The Shaukeens Review – Akshay Kumar makes it watchable

November 7, 2014 by Keyur Seta 4 Comments

By: Keyur Seta

Rating: * * ½

There is no point comparing a remake with the original if the new movie is made in a different time zone and era with fresh characters. Since Abhishek Sharma’s The Shaukeens is also one such film, it would be unfair to compare it with the Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s original Shaukeen (1982).

But even if we debar the comparison, The Shaukeens turns out to be just an above-average effort that is helped largely by Akshay Kumar. The plusses don’t succeed in overtaking the minuses. But more about it later.

The story takes place in Delhi and it focuses on three best friends into their 60s – footwear store owner Lali (Anupam Kher), spices business tycoon Pinky (Piyush Mishra) and the rich social worker KD (Annu Kapoor). The three of them have everything in life except one thing – sex.

Their sexual frustration takes them to Mauritius, where they meet the young and attractive Ahana (Lisa Haydon). This starts a competition between the three friends to impress and woo her. Somehow, actor Akshay Kumar also becomes an important part of the game.

What works largely for The Shaukeens is the light-hearted feel during its entire duration, including the parts where the tale becomes a bit serious. The terrific acting skills of the three veteran actors (Kher, Mishra and Kapoor) and their tuning is a treat at times. However, the script starts doing downhill in the second half.

This is where Akshay comes in more than handy as he saves the film from falling apart. His scenes with a Bengali art film director and his act in the climax win your heart. It was also good to see him making fun of himself and his filmography.

But, as stated earlier, the film only rises till an above-average level. This has largely to do with the immature and dumb character of Ahana, who doesn’t realize the obvious lustful advances of the three men and the way they hog on to every opportunity to touch and embrace her. Of course, this gives rise to a lot of cheapness and objectification of women. Ahana’s obsession with Facebook ‘likes’ makes things worse.

Unfortunately, there are more questionable aspects in songs ‘Alcoholic’ and ‘Manali Trance’, where alcoholism and, worse, smoking is freely endorsed.

Coming to the performances, Anupam Kher, Piyush Mishra and Annu Kapoor prove once again that they are the masters of the art of acting. Lisa Haydon is hampered by her characterization. Not just that, she also plays the same character she played in Queen.

Overall: The Shaukeens is a one-time watch entertainer that could have been better. Its chances appear bleak at the box office.

Director: Abhishek Sharma

Producers: Akshay Kumar, Ashvin Varde and Murad Khetani

Writers: Tigmanshu Dhulia and Sai Kabir

Cast: Anupam Kher, Annu Kapoor, Piyush Mishra, Lisa Haydon, Akshay Kumar

Music: Yo Yo Honey Singh, Hard Kaur, Vikram Nagi and Arko Mukherjee

Genre: Comedy/ Drama

Rahasya Teaser/ Trailer Review

November 3, 2014 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

By: Keyur Seta

When you imagine a movie based on the infamous Aarushi Murder Case, you subconsciously expect its first teaser or trailer to be on the clichéd hard-hitting and loud lines. But the first teaser of Manish Gupta’s Rahasya, based on the said murder, takes you by a pleasant surprise.

The teaser is one of its kinds for the very reason of its realistic camerawork. In fact, the entire footage is hand-held from the view of the girl who gets murdered. But that doesn’t mean it goes to irritating levels like some of Ram Gopal Varma’s films. The only concern is that there shouldn’t be an overdose of it in the actual movie.

All in all, the teaser of Rahasya succeeds in building curiosity for the film. Let’s hope Gupta brings another serious, intense thriller like The Stoneman Murders (2009).

Director: Manish Gupta

Producers: Viacom 18 Motion Pictures

Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Tisca Chopra, Ashish Vidyarthi, Mita Vashisht and Ashwini Kalsekar

Teaser/ trailer of Rahasya:

Bhopal: A Prayer For Rain Review – Can’t get more realistic!

October 29, 2014 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

By: Keyur Seta

Rating: * * * * ½

The biggest challenge while portraying a tragedy is to make it look as realistic as possible. And when the disaster is as magnanimous as the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, it becomes all the more testing, not just for the filmmaker but for everyone involved. The same challenge awaited director Ravi Kumar and his team for Bhopal: A Prayer For Rain, which is based on the said tragedy in 1984.

To say that they have overcome the challenge will be an understatement. What they have achieved is nothing short of a benchmark for realistic cinema because it just can’t get more realistic than this. But the reason why the film on the whole can be labeled as excellent is the fact that it scores high in every department.

The movie is English with partly Hindi. The story takes place in Bhopal in 1984. Dilip (Rajpal Yadav) is a rickshaw driver staying in a slum in the central area of the city with his wife (Tannishtha Chatterjee) and younger sister (Fagun Ivy Thakrar). His family struggles to live from hand-to-mouth from his earnings. Dilip gets a new lease of life when he lands a job at the newly-arrived Union Carbide’s pesticide plant.

Although Dilip is happy to have found a source of earning despite uneasy conditions, he is worried to know that the safety standards at the plant are being ignored. Soon, this leads to a fatal leakage of the poisonous Methyl Isocyanide that kills thousands in a single night making it the worst man-made industrial disaster ever. Even 30 years after the incident, thousands continue to suffer from its consequences.

The base of all great films is writing and that is exactly the case here with a watertight screenplay and real yet dramatic dialogues. To top it up, Kumar has handled the subject with utmost precision. The manner in which he has added realism to such utterly difficult scenes, especially the tragic ones, is to be seen to be believed. As stated earlier, it can’t get more realistic! To carry out such a task in just your second film is no mean achievement.

Naturally, this gives rise to a number of scenes that stay etched in your memory. From these, Dr Chandra (Manoj Joshi) trying to select one person from many whom he can administer an antidote deserves special mention.

Another reason why the film scores high marks is that it doesn’t get depressing despite it being based on one of the greatest tragedies ever. This indicates that its motto is not to bring back terrible memories but to highlight the importance of human safety over profits.

It is difficult to choose a negative point here. Probably the number of characters could have been reduced and the life of the people of Bhopal, especially the slums, could have been portrayed more. This could have been possible as the film’s length isn’t much.

Coming to the technicalities, the VFX team should be lauded as they had their task cut out. Cinematographers Charlie Wuppermann and Anil Chandel have succeeded in displaying their skills. The background score is apt for the proceedings. The fast-paced classical tunes used at the start help a lot in generating interest instantly.

The performances are a top-draw too! Rajpal Yadav gives his best performance till date as far as his serious roles are concerned. Veteran Martin Sheen is excellent as the CEO of Union Carbide. Kal Penn is brilliant too in the role of the cunning journalist. Mischa Barton plays the journalist from US with perfection.

Tannishtha Chatterjee once again proves she is one of the most talented actors in the country. In the role of the doctor, Manoj Joshi is flawless! Akhil Mishra and Joy Sengupta also deserve praise. Satish Kaushik creates an impact in a cameo while Fagun Ivy Thakrar too provides good support.

Overall: Bhopal: A Prayer For Rain is an excellent piece of realistic cinema that shouldn’t be missed. The film requires good word-of-mouth to succeed at the box office when it releases in India on December 5.

Director: Ravi Kumar

Producers: Sahara Movie Studios and Rising Star Entertainment

Writers: David Brooks and Ravi Kumar

Cast: Rajpal Yadav, Martin Sheen, Mischa Barton, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Manoj Joshi, Akhil Mishra, Fagun Ivy Thakrar

Music: Benjamin Wallfisch

Genre: Period Drama

Duration: 96 minutes

Release Date: December 5, 2014 (India)

Happy New Year Review – Paisa Vasool Entertainment!

October 24, 2014 by Keyur Seta 2 Comments

By: Keyur Seta

Rating: * * * ½

To analyze a hardcore masala entertainer like Farah Khan’s Happy New Year, the only relevant question is whether the film delivers what it promises. Despite some hiccups, the answer easily falls in the affirmative as film is filled with high doses of entertainment, good enough to be the biggest crowd pleaser of the year.

It revolves around Charlie (Shah Rukh Khan) and his old friends Jag (Sonu Sood) and Tammy (Boman Irani). Charlie plans the biggest diamond heist ever, right under the nose of his old enemy Charan Grover (Jackie Shroff) in Dubai. They include a roadside tapori Nandu Bhide (Abhishek Bachchan) as the heist couldn’t happen without his help and Rohan (Vivaan Shah) as he is a computer geek. But to get hold of the diamonds, they need to take part in World Dance Championship. As all of them are non-dancers, they take the services of bar dancer Mohini (Deepika Padukone).

HNY is one of the rare 3-hour films of today’s times where you don’t feel the need to look at your watch. Non-stop humor, witty dialogues, unusual character traits, thrilling robbery scenes and, of course, the dances make sure you are glued to the screen for the entire duration. What works more is some unexpected entertainment items at unexpected places. The Narendra Modi lookalike surely deserves special mention!

However, the film provides more satisfaction in the second half. This is not because the first half is dull or slow. The problem in this part is that the humor is mostly childish, which will be enjoyed only by kids. For example, how funny is it to see men impersonating women and struggling to dance? But what hurts more is the done-to-death, immature gay humor. Somehow, Bollywood still thinks it is funny.

But the biggest issue that stops the film from being a high quality winner is the presence of loopholes, especially when it comes to the all-important robbery. Thankfully, the entertainment in the second half and the exciting and overwhelming last 45 minutes, including the climax, make sure your experience turns out to be paisa vasool. This aspect makes you overlook the big flaws because, frankly speaking, such films are meant only to entertain and those not ready to put their topmost organ at rest should stay miles away from them.

Vishal-Shekhar’s music also plays its part in keeping the entertainment quotient high. The most impressive numbers are ‘India Wale’, ‘Satakli’ and ‘Manwa Lage’. Cinematographer Manush Nandan shines the most while artistically capturing the dance scenes and locales of Dubai. The background score suits various emotions and provides the desired effect.

Shah Rukh Khan doesn’t disappoint his fans by providing a mature act as the captain of the team. Although this is easily not one of his best acts, he plays a big role in keeping things under control. However, he should understand that having 6 packs doesn’t mean such a thin physique. With yet another impressive act, Deepika Padukone continues her dream run in mainstream Bollywood.

Abhishek Bachchan is the surprise package. The actor displays his acting potential as Nandu Bhide in a hilarious role. Boman Irani once again shows he is ever-reliable. Sonu Sood doesn’t get much scope later on but he makes good of whatever opportunity he gets. Vivaan Shah perfectly suits in the role of a computer geek. But he needs to work on his acting skills a bit. Jackie Shroff is believable as a ruthless antagonist. Anupam Kher makes an impact in a cameo. Sajid Khan, in another cameo, could have been funnier.

Overall: Happy New Year is a joyride if you prefer mindless hardcore larger-than-life entertainers. The end product and the fact that the film has received an earth-shattering opening will make sure it turns out to be a huge success at the box office. Don’t be surprised if the film creates new ones by beating Dhoom 3 and Kick.

Director: Farah Khan

Producers: Red Chillies Entertainment and UTV Motion Pictures

Writers: Farah Khan, Mayur Puri and Althea Delmas Kaushal

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood, Jackie Shroff, Vivaan Shah

Music: Vishal-Shekhar

Genre: Masala Entertainer

Will Happy New Year overtake Dhoom 3 & Kick?

October 22, 2014 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

By: Keyur Seta

Farah Khan’s Happy New Year is all set to be one of those few films that can be described as box office hurricanes. Such films are labeled ‘blockbuster’ even before they release. The prediction of such commercial capers is very easy in today’s times. This is because even if its content fails to impress the audience, it succeeds big time in raking in the moolah. They can either be superhit or bumper hit. It is impossible for them to be called average, let alone flop.

So the question shouldn’t be whether Happy New Year will succeed? The question should be whether it will manage to establish new box office records by overtaking Dhoom 3 and/ or Kick? Will SRK magic work again after Channai Express? Let’s find out. This post only looks at the domestic collections.

According to me, Happy New Year will beat Kick but it will be very difficult for it to go pass Dhoom 3. The Aamir Khan starrer managed to pull audience to the theatres in way that is hardly seen before despite the film facing flak from a good number of audiences. The biggest reason for this can be attributed to Aamir, who played the main lead for the first time after 3 Idiots (2008). His double role surprise also paid dividends. Presence of a lot of commercial factors, including never-seen-before stunts, and a terrific publicity campaign also helped.

Kick became the first Salman Khan starrer to make it to the 200 crore club. It had all the ingredients necessary for a typical Salman film – action, comedy, romance and dance. Other impressive points like the performances of Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Randeep Hooda and some high octane action at foreign locations sealed it for Sajid Nadiadwala’s directorial debut.

Due to the presence of an ensemble cast, Happy New Year got the audience interested even before its first poster was out. And when the promos and other promotional material were released, the hype just kept soaring higher. A tremendous marketing campaign made things even brighter. So getting past Kick’s record of 215 crore will be possible for the SRK starrer.

However, I doubt it will have to power to generate enough collections to go past Dhoom 3. At the most, HNY will go near Dhoom 3 or equal it. Its chances to overtake the Aamir starrer don’t look high. But I am very confident that Aamir’s own P.K will beat Dhoom 3 at the box office. Let’s wait and watch!

Review: Haider

October 1, 2014 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

By: Keyur Seta

Director: Vishal Bhardwaj

Producers: UTV Motion Pictures and Vishal Bhardwaj Pictures

Writers: Vishal Bhardwaj

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Tabu, Kay Kay Menon, Shraddha Kapoor, Irrfan Khan

Music: Vishal Bhardwaj

Genre: Drama

Rating: * * * *

Storyline: The film is based on Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Hamlet. The story starts in the year 1995 in Kashmir, where a doctor (Narendra Jha) goes missing after an army crackdown. His unmarried brother Khurram (Kay Kay Menon) uses this opportunity to get close to the doctor’s wife and his sister-in-law Ghazala (Tabu).

The doctor and Ghazala’s son Haider (Shahid Kapoor) returns home after completing his education in Aligarh Muslim University. He is on a quest to find his father with the help of his lady love Arshia (Shraddha Kapoor), a journalist. Will his father return? Is he alive?

Review: Let’s face it: mainstream Hindi cinema has been throwing poor or mediocre films towards us majority of the times since recent years. So when a film turns out to be satisfactory, it feels like a pleasant surprise.

And in case if we come across a film excelling in every department, the feeling is nothing short of a festive occasion. One gets this rare feeling after coming out of Vishal Bhardwaj’s Haider, which is an example of skillful high quality cinema having the maker’s stamp all over it. It is also helped by Shahid Kapoor, who deserves a salute for this act.

Shakespeare’s tales are not bound by time or country. But adapting them into a film in the current period is a very difficult task. But Bhardwaj’s challenge was herculean since he had to adapt Hamlet in the disturbing and sensitive political scenario of Jammu and Kashmir without taking sides and at the same time retain the original flavor.

He overcomes this challenge and how! He has narrated his take on Hamlet with some high degree of creativity in the screenplay, dialogues and the manner of shooting. What results is an intensely thrilling treat where you just lose count of scenes that ooze cinematic brilliance. In fact, it won’t be an overstatement that almost every frame will give you some satisfaction. Plus, the climax deserves special mention for the surprise element that gives an overwhelming feeling.

However, Haider does have its share of minus points, although minor ones. Few events in the second half appear complicated. The pace also drops a bit in the second half. But thankfully, the second point doesn’t hurt you much since the high length of 161 minutes is never felt.

The technical department can also boast of being brilliant due to Pankaj Kumar’s excellent camerawork, Bhardwaj’s terrific background score, especially for scenes featuring Irrfan, and clever editing. Bhardwaj’s music too is impressive with the tracks ‘Bismil’ and ‘Aao Na’ being the best. But it is very difficult to understand the reason for not using the fast version of ‘Aao Na’. That would have added on to the effect.

Like all Bhardwaj films, Haider too is very high on performances. Shahid Kapoor’s act in this film will go down as one of his best, no matter how many more films he does after this one. The manner in which he plays two starkly different characters and that too with such perfection forces you to stand up and applaud. His performance can be summed up with his act in the song ‘Bismil’.

Tabu once again shows why she is one of the most talented actors of our times. Kay Kay Menon too is outstanding in a negative role. One of the finest actors in the country, Irrfan Khan once again shows that an actor can leave a terrific impact even in an extended cameo. Narendra Jha, as Haider’s father, is perfect. Ashish Vidyarthi and Kulbhushan Kharbanda are impressive in cameos. The rest of the actors too play their parts very well.

Overall: Haider is one of the best films to have come from mainstream Hindi cinema in the last few years. It’s a cinematic treat for the lovers of new-age, daring cinema. Its greatness will be reflected in its box office collections.

Bang Bang v/s Haider: Who will emerge victorious?

September 30, 2014 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

As Hrithik Roshan’s romantic action Bang Bang and Shahid Kapoor’s dark thriller Haider are about to clash at the box office, let’s have a look as at who will outperform another.

By: Keyur Seta

It is believed that of all Hindi films released in a year, more than 90% fail to taste success at the box office. So, naturally, more than one film emerging victorious at the ticket window is a very rare occurrence. But this week, starting October 2, we might well see that incident when Siddharth Anand’s Bang Bang starring Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif and Haider starring Shahid Kapoor, Tabu, Kay Kay Menon and Shraddha Kapoor will clash at the box office.

One can’t deny that it would have been much more profitable for both films if the clash would have been avoided. But thankfully, there is enough hype for both for its respective producers to smile all the way to the bank. The pairing of Hrithik and Katrina along with their star value, promos and songs are have nailed it for Bang Bang. On the other hand, Haider has gained from the dark but exciting trailer, Shahid’s two starkly different avatars, Bhardwaj’s stamp and the fact that it is his yet another film based on Shakespeare’s tale; this time Hamlet.

But which film will score over another?

As far as my prediction goes, Bang Bang will surely cross Haider as far as box office numbers are concerned. Its hype among the youth is such that even if, God forbid, the film turns out to be disappointing, it will still emerge victorious at the box office. Of course, if the initial response turns out to be tremendous, it might well go on to reach the magic figure of Rs 150 crore.

Haider, however, doesn’t have that advantage. Although there is no denying that the film is looked forward by a large number of people, it relies heavily on the content to make a mark at the ticket window simply because it is not as commercial as the other release. It will surely get a good opening but to sustain at the box office in the long run, its content needs a thumbs-up from the audience.

Note: We can’t judge one film over another by the total number of crores earned because Bang Bang is getting a much, much wider release than Haider. Only by judging the performance of each film individually along with its number of screens can we derive at a conclusion.

Creature (3D) Review – Non-stop laughter!

September 12, 2014 by Keyur Seta 7 Comments

By: Keyur Seta

Director: Vikram Bhatt

Writers: Vikram Bhatt and Sukhmani Sadana

Cast: Bipasha Basu, Imran Abbas, Mukul Dev

Rating: * ½

Review: Bad films, naturally, make you feel angry at its makers. But films that turn out to be bad due to the silliness in various (or all) departments don’t make you (at least me) angry simply because of the unintentional laughter it induces. The latest to join the bandwagon is Vikram Bhatt’s Creature (3D), which is as hilarious as the name of the creature – Brahmarakshas.

The film is basically about how Ahana Dutta’s (Bipasha Basu) newly started forest resort in Glandale, Himachal Pradesh acquires bad reputation after a monstrous creature starts finishing off people in the nearby forest.

There is no point in analyzing a film that makes a mockery of almost every aspect of filmmaking, along with sane and logical thinking. So I would just list out some points and sequences to highlight how goodly bad the film is. But SPOILERS alert!

A truck driver is repairing his vehicle at a secluded place. He hears loud roars of the creature from the jungle. So what does he do? Running away or hiding himself would have been such a cliché. So he ventures straight inside the jungle towards the creature by shouting ‘Kaun hai?’ more than 10 times. I completely agree with his logic.
Worried at Bipasha’s resort getting a bad name, her bank manager visits her. Bipasha assures him that all will be fine soon and she will repay the loan amount. He replies, “Hahahaha! Arre yehi toh sun na tha aap ke mooh se!” and leaves in a hurry. Imagine – he came all the way to Glandale hill station from his bank just to listen to this fake assurance!
Initially, Bipasha and others believe that some leopard is killing people. Soon a leopard is killed. This delights her. But guess what she does as soon as she sees the dead body of the leopard? Her to-be boyfriend romantically taunts her and she starts dreaming about a romantic song with him just when she is having a look at the dead leopard. Did the dead animal instantly made her recall that guy? Amazing!
In one particular scene, all guests at the resort are gathered in the dining room. Suddenly Brahmaraskshas arrives. But instead of screaming out of shock or running helter-skelter, they calmly keep staring at the beast. It is only when he roars that people run for their lives. Maybe initially they thought Brahmarakshas turned up just to say a quick “Hello!” or inquire about today’s menu.
Brahmarakshas’ existence goes back to the mythological era. I won’t go into it as it is too complicated. It is also a very complicated process to kill him. He can be shot dead by a gun but its bullets need to be dipped in a pond near Lord Brahma’s temple at Pushkar and that too on the night of Pooranmashi! I guess fighting corruption is simpler than this.
But as the night of Pooranmashi is 11 months away, it is of no use for the characters to visit Pushkar now. Luckily, they find a man whose father had killed Brahmarakshas some 70 odd years ago by using 23 out of the 30 bullets (that were dipped in that pond on Pooranmashi). This man still has the remaining 7 bullets. He hands them over to Bipasha to use them to kill the monster. I guess bullets have no expiry date. Age is just a number after all!
Bipasha and her comrades decide to search and kill Brahmarakshas at random places of their choice – an empty bus, inside a cave and the resort itself. And each time, Brahmarakshas arrives at the same place at the same time! So obedient!
Debutant Imram Abbas, one of the guests at the resort, is shown to be someone with an evil mission. He is following instructions of his father, who constantly discourages him over the phone in Ramadhir Singh “Tumse na hoga” style. Later on, we are told his so-called mission is just to say sorry to Bipasha on behalf of his father for the atrocities committed on her father! Phew! By the way, her father had committed suicide because of his father’s atyachaars. So saying a sorry is surely more than enough.
A dialogue – “Jis bhagwan ne meri Mumbai mein raksha nahin ki woh Glandale mein kyun karega?” Okay, I didn’t know Mumbai is the holiest place on earth!

But the biggest joke is that such stories/ scripts get financed while a lot of talented filmmakers with great ideas struggle even for their basic bread and butter.

Review: Mardaani

August 23, 2014 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

By: Keyur Seta

Director: Pradeep Sarkar

Producers: Aditya Chopra for Yash Raj Films

Writers: Pradeep Sarkar, Gopi Puthran and S Hussain Zaidi

Cast: Rani Mukerji, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Anil George, Jisshu Sengupta

Music: Salim-Sulaiman

Genre: Thriller

Rating: * * * ½

Story Outline: The name of the ruthless Crime Branch officer Shivani Shivaji Roy (Rani Mukerji) sends shivers down the spine of criminals. She stays in Mumbai with her husband (Jisshu Sengupta) and niece. She also shares a motherly bond with a teenage orphan Pyari (Priyanka Sharma). Shivani’s strength and dedication are tested when Pyari is kidnapped by a gang of a sex traffickers headed by the monstrous Walt (Tahir Raj Bhasin).

Review: Action films on the theme of good versus evil are done to death in Hindi cinema. But despite Pradeep Sarkar’s Mardaani also being based on the same idea, it is surely not as ordinary as plenty of films made on this genre. The reasons for this are that it follows an uncompromising narrative, gives a heart-touching message and, most importantly, makes way for a women-centric action thrillers; something that is so lacking in Indian cinema.

Sarkar had all the resources and budget (considering it’s a YRF film) to add a number of commercial factors to increase the film’s reach. So it is commendable that he steered clear from any such temptation by being honest to the subject, even if it means showing disturbing visuals of the working style of sex traffickers. This results in a gripping tale that doesn’t lose focus or goes off track even a bit. There is always a scope for item numbers in such subjects but, fortunately, he doesn’t give into that too.

Picture Source: Mardaani FB Page

There is no denying that the film treads on predictive lines for most of the duration. But the above mentioned point and a powerfully moving climax make sure you won’t mind that. In fact, you get goose pimples during the ending moments through the message given without being preachy, just through visuals and symbolism.

The only big problem here is that neither Shivani nor any of her team members ever tries to trace the numerous calls Walt made to her. Come on! You guys are Crime Branch officers! Coming to Shivani’s relation with Pyari, we are only made to assume about that as there is not a single scene between both of them. Due to this, the actor playing Pyari, Priyanka Sharma, gets hardly any scope.

As it is not a music-oriented film, there is just one song, Mardaani Anthem, and rightly so. Its Sanskrit Mantras (Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu) and powerful lyrics create a thundering effect when it is played during the ending moments. Artur Zurawski’s camerawork is skillful. It plays its part in adding intensity.

By completely getting into the character of a lethal cop, Rani Mukerji gives an applaud-worthy performance. It is a pleasure to see her perform those fight scenes. With this performance, she becomes the frontrunner for women-oriented action thrillers in Hindi cinema. Hopefully, this should encourage more filmmakers and producers to try such experiments.

But there is Tahir Raj Bhasin too who is super-impressive as the bad guy and that too in his very first film. He surely deserves to be seen more. Anil George plays his part well as another bad guy. Mona Ambegaonkar is terrific in a supporting role. Jisshu Sengupta and Priyanka Sharma are decent. The latter deserved more footage.

Overall: Mardaani succeeds in being a bold and hard-hitting crime thriller that also throws light on a timely issue. It deserves rapid positive word-of-mouth to succeed at the box office due to a lack of hype and low-key promotions.

Singham Returns Review

August 15, 2014 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

By: Keyur Seta

Director: Rohit Shetty

Producers: Reliance Entertainment

Writers: Yunus Sajawal and Sajid-Farhad

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Amole Gupte, Kareena Kapoor, Dayanand Shetty

Music: Jeet Ganguli, Ankit Tiwari, Meet Bros and Yo Yo Honey Singh

Genre: Action Drama

Rating: * * ½

Story Outline: After eliminating the evil gangster politician Jaykant Shikre in Goa, the brave-heart Police Inspector Singham (Ajay Devgn) is now posted in Mumbai. He is close to the head of a political party (Anupam Kher) and considers him his guru. One day, a police constable from Singham’s team is killed in an accident. He was driving an ambulance that contained crores of black money. The ambulance belongs to Swamiji (Amole Gupte), the thug and corrupt spiritual guru. As the constable was driving a vehicle full of black money, he is labeled corrupt.

Review: Singham (2011) is one of the greatest masala entertainers as it gained acceptance even from the section of the audience that doesn’t prefer such genre of films. This was simply because it managed to strike an emotional chord so well. As such films don’t arrive regularly; it won’t be fair to expect the same magic from Singham Returns.

But one would surely expect the film to provide a good amount of satisfaction through a similar effect. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen. No doubt Singham Returns does provide plenty of seeti bajao moments, but the end product is nowhere close to the first film thereby making it just a one-time watch and that too strictly for the lovers of the genre. It is yet another Hindi film sequel that is made just for the sake of making it.

The big reason why the sequel lags way behind the film is the flow of events. Despite being a commercial potboiler about good versus evil, Singham was well narrated. This also ensured that the punch lines became an integral part of the content, making them so appealing.

The sequel, however, lacks proper flow, becomes completely predictable and follows a typical tried and tested road of the many cop dramas of the 90s. So the many punch-lines and hero-giri moments hardly offer any impact as they appear forceful, barring few instances. It is also quite funny to see a good duration of the first half being exactly like the TV series C.I.D.

Shetty has also given too much importance to fights, bullet firing and explosions. It not only becomes an overdose but is also unconvincing and limits the film’s reach, especially due to some tragic violent scenes. And as per his habit, he overdoes the car demolishing act too!

Along with few impressive moments, the saving grace is the overwhelming and applaud-worthy climax. But still it doesn’t do much to derive the overall satisfaction that one expects from the sequel of Singham. Plus, the torturous Honey Singh number ‘Aata Maji Satakli’ during the ending credits further adds to the woes. The rest of the songs too are nothing much to speak about.

The other plus point is surely the skillful camerawork. A couple of long aerial shots are brilliant! The background score complements the situations. It is similar to the first film and rightly so.

Ajay Devgn’s macho act stops the film from going more downhill. Although he doesn’t provide the punch like he did before, he manages to keep the interest alive even when the script is going downhill. Amole Gupte gets into the skin of the character of a thug spiritual guru with ease. It is just that on few occasions he overdoes it.

Kareena Kapoor is just above-average. Zakir Hussain is effective as another bad guy. Dayanand Shetty is made to do the same thing that he has been doing in C.I.D since 17 years! Anupam Kher and Ganesh Yadav excel in extended cameos. The rest of the actors are alright.

Overall: Singham Returns doesn’t live up to the expectations and turns out to be just a clichéd cop drama. The brand name and some great hype will help it garner great collections at the box office.

P.S: The story of Singham Returns is continued from the first film. So what happened to Kajal Agarwal’s character and her love story with Singham?