Bhaag Milkha Bhaag – A Flying Tale of A Flying Sikh

A great movie experience is a combination of many things. It includes a convincing plot, high voltage drama, light moments that stay with viewers even when they leave the theatre, good music, inspirational elements and a few emotional scenes. “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” is among those movies which offer all the above mentioned ingredients at par. For those who keep a track of innovative, interesting and path breaking Indian Cinema the name of Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra is the symbol of excellence. Whenever he unfolded his sleeves, movies like “Aks”, “Rang de Basanti” and “Delhi-6” were witnessed by cine-goers. All these movies are distinctive in one way or the other. BMB is nothing different than them. It is a master stroke – without a doubt.

Farhan Akhtar secretes immense talent but no one has, up till Rakeysh Om Prakash, utilized that talent. Farhan’s directorial ventures “Dil Chahta Hai” and “Lakshya” made people realize his credibility as one of the finest directors. As an actor, BMB is his landmark. The way he has carried out his role and portrayed his emotions definitely demand standing ovation.

BMB is based on the journey of great Indian athlete Milkha Singh (also known as Flying Sikh). It is a movie about a boy whose entire family excluding his elder sister was murdered in the riots of Indo-Pak partition and he became a national and international rage back in 1960’s. It is also about the bond between a brother and sister – executed with exceptional detailing. Moreover, the movie is about a blooming romance, some promises with loved ones, emotional fits, flying high yet not leaving the ground by any means and a lot more. In short it’s about the life of Milkha Singh and what he went through.

Performance wise, Farhan Akhtar deserves to be nominated for this movie especially by critics. He is a revelation in BMB. He tackles the most difficult parts with complete ease and effortlessness. His transitions can be easily witnessed and felt by the audience from first scene to the last. Divya Dutta as Milkha Singh’s sister is vibrant, emotional, lovable and above all highly expressive. In 2 of the scenes particularly, she involved the audience to a level by her performance that no one could resist moistening their eyes. This is a performance she will always be reminded of. Sonam Kapoor (as Biro), Meesha Shafi (as Perizaad) and Rebecca Breeds (as Stella) had limited roles but they all performed well in their respective characters.

Pavan Malhotra (as Milkha Singh’s senior) is inspirational and at his peak. This actor is unfortunately most underrated, he needs to be casted in more movies to show-case his vast talent. Yograj Singh as (Milkha Singh’s coach) is just perfect. Dalip Tahil is strictly passable and ditto for Dev Gill (Abdul Khaliq). Art Malik (as Milkha Singh’s father) and Jabtej Singh (as young Milkha Singh) are credible and treat to watch.

Music of this movie is amazing. Arif Lohar’s “Bhaag Milkha”, Sukhwinder Singh’s “Slow Motion Angrezza”, Suhas Sawant’s “Zinda” and Divya Kumar’s “Maston Ka Jhund” are totally different from one another yet are really awesome tracks in all respects. Shankar-Ehsan-Loy’s music is simply amazing for this venture.

Some sequences to lookout for – performance wise:

When Farhan asks from where can he buy the Indian Team’s blazer!

When Divya Dutta meets young Milkha Singh in the camp.

When Farhan insists Divya to wear his blazer – the scene would definitely bring tears to many viewers’ eyes

When Farhan slaps himself repeatedly in the washroom

and a lot more…

On the basis of performance, direction, execution and story-telling I would easily rate this movie 9/10. It’s a must watch for those who celebrates quality and inspirational cinema. A must watch!

"Listen Amaya" - A finest Attempt That Shouldn't Be Missed

It is sad that meaningful cinema is only appreciated when there are known faces or better say star power is associated with it. Have you wondered how many great pieces of arts have you missed just because of the fact that those movies either didn’t had super stars or were not backed by heavy advertisements and marketing. “Listen Amaya” is one amongst those movies. This movie by Avinash Kumar Singh was screened at London Asian Film Festival and what else could it receive other than hoards of appreciation. I recently watched the movie over DVD and for 2 hours I only enjoyed each and every scene of the movie.

“Listen Amaya” revolves around two widowed individuals Jayanat (Farooque Sheikh) and Leela (Dipti Naval) along with her daughter Amaya (Swara Bhaskar).Leela runs a library cum coffee shop, named “Book A Coffee” with her daughter and Jayant is her routine customer, friend, admirer and what not. The story revolves around these three individuals and the complications, self-respect and egos associated with their relationships. The plot is based on very thin line where words don’t need to express anything but emotions do. It is remarkably dealt as well, on screen.

I have grown up watching Dipti Naval’s and Farooque Sheikh’s off beat movies, also known as parallel cinema of early 1980’s. Movies like Chashm-e-Buddoor, Saath Saath, Kissi Se Na Kehna, Katha and Faasle etc. were a complete revelation from mainstream cinema. Coming back to “Listen Amaya”, it simply touches the hearts of audience. There are many sequences where Farooque Sheikh and Dipti Naval express their emotions with extreme ease. Swara Bhasker (Amaya) expresses her uneasiness with flaw. The contradictory personalities can only be show-cased by a seasoned actress. She is another actress to look out for after Tabu, Nandita Das and Vidya Balan.

Music of the movie is very light. The beauty is that all the songs are situational (though movie’s length could have been decreased if the songs would be omitted). Direction is first rate and so is cinematography.

If you are looking forward to watch a simple, easy going, full of mature emotions movies then this one is the perfect one. “Listen Amaya” is all about emotions and performances. It is highly recommended for those who value quality cinema or let me say a meaningful cinema.

I would personally rate it 4/5 on the basis of story line, script, performances and close to reality.

Himmat Wala - A Tribute To Amitabh and Not To Jetendra

Before reviewing the new Himmatwala, allow me to introduce you with some facts related to 1983’s Himmatwala. K. Raghavendra Rao’s Himmatwala (1983) was an experimental film, in which he signed a sinking mega-star of early 1980’s Jetendra, whose movies were drowning deeply at the box office back in those days. Similarly, Sridevi was signed because of limited budget as she was planning to leave the industry because of constant flops. On the contrary, Kader Khan, who used to play negative roles, was also not getting any movies. The concept of remakes of south Indian movies was also fresh at that period of time. So, all in all, it was their hard work and commendable script with astounding performances which made Himmatwala a fare that not only started the team (Jetendra, Sridevi, Kader Khan, Amjad Khan, Shakti Kapoor and Asrani) to launch numerous block-busters but also gave a reason to copy it even after 3 decades.

Sajid Khan’s Himmatwala is a literal copy of the original Himmatwala. Although, he has mentioned at many platforms that his movie has a few elements of the original one but if you see the original movie, dialogues, character names, scenes and at places background score have also copied from it. There are minor amendments which add no weight to the movie.

If Sajid Khan says that this particular movie is a tribute to 1980’s cinema then he should rephrase it as a tribute to the “Young Angry Man” of 1980’s Amitabh’s movies. The reason to quote this is that 5 action scenes from this movie reminded me of Amitabh’s movies.

A – Title Track reminded me of Shan’s “Pyar Karnewalay Pyar Kartay Hain Shaan Se”, filmed on Parveen Babi.

B – Cage fight of Ajay Devgan made me recall Amitabh’s cage fight from Naseeb.

C – The scene where Ajay Devgan holds the dagger from sharp end while saving his sister from “Dhanna”, reminds me of the scene from “Kaala Patthar” where Amitabh did the same with a character named “Dhanna” (played by Ashok Saxena).

D – The much talked about tiger fight again makes me recall Amitabh’s tiger fight from “Khoon Pasiina”.

E – The fight sequence just before the song “Bump Pe Laat” where Ajay converses in 5 different languages with goons gives me a vivid remembrance of a similar scene from Amitabh’s “Laawaris”

Anyways, the plot is similar and it tells a story of a malicious Sarpanch Sher Singh (Mahesh Manjrekar) who defames Ravi’s (Ajay Devgan) father to an extent where he commits suicide and his family suffers a lot of pain. Years after, Ravi returns to take revenge from Sarpanch.

I am a fan of 70’s and 80’s movies, this was the mere reason why I chose to watch the new Himmatwala but experience was nothing but sheer pain. First of all, Ajay looks totally misfit for the role; he failed to pass the wittiness which Jetendra portrayed in his style. His “Atta Maajhi Sattakli” style has now stuck to him – its time to come up with something original and much entertaining. Mahesh Manjhrekar is a very talented actor but he looks cheap and acts loud in this fare. Even he failed to meet Amjad Khan’s comical expressions and terrifying persona. Adhyayan Suman as Shakti does not even come close to Shakti Kapoor in a single scene. Tamanna Bhatia (a renowned and successful Tamil actress) has screen presence but when it comes to performing, she needs to focus on that.

The only character that stands out (to some extent) in the movie is Paresh Rawal (enacting the role of Kader Khan). He manages to copy the appearance and tone of Kader Khan and with his dialogues, his earnest attempt is visible in every scene. Asrani is the only actor who has appeared in both the Himmatwalas but in the newer version he is wasted. Ritesh Deshmukh appears in a cameo and he is as usual – typical. Zarina Wahab is efficient.

It’s saddening that this film has great performers and super stars but even then the film failed to create a magic at the box office.

If you really want to get heavy dose of entertainment watch the original one.

Rating 3.5 / 10

P.S: This Movie Review Has Also Been Published At Express Tribune Under My Name.

Is Watching Movies In Ramazan a Sin?

Is it me or others as well, who at times burst out into laughing after focusing on a few facts preached to us by our elders, regarding Islam? We all know (in fact we are moralized) that in Ramazan it is simply not allowed to watch movies, especially Indian movies. But we can watch Pakistani dramas and morning shows where we (Pakistani audience) encounter some blooming faces (both genders), sugar coating their audiences with their charisma and bravura performances of being nice and sweet personalities – as if they are the best preachers of religion, humanity and human race.

I simply ask people with this mentality, why is that every one watches Olympics but strictly says a “No” for watching movies? Why is it that we (Muslims) can watch Ramazan’s especial transmission featuring our favorite celebrities all dressed up in branded / designer’s clothing (which are mostly body fitted nowadays)? We are not allowed to discuss movies and songs during “Roza”, but we thoroughly enjoy discussing actresses’ or presenters’ controversies by getting updates from Google.

I am sure this is nothing new, those individuals who have witnessed the era of 90’s, NTN’s and STN’s names still ring bells in their mind, they can easily remember that back in those days most of us were not allowed to watch movies on rent during Ramazan or Muharram, but it was completely acceptable to watch the movies which used to be telecasted on the mentioned channels. Even at that time it was quite paradoxical for me to understand. I just don’t get it why don’t we focus? Why do we always have to jump to conclusion?

I am not saying that watching a movie is not a sin but all I am trying is to ask "how long will we play with our religion? How long will we complicate it?" Why aren't we preached like

“Be it Ramazan or any other month of the year, watching a movie is prohibited in Islam”

It is not just that watching “Khuda Kay Liay” is permissible whereas watching “Dirty Picture” is “Al-Haram”. We can watch girls playing different games like beach volleyball, diving, swimming, synchronized swimming, and trampoline in skimpiest dresses, in the name of Olympic Games and art but we can not watch an actress’s interview on TV channels.

The problem with PBCM – (Pakistani Born Confused Muslims) is that they don’t ask questions. They will ask hundreds of question to their parents, teachers and friends related to career move, best educational institutions, etiquettes and fashion but they will not ask a simple question “Why” under the topic of religion. This is the reason why today, we have grown to accept the fact that

“Never ask a question related to Islam or Politics, it will only end up in an argument or clash”.

I am sure this is something which we all have heard at one or more than one places in our lives. Let us hope that we (Pakistanis and Muslims) start to ask questions, so that in future we can answer our children questions raised by them logically and not saying “Hush, don’t ask such questions, just follow what is being taught to you”. A slave is not allowed to ask questions, but in Islam mankind is allowed to ask as many questions as possible – to make others understand the crux of this beautiful and complete religion.

Finally, is watching movie in Ramazan a Sin? And Watching Dramas, Morning Shows, Cricket Matches or Olympic Games are all allowed?

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

Shanghai - Movie Review

What happens when you wait for a movie is that you think it would be a stimulating and aesthetically directed along with the some handpicked actors? Expectations are high! I went through the same, as well. I have an old soul in me, when it comes to liking performers (the era of 70’s and 80’s – is preferred by me). Getting a chance to watch Farooq Sheikh, (the Noorie and Chashm-e-buddoor fame) itself is a treat for me. Plus, watching a Dibakar Banergee’s movie after witnessing some finest movies of his like Oye Lucky Lucky Oye and Khosla Ka Ghosla, is also worth experiencing. Shanghai lets you closely observe what happens when people get power and they become over obsessed with that. The movie is inspired from “Z” penned by Vassilis Vassilikos.

The movie revolves around a few characters along with the political system. A political activist Dr. Ahmadi (Prosenjit Chatterjee) encounters a road accident and Shalini Sahaye (Kalki Koechlin) tries to prove it as a murder. A bureaucrat Krishnan (Abhay Deol) is in charge to take-off the case – to which no one provides him with the relevant information. A small town movie maker (part time porn movie maker as well) Jogi Pramar (Emran Hashmi) claims that he has the footage that will create a chaos for government. What happens next is a dream that everyone sees in India – Rightful justice, freedom of expression and democratic outburst.

The movie is definitely interesting and backed by some nice scenes – they could have been better for sure as the canvas was huge. At times a viewer feels that the movie is a bit slow and at places starts to get boring. But again the director grips the viewer’s attention by rolling another slide for viewer’s interest.

As far as performances are concerned they are good. They would have been a lot better if the script could be healthier in terms of dialogues and punch lines. Seniors first – Farooq Sheikh is a scene stealer. He is amazing with his convincing dialogues and double faced personality. He proves that he is still amongst the finest actors who have always treated as most under-rated actors. I, personally, would love to see him again and again. Prosenjit Chatterjee another versatile actor but not much appeared in movies (his career started back in 1990 with Aandhiyan) performed his part remarkably. He looks cool and delivers a nice performance.

Emran Hashmi, well like I mentioned earlier in Jannat 2’s movie review, has started to surprise his audiences with his performance and selection of roles. He looks disgusting, weird and a thorough porn movie maker – even portrays some perverted looks surprisingly. Abhay Deol has always selected movies which are off-beat for many and he offers great potential for showing his talent. Yet again he grips his role and performs astoundingly well. He performs his character extraordinarily; he looks soft yet authoritative, educated and mature. Kalki got a nice platform to show her talent and she impresses in few scenes too! Pitobash Tripathy as Bhaggu is getting type casted (in reference to “I am Kalam” and “Shor”). Supriya Pathak is just OK.

Some clap worthy scenes include:

1-      When Emran Hashmi’s boss wants him to arrange a meeting with Kalki. Emran’s actions and expressions are amazing.

2-       When Emran tries to break the ice between him and Abhay in the toilet.

3-      All the scenes between Abhay Deol and Farooq Sheikh – especially the ones in the climax. Both actors have performed their best. Farooq Sheikh impresses with his expressions, wrath and helplessness whereas Abhay looks cool, confident and a thorough professional.

On the whole the movie is good for mature audiences and many individuals will even call it a drop fare. But it is an interesting watch if you have time and want to witness sensible cinema.

Rating: 7.5/10 (On the basis of performances, direction and subject).

Movie Review - Rowdy Rathore

“Rowdy Rathore” is amongst the most awaited movies of 2012 for many reasons. Prabhu Deva created magnanimous magic for Salman Khan in his Bollywood directorial debut “Wanted” so the expectations are high. Most of the individuals also raised questions like, how can Sanjay Leela bhansaali, after producing meaningful and critique oriented movies like Guzaarish, Saanwariya, Black and Devdas, produce a hardcore entertainer – so called typical Bollywood Masala flick? There are fans and cine-goers out there who are waiting to see Akshay (The Khiladi) Kumar back in action after a long time. Moreover there are also many people who want to see Sonakshi Sinha and her talent after appreciating her in “Dabang”. The movie is a surprise ride for every single individual. Let me first make it clear that the movie is a remake of a Telugu movie which was originally adopted from a Tamil movie. This shouldn’t be shocking as “Wanted” was also a remake of Telugu movie named “Pokiri” – so you can call it Prabhu Deva’s unique sense of creating remakes and making them box office blockbusters.

Read More At Dunya TV's Blog

The movie is about two Akshay Kumar(s), one is a Cop (Rathore) and the other is a con man (Shiva). Shiva performs cons with his friend 2G (Paresh Ganatra). In Shiva’s life Paro (Sonakshi Sinha) enters and they fall in love spontaneously. One day Shiva comes across a kid Chinky, who calls him “PAPA”. After some cats and dogs play Shiva comes to know that Chinky is the daughter of his look alike, IPS officer Vijay Singh Rathore (Akshay Kumar), whose life is threatened by a feudal of Devgarh (Somewhere in Bihar) named BaapJee (Nassar). Then movie transforms from a mistaken identity’s plot to a much serious and action oriented theme. I am not going to reveal the complete plot because I don’t want to kill the thrill.

If we talk about performances, Akshay Kumars bestows a splendid performance and he stands out in both roles. It is not a difficult thing for an actor of his caliber to enact both roles, as in past he has performed the same roles remarkably. Sonakshi Sinha, is a complete stealer, I personally was not expecting her to be so gorgeous, outrageous, stylish and full on entertaining actress. Watch out her dance, in every song of the movie – you will be amazed. She reminds of two gorgeous queens of Bollywood, Hema Malini and Rina Roy. 

Paresh Ganatra embarks on a role that gives him ample chance to perform his way of comedy, which is different from Johny Lever or Rajpal Yadav, but it still brings smiles and some laughter on audiences’ faces. Nassar is a very seasoned actor of south movies, and he performs top notch performance as BaapJee. I am sure every viewer will find him disgusting, ruthless and wicked in the particular role. The actor who portrayed the role of Titla (Supreeth Reddy), Baabjee’s brother, is terrifying. He is also from south movie camp. His first seen scared and disgusted many viewers. Mushtaq Khan, Yashpal Sharma and Darshan Jariwala are usual. The kid is cute wins the heart.

Prabhu Deva’s direction is excellent. He definitely knows how to make a remarkable action packed movie and he will soon be counted amongst the most accomplished and detailed directors of Bollywood (provided he continues like this). The background music by Sandeep Chowta (the “Mast” and “Satya” fame) is amazing. Songs are good for listening once or twice – they actually go with the movie for plain entertainment. Khumar Sanu’s fans will listen to him after a long time in “Chammak Challo” and will definitely go back to early and mid 90’s.

Some of the clap-worthy scenes include:

1. When Titla comes out from Raawan’s statue. He looks “HUGE” and frightening (at least in theatres).
2. When Akshay returns to Nassar in post interval by saying “I’m back” – hilarious and outstanding, am sure no one would have thought a scene like that after the interval.
3. The flashback sequence where Yashpal Sharma narrates the story to Akshay Kumar. The whole take is amazingly filmed.
4. Both the scenes between Yashpal Sharma and Paresh Ganatra are really funny.
5. When kid cries in front of Akshay Kumar because she can’t listen to the song of her mother. Very emotional.

The movie is full on entertainer, a masala and paisa wasool fare. But it does not offer anything to serious movie lovers or thought provoking audiences. At box office it will be a blockbuster, without a doubt. But getting an award for this movie is debatable. I strongly recommend it for Akshay Kumar’s (action) and Prabu Deva’s (direction) fans.

Rating: 6.5/10

Movie Review – Men In Black 3

Men In Black 3 (MIB3) is definitely amongst the most awaited movies of this year. Those who enjoyed MIB 1 and 2 have their hopes high for MIB 3. Agent J and Agent K gained overnight popularity and they provided best of entertainment to their viewers. By the way can anyone recall what were both agents doing almost 10 years ago in MIB 2? Apart from maintaining harmony on planet earth between Aliens and Humans. 

Read At DUNYA TV's Blog

This time the movie rolls back from 1969, the time when astronauts were trying their luck to “moon walk”. On the contrary Agent K was imprisoned by an alien called “Boris the Animal”. After 4 decades Boris is focusing on killing agent K. On the contrary, the current chief Agent O, (played by Emma Thompson), orders agent J to visit back in to time and save agent K and return back without getting trapped in time. 

The plot is brilliant, undoubtedly and so is the execution. Those who can remember Star Trek IV can definitely rejoice the idea of getting acquainted with unusually fancy yet weird characters. Etna Cohen’s screenplay and Barry Sonnerfeld’s direction provide an extraordinary and captivating experience, highlighting the evocative hopefulness of that era.

As far as the performances are concerned, so fasten up your belts to get amazed by Josh Brolin who performs the character of young agent K. The remarkable actor grips the character with both his hands. The funnier side of the character will definitely bring smile to audiences’ lips. Will smith continues to inspire and astonish the viewers with his marvelous performance. He is charming, quick witted and perfectly lovable in this character.

The movie is definitely a nice one for those who will go with “not much” expectations. But for those who have their hopes “high”, this fare might disappoint them. There are some great scenes and dialogues that will be loved by the viewers. Some highlights of the movie include:

 - Josh Brolin as the young Agent K shows a brilliant stroke. Brolin captures Jones' spirit to such a towering scale that he creates the perfect old chemistry with Will Smith. It's a great change, and gladly, the old comedy team is back.

 - Director Barry Sonnenfeld is as tremendous as ever. His frenzied manner alters between action, comedy and pathos are speedy enough to induce whiplash.

 - The movie is high on action and it offers slick humor with rasping fun. MIB 3 is the wonder of chance that makes up the cohesive fabric of the past, present and the future

It is a must watch for the fans of Will Smith, Men In Black Series, alien flicks and for those who want to discover the talent of Brolin.

Rating: 7.5/10

THE DICTATOR – Movie Review

Those who are familiar with ALI G, Borat and Bruno, must definitely be waiting for the new and much awaited movie of Sacha Baron Cohen named “The Dictator”. There is not second thought that the actor is amongst the finest comedians and can take up any script and add “life” to it by using his tremendous efforts. This particular movie “The Dictator” receives a mix reaction from the audiences. Let us discover more about this laugh riot.

 Read More At Tribune

“The Dictator” revolves around a plot that is based on the bestselling novel “Zabibah – The Kingdom”, penned by Saddam Hussein. The movie tells the tale of a ruler (Dictator) who lived a jeopardized life trying to make certain that democracy would never enter his land. Sacha Baron Cohen portrays the role of Admiral General Aladin along with the much talented and amazing actor Ben Kingsley as Taamir. 

As far as the performance of both the actors are concerned, they both do justice to their roles – without a doubt. But one can not go overboard when the script is weak. Same happened with “The dictator”. The well known writers Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer could simply not let the audience gag. On the contrary Larry Charles (director) tries really hard to do justice and he definitely saves himself on that ground.

Cohen is an amazing performer and his conviction is seen on the screen, he is one committed actor but the role that is played by him in this particular movie lacks conceiving power. He manages to provide some great laughs especially when he discusses about “Osama Bin Laden” and his death. Ana Faris is competent and adds what she is capable of.

This is amongst first of those American movies that makes audience laugh at 9/11. This is definitely a bold step in itself. On the whole “The Dictator” is receiving multiple reactions, for those who have high hopes with the movie will be definitely disappointed and for those who will take it as a normal or usual fare will in one way or the other might like the movie. The movie offers few nice jokes, not good enough, and the rest of the jokes range from filthy to terrible and obtuse. 

Advise: Before going for this movie, throw away the expectations that were born after watching “Borat” or even “Ali G”. Life will be good, if the expectations will be lesser.

Rating: 5.5/10

The Avengers - Movie Review

Marvel needs no introduction. Those who grew up in 70’s, 80’s and 90’s read and watched comics and cartoons produced by Marvel and those whose childhood belongs to 2000 must have watched some amazing movies produced by them. It is simply close to impossible to create a master piece again and again; this is the reason why most of the sequels flop at the box office. But I simply don’t know what formula lies with Marvel, from Hulk (2003) to The Avengers (2012), they continue to provide the best of experience to their audiences, including, Iron Man (2008/10), Thor (2011) and Captain America (2011). They are definitely the entertainers.

It was not a piece of cake to get all the superheroes together in any movie just like that. After all, screen play, plot, logic and script have to be extraordinary for making them stand shoulder to shoulder. Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures bang on the perfect script in which they united the amazing team of Superheroes as well as they grab the right cast. The story revolves around how the director of S.H.I.E.L.D, Nick Fury (performed by Samuel L. Jackson), gathers a team of all super heroes including, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) along with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) to fight against Loki (Tom Hiddleston) who plays Thor’s father’s adopted son and threats Nick Fury to demolish the peace on earth and rule it. As Loki, just like Thor is not a human and possesses super natural powers and army there has to be super heroes against this God of evils.

The movie brings surprises in many ways, the interaction between all the characters whether in their super heroic attires or common suits is first-rate. The dialogues between Tony Stark and Captain America gives you many reason to smile and clap at many places (off the record, I managed to whistle as well). The action sequences of Hulk were worth watching again and again, just to note the expressions and daredevil stunts. Thor’s entry is a treat to watch and the complete scene is remarkable, how Thor (The God of Thunder), Iron Man and Captain America try to show their strengths – simply bravura. Samuel L. Jackson gets a much lengthy role this time, unlike Iron Man 2’s role, and he simply proves his excellence with his performance, be it the beginning of the movie, communiqué with Loki and post interval. Same goes for Scarlett Johansson, she is fast and a nice element included in the movie – it is a difficult task to get noticed as a normal human in the movie studded by superheroes. This time Hulk is much civilized, well you may say that, he knows how to control his rage and Mark Ruffalo perfectly portrays a role, am sure audience will love him over the previous Hulk(s). The only character from THE Avengers who under-performs (I am not saying that he has not performed well) is Hawkeye. In such movies where there are so many heroes it is really difficult for the villain to stand out but Tom Hiddleston as Loki excels and performs a role that is tailor-made for him. He looks comfortable and cold blooded both at the same time. 

Like all the scenes and sequences the climax is also directed very well by Joss Whedon. Characterization is strong, script is clap-worthy and there are many other surprises “action wise”. It is undoubtedly a Super Movie brought to its audience by a team of Super Heroes, called The Avengers. Watch this movie in Cinema, it is worth experiencing.

Rating: 9/10

**The Article is initially published at Dunya TV's Blog

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.

Jannat 2 - Movie Review

The word “Camp” relates to fun, thrill and adventure and this very word that is used with none other than BHATTS (Mahesh Bhatt and Vikram Bhatt). Bhatts’ Camp has produced many movies that have been applauded by the viewers, be they be controversial or message oriented. They know the mindset of the audience and how to penetrate that. In fact they have developed a new kind of cinema and its audience, believe it or not. Their path breaking movies have always left audience with the acceptance of different subjects that were not earlier explored in main stream cinema, for instance movies like Arth, Saraansh, Naam, Daddy, Awargi, Zakhm, Tamanna, Jism, Raaz and Zaher etc. The degree of their genre deviates to a greater extent. After Jannat’s success they bring Emraan Hashmi again in Jannat 2 and kudos to their choice for doing so.

Read More at Tribune

Jannat 2 has a simple plot. Sonu Dilli aka KKC (Emraan Hashmi) is involved in arms trafficking along with his friend named Balli (Zeshan Ayub). ACP Pratap (Randeep Hoda) lost his wife in an accident and since then his mission revolves around eradicating the illegal use of arms and ammunitions. Pratap uses and manipulates Sonu Dilli to work for him so that he can crackdown the head dealers of arms trafficking. Sonu on the other hand falls in love with Jhanvi (Esha Gupta) who wants to live a simple life that must be free from illegality. Things turn around when Sonu comes to know (After marrying Jhanvi) that her father is the person who is the head of arms trafficking, Mangal Singh Tomar (Manish Chaudhry). Now Sonu has to decide to still help Pratap, stay loyal to Mangal Singh or leave the country with his love – Jhanvi.

As far as the performances are concerned every actor in the movie excels and shines. Emraan Hashmi is a fine actor and there is no second opinion to that as he always surprises his viewers in one way or the other. In this particular movie he is extremely different both in terms of performance and the way he speaks, his very first scene/dialogue will let you feel the difference and you will love his character. This is one of his finest performances, undeniably. Randeep Hoda is a talent that has never been tapped properly and this is the reason why this amazing actor has so few films in his sleeves. The actor who started his career back in 2001 with Monsoon wedding has only performed in 10 movies (including this one). The interesting thing is that he performed the roles of a cop in “D”, “Risk”, “Once Upon A time in Mumbai” and “Jannat 2” and he is such a blessed actor that all his performances are distinctive from one another. In Jannat 2 Randeep Hoda performs a role that is very complicated, not many actors in the industry can perform such roles, he at one end is evil and cold blooded, on the other hand he has a soft heart as well and last but not the least he is over-shadowed by his past. A brilliant performance in every scene in which he appears on the screen. Watch out his wrath, shock and helplessness in the climax when he calls out “Emergency”.

Esha Gupta is good, as a debutante she performs really fine. Manish Chaudhry is also a surprise to watch. In his last movie “Blood Money” he performed a role of sophisticated villain whereas in Jannat 2 he catches his audience with surprise. Zeshan Ayub in his 3^rd movie impresses remarkably, he is natural and very talented. Brijendra Kala, like always, justifies his performance. Kunal Deshmukh (Director) and Sanjay Masoom (Dialogue) have the ability to produce magic on screen. Music is good, not excellent.

To many people Jannat 2 can be an action flick but in reality it is a well made movie with all the ingredients (including friendship, sacrifice, love, thrill, action and drama) in right quantity and very well executed. The end of the movie is very practical and very different as compared to other movies.

In short Jannat 2 is an amazing experience for those who enjoy great script, flawless performances, interesting action and “True Bollywood Cinema”. A Must watch!

Rating 8/10

VICKY DONOR – The sperm that produces a “Laugh”

Tribune

With the passage of time audience have seen that the cinema has changed. I would call it a 360 degree change. There were times when action flicks used to be the talk of the town. There used to be an angry young man beating up the goons either for the sake of vengeance or for proving his macho character. Then there were times when love stories were liked by budding lovers and college sweet-hearts, those movies used to have some great music compositions which were instantly liked and loved by the listeners (of that time). Now weird (for some people) and interesting (for other viewers) movies are made. At some circles slapstick comedies are encouraged and on the other hand people are also appreciating thought provoking cinema. This particular movie, “Vicky Donor” is a combination of both.

The movie might not get success, on the basis of its topic, screenplay and concept, if it would have been released in 90’s or even in 2000’s. Audience is much more ready to accept things nowadays. The movie is tale of a Punjabi boy named Vicky Arora (Ayushman) whose great grandfather had 19 children. This story also revolves around a (not so successful) middle aged Doctor Baldev Chadda (Annu Kapoor) who specializes in infertility operations and he runs a fertility clinic and looking for a sperm donor. Last but not the least, this movie also revolves around the love of a Punjabi guy with a Bengali girl Ashima Roy (Yaami Gautam) and their trust and understanding.

The theme of the movie is really interesting yet controversial, for some. Dr. Chadda convinces Vicky to donate his sperm so that he can give happiness to those parents who are not blessed with their biological kids. For this he quotes some factual yet hilarious examples to Vicky, regarding Mahabhaarat’s time. Finally Dr. Chadda convinces Vicky and he starts to donate sperms. The sequence between Annu Kapoor (as Dr. Chadda) and Ayushmaan (as Vicky) are amazingly hilarious and here definitely Annu Kapoor being a veteran actor takes the audience to the heights of laughter. It is not easy to share the screen with Annu Kapoor but Ayushmaan makes his presence noticed strongly. They both complement each other in almost every scene be it be dramatic or funny. Those who know the roles portrayed by Annu Kapoor in his career will never doubt that he has a caliber that is not shared by many actors. Be it his “Gali Gali Chor hai” or “7 Khoon Maaf” both roles portrays huge contrast. For those who really want to see his amazing performance must watch “Ek Ruka hua faisla” (21 years old young Annu Kapoor portraying a 59 years old lawyer).

On the other hand (the debutant) Ayushman is also full of surprises. He performs extremely nice as a funky, easy going and smartass boy at one place, whereas he astonishes audience in climax (I don’t want to spoil the experience – watch it yourself). Be it a serious thing or comical the young talent has the potential to get noticed. Yaami Gautam is a well known name of Indian TV Channels but she debuts in this movie and guys will love her charms and sweetness. She does not portray an “Oh So Sexy” role but even then am sure guys will smile after watching her and noticing her simplicity. She can go a long way provided she chooses right roles.

There are other characters that shine in this movie, including, Vicky’s mom (Dolly Ahluwalia) and grand mom (Kamlesh Gill). Jayanta Das, portraying the father of Yaami Gautam, excels brilliantly.

On the whole, John Abraham has managed to produce a great piece of funny and witty cinema. The movie shares a nice plot line, if we can save a dying man by donating our blood, why can’t we grant our sperms to grant a whole life to someone who does not even exists in the world. The good things about this movie are that it has freshness, good humor, some great performances and a nice handling. Only drawback – it lacks star power (which these days is a must for many movie goers).

Music is average, dialogues are hilarious and direction is promising.

Rating 7/10