Judgementall Hai Kya

Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Rajkummar Rao, Amyra Dastur, Jimmy Sheirgill, Satish Kaushik, Brijendra Kala

Director: Prakash Kovelamudi

Story, Screenplay & Dialogues- Kanika Dhillon

Mental Hai Kya was renamed as Judgementall Hai Kya, after the Indian Psychiatric Society wrote a letter to the censor board to object against the film's posters and title.

The trailer of the film was quite intriguing and created enough curiosity in the mind of the viewers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BywLe4m2j2I

The story revolves around Bobby, played by Kangana Ranaut, who is diagnosed with acute psychosis. She suffers from mood swings and has trust issues. As the story progresses we come to know that she is delusional, has hallucinations and her condition gets worse if she forgets to take her medicines.

She works as a dubbing artist for South Indian films but thinks that she is good enough to be the heroine. Her manager is also her boyfriend but she uses him to get all household chores done. 

Rajkumar Rao plays the role of Kangana's neighbor. There is a twist in the story and both Kangana and Rajkumar Rao become murder suspects.

First half gives us a detailed insight into Kangana's character and few glimpses of Rajkumar Rao. After interval the story becomes inconsistent, new characters are added which don't make much sense. To add to the confusion, Bobby is asked to be a part of futuristic Ramayan, told from Sita's point of view. Bobby starts thinking that she is Sita and the voices in her head start telling her to punish the wrong doers.

The film starts as a comedy but soon turns into a murder mystery with the lead actors trying to frame the other for the murder.

Near the climax everything starts falling into place to give the viewers a happy ending.

Rajkumar Rao's character is poorly written and he never gets much opportunity to show his talent. Kangana Ranaut has given a decent performance but ends up looking melodramatic in few scenes.

The film was released in 2000 screens and despite good reviews from critics collected just 4.5 Crore on Friday. The film has a budget of 35 Crore and may end up as a loss making proposition for its makers.

In a line, Judgementall Hai Kya looks like a result of reading too many Sidney Sheldon novels and because of an inconsistent story line fails to entertain or thrill the audiences.

Avoidable. Can be seen if you are a die-hard Kangana Ranaut fan.

De De Pyaar De~ Lust, love and second chances

Director- Akiv Ali
Written and Produced by- Luv Ranjan
Cast-  Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Rakulpreet Singh, Jimmy Shergill, Javed Jaffrey

De De Pyaar De is an urban romantic comedy, written by Luv Ranjan and directed by Akiv Ali in his directorial debut.
The story is about a 50 year old London based financer, Ashish Mehra who abandoned his family 18 years ago. His peaceful middle-age life is threatened when he falls in love with a 26 year old Ayesha. 

Ajay Devgn tries to play his character with sincerity but because of his well toned body and packs he doesn't look like a "Buddha" or an "uncle". The first half shot in London deals with his falling in love and wooing Ayesha. There is no chemistry between Ajay and Rakulpreet because of which their love story looks shallow and overdramatic. All the scenes featuring Javed Jaffrey and Sunny Singh are hilarious and the first half could have been more entertaining if both these characters had full fledged roles instead of cameos.

Tabu makes her entry in the second half and instantly lights up the screen with her energy and flawless acting. She is the estranged wife who has singlehandedly raised her children for the last 18 years and also looked after her in-laws. She's the backbone of the family. 
The second half has a lot of plot twists and is entertaining.
Jimmy Shergill plays the role of Tabu's neighbour and admirer. His character is made to look like a caricature of himself as if women in their late 40s could not have admirers who are actually good looking and smart.

Songs are average and don't have any repeat value.

The trailer of the film was super entertaining and I was hoping for a better comedy but superficial emotions and melodrama slowed the pace of the film and it ends up as an average entertainer. 
http://bit.ly/DeDePyaarDe_Trailer 

The film was released in 3100 screens and despite no competition earned less than 10 Crore on Friday. The reviews are mixed so the film may find it difficult to reach the 100 Crore mark. In a line, the film is entertaining in parts and can be seen for Tabu.
Good one time watch. Time-pass.

Badla~ The Invisible Guest

Director- Sujoy Ghosh

Cast- Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Manav Kaul, Amrita Singh

Best Dialogues-
1. Sabka sach alag alag hota hai

2. Woh moorkh hota hai joh sirf sach ko hi jaanta hai aur sach aur jhooth ke fark ko nahi jaanta hai

Badla is the official remake of Spanish hit film, The Invisible Guest. It’s a scene by scene remake so if you have seen the original film on Netflix, this one can be skipped.

The film is about Naina Sethi, who has recently been facilitated with the Businesswoman of the year award and Badal Gupta, an advocate who hasn't lost a single case in his 40-year legal career.

Naina Sethi is accused of murder and her lawyer thinks that only Badal Gupta can save her. Badal agrees to take the case on the condition that Naina should tell him the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. 

As the film progresses, through the table discussions of the two protagonists we come to know about the other characters and the plot slowly unravels.
Amitabh Bachchan as Badal Gupta is superb. It's his screen presence and dialogue delivery which keeps us hooked to the film.

Taapsee Pannu has the same bored expression throughout  the film. 

Amrita Singh shines in a small role.

The film is made on a  small budget, there are no grand sets or songs, and most of it is shot in a room.
The story has several plot twists, though the climax could have been better.
The film has managed to earn 30 Crores in 5 days and has turned out to be a profitable venture for the producers.

In a line, if you are a Bachchan fan, the film can be seen for his energy otherwise watch the original on Netflix.

One time watch. Can be seen when is aired on TV.

Made In Heaven

Creators: Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti

Cast: Arjun Mathur, Sobhita Dhulipala, Kalki Koechlin, Jim Sarbh, Shashank Arora, Vijay Raaz, Shivani Raghuvanshi

Made in Heaven is about Delhi-based wedding planners, Karan and Tara, who have an event management company by the same name. The series has nine episodes of 1 hour each. Every episode tells us about a wedding and also discloses some secrets from Tara and Karan’s lives.

Made In Heaven’s trailer link.
https://youtu.be/u0UkDQaR5KQ

Don't let the trailer make you think that this is just another chick-flick about designer clothes & huge sets. It's emotional & hard hitting. It'll make you think and inspire you to be a better person who once in a while does something for others too. It deals with pain, courage, dreams, ambitions and honesty.
Arjun Mathur as Karan is outstanding. By the end of the series you will surely wish that you had a person like that in your life.
Sobhita Dhulipala as Tara  is amazing too.

This 9 hour long series is worth your time and shouldn't be missed.

Review of Sonchiriya

Director: Abhishek Chaubey

Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey, Ashutosh Rana, Manoj Bajpai, Jatin Sarna

“Apni apni Sonchiriya, apni apni mukti.”

Sonchiriya, set in the Chambal of the seventies is a tale of rebellion, justice and salvation. There are several gangs of dacoits (called baaghi in the film) who live in Chambal and have their own set of principles. They question each other about the “dharma of the baaghi” but fail to give satisfactory answers.

There are fights between police and baaghis, within family members, between Gujjars and Thakurs and also between villagers and baaghis.

We are shown that the baaghis live a difficult life where there is no surety of life, they don't know when they will get food or where they will take shelter.  They know that surrender is not an option as mostly the police is going to shoot them at sight.
Sushant Singh Rajput, Bhumi Pednekar and Ranveer Shourie are the soul of the film. They are so good in their respective roles that you actually sympathise with them even when you know the crimes they have committed and their dark secrets.

Manoj Bajpai and Ashutosh Rana outshine in their short roles.

In his earlier films like Ishqiya, Dedh ishqiya and Udta Punjab, Abhishek Chaubey has always shown strong female characters. Here though the females are shown as victims they do have that internal strength which makes them survivors.

There are only 3 female characters Indumati Tomar, Phulwa and the youngest of them named Sonchiriya but how these characters change the life of the others is what the film is about.

According to a female character, Phulwa, “Division according to caste is only for men and the women have a different caste which comes lowest in this social system.”

If you saw the film's trailer, you know that the film is not everyone's cup of tea.
Sonchiriya’s Trailer link-
https://youtu.be/aejAkKGiimk

The film starts with a shootout where many baaghis are encountered and throughout the film there is violence, bloodshed and elaborate fight sequences. There is hardly any entertainment for the family audience because of which despite good reviews the film couldn't do much business over the weekend.
It was released in 720 screens and collected just 4.5 Crores over the weekend which is nothing as compared to 32 Crores income of Luka Chuppi.

It’s a minor setback for the producers, RSVP films as they are still reaping money from their last release, URI, The Surgical Strike.

In a line, despite good performances by the lead actors, Sonchiriya couldn't attract much audience but may become a cult film with passage of time.

Can be seen in theatres if you like this genre.

Review of Luka Chuppi

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Aparshakti Khurrana

Luka Chuppi, set in Mathura, is a situational comedy about a local news channel reporter, Guddu Shukla who falls in love with a politician's daughter, Rashmi and wants to marry her. Rashmi likes Guddu but wants to be sure about him before taking the final plunge.

The first half is slow with introduction of characters, occasional songs and few comic scenes.
In the second half there are few plot twists which make the story slightly better but in the absence of strong emotions the viewers don't feel connected to the characters.

Laxman Utekar, who has been the cinematographer for films like Dear Zindagi, 102 Not Out, English Vinglish and Hindi Medium, makes his directorial debut with Luka Chuppi.
The film is shot in Mathura and Gwalior and gives a good tour of both the cities.

Kartik Aryan and Kriti Sanon use the local lingo but they look too urbane in some scenes. They share a good chemistry but there isn't even one scene where we could see the love and understanding between them.
Aparshakti Khurrana has a small role but manages to leave an impact.
Talented actors like Pankaj Tripathi and Vinay Pathak are totally wasted in their poorly written  roles.

The film will manage to collect around 50 Crores in its first week because of Kartik Aryan’s popularity and no competition from Sonchiriya.

In a line, despite good performances by Kartik Aryan and Kriti Sanon, an average story and lack of emotional quotient will effect the financial prospects of the film.

Timepass. One time watch.

Gully Boy~ For the youth and the young at heart



Director- Zoya Akhtar
Writer - Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti
Cast- Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Vijay Raaz

Gully Boy trailer started with an underground rap battle where a rapper says, ‘Ye gali ki barat nahi, teri koyi aukaat nahi is jung main’ followed by another rapper telling a nervous Ranveer Singh to go back to his gully.

Gully Boy is the story of the rise of a shy and underprivileged student, Murad Sheikh into a confident hip hop performer, Gully Boy.
The film is based on the lives of rappers Naezy and Divine, who have also given music in the film.

Murad wants an established rapper, MC Sher played by Siddhant Chaturvedi to sing his songs as he was not comfortable in front of an audience. MC Sher tells him that “Agar duniya mein sab comfortable hote toh rap kaun karta?” which inspires Murad to break the belief that ‘Naukar ka beta naukar banega, ye fitrat hai’

In a scene Murad’s father played by Vijay Raaz tells him that sapne apni sacchai ke hisab se dekhne chahiye and Murad tells him that instead of changing his dreams he will change his social status.

Director, Zoya Akhtar in her most realistic film till now takes us to the slums of Dharavi where people live in small houses. The contrast between the poor and rich is shown when Ranveer realises that the bathroom of a rich girl ‘s apartment was bigger than his full home.

Gully Boy is as hard as it gets.
The struggle, the pain is shown in a subtle way but Ranveer Singh with his hard hitting performance makes it sure that you will keep thinking about the lives of these people long after the film has ended.
As per  the film's lingo, Ranveer Singh as Murad is 'Ek Number', Bahut Hard. Within 5 minutes he has totally transformed himself into Murad who obediently follows his parents wishes. Music gives him the fire to follow his dreams.



Siddhant Chaturvedi as MC Sher has given an equally mind blowing performance. This is his debut film but he wasn't overshadowed by Ranveer Singh in any scene.

Alia Bhatt as Murad’s possessive girlfriend, Safina is the force behind him. She is his support system. She wants Murad to follow his heart. This film was totally a Ranveer Singh film, still Alia Bhatt has managed to leave her impact.

The film is not a mass entertainer and family audiences may get bored with the hip hop parts but it should be seen for the hardships & struggles faced by the less privileged.

Apna Time Ayega is already a chart buster but when I saw it in the film, it was filled with so much energy that it gave me goosebumps.
The film was released in 3300 screens and has got an opening of 18 Crores which is good considering it targeted a niche audience.
Gully Boy will not make as much as Ranveer Singh’s last masala film, Simmba (240 Crores) but it will definitely be remembered for his effortless performance both as an actor and a rapper.

In a line, Gully Boy is Zoya Akhtar's most honest and hard hitting film and is a must watch for Ranveer Singh’s fans and music lovers.

Good one time watch in theatres.

Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi

Directors: Kangana Ranaut and Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi (Krish)

Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Atul Kulkarni, Danny Denzonpa, Suresh Oberoi, Jishu Sengupta, Vikram Kochhar, Prajakta Mali, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub, Kulbushan Kharbanda

Manikarnika, The Queen of Jhansi was touted as Kangana Ranaut’s most ambitious project. The shooting of the film started in October, 2017 under the directorial skills of Krish. After 8 months of shooting, Krish walked out of the film citing prior commitment to other projects (NTR Biopic) .

There were rumours that Kangana Ranaut was interfering with the writing and direction and Krish did not take this well and allegedly walked out of the project.
Sonu Sood also left the film saying that he can not work under two directors on a set and his portions in the film were reshot with Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub.
This caused delay in the shoot and increased the production cost of the film.

In the first half we are introduced to a young Manikarnika who is brave, confident and loves reading books. She is married off to Gangadhar Rao and later becomes the Queen of Jhansi.
In the first half we see Kangana Ranaut in heavy sarees and jewellery sporting different hairstyles, looking like a dream. With her actions she keeps reminding the audience that she is a born rebel.
There is a scene where the Queen tells the Firangis, “Of course I know English. It’s a mere language. Language, without culture, is empty.”

The Queen is then seen dancing with the tribals which according to the writer of the film forms the basis of her bonding with Jhalkari Bai.

Kangana Ranaut was so much involved in this project that there isn't a scene where she is not there. With her taking most of the screen space there wasn't much scope for other actors.

TV actress, Ankita Lokhande, makes her Bollywood debut as Jhalkari Bai and even though she had few scenes, she manages to leave an impact.

Danny Denzongpa as Ghulam Ghaus Khan is perfectly casted but like other actors he has nothing much to do.

In the second half there are few war scenes which are shot on a grand scale but overall the film lacks the passion & energy associated with such mega-budget period films.

The song, “Main rahoon ya naa rahoon, Bharat yeh rehna chahiye” plays throughout the film to evoke the feeling of love and sacrifice for the motherland.

The film has started off on a low note (may collect around 8-9 Crores) and may collect around 35 Crores over the weekend which is less considering its production costs (around 120 Crores).

In a line, Manikarnika is totally a one woman show and even though Kangana Ranaut has given her best, a slow first half and less focus on supporting characters will make it a loss making proposition.

Can be seen in theaters for the second half and war scenes.

Badhaai Ho.. It's a HIT

Director- Amit Ravindernath Sharma

Screenplay and dialogues- Akshat Ghildial

Cast- Ayushmann Khurrana, Sanya Malhotra, Neena Gupta, Gajraj Rao

Badhaai Ho is a coming of age dramedy where a couple in their 50s get to know that they are expecting a kid. They find it difficult to convey this news to their grown up sons.
The sons are shocked and embarrassed and start avoiding their parents.

The film has some really comic and emotional moments.
Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao are the real stars. The chemistry they share and the way they talk to each other with just expressions is commendable.
The director has given the best scenes to Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao and like veteran actors they have excelled in every scene.

Ayushman Khurana is good as the older son who never troubled his parents. His love for his family, especially his mother, can be seen easily.

Sanya Malhotra has done full justice to her small role. In a scene in the film she asks Ayushman..
"Hum log jab 50 ke honge to kya Floyd ki jagah Anoop Jalota suna karenge?" 
If only the writer knew that after Big Boss 12, Anoop Jalota was going to become the idol of men of all age groups, they wouldn't have added his name.

There was this dialogue in the film  when Ayushman Khurana shouts at his brother

"Apna kamra chahiye.. Apna kamra chahiye.. Kuch saal aur nahi so sakta tha Mummy Papa ke beech mai"

Every single person in the audience was laughing in this scene.

The film has many such scenes and  dialogues where you will laugh your heart out or feel emotional for the characters.

The film has earned around 30 Crores in 3 days and is going to become another surprise blockbuster of 2018.

In a line, Badhaai Ho is a complete family entertainer which shows the love and bond different members of the family share with each other.

Must-watch

Sui Dhaaga - . "सब बढ़िया है "

Writer & Director- Sharat Kataria

Cast- Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav, Yamini Das, Namit Das

Music- Anu Malik

Lyrics- Varun Grover

Best Dialogue- "Ab Zindagi Ki Cycle Pe To Maarna Padega Pedal… Chahe Mile Ya Na Mile Medal."

Sui Dhaaga is the story of a lower middle class couple who decide to take the first step on the journey of improving their living standards. They face several roadblocks but instead of getting disheartened they treat them as life experiences and continue with their hard work and struggle. 

Mauji played by Varun Dhawan is the heart and soul of the story. He lives by the simple rule "Sab Badhiya Hai" even when everything is going wrong in his life. He is an optimist with a never say die attitude who can't see any of his family member unhappy. He has a low paying job where his employers constantly humiliate him, his father thinks he is good for nothing, he has no connection with his wife, he has to cycle for miles in the scorching sun to save few rupees, still, sab badhiya hai.

Anushka Sharma plays the role of Mauji's wife, Mamta. Though she talks less, she is not scared of expressing her opinions. She is a caring wife and the perfect daughter in law. There is only one scene when we see her in her original glory, otherwise through out the film she is shown in printed sarees with the pallu of her saree neatly covering her head. 

Raghubir Yadav as Mauji's father, shines in every scene. In the climax when Mauji wins his father's respect, we cheer for both the father and the son.

Yamini Das as Mauji's mother is a treat to watch. She's so sincere about filling the buckets from the municipality tap that even when she is in the hospital she keeps reminding Mamta about it. She is unlike any other mother- in- law shown in Hindi films and will surely win your heart with her performance.
  
After National Award Winning film, Dum laga ke Haisha (2015), Sharat Kataria is back with another heart warming tale about the underprivileged. The characters are so well written that when Mauji starts working on the sewing machine it looks like he was born to do this. The hospital scenes, the struggle to get a sewing machine, the first time the husband and wife hold hands despite staying in the same home are so real that you will fall in love with them.

The film hints at the corruption in hospitals, over-billing the patients, low wages for workers but mainly is about Mauji's family. How the neighbours unite in times of need is another strong point of the story. Though the director has taken several cinematic liberties, he successfully conveys the message that:"For those who dare to dream big, there is a whole world to win".

Chaav laga is a melodious song which stays in our mind for long.

The film has earned 36 Crores in 3 days and with rave reviews and positive word of mouth it's on it's way to become a box-office success.

In a line, Sui Dhaaga is a total roller coaster of emotions with Varun Dhawan giving his career's best performance. 
Must watch. 

Pataakha, not a cracker but a Box-office Bomb!

Director- Vishal Bhardwaj
Writer- Vishal Bhardwaj (Based on Charan Singh Pathik's short story, Do Behnein)
Cast- Radhika Madan, Sanya Malhotra, Vijay Raaz, Sunil Grover 
Music & Background Music- Vishal Bhardwaj
Lyrics- Gulzar
Best Dialogue- “Hum Apne Dushman To Chun Sakte hai Par Padosi Nahe, Rishtey To Chun Sakte Hai Par Rishtedaar Nahi”

Pataakha is based on Charan Singh Pathik's short story, Do Behnein, which revolves around two sisters, Badki and Chhutki who grow up in a small village in Rajasthan. 

Radhika Madan plays the role of Badki (Champa) whose dream is to have her own dairy. She hates going to school and has no interest in studying.
Sanya Malhotra plays the role of Chutki who wants to become a teacher.

Radhika Madan started her career by playing the role of Ishani in the TV serial, Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi. In her debut film, she's perfect as Badki. Her body language when she is smoking the beedis or shouting abuses is too good. In every scene we see different shades of her character.

Sanya Malhotra has also done a good job as Chutki. She keeps wondering throughout the film if her father loved Badki more as she was the first born. 

Sunil Grover, called Dipper in the film, lives in the same village. He finds ways of starting war between the sisters so that he and the neighbors can have fun at their expense. He is not bad at heart as whenever the sisters are in some problem he comes as their savior.
Vijay Raaz who is addressed as 'Bapu' by everyone is a widower and finds it difficult to manage his wild daughters. 
The film starts with the sisters calling each other names which is followed by a 'yudh' between them over a stolen bidi. Till interval the story follows the same trend where the sisters keep fighting with each other over some issue. They are always finding ways to show that they are better than the other. 
In a scene their father thinks aloud that why do they keep fighting all the time. This thought comes in our minds too as after some time their dusty faces, untidy clothes and unwashed hair start looking repulsive. We have seen many films set in rural backdrop which were aesthetic and cinematic masterpieces. A film can be made on villagers without making them look like homeless people.
There were several humorous scenes in the film and an emotional climax but they were lost in the long story.

The film earned just 90 lakhs on Friday and with mixed word of mouth it won't be able to cross the 6-7 Crore mark.
In a line, a short 6 page story about 2 sisters fighting would have been good as a short film but as a film with a running time of 2 hr 15 min it became repetitive and boring.
Avoidable.

Manmarziyaan~ Somewhere between lust and love, the story is lost.

Director- Anurag Kashyap

Story, screenplay and dialogues- Kanika Dhillon

Cast- Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal.

The trailer of Manmarziyaan had a tagline- Love isn’t complicated, people are!

The film is not about complicated people but poorly written characters who keep changing their nature according to the whims of the storyteller.

The film is released internationally as “Husband Material”

Abhishek Bachchan plays the author backed role of Robbie, the perfect husband material. He is a London based banker who falls in love with Rumi, at the sight of her photograph. Even after seeing Vicky’s pictures on Rumi’s Facebook he decides to meet her. He’s so sweet and understanding that he looks too good to be true. There is only one scene in which he gives way to his anger but the next morning he asks for forgiveness saying he was too drunk. Still in comparison to the other two characters, Robbie seems to be the most sensible.

Rumi, played by Taapsee, is an ex hockey player who in the first 30 min says that she never goes back on her words and in the next 2 hours finds ample opportunities to do exactly that. She accuses her boyfriend of being commitment-phobic but herself fails to understand the sanctity of a relationship. Before interval, Rumi’s sister says,‘mujhe nahi samajh mai ata ye kaisa pyar hai apka’, to which Rumi replies, ‘wo wala hai jismai jitna karo kam padta hai’ . Then when her grandfather asks her about her well-being she says, ‘Pyaar khatam nahi hua, shaadi shuru nahi hui’
So we as an audience fail to understand why her further actions are not in sync with her grand dialogues.

Vicky’s character is the most inconsistent out of all three. We don't know till the end if he actually loved Rumi or was just having a good time. There are scenes when he’s shown angry and teary eyed but all his emotions tend to be momentary. The audience gets emotionally invested in a character and the sudden changes in their behavior confuses them and they feel cheated. So when a guy who was madly in love with a girl just exits the story without any explanation the audience doesn’t like it.
The first half of the film had some light comic moments but after interval the story kept dragging and becomes slow and predictable.

There are more than 10 songs but only ‘Sara jag chad ke’ stays in our mind for a long time.

Anurag Kashyap is known for his experimental films but this new age love story is nowhere near the classy DevD or the action- packed Mukkabbaz.

Avoidable.

Saheb Biwi aur Gangster 3~ Royalty versus Baba!

Director/ Writer- Tigmanshu Dhulia

Cast- Sanjay Dutt, Jimmy Shergill, Mahi Gill, Chitrangada Singh

Best  Dialogues –

Saheb-  "I believe only three things can change our lives, dreams, suffering and love. Pareshaniyon se main nikalke aaya hoon, sapna main dekh raha hoon, aur pyar mujhe aksar ho jaata hai."

Biwi- "Sari galat adaten to apne lagayi, baki tabah hone mai is haveli ne sath diya. Yaha bure kaam karne ki lat lag jati hai."


Gangster- "Mere baare mein joh bhi suna hoga bura hi suna hoga, lekin main itna bura nahi hoon ki mere bagal mein khade hone se koi badnaam ho jaaye."

Gangster's Mistress- "Jab naam ke alawa kuch bacha na ho to naam ko bacha bacha ke chalna chahiye." 

Saheb Biwi aur Gangster franchise is a  story about a royal family of U.P. where Jimmy Sheirgill is Raja Aditya Pratap Singh and Mahi Gill is his wife, Rani Madhavi Devi. 

The first two parts were high-octane drama full of plot twists, volatile characters, good dialogues and sizzling chemistry between the lead pairs. Actors Randeep Hooda and Irrfan Khan had played gangsters in the previous films.

Tigmanshu Dhulia decided to add a star like Sanjay Dutt to add glamour to the film but guess his plan backfired. 

The story is supposed to be a saga of deceit, lust, ambition and revenge where the Biwi uses the Gangster to defeat the Saheb but ends up as a life saga of the gangster.  

The film starts with Sanjay Dutt as Uday Pratap Singh, a banished prince, who has made a fortune in London by playing Russian Roulette. A lot of time is wasted in establishing Sanjay Dutt's character, telling about his anger, his girlfriend, his family members which has no relevance to the story. The Baba theme track that accompanies Sanjay Dutt every time he says a winning dialogue, “He’s the baba.. dekho dekho dekho aya tera baap”, is the only memorable thing about the gangster's character.

Chitrangada Singh plays the role of a dancer and Uday Pratap's mistress. Neither she looks like a villager nor her accent helps her in fitting in the character. Her love scenes with Uday are boring as the character of the Gangster was supposed to be a raunchy man who loses his heart at every pretty face. To see the gangster settle into an easy romantic relation was a big turnoff. When the evil Biwi tries to flirt with him, an uncomfortable gangster tells her that there was no need of doing all this. It was like we went to watch "Jism" and ended up watching "Hum saath saath hai"!

  

Jimmy Sheirgill and Mahi Gill, who were instrumental in bringing success to the previous films get less chance to show their talent. Their scenes are poorly written and they end up looking like side character's in the gangster's story.

The film is full of character artists like Kabir Bedi, Nafisa Ali, Zakir Hussain, Deepak Tijori, Soha Ali Khan, Deepraj Rana who have nothing to do. Except few dialogues here and there and some fiery exchanges between Saheb and Biwi there is nothing entertaining in the film.

The climax was highly disappointing and though it hinted at a sequel I hope there is no 4th part.

The film was made at a budget of 20 Crore and has managed to earn just 3.8 Crore in 2 days which is less than what the first part made in 2011. The film is a disaster and will end up earning less than 10 Crore at the Box-Office.

In a line, the series was supposed to be a tale of power games, lust and deceit but the director's obsession with the gangster has lead to the death of this franchise.

Avoidable.

Parmanu~ Killing me softly..

Cast: John Abraham, Diana Penty, Boman Irani

Director: Abhishek Sharma

On 11 May 1998, Operation Shakti was initiated with the detonation of one fusion and two fission bombs. Later in a press conference Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared India a full-fledged nuclear state.

An event of such high magnitude and significance which made India a powerful force to reckon with required a much better portrayal on screen. The film could have created history if more importance was given to the story and screenplay than on John Abraham's lopsided smile.

First half is slow where the viewers are introduced to John Abraham's personal life and professional struggles which have no connection to the mission. A good writer could have outlined it in short and focused on the actual story. Boman Irani's entry adds some energy into a dull and lifeless film.

Diana Penty has few scenes and gets no scope to show her acting skills.

The story moves from Delhi to Mussoorie to Pokhran along with real TV footage of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, US President Bill Clinton and ex Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto to add facts to a fictitious story.

The successful mission was a result of the hard work of numerous agencies, scientists and engineers, who worked in absolute secrecy for decades but in the film the success is owed to a team of 5 people, occasional patriotic dialogues and lucky coincidences.

The last 20 minutes of the film managed to create a sense of urgency and the climax itself made the film worth a one time watch. Audiences would have totally ignored John's lethargic acting if the full film was as pacy and action packed as the climax.

In a line, Parmanu is not a film for fans of John Abraham but for those who have no idea of what happened in 1998.

Can be seen in theaters.

Mukkabaaz~ 'Ye pyaar nahi hai khel priye!'

Cast: Vineet Singh, Jimmy Shergill, Zoya Hussain, Ravi Kishan

Co-Writer and Director: Anurag Kashyap

Budget- 10 Crores approximately

Best Dialogue- "Jab boxer ko chot lagti hai to khoon coach ka hi behta hai."

If like me you also wondered that why is the film called Mukkabaaz, the director has kept an explanatory scene.

Ravi Kishan, the coach tells his student that he always wanted to be a boxer but he never got a chance to play professionally because he belonged to the lower caste..On streets people used to say.. "Wo dekho sala mukkabaaz ja raha hai".

So now he doesn't want his students to let go of the chance to be a professional boxer and tells them, “Ab ye tumhe tay karna hai ki tumhe mukkabaaz banna hai ya mukkebaaz”.

The film focuses on the caste system and the dirty politics in sports which is very prevalent in small-towns of U.P.

Shravan Singh, an aspiring boxer sees a girl at his coach Bhagwan Das’s house and falls in love. To impress her, he refuses to do the household chores which Bhagwan Das expects all his players to do. By mistake Shravan punches Bhagwan Das and he threatens Shravan that he will end his boxing career.

The film’s name suggests a film on boxing but most of the fighting in the film takes place outside the ring.

There’s a son fighting with his father who keeps taunting him for not landing a regular job like others. He tells him that he failed in studies because he wasn't a bright student. He doesn't mind telling his parents, “Jab aap dono shoonya hai to hum kaha se Aryabhatt ho jaye!

There’s a girl who is fighting with her mother that just because she can't speak she doesn’t want anyone to take pity on her or consider her a handicap. She wants to marry for love and do higher studies.

Then there is a honest coach who is fighting for his students.. He shaves off his moustache and when one of his students asks the reason he says, "jab tum mai se koi state jeetega tab rakhenge”.

There’s a Brahmin coach who for his greed for money and power destroys careers of aspiring boxers and crushes those who dare to raise a voice against him.

The characters are powerful and keep us entertained for the first half. The second half is darker and we cheer for the protagonist who despite the hurdles he faces, refuses to give up his dream.

The songs, Mushkil hai apna mail priye, Bahut hua samman, Bahut dukha man, Fir to ho gayi haathapai, Paintra are a part of the story and keep us involved in it.

Though I wonder what was Nawazuddin Siddiqui doing in a song which looked like a remake of the hit song, ‘emotional atyachar’ from DevD.

The climax of the film was beyond my understanding and  can be the reason for the mixed word of mouth.

The film had low buzz because of which it has earned less than 5 Crores in 4 days.

In a line, Vineet Singh is no hero material but the way he has transformed himself into Shravan Singh is commendable.

Can be seen in theaters.

Kaalakaandi~ LSD (It's not about love, sex or dhoka)

Cast- Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Oberoi, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Deepak Dobriyal,
Vijay Raaz, Sobhita Dhulipala,Amyra Dastur and Shehnaaz Treasury

Writer/ Director- Akshat Verma

Budget- 20 Crores approximately

Most informative Dialogue- You don't take LSD. You drop acid!

Kaalakaandi is a Marathi slang for when things go disastrously wrong.
The film is a dark comedy written and directed by Delhi Belly(2011) fame, Akshat Verma.

Life changes overnight for Saif Ali Khan (as we don't get to know his name till the end of the film) when he comes to know that depsite leading a healthy lifestyle he has stomach cancer and has just 3 months to live. To makeup for the lost time he decides to check off things to do from his bucket list. Though he only manages to get high on LSD and tell a transgender, "humko bahut curiosity hai aapke saman ke baare mai".

Along with Saif's story there are other stories of his brother getting married, two mafia henchmen planning to double cross their boss, a girl who has to catch a flight to the US to pursue her PhD, leaving her boyfriend behind because she thinks that they don't have the time, energy or money to get married.

Like Delhi Belly, the characters of Kaalakaandi are colourful and don't mind using provocative or abusive words as and when the script demands. So we have a drunk Shehnaz telling her BFF that she likes young boys because they follow you around and are always horny. A hot girl tells her timid boyfriend that she will teach Kamasutra to the whole country.

First half of the film is fast and keeps us rooted to our seats. The scenes where Saif is hallucinating from the effects of the acid are beautifully shot. We get to see dolphins on the streets, helicopter infront of the car and Saif holding a dropping comet on his hand.

After interval there is no surprise element and it looks like the director was in a hurry to link all the three stories.

The film was completed almost a year back but it's release kept getting postponed. Because of poor advertising and competition from Mukkabaaz, 1921 and Tiger Zinda Hai, the film managed to earn around 2 Crores in 2 days which is dismal considering the star cast.

In a line, despite having its moments, the film just starts and ends like an episode of a Hollywood series and has not a single memorable dialogue or well acted scene.

Avoidable.

Daddy~ Feared Gangster or a Victim of Circumstances?

Cast: Arjun Rampal, Aishwarya Rajesh, Nishikant Kamat, Farhan Akhtar

Director: Ashim Ahluwalia

Budget: 15 Crores approximately

Daddy is a biopic on the dreaded gangster turned politician, Arun Gulab Gawli, who was for a long time associated with major kidnappings, extortions, contract killings and other major crimes in Mumbai. The film covers a time span of 40 years and is told from the point of view of six different characters who were connected to him.

The film starts with a man being shot to death in his own home by two unidentified men.

Arjun Rampal as Gawli, wearing a Gandhi topi asks his daughter why on TV they address him as Robinhood. His daughter says, “Jo chor to hai par villain nahi”.

We are taken to the 70s when Mumbai's textile mill industry witnessed mass strikes and eventual lock-outs. Many people resorted to illegal activities like matka gambling and hafta-vasuli.

When one of Arun’s friend is murdered he is forced by other friends to join them in taking revenge and thus Arun commits his first crime. When in jail the witnesses refuse to identify him and he is released, his friends tell him, 'Bhai Ko tumhari daring ka pata chala’ and 'Bhai ka haath hai tumhare upar’.

So it feels strange when unlike his other friends Rama and Babu, Arun refuses to bow to the supremacy of “Bhai” even refusing to shake hands with him on Eid.

In the full film there are several characters who try to tell that Gawli didn't choose this line, he wanted to leave crime, because he was born in Dagdi Chaal and not in a posh area, he became what he was. In the end also there is a statement that although he used his power and henchmen to get lands cleared but that land was used by big businessmen for making their apartments or malls.

I haven't seen a gangster film where from the starting till the end we are made to believe that the gangster was indeed a victim of circumstances.

Arjun Rampal used prosthetics to make his nose look  like Arun Gawli but he fails to portray the character of a feared Don who had the guts to organise a shootout of Dawood. In a scene shot in prison he tells his wife “Mujhe yaha se bahar nikalo ye log mujhe marwa denge”. When the wife arranges for his bail he tells her, “Mai jail Mai hi rahunga, bahar ye log meri fielding lagaya hua hai, maar denge mujhe”..If the feared Don was such a weakling what was the need to make a film on his life?

Arjun Rampal as Daddy is as bad as it can get. His dialogue delivery is flat. He’s expressionless in most of the scenes. Even when he tells the girl he’s attracted to, “Tu mujhe mast lagti hai” his voice has no energy.

In a scene, Arun & his ladylove are watching Hema Malini's, Dreamgirl in a theater. His friend, Rama, is making out with a girl in the back seat. Arjun looked as clueless in this scene as if was blackmailed to come to the theatre. Marathi actor, Rajesh Shringarpure as Rama outshone Arjun in many scenes.

Another actor who gives strong competition to Arjun Rampal in the poor acting department is Farhan Akhtar who plays the role of Dawood.

Although the film starts with a disclaimer that it is based on a true story, the name of Dawood is changed to Maqsood.

The only way we can connect Farhan's character to Dawood is that throughout the film he keeps wearing big shaded glasses. He is shown in every third scene but hardly has any dialogue worth mentioning. He’s shown watching cricket (so the audience can guess that he's a part of the Betting Syndicate).

Director, Ashim Ahluwalia made his debut with Miss Lovely in 2014 for which he won Special Mention Jury, National Award. In an interview before the release of the film he said that other directors were unsuccessful in presenting the real Mumbai of 80s. As he has lived through those dark alleys and conjusted areas he knew what Bombay was like in that time.

He has managed to recreate Dagdi Chaal and other shady areas. The crew also shot in areas where Gawli’s biggest rivals lived, an environment that was openly hostile to them.

In an interview Ashim also said, “I like putting people in this insanity. It is not healthy but it is very good for the movie. Taking people into really difficult locations and getting them out of their comfort zone. You are on edge there because you are getting yelled at by real gangsters or there are rats falling from the ceiling.”

All these background preparations would have worked if we had powerful actors in the key roles who had better dialogues to say.

The only actor who clearly shines in this dark film is Nishikant Kamat who plays the role of Inspector Vijaykar Nitin. He's non-affected by the sob-stories of Gawli’s friends and family and thinks that it would have been better if he had done Gawli’s encounter when he got the chance.

The film was released in approximately 700 screens and made less than 5 Crores in its opening weekend. It will be a difficult task for the film to recover it's budget.

“In a line, Daddy could have been more entertaining if the director focused more on making the lead actors act than on creating the perfect background.”

Timepass. Can be seen in theatres only if you like to watch documentaries on gangsters.