With so much of hype around Piku, I had a peek of the flick this weekend. It is one of those recipes which has all the necessary ingredients but doesn't leave you with a lasting aftertaste. On top of it, entire movie is about the grand quest to seamless bowel movement. Please avoid any popcorns or sandwiches during the movie.
Amitji has played the role of an extremely irritating father. As anyone would have expected, he played this role to perfection with a constipated look and eyeballs bulging out of sockets. Irrfan's role looked very restrained and it was like a Ferrari driving at 40 km/hr. There is so much more to this actor which didn't come out. Deepika had to just look beautiful in different attires, give her dimpled smile, roll her eyes and yell at Amitji in a monotonous syllable. Nothing really great.
Full marks to Juhi Chaturvedi for spinning a fresh story. Shoojit Sircar kept the mood of movie subtle without any dramatically overwhelming melodrama. Anupam Roy has composed some soothing numbers which are good to play in car on a nice drive. I have seen him live in one of the plays and he has a long way to go. When the movie starts, an appealing Bengali musical tune gets played in the background of casting. If I find it somewhere, that is going to be the next ringtone of my phone.
Overall a different movie, very nice attempt but nothing outstanding. I can compare this movie to Indian film The Bong Connection for some parts. However, I feel that Bong Connection did a much better justice of being closer to the roots.
Verdict: Watch it if you want to see something different without any expectations. There isn't anything better in theaters anyway.

Tanu Weds Manu Returns is everything which Tanu Weds Manu was not. TWM was a light hearted romantic comedy about friendship, festive wedding atmosphere and Kanpuriya Style. TWM made you laugh with the antics of Pappiji (Deepak Dobriyal) and one liners of Raja Awasthi (Jimmy Shergill). TWMR will make your heart melt for various characters in different situations.
TWMR is an emotional family drama which deals with the stress in the relationship between Tanu and Manu. This stress isn't affecting just 2 lives but 10 other lives associated with these two characters, like a chain reaction or dominos effect. TWMR is not an outstanding film like its prequel which immortalized various characters in memory of audience. But, it is still an above average film which one should watch. Personally, I was disappointed because I was expecting to watch same chemistry of romantic comedy. Did the director surprise me? Of course, he did but I was more shocked than surprised.
Coming to the acting department, Kangana Ranaut leaves you spellbound with the character of Kusum "Datto". There is a stark contrast between Tanu and Datto and yet Kangana graciously exhibited both roles with panache. Be it the look, haryanvi accent or mannerism of characters, Kangana leaves no stone unturned. Especially, the scene where Datto gives her introduction to Manu would make you stand up and clap for her. Madhavan has done the role of "Big Loser" multiple times and no one else could've looked so helpless and pitiful. Suits his image, which he did effortlessly. Deepak Dobriyal, Zeeshan Ayub, Swara Bhaskar, Jimmy Shergill are all class actors and have done wonders on silver screen. But, in TWMR their roles are limited to just being "Shaadi ke Baraati". They just have to be around Tanu and Manu to support them. Rajesh Sharma as Datto's brother is the dark horse in this film and one of his monologue in his village is worth mentioning.
Plot of the film is indeed unusual and kudos to Himanshu Sharma for the story. But, I didn't like the ending of the film. Story is going in a direction, then sudden jerk and situation changes and the end. Funny it might sound, but that's like high school mathematics problem of deriving a theorem. Wherever you're stuck, it is LHS = RHS, hence proved!
Krsna Solo & Tanishk-Vayu have given a melodious music with a good variety. Banno is already a chart buster and you can't stop dancing to it. Move on and Mat ja re has a melancholic touch. Old School girl is extremely funny and reminds me of "Moora" song of GOW 2. Ghani Bawri was a nicely timed situational song. Otherwise, peppy but it brings a lump in the throat.
Verdict: An above average film that can be watched with family. Just be clear that it isn't a romantic comedy but an emotional family drama. Else, you might be a bit disappointed like me.

Bombay Velvet is the age old story of 1970s, where a 20 something protagonist arrives in "Sapno ka Sheher" and wants to become "Mumbai ka Raja" overnight. Whether it is Deewar or Satya, basic plot remains the same. However, narrative of the film and screenplay is largely inspired from the west. Bombay Velvet was a personal ambition of Anurag Kashyap. He grew up watching gangster movies, heavily influenced by Martin Scorsese and his genre. He wanted to give a desi twist to Scarface and made Bombay Velvet. I even found the look and mannerism of Ranbir inspired by Al Pacino.
Direction of Anurag Kashyap is above average but there is hardly any scope of marvel with such a cliched plot. Movie is based on a novel, Mumbai Fables by Gyan Prakash. Anurag has tried to show entire novel in 150 min and hence you'll find movie extremely fast paced with tons of characters leaving you baffled. Editing is done by academy award winner Thelma Schoonmaker but I felt she has done a shoddy job this time (or she couldn't cope up with overpowering director).
Ranbir Kapoor has done a good justice to his role but I didn't find his performance anything close to clap worthy. Anushka Sharma was totally wasted in this film and she hardly has any juicy role. I had very high expectations from Karan Johar after watching him in the trailer. He carried off Kaizad Khambata very well in the beginning, but somewhere in between he lost the character and came back to his Koffee with Karan antics. There were so many characters - Kay Kay Menon, Manish Choudhary, Siddhartha Basu that none of them had anytime to show their skill.
Music by Amit Trivedi was a big let down and all the songs were boring. He tried to give it a touch of 1960s Jazz era but couldn't create something as catchy as Kaisi Paheli Zindagani - Parineeta. One team whom I would give full marks for Bombay Velvet is its art directors. It was a mammoth task to create Bombay of 60s and they did it brilliantly with all that razzmatazz.
Verdict - Don't go with high expectations. If you are a hardcore fan of retro gangsta movies Or if you want to see old styled Bombay, you might find it appealing. Otherwise, it is OK to give it a pass.

Jazbaa is one of those run of the mill products that you won't remember even after a month. Clearly, this film wasn't made without any Jazbaa. Not that I had any expectations from Sanjay Gupta, whose trademark style is Gangster-Violence-Smoke-Tashan-Cacophony. I was hopeful, may be he made some effort for this one. It was touted to be the comeback movie of Aishwarya after a hiatus of 5 years after Guzaarish. As expected, neither Sanjay nor Aishwarya have changed much.. still pathetic! Even, the suspense in movie was cliched something that we have already seen.
Aishwarya has always been known for her barbie doll plastic image and poker face sans any emotions. In this film, she has taken the other extreme of being hyperactive. You'll find her shouting through out the movie. May be she has been watching too much of Ekta Kapoor's serials all this while.
Jazbaa would be the first film, where 2 of my most respected actors (Irrfan and Shabana Ji) have disappointed me. Both of them chose a role, which didn't have any juice. Even, Atul Kulkarni and Siddhanth Kapoor didn't get much screen time. It would be interesting to find out whether heavy duty chopping was done in editing or the script was conceptually written only for Aishwarya's character.
Total run time for the movie is 2 hours. May be director should have done away with all the songs, which don't fit in such a fast paced story. Some time could have been spent in character sketch of Yohan (Irrfan's character). What is his equation with Aishwarya's character? Whether Yohan is an efficient and practical officer OR good for nothing corrupt policeman. Also, the suspense should have been revealed a little earlier and antagonist should have been given some screen time to impress audience.
Music is extremely boring though well timed. It gave me ample time for loo breaks and popcorn breaks.

Many of you have asked me about my opinion of Welcome to Karachi. I decided not to watch it until it came on Set Max within 2-3 weeks. Here are my Top 7 reasons for hating it. Some of these reasons might resound well with you:
1. I am allergic to bullshit and Jackky Bhagnani is a known allergen.
2. This movie would be 6th Flop in a row for Jackky Bhagnani. Even Unmukt Chand has better track record in IPL.
3. In Jackky

Dil Dhadakne Do can be very well compared to buffet spread of Chutney Chang, which has 108 dishes but none of it looks appealing to you. Instead of complementing each other, as a matter of fact, they rather confuse you. Zoya Akhtar - How many people you wanted to stuff in a single movie! What was the point of playing passing the parcel with camera? Couldn't you have chosen 4-5 characters and tell a compelling story with them. We have seen enough of Kekta Kapoor on TV, don't need to replicate it on silver screen.
Entire story (whatever little it is) is narrated by Pluto Doggy Mehra that how each character thinks and behaves. Sometimes, you'll feel as if you are watching a Discovery program on "Human Psychology and Social Behavior as experienced by canines". Right from Anil Kapoor to Ranveer Singh to Farhan Akhtar to Priyanka Chopra, every single character is a loser in the film. Everyone's marriage is falling apart. Everyone is helpless.
Acting of every character is utter crap. Ranveer Desperate Singh, Anil Jackass Kapoor, Priyanka Piggy Chops, Anushka swollen lips Sharma - Shame on you for such dismal performance. Shefali Shah was the only saving grace and she managed to exude vivid emotions with excellence, amidst bunch of hopeless nincompoops. Aamir Khan gave voice to Pluto Doggy Mehra. To some extent his narrative managed to sew loose pieces of incidents together in a chronological order. But he said "Dil" so many times, I am sure he must have blurted out "Dil Ki Deal, Snapdeal" a zillion times in rehearsal. Farhan Akhtar was quite capable to pull off entire film single handedly but his entry was post interval. It is like giving last 5 overs to AB Devillers and expecting him to hit a century!
There was no editing done for the film. How could you stretch this baseless banter to 170 minutes? Unbelievable! Soundtrack of the film is boring and none of the songs are catchy. Shankar Ehsaan Loy have disappointed us this time. There is an interesting trivia about song "Pehli Baar". This song didn't use any choreographer. Director asked Ranveer & Anushka to do it impromptu, so that their sizzling chemistry could be seen onscreen. Well, I could only see their incapability loud and clear.
Please spare yourself this torture and bless me for sacrificing my evening and warning you in advance.
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Off late, I have developed an auto immune allergic reaction to Bhaijaan and he has instigated bouts of migraine most of the times with his kicks and Jai Hos. Last time I adored him in Tere Naam 12 years back and he surprised me (not floored) again in BB.
To make any good movie, basic foundation stone is a strong script , a director with an IQ level above 100 and a lead actor who doesn't interfere in the concept. Luckily 2/3 things worked for BB. Salman Khan has given up his goons bashing, train stopping, larger than life avatar to portray a believable character. I won't appreciate his acting prowess here but I would definitely admire his attempt to do something different.
Thankfully, script is written by KV Vijay (of Baahubali fame) and he has penned down something with a fresh appeal. Plot is pretty much predictable and Bajrangi's character is shown way too naive. But, the film has a "feel good" appeal and the chemistry between Bajrangi and Munni has some magical moments. For a change, this movie doesn't show Pakistan in a bad light. To a large extent, I would attribute success of BB to child actor Harshaali Malhotra. Her innocent smile and charming presence wins your heart completely. Character of Nawaz is based on youtube sensation Chand Nawab, which was a hilarious deja-vu. Nawaz was brought in towards 2nd half but that infuses energy into the film at right time. Rajesh Sharma is becoming one of the sought after actors for character roles post Tanu Weds Manu Returns. Rest of the characters were mostly placeholders without any impact.
Salman's entry is picturized beautifully with song Selfie Le Le Re. More than the lyrics and Music, I loved the colorful visuals and slow motion shots. Song has a typical UP vernacular appeal. Bhar do jholi meri is a classical qawwali with characteristic trance-sufi appeal. Adnan Sami has rendered it beautifully though I wish Sabri brothers also got their dues. Scenes of Pakistan have great cinematography and were shot in Mandawa, Jhunjunu, Sonmarg and Zozi La.
BB is one of those above average films, which are good to watch but offers nothing great to remember. I have showered my appreciation because Bhaijaan has set up a very very low benchmark in the last decade. Clean movie which can be watched with family.
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Bahut Bada Hai Tu. Bahut Akad Hai Tohra Mein. Dekh Kaise Ukadte Hain Akad Teri. There couldn't be a better tribute to Dashrath Manjhi and showcasing the saga of his unflinching arduous mammoth dream. Though, it is sad that it took so long for his "madness" to get recognized. I can bet that if people didn't know about Manjhi, no one would have even dared to pen a fictional script like this.
I have always appreciated work of Nawazuddin Siddiqui but it is the first time that he has left me spellbound. By far, one of the best work done by him till date. From a romantic fun loving guy to an adamant gutsy old man. What variation, What emotions! If Irrfan will be remembered as Paan Singh, Nawaz would always be remembered as Manjhi. No one can touch your Filmfare this year Nawaz smile emoticon
Phaguniya..Phaguniya.. Once again you have bowled me over yaar. Radhika Apte How effortlessly you can transition from a practical modern women in Hunterr to a seductress in Ahalya to a village damsel in Manjhi. Critics might call me insane, but I wouldn't resist from comparing her with legend Shabana Azmi. Today in Bollywood, Radhika Apte defines versatility and quality cinema. Please don't get lured by 100Cr Club and Karan Johars of the world. Earnest Request!
Directors beware, old tiger is back on the prowl. In 2014, Rang Rasiya and in 2015 Manjhi- The Mountain Man. You totally rock Ketan Mehta. Welcome back to the pitch. We totally missed you in last 10 years since Mangal Pandey: The Rising in 2005. This film could have easily veered into the territory of boring documentaries. It requires the vision and expertise of an able director like Ketan to tell that compelling story infused with emotions and laced with the petals of romance.
Tigmanshu Dhulia's character is straightaway lifted from GoW, which he must have done effortlessly. After watching Pankaj Tripathi in Masan, his role of Ruab in Manjhi was nothing more than chickenfeed. Most of the conversation has colloquial touch of Magahi but shouldn't be difficult to understand for Hindi audience. However, you might miss the intensity of those punches smile emoticon
Due to absence of Khans, this movie won't touch any impressive financial figures but it'll be cherished forever in imdb lists of quality and meaningful cinema.
Some of the lines which are absolutely clap worthy:
1) Shaandar..Jabardast..Zindabaad!
2) Bahut Bada Hai Tu. Bahut Akad Hai Tohra Mein. Dekh Kaise Ukadte Hain Akad Teri
3) "Apna newspaper chalu karna asaan kaam nahi hai."
"Pahad tode bhi jaada muskil hai ka!"
4) Bhagwan ke bharose mat baithiye, ka pata oo hamare bharose baitha ho!
Please watch it if you like to watch quality cinema. Should be watched with your better half smile emoticon
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Talvar is a thriller film based on Arushi Talwar murder case. It is however not one of those gripping murder mysteries which will keep you on the edge of your seats. But, it is a disturbing documentary which exposes the flaws, inefficiencies and corruption in Indian legal system. How, CBI is more concerned about professional rivalry and ego rather than focusing on punishing the guilty. It also highlights the influences of media on everyone. How media is quick to jump on conclusion even before the verdict in court? How media can create a bias even for investigating officers. Irrfan said a beautiful line in film, We people first decide on who is guilty then we try to find motives and evidences to frame him.
This was one of the tough films to make, since so much has been said about this case in media. It doesn't have much scope for creative freedom. Yet, if Meghana Gulzar chose to take this challenge, she should have lived up to audience expectations. I wasn't entertained by watching this film, but definitely it informed me about the case clearly like a well made documentary. Screenplay and editing were 2 weak areas, which could have been done better. I strongly feel that if Vishal Bhardwaj would have directed it as well, he would have done a much better job.
This film has some impressive ensemble like Neeraj Kabi, Konkona and Tabu. All these great actors were wasted in the film due to lack of much screen presence. Irrfan is the only reason, why someone might appreciate this film. He is a marvel, who can make any role lively even within such limited scope. Thank God, film didn't have any songs as they would have completely killed the fast pace of film.
Some people might argue that film should not have taken sides with one group of suspects. But, I think of it as director's cut and her version of story which she believed in. Unfortunately, media is too influential in our country and most of the audience would also believe in this version of truth. Does that influence actual proceedings of the case? It would be interesting to watch how it turns out to be.
Verdict: Watch it as a documentary and not as a film. It will leave you with a heavy heart and disturbed mind, so watch it at your discretion.
Ratings: 3/5 ( Film can not have a drag and has to be entertaining, period. If it was a news documentary, then I would have given 5/5)
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Singh is Bling(SIB) is a primitive senseless comedy (sorry tragedy) manufactured for front row audience of single screen theater. Humor in this film is inspired by jokers of Rambo circus, whose funny antics are capable to giggle only some toddlers. You can relate the humor quality of SIB with Sunny Deol genre movies like "Jo Bole So Nihal". One of the the scene is even inspired by Housefull of Sajid Khan.
Akshay Kumar and Kay Kay Menon shouldn't pick up such crappy projects after doing films like "Baby" and "Haider". It only belittles their respect as a quality actor. Akshay Kumar's role is just an extension of his "Singh is King" role, where he played jerk of the century. Kay Kay menon looks like a famished psychotic goat with a funny pony tail. May be film's production company "Grazing Goat Pictures" motivated him for this look. Other than these 2 gentlemen all others are either B grade actors or out of job for a long time like Lara Dutta and Amy Jackson. Lara Dutta seems to have binged on Big Mac in last 2-3 years and have bloated twice her usual size. Amy Jackson is one mesmerizing creature, who always makes me wonder what capability she possesses to be on screen!
Prabhudeva is one of the most talented choreographer and most incompetent director (after Sajid Khan) of Bollywood. He lives up to his expectation in SIB too. Every film of Prabhudeva sets a new benchmark of all time low quality. For some reason he thinks that cheap comedy of Vadivelu (One Joker in Tamil Cinema) is the epitome of creativity. There is a scene in film where various characters are pissing on each other in men's loo. That is heights of being gross!
Film is shot in Romania and it conveniently becomes Goa and Romania with same set. Average Cinematography with most of the shots being just OK. Sorry, I couldn't find who is the script writer. Guess, they never had any script! Quality of music is at par with Anu Malik's composition. Meaningless, Cacophonous and pain to hear. Only song which I liked was Tung Tung Baje, which is composed by super talent Sneha Khanwalkar (of Anurag Kashyap Gang).
In entire film, Akshay and Amy couldn't understand each other due to language barrier. Why couldn't they do dumb charades? Coz that also needs some amount of acting skill na.. Neither Prabhudeva nor Amy are qualified enough for that. Through out the film, Akshay gets bashed by everyone. Towards the end, he remembers the password to unlock his strength and he utters favorite dialogue of Sunny Paaji "Chidiyon ke sang baaz ladaun" and Raftaar becomes Neo of Matrix. Voila!
Statutory Warning: Please pop a pill of Avomine with Caffeine before watching the film. Avomine won't let you puke and Caffeine won't let you doze off.
Verdict: I couldn't think of any reason for you to watch this film. My only motivation to watch it was to write a movie review. That's it!
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