Quick Gun Murugan

Its hard to describe a movie like Quick Gun Murugun which stars Rajendra Prasad portraying the title role with Nasser as Rice Plate Reddy, the villian. The movie is a fine combination of witty dialogues, over-the-top acting and action. What is an absolute no-no for most films today, is exactly what works for Quick Gun.

The film is short, sweet and has enough laughs in store to warrant a visit to your nearest movieplex. Director Shashanka Ghosh takes on a difficult script and his uniquely different way of execution is what makes Quick Gun Murugun a compelling watch.

Rajendra Prasad's performance is what takes Quick gun to a different level altogether. He is simply fantastic, its a watch-it-to-believe it performance. Nasser is equally good as the villian. Vinay Pathak and Ranvir Shorey have smallish roles, so does Sandhya Mridul. Rest of the actors are perfectly cast.

To sum up, Quick Gun Murugun is a tasty crisp dosa that should be enjoyed with a bit of popcorn and a lot of pepsi, but only in theatres. Go for it.

Kanthasamy

Sending a message within commercial parameters is no easy task for any filmmaker. But kudos to Susi Ganeshan for achieving the same. Coming out with an unpretentious entertainer, Susi has ensured that he plays to the strength of Vikram. An action extravaganza with technical finesse was lacking in Tamil cinema. But Kanthaswamy has filled the void now. The computer graphics and the breathtaking stunt sequences captured well by cinematographer Ekambaram has proved a point that Tamil cinema is no way behind when compared to Bollywood and Hollywood.

Vikram had got his trophy this time too. The film is pure commercial masala entertainer that strikes fine balance between style and substance and also has neat message. The film has all the trademark super-hero movie elements like flashy action scenes and eye-popping special effects. But, actually it is not a super-hero film that is the twist in the film.

The film opens as normal film showing ordinary people flocking to a Murugan temple which has become famous as all their wishes can be fulfilled at the temple. The people wrote their wishes in a piece of paper and tie it to a tree in the temple.

The introduction scene of rooster Kanthasamy where he comes crashing through the dome of a police station and plays around with the bad comic cop is terrific. The highlight of the film is Kanthasamy dressed as a woman and teaching Charlie and Mayilsamy a fitting lesson is hilarious. The blindfolded action scenes in Mexico are stunning.

What is the connection between masked crusader Kandasamy and the CBI officer Kandasamy? Why is the CBI Joint Director protecting Mr. Kandasamy? Can the villains- PPP, Rajmohan of RMG group, and Mexican Pitchumani expose and bring Kandasamy to trial? Will the DIG succeed in proving that Kandasamy is no God? The underlining message in the film is, “Money (read black) is the root cause of all evil”.

The answers to all these questions are known only when we watch the movie. Technically the innovative camera angles and the lighting of the cinematographer made the film visually stunning. The sets of Thotta Dharani are awesome especially the bedroom of the heroine and the interior of the plus us used as villain’s hide out is fantastic.

The music for the film is by Devi Sri Prasad also given the special support. Two songs ‘Excuse me..’ and ‘Enperu meenakumari..’ have been well picturised and lavishly shot. Susi Ganesan also done a cameo in this film and by this flick he joined in the big league of directors in Tamil.

There is grandeur and richness in every shot in the film and no wonder it took two years to complete. The film with no doubt belongs to Vikram and he rocks. Shriya sizzles throughout and carries the glamourous role. Prabhu fitted the role of investigative cop. There is also a separate comedy track for Vadivel and he keeps you in splits.

Kanthasamy is perfectly an action commercial entertainer and can be seen with the entire family and it is an enjoyable one.

Kaminey - Logical Masala

‘Dhan Te Nan’ Shahid definitely needs applause for his outstanding performance in the film. He now can be added in the list of top actors of bollywood. Piggy Chops is amazing and the chemistry between them is crackling.

With ‘Kaminey’ Vishal Bharadwaj pays homage to many old thrillers which is a good enough reason to watch the much anticipated movie of today's times. This black comedy thriller on the lines of European thrillers is worth a watch.

It is a very unpredictable film which might very well work for the film. Bharadwaj takes you to a completely different world which none of us have witnessed in hindi cinema. It is not a regular masala film, if paid attention you will come to know that very scene leads somewhere and is well coordinated at the end. Not a single scene is wasted.

To cut everything short ‘Kaminey’ is a well made film. If you are looking for an out n out experience this is a must watch. Bharadwaj has a knack of gluing the audience to Kaminey their seats to see what happens next and his way of testing the audience’s intelligence.

In the first half of the film the characters are established. The story takes a dramatic turn towards the interval. The expectations are high and the eagerness builds. It is a bit slow in the middle which might not be liked by the masses. ‘Kaminey’ is a film for the classes.

From the very beginning till the end Bharadwaj places the events with such an ease that we are amazed as the end gives a wonderful blast. It is a very difficult film to execute and if not for Vishal Bharadwaj it would have been a mess. The music by the director himself is superb and the background score enhances the feel of the movie. Cinematography by Tassadug Hussain is visually very appealing. Dialogues by Bharadwaj are mind blowing. The editing is top class not a single spot can be pointed out.

‘Kaminey’ definitely has an effect. When you walk out you will be wondering about the series of events that happened. It is definitely a very smart thriller. Shahid’s acting can is par excellence and Priyanka Chopra has well justified the maharashtrian mulgi. Amol Gupte has done a very good job. Chandan Roy Sanyal, Tenzing Nima, Shiv Subramaniam, Hrishikesh Joshi have acted to their perfection.

Overall a very well made movie and a cool watch. Some spacing in the movie would have helped. But Bharadwaj with his lead actors Shahid and Priyanka and an amazing script is sure to pull it off.

Love Aaj Kal

Love Aaj Kal begins with how a Boy and Girl meet, have a breezy year long affair and then decide to go for a break-up and to top that they have a break-up party. One of the most obnoxious things we would have heard, but dealt in the most hilarious manner. All of this in 20 minutes flat. This pace may confuse you a bit but you will soon realize this pace reflects today’s day and age.

You begin to know more of Jai, an architect by profession and aspire to work at the Golden Gate in San Francisco and Meera who wants to join an art restoration project in India. They both are fun, perky, confident and above all “practical”, who have mapped what they want in life. And this is exactly the reason for their amicable separation. From lovers to ex-lovers who are extremely comfortable with their status and each other, so much so that they can go on to list all things wrong in each other and still have a good laugh. While the casualness of this present-day romance is in contrast to the romance of Veer Singh who befriends Jai post his break-up party which was catered by Veer. And then as the name suggests Love Aaj Kal the love story of Veer’s Kal and Jai’s Aaj run parallel and yet amalgamate beautifully. Both the stories have their ups and downs and how their love story reaches its climax and to the climax of the film is quite interesting.

The film goes on to prove the power of love in its own way and is gripping till the end. It doesn’t begin where you think it does and doesn’t end where most stories do, making it unusual piece of writing.

Imtiaz Ali has done some stupendous writing and wondrous direction. One of the proofs would be the way he has justified Saif playing the younger Veer. He is a pro at story- telling and extracting fine performances and it’s no different even with this film.

Both Saif and Deepika are convincing as Jai and Meera. Saif has pulled of an astounding act as urbane, flirty, idiotic, confused Jai and is likeable as the younger Veer too. Deepika has enacted way beyond her previous roles. Rishi Kapoor is the eternal lover boy and is cute and adorable in the film.

The dialogues of the film surpass most other elements of the film. The music by Pritam is a good mix ranging from soft romantic ones to disco numbers and takes the narrative forward but can’t be called everlasting. The cinematography enhances the landscape of London, Delhi, San Francisco, and Calcutta (not Kolkata) in the film.

All in all this film makes you fall love with the idea of falling in love all over again.

Modhi Vilayadu

A tale of big businessmen and the games they play, that is Modhi Vilayadu. In the world of business tycoons, money flows in millions, assets are worth even more. But, the state wouldn’t be too happy to know that so much wealth belongs to a single person. That is where the concept of ‘binami’ (pseudo ownership) comes into play; a clever way to hoodwink the government off taxes and also to mislead business competitors from one’s real assets. The ‘binami’ idea is the central theme of Modhi Vilayadu. A Saran directorial venture after three years, much was expected from this tale of big money, property and rivalries. Does Saran deliver?

Modhi Vilayadu was meant to be a gripping game of big rivals going for each other with vengeance and cunning. The premise is interesting, the games they play are intriguing, but the proceedings are not exciting. In short, the journey fails to engage you. The masked identities, the target and fate’s unpredictability interest you, but it is when Vinay begins his attempts to checkmate Kalabhavan Mani that you feel a bit let down. Some of the situations in the screenplay are highly improbable occurrences for a multi millionaire to be seen in.

Director Saran who had touched the mass commercial flicks of B and C centres has opted for a film merely for multiplex audiences. But kindly don’t mistake that if a film is shot sleek and stylish, it’s meant only for ‘A’ class. Of course, the film’s screenplay has been well-tailored gratifying for all the centres. Although, first half may not be off great likeliness for miniscule audiences with stylish love tale, the latter portions are commercially weaved catering to tastes of B and C.

Santhanam’s comedy are more enjoyable, especially the moments in second half where he imitates Arya in Naan Kadavul, Jai’s Subramaniapuram, Vijayakanth’s Ramana and as a Hollywood actor. Ramesh Khanna and Mayilsamy add furthermore to the humorous portions.

The high point of Modhi Vilayadu is its production values. No compromises have been made on the rich look of the film; each frame reflects the lifestyle of millionaires. Karun’s camera has captured the grandeur well. Colonial Cousins, Hariharan and Leslie, do not disappoint on debut. Two songs, ‘Chi Chi’ and ‘Padhi Mutham’ are pleasant to hear. Modhi Vilayadu is a pretty lavishly made tale of businessmen and the games they play.

On the whole, Modhi Vilaiyaadu is an interesting film with commercial element and right moments that will entertain the audiences

Kambakkht Ishq

Its raining biggies in Bollywood after almost 3 months of lull, New York revived the market to an extent last week and now it’s the turn of the reigning Baadshah of Bollywood Akki to show some magic with ‘Kambakkht Ishq’. Akki has had a rather lackluster 2009 with three of his releases Jumbo, Chandni Chowk to China and Tasveer that did rather shoddily at the box-office, so Kambakkht Ishq is very important for the macho man of Bollywood. Let’s see if he hits a six or misses it.

Kambakkht Ishq is a remake of Kamal Hassan’s Tamil hit ‘Pammal. K. Sammandham’ but has been changed and tweaked to suit the Hindi audience or that is what they want us to believe. They have made a movie which is full of cleavage and clichés and though cleavages rule the entire movie, during the last 20 minutes clichés take over.

Sabbir Khan, the debutant director has done a good job. He has made a movie which is entertaining almost all the way through, thanks to the lighthearted scenes which take up most of the first half and larger portions of the second too. But as a screenplay writer Sabbir Khan along with Kiran Kotrial, Anvita Dutt Guptil and Ishita Mohitra, is not up to the mark, as the foursome writers have heavily relied on skin show and sex to move the movie ahead. This might work on college youth oriented romance or sex flicks like American pie but not this kind of a genre. The Tamil original might not have had an enviable screenplay but it scored in flawless characterization as every action of the people involved had a reason but Kambakkht Ishq slips in that department as almost all the characters suffer from poor character sketch. One small unworthy dialogue will change their whole life’s principles. Yes, it is a movie which asks you to rest your brain but these are essentials for any movie and without which your heart does not go for the characters.

Thanks to Sajid Nadiadwala, he has given full freedom to the debutant, Sabbir Khan and has made sure in giving a rich product with more glamour and glitz than any other movie in Bollywood history. Cinematography by Vikas Shivaram is brisk but gets naughty most of the time. Action choreography by Spiro Razatas is impressive. Dialogues by Anvita Dutt Guptil are impressive but are not everyone’s cup of tea. Music by Anu Malik is fair and Kyun stands out as a quality number but the execution has too much of the ‘Tanhaae’ hang over. ‘Om Mangalam’ by RDB has been shot well but its timing in the film makes it only half as effective. The editing is crisp. Choreography by Vaibhavi Merchant has nothing much to gaga about as she uses simple steps and finishes her job.

Acting wise Akshay Kumar once again gives his best and his comic timings are spot on. He does the stunts quite well and fits the role of a stunt man quite effectively. Kareena Kapoor has acted well too and looks quite hot almost all through the movie. Aftab Shivdasani hams and is a complete let down. Amrita Arora looks hot and does a decent job in the acting department as well. Vindu Dara Singh makes you laugh but only occasionally while Javed Jaffery lightens things up with his usual antics. Kirron Kher is impressive in spite of her insipid role. Then comes a big list of special appearances, Brandon Routh - decent, Denise Richards – good, Sylvester Stallone – who gets to flex some muscles for a forced fight sequence and also a small sequence in which he gives an award to Akshay. Boman Irani has been wasted.

Overall it’s a decent entertainer, which would be enjoyed more if you grace the theatres with your friends than family. The movie is sure to get a huge opening and lack of opposition would ensure its hold at the box-office for quite a while.

New York

Instantly the innocents were tortured sans any clarifications pertaining to 9/11 incident. It’s out and most of imbecility that American Security Forces had rippled down their lives. They paved the way for turning them into terrorists. Who bears the fault? Kabir Khan elaborately blends the heart touching reality with interesting elements. He has precisely delineated the sufferings of an innocent tortured in solitary confinement that merely soaks our eyes with this picture.

Exactly there have been flicks churned out by World famous auteur on Post 9/11 trauma out of which Kabir Khan strikes Gold. A Brilliant attempt by Kabir!!!

On the pars, there are more entertaining factors set at the backdrops of college campus of fun, amusements and love. And you’ll keep singing appraisals for every star-cast on screens. Know what? It’s their biggest magnum opus in the career.

Although, it’s a pure drama that wouldn’t keep audiences adhered to seats, it has right elements. An appropriate mix of best factors does work it out perfectly. John Abraham tops-on with a different attempt as a playful Sam and a serious guy who’s so dumped-down with tortures. Kabir Khan has well handled the psychological imbalance of his characterization. On the pars, Katrina Kaif has got full-fledged space for spelling her adeptness. Thank God! She has finally done a great job. So, who’s the man of honor? Neil Nithin Mukesh is extraordinarily mind-boggling with his gesture and emotes stunningly to every situation. Getting apart from these characterizations, Irrfan has a substantial role to perform right throughout the show. Sandeep Srivastava has offered him plenty of heart-binding dialogues. Especially the one about finding fault with both USA and Sameer for making wrong decisions has a convincing thought.

Musical score by Pritham is top-notching and Kabir Khan has well-placed every song. In most of the portions, the song keeps continually going amidst of dialogues. On background score, Looks like he didn’t strain much as throughout first half it’s more and more off the ‘Hey Junoon’ Prelude. Cinematography is yet another embellishing factor with handy works of Grading (Color improvisation in post production) by Colorists. And again, posing ‘Philadelphia’ as ‘New York’ is a smart attempt by Kabir...

On the whole, New York is a collection amongst best shows of Bollywood. Although, there’s certain drift in pace during post-intermission sequences, the climax is gripping.

Distinctly, its Kabir Khan’s handling of difficult script and Neil’s outstanding performance that wins laurels for this film.