Life in a Metro – quite enjoyable despite the plagiarized bits!

I saw two Anurag Basu movies almost back to back – Gangster and LIA Metro. I wish there was some way to put the best of these films together and make an awesome film. Gangster had a taut script and did not have as much disconnect as Metro, but Metro had some fine performances and great music.

Vidhu Chopra's Broken Horses shelved and Sharman Joshi bags Ferrari ki Sawari?

Two news items from Vidhu Vinod Chopra Productions. First, his much ambitious Hollywood debut Broken Horses is NOT happening.

He set up an office in LA, did recce for the film and even put out a video of it on his official website. But now it has been shelved. The main reason seems to be the problem in getting the cast onboard. Because in Hollywood, the rules aren’t the same. Though there was some buzz about Mickey Rourke and Nicholas Cage doing the film but it seems it all just buzz.

And the second news – Sharman Joshi has finally bagged a big film. The next production of Vidhu Vinod Chopra – Ferrari Ki Sawaari in which Joshi will play the lead actor. 

More at LINK

The Also rans

These are not the actors movies revolves around, but they sure are better than most of the stars around. Their job is to be the loser guys, the most important part of the movies, the ones who make heroes look even more heroic. Sometimes when by mistake they get hero type role in the movie, the product is no doubt better, though not as successful. 

Toh Baat Pakki - Reviews (Raja Sen, Taran Adarsh, Nikhat Kazmi)

Raja Sen - 1/5

I had once declared great faith in Tabu's ability to be as much of a man as our heroes. But her latest film proves that while she might be a fantastic actress, she really isn't an Akshay Kumar .

Toh Baat Pakki works like a Priyadarshan drama devoid of the outrageous plot and the utterly watchable hero, and we're served up a bland, preposterously dated 'comedy' with lame jokes and little to laugh at.

Director Kedar Shinde tries hard to channel the wholesome humour of comedies like those of Basu Chatterjee and Hrishikesh Mukherjee, elaboratey stagey pieces of extremely family-friendly fare. But what he doesn't realise is that those films were masterpieces of plot and dialogue, and that just having people smile a lot doesn't make up for the complete lack of a script.

Sharman Joshi -- described in the film as 'tall, fair, and muscular,' prompting the question of whether he himself had a part to play in the dialogue writing -- is a fine actor but is here given a conventional hero role so basic it feels like a caricature. He wears tight t-shirts and looks soulfully into the distance, and one can't help but wait for some sort of punchline. Like in most of the film, none arrives to save the day.

The boys -- Joshi and a clueless Vatsal Seth -- are clearly in the film only to play off Tabu , who plays elder sister to the bovine and apparently eligible Uvika Choudhary in a town where every boy shares the Saxena surname, just like Tabu and her husband, a likeable but equally daft Ayub Khan.

Tabu herself can't help being a good actress. But she clearly doesn't have the wherewithal to rescue a script this weak, loaded down with bad lines and a very weakly written character. She manages to amuse for maybe a minute or two in a film that seems far longer than its two hour running time. To be fair to the stunning lady, though -- even Akshay'd have trouble with a turkey like this.

LINK

Toh Baat Pakki - Reviews (Raja Sen, Taran Adarsh, Nikhat Kazmi)

Raja Sen - 1/5

I had once declared great faith in Tabu's ability to be as much of a man as our heroes. But her latest film proves that while she might be a fantastic actress, she really isn't an Akshay Kumar .

Toh Baat Pakki works like a Priyadarshan drama devoid of the outrageous plot and the utterly watchable hero, and we're served up a bland, preposterously dated 'comedy' with lame jokes and little to laugh at.

Director Kedar Shinde tries hard to channel the wholesome humour of comedies like those of Basu Chatterjee and Hrishikesh Mukherjee, elaboratey stagey pieces of extremely family-friendly fare. But what he doesn't realise is that those films were masterpieces of plot and dialogue, and that just having people smile a lot doesn't make up for the complete lack of a script.

Sharman Joshi -- described in the film as 'tall, fair, and muscular,' prompting the question of whether he himself had a part to play in the dialogue writing -- is a fine actor but is here given a conventional hero role so basic it feels like a caricature. He wears tight t-shirts and looks soulfully into the distance, and one can't help but wait for some sort of punchline. Like in most of the film, none arrives to save the day.

The boys -- Joshi and a clueless Vatsal Seth -- are clearly in the film only to play off Tabu , who plays elder sister to the bovine and apparently eligible Uvika Choudhary in a town where every boy shares the Saxena surname, just like Tabu and her husband, a likeable but equally daft Ayub Khan.

Tabu herself can't help being a good actress. But she clearly doesn't have the wherewithal to rescue a script this weak, loaded down with bad lines and a very weakly written character. She manages to amuse for maybe a minute or two in a film that seems far longer than its two hour running time. To be fair to the stunning lady, though -- even Akshay'd have trouble with a turkey like this.

LINK

Tabu is Back...Updated with 'Toh Baat Pakki' Trailer

The talented actress will be seen in a Bollywood comedy releasing on Feb 19

It’s time to uncork the bubbly. Twotime National Award-winning actress Tabu, who’s been sorely missed by discerning cineastes, will be back on the silver screen on February 19 in producer Ramesh Taurani’s Toh Baat Pakki.
Says Ramesh, “The film is a slice-of-life comedy in the genre made by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee.’’
The first look of the film will unfold across satellite channels today, January 17, 2010, and the excitement around the project can be felt. TBP is directed by the talented Marathi film writer-director, Kedar Shinde, who had stormed the Marathi box office with Agabai Arrechya, Jatra, Majha Navra Tujhi Baiko and Galgale Nighale. About his Bollywood debut, Kedar says, “I’m grateful to Ramesh Taurani for giving me Tabu in my very first film. She’s hugely talented; and what’s more – she’s a very humble person. I just
loved wo rk - ing with her.’’
The actress herself says that she only green-lighted this project because her producers, Tips Films, categorically told her that if she wasn’t in the film, they would not make it. “It’s very flattering for an actor to hear that,’’ says Tabu, adding, “I agreed to this film because I haven’t done a comedy for a while. And, everything about Toh Baat Pakki felt right. My role and the script are fantastic, like it was in Biwi No 1.’’
Tabu has also done comic capers like Hera Pheri and Chachi 420, but she says, “While these films were cult classics, my roles were not necessarily funny in both films. However, in TBP, I’ve got something that I wanted.’’
Kedar, according to her, has made a sensible comedy. “There’s nothing outlandish or over-the-top here.’’ She also feels that since Kedar has a stage background, he is able to control performances and works around things like a pro.
Of her two co-stars, she feels Sharman Joshi is super talented, very committed and a fab costar. Vatsal Sheth is a kid, always up to pranks, but she loved the energy he brought on the sets.
So look at Toh Baat Pakki any which way… and it looks poised to be a winner.

SOURCE - DELHI TIMES (The Times of India) DATED 17th January, 2010

TRAILER OF 'TOH BAAT PAKKI'

Tabu is Back...Updated with 'Toh Baat Pakki' Trailer

The talented actress will be seen in a Bollywood comedy releasing on Feb 19

It’s time to uncork the bubbly. Twotime National Award-winning actress Tabu, who’s been sorely missed by discerning cineastes, will be back on the silver screen on February 19 in producer Ramesh Taurani’s Toh Baat Pakki.
Says Ramesh, “The film is a slice-of-life comedy in the genre made by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee.’’
The first look of the film will unfold across satellite channels today, January 17, 2010, and the excitement around the project can be felt. TBP is directed by the talented Marathi film writer-director, Kedar Shinde, who had stormed the Marathi box office with Agabai Arrechya, Jatra, Majha Navra Tujhi Baiko and Galgale Nighale. About his Bollywood debut, Kedar says, “I’m grateful to Ramesh Taurani for giving me Tabu in my very first film. She’s hugely talented; and what’s more – she’s a very humble person. I just
loved wo rk - ing with her.’’
The actress herself says that she only green-lighted this project because her producers, Tips Films, categorically told her that if she wasn’t in the film, they would not make it. “It’s very flattering for an actor to hear that,’’ says Tabu, adding, “I agreed to this film because I haven’t done a comedy for a while. And, everything about Toh Baat Pakki felt right. My role and the script are fantastic, like it was in Biwi No 1.’’
Tabu has also done comic capers like Hera Pheri and Chachi 420, but she says, “While these films were cult classics, my roles were not necessarily funny in both films. However, in TBP, I’ve got something that I wanted.’’
Kedar, according to her, has made a sensible comedy. “There’s nothing outlandish or over-the-top here.’’ She also feels that since Kedar has a stage background, he is able to control performances and works around things like a pro.
Of her two co-stars, she feels Sharman Joshi is super talented, very committed and a fab costar. Vatsal Sheth is a kid, always up to pranks, but she loved the energy he brought on the sets.
So look at Toh Baat Pakki any which way… and it looks poised to be a winner.

SOURCE - DELHI TIMES (The Times of India) DATED 17th January, 2010

TRAILER OF 'TOH BAAT PAKKI'

3 Idiots: Aim excellence, saali success jhakk maar ke aayegi

I am (Shahrukh) Khan fan, and I liked 3 Idiots. OK, make it loved.

When we saw 2 of the biggest stars of our generation trying to do this movie, we knew that there has to be something special in it, and sure there was, too bad only one could do it, saala, lucky dog (no pun intended). Is it best of the decade, best ever? I have no idea, I have never ever been a good judge of movie, I liked Race after all. But then for me core of every movie lies in the "fun" factor, entertainment value, and then if you sprinkle enough of, what you call, "message", it becomes a movie not to be missed. In this regard, folks, 3I is a darn good one.

Coming to the movie, yes, jahapanah gag is overdone a bit, and caricatures don't exist in real. But then its not about that, right? Its about having fun while watching a movie, and take something along with you, if you can, which can be a joke, smile, or just a simple thought. Yes, every movie has a message, message of peace over war, love over hatred, freindship over animosity, and this movie has its fair share of points as well, which it tries to get across the table, but there are not many which puts in the way 3I does. If the movie is not entertaining enough, I think that whatever "message" it has is lost, and 3I has enough of funny, jokes, and punch lines, even though with the help of caricatures and gags, that never for once you feel that you are being preached or bored.

I have seen so many times how such and such movie's script is discussed as coursework for some college or something, this is one movie I would definitely want to be shown to every student out there. And see, its not about changing the system, like many would like you to believe, even VVC, its about changing your mentality, which in turn can change the system. How parents don't guide, but "force" them to walk on the path they think is right for them, sometimes by force, sometimes by emotional blackmailing of sorts. At the same time its a lesson to kids to try and learn for the sake of learning, not passing. Aim should be attaining the excellence, not degree. Degree might land you a job, nice car, bigger house, but success, the real big success, comes with excellence. Do not compete others, but aim to be excellent in what you are doing. If you are making a blog, don't try to outdo someone else's try to make your own so good that it gets the notice by itself. What a movie, what a motivation it can give to students trying real hard to make their name in this rat race of sorts.

It depends upon you what point you bring home, the loud, repetitve, stupid line, aal izz well, or the the point about doing what you love and loving what you do. After all, you are the viewer, you take the call. As such i am seldom interested in BO stuff, but this movie should break all the record, and deservingly. Big star, good movie, great marketing, has all the components right, hope it does that. This is a true DDLJ moment for Aamir, I don;t htink Ghajini ever was, but this sure is.

Performance wise, Aamir made the character his own, though some times he did look like forcing himself to be a kid, like when Boman is dragging him. But all in all, he nails it, the way he talks, reassures and motivate his friends and audience, is really worth watching. Maddy, Sharman are good in whatever is given to them, which is not exactly much. Loved the scnes of Sharman's family, how they were done in humor, amazing. Kareena is almost non existent. Lot has been said about Boman, but I think he did pretty good, like all Hirani movies, he was a caricature once again, and he did pretty well as that caricature. Gave laughs, played a bad guy, but still never a villain. I am not saying that the plot doesn't have loopholes, or its own fair share of unbelievable ridiculousness, but it is more to make the movie more entertaining, which it does. Also, I am sorry, I am not exactly an Oscar jury, and that too for a reason. I look for entertainment in the movie. Neither was I judging some Science journal that I comment on feasibility of a vacuum cleaner as a suction cup.

Yes, 3I is a collection of Munnabhais, TZP, at some points, even Mohabbatein. but it is a novel effort, and a good movie with enough of fun to make ou remember the point of " Attain Excellence, success saali jhakk maar ke aayegi".

My rating? Catch is as soon as possible, and show it to kids, and tell them how important it is to take interest in what they are doing, and do what they have interest in. Lets have few more Abdul Kalams than Kunals.

Once again, I might go to hell for saying that, still,

I am (Shahrukh) Khan fan, and I LOVED 3 Idiots.


PS: One note to bloggers as well. See this movie and you will understand the importance of being simple. I understand that you want to increase my vocab by using big words, and i appreciate that. But after a while it starts sounding as gibberish, not interesting anymore. And if you fail to explain your point, I think you failed as a writer, now I know I am not the smartest student/reader myself, but you won't be judged as a smart writer if you fail to put your point across. Am I making any sense? I hope I am.

3 Idiots: Aim excellence, saali success jhakk maar ke aayegi

I am (Shahrukh) Khan fan, and I liked 3 Idiots. OK, make it loved.

When we saw 2 of the biggest stars of our generation trying to do this movie, we knew that there has to be something special in it, and sure there was, too bad only one could do it, saala, lucky dog (no pun intended). Is it best of the decade, best ever? I have no idea, I have never ever been a good judge of movie, I liked Race after all. But then for me core of every movie lies in the "fun" factor, entertainment value, and then if you sprinkle enough of, what you call, "message", it becomes a movie not to be missed. In this regard, folks, 3I is a darn good one.

Coming to the movie, yes, jahapanah gag is overdone a bit, and caricatures don't exist in real. But then its not about that, right? Its about having fun while watching a movie, and take something along with you, if you can, which can be a joke, smile, or just a simple thought. Yes, every movie has a message, message of peace over war, love over hatred, freindship over animosity, and this movie has its fair share of points as well, which it tries to get across the table, but there are not many which puts in the way 3I does. If the movie is not entertaining enough, I think that whatever "message" it has is lost, and 3I has enough of funny, jokes, and punch lines, even though with the help of caricatures and gags, that never for once you feel that you are being preached or bored.

I have seen so many times how such and such movie's script is discussed as coursework for some college or something, this is one movie I would definitely want to be shown to every student out there. And see, its not about changing the system, like many would like you to believe, even VVC, its about changing your mentality, which in turn can change the system. How parents don't guide, but "force" them to walk on the path they think is right for them, sometimes by force, sometimes by emotional blackmailing of sorts. At the same time its a lesson to kids to try and learn for the sake of learning, not passing. Aim should be attaining the excellence, not degree. Degree might land you a job, nice car, bigger house, but success, the real big success, comes with excellence. Do not compete others, but aim to be excellent in what you are doing. If you are making a blog, don't try to outdo someone else's try to make your own so good that it gets the notice by itself. What a movie, what a motivation it can give to students trying real hard to make their name in this rat race of sorts.

It depends upon you what point you bring home, the loud, repetitve, stupid line, aal izz well, or the the point about doing what you love and loving what you do. After all, you are the viewer, you take the call. As such i am seldom interested in BO stuff, but this movie should break all the record, and deservingly. Big star, good movie, great marketing, has all the components right, hope it does that. This is a true DDLJ moment for Aamir, I don;t htink Ghajini ever was, but this sure is.

Performance wise, Aamir made the character his own, though some times he did look like forcing himself to be a kid, like when Boman is dragging him. But all in all, he nails it, the way he talks, reassures and motivate his friends and audience, is really worth watching. Maddy, Sharman are good in whatever is given to them, which is not exactly much. Loved the scnes of Sharman's family, how they were done in humor, amazing. Kareena is almost non existent. Lot has been said about Boman, but I think he did pretty good, like all Hirani movies, he was a caricature once again, and he did pretty well as that caricature. Gave laughs, played a bad guy, but still never a villain. I am not saying that the plot doesn't have loopholes, or its own fair share of unbelievable ridiculousness, but it is more to make the movie more entertaining, which it does. Also, I am sorry, I am not exactly an Oscar jury, and that too for a reason. I look for entertainment in the movie. Neither was I judging some Science journal that I comment on feasibility of a vacuum cleaner as a suction cup.

Yes, 3I is a collection of Munnabhais, TZP, at some points, even Mohabbatein. but it is a novel effort, and a good movie with enough of fun to make ou remember the point of " Attain Excellence, success saali jhakk maar ke aayegi".

My rating? Catch is as soon as possible, and show it to kids, and tell them how important it is to take interest in what they are doing, and do what they have interest in. Lets have few more Abdul Kalams than Kunals.

Once again, I might go to hell for saying that, still,

I am (Shahrukh) Khan fan, and I LOVED 3 Idiots.


PS: One note to bloggers as well. See this movie and you will understand the importance of being simple. I understand that you want to increase my vocab by using big words, and i appreciate that. But after a while it starts sounding as gibberish, not interesting anymore. And if you fail to explain your point, I think you failed as a writer, now I know I am not the smartest student/reader myself, but you won't be judged as a smart writer if you fail to put your point across. Am I making any sense? I hope I am.

3 Idiots Reviews (Raja Sen, Taran Adarsh, Nikhat Kazmi)

Raja Sen - 2/5

Three Idiots, Two Stars, One Missed Opportunity

In Rajkumar Hirani's [ Images ] latest film, a character steps to a blackboard and chalks up, for the benefit of a befuddled engineering college classroomful of students, the word 'Farhanitrate,' daring them to tell him what it means.

The word is a pun on the character's best friend, Farhan, and while it may be a non-existant gag word in the film, the compound seems to exist in real life -- Hirani's film is doused liberally with Farhanitrate (in an Akhtar sense of the word) and several other directorial scents -- including Hirani's own touch, which is why by the time the end credits eventually roll around, you have a 'been there, sniffed that' feeling about it all.

There's also a tragic, overriding feeling of futility. Why, you ask yourself, does a college film have to be made with middle-aged men playing the lead? Can we not trust younger actors to deliver, or has the insecurity of the star system blinded us to all reality?

Why must Aamir Khan [ Images ], a man who told us of the last day of college 21 years ago, still play a fresh-faced student? He does adequately, and is impressively bereft of age-lines, but we really have seen it all before. For the actor, it's probably yet another disguise, that of the young man. But it's a role he can do in his sleep.

Ditto for Hirani and his partner in wordplay, Abhijat Joshi. 3 Idiots is a very average bit of fluffy Bollywood masala that tragically pretends, at times, to be making a profound point, one it loses in repetition. The result is a confused film, one that doesn't know exactly where it stands, torn between lump-in-the-throat filmmaking and amateurishly written juvenilia. There are a few moments which click, but coming from the duo that created the finest film this decade, this is a massive letdown.

Read more from HERE

3 Idiots Reviews (Raja Sen, Taran Adarsh, Nikhat Kazmi)

Raja Sen - 2/5

Three Idiots, Two Stars, One Missed Opportunity

In Rajkumar Hirani's [ Images ] latest film, a character steps to a blackboard and chalks up, for the benefit of a befuddled engineering college classroomful of students, the word 'Farhanitrate,' daring them to tell him what it means.

The word is a pun on the character's best friend, Farhan, and while it may be a non-existant gag word in the film, the compound seems to exist in real life -- Hirani's film is doused liberally with Farhanitrate (in an Akhtar sense of the word) and several other directorial scents -- including Hirani's own touch, which is why by the time the end credits eventually roll around, you have a 'been there, sniffed that' feeling about it all.

There's also a tragic, overriding feeling of futility. Why, you ask yourself, does a college film have to be made with middle-aged men playing the lead? Can we not trust younger actors to deliver, or has the insecurity of the star system blinded us to all reality?

Why must Aamir Khan [ Images ], a man who told us of the last day of college 21 years ago, still play a fresh-faced student? He does adequately, and is impressively bereft of age-lines, but we really have seen it all before. For the actor, it's probably yet another disguise, that of the young man. But it's a role he can do in his sleep.

Ditto for Hirani and his partner in wordplay, Abhijat Joshi. 3 Idiots is a very average bit of fluffy Bollywood masala that tragically pretends, at times, to be making a profound point, one it loses in repetition. The result is a confused film, one that doesn't know exactly where it stands, torn between lump-in-the-throat filmmaking and amateurishly written juvenilia. There are a few moments which click, but coming from the duo that created the finest film this decade, this is a massive letdown.

Read more from HERE