GULLY BOY - The same recipe, replacing Sugar with Jaggery!

Yes, a recipe for a Zoya Akhtar film - Philosopher protagonist, a journey or a struggle story, Javedsaab's amazing poetry or analysis of life & the world, the rich people's lifestyle - the last one changed to filthy roads & slums of Dharavi keeping the rest intact...

The story is quite predictable from the trailer; Ranveer is a slumdog who aspires to be a successful Rapper and achieves it in the end. But how do you prove the success of a Rapper in India? Should he get his first album sponsored? Or a chance to sing in a Hindi film? But all that is done in other films so we show him being selected for the start of a concert by an International star, duh! 

The film seems to have the idea from Secret Superstar, the stage performances inspired from Rock On, Mumbai diary shots inspired from Dhobi Ghat and Dharavi from Bhoothnath returns & journey of a poor boy from Iqbal with the typical unsupportive & regressive father angle.

While watching you get a few highs and then again back to the lows with story diversions to stealing cars (Struggle story - check), Slum kids involved in drug smuggling (social message - check), Breakup with Alia & reuniting with a kiss (Romance angle - check) and the best thing coming in the climax - the song Apna Time Aayega (Last catharsis - check). Honestly, this one looks more for film festival appreciations & then some typical formulas applied to make it a hit commercially.

The plusses have Ranveer Singh at the top (Fir Cha gaya - Bhai hard hai), the song 'Apna time Aayega' & 'Azadi' for its lyrics (suno aur samjho) and the rap battle sequence by Ranveer in the audition. Storywise Alia's character could have been avoided & the audiences would only miss some added humour. A few people support Ranveer's character unconditionally (despite being competition) for no great reason which causes disinterest. Also, some of the raps & rap battles are annoying. The poverty, the misogyny, the struggle, the smooching scenes make you feel bored at times & saturated with repetitions.

Overall would say go only if you are a diehard Ranveer fan else watch it when it comes on Amazon Prime.

Verdict - 2.5** on 5

SIMMBA - Faith in big-budget films restored!

So I went to a theatre for a movie after missing a lot of mixed feelings, mixed review films released this year... the last one I saw was Stree in September. Going by my gut and having some faith in Ranveer Singh's performance, Rohit Shetty's action and Farhad Samji's dialogue writing, I chose this one. I expected it to be a cop film with a predictable plot... there are two types of these made in India, either a Singham where the cop is an honest guy or a Dabangg where a corrupt cop realizes his duties after a tragedy with a good citizen. Simmba is the latter one and we all know it from the trailer itself but it proves the worth and gives what it promises from the trailers unlike many other releases this year starting from Sanju which was a good fiction film and one of the most dishonest biopics ever, Race 3 a disaster from the start, TOH shocking the Indian audiences as they always saw Aamir Khan as the hero but never noticed the director Vijay Krishna Acharya (Director of Tashan & Dhoom 3, yes you go for the actor and then complain about the content & direction, your fault!), 2.0 for its content yet again and Padmavat which had a hype about having things very sensitive, controversial and defaming a certain culture and their history but turned out too bland with just grand sets and Ranveer as Khilji to be the highlight... we expected more from the big films but the makers believe they can sell anything and now the audiences have stopped buying it, don't trust me? Check the collections of Zero vis-a-vis its budget.

Coming back to Simmba, Sangram Bhalerao is one adorable character, you will love him when he is corrupt, you will love him when he is honest, you will just love him every time. The next character to watch for is the one of Ashutosh Rana, yet another brilliant actor giving his best with a really matured performance. Sara Ali Khan as Shagun is cute, adorable and promising enough to bag the best debut this year with whatever role she has, all the other actors are good and the characters are well-written having a reason to be in the film. 

But the film isn't just about the character and has a message, a different way to lead you to the climax of the story which was otherwise predictable and you shall be amazed by it. Aspects in the first half like why Shagun's father is being discussed as the encounter specialist, why Simmba meets Bhau's family and makes a bond, why he creates a bond with Rana's family and a few others actually give you a connect in the 2nd half which is the sign of a good film, isn't it?

The film is Rohit Shetty's best till date... crisp direction, no unnecessary cars blasted, minimal action scenes and logic in most of the sequences. The brand of Singham has been wisely used to entertain and Ajay Devgn's cameo rightfully gets whistles and claps in a multiplex too. The film looks like each scene was shot keeping in mind that it doesn't repeat what it may and not bore where it can. The rape scene, the girl's death scene and the courtroom scenes were carefully done to not look cliched nor prolonged nor bore the wise audiences. You get to see only what is needed and rest of the time is invested in something that's maiden for you to watch. Unlike many other big banners who failed this year Dharma production yet again finances a film that shall make money proving yet again to be the smartest in this business. The only drawback is the songs which could have been avoided like in every other Shetty's films, no relation to the story, dream sequences and no great music apart from 'Aankh Maare' remake. The movie would be the same without almost all of those.

Jumping from the technical aspects and the practical analysis, lets get to the key to reach the heart of the Indian audience, the emotional quotient is high, the film gives a lot of catharsis with those superb dialogues placed exactly where you want them, the justice and empathy for rape victims, the idea of teaching the criminals a lesson, the background music giving a high whenever played, the fights with full emotions, the exciting cameos and those witty one-liners!

Simmba wanting a salute, Simmba wanting to protect the girl, Simmba wanting Shagun to love her, Simmba wanting to fight the criminals, Simmba's fandom for Singham is all fun to watch.

So Ranveer Singh is rightfully the best actor this year sharing the space with Ayushmaan Khurana for his two hits and the other biggies got their lesson that you cannot make movies for yourself, it should be for the audiences... Simmba has nothing out of the worldly weird or as they term 'out of the box' hook for the audiences, be it like that but the film gives you what the audiences are struggling to get in other films - ENTERTAINMENT. In all, this film has action, comedy, drama, punches, dialoguebaazi, emotions, social message, woman empowerment, cameos of stars in full style and powerpack performances... I guess we call it a hit these days even to a film that gives half of this! 

Still thinking, go for it while this paisa vasool film is in a theatre near you, else don't complain that you wasted your money on a senseless Hindi film by watching any weird biopics or those fictional 'based on true events' film!

Ratings - 3.5*** out of 5

P.S. Ranveer, tu cha gaya yaar, Mindichblowing performance!

STREE - Faded fun with Leftout Logics!

I saw the trailer, I saw the hook and got hooked with the idea. It was something different at least, a horror comedy which didn't seem as vulgar as Great grand Masti or as empty as a Golmaal Again, here was a ghost, the conventional Indian Chudail with some scary appearance and set up in a small town where people have ghost stories to tell. A few young guys who are playful about the whole thing and one of them falls in love with a girl who might be the actual ghost. Looked very interesting to me but eventually, Stree doesn't turn out to be as entertaining as it was expected.

The humour element is good mostly when there is Rajkumar Rao, Aparshakti Khurana and the third friend but other characters would bore you. The least you expect from an illogical comedy is the punches that would entertain but they aren't crisp or witty enough to meet your expectation and the plot is totally predictable scene-wise for the audiences, unlike the dull-witted characters who are still waiting for things to happen.

The first half almost takes you nowhere with just the love story between Shraddha and Rajkumar & revealing a fact to Rajkumar at the interval point... A character so stupid to take that long to understand who she is because he is in love!

The second half is where you feel things will get better but it doesn't as the story of the ghost and her problem is the very typical story of any village ghost with logic flaws, 'two lovers were killed by the villagers but only the female spirit is roaming to have her suhaag raat' (Why?)

What does Stree do after kidnapping the men and throwing their clothes is unrevealed, how does one guy (Rajkumar's third friend) come back is not known, why is he sometimes human and sometimes behaving like a zombie (The Go Goa Gone remains as Raj & DK are the producers), why do the villagers live with such a guy who seems possessed occasionally (Don't know), why does Stree choose Rajkumar Rao despite him being nothing special (no logics please, he is the hero maybe that's why), why is Stree so dumb to read 'Kal aana' and go away (A ghost who takes instructions, the characters call her with low IQ themselves in scene), why do they believe a crazy looking old Vijay Raaz and follow his detailing about Stree to be true based on his book on Chanderi (Because they never bothered to be so logical anywhere yet)...

So the movie goes out with being subtly humorous & a few scary scenes (actually just a Stree flying towards the screen with a background music) but wait, if you need something to add value to the lame storyline, lets put some patriarchy and women empowerment message... (Duh!) The topic was somewhat unique only if there was thorough detailing to the aspects which were touched upon & further left unattended. The climax gives you a twist which yet again isn't very appealing and could have been something more meaningful. It seems that the Writers and the Director are probably lazy to explore or research and just want to make a movie that mints some money.

The positives of the film would be a few performances, Rajkumar Rao yet again proving his talent, so does Aparshakti Khurana and Shraddha Kapoor doing it nicely. Shraddha even breaks her Girl-next-door feel and looks stunning playing her role gracefully. Pankaj Tripathi trying hard to be the noteworthy funny character but doesn't succeed fully (Writers to be blamed more in defining his character traits). You might also like one or two songs and can laugh at a few scenes if you watch it keeping the logic away.

Overall won't recommend this one, watch it for free when it releases online on Prime or Netflix or Hotstar or on its great World Television Premiere.

Ratings - 2** on 5

P.S. I probably missed the song video of 'Aao Kabhi haveli Pe' if it was in the beginning as I reached late owing to my bad habit or else it wasn't included which was yet again a negative. At least end credits mein gaana to tpwala daal dete!

SANJU - Few emotions, More disappointments!

Indeed a film you would want to watch by the trailer, why not? Rajkumar Hirani is the director (favourite director of many), Ranbir Kapoor is the hero (a really good actor), it is a biopic (trending these days), want more?? It is a biopic about one of the closest to the director-producer duo, more of the Vidhu Vinod Chopra camp's family member, Sanjay Dutt... But one big thing which every biopic or 'based on true event' movies fail is the honesty, the honesty towards the audience saying 'Yes this was just the trailer, come and watch the complete truth in detail'. Sadly Hirani failed in doing so to a great extent. It is a riskier project to make a biopic on an actor everyone has seen in so many films and having another actor mimic him and his body language, unlike a biopic where we haven't seen the person ever and Hirani fails to do justice with that. We need not compare this film to his previous films at all as he loses his best touch of giving you that smile on your face with a cuteness overloaded situation in every alternate scene. Here come the major negatives...

The film has quite a few emotional moments, Hirani edits the film himself and is experimental on the story timeline, but that doesn't really help to what is missing when you watch a biopic on a Bollywood actor. It really seems like a film made to justify Dutt's wrongdoings by showing him a naive person and blame the game on media. We agree that the media actually misuse the power to express and ruins image of the innocents for its masala breaking news but surely the justifications are difficult to gulp down here. 

The main story can be simply divided into two parts, the first half shows his journey from becoming a drug addict and struggling out of it and the second one is to justify his AK56 gun case. The problem is you promised 'one man, many lives', you gave trailer saying 'Ab tak 308 ladkiyaan tak yaad hai', you show him getting late for shooting in the trailer while you deliver a story of a single man with a single life who goes in and out of jail, you did not show his affairs with his leading ladies and it's impact on his personal or professional life, you did not show how he is on his shooting sets, how he landed up those movies like Vidhaata, Naam, Saajan, Khalnayak, Vaastav, Kaante which took his career up, his director friends Sanjay Gupta and Mahesh Manjerakar have nothing in the story, his production house White Feather films isn't mentioned, forget affairs there isn't mention about his previous wives, his daughter and the list goes on...

It would have been more pleasing had there been spots showing which movie was he working on when the other things happen in his personal life rather than changing his hairstyle & body size and leaving the audiences to guess which era was that part happening in his life. The buzz of characters like Salman Khan, Kumar Gaurav and Madhuri Dixit being in the film is a lie, you will be disappointed that no Bollywood actor or director is even touched in his life story. Repetitive ideas of writing a book on the central character and using the Radio as a medium to entertain doesn't help as it did in PK & Lage Raho Munnabhai. Most songs do not add to the entertainment quotient as well.

Having said all that, the film has a few positives in its name. The major part that hits you emotionally is his love for his mother Nargis, his bond with his father which is portrayed really well and a best friend making your eyes wet in a few scenes. The performance by RK is great (not his best till date but nicely done for this challenge of playing another actor and mimicking him), Paresh Rawal & Manisha Koirala are good. For the heroines, Sonam needs to improve a lot, Anushka disappoints with just nothing great while Dia Mirza has given her best with whatever she had. A special mention... not to Jim Sarbh but to Vicky Kaushal who is just fantastic with his performance as the best friend, one of the best-supporting actors we have had this year. The song 'Kar Har Maidan Fateh' is the soul of the first half, Rahman and Irshal Kamil did it again while other songs are a disappointment.

Overall this movie is made to clear Sanju's image with whatsoever means possible and mint money from yet another Biopic before it starts failing at the BO (many smaller ones have though). You can go for it once if you are a Ranbir Fan, a Sanju fan or a Raju Hirani fan will get disappointed if he expects more seeing the trailer.

Verdict - 2.5 out of 5

KAABIL - A one time watch!

Kaabil is somewhat Kaabil-e-tareef for some inspiring moments but not throughout. The movie has an average storyline which goes exactly as per the theatrical. There are hardly any surprising moments and the next move is quite predictable till the end. Also, it has a bit slow pace and quite simplistic sequences for a movie to be released in today's time.

Apart from that, the movie has too many plus points and empathising characters of Hrithik and Yami. The two as a couple are adorable and the cuteness of two visually impaired smart and nice people is very well picturized. The songs are melodious and with no silly lyrics or catchy words. The title track, Kuch din, Saara Zamaana and Mon Amour are fun and add value to the entertainment quotient. The dance in Mon Amour is worth watching with two amazing dancers struggling to coordinate owing to their incapability to see and yet enjoying it. Kudos to the choreographer along with Hrithik & Yami for doing this tough dance with so much conviction and making it believable.

Also, the movie somewhere makes an attempt to break the myths about visually impaired people which Bollywood has created over the years in viewers minds. the characters are independent and quite willfully accept their inabilities yet finding ways to manage very positively, unlike other movies where audiences are probed to sympathise with the poor blind characters.

About the performances, one of the best by Hrithik as well as Yami. Ronit Roy meets up the expectations totally with his dialects of a Maharashtrian politician. Hrithik is one watchable person in every frame and adds value to the film.

The first half is cute yet slow and you wait for the next thing to happen at times. However, the movie manages to engage the audience in the second part with the revenge which makes it worth watching once. Director Sanjay Gupta makes a fairly okay attempt after Jazbaa and at least maintains logic unlike many movies in today's time. Overall it was good but could have been much better with the novelty of the idea which was unexplored and some more twist and turns in the plot...

If you are a Hrithik Fan or if you find the trailers appealing you won't be disappointed.

Verdict- 2.5 on 5

DEAR ZINDAGI - A soft heart touching one time watch!

We have a superstar, a good heroine and a strong script.. so we need not shoot in London or New York or any exotic locations, Mumbai and Goa are just fine!

The movie is a feel good film and also an inspirational one for those who have emotional problems in life with solutions for all. We have the perfect characterisation of Alia as the confused commitment-phobic girl of today's time and SRK as the matured and quick-witted psychologist who is professional yet emotional, a couple of Alia's friends who are fun to watch and stereotypical Indian parents who have performed just satisfactorily. A couple of cameos as well which fit in well with the storyline. The film goes on a slow pace throughout which is weak point of the film especially until you see SRK entering. Also, the music is avoidable apart from one or two good numbers. In addition to it, a few product promotions like eBay and Gionee streched to emphasize.

Despite the slow pace, the story is engaging and presentation is pretty good to watch. The highlight is the conversations of Alia and SRK (therapy sessions as they called it) which could have been the weakest if not written and directed well. Gauri Shinde has done a good job to present them so well with some simple and not so filmy yet amazing dialogues to SRK which makes you wanting to see more of such sequences till the end. For the performances, Alia meets the expectation and SRK is the star of the film playing this difficult and not so starry character with so much ease and charm, he has yet another commendable and unexpected performance after ChakDe India and Don. The thoughts about life and explanations of how simple life can be (like the example of buying a chair or expressing love and happiness) are expressed with clarity and conviction.

Indeed this one is a one time watch for all, especially for the emotional ones.

Verdict - 3 on 5

AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL - The NRI friendzoned Generation...

Who is the Director? KJo and the cast? Ranbir , Anushka and Aishwarya, sounds great right! How I wish could say the same for the movie. The movie involves an immature one sided lover boy and a defensive convenience playing girl with her trump card of friendship... We have a dialogue saying 'Tum meri duniya ho, mera khandaan ho , sab kuch tum hi ho Par mere Aashiq nahi ban sakte aur main tumse jhut nahi bolungi'. Yes, you read that right!

The 1st half is all about the craziness of two young people trying to be fun but doesn't make you laugh for long. We have a Lisa Haydon as a lusty Bimbo (Girls are smart these days KJo, create some better characters for fun) and the cheesiest dialogues of all times which attempts to be a treat for Bollywood fans and reminds you of epic blockbusters which only include Dharma Productions and Yashraj Banner movies (Kuch Kuch hota hai, Kal ho na ho , chandni ,etc.) Those scenes were bearable only because Ranbir and Anushka acted pretty well despite of those cheesy dialogues. Plus we do not see any originality in the situations, some would remind you of Dharma banner movies,while somewhere seems to be inspired from Rockstar and other Imtiaz Ali movies. 

And before you thought you are depressed with the first half wait for the second. Here we have a gorgeous looking Aishwarya who is apparently a Shayar (Shayara the female of it) and that is visible from her dialogues. Come on you don't talk to a layman in Shayaris and Riddles even if you are in such a profession. Here is a world of NRIs who are filthy rich, no passion to be career-oriented, blessed with great talent... that reminds SRK in a cameo, a great painter who is depressed with his one-sided love for his ex-wife, the scene gives you a glimpse of Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna Returns. And you have a climax which is different, shocking and pathetically disappointing to watch. You start waiting for the movie to end. 

The good part is the performances by all the three actors. Hats off to Ranbir and Anushka for carrying it well so that we could sit and watch it till the end. The heartbroken madly in love type of Hero has only three good names in Bollywood currently - SRK, Ranveer Singh and 'Ranbir Kapoor'. They can make you believe that the character is in extreme pain of love be it any weak script as well. Aishwarya has very few scenes than Anushka which seemed the reverse from the promos. Fawad Khan had hardly anything and his major role was the controversy which gave a boost to the movie publicity. The best part of the movie is the music... We have the title track, Bulleya and Channa Mereya which are the soul of this film. The bestest Music, singing and best lyrics for this year I must say. Indeed you have an unnecessary party song and a punjabi wedding song with a Haldi sequence in a Muslim wedding (Misdirection is ok if its a KJo movie but these elements are necessary for business). 

Overall would say good performances, good music, cheesy dialogues, a weak script and bad direction makes it avoidable. 

Rating - Two stars **

FAN - Overexposure doesn't help

It's all about SRK... That could be enough to explain this flick but let's make a bit detailing.
So the movie starts on a high note, u know the basic plot coz of promos. A die hard fan (Srk) and his superstar (srk again) are the central characters. A vfx added Srk looks impressive but beyond a point u get bored to see the two versions of him.
Needless to say SRK acted well as both characters. Even Aryan Khanna can be said is just how SRK would be in real life. Both characters are portrayed and defined well by the maker Maneesh sharma. You can understand the craziness of the die hard fan but the evilness goes a bit too far and illogical at times.
The direction is ok but many sequences like chase scenes could have been avoided (and the song 'jabra fan' could have been added). The movie has its highs and lows. Certain things like no law and order to catch the criminal fan and his capability to reach out places and act to destroy the star makes it illogical for the 2nd half.
Overall this Srk vs Srk movie is all about Srk and too much of it is not convincing to watch in a theatre.

Verdict : 2* on 5

The jungle book 3d - Nostalgia at its best

For the 90's kid it has to be a delight to watch jungle book. The song remade by Vishal bharadwaj is in itself a hit for all.
The movie storywise is almost same as the cartoon film release but the 3d effect is pretty good.
Purposely checked for the Hindi dubbed as it has famous star voices and was ok with the experience though. Irfan khan as baloo is a delight and surprising with Punjabi accent so nicely done. Priyanka chopra as ka and Nana patekar as sher khan are just upto the mark having high expectations from them. Om Puri as bagheera has been pretty calm and composed as needed for the character.
The good part is there is no change in the storyline for the stars. It goes as per the characters.
A one time watch though not the best but for reliving the experience.
Verdict : 3* on 5

Ki and Ka - Somewhat impressive

Ki and Ka selling the funda Ladki and Ladka are no different even if they switch roles.
Balki has been one of the gems for Bollywood because he exactly gives novelty with every script for which other filmmakers struggle. He has a quirky idea to attract audiences to watch his movies atleast once be it Cheeni kum, PA or Shamitabh.
However major problem with his movies is it stretches the same concept till the end making the 2nd half a bit boring and so does happen in this one.
Movie starts with a fresh idea , novel concept to keep u engaged of what happens next. Things go well but off late u feel a bit repetition of scenes which makes the movie just above average till the end.
The movie has excellent performances by kareena kapoor, arjun kapoor and others which is expected from a R Balki movie. Strong and smart characters wierd in their own ways but witty at the same time to impress u.
Music is good with ji huzoori nahi , most wanted munda and foolishq being good songs.
The direction , cinematography and editing are all in place and Mr. Bachchan's cameo (expected one) is fun to watch as usual. Movie could have been better if the 2nd half too had something unexpected to keep audiences engaged but nevertheless a one time watch :)
Verdict : 3* on 5

Airlift - Goosebumps seeing the flag !!!!!

Akhsay kumar has grown with every film not only as actor -but -also as a- producer with Hari om bhatia productions giving sensible and ent-ertaining movies one after another.
The movie is based on a real incident and depicted very nicely. The charactization is just perfect be it the central character, negative ones or supporting. Also direction and editing is pretty upto the mark for this one.
The message and the feel of the story is just bang on. The pace is ok and story unfolds in a proper flow showing how one man can make a difference.

The performances are pretty good be it akshay Kumar the show stealer kr even nimrit kaur , kumud mishra and others.

The difficult part is to show Kuwait and give a feel of an India movie which not everyone has been successful in be it khuda gawah or deewar by vipul shah. But this movie comes to be an absolute Bollywood feel movie.

The music is pretty good with dil cheez tuje dedi, soch na sake and tu bhoola jisse being good numbers.

The movie ends on a very high note wherein the last 1 hour is the best part which makes it a sure shot watch this year.

The first superhit of 2016 and well deserved.

Verdict : 3 and half *

BAJIRAO MASTAANI - A period melodrama

This one is a complete SLB typical flick having its grandeur, power pack performances , heavy filmy dialogues and somewhat depressing climax.
The grand scale is mesmerising and the way maratha empire is portrayed is commendable. Bhansali sure has a vision to make a period film which did not look shabby or boring which several filmmakers would fail in. This time it looks real and not fake sets like sawaariya did.
The movie in the 1st half is very much on track having a parallel storyline blend of love story and bajirao peshwa's wit and bravery as a warrior on conquering India against moghuls. But turns out to be typical Bhansali love story by the climax ending on a depressing note.Dialogues are surely a USP of the film apart from Ranveer Singh. Music is only good for 2 songs Deewani and Malhari. Others do not add to unlike Ramleela.
Talking about the performances Ranveer Singh is indeed the new superstar of bwood having a long way to go. His body language, his accent, his dance and his screen presence is the best part of the film. Deepika does what is expected from her, can't call it her best performance. Priyanka chopra evolves as an actor very well in the role of Kashi Bai. She gives a vision as to how Kashi Bai would have actually been.
Overall the movie is just a 1 time watch for its grandeur and power pack performances.
Verdict - 3 on 5 ***

HATE STORY 3 - Watchable only when u have nothing to do !!

The Vikram Bhatt franchise maintains its unrequired  skin show in songs and the various twists in the story line which make it the hate story it is. With revenge as motive and suspense which keeps u engrossed somewhat the movie becomes just Ok avoiding the acting performances.
Direction is ok and is a typical  bolly Masala with predictable dialogues which could have been better and songs with good music and pathetic lyrics.
Major weakness is the actors. None have acted greatly and struggle to match up to the strong script. This movie could have been way better if casting was taken care of. Sharman Joshi struggles and other 3 are hopeless who spoil the interest in the movie.
The 1st half is sheer boredom with daisy shah and her bad acting. Movie takes a toll in the 2nd half only and keeps it interesting in bits and piece with the unveiling suspense.
Overall its a pretty good script with bad performances making it just watchable but 'At Home'...
Verdict - 2 on 5 **

PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO Par entertainment nahi layo

The team up of Sooraj Barjatya and Salman khan takes ur expectations pretty high for this one but leads to disappointment as the movie is pretty tiring and full of boredom. Major problem being the plot in itself as its adapted from a Bengali movie of a royal dynasty story. The look being all that of a royal family with almost all forts of Rajasthan used to shoot but the storyline itself has too much of flaws taking the fact why would it be so important to announce Salman as a king in a Raj tilak in today's time and Salmans accident scene which happens in a 'royal' horsecart when they have fleets of Mercedes and ipads technologies otherwise. So they filmed it same as it is from the Bengali film which was based on olden times which leads to a mismatch of logic for this flick.
This time no big families or weddings unlike other rajshri movies but its again a family drama with a love story. Too many songs and nothing exciting by himesh reshammiya on music front. The lyrics try to be situational which is not needed to be explained for this simple storyline. For example 'Aaj unse milna hai humein' comes before Salman meets Sonam. So obvious isn't it??
Coming to performances its completely a Salman khan movie ( u will like him as prem dilwala) , he is majorly in the frame others been sidelined. Anupam kher, Deepak dobriyal and swara bhaskar have done their bit well.Sonam doesn't seem to be serious on her role as a royal princess. Arman Kohli and Neil Nitin Mukesh pretty avoidable.
Overall an avoidable movie this diwali. Simply hyped leading to another undeserving movie joining 100 crore club.
Verdict - 2 on 5 **

Main Aur CHARLES ...A Disappointment till the End !!!

Although being a low budget movie , but the strong n complex character of Charles sobhraj & his life journey was expected to be portrayed more deeply. There was a lot more to cover which is not shown thus making the movie neither an absolute biopic of the bikini killer nor an entertaining conman story.
The director praawal raman fails big time to make the movie crisp and clear in its views or storytelling making it one of his worst attempts till date. Neither the plot has a grip nor editing is in line to keep u engaged from the beginning itself. Repetitive scenes and unnecessary skin show leads to boredom. Nothing great as far as music or dialogues are concerned either. The 1st half is a waste of the screentime, the movie unfolds to some sense only in the latter one. Several parts or character of sobhraj's criminal life are not highlighted and the slow pace of the movie makes it worse.
As far as performances are concerned Adil Hussain and Richa chaddha (having major roles)  are too bad to play their bit. Randeep hooda tries to work on his character with his accent and look resembling to sobhraj but only looks OK as compared to other actors atleast. Overall its an avoidable one this week. The makers have thugged u like the criminal if u go for this 1 ;)
Verdict : 1.5 on 5 *

PYAR KA PUNCHNAMA 2 – A fullon Entertainer , A must watch

The movie has a similar plot but with fresh ideas, new sequences and a new starcast as well. The storyline is pretty good with all the 6 actors given pretty impressive roles. This time director Luv Ranjan portrays 3 different kind of girls and the problems faced by their lover boys. If you thought that 1^st part covered all the valid arguments and problems of being a boyfriend in today’s time then u need to watch this one for some additional ones which are equally applicable to my poor committed friends. The movie has a grip from the starts and keeps you entertained with catchy one liners and hilarious sequences throughout till the end. A very innovative idea must say for the way the interval scene arrives and also a different climax. The famous Karthik’s breathless argument from 1^st one is a delight to watch. This time it’s for 8 and a half minute and its superfun with new points which I am sure every guy would agree.

For the performances each one of them have done excellent performances especially Karthik and Nushrat as a couple. There is no point where u miss Divyendu aka Liquid from the 1^st PKP as they have a substitute Sunny Singh who has done an impressive debut with power pack performance and superb comic timing.

This one is not the regular Bollywood 2^nd part with similar plot and some catchy sequences to attract you to a theatre and disappoint. This one is pretty much at par with the 1^st PKP from entertainment point of view. Amazing job by the director who has been successful to make a superhit 2^nd part and also one the bests for 2015. It’s entertaining, funny, good direction and a good script.

Go for it once, worth taking a risk by watching it even with your girlfriend ;)

Verdict – 3.5 * on 5

PIKU

PIKU (2015) - A one-time watch for this weekend....
The movie has a super advantage of having 3 amazing performers & director Shoojit Sircar is able to explore the talent well.

Amitabh Bachchan is an asset to the movie with his worth watching performance as the old Bengali Man's character so well. Irfan khan looks as a smaller actor in front of Big B more because of the characterization but has again proved that he is a versatile actor and very much professionally & so has Deepika done it yet again.

The movie is on a lighter note which will make u laugh every now & then with arguments of Big B on everything Deepika does and ironically says he wants her to be Independent. There is too much focus on constipation & motion throughout which leads to too many toilet jokes but its Big B and Irfan's acting who save it not looking boring or monotonous. Music is quite forgettable and doesn't add to the movie.
Shoojit sircar has again used a combo of Delhi based punjabi guy & a bong girl just like Vicky Donor only here more focus is on the bong culture. The direction is right on track which many good directors fail with such a different script & keeps the movie watchable till the end.

In all the movie is not the best of the year but surely a watchable one with gr8 acting.
Verdict - 3* on 5

TANU WEDS MANU RETURNS - A sureshot one time watch

TANU WEDS MANU RETURNS - A sureshot one time watch
This has to be one of the best movies released yet this year & one of the best performance of -Kangana Ranaut till date.
The movie makes you laugh every other scene especially those who have seen the 1st part its a delight for them to watch. It’s a pure sequel movie starts where the 1st one ended and has superb performance and punches to enjoy. Anand Rai as a director does it again after Tanu weds Manu & Ranjhaana with making a love story look fresh which big banners like Dharma production & Yrf fail these days. He has been able to maintain the look and the feel exactly as the 1st part and has used its characterization to the best for this script.Music is good and keeps you entertained in the movie.
Kangana Ranaut is the USP of this movie as Tanu again and the 2nd role Kusum who is even more adorable character to watch. She has shown her true potential and is given full freedom to portray it. Indeed she is not only one of the best contemporary actresses but also has the right sense to select a good script for her career.
Other actors like Jimmy Shergill , Deepak Dobriyal (pappi) , Zeeshan ayub ,Swara Bhaskar, etc. have given good support. Madhavan has been sidelined compared to the 1st part and doesn't have much to do. This is a reverse bollywood love story where Heroine takes it all and Hero is there more for songs and to stand in the frame since the story is around him.
For movie lover do watch it because you rarely get amazing performances, good direction & entertaining movie all in one movie these days.
Verdict - 3.5 * on 5

TEVAR

 TEVAR (2015) – A poor attempt to relaunch Arjun Kapoor by Papa

The trend of Bollywood of Fathers trying to launch or relaunch their kids has been since ages & apart from a few examples like Hrithik –Rakesh roshan or Raj Kapoor – Rishi Kapoor others have failed big time. Still this flick shows a recent example to prove it again. The same old masala drama movie where there is south style action, A self-proclaimed hero, a damsel in distress heroine & a powerful and corrupt villain who falls in love with the heroine.

Well clearly the movie is a flop attempt of boney Kapoor to help Arjun Kapoor for his career graph which is falling with similar kind of roles he does. Wonder why Sonakshi always does such roles where she is just the heroine and not the actress. Just for songs & to have a plot of hero- villain fight we need this heroine. Manoj Bajpai trying to enter such commercial cinema & fails to save the movie even after being potentially such a good actor. The movie has a song dedicated to Salman Khan & a couple of few more boring ones which complete a useless album with poor lyrics.

The direction is ok and supporting cast does their job fine. Manoj Bajpai has given his 100% but the plot itself is boring and making such a movie in 2015 and expecting it to work is foolishness in itself. Arjun Kapoor and Sonakshi seriously need acting lessons with increasing competition. Sonakshi should also focus on her increasing weight because she doesn’t look like a young delicate girl who is so much troubled and scared of villains.

Overall nothing to watch in this flick. A big release in the beginning of the year and so is a Big flop this year. It is an avoidable one.

Verdict – 1.5* of 5

DIL DHADAKNE DO

DIL DHADAKNE DO – A flop remake of ZNMD

The movie portrays the life of High society diplomatic people who do not live their life to the fullest hence the title. But this movie has so many characters & character introductions some being useless to the script that the 1st half seems too dull to indulge in the story.

So here is a Cruise celebrating wedding anniversary instead of a bachelor trip of ZNMD & a dog giving life philosophy with Aamir Khan's voice-over as a replacement for Farhan Akhtar's poetry in the former.

Actors like Anil Kapoor & Ranveer Singh are an asset (the 2 lovable characters), priyanka chopra and shefali shah have done a good job on their part whilst others like Anushka Sharma , Rahul Bose , Farhan Akhtar have very less to do for the movie. Farhan Akhtar has very less screen presence while Anushka Sharma has done a role which any of the contemporaries could do. There are some rib tickling moments to be precise in the last 50 mins in this 2 hrs 50 mins long movie but fails to cover up for the monotonous and slow 1st half.

The music is a very weak point as they are neither required nor they entertain. Also choreography in the songs (especially one which shows Anushka's passion for dance) is another minus to the already existing drawbacks.

You would be only happy to see the last part of this flick if you have the patience to enjoy it.Instead of Ranveer- anushka chemistry its Ranveer - Priyanka's bonding as siblings which is one plus point to this movie. Overall it can be watched at home in leisure time than going to a theatre.

Verdict - 2 * on 5