nitin-blue

Animal - as expected from the eagerly awaited 2nd venture of S R Vanga - is an exceptional film. In many ways, it is too much of a muchness. It is as if Vanga had so many good ideas that he could not discard any and decided to put all of them in one film. He wrote, directed and edited the film. He should have left editing to someone else.

Animal is like watching 2 films from different genres edited together to make a 3 hours and 21 minutes long epic. It is patchy. After every 15-20 mins, there is a jaw dropping sequence which makes the long length bearable. Also, the story jumps - a character comes into focus and then is forgotten and a new arc starts. Some characters disappear for an hour and then suddenly reappear.

The movie is full of very stylised action sequences, but almost all feel like Tom & Jerry. A good director can make a single stab more impactful than killing an army of men with room size canons.

Vanga's writing is weakest when he tries to make audience laugh.

Animal is best when it deals with the core conflict of father & son's relationship. Vanga never makes it clear what makes Ranbir chose the path he did. An incident during his childhood that convinces him that violence is the way to solve problems would have been helpful.

Ranbir shows how versatile an actor he is. He gave all he has to this role, but Vanga's writing is not good enough. After Thar, Anil Kapoor again shows that he is not that caricature Jhakaas he pretends to be, but an exceptionally good actor. Rashmika - when given that great scene - sets the screen on fire. Bobby is terrifying - the real hell hound. Compared to Bobby, Ranbir is a cute little puppy. Triptii stands out.

Animal should have been 2 movies - with a bit more time given to set up the characters and slightly less to mind numbing violence.

Do you think it would be wise for Coca Cola to change the recipe for the original coke or KFC to alter whatever herbs and spices they use for their chicken? If a thing works, leave it alone. In most cases, the quest to improve something ends up in ruining it.

The best decision Anil Sharma took with the sequel of the legendry Gadar was to not to mess with the reason why the original is so adored by the public. If you did not like Gadar, you will not like Gadar 2. You can turn up your nose and criticise the original Gadar for being too jingoistic, but the fact is it was a massive hit - even at its re-release recently.

Gadar 2 is a perfect sequel. It brings back the same team. The story advances in a logical manner. Nothing feels out of place. Shaktimaan Talwar's story keeps you on your toes with unexpected surprises. Even characters with only a few lines are written well and are in the movie to serve a purpose. One can feel the care, attention and effort the makers have lavished on this project.

Sunny & Ameesha are the soul of the film. There is a reason why the original was called A Prem Katha. It is ultimately about Tara Singh & Sakeena and their eternal bond.

This is the kind of film that would be most enjoyed when seen in a packed cinema with the enthusiastic audience.

Both Utkarsh Sharma and Simrat Kaur are given enough screen time and they are both are better than expected.

It is a full Paisa Vasool family film. Anil Sharma should be very proud.

Trailer is more entertaining than the film. The excellent - Phir Dhan Te Nan - song is only in the background. Aasmaan was provided with an amazing cast and crew - thanks to Daddy. He tried to do a Tarantino with it and failed. I guess, he did not learn from his father. Arjun as usual disappoints. All the veterans try their best - but are given paper thin characters and absurd dialogues. If Kaminey was a Picasso, Kuttey is a crayon drawing by a 3 year old.

One single sequence - Moong Ki Daal - in the 109 minutes long movie is amusing. If given another chance, my advice to Aasman would be to watch his dad's movies again before saying - Action.