Movie Review: Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari

It’s been eight months since the last big Hindi film, ANGREZI MEDIUM, hit screens. Once the lockdown kicked in, films began to go online, even the ones starring A-listers. But producers of some small films decided to wait for cinemas to reopen. Last month, cinemas finally got the go-ahead in most parts of the country while on November 5, the prime state of Maharashtra too gave its nod. This prompted Zee Studios to release SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI on Diwali on the big screen. The trailer of the film has been impressive and carries a good vibe. So does SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI manage to entertain and give viewers a good time? Or does it falter? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1148268 size-full" title="Movie Review: Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari" src="https://ift.tt/3ksG0De" alt="Movie Review: Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari" width="720" height="450" /> SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI is the story of a feud between a wedding detective and a dairy owner. The year is 1995. Suraj Singh Dhillon (Diljit Dosanjh) is a single guy from Mumbai and the heir of Jai Mata Rani Doodh Bhandar. He lives with his father Gurnaam Dhillon (Manoj Pahwa), mother Yeshodha Dhillon (Seema Pahwa) and sister Guddi (Vanshika Sharma). His parents are looking for a right match but their efforts are futile. Suraj's sidekick Sukhi (Manuj Sharma) tells him to be 'cool' and a 'bad boy' and that it would help attract girls. Suraj likes the idea and as part of his stint as a cool bad boy, he breaks the traffic signal and consumes alcohol in front of a girl’s college. Meanwhile, his parents find a match for him. An excited Suraj goes to the girl’s house with his parents. But the girl’s parents refuse their proposal because they had the pictures of Suraj while he was in his 'bad boy' avatar. Suraj is dejected and is dying to know who clicked his pictures after all. After cajoling the Pandit Dubey ji (Neeraj Sood), he gets to know that it’s none other than Madhu Mangal Rane (Manoj Bajpayee), a wedding detective. He believes it’s his job to find flaws in the to-be grooms and thus save the lives of gullible girls and their families. Suraj wants revenge but doesn’t know how. He then realizes that Mangal has a sister, Tulshi Rane (Fatima Sana Shaikh). He decides to fake a relationship with her in order to get back at Mangal. However, he falls for her in real. He expresses his love to Tulshi. She however is hiding a shocking secret about her life and passion. This secret gives Suraj the much needed opportunity to damage Mangal's reputation. At the same time, it can also dent his marriage prospects with Tulshi. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Shokhi Banerjee's story is very interesting and entertaining. One might feel that the makers revealed almost the whole plot in the trailer. But that’s not the case as the film has a lot more to offer. Rohan Shankar's screenplay is entertaining for most parts. The various twists and dramatic points are well fleshed out. However, a few rough edges remain. Also, the humour quotient is limited. Rohan Shankar's dialogues are hilarious and a few of them are sure to induce claps. Abhishek Sharma's direction is neat. He deserves brownie points for keeping the mood of the film light from start to finish. The film never gets too heavy, even in no-nonsense situations. Also, the film is replete with some very quirky characters and he makes good use of them to add to the fun. Moreover, the film celebrates the Marathi culture and the middle-class lifestyle of the city. It fondly also reminds one of the simple, slice-of-life films made by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee. On the flipside, some of the portions of the first half aren’t upto the mark, especially the ‘Bad Boy’ sequence. A few developments are hard to digest, especially the track of the professor deciding not to take any action against his wife despite the latter cheating on him. Also, the manner in which Madhu plans the breaking off the engagement ceremony of his sister is a bit too much. Mangal’s change of heart in the climax also comes across as very unconvincing. Thankfully, the DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE [1995] inspired climax makes up for it. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1148270" src="https://ift.tt/2IAq7Oe" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI starts off on a fine note. The entry of Mangal is hilarious and it neatly explains the dedication towards his work. The film drops a bit when Suraj turns into a ‘bad boy’ and when he gets into detective mode. But it picks up once Suraj starts wooing Tulshi. The twist in Tulshi’s tale is unexpected and gives a nice touch. Post-interval, the patch-up between Suraj and Tulshi happens rather quickly. But the fun continues as Mangal uses a new trick to get back at Suraj. More twists take place in the narrative as new characters get introduced. The finale is predictable but hilarious. Manoj Bajpayee is energetic and is sure to be loved. One rarely gets to see him in such roles and it’s a pleasure how he puts his best foot forward. Surely, this is one of his most memorable performances! Diljit Dosanjh is as always in his element. He suits the part to the T. Fatima Sana Shaikh is quite good in some scenes. But in a few sequences, her expressions are a bit off. This is especially in the scene where Mangal finds out the truth about her. Annu Kapoor (Shantaram Kaka) is impressive and one wishes he had a longer role. Supriya Pilgaonkar (Rekha Rane) is great and contributes to the humour. Manuj Sharma is nice as Diljit’s sidekick. Manoj Pahwa and Seema Pahwa and Neeraj Sood are alright. Vanshika Sharma is funny. Neha Pendse (Kavya Godbole) is beautiful and has a crucial part in which she does very well. Vijay Raaz (Chinmay Godbole) is arguably the funniest part about the film. Sadly, he’s hardly there and on top of that, his character is not utilized well. Rohan Shankar (Ashok) leaves a mark. Vivek R Puranik (Ashok's father), Harsha Gupte (Ashok's mother) and Anjali Ujawane (Vatsavitri Lady) are fine. Abhishek Banerjee (Dinesh) is okay in the cameo. Karishma Tanna is sizzling in the special number. Javed-Mohsin's music is poor. <em>'Basanti'</em> (composed by Kingshuk Chakravarty) is foot-tapping while the title track is catchy. <em>'Waareya'</em> works because it’s well shot. Same goes for <em>'Ladki Dramebaaz Hai'</em>. <em>'Bad Boys'</em> is disappointing. Kingshuk Chakravarty's background score is excellent, especially the theme music used in Manoj Bajpayee’s scenes. Anshuman Mahaley's cinematography is first-rate. Rajat Poddar's production design is authentic and reminds one of the 90s. Vijay Ganguly's choreography is appealing in <em>'Basanti'</em>.  Jia Bhagia and Mallika Chauhan's costumes are realistic for all the characters. Fatema’s clothes however don’t seem to be of 1995 but nevertheless, looks glamorous. Rameshwar Bhagat's editing is fair. On the whole, SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI is a decent entertainer and a clean family film that works because of its plot, the depiction of the mid-90s era and the performances.

Movie Review: Ludo

Director Anurag Basu’s previous film JAGGA JASOOS [2017] didn’t impress the audiences and was also criticized for going overbudget and for being in production for nearly 3-4 years. However, Bollywood didn’t lose trust in him thanks to his good-hearted nature and also because his overall track record has been great. He has helmed some of the most significant films in last 20 years like MURDER [2004], GANGSTER [2006], LIFE IN A METRO [2007] and BARFI [2012]. Hence, it’s no wonder that he got an ensemble cast in place for his next, LUDO. It was unofficially referred to as LIFE IN A METRO 2 as just like the 2007 flick, this film also features multiple stories which are connected to each other in some manner. However, while LIFE IN A METRO was a slice of life fare, the trailer of LUDO indicates that it’s in a wacky, crime comedy space. So does LUDO manage to entertain and enthral viewers? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1147871 size-full" title="Movie Review: Ludo" src="https://ift.tt/38zu5kU" alt="Movie Review: Ludo" width="720" height="450" /> LUDO is the story of quirky characters and how their life gets interlinked in a series of bizarre circumstances. Alok Kumar Gupta aka Aalu (Rajkummar Rao) loves Pinky (Fatima Sana Shaikh) like crazy since childhood. Sadly for him, Pinky ditches him and marries Manohar Jain (Paritosh Tripathi). It’s been three years since she’s hitched and she even has a son. Yet, Aalu continues to love her. Pinky, however, is not happy with Manohar. She gets suspicious that he’s having an affair. However, he lies to her by saying that he goes out to meet his friend, Bhinder (Saurabh Sharma). One day, she follows him. He realizes he’s being followed and hence has no choice but to drive to Bhinder’s villa. Pinky realizes that Manohar isn’t lying and leaves. Manohar then goes to meet his girlfriend, Sambhavi (Geetanjali Mishra). Minutes after he leaves, Sattu (Pankaj Tripathi), a dreaded gangster, arrives and kills Bhinder and his wife. Rahul Awasthi (Rohit Suresh Saraf), a sales executive in a hypermarket, who is kicked out of his house for non-payment of dues, happens to take refuge at the Bhinder villa at the same time. While leaving, Sattu takes him hostage to his sprawling hideout in the middle of a river. While he’s on his way, he kidnaps a person named Bhanu (Bhanu Uday) hostage as he has failed to repay him Rs. 90 lakhs that he owed. He also tells Bhanu’s wife Asha (Asha Negi) that she should tell Bittu (Abhishek A Bachchan) to meet him. The next day, cops spot Manohar’s car in Bhinder villa and conclude that he’s the murderer. He’s arrested by inspector Sukumar Sinha (Ishtiyak Arif Khan). Pinky ruins it by telling the cops that she saw Manohar entering the villa. Manohar, however, tells her at this point that he was with Sambhavi. He pleads her to meet Sambhavi and confess to the cops the truth and only then he’ll be able to get out of custody. Sambhavi, however, refuses to even admit that she has even met Manohar ever. With no other option, Pinky approaches Aalu for help. On the other hand, Asha meets Bittu. Bittu and Asha were married at one point and even have a daughter, Ruhi. Bittu used to work for Sattu but after he fell in love with Asha, he quit. Sattu didn’t like it and he got Bittu arrested. Asha then married Bhanu and became the father of Ruhi. On Asha’s request, Bittu goes to Sattu’s hideout. At this point, Akash Chauhan (Aditya Roy Kapur) comes to meet Sattu. Akash finds out that a porn clip featuring him and Shruti Choksi (Sanya Malhotra), with whom he had a fling once, is viral. He first approaches inspector Sukumar Sinha. But he tells her to bring Shruti to file the FIR. Shruti is getting married in five days to a wealthy chap named Shekhar (Aman Bhagat) and when he meets her and tells the truth, she is livid. Hence, he approaches Sattu. Sattu assures him that his work will be done. As Akash leaves and Bittu enters, a loud explosion takes place there because of Rahul, who had gone to the kitchen to prepare tea and left the gas on. Akash and Bittu escape with minor injuries but Sattu gets grievously hurt. Yet, Sattu manages to take a nurse, Sheeja Thomas (Pearle Maaney) and Rahul hostage. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Anurag Basu's story is promising and sounds fantastic on paper. Anurag Basu's screenplay tries to do justice but succeeds only in parts. There’s no doubt that a lot of hard work has gone in connecting the dots and in ensuring the various parallel stories converge at interesting points in the narrative. While a few of them arrest attention, there are several such intersections which seem to have been done just for the heck of it. Samrat Chakraborty's dialogues are well worded and add to the humour and drama. Anurag Basu's direction is decent. He tries his best to ensure the film stands out not just with the script but also by filling the narrative with some creatively executed scenes. The manner in which he takes his time to establish the characters and then inform viewers how they are related to each other is smartly done. On the flip side, this also gets a bit too much after a point. Also, in order to be unpredictable and quirky, the director takes a lot of cinematic liberties. The manner in which Aalu especially manages to commit crime after crime, to the extent of even killing cops, and he never gets nabbed is too hard to believe. The same kind of unconvincing moments are also a part of the other stories. Moreover, a few stories don’t work individually, and that further mars the impact. LUDO begins in an interesting manner as all the main characters are presented by two mysterious, Ludo-loving men. It takes a while to comprehend how each of them are related to each other and it becomes clear as the film progresses. Sadly, not all tracks work equally. The Aditya Roy Kapur-Sanya Malhotra track is the most interesting. The circumstances which compel them to be together and their conversations make for an interesting watch. The Abhishek Bachchan track is the weakest of all and simply doesn’t work. The Pankaj Tripathi story commences on a rocking note. But it loses steam once he gets admitted into the hospital. Also, the way he manages to escape death everytime is too hard to digest, even in a quirky film like this. The Rajkummar Rao-Fatima Sana Shaikh track has its share of interesting moments but is also unconvincing. Rajkummar’s sacrificial nature should have ideally made us teary-eyed but that doesn’t happen. Lastly, the Rohit Suresh Saraf- Pearle Maaney story is bland, except for some occasional quirky moments. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1147872" src="https://ift.tt/2IuA5R6" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> Abhishek A Bachchan is not in complete form. The scenes of him losing his temper don’t seem convincing; he did a similar act in a much better way in YUVA [2004]. Later on, his performance however gets better but is still let down by the script. Aditya Roy Kapur is apt for the part. His laidback persona works for this role. Rajkummar Rao (credited in the film as Raj Kumar Rao) tries his best to rise above the script. The manner in which he tells Pinky how he turned into a Mithun Chakraborty fan for her is cute. Pankaj Tripathi plays the kind of a role which he has played before in MIRZAPUR but here, his character has a quirk that makes his performance worthwhile. Also the use of the song 'O Beta Ji' for his scenes gives a nice touch. Sanya Malhotra is lovely as a practical girl who wants to settle with a rich guy. Fatima Sana Shaikh leaves a huge mark. Rohit Suresh Saraf hardly has any dialogues but one might not even realize this aspect. His screen presence is too good. Pearle Maaney makes an amazing Bollywood debut and looks ravishing in the second half. Ishtiyak Arif Khan tries too hard to be funny but doesn’t work. Child actor Inayat Verma (Mini) has a crucial part and delivers a splendid performance. Also, it’s after ages that we got a chance to see such a well-written role for a child actor. Shalini Vatsa (Latha Kutty) is a surprise of the film. Paritosh Tripathi gets to shine in the beginning and climax. Asha Negi and Bhanu Uday get limited scope. Saurabh Sharma, Bhanu Uday, Geetanjali Mishra, Aman Bhagat, Varun Verma (Mini's father), Mamta Verma (Mini's mother) and Rajiv Mishra (hotel receptionist) are decent. Shivaaji Satam reprises the role of a CID officer which he has played on TV but he has a blink-and-miss appearance. Lastly, Rahul Bagga (Chitragupt) and Anurag Basu (Yamraj) are entertaining. Pritam's music isn’t of the chartbuster variety. 'Aabaad Barbaad' is the most memorable. The rest of the songs like 'Meri Tum Ho', 'Tere Sirhane', 'Dil Julaha' and 'Humdam' are poor. Pritam’s background score however is way better. Allan Amin's action is first-rate and is not too gory. Ashish Dawyer's costumes are realistic yet appealing. NY VFXWalla's VFX could have been better. Anurag Basu's production design is neat. The different episodes of the film are shot in different cities but set in one town. Yet, due care has been taken to ensure that all the locales look like they are situated in one place. Anurag Basu and Rajesh Shukla's cinematography also works well in this aspect. Ajay Sharma's editing is uncomplicated and the various tracks and stories are neatly woven into the narrative. On the whole, LUDO is interesting and entertaining in parts and consists of unpredictable scenes and bravura performances. But due to a few poor tracks and unconvincing moments, the desired impact is not made. A marginal one time watch.

Movie Review: Khaali Peeli

The ‘Mumbaiya’ lingo became famous thanks to films like RANGEELA, MUNNA BHAI SERIES etc. and also the various films based on the Underworld. The lingo has a charm of its own and sadly, very few films have been made of late that are based on the characters mouthing this dialect. KHAALI PEELI attempts to be an exception in this regard. It’s a special film as it marks the debut of SULTAN [2016] and TIGER ZINDA HAI [2017] director Ali Abbas Zafar as producer. The chemistry of the lead actors – Ishaan Khatter and Ananya Panday – has also got noticed. So does KHAALI PEELI manage to entertain? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1136486 size-full" title="Movie Review: Khaali Peeli" src="https://ift.tt/2GmaOHQ" alt="Movie Review: Khaali Peeli" width="720" height="450" /> KHAALI PEELI is the story of a boy and girl on a crazy night-time adventure. Blackie (Ishaan Khatter) is a cabbie in Mumbai who drives the famous black-and-yellow taxi, also popularly known as kaali-peeli cab. One night, a strike of the taxi drivers is going on. Blackie however comes across a pregnant lady on her way to the hospital. He agrees to take her and her hubby to the hospital in return for Rs. 5,000. While he is on the way, some cabbies catch him red-handed. They inform the union leader (Ashish Varang) who along with some taxi drivers confront him. While trying to save himself from their attacks, he accidentally ends up stabbing one of them. He decides to run away from the city in his cab for a few days till the matter cools down. This is when he bumps into Pooja (Ananya Panday). She stays in a brothel run by Yousuf Chikna (Jaideep Ahlawat) since she was a child. It was at a very young age that one of Yousuf’s customers, Choksi Seth (Swanand Kirkire) had fallen for her and had decided to marry her when she grows up. She, however, is not at all interested in him. She hence steals a lot of money and jewellery from Yousuf and escapes. That’s when she comes across Blackie. Blackie decides to drop her somewhere outside the city and Pooja decides to pay him generously in return. Blackie realizes she has a lot of money in her bag. He has always desired to be rich and hence, he devises a plan to hand her over to Yusuf’s goons. In return, Yousuf’s goon Mangya (Suyash Tilak) promises that he can keep the bag that Pooja stole and he would additionally pay him the same amount as well. The plan is put in motion and Mangya manages to get hold of Pooja. But at that very moment, Blackie realizes that Pooja is the girl who was her first love. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Sima Agarwal and Yash Keswani's story rests on a wafer-thin plot. Sima Agarwal and Yash Keswani's screenplay saves the film to an extent from becoming a dated fare. However, the script loses steam in the second half as nothing exciting happens after a point. Sima Agarwal and Yash Keswani's dialogues (additional dialogues by Suraj Gianani) are funny and laced with some smart, tapori-style one-liners. Maqbool Khan's direction is stylised and neat and he tries his best to turn the ordinary script into a watchable fare. And he succeeds to do so in the first half. But how much can the direction help when the content is just not exciting enough? Moreover, there are too many cinematic liberties in the film. Initially, one won’t mind but later, it becomes difficult to digest. And although the film is essentially a masala entertainer, it has a bit of a dark setting. This might go against the film’s target audience. KHAALI PEELI’s first half is quite entertaining, despite absence of logic. The trademark masala film stamp is visible in few scenes, especially the way Blackie turns from a kid to an adult. The flashback portions keep the interest going and also the fun conversations between Blackie and Pooja. The intermission point is dramatic. The second half is shorter but this is where the film really slips. The back-and-forth narrative gets too much after a point. The track of Inspector Bhim (Satish Kaushik), though funny, is forcefully inserted in the film. The finale is nothing special and is instead long drawn and predictable. <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ananya Panday on dealing with TROLLS, her Mom’s message, Khaali Peeli, Ishaan &amp; Karan Johar</span></strong> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://ift.tt/2HQGLso" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Talking of performances, Ishaan Khatter is pretty confident. He looks every inch a streetsmart Mumbaikar and he also adds to the film’s entertainment quotient. Ananya Panday looks stunning and does much better than her previous two films. She shows promise and looks convincing in her action scenes as well. Jaideep Ahlawat is decent and is letdown by the script. Swanand Kirkire is strictly okay and his track doesn’t reach a logical conclusion. Suyash Tilak is fair. Same goes for Zakir Hussain (Inspector Tavde). Satish Kaushik’s comic timing is spot-on but the character is added in the film just for the heck of it. Vedant Desai (young Blackie) and Deshna Duggad (young Pooja) do very well. Ashish Varang, Annup Sonii (Blackie’s father Ravi), Vaisshalee Thakkar (Khala) and Kasturi Banerjee (dancer) are decent. Vishal-Shekhar's music is very disappointing. The film ought to have a chartbuster. <em>'Duniya Sharma Jayegi'</em> is okay. <em>'Shana Dil'</em> is played in the background and is forgettable. <em>'Tehas Nehas'</em> is forced but is well-choreographed. Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara's background score is much better. Adil Afsar's cinematography is stylish in some scenes. But the visuals should have been brighter. Parvez Shaikh's action makes for a nice watch. Natascha Charak and Nikita Mohanty's costumes are glamorous, especially the ones worn by Ananya Panday. Durgaprasad Mahapatra's production design is realistic. Rameshwar S Bhagat's editing could have been slicker, especially in the second half. On the whole, KHAALI PEELI rests on a wafer-thin plot and is riddled with a lot of cinematic liberties, thus diluting the impact. Moreover, the decision to release the film on a pay-per-view model, that too at an exorbitant price, might go against the film.

Movie Review: Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare

Director Alankrita Srivastava didn’t create waves with her directorial debut TURNING 30 [2011]. But her second film LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA [2017] got worldwide recognition and also succeeded well at the Indian box office. That an attempt was made by the Censors to make reckless cuts in this ‘lady oriented’ film also caught people’s attention. And now the talented writer-director is back with DOLLY KITTY AUR WOH CHAMAKTE SITARE. It has a stellar star cast and the trailer indicates that it’s in the same zone as LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA. So does DOLLY KITTY AUR WOH CHAMAKTE SITARE manage to entertain and engage? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1133436 size-full" title="Movie Review Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare" src="https://ift.tt/32JkrsO" alt="Movie Review Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare" width="720" height="450" /> DOLLY KITTY AUR WOH CHAMAKTE SITARE is the story of two cousin sisters trying to survive in an emerging city. Radha aka Dolly (Konkona Sensharma) is married to Amit (Aamir Bashir) and has two kids – Pappu (Kalp Singh) and Bharat (Hearty Singh). Dolly and Amit have invested in a flat in an under-construction building and can’t wait to shift into their new house. However, they are falling short of money and Dolly manages to arrange it from her office bank account through unscrupulous means. Her cousin sister, Kaajal (Bhumi Pednekar) moves in with them after she runs away from her family home in Darbhanga to avoid marriage. After being unsuccessful in finding a decent job, Dolly has no choice but to get employment in a Friendship club’s call centre. Here, she is rechristened as Kitty. She also moves out of Dolly’s house after Amit touches her inappropriately. In the PG, she befriends Shazia (Kubbra Sait) and begins to hang out with her and her boyfriend, DJ Teja (Karan Kundrra). At her workplace, she comes across Pradeep (Vikrant Massey) and she falls for him. Dolly meanwhile is unsatisfied with her sex life and she gets attracted to Osman Ansari (Amol Parashar), a young delivery boy. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Alankrita Srivastava's story is decent. The attempt to make a comment on patriarchy and the ills existing in our society is praiseworthy. But Alankrita Srivastava's screenplay doesn’t do justice to the plot. There’s no proper flow to the writing and things happen in the film at random. Also, there are far too many subplots and not at all of them impress. Also, a few plot points don’t have a logical conclusion, especially the one about Dolly’s dream flat. Alankrita Srivastava's dialogues are sharp and to the point. Alankrita Srivastava's direction is average. She was in a far better form in LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA, possibly also because she was equipped with a far better script. In DOLLY KITTY AUR WOH CHAMAKTE SITARE, the script is not watertight, with only a few scenes really making the impact. Moreover, the biggest problem with the film is that Alankrita tries too hard to make the film as scandalous as possible. Almost everyone in the film is having a wild life – Dolly is fantasizing about a young boy and stealing money from office for her dream flat, her mother (Neelima Azeem) had left her husband to be with her lover, Kitty is selling romance for a living, Shazia is having short-term relationships while Dolly’s work colleague Juhi (Pavleen Gujral) doubles up as an escort. Moreover, Dolly’s son Pappu is a cross dresser. Amit and Pradeep, meanwhile, also have their share of dark secrets. The attempt here is to not judge or be regressive. But when almost all the characters in the film are having a scandalous double life, it becomes too much to digest. And not to forget, there’s also a political angle and that further makes things unconvincing. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1133437" src="https://ift.tt/2RFdYsg" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> DOLLY KITTY AUR WOH CHAMAKTE SITARE begins on an interesting note and in no time, we get acquainted with the characters of Dolly and Kitty and also their relationship with each other. The first half is quite scattered and one won’t complain as one assumes that the director is trying to explain the setting and building up. But the same happens in the second half as well. On the positive side, a few scenes are well executed like Kitty’s first day at the call center, Dolly’s confrontation with her mother, the drama at the police station and Dolly and Kitty pouring their heart out on the rooftop. One expects the climax to be smashing but the way the events unfold are difficult to digest. To see all the main characters of the film, some of them from different cities or parts of the town, assembling at the same place is laughable. If this was a Priyadarshan film, it would have made still sense. But in a realistic film like this, it’s too much. The film’s final scene is sweet but not enough to enhance the impact. The performances however save the day to an extent. Konkona Sensharma as always does very well and gets into the skin of her character. Bhumi Pednekar too puts her best foot forward and leaves a huge mark. Aamir Bashir is dependable. Amol Parashar is endearing while Vikrant Massey is first-rate in a supporting role. Kubbra Sait is quite good and it’s high time she is given lead roles in films. Karan Kundrra is decent in a small role. Kalp Shah has a challenging role but pulls it off nicely. Hearty Singh gets no scope. Neelima Azeem is excellent though she appears in just one scene. Pavleen Gujral, Prabhat Raghunandan (Billa), Ghanshyam Pandey (Shahnawaz Pradhan), Nutan Surya (Nancy; old-aged employee in the call center) and Brij Bhushan Shukla (property broker) are okay. The songs are forgettable. <em>'Khwabida</em>' gets registered a bit while <em>'Neet Ve'</em>, <em>'Bimari'</em> and <em>'Rap Battle'</em> fail to impress. Mangesh Dhakde's background score is subtle and effective. John Jacob Payyapalli's cinematography is neat and well done. Tiya Tejpal's production design is realistic and in sync with the film’s setting. Same goes for Rohit Chaturvedi's costumes. Charu Shree Roy's editing is passable but too quick at places. On the whole, DOLLY KITTY AUR WOH CHAMAKTE SITARE has an important underlying message but the attempt to forcefully scandalize and politicize the narrative takes away the impact. This very reason, however, might also make the film a talking point.

Movie Review: Gunjan Saxena – The Kargil Girl

In many parts of the world, women have faced discrimination in every field and India, sadly, is no exception. But at the same time, India is also full of inspiring stories of those women who fought the challenges posed due to gender discrimination and yet emerged victorious. Bollywood, off late, has taken keen interest in such films. Last year saw two such inspiring films release in the form of MANIKARNIKA – THE QUEEN OF JHANSI and SAAND KI AANKH. As for 2020, just a couple of weeks back, we got a chance to witness the adventures of a ‘Human Computer’ in SHAKUNTALA DEVI. And now, get ready for GUNJAN SAXENA – THE KARGIL GIRL, a tale of a Kargil war hero. So does GUNJAN SAXENA – THE KARGIL GIRL manage to entertain and thrill the audiences? Or does it fail to impress? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1125478 size-full" title="Movie Review: Gunjan Saxena – The Kargil Girl" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Movie-Review-Gunjan-Saxena-–-The-Kargil-Girl-2.jpg" alt="Movie Review: Gunjan Saxena – The Kargil Girl" width="720" height="450" /> GUNJAN SAXENA – THE KARGIL GIRL is about the tough journey of India’s first female combat aviator. The year is 1984. Gunjan Saxena (Riva Arora), who is around 9 years old, is travelling with her family in an aeroplane. She gets a chance to enter the cockpit and experience the magic of flying an aircraft. She decides immediately that she wants to be a pilot. In 1989, Gunjan (Janhvi Kapoor) passes her Class 10 exams with flying colours. She tells her family – father Anup Saxena (Pankaj Tripathi), mother Kirti Saxena (Ayesha Raza Mishra) and solider brother Anshuman (Angad Bedi) – about her plans of quitting further studies so that she can fulfil her dream. Kirti and Anushman disapprove but Anup tells her to go ahead. However, when she applies at a flying school, she realizes that the rules have changed and she’ll have to study till graduation. She applies again after five years but by then, the fees for the course have increased to Rs. 10 lakhs, a figure which is unaffordable for the Saxena family. Gunjan is dejected. Anup then asks her to apply in the Indian Air Force, which has recently started a course to get female officers. Gunjan applies and emerges as the only one who gets selected. She then successfully completes her training and then heads to Udhampur Air Force Station in Jammu and Kashmir. Here, she faces massive discrimination over her gender. The fellow officers refuse to fly with her, fearing that she might jeopardize the sortie and crash. Her flight commanding officer Dileep Singh (Vineet Kumar Singh) makes it clear that she’s not equal in the camp. And the commanding officer Gautam Sinha (Manav Vij) also appears to be strict and not-so-understanding. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Nikhil Mehrotra and Sharan Sharma's story has a lot of potential and the need of the hour. Nikhil Mehrotra and Sharan Sharma's screenplay is watertight. The focus is not just on narrating Gunjan’s life story but also on ensuring that the entertainment quotient is maintained. They also keep the narrative very simple and hence it’ll be easy to comprehend for anyone who watches it. On the flipside, it’s important for character names to be uttered in some way and that’s something that doesn’t happen in this film. The names of Janhvi’s parents or commanding officer Gautam Sinha are never mentioned. In case of Jahnvi’s brother, his nickname Anshu is mentioned but never his real name! Nikhil Mehrotra and Sharan Sharma's dialogues (additional dialogues by Hussain Dalal) elevate the impact and also the humour to another level. Again, the balance is maintained – the dialogues never turn too <em>filmy</em>. Sharan Sharma's direction is superlative and it’s impossible to say that this is his debut flick. He keeps the focus on story, without adding a romantic angle or anything of that sort. He also keeps the duration firmly in check – the film is just 1.52 hours long. And thanks to his narrative, boredom doesn’t creep in even for a moment and there’s a lot happening in the film every now and then. On the flipside, the war scenes in the last 20 minutes could have been more thrilling and terrifying for a better impact. Also, Sharan fails to extract the desired performance from Janhvi Kapoor. More on that later! <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Gunjan Saxena – The Kargil Girl: The Story Behind | Janhvi Kapoor</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://ift.tt/2DKXEme" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> GUNJAN SAXENA – THE KARGIL GIRL starts on a tensed and thrilling note. Gunjan’s entry is heroic and it would have been fun to witness it in cinemas amidst claps and whistles! The film then goes on a flashback mode but before it does, it makes it clear that the country is at war and that Gunjan, despite being able, has been left out in aerial operations. The growing-up years of Gunjan is dealt in a very entertaining and hilarious manner. Several scenes stand out here – young Gunjan in the cockpit, the party sequence and late-night conversations of Gunjan’s parents. However, two scenes take the cake in the first half. The first is when Gunjan doles out Bollywood gossip when asked to comment on current affairs – it’s sure to bring the house down! And the second is when Anup explains to Gunjan the real meaning of patriotism. The second half is where the film gets very grim as Gunjan faces obstacles at the Udhampur base. The film ends on a very emotional note. Janhvi Kapoor delivers a fine performance and one can sense that she has given her best, physically and emotionally, to the film. But she doesn’t have a range of expressions which would have elevated her performance and also the film. On the positive, she is great in the scenes where she fails to reach the tarmac on time or the scene where she confronts Dileep Singh. Pankaj Tripathi is outstanding and this is surely one of his most accomplished performances. He would be loved for his role of a supporting father – every girl would wish for a father like him. Although he’s done great throughout the film, the scene where he drags Gunjan into the kitchen is something to watch out for. Angad Bedi is strictly okay. Ayesha Raza Mishra plays her part well. Vineet Kumar Singh as usual gives a very fine performance. It’s surprising, however, why his role is credited as a special appearance part. Manav Vij leaves a huge mark and he suits the part. Manish Verma (SSB Officer Sameer Mehra, who trains Gunjan) is memorable. Same goes for Yogendra Singh (Pilot Montu) and Akash Dhar (Pilot Shekhar). The other actors who do well are Riva Arora, Maria Shrishti (Air hostess), Barbie Rajput (Gunjan's friend Mannu), Rajesh Balwani (clerk at Delhi Flying School) and Gulshan Pandey (Chief operating officer at Srinagar Air Force Station). Amit Trivedi's music is fine but mostly situational. There are 6 songs in the film but are well woven into the narrative. <em>'Bharat Ki Beti'</em> stands out and is very moving. <em>'Rekha O Rekha'</em> is hilarious and very witty and also serves as a beautiful ode to actress Rekha. <em>'Dhoom Dhadaka'</em> is catchy but gets wasted as it’s played during the end credits. <em>'Asmaan Di Pari'</em>, <em>'Mann Ki Dori'</em> and <em>'Dori Tutt Gaiyaan'</em> are okay. John Stewart Eduri's background score elevates impact. Manush Nandan's cinematography is stunning and captures the various moods nicely. The location of Georgia works well for the film as it has a resemblance with the Kashmir valley. Aditya Kanwar's production design is rich. Samidha Wangnoo's costumes are very realistic. Vikram Dahiya's action is subtle and not gory at all. Special mention here should also go to Marc Wolff's stunts and aerial coordination. Red Chillies.VFX's VFX is very good. Nitin Baid's editing is topnotch as so much has been packed in 112 minutes and yet, it doesn’t seem like a rushed job. On the whole, GUNJAN SAXENA – THE KARGIL GIRL is a well-narrated tale of a female war hero of India. Despite some minuses, this flick would touch a chord, especially with the family audiences.

Movie Review: Raat Akeli Hai

Murder mysteries can never go out of fashion and some of the finest Indian, Hollywood and world cinema has something to do with murder. Last week, we saw casting director Mukesh Chhabra turning director for the love saga DIL BECHARA. This week, it’s the turn of another casting director, Honey Trehan, to don the director’s hat. For his debut, he chooses an intriguing murder mystery, RAAT AKELI HAI. So does RAAT AKELI HAI manage to entertain and thrill viewers? Or does it fail? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1123891" src="https://ift.tt/31carX3" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> RAAT AKELI HAI is the story of a cop investigating a complicated murder case. Inspector Jatil Yadav (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) from Belghat, Kanpur gets a call one night informing him of a murder in his jurisdiction. The murder turns out to be that of the wealthy Thakur Raghubeer Singh (Khalid Tyabji). Incidentally, it is the day of Raghubeer’s second marriage, with Radha (Radhika Apte), who was his mistress earlier. Raghubeer’s first wife Kavita Singh (Natasha Rastogi) had died five years ago in a hit-and-run case that remained unsolved. Raghubeer’s nephew Vikram Singh (Nishant Dahiya) informs that he last spoke to Raghubeer at 11:30 pm. Radha meanwhile doesn’t give a proper reply, which raises the suspicion of Jatil and his colleague Nandu (Shreedhar Dubey). Though the other family members – son Karan (Nitesh Tiwari), daughter Karuna (Shweta Tripathi Sharma), son-in-law Ravi Sisodiya (Gyanendra Tripathi), niece Vasudha (Shivani Raghuvanshi), sister-in-law Pramila Singh (Padmavati Rao) and the maid Chunni (Riya Shukla), too, behave suspiciously, Jatil can’t help but wonder if Radha is connected with the murder. At the same time, he gets intrigued by her and even gets attracted to her. Radha, meanwhile, is despised by other family members and one day she is about to get assaulted at the hands of Karan when Jatil stops the latter by slapping him. This infuriates Ravi and he complains to the local MLA Munna Raja (Aditya Srivastava) who was also Raghubeer Singh’s close friend. Munna finds Jatil’s investigation method unfair and he complains to Jatil’s senior, SSP Lalji Shukla (Tigmanshu Dhulia). Soon, Jatil realizes that Munna Raja is also connected, not just with Raghubeer’s murder but also with the murder of Raghubeer’s first wife. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Smita Singh's story is promising and it also gives one a déjà vu of last year’s Hollywood flick KNIVES OUT. However, it’ll be wrong to conclude that RAAT AKELI HAI is a copy as it was made way before. But the resemblance is uncanny in not just the murder mystery bit but even the house setting! Smita Singh's screenplay is a major spoilsport. The script ideally should have been watertight and tense. Instead, it’s needlessly dragging at several places as the investigation goes around in circles for most parts of the film. Also, the film is quite lengthy with a run time of 2.29 hours. Smita Singh's dialogues are okay. Honey Trehan's direction is average. Technically, he gets the film right and makes good use of the location, setting and even extracts fine performances from his actors. But on the flipside, he takes a lot of time to get to the point as the narrative just needlessly wanders from here to there. A few developments are also very unconvincing. When a murder of this sort takes place, the investigating cop should have ideally grilled each and every person present in the mansion. Instead, Jatil focuses chiefly on Radha and Vikram Singh. In one scene, he does hint that his junior has investigated but it’s never shown. It’s only in the second half that Jatil finally investigates Karuna and others. The kind of question he asks her is something he should have asked on the night of the murder itself! There are many more silly instances in the film. Jatil gets hold of a nursing home report in the later part of the film. A dedicated cop like him should have ideally checked its contents immediately. Instead, he forgets about it and is reminded a few days later when he’s waiting for his train at the railway station! As a result of such moments, the film fails to engage. RAAT AKELI HAI begins on a very horrifying and thrilling note and sets the mood. The introduction of Jatil Yadav’s character and his relationship with his mother (Ila Arun) is funny. The initial scenes of the murder mystery are quite engaging. But in no time, the interest begins to drop. A few scenes do impress and catch attention like Jatil reaching the tannery, Karuna’s investigation and the action chase sequence, but at the rest of times, the film just drags. The last 20 minutes is when the mystery is solved. It’s unpredictable but thanks to the slow pace and long length, the desired impact is not made. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is in his element as always. It’s interesting how he tries to add something new in each and every performance and RAAT AKELI HAI is no exception. Radhika Apte leaves a huge mark and plays the role of the mysterious and troubled woman earnestly. Nishant Dahiya is a bit polished but it works for his character. Shreedhar Dubey is okay initially but gets better in the second half. Ila Arun is hilarious and also quite touching. Shweta Tripathi Sharma doesn’t get much scope initially. She, however, makes her presence felt in the second half. Gyanendra Tripathi is a bit over-the-top, as per the requirements of his part. Shivani Raghuvanshi is quite good especially in the later part of the film. Padmavati Rao is decent. Aditya Srivastava is okay but his character ideally should have oozed fear. Tigmanshu Dhulia is wasted. Khalid Tyabji is hardly there. Same goes for Nitesh Tiwari. In fact, his character is nothing to do in the film and is added just for the heck of it. Ravi Bhushan (henchmen) is quite scary and is well-casted for the part. Swanand Kirkire (Ramesh Chauhan) does well in the cameo. Riya Shukla is an actor to watch out for. Baljinder Kaur (Chunni's grandmother) is superb in a small role. Natasha Rastogi and Vijay Kumar Dogra (driver Ramdeen) get no scope. Sneha Khanwalkar's music is forgettable. All three songs - <em>'Jaago'</em>, <em>'Ghoom Charkhaya'</em> and <em>'Aadhe Aadhe Se'</em> don’t have a shelf life. <em>'Ghoom Charkhaya'</em> however does impress a bit due to Sukhwinder Singh’s singing. Karan Kulkarni's background score is subtle and has the mystery feel. Pankaj Kumar's cinematography is terrific and captures the many moods and moments of the film beautifully. Shruti Kapoor's costumes are straight out of life. Rita Ghosh, Vinay Narkar, Niyoti Upadhye's production design is realistic. Harpal Singh Pali's action is impressive. A Sreekar Prasad's editing is very bad and the film ideally should have been 30-40 minutes shorter. On the whole, RAAT AKELI HAI is a slow, lengthy and flawed murder mystery. The only saving grace are the performances and the climax.

Movie Review: Lootcase

We all have different dreams and aims in life but one common dream for most is to get wealthy. But the reality of life is that despite slogging for years, most people are able to barely survive financially in today's world. Rajesh Krishnan’s comic caper LOOTCASE uses this as a crux and spins a funny story out of it. So does LOOTCASE manage to tickle the funny bone of the audiences? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1123698 size-full" title="Movie Review Lootcase" src="https://ift.tt/2DpzFZO" alt="Movie Review Lootcase" width="720" height="405" /> LOOTCASE is the story of a common man who gets rich overnight. Nandan Kumar (Kunal Kemmu) resides in a chawl in Mumbai with his wife Lata (Rasika Dugal) and son Aayush (Aryan Prajapati). He works in a printing press and has a hand-to-mouth existence despite working hard and being the next contender for the ‘Kirori Mal Employee of The Year’ in his office. Meanwhile, MLA Patil (Gajraj Rao) has got a goon eliminated who is associated with the gangster, Bala Rathore (Vijay Raaz). Bala decides to take revenge. He finds out that Patil is going to send a sum of Rs. 10 crore and a controversial file, which consists of details of his shady dealings, to his party head. Patil sends two of his men – Omar (Sumit Nijhawan) and Abdul (Shashi Ranjan) – to get the suitcase, filled with money and the file. Bala’s men Rajan (Nilesh Divekar) and Graduate (Aakash Dabade) intercept Patil’s men and a shootout begins among them. Bala’s men get hold of the bag but have to escape without the moolah as the police lands up suddenly. But before running away, they hide the suitcase near a public toilet neatly and decide to come back in an hour’s time to retrieve. As luck would have it, Nandan happens to use the toilet minutes after the shootout is over at that exact same place. He gets hold of the suitcase and realizing that nobody is nearby, he takes it with him. He hides it in the house of his neighbour Ramlal (Ghanshyam Garg) who is away for a fortnight. Nandan now starts to spend the money gradually on his family. Lata gets a bit suspicious though. Meanwhile, Patil is distraught when he learns about the missing suitcase and he gets Inspector Kolte (Ranvir Shorey) to retrieve the bag for him. Kolte realizes that finding the bag is next to impossible. The CCTV at the shootout site is non-functional. Also, Kolte believes that some local gangster has looted the suitcase. Nandan, meanwhile, hasn’t done anything to arouse the suspicion of the police or even the gangsters. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Kapil Sawant and Rajesh Krishnan's story is nothing new and might remind of similar films in this space or genre like DELHI BELLY [2011], EK CHALIS KI LAST LOCAL [2007], BLACKMAIL [2018], PHIR HERA PHERI [2006] etc. But Kapil Sawant and Rajesh Krishnan's screenplay is highly effective. There are tons of funny moments in the film which will raise loads of laughs. Also, these comic scenes are not urban or niche and have a pan India appeal. A few developments however are unconvincing. Also, the killing of the character in the first scene and its repercussions could have been better explained. The file plays an important role in the film and it doesn’t get its due in the film. Thankfully, the plusses outweigh the minuses. Kapil Sawant's dialogues are very witty and funny. In fact, the smart one-liners elevate impact considerably. Rajesh Krishnan’s direction is smooth and uncomplicated. There are multiple tracks in the film and all of them progress well. There’s no jerk in terms of sequence change. At a few scenes, he falters but overall, it’s a decent film debut of this director who has earned fame in the web series and advertising space. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1123700" src="https://ift.tt/30gR2ot" alt="" width="720" height="405" /> LOOTCASE takes a while to settle. The initial 15-20 minutes are spent in introducing various characters. Once Nandan gets hold of the suitcase, the film goes on a high. The scene where he is splurging for his family’s happiness is endearing. But it’s the supporting characters that really add to the humour tremendously. Whether it’s MLA Patil’s psychological tactic of getting work done or Bala giving references of animal’s scientific names and even promoting National Geographic to Kolte’s sarcasm and aggressive behaviour, most of these characters have unique traits that not only keep the interest going but bring the house down. In the second half however, the film drops. The song <em>'Pavitra Party'</em> is forced while Nandan attempting to buy a flat is silly and needlessly adds to the length. Nandan keeping the wet currency notes on terrace for drying is also quite unconvincing. But the interest is revived once Kolte goes to the bank and gets some details about the bag thief. The climax is maddening and it’s interesting to see how the humour has been kept intact. The final scenes raise lot of questions which are left unanswered but no complaints though. Kunal Kemmu delivers a genuinely fine performance. His comic timing is first-rate and he underplays his part very well. Rasika Dugal is lovely and plays the role of the righteous housewife to the T. She is the emotional backbone of the film and hence stands out from the rest. Gajraj Rao is excellent and the way he persuades others to get his work done will be loved. Vijay Raaz does his deadpan humourous act yet again but this time, he’s equipped with a novel character trait and that helps. Ranvir Shorey is the surprise of the film. He brings out the humour with his aggression and sarcasm. At places, it’s his scenes that work the most. Vijay Nikam (Nandan’s boss Vasant Goenka) doesn’t get to do much but shines in the pre-climax. Aryan Prajapati is entertaining. Sumit Nijhawan and Shashi Ranjan are okay and same goes for Atul Todankar (PA Subhash). Nilesh Divekar and Aakash Dabade however have a good screen presence. Ghanshyam Garg, Digvijay (Jameel), Sachin Naik (auto driver Keshav Prajapati), Manuj Sharma (Faizu) and Preeti Sharma (Real estate salesperson) are decent. Himanshu Sharma (Supermanav) is nothing great but what’s disappointing is that such an interesting character doesn’t get utilized properly in the film. Music is nothing great. <em>'Laal Peti'</em> is soothing while <em>'Pavitra Party'</em> is wasted. <em>'Muft Ka Chandan Chandan'</em> is played in the end credits. Sameer Uddin's background score has the wicked and quirky feel. Sanu John Varughese's cinematography is appropriate. The chawl scenes are especially well shot. One can feel the characters struggling to survive in a small space. Rateesh UK's production design is very authentic. The chawl and printing press look straight out of life and probably shot in real locations. And the book shop is a lovely set and well thought of. Divvya and Nidhhi Gambhir's costumes are realistic. Manohar Verma's action is a bit gory especially in the end. Anand Subaya's editing is neat and except for few scenes in the beginning of second half, nothing in the film is unwanted or forced. On the whole, LOOTCASE is a highly entertaining and funny film which works due to its superb writing, smooth direction and effective performances.

Movie Review: Virgin Bhanupriya

The 2005 Hollywood comedy THE 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN has been quite loved especially for its premise - a man desperate to lose his virginity but is not able to do it due to certain circumstances. Bollywood has made its unofficial remake in the form of NAUGHTY @ 40 [2011], starring Govinda. There have been many more Bollywood films where this plot point is used as side track and for comic relief. VIRGIN BHANUPRIYA, starring Urvashi Rautela is based on this idea but it stands out as here, the protagonist is female. So does VIRGIN BHANUPRIYA manage to impress and entertain? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1120532" src="https://ift.tt/3h3Jwml" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> VIRGIN BHANUPRIYA is the story of a girl trying to lose her virginity. Bhanupriya (Urvashi Rautela) is a young, conservative girl from Mumbai. Her parents (Rajiv Gupta, Archana Puran Singh) are separated and are always fighting with each other. She wants to fall in love but all her attempts fail. She starts dating a man named Irrfan (Vikas Verma). He pretends to be an animal activist but one day, he gets arrested for selling stray dogs as animals of international breed. Bhanupriya’s friend Rukul (Rumona Molla), meanwhile, is quite promiscuous and she is trying her best to ensure that Bhanupriya gets laid. In one such attempt, she attempts to hook Bhanupriya with the college nerd Rajiv (Sumit Gulati). Bhanupriya detests him but with no other option, she decides to have sex with him in the college library. Sadly, she gets caught red-handed and the matter reaches her parents. Bhanupriya’s father realizes that Rajiv is rich and will hopefully get a government job in future. He realizes it’s a good match. However, Bhanupriya stops them for taking matters further. Rukul then introduces Bhanupriya to the stud Abhimanyu (Gautam Gulati). He’s called Shartiya as he loves to bet and never loses. Bhanupriya falls in love with him and he too gets attracted to her. One day, when her father has gone out, Bhanupriya calls him home. She tries to get physical but Abhimanyu asks her to consume vodka, which he has brought with him. As Bhanupriya is about to drink, Rajiv lands up at her house and warns her not to drink from the bottle as it’s countrymade liquor filled in the vodka bottle. An angry Bhanupriya kicks him out of the house. Shattered, she goes into the washroom and starts to cry. Her father meanwhile arrives home and drinks from the same bottle. He finishes the whole drink and collapses. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Ajay Lohan's story has a lot of potential and could have made for a laugh riot. But Ajay Lohan's screenplay is very weak. Ideally, the writer should have gone all out and added some maddening moments as the story deserved that. Ajay Lohan's dialogues are poor. A couple of one-liners raise laughs but that’s about it. Also, there have been a lot of digs on the right-wing ideology and while it works in the Goa hospital scene, in the rest of the film, it seems forced. And a dig on popular actress Rakul Preet Singh is bizarre and added just for the heck of it. Ajay Lohan's direction is poor. To give credit where it’s due, one can sit through from start to finish. It never gets unbearable. Sadly, that’s not enough and one needs a lot more in the film to impress the audiences. A few moments are entertaining and funny. The emotional moments fail to move. The biggest issue, however, is with the climax. The director raises tension levels as Shartiya is presumed to have run away. However, Bhanupriya’s reaction after the truth comes out is unconvincing. Also, Rukul’s decision on her pregnancy doesn’t cut ice. VIRGIN BHANUPRIYA is 1 hour 50 minutes long and starts off with the central plot without wasting any time. Some of the situations in the film are funny, on paper, but doesn’t translate the same way on screen. The track of Rajiv is mediocre. Shartiya’s entry is heroic and one expects the film to get better. Sadly, that doesn’t really happen. The film should have been high on humour and also emotional moments and barring a joke or two, nothing really works. The climax is haphazard and even though the twist is kind of unexpected, the impact is not made. Talking of performances, Urvashi Rautela has a fine screen presence. She manages to do well as the film’s lead and no complaints in this regard. Rumona Molla gives a good performance but sadly her track in the end does haywire. Gautam Gulati is a bit over the top but that works for the character. Rajiv Gupta hams and it’s sad to see such a talented performer being reduced to a caricature here. Archana Puran Singh too overreacts but comparatively, she is better. Niki Walia (Moon Aunty) is decent. Brijendra Kala (cop) is dependable. Sumit Gulati performs as per his character. Others like Natasha Suri (Shonali), Pranav Verma (Jhanda), Amrit Arora (Pungi), Ashutosh Semiwal (Chukiya), Vikas Verma (Irrfan), Delnaaz Irani (Tarot Card Reader), Rajiv Nigam (Astrologer) and Babita Thakur (right-winger doctor in Goa) are okay. Amjad-Nadeem's music is forgettable. <em>'Beat Pe Thumka'</em> is the best of the lot as it's catchy. <em>'Dil Apni Haddon Se'</em> is shot well. <em>'Kangna Vilayati'</em> is played during the end credits while the title track is missing. The recreated version of <em>'Pucho Na Yaar Kya Hua'</em> is poor. Sanjoy Chowdhury's background score is unimpressive and has a daily soap-feel. Same goes for Bhimrao Sapkale's art direction – the sets look straight out of a TV show. Johny Lal's cinematography is passable. Moushmi Rana's costumes are appealing especially the ones worn by Urvashi, Rumona and Gautam Gulati. Akshay R Mohan's editing is fine. On the whole, VIRGIN BHANUPRIYA rests on a good idea but is spoilt by its writing and treatment.

Movie Review: Baaghi 3

Tiger Shroff has been in the industry since just six years but he has already become a force to reckon with thanks to his stylised and risky action stunts and a cool style. His fans have particularly loved him in the BAAGHI franchise. The first part, released in 2016, was a runaway success from day 1. BAAGHI 2 [2018] was an even bigger success, embarking upon a terrific opening [Rs. 25.10 crore] and lifetime total [Rs. 164.38 crore]. Hence, the expectations are tremendous from BAAGHI 3 where the action and scale has gone many notches higher. Interestingly, this time, Tiger’s character Ronnie is all set to battle an entire country! So does BAAGHI 3 manage to entertain and give the audiences a gala time? Or does it fail to impress? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1081397" src="https://ift.tt/2TFaOpf" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> BAAGHI 3 is the story of a man against a terrorist organization. Ronnie (Tiger Shroff) is the younger brother of Vikram (Riteish Deshmukh). Their father was a cop, Charan Chaturvedi (Jackie Shroff), who had died when both were young. Charan knew that Ronnie is braver out of the two and hence he made Ronnie promise that he'll take care of Vikram. When they grow up, Vikram joins the police force at Lohamandi Police Station, Agra. On his first day of joining, a goon named Bajwa sets a person on fire inside Lohamandi Police Station premises. Bajwa's senior IPL (Jaideep Ahlawat) comes to the rescue and the cops don't press any charges. This is because IPL is a feared criminal by locals as well as the police. IPL's main business is into kidnapping the entire families but he never asks for ransom. This has always baffled the cops. What the police doesn't know is that IPL works for Abu Jalal Gaza, the leader of Jaish-E-Lashkar, the biggest terrorist organisation of the world. They operate out of Syria and have almost taken over the country. Back in Agra, the Lohamandi Police Station gets a kidnapping complaint. Knowing that it's committed by IPL, they fear taking action. Hence, they decide to send Vikram as scapegoat. Vikram is terrified and he asks Ronnie for help. Ronnie accompanies Vikram at IPL's factory, where the kidnapped people are held. Ronnie bashes up IPL's goons by shutting off the lights. Everyone assumes that Vikram is the one responsible for beating them and for rescuing the hostages. He becomes an overnight hero. Vikram meanwhile gets married to Ruchi (Ankita Lokhande). Her sister is Siya (Shraddha Kapoor) and she starts dating Ronnie. Life is going good until the Ministry Of External Affairs sends Vikram to Syria. He's given the responsibility of getting IPL arrested and facilitate his extradition process. It seems like a fairly easy task. Vikram reaches there and this is when he gets abducted by Abu's men. With no other option, Ronnie now decides to go to Syria to rescue Ronnie. What happens next forms the rest of the film. BAAGHI 3 is partly inspired from the 2012 Tamil hit film, VETTAI. Sajid Nadiadwala's story adaptation is entertaining but stands on a weak plot. Farhad Samji's screenplay (additional screenplay by Sparsh Khetarpal, Tasha Bhambra, Madhur Sharma) is only effective in the first half. There's also a bit of novelty in terms of action and situations and that keeps the interest going. Farhad Samji's dialogues are very entertaining and witty. Ahmed Khan's direction is average. He handles the scale and grandeur with panache. BAAGHI 2 focused more on nationalism but that isn't the case here. There’s also a nice comment made on India-Pakistan brotherhood instead. Khan keeps the pace in control to ensure the film never drags. His direction is passable in the first half but in the second half, he slips. The biggest problem is that it doesn't seem like Ronnie is against a country. Also, it wasn't really a country that he is against. It is a township at best which the makers want audiences to believe is a 'country'. BAAGHI 3 begins on a bit awkward note. To show a kid Ronnie bashing up older kids violently, in a heroic style, doesn't seem convincing. However, Chaturvedi's death scene makes for a nice emotional moment. The entry of Siya is hilarious while that of adult Ronnie is too good and would be lapped up by fans. The scenes of Abu Jalal Gaza seem superficial but thankfully, the focus in the first half is on madness happening in Agra. And this makes for an entertaining watch especially how Ronnie is doing the bashing while Vikram taking the credit. The humour quotient is also nicely maintained. The scene where IPL's men abduct Ronnie and the way the latter pretends to be scared is hilarious. And then there's also an emotionally fulfilling scene involving Vikram and Tripathi (Virendra Saxena). The intermission point is when Vikram is taken away. One expects the film to go many notches higher especially with Ronnie reaches Syria. The introduction of Akhtar Lahori (Vijay Varma) also adds to the film. But from here, things get quite unconvincing especially the way Ronnie easily defeats the whole army of Abu Jalal. Zaidi seems tough but gets eliminated so easily and also foolishly. The climax has a twist that might be enjoyed by viewers. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Riteish Deshmukh on why voicing OPINION is DIFFICULT for actors?| Anubhav Sinha | Baaghi 3</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://ift.tt/2TKCRTZ" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Talking of performances, BAAGHI 3 rests on the tough shoulders of Tiger Shroff and he pulls it off like a pro, as expected. The same also goes for his comic timing. And of course, his action is simply out of the world and in that regards, his fans will surely get their money’s worth. Shraddha Kapoor looks gorgeous and gives a decent performance. She goes a bit overboard in a scene or two but overall, she seems convincing as a foul-mouthed person. However, her screen time is very limited. Also, she plays an aggressive character and ideally, she should have been given a chance to indulge in action. Riteish Deshmukh plays his part well and also adds to the fun and madness. He would be loved in the climax. Interestingly, he did a similar role in his Marathi production MAULI [2018] as well which was also a partial remake of VETTAI. Ankita Lokhande gets limited scope but has a fine screen presence. Vijay Varma is highly entertaining. Jaideep Ahlawat suits the part and has a crucial role in the pre-climax. Jameel Khoury is okay as the villain but could have been more menacing. Shifuji Shaurya Bharadwaj (Mishra) is wasted. Virendra Saxena is dependable as always. Satish Kaushik (Commissioner Chatora) and Farhad Samji (Man in toilet) raise laughs. Manav Gohil (Asif), Shriswara (Hafeeza), Danish Bhat (Bilal), Ivan Kostadinov (Abu’s henchman), Sunit Morarjee (Sharad Kute), Amit Sharma (Bajwa) and Karan Singh (Zaidi) are fair. Jackie Shroff’s cameo contributes well to the film. Disha Patani is sizzling. The music of BAAGHI 3 is decent. <em>'Dus Bahane 2.0'</em> is a great remix and is played in the end credits. <em>'Bhankas'</em> is well picturised. <em>'Do You Love Me'</em> is passable; the situation demanded a fast-paced dance song. <em>'Get Ready To Fight - Reloaded'</em> is played during action scenes. <em>'Tere Jaisa Yaar Kahaan'</em> doesn’t work. Julius Packiam's background score however elevates impact. Santhana Krishnan Ravichandran's cinematography is stunning not just in capturing Syria but also the action scenes.  Ahmed Khan's action design and Ram Chella, Laxman Chella, Kecha Khamphakdee's action choreography is splendid and keeps viewers engaged. The action gets a bit gory but a limit is maintained and visually looks great. Manini Mishra's production design is topnotch. One can see that a lot of money has been spent in ensuring that the film looks like a top-class product. Aki Narula, Karishma Gulati and Ashish Sharma's costumes (with styling by Tanya Ghavri) is appealing. Redefine, NY VFXWaala, Resonance Digital and Red Chillies.VFX's VFX is more or less fine. Rameshwar S Bhagat's editing is slick but in some places, it is needlessly jerky. On the whole, BAAGHI 3 has a terrific combination of Tiger Shroff’s powerful performance, superlative action and stunning visuals. At the box office, it will surely appeal to its target audience - the Tiger Shroff fans and the audience in smaller town and cities who relish action entertainers.

Movie Review: Thappad

We are in the year 2020 but still, a lot of objectionable trends are sadly quite common. Violence against women, especially, continues despite progress of our country and growth in education and standard of living. Anubhav Sinha, whose 2.0 avatar has given us films on Hindu-Muslim unity [MULK; 2018] and caste discrimination [ARTICLE 15; 2019] now takes up this topic for his latest hard-hitting flick, THAPPAD. The trailer has already intrigued viewers because of its storyline and the association of Taapsee Pannu and Anubhav with this project. So does THAPPAD manage to be as impactful as Anubhav’s last two films? Or does it disappoint? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1078610" src="https://ift.tt/2HY8pAt" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> THAPPAD is the story of a woman fighting a tough battle. Amrita (Taapsee Pannu) is a housewife and is happily married to Vikram (Pavail Gulati) in Delhi. Vikram works in a reputed company and is desperately looking forward to an opportunity which will take him to London for work purposes. Amrita knows how much this means to Vikram. She loves him with all her heart and her entire life revolves around him and in attending to his mother, Sulochana (Tanvi Azmi). Thankfully for Vikram, he’s selected for the London stint. The same night, he throws a party in his house. All is going well until he gets a call from his superior, Thapar. He informs Vikram that he won’t be getting the desired profile that he’s looking for in London and that he’ll have to report to an authority there. This is not something that Vikram was initially assured. He confronts Rajhans, another superior of Vikram and who is present in the party. Things heat up between them and Amrita tries to pacify him. In the process, Vikram slaps Amrita. Her whole world comes crashing down. She tries to move on but is just not able to. Vikram shows regret when he realizes that Amrita has been hurt by his actions. He tries to console her but it doesn’t work for her. Amrita hence shifts to the house of her parents (Kumud Mishra and Ratna Pathak Shah). Vikram stops her and later even comes to take her back. But she doesn’t budge. Vikram then sends a legal notice to her. Swati (Naila Grewal), the girlfriend of Amrita’s brother Karan (Ankur Rathee), suggests that Amrita should show this letter to Nethra (Maya Sarao), a reputed lawyer and Swati’s boss. Nethra suggests that Amrita should solve this issue amicably. Amrita however doesn’t want to and she insists on a divorce. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Anubhav Sushila Sinha and Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul's story is superb and applause-worthy. In a society where repeated acts of violence committed by husbands on their wives is fairly common, it requires guts to pull off a film where the woman has been hit just once by the husband and yet make it seem convincing. Anubhav Sushila Sinha and Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul's screenplay (script consultant: Anjum Rajabali) helps a lot in ensuring that the audiences get persuaded to agree with the vision of the team. They very well put out the situation and how patriarchy is deeply ingrained in our psyche, not just in case of men but also women. Anubhav Sushila Sinha and Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul's dialogues are acidic and sharp and add to the impact. Some of them simplify the proceedings but that goes in favour of the film. There are lot of one-liners that will surely hit viewers and make them reflect on their own wrongdoings. Anubhav Sushila Sinha's direction is superlative. He has not just penned a great script but he has even executed it very well. The world and mood is drastically different when compared to MULK and ARTICLE 15 but he understands it and does justice. Amrita’s predicament is well established and one is bound to get moved by her struggle, especially when even her family members fail to support her. There are also several subplots and most of them are well helmed and add to the principle plot nicely. There are a few scenes where he does a fine job like Shivani (Dia Mirza) hugging Amrita, Sulochana ignoring the slap and insisting that Amrita should attend to the guests, Amrita’s father scolding his son for misbehaving with Swati, Amrita’s mother Sandhya chiding for not getting support to continue her singing career, the confrontation between the lawyers etc. On the flipside, the second half seems dragging. The makers could have done away with the track of Sulochana living separately as it just added to the subplots needlessly. Additionally, they could have fine-tuned the track of the lawyer cheating on her husband. A section of audience might find the entire bit of Vikram not apologizing to Amrita difficult to digest. It’s strange that no one from his circle suggested that he should say sorry. It’s only in the pre-climax that this issue is raised in front of him. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Anubhav on Delhi Violence: “We used to be ANIMALS and may be we CONTINUE to be” | Taapsee | Thappad</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://ift.tt/2PwpOEG" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> THAPPAD has an impressive beginning where all the supporting characters are introduced and the commonality is them having an ice-cream. Amrita’s introduction is superbly down. It does give one a déjà vu of Nishikant Kamat’s classic Marathi film DOMBIVALI FAST [2004] but it works very well here to depict what her day looks like. The highpoint is definitely the party sequence and the slap. After this scene, it might feel that the film is stagnating but those scenes are important to explain how Amrita’s life has changed drastically post the slap. The intermission point is great. Post-interval, the interest is maintained but this is where the film drags. One expects <em>dhamaka</em> when the parties come face-to-face but nothing of that sort happens. The confrontation is there and though it is sync with the film’s plot and mood, it might seem mild, especially those expecting some entertainment here. The film ends on a justified note. THAPPAD has several excellent actors but it belongs to Taapsee Pannu without a shred of doubt. She has delivered several memorable performances and this one will surely be one of her most accomplished acts! She gets completely into the skin of character, making viewers forget of her earlier performances. You forget its Taapsee when you see her dutifully performing her housewife duties. Pavail Gulati makes a fantastic debut. He looks dashing and completely suits the part. Kumud Mishra is terrific. Anubhav Sinha always extracts a fine performance from him and THAPPAD is no exception. Ratna Pathak Shah is quite subtle and makes an impact. Same with Tanvi Azmi – her dialogue in the finale sums up the film in a way. Maya Sarao is a powerhouse of talent and is an actor to watch out for. She gets her act totally right, especially her body language. Geetika Vidya (Sunita) gets to play a memorable part and she kills it. Dia Mirza has limited screen time but it works. Gracy Goswami (Sania; Shivani’s daughter) has a fine screen presence and she dances nicely. Naila Grewal, Manav Kaul (Rohit Jaisingh), Ram Kapoor (Advocate Gujral) and Ankur Rathee are fair. Harssh A Singh (Thapar), Santanu Ghatak (Vikram’s colleague Subodh), Rohan Khurana (Nethra's love interest), Sushil Dahiya (Vikram's father), Siddhant Karnick (Vikram's brother), Nidhi Uttam (Vikram's sister-in-law) and the actor playing Rajhans also do a good job. Anurag Dipali Saikia's music doesn’t have much scope. <em>'Ek Tukda Dhoop'</em> however has a nice, lingering effect. Mangesh Urmila Dhakde's background score is magnificent. The initial sequences have a jazz style music that gives a nice touch. Soumik Sarmila Mukherjee's cinematography is top-class. Vishakha Vidya Kullarwar's costumes are appealing, especially the saree worn by Taapsee in the party. Jyotika Mirpuri Aroura's make-up and hair is appropriate. Nikhil Kshipra Kovale's production design is rich. Yashpa Pushpa Ramchandani's editing could have been a tighter, but overall he has done a commendable job. On the whole, THAPPAD makes a strong statement on patriarchy and violence against women and is laced with a powerful performance by Taapsee Pannu. At the box office, it will be loved and adored by its target audience – the womenfolk.

Movie Review: Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan

Over the last three decades, Bollywood has come up with quite a few films on homosexuality like FIRE [1996], MY BROTHER NIKHIL [2005], EK LADKI KO DEKHA TOH AISA LAGA [2019], ALIGARH [2016], MARGARITA WITH A STRAW [2015] etc. Aanand L Rai and T-Series are now all set to bring SHUBH MANGAL ZYADA SAAVDHAN and unlike other gay-themed films, this one is light-hearted and looks quite commercial. Moreover, it stars Ayushmann Khurrana, who has become a brand in himself. So does SHUBH MANGAL ZYADA SAAVDHAN manage to entertain? Will it succeed in becoming the first legitimate LGBT-themed hit film of Bollywood? Or does it fail to succeed? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1077035" src="https://ift.tt/39VKP3p" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> SHUBH MANGAL ZYADA SAAVDHAN is the story of two men in love in Section 377 era. Aman Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar) is the son of Shankar Tripathi (Gajraj Rao) and Sunaina (Neena Gupta), who are based in Allahabad. Aman works in Delhi and unknown to his family, he's a gay and is living in with Kartik (Ayushmann Khurrana). Jitendra's cousin sister Goggle (Maanvi Gagroo) is getting married and Neena calls Aman to come back to attend her marriage. Aman at first refuses but then gives in. Kartik also joins him and they meet the entire Tripathi family in a marriage special train called Vivah Express. In the train, Aman and Kartik kiss when they assume that no one is looking. Sadly for them, Shankar sees them and he gets the shock of his life. He doesn't tell anyone about it out of shame. At Goggle's marriage, Aman, in front of everyone, kisses Kartik, thus astonishing the Tripathi family. Thanks to this development, Goggle's to be husband refuses to get married. In anger, Goggle runs away. Kartik is asked to leave and Shankar's brother and Goggle's father Chaman (Manurishi Chadha) drops him off to Allahabad station. At the railway station, Kartik bumps into Goggle and stops her from ending her life. She tells Kartik that he shouldn't run away and that he should fight for his love. This motivates Kartik and he decides to return to win over not just Jitendra but the entire Tripathi family. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Hitesh Kewalya's story is decent and had the potential to be a game-changer. Hitesh Kewalya's screenplay however is a big culprit. Under the pretext of making situations funny, he resorts to too many difficult-to-digest situations. This was prevalent in SHUBH MANGAL SAAVDHAN as well but there, they kept a nice balance. Here, the balance is just not there. The first half is still decent. But in the second half, it all goes downhill. Hitesh Kewalya's dialogues are witty but some of them are just over the top. It won’t be wrong to say that even the one-liners, which are supposed to be funny, take away the realism from the film. Hitesh Kewalya's direction is weak. The film has lot of subplots but he doesn’t put it together well. A major chunk of the film is about rift within the family and during such times, the principle homosexuality angle takes a backseat. Also, he should have succeeded completely in two aspects – comedy and messaging. Sadly in both these areas, he doesn’t do justice. Even the black cauliflower angle that provided laughs initially proved to be the biggest downer of the film in the climax. It gave a bad déjà vu of the ‘kala bandar’ angle of DELHI-6 [2009]. On the positive side, he handles few scenes with élan and some scenes genuinely raise laughs. SHUBH MANGAL ZYADA SAAVDHAN’s starts off on a funny note and the subplot of black cauliflower appears hilarious. Devika's (Bhumi Pednekar) scene too adds to the fun. The scene where Shankar Tripathi catches the lovers kissing brings the house down. Scenes like Aman kissing Kartik in full public view and Aman talking to his parents about dopamine and other such stuff keep the interest going. Post interval however, the film drops. The scenes are supposed to be funny but don't make you laugh. Also it becomes too preachy and unconvincing. The makers try their best to make things interesting but it doesn't work. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Bhumi Pednekar: “My Mother Told Me To Do Shubh Mangal Saavdhan”</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://ift.tt/2T3Ewny" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Ayushmann Khurrana shockingly is not in his usual form. He has always played the victim but here, he plays the instigator and an actor of his calibre should have hit the ball out of park. Shockingly, he goes overboard. The other bigger shocker is that his screen time is very limited. Believe it or not, Gajraj Rao has the maximum screen time followed by Jitendra and then comes Ayushmann! Gajraj Rao however is too good as always and performs as per the script. Jitendra Kumar fits the role to the T and few of his scenes in the first half are great. Neena Gupta is average. Manurishi Chadha and Sujita Rajwar (Champa) do justice to their respective parts. Pankhuri Awasthy (Kusum) is quite funny. Maanvi Gagroo raises few laughs. Neeraj Singh (Keshav) is decent. Bhumi Pednekar is passable while Gopal Dutt (Doctor in the train) is okay. Music is peppy and gels with the film. <em>'Pyaar Tenu Karda Gabru'</em> is the best followed by <em>'Arey Pyaar Kar Le'</em>, which is played in the end credits. <em>'Ooh La La'</em> comes at a great point while <em>'Mere Liye Tum Kaafi Ho'</em> is forgettable. The recreated version of <em>'Kya Karte The Saajna'</em> sounds great but is not utilised well. Karan Kulkarni's background score adds to the quirkiness of the film. Chirantan Das's cinematography is appropriate. Ravi Srivastava's production design is in sync with the film’s setting. Ankita Jha's costumes are realistic and special mention should go to Ayushmann’s look. Ninad Khanolkar's editing is sans complaints. On the whole, SHUBH MANGAL ZYADA SAAVDHAN is a decent attempt and makes an interesting comment on homophobia which exists in our country. At the box office, it has the chance to work with the urban audiences, especially the youth. However, it will be a challenge to bring in family audiences and the audiences from small towns and cities. The presence of Ayushmann Khurrana may give a boost to its collections.

Movie Review: Jawaani Jaaneman

Saif Ali Khan excels in all kinds of roles but his role of a cool dude in light-themed films has been a favourite for many moviegoers. He played such characters in several memorable films like HUM TUM [2004], SALAAM NAMASTE [2005], LOVE AAJ KAL [2009] and got immense praise. Now the actor is back in this space after a hiatus with JAWAANI JAANEMAN. It’s a special flick as it’s the first production under his new banner, Black Knight Films. So does JAWAANI JAANEMAN emerge as a fine piece of entertainer? Or does it fail to impress? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1069154 size-full" title="Movie Review: Jawaani Jaaneman" src="https://ift.tt/3aUG1fP" alt="Movie Review: Jawaani Jaaneman" width="720" height="450" /> JAWAANI JAANEMAN is the story of a 40-year-old playboy whose life suddenly turns upside down. Jassi aka Jazz (Saif Ali Khan) is in his 40s and is based in London. He's single and in no mood to commit. By profession, he's a real estate broker and works with his brother Dimpu (Kumud Mishra). But he spends most of his time partying and getting involved with girls. He is also about to seal a redevelopment deal that will make him the biggest broker in London. Life is going great for him until one day he meets Tiya (Alaya F). At first he flirts with her, with the ultimate aim to take her to bed. However, she drops the bomb that she might be his daughter! To make matters worse, the DNA test confirms that they are related. And that's not all. It also comes to light that Tiya is pregnant! So Jazz finds out that he's not just someone's father but also to-be grandfather! What happens next forms the rest of the film. JAWAANI JAANEMAN is a remake of an Italian film. The plot is promising and could have made for a hilarious and touching entertainer. The screenplay however is inconsistent and weak at many places. Only some scenes work and provide laughs. Hussain Dalal and Abbas Dalal's dialogues are witty and try their best to enhance the impact. Nitin Kakkar's direction is average. He doesn’t keep the flow of the film organic. Some developments happen suddenly, be it Jazz developing feelings for Rhea (Kubbra Sait) or Jazz asking Tiya to shift in his house. These scenes are still digestible. But a scene in the second half where a local randomly accuses Jazz of cheating him in a property deal comes out of nowhere. Till now, viewers knew Jazz as a lazy worker but not someone who is deceitful. Hence, this revelation seems bizarre. On the positive side, he gets the emotion and humour right in some scenes. Also, he keeps the duration in check (119 minutes). JAWAANI JAANEMAN starts off on an okay note as the viewers get introduced to Jazz and his playboy lifestyle. The film gets interesting once he gets Tiya home and she reveals the truth. It makes for a hilarious watch. Another memorable scene in the first half is when Jazz and Tiya meet Dr. Kriplani (Kiku Sharda). One expects lot more to happen but story just doesn’t move then. The intermission point is a bit awkward. Post interval thankfully there’s some movement in the story. But now the film drags. Also, the impact is weakened by property deal track. What brings some respite is the track of Ananya (Tabu) but even that loses fizz soon. The final scene of the film is heartwarming. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>LOL- Alaya REACTS to ‘Sara-Taimur’ MEME on Jawaani Jaaneman Trailer | Saif Ali Khan | Tabu</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://ift.tt/38SiSZz" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Saif Ali Khan is completely in his element and entertains thoroughly. Such kind of a role suits him to the T and he constantly tries to rise above the script. Alaya F makes an excellent debut and puts up a confident act. She looks gorgeous and is the only actor who moves viewers to an extent. She has a promising career ahead. Tabu has a late entry but raises loads of laughs. But her character has no emotional arc. Chunky Panday (Rocky) doesn’t have much to do initially. He has a crucial scene in the second half in the hospital but it doesn’t work. Kubbra Sait is adorable and one wishes to see more of her. Kumud Mishra is dependable. Kiku Sharda is funny. Dante Alexander (Rohan) is over the top, as per the character’s requirement. Rameet Sandhu (Tanvi) leaves a mark. Farida Jalal (Jazz’s mother), Shivendra Singh Mahal (Jazz’s father) and Diljohn Singh (Grover) are okay. Songs are all forgettable. <em>'Ole Ole 2.0'</em> gets registered a bit as it’s a popular tune. <em>'Gallan Kardi'</em>, <em>'Bandhu Tu Mera'</em> and <em>'Mere Baabula'</em> don’t work. <em>‘Jinhe Mera Dil Luteya’</em> is played in the end credits.  Ketan Sodha's background score is sans complaints. Manoj Kumar Khatoi's cinematography is pleasing. The locales of London are well captured. Urvi Ashar Kakkar and Shipra Rawal's production design is superior. Sanam Ratansi's costumes are quite glamorous and all the actors in the film look great. Sachinder Vats's editing (additional editing by Chandan Arora) jumps at places. On the whole, JAWAANI JAANEMAN boasts of fine performances by Saif Ali Khan and newcomer Alaya F. But the direction is weak and emotionally, the film doesn’t work. At the box office, it will be a tough ride for the flick considering the lack of buzz.

Movie Review: Jai Mummy Di

Filmmaker Luv Ranjan has launched quite a few actors, most notable among them being Kartik Aaryan. He casts them repeatedly and few of them have hit the bullseye at the box office as well. He turned producer with the 2018 super-hit flick, SONU KE TITU KI SWEETY, also directed by him. He had another hit film in 2019 in the form of DE DE PYAAR DE. In 2020, his banner Luv Films will be releasing as many as 3 films, and the first one to come out is JAI MUMMY DI. It is a long-delayed film but looks fresh and has the Delhi flavour in abundance, which gives it a chance to excel in North India. So does JAI MUMMY DI manage to be as entertaining as other Luv Ranjan films? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1063970 size-full" title="Movie Review: Jai Mummy Di" src="https://ift.tt/38ftiCa" alt="Movie Review: Jai Mummy Di" width="720" height="450" /> JAI MUMMY DI is the story of two lovers whose mothers are sworn enemies of each other. Delhi-based engineering students, Puneet Khanna (Sunny Singh) and Saanjh Bhalla (Sonnalli Seygall), are in love with each other. Saanjh proposes to Puneet but the latter declines. He too wants to settle down with Saanjh but is afraid of his mother. That’s because Puneet’s mother Laali (Supriya Pathak) and Saanjh’s mother Pinky (Poonam Dhillon) hate each other a lot. Interestingly, they were the best of friends at one point and moreover, they reside next to each other. But they can’t stand each other’s sight. And Puneet is too scared to break the news that he’s in love with the daughter of her ‘enemy’. In anger, Saanjh breaks up with Puneet. She starts looking for suitable groom for marriage and even approves of Dev (Bhuvan Arora). Their marriage is fixed for October 16 at Diamond Hall in Noida. When Puneet’s mother Laali finds out that Pinky has managed to lock her daughter’s wedding, she feels jealous. Not wanting to be left behind, she quickly selects a girl for Puneet, Sakshi. What’s more, Puneet and Sakshi’s marriage is also set on October 16 and that too in Diamond. Meanwhile, Puneet and Saanjh realize that they won’t be able to stay happy with anyone else but each other. Hence, they patch up and think of ways to bring their respective mothers together. When nothing works, they decide to elope and get married. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Navjot Gulati's story rests on waferthin plot. But it’s a great idea and could have made for a fine entertainer. But Navjot Gulati's screenplay plays spoilsport in a major way. The film is laced with poorly written sequences and not-so-funny moments. Also, the flow of scenes is not smooth. Navjot Gulati's dialogues also add to the negative impact. Barring a few one-liners, the rest of it doesn't have the desired impact. Navjot Gulati's direction is terrible. With the script, he already made a mess, but he could have covered it up with his direction. Sadly, even his execution is very bad. The film never goes on a high or goes into the funny zone, which it ideally should have. And it’s really fortunate since the concept had the promise to go all out. And the climax sadly is very <em>thanda</em> as one expects some major confrontation and eventual patch up. The worst is reserved for the very final scene and it totally takes the film down. JAI MUMMY DI begins on a very awkward note, to explain the enmity between the two women. The scene may have looked interesting on paper but translates poorly on screen. The song <em>'Mummy Nu Pasand'</em> ups the interest but it goes downhill in no time. A few scenes are bewildering. For instance, why Pinky also follows suit and shifts to Ghaziabad, that too next to Laali’s residence. The humour quotient in the film is very less and half of whatever is there doesn’t work. Ideally, any other worthy director or writer would have shown the lovers going to insane lengths to bring their mothers together and how it causes madness in the process. Here, the lovebirds hardly do anything of that sort. The intermission point tries to be dramatic but doesn’t work. Post-interval, the film keeps getting repetitive and it tests the patience of the viewers. This is despite the 105 minutes of runtime. One can’t just wait for the mothers to find out the truth and patch up. Finally, it happens in the end but ideally, it should have taken the film to a high. But nothing of that sort happens. The most disappointing bit of the film however is the reason why Laali and Pinky started fighting in the first place. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>PAISA VASOOL: Sunny Singh Nijjar v/s Sonnalli Seygall – Bollywood ‘ROM-COM’ Quiz | Jai Mummy Di</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://ift.tt/2u8odwG" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Talking of performances, Sunny Singh suits the part. His acting is nothing great but he manages to pull through the role nicely. Sonnalli Seygall gets to show her acting chops. In PYAAR KA PUNCHNAMA 2 [2015], she got overshadowed by other actors. But here, the focus is majorly on her, especially in the first half, and she does fine. Supriya Pathak and Poonam Dhillon are strictly okay. Shockingly, the film ideally should have revolved around them but they don’t get the screen space that they deserve. Rajendra Sethi (Trilochan Khanna) and Danish Husain (Gurpal Bhalla) are nothing great. Veer Rajwant Singh (Vineet) is however good as Puneet’s brother. Alok Nath (Sanjog Luthra) is wasted. It’s bewildering why he was even there in the film. Bhuvan Arora is the funniest part of the film. The actor playing Sakhi is passable. Neeraj Sood (Jasbir Bhullar) is good as always. Nushrat Bharucha, Ishita Raj and Varun Sharma do well but their cameos come at a time when the viewers are tired of the film already. Songs are forgettable, except <em>'Mummy Nu Pasand'</em>, which is catchy. <em>'Manney Ignore Kar Rahi'</em> comes immediately after this track and doesn’t work<em>. 'Dariyaganj'</em>, <em>'Ishq Da Band'</em> and the title track also don’t manage to register. <em>'Lamborghini'</em> is played in the end credits. Hitesh Sonik’s background score is entertaining but it doesn’t complement the scenes. Sanket Shah's cinematography and Tarpan Shrivastava's production design are appropriate. Jia Bhagia, Arun J Chauhan and Mallika Chauhan's costumes are appealing, especially the ones worn by the lead actors in the various marriage scenes of the film. Dev Rao Jadhav and Chetan M Solanki’s editing is haphazard at places and is not organic. On the whole, JAI MUMMY DI is a poor fare owing to the weak script, lazy direction and lack of humour. At the box office, it won’t have a long run and just has this one week window to score.

Movie Review: Tanhaji - The Unsung Warrior

Off late, Bollywood has been making period dramas, focusing on the brave warriors of the medieval and early modern history of India. While films like MANIKARNIKA – THE QUEEN OF JHANSI and PANIPAT focused on the somewhat known chapters of history, the Akshay Kumar starrer KESARI was based on an incident that wasn’t known to many. Now another film joins this latter category – TANHAJI: THE UNSUNG WARRIOR. It depicts the bravery of Tanhaji Malusare, a legend in Maharashtra, but largely unknown elsewhere. The film is mounted on a huge scale and moreover, has a terrific star cast, both of which have contributed to its hype. So does TANHAJI: THE UNSUNG WARRIOR manage to give a great time to the viewers? Or does it disappoint? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1060929" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Tanhaji-–-The-Unsung-Warrior-Review-IMG.jpg" alt="Tanhaji – The Unsung Warrior Review IMG" width="720" height="450" /> TANHAJI: THE UNSUNG WARRIOR is the story of one of the greatest warriors of India. The year is 1664. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (Sharad Kelkar) has given a tough fight to the Mughals, headed by Emperor Aurangzeb (Luke Kenny), in the Deccan region. However, when things get tough for the Marathas, Shivaji Maharaj decides to sign a treaty. As part of this agreement, he hands over some 23 forts to the Mughals, including the strategic Kondhana Fort. A few years later, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj expresses his desire to recapture Kondhana. This is especially when he finds out that Aurangzeb has sent Udaybhan Rathod (Saif Ali Khan), an evil military officer, to control the fort. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj realizes that his brave Subedar Tanhaji Malusare (Ajay Devgn) is the best man to get the fort back. But Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj refuses to even let Tanhaji know about this operation. This is because Tanhaji is busy with the marriage of his son. However, Tanhaji finds out about the plan. He persuades Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to let him go for it. The Maharaj agrees and hence, Tanhaji keeps his son’s marriage on hold. He then begins to plan how to recapture the fort and thereby create history. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Prakash Kapadia and Om Raut's story is excellent and well-researched. It talks about a landmark moment in India’s history and at the same time, it has enough entertainment and drama. Prakash Kapadia and Om Raut's screenplay does justice to the plot in hand. The script is peppered with dramatic and massy moments that keep the interest going. However, the film drops a bit in the middle of the second half. Also, the first half could have had more hard-hitting moments. Prakash Kapadia's dialogues are simple but also sharp-worded as per the requirement. Om Raut's direction is quite praiseworthy and he handles the film like a pro. He does full justice to the scale and grandeur of the film. He also keeps the narrative uncomplicated and very simple to understand. And his biggest achievement is that he doesn’t make TANHAJI: THE UNSUNG WARRIOR look like the recent period films, especially the ones of Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Bhansali's films have become a genre in itself, hence when it comes to period flicks many recent ones looked like clones of his movies. TANHAJI: THE UNSUNG WARRIOR, however, stands out. And moreover, he adds enough <em>masala</em>, especially in the climax, which takes the film to a high. See it to believe it! TANHAJI: THE UNSUNG WARRIOR begins with the childhood sequence of Tanhaji and the background of the Maratha Empire. The film moves too quickly here but no complaints as the impact is made. The entry of adult Tanhaji is too good and viewers would welcome it with claps and whistles. Even Udaybhan’s introduction makes for a great watch. From here on till the intermission, the film keeps one engaged but the film here lacks action and a punch, which one might expect after the action scene in the start. But the intermission point is fine and it indicates that the second half will be better. And thankfully, the post-interval portion has a lot more entertainment. The sequence where Tanhaji and Udaybhan come face to face is electrifying. Also Tanhaji urging the Maratha soldiers to fight for him is a scene to watch out for. The film then drops again but the makers reserve the best for the finale. The climax battle is incredible and single screen audiences especially will go in frenzy! <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>HILARIOUS FIGHT: Ajay Devgn v/s Kajol – How well do they know each other? | Tanhaji</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://ift.tt/39SH938" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> TANHAJI: THE UNSUNG WARRIOR belongs to Ajay Devgn and Saif Ali Khan. Ajay is perfect for the part and adds a lot through his body language and expressions. Also his dialogue delivery in confrontational scenes is spot-on. But he goes into another mode in the climax fight and viewers would surely lap it up. Also, he deserves kudos for putting together this mammoth project and ensuring that it looks like a great cinematic product, at par with international standards. Saif Ali Khan is superb in the villainous role. He is menacing but also has a goofy side and the balance is very nicely done. In one scene dipped with black humour in the second half, he gets his act totally right! Kajol (Savitri) doesn’t have much to do but her presence adds a lot to the film. Her scenes with Ajay are endearing. Sharad Kelkar stands out as Shivaji Maharaj. His personality, build and baritone voice was just right for such an important historical character. Padmavathi Rao (Rajmata Jija aau) has a fine screen presence. Luke Kenny fits the role and one wishes he had more screen time. Neha Sharma (Kamla) is decent in a supporting role. Kailash Waghmare (Chultiya) and Hardik Bharat Sangani (Gidya) are over the top but that works for their respective characters. The other actors who do well are Shashank Mahadeo Shende (Shelar Mama), Ajinkya Ramesh Deo (Pisal), Vipul Kumar Gupta (Jagat Singh), Deodatta Gajanan Nage (Suryaji), Yuri Suri (Mirza Raje Jai Singh), Nissar Khan (Beshak Khan), Arush Nand (Raiba; Tanaji's son), Prasanna Vidyadhar Ketkar (Ghesarnaik) and Niranjan Jadhao (Trimbak Rao; spy). The music is situational and not of chartbuster variety. <em>'Ghamand Kar'</em> is the theme song of the film and is quite exhilarating. <em>'Shankara Re Shankara'</em> comes at a great juncture. <em>'Maay Bhavani'</em> is average while <em>'Tinak Tinak'</em> is moving. Sandeep Shirodkar's background score adds to the drama heavily. Keiko Nakahara's cinematography is of superior quality. Despite so much of action and fights happening, the camerawork ensures that all is captured well.. Sujeet Subhash Sawant and Sriram Kannan Iyengar's production design is straight out of the bygone era. The sets are authentic and not needlessly grand, considering that the film focuses on the life of the Maratha soldiers and their houses can’t resemble palaces. But while depicting Aurangzeb’s residence, the designers have gone all out, rightfully so. Ramzan Bulut and R P Yadav's action is a bit gory but is controlled and visually looks great. Vikram Gaikwad's make-up is neat. Nachiket Barve and Mahesh Sherla's costumes are realistic. NY VFXWaala's VFX is splendid and there’s not a single moment where the effects look tacky. Also, the 3D is not done for the heck of it and it actually complements the narrative. Dharmendra Sharma's editing is slick. On the whole, TANHAJI: THE UNSUNG WARRIOR is an entertaining and a paisa-vasool film that would be loved by the masses as well as classes. At the box office, it can run riot in Maharashtra and other mass centres and could turn out to be the first Rs. 100 crore grosser of 2020. Highly Recommended!