The Shaukeens - Movie Review

Remaking old classics should be made punishable in India. This week's release 'The Shaukeens' is a classic case of borrowing a plot in the name of remaking and then killing the soul of the movie and the audience's minds. Director Abhishek Sharma's second outing is as disappointing as contrast to his debut 'Tere Bin Laden' which was quite hilarious and had a soul.

The story is about three sex deprived old men played by Annu Kapoor, Piyush Mishra and Anupam Kher who after trying their hand in getting laid with women in India head to Mauritius. There they rent out a cottage belonging to Lisa Haydon who is an eccentric and dumb designer who loves to stalk Akshay Kumar and is willing to do anything to meet the superstar. Taking advantage of the situation the three old men one after the other use different means to get her to meet Akshay Kumar in the hope of getting laid with the dumb belle.

The story delves on a thin plot line which runs out of steam in few minutes. Rest whatever run time of the movie is just stretched out to make it last for 2 hours. The Akshay Kumar track is hilarious but it looks like a different movie stitched to the sex starved old men's story.

Songs pop up at different intervals giving no link to the main story or plot. The direction is quite amateurish and the story, screenplay is plain bad. The dialogues are witty at certain places and evokes few laughter.

Performance wise all the three main characters played by Annu Kapoor, Anupam Kher and Piyush Mishra stand out. Akshay in an extended cameo is good however Lisa does not live upto the promise she showed in 'Queen'.

The music is bad apart from 'Manali Trance' and editing is quite patchy. The background score is nothing great to rave about and so is the cinematography which is quite average. On the whole it is a badly made movie with some good performances.  

My Verdict: *  

Poor - *, Average - **, Good - ***, Very Good - ****, Excellent - *****

Movie Review: Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania

Bollywood writers and directors are running out of ideas and that’s quite evident with the kind of movies that are being made these days. If not a South remake, then it could be a Hollywood or Korean movie inspiration or an old movie remake. This week’s release ‘HUMPTY SHARMA KI DULHANIA’ is a clear case of movie inspired by the cult classic ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ however set in Indian heartland. The admiration Karan Johar has for DDLJ is quite evident in the narrative due to nostalgia attached to it for him (as it was Karan’s first movie as an actor and assistant director).

The story is about Kavya (Alia) and Humpty (Varun). Like the original movie here Kavya is engaged to be married and she takes a trip from Ambala to Delhi to shop for her wedding trousseau. In Delhi she accidentally meets the irresponsible and jugadu Humpty Sharma who loses his heart for her at the first sight. Kavya is unattainable for him initially however he does not lose heart and pursues her. Interestingly he even helps save her friend Gurpreet’s marriage. As they spend time together they grow closer however Kavya realizes that her father (Ashutosh Rana) will not approve of her relationship with Humpty. Her trip comes to an end and she returns to Ambala.

Not to lose hope easily Humpty along with his friends Shonty (Gaurav Pandey) and Poplu (Sahil Vaid) leave for Ambala to get Kavya. That's the beginning of a journey for him that he wouldn't have imagined undertaking even in the wildest of his dreams. There are many instances in the movie that are a straight lift from the original movie. However one can definitely say that since most of the romantic movies are predictable, HUMPTY SHARMA KI DULHANIA is no exception. Although his debut movie, the way Shashank Khaitan takes you through the narrative is what makes it worthwhile. It's a fun ride which makes you go weak in the knees and also laugh in certain portions. Some of the songs act as a speed-breaker to the film's flow. Like the story and script even the songs are a straight lift from popular songs eg: Tenu Main Samjhawan Ki and Saturday  Saturday. Neha Parti Matiyani (DoP) has done a great job bringing to life the vibrant colors of Punjab.

As far as performances go Alia and Varun do a wonderful job adding solidity and strength to their respective roles. Their chemistry is crackling and could be the next superstar jodi like SRK-Kajol or Amitabh-Rekha etc. Siddharth Shukla plays his part confidently and so does the supporting cast comprising of Ashutosh Rana, Kenny Desai (Varun's father), Deepika Amin (Alia's mother), Jaswant Daman (Alia's grandmother), Mahnaz Damania [Alia's sister], Gaurav Pandey (Shonty), Aditya Sharma (Alia's brother) and Sahil Vaid (Poplu), who is terrific!

On the whole although inspired, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania will definitely appeal to its target audience and make some decent numbers at the box office.
MY VERDICT: ***
Poor - *, Below Average - **, Decent - ***, Good - ****, Excellent - *****

Movie Review: Heropanti

This week we had two big movies releasing simultaneously viz; Kochadaiiyan starring legendary superstar Rajnikanth and Heropanti starring newbie Tiger Shroff and South import Kriti Sanon. After delivering two hits 'Highway' and '2 States' Sajid Nadiadwala returns with the debut vehicle of Jackie Shroff's son Tiger Shroff's Heropanti which raised my expectations at the onset.

However I must say the movie was quite average with some hummable tunes and a refreshing act by Kriti Sanon. Tiger Shroff seems to be too wooden quite opposite from his talented father, however he is a good stuntman and dancer.

The story is set in Jattland where the local don Chaudhary (Prakash Raj) is having a pompous wedding for his elder daughter Renu (Sandeepa Dhar). On the night of the wedding Renu elopes with her boyfriend Rakesh, resulting in a frantic search for her across the village. The goons gauge that Rakesh’s friends might have helped him in it and they are promptly picked up by them one after another.

After a massive search, the goons manage to find Bablu (Tiger) who is the real one helping Rakesh and Renu. Tiger, meanwhile in captivity, tells his friends about his love interest. As luck would have it, the love interest is none other than Chaudhury’s younger daughter Dimpy (Kriti Sanon).

Not only is this film about how Dimpy and Tiger’s love story end up in the iconic Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge style but also about altering the moral stands of the men of Jattland who look upon women as cattle. The movie is a remake of Telegu movie 'Paragu' starring Allu Arjun.

The direction by Sabbir Khan is quite average. The fight sequences are good and innovative, full marks goes to Tiger for executing it so well on screen. The music is quite inspired especially the song 'Raat Bhar' which is a straight lift of the song 'Muktasar Mulaqat' from Teri Meri Kahani. 'Whistle Baja' song is quite catchy which has the hit signature tune from Jackie Shroff's debut movie 'Hero'.

Overall the movie is just a one time watch. If you give it a miss, still you wont be missing anything.

My Verdict: Below Average

Movie Review: Main Tera Hero

Entertainment! Entertainment!! Entertainment!!! and there is no one apart from David Dhawan who is the biggest Entertainer of all in the movie industry. This week we have 'Main Tera Hero' directed by David starring his son Varun, Ileana and Nargis Fakhri. Like most of David's movies in the past, Main Tera Hero is again a remake of a South Indian movie 'Kandeeriga'.

Seenu (Varun Dhawan) is a prankster who comes to Bangalore for studies and falls in love with the beautiful Sunaina (Ileana). Angad Negi (Arunoday Singh) is in love with Sunaina and won’t have anyone hitting on her. Worse still, he’s a cop.

No sooner does Seenu’s love story with Sunaina gets going than she’s kidnapped by a Bangkok based don (Anupam Kher), whose daughter Ayesha (Nargis Fakhri) has a serious crush on Seenu.

Seenu reaches Bangkok and there unfolds the screwball tomfoolery as both the ladies vie for his love. Angad, too, joins the melee.

There is not much of a story in the movie but the slapstick humor and some witty dialogues by Milap Zaveri does the trick. However there are few dialogues which sound quite corny but you cannot view a full on entertainment movie like this with an art house movie mindset. The songs by Sajid-Wajid are foot tapping especially 'Palat', 'Shanivar Raati' and 'Besharmi Ki Night'.

The movie belongs to Varun Dhawan and he makes good use of the platform he has received from his father. Although you do see a lot of Govinda, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan influence in his performances and dance steps, however he has definitely grown as an actor compared to his debut movie. Ileana is decent however Nargis seriously needs some course in acting. She is quite wooden and does not fit the character, maybe a better actress would have taken the fun quotient to a higher level.

Arunoday Singh, Rajpal Yadav, Saurabh Shukla, Manoj Pahwa and Anupam Kher are good in their respective roles. However, Shakti Kapoor has been totally wasted.

Main Tera Hero is a mass entertainer and it will definitely find favour with the youth and mass who love such movies. If you compare Main Tera Hero with any of David's previous movies then it is not too great however it is not a bad movie either. Watch it for time-pass entertainment.

MY VERDICT: ***

HIGHWAY: Movie Review

After Siddharth Malhotra it is time for another student from Karan Johar's camp to make her second movie release. So this week Alia Bhatt comes back on screen with Imtiaz Ali's HIGHWAY a year and a half from her debut movie STUDENT OF THE YEAR.

HIGHWAY is the story of two scarred characters who by a twist of destiny come together to take a journey with no destination. In a scene Alia Bhatt's character mouths a dialogue where she says that she does not want to go back to her world nor does she want to reach the destination of the journey but still she is enjoying the journey and that I believe in a nutshell Imtiaz wants to show on the screen and I must tell you he has done it to great extent.

Like few reviewers commented that HIGHWAY as a movie is glorifying kidnapping and many people would like to get kidnapped only for an experience shown in the movie. However I must say that this is just a story of a character called Veera (Alia) who gets kidnapped accidentally a day before her wedding night by another character Mahabir Bhatti (Randeep), so passing a statements saying the movie glorifies kidnapping is wrong and out of character for most of the reviewers.

Now coming to the plot, Alia is a character who is brought up in a well to do family that believes in showing a happy picture to the outside world while keeping their ugly secrets under the carpet. She feels trapped in her own house whereas Randeep's character is someone who carries wounds from his childhood. He has not had a comfortable or happy childhood and he is haunted by the memories of his mother's miseries who was his only consolation.

So when these two scarred characters from two different strata of society meet and connect with each other over their insecurities and sorrows, thats when love blossoms. They want to be there for each other and lead an existence away from their two distinctive worlds for few days.

The story is very emotional and Imtiaz has tried to tell it with utmost conviction but he falters at few places however they are just mere speed breakers in the beautiful journey shown across  6 states. I wouldn't call HIGHWAY as Imtiaz's most accomplished works but I would say this movie had its soul in the right place.

Considering that it is her second movie Alia has grown leaps and bounds as an actor and HIGHWAY will be her career turning movie like what JAB WE MET did to Kareena's. Her child like innocence in the earlier reels and then the emotional break down she goes through during the last reels of the movie gives her an unique chance to play a character with a great graph and doing justice to such a character that too in her second movie is a praiseworthy thing.

Randeep Hooda is first rate in his subdued and brooding character. In the entire movie we see him smiling in one sequence when Alia Bhatt comes searching for him after they get separated and that scene shows how his character is also wanting her to be around him and more than her it is he who needs her. The chemistry between the two actors is good and you feel from them.

Unlike Imtiaz's previous movies HIGHWAY has a lot of moments where silence and ambient noise in the surrounding play an important role. The background score is minimal and the music by AR Rahman is in sync with the theme of the movie. Especially 'Pataka Guddi', 'Tu Kuja Man Kuja' and 'Sooha Saha' sung by Alia Bhatt.

The cinematographer Anil Mehta captures the beautiful scenery wonderfully and gives a portrait like quality to each and every scene. The supporting actors are quite good and enact their roles efficiently. Editing could have been crisper in few scenes but overall Aarti Bajaj does a great job.

On the whole don't go with an expectation to see a Jab We Met or a Love Aaj Kal just go to watch Highway with an open mind and I am sure you will not be disappointed.

MY VERDICT: *** Good Watch!

Movie Review: Hasee Toh Phasee

Hasee Toh Phasee this week's Pre-Valentine's Day release is a sweet rom-com coming out of Karan Johar's stables but this time he is accompanied by Anurag Kashyap's Phantom Films as co-producer.

The movie is Siddharth Malhotra's second outing after Student Of The Year and I must tell you, in his second movie he seems more confident and delivers what is given to him. However the surprise packet in this movie is Parineeti Chopra who holds the movie altogether on her tender shoulders. This will be a milestone movie in both Parineeti and Siddharth's careers.

Now coming to the plot, Meeta (Parineeti) is a quirky character who runs away on the night of her elder sister's marriage where she briefly meets Nikhil (Siddharth). Nikhil meets Karishma (Adah Sharma) in the same wedding who coincidentally is again Meeta's sister and soon they fall in love.

The movie moves seven years ahead and we see Nikhil getting ready to get married to Karishma. Meeta who was in China comes back to India however she is kept hidden from her family members by Nikhil and Karishma.

In the seven days of the marriage celebrations, Nikhil and Meeta come closer and they fall in love. So what is the reason for Meeta to run away from India in the first place and why she is kept hidden from her own family are things one discover during the course of the movie. Moreover the narrative is such that the audience is kept hanging to know if Nikhil and Meeta get together or not in the end.

The movie by debutant director Vinil Mathew is a feel good story and will definitely click with the younger generation. Vinil is good with his direction and he is able to do complete justice to the story and screenplay written by Harshavardhan Kulkarni. The music by Vishal-Shekhar is quite catchy especially 'Zehanaseeb', 'Bulava', 'Punjabi Wedding' and 'Drama Queen'. The cinematography by Sanu John Varughese is good.


Performances as pointed out by me in the beginning by both Siddharth and Parineeti is first rate. In the supporting cast Manoj Joshi, Neena Kulkarni, Adah Sharma, Sharat Saxena and Jageesh Mukati shine out also the guy who keeps on singing Anu Malik songs is quite hilarious. On the whole the movie is quite entertaining and paisa vasool. At the box office the movie will be a winner as multiplex audience will definitely enjoy watching this fare dished out by Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Vikas Bahl.

My Verdict: *** Good :)

Philomena: Movie Review

 After a long wait I was able to watch Stephen Frears 'Philomena' starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan based on a book by Martin Sixsmith titled "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee". This is one movie in years that made me wait impatiently for all these days after just hearing a one liner and seeing the poster. The movie tells the true story of Philomena Lee's 50-year-long search for her son who was taken away from her and given for adoption by the Roscrea Convent Nuns. The story is a heart wrenching saga which makes you smile and moist eyed at the same time.

The plot of the story starts with a 70 year old Philomena (Judi Dench) lighting a candle in her Catholic church and remembering her son Anthony. On being asked by her daughter the reason for her being sad she confesses for the first time about her son Anthony who was taken away from her 50 years back as she was an unwed mother. The child was adopted by a family and she was not able to find her child even after several visits to the convent who kept on sending her back assuring her of finding and informing her the details.

Her daughter is leaving for work catering at a party where she overhears Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), one of the guests, mentioning that he is a journalist and she approaches him to see if he will report on the scandalous story she has just learned of from her mother. Although he initially scorns human interest stories - and the daughter herself, he needs work as he lost his job recently as a Labour government adviser. He finds an editor who is a potential new employer for him who wants him to get human interest stories to be employed. Martin has second thoughts the next day and meets Philomena and her daughter, and they start to investigate what had become of her son.

The long search that starts from Roscrea takes both Philomena and Martin to Washington and then back to Roscrea where the story started and ended.

The movie is a fine piece of heart that will make you feel for a mother who has lost her child fifty years back and who is still hopeful of finding him one day. Judi Dench gives a very heartfelt performance as Philomena and she is ably supported by Steve Coogan. The screenplay by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope is wonderful and has got a lot of recognition worldwide. The cinematography by Robbie Ryan is beautiful and so is the background music by Alexandre Desplat.

This is a must watch movie for every cinema lover who loves to see a wonderful story with great performances.

My Verdict:**** A must watch!!!