Tag Archives: Sajid Nadiadwala

Rangoon Movie Review: Bloody Hell of a Show

Vishal Bhardwaj! 2 words that are enough to grab the attention of anybody who possesses a deep, undying love for Bollywood, for he’s a film-maker whose brand of cinema may be rooted in a filmi duniya, but when he narrates a tale, it breaks almost every rule that Bollywood throws at it, right from the narrative, to the characters, to the music and almost everything else that he throws into his filmmaking process. After hitting a high note in his last outing, his adaptation of the Bard’s Hamlet, set in 90s Kashmir, the announcement of his next project being a period drama, set during the last days of the freedom struggle did create some buzz, and with him casting Saif and Shahid, 2 actors whose best performances have come under his direction, and the mercurial Kangna Ranaut, one might look forward to a spectacular cinematic experience. But is Rangoon the VB magnum opus that we’ve all been waiting for?Continue reading “Rangoon Movie Review: Bloody Hell of a Show”

Dishoom: The Battle of the Beefcakes

This year a popular brand is introducing some new categories in their film awards and I thought I might help them with the finalists.

Best lead Actor in a static role: John Abraham for Dishoom- He manages to keep the same expression throughout the movie, a feat which not even accomplished actors like Naseer have been able to do. For this, he has even managed to get a lifetime award nomination competing strongly with Sunil Shetty. Moreover, his abs have started acting better though a similar feat was attempted by his bare bottom earlier. The director had to give him a cigarette throughout the movie to ensure that he didn’t give any unwanted expressions either.Continue reading “Dishoom: The Battle of the Beefcakes”

Dishoom Movie Review: Typical ‘Entertainer’ that Respects Your Time for a Change

Rohit Dhawan is an interesting name for a Hindi film director. The man obviously gets his surname from his iconic father, David, but it is his first name which lends an aura of interest to this entire name business. Rohit Dhawan seems to be inspired by ‘100 crore’ man Rohit Shetty and his stylized action sequences, and when you mix it with the inherent David Dhawan brand of humor and a bit of more inspiration from Hollywood buddy movies, you have the brand new Dhawan on the block.Continue reading “Dishoom Movie Review: Typical ‘Entertainer’ that Respects Your Time for a Change”

Dishoom Movie Review: Sucker Punch

In the midst of all the offbeat plots covered by Bollywood in 2016, like Kapoor and Sons, Ki and Ka, Neerja, Udta Punjab etc, there are times when one ends up craving for some old school masala, although lately, it’s only the Khans who’ve managed to keep the genre alive, especially with Salman Khan’s Sultan ending up as a monster hit. So when the trailers of Dishoom showed up, they promised old school masala with a mix of maar dhaad action and some David Dhawan styled humor, but does Dishoom deliver on this promise?Continue reading “Dishoom Movie Review: Sucker Punch”

Housefull 3 Movie Review : Jaundice Better Or Typhoid?

Housefull-31-2016-Official-HD-PosterWhat do you really expect when you walk in to a theater to watch a film like Housefull 3? If you have been aware of the previous two films of the franchise, then obviously, you will expect the silly and the dumb to play out in equal proportions, right? If you have not, then it might be nightmarish. But then Housefull is a genre film, created by Sajid Khan, who helmed the reins of previous two films as well. However, in this one, producer Sajid Nadiadwala has handed over the command to Sajid – Farhad, who have written many films for Rohit Shetty and directed the 2014 disaster, Entertainment. No big hopes, there! In my honest opinion, Housefull was a decent watch but Housefull 2 got excruciating. That apart, when the franchise is sort of successful and into its third film, one cannot continue complaining about the genre of it all. Yes, Housefull films rest on wafer-thin plots, lot of exaggerations, silly jokes, under-written female characters, cheap potshots on sensitive issues and a hell lot of caricature. But can they entertain? Because if they can, without crossing the line of humor of course, then the purpose is fulfilled. Intelligence may be insulted but the ticket price cannot be considered to have been completely wasted, no matter what you choose to believe.Continue reading “Housefull 3 Movie Review : Jaundice Better Or Typhoid?”

Tamasha (2015) Movie Review: The Art of Bad Storytelling

Imtiaz Ali’s film Tamasha is, at best, an attempt at a grand spectacle, and at worst, an eloquent exploration of the title’s other meaning, that is, commotion.The movie starts with the back story of a child fascinated with storytelling, beautifully shot by the talented Ravi Verman of Barfi fame, and coherently strung together by editor Aarti Bajaj. The movie is narrated not so subtly, by a theatre show of a futuristic robot and a joker.In a desperately clichéd attempt to portray the story as contrary to reality, young Ved is seen escaping his cruel father, collecting stolen pennies in a secret box, and using them to pay to listen to an old man’s (Piyush Mishra) fantastical tales. The old man keeps reiterating that all stories are essentially the same with characters that keep changing. The child, much like the protagonist in Pan’sLabyrinth, finds stories in unlikely places, and imagines characters materializing from the dark corners of his house. Unable to discern reality from fantasy, his young mind is enraptured by the possibilities of a fictional world, which contrast starkly to his life under his father watchful eye.Up until this point, Tamasha has merit enough to be a very good children’s film.Continue reading “Tamasha (2015) Movie Review: The Art of Bad Storytelling”

Tamasha Movie Review: Performance of Life

 

Jab We Met, Break Ke Baad, Ek Main Aur Ek Tu and Tamasha – what do these have in common? They have a stuck-up, somewhat depressed beta-male who is liberated from the monotony of life by a freewheeling sorted-in-life chic. They unlock the guy’s true potential. Out of these movies, 2 have Kareena Kapoor, 2 have Deepika Padukone and 2 are made by the same guy, Imtiaz Ali. It says a lot about all of them. Kareena and Deepika are the true female superstars of the multiplex era. Just like Madhuri and Sridevi (Beta, Chalbaaz) from the 90’s, they fulfill the male writer-director’s fantasy of women with reins (“If I’m going to submit myself to someone, it has to be one of these”). Imtiaz Ali’s lead male characters are highly conflicted (nothing profound, just confused) and eventually turn to the women for life-affirming comforts. With Tamasha, he continues with his adolescent pre-occupations of finding the one-true-special-one, but this time he exhibits a very strong narrative control for almost three quarters of the movie, where he shifts through places, timelines and perspectives much more organically than his other more ambitious films like Love Aaj Kal and Rockstar.Continue reading “Tamasha Movie Review: Performance of Life”

Tamasha Movie Review: Imtiaz Ali’s Mera Naam Joker Moment

Tamasha Poster 1If you flip through filmography of accomplished directors, you will find at least one film that goes on to become a symbol of their pedigree. ‘That one film’ may not necessarily be the directors’ most accomplished work or a roaring commercial success, yet it beams with the faith, idea and conviction of its creator.Continue reading “Tamasha Movie Review: Imtiaz Ali’s Mera Naam Joker Moment”

Tamasha Movie Review: A Mainstream Commercial Film with a Lot of Heart and Mind

There comes a time in life when you introspect, reflect about what you have been doing all these years. Is it the real you? Being enslaved in mundane stuff for eons, can a spark bring back that true self in a quest to recognize your identity. Significantly, have you even identified that deep within, you are not living a life that you once aspired for. Sometimes an incident, a moment or maybe even a failure can shake your core self; leading to a descent, only to realize your own self-worth. A worth which is required to accentuate your importance in your own eyes.Continue reading “Tamasha Movie Review: A Mainstream Commercial Film with a Lot of Heart and Mind”