The remake of the 90′s cult movie – Agneepath might have sounded like a bad idea on paper. After all, it is so deeply embedded with the strong presence of a performance which defined the star, and the star which defined the movie. Amitabh Bachchan’s white suited, guy-liner endorsing gangster, might have been a 90′s take on the many smuggling movies of the 70′s – viz. Don and Deewar. But what made Agneepath different then, was its no holds barred, self destructive protagonist, who is solely driven by revenge. How could one recreate that? Debutante director Karan Malhotra has the answer for that. And the answer is .. not to recreate *that*. 2012′s Agneepath is a remake of the 90′s original in as much way as Ram Gopal Varma remade the Godfather into Sarkar (and Sarkar Raaj). It does not attempt to shift the time scale and create similar scenes/situations existing in a parallel universe, re-enacted by a different group of actors. Instead, it redefines the dynamics, the relationships and the narrative to a certain extent, and yet, pays tribute to the presence of the original. And THAT is how you remake movies – not by driving your script to make more cash, but by making your characters come back to life..or rather offer a new life to your characters.

By now you must have got it that I loved this movie, despite a few silly unwanted additives. But when the end product is so damn good, who am I to complain. Hit the jump, as I discuss a bit more in details, and of course will be making some comparisons with the original [inevitably].  SPOILER ALERT

We know of the plot already, as I believe most of you have either seen the original, or the new one, or even both (like me). So, I’ll try to skim the fat, and get straight to the point.

#1. The first thing that Karan Malhotra’s version instantly establishes is how Mandva works. It is a village, on an island, and ruled by a Zamindar. And most importantly, Master Deenanath Chauhan is not a dumb self-righteous dude. But he’s one who is ambitious about the economic growth of the village. This is what makes him a villain for the Zamindar, and his evil son – Kancha. Secondly, a 12 year old Vijay, played surprisingly very well by Arush Bhiwandiwala, gets to see his father getting hanged in front of him. THAT is disturbing on so many levels, and defines Vijay’s self-destructing motivation towards avenging his father’s death. It is a bit unclear how Vijay associated everything against only Kancha in the original.

#2. Vijay, is not an angry man. Amitabh’s bare chested challenge to his ganglords to shoot him does not feature here. There are no monologues in a police station, and neither any grand dialogue delivery. Vijay is a very deeply disturbed, miserable and extremely sad man, who has lost his father, been rejected by his mother, and is struggling to reach his goal. And Hrithik portrays it in the most real way possible. There is clear pain in Hrithik’s eyes, his stare and even in his body language. Even with a body so big, you can see through the broken heart that he carries around. And you can also see the clear determination in him to prove his point – even when he knows of the dire consequences.

#3. So how do the two Vijays compare? One is the filmy best. But the other is heartfelt, and sort of explains Vijay Dinanath Chauhan’s motives clearer. Come next year, I’ll be surprised if Hrithik does not take home the awards for this. If acting means immersing yourself into a character, to an extent that the fine line between what’s real and what’s not, is blurred, then Hrithik’s acting of Vijay Chauhan is “acting”.

#4. The genre defining moment of Vijay.. Dinanath.. Chauhan.. Poora Naam, is perfectly placed in the new one. Of course, I have been anticipating how they’d treat it, as it has been spoofed way too many times to count. And I will not spoil it for you when it happens, but it is indeed very satisfying.

#5. Rauf Lala. How can I sum up my thoughts about Rishi Kapoor playing Rauf Lala? Ermm.. excellent, brilliant, amazing? Those are mere adjectives, and I’d add some more to that, only if I knew what. I am absolutely loving the different shades of characters that Chintujee has been portraying over the last few years (e.g. Do Dooni Chaar, Luck By Chance, Chintujee, Love Aaj Kal). And this is a brilliant addition to his amazing filmography. Rishi Kapoor makes us believe in Rauf Lala as the gangster who rules Mumbai’s drug distribution network. Lala’s power, his control and his unforgivably disgusting business of trafficking young girls, is again balanced by his family oriented life, and the trust he has in Vijay. Or is that the whole picture? You’ve got to watch this to find out. And oh, Shah Ka Rutba has been playing on my Winamp since I have got out of the cinema. That’s going to get a lot of hits on Youtube from me when the video releases.

#6. Speaking of videos, the only other song that stands out is – Gun Guna Re, where we see Priyanka’s dancing skills in a Dogri chawl mohalla. The track is very catchy, and you can’t help tap your foot; more so when Udit jee takes over, and a drunk Vijay tries to ape the dance steps. Some more points for resisting the temptation to not make Hrithik Roshan do some proper dance moves. That’d have been pretty awkward to see Vijay move like jagger. And no, Chikni Chameli is one of those unwanted additives that I was talking about earlier. More of it has already been discussed here.

Special mention to the background score/sound engineer Stephen Gomes for inserting appropriate bassoon sounds, and even cellos. The use of colours in the Ganesh Chaturthi scene was exceptionally pretty, and cinematographer Kiran Deohans’s job is very much appreciated.

#7. And speaking of Priyanka Chopra, she’s probably the sore thumb of the movie. I get it that she’s one of the big league actresses now, and demands a better wardrobe than the extras. But please, only when it suits the movie. Ok, so she runs a Chinese beauty parlour, so is definitely more fashionable. Hmm… still can’t digest the fact. I don’t see the point in adding a female lead, just so for the sake of it. If I were to design the title poster (in the beginning of the post), her rectangle wouldn’t be as wide as the ones of Rishi Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt. And what was with that Nepali vs. Chinese thingie? What was the agenda behind that scene? Am I missing a joke or something?

#8. Coming back to Mandwa, thanks to Karan Malhotra’s imagination, it is redesigned by Kancha as a concentration camp – where villagers are enslaved, and their land is used for cocaine plantation. But it is a bit weird to see that Kancha, who has clearly got contacts to get weapons, artilleries, and possibly food distributed for his army, cannot get into Mumbai via any of the neighbouring states. Or perhaps, Rauf Lala’s network is more widespread than my imagination. But then, how would I know the operations and project management aspects of a gangster. LOL! [BRB! #Facepalming myself for having that written down, but too lazy to delete it now].

#9. Sanju Baba, is back in his Khalnayak avatar. He has been a social outcast for his alopecia problem, but I don’t get the logic behind Kancha’s mentally deranged actions – such as hanging anyone that he dislikes, or having a loud laughter (in Hindi we call it “Thahaka”) at the drop of a hat, or for not flossing. Maybe, that’s what defines him – Kancha is mental! And you cannot define mental. Just as Alfred said, “Some people just want to see the world burn”. Kancha wanted to see Mandwa to be his coke-mine. But what he’d do with all that money if he couldn’t get out of Mandwa, is a burning question, that I leave open to the floor.

#10. And for the climactic fight between Vijay and Kancha, it is by all means epic. Sanju looks like a beast, who can even handle a bullet through him. And Vijay looks like the rock that can beat the scissors…oh wait…he did get stabbed numerous times. But he rises, and then what a scene!! [It is here, where I started missing my local theatre, when I could hoot a wolf whistle to my heart's satisfaction]. To be noted, Hrithik gets stabbed in the stomach, but when his shirt gets all torn, that knife scar disappears, and with that, any source of bleeding. Minor filmi creative freedom, or huge cinematic fail? You decide.

To conclude: Agneepath is a hell of a movie. The tone is very serious, dark and extremely violent at times. There’s slashing of necks, and bullets flying. It is rated 15 for a reason, so don’t go expecting a family movie. Hrithik delivers a solid, emotionally charged, and physically punching performance. To me the stand-out moment of Vijay, has to be the one at the end, when after Kancha is killed, Vijay breaks down, to scream out – Babaaa. All his bottled anguish and pain, is released. And with that Vijay’s purpose in life is served. It moved me, more than any of the dialogues could. Rishi Kapoor’s act as the druglord kingpin Rauf Lala deserves all the awards, and more. I wish Sanju was a little bit less caricaturish, and a bit more real.

OKS Rating: 4 Slashing Machetes Out of 5

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So, the Screen awards for 2012 got handed out in an elaborate awards function show last night. We’ll get to see more of it in a few weeks, when the heavily edited, and appropriately placed emoticons of Priyanka Chopra smiling at Shahid Kapoor’s jokes will be one of the highlights of the show. Because, if we talk about the awards, the final winners list looks more like a token give-away to anyone who attended the show. And just in case the blogosphere doesn’t explode with opposing comments over SRK winning an award in a year where he’s mostly done more publicity work than Times Square billboards, Screen has quite conveniently created new categories to make everyone a very happy family. Welcome to the Bollywood awards season – the season of egalitarian policy and where acting doesn’t matter.

Earlier in the month, we made some predictions. And by the looks of it, Screen actually managed to pull off a “ha-ha, gotcha! In your face everyone”. Hit the jump, as we review the winners, and also review our predictions vs. the final list of winners.

THE 18th SCREEN AWARDS 2012 – WINNERS

TECHNICAL AWARDS:

Costume: The Dirty Picture  / OKS: Ra.One
Verdict: Fair-dos

Action: Ra.One / OKS: Ra.One
Verdict: Told-ya

Choreography: Bosco Caeser – Senorita, ZNMD / OKS: Chammak Challo – Ra.One
Verdict: Meh! Senorita looked more like impromptu stuff. I don’t see anyone doing Abhay’s moves. Chammak Challo is still my winner.

Cinematography: R Madhi – Shaitan / OKS: ZNMD
Verdict: Fair-dos

Dialogue: ZNMD / The Dirty Picture / OKS: Tanu Weds Manu
Verdict: WTF!!! TDP for it’s mega boom-bastic Emraan Hashmi metaphors, dropped at 1000 per minute. And what is with the two winners. Ooh, there’s more!

Story: Delhi Belly / OKS: Stanley Ka Dabba
Verdict: WTF!!! I don’t get it how a crime caper comedy is the best story we’ve heard in 2011.

MUSIC AWARDS:

Lyrics: Prashoon Joshi – Aarakshan / OKS: Irshaad Kamil – Rockstar
Verdict: Complete WTF!!! I think the closest comparison would be to give SRK the best actor for English Babu Desi Mem. Wait, did he win anything for that?

Music: A.R.Rahman – Rockstar / OKS: A.R.Rahman – Rockstar
Verdict: Told ya! This was unstoppable.

Background Score: Ranjit Barot – Shaitan / OKS: Ram Sampath – Delhi Belly
Verdict: Fair-dos.

Playback (Male): Mohit Chauhan – Rockstar / OKS: Mohit Chauhan – Rockstar
Verdict: Told ya! Another one of the most predictable winners this year. Although, I’d have LOVED to see Bappi da going home with this award this year!

Playback (Female): Shreya Ghoshal – The Dirty Picture / OKS: Usha Uthup – 7 Khoon Maaf
Verdict: Fair-dos. Yes, Shreya is deserving, but more so for Saibo, imho. But am happy with this too.

MAIN AWARDS:

Child Artist: Partho Gupte – Stanley Ka Dabba / OKS: Partho Gupte – Stanley Ka Dabba
Verdict: Yep, told ya!

Ensemble: ZNMD / OKS: Chillar Party
Verdict:  Fair-dos. I think I got a bit carried away with my own judgement, rather than who I believed would win on the night. Stupid decision, considering how obvious it was that Screen loved ZNMD.

Actor in a comic role: Pitobash – Shor in the City / OKS: Pitobash – Shor in the City
Verdict: Told ya! A very well deserved award. All the best for Filmfare and future projects.

Promising Newcomer (Male): Divyendu – Pyar Ka Punchnama / OKS: Pitobash – Shor in the City
Verdict: Haven’t seen the movie PKP, so really can’t give the verdict on this.

Promising Newcomer (Female): Parineeti Chopra  - Ladies Vs. Ricky Bahl / OKS:  Parineeti Chopra  - Ladies Vs. Ricky Bahl
Verdict: Told ya!

Actor in a negative role (Male): Prashant Narayanan (Murder 2) / OKS: Amole Gupte – Stanley Ka Dabba
Verdict: Fair-dos. Prashant was good, but it is hard for me to judge, since the Korean original, The Chaser, is far superior than the desi-copied version.

Actor in  a negative role (Female): Priyanka Chopra – 7 Khoon Maaf / OKS: Kalki Koechlin – Shaitan
Verdict: Fair-dos. But, am curious if she had a performance lined up for the night.

Supporting Actor: Saif Ali Khan -Aarakshan / OKS: Rajesh Sharma – No One Killed Jessica
Verdict: WTF! And I’d like to add a thousand more WTFs. Seems like the name of the movie for which Saif got the award speaks for itself.

Supporting Actress: Aditi Rao Hydari – Ye Saali Zindagi / OKS:  Parineeti Chopra – Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl
Verdict: Fair-dos.

Actor: Ranbir Kapoor – Rockstar / OKS: Ranbir Kapoor – Rockstar
Verdict: Told ya!! Was anyone else even competing?

Actress: Vidya Balan – The Dirty Picture / OKS:  Vidya Balan – The Dirty Picture
Verdict: Ditto!

Director: Milan Luthria – The Dirty Picture / OKS:  Milan Luthria – The Dirty Picture
Verdict: Told ya! Although, I believe Filmfare will decided otherwise.

Film: The Dirty Picture / ZNMD / OKS: Shor in the City
Verdict: WTF!! Fair-dos. I managed to get both of them wrong. LOL. And what part of Best Film says two movies? Aah, it’s all about loving your family and front row seats.

 MORE WTF-ery 

Popular Choice Male: Shahrukh Khan for Don 2. / OKS: Can I LOL now, or should I just shoot you in the face?

Popular Choice Female: Deepika Padukone for Desi Boyz. / OKS: What movie is that ?

Performer Of The Year: Ekta Kapoor / OKS: Thank you Ekta jee for making The Dirty Picture and Ragini MMS and Shor in the City.

Jodi Award: SRK and Priyanka Chopra / OKS: Did I hear her blush and smile uncontrollably again like on that Koffee show?

Ramnath Goenka Memorial Award for “having made a difference”  - Aarakshan
OKS: And Stanley Ka Dabba which addressed the issue of Child  Labour is irrelevant compared to the “making difference” qualities of Saif winning the Supporting Actor. Two words – Bitch please!

Didn’t predict in my previous post:

Sound Design: Kunal Sharma – Shaitan
Editing: Huzefa Lokhandwala – Delhi Belly
Production Design: Delhi Belly
SFX: Ra.One
Screenplay: Delhi Belly

SCORES:

Told ya: [Correct Predictions ] – 9 out of 35
WTF: [Screen needs some education ] –  8.5 out of 35
Fair-dos: [That was ok! ] – 9.5 out of 35

And Asha Bhonsle received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Congratulations Asha jee and keep blessing us with your melodious voice. On that note, I end this post. Please leave your comments below.

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The nominations for the 57th Filmfare Awards have been announced. And by the looks of it, the jury clearly did not watch a lot of movies. There is a clear omission of some of the most best movies in Bollywood of 2011. And a clear favouritism can be spotted as well, as you’d expect from the biggest movie awards in Bolly land. There is no clear consistency in the number of nominees (as in some have 5 nominees, and others 6 – e.g. Best Actor / Actress), and certain nominations are complete wtf-ery. The complete list can be found at the Filmfare awards website.

Hit the jump, as I discuss the nominations, and make my predictions.

Lyrics: Quite similar to the Screen award nominations, but wtf – Javed saab got a nomination, not for Khwabo Ke Parindey, but for the more impromptu Senorita. Remember  - “Na Main Samjha, Na Main Jaana, Jo bhi tumne hai mujhse kaha hai Senorita“. Really Filmfare..Really? Gulzar saab’s Daarling also makes it to the list, along with Irshaad Kamil’s Rockstar accomplishments. And to end the list is another mindfuck – Vishal Dadlani for Chammak Challo. I think it is indeed the end of the world order.

OKS Prediction: Irshaad Kamil for Sadda Haq, but if Vishal wins for Chammak Challo – all bets are off.

Music: A surprise entry here – Sohail Sen is nominated for Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. IMHO, that soundtrack had only one good track and that was Madhubala. Is it worth the nomination – No! Tanu Weds Manu is absent from the list, and so is Shor in the City. Other nominees are Vishal Shekhar for Ra.One, A.R. Rahman for Rockstar, and SEL for ZNMD.

OKS Prediction: A.R. Rahman for Rockstar, just coz it’s easy and uncontroversial.

Playback Singer Male:  Filmfare seems to be clearly impressed by Mohit Chauhan, as he gets dual nods for Rockstar. But wtf, Akon and Vishal for Best singer in Chammak Challo. C’mon, that song was so auto-tuned that even the fire brigade siren called it it’s step brother. And seriously Shafqat and Rahat nominated for one of their weakest songs ever. There is no explanation whatsoever for Bodyguard making it to the nominations, for any of the categories.  There’s no Tochi Raina, Shriram Iyyer for D-D-Dilli, or Wadali Brothers for Rangrez, or Lehmber Hussainpuri for Saddi Gally. And where is Bappi da’s Ooh La La? Bloody annoying!

OKS Prediction: Mohit Chauhan for Rockstar; he’s the man of the moment.

Playback Singer Female:  Again, you can see Filmfare did not listen to that many soundtracks. Bodyguard is included again, just so that we do not forget the year’s biggest grosser. Alyssa Mendosa’s Khwabo Ke Parindey gets the well deserved nod, and so does Shreya’s Saibo. Usha Uthup’s Daarling is a safe bet, but really – Katiya Karu ? I didn’t even like it a bit. Where is Sona for Bedardi Raja? I give up.

OKS Prediction: Alyssa Mendosa for Khwabo Ke Parindey, ZNMD

Supporting Actor Female: It’s interesting to see Juhi Chawla (I Am) getting on the nominations list after ages, and for a well deserved role. Up against her are, Parineeti Chopra (Ladies vs Ricky Bahl), Rani Mukherjee (No One Killed Jessica), Swara Bhaskar (Tanu Weds Manu), and Kalki Koechlin (ZNMD). If it was left for me to choose, I’d go for Swara Bhaskar for her intense and fierce Biharan performance, an absolute treat to watch. But again, this is the Filmfare awards.

OKS Prediction: Juhi Chawla, I Am.

Supporting Actor Male: Evidently, Filmfare lapped up ZNMD..or vice versa. Farhan and Abhay make it to the Best Supporting role nominations. And poor Arjun, I mean Hrithik msut’ve felt left out. Quite cool to see Naseer saab getting a nod as well for his Superstar Surya role in The Dirty Picture. And Vir Das nominated for Delhi Belly is just one of those favouritisms I was talking about. Probably, it is more down to him doing the hosting honours last year, or his Jaa Chudail routine, whichever you preferred. Ending the list, is the strongest contender – Pitobash for Shor in the City. And you know how much I loved his role as Mandook.

OKS Prediction: Pitobash, Shor in the City. I hope Filmfare does an ‘Udaan’, and gives it to the well deserved guy.

Continue here for the Big 4 >> Best Actor / Actress / Director / Film

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As the new year settles in, we are bombarded with the year’s first of many Bollywood awards - The 18th Annual Colors Screen Awards. The nominations are out, and in this post, I’ll be ranting a lot and trying to review the choices for the nominations of this year. Also, winner predictions will be made, and trust me, you can place your bets based on my predictions** (Only at your own risk)**.

The complete list of nominations can be found on Screen’s website here.

P.S., we won’t be discussing all the categories.. pfft. Way too many to even count. Hit the jump for the review.

TECHNICAL AWARDS

Costume: Seems like the only chance for Patiala House to have surfaced on the awards nominees list. But really, what was so striking about the costumes of that movie? But well, neither can I remember anything about two other nominees – Mausam, Ye Saali Zindagi. Ra.One seems like a good contender for bringing spandex back to fashion, but especially for THAT striking Bebo red sari in Chammak Challo. Either that, or the Pink Apsara costume of Vidya (The Dirty Picture), that I’ve been drooling on.

OKS prediction – Ra.One

Choreography: All predictable nominees here, with Chammak Challo, Senorita, Ooh La La, Disco Fighter, and Darling making the cut. In terms of mass appeal, Chammak Challo wins it by a mile. By that I mean, everyone remembers the signature rotatory motion that everyone was doing in Chammak Challo. The next contender I believe is Ooh La La, but that is more about a “back to the 70′s” set, rather than choreography. But then, Screen could go mental and just go fuck it, we’ll award the Disco Fighter song.

OKS Prediction – Chammak Challo – Ra.One

Action: Of all the ones nominated, I liked the non-cheap look of Don2 the most. Although Ra.One had it’s edge over others, with wire-fu and rasengans flying. I am not a big fan of the Vijayan Master school of dishoom dishoom that we got to see in Bodyguard. I think Dabangg was the end of it. And Singham was all about Ajay Devgan doing a Lady Gaga routine.

OKS Prediction – Ra.One

Cinematography: Both Delhi Belly and Rockstar had some exceptional cinematography work, but the obvious choice this year is Carlos Catalon for his portrayal of Spain as a character on it’s own in ZNMD.

OKS Prediction - ZNMD

Dialogue: No, I do not agree with Delhi Belly qualifying as a nominee for it’s expletives. And Farhaan and Abhay Deol’s antics with Bwoys, Mr. The Dubeys, and Mantal – that is not award worthy material. And no, I almost had a migraine after I finished comprehending the many metaphors of The Dirty Picture. And why the hell is Chillar Party not nominated here? My winner is Tanu Weds Manu, for it’s absolute spot on North Indian middle class twang in Hindi – from the very Bihari Payal, to the oh-so natkhat Puppy jee (Deepak Dobriyal).

OKS Prediction - Tanu Weds Manu

Story: I don’t get how some movies like 404 and Mujhse Fraandship Karoge are doing in this category. And I really don’t know why Shor in the City or Shaitan are not in this category. Seems like a bit of a egalitarian policy to not nominate these, as it seems like Screen will be awarding one of these movies in either of the categories. Pfft. Nevertheless, it is great to see Stanley on the list.

OKS Prediction - Stanley Ka Dabba

MUSIC AWARDS

Lyrics: Irshaad Kamil has been nominated for Rockstar and Javed Akhtar for ZNMD. But why the fuck isn’t lyrics writer Rajshekhar nominated here for the mammoth Rangrez?

OKS Prediction - Irshaad Kamil for Sadda Haq

Music: I agree with most of it, as you can see from my own OKS Bollywood Music Awards posts (part 1, and part 2). I’d love to see Krsna or Ram Sampath win. But we all know who’ll take home this one.

OKS Prediction - A.R.Rahman for Rockstar.

Playback (Male) : Mohit Chauhan has been a tour de force this year with Rockstar. But that doesn’t guarantee a win, especially at Screen which has always been very unpredictable in this category. I will LOVE to see Bappi da win this. But on a serious note, ..

OKS Prediction - Mohit Chauhan – Rockstar

Playback (Female) : All nominees are wrong, just fucking wrong. Except for Usha Uthup for Darling. Shreya could’ve been nominated for Saibo, but they went for Ooh La La ( The Ooee Maa must have done it’s magic). And I cannot disagree more on nominating Khoya Khoya Chand. NO!

OKS Prediction - Usha Uthup – Darling

Background Score: If Ram Sampat doesn’t win the Best Music award, I think he should get it. Else, there’s always SEL for ZNMD, or Amit Trivedi for No One Killed Jessica.

OKS Prediction - Ram Sampath – Delhi Belly

Continue to Page 2>> where we discuss the MAIN AWARDS.

]]> http://www.oneknightstands.net/the-screen-awards-2012-nominations-review-and-predictions/feed/ 2 http://www.oneknightstands.net/top-7-bollywood-movies-in-2011/ http://www.oneknightstands.net/top-7-bollywood-movies-in-2011/#comments Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:34:17 +0000 Sujoy http://www.oneknightstands.net/?p=2264

Time indeed flies. Where did the year go? 2011 is so history now. For me, it means that I need to submit my end-year review sheet to my manager describing all the good efforts that I have put in over the last 12 months. And that sort of gave me this idea to have an end year review of Bollywood in 2011. (Although I do work in the financial sector, please do not expect a Quarterly results post from me). And so in traditional award season fashion, we roll out the prelude to the OKS Bollywood Movie Awards. So without any further ado, let’s roll out ..

The top 7 Bollywood movies of 2011.

7. Chillar Party

Kids centric movies in Bollywood have always been produced in sparse quantities, and the ones that do see the light of the day turn out to be kids centric, with morals manipulatively woven into the script. Chillar Party checks all the boxes of the kids movie formula, and yet somehow stands out as a rebel of the genre. It was a pleasant surprise to see a movie with no known star cast, completely centred around a bunch of kids, and having a story with a golden heart. Yes, it is not bereft of the obligatory good vs evil theme, and the evil here is conveniently a local politician.

But the hero here is the bunch of kids, each one a brilliantly sketched out character on its own, and sporting colourful names such as Panauti, Janghya, Encyclopedia etc. Thrown in the mix is the cause of animal rights and how politicians today will not stop at making any opportunity turn in their favour. Even with its flaws, Chillar Party is warm, heartfelt and entertaining, and deserves the no.7 spot on our list.

6. The Dirty Picture:

Milan Luthria’s ode to the heaving seductress of South Indian cinema – Silk Smitha, could’ve gone wrong in many ways. It could’ve turned out to be a just a mere spoof of the era of cinema it was trying to recreate. It could’ve been just another movie which sold sex, with an excuse. It could’ve been an “another” jewel on Tushhar Kapoor’s failure crown. But amongst all those “could haves”, Luthria successfully managed to rake in a “should have” – Vidya Balan. She is the main reason why The Dirty Picture works so well. She is fierce, fearless and flamboyant, just as the onscreen Southern siren she’s impersonating. She embraces the oomph and the aura of Silk in every single frame. And even with its confused inconsistencies, you cannot smile and sometimes perv at her Ooh-La-La. Even Bappi da’s phantaa-seee song hits the jackpot.

The other strong reason why this made it to no.6 is – the promiscous ageing superstar Surya, played by Naseeruddin Shah. Shah’s uncompromising portrayal of the non-six pack, tight and shimmering shirted, yet arrogant filmstar, is a treat to watch. And together with Vidya, they share some awesome screen space. Quite shameful though, that the other two male characters – Tushhar and Emraan are left to either bite the dust, or mumble lyrical metaphors. But this is a one woman show, and for all its dirt, in the end, the picture was very Bumbaat!

5. No One Killed Jessica

” Someone with a pistol in his hand, power in his head, decided that a life was cheaper than a glass of drink “. That single line shook and stirred the whole nation for a decade, whilst the media circus thrived on it, making headlines with every combination of words possible. That man who made the shot with his 22 bore Italian Barretta still manages to roam around free. With 300 witnesses to the incident, mostly socialites of the elitest order including Bina and Malini Ramani, model Shayan Munshi (key suspect turned hostile), No One Killed Jessica is a hard-hitting story of the legal battle aftermath, that is shouldered by the victim’s sister Sabrina Lal (Vidya Balan).

The movie is a dramatised version of the case, and depicts how in a modern city like Delhi, the political capital of India, innocence can be easily bought, or can it be? It also shows the rise of the democracy and how a public uprising can stir governments. The dramatisation of the story with the involvement of a fictional reporter (played by Rani Mukherjee, looking desperate for a breakthrough role) doesn’t really come out as a ‘real’ performance and often looks contrived. But apart from that minor annoyance, No One Killed Jessica is a story that needs to be told time and again to remind us, that even in modern times like these, feudally aggressive and arrogant politicians can try to get away with almost anything, and it is not OK for us to accept this ‘name-dropping’ mindset. It is OK for us to realise that in a democracy, ‘Ye Public Sab Jaanti Hai’.

4. Dhobi Ghat

I have already written enough about my love for this movie in my review here. What strikes most about this movie, is that its director – Kiran Rao, through the eyes of its lead characters, give us a multi-dimensional insider ‘s look of Mumbai. You cannot help yourself falling in love with the city. The characters here are perfectly etched out, not even one overpowering the other. Prateik Babbar shines as the male lead, but it is débutante Kriti Malhotra, who makes a mark as the innocent outsider, new in the city girl. A must watch for people who love their cinema to leave them with a sweet after taste.

3. Tanu Weds Manu

A mix of clichéd storyline with unpredictable situations, director Anand Rai’s Tanu Weds Manu brings together a house of vernacular awesomeness set in the non-cosmopolitan environment of North India. And it is this setup of the middle class North Indian family and fond familiarity of characters and situations which makes Tanu Weds Manu not fall into yet another romantic comedy, but rise above in a league of its own.

Combined with a cracking soundtrack from Krsna, this movie has a lot working for it. Whilst Jimmy Shergill isn’t necessarily the strongest of villains, and neither are Madhavan and Kangna the most favourite hero n heroine to root for, it is the supporting characters which leave a lasting impression. Swara Bhaskar as Kangna’s Bihari friend Payal, and Pappi played by Deepak Dobriyal are absolute ace performances. If only for these, I wouldn’t mind watching this over and over again.

2. Stanley Ka Dabba

And at no.2 people, is Amole Gupte’s romantic ode to the tiffin box – Stanley Ka Dabba. A cracking directorial debut movie for Amole Gupte, this also marks the debut of his son – Partho Gupte as Stanley. A simple tale of a class of young boys, and their tiffin boxes, Stanley.. breaks every mould of any genre. This stand on its own, and has no bounds. There’s drama, comedy, romance, tragedy and even bromance. It is as epic as the imagination of these kids.

This movie was shot as an acting workshop for kids on Saturdays and during vacation time, with kids who haven’t had any experience in acting. Goes a lot to say how the end result is so natural and without a trace of artificiality. One of my favourite scenes of the year, is the one where the bunch of kids are on their feet, screaming their lungs out to sing Dhan Te Nan. Such is the freedom and innocence of being a child. And to have captured that very essence is an achievement.

And our no.1 movie of the year is..

1. Shor In The City

No surprises here. Whilst we loved Director duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K.’s debut feature 99, their second feature Shor in the City, had several aces up their sleeves. There’s Tushhar Kapoor who surprises with the performance of his career – as the pirate book publisher Tilak, struggling to read, and surprised to discover that his own wife is more educated than him. Senthil as the NRI struggling to set up his business and caught in the web of Underworld extortionist is set in contrast with the gang of Tilak.

But the stand-out performance of the year, goes to Pitobash for his insane, weird and brutally real portrayal of the dumb guy – Mandook. Please take a bow, as we take off our hats.

The complex plot of the characters intertwined with each other, all falling into  its place, like a well designed jigsaw puzzle, assemble around the idea of “Karma is a bitch”. Needless to say, I love the soundtrack by Sachin-Jigar, which also features one of this year’s best songs – Saibo. (Shreya, please collect your award already). There’s a lot more about the movie which I have written in my review here.

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So there we go, those were my 7 Best Bollywood movies of 2011. I could have done a Top 10, but that would mean I’d have to include some not so strong movies which had to be included just to fill the numbers. Please feel free to share your comments below, and also include your own list of Top 7 Bollywood Movies in 2011. Cheerio!

Prior to the year 2001, Indian cinema screen space was primarily occupied by the run-of-the-mill popcorn entertainers, mildly interrupted by the multiplex movie – an attempt to cater to the urban audiences who were fed on MTV, Star World and international sitcoms. The Bollywood blockbuster had turned into a potion of ingredients best known to the ones who incorporated the star sons and daughters, copied scripts from Hollywood blockbusters, diamond merchant producers and South Indian technicians into the perfect recipe. Most often than not, these recipes failed, with only those suceeding at the Box Office which genuinely appealed to both classes as well as masses. The top list from the entire decade of the ’90′s-produced’ blockbusters consisted of DDLJ, DTPH, K2H2, KNPH, HDDCS and other multi-worded titles, delving deep into the world of romance and romantic storylines spicened up with sub-plots of obstacles to romance such as a father who is never pleased with a love marriage. The time was nigh for the recycled storylines to be discarded and to embrace new ideas and challenging scales of storytelling.

The year 2001 marked the rising of a new sun in the horizon of Indian cinema. June 26 2001, things were about to change dramatically. LAGAAN was released and in every sense of the term, it was a game-changer.

In this post, I will be  discussing about LAGAAN and how its influence can be seen in today’s Indian cinema. The magical glow of this cinematically brilliant masterpiece still shines bright even today, 10 years after its release, and here’s why.

THE SCALE:

Let’s first focus on the sheer scale of this project. Now, I am not at all saying that grandiose elements have been absent from Bollywood. Right from K.Asif’s palatial sets in Mughal-E-Azam to the very 90′s Nitin Desai and Sanjay Bhansali Rajasthan recreation Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Bollywood has always been renowned for its ‘larger than life’ image. Even in family dramas of Karan Johar, the main hall staircase would beat the British Museum staircase hands down. But that is not quite exactly the same kind of scale that I am talking about here.

Lagaan’s scale is depicted in terms of its magnitude of imagination. The canvas for this painting spanned from the Victorian palaces in the British Raj period, to the rural huts made of clay in Champaner. The villages and their daily lives, the law and order system managed by their Sarpanch and Panchayat, and also their loyal service to the Maharaj of Champaner is depicted effortlessly in the background without any dialogues. The oppression and tyranny by the Raj is narrated to minute scenes that weave in seamlessly. And the beauty of rivalry shines through the arrogance of Capt.Russell and the heroically challenging nature of Bhuvan.

And there is the ensemble cast laid out as smartly as a masterstroke. A brief description of the wonderful cast can be read in my other Lagaan post : The LAGAAN ensemble – LAGAAN XI and more.

The second big scale that I am talking about is obviously the extras that were brought from various villages to be featured on the climactic showdown moment of the movie. It is now famously known as – The day of the 10,000. The logistics involved with handling 10,000 villagers, their food, their clothes, their exact placement and of course the desired execution of the scene – that in itself deserves a big round of applause. It indeed is awe inspiring for future generation of directors to attempt something similar or on this scale.

It probably even enabled Ashutosh Gowariker to be able to dream of bigger projects such as Jodhaa Akbar.

OSCAR HUNGRY KYA!

LAGAAN made it into the final 5 nominations for the Foreign Film category after a very long absence from the list. The last Indian movie to feature on the final 5 list was Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay in 1988. With this ‘victory’, it certainly opened up Bollywood to the international market more than before. People became more and more curious about the Indian film industry which apparently churned out more movies than the better known Hollywood. Back home, things were changing. Over the next coming years, contending for the Indian entry for the Oscars became more than just a movie competition. Things even took a political turn.

Just have a look at the list of Indian entries for the foreign film category in the 90s – It includes one Malayalam movie (Guru), 5 Tamil movies (Anjali, Thevar Magan, Kuruthipunal, Indian and Jeans- jeez! what were the selection committee smoking? ), 4 Hindi art-house movies ( Bandit Queen, Rudaali, Earth and Hey Ram) and just one Bollywood mainstream movie – RK Films’ Henna.

I believe that I am not wrong to say that ever since Lagaan made it into the final 5, the perception of Oscar being the ‘unattainable’ awards has faded. More and more movies invested in making themselves visible, not only to the NRI audiences but also to anyone and everyone who loved cinema. The global image of Bollywood had dawned. No, I am not saying it all started with Lagaan, but Lagaan surely was a huge step forward ( at least from sending Jeans to the Oscars).

TECH-NICHE:

In one of the interviews, Aamir Khan commented about how Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar (both accomplished directors in their own rights) warned him to keep away from two things in Bollywood whilst making movies – single schedules and sync-sound. Aamir now looks back at that comment and replied that these directors now implement the same techniques in their movies.

For the uninitiated, single schedule means shooting the entire movie – from start to finish – in a single schedule. Typically, that would mean every single cast and crew member to be completely committed to that single project at that time.

Sync sound means recording the sound as and when the performances are been recorded. In other words – no dubbing.

Both of these techniques were infamous for the various challenges they posed in terms of managing teams, crews, cast members, and delays etc. LAGAAN’s single schedule shooting was located in the remote village of Bhuj in Gujarat. The challenges with the windy weather, the heat, and all crew members being together at one single place meant that the assisting team had a massive project management task in their hands. And it almost is a lesson for aspiring filmmakers. I vividly remember Asst.Dir Apoorva Lakhia saying it in the making documentary – This is going in my resume

KAHANI THODI HATKE:

Let me try to give this a shot – A story of British ruled India where villagers of Champaner are taxed. It hasn’t rained for the last two years and hence farming hasn’t been very fruitful. A group of villagers led by Bhuvan visit the palace to appeal for tax relaxation. Arrogant British Captain Andrew Russell challenges Bhuvan and his villagers to a cricket match –  the stakes are – tax free if they win, or else three times the original tax. Bhuvan accepts the challenge, and with help from Capt. Russell’s younger sister Elizabeth (who is secretly in love with Bhuvan) overcome all odds to win.

But LAGAAN is so much more than just that. Under the main storyline of the victory of underdogs over obstacles, the many layers of complex human interactions in Indian society is also one noteworthy aspect of LAGAAN. Bhuvan’s strong opposition against caste division or the terming of a human as ‘achhoots’ is as heroic as the big victory itself. Gauri’s undying love for Bhuvan, even when the entire village is against him is what love stories are made of. And Elizabeth’s unrequited love is a tragedy on its own.

When Aamir heard it the first time from writer Ashutosh Gowariker, he said that Ashutosh had gone bonkers and such a movie couldn’t be made.

Compare this story with those of the 90s blockbusters.

DIL, Saudagar, Sanam Bewafa, Raja Babu, DDLJ, Raja, Raja Hindustani, Ishq, – Boy and Girl first fight, then fall in love. Parents are total bitches who won’t give in. But then badass Romeo and kickass Juliet triumph eventually.

Aaj Ka Arjun – Gori Hai Kalaiyan, Oppressor Thakur and rapist brother get Hero’s sister pregnant, Baby Guddu plays the Hero’s nephew, and Hero takes his Badlaa. <insert Maa Kasam> The above elements can be re-arranged in various combinations to reproduce as Koyla, Narsimha, Ghayal etc.

Get the point?

Of course, there were the Abbas Mustan suspense movies as well as the Mani Ratnam gems once in a while. But the traditional Bollywood plotline no longer existed. It was time for love stories to explore more than just revolting parents, and movies to explore the world beyond Karwa Chauths and Sangeet ceremonies.

AAMIR KHAN PRODUCTIONS:

One of the most important outcomes from the success of LAGAAN was the formation of one of the strongest movie production company of Bollywood – Aamir Khan Production. With the success of Lagaan, the movie company emerged as a powerhouse of movie making, equipped to make cinema with its heart in the right place and its eyes set on the target of creating brilliant cinema. The track record for the company has so much to say for itself – movies that succeeded LAGAAN’s mantle – whether as regularly Bollywood romantic as Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, or the poles apart documentarish – Dhobi Ghat, or even Aamir débutante directorial feature – Taare Zameen Par – with every movie the company has just got stronger and stronger. Although this can be termed as a passive impact of Lagaan, it should be noted that hadn’t LAGAAN succeeded the way it did, the future of Aamir Khan productions would have been questionable.

But above all these points, the biggest impact of LAGAAN was its sincerity towards its art. It was a collection of zealous individuals from all over the world coming together to create cinematic magic. Here’s just a taste of what the magic ingredients consisted of:

Bhanu Athaiya: Oscar winner costume designer, who designed costumes for the villagers as well as the Royals, and the British Captain Russell, and his sister Elizabeth Russell.

Anil Mehta: Cinematographer, who found the ‘diamond imagery’ in the desert. There’s heat and the heat-waves, but there’s also the unforgettable golden sunset view.

A K Hangal: Probably one of the most famous character actors of Bollywood. As Shambhu Kaka, his two lines in the entire script, speaks volumes.

A.R.Rahman and Javed Akhtar: Music and Lyrics – for more of this magic, go here [ The Soundtrack of Lagaan ]

There is still so much to be said and so much to be discussed about this movie.

But I would conclude by quoting what Suhasini Mulay ( who plays Yashodamai, Bhuvan’s mother) said in the making of Lagaan documentary – We ( the caste and crew members) are all misfits. In a society which works in the 9 to 5 work shifts, we are definitely misfits because we cannot work in that routine. We are lunatics who love this – making art.

God bless such lunacy exists for it made us witnesses to the magnificence of epic storytelling. If lunacy can indeed produce such gems, who needs sanity anymore?

[ This post is a part of the 10th anniversary celebration of LAGAAN , initiated by TheBollywoodFan, this is my contribution towards it.

Please check out my previous posts on Lagaan here:

• Soundtrack of LAGAAN
• The LAGAAN Ensemble - LAGAAN XI and more ]

One of the most controversial movies of its time, Shekhar Kapur’s Bandit Queen is a disturbing tale, in general of the oppressed low caste, and of their women in particular, in the illiterate rural parts of India. The movie begins with a quote from the Manu Smriti which reads – The low caste, the drums and women should be beaten. A statement like that in the 21st century sends shockwaves, but such a thing still exists in India, and we do get to hear about it, lost between the headlines of corruption scandals and honour killings. The director emphasises this is a true story.

**Spoilers ahead**

Told through the narrative of the protagonist Phoolan Devi, the story maps her journey from being subjected to child marriage to becoming an easy victim of nymphomaniac Thakurs who oppress her, her family. The Thakurs accuse her of being a slut, and on those grounds she is thrown away from her village and away from her family. Phoolan joins a bandit gang, falls in love with one of the bandits Vikram Mallah, who kills the gang leader Gujjar, and becomes gang leader himself. But the Thakurs who fund and run the bandits, kill Vikram, and gangrape Phoolan and make her walk through the village naked. Phoolan then meets a friend of Vikram, Mann Singh, with whom she sets up yet another gang to take revenge upon the Thakurs.

The elements described in this tale come very close to make me cringe and create a very uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. Yes, I have seen many gory films, but there is nothing more cringe worthy than seeing an 11 year old being raped by her own husband, even if it is depicted in a suggestive way. I don’t know what sort of an adjective or noun would best describe the horror and trauma of a gang-rape, and the utter shame that one faces when told to walk through the village stark naked. And this is done to her by the heads of the village – the Thakurs ( the higher caste) while the remaining village joins in as spectators. Phoolan’s life is filled with such traumatic events. But does that justify her streak of rampant bloodshed in the name of vengeance? I don’t know. May be yes, it does. But what about the innocent Thakurs who got killed by Phoolan in frustration of not finding the two Thakurs responsible for her gang rape? Did they deserve it, just because they belonged to the same caste?

The 1980s were a turbulent time in the Indian law and order system. Just a few years back India had recovered from emergency. And rural India was still miles away from finding its law and order in place. The sarpanch and his panchayat’s decision was the one to abide by. And that meant, decisions made by the rich and the oppressors of the society, in favour of themselves. Well, that hasn’t really changed worldwide, has it?

But I do feel glad after watching Shekhar Kapur’s Bandit Queen. The realisation that I live in a world surrounded by people who respect women as they should be, is an assurance of the evolution of the society in the right direction. Kapur’s compelling visuals, especially in the scenes involving child Phoolan are disturbing and engaging at the same time. The line between reel and real becomes very blurred and if only for that, Shekhar Kapur deserves a big pat on his back. Like Deepa Mehta’s Water, a similar tale of women oppression and the manipulative caste-division, Bandit Queen is a story which needed to be told.

Seema Biswas won the National Award for Best Actress amongst all the controversy. Late Nirmal Pandey’s effortless embodiement of the rural dacoit Vikram Mallah, reminds us of the powerful actor we will miss. Ashok Mehta’s cinematography sets the tone pitch perfect – from the dark nights lit by candles and oil lamps to the dry scorching desert searching for a drop of water, to the reflection of the sun in the river water. It is a treat to watch Ashok Mehta create his wonders through the lens. And finally, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s immortal score to this tale makes it rise to the levels of a cinema classic.

Watch it you must, but not with family. This one’s for one of those evenings when you want to ponder upon something about the world around you, and feel fortunate.

I am not going to do any sort of gimmicky GIF magic to state how awful this movie is. Neither am I going to create smart lined Facebook memes for this one. This review of Action Replayy is going to be a full on verbal bashing in the very old school way of ‘gaaligaloch’. So for the overtly sensitive and the easily offended – stay the fuck out of this. For the rest who are still reading, thank you and I hope that you can relate to my utter frustration and disappointment at Vipul Amrutlal Shah’s abomination aka ‘Action Replayy’. Point to be noted – funny spellings of movie titles which are numerologically manipulated by the likes of Sunita Melon and Bejaan Pantiwallah do not always ensure success. Actually, they never do. And I hope these numerologists change their names to the ones I just suggested.

To begin with – the Director.
Vipul Amrutlal Shah’s filmography boasts of a smart thriller (Aankhen), a dumbed down comedy which works (Waqt), and an NRI movie which I found was above average (Namastey London). And then London Dreams happened. This was where 40 something uncles put on facelift cream, wore earrings, and sang Hindi pop songs and Hanuman Chalisa touring Europe to packed stadiums. There was a lady who believed in her cheerleading career, and well – if you want to know what I felt about the movie, you can read this.

When I got hold of the first publicity pictures of Action Replayy, it got me super excited for reasons more than one. Firstly, it was set in a retro era of Bollywood which I love the most. I had consciously kept myself distant from the music trailers and any of the movie’s plot details.But I couldn’t escape people discussing about how this was adapted from a Gujrati play, which is a shameless rip off from Back To The Future. All of these factors left me bamboozled, and I really did not know what to expect. The dude in the director’s chair is no stranger to the whole Bolywood blockbuster routine. How wrong was I? Only if the movie was half as good as the posters.

The effervescence and element of enjoyment required for a wink wink retro movie is just not there. The movie begins with Bunty showing fear of marriage because his parents have a miserable marital relationship. Bunty’s girlfriend Tanya has a genius grandad (Randhir Kapoor in a dwarfed cameo, quite conveniently named Anthony Gonsalves) who has built a time machine. Bunty devices a plan to fix the troubled marriage of his parents and outsmarts the scientist to go back in the past. And so we begin, the biggest annoying marathon ever to be witnessed in Indian cinema. If you thought London Dreams was appalling, Action Replayy takes it to a whole new dimension of duisgusting. I’d better list down my list of annoyances.

Bunty’s parents – Kishan/Kitchen Kumar (Akshay, more like Yuckshay) and Mala (Aishwarya Rai) are shown as their grown up selves after a 20 years of marriage. So, considering they are like 30s (at the most) when they got married, what the fuck did they smoke to end up looking like that. Or did the makeup guy turn up high on some drug? These people (all of them) have the most horrendous makeup in the history of Bollywood – and this includes all the Ramsay movies. As Raja Sen rightly pointed out, the old versions seem to have faces made of leather. And Aish couldn’t have been made to look bad, so she has some grey streaks to indicate her age.

The dialogues are so dull and have no amount of humour stuck on it. For a light hearted , masala movie, the dialogue seems like to have been written by someone who wasn’t paid to do his job. e.g. Bunty meets Anthony Gonsalves for the first time and says – Do all scientists get their haircut in the same salon? Ha Ha Bloody Ha! The whole Bunty giving his Dad sex ed made me squirm so hard.

The ensemble cast is completely bollocks.

• Om Puri as Akshay’s father has only one line throughout the movie – Gadha.
• Kirron Kher is a chorus singer at All India Radio, and is against love marriage. And most importantly, she is a born bully.
• Rajpal Yadav is neither funny, nor existent. His only line – Sab Kaam Main Hi Karoo was unnecessary, unwanted and useless.
• Ranvijay as the antagonist cool disco dancing dude who can sing in Male and Female voices is a wasted opportunity. He bullies the ‘to-be-Hero’ and could have been written much more smartly. There are definite shades of Biff here, but all of that is lost in stupid gags of taking off Pyjama and shirts and loathsome 70′s wigs.

Why do we love Back to the Future? Because even with its silly logic of time travel enabled by the Flux Capacitor generating 1.2 gigawatts and requiring the Delorean at 88 miles per hour, we were easily made to believe in it by the awesome Doc. There is no such scifi detail here and no one gives a single fuck about it. The character of Doc in BTTF, is here translated to Anthony Gonsalves being portrayed by Radhir Kapoor in a cheapo wig with a ponytail. He starts speaking of the sense of vision due to light being reflected to us from objects. Some of these objects, like Alpha Centauri, are light years away, so the image we see is actually a few years old. Good point. And….?? And then Tanya rambles on about the importance of marriage. Sab SciFi ka chaupat!!!

Bunty – VJ Aditya , who’s only contribution in this whole movie is that afro. No, he’s got more. He’s wearing geeky tees sporting Master Yoda and what not. He’s matchmaking his bunny-toothed Dad with the cynical street kaminee Mala. He is playing Guru Vidyapathi to his Besura Bhola Dad by playbacking his songs. And you know what, he is quite conveniently allowed to mingle with by these people, who were strangers just an hour ago. You get the point? Were people in the 70′s this easy?

Speaking of 70′s Bombay – is it only meant to be Victoria Terminus station? The streets are wide and empty, and every girl on the street is dressed in a tight kurti aping the fashion of Leena Chandavarkar. And the dudes have Rajesh Khanna hair, Bell Bottoms and Polka dotted shirts. The cinemas are then showing Julie and the canteens are playing Aap Ki Kasam. Seems like some one was IMDbing. This is definitely not a low budget work – you can tell by the colours leaping out of each frame. Looks like a unicorn vomitted double rainbows all over the movie. And oh, just so that you should credit the research team, Bunty keeps mentioning various 70′s related trivia deliberately – such as the Emergency and Sholay. Ha!

Finally, since it’s a musical comedy set in the 70′s, the music should be awesome, innit? You couldn’t be more wrong. Pritam sounds very uninspired and this could be one of his laziest work. The whole ‘competition’ segment (which seems like a nod to Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahi) is so rubbish and so third class. I don’t have anything positive to say about this movie. Oh may be just one thing. Aishwarya Rai playing her mean self is spot on. Maybe for the first time, she has found her niche.

Avoid this like the plague. If you are expecting a Diwali blockbuster, I’d rather suggest you to watch Om Shanti Om again which was a riot of colours, and whole lotta awesomeness. This movie is such a wasted opportunity and one can only hope that this was made by Farah Khan.