bollywood hit's & flops

Kaminey
PB Rating: 8.5 out of 10 Public Rating (by 334 unique users): 8.06
Director: Vishal Bhardwaj Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Music: Vishal Bhardwaj Lyrics: Gulzar
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Amole Gupte, Deb Mukherjee, Rajatabha Dutta
Genre: Drama Recommended Audience: Parental Guidance
Ah, I can see it now my fellow kaminey…..er…I mean friends. Vishal’s “Kaminey” will start a craze. Perhaps other producers will start throwing the word kaminey into their titles, like Kaminey ki Raat.. or Kaminey ki Kasam, or Chak de Kaminey! Ahhh, the possibilities are endless. But what about the movie you ask?

Well, in short, Vishal Bhardwaj’s “Kaminey” is a perfect example of the crazy cool greatness that Bollywood is capable of delivering once in a blue moon. It’s not for the feint of heart, nor is it for those who want to compare it to Vishal’s previous masterpieces like “Omkara”, “Maqbool”, or the fascinating fable “The Blue Umbrella”. He breaks away from his recent fascination with Shakespeare, but keeps the Shakespearean pathos of morality, sadness, and lost love alive.

Of course Vishal is a complete artist, what with his contributions not only as director, but as the music director (with “Dhan Te Nan” becoming the rage), and also as the writer of the screenplay/dialogue of the film. It’s a powerful combination of talents all within one man, and the film is elevated above the rest of the recent releases due to that.

Shahid Kapoor (Charlie and Guddu) is perfect in the film, and has come a long way from his days as the new kid on the block. It’s obvious that he is a director’s actor, and Vishal shapes his performance in a dual role masterfully. It’s not the usual stereotype set of twins that we find in apna Bollywood films (wherein the only difference is a change of clothing and attitude), but rather a complete essay in two personalities by Shahid that makes the silver screen sizzle each time either of the characters he portrays come into view. That sweety who plays a sweety, and is the sweety of many a man’s dreams, Priyanka Chopra is opposite Shahid as, ahem, Sweety. This isn’t your run of the mill girl in distress;however, as this “sweety” has teeth that can bite.

The story about twins caught up in the underworld, betrayed by people they trust and forced to run for their lives will touch the chord strings of any viewer with a heart. The soul of the film is the screenplay that once again proves how powerful the written word is to the world of the moving image. Also, I have to mention the fantastic cinematography by Tassaduq Hussain who makes the world of “Kaminey” grim, gritty and believable. It’s a highly stylized world that makes the viewer curious and uncomfortable at the same time. It’s the world of the “Kaminey”, and you will gasp as you fall into it. A must watch film and probably one of the best of the year so far. It erupts in a blast of violence and sets the stage for a human story that will move you.

Dil Bole Hadippa!
PB Rating: 8.0 out of 10 Public Rating (by 145 unique users): 6.4
Director: Anurag Singh Producer: Aditya Chopra
Music: Pritam Lyrics: Saideep Sahni, Joshilay
Starring: Rani Mukherjee, Shahid Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Dalip Tahil, Rakhi Sawant, Sherlyn Chopra
Genre: Family Recommended Audience: General
Yes guys, Rani Mukerji worked out two hours every day of the week (and lost twenty pounds)in order to give her ever so excitable desi guy fans a view of her in a sort of bikini. For some, that will be all that is necessary to flock to the theater to see the film. Oh, and there’s always the ladies of sin, Rakhi Sawant and Sherlyn Chopra who display their assets for the discerning crowd. For the gals, there is always Shahid Kapoor, who spends the film pushing his hair out of the way and flexing his muscles.

Now, that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about the umpteenth romance from those purveyors of the “spinning in your wheels” philosophy, Yash Raj Films. If you are expecting something highly original, then forget it. However, if you want to see a film that is always slightly familiar (like that word that is always on the tip of your tongue) and all slightly entertaining (if in a totally harmless way) because of that, then look no further.

Rani plays the Punjabi village belle with a cricket heart of gold. She wants it all, the hero, the game, all of it. Yet, since there is no female cricket league in India, what is a talented girl to do? Aha! I got it! She’s to dress up like a man to help make her cricket dreams come true. Rani Mukerji plays the feminine Veera and the effeminate Veer with aplomb and proves that she still has what it takes in the acting department. It’s sad, that her career seems to be winding down as Bollywood producers move on to the next young skimpily clad girl. Actors the caliber of Rani Mukerji and Preity Zinta seem to be a thing of the past right now. This is her movie all the way, and she is what makes the whole stale screenplay seem oddly fresh. Shahid Kapoor plays the new caption of a losing cricket team.He acts well, but this is the type of breezy role that doesn’t really push him as an actor (for that, see “Kaminey”). For those of you wondering, Rani doesn’t look older than Shahid, and in fact the two make a believable couple. The problem is in the way the romance is handled, with the clumsy cliché of dislike turning to like, turning to love. Again, Rani excels as both Veer and Veera. Too good I say!

Rani is helped to shine by director Anurag Singh, who frames each scene with a warm colorful glow that is captured expertly by cinematographer Sudeep Chatterjee. Film editing by Ritesh Soni is very well done, especially during the exciting cricket climax (though the end of the match is predictable). Also, one has to mention the excellent work by makeup artists Mike Bates and Mike Stringer, who used prosthetics to transform Rani from Veera to Veer.

In the end, the blasé screenplay veers (no pun intended) down towards its inevitable climax that includes the man revealed as a woman, the winning of a major cricket game, and the omnipresent Hindi Bollywood trademark happily ever after ending. “Dil Bole Hadippa” won’t leave you wanting to see it again, but it will leave you with a feeling of buoyant if all too familiar happiness.

Wanted
PB Rating: 7.0 out of 10 Public Rating (by 107 unique users): 8.56
Director: Prabhu Deva Producer: Boney Kapoor
Music: Sajid-Wajid
Lyrics: Jalees Sherwani, Sameer, Arun Bhairav, Wajid Ali, Shabbir Ahmed
Starring: Salman Khan, Ayesha Takia Azmi, Mahesh Manjrekar, Prakash Raj
Genre: Action Recommended Audience: Adult
Arre Yaar! Apun ka bhai, Salman is back! He’s lean, mean, dangerous, and not what he seems in this ekdum paisa vasool film. When hearing about the film, it could have gone either way, as it’s choreographer Prabhudeva’s first directorial feature, and Salman hasn’t exactly been firing on all guns (his arms or the revolver kind) in his recent films. On top of that add the already fading from public consciousness Ayesha Takia, the girl next door who never quite broke out into the superstar next door (for some reason), though she has potential. Mixing three unknowns together to film a movie that marks the return of Salman to the action genre (I keep telling you Salman bhai, do more action films, you excel as the angry young (or slightly older) man). What’s more, the film was announced as having music from the ever reliable, though slightly generic team of Sajid Wajid.

So what happened to transform a film that by all rights should have been a Turkey? Well, first off, the music released and it was fantastically entertaining. Sajid Wajid, did what they do best, and that is create simple foot tapping numbers that drive the listener to hum along, whether you like it or not! Though, to see them in a different (and more creative) avatar, you’d be better off listening to their recent release “Main Aur Mrs. Khanna”. Then the promos started hitting the air waves, and bada bing, bada boom, the anticipation grew. Yes, Salman looks younger than ever and like he’s actually putting an effort. Yes, he and Ayesha have chemistry, yes the film looks slick and yes, Sallu fans have to see this film.

So was it good for you? Let’s go over the good, the bad, and the ugly of the film shall we? Well, first off, it’s a remake of a Telugu/Tamil film named “Pokiri”, so let’s not talk about originality at all. This is simply a rock on, hard-hitting masala flick wherein our lead hero pretty much oozes testosterone on the silver screen. Salman plays gangster Radhe who is doing his best to eliminate the don king Gani Bhai’s (Prakash Raj) foes one by one (or in this case dozens by dozens). Radhe is crazy with a capital C, but loves with a capital L. You see the fair maiden Jahnvi (Ayesha Takia who does fairly well) has captured not only his heart but that of the inspector with no heart, Talpade (played by the eternally sleazy Mahesh Manjrekar). Then there’s Angelina Jolie with her double guns, er, sorry that’s Hollywood’s version of “Wanted”.

Prabhudeva brings with him his out of this world cutting edge Southern sensibilities, and relishes in the Indianness that is inherent with this kind of screenplay by Shiraz Ahmed. Producer Boney Kapoor was wise to give Prabhu free rein, as the result is a movie that is a roller coaster. Just don’t give too much thought to the plotline. During a behind the scenes snippet, Prabhu spoke about how he carefully choreographed (with the assistance of Vijayan the stunt coordinator) the fight scenes, and it shows. There’s a kinetic energy in them that seems to be giving Salman a high.

So, lets talk about Salman’s acting a bit shall we? I have to say that this is probably Salman’s best performance in a long time. Whereas in more recent flicks he seemed to be sleep walking through his performances, one gets the feeling that he put in a lot of effort with this film. He carries it well, and proves that he fulfills an aspect of super stardom that Aamir and Shah Rukh don’t.

This is a perfect holiday movie to enjoy during the festive season. It will make you cheer apna Sallu on to glory, and will leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling of gritty violence plus love in your heart!

Fox Verdict: Disaster
Weekly Earnings: India Rs 2.50 crore Total Earnings: India Rs 2.50 crore
Director: Deepak Tijori Producer: Deepak Tijori
Music: Monty Sharma Lyrics: Sandeep Nath
Starring: Sunny Deol, Arjun Rampal, Udita Goswami, Sagarika Ghatge
Genre: Thriller Recommended Audience:
The Deepak Tijori directed `Fox` has failed to appeal to the audience despite some praise for the movie as well as the performances.
Are you crazy like a fox? Feeling foxy tonight? Want to dance the fox trot? What does this have to do with the movie, “Fox” directed by Deepak Tijori (the actor turned director)? Absolutely nothing, except they might all be more entertaining than the film, “Fox” which tries too hard to be a thriller, but lacks the snap crackle pop needed and instead turns into a mediocre mish mash of infinite proportions.

Unfortunately for Arjun Rampal, the film will do absolutely nothing for his career, and breaks his recent winning streak at the box office. His acting is wooden, and he seems to have drifted through the film. That’s probably the fault of the director and the fact that the screenplay is poorly written. You see, Rampal plays a ruthless lawyer who wins every case until he develops a heart and changes his mind. He wants out, but the classic Hindi villain of the film (cue evil laughter in Hindi), has something else in mind. Now Rampal’s character is on the run and can only be helped by super cop Sunny Deol (pulled out of semi-retirement for this poor film). Udita Goswami returns to the screen because nobody demanded it. She does her usual distressed sex appeal show. The music by Monty Sharma, is so forgettable that I can’t find the words for it. Just goes to show that Sanjay Leela Bhansali is perhaps the only one capable of bringing out the talent in Monty, who just can’t live up to expectations with other directors. All in all, this fox goes nowhere fast. Perhaps Deepak Tijori could revive his acting career? Direction just doesn’t seem to be his forte.

Aagey Se Verdict: Flop
Weekly Earnings: India Rs. 2.75 crore Total Earnings: India Rs. 2.75 crore
The Shreyas Talpade starrer, `Aagey Se Right`, manages to show some decent numbers in Bombay, but that is about all. It is a box-office dud for all concerned

Unfortunately, “Aagey Se Right” is just so wrong. What should have and could have been a really interesting movie focusing on two quirky characters (and a gun) turns into a mish mash of different underwritten characters that fail to capture the attention of the audience. I feel bad for Shreyas Talpade, who is the only saving grace in the film. We all know that he’s an excellent actor, but he can not save this film by himself. If he doesn’t stop this downward spiral in his career, he won’t be around much longer.

The director Indrajit Nattoji shows promise, but where this film fails is at the screenplay level. The story just does not work. Even the usually dependable Kay Kay Menon fails to deliver a noteworthy performance. As for the rest of the cast, Mahi Gill does well, as does Bharti Achrekar, but that’s simply not enough. If you think about seeing “Aagey Se Right”, then perhaps you’d be better off turning left and up towards one of the films in the Thums Up section!

Three -Love Lies Betrayal Verdict: Disaster
Weekly Earnings: Rs. 0.80 crore Total Earnings: Rs. 0.80 crore
Vikram Bhatt’s `Three -Love Lies Betrayal` has not clicked with the audience and is an unmitigated disaster.

Previous Weeks Thums Up - Thums Down »
• YEE HAW! `Kaminey` and `Quick Gun Murugan` win the TUTD award for most entertaining of the week!
• Saif Ali Khan hits the Punjabi bulls eye in Imtiaz Ali’s modern yet classic take on love, desi ishtyle!
• Thrill to the snap crackle bubble gum pop of `Kambakht Ishq’, but if you really want to see something rocking, then take a ‘Shortkut` to check out Pankaj Advani’s `Sankat City`!
• ‘New York’ takes Bollywood by storm, as Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh, and John Abraham take audiences for a wild ride!
• ‘Kal Kissne Dekha’ rings an ominous tone for the beginning of Jaccky Bhagnani’s career
Archives of all Thums Up - Thums Down ...