The ‘Uff’ moment of Priyanka-Shahid at the IFFA rocks!

At the IIFA Rocks, a fashion and musical night which is a part of the ongoing 13th International Indian Film Academy Weekend and awards in Singapore, Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra literally brought the roof down with their awesome performance on the song “Uff” from their upcoming film Teri Meri Kahaani.

Apart from the musical night, the runway lit up with gorgeous models walking the ramp for various designers, adding glamor to the entire show.

Designers Varun Bahl, Masaba Gupta and Suneet Verma showcased their collections with star showstoppers.

Following Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra powe packed performance, was Punjabi singer Mika Singh, who performed on songs like “Chinta ta ta”, “Pungi”, “Jugni”, Dhinka Chika and “Subah hone na de”.

Gauhar Khan, a Model-turned-actress also showcased her item numbers like “Jhalla” and “Chokra Jawan” from “Ishaqzaade”.

Shafqat Amanat Ali too followed the gang with his popular songs like “Mora saiyyan”, “Tum mile”, “Bin tere” and “Mitwa”.

Putting an end to a fun filled night was an energetic performances by music composer duo Vishal-Shekhar. They sang numbers like “Sheila ki jawaani”, “Chammak challo”, and “Bharat mata ki jai”

Kareena’s item number in Heroine!

We are all aware about Kareena Kapoor’s item number in her upcoming film, Heroine. The actress has worked extremely hard for it. She was recommended a special diet by her nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar to get that perfect curvy and sexy body.

“In fact, most of the people on the sets are now following the diet,” revealed the actress.

Yesterday, the weeks long hard work was seen on ground, when Bebo shot for the number. The song is titled ‘Halkat Jawani’ and is sung by Sunidhi Chauhan.

Explaining the scene, director Madhur said, “This is actually an award function where Kareena is performing. She has been mindblowing. We are moving to a new shot and she has stepped out.”

The dance moves have been choreographed by Ganesh Acharya.

Tiger Shroff to train Aamir for Dhoom 3!

Aamir Khan is all set to get back his Gajini like tough looks for Dhoom 3. It is heard that the actor has hired a young and dynamic trainer named Tiger Shroff.

Aamir Khan with the help of Jackie Shroff’s son is all set to re build his physique for his villainish look in Dhoom 3. If sources are to be believed, aamir will be essaying the role of a gym instructor and so in order to understand various physical-training techniques in the gym, he is getting trained by one..

Tiger Shroff is yet to start his acting career. So why did aamir choose a young fresher, when he could get a much more matured and experienced trainer???

Well, introducing Tiger to the world, for the past four years, he has been into hard core training. Been an athlete and a football player in school, has been practicing martial arts since the age of 14.

Aamir is so much impressed with Tiger that he is ready to go to any extent and has already made plans to launch him in the film industry.

Priyanka-Kareena, friends??

Looks like, Priyanka Chopra is on a patch up spree. Letting bygones be bygones, the actress recently attended KJO’s birthday party and the latest is that she bonded with Kareena kapoor on the sets of Heroine.

Priyanka was shooting for Teri Meri Kahaani special promotional episode for a TV show in Filmistan Studios, on Wednesday. The actress suddenly remembered that Madhur Bhandarkar too was next door shooting for Heroine. In that way, she visited the sets and met Madhur and Kareena as well.

Priyanka Chopra tweeted, “Hopped in on @mbhandarkar268's set of heroine and hung out with Bebo and my entire fashion team..such fond memories..”

Brave: Film Review

Venue: Sydney Film Festival (opening night)

Opens: June 22 (Disney)

Production: Pixar Animation Studios

Voice cast: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Sally Kinghom, Eilidh Fraser, Peigi Barker, Steven Cree, Steve Purcell, Callum O'Neill, Patrick Doyle, John Ratzenberger

Directors: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman

Co-director: Steve Purcell

Screenwriters

: Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman, Irene Mecchi, story by Brenda Chapman

Producer: Katherine Sarafian

Executive producers: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

Directors of photography: Robert Anderson (camera), Danielle Feinberg (lighting)

Production designer: Steve Pilcher

Editor: Nicholas C. Smith

Music: Patrick Doyle

PG rating

Trailer: 

Pixar's 13th film, which follows an adventurous Scottish princess, is visually stunning and strongly voiced, but doesn't take any real risks.

 The season's latest feature destined to boost the demand for kids' archery lessons, Brave may disappoint many ardent Pixar loyalists while simultaneously delighting old-time Disney fans.
The 13th animated feature from the world's most consistently successful film company is its first set in that version of the past forever favored by Disney, that of princesses, kings, queens, witches, evil spells and prankish secondary characters. For all its pictorial and vocal beauty, the film's emotional line and dramatic contrivances are both more familiar and less inventive than what's usually delivered by the studio. Younger kids won't mind but many viewers accustomed to relying upon Pixar for something special will feel a sense of letdown due to the lack of adventurousness. A muscular box office ride is virtually a given.

Part of the problem is that Brave never becomes the film that seems to be promised at the outset. After a beautiful and eventful prologue in which flaming-maned Scottish princess Merida receives an archery bow for her birthday, glimpses blue will-o'-the-wisps floating through the forest and sees her father, King Fergus (Billy Connolly), lose a leg to a ferocious bear, the action jumps ahead to her adolescence and her obligation to get married.

Under the strict tutelage of loving but demanding mother Elinor (Emma Thomson), Merida (Kelly Macdonald) has learned the necessities but is a wild lass at heart, desperate for her days off when she can ride off on horseback and perfect her archery. As for marriage, nothing could be less appealing: “I don't want my life to be over,” she rails to her mother. “I want my freedom.”

One look at the top suitors offered up by the three other leading clans and you can see what she means; they're the three stooges of Scotland, whose beefy kinsmen would sooner brawl than shake your hand. Once Merida shows them all up in an archery contest and her furious mother tosses her daughter's prize bow in the fireplace, the headstrong girl takes off on her enormous steed, Angus.

It stands to reason that this first half-hour sets up expectations of a story in some way involving a renegade princess, trouble among the clans and/or a mysterious adventure involving the wisps and some Stonehenge-like arrangements that come into play. The left-turn taken by the script co-authored by Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman and Irene Mecchi, from a story by Chapman, who co-directed with Andrews, might be embraced by those comforted by the familiar. But it's a move that channels the film into startlingly well-worn territory, that of a conventionally toothless and whiskered old witch (Julie Walters) willing to cast a spell to grant Merida's wish to change her mother so as to alter her own fate.

The spell, lo and behold, turns Elinor into an enormous bear, one that retains Elinor's brain and heart but cannot speak. Thus ensues a lot of not-so-hot slapstick as bear Elinor knocks about in quarters too small for her and tries to communicate while Merida feels remorse and endeavors to reverse the spell.

What results is a film that starts off big and promising but diminishes into a rather wee thing as it chugs along, with climactic drama that is both too conveniently wrapped up and hinges on magical elements that are somewhat confusing to boot. Not only is the tale laden with standard-issue fairy tale and familiar girl empowerment tropes, but the entire project lacks the imaginative leaps, unexpected jokes and sense of fun and wonder that habitually set Pixar productions apart from the pack. Its ideas seem Earthbound.

On a sensory level, however, Brave is almost entirely a delight. The wild beauty of Scotland, of the verdant forests and the craggy peaks, is lovingly rendered with a gorgeous palette of painterly colors and in very agreeable 3D. Even better, the voicings here are among the most exceptional and pleasurable of any animated film you might care to name. Working in pronounced Scottish accents that, to be sure, don't approach the often undecipherable ones heard in Ken Loach films, Scottish actors Macdonald and Connolly are a joy to listen to, as is Thompson, even if too many of the conversations are argumentative in a repetitive vein. Patrick Doyle's active and resourceful score is another major plus in a film that has played it safe instead of taking chances and going for something new.

Rock of Ages: Film Review

Openening:June 15 (Warner Bros.)

Cast:Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Akerman, Mary J. Blige, Bryan Cranston.

Director:Adam Shankman.

Screenwriters:Justin Theroux, Chris D'Arienzo, Allan Loeb.

Trailer: 

Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta play the small-town girl and city boy in this tribute to '80s hair metal and the L.A. rock scene, with Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul Giamatti and Mary J. Blige.

NEW YORK – Basically a Mamma Mia! with ‘80s hair metal in place of Abba, Rock of Ages is a jukebox musical wrapped in vinyl nostalgia that has been playing to modest but steady business on Broadway for the past three years. However, the headbanger party owes some of its notoriety to Poison frontman Bret Michaels getting accidentally brained during a production number from the show at the 2009 Tony Awards. Nobody gets clobbered in the New Line movie, but perhaps directorAdam Shankman should. He succeeds in draining most of the fun from a vehicle that was all about the winking humor of its flagrant cheesiness.

hankman did a serviceable job on New Line’s 2007 screen redo of Hairspray. But he was handed more winning material and songs crafted expressly to tell a story, not generic anthems shoehorned into a jokey construct.

Working with screenwriters Justin Theroux, Chris D’Arienzo and Allan Loeb, who adapted D’Arienzo’s original book for Rock of Ages, the director has not found a way to translate the musical’s affectionately mocking humor to film. Shankman lacks a light touch. Only when the invaluable Russell Brand is onscreen – playing a droll variation of his Get Him to the Greek character with a Nikki Sixx makeover – does this bloated, gratuitously star-laden rethink come close to hitting the right tone.

The main attraction no doubt will be Tom Cruise in another stunt performance to pair with hisTropic Thunder role. First seen in bejeweled leonine codpiece, assless chaps and some elaborate ink, emerging from beneath a blanket of hot groupies, he channels Axl Rose as Stacee Jaxx, an out-of-control rock god rarely separated from a bottle of scotch or from the monkey sidekick he calls Hey Man.

Mary J. Blige turns up late in the action as Justice, den mother of The Venus Club for Gentlemen, where Sherrie takes a job in her hour of need. Blige lends her soulful pipes to a few numbers, but like Cruise, she outstays her usefulness.

Production designer Jon Hutman does a solid job of recreating 1980s Sunset Strip sleaze, and costumer Rita Ryack hits the right notes in reviving contemporary fashion’s ugliest decade, without going over the top. A handful of rock and pop figures from the period show up in cameos, includingDebbie Gibson, Sebastian Bach, Kevin Cronin, Nuno Bettencourt and Joel Hoekstra. ButRock of Ages neither evokes an authentic feeling to celebrate the era nor spreads much joy making fun of it. Instead, it just drones on like a limp cover version.

Box Office Report: 'Madagascar 3' No. 1 With $60.4 Mil, 'Prometheus' Strong No. 2 With $50 Mil

Both films overperform at the domestic box office, with ticket sales up nearly 30 percent over the same weekend last year; "Madagascar 3" also dominates overseas.

 Family animated tentpole Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted landed at the top of the domestic box office with a stand-out $60.4 million opening, besting the $50 million scored by Ridley Scott's sci-fi epic Prometheus.

The DreamWorks Animation and Paramount threequel also ruled overseas -- where competition was fierce -- grossing a stellar $75.5 million from 28 markets for a worldwide opening of $135.9 million. 

Still, Prometheus was no slouch for an R-rated, original tentpole, and did more than expected on the strength of Scott's fan base and 20th Century Fox's creative marketing materials.

Internationally, where it began rolling out the previous weekend to impressive numbers, Prometheus came in No. 2, grossing $39.2 million from 50 markets for a pleasing foreign cume of $91.5 million and worldwide total of $141.5 million.

Reversing a downturn that has plagued the box office since early May, North American box office revenues were up nearly 30 percent from the same weekend last year when Super 8 opened.

Madagascar 3 -- benefiting from the pent-up demand for family product -- earned a glowing A CinemaScore. The threequel returns Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith and David Schwimmer in the lead voice roles, while Frances McDormand, Martin Short, Jessica Chastain and Bryan Cranston join the franchise.

"Audiences and critics loved this one the most, a real accomplishment," said DreamWorks Animation president of marketing Anne Globe, noting that the first two titles each received an A- CinemaScore.

Madagascar performed on par with the first two movies in terms of box office returns, and brought DreamWorks Animation its best domestic debut since Shrek Forever After in 2010 ($70.8 million). It is the second-to-last DreamWorks Animation title that will distributed by Paramount unless the output deal between the two companies is renewed.

DreamWorks Animation's Jeffrey Katzenberg and Paramount have been tireless in promoting the toon, which made its worldwide premiere last month at the Cannes Film Festival, a perfect environment since the movie's storyline begins in the South of France.

In North America, Prometheus edged out Madagascar 3 on Friday, but fell 25 percent on Saturday (a typical pattern for fan-fueled fare). Scott and the studio intend for the movie to launch a franchise, similar to Scott's blockbuster Alien series. Prometheus cost $130 million to produce after tax incentives.

"It is an out-of-this-world opening," Fox president of domestic distribution Chris Aronson said. "A confluence of great reviews and solid word-of-mouth have conspired to create a global hit."

Prometheus -- headlining Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron -- earned a B CinemaScore and skewed older, with 64 percent of the audience over the age of 25. Tracking had been best among men, but a fair number of females -- 43 percent -- ended up turning out.

Prometheus brought big returns for IMAX theaters. In North America, IMAX grosses from 294 theaters totaled $9.1 million, a June record for the exhibitor. Worldwide, weekend receipts reached $12.1 million.

Elsewhere at the domestic box office, Universal's Snow White and the Huntsman (also starring Theron) placed No. 3, falling 58 percent in its second weekend to an estimated $23 million for a domestic cume of $98.5 million. Overseas, Snow White earned $24.6 million from 52 territories for an international total of $83.5 million and worldwide haul of $182 million.

Sony's Men in Black 3 continued to hold in well in its third weekend, coming in No. 4 domestically with $13.5 million and besting Snow White internationally with $38.3 million. The pic has now earned $487.5 million worldwide.

The Avengers continues to land high up on the box office chart, placing No. 5 with a $10.8 million. Worldwide, the Disney and Marvel Studios' pic hit $1.4 billion over the weekend.

Specialty titles The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom continued to impress in North America, both landing on the top 10 chart.

Marigold Hotel, from Fox Searchlight, placed No. 6 with a $3.2 million from 1,298 theaters for a domestic cume of $31 million in its sixth weekend. The movie has earned north of $82 million internationally.

Focus Features' Moonrise came in No. 10 with $1.6 million as it expanded to 96 locations in its third outing. The Wes Anderson-directed film, which has now earned $3.8 million, posted a location average of $16,825 -- the best of the weekend.

Several specialty films rolled out in limited runs over the weekend to mixed returns. FilmDistrict's sci-fi indie Safety Not Guaranteed fared better than Searchlight's Lola Versus, grossing $100,000 from nine locations for a theater average of $11,111. Lola Versus grossed $34,097 from four theaters for a location average of $8,524.

'Madagascar 3': What the Critics Are Saying

THR’s Todd McCarthy complained the film consists of characters “repetitively reacting with alarm to anything that happens and overcompensating for largely unfunny material by overacting by about 300 percent.”

It’s a good weekend to run wild. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted is poised to edge out Ridley Scott’s Prometheus for the weekend's top spot with a projected $61 million haul.

But was the threequel from DreamWorks Animation and Paramount as successful with the critics?

The latest installment of the billion dollar-grossing franchise sees escaped New York City zoo animals lion Alex (Ben Stiller), zebra Marty (Chris Rock), giraffe Melman (David Schwimmer) and hippo Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith) join a European circus to evade the villainous animal-control cop Captain Chantel DuBois (Frances McDormand).

With a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score of 76%, the film received plenty of praise  for its sprawling voice cast and bright visuals.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Todd McCarthy, however, found  the series was offering diminishing returns with the film. “It’s dominated by the characters shouting over one another, repetitively reacting with alarm to anything that happens and overcompensating for largely unfunny material by overacting by about 300 percent,” McCarthy wrote. He also complained the "wit and sophistication" co-screenwriter Noah Baumbachhelped bring to Fantastic Mr. Fox was hard to detect here.

USA Today’s Claudia Puig concluded that contrary to the saying, the third time was not the charm for this series. Like McCarthy, she complained about the one-note tone (frenzy) the film struck. She advised that if there is a Madagascar 4, “the filmmakers [should] allow the critters to slow down and enjoy the journey" to their next destination.

New York Times critic Andy Webster didn’t mind the film’s over-the-top antics, writing that while the humor was familiar, the visuals “soar.”

“A Monte Carlo chase is vertiginously madcap; a Cirque du Soleil-style spectacle dazzles with rich pastels,” he wrote. “Kids will be stimulated. And, parents, you’ll enjoy the sights.”

In her Los Angeles Times review, Betsy Sharkey praised the film’s use of 3-D, which she opined took viewers to “dizzying extremes” during circus scenes.

“The animation artistry of "Madagascar 3" is at its best under the big top, all cotton candy fluff and razzle dazzle,” Sharkey wrote. “The character development of this edition is the best of the rest as well.”

Starbuck: Film Review

Venue: Seattle International Film Festival, Gala Presentations
Production Company: Caramel Films
Cast: Patrick Huard, Antoine Bertrand, Julie le Breton, David Michael, Patrick Martin
Director: Ken Scott
Screenwriters: Ken Scott, Martin Petit
Producers: Andre Rouleau, Valerie d’Auteuil, Jasmyrh Lemoine, Danny Rosner
Director of photography: Pierre Gill
Production designer: Danielle Labrie
Music: David Lafleche
Costume designer: Sharon Scott
Editor: Yvann Thibaudeau
Sales: Charlotte Mickie, eOne Entertainment
No rating


A lovable underachiever unwittingly spawns his own village in Starbuck, Ken Scott's crowd-pleasing comedy exploring various meanings of fatherhood in the modern age. Already slated for a Dreamworks remake starring Vince Vaughn, the Montreal-set charmer would be an easy sell in multiplexes if not for pesky French subtitles.
 
Patrick Huard plays David, a delivery man for his family's butcher shop who learns that his lucrative late-80s stint as a sperm donor has resulted in a staggering 533 successful pregnancies. Over a hundred of those now-twentysomethings, having learned they share the same biological father, are suing the fertility clinic to reveal the identity of the prolific donor code-named Starbuck.

Panicked by the prospect of being unmasked, but curious about his progeny, David becomes a covert guardian angel. Working through plaintiffs like the list-checking hero of My Name is Earl, he spies on youths and finds himself doing favors both small and life-altering; eventually he joins their community of fellow-adoptees, making a half-true excuse to get to know them without revealing himself.

Huard, whiskered and beer-bellied, projects a bumbling benevolence that works well here, leaving David -- a man-child who has avoided fatherhood in its traditional form, and whose girlfriend is understandably reluctant to share her surprise pregnancy with him -- pleasantly surprised at how well these encounters play out. Viewers will likely share that surprise, as will cynics who understandably expect much more sappiness than the film delivers. (Opportunities for sentimentality are everywhere, of course, but a comically oversized group hug is about as syrupy as things get.)

Scott and collaborator Martin Petit's script never really explains the urgency of the legal battles over David's anonymity, and some ante-upping contrivances in the third act ring false. But the laughs don't flag, thanks in part to David's friend Paul (Antoine Bertrand), a dad who has actually had to live with the kids he fathered: Acting as David's attorney, he does everything he can to keep his pal away from the joys of parenthood.

Trailer:

Rowdy Rathore: Film Review

Producer: Ronnie Screwwala, Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Director: Prabhudheva
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha
Music: Sajid-Wajid
Lyrics: Sameer Anjaan, Faiz Anwar
Genre: Action
Recommended Audience: Parental Guidance
Film Released on: 01 June 2012

Trailer:

Review:


Much earlier, in my review of Prabhudheva’s maiden venture Wanted, which got Salman Khan back in the game and allowed him to do many more masala entertainers and South remakes, I had stated that I love masala entertainers. Trust me, there’s nothing better than a cocktail of genres defying your otherwise potent logic when you leave your overworked brains behind to enjoy a movie that should provide nothing but (in the language of the well-remembered Silk, played by Balan in The Dirty Picture) “entertainment, entertainment, aur entertainment.”

And that’s exactly why I haven’t really shoved Sajid Khan’s outspoken logic of his films working, because he knows exactly what he’s doing when he’s making films that don’t require logic. With Akshay Kumar’s last Housefull 2raking in huge moolah after Desi Boyz having decently performed at the box-office, he’s obviously expected to keep his record consistent after many pitfalls in the last two years. And this is when Rowdy Rathore makes its entry in a safe zone. And why do I say that? Well, the IPL season is over, and so movies can safely release without any fear of focus deviation (though this season we have also had some back to back hits like Vicky Donor, Ishaqzaade andHousefull 2). So does RR manage to win the hearts of the audience like Wanted did?

Set in Mumbai and fictional Devgarh, the movie talks about Shiva, who’s a thief and has a weird fetish for women’s waists. He’s a manipulator and lives with a friend he regularly manipulates. He meets Paro, they dance for a while, and he keeps touching her waist (for some odd reason this gets annoying). From nowhere, a girl comes in the picture and mistakes him as her father. Then there’s a double role, a misunderstanding between lovers and other stuff. And you can predict the ending. I know the synopsis sounda pretty ironic to say the least, as the story offers nothing new, but honestly enough, the tight screenplay by Shiraz Ahmed was engaging enough to say the least, even though the story was beaten to death.

Director Prabhudheva’s execution of the material didn’t waver to give it a Hindi touch though; I still felt like I was watching a South masala film, and this was probably what really put me off. Comparing the execution to his last Wanted, this one was typically South and though Akshay Kumar was back in form, the whole ‘borrowed’ element was kinda spoiling the fun. Also with the first hour being as cheesy as the definition of the term cheesy can get, all through till the intermission point, I was wondering where was this going, until the second hour actually came by to break the monotony with Kumar’s traditional comic timing and action, all melded into one entertaining package.

Technically, the cinematography was great, but the camerawork ranged from experimental to annoying at best, what with those crash zooms making us mad. The music and lyrics are dated and the background score fits in well with the music.

Akshay Kumar is in full form here. After delivering a critically decent Patiala House and a commercially decent Desi Boyz, and starting this year with a bang in the form of Housefull 2, rest assured, this role is tailor made for him, and he gives it his best. Sonakshi Sinha proves here that she can act, but the annoyingly weird focus on her midriff was something she definitely deserved; of course, she should have gotten a role much better than what she was offered. Nasser is powerful, but that accent for a Bihari goon – that’s a fail. What on earth was Kareena Kapoor doing in that weird 10-second cameo? Others are decent.

Overall, the movie’s a perfect masala-entertainment package, with all the ingredients fitting in well to gel with the audience in India universally. But for a man who’s already impressed in his first outing in the Hindi film belt, this one’s slightly weaker. With the box-office opening and the thundering collections speaking for themselves, I don’t need to say a lot, but unlike Wanted, Dabangg or Agneepath’s revamp for that matter, this one lacks that X-Factor. Bhansali though can breathe a sigh of relief, as his second production can finally break even and give boost to his production house. A one-time watch only!

Ishaqzaade: Film Review

Producer: Yash Raj Films
Director: Habib Faisal
Starring: Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra
Music: Amit Trivedi
Lyrics: Kausar Munir 
Recommended Audience: General
Film Released on: 11 May 2012

Trailer:

Review:
Based on an imaginary town of UP named Almore, Ishaqzaade is a passionate love story which has already generated a lot of buzz even before release due to the attractive new faces, fresh music which you can listen to in a loop, a bold and rebellious Parineeti (Chopra) who is shown with guns and a young lad marking his debut (Arjun Kapoor) who can make girls swoon with his reckless attitude!

Habib Faisal is definitely an intelligent director who shows all the nuances of small towns of UP compared to metros and also the ruthlessness, arrogance, plots, passion along with aggression in the rustic aura which doesn’t fail to impress you. Three cheers to cinematographer Hemant Chaturvedi, who captures it in a natural way whilst all the songs are shot within the suburbs of Almore which makes it look realistic (instead of the Alps of Switzerland like in a typical Yash Chopra song!). Good to see a comeback from Aditya Chopra and I feel glad that bollywood has finally come out of its comfort zone of Mumbai and Delhi and is all set to show the nativity of places like Kolkata in Kahaani, Lucknow-Kanpur in Tanu Weds Manu!

The long-standing political rivalry between the Chauhan’s and Qureshi’s makes even their heirs loathe each other. They grow up and the ambition to eradicate each other’s dynasty is just ablaze. Zoya (Parineeti) or rather Parma’s (Arjun Kapoor) Joya is so damn natural. Her sparkling eyes and body language show how strong, confident and passionate she is to be on her Dad’s MLA throne no matter whatever it takes. She is not in the league of village girls who are submissive and are not extravert. She doesn’t mind trading a Katta (Pistol) with her brand new gold jhumkis to safeguard herself and shoot any culprit that gets in her way. On the other hand she is so innocent to trust anyone and believes that she can make things work. She steals the show in the first half where she even wears her dads resized black kurta for election canvassing! Am sure this attire will soon become a style statement among girls who will try imitating Zoya!

Parma’s reckless “Go to hell” kind of intimidating character along with that silly grin will already have won many girls’ hearts. Apparently he reduced his weight from around 120kg to become what he is now and Salman Khan was his trainer. Well after watching the film you can see the results; toned abs and a firm body! Being the Bombay boy he is so lively that you will believe he is one such rebel kinda launda who always roams around flaunting his gun. The chemisty between the two is sizzling! He is a fiery and self assured guy who makes a fantastic debut and doesn’t need the back up of a dad or cha-chas. He is a lot better than all of them.

By Interval you will realise Parma is a sleazy chap whose morals are zero. The scene where his mom dies pleading Parma to correct his mistakes and in the immediate next scene where Zoya cries will definitely evoke emotions in you but in second half, his hate turns to love so rapidly that it surprises you. Admittedly, the film is a bit slow in the second half and haphazard. The ending may leave you a little speechless!

The plot whilst predictable, is not boring till the end and the religious differences and hatred which makes politicians or factionists kill each other is shown naturally in a way that it still happens in many remote parts of India. Hatred is the same even in cities but the hatred of religious communities towards lovers is much stronger in villages. Anil Rastogi (Parma's grand-father), Natasha Rastogi (Parma's mother) and Ratan Rathore (Zoya's father) are natural to the core.

From the remaining cast, Gauhar Khan deserves a special mention here as she lives up to the role of a prostitute in Kwality baar performing to two sizzling numbers; “Jhalla Wallah” and the foot-tapping “Chokra Jawaan”. Needless to say the rest of the songs are quite gripping and are already popular. Kudos to Music Director Amit Trivedi.

Ishaqzaade is a full paisa vasool movie and it’s tough to split the young stars for the acting honours. Parineeti at her best generates high voltage and adds spice to the drama here but Arjun makes a stunning debut too, one which might land him an award! Go watch it without hesitation!

Dangerous Ishq: Film Review

Producer: Reliance Entertainment 
Director: Vikram Bhatt
Starring: Karisma Kapoor, Rajneesh Duggal, Jimmy Shergill, Divya Dutta, Arya Babbar, Gracy Singh, Ravi Kissen, Ruslan Mumtaz
Music: Himesh Reshammiya
Lyrics: Samir Anjaan and Shabbir Ahmed
Genre: Thriller
Recommended Audience: General
Film Released on: 11 May 2012

Trailer:

Review:
Karisma Kapoor as Salma, Geeta or Sanjana gets news of death of her lover’s death / kidnap multiple times in the movie. Her dovey eyes turn red just too often, her voice cracks, she breaks down just as often. Every time she does this you don’t have dialogues but you hear loud Himesh vocals (as loud and as listenable as ever) in the background. You want to relate to the girl, you want to feel bad for the one who died or at least feel concerned. But you just cannot. Dangerous Ishq is a romantic thriller that spans across centuries to get the lovers connected but fails to connect to the one sitting on the other side of the screen. The movie marks the comeback of Karisma Kapoor, one of the most famous actress of the last decade who has earlier proved the mettle of her acting genes in films like Dil To Pagal Hai, Zubeida, Fiza and Raja Hindustani. So did she succeed in her lacklustre comeback film? Did Vikram Bhatt succeed in putting her comeback in a 3D success unlike Mimoh’s comeback in Vikram’s last film (Haunted)?

The movie is about a girl’s journey through various births to unite with her lover. Super model Sanjana’s (Karisma kapoor) boyfriend, Rohan (Rajneesh Duggal) gets kidnapped from his beach house. Sanjana is admitted to a hospital, and there starts the story which is told in a non-linear narrative and moves back and forth in her various births to give Sanjana clues for her current mission. There is an India-Pakistan partition angle thrown in with a Hindu-Muslim love story, there is a love story thrown in for Aurangzeb’s brother and there is one more from Chittorgarh at the time of Mirabai. There are various colors and shades in roles of a sisterly friend Neetu ( Divya Dutta), a brother (Ruslaan Mumtaz) and a cop who is trying to solve the case (Jimmy Shergill). The canvas is so big and ambitious that it wouldn’t have been easy for any director to make a success of it and if truth be told the director struggles throughout here.

To answer the important part first, yes Karisma kapoor comes up with an earnest performance. She surely enjoyed facing the camera after so many years and she looks beautiful in the movie. Her characters had many variations and major screen time. She was a supermodel, a Pakistani Hindu, a Mughal time lover and a maid to Meerabai at different times in the movie. But good actors alone can’t make good films; a script needs to support it too. Rajneesh Duggal’s roles were bad story writing and his acting made it worse. The story is about two lovers who are separated in every birth and they meet again in the next. But unfortunately the movie is only about one of them. You hardly relate to any of the roles that Rajneesh Duggal plays. In fact, you relate to the villains more than him and that was a pity, as you really don’t relate to Karisma’s stories because of it. In fact during a few points in the film I even thought that the leading lady should actually pair up with the villain, it would be a match of equals at least. Ravi Kissen, Arya Babbar, Sameer Kochhar and Jimmy Shergill, all played their roles with required fervour. Ravi Kissen shines in his small role of Durgam Singh. I wish Jimmy Shergill and Divya Dutta could have had a larger screen time. Both of them are grossly underutilized in this film.

Vikram Bhatt’s creation of a back drop and addition of gloss and technology is as beautiful as in all his movies. But unfortunately his story telling is just as bad as well. The biggest deal breaker for this movie is in the writing department. Story (Amin Hajee) is not paced well. Characters are completely underdeveloped particularly the ones like Mirabai (played with conviction by Gracy Singh), which are almost caricaturized along with the use of clichéd dialogues. Screenplay by the director himself gets bumpy at times. There are scenes like a false trap where police officers die- completely unnecessary and don’t add to the story. At the same time there are important parts of stories which we run through and don’t get time to soak in. Dialogues by Girish Dhamija are clunky. It is not easy to digest a Rajasthani Rajput senapati using words like “Berukhi ka Raaz”, daasi using words like “Kismat” and “Zindagi”. Surely the Urdu words are a part of life in today’s Hindi culture but language is an important tool to give a sense of time. Girish Dhamija misses it completely. Film editing by Kuldip Mehan also has nothing to negate the effect of writing. The pacing of the movie is also badly misplaced.

A special mention here for action director Abbas Ali Mogul and 3D effects from EFX Prasad. It is one of the first movies where 3D isn’t added as a gimmick and still is well managed. There are occasional in your face moments but mostly the 3D here adds another dimension and you can see the depth and space more clearly. Vikram Bhatt has to be lauded for his efforts in lapping up new technology and giving utmost detailing in framing of sequences. Pravin Bhatt’s cinematography is apt. Play of light and especially shadows during various stages of the movie adds to the non-existing story telling. Production design needs a very special mention here. Tackling various timelines and historical context setting is not easy but the sets and design completely lives up to it. Music by Himesh Reshammiya is always an highlight when he sings less. “Tu Hi Rab” and “Naina Re” though loud in their vocals, overpowers the scene they appear in. If the story telling was sharper, music would have gelled beautifully in the movie.

There is a scene in the latter half of the movie where both Sanjana and Rohan are declared dead. You almost feel that the movie ended. I was very scared that Vikram Bhatt was planning for a sequel but the end turns up like good news, even if it’s not a good climax. And that feeling more or less summarizes the movie. If you are watching the movie as a Karisma Kapoor fan, you will not be disappointed by her performance but the movie is at best average. The backdrop of the movie could have made it an interesting effort. Past life regression and finding “aatma ki aawaz” aren’t new themes but could have been presented in a more engaging manner. The movie doesn’t do anything interesting for the director and other actors, but surely Karisma Kapoor’s hard work would not go unnoticed. Welcome back Lolo.

Jannat 2: Film Review

Producer: Mahesh Bhatt
Director: Kunal Deshmukh
Starring: Emraan Hashmi, Esha Gupta, Randeep Hooda
Music: Pritam 
Lyrics: Sayeed Quadri, Sanjay Masoomm, Mayur Puri
Genre: Thriller
Recommended Audience: Adult
Film Released on: 02 April 2012

Trailer:

Review: The original Jannat (2008) was watchable due to the cricket concept, exceptional music (by Pritam), a better heroine and an interesting story! Jannat 2 is a tossed, stashed rather crushed version of the original with fewer stellar songs and a new female lead (who most of the times reads news headlines when it comes to delivering a heavy dialogue!). Esha Gupta must have been hoping that the audience would go wild seeing her curves but she should realise there’s no scarcity of that in Bollywood today! Perhaps the surprise element of the movie is that the lover boy himself is even more irritating than the female lead. Once upon a time it was a delight to watch Emraan Hashmi showering us in these romantic / gunda roles. Sadly his presence here is that of a bored actor- bored of kissing, bored of muttering those stereotypical dialogues and bored of essaying the role of the gunda. The last such film that he looked remotely interested was Once upon a time in Mumbaii where he lived up to his role. At least Randeep Hooda does a good job as a police officer here. His fresh addition to the movie provides for good acting and dialogue delivery but you can’t say he is performing a new or improved role from his previous films including OUATIM. Then we come to the story. Whilst there are one or two twists in the screenplay, it lacks the suspense element required for such a thriller. Post Interval you will eagerly await the end of the movie! Instead of focusing on the story and screenplay, Director Deshmukh and Producer Bhatt spend all their time trying to make scenes really hot and sensuous here but they still fail at that (showing a hidden / blurred half naked butt isn’t what the audience is after!). Ultimately, Jannat 2 cannot be recommended unless you’re a die hard Emraan fan and don’t forget to catch the music by Pritam (especially “Tera Deedar Hua” and “Tu Hi Mera”) which is arguably the highlight of an otherwise drab film. Bas Ab Yehi Mannat Hai Ke Na Bane Ab Aur Ye Jannat !