Starring: Ranvir Shorey, Konkona Sen Sharma, Rajat Kapoor, Koel Purie

Written & Directed : Rajat Kapoor

Some films just get you interested for all the wrong reasons. Think about it. This is a sex comedy about a bored and boring man who wants to pep up his life with a bit of wife-swapping… hardly the kind of theme and film that would qualify as little more than an effort to titillate audiences with a whole lot of junk feud in the domestic ambience.Some films just get you interested for all the wrong reasons. Think about it. This is a sex comedy about a bored and boring man who wants to pep up his life with a bit of wife-swapping… hardly the kind of theme and film that would qualify as little more than an effort to titillate audiences with a whole lot of junk feud in the domestic ambience.

Strangely and refreshingly Mixed Doubles transcends the inherent limitations of its genre. The pincer-sharp dialogues (Anurag Kashyap) and a handful of believable actors who seem to understand the inner world of their urbane characters, help to create a sense of lived-in reality in this brief film about giggly grief. Director Rajat Kapoor who made the quirky Raghu Romeo seems to revel in the realm of the goofy. His 'hero' is a working-class bore Sunil(played with acute fidelity by Ranvir Shorey ) who wants a bit of the swing-thing in his dry life.When he suggests wife-swapping to his devoted simple and straight-laced wife Malti (Konkona) she naturally blows her top at her husband's unnatural urges. Maybe the lady hasn't seen Abbas-Mustan's Ajnabee( the only other Indian film about spouse-swapping).

The scenes of domestic disharmony are done with remarkable grace….the space between the main door and the washing machine in the apartment is used as a domain of distending domesticity. Konkona looks so much at home washing her screen-husband's dishes, she reminds one of Tanuja in Basu Bhattacharya's memorable domestic drama Anubhav.All the years that divide Anubhav from Mixed Doubles are washed away as we watch Shorey and Sharma's sassy shindig.

Specially well-written and performed are the office-canteen scenes where actor Vinay Pathak does a splendid breakdown act after his wife leaves him. These small-time actors…I tell you! They sometime take your breath away.

And watch out for Naseeruddin Shah's little cute cameo as Konkona's fey dad. He's rather silly and in keeping with the film's prevalent mood. The theme of marital boredom is tackled with deft humour. Scenes where Sunil and Malti meet up with spouse-swappers Vinod (Rajat kapoor) and Kalpana (Koel Puri) convey a certain edge of hysterical outrageousness while remaining within the boundaries of a bridled narration. Rafey Mahmood's camera is an ally in the marital alliance. The beauty of watching this slight slender but svelte satire on spousal friction is that it creates an aura of tragic inevitability within its ostensibly flippant view of sexual mores. That a married urban man, no matter how intellectually incapacitated, would actually want his wife to sleep with another man just to create excitement in the marriage is sad enough.

That he should spend the swapping night exchanging silly game ideas with his borrowed partner (Koel Puri) is worse. No one has sex during the swap. That's the punch-line. Now can we get back to the normal domestic tenor in the marital scheme?

HOLIDAY

Starring: Dino Morea, Onjolee Nair, Gulshan Grover, Nauheed Cyrusi, Anahita Uberoi

Director: Pooja Bhatt
Producer: Sujit Kumar, Pooja Bhatt

With the influx of multiplexes in India, stories that were considered experimental at a point are slowly finding their way to the big screen. Pooja Bhatt picks up the essence from the Hollywood hit DIRTY DANCING [1987; Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze], garnishes the plot with a dance form [Salsa] and sets her story in the land of sand, sea and surf [Goa].Ideal date movie? Not really... HOLIDAY could've been one enjoyable joy ride. Instead, it turns out to be a bland experience thanks to an ineffectual plot and the sluggish pace at which the story unfolds.

Agreed, the dance form has rarely been witnessed on Indian screen and Bollywood aficionados would relish the two Salsa numbers. But barring a scene or two that linger in your memory, the story otherwise is too simplistic, the screenplay lacks ample dramatic moments to keep you hooked and the execution is quite basic.

Pooja's recent movies, JISM and PAAP mainly, had ample meat in the plot, but writer Mahesh Bhatt doesn't get it right this time around. In short, this 'Holiday' will be short-lived in public memory! HOLIDAY begins with Dr. Daksh Suri [Gulshan Grover] arriving in Goa for a month-long vacation. Accompanying Dr. Suri is his wife Nandini [Anahita Uberoi] and their two daughters, Samara [Nauheed Cyrusi] and Muskaan [Onjolee Nair]. While Samara is an extrovert, Muskaan is exactly her opposite. She prefers to be in a shell. Muskaan bumps into a group of dance professionals [Dino Morea, Alyssa/Kashmira Shah] who perform in the hotel. She also gets to know that Alyssa is pregnant and the guy responsible for it is the hotel owner's flirtatious kin [Sanjit Bedi], who has now befriended Samara.

Muskaan decides to step in as Alyssa's replacement when she resolves to go for an abortion. But Muskaan is completely clueless when it comes to dancing, more so about Salsa. Dino decides to train her and in the process not only do the two find comfort in each other's arms, but Muskaan also discovers her strengths.

HOLIDAY is not just DIRTY DANCING but also JASSI JAISI KOI NAHIN. If the basic plot has been borrowed from the Hollywood hit, the characterization of the female protagonist bears a striking semblance to the immensely popular TV serial, about a girl-next-door discovering self esteem and confidence.

Frankly, the subject matter had ample scope to emerge into an enthralling fare. But the film catches your attention in bits and spurts. The Kashmira Shah track as also the scenes when Onjolee decides to learn dancing, hold your interest. However, the best part of the film is the song prior to the intermission ['Tu Hain Bhatakta Jugnu Koi']. A brilliant composition, it is composed [Ranjit Barot], rendered [Shreya Ghoshal], choreographed [Sandeep Soparkar] and performed [Dino, Onjolee] with amazing precision.

But the excitement [on a minimal scale] generated in the first hour evaporates in the second hour. The film develops into one of those mundane love stories where lovers part ways only to re-unite in the climax. The script has a major flaw: Why doesn't Dino clear the misunderstanding when he meets Gulshan Grover? Why does he want Gulshan to feel that he's the culprit, when he's not? Let's face it, today's youth can be brutally frank when it comes to airing their views/feelings.

Also, in the climax, when Onjolee performs with Dino, it doesn't make you jump with joy primarily because the love story is treated so ordinarily that you don't empathize with the lovers. The finale track ['Aashiyaan'] is interesting again, but not much of a help either. Pooja Bhatt's direction is not as convincing this time. The talented actor turned director made more impact in her directorial debut [PAAP] than in her second outing [HOLIDAY]. One of the reasons could be the lackluster screenplay, which tends to get boring at regular intervals.

Ranjit Barot offers a truly different sound and at least three numbers rise to the occasion: 'Tu Hain Bhatakta Jugnu Koi', 'Khwaishon Se' and 'Neele Neele'. Sandeep Soparkar's Salsa steps are sure to win tremendous acclaim. Cinematography [Anshuman Mahaley] is mesmerising. The beauty of Goa has been captured remarkably by the lensman. If there's one person who'd stand to benefit from HOLIDAY, it's Dino Morea. Known as a good looker until now, Dino climbs a few steps as an actor with this film. Sincere and convincing, this is his finest work to date. Also, all those who felt that Dino is a guy with two left feet are sure to chew their words back.

Onjolee doesn't have the conventional Hindi film heroine looks. Even otherwise, she is plain ordinary when it comes to acting. But the one department she scores in is dances. Kashmira Shah is first-rate in a brief role. Nauheed Cyrusi is okay. Gulshan Grover is able. Anahita Uberoi is alright. Sanjit Bedi is proficient. Ankur Desai is adequate.
On the whole, HOLIDAY doesn't have much to fall back upon except for a soothing musical score. But music alone isn't enough. At the box-office, it's a non-starter!

Aksar

AKSAR, directed by Ananth Narayan Mahadevan, takes a look at relationships. The story isn't about two men fighting for a woman. This one has a complex theme. In terms of storyline, AKSAR does push the envelope, but the question is, will the orthodox Indian moviegoer digest the theme?AKSAR has an out of the box kind of a plot: A millionaire hiring a casanova to have an affair with his wife, the millionaire-husband then catching the wife red-handed in an uncompromising position in the bedroom, the wife not regretting her decision… the concept, though bold, is extremely modern for the Indian audiences............more


Rang De Basanti

It is rare that such a well-crafted and beautifully told story is seen in Hindi cinema.
Genius Director Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra’s movie ‘Rang De Basanti’ is a must-watch for reasons that the length of this review may not suffice to express. More than just a technically brilliant flick, ‘Rang De Basanti’ has a story that entertains you, makes you think and stirs you deep inside in the end.
The director merges two plots in RANG DE BASANTI. The first is about a group of friends, their bonding, and the carefree lifestyle they lead..........more