Friday, October 8, 2010 Crook -- Movie Review by Ankit Posted by Bollystorys at 8:59 AM

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'Crook' (thankfully) stays away from turning into a serious affair,  'My Name Is Khan' which again dealt with racial abuse. Religion was the point of contention in the Shah Rukh Khan drama whereas it is difference in nationality which is the core of 'Crook'. Also, the film refrains from being frivolous by turning it's lead protagonist into an overnight hero. He arrives in Australia as a common man, stays on to be the one and exudes good enough vibes to stay on as one as well.

For the young character played by Emraan Hashmi, life isn't pretty much defined on a set path. Now quite sure about tomorrow, he arrives in Australia for a better life. As he comes in touch with a 'desi' student (Neha Sharma) and builds a relationship of convenience, he has his first brush with racism. However, he stays away from the mess and doesn't have any intention of getting involved into the proceedings. Things take an ugly turn though as a battle rages between Neha's brother (Arjan Bajwa), a self proclaimed protector of Indians in Australia and some local goons, hence leading to blood spilling over the roads. For Emraan, it's a matter of making a decision - Sit at the fence and let it all continue or take a stand and make his own little contribution to dilute the tension.

This is the reason why it is a pleasant surprise to see Emraan Hashmi, who so far has revelled in playing a man with grey/evil shades, pick up a different persona for 'Crook'. He may be a little naughty and also a liar when it comes to smaller issues. In fact he doesn't even become a moral crusader even as the city is burning with protests around racism. However, when it comes to stepping ahead on sheer humanitarian grounds for the ones close to him, he does take his first step forward.

What impresses most is the fact that there is no Australia bashing here. In fact the film asks Indians to first look into themselves, check their acts and hold on a little before drawing battle line with Australians. It's the subtle conveying of 'let there be peace' rather than any slogan shouting which makes 'Crook' totally different from what one was otherwise perceiving about the film.

With the core of 'Crook' being pretty impressive, what takes the film back are two factors - 1) The title and 2) An ordinary first half. Really, for a film like this, a different title would have helped the film. 'Crook' gives an impression of this being a quintessential Emraan Hashmi affair with the character not giving two hoots to anything.

However, that is far from true. Also, a quite some time goes into building the base for 'Crook'. There are a few light moments and couple of catchy songs here but still, one pines for the drama to begin. There are on and off moments that do fit into the scheme of the film's narrative but then the actual story kick starts only in the second half.

Thankfully, once the drama picks up there is no stopping with the penultimate 20-25 minutes taking the film to a high. There is a distinct Mahesh Bhatt touch to the narrative here as Emraan finally realises the gravity of the situation and doesn't hold himself back any more. No doubt, 'Crook' stands out as yet another consistent and good performance from one of the most reliable actors that Bollywood boasts of today.

Arjan is good as a menacing paradoxical character who doesn't mind killing his own folks when it comes to preserving the rights of a bigger group. After 'Fashion' and 'Guru', this is yet another confident performance from him. Neha makes a fine debut as she has a far better and lengthier role than what one would have imagined from a girl making her debut in a Bhatt film.

She looks good and shows a decent range within her role boundaries. 'Crook' could well be one of the most honest effort coming from the house of Bhatts. For a production house that has revelled in picking up newspaper headlines and presenting to audience some of the most topical issues of our times, Vishesh Films springs a pleasant surprise by actually sharing a point of view which is different from what one would have expected from 'Crook'. Though the film has at its heart there theme of racial discrimination and abuse, the question it asks the audience is - 'If we look within our own self, are we any less racial?'

Rating By Ankit = 

Movie-3*/5*

Music-3.5*/5*

Friday, October 1, 2010 Anjaana Anjaani - Movie Review by Ankit Posted by Bollystorys at 12:29 PM

Movie Story --

Akash (Randeer Kapoor) and Kiara (Priyanka Chopra) meet on a bridge in Manhatten under unfavourable circumstances. They both are trying to throw themselves down in a suicidal bid, being unable to cope with the hurdles of life any longer. But jump, they can't, and end up together in a pact which sees them spending twenty days together before they take the final plunge. So what happens in those twenty days? A road trip to Vegas, followed by loads of wish fulfilment.... More importantly, are they able to carry off the suicide pact? Keep guessing. 

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Movie Review -- 

They meet as strangers in the night.... The possibilities are immense. Is director Siddharth Anand able to leverage this great opportunity and tell an engaging story about two people who find life and love on the threshold of death? Errr, umm, well, he does, but partially so.

Let t's get things straight. By and large, we have no complaints with that critical quotient called chemistry. The new pairing of Ranbir and Priyanka manages to create some wild and whacky moments on screen as they romance each other with the archetypal yuppie attitude. The relationship begins on an antagonistic note and then shifts into a whole new terrain of quirky need. The two need each other to help each other die! So you have a handful of delightful scenes where the duo fumble and falter in their bid to asphyxiate each other by tying plastic tape on each other's faces. Doesn't work; so they decide to defer the death plan by a few weeks and fill the rest of their days with crazy stuff.... Like swimming in the middle of the Atlantic in sub zero conditions or finding a suitable partner for Ranbir who is desperate to officially come of age, before curtain call. In between all this fun, there's a bit of the crying game too, as the duo recall their sob stories that actually precipitated the suicidal frame of mind. Predictable stuff: Priyanka's heartbroken, Ranbir's recession struck. Never mind that too, because the twosome actually manage to look good, feel good and spar good, together.

We also have no problems with the performances. Ranbir's Akash and Priyanka's Kiara are recognisable, urbane, upcountry characters who interestingly follow alternate rhythms in the film. While the first half sees Priyanka play the funster with reckless aplomb to a moony Ranbir, the second half has Ranbir trying to spread good cheer in a going-downhill Priyanka. Both the actors pitch in a vibrant, spontaneous and a finely nuanced performance as the NRI chokras who get sozzled in Manhattan and party hard in Vegas, with nothing to lose but their cares.

So where's the problem yaar? It's in the script and the narrative. The director chooses to use the format of a road movie to weave his romantic story. Only, the road seems to be a bit long and too straight. There aren't too many twists and turns in this cross-country cruise; and the ones that are there, are quite-quite predictable. You know them all, because you've seen them all umpteen times, post DDLJ's Euro rail cruise. So, despite the fire and crackle of the lead characters, Anjaana -Anjaani doesn't actually set the screen on flames. All it promises is some fun moments, a peppy music score by Vishal-Shekhar, alluring performances by Ranbir and Priyanka.

Don't go looking for something new. And you will enjoy it. 

Rating by Ankit :- 
Movie :- 3.5*/5*
Music :- 4*/5* 

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 Exclusive Review of "Khichdi -The Movie" By Ankit Posted by Bollystorys at 1:13 PM

After a huge wait khichdi the movie releases. The series is already a huge hit amongst the masses in its television series, but for those who have not been able to watch it then, in the series format, the movie is surely a treat.
"Khichdi" takes charactars from d series....but a completely new story for viewers.The movie revolves around
the central characters, Hansa and her brother Himanshu. This times, Himanshu gets a strange ambition of having a
wonderful and memorable marriage. But to his utter disappointment, he does not have any girl to get married to.
So, first of all , he finds a girl and to everybody’s amazement, his neighbor falls for him. Her name is Parminder.Everything goes smooth and hunky dory till the time of the wedding.Suddenly everybody realises that their love story does not have anything memorable to offer to , and thus he might feel terrible when Himanshu realizes the reality. So from here inwards the laugh riot starts. Now, the whole family gets together
to make their love story a memorable and follows some utterly funny and hilarious moments.

Everybody is absolutely clueless as of how to get a ready made ‘memorable’ love story and thus make Himanshu the happiest person on this earth. The family bonding and love for each other is clear. The film surely tickles to the bottom.

Every actor is co-operating with each other, instead of trying to have a game of one-up manship and that's what makes every single character stand out.
Supriya Pathak is splendid. Anang Desai is top notch. Rajeev Mehta [as Supriya's husband] is fantastic. Nimisha Vakharia is first-rate. J.D. is excellent.Kirti Kulhari looks good. Girish and Keith are alright. Kesar Majethia and Markand Soni are cute.

Farah Khan, Satish Shah, Deven Bhojani and Paresh Ganatra are lovely in cameo appearances.

On d whole a great stress buster movie BOLE TOH "PAISA VASOOL"

RATING BY ANKIT  :-

MOVIE :- 3.5*/5*
MUSIC :-  N/A

Friday, September 17, 2010 Life Express -Review By Ankit Posted by Bollystorys at 10:14 AM

The movie 'Life Express' is the story about an urbanized couple Tanvi (Rituparna Sengupta) and Nikhil (Kiran Janjani), whose life's pace revolves around their respective careers so much so, that they have no time to spend with each other or start a family. The film is also the story of Mohan (Yashpal Sharma) and Gauri (Divya Dutta) who live far away from the daily hustle and bustle of big city and are leading a poverty ridden life in a village and the challenges they face in their day-to-day life. The film deals with motherhood, love, aspirations and priorities individuals make in their lives, touching upon major societal issues, solutions and trading of human emotions for personal benefits.

Rituparna Sengupta is a fine actor, but is bland here. Kiran Janjani is miscast. Divya Dutta is the sole actor who acts convincingly. Yashpal Sharma, as Divya's husband, is okay. Dayashankar Pandey provides some comic relief. Vijayendra Ghatge, Anjan Srivastava and Alok Nath are wasted.

On the whole, LIFE EXPRESS is a lifeless experience. 

Rating by @nkit:- 1.5*/5

Monday, September 13, 2010 Anjaana Anjaani Movie Preview by Ankit Posted by Bollystorys at 11:59 PM

Eros International presents ANJAANA ANJAANI, which is produced under Sajid Nadiadwala's Nadiawala Grandson Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. Banner. Directed by Siddarth Anand the film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra & Zayed Khan.

The music of the film is done by duo Vishal-Shekhar, who has composed the music for all of Siddharth's films in the past.

ANJAANA ANJAANI is a story about two strangers...one stranger than the other, Akash {Ranbir kapoor} Kiara {Priyanka chopra}which is all set to hit the screens on 24th September 2010


 
Synopsis:

Two people can meet ANYWHERE. In a cab on a rainy New York afternoon, at the neighborhood bar, in a queue waiting to use the ATM Machine, On a plane, deep sea diving, in the middle of an earth quake, sitting on that famous bench at the Taj Mahal or standing under the Pyramids in Egypt. You can meet someone in the most mundane of circumstances or in the most exotic ones. Akash and Kiara meet. But they meet in a situation as unusual as no other.

But what if the two people who meet as strangers want to stay that way? They want to end right where they started - as strangers.

This is the story of two strangers on an odyssey of discovery - down a path that is ridden with the exquisite pain and joy of falling in love, only they don't realize it.

A series of hilarious misadventures trace their bi coastal road journey as they go about fulfilling their last wishes. But then life interrupts, as is its habit; and painful choices must be made. The duo part with the understanding that their days together were a brief interlude of insanity that had to succumb to real life.

They part as they met - as strangers. But can a cloaked love so strange between two strangers conquer the idiom of normalcy we all believe in. Is it worth another chance? Is it worth leaving behind all that is familiar? Is it a love in time; is it truly the beginning they never expected? Follow Akash and Kiara, along this hilarious, contemporary yet poignant journey of stumbling into all that is worth living for.

Can you let a stranger change your life.... forever......

Director : Siddharth Anand
Music : Vishal Dadlani,Shekhar Ravjiani

Starring : Priyanka Chopra, Ranbir Kapoor, Zayed Khan

Thursday, September 9, 2010 Upcoming Attractions on Silver Screen till 15 october ..2010..Dates r given Below Pics.. Posted by Bollystorys at 11:52 PM

Sep 10, 2010           Dabangg

Sep 17, 2010           A Distant Mirage

Sep 24, 2010           Anjaana Anjaani

Oct 01, 2010           Aakrosh

Benny and Babloo

Khichdi - The Movie

Oct 08, 2010           Crook: It's Good To Be Bad

Do Dooni Chaar

Oct 15, 2010           Baru - The Wonder Kid

Dunno Y Na Jaane Kyun...

Jhootha Hi Sahi

Knock Out

Ramayana - The Epic

Wednesday, September 8, 2010 Exclusive Review of "Dabangg" by ANKIT Posted by Bollystorys at 9:51 AM

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Most importantly, it has Salman like never before. Breathing fire and venom, Chulbul Pandey aka Robinhood Pandey taps Salman's star power like no film has and the result is sheer magic. In fact, DABANGG stands on three pillars - Salman's star power, smashing stunts and super music.

Final word? Salman fans, rejoice! You walk in DABANGG with 100% expectations and you exit with 200% gratification. Entertainment guaranteed. This film will create a pandemonium of sorts, a mass hysteria, crushing old records and setting new benchmarks at the box-office.

Set in Uttar Pradesh, DABANGG is a story of Chulbul Pandey [Salman Khan], a totally fearless but corrupt police officer with unorthodox working methods. But even the most fearless at times face a tough fight with their innermost demons. Chulbul has had a bitter childhood. His father passed away when he was very young, after which his mother [Dimple Kapadia] married Prajapati Pandey [Vinod Khanna]. Together, they had a son Makhanchan [Arbaaz Khan].

Prajapati favors Makhanchan, which does not go down well with Chulbul. He decides to take control of his destiny and detaches himself from his step-father and half-brother. His sole attachment is his mother. However, after his mother's demise and an unsuccessful attempt to mend wounds, Chulbul snaps all ties with his step-father and half-brother.

Rajo [Sonakshi Sinha], with her unique perspective of life, enters his world and turns life upside down. Chulbul starts to see life more positively and also gets sensitized to the value of a family. But his detractors, especially the dubious Cheddi Singh [Sonu Sood], have their own vested interests and emerge as spokes in the wheels, putting one brother against the other. Makhanchan ends up carrying out an act oblivious to the consequences. 

The job of a promo is to give a gist of the film and prepare the audience well in advance about what to expect when they saunter into an auditorium. The promos of DABANGG have sent the right signals to the audience about it being a paisa vasool entertainer. Let's face it, DABANGG has nothing ground-breaking to offer as far as its plot is concerned. We've visited similar stories in the past, but what makes DABANGG shine, and shine brightly, is Salman's star power, which camouflages the aberrations wonderfully. The darling of the masses has been cast in a role that his fans love to see him in, which explains why this film works from start to end.

Like I pointed out earlier, DABANGG is special for two more reasons: S. Vijayan's stunts and Sajid-Wajid's music, with an additional song by Lalit Pandit. Talking of action scenes, Salman's introduction at the start and the fight-to-finish in the climax will send the masses in frenzy. To state that the action scenes are outstanding, especially the fight in the finale, would be an understatement. In the finale fight, when Salman's shirt tears apart and the rippling muscles and the bare-chest fight ensues, mark my words, it will lead to chaos at mass-dominated centres, especially at single screens. The climax will be one of the prime reasons for repeat viewing, for sure.

It's difficult to accommodate music in an action film, but Sajid-Wajid come up with a melodious score. The title track, 'Tere Mast Mast Do Nain' and 'Munni' [composed by Lalit Pandit] are the icing on the cake. 

Director Abhinay Singh Kashyap is in his element. He's made an out and out entertainer with an eye at the masses and he succeeds in his endeavour. Doing justice to vintage formula is no cakewalk, let's not forget. Besides, the director stays away from going overdramatic while handling the dramatic and emotional moments. This explains why you don't exit the theatre with a spinning head. Mahesh Limaye's cinematography is perfect. I'd like to make a note of the editing [Pranav V. Dhiwar], which is super-slick in action scenes. Dialogue, especially those delivered by Salman, will be greeted with claps and whistles. Especially the one 'Itne chhed karunga'.

Salman Khan is the boss, when it comes to playing to the masses. This film reaffirms this truth. The role provides him ample opportunity to prove his star power and he does it with remarkable ease. Let me put it on record. DABANGG is yet another landmark film in his career, besides MAINE PYAR KIYA, HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN, JUDWAA [tapping the funny side], TERE NAAM [tapping the emotional side] and WANTED.

Sonakshi Sinha looks fresh, acts confidently and pairs off very well with Salman. Most importantly, she delivers the right expressions and is not overpowered by the galaxy of stars in the cast. Arbaaz Khan is efficient. He underplays his part well. Sonu Sood is electrifying, matching up to Salman at every step. In fact, the fight in the finale between Salman and Sonu is awe-inspiring. 

Vinod Khanna is excellent in a role that has grey shades. Dimple Kapadia is truly wonderful. Anupam Kher is, as always, good. Ditto for Om Puri. Mahesh Manjrekar doesn't get ample scope. Mahi Gill is alright. Tinnu Anand is effective. Murli Sharma is nice. Malaika Arora Khan sizzles in the 'Munni' track.

On the whole, DABANGG is a full on entertainer with three aces - Salman Khan like never before, stylish action and super music. It's a foregone conclusion that DABANGG will open huge. As far as the business prospects are concerned, the film will set new benchmarks, so much so that DABANGG will be one of the yardsticks to gauge the level of business in times to come. Sure to fetch an earth-shattering opening, the film will create a pandemonium at the box-office, cementing the status of Salman Khan as the darling of the masses and making the distributors laugh all the way to the bank. It has Blockbuster written all over it!

Rating by @nkit :-4.5/5*

Tuesday, September 7, 2010 We are family[Review] Posted by Bollystorys at 2:10 AM

The promos of ‘We Are Family’ gave an indication that it is an emotional dramatic affair with ample fun moments. The stress here is on the word ‘fun’ because an attempt has been made by the makers to create an impression that there are enough laugh hearted moments in the film to keep the smiles on right through the film’s narrative.

The fact though is that fun moments are only intermittently placed in this directorial debut of Siddharth Malhotra. And thank goodness for that because the best parts of the film are when the story teller either gets some good drama rolling or raises the emotional quotient of the film. Ok, so the light moments may not be over the top or artificial but when a film has actors of the calibre of Kajol and Kareena Kapoor, you want the sparks to fly and histrionics to be visible.

There is a jerky beginning to ‘We Are Family’ though. The character establishment of Kajol as a divorced mother of three, Arjun as a caring parent and Kareena as his steady girlfriend is done pretty quickly but still, one waits for the drama to kick start soon. One slowly warms up to the characters but the film gets it’s complete attention only when Kajol and Kareena come face to face. In the midst of it all, Arjun handles the situation in a mature manner without resorting to being a ‘bechara pati’.

Post an unnecessary ramp show that doesn’t add much to the film, the film does pick up further as tension rises between the two women. From this point on the film comes on it’s own and the strength again lies in the subtle manner in which the proceedings take place. Once Kajol decides to allow Kareena become a part of the family, one does expect some fun element to set in, courtesy the coming together of two mothers in a single house. However, this pretext is hardly churned much which leaves one a tad disappointed.

It appears that the constraint here was keeping the film’s length in check due to which the story comes to it’s main point soon after. It won’t be fair to talk about the twist element here but the moment the narrative starts delving deeper into the trouble that this family is facing, the drama gets engrossing. From this point on there is no looking back as Siddharth manages a good control over the proceedings way till the climax.

It would be only fair to say that performances are the strongest point of ‘We Are Family’. Kajol is the central element here and does what is expected from her i.e. come up with a fantastic performance. She stays natural right through the course of the film and her act during the last 30 minutes is a testimony to that. As for Kareena, she certainly has a far tougher role to play as she has to fluctuate between playing someone who is cornered to being defensive to being submissive and then also someone who is trying hard to be accepted. As a working woman who has to go through varied emotions while being a part of a stranger family, Kareena excels in doing it all with effortless ease.

Arjun Rampal’s character is such which is required to keep things in control around him and he does well in doing that. One can see his growth as an actor and he does more than just being a silent observer. At number of instances in the film, he does demonstrate his point of view and gets things done his way as well which justifies his character which, despite having a lesser screen time, isn’t less important. As for the three kids, they are plain natural and turn out to be just perfect for their respective parts. Music in the film is plain average though ‘Reham O Karam’ turns out to be the pick of the lot, courtesy it’s sound that continues to haunt even after the film is through.

Overall, ‘We Are Family’ may not have the high voltage drama that one may have expected, courtesy the two powerhouse performers coming together. Reason being that Siddharth plays it all subtle and gives a modern day touch to the story telling which is totally unlike the ’saas bahu’ sagas that we are exposed to every hour on the small screen. This is the reason why one appreciates the histrionics even more since everything is underplayed in this two hour long film which primarily caters to that segment of audience that wants to shed a tear or two during a movie watching experience.

‘We Are Family’ isn’t one of those films that takes a whopping initial on it’s first three days and then disappears in quick time after making profits. This Karan Johar production should take a decent opening and only grow from word of mouth to stay consistent at the box office for few weeks despite a strong competition ahead in ‘Dabangg’.

rating by @nkit-   2/5