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Reviews
London Dreams (2009)
Nothing special!
It's a bad season for Bollywood with all the big releases with a massive hype surrounding proving to be duds at the box office. London Dreams is no exception to that. Let's dissect it... It's all about chasing your dreams and how far will you go to achieve it. Sounds impressive right? But unfortunately the film is not.
Arjun (Ajay Devgan) is an aspiring musician who wants to make it big someday. His dream is to perform in Wembley stadium in front of a cheering 90,000 audience calling out his name. He is joined by two brothers, Zoheb & Wasim (debutants Aditya Roy & Ranvijay) and a ravishing Priya (Asin). Together they form "London Dreams" their dream band. After impressing the chief of a record company, they become overnight sensations. Arjun is secretly in love with Priya which he doesn't want to reveal till he achieves his goal. Arjun then brings his childhood friend Manjit Khosla aka Mannu (Salman Khan), a carefree flirtatious guy who has got no ambitions in life, to join their band. Mannu is a trained musician and a real talent for whom later Arjun become envious for Mannu's superior skills and his affair with Priya. Arjun with the help of Zoheb plans to blight Mannu. What happens next forms the rest of the movies.
Coming to the technical aspects, we feel only the shadow of Vipul Amritlal Sha whom we have admired in Namaste London. Felt like he simply visualized the screenplay. To cut it short, a glorified cameraman. Screenplay by Suresh Nair dulls even though it has its moments. Defined in a predictable fashion, the screenplay bore you to stiff. Camera work was awesome in capturing the beauty of London. It's the only entertaining part while watching songs.
Few songs are hummable while others are passable noisy fare. Ajay was the one who stole the show with his negative character. Salman is monotonous and he irks you. Asin is forgettable and I don't that she will make it big in Bollywood. Aditya Roy is impressive while Ranvijay is strictly OK. Brinda as the bitch is what we have seen in innumerable movies. Ompuri is ongoing with the proceedings. I don't want to pen down about the flaws as it will be a herculean task.
Finally let me put it simple and straight, London Dreams is a soulless movie which you may better enjoy on DVD.
Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja (2009)
Good, not worth the hype
Pazhassi Raja is a relief for Malayalam audience who has been made to sit through some mindless craps by the industry. However did it live up to the hype remains a question.
Whatever the answer to this question be, from the public, a standing ovation and shivering salute to Gokulam Gopalan, Hariharan,Mammooty and the rest of the crew for the effort.
An analogy can be drawn with the comments we see in the reality shows these days. "Didnt quite reach there"; "Landing note went flat" Pazhassi Raja promises so much, but fails to deliver to the expectations. However take that baggage away from the movie it is a fine product.
The bouquets: The freedom that the budget gives Hariharan is the biggest positive. The sets, the extras, the costumes, the camera, the sound, the stunts are all enriched in the vastness of the budget.
The story is set in an atmosphere which we are new to, and that adds to the excitement.
The performances could come in next, with Sarath Kumar getting most of the scenes which will bring him claps, closely followed by Manoj K Jayan. However if one asks me whether they were superlative performances in terms of quality, I will have to reply in the negative.
Mammootty is again weighed down by the baggage of expectation from 'Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha' and comparisons are inevitable. The MT magic has not worked in his favor this time around, and the characterization is devoid of any scope for outstanding performance.
But it is to his credit that, it is his face that a Keralite would relate to with Pazhassi Raja's name.
The technical dept lead by Resul Pookkutty, the cinematographers and the stunt choreographer would take the next slot.
The Brickbats: Numero Uno, Hariharan: You had no business to keep it dragging on and on for 210 minutes, that took away the focus of the audience every time an inconsequential scene come on.
Had you been more vigilant at the editor's table and chopped off a good 30minutes of the movie, it would have been a lot different.
Second in Command MT: The magic your pen weaved in your prime was totally missing. Not sure if anybody in the respected critic league would be brave enough to declare that the King is naked.
The USP of your scripts was the multi-faceted characters you create and the power packed and though provoking dialogs. Saw just glimpses of it, hence a disappointing effort from you.
I am still wondering how Pazhassi Raja mouths English dialogs with such ease, and the English lady character would make one think of Lagaan every now and then.
Sad that even you fell to the temptation of the super star image by the climax.
Summary: Pazhassi Raja as a stand alone movie is good and pretty good, but when it comes from the crew of OVVG it isn't.
Trade Verdict: The duration is going to be a big setbacks to its commercial prospects I feel..
Main Aurr Mrs Khanna (2009)
Good.
How often we get to see Salman minus his childish histrionics? How often we get to see heroine not just limited for the glamor quotient? How often we get to see Sohail Khan doing a controlled acting. Not so often, right? Well apparently this film is the answer. A soft romantic melodrama without many ups and downs and still at the end leaves a smile on our face.
Rehna(Kareena) is an orphan who falls in love with Samir Khanna(Salman) and gets married to him against the wish of his parents. They are settled in Melbourne, Australia. When life takes a down stride Samir is left with no option but to send Rehna back home to Delhi and himself to leave to Singapore for getting a good job. Rehna when comes to know about his plan, stay back in Melbourne. It is her wait for Samir and what happens when another guy (Sohail as Akash) who loves Rehna, comes in between them.
The story- A feel good story which has got its own moments but still under developed. They could have worked more on this part.
Acting: - Salman as struggling, romantic (usual childish act) and cool Samir was a treat to watch. He just rocks. Kareena lives as Mrs. Khanna. She has matured a lot from the bubbly girl image. Sohail is cute and his acting is controlled. Priety Zinta was there just for a song. Deepika Padukone, in a surprise cameo, looks stunning. Rest of the cast is OK.
Music & BGM - Music by Sajid - Wajid is strictly OK. May be the younger generation will like it. BGM suited the mood of the movie.
Direction and Script - Prem R Soni's debut holds a promise for future. May be he will be the next Imtiaz Ali. I felt so. Script doesn't offer many ups and downs or dramatic situation like a usual Bollywood movie. Still it could have been edited out to avoid some unnecessary elements like Priety's cameo and all. Characterization could have been reworked as well. Also he should have taken more caring while showing Dubai as Australia in some scenes Over all a an OK attempt from a first timer.
Verdict - Will be a multiplex hit.
Blue (2009)
Watch it for action and glamor.
It's always a thrill to watch an exclusive show of a movie even before it is released in India. The day turned out to be lucky enough to watch the most anticipated movie of the year. The most expensive Indian movie of all time, blue with all the hype and hoopla surrounding.
Let's get it straight. Blue is a dud with loads of thrills, action sequences, glamor and glitz. Movie starts off in a flash back showing the wreckage of "Lady in Blue", a ship carrying treasure looted by British from India, which is followed by titles cards with breath taking visuals of ocean as we see in a national geographic documentary. Cut to present we are introduced to Sagar alias Sethji, an expert underwater diver based in Bahamas, played by Sanjay Dutt. He works in one of the Fishing boats owned by Aarav, a rich playboy played by Akshay Kumar. Sagar is the only friend of Aarav. Sagar is happily married to Mona(Lara Dutta) who dreams to built a marine institute of her own. Sagar's brother Sam is a spoilt kid who ran away from them to Malaysia and finds his living from underground bike racing championships. Aarav wants to hunt down the treasure carried by Lady in Blue hidden some where deep down the sea and he seeks Sagar's help for that to which Sagar refuses, but due to the turn of events, they Sagar,Aarav, Sam set out on the treasure hunt. Will they get hold of it? What happens to them etc forms rest of the story.
The story - Its wafer thin with some forced surprises and twists in the end. You will be wondering what story has to do in movies like these.
Action - This is the USP. Watch blue for acting. Its thrilling and exciting. I bet, you will be on the edge of the seat. Action director James Bomalick has really given a visual treat with bike race, chases, underwater fights, sharks and blowing up of trucks and bikes on free way. Its worth the money.
Acting: - Nothing much to boast about. Akshay is cool, Sanjay is jaded, Zayed is over the top, Lara is the glam doll, Katrina is wooden, Rahul Dev is monotonous. Kylie Minogue is just there for a song which could have been clearly trimmed.
Music & BGM - Is it really Rahman or is it ghost directed by some body else. I never felt that it has ARR stamp on it. Let down.
Direction & Script - Seems that Anthony D'souza designed some cool visuals and pulsating action sequences and built up a story around it. Directing it with the ample support of action director could have been an easy task. Still I like to say Anthony is promising.
Verdict - Watch it for action and glamor.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar (2000)
Dr.Ambdekar :
By the time i came to know of the news it was a bit late and i missed the opening minutes of the movie.
Dr.Ambedkar is a movie which walks you through the history of India (of course from the perspective of the protagonist) from a period of around 1916 to 1956.
The movie in its initial minutes deal with the education of Bheem Rao Ambedkar in London and his though process getting cemented. He pursues his higher education in London School of Economics and at the same time prepares to be a Barrister. He struggles to support his family back home and his wife Ramabhai (Sonali Kulkarni).
The fact that Ambedkar is a man who stands for what he believes in, is portrayed by the creative argument he gets into with his research guide and even expressing hope that he will correct the formers views. He refuses to take racial remarks from the white lying down, and retorts back in equally effective terms. For various reasons he decides to discontinue his studies and returns to India to take up a Govt Job at Baroda. It rises on Ambedkar that the oppression that the "untouchables" in India has to face is equal to the racism he had to face in London, if not more. He is even denied the right to take drinking water from the same pot and is refused lodging in almost all hotels. He takes up another career as a professor and has to face the same hardships. The Maharaja of the state who is in agreement with him in principle and concept expresses his helplessness in overturning the system overnight. But by now Ambedkar has made up his mind to retaliate and not take this crap lying down any more.
He prepares to organize the oppressed class and the untouchable to fight for basic human rights and political representation. For the same purpose he starts a fortnightly "Mook Nayak" which creates a sort of revolution in the Indian political class. But then he has to return to London to complete his thesis and barrister-ship which brings out another face of Dr.Ambedkar.
His thesis is refused by the guide under the excuse that his conclusions are "empire bashing" and not in appropriate tone and language. A furious Ambedkar travels back to India and decides to re write the thesis at a later date. He starts another fortnightly for bringing on the uprising and succeeds in a major way.
By now Ambedkar is seen as the savior of the oppressed class and they rally behind him. The 'sathyagraha' to open up the main water tank for the untouchables of Mahad was the spark of a new rebellion in India. Ambedkar was not afraid to call a spade a spade, and took on the Congress and Gandhiji with out fear. He even termed the Independence movement as inconsistent and selfish.
India gained independence and Ambedkar was invited by Nehru and Gandhi to be the Law Minister of independent India and head the Constituent Assembly. Then he makes the classic dialog " It is reassuring to know that one was still be Nationalist without being part of the Congress"
Ambedkar finally quits his post, when the Hindu Code bill is disowned by the Congress and embraces Buddhism.
That was a synopsis on the movie. In concept the movie details the life of the oppressed class in India in the Pre-Independence era and how various leading political parties viewed it. The numerous drawbacks of the practitioners of Hinduism has been drawn out very clearly and Jabbar Patel deserves a pat on the back.
Mammooty, stood tall as the protagonist Br Bheem Rao Ramji Ambedkar and took total control of the movie. His efforts to look like the character is commendable and his performance was just mind blowing! The transition from the mild research student to the leader of the masses is just chilling to watch. Absolute gem of a performance which truly deserved the recognitions he received. Even the private life of Ambedkar has been portrayed and the emotions conveyed by the great actor.
Hats off!
I have difference of opinion about the accent that he has used through out the movie, but do not wish to belittle the towering performance on that count. The movie moves at a leisurely pace to begin with, and then turns it a gripping one, once the mass movement begins. It does not bore you at any point of time, though its over 3 hours I guess.
The art direction has been splendid, and the way the parliament etc are recreated is stunning!
Over all: A must watch movie for any cine lover, and look out for the towering presence of Mammooty as Dr BR Ambedkar!