14.10.11 / Bollywood / Author: timepasss / Comments: (0)
Never has the youth movie genre been so dynamic and so full of zip in Bollywood. The year 2011 has witnessed a number of youth movies making an impact at the
domestic box-office. What sets MUJHSE FRAAANDSHIP KAROGE apart from similar genre films is the fact that not only is the writing edgy and intelligent, but it
also introduces us to young actors who can hold our interest for those 1.40 hours.
Come to think of it, most romantic films are so conventional and banal. Even the interesting ones, generally, follow the tried and tested path, but we take
to them if the journey to the destination is exciting. Otherwise, charm and humor are difficult things to capture on celluloid, which explains why most
romantic films turn into an ordeal of sorts. That’s precisely why a film like MUJHSE FRAAANDSHIP KAROGE appeals. First and foremost, it’s set against the
backdrop of a social networking site [Facebook], which makes it very contemporary, a film of today.
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If Rahul [Nishant Dahiya], the rockstar, has got the voice and the looks, Vishal [Saqib Saleem], the writer, has the brains. If Malvika [Tara D'Souza], the
fashion design student, can get heads turning with just her looks, Preity [Saba Azad], the photographer, can say a million things with her pretty pictures.
‘Liking’ someone on Facebook is a lot easier. And when you can’t make it on your own, the best thing to do is to fake it. So, Vishal becomes Rahul and Preity
becomes Malvika by taking their identities online and they start fraaandshipping each other. But, the question remains, how long can you fake true love?
Little do they know that the person they totally hate in real life is the same person they’ve fallen in love with online.
Director Nupur Asthana, who has several cult shows to her credit, helms this youth film with dexterity. What keeps the momentum going, despite the fact that
it tends to get predictable at times, is the dialogue and the chemistry of its central characters. In fact, one of the most refreshing things about MUJHSE
FRAAANDSHIP KAROGE is the lingo that the youngsters speak. The dialogue are sharp and smart, something that you expect from a youth movie.
Unlike most love stories that get melodramatic and sentimental after a point, this one does the balancing act well. In fact, though there are moments when
the lovers have the usual tiffs and misunderstanding, Nupur ensures that she doesn’t go overboard, which is the best part of the enterprise. The only problem
is that the film dips slightly in the second hour, when things tend to get a bit monotonous. The climax, though foreseeable, is beautifully handled
nonetheless.
Raghu Dixit’s music is appropriate to the film. It is youthful, energetic, eclectic and infectious. Besides, the songs are seamlessly integrated in the
narrative.
No one in this movie is a big star, but everyone is a proficient actor. The show stopper is Saqib Saleem, who, in my opinion, is the find of the year [so
far]. Brimming with energy and a complete delight in front of the camera, Saqib is instrumental in making this journey enjoyable. Nishant Dahiya has the
looks and the persona and also does what’s required from him. But this is not a role that will make people sit and notice his talent. His good looks will win
him fans, for sure. Saba Azad is truly wonderful. A complete natural, she takes to the character like a fish takes to water. Tara D’Souza looks stunning and
handles her part well. Prabal is first-rate.
On the whole, MUJHSE FRAAANDSHIP KAROGE is engaging, funny, brimming with style and wit. It’s for the youth and the young at heart. Go for it!
14.10.11 / Bollywood / Author: timepasss / Comments: (0)
We rarely come up with small-town stories. That’s because presenting the urban lifestyle has become a norm. Another reason could be the Indian diaspora/NRI audience doesn’t relate to small-town stories. The NRI audience contributes a big chunk of revenue and film-makers are keen on tapping the income generated from international shores. JO DOOBA SO PAAR, directed by Praveen Kumar, makes you travel to the bylanes of a town in Bihar that is populated with a bunch of engaging characters.
While the director has an interesting plot on hand, it’s the screenplay that lets him down. The end result is that JO DOOBA SO PAAR is heart-felt and intermittently enjoyable, but not delightful in totality.
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Kishu [Anand Tiwari] is kicked out of school. He assists his father [Dadhi Pandey] on the truck. One fine day, he spots an American girl, Sapna [Sita Ragione Spada], who has come to Bihar for research. Kishu falls in love with her, not knowing what her true feelings are. Kishu is crestfallen when her American boyfriend [Alexx O'Neil] comes visiting. The story takes a turn when Sapna gets kidnapped.
First things first! First-time director Praveen Kumar needs to be lauded for choosing an attention-grabbing story. His intent is earnest, but the screenplay, soon after the American girl is kidnapped, gets formulaic. The portions — how Kishu and his friends bust the kidnap drama — looks farcical. One wonders what prompted the director to take the easy route, when he was walking a new path all the while. Also, the film could’ve done without a couple of songs.
Most of the burden lies on Anand Tiwari’s able shoulders and I wish to add that he delivers a sincere and genuine performance. Rajat Kapoor is perfect, while Vinay Pathak suffers due to a half-baked character. The love story between Vinay and Sadia Siddiqui doesn’t work. Sita Ragione Spada makes a fine effort. Pitobash is cast in an inconsequential role. Dadhi Pandey is first-rate. Alexx O’Neil is passable.
On the whole, JO DOOBA SO PAAR is a strictly okay fare, with some endearing moments and some not-too-charming ones.
14.10.11 / Bollywood / Author: timepasss / Comments: (0)
While Bollywood is fanatical about mega-budgets, top stars and international locales, Nagesh Kukunoor, by and large, looks the other way. Low costs, absence of big stars, sleepy and secluded locations [except 8 x 10 TASVEER and BOMBAY TO BANGKOK]… Kukunoor has made movies that may not really boast of gargantuan budgets, but have stories that linger in your memory. You expect MOD, his new outing, to live up to the expectations as well. MOD sprints energetically initially, but runs out of breath as it reaches the finale.
In one of my earlier interviews, Kukunoor had stated very categorically that he would never attempt a love story. He contradicts himself this time, for MOD is a love story and if that’s not enough, it’s an official remake of a Taiwanese film CHEN SHUI DE QING CHUN aka KEEPING WATCH. A love story is no safe bet. Bollywood is known for churning out prem kahanis or teeny bopper romances with amazing regularity, but the challenge lies in breaking the clutter and telling a tale that’s dew-fresh and heart-warming.
MOD is an emotional love story of two completely mismatched people — a genre Kukunoor has never tackled earlier. In fact, in his earlier movies, love was a part of the main plot, but it’s the central theme this time. MOD boasts of an interesting idea and even Kukunoor’s mature handling of the material needs to be lauded, but the film suffers for two reasons — it unfolds at a sluggish/lethargic pace and is prolonged.
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Let’s get specific. The concept of the film is interesting, but once the cat is out of the bag vis-a-vis the identity of Rannvijay, you expect Kukunoor to take the story to its destination pronto. The journey to the culmination is erratic in this case. The track of Rannvijay’s parents and also the sequences that lead to the final moments seem elongated for no compelling reason. These portions don’t involve you and that is MOD’s biggest undoing!
Aranya [Ayesha Takia Azmi] lives in the sleepy and idyllic hill station, Ganga. One day, a stranger, Andy [Rannvijay], lands up at her watch repair store to have his watch fixed. He is painfully shy, but keeps returning day after day to have his water-logged watch repaired. As payment, he leaves a 100 rupee note in the form of a swan. Aranya slowly warms up to this quirky stranger and through a series of meetings, they fall in love. But who is Andy? And what is his past?
Kukunoor has mastered the art of telling a story adroitly and his choice of the subject is also appropriate. For an average viewer, the identity of Rannvijay does come as a surprise, but MOD leaves you with mixed feelings. Certain sequences are delightful, but awfully extended. Some parts could have just been left out on the editing table. Some sequences don’t add much value to the goings on and end up disrupting the flow of this movie.
Cinematography [Chirantas Das] is truly eye-filling. The locations are mesmeric. The songs [Tapas Relia] are a deterrent and the fact that the music hasn’t caught on makes it worse.
Ayesha Takia Azmi sparkles yet again in MOD. A truly wonderful performance! Contrary to his image, Rannvijay is cast as a sweet, quirky, sensitive, geeky guy here. And not just the character, but also his performance takes you by surprise. He nails it right this time. Raghubir Yadav is, as always, dependable. Tanvi Azmi shines as well. Anant Mahadevan is first-rate. Rushad Rana does well. Nikhil Ratnaparkhi excels. Prateeksha Lonkar appears in a cameo.
On the whole, MOD appeals in bits and spurts. That’s about it!
14.10.11 / Bollywood / Author: timepasss / Comments: (0)
Bioterrorism is amongst the most burning and disconcerting issues today. The perils of biological warfare — also known as germ warfare — just cannot be disregarded and what makes it even more hazardous is the fact that a lot of countries remain vulnerable to it.
AAZAAN undertakes a grave issue, a theme that has never been depicted on the Hindi screen earlier. Besides, director Prashant Chadha attempts to narrate the story in a style that’s reminiscent of the BOURNE series. An espionage thriller that travels various continents. But AAZAAN, despite the right intent, doesn’t come across as a compelling, assertive experience. What should’ve been fear-provoking and also emotionally enveloping, since Aazaan Khan shares poignant moments with the people he loves [brother Aman and sweetheart Afreen], doesn’t register the desired impact.
Let’s get to the root. Chadha had solid material to play with [story: Shubhra Swarup, Heeraz Marfatia, Prashant Chadha], which, perhaps, can trigger off debates and discussions, but a patchy screenplay [Shubhra Swarup] acts as a dampener. Bioterrorism is a new-fangled topic for Indian moviegoers and therefore, the team should’ve undertaken an additional effort to coherently explain the issue to the spectator. The narrative is complicated and difficult to decipher. Also, since the story moves from one location to another, it leads to puzzlement after a point. Furthermore, when you play on a realistic fear, you cannot afford to have too many cinematic liberties in the narrative.
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On the brighter side, AAZAAN is embellished with a harmonious musical score [Salim-Sulaiman]. The background score, also composed by the maestros, is electrifying. In addition, the stunts, chases and combat sequences are spectacular. Also, since the film has been filmed across continents, it boasts of some stunning and dazzling visuals [DoP: Axel Fischere]. To cut a long story short, AAZAAN comes across as an assemblage of several well executed sequences, but the sheen and shimmer cannot surrogate for a spellbinding screenplay.
Aazaan [Sachiin Joshi], half Afghan, half Indian gets drawn into the murky world of espionage, only to find his younger brother, Aman [Neet Mohan], a suspected terrorist. As Aazaan infiltrates deeper, he has no clue of the price he might have to pay for it. Aazaan stands in the way of Doctor’s [Sajid Hassan] plans to destroy India. All he has on his side is the love of a brother and the love for his country.
A thriller works only if it’s got that nail-biting edge-of-the-seat quality. That’s where AAZAAN stumbles. What you carry home are a few moments, which aren’t enough. The piece de resistence is undoubtedly that car chase and the subsequent crash in the pre-climax. The conclusion, though well filmed, appears like a rushed job and also seems implausible.
Sachiin Joshi has screen presence, excels in action sequences, but would help him a lot if he works on his dialogue delivery. Ravi Kissen is competent. Dalip Tahil is wasted and so is well-known Pakistani actor Sajid Hassan. Alyy Khan manages to keep your interest alive. Vijayendra Ghatge is serviceable. Aarya Babbar suffers due to a half-baked character. Candice Boucher looks gorgeous, but gets no scope to act. Samy Gharbi and Neet Mohan fit their parts well. Sarita Choudhury gets it right. Sachin Khedekar appears in a cameo.
On the whole, AAZAAN boasts of a novel theme [Bioterrorism] and superb action scenes/stunts/chases is its biggest USP. But the film could’ve done with a taut script. Nonetheless, AAZAAN should find some flavor with lovers of action movies.
14.10.11 / Bollywood / Author: timepasss / Comments: (0)
“Don ko pakadna mushqil hi nahin namumkin hai…”
The lines that Shah Rukh Khan threw at his adversaries in Farhan Akhtar’s Don went on to become far more popular than the superstar or director Farhan Akhar ever imagined.
And now just when the sequel is around the corner, Farhan and his producer-partner Ritesh Sidhwani have hit on a novel method to popularize ‘Don’ Shah Rukh Khan’s quips and homilies.
Entitled ‘Don Says…’, the series of one-liners spoken on screen by the film’s steely-nerved edgy-mouthed hero will be out one after another every Friday for 11 weeks from October 14 till the release date of Don 2 on December 23. One Don-gyan every week for the famished junta to chew on.
Explaining the smart-alecky strategy, Farhan says, “We’re releasing the Don quips in a series called ‘Don Says…’ one after another, one every week from this Friday. These quips will be put out on every media from print to television to web to cell phones.”
This Don-gyan gambit was seen as a smart marketing move in the light of the popularity Shah Rukh’s quips gained after the first Don film in 2006.
Says Farhan, “Don is remembered for his sharp witty dialogue. We thought it would be a nice re-introduction for the character in the audiences’ mind if we published the Don quips as sayings. We’re putting out Don’s philosophy, in a manner of speaking. They are reflective of his tongue-in-cheek attitude towards his friends and foes alike.”
Yup, we like.
The eventual idea behind the ‘Don Says…’ strategy is to put all of the gangster’s gyan into a book form.
