Breaking Dawn Part - 2

“Twilight”, is a woman oriented series. A course of life, chosen by the lead, “Bella”. And over the course we have seen “Bella” grow…from a teenage girl to now a full grown woman.

“Bella” looked very smart and sexy. Now that she has turned into a coldblooded being herself and as Edward says that they are now of the “same temperature”….things are very different. “Jacob” says “you look good together”, really they did.

 “Bella” in that sleek little blue dress with a side cut, all set in her hunting mode will take you by storm. Edward says “I underestimated you”…I underestimated her too. She looked very different from her previous “Avatar”. I never liked “Bella” much as a girlfriend or wife but I really liked her a lot as a responsible & protective mother. This is a totally transformed “Bella” that we have never seen before.

Other than the ever gorgeous “Cullens”, this time, the film does have something new to focus on ….the world view….there were so many different looking vampires . It was interesting to see them showcase their unique talents.

The main focus of the movie was “Renesmee”, Bella’s baby girl. And I’m really happy from the bottom of my heart for “Jacob”. Finally his aching heart got some solace. Another thing, “Shirtless Jacob” looked good.

“Edward” looked good as a caring husband and dotting father.

My heart was really thumping in anticipation of some distressing moments at the end, but trust me the climax, will take you by surprise and I personally came out of the theatre with some broad grin on my face.

I will give this movie 4/5.

Jab Tak Hain Jaan

Jab Tak Hain Jaan, the last “Classic Love Story” of Yash Chopra fails to impress me. May be the expectation was too high.

Much depend on the marketing strategies, I guess. The first look with Shahrukh in the army dress with the shaery was good. The Shahrukh’s intro with “challa” was pretty impressive. Shahrukh looked very impressive in both his pre and post interval avatars and he acted well too.

The two songs that defined Katrina Kaif was “ Saans” & “Ishq”; she looked very glam and danced well too.

Anushka’s intro song was “challi re – challi re junoon ko liye”. Anushka looked Bindaas.

 The film’s strong point was definitely the Trio – Shahrukh, Katrina & Anushka who will hold you with their good looks and acting abilities . Other than that, drawbacks are the story which is a bit boring and the treatment which is a bit slow. Even if you miss a few scenes that’s OK.

I really expect some real good dialogues from an Aditya Chopra’s film…nothing is quite striking.

Music by A.R. Rehman is good but not extraordinary.  

Overall though it has managed to create frenzy in the masses and it is doing very good box office collection personally I’ll not remember this movie in long run.

I will not give this movie more than 3/5.

Shafqat Amanat Ali

Shafkat Amanat Ali

Just saw Shafkat Amanat Ali’s performance in MTV Unplugged. Kya ruhani aawaj bakhshi hain khuda ne. He seemed like singing in a state of meditation. Khud mein guuum ho ke gaya hain. He seemed absolutely absorbed in his own singing. Somehow, his singing is more like forming a connection between the mundane and the supreme. Unfortunately I had a strong feeling that he does not have a hero’s voice but still his voice is so powerful it can pierce the hardest of hearts.

Lovely selection of songs, to name a few :

·        Aankhon ke sagar, hoton ke sagar, le dube humne

·        Yeh hounsla kaise jhuke, yeh aarjun kaise ruke

·        Mora saiyan moh se bole na, main laakh jatan kar hari

·        Mujhe yun hi kar de khwabon se juda, jane kahan chupke baitha hain khuda

Student Of The Year

I had a great expectation from Karan Johar, as I thought it would succeed in recreating the college feel of the olden times (“Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”) but I was a bit disappointed with it. This film is a complete masala entertainment. Full of glitz and glamour, wearing branded stuffs looking all cool-shool. It has songs in almost every 10 min, atleast in the first half before the interval. Rishi Kapoor’s role was not impressive at all. Ronit Roy looked very tight and fit as he played the coach. Ram Kapoor  played his part well with slight grey touch. Rohan was good…danced well, acted well. Shanaya (Alia Bhatt) was just a pretty face..dancing round the guys and flaunting her youth. My choice is Abhi (Sidharth), though he is not a good dancer or actor but still his character portrayal evokes emotions. He emerges gradually from his side role to become the hero. He is blessed with good height and body. This film is basically about the “Tashan” between the two lead characters ..which was the only strong point of the movie.  I will give this movie 3/5.

English-Vinglish

 A perfect come back movie for Sridevi.

Initially I thought that it is a movie regarding a middle class woman who does not know English and she is taking up classes for the same. So I did not show any interest towards it. But one day after the release of the movie, I went through the reviews and was surprised to find 4 stars. Thus, how can I not see the movie now?

When I went for the theatre, the first thing that struck me was the crowd at the parking lot. It comprised of mainly women and children. So, the first positive thing about this movie was that it appealed the masses, it is an out and out family film.

Next the movie grips your attention with the very first shot. With no fuss, straight way we plunge into the daily chores of millions of housewives. Thus we all can relate to every scene. I’m sure every housewife must have found something or other common to her life.

Most  importantly, I want to burst a myth, that this movie is about English-Vinglish…no this movie is originally about relationships…between husband and wife, mother and kids, relatives …etc.

It is a journey of an ordinary woman with extraordinary determination.

Hats off to Gauri Shinde( wife of Mr. Balki), for making such neat and clean woman oriented movie. She has demanded only one thing in return – Respect. And that she will get.

It is a must watch from my side. Score : 4/5

Ishaqzaade

I’ll start by saying Arjun Kapoor …what an entry….and Pareeniti ….way to go gallllll.

Now Isaqzaade is a film based on serious issues…like Politics, Exploitation and Blackmail, and Inter Caste Marriage climactic into Honour Killing.

Themes are though very heavy but two things keeps us going …one the raw freshness of two very talented hero and heroine and secondly the music of the film the songs. What mindblowing compositions …the title song ..Ishaqzaade; Naye – naye naina shows the madness of new found love; Jhalla – Wallah…mein bede dinno baad mujra zaise aadayen Gauhar Khan ki chuuu gaye; Hua chokra Jawan re is just like a jugal bandi between two brilliant singers…Sunidhi and Vishal..

It is though not a great movie still the innocence of Zoya and Parma touches you and brings tears with their helpless suicide.

And in a very brief role (though very crucial as she is the turning point of this film), Parma’s mother leaves a mark with her acting.

Overall I liked the movie …ekk baar toh dekhna banta hi hain…Score : 3 out of 5.

Heroine

I’m a fan of Madhur Bhandarkar movies. I liked his Chandni Bar, and Fashion the most though I’ve seen Page3 and Traffic Signal too. Well keeping in mind his track record, I found Heroine a lit dissappointing.

 The story is confusing; Screenplay is weak; Songs are Ok; Choreography flashy; Not even a single character leaves a mark on your mind; Very ordinary dialogues ; Ending is not good at all…only thing worth a mention is Kareena Kapoor , she looked good and acted well too. But ekele Kareena kya ..kya karegi?

Major drawback of this story telling is after a point you loose sympathy with the character …she is ditched by a filmstar…she inturns ditches one cricketer…when she patches up with her X flame ..she ditches him by leaking  some scandle to get some cheap publicity…thus she has been somewhat portrayed in a wrong light. Common Madhur ji if you do not take side of your lead ..who will?

I’ve a big problem with the ending. In Fashion, Priyanka reaches the pit of trouble but at the end she comes out victorious but here the Heroine is an Escapist. I did not like that.
Score : 2/5

Barfi

Barfi’s promos were pretty promising. Thus I went to see this movie with lot of hope and I must say it excelled my expectation. I always felt that Anurag Basu has a distinct way of story telling which is definitely different from others and this time he nailed it with Barfi.

As for the casting is concerned, Ranbir Kapoor proved one more time that he has inherited his  acting talent  from legends and definitely he is making his parent’s proud. Ranbir ki jitney tariff ki jaaye woh kam hain….what innocent look, smart features, straight forward acts…a charming young boy who is deaf and mute still he is going to move you with every change of expression on his face. He looked as if he lived his part.

Ileana D’Cruz, she looked good, fitted her character well but that’s all.

As for Priyanka Chopra, well my personal opinion is Anurag Basu should have taken someone else for the very challenging role of Jhilmill Chaterjee ( the autistic child from a rich family). I personally don’t think that Ranbir – Priyanka Jodi looks good on screen. Priyanka looks much too older than Ranbir. Otherwise, Priyanka gave her best possible shots. It is very difficult to act when you do not have any dialogues. What Rani did for “Black” …Priyanka did for “Barfi”….undoubtedly an award winning performance.

Now  the music front…the first time I heard it on FM Radio that Barfi’s music is composed by Pritam ..I was too surprised …because it is very different from the typical Pritam numbers. Barfi’s whole album is overall – Good. All the songs are well woven into the script. Nothing is out of place. Well written and  superbly sung by all the male singers (specially).

One very important point of Barfi is the Charlie Chaplin kind of Comedy. It was great fun to watch.

Overall Barfi is a Very Good Movie, a must watch from my side.
Score : 5/5 may be even more, it is a landmark movie

Cocktail

Two girls and one guy, it is a triangular love story, a very predictable one.

Saif Ali Khan looked fat sandwiched between two very young and slim girls, total misfit for the role. And he did a lot of overacting to look cool. Meera (Daina) looked average and her acting was below average. Her expressions were not correct at all. There was a shot where Saif kisses her and was disturbed by the thought whereas she looked blank…a very crucial scene spoilt. Some real unnecessary stuffs have been included like the cheap act by Saif, jumping round and dancing round.

Much is expected of Boman Irani, he has been underutilized. He was just a face, he should not have done this movie. In a brief role Dimple Kapadia looked real though a little loud, well that’s not her fault, it was the demand of the character. 

A few issues has been touched upon as a portrayal of society. That includes unmanageable night life with drinks and drugs. Being OK with Live in Relations, and the NRI marriage scams.

Now comes the best part……and that is …..DEEPIKA PADUKONE. If you are a Deepika fan or even not a fan still you must see this movie for only her sake. Her introduction was a BANG. Her hair, eye makeup, clothing line, shoes and most importantly her attitude was just FABULOUS. She did not just look good but acted well too.

Songs by Pritam are Ok, nothing exceptional. Special mention goes to one song “Tumhe Din Chade..” that sounds fresh.
Score : 3/5

Rocky & Mayur

Rocky & Mayur are the presenters of a food show called “Highway On My Plate”.  I’ve seen many shows talking about food till date but I’ll put forth the name of “HOMP”.

Why?  Because what makes it stand out in the crowd, is definitely these two very talented persons. They are so natural, carefree. It seems as if they are just having real fun, two friends on the roads exploring, primarily food but hinting at other things too. Their intelligence and sense of humour is unmistakable. They really look like digging in their food and placing repeat orders. They travel through the length and breadth of our country, India.  At times they wear specific attires too, to give it more close feel. They go to costly places as well as very simple nooks and corners. They stand by and recommend even the very small roadside  shack, if the food is good. They are natural, the things that they speak comes out as if spontaneously. And the new angles of this programme like walking with the armed forces or eating with the school kids, everything is just great. I trust their words, I’ve complete faith, that if they are recommending something, it must be good.

Chris and Pui

I love to watch cartoons, so me and my son we spend quite a few hours each day watching cartoons. Here I’m putting up a photo of Chris and Pui.  Well for those who do not know them - they host a kid’s programme called “Show Me Show Me” on CBeebies.

 I love the programme for this duo, they really make it special. It is said that “ Bachon ke saath bacha banna parta hai”, that’s exactly what they do. They seem to enjoy themselves a lot in the act. They even sing rhymes and dance around carefreely. They sit around with their soft toys and tell stories. They speak such clearly that even a small kid will understand their English and most importantly what makes it more interesting is their voice modulation. They try to take out different voices for different characters. In short, they teach things in a play – way method. It’s great for your kids – Trust Me.

Gauhar Khan

One day I was watching a reality dance show, where there was a girl who was having problem with her choreographer and she demanded that he should be replaced with a more talented one. That made me, sit up and take notice of this girl, named Gauhar Khan, more popularly known as the girl with the wardrobe malfunction. The judgement was in favour of her and improvement in her dance performances was proof enough to confirm that she was right in her bold decision.

Next I saw her in an item number of the movie “Once Upon A Time In Mumbai”. She looked very stunning and moved well too.

I saw her performance in “Rocket Singh”, the role was small but demanded respect.

By now I was quite interested in knowing her, so I started tuning in regularly for “Khan Sisters”. It was a reality show about Gauhar Khan and her sister Nigar Khan. Those who watch serials must be very familiar with her. I liked the show because, under a given circumstance, how both reacted differently was very interesting to observe. Well if I am asked to choose one of the two, definitely my vote will go for Gauhar Khan. I have full sympathy with Nigar but I do idealise someone who knows how to fight her way up through oddities.

I am very happy to see Guhar dancing under Yash Raj banner. She looked good in “chooosa chu chu karta hain” and “Jhalla, mera balma, Jhalla”.  All the best, Gauhar Khan.

Mala Jau De

I strongly believe Vidya Balan has given a new meaning to sarees, as she once told in an Award’s night that inspiration of her look is none other than the Diva Rekha. Good for us that we get to see some real Indian looks to feast our eyes on. Here too as you can see for yourself that she is looking  a stunner in that red traditional 9 yard long saree, perfecting her Marathi mulgi look.

I do not know how many of you have seen Vidya Balan’s  movie “Kismat Konnection”!  But  after seeing her moves with one of the very good dancers of our industry, Shahid Kapoor,  I was pretty sure asking her to dance was a very bad idea.

 When the buzz was in the air that she was attempting Lavni, I thought it was going to be a disaster. But I’m choosing this topic for the Blog is a proof in itself that she nailed it. Choreographer,  Stanley has done a commendable job by making her look natural.  She tried hard to pull it off mostly with her expressions; cut-to- cut picturization was definitely a tactful act in making it look flawless.

Movie : Ferrari ki Sawari;

Choreographer : Stanley D’costa

Singer : Urmila Dhangar

Music Director : Pritam

Parineeti Chopra – very bright face indeed with a stunning smile. First seen in the movie “Ladies vs Ricky Bahl” she was the first heroine who was cheated, though she was followed by 3 more heroines  but after seeing her vibrancy rest were looking comparatively dull.

Even Anushka Sharma with her acting talent, looks and good height failed to leave a mark. Undoubtedly she looked best with Ranbeer Singh. When the ushers came there was no hint of others. Quite naturally, it was a surprise package and so was it. We saw Anushka’s dance movies, on the song  “Jaga le tu jaga le jasbat” …but  the release gave us a different song to groove on – “my jigar ka tukda”.

Next came her movie Ishaqzade, though I did not put my money in it. Still every time the song opens “Naye – naye mere naina” …I stop a while to watch her innocently romantic demeanour.

 It is always said that one is overshadowed by the other. But I believe if you really have it in you however small the stage is you’ll leave a mark.