Badlapur – It’s a Bad Dark World

Story: On an unfateful day, Raghu (Varun Dhawan) an advertising professional’s wife Misha (Yaami Gautam) and son Robin are killed by some criminals attempting bank robbery. One of the criminals Liak (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) surrenders while reporting that his partner Harman (Vinay Pathak) is responsible for the entire crime. Seeing law taking its own course Raghu decides to take action but Liak is sent to jail for 20 years. What will Raghu do now? Will he be able to avenge the death of his family? Is Liak speaking the truth? Where is Harman and where is the loot? A gripping Badlapur will give you all your answers.

Performances: Nawazuddin Siddiqui is definitely the star of the enterprise. What an actor!! His performance in Badlapur will blow your mind!! His character has various shades and the competent actor changes into a different shade every second. This one definitely is an award winning performance by Nawazuddin. He makes you hate him, he makes you root for Varun who seeks revenge from him, he makes you sympathise on his situation in the second half and that’s the mark of a great actor. His performance binds you and forces you to watch him explode onscreen. But this doesn’t mean Varun Dhawan is overshadowed here. You will see a matured actor wanting to prove his art in the form of Badlapur. Varun takes giant stride as an actor with this movie. Watch him in the sequence in the jail where he imitates Nawazuddin and you will know this guy is here to stay. Like Nawazuddin, Varun also commands your attention and seeks all the sympathy required for his loss. With his performance in Badlapur, he has set very high expectation in his audience for his future projects. Huma Qureshi is decent in an extended cameo. If only her character had more meat. Yami Gautam is efficient in a small role. She is slowly getting typecasted in such small role, which she needs to be careful about. Vinay Pathak is effective and so is Radhika Apte. Infact for Radhika (who is seen in a glamorous role for the first time), Badlapur will open new horizons in the industry. Kumud Mishra and Pratima Kannan provide good support to the movie through their performances. Divya Dutta is good but her characterisation lacks meat. Murali Sharma provides some comical moments in the movie. Zakir Hussain and Ashwini Khalsekar are hardly there.

Technical Team: After failing with Agent Vinod, Director Sriram Raghavan returns into his dark world with equally dark characters and stuns you with his execution. He along with Arijit Biswas offer you a revenge saga with a twist. Full marks for the way the plot is executed and the twists will leave you breathless. The moment you think that the movie is getting into predictable zone, you are alarmed by a thrilling twist and that’s sheer genius of Sriram Raghavan. The dark humour will bowl you over and the dialogues are more like your daily conversation which keeps you hooked to the proceedings. However the Screenplay in the second half could have been better. Also some characterisations and incidents are not justified effectively. But these are minor blemishes which you would conveniently ignore. Cinematography by Anil Mehta is another ace for Badlapur. Eventhough most of the movie is shot in dark or low lit areas, he manages to capture each and every moment effectively and maintains the essence of the movie. Music and Background Score by Sachin – Jigar is effective. Songs like Jeena Jeena and Jee Karda adds to the tension in the narration as they are mostly played in the background. Also the duo gives an effective Background Score by playing right amount of music at the right time while maintaining the authenticity of the proceedings. Editing by Pooja Ladha Surti is good in first half but loses steam in the second half. Action by Parvez Fazal Khan is intense, gruesome and definitely not for faint hearted, especially the sequence where Harman is eliminated.

Best Scenes:
* Bank Robbery and sequence that follows
* Liak’s interrogation
* Raghu meeting Liak in jail
* Raghu meeting Liak outside the court
* Raghu’s outburst in front of Shoba
* Raghu meets Liak in Jail again after 15 years
* Raghu helping Koko
* Raghu meeting Koko and Harman in the restaurant
* Lunch at Harman’s place and the sequence that follows
* Liak’s jail-break attempts
* Liak’s meeting with Jhimli
* Raghu eliminates Harman
* Liak’s parting note to Jhimli’s boyfriend
* When Liak confronts Raghu at his house

Conclusion: Badlapur is definitely not for people who don’t have appetite for dark humour and gore onscreen. For others, Badlapur is a premium buffet for all kinds of pallet. Whether it is humour, thrills, twists, mystery, action, performances, songs, the movie has it all. The best part of the movie is it is shot very realistically. There are subtle references on everyones day to day life, like when Raghu’s parents are arguing about feeding South Indian lunch to Misha’s parents while Raghu is mourning on his loss or even the sequence where Liak tries to pretend like a home delivery boy in front of Jhimli’s boyfriend or a private detective is introduced while performing her household chores. You can easily relate to these subtle references. Even the jail sequences are shot with great authenticity. But the movie has its share of blemishes. Like the track involving Huma Qureshi and Divya Dutta could have been better, also Liak’s illness is not captured very well. Other than Raghu everyone else looks the same even after 15 years. But all of this are overpowered by some exceptional performances and brilliant sequences listed above. Especially the climax is something which you can never predict. It completely bowls you. Do yourself a favour watch Badlapur today, as it is cinematic celebration at its best.

Ratings: (****) One extra star for brilliant performances by Varun Dhawan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Temper – Go lose your Time and Temper

Story: Daya (NTR) is a corrupt police officer, who is transferred to Vizag to facilitate illegal operations of Waltair Vasu (Prakash Raj). He ends up falling in love with an animal lover Shanvi (Kajal Agarwal) and the rest of the story is how he transforms into a good cop and redeems himself.

Performances: NTR who is known for his energetic characterizations, experiments with his role in this movie. He starts up playing a grey character who changes into a good guy by the second half. He does well, but he is definitely capable of much more. His bad guy act is a mixed bag, which works only to an extent. He has put on weight again which shows onscreen, except for a part in the song where he shows-off his 6 packs. Prakash Raj is his usual self in a villainous character. Posani Krishna Murali who plays the sidekick of NTR does a good job. Eventhough his character has the usual comic role, there are subtle changes which shows him in a different light. Kajal Agarwal has nothing to do. Jaya Prakash Reddy is decent in the second half. Madhurima plays an extended cameo and is effective. Other actors who appear in small roles include Tanikella Bharani, Kovai Sarala, Kota Srinivas Rao, Saptagiri, Rama Prabha and Pavitra Lokesh. They all do well in their respective roles. Sonia Agarwal, Subbaraju and Ali are wasted. Nora Fatehi appears in an item song which is routine.

Technical Team: Puri Jagannadh who is known for his massy characterisations and dialogues triumphs again with Temper. But its his Screenplay and Direction which ruins it all. Agreed that logics should be thrown out of the window when it comes to movies of this genre, but then to what extent. Story by Vakkantham Vamsi does try to tread different path in the beginning but it all becomes routine after few minutes of the runtime. The plot starts with a story of an orphan aspiring to be a cop, then you get to see the escapades of the corrupt cop and then out of no where there is a love track and he falls in love. The second half takes a different turn with long speeches on ideologies, social responsibilities of a citizen, then the rape angle (similar to Nirbhaya) is dragged out of no where and how the corrupt cop redeems himself while doing justice to the victim. Mishmash of so many sub-plots reminds you of Puri’s previous unsuccessful attempt Cameraman Gangatho Rambabu. Cinematographyby Sam K. Naidu is mechanical and so is the Music by Anoop Rubens. Choolenge Aasman is the only track which is hummable. Choreography by Shekar is decent and action by Vijay is routine and loud. Editing by S.R. Sekhar is not upto the mark.

Best Scenes:
* Daya’s childhood sequence
* First case handled by Daya
* Conversations between Daya and Narayana Murthy
* When Waltair Vasu kidnaps Shanvi
* The way Daya’s mistakes get connected to an unfortunate incident
* Twist in the courtroom

Conclusion: Puri Jagannadh should stop making movies at a break neck speed and spend sometime on his scripts. If not for the fan following of the actors that he chooses, all his movies would have been disasters. As mentioned earlier, Temper does make an attempt to be different, especially NTR playing a character with grey shades but that is not used to a great advantage. Moreover NTR doesn’t look convincing in those bad man sequences, but that is to do with poor direction of Puri Jagannadh. There are several sub-plots that keeps cropping up which tests your patience and then you have songs which are hardly hummable. Comic track fails and the silly rape plot makes you restless. The twist in the court sequence is well executed but then the climax spoils it all. Only if you are a NTR fan you may lap this movie up. For others except for the above mentioned sequences and some brilliant dialogues there is hardly anything exciting in this movie.

Ratings: (**)

Roy – (ROY)al Mistake!!!

Story: Kabir Grewal (Arjun Rampal) director of a successful film series ‘Guns’ based on a mysterious art thief Roy (Ranbir Kapoor) is looking to make the third part of the series. While shooting the same he encounters filmmaker Ayesha Aamir (Jacqueline Fernandez) and falls in love with her. In the other track Roy is charming his way into wealthy Tia’s (Jacqueline Fernandez) to steal an expensive painting from her. Will casanova Kabir find his love in Ayesha? Will Roy choose stealing Tia’s painting or her heart? Will Kabir and Roy ever meet? Forms the rest of the story.

Performances: Arjun Rampal shines in a restrained performance. His arrogance, his flamboyance and internal suffering in the second half is well enacted by the talented actor. After Rock On this can be regarded as his best performance till date. Ranbir Kapoor yet again shines in an unconventional role. The role is a huge risk but the actor spares no effort in making it worth it. If only his role was written better. Nevertheless the supremely talented actor comes up with a convincing performance with effortless ease. Jacqueline Fernandez who gets her first double role is just about ok. She is a gracious dancer and looks glamorous in all her appearances, but needs to lighten up a little when it comes to emoting onscreen. Also her accented Hindi is a total downer. They should have dubbed her voice atleast for Ayesha Aamir’s character . Its great to see Rajit Kapoor back in a role of an investigating officer. Reminded me of his role in Byomkesh Bakshi. Shernaz Patel is efficient as Kabir’s production incharge. Anupam Kher is wasted in an inconsequential role. Barun Chanda, Cyrus Broacha, Shibani Dandekar and Asif Basra are decent in their small roles.

Technical Team: Vikramjit Singh makes his debut with Roy, but his direction is still very inconsistent. He definitely has an eye for detail. That explains the rich production value and the way the movie and its characters are presented. But how you wish some of that attention was also paid towards the execution of his own script (Story & Screenplay). Armed with an interesting story Vikramjit Singh could have offered an exciting new concept to the cinegoers, but the slow narration and dragging haphazard Screenplay ends up testing your patience. After some inspiring performances and rich production values (Vintee Bansal), if there is anything that stands out in Roy is its Dialogues (Vikramjit Singh and Hussain Dalal). There are some brilliantly written lines in the movie which grabs your attention and make you notice the finesse. Note the sequence when Roy meets Tia at a party, or even when Kabir meets Ayesha for the first time, you are stunned with some effective conversation of these characters. Cinematography by Himman Dhamija is effective and so is the Choreography by Ahmed Khan. A special mention to the sea side ballet performed by Jacqueline Fernandez, Splendid!! Music by Ankit Tiwari, Meet Bros Anjjan and Amaal Mallik ranges between good to average and acts as a speed breaker to already slowly narrated plot. Background music by Sanjay Chaudhary is dull and doesn’t do anything in spicing up the proceedings. Editor Dipika Kalra fails miserably in keeping the proceedings crisp. Runtime of 146 minutes is a pain and to sit through the entire duration is really taxing on the audience.

Best Scenes:
* Kabir meeting Ayesha for the first time
* Roy’s interaction with Tia at the after-auction party
* Kabir and Ayesha’s interaction in the coffee shop
* Kabir uniting with Ayesha in the pre-climax

Conclusion: As mentioned earlier debutant director had everything going for him. Brilliant producers to back him up financially, stellar starcast, decent music and a great story idea. He ruins it all with his sloppy Screenplay and inefficient direction. There are several sequences and characters which looks forced into the narration. For example the entire Anupam Kher track doesn’t work, the sequence where Ayesha does ballet for Kabir, eventhough brilliantly executed doesn’t go well with the narration. Also the placement of the songs are very poor. Songs like Chitthiyan Kalaayiyan, Tu Hai ke nahin, Suraj Dooba hai yaaron and Yaara way looks forced into the Screenplay. The thriller part of Roy’s character is hardly thrilling, the romance between the lead pairs lacks chemistry, mystery in the plot is bland and the emotional sequences are dull. Except for the songs, good dialogues and decent performances there is nothing that saves Roy from atleast being a decent flick.

Ratings: (**)

Shamitabh – (SHAM)itabh

Story: Danish (Dhanush) is an aspiring actor from a small town. The major setback for him is he is born dumb. Like every aspirant he lands in Mumbai to fulfill his dream and after several rejections, seeks help from an Assistant Director Akshara (Akshara Hassan). Through her father she finds a method in which Danish could speak but they need somebody lending their voice for the same. They find Amitabh Sinha (Amitabh Bachchan) whose baritone is instantly liked by Danish and Akshara. They manage to convince Amitabh to be Danish’s voice, but its later when Danish becomes a successful star there are differences between the two due to their egos. Will they be able to sort out their differences? Will anyone get to know their secret? Watch Shamitabh for your answers.

Performances: Shamitabh clearly belongs to two actors, Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush. Amitabh Bachchan gets the nuances of his character so well that his drunkard act looks convincing in all his scenes. As an arrogant drunkard and a failed actor, you connect with his emotions instantly. What can be said about his voice that has not been said earlier. His voice remains the mainstay of the enterprise and that definitely is the highlight. The veteran actor is in an amazing form and stands tall (literally) with his performance. Dhanush is another actor who strikes the right chord. You can see the efforts he has to put to get the nuances of the voice of an actor like Amitabh Bachchan into his performance. His struggle, his rise, his failure all is portrayed well by this supremely talented actor. Its no mean feat for any actor to stand in a parallel role with Amitabh Bachchan and hold on your own. Dhanush manages to achieve that. Akshara Hassan makes a confident debut but has a long way to go as far as her acting skills are concerned. May be its her character or bad writing, her performance in Shamitabh definitely lacks the required spark. Uday Tikekar and Rajeev Ravindranathan are decent in their roles. Master Shubham as young Danish is a firecracker. Watch out for his scene in the school. The kid definitely is a star to look out for.

Technical team: Writer Director Balki who gave cinematic gems like Cheeni Kam and Paa, fails miserably with his new venture. His Story like his earlier venture treads a different path but his execution lacks conviction. His Screenplay especially in the second half makes you restless and the climax is a total downer. However his Dialogues saves the day. Camerawork by the genius of P.C.Sreeram is splendid but the same cannot be said for the Music by Ilayaraaja. His tunes scale between average to ordinary. Piddly and Title Track stands out of all his compositions for this movie. Choreography by Bosco and Caesar doesn’t get much scope. Editing by Hemanti Sarkar is below the mark.

Best Scenes:
* School Sequence
* Danish’s outburst outside the studio
* Introduction of Amitabh
* Rehearsal sequences
* Danish and Amitabh’s argument in the Vanity Van
* Danish and Amitabh quarreling in the airport washroom

Conclusion: Balki who has always stood out with his different characterization and unusual story telling skills, presents another Story which could have been a novel concept to the audiences. But his weak Screenplay and poor Direction spoils it all. The first half is well established. Even-though the voice mechanism explained in the movie doesn’t make sense, you go with the flow as that forms the crux of the story and you cannot wait to see Danish flying high using the same. At the interval point when an inclination of an ego clash is presented, you wait for a dramatic and interesting second half. But that’s where the movie goes for a toss. The ego clash even-though well enacted gets repetitive after a point of time. The game of one-upmanship between the two actors gets tiring and its the performances by the lead actors keeps you hooked. Certain sequences are unnecessarily repeated and then you have some more silly sequences like Amitabh talking to the poster of Robert-De-Niro or those so called brilliant ideas of Danish that takes the nation by storm or even Akshara trying to reconcile both Danish and Amitabh by taking them to a classroom. And then Balki serves you with another predictable twist in the story which results in a shoddy climax. What definitely works for the movie is performances by Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush and some amazing camerawork by P.C.Shreeram. But that’s not enough for you to sit through those 156 minutes of slow narration and dragging second half. A classic case of a brilliant idea gone waste due to poor execution.

Ratings: (**1/2) One extra star for brilliant performances by Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush

Abhinetri – An over the top mess!!

Story: The movie which is said to be inspired by the life of popular yesteryear actress Kalpana, begins with Sharath Lata (Pooja Gandhi) who desires to become one of the biggest actress in the industry. After doing small roles in plays, she gets her big break in the movies. After few unsuccessful attempts and help of an helpful Assistant Director Shivaiah’s (Atul Kulkarni) debut movie, she finally becomes a big star rechristened as Nanda. Here begins her downfall. How this leads to a tragic end of Nanda forms the rest of the story.

Performances: Eventhough Pooja Gandhi’s hardwork is shown in every frame that she appears, she is a perfect miscast for the role. The role definitely required an actress who has depth in her performance as it is a challenging role. Pooja Gandhi doesn’t quite get there. To add to the misery Pooja Gandhi has attempted to dub her own lines. She doesn’t get the diction right and that ruins the credibility of a lot of sequences. Moreover her weight keeps fluctuating throughout the movie, which spoils the continuity. There is a lot of talent that ends up being wasted in the movie. Atul Kulkarni as Shivaiah, has an important role but doesn’t get enough screentime. Makarand Deshpande is again wasted in the role of a casting director who seeks sexual pleasures from all the budding talent he encourages. Veteran Ramesh Bhatt is wasted in a brief appearance as Sharath Lata’s father who later disappears. The same is the case with Achyut Kumar who disappears after being a prominent character in the beginning of the movie. Ravishankar appears in the second half of the movie and ends up being the only actor who brings credibility to his character. Infact his is the only performance that stays in your mind even after you have left the auditorium. Shylaja Joshi is decent and so is Sudha Belawadi. Considering the movie is based on film industry, there are actresses like Neethu, Ramya Barna and Radhika Gandhi playing cameos in the movie. Sreenagara Kitty also appears in a special song with Pooja Gandhi. Their appearances does add spark to the dull proceedings.

Technical Team: Director Satish Pradhan who is also credited for Story, Screenplay and Dialogues makes a mess out of what could have been a welcome change for Kannada moviegoers. Looks like Satish’s primary motive was to present Producer Actor Pooja Gandhi in a different avatar, which is visible in so many sequences. The Navaras sequence, Confrontation with Neethu, when Nanda who is a successful actress now enters Krishna Raju’s house and many other sequences are some of the instances, where the Director gets over indulgent on his enterprising actress. His Story is half baked and the Screenplay which has no order. He does well in the Dialogues department though. Cinematography by K. S. Chandrashekhar is mostly used to cover up the lack of research done on the bygone era. Music by Mano Murthy is decent. Manasinalli Niranthara, Abhinetri Horateya and Thamnam Thamnam (recreated from the movie Yeradu Kanasu) are the pick of the lot. Production Design is pathetic. Considering the number of bio-pics churned out every month, Abhinetri’s team doesn’t even try to match up those standards. Infact they take the easier way out by using restricted camera angles. Can somebody tell them that by only using vintage cars, old cameras and telephone instruments doesn’t convince the audience about the bygone era anymore. Sad that Art Director Kanaka doesn’t believe in extensive research. Costumes by Chakravarthy does add a fair amount of authenticity. Editor KM Prakash like his Director loses the grip on the proceedings. He is unable to keep the narration crisp, especially in the second half.

Best Scenes:
* Lata’s father’s outburst after watching his daughter in the play
* Sequence where Nanda meets her rival after a small accident

Conclusion: As mentioned earlier, Satish Pradhan misses the plot completely. The casting is not right, especially for the main role and the movie is full of uninspired writing and illogical sequences. There is no rhyme or reason on certain aspects highlighted in the movie. Where does Lata go in the night when she doesn’t have money to pay for her stay in the lodge? How did she get the marks on her face when she commits suicide? The girl who denies advances of every big producer director in the first half is willing to sleep with a theater owner in the second half. Also her mental condition is not explained well. There is no explanation to her weird behavior and mood swings in the second half. The sequences showing her rise and fall are rushed so fast that her struggle for success and struggle during failure doesn’t have any difference. Her love track with Shivaiah and Gangaraju looks forced. Even the period in which the movie is shot is not explained. All in all this one is such a waste of time and energy. The only saving race as mentioned earlier is Ravishankar’s performance and Mano Murthy’s music. If you are expecting a yesteryear actress’ life from the movie, you will be disappointed.

Ratings: (*1/2)

Dolly Ki Doli – Runaway (from this) Bride!!

Story: Dolly (Sonam Kapoor) is a con woman who fakes marriages and later robs away all the riches of the groom and his family. The story primarily focuses on two such grooms Sonu Sarawat (Rajkummar Rao) and Manjot Singh Chaddha (Varun Sharma). Inspector Robin Singh (Pulkit Samrat) is assigned the case to nab Dolly. Robin shows great interest in capturing Dolly. Will Dolly get arrested? Will Sonu and Manjot forgive her for tricking them? Why is Robin showing so much of interest in Dolly? Watch Dolly ki Doli for the answers (or rather not).

Performances: Sonam Kapoor is in mechanical mode throughout the movie. Her performance lacks spark and thanks to the poor writing, she hardly gets a chance to show her talent even in the emotional scenes. Rajkummar Rao is in great form again, if only his character had more screen-time. He is totally wasted. Varun Sharma continues with his Fukrey hangover and offers some funny moments in the movie. Pulkit Samrat is decent but ends up aping Salman Khan throughout the movie. Manoj Joshi and Zeena Bhatia are decent as Dolly’s fake parents. Rajani Vaidya as Dolly’s fake grandmother just gets one scene and she is a riot. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub who showed great promise in Raanjhanaa, is plain average. Brijendra Kala is funny and so is Archana Puran Singh in her loud Punjabi mother act. Rajesh Sharma and Vibha Chibbar appear in brief roles and they are effective. Malaika Arora Khan appears in probably the worst item song of her career.

Technical Team: Abhishek Dogra debuts with this supposedly fun flick about a women conning all her to be grooms. He shows great spark in his direction but his writing (along with Uma Shankar Singh) spoils the show. You endlessly wait till the last frame for the Screenplay to surprise you with some fun element but the wait never ends. Infact there is hardly anything in the Story or Screenplay that has a recall value. Dialogues by Uma Shankar Singh, especially during Rajkummar Rao’s episode is funny. Also the conversations between Pulkit and his assistant Brijendra Kala are enjoyable. Music by Sajid-Wajid is disappointing and so is the Background Music by Sanjoy Chowdhury. Infact Choreographers like Remo DSouza, Mudassar Khan, Shabeena Khan and Lolly Pop try their best with their dances, but an uninspiring soundtrack doesn’t let them succeed. Cinematography by Saurabh Goswami is plain ordinary. As an audience I was thankful to Editor Hemal Kothari for keeping the run-time within 100 minutes.

Best Scenes:
* Sonu Sarawat’s episode
* Manjot Singh Chaddha’s alliance episode
* Dadi’s interrogation in Police Station

Conclusion: Debutant Director Abhishek Dogra had a great idea and I am sure it looked good in paper. But transforming the same into a 2 hour movie spoils it all. Dolly ki Doli starts of very well with Rajkummar Rao’s episode and just when he gets conned and the motive of Dolly is established, it all goes downhill. And just when you are tired of the mayhem running onscreen, you are presented with an interesting twist at the interval point. Just when you think that the fun ride is about to begin, Abhishek Dogra dilutes your interest with silly love tracks and poor jokes. The climax is so bad and rushed that you are left disappointed when the end credits roll. With some funny one-liners and decent performances by few actors Dolly ki Doli has hardly anything to keep you hooked. Can be missed!

Ratings: (*1/2)

Baby – Yehi hai must watch Baby!!

Story: An elite team (code named Baby) is chosen from amongst the best in the Forces to form a covert Counter Intelligence Unit to foil a major terrorist attack to our nation. Spearheaded by Ajay Singh Rajput (Akshay Kumar), will the team succeed in their mission, forms the rest of the story.

Performances: To all the critics who pointed fingers at Akshay Kumar the actor need to watch Baby. The actor takes a giant stride and proves all his detractors wrong. The intensity in which he delivers his lines, especially in the interrogation sequence with Taufeeq proves that there is a lot in this actor that is still untapped. He still can kick some serious butt when it comes to action, but Baby will be remembered for the actor’s most restrained performance till date. Danny Denzongpa is as usual competent. His discussion with the minister brings the house down. Rashid Naz as the main antagonist is effective but doesn’t get much scope in the second half. Anupam Kher who makes a late appearance in the second half is outstanding. Some of his lines, especially the way he conveys it adds subtle humour to otherwise serious proceedings. Tapsee Pannu and Rana Daggubati are good in their extended appearances. Kay Kay Menon has a lot of talking to do with his eyes and the actor delivers as usual. How you wish the actor was part of some more scenes in the movie. Sushant Singh and Mikaal Zulfikaar are efficient in their brief roles. There are many other actors like Jameel Khan, Taskin, Vatsal Rajan, Murli Sharma, Amar Talwara and Mukesh Bhatt who are perfectly cast and deliver some amazing performances in those small but effective sequences. Madhurima Tuli who plays Akshay’s wife is decent but her track doesn’t fit into the scheme of things. Esha Gupta appears in the final credits in a promotional song. She is extremely glamorous.

Technical Team: Neeraj Pandey is back again with an espionage thriller which raises the bar for all the upcoming thrillers in future. His writing is water tight but its his Screenplay in the first half which tests your patience to a certain extent. But the second half grips you unaware. The proceedings are so very well paced and thrills are so edgy that you don’t bat your eyelids till the end credits role. The gripping climax of around 45 minutes keeps you hooked to the screen. His Dialogues are again very powerful but never gets preachy. As mentioned earlier his dialogues has subtle humour which entertains you in regular intervals. There are enough references to various events with regards to terrorism and their aftermath, but all of this is amalgamated so very well with the narrative that you are delighted more often than not. Cinematography by Sudeep Chatterjee is another asset to this movie. The sequences in Istanbul, Nepal and the deserts of Abu Dhabi are well shot. He definitely adds that additional visual vibrance to most of the sequences, including chase and action sequences. Background Music by Sanjoy Chowdhury is spellbinding and so is the action sequences by Cyril Raffaelli and Abbas Ali Moghul. Editing by Shree Narayan Singh is razor sharp. Even with the runtime of 159 minutes, the proceedings flows smoothly without letting you anytime to ponder your thoughts.

Best Scenes:
* Istanbul operation and the sequence that follows
* Introduction of Bilal Khan and Maulana Mohammed Rehman
* Interrogation sequence with Taufeeq
* Capturing Waseem Khan in Nepal and the interrogation that follows
* Action sequence before Interval
* Discussion regarding the data in the laptop
* Danny Denzongpa’s discussions with the minister
* Introduction of Shuklaji
* Mission Bilal in Abu Dhabi
* Hospital Sequence
* Airport episode in the climax

Conclusion: Baby can be regarded as India’s answer to Bourne series. As mentioned earlier Neeraj Pandey is in full form again as far as his writing and direction is concerned. Yes the first half does get you restless, as the plot and the characters are slowly established but the second half hits you like a bullet. If you haven’t experienced edge of the seat thrills yet. then you have to watch the second half of Baby. You are so hooked to the proceedings that you pray for the safety and success of the team. Such is the impact of the second half. Adding to the fun is effective performances by the entire cast and visual wizardry by the cameraman. The Dialogues also strikes the right chord, which definitely is a bonus. The climax may look borrowed from Argo but the difference is very evident. The only part that doesn’t work in the entire movie is the love track between Akshay and Madhurima. Agreed that Neeraj wanted to show the family life of a covert agent but that somehow doesn’t gel with the format and stands out like a sore thumb. Also when the mission is established we are told that it will be in Saudi Arabia but the entire mission takes place in Abu Dhabi. Except for these setbacks which can easily be ignored, Baby is definitely worth every time and money you spend on this film. A taut thriller with gripping narration and amazing performances is waiting for you. Please do yourself a favour, watch Baby today!

Ratings: (****) One extra star for a thrilling second half

Alone – Leave this movie Alone!!

Story: Sanjana (Bipasha Basu) who is the survivor between her conjoined twin Anjana (Bipasha Basu) comes home after several years of marriage with her love Kabir (Karan Singh Grover). Reason, her mother (Neena Gupta) meets with an accident which leads her to coma. Things get even more complicated when Sanjana starts feeling the presence of Anjana’s ghost around her. Kabir who initially thinks it is Sanjana’s guilt that is responsible for her hallucinations, later realizes that there is more to it than just Sanjana’s mental condition. Is Sanjana really seeing Anjana’s ghost? What does Anjana’s ghost want from Sanjana? How will Kabir save his wife from the upcoming danger? Forms the rest of the story.

Performances: Considering Bipasha Basu has already acted in many horror movies, she just sleepwalks through this role. Eventhough she plays a conjoined twins in the movie, she hardly has anything new to do in the movie. She however does an awesome job in the glamour department. Karan Singh Grover is confident in front of the camera and needs to choose his roles carefully. Most of the time in the movie you feel like he is aping Salman Khan. Nevertheless its a decent debut for the television star. Zakir Hussain as the Psychologist friend is wasted. His sequence especially in the climax looks obnoxious. Same is the case with Neena Gupta. What was the point of hiring an actor of her caliber and get her bed ridden throughout the movie, with hardly any dialogues to speak. Sulbha Arya & Nilima Priya as house maids add some humour to the proceedings and to an extent save the audience from boredom.

Technical Team: Director Bhushan Patel’s third horror offering is a joke in the face of a horror movie. Not that he had given any great movies in the past, but with Alone he fails miserably. There is nothing innovative about his story telling skills, even the direction lacks consistency. Adapted Screenplay by Sheershak Anand and Shantanu Ray Chhibber is flawed and how? The whole narration has no logic what so ever and even the twist in the end (which is the mainstay of the movie) is poorly revealed. Dialogues by Shagufta Rafique are plain ordinary and so is the editing by Devendra Murdeshwar. Cinematography by Prakash Kutty is the only saving grace of the movie. The beautiful locales of Kerela has been stunningly shot. Music by Ankit Tiwari, Mithoon, Jeet Ganguly, Raghav Sachar and Dr. Zeus is nothing to hum about. Awaara and Katra Katra are the only ones that register. Background Music by Amar Mohile does manage to do the trick but its pretty run off the mill. He ably supports director to raise those crucial screams, but he doesn’t have anything new to offer with Alone.
Choreography by Howard Rosemeyer and Ahmed Khan is decent.

Best Scenes:
* Comic sequences involving housemaids

Conclusion: Alone which is inspired by the Thai movie of the same name could have been a game changer. The culprit definitely is bad writing and poor execution by the director. A lot of attempts are made to scare the audience in the most clichéd way possible and that doesn’t work. Reasons for Anjana’s ghost reappearing after 6 years is not explained. Also Sanjana’s mother being a silent spectator in the flashback episode is silly. When compared to original, the twist that the mother’s character brings to the movie is conveniently ignored. The production house did publicise about the glamour in the movie, but even that ends up being a damp squib. This horrex neither has horror nor sex. Please avoid.

Ratings: (*)

I – Liked it!!!

Story: The plot moves around two narrations. In one of them an ugly hunchbacked guy (Vikram) who is harming certain people in a very dangerous but unusual ways. The second plot revolves around a body-builder Lingesan (Vikram again) who falls in love with a model Diya (Amy Jackson) and are about to take their relationship forward through marriage. But he disappears in a mysterious fashion. Why is the ugly guy harming certain people in such an unusual way? Where has Lingesan disappeared? Are these plots connected in anyways? Watch I for the answers.

Performances: Its Vikram’s show all the way. The actor steals every frame that he is a part of. The way he carries different parts and get-ups is commendable. What can I say about his physical transformation for this movie that hasn’t been told. Lets just conclude that his dedication towards his art is unparalleled. Even with such heavy prosthetic makeup the actor doesn’t fail to emote and how!! Your heart sinks for his character especially in the Gym and the temple sequence. This performance of his will be remembered for several years to come. Amy Jackson springs in a pleasant surprise. She does very well in the acting department and adds glamour to the proceedings with elan. The fact that she could hold on her own even while sharing screen with an actor like Vikram tells a lot about her skills. She will definitely benefit a lot as an actress with this movie. Suresh Gopi is caste in a special role but the veteran actor sleepwalks through the same. Upen Patel is decent in a negative role but has a long way to go as an actor. Santahanam is totally wasted. There is hardly some humor from him in the first half and in the second half his comic track in the hospital looks forced. Ramkumar Ganesan as a business tycoon similar to Vijay Mallya is decent. Ojas M. Rajani is brilliant as the stylist. She is comical in the first half but her track changes in the second half. Mohan Kapoor is hardly there, while Srinivasan and Sarath Kumar appear in a cameo.

Technical Team: I again makes you stand up and salute director Shankar’s vision and execution. He is in supreme form when it comes to projecting the entire movie in a very innovative and grand scale. His Story has nothing new to offer and his Screenplay doesn’t match his caliber. In fact there are several loopholes in the narrative and the second half makes you restless for a good thirty minutes. All of these negatives are balanced by the way he has shot the movie, which itself is a big plus. He is ably supported by the lens-man P. C. Sreeram. Whether it is the outdoor sequences in stunning locales of China, song sequence in the studios or chases in by-lanes of Chennai, he blows your mind with his brilliant shot compositions and camera angles. Dialogues by Subha (D. Suresh & A.N. Balakrishnan) are run of the mill considering the power packed dialogues of Shankar’s previous outings. Music by A.R Rahman is just about ok. Mersalaayiten, Ennodu Nee Irundhaal and Pookkalae Sattru Oyivedungal are the pick of the lot. Not to forget the picturisation of these tracks are visually stunning. He however makes it up with an outstanding Background Score for the movie. Costume Design by Mary E. Vogt (Men in Black and Fantastic Four), especially for the Mersalaayiten song is outstanding. Special Prosthetic Makeup by Sean Foot, Davina Lamont, Christien Tinsley and Dominie Till needs a special mention, especially for the makeup of Vikram as the ugly guy and also for the Beast makeup in the song Ennodu Nee Irundhaal. Special effects by Rising Sun Pictures and Prop Design handled by Weta Workshop (Lord of the Rings and Rise of the Planet of the Apes) gives an International feel to the proceedings. The only exception may be the scene where Diya lies to Lingesan about her feelings for him in China. The background in this sequence looks a little artificial and also Diya and Lingesan’s dream house. Action choreographed by Yuen Woo-ping (Additional stunt direction by Anl Arasu) is topnotch but gets heavy and tiring in the second half. Edited by Llewellyn Anthony Gonsalves is crisp in most of the first half but loses track in the second half. Choreography by Bosco & Caesar is good.

Best Scenes:
* Mr. Tamil Nadu Contest and the action sequence that follows
* Some local ad shoots by Lingesan
* When Lingesan meets Diya for the first time in an ad shoot
* When the stylist is introduced to Lingesan
* When Lingesan discovers Diya’s lie in China
* Diya proposing Lingesan
* When the ugly guy harms the stylist
* Ugly guys outburst in the gym
* Temple sequence

Conclusion: Shankar changes track by writing and directing a thriller with a love story as its mainstay. He also does away with his usual social message in the movie. He succeeds big time as a Director but as a writer he fails with I. The major issue is the Screenplay which adds to the excessive length. The whole China episode is a big bore, also Santhanam’s comic track in the Hospital seems forced to cash in his fan-base. There are glaring loop-holes in the Screenplay too. Why doesn’t Lingesan file a police compliant against John and the rival body builder after surviving their attack. The ugly guy is declared physically weak by the doctors, yet you see him jumping on top of the trains, climbing buildings and getting chased by the bad guys. Why don’t the victims testify to cops in writing, if they are unable to speak, and many more. The twist in the tale is very predictable, and you can see it coming in the beginning of the movie itself, but secret behind the ugly guys look is well held and appropriately revealed. What saves the day for I is brilliant performance by Vikram. He is the sole reason you wait till the end credits to check about his well being. He makes sure your mind doesn’t wander when the narration gets slow. What also works in the favor of I is the visuals and grandeur in which the movie is shot. If you ignore the writing of Shankar and some loop holes as discussed earlier, I is a decent watch and definitely has a repeat value for above said positives. It is any day better than your usual masala potboiler that gets released in dozens these days.

Ratings: (***1/2) One extra star for Vikram’s bravura performance

Tevar – Wrong Attitude!!

Story: Pintoo Shukla (Arjun Kapoor) a kabaddi player from Agra, plans to spend a night in Mathura along with his friends. There he encounters Gajendra Singh (Manoj Bajpayee) forcefully trying to fled away with Radhika (Sonakshi Sinha), who is the sister of a TV journalist. Righteous Pintoo saves Radhika from Gajendra and decides to drop her to Delhi, from where Radhika plans to move to US for further studies. Will Pintoo succeed or will Gajendra overpower him, forms the rest of the story.

Performances: Arjun Kapoor is totally at ease as Agre ka Launda Pintoo. He dances and bashes with equal ease. He displays a raw intensity in the second half of the movie which is commendable. Sonakshi Sinha is efficient but her chemistry with Arjun Kapoor is nothing to talk about. This takes away the desired impact of her character. Manoj Bajpayee is brilliant. Here is one actor who makes a rare appearance on silver screen and takes it by storm. We have seen this great actor deliver some amazing performances and now he gives us Tevar. It wont be wrong to say that he lights up the screen every time he appears. How we wish this talented actor was seen more often. Raj Babbar gets prominence in the second half and he does well. His scenes especially with Manoj Bajpayee, salvages the dead second half. Bhuvan Arora, Pranav Verma and Tushar Pandey who play Pintoo’s friends are good. Subrat Dutt as Manoj Bajpayee’s sidekick is brilliant. Deepthi Naval and Gunjan Malhotra are hardly there. Rajesh Sharma is efficient. Shruthi Hassan is alright in an item number. A lot of fresh talent is introduced for various sequences and each of them leave a mark.

Technical Team: Amit Ravindernath Sharma a famous ad-maker especially known for the Google ad, makes his debut with this remake of Mahesh Babu starrer Okkadu. He also doubles up as the Screenplay writer (along with Shantanu Srivastava) and brings some changes in the remake when compared to the original. Even though he leaves a mark as a Director, the same cannot be said about his writing. The sequences that ruined the impact in the original are removed but the new sequences which are replaced are equally bad and harms the narration. Dialogues by Shantanu Srivastava are mixed bag. With some exemplary lines you get to hear lines like “Jo Chane khaate hain, woh badam ke paad nahin maarte!!!”. Cinematography by Laxman Utekar is first rate, considering the small town setting and the action that mostly happen in the by-lanes of Agra or Mathura. Music by Sajid-Wajid is plain average. Except for the Superman song and the Shruthi Hassan crooned Joganiya there is nothing worth mentioning. However Background Score by Clinton Cerejo is top class. Choreography by Remo D’Souza is eye catching but the same cannot be said about the action by Sham Kaushal. There is an overdose of action sequences which gets unbearable after a point. Editing by Dev Jadhav is bad. He could have easily trimmed around 20 minutes of the movie on his editing table.

Best Scenes:
* When Gajendra Singh sets his eye on Radhika
* When Gajendra Singh proposes Radhika
* When Pintoo saves Radhika from Gajendra and the chase that follows
* Rooftop sequence between Pintoo and Gajendra Singh
* Confrontational scenes between Gajendra Singh and SP Shukla

Conclusion: The original Okkadu was not a classic, but what set it apart was the way director Guna Shekhar knitted the story, while extracting some superlative performances from Mahesh Babu and Prakash Raj. What also worked was the chemistry between the lead pair and their love track which is slowly developed during several chases. As mentioned earlier, Amit Ravindernath Sharma does make some notable changes in the Screenplay but doesn’t rise above the blemishes in the original. To add to the audience’s misery you have songs cropping up from nowhere which ruins the impact of the movie. For example, there was no need of Madamiya song and also Lets Celebrate song which pops out without any logical reason. Joganiya eventhough melodious doesn’t really gel with the proceedings. And then you have the action sequences which are never ending and tiring. Amidst all of this the lead pair suddenly realizes that they are in love, while until the Airport sequence it only appeared to be one sided. All of this drama between a pair whose chemistry is not effectively established. All in all Tevar can be watched for the above mentioned sequences and Manoj Bajpayee. Everything else is not worth your time.

Ratings: (**) One extra star for Manoj Bajpayee