Hrithik Roshan makes Guzaarish a great watch.

Movie – Guzaarish (Hindi)

Director – Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Producers – Ronnie Screwvala, Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Cast – Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Rajit Kapoor, Shernaz Patel, Nafisa Ali, Monikangana Dutta, Suhel Seth,

Music – Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Cinematography – Sudeep Chatterjee

Editor – Hemal Kothari

Screenplay, Dialogues – Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Bhavani Iyer, Vibhu Puri

Background Score – Tubby

Release Date – 19^th November 2010.

I was quite turned off by the promos and song visuals of Guzaarish that I saw on TV so far. I thought Mr. Sanjay Leela Bhansali was making the same mistake of being over-indulgent like he did in Saawariya. The movie looked like it was inspired from Christopher Nolan’s brilliant The Prestige from the visuals of the magic shows in the promos. The music also didn’t impress me much except for a couple of songs on the first hearing. Yet, I wanted to watch the movie for Hrithik Roshan and the stunning visuals that has become Bhansali’s trademark. And when I watched it today, I realized I was so wrong about the movie.

Guzaarish tells the story of Ethan Mascarenhas (Hrithik Roshan), a famed magician who turned into a quadriplegic after a fatal accident during one of his shows.  He has been going through the pain and suffering of living a completely paralyzed life for 14 long years. He is completely dependent on his caretaker/nurse for 12 years, Sofia (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) who gave up everything in her life to look after Ethan. Ethan hosts a radio show through which he inspires the people of Goa to live their lives fully, but on the other hand, he wants to end his miserable life full of suffering. So he requests his advocate friend Devayani (Shrenaz Patel) to appeal for Euthanasia aka mercy killing to the court. In the meanwhile, an enthusiastic Omar Siddiqui (Aditya Roy Kapoor) also lands at Ethan's mansion to learn magic from him. Guzaarish tells the story of Ethan and his relationships with these few people in his life.

The storyline of Guzaarish is almost completely lifted from an Academy Award winning Spanish movie The Sea Inside [2004] (No, I havent seen it, I read up the synopsis on IMDB. :P) making it Bhansali's second film on disability lifted from a foreign feature film. And the various sub-plots are lifted from various other films. If Rani Mukherji could not see, hear or speak in Black, those are the only things that Hrithik Roshan can do in Guzaarish, as he is completely paralyzed below his neck. Even though the film is not original, Sanjay Leela Bhansali has managed to create a beautiful picture out of the source material with some great performances, touching moments and stunning cinematography. There are several moments in Guzaarish which make you smile utilizing Hindi Cinema’s best charm – the feel good factor, and there are many others which make your eyes moist. And yes, he has utilized his passion for narrating his stories opulently, Broadway style, just like he did in Saawariya, but he has used it better this time around for a much more engaging story. While Saawariya remained a showreel for Ravi K Chandran’s cinematography, Omung Kumar’s art direction and Monty’s music, Guzaarish is more than just that.

But the film is not devoid of faults. Bhansali’s films have always been detached from reality and Guzaarish is no different. The film is set is supposed to be set in present day Goa, but it is drastically different from the Goa we have seen on screen so far. His trademark melodrama also seeps in time and again and goes to great heights during a silly group hug in the closing shot, which one can tolerate only because of Hrithik’s great performance. The major issue with the writing is that the audience cannot identify with Ethan’s plea for Euthanasi in spite of all the characters and Ethan himself talking about his pain and suffering several times. Guzaarish begins like a feel good movie which you think would have a very positive ending which would leave you with a smile. But when it actually gets over, one is confused whether he/she should feel happy or sad about what happened in the end. Another aspect is that, the relationship between Ethan and his student Omar is never explored. It had such great potential to be a great influence on Ethan’s life. But it is not developed beyond a point. Bhansali doesn’t show how Ethan passes on his magic tricks to Omar, and conveniently tells us by the end that Omar has learned all of Ethan’s tricks and has become a great magician himself. This angle certainly needed to be developed in a better way, especially when there was a back story of why Omar came to Ethan. In spite of all this, the movie strikes a chord with the audience, and that is the director’s success. The dialogues by Vibhu Puri and Bhavani Iyer are very good.  

Hrithik Roshan gives a mesmerizing performance as Ethan Mascarenhas. Acting out such a part where there is absolutely no scope for body language, since the character is paralyzed, is extremely difficult. And Hrithik has come up trumps by using only his face and dialogue delivery and gives us his second best performance (his best still has to be Jodhaa Akbar). All the awards should come pouring in pretty soon. After the dismal show of his previous film Kites, the actor is back with a stunning performance which only an actor of his calibre can deliver. If there’s one reason which you should watch Guzaarish for, it is Hrithik Roshan.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is very good. This year, there has been an overdose of Aishwarya through Raavan/Raavanan, Enthiran, Action Replayy and now Guzaarish. She looked stunning in Enthiran and Action Replayy, but in Guzaarish, her looks are not that impressive, and she messes it up with some really unwanted (in this movie at least, :P) display of cleavage and the bright red lipstick that she sports in almost all the scenes. Come on, she’s a home nurse, for God’s sake!! If home nurses were to look like Aishwarya Rai, almost all the men in the country would willingly fall ill. Her wonderful chemistry with co-star Hrithik, evident in their earlier films like Dhoom:2 and Jodhaa Akbar is still intact. Watch out for the scene where Hrithik pretends to be aroused and Aishwarya responds to it with some naughty moans. Its an instant classic. Aishwarya’s acting is great, but is completely overshadowed by the absolutely brilliant performance of Shernaz Patel who plays Hrithik’s advocate. Shernaz is excellent as Ethan’s friend and lawyer who has to fight for his death plea in spite of being against it. Aditya Roy Kapoor is impressive in a loosely written role that had so much more potential. Rajit Kapoor, Nafisa Ali and Suhel Seth are good.

Each frame in the movie is a masterpiece. Sudeep Chatterjee, take a bow!! The frames are designed in such a way that they look stunning, no matter what the content of the scene is. The cinematographer and art director along with the costume designer have worked hard to give an amazing look to the film. And unlike Saawariya, the film is not saturated with any colour. Most of the colours are muted and dull, just like Ethan’s world and the only instances where the movie gets colourful are the ones where Ethan is taken out of his mansion. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s music was not great when listened to as an independent soundtrack, but when the songs play out in the movie; they work very well for the film. He always had a great taste for music and that has been evident in all his films so far. ‘Tera Zikr’ is the pick of the lot and the beautiful ‘Sau Gram Zindagi’ reflects Ethan’s life. The brilliantly choreographed ‘Udi’ has Aishwarya showing off her dancing skills yet again. But the brilliance of a usual SLB movie soundtrack is sorely missed. The film is credited to four production designers and the effort is definitely shown. The background score is decent.

Bhansali has plagiarized a great plot and made it into a fairly good movie, with some serious faults in the writing department, which the which the master craftsman that he is, managed to camouflage to a certain extent. Picture perfect cinematography, opulent sets, good music, some beautiful moments and most importantly, Hrithik Roshan’s stunning performance make Guzaarish a worthy watch which you wouldn’t regret spending your time on. Definitely one of the better films of the year.

Rating – 3.5/5

Action Replayy - Theek hai.

Movie - Action Replayy (Hindi)
Director - Vipul Amrutlal Shah
Producer - Vipul Amrutlal Shah
Cast - Akshay Kumar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Rannvijay Singh, Neha Dhupia, Om Puri, Kirron Kher, Rajpal Yadav, Randhir Kapoor
Music - Pritam
Cinematography - Sejal Shah
Editing - Amitabh Shukla
Art - Aparna Raina
Screenplay, Dialogues - Suresh Nair, Aatish Kapadia
Release Date - 5th November 2010. 

• The film begins with a colourful retro-styled title sequence, complete with dhinchak music. Like.
• One of the earliest scenes has a joke about Mallika Sherawat. Like.
• Aditya Roy Kapoor is re-introduced (according to the titles) and he does a decent job. But the length and shape of his hair keeps changing throughout the movie. And yea, he wears a Master Yoda T shirt in one of the scenes which I so want to buy. Like. 
• The storyline is a straight rip-off from Back To The Future. But they credit it to some Gujarati play. Maybe the Gujarati play itself was lifted from Back To The Future. :P Dislike. 
• The totally dhinchak and awesome song 'Zor Ka Jhatka' is totally misplaced in the film, even before it goes into retro mode and introduces the characters in their true form. Dislike. 
• The retro effect does not come out anywhere near Om Shanti Om or Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai. They have tried, but have not succeeded completely. It remains just as an over the top attempt to go retro. Dislike.
• Rajpal Yadav. :) :) :) :) . Like. 
• Rannvijay Singh is much better than how he was in London Dreams. Like. 
• Om Puri is always great. Like.
• Kirron Kher is over the top in a good way. Like. 
• Akshay Kumar in a hideous wig and with a completely fake buck tooth in the first half. Dislike. 
• Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is totally hot in her intro song and continues to look hot and beautiful throughout the movie. Like. 
• Akshay Kumar continues his nerdy act and that irritating laugh from Jaanemann. Manages to be funny in majority of the scenes despite his bad make-up. Like. 
• Neha Dhupia appears randomly in scenes and songs. Has no dialogues except for a couple of lines in the second half. Looks very pretty and cute. Like. 
• Randhir Kapoor as the nutty professor who invents a silly looking time machine. And he's named Anthony Gonzalves. Dislike. 

• The'Oh Bekhabar' song which has Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who looks gorgeous even at 37 (or is it 39?). Like. 
• The pathetic quality of all the other songs while there was ample scope for a chartbuster soundtrack. Pritam - Fail. (Except for Zor Ka Jhatka & Oh Bekhabar). Dislike. 
• Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, apart from looking good, also manages to reflect her own self in a role that suits her perfectly. :P Like. 
• Akshay Kumar after the make-over, even though the wig is still terrible. In top form. Like.
• Aawaaz Neeche!! And the entire audience repeating it with Akshay each time he says it in the movie. Double Like. 
• The screenplay takes a shamelessly convenient and predictable route throughout the movie, just like the team's previous movie London Dreams. If things happened so easily like in this movie, life would be so much better. Dislike. 
• I didnt get the joke about Kundan Lal (Rannvijay) singing in two voices and being signed by some Mahesh Kumar, which everyone seems to like. Dunno whether to Like or Dislike. :|
• They had such a wonderful opportunity to recreate the madness of Padosan since they had a very similar situation where Aditya was singing and Akshay was lip-syncing. But they do that also very conveniently, with no connection or reference to the style followed in Padosan. Dislike. 
• A Hum Kisise Kum Nahin- like singing competition. Great opportunity, totally destroyed with some terrible songs. And again, no reference to that film, despite being influenced by it. Dislike. 
• One more joke about Mallika Sherawat. Like.
• The funny chase sequence towards the climax with almost the entire cast. Like. 
• The half-decent 'Tera Mera Pyar' song, shot well, and has Karthik's vocals. Like. 
• The broken Time Machine is repaired without any explanation whatsoever. Dislike. 
• The girl who played Tanya. Dislike. 
• Cinematography is quite good. The entire film is vibrant and colourful. 
• The over the top art direction and costumes. Retro look didnt work out. Dislike.
• Background Score is quite decent. With some straight lifts from Johnny Gaddaar. Its Pritam. Thats expected. Like. 
• The crowd at Sridar whom I watched the movie with. The atmosphere in there was great and thats a major reason why I could have fun while watching this movie. Like. 

So, as you can see, there are more things I liked about Action Replayy than the things I didnt like about it. I expected a terrible movie after reading the initial reviews. But the movie is much better than Akshay Kumar's recent movies. Its nowhere near Vipul Shah's earlier movies. But still, its a timepass watch, which bored and masala-loving souls like me can enjoy. The film worked for me because of Akshay, Aishwarya, Rajpal Yadav and some good jokes. It could have been a wonderful throwback to the 70s, but the retro effect doesnt work that well. The plot is obviously inspired from Back To The Future but its nowhere as good as the original. But still, the movie is fun as long as it lasts, if you know that you shouldnt be expecting logic and consistency in a movie like this. 

Rating - 3/5

Cocktail - A compelling watch. Recommended!!

Movie - Cocktail (Malayalam)

Director - Arun Kumar

Producer - Milan Jaleel

Cast - Jayasurya, Anoop Menon, Samvritha Sunil, Fahadh Fazil, Innocent, Aparna Nair.

Music - Alphonse, Ratheesh Vega

Background Score - Ratheesh Vega

Cinematography - Pradeep Nair

Story, Screenplay - Shyam Menon

Dialogues - Anoop Menon

Editing - Arun Kumar

Art - Prashanth Madhav

Costumes - Velayudhan Keezhillam

Release Date - 22nd October 2010

Cocktail was announced as Jayasurya's and Anoop Menon's foray into film production and Priyadarshan's trusted editor Arun Kumar's foray into direction. But then, the credit list of the movie says that Milan Jaleel is its producer. Whoever the producer may be, the team has come up with a more than decent movie which is probably the best bet among the movies released after Ramzan. Arun Kumar, following his guru's footsteps, has taken a Hollywood movie as an inspiration for his first directorial venture. Cocktail is a faithful rip-off of Butterfly on a Wheel (Pierce Brosnan, Gerard Butler - 2007). [I havent seen the original. Have just heard bits and pieces of the story]. The movie is adapted well into Malayalam, but what it lacks is the energy and raciness required for a movie of this genre. Nevertheless, it is quite an effective movie which would go down well with a niche audience. 

Ravi (Anoop Menon) and Parvathi (Samvritha Sunil) are happily married and are leading a wonderful life with their 6 year old daughter Ammu. Ravi is rapidly climbing up the stairs of success in both real estate and construction business, thanks to him being in the good books of his young boss Naveen (Fahadh Fazil). And one day, Ravi and Parvathy leave their daughter at home under the care of a new babysitter Beatrice and leave - Ravi for an official meeting and Parvathy for a kitty party. On the way, they offer a lift to a stranger (Jayasurya) and within minutes, their lives go topsy-turvy. Cocktail tells the story of how this stranger plays with the lives of the couple. 

Cocktail has a pretty compelling storyline. It does not deviate from the main plot except during a totally unwanted item song. But still, the movie is not racy enough for a thriller like this. It could have been much much better if it had some more energy in it. Having said that, it tackles a theme which is very relevant in city life today (which if mentioned here would spoil the suspense) and portrays it effectively as well. Shyam Menon has adapted the storyline from the Hollywood original into Malayalam impressively. The movie's best part is its climax after a not-so-good pre-climax portion. The dialogues by Anoop Menon are brilliant. It is very tough to write natural dialogues in Malayalam (with a liberal dose of English) and Anoop Menon is a master at it. The dialogues are one of the best aspects in the movie. The F word is used rather liberally and thankfully it sounds authentic since most characters in the movie speak good English. 

It is refreshing to see the life of a rich upper class family in Malayalam Cinema, which normally keeps telling stories of poverty, the mandatory japthi and all that. Cocktail tells the story of the elite families in the state (especially in Kochi) and how their lives are. People speaking great English without an accent, a wife who goes for kitty parties, a corporate office environment, and many such things associated with the elite are portrayed in this movie, which is a first in Malayalam Cinema. And will go down very well with the upper middle class and elite crowd in the audience. 

Samvritha Sunil comes up with the best performance in the movie, which is also her career best. She looks gorgeous, acts brilliantly and wears some lovely costumes. Most importantly, she's very comfortable playing mother to a six year old. Jayasurya also gives a deadly performance in the movie. His role, with grey shades is sure to receive applause from the audience. He proves again that he's probably the best among the present young crop of actors. He does not have any airs about that and still plays all the different characters he gets, be it a hero or a villain or a comedian or a supporting actor, and shines in all of them. Anoop Menon is inconsistent. He's brilliant at portions and very ordinary in some others. He reminds one of Mohanlal, Mammootty and Suresh Gopi all at the same time and there's a heavy Mohanlal hangover in many of the emotional scenes. (He put that to good use in Thirakkatha and Pakal Nakshatrangal earlier). Otherwise, his performance is good. The credibility of the movie lies upon the performances of its 3 main leads and they pull it off quite well. Fahadh Fazil is highly impressive in a cameo. Innocent is not convincing as a Palakkad Iyer. Aparna Nair is okay. Kani Kusruti is good. The junior artiste who played a very important character Beatrice, was unintentionally funny.  And thankfully they did away with Suraaj Venjarammoodu who was also supposed to be a part of the movie. 

Director Arun Kumar is heavily influenced by his mentor Priyadarshan, in a positive way. Almost every frame in the movie is beautiful and the movie has some great visuals. And the beautifully shot 'Neeyam Thanalinu' stands testimony to the director's eye for great visuals. He could have made the movie racier, especially since he is the editor of the movie as well. The desperate situation of the couple doesnt come across that effectively in some key scenes. Otherwise, his handling of the subject is very good and the effective climax more than makes up for the not-so great portions before that. And as we have forgiven his guru for lifting plots from other movies, we should forgive him too, since he has done a good job at that. 

Music of the film is very good. 'Neeyam Thanalinu' is one of the best songs in recent Malayalam film music. Ratheesh Vega is a great find, and he excels in that song as well as the background score. Alphonse's 'Vennilavumivide' is a brilliant situational song, which also plays out during the end credits. The item was song was bad and totally uncalled for. Cinematography by Ravi K Chandran's erstwhile assistant Pradeep Nair is brilliant. The film looks great, thanks to him. Art direction by Prashant Madhav is very good. And the costumes by Velayudhan Keezhillam are amazing. Its such a relief to see actors wearing such nice clothes on screen other than the loud and colourful costumes we are used to in Malayalam films. 

Cocktail is a drastically different film from the same kind of movies offered to us friday after friday at the movie halls. A very good attempt by the whole team, it should be appreciated and promoted well to get the success it deserves. It could have been much much better, but still it impresses in its present form. A strong social message about families and values are also given out through the film. Watch it, you wouldnt be disappointed. 

Rating - 3.5/5

P.S. - I liked the fact that Jayasurya has christened his fans association as Jayasurya Friends association. Makes him more closer to them. Good move. :) 

Jhootha Hi Sahi - A light-hearted, enjoyable rom-com.

Movie - Jhootha Hi Sahi (Hindi)

Director - Abbas Tyrewala

Producers - Madhu Mantena, Abbas Tyrewala

Cast - John Abraham, Pakhi, Raghu Ram, R Madhavan, Manasi Scott, Alishka Varde, Anaitha Nair, Prashant Chawla, Omar Khan, George Young, Nandana Sen

Music - AR Rahman

Cinematography - Manoj Lobo

Story, Screenplay - Pakhi, Abbas Tyrewala

Dialogues - Abbas Tyrewala

Release Date - 22nd October 2010

This movie has been getting unanimously negative reviews from almost all the critics ranging from Taran Adarsh to Khalid Mohammed. But you know what, I really enjoyed this film. Its nowhere as brilliant as the director's first film Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. (Maybe because he didnt have Aamir Khan keeping a watch on each and every aspect of the film.) But yea, it still is an enjoyable watch, much better than the Anjaana Anjaanis and We Are Families. It is heavily inspired by the world's favourite sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and almost 70% of the film is based on conversations between the leading man, his friends and the leading lady. And it has an absolutely beautiful soundtrack by AR Rahman who is in top form. The movie is the second installment in Abbas Tyrewala's 3 part series on love and friendship. 

The movie tells the story of Siddharth (John Abraham, brilliant), a nerdy guy who works along with a couple of his friends at an Indian book store 'Kaagaz Ke Phool' in London. His world comprises of his weird and quirky friends circle -  the Pakistani siblings Omar (Raghu Ram, killer), Aaliya (Alishka Varde, lovely); the gay co-owner of the bookstore Amit (Omar Khan), who has a crush on Uday (Prashant Chawla); Aaliya's boyfriend Nick (George Young) and his airhostess girlfriend Kruthika aka Kuttika (Manasi Scott, fiery). Sid's landline number gets mistaken for a suicide helpline as part of a mix-up and eventually he volunteers to council people who're contemplating suicide, through the hotline. One one such instance, he gets a call from Mishka [from the video store :P] (Pakhi) who wants to commit suicide because her boyfriend Kabir (R Madhavan) dumped her for another girl. Sid starts talking to her and gradually makes her life better, but stays as a voice without a face. But falls for her when he sees her in person. And in a series of lies, he helps Mishka as her friend on phone and also tries to woo her as the real Siddharth. What happens next forms the story of Jhootha Hi Sahi. 

The story written by the leading lady Pakhi is as predictable as it can get. But the movie is full of enjoyable moments - mostly interactions & conversations between John & friends and John & Pakhi, which makes it very enjoyable. It doesnt have the charm and the wit of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. But still manages to impress you. The entire setting and characters remind you of FRIENDS in almost every scene. But I feel, thats a very good inspiration as those scenes worked very well for me. 

One thing I dont understand is that why did this movie have to be set in London? It wouldnt have made any difference if it was set in Mumbai or any other Indian city. The characters speak mostly in Hindi (as opposed to similar Hindi movies). Other than the fact that London looks great and they might be offering subsidies for film shoots, there's no requirement for this film to be shot in London. Abbas Tyrewala made a name for himself through Jaane Tu and automatically his next film has a bigger budget and foreign locations. Thats not such a great thing, especially when there's no point in setting the film abroad. How many Indians would try committing Suicide in London? And out of them how many would speak Hindi? And out of them how many would call a suicide hotline before dying? Such basic errors are not taken care of in the movie. But yea, we can forgive him for that. 

John Abraham is excellent as the Clark Kent-ish Siddharth. This is perhaps his career best performance. He doesnt depend on his good looks and body-shody to carry off the character. And his comic timing is quite good (like we saw in Dostana earlier). He is definitely the best thing about the movie. Pakhi looks much older than her character and she doesnt have the conventional Hindi film heroine look. There is something cute about her, but one cant fully digest her as the leading lady of the film. Especially a girl whom everyone has a crush on. Her acting is pretty decent, but she lacks an effervescent screen presence which is so badly required for such a role. (Why didnt he cast Genelia again??). Raghu Ram sheds his ruthless Television image and plays Omar wonderfully. He's one strong reason why you should watch this film. Alishka Varde, the cute-as-a-button girl from Jaane Tu plays Raghu's pregnant-but-unwed sister wonderfully. R Madhavan is royally wasted in a ridiculous role and he sports a horrible beard as well. The others in the cast also perform their parts effectively. There are voice-cameos by Imran Khan, Riteish Deshmukh and Abhishek Bachchan over the phone as well. A shameless gimmick, but it actually works. 

The movie may also remind you of the SRK starrer Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi at certain points where John simultaneously handles Mishka as two different persons. But yea, JHS is a lot better than RNBDJ. The conversations and interactions between the characters are the life of the film. The film would have fallen flat with its awfully weak storyline otherwise. Not so long ago, another film on suicide came (read Anjaana Anjaani) and people actually wanted to commit suicide after seeing it. But this one, makes you feel good. (At least I did). There are Indo-Pak jokes made and there's the cliched gay angle also (but its handled well thankfully). The climax where the hero breaks the law, runs to the heroine and seals their love, is there in this one too. But is not half as good as it was in Jaane Tu. The novelty and quirkiness in handling such quirky scenes in Jaane Tu is sorely missed here. 

Music by AR Rahman is heavenly. This is his best soundtrack this year after Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya (Tamil). The movie opens with Rahman's favourite track from the movie 'Moonlight' in the wonderful voice of Vijay Yesudas. 'Hello Hello' and 'Cry Cry' are very good while 'Pam Para' is shot ordinarily. There's also a beautiful female version of 'Moonlight' in the background score of the film (rumored to be sung by Dido). The best track from the album 'Do Nishaaniyaan' shows the progress of Sid & Mishka's relationship. Sadly, the beautiful 'Call Me Dil' doesnt find a place in the movie. Another beautiful Rahman song wasted. 'Mayya Yashoda' is a superb party track which actually tells a story through its lyrics. The background score of the movie is equally wonderful and leaves a huge impact. The themes of Moonlight, Do Nishaaniyan and Call Me Dil sound wonderful as parts of the background score. Manoj Lobo captures some beautiful visuals of London (but havent we seen it all before?). But he leaves an impression with his work during the indoor sequences. (which means, almost 80% of the film.)

All in all, Jhootha Hi Sahi is not great cinema. But its a light-hearted, enjoyable romantic comedy which you can spend time watching along with your friends and/or girlfriend. Much better than many Hindi movies made in similar genres in recent times. It is not anywhere close to the director's brilliant debut, but is very good nonetheless. It has John Abraham in an earnest avatar giving his career-best performance, the deadly Raghu Ram as John's best friend and an effective supporting cast. It also has one of AR Rahman's best soundtracks in recent years. And I can say without doubt that I had a great time watching this movie. 

Rating - 3/5

Do Dooni Chaar - The Duggals win your heart.

Movie - Do Dooni Chaar (Hindi)

Director - Habib Faisal

Producers - Arindam Choudhuri, Walt Disney Pictures

Cast - Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Archit Krishna, Aditi Vasudev, Akhilendra Mishra.

Music - Meet Brothers, Anjan, Ankit

Cinematography - Anshuman Mahaley

Editor - Aarti Bajaj

Art - Mukund Gupta 

Story, Screenplay, Dialogues - Habib Faisal, Rahil Qazi

Release Date - 8th October 2010

Hindi Cinema has been consistently telling stories of either the extremely rich or the extremely poor. But the Indian middle class is a section that Hindi Cinema has constantly been avoiding (after the Hrishikesh Mukherjee era of course). Other than a Khosla Ka Ghosla, we've never had any good film in recent times that chronicles the lives of one of the biggest sections of India's population - the middle class. What we get on a regular basis are movies like Anjaana Anjaani about filthy rich NRIs (even when they're supposed to be broke) or Aisha about the elite Delhi families. Or otherwise it goes to the other extreme in movies like Peepli Live which showcase the lives of the extremely poor. So, everytime when films such as a Khosla Ka Ghosla or a Do Dooni Chaar comes, it brings a refreshing change from the regular big budget extravaganzas. 

Do Dooni Chaar tells the story of the Duggals, a lower middle class Punjabi family settled in Dilli. Papa Duggal (Rishi Kapoor) is a Maths teacher in a private school and also takes classes at a coaching centre to earn enough to meet his family expenses. Mummy Duggal (Neetu Kapoor) is the typical Indian housewife, and the support system for the entire family. Beti Duggal (Aditi Vasudev) is fed up of their livestyle and is infatuated by the luxurious lifestyles led by her friends. Beta Duggal (Archit Krishna) has all he wants to have (including a girlfriend and an iPhone) with the money he makes from cricket betting. The movie tracks the journey of this family from 2 (an old khataara scooter) to 4 (a brand new Alto car, at the price of a Maruti 800) and the adventures in between. 

The movie is instantly likable and is definitely one of the best films to have come out this year. With a story as simple as that, writer-director Habib Faisal presents a series of lovely incidents in the life of the Duggal family. Instead of showing the miseries that the family goes through to make ends meet, Habib has chosen the awkward and funny situations that the family faces at each stage to tell his story. And while he narrates this rather simplistic tale, he also throws light on a major issue - How the people who lay the foundation for generations in educational institutions are given a raw deal, when their students go on to scale heights in different walks of society. And also shows the values of the upright middle class families who are willing to pay bribes to get things done, but petrified of attempting even the smallest of shortcuts to earn some extra bucks.  

Rishi Kapoor, who must have never experienced even a bit of middle class life in his real life, comes up with a career best performance. The hugely underrated actor is first class as the father, the husband, the teacher and the common man. Rishi Kapoor makes Duggal Saab as real as possible. For example, there's a scene where he's talking to his son and he scratches his backside at some point during the conversation, making the entire atmosphere inside the house so completely natural that we smile at it. A 5 star rating for this man alone!! Neetu Kapoor shows how comebacks have to be made!! After a break of around 30 years, she plays Kkusum Duggal so endearingly well that we cannot imagine any other actress playing that part. And if there's anything called on-screen chemistry, that can be witnessed in plenty between this real life couple in the movie. Aditi Vasudev as the fiery tomboy daughter of Duggal Saab is nothing short of brilliant. Without any inhibitions of a newcomer, she comes up with a fantastic performance. Archit Krishna as the beta Duggal is another amazing performer. Akhilendra Mishra as the hen-pecked husband was hilarious. Rajesh Vivek as the TV Crime reporter was funny. 

The movie has ample emotional moments which make your eyes moist and make you smile, at the same time. At no point does the script get preachy or goes into melodramatic mode. The scene between Rishi Kapoor and the son after the match fixing issue is one brilliant example of how well Habib Faisal has handled such emotional scenes. The dialogues are witty, natural, simplistic and sound the least bit cinematic. The pre-climax goes into Priyadarshan mode with some slapstick sequences. (They're funny nevertheless).  But then a beautiful climax, which poses an important question about the position of teachers in our society, solves it all. Do Dooni Chaar is one of those rare movies where a great script, characterizations, narrative and performances go hand in hand to give you a beautiful experience. 

Cinematography by Anshuman Mahaley and art direction by Mukund Gupta go hand in hand to give a clear picture of the claustrophobic life of the Duggals in their cramped apartment. The art director has done a splendid job as no frame in the movie looks artificial and looks as realistic as it can get. Music by Meet Brothers Ankit and Anjan support the narrative well. 

Anyone and everyone who has had a middle class upbringing would thoroughly enjoy this movie and find it immensely relatable, as many of the events in the movie would have occurred to them as well. A must watch for people from all walks of society, it gives a slice of life picture of middle class families struggling to cope up with the speed in which the rest of the world is progressing. As much about the people of Dilli as it is about the middle class, its a film which has heart in every frame of it. Something which we get to experience only in Rajkumar Hirani's films these days. It is surprising that the writer of films like Jhoom Barabar Jhoom and Ta Ra Rum Pum could come up with a gem like this. As critic Sudhish Kamath pointed out, coming out of the Yash Raj camp can provide some really fruitful results. Its surprising that despite being Walt Disney Pictures' first mainstream Indian film, there is very little promotion being done for this film. This gem of a movie deserves to be watched and it needs much more publicity for people to come and watch it. Lets hope that things improve in the coming days and more people watch this movie after hearing the amazing response it has garnered from almost all possible critics in the country. It ranks among the best films of the year, somewhere between Udaan and Peepli Live. Do not waste any more time, go watch Do Dooni Chaar immediately. 

Rating - 4.25/5

My thoughts after watching Anjaana Anjaani

• When would big budget Bollywood flicks have enough of these NRI love stories?
• How many times would the same love stories be narrated again and again?
• Priyanka Chopra is hot and she can act too. (She got a National Award not so long ago). But its not so easy to pull of a Geet (Jab We Met) like Kareena did so effortlessly, even for her. 
• Ranbir, after giving fantastic performances in films like Wake Up Sid, Ajab Prem Ki.., Rocket Singh and Raajneeti, shouldnt have done this film. Bachna Ae Haseeno looks like a classic in front of this. 
• Why did Ravi K Chandran agree to do this film? 
• The whole movie is about suicide. By the time it ends, the one who's watching it would actually contemplate on committing suicide. 
• And yes, there is the club song where the hero and heroine get drunk and dance in a pub in America singing a Hindi song and the natives dance along with them.
• Each and every person they meet in New York (or whichever foreign land the movie is set in) is an Indian and can speak flawless Hindi. 
• Siddharth Raj Anand would at least be remembered as the guy who made the funny Salaam Namaste if he stops directing now. 
• Bollywood makes films as if there are no Indians living in India. If they havent noticed, all the big hits of recent times have been as Indian as ever - Dabangg, Peepli Live, Once Upon A Time in Mumbai, Raajneeti, 3 Idiots, Ghajini, Wanted and what not. Why do they still make stuff like We Are Family and Anjaana Anjaani? 
• Havent they had enough of gay jokes? Ranbir stripping and doing a pole dance to Mithunda's iconic Disco Dancer song is NOT funny!! Period. 
• Priyanka laughs at Ranbir when he says he's a virgin. She's shown to be a party animal who doesnt mind sleeping with men. But when after they fall in love, she has to become the sati-savitri types - so she says she's also a virgin and she was lying about those men. 
• Why would anyone want Zayed Khan to make a 'special' appearance in their movie? To prove that he's still alive?
• As somebody said on Twitter, Priyanka slept with a black man in Fashion. She supposedly sleeps with a white man in Anjaana Anjaani (which she later denies, even though she wouldnt remember a thing from that night). What next?? 
• And why the hell would they decide to release this movie along with Endhiran/Robot? Since the entire movie is about suicides, I think they also must have decided to do suicidal things. 
• Other than the club song, there is the falling in love song, the roaming around the cities song, the love song, the separation song, the realization song and the reunion song. Phew!! 
• Why did Ranbir have to deny us the pleasure of seeing Priyanka Chopra in a bikini, by forgetting to bring one when they go for a swim in the Atlantic Ocean? There was one good thing to look forward to and that also they dont give us. 
• Even though there are some 7-8 songs, Vishal Shekhar managed to give a good soundtrack. Their lyrics are all the same from their previous songs. But songs like 'Hairat' and 'Aas Paas Khuda' are very good. 
• Mr. Director, please watch films like Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya to learn how to narrate love stories with a difference. 
• Mr. Producer, last year you tortured us with Kambakth Ishq. This year also you didnt spare us with Housefull and now this. What plans next? 
• Mr. Ranbir Kapoor, please act in the kind of films you were doing so far (from WUS to Raajneeti) and not crap like these. You are truly superstar-cum-actor material. Dont spoil yourself by acting in such movies. 
• Ms. Priyanka Chopra. If you wanna do entertaining cinema, please do stuff like Bluffmaster or Don or even Dostana (couldnt take my eyes off you in that movie). If you want to demonstrate your acting skills, do stuff like Kaminey. Thank God that your next release is Saat Khoon Maaf. Sirf wohi reason ke liye is picture hum maaf kar sakte hain. 
• Mr. Vivek Ranjit, why do you have to watch such movies, even though everyone you know warns you against it. You will never learn!! 

Endhiran - The Robot

Movie - Endhiran - The Robot (Tamil) 

Director - Shankar

Producer - Kalanithi Maran

Cast - Superstar Rajnikanth, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Danny Denzongpa

Music - AR Rahman

Cinematography - Rathnavelu

Production Design - Sabu Cyril

Editing - Anthony

Sound Design - Resul Pookutty

Action - Peter Hein

SFX - Stan Winston Studios

Story, Screenplay - Shankar

Dialogues - Sujatha, Shankar, Karky

Release Date - 1st October 2010

A Rajnikanth movie without his spectacular entry, without a self-celebratory introduction song, without punch dialogues and without any of the usual trappings of Rajnikanth movie. Such an instance has never happened for more than 25 years now. This is just one of the impossible things that Shankar achieves through his magnum opus called Endhiran – The Robot. Conceived by him around 10 years back, Shankar went through a lot of hurdles to get this man v/s machine dream project on floors. After the tremendous success of Sivaji – The Boss, Shankar decided to team up with Rajnikanth once again for his most ambitious project  and soon he had Kalanithi Maran and Sun Pictures backing him up with a budget of over Rs.160 crores. And after being in production for around 3 years, Endhiran has finally released sending the millions of fans of Rajnikanth into a frenzy. 

Dr.Vaseegaran (Rajnikanth), after 10 years of hard work, creates an android Chitti (Rajnikanth again - Speed 1 Terabyte, Memory 1 Zeta byte) whom he wishes to use as a replacement to soldiers in the Indian Army. But the committee headed by Dr.Bohra (Danny Denzongpa), Vasi's mentor denies approval to the robot stating that it does not have human emotions and feelings and thus it can be misused by anyone quite easily. Vasi feels dejected by this and sets upon an extremely difficult task of instilling human emotions in Chitti. But when he finally succeeds in that enormous task, things go out of control. Chitti falls in love with Sana (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), Vasi's long-time girlfriend, thus creating a love triangle between the three. Sana rejects Chitti's proposal and this develops into a grand man versus machine spectacle.

It requires a man of amazing vision and imagination to even think that such a script can be pulled off in our country. There are ample moments in Endhiran which makes you want to say hats off to the vision of its director Shankar and his amazing technical crew. And unlike any other sci-fi/superhero film made in India (particularly in Hindi), this film actually has a plot, a wonderful one at that. Even though the film is about advanced robotics and science, Shankar narrates it in such a way that each and every one watching the film would understand every bit of what is going on in the movie. The late writer Sujatha's contribution to the screenplay is very evident in the way such complex themes are brought out with utmost simplicity. Dialogues by Shankar, Sujatha and Karky are simple, yet powerful. It's a movie for the masses, the classes and for all age groups from 6 to 60 and above. Perhaps one of the most entertaining movies ever made in the country, Endhiran is sure to break all collection records (if it hasn't already) in the weeks to come. 

Superstar Rajnikanth is deadlier than ever, playing three different roles with equal flourish. He plays the non-violent Dr.Vasi with a certain sophisticated dignity, Chitti with an irresistibly lovable charm and Chitti- Upgraded Version 2.0 as the devil incarnate. Rajnikanth looks 20 years younger and it is hard to imagine any other actor playing any of the three roles in this movie. He plays hero, comedian, dancer, fighter, savior and evil, all in the same movie and is nothing short of a treat to watch. Devoid of any of his usual gimmicks and style statements, he still manages to mesmerize his fans. And the final 30 minutes of the movie reminds us of the Rajni of the early 80s, and these portions have to be seen to be believed. The acting caliber of Rajnikanth has been utilized after a long long time. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan looks stunning for most portions of the film. Even though she plays arm-candy for all the Rajnis, she has a striking presence throughout the movie. She looks absolutely gorgeous in the songs and gives a decent performance as well. Danny Denzongpa gives an elegant performance as the evil Dr.Bohra and is a welcome relief from the usual Tamil villains. (The only issue is the out-of-sync dubbing done for him). Santhanam and Karunas are merely there and are not able to match up to Rajnikanth's impeccable comic timing. Malayalam actors Kalabhavan Mani and the late Cochin Haneefa come in one-scene cameos.

Each and every technical aspect of this film is top-notch. Be it the cinematography, production design, make-up, costumes, action, editing or special effects - each department is handled by the bests of the Indian and International film industries. Rathnavelu captures the movie in all its magnanimity and his work really comes into its own during the song sequences like 'Kaadhal Anukkal' and 'Kilimanjaro'. Sabu Cyril deserves nothing short of a National Award for his highly imaginative and futuristic production design and art works. Anthony could have used his scissors a little more in the second half, but still has done a tremendous job. Resul Pookkutty's sound design proves that he is capable of winning more Academy Awards. Action by Yuen Voo Ping and Peter Hein is unbelievably good. The sequence in the local train and the whole climax portions were fantastic. Special effects by Stan Winston Studios (who have worked on Terminator, Iron Man and Avatar) are the best that Indian Cinema has ever seen. The SFX team and the action team have done some extraordinary work in the final 30 minutes of the film making it a visual spectacle, which you can watch only with bated breath.

AR Rahman's music was declared a chartbuster on its release day itself. Shot in true Shankar style, the songs alone are worth the money you spend on your ticket. 'Kaadhal Anukkal' and 'Kilimanjaro' shows never-before-seen stunning locations like Macchu Picchu, shot in all their glory. Whereas 'Arima Arima' and 'Irumbile' has been shot on futuristic sets with imaginative costumes. The mandatory SP Balasubramaniam title song comes in a toned down, yet appealing version and 'Boom Boom Robo Da' and 'Chitti Dance Showcase' are excuses for Chitti to entertain us shamelessly. Choreography by Prabhu Deva, Raju Sundaram and others is excellent and suits the style of Rajnikanth. Vairamuthu and his son Madhan Karky write lyrics that complement the theme of the movie very well. The background score did not come up to usual Rahman-Shankar standards, but was still very good. The 2.0 theme track was killer. 

You can be sure of one thing while watching Endhiran. Such a movie has never come before on the Indian screen and it will take a long time for another such movie to come out as well. It is a spectacle which you can miss only at your own risk. If Sivaji was a Rajni film directed by Shankar, Endhiran is a Shankar film, utilizing both Rajni - the actor and Rajni - the superstar. Shankar with his amazing vision has shown us that nothing is impossible if you dare to dream. Ably supported by the best producers this movie could have ever got, Sun Pictures, this movie is sure to be a milestone in Indian Cinema. Move over Superman, Batman and Spiderman, we have Chitti - The Robot!! Shankar, Rajnikanth, Kalanithi Maran and the entire team can be proud. DOT!!

Rating - 4.5/5


(Previously published on nowrunning.com - http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/5775/tamil/endhiran-the-robot/2750/review.htm)