Tag Archives: Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub

Raees vs Kaabil: Clash of the Titans?

Jan 25th was slated to be the battle of the stars- Shahrukh and Hrithik battling it out with Raees and Kaabil respectively. The swords were all out with both the parties battling it out with their PR machinery. Some even called it as a mentor-pupil battle. And it mattered for both the stars as their previous movies were almost a washout (Fan and Mohenjo Daro).Continue reading “Raees vs Kaabil: Clash of the Titans?”

Raees Movie Review: Once Upon A Late Latif

It’s all Ram Gopal Varma’s fault. Till he showed up with Satya, Company etc, we were so used to the trope of the gangster being a modern day Robin Hood, a leader of the community, a do-gooder on the wrong path etc, that when we were exposed to what gangsters really are, ordinary men and women with a gun, who let their ego come in the way of reason, flawed human beings who may be larger than life for a few fleeting moments, but end up the victim of either the system, or their own hubris.Continue reading “Raees Movie Review: Once Upon A Late Latif”

Phantom (2015) Movie Review: Bollywood’s Poetic Justice

I have lived in Bombay for more than 25 years of my life. I have witnessed more than dozen terrorist attacks on my hometown, with two of the attacks, the 93 Bombay Blasts and 26/11 attacks being the worst terrorist attacks ever seen in mankind’s history in my opinion. Unfortunately, there have not been many films on these attacks, or on the after effects of the attack.  I still remember 26/11 vividly, the reason being I was supposed to go to Cafe Leopold on the same day but I was not keen to travel to South Bombay. Not a day goes by thinking, what if I was there on that day at that place. For those who grew up in Bombay, it was like seeing a part of our identity being destroyed.Continue reading “Phantom (2015) Movie Review: Bollywood’s Poetic Justice”

Tanu Weds Manu Returns: A Quick Review

5 Reasons- Why you should not miss Tanu Weds Manu Returns:

  • TWMR Poster 3Kangana is outstanding in a double role. Her impeccable Haryanvi accent would put the Chautalas to shame. Few actors have been able to do justice to double roles in Bollywood the way she has done in TWM2.
  • Madhavan plays himself.. he is the calm husband even in adversity. Watching the couple is like watching Tendulkar and Dravid play cricket. While Kangana is blazing guns and aggressive in both her roles, Maddy coolly manages to support her well and ensure that the equilibrium is maintained!
  • Deepak Dobriyaal as Pappi shows us once again how supporting roles can be enacted to make them appear like lead roles. The most hilarious dialogues are given to him and he does absolute justice to them. Laugh a riot guy with an unassuming character that keeps surprising you often and tickling your funny bone with consummate ease
  • Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub doesn’t get left behind in his portrayal of Chintu – Tanu’s second fiddle. Whether he is falling for Kangna or getting jilted by her, he wears his heart on his sleeve.
  • Finally, the whole Indian small town setting accentuated by good screenplay/ dialogues by Himanshu Sharma, direction by Anand Rai and an amazing supporting cast of Swara Bhaskar, Jimmy Shergill and Eijaz Khan brings to life a well paced, funny and light movie interspersed with social messages that you can interpret if you are attentive enough. set

Its a revolutionary movie which doesn’t follow the Indian stereotype for a woman.

Continue reading “Tanu Weds Manu Returns: A Quick Review”

Tanu Weds Manu Returns Review: You Will Like the Film, Not Tanu & Manu Themselves

Tanu Weds Manu, Anand L Rai’s much-liked rom-com that released in 2011, managed to break quite a few, if not all, shackles when it comes to predictable love stories. But, Tanu, the feisty, unconventional protagonist of the 2011 film is somewhat underwhelming and repressed in this sequel. Equally cut to size, barring a few kilos that he seems to have gained, is Manu (played by R Madhavan), the inconspicuous and ‘boring’ hero. The task of seeing through this rather ‘forced’ sequel is assigned to Kangana’s double avatar, Kusum aka ‘Datto’, the Haryanvi athlete studying at Delhi University who happens to be Tanu’s doppelganger.Continue reading “Tanu Weds Manu Returns Review: You Will Like the Film, Not Tanu & Manu Themselves”

Tanu Weds Manu Returns Movie Review : Twice The Fun

Tanu Weds Manu became an instant winner with everyone when it came out in 2011, largely due to its renewed take on marriages and the female lead, played meticulously by Kangana Ranaut. Director Aanand L Rai and his writer, Himanshu Sharma, went on to make Raanjhanaa in 2013 and then came back for the TWM sequel. The first trailer shined amongst a lot of expectations, and the songs cracked the audience likability code right away. But that may not be enough for a great film, and more importantly, to snap out of the curse of the sequel.Continue reading “Tanu Weds Manu Returns Movie Review : Twice The Fun”

Shahid (2013) Movie Review: A Social Commentary And It Works!

Language : Hindi | Running Time : 123 Minutes | Director : Hansal Mehta

ShahidIn an all too poignant scene as justice is served, War saab(Kay Kay Menon) claims “waqt lagta hai par ho jaata hai. It works.” Our treatment of real life people in movies is something similar. We have taken a lot of time coming to terms with zeitgeist biographies but when one does get made, it gets made very well. Hansal Mehta‘s Shahid is the story of human rights activist lawyer Shahid Azmi who died in 2010. The movie veers into the dangerous territory of becoming a social commentary of our recent past without much meat but it holds its own and also raises some very pertinent questions and manages to create sympathy and respect for Shahid Azmi’s activities.Continue reading “Shahid (2013) Movie Review: A Social Commentary And It Works!”

Shahid: Trailer

Shahid PosterHansal Mehta‘s Shahid based on the life of lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi, assassinated in Mumbai in 2010, is a keenly awaited film after doing the festival rounds. Produced by Anurag Kashyap, Sunil Bohra and Guneet Mongia, Shahid is written by Hansal Mehta along with Apurva Asrani and Sameer Gautam Singh. Continue reading “Shahid: Trailer”

Raanjhanaa Movie Review:Two Different Films

Raanjhnaa-First-Look-Poster

Movies are pretty much built on love. Love stories have been the staple diet for movie goers since the silent films era and even in the era of talkies beginning with Gone In The Wind in 1939 or even  if I look back even earlier,  I would find something fo sure. We Indians have had love stories that have largely been tragedies and if not they’ve usually been reduced to boring, formulaic with heroes fighting 20 baddies in every other scene.  Of late there has been an attempt at reworking this genre or rather reworking the classic tale of Heer- Ranjha , Laila – Majnu in Bollywood and we have seen stories like Rockstar and movies like Love Aaj Kal dealing with love in a modern, mature . Though I am not a fan of the many reworked movies because I’ve failed to see them as merely old wine in new bottle, there have been takes where the blurring lines of friendship and love are seen in the reworking and Raanjhanaa is a film that goes that fascinating route.Continue reading “Raanjhanaa Movie Review:Two Different Films”