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Rajesh Sharma
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3: Grotesque? Yes. Burlesque: Yes. Statuesque? Yes. Humouresque: No. Maze: Yes. Amazing: No
Bhool Bhulaiya literally means a maze or labyrinth, in Hindustani language. This one refers to the Adventures of a Fake Ghostbuster and his Pygmy Partner, who collapses at the slightest sign of danger. They are as fake as the royal family they are summoned to, to perform the task of busting the ghost of a princess, who was imprisoned in a large room, with heavy padlocks, 200 years ago. ...
Katha Collage, Review: It might get a few ‘awards’, for….
Comedian Jerry Lewis, in the top league during the 50s and 60s, made a breakthrough movie in 1965, called The Family Jewels. Breakthrough, because he played seven roles in the film, all brothers, besides co-writing and directing it. I have been unlucky not to have seen this reportedly hilarious experiment, but I came close when I saw an Indian, Hindustani film, Naya Din, Nayi Raat (NDNR). Nine years after The Family ...
Mission Raniganj-The Great Bharat Rescue, Review: The capsule that saved 65 lives
Few films have done as much disservice to their cause by having a misnomer as a title as Mission Raniganj. There is no Bharat Rescue, although the film is about a rescue. Over the last decade, there has been a spate of films with the Mission prefix, dealing either with operations against Pakistan or our scientific achievements. So, if the name of the film at hand been merely Mission Raniganj, it would have been ...
Chatrapathi, Review: Axe Rated
Should have been spelt Chhatrapati, buy never mind. As a remake, it has carried over the spelling of the Telugu original. The title is a reference to Shivaji, the Maratha King of the Bhosle clan, who fought invaders and rulers and lived from 1630 to 1680. Honoured as a local hero, he was given the title Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and continues to hold a high place in the hearts and minds of many Indians. The Mumbai airport and the biggest railway terminus in t...
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Review: Witch ghost will be the soul survivor?
Alternately calling itself a horror story and a humorous tale, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (Labyrinth, Maze) does raise a few laughs. The horror, however, fails to strike terror. Songs, literally thrust into the film and one of them relegated to the end credit titles, are catchy, but they are either mushy or foot-tapping, neither kind blending with the theme. There is indeed a labyrinth of explanations for some of the spooky goings on in...
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2-Song launch at Imagicaa: How far will you go to watch a film song?
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is the second part of the franchise, the title of which means Maze or Labyrinth. Imagicaa is an amusement park situated at Khopoli, some 80 kms from Mumbai. The invitation from the Public Relations was tempting:
1.00 pm - Media assemble time at T-Series office, Andheri West
2:00 PM - Departure For Imagicaa, with Media
- Media to be segregated in 2 buses
5:00 PM - ...
Mere Desh Ki Dharti, Review: Suicide or pesticide, you decide
You get two films for the price of one when you, or if you, go to see Mere Desh Ki Dharti. Now, if you happen to arrive a little late, after the opening credits, the first half makes you wonder whether you have been ushered into the wrong auditorium of a multiplex, and the film you are watching is not Mere Desh Ki Dharti. On the other hand, if you arrived on time, you must wonder whether the reels have got mixed-up (what an archaic...
Dehati Disco, trailer launch: Ace choreographer Ganesh Acharya debuts as leading man
They chose International Dance Day to release the trailer of the film Dehati (Rural) Disco at the deserted and decrepit Golden Tobacco cigarette factory, in suburban Vile Parle, Mumbai, which stopped production of their Panama brand decades ago, and the place, which was a landmark once upon a time, now constitutes vestigial remain.
Dance has always been the heart of our Indian cinema. We have seen several ic...
Pyar Mein Thoda Twist, Review: A sack-full of emptiness
A lot of action in the film Pyar Mein Thoda Twist takes place inside a bound sack. It is marked, Lena Hae Lena Hae (have to take, have to take) Brand, and it twists alright. No, not because it is haunted, but because it holds a man captive. This man is supposed to be Mr. Wanted, a dangerous criminal, whose capture carries a reward of Rs. 2 million. While the sack changes hands and locations several times, being stolen or ‘kidnapped...
Babloo Bachelor, Review: Bachelor and the marriage lure
Of all the themes that have been chosen for making Hindi films over the last several decades, marriage is the most common. Till the dawn of the 21st century, a host of film scripts were woven around the boy-meets-girl, they cannot marry due to a plethora of reasons, the most common being inequality of status, a villain was added for effect, and it all ended well. Now, with mobile phones, social media, so many mixed marriages and live-ins...
Dabangg 3, Review: A Bad Dab at Bangg 3 theory
There must be a theory that if the first two instalments of Dabangg have worked, a third one must be attempted. The theory probably stipulates that this will work even if it has a skeleton in place of a story, that a host of insider jokes, tongue-in-cheek references to another superstar, repetition of dialogue and the smash hit song of the earlier two Bangs, will replicate box-office magic, that the directorial abilities of Prabhudeva will stitch...
Pati Patni Aur Woh, Review: Eternal try angle
Same title, same production house, same concept, yet Pati Patni Aur Woh is nothing like its 1978 original. Crucial elements like the ‘woh’ (she) being the protagonist’s secretary and the lead couple having a son are missing in this 2019 ‘remake’. Yet, the film works quite well, and if such a brazenly adult theme can avoid becoming a bedroom farce, while delineating the plot on a tight-rope walk, there must be somethi...
Dream Girl, Review: Lady Boy’s multiple nightmares
Can one accuse film-makers of misleading audiences by describing their films as anything but what they really are? Dream Girl, dubbed ‘family entertainer by its makers,’ panders to below the belt viewers and frustrated loners, under the garb of showcasing the lead actor’s mimicking talent, and providing a telephonic helpline to lonely hearts. It is a series of stand-up comic jokes, with one-liners, puns and double ente...
Khandaani Shafakhana, Review: Familial Clinic, Unfamiliar picnic
A title like that would suggest a medical practice that has been in the business for generations and garnered a formidable reputation of efficacy in treatment. Khandaani Shafakhana (Urdu for Familial Clinic) is not about any such practice. The subject is sex, in general, and the distressing conditions of erectile dysfunction and lack of libido in particular. Okay, so they have a misleading title. You could overlook this fact if ...
One Day Justice Delivered, Review: Perhaps, but not today
A judge dispensing justice by extra-judicial means immediately after retirement is not a common theme in Hindi films, and the novelty is undeniable. Sadly, that is just about where the merits of this film rest. Actors ham, the script meanders, co-incidences abound, dialogue disappoints and the climactic twist is of no consequence. One Day Justice Delivered espouses a noble cause but does more disservice than service to it.
Ranchi High...
India’s Most Wanted, Review: Mission without ammunition, found wanting
Indian spy thrillers have been on the scene ever since the first film of James from Thames was released in India in the early 1960s. They were broadly divided into categories: rip-offs of 007 and C grade thrillers, with action and a bit of titillation. Remarkably, some of them even managed to incorporate catchy songs into the narrative. In the last two decades, after international terrorism, other than the eternal bo...
22 Yards, Review: Short of a length
When you pitch for a film on cricket (pun intended), you better go the whole 22 yards. In cricket, the length of the pitch, from stumps at one end to stumps at the other, is all of 22 yards. That is where the main action of the game takes place. So, with a giveaway title like 22 Yards, you can expect nothing but a film on cricket. Now let me state here, for the benefit of readers from countries that do not play cricket that in India, religion, cinema and cr...
Fryday, Review: Thank Devil, It’s Friday
A water-purifier salesman has until Friday to make his first sale, or else face the sack. A ham actor has only the Friday to make his extra-marital catch, since his wife is away for just about a day. The twain meet at the actor’s home, where the married fan of the hero is about to give in to his seductive moves, and then all hell breaks loose.
Umpteen Gujarati and English plays in Mumbai have tried and tested the formula, usually with succ...
Yamla Pagla Deewana--Phirse/3, Review: YPDP 3, Y indeed?
Is good judgement failing the Deols? And did any well-wisher not bring to their notice that the story and screenplay of Yamla Pagla Deewana Phirse/3 is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing? Or is it both? Whatever the reality, fact is that we have the Dharmendra Deol, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol starrer released this week, a weak exercise in futility.
He Man Dharmendra, probably the first hero to show off his rippling muscles bare-...
The Past, Review: And this too shall pass
Tropes and stereo-tropes, by themselves, do not a horror film make. Yes, the appearing and disappearing humanoids, the moving and rising objects, the possession and dual pitch speech of the living visited by the dead, the exorcists who use religious symbols, etc., are all part of familiar horror genre. And The Past has all of these, in plenty. But to make an effective horror film, you need to either get the mix right or introduce new elements. The Pas...
Nanu ki Jaanu, Review: It’s a nu nu
What can you make of this mishmash that is as puerile as its title? Whatever you make, it’s all a nu nu, or no no, to spell it right. Misguided, miswritten, misdirected and misacted, the film revels in flouting the basic tenets of mise en scène. If the Tamil/Telugu original of this remake was worth remaking, the makers of Nanu Ki Jaanu have done it great injustice, beginning with changing the profession of the protagonist from a violinist...
The Past coming to haunt you
The Past is a terrifying horror story that has been shot in an actually ‘haunted’ location. The film stars Vedita Pratap Singh, Yuvraj Parasher, Rajesh Sharma, Samiksha Bhatt, Jaya Villey and Soniya Albizuri, in pivotal roles. It is directed By Gagan Puri and produced by Peacock Motion Filmz, an Indian film studio founded by Jaspal Singh and Nitesh Kumar.
Gagan Puri has over eight years of experience in Hindi Cinema, and is also the writer of...
Toilet—Ek Prem Katha, Review by Siraj Syed: Loo and behold!
There is no point getting revolted by the title. Any fear that the film might have ‘dirty’ scenes can be laid to rest by the realisation that we have a robust Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) that sanitises every film before release. And almost every Indian knows that the current Prime Minister launched a campaign two-and-a-half years ago, to ensure that millions of villages and small towns in rural India ...
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