Tag Archives: aditya chopra

Salman Khan’s Tiger 3 (2023) Movie Review: Family Man Saving Terrorist State

The Tiger series started with Kabir Khan helming them and it was like a breath of fresh air for YRF who generally are seen to follow trends but never create anything new in terms of storytelling or genre. While the first part was a combination of docu-fiction from Kabir plus Bollywood pulp, it had the right amount of wit, romance, and action to make audiences hooked to it.

Then came the second part (Tiger Zinda Hai) , which I feel was the best, as it upped the ante in terms of emotion and action and gave Katrina Kaif a space which was not even visible in the first part. I was eager to watch the third part considering that I enjoyed the first two parts purely as pulp and was keen to see how Maneesh Sharma brings something new to the table.

Considering this is the first genuine film in the so called YRF Spy universe, the prologue was interesting and it sets up the tone for the film. What follows is an interesting sort of marital discord or suspicion in a spy thriller. This film’s best writing is seen for the first 30 minutes and then somehow the magic is not maintained. I would love to see such a tango between a husband and wife.

The action sequences are entertaining, the best one do not feature Salman but Katrina in a Turkish hamam. Tiger 3 also shows how Bollywood has moved on, there are no songs in the movie, apart from one which is also used to move narrative compared to the first part where songs were a must. The movie also sticks to its genre and it kind of becomes tiring for the audience as I missed the wit and banter of the first two parts.

Spoiler Alert Starts

Now coming to the cameo-

The Shah Rukh Khan cameo does not work at all, one reason being he does not have a loyal fan following like Salman and his screen presence is lacking. It may be because we are used to seeing Salman as Tiger so the charisma of character and star was there. Pathaan is just one film old, and people who enjoyed it were experiencing it as SRK’s comeback and not the character.

Moreover, the situation here is the same as that of Pathaan so it adds to drudgery and Tiger is a way bigger character than Pathaan in minds of viewers. Sadly, all jokes fall flat right from homage to Sholay to Karan Arjun in this scene. And the movie’s weakest action sequence is this rescue scene.

End of Spoiler Alert

Salman does what is required of him, and it works. The film does not require heavy duty acting. Emraan Hashmi as the central antagonist is given a raw deal and I wish the character was written more deeply. Katrina deserves her stand alone film as Zoya.

My major problem with the film is that while the first half is personal for both Tiger and Zoya, the second half is all about saving Pakistan and their democracy. There in lies the problem, the country has not seen a democratically elected government serving the full 5 years term since the formation of the country. Pakistanis do not care about democracy.

The stake for Indian audiences is bare minimum since there is no harm to India. It is like watching a James Bond movie where he saves the Russian Communist regime instead of handling threats which the UK is facing.

Also considering that YRF do not read or have this rose-tinted notion of Pakistan, in the movie it is implied only rogue ISI is against India, when even an uneducated Indian knows that Pakistan’s identity is based on annihilating Indians and India.

All said and done Tiger 3 is one of better masala movies of this year, we hardly had any this year.

25 Years of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ): What Makes the Film So Special Even Today

There are films of all kinds that we are exposed to, very few of them go on to become commercially successful and maintain their iconic status despite the passage of time. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge or DDLJ as it is more popularly known as, is one of the rare films to have that distinction. There has been enough and more that has been written about the film, with people praising the film for various aspects, while even attracting some criticism for its cheesiness, overtly sentimental nature and emphasis on a more old school romantic style and family values. So, let me not try and analyze the film per se, as that would simply not make sense, nor will it add any new insight into the film otherwise. So, what does this write-up intend to do? Simple, it is about why the film deserves all the love and appreciation that has been coming its way, and how I have evolved with the film over the course of these 25 years.Continue reading “25 Years of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ): What Makes the Film So Special Even Today”

DDLJ: Cutting across 3 decades. My Personal Ode & Journey with the Film

20th October 1995 was the first time DDLJ released in cinemas. I was 7 when I first watched the film at G7 Cinemas, Bandra with my parents. Little did I know that I would end up getting lost in the magical world that I was experiencing on screen. Tears rolled down my cheeks when I saw Amrish Puri slap SRK right before the climax sequence and I held my mother’s arms as each slap echoed in the pin drop silence inside the cinema packed with thousand people. I felt ecstatic when Kajol ran towards the stretched arm of SRK extending from the door of a running train in the end. I was mesmerized by the story that I narrated the entire film to my friends in school. When the songs came on the television, I would stop everything and listen attentively. Couple of months later, we revisited the theatre to watch DDLJ again. It was the same scenario as the first – a packed house with the same emotions. As a kid, I knew this film would stay with me forever. Continue reading “DDLJ: Cutting across 3 decades. My Personal Ode & Journey with the Film”

Meri Pyaari Bindu Movie Review: Lover’s Block

Deconstructing a genre can be tricky. Especially when it comes to a crowd-pleasing genre, like the standard rom-com. When you observe the trajectory of a typical rom-com, it seems simple, comforting, something you’d go for, on a lazy weekend after a hectic week, like a mug of chilled beer and a steaming plate of biryani. Therefore when 500 Days of Summer came along and ended up subverting most tropes we’ve come to expect, it was a hell of an experience and therefore ripe for adaptation in Bollywood. So when the promos of Meri Pyaari Bindu turned up, one did feel the spirit of 500 in it, so the question here would be if MPB is an apt deconstruction of the genre, or just another run of the mill boy meets girl tale?Continue reading “Meri Pyaari Bindu Movie Review: Lover’s Block”

Befikre: A Quick Review

befikreThe opening credits of Befikre have different couples kissing in various parts of Paris. That is when you realize that this movie is unconventional. For starters, it is shot in Paris and the story line could have been inspired by a French or a Hollywood rom-com as the couple keep getting in and out of their relationships. This year seems to be a year for contemporary multi-partner romances in Bollywood -after ADHM and Dear Zindagi and now Befikre.Continue reading “Befikre: A Quick Review”

Befikre Movie Review: Behadh, Behuda aur Besharam!

Aditya Chopra could be described as one of Bollywood’s most enigmatic personalities. One has read about him being painfully shy, to the point of being almost reclusive. Therefore, one gets the feeling that he makes up for it, by making the protagonists in his movies, absolutely larger than life. Enough newsprint has been devoted to his debut, tears were shed by teenagers when Mohabbatein came out, and yawns were stifled while watching Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.Continue reading “Befikre Movie Review: Behadh, Behuda aur Besharam!”

Sultan: A Quick Review

Whenever there is a movie with Salman in the lead, it is no longer just a movie but an experience. The world can be divided in to 2 kinds of audience- Salman Baiters and Salman Fans. Both have their reasons for watching it.

For the Baiters: Sultan is everything that you love to hate in a Sallu movie. Like a gym routine, he acts with his upper-body and dances with his lower-body. He gives us one more eve-teasing song which will be played in all the Indian weddings and discos – Baby ko Base pasand hai (Baby loves Base) where he keeps strutting his butt in yet another ‘innovative’ manner. It sounds more appropriate for the heroine (Anushka) though, as Sultan looks anything but a 30 yr old wrestler- with a puffed up face and a saggy torso. Wish he had taken make up lessons from Rajinikant as one of the song choreography seems to be influenced from a Rajini movie.

Continue reading “Sultan: A Quick Review”

Sultan Movie Review: Salman Khan and Eid, the Combination Works Once Again

A quiet moment when you just stand transfixed as you see your beloved in front of you, only to see her walk past you as if she did not even acknowledge your presence. Your heart aches and you pine, not just for her but also for all those wonderful moments that you both shared together. And you repeat the act every day, only to see your lady love walk away the same way. What would such a moment remind you of? Would you really expect this from a Salman Khan film? Actually I wouldn’t and not because Salman isn’t good with romance, in fact he has done enough and more romantic films but then there’s always that expectation that he would come up with something animated that catches the lady’s attention at the end. But that doesn’t happen in Ali Abbas Zafar’s latest film, the well anticipated Sultan that’s bhaijaan’s Eid attraction this time around.Continue reading “Sultan Movie Review: Salman Khan and Eid, the Combination Works Once Again”

Sultan Movie Review: This Calls for Giant Leaps of Faith and Your Unflinching Love for Salman

Ali Abbas Zafar’s ‘Sultan’ has all the trappings of an earth-shattering blockbuster and in all probability it will be one. Not just because it has the box-office demigod Salman Khan, the man who can right now earn 200 crores even by selling peanuts outside a theater, but also because it is a story of redemption, revival and fighting for one’s love – a potion that can be sold like hot cakes to Indian audiences. The fact that Sultan has Bollywood’s original bodybuilder Khan playing a wrestler at a tender age of 50 only adds to the aura and intrigue of the film. But alas, all that augurs well does not necessarily end well. And a lion’s share of that blame should lie at the feet of the director.Continue reading “Sultan Movie Review: This Calls for Giant Leaps of Faith and Your Unflinching Love for Salman”