This movie is right up there with "Dosti" as my favorite Suneel Darshan movie (though very different from "Dosti"), perhaps even better. I would give it an 8.5/10. Darshan retains his well-honed emotional sensibilities at key effective moments, as well as his trademark ear for good music and his belief in songs being integral in telling the story of a movie. But he tones down the melodrama a lot, uses a new editing style that is neither too hip nor too dated, and substitutes the cooler sound of Himesh Reshammiya for the slower Nadeem-Shravan of his previous movies. He also gets fairly good performances out of a mostly new, but talented, star cast.
The story in the movie is different, not yet another rehashed love story or rehashed action plot or rehashed family melodrama -- inspired by, but not slavish to or merely copying, the movie "Amadeus." The power play in the music industry portrayed here is both gripping and, to me, believable. One can see parallels in the story to real life in the way certain directors or stars become blacklisted in the Hindi film industry and its associated media because of fear of someone's No. 1 status being taken away by superior new talent, or perceived humiliations and slights. I think Darshan himself may relate to that struggle, as he finds himself seemingly cast aside as old guard, and so too from another angle might many of the young actors, who do fine work in this movie, relate as their work is ignored for the latest SRK/Akshay/Salman/Saif retread which has way better publicity (but don't misunderstand me, I like those actors too, and I don't think all of their movies are retreads). This genuineness of the theme, and the likely relevance of the movie to the people making it, are part of what makes the movie work so well.
Further, the movie is not typical Bollywood in being gray-shaded. Neither of the two lead male characters is wholly sympathetic or wholly villainous. It's hard to say who I rooted for more and who I rooted for less. They were both wrong. The ending is probably a just one for the characters involved though.
Don't get me wrong, this movie is an entertainer, and a star vehicle for Upen Patel and Bobby Deol, with the trademark Suneel Darshan emphasis on songs telling a story -- it's not a social commentary! It doesn't claim to be a "Page 3", and it certainly isn't! But I just think the story is a worthy one.
As mentioned before already in this review, the songs propel the story forward. For example, Bobby's character AJ sees Upen's character Reggie for the first time in the picturization for "Dil Lagayenge," and the seeds of both appreciation for Reggie's talent and jealousy/insecurity form there; the same picturization also introduces (tastefully) the fact that Reggie and Celina Jaitley's character Sheena have a sexual relationship. My favorite song and favorite picturization, "Thade Vaste", is perhaps less important in propelling the story, but establishes Reggie's love and respect for both his father (played by Anupam Kher in a short, but effective appearance) and for Ruhi, which we keep in mind despite Reggie's later actions when angry and bitter.
Acting: The acting of Bobby Deol in his part-sympathetic, part-villainous role is great -- believable throughout, and mostly subtle but with some good "villain faces", as one follows his transformation from well-meaning to embittered and vengeful. Upen Patel is good for a newcomer, and improves steadily as the movie progresses. He seems kind of one-note-arrogant and a little scummy looking at the beginning, but in the second half displays a wide range from the expressive exuberance of "Thade Vaste" to the subtle heartbreak of "Namumkin", and is especially effective when his character is sick, portraying his illness and passion for music and gratitude to AJ. His best scene is probably when his character apologizes to AJ. Patel is also a great dancer, which was already evident in his previous movie "36 China Town." Kangana Ranaut does fine in her first glamorous, commercial role, particularly when she is concerned for Reggie or standing up to him to try to get him to see sense, and also in the songs. Celina Jaitley makes an impact as a powerful and sexy businesswoman, despite having few scenes. The supporting actors are also good.
There are lots of effective scenes in the movie -- from the opening where someone is putting a CD into a player (right away you know it's not the same old Suneel Darshan movie) and the bouncy credits sequence, to the mysterious opening with AJ staring down his guru, to, after a bit of a lull, Upen arriving on scene with "Dil Lagayenge," the first of several effective song picturizations, to the humiliation of AJ in the studio, to the hilarious sequence where Ruhi thinks Reggie is a serial killer stalking her, to Reggie's dad's parting speech to him at the airport about needing to apologize for bitter words (so well acted by Anupam Kher), to Reggie's drunk scenes, to Ruhi's departure, to Reggie's composition while ill, to hospital scenes, to AJ in a dream version of Hell attacked by demons (pretty good special effects!), and yes, even a horrifying disco ball scene.
The ending is abrupt but is probably just, and leaves you thinking.
I only have a few complaints. A subplot with the music mogul's wife having an affair with AJ is only half-developed. The US setting is not that convincing. Some friend characters are not developed. And, I wish we had seen more of the characters' families than just Reggie's dad -- he brought an immediate reassuring typical Bollywoodish family touch when he showed up briefly in the second half (but I guess it worked to have not much family in that sense).
Anyway, overall, awesome movie! A must for Suneel Darshan, Bobby Deol, or Upen Patel fans!
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