FILM REVIEWS

I hate luv storys ***1/2

Directed by Punit Malhotra; Produced by Karan Johar; Starring Imran Khan, Sonam Kapoor

For those who like feel-good films and lovey-dovey stuff, ‘I hate luv storys’ is surely worth a watch. This Rom-Com from the house of Karan Johar is an unabashed love story without any frills, in the traditional mode but with a modern setting and with still-fresh faces. There’s the tried and tested triangle and there are heartbreaks and setbacks before the predictable happy ending.

So what’s appealing about the film? Imran Khan is an actor in Uncle Amir Khan’s mould but is even better looking and is effervescent. His spontaneity is delightful at times and his expressions are refreshingly different. He carries a story that has nothing new to offer with ease and panache.

His pairing with Sonam Kapoor is like a breath of fresh air too, and both characters appear convincing in their love for each other. They quarrel and shout; they ooh and ahh; they look and long- like young lovers from decades gone by- and that is what endears them to us.

Imran especially is an actor with immense potential. His performance in ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’ had shown us glimpses of his impromptu style and here he goes one better. Sonam looks svelte and is graceful and charming. She’s improving as an actor too but has a long way to go before she reaches dad Anil Kapoor’s levels.

The music is pleasant without being outstanding and the support cast is adequate with veteran Anju Mahendru impressing in a brief role. The hero’s sidekick, played by Aamir Ali, is quite funny and Ali has potential. Imran’s director-boss and Sonam’s fiancé are less convincing. Perhaps a more formidable rival for Imran would have led to more drama, but then that would not have gelled with the tenor of the film.

The last quarter is a bit contrived and a drag at times. Bruna Abdullah’s scenes are amateurish and even kiddish.

All in all, a candy-floss sort of film with a goody-goody feel. For those who like to be shaken up by cinema, this is not for them.
Personally speaking, I don’t hate love stories. (Please note the correct spellings).






FILM REVIEW- RAJNEETI

This film by Prakash Jha focuses our attention on a subject that we all love to hate- Indian politics. The setting is Bhopal, but it could have been any State capital. The characters are believable for the most part, and the political machinations are authentic and real, though at times sprinkled with a touch of the exaggerated.
Here’s a look…
The Ayes-
1. Real politic – ‘Rajneeti’ scores where it aims to, in depicting political personalities of the sort who exist all over our country. The politics is intense and no-holds-barred, and depicts drama from real life that has been witnessed hundreds of times by us Indians.
2. Racy and pacy- The momentum of the film is such that one dramatic episode follows another and there is no let up till the very end. In fact, at times you wish that there was some respite from all the action and scheming that goes on.
3. Well directed and slick- Jha is a film maker who doesn’t believe in holding his horses. He lets go his energy, his ideas and his theories with such gusto that we cannot but marvel at the intensity and electricity that his film generates.
4. The performances- Quite brilliant…
i) Ranbir Kapoor- He is just outstanding for a young actor who’s only three years old in this profession. Intense, manipulative, cold-blooded and even inhuman at times as Samar Pratap Singh, he is a true chip off the old block!
ii) Ajay Devgn- He plays the type of role he knows well. Totally at ease as the brooding, revengeful, champion of the downtrodden.
iii) Arjun Rampal- An under-rated actor, Rampal has the looks and the talent to be a front-line hero. His role as Prithvi Pratap Singh is a trifle contrived and far-fetched, but he goes from villainous extremes to being a sensitive family man, in an effortless manner.
iv) Nana Patekar- One of the most talented actors of our time, he plays his best role yet! Understated and reserved as the wily and loyal Mamaji, unlike some of the over-the-top portrayals that he has displayed in the past, Patekar is the fulcrum of the film.
v) Manoj Bajpai- He is the enemy within, and excels in his role as Vijayendra Pratap Singh. He plays the bad guy to the hilt but one still feels sorry for him at the end.
vi) Katrina Kaif- The promos seemed to indicate that she would have a major role, but it is a male dominated film. She gets some good scenes to display some histrionics for once, and she’s passable in them.

The Noes-
1. The violence- One doesn’t know what they use to show blood nowadays but it’s not ketchup and it looks too real. There is too much senseless killing in the film.
2. The lack of music- A film like this one would be expected to have at least a few songs and some memorable music, but there is too little melody and that, for us, is a big minus.
3. No laughs- There isn’t even one scene with a comic touch and even though the film depicts a serious story, a few smiles here and there would have added to the depth of the film.

All in all, Rajneeti is a powerful and authentic film with brilliant performances, but perhaps a tad too dry.







Karthik Calling Karthik ****

Directed by Vijay Lalwani. Starring - Farhan Akhtar, Deepika Padukone, Ram Kapoor and Shefali Shah.

A film with a difference, KCK scores where it counts. The story is unique and suspenseful; the pace is smooth and the performances remarkable. The subject is sensitive but its treatment is mature.

The first half is breezy and light but the second half of KCK is cinema in a most tense avatar.

Farhan Akhtar is an actor who should have started out 10 years ago, while still in his teens. He is witty, sharp and full of surprises. His directorial skills are already legendary, with Dil Chahta Hai being one of the landmark films of Hindi cinema.

As Karthik, in KCK, he displays emotions that vary from the ecstatic to the suicidal and from the cool to the pathetic. He looks at ease in all situations and his dialogue delivery is akin to his illustrious father’s (Javed Akhtar’s) style of speaking.

Deepika Padukone looks chic and has improved as an actor. She plays her role with élan, and walks about in a nonchalant, at-home, kind of way.

Shefali Shah and Ram Kapoor impress in powerful roles that add substance to the film.

The film-maker does not appear to aim at great heights with KCK but whatever questions he does raise, he manages to answer adequately.

Musical interludes are few and far between, but ‘Teri Adaa’ is really catchy.

Film Review by Vivek Atray - MY NAME IS KHAN ****1/2



Directed by Karan Johar. Starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol.

My Name is Khan is a sensitive and emotional film. Karan Johar’s treatment of a complicated storyline is marked by finesse, with outstanding portrayals by Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol adding to the sheer quality of the film.

Not to Johar’s liking is the current fad of adding cheap thrills and even cheaper jokes to the proceedings in a film. He goes about his business in a diligent and capable manner and comes up with films that are believable for the most part, even though some far-fetched stuff is part of them.Not to Johar’s liking is the current fad of adding cheap thrills and even cheaper jokes to the proceedings in a film. He goes about his business in a diligent and capable manner and comes up with films that are believable for the most part, even though some far-fetched stuff is part of them.

In MNIK, Johar outdoes himself and goes beyond the levels of class that he displayed in feel good films like Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and Kal Ho Na Ho.

Rizwan Khan (SRK) is a patient of Aspergers Syndrome and is unable to relate to other people like normal people do. He joins his kid brother (played by Jimmy Shergill) in the US and falls in love with Mandira (Kajol), the divorced mother of a teenaged boy who is a hair stylist with a boutique of her own. Circumstances lead to tensions between the couple after the boy is killed and Mandira blames Khan’s religion for the tragedy. Khan sets out to meet the President of the USA to tell him that he’s not a terrorist, and nor was their son.

What follows is a heart breaking and poignant journey through the length and breadth of America, with an arrest, torture, a rescue act to save Mamma Jenny and Funny Hair Joe (!), a meeting with real terrorists and a TV appearance or two along the way.
Khan emerges as the hero of the immigrant community in the US, and especially of the Muslims, and manages to meet the President after all, who confirms that he is certainly not a terrorist.

Shah Rukh Khan outdoes himself in MNIK and after Swades and Chak De India, comes up with a performance wherein he self-admittedly acts out a role rather than playing himself. His gripping performance in a difficult role is the highlight of MNIK. Rizwan Khan is an endearing character, and one’s heart goes out to him.
Kajol is one of the finest actresses to grace the Hindi film screen. She looks as if she’s been playing Mandira all her life, and is the perfect female interest for Khan to romance and marry.

Zareena Wahab makes an engaging comeback. All the support actors look the part and their characters add depth to the film. The music is lilting and even the comic scenes go down well, despite the seriousness of the subject being dealt with in MNIK.
Some scenes of a rescue from a hurricane purported to be those of Georgia State look a bit contrived and difficult to believe, but these apart the film makes a powerful impact.