Movie Review: AURANGZEB by FENIL SETA

(Crisp) Movie Review: GIPPI by FENIL SETA

Movie Review: GO GOA GONE by FENIL SETA

Movie Review: SHOOTOUT AT WADALA by FENIL SETA

Sanjay Gupta-Apoorva Lakhia’s Shootout At Lokhandwala (2007) was a landmark film that gave birth to the idea of providing a fictional angle to the real-life events that happened in the history of Bombay underworld. Thus was born Shootout At Wadala which attempts to deal with the events that led to the first encounter orchestrated by the Mumbai Police. Resting on a brilliant premise, Shootout At Wadala does pack a punch at several places but a few glitches here and there prevent the film from being in the league of Shootout At Lokhandwala!

The story of the movie: Manohar Arjun Surve (John Abraham) has seen tough days. His brother Bhargav (Vinit Sharma) is an absconding criminal and his enemies and the cops are always at Manohar’s doorsteps to harass him and his mother. He plans to pass his graduation exams with flying colours, secure a good job and thus move away from the world of crime and insecurity. Fate, however, has different plans. He is falsely implicated in a murder case and sentenced to life imprisonment. The prevailing circumstances and jail life change the outlook of Manohar aka Manya. He befriends Sheikh Munir (Tusshar Kapoor) and Veera (Sanjeev Chadha) and once out, he forms his own gang in Bombay. In doing so, he gets into the wrong books of underworld dons Dilawar Imtiaz Haksar (Sonu Sood) and his elder brother Zubair Imtiaz Haksar (Manoj Bajpayee), and also Inspector Aafaque Baagraan (Anil Kapoor), the latter who plans to eliminate the underworld at any cost.

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Movie Review: BOMBAY TALKIES by FENIL SETA

I enjoy watching feature films comprising of short segments and made by various directors. Whether these stories are inter-connected doesn’t matter much to me. Bollywood hasn’t been able to churn many films in this regard. Bombay Talkies comes at an apt moment and besides the amalgamation of four stories made by four prolific filmmakers, it also weaves in the aspect of celebration of 100 years of Indian cinema. Although each story has tried to put forth something fresh in front of audiences, all work only partly. But for the novelty factor, Bombay Talkies is definitely worth a watch!

Story # 1: Gayatri (Rani Mukerji) is married to Dev (Randeep Hooda) but both have developed serious compatibility issues. Avinash (Saqib Saleem), a homosexual, meanwhile joins as an intern at Gayatri’s workplace. After this, Dev and Gayatri’s life is never the same again.

This is a breezy tale that keeps one hooked. The best part is that the homosexual character is not depicted in a stereotypical and comical manner which is definitely a welcome change. Also, the way in which the old classics – ‘Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh’ and ‘Lag Jaa Gale’ – are incorporated in the narrative is praiseworthy. What don’t work are the initial portions where Avinash is shown speaking about Kamasutra and sex to his senior who doesn’t seem to mind. Somehow, it doesn’t look convincing but on second thoughts, it’s a welcome change to see a lady speaking about her sex life openly without much of qualms in a film. And not to forget, the censors are kind enough to dole out a U/A Rating too (there’s a kiss between two men too in this track). Secondly, Avinash repeating every now and then about his orientation seemed like a frail attempt on the part of the makers to remind viewers that he’s not straight, something that gets repetitive after a point. Rani Mukerji looks stunning as always and performs well and so does Randeep Hooda. Saqib Saleem leaves a huge mark and plays the challenging character with ease. Alisha Shaikh (beggar) does a great job. Karan Johar’s direction is more or less fine and he proves that he can very much make a realistic film comprising of real setting and real people and do a good job with it.

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My Short Review of Shootout At Wadala

Watched Shootout at Wadala on Thursday night. I was expecting a brutal gangster intriguing movie and I got the same, save intriguing. The movie started of as usual, how a young innocent boy becomes a gangster and his rise and fall. We all knew that it would be the story, but the treatment was what we were looking forward to. Unfortunately the treatment is a let down. There are more than one hiccups in the screenplay. The script use to just hurried onto you without proper flow. In fact the flow of the movie is very bad. The director tried to put in dialogues which should have created whistles, but instead there were abuses and abuses. There were few, but it looked like so forcibly done that it removed the charm out of it, the lackluster dialogue delivery not helping either.

There are 3 item songs, yes 3. The Laila song is bearable (because of catchy song, Sunny Leone is just a show piece without any dance moves), the other 2 songs becomes unbearable. One cant take more than one item song anyways. So music is not a great show here, neither is the background. Cinematography is very good and so is the whole retro setup of 1970s and 80s.

Performances can be debatable. John gives his best, but the character which looked great on the face value, was not the same in real terms. Anil Kapoor with his overacting doesn’t help one bit, so does Ronit Roy. Tushar Kapoor, as we all know has to be in the movie or else his sister wont finance the movie. His performance is irritating. Kangna Ranaut should win the worst actor award for this movie. Dont know why she was in the movie in the 1st place. The only shining spot in terms of performance is the duo of Manaoj Bajpai and Sonu Sood. Manoj Bajpai performs exceedingly well in otherwise a lackluster script. Sonu Sood too was brilliant with his angry young man image and acting, made me remember old Big B when he was young that is.

On the whole, the movie tried to achieve the hard hitting, brutal, gangster movie but it fails miserably. Sanjay Gupta directed Kaante before and I dint liked it one bit and so is this.

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Movie Review: AASHIQUI 2 by FENIL SETA

Movie Review: EK THI DAAYAN by FENIL SETA

Horror films have become a regular fare in our cinema but most of them, several times, are more or less clones of each other. Most of them focus on aatma, tantriks or haunted houses, with slight variations. Ek Thi Daayan however is an exception. It is unlike any other horror flick one has witnessed in Bollywood. Storyline is novel and Kannan Iyer’s gripping direction makes Ek Thi Daayan an absolutely riveting fare. And yes, it does give a scare as well!

The story of the movie: Bobo (Emraan Hashmi) is country’s most accomplished magician and illusionist. He’s all set to get married to Tamara (Huma Qureshi). But all of a sudden, his tragic childhood comes to the fore and starts haunting him. Two more women, meanwhile, enter his life – Daayna (Konkona Sen Sharma) and Lisa (Kalki Koechlin) and the more Bobo tries to get out of his past and the wrath of a certain ‘daayan’, the more he gets sucked into the trap.

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(Crisp) Movie Review: COMMANDO-A ONE MAN ARMY by FENIL SETA

Movie Review: NAUTANKI SAALA by FENIL SETA

Movie Review: CHASHME BADDOOR by FENIL SETA

No one other than David Dhawan can be rightfully hailed as ‘King Of Comedies’ in Bollywood. The director started a new era in Bollywood with his comic capers which in turn inspired many filmmakers to churn out similar themed-films. Sadly, David’s last two films, Do Knot Disturb and Rascals, failed to impress audiences, with the latter being counted as his worst film. But thankfully, David Dhawan springs back in form, and how, with Chashme Baddoor! This one’s a total laugh riot!

The story of the movie: Siddharth (Ali Zafar), Omi (Divyendu Sharma) and Jay (Siddharth) are good friends who stay in a rented flat in Goa, owned by Josephine (Lilette Dubey). The penniless trio tries all the tricks in the book to avoid paying the rent to Josephine and also to sailor-turned-café owner Joseph Furtado (Risi Kapoor) whom they owe too. One fine day, the friends spot Seema (Taapsee Pannu) and the ‘kamina’ guys Omi and Jay try their luck on her and even reach her residence. But their plan misfires badly. Good-natured Jay, who doesn’t try her luck on Seema, bumps into her by chance and both fall for each other. However, the road ahead is not smooth, leading to misunderstandings, execution of devious plans and a lot of fun and laughter.

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JTW’s analysis of the Oscars 2013 – Lincoln

The 85th Academy Awards (colloquially known as the Oscars) concluded on February 24, 2013 at the lavish Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, marking the end to the highly-publicized awards season and to the intense lobbying that marks the pre-Oscars period. And as is the case with every year’s edition, the 2013 Oscars witnessed their share of expected wins and surprises (both pleasant and unpleasant). So here’s my recap of this year’s Oscar-nominated films. NG members may or may not have seen these films; for those who haven’t, consider this as a recommendation/warning against the said films.

NOTE : I have not seen all the Oscar-nominated films, and will give my views only on those which I have seen.

LINCOLN

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JTW’s analysis of the Oscars 2013 – Les Miserables

The 85th Academy Awards (colloquially known as the Oscars) concluded on February 24, 2013 at the lavish Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, marking the end to the highly-publicized awards season and to the intense lobbying that marks the pre-Oscars period. And as is the case with every year’s edition, the 2013 Oscars witnessed their share of expected wins and surprises (both pleasant and unpleasant). So here’s my recap of this year’s Oscar-nominated films. NG members may or may not have seen these films; for those who haven’t, consider this as a recommendation/warning against the said films.

NOTE : I have not seen all the Oscar-nominated films, and will give my views only on those which I have seen.

LES MISERABLES

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JTW’s analysis of the Oscars 2013 – Argo

The 85th Academy Awards (colloquially known as the Oscars) concluded on February 24, 2013 at the lavish Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, marking the end to the highly-publicized awards season and to the intense lobbying that marks the pre-Oscars period. And as is the case with every year’s edition, the 2013 Oscars witnessed their share of expected wins and surprises (both pleasant and unpleasant). So here’s my recap of this year’s Oscar-nominated films. NG members may or may not have seen these films; for those who haven’t, consider this as a recommendation/warning against the said films.

NOTE : I have not seen all the Oscar-nominated films, and will give my views only on those which I have seen.

ARGO

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Movie Review: HIMMATWALA by FENIL SETA

The 80s movies of Bollywood are usually associated with what is popularly called ‘nonsense, rubbish cinema’. However, one can’t deny the fact that some of these ‘rubbish’ films had their charm. And today, when South remakes are in vogue, it in a way seems like a return of the 80s era. Hence, Himmatwala wouldn’t have come at a better time. The original was a Southern remake and a trendsetter in those times. The remake, helmed by Sajid Khan, sadly has rough edges but overall, doles out tons of entertainment!

The story of the movie: Mumbai, 1983. Ravi (Ajay Devgn) is a cage fighter who learns that his mother Savitri (Zarina Wahab) and sister Padma (Leena Jumani), believed to be dead, are very much alive in his village, Ramnagar. However, they are living in dire conditions outside the village, thanks to village sarpanch and goon Sher Singh (Mahesh Manjrekar), who’s also behind the humiliation and consequent suicide of Ravi’s father Dharam Murti (Anil Dhawan). Ravi decides to avenge his father’s death and teach Sher Singh, who has terrorized Ram Nagar residents, a lesson but in his own style. Soon, he challenges Sher Singh and his brother-in-law Narayan Das (Paresh Rawal) that he’s here at Ramnagar to change things for the better. Ravi also falls for Sher Singh’s daughter Rekha (Tamannaah Bhatia) and changes her attitude towards villagers and the poor. However, trouble begins when Sher Singh learns that Padma and Narayan Das’ son Shakti (Adhyayan Suman) are in love and he decides to take advantage of this development to beat Ravi.

The trailers of Himmatwala gave a fair idea about the film. Also, those who have seen the original version would have their expectations at the right place. And as expected, the film is abound with clichés and 80s stereotypes like vidhwa maa, kunwari behen (who gets molested and is saved by the hero at the nick of time), temples, temple bells, dialoguebaazi et al. But the best part is, it works big time in a setting like Himmatwala! And how can I forget, there’s a tiger too!

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(Crisp) Movie Review: AATMA by FENIL SETA

AATMA has an interesting story to tell but one fails to connect with the principal character (Bipasha Basu) and her dilemmas. The horror element isn’t exciting overall. The violence at school in the first half along with the intermission … Read More

Movie Review: JOLLY LLB by FENIL SETA

Movie Review: MERE DAD KI MARUTI by FENIL SETA

Movie Review: SAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER RETURNS by FENIL SETA

Movie Review: THE ATTACKS OF 26/11 by FENIL SETA

26/11 shall always remain as the unforgettable night for Mumbaikars. What initially was reported as a case of ‘random firing’ at few places in South Mumbai turned out to be the most shocking and ruthless terrorist act ever committed on Indian soil. Ram Gopal Varma’s much talked about The Attacks Of 26/11 attempts to chronicle the events that happened on the first night of the attack. Easily, one of the most impactful films from Ram Gopal Varma in recent times. Not to be missed!

The story of the movie: It is business as usual for Amar Solanki (Ganesh Yadav) who is fishing in his trawler Kuber with his crew off the coast of Gujarat. Suddenly, a trawler comprising of Pakistanis hijack Kuber, kill the crew and compel Amar to take a group of men to Mumbai. Around 10-11 kms away from the city, Amar is killed and the terrorists make their way to the coast in a dinghy. The group then gets divided and create mayhem in CST, Hotel Taj Mahal Palace, Hotel Trident, Café Leopold, Nariman House and Cama And Albless Hospital. Only one terrorist, Ajmal Kasab (Sanjeev Jaiswal) is caught alive. On the other hand, the Joint Comissioner (Nana Patekar) is caught completely unawares at the turn of events and tries his best to get things under control, but in vain.

The Attacks Of 26/11 is a 2 hour fare and grips the viewers from the first frame itself. RGV doesn’t hesitate in showing the real picture of the attack and hence expect lots and lots of blood and gore. The Leopold Café sequence leaves viewers numb. So does the Taj carnage scene. In order to avoid repetition, background score is effectively used in the CST sequence with no sound of gun firing at all. The second half gets more brutal as the firing of Cama Hospital, killing of Hemant Karkare-Vijay Salaskar-Ashok Kamte, arrest of Ajmal Kasab and the events thereafter are depicted. There are heavily alterations (but no distortion of facts) in the last 30 minutes. What unfolds on the screen at this point is something that never happened (Kasab was never taken to the morgue). But thankfully, these alterations are worth it. The climax in fact takes the film to a high and induces clap-worthy moments.

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(Crisp) Movie Review: I ME AUR MAIN by FENIL SETA

Movie Review: KAI PO CHE by FENIL SETA

It’s refreshing to see that more and more rooted and true-to-life films are being made. The films are shot in real locales of the Indian hinterland and the actors give more than hundred percent while portraying convincing and realistic characters. From Kashmir to Delhi to Kerela to Kolkata to UP to Bihar to Bhopal to Rajasthan to, not to forget, the Punjab – many beautiful places of India got a place in our films and, at times, the regions were considered as one of the principle characters. Somehow, Gujarat and its vibrancy were ignored. But now, director Abhishek Kapoor attempts to bring it alive on celluloid with Kai Po Che, which is adapted from Chetan Bhagat’s terrific novel ‘The 3 Mistakes Of My Life’. There are films that rightly seem like winners from their first trailer itself. Kai Po Che fits into the category and fulfills all expectations! A must see!

The story of the movie: The year is 2000. Govind (Raj Kumar Yadav), based in Ahmedabad, persuades his good-for-nothing friends, Ishaan (Sushant Singh Rajput) and Omi (Amit Sadh) to help him start a cricket shop in the nearby temple premises. At the same time, the premise is used by Ishaan to give cricket coaching and by Govind to teach maths to students. Govind also starts giving tuitions to Ishaan’s sister Vidya (Amrita Puri), who seemed attracted to her maths teacher. Ishaan, on the other hand, comes across Ali (Digvijay Deshmukh), realizes that he has the potential to be a world-class batsman and decides to nurture him. Finally, Omi begins to identify with his mama, Bittoo (Manav Kaul), and like him, seems all set to enter (communal) politics. How the three friends manage their shop, suffer losses and manage to stand united despite all odds forms the crux of the film.

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Movie Review: MURDER 3 by FENIL SETA

Movie Review: SPECIAL 26 by FENIL SETA

Neeraj Pandey’s ‘A Wednesday!’ was an unforgettable film. The manner in which the film gripped the viewer and presented a twist that no one had expected gave a distinct touch to the film, and hence the movie is rightly today termed as a classic. Neeraj’s next, Special 26, too follows suit and does resemble his first film in many aspects. There’s a cat and mouse game going on between the cops and baddie(s) and the best is reserved for the finale! The romantic portion does spoil things to an extent but that’s a very minor glitch. The film has lots to offer and succeeds in meeting all expectations!

The story of the movie: Ajay (Akshay Kumar), Sharma (Anupam Kher), Joginder (Rajesh Sharma) and Iqbal (Kishore Kadam) are thieves who impersonate as CBI officers and ‘raid’ the residences and offices of those having tons of black money. The confidence with which they execute their operations and even involve local cops and officials leaves everyone stunned. ‘Asli’ CBI officer Wasim (Manoj Bajpayee) is not impressed and decides to nail the culprits. He takes the help of police officer Ranveer Singh (Jimmy Shergill) who had unknowingly helped the con men raid the residence of a minister. Meanwhile, Ajay and his gang are going on with their raids and are planning something huge before they call it a day. Will they succeed? Will Wasim manage to thwart their operations?

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Movie Review: DAVID by FENIL SETA

There’s absolutely no iota of doubt that the new-age directors are coming up with some brilliant concepts and ideas. However, translating them into celluloid can prove to be a tad risky affair. After all, it’s cinema. A film can have one positives but handful of minuses can lead to a film’s downfall. David falls in this category. The film is aided with a very impressive idea of three men, all named David, based in three different eras and how their lives change and even interlink, coincidentally all on the same date of their respective eras – March 3! Director Bejoy Nambiar also throws in some well-sketched characters and different colour tones for each track. However, a film of this type and style ought to be taut and pacy and definitely not lethargic. David, that’s almost 155 minutes long, therefore fails to create much of an impact.

The story of the movie: 1975 London: David (Neil Nitin Mukesh) is a fiercely loyal to his master, Iqbal Ghani (Akash Khurana), a dreaded mafia, and in love with the rebellious Noor (Monica Dogra). Officials from the Indian government are sent to eliminate Ghani and they decide to use David and the secrets of his bloodline to set their plan in motion.
1999 Mumbai: David (Vinay Virmani) is a happy-go-lucky youth who loves to play guitar and even give lessons. He doesn’t share a cordial relation with his dad, Father Noel (Nasser) but decides to fight for him when he’s needlessly dragged into a political issue by Malati Tai (Rohini Hattangadi).
2010 Goa: David (Chiyaan Vikram) is a fisherman who is addicted to his drink. His mother wants him to tie the knot but he’s least interested, until he comes across Roma (Isha Sharvani), a deaf and mute girl. He soon realizes that he’s in love but there’s a hitch, a big one that too.

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