Rating: ***
Star cast: Jimmy Shergill, Irrfan Khan, Konkona
Sen Sharma, Ayesha Takia and Paresh Rawal
 When
an actor of the calibre of Naseeruddin Shah decides
to perch on the director's chair, you track the directorial
debut with interest. It's an instant reaction since
Naseer is one of the finest actors in the country who
has been associated with qualitative projects since
the past three decades.
In his very first outing, Naseer decides to narrate
four parallel stories in those 2.05 hours. Of course,
several storytellers have made an effort to narrate
multiple stories in one film, notable among them being
Mani Ratnam [YUVA], RGV [DARNA MANA HAI, DARNA ZAROORI
HAI], Khalid Mohamed [SILSIILAY] and Samar Khan [KUCHH
MEETHA HO JAYE].
However, YUN HOTA TO KYA HOTA… WHAT IF? is the
first Hindi film that makes an effort to present the
9/11 tragedy that struck America and had repercussions
the world over. Although the penultimate portions of
the film may appear similar to UNITED 93 [released in
the U.S. in April this year], the fact remains that
YUN HOTA TO KYA HOTA… WHAT IF? is a genuinely
different attempt as it packs in a lot in those two
hours, besides the devastating tragedy.
The vital question is, does Naseer's directorial debut
make a solid impact as a movie? Yes and no! YUN HOTA
TO KYA HOTA… WHAT IF? works because three of the
four stories are interesting to watch, but the film
runs out of steam towards its climax. The ending looks
so abrupt that you are taken aback when the end titles
start rolling.
The director has worked extremely hard on building
the drama and the moment the camera zooms to September
11 and stays focused on the date for a good 30-45 seconds,
you expect a nail-biting, hair-raising culmination.
But the film ends in the next few minutes, making you
wonder whether the director was in a hurry to end the
film or was a substantial footage scissored on the editing
table.
Another aspect that goes against the film is that portions
of the film have been treated with a touch of realism
and at times, the commercial aspect takes over. Agreed,
the stories are identifiable and the characters are
those that we encounter in our day-to-day life, but
it's the treatment that has its limitations.
 Story
1: Tilottima [Konkona Sensharma] is married to Hemant
[Jimmy Shergill], who she met through the Net. Their
honeymoon is cut short because he has to return to his
job in the U.S. Tilottima is desperate to reach U.S.,
but has to face an irate mother-in-law [Carla Singh]
in the process. She manages a visa and heads for L.A.
Story 2: Salim [Irrfan Khan] is the stockbroker son
of a Godmother [Saroj Khan]. He's besotted by the much
older but sensuous Namrata [Suhasini Mulay]. Even as
he involuntarily gets involved in a killing [Boman Irani],
he discovers that she has been cheating on him. Before
the shattered man can gather his wits, his mother forces
him to pack his bags and flee the country before he's
implicated.
Story 3: Rahul [Ankur Khanna] is a brilliant but poor
student who's already got admission into a prestigious
university abroad. But he's hardly excited, nor appears
to be too keen on going because of a lack of funds and
an incapacitated father. Almost overnight, almost magically,
all his problems get sorted out thanks to a friend [Ayesha
Takia] and he finds himself flying out to a brighter
future.
Story 4: Rajubhai [Paresh Rawal] is a small-time organizer
of foreign shows. To be a part of his show will cost
an aspiring dancer/singer a few cool lakhs. Old flame
Tara [Ratna Pathak Shah] mortgages her house so that
Rajubhai would include her only daughter [Shahana Goswami]
into his show. And so the seasoned and hardened Rajubhai
finds himself fathering a wide eyed, innocent girl on
her first trip abroad.
Tilottima, Salim, Rahul and Rajubhai from four disparate
worlds, with distinct hopes and diverse motives, encounter
something drastic…
Of the four stories, the ones that stand out are the
Jimmy-Konkona and Paresh-Ratna tracks. The constant
bickering of the mother-in-law [Carla] and her dislike
for the new bride [Konkona] is smartly depicted. The
portion at the U.S. Consulate -- Konkona's interview
for a Tourist Visa -- is another noteworthy twist in
the tale. But the culmination to this story is unclear.
Why doesn't Konkona make a phone call to her husband,
clarifying that she couldn't board the ill-fated flight
and that she's very much alive? Also, didn't the director
feel it's important to show that the newly-married couple
has reunited? That's a glaring loophole!
The Paresh-Ratna story is by far the best segment in
the film. The simple story appears straight out of life
and that's one of the prime reasons why it strikes a
chord. With a drunkard-husband abusing her constantly,
the trauma and hardship that the woman [Ratna] goes
through to raise funds to run her kitchen as also send
her daughter to the U.S. for a better future, is deftly
depicted. The sequences involving Paresh and Ratna are
the highpoint of the enterprise. Also, the sequence
at the U.S. Consulate -- when Paresh and the girl break
into a song to convince the Officer [Rajat Kapoor] --
is expertly enacted.
The Irrfan-Suhasini chapter is alright, in terms of
writing and also execution. The twist in the tale --
when Irrfan catches Suhasini cheating on him -- holds
your attention. Resultantly, Irrfan walks out on her
and flies to the U.S. However, the man is still in love
with the woman and makes calls to her. But how and why
does Suhasini have a change of heart? Why does she suddenly
beg for forgiveness when the fact remains that it was
she who had closed the door on him with her actions?
The weakest link in the film is the Ankur Khanna-Ayesha
Takia-Sameer Sheikh-Imaad Shah part. The story could've
been interesting had the writer spelt out the true feelings
of the two main characters [Ankur, Ayesha] for one another.
Is Ayesha in love with Ankur? Or is she not? Is that
one of the reasons why she sponsors his travel to the
U.S.? And why does Sameer constantly ridicule Mumbai/India?
Agreed, every city has its share of plusses and minusses,
but to come down so heavily on the city leaves a sour
taste in the mouth.
 Directorially,
Naseer works best when he tackles drama. He has executed
a number of sequences with flourish, not making you
feel even once that the film has been helmed by a first-timer.
But the rough edges do show as the script [writer: Uttam
Gada leaves a few questions unanswered. There's no scope
for music [Viju Shah] in the film, yet the theme song
has a haunting feel to it. Cinematography [Hemant Chaturvedi]
is consistent. The D.O.P. captures the bylanes of Mumbai
with as much flourish as Manhattan.
The film has an ensemble cast, but the characters you
take home are in this order: Paresh Rawal [superb],
Konkona Sen Sharma [brilliant], Ratna Pathak Shah [first-rate],
Jimmy Shergill [efficient], Irrfan Khan [competent],
Carla Singh [proficient], Sameer Sheikh [able] and Saroj
Khan [a complete natural].
The remaining cast -- Ayesha Takia, Boman Irani, Rajat
Kapoor, Ankur Khanna, Karan Khanna, Shahana Goswami,
Imaad Shah, Ravi Baswani, Suhasini Mulay and Tinnu Anand
-- are passable. Makrand Deshpande and Ranveer Shorey
feature in inconsequential roles.
On the whole, YUN HOTA TO KYA HOTA… WHAT IF?
is a well-intentioned film, but the sudden ending and
the missing links in the script make things go awry.
At the box-office, the film caters to the multiplex
crowd only, but even this segment wouldn't feel completely
satiated.
GOLMAAL:
Rohit Shetty’s movie ‘Golmaal’ lives
up to its punchline – Fun Unlimited.
 Despite
the absence of a concrete plot, the movie entertains
because the gags and pranks keep flowing in quick succession.
There is hardly any sequence in the film that doesn’t
evoke a chuckle, if not make you laugh. And the credit
for this partly goes to Neeraj Vora , the writer. Once
again, Vora spins a yarn replete with funny oneliners,
silly situations, outlandish characters and hare-brained
villains.
At the centre of the movie’s story are four friends
– Gopal (Ajay Devgan), Madhav (Arshad Warsi),
Laxman (Sharman Joshi) and Lucky (Tusshar Kapoor). Gopal
is the brave, big bully of the four. Madhav is the idler.
Laxman is the timid one, while Lucky is the bumbling
mute......... more
CORPORATE:
But the real strength of the film lies in narrating
a dynamic story. The best of ideas evaporate into thin
air if entrusted to inept, inexperienced storytellers.
Thankfully, Madhur narrates CORPORATE in the most simplistic
fashion so that the common man can decipher the games
corporate entities play to stay at the top. Besides,
CORPORATE is as hard-hitting as CHANDNI BAR or PAGE
3. Beneath a strong storyline is an underlying message
that makes you think.
In a nutshell, CORPORATE is an astounding successor
to Madhur’s earlier achievements!
Aristotle had once said, ‘The secret of business
is to know something that nobody else knows.’
A century later, it could be rephrased as, ‘The
secret of business is to know what the other person
knows, and a little more.’..........more
KRISSH
Is it a bird, it is a plane? No it's Hrithik Roshan!!!
Though there's sense of slackening in earlier portions
of the lengthy narrative, the last lap of this luscious
voyage into comic-book fantasy is undertaken in a spirit
of complete conviction and credibility.
You can't miss the sign-posts. We've seen so many Bollywood
heroes doing heart-in-the-mouth stunts. But never in
an Indian film have we seen a hero look so elegant and
relaxed as he glides over water and mountains to vanquish
the power-crazy villain.
 Though
the scripting in the first-half reveals signs of formulistic
fatigue (scenes where the village-bred Hrithik tries
to spook the globe-trotting journalist Priyanka Chopra
are straight out of a Joy Mukherjee-Asha Parekh musical
from the 1960s) the second half revs up proceeds to
an exceeding high precipitating the kind of action and
thrills that have so far been alien to Hindi cinema.
The scripting in the second-half specially the portions
that show Krissh's father (Hrithik doing a double role)
and the villain reading the future to see their own
impending deaths, are masterstrokes of plotting invention....more
PHIR HERA PHERI
Comedy is the flavor of the season. And sequels are
rare in India. So if a dream merchant decides to make
a sequel to an immensely popular laughathon, you fasten
your seat belts and wait with bated breath for reels
to unfold on the screen.
PHIR HERA PHERI is the sequel to HERA PHERI involving
the famous trio -- Raju [Akshay Kumar], Shyam [Suneil
Shetty] and Baburao [Paresh Rawal]. Only thing, the
film has not been directed by Priyadarshan [who directed
HERA PHERI], but Neeraj Vora, who has penned a number
of Priyadarshan movies............more
FANAA
 The
industry has been thirsting for a good film that works
at the box-office as well. With a majority of Hindi
films sinking faster than Titanic, all hopes are pinned
on the first big release this summer: FANAA. Quite naturally,
the expectations are humungous and there're two vital
reasons for it: Yash Raj and the principal star cast.
A Yash Raj film is special. The illustrious banner has
cemented its position as the Numero Uno production house
by churning out memorable films and successfully transporting
us to a world of make-believe in those three hours,
over the years. ...............more
'36 China Town' - Lacks the punch
 Abbas
Mustan have always been the kings of suspense thrillers,
and have given the audiences films like Soldier, Ajnabee,
Humraaz, Tarzaan and Aitraaz, all of which have been
exciting and have done well commercially. 36 China Town
too is no exception, as it falls into the genre of a
murder mystery. The film is set in Goa, where 36 China
Town is the address of one of the characters.
It is clear now why Subhash Ghai wanted to keep the
climax of ‘36 China Town’ a secret before
the movie’s release. The suspense is such a downer
that it would have earned bad publicity for the movie..............more
Darna Zaroori Hai
 Ram
Gopal Varma is back with Darna Zaroori Hai. DZH is
suppose to be a sequel to Darna Mana Hai.
If Darna Mana Hai was big, the
supposed sequel Darna Zaroori Hai is colossal. Bigger
stars and multiple directors! Here again the movie
has six separate episodes that end up to a common
climax. Interestingly each of the six episodes is
directed by a different director. So each story should
expectedly be divergently different from the other
in terms of the theme and treatment of the individual
directors. Darna Zaroori Hai is the first Hindi film
to be directed by six directors. ..................more
Gangster
 The
question everyone's asking, first: Is Gangster based
on Abu Salem's life? Yes and no. Yes, because he is
a gangster and she is a one-time club dancer (a minor
variation there: Monica Bedi was a one-time starlet).
No, because fiction - in this case at least - is stranger
than the facts you've seen on the news channels.
Gangster, the latest from the Bhatt stable, is definitely
one of the better Bollywood flicks this year. Don't
go by the title, it's not a mafia movie. Although
there is a dose of blood in the script, director Anurag
Basu by and large takes the traditional love triangle
route. ..................more
'Pyare
Mohan' - Mundane
 Pyare
Mohan lacks heart, soul and everything besides having
such a talented director of MASTI and Fardeen Khan who
did a good job in NO ENTRY and ofcourse Boman irani
who is always dependable
Barring a few sequences, the humour in ‘Pyare
Mohan’ is pretty mundane.
Given the movie’s basic story idea, ‘Pyare
Mohan’ could have been an interesting flick. Two
friends – one blind and the other deaf –
go about their lives with fun and masti without letting
their handicap become a weakness. ...............more
'Humko
Deewana Kar Gaye' Mushy
 Akshay
Kumar's films are becoming classier by the month. There's
a certain restrain in his presence here. The way he
conveys the pain and hurt of an impossible love, is
quite surprising for an actor who until recently was
counted among the wooden.
Director Raj Kanwar's recent efforts to polish up his
act have yielded tepid results. Dhai Akshar Prem Ke
and the boxoffice hit Andaz were louder than the lyrical
aspirations of their creator.
Filmmaker Raj Kanwar’s previous movies have bore
an indubitable stamp of melodrama and romantic mush.
HDKG is no exception. ................more
Saawan
 "You'll
die this Friday." No, that isn't a trade pundit
predicting doomsday for this hopelessly loopy and washed-out
take on the vagaries of life. That's just the 'desi'
Nostradamus, played by Salman Khan, predicting sure-death
for the film's pert heroine (Saloni Aswani).
The film's feverish take on the matters of fate is so
hopelessly out of sync with the times, you feel sorry
for the perpetrators of this celluloid atrocity.
Poor Salman. He's given the thankless task of shouldering
this creative carcass. ............more
Shaadi
Se Pehle
 The
title SHAADI SE PEHLE gave an impression of it being
a sex comedy and Mallika's presence just strengthened
the belief. But the motion got wiped off immediately
after the movie starts rollin'. This ain't no sex comedy,
this is an ex-comedy!
Well, read the story first. Ashish Khanna (Akshaye Khanna)
and Rani (Ayesha Takia) are very much in love. Ashish
suffers from hypertension and one day he misunderstands
it for cancer after overhearing his doctor's (Boman
Irani) conversation on the phone. Ashish is devastated
and then embarks to turn nasty so that Rani starts hating
him and does not have to face the suffering of his death.
....................more
Banaras
Starring: Urmila,
Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia, Raj Babbar, Ashmit
Patel.
Director: Pankuj Parashar
 Ashmit
Patel has a problem. It's not that he can't act. Director
Pankuj Parashar has taken care of that issue admirably,
skirting his skills and asking him to smile vacantly
at everyone. This is what Bollywood, bred on a diet
of melodramatic histrionics, calls 'subtle.'
No, his problem is peculiar. A shy, silent orphan named
Soham, he's a bit overwhelmed by the unashamedly frank
proposal come his way from the overenthused Shwetambari
(Urmila). The randy little rich girl is thrilled about
Soham's music classes, and singing is clearly not foremost
in her thoughts. But, Soham asks himself, is this right?...................more
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