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.

The Jungle Book ~ Welcome to the Jungle!

Release date(UK/ U.S.A./ Canada) - 15th April 2016

One Word which describes the film- Enchanting

Best Dialogue- 'If you can't learn to run with the pack, one of these days you'll be someone's dinner.' 

Genre- Fantasy/Adventure

Music- John Debney, Vishal Bhardwaj (composed the song jungle jungle baat chali hai especially for release in India )

Producer- Jon Favreau, Brigham Taylor

Story-The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Direction-Jon Favreau

Cast- Neel Sethi as Mowgli, Nana Patekar (Sher Khan), Om Puri (Bagheera), Irrfan Khan (Baloo), Shefhali Shah (Raksha), Priyanka Chopra (Kaa),

Budget- 175 million $ ( 1165 Crores approx)

The Jungle Book is an action adventure tale of Mowgli, a man-cub who's been raised by a family of wolves. Mowgli's peaceful life is threatened when Sher Khan promises to kill him. Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey with Bagheera and meets the fun loving bear Baloo. He also meets a python whose seductive voice and gaze can hypnotize anyone and the gigantic King Louie.

This is surely a larger than life film. The ruined temple where we see an obese orang-utan, the terrifying landslides, or the buffalo stampedes take us into a mesmerizing tour of the jungle which leave us enchanted and thrilled.  

Principal photography took place entirely in sound stages at Los Angeles Center Studio. The animal characters were created entirely in key frame computer animation with the assistance of footage of real animal movement, the actors recording their lines, and performance capture for reference. Neel Sethi, the film's only real character has given a remarkable performance. In Hindi version for the way Mowgli uses his brain to tackle problems, the word 'jugaad' is used which got many claps from the audiences. Nana Patekar did the voice over in deep menacing tones where as Irfan Khan was bright and jovial making us laugh in every scene. Priyanka Chopra's voice was the most unrecognizable. 

Around 1,000 remote jungle locations in India were photographed and used as reference in post-production.

The film collected 74 Crores in a week in India which is huge considering Kapoor and sons collected similar amount in 3 weeks and Ki and Ka has collected just 50 crores in 2 weeks.

It will open in key markets like China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and the United States today and predictions are that it will get a 400 crores plus opening.

In a line, while growing up all of you must have seen 'The Jungle Book' serial on Doordarshan , so this time take your kids along with you and relive those memories.

Good one time watch.

Review of Drishyam

Release date - 31'st July 2015

One Word which describes the film - Riveting

Best Dialogue- पुलिस के पास एक ही सबूत है, हमारा डर।

Genre - Thriller/Drama

Music -Vishal Bhardwaj 

Story- Jeethu Joseph, Upendra Sidhaye

Direction -Nishikant Kamat

Producer - Kumar Mangat Pathak, Ajit Andhare
Abhishek Patha

Cast -Ajay Devgan, Shriya Saran, Tabu, Ishita Dutta, Rajat Kapoor

Budget- 40 Crores approximately

Drishyam, directed by Nishikant Kamat, is a remake of the 2013 Malayalam film of the same name. Ajay plays Vijay Salgaonkar, a cable TV operator in a Goan location who in a turn of events has to fight against a strong opponent IG Meera Deshmukh. It's a game of wits and a single mistake can have adverse effects on his family. 

In 1994, Tabu came into prominence with her role in Vijaypath opposite Ajay Devgan for which she received the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. If you are a Bollywood movie lover you can not forget Tabu in the ruk ruk ruk are baba ruk song, for which she received the tag 'thunder-thighs'.
After 21 years they are back in an equally electrifying chemistry where love has been replaced by fear.

The first half of the film is very slow and focuses on the close knit family, the husband who stays awake at night in his office for his passion for films, the wife and kids who love him and don't come in the way of his passion. From the family the focus shifts to other residents of the village, the local coffee shop owner, the contractor and the corrupt policeman. Too much time is spent in tea and gossips in the local coffee shop and we wonder when will the film catch speed.
Just before interval Tabu makes her entry and after that slowly and steadily the film catches speed. We wait eagerly for every scene which takes us on a journey of fear, suspense and thrill and the mind shattering climax totally makes up for the slow start.

Ajay Devgan as Vijay is not only believable but also immensely likeable. Though he is neither like the powerful Singham or the dumb Gopal but his brooding eyes look right into your soul and make you fall in love with him. 

Tabu in her no makeup look, looks gorgeous. She has given such a range of expressions that in some scenes even when you know she is right, you hate her.

The film is a scene by scene copy of the Malyalam film so if you have seen the dubbed version or already know the story, then there is not much there for you.

In a line, if you are a Ajay Devgan fan, then you must see this film for him.

Time-pass. Can be seen in theatres for the thrilling second half. 

Review Of Matru ki bijli ka mandola

Release date - 11’th Jan 2013

One Word which describes the film – Eccentric

Best  Dialogue – "Bapu, ab main samajh gayi tu sharab kyon peeta hai, iske nashe main sacchai kadwi nahi lagti "

Genre -  Drama / Comedy
 
Story -  Vishal Bhardwaj , Abhishek Chaubey

Music – Vishal Bhardwaj

Producer - Vishal Bhardwaj , Fox Star Studios

Direction -  Vishal Bhardwaj

Cast - Imran Khan , Anushka Sharma , Pankaj Kapoor , Arya Babbar , Shabana Azmi

Budget -40 crore   

The first big budget film of the year is a dark comedy which focuses on the  the farmers of the country who are under big debts and the industrialists who with the help of corrupt politicians want to take the poor farmers ' lands to make Special Economic Zones.

The film starts with a shot of a stretch limousine crashing into a bar in the middle of a wheat field with Mr Mandola saying that "Gulabo andar , Hariya bahar " . It's only after sometime that we come to know that Gulabo is the name of the local whiskey brand which transforms Mr Mandola , an ambitious ,insatiably greedy industrialist with capitalist ambitions  into a generous socialist Hariya who provokes the villagers to take a morcha against himself.

After that the film goes on till interval  in a confusing way with lots of characters who are not given any proper introduction .

There is Mandola's servant Matru who has studied Law in the city & wishes to lead a movement one day. Imran Khan has shed his lover boy image and has put on the rustic look . I think this is Imran's best performance till date. He has put on the perfect Haryanvi accent and body language and is comfortable in acting with a veteran actor like Pankaj Kapoor.

There is Mandola's Oxford retrurn daughter who in Matru's words has a Meena Kumari complex  .Anushka Sharma is clearly still in the Jab tak hai jaan phase as she roams around in the big haveli and village in micro shorts which totally seem very out of place in the Haryanvi set up.

Then come the  corrupt minister, Chaudhari Devi (played by Shabana Azmi) who thinks that " jab hamari pragati hogi tabhi to desh ki unnati hogi" and her dim-wit son Baadal (played by Arya Babbar) .

We can't control our laughs when she compares her son with sons of other politicians "Yahi farak hai tum mein aur Rahul, Sachin aur Jyotiraditya mein!" 

Badal and his friends exchange lame Knock-Knock jokes which I think is a dig at the current generation.

Last but not the least there are the numerous villagers ,and the only thing which made the kids smile 'the gulabi bhains '.

After a dragging first half the film catches speed in the  second half but most of the audience was so bored that they didn't pay much attention to the subtle humor or realistic story.

In a line the film has a very good message , though we hope the director had  scripted it in a better way . 

Must watch for Pankaj Kapur fans .Can be seen in theaters .

Rank- 5  (Films I have seen in 2013 )