Reviews by Nikhat Kazmi from Times of India
But would you go out for a DVD of Players and put it in that cherished section of your home video corner saying: Hundred movies to see before you die! All you brave Indian filmmakers, do pick up classics, but first, get a bit classic yourself and learn about cult film making which is so much different from commercial cinema. You'll find the difference. Your Bollywood ventures end up like cold cuts - stylishly done - are so different from piping hot goulash
The film does lack a bit on the emotional quotient and human relationships are hardly given a chance to grow. But just when you think it's all sound and fury, there's a sensuous tango between Roma and the Don as the cop opts to help the gangster she once loved and the gangster is determined to save his junglee billi (wild cat), any which way. A word about the dialogues: brilliant. A word about the music: mediocre.
It's a refreshing film which keeps you involved with its sensitive portrayal of two lonely souls trying to find succour in an alien city. Interestingly, the film takes a balanced view and doesn't end up passing judgements on the polarised cultures of big and small towns. Both have their positive and negative points, states director Saurabh Shukla. And rightly so. Both Vinay and Neha pitch in interesting performances while Naseer excels in a small cameo.
But problems begin when the rest of the film becomes one long string of sequences where Sunny tries to say sorry and Simran retaliates with what's in a sorry! The film literally enters into static zone, once the romance falls into dire straits. How long can you keep watching a heartbroken guy apologise again and again to an unrelenting lady? Essentially a non-happening film with mediocre acting.
Firstly, there is no humour, no earthy flavour (remember the vows on the bread pakora), no tingling chemistry between the lead pair -- everything which made the first film such a winner. What does work in favour of the film are its performances and its non-hysterical tenor. The girls are a spirited lot and Ranveer is, well Ranveer: your average Joe kind of hero who looks convincing enough as Sunny, Deven, Iqbal, Ricky, his sundry avatars. Music by Salim Sulaiman is ordinary. A word about Parineeti Chopra: cute.
The Dirty Picture is essentially Vidya Balan's film, all the way. She gives a towering performance as the protagonist who remains unapologetic about her life till the very end. The high point of her act is the fact that despite portraying a sex bomb, her sexuality never ever gets vulgar and crude. Also, it is the naughty dialogues (Rajat Arora) of the film which add immense flavour to the proceedings. It's a no-holds-barred screenplay which rightly refuses to treat sex as a four letter word. Kudos to Milan Luthria for handling such a controversial theme with such sensitivity and boldness. The Dirty Picture is definitely not only your film for the week, but is a seminal work that will be studied in feminist discourses.
Debutant director Rohit Dhawan tells his story in a light vein and never compromises on the fun quotient. He seemed to have learnt his craft from his father, David Dhawan, well, but never plays it over the top like him. Moreover, he keeps the drama dizzily moving on and peppers it with a feisty screenplay, with some funny one-liners thrown in here and there.
Leave it to Imtiaz Ali to take a love story and present it in a manner that's completely different from run-of-the-mill Bollywood. Romance, under his creative vision, becomes a multi-layered, sensitively nuanced, monumental experience which has more to do with serenading your soulmate rather than a stereotypical marriage partner. The highpoint of Rockstar is it's high tension, high-on-passion romance between two unlikely people.Savour a beautiful experience. Watch Rockstar and wait for Imtiaz Ali's next from his compendium of love.
Don't really go looking for logic or something new in here. And don't even go looking for some high end drama. Case in point the couple in question. Dunno if it's daddy-with-the-dough's efforts to promote the son he's doughnuts about, but to be fair, it's an honest debut and Chirag may have a future if he makes the right choices.
One more movie is set in sin city, Pattaya. So all the hullabaloo and seen-there-heard-that jokes are bound to stem from the sun, sand and sleaze destination. The good news, this one does not totally give itself to Thai-isms. The bad news, what takes away is the plethora of bikini babes and massage parlours: hardly an attention grabber. In short, too much chaos... and too many characters.
Blame the script. While Vinod Khanna just about manages to pull off a royal show, Rishi Kapoor, Farooq Sheikh, Deepti Naval and Hema Malini lose out on screen time and dialogues in this maze of a search. Finally, it's Johnny Lever who does manage to tickle the funny bone to some extent, followed by Arjun Bajwa -- the latter not so much for standing out amongst the stalwarts but for putting up with his girl in the lets-find-my-daddy trail... Now why must Hema chose to re-make her first forgettable directorial venture, Dil Aashna Hai with daughter Esha? Surely she deserves better.
Ironically, it's the songs of the film which stand out much more than the script, narrative, drama and performances. Umrao Jaan, Madhushala and the title track are extremely peppy numbers which suddenly infuse life in an otherwise comatose film. So what does this prove? While Himesh remains an excellent music director, his acting skills will always remain largely a one-man belief: his own.
Ra-One works on several accounts. First because it has some interesting clashes betwen G-One, the good robot(Shah Rukh Khan) and Ra-One, the bad robot, who can take the form of anyone he wants. Secondly, the bond that G-One develops with the family he is supposed to protect, Kareena and her young son Prateik, is warm and winsome. Small quibbles, actually, since Ra-One is sure to usher in a crackling Diwali at the box office and give the audience paisa vasool entertainment, with fine performances by both Shah Rukh and Kareena. Even young Armaan is efficient. Go have a blast.
So what is it that actually tickles the funny bone in here? Definitely not Pinto's slow and steady steps. Not even his favourite one liner all through his journey: `Momma said...' Or for that matter the stupid antics of a don and his team caught by an overweight kid who can't get over his burger. The only respite comes when Pinto meets Maggie ( Kalki Koechlin).
It's a sweet, small and simple film spilling over with charming locales and charming people too. Then what goes wrong? It's the pace of the film that takes its toll on you. Understandably, life follows a languid rhythm on the hills and cannot move at lightning speed. But hey, a film's got to have sufficient movement and pace to keep the drama flowing.