“ROCK ON is…….. BANGGG ON!!!”

Many eyebrows were raised when Farhan Akhtar-the Filmmaker decided to slip into the shoes of an Actor for his production house’s next venture: ROCK ON. Being an ace Director, instead of sailing the ship himself, he handed over the oars to late 90s’ Super-flop Actor Abhishek Kapoor aka Gattu. When initial promos were rolled on to the floor, Farhan was seen crooning few senseless lines that constitute the music of the movie based on Rock Band. Add to it an allegation of being “Dil Chahta Hia“ kinda movie was doing the rounds, so comparisons was nothing but obvious. Phewwww….. So Far…So Bad!!!! First impression is the last impression, isn’t it? Well.. Not really; atleast not in this case. Sadly for the Critics, all the bad-things culminate to a sudden demise then and there, as Farhan and his “Few Good Men” are Bang-On in their endeavor.

Farhan Akhtar has done a commendable job donning three different hats as an Actor, Singer and Dialogue Writer. He was more than comfortable facing the Camera as he was behind it. As a singer his unconventional voice gels well with the mood of the movie and it’s rather impossible to think about the songs sans his vocal skills. All the songs sung by him:”Socha Hai”, “Tum ho Toh”, “Pichle Saat Dinon”, “Sinbad the Sailor” and the title track “Rock On” creates an aura of Rock Music around you. Other three pillars of Rock On troop - Arjun Rampal, Purab Kohli and Luke Kenny has done equal justice to their respective roles. Its hard to judge who was better amongst three of them; While Arjun played aggressive yet subdued character, Purab was his usual self with his tongue-in-cheek humor and Luke Kenny plays the peacemaker-in-chief. All these protagonists were never allowed to go overboard and emerge as a triumphant in their own shell of characterization. The credit should go to the debutante-director for taking the best out of his cast-n-crew. Prachi has made an impressive debut; she looked pretty and enacted both the lighter and emotional scenes with ridiculous ease. It’s refreshing to see her out of those trite K-Series and Saas-Bahu-sagas. Shabana Goswami, getting equal footage as her compatriot Prachi, was impressive both as a confidence-boosting girlfriend and as a middle-class frustrated wife. The rocking music by ever-so-experimenting trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is heart-n-soul of the movie and is best suited to watch within the closed doors of the Theatre; but once you are out of it you will even love to beat your ear-drums playing the tracks through your personal iPods.

Being touted as first ever Rock Movie in Bollywood, it has its share of emotional, romantic and humorous quotient to make it enthralling and a complete must watch. Without any tinge of doubt, the movie is aimed towards Youngistaan and will (already is) appeal (ing) to the youth, immensely. It’s a story of four friends and there journey spanning more than ten years. It’s a story of chasing their dreams, their passion; it’s a story about the special bonding known as friendship. Its story about their clashing egos, their struggle, their compulsions to thrive in this cut-throat competitive world that forms the road block to relishing their dream of being a Rock Band. As a construed thought, actually it’s not just a story; it’s a mirror image of one’s own life – Yours’, Mine and all the Youth-Brigade in one way or the other.

Harjeet’s Verdict: Rock On gives an ample testimony of the changing phase of Bollywood. It delineates the different kind of genre all together and targets towards the niche audience. It would be awesome for some, mediocre for few and utter rubbish for others. So make your own choice as per the gist deduced from the review; either raise a toast for FRIENDSHIP and “Keep Rocking” or just lay back and “Stay in Peace”.

It’s never too late to Re-LIVE your dreams; Grab the second Opportunity and cherish it forever….n ever!!!

“Forget BADSHAH..Spare SHEHANSHAH; KINNG has arrived!!”

What is the parameter to judge the Stardom? When one can be called as a SUPERSTAR by every sense of the word? When the real Star stands tall while other actors’ fortune-pendulum swings every Friday from sky-high to the lowest-low? That happens when SRK cashes all his way through the Bank riding on the success of duds like KANK and OSO. When Aamir Khan literally walk through a “Mela” unfazed and unscathed and when Salman Khan can takes his shirt at will with no major Hits, still. And now one outsider is entering into this All-Khan Elite Club and that’s our very own Akshay “Khiladi” Kumar. Singh Is Kinng, the latest Akki-Offering, gives ample testimony of this fact and it goes like this:
Is It OVERHYPED? : Few reels into the movie, the very title of the movie looks farce for the real SINGH like me because the portrayal of the character played by Akshay Kumar is inconsistent throughout the movie. Sometimes he is adorned in well-tied turban, but in continuation you will find him in capped-turban which looks really odd to say the least. In addition to that, he tried all kinds of beards possible under the sun. The story kicks off on a strong note with yet again Punjab-Village backdrop, but soon loses its sheen when it takes the shape of torrid tale of events portrayed in umpteen earlier flicks. The presence of over-dozen characters adds to the confusion and even though it has been advised to leave your brains at home, still there is serious possibility of a severe head-ache. The art of story-telling and standard of humor by Anees Bazmee is going down by alarming rate and that should be addressed at the earliest by the man himself.
BAS EK KINNG? : Without any tinge of doubt the movie belongs to Akshay Kumar who has dominated each and every frame of the movie. In today’s scenario, he has mastered the art of comic scenes and looks completely at ease while playing a stroll-in-the-park role. Katrina Kaif has done her best what she knows best, and that’s to look stunningly gorgeous. This movie has made a complete mockery of the talent of Om Puri and was totally wasted as Protagonist’s buddy, infact he was totally forgotten in second half’s proceedings. Kirron Kher continued where she left in OSO and hammed left, right and center. Ranvir Shourey was totally out-of-place and looked lost in wonderland. Javed Jafri got entangled himself in “goody” and “badie” souls but still was better than his other counterparts. Sonu Sood was average in patches, and what the hell Neha Dhupia was doing in the movie… your guess is as good as mine.
CHAK DE PHATTE: Music has played an important role in upward lift on the success-ladder of Akshay Kumar and Singh is Kinng is no difference. Whether its Pritam’s original compositions or plagiarized ones, few of the songs are already topping the chartbusters. The title track has been placed intelligently in the movie and looks best on the screen and in a way christens the Super Stardom of Akshay Kumar as a new King of Bollywood. While Teri Ore made ear-soothing by enigmatic voice of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Jee Karda has its Punjabi fervour intact- thanks to Labh Janjua. Talli Hua is a complete misfit and Bhootni Ke was wasted with the voice of Mika rather than in his Brother-Daler Mahendi’s voice. The must publicized Snoop Dogg’s version of Title Song is pointlessly saved for the post-flick-thanks-giving titles and gets lost in the oblivion.
Harjeet SINGH’s Verdict: Barring charismatic Akshay Kumar and the Punjabi-flavored music, there is nothing to rave about the movie. There are few dialogues in the movie that makes SIKHs happy and proud as prior to this they are used as laughing stock in Bollywood movies. If these are enough reasons to watch the movie then give this one a shot, or else- STAY IN PEACE. 2 Star out of 5 for the flick and 10 out of 5 for the title, Yes.. Its true: SINGH IS always a KINNG.

“Pappu Paas Ho Gaya”…. For Sure!!!

We all do get a bit nostalgic while watching a good movie based on the college life with a bunch of young artistes reliving the moments we shared and will cherish till eternity. Truly, those are the best days of our lives and we all want those days to be portrayed in a manner so as to give the feeling of oneself. So, with lotzz of apprehensions and anxieties I stepped into the theatre to watch Aamir Khan Productions’ another venture - Jaane Tu…..Ya Jaane Na!!!

Initial few minutes and few reels later, the doubts mentioned above gave way to other more prominent ones, since the movie is surely about college friends but not about college days. On the contrary, the real movie kick-starts with the farewell day of our Protagonists- Jai and Aditi. Through-out the next two hours or so you will witness the sequences and situations that have been showcased on the silver screen for the umpteen times. And here lies the choice to the “Captain of the Ship”-The Director, either to make the hackneyed and clichéd storyline look fresh’n’new or to let the ennui crept into the audience’s weary mind. The Writer-turned-Director Abbas Tyrewala has done the former with panache, as he already won half the battle by getting on-board the near perfect casting coup for Jaane-Tu and giving them the work-shop training for getting into the skin of their characters. What makes the difference between Jaane Tu.. and zillion other “Friends falling in love”-sagas is the way the story has been portrayed and the credit should go to the man for achieving this easy-looking but an arduous task. True, the story drags a bit in second half but it never goes overboard to the level of being crawled.

Like the director, Jaane Tu.. marks the debut of Aamir Khan’s nephew Imran Khan and the new lad looks promising atleast in this movie. Surely, to excel in bollywood the current trend is to possess a well-chiseled body and to be blessed with dancing-prowess akin to that of Hrithik Roshan, but Imran did’nt gave any signs of these two pre-requisites. But the fact remains; this also doesn’t guarantee the box-office success as Harmen Baweja will give the testimony of the fact. The newest “Khan on the bloc” still needs to be tested in intense emotional scenes and few other challenges are waiting on the podium. But as for now he can take a sigh of relief as he has reincarnated the debut of three Khans in late 80’s and early 90’s. Jaane tu .. will definitely pump a breath of fresh air to the sinking boat of Genelia’s Bombay-Dreams. She is already a big name down south but somehow was not able to carve her niche in Bollywood. Jaane tu.. gives her an opportunity to be herself and she has done a tremendous job. She looked vivacious, chirpy and enthrallingly-vibrant in most part of the movie. She also looked at ease in intense emotional scenes and her beatific killer-smile gave many a hearts floating. It’s Bollywood-Calling for Genelia, finally.

A perfect foil has been created for the lead-pair in the form of few interesting characters to complete their gang of friends. All of them has done a decent job and keeps the audience glued whenever the focus is not on Imran and Genelia. Amidst the deluge of debuts, the maiden performance by Prateek Babbar- son of Raj Babbar and Smita Patil, doesn’t goes unnoticed and he’s quite impressive in his nitty-gritty role. Watch out for the efficacious camaraderie shown by the real life couple of Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah. The former provides some of the most hilarious moments of Jaane tu… Naseer again gives the stamping proof of the fact that he can perform the spectrum of roles with ridiculous ease and minimum of fuss.

The music of the movie is youthful and peppy which is evident from the first promotional song of the movie: Pappu Can’t Dance and it’ll surely become the anthem for the party-goers with two left feet. Nazrien Milana and Kabhi Kabhi Aditi are the two other full-blown songs in the movie and do come with the situation and are soothing to the ears. Other songs viz the Title track and Jane tu mera kya hai are played in the background through-out the movie and hence trouble the proceedings by noughts.

Harjeet’s Verdict: The crux-story of Jaane Tu… is neither “Fresh” nor there is anything “Different” about it. Still, Jaane tu.. is “Refreshingly Different”.

To decipher my verdict go watch Jaane tu.. Ya Jaane Na. Till then, Stay in Peace!!!!

“SARKAR” will again “RAJ” the Roost

The fate of Ram Gopal Verma, the Ace Director who has perfected the art of story-telling involving Underworld through two of his best movies: Satya and Company, has gone from bad to worse in last couple of years. Blame it on his arrogance OR wrong choices of movie-selection, the RGV factory was in total doldrums. The only saving grace of his otherwise sorry tale of mis-endeavors was Sarkar, that came well three years back. Now to know whether the Ramu’s move to recreate the magic through its sequel gives hope to the sinking-ship or it back-fires (Read Back-AAG), lets take a sneak peek of Sarkar-Raj:

The Legacy Continues: In Sarkar Raj, Big B has taken a back seat and Abhishek,a nascent Politician, comes out of his shadow and transforms himself into a young and demure yet shrewd and intelligent Leader. The Father-son relationship has been shown in a subtle way, neither having over-the-top emotional clichés nor endorsing melodramatic drama. Similar to its prequel, Sarkar Raj too has dialogues in minimal, but wherever indispensable, it has been delivered immaculately. Displaying whole range of expressions through the eloquent eyes of his protagonists has always been Ramu’s forte and Sarkar Raj succeeds in that regard as well. Be it love and affection OR hatred and vengeance, the Bacchans accomplished it with ridiculous ease. While Big B still gives the new brigade the run for their money, Little B doesn’t shy away and gives the top-notch performance with élan.

Finally finding his Foothold: Sarkar Raj will definitely pump a breath of fresh air to RGV’s moribund factory. After giving us series of duds at BO, more importantly, nonsense crappers; he finally regained his lost touch with a flick in his own familiar and conquered territory. Right from the start to finish, its RGV’s movie; his usual artistic camerawork, his signature intermittent hiatus in between the dialogues, his vision that gives new dimension to the darkness which is proved by the fact that there is hardly any source of illumination used in the scenes enacted inside the rooms. All in all, the virtual presence of Ramu in every scene, yelling; NO-LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! is nothing but obvious.

Freshers in Sequel: Apart from the core-characters there are few fresh sailors in the boat named Sarkar Raj. Amongst all the new characters, Gobind Namdeo and Upendra Limaye stands tall in their small yet powerful role. Dilip Prabhavalkar and Sayaji Shinde excels in their nitty-gritty roles. Aishwarya Rai, it seems, has utilized the ace company she founds her self in, and learnt a few nuances of acting from her hubby-dear and Pa-in-Law. Bappi-Tutul has done a decent job with the music and more so since its goes well with the movie and doesn’t hampers its pace. The Original Music director of Sarkar, Amar Mohile , has donned the cap of the Background scorer and does full justice to it. The Govinda-Govinda track is the heart-n-soul of the Sarkar series and is used very diligently in Sarkar Raj as well.

The Verdict- Harjeet Ishtyle: If you have a sweet tooth for soft-romantic flicks, give this one a miss. If you liked Sarkar, you will surely enjoy watching Sarkar Raj provided you do that with full concentration on the dialogues, Bacchans’ demeanor and their acting prowess.
P.S: For Ramu- I give you the credit for few more AAGs in coming years if you promise to give equally enthralling Sarkar3. For the time being: Stay in Peace!!!

Bhajji shakes Sreeshanth; Cheerleaders, The Nation

Ongoing IPL has its share of fun, mazaa, excitement, intermittent boredom, individual brilliance, top-notch performances etc etc etc. But in the hindsight what catches the limelight in the first half of first version of this dream project of BCCI is Bhajji-Sree brotherly ties and premature sacking of Chherleaders' old Dress-designers and some new one (Probably with more Indian-ness) appointed to reinstate their job.

In my opinion the 11-IPL Match Ban on Harbhajan Singh is justified to the fact that irrespective of the degree of provocation, physical contact with your teammate or oppostion team's member is higly unacceptable. This rebuke is long due for Bhajji taking in account his exaggerated aggro on the field. But what’s indigestible is easy let-off of his Partner-in-Crime Sree(A)shanth. His demeanor on and off the field is really unwanted for and sooner or later he'll also meet with the equally harsh fate as his counterpart in that slap-fiasco. They might have embraced each other for the shutterbugs’ delight, but deep inside there would be a bit of sourness and that’s for me is not a good news for Indian Cricket.

Coming back to my next topic and my favourite too: Cheergirls in IPL. Recently, there has been enough hoopla over the Cheergirls’ costumes in all the Quarters of Political corridors. It seems politicians were more concerned about their revealing outfits than the poverty and corruption in our Country. It has been discussed in all the houses of parliament and in the aftermath of word-war it has been decided to cover up the girls. That might have dampened the spirits of few of the IPL fans; those are waiting with bated breath for the fours and sixes from the players so that they can watch the girls perform the jigs and do the best what they are appointed for: Cheer ‘em up !!!!

The slap cost Bhajji a whopping 3 Crore plus and that might go into the record books as the most costliest Slap ever. I hope sanity will prevail and he’ll control his on-field aggression and transform that into some match-winning performances. On the other hand, stay tuned for further subtle or major changes in the Cheerleaders’ wardrobe. You might see them dancing in Sarees or Gaghra-Cholis as we want to give Saas-Bahu-Sagas the run for their money.
See who is smiling looking at them: Its none other than Rakhi Sawant. She can still wear those revealing outfits and can shake her legs anywhere and everywhere.
I hate to use the above name in my article, but if Aaj Tak is on threshold of making her their Brand Ambassador, then why should I shy away. Anyways, Rakhi won’t mind, after all no publicity is bad publicity.

My apologies for not concentrating on Cricket for scribing this article on the inaugural T20 Premier League because that’s what IPL is all about:
CRICKETAINMENT-Manoranjan ka Baap!!!

Tashan: A Stale Offering

Gone are those days when big-banners almost guaranteed the success at the box office. Recent Yashraj debacles (barring Chak-De India) and “Johar’s Krap- KANK” presents the ample testimony of this fact. Also, record proves that most of the multi-starrers drawn blank in the past and fails to live-up to the ever-mounting expectations of the audiences. So there was lotzz of doubts and anxiety over Tashan of Yashraj Factory, more so because the story/plot was kept under wraps for most of the post-production promotions.
Where is Tashan: The promos of Tashan promised a stylish flick, with entertainment quotient intact. In Reality check, it proves out to be “All Gloss and no Steel”. It seems Vijay Krishna Acharya, the Director of the movie, did no good for himself and the movie by shouldering extra responsibilities of being a Writer and an Editor as well. The story starts with elsewhere and ends at nowhere. Infact, initial few reels (especially the introductory scene) promises a great deal but to no avail as it slips from bad to worse into the abyss of distinct disillusionment. There are countless errors and loopholes in the movie that one review will be short if discussed in detail. The camera work by Ayanaka Bose is noteworthy in bits and pieces, action by Peter Hinnes is average and Vaibhavi Merchant’s dance moves has nothing to rave about.
Hero-Heroine Ka Tashan: After rollicking performance in RACE, Saif renders a dumb show in a role that has nothing new to offer except to the fact that, off screen, Tashan has given a reason to encrypt a tattoo on his arm. It looks as if he went into his shell and got totally over-awed by presence of Akshay Kumar who outplayed him in many films in late nineties. Anil Kapoor again proves his versatility going a full circle of performances in last six months or so. From a knee-minded Welcome to intellectual B&W, and back again to this Joker-role with a tinge of negativity in Tashan, he proves his mettle. But saying that, if few scenes by this Actor-par-excellence puts smile on your face, few other leaves you with disgust; blame it on “Overdose of Hinglish”. Kareena Kapoor in her new emaciated avatar looks good when registering her name in Yashraj camp’s Bikini Babes. Other than that she fails to re-create the magic of Jab We Met and concentrated more on Exposure than on performance. C’mon Bebo your voluptuous figure was far more attractive than this zeroed one. The Ace in the pack by far is Akshay Kumar, who lives up to his new attained superstar status. I seriously doubt whether Tashan will continue his dream run at the box office but he surely has left no stone unturned to make this not-so-happening movie into a decent one. His Comic timing is impeccable, action sequences matchless and dialogue-delivery flawless. All in all he’s the lone torch-bearer of this Tashan-less affair.
Vishal-Shekhar ka Tashan: The talented Music-Director duo of Vishal Shekhar has again given a top-notch performance in Tashan. Their fav singer Sukhvinder Singh does justice with Dil Hara Re which is shot at luscious locales that makes it soothing both for ears and eyes. Chhaliya Chhaliya works as a tool for Kareena to flaunt her new well-toned body with some skimpy attire. Dil Dance Maare will lose into the oblivion once the movie wipes from the audiences’ memory-slate. Falak Tak is a good genuine romantic song in the album and Tashan Mein played in the background through out, goes well with the mood of the movie. In gist, a decent attempt to carry-forward the legacy of musical brilliance of Yashraj’s movies.
Harjeet’s Tashan: If you get the feeling that my Review is inundated with the word Tashan, then let me assure you that I’m not in dearth of words. Instead, its aptly deduces my verdict of the movie: Its all Tashan, nothing beyond that!! If you wanna watch for the sake of it, go watch it or else….as I always say: STAY IN PEACE………..

Bollywood Thrillers Coming of Age with RACE !!!

Like most of the other established craftsmen in the tinsel-town, the Director-Duo of Abbas-Mustan have lost the plot in their last few flicks. The usual thrilling element was missing and ever-so-mounting boredom was taking a toll over the audiences. But kudos to the Burmawalla-Brothers that inspite of recent box-office debacles they struck to their well known territory. Whether RACE will go in record books just as a gallant attempt or it'll stamp their Numero-Uno position in this genre of movies, let’s find it out for ourselves by Racing across this review:

H'Some Hunks & Long-Legged Lasses: This stylish and slick suspense thriller boasts of three sexy-sirens in their seductive best. Bips playing a dusky seductress and Kats, an innocent-faced smiling-assassin, keeps audiences guessing about their true color and loyalties. Their counterparts, playing musical chairs with the leading ladies, are Bebo-tatooed Saif and Abb-Must new favorite Akshay Khanna. While Saif, sporting a new smart and suave bearded-look, gives a decent performance, Akshay, on the other hand, dons the same cap which he has used for earlier Abb-Must movies. Despite of repetition, he plays his part with panache and adds the much-needed humor in otherwise fast paced thriller. Then there is age-defying actor Anil Kapoor who goes a full 180 degree swing from his last release and plays a new-age Karamchand gulping at all the possible fruits. The role was not demanding for the actor of Anil’s caliber and needless to say it was a cake-walk for him. Sameera Reddy plays the sexy-bimbette-Secretary to Anil and her revealing outfits adds to already soaring mercury level of the movie.
Allah Duhaai Hai: Nowadays every second movie has music composed by Pritam, and I presume, it pumps him more to churn out commercially successful music. When it comes to the suspense flicks, Songs always works as fillers and slows the pace of the movie as well. Although few songs do the same in RACE, but since the songs are good so no body complains a great deal. Arguably the best song of the Album, Pehli nazar me by Atif Aslam comes from no-way in the movie and hence fails to leave the same impact on the audiences as it does on their personal iPod. Similarly another chartbuster Allah Duhai delays the proceedings and hence the ultimate inevitable. Khwaab Dekhe is the other decent song which again comes from no way. Dekho Nashe me and Touch Me finishes at bottom two in the Race of Music.
Unsung Heroes: The heart and soul of any movie is its background score and Salim Sulaiman gives a top-notch performance in this regard. Ravi Yadav does an awesome job of capturing the luscious locales of South Africa in his camera. Allan Amin, the Action-Coordinator, as usual tries hard to narrow the gap between Hollywood flicks and our Bollywood Thrillers. Editor Hussain Burmawala’s flawless work also helps to tighten the screws through-out the Movie.
Thrillers Champs: The Director duo of Abbas-Mustan have carved a niche for themselves as Thrillers’ experts in Bollywood. And with RACE they have taken a huge leap forward. The movie in question has a gripping story with all the twists-n-tales in the offering that would leave the audience on the edge-of-the-seat for most of the time. RACE proves the fact that there is grey shade behind every persona and that becomes lethal when there is huge amount of money involved; as a result that gives birth to conspiracy, infidelity and betrayal.
Harjeet’s Verdict: If you have a sweet tooth for soft-romantic entertainers, then give RACE a skip. But if you are game for a helluva roller-coaster ride with needle-of-suspicion shifting from one reel to another, give RACE a shot.
Don’t harp for logic and you will enjoy the thrill pills. For others…. STAY in PEACE!!!!!

SPECTACULAR...yet STYLISH...but STRETCHED...SAGA!!

After making debut with the record-shattering LAGAAN and then crafting a message-oriented flick SWADES, lot has been expected of Ashutosh’s epic drama JODHA-AKBAR. Amidst all the controversies and hooplah surrounding the movie, it has been appealed by the makers of J-A that it should be treated more as a fiction than as page-by-page adaptation of one of the most famous chapter of Indian history books. So letzz take a sneak-peek into the History Books adorned with the creativity of Mr. Ashutosh Gowarikar through Jodha-Akbar:

Extravaganza of Brilliance and Glitches: When the events of 16th Century are shown on the silver screen in modern times, then Directorial craftsmanship and technical delicacies are paramount; more so, when you are blending the little-known truth with lotzz of fiction. The movie is not about the bravado of Jilaluddin Akbar; instead, it shows the soft-romantic side of the Mughal Emperor. With each passing reel, it becomes quite evident that the fictional part is taking its toll over the ultimate truth to such an extent that it becomes a farce at the end. The Vamp spinning its web over the Protagonist’s love life comes straight from Ekta Kapoor’s K-series and all the other tricks-n-traits of the supposedly Bad-Men in the business looks inspired from umpteen Bollywood Flicks. What makes this clichéd story-line a bit different from other run-of-the-mill crappers is its execution through intermittent brilliance of the proven-director, eye-soothing Cinematography by Kiran Deohans and stupendous performance by seasoned campaigners Ash and Hrithik in relatively unknown territory. The sheer grandeur-look of the movie is just spectacular; the credit should go to the Art-Director Nitin Desai too. Ashutosh has picturised the scenes in Battlefield with élan, the Sword-Fight sequence in climax standout amongst others. But, as is evident from my title, all the above highs of the movie were dwarfed by the length of the movie. Editor Ballu Saluja is under the hammer for this three and half long costume drama which takes off brilliantly but literally crawls towards the Intermission and after mid-way even “Snail’s pace” fails to epitomize the lingering progress of Ashutosh’s dream Project. This proves the fact: “Slow and Steady not necessarily wins the Race”.

Jodha-Akbar: Two actors that could easily slipped into the shoes of Akbar and Jodha are Hrithik and Aishwarya, thanks to their royal looks. Hrithik Roshan surely possess the poise and panache to get into skin of the character of a “Larger than Life” image of Akbar, but what’s more astonishing is to watch him deliver those heavy Urdu Dialogues with ridiculous ease. Director somehow couldn’t resist himself to showcase well-toned and artistically-chiselled body of Jr. Roshan, whether or not Akbar has that kinda brawny-frame is left for everybody’s speculation. Thank heavens, Ashutosh restrained himself in showing Hrithik’s Dancing prowess – barring Akbar swirling around for few seconds in a song, else it could have been disaster. On the other hand, Aishwarya looks gorgeous and ravishing in those traditional attires. But to the delight of the audience, behind all those heavy costumes and jewelleries, she still gave a gem-of-a performance worth applauding.

Lord of the Music: The Music for the movie is composed by none other than A.R. Rahman. For a lengthy movie like this, the songs should come as a relief to make the audience totally engrossed in them, but alas- the charismatic touch of the maestro is missing here. Jasn-e-Baharaa by Javel Ali and In Lamhon kii by Sonu Nigam are melodious songs but at the same time it further elongates the movie and as a result delays the proceedings. Same is the case with other songs viz Khwaja and Ajeemo-Shaan Shehansha. While the former is too lengthy to my liking, latter is a treat to watch and credit should go to the Director, Choreographer and the Cinematographer for showcasing this song in a grand way.

Harjeet’s Verdict: I hope Makers of the movie could have edited the movie atleast by one hour so that I can pass on the verdict as a Must Watch. Kudos to Ashutosh for this brave attempt but he couldn’t relieved the audience from ennui out of his Magnum-Opus.
If you are complete movie-buff, could be watched once…..else Stay Home and Be In Peace!!!!!!!!!!

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Take a Bow...............For Aamir!!!!

Unlike Hollywood, Bollywood keeps on churning zillions of typical Masala movies to entertain the masses and nowadays few flicks, thanks to Chopras and Johars, targets the NRI audiences. Very rarely you come across a movie that appeals to the masses and classes keeping the entertainment quotient intact. If we go back down the memory lane of last decade or so, one man who has always kept his promise of entertaining the audience with some message oriented movies, its none other than Aamir Khan. So when he decided to make a movie with a child as a protagonist, there was lotzz of buzz in the air with ecstasy and expectations all around. Did he live up to it or he succumbed to the pressure, lets find out for yourself:

Donning different roles: Aamir Khan has donned three caps for this movie: A experienced and successful Cap of a Producer, a confident Cap of an Actor with Numero-Uno imprinted on it and a nervous yet presumptuous Cap of a debutant-director. Without a tinge of doubt, Aamir has accomplished this arduous task with élan. Aamir is the only actor in the tinsel town whose thought process commences from where others' ends. When all his contemporary actors are still busy roaming around trees and doing half a dozen run-of-the-mill crappers every year, this is one man who still believes in Quality Cinema and comes out of his self-imposed exile once he is pretty sure about the task on hand. And TZP is the ample testimony of this fact.

Wiz-Kid: The true winner of the TZP is a pocket size dynamo named Darsheel. It seems Aamir has an eye for talent as well, since Darsheel has enacted the difficult role of Ishaan with finesse. His naughty, yet thoughtful, eyes helped his cause in portraying all the emotions with ridiculous ease. This tiny-genious will make you laugh at his antics, at the same time you will cry your heart out with his pain. Its such a mature performance by this lad that I will recommend all the possible Movie-Awards for him, but I know thats quite unrealistic in our system. But as his mentor says: Who cares for Awards, its audience's love that matters and Darsheel will surely get bountiful of accolades after his stupendous performance.

Hai Na MAA: Coming to the music, the best song of the movie by far is MAA. In every sense of the word, the real winner for this song is the lyricist Prasoon Joshi. Each and every word of this song comes straight from the heart and add to it the soulful voice of Shankar and the very situation in the movie, it will surely moisten your eyes. Amongst others', Jame Raho and Bum Bum bole are fun-songs and picturised beautifully and goes well with the mood of the movie. Title song again has some thought-provoking lyrics and sung well by Shankar.

Taare Zameen Par: The support cast and crew has done a commendable job in the movie. Nothing is too flashy and over-the-top stuffs are spared-with for the sake of an intelligent movie. Vipin Sharma and Tisca Chopra as the parents to the kid have done a nice job within their own limitation. There are many worth remembering scenes throughout the movie and you are left with a satisfied smile on your face and tears in your eyes during the climax of the movie. Aamir and Amole Gupte (the Visionary behind this script) has surely brought stars to the ground.

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Harjeet’s Verdict: There are very few movies which prompts Critics to keep their dissection boxes under wrap. There are very few movies that leave an unforgettable impression on your memory-slate. There are very few movies that look a class apart, coming straight out of one’s own life. There are very few movies that control the adrenaline flow in your body depending upon the happenings on the 75 mm screen. TZP is one such movie.
Go watch it and Stay in Peace!!!!!!

All ShowBazi and No Soul churns out a Dud!!!

This Diwali was supposed to be the clash of the Titans: SRK Vs SLB. But going by the initial buzz it proved to be futile battle. Let me present my perspective of the first of the two movies: Om Shanti Om (OSO). I know its not going to please the major section of the cinemagoers, but for me it’s the harsh reality and everyone should accept it. Here comes my take on OSO:

Smart, Very Smart….Infact Over smart: As we all know the movie is based on the Re-Incarnation theory and aspired to take the Karz-sque movies to a different level altogether. Farah succeeded to do that, OSO has taken Re-Birth genre of movies to an unkown level: A level called below-par. I think Farah, before starting her mission impossible, should have taken a crash course from Subhash Ghai and Rakesh Roshan who have given us the Hitzz like Karz and Karan-Arjun based on the same nucleus of plot. Her debut movie, though, was also senseless and baseless but with the right mix of humor and masala she somehow made it a Box-Office hit. But this time, the sense is too less and base is no where and as far as humor is concerned Farah need not to step out of her house, take a tip-or-two from Heyy Babyy- Sajid.

Seventies Re-invented: Whole first half revolves around the Bollywood of Seventies. The Costumes, the Cars and everything around that gives a nice feel-good of arguably the best era of the Indian Cinema. The song Dhoom Tanna created by using special effects is joy to watch. But presenting the Duplicates of the yesteryear stars was really ridiculous, especially because they were not presented as their duplicates, but the star themselves. The story has no impetus wat-so-ever and made a bit watchable by the antics of SRK and his friend played by Shreyas Talpade and not to forget Deepika Padukone who makes a confident debut.

Lost it Completely: It seems that INTERVAL tag comes pretty soon in the movie, not because its entertaining stuff in the first half, but the story was no where till the light comes on in the Theatre. And one has to wait till eternity to see the THE END to be flashed on the screen. Its so disastrously slow in second half with each and every sequences-to-follow was almost predictable. The dialogues that looks refreshing in the first half were reprised that many times in second half that it loses its originality. I should have listened to Shahrukh when in the very first hour he screamed: BHAAGOOO, I did’nt fled from the Theatre in a hope to watch something to rave about, but it never came.

Vishal-Shekhar Rocks: The music by Vishal-Shekar is a winner and most of the songs are chartbusters already. Aankhon me Teri and Main agar kahoon soulfully penned by Vishal-Javed Akhtar combo and were made hummable by the sheer brilliance of Kay-Kay and Sonu Niggam respectively. Jag Soona Soona laage by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is also soothing to ears and is shot in the movie to capture the emotional trauma of the Protagonist. The title track with 31 stars is really treat to watch, anyways, Farah….who’s dress-designer for SRK in this song? Manish Or Karan? “Gawdy” is the word for that costume, u guyzz can do lot better. Dastan-E-OSO was made a replica of Ek Haseena thi from Karz. While the latter one is still milestone, the former one would be lost into oblivion with a blink of your eyes. Dard-E-Disco is peppy dance number showcasing the Six-pack-Abs SRK but above the well-toned body the growing wrinkles and weird looking hair style, presents an ugly truth. This song meant to be taking a dig at the Item songs in Bollywood prevailing nowadays, but the very situation in this movie itself can be questioned.

King might lose his Throne: SRK is at its hamming and stammering best in the movie especially in the second half. He was well within his limitations in the first half but he goes over-board in the second half. Its really pity that even at this stage of his career he’s afraid of taking heads-on to the challenges and still wants to play it safe. Its time he should get out of his shell of top-banners and takes up the gaunlet. SRK fans have to keep OSO on the same memory shelf within the elite club of Guddu, 1-2 ka 4, Phir bhi …, KANK and few other forgettables. I want few more Chak de from SRK to make his Swades proud. These craps should be left to any other actor, Om can be played by anybody but it takes steel to enact Kabir Khan.

Silver Linings: Deepika Padukone is the lone saving grace of the movie. She looked gorgeous while portraying the character of 70’s super-actress. She looks scintillating in sarees and hot in shorts. Farah scores in a way she showcased her in the movie. We’ve to watch out for this gal in near future. Art Direction by Sabu Cyril is of top-class and Cinematography by Manikandan is awesome too. Akki-special spanning two-minutes is the high point of the movie.

Harjeet’s Verdict: While promoting the movie, Farah gone in records saying that “Inspite of making Main Hoon Na” Audiences have given us chance to make another movie”. I like to assure Farah, if sanity prevails in SRK-Biased movie-buffs, then you won’t get third chance.
This time…No ifs, No Buts….Stay away from OSO and You’ll find Peace.