Movie Review: OMG Oh My God..is not worth devoting time for

Okay, first things first…OMG Oh My God is not meant to be a comedy. Yes, I know it has Paresh Rawal as its lead and it brings Paresh Rawal and Akshay Kumar together (‘God’ only knows for what reason) so it should be one..but it isn’t..which itself is a pity

Once you are clear on that, you still shouldn’t go in with high expectations. Despite a promising premise, the film is let down by consistent over-dramatization and typical over-simplification. What could have been interesting and invigorating intellectual debate quickly becomes over-the-top and clichéd and just plain ordinary

There are touches, here and there…for eg. the beautiful use of the key ring and other props make their subtle point in the subtle manner they should. The court scenes are also well depicted though again here, the over-dramatization spoils it for the viewer. The trouble is that in these scenes the director, has already made up his mind which side he wants the audience to be swayed by the end of the scene and that completely spoils it. Further, the plot turns and the writing just isn’t interesting enough and one just waits for the movie to turn to the clichéd drama you know it would, sooner or later

In the acting department, you get treated to a great performance by the dependable Paresh Rawal who plays his part with great aplomb and comfort and keeps you interested. His character of Kanjilal the protagonist, is also well explored and well presented. The other character of interest is that of Mithun Chakraborty who does a great job as well. Akshay Kumar could have had the most interesting role but while it intrigues in the beginning his role becomes pretty one-dimensional.

While the movie can be seen to have great message and meaning, the issue is that all this is forced on the viewer rather than letting them decide for themselves. If only, this movie could have been more subtle in its approach than it proclaims in its title, it could have truly been a Godly product. As it stands though, there is nothing heavenly about OMG..Beyond this, May God show you the right path..

Movie Review: Heroine..she shines, the film doesn’t

After insightful and well presented movies like Page 3 and Fashion, a Madhur Bhandarkar movie is expected to be focused on a particular industry and hell bent in exposing its dark underbelly. Heroine seeks to be no different. Yet, while we expected this, what we didn’t expect was for all the other cliché's his movies are known for to be put together in the same movie!! And therein..lies its fall

If there is one thing any audience would love in any movie – its a fresh presentation. A tale where they don’t know what to expect and plot turns that keep them interested. Thanks to all of his other exploits, Bhandarkar’s Heroine has none of those. Add to that the fact that it is far too long and makes no real impact,  makes dirty digs at other bollywood actors and actresses and is ultimately a sad product. One of the worst ending sequences I have seen in any of his movies, an area where he has known to demonstrate class elsewhere (Page 3 – mere liye party khatam ho chuki hai..) looks like they were in a hurry to announce the final pack-up and decided to proceed with whatever they had till then

If Heroine is saved somewhat, its all thanks to a superlative performance by Kareena Kapoor who makes the central character (Mahi Arora) her own and despite her rather confusing and irritating personality you still want to root for her. Mahi’s deep agony and constant struggle comes across perfectly in every scene and Kareena’s performance truly shines amidst all the other fake glamour and glitterati. All the others play their part well enough too for the movie to have been a decent watch

However, the long runtime, the painfully familiar sequences and uninspired writing make for a rather bad outing for this supposed expose on the underbelly of Bollywood. Watch it only for Kareena’s performance..else there’s nothing much you’ll miss anyways

Movie Review: Barfi…offers some delicious bites

I know this comes in late but it was still due and for some reason if you still haven’t seen Barfi..I’ll only say that you shouldn’t miss it. Barfi is one of those rare Bollywood treats that they don’t dole out as often as one would like. In a nutshell, it offers you some delightful moments, some wonderful acting and an excellent presentation with minimum words being spoken

In many ways Barfi is a celebration of life – joyous, light with a spring in every step. Innocence and simplicity rarely come across so beautifully on the screen. This is one of those rare movies where you are bound to have a smile plastered across your face throughout the first half while you watch chaplin-esque comedy sequences brilliantly portrayed by Ranbir. Then just at the right moments it touches a chord and you see the emotion behind all the laughter

The fact that the protagonist is dumb and mute is used so exceedingly well in the film that an otherwise simple sequence of frames takes on great meaning and delivers tremendous impact. There is a touch of directorial class about a few of such sequences and I am pretty sure Barfi can be regarded as Anurag Basu’s finest till date. Music has been used wonderfully well and though the songs are melodious, its the background music in all the scenes that keep you interested

If the film falters, surprisingly, its in the plot. While it sets up well, the storyline isn’t exactly what you would have liked - taking the focus away from the wondrous lives of Barfi and Jhilmil into familiar clichéd grounds. To be fair though, you couldn’t really figure out another way the story could’ve been taken forward. That and the fact that its a little too long, (the age old Bollywood vice) and could’ve done with some snappier sequences and less predictable dialogues especially in the second half are the minor blemishes that you need to bear with

As for the performances, well that’s the main force that makes Barfi the movie it is. Its gonna be hard to find competition to Ranbir soon the way he’s going. With no dialogues, its supposed to be all expression and express he does – every single twitch, raised eyebrow or just a plain old smile – it all comes out perfect. In fact, such is his impact that you barely notice Jhilmil (Priyanka) despite her having done a more than credible job. However, she proves equally effective and does complete justice to the difficult character of Jhilmil. Ileana D’Cruz make a confident entry to Bollywood; she has a very expressive face and that works beautifully for her character

Barfi, thus, offers a delicious treat – don’t go looking for plotline and story – this one is for the performances and presentation alone and in that regard, its a rare gem

Movie Review: Finding Nemo 3D…is worth the re-watch

Okay so I am assuming here that most of you have already seen this delightful underwater tale when it released in 2003. If you haven’t by any chance and are not devoutly against watching animation flicks (for clearly, then there’s no convincing you)..the answer is simple, don’t miss it. For those of you that have and then I assume it won’t be just once but possibly re-runs of your favourite parts as well, so much so that you remember the entire movie pretty much..should you still go? Well, I think you should.
Me, for instance, I always wondered how this movie would look in 3D and I am happy to announce that its all I imagined and more so. The 3D is not slight, as was the case with the re-release of Titanic. Its very clearly there and present, accentuating an already detailed aquatic scenery. The time when Bruce swims in pursuit of those two is virtually brought to life by the 3D effect as is the jumping about around jelly fish. The aquatic bubbles don’t spring out on you like those dainty little things in Avatar but its very very visible. And if that’s not enough, well there’s always Dory to make you laugh which works in whatever format you choose to watch
Its a lovingly crafted animation film with the right dose of humor and emotion and the 3D just makes it better. There you have it then, a short review but the verdict is simple..its worth it..go watch it!!

Movie Review: Gangs of Wasseypur Part II..is a fitting conclusion to the revenge saga

Clocking at a combined runtime of 320 minutes, the Gangs of Wasseypur takes a long time to tell its tale. However, with the refreshing manner in which it is presented, the solid performances by its entire cast of characters, the contextual and thumping music that comes in every now and the transition of the story across practically a century without losing its audience, you’ve got to hand it to Kashyap. The Gangs.. project was ambitious but as the final credits roll in on part II, you clearly feel that he has done justice to the revenge saga and created quite a classic. It may not be perfect but it is pretty darn good
Part II begins pretty much where Part I left off and I mean that in every respect. The same solid performances by a diverse cast of characters, convoluted plotlines and cinematographic brilliance across some sequences. In fact, Part II also continues to introduce new characters all of which are very welcome. With names like Definite, Perpendicular and Tangent, one was already curious and each name’s explanation in the movie is pretty satisfying. What’s more some of these new additions are pretty much central characters and not mere ‘sidies’ thrown in for fun.
However, as was the case with the first version, part II also suffers from some unnecessarily extended story-telling, stretching of the plot where it could easily have ended half hour earlier and dragging through some scenes that add little value. In fact, the attempt to inject humor at one of the most important moments in the movie, fails all reason.
While the performance of the entire cast is noteworthy, Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s screen presence and Tigmanshu Dhulia’s restrained performance deserves special mention, as does the striking Huma Qureshi as Faizal Khan’s love interest. The music is good though not as contextual as part I and thankfully there aren’t too many songs in this instalment.
Overall, Part II offers all that the build up promised if not more. If you liked part I, you owe it to yourself to find out exactly how the revenge saga turned out.

Movie Review: Ice Age 4: Continental Drift..just about manages to keep it together

Ice Age 4 offers nothing new. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing since the Ice Age series has been pretty good fun all through. However, it is now looking rather episodic and drawn out rather than the fresh presentation the initial versions had. While the other series (Kung Fu Panda, Toy Story) improved with every sequel, this is one series that has pretty much remained the same.
Ice Age 4 then, is just about, the same wine in the same bottle. If anything, its becoming more kids oriented and the gags are comparatively lesser. At this point, I don’t really care if there’s an Ice Age 5, rather I am hoping there isn’t. Part of the reason for this indifference may also be that while the herd started off with fresh and quirky characters, there hasn’t been much progress since Manny, Diego and Sid got together and now they are definitely getting older. By now, even Scrat is beginning to look repetitive – I guess there’s no better indication
As for the current version, well its got all the usual stuff. Animation is top drawer and the 3D is well utilized, though I thought we could’ve done with a little more depth in some scenes. All the voice actors are in good form and the packaging of the movie is also pretty decent. One thing this version definitely misses is more of the smart gags – some laugh out loud moments that the earlier versions offered. Unless they can manage to pull a rabbit out of a hat, this series may well be on its way to extinction. Its been a memorable journey, but its important to realize when its time to go.
Ice Age 4 then, doesn’t make the must watch list. Still, with the other offering being Kya Super Kool Hain Hum..its an easy choice. At least this one won’t give you a headache

Movie Review: Kya Super Kool Hain Hum..Kya Bakwas Hai!!

This one’s a no brainer – and I mean this in every sense of the phrase possible. The only reason I was keen on watching this sequel was because I had quite a few laughs with the original that released a few years back. If I had been given quite the same helping I would’ve been satisfied, but nothing could have prepared me for the bizarre, crude and downright amateur stuff that Kya Super Kool..has to offer. Forget Super..this one’s not even Kool..not by a long yardstick
This is usually that part of my review where I start off with something good about the movie..and I am actually struggling. Other than a handful of clever quips, most of the one-liners make you cringe, hold your head in frustration and wish that you’d never ventured to the hall in the first place. Gone is the nicely paced setup of the original offering, with decent characters, interesting situations and absolute laugh out loud sequences. Instead, what you get is an all the time in-your-face motley collection of one-liners distributed across dialogues, no story to speak of and absolutely nil connect with the characters. The somewhat saving grace is some of the song and dance, but that’s also probably because Dil Garden Garden is a clear lift from the Flo Rida hit – Right Round (from Hangover fame)
In the acting department, Riteish is in good form but this time doesn’t have the dialogues to support him in his fairly comfortable comedic avatar. Of the others, it pains one to see a veteran like Anupam Kher playing the role he does in the movie, though he still manages to bring a laugh or two due to his performance alone.
To expect any depth whatsoever in a movie made purely for the purpose of fun is a stupid expectation and I went in with none. What I did hope for was at least some of the laugh riot that the original had presented if not an all-out entertainer. What I got instead was a mind-numbing barrage of useless one liners that left me dazed. If this is not warning enough then probably your mind is numb already and Super Kool..couldn’t possibly do more damage.