Movie Review: MY NAME IS KHAN

I know I have been quite late in posting my review. Nevertheless, I loved the movie so much that I am bound to write my views about it.

MY NAME IS KHAN. The name is affiliated with some of the biggest names in the Indian Film Industry and when you have the talented trio of Karan Johar, SRK and Kajol, the expectations are bound to be gargantuan. My Name is Khan is truly a departure from Karan Johar’s candy-floss romance and it stands as an evidence that Karan Johar has the potential to craft an emotional social drama with a realistic signature to it. MNIK is a reply to his critics who believe that he only makes similar kinds of movies. Kudos to Karan Johar for attempting a difficult subject like this with a strong social message.

MNIK is a love story at the core that also speaks volumes about goodness, equality and the triumph of humanity. It makes one essential standpoint that there are only two kinds of people in the world – the good and the bad. There is no other difference in terms of religion, caste, creed and culture. In SRK’s own words, I would point out, “MNIK is long enough to keep you satisfied and short enough to ask for more”. So, yes MNIK certainly succeeds in living up to the sky-rocketing expectations of the audience.

Rizwaan Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) suffers from Asperger’s syndrome. As a child, his mother (Zarina Wahab) instills in himself a belief that there are only two sets of people in this world – good and bad. There is no other difference. After the demise of his mother, he moves to San Francisco and lives with his brother (Jimmy Shergill) and sister in law (Sonya Jehan). Though he suffers from autism, he is very intelligent and can repair almost anything. His brother puts him to sell his company’s beauty products. He meets Mandira (Kajol), a beauty and hair stylist, who is a divorcee with a child and falls in love with her. Despite opposition from his brother, Rizwaan marries Mandira and they start leaving a happy life. Till an incident of 9/11 occurs and it leads to a dramatic change in attitude towards Muslims and hence in the happy life of Rizwaan Khan and Mandira. Mandira leaves Rizwaan and he embarks on the journey across United States to meet the President of America, to win back the love of his life.

The moment MNIK begins, the viewer gets hooked onto the screen and there are several sequences that register a strong impact in your heart. Kajol-SRK romance is quite adorable. SRK’s relationship with Kajol and their son pleases you completely. Kajol’s emotional outburst when her son meets with an accidental death and when she leaves SRK simply knocks you down. You feel sympathetic when SRK is declared a terrorist and is thrown into a terrorist cell. A sequence showing English recitation of the song, “Hum honge Kamyab ek din” touches your heart immensely and makes you moist-eyed. Simply incredible!

In the second hour of the film, though some sequences might seem a bit unbelievable such as SRK returning to Georgia to save a hurricane struck village and the media persons supporting him but this is just a minor glitch. The movie still has its heart in the right place behind these scenes.

Karan Johar’s direction is simply outstanding. MNIK validates the point that Karan Johar has the strength and capability to venture into entertaining yet realistic genre. His sense of direction is simply amazing. He conveys many strong points in a subtle manner. Its not surprising if this movie fetches him an award this year for best direction. Shibani K Bhatija’s story and screenplay is appealing. Ravi K. Chandran’s Cinematography is excellent. Nirenjer Iyenger’s dialogues are perfect and leave an indelible impact in your mind. Music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy is pleasing to the ears.

SRK’s portrayal of a character suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome is brilliant. He succeeds in tugging the emotional strings in your heart and you support for his character all through the movie. His performance is the best so far. Words fall short to praise his act. Kajol delivers a first rate performance. She simply brings charm to the screen with her energetic screen presence. She is mind-blowing in her outburst scenes. In few words, she is a powerhouse of huge talent. No other actor would have matched SRK in this role as Kajol. Their sparkling chemistry captivates you.

Performances of the supporting cast deserve special mention. Zarina Wahab as SRK’s mother is supreme. Soniya Jehan as SRK’s sister in law makes a strong impact. Jimmy Shergill as SRK’s brother pitches in a decent act. Arjun Mathur, Parveen Dabas, Arif Zakaria, Navneet Nishan and Sugandha Garg support well. Tanay Chheda as young SRK and Yuvaan Makaar as SRK-Kajol’s son are noteworthy. The American couple and their kid (as Yuvaan Makaar’s friend) deliver an efficient performance.

In all, MNIK is an overwhelming love story of Rizwaan Khan and Mandira with a substantial message about hope, humanity and the victory of good over evil. With this film, Karan Johar succeeds in connecting with a global audience in a major way. And all these protesting Shiv Sena people and terrorists – its especially made for you people to watch so that peace and humanity prevails. As far as the positive word of mouth pouring in and its earth shattering start, the movie is going to achieve breaking records in the days to come. Do yourself a favor. Watch MNIK for its enthralling direction, sincere performances, soothing music and above all if you believe in equality and humanity..

Rating: 4/5

Movie Review: De Dana Dan

I am presenting a short review on the movie. I was excited that the movie released in US two days before in India and I saw the movie on my Thursday evening. Here is my short take on the movie. De Dana Dan, filmed by Priyadarshan lives up to the expectations of being a full on mad entertainer. It is a silly situational laugh riot, without any logic. The director succeeds quite well in handling the subject of mistaken identities and building up the whole story around several characters in a single hotel building. Most of the actors pitch in a nice performance. There are couple of sequences that evoke uncontrolled laughter. Dialogues are first rate. Pritam’s music is strictly okay.

On the whole, go and enjoy this hilarious comedy leaving your brains locked in cupboards…

Rating: 3.5/5

Movie Review – Kambakkht Ishq: a time pass fare!

Kambakkht Ishq is touted as one of the most awaited films of this year. It boasts of an ensemble star cast with a combination of both Hindi Cinema and Hollywood actors. The movie promises to be a complete entertainer as evident from the promos of the movie. The movie is quite crucial for Akshay Kumar who has recently delivered two duds (Chandni Chowk To China and 8X10 Tasveer) and Kareena Kapoor whose last movie Tashan failed miserably at the box office. Also, the presence of Hollywood biggies such as Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards has raised the expectation bar of the film.

KAMBAKKHT ISHQ focuses on the relationship between two individuals who are poles apart from each other. Viraj [Akshay Kumar] is a Hollywood stuntman, who believes that women are only good for two things. Simrita [Kareena Kapoor] is a surgeon and supermodel, who does not believe in the institution of marriage as she hates men and thinks that men are desperate for only one thing from a woman. She is an instigator who is more than able to stare down the most arrogant male with her acerbic wit and sarcastic tongue.

So what happens when the two people who hate each other the most meet at Simrita’s best friend Kamini’s [Amrita Arora] and Viraj’s brother Lucky’s [Aftab Shivdasani] wedding? A wedding that both Viraj and Simrita are violently opposed to and desperate to stop. Sparks fly… the battle of the sexes in on. After this, they keep on banging into each other and complete with each other to put each other down and eventually fall in love.

As in earlier movies starring Akshay Kumar such as Welcome and Singh is Kinng, the main focus of Kambakkht Ishq is to entertain without any logic. So, when you come to watch the movie just do not try to use your brain or you will find lots of loopholes in the screenplay. Kambakkht Ishq starts on a good note and continues to generate laughter till the first half of the movie. In fact, there are several scenes that are quite hilarious such as Amrita-Aftab’s wedding reception, Kareena trying to create fight between Amrita-Aftab and Akshay attempting to create patch up among them, Kareena operating Akshay, etc.

But post-interval after a few funny sequences, the movie changes track to emotional sequences that lead to love among the lead pair. The emotional quotient of the film may not go down well with the viewer as it does not register much impact. Kareena justifying her hatred for men to Akshay seems too senseless to believe. One sequence that appears unique is Akshay Kumar’s proposal to Kareena in the underwater. The climax, though, attempts to save the movie from this cliche melodrama in the second half. To sum up, Kambakkht Ishq is full of glamour, glitz, gloss but low on content as there is not much story to convey.

Now coming to the performances. The movie wholly belongs to Akshay Kumar whose comic timing is perfect. Without his presence, the movie would have fallen apart. He is quite good in emotional sequences too. If you are an Akshay Kumar fan, go to see the movie at least for him and you would not be disappointed as such. Kareena Kapoor looks glamorous and beautiful throughout the movie except in the bikini sequence. Her act is just like in her earlier commercial movies and is nothing much to boast of. But yes, she adds spark when she appears on the screen. Kirron Kher is repetitive and wasted. Aftab delivers a satisfactory performance. Amrita Arora acts like dumb as in her earlier ventures. Jaaved Jaffery is entirely wasted. His track fails to evoke any laugh and appears forced in the narrative. Vindu Dara Singh (Akhsay’s secretary) supports his part well. Boman Irani is quite funny in a single scene. Hollywood Actors are well integrated into the plot. Sylvester Stallone appearing at the end and saving Kareena Kapoor reminds you of apna Sunny Deol!

Director Sabeer Khan presents the movie in a very stylish and grand manner. The entire first half is light and funny and makes you enjoy the tussle among the lead pair. Cinematography is rich and magnificent. Anu Malik’s Music is strictly ordinary. Barring the title track (that too composed by RDB), there is not a single track you remember after the movie.

In all, Kambakkht Ishq lives up to be a strictly one time decent fare that has zany and madcap first half. Though its second half is not too entertaining and impressive, still Akshay Kumar’s performance saves it from falling flat. Given the tremendous hype surrounding the movie, it has already taken an earth-shattering start at the ticket window. Whether it will be able to sustain itself or not will depend on the audience’s reaction to the film in the coming days. Still, I would recommend it for Akshay Kumar’s fans and the people who like watching the senseless entertainers.

Rating: 3/5

Movie Review – New York: A must see!

New York – helmed by director Kabir Khan (of Kabul Express fame and Mini Mathur’s husband) is the first major movie from the premier production house (Yashraj Films) to hit the screens after the recent long dry spell in the Hindi Film Industry. Being an ardent fan of Yashraj Films (no matter how many bad movies they churn out these days), I was always eager to see the film. And the movie truly lives up to the expectations. Kudos to Kabir Khan for handling the subject with extreme finesse and utmost sensitivity.

New York narrates a contemporary tale of three friends – Omar (Neil Nitin Mukesh), Maya (Katrina Kaif) and Sam (John Abraham) who initially study together at the New York State University. Omar arrives New York for the first time and finds his close friends in Maya and Sam. He starts loving Maya but suddenly realizes that Maya loves Sam. And then an event changes the world around them. At this time enters Roshan (Irrfan Khan), an FBI agent who ignites a series of tumultous events that change the lives of these three friends forever.

As against the speculations, New York is neither entirely based on 9/11 nor it is similar to Khuda Kay Liye. In fact, 9/11 just forms the basis of events that bring waves in the lives of the three protaganists. New York focusses on the subject of innocent foreign civilians being suspected as terrorists post 9/11 and how they were detained and tortured by FBI and how this injustice and humiliating treatment may have been instrumental in turning such innocent people towards terrorist activities for seeking revenge. The director Kabir Khan’s execution of the plot is worth mentioning. Not once during the movie, you loose your interest. One gets completely engrossed in this gripping story (By Aditya Chopra). There are several instances in the movie that lift it several notches up such as Neil Nitin mukesh torn in a conflict between helping FBI to disclose his terrorist acts and at the same end not to betray his friends, John Abraham recounting his past tortuous experience, the climax scenes between Neil Nitin Mukesh and Irrfan Khan. But movie has its share of loose ends in the second half. A few sequences are unjustified. Still, overlooking these minor glitches the director has treated the story with conviction and maturity. Brownie points to him for conveying a thought provoking message (that otherwise is meant for documentaries) in a convincing yet subtle manner.

Now coming to other aspects of the movie. First, the performances. This is Neil Nitin Mukesh’s finest performance. His display of emotions in various situations is perfect. Watch out for this guy in the upcoming Madhur Bhandarkar’s Jail. If we go by the promos of Jail, there is a possibility that movie may fetch him a National Award. John Abraham is topnotch in the scenes when he recalls his past. Especially in the second half, his strong performance makes you notice. Katrina Kaif, as usual is there to add beauty to the fim but this time her performance has also improved to a great extent. This is her first serious role and proves that given a good director and strong subject, she has the potential to build up her acting skills. As far as Irrfan Khan is concerned, its always a pleasure to see him act. He is simply terrific. Cinematography is perfect and gives a real look to the film. Screenplay is brilliant. Music is good on screen and the director has incorporated songs only when required.

In all, New York is truly an enriching cinematic experience with a strong relevent message conveyed in an effcient way. Going by the positive reports it is carrying and a good initial start at the box office, the movie is going to create ripples at the ticket window and hence bring smiles on the faces of the industry people. Go for it now!

Rating: 3.7/5

Bollywoods few first look june-09

UDAY & PRIYANKA IN PYAR IMPOSSIBLE