Movie Review - Phas Gaye Re Obama lead with Neha Dhupia

Movie Review - Phas Gaye Re Obama lead with Neha Dhupia: From Osama to Obama, the world renowned figures are slowly creeping into the seldom fecund imagination of Indian scriptwriters. Unlike Tere Bin Laden which spoofed the world’s most wanted man unabashedly, Phas Gaye Re Obama doesn’t show that much cheek and only references the Nobel winning American president through posters, graffiti and, of course, his famous slogan ‘Yes We Can’.

From America’s swish corporate world to apna India’s squalid underworld, none was spared from the economic meltdown that made bankrupts out of many a millionaire overnight. One such unfortunate soul is the US-based NRI Om (Rajat Kapoor) who, having lost everything to recession, comes to rural India to sell off his ancestral property with the hope of taking back some money to the US to pay off the loan for his home.

To his utter misfortune, Om is kidnapped by a gang headed by Bhaisaab (Sanjay Mishra). Now the gang is facing severe financial crunch. No bullets for their guns, no petrol for jeep, and to top it all, no rich folks left to kidnap. Mandhi (recession) has hit everyone. Om seems to them a big catch. But when it turns out that he too is stony-broke like them, it’s Om who shows the way further.

Om is passed on to bigger gangs. There’s the female Gabbar, Munni (Neha Dhupia), the spitfire dacoit whose oversexed female underlings have Bollywood names like Deepika, Priyanka and Preity. And then there’s Dhananjay (Amole Gupte) who is the Animal Welfare Minister but runs a covert kidnapping racket so well organized that it even gives out proper receipts for ransom it extorts.

Apart from its delightfully offbeat story, Phas Gaye Re Obama boasts of goofball characters that leave you chuckling throughout. There’s the don’s America-loving sidekick Anni (Manu Rishi) who hears Obama speeches with mouth agape; or there’s this English school teacher whose English is as funny as flawed.

Kudos to writer director Subhash Kapoor for making a thoroughly entertaining satire with an interesting twist in the end. Performances are topnotch by almost everyone. But Sanjay Mishra, Rajat Kapoor, Amol Gupte and Manu Rishi deserve a pat on the back.

A potent black comedy like Phas Gaye Re Obama is a rarity in Bollywood. Do watch it even if you are broke and have to borrow or steal for the ticket money.

Farah Khan's Tees Maar Khan meets tough competition: Shahrukh Khan

Farah Khan's Tees Maar Khan meets tough competition: Shahrukh Khan: Rumour has it that Shahrukh Khan is pulling the strings to ensure that Tees Maar Khan meets tough competition at the box office.

There has been an uneasy chill between SRK and his once close friend Farah Khan ever since the latter roped in Akshay Kumar for her soon-to-release film Tees Maar Khan (TMK), dropping SRK like a hot potato. King Khan, who certainly commands respect from film frat, wasn’t pleased being snubbed.

Now, when TMK is set for release on December 24, the gossip mills are abuzz that SRK is using his clout to harm the film’s prospects at ticket windows. How?

SRK is a close friend of the people who head Eros International and he has persuaded them to postpone the release of their film Toonpur Ka Superhero, starring Ajay Devgan and Kajol, from December 17 to Dec 24. Which means that Farah’s TMK which was earlier the solo release on Christmas weekend will now have competition from Toonpur Ka Superhero.

It’s a development that surely won’t go down well with Farah and Akshay who had banked on the uncontested Xmas weekend to set the cash registers ringing.

The spokesperson of the Eros International is quoted to have said that Toonpur Ka Superhero was postponed because it’s a children’s film that can have more audiences around Xmas. Whether SRK had any influence in setting up this clash, no one is willing to stick their neck out and confirm.

Allah Ke Banday Movie Review - Naseeruddin Shah to take a lead

Allah Ke Banday Movie Review - Naseeruddin Shah to take a lead: In his first film as a director and actor, Faruk Kabir attempts to take an unflinching look at the sordid realities of life in a squalid, crime-infested Mumbai slum. Allah Ke Banday is a story about children without childhood as we know it.

The central characters are two preteens Vijay and Yakub who push drugs, pull off smash-and-grab robberies, and fire country-made guns with aplomb. As irony would have it they land up in a juvenile home for a crime they did not commit. Inside the reformatory they are physically abused and sodomized by senior inmates in complete connivance with the limping, evil warden (Naseeruddin Shah) who vows to make every day a living hell for the two ‘born killers’.

So what was to be a place of reformation turns out to be the breeding ground of the two juveniles to grow up as hardened criminals. Finally, when the doors to freedom are flung open after 11 long and tortuous years, Vijay (Sharman Joshi) and Yakub (Faruk Kabir) have their aims set - to rule the crime world. Vengeance is also on their mind, but takes a back seat as the film veers off into a needless romantic track and shootouts aplenty.

The two friends rear an army of children to run every sort of unlawful activity until an idealist teacher (Atul Kulkarni) butts in to thwart their progress.

The story is bleak, dark and somewhat disturbing because those who live by the gun find no light at the end of the tunnel. May be a black hole that sucks everything up.

Allah Ke Banday is a promising debut by Faruk Kabir but is not void of amateurish rawness in direction and acting. The writer-director can’t seem to decide if he wants to make a realistic arthouse film or a Bollywood masala caper. Shot quite well at locations that lend realism to the film, Allah Ke Banday loses credibility with its repeated stabs at exaggerated style and affected gravitas reminiscent of the Ram Gopal Varma films. The excessive use of background score - deafening at times - does no good either.

What stands out is the restrained performance by Sharman Joshi who’s pretty much under the skin of his level-headed Vijay as against the hot-tempered Yakub enacted by Faruk. Naseer has a very small role but he works his magic in those fleeting moments. Atul Agnihotri isn’t in form this time, may be because his character is just too idealistic. Anjana Sukhani does well in a miniscule role.

To sum it up, Allah Ke Banday could have been a riveting film and a telling statement about ‘children at war’. Alas, it’s nothing more than a flawed attempt at a tale about loss, revenge and redemption.

Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan or Aamir Khan: Who is the most loving?

Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan or Aamir Khan: Who is the most loving?: While Aishwarya Rai or Katrina Kaif (or even Priyanka or Kareena) may be the most admired woman of the B-town, Shahrukh, Salman and Aamir are the most loved actors, especially, when it comes to the roaring Khans. Now, who, amongst the trio is the most loved Khan?

While, Shahrukh has been carrying the title of King Khan for a long time now, Aamir is called the ace and the perfectionist. Salman has always remained a mega star despite the box office fate of his films. But, of course, post the colossal success of ‘Dabangg’, none is questioning Sallu’s box office prowess any more.

Shahrukh, being the king of romance that he has been (with films like DDLJ, Kuch kuch Hota Hai, Dil to Pagal Hai, Veer Zaara, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and so many others), he has always found a soft corner amongst the women. 7 out of 10 women would, instantly, hail SRK as their fav.

Similarly, Salman, too, being the handsome hunk that he is, has been an important part of the female fantasy. Aamir, on the other hand, is the original chocolate boy. Besides, the quality of films he has done, of late, has catapulted him to the Everest of popularity and there is no doubt that he is the darling of a huge chunk of movie buffs.

You being the reader and an epitome of the common Indian man are best to judge whom your heart aches for. Whom do you love the most? Who, in your esteemed opinion, is the most loved Khan?

Movie 'Dunno Y Na Jaane Kyon' Review

Movie 'Dunno Y Na Jaane Kyon' Review: Dunno what the heck in the name of cinema were the director Sanjay Sharma and writer Kapil Sharma trying to achieve in Dunno Y Na Jaane Kyon. Were they trying to be bold and shock all the prude souls out there with their no-holds-barred depiction of everything related to sex, infidelity and homosexuality? Or were they aiming to make a statement about a dysfunctional family where the mom sleeps around with her boss and the young son is itching for an affair with his brother’s wife. The brother, meanwhile, finds sexual gratification with a male prostitute.

'Dunno Y Na Jaane Kyon' Review

It’s all a hodgepodge of the most unpalatable kind. And the only message that comes across for the poor viewer is that there are utterly talentless writers and directors out there who still have a sway over gullible producers.

Dunno Y Na Jaane Kyon is populated with queer and quirky characters. Ashley (Yuvraaj Parashar) is married to Jenny (Rituparna Sengupta) but is a closet gay having an affair with Aryan (writer Kapil Sharma plonks himself smack dab in the middle of the mess). Ashley’s brother Sam (Maradona Rebello of the Pankh debacle) has his eye set on sis-in-law Jenny. Meanwhile, Ashley and Sam’s mom Rebecca (Zeenat Aman) is a single mother who is sleeping around with rich folks to make ends meet. Her husband (Kabir Bedi) abandoned them and went on his quest for the elusive enlightenment but came back with the cancer.

The story mostly keeps flitting between these characters but director Sanjay Sharma focuses more on the homosexual angle in the latter half without actually being able to tell anything of substance. Dunno Y is in English language and the writing is of the most pedestrian quality. Worse still, the actors (with no exception) mouth the English dialogues with such awkwardness and phoney accent that one feels they should be packed off for a speech and diction crash course pronto.

Not just in character sketches, there are jerks aplenty in editing as well. Performances are of the kind that gives a new definition to the word acting itself. Even the otherwise right-minded actors like Zeenat Aman and Rituparna Sengupta ham like their life depended on it.

All in all, Dunno Y is a disaster of a film. Period.

Great Ideas of Asin!

Great Ideas of Asin!: While some can rely on their friends and family for support, others count on their goodwill and professional equations in the industry.

Take Asin for example, the South superstar found it hard to get hear bearings in the industry despite Ghajini. Although Asin signed many lucrative endorsement deals, the same cannot be said about her movies.

So she’s gone back to doing films down South. She was given a Queen’s welcome by makers down South and this is when the lightbulb went off in her head.

She realised that many South blockbusters are being made into Bollywood Movies these days.

And Asin who has been a part of many of them is often the first choice for those films in Bollywood too. But other Bollywood Actresses often get the roles in the end.

So she is now busy convincing her contacts in the South to remake the films in Hindi with her.

Whether they will bite the bait or not, only time will tell but full marks to Asin for being enterprising.

Why Deepika Padukone as Heer onto Shahid Kapoor’s laps!

Why Deepika Padukone as Heer onto Shahid Kapoor’s laps!: Ex of Kareena Kapoor and the present of Priyanka Chopra chocolate actor Shahid Kapoor has landed himself onto the lap of the leggy bimbo Deepika Padukone. Of course, they are not dating. It’s all for a film’s cause.

Director Sabbir Khan is making the rom com ‘Heer and Ranjha’ and he has roped in the vivacious Deepika Padukone for the role of Heer. Shahid had already been pulled in to do the honours for Ranjha.


Reasons why Deepika has been cast for Heer:

   1. Sabbir was looking for someone who was young and dynamic and Deepika fitted the bill perfectly.

   2. Besides, Deepika is also a tad vulnerable with her share of emotional depth; something that was required for her character.

   3. Sabbir highly rates Deepika and considers her the finest actress of the new generation.

   4. Besides, the pairing of Deepika and Shahid would be the first of such kind and is bound to trigger some interest.

   5. And Deepika is not only a good actress but is also endowed with an unearthly beauty which makes her screen presence a riveting one.

The film, however, is some months away and would only go on floors in April, 2011.

Katrina Kaif, Akshay Kumar to draped fans in 'Tees Maar Khan'

Katrina Kaif, Akshay Kumar to draped fans in 'Tees Maar Khan': Tees Maar Khan that stars the ravishing Katrina Kaif and the hunky Akshay Kumar has now started doing the telly rounds in our idiot boxes.

After the trailer leaked online, now it has been released and its first look has dug up some serious interest.

Here’s why, Tees Maar Khan is generating so much furore:

1. Firstly, Katrina and Akshay meet again (on screen that is) and so crackling is their chemistry that the audience don’t seem to have enough of them. After their mushy romance in Namastey London, Singhh is Kingg and Welcome, Tees Maar Khan brings them back together and we can expect romance to drape us yet again.

2. Secondly, the film is helmed by the now-mighty Farah Khan who has previously directed the big ‘Main Hoon Na’ and the magnum opus ‘Om Shanti Om’.

3. Also, the storyline is seemingly interesting and intriguing. As per reports, Akshay plays a baddie in this caper with a generous heart (more like a Robin Hood) and has his own panache of eluding the cops. Going by the looks of it, this may well be a cross between ‘Dhoom’ and ‘Dabangg’.

The film is slated for a Christmas release of 24th December, 2010. No Aamir Khan this Christmas, guys! But Katrina and Akshay would be more than handfuls.

Film Golmaal 3 Review - Junction of comedy

Film Golmaal 3 Review -  Junction of comedy: Golmaal 3 packs in all the masala, masti and madness to leave you in recurring fits of chuckles and laughs throughout its running course, even though there’s hardly a substantial story or sense to the film. But then, if you go looking for sense in any no-brainer by Rohit Shetty, then the joke is on you, dear friend!

In Golmaal 3, when the hot-headed Ajay Devgan lifts a hapless Tusshar Kapoor in the air and plonks him arse down on a red hot griddle and the latter squeals like a banshee on burning coals, you can’t help but guffaw. When the stammering Shreyas Talpade gets stuck on words that often start with chu...chu...chu... or gaa...gaa...gaa...or lu...lu...lu...you can’t help but let out a chuckle at the hinted double entendres.

And of course there’s Tusshar Kapoor, whose blabbering tongue catches the consonants few and far between the drawl of vowels. A shade of nostalgia is evoked by Mithun Chakraborty, who revisits his “I am a disco dancer” days and even does his signature jig in a sequence. If any bit of tomfoolery was left, Johnny Lever and Sanjay Mishra are thrown in to do the needful.

The story is about two feuding sets of siblings. Their parents (Mithun and Ratna Pathak Shah) decide to get married in their middle age, thanks to Dabboo (Kareena Kapoor) who’s starry-eyed about a Hum Saath Saath Hain kinda family. But will the warring siblings stay saath saath under one roof?

There’s Ajay Devgan and Shreyas Talpade on one side and Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor and Kunal Khemu on the other. The two lots can’t stand each other. An all out battle for supremacy breaks out between the two factions even as a thief (Johnny Lever) with short term memory loss (Ghajini hangover!) thickens the plot and confusion as well.

There is no method to the madness created on screen by Rohit Shetty. On a whim, the director decides that a few cars need to be blown up to add an adrenaline kick to the rib-tickling, and there you have cars of myriad colours, shapes and sizes being crashed or blown apart in action sequences helmed by Devgan. On a toss of coin, Shetty decides to throw in a song with some skimpily clad firang babes boogieing with Bollywood brats.

The screenplay itself is a mishmash of stuff taken from popular Bollywood films. Stars and celebs are spoofed with tongue-in-cheek chutzpah. There’s too much golmaal in the script, and dialogues range from pedestrian to slapstick, with even Kareena saying ‘Maa ki aankh’ in one dialogue.

Devgan gets the best scripted role in the whole lot. His loose-tempered character cracks other people’s fingers, carries a sledgehammer and kicks the baddies like they were jabulani. Kareena is clearly having fun enacting a character that plays cupid to the older lot and a peacenik to the brats. Of the rest, Shreyas Talpade does well, while Tusshar’s antics cease to be funny after a while. Kunal and Arshad too add humour in the edgeways.

Compared to the hilarious Golmaal and the somewhat dull Golmaal Returns, the third film is a cracker of a comedy.

In the shell of a nut, this Golmaal is patakha, not phut!

Akshay Kumar, Aishwarya Rai's Action Replayy Movie Review

Akshay Kumar, Aishwarya Rai's Action Replayy Movie Review: Now, this was really a zor ka jhakta, and it came from the blue. Vipul Amrutlal Shah and Akshay Kumar have had a pretty clean sheet working together.

Be it Namastey London or Singh Is Kinng (which Shah only produced) the duo has provided entertainment to the masses whenever they teamed up together. So the audiences are bound to have rocket high expectations particularly when the theme of their latest film is intriguing as to take us back to the glorious 70s, when bell bottoms, side burns, hippie hairdos and polka dots were all the rage.

Akshay has once again been turned into a goofball, with buckteeth and thick spectacles. He’s derided by his overbearing father (Om Puri) as ‘gadha’ (donkey), and quite rightly so, for he’s a gutless wimp who shivers and shakes at the very idea of facing up to his fiery padosan (Aishwarya Rai). In one scene he holds her hand and gets an electric shock as potent as the bolt of lightning. He’s also the butt of every joke played by his shrewd rival-in-love (Ranvijay Singh).

On paper, the transformation of this simpleton into a dude may sound interesting, and with Akshay at the helm, it might have been a topnotch laugh riot. But it is not. For one thing, the script is so shoddy and plotholed that you can pass a whole time machine through it. Secondly, Akshay’s comic timing hasn’t been capitalized on. There are no punchy dialogues, hardly any potent humour and lot of unnecessary and forgettable songs (Pritam) in between.

Story? Bunty (Aditya Roy Kapoor) is tired of his perpetually quarrelling parents Kishen and Mala (Akshay and Ash). On their 35th wedding anniversary, when a surprise party thrown by Bunty turns into a slugfest between his parents, he decides to travel back in time to set a few things right. He goes back to 1975 when Kishen and Mala were neighbours and hated each other. Bunty’s mission is to make his parents fall in love so that they could live happily ever after. And he does that by transforming the wimp Kishen into a swashbuckler.

Borrowing nuggets from Back to the Future, Vipul Amrutlal Shah tell a tale that simply lacks vim and vigour. The sequences when Ash pulls a fast one on Akshay are dull at best. The writing is of mediocre quality sans any laugh-worthy moments. Ranvijay’s character is mostly running from pillar to post to win Ash’s love. Om Puri and Kirron Kher’s characters have almost been turned into caricatures. Even Ash’s tomboy act is overdone.

Akshay isn’t half as hilarious as when he’s in form. His spineless Kishen may evoke sympathy, but no laughter. In one scene when a baleful Ranvijay and his sidekick Raghubir Yadav corner him and threaten to strip him, Akki crawls on the floor and pleads: “Bhagwan ke liye mujhe chhod do”.

Aditya Roy Kapoor gets a lot of footage and the lad is pretty comfortable playing the love guru. Neha Dhupia’s character has no purpose in the script. Perhaps the director owed her the promise of another role after Singh Is Kingg.

In short, Action Replayy disappoints. If you are looking for entertainment during this festive weekend, this film may not be the best idea.

Angelina Jolie, Aishwarya Rai: psychology survey!

Angelina Jolie, Aishwarya Rai: psychology survey: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie share a similarity with former Miss World and Indian actress Aishwarya Rai. All of them hate their nick names.

Only a few days back, Aishwarya Rai had vehemently revealed how much she disliked being addressed as ‘Aish’. The tabloid and her fan groups often refer to her as Aish in a convenient abbreviation. Some are unable to pronounce her full name and hence, use the easier nick name. But she had blasted everyone and had requested all to quit calling her Aish.

Similarly, Angelina Jolie has now poured forth her annoyance over the nick name she shares with Brad Pitt- ‘Brangelina.’  Ever since, Angelina and Brad began seeing each other since 2005 (when they were filming for ‘Mr and Mrs Smith), the tabloid nicknamed them Brangelina.

But now Jolie has revealed that she hates being thus addressed coz it sounds more like a ‘breakfast cereal’. Recently, she overheard some crew member addressing them as Brangelina on the sets of her Bosnian War drama and she immediately decided to set the record straight.

But, despite the fury of both Angelina and Aishwarya, we wonder if the people and the media would so easily let go of such a convenient and craftily-made nickname that has stuck to our tongues due to overuse in all these years.

Priyanka Chopra is Patakha no.1, Katrina no. 2

Priyanka Chopra is Patakha no.1, Katrina no. 2: Her last release Anjaana Anjaani wasn’t that fantastic at the box office but that doesn’t mean Priyanka Chopra’s charisma has lost way to her fans’ hearts.

In a recently conducted online poll, the Kaminey star has been declared ‘Bollywood patakha’ by the netizens. The beautiful Katrina Kaif came second.

It was the special Diwali poll by MSN India and people had to vote for the categories of Patakhas, Phuljhadis, Bombs, Grenades and Dhamakas. Priyanka turned out to be the hot favourite as she also won the ‘Bollywood Phuljhadi’ poll.

King Khan, Shahrukh Khan is voted the ‘Bollywood bomb’ while the perfectionist Aamir Khan was on top in the ‘Bollywood Grenade’ list. Yes, surprisingly, Salman Khan couldn’t win any of these titles.

This year’s best grosser Dabangg was easily the winner in ‘Bollywood Dhamaka’ category.

Movie Review 'Nakshatra'

Movie Review 'Nakshatra': A tacky thriller starring a rag-tag bunch of actors isn’t everybody’s idea of entertainment. Nakshatra, starring Shubh Mukherjee, Sabina Sheema, Milind Soman and Anupam Kher, is a dud of a thriller revolving around the burglary of a priceless diamond necklace and a bunch of usual suspects, including the film’s hero who ends up in the police net.

Ajay (Shubh) is a whizz when it comes to games and cracking codes. He’s also an aspiring scriptwriter, who pens a story about a theft in a jewellery museum, and in doing so he inadvertently cracks the security code of a real jewellery museum, where a real burglary takes place.

Though the film for which he wrote the script never gets made, bechara Ajay is nabbed by the police for stealing the nakshatra necklace. Inspector Gupte (Milind Soman) from crime branch is sure that Ajay is the culprit.

But when Ajay manages to flee to prove his innocence, Gupte smells a rat. He sees a carefully planned robbery in which Ajay is just a pawn.

There’s also the character of Ajay’s girlfriend Jiya (Sabina Sheema) who’s his moral support and a source of romantic escapade in the middle of all the bhaag daud.

Performances by all the actors are below par, but yes, the action scenes in the film do stand out. Shubh and Soman shine in a chase sequence when the former even manages to slide his bike under a trailer truck.

Having said this, Nakshatra fails to thrill because the story is just too over-the-top. The script is tacky and the twists and turns are placed as per the writer’s convenience without caring a hoot for authenticity and conviction. The climax when the villain tries to blow the heroine and hero with a bomb is outright funny without intending to. The songs add glamour but act as roadblocks.

All in all, this Nakshatra is a waste of time. Better watch the real Nakshatra, the great hunter Orion, in the eastern sky at night.

Movie 'Daayen Ya Baayen' Review

Movie 'Daayen Ya Baayen' Review: A sweet and simple film set in a tiny hamlet in the scenic foothills of the Himalayas, Daayen Ya Baayen has actor Deepak Dobriyal playing a klutzy school teacher who’s the butt of everyone’s joke.

Bela Negi, the first-time director, takes us into the lives of the village folk in a close-knit community through the story of Ramesh (Deepak) who left the village for the greener pastures of a city life but, unable to make himself a career as a writer, returns to the mountainous hamlet to his tetchy wife, an ailing mother, a cocky son and an unmarried sister-in-law.

He takes up the job of a school teacher and is often scorned at by all and sundry in the village for his quirkiness, one of them being taking a book along to read while defecating in an open field.

Fortune turns around in the humdrum life of this mediocre teacher when he wins a swanky red car in a television contest. Overnight, the bumbling schmuck becomes a hero in everybody’s eyes. But sooner than expected his dream-come-true becomes a nightmare. How?

Deepak Dobriyal’s slightly over-the-top portrayal of a gauche teacher suits the requirement of the film quite well. The campiness in his character is endearing to watch, particularly after he wins the car but can’t maintain it, nor pay for its fuel. The film’s other star is Amlan Dutta’s camera which beautifully captures the rural idyll of Uttarakhand.

The film runs out of fuel in the second half when the story stretches on and on without reaching anywhere. One gets the impression that Bela Negi had too much film stock but not enough grain in the story to tell.

As a result, Daayen Ya Baayen ends up as strictly a one-time watch film, that too for those who can sit through slow and sluggish arty movies.

'Knock Out' Review

'Knock Out' Review: Knock Out movie review by Bollywood3000. The film stars Sanjay Dutt, Irrfan Khan, Kangana Ranaut, Gulshan Grover and Apoorva Lakhia.

The assumption that director Mani Shankar’s film Knock Out is a rip-off of the Hollywood thriller Phone Booth is a gross underestimation. The movie takes the plot of Phone Booth and cross-breeds it with A Wednesday to make it a story of a one-man crusade against the many corrupt. The end result of this cocktail is a film that leaves you laughing out loud one moment, and pulling your hair out the other.

Irrfan Khan plays an investment banker who is an expert in channelling off the big money of the corrupt folks to secret accounts in Swiss banks. One day he steps into a swanky telephone booth on a Mumbai road to make his usual calls. After he hangs up and is ready to leave, the phone rings. Irrfan picks up the phone.

The man on the other end of the line (Sanjay Dutt) is a techno-whizz sniper who is spying on Irrfan from a nearby building and threatens with dire consequences if Irrfan doesn’t follow what he says.

As shots are fired and Irrfan is tethered to the phone, a jamboree of cops and media gather around the booth. Political bigwigs with a stake, too, get embroiled in the standoff.

What does the sniper want? Be ready for a surprise.

Director Mani Shankar’s intention is to keep a viewer hooked to every single scene in the film. He keeps the plot bereft of the usual songs or romantic tracks or other distractions. But how one wishes he had ensured a better script.

To start with, the dialogues are downright embarrassing. In one scene, a skulking Sanjay Dutt has his gun pointed at Irrfan and tells him to dance. Irrfan replies: “Bandook ki noke pe nachana achchi baat thodi hai? Main koi Basanti hoon?” Or sample that one when Dutt wisecracks: “Jab maut saamne hoti hai toh achhe achho ki Gateway of India ho jaati hai”. The movie has many such knock-out gems.

Some sequences are plain ludicrous. Irrfan singing, dancing and even doing a mock striptease is an embarrassment to watch. Even the actor, otherwise irreproachable, hams it like there is no tomorrow. Sanjay Dutt flaunts his swagger, spouts preachy dialogues and also shows his brawn power in the end. Kangana Ranaut as the overenthusiastic journalist isn’t a relief either. Apoorva Lakhia does add some unintentional humour by playing a no-nonsense sharpshooter.

The movie unspools at a fast pace. But what you see unspooling isn’t very impressive. The phone booth sequences get repetitive after a point and seeing Irrfan squealing like a stuck pig inside the booth, you feel sorry for the poor guy and want to lend your own cell to him just to get him out of the damned coop.

Aakrosh The Movie Review

Aakrosh The Movie Review: ‘Honour killings’ is a social malaise that continues to be practised in the rising, 21st century India. Priyadarshan’s film Aakrosh  takes inspiration from one such real incident of honour killing and weaves it into a story that aims to provide a glimpse into the deeper recesses of our caste divided society.

The movie stars Ajay Devgan, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu, Paresh Rawal and Amita Pathak.

Synopsis:

The film revolves around a lower caste guy who had gone along with his 2 friends to a village - Jhanjhar in Bihar, his native place, to watch Ramleela. These 3 students of Delhi University go missing in the dusty village. In the previous 3 months there was no clue where the young students have vanished. Media and students movement all over Bihar takes a pivotal step for getting hint of these students, its then government appoints CBI officers Siddhant Chaturvedi (Akshaye Khanna) and Pratap Kumar (Ajay Devgan) to find out the truth.

A person residing in Bihar himself, Pratap understands the intricacies of race relations in small towns like Jhanjhar. Pratap tries to use his charm and smartness to crack investigation whereas Siddhant has a very no non-sense, direct approach investigation. It's simply a clash of personalities and ideologies.

Investigating in Jhanjhar becomes a tough task for these officers as the local police force Headed by Bhura Ram (Paresh Rawal) with the help of local MP's and landlords run a major branch of the Shool Sena.

At the same time the two officers cannot break the ice with local low cast community members, due to years of fear instilled in them by regular and highly planned Shool Sena attacks. Roshni (Amita Pathak), daughter of the most powerful and richest person of village, acts as a key element to reveal certain realities and give a new direction to the investigation.

Soon the effect of their investigation causes mayhem in Jhanjhar, with riots, burning of houses and killing of peasants in broad daylight. Slowly Pratap with Siddhant's help starts cracking the case by exerting his influence upon Geeta, (Bipasha Basu), a victim to the same inhumanity, who acts as a final key to the investigation. How amongst the animosity created by Shool Sena and the fear of losing more peasants do Pratap and Siddhant solve this mysterious case is explained with a chain of exciting, funny and intelligent events that form the climax of the story.

Aakrosh is set to release on October 15.