Reviews

Fan Directed by Maneesh Sharma and acted by Shahrukh Khan is an exceptional cinematic experience.

The movie starts on a good note showing how Gaurav Chandna (Fan) has his love and has devoted his entire life to Aryan Khanna the star. He is just living a normal middle class life but has an exceptional fondness for Aryan Khanna as his Fan.

I was never a Shahrukh movie lover and in the past years there was not even a single noteworthy performance by him but this movie is a reborn of an actor. Shahrukh is known for his romance on screen but here you will see a different actor. He is amazing as Gaurav Chandna as well as Aryan Khanna. This is his most finest performance of him after a very long time. Gaurav is sweet, witty, adorable, charming till the first half. How the movie takes a U turn from a comedy drama to a thriller drama post interval is noteworthy.

There are some loopholes as well in the second half, some of the scenes looks illogical as a cinematic viewer perspective and the chase sequences looks a little cheesy but you can't afford to miss this one, if you are his fan or if you are not.

I truly enjoyed the confrontation of fandom and stardom. A definite watch.

3/5 or 7/10

Batman vs Superman : Dawn of justice created an exceptional hype from last one year by releasing teasers, trailers, trolls on social media, doing marketing etc.

I also had huge expectation with this one because I was never a fan of Superman movies (Never seen any) but a die hard fan for Batman. So before going to the movie I have done my homework by seeing Man of Steel which is directed by Zack Snyder to understand the character of Clark Kent and also the way of storytelling by the director. Man of Steel was just a normal superhero movie with no extra ordinary effort in storytelling and only with good CGI & VFX.

So BVS is the most disappointing movie of 2016. There was not a single moment of excitement in the entire 2 hours 31 minutes long movie. The cinematography was so dull and dark that I had to check my 3d glasses over and over again. The are many questions emerged in my mind after watching the movie that why batman wants to kill superman, why superman was following him in a mid car chase & warns him and why batman was getting weird dreams about waking up in a mid of desert.

Ben Affleck performance as Bruce Wayne was good but he sucks as Batman specially that metal bat suit. Henry Cavill role as Clark Kent didn't excites me well instead I liked Gal Gadot small but powerful role as Wonder Woman.

Overall I don't understand why they have made movie like this and why there was so much fuss and hype for.

1.5/5

Neerja is a true story of a 23 year old girl who is a head purser of Pan Am flight which got hijacked by 4 terrorist in Karachi in 1986 and how bravely she manages to save the lives of 359 passenger's and loses her while saving.

Neerja which is played by Sonam Kapoor pulls it very well and undoubtedly this becomes the finest movie of her career. Neerja shown as a fan of Rajesh Khanna in the movie and she also speaks his dialogue from the movie Anand "Zindagi Badi honi chahiye...lambi nahi" and then she lives the same life. The emotions attached to the movie are so strong that one can't control his/her eyes getting wet. Shabana Azmi played the role of her mother in the movie and the bonding between these two will just melt your heart. Seeing this veteran actor in such a role is just an treat to the eye. Ram Madhvani has done a marvellous job with great execution and the characterization of the actors, specially the terrorist which are picturize very brutal and cruel is tremendous.

Though it's just February but it becomes my most favourite film of 2016.

3.5/5 or 7/10

The story revolves around a boy named Krishna who was abandoned by her mother and swears to return when he gathered Rs 500 for his brother's bicycle which he trashed. He visit Bombay and worked as a tea servant and he known as Chai pau in his circle.

Watching 80's 90's movie in this era is a bliss and we can't even compare the cinema which have made in those era which remain a golden era for Bollywood with movies like DDLJ, Andaz Apna Apna, Angoor to name few. This was on my list since 1 year and never got time to watch it.

Every applaud, every award is small for a movie like this. It shows the darkest side of Mumbai in a most perfect way and the performances made it a brilliant watch altogether. The cinematography is so impressive that you actually feel the movie while watching. It is a very brave attempt for the director and writer to show such dark and witty side of the city.

No one can ever imagine that the child character (Krishna) played by Shafiq Syed was his debut movie. His expressions are so real with full of emotions that it will keep you hooked with the film soul. Nana Patekar and Irfan Khan (Cameo) are a compelling watch as well. Some of the child in the movie are actual street children who has been given special training to prepare for the roles. The movie was a second nomination for an Oscar after Mother India in a best foreign film category.

Salaam Bombay is witty, Dark, Gloomy which may appeal negative to some audiences, but then its an art of cinema which comes with a disclaimer 'All characters and events depicted in this film are entirely fictitious'.

Airlift (2016) directed by Raja Krishna Menon starring Akshay Kumar and Nimarat Kaur in the lead is the story of when iraq invades kuwait and how 1,70,000 Indians were rescued in a most heroic way and that was the biggest evacuation in the history of the world.

The best thing about this movie I liked is that it doesn't take time to built the story and the detailing of the character because there is no need of it if you are presenting a film which base on true events. You need to be more cautious about the facts and events happened during that time because some of the audience may have already done some research about the event. This film may not be so high on patriotism but it is surely an entertaining ride.

Akshay Kumar in the role of Ranjit Katiyal was the best choice and I don't think that any other actor can pull up such a charisma rather than him. He was brilliant in his act and his hard work shows while he act. Nimrat Kaur in the role of Mrs Katiyal was average, I was missing the spark in her, Rest from all the supporting cast I liked Kumud Mishra the most. The direction from Raja krishna Menon was good but it could have been brilliant.

At last I can only say that Airlift is a strong attempt to bring out the most historical evacuation of India in a form of entertainment.

7/10 or 3/5

Wazir (2015) directed by Bejoy Nambiar starring Farhan Akhtar, Amitabh Bacchan and Aditi Rao Hydari in the lead role.

Wazir is something that one could tell a complete thriller package with some astonishing performances and brilliant cinematography with a chilling screenplay. Bejoy Nambiar previous work in Shaitaan was the one which pulls me to watch wazir. The engaging screenplay in the first half will keep you hooked till interval, the second half of the movie will need your patience and then the climax will blow you off.

Farhan Akhtar's gives one of the finest performances in the character of Daanish Ali. You can actually feel his emotions in the first half. Amitabh Bacchan's performance as Omkar Nath aka Panditji will leave you spell bounded and you will be speechless. Aditi Rao Hydari, though her roll was small as Ruhana but her beauty speaks more then her dialouge. John Abraham and Neil nitin mukesh were totally wasted as I want to see them more on the screen.

If it is a thriller movie then music becomes a secondary factor but here music or songs may ruin some of your enjoyment as they pops up in between. I was expecting the same from the director and I had enjoyed my 102 minutes.

Go with lesser expectation and enjoy this thrilling game of chess.

3/5 or 7/10

Bajirao Mastani (2015)

Bajirao Mastani Directed and produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali stars in the lead Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra in the lead.

The movie was a dream project by Bhansali and have been delayed for several years and with several reasons The story was made keeping in mind Salman & Aishwarya in the lead but got never implemented.

This is one of the finest and the most ambitious movie by Bhansali. The movie is grand in each and every section. It get's 10/10 from me for every minute I spend watching this. The sets, costumes, CGI, cinematography brilliant.

Ranveer singh had put his soul in the character of Bajirao Bhallad. He is magnificent with his Marathi accent and dialogue delivery, He must be sweeping many awards for his role. Deepika looks stunning on screen in the role of Mastani and the acting puts an icing on cake. The chemistry between Ranveer and Deepika is marvelous. Priyanka had done definite efforts for Kashibai and she too succeeded well to deliver a good performance. In supporting cast I personally like Mahesh Manjrekar a lot in the role of Maratha King and Tanvi Azmi as Radhabai.

The war scenes looks splendid on big screen. Bhansali had put much effort to make his dream project a grand success and He already achieved the same. The first half is good with brilliant background score and music. The second half would be a little bored but you can suffice with great acting skills of Ranveer.

Forget other bollywood clichéd movies and see a real piece of cinema where we can feel proud to our Industry and make them proud by praising it.

#Surely_Recommended

8.5/10 or 4/5

Chhello Divas (2015) Directed by Krishnadev Yagnik is a light hearted comedy movie with some really good punches. The movie revolves around college life of eight friends and their journey of their graduation.

This is my first review for a Gujarati movie. I think Gujarati cinema is becoming a mainstream cinema and taking steps forward with big budget films and a full-fledged theatrical releases all over India after Kevi Rite Jaish and Bey Yaar.

Talking about this movie, had enjoyed a lot while watching and relive that college time memories again. The dialouges are truly gujju which will be stay back with you till long as you can relate them with the day to day situation.

When we talk about the technical aspect there are some flaws in the movie, the background score was too over and some scenes looks too over dramatic because of that.Acting was brilliant by all lead actors except Loy (Mitra Gadhvi) in some scenes.

Overall it was a brilliant effort to make such a good cinema. Will look forward for more good movies from this industry.

And yes that dialouge is an epic one... Te mara mate coffee kem mangayi??

3.5/5

Tamasha (2015) Directed by Imtiaz Ali Starring Ranbir Kapoor & Deepika Padukone is a blend of emotions and laughter.

The movie is not an everyone's cup of tea. It's a blend of emotions (joy, sad, laughter etc). It builds up gradually and by the end you will fell in love with Imtiaz with this mind blowing piece of cinema but beware if you are looking for a masala entertainer with item songs, flying cars, action scenes, better stay away from this flick. You will seriously get bored in some parts of the movie but that is what the story demands. People will curse this movie and tag it as one of the worst movie of Imtiaz but I will just say that this is an Add-on in the list.

Ranbir Kapoor is brilliant in his act. He has enjoyed each & every scene of this movie. It's the magic of Imtiaz only that Ranbir can perform so well.Hats off to him for this remarkable performance. Deepika didn't get much to do but we can felt the charm of her on her screen presence.

Fifty percent shares to make this film brilliant goes to Ranbir & Imtiaz and another fifty percent goes to AR Rahman for his blazing music in the film. Every song is special in this movie ('Chali Kahani' is my personal favourite).

The one thing I liked the most in Imtiaz movies is the screenplay. The transition in every scene is phenomenal.

Go for it if you are really bored with clichéd bollywood movies and want to see an intense yet entertaining cinema.

3.5/5 or 7/10

Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 (2015) directed by Luv Ranjan starring Kartik, Sunny, Omkar, Nushrat, Supriya & Ishita in the lead roles.

After falling in love, three roommates experience changes in their lives.

The movie is certainly one of the best comedy movies of 2015. I don't remember when was the last time I had laughed so much. Luv Ranjan direction is brilliant in each and every aspect. Dialogues works as an icing on the cake for the story. I was not able to see any flaws in the movie but then Kartik looks less confident then the first part. I will specially mention Thakur's character (Omkar Kapoor). His performance was dazzling. The way he acts in the movie was so good that no one can say that it is his first movie. Chauka (Sunny Singh) reminds us of Liquid (Divyendu) in some scenes. Out of all the three actresses, Kusum (Ishita) was very honest with her character, rest all done an average job.

It is a reality check for all the guys who are or wants to be in a relationship and while watching the movie one can easily relate the situations. While guys will find this movie entertaining, girls will be judging as an one sided drama.

Spectre (2015) Directed by Sam Mendes starring Danial Craig and Christoph Waltz in the lead supported by Léa Seydoux and Monica Bellucci.

Whenever there is a new Bond movie, we expect stunning visuals, brilliant action scenes, breathtaking chasing sequences, cool gadgets and the most important better story. We always had high expectation from each and every bond movie.

Few months back I had watched American Beauty (1999) for the first time and I just fell in love with the direction of Sam Mendes (of course Kevin Spacey too) and was hoping to see that magic again.

Moving to spectre, the movie fails to create that charm again after Skyfall. So I am totally disappointed with the latest flick. It has some stunning visuals with brilliant cinematography. It also has 1-2 chase sequences which is good but when I talk about the overall experience it's an average flick. The movie is certainly over hyped. Daniel Craig as always is good as Bond but we need a new face of a bond now. Christoph Waltz role is the biggest disappointment, it's not his fault but the script was not demanding. Bond girl (Léa Seydoux) had nothing much to do in the film. After the first hour the films becomes boring.

Go with less expectation, maybe you can enjoy more.

This is the first time I am writing a review for a series because the thing which I have watched is nothing sort of brilliance. The mini series has all the entertainment factor which many bollywood big budget films don't have. It has fresh and refreshing concept which will keep you stick to each and every episode.

Naveen is the charm of the series. He is very much honest with his character. You will never feel bored while watching him. Yogi is something like Abhay Deol from ZNMD. He too is enjoyable. Jeetu's character has simplicity with sense of humour. Last but not the least Mandal's character is what makes you laugh throughout the entire series. They all have done a marvelous job and have equal share in the success.

TVF has done a tremendous job in making this series and letting us know that Indians too have potentials to make sensible a good drama other than the senseless Daily Soaps. Do watch this "TVF Originals Drama" on Youtube and share as much as you can.

9/10 or 4.5/5

Welcome Back (2015)

A sequel to the 2007 comic caper Welcome starring Anil kapoor, Nana Patekar, John Abraham, Paresh Rawal and Shruti Hasaan in the lead. Directed by Anees Bazmi.

The movie fails miserably in the sequel. The first part was a laughter riot but it does not create the same magic again. I didn't had any expectation from the movie still I convinced myself to watch this.

The only thing I enjoyed in the movie was watching Majnu and Uday Shetty, rest all failed to entertain me. John Abraham is not at all suitable for comedy roles. His expressions are worst. He can only do films like Madras Cafe (He is best in that type of roles). Shruti Hasaan has to learn a lot in terms of acting and comic timing. You will surely miss Akki (Akshay Kumar) in the sequel.

The first half of the movie is too boring, you can have some laughs in the post interval part. I had never experienced such bad songs and their lyrics in recent movies. Anees Bazmi is known for directing good comedy movies but this time He had made a very illogical and a totally senseless movie.

Watch this movie at your own risk and please leave your brain at home if you convinced yourself for watching Welcome Back.

1.5/5 or 4/10

Phantom (2015)

The movie deals with the post era of 26/11 mumbai terror attack.

The core concept of the movie is not new, there are some movies earlier with the same concept such as : D-Day and Baby, so there is nothing new to offer with the story but it has all the ingredients of a perfect bollywood masala flick.

This movie is the advance version of all the previous story. It strike the right chord of your heart. The movie has emotions, patriotism, love, music, drama which turns out as a pack of entertainment for the audiences.

Saif's acting was not that much great but not that much bad also. So I can say he was honest with the character. Katrina's character was not well described in the film. Her acting was same as she was in Ek Tha Tiger. Mohammed Zeeshan was powerful in his small role. Other supporting cast was average.

Screenplay of the movie was good which will kept you hooked. Direction of Kabir khan felt lazy. The movie should have been brilliant if the direction have been more crispier. Music and background score is good.

Phantom will not left any mark to the audiences. It is the same product in a new packet.

2.5/5 or 5/10

Manjhi : The mountain man carried only by Nawazuddin. The films deals with a guy who breaks the mountain to take revenge for his wife's death. This film has lack of emotions and the intensity which it needed the most for this kind of script. Manjhi doesn't hit at the right spot of the audiences. As Manjhi breaks the mountain without anyone's help same as Nawazuddin carries the whole film on his shoulder with his sheer brilliant acting. Manjhi is the sum up of all his previous work. His acting is the only thing which kept me hooked till the climax. He just not only played Manjhi but he also lived the character. Radhika Apte in a small but a powerful role left an strong impact on the audiences. She played the role of Phaguniya wonderfully. It was delighted to watch her on screen. The first half of the movie was brilliant but the climax was stretched unnecessarily. Background score and other technical aspect was good especially the screenplay of the film. The director's work is magnificent in the film but Don't get any high expectation from the movie just go for Nawazuddin and to watch his one of the best performances till date.

Paanch revolves around five youths - struggling grunge musicians trapped in an alcohol hashish haze and killings.

The movie got banned in India because our so called "Central Board of Films" stated that this movie deals with the worst part of the society and it gives a negative feeling in the youth for it's dark theme.

For me the movie is a complete entertainer. It's true that it deals with the darker side of the society but in real terms it is all fact. The movie shows abusive double meaning dialogue, extreme usage of drugs and alcohol and brutal violence. Mr Kashyap hits the right note every time he makes a movie and this is his directorial debut. He is so brilliant in writing of this script as well as directing it. For me he is one of the best director's right now we have in our industry. The music and background score by Vishal Bhardwaj is good.

When we talk about the starcast, it includes Kay Kay Menon, Tejaswani Kolhapure, Aditya Shrivastav, Vijay Maurya and Joy Fernandes in the lead. This is the finest work of Kay Kay Menon I have ever seen. He is such a badass as Luke. Other characters are very much sincere in their respective roles.

So basically the movie is for niche and limited audience and if you are looking for another bollywood masala flick, this is surely not a cup of your tea!!!

After watching this short film I have google'd the word "Ahalya" because I was totally unaware about the concept behind it, and I found this

"""In Hindu mythology, Ahalya (Sanskrit: अहल्या, IAST Ahalyā), also known as Ahilya, is the wife of the sage Gautama Maharishi. Many Hindu scriptures say that she was seduced by Indra (the king of the gods), cursed by her husband for infidelity, and liberated from the curse by Rama (an avatar of the god Vishnu).""""

The short movie was brilliant with it's core meaning, Mr Sujoy Ghosh has made a brilliant attempt to make this. It is really shocking for me that how could a 14 minute movie made me so much enthralled with it's story. Radhika Apte being the hot chic was also sincere in her act.

Bollywood people surely needs to move on to the short movies concept!!!

Drishyam (2015)

One of the most intriguing thriller I have ever watched in Bollywood. Dhrishyam takes the thought process of a normal person to the most toughest level. I know the movie is an official remake of a Malayalam movie by the same name, so I will give the credit to the original makers of the movie.

I was not expecting it to be that much good but it is beyond my expectation. You will be enthralled with the story till the last minute. Ajay Devgan in a role of Vijay Salgaonkar is perfect. After a Long time I have seen this type of acting from Ajay Devgan (specially after Omkara). Tabu never disappoint us after her recent comeback. There is excellence piece of writing with brilliant direction by Nishikant Kamat.

After watching the movie you will come to know that being a movie freak sometimes helps you to solve a bigger problem

Highly recommended for a true lover of thriller movies and those who want Edge of the seat thriller!!!

#Visuals_Can_Be_Deceiving

Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015)

There are very less movie which made me cry and yes!! this movie is one of those. The movie has right amount of love, emotions, music etc. Salman's movies never looked so lovely like this. The reason that I really liked it so much is that because a little girl has overcome the stardom of Salman Khan in the film. It is not a masterpiece but surely it is one of the best of Salman.

The soul of the movie is Harshali Malhotra. She looks so adorable on screen that you fell in love with her when she appears on screen.Nawazuddin nailed it by his sheer performance.He is brilliant in every frame of the movie. I watched this movie with very less expectation and that's become the main reason for liking it. The songs are placed beautifully (specially that "chicken song"). I will specially mention the editing aspect. The editing is perfect (crisp). Kabir khan's direction is really good. After this movie I have high expectation from his films now onwards. (Phantom is on it's way)

A must watch!! but don't expect it to be a masterpiece, just a nice work from Salman after a long time.