Dharmendra is one of my favourite actors of all time. He is certainly my favourite Indian actor, and I even started a blog as a tribute to him. So you can imagine how excited I was at the prospect of 'Apne' - a film starring him and his sons Sunny and Bobby. I couldn't wait for it to come out, and having seen it, I am not disappointed at all. I loved every bit of the movie.

 'Apne' is the story of a man (played by Dharmendra), a former boxer, who feels he has unjustly lost his dreams. Disappointed, he longs to be vindicated through his sons. Unfortunately, his older son, Angad (played by Sunny Deol) will not, and his younger son, Karan (Bobby Deol) cannot, rise up to fulfil their father's dreams... until some fateful moments in which everything (and I mean everything) changes... and this is the story of 'Apne'.

The performances in this film all deserve applause. Dharmendra is in his element - his acting is absolutely wonderful. Kirron Kher, as his wife, also hands in an emotional, nuanced performance. Sunny is great - I really enjoyed his performance, and Bobby is really good as well. Victor Bannerjee is excellent and deserves special kudos. Shilpa Shetty and Katrina Kaif also do well (and look gorgeous). In fact, I find it really hard to criticise any of the performances in 'Apne'. Katrina could've done better with her acting and her Hindi, but I think this performance shows that she's developing as an actress and getting better with time. The best thing about the performances is that they are really natural, they flow so well, the emotion is always unforced and compelling (I guess the real-life relaitonship among the lead actors helped).

I'll admit that before seeing this movie, I was worried about the action (boxing) scenes - I thought that they might not be able to pull them off and make them look authentic. But I was wrong... the boxing scenes actually looked really good and realistic, and I would say the filmmakers did a very good job. The actors obviously did some training, and the make-up (blood etc) in the ring was quite convincing. Well done to the team.

Although I enjoyed this movie very, very much, I had some problems with the pacing of the plot (too fast in some parts, too slow in others), and felt it could've been tidier and better-paced. I also thought some of the sound effects were extreme and some of the sub-plots could have been pared down or left out. Some of the finishing felt rough, and a lot of the film was not very realistic, in my opinion. But all these are minor issues and did not detract from my overall enjoyment of this entertaining, moving film.

This film made me laugh, made me emotional, made me cheer - it reminded me of the best things in life (family, home, country) and it reminded me why I love Dharmendra so much. I would say 'Apne' has something for everyone - whether you like action, drama, romance or whatever - it has something for every movie fan.

In my opinion, the best reason to watch 'Umrao Jaan' is for Rekha's stunning and outstanding performance.

Rekha plays Amiraan, a girl who is torn from her family, sold to Khanum (the owner of a brothel in Lucknow), and re-christened 'Umrao Jaan'. As she grows into a woman, Umrao becomes renowned for her beauty, dancing skills, and poetic/musical ability. But despite the fame, is she happy? This film is about her search for happiness, the challenges she face along the way, and the relationships she forms with others.

 'Umrao Jaan' is a quiet, sad, contemplative film. It makes you think about what many women go through, and it makes you think about the repercussions of simple life choices. But it also has wonderful naachgaana to offer - the ghazals are simply beautiful, and Rekha's dancing is simply spellbinding. Her emotional (but very restrained), multi-layered performance also deserves a lot of applause. The rest of the cast is also very good, but Rekha is the highlight of this film.

'Dil' stars a young Madhuri Dixit and Aamir Khan. Both play spoiled rich kids. Madhuri's character is a snob and Aamir's character is a prankster, and from the moment they meet, there is enmity between them. However, the emnity turns to love when Madhuri's character plays an expensive prank and discovers that Aamir's character is in fact not the callous brat she thinks he is. She discovers that he has principles, and they fall deeply in love. 'Dil' is the story of their love and the struggles and problems they face.

'Dil' is a very romantic movie, so it's probably not the best choice for anyone who doesn't like romance. There is also a lot of comedy in the film, and some of it is very funny. The music is also really good. My favourite thing about 'Dil' is the lovely romantic chemistry and passion between Madhuri and Aamir... their romance is very believable and they manage to convince the viewer of their passionate love for each other.

However, the story of 'Dil' is nothing new - it's the usualstory of young love, conflict and resolution. It doesn't do much that is different from many other masala films. But despite this, I found it a very enjoyable and entertaining watch. The performances by all the actors were very compelling.