Kam hai Waqt: Say No to Kambakht

Image source: gomolo.in

Who said Bollywood doesnt expand beyond its formula ridden territory? Who said it couldn’t match the intensity and out-of-the-box film making of Hollywood? and who said that they simply couldnt make a real comedy post the Hrishikesh Mukherjee-Amol Palekar-Utpal Dutt era?

Well, whoever said would be damned to heaven! once you subject yourself to a great experience of watching this Akshay-Kareena super dumbo, executed by a maestro named Sabir Khan with tons and tons of money spent by some absolute fools, you’ll thank the almighty for giving you the opportunity to witness HELL in real time just as he presnted you with a live Swayamvar of one Ms Sawant

Not convinced? well, i’ll just give you a little snippet from this stupidest plot of all time: A watch, accidentally left inside Akshay’s stomach by a lady doctor (happens to be our dearly Bebo), keeps playing the song ‘Om Mangalam‘ every hour like an alarm. Afraid of getting sued, she plays every trick in her book to get the watch out of his stomach, and after a series of mindless, headless or whatever less incidents she manages to take him under water, where Akshay actually proposes her (yes, under water – how romantic), and inject him to perform the surgery!!!

Tangri na khincho meri!

Dont worry, you’re up against more such mastery crafts that will blow your mind. Kambakkht emosssions — anger, frustrattion, helpnessness, irrtitations and a whole gamut of such dearies will soon convert into yawns, giddiness, khujli, staring at wrong places, and finally a self ejection from the trauma that must need a bout of Saridons to soothe the agitated khopri.

So, what are you waiting for? go grab your tickets to watch this cult classic that can give Tashan and CC2C a run for their money. and you’ll also find some thick skinned creatures such as Bollywood Hungamas who wouldnt give a fraction more than 3.5 for such master piece. shame on them. let them not spoil your journey. aaj ka shaam, Kar do Kamwaqt ke nam! [pun seriously intended]

[This Kambakhht Ishq review is cross posted via this source]

Nothing NEW in this New York

Image courtesy: gomolo.in

The prospect of watching a film after such a long time was at first looked under grave threat due to a long wait for tickets (the fact is: Vodafone Tuesday one-on-one free ticket scheme). Finally the battle was won by wifey dear who held onto it and grabbed the tickets. The Kabul express memory was still intact, and experiencing another rare docu-dramma from Bollywood was far too enticing to overcome any torrent incited delay

But all such euphoria lasts as little as Pritam’s originality is!!

John was horrible and so was his team of ‘terrorists’, who were planted like crude looking landmines that never went bust. C’mon Kabir, what happened to your senses? events just kept rolling w/o any sense,  just for the sake of it. Irrfan, who tried to play to the gallery looked more like an irritating CID officer than a seasoned FBI officer. At some point of time you get a feeling that he even owns the FBI! Katrina does, what she does best — sit pretty (even when she gets shot -. the only saving grace of NY, if any, is Neil Nitin Mukesh and a couple of tracks that lasted till we reached home.

New York seriously lacks the ’seriousness’ it needed to deliver the statement home. poor acting, lacklusture script, and above it all the frivolous attempt to punch the Bollywood masala to make it commercially viable clearly let me down. Such movies require a raw intensity, and Dir Kabir Khan completely failed to extract that out of his cast. A classic case of where a good attempt self destructed itself.

Gomolo.in: the new kid on the block

this blog has long been silent. The sabbatical seems far too stretching. No time for movies, u mean to say? commented one fellow movie lover. Naah. it’s just the impure feeling of lyaad (lethargy).

So, i was out surfing again, and after a while, found this new kid on the block: gomolo.in. uhh aah. On a first glance, it seemed like an indian version of Imdb, but after playing a bit, the fun starts. Inspired by Imdb, the site, it seems, intend to provide a robust platform for the movie lovers to meet and share anything and everything on movies. It has started with a very comprehensive database on Hindi and Bengali movies, and if their objectives are to be believed then Gomolo.in truly could be the first total Indian movie poratal covering every language a film is made in the country. The site is just a new-born, and has a lot of scope for improvement.

Found a web viral on youtube too. it’s funny

Here is what Mid-day has to say about the site. What could seperate out gomolo with its close rivals is its  focus to develop a strong network of people around the well-researched content. the site also has a handful of quality articles, which the real movie buffs would find very useful. They should soon start reward schemes for contributions to lure people to join. it’s interesting to see how they can create a niche for themselves in the age of orcut and facebooking. will they too join the trend of self-integration with orcut/facebook? their ‘movie locator’ app could surely be the one to start with.

Jai Baba Felunath – the knife throwing scene

This clip is from Satyajit Ray’s Bengali film ‘Jai Baba Felunath‘, an extremely popular detective flick from one of his famous ‘Feluda’ stories. watch the mastery thrilling scene, where Utpal Dutt (villain) sends out a veiled threat to Feluda and his accomplishes by tricking them to a knife-throwing skill-show — a form of jugglery art. Abhay Mitra, hand-picked by Ray, performed the jugglery in the film for Kamu Mukherjee, the personal juggler of Maganlal Maharaj (Utpal Dutt).

New Sholay: First look

The Sinister – Bachhan as Gabbar;Oh Hell!!! is he going to deliver his best performance ever?? it’s him vs Mohanlal in Ramu’s new Sholay.

The avenger – Mohanlal as thakur;if there’s one who may emerge better than the image that the epic move had cast for so long in the viewers’ mind, it is Mohanlal.

Ajay as Veeru;unpredicatable. but going by the actor in Ajay, it’s not possible to write him off.

Nisha as Basanti;the biggest hole of the project i guess. this legged wonder looks unimpressive at the first cut!

Prashant as Jai;why do i have an inkling that the debutant would come good, though no good can be good for this role

Sush as Durga;looks far too glamorous for the role. not sure, if she could fit into Jaya Bhaduri’s shoes…

Here is the first look video for RGV’s new Sholay [Source: ibnlive]

Just Married: hard to adjust!

Did Meghna Gulzar and Farhan Akhtar share a storyline that involved a few newly-wed couples, an old odd couple and a honeymoon journey with tweaks here and there over a coffee table chat? Jokes apart, while Farhan went out to produce a slick Honeymoon Travels, Gulzar came up with a less exciting Just Married.

So, if you’ve already watched HT, then JM has nothing much more to offer except for an out-of-context, hero-heroine-must-unite kind of ending, which actually threatens to take away all the little goodies from the movie. sure, All goes well that ends well! Just Married is an easy-going movie that tries to address the post marital agonies of newly marrieds. though it goes a little over here and there, it manages to flow well until the end. While Fardeen Khan surprises me with his first-ever good performance on screen, Esha Deol just manages to hang in within the level of viewers’ tolerance! among the supporing cast, Kiran Kher and Satish Kaushik as the odd old couple are excellent and garner the maximum laughter.

The songs, from Pritam’s stable, are the shining grace and thoroughly enjoyable. below are my favorites for you to listen.
Ram Milaye Jodi

Gudgudee

Jaagte Raho

Hattrick: cool tricks on a sticky pitch

the irony is that Hattrick, the movie set up at the backdrop of a frantic cricket craze and clearly marketed with the aim to cash in the worldcup fever, came on my way when Bangladesh, the so called minnows, was royally screwing up the indian crorepati cricketers!

Mithun Luthria, one of the new breed of indian filmmakers, who tries to be different, delivered a stunner in Taxi No 9211. the expectations were so high that Hattrick despite being good couldnt really live up to it. but then it isn’t lame either; it succeeded in addressing a few issues that billions of indians are asking today – why are we so besotted with this game? the doctor, who works tirelessly for saving thousands; the scientists who help the country in launching a satellite, and so many like them who contribute silently and make the real impact; do we even thank them? but we make those IDIOTS earn crores who are not even worth the adulations they get…

and just when you yawn thinking what the f*** is going on, Hattrick picks up the pace and takes you through a channel of provoking thoughts with its slick presentation and well nursed humors. on the music front, Pritam’s numbers were excellent and would surely make you shake your butts so, leave the idiot-box and go watch; it really gives comfort at the time when the heart is burning from rage and the fists getting tightened to lash upon guru greg and his f***** chela Dravid & co.

Update: Such was the outrage from the viewers after the much hyped Team India crashed out of the WC, INOX in Pune, in a rare move, pulled off the movie in the middle of the week fearing backlash and damage in their premise. poor guys, who worked hard for the movie, my heart goes out to them for having suffered for no fault of theirs. it’s irony that the one despite making the right noise got buried under the increasing fury!

ek pal mein

rabba khair kare

Nehle pe Dehla: Stay FAR away!

There’s not even one positive thing that could emerge from this movie. looked like an old canned movie (most probably started long ago), resembling much to those typical david dhawan styled cheap Govinda starrers, which suddenly got pushed out of trash in a hope to cash in on the comedy trend that is sweeping viewers thesedays. while watching the movie, one may feel that the clock had somehow turned few years back, when you were used to watch those ssssilly ssssilly rich girl duped by uncle, saved by poor hero from bad guys, and lived happily there after stories with many ENGROSSING open field nacha-gaanas and blood boiling dhisoom-dhisooms. this post should thereby act as a satutatory warning to alert you on the possibility of being robbed of some precious and valuable time!

• Why would someOne want to waste so much of money by producing such a crap? (maybe the dons do!)
• SomeOne might have had a chaddi over his face while shooting? (that’s the only way once could produce such a shit; even Aslam bhai could do better!)

Even the music, except for this track is below mark and doesnt merit any attention!

Nishabd: a costly silence though…

As the curtains come down, one is left with an eerie silence; trying to overcome the uneasiness of a relation that is brilliantly etched by director Ramgopal Verma and superbly performed by Amitabh Bachhan. Nishabd is a bold attempt by every sense – specially its climax though it’s unlikely to find many takers among the mass. though one may find a few loopholes in the theme, the overblown and unrealistic Anything-but-Sexual kind of lust, this movie has all the trappings of a classic from the film-making point of view. What remains to be seen is, whether the public embraces it. To sum it up, Nishabd will get a thumbs-up from the thinking class, but unlikely to fare well in the box-office!

Honeymoon Travels: Join the ride

As bollywood is setting itself onto the experimental gear thesedays more frequently, here comes a movie that takes a peak into a web of relationships with a realistic approach. set up in the background of a honeymoon trip by some newly wed couples, the film explores the fantasies, complexities, and the challenges that lie inside the relationships and start to poke out the ugly heads from the very beginning of a married life. where it excels is the way it handles them. though there are a few things that the film could do without but over-all, it’s a good fun to watch. the film successfully creates a jolly-jovial, lively picnic kind of atmosphere that you’re bound to sink into. KayKay is outstanding with his perfect bong characterization, while Boman Irani’s wisecracks spill the laughters all around everytime you hear him. others too pitched in with laudable performances. So, rush in and join the ride!

Song i liked:
Saajanji vari vari

Black Friday: the horror returns

Though heavily censored, this movie will shock your wits, freeze you in utter disbelief and for sure, will make you writhe in pain. Anurag Kashyap’s Black Friday is an experience that you wont forget for a long time. it takes you back into the frozen time period, when mumbai went into flames a decade back. you’ll witness the facts as it happened and switch into a before-and-after mode seamlessly to understand the unravelling of the hidden TRUTHS. the movie offers no view of its own leaving you at a deep thought laced with an unexplicable emotion of loss, fear and rage. watch it and watch it again. if you cant find it in a theatre (that might be a possibility since the movie is bound to elude the box-office success), then try some web links

and the equally vibrant track by Indian Ocean, Arey ruk ja re bande is here.

[Photo source: Rediff.com]

Eklavya: but, who will guard you?

My personal opinion of the film is: if you’re a die-hard Amitabh fan then you may spend a few hundred bucks safely. but, if you don’t like to spend them unnecessarily on a movie, which is nothing more than a gala star cast, a brilliant Bachhan, clever packaging (running time is mercifully kept short; 107 mins) and just a few cinematic brilliances, then this is not the movie for you!! the problem with such long-concieved concepts like this one is that over the years the concept catches the rust and is bound to lose its shine. may be 4-5 yrs back this would have been a huge blockbuster. but not now. with waning popularity of Bachhan (with his off-screen political gestures not going down too well with the intellectual classes, and over exposure through ads, tv-shows and films…), it is a reality now that he wont be able to carry the film on his shoulders despite a fantastic individual act. another award, for sure, awaits him…

Salaam-e-ishq: no salaam though

So here is Nikhil Advani with a big booty of bollywood glitteratti enlightening the screen; not blazing though. but the movie is surely a paisa-vasool type, with good crisscrossing btw its many number of characters. A fine balance is kept through out, which hold the movie together a-piece, just about managing the star cruiser to the harbor safely without losing the fun.

boxofficeindia.com reports on 31st Jan, 2007,

“Salaam-E-Ishq was panned by critics and declared flop by the trade almost straight away but collections so far tell a different story. The film was released on around 200 cinemas on 25th January and opened to 60% response at multiplexes with single screens being 30%. The film picked up on Friday to record 85%+ at multiplexes and 65% at single screens through the weekend with Friday and Sunday being best days. The collections fell to around 50% at multiplexes on Monday but this does happen quite frequently to collections at multiplexes so only time will tell that is this the crash that the trade expected or just a regular post weekend drop. Mumbai and Delhi/UP saw best collections over the weekend and territories like CP Berar and Bihar which have just one multiplex between them were the poorest.“

Guru – the review

Though one expects “excellence” from the brand Mani Ratnam, the fim Guru doesnt disappoint either. to be honest, it captivates the viewers at times with some stunning cinematography, and some superbly played emotional scenes. the biggest selling point of the film is it’s story, drawn heavily from Dhirubhai Ambani’s life. and the master story teller sails well with his characters though it stumble a bit at the end. Abhishek is good, but copying father’s style at the end looks miserable and perhaps this last act drabs the film unlike the senior bachhan who pulled a lot of movies at the end by delivering some thundering performances. mithun seems to be a misfit to the character he plays. surprisingly, Ash delivers a strong act and impresses a lot. specially, after the umrao jaan debacle

the songs, saving one, are the liabilities that the story really suffer from. they are bad and totally out of sequence – a fact that a film-maker of mani ratnam’s calibre should have noted and saved the audience from the pain. may be censoring rehman is a tough job even though the tunes are anything but of quality. is it necessary to put up all those silly dancing grandeurs just for the sake of it? please sirrrr… 3 hrs is quite a long time!

All said and done, the film succeeds to hold you till the end with some roller coaster of emotions and an engaging story line. it’s worth all the dimes you invest. go watch!