Reviews

I have seen about 4000 movies in my life. And this is one of the best that I have ever seen. It is one of the most satisfying endings. Probably in the top 10 or 20 of all time. What a phenomenal love story. I saw it in Telugu with English subtitles. I don't speak Telugu. Have never been to Andhra or Telangana. But I connected with every single character in this movie. Their fate and their tragedies really affected me. But the ending had my crying tears of joy. No, more than that - tears of humanity. One of the best films ever. This should be seen by the world.

As I am writing this, about 5000 people have rated this film; 25% of them have rated it a 10. 50% of them have rated it a 9 or 8 and the remaining 25% have rated it a 7 or less.

I am not going to even bother with the bottom 25% - they exist to make life interesting and adventurous. The top 25%: glad you got it. The remaining 50% who rated it 8 or 9 - I ask you this humbly and earnestly: Why? Lets look at the film as objectively as in my opinion, I can.

The script of the film is excellent; no major glitches, hardly any minor ones, respect for the audience's intelligence, very authentic (if you happen to be familiar with the Delhi milieu, you will surely agree), multi-dimensional characters, 3 complete acts, extremely good dialogues.

Technically, as in cinematography, production design, art direction, sound, sfx, it has limited scope due to the script, but within that limited scope, very competent. The editing could perhaps have chopped off about 1-2 minutes in the pre-climax when there is a conflict in the protagonists' lives. The music is very apt for the tone and flow of the film, Paani Da Rang being my personal favourite.

Very ably directed by Soojit Sircar. He had a fantastic script to work with and his genius was in adhering to it. He has also done a brilliant job in his choice of actors. Ayushman Khurana, Anu Kapoor, Yami Gautam and Dolly Ahluwalia are the principal characters who have all done a fabulous job. But the diligence of Sircar lies in his choice of his supporting cast. There are at least another 20 speaking characters in the film and their competent characterization in writing and performing lends tremendous credibility to the film.

From a financial standpoint, the film was made on a very reasonable budget (Rs. 5 crore as per wikipedia) and marketed appropriately earning over 9 times the cost (again as per wikipedia). So the producers have done justice to their investors as well as distributors. Great balance of art and commerce.

Now, moving on to the heart from the brain, this film in my opinion is phenomenal. It is a great comedy not just for its laugh-off-your-chair moments, but for its numerous bring-a-smile-to-your-face moments and touch-your-heart moments.

In the world of films, most of us love categorization as per genres and this would fall into the feel-good comedies section at your DVD store or your online streaming website. And we are unfortunately programmed to think that feel-good is not worthy of a 10. There should be some larger-than-life greatness or a very grand idea about how to make the world a better place for a movie to be rated a 10.

I will just say this: (aside from the fact that as a healthy father married to the healthy mother of our healthy 8 month old grace from God baby girl, I balled my eyes out at the end of this 2 hour joyful bliss) Hrishikesh Mukherjee would have been very proud of Shoojit Sircar. Definitely the best of 2012 thus far.

I cried a few times. Some times when I remembered feeling like Stanley. Many a times when I remembered knowing somebody like Stanley.

In many ways, adults are less wise, more insecure and less resilient than kids - 9 year olds in this case. We seek pity, we are quick to judge and somewhere along the way we came to know reality through our lens of cynicism and apathy. Kids seem to get on with it, take people on face value and see reality as this manifestation of their own imagination.

In India, child labour is a reality and quite frankly in many parts of the world, some developed, some developing, to varying degrees, unchildlike acts of bonded labour, abuse and trafficking happen. But what is really worthy of a 10 is not that this film gets you thinking from your mind, but that it gets you feeling from your heart for this uncomplicated, slice-of-life story with child protagonists but I dare say extremely appropriate for adult audiences.

Amole Gupte has made a brilliant film, with a fantastic script, amazing photography from Amol Gole, an excellent ensemble cast including all of the kids. He translates his passion for cinema so exactingly on to the screen as a director. For his performance as Khadoos, he should be top contender for Best Villain Award at next year's "Some atrocious sponsor Flimsy Affair Awards".

This film reminded of a poem in the Hindustan Times some 20 years ago about 'Groan-Ups'. 10/10.

Because Rocket Singh the movie does nothing by the numbers. When, a loser type filmi hero passes his exams, he usually pumps his fists and goes to his 'dadaji' saying 'main pass ho gaya, main pass ho gaya'. But Ranbir's Harpreet Singh Bedi just heaves a subtle sigh of relief that he passed and moves on with his life. And in the penultimate scene of the film, while working as an inventory clerk in a department store, when Harpreet gets a very unexpected pleasant surprise from the most unexpected person, he doesn't have glycerin tears in his eyes or some superhit theme song playing in the background. He just smiles to himself and goes back to work. Ranbir and his heroine Shazahn have some brief tender moments in the film, but no romantic song to 'heighten the romantic effect'.

Why? Because Rocket Singh is a fantastic film that is focused on its characters and on staying true to who they are. Jaideep Sahni should get every award that there is out there for writing the best screenplay of 2009. He has brilliantly incorporated the present day metropolitan corporate culture of the non MNC mid-size firm. Having perfected that, he has taken his everyday life characters and followed them faithfully to their logical conclusions.

Shimit Amin obviously knows that a brilliant director of brilliant films rests on the shoulders of brilliant screenplays. He has shown wisdom and maturity in translating Jaideep's pen onto the screen. This is what every young brilliant director should do. Make a commercial and critical success like Chak De and then, leverage that success to make something that really pushes the envelope without having to compromise. At all.

Ranbir Kapoor has definitely done a great job in playing the title role, but he is also supported by an excellent ensemble - Mukesh Bhatt, Naveen Kaushik, Shazahn Padamsee, Prem Chopra, D Santosh, Gauhar Khan and Manish Choudhary.

Over the past few years, I have been occasionally critical of Yashraj's films, but I must really give Aditya Chopra credit for green lighting this project and allowing it to exist in its entirety, untarnished.

To really sum it up, Rocket Singh is so unspectacularly spectacular that for me, along with Kaminey (haven't seen Hirani's 3 Idiots yet) it is the best film of the year. 10/10.

One month before the movie was to release, I was not the least bit interested in watching this father-son-father story. I considered it to be a marketing gimmick. The reviews did not convince me to watch it either.

And then my sister watches it and I decided I needed to see it. All she said was that is was a very good, very sweet movie. And even though I don't ever remember seeing a movie because of someone's recommendation, I decided to see Paa.

Paa is a very gutsy movie. It is also a very smart and simple movie. It competently avoids a lot of pitfalls that the plot of the movie offers. It also avoids any pitfalls that the so called genius casting of Amitabh and Abhishek in reversed roles offers.

Paa rests on Amitabh's capable shoulders, and my oh my what a performance! Two minutes into the film, you completely forget that you are watching the Big B - you just notice Auro. Balki's screenplay and direction are a couple of notches higher from his previous effort in Cheeni Kum. And just like his previous venture, he has surrounded the film with other fantastic actors like Abhishek, Arundhati, Paresh Rawal and Vidya Balan. Vidya Balan has done a tremendous job in the film. The dignity and maturity that she has lent to the role is excellent. In fact, Paa is really a mother-son story.

Illayaraja's music is satisfactory as are other technical credits such as the cinematography and editing. The editing really lends focus to the screenplay. I can hardly remember a false step that the proceedings take. The only qualm I have is that Abhishek's politician scenes could have been shortened a bit.

Amitabh just does not seem to know how to be a typical screen father figure. What a way to leverage his yesteryear super stardom. A lot of his peers have become a distant memory for either lacking humility, common sense, good health, personal discretion, ability to change or all of the above. And all of these factors are mostly in one's control.

In my calculation, Amitabh has done 43 movies in this decade (starting with Mohabbatein). The ones I will remember him for - Aks, Aankhen, Baghban, Khakee, Dev, Black, Waqt, Sarkar, Viruddh, Eklavya, Cheeni Kum, The Last Lear and Paa. I know eh. He is 67. I just hope he stays healthy and passionate for another 30-40 years. I also hope that my sister never reads this and goes, 'I told you so'. 9/10.

I saw it with minimal expectations and after I saw the film, I googled it thoroughly to make sure that it was not an "unofficial Hollywood remake". And to my surprise, not only is it an original screenplay, they are making a potential big budget Hollwyood movie on this plot.

Madhavan said in his interviews that the film is more in the thriller genre than horror. I would say that it is in the rarely employed "refreshingly original" genre of Bollywood movies.

The background score gels with the pacing of the film, the cinematography is just right for the mood and content, it is definitely very well-written and the director has done a good job of not just thrilling or scaring us but adding human dimensions to his characters so that we care about their outcome in the climax.

And the ensemble cast - Madhavan does a good job of carrying the film on his shoulders as the main protagonist; Poonam Dhillon is a welcome addition to the group of screen moms; Sachin Khedekar, Murali Sharma and Dhritiman Chaterjee are all effective; the 2 standouts for me were Deepak Dobriyal and Neetu Chandra. If she had a yesteryear superstar for a parent, Neetu Chandra would have had a lot of opportunities to display what I believe is tremendous potential. Deepak Dobriyal is one of the most dedicated, passionate and talented actors out there and he shows it in this film. The direction that Bollywood is headed in gives me reason for optimism that they both will be doing a lot of amazing work in the years to come.

So, I hail it as a landmark film and then give it an 8. Why oh why? Well, what's this obsession with stuffing songs when totally unwarranted? Waste of time, effort and money. Take those 15-20 minutes worth of songs out, flesh out some parts of the screenplay better and edit it a little more precisely - you have a landmark film. But nevertheless, an extremely entertaining film.

Integrity. Accountability.

I recently saw Soderbergh's 'The Informant!' at the theatres. Somehow, I find a very strong common thread between these two movies. It seems that many people who are in power - in the public or private sector, in religion or the arts or sports - have not seen Raimi's 'Spiderman'; "... with great power comes great responsibility". They probably haven't seen Capra's 'Mr. Smith Goes To Washington' either.

Fear and its first cousin Paranoia. Both are an excellent tag team and have an overwhelming record against Integrity and Accountability. Somehow people in power seem to have a manual on how to use the former two effectively and consistently.

What Lurie and Soderbergh have managed to illustrate is that when you are in power, consequences are something that you dictate and not experience. And that you invariably confuse rights with the extent of your power.

What is worrisome is not that people with power can many a time tend to abuse it; if they are smart enough with a focused presence of mind and just a tad a lucky, they can get away with it for the long haul.

And yet, if you matter-of-factly have a real big picture mindset, if you were gullible enough to buy the story that you are your character which is defined by a set of principles, and if you have enough naiveté to act against your fears because you think you have no choice, you might end up contributing to a different manual - the one that shows you how to use these two very effectively and consistently: Integrity and Accountability. 9/10.

A very refreshing and a very likable debut from writer-director Ayan Mukherjee. Considering the resume of his producer, a very gutsy effort as well.

There is nothing novel about the premise of Wake Up Sid, neither is there any major plot twist that is not quite evident from watching the preview of the film. And yet Ayan is very observant in his writing and seems very true in his approach. He also treats the viewer with appropriate intelligence to let things unfold consequentially and logically.

It is also very inspiring to know that the entire film is shot in Mumbai - it is a story about Mumbai and Ayan adds a beautiful underlying subplot about the city, its character and its weather. Anil Mehta has done an amazing job capturing Mumbai on screen.

The supporting cast and Konkona as well as Rahul Khanna all do a very admirable job, but this is really all about Ranbir Kapoor. He has come of age in this movie as an actor with tremendous ability. The arc of his character is not extremely difficult in its emotionality, but Ranbir has added tremendous conviction and sincerity to it. It is very heartening to see and keeping in mind his forthcoming films, I am very excited.

But most of all, I must applaud Karan Johar. As a producer or director, this is his seventh film - KKHH, KKKG, KHNH, Kaal, KANK, Dostana and now Wake Up Sid. This is his best and the only one that I have personally liked. I applaud him because he has taken a chance and really put his money and his reputation on the line for something that is truly different given his filmography so far.

Indian cinema has changed amazingly in the last 5 years or so and I hope that with films like these KJ and his Dharma Productions will be a part of the newer, smarter, cooler and dare I say better Bollywood. 8/10.

Imtiaz Ali has made 3 films now - Socha Na Tha, Jab We Met and Love Aaj Kal - he seems to be getting better and better with each film.He seems to be becoming a better director as well as writer with each film.

It is very rare to find Hindi films where people talk like people - with conversations having logical conclusions and transitions. This whole film is built on people having conversations and learning about each other and figuring themselves out through these conversations. I remember Siskel & Ebert lamenting on their show that in the movies, people mention that they have professions and yet never seem to be working at their so called job - but in this film, they do. The script - oh the script! Very smart, no dumbing down, no manipulative melodrama. I recently saw (500) Days of Summer and thematically and in tone these two are similar.

Also technically, Ali seems to have grown tremendously as a director - he is very good here in terms of shooting on location without getting unnecessarily enamoured or indulgent.

This movie has three performances really - Saif, Deepika and Rishi Kapoor. All have done tremendous justice to their characters; they are also very fortunate that the script provided them with 3-dimensional characters. A special mention for the young Brazilian lady who plays Harleen Kaur in the movie - she is so breathtakingly beautiful and very convincingly Indian.

The only blemish for me was Pritam's music and the song placement of that twist song. Pritam was so brilliant in Jab We Met that he actually accentuated the viewing pleasure of that film - but here, his music - though not bad - seems to distract from it.

As good as this film is, something tells me that Imtiaz Ali is just getting started and that he is a lot more gutsy and genuinely hatke than we have seen so far. And that is a wonderfully scary thought.

Promise of opportunities, unlimited opportunities - that is what the judge says at the oath taking ceremony for all naturalized Americans in LA. For someone who is 'from here', it is hard to recognize these opportunities as being anything other than materialistic and economic. But for those who have to 'get here', it is some times a lot more - dignity of being a human being who is a productive member of society and the inherent freedoms and liberties that come with that dignity. In a lot countries, these are just ideas read in books or some times not even that. Whether the laws reflect these ideas or not, their implementation certainly doesn't.

From purely a cinematic point of view, that is detached from the relevance of the subject of this film, Crossing Over is by no means a great film or even a very good one. However, the tremendous relevance of the film's content and the respect that the film gives to its subject matter, make Crossing Over an intriguing and occasionally very moving experience.

Yes, this part of the world is far from perfect - racism, violence, rich-poor divide - you could keep adding to the list depending on which end of the socio-economic spectrum you are analyzing from. But it is also a place that pays you to be honest, hardworking and most importantly ethical. The cream of the cream is here or aspiring to be here. In many ways, the Immigration system is more about how and why you get here as opposed to who gets here. As a rule, the end does not justify the means - good fortune and luck merely proves the exception in very few cases and not the rule.

And yet, some appreciate 'the promise of unlimited opportunities ' more than others. Whichever side of the immigration debate you are on, one would agree that you need people to protect that promise for those who have rightfully earned it.

When I saw this film at the multiplex nearest to my house, I had to ask the a group of people sitting in the row behind me to keep it down twice. They were older teenagers / young adults. The third time I had to tell them that this was not their home theater system. That at least muffled their voices, if it didn't get them to be quiet. The Happening, on the surface, like all of Shyamalan's other films is a film about nothing. He is similar to Hitchcock in the sense that he is very instinctive and has his own signature style of film-making - you can tell that from the tone, dialogue and mood of their films. Hitchcock was fascinated by the various facets of fear and Shyamalan is equally passionate about the human condition. M. Night Shyamalan has very unique sensibilities - at least that is what comes across from his films. His films cannot be pigeonholed into any one genre; thriller, horror, suspense - these are good for the blockbuster near you. It would be equal to classifying Hitchcock's films as suspense thrillers. This is his eighth feature. I have been fortunate to watch all of them with the exception of his first film Praying With Anger - I wonder if its available on DVD. Shyamalan is a true genius, a path breaker who will be hailed as a cinematic great in the years to come. 9/10.

Ajay Devgan's U, Me Aur Hum is an imperfect film. It will never be taught in a film school. Intellectually, you can make a laundry list of the flaws in the film. Cynics will like to point out the similarities between this and some Hollywood films like The Notebook, Iris and Away From Her - all films involving Alzheimer's and memory loss.

There are some who have even pointed out that Devgan should have done a scene-by-scene copy instead of a thematic one. I wish you had a magnetic cynic-o-meter at the theaters for these cynics so they would not be allowed to watch the film.

U, Me Aur Hum is the realization of Devgan's belief in his film and his conviction in telling a story his way. It is an emotional film and in that sense a very good film. It works because the drama is genuine and Ajay and Kajole are seasoned performers who have great chemistry.

There are some who say that Ajay and Kajole have gotten old. Those people are not only cynical but superficial as well. Such people should perhaps invest their money in a copy of Maxim or FHM instead of this film.

To the passionate independent filmmaker U, Me Aur Hum would be very inspiring. Devgan has put everything into a story he believed and then put a team of people together who may or may not be the who's who in Bollywood, but who are nevertheless talented. These people have obviously bought into Devgan's vision and what has translated on screen is very genuine, very from-the-heart and very moving.

Co-writer Robin Bhatt, co-producer Kumar Mangat, cinematographer Aseem Bajaj, composer Vishal Bharadwaj, supporting cast Sachin Khedekar, Divya Dutta and gang are all to be applauded for their efforts. Special mention to new lyricist Munna Dhiman - seems like another Prasoon Joshi in the making.

Aamir Khan and Ajay Devgan - apart from being actor-director-producers - have something else in common: they have always been original in their thinking and tread their own path. They are superstars aspiring to be and remain artists. The coming years in Bollywood are going to be very exciting. The size of the film will not be based on budget or star power, but ideas and heart. Ajay Devgan will also have his part to play in these new 'big' films.

If you look at all of David Dhawan's best entertainers that also worked at the box office - Aankhen, Coolie No.1, Biwi No.1, Haseena Maan Jaayegi, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi and now Partner to name a few - the pacing of the films is very crisp. This could also be attributed to the fact that Dhawan was an editor before he became a director. His most entertaining films have the right surface elements - gloss, production values, catchy music and star value. But invariably, they are a good marriage of editing and screenplay. And then the x factor - chemistry of the protagonists on screen and their chemistry with Dhawan during the making. In Partner it is Govinda and Salman Khan who light up the screen.

Including Partner, Dhawan has made 38 films as a director - 20 of them have worked at the box office. 17 of those 20 have featured Govinda or Salman Khan. Except for Karisma Kapoor or Sushmita Sen in a few of them, the ladies are mere eye candy in most of them. Partner is a through and through entertainer - start to finish - as a Dhawan film is always meant to be.

Yes, the premise of Partner is a straight lift from Hitch and so are a few of the scenes in the film. I have seen both and thoroughly enjoyed both. But you cannot compare the two. The sensibilities, the arc of the individual stories are like apples and oranges. 9 Dhawan films released between 2000 and 2003 - only Jodi No.1 worked. Since then Partner is only his 4th release and his third hit. The one film a year thing is really working for him.

Govinda has had a second birth courtesy Salaam-e-Ishq and now Partner. It is surprising that Salman and Govinda have not worked opposite each other earlier. It is so funny that I would conclude this from a frivolous masala entertainer like Parter, but something tells me that David Dhawan will be making some amazing dramas, thrillers and black comedies some years down the road and Govinda and Salman will become phenomenal and iconic character actors 10-15 years from now.

Director Shaad Ali's last effort was the thoroughly entertaining Bunty Aur Babli. The tone of that film was so purposely tongue-in-cheek and so purposely over the top that you had to applaud the filmmaker for persevering with the promise of his screenplay till the end credits. The film was very deservingly, a commercial hit.

This time around Mr. Ali and producer Aditya Chopra have once again come up with a very interesting premise that you can do so much with. And just like BAB, the soundtrack courtesy of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Gulzar is so in sync with the tone of the film. The title track is one of the best songs of this decade.

But everything else is like an experiment gone wrong. The screenplay seems to be a very rough draft which was never proof read or updated - the film has major momentum issues. It would be very easy to blame the editor for this but that is like blaming a doctor for not being able to save a patient with a terminal illness.

The film is majorly miscast - besides Abhishek Bachan, all the other three leads are a total let down. Shaad Ali's film making is not your typical loud Bollywood film making. He does not overdo the gloss or the background score. This exposes the actors in every scene for what they really are - good or bad, sincere or insincere. I wonder if Bobby Deol will ever come to the realization that he is in the wrong profession. Lara Dutta's beautiful legs do not make up for her poor performance. And Preity Zinta - I don't think she gets Shaad Ali or his sense of humor. She never really bought into the film. And Abhishek alone could not get us to buy into it either.

Perhaps the makers were still so enamored with their previous success that the focus and conviction that should have shone through never did. Maybe the hunger was missing. Entertaining commercial films have to walk the fine line between proposal and content - this one tripped.

It is very difficult for me to describe the experience of viewing Swades because the movie says so much and I have so much to say about it. It is a brilliant original piece of work no doubt but those words do not do justice to the feelings that Swades conjured in me as I watched it.

Comparing it with Lagaan is - for the lack of a better phrase - like comparing apples to oranges. Swades is one of the most passionately and practically patriotic viewing experiences of my life. It is the patriotism that some of us feel and the rest of us should.

I do not remember hearing a single musical composition, dialogue or seeing a visual that talked about desh-bhakti or bharat. In fact, I do not remember seeing the Indian flag even once. But since watching a little gem of a movie called Dhoop, I have not seen a film that is more intrinsically Indian in its emotional content.

In Swades the villain is the enemy within and not a country, organisation or group of people. The enemy is us. And the ability to influence and hence destroy that this enemy possesses is far greater than what the aforementioned entities could ever hope to have.

I remember reading somebody's comment here that there is no brand name clothing, no grand entries, no sermons on country and duty, no breathtaking visuals - because villages don't have any breathtaking visuals. They are at times congested and claustrophobic and at best minimal and clean.

The most brilliant directors of our time break through with that uniquely brilliant film that is not a Hollywood rip-off and that actually has a prepared and detailed screenplay. Varma with Shiva, Ratnam with Roja, Bhansali with Khamoshi, Santoshi with Ghayal, Kukunoor with Hydrebad Blues, Farhan Akhtar with Dil Chahta Hai and Gowariker with Lagaan. And just like all of them have proved with their subsequent efforts that they are here to change the direction of cinema and are not just one-film flukes, Gowariker has proved with Swades that he is truly our filmmaker and one of our finest. 10/10.

Thank you Shahrukh for finally managing to give your first good film in the last 6 years and only the second one - which is Yes Boss - in the last 9 years.

Main Hoon Naa is a beautiful homage to Bollywood masala and Manmohan Desai must be smiling from the skies. Farah Khan's love for the movies is evident in every frame. And equally visible is producer Shahrukh's love and belief in Farah as a director.

Abbas Tyrewala's involvement in the script keeps the film zany, tight and crisp. Zayed Khan does a very apt job in his role and is a revelation as compared to his debut Chura Liya Hai Tumne. Amrita Rao, though effective is not as impressive as she was in Ishq Vishk and Masti. Shahrukh turns in a very restrained performance (thank you so much) and Sunil Shetty is also well cast.

But the biggest impression is definitely by Madame Sushmita for her amazingly gorgeous and everlasting screen presence. Her body language and her chemistry with Shahrukh just light up the screen. You can tell she had a blast doing this film. And those saris!!!

Anu Malik's music and the production values are fantastic. Javed Akhtar needs a major vocabulary overhaul though before he ends up as the next Sameer.

Farah Khan has definitely borrowed bits and pieces of a dozen other soucres as inspiration - Panchamda, John Woo, Matrix, Manmohan Desai, Chopras, Johars to name a few. But they have definitely not been imitated or added for "extra effect" and in no way do they reflect a lack of creativity. It is her affection and adoration of these and other facets and genres of cinema as a medium of impacting the human condition that come through in Main Hoon Naa.

My message to women looking to expose talent instead of flesh, and behind instead of in front of the camera: FARAH HAI NAA. 8/10.

Aditya Chopra made Dilwale Dulhania Le Jeyenge in 1995. Then daddy Yash came up with Dil To Pagal Hai in 1997. Karan from the Johar family, son of producer Yash Johar then came up with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai the following year. And then the media-shy, reclusive Chopra Jr. came up with Mohabbatein in the millenium. The creative, sensitive Karan Johar then made Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam in 2001. Yahsraj Films then started franchising their super-successful brand of cinema through different directors like Sanjay Gadhvi (who made Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai) and Kunal Kohli (who made Mujhse Dosti Karoge) last year. And now, here come Dharma Productions with Kal Ho Naa Ho.

No, I am not trying to display my cinematic knowledge and nor am I writing a biography on the Chopra and Johar families - arguably the two most successful and popular film families and production houses in Bollywood today. The common link between all these films is that they total about Rs 200 crores ($40 million USD) spent on creating about 25 hours of pretension.

And the latest in this brand of super-superficial and super-superfluous cinema is Karan Johar's - oops! Sorry, Nikhil Advani's Kal Ho Naa Ho. There is tremendous detail in creating new looks for the protagonists, great costumes, technical slickness in terms of photography and production design; the music and choreography are extremely elaborate; even the script is detailed and bound from start to finish.

But the goal of the film is to entertain by poking fun at the obese, the Gujarati - and no, I am neither - the middle-aged single woman, the gay ( or to be more politically incorrect homo), the american - and I am none of these either - Jaya Bachan, Sushma Seth and Satish Shah's intelligence, Preity Zinta , Saif and pretty much everything else that is not Shahrukh. The melodrama reeks of glycerine and manipulation, the romance is so plot-oriented and pre-meditated that it is totally devoid of any chemistry (except for that between Shahrukh and Saif - now there's a film!).

Karan Johar and co. are extrememly talented, professional film-makers. But they fail to understand that cinema is a medium where the imagination is excited to translate that which is human, empathetic, universal, courageous, inspiring, etc on celluloid - and not merely a commercial venture.

But then why fix that which ain't broke. Six of the above eight films have gone on to become blockbusters. And in any case, if the Chopra-Johar brand of filmmaking fails to ring the cash registers in future, they can always use their business acumen and franchising abilities to open a chain of McShahrukh's. 5/10.

Because that is what it is: forgettable. It is not a typically bad film; average would be the best way to describe it. As I write this comment/review I notice that all of the 21 comments posted are positive, which is quite similar to 99.9 percent of the people I know who have seen this film. Well being a lefty myself, minority status is nothing new to me.

DDLJ has some great very funny moments. The breezy romance part is also ok. But where the film falls flat is where many other films from the Chopra/Johar stable - like DTPH, KKHH, KKKG and M (that's Mohabbatein by the way) fall flat. They try to elevate melodrama that has the depth of a daytime soap to some sort of elitist civilization. And if this was being done for purely commerical effect, you could go along with it. But to interpret philosophies of life, love and society from such shabby and shallow material is insulting to the viewer.

Shahrukh Khan must be a great human being I am sure (most of the film fraternity thinks so) and because of his tremendous success, he has also achieved superstar status. But an amazing actor he is not. Versatile he is not. Character portrayal, he does not do. Hamming comes more naturally to him though.

Kajole's spontaneity has been better expressed in a film like Dushman where she actually does something other than use her cleavage to fall in love with Shahrukh (as in KKHH) or wear a miniskirt in the rain to show her conservatism (as is DDLJ).

Aditya Chopra's film is regressive, cliched and I personally feel that his brand of cinema causes tremendous damage to the impressionable teenager. Because many of them learn about romance and romantic relationships from it. And to think that you have actually spend your time and your money to view this.

But as I write this review in 2003, I feel optimistic that Johar/Chopra brand of filmmaking has lesser popular appeal today. The audience has shown that they want something different and more imaginative. And with there being such a high volume of releases week after week, the filmmakers are returning the nod of approval with extrememly imaginative screenplays, even though occassionally incoherent. As far as DDLJ is concerned, 5/10.

If you choose the combination of romance and sex to make a comedy, it sounds like a decent idea. And also if you add some well-developed supporting characters, that makes it more interesting. You give the film an urban setting and write the dialogue in Hinglish, and that makes it trendier.

BUT YOU GOTTA HAVE A SCRIPT. You got to have a screenplay that draws you into the story, the characters; so that you laugh at the right jokes and smile at the right moments. So that you care about the characters and have a sense of empathy for them; then regardless of the familiarity of the plot, you can enjoy a film.

I couldn't understand what made actors like Rahul Bose and Perizaad Zorabian choose such a project. In spite of the distasteful screenplay, they still give very competent performances. And this Zorabian lady just radiates on the screen. She has amazing screen presence and you sense that respect for the intellect in her performance. Bose as usual displays impeccable timing and subtle nuances in his performances. Oh, how you wish they had come together in a better film. Saurabh Shukla, Asrani and Vijay Raaz are all decent.

The director Anant Balani passed away recently, before the release of the film. Another film Jogger's Park (also featuring Perizaad) credits him as the director posthmously. I haven't seen Jogger's Park yet. Hopefully that film will be a more befitting swansong. 5/10.

MARKET's subject matter and premise remind you of CHANDNI BAR to a certain extent. A lot of the reviews have said that the former falls so short of the latter in terms of brilliance and intellectual content. My personal opinion is that both are average films with totally different approaches to film-making. They have two things in common: they are films about prostitutes and both seemed quite unimpressive to me.

MARKET starts off as a social drama on the plight of women in the red-light area in Hydrebad and ends up as a mafia-revenge picture. The director, Jai Prakash obviously wanted to increase the commercial appeal of the film, which might be the reason for the sudden shifts in plot. It is really three films rolled into one. Perhaps with a better script and a gutsy director (a rare endangered species in Bollywood) if a film was made about one of the three, then we might have something to watch out for.

But the performances for the most part are decent, with Manisha once again doing a good job. And to the film's credit there are some sequences which have some novelty to them and have been well done. But just not enough of them to make it a good film on the whole. 6/10.

I am a self-confessed lover of Hindi Cinema, regardless of its inconsistent quality. I sat down to watch CHUPKE SE, reminding myself that I was not watching it to enjoy the film, but to enjoy the fact that I love to watch every Hindi film that I can get my hands on. But the film caught me a little bit by surprise.

First of all as the credits rolled, I saw Gulzar's name as the lyricist and I thought to myself, at least the songs would be bearable. But as it went on, the film as well as the female protagonist, Masumi seemed increasingly appealing. The plot of the film is nothing unusual, but that is a good thing when it comes to romantic comedies, because you want to enjoy the romance and the comedy and not mysterious plot twists. But the screenplay by director Urvashi and lyricist Tyrewala is very refreshing and makes for a lot sweet and hilarious moments in the film.

Masumi has a lot of the girl-next-door charm and it works quite well with the beauty contestant angle of the film. She doesn't overact for any starry effect or try to stretch her performance beyond her limitations. A very nice debut I must say. But I fear that she will be relegated to playing the "heroine's friend" in future because Bollywood has limited space for a girl with charm, intelligence and ability, but no oomph or natural flair for dumb melodrama. Zulfi Syed has a very one-dimensional character but one that complements Masumi's and to his credit he plays it as straight as it is written.

The refreshing elements are the supporting cast headed by Om Puri and Rati, both of whom have a lot of funny material to work with and you can see them enjoying the weirdos that they play thoroughly. Om Puri in recent years has used certain mainstream films to highlight his wonderful comedic timing and sense of humor. CHACHI 420 and AAPKO PEHLE BHI KAHIN DEKHA HAI come to mind. And Rati has for the first time given a noteworthy performance since she actively started working again. There are some other decent bit parts done by Tinnu Anand, Reema Lagoo, Dilip Prabhavalkar and Anupam Shyam.

Vishal Bharadwaj and Ranjit Barot with the help of Gulzar and Abbas Tyrewala create half a dozen good tracks that fit nicely with the energy and feel of the film and blend in with the plot as well.

All in all, CHUPKE SE is an enjoyable film that works for the simple reason that you care about Masumi and Zulfi in the film and so even though it is pre-determined, you want to see them together at the end. 7/10.

When you watch a film like Kuch Naa Kaho, you are reminded that when it comes to cowardice, Bollywood artists are pretty much on the top. They have the business acumen and the creative ability to make films which are pleasing to the discerning viewer as well as the cash registers. But they lack the conviction to go with what their gut says. They lack the conviction to make cinema. But somewhere along the way, they have developed enough technical skills to make glossy 3-hour commercials with intermittent jingles.

They will spend so much of their energy on scouting locations, hiring casting coups, marketing the film to the distributors, selling music rights, selling television rights, recording the 7-8 jingles (mostly it is their length that qualifies them as songs), color-coordinating the costumes and production designs, creating hoardings and posters and teasers... but the script and the characters are of no importance. You can make films to please the box-office that don't completely massacre your intelligence as well and still have the final product (that's what they seem to call it, because they don't make films anymore ) be intrinsically Bollywoodish.

Aishwariya Rai is a living example of the depth of human-like behaviour expected from "Bollywood heroines". She has flawless complexion, dancing skills and color coordination skills. And just like your pet dog, she can smile, cry, be silent and get all cutesy, on cue. But when it comes to character portrayal, she wouldn't know where to begin because neither her nor the script are interested in it.

According to the Bollywood Bible, God created man, and then he recreated a better version and then another and another till he perfected man. And then, since God was not the only perfect entity (man joining him in that elite club) anymore, they both got together and created woman. Man gave the design specifications and God having the technical knowhow, adhered to them - Man argued that he would have to live with the women so he should have his way. Abhishek Bachan's character in the movie is one such man. He just can't do no wrong - and also he can right all the wrongs done by Ash's character. Abhishek Bachan is an actor with tremendous potential - which is evident even from the limited scope his films have given him to perform, so far. But either he doesn't want to choose better scripts or perhaps they are not coming his way yet. Hopefully we will see him show us what he is capable of before his streak of commercial duds sinks him into oblivion.

Rohan Sippy, son of Ramesh Sippy, has inherited the father's name but not his knack for filmmaking. But then Sippy Sr. had Salim-Javed as writers. Hopefully in future he will have the at least the guts to do something more refreshing and entertaining.

Oh by the way, script seems to have been created on the sets which Sharmishtha Roy picked up on her way to the shoot from one of the Chopra or Johar films. The cinematography has been taken from a template derived from the DDLJ, KKHH and KKKG stable. And the talented composers Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have given their worst soundtrack to date I believe. Well at least it blends in with the rest of the dismal elements of the film.

If want to watch a romantic comedy, watch Chupke Se instead. 4/10.

You want to make a dark comedy and mix it with big spoonfuls of sex and violence. And one reason that inspires you to do it is that for Hindi cinema it would be ground-breaking. And then when you pitch your script to cast the roles, you put together an ensemble that looks fantastic on paper. And then you have the distributors knocking on your doors because the package looks so damn good. And your reputation as a filmmaker who demolishes conventional boundaries coupled with an awesome marketing campaign makes the film a delicious event to look forward to.

But alas, you disappoint immensely. Not because you or the film lacks intelligence. Not because the actors don't live up to their reputation. Not because the music and photography don't add amazing tension and interest to the film. And also not because the dark elements, the funny moments or the sexual angles are missing. But because Mr. Gustad you have failed as a writer in the film. You have been unable to give the film just that minimal structure, so you could have balanced the dark and comedic elements of the film. Your pen has failed in translating your vision perhaps even on paper, but definitely on film.

Maybe you realised this sitting at the editing table with your editor, because the film does seem very choppy at times. Or maybe you thought that shortening the length would distract us from the flaws. But your energy and originality are visible in every frame. Hopefully, in future you will be able to collaborate with screenplay writers just as well as you have collaborated with the actors here - who have all done well in spite of wafer-thin characters. Maybe it was intentional; to an extent it does work - but could have worked better. Style and substance should go hand in hand and not invade each other's space.

You are a young budding genius whose future films I will be looking forward to. Hopefully, film financiers and producers will continue to encourage and recognize your future. In the meanwhile, Boom explodes like a grenade whose pin came off suddenly. 5/10.

There have been quite a few films in the last couple of years that have tried to breakup certain stereotypes ad cliches: 1) The opinion South Asian immigrants have about whites. 2) The opinion South Asian immigrants have about their peers who are born and brought up in the west. 3) The opinion born-in-the-west desis have about South Asian immigrants.

Films like American Desi, Bend It Like Beckham, Bollywood/Hollywood have all succeeded to different degrees in breaking these stereotypes and striking a new balance in terms of awareness and acceptance. Leela is another film with similar aspirations and succeeds almost completely in what it sets out to achieve.

Leela is a dramatic film that not only attempts to further demolish these stereotypes but it also gives its characters unique identities, identitites that go through a process of change and understanding as the film unfolds.

There are a lot of things that impress you about Leela. Starting with the screenplay. It has been written very tightly as in never to slacken the pace of the film or loosen the grip it has on its characters. The dialogue is very intelligent and each character is developed very uniquely. The plot is essentially about a student-teacher affair and how it affects the two, but their subplots and their relationships with other people in their lives give the characters a lot of depth and empathy.

Leela has been blessed with a good soundtrack from Jagjit Singh and Gulzar and also the production values and technical credits have done extremely well. The ensemble cast of Leela which includes Dimple Kapadia, Amol Mhatre, Deepti Naval, Vinod Khanna and Gulshan Grover among others do a terrific job with performances.

Somnath Sen is a newcomer I believe (at least I am not aware of any previous work by him). But as a writer and director he does an extremely mature and comprehensive job of dealing with the merging sensibilities of two worlds. At the end of the day, Leela is good storytelling and a film about interesting people. People like you and me. 9/10.