Bollywood World

Rating : 6/10
Running Time : 170 minutes
Director & Writer : Abbas Ali Zafar
Producer : YRF Films
Starring : Salman Khan, Anushka Sharma, Amit Sadh, Anant Vidhaat Sharma, Parikshit Sahni, Kumud Mishra, Randeep Hooda (Special Appearance)

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Review


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Rating : 6 /10
Release Date : 15th April, 2016
Time : 143 minutes
Director, Writer : Maneesh Sharma; Music : Vishal-Shekhar (songs), Andrea Guerra (background score)
Starring : Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Amin, Yogendra Tiku, Sayani Gupta



A young boy (Gaurav) is obsessed with Shahrukh Khan, the star (named Aryan in the movie), and coincidentally looks like him too. In fact the high point of his life is winning the local star look-alike show. And then, on SRK�s birthday, he decides to make the trip to Mumbai and meet his idol � with dreams of handing him the trophy he won, hugging him etc. Things don�t go to plan (understatement of the century) and when he returns from Mumbai, he decides to make the star pay � especially as he was found wanting on one of his favourite sign off lines � �I am what I am because of my fans, if the fans aren�t there, I am nobody�.



It�s a fascinating premise � who in India doesn�t recognize obsession after all, and what if that infatuation turns sour - and it�s fabulously enacted by Shahrukh, but thanks to two bloated chase sequences and an end that goes nowhere, it pulls you down. There is a strong message somewhere � but it�s lost in all the filmy touches and several implausible moments.



Our boy has the cutest, most supportive parents imaginable � and his normal life pretty much revolves around his idol. Several touching scenes � the imaginary conversations in our head, the wall to ceiling posters, the fighting with others for our star � we would recognize these traits, after all, we all have idolized someone at some point. And, we�ve all felt at some time or the other, that our stars have let us down, they sometimes let success and adulation get to their head, become arrogant, forget why, who made them big in the first place. And in this film, the star�s biggest fan, decides to teach him a lesson.


SRK is very good, after a long while. It�s been ages since he did a film with some meat, substance and this couldn�t have been an easy project to say �Yes� to � so kudos to him for agreeing to it, making it come alive with a great performance. Unfortunately, at script level, there were too many inconsistencies � events happen that have a close to zero chance happening in real life � and the end just didn�t connect. Wasn�t something else possible here ?


As a total aside - it was nice to see Dubrovnik, a lovely, quiet Croatian coastal town feature in a Hindi film � Star Wars VIII, Game of Thrones have also been shot here, quite extensively too.


Obsessions, especially those not our own, don�t make for easy viewing, especially on the big screen. Several moments when you wish the character didn�t do what they did, you cringe, face-palm, which ensures that the repeat viewing potential of this movie is nil. But then, as our star obsessed fan points out several times � what they do isn't done or possible for others to understand. And at the end, who are we to judge ?

Rating : 7/10
Release Date : 3rd April, 2015
Time : 153 minutes
Director : Dibakar Banerjee; Writer : Dibakar Banerjee, Urmi Juvekar based on the character by Sharadindu Bandhopadhyay; Music : Various
Starring : Sushant Singh Rajput, Anand Tiwari, Meiyang Chang, Swastika Mukherjee, Neeraj Kabi, Divya Menon, Mark Bennington, Shivam, Dr Kaushik Ghosh



Anand Tiwari�s father has been missing for two months, and he hesitantly approaches the film�s titular character, Sushant Singh Rajput, for help. Thus begins an adventure that involves Calcutta in 1943, the English rulers, opium, our freedom struggle, Chinese gangs, the enemies of our enemies and by that logic our friends, the Japanese and a crucial stopover cum import from Rangoon.



Its quite an interesting adventure, not one that is entirely coherent but fun to watch nonetheless. Dibakar Banerjee, as usual, is excellent in creating an overall atmosphere via the costumes, the locations and keeps the action pacy, with enough twists and turns to keep you hooked. Where he misses out, quite oddly, is with the Bengali character / feel, something that Sujoy Ghosh got so brilliantly right in Kahaani. Here everyone speaks perfect Hindi without any trace of a Bengali accent, and the walk, posture, demeanour lacks the inherent laziness of the denizens of Bengal.



The ensemble cast is quite excellent � really liked Anand Tiwari, Swastika Mukherjee and Divya Menon. Special praise for Neeraj Kabi and Meiyan Chang. And quite liked Sushant � he doesn�t quite behave like a Bong but keeps you interested in what�s happening with him.




There are quite a few murders in the film, and it begs the question as to why Byomkesh�s life is never really threatened, why the villain is so magnanimous even while knocking off anyone else who is remotely threatening ? But I guess that is true of most detective stories. There is more than a homage to Guy Ritchie�s restyling of Sherlock Holmes here but it�s Dibakar�s deft storytelling which is the primary reason to watch this one, even though there is a lot in there which doesn�t make sense.

Rating : 7/10
Release Date : 27th February, 2015
Time : 111 minutes
Director, Writer : Sharat Katariya; Music : Anu Malik
Starring : Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar, Sanjay Misra, Alka Amin, Sheeba Chaddha, Seema Pahwa



Ayushmann doesn�t get along with his father (Sanjay Misra) � he feels his life has been ruined because of him, being forced to give up studies early, sitting in their small shop in Haridwar, and now being forced to marry early. To a girl not of his choice.


Bhumi is sweet, vivacious but is plump, with a round face. She met Ayushman in an arranged marriage scenario and even though she is more highly educated, she felt he was nice and so said yes � to a family that is a little less well off vs theirs.

Sanjay Misra, with things not going well with the shop � the era of cassettes slowly giving way to CDs � is keen that his son marry her because it seems like she has a nice demeanour. And because she is a B. Ed, which means she will teach, earn money and be able to help with the household expenses.


After their marriage, she cant understand why he wont talk to her. Snide remarks are made by the family about her education. And Ayushman is a bit of a loser, a sulky one, directionless, resenting everyone around him, jealous of his friends success � when a friend comes and shows a pic of his to-be, svelte bride he feels its only to rub it in as his wife is overweight.


She�s trying her best � including buying new nighties, putting on English pictures on a friends TV / VCR to seduce him but despite her best attempts, he remains sullen, withdrawn. And then one day things get out of hand.


The first half is fantastic. The language. The houses. The by-lanes. The songs. The way they talk to each other � more the insults � Sanjay Misra always ready to use his chappal on his son, Bhumi�s younger brother calling her a chudail when she asks him how she is looking�

The second half completely loses its way � as usual, the director and script-writer don�t seem to know what to do with the lovely characters they�ve created, leading them to an unlikely, filmy climax. Ayushman is good, but his character isn�t someone you really want to be friends with plus you don�t really get what he is upto, why his thought process is the way it is or changes. Sanjay Misra and the rest of the ensemble cast really shine in their roles. But the film truly belongs to Bhumi Pednekar � she lights up the movie with her expressions, dresses, dancing, dialogue delivery�


If cassette shops, Kumar Sanu, arranged marriages at a temple / introductions by a priest, RSS shakha type meetings with men in shorts and a small house where the family sleeps outside on charpai�s mean anything to you, Dum Laga Ke Haisha is definitely going to be fun and will take you down the sweet bylanes of nostalgia.

PS : One of my pet peeves - if you go on the YRF website, you would imagine you should get the entire cast listed, especially if your film is reliant on excellent character actors...shouldn't you ?

Rating : 6/10
Release Date : 19th September, 2014
Time : 123 minutes
Director & Writer: Habib Faisal; Music : Sajid-Wajid
Starring : Parineeti Chopra, Anupam Kher, Aditya Roy Kapur




This is a sweet, but extremely predictable story. One where you wish there was more meat, literally, to justify the title. You visually do see lots of food, in some cases being consumed too, but apart from stray mentions of �my grandfather�s recipe�, you don�t really talk about food � the favorite dishes, the taste�and thus what is cooked up is just another love story.


Tired of incessant dowry demands from would-be suitors, Parineeti, one day, decides to get even. Till then, along with her father, Anupam Kher, she ekes out a normal, humdrum, middle class existence as a Hyderabadi Muslim, complete with dreams of America. Inspired by a huge settlement in a local dowry case, she decides she will entrap some rich, dowry demanding family and then use the settlement money to fulfill her dreams. Off they go to Lucknow, under fake identities. And meet Aditya Roy Kapur, who runs, one of the city�s most popular eateries. And then the plan changes. Or doesn�t it?



Being a Habib Faisal movie, it obviously gets the mileu right � whether its that of a Hyderabadi Muslim (with their sing song dialect), or that of a wannabe middle class person (dreams of America while being a salesgirl at a local shoe store, wants a guy who speaks good English � even better if with an American twang), or even the scared/worried father, desperate to get his daughter married off. In fact, one of the more endearing sub-plots, which was briefly introduced but not really built on, related to Anupam Kher�s job as a legal clerk, his own knowledge of the law and the court system yet, despite some egging from colleagues, his inability to fly � ie make the transition from being a clerk to becoming an advocate � despite retirement being just around the corner.


Aditya and Parineeti, both, did justice to their roles, making their slightly over-the-top characters come to life. I particularly liked Aditya�s screen presence, he has this slightly gangly look but more than makes up with his expressions and a shy, disarming smile. Hope he doesn�t take up any more drunk, suicidal roles. The supporting cast, including the various demanding parents and suitors, was fascinating to watch � their mannerisms, the way their �requests for help� were communicated (since no one actually uses the word dowry) and also the communication between spouses.


All in all, a good film, a sweet love story, but one which doesn�t really rise above the average Bollywood romcom and one where the title, Dawat-E-Ishq, seems like almost an after-thought, to differentiate itself from other films in this genre, without any substantial meat or spices in the script

Rating : 6/10
Release Date : 22nd August, 2014
Time : 113 minutes
Director: Pradeep Sarkar; Writer : Gopi Puthran; Music : Salim-Sulaiman
Starring : Rani Mukherjee, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Priyanka Sharma, Jishu Sengupta, Anil George



Its Taken (if you�d like to know more about that film, click here) but Indianized. Its Rani Mukherjee, instead of Liam Neeson, playing a Mumbai cop. Not the daughter but someone who is daughter jaisi (wonder why ?). Add a huge amount of melodrama, teary music to an otherwise decent portrayal and you have a film which is decent, has good performances but, thanks to the above melodrama, never really builds up any tension or tautness to make you live the experience.



I like the way they built Rani�s character. Right from the opening raid to nab a criminal, the way she worked with her unit, her planning. The way she isn�t scared of getting her hands dirty. How she doesn�t really lose her cool, staying focused on the job at hand, battling bureaucracy, seniors and apart from one preachy scene, she mostly just gets on with it. The girl who gets kidnapped, Priyanka, someone she�d �adopted�, who lives at an orphanage but meets the family, including Rani�s niece who lives with them, frequently.



Her performance is matched by Tahir�s chilling, efficient and �its only business portrayal, the chief villain. He�s very good. Suggesting a better method of killing herself to a victim who threatens to commit suicide. Having phone conversations with Rani, trying to persuade her to drop the case.


What the film does well is make us care for the characters. Build them up nicely. Even people who appear in minute roles manage to make a mark, like Tahir�s mom, or the lady who takes care of the girls, or the police unit Rani works with, or the car dealer who is the front for the syndicate in Mumbai. What doesn�t work well are the slightly gratuitous scenes of the young girls undressing (well, perhaps necessary to show how the system works), the beauty parade they go through, the attempts to wring a tear, which actually dissipate any tension that was being built up.


I may be pilloried for this but child trafficking is probably a crime worse than rape and happens a lot more often (apparently one every eight minutes in India). Without as much media noise, police prevention effort going behind it. This one does a fair job of bringing this heinous deed to the forefront, describing the modus operandi, the organized nature of the syndicates running it and also the end users, mostly rich, well-connected, sick b****rds ! Probably just for that, it deserves an audience and a decent rating.

PS : The Nth time I�m saying this, but our celebrity obsessed culture really needs to change. Why is it so difficult to get names of the entire cast, as you can do on countless websites for English / French / German films. According to the YRF website the film only stars Rani & Tahir. Quite a few �big� sites, in fact, only name Rani as the cast�which I don�t think is respectful to the other actors who sweat it out and perform in the film�