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

Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai

Movie - Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai (Hindi)
Director - Milan Luthria
Producers - Shoba Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor
Cast - Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Randeep Hooda, Kangna Ranaut, Prachi Desai
Music - Pritam
Cinematography - Aseem Mishra
Background Score - Sandeep Shirodkar
Editor - Akiv Ali
Art Director - Nitin Chandrakant Desai
Action - Abbas Ali Moghul
Story, Screenplay, Dialogues - Rajat Aroraa
Release Date - 30th July 2010






Gangster movies are always a treat to watch. You get to see all that you want, but cannot have - the power, the money, the rides, the girls, the fear, the respect, everything!! And when one is served a gangster movie with a full-on retro feel, taking us back to the underworld of Mumbai in the 70s, he must be totally excited to be watching it on first day, first show. Which is exactly what I did, and I should say that I enjoyed the trip back to the Mumbai of yore complete with a kickass background score. 

Synopsis - Seen through the eyes of a police officer, ‘Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai’ traces the changing face of the Mumbai underworld and how it all started. The film, set primarily in 1970 s Mumbai, follows the rise of Sultan (Ajay Devgn), and the conflict, when his protégé Shoaib (Emraan Hashmi), challenges his supremacy, and usurps power to rule the murky underbelly of Mumbai. 

Despite disclaimers stating that there are no resemblances to any particular individual(s), there are obvious references at many places in the movie which tells us whose story we are really watching. We have seen the stories of some of the characters in the movie told by other filmmakers as well. (Nayakan, Company). The story of a righteous underworld don and his power-hungry protégé, has been told many times in our films, but it is the period setting and the retro-chic narrative style that makes a difference to this movie. It reminds us of the Salim-Javed /Amitabh Bachchan movies of that period and maintains that spirit throughout. Kangna even refers to a new actor 'Amit' who can play Sultan's character if a film gets made on him. (Deewaar anyone??) Everything about the movie - the look, the cars, the clothes, the music and even the dialogues take you back to the 70s. 

Ajay Devgn has played the same role before in Company, but not once does his Sultan Mirza remind you of Mallik from Company. His performance is fresh and totally stylized. Dressed in white and white throughout the film, he looks every bit like the ruler of Mumbai. Such kind of intensity on screen can be brought out only by Ajay Devgn right now in Hindi Cinema. Emraan Hashmi is good, but could have been a bit more aggressive towards the penultimate reels. The actor shines in the intitial portions through which his character is established, but does not create the required impact once he takes over the empire. He looks great and plays his part well, but it definitely could have been better. Randeep Hooda puts up a surprisingly restrained performance and comes back from oblivion with a bang. Though he is credited only in a special appearance, he is as crucial as Ajay or Emraan to the movie. Kangna Ranaut plays the Bollywood diva elegantly and it was a great relief to see her playing a non-psychotic role for a change. The romantic portions between her and Ajay are developed beautifully. Producer Ekta Kapoor's favourite Prachi Desai looks cute and plays her part well. 

This is Milan Luthria's best work so far. The director had impressed us with his earlier outings like Kachche Dhaage and Taxi No 9211. But this time around, he has made a movie which will be equally appealing for the masses and the classes. His retro style treatment is what makes the movie stand out. The dialogues by Rajat Aroraa are truly of the 'seeti-maar' kind, like the ones that used to come in the films of the 70s and 80s. And it is interesting to note that despite being a gangster flick, the film has very little action, bloodshed and violence. Everything is said through the scenes and dialogues. That kind of impact is much better than that created through elaborate stunt sequences. Rajat Aroraa's screenplay is engaging throughout and not one scene is unwanted. 

Music by Pritam is very good with two melodious tracks, 'Pee Loon' and 'Tum Jo Aaye' inserted seamlessly into the narrative. It is very difficult to add effective romantic interludes in gangster flicks, but the romantic portions of the movie and the songs are handled very well, without hampering the narrative. The disco remix of RD Burman's 'Duniya Mein Logon Ko' along with an action scene was a good touch. But more than the music, it is the background score by Sandeep Shirodkar which makes the movie work. The film has an insane theme track where electric guitars go off in full retro style whenever Emraan Hashmi comes on screen. One would certainly feel like walking in slow motion to that track once he comes out of the theater. Though it seems a little inspired from a track from RocknRolla, it still sounds kickass and takes the movie to greater levels. Aseem Mishra's excellent cinematography captures the different shades of the Mumbai of the 70s. One of the best works of the year so far. (Maybe THE best after Raavan). Nitin Chandrakant Desai has become a master in recreating the past and he excels in this one too. The costumes, styling and make-up are also impressive. 

On the whole, Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai is an enjoyable trip back to the Mumbai of the 70s. The dialogues are clap-worthy, the music kickass, the performances perfect and the full treatment is great. Once upon a time, there used to be totally dhinchaak paisa vasool Hindi fillums. This movie almost reaches there. It could have been a lot more better, but in its present state also, this movie is certainly worth spending your money on. 


Rating - 3.5/5

Khatta Meetha

Happy to let you people know that my review of Khatta Meetha has been published in the NXG supplement of the Chennai edition of The Hindu newspaper dated 29th July 2010. Here's the online link to the review at The Hindu website - 


http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-nxg/article539089.ece

That was an edited version of the review. Posting the full, unedited version here, 

Movie - Khatta Meetha (Hindi)

Director - Priyadarshan

Producer - Akshay Kumar, Ashtavinayak

Cast - Akshay Kumar, Trisha Krishnan, Rajpal Yadav, Johnny Lever, Manoj Joshi, Khulbushan Kharbanda, Urvashi Sharma, Neeraj Vora, Makrand Deshpande, Milind Gunaji and others

Music - Pritam

Cinematography - V Manikandan

Production Design - Sabu Cyril

Editing - Arun Kumar

Story, Screenplay - Priyadarshan

Dialogues - Jay Master

Release Date - 23rd July 2010

Khatta Meetha draws inspiration (almost entirely) from Priyadarshan's own Vellanakalude Naadu (Malayalam), a strong social satire made in 1989. And like the original, Khatta Meetha is not an out and out comedy which it was promoted as (Mainly since Priyadarshan - Akshay Kumar films have always been slapstick comedies). Things get pretty serious in the second half and the movie enters the drama mode after some hilarious comic sequences in the first half. It also addresses the issues of corruption and political powerplay in our government offices. Comparing Khatta Meetha to its original is pointless since it would be blasphemy to compare Akshay Kumar to someone like Mohanlal. Unlike Malayalam, there is no subtlety or underplay in Priyadarshan's Hindi films, where every actor screams his dialogues at the top of their voices regardless of what kind of scene it is. But the Akshay - Priyan team has done a commendable job by refraining from making yet another slapstick comedy and attempting something a little more serious, without the grandeur and glamour of usual Hindi movies. 

Khatta Meetha tells the story of a desperate, unsuccessful road contractor Sachin Tichkule who is neck deep in debt. He is a descendant of a royal family and his father (Khulbushan Kharbanda) is a much respected person in the neighbourhood. His elder brother and brother-in-laws also work in the Public Works Department building roads and bridges, but they are all extremely well-off since they have the money and they know to utilize the loopholes in the corrupt system and get their work done faster. The entire family looks down upon Sachin except his sister Anjali (Urvashi Sharma). Things get worse for Tichkule when his ex-lover Gehna (Trisha Krishnan) takes charge as the new Municipal Commissioner of the town, and she completely hates him. There's a bridge which collapses, a murder that happens, a man out to take revenge, a road roller that rams into a house after being pulled by an elephant and much more which happens during the 2 hours 40 minutes of the film's running time. 

Akshay Kumar brings in some genuine earnestness to his character Sachin Tichkule. He succeeds partly, but everytime he impresses us, he spoils it with shouting his dialogues during the very next scene. He gets his attire right including the aviators, the black bag and the omnipresent umbrella, travels around in bicycles, auto-rickshaws and even police jeeps at times. He is effectively restrained in some scenes and goes irritatingly over the top in certain others. But on the whole, Akshay's performance is one of the positive aspects of the film and he brings out the hopelessness and desperation of the character really well. Tamil Cinema's darling Trisha could have chosen a better film and a better character to make her debut in Hindi. She doesnt really have much to do and in the very little screen time she gets, she is not all that impressive as well. Shobana played the same fiery character brilliantly in the original, but Trisha pales in comparison. The romantic portions between Akshay and Trisha also do not look great. Akshay as a Gandhian law college student singing 'Nanachi Tang', was a little too much. Rajpal Yadav is in top form after a long time and manages to deliver loads of laughs. Johnny Lever comes in a hilarious cameo as the driver of a road roller. But for a person who has seen Kuthiravattam Pappu's legendary performance in the original, Lever's act looks like a mockery. Khulbushan Kharbanda and Asrani are good. Tinu Anand, Urvashi Sharma, Milind Gunaji, Neeraj Vora and Makrand Deshpande are decent. Manoj Joshi shouts almost all his dialogues and is really irritating. 

The film has some very good scenes, comic and otherwise. Akshay's interactions with Khulbushan Kharbanda, the house-maintenance scene at Asrani's house (lifted from Siddique's Friends), all of Rajpal Yadav's antics, the entire road-roller sequence with Johnny Lever, Asrani's conversation with multiple people and Akshay's dialogue to Trisha about the corruption in our system, which is the most effective of them all. But on the flip-side, most of the serious events in the film looks outdated and out-of-place. The murder, the sister track, the entire college sequence, Trisha being framed and the subsequent scenes, etc. made sense in late 1980s, but do not make much sense now. But one thing that has remained constant then and now is the corruption in our system, and that aspect has been brought out well. The movie is set in rural Maharashtra, but some of the characters speak in a hybrid Marathi-Punjabi accent. Priyadarshan has only been partly successful in adapting his friend Sreenivasan's screenplay to Hindi. 

Music by Pritam is serviceable, but all the songs are placed at really odd places in the narrative. They just pop up randomly between scenes. 'Sajde' has been shot well reminding one of Priyadarshan's most famous songs in Malayalam (Ambalappuzhe from Advaitham). The song that comes in the end credits goes 'I'm allergic to Bullshit'. They wouldn't really have included that song in the movie, if they really meant it. National Award winner Ouseppachan has done the background score which has a strong southern feel to it. V Manikandan has done some really good cinematography. Sabu Cyril creates the perfect atmosphere of rural Maharashtra through his sets. Arun Kumar should have used his scissors more in the second half. The stunt sequence towards the end of the movie has been shot very well and it was surprising to see a stunt scene in a Priyadarshan movie after ages. 

On the whole, Khatta Meetha is passable fare. Dont go in expecting a usual Akshay-Priyadarshan movie, you may end up being disappointed. Carry some cotton also along with you since a major part of the dialogues are shouted out. On a more serious note, it is a satire which starts with some hilarious scenes in the first half, and goes into drama mode in the second half. It is not bad, it is not great either. 

Rating - 2.8/5