Saayer

If there is one thing I have learned over the last one decade, its not to have any expectations from an SRK film. Barring Chak De India, he has hardly had anything noteworthy in the last ten years that could re-establish his diminishing credentials as a great actor, notwithstanding, his ever growing super stardom. Even though he had strong performances in My Name Is Khan and partly Jab Tak Hai Jaan, he was unable to save those sinking ships due to lack of story.

Despite all that, FAN called for expectations of a better film. A great SRK film where he could re-live the Chak De magic. For starters, the premise was unique, even though inspired from the Robert DeNiro's Fan. At least SRK was not going to be romancing sari clad girls singing in unrelatable exotic locations. If anything, it was a song-less film. Mere association of Varun Grover with the film made it more intriguing. If you don't know who Varun Grover is, you may stop reading further. The guy is a genius. Maneesh Sharma and Habib Faisal made a formidable team in Band Baaja Baraat and under delivered in the follow-ups. Fan was going to be their chance a redemption with everything going their way.

Except, it didn't.

There is nothing visibly wrong with Fan as such. Its not a Tees Maar Khan where you just want to leave the theater half an hour into the film. Its actually the lost opportunity that makes you cringe. A simple "what it could have been" had it been treated better. What if the makers of the film stayed true to the essence of the film instead of going preachy and instead of glorifying SRK more and more? What if they had worked harder on developing the real conflict of the story instead of focusing on four silly chases. What if they had made pulling it off more difficult for the poor hapless Fan instead of the super famous and resourceful star.

I am all for creative liberty and taking leap of faith, however, despite all my generosity, I struggle to believe when a film star allows a fan to enter his van alone with him so that he can beat him up. I refuse to accept a super star running after his fan on the streets chasing him while no personal body guard or cops step up to take the responsibility. And even if I accept the poor fan's reach to places like London and Dubrovnik in one week, I won't able to accept his access to untraceable phones, reaching high security areas without any problem and escaping the police every time. Never mind the climax fist fight between the two resulting in a long sanctimonious speech by the star.

Its still not a disaster though. There are several enjoyable sequences in the 140 minutes long film. The hesitant romance between Gaurav and his Delhi girlfriend is full of warmth and should have been exposed a little more. Gaurav's parents' chemistry with their son is good. The jibes at SRK's lifestyle coming from his staff and other people make you smile. SRK knows how not to take himself too seriously unlike another big Khan of the industry. Production design by Maneesh Sharma's usual suspect Abid T.P, costumes by the newbie Niharika Bhasin and make-up are highlights of the film. Academy Award winner Greg Cannon and his team did a great job of creating Gaurav, the Fan.

Fan is an SRK film and only an SRK film. Other than SRK there is hardly any other prominent actor in the film. He shoulders the responsibility of lifting the film alone. His effort is strong and worthy but he is let down by scantily executed script where Habib Faisal was unable to do justice to an intriguing premise. Despite the limitations of the story, SRK has done well. His portrayal of Gaurav has the energy and passion of a 20-year-old while Aryan has the maturity and composure of an aging actor. He does go overboard in a few scenes, specially the ones with his staff and cops, but overall manages to show great restraint. There is, however, a conscious effort to portray a certain image of Aryan Khanna, which is how SRK wants the world to know him. This film has a purpose to serve as a PR machinery for SRK. To show people his struggle, his family-man image and his constant struggle with his own stardom.

Had all the 'what if' questions been taken care of, Fan could have gone as one of the best performances of SRK's career and possibly the best film of the year. As it stands now, Fan is an interesting film with several disappointing moments.

I have to admit, I went to watch Bajrangi Bhaijan (BB) with a lot of prejudice. I am not a big fan of Kabir Khan, have not liked Kareena Kapoor other than Jab We Met. I am not a Salman Fan either nd despite that I watch all his Eid releases on first day.

I had four hypotheses before going to the theater and I had made an outline of the review I was going to write. Generally it's a set template for a Kabir Khan Salman Khan film. Nonetheless, my predetermined conclusion of BB being a mediocre film was proved wrong.

1. Kareena Kapoor will be unnecessary in the film – Proved True. Not just Kareena, the entire subplot of Salman's love interest was completely unnecessary. In the first half, a good twenty minutes were spent on establishing the love story between Salman and Kareena. As the film lasted 163 minutes, cutting fifteen of those minutes and a song could have made the edit sharper and more gripping. The role could have been played by any actress. Salman could have been a married or single man in the film. It would not have had any impact on the final outcome.

2. Nawazuddin Siddiui will be brilliant – Proved True. And boy he was fantastic. His intro sequence is a straight lift from Pakistan's very own Chaand Nawab and as it turns out, his character is actually called Chaand Nawab. Nawaz comes on screen only in the second half of BB and took the burden of carrying the film on his gifted shoulders. His chemistry with Salman is something seen very rarely between male leads of a film. Immaculate comic timing, perfect body language and expressive eyes. I am not gonna say more but if someone is selling T-shirts saying "I heart Nawazudding Siddiqui", let me know.

3. Salman Khan will not be able to emote as per the requirements of the role – 50/50. Salman as an actor has limitations, we all know that. Have those precincts ever made any difference? No. Salman is not a method actor. He will never be Naseer or Aamir. I watch Salman Khan films to see whether he is better than his other films or not. In BB, the actor has put in a genuine effort to emote and get into the skin of the role. This is one of the best performances of bhai's career, if not the best. His demeanor as a simple villager is to the point, his performance towards the latter half of the film is strong. He has a very powerful scene in the first half at a brothel, where he struggled to convince on the emotions, but still did better than his other films. BB has no over the top action, or dances, or shirtless sequences or romantic songs. It is heavily dependent on the lead actor. Funnily, despite all the limitations Salman Khan has, I was unable to picture any other actor playing Bajrangi. BB did not need an actor. BB needed Salman Khan the star to deliver and he has delivered.

The good thing is that Salman is not the only super star in the film. The other one is Harshaali Malhotra, the child actor playing Shahida. Super cute, super charming and super convincing. It was a challenging role with no dialogs and the kid really showed her competence despite presence of some big names in the film. Darsheel Safari level stuff.

Kabir Khan is just a glorified, slightly more intelligent Farah Khan – Proved Wrong. This is where I was completely wrong. The problem I have had with other KK films is that they were on a pretense of being intelligent and logical social dramas, which in reality they were not be it New York or Ek Tha Tiger. They were more intelligent than Farah Khan, Prabhudeva and Rohit Shetty films, hence made the masses (read Salman Khan fans) feel that they are watching intellectual cinema. This strategy resulted in big commercial success for KK. That still does not mean that those films were good films.

BB is different. KK has been vigilant about sense and aesthetics more than just looking into a mass appeal. This could be a new beginning for a successful director to becoming a good director. He has been helped a great deal by Vijayendra Prasad's story and a capable production design team of Rajnish Hedao. Vijayendra' a household name in South market, has brought an original story with a lot of room to attract cine- goers. Rajnish's team, well known for PK, Rockstar and Three Idiots, already has vast experience of multi- location shoots. BB spreads across various cities and weathers and production design and art direction is always tough for such films. Credit to KK for utilizing the resources at hand in the best possible way.

Lastly, he has done remarkably well in treatment of the screenplay. He knew when to take creative liberty in best interest of the film (Armies of both countries being lenient on borders etc.) and knew when to make things look realistic (tunnels at the border, Samjhota express, Shahid Afridi etc.). He could have done better with the duration of the climax though by eliminating some unnecessary emotional manipulations.

BB is not an Anti-Pakistan film. The filmmakers have tried being reasonable as much as they could without ruining the story requirements. They have shown good and bad on both the sides. The film also touched upon religious divide and there it has shown Muslims as the more accommodating of the two religions. What it does communicate strongly is the secular message of modern India.

It's a possibility that it will be a lesser commercial success than Kick or Ek Tha Tiger. BB is not a typical Salman Khan film. BB is not a typical Kabir Khan film. BB is a good film.

Phrases like 'it's a masala film', 'total time pass' and 'mass entertainer' have been used by filmmakers to cover up for bad scripts and below par performances. The same excuse with which films like Bodyguard, Ra.One and Rowdy Rathore are being made. ETT promised to go a notch or two above these films with its pre-release build-up because even though Kabir Khan's previous ventures (New York and Kabul Express) were not pieces of cinematic brilliance but were not absolute brain farts either.

Ek Tha Tiger (ETT) was the most anticipated film of 2012. Released on a mammoth screen count (3,350), ETT was touted to become the first ever film to cross 40 million USD from theatrical revenues and break all the records. Breaking the records it did anyway by fetching 7 million USD on the first day and on the long weekend is expected to cross 20 million USD in the first week in India alone. Besides the economies of the film, I have to admit, I really liked the first promo of the movie. It did give a feeling that it will be a film with high entertainment value like Dhoom 2 or Dabangg. Also, the premise of the hunter becoming the hunted has always been one of my favorite subjects.

ETT is a love story folded in the milieu of espionage and cross border relations. Hardcore fast paced action, grandeur of songs, dancing and locations and a hot on-screen and real life couple set to make an intriguing buildup but the predictability of the story and formulaic screenplay ends up giving up several face-palm moments. The screenplay is so formulaic that you even know the dialogues of the next scene let alone the scene. Here is the formula: Intro action scene of the spy, return to office for a new assignment, find the girl in the new assignment, fall in love and begin the chase, defeat the villains, happy ending. The film does entertain though. Action is good. Acting has its moments. Songs are worth watching. Aseem Mishra is a star with his cinematography. In fact, camera-work is the best thing about the film. Don't miss the first action scene, or any action scene for that matter.

Aditya Chopra has not wasted much time and effort in writing the script. Combining a James Bond film with Mr. and Mrs. Smith does not take long and then you only have to add India-Pakistan rivalry flavor into it. Forget the basic facts like there are no daily flights between Havana and Karachi or that 'secret agencies' are actually secret too. Not to forget that the film touches all the possible stereotypes about Pakistanis and spies like a Pakistani ISI senior officer calling his agent "Bibi" and giving her taunts on her "Izzat and Aabroo" while confronting her or that all the Pakistani agents have a beard. Never mind the fact that an Indian agent creates havoc in Dublin, damages a train and goes unnoticed or that Chopra has used "shooting star and praying" scene in a 2012 film which was done and dusted in the 90s. The weak script sand lose screenplay are the culprits of ETT.

Katrina Kaif has really improved. Here, I said it. I couldn't find a problem with her dialogue delivery this time. Hopefully, she will finally live up to the revenues her films reek up on the box office. Her chemistry with Salman is fantastic. The couple literally sizzles the screen with their demonstrative glances, one liners and extremely likable warmth. This will be one of the biggest factors in making the film a huge success. Salman is being Salman. He knows his star power and he knows what the audience wants. He knows what can make the crowd whistle and dance and that's exactly what he will make them do with his performance. An aging but active spy with a touch of his old schoolboy charm. Ranvir Shorey also delivers a strong performance. His role had a lot more meat than shown and could have made the script stronger.

Kabir Khan is a successful director and there is a reason for that. His films look intelligent to the masses. A regular film goer does not need to solve intricate riddles to understand the twists in his plots and still feels that he has achieved something by understanding the plot. His films pretend to have a great message and bigger aura than they are but they click with masses exactly because of that. Despite weak executions of New York and now ETT, Kabir Khan knows how to taste success with masses while critics can debate whether he is a good director or not.

In a nutshell, ETT does go above Ready and Bodyguard but only by a narrow margin. Too bad for me, I watched it after watching Gangs of Wasseypur after which only really good films will look good. ETT does not break the myth that the audiences don't need a good film but only need the stars in them. Even in entertainment, it's not better than Dabangg but who cares when Salman Khan has taken off his shirt in the film?

Post 'Dil Chahta Hai', Indian cinema developed a young urban audience which was receptive to hip films. Trendy music, trendy fashion, trendy plots and trendy urban setting. Hum Tum, Salaam Namaste, Wake Up Sid, Rockstar etc. were targeted towards the same segment and were accepted by the audience as well. These movies made Saif and Ranbir stars of the multiplex audience while Khans, Ajay Devgan and Akshay Kumar remained the superstars of masses.

Cocktail is another film for the same audience, with the same cast and believe it or not, actually almost the same story line as previous films. Does this Cocktail have all the right ingredients to quench the thirst of the modern cine-goer? The answer is No. And it's a big flat NO.

With some inspirations from 'Vicky Christina Barcelona', Cocktail is a love triangle on the lines of 'friends with benefits'. Guy chooses one girl over the other, jealousy sets in and in the end one of the two girls offers a sacrifice. Co-written by the seasoned Imtiaz Ali and debutant Sajid Ali, Cocktail's weak script is its biggest weakness. I would put more blame on Imtiaz for not doing justice to his own original thinking by literally borrowing scenes, treatment notes and dialogues from Love Aaj Kal. Never mind the climax or even the name of the heroine i.e. Meera. Imtiaz's first four writing ventures were as authentic as film writing can get. He did take a few creative liberties in Rockstar but in Cocktail he goes the route writers like Robin Bhatt or Shiraz Ahmad (Knock Out, Prince, Jaanasheen) would take. Convenience of co-incidental meetings of Indian strangers in London, supportive Indian snobbish girl offering her apartment to a total stranger, nobody having a British accent despite being brought up in London, Deepika's multiple mental transitions and mysterious new injuries Randeep Hooda carried in every scene and much more.

The director Homi Adajania in his second ventures misses more targets than he hits. In some sequences he is brilliant but those sequences are rare and are mostly performance driven by actors. In others, he struggles to communicate his point with authenticity. The film has a poor first half hour with over the top and deliberate cheesiness of Saif's character and senseless turns of events that you would expect from a Salman Khan's no-brainer. The middle part of the film is good, has strong comic segments and the story develops fast but as the climax approaches, things become way too predictable and mundane. The kind in which you start looking for loo breaks or tweeting.

The one thing which does not disappoint much in the film is the acting bit. In fact, performances are the savior of this otherwise sinking ship. Surprisingly, these are not lead by the main characters but Dimple Kapadia and Boman Irani's supporting roles. Dimple has delivered an ace while Boman is not far behind either.

Saif, besides the first half hour, does well too even though he was a bit over-dramatic for my liking. Excellent comic timing nonetheless and effortless dialogue delivery. Whether you want to see Saif Ali Khan as a 32 year old bachelor or not is a different story. Deepika Padukone has never been a great performer but a bearable one and the status remains intact. Her outrageousness as a party girl was convincing but her emotional banters was weak. Diana Penty gets a good debut. She looked comfortable in underplaying her part with a charming screen presence. She needs to work more on her dialogue delivery and dancing but she is definitely far ahead of the disastrous Nargis Fakhri. As a debut, its somewhere between Nargis Fakhri and Parineeti Chopra. Randeep Hooda has been wasted.

Anila Mehta deserves credit for his camera work and breathtaking visuals of South Africa. Bosco's choreography is also good to watch. Do wait for the end credits after the film is over as they show some hilarious bloopers and 'Second Hand Jawani', very well shot on steadicam.

I don't want to call it a 'BAD' film because that word I have used for films like 'Tees Maar Khan' and 'Blue'. Also, the thought of calling a film written by Imtiaz Ali 'Bad' is a bit disappointing. Let's say, it's not a great film. It has its moments but the moments are very occasional. You should watch it in the theater only if you are a die-hard Saif, Deepika and Bikini scenes fan. If not, wait for the TV airing.

I have a serious reservation against the terms 'parallel cinema' or 'art movies'. These terms are used to confine some dazzling cinematic experiences to selected audience. Why do people go to watch movies? For romance? For great music? For action? For sex? For humor? Would you go to watch a movie that has all the four things in it? Probably not. You will call it an 'art movie' because it does not have a Khan or a Kapoor or a Kumar in it. Instead it has Manoj Bajpai in his finest performance ever. Yes, even better than Satya and that's a lofty claim.

'Gangs of Wasseypur' (GoWp) is a shut-up call to the word 'parallel cinema'. This is a pure commercial film with everything a marketable film has. Its romance does not have huge silk curtains flying in the background coupled with violins. Its romance means the girl asking the guy to seek permission before holding her hand while sitting in front of a dirty lake. No, its action does not have shots of the hero jumping from Burj Khalifa or fancy car chases. It has gory action where fingers are chopped off and swords and daggers define weaponry. It's sexy but not in a bikini and beach way but for the rawness of a man's lust and woman's quest for security in his lust.

Its music is fabulously done by the unique Sneha Khanwalkar (Love, Sex Aur Dhoka & Oye Lucky Lucky Oye) but it does not have lip synching choreographed with hundreds of kids dancing along with the lead couple. Instead it has songs like "Keh Ke Loon Ga" (I'll tell you first and then screw you) playing in the background when the protagonist, if he can be called that, goes after the antagonist.

In fact, background music is the strength of GoWP jointly shared by Sneha and the brilliant Piyush Mishra. Both for performance and music, Mishra has started just where he left from in Gulal. How fitting is a song like 'Ik Bagal Mein' that expresses the feeling of one happiness coming with one sorrow in the background of scenes like a man uncertain of celebrating the birth of his son when his wife dies during childbirth.

GoWP is not epitome of story writing. The basic premise of 'if a Hindu wants to rule, he gets two Muslims to fight with each other' is subtle yet bold enough to raise eye brows. The story is a simple 'Karma is a bitch' saga where a son challenges the political powerhouse to avenge his father's killing. It sounds like a run of the mill 80s revenge story or even The Godfather. Rest assured, that its not. It also kills the rumors that it's an inspiration from the Brazilian film "City of God" because its not that either. The only similarity between GoWP and City of God is the power struggle between two gangs. The milieu and the events are totally different from each other.

It's the treatment and pragmatism that makes this film special. There can be a lot of criticism on making it an expletives ridden violent heavy 160 minutes, but the fact remains that expletives are as much a part of our lives as breathing is. You cannot expect goons of Bihar to talk to each other like cultured Lucknow literary geniuses.

GoWP has perfect casting. Every single character has come out with individual brilliance no matter how trivial his or her role is. It's impossible to pick out someone who did not do well. The only differentiating factor between the actors is the length of their screen presence be it Jaideep Ahlawat as Shahid Khan or Jameel Khan as Asgar Khan or Reema Sen as Durga. Richa Chadda as Manoj Bajpai's wife is a surprise show stealer. Another surprise package is Pankaj Tripathy who gets the biggest role of his career and grabs it with both hands. The talented story teller Tigmanshu Dhulia (Haasil, Shagird and Sahed Biwi Aur Gangster) puts down his pen and comes in front of the camera for one of the strongest performances in the film. His anger management and cunningness is remarkable. Piyush Mishra, the name is enough. Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Huma Qureshi are perfect in their roles and will get more exposure when the sequel revolves around them.

The film, however, belongs to Manjo Bajpani. From Bhikku Mahatre to Sardar Khan, take a bow. He is hungry, he is horny and he is humorous. He is everything you don't want your enemy to be but he is scared of his wife and admits that in front of his son. He doesn't remember his father but he remembers the revenge. He is a mercenary with an objective of his own. Jiya ho bihar ke lala.

This is Anurag Kashyap's finest work to date. He has overcome the criticism of using intricate metaphors (Gulaal) and unfathomable links (No Smoking) or making films ahead of their time (Dev D). He has kept the narration simple to make sure no one leaves the theater in confusion. The killing scene of Shahid Khan reminds you of Bhikku Mahatre's death in Satya. A powerful man can go down in a jiffy. It was Kashyap's dream project and his passion shows in the entire film.

It's important for the economics to work in favor of films like GoWP which was not a case for 'Gulal' and 'That girl In Yellow Boots'. With satellite rights apparently fetching half of the film's cost and a decent theatrical start in India, looks like Kashyap has finally covered that bit which will also help the sequel of this film.

GoWP is a proper adult audience movie. There are people who will not like it. Those are the people who will not go to watch it. Whoever does, will have a hell of a ride and will go for the sequel as well.

Romantic comedies or Rom-coms are not a new genre. Love stories have been told in the past too and will be told in the future. Every rom-com has a bit of predictability in it but still every now and then, a 'Jab We Met' comes. A film which has that special visual treatment, powerful performances, gratifying moments and a good feel to them. London Paris New York (LPNY) is one of those special films.

Set in three lovely cities of the world and spread over more than half a decade, LPNY is a story of Nikhil (Ali Zafar) a happy-go-lucky charming boy and Lalitha (Aditi Rao Hyderi) a simple, nerdy Madrasi girl falling in love with each other thrice in six years.

And that's it.

That's all LPNY is. No impediments, no pretentiousness, no preaching, no 'zaalim samaaj' and even no supporting cast. The only third person with a line to say is Dilip Tahil who appears in the last ten minutes of the film.

The first few looks of the film give an impression that it has shades of 'When Harry Met Sally' which has already been done in Bollywood (Hum Tum), however, LPNY is a different story with a different treatment. In fact, it's closer to '500 Days of Summer' and also has a peculiar similarity with 'Rodger Dodger' because of its heavy dependence on dialogue between only two main characters. Nonetheless, LPNY is a lot simpler than any of these movies. Instead of relying on twists and complications of the plot, it thrives on performances and the affability of the lead characters.

It's a short film of less than two hours, one of the strongest points of the film because of which it does not drag at any point and is fairly gripping for a simple story. The first story of London is a bit tacky and one takes some time to get comfy with the characters specially the extrovert Nikhil. As the story moves forward, the entertainment and audience engagement bars go up. Paris story is better than London and then New York wins from Paris hands down. The climax is beautiful. Watch out for the penultimate sequence at Hudson River; best scene of the movie. The film could have finished at that point and it would have ended at a high second to no other love story of recent times. No complains though.

Ali Zafar is dynamite. 5,000 tons of talent. Besides being the lead actor in the film, he is the music director, singer and lyricist as well. While he has done well on all the fronts; acting still takes the cake. In Tere Bin Laden, you were convinced on his comic timing but needed convincing on his ability to handle emotional scenes as TBL had none. LPNY has shown the audience his flexibility, range and ability to carry the film on his shoulders. He shows his emotional side and what a show this has been. His comic timing in London segment, impatience in Paris and outburst at the climax in New York… fantastic performance. Amazing screen presence and charm.

Aditi Rao Hyderi is not far behind either. Her portrayal of Lalitha and transformation the character goes through are extremely natural hence authentic. Her adorably shy demeanor in the first story, sultry looks and heartbreak in the second and mature conduct in the third are absolutely brilliant. Her best performance after smaller roles in 'Yeh Saali Zindagi' and 'Rockstar'. She looks gorgeous in rain sequence in London and steals the hotel room scene in Paris which of course is a defining moment in the story too.

The third star of the film is Anu Menon. Anu too has worn multiple hats for the film. She has written the script, directed it and has also written the dialogues. Had I not known, I would have thought LPNY is an Imtiaz Ali film and that's a huge compliment for Anu. Her aesthetic senses deserve applause for the way he has handled intimate scenes between the lead pair. The story has been kept simple, narration even simpler while dialogues put soul in the film. They do get cheesy at times but that is the requirement for Nikhil's character build-up. Anu hasn't gone over the top and has kept the film as close to reality as possible. If there is a term 'Unrealistically Realistic', it fits LPNY. I can swear several guys have gone through what Nikhil goes through on the bench in London. Yes, it's that real. She also deserves credit for keeping the film short, not going beyond two hours by dragging the film needlessly. The credit for this should also go to the debutant editor Sally Salgoanker.

LPNY is exactly the way love stories should be made. Trendy, Urban and fairly realistic. It takes great courage to make an entire film for only two characters, played by new comers and that too a talkie one. Even if it does not win bumper opening at the box office, it will increase the audience size for Ali, Aditi and Anu significantly. A beautifully made artsy commercial film which deserves a successful run.

Some people watch a movie for its elegance, good acting and high production values. Others watch movies for their sleaziness, skin display and controversy. How often do you get both the sides leaving the theater satisfied thinking that they got a great value for money? Milan Luthria presents The Dirty Picture. In the words of Silk Smitha, a film works for three reasons; Entertainment, Entertainment, Entertainment… And The Dirty Picture is entertainment. However, it's a movie for Adult audience who can take the kind of humor and exposure it has to offer.

The Dirty Picture (DP) is story of a South Indian actress Reshma, popularly known as Silk. Rajat Arora's script keeps flirting with glamor of showbiz and the bitter realities faced by a girl running away from her house to become an actress. To the extent where she eats only a spoonful of sugar once a day as her meal. It exposes how despite criticizing the amount of exposing on cinema; the masses actually enjoy the skin show and that sex sells. The story is a rather predictable tale of rise and fall of a female actor and whatever happens in between, however, it's the treatment and performances that make DP a thoroughly enjoyable watch for lovers of almost all genres.

There are two more things that make DP stand ahead of other recent films. First is the outstanding background score. From the evergreen Naka Mukka to the entertaining 'Ooh Lala' use in the background along with the SFX, background music is simply superb. Secondly, the fiery dialogs are probably the best thing in the entire film. One jewel after another. So much so that you cannot even keep count on them.

Bobby Singh's cinematography is first rate. His best work to date even though he was an unexpected choice. When you have to show sleaze and skin, it's a tough job to still stay classy and Bobby Singh does exactly that. Especially the way Vidya's being overweight has been shown is remarkable.

DP is loaded with powerful performances. It's not very easy to find Emran Hashmi in a bearable role. I don't know why a talented actor like his keeps wasting himself in his serial kisser movies. It was once again Milan Luthria after Once Upon A Time in Mumbai (OUATIM) who took out the best in him. Tushaar too is bearable. Can you believe that? Every single supporting character has done a fabulous job. Rajesh Sharma in another major role after No One Killed Jessica (NOKJ). Navin Gothi, the actor playing Vidya's lucky charm and the director who first kick Vidya out of his set are especially very good. Arya Banerjee makes her presence felt as a new-comer Shakila. Vikas Shrivastav as casting director who sends Vidya out with a 5 rupees bill and Sarang Sathaye as choreographer George who gives Vidya her first song are noticeable in their cameos.

And then comes Naseer Uddin Shah. Who else could have done a better job than NS as the aging malicious actor? He gets into the skin of the character of Surya and does a splendid job of it. Despicable and convincing.

And last but not the least is Vidya Balan. What a powerhouse of an actress. She started the year with NOKJ and has ended it with The Dirty Picture. Totally contrasting roles. In one she was a nerdy homegrown nonentity and in the other she is the sex symbol of the industry calling herself Entertainment and boy, how she excels in both the roles. Watch out for her award ceremony speech, her early scenes with Naseer and the climax. Easily the best female lead performance in 2011. Filmfare worthy material.

The real hero of DP is Milan Luthria. How far has he come from Kachhe Dhaage days? If he was very good in OUATIM, he is even better in DP. Complete grip on the screenplay, taking out the best from the actors no matter how small their roles is, creating an 80s atmosphere still looking totally different from Om Shanti Om and Action Replay, this is a director how is in command. This makes the sequel of OUATIM the most anticipated movie of 2012 as far as I am concerned.

The Dirty Picture hardly has a dull moment. It does get a bit slow when it goes to the soft side of Vidya and Emran, however, that too remains an integral part of the storyline. Do keep in mind the 18+ rating of the film before going to the theaters and keep the expectations on those lines. If you do, you are up for a treat.

Welcome to the Imtiaz Ali brand of Hindi cinema; recall Jab We Met and Love Aajkal… Entertainment, high on aesthetics and drama full of emotions and love. Enter Ranbir Kapoor, the most gifted young star with solo hits and excellent track record; recall Raajneeti, Wake up Sid and Rocket Singh. Add to it Nargis Fakhri, an attractive and fresh foreign face and recall the success of Katrina Kaif and Giselle Montiero. Add to this the last appearance of Shammi Kapoor and fantastic music of A.R.Rehman… you book the tickets in advance, buy pop corn and enter the theater with very high expectations.

Rockstar is the story of Jordan or JJ, a small time singer wanting to make it big on rock music scene and his love story with Heer, the classy girl from his college. It's a tenderly told anecdote of complexities of human nature and its frailties when it comes to choosing between wrong and right or love and celebrity. Interestingly, at no point, unlike other love stories, Imtiaz wants the audience to portray high moral values of the lead pair. In fact, they have imperfect personalities resulting into a flawed relationship with no possible explanation and that's what makes the whole deal realistic. It is packed with some power house performances by the lead characters and some beautifully crafted scenes like the one where Jordan leaves his contracts and is found sitting among prostitutes in a red light area singing to them and says that's what he always wanted. One of the strongest points of the film is the fact that music has been artistically entrenched in the story and last but not the least, humor is genuine and amusing.

But the question still remains; does it deliver as per expectations? the answer is no. Mainly, because it's fiction and fiction demands more logic than reality, biographies or documentaries. The treatment, despite being poetic and beautiful, keeps the focus on one person's personality, making it look like a true story of a real life character which its not. At several points Imtiaz Ali deviates from logic taking creative license granting which varies from genre to genre. Ra.One loving audience would give more margins than Love Aaj Kal loving audience. Imtiaz develops the character of JJ with utmost detail and sincerity but falters a couple of times in framing his career path and his rise. While first 45 minutes of the film are fast and eventful, it starts becoming slower as it progresses and second half hardly moves the story. Also, the pair's reunion scenes leave much to be desired.

Imtiaz Ali's experiment with Nargis Fakhri also falls flat. Nargis has serious dialogue delivery issues and goes over the top on quite a few occasions which are not Imtiaz Ali film traits. Her age also shows when she is playing a college student etc. Female lead of the film being bad can be perilous, however, the rise of the inexplicably charming Aditi Rao Hyadri in supporting cast saves the female side of the show. She is natural, beautiful and has excellent screen presence. All the more reason to look for her pairing with Ali Zafar in London, Paris, New York as her next. Piyush Mishra does an incredible job as you would expect from a man of his talent. Other supporting cast is also very good, especially Kumud Mishra as JJ's agent. Shammi Kapoor is in a brief role but is unforgettable. Graceful, respectable and heart warming. Very convincing indeed.

The film totally belongs to Ranbir. What an absolutely wonderful performance. Just a couple of years in the industry and he is already in a league of his own, much ahead of Imran or others. I hate to admit that he is even better than my personal favorite Shahid Kapoor and his results are also showing the same. It was a complex role but the ease with which Ranbir has carried it can give Aamir Khan run for his money. The image and persona of a rock star fit Ranbir perfectly and he pulled off the attitude and music in style. Champion, I'd say. Impressive.

One more impressive unit member is Anil Mehta behind the lens. Fantastic camera work from the veteran. He has bettered his previous best Lagaan and HDDS by a huge margin. Light treatments in on-stage performance scenes is remarkable. Close-ups are detail oriented.

Imtiaz Ali the writer has written beautiful character sketches but hasn't left much in the story. Several ends remain open when the movie finishes. It appears as if he had a much more vivid picture of the script in his mind than he was able to tell the audience. As a director, he has handled the film with sensitivity and understanding but leaves the screenplay loose. He does get out best performances from his team but probably deliberately, gives a bit of a documentary touch to the film in the middle hour. Duration could also be shortened by 15 minutes or so. Alternatively, that time could have been used to give a view of Nargis's background or history which was virtually absent in the first half. There are weaknesses in how he handles the medical issues lead characters face.

Despite the points mentioned above, it still is a beautiful film and worth a watch. In most likelihood, it's the kind of film that will grow on the audience in multiple watches and has in it to become a long run cult classic. On a stand alone basis, its much better than several films produced this year, however, if you ask the questions like is it as good as Love AajKal or Jab We Met, definitely not as those were very universal movies and this will suit select audience. From Imtiaz's perspective, its more like his directorial debut film Socha Na Tha which despite being a beautiful film, lacked the excitement. Imtiaz's next should be a step further not backward.

I have mentioned it before that I have a positive bias towards every Shahid Kapoor film because of the honest effort he makes to make his films work. And what is it that Mausam did not offer? Shahid's new look, promising storyline, fresh pairing of Shahid-Sonam and Pankaj Kapur's directorial debut. Based on these factors, the hype and anticipation for Mausam were genuine.

To start with, the basic premise of the movie is phenomenal. A poignant so-near-yet-so-far kind of love story in the setting of historical events that defined lives of Muslims and Sikhs living in India and their effects of the protagonists. A gutsy and original concept. However, films are not made on concepts, they need stories and screenplays and unless they are Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar no-brainers, they need connections between events and sequences. That's where the shortcomings of Mausam start becoming obvious. It's a kind of film about which you want to say positive things, however, there is a BUT attached to every good thing about the movie.

The first thing you notice in the first hour is the appreciable detail to wardrobe and excellent art direction. The very real locations of Punjab add a touch of authenticity to the scenes. But Mausam is a long film and has a painfully slow pace. Sequences are long even though shot artistically. Sardar Ji scenes are funny but mostly the humor is too decent (read a bit childish). Shahid's Punjabi isn't all that great but his friends are genuine. It's the transition from first season to the second where the problems begin and creative liberty overpowers logic. From then onwards, the film continuously goes up and down on likability factor, less up and more down.

Start of the second half is pacier than the first but it slows down again. And then comes the climax. When the climax begins, it starts to appear as if Pankaj Kapur will redeem himself for everything mistake he had made in the film, but, as usual, he goes so over-the-top in depicting heroism that he makes things a bit comical. It was sad to see the audience making fun of the film and laughing on serious scenes because the hard work put behind the film has gone wasted.

I believe that film-making is pretty much like flying where more than the flight, landing and take-off are important. Pankaj Kapur, the filmmaker, knows how to fly but messes up in take-off and landing. Pankaj Kapur has a long way to go as a story-teller. Shorter as a director but longer as a writer. There comes a time when the logic of using internet or mobile phones as contact devices loses out to dependence on coincidences. The audience loses count of seasons and years and so does the director when he mixes-up dates and also makes errors like Shahid mentioning his mother was killed in Sikh Riots of 84 when he was 1 year old whereas in 91, he was 20. Oh and by the way, the Britishers used for Shahid's sister's wedding were as British as our friends in Bangladesh.

Performances wise, it's out and out a Shahid Kapoor film. This is his best performance of his career surpassing even my personal favorites Kaminey and Jab We Met. Great energy as a young happy-go-lucky Punjabi boy, fantastic authenticity in demeanor as an Air Force officer and maturity of an ageing man. He also carried well the part where his misfortune results in physical disability. Pre-climax scene, Switzerland train scene and train scene with Rajjo are classics. Excellent performance, which probably will go unnoticed.

First decent performance by Sonam in her career but she still was not the best choice for this role. It was a pretty demanding character which needed a much established actor rather than a pretty face. The most interesting character of the film was Rajjo, played very well by the Telugu actress Aditi Sharma. She carried off the helpless negativity in her role very well. Supriya Pathak was also very good. Anupam Kher was totally wasted. Looks more like an editing cut of the character. Shahid's brother-in-law is the weakest link in the entire cast.

Overall, Mausam is a film that misses more targets than it hits which is very unfortunate because with its artistry, it had the potential of becoming a piece of classic cinema. If you are a die-hard Shahid Kapoor fan, you should still try it. If not, wait for Ra.One.

Decades ago, there was a time when good movies and successful movies meant the same thing. Content was the king and filmmakers made good movies in order to be successful. But then things changed. Commercial success and good quality cinema became distant from each other. Chak De India and Company became less and Ready, Om Shanti Om and Tees Maar Khan started defining success.

This overdose of commercialism also results in films like Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (MBKD) where the corporates decide on the cast first and script comes later. Is script important to filmmakers or to the masses? Probably not. The success of Ready and Bodyguard assure that it's not. Then why fuss about the story of MBKD? Masses in the 100% occupied theater in the late night show were giggling and laughing. The guy sitting next was literally rolling on the floor. It doesn't matter if 10% of the people sitting in that theater did not like the script because they will not decide the success or failure of the film.

MBKD is a love triangle, pretty much a love rectangle, of Imran Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ali Zafar and Tara D'Souza. Ali, who breaks up his five year long relationship with Tara, assigns his younger brother Imran the task of finding him a bride in India. Imran finds Katrina and falls in love with her much to his own dislike and the trouble begins. Along come extremely unnatural dialog delivery, roughly cut sequences and superfluous song placements. As promising as the premise of the script sounds, it's the extremely unpersuasive first hour that makes the film a drag. Every actor is trying to defeat the other in overacting. On the plus side, the film has pretty good choreography especially in the title song where Chaiyan Chaiyan has been replicated in a very creative way and Madhubala which gives a new life to Jai Jai Shiv Shankar. Bosco-Ceaser, good show, boys.

The second half gets much better after a relatively mundane start and does get funny in a few segments. A big reason for this turnaround is Ali Zafar who has much more screen presence in the second half than the first.

Speaking of Ali's performance, it does have its shortcomings; however, it still remains the best act in the film especially in the second half. His comic timing is much better than Imran's although not as good as it was in Tere Bin Laden (TBL). He was pretty good in his scenes with Tara D'Souza in the second half. He has a pretty special talent in voice variations which excelled in this performance and saved grace in the second half. Most of his shortcomings could be attributed to the director's weak treatment. From Ali's perspective, it was a good movie to sign. With TBL he grabbed the attention of filmmakers and he needed this to grab the audience too and it makes sense for his future in the industry. He needs to improve his dancing skills though.

Imran disappoints. After an entertaining Delhi Belly, this looks like a hasty effort from the actor. Utterly artificial scenes with his childhood friends and no chemistry whatsoever with Katrina. Romantic scenes between the two looked amateurish to say the least. It was another one of those Break Ke Baad and I Hate Luv Storys types of performances by Imran. Katrina Kaif surprised on a few occasions. In fact, in the first half, she was probably the best of the lot mainly because others were pretty bad. Poor bike scenes and poor rock concert song where she could not control her overacting but decent otherwise. Her role was very badly conceived. A 27 year old acting like a 13 year old is never funny.

Tara D'Souza did well in her brief role; however, she was again portraying a confusingly written character. Other supporting cast was a drag except for Zeeshan Ayub who played Shobit.

A huge frustration was the cinematographer Sudeep Chatterjee. I'm still struggling to understand what he was trying to do. One of the worst displays of camera works I have witnessed in recent past. 60% of the film was in extreme close-ups with only the actors' faces visible on the huge screen. Camera looked as if it was going to go inside their noses. Sudeep has an impressive career record with Chak De India, Kaminey, Guzarish and a fairly impressive Road. I believe he was probably working on a brief from the director for that completely not-so-innovative camera work.

Which brings us to probably the biggest culprit of the film, the second Ali associated with it i.e. Ali Abbas Zafar. He wrote and directed the film and more often than not failed on both. A very weak script which depended a lot on acting and dialogues, hence, succeeded at some places and failed at others. The story was half cooked and a mixture of several films previously seen like Tanu Weds Manu, Jab We Met etc. Direction was flawed, full of unnecessary sequences, unplanned songs and even continuity errors like shoes changing from within scene.

Overall, MBKD could have been and should have been a much better film if, and a huge if, it had a better script, better direction, better acting and more prominent role for Ali Zafar. It still might be a successful outing on the box office, because as I said earlier, commercial success has new definitions in this day and age, however, it's pretty far away from being a good film.

There is a fine line between good films and great films. Several times we have seen really good films falling short of being great films because the director and writer underestimate the intelligence of their audience and become too explanatory and narrative. As result of which, the story drags and audience lose interest. I might sound a bit harsh to the overall outcome of the effort of Zoya Akhtar but I believe this is exactly what happened with the highly anticipated Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD). It has all the ingredients of becoming an all-time great film and it ends up being just another good film.

It's inevitable to draw parallels with the great Dil Chahta Hai but it's unfair to do so. The only common thing is the lead trio and their bonding with each other but that's about it. I would personally consider it more on the lines of The Bucket List where the main characters break the shackles of their inner confines by doing things they have never done before but even The Bucket List has a different message altogether and is difficult to match.

Besides being an excellent advertisement for tourism of Spain, ZNMD is a story of three lifelong friends going on a one-in-a-lifetime trip for the bachelor party, end up doing things which would make them look at their lives in a different way and inspire them to change the course of their lives by taking things in their own hands. Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar have a brilliant story. The first half is excellent but they fail to keep the screenplay tight enough in the second half. It becomes so lose at times that you start wondering how long it will take to finish a particular narrative.

While educated humor, good acting, witty dialogue, amazing locations and cinematography work in favor of the film, there is always over-explanation for character building and communication of emotions that spoils the party. Hrithik is over ambitious, yes and it was understood from his intro scenes. There was no need of establishing this fact with seven sequences. It's a long film, almost three hours out of which sharp editing could have reduced the duration by twenty minutes. The song where Hrithik gives orgasmic expressions after being kissed (which obviously was not his first) is never ending. The skydive scene could have been shorter. Ditto for the bull race. Zoya the director was too lenient with the screenplay and editing.

Farhan Akhtar has the biggest role in his acting career and he has managed it well. Excellent comic timing and fluency. Better than both his previous ventures. He also got a chance to recite some brilliant poems of his father but wasn't all that eloquent with that. Abhay Deol is the best among the three. It's almost his first big release and he has pulled it off in style. His pairing with Kalki also comes out nice after Dev D. Naseer was awesome in his cameo. A lesson for Hrithik. Naseer's role was also complicated and he only had ten minutes to convince everyone and he did what Hrithik could not in hours.

On a personal level, I was slightly disappointed by Hrithik. The brilliant actor that he is, I would expect a lot more from him. Agreed, his character was a difficult one and he tried hard but he wasn't very convincing in the first half. I would also blame Zoya for that as I think she made a judgment error of giving total freehand to Hrithik and not challenging him enough. Katrina Kaif wastes some of the most inspiring lines of the film. Horrible dialogue delivery. She has been in the industry long enough to understand correct pronunciation of Hindi and the alibi of not knowing Hindi will not be valid anymore. Bad, bad, bad performance. The Hrithik Katrina pairing is also not the most comfortable one either. They don't look natural.

Even though I have been quite negative in reviewing the film but this is mainly driven from the expectations this film carried. A film like this with less talented people would be awesome but when talent like Hrithik, Farhan, Abhay and Zoya are involved, one would expect another Dil Chahta Hai. Would ZNMD be an earner, probably yes… Would it be an all-time classic, No.

Humor is relative. What's humorous to me might not be funny to you and while you laugh on something, I might not laugh on it. Humor is also circumstantial and gets rusty out of the context. However, there is some humor which is universal and is acceptable to everyone. If we apply the same theory on modern Hindi films, Andaz Apna Apna and Munna Bhai series might be the only films to go in universally accepted humor category. Some other humor examples that worked on the box office but were not universally accepted are Singh is King, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, Phir Hera Pheri, Ready, Dhamaal and Golmaal etc. Then there is another kind of humor which does not go well with the masses but has its own cult following like that of Wesa Bhi Hota Hai Part II, Mithya, Bheja Fry etc. Delhi Belly (DB) is somewhere in between the universally accepted form of humor and the subtle cult following kind of humor. Through DB and other such efforts, Hindi cinema is coming out of romantic comedies and running around the trees.

To start with, the film is hilarious. It leaves you with one laugh riot after another and does not give you a chance to fully recover from the previous one before sending you through another piece of joviality. It's mostly tongue in cheek humor but at times goes very physical as well. What works in favor of the film is its dialogues and wonderful acting even though the story does not have ground breaking stuff to offer. DB could very easily go as the best casting of the year 2011, especially with the kind of role given to Vijay Raaz. Another thing that goes in favor of DB is its short duration and fast pace.

Abhinay Deo, in his second directorial outing after a mildly interesting and mildly painful Game, has made sure that he doesn't go wrong anywhere even if he does not create a masterpiece. He has focused on technical side more to make sure that the editing is crisp and background score goes in line with the action despite no songs. Also, with an open ended climax, he seems to have left a door open for a sequel. Nonetheless, it's more of an actors' film rather than a director's film and the actors have handled their responsibility with utmost satisfaction of the director. Nobody goes overboard in humor and specially the sidekicks stick to their jobs and cinematography is as per the need. The biggest compliment that I can give DB is that it has made Shehnaz Treasurywala look bearable.

The lead trio, which has a distant similarity to the trio of The Hangover, has carried the film well on its shoulders. Imran Khan has done a very good job. This is his best performance since his debut. He looks in control and has a much improved dialogue delivery and comic timing after two lowly performances in Break Ke Baad and I Hate Luv Storys. Kunal Roy Kapoor is a welcome addition to the comic brigade. Vir Das is fantastic. A highly underrated actor, I must say. If someone needs more exposure for his talent, that's got to be Vir Das. The debutant Poorna Jagganathan surprises. She might not be the best looking new comer, but she surely is a good performer. The film, however, in my opinion, belongs to Vijay Raaz. He is in terrific form and outdoes himself. We all know what a brilliant actor he is but here he takes charge and delivers an outstanding performance as the villain. His scenes with Vladimir in the hotel and with the trio in their apartment are to die for. It's criminal to see so less of Vijay in recent times. Aamir Khan also appears at the end for an item number but that's after the film has left its mark.

There are two reasons why DB might not work with masses even though it has a release of 1400 prints which is huge. The first barrier is the language. 95% of the film is in English. The last film with such high level of English in it was Kites and it was a box office disaster, though from a different genre. The other issue is also the language but here I mean the profanity in it. Yes, it's an adult movie and has an A certificate but the explicitness that DB has, I have never seen in Hindi cinema before. In that department, it can actually put Hollywood to shame. It's that openness though, that makes DB worth watching again.

To conclude, DB is worth a watch. Actually a lot more than worth a watch but you have to have an appetite for a certain kind of humor to watch it repeatedly. Also, be careful who you are accompanying when you go to watch it and what's your level of frankness with the people you are watching it with. Definitely, not a movie to watch with your mother-in-law or your 12 year old niece.

We all have some inner demons which we keep suppressing inside us. Some of us succeed and some of us don't. Shaitan, the movie, is also a tale of some entities fighting their inner demons while they are involved in a web of events that unfold as a result of a self-inflicted horror on their lives. Shaitan is a contemporary cinematic experience that explores the dark sides of humans belonging to different backgrounds.

It's difficult to draw parallels of Shaitan with movies we have seen before. A road accident ala 'I Know What You Did Last Summer', a young girl staging her own kidnapping ala 'Khiladi' and wild youth ala 'Rung De Basanti' maybe, but that's all there is in comparisons. When the debutant director Bijoy Nambiar combines these stories with other intriguing elements of Shaitan, they become a completely innovative experience never told to the Indian audience before. Luckily, Shaitan does not rely solely on these events. It offers much more to the audience in story and not just story, it simply excels in other departments too. It does have some gruesome details of torture and substance abuse, hence, the A certificate, but it's definitely not a Rakht Charitra. At times, it even got the audience into fits of laughter.

Kalki, as Amy, is a mother-less teenaged daughter of a rich engineer, who despises her step mother. She befriends a gang of outrageous youth and together with them gets involved in a crime. Enter Rajiv Khandelwal (Aamir and Sujal Garewal fame) as the belligerent, underpaid, hard-hitting cop who is also going through troubled marriage. It's a gripping story that has been told very well. By far the best work in 2011. Bijoy drives straight from Mani Ratnam way of film making. Authentic and intense.

Shaitan features the group of youngsters as the main cast; however, it never expects the audience to sympathize with them. The treatment and screenplay is spellbinding right from the introduction of the cast. The film is very strong on technical grounds. Madhi has done a phenomenal job with the camera. Watch out for the scenes in the church, views from inside a beer bottle from the center of a cricket bat etc. Sound design and Kunal Shamra's background scores are simply brilliant. 'O Yaara' is a beautiful song. 'Hawa Hawaii' of Mister India has been featured in a unique way but good old 'Khoya Khoya Chand' on a gun fight sequence is just mind blowing. That gun fight sequence itself is the best part of the entire film and something that has never shown in Hindi cinema before.

On performances, Shaitan a power house. Kalki steals the show with her genuine portrayal of a disturbed child. She is unbelievably good in drugs scenes and in her portrayals of insensitivity. Rajiv is not far behind either, although, his role is lesser than Kalki's. Kashyap and Binoy have gathered a wonderful ensemble cast for this project. Pawan Malhotra, Shiv Pandit, Gulshan Devaiya and Neil Bhoopalam etc. have done their respective jobs with sincerity. Nitin of MTV is a pleasant surprise. The actress playing a cameo as the divorce lawyer in the court scene is remarkable.

The film does have some low points which could have been handled in a better way. The repetitive emergence of Kalki's mother's sequence could have been avoided at some places. It was overdone and not explained well, although shot with utmost appetizing camera work. Kirti Kulhari who plays young actress in the group could have done a better job. Even her character towards the second half, lacks the intensity it showed in the beginning sequences. The humor sequence of an informer's Nikah was unnecessary. The reason why Rajiv and his wife are having troubled marriage has not been explained. These things have little impact on the overall film and story but could have improved it further.

Anurag would not cast a KHAN in his productions and will probably never sign up Pritam for the music. Kashyap brand of Indian cinema will always be unique but is also expected to have a limited audience. He experimented with a debutant director for Udaan and created a masterpiece. He has almost done it again with another debutant director Bijoy and has created another modern day classic. Anurag has little left to prove to the world that he can make beautiful films. What he does still need is to prove is that his films can do wonders on the box office. Shaitan, is a colossal attempt, however, it's still unlikely to set box-office ablaze. Watch it before it's off the cinemas already.

Naturally, the very presence of Aamir Khan in the film makes interested anyway. Plus, I thought Pratiek was very special in Jaane Tu and I could watch him on screen again. When I first saw the promos of Dhobi Ghaat I had a suspicion that it will be a different film. It was different but different does not always mean good. it can also mean strange, incomplete and dragged.

To start with, Kiran Rao and Aamir have ensemble a very interesting cast and Kiran has written a very special story. Where casting has slightly gone a bit awry the story is intriguing and makes you twitch on your seats. It's a story about a painter who sees world through the eyes of a few tapes he has found in his newly rented house, a US returned banker cum photographer who has a one night stand with a man and then runs around looking for him and a Dhobi who wants to be an actor but falls in love with that banker woman. Their individual lives are very interestingly portrayed and the climax is absolutely wonderful. The last scene made me exclaim in applause. Also, the revealing of second profession of Pratiek was amazing.

The problems start with the screenplay. Despite that it's a very short film of less than a hundred minutes, it still feels dragged on multiple occasions. Aamir's character gets too philosophical at times and his interest in Monica is not ascertained at any stage. The footage Aamir sees in the tapes starts getting annoyed although its been done brilliantly at several points.

Second issue is with the casting itself. Apart from Prateik as Munna and Kirthi Malhotra are aptly selected, it's the surprising casting of singer turned actress Monica Dogra in the lead role. Considering that it's a commercial film, a stable actress with more screen presence could have been a better choice. She has done very well in the last scene though. Aamir too has a role that did not need Aamir for it. It's a very underplaying character which has not fully utilized Aamir's talent. It could have been better-off as Aamir Khan Production rather than Aamir Khan starrer.

Prateik is the show stealer. Fantastic actor. If you thought he did well in Jaane Tu, he has unbelievable body language and expressions in Dhobi Ghaat. He swept other actors away in the climax scene, before and during the scene when he asks Monica to do his portfolio and the scenes when he attacks a gang leader. He should get more commercial roles in mainstream films so that he comes in the limelight like Imran and Ranbir. I think he is much better than Imran.

The other noticeable performance is Kirti Malhotra as the woman who made the videos Aamir saw. Very natural, very poignant and very simple. Even her make-up and wardrobe were excellent. Her end was predictable yet sad. The reaction it generated from Aamir was also very believable and natural.

It's a rare failure of Aamir the actor as far as I am concerned. He has done a good job but not a great job which you would expect from him. He seems rather confused in his thinking. He looks old too but probably that was the requirement of script. This role could have easily gone to character actors like Manoj Bajpai or even Akshay Khanna. Too small for Aamir Khan and too little an impact he made.

The art director gave a Salman Khan factor to the wanna-be actor scenes of Pratiek which was pretty good. Treatment of Dhobi Ghaat and the second profession of Pratiek were also very well done. Cinematography was also pretty good specially while showing the amateur footage made by Kirti Malhotra.

Kiran Rao the writer has had a fantastic journey. Kiran Rao the director has a long way to go. She has made a difficult screenplay out of a brilliant story and her story telling is even more complicated. Things don't unfold very easily and some people start leaving the theater in the process. She also needs to put more attention to detail. I was unable to understand whether Aamir was shown rich or poor. He lived in shady places, did not have a car but was going to have an exhibition in Sydney and wore Marc Jobs and Armani shirts. Similarly, the wardrobe of Pratiek was also branded and he wore dog tags in his neck. He understood English very easily. Illiterate Dhobi's cannot be as stylish as he was.

On the whole, Dhobi Ghaat would receive LOVE or HATE kind of feedback from the viewers. If you get bored very easily, you might leave the theater early. However, I am quite certain that it will not work on the box office and will be Aamir Khans first failure in a long time since Mangal Pandey. If you are a drama fan, you might still like it. I am still confused, whether I liked it or not. It's a good film though.

It's a good movie.

That's not just my opinion. All the people leaving the 75% occupied theater had the same feeling. One of them clapped when the movie finished. Others were silent admirers.

I understand it's not the best way to start a film review but what's the point in beating around the bush when something is clear from the onset. It feels really good when you are looking forward to a film and when you watch it; it not just delivers just what you wanted it to deliver but also surprises you with something additional.

To start with, No One Killed Jessica (NOKJ) is not just an ordinary film. It's a film with an imperative story to tell and a gigantic point to make. It shows a ferocious face of the society but it also shows how sometimes hope comes in from an unforeseen source.

Starting with a slightly protracted monologue by Rani, NOKJ takes you back to the 1999 case mentioned above and opens one page of history after another. The first half is 100% based on truth, the second half goes a bit filmy adding some necessary Bollywood touches to the story. The good thing, however, is that the story has been kept near original as much as possible. How Jessica was killed, how the witnesses turned hostile and how the judicial system responded to the whole thing. The filmy twist is Rani Mukherjee taking control of the proceedings to bring justice to the Lall family. It might not have happened the way it is shown in the film but it did eventually happen.

Vidya Balan has done an extraordinary job. Languorous body language as the nerdy girl, poignant expressions of a broken yet determined sister and angry demeanor of someone who has given up hope; she has handled it all very well. It's difficult to say that its one of her best performances because with Ishqiya, she has raised her bar too high to better. Nonetheless, almost flawless. The costume designer has given her shapeless masculine clothes which add to the barefacedness of her role.

I am not a Rani Mukherjee fan but I have to admit that she too has put up a wonderful show in NOKJ. The first surprise was her look. She looks matured but certainly not bad. She was never skinny but here she oozes sex appeal. Surprising, as far as I am concerned. Her performance is very vigorous. She has restrained herself from going over the top which has helped the cause. Her chemistry with the co-star Satyadeep Mishra as her boss is very natural. She is one actress who is very good at swearing and she gets a free-hand at that in NOKJ. Her portrayal of Meera; she is probably playing Barkha Dutt here; is a woman who is opportunistic, street smart and a self-proclaimed bitch. Rare.

Supporting cast is perfectly assembled. Rajesh Sharma has grabbed the most powerful role of his career; much stronger than Ishqiya and Khosla KA Ghosla. Satyadeep Mishra is also good in his cameo and should get bigger outings in the future. Geeta Sudan as Jessica's mother is brilliant in a couple of scenes. Samara Chopra as Naina Sehgal is the best of the lot. Her court scene with the lawyer is stunning.

I loved Rajkumar Gupta's Aamir and was looking forward to the director's next outing. Just like Aamir, he has picked up an interesting and important subject and has treated it in a similar unglamorous way. He will probably never work with Yash Chopra and Karan Johar. I particularly liked the director's attention to detail in this drama. Showing Windows 98 on the monitor screen in old scenes, old Pepsi logo on the walls, absence of mobile phones etc. were small things which could have been overlooked. There was a minor hiccup though when they failed to spot IDEA mobile's banners in the background of a shot. Cinematography could have been better though. Unnecessary addition of some humor could also be avoided.

What happened to Jessica Lall could happen to any of our friends or family. We all live in similar societies at the end of the day. If we are not immune to such events, we need to have the courage to stand up for our right and fight for it till the end. It might not become a big success, films like this don't. It will still remain one of the finest films to come out of Indian cinema lately. More so, because it covers an important subject. For me, it was a much needed relief after the underwhelming Tees Maar Khan experience.

There are different expressions and feelings one has when he comes out of a theater after watching a film. At times I am thinking, at times smiling, at times in awe of what I just saw and at times thanking myself for not being one of the characters. When I came out of the houseful theater on the first day second show of Tees Maar Khan (TMK), the only emotion I had was anger. Sheer anger. I felt cheated and betrayed and disappointed. This is going to be the worst review I will ever write for a movie.

Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om did not go too well with me either and I am not too agreed with the Farah Khan way of filmmaking but TMK still managed to shock me. Farah is a fantastic choreographer but as a director, she just killed a cine-goer inside me. The best thing about this two and a half hour was the promo of 'No One Killed Jessica'. I am so looking forward to that.

Apparently an official remake of After the Fox, TMK is a story (if it can be called a story) of a con artist pretending to be a film director to put his hands on 10 tons of precious antiques. During this process you come across

Three Gay partners of TMK: I don't know why they act gay but they do. Probably it was supposed to be funny. Two Gay cops chasing TMK: they don't act gay; they are gays and they even hint at marrying each other. Three Gay villagers: they become friends with Katrina Kaif and she calls them girls. Twin Criminal brothers: and they are not just twins, they are conjoined twins. Not to forget, they wear gay clothes and act gay too.

With all this overdose of gay jokes, there are idiotic police officers trying to nail TMK down and they crack unbelievably horrible jokes. There is TMK's mother who is slightly better than the rest when it comes to being funny.

The film starts with a lousy animated title song of a baby in the mother's womb and he has his eye brow pierced even then. In the time when special effects have gone to a new level, TMK brings a basic animation which makes you wonder where the film is headed to.

Songs come out of nowhere and are forcefully fitted in to the scenes. The overly hyped Sheila comes and goes in the first fifteen minutes. A scene finishes and TMK decides to call his friend Salman Khan of Dabangg for a song and dance. Are you serious? The choreography, however, is good. 'Wallah Re Wallah' and 'Bade Dil Wala' were enjoyable.

The film has Akshay Khanna as Aatish Kapoor in the worst possible supporting actor role. He plays a film actor who wants to win Oscar just like Anil Kapoor did for Slumdog. Interestingly, Anil never won an Oscar for that film. Aatish also comes up with his own version of Jai Ho called 'Day Ho'. Yes, Day as in DAY TIME. He thinks it's funny and dances on this song with great zeal. He is probably mocking Saif Ali Khan because he is also seen in a Saif like bandana.

Katrina Kaif has lost a lot of weight and looks good with her navel show throughout the film. She is one actress who follows the director's brief to the tee because she knows she is not talented enough to improvise. Here too, she seems to be following the director's brief and overacts as much as possible. Actually, she overacts more than it's humanly possible for any actress.

Actress, I said, because Akshay Kumar is also there. What was he thinking? I have no idea. To start with, 50% of the times he also acts gay and delivers his dialog with lady-like hand movement and voice. Mostly when he is playing the movie director. It seems to be deliberate a take on Karan Johar though. Here is an actor who was touching the pinnacle of his career a year back with highest grossing and enjoyable films but since Singh is King he has come up with one dud after another.

The less said about Farah the better it is. My main culprit, however, is Shirish Kunder. Mr. Kunder is trying to pull up a one-man-show here. He is the writer, editor, lyricist and even the producer of TMK. As an editor, he has a credible history but as a writer his previous work is 'Jaan-e-man' which he also directed. That Akshay starrer was also a pretty lousy show. I would strongly suggest Mr. Kunder to remain in his limits i.e. editing.

TMK is likely to have a 50 crore opening weekend which has so far been achieved only by Dabangg. It will be a shame if it grosses more than Dabangg did because Dabangg was a very highly entertaining effort. TMK will for sure recover its cost and make profits for the producers (which is unfair) but I don't expect it to do well with audience in the second week onwards.

I go to the cinema with the expectations to at least get value for my money and time. In that regard, TEES MAAR KHAN is not a movie. It's a CRIME and the people behind it need to be punished in such a way that it becomes example for others attempting to create such a shame.

There are times when you like predictability in a film and you actually look forward to it. You know exactly how the story will unfold and that there will be no dramatic twists and turns and distressing suspense. You still manage to enjoy whatever is going on. JAB WE MET (JWM) was a similar movie. The moment hero heroine meet, you know that they will end up falling in love even if they are not romantically interested in each other.

BAND BAAJA BARAT (B3) is also a similar tale of two youngster and it's not surprising to see that it's doing wonderfully well with its target audience. The box office collections only dropped 10% in the second week against the industry average of 65% this year. JWM actually had higher collections in the second week of its release and in some centers B3 has higher collections than first week. Things might change with the release of TEES MAAR KHAN though. Coming back to the movie, the first surprise was a house full theater on the second weekend of release. The only seat I could manage to get was in the first row and I had to watch the entire movie with my neck looking up at 80 degrees angle. Precisely why I won't be able to write much about cinematography because every shot from that seat was a low-angle shot.

B3 is a romantic comedy, which is not a genre which I usually enjoy especially after going through the agonizing experience of watching I HATE LUV STORYS. When I watched the promos of B3, I had a feeling that it will be on the same lines especially when I do not have much respect for Anushka Sharma. I still decided to watch it based on some positive reviews I read.

It was a good experience. It's a refreshing and highly entertaining outing. It's not the award winning effort but it delivers on the promise of keeping you interested till the end. Mainly, it's the directorial treatment of Manesh Sharma which has made a simple story worth watching. Slightly inspired by THE WEDDING PLANNER as far as central idea goes, it's original and genuine. A lot of attention has been paid to detail, from art direction to dialog. Check out the underwear on ropes in the men's hostel. It's funny.

The cause is also backed up by entertaining music by Salim-Sulaiman who are on a better run for the last two years. The background music by is one of the best I have heard this year barring Dabangg. Choreography has Vaibhavi Merchant written all over it and it adds a big plus in the entertainment factor of the film.

The film has a two film old female lead and a new comer. While the slightly senior Anushka has done the best work of her short career, the film belongs to the new-comer, Ranveer Singh. Where Anushka has worked really hard on mastering the tapori style and Delhi lingo, her role is quite similar to the one she had in BADMASH COMPANY earlier this year where she again used similar body language and lingo. Nothing to take away from the decent effort she has put in though.

Ranveer is fantastic. He is a trained actor who has waited for the right film to make debut and will win directors as well as audience with this performance. He is not traditionally good looking but the way he fit in his role was commendable. Neil Nitim Mukesh needs to see him to know what tapori is and not what he was in LAFANGAY PARINDAY. Watch out for Ranveer in coming films. Effortless acting and effortless dancing. If he doesn't make decisions like Vivek Oberoi, he can be a real threat to at least Imran Khan and other less talented actors like Neil Nitin Mukesh. Ranbir Kapoor I believe is safe when it comes to talent. Ranveer will already be challenging Ali Zafar for the best new comer of the year for sure.

The supporting cast is bloody good. Neeraj Sood as Maqsood is effective but my personal favorites were Revant Shergill as Santy and the guy who was Ranveer's room mate in the hostel.

On the whole, I had a lot of fun watching B3. Its one of the better films to come out this year unlike the bigger names like KHATTA MEETHA. I'm glad it also left NO PROBLEM behind. Way to go, Youth!

RAKHT CHARITRA

There is a certain level of violence one can take in a film. And there is a certain level of violence one can take in a day of watching multiple films. Rakht Charita (RC) crosses both the levels in its first hour. I read what Ram Gopal Verma (RGV) tweeted about RC not being for one of those who liked K3G but now I feel that was an understatement. I happen to love RGV's hardcore cinema. Company and Satya are my all time favorite movies and I remember each and every dialogue of those films but even for me, RC was a bit too much to handle.

Let me clarify one thing. I am not saying it's a bad movie. It's a good movie which actually wins on most of the technical and acting grounds. The problem is the level of bloodshed it shows. Very authentic, very red but not the entertaining violence of Dabangg that makes you whistle in sheer pleasure but a bona fide brutality that makes you take your eyes off the screen.

The film shows numerous methods of torture and killings for retribution and in politics with different weapons, drawing different levels of pain and blood. In a 50% occupied theater on the eight day of its overseas release (which I think is a big achievement for this kind of film), I heard someone saying 'Damagh Ka Vaat Laga Diya' (it has screwed my brain). That's what RC is.

The story, based on a real life character of South India, is pretty much Mahabharata and God Father in the first hour. It becomes a lot more original in the second half and becomes really interesting after the introduction of Shatrugan Sinha in a very attention-grabbing role. The 'Khaaamosh' of Mr. Sinha has been replaced by 'Topic Khatam' in this one. The story moves between being realistic and being a bit mind-boggling throughout and has also been dragged on multiple occasions. The over-exposure of Bukka Reddy could have been slashed by 30% very easily. That amount of time could have been given to the love story of Pratab and Nandini to make things lighter and show a softer side of Pratab. To top it all, the movie does not finish when it finishes. It's only half of the film that has been released as of now and the remaining half will be released on 19th November. That might still be a smart move because those who sat through the entire movie will actually end up watching the second part as well. I will also watch it because I saw Priyamani in the trailer it showed. PRIYAMANI in Hindi movie!

Vivek Oberoi does very well as Pratab. His concentration and the effort he has put in that role are noteworthy. Watch out for his scenes in Nandini's college, altercation with Manda and attacking the Reddy house. He very well looks like a man with vengeance on his head. However, the stage where his career is now, he has chosen a wrong film for his comeback. This is a make or break film for Vivek with more chances of breaking it because it will be very difficult to find the audience for this film. He would have been much better-off with something like Saathiya for his return.

Abhimanyu Singh as Bukka Singh is one of the most terrifying villains I have ever seen in the Hindi films since Ashutosh Rana's Lajja Shankar. Even though he gets a bit comical at times with his choice of wardrobe (which means nothing but shorts) but he does emanate cruelty. He surprises you when he cries but the way he treats the lady police officer sends shivers through your body.

Zarina Wahab is excellent as Pratab's mothers. Radhika Apte as Nandini is very cute. Her role could have been meatier. It will be interesting to see how she performs in glamorous roles in the future. Another show stealer is Ashish Vidyarthi as Manda. Good to see the guy back in a very strong performance. The actors playing Pratab's right hands are excellent. Ashwini Khalsekar as the lady police officer is strong. Sushant Singh as Pratab's elder brother does justice to his small role. The men in Pratab's gang are efficient. Shatrugan Sinah looks different and goes overboard at times but has an important role to play.

Cinematorgrpahy by Amol Tahor is very good. It suits the need of the film and he has an RGV stamp on it. The light and smoke treatment throughout the film is excellent. Background sound is too heavy and adds to the violence. The title song in the background keeps haunting you in slightly lighter scenes.

RGV has done a good job. The film is quite real and raw and he has achieved what he wanted to achieve. He could have achieved the same in slightly shorter duration too but it looks like he deliberately kept it longer so that the violence looked prolonged. RC is sadistic and that's what he wanted to show. The questionable thing is his purpose to show that much bloodshed. He looked to be on a spree to satisfy some fetish of his. I would believe that he has been a bit unfair to Vivek for this role because his career doesn't seem to be going anywhere with it.

The tagline of RC says 'REVENGE IN THE PUREST EMOTION'. The film justifies this tagline to the core. If you have a 10% reservation against violent films and your definition of violence is the last fighting scene of DDLJ, stay away from RC. If you like RGV brand of cinema like Company, Sarkar and Satya, even then it's going to be challenging. I will, as I said, watch the second half too but I have my own reasons. PRIYAMANI. You can decide on your own.

There are several reasons to like Dabangg. Some of them are dependent on your taste and some of them you cannot resist. The hysteria its promos created before its release, Munni Badnaam the item number, hit music, Salman Khan's fantastic new look, Sonakshi Sinha's pleasant appearance and the historic box office response, all directed at one thing… Dabangg is something special.

Dabangg gets the basics right. It does not require solving intricate mysteries and does not make you shed tears. It's an age old story of step brothers, father-son rivalry, villain killing mother and son's revenge. Something the 80s cinema saw in every other movie. It's a world of fast paced action where the antagonist does not have to do something human to destroy the enemy and nor does he require heavy arms and ammunition. He gets angry, tears his shirt off in anger and dose the job with his hands. In the process, he does not mind flying in the air, avoiding bullets just by bending here and there and keeps the humor alive by dancing on the enemy's cell phones ring tones. Despite that all this has been seen in Hindi cinema over and over again, there are lots of things that are extra ordinary about Dabangg.

Sound Design: Minutest details have been covered with details and completely complement the hardcore action. This one surely needs a Filmfare.

Action: Dabangg is an action flick to start with and boy, what action is there. It finishes what 'Wanted' started. If you thought the veteran S. Vijayan was good in Wanted, have a look at Dabangg. Very south Indian in treatment, very unbelievable in execution but highly entertaining. Crazy action emerges out of nowhere in a scene and makes you change your posture on the seat. Its effect is doubled by kick-ass cinematography by Mahesh Limaye.

Choreography: While Munni Badnaam has already made waves in the industry as one of the best item numbers since 'Kajra re', the other songs were as well choreographed if not better. My personal favorite was 'Hamka Peeni Hai' but I also loved 'Tere Mast Mast Do Nain'.

Humor: And last but not the least, it's the humor (read: cheap humor). It comes both in the form of dialog and body language and it's so cheap that you cannot avoid laughing. No wonder the dialogs are written by the same guy who wrote the cult classic dialogs of Andaz Apna Apna. Imagine lines like 'Muqabla hoga to Peta chal Jaye Ga ke kiss ke batashay zayada gaol hain' i.e. when we fight, we will see whose balls are rounder.

'Haramzaday Se yaad aaya, aap ke pita ji Kasey hain?' i.e. Bastard reminds me, how is your dad doing?

Cameos: The small roles by actors who made Chulbul Pandey's police squad were fabulous. Their chemistry with their boss was amazing. They respond to his jokes and orders with enthusiasm and enjoy being subordinates of a wonderfully comic and humane boss.

Dabangg would not be Dabangg if it weren't for Salman Khan. The one man who made all the difference to an otherwise ordinary film. Amazing star power, awesome body language and the intensity you have never witnessed from him before. This is yet another rebirth of Salman. From the chocolate romantic hero of Main Ne Pyar Kiya and Saajan to the nonsensically comic Judwaa, Mujh Se Shadi Karo Gi and Partner. There is the new action hero of Bollywood, the Salman Khan of Wanted and Dabangg. Remember the utterly irritating Karan Arjun? The only good thing about that movie was the angry and intense Salman who somehow did not fare in action roles after that. In Dabangg, Salman takes Chulbul Pandey to another level. He looks so driven in this role that it made me forget all the roles he has previously done. This film is Salman Khan fan service. Period. I am not a huge fan of his but the only Salman I remember now is Chulbul Pandey. Fantastic performance from a superstar. Salute! Sonakshi Sinha gets a mega debut. The girl debuts in the highest opening Hindi film ever and does well. She has a long way to go but has a lot more promise than the B-graders like Tanushree Dutta, Celina Jaitely and even Sonam Kapoor etc. The fact that she makes her presence felt despite the larger than life character of Salman Khan is no mean achievement.

Sonu Sood does not get to do much in the first half because of a loose screenplay but manages fine in the second half. However, I am still not too sure if he was the perfect choice for Chhedi Singh. He is a bad dancer too or so it seemed in Munni Badnaam.

Arbaaz Khan delivers more than his potential but his potential is fairly low. He was quite awful in the emotional scenes and fulfilled the expectations of being bad. Vinod Khanna was vintage. Dimple was even better. Interesting to see her as Salman's mother. Anupam Kher, Mahesh Manjrekar and Om Puri don't have much to do and are almost wasted. The actor who plays Sonakshi's brother was also impressive in a very small role.

Another débutant director and another success story. Abhinav Kashyap has a strong resume before his directorial debut and will be in demand after Dabangg. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here. A lot of credit is due to the young man for the treatment he gave to a simple formula mas-ala film.

Dabangg is a movie with a loose screenplay and a weak story that has several loopholes but you don't watch Dabangg for the story or high class acting. You watch Dabangg for the high level of entertainment value that it offers. At least I haven't seen a movie with such high entertainment value in recent times.

I understand that I am probably one of the last few people to review Raajneeti. Too bad I took a lot of time to decide whether I wanna watch it or not.

Forty long minutes after I started watching it, I had started planning dinner and to-do list of work the next day. And then came the scene which made me sit straight and pay more attention. Followed by another one… and another one… Yes, Raajneeti took forty minutes to become interesting and for the next fifty minutes or so, continued to be so.

Let me put something straight first. Even the first forty minutes were not bad. It wasn't like I was watching Tushaar Kapoor playing Terminator or something as horrendous. There was nothing wrong with what was going on but still something was missing. The individual performances were quite decent but the narration and screenplay were not tight enough to keep me engrossed. The first scene that hit me was the party meeting invasion by Ajay Devgan, followed by Nana Patekar's visit to Ajay's area and so on.

The other snag in the story was the little stint of Naseeruddin Shah that started the whole affair. shoddily and implausibly written, although well executed. Of course, parallels to Godfather started becoming more and more obvious. Where middle of the story was gripping, fast paced and cleverly written and executed, it's the climax that left a bad taste in mouth. You are showing politicians who are aiming to become 'Mukhya Mantri' of the country and they are killing people with their own hands and running on the streets with guns in their hands? Sounds believable, doesn't it. I don't deny the existence of bloodshed in politics, but the likes of president-elects do not act like contract killers, do they? Nor do we see three generations of one political family being killed during one election campaign.

My favorite adaptation of Godfather still remains Virasat. If there could be a second, it would be Sarkar. Raajneeti is not a bad movie, but it's not a great movie. With a better screenplay of first half an hour and a more realistic climax, it could have been a great one because the individual performances were quite brilliant.

Talking about performances, to me, Nana Patekar was the show stealer. He had a beautiful character to portray and how well he portrays it, is anybody's guess. He used his body language and smile to perfection. Thoroughly enjoyable performance from the veteran. Raajneeti's very own Luca Brasi with a local touch… the gentle respectable mentor.

Then there was Arjun Rampal. I was one of those who thought that this guy would never be able to act. I liked him in Rock On, he was one of the good things in it, but in Raajneeti, he was excellent. He does remind you of Sonny from the Godfather with his demeanor and aggression. I think Prakash must have told him to read the book before offering him the role. To me, he was more Sonny than Kay Kay Menon of Sarkar because Sonny was not suppressible or manipulated. Here is an actor who took his work seriously and was there to prove a point.

This is the first performance of Ranbir Kapoor that I have seen. Yes. First. It was a complex character and not as positive as the real Michael of Godfather, or Abhishek of Sarkar or Anil Kapoor of Virasat. This one had negative shades in it. He was not a loyal lover like both of them. He was selfish and manipulative. He did not mind killing to get his way even though he appeared very soft and sweet natured. A character with so many shades needs a good actor to deliver and Ranbir does. A fine performance overall. He is definitely a better actor than Imran Khan. Solo hit material.

Manoj Bajpai gets a meaty role after a long time and it was good to see him. Ajay Devgan was typecast. The actor badly needs variety of roles and that does not mean foolish 'Golmaal' and 'All the Best' comedies. Try something like 'Pushpak' may be? Nikhila Trikhas as Ajay's mother was a bad choice for the role. Her confrontation scene with Ajay toward the end was probably the worst of the entire movie and added to the climax woes. Limited description of Naseer's role was also a downside of the movie considering that it was a high-flying political family we were talking about.

Katrina Kaif was also a bad choice for that role. As usual, she fulfilled the glamour quotient alright but failed to deliver on performance promise. Her expressions in the confrontation scenes with Ranbir and then Arjun could put plastic dolls to shame. Sarah Thompson, who played Sarah, was much more natural than Kat. Shruti Seth is a pleasant surprise.

Prakash Jha needs improvement. That's the only thing I can say about him. Director's role starts where the writer's finishes. Yes, the revenue of the film will contradict what I am saying but my opinion holds. My biggest criticism would be his effort to create sympathy for people who are blood thirsty and enjoy killing, not regret it. Anil Kapoor of Virasat and even Abhishek of Sarkar had different motives for killing than Ranbir of Raajneeti; hence, the sympathy was justified. In Ranbir's case, deliberately or not, it was not justified.

Raajneeti, irrespective of its commercial success, has some serious flaws. Had it been for below par acting, it could have been a big disaster. However, the credit goes to Jha for casting Nana, Ranbir, Arjun and Manoj Bajpai who saved the ship which would have otherwise badly sunk.

Sitting in the train to Hafuf from Riyadh, watching it, I was thinking to myself why I had not watched Ishqiya when it was released ten months back. There is no reason why one should delay watching Ishqiya, unless, you are the 'Om Shanti Om' and 'Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani Type'. I am not any of the above mentioned types; hence, I should have watched it earlier.

Ishqiya is about Khalu Jaan (Naseer Uddin Shah) and Babban (Arshad Warsi) and their love triangle with Krishna (Vidya Balan) in a story that's not a love story by any means. If a movie's hero is called Babban and the next lead is called Khalu Jaan, while the guy trying to kill them is known as Jija Ji although his name is Mushtaq Bhai, you are not in for a rosy ride.

What it is: Its intense, it's unusual and it's remarkable.

What it isn't: It's not pinkish and mushy and sweet.

It takes some time to get the hook of their accent and their lingo, but its pace is so fast that it does not leave you much time to ponder on that. The first half leaves your mind thinking, your face smiling and your eyes rolling. It's the unpredictability of Ishqiya's screenplay that makes it an outstanding watch. Second half becomes a bit more serious and the pace slows down a bit but the performances of the actors reach greater heights in it.

Naseer is in top form. I have rarely seen him acting badly (barring Tridev) but this one is a master piece. Watch out for the sequences pre and post 'Dil to Bacha Hai Ji'. Also brilliantly done by all actors is the scene on road in the stolen car where Naseer taunts at Arshad's mother.

Arshad is radiant. He is the most underrated actor in the industry dominated by Khans and Kapoors. His on screen chemistry with Vidya is so real that it makes you wonder. Of course the much hyped smooching scene is also responsible for that. Arshad looks every bit a con artist and his relation with his Khalu is also something that has never been seen in Bollywood before.

Vidya is fantastic. This by all standards is her finest performance and this year's strongest role for a lead actress. I would be surprised if she doesn't bag a couple of awards for this portrayal.

Getting Salman Shahid for Jija Ji's role was a master stroke. It makes me wonder who would have thought of casting a relatively unknown Pakistani actor out of nowhere. Little cameos from the village kid and KK are very natural. The old 'taai' is one of the most adorable little characters I have seen in recent times.

Abhishek Chaubey knows what he is doing. He takes over from exactly where his guru Vishaal Bhardwaj left with Kaminey. He touches a different topic, approaches it in a different way and convincingly tells the story. He has complete grip over the screenplay. As much as I disagree with the climax and would have hoped for a little cruel one, that's a matter of personal choice based on the liking I developed for the characters watching it.

Ishqiya is excellent music, fantastic acting, intricate storytelling and a must watch flick, unless, as I mentioned above, you are the 'Main Ne Pyar Kiya' type of movie goer. Also, the language used in Ishqiya can put some people off. Personally, I'll put it in one of the best this year.

When I saw the trailer of Badmaash Company, I knew I had to watch it.

I am always biased towards Shahid Kapoor movies. I like him. He puts an honest effort in his work and after the Khan's, Akshay and Hrithik, he is probably the most sellable star in India. A Solo hero star. A feat low caliber actors like Fardeen Khan, Aftab. Tushaar Kapoor and even Suneil Shetty and Sanjay Dutt could not achieve. Sanjay Dutt's major hits like Khal Nayak, Munna bhai franchise and Sajan were multi-hero films. I think Kaminey was probably the best film of last year, even better than Three Idiots.

And then there is Meiyang Chang… I named my cat Chang after seeing him in Indian Idol a couple of years back. Again, what I liked the best about him was his honest effort in singing as compared to other contestants who went overboard in pretending to be better singers. He is a good singer, a good host, a good writer, a good photographer and now a good actor.

And then there is Vir Das… does anyone remember the guy in Namaste London who runs a compatibility test for Katrina Kaif as a suitor in a small hilarious sequence? I absolutely loved him in that scene however small it is.

And lastly, there is Anushka Sharma. I was to in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi because I didn't get the patience to sit and watch it completely. Anushak got ignored.

They all got together in Badmaash Company (BC) for an adventurous thriller. It's a movie that feels like a Sidney Sheldon novel. Lots of unbelievable but possible coincidences and the low-end guys making it big. The first half is swift, funny and gripping. Even though believability factor goes down in a couple of scenes but entertainment never does. Watch out for Vir Das in the flight and Bangkok scenes. The way Chang's Chinese looks have been treated for humor in the movie are too good. It looks as if the character was written only keeping him in mind. Confrontation scenes between Anupam Kher and Shahid are also well done especially where Shahid tries to control himself despite being irritated with his father.

Second half is weak in comparison. It drags, scams become predictable and there is a bit overacting by Pawan Malhotra. Hard to believe though but there is. However, the best scene of the movie is also in the second half on the terrace of the hotel when Shahid tells Anushka he feels like God. Shahid's turnaround from evil genius to nice-man is not convincing nor are his low-wage jobs. The last scam, if it can be called one, is very well written.

To me, BC is an all and all writer's movie. He had a nice plot and he knew what he was doing even if the audience were baffled for brief moments. The screenplay by Parmeet Sethi is also very nice despite the weak scenes. Talking about Parmeet, he has done a great job for a debutant director. For those who don't know, actor turned director Parmeet is Simran's fiancée from DDLJ. Debutant directors have lately done very well in bollywood right from Nishikant Kamat of Mumbai Meri Jaan to A Wednesday. Of course, Farhan Akhtar of Dil Chahta hai. Parmeet has handled the script well to explain a bit complex business deals. Make-up and disguise has also been nicely shown. Given more chances, he will come up with much better results I hope. Editing is sharp and cinematography is excellent. One of the high points of BC is its camera work.

Shahid has again done a great job. If the film goes down at any point, it is not his fault at all and I am not being biased at all. He has still not achieved box office collections up to his potential. He looks good, is probably the best dancer in the industry along with Hrithik and manages to carry a film on his shoulders well.

Meiyan Chang is amazing. What a multitalented good pack. To me, Vir Das is a show stealer in BC. He is funny and down to earth. Very convincing in his portrayal of simplicity. Anushka does well too. She needed this movie to show that she has variety and she does. She looks good on-screen too; who minds a few bikini scenes of a cute looking girl anyway. Does very well in Car Scene with Shahid and the modeling audition scene. She needs to improve the emotional bit.

I watched BC with a group of friends and that's the ideal setting for watching it. It is not a movie you should watch alone first time. When I watch it again, which I will, I might watch it alone. It was impossible for me to dislike BC just by looking at the cast it had. The negatives I have put on are not negatives for me. As I said, I will watch it again… for sure!

PS: Manmohan Singh was not the Indian Prime Minister in 90s. The Writer missed that one.

Do you remember once there was a whole clump of movies made on the legend of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh? How many of them do you remember today? Perhaps the one that starred Ajay Devgan at max? Conversely, you will not be able to forget 'Rang De Basanti'. No, the movie is not again about the freedom fighter's life. It is about awakening of distrait direction-less youth taking inspiration from his life. If you thought 'Dil Chahta Hai' was perfect and you loved it, behold, we have Rang De Basanti (RDB). The movie is not only perfect with its script; it is the execution that takes it further to be ranked among all time greats.

The movie revolves around a British girl Sue (Alice Patten), whose grandfather was warden in the jail where Bhagat Singh was hanged. Sue arrives in India to make a film on the life and deeds of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, with her only accomplice in India, Sonia (Soha Ali Khan). After meeting the happy-go-lucky DJ (Amir Khan), she decides to sign him and his vagabond friends as the main characters of her film. DJ and his friends Karan (Sidharth), Aslam (Kunal Kapoor) and Sukhi (Sharman Joshi) start working for her only for fun sake, not at all believing in the quintessence of the legend of Bhagat Singh. Laxman Panday (Atul Kulkarni), their once biggest adversary, also joins them in their film playing Bismal Ram from history after he impresses Sue with his knowledge and belief in the legend.

The more they progress with their film production and get to know more about the freedom fighter, their beliefs start changing. Just at that perfect time, calamity strikes when their fifth friend and Sonia's fiancé, Ajay (Madhavan) an air force pilot, dies in a plane crash. The government officials attempt to hide their corruption in purchasing aircraft spare parts and put the blame on 'incapability' of Ajay. DJ and his friends stand against the government to save the reputation of Ajay, only to be tortured by police and Ajay's mother (Waheeda Rehman) getting caught in stupor. The gang gets up to seek vengeance from the government and to tell the real story to the world in a Bhagat Singh style. They succeed, but only after paying a very high cost.

The script is the strongest one Indian Cinema has seen in recent times, but hats off to the director Rakeysh Mehra for the perfect execution and justice to the script. Certainly, Bollywood could not afford another Mangal Panday, which also had strong script but fell short in execution. Sequences, treatment and especially the connect between history and present is so neatly done that it keeps the viewers glued to the screen. If the humor element in the first half makes you laugh aloud, you find it impossible not to feel the pain our heroes go through in the second half. In addition, it will be unfair not to mention the editing and background score by A.R. Rehman. A word of praise for cinematographer Binod Pradhan for his innovative camera angles particularly in the sequence when Ajay proposes to Sonia.

Now the individual performances. Amir Khan does a wonderful job once again, as he always does. Although his tainted Punjabi accent leaves a bit of desire in the first half an hour; but later his expressions and spontaneity makes up for everything. Yet another award winning performance. Last few minutes of his act keep one wheezing. The best part is that despite being much older than other actors in the gang are, he looks as young as they do.

The surprise packages in the film are south actor Sidharth and the British actress Alice Patten as they both give remarkable performances. Arjun Rampal will regret not doing the role of Sidharth, which initially was offered to him. From a desensitized unyielding young man to a touching finale, Sidharth looks flawless. Alice Patten's Hindi sounds very cute and her unusual romance with DJ is highlight of the movie.

After a cameo in Lajja and two comic roles in Style and Excuse Me, Sharman Joshi comes out to be the funniest thing in RDB. Kunal Kapoor might have gone disregarded in Meenaxi but will definitely be noticed here. Atul Kulkarni is a serious filmmaker's darling, anyway. You hate him whenever he plays a negative character and you will love him in Rang De Basanti. Soha Ali Khan has improved considerably since Dil Maange More and promises a lot for future. One might give her credit for her improved dressing sense as well. Kirron Kher, Anupam Kher, Om Puri and Madhavan have very small roles but they fit perfectly into them.

The only negative I felt about the movie was not having a happy ending. Other than Devdas and Tere Naam, we might not have seen any blockbuster with a sad ending lately. However, the young and upbeat feel of the movie is going to make it a conspicuous success in the metros. How small towns respond to it, cannot be said yet. Nonetheless, one hopes for a positive response because of the patriotic and emotional touch. For me, by all means, RDB was love at first sight.

I like SRK and I don't like SRK.

Let me explain. I like SKR the actor and I don't like SRK the star.

Let me explain even further. SKR the actor is the one we saw in CHAK DE India and DIL SE. SRK the star is the one we saw in KABHI ALVIDA NA KEHNA and OM SHANTI OM.

Last month I saw two movies I thought I was not going to like. I went to see AVATAR with a preconceived notion that I am not going to like it because I am not a big fan of animated movies nor I like Sci-Fi as such. I am glad I watched AVATAR and I really liked it.

The other movie was Three Idiots. My only problem with the movie was that the hype and feedback from my peers had taken my expectations too high and I though the film will not be able to deliver. It still did. I went to see MNIK without any biases. I went with an open heart and wanted to like movie and to be honest, it did not start bad either. It was the second half that ruined everything for me.

The positives to start with are

SRK the actor. He has put up an admirable performance. His body language, his eyes and his consistency throughout the film shows his ability as an actor. His dialog delivery, although highly inspired from Tom Hanks of Forrest Gump as expected, still is charming. He has played the character with devotion and sincerity unlike his KANK and OSO portrayals. Young Tanay as young Rizwan is even better. Comic scenes are decent.

The research work that has been done for the movie. References to the Holy Quran, history of people and cities and Asperger's syndrome. Watch out for the scene in the mosque where Rizwan confronts a terrorist recruiter.

Cinematography… the DOP has done a brilliant job and this is an area in which the movie is at par with Three Idiots. Just for the records, he is the same DOP that delivered Dil Chahta Hai, Gajini and Yuva.

The biggest problem with the movie is its story. There is no story. They have a character of Rizwan Khan and they have done excellent character sketching for the man but how the story unfolds itself as the film progresses, believability index touches rock bottom. FBI's inability to find killers of a boy from the school creates doubts, Kajol reaction to her problem is ridiculous and Khan's attempts to save the hurricane affected people are funny. Surprising how he can reach there with the entire group and nobody else can. A few Bollywood touches in the end were of course unavoidable.

Kajol is good but she always is. She does not outdo her previous performances, something we see Amir Khan doing in every film of his. Shibani Bathija is a weak story teller. Her previous ventures KANK and KIDNAP also lacked the killer instincts. She fails to take control of the story which might have a decent central idea.

Karan Johar the director puts in a good effort to save the story. I am not saying a great effort but a good effort nonetheless. Karan Johar the producer, I have an advice for him. K Jo, please focus on soft romantic comedies. I have heard you did a bad job in Kurbaan and I have seen you did a bad job in MNIK. Leave the social issues to Amir Khan. Had MNIK been released in 1999 or 2000, it might have created history. It still might be a success because of SRK, Kajol and Karan Johar but it will never become a phenomenon. The bar for emotional movies has been raised by Taare Zameen Par and Three Idiots to a level that mediocre efforts will not be able to change opinions.

I'm glad I did not spend my own money to watch it and watched it on special screening.

My friends, My Name is Sami and I did not like the movie.

Mani Ratnam, A.R.Rehman, Gulzar, Abhishek and Ashwarya… the last time this team got together, they produced Guru which to me was the best work of Abhishek to date.

Mani Ratnam is a brand name for those who know him. For me he is definitely a brand name synonymous of A.R. Rehman. Raavan came out with a huge load of expectations on its shoulders. The idea of modern take on an epic has always fascinated me but that came coupled with bad reviews from general public and mixed response from critics. A box office failure brought it low on my priority. I still ended up watching it just like that.

I'm glad I did.

Before everything, Raavan belongs to Santosh Sivam… the man behind the lenses that captured Kerala and Karnataka in a way nobody has ever done. The film is a visual treat. Scene after scene, it gives you a sight you can't forget. Jaw dropping landscapes, beautiful water sequences and mind bewildering greenery. Santosh was pretty good in Dil Se, Meenaxi and Asoka but here he takes cinematography to another level. Without a doubt, such camera work has never been seen in the history of Hindi cinema.

Raavan is not a simple film to watch. It wants you to look closely and hear even more closely. More than that, it wants you understand more than just watch. It is highly recommended to get hold of a brief history of Raavan, Ram, Sita and Hanuman prior to watching Raavan. It will help you pick pieces. It boasts of intelligent story telling of an intelligent filmmaker.

It does have its downfalls too. It starts swiftly with Ashwarya's kidnap in the first five minutes and paces up gently until ninety minutes when it starts dragging. Length of the film could easily be reduced by fifteen minutes. Even the climax was weak and not convincing but the overall experience of watching Raavan, for me, made up for these downfalls. I regret not watching it on big screen because I can't imagine how beautiful it would have looked on theater screens. Absolute pleasure. Did I mention cinematographer? Ashwarya Rai looks beautiful. Yes, I said it and make a note because I will probably never say that again. The only movie in which I found her beautiful was HDDCS but in Raavan she has amazing screen beauty. Coupled with beautiful scenes, the dark theme of the movie becomes easily bearable. She does her part well, although, goes overboard on a few occasions.

Abhishek falls short. I commend his effort as he has put in a lot of hard work behind this role but the character of Beera is so difficult that he is unable to fulfill the requirements. Talking of Beera, which too is probably the most difficult portrayals I have seen in Hindi cinema. He appears very simple and something that has been repeated several times on screen but its essence is much more than what it first looks. The only actor I can think of who could fit into it very easily is Nana Patekar but he was too old for this role. No other mainstream actor could have handled it; it would not even suit Aamir Khan. I can forgive Abhishek for his shortcomings.

Govinda as Hanuman doesn't have much to do but is funny in the little comic sequences. Nikhil Dwivedi is pretty good and a pleasant surprise. Vikram is brilliant. Ravi Kishan also surprises on several occasions. Priyamani was sweet in scenes with Abhishek.

Mani Ratnam chose a very intricate screenplay. His previous films like Dil Se and guru had very simple screenplays and strong stories. But here is a director who has very clear vision and he knows what he is doing. The only problem is that he picked very mainstream actors for a non-mainstream screenplay. Mainstream cinema has different expectations from its actors which Mani deliberately ignored. He left a few holes open for the viewers which left a bit of bad taste I the mouth for a commercial film. In many ways it's an open-ended question. It was his vision that came up with that fight sequence on the bridge in the end; another thing which I have never seen in a Hindi movie or the initial chase between Ash and Abhi. The way he fits in songs in the script is perfect. Mani still comes out clean after Raavan.

Raavan should not be treated as just another film you go to watch. It's an experiment of a genius filmmaker who has tried giving a new landmark to the Indian cinema. He doesn't get perfect result but he should get his due for this effort. If nothing else, watch Raavan for Santosh Sivam. The guy deserves this much for his work. It's not a memorable or ever green film but it's worth a watch. However, please take it as a pre-requisite to read a bit on Ramayana.