As expected, 'Ready' turns out to be the kind of a film which is all about 'masala' ingredients that are packed in just the right proportions during those two and a half hours. A story that could have been stretched for 30 more minutes or wrapped up 20 minutes earlier, it gives what one was waiting for a long time when it came to movie watching for an entire family - 'Some real good entertainment'.
A case of mistaken identity brings Asin in the life of Salman who stays with his joint family made of millionaires. Asin too comes from a family of millionaires but there is trouble in paradise as her uncles want to usurp her wealth. Oblivious to them, Prem starts getting closer to their respective families with his own near and dear ones ensuring that Asin's uncles leave their 'mafia giri' aside and start living life like normal people. In this entire series of events, there is a CA (Paresh Rawal) and a stranger Romeo (Sudesh Lehri) who get involved as well.
As one expects from a storyline like this, all is well eventually. However there is a lot of comedy, drama, emotions and action involved, something that Salman truly justifies just before the interval when he tells Asin - 'What would we tell our kids if there are none of these 'masala' ingredients in our love story?'
So 'masala' one does get with everything from 'Hum Aapke Hain Kaun' to 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' to even 'Hero No. 1' coming together in the right mix to pep up this affair. While the film's beginning portions are exactly like 'Hum Aapke Hain Kaun' and 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge', the second half of the film, where Salman takes it upon himself to unite the family and bring kids on the right path, is straight out of what Govinda did in 'Hero No. 1'.
The film takes a massy route throughout but that doesn't mean that there isn't anything for the class audience. I witnessed it myself while watching a packed show with family audience at a premium multiplex on Friday evening and the reactions said it all. This is not all as the complaints that some have around the first half aren't much justified either. Based on what I saw, audience were thoroughly enjoying both the halves with laughter coming in on a more or less continuous note.
Expectedly, Salman is what stays constant right through the film even as other characters surround him from all ends. One can sense the kind of renewed confidence that he has in himself and this is the reason why he can afford to commit a murder and get away with that. Asin is easy on eyes and comes up with a natural act. She looks million bucks in 'Dhinka Chika' though one doesn't see much of her in the second half. Paresh Rawal and Sudesh Lahiri are fantastic though one wishes there was more of Manoj Joshi.
Music is fantastic with 'Dhinka Chika' (in both the India as well as Bangkok version) as well as 'Character Dheela' are fun. Action is in small doses though one wouldn't have minded if it was longer, especially the climax sequence involving auto rickshaws which just ends abruptly.
It isn't always an easy task to remake a film, especially the one which has been a successful venture. You do it right and you end up getting no credit whatsoever as it is said to be 'way too easy'. You do it wrong and all the flak comes you way as you are accused of not being able to manage even a successful formula. Thankfully for the audience, Anees Bazmee doesn't forget any of these facts while also ensuring that he maintains his own identity. An out and out entertainer that doesn't let the audience engagement slip away for even five minutes, 'Ready' is fun and clean film that gives exactly what one expected out of it.
Go for it!
Rating: ***1/2
If a couple of kissing sequences coupled with a good looking girl strutting around in shorts excites the voyeur in you, then 'Ragini MMS' may just fit the bill. However if you are hunting for some 'real stuff' that a MMS is typically made of along with some shockingly scary moments then well, 'Ragini MMS' doesn't quite go the whole hog.
For a young couple, a run down bungalow in a Godforsaken place is a weekend hangout for an extended scene of 'action'. While for the girl (Kainaz Motivala) it is sheer love (with a dose of lust), for the boy (Raj Kumar Yadav), it is neither love nor lust but sheer business as he intends to cut a video of his act and sell it in the porn market. However weird things start happening to them with a spirit lurking in the background that results in terrifying times for the couple.
Viraan jungle, ek tooti haveli aur usme ek bhatakti aatma - the ingredients are the kind that are pretty much seeing an expiry date even on television. In such a scenario that one factor that works most for 'Ragini MMS' is technology. Not just it intrigues the audience due to its different texture; it also makes for an interesting movie watching experience as over 80% of the film is shot with static cameras. So instead, one gets to see standard shots that are taken by half a dozen cameras placed in different parts of the bungalow.
This innovation extends to the scenes, dialogues and acts as well since there isn't anything filmy about the entire affair. Both Kainaz as well as Raj Kumar are plain natural and completely uninhibited which makes one truly feel that they are not acting and merely happening to be in front of a camera that is capturing them in their moments. Moreover, due to this being a 'real affair', most of Raj Kumar's dialogues are expletives filled with no beeps whatsoever.
Yes, there are a few moments of genuine 'edge of the seat drama', especially the ones when the spirit starts attacking Raj Kumar and scares the daylight out of him. However the scare and the haunt factor doesn't quite go the whole hog. Also, it only starts becoming routine with entire chain of events leading to Kainaz's attempt at escaping becoming repetitive.
While one is still fine with letting go off the motive behind all the killings (since Ragini MMS was never meant to be a structured story and was always supposed to tell a tale as captured on camera), the climax seems abrupt and doesn't make any explanations either.
If one goes by what unfolds on screen, the film is very high on concept, technology as well as execution. However if only the written material would have been more convincing with the culmination being batter, 'Ragini MMS' may just have managed to become Bollywood's own 'Paranormal Activity'. As it turns out, the film is a reasonably engaging affair. However as the end credits start rolling, one does tend to exclaim that it could have been a lot better.
Rating: **1/2
Seriously, 'Luv Ka The End' could well have been relegated to MTV/Channel V short films segment as there is absolutely nothing that is a good enough reason for you to visit a theatre, spend helluva money on ticket/popcorn and then see a film which is small by all means, whether setting, idea or execution. One can sense that director Bumpy had to work in a restricted budget and that reflects in the overall narrative.
One can still live with a small setting if the film grips you enough. However this is something truly lacking in 'Luv Ka The End' as it doesn't even try to be imaginative and follows a route that is not just predictable but also unexciting.
Inspired by 'John Tucker Must Die', the film has a 18 year old girl (Shraddha Kapoor) taking revenge on her cheating boyfriend (Taaha Shah) by ganging up with her band of girls and a computer geek. The story is set in a night where the idea is to get even on Taaha by depriving him of four C's - Car, Cash, Charm and Chamchas.
Well, so far so very good as you do get an impression that there indeed would be some innovation in going through these chapters. You do empathise with Shraddha, the motive for revenge is well established as well, the song 'Tonight' continues to haunt you throughout and there is game set for 'love ka the end'!
However from this point on the key element - fun - starts fading away with every passing sequence. Girls spraying itching powder in Taaha's undergarments, ganging up to smash his car, depriving him of his credit card, spoiling his date with a hot friend, drugging him so that he loses his mind and lands in a downmarket bar and then hooking him up with a gay friend - it's all so conveniently done.
Worse, the song 'Mutton' which is seemingly placed as a last minute inclusion, is not just unnecessary but also repulsive. It's the climax though that takes the cake, a bitter one at that, with a live footage of Taaha trying to get even with Shraddha. Not just in bad taste, it is also incomprehensible and just not happening.
Eventually what still remains with you to some extent is the song 'Tonight', Shraddha's natural act and a perfect casting as a teenager, Taaha's charm that makes one believe that he has a lot better to offer and a few moments here and there that are reasonably enjoyable.
A film that wasn't too high on expectations please promised a lot more than what it actually delivers; this film directed by Bumpy is surprisingly low on entertainment quotient, something that is a basic requirement of a teen comedy. Juvenile and amateur - that's what 'Luv Ka The End' is for you.
Rating: **
Going by the promos, one would have expected that 'Thank You' is yet another Akshay Kumar dominated show where he gets the best scenes and dialogues for himself while hogging all the limelight. However what one sees is Akshay being one of the driving factors here instead of being the sole actor who is carrying the entire film's weight. Of course he is the key to the entire movement of the film's narrative but then Suniel Shetty, Bobby Deol and Irrfan Khan are not mere peripherals here; they traverse a much greater distance.
Cards are laid out at the very beginning of the film with Rimi Sen and Celina Jaitly realising that their flirtatious husbands (Irrfan Khan and Suniel Shetty respectively) could well have taken Bobby Deol in their wings. They warn Bobby's unsuspecting wife Sonam about this who reluctantly agrees to hire the services of private detective Akshay Kumar. While Akshay goes on to find ways to expose the erring husbands, they have their own plans. They instead reach out to Akshay and hire his services to find the identity of the man who is out to expose them.
There is ample scope for the other actors in the film as well which means that Suniel Shetty as well as Irrfan Khan get numerous moments to excel. In fact Suniel makes the most out of it and goes about enticing laughter in practically each of his scenes. Watch out for the scene where he is caught red handed by his wife. Or later when he plots revenge against Irrfan and Bobby. The trio is also brilliant in the best scene of the film which is set on a balcony and comes soon after the song 'Razia'.
As a chauvinist, Irrfan Khan brings the house down with his one liners. His deadpan dialogue delivery and a body language which is still, yet so effective, works wonders. Watch out for the extreme transition he goes through from someone being over confident to a meek man in the later part of the film.
Bobby doesn't have many comic scenes to his credit and he primarily excels when entrusted with a few dramatic moments. He is decent, though not the kind of scene stealer that Suniel or Irrfan turn out to be. Sonam looks pretty and does a decent job in a role that requires her to be sad for most part of the film. Celina surprisingly disappears after a couple of scenes. In fact Rimi has a much meatier role and she displays her very good comic timing all over again, something that she had demonstrated quite well in her earlier films like 'Hungama' and 'Dhoom'.
As for Akshay Kumar, he truly is the soul of the film. He neither tries to be an over smart a la 'Tees Maar Khan', doesn't behave like 'Mr. Know it all' and definitely doesn't play a flirt. In fact he keeps it all under control while taking a balanced approach without being loud at all. The point where he excels though is the one in the climax where he delivers an emotional speech on infidelity and why women are far superior than men.
Any points where the film falters? A few moments in the first half and the beginning of the second half when comic moments tend to vanish. Also Akshay's back-story, though relevant, comes a little too late by which time one is rather expecting the film to end. The King (played by Mukesh Tiwari) angle seems forced and could have been more effective. The action sequences are just about okay as well when one would have rather expected them to be far more thrilling. Climax is predictable as well and makes one remember the last (wedding) scene of 'Break Ke Baad', which again wasn't the most original of all.
Nevertheless, 'Thank You' works as a package where it carries a message in addition to entertainment. Since the film is a clean family entertainer, it has the potential to expand its boundaries and find good audience for itself. Considering the fact that audience has been starved of any major film for weeks now and there is a fortnight ahead with minimal competition, 'Thank You' should find itself in the safety zone pretty soon and then also go on to make decent moolah for it's makers.
Rating: ****
