Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya

  

Follow three simple rules while attempting a rom-com...
One, the romance should be livewire. Ditto for the chemistry between the on-screen pair. 
Two, the movie ought to make the viewer chuckle. 
Three, it shouldn't fall prey to predictability. 
If you get the above-mentioned characteristics right, chances are you may be smiling from ear to ear on the decisive Friday. Okay, does TERE NAAL LOVE HO GAYA, directed by Mandeep Kumar, live up to the set standards? Oh yes, you do exit the auditorium with a smile on your face. 

Love stories with real-life couples don't spell magic at the turnstiles, opined an industry insider, to which my instant retort was if the film works, everything works. Actors, chemistry, songs, technical aspects et al are only as good as the film. After making their big screen debut with TUJHE MERI KASAM, Riteish and Genelia were paired in MASTI. TERE NAAL LOVE HO GAYA is the third film that teams the two talents. This one ought to be their best, right? Well, Riteish and Genelia look great together, no two opinions on that, and the real-life husband-wife team get ample opportunity to sparkle in their third outing. There are hiccups too -- the film dips in the middle of the second hour -- but, thankfully, it comes alive towards the pre-climax moments, which leads to a winning finale. The credit, to a large extent, goes to Riteish and Genelia for rising beyond a commonplace screenplay. 

Bhatti [Tinnu Anand] is keen to get his daughter Mini [Genelia Deshmukh] married. He even chooses a guy who, he thinks, will keep his daughter happy thanks to his riches. In the meantime, Viren [Riteish Deshmukh] feels Bhatti has swindled him of his hard-earned money and confronts Bhatti in an intoxicated state. Seizing the opportunity of escaping from the situation [of marrying a guy she barely knows], Mini flees with Viren, making the episode look as if Viren has kidnapped Mini. Gradually, a romance develops between the unlikely couple. 

I've frequently said that humor is serious business. Though the humor in TERE NAAL LOVE HO GAYA borders on illogicality, like AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI, you can't deny that it keeps you hooked nonetheless. Sure, there're times when you feel that the humor is forced, but you don't grudge and grumble since the intention to entertain and amuse the viewer endlessly are crystal clear from the very inception. 

I'd like to add that TERE NAAL LOVE HO GAYA is not 'inspired' or 'adapted' from Danny Boyle's A LIFE LESS ORDINARY, as being widely said. Following a graph of making an easy-on-your-senses film, the director reserves the best for the penultimate 25 odd minutes. Prior to that, the film vacillates between engrossing to passable to humdrum stuff. Agree, specifics are irrelevant in this case because the director or the writer isn't aiming for realism or practicality here. This is a synthetic world, let's not disregard this fact. 

The one issue I hold against the writer is that the goings-on cannot maintain the energy consistently. I mean, the writer had the opportunity to make a real rib-tickling comic fare, but what appears on screen is only moderately amusing. You aren't amused at every juvenile gag, nor do you submit to the insanity entirely. But, like I stated earlier, the concluding reels are dramatic and thoroughly enjoyable. Especially the final moments. 

Sachin-Jigar's musical score is pleasant. The songs are in tandem with the mood of the movie. It's peppy and energetic, catering to a young audience. I'd like to make a special note of the cinematography [and the lush-green locales, of course], which is eye-catching. 

TERE NAAL LOVE HO GAYA would've crumbled in the hands of lesser talent. Riteish is earnest, delivering a subdued performance. He underplays his part beautifully, not going overboard one bit. Genelia is a livewire who adds to the insanity. She looks fresh, has a great comic timing and handles her part magnificently. Together, Riteish and Genelia elevate the film a few notches above the ordinary. Om Puri is remarkable, especially in the sequence when Genelia is asked to return to her father. Tinnu Anand is excellent. Smita Jaykar is wonderful. Veena Malik's item number is strictly okay. 

On the whole, TERE NAAL LOVE HO GAYA is refreshing and succeeds in its endeavor of amusing and entertaining, more particularly in its second hour. In addition, the sparkling performances by Riteish and Genelia is the mainstay of the film. 
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/moviemicro/criticreview/id/547453 

Paan Singh Tomar

   

In a defining sequence in the film, Paan Singh Tomar tells his superior that his mama [uncle] isn't a dacoit, but a baaghi [rebel]. In another sequence, during the course of an interview to a news-reporter, he makes a scathing remark, 'Bihad mein baaghi hote hain... Dacait milte hain Parliament mein'. That, in a nutshell, sums up the persona of the long-forgotten steeplechase runner, who felt miffed by the government's betrayal and became a dacoit of Chambal. PAAN SINGH TOMAR, a film helmed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, has taken a really lonooooong time to hit the screens, but despite the holdup, the film remains as pertinent and relevant in today's times as it was when Dhulia envisioned it.

Come to think of it, there is a very thin line between a baaghi [rebel] and a dacoit. Tigmanshu tries to define the thin line between a rebel and a dacoit, but the question is, is this borrowed-from-real-life saga as bona fide and stimulating as Shekhar Kapur's BANDIT QUEEN, which was also a biopic [Phoolan Devi]? 

The Hindi film industry's 'dacoit fixation' dates back to the era when dacoit films were massively admired [and accepted as well, since most of them were huge hits]. Films like JIS DESH MEN GANGA BEHTI HAI, MERA GAON MERA DESH, MUJHE JEENE DO, SAMADHI, BINDIYA AUR BANDOOK, PUTLIBAI, DACAIT and of course, SHOLAY are relished to this date. Much later, the dacoits got replaced by rebels in the 1990s. The focus shifted to cities [from Chambal and Ramgarh], the protagonist drove cars and bikes [a transition from horses]... In PAAN SINGH TOMAR, there's Chambal, but no horses. Nor does the protagonist with bloodshot eyes breaks into a fiery dialogue that would instantaneously draw whistles. 

As a cinematic experience, Tigmanshu takes us into the world of Paan Singh Tomar and enlightens us the reasons that impelled a sportsman to take law in his hands. That itself is its USP, for this is no typical vendetta fare. It is a factual account of a sportsman who brought honor to the country, but felt betrayed when he needed the country the most. In fact, Tigmanshu calls this cinematic endeavor a tribute to the sportsmen who won medals for the nation, but never got their due during the sunset of their lives. An incredible film, no doubt, but falls short of being memorable as the plot becomes another vendetta fare at some stage in the concluding reels. 

Paan Singh [Irrfan Khan] was a small-town lad who went on to win the steeplechase at the national games. A series of life changing events, however, forced Paan Singh to give up athletics, pick up the gun and become a dacoit of the infamous Chambal valley. 

With films like HAASIL, SHAGIRD and the recent SAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER, Dhulia has developed a niche spectator base. In PAAN SINGH TOMAR, Tigmanshu makes the biopic attention-grabbing by being focused on the motive that provoked Paan Singh to revolt and pick up the gun. The uphill task of making a biopic is palpable as Tigmanshu attempts to recapture the life and times of the athlete on celluloid. Given that Paan Singh's bio-data was multihued, Tigmanshu has depicted the character's life, from the time he joined the armed forces, became an athlete, to the spat with his relatives and picking up the gun. The graph from a young man to middle age, till about 50 years, Tigmanshu has encompassed it well in those two hours, picking up fundamental occurrences from his life, thus making an entrancing motion picture. In fact, the reason that pressed Paan Singh to pick up the gun comes across emotively and sensitively. 

The lone aspect that weighs the film downward is the fact that the narrative totters in the middle of the second hour, when the story doesn't really move frontward. Of course, one also comprehends that when you attempt a biopic, you have to stay true to the incidents that transpired in that person's life, but a cinematic adaptation can exclude a few episodes that aren't too imperative. Tigmanshu could've done that. Having said that, I'd like to add that PAAN SINGH TOMAR is yet another masterstroke from a consummate raconteur. The film seizes your attention for most parts and as you exit the screening, it's with a heavy heart, with a tinge of melancholy, which only indicates that the storyteller has succeeded in engaging your interest to something he wished to emphasize on. 

The cinematography [Aseem Mishra] is truly attention-grabbing, while the editing [Aarti Bajaj] is razor-sharp. The background score [Sandeep Chowta] is most appropriate. It augments the impact of numerous sequences. 

Taking on a biopic is akin to a challenge of sorts for the actor since he/she has to visit a part they may be unaware of, yet have to portray it with tremendous passion. Irrfan, an actor of standing, essays the character with aplomb. Very evidently, the actor has trained rigorously with steeplechase coaches, since the role requires him to partake in this sport. At the same time, the role must have been physically and psychologically demanding and I yearn to affirm that Irrfan appears remarkably forceful in this complex part. 

Mahie Gill is an incredible talent and it comes to the fore yet again in this film. Two more actors who leave a solid impression are Vipin Sharma and Rajendra Gupta. Both excel in their respective characters. Nawazuddin Siddiqui sparkles in a brief role. Imran Hasnee is first-rate. The actor enacting the role of Paan Singh Tomar's son is effective. Brijendra Kala is fantastic as the news-reporter.

On the whole, PAAN SINGH TOMAR shatters the standard rules of this genre. Besides, the film makes you cognizant that serious cinema can be uniformly delightful, like any other enthralling entertainer. If this variety of cinema allures you then chances are that you will take pleasure in watching PAAN SINGH TOMAR. Recommended! 
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/moviemicro/criticreview/id/505853 

Will You Marry Me

    

No strings attached fun. Yes, that's the key word amongst most adolescents in the current day-and-age. So here's a movie on two youngsters who are commitment phobics and who do not believe in any kind of tabs, bonds, commitments and binders. An interesting concept and director Aditya V. Datt nearly gets it right, except for the concluding moments of the film. It gets a bit too chaotic thanks to the tried and tested diversions in the plot. Yet, if the motive is to have a couple of good laughs and seek entertainment, well, WILL YOU MARRY ME? assures laughs quite a few times.

There's talk that WILL YOU MARRY ME? takes its inspiration from NO STRINGS ATTACHED [Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher], but it's not remotely similar to that film. The film, actually, follows the DEEWANA MASTANA [Anil Kapoor, Govinda] formula of two guys trying to outdo the other to woo the girl. Of course, post DEEWANA MASTANA, a number of storytellers have attempted similar movies, but the Tom and Jerry kind of situations, if integrated well in the plot, do keep you hooked. And WILL YOU MARRY ME? does have its moments, except when the mandatory songs and the foreseeable scenes on friendship take over. 

WILL YOU MARRY ME? narrates the story of three friends, Aarav [Shreyas Talpade], Rajveer [Rajeev Khandelwal] and Nikhil [Muzammil Ibrahim]. All three have one thing in common: their love for their bachelorhood. So much so they place a bet amongst themselves, whoever decides to marry first will lose a huge amount invested in shares by the trio. A few years later, Nikhil decides to marry the love of his life, Anjali [Tripta Parashar]. 

Rajveer and Aarav cannot believe their best friend Nikhil is getting married, but put on a smile to attend his beach wedding in Dubai. During the wedding festivities, Rajveer and Aarav fall for the bride's best friend Sneha [Mugdha Godse]. To make matters worse, Nikhil gets kidnapped by a powerful business tycoon [Paresh Rawal]. Everything turns upside down at Nikhil and Anjali's wedding celebrations. Will Nikhil make it for his wedding? Who will Sneha choose eventually -- Rajveer or Aarav? 

WILL YOU MARRY ME? starts on a lighter vein and maintains the tempo as the reels unfold. It only gets serious when Paresh Rawal arrives on the scene to demand his money back. Those scenes are equally absorbing, also because Paresh portrays his part so differently. But the writer seems so heavily inspired by similar plot movies that he refuses to come out of the comfort zone and think of ground-breaking ideas. The humor, at times, is pedestrian, while the romantic moments between Shreyas and Mugdha as well as Muzammil and Tripta lack fizz. 

Director Aditya V. Datt has handled numerous moments well and one does notice his growth as a storyteller. But he could've done with a better script that steers clear of standard cliches. With Aditya teaming up with multiple composers, who have several popular tracks to their credit, one expects the soundtrack of WILL YOU MARRY ME? to be equally lilting, but barring a song or two, which offer sporadic relief, the remaining songs are a mere distraction. The cinematography [R. Dvaaraghanath] deserves special mention. You can feast your eyes on the stunning locales of Dubai in the movie. 

Shreyas Talpade puts up a natural act and is simply brilliant in the bathroom sequence. Rajeev Khandelwal handles his part with gusto. Muzammil is decent. Mugdha doesn't get much scope in this all boyz film, yet she gets her scenes right. Celina Jaitly is hardly there, while Tripta Parashar is strictly okay. Paresh Rawal gets some meaty scenes to sink his teeth into. He excels. Manoj Joshi is perfect.
On the whole, WILL YOU MARRY ME? is better than what you expect it to be, but the film arrives with minimal awareness and promotion and that might curtail its prospects to a large extent. 
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/moviemicro/criticreview/id/537931

London Paris New York

      

Rom-coms appear to be the most preferential genre, notwithstanding the fact that you can foretell where the narrative is headed a few minutes into the film. But what sets most rom-coms apart is the implementation of the theme. It all hinges on how persuasively the narrator recounts and executes the plot, how compelling the central characters are, how mesmeric is their chemistry on screen and most importantly, does the cinematic account have soul?

The Hindi film industry is famed for churning out rom-coms by the dozens year after year, but just a handful of films dare to defy the stereotype. LONDON PARIS NEW YORK, directed by first-timer Anu Menon, is, in all honesty, one of those flicks that dares to be diverse. 

LONDON PARIS NEW YORK is a chic rom-com that's filmed -- no prizes for guessing -- in three hot-n-happening cities of the world. But unlike the rom-coms churned out in the past, this one's more for spectators with urban receptiveness and a refined taste for cinema, on the lines of say an EK MAIN AUR EKK TU or a WAKE UP SID. What also sets this film apart is the fact that the story unfurls in eight years in three of the world's most thrilling cities, with the viewer getting a foretaste of everything that's allied with a rom-com in this globe-hopping voyage. 

LONDON PARIS NEW YORK mirrors the torment and ordeals of the twenties, the most vivid segment of one's life -- when you are taking a call on what course your life ought to take, you have your first momentous relationship and most significantly, structure your personality in this world. This is the story of Lalitha [Aditi Rao Hydari], a middle class South Indian girl from Chembur [a suburb in Mumbai], who is on her way to New York to study politics, and Nikhil [Ali Zafar], a rich Punjabi kid from Bandra [a posh western suburb of Mumbai], who's going to study film making in London. They decide to hang out together one evening in London and find that they are completely drawn to each other even as their future lies on separate continents. 

The film follows their special voyage and their love story as they meet in London, Paris and New York over eight years. The film is in three subdivisions and each chapter is shot in a manner that mirrors the psychological state of Nikhil and Lalitha. 

Armed with an inventive and ingenious plot, LONDON PARIS NEW YORK owes its allegiance, to an extent, to the Hollywood movie [500] DAYS OF SUMMER than to the atypical Bollywood rom-com. The director makes an endeavor to be as bona fide and natural as possible, illustrating sentiments that adolescents go through when they fall in love and also all that comes with it, including pain, angst and torment when heartbreak occurs. That's what makes LONDON PARIS NEW YORK an unblemished and credible take on relationships, with authentic and identifiable circumstances, germane and relevant dialogue [Ritu Bhatia and Anu Menon] and no overstated styling of the actors' attire or hair/tresses. 

Besides, like I indicated at the outset, Anu Menon chucks away the time-honored prescription of exaggerated drama that we are so acclimatized to watching in Hindi movies. Instead, she makes the narrative spirited and vivacious by depicting characters that you witness in factual life. In a way, the film emulates what one is so used to watching in our everyday life and that's where the exquisiteness of the film lies. A contemporary romance that's so credible, so realistic, so coherent. 

However, LONDON PARIS NEW YORK is not devoid of its share of hiccups. The languid tempo in the first hour, with the narrative getting a little too verbose and talk-heavy, is a deterrent. Above and beyond, there's not much of advancement in the story after the two central characters are introduced. It's only a few minutes preceding the interlude that the wheels start undulating. What transpires in the second hour shoots the graph of the movie northwards. The exhilaration builds up magnificently, leading to an explosive culmination. In fact, the concluding moments -- I'd like to single out Ali Zafar's flare-up -- are worthy of additional brownie points. The sequence is so brilliant that it reverberates even after the movie has concluded. 

Filmed in three most dazzling cities of the world, the movie boasts of some enchanting visuals. The director and also the DoP [Sameer Arya] have the aptitude for fitting camera placement, bestowing the film with a certain added charm. 

Ali Zafar shoulders multiple responsibilities in this movie, which comprises of composing the songs as well as writing the lyrics. The actor/composer sticks to the theme of the film and comes up with tunes that uphold the synergy with the plot and setting of the movie. 'Woh Dekhne Mein' is, of course, the cream of the crop. The title track is racy and ear-pleasing. 

In TERE BIN LADEN, Ali Zafar made the spectator break into guffaws and in his subsequent outing MERE BROTHER KI DULHAN, he made you grin and beam. Perceptibly, one would imagine Ali Zafar to get into the jocular and frivolous zone yet again in LONDON PARIS NEW YORK. Ali gets to depict a character that's a far cry from the hackneyed characters one is so used to watching and I must add, he glows luminously all through the film, particularly towards the concluding installment in New York. This motion picture will motivate even his staunch critics to structure an elevated estimation of him as a performer and revere him as an artiste of immense caliber. 

Aditi Rao Hydari looks stunning, but more significantly, she appears to capture every moment, every scene most radiantly in this coming-of-age love story. She has an unadulterated take on how to construe a scene. What you get to witness is much ahead of the customary expressions and rejoinders. She appears so unflustered and unperturbed even in the most intricate moments, which only goes to prove her remarkable credentials as an actor. Besides, the intimate moments between Ali and Aditi are aesthetically filmed, not looking forced or an aberration in the scheme of things. Dalip Tahil and Mantra appear in a cameo. 

On the whole, LONDON PARIS NEW YORK is akin to a lungful of fresh air amidst the hackneyed and passe rom-coms. It's a quirky, witty, coming-of-age movie that takes a conventional premise and twirls it into something delightfully unconventional, designed to charm and magnetize the urban youth. The movie speaks their lingo, mirrors their objectives and depicts the anguish and elation of falling in love. If you are young or young at heart, celebrate your weekend by leaping on to this feel-good earth hopping romance. 
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/moviemicro/criticreview/id/547819 

Be-Careful Movie Review

                                                 

Director :  Music :  Lyrics :  Starring :	Chandrakanth Singh  Siddharth, Suhas  Kumaar  Rajneesh Duggall, Zaid Shaikh.Tanisha Mukherjee, Kiran Rathod.Rajpal Yadav.Shilpi Sharma, Sanjay Mishra

BE-CAREFUL is one such film that defies the logic of film-making. It not only shows the actors in poor light but also, in a way, mocks at the industry itself. I mean, if there is a Censor Board in place to check for the level of obscenity or what should be the standard of morals, or whatever other parameters it has been set up to screen, there should also be a Board in place to pull up the Censor Board for allowing the release of such trash. Or, the Censor Board should be empowered to stall the release of such films. The basic premise of a film is to entertain, whether it flops or is a major hit, is immaterial. At least that attempt to make a decent film, keeping the sensibilities of the viewers in mind should be the first priority of any filmmaker, or production house. No viewer should go through the frustrating feeling of being short-changed for the hard cash he spends at the multiplex or single screens. What you see in BE CAREFUL is what is not even mentioned in the synopsis. The story (if you make call it one) on screen is one and the note mentioned in the synopsis is completely the opposite. Either the director did not understand what he was to shoot, and the sequence it was to be edited in, or he just decided to shoot frames and put it together. My only note of advice to the production house is this; BE-CAREFUL guys, junta is not to be taken for granted.