4. New York.

What is terrorism? This is something which I believe each one of us would know. Why does it happen? This is also something which more or less each one of do judge and understand.

Kabir Khan goes one step ahead and does some Root Cause Analysis on ‘making of a terrorist out of a common man’. How a frivolous university dude is detained by FBI and persecuted for nine long months with absolutely no fault on his part and going further, this engulfed guy decides to come back with a vengeance by spreading terror and as a result of that he makes a brutal plan. This is all about Aditya Chopra produced intense fare titled New York.

Although Kabul Express was a better flick in my opinion, this one doesn’t stand far either. The casting would have required a profound thinking. John is not that bad but either he could have done better or some one else could have given better justice as a protagonist. He is redundantly loud in some scenes. Neil, who is a potentially sound artiste, somehow fails here – mainly because of the weak portrayal. Katrina has acted well but her on-screen contribution is relatively less. Irrfan who takes the maximum footage, excels in the role of a suavely diplomatic FBI officer. He certainly deserves applaud for his performance. Nawazzudin shines is his small but significant role as Zilgai.

The music and background score by Pritam Chakraborty, Pankaj Awasthi and Julius Packiam is not-too-bad. “Yaaron” is nice, while “Mere sang” (minus appalling lyrics) is also decent. Aseem Mishra has handled the cinematography department quite well but still he deserves 8 on 10. Rameshwar Bhagat should have used more sharp scissors on the editing front which seems to be a bit overlooked. Kabir, as quoted above has handled the subject in a matured manner.

Overall, an excellent but not-so-exceptional fare. My verdict 7/10.

PS: Kabir, just in case if you are reading this - After making movies on terrorism with Afgan and USA backdrop, please do attempt a movie on desi terrorism aka politics in India. You may want to choose name of any city you like (as you have done with both your flicks).

2. Ghajini.

Just saw Ghajini at a theatre (a little better than Junkyard) at Wellington, NZ. Mumbai is pretty much better off when it comes to entertainment.

Anyhow, movie deserved the theatre. It was an awfully funny flicko. I am glad that Aamir acts in only one movie per year.

I might not be writing a review here. This is more of an experience. The 11 buck popcorn coke combo was the best. Neither the movie nor the popcorn was coming to an end. Thankfully, I got a few burps which I feel were enough to live without dinner.

Upside - The first half is bearable. Aamir has worked more on physics than chemistry.
Flipsides - Too many to mention. A stereotypical southie feeling was pretty much eveident during the entire show. I did miss Aamir Khan in the movie.

Go watch it at your own risk but I would suggest - Go in a group as I did.

Net-net, A short-term-memory loss centred flick worth forgetting soon :)

4. D- Day: Nov 14, 08.

Is there any vital decision to be made on this date? Any big deals gonna be signed? An uprising in the happening? Is the world undergoing any assessment?

Sorry, but nothing of that sort. What is this all about then? Puzzled? Read on…

In a couple of days from now, 3 bollywood movies of dissimilar genre are ready to hit the silver screen. The only similarity I see is all these one word movies are starting with the 4th English Alphabet, D. Hence, it’s gonna be a D day.

When it comes to hype and expectations, Dostana tops the chart. I am sure this flick would be quite a usual one with certainly a fresh look and a lot of catchy camera work and obviously Piggy Chops, who will serve as an eye candy once again after the recent Fashion. Of course, if at all I make it for this one; I will be entering with zero expectations. All the best to K Jo and Mansukhani for this venture.

The next on the chart is Dasvidaniya (which means Good Bye in Russian). Somehow, the promos seem to be quite unusual but I personally feel this would be a light romantic. The soothing part is the squad of class actors which will make me feel like watching it once but I shall prefer to try it out only if the box office verdict turns out to be pleasing. All the best to Azam Khan and Shashant Shan for this endeavor.

The third big (controversy has made it big) gun is Deshdrohi. An absolute naïve cast and crew, lack of avant-garde look & feel and junky music – All the above factors, surprisingly I feel, are not going to be an obstacle any more for this flick to click. These factors are overshadowed by the subject of the movie and the time of its release. I am looking forward for a DVD print to be released soon so that I can enjoy this flick at my private lounge aka my master bedroom. All the best to KRK and Jagdish Sharma for this gamble.

This is D, Oops Dilip signing off….

5. A Wednesday.

One helluva thrilling ride is ‘A Wednesday’. Whilst too many people think out of the box, not all click. Many of those fall under the ‘wicked’ category. This one is poles apart.

In recent times, I haven’t witnessed such a brilliant combination of pen (script) and cam (cinematography / direction). Pandey believes in serious business which is palpable. Khan does a great work by his radiant camera moves. He has captured the world’s best city in his own spectacular style.

On screen, each character has justified the role offered. Needless to say, Shah outshines everyone. He effortlessly gets into the character. Kher has delivered an immaculate performance too. Although there is just a 30 second F2F scene between Shah and Kher, their chemistry in entire movie (through voice) is simply startling. Shergill does a good work. Thanks to Action master Shyam Kaushal for the same. Bashir excels too. Saxena, Dhabi, Shaw and Pandit give apt justice to their character.

All in all, a technically sound 105 minute songless edge-of-the-seat flick ‘A Wednesday’ is a must watch.

My Verdict – 8.5/10.

1. Sarkar Raj.

The Nagres are back and this time they aren’t alone. The only regret I have about Sarkar Raj is I witnessed it a bit too late. Nonetheless, this one is a high-profile political drama on the backdrop of a “power” project. It’s a magnificent piece of work by the man who is so very sure of what he is making (kindly unread Aag and Naach). If RGV is reading this, I need to tell this – “Please finish the trilogy”. The climax hints in that direction too but as RGV is quite unconventional on professional front, it’s hard to forecast.

The best part is without any kind of narration the drama gradually explains the link with the former part. The first half is pretty gripping. The plot-building activity is accomplished in a profound manner. Although the head-spinning close-up camera moves are at times a bit annoying, they append the intensity. The post-interval drama is more of a bloodbath. In an edge-of-the-seat thriller like this one, the thrill loses a bit when the spectator starts suspecting the usual and un-usual characters. Here, one gets no time to even think of suspecting anyone.

The casting is far-fetched. No words for AB & AB Jr. as Sr. and Jr. Nagre respectively. They simply excel. Particularly during the second half Sr. AB outshines as a rebellion. Excellent output delivered by new comer Rajesh Shringarpore as Sanjay Somji. Dilip Prabhavalkar as Rao Saab is at his second best after Lage Raho Munnabhai. Of course he is a seasoned performer with many golden feathers in his cap. ARB as Anita Rajan is ok. A nice surprise performance by Govind Namdeo as Hassan Qazi (Thank god he is not roaring this time) is visible. Ravi Kale as Chander is clichéd but not too bad. Sayaji Shinde as Karunesh Kanga is too hyper for his role. Tanisha, Victor Banarjee and Upendra Limaye mark their presence in a small but vital role.

Technically, the sturdy areas are the dazzling direction and charismatic cinematography. The sturdier ones are the exceptional editing and debonair dialogues where Prashant Pandey has done an outstanding working with his pen. The sturdiest though in my view point is the breathtaking background score by Amar Mohile.

On the whole, this high intensity feat is worth a watch.

My verdict – 8/10.

1. U, Me aur Hum.

U, Me aur Hum is a usual story with a bit of an unusual treatment. I really didn’t feel like writing a review after watching the flick as there was nothing much to write. A couple of things which motivated me were - Gleaming direction and Stupefying performance by Devgan couple.

Given a riveting story with a first-rate screenplay, Ajay has a potential to flourish as an immaculate director as he is technically pretty sound and precise. Also, the handling (movement and placement) of camera is done pretty well especially when there was nothing much to expect from cinematography. Kajol is again at her acting best. After such a long break from cinema, it’s not logical to expect such an arty performance delivery. Still, I had a lot of expectations from her and they were rewarded too. Ajay too is dazzling. He looks pretty young and fresh. His unblemished style makes him stand out from so-called bollywood hunks (Khans, Kapoors et al). Although I am a die-hard Ajay-Kajol fan since their earliest movies, the above statements are quite unbiased.

Besides direction, the dialogues are quite mesmerizing. The love quotes used at the start are striking too. I was waiting for a character named Kumar Mangat till the end of the movie but surprisingly, there isn’t any. ha ha ha. To readers who don’t know Kumar Mangat is Ajay’s secretary (in real life) and his name is used in most of their productions till date. On the whole, a well-made bollywood masala flick with a typically flowing story. Nothing so grand but still worth a glance.

My Verdict: 6/10

6. Race.

The burmawalas are back; rapidly after Naqaab. It really amazes me how they manage making movies so quick, yet agile. Kudos to their intellect as such kinda confusing scripts are not too easy to handle. Although, one knows what a characteristic Abbas-Mustan movie will be and this one classically is, still it glues the audience to their chairs till the curtain-fall. All the time one knows that something strange is coming up in the very next moment yet 'what' is still the question. This flick is beyond a double-cross thriller; can term as a multi-cross one :)

Stunning camera work, breathtaking locales, first-rate costumes, splendid performances and above all a super fast pace - These are the highlights of the entire fare. Multiple twists and turns are dramatic but also digestive. Editing is a vital area in such movies which is slightly overlooked. Musically astounding but yet quite ill-timed songs also kinda apply brakes to the pace. These are the only two flip sides.

There was a time when Saif would be either one of those funny guyz or a next door chap in the movie. Times have changed. Post DCH, this chappie has gradually turned in to a ruling heart-throb. In last few years, he has taken a few movies (Hum Tum, Salaam Namaste, Tara Rum Pum) entirely on his shoulders. Race is a movie he takes on his head heart and soul. Akshaye has performed brilliantly but his role is quite monotonous and clichéd (alike Humraaz, Deewangee, Naqaab). Anilbhai is an icing on the cake; quite appropriate and natural with his witty character. The comic addition by johny, raghavendra and gurpreet adds the required sugar. Nothing great from girls except seducing movements (bips), inviting appearance (kats) and humourous 'dumbo' performance (sam). Dalip in his side-lined villainous avatar looks pretty ok.

Net-net, Race (could have also been named as Chase) is more-or-less viewable cos of the strong up-sides and the treatment by Abbas-Mustan who reign their specialty cinema.

My Verdict - 6/10.

5. Black and White.

This motion picture, although named Black and White for a different reason, is quite a colorful one. Ghai, it seems is back with a vengeance; a vengeance to his spoiled creative image (post devastating Yaadein and atrocious Kisna). I had a feeling that Ghai must have given up as a director. He has proved me wrong. Black and white is not only a directorial comeback but also a rediscovery of ingenuity, which he already possessed but was lost. Unlike any Ghai flick, Black and White is technically and visually not an exceptional one but still an incredible piece of work when it comes to the treatment of such a sensitive subject.

It gives altogether a diverse insight to terrorism. Terrorism cannot come to an end merely by gunning down the terrorist. On the contrary, it results in rising of many others. This is Ghai’s message to the world. The climax part where Kapoor says – “They send us a suicide bomber to cause a chaos in our nation and we are sending back a human being” is thought provoking.

I have always looked upon Kapoor as a director’s actor. Ghai has extracted his potential to the fullest here. He has delivered an excessively magnificent performance. In his lingo, I can term it as a zzhakkaass feat. The speechless expressions on his face during the heartbreaking scene (where his wife passes away) makes difficult to control the tear shed. Shah has enacted even more marvelously than she looks. Sharma looks stunning too; also has given proper judgment to her small role. Tanvir, who plays a vital role, leaves a lasting impression by managing himself in versatile scenes. Above all, Sinha – the new kid on the block is the most promising discovery of the recent times. He has delivered a breath-taking performance. Almost all the intense scenes in the movie are in his kitty. He has thrived at each one.

The leg-pulling of news channels has become a mandatory part in current films but to a certain extent is necessary too. Besides, there are a few sarcastic scenes which are worth noticing. Politics, Power and ultimately Money has been shown as the driving force for the spread of communal differences and is cliché.

The lyrics and music aren’t that bad. Editing is brilliant. Cinematography is ok. The black and white scenes are fabulously captured though. Once again, the finest part of the entire movie is its direction. By and large, black and white is an evocative fare with a sane conclusion.

My verdict - 8/10.

2. Jodha Akbar.

Expectation was one thing which I left home when I went to see this period drama titled Jodha Akbar. Although, as per previews and the background of the production house, cast and crew, it was supposed to be a highly recommended flick, I had gone there for the only reason that I could comment on it before anyone does.

Stunning performance by Roshan as J M Akbar and impeccable direction by Gowariker were 2 things for which I whole-heartedly give a standing approbation.

Technically, this one was a pretty edifying fare made on a grand scale with a vertical confidence of downright success and turns out to be true to a greater extent.

On the editing front, I personally feel, it was a bit lengthy though. Nevertheless, the spectacular sets, flamboyant costumes and dazzling jewelry made the entire flick a visual treat.

The commentary by Bachchan Sr was a delicacy to ears. Rahman’s music was enchanting as well. Besides Roshan, there were some sterling performances by Arun as Maham Anga and Sood as Sujamal. Although Rai was eye-catching, I was expecting a mammoth feat from her side, which was kinda missing.

Overall, a Ashutosh Gowariker extravaganza.

My Verdict - 8/10

7. Shootout...

A Review on latest flick - Shootout At Lokhandwala.

First of all, hats off to Gupta & Dutt for their firm trust on Lakhia (the Director) whose initial 2 films have banged big time. He has proven his talent here. Handling an out and out violent film isn't a cakewalk and treating it in a precise manner is all the more difficult. The support from Javed (Action) and Mohile (Background Music) is what has made the film, an edge-of-seat flick. Dialogues, though cliched, are not-too-bad. Songs appear at correct time and don't hamper the tempo of the film, which is a good sign. "Ganpat" is a nice audio treat. It's more better with original wordings (which they have censored on-screen) :)

Technically, Lakhia has very well taken care of the 1990's Bombay (now Mumbai) look. The old number plates and old car models reflect a commendable research work. The building exterior/interior are worth noticing. A couple-a-glitches (modern day clothing, maruti esteem seen somewhere) can be forgiven and forgotten though. The 1984 videos have been shown quickly but precisely.

Bachchan Sr is appropriate. The climax scene, where he asks a sensible question has been shot pretty well. Dutt is impeccable. He delievers a mind-boggling performance. Oberoi is re-discovered after Company (2002). He shines in Maya's role. Shetty and Khan have filled some light moments in the film. Although, some of those are a tight slap on social/political structure, esp the one where he scolds his kid. Bachchan Jr marks his presence in a very small role. Kapoor doesn't suit in Buwa's role. Deskhmukh, I feel would have been a better choice. Roy has acted well and has got good footage. Lakhia and Ahluwalia are wasted terribly. Ahluwalia has a good screen presence though. Gossain is better than Lakhia and Ahluwalia.

Coming to women, Singh leaves a small but nice impact in Aai's role. Mirza is Ok. Dhupia - What is she doing in the film? Chhabaria gets maximum on-screen footage but she has nothing to do except moving her hips.

Wrapping up, it's a well made film with a sensible conclusion. I am sure those who will go for sheer entertainment will get disappointed though.

My Verdict - 7/10.