Kill Dil or Happy Ending, none fit my bill!

I couldn't have been more disappointed with the hindi movies I watched in the last two weekends. Kill Dil and Happy Ending. Watching either of the movies was  De'ja' Vu,only thing these movies offered was an option to kill your time if you really can’t sleep, hey! But even then I would rather just watch re-runs of House instead, it has better and more interesting endings

Kill Dil is about two professional shooters/ murderers- Dev (Ranveer Singh) and Tutu( Ali Zafer) who work for Bhaiyaji (Govinda). Dev falls for the criminal psychologist Disha (Parineeti) and resolves to turn clean to the dismay of his boss. Tutu helps Dev in the process, loads of drama that ends with ofcourse a happy ending- unexpected assassination of Bhaiyaji. The shooters turn clean and go scot- free, so what if they murdered a hundred, everyone deserves a chance- right?  The characters of both Ranveer & Parineeti are NO DIFFERENT than you have seen them play in their recent past. Ranveer with his eccentric dressing style and idiosyncratic mannerisms and Parineeti is the same outgoing, bubby and unconventional girl. It seems the director just wanted to work on the “tried and tested”

Happy ending is another repeat of Saif’s own movies. It feels that you have had a mocktail made of love aaj kal and cocktail. Why do I call it a mocktail, simply because this is no way enticing or intoxicating, I just feel cheated!.  The only two things that differentiate it from the other two movies is that the directors are different and perhaps Saif Ali Khan’s look (sorta!). The chore character of the protagonist remains the same “non- committal” “a player” who struggles with his “confused feelings about love”. Also the plot is always geographically situated in and around the United States- Really? Why? There is something about the air there that makes men this way? . In each of these three movies the female protagonist goes “No Contact” and runs to the Indian Soil and apna hero will follow her and turn in to a committed adorable guy and there you go – a predictable ending.  I go like hmmm…and to be honest forget a happy ending , I just wanted to the movie to end – period!

Both the movies had one common actor- Govinda. Here again! I really feel a senior actor like him has more liberty to experiment with these meaty character roles. Comedy and dancing have always been his forte and have always admired those skills but I was really hoping his comeback would be more daring.  Rishi Kapoor, back in the days  always played a romantic hero and Boy! did he win hearts. However, when he did make a comeback he did so with an absolute shift - completely different variety of performances that are truly refreshing to watch, oh boy ! now, thats a nice comeback!

I thought Kill dil was a little more entertaining in comparison ..my two cents!

*Pic Source: IMDb

Kill Dil or Happy Ending, none fit my bill!

I couldn't have been more disappointed with the hindi movies I watched in the last two weekends. Kill Dil and Happy Ending. Watching either of the movies was  De'ja' Vu,only thing these movies offered was an option to kill your time if you really can’t sleep, hey! But even then I would rather just watch re-runs of House instead, it has better and more interesting endings

Kill Dil is about two professional shooters/ murderers- Dev (Ranveer Singh) and Tutu( Ali Zafer) who work for Bhaiyaji (Govinda). Dev falls for the criminal psychologist Disha (Parineeti) and resolves to turn clean to the dismay of his boss. Tutu helps Dev in the process, loads of drama that ends with ofcourse a happy ending- unexpected assassination of Bhaiyaji. The shooters turn clean and go scot- free, so what if they murdered a hundred, everyone deserves a chance- right?  The characters of both Ranveer & Parineeti are NO DIFFERENT than you have seen them play in their recent past. Ranveer with his eccentric dressing style and idiosyncratic mannerisms and Parineeti is the same outgoing, bubby and unconventional girl. It seems the director just wanted to work on the “tried and tested”

Happy ending is another repeat of Saif’s own movies. It feels that you have had a mocktail made of love aaj kal and cocktail. Why do I call it a mocktail, simply because this is no way enticing or intoxicating, I just feel cheated!.  The only two things that differentiate it from the other two movies is that the directors are different and perhaps Saif Ali Khan’s look (sorta!). The chore character of the protagonist remains the same “non- committal” “a player” who struggles with his “confused feelings about love”. Also the plot is always geographically situated in and around the United States- Really? Why? There is something about the air there that makes men this way? . In each of these three movies the female protagonist goes “No Contact” and runs to the Indian Soil and apna hero will follow her and turn in to a committed adorable guy and there you go – a predictable ending.  I go like hmmm…and to be honest forget a happy ending , I just wanted to the movie to end – period!

Both the movies had one common actor- Govinda. Here again! I really feel a senior actor like him has more liberty to experiment with these meaty character roles. Comedy and dancing have always been his forte and have always admired those skills but I was really hoping his comeback would be more daring. Rishi Kapoor, back in the days  always played a romantic hero and Boy! did he win hearts. However, when he did make a comeback he did so with an absolute shift - completely different variety of performances that are truly refreshing to watch, oh boy ! now, thats a nice comeback!

I thought Kill dil was a little more entertaining in comparison ..my two cents!

*Pic Source: IMDb

Daawat-e-Ishq is yummilicious

Pic Source: Wikipedia

Even if you didn’t skip dinner like I did , and even if you were a vegetarian like I am, this movie is still delicious. It was delightful to watch a movie with a powerful social message delivered without any melodrama, rather used a humorous and romantic (including the romance with food) storyline that keeps you engaged. The story highlights the issues of dowry and the plight of the middle class that struggles with these issues, as well as educates the masses on article 498- A.

The story is about Tez Gulrez/ Gullu (Parineeti Chopra) who is an outgoing, intelligent girl who wants to pursue her dreams to study shoe designing and marry an equal suited boy, perhaps also fluent in English. Unfortunately, she has to serve as a shoe sales girl since her monetary situation is scrawny. Her father who is a single parent ( Anupam Kher), a clerk at the high court thinks its best that his daughter settles in holy matrimony. Both father and daughter meet families and are faced with exorbitant dowry demands until one day when Gullu has her heart broken in the process. She decides to take vengeance from dowry hungry families and  bilk money from them to pursue her higher studies in the US. She convinces her anguished father to join her on this mission and they change identities and move to Lucknow with an interesting plan that includes exploiting online matrimonial service besides the article 498-A. They shortlist their candidate, Tariq a rich and rustic restaurateur, who is not even fluent in English or educated. As their mission progresses Gullu falls for Tariq’s goodness, yet continues with her plans. Only for her to later realize her mistake,  she tries to set things right.

The background of the plot is based in two gastronomic cites-Hyderabad (Biryani) & Lucknow ( kebabs)and the cinematographer has captured it well. Parineeti has played her part really well, the role of a confident young girl who shuns convention, not a variation from similar roles that she has been playing though. While Aditya Roy Kapoor has you going aww!! with his goodie character,  and his mannerisms of an expert chef, Anupam  Kher too has you going aww! to his role of a doting father who is willing to reason with his radical daughter.

I personally liked this feast of love, it had the right ingredients including the masala. I recommend you try this one !

Khoobsurat, A Fairy tale and Yesteryear Film Nostalgia

      Pic Source: IMDb

The movie sets your expectations just right when it begins- the prelude and the tittle of the movie say it all.  It is a Disney fairy tale mixed with an overriding theme from the yesteryears popular movie Khoobsurat, “break all rules”.  The story-line was intended to be predictable I guess, with greater focus on perhaps the unique look and feel of the movie and the ensemble of actors-  Fawad Khan, (a Pakistani actor & singer),  Ratna Pathak and Aamir Raza Husain and Kirron Kher ( all of whom are eminent theatre personalities as well) playing prominent parts alongside Sonam Kapoor

Sonam Kapoor plays Dr. Mili Chakrabatty, a physiotherapist, who is appointed by Nirmala Devi Rathore (Ratna Pathak) to treat obstinate husband who is bound to a wheelchair. Mili lands at the princely mansion, but to her dismay she encounters the household being governed by unreasonable discipline and rules. She gets on a mission to ensure to change the atmosphere around to be able to treat her patient and cure him. In process, she falls in love with his son , Vikram Rathore (Fawad Khan), who is engaged to Kiara (Aditi Hydari). What surprised me a bit here was that the love triangle here is not a matter of fuss. Kiara (Aditi Hydari- apparently a special appearance(S) in the credits) seems to be so understanding that it could be difficult to digest, but then I remind myself that this is a fairy tale. The audience sure understands there is no point marrying someone who has fallen out of love/ found someone else but lack of contempt is just a shocker. So what is the fuss about?-  the fuss is more about incompatibility in the backgrounds and the inability of the male protagonist to admit his love. Finally, the fairy tale ends the way it should, we are all happy now.

The visual look & feel of this movie is excellent and kudos to the production designer and the art director (Shruti Gupte and Prajakta Ghag) for bringing the fairy tale alive . I loved the colors used in the backgrounds and the absolute classy richness of the sets, every inch of the screen you can feel royalty oozing out. The other highlight of the movie is Kirron Khers’ acting, you can have her play the boisterous Punjabi mother in a million movies but she will sure give you a different character feel each time with her commendable variety and nuances in peformances. I wish the movie was just a bit longer for I would have absolutely have loved to see more of Ratna Pathak scenes, who I deeply admire.

I personally liked the movie Aisha (coming from the same production) a lot more- watched in 4 times, and I can’t help but compare. It had a more balanced characterization, irrespective of the innumerable actors and great music. However, this one is not bad at all, you can definitely watch it once for its strengths 

Finding Fanny..Please watch it in English!

Pic Courtesy: Wikipedia

Before I even begin to write a review about this movie, I must say I haven’t really watched it. Having got the tickets in a hurry online, I made a mistake watching a “Dubbed in Hindi Version”. I can imagine the dialogues and the original script were all primarily drafted and directed in English, hence the voice-over kills the experience to an extent.  Given that the movie is a satirical comedy , I was a bit disappointed since I missed out on the original jokes that were delivered in english, however the slapstick components made up for it. Despite the deep regret of not watching the real thing, you cannot miss on two very strong aspects about the movie. Numero UNO to the story telling of Homi Adajania, I personally can’t wait for him to publish a book now. Secondly, as expected the amazing cast of the movie, I just can’t imagine either being replaced. The senior actors were a joy to watch and for someone who loved Jaane Bhi Do Yaroon, this was a must watch for the sake of nostalgia and reverence.

I read a couple of reviews and many commentaries calling it a  “simple story”, on the contrary it’s only the plot that was simple,  is what I thought with five really complicated characters in a small boring Goan village living a life of ennui -  A young widow, Angie (Deepika Padukone), an old overly depressed postman,  Ferdie (Nasserudin Shah),  a mechanic, Savio(Arjun Kapoor), a pompous artist (Pankaj Kapur), and the haughty Rosie,“ (Dimple Kapadia).  Angie wants to help Ferdie find his long lost love Fanny, and thus begins journey to find Fanny. The other characters join in as well,  and it turns out as one hilarious journey towards finding themselves.  There are a few hidden secrets that connect the characters and unfold as the story progresses. The movie of course ends when Fanny is finally found(sorry I broke the suspense!), and also with a rather sweet message about finding love where you are, than waiting for it forever

I am going to watch the English version soon, perhaps detailed comments then, so well I am writing just so that you don’t go watch it in Hindi ;)

Blended- Hackneyed, a few laughs, time passes

Pic Source Impawards.com

This movie has nothing new to offer in terms of story-line, it is pretty trite in the way it has been treated. It is one of those “feel good” chick flicks to be watched with an ice cream bucket. I wonder if Sun city had offered a free shoot to the crew of this movie, since for the most part you would feel that they were promoting Sun City as a holiday destination

The story begins with a blind date that goes really bad. Both Jim (Adam Sandler), who is widowed and  has  three daughters, and  a divorced Lauren’s(Drew Barrymore) who has two Sons have been set up by common friends who believe they will hit it off. Unfortunately there are no sparks flying since both seem to carry baggage from their past, they seem to repel each other. Well, as predictable as one can expect it to be- a bunch of coincidences occur and voila! Before you know they end up vacationing together with their families and discover how they complement each other as lovers and as parents. Well so all’s well that ends well. With Adam Sandler in the movie, it is but obvious there are a lot of crass punch lines and some slapstick comedy. So if you do like that, you can surely watch this movie for a few laughs. As for me it was an ice cream bucket day, so even a few laughs mattered and time passed

.

#2States- Fresh, Funny, Lovable, A Good Adaptation and not Stereotypical…

If you have read the book, the adaptation may not seem far off from how you would have imagined it as a movie. This was a good refresher after 2 years of having read the book and perhaps much more refreshing as a movie. It is rather uncanny that in the past year a lot of the popular Bollywood movies have had the tamil culture/ Chennai based themes to showcase – Chennai Express, Madras Café & now 2 states. This movie stands apart,  for it doesn't try to force the culture stereotypes, while still keeping it real to present day Punjabi and Tamil cultures.  I for one who is a self-proclaimed south Indian girl born in Chennai, was so relieved NOT having to see the female protagonist with a funny accent, a geeky look or overactive mannerisms.

The story is about a Punjabi Boy and the South Indian Girl who fall in love while studying at IIM A  and their adventurous journey towards a cross cultural marriage. Both Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt share a great onscreen chemistry for sure but even independently as actors have done a great job. Arjun Kapoor has been  lucky getting these meaty different characters to play in the few movies he has done, but one can’t take away from him the fact that he has great screen presence and is an extremely talented actor. The casting of this movie is perfect, one couldn't have thought of better actresses to have played the roles of the mothers. Both Amrita Singh & Revathy have played their characters to perfection and they bring the best laughs.

A few heart touching lines from the book are a part of the movie screen play (Chetan Bhagat) and infused momentously. Not everything could have been put in a 3 hour movie but I really missed three funny parts from the book, all relating to the cultural humor during weddings- the drunk Punjabi Rajji Mama, the red mickey mouse underwear under the veshti and the Kasi Yatra. Quite contrary, however, when I did read the book I didn’t really think the world of it but I really did love the movie.

I guess Indian Pop fiction is growing in a big way with authors like Chetan Bhagat, Amish Tripathi and Sidin Vadukut (coincidently, all with management backgrounds) with excellent stories to tell the masses. I can’t wait for a movie on the Shiva trilogy or a hilarious comedy on the Dork (I can imagine Vir Das playing Robin Varghese!).  The IIM’s seem to make good writers for sure and this why I wish I had studied harder;)

Bewakoofiyaan…..Simple & Sweet!

                                                            pic source: Wikipedia 

A simple, sweet, feel good movie, that ends as smoothly as it began.  The story is about a Mohit (Ayushmann Khurana ) & Mayera (Sonam Kapoor), both professionals who are in love and want to be married. However the biggest hurdle is Mayera’s father, V.K Sehgal, (Rishi Kapoor) a Retired, Indian Bureaucrat who wants to ensure that his daughter is married to a financially secure boy. He seems to detest the fact that his daughter's Boyfriend has a lower salary than her and agrees to give consent for the marriage only if Mohit passes his tests. Amidst the various hilarious checks/tests Mohit loses his job and that’s where the story takes a turn, adding excessive burden on the relationship and culminating to a breakup. All’s well that ends well, the lovers are united in the end, like most “feel good” love stories in the sweetest way.

Mr. Rishi Kapoor is the highlight of the movie, there are comical strains given to his character both in his portrayal of an honest retired Indian bureaucrat, as well as a protective father. His performance is more than commendable and so genuine, one talented actor who at this stage of his career has been very lucky with variety of roles he gets to play. I watched this movie with my semi-retired Dad and we could both relate to a lot in the movie, hence extra laughs from our side.

I personally liked the art direction and detailing in the movie.  Even the smallest details that would go missing to your eyes, screamed I am real. For instance, the look of a bureaucrat’s home, the placement of picture frames on the table, all so detailed and thought through. So kudos! to the perfectionist who caters to perceptive audiences. I am going to end saying sweetsii, simplesii, cutesii picture hai J

View my other Movie Reviews: 

http://rachnagreviews.blogspot.in/2014/03/Queen-BollywoodMovie-Review.html

http://rachnagreviews.blogspot.com/2014/03/Shaadi-Ke-Side-Effects-Movie-Review.html

http://rachnagreviews.blogspot.com/2014/02/Hasee-Toh-Phasee-Movie-Review.html

http://rachnagreviews.blogspot.com/2013/11/Goliyon-Ki-Rasleela-Ram-Leela-Movie-Review.html

http://rachnagreviews.blogspot.com/2013/10/Mickey-Virus-Movie-Review.html

http://rachnagreviews.blogspot.com/2013/10/Lunch-Box-Movie-Review.html

http://rachnagreviews.blogspot.com/2013/09/Safety-Not-Guaranteeed-Movie-Review.html

http://rachnagreviews.blogspot.com/2012/10/Ayyiaa-Movie-Review.html

#Queen ! You Won My Heart !

Pic Source: bollywoodinfoonline.com

Kudos to Vikas Bahl, not just for writing this masterpiece, but also for directing it.  It is amazing how a movie impregnate with such meaning, can also be comical and a visual spectacle at the same time. The casting of the film is yet another wonder, there is no doubt that Kangana Ranaut has played the role of Rani with aplomb, but what is amazing is the character detailing of even the smallest role in the movie.

Rani’s character is that of a quintessential small town Indian girl, whose life hovers around her wedding to her London returned Boyfriend/ Fiancé. Her foresight of the future includes a life with/and about him, and on the immediate, a honeymoon to France & Netherlands. It is when he calls off the wedding, as expected reality dawns on her, and the only thing that she is control of is her honeymoon, for which she had saved up for ages. The distraught parents, who on other times, hadn’t even let their daughter alone on dates with her fiancé, were now only forced to support her decision to go alone on her honeymoon.

The movie is about the self-discovery of Rani, her individuality, her talents and even her own persona. Along the way she makes incredible friends who open a new world to her. The director moves to flashbacks at appropriate times, to emphasize the perception shifts in Rani. This movie makes me want to backpack to Europe for sure. Every scene in this movie is hilarious, from plots around night clubs in Paris to youth hostels in Amsterdam; it pretty much covers the youth culture in these cities.

As the story unravels the protagonist discovers that her fiancé leaving her was the best thing that could have happened to her. The more she moves away from him, he wants her back. As true of codependent relationships, one partner blows hot and cold over the other, making them constantly “second guessing themselves” or deal with the feeling of “not being good enough” to be able to manipulate and this is true to the character of her fiancé. The movie ends with Rani ending the relationship in the most gracious and humane manner, this is better less narrated and actually worth purchase a ticket and watched. Also, you will not want to leave the theatre until it’s all blacked out!, even the end credits are special

Coming back to the message of this movie, to me it was about the concept of self-love and discovery that every girl/ woman needs to make before she does find true love. Yes! The message of this movie was directed towards the women but I think it does apply to both genders. Finally, on Womens day, to all the young girls that read this and their parents-  It’s not your marriage, your job , the brands you wear, your Dad’s money, etc.,  that define you, rather, it is the value that you add to someone’s life with your presence, compassion, energy, enthusiasm ,etc. and  love. A person that recognizes your true value may not be a King but you will definitely be a queen of his heart- Happy Women’s Day!

Shaadi Ke Side Effects....No effect on me !

Pic Source:SantaBanta.com

The title of this movie should have been “baby key side effects” etc., but I guess even that would have been irrelevant to the script. The movie has a few laughs for you, if you can relate to it. The story is about a steamy, romantic married couple (Farhan & Vidya), who are role models for keeping a marriage alive. It is only when they become parents that their devil selves come out and no level of masking can help it. Message of the movie “having kids can kill your marriage” and Yes! The movie has really exaggerated this.

So a perfect marriage can be destroyed with the arrival of a baby..hmm…the man goes crazy as he has to prove himself as a father, a provider and loses his own life. While the lady loses her ambition, her zest for life and a complete loss of romance. I guess these shifts have been exaggerated just to increase humor quotient. Also, I think the parenting humour was really hackneyed, gives you the feeling, I have heard this joke before. Anyways, I am not sure but when did parents rather just dads compete in a Piñata rush? Really ? we crush little children for silly Piñata contents?

Vidya Balan, one lady to look up to because she makes curvy acceptable. However, what hits you in the entire movie is the fact that most of her dresses  don’t go with her body type.  Many instances you wonder if she forgot to wear trousers or leg wear under a Kurti, I guess those garments were meant to be short dresses. I recall Shabna Azmi, Smith Patil, Nargis even Madhubala  playing very strong modern characters,  without having to resort to such extremes in their dressing styles.

All in all, I didn’t like this one for sure..not for the unmarried me!!



To read my other posts on a scroll down: http://rachnagreviews.blogspot.in

#Hasee Toh Phasee,... Lekin Aap Hasee Toh Kyun?

Pic Source: IMDb

Before I even begin , I must first tell you how I even ended up watching this movie. I woke up, one Sunday morning to have been texted by 5 people about how awesome the movie was. I just had to go watch it and boy did I get lucky with getting tickets on the first Sunday of release.  I sat on my seat waiting for that “Wow” moment which never happened to me. I thought perhaps I was too left- brained than the folks who recommended it or perhaps too insensitive in always trying to make sense out of things

I am not going to say here that I was bored to death. Well I wasn’t and I will tell you why-  the eccentric expressions of Parineeti kept my mind in a constant delirium trying to figure what her character was like. Even up to the end of the movie I couldn’t really figure her character out.  Parineeti plays the female protagonist (Meeta) who is so very intelligent, yet she is mocked at and literally driven out of her family for wanting to get a Phd. Her family by the way , has crores of rupees but will judge her for having short hair and being a geek, so she steals from her Dad and goes absconding for years. Meanwhile, she does have a hot sister(Karishma) who is allowed to act in TV serials and marry below her!!(Nikhil)...Now how is this fair? and for the geeky feminist in me this feels like “Ghoar Apraadh” .

Now coming back to the quirky Meeta, let me tell you this – in the start of the movie I thought she was boyish and geeky, somewhere in the middle I thought she was perhaps autistic or had a neurological disorder but then,  by the end of the movie it felt like she had separation anxiety. Surprisingly, during the song and dance numbers she was so sane and normal that it felt like the song was not a part of the movie. Now any guy will fall for a girl like that in the song, so it explains that Nikhil falls for her and dumps Karishma . Well how insensitive I wonder, love of 7 years evaporates in one song and dance sequence. It didn’t matter then that the girl ate 5 tubes of toothpaste, and was living on anti-depressants to solve her neurotic issues (hmm…), all you had to do was to dance with her or fix her blouse, and you are in love, really?. On the other hand poor Karishma who is actually being loving towards her sister and practical towards her fiancé is considered to be meany woman just because wants her fiancé to pay her Dad back for the debts he has incurred. I think the story really lacked a solid screenplay and character sketch

Yes! I was still quite entertained I must say, every scene Parineeti (Meeta) was weird in a different way and gave me enough brain work and laughter. Siddharat Malhotra (Nikhil) in his white shirts with sleeves pulled up was a total hit amongst the girls who would stop screaming in the theatre!! So that was entertainment too.. I must say watch and tell me what you think about it. For this movie I really have to know key hasee toh kyun?