DRONA

Movie Review : Drona

Director : Music : Lyrics : Starring : Goldie Behl Dhruv Ghanekar Vaibhav Modi Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Kay Kay Menon, Akhilendra Mishra Big wind, loud thunder, no rain! This in short describes Goldie Behl's DRONA the best. The film drags, over two continents, and how! It can be best described as a costume drama. The producers might have spent huge monies to get the costumes and sets in place, not to forget the special effects, which are very, very good. But what is the use of special effects and good costumes if there is no script? DRONA lost the battle at the writing table itself. To quote the makers, ''DRONA is rooted in the vibrant tapestry of Indian mythology. DRONA is the compelling modern tale of one man's spectacular voyage through the labyrinths of mystic myths and legendary legacies. It is a journey that will force him to face his fears and make him the hero he was born to become.'' DRONA is Abhishek Bachchan. For the first half of the movie the director is getting him to realise who he is; during the latter part of the second half, he realises who he is. And towards the end, he accomplishes what he is supposed to be by eliminating big bad Riz Raizada (Kay Kay Menon). DRONA also has Priyanka Copra as Sonia, his bodyguard. One look at Priyanka and you want to give a hug to make-up artist Mickey Contractor who has done a fabulous job. Priyanka looks gorgeous. Will Madhur Bhandarkar be able to go one up on DRONA as far as her look is concerned in FASHION? That is for another review! The huge hype will pull in the crowds, but it will be another task to keep them in during the course of the movie. You go back with just one thought after watching DRONA, a colossal waste! Rating - 1/5

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DHOOM DADAKKA

Movie Review : Dhoom Dadakka

Director : Music : Lyrics : Starring : Shashi Ranjan Roop Kumar Rathod Praveen Kumar Ashk, Shaqeel Azmi Shaad Randhawa, Rakhi Sawant, Satish Shah, Satish Kaushik, Gulshan Grover, Anupam Kher The movie begins with a lot of promise. But for a lack of script falls flat on its face. Despite boasting of actors of the caliber of Anupam Kher, Satish Shah, Satish Kaushik and Gulshan Grover, you can endure the movie for just 40 minutes. After that, not even the actors know what they are doing with four youngsters (Shaad Randhawa, Samir Dattani, Shama Sikander and Aarti Chhabria) screaming all over Bangkok. The film opens with the All Asians Bhai Meet in Bangkok. The sensex of the underworld is supposedly dipping and Godfather (Jackie Shroff) is shuffling portfolios. In the bargain, the plot at Alibaug is given to Phursat Lala (Gulshan Grover) who wants to make it the best entertainment destination this side of the globe. Mungilal (Anupam Kher) is slighted because he was looking forward to that plot to build a hospital for the people of the place. A few flashbacks later, we learn that his father had died in a blast for lack of medical attention. Hence, the desire. But Godfather gives the plot to Phursat because he has an heir to take things forward but Mungilal is a bachelor. However, he lies that he has an heir and will produce him within a month at the same place.

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DOONDTE REH JAOGE

Movie Review : Dhoondte Reh Jaoge

Director : Music : Lyrics : Starring : Umesh Shukla Sajid - Wajid Jalees Sherwani and Shabbir Ahmed Kunal Khemu, Sonu Sood, Soha Ali Khan, Paresh Rawal, Deepal Shaw and Johny Lever view DHOONDTE REH JAOGE videos Call it creative bankruptcy or just another take on creativity. Whichever way you look at it, you cannot help but come out smiling from the theatres. Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge is one such exercise, which I dare say, is not futile. At least it conforms to the basic requirement of cinema, that to entertain. And entertain it does in huge doses. If you are looking to lighten your mood, backed with 'recession rates' at multiplexes, this movie will definitely give you your fix. It's a spoof all right, but not slapstick comedy. Director Umesh Shukla (who has also written the screenplay) has mixed five hit movies and topped it with the situation of a failed producer who owes his investors huge amount of money. The movie also takes a dig, albeit lovingly, at the workings in the industry with anyone and everyone being qualified to direct a movie. ''He will learn as he makes films along the way,'' says Paresh Rawal's character, Raj Chopra, of his selection of a masseur as a director of his enterprise, which he hopes will flop big time. CHECK OUT: Will DHOONDTE REH JAAOGE break the jinx? Raj Chopra (Paresh Rawal) wants to sign the reigning superstar Aryan Kapoor (Sonu Sood) for his film. The star obviously gives him a tough time. Anand Pawar (Kunal Khemu) is a righteous man who will not do any wrong. But situation gets him to cross ways with Raj because of his girlfriend Neha (Soha Ali Khan), an aspiring actress. In the first meeting, Anand is conned by Raj. He later exacts revenge, but soon realizes that the two can actually make millions together. Their plan is simple. Float a company; take Rs 5 crore from 21 investors, without letting the other know. Stack away Rs 100 cr and invest Rs 5cr to make a flop film. When a film flops, no producer will demand his share in profits. They float 'Charsubisi' a so-called Japanese collaboration and have a press conference. The next day, there is a queue of financiers. There's also that call from the Bhai in Dubai who wants to finance. That's a hilarious track, especially when Bhai in a burkha, wants to go to the gents washroom at the premiere. Also watch Sholay's Thakur taking strike with bat! CHECK OUT: DHOONDTE REH JAOGE - A unique spoof? To cut the long story short, there's a mix of Sholay, DDLJ, Gadar, Lagaan and Rangeela. Johnny Lever as Rubber Singh, seen on screen after a long time, is a riot. Incidentally, he is also the scriptwriter of the flop film. Parvez Asharraf is his character, a general who is mortified of his wife! Sonu Sood is a competent performer. He needs that big banner to catapult him into the big league. Kunal Khemu and Paresh Rawal combine well in their scenes. Both complement the other. In fact, Khemu is taking giant strides in his acting. Soha fits the role to the 'T', while Hrishitaa Bhatt in a guest appearance completes the situation. Go, lighten your mood. As for the script, DHOONDTE REH JAAOGE! Rating - 2.5/5

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CHAMKU

Movie Review : Chamku

Director : Music : Lyrics : Starring : Kabeer Kaushik Monty Sharma Sameer Bobby Deol, Priyanka Chopra, Irrfan Khan , Danny Denzongpa, Ritesh Deshmukh, Rajpal Yadav and Arya Babbar. Bobby Deol must be getting a feeling of deja vu. Been there done that, still doing it. CHAMKU is another film where Bobby has to train his gun on a target and kill. And kill, kill, kill he goes and kills some more when he is drafted into a government programme. Agree or get killed he is told. Left with no option, he complies. According to the producers, this movie has been inspired from real life incidents. It's a journey of a naxalite from Bihar. Its blood and gore from scene one. In between, Priyanka Chopra appears with no plot or premise. She easily falls for Bobby and does not deem it fit to find out who he is or from where he comes. Neither does she notice the many bullet marks on his body to get curious. To be honest, it's like a dream sequence within the plot and Priyanka has really nothing to do except look beautiful. You also see Arya Babbar, Deepal Shaw and Riteish Deshmukh in cameos. But the film belongs to Bobby aka Chamku. Even Irfan Khan seems to have sauntered on the sets. The songs look forced. Bobby is getting trapped in 'kill roles', Priyanka in 'look good' roles. Irfan is falling into the trap of 'being one of them' roles. To be honest, nothing works in CHAMKU. Ratings : 1/5

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A WEDNESDAY

Movie Review : A Wednesday

Director : Music : Lyrics : Starring : Neeraj Pandey Sanjoy Chowdhury Bulle Shah, Irshad Kamil Anupam Kher, Aamir Bashir, Deepal Shaw, Gaurav Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah, Rajpal Yadav, Jimmy Shergill Three weeks in a row, we have been treated with three fantastic films, which have raised the benchmark for Indian cinema in terms of script, casting and execution. Life could not have been rosier for a film critic. First, we had MUMBAI MERI JAAN, ROCK ON followed last week, and this week we have an absolute stunner, which is even more gripping and equally entertaining and thought provoking like the above-mentioned films. A WEDNESDAY is a thriller, it's an educational film and it's also an eye-opener. Director Neeraj Pandey has taken terrorism as the theme and has given it a whole new twist that is mind-boggling to say the least. The film begins with 'terrorist' Naseeruddin Shah planting bombs in the city and also a police station right opposite the Police Head Quarters. The background score sets your pulse racing and you don't know what to expect at the next moment. You are waiting for that moment when the bombs will explode and wreak havoc in the city as Pandey goes about briskly introducing his characters, Anupam Kher, who is the Police Commissioner, Aamir Bashir (a police officer), Jimmy Sheirgill (ATS Officer) and Deepal Shaw (television journalist). You wonder what Naseer is upto, when in comes the call to the Commissioner informing him about the bombs and sending him on a wild goose chase. Within four hours, the terrorist tells the commissioner, that his demands have to be met. He is seeking the release of four dreaded terrorists in exchange for letting out the information on where the bombs are planted. His calls cannot be traced because Naseer the terrorist is one up on the cops. His 'work place' is the terrace of an under construction building. Cinematographer Fuwad Khan, putting in full view of the viewer the terror that is to be unleashed, brilliantly captures the city skyline. The demands are met. The Commissioner, who has been given sweeping powers by the Chief Minister to negotiate with the terrorist, realizes that he cannot play with the lives of millions of people of Mumbai. He shortlists his two trusted soldiers, Aamir Bashir and Jimmy Sheirgill, to take the four dreaded terrorist to the release spot. And here comes the twist in the tale that will shock you out of your wits. Brilliant execution in the script, which turns the negotiations on its heads. After all, you cannot trust a terrorist! Anupam Kher as the Top Cop is marvelous. His eagerly sinks his teeth into this meaty role with glee. Considering what he has had to do in recent movies, this is a welcome change. To see an actor given his due with the right script is always a delight and he does full justice to his role. Naseeruddin Shah as the timid terrorist is a revelation. Actually, nothing about Naseer really surprises, because this here is an actor who takes pride in his craft. Watch out for his cold-blooded negotiations and how he goes in for the kill. Aamir Bashir stands out with his earnest performance as the cop for whom duty comes before family. A studied performance. Jimmy Sheirgill as the 'sar phira' ATS officer makes a deadly impact. Cool, calculated and cunning, he lends that air of credibility to his performance. His fearless body language, knowing fully well a bullet any time can alter his life, is a revelation. This man here is steadily climbing the charts of stardom, one step at a time, one role at a time. Deepal Shaw does not have much of a role but manages to make an impact as a television journalist hungry for scoops. The only sore point here is her make-up, which is pathetic. However, this can be easily overlooked. A film like A WEDNESDAY is not released every other Friday. This is a film for the common man. My sincere wishes are that this film runs to packed houses. You just cannot miss this cracker of a thriller. Ratings : 4/5

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3 DEEWAREIN

MOVIE REVIEW-3 DEEWAREIN

Director : Starring : Nagesh Kukunoor Nagesh Kukunoor, Juhi Chawla, Jackie Shroff, Sujata Mehta, Naseeruddin Shah A Nagesh Kukunoor film is always awaited especially because it was he with his ''small budget good ideas'' funda had heralded a new genre of filmmaking with his debut film Hyderabad Blues. So naturally one had pinned a lot of hopes on his newest film Teen Deewarein. A documentary-like-realistic-drama-meets-a-mystery film, Teen Deewarein stars Naseeruddin Shah, Jackie Shroff, Kukunoor and Juhi Chawla.Three prisoners are awaiting death in a jail in Hyderabad. Jaggu (Jackie), a lawyer who is accused of murdering his unfaithful wife (Sujata Mehta in a thankless cameo), Nagya (Kukunoor) is an accountant who has been charged for killing his wife in an ''accident'' while Ishaan (Naseeruddin) is a charmer who is a small-time robber and is serving the death sentence for having killed a pregnant woman in the course of a bank robbery. Enters into their lives and the jail Chandrika (Juhi Chawla), a filmmaker who has an unhappy marriage and one who wants to document the lives of these three prisoners. A bond develops between her and each of these three inmates. Nagya hopes Chandrika would tell the world through her film that he''s innocent, Jaggu admits to her how he is willing to embrace death because that''s the only way of penance while Ishaan confides in her how he is likely to break free from the jail. A slow, first half gets its first adrenalin shot at a marvellous interval point after which Kukunoor takes us through a zippy ride to the climax point. And here''s where Teen Deewarein fails, big time. The climax is so hard to believe that you almost feel cheated having watched the film in the first place. The thriller/murder mystery aspect of the film is just not convincing and so it loses points in an otherwise good film, which could have made it to the ''great film'' category. A slow, first half gets its first adrenalin shot at a marvellous interval point after which Kukunoor takes us through a zippy ride to the climax point. And here's where Teen Deewarein fails, big time. The climax is so hard to believe that you almost feel cheated having watched the film in the first place. The thriller/murder mystery aspect of the film is just not convincing and so it loses points in an otherwise good film, which could have made it to the 'great film' category.

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