Review: Desi Boyz

Verdict: Great Entertainer
"K" Rating: 3.5

Watch: Theater/DVD

 The film released in overseas markers like USA on Wednesday, November 23rd due to Thanksgiving Holiday. In India it will release on Friday November 25th.

With comedy in his genes son of veteran directory David Dhawan's son Rohit Dhawan makes his directorial debut with Desi Boyz. This flick is unlike recently comedy flicks which have thread bare story lines and just hang on one-liners with a nonsensical ending. Desi Boyz is a great entertainer with good comic timings, funny dialogues and a simple storyline.

Akshay Kumar is in top form - the king of comedy has returned with this movie. John Abraham is great as usual. After Garam Masala [2005] it is a treat to see these actors return together and light the screen on fire. Deepika Padukone looks gorgeous along with stunning Chitrangda Singh. Anupam Kher, Monish Bhel, Omi Vaidya and Sanjay Dutt are befitting in their respective roles.

Story by Rohit Dhawan revolves around two friends who get hit by recession in UK and take to being male escorts. The sweet, innocent and mad ride which follows suit forms a hilarious tale. Telepathic conversations between John and Akshay are gelastic and augment their chemistry. It has some cliched characters and situations however overall it still offers novelty interms of concept. The ending of the film seems loose ended and makes way for a sequel. Cinematography by Nirajan is great with beautiful backdrops of London. Styling of the film is very hep by ace designer Manish Malhotra.

Music by Pritam is good. Certain songs bear strong resemblance to others, case in point "Jhak mar ke" reminds one of "Uden jab jab zulfein" from the 1957 film Naya Daur. Apart from that - "Allah Maaf kare" , "Subh Hone Na De", "Title track-Desi Boyz" are exceptional and already chart favorites.

Make time this holiday season to be entertained by these Desi Boyz who bring the house down.

Review: Dum Maro Dum

Verdict: Ok/ good try

"K" Rating: 2.2

Watch: DVD

 India's most popular tourist destination, blessed with sun kissed beaches and sand-Goa, home to the the worlds deadliest drug cartel in its murky underbelly. The stage is set for Ramesh Sippy's Dum Maro Dum (DMD).

 Abhishek Bachchan as the angry, super cop ACP Kamath suits well and reminds one of Dhoom days. Bipasha Basu as the small town girl who sees her dreams turn to nightmares is impactful. Pratik Babbar plays the free spirited teenager with American dreams who falls in the mafia trap.Rana Dugabatti is the idealistic musician who wants to redeem himself, delivers his career best performance.Guest appearances by Vidya Balan and Deepika Padukone however, are unimpressive and wasted.

This is one movie where craftiness comes in the way of the narrative. The plot with its umpteen intricacies and and interconnect storylines does not let the audience connect and/or empathise to any single character. That being said, the ending of the movie a breath of fresh air to the Hindi film Industry and is the highlight of the film. DMD has its share of dialogues aswell - Kehte hain jab log marte hain toh vo jannat jaatein hai, par Goa mein markar koi kahi nahi jaata [kyonki Goa hi Jannat hai]

Music by Pritam is passable and unmemorable. The theme song of the movie is the original Dum Maro Dum track, from Hare Ram Hare Krishna and hence remains with one as leaving the theater. The remix version is despicable.

Overall the movie is OK/Good [attempt] but falls short on expectations. 

First Look: Dum Maro Dum Track

Alright, we bring you the sneak peak of the much awaited remixed title track of Dum Maro Dum, an item number picturised on Deepika Padukone. With Lyrics like these,  "Aaj kursi kheech raha hai, kal skirt kheechega" this promised to be the Sheila Song of the Year. However we see yet another case of great marketing for a bad product.Unfortunately this much hyped song is such a let down, that its almost an insult to the original score. We  have seen Deepika look way better then in this song.

First Look: Dum Maro Dum

Named after the 1971 hit song from the cult movie Hare Krishna Hare Ram, this is an upcoming movie is directed by Rohan Sippy starring Ambishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu and Prateik Babbar. Deeepika Padukone will be seen in a scintillating item number on the title track. The movie is set in Goa and revolves around how the drug cartels thrives and influences/changes the lives of people in the numero uno party destination in India. Music by Pritam is much awaited.Its due for release on April 22, 2011.

Review: Break Ke Baad

Verdict: eh.Okay

"K" Rating: 2.2/5

Watch: DVD

Break Ke Baad is a comedy-drama,coming of age film. Tells the story of childhood sweet hearts who explore the issue of "space" in their relationship and  ending up finding themselves.

The promos of the movie looked promising, however did not live up to the expectations. Shot in India and Australia, the Australia part seems to have been put together in a hurry. In some scenes, the camera moves so fast, that it can make the audience get vertigo

Imraan Khan is his usual best  as Abhay Gulati who is the calm, "steady rock to lean" on kinda guy. With this film he completes his trilogy of romcoms. Deepika Padukone is okay as the free spirited,  headstrong girl Aaliya. Debutant director Danish Aslam picks a hot issue with modern day couples but the screenplay does not do justice to it.Music by Vishal-Shekhar conveys the spirit of the movie well. "Ajab Leher Hai","Dhooriyan Bhi Hain Zaroori" and "Adhoore Hum" are noteworthy. These tracks have already secured their place on the charts.

Watch it on DVD as a good timepass, it gets a 2.2 on the K rating for trying and music.

Review: Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey

Verdict: eh.Okay

"K" Rating: 2/5

Watch: DVD

Khelen Hum.. is based on the book Do And Die by Manini Chatterjee, a true story which narrates the Chittagong Uprising of 1930 against the East India Company. Directed by noneother than Ashutosh Gowariker,Bollywood's most earnest historian, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey is a noble attempt at restoring glory to long- forgotten heros. However it fails to evoke the level of patriotism a subject like this should. It appears to more of a high school drama involving the British Raj. The entire first half of the movie sets the stage in such a slow pace that it drags. The second half zooms past with such urgency and momentum to its predictable climax that it leaves the audience zapped. 

Overall it is a decent attempt, but does not even come close to Rang De Basanti, Lagaan or The Rising. It was refreshing to see Deepika Padukone in a traditional Indian avatar sporting long hair. Clean shaven and serious Abhishek Bachchan did a good job aswell.Music of KHJJS is not memorable, only the title track is noteworthy.

Watch it on DVD, if you want to travel back to the pre-independence era and want to your favorite stars onscreen instead of reading the book.

First Look: Break Ke Baad

If you're a sucker for romcoms here is a treat, after I Hate Love Stories Imran Khan is back with a coming of age love story Break Ke Baad with Deepika Padukone.Debutant director Danish Alam makes this story come to life while its being produced under the Kunal Kohli  banner and music is composed by Vishal-Shekhar. Its slated for a November 26th release.Check out the promo!

Review: Lafangey Parindey

Verdict: Good

"K" Rating: 3/5

Watch: DVD/Theater

From the maker of Parineta and Laga Chunari Mein Daag comes this inspiring love story.  Let me begin by saying there are 2 major back draws of the film - (presumed) predictability and familiarity- it is set in the Mumbai Chawls with the typical bhais, boorish language and cops which have been recreated on celluloid before. However Sarkar has add a breath of fresh air to this setting with the the films strong characters who aspire to excel against all odds and the unusual backdrop of rollerskate dancing (resonating the feel of Hollywood's Save The Last Dance and Cutting Edge).  Lafangey Parindey will definitely start a trend of some sorts. Its a exhilarating story of restrained emotions, fulfilling ones dreams and discovering love.

The story revolves around a street boxer One-Shot Nandu played by Neil Nitin Mukesh who fights in the boxing ring blind-folded. And Pinky  (Deepika Padukone), a resilient, stubborn rollerskate dancer who considers winning India's Got Talent her passport  out of poverty and "chawl" life. Deepika's performance is stellar, Neil Nitin Mukesh is good with his rough, tough looks with the right amount of innocence and cuteness. Music of the film is good, with two songs worth a mention - Man Lafanga and Nain Parindey.

On the whole if you can see past the tapori language and some bloody boxing fights, this is a good movie. It inspires and definitely caters to the die hard romantics (esp the the theater scene).