Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi review: "Kudos to the cast & crew for their sincere effort!!!"

Ever since the promos of "Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi" or NPCB has been beaming on the screens, there has been a great deal of anticipation after all it was touted as the first road movie to release in Malayalam. With Samir Tahir calling the shots along with the casting of the successful duo of Dulquer-Sunny Wayne, it should make for an interesting prospect. The question is whether Hashir's script can do justice to the hype???

 NPCB is basically the journey of two youngsters, Kazi (Dulquer) & Suni (Sunny Wayne) from "God's own Country" to "Switzerland of the East" (Nagaland), in search of Kazi's love, Assi (Surja Bala Hijam). The film tracks the happenings during the journey & the events which led to Kazi taking up this jaunt. Though he had initially decided on embarking alone, his long time confidant & close buddy Suni sticks onto him just as he had done over the years & so begins their adventure on their mean machines. 

 Samir Tahir's credentials as a cinematographer is well documented but with "Chappa Kurish", he has shown that he has it in him to don the role of the director with ease. First & foremost, he has to be commended for his guts to try something different rather than resorting to the same old cliches. Secondly, he has packaged it really well with breath taking visuals by Girish Gangadharan & equally apt music by Rex Vijayan, both of which conveys more than dialogues. Hashir Mohammad has come up with a decent script but I felt it could have been a much better second half as it lags quite a bit & doesnt quite do justice to their hard work.

With each passing movie, Dulquer is slowly & steadily cementing his place in the industry with his own efforts. Over here as well, he has done a good job along with Sunny Wayne, who brings in the light moments with his witty one liners. The soul of the film is undoubtedly, the sizzling chemistry that the two share with each other. Surja Bala Hijam is a well known Manipuri actress, who has done a decent job along with Dhirtiman Chatterjee, Joy Mathew etc.

Verdict: Among the films which has released for this Eid, this is least likely to cater to the families. The collections of this film will depend entirely on the young crowd, but from what I see it should be able to make a mark. It will definitely spruce a new crop of bikers just as "Classmates" inspired a lot of reunions. In short, give it a try after all such different efforts needs to be complimented!!!

Rating: 3/5

Regards...Ben

Pullipulikalum Aattinkuttiyum review: "Families will flock albeit an average script!!!"

After three hits on the trot, Lal Jose is back with his latest venture "Pullipulikalum Aattinkutiyum" for this festive season. Inspite of a plethora of releases, there is no doubt that Lal Jose's credentials will ensure that it will garner an impressive initial. The promos showcases it to be a fun filled romantic entertainer with an interesting array of actors led by Chakochan. So will Lal Jose continue his golden run???

Chakattutharayil Gopan aka Chakka Gopan (Chackochan) is the youngest among four brothers who earns his livelihood from the houseboat that he maintains in the serene backwaters of Kuttanad. In order to further flourish his business, he acquires the services of Kaniakari Jayasree (Namitha Pramod), a talented dancer & before long they fall in love. Unfortunately for Gopan, each & every day was compounded with problems thanks to his loafer brothers. If Gopan was the cynosure of the villagers, his brothers were the embodiment of public ridicule who reveled in creating mayhem, the brunt of which was eventually borne by him. If that wasn't enough, he happened to rub the local wealthy landlord Kavalykal Kuriyachan (Shammi Thilakan) the wrong way. In short, how Gopan deals with all these issues forms the crux of the movie. 

Lal Jose is always known to make clean family entertainers & he doesnt disappoint this time as well. However, the same cannot be said about Sindhuraj's script which was average at best & if it wasnt for Lal Jose's execution...the film would have been a sitting duck. The film has a very predictable storyline with a reasonably humorous first half & a passable latter half. Though Vidyasagar's music wasn't quite upto the mark, S.Kumar deserves a pat on the back for his impressive visuals.

Chackochan has done a good job though I felt Dileep could have fared better maybe due to the uncanny similarity in the initial parts to "Marykundoru Kunjaadu". Namitha Pramod has done an impressive job along with Suraj, who finally got something different to perform. The pullipulikal essayed by Irshad, Joju & Shiju has done a decent job and was ably supported by Shammi Thilakan, Harisree Ashokan & the others.

Verdict:  Lal Jose's credentials & the fun filled promos will ensure that the film will garner a good initial. Actually in all probability, this will be the first choice for the families as it's a clean entertainer. From a personal point of view, the script is pretty average but Lal Jose's execution should render it to be a hit!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Chennai Express review: "Typical Rohit Shetty fare but with a sprinkling of EQ!!!"

Finally Eid is upon us & unlike the previous years, we have a SRK movie hitting the screens rather than Salman's. After the disappointing "Jab Tak Hai Jaan", SRK join hands with Rohit Shetty in the company of Deepika Padukone for "Chennai Express". The expectations are nigh high after all Rohit Shetty is the king of "no brainer entertainers" with an enviable track record. With the film already having an unprecedented wide release in 3500 screens in 10 different languages, it should have the records toppling left & right. Being not a great fan of Rohit's no brainers, I just hope it isnt the same old stuff. Hmm...let's see...

Rahul (Oh SRK, back to his favourite screen name for the umpteenth time) is entrusted to fulfill the last wishes of his grandfather to have his ashes immersed in Rameshwaram. Though he embarks on this journey with an alternate plan in mind, it all goes topsy turvy thanks to Meenamma (Deepika) who is being escorted back to her village in Tamil Nadu against her wishes for marriage by her cousin brothers. Meenamma hatches a get away plan with Rahul, but will they manage to escape from the clutches of her father??? 

Frankly speaking, I have never been a fan of Rohit Shetty films except for "Singham" which I enjoyed even more than the original. It's common knowledge that his brand of film making involves gravity defying stunts & brainless comedies...in short, a complete masala entertainer, which has a lot of takers as evidenced by the number of blockbusters he has to his name. Over here as well, the story isn't much different except that it's far more sensible than his other ventures. There are some genuinely hilarious scenes but quite a few were repeated which gets irritating after a point like the conversation conveyed through songs or the oft repeated "Dont underestimate..." dialogue. 

SRK has done an impressive job especially in the parts he makes mockery of himself, though there are quite a couple of scenes where he overacts. Deepika has done total justice to her role & stays toe to toe with the superstar. As opposed to Rohit's other films, the action sequences are quite minimal with the climax stunt being well choreographed. Vishal Shekhar's music rocked with "Titli" &"1234" being my personal favourites while Dudley's visuals were breathtaking at times.

Verdict: Pre-release hype, catchy music & unprecedented number of release centres will ensure that the film takes an earth shattering initial. In all probability, it will break all existing records & will be marching its way towards 200C in the long run. From a personal point of view, it's just about average but definitely better than the usual buffonery of Rohit's films!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Regards...Ben

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag review: "Farhan will sweep the awards!!!"

It's almost a fortnight since the Farhan starrer "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" has hit the screens & though I wasnt keen to write this review as it's too late for one...a couple of my friends coaxed me to do so. The question that everyone has is whether this was indeed a befitting tribute to Milkha Singh, the greatest athlete that our country has produced. Well as always there are mixed reactions to it & this is how I felt about the film.

1960 Rome Olympics, the finalists of the 400m has been called out & the person who garnered the maximum cheer was Milkha Singh (Farhan Akhtar)...after all he was the one of the favourites to win the gold following his World Record performance a couple of months back. But alas... it was not to be & to this day India's search for an elusive Olympic athletic medal continues. A couple of months passes by, before Milkha Singh is summoned by Nehru (Dilip Tahil) to lead an athletic contingent to Pakistan on the invitation of Pakistan President General Ayub Khan. But Milkha Singh denies to take up the honour & the authorities seeks the help of his coach, Guruji (Pawan Malhotra) to coax him to take up the challenge. What subsequently follows is a brief peek into the making of Milkha Singh through the narration of Guruji.

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is finally back after a hiatus of 4 years to calling the shots & must be hoping that he has churned out something far superior than the mediocre "Delhi 6". Well he has done a decent job with the help of Prasoon Joshi's writing skills...but it's nowhere near the benchmark that he had set with "Rang De Basanti". Most of the athletic sequences are grippingly shot which is amply supported by the BGM of Shankar Ehsaan Loy. However, an overdosage of melodramatic sequences & songs pretty much hampers the flow making it over run by almost half an hour. 

There is just one word to describe Farhan Akhtar's performance...BRILLIANT!!! He has done an outstanding job of getting into the skin of the character & even chiseled his torso and mannerisms to be as similar as possible to the legend. In all probability, he will sweep all the awards unless someone comes up with an inspired performance in the latter half of this year.  In addition, Divya Dutta, Pawan Malhotra & Yograj Singh (Yuvraj's dad) were equally impressive & has done total justice to their roles. Inspite of a small role, Sonam Kapoor also gets noticed.

Verdict: The film is far from perfect & there is no doubt that the length will act as a deterrent to many considering the fact that it doesnt necessarily add as much substance as expected. Though the box office collections arent as swift as the Flying Sikh, it's slowly gathering pace. Whatever it is, check it out for Farhan Akhtar!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

D-Day review: "Rishi & Co. rocks in this impressive espionage flick!!!"

Dawood Ibrahim, the most wanted terrorist of India has been fiercely pursued by our Government for years to no avail. So much so, his life has been fascinated to the extent that myths & folklores were being crafted. In recent years, Bollywood has been so fixated by him that movies inspired by his life has been churned out with surprising regularity be it "Company", "D Company" or "Once Upon a Time in Mumbai" The latest to join this bandwagon is Nikhil Advani's "D Day", whose promos & Rishi Kapoor's uncanny similarity to the Don has been the talk of the town.

Iqbal Seth aka Goldman (Rishi Kapoor), the most wanted terrorist of India is on his way to a 5 star hotel in Karachi to attend the wedding of his son. Inspite of foolproof security arrangements by the Pakistani authorities, the Indian undercover agents manages to wreck havoc at the venue but falls short of their plans. Their mission code named "Operation Goldman", the brainchild of RAW Chief Aswini Rao (Nassar) was to kidnap Iqbal Seth & bring him to justice in India. Considering the sensitive nature of the Indo-Pak relationship, the Indian authorities vehemently denies any covert activities in Karachi. In short, the Indian authorities washed their hands off their undercover agents. Without any support, can the team ever make it back to India with or without completion of their mission???

Nikhil Advani is always known to make safe movies with huge stars has taken a detour this time around, with a slicky action flick & sort the help of a set of talented yet uncommon mix of actors. Along with Ritesh Shah & Suresh Nair, he has come with a captivating script which draws inspiration from real life events as well. Equally impressive were the action sequences choreographed by Tom Struthers & Tushar Ray's visuals. Shankar Ehsaan Loy has done a praise worthy job with "Alvida" being the pick among the lot. Though the film has its own share of melodrama & predictable climax, there is no denying that it still makes for an enjoyable watch.

Frankly speaking, I am absolutely floored by Rishi Kapoor's performance. With each passing film he seems to be rediscovering himself & I am damn sure no one else could have done the role of the dreaded terorist with as much ease & flair. Irffan Khan's work doesnt need much description as he was equally fantastic playing the role of the family man & agent imparting a sense of vulnerability & grittiness at the same time. Arjun Rampal has come up with one of his best performances to date while Huma Qureshi inspite of a small role shows she is here to stay and Shruti Hasan impresses for once. 

Verdict: The gritty nature of the film & Ramzan season might not make it an overwhelming favourite at the box office. But the film is definitely bound to garner positive word of mouth which should do good for the film in multiplexes. In short, watch it for the fantastic performances!!!

Rating: 3.25/5

Regards...Ben

ABCD review: "Hilarious but with a shaky latter half!!!"

With the Anti Piracy cell & Producers' Association having taken a decision that Malayalam films wont be releasing in Bangalore on the same day as Kerala, it came as a huge blow to many including me. So that meant Malayalam releases has been far & few since the past one month.  Ever since Martin Prakkat's "ABCD" has hit the screens in Kerala, it has been garnering positive responses which increased my curiosity. Thankfully, it released here yesterday & hoping that it is able to satiate my expectations.

Johns (Dulquer Salman) & his cousin, Korah (Jacob Gregory) were rich spoilt brats born & brought up in US whose sole aims in life were to bust money & make merry. Things take a turn when they are sent packing to Kerala by Dr. Issac, John's dad (Lalu Alex) following a tiff with a couple of Negroes. What they believed to be a month long holiday in God's own country, was in fact Dr. Issac's plan to make them realize the value of money. So how will these brats deal with a life bereft of luxuries to which they were accustomed to???

After a dream debut with Mammookka in the blockbuster "Best Actor", Martin Prakkat is back to calling the shots with the legend's son in his latest venture. It wouldnt be prudent to accept the fact that Martin has yet again produced a winner thanks to a hilarious screenplay courtesy Sooraj Neeraj, Naveen Bhaskar & Martin himself. However, Sooraj's script was pretty shaky in the latter half and meanders without much purpose. It would have been much better off if they had made it crisper. As for other technical aspects, Jomon's visuals was impressive as always while Gopi Sundar's music was average at best though 'Johny mone Johny" rendered by Dulquer was catchy.

Dulquer was an absolute natural as Johns while Jacob Gregory was on absolute fire with his humorous one liners & mannerisms. A special mention also has to go the costume designer & hair stylist of Gregory which did impart the required impact. However, Gregory's accent wasnt quite upto the mark but then that could have been the reason why I felt it so funny. This film also marked the entry of theatre artist, Aparna Gopinath who was fantastic & should be the one to look out for in the future.  

Verdict:  In all probability, this should march its way to being a superhit thanks to the hilarious situations and combinations between Dulquer & Gregory which more or less makes up for the slackness in the latter half. In short, dont miss it & have a good laugh!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani review: "Cool rom com which will be lapped up by the youth!!!"

2013 is almost half way through & Bollywood hasn't had much of an encouraging start except for the surprise blockbuster in "Aashiqui 2". But the trade pundits are predicting that a blockbuster is just round the corner & by the looks of "Yeh Jaawani Hai Deewani", we might just have a winner. The promos looks hip & the pairing of Ranbir-Deepika are likely to generate attention considering their past; not to forget that the shots are called by the promising Ayan Mukherjee. So will it create a ruckus at the box office???

Naina (Deepika Padukone) is a medical student whose whole life has always been about devouring the books, to the extent that her life was as boring as batshit. That's when she bumps into her school-mate Aditi (Kalki Kochelin) & gets to know that she is off to Manali with her closest buddies Kabir & Avi (Aditya Roy). Kabir aka Bunny (Ranbir Kapoor) believes in living life to the fullest with no strings attached & his dream was to embark on a world wide tour. Naina has a blast with the three of them, little realizing that with time she would fall for Bunny, though they were like chalk & cheese. But will Bunny reciprocate her love???

Ayan Mukherjee had shown immense promise with "Wake up Sid" & he has definitely lived up to expectations with his latest venture. Though the script moves along predictable lines, it doesnt actually test our patience. As a matter of fact, the practicality of relationships is showcased pretty well...the details of which if I reveal here will be a spoiler. However, the film is a shade too long & would have better off if they had trimmed it. Pritam was on absolute fire with almost all the songs being top notch especially "Badtameez Dil"...not to forget the brilliant choreography of the former along with "Dilli Wala Girlfriend" & "Ghagra". Special mention also has to be given to Manikantan's visuals as it were picture perfect.

Ranbir Kapoor has been the toast of the industry since "Rockstar" released & he has once again shown that he is the best among the younger lot by more than a fair distance. Post "Cocktail", Deepika has honed her acting skills & she has done a decent job here. Kalki was the perfect choice for the tom-boyish character while Aditya has continued the good work of "Aashiqui 2".

Verdict: The film will take a thunderous opening & in all probability will breach the 100 crore club with ease. In short, give it a try if you love rom coms as it's definitely one of the best to have come out in that genre!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben