Theevram review: "Oscillating between good & amateurish!!!"

2012 kicked off with the launch of Dulquer Salman, one of the most anticipated personalities into the film world. Being the scion of the legendary Mammukka, expectations were bound to be sky high & in all fairness it wont be prudent to accept the fact that Dulquer has done his father proud with impressive performances in his previous two ventures. So the question now is whether he can complete a hat-trick with debutant Roopesh Peethambaran's "Theevram"???

Alexander (Sreenivasan) is one of the most brilliant police officers in the department as is evident by his knack to solve the queerest of murder mysteries as showcased in the initial sequences by his ability to think with a logical mind & patience like piecing together a jigsaw. At around the same time, Harshvardhan (Dulquer Salman), a musician makes an entry into the scene & before long it becomes evident that he is a man on a mission as he kidnaps a person & religiously slices him into pieces with as much finesse as a forensic surgeon. As expected. Alexander takes up the case but can he out-think the criminal genius of Harsh???

This is for sure one of the most gruesome murder mysteries shot in Malayalam & Roopesh Peethambaran deserves praise for treading a path not frequented by the others. His unconventional treatment of the subject captures the attention of the audience especially in the first half. However all along there were sequences which showed the shakiness of a debutant as it oscillates from being fantastic to amateurish. But there is no doubt that he is one director to look out for in the future. The music by Roby Abraham was quite average with Ennariyathe being the noticeable one while the visuals by Hari Nair was praise worthy especially for the grey tone which imparted a cold ghastly feeling to the reels.

Dulquer Salman has again come up with an impressive performance & deserves kudos for his choice of films. Sreenivasan was brilliant portraying the characteristics of Alexander with panache be it his intelligence, philosophical discourses or non-violent nature. Vinay Fort who essays the role of Ramachandran (Sreenivasan's assistant) was as impressive as the other two. As for the rest of the cast, they have done a decent job as well.

Verdict: There is no doubt that the second half fails to live upto the expectations built up initially. However, inspite of these flaws the unorthodox treatment of the subject makes it for an interesting watch. In short, it's worth a try!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

Jab Tak Hai Jaan review: "Yashji will be remembered forever but not for this film!!!"

It's almost a month since Yash Chopra, the "King of Romance" has left for his heavenly abode leaving Bollywood a much poorer place. So vast has his contribution to the Hindi film industry been that's its impossible to mention about Bollywood without a reference to his legacy. After having reached the ripe old age of 80 a month back, Yashji had announced that "Jab Tak Hai Jaan" will be his last directorial venture & with SRK back in the romantic avatar, the hype surrounding the film had gone through the roof. So will it be a befitting swansong???

Major Samar Anand (Shahrukh) is the daredevil of the bomb defusing squad of the Indian Army having disarmed scores of bombs, 98 to be precise with as much insouciant attitude as licking a lollypop earning him the nickname "the man who cannot die". His sobre demeanour attracts the attention of Akira (Anoushka Sharma), an aspiring documentary film maker of the Discovery Channel. Having obtained the permission of the authorities she joins Samar & his team to film them for her project. In due time, she stumbles across Samar's diary which lays bare the person behind the Aviators. So who was actually Major Samar & what made him treat death with disdain???

Yash Chopra has given us scores of memorable films through the decades be it "Deewaar", "Silsila" or "Darr" to name a few. His latest venture "Jab Tak Hai Jaan" was meant to be the perfect swansong to draw curtains on a glittering career. However, the film has come short of expectations mainly owing to a inconsistent script revolving around the character of Meera (Katrina Kaif). Her role seemed so immature & illogical that it failed to create any sense of emotional chord with the audience.The romantic sequences between SRK & Katrna seemed quite a drag at many places which could have been edited to impart a more telling effect.

SRK was fantastic as Major Samar but seemed quite a misfit in many of the sequences as the younger lover boy. He uses his charm to good effect to convey his romantic side but his age kept showing thanks to a botchy make up pretty much like Aamir's lover boy image in "Ghajini". Anushka was equally impressive while Katrina Kaif's role lacked sense & she lacked the capability to enact the emotional scenes with conviction. Another surprising aspect is that the collaboration of Yashji, Gulzar & Rahman turned out to be a damp squid. The music album as such was commendable with impressive tracks like Jiya Re, Challa & Ishq Shava but it failed to gel with the picturisation except for Jiya Re & stuck out like a sore thumb throughout the whole film which is quite unlike Rahman's music. 

Verdict:  The film will be a blockbuster in the overseas market while in the domestic circuit it will do well in Multiplexes but not so in single screens owing to an inconsistent romantic track. I believe it will earn a lifetime collection of 200 crores but wont threaten the records of  "3 Idiots" or "Ek Tha Tiger". In short, there are individual brilliances but the film fails as a cohesive unit!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

My Boss review: "Better than usual Dileep flicks!!!"

Deepavali is traditionally celebrated all over our nation but the fervour is played to the hilt by the Tamilians & Bollywood as is evident by the plethora of big budget films which hits the screens during this time every year. Though our industry does usually take a back seat, this time around we have Dileep's "My Boss" trying to carve up a share of its own in this festive season. The promos promises to be a fun filled venture but the question is will it able to withstand the onslaught of the biggies like "Thuppaki" & "Jab Tak Hai Jaan"???

Manu Verma (Dileep) is an IT professional who always dreams of migrating to the West & as the first steps to the fulfillment of his wishes, he lands up with an impressive job in a top notch firm in Mumbai. But little did he realize that he was to play second fiddle to Priya, (Mamtha Mohandas) one of the most haughtiest bosses that a sub-ordinate could wish for. Despite his best efforts, Manu fails to make much of an impression on his boss. But fate had other plans, as Priya finds herself in a soup with some visa formalities & she had no option but to resort to her assistant to help her out. So will this deal work out in a mutually beneficial manner???

After a hiatus of two years since "Mummy & Me", Jeethu Joseph is back with his latest venture "My Boss"; which is a rip off of the Hollywood flick "The Proposal". Though I wont hold it against the film being a copy but the director should be capable of incorporating his own elements into the premise. Unfortunately, that's where Jeethu has failed since it wasn't as entertaining as the original especially in the second half. Anil Nair has done an impressive job of capturing the beauty of Kuttanad while the music by Sejo & M.Jayachandran were average with Enthinnennariyilla being the pick among the lot. V. Saajan could have trimmed a good portion of the second half as it gets a tad tiresome.

Dileep has done a decent job considering the fact that it was a welcome relief from the slap stick crap that he has dished out in "Mayamohini" & "Mr.Marumakan". As always his comic timing was spot on especially in his conversations with Kalabhavan Shajun, who deserves a pat as well. Mamtha was apt as the fiery boss though she didnt seem at ease in sequences where she has to play it over the top.

Verdict: It will surely have a decent opening & considering the overall packaging of the film, East Coast Vijayan wont burn his fingers. The film doesn't offer anything new, though the lighter moments are way cleaner than the usual Dileep flicks. In short, watch it without expectations!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben