Category Archives: Bollywood

Luck Movie Review

Luck

Rating: – * *

Bollywood has come across plenty of films where it is expected that the viewer leaves his mind at home. Soham Shah’s Luck is a lot ahead. It asks you to even keep your feelings and emotions away apart from logic. So much so that even loss of human lives should be looked upon as a death of a cockroach or an insect.

A very unusual film requires an unusual review. Hence, I would like just list down a few scenes. Let’s start with the ones which defy any humanity: –

–          Sanjay Dutt’s character Mousa, during his childhood, challenges his three friends to jump from the fourth floor just to see who is lucky enough to survive. The result – Mousa alone survives with a few broken bones while his friends die on the spot.

–          A game of human betting is played where participants, put their lives at stake. The one who is lucky survives and wins a large sum while the one who isn’t, gets killed in the most gruesome of manners like being shot in the head, thrown from a helicopter, eaten by sharks and even bludgeoned under trains. This is not all, in a flashback scene; the contestants are even blasted by bombs as if someone killing flies using a flyswatter.

And now some illogical ones: –

–          Raghav (Ravi Kishan) gets a death sentence. However, when he is hanged, the rope breaks and he is saved. As the law cannot hang a person twice, Raghav is released! Wow! Anyone from a legal profession will throw a shoe at the screen during this scene!

–          Ram Verma (Imran Khan) didn’t know that his heart is on the right side! Though it is medically logical, didn’t he ever feel his heart beating on the right side all his 28 years of life!

–          Mousa runs a huge organization of human betting. He has a big staff working in all departments. People bet for the contestants from all around the world. His brutal and fatal games are played openly in South Africa while contestants get killed every time as if the words ‘law’ and ‘police’ do not exist in the country.

Director Soham Shah surely has the potential. He can show off his skills better if he is given a meaningful story, which lacks in Luck. However, as a dialogue writer, Shah seems to be obsessed with the title of the film as he uses it after almost every couple of minutes.

Sanjay Dutt plays his character well but how many times have we seen him enacting such roles? Imran Khan’s performance ranges from very good to average while Shruti Haasan makes a confident debut and looks super cute. Danny Denzongpa, as expected, gives a mature performance with ease. Ravi Kishan manages to turn heads but his character goes haywire at the end. Mithun da was nothing special. The surprise package is the Chak De India! girl Chitrasha Rawat.

Of all the songs, only the title track stands out. The cinematography, action and the background score are masterly and the only strong points of the film. Watch it only and only if you like to watch some breathtaking stunts without troubling your brain and heart. Luck won’t have any luck at the box-office because of the average opening which is expected to come down in the coming days.

New York Movie Review

New York2 Ratings – * * * *

To narrate a disturbing topic in a manner that pleases the masses needs a touch of class. Director Kabir Khan deserves a bow as he manages to do that with New York, which is just his second film after the impressive Kabul Express.

The story takes place between the years 2001 to 2008. Freshness blossoms in Omar Aijaz’s (Neil Nitin Mukesh) life when he meets Maya (Katrina Kaif) and Sameer aka Sam (John Abraham) in the New York State University. A bond develops between the trio and they soon become inseparable, until 9/11 occurs. The single event changes the equation between them.

Aditya Chopra’s story makes a brave attempt of unmasking the hidden monster behind the FBI. It portrays the worse then inhuman nature of the so-called security forces following the orders of George Bush.  It is necessary to show the world how Bush’s insane outlook towards Muslims gave birth to a number of terrorists.

The sensible and meaningful story is dealt wonderfully well by Sandeep Shrivastav’s screenplay and dialogues. Producing not a single uninteresting moment and many thrilling ones, he is worthy of applause.

From the performances point of view, it’s extremely difficult to point out the best. John proves himself as a winner with this one. A very difficult character portrayed with ease.

Neil’s admirers will surely add-up with this performance as he oozes perfection in every shot with maturity. Katrina performs her part well and has her moments too. The actress has improved her Hindi pronunciation.

However, it’s Irrfan Khan who turns out to be a surprise package as an FBI officer. The actor displays authority and power and makes his presence felt throughout in spite of the three main leads.

Pritam’s music suits the situations well. Hai Junoon (hope it’s not lifted like most of his hit numbers) sung by KK stands out. The songs are used only in the background and rightly so.

The technical aspects make New York a complete product. Credit goes to Aseem Mishra’s cinematography for capturing every moment with flawlessness. Julius Peckiam’s background score plays a major role in adding tension and thrill.

Overall, New York surely lives-up to the expectations. Watch it for the way Kabir Khan has narrated the saga while keeping the thrill quotient in mind. With the promising opening the film has gained, it looks like Bollywood’s prolonged bad days are finally going to end.