Dhoom

When the Bollywood kitsch is wrapped in a glossy package and peppered with something still unseen (in Hindi films) as nail-biting chases on superfast bikes, a viewer is obviously going to get tempted to spend the money worth a ticket to see John Abraham, Uday Chopra and Abhishek Bachchan in their speed-thrilling acts on some of the fastest mean machines in the world.

Director Sanjay Gadhavi's Dhoom is an action thriller that has been shot very stylistically and presented in a sleek way with the use of fast editing and suitable background music. But the movie doesn't have a story that can keep a viewer glued for its entire duration.

Storyline: A gang of four 'helmeted and leather-suited' bikers has confounded the police. The audacity with which the four conduct their robbery, and the quicksilver speed at which they flee from the scene of crime on their superfast bikes, has made it more difficult for any cop to catch them.

The leader of the gang is Kabir (John Abraham) who keeps a Suzuki Hayabusa 1300 cc bike. He is a man with controlled temperament and unquenchable thirst for money. The usual modus operandi of the gang is to commit the robbery, flee from the scene and then change into innocent pizza boys.

The responsibility to catch the gang falls on the shoulders of an 'iron-willed' cop Jai (Abhishek Bachchan). Jai is a married man with a lovely Bengali wife Sweety (Rimi Sen).

Jai is not dumb to not know that the robbers are using some special bikes to commit their acts. So he loops in on Ali (Uday Chopra), a local mechanic who keeps a Suzuki Bandit 1200 cc bike and is �world famous in saara Mumbai� for his knowledge of the mean machines. Besides bikes, Ali has two other weaknesses - women and money.

Ali joins hands with Jai to nab the mysterious gang of bikers. But his weakness for women - particularly for his �dilbar� Sheena (Esha Deol) - is a constant distraction in catching the thieves.

Ultimately it is Kabir, the leader of the gang, who throws a challenge at Jai to stop them (if he has the guts to) from committing a big heist in a Goa casino on the New Year's Eve. As Jai and Kabir brace up for the final showdown, one of them must outfox the other. For Kabir, it is not just a robbery but also a matter of his self-esteem as a flawless thief. For Jai, it is his commitment towards his duty to bring the wrongdoers to justice.

Dhoom is an action thriller with an overdose of bike chases and speed-thrills. Uday Chopra chips in some light moments in this otherwise gritty fare with his 'tongue-in-cheek' humor. Abhishek Bachchan needs to master a few emotive expressions other than his usual brooding. John Abraham looks dashing and fits the role of a bike-riding thief to T.

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Chennai Express

 
The cultural --  and especially linguistic -- divide between North and South India goes back to the age of the Rig Veda, but as Rohit Shetty’s comedy Chennai Express demonstrates, the subject is still relevant today. In the right hands, it’s also rich fodder for comedy.

Chennai Express, starring Shah Rukh Khan as Rahul, a Mumbai singleton, and Deepika Padukone as the daughter of a Tamil Nadu crime don, opened on the holiday of Eid al-Fitr Aug. 8 on a record 3,500 screens in India and 700-plus screens abroad, including 196 in the United States, reportedly one of the largest global releases ever for an Indian film.
Its broad comedy will appeal to wide audiences, and first class box office returns are expected. Although the film serves as a charming introduction to audiences new to the Bollywood genre, those well studied in the history of Shah Rukh Khan movies will be most rewarded, since the screenplay (Yunus Sajawal) and songs (Vishal-Shekhar) make dozens of references to his earlier films.
The story follows Rahul as he grudgingly agrees to scatter his late grandfather’s ashes in the waters off Rameshwaram, a pilgrimage site at the farthest corner of southeastern Tamil Nadu. He boards a train at Mumbai, fully intending to detour to Goa instead with his bachelor buddies, but a series of mishaps finds him entangled with a beautiful seatmate, Meena (Padukone), who is on the run from an arranged marriage to Tangaballi, a brute in her home village (played by the striking Nikitin Dheer, 6’4' but shot to appear seven feet tall).
Khan and Padukone, reuniting after the memorable 2007 romance Om Shanti Om, are beautifully paired despite a 20-year age difference, while Khan’s gift for effortlessly moving between comedy and love scenes is complemented by Padukone’s striking beauty and comic chops. Rohit Shetty, the director of Singham and the Golmaal comedy trilogy, confidently packs this two-and-a-half-hour film with enough laughs to keep the pace brisk, but for a couple of interminable fight scenes, a staple of the genre.
The trend of South Indian films being remade in Hindi, such as Ghajini, Wanted, Policegiri, Bodyguard, Force and others, has opened up a new appreciation in Bollywood for the relatively more garish, colorful, noisy style from down South — complete with slow-motion explosions and comical scenes punctuated by (superfluous) sound effects.
But at the same time as audiences are warming to their cinematic style, some viewers in Tamil Nadu have complained that Chennai Express mocks South Indians. Although Padukone, who was raised in Bangalore, has come out in defense of the film’s characterization of South Indians, and the closing credits feature a song honoring Tamil superstar Rajnikanth, Tamils are protesting Shetty’s depiction of their culture, saying it demeans South Indians; they also criticize Padukone’s on-again-off-again Tamil-accented Hindi.

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ROCKET SINGH

 
Two years after delivering a hit on the hockey fields with CHAK DE INDIA, Shimit Amin returns, this time with business as the field of play. Yet again, he delivers a product with finesse. ROCKET SINGH appeals, endears, and warms the cockles of one's heart.

Ranbir Kapoor is in that phase of his innings right now, where he can do no wrong. He is, in sporting parlance, what you call 'in the Zone'. Anything he does just shines. He has that uncanny knack of 'becoming' the character, body language and all... He is such a joy to watch.

Ranbir is Harpeet Singh Bedi, a youngster who just manages to scrape through his B.Com exams and one who is not interested in CAT. He wants to work as a salesman. He lands a job as a trainee at AYS Computers and within a few days is blasted for being a 'Mahatma in the jungle.' He complains against an employee of a firm who buys bulk orders from AYS because he is asking for his 'Cut'.

AYS boss and their sales manager see red. He is insulted and asked to make just 'cold calls' from his desk. Things take a turn for the worse when he is humiliated further by his boss. This, when all he wanted to do was tell his boss that he was using his office space to start his own company, Rocket Sales Corp.

Slowly he wins the hearts of four of his colleagues including the Sales Manager to buck up his sales order, which by now is on the upswing. Rocket Sales Corp steals the orders right from AYS's noses. They offer round-the-clock service and at a very competitive rate with minimal profit margins. Flustered, his boss offers to buy his company for Rs 60 lakhs. This call is made from within the same office and his boss does not know whom he is speaking with. To cut the long story short, their game is up when the boss makes a call to the MD of Rocket sales and finds that the phone rings in his own office.

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KAHAANI

The rules of entertainment are altering rapidly. Moviegoers, in the present day, are diffident about a film wholly centered on grim societal subject matters. Nor are they enthused about a conventional mainstream motion picture. What works for the discerning spectator in the current scenario is an evenhanded permutation. So does KAHAANI encompass the all-important blend? Let's explore...

This is indeed a favorable moment for a Hindi movie heroine, unlike in times of yore. She is being looked up to as an actor with strengths, limitations, failures and accomplishments. She is geared up to conduct experiments, equipped to explore uncharted territories. This also goes for one of the most proficient actresses of our times, Vidya Balan. The famed actress has persistently ambled the untrodden path vis-a-vis her choice of movies, PAA, ISHQIYA, NO ONE KILLED JESSICA, THE DIRTY PICTURE and now KAHAANI...

Come to think of it, the Hindi film industry is branded for creating movies from a male perspective. The women's stories are not really exemplified conscientiously. But, out of the blue, the souk of women-centric flicks is fast turning out to be a bankable genre. KAHAANI is a commanding story, has an authoritative central character, has several dominant and thought-provoking moments, which makes it an all-persuasive film.

Vidya Bagchi [Vidya Balan] arrives in Kolkata from London to find her missing husband. Seven month pregnant and alone in a festive city, she begins a relentless search for her husband. With nothing to rely on, except fragments from her memories about him, all clues seem to reach a dead end when everyone tries to convince Vidya that her husband does not exist. She slowly realizes that nothing is what it seems. In a city soaked in lies, Vidya is determined to unravel the truth about her husband -- for herself and her unborn child, even at the cost her own life.

A woman on her way to be a mother… it's the biggest changeover in the life of a lady. And when her spouse vanishes at this crucial juncture, how do you come to terms with the fact that he has gone missing? People you approach to seek help assert that there exists no such entity. But you are certain that this individual exists and that you are carrying the proof of his existence: his child. The concept is truly striking and attention-grabbing.

Sujoy, with the skills of a master storyteller, amalgamates a human story in a thriller format. There is a certain uninhibited genuineness in Sujoy's direction. Besides, the writing is outstanding [story: Sujoy Ghosh, Advaita Kala; additional screenplay: Suresh Nair, Nikhil Vyas]; one seldom witnesses such aptitude and deliberation to specifications. Without doubt, Sujoy gives it his best shot with gleaming sincerity. Positioned alongside an intimidating environment of Kolkata's tapered side streets and constricted alleyways, the setting is ahead of credence in its realism.

KAHAANI is a captivating recount from its commencement to conclusion. Sujoy has fashioned enough scenes around the plot that keep the viewer on the edge. Besides, fragments of tongue in cheek humor pop up when you least anticipate to liven up the solemn plot. Yet, the storyteller never deviates from the fundamental somber remise. His attempt in infusing drama and pace in the narrative makes the movie accessible to the mainstream spectators. Just one itsy bitsy snag: Had the culmination been lucidly elucidated in a more simplistic fashion for the common man to decipher, the film would have created an even stronger impact.

Vishal-Shekhar's music is addictive. The title track is akin to an excursion of the City of Joy, while Amitabh Bachchan's rendition of 'Ekla Cholo Re' is mesmeric. The cinematography is arresting. The DoP [Setu] captures the essence of Kolkata magnificently on celluloid.

Post THE DIRTY PICTURE, the admiration for the National Award winning actress Vidya has scaled woozy altitudes and let me affirm, the supremely talented actress delivers a performance that's at par with her former accomplishments. She, very nonchalantly, re-evaluates screen acting in KAHAANI. She arrives with yet another enlivening, commanding character in this film and her portrayal of an expecting, frantic lady on a mission to trace her husband's inexplicable vanishing in an unfamiliar land is sure to win laurels by assessors and cinegoers uniformly. This is indeed Vidya's most eye-catching act. Her body language, her confidence, her vulnerability, her fury, her grief, all fall upon wonderfully.

Parambrata Chattopadhyay, as Rana, is a revelation. What a tremendous actor. His sequences with Vidya are truly wonderful. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, as Khan, proves yet again that he's an exceptional performer. He makes a stunning impact. Dhritiman Chatterjee is, as always, efficient, Saswata Chatterjee is effective and Darshan Jariwala is perfect. Indraneil Sengupta is splendid in a challenging role. The two child actors [the boy at the lodge and the boy at the tea stall] are a complete natural.

On the whole, KAHAANI works big time because Vidya Balan makes it come alive. It is several notches above the stuff we've been subjected to in the past. The movie triumphs in evoking emotions. You experience compassion, resentment, defenselessness and triumph at a variety of stages. A wonderful movie-going experience, you come out feeling a sense of pride, pleasure and fulfillment after having watched KAHAANI. Just do not miss it. Hugely recommended!

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Lagaan

June 15, 2001, will go down as a memorable day in Indian cinema, when history was created both on- and off-screen. It was a day when two honest blokes - one a director whose profile read "a B-grade TV actor and (mis)director of two flops", and the other a producer-actor whose obsession with perfectionism has always been laughed off by everybody as bordering on the pathological - finally released to the world a dream of theirs that was being woven for 5 years.

People had written off the dream before even watching it, because it did not have any of the stereotypes of Indian cinema to sustain it. No puppy love, no foreign locales, no Archiesque Riverdales, no stars except for the lead actor and a voice over by a legend, no hunks, no bombshells. Instead, it was an oddball film set in an obscure year of 1893. It was about a bunch of villagers waging a bloodless battle against the British. Even history was against it as such period films never interested the average Indian viewer.

Meanwhile, the two blokes, along with the 300-odd-film crew, were silently waiting for the Day of Judgment. And they have done it.

The reason that Lagaan is being hailed as classic here is that it is a perfect combination of several factors that make a classic. Never could the front end (read technical excellence) and the back end (read belief) complement each other so well. An offbeat idea being given such magnificent shape is sure to write history.

Put simply, Lagaan is the story of the victory of the human will. The story is set during the British Raj in a remote village called Champaner somewhere in UP, where the villagers are as ordinary as they can be. They give a portion of their agricultural reap as tax to the British under the order of their king as a tax (the lagaan).

This becomes increasingly difficult for them as the village is frequently drought-stricken. And one fine day the Britishers suddenly decide to double the tax. When the villagers go to the British camp to protest this measure, the village hero Bhuvan (Aamir Khan) sees some Britishers playing cricket, and laughs it off as just another version of gulli-danda.

The leader of the British troops, Cap Russell (Paul Blackthorne), then challenges Bhuvan that if the villagers manage to defeat them in this game, they will not have to pay any tax for three years. But if they lose, the tax will be trebled.

Bhuvan accepts this outrageous proposal, much to the chagrin of the villagers who haven't the slightest familiarity with the game. The rest of the film deals with how Bhuvan motivates the villagers into building a team to defeat the Britishers.

All the eleven characters constituting the team, played by the likes of Raghuveer Yadav, Akhilendra Mishra and Aditya Lakhai, have given tremendous performances. Gracy Singh plays Gauri, Bhuvan's love interest, and Rachel Shelly plays Elizabeth, Russell's sister, who teaches the villagers the basics of the game (in which process she also falls for Bhuvan). Both give fine performances.

The film has perhaps the longest climax in Indian cinema and yet one of the most gripping ones, and that is the cricket match between the teams.

Lagaan excels in every department of filmmaking, and especially in art direction, costumes, music, choreography and, most importantly, the editing. The 3 hours and 42 minutes just pass by without the film losing grip of the viewers' attention. Perhaps it needed that much time to make itself timeless.

The never-say-die spirit of Bhuvan is actually a reflection of what Aamir has been with this effort. Ashutosh Gowarikar affirms the fact that flops do not define a director's potential. And now one thing is for certain. Apart from making room for itself in the Bollywood hall of fame and apart from sweeping all accolades, Lagaan is also sure to create some box-office records. The population has been quite vociferous.

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