Rating : ****
Casting : Sanjay Dutt .... (Munna Bhai - Murali
Prasad Sharma), Arshad Warsi .... (Circuit), Boman Irani
.... (Lucky Singh), Vidya Balan .... (RJ Jahnvi), Dia
Mirza .... (Simran), Jimmy Shergill .... (Victor D'souza)
Director : Raju Hirani.
Producer : Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
 Hats
off to Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani for making
a film that is more than just a rip-roaring comedy.
Lage Raho Munnabhai makes you laugh, makes you cry and,
parallel to all the entertainment, it gives a message
that sticks in the mind. To say it in Munnabhai’s
lingo – it creates “chemical locha”
in the brain.
It is next to impossible not to like Munnabhai and
his sidekick Circuit in their second innings. Almost
three years after the loveable duo cured the incurable
in Munnabhai MBBS , the street-savvy taporis find themselves
face to face with Mahatma Gandhi’s ideology in
‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’.
As Munna – the goon for whom breaking bones and
abducting people is the way of life – comes face
to face with Bapu, he discovers that it takes more courage
to turn the other cheek than to hit back. Munna discovers
that nothing works like compassion and non-violence.
Following Mahatma Gandhi’s way, Munna not only
triumphs over his enemies, but he also wins the love
of the woman he so very longs for.
Once again, Sanjay Dutt plays the foul-mouthed, uneducated,
but extremely good-hearted goon, and Arshad Warsi plays
his inseparable friend.
While Circuit is busy doing abductions and forcing
people from their properties, Munna spends his days
listening to RJ Jhanvi ( Vidya Balan ) on the radio.
Munna, hopelessly smitten with Jhanvi, gets an opportunity
to be on her show after answering a number of questions
on Mahatma Gandhi. However, to conceal his real identity,
Munna lies to her that he is a professor of History.
Impressed by the history teacher who speaks tapori language
just to relate to today’s youths, Jhanvi invites
Munna to her house to give a lecture on Gandhiji to
her ‘children’.
Jhanvi runs a home called Second Innings in which old
people who have been left by their children get a chance
to restart their lives afresh. It is these old people
whom Jhanvi calls her ‘children’.
 Now,
Munna is in a fix. To know about Gandhiji’s life
and ideology, he goes to a library and begins reading
books on the iconic figure for three days continuously.
After three days, a miracle happens. Gandhiji appears
and start talking to Munna.
Startled to see Gandhiji, Munna goes to a shrink and
is told that there is some chemical locha (problem)
in his brain.
However, Munna befriends Gandhiji, gives an excellent
lecture at Jhanvi’s home and makes a place in
everyone’s hearts, including Jhanvi’s.
Trouble starts when a builder named Lucky Singh ( Boman
Irani ) wants to take over Jhanvi’s property.
Ironically, both Munna and Circuit work for Lucky.
As the greedy builder makes his manipulative moves
and acquires the property, Munna becomes his foe.
But with Gandhiji by his side, Munna renounces his
old belligerent self and wins over his enemy in the
most unexpected way.
Like in ‘Munnabhai MBBS’, in this film
too Munna does the Good-Samaritan acts in his typical
tapori style. Guided by Gandhiji, he doles out advices
to people on Jhanvi’s radio show. He helps a financially
ruined youth named Victor ( Jimmy Shergill ) to confess
a bitter truth to his (Victor’s) father. He helps
a runaway bride named Simran ( Dia Mirza ) to return
to her father’s home in spite of the fact that
the father happens to be none other than Lucky Singh.
And despite all his goodness, there are situations
when Munna is scorned by people and labeled mentally
disturbed. But armed with Gandhiji’s ideology,
he triumphs in the end.
 ‘Lage
Raho Munnabhai’ is a film that keeps you riveted
to the screen from the very opening reels to its conclusion.
The most exceptional thing about the film is the way
it blends comedy with emotional moments.
Arshad Warsi’s impeccable comic timing, coupled
with Sanjay Dutt’s light-humored slapstick, promises
laughs aplenty for the viewers. And there are moments
when the duo drives you to tears. For instance, the
sequence when Sanjay slaps Arshad and later goes to
apologize. Arshad proves in this sequence that he is
not just an excellent comedian, but also a deft actor
when it comes to serious moments.
Another good thing about the film is that Gandhiji’s
ideology in it never sounds preachy. The film rather
shows its soundness in a practical way. Dilip Prabhavalkar
plays Gandhiji’s role in the most convincing way.
He almost has an enlightened smile on his face throughout
the movie.
‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ doesn’t merely
end as a Sanjay Dutt film. Although the actor takes
to his role like a fish to the water and delivers yet
another brilliant performance, ample footage is given
to Vidya Balan, Arshad Warsi, Boman Irani and other
actors as well.
Vidya Balan looks angelic with her mystifying smile,
free-flowing hair and charming persona. Boman Irani
is highly credible as a loud-mouthed Punjabi. Jimmy
Shergill and Dia Mirza get their moments of limelight.
Abhishek Bachchan makes a one-minute cameo.
 To
sum it up, ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ is one
of the best movies to have come out of Bollywood this
year. The script is exceptionally well written by Hirani
and Abhijat Joshi. The background music complements
the screenplay and the songs are not the least intrusive.
Rajkumar Hirani’s direction yokes together all
the elements of movie-making into a cohesive, meaningful
and, above all, entertaining package called ‘Lage
Raho Munnabhai’.
The film is a top-notch entertainer. There is not a
single dull moment in it. A must-watch.
Carry on forever, Munnabhai.
Don:
 A
huge Indian contingent embarks on a dangerous cat-and-mouse
trail of capturing DON (Shah Rukh Khan) - the ruthless
drug mafia in Malaysia.
When DON gets seriously injured in a police encounter,
the word that he is dead begins to do the rounds. The
reality, of course, is that DON is held captive in a
secret location, while his bumpkin of a look-alike,
Vijay, is polished and sent to take down DON's gang.
In a bizarre twist of fate, when the man shielding
the humble and streetwise Vijay, is killed, the latter
comes to terms with the horrifying realization that
both the police and the gang are out to nab him for
different reasons.
In a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, he is
aided by the glamorously staggering Roma (Priyanka Chopra),
and handsomely striking, Jasjit (Arjun Rampal), who
owes Vijay a favor for care-taking his son during his
imprisonment. But will Vijay be successful in his mission?
Based on the successful erstwhile classic of the same
name, which featured the legendary Amitabh Bachchan,
the contemporary and stylishly crafted DON, features
Bollywood czar Shah Rukh Khan playing a double role
in one of the most defining performances of his career,
teamed for the first time with former Miss World, Priyanka
Chopra.
The biggest and most keenly awaited motion picture
of 2006, DON is a high-octane, tension-filled, twisty
roller coaster of a ride, with just the right dose of
glamour, action, suspense and romance.......more
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna:
When the most awaited movie of the year, with a star
cast as stellar as it gets, hit the theatres, expectations
are naturally high. Karan Johar’s Kabhi Alvida
Naa Kehna partly lives up to the expectations. But watching
the 3-plus hour movie, filled with emotional, tear-jerking
moments from the first reel to its conclusion, is a
tad tiresome.
KANK is a departure from Karan’s previous works
(Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham ) in the
sense that the film deals with a theme that is relatively
bold in Indian context. The movie simply says that it
is better to walk away from a marriage if it is not
working.
However,
KANK is akin to Karan’s previous works in its
lavishness and grandeur – the slow-motion panoramic
shots, the very Johar-esque treatment of the songs in
which almost all the star cast indulge in celebratory
song n’ dance, and, above all, the centrality
of the movie’s story being the complexities of
relationships. So in a way, with KANK, Karan has only
turned more dramatic than his former self. But in his
zeal to tell an emotionally moving story, Karan goes
overboard at places.......more
OMKARA:
 Seen
purely as an adaptation of the English bard’s
‘Othello’, ‘Omkara’ is a work
of cinematic brilliance, translating and transforming
with conviction the characters of Shakespeare’s
book into the Indian milieu. But those who haven’t
read and don’t know about ‘Othello’
would find ‘Omkara’ an average film about
a man who, poisoned with jealousy, kills his own lover
and, later, himself.
The dark-skinned Moor of Venice (Othello) of Shakespeare’s
tragedy becomes the half Brahmin, dark-complexioned
chief (Omkara) of the outlaws in Uttar Pradesh in the
film. The envious, conniving and cunning Iago becomes
the limping, tobacco-chewing, cursing, Langda Tyagi.
The handsome, charming and self-pitying Cassio becomes
Kesu Firangi. The beautiful and madly-in-love Desdemona
becomes the fair-skinned Dolly Mishra. The jealous,
revengeful Roderigo becomes Rajan. The seductive Bianca
becomes Billo.
In ‘Omkara’, Vishal Bhardwaj takes a few
liberties and changes a few situations slightly from
‘Othello’. But he does not alter the gist
of the story............more
YUN HOTA TOH KYA HOTA:
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].........more
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
 Madhur
Bhandarkar continues to walk on a tight-rope, balancing
masala [AAN, TRISHAKTI] and thought-provoking films
[CHANDNI BAR, SATTA, PAGE 3] consistently. Ironically,
the noteworthy films in his repertoire have been those
that dared to tackle an issue that hadn’t been
explored on Hindi screens before: CHANDNI BAR and PAGE
3.
Madhur now peeps into the glitzy world of corporate
identities in his new outing CORPORATE. Like CHANDNI
BAR and PAGE 3, CORPORATE works for one solid reason:
It brings to light the nitty-gritty of a world that
most commoners never knew of. Battles fought in ostentatious
and swanky offices aren’t known to the majority
and it is this aspect that can be rightly termed as
one of the USPs of the enterprise...........more
Krissh
Is it a bird, it is a plane? No it's Hrithik
Roshan!!!
It's not enough to say that Hrithik is one of the best
actors of the country.
 Extroardinary
is the word for the measured manner in which he glides
through the air to the beat of Rajesh Roshan's rather-vapid
songs…or cuts through the breeze to the stunning
special effects created with a verve so- far unknown
to Indian cinema.
Krissh takes us into the world of masked
fantasy where the stakes are incredibly high…as
high as the F-X-generated leaps that the super-hero
takes as he tries to save the world from the clutches
of a megalomaniacal villain with a glint in his eyes
that can only belong to Naseeruddin Shah............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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