Review: SRK makes Don 2 work

Film: Don 2

Director: Farhan Akhtar
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani
Rating: ****
Ever since Farhan Akhtar gave us the delectable Dil Chahta Hai (smartly written, well acted, a trendsetter of sorts), he has failed to better, or even get close to, his debut effort. His production company may have churned out some pretty memorable films since (Honeymoon Travels, Rock On, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara), but his own directorial ventures have been mediocre. Lakshya suffered from a Dil Chahta Hai-wannabe first half fused with a JP Dutta-styled second. Don, the remake of Chandra Barot’s highly enjoyable 1978 caper, with its harebrained finale, was a complete letdown.

Unsatisfying as Akhtar’s Don was, the sequel promos have been promising. And with Akhtar and Co free of the baggage of recreating the original Don, they could take things in a new direction. Which they do. Except, others have trodden this path already.

Like Danny Ocean. And John McClane. In Don 2, Akhtar manages to blend elements from various H’wood films, mostly Ocean’s Eleven and Die Hard, with a bit of Mission Impossible thrown in. This is our answer to Hollywood - a rehash of what they’ve done already. No points for originality.

No points for writing either. If Akhtar’s film lulls you to sleep initially, in spite of some slick editing, it’s because the writing (Akhtar, Ameet Mehta, Amrish Shah) falters. Characters say boring, random things to each other, there’s a pointlessly long dance sequence (Hrithik Roshan, looking dapper in an unintentionally hilarious cameo), and the attempt at dialoguebaazi is laughable (“Jab tak Don ko asliyat ka pata chalega, tab tak Don mar chuka hoga”).

The situations are alarmingly unimaginative. Sample this: Don-ny Ocean (SRK) plans to get out of a high security prison by mixing the food given to prisoners with a liquid that results in mass food poisoning. Johar Mehmood In Hong Kong had a similar sequence where prisoners in a jail are given julab (laxative) on the sly, helping them flee. That was a farcical comedy. Here, it seems like a cop-out.

What keeps Don 2 alive, then, is its pulsating action. It helps the pace quicken as the film progresses, including a thrilling chase sequence and a wonderfully choreographed-and-shot pre-climax sequence. Cinematographer Jason West (Rock On) and stunt director Matthias Barsch enthuse life into proceedings, ensuring that action junkies get their fill.

The film, however, is nothing more than an attempt to cash in; to set opening weekend records. And to provide a vehicle for its lead star to dazzle (so much so, every other actor seems inconsequential). Thankfully, Shah Rukh Khan is in form. The body language is cocky, the attitude flamboyant, and the smirk consistent. In a full-fledged action role, Khan goes the whole hog, pulling off the stunts with panache. Only for him, Don 2 is pretty enjoyable.

Sadly, with a director who showed much promise with his first film, Don 2 should have been more than just another big-ticket Friday film that rests solely on the shoulders of its lead actor. Anees Bazmee has one of those coming out every few months. Akhtar seems to have found his own money-churning superstar. The filmmaker’s voice, then, has been muted.

Watch Don 2 for some kick-ass action. And Shah Rukh Khan.

Review: Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Movie: Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol Critic's Rating****
Cast: Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Michael Nyqvist, Anil Kapoor
Direction: Brad Bird
Genre: Action
Duration: 2 hours 13 minutes


Story: The high profile IMF is falsely accused of bombing the Kremlin and agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his teammates are forced to become rogue agents, with the government declaring a ghost protocol (no protection) against them. In a race against time, they must clear their name and save the world from armageddon, as a deadly megalomaniac, Cobalt (Michael Nyqvist) wants to start a nuclear war.

Movie Review: Action has always been the high point of the Mission Impossible series. But this kind of action: Wow!

The new film is essentially a relentless roller-coaster ride that doesn't give you a moment to sit back and keeps the adrenalin pumping to dizzy heights as Tom Cruise gets on his regular mission of saving the world, one more time. And once again, he has nothing on his side, not even his government, other than his physical prowess, his ability to perform the most death- defying stunts and an abundance of sheer luck which redefines the word 'impossible' as 'possible'.

This time however, he isn't working as the lone ranger but has a close knit crack team comprising agent carter ( Paula Patton), Brandt ( Jeremy Renner) and Benji ( Simon Pegg). While Carter adds the glamour quotient, apart from being a female action hero, Benji takes care of the humour element even as he manages the techie stuff and the funky gadgetry and Brandt, the analyst, remains unpredictable and mysterious with a deadly secret. It's a winning team, despite the individual differences and the foursome end up as an endearing family with each character having a substantial role to play.

But essentially it is the exquisite stunts and the high- decibel action set pieces which create magic on screen. The mission basically entails four main tasks: stealing a missing file, getting hold of the Cold War nuclear codes, infiltrating a satellite and finally, defusing a nuclear warhead before it strikes its target and decimates the world.

But before the task is executed you get to witness some genre-defining action sequences which include a daring prison break in Russia, the infiltration of the Kremlin, Cruise's high-rise leaps and jumps followed by his awesome ascent over Dubai's tallest tower, Patton's cat fight with the blonde assassin, Brandt's satellite entry and the final confrontation in Mumbai's multi-level car parking. Performance-wise, Cruise is in total command of the drama which boasts of several engaging twists and turns.

A word about Anil Kapoor: he plays playboy Brij Nath with a penchant for pretty girls and shady deals, in a comic vein. It is just a bit more than a blink- and-you'll-miss role as Patton unleashes her charms on him.

Review: The Dirty Picture

Film: The Dirty Picture
Director: Milan Luthria
Cast: Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, Emraan Hashmi and
Tusshar
Rating: ****

It’s the mid-80s. An ageing, vain superstar is surrounded by his cronies as a script writer
narrates a story about an orphan to him.”This orphan hero angle is so '60s,” cuts in the star. “Let’s give the hero a family for a change. Let’s give him a sister too. Then let’s get her raped.” Everyone around
can’t stop marveling at the idea. The writer is impressed too. “Let’s make this movie,”
he says. The ’80s was probably the lowest point in our cinema.

Doodh ka karz, behen ka badla and maa kasam ruled, as plot lines of each film resembled
that of the other. The story almost always revolved around the film’s lead star, a
comedy track was a must, there had to be a punch line in every scene, and crassness
was a necessary ingredient. There was also a vamp prancing in skimpily clad
outfits around the good-hearted hero, before he spurned her advances for the
pristine heroine. But even as we may squirm at some of these films today, many of
them continue to entertain us on lazy Sunday afternoons.

Even camp, after all, must be celebrated. And that is what The Dirty Picture does. Meant to be a
biopic of south siren Silk Smitha, the film really is a recreation of an era when
hyperbole in cinema was cool. It also pays tribute to all things inane about our films. Even as
it depicts an era when the formula ruled, The Dirty Picture lives the formula itself. Director Milan Luthria and writer Rajat Arora give us a dialoguebaazi-filled potboiler that plays to the gallery, and is
a vehicle for its lead actor Vidya Balan to display histrionics.

Entertainment is the sole purpose. It has its shares of inanities, especially in the latter half (another trait
typical to our films – the post- interval mishmash), but has enough masala and good
performances to ride us through to the end. If I may use the oft-repeated trade
jargon, The Dirty Picture is complete paisa vasool. The tempo is racy. The Tamil
song, ‘Nakka Mukka’ (from the 2008 film, Kadhalil Vizhunthen), blares as the
opening credits roll. The song then appears at strategic points in the narrative, one
where Vidya gyrates suggestively, licking her lips as she thrusts her hips hard. It’s a
masterstroke, buying the rights to the song, and it continues to ring in your ears
much after you’ve walked out of theatre.

The Bappi Lahiri ditty ‘Ooh la la’ is, then, second best. Vidya plays junior artist Reshma (Hindi for silk, also probably a reference to one of Silk Smitha’s popular films, Reshma Ki Jawani), before film producer Silva Ganesh christens her Silk. She goofs up her first big break – an item song with superstar Suryakant. Naseeruddin Shah gives a pitch-perfect performance as matinee idol Suryakant, each body
movement laudable; every expression priceless. Shah makes the role his own,
making it impossible to envision any other actor in his place. “What makes you
special?” he asks Silk. “I have had 500 women before you.”

She looks at him, eyes sparking, and says, “But have you had the same woman 500 times?” He’s visibly surprised; even pleased. So are you. To have a Hindi film heroine who is unapologetic about
using her sexuality to achieve means is always welcome. To have a Hindi film heroine who
does it with such relish is a real victory. And Vidya Balan pulls off Silk in a manner no
current female actor can.

Heck, no actor in recent times has shown – if I may say so – the balls to give himself/herself to a role as wholeheartedly as Vidya has (barring, probably, Ranbir Kapoor in Rockstar). She is fearless, giving an uninhibited portrayal of someone who enjoys adulation, but dies a lonely death. She is the fantasy of
millions, but craves love. She doesn’t get it. And Vidya brings all that – the
flamboyance, the sensuality, the heartbreak – to her role (and without coming across
even a tad vulgar). And she is aided by some fiery dialogue by Arora. The one-
liners come thick and fast (so many, you lose track after a point), some meant to amuse,
others a tool to shock.

Nudity is minimal (although there’s ample cleavage at display); it’s the dialogue that makes The Dirty Picture sassy. But post-interval, the writing lags. The track involving Silk and Suryakant’s brother, played by Tusshar, slows down proceedings mainly because Tusshar fails to rise to the challenge of performing
with far more able actors. He sticks out like a sore thumb. Emraan Hashmi, on the other
hand, is good. The chemistry between him and Vidya is sizzling (the two dislike each
other, making their camaraderie interesting).

But the need to pander to Emraan’s ‘hero’ image jars. Why else would a filmmaker (played by Hashmi) turn hero suddenly, especially when there was a clear alternative Arora/Luthria could have opted for? He’s given a song too, one that is lilting but slows down the tempo. It’s kinda funny – the film speaks of the
misogynistic nature of the film industry but can’t entirely escape it. Luthria seems to have been
stuck between making a wholly commercial product and staying true to the story.
While he does balance it well for most part, and quite efficiently too, he could have
done without resorting to convenient twists in the film towards the end. His isn’t
really a biopic, surely not an authentic one, as he picks up threads from different sources
(Suryakant seems to be influenced by two-three superstars, for example) and
uses it to his advantage (he never claimed to make an authentic telltale, so it’s okay).
Sadly, though, he fails to make Silk’s downward spiral as engaging as her rise to fame. With a highly entertaining first half, and a mediocre second, The Dirty Picture falls short of
being truly remarkable. But for that ‘boombaat’ of a performer, Vidya Balan (one star solely for her), and
entertaining dialogue, the film is worth the ticket price. Watch The Dirty Picture for the
gutsiest, most versatile actor we have today.

Movie review: Only Ranbir Kapoor rocks Rockstar

Director: Imtiaz Ali
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri
In the film Rockstar, Ranbir Kapoor is advised that to be a true-blue artist and a real rockstar he has to experience pain, which will come through heartbreak. If we go by this theory, most audiences of  his film will walk out of the hall as rockstars, since the movie will largely leave them heartbroken.
But for heartbreak, it is imperative to fall in love first and that's exactly what director Imtiaz Ali does. He starts off the film on a promising note and just when you fall in love with the amazing first half,  he narrative nosedives with a stagnant second half.
So you have the naive Janardhan Jakhar (Ranbir Kapoor) who aspires to be a rockstar like Jim Morrison. His yearning for heartbreak gets him close to Heer (Nargis Fakhri), as they bond over soft-
porn cinema and country liquor. Soon after, the girl is arried off to some NRI, the oy is thrown out of his house, he seeks solace in a dargah and next you know he's a singing sensation rechristened as
Jordan.
A foreign tour reunites him with Heer and their passive passion rekindles until Jordan is obsessed with her. What follows is another tribute to Devdas or rather Dev.D with the neurotic, lovelorn protagonist unable to get over his mixed emotions and confused definition of love. But that's not all as the plot meanders to culminate into an undesired arena of Erich Segal's Love Story.
Imtiaz Ali is known for his old- wine-in-new-bottle brand of cinema. Rockstar is very much engaging as far as it is in that familiar territory, where the director adds a refreshing touch to the regular romance drama. The casual chemistry that he induces between the lead pair through their wacky and eventful escapades has its moments of charm. The passion-play between them when they reunite after years is spontaneous, smoldering and yet tastefully achieved.

Their reunion is also faintly reminiscent of the Jab We Met reunion, where the character-conduct is reversed with the burbling boy now trying to make the gloomy girl's life more exciting. And like Love Aaj Kal, Imtiaz Ali kick-starts the film with a montage song highlighting select significant sequences from the entire film.

But beyond that when the director ventures into uncharted zone, the narrative loses track. While one can still overlook the Dev.D influenced intoxicating attitude of the proceedings (which you can somehow attribute to the convoluted rockstar protagonist), the subsequent terminal illness conflict takes the film towards an unwelcome and undefined end. After an interesting graph to the narrative in the first half, the story almost turns stationary in the second half.
The screenplay seems stretched and gets monotonous with repetitive media-bashing scenes and flashback shots of what has been already served to you.
Another problem with the plot is that it is neither a standalone story about the rise-of-an-underdog who becomes the biggest rockstar nor is it merely a love story with a rockstar backdrop. The director somewhere attempts to correlate the rockstar's rise with his romance but isn't able to achieve that impeccably. In fact the original one-liner plot with which the movie starts (a painful heartbreak gets out the real artist inside you) goes for a complete toss by the end.

One can never clearly perceive when Jordan's heart is broken in the assorted scheme of events and that's where the film loses objectivity.
The storytelling pattern of the film is needlessly intricate for a simple romance-drama genre.

While it is very much linear, the frequent use of multiple montages can have you confused. Initially the montages aid brisk storytelling but subsequently there are so much of them that it gets puzzling. Editing the film would surely have been a difficult task. Anil Mehta's cinematography is brilliant as he captures the beauty of Kashmir, Italy and Delhi with panache. AR Rahman's wide range of music has numbers which are instantly infectious (Sadda Haq) and others that take time to grow on you.

If Rockstar keeps you engaged even after you have given up on the story by the end, it is only because of Ranbir Kapoor.
From his innocence in the opening reels to his arrogance in the climax, Ranbir breathes life into Jordan and keeps you riveted. Whether he adlibs his songs, gives a dance-tribute to Shammi Kapoor or dictates the concert crowd, Ranbir gives cent percent to his character.
How much ever you try to ignore, but Nargis Fakhri fervently reminds of Katrina Kaif through her looks, acting, lip movements (and seemingly also has the same voice dubbing artist). Nevertheless she is likeable and shares good chemistry with Ranbir. Kumud Mishra as Jordan's advisor-turned anager is impressive.

Aditi Rao Hydari is confident but marred by a short-lived character. Piyush Mishra makes for an animated-yet- interesting negative lead. And it's pleasing to see Shammi Kapoor is his last decent cameo.
Rockstar rocks you but only partially thanks to the star called Ranbir Kapoor.

Movie Review : My Friend Pinto lacks focus or suspense

The country bumpkin irritates, exasperates and is difficult to deal with but he is blessed with a heart of gold. The miracle man will interact with you for a few minutes and your life will change forever. All the petty strife and rivalries which have so far populated your existence will suddenly cease to exist. The protagonist as a naïve charmer has become an often repeated theme largely due to the success of the Munnabhai series.

But a simple quirky idea generally isn't enough to generate a masterpiece. There have been plenty of other films which talked about life-altering events occurring during the span of a single day or night. Kuch Love Jaisa and Utt Patang are just two of the duds which come to mind.

My Friend Pinto is one such caper destined to sink at the box office this Friday.

Slapstick humour is like a many-times-patched, retreaded tyre often rolled out during the second half of the film hoping to accelerate the pace. But slapstick needs to be combined with an edgy script, crisp repartee and laugh-a-minute gags to keep the audience engaged and entertained.

My Friend Pinto which was probably planned as a social satire on urban life style and the inherent callousness of ruthless money minded city slickers turns into a meaningless one-night stand. Pun intended.

Now returning to Prateik Michael Pinto, who has just landed in Mumbai. He's here to meet and spend a week with his childhood friend Sam (Arjun Mathur). Sam is a yuppie who puts up with an overbearing boss at the office and a domineering wife at home. In this chaos lands up his childhood buddy Pinto who hopes to spend a week with him.

Pinto behaves more like he's travelled two hundred years through a time machine to reach Mumbai instead of the overnight journey he's undertaken to reach Mumbai Central station.  There is murder and mayhem all around him but Pinto remains oblivious of this fact. And the mindless so called humour begins.

A crowded station, two gun-toting goons, a conman on the run with a huge bag stuffed with moolah could have been the most appropriate fertile ground for the hilarity to begin. But first-time director Raagav Dar prefers to focus on Prateik the actor and lets the supporting cast slip into the background. And somebody tripping on a suitcase or accidentally wrenching off a handle are jokes associated more with the Rohit Shetty school of humour.

Trite gags are interwoven in a script lacking in focus or suspense. The characters keep up popping up at random intervals and then disappear from screen. Makarand Deshpande plays a retired Mallu Don who wishes to keep his mistress happy. Makarand tries hard to make the audience laugh, but in today's times is the 'mallu' accent enough to have the audience rolling in their seats? Not really, despite a valiant effort Makarand doesn't even succeed in evoking a chuckle.

There's Divya Dutta as Reshma, a failed actress who tries hard to seduce a younger man. Considering the oomph factor which Divya is capable of oozing on screen, it is one more opportunity lost as the all-pervading air is one of buffoonery.

Kalki Koechlin's Hindi speaking abilities improve with every film. But she is a bit of a miscast as she looks older than Prateik. A small role carried off effortlessly.

My Friend Pinto is a great opportunity for Prateik to showcase his skills both as an actor and a dancer. The young awkward boy from Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na has metamorphosed into a fine and confident actor. An endearing smile which can win many over many pretty young things. Yet he doesn't look like a shy young lad who has never visited a big city. A miscast for this role.

Paying homage to the all-time cult film Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron there is also a dead body being lugged around and which needs to be disposed off at the earliest. Doesn't form an integral part of the story, it appears as an add-on to a shoddy script.

As the grand finale Ragaav Dar summarily commentates on the lessons embedded in the script. Doesn't say much for his story-telling abilities.

See this only if you are a Prateik Babbar fan. Else avoid.

Cast & Crew of My Friend Pinto

Banner: UTV Motion Pictures, SLB Films
Release Date: October 14, 2011
Genre: Romance
Shooting Studios: Mehboob Studio
Producer: Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ronnie Screwvala
Executive Producer / Co-Producer: Aditya Singh
Director: Raghav Dar
Star Cast: Prateik Babbar...... Michael Pinto, Kalki Koechlin, Manisha Koirala, Naseeruddin Shah, Divya Dutta, Makrand Deshpande, Shakeel Khan, Arjun Mathur, Raj Zutshi, Shruti Seth, Amin Hajee
Cassettes and CD's on: UTV Music
Singers: Kunal Ganjawala, Gayatri Ganjawala, K K, Nirmatee, Sunidhi Chauhan
Lyricist: Amitabh Bhattacharya,Deepa Seshadri
Music Director: Ajay Gogavale, Atul Gogavale, Shamir Tandon, Kavita Seth, Hitesh Sonik
Background Music: Hitesh Sonik
Action: Sham Kaushal
Editor: Shan Mohammed, Dipika Kalra
Screenplay: Raghav Dar
Sound: Stephen Gomes
Costume: Shabina Khan, Darshan Jalan
Story / Writer: Raghav Dar

Movie Review: Mere Brother Ki Dulhan

Mere Brother Ki Dulhan is the dull one
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Actors: Imran Khan, Katrina Kaif
Rating: *1/2

“Bahut confused hoon, complicate ho raha hai (I’m confused, things are getting complicated),” says Imran Khan, related stories Rocky S on styling Katrina for MBKD I have a knack for selecting right scripts: Katrina who looks forever confused in this movie anyway.

He’s talking to the girl who’ll soon become his brother’s bride. He could as well be talking to his audience that’s probably just as dumbstruck at the unnecessarily complicated, tiring, lame mess the hero finds himself in, merely to serve the purpose of an over-imagined plot. Contrary to its title, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan isn’t really about a brother’s bride.

At least not in the same way the Cher movie Moonstruck (1987; masterpiece, compared to this), or closer home, Onir’s Sorry Bhai (2008), were. The brother here (Ali Zafar; casual, charming) has met his girl once, for a few seconds, over Skype, or a computer window that suspiciously looks like an ad for a matrimonial website. She asked him a few “Koffee With Karan rapid fire round questions,” the final one of which was if he preferred underwear or no-underwear. London boy got bowled over, match was made, mandap’s ready.

The hero himself had hooked the two up, because the brother had asked to find him an Indian bride. He toured homes across Bhopal, Lucknow, Panipat etc, before placing a front-page jacket ad in a newspaper, with a poster of the prospective groom that left a suave diplomat impressed enough to pass on his beautiful daughter. That girl’s the bidi-smokin’ hot, former lead guitarist of a rock band. Okay. Seriously? I know we shouldn’t always test movies on bounds of reality, but then again, films like these can’t be about aliens either.

That’s the basis of this Yashraj films’ big-ticket rom-com event picture of the year. The two lead characters – the bride, and the groom’s matchmaking brother – it turns out, already knew each other from some camping trip or rock concert across the Taj Mahal in Agra, where the UK-born heroine was surrounded by weird blokes, doing the general fake-cool stuff, “Hey guys, woohooo… Woohoo, hey guys!” The girl was from Lady Shri Rao, the boy went to Keval Maro college (both puns on Delhi’s Lady Sri Ram and Kirori Mal).

“You think I’m a tart, bitch, slut?” she’d asked the boy after being attacked by a random rapist type in her tent. The hero had reasoned, “This is India, not London. Har desh ki ek soch hoti hai (Every nation has its own thought process).”

The average Indian girl had “sharm, lihaaz,” was shy, meek; very different from her. So deal with it. Hmmm. Don’t know what to make of this explanation, besides ignore it completely. For the sake of this film, suffice it to know this hero, and the heroine, are in love. They run away from the wedding venue once, shift the party to another city after, intoxicate the wedding baraat along the way, bring the brother’s girlfriend into the picture… The movie is so stretched from both ends, you could see it tearing apart from the centre. The couple’s clueless fathers look on like notable ‘sideys’ in suits. All good things come to an end.

Thankfully, that’s true for things not so good as well. You still have to give it to a few casting gems in this movie (hero’s buddies etc), some inspired dialogue-writing that captures the patois of India’s rustic North (one of them, “Bhabi badi frank hain,” rightly makes it to posters!). But what can you give it? Your sympathies, of course. Katrina Kaif plays the said "rock chick". It’s hard to tell if her character’s restlessly rebellious, or plainly retarded.

There's a thin line between the two, something that relaively similar, far more enjoyable, recent romantic comedies have managed to balance out incredibly well (Anand Rai's Tanu Weds Manu; Imtiaz Ali’s Jab We Met). This is Kaif’s third outing at the theatres this year, the last being a quick ‘item number’ opposite Salman Khan in Bodyguard, before that, a fine role beside Farhan Akhtar in Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara (both commercial successes being as diametrically opposite to each other as the ‘70s screenwriter duo Salim and Javed’s sons!).

This picture is almost entirely centred on her. Though enough credit is never given to leading ladies in Hindi films, Hong Kong born, half Caucasian, half Kashmiri, Kaif possibly has the most impressive track record in Bollywood at present: 16 out of her 24 films have reportedly been hits! For all you know, this could well be another one. “Maybe I do have a knack for selecting the right scripts,” she says, in an interview to the Press Trust of India. That’s not true. If you’ve the patience, sit through this movie. You’ll know.

Movie Review: I Am Kalam is a winner

I Am Kalam is a welcome addition to the genre of children's film.

Rating:

Devoid of absolutely any known name in its cast, save for Gulshan Grover I Am Kalam is a welcome addition to the children's film genre which has often received short shrift from mainstream Bollywood.

Playing out like a documentary with scant recourses at its disposal, as if screaming to alienate itself from the commerce that defines today's cinema, I Am Kalam is a film with straight-from-the-heart directness, with a boy as protagonist whose drive towards being a tie-wearing 'bada aadmi' gives this film a sense of purpose, ambition and hope.

Chhotu (Harsh Mayar), a boy with wandering eyes, is deposited in the safe care of the genial dhaba owner Bhati (Grover) so that he can work and provide for his family of two, his mother and a sibling. Upon watching President APJ Abdul Kalam in a parade on television, Chhotu gets influenced by the great man's personality. When he hears that when Kalam was a child, he worked as a newspaper boy to fund his studies, Chhotu takes upon the name Kalam, a decision that would change his life forever.

The National Award-winning actor Harsh inhabits the world of Chhotu effortlessly, acting as if he's enjoying every minute being on camera. Husaan Saad as the son of the local royalty is a treat to watch.  Usually the bad man, Gulshan Grover unfailingly delivers as a good man every time he is offered such a role (a case in point; Dil Vil Pyaar Vyaar).

On the basis of its story alone, this is a winner. However, director Nila Madhab Panda builds maudlin subplots around Chhotu which takes a great deal away than adds to the film. Chhotu itself is a wonderfully alive character, at par with Swami of Malgudi Days or Chaipau of Salaam Bombay! What connects Chaipau and Chhotu is their sense of awe at arriving at a new place, the latter to a highway-lined village in Rajasthan and the former, in the crowded bylanes of Grant Road, Mumbai. The similarities are striking; both work as tea boys and change their name. Chaipau, nonetheless, lacks the ambition that drives Chhotu.

The final truth is that I Am Kalam rests too much on Chhotu while a film like Salaam Bombay! despite giving Indian cinema one of its most enduring child protagonists, relies on its material. That's perhaps I Am Kalam's biggest flaw, to overlook other significant characters in favour of one. Because as a coherent whole, this film could have had the potential to reach someplace else.

Nevertheless, there's a certain social consciousness, a message of education being the right of  every child, that is inserted into the narrative as gently as in Amole Gupte's recent Stanley Ka Dabba.
Although set in Rajasthan with a heavy presence of foreign patrons who dot the dhaba, including a Frenchwoman who befriends Chhotu, much of I Am Kalam is Indian in spirit because it deals with a very Indian problem -- of widespread illiteracy and poverty.

In the end, what contributes to I Am Kalam immensely is its metaphor of Kalam, the scientist with an almost magical ability to bind people, especially children. Kalam today stands for education, poverty and above all, an abiding love for children, in much the same way Nehru once did. If socialist films were dubbed Nehruvian, would those with child protagonists working their way through life for higher goals and purposes in a brave, new future-time be hailed as Kalamian? 

That as it may, Chhotu idolises Kalam and even apes his hairdo. This reminded me of what Javed Akhtar has often said, about his days of growing up, "I was obsessed with poets like any other kid would be of filmstars." You become what you are and not you are what you become. Aspiring to be a poet, Javed became one, eventually.
There's a possibility that some day boys like Chhotu will grow up to lead this country. Whether he wears a tie, a Nehru jacket or styles his hair like Kalam, is entirely his discretion.

Movie Review: Chala Mussaddi Office Office is a dull cinematic piece

Rajiv Mehra’s Chala Mussaddi Office Office has hit theatres yesterday. The film has been jointly produced by Umesh Mehra, Rajiv Mehra and Rajesh Mehra. It is an unusual tale of perseverance, truth, revolt, honesty and comedy coupled with the themes of corruption and bribery.

Story- Chala Mussaddi Office Office is a film adaptation of the renowned TV serial Office Office. As the title of the film suggests, this is the story of Mussadi Lal Tripathy essayed by the versatile Pankaj Kapoor.

It is a journey of Pankaj Kapoor; a common man and the hardships which he encounters at every point from his wife’s death to him being declared dead in a system enveloped in corruption. Despite repeated attempts of providing evidence of him being alive he faces injustice from the corrupt administrative system. He comes across corrupt bureaucrats at every step be it the ticket collector, the pandit or the railway officials.

He is constantly victimized by the deceitful system. The helpless man left with no other option takes up law on his own hands. He decides to fight all by himself against the bureaucratic corruption, red-tapeism as well as the bribery which prevails in India and to which he finally succeeds.

Story treatment- The film is a bad attempt by the director. The film will meet a similar fate like that of Khichdi when it was made into a film. The film does have a couple of funny moments but they fail to leave a mark. While transforming a serial into a film it is necessary to illustrate the characters more noticeably which the director has failed to put forth in the film. The song Dekho Chala Mussaddi sung by Makrand Deshpande is indeed provoking.

Star Cast- The main protagonist Pankaj Kapoor was brilliant. He was natural and did a fine job. He is truly a pleasure to watch. Deven Bhojani and Manoj Pahwa were good, Hemant Pandey was efficient, Sanjay Mishra was first rate, Gaurav Kapur did a fair job, Asawari was remarkable, Farida Jalal was fine while others such as Makrand Deshpande, Vinay Jain, Rakesh Srivastava, Rajinder Mehra, Gautam Saugat, and Amar Talwar filled the bill.

Direction- Rajiv Mehra’s efforts to make a film adaptation of the popular serial Comedy Comedy failed to pay off. He has not incorporated anything new in the story. Though his concept is fresh but it lacks the right punch as serials and films are completely two diverse mediums. The film would have been far better had he given more importance to the smaller nuisances.

Dialogues / Cinematography / Music- The dialogues in the film are flat and monotonous though it comparatively has an upper hand over the screenplay. Carlton D’mello’s cinematography too is not up to the mark. Sajid-Wajid’s music is average.

Verdict- On the whole it is a dull cinematic piece. It lacks consistency, the very essence of reality and it also has a weak script. The film has a couple of absurd scenes and has been unnecessarily stretched. The brilliant star cast unfortunately failed to save the film.

Movie Review: Singham is for Ajay Devgn fans only

Ratings:

Aseem Chabbra feels that the real star of the film Singham is its sound team.

In Rohit Shetty's mass-masala movie Singham, Ajay Devgn plays an upright, honest and do-gooder cop who goes way beyond the training and duties of a regular Indian Police Service officer.

He will stop to push a cart if its wheel is stuck in the mud; play with little kids; become a part time no-interest loan financier to settle a dispute between two people in his village, especially if someone is about to get married and it is their 'izzat ka sawal'.

Devgn's Bajirao Singham is almost the village panchayat, who is blessed by hundreds of drum beating men. His ritual bath in the village pond at night is accompanied with a beautiful display of floating lit lamps, and people dressed in red costumes praying, perhaps for his well-being.

After the bath, Singham walks bare-chested with mysterious smoke rising behind him, subtle dramatic lighting, to the beat of drums and what sounds like Hindu shlokas. He sometimes walks in slow-motion -- that means he is cool. And sometimes leaps at the bad guys -- that means he has lion blood flowing throwing his veins.
Singham is followed by a continuous soundtrack -- mostly the melody of the title song sung by Sukhwinder Singh. But in the second half of the film, when he decides to finally take on the evil Jaykant Shikre (a very loud and over-the-top Prakash Raj), Singham's personal soundtrack changes to religious shlokas -- as if his forthcoming actions, beyond what is allowed by the laws of the land and his training at the IPS academy, are justified and sanctioned by something above everything else -- God, Hinduism, its texts and its hymns.

Remake of a hit 2010 Tamil film, Singham is critical of the Indian politics and society. Time and again, the film's characters make observations against India's flawed and corrupt system.

The film's three writers: Hari, Yunus Sajawal and Farhad Sajid seem to be disappointed with the way India has shaped out to be. They have little faith in the law. Most cops in the film, baring Singham and a couple of his subordinates when he is posted to Goa, are shown to be corrupt or at least have an attitude that do they not give a damn.

The politicians are the guilty party. As Shikre says toward the end of the film -- from 1947 to 2011 no minister has been arrested in India for crime and corruption.
The film makes it very clear -- without the existence of Singham, the good cop, India has no hope. I wonder why no has thought of making him the president or the prime minister of the country!
The film opens with the big dramatic dance sequence celebrating our hero -- it feels like it is Holi, but it is not, as Devgn and the backup dancers strike a pose with as their hands becoming the claws of tigers.

The first half of the film takes its time in establishing Singham's character, his world, his romance with Kaavya Bhosle (Kajal Agarwal, a chirpy, but weak actress, who has a bad habit of rushing through her lines and strangely enough bears a slight resemblance to Devgn's wife Kajol).

In a long fight sequence, Singham beats up a fat bad guy who has snatched Kaavya's green dupatta. And she is so shamed by the dishonour that she wraps herself in a black dupatta.
There is the parallel story about Shikre, who makes money kidnapping rich people and has the protection of the Goa's top cops and politicians. But Singham and Shikre's path do not cross, until almost the intermission.
In the second half, Singham is posted to Goa -- as a punishment, where he is now in the world run by Shikre. He is frustrated and almost gives up hope. But just when he decides to leave, a depressed and overweight kid looks at Singham and begs him to stay back. "Uncle aap nahin hongey to yeh mummy ko marengey," the kid pleads with Singham.

The kid's mummy is Megha Kadam (Sonali Kulkarni), whose husband committed suicide in the opening sequences of the film, but all of that is too complicated to explain here.
Finally, Singham walks up to what looks like the entire Goa police force gathered with their families for a reception. He asks each of those cops to look into the eyes of their family members. Burdened with a sufficient sense of guilt, the reformed cops take off on 'mardon wallah kaam' to deal with Shikre, who by now has been elected for the political office. The method they chose to deal with Shikre may be unethical according to the Indian laws, but then it goes fine with the film's near anarchist attitude.
The dialogues are often hilarious, sometimes unintentionally. Singham to Shikre: "Tu corruption sey paiday hua gandi nalee ka keeda hai."

Shikre to Singham: "Yahan mera music system bajta hai!"

A jaded junior cop to Singham: "Main bhi yahan angry young man ban key aya tha. Lekin in logon ne mujhey Gandhi Ji ka bandar bana diya - na dekho, na bolo, na suno!"

The performances have Bollywood written all over them. Devgn is mostly a caricature of an action hero. His best moments are when he is really angry, gritting his teeth and cracking his knuckles as he gets ready to beat up the bad guys.
The real star of the film is the sound team. Singham is packed with a lot of bone crunching sounds, and loud action moments. Gone are the days when Bollywood films just featured dhishum-dhishum in the fight scenes. Now there is every possible jarring loud sound one hears, as Singham whips up the bad guys with his belts and smashes their bodies on the ground, against walls,.

The fights are long, painful and yet fun to watch. But I never understood why with all the beating they take from one man, none of the bad guys are even slightly injured. There is no bone broken, no cut, not even a bruise. There is violence and yet no after affect of violence. And I am sure that is fine for the Indian censors.

Movie Review: Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (U/A)
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Katrina Kaif, Kalki Koechlin, Abhay Deol
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Rating: ***

"Seize the day, my friend," blurts the stunning deep-sea diving instructor Laila (Kaif), on a long walk with an uptight financial broker Arjun (Roshan). Arjun hasn't lived much, nor have his friends -- the apparently spineless Kabir (Deol) and jovial, closet poet Imran (Farhan). The adage pretty much sums up ZNMD.

It's a long, boring advertisement for Spain Tourism, warned a colleague whose "sources" had these precious words about ZNMD. I can safely say, it's a little more than that.

How do they land in Spain? Well, the boys had made a certain pact that each would suggest an adventure sport and the other two would have to follow. Screenplay writers Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar (also director) bring to the table a very beautifully captured Spain, by cinematographer Carlos Catalan. No no, that's not all. Along with Spain, they bring relationships of their protagonists with themselves and each other.

Undercurrents unleashed by emotional turmoil, friendship, and finally the unloading of mental baggage, so as to emerge victorious in the truest sense.

For all this, the storywriters use heavy doses of symbolism. Deep-sea diving at Costa Brava, sky-diving in Sevilla and the San Fermin bull run in Pamplona, not to forget the Tomatina festival in Bunyol, where Arjun finally lets go. Fears are drowned, let open in the sky and finally at the mercy of raging bulls.

Performances are honest and telling across the board, yet Farhan stands out (Warning: Some bias may be at play here). Roshan, Deol and Farhan stick to their briefs by Zoya, often contained, and true to their characters, and never over-the-top. They let the characters' intrinsic qualities do the talking.

Similarly with Koechlin, whose prim and proper Natasha is, admittedly, not much like her real life persona. They're all easy- going, playing their parts and enjoying while in the act. Kaif's "tumhari zindagi badalnewali hai" made me cringe, but overall her effort to make Laila believable cannot be undermined. You wish you could have a life like hers, jetting off to a part of the world for three months of daredevilry and loads of fun.

Witty dialogue (credited to Farhan himself), playful chitchat and the camaraderie between the friends personify ZNMD.

However, the lack of chemistry among them in the first hour cannot be ignored. ZNMD has so many silent moments, it's likely to put you to sleep. The editing tools could have been sharper to give this coming-of-age romantic drama a facelift. Restlessness is the unwelcome guest on this road, much like Kabir's fiancée Natasha.

Sounds uncannily similar to Farhan's directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai, right? Now if you take DCH as the benchmark, it's up to you how slow/polished/boring/ unnecessary/pretty you find ZNMD.

Your heart is likely to be set upon the beats of ZNMD, from the free-spirited Ik Junnon to the mellow Khwabon Ke Parindey, not to forget the unforgettable Senorita. And Farhan's poetry infused in the narrative needs special mention. True Akhtar blood must say!

The writers exploit luxury and frankly, ZNMD set anywhere else could be as true to character. They didn't really have to go to Spain.

For those (which, I assume, is a lot of us), who may not be able to afford a holiday in Spain for any time soon, go catch ZNMD for good performances, music, Spain and of course, Farhan Akhtar in his element.