Latest Bollywood Movie Reviews

Not many times do we have mainstream commercial Indian film makers moving into taboo areas. This time director Shelly Chopra Dhar takes up the subject of same gender relationship for life. The subject is dealt with in a "safe" and superficial manner and is kept in a way which should not displease the censors or orthodox audience.
The plot is about a well to do and established businessman of Moga, Punjab who has a pretty daughter sweety (Sonam) and an elder son Babloo ( Abhishek). This brother is overprotective of his sister and keeps a close watch on her. He is the one who first noticed signs of her abnormal over friendliness with other girls and sort of keeps it under wraps. He hopes that she would seen get over it but it doesn't happen. There is a parallel subplot of young man Rajkummar Rao who is into performing in plays and Juhi Chawla who plays a Bollywood crazy aspiring a actress.
Hell breaks loose when father Anil Kapoor comes to know that Sonam is refusing marriage to the selected boy and further shocks all when she says that she wants to marry a girl Kuhu ( Regina Cassandra).
After much raving and ranting Anil gives in to his daughter's demand and gets Sonia married with Regina. Anil ends the episode with the gag that his daughter has taken after him and likes women !
Quite an entertaining film which general audience may like but those who expected a more in depth treatment of the basic idea will be disappointed.

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The film opens with Tapsee Pannu who plays an independent businesswoman and who has been arrested for the murder of her boyfriend. She is now out on bail and on the advice of a colleague she hires noted lawyer Amitabh Bacchan who has 40 years of professional experience and who has not lost a single case so far. The film focuses on the questioning of Tapsee by AB in her apartment and while Tapsee answers, we are taken through a number of flashbacks to give us a record of the backstories at different times. A kind of cold and eerie atmosphere is set up to add to the suspense.( These outdoor scenes are shot in Glasgow, Scotland).
Like all lawyers AB wants 100% truthful answers to all questions covering all details. There are a number of twists in the plot and the director takes us through all possible perspectives and angles thus building up the suspense. The proceedings are dialogue heavy and tend to get monotonous at places but on the whole the film gives the impression of a well presented thriller.
Director Sujoy Ghosh has done a good job
keeping the film at a fast pace using the camera and editing to bring in suspense. However the film comes to a tame ending with some kind of " Faceoff"( pun intended).
In the acting department AB is good as usual. The baritone always works. Tapsee also puts in a creditable performance. The scenes seem to be a carry forward of " Pink". In the supporting cast Amrita Singh impresses.
The cinematography and editing give tremendous value to the film.
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As one watches the film, around the interval two thoughts come up
1. One wishes that Sanjay Leela Bhansali
had directed the film because he would have given it a superlative class to all departments particularly to the spectacle and the dramatic scenes.
2. The film credits indicate that the film has two directors Krish and Kangana Ranaut. Probably that is why the film is unimpressive in some places and there are jumps in the style of presentation. One wishes that only one director was at the helm to give it a much needed smooth flowing narration.
Nevertheless the film keeps one engaged with the narrative right from the time a young Queen excels in Archery and martial arts, her slow awakening to the turbulent happenings around her, to her marriage and subsequent motherhood.
She soon realises that the presence of the East India Company does not augur well for the country and she is very soon in confrontation mode with them. Inspite of personal tragedies of the loss of her husband and son, she as a widow has to overcome the tirade of her orthodox relatives while keeping her focus on the safety of her land. She exhibits exemplary courage as a queen when dealing with the British officers right till the climatic scenes of astounding valour. Kangana excels in most scenes with matching body language and dialogue delivery. I will not be surprised if she picks up a couple of awards.
The film is embellished with excellent production values. The supporting cast consists of some well known actors like Danny, Suresh Oberoi, and Zeeshan Ayub.
The actor playing the British army officer puts in a spirited performance.
Cinematography and editing are of a high standard.
All told while the film is good, one gets the feeling that it could have been better. less

It is very tempting though rude to say that the title of the film represents the value of the film. Very clearly director Anand Rai has bitten off much more than he can chew and the film is a poor show by a director who knows the Indian audience well and is considered a successful mainstream director. All the same time I can imagine how SRK thought that playing a dwarf would earn him accolades but clearly this did not happen. On the contrary the fans felt let down. Anushka plays a wheelchair bound mentally challenged scientist and acts with great sincerity making it a highlight of the film.
Director Anand Rai's treatment of the film is pedestrian to say the least. The film goes on and on with one incongruous scene followed by another. A sub plot inside another sub plot makes for dreary watching. The plot then leads to Space centre in USA with an undercurrent of pathos. This is where I gave up as I went numb with boredom. Oops I almost forgot to mention that Katrina Kaif plays an alcoholic film star and is wasted in this role which sounds hollow. There are cameos by a few female stars which do not help the film in any way. Another unimpressive role is of Zeeshan Ayub.
All told, a dreary watch inspite of some big names in the cast and a talented director. less

This is one more assembly line product made famous by Rohit Shetty in combo with Ajay Devgn. There is a twist in this film in the sense that Ranveer is made to behave like a joker in uniform for the first half. However all the fun and games turn into serious drama when Ranveer becomes involved in investigating the rape of a female teacher whom he regards as a sister. From then onwards he starts planning the trapping of the culprits. Finally after much excitement the vagabonds are caught, poetic justice is done and all ends well.
Director Rohit Shetty has made the film for the masses and has filled the film with songs and dances which keep the audience entertained. What is missing are the car wrecks but maybe they didn't fit in. Newcomer Sara is presented well and seems to have learnt what is required of a Hindi film heroine. For the fans of Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar the director has cleverly introduced their scenes in the end which will definitely thrill the fans no end.
An entertainer which will please the masses. less

Blank is not a classic and Blank is not a refreshingly new story either. Yet Blank is a good one time watch because director Behzad Khambata has kept the editing crisp ,the movie is just 107 minutes long. So you don't get much time to think. The twist in the end is reasonably good enough making the whole movie worth the less than two hours that you spend in it.

Sunny Deol is graceful and still has a very good screen presence and his by the book cop SS Deewan is very nicely written too. There is a brief glimpse of how not all is well on his personal front too yet he keeps his focus on his job.

Karan Kapadia as the guy with a question on his head and a bomb on his chest puts in a very decent debut effort.

The best part of Blank is its story which opens with a interesting premises a man is caught with a bomb on his chest connected to his heart beat. Not just this killing him can bring in further loss of lives , how? that would be a spoiler. Who is the brain behind this man or is this man the villain himself are the questions that this whole movie is all about.

Blank is not the kind of suspense film which make it to the classic list but it is worth your money if you keep your expectations in check. That in itself should be a pleasant surprise for the fans of the biggest deol since 1990.

A full three stars and hoping this brings Sunny Deol some good news at the box office.

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An unusual film which is based entirely on rap as it is played by the young people in Mumbai particularly in Dharavi area. We have Ranveer Singh a young man living in the chawl sharing the cramped accommodation with his father ( Vijay Raaz), mother , grandmother and younger brother. He is the quintessential poverty struck restless young man pursuing a college degree. His love interest is played by Alia Bhatt who is studying medicine and staying with her parents nearby. Ranveer dabbles in rap lyrics but he plunges headlong into rap singing as he gets more and more involved in competition. His colleague called MC Sher who is an experienced rapper gives him professional and moral support. He also has a romantic fling with Kalki Koechlin from USA who offers him a singing assignment. Despite his father's opposition he becomes a success and makes a name for himself. There is a parallel story of Ranveer's father taking on a much younger second wife and the subsequent chaos in their cramped home resulting in Ranveer leaving home with mother and younger brother.
Director Zoya ( I won't call her lady director) has got a total grip on the film and helped by a tight screenplay she turns out an excellent film. Those who have seen Luck by chance", "ZNMD" and "Dil dhadakne do" will know the calibre of her work. She has used the cinematographer , editor and sound recordist exceedingly well. Watch the scene where his father Vijay Raaz is the bridegroom and is entering the lane with band baja. Ranveer drowns out the sound by playing music on his Walkman. At the entrance the father pulls out the earpiece, and moves on. This is an interesting scene.
Acting is of a high quality. Ranveer continues to turn in superb performances. He looks and acts the character he is supposed to play. Alia, Kalki and Vijay Raaz are impressive. Noteworthy performances come from Siddhant Chaturvedi and Vijay Verma.
On the whole this is a superbly crafted film with Zoya's direction as the highlight. less

When I saw the trailer of The Tashkent Files, I was quite intrigued by the unconventional and controversial subject that the film is based upon as it revolves around the mysterious death of India’s 2nd Prime Minister Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri and I was convinced that with presence of stellar actors like Mithun Chakraborty, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Tripathi, Mandira Bedi, Shweta Prasad, Vinay Pathak, Pallavi Joshi, Rajesh Sharma, Prakash Belawadi and Mohan Kapoor, this movie is going to be worth a watch, Now, the tagline that this movie has is “Who Killed Shastri”, as according to allegations Shastri was assassinated, but slowly the news faded away and as usual, the world moved on!!
Honestly, at the back of my mind, I had an opinion that this is just another half-hearted attempt to present the history by fictionalization of the past events in the name of freedom of speech. But, to my surprise, this movie surpassed my expectations by a great extent as it supports each and every event related to the controversial death of Shastriji with massive research, well-documented facts, video footages of the interviews related to this unsolved mystery, and this fantastic groundwork literally transports the audience into an extremely planned and detailed execution of an investigative journey behind the death of one of India’s most loved and respected politicians. Maybe after Madras Café, a movie has come that reveals so many disturbing historical truths related to politics through books, evidences, photographs & audio recordings of that time.
At the same time, the makers and actors are intelligent enough to not make it an overboard docu-drama, but instead the movie is presented as a well-crafted thriller by giving us relevant accounts of CIA, USSR, Indo-Pakistan war of 1965, spy & undercover agents, the political undertones of the diplomatic relationships between countries. The movie is a well-baked account of Shastriji’s death as the team has put in humungous efforts for doing the necessary research work and has presented us with one of the finest investigative thrillers of Bollywood as the case has been dissected with a spellbound approach for presenting the even the most minute details that shed light on the so called planned assassination with conviction and accuracy. This praiseworthy effort has surely saved the movie from itself becoming a controversy even before its release.
After a long time, I have come across a Bollywood movie that revolves around intelligence and not emotions and all the due credit goes to writer and director Vivek Agnihotri as he provides justification to his membership in the panel of Central Board of Film Certification and he smartly uses his position and skills to present us with a movie that provides insights into the deep dark secrets in the world of global politics, an area in which very few directors would have dared to venture into. Vivek Agnihotri utilizes his immense knowledge and experience that he must have gathered during his study period at prestigious institutes like Indian Institute of Mass Communication and the school of social sciences.
Being an “India-wing” activist and author, he not only spoofs his acquired intellectualism and deep understanding of the socio-political world into the writing of the movie, but also displays his directorial brilliance as he keeps the audience sucked into the world of this fast paced thriller. The movie at points would be hard to digest for a section of audience as the film is carried forward mostly by dialogues, monologues, verbal arguments, and political terminologies. Further, the movie is mostly for mature people with an interest in realism and socio-political issues. But, here is when the masterstroke comes in as the makers inject the required dose of patriotism, and the scenes unfold in fast paced manner that it gives you a feeling that a veteran surgeon is performing surgery on one of his dearest patients.
No doubt, the movie rips apart the democratic system by giving in the insight to the unethical and corrupt practices carried out in quest of power and money in name of socialism, secularism, racism, communism, pragmatism, ideologism, nationalism, and liberalism. But, the movie in one of the scenes also gives an account of various famous unsolved cases like that of the murder of Amar Singh Chamkila murder of Chandrasekhar Prasad, Satyam Computers scam, 2G scam, etc.
The performance of all actors is no doubt phenomenal, but it’s Shweta Prasad who gives an uninhibited and strong performance, despite being the youngest actor of the cast. The last monologue delivered by her at the ends of the movie is surely one of the best scenes of the movie and it is enacted so well by her that the scene will bound to leave you deeply moved and you will a strong sense of empathy towards noble leaders like Lal Bahadur Shastri who not only have to fight against foreign dominance but also have to struggle with our very own corrupt judicial system. Your heart bleeds for the great leader who as a dialogue in the movies says “ was killed twice”, and it’s a sheer pity for our generation who don’t know that 2nd October is not only Gandhi Jayanti, but is also the birth date of Lal Bahadur Shastri.
The movie has several dialogues which strike a chord at a subconscious level with you like “Past ko bhulna chahie, past se bhagna nahi chahie, Kyunki Kabhi na Kabhi past samne aa hi jata h”. The movie does pack a punch and also succeeds in hitting a tight slap on the global beauruacratic system , our own judicial system, and countrymen. But, one thing is sure, no matter how brainstorming this movie is, but at the core, it has its heart at the right place as it is an account of a forgotten national hero, who could not get his due, and that my friends shocks me and brings tears to my eyes. May his soul R.I.P. less

How we all wish that somehow, we cease to feel pain and curse it when we do. So, to make a movie on pain that isn’t felt yet experienced scores on originality of content. All content however are inspirations and references from other works. This defines the most genuine and true effort towards the art or craft  of Storytelling. “Mard ko dard nahin hota” is one of the lines from a famous movie delivered by legendary Amitabh Bachchan and the strength of this dialogue still inspires film makers.  

Director Vasan Bala has used subtle and fine humor through out Mard ko dard nahi hota to narrate his version of a person if were not to feel the physical pain would not actually escape to experience pain in his life.  The editing, screen play and direction especially of the action sequence is excellent. The hilarious bits aren’t over the top and synchronized seamlessly in every screenplay. Mard ko dard nahin hota is very well made artistically and is extremely entertaining. All action sequences are great and flawless. Most of them are karate and hand kombat. The debutant Abhimanyu Dassani who plays Surya jisko dard nahi hota, doesn’t look like a debutant. His acting is perfect along with action. Radhika Madan who plays his childhood friend Supri is impressive with her action scenes. Not a single blow or punch is out of place and has preformed all her stunts on her own. Coming from the Tele world she is surprisingly the hero we all call an all-rounder. Mahesh Manjrekar as Surya’s Grandfather (Azuba) is excellent with his short jibes and comic timing. He creates the perfect masala for an entertainer. The two Characters (Jimmy and Karate Mani) played by Gulshan Devaiah is every rupee’s worth to watch.  He is the soul of the movie and his acting is effortless like flowing water he is flowing as well.

The movie could have been shortened as there wasn’t much to its story than what is revealed in its first hour. It sometimes feels deliberately stretched and can lead to some boredom. I will say that it is very well thought and executed concept that will leave a lasting impact after having watched it.

I recommend that it should definitely be a good surprising movie to watch, in spite of the heavy story it is extremely light for the eyes and brain. Enjoy it!

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We live in fortunate times where our scope and sphere are unlimited. The lost stories of our History that rust in dust are now screaming of its well-deserved glory. Patriotism in films is at its high. The content era is here. Kesari is content that can intensify emotions, sour heartbeats and waterworks at the end. However, the resurrection of the Hand combat battle is a time travel experience to it’s reality. That being said is not the only part of the movie that compels your body to sweat in the Air conditioning. Each character has its bravery transcend heroism making fictional super heroes look like play toys. There are scenes that engross your brain to the intensity of ignorance to the gore, however according to me Director Anurag Singh manages to balance this aspect to not let it look like gore and yet give the audience the exact virtual experience of the brutality suffered by the 21 brave soldiers of the 36 Sikh Regiment of the British Army in India. This battle is a tale of 21 Sikh Soldier’s willing decision to fight to the last to prevent the Afghani Afridi/Orakazi tribe that attacked the fort of Saragarhi with strength of about 10000-12000 men.

Kesari does carry the emotional elements to connect the audience to the human and emotional side of these Sikh men. The makers have tried to put few logical elements that may have influenced the invasion of this fort, but have missed the adequate impact, however the script is quite moving and does not have repetitive slogan or band wagon of patriotic upliftment. The satire has few hits and few misses. The Romantic angles are just case building, seemingly filling the reel time. Kesari could have been kept short and simple with merit in its content and absolute accuracy of its recorded event in the history. The extra parts are the safety commercial nets with an obvious section of Indian cinema audience that resonates with it. With Akshay Kumar as the lead Kesari as Havildar Ishar Singh is and undoubted winner. The fierce hand combat battle is an excellent piece and gives the audience glimpse of how Havildar Ishar Singh’s mental strength would have made him command a battalion of 21 soldiers to fight a battle with an obvious outcome against the invading 10000 men. There would have been simply no one else bringing Havildar Ishar Singh back to life on silver screen other than Akshay Kumar.  He justifies the other aspects of the character of a Jat Singh. The bravery of each soldier is depicted well and is compelling that one would want to look beyond the adjective called “Brave” and “confidence” for them.

This chapter out of our glorious history that our army has been so long demanding the government to include in our history text books seals their demand. The movie deserves the watch for its story which is made to provide the virtual experience of the never seen bravery and confident minds of soldiers to end the enemy at all costs is not even imagined in fiction. The documented claim of 21 soldiers killing at least 180 men of the enemy with only basic weapons is bravery beyond the realm of mind's eye. It is not a tale but an outcome of an intensified brave mind and souls that succeeded in its toughest ask. I strongly Implore to let it live and bask in the glory it deserves.        

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Who says powerful roles are not written for women of all ages .Photograph negates this statement.
The story is unusual( to some it may sound unrealistic and ' filmy').It draws the point that differences in faith,socio- economic conditions,levels of literacy and parental choices can be ignored when the choice maker herself is the girl whose in a relationship.Her choice is empowerment.She need not make a noise to prove her point( like many feminists do).Her silence itself says a lot.
As a mere coincidence this unknown,shy,simple ,aloof girl ( Sanya Malhotra as Miloni Shah) is captured in his camera by a street photographer ( Nawaazuddin Siddiqui as Rafi) ..A photo is delivered to her only for the girl to disappear.
The photographer's widowed grand mother ( Farrukh Jaffer) is nagging her grand son ( Rafi) to get married at the earliest.How does Rafi 'manage'to satisfy her grandma?
At the nick of time Rafi has located the disappeared girl and requested her to ' pretend' to be her fiancee as Noori,lest his grandma get ' suspicious' about the girl's faith.
So far so good.Within heart the grandma is prepared to accept the ' presented' girl to be her daughter-in-law il.What's the hitch? Soon the grandma has come to know the antecedents of the girl .She's unsure as to what could happen?
As time unfolds it's revealed that the girl belongs to a high income family,that she's persuing her CA Foundation course at a coaching institute and that she belongs to the majority faith.And that her parents are looking for a match for their daughter.
Despite knowing all this ,the photographer and the girl are ' silently' in a ' relationship' not known to others.
Meanwhile two more suitors( the girl's teacher Jim Sarbh and a much NRI) woo the girl.
Does she take the traditional route( parental choice) or her own to make the final choice? Go see for yourself.
Photograph would be remembered for three outstanding performances of Sanya Malhotra,Nawaazuddin Siddiqui and Farrukh Jaffar.
Not to be missed by the discerning viewers.
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What does the guy do when the gal prefers a 'live in relationship' to a ritualistic marriage?.We are Informed that even Radha and Krishna never got married,yet their love was never ever commented upon nor stigmatised as in Luka Chuppi.
A visual media intern( Kriti Sanon) is in a relationship with a staff reporter ( Kartik Aaryan) in Mathura. Internship makes them move to Gwalior.None is prepared to offer the lovers boarding and lodging,until one broker advices them to behave like a married couple.So far so good.
A stage comes one a few 'suspect' their 'marital relationship'.Self guilt and the the fear of being ' ostrasized' drives them to get married,in any- which ever way.As luck would have it,all their attempts get aborted.
When the upper caste father( Vinay Pathak) of the girl is sounded about the relationship about her daughter and the reporter guy,the father agrees them to undergo a ' sham marriage'.Why? Because elections are round the corner.Barring the ' couple's none else knows that they have not as yet been married,despite pretensions to the contrary.
it's only at a mass community marriage mandap that girl's father gets an inkling that the the already ' married' damaad is going for a ' second marriage'.
What's the reality? How does the confusion gets resolved? Go see for your self.
To me the concept of ' live in relationship' doesn't gell in a small town locale.The presentation is too crude.The upper caste attitude of the girl's father is revolting and disgusting.The open abuse towards a minority friend( Appar Shakti) of the girl's lover is too one sided.The performances never rise above mediocrity .
Nothing much to rave about.The BO report could be a thumbs down. less