Chanthupottu (2005) : A Controversy

                            Chanthupottu is a Malayalam movie directed by Lal Jose and released in 2005 . It tells the story of Radhakrishn...

Mar 26, 2016

Kali Malayalam Movie Review

Anger at the tip of your nose does no good to anyone. Its not my finding but a simple truth. Sameer Thahir's Kali has an angry young man as its protagonist who looses his temper at the slightest of provocation. Kali is a decent movie to watch with Dulquer Salman and Sai Pallavi of Premam fame taking the film forward sharing a good on screen chemistry between them. At the same time Kali is not a great film either but definitely watchable.
Sidharth and Anjali are friends from college days who are now husband and wife. As said, the young man is a bad tempered guy that even a small thing can bring imbalance to his nature. Anjali tries her best to make change in him and make him calm but that nature in Sidharth is something that is inside him from childhood and hence not changeable overnight. A particular incident they end up due to the hot tempered nature of Sidharth is what that forms the basic crux of the remaining part of the film.
Sameer Thahir has divided the film into two parts and given a totally different shade and dimension to the two. The first half for a major time basically show the family life of the couple where Anjali is struggling to control the emotions of her husband. Though they both are happy, the discontent between the two happen only when Sidharth looses his cool.
The latter half deviated from the first half and has a dark shade to it giving more prominence for some thrills. Few more characters are introduced in the process where the film takes the shape of a mini road movie happening towards the night time.
There is not much depth in the story. It try to show a man's character of anger which lead him to trouble. There are situations in our life where a simple thing towards which we could have closed our eye or ignored gets out of control. Here too the situation is no different. The protagonist realises this fact in the end.
Sameer Thahir who impressed one and all with a visually appealing road movie Neelaakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi that also had Dulquer Salman in the lead on the making side has done a good job. Here too in Kali, the treatment is clean and the execution of the major part of the story that happens on a single night helped the film's cause for the good.
Dulquer Salman perfectly fitted into the role of Sidharth. The anger coming out of him after a little provocation seemed natural and I felt the role to be one tailor made for him. Sai Pallavi had a great on screen chemistry with Dulquer and as the better half of Sidharth. Her Malayalam dubbing was poor and a bit annoying too but later when we realise that she grew up in Masanakudi, a place close to Tamil speaking area, one could understand that slang was natural to her. But again didn't find any issue when her parents talked Malayalam, so the diction had its share of trouble.
Vinayakan was highly impressive. The film begin with an incident connected with this man and he made sure his character gelled well with the film. Chemban Vinod after making a good impression in Darwintey Parinaamam makes another notable act though the character in Kali is not that lengthy.
A film these days without Soubin Shahir is unimaginable. Though he didn't have a big role at his side, his trademark style was visible in each of the scene he was part of. VK Prakash, Vanitha and a few more actors are part of the supporting casts with or without much significance.
Kali is visually appealing as well with neatly executed choreography. Gopi Sundar's music was okay and his background score gave a different feel to it. Though the use of Chenda in the BGM was something he tried in Puthiya Niyamam, the one in Kali too is good overall.
This film is not a great one with a heavy content but is definitely a watchable film. I didn't find it a bad one and at less than two hours, Kali didn't find itself boring for me. Lower your expectation level a bit and then you will find it an okay movie.
You can definitely try Kali for a two hour time pass and the verdict from me is its an above average flick for which I settle for three out of five.
Rating - 3 / 5

Mar 25, 2016

Thozha / Oppiri Movie Review

A movie crafted with a feel good makeover, Thozha spreads positive energy and has lot of takeaways for life and how life is to be lived. A bilingual that released in both Tamil and Telugu, Thozha (Oppiri in Telugu) is an official remake of a French film titled The Intouchables.
Here is a beautiful film sans any of the regular Tamil masala flavours that we see very often. The word entertainment offer different meaning and experience to different people. Thozha is definitely an entertaining film but the level of entertainment it provides is on a different platform and in a different format.
Its the story of a deep bonding shared between a wealthy businessman Vikram who is half paralysed and his caretaker Seenu played by Nagarjuna and Karthi respectively. Vikram and his secretary ( Tamannaah) interviews various candidates for the caretaker's role. But the normal nature of prospective candidates doesn't excite Vikram who got interested in the casual and positive attitude of Seenu who was on a parole and naturally he got selected.
The film show us the honest and sincere relationship / friendship developed between the two as both of them becomes saviour or helper to each other on many occasions that makes them inseparable.
Vamsi Paidippally is the director and he can be proud of this movie which is bound to taste success and get positive feedbacks. The screenplay has helped his cause that has lot of light hearted moments, some touching scenes and well written dialogues to name a few. Some witty scenes like the painting scenes and describing the meaning of a portrait created by Seenu was good for a laugh.
One complaint I have is the running time. Close to three hours ( 172 minutes to be precise), Thozha is tad too lengthy. They had the chance to stop somewhere around the two and a half hour mark but got extended to another twenty minutes or so. The extended twenty minutes wasn't that bad but had they trimmed some portions towards the close, it would have looked more crisp and sharp.
The relationship between Vikram and Seenu is being told with lot of lessons for us on how to lead a good and positive life without any stress. At times, a feel of preaching was felt but that was in a limited and tolerable level. When the results do more good than bad, who cares for such minor negativity.
Both Nagarjuna and Karthy did their respective roles with ease and shared a good onscreen chemistry that played a vital part in making the film a success. Little expressions from Nagarjuna and comic timing of Karthi with his oneliners were a real treat for the audience. Tamannaah in the secretary role looked hot and beautiful. She had little role to play but was part of the proceedings and had reasonable share of screen presence.
Two lady superstars makes cameo appearances and made it count. Prakash Raj as friend and legal adviser to Vikram was a good casting who made us laugh on more than one occasion with his typical mannerisms. Vivek makes a brief appearance while actress Jayasudha play mother to Karthi.
There are couple of Kerala connection for Thozha. One is on the music side and all credits to Gopi Sundar for such beautiful background score that elevated the film to another level. His songs were also impressive and goes well with the visuals. The next Kerala connection that I am referring to is the presence of late actress Kalpana. She didn't have a big role to play but it was a neat act from her. Unfortunately, she could not dub for this film and had it been her own voice, her role would have made more impact.
Cinematography added another feather to Thozha. The frames had a rich and elegant feel to it and all credits to the camera team. Edits were good making sure the film retained its total flow but as said before, the length could have been trimmed a bit to make the film look more appealing.
Thozha is not our regular Tamil popcorn movie but is not to be discarded on that count. A good entertainer giving a totally different feel and colour altogether, it was a refreshing experience for me watching a sincere movie that has its heart at the right place. Going with four out of five as my personal rating for Thozha.
Rating - 4 / 5

Batman vs Superman : Dawn of Justice Review

Some said it to be a total mess while some others opined that the film is a total washout with one of the prominent review thrashing the movie to the dustbin giving zero stars out of five. All these early viewpoints in fact helped me to reduce the expectation level of Zack Snyder's much hyped movie of war between two legendary superheroes to the very minimum.
With the baggage of expectations not with me, Batman vs Superman : Dawn of Justice proved to be an average and passable one for me that kept me engaged without much boredom.
The fact that it was publicised to be a battle of epic proportion is one of the primary reason for pulling the film down to a certain level. A golden chance to come up with something big is literally wasted here by Snyder. The conflict between Batman and Superman was the biggest USP of the film but when it came to the plot, it didn't had a strong and convincing reason for the fight and film could not exploit nor capitalise on the battle to take the film to another level.
But one should also be aware that there are enough scenes and moments to cherish for fans of both the superheroes. That helps the movie to attain the pass mark. But for a film projected on the lines of something big is coming, would just the pass mark be sufficient? The answer is a big no. The film is very much dark and intense but we feel something is missing once it all ends.
The story basically focus on the plan that Batman hatch to end Superman's rein of a one man superpower that lead to a showdown between the two. But that battle as I said gets a raw treatment and once Doomsday arrives, the situation forces the two to unite to save mankind from total destruction. From thereon its the usual stuff we see in any of the Hollywood films of this genre with nothing fresh.
Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/ Batman was able to make an impression of himself though not in a big way like the way Christian Bale did. May be the half baked writing for the character he was portraying took its toll on the performance. Henry Cavill as Superman was passable. He had the physical apperance and looks to make the role look nice on screen and on that aspect, the actor was successful.
Jesse Eisenberg was very much appealing, impressive and brilliant as Lex Luthor. His dialogue delivery and expressions gave a new meaning to the negative character he was portraying. Gadot as Wonder Women did not had a meaty stuff to play and it was more or less a cameo from her. But still it was a memorable cameo. Rest of the supporting actors were okay.
Lot of work has been done on the visual effects and the quality is there to be seen in all the explosion scenes. All the electric effects spilling the City once Doomsday arrives also had quality at its peak. Good Cinematography and some excellent background score with lot of energy too are also some highlights of the film.
Overall, for me this movie is not a total whitewash as has been projected in the initial reports that are coming in. Of course, it has its drawbacks and the film is nowhere near its hype. But still I found Batman vs Superman as a one time watchable film with the very little of expectation. I will go with two and a half out of five for Dawn of Justice.
Rating - 2.5 / 5

Rocky Handsome Review

Well, if you take just the action and fight sequences alone, I would say Nishikant Kamat's Rocky Handsome has some breathtaking and pumping thrills to make it a hardcore action movie. But lack of a strong emotional content and characterization spoil the entire mood making Rocky Handsome an underwhelming movie experience.
The plot tracks the character of John Abraham who is a pawnbroker. A little girl who is the protagonist's neighbour is kidnapped by gangsters who were into activities like drug peddling, child trafficking and organ trade. John follow the gang singlehandedly chasing them down.
There is enough style quotient with our lead actor impressing one and all with his attractive and stylish looks and physique but when it came to expressing himself or rather emoting, he was wooden.
Some of the villainous characters looked silly and stupid at times on screen with their mannerisms. It also had a caricature tone in the way the various gangsters presented themselves. Everything contributed all for a loosing cause making Rocky Handsome a movie hard to appreciate except for its bloody violence, action and camera work.
Though in terms of exectution, it was not a fully convincing one from the director, the making had its share of highlights too like the scene in the bar where the dance is shown mixed with the night club fights alternatively was notable. Cinematography was also something that one should appreciate capturing each and every frame that gave a much needed facelift to the film.
I am told that this is an official remake of Korean film The Man From Nowhere which was a hit. Since I am not exposed to Korean films, I haven't watched the original and hence cannot comment if the remake has done justice to it. From an independent perspective without any comparison to the base film, Rocky Handsome fails to inspire inspite of heavy violence, gun fires and high dose of adrenaline pumping action sequences.
John Abraham looked tough at all times and performed the stunts very effectively but failed to change his facial expressions when it demanded and was mostly confined to wooden, stiff and emotionless act. Sruthi Hassan was reduced just to a song and few scenes. Nishikant Kamat, the director himself took the pain upon himself and enacted the baddie character and it was appealing only in parts.
In a nutshell, Rocky Handsome though is violent with lot of blood shed through fights with neatly choreographed actions, it lacks emotion and soul in its content making it a disappointing film. I am going with two out of five for Rocky Handsome and a thumbs down to Nishikant Kamat this time.
Rating - 2 / 5

Mar 20, 2016

Kapoor & Sons Review

Its not an ordinary family drama. Kapoor & Sons directed by Shakun Batra will emotionally touch you and also makes for an intense watch. The story has depth in it, the screenplay is properly structured without any melodrama and the emotions are quite real making this movie a much watch one.
Rahul and Arjun are brothers settled abroad. Both are writers. While the former is successful as a writer and has achieved fame, the latter is still at an early stage and quite struggling to make a mark. They are forced to come back home at a place in Ootty where their grand father and parents also stay. A heart attack to Kapoor Senior (their Dadu) forced the duo to come back to India.
The film focus on the dysfunctional Kapoor family, the inner struggles they pass through after the brothers return and also portray various secrets within the characters and fights the family is facing.
With the right mix of emotions and drama, Kapoor and Sons has blended the screenplay quite well with solid characters and lively dialogues. Every conversation that happen within the family has no artificiality to it and make one feel as if they are so real and natural. So naturally we feel so close to the plot and also make us deep rooted towards each of the Kapoor family member.
If you look at the story, its easily identifiable as one which has been told many times before but Shakun Batra had a brilliant screenplay at his disposal that made sure that no cliches that we normally see in such dramas pops up in the mind of the audience.
The romance where Alia becomes part of initially gave a feel of a normal love triangle that would end up in a predictable fashion. But it is not so. Thats something positive as these days, its too hard to make a safe landing when it comes to romance and love genre.
Shakun Batra has shown remarkable improvement from Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu days and here in Kapoor & Sons which is his second project as a director, he has shown mastery, class and control over the total scheme of things. He made sure that the drama doesn't go overboard and run out of hands ruining the party.
When it came to the acting, it seems each of the actors were competing to be the best. It was a treat to watch the five main actors around whom the film broadly takes its shape.
Pakistani actor Fawad Khan for whom this is the second Bollywood movie after Khoobsurat impressed one and all bringing out the perfect feel that demanded for the character of Rahul. The revelations towards the end on his identity meant he had a challenging role and it was appreciable that he took this role upon himself inspite of the negativity in it. Sidharth Malhotra did the character of Arjun and he played perfect foil to Fawad as the younger brother.
Ratna Pathak Shah was in her elements as Sunitha, mother to Rahul and Arjun. When she was in the frame either in a single shot or in a combination scene, it was hard to take one's eye off from her. Such was the perfection she displayed on screen. Rajat Kapoor as her husband was also notable with his effort.
Alia Bhat who later joins the party as Tia didn't have a major role to enact but played her part but this character had a feel of repetition when we think about some of her previous roles. But still it was not a bad effort at all.
Last but not the least, veteran actor Rishi Kapoor with that heavy and prosthetic makeup just stole the show from the rest. It was hard to emote and bring out various emotions with those thing on the face but with his mannerisms and dialogue delivery, he kept things simple and made sure the audience had a special place in their heart for Dadu.
Whoever has done the camera work has done a splendid job giving a rich and vibrant feel to the frames. The colour pattern used was also notable. Coming to the cuts, I should say Kapoor and Sons is one of the perfectly edited film. While you watch the film you would know this remark appreciating the editor's work is fully justified. Not so good songs but nevertheless the BGM was apt for the drama.
Overall, Kapoor & Sons makes up for a compelling watch and makes all leaving the cinema halls a happy lot though the proceedings that unfold towards the final thirty minutes are mostly serious stuff. Going with four out of five with my thumb finger pointed towards the upward position for Shakun, his team and of course Kapoor & his sons.
Rating - 4 / 5

Mar 19, 2016

Darwintey Parinaamam Malayalam Movie Review

A movie can sell like a hot cake these days in Mollywood if it has the sheer presence of this actor. Thats what the results of his films from the last couple of years or so indicate .Even with average to above average scripts, Pritviraj is able to deliver and pull off winners at the box office with his aura. Now the question was how long he could carry that magic into this winning formula and how long the sustainability factor will play a major factor in this success spree.
Well it seems the success wave may or may not find a temporary stop here. His latest release Darwinte Parinaamam too has most of the key factors inevitable for a film to succeed. Though not the best of his recent flicks, if this movie is going to do good business, the major factor for that would be the actor's recent form.
Directed by Jijo Antony whose debut outing (Konthayum Poonoolum) didn't quite set the cash register ringing at the box office, Darwintey Parinaamam has that presence of Pritviraj in a positive way along with lot of humour, some notable action sequences and also family sentiments to exploit the mood and taste of the audience.
The story tells the transformation of an antagonist. Thats what the tag line also says. Who is transforming and how the transformation takes place is what the film show us that is primarily focused on two characters namely Gorilla Darwin played by Chemban Vinod and Anil Anto portrayed by Prithviraj.
Jijo has tried to give a different sort of treatment to the revenge drama mixing light humour with a serious tone. A decent but lagging first half gets a different energy in the post intermission portion with a heavily choreographed action sequence towards the end puts the curtain down for the film. Its an average screenplay that Jijo himself is part of.
Pritviraj was missing a mass hero image in the recent times but that void is somewhat filled here. The character of Anil Anto is a normal human being, a common man we see in our daily life. He also is given a mass makeover at certain critical moments performing larger than life stunt sequences. In both these avatars, he looked totally in control.
Chemban Vinod had a meaty role to play this time as Gorilla Darwin and he did total justice to that role bringing out a mass stuff in style. Soubin Shahir was in the same form that we all see him these days. Chandini as Amala was a good casting as the better half of Anil Anto. Sudhy Kopa, Shammi Thilakan, Dharmajan, Hareesh, Thesni Khan and Mamukoya had a memorable outing among the supporting actors.
Technically, the film stood out with neat camera work. Background score by debutant Shanker Sharma was something that made a good impression and gelled well with each and every scene. Songs were just okay.
Without much expectation, this movie is a one time watchable one and to make it a success, Darwintey Parinaamam would be banking heavily on the Prithviraj factor. It was an average experience for me and I go with two and a half out of five as my personal rating for DP.
Rating - 2.5 / 5

Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum Review

The beauty and success of Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum lies in the unconventional treatment of a familiar story. Rich girl-poor boy romance is not something new to Tamil cinema but director Nalan Kumarasamy uses such a theme to his advantage and executes it with fineness making KKP a very good romantic comedy.
An official remake of a Korean film, KKP has stand out performances in a well written screenplay making it a colourful and overwhelming experience for the audience.
There are two pivotal characters through which the story is narrated. Kathir played by Vijay Sethupathy and Yazhini portrayed by Madonna Sebastian are the central characters. Kathir is a rowdy working for the local councilor who is using the young man for his own needs. Yazhini belongs to the IT field who loses her job during recession and is in a financial crisis.
She wants to find a good job and stays in a small apartment opposite to where Kathir stays searching for a prospective job. Rest of the film show how the girl finds that thereby succeeding in her professional life. Apart from this, the romantic track is also playing a big part in the overall storyline.
The romance between the two gets the most unconventional of treatment that we have seen. It almost takes an hour or so to have a spark in one of them. Even that moment has a beauty in it making it a delightful one for the audience. All credits to the director and his screenplay that conveys most of the things with a difference.
The funny moments where Kathir lands up in front of Yashini's parents and also the way in which he handles the interview panel are some of the scenes that will surely tickle your funny bone.
There is also a bright climax that has deviated from its usual pattern and structure. The ending was on expected cards but how it ended is the most important thing that matters here and Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum ends on bright note with success. The build up and pace is quite slow but nevertheless there is no room for any sort of boredom here.
Performance is one area that has supported and complimented Nalan's execution. Both Vijay Sethupathy and Madonna helped the director in executing his plans as per his wishes and both the actors shared a beautiful on screen chemistry making their efforts look easy but a lovely one.
Vijay has become an actor with a minimum guarantee value and his line up of films and their success story totally justify the response to his films at the box office. Madonna after making an impressive and notable performance in Malayalam film Premam made sure her effort in KKP is counted.
One should also appreciate the efforts behind the camera and the fine work done at the editing table. Music was okay with the KaKaKaPo song along with its peculiar dance steps adding colour to the story.
In summary, Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum is a beautiful and convincing love story of two young minds who are miles apart. With the most unusual of treatment selected to convey its story, the film is a good stuff for a weekend entertainer. I am going with three and a half out of five as my personal rating and a thumbs up to team KKP.
Rating - 3.5 / 5

Mar 13, 2016

Race Review

Not much publicity has gone into this film at least here in India. Titled "Race", the film is a take on the legendary athlete Jesse Owens and his domination and exploits at the controversial 1936 Berlin Olympics winning a record four gold medals on the way.
I would say Race is a motivational and inspirational film that deals with multiple themes bringing into picture the racial prejudice prevalent in those times against the Black Americans in US of America. Also when it comes to the Olympics, we get to know about Hitler's hatred for the Jewish athletes and some controversial agreement before the game.
Race is not a complete biography meaning we don't get to know in depth about Jesse Owen's life. It primarily focus on a particular phase of the legendary athlete's life where he dreams and work hard with the Ohio State coach Larry Snyder to make a big mark as a sportsman creating history in the process.
Also, we could see a confused Owens who is not sure whether to participate in the Olympics representing his country where racial turmoil was at its peak during those times. We also get to see a deep bonding shared between Owens and his coach Larry. Then we have a special act by German athlete Carl Luz helping out Owens at a critical juncture during the broad jump (later called long jump) competition.
These are some of the finer moments that makes a better impact apart from the neatly choreographed and pictured races that makes Race a decent drama sans any thrilling moments. Still the film holds together and doesn't fall apart and makes a good watch inspite of the absence of any thrills and chills of actual race.
Nothing is shown about what happens after the exploits of the Berlin Olympics. Of course we are shown pictures of the original Jesse Owens with brief write ups on what happened to various parties involved or those associated with the game.
Stephan James fits into the role of Jesse Owens in terms of appearance as well as the way in which he has portrayed the legendary athlete. Jason Sudeikis is another actor who came out triumphant. Playing the role of Lary Snyder, coach to Owens he was able to convey what was required for the character. The duo's combination scenes are a major highlight of Race.
Overall, Race is a pretty decent make with some finer moments giving icing on the cake to lift the film to cross the finish line with success. I am going with three and a half out of five recommending the movie to people who loves biographical dramas.
Rating - 3.5 / 5

Zootopia Review

This should be ranked one of the best from Disney. Zootopia is a beautiful animation film with a very good plot that any audience (no age barrier) can enjoy. Both adults and kids will find it a great entertainer that has loads of fun to offer just like the best of animation films provide.
The plot has Judy Hopps, a bunny rabbit hailing from Bunnyburrow who aspire to become a police officer one day. Her parents Bonnie and Stu doesn't want to be part of this dream and tries their best to convince Judy to change her aspirations. But Judy is stubborn and focused and ultimately ends up as a police officer at ZPD (Zootopia Police Department), a place where animals, both predators and the hunted live in peace and harmony.
The story thickens towards the halfway stage and follow Judy along with the company of an intelligent fox named Nick uncover the case of missing mammals in the locality.
Zootopia also has a thrilling plot that gives it an extra edge when compared with some of the other successful films belonging to the same genre. With the right dose of animation with so much perfection and at the same time using the correct level of colour combination that does not make our eyes straining, the film slowly but steadily finds a place in our heart.
One should also give due credit to the people whose voices were used for various characters. The voices seemed perfect for each of the animated characters. Each character was so lovely and cute and I would say dubbing played a critical part in making Zootopia one of the best in business.
Overall, this one is a sweet, funny and a beautiful piece of work from Disney that everyone can watch irrespective of the age factor. Its a pure must watch film for which I am going with four out of five. Go for it is the final word from me!!
Rating - 4 / 5

Mar 11, 2016

Teraa suroor Review

I was into a big gamble by taking a risk of watching Teraa Surroor knowing very well that I could be in for a bitter movie watching experience. My assumption didn't go wrong and was spot on. Teraa Surroor, a sequel to Aap Kaa Suroor turns out to be a damp squib.
Here is a film that will test the patience level to the maximum. Lacklustre performances, poor screenplay that has a number of silly scenes to its credit, bad story along with below average and ineffective dialogues make the film a movie to forget even before one gets out of the cinema halls.
So that sums up the ordeal that I had watching this torturous stuff made with the sole intention of giving its hero maximum screen presence to improve his acting which sadly do not happen at all.
Bulk of the story happens in Dublin and Ireland where Tara is held captive by Police for drug peddling. Her boyfriend Reghu lands up in Dublin to get her out of jail and also to find out the person who trapped his girl.
Putting straight across, Teraa Surroor is a film that has gone totally wrong on every department except a very few areas. Songs is one of those area that has positives along with the background score and credit for both these aspects goes to Himesh Reshammiya.
Cinematography is another aspect that plays a successful part in the film. On a lighter note one could definitely say the running time at one hour and forty minutes or so is a bonus for the audience in escaping from a lengthy torture.
Dialogue department is in total mess and some of the oneliners were too hilarious while the intention of the situation would be to convey something serious in the film. That patriotic scene involving our hero, an Irish man and a few Indians supporting our hero in a gaming hub for shooting was a laugh riot and failed to create any impact.
Now to the performances. Himesh Reshammiya right from the beginning till the very end spots a single expression on his face. He has miles to go to be called an actor. Its better he do what he does best. Yes music is his forte and so far he has done a neat attempt and I have no hesitation in saying that I am a big fan of Himesh Reshammiya as a composer and also a singer. So it would be wise if he concentrate on the music side.
Farah Karimaee is the female lead enacting the role of Tara. I would say she played a perfect foil to Himesh with her emotionless acting demo. Sad to see veteran actors like Nazurudeen Shah, Shekhar Kapur and Kabir Bedi casted on the supporting side but even they could not do anything to save Teraa Surroor from sinking.
Overall, its a waste of time and money if one is to venture into cinema halls to watch this film which is a classic case for aspiring film makers on how to NOT make a film like this. I go with a very very generous one and a half out of five for Teraa Surroor solely for its soulful and lively music though it has borrowed tunes at times from its prequel.
Rating - 1.5 / 5

London has fallen Review

London Has Fallen is action packed with plenty of chases, gun shots and bombings. If one is to drill deep down further for another postmortem, you will have to admit that the film is a cliched action thriller that runs on a predictable format. A watchable film though, London has fallen has a premise that can make some of you satisfied, thanks to the breathtaking speed at which the plot takes its shape.
So we have the passing away of British Prime Minister under suspicious circumstances that brings all the World Leaders to London for the funeral of the departed leader. Now Aamir Barkawi, one of the most wanted terrorist on the FBI list has certain other plans in store for the World Leaders.
Its upto the US President Benjamin Asher, his special secret service agent Mike Banning and US Vice President Allan Trumbull to save the world from the evil plans of Barkawi.
Considering the short running time of one hour and thirty eight minutes, London has fallen will never make you bored or for that matter sleepy. It has enough ammunition in its kitty to keep you engaged almost till the end. The negativity lies in the predictable nature of the plot that has all the clichés that we normally see in such movies.
Its an easy guessing game for the audience as we can very well predict the outcome of each and every scene but the pace at which the film move ahead is a positive element that helps London has fallen not to fall apart completely.
Gerard Butler and Aaron Eckhart are the main actors who occupy the major share of screen presence. The duo were upto the task of delivering good acts in front of the camera and thereby doing justice to their respective roles. Morgan Freeman join them (not together) at a later stage and perform in his usual style.
Some of the things like the graphics, chases and gun shots demanded much more perfection but sadly London has fallen was found wanting in these areas lacking perfection. It was poor CGI employed here and nothing close to Hollywood standards particularly the explosions and the bridge bombing scenes.
Running on a threadbare story with an outdated execution, this movie that had to its credit some talented and famed actors in its line up somehow attain the passmark and end up as an average film. Not a must watch and hence fixing my score for London has fallen at two and a half out of five.
Rating - 2.5 / 5

Mar 4, 2016

Jai Gangaajal Hindi Movie Review

Prakash Jha's love affair with socially relevant themes showing fight against the system and injustice metted out to the common man in the society continues. In Jai Gangaajal instead of a male protagonist battling against the social evils, we have a female lead in the form of Priyanka Chopra as a brave police officer pitted against corrupt politicians, land mafia and irresponsible people within her department itself.
Though this is a sequel to Jha's Ajay Devgan starrer Gangaajal, Jai Gangaajal has no connection whatsoever with the prequel and nothing has been borrowed from the first film. But the common factor in both these films is nothing new to us if you are following the director's previous flicks.
Intentions are good but what happens when the same thing is repeated. The result is boredom. Jai Gangaajal can rightly be called as an old wine served in a new bottle. Yes there is nothing fresh in treatment and execution. Everything is predictable and at two hours and thirty eight minutes, it almost makes a tiring experience once the end credits start rolling down.
Abha Mathur is the newly appointed SP of Bankipur where MLA Babloo Pandey and his goon brother Dabloo Pandey are ruling the roost looting farmers by grabbing their land. They are helped by 'Circle Babu' Bhola Nath Singh in their crimes and nefarious dealings. Jai Gangaajal pits Abha face to face with these politicians, goons and tainted cops.
I am not saying the film is an unwatchable stuff with a very bad and weak screenplay. Jai Gangaajal has its moments and these moments are just scattered here and there without any continuity thereby making it a partly engaging movie from the director who is famous for telling political stories from local Bihar.
Hailing from this state, he is in his comfort zone here and has tried to cover many aspects in our political system that affects common people. So we have things like corruption, corrupt politicians and police officers, land grabbing, farmer suicides, atrocities against women and the tainted system finding a place in the narrative at one stage or the other.
PJ is a master when it comes to these types of stories. Possessing good knowledge of the current affairs of Bihar politics and the system prevailing over there, he has come up with something that has not lost its relevance but have only gained more importance in the present day life. Powerful and hardhitting dialogues are the trademark of this director and situation is no different in Jai Gangaajal too.
Priyanka Chopra has done the best that she could do in the role of a police officer. A new role for the actress, she was found wanting on the action front with her fights lacking the knockout punch.
Prakash Jha enter into the acting terrain perhaps for the first time taking a new route apart from direction. He was not able to achieve full success as an actor but was good in parts especially towards the latter stages of the film.
Manav Kaul and Ninad Kamat as Pandey brothers were upto the task and delivered clean acts in front of the camera making their characters look cruel on screen. Murali Sharma as the henchman of Babloo was also notable with his presence though it was a small one.
If one is to look the film from the angle of a common man's perspective, there are many things that from an awareness point of view needs our attention, thought and involvement. But in films if there is repetition of the same thing again and again, the engaging likeness factor for a film is bound to be literally killed due to overdose. At best, Jai Gangaajal is an average film and the rating I am going to give is two and a half out of five.
Rating - 2.5 / 5