch jaao to bada mazza aayega"(once you reach the top then you have a great time!)

I don't want to be bogged now by the intricacies of the Jan Lok Pal Bill, the parliament and its reputation and the media circus. I just know Anna has turned a banal coffee table chit chat into the most important lesson the 12 yr old child will always remember in her life. "Jab government partiality Kare to use punish hona chahiye"(if the government is being unfair and partial then it should be punished).  Anna is the harbinger of this new change. Topis off to him for that. Now the mother has asked for the bill and I can eavesdrop on nothing interesting.

MOVIE REVIEW CHATUR SINGH TWO STAR

It is only in a civilised society where we are taught to not laugh when someone falls or enjoy at the expense of some one's frailty. Therefore to be in line with our moral and ethical growth it is advisable that we do not laugh , make fun or enjoy at the expense of Sanjay Dutt and his mighty fall from the thrown of stardom. Last we saw him in the film Double Dhamal where his post pregnancy weight was still looming large. However his latest venture Chatur Singh 2 star is far more painful.

Director Ajay Chandhoke on us has played a cruel joke. Although I say it mainly to register my attempt at rhyming what I mean is absolutely direct and true. It  is cruel to make a film such as this that not only makes us shudder while experiencing it but also cringe at the sight of a once " towering over bollywood", Sanjay Dutt make an absolute fool of himself. Do not be mistaken my the Jacques Clouseau mustache. Forget Pink Panther, all it does is bring out the animal in us as we want to leap out of our chair and pull at our hair, kick some one hard or growl at the world.

Partners in crime along side Mr Dutt are Ameesha Patel, Suresh Menon, Gulshan Grover and Anupam Kher. The intention was to perhaps make a comic flick keeping in mind the innocence and endearing madness of a Jacques Clouseau. However never has intention been such lightyears away from reality. Sanjay Dutt is Chatur Singh, a policeman.A detective is how he would like to be remembered and we most likely to forget . Chatur is ever eager to "go on a mission" ,the police force and his Chief are totally out of breath with his histrionics. The plot seems to some what pretend to move when his boss Anupam Kher asks him to keep a watchful eye and provide security to a corrupt politician Gulshan Grover. Chatur meets Sonia ( Ameesha  Patel) and we feel as if the movie is on a ventilator and we in need of life-support.

The vital stats of this film had been dangerously life threatening since the beginning and we wonder what all the fuss is about. There is absolutely no story, no plot, no humour and no entertainment. Ameesha swinging in a red saree to a tepid Sajid -Wajid number does more harm than good. Rumi Jaffery and Sai Kabir seem to have been absentee script-writers.

While somewhere in the middle we might all scream for euthanasia to be granted to this film it nevertheless runs its full course. It would be no surprise if the next season of Khatron ke Khiladi  presents this to be the deadliest task-"who can watch chatur sing 2 star fully without a break. I couldn't and nor would you.

I say stay as far as possible from this one . Chatur Singh makes are "chatur" interms of granting "Two stars" to the film themselves. perhaps they knew no one would tread even close to it.

I cant even say leave your brain at home and go for the film. Because brain or no, your soul will never forgive you for tolerating this one. Forget 2 stars this movie is not even worth sawdust. it should never have been made and therefore i declare its 0/10. 10/10 goes to that brave heart who can actually sit through the whole !!!

MOVIE REVIEW BUBBLE GUM

We have had our share of a bubble gum haven't we. There is nothing volcanic about it. It is not revolutionary and definitely will not be life changing. However we somehow can't do without it. Its almost a compulsive habit, to go on chewing it while we may eschew all that we don't like. Take in the slight hint of a flavour and feel content. This is exactly how the movie Bubble Gum leaves us feeling.

Unadulterated nostalgia is what is up for grabs and we are transported  into the world where every thing is sepia toned. It all seems light years ago when the story is set. At a time where relationship status was put up not on Facebook  but as graffiti on loo walls or engraved on school desks. Friends were not merely adorning friend lists but actually playing together and kicking up a riot and where feelings were not expressed only in 142 characters but endearingly put down on perfumed hand written love letters. In such a world still unstained from tweets and pokes is set a story of two brothers Vedant and Vidur (Delzad Hirale, Sohail Lakhani) separated by age ,distance and capability. Growing up in Jamshedpur is our 14year old hero Vedant shackled by a disciplinarian father, loving mother and tickled by the first flushes of love. Joining him is his elder brother Vidur. He is deaf and mute, living in a hostel because his own city offers no educational opportunities to students like him. 

Just like a bubblegum holds no promise of either satiating our hunger or quenching our thirst, the movie by the same name adopts these very characteristics. There isn't really a story to speak of. We are meant to chew along and peep into the world of these two brothers. It makes an attempt at not just portraying turbulent teens but also gives glimpses of picturesque parenting. How much should parents resist and how much should they let go? How to take care of the ambitions and aspirations of both kids who might be poles apart and yet let each of of them have their moment under the sun. Its a film that makes us part of its world -  world that although represents the past, but the questions it throws up are ones we are grappling with even in our present.

Things we love about the film :

1. Tanvi Azmi. Yes she absolutely needs a special mention and deserves to top the list of reasons for watching this film  because of her charismatic screen presence. The film wouldn't have been half as good had it not been for her. Playing a mother to the two boys , Tanvi Azmi impresses one and all.

2. Beautiful Detailing. The risk that films such as these run is of caricaturing the past. However the detailing and research that has been put into the story lifts it to another level. Be it the long polka-dotted frocks that the girls wear to yellow colored Tintin comics , old rupee notes to bell bottomed pants and round bell switches. Its an amazing time machine.

3. The performances. Sohail Lakhan as the deaf and mute elder brother, Delzad Hirale as the 14 year old in love hero, Sachin Khedekar as their out of breath dad and Apoorva Arora as the sweet neighbourhood damsel are a delight. Nothing could have convinced us more to believe in the story than there performances.

4. EQ. It definitely has high EQ percentile -  a film that instead of targetting our heads makes  a shot straight for our hearts. The brothers fights and there eventual bonding, the parents and there bewilderment , all are endearing and can gift us a few cathartic tears.

Things that we don't like in the movie :

1. Bubble Gum had no solid story. There is no build up and no resolution. We are bound to feel a little clueless at times.

2. There are moments in the film when we want to rush things up a bit. The pace of the film can be really prove to be  burdensome for someone who likes to guzzle down their drinks in one go. Director Sanjivan Lal could have made this 120 min crisper. 

Over all Bubble Gum is like Sunday Siesta. Although we laze around and end up doing nothing much it nevertheless is close to our hearts and we wouldn't want to trade that time with anything else. I will give it a rating of 7.5/10. Well made and thoroughly enjoyable but it could have been better.

MOVIE REVIEW KHAP

The 'Khap' film director Ajai Sinha says that his film condemns honour killings and not Khap Panchayats even as no Haryana Minister wants to watch it and court controversy. I say the only thing this film condemns is good cinema and our sensibilities. The ministers are a cunning lot. By not watching this film they are doing themselves a huge favour.

The film as its name suggests revolves around the workings of the Khap - communities in villages that meat out barbaric punishments to young lovers who get married against the wishes of their parents and customs of their society. These young couples are killed in the name of honour, family prestige and tradition.

In Sajod village in Haryana lives the Khap head Omkar Chaudhry(Om Puri) who fervently follows and propagates the policy of honor killings. His own son Madhur Chaudhry(Mohnish Behl) deserts him and settles down in Delhi. He wants to bring up his daughter Ria(Uvika Chaudhry) far away from the shadow of such devilish practices. However fate has a different plan. Ria and her family get sucked into the same dangerous muddle of honor killings that they so desperately wanted to avoid. 

Fate has a different plan for us too and it is equally cruel. Far from being a social commentary about savage practices the film is a drab watch that sadly trivialises the very cause it wants to highlight and address. So what do you prefer counting the number of popcorns in the box or playing Angry birds on your cell? After all the lacklustre screenplay, shoddy acting and flimsy direction leave us with plenty of time to pursue such recreational activities if we happen to inflict ourselves with the pain of watching this film.

The film cries out for good direction. Although the story is average ,a good director could definitely have churned out a more palatable dish. Remember the incredulous way college life was depicted in our Bollywood films of the 90's? For the longest time college was a place that housed  atrociously dressed boys and girls singing and dancing away to glory. After a long time we witness something similar. Sprightly and cocky youngsters )for no rhyme or reason) with teachers and their syllabus being conspicuous by their absence!!

There are a number of things in the film that can deviate us from our Buddha-hood and make us violently demand our money back :

1.The lead pair Uvika and debutant Sarrtaj Gill top the list. They are painful to watch. No acting skills to help them sail through and the weak story line isn't the perfect lifeguard.

2. The songs!!! Leave aside their musical worth which is hardy anything to write home about. The songs have a tradition of popping up at the most inappropriate times making our whole film watching experience nightmarish.

3. Dull script and weak character sketches. It is a human drama where in we are not once made to feel the angst of the characters. It seems more akin to an amateurish attempt at making a documentary than a full fledged film!  How can there me mourning in one scene and love songs in the next? why does a son who is so angry with his father suddenly decide to forgive and forget? how does a man totally entrenched in his customs decide to switch sides? no convincing answers are given and we are totally lost.

4. Poor direction. The urgency that should accompany such an intense film, the degree of empathy we should feel with the characters on screen,there tussles ,pressures and reasons that make them take such drastic steps are all missing. The film promised to be a hard hitting attempt to throw more light on this kind of savage practice, elicit the cause and throw up poignant questions and some not so dramatic solutions.What it does is any ones guess - to put it mildly they just mess it up. The film turns out to be a saga of lovers against the world thereby trivialize the important issue of honor killing.

5. Complete wastage of good actors like Om Puri,Mohnish Behl, Govind Nmdeo and Manoj Pahwa.The latter has been seen in a whole new avatar playing Sukhiram quite commendable given the shortage of armour at his disposal.

Four days before release, "Khap - A Story of Honour Killing", faced the ire of village heads in Haryana. Post its release it is bound to be on not so cordial terms with us cine goers who will go for the film thinking it will make some thunder but come out feeling totally stupid.

Be warned and keep a good arms distance away from this film. A poor film that you should watch only if you are desperate. I'll go for 2.5/10 for the film and a rating of 10/10 for anyone who can endure in without complaining!!!!

MOVIE REVIEW SINGHAM

Just a single word can help suffice the story of this weeks new release Singham -dhishoooooom!!!That's what it is from the beginning till the climax. Visuals of a chiseled bodied hero flexing his muscles,a shirtless wonder taking giant strides , tough looks and humongous strength .For a minute we are almost hypnotised by the Dabangg resemblance. Well it ends there .Ajay Devgun's shirtless shots and Dabangg-ish title track of Singham do remind us  that the ridiculous can be carried off with elan only by our one and only Salman Khan.However if Rohit Shetty rests his money on the capable biceps and triceps of Ajay we aren't too disappointed. 

Now the million dollar question is - will the movie Singham be as entertaining and funny as its spoof trailer video 'manmohan singham' which is doing the rounds on YouTube and face book these days.The answer would be a yes.You are bound to stay glued for the duration of the film and enjoy it thoroughly if you are ready to keep in mind that it is a Rohit Shetty  film therefore a lullaby for you brain.Please don't expect the Golmal director to come up with something  realistic , understated or thought provoking.

 The story mind you  is not frivolous.A remake of a 2010 Tamil film by the same name and directed by Hari,featured Surya and Anushka Shetty it talks about a system so drenched in corruption that an honest cop is left high and dry.Ajay devgun plays the character of Bajirao Singham ,an upright officer who takes on the mighty villain Jaykant Shikre played by Prakash Raj(reprising the role he played in the Tamil original).However it is its execution and on screen treatment that makes it so over the top in other words a typical Rohit Shetty film.In Goa is the criminal ,Shikre who gets an honest cop(Sudhanshu Pandey) entangled in a false corruption charge.He is driven to suicide while his widowed wife (Sonali Kulkerni)is left to fight for justice. Meanwhile in a quaint village near the Goa-Maharashtra border is the no nonsense cop Bajirao Singham.His rivalry with Shikre gets him to Goa where both noisily collide almost daily.While Shikre wants to make life hell,Singham on the other hand swears to avenge the death of an honest policeman. What unfolds is a Masala Pot boiler-overflowing with melodrama and heroic grandeur.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE FILM

The sheer brilliance of the stunts,the immaculate fight choreography and some thrilling action lead the rest in the list for reasons to go for this film.Rohit Shetty proves once again that he is the master in directing unique stunts and together with his rather muscular muse Ajay, can churn out some relishing home made Masala flicks.From knocking someone out with the thrust of a single hand,to car chases and full throttle kicks.Action serves to be the main course in this latest Rohit Shetty menu . Not just this. The movie also boasts of some smoking hot dialogues to go as accompaniment.A lot of them are in Marathi ,written by Farhad-Sajjid they help to keep intact the southern flavour.All this is garnished with some good old humour .There are scenes that are genuinely funny therefore making you laugh while the others are so totally ridiculous that we giggle  anyway in utter wonder.!!either ways there is never a dull moment. Add to this farm fresh ingredients in the form of thundering performances by Ajay Devgun as the upright hero and Prakash Raj as the slimy villain. Both have put up a great show.Just seeing them together in the same frame is rewarding.Ajay guarantees yet another hit and Prakash Raj although has created a niche for himself with the villainous roles needs to reinvent himself before we yawn at his next performance.Watch out for the climax of the film when Singham ( Ajay) and the others zero in on Shirke(Prakash Raj).Its a treat watching how the intensity of Ajay's character compliments so well the frivolity of Prakash's.

WHAT NOT TO EXPECT FROM THE FILM

Please refrain from expecting anything subtle or delicate.Its an out and out Masala pot-boiler however refreshingly crisp.At the outset it is made clear that a Lion(singham)is on prowl to get the villain.Also don't expect anything in the musical front.The songs seems forced (the music by Marathi music directors Ajay-Atul nothing to write home about and the sub-plot of Ajay and his love flame in the film Kavya played by Kajal Aggarwal extremely lack lustrous and "thanda".Previously seen in southern films Kajal Aggarwal delivers what she was hired for. A pretty face and a little breather.Her scenes with Ajay have neither much to speak of in terms of content nor chemistry They just help us give some visual pleasure in between the dhishhooms!!

Also do not expect a logical, realistic end to the film.The solution put froth about rooting out corruption is over the top, bordering on the insane.But the banner of 'masala film', Rohit Shetty's vision along with thundering performances bail it out!!

THE FINAL VERDICT

 Although a no brainer it has enough meat to keep us busy.

Singham is yet another example of how great performances can help make an otherwise average film pass with flying colours.Give your brain some rest and digest some solid performances while you stomach your popcorns!!A one time watch,if you have been deprived of a good Action film diet then you better be heading for this one.