One can safely say that Rohit Shetty has cracked the formula. Whether it is Priyadarshan, David Dhawan or Anees Bazmee - each of the film makers is known for the brand of cinema that they generate year after year. Now join Rohit Shetty to the list. After watching 'Golmaal 3', one can declare that Rohit too knows what is expected from him. And he delivers. Each time around.
Though the film has been sold as the story of six prime protagonists divided by two rival teams [one comprising of Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor & Shreyas Talpade and another made of Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor and Kunal Khemu], 'Golmaal 3' is actually the story of Ratna Pathak Shah and Mithun Chakravorty who are the head of the two families. Separated in youth, now the two veteran lovers find themselves face to face again. Would the families get united with the duo coming back again?
A storyline like this could have become a family drama. However, Rohit and his writers come together to make a fun film which has gags and plenty humours moments to keep the wheels rolling right from start to finish. To pep up the fun quotient further, they also introduce a Johnny Lever track with his 'Ghajini' like syndrome [short term memory loss] which fits into the narrative perfectly well.
What doesn't work though is the extended love track of Mithun and Ratna. Really, after a point, it seems quite stretched. Yes, the flashback sequence is done well but the hurdles towards their marriage and an eventual coming together could have been crisper. Also, a few jokes in this half of the film fall flat. However, the second half flies by like a bullet and doesn't let audience think about what has gone past by. The pranks played by the boys of the house and re-emergence of Johnny Lever towards the last 30 minutes of the film ensure that 'Golmaal 3' lives up to the expectations that one had from the film.
In fact it won't be wrong to say that three characters which actually have maximum screen time in the film are Kareena Kapoor, Mithun Chakravorty and Johnny Lever. Ajay Devgn becomes a part of the gang and while he is part of the film throughout, he doesn't try to overshadow anyone. Arshad Warsi, who was said to be short changed in 'Golmaal Returns', won't have any reason to complain this time around as amongst the men, he leaves maximum impact as he gets the best lines for himself.
From the younger lot, Tusshar Kapoor comes up with a performance which is expected of him and the recall value of his 'goonga' act means that he gets into the fifth gear from the word go. However, he takes a brilliant back gear in the scene where he comes with an emotional outburst as he reveals the truth to the entire gang of boys.
New entrant Kunal Khemu leaves a mark and actually gets a good enough screen time for himself. Sadly, Shreyas Talpade is relegated to the backseat here. On the other hand Johnny Lever is a riot all through the film and brings down the house every-time he appears. Mithun brings back the memories of yore when he re-enacts the 'Pyaar Jhukta Nahin' sequence with Prem Chopra as the father of the bride. Ratna Pathak Shah is okay.
'Golmaal 3' is not a great piece of cinema. It's purpose of existence is simple, give audience those two and a half hours of non-stop fun, come what may, and ensure that there is no dull moment that goes past by. This is what one gets to see in this non-stop laugh riot that begins well, has a good middle portion and a convincing end as well, all of it making sure that the time that audience spends watching the film flies by in a jiffy.
Go~go~go watch it this Diwali!
Rating: ****
'Action Replayy' is one film which is arriving as an underdog this Diwali. The film doesn't scream and excites audience by proclaiming - 'Hey, look I am cool' or 'See, Akshay Kumar would be seen as a Mr. Smart Know All' once again' or 'The gags are such that you would fall off your seats'. Instead it does it all in a subtle manner when it comes to treatment though the look of the film does gain audience attention, courtesy the 70s setting that had a psychedelic flavour to it.
No wonder, when the curtains go up, the film begins and a few minutes later, Akshay is introduced as a nerd from the 70s, everyone collectively goes 'eeks' along with his son (Aditya Roy Kapoor) who has made a visit to the past. Forget the flamboyance or the energy that one expects from Akshay Kumar, he actually gets into a garb as never worn before. Donning an ill fitting 'kurta-pyajama', a pair of TV screen style glasses, a 'champu' haircut, an awkward walk and last but the most visible aspect of his personality - two protruding teeth, Akshay is as unlike a hero as one can expect from him or any other supporting actor filling a frame.
Vipul Shah gets the retro flavour bang on right from the time opening credits start rolling. The anthem music, background score, colours, costumes, sets, props - everything blends in truly well to actually traverse audience to the era gone by.
This is not all as the characters too turn into the kind that one expects from the 70s. Aishwarya Rai as a talkative mini skirted young tomboyish girl could well have taken a cue from Neetu Singh, Rannvijay Singh as a harmless villain is a diluted version of Ranjeet & Prem Chopra while Rajpal Yadav is a mini version of the boisterous Rajendra Nath. However, Akshay does something that has never been done by an actor either from the 70s or the current times and this is where the win of the character lies.
So while Aditya tries to develop love between next door neighbours Akshay and Aishwarya, everything that is possibly goes wrong between the duo. A street-smart Ash makes life miserable for Akshay and though he has a soft corner for her, he manages to let go off his feelings when he sees her get out of a mini skirt and don a saree. His heart goes 'dhak dhak' and he is all set to propose to her, but not before he goes through some real transformation. It is time for some 'awaaz neeche' and the game of one-upmanship as he is the one to take the upper seat now with Ash eventually falling in love with her.
A storyline as simple as that has to be sustained by peppering the screen with some interesting ingredients. This is something that is made possible through some fantastic tunes that have been put in place by Pritam. 'Zor Ka Jhatka', 'Chann Ke Mohalla' and 'Ae Bekhabar' arrive one after another and are a treat for the audience. There is a medley of four songs (set in a dance competition) in the second half of the film which is immediately followed by a love song (Tera Mera Pyaar); something that will have mixed reactions from audience as there are too many songs that come in one go.
This is immediately followed by a chase sequence, hence leading to a climax which seems to be set in a Priyadarshan/Anees Bazmee mode. For those who had liked the subtle yet engaging narrative of the film so far, this part of the film has a different flavour to it, something that may entice different reactions from different segments (mass v/s class) of the audience.
Coming back to the film in totality, to its credit there is no dull moment. While some of the fun sequences (Akshay proposing to Ash for the first time in a garden, the series of 'awaaz neeche' episodes, the one where Ash brings a cake for Akshay) do bring on the laughs, there are a few lump in the throat moments as well (Akshay touching Aditya's feet, his sob story on the reason behind his personality). What makes 'Action Replayy' further endearing is the chemistry between Akshay and Ash, something which is unconventional and yet makes one wonder that why the two had never been paired together.
Amongst other actors, Aditya turns out to be a surprise package as he does justice to his lengthy role in the film. He has a pleasant screen presence, is confident and quite natural. Om Puri and Kirron Kher are as usual, Rajpal Yadav is controlled, Rannvijay Singh decent while Randhir Kapoor and Sudeepa Singh are hardly there. Neha Dhupia has a miniscule screen time in a friendly appearance though she makes her presence felt in 'Zor Ka Jhatka'.
Overall, 'Action Replayy' turns out to be a clean musical entertainer that has a young feel to it without turning loud and brings with it an appeal that would cater to audience across all age groups. If in look out for some clean entertainment this Diwali, step into 'Action Replayy'; you would enjoy some harmless fun that would follow in those two hours.
Rating: ****
'Jhootha Hi Sahi' is the kind of film where a constant smile on one's face is guaranteed for those two and a half hours. Credit for that goes to two men - Abbas Tyrewala and John Abraham. One did have certain expectations from Abbas, especially after 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa'. Here too he doesn't disappoint as he embellishes the proceedings with enough sweet and smile inducing moments that never fail to entertain.
Even otherwise, there is always a feel good factor that one can sense with every 10 minutes bringing on something to attract a viewer's attention. This is where John Abraham comes into picture as he delivers yet another career enhancing performance after 'New York' and 'Dostana'. It is amazing to see how he has transformed his entire body language, mannerisms and dialogue delivery for this film.
Though it seemed like a publicity gimmick to begin with, the fact is that one indeed forgets the star John Abraham while watching the film but instead falls in love with Sid who is forced to mouth some innocent lies due to the circumstances. Watch out for the scene in the book shop where John meets Pakhi for the first time, majority of scenes where John interacts with his bunch of friends (headed by Raghu), the one where John ends up picking up porn DVDs from Pakhi's shop and especially that riotous scene where John's ex-girlfriend (Mansi Scott) is termed as Raghu's girlfriend.
Meanwhile, in addition to the John & Pakhi story where the former is required to hold on a twin persona - one who is a geek working in a book store and another who is a stranger on a friendship helpline - there are quite a few other supporting stories in play as well. While some work (Raghu-Mansi), a few just pass muster. Love story between Raghu's sister and her Japanese suitor becomes repetitive after a point which results in audience loosing his attention. Also, an episode involving John's gay friend isn't fully explored. A tangential story about Pakhi and Madhavan (he too is there in a special appearance) is fine even though it does carry a strong sense of deja vu while reminding of a similar sub plot involving Genelia D'Souza and her fiance in 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa'.
Still, what works in favour of 'Jhootha Hi Sahi' is that at the core of it, it stays on to be a young film with no space for over sentimentality or drama. Everything remains constant and stable right through the film's narrative though there are brief portions at the beginning of the film's second half where you do wish that the proceedings could have been faster. Also, the pre-climax and climax are pretty long drawn that adds on to impatience. Music by A.R. Rahman is an interruption here though and while a couple of songs do sound good audio wise, the effect is not accentuated when seen with visuals.
All of this means that 'Jhootha Hi Sahi' has a select audience base for itself that it is required to explore. While youth can be expected to lap it up with glee, the older generation won't really be enthused to know more about orgasms that last for 30 minutes, phone sex, a girl looking at a best friend relationship with her ex, gay relationships and man sleeping with his best friend's ex-girlfriend.
The good though part about 'Jhootha Hi Sahi' is that you get exactly what you had expected from it in the first place. The film never looked like a breezy entertainer in the offing that moved ahead at break neck speed. Instead, it appeared to be a light hearted entertainer which would have a stable 'sur' to it without many ups and downs. The talkie promos had pretty much established the mood and the flavour of the film and one knew that instead of stepping into a ha-ha land or something which is overtly mushy, a walk into 'Jhootha Hi Sahi' would stay on to be something which is realistic and accessible.
Rating: ***
Its okay for a film to have a simple plot. However, when something that can be told in a 45-60 minutes short story is stretched to two hours, there are all the right reasons for boredom to set in. This is what happens in case of 'Dus Tola' where audience gets restless within first 20 minutes of the film's duration itself.
Manoj Bajpai, a goldsmith, is in love with his next door neighbour (Aarti Chabria). She pokes him into making a necklace worth 'dus tola' for her so that together they could convince her parents that Manoj is worthy enough to take care of her after marriage. However, a turn of events means that Manoj looses both the necklace as well as the girl. Whether he manages to get any of them later in the day forms the crux of 'Dus Tola'.
Since one does get an inkling of what would happen when Manoj would be ready with the necklace, there is no surprise element that sets in once Aarti goes through a turnaround. In fact while one waits for the interval point to arrive, the scenes continue to arrive, hence making one look at the watch time and again. Thankfully, when it actually arrives, the interval point is reasonably okay that sets ground for an engaging second half.
To give due credit to the film, the second half is better as well though it is mainly from comparison perspective. The love story between Manoj Bajpai and a dance teacher is forced into the narrative and belongs to fast forward variety. The struggles faced by Aarti at her household also tend to become repetitive. However, once the twist in the tale is revealed around the pre-climax, 'Dus Tola' does manage to fetch audience attention.
Whatever redemption that the film had gained by this time is lost once a silly fight emerges amongst the villagers. Really, what was the director thinking here? And was the editor sleeping? Couldn't he have taken a call to just chop off this portion entirely from the film?
Amongst the actors, Manoj Bajpai is just okay and makes one believe all over again that he is best suited for intense roles like 'Raajneeti'. Aarti Chabria is just about decent though she is capable of much better. Also, her characterisation becomes patchy in the second half. Amongst the supporting actors, it is Ninad Kamat who does something worthwhile though Asrani and Govind Namdeo are hardly integral to the film's plot.
In any case, 'Dus Tola' by itself is such a below average fare that you don't have much expectation even before the finale. The film starts and ends on a lazy note, hence ensuring that there won't be much audience base waiting to catch this film.
Rating: *1/2
At the core of it, 'Rakta Charitra' is a revenge saga which has been smartly woven around politics, caste difference, opportunism, 'goondaraj' and personal vendetta. To think of it, there have been countless stories like these heard in the past. However, while most stories pick an element or two from this saga, 'Rakta Charitra' successfully manages to integrate them all together despite the complexity in various layers.
One such layer is built by Prakash [Vivek Oberoi] whose father and brother have been massacred by the politicians and cops. He gets his revenge by forming his own team and wiping off the killers. However, the story doesn't end here as he shakes hand with a politician [Shatrughan Sinha] and gets into the power himself. While he marches ahead in his journey which is filled with corpses at every juncture, there is also a past [Suriya] which is all set to haunt him on its return. It is the story of this past which would be revealed in the second part of 'Rakta Charitra'.
Meanwhile on Part I of the film, this is Vivek's best and most mature act ever. He makes one believe that finally there is one actor who could rise towards the top and do something far more worthwhile with his career. His entry on a modest scooter, his planning of the first three killings, the way he takes away his beloved right under her parents' nose, his interaction with Shatrughan Sinha, his rise to power and finally the scene where he assembles all goons at his own house are powerful sequences that stay on with you.
He is not the only one who leaves an impression though. Abhimanyu Singh as the chief baddy entices all around hatred and one alternatively fears as well as detests him. Shatrughan Sinha is at his characteristic best and though he has only a few scenes in the film, one expects him to play a bigger role in the second part of the film. Sushant Singh and Ashish Vidyarthi have brief roles that do not come with much scope for them to perform.
Something that has a constant (and engaging) presence right through the film is it's background score though. Really, after 'Saam Daam Dand Bhed' [Sarkar], if there is a background sound that will be remembered for a Ramu film, it will be the title track 'Rakta Charitra' that plays right through the film's duration. It is haunting, disturbing and leaves a big impact. What doesn't leave an impact though is the celebration track 'Paisewaala' which tries to bring back the memories of 'Kallu Mama' [Satya] but doesn't quite succeed. Also, it hampers the flow of the movie and needs to be chopped away pronto.
Though the film starts with a bang, the later portions in the first half are just about okay. Even in the second half, there are brief moments of monotony that come in. However, the last 30 odd minutes enhance the pace of the film with the preview of 'Rakta Charitra - 2' [with Suriya coming into play] turning out to be an icing on the cake.
If one goes into the past, when released, 'Sholay' was criticised for its excessive violence, whether visible or suggestive. Critics had panned it while audience too weren't much enticed in the initial days. However, history beckons that a new chapter was written with 'Sholay' when it came to violence in Indian cinema.
Circa 2010 and the same can be said for 'Rakta Charitra' as well. As a film it carries an entirely different storyline and is also not quite comparable with 'Sholay' as a cinemative experience. However, if on-screen depiction of violence would be any benchmark, it would now be termed as pre and post 'Rakta Charitra'.
Rating: ***1/2
Honestly, I have seldom hated a film or felt disgusted by its content. After all no film maker in his right intention wants to attempt something that is a complete waste of time, effort and money. However, in case of 'Hisss', it seems that there is only time which has been spent for its (As evident by the fact that the film took quite some time to reach the finish mark). Otherwise the effort spent is conspicuous by its absence while the lack of funds only end up making 'Hisss' turn into a Z grade affair.
The story, if at all one can actually call it that way, goes like this. An American wants to get hold of a 'naagmani' and for that he catches hold of a 'naag' so that its 'naagin' would come searching by. In exchange of the 'naag', he would bargain for the 'naagmani' and in turn become immortal.
To depict this simple storyline, the film meanders into territories which includes an unnecessary episode set 5000 years back, a cop's [Irrfan Khan] wife [Divya Dutta] who is unable to conceive a child, her annoying mother and half a dozen goons who are destined to get killed one after another.
In between all of this, there is of course the film's central protagonist, Mallika Sherawat, thrown in as well who is the 'ichchadhaari naagin'. Now this is one naagin who doesn't understand the ways of the world and is also clueless about the human language. No wonder, there is not a single word spoken by Mallika in the entire film here.
Even otherwise, there is not much to talk about as Irrfan has some strangely disjointed scenes in the first half of the film. Later he seems to be totally clueless about the killings happening in the locality (courtesy Madame Sherawat) and it requires a bizarre plot description by his mother-in-law for him to reach the root of the issue.
If this wasn't enough to make one tear hair in frustration, there is this foreigner who plays the part of the American. Each of his scenes make you just look away from screen and the dubbing out here is also so poor that it makes one believe that there are better dubbed films which come on TV.
As for the so-called nudity, there is some of it in the first half of the film but neither is it titillating nor does it add any value to the plot. This means that whatever little segment of audience that 'Hisss' could have aimed for is lost as well. Also, the so called USP of the film - the special effects - are done in such a tacky manner that horror TV serials appear to be far more convincing. From the acting perspective, while Mallika doesn't get much scope to perform despite her being the central protagonist, Irrfan appears to be totally clueless about all which is happening around him.
Well, one can't blame him for that. After all we as audience are totally clueless as well!
In one sentence - 'There have been bad movies and there are bad movies. But there won't ever be anything as bad as 'Hisss'.
Rating: 0 stars
| Knock Out Movie Review |
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| Knock Out - A decent thrilling entertainer |
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 The title of the film is a complete misnomer as it doesn't give out any idea whatsoever around the theme of 'Knock Out' which is that of black money being accumulated by politicians across the country. Director Mani Shankar keeps it all simple though without getting into the finest details around the entire network. One can't blame it for that because he did try to do that in his last release 'Mukhbiir' which was a dismal failure. There is still blame game to play though and it is directed at the below average promos that resulted in near to nil expectations. Poor dialogues that came close to being cheesy and shots in the promos that seemed to have been purposely designed to scream - 'Hey look at me, I am 'Phone Booth' - made one feel that there won't be much interesting in the offing here. In fact the promos did everything which is not required to be done before the release of the film. Seems like the team that designed it wanted the film to fail, rather than succeed. However, in a way it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as well with 'Knock Out' actually ending up being a reasonably entertaining affair that hooks you to your seat for most part of it. In fact the first one hour of the film is so tout that you can't even momentary check SMSs on your cell phone. Right from the moment a deal takes place between a businessman and a corrupt politician (Gulshan Grover) to the point where Irrfan Khan is taken hostage in a phone booth by a gun wielding mystery man (Sanjay Dutt), 'Knock Out' demands your attention and gets that.  From this point on, it's the curiosity of 'what would happen next' that ends up getting you totally involved in the film. The screenplay is well done here while the dialogues have a mix of humour (Irrfan) and authority (Sanjay) that make you go through those exciting mood swings. Of course there are filmy elements that come in as well, especially with Kangna appearing all dolled up as a journalist who is asked to rotate twice amidst a crowd of a few thousands so that Irrfan can have a 'better view' of her. Or the character of a cop played by Sushant Singh who is defeated at every juncture whenever he tries to come close to Sanjay. Though unbelievable, they only ensure that 'Knock Out' stays true to commercial elements as well without turning into something too realistic a la 'A Wednesday'. Its the second half though where the film looses the kind of grip it had showed for the first one hour. A couple of emotional speeches by Sanjay don't quite augur well with the otherwise thrilling mood of the film, hence making 'Knock Out' come across as an average film that is still trapped in the Bollywood way of story telling. However, performances by the two lead protagonists make the film a worthy trip as well. Despite the fact that Sanjay Dutt comes with the star power, it is Irrfan Khan who gets the best lines and the best moments. He goes through various emotions like turning aggressive to submissive to irritated to confused to guilty to someone whose self respect has gone for a complete toss. He is an absolute riot in his 'Touch Me Touch Me' act where he attempts to sway like Katrina. Kangna is okay in a role that actually didn't much from her while Sushant is effective in the screen time that he gets for himself. Now if only the film would have ended with as hammer strong an impact as its start, 'Knock Out' would have made for a much more engaging affair. Still, you can enjoy a one time casual watch at least on a lazy evening with friends. Rating: *** |
'Aakrosh' turns out to be an out and out dramatic affair that almost unfolds like a mystery being sold. There are thrills galore and the narrative is also sprinkled with enough action packed moments to keep the masses happy. Really, for a film that had an 'issue' at the core of it, this has to be the one of the most 'masala' filled entertainers in the offing. And this is where 'Aakrosh' actually scores.
For a CBI officer (Akshaye Khanna) and his Major subordinate (Ajay Devgn), it is a challenging assignment to visit a sleeping small town and investigate the disappearance of three medical students. While the stay was never meant to be easy, further trouble entails when they encounter a hostile cop. As it turns out, everyone in the town - whether cops, politicians, local goons, businessmen or commissioner - is hands-in-glove with each other which only turns out to be a speed breaker at every corner. However, Akshaye uses his legal powers and Ajay his army background (and hence fair degree of muscle power) to go deeper down into the issue.
A nexus as detailed above isn't something new in the world of fact as well as fiction. However, it's the way Priyadarshan brings it to fore that makes all the difference, hence making 'Aakrosh' an engaging drama. Notice the scene where Ajay and Akshaye meet Paresh Rawal and his senior for the first time in their police station. The way they are ridiculed leaves them in a hapless situation. Later, the scene where they meet Paresh and his partners-in-crime at his private party is done well too.
The immediate scene that follows after the interval point (a revolution beginning in the town) though is not just abrupt but hardly justifiable. In fact one is led to believe that there were some serious Censor chops that happened around this point as well as in the scene where a local politician is delivering a fiery speech. Moreover, the entire 'Shool Sena' angle is carefully treaded as well and is seen more in the background than forefront.
However, Priyadarshan pulls back strings soon enough as 'Aakrosh' brings in enough thrilling and action packed moments that ensure that audience doesn't loose interest. Moreover, the action too unfolds at a relentless pace. There are four to five major action sequences, most of them being centreed on a chase and really, they are indeed well shot, edited and presented. Watch out for the one where Ajay runs behind a contract killer atop the houses. Or the one where he stands atop a SUV being driven by Akshaye. Or the one in the pre-climax where he comes face to face with Paresh.
Of course there are quite a few violent moments as well, some shown and a few implied, and while they go with the mood of the film, they can be expected to turn a segment of women audience away. In fact the entire track surrounding Reema Sen and her family does make you feel disgusted and while it works for the film, it is not for the faint hearted. Also, though the action scenes make an impact, they could have been edited to make the film a little crisper. Ditto for the two songs in the first half which deserve to be chopped off immediately.
Amongst actors, the film may have been sold as an Ajay Devgn and Akshaye Khanna starrer but Paresh Rawal has an equal presence in the drama as well. He comes up with yet another bravura performance in his eventful career so far. This is one of his best and most flawless performances till date. Ajay continues the top form that he is in while Akshaye makes you wonder yet again that why don't we see more of this talented actor. Bipasha Basu and Amita Pathak are okay in a patchy role though all the actors who play the part of criminals fit into their character pretty well. Reema Sen leaves an impression too.
All said and done, 'Aakrosh' is a film which is a winner by all means. There are thrills galore and the narrative is also sprinkled with enough action packed moments to keep the masses happy. Really, for a film that had an 'issue' at the core of it, this has to be the one of the most 'masala' filled entertainers in the offing. And this is where 'Aakrosh' actually scores.
Rating: ***1/2
