Change Your Image
tusharvyas15041987
Reviews
Raaz: The Mystery Continues (2009)
AN Ultimate Thriller...
In a brilliantly executed shot, Kangana casually looks for some pills in her cloak, while her image in the mirror is standing still.
Raaz-The Mystery Continues is filled with several such spooky moments some work, some don't. Bhatt camps' sequel to the surprise 2001 hit Raaz has no relation whatsoever to the Bipasha Basu-Dino Morea flick. Except that both films are essentially murder mysteries with some edge-of-the-seat moments.
Much like comedy, watching a horror flick also requires some suspension of disbelief. RTMC is a clever blend of superstition, mythology with social maladies and religious politics. The plot flows like a thriller - filled with enough twists and turns to keep you engaged. The makers have clearly kept a mass audience in mind. Because without getting too melodramatic, the narrative packs in a number of crowd pleasing, emotional sequences. This emotional link is handled competently in the climax which may not be as scary as expected but certainly not funny either.
There's also a split second full-bodied nude shot of Kangana when she is thrown out of the bath tub. But it is executed with utmost aesthetic value.
If you are a horror-suspense-thriller lover...just go for it...
Dostana (2008)
New face of Bollywood....
Well what to say about this movie. I watched this movie on the day of its release and let me tell you one thing....you should go for it. Priyanka's looks...Abhishek's acting and john Abraham's physique can kill you. Though its not a family movie and the topic is new to traditional Indian audience but the humor of the movie is great and it is made with a view to please the youth audience. This movie is a superb combination of comedy, emotion and friendship. Also Karan Johar has proved that he is not trapped only in making some emotional drama...in fact he has made an outstanding comedy movie which can compel you to be fixed on your seat till the end of the movie. Overall Dostana is a complete entertaining package and you should go for it....
Roadside Romeo (2008)
A Great Romantic Animation.....
In every sense one is glad Indian animation has come such a long way. It would be wrong to say that so far we have been doing an inferior job in comparison to our Hollywood counterparts. However the quality hasn't been at par. With Roadside Romeo, Indian animation films have taken a giant leap forward and kudos to Yash Raj Films and Walt Disney Studios for being the one to raise the bar up by many notches.
Bottom line is the fact that Roadside Romeo is ultimately a movie that has stemmed from the land of masala films, so expecting anything different is sheer blasphemy. The film has lovers, a villain and great humor - the ultimate essentials for a Bollywood caper. But then being animated and convincing is what whisks this film away from clutches of the inane Bollywood film monster.
Romeo (Saif Ali Khan) the quintessential lover dog is thrown onto the streets, where he meets newly found best mutts. Soon enough he bumps into the love of his life, Laila (Kareena) who happens to be a nightclub performer. Besides falling in love, the biggest mistake Romeo commits is having rubbed Charlie Anna (Javed Jaffrey) the wrong way. With a villain to combat and love to win over, the film is all Romeo and tons of heart.
One can't stop gushing over the fact that Yash Raj Films and Disney have brought to India what can be called India's first world class animation film. It's not perfect, but nonetheless still great. Had the movie been made into a live Acton one, perhaps it would not have worked. Even story-wise the film is extremely light. But it is exactly these aspects that make Roadside Romeo lovable. The film is entertaining, funny and light. There is little that your mind needs to work on and it's escapism at its best.
Kidnap (2008)
An average thriller...
Kidnap has the right ingredients for the audience that love masala flicks. A hot Minissha Lamba in skimpy clothes, an item number by Sophie Chaudhary in clothes which if reduced by little would leave nothing to the imagination, decent songs which are beautifully picturized, great action sequences. But its the script that lets the film down. The main motive behind the whole Kidnap, when revealed, is a complete turn off.
Kidnap suffers from a story thats hard to digest. Without giving the story away let me brief you on some of the scenes.
* There is a sensual bath with loads of cleavage under a waterfall, which reminds us of Zeenat Aman, all this while the girl is held in hostage!
* Vikrant Raina releases a crimininal locked up in jail. Raina manages to do so by burning down the jail kitchen and escaping in a fire brigader's uniform.
* In a chase sequence, Vikrant is in pursuit of Kabir who climbs buildings like a hero straight out of a superhero film. Vikrant is no less, he gives Kabir a good chase performing those unbelievable stunts.
* Don't you think its a tad bit unrealistic for the visibly unfit father of a grown up daughter to be so athletic? Also, at times you can clearly notice the body double. Mind you, the exact same chase is one of the highlights of the movie and has been shot well.
* The climax during the New Year eve too is very unrealistic. Not a single soul notices the gun in the Ice box nor while Vikrant pulls the trigger!
The chemistry between Imraan and Minissha is poor. Minissha in fact shares a better chemistry with Sanjay Dutt in those limited scenes they share.
Sanjay Dutt sleep walks through his role. Imran Khan needs to work on his dialogue delivery. He's fine in his much looked forward-to negative role. Minissha Lamba manages to distract with ample cleavage show, with limited scope for histrionics she does well. Vidya Malvade doesn't suit her role.
Overall, Kidnap disappoints. If well-performed action sequences, skin show in abundance and great locales is what you wish to see, Kidnap is worth a watch. Else, wait for the DVD. At the box office, the hype due to several reasons mentioned above, would ensure a good opening. The lower budget (20 crores) compared to most biggies and good opening could result in the cost being recovered by the end of Week 1.
Welcome to Sajjanpur (2008)
A refreshing refresher on the situation in rural India
Shyam Benegal's Welcome to Sajjanpur is a welcome aberration. In a cinematic age teeming with urban narratives, beefed-up heroes and curiously synthetic heroines, Sajjanpur takes us to a village.
Instead of dates in malls and aggressively sexual dances in nightclubs, we have a hesitant romance depicted by a bicycle ride in the fields and a quick press of the shoulders.
The hero, Madhav played by Shreyas Talpade, gets his power not by virtue of his looks or bank balance but only because he is Sajjanpur's lone college graduate. The wannabe novelist writes letters for the whole village and ends up controlling their lives and destinies.
Working from his own story, Benegal creates a sweet and quietly funny film with textured characters and poignant moments.
He uses the letter writer to comment on a plethora of social issues from widow remarriage to religious superstitions but Welcome to Sajjanpur works because Benegal doesn't preach or pontificate.
He directs with a light-hand and even in the darker moments, keeps the tone evenly comic.
Benegal has a great affection for his characterseven the unwholesome ones have their share of memorable lines.
The actors are in formShreyas Talpade sparkles as does Ila Arun playing a perpetually harassed mother, who insists on marrying her daughter to a dog.
What doesn't work well are the songs, which seem unnecessary and random. The plotting also gets bumpy in the second half there are way too many sub-plots vying for our attention and in the end, the threads are tied up too briskly.
But despite these flaws, I recommend that you see Welcome to Sajjanpur. It has qualities that you don't find in movies too often these days: a heart, charm and grace.