Aa Dekhen Zara

Director :Jehangir Surti
Music :Gourov Dasgupta and
Lyrics :Pritam Chakraborty
Starring : Sheershak Anand, Irshad Kamil, Syed Gulrez and Prashant Pandey
Neil Nitin Mukesh, Bipasha Basu, Rahul Dev and Sophie Choudry


Time-n-again it is proved that Bollywood has still a long way to go and polish itself in futuristic, sci-fi thrillers zone. First-time director Jehangir Surti's so-called fast paced sci-fi thriller AA DEKHEN ZARA is another good example of sort.

Jehangir who had a very interesting concept at the helm of AA DEKHEN ZARA - using a gizmo - a camera that can look into the future, had all the chance to explore and give away an exhilarating thriller. But the slick thriller that starts off well fades away just after the first hour. Post interval it loses its sheen as the script seems to go haywire with no specific direction. The post interval portions have been written without much imagination with convenient co-incidences coming up at regular intervals.


Ray Acharya (Neil Nitin Mukesh), a seeking work, freelance wild-life photographer inherits such a magical, antique-looking camera from his grandpa (Biswajeet) that changes things overnight for him. How? Well the camera has the special ability to reveal the future through the photographs taken from it (but it only takes pictures 24 hours into the future). As anyone in Ray's place would have done, he takes a peek into the future and bets on horses, lotteries and stock market through photographs. And starts enjoying life with his girlfriend Simi (Bipasha) who works as a DJ in a night club. The audience roots for Ray as he starts winning the horse races and lotteries thanks to his future seeing camera. But Ray soon discovers that the camera has mysterious powers. It shows the future, including Ray's impending death. Suddenly this camera with special powers becomes a national issue and many hands try to grab it including one Captain (Rahul Dev). Now Ray has to keep the camera safe from the evil forces headed by Captain.

AA DEKHEN ZARA is painfully inconsistent and doesn't even stay true to its own wrapped logic. Picture this; suddenly the camera which can only take pictures 24 hours into the future, as told in the beginning, takes the photographs of the happenings six days away, in the latter part of the movie.

After winning wide accolades & awards for the stupendous performance in his debut flick JOHNNY GADDAR, all expectations were pinned on Neil for AA DEKHEN ZARA. But Neil appears expressionless for most part of the movie and fails to leave any mark as the film doesn't offer him much scope to perform. Bipasha is glowing by the day, she looks hotter & fit but sadly even her character has been given limited horizon unlike what she could do with a thriller like RACE. Not only the performances of the lead actors, but even the desired chemistry lacked between Neil-Bipasha. Sophie Chaudhary who is playing a R. A. W. agent in the film is utterly wasted. Her presence is hardly felt. Rahul Dev is okay in his part but his character could have been developed in a better way.

One thing is worth mentioning that despite of several flaws and loopholes in the script the film manages to keep you on the edge of your seat, nah, not because of the characters or story but because you get hooked to know about the futuristic events shown by this magical camera.

Could have been better fare had the director & writer worked on the script part harder.


Source : http://www.glamsham.com

Ghajini

Director :A R Murugadoss
Music :A. R. Rahman
Lyrics :Prasoon Joshi and

Starring : Pravin Mani
Aamir Khan, Asin and Jiah Khan


Aamir Khan takes great pains to promote his movies, whether he is the producer, director or even an actor. I don't know the financial stake he has in A R Murugadoss' GHAJINI, but the way he has gone about promoting the movie, it appears as if it's his production or direction. But then, he is Aamir the perfect perfectionist. So it would be in line to first highlight the technical flaws in the screenplay, which leaves you asking many questions


* Like for instance, why is the death of the police officer, tracking down Aamir who is on a killing spree, not investigated?


* Also, he (the police officer) is locked up in Aamir's house for at least a day if not more, why did no one in the force miss him?


* Also, with the help of just one bus ticket, after the first killing, how come the said police officer 'zeroes in' quicker than the Scotland Yard on the right conductor of the BEST bus, who even knows where Aamir boards the bus from?


* Also, what happens to the chaddi advertisement, Aamir (Sanjay) agrees to do for Asin (Kalpana). Now here is the Chairman of Air Voice, a mobile company, has not anyone seen him in the ad? Moreover, Asin is blissfully unaware of his 'super rich' status even though she claims to be his girlfriend. When he goes for the shoot, the film breaks into a song in Namibia, with the much-talked about six looks of Aamir. Was it a dream sequence, or were the audience dreaming?


* And how come Jiah Khan, who plays a medical student, easily comes upon Aamir's medical file, wherein, the movie introduces Aamir and his medical problem - that of 'Short Term Memory Loss'. More importantly, the doctor taking the class knows that Aamir's is also a police case, so how come when he is arrested trying to kill Jiah, the police have no records about him.


* Also, when Jiah Khan is trying to figure out what happened after June 2006 to Aamir, she goes to an archive that stores newspapers when all she had to do is 'Google' the names Sanjay and Kalpana!!


* Finally, when RAB NE BANA DE JODI released two weeks ago, the ushers and staff at Big Cinemas, Wadala, sported the GHAJINI haircut, like many from other multiplexes. The least they could have done, or Aamir could have looked into, was to see that the look was maintained at the time of release as well and all through the week. Their hair has grown and the trademark lines on the scalp have been buried!

I'm sure Aamir would like to look into these flaws, or again, knowing the perfectionist that he is, he is aware and since this is a typical masala Bollywood film, he has let it be.

However, having highlighted these 'Short-Term Flaw' I must admit that the movie is in line with Hollywood revenge films. The action is slick, the fight sequences powerful, almost giving you a Jean Claude Van Damme impact. Full marks to Aamir for working on his physique to get the desired effect to put in that extra power into his role of a killing machine. He is simply marvelous when he bares his torso. His fight scenes are'up there' and his overall performance, well it would suffice to say that only a perfectionist would come up with a zinger! Asin who is already a rage down south, and who is also part of the hit Tamil version, is good. But there is something lacking in her skill. I mean she does not exactly go out there and 'attack' each scene. But she does endear in some scenes.

GHAJINI is a complete entertainer; it has action, romance, comedy, suspense and revenge, the age-old Bollywood formula. And Murugadoss has packaged it to meet the needs of the time and elevated it to a slick status, making use of the advancement in technology that was not afforded to revenge films of the 80s or 90s. He also comes in with the added advantage of having directed the hit Tamil film by the same name, which was a remake of Christopher Nolan's 2000 flick, MEMENTO.

The movie is about Aamir who is out to avenge his grilfriend's death. Aamir is a rich businessman, who 'accidentally' falls in love with Asin, a struggling model. During the course of their courtship, Aamir proposes to Asin and she agrees not knowing that he is who he is. In the meanwhile, Asin loves to help out the needy and one such exercise of her proves fatal. She rescues 25 girls who are being taken to Goa. GHAJINI, the man behind the flesh trade is not amused. He enters her house with his goons and does away with her, even as Aamir enters at the same time, to tell her who he actually is. He is hit on the head and hence the brain disorder when he cannot remember things for more than 15 minutes.

The film clocks three hours and the audience, who love typical Bollywood films, and are starving for the same, loved every minute of it. If violence revenge and a little bit of romance is what you like, GHAJINI is what you will love.

In the first few days, this film will break box-office records for the year.





Source : http://www.glamsham.com

Kismat Konnection

Director :Aziz Mirza
Music :Pritam Chakraborty
Lyrics :Shabbir Ahmed,
Sayeed Qadri
Starring : Shahid Kapoor, Vidya Balan, Juhi Chawla, Om Puri


What you look for in KISMAT KONNECTION is the chemistry between the two lead actors, Shahid Kapoor and Vidya Balan. What you also look for is telltale signs of a broken heart in Shahid Kapoor. Remember the film shooting began in Canada immediately after Saif Ali Khan whisked Kareena Kapoor, then Shahid?s girlfriend, away. On both counts, I don?t get what I?m looking for. The chemistry isn?t all that hot, and no, Shahid is not brooding in Canada.

All talk of romance between Shahid and Vidya, I guess, was just a publicity gimmick to rake up interest in this flick, but Kismat, has let the producers down. The Konnection just does not work. More than having anything to do with the lead pair, I think it has everything to do with the storyline, which is so flimsy, that you fear it will snap mid-way. No novelty in the drama, no ideation put through when the two first meet, no novelty in planning the end as well. You can just guess what is coming up.

And yes, there is no standout performance as well. Vidya Balan looks gorgeous, but there are certain angles in which she looks way older than she actually is. Also, the girl will have to hit the gym, pronto. Shahid Kapoor was fabulous in JAB WE MET. Had it something to do with the presence of Kareena Kapoor? Here, he just about manages to pull through the scenes. Nothing extraordinary. There is no one else, the rest just support the two in their romance. The music too, is nothing to write about.


Raj (Shahid) is a struggling architect. Brilliant in his college in studies, sports and drama, he finds it tough in the real world. As luck would have it, he learns about a certain Haseena Banu Jaan (Juhi Chawla wasted in the role) who is a fortuneteller. She tells him that he will find something that will be his lucky charm. And that something happens to be a someone called Priya (Vidya Balan). Whenever Vidya is around, Shahid gets lucky. Vidya is attached to one Community Centre where the old are taken care of and Shahid is about to clinch a deal with the firm to build a shopping mall where the Community Centre exists. Somehow, Shahid manages to convince Vidya that the Community Centre will co-exist, which he knows is not the truth.

The movie shines in patches. There are a few scenes that are very well handled, but the rest is just your normal Bollywood fare. One instance is when Vidya and Shahid try to tell their feelings to each other at a party; another is when Vidya is agitating against the mall coming up. However, these scenes are few and far between.

I must admit that Manoj Bohra who plays Dev Kataria, a character with shades of grey, really stands out. In the first scene they meet, he dwarfs the rest with his personality, presence and acting. And that I think is a huge plus. This lad has a future in Bollywood.

Director Aziz Mirza will manage to rake in the initials in the first week, thanks to Vidya and Shahid, after that I fear that the connection will be lost.


Source : http://www.glamsham.com

Videsh

Director :Deepa Mehta
Music :Mychael Danna
Starring : Preity Zinta, Vansh Bhardwaj

Deepa Mehta's VIDESH (HEAVEN ON EARTH titled internationally) is a mixed bag of spousal abuse, submissive daughter-in-law, violent husband, cruel in-laws, packaged with mythological elements. Over the years, a handful of filmmakers have depicted the plight of victims of marital abuse, the disturbing scenario through powerfully-told characters in Hindi films. And Deepa's VIDESH deals with the same cliched subject. After giving some thought-provoking films like FIRE, EARTH, WATER, a lot was expected from the director Deepa Mehta but VIDESH falls dreary.

From a small town in Punjab, the happy-go-lucky girl Chand (Preity), strangely enough, is sent all alone to Canada, to marry Rocky (Vansh) whom she has never met. Full of dreams in her eyes of a happy married life; her dreams are shattered on her wedding night itself. The jobless mamma's boy & Chand's husband Rocky (Vansh Bharadwaj) is highly frustrated person who has no sexual interest in his wife or rather no human feelings at all, except anger, which erupts in physical violence. Chand soon realizes life as a non-resident Indian is not all it's made out to be. You expect some expression of anger or shock from Chand (who is an educated, city girl), but she is totally passive. Disheartened Chand who brings along her mom's narrated poems and folktales seeks solace in reciting her mom's narrated myths of the holy snake 'Sheshnaag' (who is considered to take form of any individual). Rocky and his mom's insulting behaviour increases with Rocky often brutally beating Chand up. But then one night, her ''snake god'' from her backyard comes to life and enters her bedroom in the form of her husband Rocky.



The basic plot is interesting but Deepa Mehta has made a complete mess of it. The snail-paced movie has mystifying black and white portions. Too many close shots also don't work in film's favour, at times it irks you.

From an unmarried mom to bubbly babe to brave lady to tormented wife in VIDESH the feisty girl of Bollywood Preity Zinta has come long way. She has portrayed the character of Chand magnificently. The differing shades of excitement, confusion and then helplessness are portrayed very well by Preity but sadly a whole film cannot ride on it. Though Deepa Mehta has got the perfect ensemble cast in place but it doesn't work. Except for Preity the film appears lifeless.

All in all VIDESH doesn't offer you any Heaven in your cinema!


Source : http://www.glamsham.com

Pal Pal Dil Ke Ssaat

Director :V.K.Kumar
Starring : Ajay Jadeja. Mahi Gill,
Vinod Kambli, Satish Shah

It has been an extremely bold venture by this Sukra Arts produced movie directed and written by one V V Kumar. PAL PAL DIL KE SSAAT lacks the basic ethics of filmmaking - that of having a script or screenplay. Random shots, random scenes, random dialogues are all what you see. Random acting too!

But it was equally bold and graceful of IMAX Adlabs (now Big Cinemas), Wadala, to screen the movie, albeit 10 minutes late. Reason being I was the only one in the multiplex. After making sure I wanted to see the film, they started the show. I have been to multiplexes that have refused to screen shows because they wanted a minimum of six tickets sold. RAFOO CHAKKAR is the film of late, which I could not see because it did not meet the required quorum!

For the record, there's Vinod Kambli and Ajay Jadeja in this film. From the looks of the styling, the movie looks dated and that perhaps explains the reason for Mahie Gill's presence. Thankfully for her, this was not her first release. DEV D has already set a benchmark for her talent, followed by GULAAL.



Source : http://www.glamsham.com

Firaaq

Director :Nandita Das
Starring : Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh
Rawal, Sanjay Suri, Shahana Goswami, Raghuvir Yadav, Tisca Chopra


''A work of fiction based on a thousand true stories.' That's a line that hits you hard, which comes on screen before the movie begins. And when a truckload of dead bodies is emptied in a Muslim graveyard, the reality of fiction strikes a chord!

Nandita Das who makes her debut as a director does not dwell on one telling moment. That's the forte of this movie; it makes a point, then moves on, leaving you to draw your own conclusions. And FIRAAQ is a compilation of many such true stories, which has helped this work of fiction. One look and you can see that there has been a lot of research gone into this project. The people who have been highlighted, be it the Muslim husband and his Hindu wife who are preparing to relocate to Delhi; or the Hindu wife battling with guilt for not opening her doors to a helpless woman chased by a mob; or even the little boy, Mohsin, who walks aimlessly on the streets in search of his father, after his entire family has been murdered.


The movie ends abruptly with the little boy walking into a transit camp, refusing to play with children his age and looking aimlessly at the camera as the lights go out.

The film is based on a 24-hour period; one month after the riots broke out in Gujarat. Most of the stories have no connection with the other; they are individual set pieces, designed to drive home the point of the hopelessness of hate and violence. Of its disastrous after-effects, of the deep, traumatic mental scars it leaves behind. It also drives home the point of 'mob mentality', which has no meaning or direction.

Kudos to Nandita for tackling such a controversial subject. It's filmmakers like these with steely resolve who surprise many with a conscience-tweaking product.



Source : http://www.glamsham.com

Ek - The Power of One

Director :Sangeeth Sivan
Music :Pritam
Lyrics :Shabbir Ahmed
Starring :Nana Patekar, Bobby Deol, Shriya Saran, Chunky Pandey, Jackie Shroff, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Jaspal Bhatti and Gurpreet Guggi

Bobby Deol after a long time returns to action with EK under the command of Sangeeth Sivan. It is more of a modern interpretation of BAMBAI KA BABU and DUSHMAN, having parallels more to DUSHMAN as the family and its problems are what brings about a transformation in the criminal and reforms him to become a Good Samaritan.

The brilliance of the movie from the cinematographic angle appears in patches more so in the evocative shots of the sunset in the villages and the silhouette that it creates, as also in the stunt scenes that Bobby Deol has performed, emphasizing that he is an action hero. The shooting of action scenes in two tone colors may have been done with the idea to create an impact, but it is not able to live up to it.

CHECK OUT: Sunny power behind EK-THE POWER OF ONE!

While Sangeeth Sivan had drawn parallels with GHAJINI for his film EK, and in terms of the action it may have parallels, the comparison flounders on the music front. A R.Rahman can enliven an action film by creating scope of music as he did in GHAJINI, but Pritam has not been able to do it in EK, the music does not have the same punch.

The redeeming feature of the film is the brilliant cameo that Nana Patekar has performed, and he has again underlined the fact that even though he made his debut in 1980s, he still can give other actors a run for their money. The punch lines of EK have been reserved for him. It indeed is a stark reality that three Ps Police, politician and the prostitute define the space in which the common governance operates these days.

May be there is a need to revisit the notion of rural landscape with the mustard fields of Punjab, as it has become such a flogged horse that the element of novelty as a cinematic oeuvre has been lost. In an action film it is rarely that the female lead star gets equal footage, and same has happened with Shriya Saran.


While Nandu, the character played by Bobby Deol is an orphan, had his process of indoctrination into a criminal been dealt in slightly more detailed manner, may be the character of Nandu could have drawn more empathy from the audience.

While the multiplex audiences may not be that receptive to EK, it would surely be able to develop a bond with the audience in the India outside the metropolitan and multiplex cities. The dialogues of the film would ensure that.

For the fans of Bobby Deol and Nana Patekar this film is a must dekho, more so because of the fact that in its original avatar as a Telugu film it was a super hit, and this is the kind of audience that also exists in the Hindi film world outside the metropolitan cities.



Source : http://www.glamsham.com

Aloo Chaat

Director :Robby Grewal
Music :RDB, Xulfi, Vipin Mishra,
Mehfuz Maruf
Lyrics :RDB, Xulfi, Vipin Mishra,
Syed Gulrez
Starring : Aftab Shivdasani, Aamna Shariff, Linda Arsenio, Kulbhushan


The headline says it all, Dhimaag Chaat! Mirchi Movies have come up with yet another dud! The story is weak, the acting below average and the cast just not upto the mark.

Get a load of this: The story is based in Delhi. The family is happy that their boy is returning from America. Unknown to him, preparations are on to find him a bride. But boy already has a Muslim girlfriend back in the US. So boy and uncle decide to stage an act where they will hire a firang girl to play his girlfriend, and get his actual girlfriend to come to his house as her friend, and make her win his parents heart while the firang runs riot and makes his family hate her.

All this is done by the girl to make the boy's family accept her. But what about the girl's family? Don't they have to accept the boy? Does not her family have any say in the matter? Or does she have no family at all? Director saab, did you not look into this aspect of the film?
Actually, there is not much the cast could have done; there was no script in the first place.



Source : http://www.glamsham.com

Chowrasta

Director :Anjan Dutta
Starring : Atul Kulkarni, Victor
Bannerjee, Roopa Ganguly, Naved Aslam and Neil Bose

CHOWRASTA is an interesting flick. It's like a well-written novel you read on a lazy afternoon, one you do not wish to put down until you reach the last page. The build-up of the assortment of characters is subtle and their story interestingly narrated. Victor Bannerjee, the protagonist, if you may call him so, begins the narration, which then moves into sizing up every character. There's a couple who have eloped who are on their honeymoon in Darjeeling; there's a wife, long divorced, a struggling Bollywood actress, who surfaces from Mumbai to meet her ex-husband; there's a guy fleeing from himself, caught unwittingly with unscrupulous characters and of course, there's Victor Banerjee who is lamenting the loss of his wife.

Every tale connects with you. Take for instance the story of Sunny and his Bengali girlfriend who have eloped because her father will not agree to a Punjabi son-in-law. Their fresh romance, in-your-face exhibition of love, painful tiffs and then making-up is something any one will connect to. Both the actors who play the part are rock solid. Then there's Atul Kulkarni who is afraid of where he is headed. You could say Atul has come of age with the portrayal of Kenny, the rough dude with a heart of gold. A very complex character, indeed.

Rupa Ganguly as the failed Bollywood actress who surfaces in Darjeeling after 12 years with her kid is a delight. Her constant bickering with her 'typical Bengali' ex-husband makes for interesting viewing. So also, her exploits with her many male friends, one of whom she brings along to Darjeeling.

Then there's Victor Banerjee himself and his struggle with self, wanting to go to where his wife is.

Go for it. You won't be disappointed.


Source : http://www.glamsham.com

8x10 Tasveer

Director : Nagesh Kukunoor
Music : Salim Merchant and
Lyrics : Sulaiman Merchant,
Starring : Bohemia and Neeraj Shridhar
Irfan Siddiqui, Sameer and Bohemia
Akshay Kumar, Ayesha Takia, Sharmila Tagore, Benjamin Gilani, Anant Mahadevan and Javed Jaffery.

Nagesh Kukunoor gives this flick a super Hollywood feel and manages to pull off a slick thriller. But I have a problem with the end, which escalates, or should I say degenerates to a climax of a typical Bollywood masala film. But this is not to deny the finesse with which this film has been captured on camera and the climax when the murderer is revealed. But you pretty much guess the involvement of one of the characters in the film.

Akshay Kumar is shattered by an incident, which takes place when he is perhaps eight years old. Deeply traumatized he absorbs the power of venturing into a photograph to understand what could have transpired, thus helping many who come to him for help when the police have failed. He now has the unenviable task of venturing into a photograph, clicked just moments before his father could die, to find out whether it was murder or natural death. His journey to unravel the mystery keeps you on the edge of your seat.

What the incident was that moved him to these powers is vaguely shown, and you realize towards the end that it was not a convincing shot because his parents were not at all shattered by that huge loss. In fact, it looks like a picnic out when the tragedy was colossal. I will not divulge what the tragedy was, because that would mean giving the story away. But I have a question for Kukunoor. How could you show such a tragic incident so nonchalantly? I mean, we as an audience think it is the loss of a football, when the fact is little Jai (Akshay Kumar?s) world has come crashing down. And his parents, I mean they do not even acknowledge the loss, or were they not told of the scene you were canning? Even the hospital scene where Akshay is helped by a staff on duty for a blood transfusion in a storeroom is not happening.

Akshay Kumar as a forest officer in Canada is convincing and so is his performance. No tomfoolery here. There's not much for anyone else to do, with the exception of Jaaved Jaffery who impresses in his role as a cop. The action sequences are slickly shot and the camera moves delightfully capturing every thrill. The background score is fantastic. If only Kukunoor had been more open about the sequence in the flashback, the finale would have been well received. I mean, the audience is no dodo. Or perhaps he had no faith in his script that he had to indulge in a vague hotchpotch of a plot (read flashback) to come up with the climax.

What Kukunoor was looking for was the climax of Wolfgang Petersen's 1991 thriller, SHATTERED. That climax was out of this world.

Having said that, this movie does thrill and chill.



Source : http://www.glamsham.com

'Hum Tum'

Hum Tum is a romantic comedy that explores love from a slightly realistic point of view. The movie does not show the two leading characters falling in love at the first sight. But it shows love as a gradual process, happening slowly over a period of years.

Director Kunal Kohli has matured after his forgettable debut Mujhse Shaadi Karogi. Hum Tum, which is his second film is made in the style of a modern movie but the emotions it explores are very much rooted in the Indian culture. These emotions are punctuated with light humor that really lifts up the movie in the first half. The interaction between Saif and Rani in Amsterdam and in New York are a pure delight to watch.



In the second half things begin to cool down and the pace of the narrative drops. The viewer interest begins to wean away as the proceedings become predictable, drab and sobby.

The heated argument between Saif and Rani [at Jimmy Shergill and Isha Koppikar's engagement ceremony] is filled with emotion, but it does not justify Rani’s packing her bags and leaving for an unknown destination. Even the climax of the movie fails to live upto the expectations raised in the first half.

But Hum Tum still leaves an impact thanks to brilliant performances by Saif and Rani. Unlike many other Bollywood stars in who one can detect a trace of imitation of yesteryear legends, Saif has pretty much his original style of acting. He is coming of age as an actor with every movie he does. He is also quite suitable for comedy roles.

Deserving no less credit is Rani who gives a sensitive performance of a character who matures from a feisty girl to a woman who has undergone various ups and downs of life. Rani brings the credibility, sensitivity and vulnerability to her character with the mien of a veteran.

In a nutshell, Hum Tum is a romantic comedy with modern outlook but content filled with unadulterated Indian emotions.



Source : http://www.apunkachoice.com