Rajneeti, by Prakash Jha’s admission itself, borrows heavily from the Mahabharata. Well, it also cleverly adds to it pieces of other flicks and a dash of Nehru-Gandhi family affairs. What you get in the end is an attempt at trying to put together a solid representation of the state and times of Indian politics, but you are somehow left with a feeling of sourness – one that stems from a hastily prepared side-dish.

THE CAST –

With a deluge of accomplished actors, Rajneeti does not fall short of star-power or superb performances. Ranbir Kapoor, however, steals the show with a finesse that is unmistakable and a silent statement that he’s the one for the coming years. Nana Patekar and Manoj Bajpai are in their elements and at times exemplary.

The remainder of the starcast is pretty solid too. However, the under-use of Naseeruddin Shah comes across as a hard deal.

THE MUSIC –

The music is used judiciously in the screenplay and only as far to heighten it. The album by itself is good with compositions from multiple music directors. Bheegi Si by Pritam and Mora Piya by Aadesh Srivastava are the stand-outs.

THE VERDICT –

Rajneeti is good – only as far as the premise and the performances go. For the rest of it, well it’s a melodramatic movie that promises so much and delivers the routine.

THE SCORE –

6.50 / 10.00

Kites is different. It’s a film that for once, defines why the production house is so called – Film Kraft.

It’s nothing short of a carefully crafted piece of art that may still find few connoisseurs. A superbly woven tale of endless love that transcends the barriers of race, religion and language – and glides into eternity, Kites will go into the books as one of the better films ever produced.

THE CAST –

Hrithik Roshan just takes everything about an actor to a different level altogether. He’s light years above the script and is ably supported by Barbara Mori. While the supporting cast sticks to their track, they are not the reason you would want to remember this love story.

It’s the Hrithik & Barbara Show, and it is awesome!

THE MUSIC –

Rajesh Roshan again comes up trumps in a home production. While the background music is well laid out too, the standout number remains Zindagi Do Pal Ki besides the other chartbusters including Dil Kyun Yeh Mera.

The soundtrack may not be Rajesh’s best but is definitely the ideal thing to have happened for the movie – subtle, soothing and ethereal!

THE VERDICT –

Kites has received a lot of flak in several reviews and from several big-mouths. It’s time people understood they had no business to talk about something that they did not understand at all – it doesn’t have to be the clichéd rocket science or mathematics all the time, you can actually miss everything in a piece of art such as this.

THE SCORE –

8.50 / 10.00

After ten months of raging a brave battle against multiple myeloma – Lisa Ray is right back!

While this comes as a sense of relief and happiness to folks like me – the ardent fanbase as such, for several others, who’ve become admirers of this diva during her battle days (through her blog or otherwise), it comes as a news of re-affirmation of the belief that they had grown patrons to.

It’s almost a sense of having been a part of the victorious army that in the end ensured good prevailed over evil – my comments at her blog, my own little way of encouragement through a word or two; it has all come out with her recovery in flying colors!

Here’s a cheer to her fantabulous victory and with eyes shining with tears, here’s wishing that I keep witnessing her several times over gracing our silver screens for years to come..!

SOURAV GANGULY - [sho-oo-rob gaan-goo-lee] - noun; Former Captain of the Indian Cricket Team. Most successful Indian Test Captain till date. Skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders in Indian Premier League. Widely been held incompetent as a player and captain in between recurring periods of prolific playing streak. Lately, the second most popular subject of jeering by a section of Indians (after Shahrukh Khan) suffering from severe identity crisis and an abominable urge to be heard.

Dada has come a long way.

Yesterday, it was another one of those days when he stopped way short of expectations for a staunch fanbase – much to the delight of a ‘premium’ section of Indians.

Given my humble coding skills, here’s an attempt to chart the working algorithm behind these (premium) folks, here goes –

1. Start

2. Identify a/another domain of discussion

3. Am I any good at this domain? If yes, go to step 4 else (who cares?? also) go to step 4

4. Identify the most successful person/team/club/firm/artist in this domain.

5. Does the person/team/club/firm/artist derived in step 4 enjoy the largest fanbase around me? If yes, go to step 6 else go to step 4

6. Is there an overriding ‘oomph factor’ in going for an inferior person/team/club/firm/artist? If yes, go to step 7 else – there’s no way out, just take up and go to step 7

7. Am I now surrounded by a sizeable amount of people who can defend my allegiance to this person/team/club/firm/artist since I know (not much == nothing) about my new found ‘love’? If yes, go to step 8 else go to step 6

8. Start planting my fan status and derived opinions that can help heal my identity crisis and jeer anything that comes along the way.

9. Am I gaining enough mileage? If yes, repeat steps 2 to 9 else go to step 10

10. I am now a ‘premium’ soul – let me bask in the glory!

11. Stop

One of these days, I hope to codify this into a ‘predictor’ – given the need for one, I might as well have found out the next sell-out.

And as for Dada –

“Shaara jibon taai shey lorechhe.. korechhe.. aar jeetechhe; aashchhey shomoy, ta-paalte daewaar khomota kaaro-r moddhe dekhle-i jaanbo.. aabar phire pey-chhi Dada!”

Till then – to the ‘Uncommon Indian Elitist’ – Jog on!!

Yesterday was a rare sight, a well-galvanised team that was rallying behind its Captain – something I have failed to associate with a team as talented as Pakistan.

Having been comprehensively beaten on most occasions and at certain others, succumbing to the enormity of the prospective accomplishment of pulling one off Australia, the Pakistan side has looked like a mere shadow of its illustrious past for most of the winter.

While not many tolerate – let alone admire, the flair and flamboyance of this team on this side of the border, I have always been a devout fan of the inimitable passion this team carries on to the field. Make no mistake – Team India is where my faithful support lies, but it is the sheer will to win – perhaps even more than the Aussies, that has found Team Pakistan a fan in me.

It was then no wonder that I was all but looking up to the current team to fire after the debacle at Sydney.

Enter Shahid Khan Afridi – and Pakistan was a new outfit altogether. But the hope and highness was short-lived. Afridi chose to have a meaty bite at the cherry in the most crucial of match circumstances. The act did not go unnoticed having been performed in broad daylight of the media shots.

While the timing of such an act was really pathetic from the standpoint of the match – Pakistan went on to lose the match, it also comes across as a blow to Pakistan’s chances of fine-tuning and rallying around Shahid to build the team that one has come to associate with their legacy.

I hope the ban does serve its purpose. In the case of the otherwise, we could have well turned up another ‘what-if’ scenario in a troubled outfit.

THE CAST –

Madhavan is superb in his subtle and suggestive act. Parikshit Sahni makes a return to the screen as Madhavan’s father with a tight performance.
Sharman Joshi is his usual impeccable self, it seems he has taken off from where he left in Rang De Basanti.
While Kareena Kapoor and Boman Irani are adorable in their roles, the laugh riot king is without doubt Omi Vaidya who just kills the competition with his class act of Chatur Ramalingam.
And as is customary, a worthy mention goes out to the Ace of Indian Film Industry – Aamir Khan. He does what he does best – deliver distinctively!

THE MUSIC –

Shantanu Moitra again comes up trumps with the score.
While he has been regularly serving collector’s edition scores for Vidhu Vinod Chopra since the Parineeta days, he takes the score to a different level altogether with superbly crafted numbers.
Give Me Some Sunshine and Jaane Nahin Denge are amazingly likeable while Pagal Stupid Mann is adorable. The ace of the album definitely is Behti Hawaa Sa – superbly sung by Shaan and shot slickly in the movie.

THE VERDICT –

There are just no two ways about this – 3 Idiots is the toast of the season, from now on!

THE SCORE –

9.50 / 10.00

THE CAST –

Amitabh Bachchan has lately been trying out movies that will add to his CV value of versatility – Black, Kaante and Sarkar being the previous ones (This is not the forum to write about AAG!!)
While Paa is another great piece of act from the legendary actor, it falls short on promise.
Abhishek Bachchan is just about right in his role but it is Vidya Balan who walks away with a class act.

THE MUSIC –

Illayaraja has scored the music for the film and yes, it again suffers from the Whatever-I-Hum-Is-Awesome syndrome (due credit must be given to the pioneer of this style – A.R.Rehman).
While you bend your ears a little to understand what is going on, you soon give up rightly taking the song to be a filler jingle.

THE VERDICT –

Paa is anything but what was promised at the outset. While it may be a novel movie and one that you probably would do well to sit through, it is not quite exceptional material.
Credit should still be given to director Balki for braving to make a novel attempt.

THE SCORE –

6.00 / 10.00

The movie however saves a lot of weaknesses on the surface through some very well homeworked screenplay and impeccable performances by the starcast.

A Dharma Productions movie has always been a dicey proposition when it comes to expecting the worth of the movies churned out – off late, there have hardly been wow flicks coming out. However, with Kurbaan you are assured of a well crafted film if not one with great content on offer.

The movie begins with the backdrop of the Delhi University and the events in the lives of our leading actor and actress. It moves on to gripping shores when the couple moves to the USA and is in the midst of a sleeper cell setting in a dedicated neighborhood. How their lives then meander through several courses is left for you to witness and take back.

THE CAST –

Saif Ali Khan is exceptional and at times almost carries the film single-handedly.

Kareena Kapoor has been made to look good and as far as her act goes, she does a decent job of executing her role according to the demands of the script at various stages.

Om Puri and Kiron Kher are routine in their character acts also supported in cameos by Nauheed Cyrusi and Dia Mirza.

Vivek Oberoi has been wasted in the movie given his impeccable record of performing character roles suited to such storylines.

THE MUSIC –

The music from Salim-Suleiman is pleasing to state the least. They duo have worked well to keep the earthiness in their music throughout the album.

While Shukraan Allah is without doubt the pick of the songs, the title track is equally well-made to give you the right feel given the backdrop of the movie or without.

THE VERDICT –

Kurbaan is definitely a movie that cannot do severe harm to your merry-making plans on a rainy day.

The film will not be making heads turn or possibly even just break-even at the box office but surely this is a marked improvement from the Dharma Productions stable after some real sub-standard servings in the last couple of years.

Watch it if you need an assurance to keep your faith intact with the production house.

THE SCORE –

6.00 / 10.00

Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani finally offers me something I had hoped to see more than an year back – Katrina Kaif opposite Ranbir Kapoor.

The plot is not much to speak about – a clichéd storyline so to speak with some good, some excellent and some sub-par performances.

But what sets APKGK apart is the finer moments every now and then that make you feel that this movie can’t just be written off. The director (Raj Kumar Santoshi) returns to the comic genré after a long time – Andaz Apna Apna being his last such venture. And although he still retains elements of banana-peel humor which makes you frown and feel cheated at moments during the movie, yet there are enough novel comic ones that keep the funny-bone tickled every now and then.

THE CAST –

Ranbir Kapoor is once again just too good – he carries the film on his shoulders for the most part.

The on-screen chemistry between Katrina & Ranbir looks good and promises to hold good prospects for more ventures in due course of time.

Darshan Jariwala and Smita Jaykar are exceptional in their acts and so are the bunch of friends hanging around with Ranbir.

The other actors barring Upen Patel are reasonably good too – Upen Patel delivering one of the most feeble roles to have been portrayed in recent times.

THE MUSIC –

The music from Pritam is superb (most of the tracks) and has been complemented well by S. Thiru’s terrific cinematography.

Most of the tracks are already topping the charts and will continue to do so on account of superior shelf life content this time from Pritam.

THE VERDICT –

Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani is a movie whose verdict depends on the kind of frame of mind you are carrying in to the auditorium.

In my opinion, this movie will tickle you every now and then and on the whole convince you to forget the crappier humor and situations thus making it a watchable time-out option.

The film will actually do great business as is obvious from the sold out shows all over.

THE SCORE –

6.50 / 10.00