Kurbaan: A taut thriller

Rating: 3.5 out of 5*

Starring: Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Vivek Oberoi and Om Puri

Director: Rensil D’Silva

Love blossoms between a Delhi college professor, Avantika (Kareena) and her newly joined colleague, Ehsaan Khan (Saif). But as she receives a call to join back her University in New York, Ehsaan proposes marriage. While her father initially disapproves of the match because of Ehsaan being a Muslim, he finally gives his nod impressed by Ehsaan’s approach. The couple goes to New York and finds a house in an Indian neighbourhood. But soon Avantika realizes her own husband is a major part of the terrorist sleeper cell operating there and is the reason for aeroplane blast that kills 140 people. She also comes to know that the terror outfit’s next plane is something as big as 9/11. How she unearths the plot with a journalist Riyaaz ‘s (Vivek) aid and what it all leads forms the rest of the plot.

Writer Rensil D’Silva (Rang De Basanti) making his directorial debut with Kurbaan delivers a taut thriller that keeps you engrossed throughout. Despite its long running time of over 2 hours and 40 minutes his gripping narrative has enough twists n turns and chilling moments. Cutting away from commercial cinema traps and unwanted cinematic liberties, he has made Kurbaan one of the best thrillers to be experienced on the big screen in recent times. Without taking any sides, the film manages to strike an impact leaving you shaken with the full of bloodshed climax. Super aid comes in form of Niranjan Iyengar and Anurag Kashyap’s dialogues. They are precise and to the point without sounding preachy. The classroom sequence when American students question discuss terrorism and Islam and Vivek Oberoi’s replies to them is one of the film’s most important and noteworthy sequence. Though the place drops a bit post interval, the 35 – 40 minute long climax keeps you on the edge of your seat. The much talked about love making sequence is very aesthetically shot. Salim Suleiman’s music is good and fits in the movie well with no lip sync songs.

Saif Ali Khan has always been very good whenever he has gone wicked and here as well he comes up triumphs in a grey role. The way he changes his body language and facial expressions from a charming romantic to a cold blooded terrorist is just superb. Kareena Kapoor proves yet again why she is considered a top rated actress today. However, in many emotional sequences she appears very similar in her act to her elder sister, Karisma. After a really very long time Vivek Oberoi leaves you extremely impressed. His mature act is bound to win him many accolades and awards for sure. Om Puri as the terrorist sleeper cell head is very good. Kirron Kher after a long time gets a non-Punjabi mom role and she is has delivered one of her career best performance in this one. Dia Mirza and Nauheed Cyrusi leave you impressed despite their short roles.

Hemant Chaturvedi’s camerawork matches international standards and so does Nakul Kamte’s Sound work.

Finally, a big applause for Karan Johar for making under his Dharma Productions, a film which is very unlike any previous film made under his prestigious banner and one which is not only extremely well made but also very topical.

Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani: Clean fun entertainer

Rating: 4 out of 5*

Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Upen Patel

Director: Rajkumar Santoshi

Prem (Ranbir) is a happy go lucky fun loving chap staying in a small town. But problems follow him everywhere even when he is all set to do something good for others. Prem along with his friends runs a ‘Happy Club’ which believes in joining hearts of lovers. Following some misunderstandings, Prem loses his heart to new girl in town Jenny (Katrina). He finds out she is an orphan staying with a heartless family. Prem’s friends motivate him to tell her his ‘dil ki baat’ and he tries all his level best to match Jenny’s choices. After a month long gap of staying away from Jenny he is finally all set to tell her his feelings, he finds her house locked and family migrated to Goa to forcibly marry her to a cash rich idiot. He goes to Goa to seek her but only to be shocked by her revelation that she loves one Rahul (Upen) and wants to elope and get married to him. Heartbroken but not dejected, Prem decides to bring the two lovers together. But complications arise further. What chaos it all leads to as Prem goes all out to make the Jenny-Rahul marriage happen, forms the rest of this fun filled entertainer.

Rajkumar Santoshi is back in form after a many years. Comedy has always been his main forte as his Andaz Apna Apna has achieved cult status in last 15 years. Here he has balanced both romance and comedy very well. His narrative keeps you hooked right from the word go. Santoshi has also picked up the right character actors which contribute immensely to the madcap proceedings. Production values are of high standards. Some scenes that have turned out well in terms of writing, direction and acting are the dance party sequence, Katrina slapping Ranbir after she feels he is aping her stammering only to realize he has the same defect as well, Ranbir masquerading in a girlie top when a girl’s parents come to see him and of course the howlarious climax action.

One of the biggest contributors of the film is its music by Pritam. All the songs are ruling the charts and their positioning in the film and picturisation make them even better.

Ranbir showcases what powerhouse of talent he is. He is not only loveable in the funny moments but is excellent in the emotional sequences. Katrina Kaif is in top form too. She balances her funny portions equally well with her emotional ones. Both Ranbir and Katrina make a wonderful fresh jodi as they share a crackling chemistry. Upen Patel fits the role to the T. Pradeep Kharab as Katrina’s suitor is very funny. Darshan Jariwala and Smita Jaykar playing Ranbir’s parents are first-rate. Zakir Hussain and Govind Namdeo are loud but funny. The actors playing Ranbir’s friends are just too good.

After a real long time a good clean hearted romantic comedy has come to the cinema halls which can be enjoyed with the entire family. Go for it guys. Watch it for seeing Santoshi get back in form and Ranbir-Katrina emerge as the new hot jodi of Hindi cinema.

Jail: Packs a solid punch

Rating: 3.5 out of 5*

Starring: Neil Nitin Mukesh, Mugdha Godse, Manoj Bajapai, Rahul Singh and Arya Babbar

Director: Madhur Bhandarkar

Parag Dixit (Neil) is hard working white collared job employee who is just on the threshold of a great career ahead. He gets a well deserved promotion at his job and is all set to marry his girl friend Mansi (Mugdha). But fate has other plans. He gets wrongly implicated in crime which he is not part of and is subjected to a police custody first and then Thane jail. Thus begins a nightmare for the innocent Parag. How he faces the problems in a world completely unknown and as dark as he could not even imagine in his wildest dreams forms the rest of the film.

Jail is as gritty as it gets. It is not meant for the faint hearted. Madhur Bhandarkar yet again takes us right into the underbelly of a world we never knew existed like it is. With his well researched and authentic treatment, Madhur makes us feel the pain and anguish of what a person must be undergoing when he is put in jail. The dialogues are razor sharp befitting a Madhur Bhandarkar film and the large number of character actors carefully chosen justifying their parts with their natural act. The film has many characters put in for real life references like for example the infamous drunk and drive incident on a Mumbai road. Although, it takes a little extra time for the story to build up, after the interval point it packs in a solid punch. Camerawork by Kalpesh Bhandarkar and background music deserve special mention. Sayali Bhagat’s item song will please the front benchers.

Madhur has the knack of deriving award winning performances from his principal cast and in here Neil delivers an award worthy performance as Parag Dixit. The manner in which he has successfully conveyed his anger, frustration and sheer helplessness against the situation that he has been subjected to deserves a bow. Mugdha Godse in a non-glam part is good. Manoj Bajpai in his intense act is simply superb. His meaningful gaze conveys a lot. Playing jail inmates - Rahul Singh as Gani bhai and Arya Babbar as the underworld recruiter are excellent in their parts. Atul Kulkarni impresses in the two scenes he gets during the climax.

Watch Jail for an experience of a trip to a world which you will wish you never to visit even in your worst nightmares.

Aladin: Not entertaining enough!

Rating: 2 out of 5*

Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Ritesh Deshmukh and Jacqueline Fernandez

Director: Sujoy Ghosh

The story is set in a fictitious town called Khwaish. Aladin (Ritesh) is a shy college going bloke who is forever bullied by his college mates lead by big bully Kasim (Sahil Khan). They always force him to rub lamps to get a Genie out of it only because his name is Aladin. He instantly falls in love at first sight when he sees Jasmine (Jacqueline) the new girl in his college. But then again Kasim always succeeds in keeping him away from her. But one fine day he luckily chances upon a lamp that actually brings out a genie called Genius (Amitabh). Genius offers him three wishes so that after they are fulfilled he can retire. At first Aladin doesn't believe that Genius is actually a genie but after he is convinced the first two wishes he wastes on getting Jasmine. Meanwhile Ringmaster (Sanjay Dutt) is hot on trail of the magic lamp is an ex-genie who wants to kill Aladin and get hold of the magic lamp so that he can be come the genie and use the powers to further his own evil interests. In his team are a fire-spitting lady, a clown, a knife thrower and other circus renegades. On interacting with Ringmaster, Aladin learns of a sec ret Genius had not revealed to him and he is heartbroken. Anyway, to become a genie once again, Ringmaster has to catch a comet that comes once in a million years. The comet can only be caught with the help of a magic lamp. What happens when Ring master confronts Genius and Aladin and who wins the battle for supre macy is revealed in the climax.

Its commendable that Sujoy has picked up the much heard famous fairy tale and attempted to give it a modern day twist with some amazing never seen before special effects. However, he along with his co-writers have failed to make Aladin a fun filled entertainer. Even if we take into consideration that the film is only aimed at the kids, then too its a challenge for the kids to enjoy it as most of the proceedings are wasted in Aladin wooing Jasmine. The emotional quotient of the romantic story is zero. The script is completely dry and drab. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that just one dialogue stands out because it unwittingly expresses the feelings of the audience watching this film in the cinemas. The dialogue, mouthed by Genius, goes somewhat like this: “Abbe, yaar, bore mat karo!” Indeed, that’s the dialogue the viewer keeps muttering to himself while watching the film.

Amitabh brings Genius to life with his excellent act even though it appears over the top at times. Ritesh is perfectly fit for his role and does an endearing act. Sanjay Dutt though saddled with a half baked role is in great form. You can make out he is having a ball playing the fantasy villain. Newcomer Jacqueline has superb screen presence and not only is she very attractive but is very expressive too. Sahil Khan is well casted and his scenes with Ritesh are hilarious.

Vishal-Shekhar's tunes offer nothing new but gel with the film. Editing could have been better but camerawork by Sirsha Ray and set design by Sabu Cyril is top notch. Even the sound design is of international standards.

If you had been anticipating a great entertainer then Aladin is surely a let down!

London Dreams: Salman – Ajay rock!

Rating: 3 out of 5*

Starring: Salman Khan, Ajay Devgan, Asin and Om Puri

Director: Vipul Amrutlal Shah

Arjun (Ajay) and Manu (Salman) are childhood buddies living in a Punjab village. Arjun passionately loves music and dreams of becoming a musical sensation like Michael Jackson and perform at London’s Wembley Stadium but his family hates music as it was the reason for his grand father’s death. But as after his father’s death, Arjun’s uncle (Om Puri) brings him along with him to London, he runs away to pursue his dream. Mannu grows up in the village turning out to be a good for nothing bloke who makes money by playing his band at marriage ceremonies. Meanwhile Arjun chases his dream and forms a band with two Pakistani brothers (VJ’s Aditya and Ranvijay) and Priya (Asin). When he realizes he is getting attracted to Priya he decides to hide his feelings and focus on music and only reveal to them when he fulfills his dream. He gets Mannu to London to join his band. But that he realizes turns out to be his biggest mistake. The naturally talented Mannu scores over Arjun in every department unintentionally and goes on to become a bigger sensation that a dedicated and hardworking Arjun. Jealousy starts creeping in for Arjun but the final nail in the coffin comes when he sees even Priya falling in love with Mannu. What sinister plan Arjun throws on an unsuspecting Mannu to destroy his musical career and what it all leads to forms the rest of the film.

Vipul Amrutlal Shah has delivered his technically best product till date with London Dreams. But apart from the technique its high on emotions as well. Vipul gives apt time for character development for each of his main protagonists. Devoid of unnecessary melodrama he captures the emotional moments with aplomb. Sejal Shah’s camerawork is of international standards. The night scenes are superbly lit.

Amongst the flaws, the climax is overstretched and the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music not really up to the mark, especially the climax concert numbers. The song that comes after everything is over is too slow and a rousing number would have made for an apt grand finale.

Ajay is excellent in his part and one can see the best villain awards coming his way at the awards for this year. Salman seems to be enjoying himself and is extremely likeable. Though Asin is most of the time relegated to the background she puts up a nice act. Her chemistry with Salman works. Popular VJs Aditya and Ranvijay of Roadies fame make a good debut. Om Puri in a small part impresses as usual.

This film was originally planned over a decade back to be made by Rajkumar Santoshi with SRK and Aamir. Well, it may not star them now but makes for an excellent musical journey worth an experience in the big cinema hall.

CAST:

STARRING –RANBIR KAPOOR, KATRINA KAIF, UPEN PATEL, DARSHAN JARIWALA

CREW:

BANNER- TIPS INDUSTRIES LIMITED PRESENTS TIPS FILMS

DIRECTED BY– RAJKUMAR SANTOSHI

PRODUCED BY– RAMESH .S. TAURANI

CREATIVE PRODUCER– JAY SHEWAKRAMANI

MUSIC DIRECTOR– PRITAM

LYRICS– IRSHAD KAMIL

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY– S. THIRU

COREOGRAPHER- AHMED KHAN

SCREENPLAY and DAILOGUES– R.D. TAILANG and RAJKUMAR SANTOSHI

COSTUME STYLIST– SHYAMLI ARORA

EDITOR– STEVEN BERNARD

ACTION- TINU VERMA

SOUND- RAKESH RANJAN

Tips Films' Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani is a comedy movie directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif in lead roles.

Prem’s (Ranbir Kapoor), fundas in life were very simple– be happy…make others happy…keep the town happy...

But these supposedly simple fundas usually resulted in disastrous consequences for Prem, the members of his Happy Club, and the town!

It may have been a case of mistaken identity that led Prem to kidnap Jenny (Katrina Kaif).

And it was sheer greed that made Prem try to pull a fast one over her father.

As for sweet and simple Jenny, brought up by indifferent and uncaring foster parents, all she longed was to love and be loved in return.

And it was love and only love for Jenny that made Prem turn over a new leaf.

From hardly working vagabond he began working hard to make money…

From a besotted Romeo he became a mature and thoughtful Majnu who put Jenny’s happiness above everything else…

As for Jenny…she was so much in love with the idea of being in love that she was blinded by the reality that was staring in her face…

The reality that was Prem…

The true love that was Prem…

Releasing: 6th November 2009