My Take On DUM LAGA KE HAISHA - "A Wonderful Rom-Com That Takes Us To The Magical 90s Era"

Set in Haridwar during mid 90s, Dum Laga Ke Haisha tells the story of a silly, matric fail guy who runs a cassette store and also happens to be an ardent fan of Noted Singer Kumar Sanu. How his life takes a turn when he forcefully gets hitched with a plump yet responsible girl. He never quite becomes cosy or happy with his spouse because of her weight factor. Thus their marital life doesn't seem to work at first but things variate when they fall for each other ultimately. Its their journey which goes through several rough patches & fun moments and these are shown beautifully in the film. All credit goes to writer-director Sharat Katariya who has made this light hearted love saga of an odd pair with pure heart. It's filled with strong merits.

HIGHPOINTS -

1) Storyline has real feeling, genuinely interesting characters which make this movie amazingly entertaining and totally engaging.
2) The 90's backdrop is beautifully shot. It pleasantly brings smile and takes us to the era which we all still love.
3) Talking of the melodious 90's era, the film's music is its another winning aspect. Kumar Sanu's touching voice captivates hearts yet again with lovely tracks like 'Dard Karara' and 'Tu' superbly composed by Anu Malik. Sanu-Malik's combo proves that they can still do wonders. 'Moh Moh Se Dhaage' is an incredible rendition too.
4) Ayushman Khurrana is in great form and delivers a performance that stands big and high. He is surely a fine actor and that's very much evident from this movie. Similarly, his leading lady, Bhumi Pednekar is delight to watch. She's extremely believable and thoroughly likeable in her debut outing. She's effortless. And together this leading pair looks fantastic. They make us laugh, they make us cry and compel us to root for them throughout. Its hard not to love their heartening chemistry.
5) Also actors like Sanjay Mishra and Seema Pahwa do first rate acting in supporting parts.
6) Direction is inspiring and deserves appreciation. Sharat Katariya makes an ideal debut with this simple yet charming rom com.
7) Kumar Sanu has a fascinating cameo.

There are hardly any shortcomings in this movie to talk about.

Dum Laga Ke Haisha, thus overall is a joyful, heartwarming 90's style love story that should be watched to be unanimously loved. It rarely fizzles and mostly sizzles. Small in budget but big in content, this rom com will make you feel happy. Surely the best thing to come out in 2015 so far.

Rating - 4 / 5

Its a treat that should be rejoiced. An adorable 90's reminiscent!

My Take On BADLAPUR - "This Skillfully Made, Well Acted Thriller Can Be Very Much Watchable"

Badlapur, a neo noir revenge saga, directed by Sriram Raghavan is sharp, edgy, unusual and unpredictable thriller which is far from our regular Bollywood masala thrillers that have over the top actions, tacky dialogues, too many cliches and loud performances. This one is more of a real, twisted drama and director Raghavan succeeds in making us engaged and captivated for the most part. The mixture of violence, sex and maniac like characteristics due to a sudden grief of our hero plus the weird yet humorous nature of the antagonist works here.

Highpoints -

1) Unpredictability, crisp twists and turns in the screenplay are appreciable.
2) Solid script consisting of clever humour and deep sorrows backed by neat direction deserves applause.
3) Exceptionally well acted by the film's two leads - Varun Dhawan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Varun, just in his fourth film, has shown tremendous growth in acting. He successfully portrays the very complexed role with both sincerity and maturity. Its a crazy, wicked character which Varun does complete justice to. Meanwhile, the vastly skilled Nawazuddin yet again impresses with a striking performance. He's funny, cunning and even likeable as the baddie 'Liak'. Its a sheer pleasure to watch him on screen.
4) Among the supporting performers, Huma Quereshi is wonderful. Divya Dutta does well. Vinay Pathak is alright.
5) Music of the film is nice. Jee Karda is a terrific number. Others are passable too.
6) Editing and background score are good.

With all this going in its favour, Badlapur is still flawed and problematic.

Lowpoints -

1) Sluggish pace and chaotic moments at several places will make you bore.
2) This crisp thriller is letdown by an unconvincing climax that has no spark, surprise.
3) There is no great suspense in the film. If you are expecting a nail biting suspense from this flick, you will be disappointed.

Thus Badlapur on the whole, is a smart attempt to the thriller genres. Its off beat nature may not be liked by all but no doubt this is a skillfully directed revenge tale boasted with two spectacular performances. Its mainly for all the intellectual movie viewers.

Rating - 3.5/5

Watch it friends. Its mostly watchable!

My Take On SHAMITABH - "Far From Perfect, Yet A Pleasant Experience That Deserves To Be Seen"

Shamitabh, a smart movie directed by R.Balki of Cheeni Kum & Paa fame takes on the inner and outer world of our cinema, tells the story of a mute boy dreaming big of establishing himself as a Hero cum Superstar in film's line one day. His initial struggles never seem to be stopped as he's dumb, a handicapped. But when he gets his voice courtesy an ageing drunkard, his fate alters and starts blossoming. So the dumb Hero DaniSH's acting combines with the old drunkard AMITABH Sinha's voice(dubbing dialogues) and together they become SHAMITABH. Everything goes nicely until their ego clash brings disturbance in their personal and professional lives. Now this is quite an interesting storyline where Balki's presentation is both unique and inspiring. But there are several problems in the script that are hard to accept.
However, looking into the film's plusses we have.

HIGHPOINTS -

1) The initial plot may be indifferent but the idea here is new and commendable.
2) Terrific bonding between the 2 central performers that gives you joy and warms your hearts.
3) Remarkable performances by both Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush boost the film greatly. Big B hits all the right notes and shines through out as expected. Dhanush meanwhile is the heart of the film with an absolutely striking act as the mute hero. Its tough to take your eyes off both the actors when they are on screen. They empower the film.
4) Young Akshara Hassan impresses too in her debut Hindi outing.
5) Balki's direction & storytelling hardly looses sharpness or control.
6) Some really good dialogues and touching scenes work well.
7) First rate cinematography and alright music. Piddly song is amusing.

But even with the above stated merits, the film couldn't become a great one due to the following drawbacks.

LOWPOINTS -

1) After a top notch first half, the film dips and drags post interval.
2) Melodrama to make it excess emotional doesn't work as it looks unconvincing. For e.g, the poignant climax no doubt will make u melancholic but it comes out sudden and abrupt that it fails to justify the movie properly.
3) Lack of logic that's unacceptable in the screenplay dents the film. Like how can a mute actor and his voice artist hide their secret to the whole world for so long. Its not possible in today's technological universe.
4) Editing could have done tightier as repetitive scenes seem monotonous.

So in the end, Shamitabh is a cleverly conceptualized and superbly enacted film that despite flaws is rare in Bollywood. Its a pleasant experience to watch 2 robust actors delivering their best to make this movie pretty much likeable. Yes its likeable if not perfect.

My Rating - 3/5

Give it a view friends!

My Take On DOLLY KI DOLI - "Joy In Parts Only, Watch It For Just Timepass"

Dolly Ki Doli a con comedy directed by newcomer Abhishek Dogra has its moments that provide genuine laughs and keep you engaged but halfway down the film, it starts jarring thanks to an amateurish script that seems lame and often becomes predictable.

Anyway, the movie has certain merits.

Highpoints :-

1) Con scenes are quite enjoyable.
2) The film is filled with some perky comic portions that work in its favour.
3) Rajkummar Rao is fantastic once again, shines in both funny and emotional moments.
4) Varun Sharma is a revelation whose comic timing is nothing short of perfect.
5) Sonam Kapoor too does a fair job even though her character is puzzled and muddled.

However, it suffers from several drawbacks.

Lowpoints :-

1) Sordid and inconsistent screenplay harms the film badly.
2) Emotional bits hardly connect or hit the right notes.
3) Mediocre music doesn't help in the film's cause either.
4) The direction sadly also isn't greatly inspiring that could have lifted the film from its flaws.
5) Sonam's central character is half baked written. Its chaotic and thus the actress couldn't come up with a winning act.
6) Pulkit Samrat is ineffective and so are the rest of supporting characters.

Thus, Dolly Ki Doli as a whole can be called as a moderate entertainer. Had there been a tighter script occupying real fun and well oiled crisply written characters, this film could have emerged as a full on joyous experience. Ultimately in reality its mere average at best.

My Rating - 2.5/5

Watch it when you have free time with least expectation, you won't be disappointed then.

My Take On BABY - "A Striking Thriller That Works Mostly"

Neeraj Pandey, who earlier directed terrific films based on real events, A Wednesday & Special Chabbis, has shown enough competency in his latest espionage venture, BABY. His story is both gripping and powerful which focuses on a mission taken up by a team termed as BABY, an Indian Security Agency to protect India from terrorists across the border. Its crisp pacing coupled with fast actions and engaging thrilling portions work in favour of the movie. And although, its not exactly perfect, there are so many things in the film that deserve praise.

HIGH POINTS -
* Smart and Tight Storytelling
* Several Edge of the seat moments
* First rate performance by Akshay Kumar who rises up once again after Special Chabbis, in delivering a hard hitting, compelling act.
* Impressive enactment by veterans like Danny Denzgoppa and Anupam Kher
* Some genuinely quirky humorous moments
* Fabulous cinematography and action scenes
* Moreover, Director's solid command over the entire film. Its commendable!

BABY however slips occasionally.

LOW POINTS -
* The movie falters towards the climax in the sense that its suspense doesn't enthrall much. It could have been better.
* A bit lengthy second half which could have been neatly edited.
* Not a complete ensemble show as apart from Akshay primarily and Danny & Anupam to some extent, no other actors have that significant role to excel. Particularly, Fine actor like KK Menon has nothing much to do.

Thus barring these few loopholes, BABY is an arresting thriller that succeeds in making you feel amaze. Its an another striking flick(although not as good as his previous 2 gems) from a brave and intellectual filmmaker. Also it happens to be Akshay Kumar's superlative effort, easily amongst his finest works. Hope he does films like Special Chabbis and BABY more over forgettable sloppy entertainers.

My Rating - 3.5/5

Its worth watching for sure!

Best Of Bollywood 2014 Awards By Me

We saw some various genres of good movies last year. Among them, the ones that deserve awards are as follows :-

1) Best FILM - Tie between QUEEN & HAIDER
2) Best DIRECTOR - Vishal Bhardwaj(HAIDER)
3) Best ACTOR - Shahid Kapoor(HAIDER)
4) Best ACTRESS - Kangana Ranaut(QUEEN)
5) Best Entertaining ACTOR - Aamir Khan(PK)
6) Best Entertaining ACTRESS - Rani Mukherjee (MARDAANI)
7) Best SUPPORTING ACTOR - Irrfan Khan(HAIDER)
8) Best SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Lisa Hayden(QUEEN)
9) Best Entertaining FILM - PK
10) Best Thriller FILM - Tie between MARDAANI & UGLY
11) Best Romantic FILM - HASEE TOH PHASEE
12) Best Action FILM - HOLIDAY
13) Best Stylish FILM - HAPPY NEW YEAR
14) Best JODI - Varun & Alia (HSKD)
15) Best SONG - Indiawaale (HAPPY NEW YEAR)
16) Best SINGER MALE - Arijit Singh (Muskuraane - CITYLIGHTS)
17) Best SINGER FEMALE - Shreya Ghosal (Hangover - KICK)
18) Best LYRICS - Gulzaar (Bismil - HAIDER)
19) Best MUSIC - Vishal Bhardwaj (HAIDER)
20) Best Actor in Negative Role - Tie between Riteish Deshmukh(EK VILLAIN) & KK Menon(HAIDER)
21) Best Actor in Comic Role - Abhishek Bachchan(HAPPY NEW YEAR)
22) Best Debutante Male - Tahir Raj Bhasin(MARDAANI)
23) Best Debutante Female - Patralekha(CITYLIGHTS)
24) Best Debut Director - Vinil Matthew(HASEE TOH PHASEE)
25) Best STORY - UGLY
26) Best SCREENPLAY - QUEEN
27) Best DIALOGUES - HAIDER
28) Best ENSEMBLE - UGLY
29) Best Children Film - HAWAA HAWAAI
30) Best Child Actor - Tie between Partho(HAWAA HAWAAI) & Parth(BHOOTHNATH RETURNS)
31) Best Cinematography - HAIDER
32) Best Choreography - Bismil(HAIDER)
33) Best Special Effects - HAPPY NEW YEAR
34) Best Costume Design - HAPPY NEW YEAR
35) Best Background Score - HAIDER
36) Scene of the Year - Haider's Monologue Act(HAIDER)

So this is my personal choice on movies that should win the abovementioned awards.
Thank you!

My Take On PK - 'Nice Mix Of Heartening Fun And Valuable Content Packed Together'

Let me start by saying that PK made by the great team of 3 Idiots, which is one of the modern day classics, is a pleasing experience. Its fun with substance that has always been Rajkumar Hirani's strength in his films. Here the plot begins with an alien from another planet lands on earth where a thug steals his spaceship remote control thinking that its an expensive object. The alien played by Aamir Khan does unusual stuffs wherever he goes in search of his lost property and ends up meeting Anushka Sharma to whom he shares his story, his experience with various humans and why he is addressed as PK by all. He discovers that its God who can make his wish fulfilled and then how the story makes him go against our so called Godmen who fool innocent public and earn loads of money. This concept of blind belief and over religious sentiments existing in people's mind is very significant but its not new as we have seen similar kind of saga in 2012 Hit movie Oh My God. Post intermission there are several moments that are OMG reminiscent. Yet credit goes to Hirani and his co writer Abhijat Joshi who have made this film full of joy, emotion and damn endearing especially its first half which is terrific. The movie is also gained from stellar performances. Aamir Khan is shining throughout and offers a heartwarming act that you will completely fall for. Anushka Sharma is impressive and has acted with ease. Sanjay Dutt is fantastic as Bhairo Singh. Boman Irani does well too.Saurabh Shukla is really good and Sushant Singh Rajput has a lovely presence. Music of this film is sweet and soothing.
Thus despite loopholes in script and lack of logic in substance, PK is a delightful entertainer that works and makes you feel touched overall. Its not Raju Hirani's best or Aamir's but nevertheless an engaging, appealing piece of cinema.

My Rating - 4/5

A definite watch for all!