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Bollywood Blogs
Posted by memsaab story on Feb 4, 2010
This Mehmood movie is a total hoot. I can’t believe I hadn’t seen it before, although I have seen all the songs and the songs really are the film. They dominate a story which deftly blends horror and comedy, managing to be suspenseful and funny—not a combination I’d think would be easy to balance. It [...] 
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Posted by memsaab story on Jan 31, 2010
I have had the good fortune to get my hands on some Filmindia issues from 1939, courtesy of my friend Shalini, who sums up the reading experience perfectly: “…like being in a time warp with a sarcastic, witty, opiniated guide.”
In 1939 Hollywood released the blockbuster film Gunga Din, which went on to win an Oscar [...] 
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Posted by memsaab story on Jan 31, 2010
From various Filmindia magazines, 1939…I think these are just so cute.
In this one, an elephant says “I am a vegetarian” and a kingfisher critiques human fishing techniques.
Here a veddy veddy English Sahib says “Marvelous tee ~ what!”
Sahibs meet each other coming and going: “Had a grand time?” “Rather!” There is so much to do…or not.
And [...] 
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Posted by Bobby Sing on Jan 30, 2010
Vishal Bhardwaj initiated his offbeat Tarantino style movement in India with the much acclaimed ?Maqbool? which also had many commercial elements incorporated in it. But with ?Omkara? & ?Kaminey? he revealed his clear intentions of following a different path altogether on the similar lines of Quentin Tarantino & Guy Richie kind of cinema. And with ?Ishqiya? directed by his associate Abhishek Chaubey, Vishal comes up with another movie contributing in the said movement following the same formula of surprising the audiences with its realistic characters, on-screen abuses, bold language and expressive sexual sequences.
In real terms, ?Ishqiya? straight away won over the viewers before its release, with its brilliantly compiled, earthy and sexual promos supported by few well composed songs, just as ?Kaminey? did a few months ago. But as seen in the case of ?Kaminey?, due to some major serious issues, ?Ishqiya? may also witness a divided box office result between its critical acclaim and the actual universal response in the coming weeks.
The movie revolves around the story of two conmen who are running to save their lives from their boss and find shelter in the house of a young and attractive widow. During their extended stay, the lady starts flirting with both the men, as she has a hidden agenda to get a task done by the two, which is revealed to the viewers after a good one hour in the film. So, ?Ishqiya? does have an intelligently chosen and interesting story plot, told in an amusing style with some soothing and melodious songs to enjoy. And no doubt, it?s well directed by the debutant director Abhishek Chaubey who never gives you any glimpse of a first time project.
But the main drawback in the movie is that its starts too slow and picks up too late. In fact it actually starts coming to the point just before the intermission and till then the viewer desperately keeps waiting for something explosive to happen on the screen as expected. Surprisingly, the real interesting plot of planning the kidnapping of a rich industrialist starts right after the interval. In other words the film shows everything in store for the viewer only post intermission and that too in such a hurried pace which further leads to many confusions and chaos towards the climax. The love triangle plot in the script, left with an open end in the last scene, also may find less takers among the viewers in the smaller centers.
However, the best part of the movie remains its performances, where every character enacts his part in a highly realistic and amusing way with just the right lingo, style and attire. Naseeruddin Shah gives a splendid performance as a lonely one sided lover and impresses the most. Arshad Warsi is simply brilliant with his earthy language and freaking out style. Vidya Balan once again delivers a winning act after ?Paa?. She also dares to give her most intimate kissing scene on the screen with Arshad which is a well directed one too. The rest of the cast is also a treat to watch with everyone playing their parts with sheer conviction.
Musically, it has a great soundtrack to enjoy with gems like ?Ibne Batuta? and ?Dil To Bachha Hai Re? in the incomparable style of Vishal Bhardwaj and Gulzar together as a team. Still, I felt the song picutrisation could have been better at some places. Cinematography adds value to the project and the overall earthy look of the movie has been well worked upon.
But the project leaves many questions unanswered such as: 1. Why the movie was promoted as a Vulgar Language flick when there are hardly any dialogues (very few) of such sort? 2. Why it was projected as a witty and interesting comic venture when in fact it was not a comedy but a dark and slow crime thriller? 3. Why the actual interesting kidnapping plot starts after the intermission, where as the film has got nothing great to showcase in its first hour? 4. Has Vishal Bhardwaj decided that all his produced or directed films will always have a pre- release hype dependent on vulgarity, abusive language and sexual scenes?
In short, if you are expecting to see a highly entertaining or light comic movie as projected by the well designed promos of the movie then you are sure going to be disappointed to a great extent. All the humorous and enjoyable comical scenes which were there in the promos of ?Ishqiya? are scattered here and there in the film which fail to generate a collective entertaining impact as seen in the 3 minute trailer of the movie before its release. On the contrary it?s a slow paced and dark thriller which will surely get appreciation from the section of viewers who loved Vishal?s ?Kaminey?. But a unanimous appreciation from all the centers is quite questionable.
To sum up, from a film-maker or film student point of view, ?Ishqiya? is not perfect but still good work done. But from a common man?s viewpoint, who is there in the theater to get entertained as promised by its trailer, the movie leaves him unattended.
Rating : 2.5 / 5
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Posted by Bobby Sing on Jan 30, 2010
A hard hitting RGV kind of a movie was long due from the experimental director Ram Gopal Verma. And with ?Rann? he strongly strikes back with his own kind of cinema, wherein he only believes in telling his stories as they are, irrespective of their expected prospects at the box office. Hence, you may love it or not, but ?Rann? has something to tell to the wide unaware population of the country, who just go on believing whatever they see on the small screens playing in their houses.
The movie is based on the news channel networks in the media and talks about the unhealthy competition prevailing within the industry to get higher TRPs than the rival channels. RGV in his own unique style blatantly reveals the hidden truth behind the so called Sting Operations shown on the news channels, which are capable of generating a massive reaction among the general public. With ?Rann?, he tries to enlighten the viewers with the real purposes of these cunning & deliberate operations tried by one party of a country against the other.
As it should be, RGV straight away comes to the point in the first 15 minutes itself and does not waste time in establishing his artists in their respective roles. The viewer simply is given the hint, that this is not a usual kind of drama comprising some unwanted romantic angles inserted in the storyline and a few song sequences to ease him out. So, the director makes his intentions very clear right from the start.
But as expected, ?Rann? is not a media bashing movie. Instead it?s a movie more interested in showcasing the underground nexus existing between the clever politicians and media networks who are helplessly dependent upon the mercy of these policy makers. It tries to awaken the general public with the fact that today, news is not being reported truthfully, but it?s being created tactfully in order to survive in this tiring competition. So, everything seen on the news channel may not be true and hence the public has to take the right decision with its own intelligence and instinct. Otherwise the common voter is nothing but only a puppet in the hands of this combined group of corrupt politicians and media men.
However, ?Rann? does not entirely focus on the negative side of the topic. RGV rightly shows both the positive and negative sides of the people involved in the nexus and has his lead characters in the storyline, still having their truthful conscience alive and kicking. Moreover, very insightfully, the director shows Three kinds of mindsets prevailing in a society. Amitabh & Ritesh are the two protagonists fighting for their true spirits of a sincere journalist. Paresh Rawal, Rajat Kapoor, Sudeep, Mohnish Behl and Suchitra Krishnamurthy are the ones only interested in the wrong side of the game. But the third section is full of people like Gul Panang, Neetu Chandra and Simone Singh who are neither interested nor willing to participate in any such activity on the social front. Sadly these are the kind of people who constitute a major part of our huge population and let the bad people continue with their ugly tricks of the trade.
?Rann? commences slowly, comes to the main point directly and starts making an impact. It leaves you thinking with an interesting intermission and then goes on to reveal the darker side of the greedy personas on the screen dressed in all white. The climax comes up with a well written and superbly rendered speech by the one & only Amitabh Bachchan who is ashamed of himself being a part of the game played on his own channel unknowingly. Amitabh is once again superlative in his brilliant act of a sincere owner of a news channel who wants to run his channel on his own moral principles. But surprisingly, he hasn?t got many scenes in the movie apart from the main climax. In fact the movie majorly revolves around Sudeep, who plays Amitabh?s son and performs brilliantly in the role assigned. He manages to impress, standing in between the giants of Indian cinema (Amitabh & Paresh Rawal). RGV once again gives the Industry a rather unknown actor who has got the talent and capabilities to handle tougher roles as proved in ?Rann?.
Paresh Rawal, returns on the screen as the main villain and proves why he is considered as one of most talented actors of the current times. Ritesh Deshmukh surprises you with his superb portrayal of a calm and sincere journalist, who refuses to accept the unhealthy norms of the trade and is willing to quit. Mohnish Behl is great as the owner of a rival channel. Rajat Kapoor fits to his role of an Industrialist as a T. Suchitra looks ravishing and acts well as the in-house spy. Gul Panang looks delightful on the screen. Both Neetu Chandra and Simone Singh are just fine and Rajpal Yadav does bring some relief moments in the tense script.
Interestingly, Censor banned the use of ?Jan Gan Man? composition in one of the songs in the movie, but quite amazingly missed out on the lyrics of all the other tracks used in it. Try to hear the cruel remarks made in the songs running in the background. Cinematography is of top rate especially in the climax speech of Amitabh. Dialogues are sharp and hard hitting as expected from an RGV film made on social issues. Background score is well arranged and adds to the tension created on the screen.
The movie has its own drawbacks as there are very few relief moments in its narration, becomes a little slow in the second half and has a basic plot resembling with Madhur Bhandarkar?s ?Corporate?. But it?s unarguably more thought provoking and relevant in the current scenario. Ram Gopal Verma is right there visible in the entire film and impresses you the most in the scenes where Paresh Rawal is interacting with his silent mother, Amitabh is explaining the irrelevant difference between a Hindu and a Muslim, Sudeep trying to cope up with the extreme pressure of being successful, his suicide scene and the well written climax where the truth prevails in the end.
Here, it must be noted that many viewers may find it hard to digest and unentertaining as they may argue that they don?t buy a ticket for getting preached. But for that section of the viewers I would like to say that Cinema not always should be a means of entertainment alone. At times it?s the duty of the intelligent film makers to come up with films which are capable of starting a debate especially among the younger college going generation, who have the power and enthusiasm to bring the desired changes in the society.
In the past, ?Ankush?, ?Yuva?, ?Rang De Basanti?, ?Swades? and many more such films were made by the thoughtful film-makers on the similar grounds of starting a debate. With ?Rann? RGV contributes to the same new age wave and keeping the box office results aside, I hope it is able to burn a new candle in the dark lives of our directionless youngsters.
In the end, I would like to add that in our Film Industry, where everyone is more concerned about the financial prospects of a venture, only Ram Gopal Verma and no other film maker in the whole Bollywood could have dared to attempt a movie like ?Rann?. It?s a must watch for all who have a thinking soul and know the value of that one single vote you have in your hands which can make all the difference.
Rating : 3.5 / 5
(by Bobby Sing from www.bobbytalkscinema.com)
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Posted by memsaab story on Jan 27, 2010
There’s nothing finer on a wintry and cheerless day than a Wadia Brothers Arabian Nights tale brought to you in Glorious Gevacolor! I am pretty sure that an early Nadia stunt film would be equally fine, but until they become readily available these are just the ticket. Standard features include feisty beautiful women (and dancing [...] 
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Posted by memsaab story on Jan 26, 2010
Most of you know that I’m always on the lookout for Ted Lyons & His Cubs in the background of any fabulous number in a mid-sixties film. Whenever I see that name on the drum kit, I know the music and dancing will be outstanding! Plus, the band members themselves perform so energetically that they [...] 
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Posted by memsaab story on Jan 25, 2010
Can anyone tell me who the actress in this screencap is? Bonus points for film name and year! Another screencap has been added as a further hint.
Posted in Hindi movies, Trivia time Tagged: Hindi film trivia 
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Posted by memsaab story on Jan 24, 2010
This is one of the most bizarre films I’ve ever seen. Some parts of it left me with rounded eyes and a “WTF” bubble over my head, and some of it just made me angry; all of it left me feeling like I had just sat through ten years’ worth of Ekta Mata serial plotting [...] 
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Posted by Bobby Sing on Jan 22, 2010
 There were mixed reactions about ?Veer? before its release, since it was a period drama dealing with the same old Rajput Kings, Britishers and their revolts. The subject had its own limitations, holding a restricted appeal for the viewers especially for the young college going crowd, who don?t find historical dramas exciting enough to watch. But there was Salman Khan, on Veer?s side, with a gigantic fan following, who were all eager to see their favourite star in a new avatar of a revolutionary fighter.
So, the stage was all set for Salman to once again win over the box office with his majestic project which also had few melodious songs to its credit. But after watching more than 160 minutes of this fictional period epic, sadly Salman Khan himself, Mithun Da and the few well composed songs, remain the only worth mentioning features of this costly affair called ?Veer?.
In few words, the movie which successfully manages to impress the viewers with its powerful content in the first half, fails miserably post intermission and becomes a great let down after its initial one hour. Revolving around a revolutionary tribe named ?Pandari?s? which existed in the period of 19th century, it talks about the same old father-son vengeance story, which also involves the angle of The Ruling Britishers, their relationships with the Rajput Kings and their mean betrayals.
Truly speaking, ?Veer? starts off quite well, with an explosive & impactful opening sequence which right away forces every person in the theater to take it seriously. Justifying all the historical events happening on the screen with a voice over, the movie makes a successful start and the powerful scenes of Mithun Da & Salman Khan together raise the bar further. ?Taali? the first song of the movie, also makes an impression, as its well shot and choreographed, with more than 100 people dancing on the screen in their own styles. The song even reminded me of one similar dance sequence in the famous cult movie ?Fiddler on the Roof?.
In fact, the first half of ?Veer? has some excellent scenes, both acted and directed brilliantly. Like the one against animal sacrifice in the name of Religion, the shot with the graphical representation of London in the 19th century, the University scene where Salman answers back to his racist professor and the punishment scene right after. But the real problem starts just before the intermission where Salman performs a lethal bloodshed killing several British soldiers along with the two Rajput brothers of the leading lady.
Actually all the liberties taken by the script writers, which have no logical explanations, start right after the intermission when suddenly you see both Salman & Sohail returning to India (just like that), after mercilessly killing so many people right in the University Grounds in front of all the students. From here on the film takes a negative ?U-turn' and with every new scene progressing on the screen, you start forgetting the excellent scenes witnessed in the first half. After the interval, the narration slows down majorly, as the love story takes the front seat and till the climax, we are not served any more worth mentioning scene at par with the few seen before. Moreover, the final moments of the movie are also not capable of awakening the patriotic emotions in the viewers as usually seen in the movies made around the subject of India and its Freedom.
Visually, ?Veer? is grand, royal and well worked upon. Cinematography, Visual Effects and Art Direction have a stunning impact and play as another character in the story on the screen. Musically it?s undoubtedly among the top 3 musical scores of the duo Sajid-Wajid and they have delivered some real soulful numbers such as ?Sureeli Akhiyon Waley? & ?Salaam Aaya?. The well composed amalgamation of the Hindi-English lyrics with their contrasting arrangements is indeed worth listening. Gulzar once again comes up with some logically unexplainable but great deep meaningful words. Only the person who had written ?Humne Dekhi Hai Un Ankhon Ki Mehakati Khushboo?, could have written ?Sureeli Akhiyon Waley?. Other than its melodious songs, the background score is also well composed according to the requirement of the subject.
As expected, the movie completely belongs to Salman Khan and his dominant screen presence. He realistically lives the character of Veer and delivers a fine performance, but the period feel of the movie may disappoint lot of his young fans who love to see him dressed in cool denims and open shirts. After Salman its Mithun Da to watch out for, with his piercing eyes and strong dialogue delivery, which is missing in most of the current heart-throbs of Bollywood.
Zarine Khan, no doubts resembles Katrina, but she still looks pretty, though a little overweight. She may be taken in for a specific purpose but manages to give an ok performance in the movie. Jackie Shroff has slightly done it over the top. Sohail Khan does the usual act similar to his previous flicks. Both Puru Raaj Kumar & Aryan Vaid don?t get enough scope to make an impact but Neena Gupta shines in her few scenes. Interestingly there are no familiar faces in the actors playing the British Officers and they all do the usual stuff without making any great efforts. ?Veer? also has its resemblances with ?Taras Bulba? (1962) and ?Kranti? (1981). Apart from a similar climax, it even has a half arm person in the form of Jackie Shroff just as there was Prem Chopra in ?Kranti?.
Anil Sharma, tries to revive the magic of ?Gadar? with many similar kind of heroic sequences using the current He-man Salman, following the legacy of Dharmendra & Sunny Deol. But in absence of a logical script and a tight edit, he fails to connect with the audiences after few initial engrossing moments and thus could only deliver a half hearted project.
In the end, I would sincerely like to add, that ?Veer? could have been a much better movie with a more realistically directed and written second half. It is clearly the fault of the script writer and the director that the movie which reasonably impresses you in the first half, works so negatively post intermission. As Salman has reportedly written the main story of the movie, I doubt whether this was exactly the tale he wanted to bring on the wide screen. Anyway, if you are a Salman Khan fan, then you are surely going to like it, especially before intermission. Otherwise the magnum epic satisfies the viewer only partially.
Rating : 2.5 / 5
(Originally Posted at www.bobbytalkscinema.com)
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Posted by memsaab story on Jan 22, 2010
What’s not to love about a film which opens with animated credits like these? Very little! Especially when the credits probably cost more to produce than the entire rest of the film. This is a full-on Mod Seventies Cheesefest. I love cheese, and I love this film. It is loony entertainment at its best: a [...] 
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Posted by memsaab story on Jan 21, 2010
This film started off gangbusters and then kind of fell apart story-wise—but remained good fun throughout thanks to Rehana and Dev Anand’s sparkling chemistry, spectacular dances courtesy of Rehana and Cuckoo (and some loony tribal backup dancers) and Yakub’s turn as a villainous “Professor.” There is also a completely insane zamindar ventriloquist character whose dummy [...] 
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Posted by Srini at the Movies on Jan 18, 2010
 Reviewing ?Avatar? is like reviewing a painting where you are tempted to praise the quality of the canvas, the paint and the brushes used but not the quality of what it conveys. ?Avatar? will be remembered for pushing the limits of cinematic innovation further and beyond, but at the end of the day, it does not tell a compelling story. The basic plot is similar to the one of virgin territory exploited for gain by the dominant civilization of the times, its inhabitants moved, its history disregarded and its riches plundered. The protagonist is from the dominant civilization and he falls in love with a native and is caught between doing his job and following his heart. Invariably, the heart rules and he must take the side of the natives. How does he manage this conflict is what the movie tells us. There are certain dimensions thrown in to add more texture to the plot. There is the ability for humans to have ?Avatars? of them made in order to inhabit a native body, but control it with the human mind. The protagonist has lost the use of his legs, but can now use them as he enters the native land in the body of a fully functional native. There is that temptation to not let go of it. Other than that, there is nothing unusual from a characterization perspective that the story brings out. Even though the characters inhabit a new world, their place and intention in the plot is clear. The fact that the land of Pandora and its flora and fauna are interconnected, like in a network brings in an interesting angle. Technologically, the film is beyond brilliant. Watching it in 3-D, one could feel the richness of the canvas that James Cameron has managed to create. His and his team?s achievement in creating this world must rank amongst those of JRR Tolkien and in the cinematic world, that of George Lucas and Peter Jackson. I did still feel that a more personalized experience could have been provided especially in 3-D in the way certain scenes were shot. For example, as Jake Sully flies his Ikran and becomes a warrior, the camera could have been perched behind him for longer shots of him flying between and up and down mountains. The experience would have been even richer. The challenge of traditional animation is that it often fails to capture the subtleties in acting. With the virtual camera, Cameron has been able to bring the animated characters as close to real life as possible. However, he does not arm them with a strong characterization, screenplay and dialogue to truly make ?Avatar? a great story told. The plot is too predictable and the dialogue too plain. The film does have its funny moments mainly with the character of Jake Sully, but it also has amateurish characters like the unnecessarily macho antagonist. Watch ?Avatar? for you would be seeing a cinematic history-making film which will shape the way films are made in the decades to come. But if you want to see a good story being told, you will be disappointed. Watch it nonetheless.
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Posted by memsaab story on Jan 18, 2010
Bells are ringing and the people are rejoicing, at least in my house (and by people I mean…ME)!
Nazir Kashmiri, the man who has graced every single pre-1980s Hindi film I’ve ever seen has been identified! He is pictured above in 1950’s Dilruba (review forthcoming) and below in 1969’s Aaya Sawan Jhoom Ke (courtesy of Ash, [...] 
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Posted by memsaab story on Jan 16, 2010
The Raaj Kumar love continues here with this lovely Muslim social drama about marriage and gender relations. A big thank-you to my friend Raja and his friend Bharat for getting the dvd all the way from India to my doorstep! Films about women’s status in society and the choices they are given (or not) often [...] 
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Posted by Bobby Sing on Jan 16, 2010
It?s obvious to have huge expectations from a musical movie, directed by Ken Ghosh, who is known as one of the pioneer directors of music videos in India. And the hopes even rise further if the project has the youthful Shahid Kapoor (post ?Kaminey?) and the energetic Genelia D?Souza (after ?Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na?) as its lead couple. Hence, everyone was eager to see a spectacular show with probably a novel storyline accompanied by some brilliant dance sequences, melodious songs, amazing picturisations and tender love moments between the young couple on the screen. But surprisingly, Ken comes up with a very poorly written, confused and un-inspiring movie as his third directorial venture after ?Fida? & ?Ishq Vishq?.
Right from the start, ?Chance Pe Dance? fails to grab your attention as it straight away opens with a song coming from no-where. Even the titles begin after the song gets over, so there is no explanation why the song was there in the first place. Secondly, just after 15 minutes into the movie, a normal movie-lover can easily guess its complete storyline till the end and that?s where the movie loses its main ground of the expected box office success. Based on a routine plot of a struggler coming to Mumbai, with hopes of making it big, ?Chance Pe Dance? has got nothing to stand out as its merit, apart from the spirited performance of Shahid Kapoor.
In other words, Shahid is the only ?Chance? for the movie to impress its viewers and I sincerely doubt he alone would be able to save it. The flick has several serious issues in its execution, which forcibly restrict it to be called as a below average project. Here they are for your consideration:
1. The moment a song starts in the movie, it shifts to a music video mold, which is no doubt the forte of its director Ken Ghosh. Though the songs are indeed a treat to watch, but it seems Ken worked more hard on the songs and less on his story.
2. The movie has a completely avoidable track of a school and its students winning a dance competition due to their dance teacher Shahid. The sequence, which is highly inspired from ?The School of Rock? (2003), is not scripted well, gets hurriedly finished and looks like a misfit in the movie.
3. A director who can be called as the Master of Music Videos, ideally must have a good ear and incredible music sense. But Ken simply disappoints in this department as he is not able to get any good songs from the otherwise talented singer Adnan Sami. The music of ?Chance Pe Dance? is a big let-down, especially with a weak finale song at the reality show in the climax.
4. It seems that both the writer and director are pretty confused regarding what their lead characters have to do on the screen. Shahid, who is supposed to be an aspiring talented actor, is more interested in showing his dancing skills than the acting. On the other hand, Genelia, who plays a choreographer in the movie, is given no detailed sequence of teaching the dancing steps to anyone. In fact she seems to be more interested in acting, with all her cute mannerisms and doesn?t even talk about dance in the movie. Mohnish Behl, is the most confused one, who at first selects Shahid for his movie and then suddenly rejects him, without any reason.
5. The most irritating one comes towards the climax, when Shahid is participating in a big channel? reality show in which we are simply not shown any of his competitors. The viewers only get to see Shahid?s performance on the stage (that?s too a dancing one) and he easily goes on to win the acting contest and becomes a star.
In the acting department, Shahid is the only savior in the movie who gives a sincere and spirited performance which shows more of his sensitive and emotional persona. He might be counting a lot on this movie but may not get the desired results at the box office. Genelia as his lover, performs much better than her previous movies. But the cool and pretty girl doesn?t get a well written role and thus cannot be blamed for anything. Parikshit Sahni repeats his fatherly act of ?3 Idiots?, but still manages to impress & Vikas Bhalla is a bit loud in his few scenes.
In the end, looking at the track record of the talented director Ken Ghosh, one wonders, why he chose this kind of completely predictable subject for his third important movie which also had the most sellable stars at his disposal. Was this the story he was working on, in this long gap of almost 5 years? Or the movie was a victim of an uncontrolled delay without his fault.
To sum up, ?Chance Pe Dance?, which was more publicized as a dancing musical, has only few dancing sequences to watch out and no particular song to rave about. The choreography and song picturisation does entertain you at times, but in the absence of some equally good tracks and a novel script, they fail to create a lasting impact.
Rating : 1.5 / 5
(Originally posted at www.bobbytalkscinema.com)
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Posted by memsaab story on Jan 14, 2010
One of the many blessings that Apradh brought to my life was finally putting this man on my radar. I watched him strutting around, barrel-chest thrust forward, acting his heart out, and thought: I must know his name. Not many people can out-chew Prem Chopra when it comes to the scenery, but Shyam Kumar gave [...] 
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Posted by memsaab story on Jan 13, 2010
Hindi films are so aptly named much of the time! This one is unsubtitled but even I could tell that it is full of people paining and pining, although I am not always clear why. I don’t usually write up the unsubtitled movies I watch unless they are particularly interesting; this one is (at least [...] 
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Posted by memsaab story on Jan 10, 2010
Oh, how I loved this film. It is an absolutely riveting and heartwrenching story, with fine performances and stunningly beautiful songs (Roshan’s last—the film is dedicated to him). The background music is superb too, by Salil Chowdhury; and the black and white cinematography is lush and gorgeous, with richly patterned detail and stunning closeups of [...] 
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Posted by Bobby Sing on Jan 9, 2010
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Posted by Bobby Sing on Jan 8, 2010
Human species especially the kind residing in our part of the world, have a long tradition of recognizing the talent and capabilities of a master, only after he has left this beautiful world. A perfect example of this old tradition is the life of great R. D. Burman who ironically became hugely famous and got his due recognition for all his innovative and path-breaking works, only after his untimely demise on 4th January, 1994.
Interestingly, all the praises, the euphoria and the aura, now existing around the name of the Legendary R. D. Burman was nowhere in sight in the late eighties and early nineties. In fact the whole Filmy world was not even interested in giving RDB any more opportunities to prove himself once again. But there was only one person, who still believed in the genius and gave him his golden chance of making a grand comeback. He was Vidhu Vinod Chopra who gave RDB, ?1942 ? A Love Story? which sadly became the last memorable masterpiece from the master. With his classic compositions in the movie, Pancham Da once again showed to the world, the mettle he was made with and then left the world in peace after proving the musical genes he had inherited from his gifted father S. D. Burman.
The above part of his life may not be known to many, but unfortunately, it is a bitter truth which Pancham Da was forced to experience in his last days on the planet. But now, the world rightly remembers him as the most versatile, inventive and original music composers of Bollywood, whose creative compositions are still considered miles ahead of the work done by the current generation of tech-savvy music composers.
If you loved reading the above references about the untold life of the master musician, then you will immensely enjoy a brilliant documentary made by Brahmanand S. Singh on the life of great R. D. Burman titled, ?Pancham Unmixed?. It is a well directed account of the happening life lived by the maestro, which also enlightens the viewer about both his happy and sad days with great sensitivity and concern. The movie has many unique moments to share about RDB?s music, his style of working and his caring relationships with his fellow musicians. Along with the excerpts from his classic repertoire of immortal musical gems, the documentary is a highly emotional journey for all RDB fans still hooked on to his music even today.
The movie has exclusive footage of RDB speaking about himself and many other stalwarts of the Hindi Film Industry sharing several rare anecdotes about their days spent with the incomparable musical soul. It showcases many hidden aspects of RDB?s immensely talented identity, which makes it a real divine experience for every die-hard fan of the genius.
Personally I simply loved watching Shammi Kapoor talking about the maestro in his own lovable style with some adorable emotional expressions. And Vidhu Vinod Chopra who was the only person (in the nineties) to believe in RDB?s inner talent and also provided him the opportunity of making his immortal swan song for the uncaring world.
Lastly, I would like to thank the makers for coming up with this much needed documentary which will make the world repent on the way it treated the master in his last few years. In short, it?s highly recommended for every music lover, who adores Indian Film Music and still remembers the timeless classics from the great R. D. Burman.
(The Documentary has been released by Shemaroo Entertainment in an exclusive Collector?s Pack which also has a Coffee Table Book on the life of the master, along with a DVD of his most famous songs.)
Directed by Brahmanand S. Singh
Starring : R. D. Burman himself and most of the Indian Film Industry stalwarts.
(Originally Posted at www.bobbytalkscinema.com)
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Posted by Bobby Sing on Jan 8, 2010
Here is another example of a reasonably fine movie presented with completely wrong promos and a misleading promotional campaign. And the strange thing is that the blunder is once again committed by the experienced Yash Raj Films who did exactly the same with their earlier project ?Rocket Singh?. Simply putting, ?Pyaar Impossible? is neither a youthful movie about college life nor it talks about any campus affairs as prominently shown in its on-air promos.
Conversely, it is a simple story of a one-sided love affair, also featuring a girl child artist playing a prominent role in the script and has a story-line, which somehow seems to be less appealing for the younger audiences. So, if you are expecting a trendy, college campus love flick, featuring a geek and a beauty, then you are sure going to be disappointed big time. But the saving grace is that the movie still manages to impress the viewers to some extent, mainly through its engaging second half, where the plot actually starts moving at the much needed speed. Whereas before intermission, the narration has nothing great to offer and you just keep waiting for something more interesting to happen on the screen very soon.
Basically, I am still wondering why Jugal Hansraj (director) and Uday Chopra, who has also written the story, screenplay and dialogues for the movie, opted for such confusing promos for their project, which no-where talk about the real movie in the offering. In fact all the scenes in the promos on-air are just taken from the first 15 minutes of the movie and the rest is completely left untouched. To be precise, I couldn?t figure out, what was the purpose of promoting the movie as a college drama, when its main lead female character is actually a divorcee single mother living alone with her kid girl. That was really a silly attempt to bring in the young crowd into the theaters to fetch a good initial. However, the move may turn against the movie, since all the youngsters are not going to find the content they were really feeling excited for. Jugal Hansraj once again misses the bull?s eye with even Priyanka being there for him as a merit.
Nevertheless, apart from this publicity goof up, ?Pyaar Impossible? is a decent movie with worth watching performances from the lead pair and the girl child. Priyanka Chopra once again leads from the front, with her stunning outfits and gorgeous looks. Her solid portrayal of a stylish and educated single mother, rightly proves why she is considered as one of the best talents we currently have in our Hindi Cinema. Uday Chopra as her silent lover, surprisingly gives a stunner performance in the role of a geek. He is simply not the same Uday, you may recall from his previous films. He has not only grown as an actor but also showcases his other talents of writing and scripting a story of his own. Advika Yadav, the kid girl playing Priyanka?s daughter is a delight to watch and a talent to look out in the future. Anupam Kher is lovable in his few scenes and Dino Morea is quite impressive in his negative role.
Musically, the film has majority of its songs written partly in English which have a limited appeal. Music directors Salim-Sulieman have worked more on their song arrangements and less on the melody part of their musical score. Hence, though the tracks sound good but they don?t stay in your mind for long. Cinematography captures Singapore?s outdoor locations skillfully.
In a nutshell review, ?Pyaar Impossible? is a good one time watch mainly for its performances, but it has nothing as suggested by its trendy and youthful promos. The movie is based on an urban subject revolving around computer software and its piracy which strictly makes it a multiplex movie and can work only in the metros. You can watch it for both Priyanka and Uday but don?t expect any college romance out of it.
Rating : 2.5 / 5
(Originally posted at www.bobbytalkscinema.com)
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Posted by memsaab story on Jan 8, 2010
Over the years, without realizing it, I have seen a great many films made by director-producer Brij. Mostly this is due to the fact that he made Excellent Use of Helen in most of them, and as many of you know Helen was one of my first obsessions-within-the-obsession for Hindi cinema. I have even written [...] 
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Posted by Srini at the Movies on Jan 7, 2010
 I almost exited the theatre in the first 15 minutes of this film. There was no chemistry between the lead pair and everything seemed awkward. I am glad I didn?t because ?Kurbaan? warmed up to be a tense and gripping thriller set in the context of terrorism in the new world. The plot revolves around a Delhi University Professor Ehsaan who falls in love with the US returned Avantika, marries her and moves back to America when she gets an offer to rejoin her job. Ehsaan?s regular-joe demeanor soon gives way to reveal his real identity, that of a sleeper cell member, out to bomb key locations in New York (surprise surprise). He and members of his sleeper cell hold Avantika captive as she could endanger their plans and leak the information to a journalist Riyaz, whom she befriended. Despite being asked to kill her and the child she is carrying, Ehsaan finds himself softening as his love for her starts embalming the scars of his past and his hatred for America. He is now caught between the mission that he has to accomplish and the girl he loves. The plot is classic revolutionary dilemma and hence is no different. But, what is gripping is the screenplay as the camera often pretends to be a curious and hidden onlooker who is looking at proceedings from behind trees and pillars. The shots are mostly indoors or shot outdoors in the dark or in dull light to add to the grimness. The characters have been sketched realistically and the parts are all underplayed to look real. The only aspect that can be questioned is the ease with which a sleeper cell can be penetrated by an outsider through trust. It should be tougher than that. Particularly impressive are the sequences that showcase the huge gap between traditional and modern thinking amongst people of the same religion. This has been dealt with, very carefully and subtly and it hits you without the actors having to say or do much. And the same goes for the much hyped love scene between Ehsaan and Avantika. It has been given a realistic treatment with no intention to sensationalize. All credit to Rensil D?Silva for pulling it off despite the sputtering start. Saif Ali Khan has come a long way since his candy-boy act of the 90s. He has matured as an actor and is capable of showing different shades of a character effortlessly. As Ehsaan, he slips from caring lover and husband to bloodshot terrorist to being both at the same time with ease. Kareena Kapoor as Avantika shows the sensitive side to her ability as an actor, a side that has often been shut out by her glamour quotient. It is in roles such as these, that we can see her talent come out. Vivek Oberoi as Riyaz is all intensity in a very important role. ?Kurbaan? is a good watch if you are the mood for a good thriller with social and political contexts. It is another feather in the hats of the new directors of the millennium who are finally churning out meaningful Hindi cinema.
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Posted by memsaab story on Jan 6, 2010
One of the many joys of blogging is the stats. I love to see what search terms have brought people to my blog (although occasionally I shudder too).
This one caused my coffee to come out through my nose:
WHY MADHU BALA CHOOSE TO MARRY KISHORE KUMAR AN ORDINARY LOOKING MAN
I don’t have any idea which post [...] 
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Posted by Srini at the Movies on Jan 5, 2010
 Cliché is the word for it. This movie has so many clichés that you remember twenty other movies that had the same theme and their characters, the same quirks. Despite having two Hollywood heavyweights, ?The Taking of Pelham123? does not live up to its billing. The plot revolves around a disgruntled Wall Street banker Bernard Ryder, who had to spend ten years in prison for his alleged irregularities, who decides to hijack a subway train in New York (surprise surprise) and wants a ransom paid out within a specified time limit (surprise surprise), else a passenger will be killed for every minute of delay (surprise surprise). He takes to an operator in the train traffic control room Walter Garber, who is by the way undergoing investigation for a bribery scam himself and wants him to be his point man in getting the ransom arranged. Is he able to pull it off is what the story tries to answer. The plot is so predictable, that you can visualize the ending right at the beginning. There is an attempt at some psychobabble when the hostage taker tries to make the operator confess to his bribery scam, but on the whole, there is nothing to write home about. Tony Scott, who gave us movies like ?Top Gun? gives the film the same twilight feel to it and does manage to create some moments of tension, but is unable to convince the viewer that there is something here that he ought to be looking forward to. John Travolta as Ryder and Denzel Washington as Garber are utterly wasted in their roles. They are neither given good lines nor a good plot to do justice to their talent. James Gandolfini as the New York mayor that everyone loves to hate does provide some comic relief but that?s about it. ?The Taking of Pelham 123? is avoidable unless you are a Denzel/Travolta fan or if you are on a long distance flight which has no other movie playing. Even then, you would much rather watch Steven Segal in ?Under Siege 2?.
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Posted by memsaab story on Jan 5, 2010
Since I have started avoiding films with words like “Bahu” in the title like the plague, I was a bit nonplussed when this film arrived in my mailbox. Then I realized that probably what I had planned to order was Teri Meherbaniyan. Not the same thing, not at all. I really need to pay closer [...] 
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Posted by Bobby Sing on Jan 4, 2010
For lovers of Indian Cinema and its melodious film music from the Golden Era, here comes the much awaited rare piece of creative work, recently released in the DVD format. It is the one and only video documentary made in 1989, on the happening life of the most versatile musical phenomenon called Kishore Kumar. Directed by Sandip Ray (son of the renowned film-maker, Satyajit Ray), the movie talks about Kishore Da?s lesser known childhood, his energetic career as an actor and his incomparable contribution as a singer along with famous clips of his uncountable melodious songs which are still cherished by hindi film music lovers living all over the world.
Intelligently compiled by Sandip, the movie not only showcases the brighter side of Kishore Da?s persona but also talks about the grey shades of his identity, which were sadly publicised in the media as an eccentric behavior towards insanity. Ironically, Kishore da himself talks about it with Lata Mangeshkar in an interview featured in the documentary. Exploring different phases in the life and career of Kishore Da, as an actor, producer, director, singer, composer and lyricist, the movie smartly makes us familiar with the real truth behind many famous myths about him.
However, the only missing point in the movie according to me was to avoid the era in which there was a healthy competition seen between Mohd. Rafi and Kishore Da. The narration completely skips this particular part of his career, when R. D. Burman was rising towards the peak and along with him few other music directors also started preferring Kishore Da to sing for their films. Apart from this it?s a brilliant piece of documentation in which so many famous personalities are brought together to talks about their favorite singer and actor ranging from the veteran Dada Muni (Ashok Kumar) to the voice of the current generation, Shaan.
A must watch for all who love Kishore Kumar and his multitalented career of an immensely creative personality. (The DVD has been released by Moser Baer Home Video and should be easily available at all leading stores.)
Directed by Sandip Ray
Starring : Kishore Kumar and most of the Indian Film Industry?s stalwarts.
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Posted by Bobby Sing on Jan 4, 2010
A remake of the Tamil film ?Raam? (2005), it?s a thriller cum murder mystery where a college going young boy is charged with the brutal murder of his own mother. After the tragic event he has gone into silence and now everyone is trying to make him speak about the real truth. The movie starts off impressively when the Police finds the boy lying with his mother?s body with blood all over him and a knife in his hand. The opening sequence raises the expectation bar right away. But after the first few engrossing minutes, the pace drops and the director loses his grip over the proceedings resulting in a partly good project.
Debutant director Rakesh Chaturvedi Om, shows that he has learned the job well but he surely could have done much better with a carefully chosen cast and a fast edit. His direction remains uneven throughout the movie, where some scenes have been directly brilliantly and some get a very amateurish kind of treatment from Rakesh. For example, the way Raam walks away with his mother after his small fight in the college and how the college principal behaves with his own colleague lady professor is quite insensible. However the most interesting scenes remain the ones featuring Naseer as the psychiatrist trying to read Raam?s odd behavior.
Another drawback of the movie lies in its not so impressive climax and the uninteresting truth behind its murder mystery. There is an unnecessary tension created towards the intermission concerning the Muslim name of a police officer. And it also has a completely avoidable Muslim Jehadi angle included in its storyline towards the end. It?s really hard to understand that why every second movie has to talk about the same terrorist link and impartial behavior practiced with a certain community. Why can?t a murder mystery just have a different and interesting revelation to its suspense plot which dares to touch the grey cells of the viewers?
Performance wise, as expected the best comes from the veterans. Om Puri acts as a Police chief convincingly and it was pleasant to see the talented Padmini Kolhapuri back on the screen in an impressive act of a loving mother. Naseeruddin Shah makes an impact in his interesting short cameo. Govind Namdeo performs well as usual and Rajpal Yadav provides the much needed relief in his few scenes, but Manoj Pahwa is simply misfit in the role of a College Principal.
Lead actor Rishi Bhutani has a strong built and a fine presence on the screen. He is good at action but still needs to work hard on his face expressions and dancing skills. He tries hard to talk with his staring eyes but falls short of making the desired impact. However, the boy has got all the required elements to prove his untapped talent in his forthcoming films. The girl playing his love interest, Disha Pandey and her brother enacted by Krishan Khatra both prove themselves as newcomers and have a long way to go in their acting careers. Music has a very limited scope in this tense thriller, but still Sachin Gupta presents a good song ?Maa Tere Jaisa?, as per the requirement of its subject. The Background score on the other hand shows all the hard-work put into it and fills the silence remarkably.
In all, ?Bolo Raam? is a suspense thriller with an interesting plot not told in an equally interesting style. It is partially good as far as the subject is concerned, but could be much better with a more engrossing treatment and a different mystery in the climax.
Rating : 1.5 / 5
(Originally Posted at www.bobbytalkscinema.com)
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Posted by Bobby Sing on Jan 4, 2010
After a long gap, comes an impressive and entertaining offbeat flick talking about the extra marital affairs in a comical manner. An intelligent satire on the ever changing relationships of 3 married couples and their reunion; it is not a usual cup of tea for every lover of Hindi Cinema. In fact the movie is strictly for adults and the multiplex viewers who can easily understand the overdose of English conversations included in its narration. And though it revolves around the memory loss of a particular night and its happenings, still it is not a remake or an inspired version of the English Hit ?Hangover? as expected.
It?s a comeback movie of writer-actor-director Saurabh Shukla, which excels with its impressive performances, funny dialogues and realistic take on the High Society culture and its famous parties. The story revolves around a weekend party where all the characters are there interacting with each other. Rajat Kapoor arrives there to attend the party along with his wife Irawati and their kid girl. After a few drinks he gets attracted towards Neha Dhupia, who is also there in the party with her boyfriend. They both start with some casual talks and end up being in a room all alone. Now the next morning when Rajat wakes up, he cannot exactly remember what had happened last night and he is still confused that whether they both did ?it? or not. From here, starts the actual mix-up where everyone starts blaming the other for his undisclosed and awkward position.
In actual terms, ?Raat Gayi Baat Gayi? is not a loud comedy with over the top sexual sequences as seen in some recent lousy comedies. On the contrary it?s a smart and intellectual kind of movie which more or less depends upon the entertaining verbal conversations between its characters. It?s indeed a treat to watch the husbands & wives talking bitterly about their spouses and then later repenting upon their own remarks and feeling sorry for it. In simple words, the movie entertains in its first half where everyone is lovingly teasing each other in the party and then remarkably enlightens its viewers in the second half when the characters move on to the path of their self-realisation.
The most entertaining scenes include the ones where Rajat Kapoor & Vinay Pathak are discussing the one night stand with each other. Later Dilip Tahil joins in, making it even more hilarious and absorbing. Besides that, Saurabh also softly points out towards many famous social superstitions like Feng- Shui and Tarot Reading through some intelligently written scenes in his script. And the last half an hour of the movie, when all the confusions are being cleared about that particular night, proves as a perfect ending for a well directed movie based on the uncontrolled human relationships.
If you loved the artistic kind of movies made in the 70s & 80s, then you will readily appreciate the efforts put in ?Raat Gayi Baat Gayi? accompanied by many superlative performances to enjoy. The best act comes from Rajat Kapoor and Vinay Pathak, which gets equally supported by the sizzling beauty, Neha Dhupia who looks too hot in her revealing outfits. Rest of the cast includes, Dalip Tahil, Irawati Harshe, Anu Menon, Navnit Nisshan and Aamir Bashir, who also provide many funny and amusing moments for the viewers. To complete the team lead by Rajat Kapoor there are few special cameos too made by the well known, Ranvir Shorey, Marakand Deshpande and the renowned director Sudhir Mishra.
Interestingly both Ranvir and Marakand have the two most hilarious scenes in the script where Ranvir is talking about his innovative ?Kukkad? dish and Marakand is showing his palmistry skills to a lady. Musically the film has nothing exceptional to offer with Ankur Tewari?s musical score mainly working only as a fine filler. Cinematography is captivating with expressive close-ups, soothing lighting and innovative colour schemes used in the backgrounds.
Incidentally, ?Raat Gayi Baat Gayi? reminded me of another realistic gem called ?Party? (1984), which also revolved around a similar get-together sequence involving several characters from the richer section of the society. The 80s masterpiece was directed by Govind Nihalani and it seems that the movie was somehow there in Saurabh?s mind while writing the script of his current venture. The climax was also pretty close to Rajat?s own movie on wife swapping with the title ?Mixed Doubles? released in 2006.
Summing up, ?Raat Gayi Baat Gayi? is a well directed and superbly acted movie which will mostly appeal to the thinking viewers who love the realistic, offbeat and artistic kind of cinema. Go for it if you are a fan of this particular genre.
Rating : 3 / 5
(by bobby sing from www.bobbytalkscinema.com)
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Posted by memsaab story on Jan 2, 2010
Right up front I have to say that I am in no way objective about this film. Director Raju Hirani is a good friend of mine, and I spent a couple of days on the sets back in March and had a brilliant time interacting with the incredibly smart, funny and friendly cast and crew—including [...] 
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Posted by memsaab story on Jan 1, 2010
Gemma and I wish you all the very best and lots of love and happiness in the New Year! 2010 woo-hoo! (This is as excited as we get without squirrels and food and cocktails and Shammi involved.)
Posted in Everything else, Gemma Tagged: 2010, Happy New Year 
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Posted by memsaab story on Dec 31, 2009
I hold a definite opinion about judging Hindi cinema against western cinema, which is that it is basically unfair. And by unfair I do not at all mean that Hindi cinema cannot hold its own, but that it is an apples to oranges comparison and therefore pointless. Even so, there are two genres where I [...] 
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Posted by Bobby Sing on Dec 29, 2009
Somehow I missed this important and brilliant movie in my list of Must See Cinema till now, but it has always been there in my collection and a movie close to my heart due to four major reasons. One, because this was the first movie in which I was literally convinced by the flawless acting of Sridevi who efficiently played the role of a grown up girl having the mind of a six year old child. Her authentic portrayal of an innocent small girl made me respect her as an actor in a much bigger way than ever before.
Secondly it had my favourite and one of the most versatile actors in Indian Cinema, Kamal Hassan who equally supported Sridevi on the screen with the same sincerity and elegance. In fact, both Kamal Hassan and Sridevi can easily rate ?Sadma? as one of the 5 best movies of their sparkling careers. In reality, the movie is still remembered as the key representative of Kamal Hassan?s Hindi Cinema span in particular.
The third reason being the unforgettable musical score by the maestro Illayarja, which actually deserves to be there among the Best Original Soundtracks of Hindi Cinema ever. Songs like ?Aye Zindagi Gale Laga Le? and ?Suramayi Akhiyon Main?, continue to be the favorites of even the current generation of the changing times. Accompanied by the meaningful lyrics of Gulzar, the compositions have the power to take away all the pain of the listener and generate a soothing meditative impact on the mind.
Lastly and most importantly, the movie still haunts me with its highly emotional and moving climax sequence when Sridevi regains her normal condition and simply forgets about Kamal who was the only helping hand in her days of suffering. The last scene of the movie at the Railway Station where Kamal tries his best to make her remember his very existence is still fresh in my mind even today. The scene clearly justifies why Kamal Hassan stands tall in the list of the most talented actors in the History of Indian Cinema (irrespective of any language or region). And that?s the power of this touching movie called ?Sadma?. If you the love the genre of emotional & meaningful drama then just don?t miss it at any cost.
Directed by Balu Mahendra
Starring : Sridevi, Kamal Hassan, Gulshan Grover, Silk Smita & more.
Music : Illayraja
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Posted by memsaab story on Dec 29, 2009
As inured as I am to the crimes against humanity (and cinema) perpetrated by Indian vcd/dvd manufacturers, this left me gasping when it abruptly showed up smack in the middle of a climactic scene about an hour and a half in:
Burning problem indeed! It begs this question, though: am I glad I saw what I [...] 
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Posted by Bobby Sing on Dec 25, 2009
Let me start with a unique experience I had while watching ?3 Idiots? paid premiere in one of Delhi?s leading multiplex on Thursday night. The house was full and everyone was pretty excited to see the last most awaited film of the year 2009. The show was to start at 7pm but unfortunately the print got stuck somewhere and there was a delay announced in the hall of about half an hour. Unusually the wait became long enough to complaint, and the show started 3 hours late at around 10pm. But not a single person in the theater abandoned the show and went back home. Everyone just stayed there in their seats waiting for three long hours along with their kids and family. The ambience made me feel the power, magic and expectations associated with two big names of Bollywood, namely Aamir Khan and Raj Kumar Hirani. And as the movie ended, everyone stood there clapping as refreshed as ever, even after they had spent more than 6 hours sitting in the cinema hall.
In few words, ?3 Idiots? fulfills every promise it made and entertains the viewer completely with its engrossing and enlightening content based upon some real life happenings, we see and read about every day. Loosely inspired from Chetan Bhagat?s novel, ?Five Point Someone?, it starts with the story of two friends, who are in search of their third adorable room-mate of the engineering college who actually helped them both in finding their own desired path in life. Commencing with a phone call to Madhavan, about their lost friend, the movie keeps shifting between the present & the past and majorly talks about the days they all spent together in the college studying engineering.
The first half is full of highly enjoyable moments which have a distinctive Hirani flavor and are sure going to be liked by everyone of any age or gender. The pants dropping humor may be a bit weird for some but the youngsters would not mind it at all for a change. However the engineering college campus and the in-class sequences in the movie do remind you of all the famous medical college scenes in Hirani?s debut masterpiece ?Munnabhai M.B.B.S?. The entertaining first half ends on a mystery note, which straight away gets solved post intermission and then the story moves on towards the search of the third lost idiot, Aamir. Though the second half has got some dragging moments in the mid but overall, it makes a good impact on the viewer with a masterstroke used towards the climax having a pleasant surprise twist. And in the end, it makes you leave the hall clapping with a cheerful smile.
Director Rajkumar Hirani brilliantly writes all his scenes along with the talented Abhijat Joshi and the experienced Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The ease with which he showcases serious issues like Suicides by Students, Ragging in Colleges, Faulty Education System based on memorization and the unnecessary competition creating tension is simply commendable. He politely gives his own message through many comic and hilarious sequences in the movie which also have much bigger hidden indications for the society. Further, he humbly goes on to remind you that Are you doing the job you always wished for?? Or you also have just compromised and bowed down to the demanding needs of your greedy surroundings and still regretting the major decision of your life.
To be straight, ?3 Idiots? is a director?s movie completely. Though it has been more publicized and awaited as an Aamir Khan project, but it would be completely unfair to treat it at par with the perfectionist?s earlier movies where he is in full force as a solo hero. In fact, every big and small character in ?3 Idiots?, strongly makes his presence felt, which in turn restrains anybody from calling it an Aamir Khan movie alone. Having said that, I would also like to add that with ?3 Idiots? Aamir once again proves his unmatchable understanding of the medium and willingness to work better with a team spirit. He consistently delivers another flawless performance of his shining career under the expert direction of Raj Kumar Hirani. His commitment towards the works shows from the unbelievable slim physique he gets into for the role of a college student after the famous body building act of ?Ghajini? and comes out as a clear winner.
After Aamir, the next best act comes from Sharman Joshi who very convincingly portrays a complex character of a student caught in a dilemma. It?s unarguably the toughest role and Sharman?s the best performance of his career till date. A truly award winning act by the young lad in the Best Supporting Act Category this year. The third idiot, Madhavan equally impresses in the role of an engineering student, wishing to become a wild life photographer from heart. Madhavan, never makes you feel his huge star status in the south and impressively plays his part with a quite conviction. Boman Irani is superb as earlier seen in the similar role a University professor. Actually, he has mastered this particular kind of character by now and looks great in his messy get up in the movie.
Kareena Kapoor hasn?t got a big role in the script, but she still manages to catch your attention through her new look with the glasses. Mona Singh is cool in her few scenes but Javed Jaffery is wasted in a two scene role. The actor playing the studious friend of the 3 Idiots is first rate and Parikshit Sahni thankfully is there with a controlled act. Cinematography is worth mentioning especially in the scenes where the three friends meet at the top of a high rise structure, the beautiful roads in the mountains and the climax scene shot along the blue water lake of Ladakh. Shantanu Moitra?s music is not worth buying as an album, but it impresses and leaves a mark after you have watched the movie in the theater. The song ?All Izz Well? keeps growing on the mind, once you understand the real meaning of its lyrics in the movie. Background score suits the mood of the script well and is used creatively in the scenes.
Summing up, there is no doubt that ?3 Idiots? is one of the finest movies of 2009 and will be a great success at the box office, but at the same time I would like to share a few points I have in mind about the movie :
Firstly, the basic format of the movie remains very close to Hirani?s debut venture ?Munnabhai MBBS?. It has many similar (not identical) scenes of college classrooms, lectures and exams (though the subjects are different). The interaction between Boman and Aamir is on the similar lines of Boman and Sanjay Dutt. There is also a Hospital Sequence of Sharman getting paralyzed and Aamir curing him with his miraculous ways (quite identical to Carrom Board Sequence in Munna Bhai). And lastly as there was ?Jaadoo Ki Jhappi? in Munna Bhai and ?Gandhigiri? in ?Lage Raho?, similarly here we have a new phrase ?All Izz Well? used in 3 Idiots to woo the audiences. So I somewhere felt the basic framework of the movie written around the same commercial elements used in Munna Bhai.
Secondly the pregnancy sequence of Mona Singh, where Aamir has to perform as a doctor on the online guidance of Kareena, was a kind of deliberate, filmy and quite far from reality.
And thirdly, I couldn?t appreciate the way, Hirani hilariously treated the poor family of Sharman Joshi and the character of his paralyzed father. He mercilessly used the poor character as a comedian and made the audience laugh at his helpless situation which I didn?t find very amusing. This particular part was not as per the standards set by Hirani himself through his earlier two masterpieces and was an avoidable patch on an otherwise brilliant and highly entertaining flick from the master craftsman.
Incidentally, as seen in his previous blockbusters, the master director continues to give you a glimpse of his western influences and favourites by using the animated scene of millions of sperms racing towards becoming a baby, which is highly inspired from a similar sequence in Woody Allen?s ?Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex?.
But despite of the above mentioned points, the talented trio, Rajkumar Hirani, Aamir Khan and Vidhu Vinod Chopra have a sure shot winner in their hands, which will be unanimously liked by all the section of the viewers together and should turn out to be a big success. Raj Kumar Hirani once again proves himself as one of the most talented, gifted and capable directors of Hindi Film Industry. As his third offering, he proudly presents an important movie for all youngsters, which teaches them to just follow their inner dreams and desires. The movie has an ultimate message for all that ?You should first aim at enjoying and achieving brilliance in your work and then success will automatically follow?. A must watch indeed.
Rating : 4 / 5 (Missed 4.5 due to the unwanted treatment given to Sharman?s poor Family)
(Originally Posted at www.bobbytalkscinema.com)
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Posted by Bobby Sing on Dec 25, 2009
Let me start with a unique experience I had while watching ?3 Idiots? paid premiere in one of Delhi?s leading multiplex on Thursday night. The house was full and everyone was pretty excited to see the last most awaited film of the year 2009. The show was to start at 7pm but unfortunately the print got stuck somewhere and there was a delay announced in the hall of about half an hour. Unusually the wait became long enough to complaint, and the show started 3 hours late at around 10pm. But not a single person in the theater abandoned the show and went back home. Everyone just stayed there in their seats waiting for three long hours along with their kids and family. The ambience made me feel the power, magic and expectations associated with two big names of Bollywood, namely Aamir Khan and Raj Kumar Hirani. And as the movie ended, everyone stood there clapping as refreshed as ever, even after they had spent more than 6 hours sitting in the cinema hall.
In few words, ?3 Idiots? fulfills every promise it made and entertains the viewer completely with its engrossing and enlightening content based upon some real life happenings, we see and read about every day. Loosely inspired from Chetan Bhagat?s novel, ?Five Point Someone?, it starts with the story of two friends, who are in search of their third adorable room-mate of the engineering college who actually helped them both in finding their own desired path in life. Commencing with a phone call to Madhavan, about their lost friend, the movie keeps shifting between the present & the past and majorly talks about the days they all spent together in the college studying engineering.
The first half is full of highly enjoyable moments which have a distinctive Hirani flavor and are sure going to be liked by everyone of any age or gender. The pants dropping humor may be a bit weird for some but the youngsters would not mind it at all for a change. However the engineering college campus and the in-class sequences in the movie do remind you of all the famous medical college scenes in Hirani?s debut masterpiece ?Munnabhai M.B.B.S?. The entertaining first half ends on a mystery note, which straight away gets solved post intermission and then the story moves on towards the search of the third lost idiot, Aamir. Though the second half has got some dragging moments in the mid but overall, it makes a good impact on the viewer with a masterstroke used towards the climax having a pleasant surprise twist. And in the end, it makes you leave the hall clapping with a cheerful smile.
Director Rajkumar Hirani brilliantly writes all his scenes along with the talented Abhijat Joshi and the experienced Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The ease with which he showcases serious issues like Suicides by Students, Ragging in Colleges, Faulty Education System based on memorization and the unnecessary competition creating tension is simply commendable. He politely gives his own message through many comic and hilarious sequences in the movie which also have much bigger hidden indications for the society. Further, he humbly goes on to remind you that Are you doing the job you always wished for?? Or you also have just compromised and bowed down to the demanding needs of your greedy surroundings and still regretting the major decision of your life.
To be straight, ?3 Idiots? is a director?s movie completely. Though it has been more publicized and awaited as an Aamir Khan project, but it would be completely unfair to treat it at par with the perfectionist?s earlier movies where he is in full force as a solo hero. In fact, every big and small character in ?3 Idiots?, strongly makes his presence felt, which in turn restrains anybody from calling it an Aamir Khan movie alone. Having said that, I would also like to add that with ?3 Idiots? Aamir once again proves his unmatchable understanding of the medium and willingness to work better with a team spirit. He consistently delivers another flawless performance of his shining career under the expert direction of Raj Kumar Hirani. His commitment towards the works shows from the unbelievable slim physique he gets into for the role of a college student after the famous body building act of ?Ghajini? and comes out as a clear winner.
After Aamir, the next best act comes from Sharman Joshi who very convincingly portrays a complex character of a student caught in a dilemma. It?s unarguably the toughest role and Sharman?s the best performance of his career till date. A truly award winning act by the young lad in the Best Supporting Act Category this year. The third idiot, Madhavan equally impresses in the role of an engineering student, wishing to become a wild life photographer from heart. Madhavan, never makes you feel his huge star status in the south and impressively plays his part with a quite conviction. Boman Irani is superb as earlier seen in the similar role a University professor. Actually, he has mastered this particular kind of character by now and looks great in his messy get up in the movie.
Kareena Kapoor hasn?t got a big role in the script, but she still manages to catch your attention through her new look with the glasses. Mona Singh is cool in her few scenes but Javed Jaffery is wasted in a two scene role. The actor playing the studious friend of the 3 Idiots is first rate and Parikshit Sahni thankfully is there with a controlled act. Cinematography is worth mentioning especially in the scenes where the three friends meet at the top of a high rise structure, the beautiful roads in the mountains and the climax scene shot along the blue water lake of Ladakh. Shantanu Moitra?s music is not worth buying as an album, but it impresses and leaves a mark after you have watched the movie in the theater. The song ?All Izz Well? keeps growing on the mind, once you understand the real meaning of its lyrics in the movie. Background score suits the mood of the script well and is used creatively in the scenes.
Summing up, there is no doubt that ?3 Idiots? is one of the finest movies of 2009 and will be a great success at the box office, but at the same time I would like to share a few points I have in mind about the movie :
Firstly, the basic format of the movie remains very close to Hirani?s debut venture ?Munnabhai MBBS?. It has many similar (not identical) scenes of college classrooms, lectures and exams (though the subjects are different). The interaction between Boman and Aamir is on the similar lines of Boman and Sanjay Dutt. There is also a Hospital Sequence of Sharman getting paralyzed and Aamir curing him with his miraculous ways (quite identical to Carrom Board Sequence in Munna Bhai). And lastly as there was ?Jaadoo Ki Jhappi? in Munna Bhai and ?Gandhigiri? in ?Lage Raho?, similarly here we have a new phrase ?All Izz Well? used in 3 Idiots to woo the audiences. So I somewhere felt the basic framework of the movie written around the same commercial elements used in Munna Bhai.
Secondly the pregnancy sequence of Mona Singh, where Aamir has to perform as a doctor on the online guidance of Kareena, was a kind of deliberate, filmy and quite far from reality.
And thirdly, I couldn?t appreciate the way, Hirani hilariously treated the poor family of Sharman Joshi and the character of his paralyzed father. He mercilessly used the poor character as a comedian and made the audience laugh at his helpless situation which I didn?t find very amusing. This particular part was not as per the standards set by Hirani himself through his earlier two masterpieces and was an avoidable patch on an otherwise brilliant and highly entertaining flick from the master craftsman.
Incidentally, as seen in his previous blockbusters, the master director continues to give you a glimpse of his western influences and favourites by using the animated scene of millions of sperms racing towards becoming a baby, which is highly inspired from a similar sequence in Woody Allen?s ?Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex?.
But despite of the above mentioned points, the talented trio, Rajkumar Hirani, Aamir Khan and Vidhu Vinod Chopra have a sure shot winner in their hands, which will be unanimously liked by all the section of the viewers together and should turn out to be a big success. Raj Kumar Hirani once again proves himself as one of the most talented, gifted and capable directors of Hindi Film Industry. As his third offering, he proudly presents an important movie for all youngsters, which teaches them to just follow their inner dreams and desires. The movie has an ultimate message for all that ?You should first aim at enjoying and achieving brilliance in your work and then success will automatically follow?. A must watch indeed.
Rating : 4 / 5 (Missed 4.5 due to the unwanted treatment given to Sharman?s poor Family)
(Added into my list of ?Movies To See Before You Die?)
(Originally Posted at www.bobbytalkscinema.com)
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Posted by DG Adopted-Deol on Dec 25, 2009
I have so thoroughly enjoyed participating in this year's Filmi Secret Santa Project, birthed and so graciously organised by Beth Loves Bollywood. I had a great time putting gifts together for my recipient, and I received lots of awesomely creative and fun gifts from my very generous Secret Santa, all of which I've very proudly showed off on this blog. All good things, alas, must come to an end, and so today, I received my final fabulous Christmas from my Secret Santa, with this note: So here we are at last on Day 12 of Christmas. Dharam has defeated all evil with the force of his beauty and all that remains is to sing the end-of-whoop-ass-all's-well-that-ends-well song and invite his friends for a party! And so it came to pass. ... and this beautiful collage...  What I wouldn't give to be at that party!I also finally got to find out who my most benevolent and excellent Secret Santa is... and ( drumroll please!) she is none other than the witty and charming Amrita of the wonderful Indiequill, one of my favourite blogs. Thank you so much Amrita, your gifts were one of the best highlights of this season. Have a very Merry Christmas and a great 2010!!! And Happy Holidays to everyone!
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Posted by DG Adopted-Deol on Dec 24, 2009
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Posted by memsaab story on Dec 24, 2009
This is one of my favorite films: I love it unconditionally and without reservation and, needless to say, without a shred of objectivity. I will never forget the joy with which I first watched it, a joy that has never diminished, and the love it gave me for Shammi (also undiminished). Shammi Shammi Shammi! I [...] 
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Posted by memsaab story on Dec 22, 2009
I have added an “Artist Gallery” page now, with pdf files containing artists from the 1920s, 30s and 40s. I am still working on the galleries for later decades (way more people!) but will be adding them as I get them done. All of them are works in progress which I plan to keep adding [...] 
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Posted by DG Adopted-Deol on Dec 22, 2009
Ok, can I just say I LOVE my Secret Santa?! Everything (s)he sends me is SO perfect!!! How on earth did (s)he know that I LOVE Julie Andrews and that one of my all-time favourite Julie Andrew movies is 'Victor/Victoria'? Again, I LOVE my Secret Santa! Here's my latest gift... in our ongoing saga, Secret Santa has cast me as the fabulous Ms Andrews...."On the eighth day of Christmas, everybody seems to have forgotten that there is evil afoot! What is wrong with all these filmi people? But never fear, Daddy's Girl is here to keep an eye on her Perfect Boy from afar."
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Posted by DG Adopted-Deol on Dec 22, 2009
This (being cast as the amazing Ms. Andrews in our ongoing filmi saga) is so good for my ego! Ha ha!! LOVE my planning outfit.....  "On the 10th day of Christmas, Daddy's Girl is distressed to see that The Perfect Boy is clearly overwhelmed. Just look at his face of "Nahiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!"But no worries! Daddy's Girl has a plan. That's her planning outfit as you can see."
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Posted by DG Adopted-Deol on Dec 21, 2009
My Santa sends me the best stuff ever... here's the latest:  with these words: "Daddy's Girl's worst apprehensions come true - EVIL HAPPENINGS are taking place! Oh no! So evil! So hot! So dire!"So totally awesome! I love it!!!
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Posted by Bobby Sing on Dec 21, 2009
 There is an old saying in the world of business, that it?s not always good to taste huge success in your very first deal, because that results in an un-necessary and phony confidence for the future. The saying fits best on Himesh who is otherwise an extremely gifted composer but who also incidentally tasted respectable box office success with his acting debut in ?Aap Ka Suroor?. With the spirits gained from his first venture, he confidently went on to make a feeble ?Karzzz? and now returns on screen with a more shaky ?Radio?.
Not interesting from its very first sequence, Himesh?s Radio walks on a very thin and weak storyline which has nothing new or exciting to offer. A couple opts for a divorce and then later tries to get reunited with the help of another female friend. A typical bollywood love triangle, seen uncountable times before. Really wasn?t expecting such a routine and tried before kind of plot from Himesh who was supposed to come with a unique kind of storyline written around the life of a Radio Jockey. Though the movie successfully captures the life lived by the current digital generation in its fast mode, but the project as a whole, fails to generate enough interest for its viewers. Putting it differently, ?Radio? has got only one fresh and experimental element in itself and that?s its title.
The movie moves in & out of a radio station which remains interesting in the start but tends to go repetitive and annoying towards the end. The novel background of a radio station could have been used in a more entertaining way as earlier seen in ?Lage Raho Munnabhai?. Director, Ishan Trivedi, innovatively divides the whole script into different chapters like a book, but forgets to put the much needed content in its chapters. Being a Himesh Reshamiya movie, the main strength of ?Radio? remains its music, but again too many songs coming at the places where they are not needed at all starts irritating the viewer after a few initial entertaining moments. Moreover, I also found the soundtrack of ?Radio? weaker than Himesh?s previous musicals. Only two songs ?Mann Ka Radio? & ?Jaaneman? are able to make an impression rising up to his own set standards in the past.
Frankly speaking, an artist always knows his inner strengths and the work he is best at. To prove yourself in a different creative field led by others is just an unwanted trip of the ego and nothing else. As I see it, Himesh, who has already proved his unmatchable musical talent to the world, is un-necessary trying to make a mark in the acting department of movie making. Although he has improved in his newly discovered talent, but actually the transformation is not required at all in the first place. Himesh is better than most of his contemporaries in the music field so he should stick to the work he is best at.
Shenaz Tresurywala is bubbly and smart, but she has been doing the same kind of roles in all her movies till date. Sonal Sehgal looks pretty and acts well but the girl desperately needs a stroke of luck since she has already acted in a few important movies but none have been released due to some unknown reasons. May be ?Radio? fetches her all the attention she needs to get some healthier projects in her career. Surprisingly, Paresh Rawal looks foolish in his role of a funny radio jockey. His track has no relation with the other happenings on the screen and seems to be deliberately added to bring in some laughter. Shockingly, Zakir Hussain, who normally always impresses in his small cameos, looks like overacting in few sequences. Cinematography and background music is fine but it?s the script which is mainly responsible for the poor results on the screen.
Lastly I would like to add that if Himesh really wants to deliver a Hit once again in the future, then he has to try some unusual and experimental stuff in his project, which must have some shock value for the viewers. In a mediocre and uninteresting product like ?Radio?, both his superb musical sense and the few well conceived songs have to face the negative response they don?t deserve. In short the movie is strictly as projected by its promotional campaign ? childish, confusing and complicated.
Rating : 1 / 5
(Originally Posted at www.bobbytalkscinema.com)
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Posted by Bobby Sing on Dec 21, 2009
 What are the characteristics of ?Progressive cinema? in a country? The phrase can only be used when the viewers get some new unexplored subjects to watch with no unnecessary subplots or deliberately added commercial angles in a movie. And Shimit Amin?s ?Rocket Singh? unarguably stands tall among the few recent movies representing the ?Progressive Cinema Movement? in the Hindi Film Industry. In short the best month of the year is here with another worth watching movie for all the desperate viewers after the last week?s gem ?Paa?.
Frankly speaking, ?Rocket Singh? is not the usual bollywood kind of movie with the same ages old ingredients of action, love & comedy. It may not be appreciated by the masses, but for a change it?s a simple and refreshing flick with everything just in the right proportions as required. The movie neither has any sick side stories yelling loudly to impress the viewers nor there are any silly unwanted songs jumping into the screenplay from nowhere. In other words it?s a great piece of art made by a thinking team strictly on the lines of innovative Hollywood projects which are based on variety of subjects written around our daily routine life.
The story talks about a fresh and honest graduate who is looking for a descent job to make his future career. The wickedness of his colleagues and seniors in the office helps him transform into a clever and strategic businessman. But in the process he also has to opt for some unethical means and uses his present job office and resources for his personal benefit. The innovative plot not only enlightens us about the cut throat competition in the Sales line but it also showcases the hardships faced by the innocent customers due to the evil practices adopted by the service providers. The film commences slowly and starts growing on the viewer with its to the point narrative and highly realistic sequences. In fact most of the viewers will find it very easy to relate with various characters in the script portrayed just like the real life people we meet every day.
After his masterpiece ?Chakk De India?, Shimit returns with another brilliant work which again has a huge contribution coming from his writer Jaideep Sahni. Shimit?s subtle treatment of the subject never slides down and he maintains a firm grip on the movie right till its impressive climax. Interestingly, all the incidents in the movie strongly point towards some similar personal experiences of either Shimit or Jaideep in the past. Jaideep splendidly comes up with the most original description of his characters quite close to his ?Khosla Ka Ghosla? which also revolved around Delhi and its Punjabi culture. Actually the whole setup of a computer company and its premises in ?Rocket Singh? is more relevant to New Delhi?s computer hub, Nehru Place (which Jaideep must have seen) and everyone who has visited the premises would readily agree to that. Taking into account all their works together in the past, the writer-director duo is a great team in formation and you can easily expect many more brilliant projects coming from them in the near future.
In the performance arena there are good things to write about almost everyone in the cast. With the most authentic Sikh character?s portrayal on the screen till date, Ranbir Kapoor once again excels and makes everyone in the Kapoor family feel proud of their young energetic and hardworking kid. His choice of projects after the unexpected debacle of ?Saawariya? clearly proves his gifted cinematic sense and intuition power. While watching him on screen, not even once you feel that he is in a fictional get up of a Sikh. In simple words he just slips into the body of Harpreet Singh Bedi and delivers an effortless, enjoyable and the most impressive performance of his career.
Prem Chopra delivers a lovable cameo. Gauhar Khan impresses in her role of a receptionist and she surely has got the oomph factor to burn the screen. Shazahn Padamsee is fresh and confident as Ranbir?s customer cum friend. Everyone else in the team lead by Rocket Singh is perfectly chosen and they skillfully act as true to life realistic characters, especially the computer engineer and his sexy desktops glowing in the night. Cinematography is nothing exceptional and Salim-Sulaiman music is just above average with all the songs used shortly along with the background score.
However, the only probable mistake, the marketing team of ?Rocket Singh? has made is that they wrongly promoted the film as a comedy. The promos with Ranbir dancing to the tune of ?Pocket Mein Rocket Hai? clearly give you an idea of the movie being a funny take on office politics and life of an salesman. Whereas in reality it?s a sensible story of a fresh graduate who goes on to make a confident mark in his very first job of a salesman. Though it has many comedy sequences coming in at regular interval throughout, but still that doesn?t allow anybody to simply call it a comedy movie. In fact all the viewers coming in for seeing just another routine, over the top, bollywood comedy may get highly disappointed from the end result they get. So, once again it?s an example of wrong promotion tried by the makers to bring in some more crowds in the opening weekend.
But if you ask me then just don?t take it as a comedy and go for it if you really want to see a fresh, cool and uplifting movie completely different from what we have been seeing in all this year. In short, ?Rocket Singh? is one of those few rare movies which are made without thinking of any favorable box office results. If majority of the viewers like it then that?s a good sign of progress being made in the Indian Cinema. But if most of them take it otherwise then that will be the most unfortunate outcome of 2009.
Highly recommended for everyone yearning for a change in Bollywood?s choice of subjects.
Rating : 4 / 5
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Posted by Bobby Sing on Dec 21, 2009
 Cricket may be the most famous game in India with millions of viewers glued to the screen while a match is on, but the same cannot be said about the several movies made on the game. In fact out of all the flicks written around the sport in the history of Hindi Cinema only two have been successful so far and they are ?Lagaan? & ?Jannat?. The latest ?World Cup 2011? also carries the legacy forward since it?s just another weak project revolving around the game of cricket and it?s currently over famous fixing racket.
However, there is one good thing about the movie and that is the decent intention with which it is made to uncover the invisible racket of match fixing. In the past we have seen ?Jannat? which used the fixing plot as a commercial angle to make it likable by the viewers. But in ?World Cup 2011? the actor-director Ravi Kapoor, simply tries to give an answer from his side to everyone involved in this degradation of the game. Sadly, that is the only worth mentioning point in the movie, as otherwise it?s quite a weak product quite similar to ?Dil Bole Haddipa?, ?Victory? and many more.
For a change, the story has a repenting Captain of Indian team who is facing a ban for being involved with some bookies and losing the World Cup 2007 in the finals. After a gap of four years he is again given a chance in the World Cup of 2011 and making the best use of it, he fights back with everyone coming in his way towards the cup. The predictable plot lacks the spirit needed in a sports movie and that?s where everything goes wrong for ?World Cup 2011?. The story moves too smoothly showcasing all the developments happening on the screen with an impossible ease. A banned captain gets a second chance on a simple request to the coach. The cricket board has only one visible head who can take major decisions all by himself and the Captain of Indian Cricket team attends the party hosted by the bookies accompanied by almost half of his team.
Surprisingly there are also number of names taken in the movie which resemble many real life characters immensely famous in Indian Politics and Cricket. Like the captain of the Indian Team is named Ravi Indulkar, who even has a Bengali and Sikh player in his group indicating to the realistic Indian players on the field. The move was good to fetch extra attention from the media but it?s the execution which fails to make its mark on the viewers. Actually every movie on a particular sport essentially requires a lot of home work to be done on the finer details of the game. ?World Cup 2011? scores the minimum in this context, since it mainly focuses on exposing the fixing mafia in the game and pays less attention on how the game is actually executed. For instance every time a wicket falls down in the match post intermission, the entire team gathers right on the middle of the pitch and starts jumping, hugging & celebrating (which is a major offense in cricket).
Talking about the lead actor-writer-director Ravi Kapoor, he has got the romantic looks and might be able to do much better with some intense training from the right people in the field. Manisha Chatterjee, as his love interest, could not rise above the average level. Prem Chopra, Suresh Oberoi and Zakhir Hussain are just there to do their routine jobs. Cinematography is okay but Aditya Shrivastava saves his better compositions for some another big project. He also seems to be very desperate in his guest appearance in the Tapori Song which is undoubtedly inspired from the ?Bhai? number of ?Shooting at Lokhandwala?.
In all, Ravi Kapoor may have made this project with the noble intentions of resurrecting the controversial image of cricket and its players, but as a movie on the screen, its remains an amateurish effort from the heart.
Rating : 1 / 5
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Posted by memsaab story on Dec 21, 2009
Please note the addition of a new page at right under “About This Blog”. I am starting an “Artiste Identification Project” in the hopes of identifying some familiar faces for whom I still have no names, or some familiar names for whom I have no faces!
I am also in the process of building an actor [...] 
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Posted by DG Adopted-Deol on Dec 20, 2009
Ah... my Secret Santa reveals 'The Boy's' adoring Maa...
Santa says:
"On the sixth day of Christmas, Maa finds out about the happy romance! And she approves! The Girl isn't quite good enough for her son who is after all, let's face it, Perfect, but she isn't half bad!"
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Posted by DG Adopted-Deol on Dec 20, 2009
My awesome Secret Santa has very kindly introduced me to this very cool friend... Santa's words?"On the seventh day of Christmas, even Brownie the Wonder Dog finds out about our young romance. He loves them together so much, he cries hearts!"
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