Bollywood World

Rating : 4/10
Release Date : 26th February, 2016
Time : 104 minutes
Director, Writer : Abhishek Sharma; Music : Various
Starring : Manish Paul, Pradhuman Singh, Sikandar Kher, Piyush Mishra, Sugandha Garg, Iman Crosson, Chirag Vorah, Rahul Singh, Ali Zafar, The Shetty Sisters � Pooja and Aarti



One of those that fit smack bang in the genre of mindless entertainers. A few laughs, a ridiculous storyline, ordinary acting (apart from ) and cheap production quality characterize the film, though it builds off and references it�s predecessor, the first Tere Bin Laden, quite cleverly



Manish and Pradhuman � director and Osama look alike from the first Tere Bin Laden � want to make a sequel to their film. They first have to convince their producers (the Shetty sisters, appearing as themselves) especially as their star, Ali Zafar (appearing as himself) wants to make it on a much grander scale. Unknowingly, they also attract attention from the mujaheedin leader, Piyush Mishra, who wants to use the look-alike to prove his closeness to Osama (and raise his stature) and also the White House (Iman Crosson is hilarious as Obama � especially in the rap mix when he announces Osama�s death) who through their special agent Sikandar, are looking for proof to convince reporters that Osama was actually killed




What follows borders on the ludicrous and generates only about one laugh per fifteen minutes. However, what is commendable is that it�s clean fun - no vulgarity or jokes on the disabled. A tighter story, like the first one, coupled with a good star, and they could�ve made the tale of the world�s most wanted terrorist so much more entertaining !

Rating : 7/10
Release Date : 8th January, 2016
Time : 103 minutes
Director: Bejoy Nambiar; Writer: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Abhijat Joshi; Music : Various
Starring : Farhan Akhtar, Amitabh Bachchan, Manav Kaul, Aditi Rao Hydari, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Anjum Sharma




You can see the end of the film coming a mile off (some critical flaws too) and I also disagree with some of the editing choices � they didn�t need to reveal some things midway � but, thanks to a really great performance by Farhan Akhtar and a slightly over the top but engaging one by Amitabh Bachchan, it makes for a good, gripping enough viewing.




Farhan, an anti-terrorist squad officer, has just lost his daughter while chasing some baddies. His wife, Aditi, in a state of semi-shock has distanced herself from him. He�s suspended from work and probably at the lowest ebb of his life. Enter Amitabh Bachchan. Wheelchair bound, no legs, no wife (lost in a driving accident) and no daughter. She died couple of years ago in an accident, falling down the stairs at politician / Minister Manav Kaul�s place. Grief unites the two men, particularly Amitabh�s way of dealing with it, by teaching youngsters dance. And chess. Farhan is roped in as well� and then secrets come tumbling out�




There is no denying serious flaws in the story. And also some errors while narrating. But it�s the serious, underplayed, strong, upright performance by Farhan which keeps you hooked. Amitabh, to provide the contrast, is deliberately loud, exaggerated � but has particularly pithy, moving lines when required � especially when trying to bring about a rapprochement between the estranged couple. Manav Kaul didn�t particularly impress while Neil, John and Aditi in their brief roles did. A good soundtrack helps too.




There is a little bit to ponder on how quickly we, the media fall into the trap of making people heroes. Almost as if the need to put someone on a pedestal is ingrained in us, our culture. Also, strangely, for a film named after a chess piece, there is very little about the intricacies of the game itself. It�s a welcome change from the usual run of the mill stuff, though � the mindless entertainers and the topsy-turvy cars. Even the action here is a tad bit more real, more believable but only a bit. In the end, it�s a Hindi film�