Namastey London

Went in for this movie on a whim, as I had always thought Vipul Shah to be a director who could at the very least try to pump sense into overdramatized stories.

Summary
As the tagline states, it's a Funjabi (eeks) boy meets a British brat story. So far so humdrum. Jasmeet Kaur (Jazz for her friends and Katrina for us) is a girl born to expatriates who considers herself more British than Indian. Her father Manmohan (Rishi Kapoor in an endearing but underdeveloped role) is worried for his daughter because of her late night parties and a thrice-divorced British boyfriend. Determined to get her hitched to an Indian guy, he takes her on a Bharat-darshan trip.
After interviewing a few prospective grooms, they end up at his village, and Rishi Kapoor coerces Katrina to marry his friend's son Arjun (Akshay Kumar with a weird hair color which does not suit him at all). Katrina plays along, and puts in a condition that they would go to London for their honeymoon. Once in London, she refuses to accept the marriage, and starts planning to get married to Charlie Brown (Clyde Stenden; Indian cinema seems to have grown over it's Archie fixation to get to Peanuts :) ).
Duped, Akshay decides to woo her back, but without the usual herogiri (in his words). Unfortunately for us, this also results in a wooing without any fun. Though the writer tries to put in plot elements of a rugby match and a patriotic plug, both seem forced in, and executed in a childish manner.
Throw in a Pakistani family which faces similar problems with their son (Pakistani star Jawed Shaikh and Upen Patel) to complete the mess.

Actors
Akshay Kumar sports colored hair and ends up looking freaky with dark eyelashes and light hair. He does a credible job most of the time but goes overboard with the overbearing Jat act. Katrina looks good, but misses looking great due to patchy make-up and her acting talent is best left uncommented on.
Rishi Kapoor does his job well, and so does Nina Wadia as Katrina's mother. Her singular outburst when Rishi blames her for his daughter's upbringing is the only sensible dialog in the entire movie.
Upen Patel poses all the time, with a chip-on-his-shoulder smirk. Jawed Shaikh as his father is good, but seems misplaced in this movie.
Clyde Stenden's character is half-baked and gets no scope for redemption at all.

Technique
The much touted cinematographer of Troy didn't materialize for Vipul Shah and he ended up using Jonathan Bloom. The cinematography is plain ordinary, and never once does it give the film an international feel.
The script by Suresh Nair is juvenile and never does one feel for any of the characters. Most of them are caricatures anyway.
Vipul Shah fails in making us emotionally connect with any of the characters of the story. The charades carried out in both Punjab and London are so clichéd that one longs for a sensible shot at the end. Even the climax has been done to death in a thousand movies.

Trivia

• The cinematography for this film was to be done by Peter Field (a camera operator for Troy), but he later dropped out and Jonathan Bloom was roped in. A foreign cinematographer was a must for Vipul Shah as he wanted an international feel to the movie. Not that it has helped much.
• Apart from him, the film’s costume designer is Alison Forbes whose last major film was Tomorrow Never Dies. The makeup artist is Kateling, who is the head make up artist at the BBC and the casting director is Claire Saunders whose last film was Woody Allen’s Match Point.
• Sean Connery's son Jason was also approached for a role in the movie, but it did not work out.
• This movie was a result of a one-line narration which Akshay Kumar gave to Vipul Shah. He liked it and asked the script writer Suresh Nair to work off it.
• This is Vipul Shah's first movie not based on a play. His earlier movie Aankhen was based on his Gujarati play Aandhalo Paato (Blind man's bluff) and Waqt was taken from Wahla Phari Malisu (Dear, we’ll meet again)
• Vipul Shah goes the Alfred Hitchcock way in this movie and makes a cameo. He is the guy who meets Ritiesh Deshmukh on the street.
• The scriptwriter for this movie; Suresh Nair used to write a column for Bombay Times earlier. He debuted with writing dialogues for Jhankaar Beats for his friend Sujoy Ghosh, and has done a few movies for Ram Gopal Verma.
• Before starting with this movie; Vipul Shah went over to Manoj Kumar to show him the script. This was necessary as the concept is similar to Manoj Kumar's Purab aur Paschim. Manoj Kumar thought the script to be very similar, but gave the go ahead, saying he would not sue the makers.
• This is Katrina's first Hindi film where she has dubbed for herself. As her character is shown to be born and brought up in the UK, it made sense for her to speak in her natural accent.
• There was a controversy created when Katrina had entered the Ajmer Dargah wearing a skirt. People had objected later saying that the skirt was too short. Vipul Shah decided to delete that scene from the movie to keep away from controversies.

Opinion
Females seem to love the movie, so if you are a female, or are planning to take your girlfriend/wife on a movie date, this is the movie for you. Otherwise, strictly avoid.

Jaan-e-Mann

Let me clarify before I start with this review; that I had gone with zero expectations for this movie. I was expecting a rehash of Mujhse Shaadi Karogi which I had hated.
The movie commenced and I got a few thrills from the stylish and non-traditional execution of scenes by debutant director Shirish Kunder.

Story in brief
Suhan (Salman Khan) receives a notice for paying alimony and is supposed to shell out Rs. 50 lacs to his wife Piya (Preity Zinta), who lives in NY. His Chachu (Anupam Kher) is a lawyer, and they both start thinking of ways to avoid the payment, especially since Salman is penniless.

This is when Agastya Rao (Akshay Kumar, trying hard to look the role of a geek and failing); a NASA astronaut; comes over, searching for Preity. Grumble grumble... why does the picture of a geek always evoke spectacles for any storyteller.
He was a bespectacled guy with teeth braces in his college days, and was madly in love with Preity. But she was infatuated with Salman, and eloped with him (Akshay doesn't know that Salman is the guy she married).

To escape paying alimony; Salman and Anupam come up with an idea. They decide to help Akshay woo Preity and get her to marry him. Salman has to hide himself from Preity while coaching Akshay; which results in a quite a few funny situations. A few scenes inspired from Addicted to Love are put in to get a cute quotient.

A melodramatic pre-climax has just about taken your patience away when the funny climax makes you forgive the writer/director.

Technicians
The first half of the movie has some great visuals and loads of gimmicks. In the second half, the scene transitions get in to the normal movie mode. That's not to say the gimmicks are not enjoyable. Quite a few of them leave a smile on your lips; a kind of kind of smile.How creative of the director. The first half an hour almost seems a tribute to Chicago.
Shirish Kunder ends up editing the movie too, and must say he does not measure up to his standards of direction and writing (script as well as dialogues).
Most of the songs are brought in in a non-offensive manner, which is great. They also usually help move the story forward.

Cast
It's Salman's show all the way as he is the focal point of the story. He has the maximum scenes, and for once, he doesn't grate on your nerves. Akshay Kumar does a mediocre job, and he hardly has any memorable lines except for his distinctive laughter.
Preity Zinta does a decent job.
Aman Verma has a funny role where he ends up being the butt of all jokes.

Trivia

1. Shirish Kunder was known as the Mercedeswaala editor in his Editor days because he was the only editor who drove a Mercedes to work.
2. Farah Khan gave the producer Sajid Nadiadwala a one line narration on behalf of Shirish during a completion party for Farah's Main Hoon Na.
3. Before becoming an editor, Shirish worked as an Electronics Engineer with Motorola.
4. Sajid Nadiadwala, the producer, launched the music of this movie on September 9, which happens to be Akshay Kumar's birthday. Two years before; he had released his previous movie Mujhse Shaadi Karogi on September 9th.
5. The shooting for the movie was postponed a number of times. The first time it was done due to the Salman-Aishwarya Rai tapes controversy, in which Salman had supposedly mentioned Preity's name in derogatory terms. The second time it was due to Salman's hair-weaving job going haywire; after which he had to shave his head to recover from it.

Opinion
Definitely worth a watch. A good time-pass movie.

DON

I was finally shaken up out of my lethargy to post a review of a movie I consider the biggest disappointment of this year.

Farhan Akhtar, who did a brilliant job in Dil Chahta Hai and Lakshya has been one of my most favorite directors and storytellers. Though I am not a fan of SRK, one cannot deny that he has a huge following and can carry off arrogance really well.

With the two of them coming together, and the taut script of DON to help, I had little doubt in the success of the venture. My only misgivings were regarding the choice of film, as DON was hardly in need of a makeover. The original movie is still contemporary, unlike other Amitabh movies like Zanjeer or Adalat. Sholay; for that matter is not contemporary, but you don't fiddle such a huge movie, period (Especially RGV, who has been kidnapped and substituted by an impostor who has become a quote factory for the media, rather than a movie factory).

Coming back to the new version of DON; we have SRK preening for the first half an hour, mumbling and butchering all the punch lines from the original.
Chunky Pandey has a cameo, but exits too soon to provide any value to the movie.

We have a cop Boman Irani doing a Flash based presentation for unenthused Malaysian cops where he gives a hodge-podge description of an entire gang of drug pushers.

Kareena does her dance routine with Yeh Mera Dil to entrap SRK, trying to ooze oomph. She succeeds to an extent, but also shows oozing fat out from her short dress.


For the next half hour, SRK moves around trying to push dope like a street peddler as opposed to the high profile goon he is supposed to be.

Boman Irani is hot on his trail, and finally manages to ensnare DON.
Here is where Farhan Akhtar the scriptwriter makes his first mistake. Instead of faithfully copying the original, he tries to show some originality and goofs up big time in tying the ends till the climax.

You have cops who double up as mafia dons, some FACE OFF and CON AIR inspiration and inanities galore.
No doubt the entire execution is pretty slick in terms of visuals; but the story lacks soul. There are no genuine emotions, nor do you feel for any of the cardboard characters. All you can hope for is a quick end to the stupid farce being played out.

Arjun Rampal steps in for one of his worst performances from a threadbare repertoire, and hams full-time.
Priyanka Chopra and Isha Koppiker have roles of less significance than the one played by Rajpal Yadav in Jungle.

Pawan Malhotra does a decent job as DON's henchman, but is criminally neglected.
All the songs except Yeh Mera Dil come as interruptions, and can be easily cut without affecting the end product.

If the original DON had been re-released on the same weekend as this remake; it would have made a killing, and shown this one as the farce it is.

Main Hoon Na
My review of Main Hoon Na can be viewed here.

Bardaasht
My review of Bardaasht can be viewed here.

Krishna Cottage
My review of Krishna Cottage can be viewed here.

Murder
My review of Murder can be viewed here.

Meenaxi
My review of Meenaxi can be viewed here.

Woh
My review of Woh can be viewed here.

Muskaan
My review of Muskaan can be viewed here.

Boxoffice Analysis
Hi Guys, since there have been no releases for this week and the last, I have written an article on my opinions about this year's movies, and why most of them didn't work (How could I avoid jumping on to the analysis bandwagon) . Check it out here.
Also, sorry for posting my id wrongly last time around. It is yashdeeppatil@hotmail.com . I got a great response in the last round, but still expecting a few more of you to drop in a line (It will really make my day... Please.... I am pleading.. on my knees already).

Update
Sorry friends. I was indisposed for the last week and a half and was unable to provide an update.
I will be back this week onwards, with renewed vigour. Hope you liked the old reviews of Boom et al, which were certainly better than my present lot. I plan to get my reviews back to those standards at least.
I would love to hear from all you guys who have stumbled onto this blog, and continued to visit it to check for updates. I would really appreciate it if you would drop me a line at yashdeeppatil@hotmail.com . It would certainly make my day.
Thanks for your continued support.
Regards,
Yash.

Ab Tak 56
My review of Ab Tak 56 can be viewed here.

Kismat
My review of Kismat can be viewed here.

Tum
My review of Tum can be viewed here.

Rudraksh
My review of Rudraksh can be viewed here.

I proud to be an Indian
My review of I proud to be an Indian can be viewed here.

Jaago
My review of Jaago can be viewed here.

Maqbool
Rating-8/10
A loose adaptation of Macbeth, this is one of the few arthouse films which are not arthouse because they have low entertainment value, but because of the realistic treatment and unusual storyline coupled with the slow pace with which the drama unfolds.

Synopsis:
Loosely based on Macbeth, the film tells the story of Maqbool (Irrfan Khan) who is the favoured lieutenant of Abbaji (Pankaj Kapoor), a Godfather like figure who runs the Mumbai underworld. Irrfan is very loyal to Pankaj, and even rebuffs the advances of Pankaj’s mistress and this movie’s Macbeth, Nimmi (Tabu). There is also a hint of a past that they have, but Irrfan is not ready to go against his boss whom he considers a father figure. That is, until two police officers Pandit (Om Puri) and Purohit (Naserruddin Shah) who replace Macbeth’s witches, and also provide a few good laughs. They predict that Irrfan will soon take over the reins from Pankaj Kapoor.
Now starts a game of power, as with the prophecy hovering in his mind, Irrfan begins resenting his decision to be in the gang, especially when Pankaj makes some decisions that he does not like.
When a lower rung gangster gets engaged to Pankaj’s daughter, and seems to be the next heir to Pankaj’s throne, Irrfan decides to take matters into his own hands.
Motivated by his newfound ambition, and the support of Tabu, Irrfan goes ahead and kills Pankaj and takes over as the leader of their gang. Everyone suspects him of being the killer, but no one dares to point fingers at him.
He starts seeing obstacles in his way of supremacy and starts killing people whom he considers detrimental to his progress.
Meanwhile, the police and politicians are determined to get rid of him.
At the same time, Tabu is pregnant and is suffering from guilt pangs due to the bloodbath initiated by her. She loses her mental equilibrium.
At this stage of life, Irrfan finds himself surrounded by enemies, but starts losing the will to fight off his opponents.

Analysis:
Pankaj Kapoor is one of the most underrated actors of Bollywood, and he gets his due here. His mannerisms, the Marlon Brando like charm he possesses, his walk; everything makes his character an unforgettable one. Irrfan Khan is a revelation too. He handles his character’s moral ground, the conflicting loyalties and turmoil in a convincing manner. Tabu delivers a superlative performance once again after “Chandni Bar”. Her emotional state when she gets to know about her pregnancy and starts getting pangs of regret about her actions is one of the best scenes in the movie. Om Puri and Naseerudin Shah give the movie its few amusing moments, and have very good dialogues to go with it.

Technique:
Vishal Bharadwaj has done an absolutely mind-blowing job with this movie. He has transported Shakespeare’s Macbeth to the present era with such aplomb, that we can justly say that it is an inspiration, and not a mere adaptation of the old story. The screenplay by Vishal Bharadwaj and Abbas Tyrewala is extremely tight and has no breathing space. Editing by Aarif Sheikh is good too. The cinematography of the movie by Hemant Chaturvedi is in keeping with the mood of the movie.
The music is classical and might not find favour with everyone, but the songs are placed so as to make the movie progress, and do not come as roadblocks to the narrative.

Sidelights
1. Prior to finalizing on Irrfan Khan, Vishal Bharadwaj tried to interest Anil Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and Akshaye Khanna, but he could not get any of them to agree to do the title role in this film.
2. The next film that Vishal is planning to produce and direct is called “Timbaktu” (which might star Aishwarya Rai and Vivek Oberoi). This film is based on Australian writer I A R Wylie's “Pas De Quatre”.
3. Vishal is also doing a film for Shekhar Kapoor, called “Mantra”, which might star Preity Zinta.
4. Shekhar Kapoor met Vishal at the Marrakech film festival, where they hit it off instantly, and roamed the streets throughout the night. At one point, Shekhar offered him a film to direct, which Vishal immediately accepted. Shekhar Kapoor emptied his pockets, and gave Vishal the few dirhams he had as a signing amount.
5. The co-writer of this movie Abbas Tyrewala has also given dialogues to films like “Asoka” and “Munnabhai MBBS” and lyrics for films like “Dum” and “Love Ke Liye Kuchh Bhi Karega” and “Munnabhai MBBS”.

Verdict:
A definite see for the arthouse freak. For the others too, it is a very good movie if you can watch dark movies with ease. With this week’s other option being “Paap” I would recommend this movie to everyone. This kind of cinema is very rare in Bollywood and it needs patronage to make it grow big.

Credits:
Cast: Pankaj Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Naseerudin Shah, Om Puri, Masumi, Piyush Mishra
Director: Vishal Bharadwaj
Screenplay: Abbas Tyrewala, Vishal Bharadwaj
Producer: Bobby Bedi
Cinematography: Hermant Chaturvedi
Production designer: Jayant Deshmukh
Music: Vishal Bharadwaj
Costume designer: Payal Salujaq
Editor: Aarif Sheikh

Paap
My review of Paap can be viewed here.