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.

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.

Wazir ~ Not just a pawn

Release date- 8th January 2016

One Word which describes the film - Engrossing

Best Dialogue - Zindagi aur shatranj mein yahi toh farak hai. Zindagi mein doosra mauka milta nahi, yahan shatranj mein mil jata hai.

Genre - Thriller

Music - Shantanu Moitra, Ankit Tiwari

Producer - Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Story - Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Abhijat Joshi

Direction -Bejoy Nambiar

Cast - Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Aditi Rao Hydari, Manav Kaul

• Budget - 35-40 crores

खेल खेल में, खेल खेल के,खेल खेल ये आ जायेगा 

हार जीत से, हार जीत के, जीत हार सिखायेगा

खेल खेल में..!

Wazir is the story of three characters and how fate brings them together in the game of life where winner takes it all and the loser has to fall.

Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officer Daanish Ali lives a blissful life with his wife Ruhana and daughter Noorie. In a dramatic turn of events he crosses paths with a wheelchair-bound chess master named Pandit Omkar Nath Dhar and they develop a strong friendship 'Atarangi yaari'.

The jovial Pandit who believes that 'Vodka peene ke baad pandit mahapandit ban jata hai' comes as a ray of hope in the life of Daanish Ali. The moments where Panditjee tries to make Daanish laugh are so real that you can actually feel the bond the two share.

Panditjee ~ 'Upar wala poochega mujhse itni lambi zindagi di kya ukhad liya tumne, main kahunga maine ek yaar ko hasna sikha diya.' 

Amitabh Bachchan must be the only Bollywood actor who keeps experimenting with his looks and voice. His dialogue delivery has made the characters played by him immortal whether it is Vijay Deenanath Chauhan of Agnipath(1990) or Vijay Verma of Deewar(1975).

When you work with the best some of their aura is transferred to you too. Proving this statement right even Farhan Akhtar effortlessly manages to transform into Daanish Ali. He looks  lean and at the same time muscular. His pain and frustration is so real that you sympathize with him.

Aditi Roy Hydari's look and dressing is so perfect that she looks like an ethereal beauty.

"Tu Mere Paas"  composed and sung by Ankit Tewari is so melodious that you can hear it continuously on loop.

Several reviews suggested that the suspense was too lame and the film loses speed after interval. The film is just 102 minutes long and even without the not so special appearance by John Abraham there is too much going on which will keep you rooted to your seats.

In a line don't expect the film to be an Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece and you won't be disappointed.

Must watch for Mr. Bachchan's fans. Good one time watch.

Bangistan - Disastrous Destination

Release date -7'th August 2015

One Word which describes the film - Excruciating

Best Dialogue - ' Dushman Ko Haraane Ke Liye Dushman Ki Tarah Ban Jao.'

Genre - Satire Comedy

Music - Ram Sampath

Producer - Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar

Story- Puneet Krishna, Sumit Purohit, Karan Anshuman

Direction - Karan Anshuman

Cast - Riteish Deshmukh, Pulkit Samrat, Jacqueline Fernandez
Arya Babbar, Tomasz Karolak, Chandan Roy Sanyal

Budget- 30 Crores approximately

The film is about a fictitious place Bangistan where Muslims and Hindus have their headquarters. The story revolves around two wannabe terrorists who decide to swap their religion in order to destroy the other community. 

Film critic Karan Anshuman makes his big Bollywood debut with Bangistan.
In an interview Karan said , “It was just for some time that I decided to write about films. I really understood a lot about cinema, especially Indian cinema in terms of the current trends, what are the kinds of films people are making, what does the audience like and not like, what do I like and what would I like to make. So that really helped me in shaping my first film.”
The film had an opening of just 8-10% and collected just 1.3 crore on Friday. In few cities evening shows were cancelled due to insufficient audience. With Brothers releasing this Friday there is hardly any scope for the film to perform and it's a big flop. 

After the film's disastrous performance Karan must have realised that in Bollywood instead 

of saying things in over confidence you should let your film speak for yourself. 
As a film critic he too must have ridiculed Sajid Khan for giving over the top statements like Himmatwala making 100 crores in it's opening weekend and Hamshakals being a really good comedy.

There are just two or three scenes in the film which will make you laugh.
Jacqueline Fernandez: 'Naam Mein Kya Rakha Hai?'

Ritesh Deshmukh: 'Inke Naam Main Hi Allah Rakha Hai, Aur Aap Keh Rahi Hai Ki Naam Main Kya Rakha Hai.'

8 reasons why you should stay away from visiting this fictitious city Bangistan  

1.  The director who happens to be a famous film critic and has also written the screenplay seems confused about the actual meaning of satire and the story goes no where. 2. An excellent actor like Ritesh  who gave two back to back hits , Lai Bhaari and Ek Villain, is wasted along with a bad actor like Pulkit Samrat who can't get over his Salman Khan hangover. 3. Its touted as a satire comedy but guess the makers didn't even know the actual meaning of satire as from start to end there is only confusion which makes you wonder how can a big production house like Excel Entertainment , Junglee and a film critic make such a pathetic film. 4.  The idea was brilliant  but it's execution is forgetful.  5. There is not a single hummable  song  in the film. 6. A good looking actress like Jacqueline Fernandes has a cameo role of a bartender and appears only in the song and dance sequence. 7. There are too many yawn moments which will make you curse yourself  for actually spending money on watching this film. 8. The posters of the film have a line ' No damn clue'. This actually describes the frame of mind of the story and screenplay writers .There is no pace in the film before or after interval hence a complete waste of time and money. In a line if after reading this review you are still tempted to watch this disaster maybe you can survive the film too. Highly Avoidable.

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 shaadi ke side effects

Release date – 28'th February 2014

One Word which describes the film – Mundane

Best Dialogue - 'Meri galti hoti hai to main sorry bolta hoon, meri wife ki galti hoti hai to main sorry bolta hoon. Ladai hoti hi nahi .' 

Genre – Comedy/ Drama

Music – Pritam

Producer- Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor
Pritish Nandy

Story & Direction -Saket Chaudhary

Cast - Farhan Akhtar , Vidya Balan, Ram Kapoor , Vir Das , Ila Arun, Purab Kohli

Budget- 40 crores 

Saket Chaudhary made his directorial debut with  Pyaar Ke Side Effects (2006) . In this film he takes us to what happens after the romance , the candlelight dinners and the honeymoon is over. 

Farhan and Vidya are both talented actors and so we expected a lot of on screen fireworks on the screen. The film started in a good way showing great chemistry between the lead actors .But slowly as the love went away from their wedding , viewers also started losing interest. 

The main problem in the film is , the lack of well defined characters.

Farhan's character is confused most of the times and one can't understand whether he wants to be with his wife , his friends , wants alone time or wants to just watch a football match . 

Vidya since the start of the film is shabbily dressed and has no other work except for  having a baby , taking care of the baby , talking about that baby and then planning for another baby ! As if a housewife's life just revolves around a baby.

Purab Kohli , Vir Das and Ila Arun must have been added as after thoughts in the film as their presence took the film nowhere and after sometime they just made a silent exit from the film.

There were few good dialogues in the film like , "I felt like Sehwag. Ek do match kharab kya khele team se hi nikaal diya aur naya young, player rakh liya and ' doosro ke bacche and puppies sabko acche lagte hai ' but making a complete film just on the basis of few dialogues is not a very good idea.

In a line the film justifies its name and is like marriage which sometimes is sweet , sometimes exciting and sometimes so boring and mundane that we start wondering that were we better off as singles .  

Timepass . Can be seen in theaters.

Rank - 4 (Out of the 6 films I have seen in 2014)

Preview of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Release date – 12'th July 2013

One Word which describes the film – Motivational

Best  Dialogue (promos) – 
'Ye apki zindagi ki akhiri race saabit ho sakti hai .'
Milkha- ' Daudunga bhi waise hi. '

Genre – Sports /Biography

Story - Prasoon Joshi

Music – Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Producer - Viacom 18 , Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

Direction - Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

Cast – Farhan Akhtar , Sonam Kapoor, Prakash Raj , Yograj Singh

Budget - 30 crores

Duration- 188 minutes

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is the most awaited film of 2013 .The name of the film comes from the last words spoken by Milkha Singh's father, which were to save his life during the riots of Partition of India. The story tells about his perseverance and courage as an athlete.

Farhan underwent extensive preparation for the film's Ladakh schedule .He went to a  training center in the suburbs, which specialises in training people to adapt themselves to harsh conditions. He trained there and religiously ran around 10-12 km every day. While in Ladakh, he would sprint for hours together in the backdrop of jawans coming out for a jog. He would tie a rope to his waist and do a high intensity tyre and rope workout and run for several hours . All the preparation showed when the first promo was launched in which the 39 year old actor managed to look like a lean and well  toned athlete in his 20's.

Sonam Kapoor has charged only Rs 11 for the films  and claims that she blindly trusts the film-maker.
On being asked about her reason behind signing the film for Rs 11, Sonam said, "They had a budget and they told me they can't give money and that's why I said give Rs 11 and I will do the film.

After watching the film Milkha Singh said  ,"Farhan Akhtar has done a brilliant job. He looked like my duplicate in the movie.  It was my son's decision to make the movie for Rs 1. However, I mentioned a clause in the agreement that 10-15 per cent of the profit which the movie makes will go to our trust which promotes athletes. 

The music of the film is good. Hawan kund and Zinda have become popular among the young generation . 

The film will get a very good opening and can easily collect 30-35 crores or more in it's opening weekend. The only drawback can be it's 3 hour plus duration .I hope the director has made an engrossing  film which makes the audience forget everything and just be a part of Milkha Singh's journey from being a refugee to a carefree young guy to a devoted athlete.

Rank- 2 out of the 40 films I have seen in 2013 

Review of Fukrey

Release date –14'th June 2013

One Word which describes the film – Disappointing

Best  Dialogue – ' Bholi chidiya nai cheel hai, coffin mein aakhiri keel hai.'

Genre – Comedy

Story - Vipul Vig

Music – Ram Sampath

Producer - Farhan Akhtar , Ritesh Sidhwani

Direction - Mrighdeep Singh Lamba

Cast – Pulkit Samrat , Manjot Singh , Ali Fazal , Priya Anand , Richa Chadda

Budget -10 crores (approximately)

The film starts with two school back-benchers who barely manage to pass in class  but  dream of getting admission in  a famous college in town and date the girls there . The duo befriends Lali ,son of a halwai . The latter is a first year correspondence course student who also wants to enroll in the same college as his girlfriend studies there. Zafar is a  son of a butcher who has completed college but waits for his big break as a musician . To fulfill their dreams the four guys desperately need money and the need to make quick money brings them together.

Pulkit Samrat , last seen in Bittoo Boss is quite natural as the Delhi guy who is confident about his plans . He is paired opposite Priya Anand (last seen in Rangrezz) but their romantic angle is not given any importance in the film so Priya has nothing much to do. 

Manjot Singh as the simple guy whose main focus in life is to keep his girlfriend happy is adorable.  

Richa Chaddha , last seen in Gangs of Wasseypur is the best part of the film . Her character Bholi Panjaban  adds glamour and speed to an otherwise slow story . She is loud , shrewd with money , dresses smartly ,works out in a  a mirrored gym and relaxes with a glass of whiskey at night. She is the only paisa- wasool element in the film.  
Despite having good actors the film disappoints as it fails to combine the various events going on in the film into a spell binding story. 
In a line ,we expect a  certain standard from a  Farhan Akhtar's film  but  the plot of the film is so weak that it is reduced to a series of few humorous incidents . 
Time pass , Avoidable .
Rank - 20 (out of the 30 films I have seen in 2013)