Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi

AV: ****
EV: **1/2All Pepsi-Popcorn viewers kindly and strictly avoid this movie. This is not your weekend date movie. It is a typical Film Festival movie that doesn’t say much but still will make you think a lot. Hats Off to the team behind this for a realistic movie that speaks of inexpressible Love and its undesirable fate. The movie is set up in the 60’s and 70’s era revolves around three characters coming from different backgrounds who are ready to sacrifice everything for Politics, Ambition and Love.

Siddharth ( Kay Kay ) wants a revolution in the country and ends up being a naxalite in Bihar. Geeta (Chitrangada) is madly in love with Siddharth leaves his hubby and joins Siddharth in his battle ends up being raped by police and Vikram ( Shiny Ahuja ) who also is in love with Geeta, ends up making big in his ‘Fixer’ profession His readiness to sacrifice everything for his unconditional love is the major highlight of the movie. From here on the movie really moves ahead, the characters mature and moves on. They regret. They apologies. They change. Their lives are not the same.

Climax of the movie comes as a total shocker. It has one of the better endings that have been seen in recent times. The music especially the title track gets along the movie very well. All actors have done great justice to their characters especially Shiny Ahuja.I feel that a book on the same subject would have brought out the emotion in a much better way. But still a must see for all who like parallel cinema.

Moral Of the Movie: Love can give you everything and also take everything from you.

Aditya 'Deeply Touched' Parekh

Gangaajal

Saw this movie on TV rather than the silver screen. I was really impressed by the way this movie was made.Ajay Devgan as always has that smouldering look in his eyes, and has turned out a great performance. Everybody in the movie has put in a good effort. Gracy singh, as Ajay's wife, does not have much to do, other than being the dutiful wife, but does underplay the role to do justice to it.
The movie revolves around the life of Ajay Devgan who is appointed as an SP in one of the districts of Bihar. And in true filmi style he is the star of the force, with a lot of ideals and the devil-may-care approach towards the villains(and the henchmen too). So, he manages to ruffle a few feathers, as usual. So, if this movie was like every other police-versus-goonda type, what impressed me?
What clinched the deal for me was the way the movie was treated, and this was so different than all the rest of the charade. The scenes were beautifully contrsucted, and the frustration that the opressed police(yes, not the criminals) felt, spilled over from the screen to the audience. The police have been so ill-treated for a long time, that they do go a little bersek when they get the chance to give it back. The scenes are woven in such a way, that you do start feeling their frustration and are rooting for them. However, there is also the moral angle introduced, and rather subtly, in the form of a local reporter, who is obessed with reporting the truth. This was a brilliant move, and at this point you start questioning yourself as to who you should be rooting for.
The ending of the movie was a disappointment after all the good stuff for the first 2 hours. It was like eating a king size buffet, but the dessert leaving a bad taste in your mouth. Maybe the director wanted o play it safe and go the they-all-lived-happily-ever-after way. And yeah, the villain HAS to die.

Lucky- No Time for Love

AV: **1/2
EV: **1/2

It is rightly said love can happen any time and with any one. But when a war is going on out and you are trapped with a stranger who is almost twice your age and that too in a graveyard and you have no idea how to reach home safely, and at that time if you think of love and dream of stupid songs. Give me a break. The reason Salman Khan might have done this movie is because the actress Sneha is Aish look alike. Hope she had a little bit acting skills like her too. She has a stoned expression throughout the movie. But considering it is her first movie she has done a descent enough job.

The movie is not bad at all but there is nothing so good in the movie either. Director Duo has come with not so tried story but still they could have done a lot better. Aditya (Salman) and Lucky (Sneha) are trapped together as rebels break loose in Russia and after that they try to reach home with the help of Pindi Das Kapur (Mithunda).

The surprise package of the movie is Mithunda. He has done what he doesn’t know best and that is comedy and he has done it pretty well. Imitating famous dialogues of earlier blockbusters and that too with perfect timing adds quite a smile to the tense situations.If comedy is good in the movie music is pathetic specially when it is not required. Salman is back to his quite best. One thing that is not understandable about the movie is the title. Why is ‘No time for Love’ added in the title? Where in fact they had all the time to fall in Love.Recommended for sitting on your couch and watching on a smaller screen.

Moral Of the Movie: Stay Alert ! Love can happen anytime.

-Aditya 'Unlucky' Parekh

Zeher

AV : You must be kidding.
EV : *1/2

Parents beware!

Bollywood's biggest and meanest kisser Emraan Hashmi is back in town with his trademark ‘Chooma-Chaati’. This time the lucky lady is Udita Goswami. The taste of this Bollywood actress has fallen drastically. Movie is nothing worth talking about. Half the movie is semi soft porn and next half is supposed to be murder mystery.

Men are supposed to be weak but Emraan is a man of very high morals. He is a cop who screams at the top of his voice when someone try to bribe him and misses his wife Shamita Shetty very much who left him for some totally unacceptable reasons. One day he sees supposed to be pretty n sexy Udita and loses all his morals and then follows same old kissy-vissy scenes. Directors give us a break show something new if u can. Director finally remembers that he is making a hindi movie and after the intermission comes up with a very predictable plot, though it was still better than the first half. Udita is killed and as special investigating officer, comes back Shamita Shetty. My bad luck, I was praying that she had only a special appearence! Emraan woes starts here if the case is solved his linkage with Udita will come out. How successful he was in hiding his illicit affair and to show his real love for Shamita is upto you to find out if you wish. If you don’t wish, it is better!

A word for the producer. Mr Bhatt, we understand that Emraan is your nephew and since his girl friend has dumped him he is become a little desperate and as a broad minded uncle you may try to satisfy his carnal desires, but you can do this off screen also! We also understand you have lot of money but that doesnt mean you waste your money by making similar type of semi-porn movies. How about making a family movie starring Emraan for a change!

Moral Of the Story: Don’t leave your seats during the intermission; sometimes that's the best part of movie. During Zeher they screened the promo of Kaal which I guess was the best thing to watch in the entire 150 minutes.

-Aditya Parekh

Black is back (on print)

Black review on Filmfare

Hey folks,

My review of “Black” got published on Filmfare magazine’s April issue. Even though they tampered with it and cut it short inorder to fit their frame, its a feel good factor to have our stuff on the most popular movie mag. Here's the scanned bit of the review.

-Arun Ganesh

The name is Craig, Daniel Craig

Time for Martini?

Rumours are on that little known British actor Daniel Craig is all set to play the suave spy of silver screen. Will he prove a worthy successor to Pierce Brosnan, who after Sean Connery was touted as the best/ most popular Bond? Only time will tell. He may not have the chiselled looks of Brosnan, nor the popularity (Hollywood appearances include Road to Perdition and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) but what matters most is the sophistication and charisma required to play Bond. Brosnan too was not a Hollywood hottie before his spy days (Remington Steele, Mrs Doubtfire, Dante’s Peak etc), but post Goldeneye people sat up and took notice of him and now enjoys iconic status.

Daniel quotes: “I go through life thinking it’s all going to end tomorrow.”
How good a Bond will Daniel Craig make, though it’s still too early to say? Post your comments.

-Arun “from India with love” Ganesh.

Be Cool

It ain't cool baby!

Cinema – INOX (Nariman point)

AV – **

EV – * 1/2

Rule #1 – Don’t watch a Hollywood movie just because it has some pretty big names associated with it.

Rule #2 – In addition to the above rule, don’t watch one if it does not cater to the Indian sensibilities.

Rule #3 (Most important) – Don’t watch it at the most expensive multiplex in town.

This movie gives me the feeling that Mahesh Bhatt makes better movies these days! Where is the plot? What appears to be one hell of a fun movie turns out to be nothing but a collage of shady characters who go on hamming till it gets on your nerves, gags which are light years from being witty and sequences which are sometimes stretched beyond comfort levels.

Chili Palmer (John Travolta) opts out of movie making and wants to venture into the lucrative music business. He spots the very talented club singer Linda moon whose bosses are not ready to hand her the “relieving letter”. He makes her breach the contract and with the help of his late music executive friend’s widow Edie (Uma Thurman), and some high profile contacts which include Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, launches her career. In the midst of all this he has to fend off Linda’s boss, her club manager and his gay bodyguard (played by the Rock!), a group of crazy Russians out to bump him off and a bunch of black gangsters who double up as music promoters.Too many characters and too little content on display. The movie tries hard to be funny but falls flat. The two hours running time seems like eternity. Positives would be the songs and a gig by Aerosmith, a suave John Travolta, beautiful Uma Thurman, loony gangsters and their gangsta-mobiles and the initial shootout sequence (manages to raise a few chuckles). The Rock’s character is just the opposite to what he’s been playing till now and he does a pretty neat job. Danny De Vito has hardly any role.

Be cool is not a movie worth watching on the big screen. Wait till it is shown on one of the movie channels, you may barely sit through it. Even the title sounds so uncool.

-Arun Ganesh