Patiala House (movie): dreams vs. family @ 89 m/h from over the wicket!!!

Directed by Nikhil Advani

Release date February, 2011

Kabhi kabhi faisle zindagi se bade ho jaate hai aur Kabhi kabhi parivaar sapno ke aage aa jaate hai.. yahi kahani hai Patiala Hosue ki…

It’s a long time I have seen a family drama and that’s why I want to watch this movie. After some mind blowing deliveries by Akshay Kumar in past one year expectations were less with this one. But it seems to be a googly for the family. Younger generation may find it a bit boring/lengthy. It’s a typical 2 hrs 30 mins dramatic bollywood movie which you can watch with your whole family with love/cry/laugh/respect and most important a DREAM. 

About the Story – Akshay Kumar (gattu) lives in Southhall with his family which headed by Rishi Kapoor (bauji). Due to the racism and disrespect which Rishi Kapoor has faced in past he is strictly a anti-gora. He denies Akshay to play cricket for England. Akshay respect his father’s decision and work in a corner shop for past 17 years though he continued practicing in night. Due to his so called chuppi … younger generation in Patiala House dares to DREAM. They all follow bauji’s order whether they like it or not because the eldest son (gattu) does the same. As always here comes the heroine with love, life, dream and courage to ensure gattu fulfill his dreams. No chocolates for guessing the end guys!!!

The story is very much predictable; you will not find anything surprising or what we call new/creative. There are couple of cricketers from the real world which will increase your interest in matches played in the movie. One thing which I like to mention is Akshay Kumar looks like a cricketer and bowls like a bowler. When he on the pitch we didn’t feel that he is acting … that’s Akshay for you!!!!

Nothing impressive on story part, Nikhil Advani has proved himself in his first film KHNH that he can direct a drama. It reflects in his new product as well. On music laung da lashkara and rolla ape gaya looks good on screen. (Special mention: Chorography/editing in roll ape gaya is first class). Kyu main jaagoon is used all over in the movie. Background music is also ok but sometimes I feel it a bit loud. Akshay is good but seems that he is repeating himself again and again. Anushka is first rate; she is a delight to watch. Rishi Kapoor has again done a great job, dimple kapadia is wasted. 

It’s a tradition in Indian Society to sacrifice for our family. Children break their dreams because their parents want them to be someone else.  We give first preference to our family and then to ourselves. This is the culture we follow here, Patiala House shows the same but at the same time it also says that if you will stop dreaming you will stop living. Parents needs to understand that time is not the same always, things change and we have to change with them, Children should also understand that dreams can only come true to when you DARE. 

You can watch it with the whole family on a long weekend and don’t forget to prepare pakoris and grama garam chai!!

Tees Maar Khan: Who said that??

Directed by: Farah Khan
Release date: December, 2010

I am sure there is no one in this country who hasn’t heard about the Sheila ki jawani. From day one when the song was on chartbusters we started receiving SMS about this most sizzling song of the year. Song raised the expectations of the audiences and we are all set to again witness the great DRAMA of BOLLYWOOD (as Farah Khan is a master in doing so).  But once again the trailers did their job perfectly. They misguide the audiences!

About the Story – Tabrez Mirza Khan urf Tees Maar Khan (Akshay Kumar) is among the best thief in the country. It was showed in the country that there is not a single lock which he can’t open (though he only opens the door for cockpid in the beginning of the movie). His girl friend Katrina Kaif is a struggling actress. Johri Brothers (the vilan) hires Tees Maar Khan to rob a running train which is carrying some antiques of around 500 corers. TMS makes a plan to shoot a movie in any village near the railway tracks (from where the train will pass) and as a part of the shooting he will rob the train. For completing his task he hires Aatish Kapoor an Oscar-hungry film star (Akshaye Khanna) for the lead role.

Once you come out of the theater you will not remember a single scene on which you laugh loudly. After the release of movies like 3 idiots, Golmaal 3, Phas Gaye Obama etc we have a 3-5 mins shot in which we die laughing. Though I was not expecting the same in this movie but I was expecting the magic of Farah Khan. And trust me it was missing. She is a master when it comes to Drama and we have witness the same in Main hoon Na and Om Shanti Om. The story is very weak (or rather I should say there is NO story). Again, as I believe it’s becoming a trend Akshay is wasted in a meaningless role, Katrina has done superb job in Sheila ki jawani (nothing else to mention). The only surprise of the movie is Akshaye Khanna. In the role of an Oscar-hungry film star he is something we haven’t seen before. I don’t know how but he is hilarious.

Farah Khan is capable of creating a world of dreams though her hold on the dramatic side of the story. As per my opinion she is a perfect example of a typical Bollywood Director.  She can make you laugh, cry and even fall in love whenever she wants. But she has done a blunder this time and lands up in a no man’s land. The movie will not find his audiences. But this doesn’t mean she should go back to SRK for her all future films. She can do it without him as well.

On the Chorography part in the movie, “Sheila” is awesome and “walla re walla re” is energetic. However I felt that the creative side of her (in terms of Chorography) is again missing.  

Songs are good, background score is just OK types, nothing to be noticed in Cinematography, Editing is again as required. The only missing component was – COMEDY.

Suggestion: Do watch it for “Sheila ki jawani”, else save money for next Friday!!!!

The Last Samurai (movie): Loyalty through sword or a way of living?

Directed by: Edward Zwick
Release date: December, 2003

Service, Loyalty, duty, commitment, faith, trust and bravery …. I am short of words in order to describe what all I felt after watching the movie. It was explained in the movie that Samurai means – to serve. Samurai’s were the protectors of the KING. Their ancestors had been doing this for hundreds of years. The same emotion was everywhere in the movie. Every scene, dialogue and conversation in the movie is filled with these not so common emotions. Every word they said or the act they performed is filled with loyalty. It is a slow paced movie but I believe it’s required to make sure that audience understand the depth and the true meaning of the film. Every small aspect related to life, war and duty is explained in a very detailed manner.

About the Story – Tom Cruise is a well known personality in US due to his unbelievable victories in wars. He works for money and has good experience in fighting with tribes. He is hired by a Japanese man to fight with their enemy: THE SAMURAI - Katsumoto! Tom Cruise come down to Japan and trained the army with new equipments. They went to war; however the army was not ready for it. As a result Tom gets captured by the Samurai group and they bring him to their village. Tom was wounded, Katsumoto’s sister take care of him though she was aware that Tom killed her husband. Tom has to spend a whole year there so that he can recover from his present situation. While staying there he finds some special things which he had forgotten long back – discipline and honor. He decides to help them against their king but later he understands that the fight is not against the king, it’s against the corrupt system and bureaucrats around the king. In the final fight sequences all the Samurai’s die but Tom manages to survive. Tom returns to the Samurai village.



It’s very difficult for my generation to understand/believe that someone's  wish/command is more than enough for a person to give away his life. I remember this dialogue when Tom Cruise asks Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe): kaya raja aapko maarna nahi chahenge? Katsumoto replies: muhje maarne ke liye unko itna sab karne ki zaroorat nahi hai, unka aadesh hi kaafi hai. Since childhood they were trained to protect their king and obey his every command. They live and die with this very simple but hard to digest (for us) belief.

We are living in a world where personal interest is everything we can think of. There is no value of promises or commitments. People are ready to hurt anyone for small things. We are not ready to listen to our parents because we think we are a cool/new generation and they are old/narrow minded. We don’t think that going out somewhere late is bad. Lying is no crime. Breaking trust is in the fashion. Duty – what’s that? Honor – never heard of it. We run away from responsibility like it’s our birth right. We don’t feel shy or ashamed in doing anything which is in our interest. We can spread bad mouth about our country over corruption/growth but we never think of doing anything to change it.

When we see people dying for their country, for their fellow men, for duty ... we think they are nuts/stupid. We are not able to relate/understand this feeling because we never felt or even tried to feel the same. We do not want to come out of our comfort zone. I believe Edward tried to shake our world of dreams through this movie and has shown us the real meaning of being alive.

Edward Zwick (director) presented it in a very simple yet heart touching manner. You will not find the movie interesting if you are not in a mood to understand it. It’s not very entertaining for everyone but a masterpiece for some of us. But once you start watching/feeling it, you will fall in love with it. It will take you through a journey of the most special feeling (service, Loyalty, duty, commitment, faith, trust and bravery) which most of the movies are not capable of.

It’s a slow poison guys!!!!

Udaan (movie): Little wings to "FLY"

Directed by: Vikramaditya Motwane
Release date: July, 2010

After 8 hours of long journey, 3 large pegs of rum and around 2 am in the morning I watched UDAAN. What attracts me most is the theatrical poster of the movie. A 16-17 year boy sitting confused and all his emotions and fantasies are around him. Everything which a teenage can imagine or desire is written there and why not, it’s written by my all time favorite Anurag Kashyap. I was all set to begin the 2 hours journey of fulfilling dreams. It’s also going to be special because I also have a dream but unfortunately still fighting to achieve it.  

About the story – Fours friends were caught by their warden watching an adult movie in the theater which results to their termination from the school. Rohan came back to his home town Jamshedpur to live with his father. He came to know that he also have a younger brother 8 years old (as his father married again). Rohan wants to be a writer and willing to study Literature but his father forced him to study Engg in morning and work in his Steel factory in the evening. The rest of the film is about the clash of the mindset/ideology between the father and the son, elder brother and younger brother.

As the story was written by Anurag Kashyap, you will expect something mind blowing. We didn’t watch the movie with the mindset that it will be a normal entertainer. We were waiting for the hurricane to blow our minds. However, I believe either the story was normal or it was presented in a very normal manner. You will feel that same scenes were repeated couple of times in the movie. There are no events which will lead to something exciting. The best part of the movie is its ORIGINAL Screenplay. You will love it for sure. Simplicity at its best! May be that’s the reason you will not find the story appealing. But the Screenplay is the back bone of the movie. It’s a slow pace movie and most of movie revolves around 3 characters. The conversation between the father (Ronit Roy) and Rohan is tense (most of the times), however it’s interesting and innocent between Arjun and Rohan. The poems used by Rohan (I guess there are 3-4 in total) are also new and refreshing.

It’s a very simple film about a boy who wants to achieve his dreams. It does not offer any Indian masala to audiences. But still it’s a must watch for the whole family. For parents to understand that sometimes in order to think best for their children they stop thinking what is correct. For teenagers to understand that if you want to achieve what you want than there is no one who can stop you.

Do watch it with your parents or younger brother/sisters.

Action Replayy (movie): A film without homework!

Directed by: Vipul Shah
Release date: November, 2010

After a long time the trailer was able to convey the right expectations of the movie. When the trailer came to charts the first impression about the movie was not promising and that’s TRUE. Most of the times the trailer looks very promising but in actual the movie is not a good one. But in case of Action Replyy the trailer was able to convey the right “picture” of the picture. Movie will disappoint you!

About the Story – Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai are married to each other for past 35 years. For such a long time what all they have done is fight, blaming each other and more fighting. Their only son Bunty believes that marriage was the biggest mistake done by their parents, due to which when his girlfriend ask him to get married he always run away from the scene. Bunty travels back to time so that he can change the arrange marriage of their parents to a love marriage, so that they will love each other and he will be able to marry his girlfriend. (Sorry to say but illogical thought)

The movie doesn’t look like its set up in late 70’s. Though the director tried a lot on clothes, locations, dialogues, so that it should give a retro look. However, the effort was not enough. In several shots including songs, you will feel the dress is of present time and if someone will not tell you, you won’t realize its set in 1970’s. Some of the special affects (like the first shot when Bunty came to 1975 and stands in front of VT station) are also not up to the mark. Story does not have much to offer. Actually there is no story. Just couple of events happenings now and then and director tries to make them humorous. It’s only Akshay, who will be able to make you laugh in 2 or 3 instances. That’s it, nothing else to cheer or talk about the movie. Songs are also not memorable (Jor ka jatka is an exception here).

Wait for the original DVD to be released or its premier on Indian television and provided that you don’t have anything else to do on that day than you can take the risk to watch it.

Aakrosh (movie) : Are you ready to pay the cost for "LOVE"?

Directed by: Priyadarshan
Release date: October, 2010 

When the trailers of Aakrosh came on charts it says – from the directors of Gardish and Virasat. The intensions were clear; don’t expect another Hera Pheri or De Dana Dan. This time Priyadarshan along with Kumar Mangat Pathak is going to hit the screen with a very serious issue of honor killing. The same was reflected in the very first trailer in which Ajay Devgan (in back ground voice) says – kya hum sach me azaad hue thee.

About the Story – Three college students went missing when they visited a village in Bihar. Its 2 months and government is not able to find them. In Delhi, media and college students asked for a CBI enquiry and a team comprises of Ajay Devgan and Akshaye Khanna is sent to Jhanjhar village to solve the case. After reaching there they realise that it’s not a routine work this time. No one from the villagers or the local police is helping them or talking to them about this. After that, a series of incidents happened in which several people were killed brutally, whole village is burnt, some people were hanged on the trees, some were killed in accidents etc. In the second half, CBI came to know that it’s not a murder case rather it’s on honor killing. In which people of higher cast kill the girl and the boy (who are in love) because they bring dishonor to the family or their community. In the end with the help of Bipasha Basu, they solved the case.

No doubt the subject was strong and for most of the audience who lives in metro, this needs to be addressed. Couples living in metros (who goes to McDonalds, Pizza hut, Cineplex, Disc and outings) should know what happen, when someone living in a small village dares to love. They are not just killed but murdered in such a manner that it will become a lesson for others. Not only the couple but their families also burnt or murdered. Couple of scenes like – the long chase scene, in which Ajay chase a guy on the roof and another one in which Ajay and Akshaye went to arrest roshini for the first time are worth watching. Not to forgot the scene in which Paresh Rawal beats Bipasha brutally by his belt behind the closed doors and in the end when Ajay took revenge and beat Paresh behind the door are delight to watch. The intensity of these scenes is so strong that though you are not able to see it but still from the screaming of the actors and background score you can feel it in your blood. That’s the magic Priyadarshan is able to create. I had a very strong expectation from the movie. The movie is GOOD, but not as I expected. The kind of experience Priyadarshan (director) and Kumar Mangat Pathak (producer) have, I have expecting the unexpected.

Ajay Devgan is perfect in such roles. Though I feel that director didn’t give him much space. Whenever we think that he is going to say a dialogue on which we will die clapping OR he will take the front seat and beat the other guy, Akshaye drew him from there.

Overall, we should watch it at least once. Just to know that life is not as easy as it seems in metros. Especially love is still a very sensitive matter in villages and if you dare to love someone outside your caste – be ready to pay the cost!!!!

It’s not that much brutal that girls or family members can’t watch it. So, you can plan it with anyone you want.

Driven: Let the “GAMING SPIRIT” win!!!!

Directed by: Renny Harlin
Release date: April 27, 2001

The interesting part of the movie (I believe) is starring Sylvester Stallone as a Formula 1 driver. I haven’t seen a single movie in which he didn’t hit a punch to the villain. But as they say – there is always a first time in everything (it’s for me this time). Watching Sylvester in a balanced manner is like watching Nana Patekar in the movie – Ab tak Chappan. I was waiting to watch a fight sequence by Sylvester but that wait never ended.

About the Story – Sylvester (who is a well known personality in racing) comes back to the racing track on the request of his old friend to mentor a NEW driver of his team. As expected, because of our HERO’s mentoring the new driver starts winning the race. The opponent driver (we can take him as the villain component) is also very near in winning the World Championship. Sylvester job is to make sure that our NEW driver should win the championship in any given condition. NO SURPRISE – Sylvester completes what ever task is given to him (he himself is enough for the whole Army, what’s big in winning a Formula 1 race).

Though my wait for a mind blowing fight scene never ended but still I had seen something which changes my perspective to watch movies.   

Ø  It’s not a rule that HERO should win all the races and when he comes back from the exile he will (for sure) hit the bull’s eye. When no one else can do it, wake up the hero from his dreams and he will do it for you like he is playing a video game. This is not the case here – Sylvester comes back with the bang (must watch – the scene where he drops 3 pennies on the race track and drift over them), However he didn’t win any race and he makes sure that the NEW driver wins. He is there for support not for winning.

Ø  It’s also not the case that the villains are always born with the cruel intensions. In the movie when another supportive driver met with an clash – Our NEW driver and the villain, both stop the race in between and saves the crashed driver’s life. Its not personal guys – It’s professional. They are opposite to each other due to their game. The movie gives a very clear message – It’s the Gaming spirit which makes your good or bad, looser or winner.

I liked both these facts very much. We have a tendency to watch the villain’s role with a bitter eye. We always think that if he is going something good there must be a conspiracy behind it. The movie says that it’s not able the positive or negative role – It’s about the GAME.

The movie does not have superb special affects or it has a very interesting stories. Everything is just ok types. Racing scenes are also just presentable, but nothing to cheer about. The most important thing is the message given by the movie - Let the “GAMING SPIRIT” win!!!!