Songs in search of a film

The sequel of Mahesh Bhatt's Rahul Roy and Anu Agarwal starrer Aashiqui, Mohit Suri's Aashiqui 2 is the recreation of the sensibilities of the 90s, where love makes one person so important that he/she can make or break your life. However, the sad thing is, just like its predecessor, Aashiqui 2 too, is a music album in search of a film.

Aaditya Roy Kapur plays Rahul Jaykar, a fallen star, who squandered his fame and skill by enslaving himself to alcohol. He encounters Aarohi Shirke (Shraddha Kapoor), a singer at a bar and sees potential in her. He decides to give her the chance she deserves and make her a star like he was. And in the midst of all this, Aashiqui 2 superficially chronicles the story of their relationship.

Just like any mediocre film of the 90s, the director tries to establish the character's story in one single montage or simply a verbose scene between two characters who, by the way, are too uni-dimensional and lack depth. Rahul's catch phrase "Suno naa..kuch nahi, bass yuun hi" best describes what the director is also trying to do to the audience.

Aaditya Roy Kapur's performance is the only positive that can be taken from the film, but he too is inconsistent. But consistency of a character has its flaws rooted in the script; and seeing that it demanded Roy Kapur to look unquestionably stoned at certain points, he delivers. Shraddha Kapoor has a pretty face and is tolerable to say the least. Tulsi Kumar's voice simply doesn't go with that face and the audience tends to reject it like a bad organ transplant.

The talking point of Aashiqui was its 11-song-soundtrack with Kumar Sanu leading the charge. The real test for Aashiqui 2, now, is whether it manages to dominate the ringtones and cassette players in autorickshaws for the next 20 years. Sickeningly romantic, the music sounds like 2005 and the lyrics, 1985. Hum mar jayenge is a little too outrageous for a generation that sincerely believes in Jaa Chudail. The selling point of the film is the song Tum Hi Ho and the audience is at its most attentive when it makes its appearance in the film. This speaks volumes of how little Aashiqui 2 has to offer. If songs are all that you want to sell, making a film about them is the most expensive an unfruitful way to go about.

Rating: 2 out of 5

Published in DNA (Pune) on April 27, 2013 

Heavy Metal

We know that Bruce Wayne is Batman and Clarke Kent is Superman; but three films into the series, it is safe to say that the real Iron Man is Robert Downey Jr. In Iron Man 3, we pick up from where we left it in Avengers, when Tony Stark escapes from the worm hole and returns to the our world sans aliens and gods. A timely shot in the arm for those who were craving for a good super hero film, the film is nothing more than the comic book being played out on screen.

What works for Shane Black, the director, is his absence from the narrative. Running at a brisk pace, Iron Man 3 sees the egotistical Tony Stark pitted against an enemy that knows no limits. Mandarin, the face of terror, finds Tony Stark standing between him and total domination and has to take him out. When his personal world is destroyed by this enemy, Stark embarks on a journey of salvation, and does so in style. The film arranges the plot elements very well and surprises you brilliantly at certain points in the story. Apart from that, a few impressive and overwhelming action sequences are enough to drive the film home.

Downey's aura carries the personality of a billionaire superhero with ease and is assisted by clever dialogues and one-liners that tend to avoid repetition. But Downey's persona is a given even as you walk into the film; the real surprise is Ben Kingsley. Even if you are not a fan of the superhero phenomenon, it is worth watching the film for Kingsley's performance as Mandarin.

As a film, Iron Man 3 is an entertaining sequel that matches the standards of the first film and makes up for the shoddy narrative of Iron Man 2. Often kept on a pedestal, superheroes tend to lack the ability to gain some empathy from the audience, but Shane Black has managed to take care of that. On an emotional level, the film gets you involved more than any other film based on a character from Stan Lee's marvel universe and brings you a sweet mixture of dynamism and vulnerability.

To sum up, Iron Man 3, thanks to Shane Black and Robert Downey Jr, has managed to stand up as an exception to the mindless two-dimensional world that comic book inspired superhero films usually create.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Published in DNA (Pune) on April 27, 2013 

Modern Family (Dark Ages)

With its graphics in place and a plot that is from the scriptwriters' textbooks, The Croods is an above average film that will entertain you. This Chris Sanders and Kirk De Micco film highlights the element of surprise in discovery and lets you enjoy the doubts and predicaments of its characters, who are compelled to experiment with something new.

Described as the world's first family road trip, the film tells a tale of The Croods, a family from the stone ages that has internalised the art of survival. With a safe-haven cave and a family motto of 'never not be afraid', Grug, the patriarch in the family, tries his best to protect his family from whatever evil lurks outside - be it the predators or darkness. However, when their cave is destroyed, they have to embark on a journey to find a new, safer home. And while world as they know it crumbles behind them, the Croods encounter an imaginative nomad in Guy. With his innovative thinking and advanced ideas, he guides the family to a better home, but not before their survival skills are duly tested.

What makes this film so special is its retrospective treatment, wherein you are looking at the characters from the vantage point of the present. The family dynamics are no different than any urban western family, where the teenage daughter is rebellious; the youngest child is an uncontrollable force of nature and their old grandmother who is always pulling punches at her son-in-law. Some moments in the film where Grug invents the photograph or, Epe's reaction when she wears shoes for the first time or, for that matter, Guy's pet, who he uses as a belt, are the simple parallels drawn between two worlds that are separated by thousands of years.

The story lacks in delivering something new, but the first half has some scenes which one may remember for a long time. For instance, a scene where the Croods have returned to their cave from their daily hunt for food, just before sun down, Epe goes climbing a steep cliff in a feeble attempt to stay under the sun for some more time. Sadly, that longing for light is the only deep emotion in an otherwise thin narrative.

Since it is summer now and your children are getting restless at home with nothing to do, The Croods presents itself as a great opportunity for a family outing to the multiplex. And in that regard, one couldn't ask for more.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Published in DNA (Pune) on April 20, 2013

Fine Daayan

It is sickening to see how the genre of horror, thanks to the lacklustre productions that have been made in this country, has ended up being a branch of comedy (unintentional). Just a month ago, we saw Aatma trying to break that clutter but only managed to scare you. But finally the tried and tested myth of the daayan has attempted to revive this genre. Kannan Iyer's Ek Thi Daayan is positively chilling, hair-raising and is capable of being responsible for some sleepless nights.

Vishal Bhardwaj's disciplined screenplay creates a setting, which from the very beginning creates an eerie atmosphere of thick fog which makes you see only what the maker intends you to see. Ek Thi Daayan is a story of Bobo (Emraan), a famous illusionist, who is betrothed to his girlfriend Tamara (Huma). However, the ghosts of his past are a roadblock to their future together. He therefore revisits his old shrink only to recollect a horrifying regressed memory of how a daayan killed his sister and his father. Tormented by the memory, Bobo decides to move on, only to find Lisa Dutt (Kalki), an NRI come to India in search of him. This opens a can of worms and Bobo's life takes a turn for the worse. Has the old daayan returned? If so, why is she after him?

Just over two hours long, the film has a smooth flow to it and builds up suspense one-step at a time. By the end of the first half, you only have a lot of questions about what is going to happen and are in half a mind to get it over with soon. In the second half, the film answers most of your questions, but not before it descends into that part of your mind which feels ticklish when scared.

In an attempt to avoid the in-your-face horror, even the spookiest, eeriest scenes have a sense of believability about them. And although you don't feel the tremors of fear shaking your skin while the scenes take place, you may feel them later that night when you are lying awake in bed, in the presence of numerous moving shadows. The final ten minutes of the film are fairly ordinary, but you tend to go forgive that in the larger scheme of things.

The background score, by Clinton Cerejo, is largely under-utilised and could have added so much more value to the film. The music and lyrics are top notch, especially the title song Lautungi Main by Rekha Bhardwaj. Her haunting, melodic voice welcomes you into the film, before the actors take over and deliver some memorable performances.

Emraan Hashmi, although the protagonist of the film, has very little to do. Most of the times, his character is only reacting to situations. Huma Qureshi, positively shrugging off her image from GOW, is refreshing in her portrayal of Tamara. Kalki, who plays Lisa Dutt, also fits well into the shoes of a chirpy, outgoing girl. But Konkona Sen Sharma is the pick of the lot. Her character, Diana, is the personification of black magic itself. With subtle change in looks, she can go from being loving and adorable to deadly and vicious.

This psychological, super-natural thriller of a film is a great kick for horror junkies; and for the faint- hearted, stepping in elevators or being in the same room as a lizard will be hard for a few days.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Published in DNA (Pune) on April 20, 2013 

Total Dramebaaz

Our lives would be so dull if we simply played our parts in fulfilling our destiny and saying all the things we were meant to say and doing all the things we were meant to do. What makes life such a beautiful journey is the little drama we add to it. The minor misunderstandings, the little conflicts, the uncalled-for reactions - they are all responsible for what we make of what life throws at us. And Rohan Sippy's Nautanki Saala is just the celebration of that drama. It is a carnival of nautanki.

The film opens with Ram Parmar (Ayushmann) at a therapy session with his shrink, telling her about a Chinese proverb which translates into, 'We are responsible for the lives of the people we save.' Having stopped a stranger named Mandar Lele (Kunaal) from committing suicide, RP (as Ram likes himself being referred to) feels obligated to also save Mandar from the wreckage of his own broken heart. A comedy of errors, the film unfolds with its heightened sense of drama into an innocent, unintended love triangle.

A refreshing romantic comedy, the film's strength is in its well-crafted screenplay, with its characters and properties perfectly placed in the narrative. Uneasy hilarious moments create a comic tension, like the scene where a snorty Mandar, just rescued from committing suicide, is introduced by Ram as his old buddy to his fiance. Or sometimes it's just the situational humour of a Hospital receptionist with a heavy accent, and on other occasions, puns that have some thought put into them.

Rohan Sippy, who has made the underrated comedy Bluffmaster, has a similar approach to this film and captures humour that is present in the script. Nautanki Saala is therefore as much a writer's film as the director's. Nipun Dharmadhikari's screenplay in his maiden film as a screenwriter has the singularity and grip that'll make you remember the movie for a long time.

Seemingly lengthy at over two hours, Nautanki Saala has a smooth narrative and the only element that prevents the film from becoming something greater than it is, is the casting. Apart from the male leads, and a superficial cameo by Abhishek Bachchan, the ensemble should have been chosen more extensively. The three leading women in the film, Pooja Salvi, Evelyn Sharma and Gaelyn Mendonca are a serious drawback to the overall ambience of the film. There is just too much effort and too little expression in their performance.

A decent comedy by all means, Nautanki Saala runs a little deeper with its Ramayan metaphor and motifs like the Shiv dhanusha and Ram's ring which Hanuman delivers to Sita. Embedded without losing the fluidity of the main plot, these little things make your overall viewing experience more meaningful.

All in all, the film entertains you and once you have seen it, you might forget those little jokes and the romance; but there's something you take back with you - the feeling of satisfaction that your inner Dramebaaz has been acknowledged.

Rating – 3 out of 5

Published in DNA (Pune) on April 13, 2013

What are you laughing at?

After the mind-numbing re-make that Himmatwala was, one had to enter the cinema hall cautiously, not knowing what evil is going to unfold before one's eyes. But fortunately, there is nothing to be afraid of. Chashme Baddoor is not even slightly a remake of the 1981 Sai Paranjpye classic. And if the maker claims that it is one; it is only as good a remake as Hero No.1 was of Bawarchi.

The film is definitely inspired by the plot structure of Chashme Buddoor (1981); where three friends -- Sid, Omi and Jai are just out of college and while Jai and Omi are chasing girls with their cheesy pick up lines, Sid is the sincere, studious and honest one. Then comes the girl, Seema, who ridicules Omi and Sid's desperate attempts to woo her. Later, Sid and Seema fall in love; and Omi and Jai try to break the relationship out of envy. The only other common thread between the two films is the vague reference made to Chamko detergent powder. The film takes place in Goa and occasionally passes off a couple of exotic foreign locations as Goa, and unravels this comical tale of friendship rather half acceptably.

As far as David Dhawan is concerned, Chashme Baddoor is a great improvement on his style of filmmaking where the focus is laid on fairly humorous dialogues rather than mindless physical comedy. Jai, played by Siddharth, often reminds you of Ravi Baswani and also makes you realise what today's comedy is missing. From Omi's shayari to some appreciable puns, the overall bar for the sense of humour is not set too high. However, no matter how uptight you are about the standard of jokes, some of the situations in the film do tend to tickle your funny bone.

Ali Zafar, who plays Sid, as we know, is capable of comedy (case in point Tere Bin Laden) but doesn't fulfill his potential. The glamour doll Taapsee Pannu is extremely ordinary and puts you off with some weird facial expressions that she wears during the song sequences. Rishi Kapoor, as Joseph Furtado, who replaces Saeed Jaffery's character of Lallan Miyan, does a good job. But his character's involvement as a crucial sub-plot isn't as gripping as Lallan's.

By itself, Chashme Baddoor is a half-decent comedy which will come as a much needed relief after a long week at work; but unlike the classic, no one will be citing instances from this film 30 years from now. For those who have already experienced the wonderful film, don't expect this one to live up to your expectations. For the young audience, remember, you are only as good as the jokes you laugh at.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Published in DNA (Pune) on April 6, 2013