DISCO - Movie Review

Movie : DISCO
Rating: 1.5/5
Cast : Nikhil, Sarah Sharma, Ashish Vidhyardi, Ali, Khayyum, Vijay Sai, MS Narayana and others
Directed by : Hari K' Chanduri
Produced by : Abhinav Reddy
Banner : Style Entertainments
Music : Mantra Anand
Release Date : 2012-04-20

Happy Days fame Nikhil has been trying hard to prove his mettle as a solo hero. He has been choosing scripts that suit the tastes of mass audience. He is playing it safe by playing to the galleries. Veedu Theda movie did work in his favor to some extent. But films like these are highly unbearable when they go wrong. Disco is one those painful movies which would test you from start to end. Here is the review...

What is it about?

Disco (Nikhil) is a happy go lucky guy, who does everything for friendship. He settles the marriage of his friend (Vijay Sai) with a rich girl and goes to Bangkok for bachelor party. There he bumps into Shiny (Sarah Sharma) and falls in love with her. She is the daughter of a big mafia don Bhai (Ashish Vidyardhi). What happens to Disco's love for Shiny forms rest of the story.

Performances:     
                                                                                                                        
Nikhil is not a bad actor. He has energy and confidence to pull off a character with ease. But he should do films that suit his tiny frame. He looks very annoying in so called mass scenes. He lacks the power and punch to do such massive action scenes. Also he imitates a lot. There is so much influence of Pawan Kalyan and Raviteja on him. Sarah Sharma is one of the biggest minuses of this film. She neither has looks nor talent. Ashish Vidhyardhi tries to entertain but fails. Ali is fine. MS Narayana is okay in his small role. Raghu Babu and the friends gang are alright.                                                                                                  

On the Technical Front:

Anand's music is not good. There is not a single song that will be remembered. Background score is bad too. Malhar's cinematography is fine for a film made on shoestring budget. Editing is poor. Dialogues written by Satish lacks punch and not up to the mark.

Director Hari tried to imitate his guru Puri Jagannadh. Hero characterization and few comedy scenes are straight out of Puri's book. But Hari is not Puri to pull off a film with racy screenplay and crisp editing. Hari failed in every aspect as the director. He should come up with a solid show to grab the attention of film lovers.

Analysis:                                                                              

Disco is a routine film with ordinary script. The script fully banks upon few twists in the second half. First hour is a sheer pain to watch. Most of the scenes are not connected and suddenly bumps out of nowhere. We get our answers for that confusion in the second half, but that doesn't nullify the pain we have gone through until then.

Second half runs on a super predictable note and one has to wait until the titles roll on by guessing the next scenes. This is one of the films that make audiences feel like better writers and directors. Climax of the movie is awful at the best. Sudden change in Ashish is silly. That is done simply to avoid a massive fight in the climax. For that we have to thank the director.

Disco will be liked by few sleepyheads because it is the film that doesn't puzzle you even if you doze off for an hour or so. The story will be floating at the same point and you will immediately connect with the scenes and follow the flow without much trouble. So this is a movie that could be prescribed for good afternoon nap.

Making the film on a low budget is the only plus point for the producer. He should be out with less loss. But most of the audiences will be left lifeless for going through this endless torture called Disco.

Verdict:  Stay away from 'Disco' theaters!

Dhammu Movie Review By Censor

Dhammu Censor Report
CBFC Rating: 'A'
Movie Rating: 4/5

On the screen:

•     The movie starts from some flash back note which happened  long back.
•     The story turns towards the present situation and enters the city. The first 40 minutes of the movie goes in an entertaining way with out and out comedy.
•     The movie heads to the interval bang with a mighty twist which is said to be the turning point of this movie. The interval bang is the highlight of the movie where Tarak completely exploded his acting skills with his roaring performance.
•     The story starts gripping from the second half filled with the family emotions. Scenes between Tarak, Abhinaya and Venu got well.
•     Pre-Climax is quite interesting and heads to the climax with the wild rage of revenge drama.
•     Aggressive expressions of Tarak are fabulous. His expressions are just like never before and never after.
•     Climax is extraordinary and finally movie is going to end with the great applause.

Off the screen:

•     The movie unit faced some problems from Censor Board members during some scenes.
•     The movie faced 3 audio cuttings totally which the unit was advised to replace the dialogues.
•     The Censor Board members requested to play the 'Ruler' Song for twice as they had fallen in love with the visuals of that song.
•     Appreciations received to Tarak from members for his action. It was said that he looked more glamorous in 'Vaasthu Baagundhe' Song.
•     Some scenes in the movie had stolen the heart of members which were played twice. 

Highlights of the Movie:

• No, doubt the first credit should be awarded to the Young Tiger itself for his 'Viswaroopam'. This movie is going to be the another one man show movie of this year.
• Director Boyapati Seenu just rocked away all the aspects in this movie. There is a great improvement of comedy in this movie compared to his previous movies.
• 'Ruler' song is the back bone of this movie. The visuals of the song are going to be anther creative wonder in the tollywood.
• M.M.Keeravani's Background music is the asset of the movie. His high voltage music during the pre-climax will not make the audience to sit in their seats.
• All the technicians proved themselves up to their mark.
• Interval Twist

Negatives of the Movie:

    As NTR has mighty following in the mass audience, this movie is completely for them. Though this movie had mixed with some family emotions over-violence may affect the family audience.
    Trisha just looked like aunty again. Her pair with Tarak was not too good. Indeed Tarak dominated her with this glamour itself in this movie.

Interval Dialogue:

    NTR to Nazar:  "Charithra ni emana nee amma kanindhaa raa.. Charithra srushtinche vaadu epudu cheppi raadu.. Vasthadu....Charithra Srushtishatu.. Vellipothadu"..


Final Word:

    Young tiger is back with his mass masala action for his die hard fans. This movie will surely satisfy the hunger of Nandamuri fans who were waiting for mass movie after Simha.

Neeku Naaku Dash Dash

Movie : Neeku Naaku Dash Dash
Rating: 2.5/5
Cast : Prince, Nandita, Teertha and others
Directed by : Teja
Produced by : Anand Prasad
Banner : Bhavya Creations
Music : Yashwanth Nag
Release Date : 2012-04-13

Director Teja was one of the biggest brand names in Tollywood a decade ago. But a series of flop products damaged his reputation as the director and he was forced to take a break from filmmaking after disastrous Keka. He is back again with Neeku Naaku Dash Dash, which is also the same old Teja's tree in new forest! After taking a very big break Teja believed that his old formula should work again and made an attempt. Let's see how it is...


What is it about?

Shiva (Prince) and Gayathri (Nandita) are workers at a yard that makes cheap liquor. They fall in love with each other. Falling in love is completely prohibited in that business and that puts the couple in trouble. Added to that Shiva steals crores of money from the liquor mafia goons for a reason. So the chase is on and like in every Teja's film the couple runs in to the forest and what happens next is left to your imagination.


Performances:                                                                                                                                
Prince is an okay looking guy. He did an Okay job as an actor. Nandita is good as rebellious Gayatri. She dominated the hero in every frame. She has cute looks. Teertha is fine as the baddie. Director failed to etch her character in a proper way. Paruchuri Venkateswara Rao is good. Suman Setty is usual. Venu is Okay. The bald headed villain didn't look powerful enough.


On the Technical Front:

Yashwant Nag's music is passable. "Maa orri dash gadu" song is catchy and entertaining. Background score was done by Anup Rubens and he did a pretty decent job. Rasool's cinematography is an asset. Teja himself being a cinematographer, his films always have good visuals. Editing is alright. Dialogues are not up to the mark.

As a director Teja did an average job. There were few instances where he showed few sparks from his brilliant past, but on a whole he is yet to get into form. Teja should have come up with a better story and screenplay after taking a big gap. Instead he tried to play it safe. He doesn't have that extraordinary story narrating skills anymore. Those intelligent scenes which used to arrest the audiences are completely missing.

Analysis:                                                                                   

Neeku Naaku Dash Dash is a casual film with routine script. It doesn't have the elements to make the audiences involved in the film. There are many boring moments in the film. First half is pretty mediocre. Second half is slightly better with story moving to lush green locales.

There are many ups and downs throughout the film. First half an hour and last half an hour are the biggest drawbacks. It is better in the remaining part but not good enough to impress the audience. The film is likely to leave a below average to average impression.

Teja's trademark element that made his films successful has been missing in this one. Lack of powerful villain made the climax part very weak. There are shades of Shopping Mall movie in the backdrop. Enough home work is not done and hence NNDD ended up as a half baked product.

Although made at a low budget, the film will have to struggle hard to get back the investments amidst the tough competition.

Verdict:  Teja is still in 'Jayam' mode!

Ninnu Chuste Love Vastundi

Cast : Jayam ravi, Hansika Motwani, Suman, Raju Sundaram and others.
Banner : A G S Entertainment PVT Limited
Music Director : Harris Jayaraj
Producer: Kalpathi S Aghoram, Kalpathi S Ganesh, Kalpathi S Suresh
Director: Prabhudeva
Cinematography: Nirvan Shah
Timesofap.com Rating : 2.5/5
Prabhu Deva started his directional career with Telugu romantic movie Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana, which went on to become a blockbuster in 2005. Though he was showered with offers, he chose to direct a film or two in a year. He opted action films over romantic genre films and succeeded. Now, he is back to love oriented movie with Ninnu Chusthe Love Vasthundi. The choreographer-turned-director roped in chocolate hero Jayam Ravi and Chinna Khushboo Hansika Motwani for the breezy entertainer.
Story:
Billionaire Kamal (Jayam Ravi) has a habit of taking a month off from his busy work schedule to relax and enjoy the life. After a hectic 12 month, he decides go to Paris. He wants to enjoy every minute of his vacation and disconnects his mobile to avoid disturbance. On the other hand, Kayalvizhi aka Kayal (Hansika Motwani) is a violinist, who is settled in France. In their very first encounter itself, she saves him from getting killed.Unlike every film, hero will not fall in love with heroine. It is just the opposite of it in Ninnu Chuste Love Vastundi . It is a love at first sight for her and she expresses the same to him. But Kamal, who does not believe in love, rejects her proposal and moves to India. A year later, they catch up again at the same place. The rest of the story should be seen on-screen.

Performance:
Jayam Ravi has given his best performance. It is a tailor-made story and character for him. Especially, he has worked on his expressions and reduced his weight for this film, which are clearly visible on screen. Hansika Motwani, who is referred as junior Kushboo, has given excellent performance. Her chemistry has gelled well with Ravi. In fact, they share an excellent on-screen chemistry. Raju Sundaram gives the audience comic relief through his dialogues. Rest other characters like Suman, Marion Arnaud have done justice to their roles.

Technical:
When it comes to the technical team, musician Harris Jayaraj and cinematographer Nirav Shah steal the show. The music director has given one of the best tunes for this film and he also rocks with his background score. And the cameramen has wonderfully captured the beautiful locales in his lens. It is an eye feast. They are the behind the screen heroes of Ninnu Chuste Love Vastundi . Rest other departments have given their best. All these credits should go to Prabhu Deva for making such a jolly and a cheerful film. He has taken best out of every cast and crew of the film.

Verdict:
In the nutshell, though the movie has quite a few loopholes, it is avoidable, as Ninnu Chusthe Love Vasthundi is a complete family entertainer. Especially, young couples will surely like this film. It is a great experience to watch the love story at France backdrop.

Friends Book

Release date: 13 April 2012

Cast: Nishal, Uday, Surya and Archana Sharma

Movie Rating : 2.5 /5

Director : R.P.Patnaik

Producer : Dr.Vijaya Kumar Malla
Music Director : R.P.Patnaik
Veteran movie director R.P.Patnaik has come up with his second offering as a movie director with the film ‘Friends Book’. The movie has Nischal, Uday, Archana, Surya, Suresh and Nisha Shetty in lead roles. Welfare Creations group has produced the movie. Let us see how the movie is.

Story :

Nischal (Nischal), Akshay (Uday), Surya (Surya), Nithya (Archana) and Madhu (Archana Shetty) are a gang of childhood friends. The friends are employed in various walks of life, ranging from Software Engineer to Crime Lab operative. They are all very unhappy with their jobs and they share a common goal of setting up a profitable business. To achieve this, they quit and set about creating a software that identifies and removes fake accounts from the popular social networking site Facebook. They succeed in their design and submit a proposal to Facebook. Their proposal is accepted and just when everything seems to be going in their favour, a shocking twist happens.
What is that twist? Will they succeed in making money out of their venture? That forms the rest of the story.
Plus Points :
Surya, Nischal and Suresh have done a good job. Their performance is neat and they have done justice to their roles. Archana and Nisha Shetty are just about ok in terms of performance. Rao Ramesh steals the thunder with a good performance in a role that has negative shades.
The first half is breezy and the suspense angle is maintained right till the end of the film. Comedy is ok in a few places. Direction of R.P.Patnaik is good in the first half as the story is set up pretty neatly. A few songs have been shot well.

Minus Points:
The director has no clarity on the technical side of the story, so there are glaring mistakes. There are silly mistakes in the concept of a software identifying fake accounts and the way it goes about doing it. Another silly point – Can a dead person’s Athma come online and chat with friends on Facebook?
The second half of the film is very bad and there are glaring mistakes in screenplay. The ‘Nigeria comedy’ scenes have not come out well and they test the patience of the viewers. There is no clarity in the message the director wanted to convey and the story keeps meandering between a psychological thriller and a murder mystery.
Technical Aspects :
Background score is very good but R.P.Patnaik should have stayed away from singing the only song in the movie. His voice just does not suit the song at all. Editing is jerky and could have been better. Dialogues are ok and they hint at the importance of friends over parents (Sad).
Cinematography is poor and visuals are not exciting enough.

Verdict :
R.P.Patnaik triend to do too many things at once in this movie and he ends up doing a poor job with all of them. There is absolutely no logic in much of the film and you can safely stay away from this ‘thriller’. Spend time on your Facebook account instead.

Rachcha Movie Review

Movie : Racha
Rating: 3/5
Cast : Ram Charan, Tamanna, Mukesh Rushi, Ajmal, Brahmanandam, Ali and others
Director : Sampath Nandi
Producer : Paras Jain, NV Prasa
Banner : Mega Supergood Films
Music : Mani Sharma
Release Date : 2012-04-05

                 Mega Power Star Ram Charan has done only one film after mighty Magadheera. That was Orange, which didn't go well with the mass audience as they expected a mass masala treat from the star. Now Charan offered them what they wanted with Racha. This film is an out and out paisa vasool commercial entertainer from Ram Charan. This is the first film in which Charan has done a complete mass character. Did he live up to the fans expectations as a mass hero? Is Racha good enough to earn him another hit?

What is it about?

Betting Raj (Ram Charan), who makes a living out of betting, takes up the biggest challenge of his life to save his dying father. As per the bet he will have to make Chaitra (Tamanna), a medico to fall in his love within thirty days. Chaitra's father Ballari (Mukesh Rushi) will be the biggest threat to Raj in doing so. Will Raj win the bet? What will Ballari do? Is there any other angle to this story? All these questions will be answered in the second half of the film.
                    
Performances:                                                                                                                                

Ram Charan has done a terrific job as the lead man in Racha. Although this character has over the top dialogues and excessive build up, Ram Charan did it as if it was a cake walk for him. He is a bundle of energy and inherited the confidence of his father. He has immense confidence in himself and fantastic screen presence. Director utilized it to the maximum and the output was awesome. Charan fans will be completely impressed with his 'show'. His dances and fights are a treat to watch. Charan can deliver many blockbusters if the directors make use of his capabilities.

Tamanna did well as an actress. She added the glamour factor to the movie and that will draw repeat audiences for sure. Watch out for her sizzling dance moves in the song Vaana vaana. Mukesh Rushi is fine as the villain. Partheepan is good in a small role. Ajmal delivered a neat performance. Brahmanandam provided the comic relief and Ali was hilarious in his brief role.

On the Technical Front:

Mani Sharma's music is good. He scored mass frenzy tunes as per the requirement of the script. Songs are well shot too. Dillaku Dilla and Vaana Vaana are striking on screen. Background score is an asset to Racha. Mani Sharma's experience came in handy for the director. Sameer Reddy's cinematography is very good. The climax sequence is well shot. Editing by Gowtam Raju is right on the mark.

Paruchuri Brothers excelled as dialogue writers after a long time. Despite writing few outdated dialogues, they have done a decent job in making this film a mass masala fare. Director Sampath Nandi surprises one and all with his efforts. He has it in him to handle a big film and a big star. Making the audience involved into the film without boring them with a routine formulaic script itself is a success for the director.

Analysis:                                                                                   

Racha is a film made for the mass audience. The director and the writers never tried to be street smart or creative at any instance. They have set their target and aimed at it without any diversions. Did they hit the target? They have almost hit the bull's eye! Making a commercial formulaic film is the biggest challenge these days.

Why because it will be hard to please the audience of this age with routine stuff. But when you get your basics and formula right, it is not a big deal. The writers and director have succeeded in getting the little things and right and they have created a big impact on screen.

Racha is not for intelligent audience who yearns for variety and freshness. It is a film made for mass audience and they will be pleased with the film. Racha has its weaknesses and strengths. We have to see if this is enough to shake the box office this summer.

Odds are in favor of Racha and the initial talk from the B and C centers is encouraging. Let's see if this positive buzz converts into record breaking collections and ends the drought period of Mega heroes that has been haunting them post Magadheera.

Mass and action film lovers could happily visit Racha theaters. And other so called class audience can wait until they find their Oasis in Tollywood desert.

Racha Premiere Show Talk

For few lucky guys from Film Industry, Ram Charan's today's releasing movie 'Racha' was premiered last night. Here goes the first talk about it.

Apparently, 'Racha' kind of subject is new for Ram Charan but is a regular mass masala movie done by his contemporaries like Jr.NTR. Sources reveal that the film is very much normal in terms of story but the thrilling action sequences and dialogues carry punch. Tamanna's glamour in a couple of songs makes audience glue stronger to seats as they go out of control with over heat generated.

The source adds that one should watch this movie for its commercial values and without any expectations. Director Sampath too made it clear that the movie looks like Shankar's flicks, old stories with extra-ordinary treatment. Anyway, in a few hours the actual talk is going to be out. Watch out our regular column for Racha Review!

Chillar Party

Director : Vikas Bahl and Nitesh Tiwari ,
Music : Amit Trivedi,
Lyrics : Nitesh Tiwari, Amit Trivedi, Amitabh Bhattacharya and Vikas Bahl,
Starring : Irrfan Khan, Sanath Menon, Rohan Grover, Naman Jain, Aarav Khanna, Vishesh Tiwari, Chinmai Chandranshuh, Vedant Desai, Divji Handa, Sherya Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor (guest appearance)
 

"Being Human...!" The latest glossy T-shirt slogan that is catching fast among teenagers, talks about the benevolence and contributions by Bollywood's evergreen wonder-boy Salman Khan. This charitable trust has fostered many fortunes so far through charities and its great feature that this kind-hearted actor has now ventured into film-production with a noble concept titled CHILLAR PARTY, a film about fun-loving bunch of kids. Almost zero on expectations, as child-entertainers are always been a low-key affair, it's indeed a valiant attempt to endeavor out an off-beat subject that relies heavily on shoulders of gang of child actors. Promising Amit Trivedi (AAMIR, DEVD, UDAAN and NO ONE KILLED JESSICA) is the musical brainchild of the album as he leads this bandwagon with bunch of lyricists to deliver out a peculiar "Mumbaiyaa" feisty entertainment. It will be the first child entertainer for Amit Trivedi and first big mantle for him as a playback singer. Hoping for a potential musical entertainer, let's unfold its musical facts...

Catching fast to the street-smart 'tapori' lingo and ishtyle, the infectiously loud pompous feel of drumming, whistling clubbed together sporadically with chorals sets out a vibrant pace for Aa Rela Hain Apun. If Dhinka Chika (READY) had folksy Telugu feisty rhythmical beat patterns then this number has typical 'Mumbaiyaa' style of drumming that has always been trademark of contemporary 'tapori' numbers. Successful soundtracks like Apun bola (JOSH), Sahi Bolta (AANKHEN) and M Bole toh Master (MUNNABHAI M.B.B.S) are few big examples of this genre. This Amit Trivedi loud and energetic number is heavily loaded with customary Maharastrian 'Ganpati' arrangements with narrative support of popular 'filmi' cheeky one-liners. Amit Trivedi along with Armaan Malik, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Tanmay Chaudhari, Arvind Vishwakarma sings out aggressively in loud tones. It's a reasonably audible listening affair that should be connecting well to the feel and spirits of this frolicsome entertainer.

Item song in a kiddie flick! Now what's that? Blue-eyed boy Ranbir Kapoor is the latest 'item-boy' of big bad B-town, who hip-shakes, jives, jumps acrobatically to the thumping tuneful beats of highly publicized Tai Tai Phish. As far as composition and arrangements, it charters same grounds of Aa Rela Apun with similar tonality and vocal flair. Amit Trivedi's fervently enthused voice leads the song while Jaishree Trivedi's added back-up vocals adds ethnicity of Maharastrian folksy touches. For all those who want to be part of 'Govinda' or 'Ganpati' colorfully loud musical festive feel, these two numbers can be probable addition in their collections.

If one goes by qualitative analysis, Shankar Mahadevan's soulfully rendered Taare Zameen Par (TAARE ZAMEEN PAR) is by far the finest in the cadre of sentimental numbers that has epitomized as well as caricatured the mindset of a child in most comprehensive way. Chatte Batte, a somber and sweet-sounding number by sonorous sounding Mohit Chauhan tries to match these high standards with added playfulness in its frivolous tonality. Nitesh Tiwari's lively and mischievous lyrical works (Yeh jalebiyon ke tukde hain, Chaashni se ubhre hain, Tedhe medhe garma garam par meethe bhi hai...") are the best of the album that talks about sweet and salty innocence. The added back-up vocal supports of Armaan Malik, Gaurika Rai and Keshav Rai adds cherubic melodic flair that connects well with the spontaneity of the track.

The sad version brings out melancholic shades of Mohit Chauhan's expressive singing in almost unplugged version, a likable background score for the situational needs of the album. Impressive!

The aggressiveness and stubbornness of being go-getter that was witnessed in soundtracks like Jame Raho (TAARE ZAMEEN PAR) and Hum to hain Aandhi (BHOOTNATH) makes its sporadic presence in Ziddi Piddi. Animated sounds, loud electronic synthesizers fillers, racy guitar riffs and thumping percussions makes vibrant communion as thrashing set of arrangements, exuding out set of thunderous expressions in enthused voices. Amit Trivedi's booming voice is again at the helm of affairs with fine support of Armaan Malik, Tanmay Chaudhari and Gaurika Rai. Overall it's an impressive toil by Amit Trivedi and its booming thump is surely to be firing all cylinders on big screen.

Aspirations galore! The mood turns motivational in Ek School Banana Hai, a feel-good situational number in cherubic voices. It's indeed a noble concept to conceptualize the feel of promoting education in refreshingly lighthearted wordings (Chhote chhote pahiyon pe sapno ki cycle, Udte chalenge aaj pedal'on ko maar kar hum...) and works decently to deliver the needful. The kindergarten style of rhyming is well versed by Gaurika Rai, Keshav Rai, Firoza and Students of Ajivasan School and can be used as potential inspirational filler by NGO's, child activist groups etc.

Hard-rock mania grips in the next outing Behla Do, a vivaciously chirpy number about plights and inspirations of children in easy-on-ears wordings. This rocking and thrilling song brings Armaan Malik and Firoza together as effective twosome. Like previous soundtracks, it too carries out an infectiously vibrant situational number appeal and that should be catalyzing out the turf-war stylized "kiddies" appeal, no great shake but still an audible listening affair.

As presumed and predicted, the finale comes in the form of angelic kindergarten English poem titled "Liar Liar" in naively sweet voices of Gaurika Rai and Keshav Rai. Propagating out the current trend of English tracks in Hindi filmdom, it comes out in engaging rhyming piece of work with meaningful set of verses ("You told me that the world is a beautiful place, that's the biggest lie I was told on my face...), a thought-provoking background score that can well be played in the ending titles of the flick.

CHILLAR PARTY is a 'bindaas' music album, tailored and crafted for its target set of listeners with couple of impressive soundtracks. Despite the fact that child-fiction albums have always been low-key affair in the marquee, Amit Trivedi's composing efforts can't be undermined as he lived up to every desired situations. In terms of quality and substance, it's no match for HANUMAN or TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, but a decent toil by the entire musical teamwork. The soundtracks that make maximum impact are Chatte Batte, Tai Tai Phish and Ek School Banana Hai while rest of them are decent listening outings. 

Delhi Belly Movie Review

Director: Abynay Deo
Music: Ram Sampath
Lyrics:Amitabh Bhattacharya, Akshat Verma, Munna, Dhiman, Ram Sampat and Chetan Shashital
Starring: Imran Khan, Poorna Jagannathan, Shenaz Treasuryvala, Rahul Pendkalkar, Vir Das, Kunal Roy Kapoor and Vijay Raaz


There's a scene in DELHI BELLY in which Nitin (Kunaal Roy Kapur) has a stomach upset and goes to the loo every now and then. After a couple of visits, the water tap runs dry. Unable to find a single drop of water in the entire house, he uses orange juice kept in the freezer to well, "
"complete his job". DELHI BELLY has several such gross scenes, but they do manage to evoke laughter.

It's about three friends and flatmates whose lives go haywire. Tashi (Imran Khan) is a journalist who's about to get married to his girlfriend Sonia (Shenaz Treasury). Nitin is his photojournalist friend who also does part-time blackmailing. Arun (Vir Das) is perpetually troubled by his annoying boss. To make matters worse, his girlfriend dumps him. A bizarre turn of events finds them involved in a really tough situation. Their lives are at stake.

Aamir Khan, one of the producers of DELHI BELLY, had repeatedly mentioned in interviews that it has foul language and is strictly for adults. Even the Bhag D.K. Bose song, which became a rage, had some very cheeky lyrics. True, the film is not for the kids. All the characters mouth the F word every now and then. But that's perhaps the way urban youth behave today. So, in the film it doesn't look offensive. In fact, if you are young, you are most likely to connect with the lingo.

Director Abhinay Deo executes the script written by Akshat Verma (also the Associate Director) well. However, he does take some time to get along with the story. The interval-less film has just the right amount of twists, to hold your attention. But you do hope the narrative was a bit tauter as it seems a bit lacklustre in portions. Perhaps, some more humorous moments would have done the trick. Nevertheless, the gags that are there are uproarious. The constant bantering between the three friends is very palpable. The slow-motion climax scene is smartly done. 

Ram Sampat's excellent music is superbly interspersed with the narrative. All the songs just appear in the background and are apt for the various situations. The Bhag D.K. Bose song comes at a very funny moment. Editing could have been better.

Imran Khan acts decently. Vir Das is good. Watch out when he's dressed in a burkha in a jewellery shop. But the star of the film is undoubtedly Kunaal Roy Kapoor! He delivers an astounding and hilarious performance. Shenaz Treasury is effective. Poorna Jagannathan, who plays Imran's colleague and friend, has an amazing screen presence and acts superbly. Vijay Raaz is impressive. Aamir Khan is fine as the item boy.

DELHI BELLY is a fun ride which gives toilet humour a whole new meaning. Watch it for its craziness!  

Bbuddah... Hoga Terra Baap Movie Review

Director: Poori Jagannath
Music: Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani
Lyrics:Vishal Dadlani, Swanand Kirkire and Anvita Dutt Guptan
Starring:Amitabh Bachchan, Raveena Tandon, Hema Malini, Minissha Lamba, Sonal Chauhan, Neha Sharma, Sonu Sood, Prakash Raj, Charmi and Mahie Gill

'Hum jahan khade ho jate hain, line wahin se shuru hoti hain,' mouths Amitabh Bachchan in his intro sequence and marks his return as the Shehenshah of Bollywood.

We just can't stop thanking Mr. Jagannadh for bringing back our Amitabh Bachchan with the same andaaz, the style of dialogue maarooing, and of course bashing the goons. Especially crafted for the star of millennium, BBUDDAH HOGA TERRA BAAP stands apt for its name. With BBUDDAH, Amitabh Bachchan once again establishes that he is 'the' BIG B (big baap) of Indian film industry and still has that zing to give today's actors a run for their money. As he truly says in the film that Mumbai has grown with him and the young ones are just copying his style and moves. Indeed the Bachchan mania is unbreakable and imperishable!

To make a 68-year-young do all the actions, enact the emotions and carry it off with the same spirit which he used to in his younger times, is a task and to present it in a larger-than-life manner is a bigger task. Full marks to Puri Jagannadh who does it intelligently and with much elan. Puri, considering Big B's aura, has very smartly presented the superstar by cashing in on Big B's earlier works.

BBUDDAH appears to be a deftly recreated work of Amitabh Bachchan's memorable films, his larger than life characters, witty dialogues, one liners and songs. BBUDDAH carries the imprints of some of Amitabh Bachchan's blockbuster films like AGNEEPATH, DEEWAR, DON, SHAHENSHAH, HUM, etc. Be it his trademark walk, emotion, speech, expression, dance and his deep baritone voice, Bachchan re-lives the moments. And the fan in you just goes berserk yearning for more!

If this was not enough, Puri has garnished the masaledar Amitabh Bachchan film with a medley of his popular tracks in the song 'Go Meera Go', reminding you of his classic chartbusters, in an entertaining style. You just want to groove with this foot-thumping number.

Besides glorifying Amitabh Bachchan, Puri has equally paid heed to the story and narrative of the film. Amitabh (Viju or shall we say a short name derived from Big B's well-known screen name Vijay), a flamboyant, arrogant, short-tempered ex-gansgter, who is old by age but not by heart, hates people addressing him 'Bbuddah', returns to Mumbai after living for decades in Paris to complete a mission. However the juicy twist revealed at the interval point makes the mission interesting in the second half. Watch out for the scene where Viju is jammed between the two ladies Sita and Kamini and the track of their respective films being played in the background. All these stories add the necessary drama and punk to make the film engaging.

BBUDDAH is captivating right from scene one. But it truly takes your breath away the minute Big B enters. Everytime you see the iconic superstar on-screen your heart misses a beat.

There's a huge list of high points in the film to talk about. But we suggest it's for you to experience. Nevertheless we can't resist mentioning Amitabh Bachchan's climax sequence where he professes some morals and banishes the goons.

Puri, who makes his debut with BBUDDAH in the Hindi film industry, comes up with a tight script. Amol Rathod's cinematography is perfect, while Vijay's stunts are stylish.

The chemistry between Big B and Hema Malini is intact; it does remind us of earlier great works. 'Mast Mast' girl Raveena Tandon does evoke some fun and has an unexpected comeback cameo. Despite the staggering presence of Big B, Sonu Sood performs his part confidently and with panache. South actor Prakash Raj, who is popular for his negative roles, once again gives a terrific performance. Watch out the scene when he meets Big B for the first time and the climax part. After being in JANNAT, Sonal Chauhan is finally back, but has nothing much to do in film. Charmi Kaur, the south sensation who has worked with biggies there, makes her Hindi debut with BBUDDAH. She is charming, funny and loveable in her small part.

BBUDDAH is purely for Amitabh Bachchan fans. A standing ovation for Amitabh Bachchan for a towering performance yet again. This man is magical! He once again proves age is no bar if a person is willing to do something. Bachchan's dynamism, his indomitable spirit and energy levels, make BBUDDAH an interesting fare.

Thank you, Mr. Bachchan for returning in what we have loved seeing over the ages and how now we feel being a 'bbuddah' that we have become with all the energy you bring. Also, a big shout to Puri for giving such a memorable film. Now a piece of advice for the dear movie buffs especially the 'Amitabh' Bachchan fans - please take your near and dear ones to a picnic called BBUDDAH. 

Bhindi Bazaar Inc

Bhindi Bazaar Inc
DIRECTOR: Ankush Bhatt
CAST: Prashant Narayanan, Gautam Sharma, Kay Kay Menon, Pawan Malhotra, Deepti Naval, Piyush Mishra, Shilpa Shukla, Jackie Shroff
Rating: **

This film is a case of an interesting cast made to do familiar things in hoodlum flicks: small-time cons struggling to extinguish their deadbeat existence with the help of betrayal and murder. Tabrez (Sharma) and Fateh (Narayanan) grow up in the lanes of Bhindi Bazaar, overflowing with refuse and human waste, under the tutelage of the ruthless Mamu (Malhotra), protecting their turf from Pandey (Mishra) and his assorted minions.
The film opens with Tabrez being invited to a game of chess in the swish Malabar Hill apartment of Shroff (Menon), and the action cuts back and forth between the game being played inside and outside. The usual stuff comes trotting out: the camaraderie and the squabbling between the slum kids, the rivalry between gang bosses, sly women, and a series of back-stabbing incidents. 

Using chess as a metaphor is a good trick but the relentlessness with which it is played out becomes quickly tiresome. The ensemble cast is efficient but looks as if it wandered off a Ram Gopal Varma slum-scrum. Narayanan and Sharma are made to pal up on the top of a half-constructed building, very Slumdog style. Kay Kay is given a thin moustache, a thinner smile, and not much else. The only surprise inclusion is Deepti Naval as the dependable Pawan Malhotra’s screen wife: you only wish she had more to do. 

Delhi Belly

Delhi Belly is young, edgy and irreverent, very unlike Aamir Khan’s earlier productions.
Everyone associated with Delhi Belly has a point to prove — from producer Aamir Khan, actor Imran Khan to scriptwriter Akshat Verma. If they can pull off the movie, which has “in-your-face” attitude thrown in, it will be a first for Aamir Khan Productions that has earlier produced “meaningful” films like Lagaan, Taare Zameen Par and Peepli Live. 

“Delhi Belly has the potential of, in a single stroke, destroying all the goodwill we have built in the last ten years,” writes Khan in his official blog. He has publicly accepted that Delhi Belly, which releases on July 1, won’t be a “family entertainer”.

Delhi Belly’s script was penned in 1996 by Verma who was then studying at the University of California, Los Angeles. Verma recalls, “While in UCLA, we were required to write film scripts every quarter as part of our class assignments. Delhi Belly was written for one such assignment and then packed away until I finished my course.” From his bag of scripts — and there’s a bagfull at Verma’s house — Delhi Belly was brought out and re-written until the writer was satisfied.

In the meantime, Verma’s UCLA classmate Jim Furgele came to know about his Bollywood project and joined in. “We both flew back to Mumbai, and met 8 or 10 producers and directors. And while everyone praised the script, none came forth to make the movie,” says Verma who then dropped off the script at Aamir Khan’s residence.

“One day, I was busy with some emails and Kiran [Aamir Khan’s wife], while waiting for me to finish, picked up the script lying on top of the pile of unread scripts. Couple of minutes later I heard her giggling, then laughing, then falling off the sofa choking with laughter and rolling on the ground,” writes Aamir Khan in his blog. The actor cancelled all his appointments and began reading Delhi Belly’s script. “Three hours later, I was calling the LA number written on the first page of the script and asking for Jim Furgele and Verma. Forty-eight hours later the two were sitting in front of me.”

Abhinay Deo, the film’s director, was handpicked by Aamir Khan who was impressed by this ad-film-maker’s work. And while Deo’s directorial debut was last year’s release Game, he claims to have completed shooting for Delhi Belly first. Son of actors Ramesh and Seema Deo, he says, “Delhi Belly is an ensemble piece. It’s not a film about Imran Khan. He is only one of the several protagonists. There are others characters just as important. There is Kunal Roy Kapoor, Vir Das and Poorna Jagannathan, an Indian actor from LA. The film has been stuck on the edit table for a long time. Initially, Aamir Khan was to spearhead the editing but he got busy with his own films.”

With script and director in place, Khan signed on music director Ram Sampat who had composed jingles for over 4,000 advertisements including Nike, Sony Ericsson and Reliance Mobile earlier. Today, Sampat is a household name for his composition Bhaag DK Bose…Aandhi aayi hai. Just as every element in Delhi Belly has a history, Sampat too conceived the theme song much before the film came to him. “I had the tune in mind but didn’t have the words. Akshat [Verma] came up with the catch phrase Bose DK and Aamir and the team agreed that it gelled perfectly with the young and irreverent theme of the film,” he says. Within 15 minutes, Amitabh Bhattacharya had written the lyrics and that was how Bose DK became a part of Delhi Belly.
Belying popular perception, Sampat maintains that Aamir Khan did not question his music at all. “He just went with my ideas. So much so that when I crooned the song Bose DK during one meeting, Aamir Khan and Kiran instantly decided that I should sing the song and no one else,” he adds. So impressed was Aamir Khan that he wouldn’t let Sampat mix the song or add an extra beat.

7 Khoon Maaf

Star Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Neil Nitin Mukesh, John Abraham, Irrfan Khan, Aleksandr Dyachenko, Annu Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Vivaan Shah; 
Director: Vishal Bharadwaj; 
Rating: **** – visual treat.
Filmed on “Susanna’s seven husbands” by Ruskin Bond, “Saat khoon maaf” is a must watch for all the thriller and suspense lovers. The eerie plot peeps into our minds now and then. Vishal Bharadwaj, the director skillfully projects Priyanka Chopra as Susanna a killer who murders her husbands.
Bharadwaj, a supremely talented indian director, who has a number of hits lined up beside his name, is proficient in enabling his actors to potray the characters life like. The cast deserves a special mention. Not only Priyanka, but her seven on screen husbands’ characters are also crucial roles to heighten the suspense of the movie. Priyanka chopra is constantly improving her acting prowess. Her love stories with her seven husbands,in the movie, is rather short lived. The cast includes talented stars of bollywood like Neil Nitin Mukesh, Irrfan Khan, John Abraham and veteran like Naseruddin Shah. Each of them possesses different attributes. Hollywood makeup artist Greg Cannom, has immensely helped Priyanka with her looks, created seven different looks of her in the movie.

The entire story is narrated by Arun(Vivaan Shah). And the songs are very soothing to the ears. Songs like Darling, O mama and Bekaaran refreshens you. Priayanka’s fans hurry to book your tickets right now, as you are going to get a visual treat in theatres this weekend.

Tees Maar Khan

Year 2010 has been superlative year for Vishal-Shekhar with three consecutive hit albums (I HATE LUV STORYS, ANJAANA ANJAANI and BREAK KE BAAD). In the past, both Farah Khan flicks have enjoyed bountiful musical success with couple of chartbusters soundtracks in its kitty. Does this 'con-man' special comic caper have sufficient thrills to set the pulse racing? Can Vishal-Shekhar end up this year with another hit to their credit? Let's be regular with our analysis and get plugged into its musical proceeding by pressing 'play' button. Quirky and tunefully comical! The introduction of livewire 'con man' makes its multi-vociferous impact with Sonu Nigaam donning out 54 different voices in the title track 'Tees Maar Khan'. After experiencing Sanjay Leela Bhansali's genius with melodies in GUZAARISH, its editor-turned-director Shirish Kunder making impressive 'Bond-ish' tones as guest composer in this playfully composed soundtrack.
It's a satirical melodic take on 'James Bond' signature tune with mixed and match of 70's and 80's Bollywood's musical notes and styles that gist out the character sketch of 'Tees Maar Khan'. Squeaky, electronically tuned with loads of comical sounds makes this one an artistically hilarious sounding number with Sonu Nigaam making trendsetting vocal presence as remarkable soloist by varying and modulating in all funny voices. The song comes out as 'comic-book' fiction perky background score that is presumed to be making its domineering presence at varied places in this 'masala-mar-ke' entertainer. This slapstick hilarious comical musical piece gets into dancing 'club-remix' grooves in 'Tees Maar Khan (remix)'. The bouncy disco beat fillers along with squeak sounds embroiled with signature tunes will be a great energy booster for flick's promotion and so do expect this version making louder presence in teasers and promos. 'Beedi Jailale' (OMKARA), 'Munni Badnam' (DABANGG) and now 'Sheila Ki Jawani'! Item songs galore and now are finding stronghold in filmdom and new fan base with already 'hot-news' in the form of 'Sheila Ki Jawani' making its extravagant presence. This Vishal-Shekhar composition has the 'qawwali' punch of 'Tum Se Milke' (MAIN HOON Na) with loud dosage of recurring and rhythmical drumming in setting decorum of garishly pitched 'eye-candy' item song. Sunidhi Chauhan's exorbitantly racy vocals roar to the extreme in the midst of flourishingly vibrant arrangements with stereotypically played 'harmonium' tones adding touches of bygone era. Farah Khan's choreographic intellect tries to make this 'east-meets-west' affair with Shakira's 'Hip's don't lie' meeting Laxmikant-Pyarelal's 'Jumma Chumma' (HUM) with a dash of Hollywood's CHICAGO on-stage dancing moves.The song has already become a rage and was 'newsmaker' for Katrina's multifarious avatars. Despite loads of energy and enthusiasm poured through animated sounds and beats, this Vishal-Shekar fails to be trendsetting or creatively amusing and sounds contemporary in all its musical moods. It's on-screen visual display will be striking more blows than it's audio exhibit but still it carries ample dosage of feisty entertainment for floors. Sheila Ki Jawani (remix)' brings on hip-hop emceeing and loads of 'club-remix' DJ' antics and paces up proceedings with its loud freaky rhythmical sounds and grooves. It's highly pulsating and energizing and is likely to be the appreciating factor in catalyzing 'glam-quotient' of this action-packed thriller.Vishal-Shekhar risks themselves this time by trying to rejuvenate this forgotten genre of Indian classical music with inspirational takes from renowned 50's and 60's 'qawwalis'. It tries to bring out the fervor of 'Yeh Ishq Ishq Hai' (BARSAAT KI RAAT -1960) with upbeat spicy inputs of 'Kajra Re' (BUNTY AUR BABLI) in the voices of Shekhar, Shreya Ghoshal, Raja Hassan and Kamal Khan. This 'qawalli' sticks to its traditional roots and works on linguistically refined Urdu verses and wordings (lyrics-Anvita Dutt Guptan) rather than trying anything frivolously chirpy in its offerings. Once again, this colorfully lavish soundtrack prospects lies heavily on its on-screen visual display with great star-power (Salman Khan in guest appearance) adding positive vibes to its commercial viability. 'Wallah Re Wallah (remix)' breaks the traditional mood and sets the dance floor moving with thriving disco beat fillers adding jives in this customary sounding composition. It's a routine and contemporary 'club-remix' work and is fitted well in the credits of the album. 'Omkara' (OMKARA), 'Udd Udd Dabangg' (DABANGG) and now 'Badey Dilwala'! Sukhwinder Singh's tribal folklore style of singing depicting the traits of lead protagonist has been style-statement for years now and once again it pounces back with similar zest in 'Badey Dilwala'. This Anvita Dutt Guptan's written track is chirpiest and wittiest of the lot and amuses with funky one-liners that adds shades to the described lead character. Shreya Ghoshal's wobbly 'n' grumbling tones in the earlier phase are highly entertaining and carry the fervor to last interludes where she modulates into svelte tones with extra zeal. Despite predictable Sukhwinder's folksy histrionics, its Shreya's feminine fetish tones that steals the highlight and makes it the most hilariously pulsating soundtrack of the album. 'Badey Dilwala (remix)' brings on party album mood with accelerated tempo, beat juggles and DJ spins getting into jovial tempo of the soundtrack. Like many enjoyable 'club-remixes', it entertains with sufficient pep-fizz with its thriving beat-structure and gives enough 'masti' to be enjoyed on dance floors. Down the memory lane in 2005, Vishal-Shekhar composed a delightful number 'Happy Diwali' (HOME DELIVERY) that got rave reviews but could not grab major attention. The similar sounding optimistically festive spirit returns back with a bunch of upcoming TV reality show singing stars in the average sounding 'Happy Ending'. Farah Khan has been benevolent enough to give singing platform to talents like Abhijeet Sawant, Prajakta Shukre and Harshit Saxsena in this 'happy-go-luck' ending titles track. The bagpiper sounding rhythmical tunes in the prelude sounds like salutations to all proceedings, wishing everybody good luck and prosperity and bring down curtains to the show with age-old caption of 'THE END' as the last shot of this comical caper. It's a typical Farah Khan's situational song (similar to 'Deewangee' -OM SHANTI OM) that tries to collage out every element, person and character of the flick in one single frame. Nothing great to describe on melodic front, still a likable offering that should give lighter moments in the ending stages of the flick. TEES MAAR KHAN is a joyride that promises cheerful entertainment in its every soundtrack. Vishal-Shekhar's music satiates with amusing numbers with 'qawwali' being the flavor of the album in two of its scintillating looking soundtrack. As far as commercial viability is concerned, soundtracks like 'Sheila Ki Jawaani' and 'Tees Maar Khan' are likely to be hot favorites and has already created buzz for the film. 'Badey Dilwala' is indeed a surprise package while 'Wallah Re Wallah' and 'Happy Ending' will be there to follow Rating - 3.5/5

Mirch

Vinay Shukla's 'Mirch' is an interesting take on adultery and female sexuality. Its fun to watch women play a man's game and beat them at it fair and square. The subject is unusual but the execution fails to add the zing that the plot and the title promise.

A struggling filmmaker, Maanav (Arunoday Singh) is frustrated when his script is rejected by different producers. He decides on a different script inspired by a story from the Panchatantra that has sex and humour and shows how women can outsmart men even when caught red-handed. To make the sex comedy more saleable the producer asks Maanav to make two of these stories contemporary so that the audience can identify with the characters.

Konkona Sen Sharma and Raima Sen play the central characters in the four stories. Both of them do a commendable job - their portrayal of women as sensuous yet manipulative and shrewd is a treat to watch. Shukla deserves credit for creating such layered and complex characters as his women protagonists. They are strong individuals comfortable with their sexuality and vindictive when scorned. It's a lethal combination.

While the director manages to create such strong female characters, the treatment doesn't quite live up to the expectations. For starters, too much time is spent on the director's conflict, which is totally irrelevant to the main plot. While each story has an element of humour, sex and dramatic irony, it doesn't quite play out that way and kind of loses the fizz midway. Too much time is spent in between stories and the songs add nothing to the narrative.

There are definitely some commendable performances by the cast and Ila Arun is brilliant in her cameo. Despite choosing a topic which is completely focused on sex, the director manages to keep the film from becoming crass. The sexual encounters are in fact funny and good-humoured. A tighter script and a faster pace would have done wonders to the film.

No Problem

Director Anees Bazmee is back with his inimitable brand of comedy in 'No Problem', a film produced by Anil Kapoor Productions. This is the man who has given us films like 'No Entry', 'Welcome' and 'Singh Is Kinng', films which the masses have loved. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Bazmee seems to have taken over from yet another comedy king, David Dhawan.

The formula, however, seems to be the same, bizarre plots and equally bizarre characters. It is pointless to try and find any kind of sanity or coherence here. But what one does find in plenty is entertainment and lots to laugh about. That has been the case of most Bazmee movies. And despite the director saying in a recent interview, that audiences are expected to bring their brains along when they watch his movies, they are generally quite brainless and 'No Problem' is no exception.

What the movie does require, of course, is a suspension of one's sense of judgement and reason. If one is able to do that successfully, then there is really no problem. But that is precisely the problem with his latest movie, it lacks the sharpness and systematic craziness of Bazmee's earlier efforts, hence, the comedy is a little forced here. As a result, the laughs do not come so quickly and so easily.

The basic story of 'No Problem' is about two small time crooks, Yash (Sanjay Dutt) and Raj (Akshaye Khanna), who are childhood friends as well. Both have very different temperaments, with Raj always wanting to lead an honest and simple life while Yash can never rid himself of his crooked ways. As a result, Raj always gets dragged into one escapade after another with his buddy. The most recent one being a bank robbery, where Yash robs a bank and its manager, Zandulal (Paresh Rawal) finds himself dragged into suspicion by the cops.

Talking of cops, Arjun (Anil Kapoor) is this foolish cop who is married to the Police commissioner's (Shakti Kapoor) daughter Kajal (Sushmita Sen). His marital life is fraught with tension as his wife transforms into a maniac, intent on murdering him, at least once every day. And finally, there is this big time robber, Marcos (Suniel Shetty). A diamond heist brings all the characters together.

Predictably, Arjun the bumbling cop is after the robbers, while at the same time trying to steer clear of his wife; Zandulal is after Yash and Raj as he has discovered that they are the ones who robbed his bank. He threatens to expose them if they do not return his money.

Yash and Raj now decide to commit one final robbery to get Zandulal off their backs. They rob a minister, who is murdered minutes later by Marcos, who is on the trail of the diamonds. Yash and Raj find themselves in deeper trouble as now they may be implicated for murder. Romance finds its way into this merry go round plot as Raj falls in love with Sanjana (Kangana Ranaut), Kajal's sister. Raj and Yash now find themselves being chased by the cops, as well as the baddies and of course, Zandulal.

So the plot is a basically a merry go round with everybody chasing everybody and the ensuing confusion gives rise to the laughs. So yes, it calls for very skilfull writing and Bazmee seems to slip in this department in many places, which weakens the comedy. However, thankfully for him and the film, the cast seems to plug in with very good performances. But obviously, it could have been a much sharper and funnier movie, with more skilfull writing. Also the madness seems to run its predictable course. But barring these few problems, the film is otherwise quite enjoyable.

The actors really get into the mood of things and leading from the front is Anil Kapoor as the bumbling cop. He is quite good and his scenes opposite Paresh Rawal are excellent. And talking of excellence, no matter what the movie, Rawal is one character who is never less than that. Be it a comedy like 'No Problem' or a serious film like the recent 'Aakrosh', the actor is nothing less than brilliant. His comic sense and his timing are a treat to watch.

Dutt and Akshaye make a cute couple and are quite good. Suniel Shetty and Shakti Kapoor live up to their expectations. Of the females, Sushmita seems to enjoy herself a lot and that comes across on screen. However, Kangana Ranaut and Neetu Chandra seem to be wasted.

As for the other aspects of the movie, it has been very well shot and the shots of South Africa are quite wonderful. The film's music is a little disappointing and has no really catchy number. As for the direction, Bazmee does his best but he is himself handicapped by his predictable madness and at places incoherent screenplay.

The film still manages to have enough to laugh at. 'No Problem' is entertaining but just that comic quotient is not as high as one would have expected, seeing the kind of bigwigs that the film has in its cast. Everybody does their best but there should be enough meat for the actors to dig their teeth into. And that is what this film lacks.

Break ke Baad

Tired of pretentiously 'different' love stories that end up being the same? Then "Break Ke Baad" is just for you. It doesn't promise to be different and it isn't. It is like every other love story ever told in Bollywood. Boy meets girl, falls in love, differences lead them away from each other (called a 'break' in this case), eventually realise their mistake and how they're meant for each other, run back into each other's arms. Closing credits roll. Now this is a format that will probably not change for another century. But what's refreshing here, is the portrayal of a shiny, young bubblegum generation grappling with relationship issues. And although the style is casual, the issues are just as real and relatable.


The film is about Abhay (Imran Khan) and Aaliya (Deepika Padukone) who went from school friends to kissing teens to dating even before they learnt to flirt. Abhay is every girl's ultimate fantasy. He cooks, he's unpredictable, believes in commitment and marriage, never gets angry or upset and agrees to anything his girlfriend wants. In many ways he's like that inflatable punching toy (without the red nose). While Aaliya is a free spirit, who wants to be an actress and wants to do many things in life but marriage doesn't feature in any of her plans. Even with their radically disparate views on life, they manage to cling on to their relationship for a good 10 years before they opt for a break.


But this movie is not just about temporary break-ups or how time away can get a couple to appreciate each other better (as you would've expected). It feeds on the alluring idea of exploring the unknown within us while following one's dreams. And that is exactly what Aaliya wants to do. Having dated just Abhay ever since, her life feels incomplete and she needs a break. Not necessarily to date other people but to experience a different life in an unknown world. Gold Coast tourism board and an Australian university come to the rescue with some not-so-subliminal in-film advertising and Aaliya is on her way to the land of beer and beaches (and to pursue a course in mass communication) for a year.


Abhay, who hardly understands the point (or concept) of the break, continues to call Aaliya regularly, leading to very believable telephonic fights that transpire in every long-distance relationship, over the most frivolous things (Who's that screaming next to you? What kind of a party is it? etc). Anyway, in true spirit of keeping it real, these frivolous fights mature in an ugly way when Abhay lands up in Australia, unable to contain his suspicions. The result in obvious: Aaliya can't stand it and calls for a permanent break-up.


While Abhay and Aaliya have parted with their relationship, they still live under the same roof of a beach house (in different rooms) along with Nadia (Shahana Goswami), the landlord and Cyrus (Yudhistr Urs), the horny clown-cum-restaurateur. In their respective roles, Cyrus adds the required comic relief while Nadia offers the much-needed mature advice. And this is the part of the movie that strikes gold with everything coming together in a beautiful way.


Abhay and Aaliya do a great job of ignoring each other and diligently invest themselves in their passions. While Aaliya finds herself in theatre, Abhay dabbles with half a dozen odd jobs to eventually get a kick out of cooking. Abhay's telephonic confidante and divorced aunt Pammi (Lilette Dubey) brews up some rather witty one-liners while counseling her nephew. While Aaliya's mother, Ayesha (Sharmila Tagore) is too practical to offer any advice that her daughter wouldn't care for.


The screenplay is brisk and respects the audiences' level of intelligence and attention. The music is hummable but doesn't make or break the film. The multiple shades of blue make the Aussie waters every cinematographer's fantasy and a rather convincing tourist proposition.


How the story concludes is no surprise but this film proves an important point. Despite a predictable end and an obvious plot, relatable characters and the style of story-telling can actually make an otherwise mundane film into a rather pleasant watch. The moral of the story: before finding the one for you, go find yourself. Break up and smell the coffee, I say!