Fitoor *Movie review* by Danish Lakdawala

YE FITOOR MERA 'NAA' HO SAKA

Movie Review: Fitoor
Cast: Aditya Roy Kapur, Katrina Kaif, Tabu, Aditi Rao Haidri
Runtime: 130 mins approx

Rating: 2.5/5

Fitoor, directed by Abhishek Kapoor gives you a visual treat with this one. His last releases 'Rock On' and 'Kai Po Che' were magnum opus in terms of its content, screenplay and direction.

This time he goes 'poetic'. Fitoor as we all know is an adaptation of Charles Dickens novel 'Great Expectations'.

The movie begins in Kashmir - 15 years ago with the young Noor (Aditya) and Firdaus (Katrina) where Noor falls in love at first sight with the gorgeous and young Firdaus. 

Begum (Tabu) is at her magnificent best with this one playing the role with ease, much required attitude, look and stubbornness in her character which is complex and emotionally deprived. Tabu makes the moody Begum her very own, interpreting the volatile character’s gradual descent into insanity with a superb sense of balance. 

I wonder why Ajay Devgn chose to do such a role which neither had the releance nor a proper context to it. He is a militant who is being helped by young Noor who is later responsible for his growth as an artist. There is a sequence in the film where Noor looses his dear one in a bomb blast - and that is by far the most disturbing sequence in the film. It is bound to catch the audience by surprise.

The pairing of Adi-Kat looks fresh however in certain portions Katrina seems unconvincing in the film. What also works is the music by Amit Trivedi and lyrics by Swanand Kirkire. It flows really well. 
What I missed was the 'Pashmina' video song in the film. Abhishek could have added in the end credits so that the audience could have a take away.


Katrina is good so long as she has to just be herself. So she dances, smiles and flirts cutely but the minute a dramatic scene comes up that patent “moist eyes and dewy lips” act draws attention to her utter inadequacy as a performer. Aditya has to look completely mesmerised by her and deeply unhappy in love which he does adequately. It's Tabu that steals the show.

I am disappointed with the climax it looks to loose and unconvincing. The pace of the movie in the first half is slower than the second. Final sequences of Aditya and Tabu (where tabu is lost in her thoughts) is commendable and brings energy to the movie. 

Cinematography is top notch. It looks like a grand canvas, wish the movie was edited by another 10 mins and story switches (Kashmir-Delhi-London) and even Pakistan angle in the movie would have reduced a bit for an easy watch for the audience. Katrina looks a million bucks. Rahul Bhatt who plays the role of Katrina's fiancee` is good in his part. Lara makes her presence felt in a small role. Aditi Rao Haidri does a great job of young tabu, she is convincing enough. I wish the story was tighter, it would have done wonders. The creative differences between the producers and the director has affected hugely for this film and that's sad to say...

Overall, the movie is a one time watch, it has flaws but nevertheless it is not bad either. 

MARDAANI *First Trailer Analysis* by Danish Lakdawala

I'm back!!! But not with a review or a prediction of a film, rather with something new this time. Yes it's my debut post on trailer analysis for a movie.

Last two movies namely Talaash and Bombay Talkies gave Rani Mukerji a lot of appreciation for the portrayal of a grieving mother who lost her son and a mature lady coming in terms with her husband's sexuality.

Let's get to Mardaani now. Starring Rani Mukerji in lead as Shivani Shivaji Roy as a tough cop suits her with perfection. In one word, the trailer is OUTSTANDING.

Lets start analyzing the trailer in pieces. The way it starts wasn't expected from YRF, it is serious, mature and has hard-hitting facts to show - impressive. Not like your normal masala movies which m like Humshakals released recently.

The trailer moves forward showing girls being abducted. Love the realistic direction from Pradeep Sarkar (who last directed Rani in Laaga Chunari Mein Daag (2007). Must say Pradeep Sarkar moved out of his comfort zone with this film. Moving forward, we hear a lady saying 'Inka make-up aise mat kiya kar jaise bacchiyan ho, unn haraamzaadon ko inme apni maashoka nazar aani chahiye' with some bold scenes showing how these girls are treated.


Enters Shivani Shivaji Roy, fearless, intense and action packed sequence shooting down a goon. The trailer looks edgy, dialogues seem to be well written. Rani Mukerji carries the role and the smaller nuances of the film with finesse. Further, we see a girl Pyaari been tortured by the mafia and Rani swears to find the '12th man of the under 19 team'. It is good to see YRF touching such a sensitive topic. We see Rani performing some real stunts, showing her power-packed performance which is absolutely stupendous to watch. The trailer keeps you gripped till the end, even after Rani slapping the guy, it keeps us wanting for more.

Watch the trailer here:-

What do you think of the trailer? What are your expectations? Post in your comments below and do share your feedback.

TALAASH *Prediction* by Danish Lakdawala

Talaash official movie poster

Hindi Film Industry has earned around 1100 crores approximately as on  October 2012.

After Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Son of Sardar, there are three big films releasing at the end of this year. Khiladi 786, Dabangg 2 and the most awaited film of the year - Talaash. Let's start first with the trailer analysis of Talaash. The first trailer released on January 25, 2012 (YouTube) which received phenomenal response -  3.2mn approx* views as on November 18, 2012 (Check the trailer -(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M97P3zoUIos). It starts  a car accident, followed by Kareena's appearance as a hooker and Rani as the estranged wife of Aamir. It also has Nawazuddin in an important role. The movie was pitched as a Thriller, not only in the minds of the audience but also the critics.

Considering it is an AAMIR KHAN film, a big release after 3 Idiots, expectations were extremely high but due to Satyameva Jayate and Talaash music being 'not ready', movie was pushed to November 30, 2012.

Lets see what we can expect, after viewing the second trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d07uw3Zn7_o.

Some stills from the movie Talaash

It starts with a filmstar who died because of an accident. Multiple accidents occur on the same street since the past 3-4 years. Aamir plays the lead cop (Inspector Suri Shekhawat), who is responsible to solve this case. Whether it was really an accident or a crime, we don't know. Kareena (Rosy), plays the hooker who probably might be giving the required clues to Shekhawat. It also has an emotional layer attached with Shekhawat and Rani (Mrs Shekhawat) - the loss of their son. The inspector has to deal with his past as well as the present. There is some strong connection of this suspense with his past. We also see Aamir hunting for something under water. Meanwhile we see Aamir attracted towards the hooker and Rani in a powerful role with a dialog 'Kiske saath rehte ho raat bhar'. At the end of trailer, there is a conversation between Kareena and Nawaz who talk about their game plan. This trailer puts the movie into the category of 'Suspense Drama'. 

Rani Mukerji in a still from the song 'Jee Le Zara'

The music of the film is top rate. Jee Le Zara has already been declared a super hit song and is competing for being one of the top chart busters of 2012. The visuals of this song are unforgettable. You'll definitely be addicted to this song. The chemistry between Aamir and Rani is outstanding, takes you back to the Ghulam days. Vishal Dadlani sings it pouring all the punch and emotions required for this song. Next comes Muskanein Jhooti Hai which shows Kareena in a sexy avatar. It brings all the characters of the film together. The recently released video of Jiya Laage Na' is an edgy number, you get the feel of it after listening to it for a while. Starts with Aamir, dropping Rani from his car and going to Kareena.

Lets view what the Marketing team has planned, as per my knowledge. The marketing team has tied up with Windows 8 and is also expected to tie up with Google. Apart from that Aamir is expected to appear on SonyTV with CID as inspector Shekhawat. Lets wait and watch how this shapes up. Overall I think the team is not as aggressive as required, considering 3 Idiots was promoted really well. Possibly because 3 Idiots was for the masses and Talaash is a movie which might appeal to a class.

Aamir Khan & Rani Mukerji
at Talaash music launch

Meanwhile, as per the interviews given by the director, Reema Kagti, this is an edgy suspense drama that gives you a take away value. According to her, the story revolves around Aamir Khan. Rani will seen essaying an intense character, a performance oriented role which might fetch her some awards apart from the applause, while Kareena is seen as a high profile escort who looks her best. The combination of Aamir + Rani + Kareena + Nawaz + Javed Akhtar(Lyrics) + Ram Sampat (Music - of Delhi Belly fame) + Excel Entertainment,Aamir Khan Productions and Reliance Entertainment  = BLOCKBUSTER.

One can only expect a brilliant film along with some excellent performances, in short a perfect film from Mr. Perfectionist aka the team of Talaash. It is surely going to set the cash registers ringing. All the best to the team.

                                                          Prediction : 4/5 stars (OUTSTANDING)

Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge *Review* - Danish Lakdawala

Finally I'm back to one of the things that I love doing - Blogging! Have realized that you should do what you want to and not what others want you to do. :)
Saw this lovely movie called Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge. Heard a lot about this one. Let's get back on critical aspects of this movie.

Cast: Saqib Saleem, Saba Azad, Nishant Dahiya, Tara D'Souza
Runtime:- 106 minutes approx


Rating: 3/5

   Firstly, the new look of Yashraj films - Y-films is an eye catchy fresh feel for youthful films. Quiet impressed, I must say.

   This movie is best for those who are social networking addicts. It shows sweet teen romance in the times of broadband connection, social networking sites & fake IDs! The story line would definitely connect to people of ages between 15-30. It explores the pros and cons of the proposed 'fraaandship' networking in teens' lives.

Rahul Sareen (Nishant Dahiya) is a rockstar. Malvika Kelkar (Tara D’souza), an NIFT student, is hot and sexy. Vishal Bhatt (Saqib Saleem) and Preity Sen (Saba Azad), studying in the same college, have been asked to work together on the silver jubilee celebration party of their college. They can’t stand each other. It's kinda typical story but because of its fresh feel people instantly connect with the movie. 

Vishal is mad after Malvika but doesn’t have the courage to go up to her and tell her that he loves her. Likewise, Preity loves Rahul but can’t dream of telling him so. Preity and Malvika are roommates whereas Vishal and Rahul are buddies.  Although love stories with mistaken identities have been seen several times in the past, this one makes it different from the earlier ones because the fake identities are assumed on the social Internet platform of Facebook. Since today's youth is more inclined towards social networking sites. This movie would definitely appeal to them.

The chemistry between Saqib and Saba (Vishal and Preity) is a treat to watch. They stun you with their amazing performances. Malvika looked glamorous although she could have been given more dialogues and screen presence. Rahul on the other hand appeared like a supporting cast in the movie.

There were certain scenes which were hillarious scenes where Hacky(Prabal Punjabi) acts like Malvika and hits on Rahul and Vishal.

Screenplay could have been tighter, dialogues are well written. Considering Nupur Asthana as the debut director, she has done a neat job.

This movie would definitely be an above average on the box office - Thanks to its theme and word of mouth which is expected to help MFK to earn profits.

Do watch it once !

Signing off for now.. will talk about Ra.One soon! Cheers!

Chalo Dilli *Movie Review* by Danish Lakdawala

My initial reaction to the trailers of the film was "This is something I should watch. The reason was Lara Dutta. She looked stunning. Anyways back to what I am supposed to do. 

Chalo Dilli is a story of Lara Dutta who plays Mihika Banerjee, an uptight investment banker who is the senior VP of a 200-crore company, drinks Evian water [ before watching the movie I didn't even know what Evian water is ]  and is obsessively clean and the very talented Vinay Pathak who is known for his fantastic comic timing.
The movie is a journey of Mihika from Mumbai to Delhi. It has all the masala in the film - 'real people,' real comedy', 'entertainment value', etc. 
Manu Sharma played by Vinay Pathak is a character totally opposite to Mihika.




CHALO DILLI is speckled with sharp and witty lines delivered with accurate timing by the amazing Vinay Pathak, who never disappoints you. He's the soul of the enterprise. Lara gets the character right and though there are a few rough edges in her performance, there's no denying that she's extremely convincing as a lady who belongs to the upper crust and who absolutely loathes people like Vinay. In fact, Lara and Vinay both seize this opportunity with both hands and give it their best shot. Amongst the host of characters they encounter in the journey, Brijendra Kala, the ticket checker, leaves the maximum impact and so does the Bengali couple. Akshay Kumar is average in a cameo.

On the whole, CHALO DILLI is exciting and amusing in parts. The film has some terrific moments, but the writing could've been more persuasive towards the post-interval portions. Yet, all said and done, there's something nice about it, despite the blemishes. Decent watch! 


I would rate this movie as  2.5/5

Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji *Review* by Danish Lakdawala

National Award-winning director Madhur Bhandarkar, known for making hard-hitting and realistic films like CHANDNI BAR, PAGE 3 and FASHION, traverses a completely new terrain with DIL TOH BACCHA HAI JI. Mind you, it takes a lot of courage to get out of your comfort zone and make a completely different film.

DTBHJ brings back the successful jodi of Ajay Devgan and Emraan Hashmi after ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI. It also stars Omi Vaidya (3 IDIOTS fame) in a pivotal role. The quirky promos and some smart marketing went in favour of the film and managed to create the right buzz.

In a hilarious voice-over by Paresh Rawal, we are introduced to bank officer Naren Ahuja (Ajay Devgan), playboy Abhay Suri (Emraaan Hashmi) and Milind Kelkar (Omi Vaidya). Abhay and Milind are paying guests in Naren's house.

The film basically traces the lives of Naren, Abhay and Milind and their encounters with women. Unable to resolve their rising differences, Naren and his wife (Rituparna Sengupta) are about to end their seven-year-old marriage. In a disturbed state of mind, Naren falls for a cute 20-year-old new trainee June Pinto (Shazahn Padamsee) in his bank. Abhay is a gym instructor who can't get enough of girls and women (married and unmarried). He even loses his job for teasing the wife of an underworld bhai from Dubai. On the other hand, Milind writes 'dard bhari shayrees' which cause 'sir dard'. He also works in a matrimonial site, zhatpatshaadi.com, but is unable to find himself a suitable match. He gets infatuated by radio jockey Gungun Sarka (Shraddha Das), who just uses him to get out of troubled situations. The rest of the film shows how their respective tracks move forward.

An impressive opening credits sequence involving sketches sets the right tempo. Without much ado, you are introduced to the characters straight away. Although the first half is placid, the graph of the narrative remains unidimensional as there's not much movement in terms of the story. The introduction of 'U.S. return' Nikki Narang (Shruti Haasan) just before the intermission adds a certain twist to the tale.

Like most films, DTBHJ loses its way terribly in the second half. It's a painful watch full of cliches and drags on and on. All the tracks except Abhay's are tripe. The climax intended to be 'real' is hideous and falls flat. The worst part is that you don't feel for any of the characters at the end of it.

The humour oscillates between being very good to extremely flimsy and puerile. Abhay naming his puppy Kasab (who's a 'terror') as he was found on CST station (in Mumbai) has you in splits. But most of the jokes simply don't work, making you laugh unintentionally.  

Music is good and cinematography is beautiful. But the story is flawed and predictable, and requires more strength perhaps, especially the dialogues. Overall, definitely watchable, but somehow lacks something. Ravi Walia's cinematography is impressive. Sanjay Chhel's dialogues are inconsistently good.

Ajay Devgan proves that he can do comedy with equal ease as action and serious roles. Emraan Hashmi is good but it's getting boring to see him play similar characters again and again. He gets some of the best dialogues. And yes, he's back to his kissing ways! Omi Vaidya is remarkable. However, his accent reminds one of his famous character of Chatur from 3 IDIOTS. Shraddha Das is average. Shazahn Padamsee looks cute, acts well and remains in her character throughout. Tisca Chopra delivers an outstanding performance. Shruti Haasan can't act. All the other actors are good in their small roles.

Though the movie would generate reasonable collections, Madhur should rather stick to realistic cinema or improve immensely before attempting something different next time. DIL TOH BACCHA HAI JI doesn't win your dil.

The screen is cluttered with secondary characters that pop in and out without bringing anything to the story other than add to the mess. And that's what Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji is, a silly jumble of misspent potential and hollow creativity.

Could Have Been Better!

Rating: ( 2 /5 )

Dhobi Ghat *Review* by Danish Lakdawala

Dhobi Ghat is an acquired taste. Either the film will sink into your skin like a slow ache or it will be bewildering and downright boring. 

 
Dhobi Ghat is the story of 4 characters: Arun, the famous lonely painter (Aamir), Munna, the dhobi who wants to be a star (Prateik), Shai, the banker on a sabbatical in India (Monica) and Yasmin, the recently married Muslim girl who records her life in Mumbai for her brother back home (Kriti). They say that Mumbai is the fifth character in the movie, and if so, I found it to be a silent character, an immovable witness to the harmony and turmoil in which the characters function simultaneously. Much like the aunty in Arun's neighbouring apartment: always there, always seeing everything, but always silent. Not sure if that was a parallel that Kiran had in mind, but it seemed relevant to me.

Munna, played by Prateik, a dhobi with dreams of becoming an actor. And Yasmin, a young married Muslim girl, played by Kriti Malhotra, who makes video diaries that Arun discovers.

These people intersect in the disparate spaces of the city – posh art galleries and narrow gullies in slums; the dhobi ghat and high-rises.

Read more at: http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_Review.aspx?id=590&cp

Kiran Rao and cinematographer Tushar Kanti Ray construct a rich and intimate portrait of the city. In places, the locations almost overshadow the characters – there is a terrific shot of Arun walking down the bustling Mohammed Ali Road during Ramzan.

In another scene, Munna covers his shanty from the torrential rain as local trains whiz by.

Rao also observes human behavior keenly – so when Shai first asks Munna to sit down in her up-market apartment, he hesitantly feels the sofa before placing himself down. And when Shai’s disapproving maid serves them tea, she brings one nice cup and one glass that befits Munna’s status.

Prateik is achingly lovely as Munna but the star of the film is the luminous Kriti Malhotra who revealingly loses the hope and shine in her eyes.

This saga of love and longing is punctuated by a haunting background score created by Oscar-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla.

What doesn’t work as well is the pacing. Rao’s build-up of characters is painfully slow with the first 30 minutes or so being the most problematic.

Some of the early scenes are clumsy and the disjointed narrative just isn’t engaging enough. I was also confused by the suggestion that Munna is having a relationship with an older woman customer – so does the dhobi routinely offer more than just clean clothes?

Intriguingly, Aamir Khan, otherwise such a fine actor, strikes a false note.

With constantly furrowed brows, he seems to be performing at a different pitch from everyone else. You can almost feel the weight of being in an art house film on his shoulders - the early scenes with him and Monica are particularly awkward.

Still, if you are willing to have patience, Dhobi Ghat comes together nicely..

Read more at: http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_Review.aspx?id=590&cp

I rate the movie 2.5 stars.. some may like to watch it.. and some really won't :)
If u like movies of different genre... then go for it..  otherwise you may find it boring !

Rating -  2.5 / 5