Movie Review: Mere Brother Ki Dulhan: Decent Humour

The commercial Hindi film romcom (romantic comedy) in the last two years, by default, has wealthy characters, thus sweeping aside with any monetary hurdles in the screenplay. London-based Luv (Ali Zafar) calls off a five-year relationship with his girlfriend, following an altercation. Fifteen minutes in to ‘singledom’ he calls up his younger sibling Kush (Imran Khan) in India, asking him to look for a suitable bride for an impromptu marriage.

Post the mildly amusing reference-filled title song, and rushing through a predictable unsuitable band of prospective brides (stupid, foolish and crazy in typical Hindi film treatment), the right match is finally found in Delhi. Only, the London-born Dimple (Katrina Kaif) is a former college mate of Kush, and as he remembers - rebellious, a beedi-smoker and alcohol 'binger'. None of this is revealed to the parents, as after a ten minute provocative (the movie’s best, original moments) video chat, Luv and Dimple assent to the wedding.

Even as both parties collect at Delhi for the engagement, Kush accompanies Dimple to fulfill her desire to live life to the fullest before the D-day. Even as the engagement takes place, Kush realizes that he is in love with Dimple. Inevitably, he declares his love to Dimple who, after a thundering slap, assents. The plot that Kush, his friends and Dimple hatch to turn the tables on the marriage forms the rest of the movie.

All sugar candy in the location, attire and scenery, the film picks up after a tepid laugh-miserly half-hour, but only just. The promised jokes come in a trickle; all the tribute paid to various Hindi films is sadly devoid of any wickedness. Thankfully, the story follows a linear path that keeps us interested. Imran Khan puts in a sincere performance. Katrina shows that if she is given a breezy, cheerful role minus complications, with an excuse to use her accented Hindi, she can act too. The screenplay overshadows Ali Zafar’s is a fresh performance, decent, we like it whenever he makes it to the screen. The supporting cast are all good, especially Kush’s friend. Dimple’s mentally challenged brother is a stereotype best avoided. A bearable one-time watch.

Musik-Shuzik
Sohail Sen’s soundtrack is standard Yashraj fare, all seen and done, from Sufi-wannabe songs like Dhunki (Neha Bhasin rocks, Katrina doesn’t emote as well) and Isq risk ( featuring the indefatigable Rahat Fateh Ali Khan again) , to the passables – Do dhaari talwar, Choomantar and Madhubala. We expected more after Sen’s sincere stuff for last year’s Khelien hum jee jaan se.

Movie Review: Boduguard: Stale Formula

The three consecutive Eid releases of films starring Salman Khan Wanted (2009), Dabangg (2010) and Bodyguard have a pattern to it. It’s a template that has finally got tiresome, the lack of creative control of the directors is certainly telling in all three instances. Khan’s introduction with exaggerated fight sequences, followed by a song visual extolling the hero, followed by a semblance of a story packed with more fight sequences and songs, the Khan shirt unravelling to profile the famous topless body and a happy villain-killing ending. While Wanted was a new experience in its presentation for the Hindi film audience, Dabangg had the spark of originality, a celebration of formula beneath its redundancy.  No such welcome escapism here.

Lovely Singh (Salman Khan) is a bodyguard. As the loose narrative unfolds, Lovely’s dad, also a bodyguard, succumbs to a road accident, while his pregnant mother is saved by a wealthy landlord Sartaj (Raj Babbar). Years later, Lovely is called by Sartaj to guard his daughter Divya (Kareena Kapoor) at her college. There is no back-story on why Sartaj or the daughter is targeted. Anyway, Lovely’s constant presence irritates Divya to such an extent; she pretends to be a girl in love with Lovely. The medium is the cell phone and an unidentifiable number. Events so unfold that Divya falls in love with Lovely, but for some unfathomable reason, she doesn’t reveal her identity. The villains are mere props, a brief but sturdy turn by Aditya Pancholi needed some space. The final thirty minutes go horribly wrong in its blending of love, betrayal and sacrifice. These parts needed flesh and reason and the script provides no explanation to the bizarre happenings. 

As for Salman flying from one moving local train to another one's rooftop, his power punches and bone crunches, we have seen enough. They are like a much-repeated product advertisement, not a film. Salman is earnest, his meeting scene at the garden is one of his best acted parts. Kareena plays her part well, the weak characterisation lets her down. The supporting cast has little to do. The comic attempts are an irritant.

Rarities

An obese man sports a t-shirt – SIX PACK COMING SOON. The other moment - Rahat Fateh Ali Khan lifts an average Himesh Reshammiya composition with his rendition of Teri Meri Meri Teri. Pritam’s guest composed I love you is a pleasure to listen, zestfully sung by Ash King and Clinton Cerejo.

Movie Review: Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani: Silly, unpolished comedy

You laugh, yes, it is all silly, lovely, stupid, childish and filmy and stays that way till the end credits roll. Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani sticks to the Hindi film masala and derives most of its jokes from silliness and bizarre situations, sometimes just for the sake of mirth, intelligence be damned.

The lead performances saves this titanic from sinking. Ranbir Kapoor dazzles as Prem, you can only enjoy the effortlessness with which he holds your attention; Katrina Kaif is competent as the innocent stereotypical girl Jenny; Darshan Jariwala and Smita Jaykar are splendid as Prem's parents.

The gags never abate so you seldom have the time to think "What the hell is going on?" After all the popcorn-crunching and samosa-gulping, Ajab Prem Ki... is a failed attempt to recreate the magic of   Director Rajkumar Santoshi's 1994 madcap cult classic Andaz Apna Apna. It just doesn't work that way though. A bearable one-time watch. 

Movie Review: New York:Emotionally wayward, but bearable

After 9/11, the USA government went paranoid, arresting and then torturing people just because they belonged to a particular religion. Most of them were released due to lack of evidence, some, after been detained for over three years. What would be going through the minds of such people? Would such brutal treatment cause them to be terrorists, seeking revenge?

New York tries answering these questions through its main protagonists - Sameer (John Abraham) and Maya (Katrina Kaif) as a happily married couple, Omar (Niel Nitin Mukesh), an old friend who is forced to spy on them for FBI agent Roshan (Irrfan Khan). Despite been overtly emotional at certain instances, the movie just about gets its message across, even though it may not sound convincing.

A good watch for, let us say, honest performances by Abraham and Kaif and a surprisingly 'OK' turn by Irrfan Khan, New York still holds your attention. Niel Nitin Mukesh gets a golden opportunity in a pivotal role, but just about registers. Only if it could have taken us deeper into the whole thing of victimization in the name of security. 

Hindi film music: Yuvvraaj: Rahman returns

Anil Kapoor and Salman Khan in a pre-release still from the film

Yuvvraaj
Music by A.R. Rahman
Lyrics by Gulzar

Flashback blah blah blah
Director Subhash Ghai has always had the knack to obtaining exceptional music for his movies. For almost two decades, he worked wonders with Laxmikant-Pyarelal, notably Karz (1980) and Ram Lakhan (1989). In 1997, Nadeem-Shravan deviated from their usual style to create some unique music for Pardes. It was in 1999 that Ghai got AR Rahman to work on a rocking score for Taal.
Rahman then worked with Ghai on Kisna (2005), he couldn’t work on the entire album due to other commitments so Ismail Darbar (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas) composed the other songs of the album.
As the trailers reveal, Yuvvraaj has a Taal-like feel in its visuals, but the music is a clever contrast to Taal's music.


A.R.Rahman


Gulzar

The album
Main hoon yuvvraaj is a dialogue-piece by Salman Khan mixed with Beethoven’s fifth, a prelude to Tu meri dost hain, a melodious song by Benny Dayal, Shreya Ghoshal and AR Rahman. Shano may take time getting used to; its languid pace is something different from other party-based songs. Tu muskura has a soothing calm in its flow, while Mastam mastam expresses a joyous celebration, one of the creative peaks of the album, Sonu Nigam is at his best here.
Zindagi by Srinivas has a ruminating tone to it. Dil Ka Rishta is a brother-bonding kind of song, with innovatively used English lyrics. Manmohini morey is strictly classical song, the one song in the album that may take some patience to listen to.
The Shano remix is a tolerable listen, under three minutes, it is over before you know it, a Rahman album doesn’t require a remix, unless AR himself does the honours. Overall, the album makes for a very satisfying listen.

For an attentive listening experience, shut yourself in a dark room with the music system, close your eyes and press the play button. It works every time.
In the process you identify what you like and don't like listening to, and why...

Movie watch: Singh is kinng: To hell with logic!

Just like toothpastes get produced in a factory for the masses, Singh is Kinng is a movie made to please the average movie goer.
The sly editing, yes SLY, saves us from getting bored, as one joke follows another without any logic.

The music is a saviour, the producers must have whipped music director Pritam for atleast couple of the catchy dance numbers.

The cast is surprisingly competent,despite the bizzare dialogues and contrived situations.
Akshay Kumar is good, wish he would now atleast take the risk in attempting some films that actually have a coherent story.

Lots of unintentional humour kept me glued to my seat. For others, fool yourselves, and you wouldn't be disappointed.