'Khoobsurat' is the remake of 'Khubsoorat' (1980), a family drama, well directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and very ably enacted by Rekha. Both these movies have some superfluous similarities - the name (with 'u' and 'oo' being swapped), the leading ladies Rekha and Sonam being the real life fashionistas, and hard core disciplinarian role essayed by Dina Pathak in the original and her daughter Ratna Pathak Shah in the remake. The original 'Khubsoorat' was the celebration of emergence of free spirited but downright loyal and homely lass of modern India who attempted to break through the strict and stifling family codes of the old world with her smile and chirp intact. It was a real world scenario and the masses very well identified with both the situation and the solution. Whereas the remake 'Khoobsurat' shows a gawky but urban working woman unable to merge in with the codes of the royals, but still managing to achieve success in her task at hand with her enthusiasm intact. It is a kind of dream world scenario and the masses will identify with the bits and pieces of the same. Dr. Milli Chakravarty (Sonam Kapoor) is a visiting physiotherapist at the mansion of the Rathores, one of the Rajasthan royals. Along with a train of staff, the mansion occupies the wheel chair bound family head aka Milli's patient (Aamir Raza Hussain), his boisterous, business savvy and disciplinarian wife, Nirmala Devi (Ratna Pathak Shah), his handsome and workaholic son Vikram (Fawad Afzal Khan) and his underage daughter (read seventeen) who nurses secret acting aspirations. Milli is gawky and free spirited, wears unmatched outfits, eats with hand and noise, stumbles every now and then, and video chats for all her big and small problems with her equally eccentric mother Manju (Kirron Kher), whom is refers as 'Manju' only! Everyone is courteous and patient with her. But she is trapped in a hostile environment - where her patient shows no wish or effort in getting well, Nirmala Devi's disdain towards her presence is quite apparent and the handsome son thinks of her as 'aafat' (problem). As expected, Milli finds her way around the place, reignites the passion for life in her patient and also manages to flutter Vikram's heart. This is the first Disney Bollywood flick and it has total Disney world feel - larger than life setting, beautiful people, gentle comic approach and no real villain. But the movie also lacks well researched characterization and depth. The protagonist's wardrobe is color fanatic, so much so that, by the time the movie ends, you actually cannot differentiate one color from the other! With father and sister being the co-producers (Anil Kapoor and Rhea Kapoor), Sonam Kapoor is handled with utmost respect by the hero as well as the chanced upon villains! Sonam Kapoor has given an OTT (over the top) performance. It's quite in your face. But still its somewhere better than her other flicks. Fawad Afzal Khan is a famous Pakistani singer and TV & movie actor. This is his Bollywood debut. With his chiseled good looks and baritone voice, he very well suits the character and has performed well. One looks forward to see his performance driven flick. Ratna Pathak Shah looks immaculate like ever. You expect her to be the lady with the iron fist. But she comes across as the one with strong head but broken will. And you get confused because you cannot really understand if it's successful enactment of a complex character or stepping away from the character. Kirron Kher has become a pro in playing a OTT Punjabi mother. Still, she could have adorned a little less of the countless oxide jewelries. Aditi Rao Hyadari plays a cameo (Vikram's girlfriend) and looks very royal. The director Shashanka Ghosh is known for well directing small budget eccentric flicks. You miss the expected eccentricity here. Music is OK. 'Engine ki ceeti' track is good and catchy. All in all, it's a simple flick, best to be seen with tinted glasses and not much logic. Last but not the least, when Milli comes to confront her patient in the garden, her earrings magically change.

'Happy Ending' is like an age old and time tested multi course meal served in a new diner which calls out the name and necessity (also read as state-of-no choice) of each course before serving the same. It seems as if the sellers don't really believe in their wares, but end up offering the same (albeit packaged differently) acting on the law of demand and supply. But neither do they fulfill the buyer's expectation, nor is their new packaging attractive enough to hold the buyer's interest! Yudi Jaitley (Saif Ali Khan) is a USA based 'one book wonder' writer and a casanova. He is phobic of love/marriage and has thus indulged into a trail of shallow relationships with the opposite gender. He likes to enjoy his relationships without any strings attached. So, the moment a girl utters the quintessential 'I love you', he mumbles and fumbles, but never reciprocates the same. Only two steady relationships of his life are Montu (Ranvir Shorey), his long time BFF and Divya (Preity Zinta), his ex GF, the one he actually loved. Both are married. Yudi also has a paunchy, beardy, bespectacled, shorts clad and ever-eating alter ego Yogi who forecasts the impending turn of events. Yudi's free spirited lifestyle and the state of no new publication since five and a half years, result into his bankruptcy. While scouting for new assignment, he witnesses a rival writer, Aanchal Reddy (Ileana D'Cruz) gaining momentum with his publisher. As expected, in due course of time, their rivalry gives way to attraction and companionship. But this time, the tables are turned. And Yudi is the one who utters the magical three words in vain! Alongside, Armaan (Govinda), an aging actor visits USA for dual purpose. First - to avail the top notch cosmetic surgery to attain a younger face and toned up body (read six-pack), and Second - to approach Yudi to pen down a highly inspired (read copying from a plethora of hit movies) rom-com that will change Armaan's status from a single screen actor to a multiplex actor. And yes, there is also the nutcase Vishakha (Kalki Koechlin), Yogi's dentist, who is in love with Yogi and too mesmerized to break up with him, in spite of him repeatedly trying to do the same! As per the movie title, the protagonist is expected to avail happiness aka success in both love and career. And the movie progresses on the similar lines. The movie has a story, but its execution is not up to the mark. It is a classic case of casting gone wrong. Also, in spite of good effort, there is no chemistry between the lead actors. Preity Zinta just plays a cameo in the film and surprisingly there is perfect chemistry between Saif and Preity. Alter ego concept could have been made so much interesting, but it comes out as plain vanilla. Saif has been a pro in playing such roles. But the well settled real life mid forties 'nawab' with his diva like new wife, grown up kids and estates galore, can no more look or act like a playboy. Music is average and a bevy of singers have been used. The track 'G Phaad Ke' will be a hit amongst the disc goers. Cinematography has well covered the west coast of America. Saif looks charming and is good with comedy. Ileana has acted well. She looks stylish and confidant, in fact a little too confidant. Kalki appears like a psycho in love. Whether the role demanded the same, or it was her style of execution, its debatable. Ranvir and Shivani are OK. Its Preity, who doesn't try too hard and still brings the life in the couple of scenes that she is in. Govinda is especially good with his action-reactions and dancing. While dancing, he simply captures the screen. But you do miss the 'connection' that he had with his co actors in all of his earlier films. Call it computer wizardry or something else, but the scene towards the end where Govinda appears with a much younger face, six pack abs etc. is a pleasant surprise.

Producer - director team of Vidhu Vinod Chopra - Rajkumar Hirani is known to belt out brilliant movies that impart social message with humor and old world romance. And 'PK' is this duo's latest offering. Herein, the social message is very much on the lines of 'OMG - Oh My God', but the treatment of the subject is very unique and different. Jagat Janani aka Jaggu (Anushka Sharma), a budding New Delhi TV journalist, in her perennial quest for scoop or 'breaking news' stumbles across P.K. (Aamir Khan), who is highly weird, amusing and different in his attire, walk and talk. In the recent past, Jaggu's heart has been broken by Sarfaraz (Sushant Singh Rajput), who apparently left her at the altar! Jaggu first spots P.K. while he is distributing pamphlets for missing persons, only the names and photos of the missing persons are those of different Hindu deities (Lakshmi, Ganesh, Shiv etc.)! Out of curiosity and professional interest, she trails and observes P.K. And she realizes that P.K.'s expectation and understanding of the environment around him is very different from that of a normal human being. It's stupid, humors law and at times also causes embarrassment. But it's definitely not illogical. P.K. is also on a one track quest of his usurped belonging. With his never say die attitude, he is continuously learning, adapting and devising new ways to accelerate his quest. But his unconventional methods, often land him into trouble. During her following up, Jaggu witnesses one such crisis and lends a genuine helping hand, thereby winning P.K.'s trust. Upon askance, he readily agrees to tell her more about himself and obliges, which leaves Jaggu confused and bewildered. Initially, she brushes off his tale as absurd and fake. But further probe into the matter, establishes the fact that P.K. is actually an alien from a far off planet who is stuck on Earth because his remote control was forcefully taken from him in Bhiwandi region! Bhairon Singh (Sanjay Dutt) of Bhiwandi told him that his usurped remote control will be sold in a big city like Delhi, which prompted him to come to the city. Apparently this alien species looks exactly like humans, except for their protruding ears and walking style. Also, in their own planet, they neither wear clothes, nor are required to speak, as they are advanced enough to know the mind, just by holding each other's hands! For some reason, this precious and big locket like remote control is found in the possession of Tapasvi ji (Saurabh Shukla), an acclaimed guru, who propagates it to be a broken end of Lord Shiva's musical instrument i.e. 'damru'! Tapasvi ji is known for his direct connection with God. Devotees flock his meetings to tell him their problems, to which he provides solutions after discussion with God! Coincidentally Jaggu and her boss Cherry (Boman Irani) also have their individual personal scores to settle with Tapasvi ji. Thus, Jaggu convinces Cherry and using the power of media and logical oration of P.K., devices a plan that will bring to light the fakeness of Tapasvi ji and also enable P.K.'s return to his planet. 'PK' is a brilliant movie with an amazing script. The whole ruckus of myriad relegions and self appointed religious managers aka God men has been questioned from the view point of an alien, who is like a blank canvas with no prior understanding or reflex of the human race. And when this canvas is exposed to a series of brush strokes carrying different colors, pressures and stroke styles, he needs to attach a unique purpose to each type of brush stroke. Whenever there is a breach in this uniqueness, he gets confused, and whenever the result is illogical, he questions the stroke itself! His confusion and questions seem bizarre, but are in fact very logical. In fact, due to years of wrong practice, we humans have unnecessarily got tuned to absurd practices. God is one, but we have divided Him into a number of relegions. God is to be loved, but we have associated Him with fear. God is same for everyone, but we seek God men to feel closer to God! The movie also highlights the fact that the original purpose of clothing and speech has been lost upon the humans. They were simply meant to protect against the weather and provide a medium of expression. Instead, they are being used to create myriad sects and spread aggression and lies. A civilization sans these provisions may actually be superior and better, like that of P.K.'s planet! The beauty of the movie lies in its simplicity. It doesn't cater to any burning social issue or condemns any social practice. It simply questions and expresses amusement over conflicting practices and ready subservience of the human race. The overall feel is of humor and amazement. Bhojpuri language was never better used in a Bollywood movie. Usage of words like 'gola' (planet) and 'lool' (meaningless) are bound to bring smile on the viewer's lips. Songs are situation based. The track 'Tharki chokro' has a nice rustic flavor and is also well picturized. Casting is also appropriate. However, wherein the past productions (Munna Bhai MBBS, Lage Raho Munna Bhai,3 Idiots) of the makers of this movie have successfully focused upon a single issue, herein you get confused, whether the focus of the movie is diverse relegions or God men. Aamir Khan as usual is brilliant. He is like Tom Hanks of Bollywood. Every new performance of his is a refreshing surprise. No one else can enact P.K. like him. In his own head, he understands the pulse of the character and develops the required persona and body language, complete with small nuances. Can anyone believe that such a young, innocent and gleeful looking character is actually an actor nearing fifty! Except for her daffy duck lips (no thanks to cosmetics), Anushka Sharma with her good height and flawless complexion, looks like a million bucks. She has also acted well and managed to hold her own opposite Aamir Khan. Sushant Singh Rajput is also a revelation in his small role. He has well matched the effervescence of Anushka. In fact, his dialogue delivery is better than many experienced actors. Saurabh Shukla, Parikshit Sahni and others have also acted well. Last but not the least, in this movie, the heroine is considerably taller than the hero, and the movie is devoid of any attempt to camouflage the same. This is very much evident in the 'stress removal dance' performed by the lead pair. The dance is beautiful, but more beautiful is the journey of Indian cinema, where now the hero no more needs to be the taller one.

For both its director and lead actor, 'Baby' is the third super-sixer in their respective hat-trick of movies. Back to back direction of 'A Wednesday', 'Special 26' and 'Baby', clearly makes the young, dynamic and three films old director, Neeraj Pandey, a pro in terrorist based or equivalent thrillers. Similarly, power packed performance by Akshay Kumar in 'Special 26', 'Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty' and 'Baby' transition him successfully from a 'romancing, dancing, fighting Punjabi puttar' to a no-non sense, well trained and ever vigilant intelligence officer. Bye bye leading ladies. This macho man is now past your 'nakhras and jhatkas'! Implementing the saying, 'Precaution is better than cure', post 26/11 (terror attacks in Mumbai), a Covert Counter Intelligence Unit is crafted, so as to nip the terror attacks in their budding stage, as well as to prevent their execution at any cost. Before making anything permanent or glorified, a five year trial period is granted to this Unit, and hence its termed 'Baby'. The movie 'Baby' showcases the final and fifth year of the Unit 'Baby', when only five of its officers are still alive! The Unit is headed by Feroze Ali Khan (Danny Denzongpa) and chiefly enacted by agile and fearless counter espionage agent, Ajay Singh Rajput (Akshay Kumar), along with his team mates, which include - hulk-like Jai Singh Rathore (Rana Daggubati), comical and brainy computer whiz, Om Prakash Shukla (Anupam Kher), and docile looking but fearsome in fighting, Priya Suryavanshi (Taapsee Pannu). The movie goes on to show, how these special agents travel far and wide (read Istanbul, Delhi, Mumbai, Kathmandu and Abu Dhabi), following their clues, collecting their targets, and last but not the least, preventing the terror attacks, ranging from bomb explosion in a mall, to that in multiple cities. All throughout, these agents are on their own, without any kind of diplomatic immunity or direct government aid. Their family life is highly unpredictable and their lives are in constant danger of termination as well as gruesome torture. In case of being assassinated, the government will never recognize them. If required, they have to be prepared to leave in lurch, or even kill their own teammate! In spite of knowing all these facts, these unsung heroes readily do, what they need to do, to protect their country and countrymen. The best thing about the movie is its non-stop pulsating rhythm. From the onset, till the end, it keeps you glued to the screen. Throughout, you are curious to know what happens next. And this is no mean feat to achieve. Neeraj Pandey deserves full points for achieving this. The film does not cater to a new subject, but the screenplay and adaptation is good. Background music, cinematography, production design, editing and casting are apt. Thankfully, the movie has only two soundtracks, each of which appear twice. They are - 'Beparwah', which establishes the mood of the movie, and 'Main tujhse pyar nahin karti', which is good to hear and see, but could have been avoided. First half of the movie creates the platform, and the second half depicts the execution of the mega counter espionage act. At the end of the movie, rolling credits are shown along with Esha Gupta's item number. However, the movie is mostly on the lines of 'the diary of a counter espionage agent', meaning to say, that it is made from the perception of an intelligence officer, rather than the perception of a common man. So, it does not cater to the actions-reactions of country men in the event of occurrence or seize of a terror attack. Thus, unless you survive on heavy dosage of international fiction thrillers via books/serials/movies, you will most probably enjoy the vintage wine, simply for its distinct taste and without any realization of its vintage quality! Akshay Kumar lives and breathes his role, even in the scanty family based scenes. He sleep walks his role sans any glam-sham and kind of carries alone the first half of the movie. Rana Daggubati has a powerful muscular presence. Anupam Kher brings the much needed comic relief. But it is Taapsee Pannu, that totally takes you by surprise in her small but very effective appearance. She beautifully carries off a long hand-to-hand combat scene with the terrorist Waseem Khan (Sushant Singh). Her natural and lethal performance, very much remind you of Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) from the American soap 'The Americans'. In fact, in this film, Taapsee even resembles a lot like Keri. One cannot say if it is mere coincidence or the basic fact behind her getting this role. Madhurima Tuli as Akshay's wife shows a lot of resilience in her performance. Kay Kay Menon and Jameel Khan are expectantly good as Bilal Khan, the chief executioner of terror attacks, and Taufeeq, the ISI agent who stays hidden amongst Indian Muslims, respectively. Pakistani actors Rashid Khan as Maulana Mohammed Rehman, the terrorist leader, and Mikaal Zulfiqar as Ashfaq, the Unit's Abu Dhabi based asset, have also performed well. The former has good control over dialect and the latter can give many a models a run for their money. The actor who plays the role of Abu Dhabi based intelligence officer is pretty charismatic in his persona. Congratulations to Neeraj Pandey for forming a successful team, which is successfully carving out meaningful and well researched hits.

Every time you shake and look through a kaleidoscope, you see a different and beautiful pattern. Thus, in general, you repeat the process a few times and pamper your visual senses. But, if the repeat mode exceeds the required loop, will your visuals be still as entertaining? Will your mind, still absorb the beauty or register the differences between two successive formations? 'Shamitabh', the movie, is a brand new and excellent concept, captured by an excellent team, with an amazing first half, but half baked and mindless iterations in the second half, and an unnecessary sad ending. Danish (Dhanush) is a born dumb but not deaf Maharashtrian lad from Igatpuri. Since childhood, cinema is everything to him, and his only dream and ambition in life is to become a big Bollywood hero. Ironically, though his handicap in no way barricades his favorite activity i.e. watching any cinema on any medium, it definitely acts as a stone wall for fulfilling his dream. And this is exactly what he realizes after coming to Mumbai, post his mother's death. Soon, Akshara (Akshara Hassan), a young and feisty assistant director, enters his life as the fairy Godmother. She not only realizes his potential, but also provides the means to showcase the same. She introduces him to a new Finland based technology, wherein implantation of a microchip in Danish's throat and wearing of Bluetooth type ear-devices by both Danish and an actual speaker, and coordinated speaking by the speaker and lip syncing by Danish, will make appear, as if the voice is coming from the latter's throat! It does not need saying that, as of now, this technology is a fiction. Post the implantation, the duo's search for the right speaker ends at Robert aka Amitabh Sinha (Amitabh Bachchan), a drunk old man with loads of attitude, but a strong baritone voice. Ironically, around forty years back, Robert himself could not make it big as an actor, as the film industry found his voice unsuitable! Together, Danish and Amitabh create 'Shamitabh' i.e. Danish's screen name and presence. Akshara plays the able moderator between them, as well as between them and their first director. Together the 'Shamitabh' duo touch an altogether new height in the film world, till their day-to-day minor bickering, take the form of gigantic ego clash, wherein the voiceless actor and faceless speaker, refuse to abide by or bow down to each other, with each striving to become the primary beneficiary of new impounding limelight and recognition. Surprisingly, none of them is bothered about the money part. It is left to see, who will win out of the two and what has fate got stored for both of them. By sixty, most actors, either retire or shift from main leads to character roles. Thanks, to R. Balki, Amitabh Bachchan is still playing the main lead, and that too with dignified success (Cheeni Kum, Paa). By now, the director, R. Balakrishnan aka Balki is very well versed with Amitabh's physical and theatrical extravaganzas and limitations, and he has used this knowledge to the 'T'. Hats off to him, for working on a super fresh and unusual script and carving out an interesting outcome out of it. But, since he is an ad man (Chairman & CCO of ad agency Lowe Lintas) by first profession, he has vastly used his movie canvas as ad films for products and services, like - Lifebuoy, Amazon etc. It may be a smart financial move, but such, on the face, advertisements cannot go down well with serious movie enthusiasts. Latter half of the movie, focuses a lot on ego clash. Unfortunately, to support the same, neither Danish appears thanklessly robust, nor Robert seems the one with the unfair deal. Also, with his impeccable reputation, international recognition and designer clad appearances, it's a tad bit difficult to imagine Amitabh Bachchan thriving and kicking for recognition! Both of Balki's earlier movies were unusual, well appreciated and both showcased a demise towards the end. This one follows the same trait. Now, whether this is done to maintain the so-called superstition for hit movies, or, to appeal better at international film festivals, unlike his previous movies, this one does not create the aura of hope and good life towards the end. The movie has six songs and cameo appearances by various celebrated personalities of Bollywood, including Rekha! 'Sha sha sha mi mi mi' and 'Piddly Si Baatein' tracks are nice. The latter is voiced by Amitabh Bachchan himself and its picturization is full five minutes of toilet humor! Barring, Amitabh's performance, the remaining movie transcends considerable dosage of South Indian sensibility. The movie also draws a lot of similes from its lead actor's lives. Like rejection of Amitabh Sinha for his voice vs. Rejection of Amitabh Bachchan for his voice, by All India Radio; Danish working as a bus conductor before becoming a hero vs. Dhanush's father-in-law aka superstar Rajnikanth practicing the same; etc. Art Direction is very good. Whether it is the swank new and themed urban apartment of Danish, or graveyard situated and rupees five hundred rented dump of Robert, there is distinct beauty and harmony in both the establishments. Amitabh Bachchan is superb in soliloquy, as well as action-reaction scenes. Crossing seventy and with evident wrinkles, this great personality still manages to look quite a debonair, even when he is dressed in rags. In this film, arrogance, mirth, humor, nonchalance, despair, going into oblivion, and every other possible shades of emotion have been rolled into one and only Amitabh Bachchan. Dhanush, is again a different shade card with his own rich plethora of different shades. He simply stands out in the scenes, wherein he emotes frustrated arrogance, and that too in a speechless mode. Not for a single second, you as an audience will happen to miss the voice of his dumb character! Managing to stand tall in front of Amitabh is no mean feat, and Dhanush has successfully achieved that. Akshara, the debutante, appears a combination of Riya Sen and Kareena Kapoor, from their respective debut movies. She looks very young, boyish, genuine and strong minded. However, she will be required to work over her South Indian dialect. Rest of the cast is good as well. In addition to, such great concept and execution, only if there was more humor, less altercations, and that too packed in lesser duration, the movie would have emblazed on an altogether different level.

'Tanu Weds Manu Returns' is the sequel of 'Tanu Weds Manu' (2011). The sequel is a logical continuation of its prequel, and also an independent and entertaining film in itself. With around four years gap in between, but almost the same cast and crew, and similar town type comic sensibility, two major differences noteworthy in the sequel are - a much more confidant and polished Kangana Ranaut and a much rounder (obese) R. Madhavan. The prequel ended with the protagonists' marriage in Kanpur and the sequel starts with their marriage counseling in London. Tanuja aka Tanu (Kangana Ranaut) feels utterly lonely in suburban London housing and desperately seeks the 'fun and spark' of earlier romance, while Manu (R. Madhavan) considers his role of 'provider' of the family as task enough, and is considerably irritated by the naggings of his four year old wife. Counseling gets heated and Manu's impromptu act of violence results into his detention in the mental rehabilitation facility. After sometime, bizarre as Tanu is, she returns to her parental abode in Kanpur. Prior to this, she informs Pappi (Deepak Dobriyal), Manu's Delhi based best friend, to fly off to London and get him released! In Kanpur, Tanu is as stylish and robust as before. However, she is highly disillusioned with the institute of marriage, and is indulgent to all her suitors, both ex and present, which include - Deepak, a friend turned rickshaw puller; Chintu (Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyun), her father's non-paying tenant and law student; and Raja Awasthi (Jimmy Shergill), Tanu's goon type ex-lover turned building contractor. Pappi releases Manu and brings him back to his parent's house in Delhi. A disgruntled Manu sends a divorce message to Tanu, which is eventually replied by a divorce notice. The reply is masterminded by Chintu without Tanu's approval. While in Delhi, Manu spots Kusum Sangwan aka Datto (Kangana Ranaut), a Haryanvi student-athlete and look alike of Tanu. With some initial hurdles, they fall in love and decide to get married. Coincidently, an arranged marriage is already on the cards between Kusum and Raja Awasthi! The film then goes through various twists and turns, ultimately giving in to the Bollywood style righteous action. The movie is well written and directed. Its comical in nature and draws some serious laughs now and then, which is quite an achievement. Kangana is a revelation, especially as Kusum. She successfully creates a clear demarcation between Tanu and Kusum - in appearance, body language and dialogue delivery. Never before, the Indian screen has witnessed such an excellent take on double role. Her Haryanvi student-athlete impersonation - with bucked teeth, matter of fact and asexual attitude, pride for being a state level athlete, and last but not the least, super wide and honest eyes, is simply superb. Till now, the only other actor who has perfectly played a Haryanvi is Randeep Hooda ('Highway'), but then, he actually hails from Haryana. Deepak Dobriyal is excellent in his comic timing, and brings about most of the laughing roars. R. Madhavan, as usual, has well played the role of being subdued and well educated. Jimmy Shergill and Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub have also acted very well. With time, Jimmy has been able to carve out a kind of magnetic screen presence. He has come a long way from 'Mohabbatein'. Rest of the cast has relatively miniscule role. But they have also acted well. Music is average. In the movie, the storyline travels from London to Kanpur and Delhi, then to Chandigarh, and then finally to Jhajjar, thereby depicting a wide range of sensibility, ranging from that of an international metro to Indian metro, small city, and town. Be it set design, apparels or supporting caricatures, the right flavor has been maintained throughout the movie.

Anurag Kashyap's 'Gangs of Wasseypur' saga reaches its closure with 'Bombay Velvet'. While the former dealt with the rural terrain of newly independent India, the latter deals with the mother of Indian urban terrain aka Mumbai, or Bombay, as it was called in those days. Both the movies, more or less, have the same outline - new India with new policies and vast untapped potential; cartel of politicians, police, gangsters etc. striving for the largest chunk, power strife amongst men of power and ambition; rags to riches climb of ruthless and determined protagonist; and his vulnerable moments with his lady love. In fact, in both the movies, before taking his last breath, the protagonist guns down his foes like a driven maniac! However, in spite of the aforesaid similarities, the backdrop, narration, casting and overall sentiment is quite different in these movies. In 1949, Balraj (Ranbir Kapoor) and Chiman (Satyadeep Misra) arrive at Bombay as kids. They come across each other, and end up becoming lifetime friends and partners in crime. They are street smart, self taught in the ways of the city and dream of making it big. Their prayers are answered in the form of Kaizad Khambatta (Karan Johar), who employs them, rechristens Balraj as Johnny and adds the required moolahs and style into their lives. On the surface, they are the managers of Khambatta's brand new and high end club, 'Bombay Velvet', but in reality they are the executioners of all his dirty works (read blackmailing, kidnapping, murder). Khambatta uses his club to hold meetings with the high and mighty, like - the mayor, Romi Mehta (Siddharth Bas) to execute vast land deals that will yield gold after Bombay's Reclamation. He also runs the paper 'The Torrent' and uses his wife (Shaanti) to seduce and catch his foes off guard! Jimmy Mistry (Manish Choudhary) is Khambatta's arch rival, who runs his own paper and is against such closed door capitalistic deals. He is on his own mission to divulge the misgivings of Khambatta and company. He is also rich and efficient and considers himself a follower of Communism. Rosie (Anushka Sharma), an aspiring jazz singer with abused Goan (Portuguese ruled) past reaches Bombay and travels the clichéd path of - semi nude photo shoots, small time bar singer, mistress (of Jimmy Mistry), and ultimately the cherished lady love (of Johnny) and celebrated jazz singer of a high end club (Bombay Velvet). In a bid to make use, Johnny's immense liking for Rosie, Jimmy sends her to Johnny, to gather a game changing evidence. Instead, they end up becoming two youthful and passionate lovers. Alongside, Johnny becomes, more ambitious and is not satisfied with just managing the club. Instead he seeks a slice of Khambatta's real estate deals! This turns the cartel of high and mighty against him, leading to the onset of a cat-and-mouse game, which leads to Rosie's fake death and investigation of the same by Inspector Kulkarni (Kay Kay Menon), a detective. Set design and Ranbir Kapoor are the two best things about this movie. The former shows immense r&d and immaculate detailing, and the latter has made full use of his acting genes, intelligence and histrionics to sink his teeth deep into the character. Its impossible to think that he is the same guy who played the couch potato in 'Wake Up Sid'. Throughout the movie, both by his body language and dialogue delivery, Ranbir exudes a sense of earnestness, which is a treat to watch. Anushka Sharma looks tall and elegant and surreal till she plays docile and silent. Her dialogue delivery is same as all her other movies, as well as TV appearances! She wears an enviable collection of larger than life gowns with immaculate jewelry, make-up and hair-do. In some of the initial frames, this hero heroine duo does remind you of Raj Kapoor and Nadira! Apparently, Karan Johar has acted pretty well. But his non-stop reality TV show appearances displaying his real life fun loving personality loom so large in your head, that you somewhere fail to connect with his on-screen character. Satyadeep Misra has acted very well. His understated acting is very precise. Raveena Tandon Thadani appears twice as the lead club singer and takes care of the required style quotient pretty well. Manish Choudhary, Kay Kay Menon and others have also acted well. Cinematography is very good. Music is good. Screenplay has some loop holes, which could have been taken care of. The movie is based on historian Gyan Prakash's book 'Mumbai Fables'. P.S.: A yesteryear pairing that comes to one's mind, that would have done full justice to this movie, is that of Amitabh Bachchan and Parveen Babi.

For unperturbed existence, a society requires steadiness, which requires discipline, which gives birth to a list of dos and don’ts, which become unnecessary rigid and complex with time, as people start misusing them to suit their personal objectives and/or hide their personal shortcomings. Resultantly, these so called social rules and diktats give way to a perturbed society, which functions like a robot i.e. without any heart. Life becomes all about never ending materialistic gains, small time personal goals and jazzy & fake public appearances, whereas, it should be about strong and giving relationships, unconditional personal freedom and eternal true love. This is what the movie urges via both it’s screenplay and title ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’, meaning to say that the society needs to switch from the dead beat robot mode to the heart beating human mode. Kamal Mehra (Anil Kapoor), a Delhi based business magnate, decides to celebrate his 30th wedding anniversary with full grandeur, on a cruise ship to Greece and Turkey, along with his family, friends and business associates. And thus, the luxury ship is boarded by him, his wife Neelam (Shefali Shah), son Kabir (Ranveer Singh), daughter Ayesha (Priyanka Chopra), her husband (Rahul Bose) and mother-in-law (Zarina Wahab). They are accompanied by - Kamal’s younger brother’s family, Kamal’s company manager, Neelam’s full-of-gossip girlfriends and others. As expected, all host appearances are fake and they gradually unravel. Beneath the champagne glasses, lavish buffets and content Mehras, lie – a bankrupt Kamal, who pops pills even to digest the cruise’s lavish bills, a lonely and on-the-edge Neelam, a trapped in unhappy marriage Ayesha and a confused Kabir, who is highly expected to, but has zero interest and ability to take up his father’s business! Sood (Parmeet Sethi) and family were earlier uninvited, as they happen to be family foes with one of Mehra’s existing guests on the cruise. But if Sood’s left-at-the-altar daughter (Ridhima Sud) gets engaged with Kabir, then Sood will not think twice before investing in Mehra’s sinking company, thereby making it profitable. What better way than a cruise to let the two kids meet and gel? Keeping this in mind, the last minute invitations were sent to the Soods. However, Sood’s daughter ends up falling in love with the aforesaid family foes’s son (Vikrant Massey)! Kabir, the supposedly trump-card son ends up falling in love with Farah Ali (Anushka Shetty), the lead dancer of a dance group on the cruise! Kamal’s company manager’s son, Sunny Gill (Farhan Akhtar) joins them midway, and he turns out to be Ayesha’s ex-flame (re-kindled)! In short, gradually things get topsy turvey for conservative and upper class Kamal and Neelam Mehra, whose prime objective in life is to appear prosperous and well settled in the eyes of the society. The movie gradually unfolds myriad confusions, confrontations and eventually right actions. ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ is a wisely made movie, depicting the problems and dilemmas of the Indian upper class, with the backdrop of a cruise liner and a comical approach. This saves the film from being corny and boring. Ugly lines of frustration are well hidden by well toned bodies, designer wear and smart dialogues. It’s an effective satire on – gender bias, social ridicules in the name of culture, and, use of children as business deal bait. Like – post marriage, Ayesha sold her jewels to start an online portal ‘Musafir’, and turned it into a successful mega operation. But still she is discouraged from doing business talks at the food table by her mother-in-law. Her husband feels elated that he has ‘allowed’ her to do her own business. Her father is dismissive about her achievement. Rather, he waits for the day when she will make him a grandfather; the Mehra couple blast their children for seeking/supporting divorce. They term them uncultured, while Kamal Mehra’s infidelity trips in the garb of business trips are quite an open secret, and his wife still chooses to stay with him, simply because she has nowhere else to go; and, Kabir is pressurized to get a scene going with Sood’s daughter, so as to revive the family business. By now it’s well established that, the Zoya-Reema duo’s cinematic offering is sure to be heartfelt, original and well crafted, very much like a la Aamir Khan, who also happens to have lent his voice to the narrator of the movie, Pluto Mehra, the pet dog. They duo were pretty good with their last and second film (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara), but they are brilliant with their current and third endeavor. While the former could only touch base with the upper class metro youth, the latter touches the Indian pulse. Zoya Akhtar, the director captures the settings and emotion of upper class urban India, like Anurag Kashyap does the same with rustic rural India (Gangs Of Wasseypur). Also, she well handles the presence of multi star and supporting cast. This is one of the best roles essayed by Anil Kapoor till date. He lives and breathes the role of a super rich business class Punjabi family patriarch. His appearance, dialogue delivery, pauses, and reactions are just perfect. The scene in which he stands up for his daughter and catches Rahul Bose by the neck, requires years of acting and passion for acting. Shefali Shah has matched him very well. Be it anger, frustration, or curt wife-type responses, she is bang-on in all the scenes. A steely scene between Priyanka and herself, enacted at a ‘hamam’ (Turkish bathhouse), is again a difficult one to crack. In the movie, Priyanka has the best defined character. In most of the scenes, she is required to play the submissive one, and she has played that well. It’s a welcome change from the usual robust and hero like Priyanka. Ranveer Singh is very natural and brings most of the comic relief. His pun filled soliloquy after a vomit scene is a treat to watch. Priyanka and Ranveer look very natural as brother and sister. Anushka Sharma has an extended cameo. Out of the three songs, she performs cabaret-cum-ballet dance on one, an impromptu jig on another, and shines in both. In fact in the former number, her body language, kind of reminds you of Catherine Zeta-Jones in ‘Chicago’ (2002). It’s a difficult dance that requires lot of speed and abundant grace, and she has managed to strike the right balance. Rahul Bose has a small role. For a change, he has also attempted quite opposite of what he has played till date i.e. the middle class submissive metro guy. Here, his character is rich, rigid and conservative. Almost everyone has looked well and acted well. Costume Designing is quite in tune with the characterizations. Casting is also apt. There is striking feature resemblance between Shefali & Priyanka and Anil & Ranveer. Cinematography is also good. There are lot of aerial angles, which well capture the Mediterranean sea region and charming Turkish locales. Last but not the least, it’s an almost three hour long movie, and you don’t feel bored for a single minute. This really calls for a round of champagne.

'Finding Fanny' is like one of those medium paced Mexican flicks, that invariably contain - rural setting with old and unkempt style housings surrounded with nature, an unassuming village lass oozing with passion and sexuality, liquor influenced scenes, unconventional characterization of leading characters and a simple story, which will neither make your heart loose a beat, nor make your mind wander elsewhere. The movie is based in Pocolim, an obscure Goan village with no presence on the map. It's a quaint and non happening village, with such dull routine that, when their old postman, Ferdie (Naseeruddin Shah) decides to embark on a road trip to find his long lost love Stefanie Fernandes (Anjali Gupta) aka Fanny, he is invariably joined in by four other villagers on one pretext or the other! The movie opens with Ferdie receiving a return mail, which was actually his love declaration to the woman of his dreams, Fanny. This declaration was mailed forty six years before, and in the event of receiving no reply, Ferdie had been since living the life of rejection and solitude! The mere realization that such a life was lead in vain makes him utterly miserable and depressed. His good friend Angie (Deepika Padukone), the youthful virgin widow advises him to at least find his lost love and know her sentiments, so as to bring a closure to his questioning state of mind. She decides to accompany and arrange for his trip. And thus, another young but bitter villager Savio Da Gama (Arjun Kapoor), a recent Mumbai returned, is roped in because he knows driving and car repair. Don Pedro Cleto Colaco (Pankaj Kapur), a visiting painter with a roving eye and artistic musings for extra curvaceous women is also roped in, so as to use his car as the vehicle in the road trip. Angie's mother-in-law and mother to the deceased Joffrey (Ranveer Singh), Rosie Eucharistica (Dimple Kapadia), the self proclaimed first lady of the village, accompanies the foursome to simply ensure the safety of her daughter-in-law! On the front, it is an expedition to bring peace to the soul of a fellow villager, but in actuality all the co-passengers see the journey as an escape from their respective dull routines and silently hope to find some answers and solution to their own quests of life! Savio has the hots for Angie, while Don Pedro has the hots for Rosie. The ladies in question are also not really happy with their 'single'status. And so, the lost and pining five some along with Rosie's pet cat embark on their journey and in the process, get lost, find both expected and unexpected answers to their respective quests, and ultimately attain their destined closure. Neither it's a perfect story, nor does it serve any cause. In fact, instead of harping on the occurrence of true love or 'united till death' syndrome, it emphasizes on the 'idea of love' and the need and pursue of the same, even in the event of loss of the original partner! Without promoting infidelity, it signifies that the basic need of life is to feel and share love and it is not dependent on the existence or fidelity of the one with whom you have united your heart and promised to share the rest of your life! The shoes of the deceased or betraying partner need to be filled by someone appropriate enough as per the present timeline of life, because the need to have a breathing and devoted partner is perennial. This movie has a bilingual release i.e. in both Hindi and English. It also has a good measure of sub titled Goan lines. The genre is amalgamation of comedy, satire and drama. It's well made in its own way. The content and presentation is new for the Indian screen. It is meant for the 'thinking audience' and thankfully is devoid of unnecessary songs and/or titillation. More than the masses, the film seems to be targeted for the international audience (Fox Star Studios being the distributor). No wonder, it is slated to be released at both Busan (South Korea) and Toronto (Canada) International Film Festivals. The movie is based on five main characters and all of them are well casted and have delivered flawless performances. But still you feel that Pankaj Kapur has stolen the show and Arjun Kapur is the weakest link of the lot. Deepika Padukone looks confidant, wise and very beautiful and that too in a non glamorous role. The lady is pretty regular with flesh bare clothing. But never before has she looked so illuminous and desirable. Dimple Kapadia seems to be becoming a pro with character driven roles, caring a damn about her looks. This is a far cry from her younger and much more successful diva days. To give the lady her due, one must mention that, nearing sixty, she still looks very glamorous. Naseeruddin Shah is an acting school in himself. The opening scene requires an ocean of emotions, followed by outburst and silent retreat. It is impossible to think of anyone else, who can even analyze the scene like him. Pankaj Kapur plays the most complex character of all. He is supposed to be a flamboyant artist (painter), find his muse in extra curvaceous women and appear disinterested in everything else to the point of appearing selfish. And he has successfully depicted all this in good dignity! Arjun Kapoor has acted average. Acting with such polished actors, he was expected to display much more depth in his character. Ranveer Singh and Anjali Gupta (remember the feisty naxalite from 'Chakravyuh') and Anand Tiwari (the priest) are effective in their small roles. The director Homi Adajania has well attempted a relatively new concept in movie making. Without caring to give in to the superfluous needs of the commercial cinema, he has neither diluted his philosophy, nor hastened the pulse of the movie. To do this, and that too after the roaring success of his commercial hit 'Cocktail', he must be a very confidant man. 'O Fanny Re' track touches your soul. Given the limited scope provided by the storyline, cinematography and costume design are exceptionally good. They are in-line and noteworthy. To sum it up, in an art gallery where patrons mostly find and appreciate well defined forms and subjects (like human, God, nature), this movie is like a well made abstract painting, which many will fail to enjoy because of their routine preferences, and the remaining will derive their own meaning of a particular - brush stroke, shape or even corner!

The movie 'Mary Kom' is the biopic of Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom, aka Mary Kom, the five time World Amateur Boxing champion from Manipur, India. Barring this, she is also the proud winner of various Asian and other championships, as well as civilian accolades. The prestigious 'Padma Bhushan' (2013) award by Govt. of India is the latest feather in her cap. The aforesaid gender, sport, as well as the state, sadly don't enjoy enough prominence in our country. So, its obvious that during her struggling years, Mary Kom must have highly lacked the required infrastructure and support (both moral and financial). Her success story must have been a far cry from those sports personalities whose career were either carefully carved since their early age, or whose normal passion of a particular support, which they were never barred from playing, eventually turned into a career. It is for these reasons, that this amazing sports woman deserves double round of applause. Also, hats off to Omung Kumar for making his directorial debut with such a different and deserving subject. In the movie, as a child, Mary Kom (Priyanka Chopra) lives with her parents and two kid siblings. She belongs to a very simple Manipur style rural household, sans any luxury, but is blissfully unaware of that. Rather, she chance finds a pair of boxing gloves in a destruction site and keeps it as her prized possession, much to the disdain of her father, who thinks that such a sport will spoil her face, thereby making her unfit for marriage. Even during her adolescence, she is unaware of the emotion 'fear' and sans any combat training, doesn't think twice before entering into a combat with a boy her age. Upon chance meeting with the Manipur state boxing coach (Sunil Thapa), she persuades him to teach her boxing. Initially, the coach ignores her. But finally he discovers one of his best pupils in her and sends in her name for the inter state championship. Thereby, one victory leads to the other, and Mary Kom embarks on her victorious journey, conquering Asian championships as well as World championships in the process! But this is easier said than done. In an almost non existing infrastructure, she is required to work ridiculously hard on a body that can throw as well as bear international quality punches. And she is required to train for boxing, alongside being a regular daughter and/or wife which includes the regular plethora of cooking, cleaning, laundry etc. She faces opposition and irk of her father, for practicing a non woman type sport. At times, just because the opposing contestant belongs to a much more prominent state, she faces injustice in tournaments. And upon voicing protest, she is subjected to boycott, bad will and humiliation! The three facts that keep her going are - guidance and sheer expectation of her coach, unconditional love and support of her friend turned husband Onler Kom (Darshan Kumaar), and her personal grit and determination to simply win for India. When most career women, especially sports women willingly/unwillingly put an end to their career after marriage and motherhood, Mary Kom goes ahead and does the unthinkable. She gets married, gives birth to twin baby boys, faces emotional turmoil, re-trains herself and wins more championships! The biopic ends here. But the real Mary Kom, has since given birth to another baby boy and harbors the dream of bringing more medals for India! Priyanka Chopra proved her acting excellence with 'Barfi'. But with 'Mary Com', she has entered a different league altogether. In fact her passionate and unassuming style of acting will remind you of Leonardo DiCaprio! For this movie, the actress has simply given in her body, mind and soul. She plays the age range of a school girl to a mother with elan. She also lives through the profiles of being a boxing student to a boxing champion with flying colors. The actress recently suffered the demise of her dear father. It seems that life without him, in itself was a strugglefor her, and that sense of struggle and anguish was portrayed in her training and boxing scenes. You feel like, she trains to contest, and she contests to win, and that is the only way she can proceed with living! Very few actresses will go through such difficult role that requires no make-up and athletic level of physical labor. Rest of the cast is good as well. The movie is well paced and it well depicts the tale of a simple Manipur girl, who loves boxing, dreams of consistently winning for India and finally gives shape to her dream. What is noteworthy here is that, apart from simply winning, she doesn't attach any other gain, clout or mammoth change of lifestyle with her victories. She is well tuned in her family life, family chores and surroundings. It is an inspirational movie with deserving subject, world class acting by the protagonist, good screenplay and direction. Silent trusting bond enjoyed between the protagonist and her coach is something to watch out for. The movie also slightly touches the subject of poor nutrition, improper infrastructure and above all not enough respect meated out to sports women/men during their sports tours. With every sports based movie, hinting at this scenario, may be the sports federation will soon do the needful, and thereby enable winning of more medals by Indian sports personnels.

This movie celebrates the successful actor-director partnership of Ajay Devgn-Rohit Shetty and the Mumbai Police. Of course, the movie has a good enough storyline and a popular heroine. But, in spite of being substantial, they haze out in the aforesaid celebration. Also, it is one of the very sequels, which is better (also read original) than it's prequel i.e. 'Singham'! Instead of a core story, there is a core villain Satyaraj Baba (Amol Gupte), who is a religious preacher with enough power and clout, enabling him to have a substantial say in the functioning of the ruling political party! In contrast to him, there is Guruji (Anupam Kher), the party mentor, who is a man of principles and enjoys great respect of inspector Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn), as well as the Maharashtra CM (Sanjay Manjrekar). Guruji's strategy of introducing new and young candidates for the upcoming elections is not well received by Baba. While Guruji perceives their enthusiasm, professional training and capability as the door to better functioning of the new government, and thereby better living of the common man, Baba cares a damn about any of this and worries about loosing constituencies, in the absence of old and popular candidates. Soon Guruji gets assassinated by masked and heavily armed professionals. Alongside, a van is found in a river body, along with a dead driver and crores of rupees. The dead driver is a trusted subordinate of Bajirao. Both these events and their repercussions instigate the super cop in Bajirao and he goes into full fledged investigations, interrogations, arrests and secret follow-ups, so as to obtain enough proof to - a) arrest Baba, and b) clear his subordinate's name. The movie has good energy, cool stunts, weak villain, new but not in tandem storyline, and for a change, it only highlights the glory of the police force. It highlights - the demanding and risky nature of their job, unrealistic expectations from an aging cop, thankless attitude of media and public in general, mass attack protocol ('lathi' charge) followed only in times of sheer crisis and the perennial chance of nullifying of all their hard work by anyone in 'power'. As expected, Ajay Devgn is the 'Singham'. If he throws a punch, then it is a real punch and not a make believe one. And he is particularly good in depicting pain and anger simultaneously through his eyes. Kareena Kapoor plays his friend cum girlfriend (Avni), runs a beauty parlour and is supposed to eat like a glutton. She has well experimented with a new style of comedy. But for the glutton part, you instantly miss the hogging of Aamir Khan in 'Rang De Basanti'. You will find Kareena picking on many foods, making enough face and hand gestures, but her food bites are very small and very few actually go into her mouth! But she is adorable all the same. Sadly, Kareena seems to be making the sole attempt in establishing the hero-heroine chemistry! Amol Gupte has performed well. But you need a much bigger (impactful) villain for a movie of this caliber. Anupam Kher, Mahesh Manjrekar, Ashwini Kalsekar (reporter) have small roles and they have done justice to it. Earlier Dayanand Shetty (cop 'Daya') was breaking doors on TV (soap 'CID') and now he is doing the same in films! Like TV, herein too, he has well played the second-in-command. Zakir Hussain (Prakash Rao) and Pankaj Tripathi (Altaf Khan) have now become constant with important side roles. Ganesh Yadav (Mahesh Jhadav, the dead cop) and Sharat Saxena (Shiv Rathod, Bajirao's senior) have also acted well.

During our school years, most of us must have come across these famous lines from an inspiring patriotic poem "Khoob ladi mardaani, wo toh Jhaansi wali Rani thi". Watching this movie would instantly remind you of the same. The simile is hard to miss. During British rule, Rani Laxmi Bai fought fearlessly with the Britishers in order to attain freedom of her motherland. And in this movie, Shivani Shivaji Roy (Rani Mukerji) fights with focus sans any fear, to attain freedom of young girls trapped in the human trafficking ring. Also, both are Marathi women. Shivani Shivaji Roy is a hands-on senior crime branch officer. She stays with her husband (Jisshu Sengupta) and orphaned niece. In the past, she had rescued Pyari (Priyanka Sharma) from being sold by her uncle and placed her in a shelter home. She considers her like her daughter and Pyari is an important part of Shivani's life. Unfortunately, Pyari gets abducted by human traffickers. Shivani gets a whiff of this and gradually realizes that a powerful and organized syndicate is behind it and the bosses will leave no stone unturned to keep their identities hidden. She resolves to bring back Pyari. An action-reaction series commences between her and Junior (the core brain of the trafficking operation). Since the bosses are nameless and faceless, the term 'Junior' is coined by Shivani herself. It's based on the voice quality that makes intimidating, threatening and untraceable calls to her. While Shivani single mindedly focuses on reducing the gap between her and Junior, Junior focuses on discouraging her attempt by harming her dear ones and terminating the links that can lead Shivani to him! But Shivani is a seasoned officer, who is well versed with intimidation techniques, laws of the land and psycho profiling. She uses her absolute determination, professional training and system support to free all the victims and bring the culprits to justice. The movie has been very well casted, directed, acted and edited. In fact the pace and visual tone of the movie is that of a prime Hollywood flick! It voices the social cause of abduction and forced prostitution, but keeps safe distance from cheap thrills. It does not have any item number or even any lovey-dovey number (to depict the blessed marital life of the lady cop)! The idea is to acquaint the audience with the inhuman and shameful bearings enforced upon the girl victims by human trafficking goons. But while dealing with such issues, there is a thin line between being realistic and being repulsive. Hats off to the makers for maintaining this decorum and also keeping the content commercially viable! Achieving this sans any thunderous dialogue or eye popping stunt is no mean feat. A great deal of input has been given in the psychological research into the making of each character, something which is almost always amiss in most Bollywood (even prime) flicks. Most of the movie centers round Rani Mukerji and she has done a commendable job. Her character is well researched and throughout the movie, she manages to stay within it. She has enough close-up frames and she well manages to portray nonchalance, smirk, knowing glance, deep pain and mental calculation. And all of these emotions are depicted without any OTT (over the top) acting. For a change, this lady 'maseeha' (savior) is not born out of exploitation and tears. She is a hard core cop, well trained by mind and body, practical and dedicated to her duty. It is a pleasant surprise that Pradeep Sarkar, the man best known for his period drama flick 'Parineeta' can ably direct such a movie. Special mention needs to be made of a particular scene, wherein Shivani arrives with her team to save her husband from some chaos. Going by her fireball character, you expect her to pounce, abuse and even break a bone or two. Instead, she stands and stare in shunned silence! Then, upon coming across him, she goes oblivious of her surroundings, and simply connects with the pain and sheer disbelief of her husband. And, if such a scene enactment was achieved due to the director's visualization and direction, then, this maestro is definitely a bearer of many hidden layers. Jisshu Sengupta (Shivani's husband) has a small and silent role. He is a Bengali movie star and this is his third Bollywood release. As for Tahir Bhasin, this is his second Bollywood release. He plays Junior, for whom the entire trafficking operation is just a big trade (read in hundreds of crores), no more, no less. And he will do anything to keep the tap running. He is young, urban, updated, sharp and well merges with the crowd. Even when he is constantly trying to ruthlessly harm/kill Shivani, somewhere he is appreciative of her courage and intelligence and can connect to her! Tahir Bhasin has impersonated this character very well. His acting is subtle but effective. Rest of the cast has also done well. Background music also well suits the mood of the movie. Don't miss the climax, wherein Rani Mukerji ably shows her martial art skills! Some real hard work this lass has done to get her teeth into the character.

Movie Review : Kick (25 Jul 2014) Three good things about this movie - a) Salman Khan has shown effort and has incorporated method acting (though not throughout), instead of just banking upon his inimitable charm and loyal fan following. May be the fate and reviews of his last flick 'Jai Ho' have a lot to do with this. b) Salman Khan's dress designers have input considerable effort and the result is apparent. With time, Salman has established his impeccable look, which is woven around imported jeans and jackets. And though they must cost a fortune, unlike in this flick, they kind of look the same in most of his flicks. As per the film credits, perhaps Ashley Rebello and Alvira Khan are to be applauded for the same. Only if they can spare the superstar with the 'kurta' on jeans combination. It makes him look aged! c) Though Nawazuddin Siddiqui enters pretty late in the movie, he steals the show with his portrayal of a whacko usurper. Displaying such confidence and not letting any slip-off in the character in front of Salman Khan is no mean feat. This is Nawazuddin's first commercial biggie and he has done full justice to it. Three not so good things about this movie - a) It's apparent that both the lead actors - Salman and Jacqueline have put in considerable effort in their acting as well as their chemistry. But the 'X' factor in their chemistry is simply missing. In fact the only time, you can find the lady holding absolutely on to her own is while performing the small, titillating and extremely well choreographed and picturized dance number in the song 'Jumme Ki Raat'. b) The movie plot starts with deep etched sorrow albeit etched in designer wear and picturesque foreign locale, then shifts to Punjabi style dysfunctional family humor, then dangles between 'Krrish' style robbery by vigilante and 'Dhoom' style cop and thief chase! All these flavors of film making are touched with good enough production design , art direction and casting. But none is pursued to it's extremity. All these sub-plots, get you ready for the upcoming pulsating act, only to push you to an altogether different act! c) For sure, this movie is Salman's debut as a method actor, or maybe he has simply followed the lead actor of the original Telugu 2009 release of the same name. But, his new style of acting is now and then penetrated by his old one, which bores unmistakable holes in the portrayal of such a complex character, as played by him in 'Kick'. Three technical mistakes in the movie - a) The protagonist's wall is adorned with the degrees of a civil engineer, but he is always shown working and experimenting with chemicals! b) A 'youtube' bash up-and-preach video sequence of the protagonist is shown using the same camera angles and close-ups as that of the film. How can a secret mobile video recording have different angles and close-ups? c) Prior to any kind of surgery, generally all traces of chemicals are removed from the patient's body. But post the little girl's surgery, while she gesticulates with her palm and beckons the protagonist, you can see clear traces of nail polish on her little finger. Shaina (Jacqueline Fernandez) is a Poland based psychologist who is getting over her separation from her lover, Devi Lal Singh (Salman Khan). Due to family pressure for marriage, she meets a visiting Indian cop Himanshu Tyagi (Randeep Hooda). Pursue of 'Devil', a masterminded vigilante has brought Himanshu to Poland. This vigilante is sought by the Indian Police for his theft of few hundred crores of rupees in India. Both of them are unaware of the fact that Devi Lal and Devil are same. Prior to becoming Devil, Devi Lal Singh was an extremely intelligent, muscular and do-gooder forty years old lad, who lead a happy-go-lucky life. He could pursue only those things in life, which gave him a 'Kick'. Normal mundane routine (read - a regular job) bored him and he could never hold onto them. While performing a do-gooder act, a chance meeting with Shaina made him hooked to the lady. This initial one sided love gradually turned into a mutual one. During marriage planning stage, Shaina and her father (Saurabh Shukla) became dubious about Devi Lal's capacity to earn and support a married life and hinted about him becoming a 'ghar jamai'. This irked and hurted Devi Lal and it resulted into - his separation with his lady love, and his solemn oath to himself to thereupon devote his life in earning big money. The movie then gradually unfolds few robberies with cat and mouse sequences between the Devil and the cops and the human reason behind Devi Lal's becoming the Devil, One such grand robbery entwines the black money of a corrupt politician and his maniac nephew (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). Thereupon, they also get seriously involved with the cops till this chase is brought to an end. The movie's script is more or less point-to-point copy of the Telugu movie 'Kick' (2009). As a producer, in the past, Sajid Nadiadwala has given good hits with Salman Khan. His directorial debut in 'Kick' is an ok job. Screenplay could have been meatier and more seamless. Songs are good and a couple of them (Hangover) have been voiced by Salman Khan, who has made his debut as a singer with this film. Apart from the heroine, the casting is apt. As the leading lady, an Anushka Sharma would have better suited the role. Jacqueline looks good and dresses with dignity. She has made good effort. But still has miles to go. Randeep Hooda has managed to hold his own in front of Salman Khan. A conscious but easy camaraderie can be seen between them. Rest of the star cast is pretty seasoned and they have delivered as expected. An item number by Svelte Nargis Fakhri is good as well. Though the movie unceremoniously shifts from one gear to another, it still has a rampant energy and star power of Salman Khan. It's grand 'Eid' release with a well targeted 'Jumme Ki Raat' song will definitely give handsome box office returns. Last but not the least, don't miss the impromptu 'Saat samundar paar' dance performance by Salman Khan towards the end. It's totally 'paisa vasool'.

It seems that this film has been made with two primary objectives. Firstly, to encash a small budget meaningful cinema using the gem of an actor, Vidya Balan, thereby replicating the success of 'Kahani'. Secondly, to showcase an under-represented Hyderabadi community in Bollywood cinema. May be the Hyderabad ties of the producers have something to do with this. 'Kahani' was a blockbuster because stalwart Vidya's acting was well supported by strong script and direction. 'Bobby Jasoos' has Vidya in her full form. But the scripting needs a lot of fine tuning and the direction is average. In 'Kahani', Sujoy Ghosh presented Kolkata, 'the city of joy' like never before. In comparison, Samar Shaikh's presentation of old Hyderabad is plain vanilla. In spite of the casting of all acclaimed actors as character artists, the required energy and richness in the scenes is missing. The backdrop of the movie is the over populated Mughalpura region of old Hyderabad. Bilkis (Vidya Balan), the eldest daughter of the conservative Ahmed family is a self taught and self proclaimed detective aka 'jasoos'. She has no formal training in this area. But she avidly watches the hindi detective serials and calls herself 'Bobby Jasoos'. She gets mundane detective jobs and roams fearless in all nooks and corners of Mughalpura at all times. In fact, she is the only one who takes her profession and her professional skills seriously till she is contacted by an elderly Anees Khan (Kiran Kumar). He maintains a rich but secretive personality and asks her to find three people, one after the other. For each endeavor, he pays her handsomely (a bit too much by her standards). But, as for the clues, he can only provide the name, age and birth mark of missing persons and not any photo. Bobby along with her working allies - Shetty (Prasad Barve), Munna (Akash Dahiya), Suhail (Tejas Mahajan), works on the assignments in her trademark 'naïve but full-of-drama' style. She gets success. But somewhere she gets suspicious of the whole operation and decides to unravel the root of the matter. Also, somewhere alongside she discovers mutual liking and love with Tasawur (Ali Fazal), a popular tv presenter who also lives in Mughalpura and assists her in her endeavors. As expected, Vidya is flawless in her scenes. In her bid as the detective, she dons a wide range of makeovers - hobbling fakir, funny toothed palmist, fatso tv producer etc. She does a terrific job with each one of them. But most of these avatars simply zoom off the screen, without taking the required time and leaving the desired impact. Ali Fazal looks younger to her. But he acts well and matches her performance in the scenes where they are together. Arjan Bajwa (Lala) plays a goon and inspite of soorma and stubble, he looks like a hunk in all his scenes. His acting is nonchalant. As such, not many lines are given to him to deliver. Kiran Kumar has a substantial role and he could have made it impactful. Surprisingly, he did not. Instead, Supriya Pathak (Zebo, Bilkis' mother) and Tanvi Azmi (Kausar, Bilkis' khaala) have simple roles, but they leave impact! Rajendra Gupta (Bilkis' father) and Benaf Dadachanji (Noor, Bilkis' sister) are good as well. Rest are OK. Cinematography is good. Music is average. However, the number 'Arziyaan de raha dil' is good. All in all, it's a sweet and clean movie with Vidya occupying more than 90% of the screen time.

A multi cast comedy with the three male protagonists in triple roles each and all of them being successful in their respective genres and media, gives you the natural expectation of a fun filled and light headed movie time. Instead, you watch the movie with exasperation as you witness the 'fun' element slipping out of most of the funny lines and comic expressions and you have a thumping headache calculating what all went wrong with the movie. In order to obtain temporary rights to run billionaire Ashok's (Saif Ali Khan) business empire, he and his friend (Riteish Deshmukh) are wrongfully sent to a mental asylum by his General Manager who also happens to be his Uncle (Ram Kapoor) aka 'Mamaji'. The mental facility already holds all of their duplicates i.e. 'humshakals'. They are child-like Ashok (Saif), Kumar (Riteish) and third stage OCD (hygiene freak) patient Johnny (Ram). Attractive lady doctor Shivani (Esha Gupta) discovers that the former Ashok-Kumar duo are not mental and in her bid to release them, out of mistake, releases the latter duo, who are spotted by Ashok's girlfriend Shanaya (Tamannah Bhatia) and taken to his home. Ashok's sister like secretary Nikita (Bipasha Basu) is incidentally Kumar's girlfriend and apparently stays in her boss' home to manage all his affairs. The home also houses Ashok's father who is in coma. To add to this confusion, the original Ashok and Kumar also flee from the mental asylum and reach home, only to perform Sajid Khan's mandatory multi cast night time dance in the deserted house! The original duo are caught and carried back by the asylum warden (Satish Shah). In the mental asylum, an attendant (Darshan Jariwala) introduces them to Johnny. Now 'Mamaji' is equipped with duplicates of original Ashok-Kumar in the house and original Ashok-Kumar are equipped with 'Mamaji's duplicate Johnny in the mental asylum. Both the original parties plan to use their valuable possessions in the shortly upcoming board meeting of Ashok's company, so as to obtain the entire control of his business. The remaining movie caters to the implementation of their respective plans and an expected mayhem climax. Don't even bother to understand the third role of each of the protagonists. To start with, the movie has one of the weakest opening scenes. Also, herein Saif who is almost always impeccably dressed (a Tom Ford loyalist), sports an ill fitting and unappealing blazer! His house's entrance is super rich, interiors are rich and the kitchen is poor (small in size and with metallic workareas)! There is absolutely no chemistry between Riteish and Bipasha, though Bipasha seem to be trying hard to establish some. Last but not the least, the scenes lack continuity and impact. Only two well crafted long scenes bring about the Sajid Khan school of comedy. The one wherein the original dup try to escape from the mental asylum, and the other wherein all the three protagonists woo their own female versions. The movie is filled with smart pun intended one-liners. Though the deliverance of most of them fall flat in the face, none of them are cheap or repulsive. For some reason, Riteish appears taller and broader than Saif in the movie! He has built good muscle and looks wiser than his early appearances. Also, this is his comfort genre, and he makes the best of it. With enough movie experience, now he is a pro at playing a seductress. In fact apart from his eyebrows, if dressed wisely in female gear, nothing will give away that he is a man! Saif has dared to experiment with a new genre, but he has miles to go before he can make hay out of it. However, he has worked hard to deliver. Ram is the surprise package. He is the only one who has maintained clear distinction amidst all his three roles. Also, in spite of his tall and bulky frame, when required, he does manage to look cute! All the three heroines basically fill the glam quotient. They somehow don't appear in tandem with each other. However, it's noteworthy that, you can see a hinting resemblance of Sophia Lauren in Bipasha and Angelina Jolie in Esha. Tamannah is very confidant. Satish Shah and Darshan Jariwala have small roles and Chunky Pandey has an even smaller one. They do make the required impact. As usual, Sajid Khan has released his movie sans any competition. With no other A-lister new movie around to snatch the audience, and with the three protagonists aimed to attract all kinds of watchers - Saif for classes, Riteish for masses and Ram for TV watchers, the movie is bound to have a strong opening. But the audience is still waiting for Sajid to repeat his 'Heyy Babyy' magic.

'Edge Of Tomorrow' is a sci-fi thriller. In short, it is military science fiction combined with time travel (read time loop) and alien attack! It is based on the book 'All You Need Is Kill' by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Major William Cage (Tom Cruise), who is kind of a figurehead with no combat experience, is forcibly thrown into a doomed-to-die warfare with an alien race called 'The Mimic'. As expected, soon upon entering the battlefield along with his peers, he faces death. But shockingly, from there itself, he enters into an infinite loop of death and resurrection. He realizes that the best way to end this in his favour, is to demolish 'Omega' i.e. the brain of the Mimic. Apart from him, only two other people aware of this death and resurrection phenomenon are - Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), a Special Force Warrior and her scientist associate. In true blue Tom Cruise style, Cage along with the two aforesaid military people, uses his each new life to further strategize his mind and train his physique, so as to decrease the distance between him and Omega by at least a few steps, before he meets his new death! Like a video game in play, with every death, Cage is required to restart his life from the same time stamp (or level). And like a video gamer, with every new life, though he is required to play the same set of scenarios with pre destined (or planned) succession, he is wiser and better equipped to play the game a tad bit further. So, throughout the movie, he is mostly plotting and preparing for the next day battle, with as many variations as possible. Hence, the movie is titled 'Edge Of Tomorrow' and it's tag line reads 'Live.Die.Repeat'. In the world of movies, this plot is rather new and tricky to handle. Director, screenwriters, cast and other crew members deserve full marks for pulling this off in as much audience friendly manner as possible. A noteworthy scene is the one wherein, just prior to one of her deaths, Rita divulges her middle name to Cage. This scene has a subtle tenderness which is aptly absent throughout the movie. In most parts, the film looks like a gothic mesh of bulky metal combat gear, metallic octopus-like high powered aliens, advanced weaponry and repeat upon repeat! Approximately, twenty years back, Tom Cruise successfully carried off the internationally acclaimed sci-fi thriller, Mission Impossible (1996). And even today, he is carrying such a film with great aplomb. The kind of distinct continuity he has maintained in the film, is no mean feat. Emily Blunt looks extremely athletic and agile. It is impossible to compare this avatar of hers from her stint in 'The Devil Wears Prada'. Herein, she is referred as 'Full Metal Bitch'. But the significance of the same is lost in the book-to-film translation. Others have performed good as well. This movie successfully entwines you to the psychology of the protagonist. Alongside him, you will experience the same time frame and level of confusion, mirth, determination, fear, boredom and frustration. And just because, it already has so many repeat scenes, it is impossible to see it more than once.

This movie is the second Bollywood release of the southern maverick director Murgadoss, and it's better executed and more apt for the Bollywood audience than his first mega hit flick 'Ghajini' (Aamir Khan). But as expected, the southern director could not stay away from the curvaceous heroine and unnecessary songs. Amidst a serious and thrilling storyline, except for the first song, all the rest seem highly disturbing. Virat Bakshi is a special agent from DIA (Defence Intelligence Agency), who works undercover as an Indian Army personnel. During one of his holidays to his hometown Mumbai, he chances upon a notorious terrorist plan, and uses his entire holiday to unearth and disable the same. Throughout the operation he is well aided by a Mumbai police official who is also his close friend. Amidst all this, the director finds enough frames to accommodate a love angle between Virat and Nisha! The movie is a remake of Tamil flick 'Thuppakki'. But if you are unaware and unexposed to the original, then it's definitely a new and interesting plot to watch. It deals with the terrorist unit called 'Sleeper Cells'. And this concept is well described and depicted in the movie. As expected of Murgadoss, the movie is filled with blood and gore. But subtly it also stresses on the need to risk small collateral damage in a covert operation that is undertaken to save hundreds of lives. Meaning to stay that, if a security official is taken for granted to give his life for the country, then why can't a civilian's life be put to risk to save many others? In its own way, the movie is also an ode to all the security organizations of the country i.e. the Indian Police, the Indian Intelligence and the Indian Army. They work under all kinds of taxing situations to keep the country safe. Their scope of work and action is kind of undefined as the anti social forces constantly change and update their terror techniques! Since they are expected to be 100% fit by both body and mind, any work mishap that results into weakening or amputation of their body, sadly pushes them towards an early retirement. But their training is such that, in time of need and short notice, they can still make good use of their skills and prove worthy enough for a security cause! Beneath their rough & tough and ready-to-kill exterior, each of them is actually a simple family man who is regularly required to stay away from his near and dear ones for long months. This fact is beautifully depicted in the last scene of the movie Akshay Kumar (Virat) looks very fit and as always is very good with the stunts. However, when the camera is at close angles, he does appear a little aged. Sonakshi Sinha (Nisha) has performed as per expected of the role of the hero's arm candy. In the initial scenes, the lady is required to be athletic and its worth mentioning that she throws a neat and powerful punch in the boxing ring! This is unseen of any Indian actress till now. Maybe Priyanka Chopra as Mary Kom will add to this soon. Freddy Daruwala in his debut as the new Bollywood villain needs to work a lot more on his expressions. He looks very fit though. Sumeet Raghavan as constantly aiding the operation police man could have had a more powerful appearance. Govinda has a small guest appearance. Herein, he has donned tasteful fashion wear and he looks endearing in his performance. Seeing him, you do wish to see him as one of the main protagonists in a movie soon. All in all, it's an impactful movie, with a balance of north and south style sensibilities. But it's definitely not for the under aged.

Though quite a few independent Spider Man movies have released in the past, this one is a sequel of 'The Amazing Spider Man' (released in 2012). Wherein, it takes the story forward, it also leaves ample room for the upcoming sequel. Like the search about the disappearance of Spider Man's parents that started in the prequel, is given a closure here. But out of the three new villains, only two are destroyed. Undoubtedly, it's an international class movie, but it lacks the required symmetry and purpose. In many a places, intense scene build up is done in vain i.e. it leads to nowhere poignant. Also, the chemistry between the protagonist (Andrew Garfield) and his love interest (Emma Stone) seem straight out of a Bollywood flick i.e. a tad bit too melodramatic! It seems that Peter Parker aka Spider Man's primary course of action is following and wooing his beloved, dangle and mount on the skyscrapers in his gear and help the en route citizens in an easy and funny manner. Out of sheer responsibility he has to work towards destructing the big time villains i.e. the abnormal beings capable of mass destruction. Given a choice, he may opt out of it! The makers have justified this by presenting him as a lad who has just finished his graduation. Like it's prequel, here too the villains are created via accident or robotic gear at Oscorp i.e. the corporate giant where Peter Parker's father used to work as a scientist. As expected, the computer gimmicks in the movie are top class. Also the 3D experience is good. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone look endearing together. The way he longingly looks at her and fears for her safety at his close range, you do wish to release him from his superhero duties for once and for all! And she manages to light up each scene with her luminescent face and sparkling teeth. But it is Jamie Foxx who steals the show as Electro. The seasoned actor beautifully acts his way from being a Spider Man worshipping, gawky and lonely Oscorp engineer to a Spider Man despising super villain Electro. Sally Field (Aunt May) and others have also acted well. Compared to the prequel, in fact she looks little younger. The movie is 2 hours and 22 minutes long, and still it ends rather abruptly!

This movie is aptly titled and it's release is perfectly timed on the eve of Women's Day, as it ably shows the inner strength and conviction of a very mediocre woman, who uses the stab of severe rejection, not to bleed into the state of utter depression filled with society imposed guilt, but to expand her horizon, and in the process learns a great deal about different lifestyles & cultures, makes myriad friends, proves her self worth and tastes the state of utter freedom (both by body and mind)! Though this journey of hers is hesitantly supported by her loving parents and kid brother, the carefree attitude and occasional mischievous 'been there, done that' glances thrown by her grandmother are something to watch out for. In a society like ours, usually an elderly woman expectantly appears so dedicated towards her spouse and family, that it seems impossible that her delicate heart ever nursed a feeling for any other man. But life has never been this simple for them. Due to unavoidable circumstances, shyness, fear, or even betterment, many of them did nurse a feeling for someone in the past, but ended up marrying someone else altogether! And since amongst themselves they do understand this, breakup of an impending marriage, is not that much of a hoo-haa for them, as much as they expectantly portray it to be. They do know that it is unacceptable but not unthinkable. And when it happens to their own blood, they do have the wisdom and conviction to make their granddaughters see the matter in a sensible light and pave their way. Rani (literally meaning 'queen'), the protagonist is a girl-next-door, who is wooed over by a family friend's son, Vijay (Rajkummar Rao) into marriage. On the eve of the marriage, he breaks it up on the pretext of lifestyle and attitude difference that has widened between them due to his London based job and stay! After spending a night in extreme shock and tears, Rani decides to regain the control of her life by starting with going alone on her honeymoon trip (Paris and Amsterdam)! And in this trip, out of her comfort zone, she discovers a whole new different world, wherein all her past taboos seem right, and quite a few right notions seem wrong. She learns - to trust and enjoy the company of good strangers, to fight for herself, the taste of independence and success, and mostly the difference between so called right actions and right intent. Kangana Ranaut has done a fantastic acting job. Her approach towards the role is very fresh and natural. With her history of living-on-the-edge glam roles, this one comes as a pleasant surprise. Her Indianisation started with 'Tanu Weds Manu' and she has come full circle with 'Queen'. Rajkummar Rao has expectantly done a brilliant job. Lisa Haydon is another surprise package in the film. Her natural uninhibited form with French accent is again something to watch out for. Mish Boyko, Jeffrey Ho, Joseph Guitobh, Canadea Lopez Marco who have played Kangana's roommates/associates in Amsterdam have also essayed their roles with great naturalness and ease. The child artist who plays Kangana's sibling appears convincing as a possessive kid brother. Rest of the cast has also performed well. Special applause needs to be given to the director, Vikas Bahl to present well and in perfect harmony, two very different sensibilities, one that of a middle class conservative Indian, and the other of an international traveler. He has also well captured the dilemma of the protagonist while making the consistent cross over between these two sensibilities. When using foreign locales and 100% foreign actors with the protagonist actor as Indian, very few movies are able to portray the true essence of the script. Hats off to the director, that this is one such movie.

To start with, this movie is quite a chameleon. It's promos and promotions (TV appearances etc.) give you the impression of high quality bromance between the protagonists and their fun filled wooing of a diva. Whereas, it's opening scenes are well crafted derivations of aftermath of 1971 Indo Pak War, which separated the modern day Bangladesh from India, thereby creating a partition between West Bengal and East Bengal. But in actuality, the film turns out to be a tribute to the angry young man, Robin Hood like films of Amitabh Bachchan which also had high dosage of intense camaraderie between the heroes, thundering dialogues and high dollops of performances by coquettish damsels. You feel like you have been transported to the film era of the 70's. It's quite evident, that immense hard work has been input by cast and crew, in terms of - r&d, apparels, appearances, set designing, performances etc. In fact the opening scenes, especially the performances by child artists are very good. They actually raise your expectations from the movie to a different level. Even the facial and body language similarity between the two protagonists and their childhood appearances have been matched to the T. The entire leading cast - Ranveer, Arjun and Priyanka are in their best body forms i.e. very toned, agile and very Hollywood like. In fact, the cabaret performance by Priyanka can give many a similar Hollywood movie performances, quite a run for their money! Lookswise, even in her avatar as a Bengali coquettish lass, she scores well in both traditional Bengali dressing and full-of-tease acting. Such impersonation is not easy. Otherwise too, she has acted well. However, you do feel that her role is longer and meatier than what is actually required on the lines of the movie. Ranveer and Arjun are bursting with both energy and muscles. Their on-screen camaraderie as 'Bala-Bikram' remind you of 'Jai-Veeru' (Amitabh and Dharmendra)! They also look good in whatever they wear and have acted well. A special mention needs to be made of the fact that the dress designing is not completely on the lines of the 70's. It's kind of fusion of the 70's with the modern day sensibility. As expected, Saurabh Shukla and Irrfan Khan have acted well too. The movie holds well till interval. And, then it loosens it's grip, both in terms of objective and enactment. Some scenes are really long and unnecessary. Showing pure and innocent love in the backdrop of extreme and realistic violence and turbulence is no mean feat. Directors like - Vidhu Vinod Chopra ('1942 A Love Story') and Mani Ratnam ('Roja', 'Bombay') have achieved this with great elan. Sadly, 'Gunday' attempts this, but falls short of similar final delivery.