My SPECIAL 26 review: The news is Neeraj Pandey is back and Akshay Kumar is the new Danny Ocean

*ing: Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Manoj Bajpai, Kajal Aggarwal, Jimmy Shergill

Neeraj Pandey, the director of the cult hit A Wednesday, is back with Special 26 after a hiatus of almost 5 years. Special 26 is a crime caper set in 1987 and inspired by real events.

The movie is about four con men, Ajay Singh (Akshay Kumar), P.K. Sharma (Anupam Kher), Joginder (Rajesh Sharma) and Iqbal (Kishor Kadam), who pose as CBI officers/Income Tax Officers and loot the politicians and businessmen in the guise of raids. All is well till they dupe Senior Inspector Ranveer Singh (Jimmy Shergill) and involve him in the raid of a politician, which results in his suspension. After his suspension, Ranveer approaches a fiery CBI officer Wasim Khan (Manoj Bajpai), seeking help for investigating into the matter. The first half is focused on the building up of characters, whereas the entire second half is the buildup to the climax where Ajay and his men are to perform the final heist. Ajay and his men are working toward committing the perfect crime with the aid of 26 (special) recruits. On the other hand, Wasim is waiting to nab them as they commit the impending crime since he does not hold “thinking about committing a crime” as a crime.

The movie boasts of good performances from its principal cast as well as the supporting cast. Anupam Kher does a fine job, playing a man who puts up confident show during the con but is a nervous fellow in real. Manoj Bajpai, after GoW-I, again gives a great performance. Rajesh Sharma, Jimmy Shergill, Kishor Kadam and Divya Dutta  do not have much to do but are good nonetheless. Akshay Kumar shines, delivering a knockout act in an understated role. He oozes every bit of coolness and confidence required to play the character of a suave operator and mastermind behind the heists. Akshay is a befitting reply to Hollywood’s Danny Ocean. 

What sticks out like a sore thumb is the romantic track involving Akshay Kumar and Kajal Aggarwal and the songs. Avoiding the romantic track and the songs altogether would have made movie even crisper. M.M. Keervani, better known as M.M. Kreem to hindi film audiences, has however given two good songs in Dharpakad and Mujh Mein Tu.

The writer-director Neeraj Pandey, along with his art director, has worked meticulously to the minutest of details to create the era of 1980’s. From Vimal Suitings shops to Nagina posters to Ambassador cars to Thrill hoardings to roads with less traffic, everything has been used to give the feel of 80’s. 

It is good to see the director paying so much attention to smaller things and creating good scenes out of them. Akshay Kumar taking off his shoes before entering the worshipping area to rummage through the idols or Manoj Bajpai asking his wife to put on her dupatta when in public are two instances of such scenes. Such scenes, other than adding charm to the movie, also etch details about the characters.

Neeraj Pandey has blended good amount of humor into the narrative. The dialogues are witty and the humor, tongue-in-cheek. The opening scene, where Akshay and Anupam are interviewing a girl, itself sets the tone for what is coming up. The most hilarious dialogue of the movie is surprisingly delivered by an extra which goes like “…I want to do my country….I wanted to do my country since childhood…” Not to forget the catch phrase of the movie Asli Power Dil Mein Hoti Hai, which is … well … catchy.

Neeraj Pandey is the director to watch out for. With Special 26, he has hit another sixer ala Sunil Gavaskar in the final minutes of the movie. Book your tickets ASAP for the thrilling fun-ride that is really special- Special 26. Highly-recommended.

My rating:

 

My KAHAANI Review: Sujoy, Vidya And Kolkata Make Kahaani Work

*ing: Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chattopadhayay, Nawazuddin Siddiqui       

Bollywood is not known for giving good thrillers. In the past, Vijay Anand made some good thrillers. But nowadays what a Bollywood viewer gets, at best, is only some glossy substandard thrillers from Abbas-Mustan. Johnny Gaddar is the only thriller that comes to my mind that was seriously good in recent times and it was 2007. Finally Kahaani comes out as one good thriller.

Kahaani is about a pregnant lady Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan) who comes from London to Kolkata in search of her missing husband Arnab Bagchi. Arnab had come to Kolkata on an assignment for National Data Center (NDC) but is currently out of contact. But NDC denies anyone by the name of Arnab Bagchi working for them. Even the lodge, where Arnab was staying, denies his stay and the immigration department has no records of arrival of Arnab to India. Vidya takes up the investigation into the matter herself with the help of sub-inspector Rana (Parambrata Chattopadhayay). The resemblance of Arnab with Milan Damji, a former employee at NDC, gets Investigation Bureau (IB) involved into the scene. As Vidya digs into the matter, new characters crop up including a creepy contract killer and it gets more mysterious with each passing minute. Revealing more about the plot would give out spoilers.

Vidya Balan is the hero of the movie and Kahaani revolves all around her. From struggling to get her name pronounced correctly by the Bengali people when she first arrives in Kolkata to transforming into a brave woman who is out to the dig into the matter that might put her against some dangerous people, Vidya Balan gets everything right in her act as Vidya Bagchi. Vidya Balan is truly the current queen of bollywood and not some plastic face Katrina Kaif or over-hyped Kareena Kapoor.

Parambrata Chattopadhayay in his first outing in a hindi movie gives a very good and restrained performance as a cop who lends a helping hand to Vidya from start to finish. Nawazuddin Siddiqui playing a foul-mouthed IB officer is fine too.

The writer-director Sujoy Ghosh has paid attention to the minor details which lack in hindi thrillers. The director, with the help of cinematographer who is successful in capturing the city of Kolkata, its streets and alleys aesthetically, has established Kolkata as one of the important characters of Kahaani. The climax shot during Durga Puja in Kolkata deserves a special mention, where the director portrays Vidya as Durga, the savior against the evil. The dialogues in the movie could have been better and it would have lifted movie to another level. The movie will keep the viewers guessing right to the end and ending will prove your guesses wrong. Kahaani, in a way, is a redeeming act for Sujoy Ghosh after giving trashes in the form of Home Delivery and Aladdin. Kahaani is a taut thriller which is crisply edited. It will keep you on the edge from start to finish. Waise toh main free mein advice nahi deta, aapko deta hoon : “Go watch Kahaani” 

My Rating: 

My PAAN SINGH TOMAR review: “Kaho Haan” To Paan Singh Tomar

*ing: Irrfan Khan, Brijendra Kala, Mahie Gill, Vipin Sharma

“Beehad mein baaghi hote hain, dacoit milte hain parliament mein”, says Paan Singh Tomar (Irrfan Khan) to the journalist (Brijendra Kala) who refers him as a dacoit during an interview. This is only an instance; the movie is laden with powerful dialogues. Completed one and a half years ago, Paan Singh Tomar (PST) was only limited to some film festivals. Finally it has seen the light of the day.

The movie starts with Brijendra Kala going to interview Paan Singh after leaving his daughter as pledge in Paan Singh’s men’s custody. It is during this interview where Paan Singh recounts his story how he turned into a dacoit…err… rebel. PST is based on true story of Paan Singh Tomar, a soldier-turned-athlete-turned-rebel. Paan Singh, a soldier in Indian Army when told that he would get to eat as much as he wants if he turns a player in army, wants to become one. Because he is extremely quick with his legs, he succeeds in becoming a steeplechase runner in Indian army. Paan Singh is simple and calls a spade a spade. When his coach swears at him using his mother’s name (gives “maa ki gali”), furious with his coach, he says “Saab Maa ki gaali mat dena, warna goli chal jaayegi.”

He retires from his job early because of on-going land dispute with his relative (cousin??) Bhanwar Singh who is claiming Paan Singh’s land as his by forging documents. When his son is beaten black and blue by Bhanwar Singh and his men, he seeks police’s help but corrupt that they are do not listen to Paan Singh’s complaint. Paan Singh’s house is attacked by Bhanwar Singh and his men. All his family members succeed to escape but his mother is killed by Bhanwar Singh. Now with law not on his side, Paan Singh sees no other choice other than to head for the ravines of Chambal and turn into a rebel.

PST, written by director Tigmanshu Dhulia and Sanjay Chauhan, is funny as well as sad. The dialogues have always been high point of Dhulia’s movies and PST is no exception. Sample this: “Baap chhalkaye jaam aur beta bandhe ghungroo.” The local dialect that has been used in the movie not only makes the movie more authentic but also adds the rustic charm to the movie, in the same way as it did to Omkara. The length of the movie is longer than normal movies but PST being a biopic, this is understandable. Moreover, the movie does not have any dull moment; so I am not complaining about the length and no one will… I reckon. Dhulia also does the right thing by not forcing songs into the narrative in the name of commercialization.

Irrfan Khan, one of the finest actors in Hindi cinema, brings out the character of Paan Singh Tomar alive on the screen. When Irrfan utters those razor sharp dialogues, it is not only his mouth that talks but also his eyes and body. Even his silence speaks louder than words.  Every time he asks his son/daughter to go and have lemon juice (so that he and his wife are left alone) with “that” mischief in his eyes, viewers will be in giggles.

Brijendra Kala, though in a small role, does a fine job. Mahie Gill (Paan Singh’s wife), Vipin Sharma (Major Masand), Rajendra Gupta (Paan Singh’s coach) all have performed well. Zakir Hussain does not have much to do but he is first rate. The movie boasts of good performance from all the supporting cast.

PST is a tribute to the unsung sports heroes of India, the country where cricketers are apotheosized but every other sport and sportsperson are not even cared for, by both the public and the media. PST is successful in showing the plight of Indian sports heroes through the story of Paan Singh Tomar.

Dhulia has delivered another great movie with Paan Singh Tomar after Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster. Dhulia has shown that even biographies can be entertaining. I will be keeping a keen eye on Dhulia’s next release Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster-2 again starring Irrfan Khan.

My rating: 

My THAT GIRL IN YELLOW BOOTS Review: Not what was expected from Kashyap

*ing: Kalki Koechlin, Naseeruddhin Shah, Gulshan Devaiah

That Girl in Yellow Boots (TGIYB) is story of Ruth, a 20 year-old British girl with Indian origin, who is in India in search of her father Arjun Patel. Arjun had left Ruth and her mother 15 years ago, after Ruth’s 15 years old pregnant sister killed herself. To support her stay in India Ruth works at a massage parlor and earns extra money by giving “handshake”  to the interested clients for extra 1000 bucks. She also has a boyfriend Prashant who is a cokehead. TGIYB  shows the hardships Ruth has to undergo in the search of her father. She is forced to bribe the police officer as her VISA has already expired and she also has to bribe postmaster and take help of who seems to be an influential officer from Foreigner's Registration Office (with she returning favor by making his investors happy) to help her locate her father. She is also troubled by a Kannada goon Chittiapa Gowda (Gulshan Devaiah) after Prashant tries to steal coke from Chittiapa.

To be fair, TGIYB is not a movie that one would expect from the talented Anurag Kashyap, the strongest pillar of Indian indie cinema. TGIYB is supported neither by good performances nor well-written material. Kalki Koechlin, also the wife of Anurag Kashyap, is at best a below average actress. Her act neither captivates the viewer nor makes a viewer feel for her at any moment in the movie. It is heartening to hear that Kashyap has decided not to direct Kalki again. Naseeruddhin Shah, a fine actor is wasted in an inconsequential role. Kumud Mishra is forgettable. Pooja Swarup, playing Maya who is blabbering on the phone throughout the movie makes an interesting character and performs a fine job.

But the best and only noteworthy performance of the movie comes from Gulshan Devaiah who is a live wire in this otherwise dull movie. He is good in his every single scene. The best scene of the movie is when he and his gang members are enjoying Kannada song on TV after breaking into Ruth’s house. His struggle to find correct remote control to switch off the TV and his broken English will surely have everyone in splits. The best line of the movie is also delivered by him. He asks Ruth her name. When she answers Ruth, he says, “Ch*t? Ch*t?? Nice. I am Chutiyapa.” Hilarious. I would love to see Gulshan in other movies doing meatier roles. Piyush Mishra, Rajat Kapoor, Ronit Roy, Makrand Deshpande, who all are good actors are wasted in useless cameos.

The sole intention of TGIYB seems to be shocking audience with its bold ending which an average viewer will see coming little earlier than the end itself (I am refraining from revealing the ending here.). This abrupt ending left me unconvinced and dissatisfied. There is no point in taking up a bold subject and squandering it by just using it to shock audience. Anurag Kashyap should have been bold enough to deal the subject profoundly and with much care. 


I was neither bothered about the identity of Ruth's father nor the drama (whatever there is) that unfolds on the screen and mind you, the movie is about Ruth's search of her father. To me that is the biggest failure of TGIYB. TGIYB is the weakest movie of Anurag Kashyap  (I have only watched the parts of No Smoking and I am not counting The Return of Hanuman which I have not watched), the man who gave us Paanch, Dev D, Gulaal and Black Friday. I will be eagerly waiting for Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur. I am sure he will deliver the goods next time. TGIYB can be watched once but do not expect much. 

My rating:   

(An extra half has been given for Gulshan's entertaining act.) 

My BEGINNERS Review: Watch It, You Will Not Be Disappointed

*ing: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent

6 months after the death of his wife, 75 years-old Hal Fields (Christopher Plummer) announces to his son that he is gay. He finds himself a gay partner through personal ad in the newspaper and is delighted to wear gay pride scarf. His happy days of living as gay last only 4 years. Now, Hal Fields is no more. He died recently because of cancer. But Beginners is not about Hal Fields but his son Oliver Fields (Ewan McGregor) who is an artist by profession. Oliver is living a lonely life and always avoiding long-term relationship with any girl. He expresses his thoughts/sadness through his drawings and he finds fun in painting his “historical consciousness” on the walls of streets at night. 

Through the constant flashbacks, Beginners depicts Oliver’s relationship with his mother when he was a kid and his relation with his dying gay father during his last days. Few months after his father’s death, Oliver goes to a fancy dress party assuming the appearance of Sigmund Freud. This is where he meets laryngitis-stricken Anna (Mélanie Laurent), sitting on couch posing as his patient. They start conversing by making notes on a small spiral notebook. Very soon, we see relation blossoming between them.

His new girlfriend Anna is just the female-version of Oliver in terms of the attitude towards the relationship. Oliver’s aversion toward the commitment in a relationship comes from the hardships he has seen his half-Jewish mother go through in her lonely married life.

Beginners, Mike Mills’ second directorial effort (in movies), through Oliver’s voice-over  also mildly talks about gay-rights movement and condition of gays during 1950’s in the US  when being gay was considered “mental illness” and the woes of a gay through Hal’s gay partner Andy whose father, it seems, does not talk to him because of  his sexual orientation.

Everyone including dog Arthur shine in their performances. Christopher Plummer as the man, who after 44 years of marriage finally comes out of the closet, provides lighter moments in the movie. Mélanie Laurent, also seen in Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds, not only handles her part effectively but by also looking extremely beautiful all through the movie makes a perfect eye candy.

But it is extremely-underrated Ewan McGregor who steals the attention with his portrayal of a lonely artist who is not sure about his relationship with his girlfriend. Though Plummer has more colorful role it is McGregor’s performance that wins the heart.

Oliver’s mother’s character has not been properly etched out. The drawback of this movie lies in its failure to explain why she was still holding on to the marriage despite the marriage clearly seeming unsuccessful. But all in all, Beginners is a heartwarming movie which will not disappoint you.

My rating: 

My ROCKSTAR review : Ranbir shines throughout the movie

*ing: Ranbir Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri, Piyush Mishra

Rockstar. The title is misleading for sure. It is primarily not an account of how a person transforms into a big rock star, as believed by the most. Rather it focuses on love story of Janrdan Jakad a simpleton from Delhi who turns into rock star loved by the nation despite his bad image in the media.

The movie starts off with Janardan trying to get a heart-break so that it would inspire him into creating great music because his “guru”(not music  guru by the way but rather an advisor,  at first and his manager later) makes him believe music oozes out only from the pain/crushed heart. In the process he befriends a girl  Heer, a bombshell in the college, who is getting married in 2 months. She wants to fulfill all her wild wishes what they call “killing the inner germs(andar ke keede maarna)” in movie like watching a C-grade hindi movie “Junglee Jawani”  in the local cinema or drinking “desi daaru” (Bucket List??).  There was a tribute to Kanti Shah’s Angoor  in Udaan now Rockstar will surely make Junglee Jawani famous . The girl gets married , moves to Prague. Janardan gets disowned by his family after some family dispute and finally enters into music world.

With this movie Imtiaz Ali deviates from his usual romantic movies. Even though the basic story of the movie is not new, the treatment certainly is. He follows non-linear narration with the movie shifting back and forth in the flashback. Imtiaz Ali is a smart writer/director  and he infuses humor into the dialogs and the scenes wherever possible, more so in the initial portions of the movie. Imtiaz, rather than describing everything vividly, does everything in a subtle way or with the slightest of detailing , leaving much to the imagination and comprehension of the viewer. One could, however, argue that with Rockstar as the title of the movie he could have used  little more detailing on the musical journey of Jordan.

Music of the movie is too good. AR Rahman finally gives a great album after churning out average and sometimes even below-average albums one after  another. The Irshad Kamil-written songs have depth in the lyrics and Mohit Chauhan, the voice of Jordon has sung beautifully. Undoubtedly Sadda Haq is the best track not only of the movie but among all hindi songs this year. Anil Mehta has handled the camera aesthetically whether it is in capturing Delhi or the beautiful Prague and snow-clad mountains in Kashmir.

The debutant Narkhis Fakhri  looks like the sibling of Katrina Kaif. Her diction fails her badly but she definitely does way better than Katrina (That does not say much though). Janardan at one point in the movie says “Tu mujhko itni hot bhi nahi lagti” and I second that.  In a movie which is essentially a love story someone who could perform better would have been a better choice. Piyush Mishra who plays Dhingra, the music company’s owner is sure to make you laugh in some scenes especially where he is getting a massage.  Aditi Rao does a fine job as a journalist after impressing in Delhi 6 and Yeh Saali Zindagi.

Ranbir lives his role whether it is in portraying the naiveté of Janardan or showing the cockiness of Jordon, certainly the dichotomy but performed with the same élan and efficacy.  One will surely remember the scene where gives homage to his (real life) grand uncle by mimicking the antics of  late Shammi Kapoor  in “Chand sa roshan chehra” song  or when he is having “samosa” in the canteen and faking a heart-break . He displays the anguish inside Jordan perfectly, delivering inarguably one of the best performances in hindi cinema in a long time and certainly the best of the year. You will sympathize with him even when he is beating the cops/ journalists or showing the middle finger.

Rockstar is Imtiaz Ali’s best effort as a director. Ranbir Kapoor is more than enough reason to watch the movie. Its official- Ranbir is the next superstar, announcing his arrival with the same grandeur as he makes his way into the stage in his introductory scene in the movie.

My rating: