Friday 31 May 2013

My review Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Sundar Dukaan Average Pakwaan

Director : Ayan Mukerji

Starring :  Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Kalki Koechlin, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Farooq Shaikh



Was waiting for this film for 2 reasons, Ranbir Kapoor's next after Barfi! and Ayan Mukerji's next after Wake Up Sid. The crowd watching it was mainly college kids and older ladies. The house was full barring the first 2 rows. Perfect time for a rom-com considering exams are over.

The story is of 4 young friends, who spend the most memorable time of their lives trekking in Manali. We all remember the fun we had when we were young, with our motley group of friends. Bunny (Ranbir) is the charmer, the flirt, the one who keeps mouthing one funny line after the other, Naina (Deepika) is the studious one, with glasses to re-confirm that, Aditi (Kalki) is the tomboy with a fiery mouth, defying her petite stature and Avi (Aditya Roy Kapoor) is the trustworthy, loyal friend, but a bit of a loser who finds great company in a bottle. Then they grow up, well no rocket science there, we all do. Their lives take different routes, where Bunny gets a chance to live his dream of travelling the world when he gets a scholarship to go study in the US and then work as part of a travel show. By the time he returns to attend the big fat Udaipur wedding of Aditi, 8 years have passed. Naina who had fallen in love with him only to see him leave the country before she could even say the words is there, so is Avi, who now holds a big grudge against Bunny for not keeping in touch and forgetting his friends. Will Bunny be able to find his friendships back and will love find its way to his badtameez dil is what this film will tell you as it gains momentum in the final half hour.



The minus point of the film is the story, or rather the lack of it. You know exactly how it all will unfold. Now there is no problem there, a love story is a love story, specially in Bollywood, boy meets girl, they spar, they fall in love. Happens all the time. But the films that tell this uniquely are the ones that stand apart. This one doesn't. It opens threads in theme, which it doesn't fully explore. The father son relationship, which was also the prominent layer in Wake Up Sid, returns here, but is not given its due. The conventional parents, and an over-burdened medical student (Naina), another theme, touched and then let go...

For me this is the weakest character Ranbir has ever played. It is so sketchy that even his excellent dance moves and adorable good looks can not salvage.

I was expecting much more depth in Ayan's second outing, because Wake Up Sid went to tough spaces for a debut director, the characters went beyond cliche.

Having said that, Ranbir is in great form, its so easy to love him on screen. Deepika is gorgeous, a bit predictable in the expression department, but she shares great chemistry with ex lover Ranbir. The surprise package is Kalki Koechlin. I have a feeling she is just playing herself, fun, impulsive and adorable. Looking forward to more of this Kalki. Aditya Roy Kapoor is decent and plays his part with ease. Farooq Shaikh, he is so good, subtle and spot on in his role as Ranbir's father, a pleasure to watch. So is Dolly Ahluwalia as Naina's mother, who has such a small role yet you will remember her scenes clearly.

The length of the film is another downer. It just goes on and on. even if I admire films where pace is not hurried because you are setting up chemistry and characters, this one has too many songs, too many set-ups and a tale that relies heavily on all scenes seen before.

Pritam's music is excellent though, thank god for that, because every now and then the film goes into a song. The choreography, the sets, the look, top notch. Manikandan's camera work is butter smooth. Money has been spent, and you can see the Karan Johar stamp on the film very clearly. And if you are wondering, yes there are homosexual references, with Aditya Roy Kapoor teasing Kalki that she is a lesbian.

There are definitely some nice moments, specially in the last few minutes, including a heartwarming and tear inducing one between Ranbir and Farooq Shaikh.

There are certain elements in the film that will make sure it does good business and touches the chord with both youngsters and elderly. We all have friends, and we all miss the days gone by, and then the ultimate power of love.

It is definitely worth one watch.

My rating 2.5/5

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Lootera Ankahee Video Song (Official) | Ranveer Singh, Sonakshi Sinha

Lootera directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, is giving me mixed signals. Yet to warm up entirely to the film.

Same goes for this song. Music by Amit Trivedi , written and sung by Amitabh Bhattacharya.

It might grow on me after a few hearings.

Enjoy!


Friday 24 May 2013

Ghanchakkar Jholu Ram Song video Altaf Raja. Emraan Hashmi Vidya Balan

Liking this movie with every new trailer, song.

This song sees the return of the epic Altaf Raja. A really fun video.

Enjoy!

Thursday 23 May 2013

D-Day - Official Trailer | Rishi Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Irrfan Khan, Huma Qureshi

Nikhil Advani returns after a few hits and misses with D-Day.

Rishi Kapoor plays a character clearly based on Dawood Ibrahim, and the film boasts of an ensemble of Irrfan Khan, Arjun Rampal, Huma Qureshi, Shruti Hassan and Chandan Roy Sanyal.

The trailer is looking interesting, and with the subject so volatile, one can hope this film has what it takes to deliver an engaging thriller.

Enjoy.


Tuesday 21 May 2013

Latest Trailer White House Down Jamie Foxx Channing Tatum

From the director of Godzilla, Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow Roland Emmerich comes another "America under attack" film.

This time its the American President who is under siege, it s White House Down.

Lot of action for the lovers of the genres.

Enjoy!


Wednesday 15 May 2013

Ghagra Song Video Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Madhuri Dixit Ranbir Kapoor

Seems like a perfect gift for Madhuri on her birthday. She is looking lovely and seems to be having a ball dancing with Ranbir.

Enjoy!


Friday 3 May 2013

Bombay Talkies Cheers to Another 100

Directors  Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap

Starring    Rani Mukerji, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Randeep Hooda, Ranvir Shorey, Amitabh Bachchan, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Saqib Saleem, Vineet Singh, Sudhir Pandey.





To commemorate the 100 years of Indian Cinema, comes this film, which has 4 stories, directed by 4 eminent directors of our times. I was expecting a lot from this quartet and I must say barring 1, I was not disappointed.

The theme is Bombay (not Mumbai) and its umbilical connection to cinema (read Bollywood). But more than that, it is a ode to different styles of film making that co-exist in our cinema, and for that I clap loudly, and whistle unabashedly.

The first story is by Karan Johar "Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Ye".

It is the boldest, definitely Kjo's earnest attempt at coming out of his own mould. He tries to deal with the hitherto non-existent characters of realistic Gay people and relationships, without making a caricature out of them or using them for comic relief. Remember Dostana?

Rani Mukerji is a glamorous editor of a tabloid dealing mainly with Bolly gossip who is married to Randeep Hooda, a news anchor of repute. In walks an Intern, Saqib, who is gay and is out of the closet. Their lives change forever with his entry into their lives. The underlying tension between Randeep and Saqib leads to revelations and upheavals in the monotonous lives of the husband and wife. Rani is brilliant in her portrayal of a much married wife who blames herself for the placid sex life, and hides behind bright make up and sexy cleavage revealing blouses. The scene in the end where she breaks down, only an actress with supreme self confidence can deliver. Randeep is ok, as an in the closet married gay. Yes, that is what you will get to see, our first mainstream gay love story. But for me it struck a false note right in the beginning, and set the tone for me, where you can see Karan trying too hard to come out of his comfort zone. Dialogues like "Gale main Mangalsutra, aankhon main Kamasutra" may be sassy, but spoken as opening lines of an Intern to his senior, well I don't buy.

Next up you are treated to a brilliantly directed piece by Dibakar "Star".

Give this guy a good story, in this case, the story is by the master, Satyajit Ray "Patol Babu - Film Star". Supported by a brilliant performance by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and a bravo, goose bump inducing act by Sadashiv Amrapurkar. This story deals with an average middle aged man struggling to make ends meet, who once was theater actor son of a legendary natya samrat in interior Maharashtra, and his brush with Bollywood. This story keeps you hooked from the first frame to the last as the camera zooms out and shows the Bombay of chawls and dreams.

Now coming to Zoya Akhtar's story"Sheila Ki Jawani".

Once I got over the shock that it has borrowed a lot from Libero, an Italian film I had seen just a couple of days back, I sat back and let myself be mesmerized by Naman Jain. The story is of a young Katrina worshiping boy, who hates football and loves to dress up in all things girly. His father is a strict, middle class man, trying to keep up with the rising expenses of the city. The boy is slapped hard by the father when he is all made up, mother's lipstick and all and is dancing to an item song. His fairy Katrina visits him and tells him some dreams are to be kept as a secret, because not everyone understands our dreams. How he uses his dream to fulfill the one of his sister's is the touching story. Again breaking stereotypes, and delving into a totally alien theme in our mainstream cinema, Sheila Ki Jawani is a big feather in Zoya's cap. And Naman Jain, his dance moves are totally endearing and such fun.

The last story is "Murabba" by Anurag Kashyap

It is the story of Vijay (Vineet Singh) from Mutthiganj Allahabad, whose father has entrusted him with the task of taking one last Murabba that his mother has made to Bombay and make sure Amitabh Bachchan, the god of the film loving masses takes a bite of. A dream of many, meeting Amitabh Bachchan, lived by a rare few. Will he be able to fulfill this dream, and save his father, who believes eating the Murabba which Mr. Bachchan has tasted will give him a fresh lease of life, is what this film deals with. As expected there are many a nuanced moments, of Sudhir Pandey (playing the father) recalling how Dilip Kumar had tasted honey which he had taken to Bombay on his father's insistence, to the interaction between Vijay and the AB duplicate also named... well, Vijay and the scene between the guard and Vineet. Over all it is an extension of Anurag's brand of film making. Full of humor built in dramatic situations and capturing the inbuilt ironies of Bombay. There are a few moments where you wonder "aingg?" but over all you stay engaged. Vineet is excellent and I enjoyed watching Sudhir Pandey on the big screen after a long time. And of course, Mr Bachchan, who makes a brief appearance, yet made the theater break into taalis.

So over all , a satisfying experience, and a film I can easily watch once more and absorb some more of the magic cinema brings to our lives. In the end I clapped like most of the people in the theater, and quietly doffed my invisible hat to our cinema, and wished it Happy 100th Birthday.

For me in the order of my liking 1) Hero 2) Sheila Ki Jawani 3) Murabba 4) Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Ye

GO WATCH!

Rating 4/5