| Shaapit - A Forgettable Teen Soap Opera |
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 What is it all about? Post 1920 Vikram Bhat comes with a teen soap opera titled ‘Shaapit’, no thrill, not a single scary scene, and wooden acting with two new pretty faces. ‘Shaapit’ is a muddled and most unmysterical offering from the guy who gave us ‘Raaz’ and ‘1920’ with very limited things to offer from anyone, ‘Shaapit’ is destined to banish into the home video circuit very soon. The Story………of course When Aman (Aditya Narayan) proposes to Kaaya (Shweta Agrawal) and as soon as Kaaya wears the engagement ring and the couple drives off together, their car takes a spin and bounces off the road, almost killing both of them. When Kaaya's parents (Murli Sharma, Nishigandha Wad) hear about their daughter's accident, they rush to the hospital to find an engagement ring on their daughter's finger. Distraught, the father explains to the young couple that three hundred years back, their family had incurred the curse of an angry Brahmin and that curse did not allow the daughters of their family to be married.  Aman meets Pashupathi (Rahul Dev), the master of the ways of the spiritual world. Pashupathi tells Aman that in some cultures, there was a belief that a generational curse worked much after even the person who had uttered the curse was dead because, it was believed, that an evil curse when uttered stuck to an evil spirit and the spirit then became the keeper of the curse and it was the duty of that evil spirit to make the curse come true generation after generation. Aman asks Pashupathi if there was a way to destroy the spirit and get rid of the curse. Pashupathi tells him that there was a way, but it was filled with peril. If he sets about to hunt and destroy a spirit, then the spirit would also know that it was being hunted. Aman tells Pashupathi that he would fight for his love... and so begins their journey. What to look out for? The background score by Raju Rao is effective and tries hard to provide any thrills. Pravin Bhatt's camerawork is brilliant. The production values are rich. Rahul Dev is a surprise, he does a good job. What not? The movie is a blunder in the name of horror. Out of focus right from the first reel when we hear a romantic song to the placing of the story in the 17th century where the art design is poor, the special effects have nothing special and the eerie element is completely missing. The newcomers Aditya Narayan and Shweta Agarwal are just pretty faces, Shweta gets less scope and Aditya looks cute his face is boyish and is best suitable for a teen rom com, casting a boyish face for an horror is another blunder. Conclusion: Wait for its world premiere on DTH which is likely to happen very soon. Rating * |
What is it all about?
As earnest and well-intentioned, first time helmer Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan’s ‘Lahore’ is a high-minded sports drama attempting not only to merge brotherhood between India and Pakistan but also dedicates itself to entertaining the audience via its kick-boxing duels as it introduces another exciting sport to Indian cinema called kick boxing coming after some decent drives with cricket based flicks like ‘Lagan’, ‘Jannat’ and missing the net from other football flicks. More ‘action’ oriented and less motivationally ‘desi’ then ‘Chak De’ based on the Indian national sports hockey, ‘Lahore’ scores on its action and doesn’t get involved in Pak bashing, the sort of thing that always goes down very easily.
The Story…..of course
The selection of the Indian kick-boxing team is to be done. The final stage of qualification is in process. Amidst all this there is a minister (K. Jeeva), who wants his favourite participant to be selected; a coach (Farooque Shaikh), who wants merit to be the order of the day; an aspirant (Sushant Singh), who dreams to qualify purely on the basis of his merit; another aspirant (Kelly Dorji), who is over-confident, well connected and aims high to represent India.
The focus shifts to Kuala Lumpur. Two opponents, Dhirendra Singh (Sushant Singh) from India comes face to face with Noor Mohammad (Mukesh Rishi) from Pakistan. But an unexpected incident takes place. The sports fraternity stands numb.
The two nations meet in Lahore for a fresh kick-boxing tournament. This time, Noor Mohammed comes face-to-face with Virendra Singh (Aanaahad), Dhirendra's brother. Winning the game is not the only thing on his mind. Virendra wants to settle some old scores and restore the lost pride of the nation.
What to look out for?
First time helmer Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan shows his potential with ‘Lahore’ as an engrossing story teller. Technicians like action director Tony Leung Siu Hung, cinematographer Neelabh Kaul, background score Wayne Sharpe, production design Kesto Mondal, support the director in his cause with their brilliance making ‘Lahore’ a well crafted flick that also comes with a social message and terrific performance where Farooque Shaikh is outstanding. Saurabh Shukla is fantastic. Sabyasachi Chakraborty is excellent. Sushant Singh is praiseworthy. Shraddha Nigam impresses, Mukesh Rishi is commendable. Shraddha Das manages to make herself being noticed. Nafisa Ali is competent. Ashish Vidyarthi does a sincere job. K. Jeeva, Kelly Dorji and Nirmal Pandey do their act professionally.
Even in this talented crowd, Aanaahad, makes his mark and portrays a neat performance that opens his gates in Bollywood as an actor with talent.
What not?
Suffering from some predictability disease, the movie also takes some cinematic liberties like Aanaahad who plays a gentleman’s sport like cricket gets chosen to play an altogether ‘bloody’ different sport like kick boxing may not be easy for some to digest.
Conclusion: Making decent buzz at festivals, ‘Lahore’ is a well crafted flick that also comes with a social message and terrific performance, Warner Bros in India should be at least proud to have a decent flick in their hands which promises more in its post theatre package.
Rating: ***
| Love Sex Aur Dhokha - The ‘real’ Indian Bollywood mockumentary |
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 What is it all about? After the intelligence in ‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye’, Dibakar Banerjee in association with India’s soap queen Ekta Kapoor tries to get real and ‘shaky’ in this attempt to push the envelope titled ‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha’ which uses its low-budget effects and spoofy mockumentary methods to some good result which demands applause for its concept, style and presentation where bad behavior tends to worsen when you train a camera on it. This genre spins on the improvised performances, gradual escalation of gore and of course the concept but it comes with a warning and to tell you the truth, the viewer gets bored and frustrated after the initial hook up provided by the terminally jerky hand-held camera. Ironically in this ‘real’ attempt, Ekta’s shift from the bulk buyer of glycerin bottles in small screen to a innovative open mind producer becomes more noticeable as the somewhat ‘fakey’ helming of Dibakar widens the distance between regular audience who got so well connected and got himself identified in a better way in his previous ‘Khosla Ka Ghosla’ and clapped for the intelligence in ‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye’. The Story…….of course LSD is written episodically and twins the three stories at one place where the stories run independently on their own. Story I: In a film institute in North India, a student gears up for his diploma film. With an amateur small-town cast, Rahul starts filming a love story and eventually falls in love with his heroine Shruti. They elope, get married and dream of a blissful future. Story II: Adarsh installs security cameras in a small, upcoming 24-hour department store. In desperate need of cash to clear off his debts, Adarsh hits upon the idea of making a porn clip through the security cameras in the shop. The victim? Rashmi, who works in the store. Story III: Prabhat - a sting journalist - attempts a series of failed suicides. He meets Naina, who is also trying to commit suicide. She had been promised a music video by Loki Local, a Hip Hop pop star. She slept with him for the same, but the video finally went to a Russian blonde. Prabhat and Naina decide to do a sting operation. What to look out for? Most of the film concentrates on setting the scene using camera as a prop, actor, villain, hero. Shot in a style which is a mix of mockumentary and reality shows, the camera captures everything.  The scenes are short, the images are occasionally out of focus. It’s an interesting experiment. Lens man Nikos Andritsakis does a splendid job by giving us the feel that the movie is shot on a handycam, security cameras placed in shops, underwater cameras and spy cameras; Editing by Namrata Rao is sharp is sharp. Production values are perfect. The title track is catchy and this innovative attempt introduces talented new faces to the tinsel town Anshuman Jha Rahul, Shruti as Shruti, Raj Kumar Yadav as Adarsh, Neha Chauhan as Rashmi, Amit Sial as as Prabhat, Arya Devdutta as Naina] and Herry Tangri as Loki Local all are bundles of talent. What not? It’s an attempt not an achievement for the following reasons: First of all if wanna be real then be real – you are not suppose to make a spoof to get your film making diploma. A spoof should not be stretched it should tickle you and leave but in the first story the spoof goes on and on and on. Why is the camera always on? And even when it’s on, it doesn’t show proper reading. (the point is after some time the viewer starts looking here and there as the proceedings fail to hold interest of all) The MMS clip turns out to be a big joke and the reason and the timing of the arousal and the act (which is hardly there and you start murmuring – guys do something yaar come on) is unconvincing. A pop star will never have a coffee in a local departmental store. The helmer and the writer ignore these ‘real’ facts in their ‘reality’ mockumenatry and ends this innovation only as an experiment and attempt to break the genre or write a graffiti on the walls of Bollywood. Conclusion: Love Sex Aur Dhokha is rich in concept, style, acting and techniques but poor in substance, go only for the experiment. Rating: ** |
What is it all about?
Its tribute times in Bollywood, well the wanted /unwanted homage to Hollywood continues with ‘Hide & Seek’, but this time it smells like a ‘Teen spirit’ popularly known as ‘teen horror’ in US of A where ‘Jimmy didn't had a gun’ but the guy dressed as santa... matlab mad max on a shopping mall street... carries a baseball type sword to terrify our souls as our mind ‘screams’ ‘caught you’ as you do this movie watching this summer.
Debutant helmer Shawn Arranha in a loosely inspired ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ screenplay by Suresh Nair and Apoorva Lakhia tries to combine familiar elements from horror staples and a few novel twists, ‘Hide and Seek’ has superior fright elements that then the routine stuffs. A bit clever and tricky to rise above the usual fodder, some good acting with technical confidence sets the movie on target for its primary audience maintaining the slasher echoes alive in this psychological fright express that are hallmark of such movies.
The Story...of course
They were kids - Om (Purab Kohli) Abhi (Samir Kochhar), Jaideep(Arjan Bajwa), Imran(Ayaz Khan), Gunita (Amruta Patki) and Jyotika (Mrinalini Sharma) it all started as a game on a chilly Christmas Night.
But little did they expect that night and that game would change their lives forever. Twelve years later, while some still wrestled with memories of that fateful night and others left it buried deep within them, it was a past that came back to haunt them again. Twelve years later, someone was bringing them all together. To play that game all over again!
But this time it will cost them their lives!
Haunted by the past... Trapped in a shopping mall... Six best friends turn into worst enemies.
What to look out for?
The script lays out the dire consequences of having made the wrong decision. Remainder of the film plays out as a cat-and-mouse game, with the friends captured in the mall taking their own lead in unmasking the killer before he can diminish their ranks.
The tight and crisp narration by newcomer Shawn Arranha demonstrates adroitness at creating vivid young protagonists where at least a slasher/teen horror lover will enjoy.
Decent performance by Purab, Mrinali, Sameer and Arjan help in supporting the helmer's cause and the technical brilliance in the back ground music by Amar Mohile
And the smart lensing by Srikant Naroj bring in the thrill elements.
What not?
It’s a warning sign that the serious underpinnings and attention to the slasher piece and ‘teen horor’ satisfaction sacrifices for wider genre demands, ultimately, that limits the movies appeal.
Recommended: For the lovers of slasher and ‘teen horror’ shows
Rating: ***
rockkk movie review
What is it all about?
‘Rokkk’, coming after ‘Click’ this week’s Bollywood’s scare call unfortunately has little personality of its own. With enough genre inconsistencies and plot holes to make it a textbook example of borrowing from too many divergent horror films to get anything right, the movie does injects some creepiness but that comes very late in the end bringing death to the excitement required for such flicks coming across in muted fashion.
This Rajesh Ranshinge helmed horror ‘Rokkk’ seems to be an extension from the ‘Agyaat’ type small screen creepy happenings and literally ‘Rokkk’ (stops) itself from creating any screams anywhere.
The Story……….of course
Anushka (Tanushree Dutta) weds an elderly man Ravi (Sachin Khedekar), who has remarried after the death of his first wife. Anushka's mother (Nishigandha Wad) refuses to accept their relationship.
Anushka and Ravi begin their journey in a beautiful home that Ravi gifts Anushka. However, strange and quirky things start happening there. Anushka tries to share her experiences with Ravi, who in turn thinks that his wife is hallucinating. They decide to move back to their earlier home, but the incidents don't seem to stop.
Anushka seeks advice from a healer (Arif Zakaria) and tries to discover the motive behind these unexplainable incidents. The story takes a turn when Anushka murders her husband and sister-in-law. Ahana (Udita Goswami) Anushka's sister begins her journey to rescue her.
What to look out for?
The movie as the recent trend in Bollywood keeps it loyalty to the Asian creep factor – fair teenage girl with dark eyes and black hair. The climax is a seat jumper. Tanushree Datta talks with her big beautiful bong eyes and does a fine job. The technical crafts elements are fine.
What not?
In horrors sound track is also a hero but here the sound by Joshy Anthony turns villain as its loud and irritating instead of being scary.
Conclusion: ‘Rokkk’ emerges in the end as a low-impact suspensor that sustains a certain mood but doesn't approach the full potential of its premise, its up to you, watch it if you really must.
Rating **
road movie review
What is it all about?
Yes, it defines the routine Bollywood norms; yes it’s not the normal cinema of yore but does it strikes any chord? The answer is no.
Dev Benegal’s ‘Road, Movie’ is a watery, oily, escape from the cinema of yore which even fails to impress the arty cores.
As everybody knows that there is no thesis or theory in how to shoot your cinema but there is a theory and explanation required for a compelling cinema; be it for the masses or the classes. A good cinema is never left as an incomplete story regardless of whatever mystery the helmer creates.
The problem with Dev Benegal’s ‘Road, Movie’ is that even though it has the prodigious assistance of Cinematographer Michel Amathieu, Editor Yaniv Dabach, Amba Sanyal’s costumes, Vikram Joglekar’s sound and of course sincere and strong dedication from Abhay Deol, Satish Kaushik, new entrant Tannishtha Chatterjee and Mohammed Faisal Usmani - still the movie doesn’t give you the ‘kick’ required in such adventurous trip like ‘The Passenger’ or ‘Easy Rider’ which made history in the American artistic independent cinema.
What could have been a seminal film of this year turns into a leftover coming from the head and mindset of those cross culture filmmakers who struggle to find their cinematic roots.
The Story…….of course
Vishnu (Abhay Deol) a restless young man itches to escape his father's faltering hair oil business. An old truck beckons, which Vishnu sees as his ticket to freedom. As he sets off across the harsh terrain of desert India, he discovers he's not merely transporting a battered vehicle, but an old touring cinema.
Along the way, Vishnu reluctantly picks up a young runaway (Mohammed Faizal Usmani), a wandering old entertainer (Satish Kaushik) and a gypsy woman (Tannishtha Chatterjee). Together they roam in the barren land, searching for water and an elusive fair. The journey turns dire when they are waylaid by corrupt cops and a notorious water lord.
What to look out for?
There are interesting points in the film like the way Abhay deals with the water gang with the help of his ‘atma’ brand oil. Satish oiling the projector with hair oil, villagers watching cinema on wheels are wonderful moments.
The movie has the prodigious assistance of Cinematographer Michel Amathieu, Editor Yaniv Dabach, Amba Sanyal’s costumes, Vikram Joglekar’s sound and of course sincere and strong dedication from Abhay Deol, Satish Kaushik, new entrant Tannishtha Chatterjee and Mohammed Faisal Usmani as the boy.
What Not? ‘Road, Movie seems to be aimed at young-minded people aka modern day cowboys who shoot the routine cinema of yore and try to test the boundaries of liberal thinking Bollywood cinema circa but sadly the makers fail to understand in their dream that all this scrupulously real and surreal cinematic experiment requires the understanding of the counter-culture movement that revolve around the premise and in the end the movie appears as an incomplete naïve attempt.
Sometimes the movie gives you a dark feel which is not exactly the genre of the film. No comments on the remix of the song “Sar Jo Tera Chakraye” from Guru Dutt’s classic ‘Pyaasa’ but the movie though doesn’t gives you a headache but it definitely ‘Dubaos your dil’ meaning disappoints you in the after an interesting start.
Recommended: For those who feel proud to be called pseudo or confused cinegoers.
Rating **
athithi tum kab javoge review
What is it all about?
He sings and dances to the bhajan of Maa in “Bidi jaleile” tune, while he asks his chachaji to leave his modern society and city in a K.L. Saigal way. That’s ‘ATKJ’ for you. This Warner Bros Pictures major Bollywood summer offering should stuff its stockings in this exam month in Indian schools with a popular chocolate ad jargon ‘Pappu pass ho gaya’. Sappy in places with identified emotions and the Indian spirituality factor from the saying ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ (Guests are the avatar of god) twined in this modern recall of Hrishida and Basu da the ‘papas’ of simple story tellers who always told stories reflecting the times and Indian values in the most touching and simple manner like in ‘Khatta Meetha’, ‘Barwarchi’, ‘Golmaal’, ‘Choti Si Baat’ etc.
This Paresh Rawal lead and Ashwini Dhir (One Two Three) helmed ‘guesty’ vehicle provides the comic a slick surface for a decent family outing in the story that posses quality family appeal.
The story……of course
Inspired from the noted Indian Hindi poet, writer, satirist late Sharad Joshi’s article ‘Tum Kab Jaoge Atithi’, writer director Ashwini Dhir along with her partners in screen writing Tushar Hiranandani and Robin Bhatt tell a story where Puneet (Ajay Devgan) and Munmun (Konkona Sen), a married couple living in Mumbai. Their lives take an interesting turn when a distant relative, Chachaji (Paresh Rawal), turns up unannounced at their doorstep from a far-off village. The guest overstays his welcome, so much so that the exasperated couple comes up with various ploys to hasten his departure.
What to look out for?
Writer director Ashwini Dhir smartly brings together many of the same selling points in Bollywood cinema but mixes it with comic strokes with some good messages about the magical power of a guest in Indian beliefs and the power of a family.
Paresh Rawal gets the opportunity to display his amusing wit with so much ease and comfort, he farts in the film, gives his daily menu for lunch and dinner, forces the owners of the house Ajay and Konkana to sacrifice even the normal comfort of an air conditioner as he conquers their bedroom and at the same time gives gyan to them and their child on Indian values and tradition to the modern Indian family.
Ajay Devgan is commendable and Konkana is spot on in the movie which rides primarily on its emotional inputs and later on the spiritual angle where Aswini manages to capture the Indian heart by twining the popular Ganesh Chaturtthi festival with the guest coming thingie that gives the movie its much needed lift.
The entire mahurat shot where Paresh irritates Viju Khote and Ajay’s reaction after Satish Kaushik’s outburst is a highlight along with the child taking gyan from Paresh and doing parikrama of the parents is another touching moment.
The climax is smartly done.
What Not?
Paresh Rawal’s too much of farting and a lazy start. The movie starts getting lost in those unwanted episodes like the police raid on the cheap hotel.
Recommended: Yes, with wanted or unwanted guest, ATKJ is a modern Hrishida and Basu da recall carries those popular Bollywood elements and with the spirituality angle thrown in for desired effect.
Rating ***
