Heyy
Babyy
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Heyy Babyy: After
showing glimpses of his directorial skills in an episode
of Darza Zaroori Hai, Sajid Khan returns with his first
full-length feature film Heyy Babyy. The movie is not
an out-and-out comedy. It has many emotional moments
as well.
Sajid Khan has attempted to make a wholesome entertainer
by blending comedy with drama and sprinkling some 'hot
stuff' on top of it to please the young audience. Sajid
follows a simple formula - to have at least one interesting
sequence in every reel. Most of these sequences do manage
to keep your interest kindled, but some of them do fall
flat.
'Heyy Babyy' is not a copy of the Hollywood movie 'Three
Men And A Baby'. The similarities between the two movies
are superficial. 'Heyy Babyy' has a very Indian brand
of humour and drama. And Sajid treats his subject with
simplicity without blowing either comedy or drama out
of proportions.
The movie tells the story of three bachelors - Arush
( Akshay Kumar ), Ali ( Fardeen Khan ) and Tanmay (
Ritesh Deshmukh ). All three of them are confirmed flirts
who sleep around with girls without the slightest intention
of committing to a relationship.
But then the course of their lives is changed with
the coming of a little baby. At first, the incurable
flirts get on with their lives as usual. But a small
tragedy opens up their eyes. Afterward, they transform
into father figures for the baby, who becomes the focal
point of their lives.
"Heyy Babyy" starts off very
well but begins to lose steam mid-way. Thankfully, Akshay
Kumar shows his incredible comic flair once again and
invokes genuine laughs from the audience. The movie
has many hilarious scenes but the ones featuring Akshay
turn out to be the best.
Along with humour, Sajid Khan maintains a continuous
thread of drama in the plot. Several scenes involving
the baby will leave you with moist eyes. However, some
tend to get a little melodramatic.
The movie's strength lies in its storyline and appropriate
casting of actors in their respective roles. On top
of it cinematographer Himman Dhamija captures the beauty
of Sydney well enough. The music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy
is groovy but not exceptional.Among performances, Akshay
stands out among the trio. His comic timing is becoming
impeccable by the day and his scenes with Vidya Balan
are simply a delight to watch.
Fardeen Khan gets his funny lines right and Ritesh
Deshmukh is brilliant as usual. But one does get the
feeling that Ritesh has not been used up to his potential.
Vidya Balan looks absolutely gorgeous. However, her
role doesn't have much scope for histrionics. The little
baby Juhaina is cute and loveable. Boman Irani is impressive
as usual.
On the whole, "Heyy Babyy" packs in enough masala
and emotion to keep you entertained throughout its running
time. The title song with 15 Bollywood hotties and cameos
of Shah Rukh Khan and Anupam Kher add an extra zing to
the movie. Interestingly, SRK's cameo is intelligently
conceived by Sajid.
Chak De India: Hollywood
has had its fair share of sport themed films from Escape
of Victory,  Chariots
of Fire, A League of their own to The Longest Yard,
Coach Carter and Any Given Sunday. But same was never
the case in our country. Of course there was Iqbal and
partly the period piece Lagaan (which cashed in on cricket)
but then these two dealt with cricket, which is nothing
short of a national sensation.
To attempt a film on hockey which is heavily ignored
in spite of being the national sport of India and to
be precise women's hockey here, and then to present
it with conviction, courage and realism on screen is
not all that easy. The Yash Raj banner has teamed up
with one of their favourite actors Shah Rukh Khan, not
for another romantic musical hit but for this off beat
movie, thereby proving that they are open to experimentation
and tests. Here director Shimit Amin's contributions
have come handy in a big way. He has the track record
of making a realistic film like Ab Tak Chhappan and
his own unique touch is there throughout the film.more
Cash
Kuch chor they, ek tha sipahi Sipahi ne choron
ko pakda, khatam kahani!
Right? Wrong! Because not always does law win over
the lawbreakers. And sometimes it indeed turns to be
fun, if breaking of law is done in as cool a manner
as CASH!
Welcome to the genre of films where crime like a heist,
robbery or a con act is projected in an utter harmless
and ultra cool eye candy manner. CHOCOLATE, BUNTY AUR
BABLI, DHOOM 2, DON, APNA SAPNA MONEY MONEY have been
some of the recent films that have belonged to this
genre. Now add CASH to the list! more
Gandhi My Father
 Gandhi
My Father is a story that was waiting to be told. We
all know about Mahatma Gandhi and his greatness. But
only a few know of the troubled relationship he shared
with his eldest son Harilal.
Mind it, the movie doesn't show Gandhi in negative light.
It just shows how a son – an ordinary man with his own
desires and weaknesses – is crushed under the weight
of the high principles of his father. It shows how Harilal's
failures and weaknesses stood in sharp contrast to the
high ideals and victories of his father. It shows how
Harilal carried the tag of Gandhi like a curse around
his neck more
PARTNER
 Salman
Khan and Govinda play partners in this movie. The film
has Katrina paired up with Govinda while Lara Dutta
is cast opposite Salman Khan. In the film, Salman plays
a love guru who is an expert in matters relating to
romance and girl-wooing. Inspired by director Andy Tennant's
likable Hollywood hit HITCH [2005; Will Smith, Eva Mendes,
Kevin James, Amber Valletta], PARTNER is a true-blue
David Dhawan film.
PARTNER is for those seeking non-stop entertainment.
It's targeted at those who swear by masala films. Those
who want to get transported to a world of make-believe
in those 2 hours. It's definitely not for those who
actually know what to expect, but pretend to rubbish
escapist cinema. Also, it's not for certain critics
[looking for art cinema in a masala entertainer] whose
star ratings are a much bigger joke than the one David
Dhawan. more
Aap Ka Surroor
 AAP
KAA SURROOR starts off as a love story, but gets into
the thriller drive subsequently. A key factor that goes
in its favor is that the events unfold at a feverish
pace, giving no time to the viewer to think or break
into a yawn. Besides, the film bears a stylish and glossy
look and the viewer is enamored by the stunning locales
of Germany as also the melodious musical score that
has been filmed on some striking locations. This one's
an eye candy!
more
Chain Kulii Ki Main Kuli
 Zain
Khan (Karan) has been brought up in an orphanage run
by Rajesh Khera (John Kakkad). The boys in the orphanage
badly fear Rajesh Khera and the children call him Hitler.
The children want to escape from his tyranny and they
crave to be adopted by some couple. The saddest thing
is that the couples who come for adoption are looking
for only small kids.
As the story progresses, one day Zain finds a bat which
had ` KD` written on it. He took it to mean Kapil Dev
and hits sixes with it during the play with his orphanage
mates. One day the disillusioned Indian coach Vijay
Crishna sees Zain playing and decides to include him
into the Indian squad for the crucial match with Pakistan
. This surprises the Indian team including Captain Rahul
Bose (Varun.) However, Zain gives a good drubbing to
Pak team by hitting huge sixes while opening the innings
with Rahul Bose. .more
Tara Rum Pum
 The
power of love and togetherness can sometimes be so strong
that it can make you go through the thick and thin of
life with a smile on your face. This is the gist of
Yashraj Film's latest presentation 'Tara Rum Pum'.
The movie, written and directed by Siddharth Anand
(of Salaam Namaste), is a feelgood flick with doses
of all the necessary ingredients that go into making
a wholesome entertainer. It has light humour, romance,
thrills, tragedy, the drama of life, hardships, struggle,
the test of human spirit and the final triumph.more
Nishabd
 Nishabd
means wordless. But the film gets as verbose as possible.
In fact it's difficult to believe that Nishabd is directed
by Ram Gopal Varma. The filmmaker known for his hard-hitting
realistic antics, ventures into Bhansali's sublime romantic
territory with his not so conventional pairing. He is
60. She is 18. Reminds of the Zandu Kesari Jeevan advertisement.
60 saal ke budhe ya saath saal ke jawan. Ok, sad jokes
apart (the film has plenty of them in the initial reels)
it's a love story between the two and how his family
reacts to it. That sums up for the synopsis of the entire
film. Ramu goes much beyond the screenplay and interprets
each of the scenes with a lot of passion. And passion
here doesn't imply some sizzling chemistry between Bachchan
and Jiah Khan, but Ramu's obsession with the art.more
Eklavya
 Can
form, no matter how glorious, be a substitute for content?
In "Eklavya", lack of content isn't a problem. It's
the tense and dark nature of the content that proves
to be a dismaying impediment to enjoying the virility
of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's storytelling. How do we define
the plot of "Eklavya"? It partly borrows the dark, indefinable
pathos of Shakespeare's tragedy and partly reverts to
the palatial pathos of the Mughal Empire where patricide
frequently collided with complex Oedipal equations.
"Eklavya" takes us into a territory totally unexplored
and designed to create an ethos of infinite resonances.
"Eklavya" is a film of many virtues. Screenwriter Abhijat
Joshi and Chopra aim for a sense of heightened tragedy
that underlines the cinema of Kurosawa and the music
of Mozart. The quality of the sound design (Biswajit
Chatterjee), background scores (Shantanu Moitra) and
cinematography (N. Natarajan Subramaniam) elevates the
bizarre tale of a dysfunctional royal family to heights
of lyricism.more
The Guru
 Mani
Ratnam, the master of his craft, arguably surpasses
all his previous works in 'Guru'. Apart from its technical
soundness, 'Guru' tells a story that is deeply gripping
and highly inspiring. It is the tale of a man who never
gives up. The protagonist of the film is a perennial
fighter and an incurable optimist.
Beginning in 1951, 'Guru' is the story of a boy who
goes to Turkey to work in a petroleum company after
failing his school exams back home in a small Gujarat
village. With sheer hard work Gurukant Desai (Abhishek
Bachchan) rises in ranks and gets promotion. But Guru
is a man of big vision. He quits his job in Turkey and
comes back to Gujarat to start some business of his
own.more
Bhagam Bhaag
In a Priyadarshan comedy one
is always comforted in the chaos of colliding characters
by the thought that somewhere in the on-going blizzard
of bacchanalia there's a rhythm and a rationale.
It's that thought which keeps you smiling through the
exasperatingly juvenile games of one-upmanship between
Govinda and Akshay Kumar in the prolific director's
latest ode to rude- awakening calls from the shudder-world.
While Bhagam Bhag lacks the working-class anxieties
of Hera Pheri, it certainly captures some of the colour,
flamboyance and friskiness of a dance troupe from Mumbai
which arrives in London for a performance without a
heroine. Both the heroes, tongue-in-cheekily named Bunty(Akshay)
and Babla(Govinda) as tribute to Abhishek and Rani's
ongoing boisterousness from the back-waters in Bunty
Aur Babli, are asked to get a girl for the play.more
Babul:
BAABUL tackles the issue of
widow re-marriage, an issue the late Raj Kapoor successfully
raised in PREM ROG [Rishi Kapoor, Padmini Kolhapure].
But comparisons between PREM ROG and BAABUL wouldn't
be right, except that both talk about the rehabilitation
of a young widow.
Balraj Kapoor (Amitabh
Bachchan) is a rich buisnessman, happy and content with
his world. He and his wife Shobhana (Hema Malini) have
a son Avinash (Salman Khan).more
Dhoom 2:
 Sanjay
Gadhvi makes his intentions clear in the very opening
reels. In a desolate desert in Africa, an anonymous thief,
a mysterious Mr. A (Hrithik), pulls off a daring robbery
on a moving train. After the loot, as he sandboards through
the golden dunes with the booty safe in his bag, the introductory
titles roll.
Back in Mumbai, Ali (Uday Chopra) has graduated from
a mechanic to a cop. He and his senior Jai Dixit (Abhishek
Bachchan) work together to bring criminals to book.more
Vivah:
 Think
Rajshri Productions and you're likely to think of larger
than life weddings consisting of an equally large family.
Be it MAINE PYAR KIYA, HUM AAPKE HAI KAUN, HUM SAATH
SAATH HAI etc.
Interestingly Shahid plays Prem, the character that
Salman Khan has consistently played in Barjatya's above
mentioned films.
VIVAH means marriage - An institution that binds two
individuals into a bond that is sacred, pure and eternal
- a commitment for life. more
Don:
Farhan Akhtar's 'Don' is a Shah Rukh Khan film all the
way. The superstar literally breathes fire into his
character of a ruthless and clever Don. He also shows
his versatility as an actor while playing the part of
Vijay, the bumpkin.
 Twenty-eight
years after Chandra Barot's hit movie with Amitabh Bachchan
in the role of Don, Farhan Akhtar comes up with a sleek
and stylish tribute to the original. This 'Don' is certainly
bigger and bombastic. Whether it is better, is debatable.
Barot's 'Don' was quite modern for its times. So is
Akhtar's. The story of new 'Don' is set in the cityscape
of Kuala Lumpur, Paris and India (few portions). The
don in the film operates on an international level.
He uses state-of-the-art technology, fights like a martial
arts expert and has a zany taste in fashion. He is like
an Indian James Bond, but obviously on the wrong side
of law. more
Zindagi Rocks:
Director Tanuja Chandra forthcoming film "Zindagi
Rocks", starring Sushmita Sen and Shiney
Ahuja, is eliciting a good deal of curiosity about the
film from various quarters.
 The
film has a new identity, which is one of the reasons
the producers have been receiving several queries about
the film from buyers as well as eager audiences."ZINDAGGI
ROCKS' is a sensible movie with a heart touching story
of a mother's sacrifice with a right judged star cast
SHINY AHUJA (sooraj) and SUSHMITA SEN (kriya).the movie
starts from a flash back which creates a suspense about
shiny.... more
Woh Lamhe:
 'Woh
Lamhe' is said to be based on the past relationship
between director Mahesh Bhatt and the late superstar
of the 70-80's Parveen Bhabi. According to Mahesh Bhatt
the film is an almost identical account to what transpired
between him and Parveen behind closed doors. However
some may say that Mahesh depicting the late actress
and the details of her personal life in such a manner
is callous and cruel, but Mahesh looks at it as a way
to give vent to all the personal feelings that are bottled
inside him. He also hopes that it will have a cathartic
and healing effect on him. The story revolves around
the life of a glamorous and successful actress; everybody
wants to use for their own selfish purposes including
the struggling director who wants to make it big at
any cost. But though the actress seems to have everything
on the outside, she is a lonely, scared and insecure
woman on the inside. This loneliness and insecurity
threatens to engulf her in its clutches and slowly drives
her to the brink. Whether the film is actually a true
life account will perhaps never be known, but it definitely
depicts a fascinating, gripping and touching drama....more
Pyaar Ke Side Effects:
Once in while, a film makes you smile. Not because of
what it strives to be. But for it sheer sassiness and
temerity.
 Going
into the new-age movie mantra of urban relationships,
Pyaar Ke Side Effects (PKSE) comes up with a winsome twosome
who love some, lose some….and emerge out of the
battle of the sexes healed and….quite wholesome!
Sid, that's Rahul Bose meets Trisha, a.k.a Mallika The
Sherawat, in extremely trying circumstances. She's trying
to escape an undesirable marriage (to stuffed –shirt
Jas Arora). He's trying….just trying. Being a deejay
at 30 is like being a teenager at 40. Or being Mallika
Sherawat and attractive and sexy without taking your clothes
off.
A bit bewildering but constantly engaging in its blizzard
of bacchanalia (hats off to dialogue writer Victor Acharya
for words that ring true and still sound like catch lines
on the bumper sticker of sports car) PKSE is possibly
that one romantic comedy in Hindi which could equal Hollywood's
Harry-meets-Sally formula portraying the man-sharp-woman-sharper
gender skirmish......more
Naksha:
 The
general impression about NAKSHA is, it's a rip-off of
an Indiana Jones film. The Harrison Ford trilogy, which
entertained millions of moviegoers worldwide in 1980s,
is said to be the original source for Sachin Bajaj's directorial
debut.
That could be true!
NAKSHA belongs to the Indiana Jones variety, but Bajaj
combines Indian mythology with adventure and comes up
with a new recipe altogether. And the outcome is as invigorating
and revitalizing as a cup of hot coffee.
Frankly, a film like NAKSHA transports you to your adolescent
years, when browsing the adventure novels and comics was
your favorite pastime. It's the form of cinema that we'd
forgotten in the hurly-burly world of meaningless entertainers.
Dream merchants are either busy wooing the NRIs or multiplex
junta. What happens to the masses then, who yearn for
a desi film with loads of entertainment?
Adventure movies have been attempted in Bollywood earlier
and NAKSHA is not the first of its kind in India. But
NAKSHA comes at a time when adventure movies are as good
as extinct in Bollywood. And that is its USP. The voyage
in dense forests, high mountains and deep ravines as also
the death-defying stunts compel you to pinch yourself,
are you really watching a Hindi film?......more
Lage Raho Munna Bhai:
 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......more
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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