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.

Befikre- Emotion in motion

Release date- 9th December 2016

One Word which describes the film- Raunchy

Best Dialogue-
Dharam-"Palatne nahi wala hai."
Shyra- "Palatne ka wait to 90's mein karte the log. I was just checking out his ass."

Genre- Rom-com

Music- Vishal- Shekhar

Producer- Aditya Chopra

Story/ Screenplay/ Direction- Aditya Chopra

Cast- Ranveer Singh, Vaani Kapoor 

Budget- 70 Crores ( Including P & A) 

Aditya Chopra made his directorial debut in 1995 with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, which till now continues to run in Maratha Mandir, Mumbai. He followed with Mohabbatein (2008) and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008).

Befikre is his most daring and will surely turn out to be the least profitable venture.
Since the first poster of Befikre came out on 9th April, we were in no doubt on what the film was about. Aditya Chopra continued to tantalize us every month with similar posters and thus creating a good buzz among the youth for the film. The trailer was equally 'youth-friendly' with both the stars smooching at every opportunity and roaming around in bare minimums.

The film started with the song 'Labon ka Karobaar' where everyone is daring enough to kiss their loved ones. The story is about Dharam, who comes to Paris to work as a stand-up comedian in his friend's restaurant. Shyra is a carefree girl who works as a tour guide and on weekends helps her parents run their restaurant. They meet at a party and sparks fly.
The whole film is shot in Paris and beautifully captures the charm of the city.

Ranveer Singh is known for his energy and Aditya Chopra said in an interview that he wrote the character with Ranveer in mind. He's funny, he's naughty and throughout the film manages to entertain us.

Vaani Kapoor made her debut through YRF's Shuddh Desi Romance in 2013. She was in a total 'desi' look in the film. How, Aditya Chopra envisioned her as the hot and bold 'Shyra' is beyond imagination. In her washboard abs and firangi accent she looks like a mixture of Katrina Kaif and Nargis Fakhri. Her unconventional looks and brazen character is a little shocking in the start but by the end of the film we get used to her, even loving her chemistry with Dharam as they indulge in a sensuous dance.

Aditya Chopra has made a film, keeping a certain age group in mind, youngsters who are not ready to commit or are afraid of being in a relationship, and they are loving the film. There are several references to DDLJ in the film, showing Aditya's love for his first project. Dharam's character is a lot like "Bittoo" of Band Baja Baraat.
The film has earned almost 50 Crores in a week which is a good figure but considering the names and marketing involved, not very impressive. Dangal is going to release next week and so the film may end around 80-85 Crores.

Music is average and none of the song is melodious enough to be heard on loop.

In a line, there are love stories and then there are stories with lots of love making scenes and Befikre surely falls in the second category.
Time-pass. Can be seen in theaters for Ranveer Singh's energy.

Dil Dhadakne Do- Not Another Master Piece by Zoya

Release date- 5'th June 2015

One Word which describes the film -Scenic 

Best Dialogue - 'Is family ki yahi problem hai, sab upar upar se bat karte hai, asli bat to koyi karta hi nahi hai.

Genre - Comedy/ Drama

Music- Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Producer -Ritesh Sidhwani
Farhan Akhtar

Story- Reema Kagti, Zoya Akhtar, Farhan Akhtar (dialogue), Javed Akhtar (additional dialogue) 

Direction- Zoya Akhtar

Cast- Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Farhan Akhtar, Rahul Bose,Zarina Wahab, Vikrant Massey, Ridhima Sud

Budget- 60 Crores approximately 

The film was first announced as a story based on the brother- sister relationship between Zoya and Farhan Akhtar played by Kareena Kapoor and  Ranbir Kapoor respectively.

Over the years not only the cast was changed but from a brother- sister film it became the story of a dysfunctional Punjabi family who plan a cruise to celebrate the parents' 30'th wedding anniversary.

Most of the celebrities and film stars were all praises for the film as they must have identified with this ultra rich family who instead of chocolates and toys offer planes to their kids as bribe.

Initially I was happy to see that the film was 170 minutes long but once it started, within 15 minutes it became very clear that the journey is going to be a very slow one. There are 20 seconds dialogues followed by 10 seconds of silence. Some episodes are totally unnecessary and should have been totally edited from the film.

Anil Kapoor and Shefali Shah are perfect in their roles. In some scenes their chemistry is so good that you will feel that they are actually married to each other. Their characters have various shades of grey and like experts they manage to give the perfect expression in every scene.
Anil Kapoor gets to say this epic line which every kid must have heard at least once in his/her life 'Tumne aaj tak kiya kya hai ? Nothing ! You are lucky that I'm your father.' 

Priyanka Chopra has lost too much weight and looks tired. She has an excellent voice but in most of the scenes she has a bad throat and doesn't sound like her usual self.

Ranveer Singh is the life and soul of the otherwise reticent family. He is vibrant, makes the audience laugh and is cute in some scenes. He is paired opposite Anushka Sharma with whom he made his Bollywood debut in 2010 ( Band Baaja Baaraat ) and later was also romantically linked. Though now they are dating other people , they share a great on screen chemistry. As aptly described in a dialogue, ' Mohabbat ki shuruwat mai aisa hi hota hai, zabaan kam bolti hai, ankhen bolti hai, jism bolte hai.'

Anushka Sharma has a strong role and some good dialogues but as she is not part of the family she gets less screen space. First Bombay Velvet flops at the Box office and now this film is off to a bad start, guess the news lips are not that lucky for Anushka.

Farhan Akhtar must have been added in the film as an after thought as least attention is paid to his character. He is shabbily dressed in most scenes, doesn't even bother to shave or comb his hair which was quite disappointing for his fans. Moral he should learn from this film is, even when you are the producer and your sister is the director you shouldn't be over confident.
Javed Akhtar has penned some dialogues which are used in a narrative style. Loved this one, ' Doosre karte hai to use hypocrisy kehte hai aur jab khud wohi kam karte hai to use duniyadaari kehte hai.'

The main problem of the film is the presence of too many characters. So many parallel stories are running in the film that many scenes just add to the existing confusion. Many characters are introduced but near the end they just fade away and the focus abruptly shifts to the main members of the family.
The music is average and none of the song stays with us once the movie ends. Guess you really need a Honey Singh or Arijit Singh to have a chart buster song. 
The film has nothing to offer to the masses and so it will be a difficult task for the film to  reach the 100 Crore mark.   

In a line, the film is 170 min long, slow at times, will make you sleep in some scenes but overall it's a classy film made by a woman for other women.

Time-pass. Can be seen in theaters if you have nothing better to do. 

Review of Kill Dil - Style without Substance

Release date -14'th November 2014

One Word which describes the film - Musical

Best Dialogue - "Maarna hai to maaro. Ghoor ke mera time waste mat karo." 

Genre - Action/ Romance

Music -Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Producer - Aditya Chopra

Story & Direction -Shaad Ali

Cast -Govinda ,Ranveer Singh ,Ali Zafar ,Parineeti Chopra

Budget- 40 crores (Including P&A)

Director Shaad Ali made an impressive debut with Saathiya (2002) followed by Bunty Aur Babli(2005). In 2007 he totally antagonized the audience with Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. Everyone was eagerly waiting for his comeback film which had a bunch of talented actors. The promos were quite stylish, the music catchy and the film looked just perfect. The film starts with the bad guy Govinda and his boys humming and dancing to the title song. 

Govinda is the merciless bhaiyaji who can kill for money , can be generous or ruthless depending on his moods. He laughs on jokes, likes singing and dancing and plans his moves like an expert game master.

Ranveer and Ali are the modern 'Jai-Veeru'. They are stylishly attired through out the film, one in black other in white. Huge posters symbolizing their friendship are adorned on the walls of their house. They move around in bikes singing and dancing looking like cool dudes rather than killers. Most of their time is spent in styling their hair and drinking whiskey. 

Parineeti plays the role of a rich girl who instead of joining her father's business decides to help the criminals in rehabilitating themselves. During the whole film she is only playing the part of a rich girl who visits night clubs in skimpy dresses or is lazying in the pool or is just painting the town red in her sports car. The characters are well defined and the film starts in a good way with some action scenes and good dialogues. But after 15 minutes the film loses its speed ,there is no plot and the only action shown is the lead actors putting bullets on their target .

The director has paid so much attention on characterisation and style that he totally forgot that there should be a good story to bind the characters together.After every 10 minutes there is a new song and it looks as if everyone is just waiting to find an excuse to dance. Though the background music is good and the songs are melodious but still a film should have a good screenplay to keep the viewers engrossed till the end.

There were huge expectations from the film and despite being released in 2500 plus screens the film just had a 25% opening (6-7 crores ). It will be a big task for the film to even cross the 30 crore mark .

In a line if you are a very big Govinda / Ranveer fan then also it will be a task for you to watch this 2 hr film in theater.

Avoidable. Watch the promos and endless songs on you tube and save money.

Review of Ramleela

Release date –15'th November 2013

One Word which describes the film – Colourful 

Best Dialogues  –
Ram -'Guroor mei doob ke samundar ko kya pata tha rann ban jayega.'
Leela -'Jigar pe mat jaa, trigger dabaa doongi.'
Dhankor Baa - 'Goli aur gussa sahi waqt par kharch karna chahiye.' 
Rasila - 'Bada badtameez, besharam, khudgarz hota hai par pyaar toh aisa hi hota hai.'  

Genre – Romance / Drama

Screenplay -Sanjay Leela Bhansali , Siddharth-Garima
Rutvik Oza
Music – Monty Sharma , Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Producer- Sanjay Leela Bhansali , Chetan Deolekar , Kishore Lulla , 
Sandeep Singh

Direction - Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Cast - Ranveer Singh , Deepika Padukone , Richa Chadda ,
Supriya Pathak , Gulshan Devaiah

Budget- 55 crores + P&A


Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known to create larger than life sets which give you the feeling of entering into a fairy land . As the characters are introduced which are very jolly , are singing and dancing at every given opportunity you start enjoying the ride. The story catches speed and when you are expecting it to gain more momentum it fizzles out and climaxes in a very disappointing way.

After directing films like Sawariya and Guzarish which failed miserably at the box office this time Bhansali decided to play safe . He took a simple story, added some double meaning dialogues , a sizzling heroine who kisses strangers and an item number for which reportedly Priyanka Chopra was paid 6 crores.

The film has great performances by  Ranbeer Singh , Deepika , Supriya Pathak and Richa Chaddha and it could have made history if instead of just focusing on how to make a hit , Bhansali had focused on the story and script. There were so many loopholes in the story that we kept wondering what was happening or kept matching the film with already seen films like ' Issaq ' and 'Ishaqjaade '. 
   
Bhansali's films are known for their melodious songs but except ' lahu munh lag gaya ' none of the songs fail to make any impact.

Priyanka Chopra's sizzling item song 'Ram chahe Leela may have got 5 million hits on  You tube  but in the film it looked  out of place and an unnecessary addition to an already stretched story.

In a line apart from the grand colorful sets and mesmerizing castle this adaptation of Romeo and Juliet offers nothing which you haven't seen before.

Can be seen in theaters. Time -pass.

Rank - 15 (out of the 54 films I have seen in 2013)  

Review of Lootera

Release date –5'th July 2013

One Word which describes the film – Soulful

Best  Dialogue – 'Pehli baar jab tumhe dekha , toh thodi der ke liye laga ki main mar gaya ' 

Genre – Romance /Drama

Story - Vikramaditya Motwane 

(based on "The Last Leaf" by O.Henry )

Music – Amit Trivedi

Producer - Anurag Kashyap , Ekta Kapoor , Shobha Kapoor , Vikas Bahl

Direction - Vikramaditya Motwane

Cast – Ranveer Singh , Sonakshi Sinha , Vikrant Massey ,Arif Zakaria , Adil Hussain

Budget - 35 crores ( approximately )

Lootera set in 1950's is the love story of a rich Zamindar's daughter and a young man who comes and stays at their home.
The film starts with a Ramleela scene where we are introduced to the two main characters of the film ,Pakhi  and her doting father the Zamindar of Manikpur. Pakhi is an artistic, strong willed girl who is not afraid of telling what her heart wants.
The Zamindar is worried because, post-independence the zamindari system has come to an end and he has to surrender his lands and precious artifects to the government.

The sets of the film look real with emphasis on minute details like the presence of a gramophone in the living room, antique furniture , vintage car, and an old radio playing songs of Dev Anand's film 'Baazi' . 

The second half shot in Dalhousie , captures the natural beauty of the town. 
So despite having good sets ,great music and above average actors why didn't the film appeal to the audience ?

All of us who have read 'The last leaf' , know it's a short story about two girls and an old painter who wishes to create a master piece. 

To convert this short story into a full fledged film the director converted it into a love story with lots of unnecessary tragedies and pathos. 

Sonakshi Sinha manages to give an award winning performance in the film. With her minimal makeup and rich sarees she looks like a rich heiress. In the second half her pale face and dark circles look so real that you feel pity for her.

Ranveer Singh's clean shaven look in first half wearing high waist trousers is quiet 1950's. Though , I wonder why most of his dialogues were dubbed in such a low voice that they were hardly audible.

In a line , the film is surely not made for the masses and has many slow sequences where you will get bored and  wonder when is it going to end.

Can be seen when is aired on TV .

Rank- 16 (out of the 35 films I have seen in 2013)

(You can read the story 'The Last Leaf ' here - http://www.online-literature.com/donne/1303/ )