Movie review: TAMAASHA

An Imtiaz Ali film warrants a watch. His storytelling and narrative has always been novel and many a times quite non-obvious
And when he teams with AR Rahman, Ranbir and Deepika, even at worse,it would still be a decent watch.
TAMAASHA then, is a fairly inconsistent film which with all its blemishes deserves to be seen. It might be unfulfilling, unsatisfactory and even drives home the same Imtiaz Ali message, yet it is not at all disappointing.
With its heart at the right place, one is more than willing to condone the irregular beats.

Rat-race can take a man from you, transform you into a machine and gradually drain you off emotionally. The materialistic need overpowering the elemental emotions.
Also,True love can show you your true self. Running away from the daily chores actually brings you closer to your self.
These messages formed the backbone of earlier Imtiaz's films and this movie too works on the same tangent.

There is a lot to like here if you are willing to invest yourself in the narrative. The crackling chemistry between the leads, brilliant music, and the genius of Imtiaz Ali on quite a handful of scenes.
The scene in which Ranbir and Deepika split, the scene in which Deepika persuades Ranbir to take her back, Ranbir's outburst in front of his Dad and many more emotionally move you. There are inventive presentations and some penetrating predicaments striking our hearts. The turbulence in Ranbir's life feels genuine, and his trauma feels relatable. His outbursts though feels contrived and uneven.

Ofcourse, the film suffers from a lot of self-indulgence and redundancy. The messages too,though well intended, are too many and poorly communicated. The predicaments of the protagonists lack the depth and on a few occasions even come across juvenile.

The performances as expected are powerful.Though Ranbir does a brilliant job, it is Deepika who steals the show with her big expressive eyes and an emotionally enriched performance.Many scenes work solely because of the maturity the lead pair brings to them.

Far from being thoroughly engaging and insightful, the movie sure has a large chunk which can be appreciated.

Do watch it.

Movie review :SPECTRE

Movie review: SPECTRE
There is one thing common between Salman khan in bollywood and JAMES BOND in Hollywood. Both are greater than their respective films. Their brand and reputation is larger than the movies they are a part of. Sadly though, On almost all occasions their movies are mediocre, hardly offer any novelty, are repetitive and so very predictable.

The new bond film: SPECTRE is not only predictable, it is dull and a big bore.
Gone are the days when spectacular locations around the world and a scintillating background worked for the BOND FLICK. The Bourne series and MI series provide all this accompanied by edge of the seat thrill.

Sadly here, there is no thrill, no nail biting narrative and absolutely no depth.
I am among the very rare breeds who are not fond of BOND films. They fail to excite me purely because the spy has it very easy. Troubled waters, but he rarely breaks a sweat and an edge of the seat Action thriller we are talking about.

The demeanour of BOND is the sole thing I love. His tuxedo is something to die for. But that is not enough to make your 200 bucks worth.

The BOND movies were never known for their emotional depth and we are perfectly fine with it. But the flamboyance is missing, the urgency is lacking and the coolness is a thing of the past.
No suspense whatsoever and even the Villainy is disappointing.

All in all, it is a below average film. Avoid it.

Movie review : PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO

Movie review: PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO

A Sanjay leela Bhansali wannabe that is old-fashioned, overly simplistic and too melodramatic.
Save for the last 20 odd minutes which has the signature Suraj barjatiya touch, most part of the movie (though pleasing to the eyes) is quite bad to your senses.

The Prince, with the swagger and style has the riches and the Pauper, with the heart and soul, has love to offer.
The message too is well intended: Family and love transcending every hatred.
But alas, all this thwarted by superficial writing and infantile treatment.

The problems are a plenty here.
The first half is a drag. Meant to be light and breezy, it turns out to be neither. Too many songs(none a chart buster or melodious), sporadic scenes, pedestrian comedy never giving the movie any steam to gather. The entire RAJGHARANA feels superficial and the characters mere caricatures. Visually stunning sets, brilliantly choreographed and shot song-dance sequences all ending up futile. The family clashes are way too shallow, the empathy and sympathy too naive and the screenplay weightless and cosmetic.

The second half too feels stretched and bogged down by lack of emotional depth.
The reunion of family members doesn't give you any high, the scenes failing to escalate any sentiments. Bits and pieces genius of Barjatiya gets diluted by the entire superficial ambience.

To make matters worse, the casting is horribly wrong. Sonam kapoor, Neil nitin Mukesh are the worst possible actors to play these roles. The brilliant Deepak Dobriyal and Sanjay Mishra have no meat whatsoever in their roles. Anupam kher is left stranded (quite literally too) in this overbearing franchise.

Eventually as in most his films, it boils down to Salman Khan to save the day. He is earnest, looks a billion bucks and offer some relief in this overdrawn and tedious watch. I could sit the entire length just because of him.

But here is the catch. After all this overbearing and over enduring proceeding, the final 20 minutes might just suddenly transform your thoughts. Strangely, you might ignore and forget everything and feel good about the movie. Why? Because it made you cry, gave you lumps in your throat.
If that is all what you are looking for ( and Salman khan ) give it a watch.
Otherwise, Stay away.

Movie review: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE Rogue nation

Impossible is Tom Cruise failing to surprise us with his daredevil and almost life-threatening stunts. The recent MI franchise introduces him half adhering and half hanging to an airplane while it gets airborne. How he keeps pulling it off  at 53 is some mystery. But onscreen, it is exhilarating and looks nothing short of spectacular.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is then, a fitting justice to its predecessors: it is thrilling, stylised and gives you just the adrenaline rush you are looking for. It follows the same formula as the earlier counterparts and emulates it with flair.

The film packs in every element to make it entertaining as hell. It absolutely wastes no time in introducing the menacing villain and quickly establishes the improbable tasks that lay at the forefront.

Barring the first franchise, which was quite intelligent and dense, all other flicks have emphasised more on edge of the seat action and nail biting thrill.To their credit, they have been very successful in mastering this art.

This movie too, has its share of some genuine tension laden scenario and some real adrenaline action sequences.Tom Cruise jumping into a large whirlpool and the entire underwater event is just fantastic. Another heart pumping action scene involving Tom Cruise on the motorbike is riveting too. Cruise on motorbike is sheer romance to the eyes.

The plot, for sure is not very smart, and doesn't offer any surprising revelations.
Nothing enlightening about the proceedings, but the fast pace, techno mumbo-jumbo and the relentless action never lets the interest dip. For almost the entire 2 hours, the viewer remains interested and engrossed. There is hardly any loss of steam and the pace stays brisk throughout.
A special mention for Rebecca fergueson( the dubious spy), she looks gorgeous and is fantastic in her action strings.She is way way better than any bond girls we have been witness to.

Finally, it was heartening to see a climax which was character dominated and not CGI driven. No mayhem and no chaos. Only one man to another. More effective for me this way. Though many would disagree, I was quite relieved.

In the end, the film entertains you to the hilt and satisfies your expectations. Go get your money's worth.

DRISHYAM : Movie review

Family comes first.They always do.They are a pivot on which our lives revolve. Family lets you stand put on slippery ground and manages to keep you afloat even in troubled waters.
It is also the family which gives you the strength to take on the world.
And so, Most often in matters concerning our own blood, the line between right and wrong becomes blurred significantly.

In DRISHYAM too, a man stands firm and stands strong for his family and makes every possible attempt to prevent them from any harm.
The movie then, though unsteady and crude in its execution, just about manages to hold your attention owing to its robust story and a quite strong second half.

Very seldom it happens that the two halves of a film are poles apart, both in terms of the narrative and the execution. It is the content in the second half of the film which makes the film rise above its flaws.

The first half is a big dull. Meant to introduce the facets of the protagonists middle class affairs, it fails miserably. The emotional bonding of the family never truly surfaces and their sentiments never quite kick into our senses. The director, so it seems, doesn't trust our intelligence, and establishes facts which are so on our face.
The monotonous track tries hard to be simplistic but becomes awfully boring. The humor is non-existing, and the a lot many scenes are purely unnecessary. Music doesn't help one bit.

Just about time when you want to give up on the film, and moments before the intermission, enter the always dependable Tabu, her entry being by far the most stylish introductions of a female protagonist on screen.
The movie post intermission, eventually finds steam and keeps you hooked for its entire length. It works best when it stays true to its thriller element.
The entire cat and mouse chase is intriguing as well as entertaining. The game of wits between the cop and the illiterate man is a lot of fun. The pace is good, and though it isn't nail biting, it surely is very gripping.

Barring the character of Tabu, every other character is badly written or underdeveloped. The biggest drawback is the character of Ajay Devgn. An illiterate man who plans and plots owing to his craziness for Cinema, his character comes off very one-dimensional. Ajay though, mostly makes it up with his convincing eyes.

If you end up on a high, probably you don't care much of what happened before the intermission. For the very same reason, the film scores and becomes an above average watch.
Not entirely disappointing. The content and the story will let you condone the below average narrative.

Movie review : BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN

Bonding with a child can make you do strange things, their innocence and vulnerability can bring out the best in you and many a times their despair and grief can stretch you to attain the implausible. In BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN, the same bond transcends all- caste, religion and even borders and transforms a simpleton into a messiah.

Usually, a Salman khan film does not necessitate an emotional and coherent plot. Commercially speaking, his movies are never in need of anything which even vaguely resembles a decent script.
His swagger and his demeanour is all his fans ask for, his pelvic thrusts and cheezy one-liners are what they throng in for. Paisa vasool for them, end of the story.

But this film displays a different him, he minus his flamboyance and swagger. He is no larger than life hero here who thrashes the daylights out of the bad guys, does not vocal his signature one-liners and never for once rips off his shirt for the audiences.
Instead, he plays ( or underplays) a naive, honest and earnest simpleton who keeps bowing in front of every ape in gratitude owing to his Hanuman worshipping. Still then, he brings an unmissable charm and sincerety to his character which gradually grows on you.

BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN, then, is a hypersweet, over simplistic and unabashedly massy portrayal of a man reuniting a mute six year old girl to her family in Pakistan.

The show stealer in this Salman khan film is strangely, not him. She is this super cute and adorable mute girl, played by Harshaali malhotra, whose charming demeanour and expressive eyes do wonders for the film. The film succeeds largely because of her and her predicaments. Her relationship with Salman khan is of essence here and their journey, though predictable, has its heart at the right place.

The intelligence is lowbrow here, but the intent is omnipresent. The cross border conflict is addressed very simplistically and is way too contrived, but the message seems to make sense. The ideologies, religious practices and the socio norms all faintly dealt with, some work and most don't. But what for the most part works, is the fact that it projects love and peace as  strong forces. What makes the film rise over its flaws is the message it puts forth: compassion being a universal language and transcending every barrier.

The film also succeeds because of the infectious energy that Nawazuddin siddique brings to the forefront. Though he has his presence only in the second half, he is an absolute joy to watch. His timing and body language is both crackling and riveting.There are instances when the sheer talent and craft of Nawazuddin even overpowers the charm of Salman khan.

Every attempt is made in the long drawn climax to impact the tear ducts of the audiences and to the director's credit, it does work.You know the consequences,  you know what is to come and you know the result and yet you feel the lumps in your throat when it happens.

It is very tough not to like a film which makes you cry in the end. Over dramatic as it may seem, and way too loose and a tad too lengthy, but still this film is immensely watchable.

Movie review: BAHUBALI

Stunning visuals, technical splendour   and grandeur stylised execution. Add to it, the warmth of human sentiments and we have BAHUBALI : an epic, ambitious tale which stays with you long after you leave the cinema halls.

If you can't do much with the story, you better be good with the presentation. If the premise (the old good against evil) offers no novelty, make sure the execution is innovative. And this is exactly what BAHUBALI has in to offer. More so, it does better: enthralling you and captivating your senses for most part of the film's running time.

Great CGIs and VFXs alone are never instrumental in making a film work. They only complement and enhance a director's vision. And here we have, a visionary and enterprising director, who takes a routine revenge saga and transforms it into a colossal establishment. His synchrony with technology and tradition deserves special mention.

It is the sheer brilliance of the filmmaker, who, inspite of giving an over the top and a high decibel melodrama, infuses moments of genuine arousal and makes the viewer root for their protagonists. He understands his craft perfectly and knows exactly when to escalate the scene and the viewers mood.

The intermission point when Shiva holds onto the 50 feet golden statue from falling and in return the crowd responds by screaming 'Bahubali Bahubali ' in unison is absolutely riveting. It is a scene which is bound to make you stand up and applaud.

To be honest though, the film surely suffers from minor glitches.Not everything works and not everything sinks in too.The first half feels weighed down by its length and the silly love track hamper the proceedings further. The love story never picks up, looks contrived and even foolish. But then, there is much to savour even in scenes which are silly and inconsequential. Full marks to the director for having the intent and for trying.

There are glimpses and impressions of a handful of Hollywood flicks, but they are intelligently inculcated and sprinkled with original makeovers.

The final half an hour, depicting the battle is nothing short of astounding. Never redundant or repetitive, it throws in some of the best camera shots and makes in for a compelling watch.

Very few films warrant a sequel, and even few, deserves them. This one surely does.
Do not miss it.