ChiBron

Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988)

Still holds up.

I grew up watching (and loving) this movie in the 90's. As an adult now, I got to see it with a whole new perspective and it still holds up.

I must say, Aamir Khan may have become the bigger sensation in the immediate aftermath of this movie, but Juhi Chawla to me is undoubtedly the superior performer here. Not only is she the noticeably more assured actor at this point, but her radiant face simply dominates the screen every time the camera is on her. For my money she stole almost every scene she's in (along with Dalip Tahil). And she rocked the F out of those traditional outfits too. Juhi had a long career, but from a purely physical standpoint she never looked better than this.

I personally found Aamir Khan a little too boyish looking for the role, even though majority would cite that as a positive for the movie. But he just didn't come off particularly....masculine, to be perfectly honest. I wasn't buying Juhi being so into him right off the bat. This wouldn't have been an issue if Aamir was a few years older and had grown into his looks (and acting). Oh well....

The supporting cast is just GOLD. Alok Nath (Aamir's uncle), Dalip Tahil (Aamir's Dad) and Goga Kapoor (Juhi's Dad) all knock it out of the park. The sheer hatred between the 2 families and the heavy burden they carry because of what happened and IS happening is basically the backbone of the movie. And all credit to director Mansoor Khan for depicting it as well as he did.

Fanaa (2006)

Worth it for Aamir Khan and Kajol.

Avoided this movie all along because the people I trust had little good to say abt it. It was playing on Sony last week so I DVR'd it and finally watched it today! Fanaa is pretty much Aamir and Kajol's show and their peerless work in the 2nd half elevates a BAD movie to something above average! The 1st half in one word is HIDEOUS. From Aamir's very unflattering appearance(especially given his character in the 1st half) to the lack of chemistry between the lead stars and the very sudden/forced/clichéd way in which their 'love story' develops. It's just BAD. The movie doesn't really get interesting until a near-death Aamir Khan knocks on Kajol's door amid a blizzard(incredible piece of acting by Aamir in this scene, btw). You really have to hand it to the 2 stars for the work they do in the 2nd half. Considering how little I felt for Rehan-Zooni's relationship in the 1st half they had me hooked pretty darn well at every little thing they go through in the 2nd. Plus there's finally some genuine chemistry between the 2 as Kohli's no longer force feeding the speshulness of Rehan-Zooni's LURVV down our throats ala the 1st half.

It was great to see Kajol again. Given the hopeless condition of Bollywood actresses post-2000 Fanaa makes me appreciate her even more so! There are numerous extra-ordinary scenes featuring her but do look out for the Antakshari one.

Not that it was necessary but Aamir Khan(along with the ever-improving Saif Ali Khan) again proves why he stands alone. I'm still in awe of his work in the 2nd half. Rehan is hardly an easy character to play considering there aren't any reasons given for WHY he is who he is(this IS a flaw) and ONE could easily hate him. But we don't, and that's all Aamir Khan and his ability to convey such wide array of emotions. Any other actor would've succumbed under what is obviously poor writing.

I liked the kid who played Aamir-Kajol's son. For once in an Indian movie we get to see a child-actor who can not only act but is actually given lines that don't make you cringe. The kid actually acts like a...real KID! Rishi Kapoor as Kajol's softie father is likable as ever. Tabu's alright. Kiron Kher could do w/ a break. She seems to be in pretty much every big-banner movie and has gotten stale.

Cinematography is brilliant and the background score(2nd half, especially!) is among the best I've heard lately.

On the whole, the 2nd half is the life and soul of Fanaa - thanks to a more original screenplay and the spectacular work of Aamir/Kajol. The movie is still loaded w/ flaws. The 1st half is a mess. But I stayed patient and at the end of day, felt like I had watched quite a decent flick.

Don (2006)

Lifeless and SRK's clearly miscast.

Watched it on DVD last night and was completely taken aback by how horrendous SRK is as DON. It's almost like he walked straight into the movie off KANK's set and forgot that he was playing a DIFFERENT character. These are the characteristics of Srk's DON: VERY irritative, angry, rude and oh yeah, sarcastic!(Does this remind you of somebody?? ). Add in SRK's decade long mannerisms that are very much present throughout the reel and this EASILY becomes the most disappointing performance from a MAJOR star in the last few years. Because of him the 1st hour of the movie is unbearably BAD. Every scene is there to present us DON's power/smarts/ruthlessness/coolness(nonexistent) etc. Yet these scenes are as pedestrian as it gets. Srk BY NO MEANS has the look nor the attitude to pull off this character. So what does he do? Gives his KANK character some psychotic tendencies(think Darr/Anjaam) and BOOM, that's your DON while he's fighting/escaping/murdering/charming. Every scene that's supposed to define THE DON falls flat. Some are embarrassingly bad. Like the ones w/ Kareena when he's mouthing off Big B's timeless dialogs. I don't know WTF Farhan was thinking while OK-ing the shots here. One can only imagine Big B's reaction while watching the movie. I'm assuming he came close to dying w/ laughter because SRK comes off so darn incompetent at playing this legendary character. And since everything revolves around him at the beginning, the movie looks quite hopeless too!

Not until the story gets a little more complex(happens when Vijay returns as DON) did I finally begin to get interested and we're already like 90 minutes into the movie! SRK becomes more tolerable as VIJAY because he's no longer playing Dev Saran....err....I mean DON but more of what he usually does. Although DON's characteristics peek into VIJAY's persona every now and then, which made the Usual Suspectsesque ending very obvious for ME to predict. At first I thought this was simply BAD acting on SRK's part(not the 1st or last time he'd been doing in in this movie), but soon realized even he isn't this bad. The USesque twist is something I could foresee because we're NEVER shown Vijay preparing to be like DON. So when the fake Vijay is getting all fancy while fighting(when did he learn??) and so effortlessly pinning down DON's mannerisms when we're shown at the beginning how 'different' Vijay is....i knew it. And I knew it for CERTAIN after SRK's reaction to finding out that Boman Irani's character is still alive. That was a dead giveaway!

Problems w/ DON aside from SRK? Well, like Farhan's Lakshya this one too suffers from not being able to involve you emotionally. I sat for 3 hours(btw, movie is 30-45 mins. too long) w/o giving a sh*t abt anyone. Character development(Rampal, female characters, OM Puri etc) is nonexistent. Guys go in and out of the movie w/ little to no background. The movie's got no heart. Farhan obviously spent way too much time on the look of the movie instead of the script. It also wouldn't have hurt if the SUN made an appearance every now and then. So much of the movie's shot outdoors and it's always overcast/glum. Made the already dull/soulless movie appear even duller.

Boman Irani probably gave the best performance of the lot. Although even he isn't that good and his character sketch is fuzzy at best. Everybody else ranges from average to bad. A below average movie overall. I can see Y critics completely rejected it. Best part is the middle when the story gets interesting and SRK is neither DON or Vijay but himself. Tells you all you need to know abt his limited range as an actor.

Omkara (2006)

Falls short of being a masterpiece.

The slow pace and an unimpressive first 20-30 mins. holds Omkara from being a true masterpiece, IMO. Heck at the beginning I was wondering what is the big deal? But I found out soon enough!

The performances are obviously the talk of the town and the only performer from the main cast that didn't better his previous self was Ajay Devegan. For one, Omkara is a poorly written character. You don't feel much of anything for him. Add Ajay's seen-b4-a-thousand-times brooding act and it simply doesn't register much of an impact. He was especially disappointing in the climax after finding out the truth!

The only 2 movies where I've found Kareena bearable is MKKH and Hulchul. I consider her a non-actress(and a worse looker) and frankly didn't see all the hoopla abt her performance in this movie either until the scene where Ajay arrives and asks her for the kamar-bandh(or whatever it's called). The fear and confusion she exudes there is some of the best acting I've seen from an actress lately. Brilliant! And somehow she even topped that in the climax. The downer is her character doesn't require much of a challenge aside from those 2 incredible scenes.

The best female performance comes from Konkona despite her limited screen time. The ease w/ which she mouths of the dialect and adopts the body language of her character is a delight to watch. How I wish she had more to do!

There's nothing I can say to add anything more to Saif's National Award worthy performance. Along w/ Aamir Khan(since Rangeela) to me he's been Bollywood's best actor of this millennium. DCH, DMH, EHT, HT, Parineeta, BC and now Omkara. Look at the versatility! His method approach to his characters has made him a class apart from everybody else and given his dedication to the profession he'll only rise. One scene I gotta mention is where he replies to the dude who mocks him for getting upstaged by Vivek. The sheer intensity, frustration and menace displayed by Saif for those 20-30 seconds was like watching prime Pacino/De Niro in one. Gave me goosebumps!

Vivek was alright and I found Bipasha(looking better than ever b4) more impressive here than her overrated performance in Corporate.

I'm very surprised the Censor boards let the vulgar language(BC, MC, C etc) stay. Not that I have a problem w/ it but the boards in past years have shown little patience for this sort of stuff. The profanity I thought neither added or took anything from the movie. It was just....there. Bharadwaj could've done better w/ that aspect of the movie.

Nevertheless, best movie I've seen this year and one that's easily made the biggest impact on me emotionally.

Corporate (2006)

Doesn't take off until the 2nd half.

And even that strong 2nd half can't lift Madhur Bhandarkar's 2nd directorial effort on "exposing" the corrupt nature of the corporate world from average status. The art of story telling is obviously not one of Bhandarkar's strengths. The first half of Corporate, to put it bluntly, is BOORRINGGGGG!! And Y is it boring? Because NOTHING happens! There's no conflict aside from Bhandarkar wasting time on whose screwing who behind the scenes(AGAIN) and trying too hard to portray the very liberal lifestyles of those working in these BIG corporations. The latter especially came off very tacky to me. The story doesn't really become interesting until the discovery of pesticides in the new drink product being launched by Vinay Sehgal's(Rajat Kapoor) company and the chaos that follows after the drink's release. I loved the ending most because it's reality - Those who don't let their morality interrupt their business decisions almost always go unharmed where BIG money is involved, while the "emotional fools" end up paying for sticking up their neck to do the honorable thing. Call it stereotyping but MONEY speaks above all when the people getting screwed aren't related to you by blood.

Rajat Kapoor gets the most scope as Vinay only-profit-matters Sehgal and he takes full advantage it. It's a subtle yet chilling portrayal of an immoral man w/ an ego that matches his bank account. It's all in Rajat Kapoor's eyes and body language. I wish he'd do more movies because he effortlessly slips into any character he plays. Bipasha is just decent. Yes, she's not a PLAYBOY for a change but wearing business suits to work and no make-up(scary!) while locked up in jail doesn't make you different. Her dialog delivery and body language is same ol' same ol'. Kay Kay's a complete miscast as Bipasha's boyfriend because he looks old enough to be her father. Not to mention his character is relegated to smiling or brooding and he couldn't do the former at all w/o looking awkward. Raj Babbar underplays his superstitious character as Sehgal's rival and it comes across beautifully. Especially in the 2nd half where he's out to destroy Sehgal. The politician funding Sehgal corp. is a complete natural. Payal Rohatgi seems to be playing herself :D

Overall, would recommend it for Rajat Kapoor's performance and the cold truth of BIG businesses in the 2nd half. But Corporate's far from being a well made movie. Bhandarkar's gotta work on how to tell a story.

Kasoor (2001)

The Bhatts best rip-off to date.

Mahesh(writer) and Vikram(director) Bhatt are well known for ripping off Hollywood movies and turning 'em into Bollywood crap. Kasoor, to date, remains the only exception. Now here's a "suspense thriller" that actually is pretty suspenseful and keeps you guessing till the end. There are subtly laid clues and misdirection throughout the reel that makes the end result so satisfying(even if you've seen the multiple Hollwyood movies Kasoor has been ripped off of). One thing that really stands out abt this movie to me is how there are no "good" guys. Everybody is gray and this enhances our impressions of the world being depicted. The Bhatts honestly deserve a pat on their back for writing such believable characters.

Kasoor's great script is well supported by the strong star cast. Aftab, IMO, has never given a better performance. His character requires him to be charming, lustful, sympathetic, innocent and even ruthless and Aftab comfortably gets across the required emotions. Lisa Ray, mesmerisingly beautiful&hot she obviously is, gives a very sincere performance. Her character requires her to do a lot of reacting and I thought her facial expressions and body language were bang-on!(a pity she doesn't do Bollywood movies). The supporting cast does a fine job. Special mention should go to Ashutosh Rana as the Aftab/Lisa-hating cop who'll do anything to nail his suspects. One of the most enjoyable actors to watch on screen. I've no clue Y he doesn't do more movies. Irfan Khan as the public prosecutor is reliable as ever. Apoorva Agnihotri is decent.

My final judgement of Kasoor is that it's a surprisingly good movie with a 'different' story(for Bollywood), good performances and a controlled directorial effort from Vikram Bhatt. What more do you want?

Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya (1998)

Just about OK.

An enjoyable 1st half but close to unwatchable in the 2nd barring a few scenes involving the lead stars. The presence of Salman and Kajol in the end is the only thing that somewhat lifts this movie up. Salman is his usual funny/wacky self and it was fun to see the old Salman for a change. Since I was in India when PKTDK released I can safely say Salman's popularity hit its peak w/ this movie. 'O O Jaane Jaana' was a rage and physique/looks wise he has probably never looked better. But he isn't the TOP performer of the movie, Kajol is. She looks gorgeous(yet simple) and takes full advantage of being the only well developed character in the entire movie. I wish she had more to do because everything else about PKTDK is one BIG annoying cliché. For a romantic comedy there's hardly any romance. Hardly any face-to-face interaction between Salman and Kajol(when did they fall in love?) and this hurts BIG TIME because there isn't much chemistry between the two.

So anyway, I've no clue what made me watch this mediocre flick in 2006 but I did enjoy seeing Salman and Kajol. 1998 was a time where both were at the top of their game. A pity PKTDK had such a mediocre script because both stars happen to be excellent romantic actors.

Watch it if you're a really, really BIG fan of Salman or Kajol.

Bluffmaster! (2005)

It's alright.

The twist at the end lifted an ordinary movie for me to something slightly better then average.

Pros: A couple of performances. Ritesh stole the show despite being underused. This guy hasn't looked back since Masti and is easily one of the best comedians in Bollywood today. Nana in his typical style owns every scene he's a part of(especially the climax). It's good to see him do something a little different. The look of the film is very 'Bombay' and I thought it gelled in perfectly with the subject matter.

Cons: The Abhshek-Priyanka relationship didn't do it for me at all. They look good physically, but that's all there is to it. Abhishek's fixation with her is puzzling throughout the movie. In one scene he's talking to her abt not doing his thing anymore because he "loves" her, but we know that's a flat out lie. Makes AB's already confusing feelings for her look even weaker. His character in fact is very contradictory for the majority of the story. Tough to see his motivation for the stuff he does. AB Jr. gives a fairly good performance(if a bit dull), but I would prefer the leading character of any movie to have some likable traits and Roy doesn't really have 'em. This matters because the people AB's conning are GOOD guys, so why exactly should we like this guy or even root for him? He struck me as a real jerk.

Priyanka's acting is strictly OK and even her appearance isn't what we've come to expect from her. Boman Irani's character reminded me a little too much of some of his previous ones. He's good, but NOT My Wife's Murder or Munnabhai good.

Still, I would say BM is worth a dekho once for the novelty(Bolly "novelty", of course), a couple of very enjoyable performances and the great twist at the end. A lot of people have complained abt the slow pace in the middle but the story was good enough to keep my attention.

Garam Masala (2005)

Another good comedy after No Entry.

This would've been a sure fire classic had they chosen ALMOST ANYBODY ELSE for John Abraham. This guy is an awful actor. Be it comedy, drama, tear-jerkers etc. He stinks. It seemed like at some point Priyadarshan realized this too, and pretty much had him jumping around like a monkey in order to make his solo-scenes a bit funny.

He's the only noticeable drawback(there are a couple more annoying tid-bits) of an ABSOLUTELY hilarious movie otherwise. Best comedy to come along in Bollywood since Hungama, IMO. Like Hungama, it's a situational comedy carried on the shoulders of a brilliant screenplay and of course,Akshay Kumar. This is probably his best performance to date. He better be a shoe-in for best comedian at every award function. AK's always been good at comedy, but he takes it to a different level here. The body language, the facial expressions and just the way he delivers every line. It's a genius performance. The packed theater was going nuts for pretty much the entire length of the movie and I don't think I've ever seen such an atmosphere for a Bollywood movie here in USA.

Garam Masala doesn't have one "lead" heroine. It stars 3 incredibly HOT+Beautiful girls who I thought did a fairly good job. Pretty sure they are all making their debuts. Paresh Rawal is solid as usual, although his routine wears itself out after a while. Rajpal Yadav is his typical annoying self(sick of his over-the-top act in every movie). Rimi Sen has nothing to do.

Overall, definitely worth a dekho. I'd say it's FUNNIER than No Entry, and that's saying a lot. Could've been even better had they chosen someone a little more competent than John Abraham.

8/10

My Wife's Murder (2005)

Best Movie of the Year.

Just a 2 second flash of Anil's face after his wife slaps him was enough to tell me MWM, at the very least, would feature a stunning performance from Anil Kapoor. And right I was. This is the best male performance of the year. Anil's ability to convey so much through subtle changes of his face and body is like watching beautiful art unfold on the screen. There are moments in the movie where he just falls apart....its really something to watch. Ur heart goes out to his character. And this tremendous performance is further enhanced by the overall product MWM is. Well etched characters, excellent background music, technically slick(RGV production after all) and a screenplay so brilliantly written that there isn't a single boring frame in the entire movie. Every scene builds the tension and gets the viewer engrossed into the characters' lives like few movies have. Director Jijy Philip deserves BIG TIME kudos for perfectly executing this realistic thriller and extracting superb performances from the entire cast(even the cute little KIDS rock). Boman Irani continues to amaze me with his ability to BECOME every character he plays. It's hard not to love this guy. The girl who played Rani's younger sister in Black(don't know her name) is very solid as well....and I especially love how her and Anil's relationship is portrayed throughout.

Bottomline, MWM is a must-see. A simple story taken to great heights with an award worthy screenplay and spectacular performances from everybody, especially Anil and Boman.

Parineeta (2005)

A little disappointing

Parineeta could've been so much better. The movie comes off a little flat because it never lets you get emotionally involved in the characters' lives/actions. Everything is moving a bit too fast. Once the major conflict was set, it seemed like VVC couldn't wait to resolve all the tension and problems built among the characters. Thus you never really feel that attached to the people on screen. What makes it even worse is the climax, which seems right out of a David Dhawan flick. I got the feeling VVC couldn't wait to end the movie.

My biggest gripe with Parineeta is the lack of focus on Saif-Balan's relationship. There's hardly enough on-screen interaction between these two for us to understand the 'depth' of their relationship. That love-making scene I thought came out of nowhere. Upto that point we had only seen Balan&Saif as good friends and then BOOM! All of a sudden they're getting naked and rolling their tongues all over each other. It's a good thing Balan-Saif also happen to be great actors aside from sharing awesome chemistry because that entire sequence could've played out very awkwardly.

Anyway, great performances from the leading pair....especially Vidya Balan. I don't know anyone in Bollywood who emotes as naturally as she does(hard to believe it's her first film!). Saif has given better performances before(DCH and EHT), but this is right up there with his work in KHNH and Hum Tum. He's at his best when he's expressing purely through his eyes and body language.

Sanjay Dutt and the rest of the supporting cast do a fine job.

The cinematography, sets and art direction is just amazing. The 60's era is beautifully recreated. I have to say I've seen VERY few films as visually engaging as Parineeta.

Of course, great visuals don't make a great movie. Parineeta in the end still lacks emotional depth.

Overall, worth a dekho for the performances and the charming way in which the movie has been decorated and shot.

Waqt: The Race Against Time (2005)

Senseless melodrama.

PROS: Akshay Kumar's performance(is it just me or does this guy always manages to trump AB in their movies together?). Some touching scenes in the 2nd half.

CONS: The whole 1st hour(the jokes were flat to say the least). Every scene involving Rajpal Yadav. Major stupidity in AB's decision making. Let me get this straight, he believes brutally insulting his son's soul in every possible way(that will likely ruin their relationship beyond repair) is a better way for him to make Akshay finally take some responsibility then actually telling him the truth?? WTF? He considers Akshaye is too soft to bear the fact that his OLD father is soon gonna die due to cancer, but thinks insulting him will make him stronger? Am I the only one who doesn't see the logic here? Easily the movie's biggest flaw.

• Akshay becoming a stunt man. LMAO!! We're told he finished 1st in college every year and has a degree in MBA. But when the time arrives to support himself, and his pregnant wife, he becomes a stunt man. LOL!! How abt actually applying for a normal job in ur field? Or Heck, anywhere else where ur life isn't in danger? This is some incredibly dumb writing.

• The ending. I hate this sort of melodramatic crap. Everything is pushed down our throats to feel sorry for AB's character, which I couldn't. The entire thing reminded me a little too much of Srk in KHNH(which I hate). This "please feel sorry for the guy with the illness" crap has run its course. I felt more like puking than sympathy for the OLD man. Couldn't watch the final 20 or so minutes because of it and thus had to fast fwd. the whole thing.

Kaal (2005)

A thriller with ZERO thrills.

I watched the 1st hour and just couldn't take anymore of this torture.

Everything abt this movie stinks - Direction, Special Effects, Background score, Cinematography and especially THE ACTING!! Vivek's 'tough guy' act had me cracking up the entire time. "Cut the crap". Who in their right minds would think such a lame line could make anyone look cool or tough? Vivek's delivery only makes it worse. This Srk-wannabe needs to take a lengthy break. All of his performances post-Saathiya have stunk. Who decided to make him the guy with the 'attitude'? He's abt as intimidating as an ant in the 1st half. Can't believe how quickly his career has sunk after such a promising start. Moving on, John Abraham is probably the most expression-less actor I've seen in Bollywood. Should've stuck to modeling. The awkward looking guy who played 'Sajid' was even worse then those two....he talks like a girl. The Mickey Mouse dude('Mambo' from Ishq Vishq) seemed like the only one who could actually act.

This sleeping pill deserves a 2/10. .5 each for the three sl*ts(Malaika, Esha & Lara) who did a decent job in the 2 songs. Esha and Lara also weren't too bad for a little comedy(albeit, unintentional comedy). So .5 for those two.

Black (2005)

A little hollow, nah?

One would expect a storyline like this to be an emotional experience. But I had a hard time feeling for the characters. I read a LOT of reviews where people said they couldn't sleep after watching this flick. Sorry, just couldn't feel that way. I watched it, and forgot abt it. Didn't find it emotionally engaging enough.....which is typical of movies directed by SLB who once again focuses more on the technical aspects of the movie then the human side of it. Now, I'm not saying Black's a DUD. Far from it, in fact. The cinematography is brilliant, even if it sometimes takes the focus away from the narrative. The performances are legendary and clearly the heart and soul of the movie. Rani and AB deserve all the accolades they get. The little girl, although a tad overrated IMO, was good too. But still, the movie is lacking that "juice" where you instantly fall in love with everything - ESPECIALLY the characters and their lives.

Overall, good, but not THAT good.

Kyaa Kool Hai Hum (2005)

Koppikar rocks!

Isha Koppikar is definitely the star of this entertaining, although somewhat of an inconsistent sex comedy. I had no idea the "Khallas" girl from Company had it in her to give such a detailed and nuanced performance. She is THE character from the very first scene. Dominated every scene she was a part of. Absolutely loved that Bihari accent in which she spoke. Overall, an extremely likable performance to say the least.

Ritesh Deshmukh is a natural at comedy. Not as funny here as he was in Masti, but still gets the job done. Tusshar fairs much better when he doesn't have to be funny. Anupam IMO was a disappointment. I don't know if it was his lines or just the way he delivered em'....but didn't generate many laughs. Everybody else did a fair job.

The sex jokes were hilarious at times, but quite the opposite when they became overly vulgar. I hope nobody makes the mistake of watching this movie with their parents. Stick to ur friends or watch it alone.

There's little logic in K2H2. Heck, there isn't even a plot that u can summarize since the movie is all over the place......but I wouldn't consider it a drawback since its funny enough to keep ur attention throughout.

Overall, definitely worth a dekho for the comedy and of course, Isha Koppikar.

'D' (2005)

Pretty darn cool!

I loved it. A mish-mash of RGV's previous gangster flicks. Simply loved 'Randeep Hooda' as 'Deshu'. How cool is that character? Seriously, he's one of my favorite characters of ALL TIME. I just loved the simplicity of this movie. No stupid camera gigs. No special effects on gun-shots. The focus is entirely on telling a good story and it keeps u riveted like other gangster flicks haven't. 'D' never drags.

Hooda has some screen presence.....this guy really commands ur attention. He emotes through his eyes and is downright chilling in some scenes. He's also gifted with a strong voice. I can definitely see him going places.

People expecting another cheap kichri of Satya/Company will be surprised by how entertaining and well made this flick is. Definitely recommended!

Paheli (2005)

Downright Horrific!

Paheli offers you ZILCH on both levels Hindi Cinema is build upon - Emotional and Comical. Everything the movie tries falls flat on its face to the point where the theater just looked shocked at the sheer stupidity of this movie. Srk brings all his usual trademarks to play the two characters. One is the charming ghost who sees all and is going to cure all(haven't we seen this b4?) and the other is a bumbling fool(haven't we seen this either?). An incredibly lame performance. The horrendous script doesn't help him either. Rani doesn't have to do much aside from looking good and shed some pointless tears. Y she signed this movie is beyond me. Heck, Y anyone would sign Paheli is beyond me. The whole thing is like one really bad joke. It pretty much defines a movie without a soul. Not for even a micro second was I(or any of my friends) able to connect with the characters on any level.

Bottomline: AVOID IT! Even if u're a huge fan of Srk and Rani.

Lucky: No Time for Love (2005)

Yawn-worthy 2nd half.

What an incredibly dumb 2nd half. I actually thought this movie wouldn't be too bad after the initial 40-45 minutes(which is rather entertaining)......but after Salman and Sneha spend their 1st night together.......Lucky goes straight into the gutter. Just a real snore-fest. I don't know Y they couldn't keep it a light-hearted entertainer that focused on Adi-Lucky's relationship. They had to turn it into some sort of a national crisis and a lot of the scenes had me cracking up. Talk abt being un-intentionally hilarious.

On to the stars, Salman was quite OTT in the 1st half, but at least he kept me entertained. The movie sadly had to take a more serious turn post intermission, and Salman's just too limited an actor for me to take him seriously in emotional dramas.

Sneha knows how to make the right expressions, but it all falls apart once she has to open her mouth. She's neither a great looker and has weird eyes. Does have a great ass though.

Mithun seemed like a cartoon character. Childish crap.

Nobody else was noteworthy.

Overall, nice start.....but it all goes south after the 1st hour. No surprise its BO fairing had a similar pattern. Nice start, but collapsed from there on to barely get Average status.

Socha Na Tha (2005)

Takia BABY!

Great 1st half......but sadly the writers forgot abt Ayesha Takia in the 2nd. She was easily the best performer of the lot and lit up the screen pretty much every time she faced the camera. But there was one big problem, the camera wasn't often enough on her(especially in the slow 2nd half)! Either way, count me in as a BIG fan of this gorgeous actress. I don't know anybody in Bollywood who can look unbelievably cute in one scene, and then addictively sexy in the next. She's a unique beauty. Her acting skills are quite good too. A very natural air to her performance in this movie. Especially loved the way she spoke.

Abhay Deol isn't bad either. He's got good comic timing and can have decent success in Bollywood IF he improves his appearance.

Overall, a "cute" movie elevated by Takia's work and the chemistry shared between the lead stars.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Not that touching.

I mostly enjoyed the movie, but not for the reasons most others seem to have enjoyed it. I keep reading words like "soulful", "touching","romantic" and "makes u think about ur own loved ones". I just didn't get that feeling. I never felt emotionally attached to Joel-Clementine's relationship. They really didn't strike me as anything that special, but that did not ruin the movie for me. The unique concept in which the story is told is worthy of ur time itself - and really the biggest reason Y i liked it. The acting by both Winslet and Carrey is superb. Technically, its brilliant as well. I would've preferred a movie more emotionally engaging.....considering it's still about two people in love.....but we never really get to know the characters that well. The screenplay(some portions of Joel's memory) could also have been better in the 2nd half. It did leave me looking at the watch quite a few times.....and that's never a good sign.

Overall, good, but not THAT good.

Satya (1998)

Weak performance from the main character(Satya).

What could've been a great movie is merely resorted to just being good, thanks to the performance put in by JD Chakravarthy(Satya). Couldn't RGV have found someone better? The character of 'Satya' is supposed to be played with great intensity and a good deal of emotional depth. But what we get here is a man who looks and acts like an amateur from scene one. Chakravarthy has one expression on his face the entire movie. Looks the same when he's angry. Looks the same when he's happy and same applies to practically every other human emotion. His dialog delivery was so kid-like and so badly lacking in genuine intensity that a bunch of scenes involving him were ruined for me.....despite the brilliant cast around him. It was also hard to believe that this guy was a cold-blooded member of a Mafia gang.

Some other cons: A slow first 1/2 hour. Story-telling gets a little uneven at times. Songs aren't really necessary.

Negatives aside, Satya does feature EXCELLENT performance from practically everybody else. Bajpai was perfect as Bhiku Mahtre and lived up to all the expectations i had from him b4 watching Satya. He actually starts off being quite over-the-top(Jail scene, tapori Dance sequences), but once he settles in the role...i knew I was in for a treat. Only Manoj can play a character with such chilling intensity and then be just as effective while performing the lighter scenes involving 'Bhiku'. He along with Aamir Khan are the best actors in India post-1998.

Urmila was mesmerizing as the struggling singer living with her old and suffering parents. Not only does she look gorgeous(nobody has looked better in a Sari until Gayatri Joshi starred in 'Swades') but gives a very realistic and touching performance. Her pairing with Chakravarthy was a mismatch though, from physical chemistry to talent-level. Of course, none due to any shortcomings in her.

Among the supporting cast special mention goes to Saurabh Shukla(Kallu Mama) as the member who takes care of the financial side of the gang's operations. An extremely likable and realistic portrayal. Same goes for Goving Namdeo, the corrupt politician(or aspiring to be one). Shefali Shetty as Bhiku's wife was another extremely likable character. Gotta love her speaking style ;). Paresh Rawal is adequate as the 'preachy officer' and so is everybody else.

Background music is first-rate, as it always is in an RGV flick. I also prefer Satya to RGV's Company due to its emotional appeal. Plenty of heart-wrenching scenes involving Bajpai and especially Urmila. Both give such a human touch to their performances. If only the main character was a little better, then we're talking masterpiece here. Nonetheless, Satya is still good stuff!

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Pacino's legend.

A brilliant movie, and a mesmerizing Al Pacino. If u thought he was spectacular in GF I, II, and Scarface....then just watch him in Dog Day Afternoon. Quite simply one of the greatest performances in movie history. Definitely my favorite. The depth with which he plays Sonny is such a treat to watch that I lost count of how many times he left me in AWE. There's this indescribable nervous energy to his performance that there's no way he'll leave u NOT feeling sorry for Sonny.

Sadly, for some reason this movie is kinda forgotten when discussing Al's greatest movies/performances. That's because not many people have watched it. So please, if u consider yourself a movie fan, then go rent DDA and watch a fine movie with the legendary Al Pacino performing his art at the absolute peak of his career.

The Nanny (1993)

An OK show.

Unlike most people, to me the best thing abt The Nanny was actually Fran's supporting cast. Mr Sheffield, Niles, CC, and the kids(barring Mary) were the ones who made me laugh(although the show was never really that funny). I just never became a fan of Fran Descher's acting style. She usually either seemed to be over-acting or just trying too hard to be funny. Good thing that she was very HOT(especially for her age) and her character had to wear the skimpiest outfits ever in TV sitcom history. Otherwise I don't see this show running anywhere close to 7 years on television.

Overall, an OK sitcom with some rare HILARIOUS episodes. Never great, but never that bad either.

Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge (2002)

Worth it for some surprising twists and Salman Khan.

TNBP was another post-2000 release in Salman's career that had a short venture at the box-office. Although the movie is not AS bad as its box-office fairing would say, but its hardly any great shakes either.

TNBP can be broken down in two parts: 1) The first half shows Salman's dull life with his parents in a village where he visualizes weird things abt his past every now and then. 2) In the 2nd half u see Salman out in search to piece together who he used to be as he slowly gains his memory back.

The pros to me were definitely the well directed action scenes that mostly involved Salman Khan - whose at his best when he's beating up the gundas here. Other positives were a couple of twists in the story that def. caught me by surprise and kept me interested till the very end. One thing is for sure, once the initial twist occurs b4 the intermission, TNBP will keep u glued to the screen till the end.

Cons:

• Most of the first half is just plain boring cuz nothing happens other then some lame jokes and actors looking bad while trying to speak in their village's accent.

• The cinematography has a dry feel to it throughout which makes the mood of the film appear quite dull. U can obviously tell not a lot of money was spent on this movie.

• The songs only happen to be unnecessary stop gaps.

Judwaa (1997)

Timepass.

Judwaa is nothing awesome, just a good time-pass flick meant to be watched when u've nothing else to do on a rainy(or snowy in my case) day. Salman Khan plays a double role here(judwa bros separated at birth) - one obviously grows up to be a 'chaalu sadak chap' with a good heart, and the other is a straight fwd. music star('bholu raam') who lacks his other brother's balls. Salman's task is to be funny here, and considering comedy has always been his strong suit(well, till abt 1999. He lost his mind after that); he naturally does a good job at portraying both characters. Among the ladies both Rambha and Karishma do a good job of showing off their anatomies in song picturisations. The music is catchy and blends in perfectly with the storyline. Anupam Kher and Satish Shah as the silly but cute cops are hilarious.

Judwaa on the whole is basically a light hearted comedy featuring actors who are proved comedians. I would give it a decent 7/10.