Dil Dhadakne Do Movie Review

One Word which describes the film - Picturesque

Genre - Comedy/ Family Drama

Best Dialogue - 'Is family ki yahi problem hai, sab upar upar se bat karte hai, asli bat to koyi karta hi nahi hai.

Music- Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Producer -Ritesh Sidhwani
Farhan Akhtar

Story- Reema Kagti, Zoya Akhtar, Farhan Akhtar (dialogue), Javed Akhtar (additional dialogue) 

Direction- Zoya Akhtar

Cast- Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Farhan Akhtar, Rahul Bose,Zarina Wahab, Vikrant Massey, Ridhima Sud

Budget- 60 Crores approximately 

The film was first announced as a story based on the brother- sister relationship between Zoya and Farhan Akhtar played by Kareena Kapoor and  Ranbir Kapoor respectively.

Over the years not only the cast was changed but from a brother- sister film it became the story of a dysfunctional Punjabi family who plan a cruise to celebrate the parents' 30'th wedding anniversary.

Most of the celebrities and film stars were all praises for the film as they must have identified with this ultra rich family who instead of chocolates and toys offer planes to their kids as bribe.

Initially I was happy to see that the film was 170 minutes long but once it started, within 15 minutes it became very clear that the journey is going to be a very slow one. There are 20 seconds dialogues followed by 10 seconds of silence. Some episodes are totally unnecessary and should have been totally edited from the film.

Anil Kapoor and Shefali Shah are perfect in their roles. In some scenes their chemistry is so good that you will feel that they are actually married to each other. Their characters have various shades of grey and like experts they manage to give the perfect expression in every scene.
Anil Kapoor gets to say this epic line which every kid must have heard at least once in his/her life 'Tumne aaj tak kiya kya hai ? Nothing ! You are lucky that I'm your father.' 

Priyanka Chopra has lost too much weight and looks tired. She has an excellent voice but in most of the scenes she has a bad throat and doesn't sound like her usual self.

Ranveer Singh is the life and soul of the otherwise reticent family. He is vibrant, makes the audience laugh and is cute in some scenes. He is paired opposite Anushka Sharma with whom he made his Bollywood debut in 2010 ( Band Baaja Baaraat ) and later was also romantically linked. Though now they are dating other people , they share a great on screen chemistry. As aptly described in a dialogue, ' Mohabbat ki shuruwat mai aisa hi hota hai, zabaan kam bolti hai, ankhen bolti hai, jism bolte hai.'

Anushka Sharma has a strong role and some good dialogues but as she is not part of the family she gets less screen space. First Bombay Velvet flops at the Box office and now this film is off to a bad start, guess the news lips are not that lucky for Anushka.

Farhan Akhtar must have been added in the film as an after thought as least attention is paid to his character. He is shabbily dressed in most scenes, doesn't even bother to shave or comb his hair which was quite disappointing for his fans. Moral he should learn from this film is, even when you are the producer and your sister is the director you shouldn't be over confident.
Javed Akhtar has penned some dialogues which are used in a narrative style. Loved this one, ' Doosre karte hai to use hypocrisy kehte hai aur jab khud wohi kam karte hai to use duniyadaari kehte hai.'

The main problem of the film is the presence of too many characters. So many parallel stories are running in the film that many scenes just add to the existing confusion. Many characters are introduced but near the end they just fade away and the focus abruptly shifts to the main members of the family.
The music is average and none of the song stays with us once the movie ends. Guess you really need a Honey Singh or Arijit Singh to have a chart buster song. 
The film has nothing to offer to the masses and so it will be a difficult task for the film to  reach the 100 Crore mark.   

In a line, the film is 170 min long, slow at times, will make you sleep in some scenes but overall it's a classy film made by a woman for other women.

Time-pass. Can be seen in theaters with best friends else better wait for its World TV premier.

Movie review - Tanu Weds Manu Returns

Tanu Weds Manu Returns

Release date - 22'nd May 

2015

One Word which describes the film -Laugh riot .Must watch

Best Dialogue -
Tanu-' Haalat dekhi hai apni? Adrak ho gaya hai ye aadmi. Kahin se bhi badh raha hai!' 
Manu- "Haan toh shaadi se pehle Hrithik Roshan tha kya?

Genre -Comedy/ Drama 

Music - Ramesh Vinayagam

Producer - Kishore Lulla
Anand L. Rai

Story- Himanshu Sharma

Direction -Anand L. Rai

Cast -Kangana Ranaut, R. Madhavan, Jimmy Shergill, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Deepak Dobriyal

Budget- 35 Crores 

After giving  two hits Tanu Weds Manu (2011) and Raanjhanaa (2013), the director-writer duo  Anand L. Rai and  Himanshu Sharma have hit the jackpot with their third tongue in cheek comedy Tanu Weds Manu Returns which has become the first film of 2015 to enter the 100 Crore Club. 

With big budget films like Baby and Bombay Velvet failing to touch the 100 Crore mark it's no mean feat.

Kangana Ranaut is slowly and steadily becoming the poor producers' Amir Khan (pun intended).

When Tanu tells a small kid to write a letter which says , 'Laal kalam se likh do unko bahut hua sammaan..' we know that the rebellious Tanuja Trivedi is back and we can expect some fireworks . She has no second thoughts about hugging a rickshaw wala who once used to study in the same college with her and telling him ,'Bahut acche din the yaar wo, waqt aur umar ne sab barbaad kar diya yaar.' 

Kangana as Datto is the real surprise package of the film. Tanu and Datto are like chalk and cheese. It's hard to believe that both the characters are played by the same woman. Where as one is a drop dead beauty who attracts men like moths to a flame the other one is a dedicated athlete who has no time for love or to enjoy the finer things in life. When a befuddled Manu collides with her she shouts at him in Haryanvi , 'Ke kar raha tha bahen faela ke, yo jagah se Shah Rukh Khan bannan ki?'

Madhavan is an excellent actor who always manages to express his feelings through his eyes. Every married man in the audience must have identified and sympathized with him. His silent nature and simple looks act as the perfect foil for Kangana's beauty and exuberance.
His recent weight gain may have acted as an advantage in portraying the role of a 40 year old married man but if he has any intention of playing other mainstream roles he should seriously start working on loosing the extra kilos.

Jimmy Shergil has few scenes in the films but he manages to leave an impact. His character has matured over the years and now instead of raw anger his character depicts maturity. He gets irritated now and then like when he tells Tanu, 'Hum kahe tum nahi tumhare jaise hi sahi, lekin tumhare pati se wo bhi dekha nahi ja raha! Saley ko original bhi yahi rakhenge, duplicate bhi yahi rakhenge.'

Deepak Dobriyal first came to limelight for his award winning performance inOmkara (2006) .  He is totally loyal to Madhavan and plays the role of his inner conscience. You can't stop laughing when he tells Manu ,' Tum kya Salman Khan ho jo tumhe commitment issues hai.' With him around, there's never a dull moment.

Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub as Chintu is a new addition in this sequel. He is in awe of Tanu and wants to win her by hook or crook. He tells Raja ,'Bhaiya, hum kandha. Bhaiya Kandha ek biradari hoti hai na ladko ki, hum tab ate hai jab kanya bahut udas hoti hai, sare rishto se pareshan hoti hai.'

All these characters along with a well scripted story and screenplay keep you entertained and teach you some basic facts about life.
1. In life there is no happy ending. Till you are alive there will be ups and downs.
2. Never say things which you don't mean.
3. Just because you're mad at someone doesn't mean you stop loving them.

In a line, over the years you must have heard the quote 'Love is blind, marriage is an eye opener' a 100 times, this film just explains it to you  in a very detailed and funny manner.'
Verdict - Must watch. Paisa vasool. Kangana is just awesome !

Rating - 4 out of 5

Movie review - Welcome to Karachi

Welcome to Karachi

Release date - 29'th May 2015

One Word which describes the film -Directionless

Best Dialogue - 
Jackky- Ye tune delivery karna kisse sikhaa ?
Arshad- Rajiv Hirani se !

Genre - Comedy/Political Satire

Music -Rochak Kohli, Jeet Ganguly, Komail Shayan (KK), Amjad Nadeem

Producer - Vashu Bhagnani

Story-Vrajesh Hirjee

Direction -Ashish R Mohan

Cast -Arshad Warsi, Jackky Bhagnani, Lauren Gottilieb

Budget- 30 - 35 crores approximately

Two men in a drunken stupor decide to go to America by boat. Their boat is caught in a storm and the cruel waves of the ocean bring them to Karachi. In one scene they are dancing with bikini babes and in the next they are in midst of bomb explosion and gun shots. As if this was not enough they are mistaken as terrorists and are taken to the Taliban. 
The story aimlessly drifts from hospitals to fake passport offices to terrorists' camps to Al Qaeda to clubs to parliament sessions. There are many scenes which make us laugh but they are lost in the non ending journey of the protagonists.

Jackyy is shown as a dim wit Gujarati guy who doesn't realize the gravity of the situation. He talks with a terrorist in a very jovial manner.   

Jackky : Uncle mera ek garba karte hue video hai , aap Youtube mai dekho 

Pakistani: Youtube Pakistan me ban hai.

Jackky : Skype

Pakistani: Ban 

Jackky : Whatsapp

Pakistani: Ban 

Jackky :Toh uncle aap ke ghar pe 3G hai kya? Main toh bol raha hoon katwa lo. Bahut paise bachenge

Arshad Warsi's character is older and wiser but at times he is shown doing equally stupid things. His comic timing is perfect but just humorous scenes can not save a film which has a weak screenplay and poor dialogues. 

Lauren is mainly in the film for the item songs and to provide some glamour and looks beautiful in the otherwise drab film.

We have heard that, 'A life without a vision is a journey without destination.' So what was the filmmakers purpose in making this film? If they wanted to show that Karachi is a really unsafe place where one's life is under constant threat then initially they did manage to create some tension in the minds of the viewers but soon it was lost in between the crowd of junior artists and item songs. 
   

In a line, even though the film has some funny moments, the overall Karachi journey is not entertaining enough to be seen in theaters.

Verdict - Completely Avoidable. Wait for its TV premier next month

Ratings - 2 out of 5

Shahid Kapoor engaged to Delhi based girl Mira Rajput, to get married soon!

Pinkvilla

Yes that’s right! Read on to find out the shocking report right here!

BollywoodLife was the first one’s to EXCLUSIVELY break the mystery around Shahid Kapoor’s secretive relationship with a Delhi based girlfriend. And now we hear the duo has already got engaged, earlier this year.. Say what? I know its breaking a million hearts out there but the couple exchanged rings in a secretive ceremony on January 14, 2015 and is also said to tie the knot soon. Wait, now isn’t that like the most shocking thing you have heard in the longest of time? We still can’t believe the report but a leading daily affirms this story, giving out all the deets!

Mira Rajput, the bride-to-be is a third-year English (Hons) student at LSR and did her schooling from Vasant Valley School. Shahid met Mira through the religious group Radha Soami Satsang Beas. He and his father Pankaj Kapur are ardent followers of the group. Apparently, Shahid and Mira have been lying low about the news of their wedding and have been avoiding the media. But there have been reports about Shahid’s dad visiting Mira’s Chhatarpur house to meet her parents a few days back. Wedding bells this year itself?

Whoa! We are so not sparing Shahid for being so secretive about his love life! Never mind, heartiest wishes to the couple

Source  -http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/revealed-shahid-kapoor-engaged-to-delhi-based-girl-mira-rajput-to-get-married-soon/

Review of Kill Dil

Review of Kill Dil 

Release date -14'th November 2014

One Word which describes the film - Musical

Best Dialogue - "Maarna hai to maaro. Ghoor ke mera time waste mat karo." 

Genre - Action/ Romance

Music -Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Producer - Aditya Chopra

Story & Direction -Shaad Ali

Cast -Govinda ,Ranveer Singh ,Ali Zafar ,Parineeti Chopra

Budget- 40 crores (Including P&A)

Director Shaad Ali made an impressive debut with Saathiya (2002) followed by Bunty Aur Babli(2005). In 2007 he totally antagonized the audience with Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. Everyone was eagerly waiting for his comeback film which had a bunch of talented actors. The promos were quite stylish, the music catchy and the film looked just perfect. The film starts with the bad guy Govinda and his boys humming and dancing to the title song. 

Govinda is the merciless bhaiyaji who can kill for money , can be generous or ruthless depending on his moods. He laughs on jokes, likes singing and dancing and plans his moves like an expert game master.

Ranveer and Ali are the modern 'Jai-Veeru'. They are stylishly attired through out the film, one in black other in white. Huge posters symbolizing their friendship are adorned on the walls of their house. They move around in bikes singing and dancing looking like cool dudes rather than killers. Most of their time is spent in styling their hair and drinking whiskey. 

Parineeti plays the role of a rich girl who instead of joining her father's business decides to help the criminals in rehabilitating themselves. During the whole film she is only playing the part of a rich girl who visits night clubs in skimpy dresses or is lazying in the pool or is just painting the town red in her sports car. The characters are well defined and the film starts in a good way with some action scenes and good dialogues. But after 15 minutes the film loses its speed ,there is no plot and the only action shown is the lead actors putting bullets on their target .

The director has paid so much attention on characterisation and style that he totally forgot that there should be a good story to bind the characters together.After every 10 minutes there is a new song and it looks as if everyone is just waiting to find an excuse to dance. Though the background music is good and the songs are melodious but still a film should have a good screenplay to keep the viewers engrossed till the end.

There were huge expectations from the film and despite being released in 2500 plus screens the film just had a 25% opening (6-7 crores ). It will be a big task for the film to even cross the 30 crore mark .

In a line if you are a very big Govinda / Ranveer fan then also it will be a task for you to watch this 2 hr film in theater.

Avoidable. Watch the promos and endless songs on you tube and save money.

Mardaani - Misture of Lady Dabbang & Mrs Singham

Review of Mardaani

Release date - 22'nd August 2014

One Word which describes the film - 
Kick-ass

Best Dialogue - ' Kaam karne ke liye kayde ki nahi irade ki zaroorat hoti hai.'

Genre - Crime/ Drama

Music -Shantanu Moitra , Karthik Raja

Producer - Aditya Chopra

Story- Gopi Puthran

Direction -Pradeep Sarkar

Cast - Rani Mukerji ,Tahir Bhasin , Jisshu Sengupta

Budget- 30 crores (including P&A)

An year back when I heard that Rani was doing this film I was not very excited as not much before I had seen her film 'Aiyya' which was a very painful experience.

Last month I saw Mardaani's promos and Rani's acting and dialogue delivery in the scene 'Aur kisi ko law seekhna hai' was so powerful that in that 1 minute she made me eagerly wait for the film.

Rani plays the author backed role of Shivani Shivaji Roy,Senior Inspector, Crime Branch, Mumbai Police who sets out to confront the mastermind behind a child trafficking mafia.

Rani underwent a complete transformation for this role. From a petite beauty she became a strong and fit woman who challenges the villain to fight with her.She looks real, her concern for the victims genuine and her determination to find the criminals creates awe in the minds of the audiences .
She has given such a powerful performance that throughout the film and especially in the climax the audience was cheering and clapping for her.
In the film she says that 'Itna risk to lena hi padta hai' and her choosing this film is a risk which has paid off very well.
Jisshu Sengupta who plays the role of Rani's husband was earlier seen in Barfi opposite Iliena D'Cruz. His role is small but he acts as Rani's support system and provides her unconditional love and strength.
Tahir Bhasin as the smooth talking criminal master mind managed to create fear and hatred in the minds of the young victims in the film and among the audiences too.
Pradeep Sarkaar who made his directorial debut with Parineeta(2005) ,after 9 years has finally made a film which is better than his debut film and will surely fetch him many awards this year. The director has handled the sensitive scenes in such an artistic way that we don't cringe in any scene.There is pathos but no vulgarity.
YRF films which is known for its candyfloss and popcorn romance has finally made an offbeat film which gives a very strong message to the society.
Sadly because of its release timing (Singham Returns is already running in many screens) it was just released in 894 screens and got a 20% opening.
As the film got an A certificate and deals with a sensitive issue most of the family audience stayed away from it and an exceptionally good film managed to collect just 14-15 crores over the weekend .

In a line if you can see a masala cop film like Singham Returns in theaters you must see a realistic cop film like Mardaani too.
Must watch for adults.

Review : It's Entertainment

Review of It's Entertainment

Release date - 8'th August 2014

One Word which describes the film - Laugh Riot

Best Dialogue - 'Tum ye maanti ho na ki shadi ke baad har aadmi kutta ban jata hai. Mera to yeh kehna hai ke tum kutte se hi shaadi kar lo.'

Genre - Comedy

Music - Sachin - Jigar

Producer - Ramesh S. Taurani ,Jayantilal Gada

Story & Direction -Sajid-Farhad

Cast - Junior (The wonder dog), Akshay Kumar ,Tamannaah Bhatia ,Krishna Abhishek ,Mithun Chakraborty ,Johnny Lever ,Sonu Sood ,Prakash Raj

Budget- 70 crore

When a dog's name comes before the Hero's name in the credits you know that the film makers have a sense of humor. Over the years, comedy in films has just been reduced to internet jokes and double meaning sentences. The hero apart from romancing the heroine and fighting with villians plays the role of a comedian too.  

It's entertainment is the story of Akhil who does petty jobs but dreams of being a millionaire so he can marry the girl he loves . His friend Jugnoo is a Bollywood addict and uses names of famous films or film stars in every dialogue.
Till interval the combination of Jhonny Lever , Akshay , Krishna and the dog keep us thoroughly entertained. In some scenes we laugh till our stomachs ache. The comedy reminds us of 1990s films and has a typical Kader Khan touch especially the threesome dialogues used by Akshay repeatedly in the film.

Riteish Deshmukh-  Abey khade khade tamasha ho jaega yahan
Akshay Kumar- Kyun madaari hai tu?
Riteish- Main bol raha hun maine apne haath mein chooriyan nahi pehni hain.
Akshay- Kyun widhwa hai tu?
Riteish- Maar dalunga tere ko main
Akshay- Kyun villain hai tu? 

After interval two more characters Karan and Arjun are introduced in the films. The story becomes a bit stereotypical and some scenes look straightaway copied from films like Welcome and Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge .
The climax is so stretched that we wish the story had a more comic ending.
The film had a good opening and managed to earn 59 crores in a week. But a huge budget and release of Singham Returns this week will surely effect the film's business.  

In a line even if you are not a dog lover the film has some really hilarious scenes especially in the first half.

Good one time watch. Children will love it.