Ae Dil Hai Mushkil- An ode to Love

Release date- 28th Oct 2016

One Word which describes the film- Intense

Best Dialogues-
Ayan- "Aasan Hai Kya? Aisi Mahobbat Karna Jiske Badle Mohabbat Na Mile."

Alizeh- "Pyaar Mein Junoon Hai, Par Dosti Mein Sukun Hai."

Saba- "Main kisi ki jaroorat nahi khwaish banna chahti hoon."

Tahir- "Agar baazi ishq ki baazi hai toh jo chahe laga lo, dar kaisa. Agar jeet gaye to kya kehna, agar haare bhi toh baazi maat nahi."

DJ Ali- "Tumhari mohabbat ke samne meri mohabbat kam pad gayi." 


Genre- Romance/ Drama

Budget- 80 Crores approximately

“Jab pyar mai pyar na ho,

 Jab dard mein yaar na ho
Jab aasoun mein muskaan na ho,
Jab lafzon mein zubaan na ho
Jab saasein bas yunhi chale,
Jab har din mein raat dhale
Jab intezaar sirf waqt ka ho,
Jab yaad uss kambat ki ho
Kyun hun mein rahi
Jab wo hai kisi aur ki manzil,
Dhadkano ne saath chhod diya
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil,
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil”
~ Karan Johar

It has been two weeks since the film released and despite the mixed reviews it has managed to do well both in Indian and international markets.
I have always appreciated Karan Johar's larger than life films where everything is grand, there are perfect people with perfect relationships and by the end everything ends in a happy note.
But this film is unlike any of his film. This film is a dramatized version of his own life story. The characters of the film experience the unreciprocated love and heartbreaks he has gone through in his life. The characters are so real that in everyone you will find some traces of yourself.

Ayan- In a scene Ayan tells Alizeh that he was sure that one day he would meet someone who will understand his craziness and accept him like he was. He's the 'private jet' rich kind of guy who has everything and still is not happy because he doesn't understand why a girl who calls him his bestest friend can't be in love with him too. He aims to please everybody. Ranbeer as Ayan is the guy anyone can fall in love with. We found him cute, understood his confusion, shared his excitement and at times sympathized with him too.

Alizeh- The girl who knows she has been a fool in love and so values the comfort of friendship more than the excitement of an obsessive love. She is mature when explaining about love to others but when it's about her, she commits the same mistake again, even telling her friend, "Mohabbat karne walo ka vishwas nahi karna chahiye". Anushka Sharma is perfect in the role. At some places her friendship with Ranbeer looks very real and we could feel her enjoyment in bullying him.

Ali- Fawad Khan has a small role in the film. In his unkempt unruly hair he looks messy. His character was important to the story but he has just 3-4 dialogues and hardly leaves any impact.

Saba- Aishwarya did two woman oriented film after her comeback , Jazbaa and Sarabjeet, but both didn't do well at the box office or got her any critical acclamation. As Saba Taliyar Khan she looked so hot and beautiful that even those who hated the film couldn't ignore her presence. The video of "Bulleya" has got 71 million hits in a month and must be the most viewed Bollywood song. Her chemistry with Ranbir is so real that it set the screen on fire. Karan Johar very wisely showed most of the passionate scenes between them in the trailer and created so much curiosity among the audience that the film got a very good opening.

Music is the life and soul of the film. Whether it's the title song which explains the pain of one sided love or "Channa Mereya"  the heartbreak song, they are bound to stay in your mind long after you have seen the film.
Karan Johar has given so much of himself in this film that I doubt that he'll direct another film soon. Karan Johar said that he learned a lot from Aditya Chopra while assisting him in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaynge. Without even watching Aditya Chopra's upcoming film "Befikre", I can say that with this film Karan has shown that he has gone way ahead than his mentor.

In a line, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is that kaleidoscope which will bring to your mind all the meaningful & loving relationships you have ever experienced in your life.

Good one time watch.

Mirzya~ Much ado about folk tale, rajput kings and Shakespeare.

 

Best Dialogue-

"होता है अक्सर होता है
इश्क़ में अक्सर होता है

चोट कहीं लगती है जा कर
ज़ख्म कहीं पर होता है"

Budget- 50 Crores approximately

After watching the promos, I never had any great expectations from Mirzya but I hoped for a decent story as the director has given us epic films like Rang De Basanti and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag in the past.

Like Rang De Basanti the story is shown in two timeframes.

The film starts with Om Puri heating an iron rod on a furnace and saying, "Ye loharon ki basti hai, ye basti hai loharon ki." The film then moves to an ethereal and timeless world of blue skies, snow covered mountains and beautiful landscape. The scene is so grand that when Saiyami Kher makes her entry in some ancient dress and winged eyeliner her beauty fades in front of the nature. Harshvardhan Kapoor makes his entry with his face half covered in a facial armour and right from the first scene he has no star charisma or on-screen presence.

The film then moves to the present time, which according to me was quite a surreal world as the characters have no reason behind their actions. They have no depth and unintentionally come out as selfish creatures.

The director keeps taking us back and forth between these ethereal and surreal worlds, which instead of simplifying the story, just adds to the confusion galore.

The most peculiar thing about the film is that while showing the love story of Mirzya and Sahiba, set in ancient times, not a single dialogue was used. We had to guess the story from the newcomers' expressionless faces while Daler Mehendi wailed in the background.

Instead of a timeless romance which was the director's dream it looked more like a Broadway musical sans glamour.

Talking of debuts this is the worst debut for both Harshvardhan Kapoor and Saiyami Kher.

Harshvardhan Kapoor looked shabby and untidy throughout the film. In few scenes he was made to take off his shirt which did nothing for him as he had neither packs or biceps to show off. His dialogue delivery was bad and there was hardly any chemistry between him and the leading lady.
It's good that he has signed another film before Mirzya's release. Maybe director Vikramaditya Motwane manages to tap Harsh's true potential in his dream project, "Bhavesh Joshi" which is about a Gujarati boy blessed with superpowers.

Saiyami Kher looked like a dusky beauty modelling for saris and jewellery in most of the scenes. Her dialogue delivery was bad and when she had to express through her eyes she failed miserably.

There was a group of dancers who came every now and then to dance to the songs being played to add a dash of  colour to the otherwise dark film. To be honest the male and female dancers had more chemistry in between them than the lead love birds.

The director has paid so much attention to the landscape, the dresses of the dancers, the grand palace and horses that he forgot to add any intensity to the love story. The result is that we just keep hoping for the wow moments the promos tantalize us with, but they never come and the film ends on a mundane note.

The film was released in 1700 screens but because of negative reviews the film got a poor opening of  1.75 Crores.

In a line, in his mind the director must have envisioned an epic romance but he failed to turn that dream into reality.

Highly Avoidable.

Pink~ A tale about women of questionable character.

Release date- 16th September 2016

One Word which describes the film- Gritty 

Best Dialogue- 'Nahi apne aap mai ek sentence hai. Ise kisi explaination ki jarurat nahi hai. When a woman says No, you stop.'

Genre- Thriller/ Courtroom Drama

Music- Shantanu Moitra

Producer- Rashmi Sharma, Shoojit Sircar

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Story- Ritesh Shah

Direction- Annirudha Roy Chaudhary 

Cast- Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Andrea Tariang, Angad Bedi, Piyush Mishra

Budget- 25 Crores approximately

PINK is a social thriller that reflects on the dubious morals of today's times.

Based on their preconceptions of women, people often exhibit subtle forms of subconscious bias that cause them to treat women differently from men. Men and women are often held to different standards and the same behavior is viewed differently in women than in men. So if a man is assertive, the woman behaving in the same manner is aggressive. Men lose their cool whereas women get emotional because they are suffering from PMS.

If a woman drinks she is a woman of questionable character, but for a man it's just a 'health hazard'.

The film starts on a slow note as we are introduced to the main characters of the story. We get to see how an incident changes the lifestyle of people associated with it. 

When an older man tells a young woman, "I can either be truthful or liberal" the film starts taking shape. 

Amitabh Bachchan is the life and soul of the film. As an old retired lawyer he silently observes people but as soon as he dons his lawyer's robe there is a distinctive change in his demeanour which makes the whole film engrossing.

When Mr Bachchan says, "Hamare yahan ghadi ki sui ladki ka character decide karti hai", all the ladies in the theater couldn't agree more with him.

There are so many things in the film which everyone knows about but we never talk about them because of the social taboos associated with such discussions. There is a scene where the girl's father walks out of the court to save her from embarrassment.

Tapsi Pannu has given stiff competition to Mr Bachchan in the acting department. How the society and the system breaks a strong willed girl can be easily seen in the film. From a girl who isn't afraid of shouting on the phone, "I'm bored you coward, so stop talking and come and show what you can do" we see her transforming into a girl who's asking for mercy.

Other actors of the film have also done a good job but they don't deserve a special mention.

I was in a state of constant fear and tension as to what is going to happen next so despite the UA certificate, I wouldn't recommend to watch it with kids. Teenagers can watch it with their friends. 

In a line, Pink tries to explain in 2 hours how a NO means no and should be respected as a choice, not as a rejection or challenge to your ego.

Good one time watch.

Happy Bhag Jayegi~ An opportunity missed is an opportunity lost

Release date- 19th Aug
2016

One Word which describes the film- Perplexing

Best Dialogue- ‘Kaisa desh hai, yahan bandook ke bina baat karo to koi sunta hi nahi hai.'

Genre- Romantic Comedy

Music- Sohail Sen

Producer- Anand L. Rai, Krishika Lulla

Story & Direction- Mudassar Aziz

Cast- Diana Penty, Abhay Deol, Jimmy Shergill, Ali Fazal, Momal Sheikh, Piyush Mishra

Budget- 15-20 Crores approximately

In 2010 Mudassar Aziz made his directorial debut through Dulha Mil Gaya. This is his second film as a director. He is also the story writer and the lyricist of the film.

The film has an interesting list of characters. There is a reluctant bride, a corporator, a struggling musician, a reluctant politician, a dominating fiancee, an angry father and some other characters playing the role of friends and family members.

The story starts when Happy escapes from her wedding and jumps into a wrong truck which is going to Pakistan along with a minister's convoy.

Jimmy Shergill makes a grand entry when he copies Sunny Deol's dance moves in "Yaara o  yaara" song. He tells the bride's father,'Ek corporator hokar ministero wale kharche kiye hai aur hua kya?' His character has dark shades and he has done full justice to the role.

Abhay Deol plays the role of a politician's son. His father expects him to be a game changer and change the history of Pakistan. His feelings keep changing and he keeps us confused too. When he says, 'Madhubala ke to hazaro chahne wale the, fark isse padta hai ki Madhubala kise chahti thi', we expect some sparks to follow but nothing happens. 

Diana Penty makes her comeback through this film. Initially her scenes made us laugh but afterwards the humor becomes repetitive. She has no on- screen chemistry with any of the three male leads and so the audience get no chance to fall in love with her character.   

Ali Fazal's character is the weakest link of the film. He's so in awe of Happy that for him the sun rises and sets with her. In one scene when he is telling another character, 'Happy karodo mein ek hai aur jo use jaan leta hai wo use pyar kiye bina nahi reh pata', we wonder if he's actually in love with her or just an ardent fan.

Piyush Mishra as ACP Afridi is the most hilarious character of the film. His comic timing is perfect. Whether it's his expressions or his explanation on the usage of urdu words, whenever he comes on the screen he makes us laugh.

Pakistani actress Momal Sheikh makes her Bollywood debut with this film. She's average and fails to leave any impression.

Music by Sohail Sen (son of Samir Sen) is good. Zara si Dosti and Tera Aashiq songs are quite melodious but they don't fit in the story.

The promos suggested the film to be inspired from the 1999 hit American Rom Com, Runaway Bride and it would have been better if the makers had just copied that story instead of presenting us with a story which goes nowhere.

The film has collected approximately 6 Crores in 2 days which is too less considering the production houses involved. It will be a difficult task for the film to even collect 20 Crores in the coming days.

In a line, because of the confusing story line and too many subplots, the talented actors fail to leave any impact and the film lost its entertainment value.
Time pass. Can be seen when is aired on TV. 

MOHENJO DARO~ There's nothing new under the sun.

Release date- 12th August 2016

One Word which describes the film- Uneventful

Best Dialogue- 'Antar hai, tujhe Mohenjo Daro pe raaj karna hai aur mujhe sevaa"

Genre- Period Drama/ Romance

Music- A. R. Rahman

Producer- Siddharth Roy Kapur, Sunita Gowariker

Story & Direction- Ashutosh Gowariker

Cast- Hrithik Roshan, Pooja Hegde, Kabir Bedi, Arunoday Singh 

Budget- 100 Crores approximately


Ashutosh Gowariker was first inspired to make a film set in the ancient Indus Valley civilization way back when he was in Bhuj, Gujarat, scouting locations for his then-upcoming Lagaan (2001), and stumbled across the massive excavations in progress at the ruins of Dholavira.
Over the years he must have thought a lot about his dream project, the ancient city, its inhabitants and their life styles, as a lot of hard work and planning is visible in the larger than life sets, the different seals, the statues, the depiction of the 2016 BC era.

The film starts with the famous crocodile fight and the people talking in some different language. Slowly the language starts resembling hindi with just few new words here and there like sapina (dream), janawar(animal), son(gold), turinto(immediately) and hamalkhor.
As the film progresses, the story starts resembling any other typical Bollywood film,where boy sees girl and tries to woo her.
There is a grand set made of a market place where the director has tried to show people from different countries coming for trade, but the characters are so stereotyped that it looks more like a fancy dress show.
Hrithik Roshan plays the role of an indigo farmer who sees unicorns in his dreams. He believes in honesty and justice. He is a born leader who unites the poor farmers and motivates them to fight for what is right.
"Jo muthhi ab tak khuli hui thi..usse band karne ka samay aa gya hai."
Pooja Hegde doesn't get much opportunity to show her acting skills. She is quite thin and wearing those elaborate headgears for hours must have been a task in itself.

The main problem of the film is that instead of focusing on the city as a whole the director has focused just on one individual. There is no team-representation, no grand sequences. If the director had to show a love story then why did he spent crores on making a big set even differentiating it into the upper city and lower city. The pace of the film from the starting itself is so slow that by the time it catches some speed most of the audience has already lost interest.  
A.R.Rehman's music is set according to the era but except 'Tu Hai', all other songs fail to leave any impact on the mind of the viewers.
The film has collected 18 Crores in two days and as it's getting fierce competition from Rustom, it will be a task for the film to even recover it's production cost.

In a line, with such a grand set and a talented actor like Hrithik Roshan the film could have been a magnum opus, it's sad that the director wasted this golden opportunity and chose to focus just on the central character's love story.

Time pass. Can be seen for Hrithik Roshan.

Rustom~ The man every woman wants.

Release date- 12th Aug 2016

One Word which describes the film- Charismatic 

Best Dialogue- 'Matlab baazi jeetne se hai ... phir chahe pyada qurbaan ho ya phir rani.'

Genre- Crime/Mystery

Music- Ankit Tiwari, Jeet Ganguly, Raghav Sachar, Arko Pravo Mukherjee

Producer- Neeraj Pandey, Aruna Bhatia,Nittin Keni

Based on- K. M. Nanavati v. State of Maharashtra

Direction- Tinu Suresh Desai

Cast- Akshay Kumar, Ileana D'Cruz, Arjan Bajwa
Esha Gupta, Pawan Malhotra, Sachin Khedekar

Budget- 50 Crores

Rustom is based on the famous Commander K. M. Nanavati vs. State of Maharashtra (1959) court case which received unprecedented media coverage and inspired several books and movies. The case was the last to be heard as a jury trial in India, as the government abolished jury trials.
The film is set in the 60s and despite the disclaimer that it's a work of fiction most of the story line and the characters are taken from the Nanavati case.
In the first half of the film we are introduced to the central characters who belong to the upper-class of Bombay. They drive the swankiest cars, drink the finest wine, are members of elite clubs and throw the most happening parties.
The second half is a court room drama between the judge, the public prosecutor, the defense attorney and the witnesses.
The full story revolves around Rustom and Akshay Kumar has given his best performance till date to bring life to the otherwise dull and predictable story.
Akshay Kumar is known either for his action or comedy roles. In this film he does neither. There is not a single scene where he gives the audiences' an adrenaline rush by doing some daring action stunt or makes us laugh till our stomachs ache, still by the time the film ends we are so enamored by Rustom that it seems that we can't get enough of him. As a decorated naval officer his look is just perfect. He delivers every single dialogue with such sincerity and confidence that we believe in him. We feel his frustration, his pain, his helplessness and anger. He's the perfect man, who even for his wife's mistakes, blames himself.

Pawan Malhotra as the investigating officer has done complete justice to his short but significant role. He's also in awe of Rustom and time and again tries to create a balance between what his mind tells and what his heart feels.
Ileana's character mainly had to look pretty and she has done a good job in getting the 60's look right. Her on- screen chemistry with both men is quite weak and no sparks fly when they are together.

Esha Gupta adds to the glamour quotient. In her sleazy dresses, perfectly coiffured hair and brightly painted bee-stung lips, she looks like the Indian version of Marilyn Monroe. She has very few dialogues and in most of the scenes she's either looking smoking-hot or smoking a cigarette.

Most of the songs of the film are melodious though they are not part of the film. 'Karam khudaya hai' and 'Tay Hai' can be heard on loop.

The film has collected almost 30 Crores in two days. Once the film crosses 100 Crores, Akshay Kumar will be the only actor to have given three 100 Crores plus films in a year.

In a line, though the film is a court room drama, the events unfold in a very interesting way and keep the viewers engrossed in the story till the end.

Must watch for Akshay Kumar fans. Good one time watch for others. 

Dishoom- Just another Bollywood Masala flick

Release date- 29th July 2016

One Word which describes the film- Masala entertainer

Best Dialogue- "Jab jab hamne aapse pyar karne ki kosish ki aapne apne daam badha liye."

Genre- Action

Music- Pritam

Producer-Sajid Nadiadwala
Sunil A Lulla

Story & Direction- Rohit Dhawan

Cast- John Abraham, Varun Dhawan, Akshaye Khanna, Jacqueline Fernandez, Saqib Saleem

Budget- 45-50 Crores approximately

Rohit Dhawan made his directorial debut through Desi Boyz in 2011. After 5 years we get another film from him which is just like his earlier film having all the elements supposed to be there in a Bollywood blockbuster like top stars, foreign locations, scantily dressed heroines, peppy dance numbers and big sets. But all these factors can not mask the fact that the film lacks an engaging screenplay which totally loses appeal in the second half. Like in the first film there is bromance between John and Varun. We have Pariniti in place of Bruna Abdullah doing a really bad item number 'Jaaneman Aah'. Like Sanjay Dutt did a really insignificant role of the owner of a Gigolo firm in Desi Boyz, here we have Akshay Kumar playing the role of a gay guy who is more interested in noticing Varun Dhawan's assets, even using the corny pickup line, 'Your father must have been a baker, cause you've got a nice set of buns'. 
Varun Dhawan and Akshay Khanna have managed to give some decent performances but John and Jacqueline as usual just manage to get whistles from the front benchers.
There is an item number Sau Tarah Ke, picturised on Jacquelin Fernandez, John Abraham and Varun Dhawan shot in Morocco with 200 junior dancers.  There is also a helicopter action sequence which is said to be shot in real time without any body doubles. If this much attention was given to the story we could have got a good film which had repeat value.
Desi Boyz got an opening of 9 Crores in 2011. Now when the ticket prices have almost doubled and the screens have also increased Dishoom getting an opening of 11 Crores can not be called as an achievement.
In a line, Dishoom is just another attempt of making money by just bringing all the elements together in a weak story and offers nothing new to the audiences.
Time-pass.