Heroine – Are Critics Mad?

P.S. Let me clarify a few things first! I am not a Kareena Kapoor’s (aka Bay Bow’s) fan or even an admirer of her Zero Image! i.e. “Size Zero Figure”. The last movie of hers which I liked was “Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai”.

After hearing it from different friends and colleagues and reading from some of my gurus and friends from “Blogging fraternity” I was convinced that apart from Kareena Karoor, there is nothing much in the movie to watch! And this might be the reason why I planned to watch it, to see how good has she evolved as an actress and has she really stopped her “hamming style” and “oh so sexy pouting looks”.

Anyways, I was surprised! Not by the movie but by the people whom I used to consider sensible and critically sound when it comes to movie making and Hindi Cinema. This is amongst the very well made movie of the current times. I agree to the fact that the movie has nothing much to offer subject wise or story wise but when it comes to direction, dialogues and acting. It is really an impressive attempt by Madhur Bhandarkar, who does not need any introduction.

There is not much to tell about the story of the movie. It’s simple yet predictable. People initially also related “Heroine” with Angelina Jolie starrer “GIA – 1998” but that’s not the reality at all.

Let me quickly get back to the reason why I am attempting to write this “kind of review” for “Heroine”. First – To all those people, critics and cine-goers, who think that this movie has nothing but Kareena Kapoor, please get yourself seriously treated. There is a huge list of amazing performers who stole the show and performed astoundingly. Arjun Rampal is a volcano of talent if utilized properly. Right from the days of “Moksh” he has the ability to perform complicated roles. And this time he is over the top, his outburst after the party where Kareena insults his wife is natural. The other scene stealer is Randeep Hoda. This guy is a surprise factory – watch him interacting with Kareena in the party where he makes the move and then watch him breaking up with Kareena. Spell bounded. Sanjay Suri is always adequate with his eyes and expressions when it comes to any role! The guy must be offered more roles! He will surprise you in post interval with his tone, looks and authoritative style.

The best part of the film is when Kareena goes to Ranbir Shorey. That scene is amazingly shot. Ranbir Shorey as “Tappan Da” is flawless. He comfortably reminds of those self made Bengali directors who ruled the Hindi cinema back in late 70’s and early 80’s, crisp, blunt and appreciative. Shahana Goswami is great in small but strong appearance. The aftermath of her and Kareena’s encounter is amazingly shot and acted! Divya Dutta is getting type-actress! But here she performs really well. Govind Namdev as “Rashid Bhai” doesn’t have much dialogues but you can feel his presence with his expressions. Helen’s scenes will show simplicity and experience of a veteran. The other scene which is the highlight of the movie is when Shahana takes Kareena to a brothel with her. The communication which takes place there simply tell the real world of those “red light” alleys. Smartly penned

Last but not the least Kareena has really performed well. She looked psycho, hot, manipulating, simple and broke. After all, whole film rested upon her shoulders so she had to perform apart from flashing her skin, which she did quite well.

Niranjan’s dialogues are clap worthy. Screenplay is strong. In a way Heroine is a combination of different scripts of Madhur Bhandarkar’s earlier releases like Chandni Bar, Page Three and Fashion. But all in all a nice entertaining fare!

Rating:  6.5/10 (on the basis of performance)

Teri meri kahani – It’s Everyone's Story – Movie Review

To me it was really strange to not to hear any buzz about Kunal Kohli’s, Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra starrer, new release “Teri Meri Kahani”. How can anyone forget “Hum Tum”? The same director created a magic! Anyways, after almost a week of the movie’s release I got a chance to watch “Teri Meri Kahani”. I, actually, watched the movie out of curiosity of why it was/is not much talked about!

The movie is about two characters, Shahid Kapoor as (Javed, Fovind and Krish) and Priyanka chopra as (Aradhna, Rukhsaar and Radha) who meet in 3 different eras 1910, 1960 and 2012. This movie is all about eternal love which at times we call the “connection”. I will not spoil the fun by disclosing the complete synopsis of the movie in short it is for those who have ever fallen in love. From the start to the end the movie looks interesting, lovely and sweet.

Shahid Kapoor excels in all three roles which he has performed in this movie. I will like to mention one thing that in all the 3 roles he portrayed the character of a 3 different guys in same age brackets yet all the characters are so diversified, ditto for Priyanka Chopra. Undoubtedly both actors are the finest performers of this age.

All the songs of this movie are amazing. Those songs which stand out are “Allah Janay”, “Hum se Pyar Karlay tu” and “Jab se mere dilko”. For love stories music plays the role of a spinal cord and this movie is blessed with one strong backbone.

Kunal Kohli has delivered his honest attempt and throughout the movie am sure audiences will have smiles on their faces. All the eras are perfectly shot.

The era of 1910’s is the highlight of the movie, script, performance and emotions wise. The era of 1960’s will surprise most of the critical audiences with the detailing. The way trams were shown, their speed, colors, attires, fashion and even the way people used to communicate. The depiction of 2012 is really close to day to day life.

This movie is highly recommended for those who have ever loved someone with all their hearts. I will also highly recommend this flick for those who enjoy and want to see a well made movie.

If you are married watch it! It will rejoice old times. If you are in a relation, watch it, it will strengthen your relation and if you are finding true love! It will help you in understanding one!

7/10

Tezz - Movie Review

Looks like these days in Bollywood, multi cast movies are either in demand or every aging actor needs to appear on screen badly. Gone were the days when a single movie used to rest upon the shoulders of script writer, director and finally actor. But now movies rest upon four pillars, multiple heroes (characters to confuse audience), daredevil fight sequences, cheap comedy and a meaty yet saucy item number. That is how a movie becomes a box-office hit. A few weeks ago it was “Houseful 2” and this week there are “Tezz” and “Life Ki toh Lag Gayee” which have been released.

Coming back to Tezz and the controversies associated with it. Yes, the movie is a definite copy, but not only of 1994’s “Speed”, actually it is an amalgamation of many others as well. Just to quote here, “Speed” was inspired / copied from a Japanese movie named The Bullet Train (Subtitled 1975) which also inspired another director to make a Thai movie named 1 2 3 Monster Express (1977). So, connect all the points and characterizations to get “TEZZ”. But some critics are saying that the movie is original, I wonder why! Might be it is in Hindi or it has some songs – only on these grounds the movie can be distinguished.

The movie is about handful of army consisting of Ajay Devgan, Zayed Khan and Sameera Reddy, who plan to blast a train “London Glasgow Express 112”. Why? Well the reason is quite confusing, at least for me, just because one of the men was deported and sent away from his family (wife and Son) and his career vanished, he, after returning back, wants to get some ransom from the government to compensate. Strange, isn’t it? The actual reason behind was, he was supporting illegal residents by providing them work. And this is not ethical!

Anyways, as it is a movie and anything can happen. The movie revolves around Anil Kapoor, Ajay Devgan, Zayed Khan, Boman Irani, Sameera Reddy and Kangna Ranawat. As far as the performances are concerned I must say it’s a decent fare. Standing out of the stockpile is undoubtedly Boman Irani, not a single scene of his is missed by him, in doing justice to his role and impressing the audiences. I would like to mention two power-packed scenes, out of few, one in which he talks to her daughter over phone and the other one when he gets a one to one argument with Anil Kapoor, his voice, his movements and his passion are all at display. Then comes Anil Kapoor, it is a treat to watch him after Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol. He excels in every scene. Anil Kapoor has star power, believe it or not, his screen presence, attitude and self-obsession makes him loved by his fans. Even his silent moments are very well executed.

Ajay Devgan, after Singham, performs quite an underrated performance. Some might like his performance, but at places he appeared performing the same roles from “Khaakee” or “Qayamat”. Zayed Khan has appeared after a long time and he performs well, though his role had nothing much to offer. But it was a sincere effort by him. Sameera Reddy did leave a mark in brief appearance. Kangna Ranawat, the root cause of the movie, gets few scenes to perform and she is improving to certain extent. Mohanlal (the Amitabh of South) is totally wasted in the role of a cop. If any scene will get smile to your face then it is all because of Neeraj Vora, he is natural and flawless in a small sequence with Anil Kapoor. Definitely his fans would love to see more of him in future.

Direction of the movie is very impressive and so are the action sequences. The item number “Laila” performed by Mallika Sherawat offers nothing much, not for front benchers and not even for classes! But Sunidhi Chauhan did a great job.On the whole actors’ attempt was serious and applaud able and hardwork can be witnessed in the scenes, but dialogues and other major things simply could not save it. The only few reasons for this movie to do good business include “Masala Formula” with “Angrezi Tarka”, action scenes, watching Anil Kapoor after a long time and Ajay Devgan’s fan following after “Singham”. Logically the movie has so many flaws. If you are a movie buff who likes every single Indian movie and are inspired by desi thrillers and “Attitude stuff” then watch it, else you can miss it too!

The article is initially posted at Dunya TV's blog.