bollycritic

Baar Baar Dekho could have worked with a great director, strong lead cast and fast pacing. Yet, though Jai's life is flying by him, the speed of the film is painfully slow. Siddharth Malhotra and especially Katrina Kaif are grossly inept with their performances and their attempts at comedy flop as the film can't decide if it wants to be serious, funny or surreal. You need good lead actors to invest in a movie. It has decent set design and that is about it. I had abysmally low expectations for it, but it could not even live up to those.

Bhansali makes attractive looking movies, but the emotion is severely lacking in half of them. Not emotion in the characters, mind you, but connection to the audience. Here, the only people who might connect to the movie are Rajputs, who are constantly being referenced as if they are some sort of deities or supreme beings. It is annoyingly repetitive. Ranveer is tons of fun and over the top, and the film certainly looks good, but I just wished it would end after the first hour. There really isn't much story here. Give me Bhansali's Black, Bajirao Mastani or Khamoshi any day over this. Fine for a one-time watch but that is it.

There are lots of people in the world who wander around aimlessly, looking for meaning. Some find it quicker than others. Bindu is not one of them, despite her Babula's yearning. I really liked this film a lot, for its ambiance, great acting and memories of some amazing songs from the past. Sure, the female protagonist is not easily likable, but Parineeti does infuse her with a lot of charm. Most Indian film lovers will find her difficult to stomach because we're fed a constant diet of mindless, doormat heroines whose only mission in life is to worship at her hero's footsteps. Not Bindu. She wants and needs more, but truthfully doesn't know what that more is. So she strings everyone along with her infectious charm. By the time she discovers her more, life has moved on. As it does in the real world too. I really wish Yashraj would make more films like this instead of the loud and regressive Sultan types, that turn into blockbusters. Alas, these types of films are meant to release and flop. Do check it out if you crave something different.

It starts off much better than the useless action garbage Bollywood is shovelling down our throats these days, as season 1 of Mausam presents a simple and carefree love story. But as time passes and our star-crossed lovers continually fail to stay together, the film begins taxing on your nerves. It goes from great, to good, to indifferent and eventually stupid in the span of its almost 3 hour running time. Don't know what Pankaj was thinking but the flight sequence and completely over the top climax were really poor. Maybe someone told the director he needed more current commercial elements, and in succumbing to the same, he did his movie a great disservice. Luckily, both Shahid and Sonam give great performances along with the supporting cast, and the songs by Pritam are too good to ignore. It is a lot better than the countless Readys, Dabanggs, Forces and Bodyguards out there, but that is hardly a compliment.

Yes, it is a colossal disappointment, but let me add that the film is watchable in parts. I quite liked the performances of the two new female faces, no matter how far fetched the premise of a New York investment banker on sabbatical in Mumbai shooting photos with a research grant seemed to be. Moreover, the scenes of the Mumbai landscape often reminded me of my childhood and family visits back home (though I have nothing to do with Mumbai in the least). The problem though is that the film just plods along, truly like a diary (kudos for authenticity). So often with not much excitement in the story-telling. So what, you might argue, that's just like real life. True, but cinema is most engaging and exciting when it has a story to tell, not when it accompanies us through the banalities of life. Too much of Dhobi Ghat, especially the first 20 to 30 minutes, is just too boring. You're not even invested in the characters yet, and newcomer director Kiran Rao expects us to enjoy watching them stare or stand silent or just be, doing nothing, from the get go. Sorry, that's not the way it works for most viewers Ms Rao. I must also add that the whole self-video taping concept though brilliantly acted, was a million times better handled in last year's grossly under-rated Love Sex Aur Dhokha.

Wow! Now that's great film-making. Always good to see a hard-hitting movie with a conscience, and this one goes at it full force. A glimpse in to the power-based society that is Delhi, I knew little of the Jessica Lal case before watching. While entertaining yet quite scary in its portrayal of the common (wo)man's value in Indian society, the film does ask some good questions about our world and humankind in general. Think something like this could never happen in other parts of the world? OJ Simpson, anyone? The film is really lifted though thanks to the convincing portrayals by Vidya Balan and Rani Mukherji. The latter plays convincingly to the gallery, and the former is completely deglamourized and convincing in her little sister avatar. What a great way to start a new year for Hindi cinema. A few scenes are not 100% convincing or over-dramatized, but it doesn't matter. I loved the great scenes between Meera and her boss the most. An eye-opening way to rationalize the often sensationalized and under-cover Indian journalism.

Kudo to Raj Kumar Gupta. Must now catch the director's previous flick, Aamir.

For those of you who wasted your hard earned money on crap Bollywood movies like Golmaal 3 of late, here's your chance to support good cinema at your local box office. Don't miss it.

Excellent romantic comedy, with great performances and the very entertaining backdrop of the Delhi wedding planning industry. I think both the new director (Maneesh) and lead actor (Ranvir) should do very well in their careers, and the film proves that Bollywood should stop throwing it's untalented families of non-actors at the celluloid screen each week. Imagine how competent the pool of stars would be in the industry if we had fewer sons, bhanjas and bhatijas to contend with. Anushka, too, is a prized possession, as is the brilliant complement of supporting actors in this movie (like Maqsood Bhai and the entertaining troupe of rich spoilt brides-to-be). Songs were tons of fun, and though the film does de-generate into a typical unbelievable filmi affair near the end, you don't mind. It's all for the much needed happy ending.

Imran Khan can't act to save his life. Sorry, but it has to be said. While his "performance" was engaging in his debut film (since he was new and Abbas Tyrewala had crafted a great screenplay), it seems like he's just sleep-walking through all his films since then. He has one horrible style of dialogue delivery in every scene, and doesn't deserve to be cast, let alone paid, for his movies. It doesn't help that Break Ke Baad is such a juvenile and boring story either. Deepika's selfish character in the film may be quite novel and realistic for Bollywood, but she's also super annoying and unlikeable. And if you don't like your lead heroine in a romantic comedy, why would you care for the movie? As an actress, Deepika is still improving with each film, but watching her mature is not enough to sustain this 2 hour stupidity train. The songs too are super-boring, near the worst of Vishal-Shekhar's career, and even casting super strong supporting actors like Shahana Goswami, Sharmila Tagore and Lillette Dubey doesn't help.

I've seen Stepmom, and quite enjoyed that movie. So at first I never planned to watch its Indian remake. But the "Reham-o-Karam" track changed my mind, coupled with the opportunity to watch Kajol exercise her histrionic muscles.

Should have kept with my first instincts. The film is just plain boring. There's not much else to say. I don't think the scenes are written very well, and the dialogue is clunky and unrealistic. Plus, one never really gets a chance to empathize with these characters because they all seem just so selfish and immature.

The songs, both aurally and visually, are boring and while the performances are adequate, they never rise above the rest of the flick.

I think perhaps the makers thought we'd be grateful enough having an official desi remake of the type of Hollywood movie we South Asians love: one filled with rona dhona. But come on Bollywood, don't be so lazy. Give it to us with some true desi emotion.

I mostly love films with a purpose and depth to them. But every once in a while comes a flick with a relaxed tone and an oft repeated story that still knocks the socks off me.

Aisha is such a product. Looks to me like the makers had tons of fun, cause I sure did watching it. Featuring a pitch perfect ensemble cast led by the winsome and pretty Sonam Kapoor, Aisha is a tribute to Jane Austen's Emma, but twenty-first century affluent Indians' style.

There's little nouveau about the tale, but the performances, screenplay, dialogues, cinematography, music, editing, direction and choreography all weave together in perfect tandem. I'm not kidding; I thought they all came up with an awesome team effort. Each scene is a pleasure to watch.

Moreover, the flick doesn't take itself seriously, which was great for me, cause I'm frankly a little tired of the countless Hindi films that purport to be "the Love Story of a Lifetime". Hey people, not every movie has to be Romeo & Juliet or Ek Dujjhe Ke Liye.

Bonus for those of us weary of the traditional high volume Bollywood drama. Even when the heroine goes off on a cringe-inducing lengthy monologue about life and her one true love for the climax, we know we're watching a comedy. The director quickly reminds us courtesy a great twist at scene's end. Speaking of which, Rajshree Ojha is a great find. Hope she strikes it big cause she definitely deserves the success.

9/10

It's OK for a one time watch, but one expects much much better from Mani Ratnam. Of all the Master's efforts, I found this his weakest effort. Lots of style with little substance. Santosh Sivan and V. Manikandan's cinematography of the lush locales is breath-taking, but scenery alone does not make a brilliant movie. It is basically the typical Hindi film revenge plot, but told from the perspective of the 'victim' of the vengeance seeker. It's even using the tired old sister and rape sequence. I know it's also based on the Ramayan, but as a non-Hindu, all of that means little to me. Acting by the main characters is all mediocre, but supporting performances by Ravi Kissen and Nikhil Dwivedi were both excellent. AB Jr.'s chak-a-chak was grating as much as Aishwarya's non-stop screaming (as was Rahman's over the top background score). Let's hope next time Ratnam chooses different actors for his movie. These two were great in Guru, but very out of sorts here.

Like many kids of the eighties, I loved the original miniseries and final battle. The weekly television series though back then was pretty horrible, often plodding around like a cheap soap-opera. I was hoping that the current generation series would rectify those mistakes and it has indeed. Unfortunately, the new series comes with its own major problems. It is slow, boring and has very poor dialogues. I hate the word "V" first of all to refer to the aliens. It'd be a normally small grouse were the word not used every 15 seconds in the dialogues. Speaking of which, the dialogues and show story lines are epically annoying. There really isn't much going on in any given episode and it's just plodding around aimlessly. If this show gets cancelled, I won't miss it in the least.

Actually, it's only about two hours long, but it felt like it dragged on for a five hour marathon. I began repeatedly staring at my watch about an hour into the mess. Most of the stories were predictable, vacuous and lacked any sort of emotional depth. The old couple and elementary school kid's plot has been done to death a million times before, and the resolution of Ashton Kutcher's and Jennifer Garner's dilemma was at least twenty minutes too long. I only enjoyed the Julia Roberts' plot line, but its short penultimate scene does not alone make a good movie. Especially when you have to sit through a scene as ridiculous as the one with the black and white movie in the cemetery. If you really want to see this movie, I suggest it's better to wait for the DVD rental.

The Bad: -Length. Film is nearly 3 1/2 hours long. They could easily have done away with 4 of the songs (e.g. Maanunga Maanunga, Saloni, Su Che and Dhadkan Dhadkan), the whole Devukaka cheating and Bhai subplots, and the film would have lost nothing. In fact, it would have been much more enjoyable. -Editing. Renu Saluja should have challenged her director about the worthiness of some of the frivolous scenes. -The lengthy Bond style interpretive dance intros for each female character got annoying real quick. Yeah, Priyanka looks smoking, but the device wears its welcome quick.

The Good: -Priyanka Chopra -Priyanka Chopra Oh and did I forget to mention, Priyanka Chopra? A few years ago, I would have never believed the awkward side heroine from Sunny Deol's miserable Hero would grow in to such a Fine (in more ways that one) actress. She grabs you the second she walks in with her first role as Anjali, and you'll be hooked all the way to the end of the Jhankhana act. Songs are almost all great (and only downside is some are unnecessary in the movie).

Have a feeling some audience members who are obsessive about their belief in astrology may be offended by Ashutosh playing on the characters. But my wife and I thought it was cute. If only the film had repeat value in the cinemas.

It is the first in ages which I have wanted to go and see again immediately after watching it the first time. There's a beautiful tapestry of characters, colours and coincidence interwoven together. But it's not a film for everyone. You have to pay significant attention to in order to enjoy it. And you really should not bring along kids under the age of eight to it, unless they can tolerate realistic violence. (My bad.) Songs were also well used in the tale, though there really needn't have been that many. (Guess Mehra didn't want to waste any of Rahman's hard work.) The brilliant juxtaposition of east meets west in "Dil Gira Dafataan" has alone got to be worth the price of admission. I must admit I didn't like the preachy climax, but I find South East Asians often don't grasp concepts unless you beat them over the head with it. So all is forgiven. That's three films Rakesh OmPrakash Mehra has made, and I must say, I've loved all three of them. Dare I say, he's a directorial genius not seen since Mani Ratnam. It'll be tough for him to live up to my expectations again, but he seems like a guy ready to deliver.

9.7/10 (exact same rating I remember giving Aks and RDB when I first saw each of them)

FINALLY caught it... and don't regret waiting. It was more often than not BORING. Not a patch on the brilliance of DCH.

Three things held me back from seeing the movie earlier, and my bias/fears were proved right for all of them: 1) As mentioned by others, the music is amateurish. Not so much the tunes by SEL, but most definitely Farhan's annoying voice. My wife and I were shocked they used it in the movie. Yeah, it gives the movie a realistic vibe, but honestly, it was one of the key reasons I never rooted for the success of Magik, which I think was critical for the audience. "Yeh Tumhaari Meri Baatein" was the one beautiful exception, but no prizes for guessing that Mr. Akhtar's voice was nowhere to be found. I'm amazed the soundtrack sold so well too. Maybe it underscores that listeners are not as discerning about voices any more?? 2) Farhan is no actor. Yeah, the guy is versatile and can do several things now including writing, singing and direction, but I don't think he's great at anything other than direction. And even there, his brilliance piqued with DCH and has been languishing since. Actually, several of Rock On's characters are non-actors. Lucky for the director, Prachi Desai, Shahana Goswami and Purab Kohli compensated for the lack of talent in the others. 3) Abhishek Kapoor's Aryan was a dreary and tedious Rocky rip-off. And he suffers from the same directorial flaw as Kunal Kohli and Shaad Ali: their film's scenes take too long to get to the point. Sorry to say, I'm just not as patient a viewer as others may be, unless the scene has something brilliant to say. On a positive note though, Shaad has begun to work on this flaw and Abhishek still packed Rock On with a few engaging sequences. Unfortunately, for Kohli, there's no hope.

That is the reality. Shyamalan is basically trying to package a warning/message in a commercial cinema package, and it won't work. Especially to our highly consumption based, capitalist society. I remember a guy leaving the cinema in front of me saying, "That was stupid. Plants are stupid." Sure dude. I agree the chances of this story unfolding in real life may be remote, but remember that the world around us is not truly in our control either. There are ramifications for everything we do to our surrounding. People of faith also realize that sooner or later, we'll all be faced to realize that the world is not our possession. The film is NOT preachy, as some people contend. Obviously, these individuals have not seen Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. Happening has a slow, languished pace that makes you think, and that's not something audiences enjoy doing. They'd prefer the trees turning into monsters that attack the main characters. True, there are many things that I did not understand after the first viewing, and the film is not perfect, but that's what good cinema is all about. It invites you to return multiple times to explore new themes and challenge what you previously liked or disliked. Looking forward to my next viewing.

Side Note: For the record, of all of Night's flicks I agree he went horribly wrong with Lady in The Water. Signs was superficial and does not hold up on repeated viewing, but this one is great.

the emphasis on style (aka tashan) runs havoc and inanity through the proceedings. The story is simple, stupid and entertaining. And the cast does a great job with their characters, with Anil Kapoor and Akshay Kumar as the stand-outs. The former does a marvelously convincing job with an outlandish and ludicrous villain, so much so that you know anyone else could only make Bhaiyyaji look like a cartoon. And Kumar's transformation from action hero non-actor (a la Stallone) to comedic king the last few years is unbelievable. But as Bachchan Pandey, you gotta give him kudos for managing stupidity with brawn. (That "I love you" monologue Bachchan spouts to Pooja, with Jimmy holding cue cards in the background is worth the price of admission alone.) Alas, you can't hold together such a slim premise in over two hours of celluloid. The action sequences are ridiculous, over-the-top and ten times too lengthy. They'd be fine, maybe, in a superheros flick, but here, no. OK, I can believe that our protagonists have bodies of steel - the non-stop focus on bare torsos and breasts is not family friendly - and will win the battles with their foe... but without a single scratch to show for their efforts? Come on! Yashraj is finally trying to change their image from the mushy, crappy, super-hits they have given us the last ten years. Though they still need to learn that style is not substance, I'd prefer ten Tashans to a single Veer Zaara.

This film needs at least 90 minutes of trimming. It would be a great movie, if only it did not extend its welcome. Gone are the days when audiences would be satisfied watching scenes linger on pointlessly or endure unnecessary sub-plots in the name of entertainment. Jodhaa Akbar has too much unnecessary exposition. The first 30 minutes could easily be eliminated, the whole Ila Arun track is superfluous and that elephant vs Akbar scene was a damn bore. Hrithik and Aishwarya are good in their respective roles, but there is nothing brilliant here about either of the performances. Technically though, the film is excellent. Great epic landscapes, lush set designs and costumes and a rocking background score courtesy A.R. Rahman.

Tanuja Chandra needs to go to film-school. True, I have never been either, but I know a horrible film when I see one. Oh course Tanuja is in excellent company in Mumbai thanks to the likes of Sohail Khan, Siddharth Anand and Kunal Kohli, all of whom have repeatedly directed some of the worst films in the history of the world.

Why do her female protagonists always have to be so angry or scream obsessed? And why are Tanuja's films always so BORING? The plot here is preposterous, and I could not care less for the lead character, no matter how much I love Sushmita Sen. This woman just does not know how to direct.

There are few films I think deserve a dismal rating. Like any other end product, I realize a lot of effort goes into the making of a movie. But this flick lacks any real redemptive qualities. It wastes a talented cast, a big budget, good music directors and lyricist. I lay the blame solely at the feet of the inexperienced director, Siddharth Anand. I still can't believe Mr Anand's first movie, Salaam Namaste, was a success. But at least that one had some half decent tunes and an annoying, but entertaining Javed Jaffrey to pass the time. I decided to give Siddharth another chance, after all he was only in his twenties when he directed his first movie. Bad idea. This tale of rags to riches to rags to riches is inane, superficial and boring as hell.

Let us be clear. If you expect another Black, you will be disappointed. I enjoyed Saawariya for its simple tale of unrequited young love. The emphasis on "unrequited" and "young" sets this film apart. It's the type of film that takes time to understand, not of the instant gratification variety other than the opulent sets and slick cinematography. (Ravi K Chandran should already have a few lifetime achievement awards at his relatively young age.) You feel a bit of a void after it is over - my wife thought it was depressing at first - but once you discuss the characters' motivations and the ending, it all seems justified. The two new leads are very good, but not what I'd term instant stars or acting legends. The star of the movie is unequivocally RANI MUKHERJEE. She gives layers and nuances to the Gulabji character that were sorely missing in her recent Laaga Cinema Mein Boredom.

Yes, it is an oxymoron. A boxing movie designed to cater to the females in the auditora is as unappetizing in thought as it is in execution. There is far too much sobbing in this depressing tale of a disgraced Indian boxer (Dharmendra) who cannot move on with his life. Dharmendra has always been a great actor, but in Anil Sharma's hands this time around, he is reduced to a weeping, willowy, little girl trapped in a man's body. What happened to the super-strong Dharam-paji of Anil Sharma's super-hit Hukumat? Heck, Dharmendra was a thousand times more engaging in the recent Anurag Basu venture, Metro. Sunny is ten years too old, and one hair piece too ugly, for his role as the misunderstood eldest son. And Bobby's transformation from a rocker to super-athlete is impossible to digest. Skip it. If you want to enjoy better Deol fare, there are a thousand other choices out there. (Try Chupke Chupke, Ghulami, Yateem, Dacait, Damini or Gupt.)

The director is very young... and it shows. There is a lack of maturity in handling of emotions in the movie. The two leads are either smiling all the time to convey happiness or screaming to convey anger and frustration. Human emotions and reactions are much more complex, Sidharth Babu. Great technical values in the film, and both Saif and Preity look very fit. But that don't make a movie watchable. Preity's pregnancy dance, by the way, is the height of stupidity. She looks ready to deliver and is running around and jumping as if to try and induce labor. Sad to say that Javed Jaffri's mocking Crocodile Dundee rip-off is the most entertaining part of this movie, but acting kudos go to the Indian Aussie's dim-witted blonde wife. "Sorry?" Can anyone explain why they made this movie?

Karan Johar made a brilliant escapist flick at the beginning of his career. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was Hindi cinema at its commercial best; unrealistic, melodramatic, over-the-top fun. It manipulated your emotions, but you did not care because there was no real message.

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham was good in parts, boring in others, but again a noble effort for bringing together a mammoth star cast in a typical Bollywood family tale.

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehnaa tries to be sensitive and realistic. But that's not Johar's forte. His kind of cinema exists in a vacuum where Indians are super-rich, super-athletic and super-perfect. The dude ain't no Mani Ratnam or Ram Gopal Varma. (My apologies for mentioning them in the same breath.) So for him to tackle the difficult topic of infidelity, and yet retain his campy style, he confuses the audience. What are we watching here? Is it a sitcom (Amitabh's embarrassing and unconvincing "Sexy Sam" antics - come on, you're telling me women that sexy in real life would be attracted to a man who is clearly wearing women's clothing most of the time), a superficial musical dramedy or just plain stupid cinema? It's all of the above, actually, and for that reason, you leave the theatre with your brain in knots.

Shahrukh and Rani never understand their characters enough to play them convincingly. They dress and look good, yes, but that's not acting. And Preity, for all the declarations other wise by her director and herself, is still playing an angry version of her normal self.

If there's a character that you like in the movie, it is Abhishek's. Devoted husband, childish attitude; he's the spot-on recipe for a typical Hindi film hero. Had the film been told from his perspective, you might have even liked it. Yes, Mr Johar, that would have defied your attempts to be different. I've heard your recent interviews stating that infidelity and human behaviour is a tough thing to explain... blah, blah, blah... So then, why try it if you do not yourself understand what is going on and cannot bring the audience along with you on the journey? Remember that you are a commercial film-maker, and the average Hindi cine-goer does not like his protagonists to be confused, stupid and unlikeable. Like the much better "Murder" from a couple of years ago, or even the numerous escapist and inane David Dhawan comedies from the nineties, there should have been motivation or some sorry twist of fate for Rani to stray from her relationship with Abhishek.

Despite all the criticism around KAlaNK though, you've still earned enough money from it to hopefully feel satiated for trying something different. Next time though, use the excess funds to go back to the realm of candy-floss; children's summer camps where gorgeous women play basketball in sarees, and billionaire mothers love their adopted sons more than their own flesh and blood. The fake world suits you more, and we, your audience, know few people can do it as well as yourself.