Bollywood World

Rating : 7/10
Release Date : 18th March, 2016
Time : 140 minutes
Director, Writer : Shakun Batra; Co-Writer : Ayesha Devitre Dhillon; Music : Various
Starring : Rishi Kapoor, Rajat Kapoor, Ratna Pathak Shah, Fawad Khan, Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt, Sukant Goel, Fahim Shaikh



A sensational first half � witty, crazy, natural, superb dialogues, a fast-moving script, great characters, fabulous acting � followed by a second half, which goes in a different direction to what I would�ve preferred. Am not a fan of solving things via tears, melodrama, sorrow � perhaps there is another way, but our directors / writers have yet to get there. Anyways, should be grateful it doesn�t go awry � just in a different direction�



Rajat Kapoor and Ratna Pathak Shah live in idyllic Coonoor but argue like all married couples do, over things that most married couples do. Their sons, Fawad and Sidharth, live in UK and US respectively, are used to seeing their parents argue and also have their own unsettled issues. Fawad�s a successful author, his parent�s pet while Sid is still looking to find his vocation and has a huge chip on his shoulder about not being loved as much as his elder brother. However, what is fascinating is that, while all this may sound sad, morbid, the first half is anything but. Thanks to their grandfather, Rishi Kapoor (I want to grow old like him !) and Alia, who is the wild, zany one in a nearby tea estate.



Rishi Kapoor is endearing and full of life � so much so that he practices falling dead, just for kicks. Other pastimes include watching porn, smoking, weed, shooting his grandkids dead and making sure the hospital staff don�t forget him (the scenes with the nurse were excellent). Alia is always pulling someone�s leg � first Sid, then Fawad fall for her pranks and she ensures she always remains happy, sunny despite all around her



The stage is then set for the family drama to heat up in the second half, as secrets tumble out, things come to a head�


It�s been a long time since I saw such beautifully etched characters and crisp, natural dialogues in a Hindi film. The performances were fabulous � Rajat, Rishi were brilliant and Fawad, Alia, Sidharth also display their acting chops � both the men, especially, successfully put to bed all the unfair, unwarranted criticism that they�re just good looking boys who can�t act. Ratna is very good too, doing justice to the role given � her character is not someone who I would be fond of but can understand. Special mention of Sukant Goel who also shines through in a small role, as Sid�s best friend.


The film does hold a mirror up to how most of us live our lives, mired in our first world problems. Unhappiness, we discover, can be caused by so many factors � parental expectations, striving for approval, success, distrust, money issues, the search for love � all can prove to be so corrosive. But equally, isn�t it upto us to simplify things, to chart out our own course � to stop blaming others for our problems. Because, in the end, don�t we all just want to be happy ?

Rating : 3/10
Release Date : 8th January, 2016
Time : 96 minutes
Director: Sean Anders; Writers: Brian Burns, Sean Anders, John Morris; Music : Michael Andrews
Starring : Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, Thomas Haden Church, Scarlett Estevez, Owen Vaccaro, Bobby Cannavale, Hannibal Buress



Imagine Anees Bazmee (of Welcome, Singh is Kinng fame) got together with Rohit Shetty (of Golmaal, Chennai Express and I can blow up cars better than anyone fame), both master craftsmen of the �senseless entertainment� genre, and decided to make a film on parenting, a dad vs a stepdad plot. What they would come up with would probably be better than what is served up here.



Nothing makes sense. Will Ferrell, all around good guy, is trying to win over his step kids, Scarlett and Owen, while mom, Linda is quite supportive. However, when alpha male, biker, secret agent type Mark Wahlberg, the biological dad, lands up they enter into a kind of �competition� on who can be a better father � with cringe-worthy results. The entire sub-plot involving Hannibal Buress beggars belief as does some of the things the two dads do.




Suffice to say that there are very few redeeming features in this one � some of the conversations with Thomas Haden are funny but some are overdone. The whole thing about going to a fertility clinic (Bobby Cannavale) also seems to suggest you cant be a real man, truly satisfied until you can procreate. The movie lasts too long with the impulse to leave in the middle has to be fought several times during it�s 96 minutes running time.

Rating : 6/10
Release Date : 28th August, 2015
Time : 103 minutes
Director, Co-Writer : John Erick Dowdle; Co-Writer: Drew Dowdle; Music : Marco Beltrami, Buck Sanders
Starring : Owen Wilson, Lake Bell, Pierce Brosnan, Sterling Jerins, Claire Geare, Sahajak Boonthanakit

Imagine landing in an exotic (for the Americans) land, somewhere around Thailand,Vietnam, with your family, only to find, in a few hours the place erupting in a revolution with vigilante mobs going around executing all foreigners on sight.


Owen Wilson, finds himself in this predicament, with seemingly no way out. He and his wife, Lake Bell, with their two young daughters (Sterling, Claire) arrive for his expat job with an American water company, barely settle in their hotel and soon find events spiraling out of control. The Prime Minister is shot dead and soon bloodthirsty mobs roam the once peaceful streets. Pierce Brosnan, British, had been on the same flight as them, is in the country primarily for women (or so he says), is staying on the same hotel and may have a part to play, as he�s a regular in the country. But things look really bleak�



This one is all about the tension. About moving from one predicament to another. Just when the family (and you) begin to feel slightly safe � Boom! � next thunderbolt will strike. The young daughters are also shown to be the typical American types � will feel hungry, want to go to the bathroom, wont want to jump � even when clearly their own lives are in peril � and Owen, who�s not been very successful in life and has to mend bridges with his wife � has his hands full as they try to stay alive



It�s not a bad one time watch though I�ve never heard the word �Okay� spoken as many times in one film. The violence shown is brutal, but the pressure-cooker atmosphere does permeate through and makes you want the young American family to make it to safety. Of course, whether they do or not, is another matter.


PS : Found it deliciously ironical that one of the possible safe options was for an American family to go over to the nearby Vietnamese border and seek asylum.

Rating : 8/10
Release Date : 5th June, 2015
Time : 170 minutes
Director : Zoya Akhtar; Writers : Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Farhan Akhtar (dialogue); Music : Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy
Starring : Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Anuskha Sharma, Farhan Akhtar, Rahul Bose, Zarina Wahab, Ridhima Sud, Manoj Pahwa, Parmeet Sethi, Khushi Dubey, Divya Seth Shah, Pawan Chopra, Ayesha Raza Mishra, Sarah Hashmi, Dolly Mattoo, Ikhlaque Khan



Members of which Indian community are most likely to throw a lavish foreign cruise party to celebrate their anniversary, inviting family and friends, when they are crippled by debt ?


That same community, their mannerisms, dialogues, behavior, conversations are absolutely nailed, almost perfectly. And that is what is most enjoyable about the film � the close look at a dysfunctional family and their equally crazy relatives and friends. The story otherwise isn�t much and the ending is�well, it would need a lifeboat to rescue it�


(From separate conversations)
Auntyji 1 : (recovering from her daughter�s broken engagement) : Maine na Mata ki Chowki rakhi hai

Auntyji 2 : Teri maid phir bhaag gayi hai ? Yaar, what do you do with your maids ?

Auntyji 3 : (when scolded to get a life, after spending too much time match-making) : Yeh paagal ho gayi hai ? Hummein job kaun dega ?

Auntyji 4 : (when asked to have a drink) : Nahin, mujhe arthritis hai so I cant hold a glass for long

Auntyji 4 : (about above Auntyji, at another point in time) : Inhein asthma bhi hai!?

Auntyji 5 : Aise Delhi main thodi dance kar sakte hain, log kya kahenge

Anil Kapoor : Head of the family. Self-made man. Reminds everyone about it constantly. Has an eye for the pretty ladies. And business trips with them. He is very good as the the testosterone filled dad, prone to getting his own way. And is central to the best scene of the film, a medical emergency


Shefali Shah : Wife. Advisor in tough times. Doormat (to be trampled upon) at others. Prone to eating. Chocolate. Especially when nervous. She was the actor of the film, communicating volumes through her eyes and expressions. Didn�t have too many killer dialogues but one stood out, on the topic of marital incompatibility � �Husband hai, judwan bhai nahin�


Ranveer Singh : Happy go lucky. Infectiously funny. Loves to fly. Isnt good at handling Dad�s business. Has tried. Is being asked to marry daughter of rich friend. To do his bit for the family business. Ranveer does what he does best � brings tons of energy to his role, which seems written for him � and looks, acts, behaves his part. The puke jokes were brilliant!


Priyanka Chopra : Super successful, has set up her own business. Married to the wrong guy. By her parents. Used to being over-looked by them for her brother. But for some reason, it still hurts. After a long while, Priyanka gets a role where she isn�t just eye-candy. And boy, does she do it justice. That guilty look after a sudden, stolen kiss�


Rahul Bose, Priyanka�s stiff hubby, does excellently in a negative role that, strangely, lacks layers. Zarina Wahab as Rahul�s mom is great too � especially with her various ailments. Manoj Pahwa is very good as a loud, happy friend (Oh, yaar, apni biwiyon ko itne saal jhel liya hai, yeh kya baat hai). As are the various wives and other uncles. Special mention of Khushi Dubey as a wise-cracking young �un (Beta, agar saj ke nahin baithoge, to ladka kaise phasega ?) and Riddhima Sud, who does a super job as a bimbette type. As an exasperated Ranveer tells her, when she is caught out once, kissing the wrong guy � �There are 500 rooms on the ship!�


Anushka is good in her role as Ranveer�s love interest. Farhan is effortlessly excellent in his brief role � again, he doesn�t seem to be acting but just being himself (Tum itna smart hote huay itni stupid kaisi ho sakti ho?!)


It desperately stretches out. Has an unnecessarily convoluted end. The songs were ordinary, though the background score was great. Thought the whole thing about the dog as a narrator was contrived. But it gets its characters right for the most part. And nails the Punjabi ethos, complete with its extravagance, large heartedness, hypocrisy, male dominance and above all, the intrinsic humour�

Rating : 8/10
Release Date : 8th May, 2015
Time : 125 minutes
Director : Shoojit Sircar; Writer : Juhi Chaturvedi; Music : Anupam Roy
Starring : Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Irrfan, Moushumi Chatterjee, Jishu Sen, Balendra Singh, Raghuvir Yadav



Piku is a funny, incident filled look at life, relationships, family, ancestral homes, roots, parenting, how to cope with parents, the cycle of life, marriage, hypochondriacs, Bengali�s, Kolkata, road journeys and above all, constipation !



To say Deepika Padukone, playing the title character, is aggressive would be a gross understatement. She is used to getting her own way � whether at work, (with boss / lover / friend with benefits, Jishu), or even with drivers of her taxi service (whom she relentlessly bullies into speeding and accidents). Except with her Dad. Amitabh Bachchan. An eccentric Bengali. Who more than holds his own.



He doesn�t want her to get married (�It's what women of low IQ aspire for�). Is an A Grade hypochondriac, disappointed to receive a medical report that reveals no issues. Bosses around the help at home (hilarious scene where maid accused by him of stealing (hold your breath) phenyl, yells if she wanted to steal, why wouldn�t she steal laptops instead). Needs help from long time servant, Balendra Singh, to do most routine things (an incredible scene at a roadside toilet). He suffers from constipations so his bowel movements govern his and his households life. He shares an easy camaraderie with his doctor, Raghubir Yadav, with whom he spends many a happy hour discussing frequency, colour and viscosity of his motions. And thinks nothing of leaving updates with Deepika�s office receptionist about the same.



Also, unlike Deepika, he doesn�t want to sell his ancestral home in Kolkata. And this necessitates a road trip there from their current abode in Delhi, since he refuses to fly or take the train. Which brings our UP ke bhaiya, Irrfan into the equation. He is the helpless owner of the taxi stand which suffers from Deepika�s haranguing regularly. And after a fleeting meeting with her, he is also haplessly smitten. And when none of his drivers turn up, he decides to escape his own household circumstances and do the drive himself. Though he regrets it on many occasions, especially after a knife throwing incident !


What is excellent about the film is that it firmly stays grounded in the here and now. An episodic, almost incident by incident manner of narration, helps avoid most of the ailments that normally afflict Hindi film-makers � there are no cumbersome flashbacks, no moments of morbid sentimentality, no reveling in some silly sentimentality. Like life, shit happens (or in this case, doesn�t), and you move on.



The performances are excellent � Deepika is outstanding - not a single expression out of place, whether being close to breakdown, scolding the driver, battling with her father or gazing in amusement at Irrfan who�s desperately trying to impress her. Amitabh Bachchan over-acts, in line with his character � he is loud, over-bearing, and if you�d met him at a dinner party, you would never want to meet him again. Irrfan�s dead-pan expressions suit his on-screen persona perfectly and special praise for Balendra, who delivers simply the most brilliant portrayal of a typical Bengali long time help � willing to do anything or everything for his masters, without flinching or a change of expression. Moushumi, a host of other assorted characters and the music are all like jokers in a deck of cards � you never know what you�re going to get next � and it keeps the fun and the surprise element going through the film.



I thought the end missed a trick � wanted something or someone to be able to tie everything we had witnessed together. For me, it isn�t about the desire for a traditional happy ending here but more a moment of epiphany, which would put everything in perspective. This is a very touchy topic in traditional India � where the children are expected to take care of their parents but struggle to do so amongst the pressures of urban India and the waves of generational change assailing us. However, its so rare to get a film like this, where its almost as if Shoojit and Juhi (the director and writer) chose not to take sides, just narrate the incidents and let you make up your own mind� Very nicely done !

Rating : 7/10
Release Date : 10th April, 2015
Time : 94 minutes
Director : Tim Johnson; Writer : Tom J Astle, Matt Ember based on the book by Adam Rex (The True Meaning of Smekday); Music : Lorna Balfe
Starring (voices of) : Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Steve Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Matt Jones



Half the points here are for the story, the animation and the dialogue. The other half are for the voice of Jim Parsons, who�s dialogue delivery so uncannily suits the scrambled Yoda like grammar of his race, that it just makes everything funnier. And this is despite my being a very intermittent viewer of his act as Sheldon in Big Bang Theory



The Boovs are a species that specialize in running. Usually from the Gorgs, their sworn enemies. They�ve now, led by their Captain Smekday (Steve Martin), come to Earth and, aided by a couple of nifty devices, have managed to transplant the humans to settlements in remote areas while they�ve taken over the rest of the planet. After a long time, they feel safe, until an error by Oh! (Jim Parsons) threatens to expose their location to the Gorgs, making him an instant outcast and fugitive. At the same time, Tip (Rihanna), a young teen, left behind by the relocation effort, wants to find her mother (Jen Lopez). These two fugitives unite and then the fun begins�



The humour here comes from the way Oh!�s character is depicted (extremely friendly, always enthusiastic, and quite error prone � all very un-Boov like tendencies), Captain Smekday (quite eccentric, especially with his Shush-er, the tendency to ask for the �purple one� to stand out etc) and the various situations that Oh and Tip find themselves in�




It�s a fun film overall, about a misfit trying to find a way to make his mark and a young girl�s determination to find her family (an alien concept for the Boovs). There is nothing new, nothing dramatic that happens, no major message that stays but with some nice music, funny repartee and great dialogue delivery, this is one entertaining watch for the family