Phobia~ It's all in the mind or not!

Release date- 27th May 2016

One Word which describes the film- Enthralling

Best Dialogue- 'Wahan ghar ke bahar jane mai dar lagta tha, Yahan ghar ke andar dar lagta hai.'

Genre- Psychological Thriller

Music-Daniel George, 
Background Score: Karan Gaur

Producer- Sunil Lulla, Viki Rajani

Story- Pavan Kirpalani, Pooja Ladha Surti, Arun Sukumar

Direction-Pawan Kripalani

Cast-Radhika Apte, Satyadeep Mishra, Ankur Vikal, Yashaswani Dayama

Budget- 7-8 Crores approximately including P & A

Mehak, an artist, meets with an unfortunate mishap that traumatizes her and she develops agoraphobia, a phobia where the individual is paranoid about being in public places.
It's a gripping and intriguing thriller that succeeds to captivate the audiences, thanks to a well written screenplay, competent direction and excellent acting by Radhika Apte.
The director has created a good balance between fear, humor and drama. Just when you think the plot is getting eerie, a new character enters the plot and you get time to take a deep breath and relax. There are no loose ends in the story and by the climax the director successfully manages to inter link all the scenes.
This is surely Radhika's best performance till date. Her character has different shades and she manages to transform from one shade to another with great ease.
The best thing about the film is that just when you think you have figured it all, there is a sudden twist, followed by more thrill and drama. It's mostly shot in a flat but by using different camera angles the director has made the most of the limited locations.
The background score helps in  heightening the mystery and fear.

In a line, with an interesting plot, unpredictable twists and turns and a climax that sums up the full story, the film provides enough thrill to keep you rooted to your seats.

Good one time watch for those who love this genre.

Waiting ~ Changing Definition of Love

Release date- 27th May 2016

One word which describes the film- 'Coming to terms with'

Best Dialogue- 
Kalki- 'I have 5680 followers on Twitter and when I need someone, how many people are with me, ZERO.'
Naseer-'What is Twitter?'

Genre- Drama/ Comedy

Music-Mikey McCleary

Producer- Priti Gupta, Manish Mundra

Story- Anu Menon, James Ruzicka, Atika Chohan

Direction-Anu Menon

Cast- Naseeruddin Shah, Kalki Koechlin, Rajat Kapoor

Budget- 6 Crores approximately including P & A

All of us who have read Erich Segal's, 'Love Story' must remember this phrase, 'Love means never having to say you're sorry'. But what if you have to and don't get the chance to say Sorry?
This film is about two people finding solace in each other's company while waiting for their spouses to recover. Though the full film is shot in or around the waiting room of a hospital, it's not at all about sickness or misery. It's about how two people, poles apart from each other, influence each other and help the other to fight grief.
Kalki is The Pretty Young thing, who is popular on Facebook and Twitter, uses F words in every sentence and is closer to her friends than family. She gets a reality check when she is all alone at the most difficult time of her life.
Naseeruddin Shah is the retired professor whose wife is his only family. He is ready to save her life at any cost.
There are small incidents in the film through which the director has tried to show how lives of people change when they start sharing their inner fears and thoughts with others.
Like Naseeruddin Shah in the start of the film is shown wide awake even before his clock alarm rings. Then in the next scene when he is a bit relaxed, he sleeps peacefully and is woken up by the alarm. Later, when he is troubled by uncertainty, he is nervously sitting on his bedside when the alarm goes off.
Both the characters enrich each other with their lifestyle. First we see Kalki trying to explain to the old professor what Twitter is. She says it's like a notice board where we post our thoughts and then others comment on it, with the final goal of increasing followers. A puzzled professor asks her, what's the purpose of it?
Then later Kalki asks him how he is so cool about the situation and he explains to her how their whole condition can be divided into five phases of denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance and when you reach the last phase of the situation you become 'Zen'.
He teaches an atheist Kalki how faith is a good coping device and just changing sides once in a while can be good for one's peace of mind.
Once Kalki confesses that,'I just realised that in a country of 1 billion, you are the only one who gets me and you don't know what 'Twitter' is. 

So what is 'lovely' for the old professor is 'hot' for the young girl. Though by the end even Kalki is surprised when the shy professor uses the 'F' word.
Apart from the bond the two central characters develop with each other, the film also deals with Doctor-patient relationships, and how the patient's family members start questioning the doctor's decisions when they are not in sync with their expectations. 
Rajat Kapoor, the doctor in charge of taking final decisions, is sometimes calm and sometimes in anger when he tries to make the family members explain that his job is to take the best decision for his patients. He is very endearing when he trains a junior doctor on how to impart news to the patient's family members.
There are so many similar moments in the film which make it such a refreshing and delightful watch.
In a line, the film explores the different levels of human relations in such a simple way that at places we identify ourselves with the central characters.
If you believe in love and relationships then you must watch this film. Good one time watch.  

Sarbjit~ Not another 'Shawshank Redemption'

Release date- 20th May 2016

One Word which describes the film- Woeful

Best Dialogue- 'Marne dete nahi, aur zindagi cheen lete hai.' 

Genre- Biography/ Drama

Music- Jeet Gannguli, Amaal Mallik, Tanishk Bagchi

Producer- Vashu Bhagnani, Bhushan Kumar, Sandeep Singh, Omung Kumar

Story- Utkarshini Vashishtha, Rajesh Beri

Direction-Omung Kumar

Cast- Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Randeep Hooda, Richa Chadha, Darshan Kumaar

Budget- 25 Crores approximately

The only other prison film I have seen except Sarbjit is 'The Shawshank Redemption' which had this byline ,'Fear can hold you prisoner, hope can set you free', so while watching the film I was unconsciously comparing the former with the latter.
As such both the films are entirely different, whereas one film is about hope and justice, other is about how the life of the protagonist and his family members change because of his one act of carelessness. 
Sarbjit Singh gets arrested by Pakistani army for crossing the border unknowingly. He is tortured in the Pakistani jail for months until he accepts that he is Ranjit Singh Mattu who was the main culprit behind the Lahore bomb blasts.
Randeep Hooda has given such a stellar performance that when he comes on screen your heart goes out to him. The atrocities he faces in the prison look so real that you will cry for him. He has shed all body mass and in some scenes it actually looks as if he starved himself for weeks to get into the character. In the end he tells his lawyer,' hausla to kab ka khatam ho gaya hai, ab to bas jid bachi hai', we cringe at the kind of life these prisoners live in dark dungeons with no sense of time, where one day merges into another until weeks turn into years. 
Aishwarya Rai as Sarbjeet's sister gets even more screen space than him. Her life revolves around getting her brother out of prison. Aishwarya, I think is too pretty for her character. Even without much makeup, her beauty distracts us from the intensity she is trying to portray for the role. She tries but her act is no match for Randeep Hooda's performance.
Richa Chadha as the protagonist's wife has a small yet powerful role. She stays silent in most of the scenes, only near the end she says,'ladai to aapki hai, hamara to bas intezaar hai'. 
The film starts on a light note but in just 10 minutes the family is struck by misfortune and there is so much tragedy and pathos in every scene that by interval, everyone in the audience was in a state of silence .
After interval, the fight for justice continues without any hope or results.
The director successfully captures the painful lives of the different members of the family, it's just that the audiences feel more connected to Sarbjit, who gets much less screen space than other family members combined.
Music of the film is good. 'Salamat' sung by Arijit Singh and Tulsi Kumar can be heard on loop.
The film, like other Bollywood films released in last month got immense competition from 'X-Men: Apocalypse' and managed to collect just 16 Crores in 4 days which is way below par.

In a line, 'Justice delayed is justice denied' and like plea for Sarbjit's release was rejected by Pakistan  similarily the length of the film and focus on the protagonist's sister more than the protagonist, becomes the key factor of being the film rejected by the audiences.

Can be seen in theaters, if you can handle the pathos and pain.

AZHAR~ Emraan Hashmi's second innings.

Release date- 13th May 2016

One Word which describes the film- Optimistic

Best Dialogue- 'Sikka dono ka hota hai, heads ka bhi tails ka bhi, par waqt uska ata hai, jo palat kar upar ata hai.'

Genre- Biography/ Drama

Music- Amaal Mallik, Pritam

Producer- Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor

• Sony Pictures Networks

Writer- Rajat Aroraa

Direction- Tony D'Souza

Cast- Emraan Hashmi, Lara Dutta, Prachi Desai, Nargis Fakhri,  Kunaal Roy Kapur

Budget- 20 Crores approximately

The film starts with Emraan Hashmi telling the audience, 'Main Teen Cheezon Ke Liye Famous Hoon. Ek - Khuda Ko Maanta Hoon. Do Shaadi Hui Hai Meri. Aur Teen - Match Fix Karne Ka Ilzaam Hai Mujhpar. Main Azhar'.

When he says, 'Ek time pe India ka Captain tha, matlab India ka damaad tha', we know we are in for some great one-liners from the king of dialogues, Rajat Aroraa.

The film is shown from Azhar's point of view, how from being loved by the nation, he was shunned by everyone 'Ab Bhi Log Mujhe Dekhte Hain. Nazrae Wahi Hain, Nazariyaa Badal Gaya Hai.'

The story is simple, it's Emraan Hashmi, who with his brilliant portrayal of Azhar, assisted by powerful dialogues, makes the film worth watching. He has lost so much weight that in his clean shaven look, he actually looks like a 20s something, small town guy, with big hopes of making it into the Indian cricket team. Not only he copied his look, but also perfected his walk and the famous wrist shots.

Kunal Roy Kapoor, in a highly unrecognizable get-up, plays the role of Azhar's friend cum lawyer who believes in his innocence and works for years, to restore his honor.

Prachi Desai as the demure housewife and Nargis as the glamorous film-star are like chalk and cheese. Both of them have small yet significant roles which further add more dimension to the protagonist's character.

When Azhar says,'Woh Mera Ghar Thodna Nahin Chahti Thi, Aur Main Ghar Lautna Nahin Chahta Tha' and later, 'Maine use chhod to diya par kabhi chhod nahi paya' we understand that in life every relationship comes with a price.

Lara Dutta plays the role of a public-prosecuter who was once a big 'Azhar' fan. She tells her friend, 'Peeche abhi bhi bhaag rahe hai, bas wajah badal gayi hai.' She looks smart and confident and gets ample opportunity to leave an impact.

Apart from the main characters, other cricketers don't get any opportunity to rise and shine. Gautam Gulati as Ravi Shastri and Varun Badola as Kapil Dev disappoint.

Tony D'Souza, earlier known as Anthony D'Souza made his directorial debut with   Blue (2009') followed by Boss (2013). Azhar, is more believable than his last two ventures.

Both, Itni si baat' sung by Arijit Singh and 'Bol do na zara' sung by Armaan Malik are melodious and can be heard on loop.

The film collected approximately 21 Crores over the weekend, which is good, considering Emraan's last few films were completely rejected by the audiences.

    

In a line, despite the well played captain's innings in the film, people may not change their views about Azharuddin but Emran Hashmi successfully manages to leave an impact in his second innings as an actor.

Must watch for Emran Hashmi's fans and all those who love Rajat Aroraa's one liners.

Buddha In a Traffic Jam ~ Don't just love India, Be in love with India!

Release date- 13th May 2016

One Word which describes the film- Eye-opener

Best Dialogue- 'Guns have to be our minds and the ammunition are our thoughts.'

Genre- Political Drama

Music- Rohit Sharma

Producer-Suresh Chukapalli, Vivek Agnihotri, Sharad Patel

Story & Direction- Vivek Agnihotri

Cast- Anupam Kher, Arunoday Singh, Pallavi Joshi, Mahie Gill,
Anchal Dwivedi

Budget- 5 Crores approximately

Richard Buckminster Fuller, known for his comprehensive perspective on the problems of the world, said that, 'You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete'.

Buddha in a Traffic Jam is an autobiographical film based on it's writer & director Vivek Agnihotri's life. Based on true life incidents, the film delves into corruption, crony capitalism, socialism, campus politics, moral policing and explores the NGO-naxals-academia nexus. 
When asked about the relevance of the film's title, the director said,“When we did our research, we realised that the biggest problem in India is that we’re suffering from so many diversions from the main narrative and that’s when I realised that when the society was suffering, Buddha showed us the path. So if we need to become a strong country, if we wish to shine, we need thousands and millions of Buddhas who can fight the traffic jam.”

“It is a disturbing film, one that is political without a politician being shown. Be it at JNU or any institute, students want India to shine. They want the country to get rid of mediocrity and hypocrisy. The story shows how naxals take advantage of rebellious students, show them utopian dream and make them intellectual terrorists,” says Vivek.

Vikram Pandit is a management student who when told that, 'Corruption is like tonic' questions his professor  that, 'Don't you think it's time to change this tonic?'
He thinks that an army of incorruptible youth can fight the imperialists and bring them down. How his thoughts change and how he finds his way out of the traffic jam he gets stuck into, is what the film is about.

Though the film deals with serious issues, the story is told in a very interesting and entertaining way. There are episodes which will make you feel wistful and take you back to your college days. The film is pacy with each episode being inter-linked with the other. The two Indias, which the director has shown through the film are so much in contrast with each other that it will definitely make you think that can this gap between the rich and the poor pose a threat to our democracy?

When Pallavi Joshi says,'I'll trust you, because I don't have a choice in the matter', it shows how our society still tends to be a male-dominated one.

There are 4 songs which form a part of the narrative. 'Sarkar ki Duniya' is a folk song with rock undertones. 'Chand Roz', sung by Pallavi Joshi is a tribute to the legendary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz.

Despite being controversial, the film was cleared by the censor board without any cuts. It has been a part of many film festivals and won awards in many categories.

In a line, if the film is successful in motivating the youth to find their own ways in which they can bring about change, the very purpose of making the film will thus be fulfilled.

Must-watch. It's for 18+, so if you are over and above that age you must book your tickets now.   

One Night Stand~ It's not about Sunny Days or Nights!

Release date- 6th May 2016

One Word which describes the film- Unrefined

Best Dialogue- 'Zindagi ki yahi problem hai, galtiyan pal bhar mai ho jati hai aur saza saalon chalti hai.'

Genre- Drama

Music- Jeet Gannguli, Meet Bros, Tony Kakkar, Vivek Kar

Producer- Pradeep Sharma, Furquan Khan

Story-Bhavani Iyer

Direction-Jasmine Moses D'souza

Cast- Sunny Leone, Tanuj Virwani, Nyra Banerjee

Budget- 15 Crores approximately

Sunny Leone is one of the most searched Bollywood celebrity on the internet for obvious reasons. This film was also promoted as an erotic thriller with hot posters of Sunny Leone along with quotes to justify one night stands. The story is actually about how the life of a man changes after he starts thinking about a female with whom he had a one night stand. 

Sunny Leone has acted naturally in erotic scenes and item numbers but when she has to give other expressions she totally fails to deliver. Even her dialogue delivery leaves much scope for improvement. 
Tanuj Virwani has worked hard on his body and physique which shows every time he takes off his shirt. Despite what the promos say, he is the one who has exposed the most in the film. In scenes where he has to sulk, with his unkempt hair he looks like a thinner version of Arjun Kapoor. He has given a decent performance but with three straight flops in a row, he has to choose films with better content, if he wants to make a place for himself in the industry.
Nyra Banerjee, who has worked in three Kannada films, makes her Bollywood debut with this film. Though her role is as significant as the other two actors, she was not a part of any posters or promotional events. In the film there is a romantic number 'Ijazat' picturised on her and Tanuj but in promos even that song has clippings of Sunny Leone. She has worn skimpy clothes and looks attractive but in comparison to Sunny, she's like a candle in the wind.
There are two item songs, 'Ishq da Sutta' and 'Do peg maar aur bhool ja', where Sunny Leone gets ample opportunity to titillate the audience in bare minimum costumes.
The main problem of the film lies in it's story and screenplay. The film starts on the beautiful beaches of Phuket with flowing champagne and everyone content on having a good time. After interval all the characters appear to be hit by some tragedy and the total environment becomes tensed and gloomy.
Then randomly with just few dialogues the film ends without giving any insight on what happened to the characters. There is no continuity in the scenes and it looks like several scenes were randomly shot and then added together to increase the film's length.The writer, Bhavani Iyer has co-written screenplays of critically acclaimed films like Black (2005), Guzaarish (2010) and Lootera(2013) and maybe she wanted to write a film for Sunny where she can do more than just show her skin.
The release of the film was postponed many times but guess releasing it along with 'Captain America 3 -Civil War', was not a wise decision.The film collected less than 3 Crores over the weekend and may not even recover it's budget.
In a line, in an attempt to present the audience a cocktail of sleaze and substance, the makers couldn't do justice to either.
Avoidable. Highlights of the film can be seen in the song 'Le Chala' on You Tube which got more than 2 million views within a week of it's release.

Baaghi~ What Audiences Want!

Release date- 29th April 2016

One Word which describes the film- Action-packed

Best Dialogue- 'Baaghi bano. Be a rebel,
par kisi maksad ke liye.'

Genre- Action/ Romance

Music-Meet Bros, Amaal Mallik, Ankit Tiwari
Manj Musik

Producer-Sajid Nadiadwala

Story- Sanjeev Dutta, Based on Telugu film Varsham (2004)

Direction- Sabbir Khan

Cast- Tiger Shroff, Shraddha Kapoor, Sudheer Babu, Sunil Grover 

Budget- 35 Crores approximately

On 23rd May 2014, Tiger Shroff made his debut through Heropanti which was also directed by Sabbir Khan, produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, even the writer was the same and it was also a copy of a South Indian film. Despite being criticized for his unconventional looks and lack of expressions in intense scenes, Tiger Shroff was appreciated for his well chiseled and muscular body and a new action star was born.
Who can forget this cheesy dialogue which he repeats with utter confidence through out the film, 'Kya karu yaar, sabko aati nahi meri jati nahi'.

After two years the team gives us an exactly similar film, set in a different backdrop and it manages to earn 39 Crores in just 3 days.

So here's a key to decoding 'What the Audiences Want' from a film.

1. The story should be different yet be according to the Indian mindset of right and wrong.

(So the makers acquired rights of Telugu romance drama Varsham and then for inspiration saw The Raid: Redemption(2011),The Shaolin Temple (1982) & The Karate Kid(1984)

2. The heroine should be cute and love nature and be ready to dance like a peacock as soon as it rains.

3. Both the hero and heroine should laugh unnecessarily initially so that the audience gets to have an 'All is well' feeling.

4. There should be a comedian who cracks situational (read nonsensical) jokes whenever he enters the frame.

5. The heroine should expose but if she wears a bikini then it should cover more than it reveals, as obviously otherwise the film will be too 'Adult' for the family audience. Remember what happend to Shaandar (Alia in a miniscule fuschia bikini) or Bewakoofiyan (Sonam in an equally tiny pink bikini).

6. The hero while doing action scenes must rip off his shirt and show his well toned body and rippling muscles. The ultimate turn on for single screen's audience which you can gather from the whistles and claps.

7. The kiss should be just touching of the lips and not the 'Emran Hashmi' style because again 'family audience'.

8. After some deadly, bone-breaking action scene the hero must say some dialogue on a lighter note like, 'China ka maal tha, aur kitna chalta' which breaks the tension and the audience can again clap and cheer.

9. The villain must not be some slimy creep who acts like Prem Chopra but a good looking silent guy who becomes violent when he is rejected by the love of his life.

10. And last but not the least everything should fall in place by the end because we Indians love 'Happy Endings'. 

In a line nothing sells like an action-packed entertainer in India and this film is surely at par with all the Jackie Chan films one must have seen.

Time-pass. Can be seen for Tiger Shroff's action.