Once upon a time in Mumbai review : A gangster movie with no bloodshed!!!!

Well the movie which has been creating waves for having similarities with the life of Haji Mastan,finally released today. Though the makers of the movies has vehemently denied any similarity with him & even goin to the extent of putting it up in the disclaimer...however once u watch the film,you will realise that its a lie.Coming to the movie..the film is set in 1970s Mumbai & tells about the rise & fall of Sultan (Ajay Devgan..as Haji Mastan) & his downfall being plotted by his protege Shoaib (Emraan Hashmi as Dawood) to establish his own empire.

The storyline isnt anything unique and at times the film appears slack however the biggest plus point is the excellent dialogues. In recent times, I cant recollect of any movie having such great dialogues & that too so frequently. There are a couple of sequences in the movie which are supposed to be a pointer as to what could be the ending ...such as the presentation of a wrist watch to Ajay by Kangana & the scene where the police officer tells about his son (Emraan) to Ajay for the first time at the derby and subsequently Ajay tearing the tickets...I guess you guys will understand the significance of those sequences.

Milan Luthria who is famous for his movie "Taxi Driver 9211"..has definitely come up with a winner again!!! Recreating a bygone era is really tough..but the art director (Nitin Desai) has done a commendable job.But the real winner as I mentioned before is the dialogues penned by Rajat Aroraa..not to forget about the excellent background score & music by Pritam (Pee Loon by Mohit Chauhan is just too good!!). No movie becomes great unless a good cast is selected ..& thats where Luthria made the right choices...Ajay as expected is excellent..its true he has essayed roles similar to this in "Company" but even then he has done it in a style which only he could do. Emraan bowls you over with his acting prowess..his career has definitely got a boost with this!!! Kangana Ranaut as the diva has been pretty elegant while Praachi has essayed her role also pretty well.Randeep Hooda (as ACP Agnel Wilson) is top notch & is able to hold his own in front of Ajay & Emraan.

Verdict: As far as my opinion goes its definitely worth a watch & likely to make the box office bells ringing!!!!

Regards...Ben

Madrasapattinam review : A very well taken movie!!!

The Tamil film industry has made it a habit of churning out good movies on a regular basis though the all conquering hero is still very much in vogue. The eagerly awaited period film "Madrasapattinam" was surely worth the wait..set in the backdrop of colonial rule in India, Madrasapattinam is a melancholic tell tale of a distraught lover who sets outside her homeland in the search of her lover whom she had last seen on 15th August, 1947 with the only identification then available being a photograph which was taken 60 years back.

The film definitely reminds us of "Titanic" & "Lagaan"...as some of the sequences seems to be loosely inspired from them. However as opposed to Lagaan...the movie mainly focuses on love between the British Governor's daughter (Amy Jackson) & the dhobi (Arya)..with patriotism also added in it.Reminiscent of the cricket match in Lagaan there is a wrestling match here & some other scenes too...

A great deal of appreciation definitely goes to the art director Selva Kumar who was exemplary in recreating Madras of the 1940s with equal justice provided to it by the camera man Nirav Shah & great music by GV Prakash..(Pookal Pookum & Vaama Duraiyamma are really top notch).

Coming to performances Arya has done a good job & so also the lovely British damsel (Amy Jackson)..they do make a good romantic pair. The villain played by Alex O Neill (as Robert Ellis) has also done a credible job not to forget the competent performances by the supporting cast of Nasser,Cochin Haneefa, Balasingh & MS Bhaskar. But the actual winner of the movie is the director himself, L Vijay who has been assistant to Priyan. The story was written by himself & he deserves applause for that. This is his 3rd venture (after Kireedom & Poi Solla Porom) & in all probability will hit the jackpot.

Verdict: All in all...its a very well made movie..& has the ingredients for a hit. I would suggest that you guys do watch it!!!

Regards...Ben

Khatta Meetha review : Priyan's yet another copy!!!!

Well yet another remake from the stable of Priyadarshan...hmm,well when did he make anything original in Hindi!!! however there is no denying the fact that he has mastered the art of copying which is palatable for the North Indians. Coming to the movie...it goes without saying that just like any other remakes (except for Hungama)...it fails to live upto the original "Vellanakalude Nadu". The plot is just the same with a few comedy scenes lifted from  "Friends"..(Priyan has been doing that in every Hindi flick). 

Akshay has done a good job,though certainly nowhere near the stalwart Mohanlal. Akshay does his comedy pretty well...though he wasnt convincing at all as the college dude & also he seems to be shouting the dialogues a bit too much .

Actually the whole movie comes hard on your ear drums as many of the actors are just harping the dialogues. Trisha isnt impressive at all... with her dialogue delivery being pretty mediocre & in the initial parts there is no lip sync also. Rajpal Yadav (as Jagadish) was impressive while Johnny Lever (as Pappu) was a damp squid. Asrani (actually plays the role of Sankaradi & Janardhanan from Friends) was able to tickle the funny bone. Makrand Deshpande (as Sreenivasan) has definitely been wasted & so is Tinnu Anand. Urvashi Sharma (as Lizy) doesnt have much to do while Kulbhusham Kharbhanda (as Thikurushi) was first rate & has essayed his role in a much more imposing way.

Verdict: In short..its a one time watch.. but dont watch it holding the original in comparison..Though the critics have trashed the movie..I guess it will run, after all movies like Housefull & Welcome were mega hits!!!

Regards...Ben

Inception review : Brilliant!!!!

Nolan scores yet again with his psycho thriller "Inception"..a mind boggling concept which has been filmed excellently. The strength of the movie is the extraordinary story which keeps you gripped to your seats & also it doesnt confuse you to the extent of thinking its stupid or too complex as in the case of "The Cell" or other movies of this genre.

Di Caprio pulls off yet another scintillating performance after the highly acclaimed "Shutter Island" ,not to forget the equally competent performances by Ellen Page (as Ariadne) who is famous for her roles in X-Men & Juno..Joesph Gordon (As Arthur),Tom Hardy (as Eames) etc.The visual effects of Inception has also been well choreographed & has meaning rather than putting it up just for the heck of visual enhancement..all in all..a must watch!!! but it comes with a catch "you blink your eye.... you miss the plot"

Regards...Ben