John Wick - Just Don't Mess With His Dog Alright !!!

First things first, this movie is worthy of every penny as well as time you spend on it.

STORY - 

Keanu Reeves plays ex-assassin John Wick, who is a recent widower. While grieving over his wife's demise, he gets one last gift from her so that it can help him cope up, the gift is indeed a puppy. A normal face/off over the vintage 1969 Mustang at a gas station with a wannabe thug gets out of line too soon. The wannabe thug & his thug-friends intrude into John Wick's house, beats him up, stoles his car but in between kills the puppy. They had to kill Wick's puppy. Anyways, now Wick wants revenge & how he gets it in style forms the entire film.

MOVIE -

The moment the movie starts we are driven into the world of John Wick. It opens with the climax scene followed by the narration of 90 odd minutes taking us through all the events that led to the climax scene. John Wick has just lost his wife due to a terminal illness, he had quit his past to be with her while dreaming of a perfect life with his loved one. It doesn't go as he wished, her sudden demise shatters him. He had abandoned his past just for her & now he had nothing to live for in the present. Completely lost, he gets one last gift from his loving wife, a posthumous gift which happens to be a cute puppy. It comes with a letter for sure but his wife clarifies that the letter doesn't count as this is no P.S. I Love You. He starts getting closer to the puppy eventually named Daisy. He takes the puppy on a ride in his 1969 Mustang, while he's filling up the gas he comes across 3 thugs who asks him whether the Mustang is for sale. In their words, "Every Bitch has a price". Wick calmly replies "Not his bitch". Soon, these thugs intrude his house, kills the puppy & leaves him bleeding.

Wick buries his puppy, and digs up his buried past life. He's on vengeance. The so-called thugs soon realize whom they're messing with. Russian Mob boss Viggo, the father of one of the thug Iosef, who previously had Wick working for him know what he's capable of as he refers to him as The Boogeyman who takes the children who don't behave properly. At some point he also refers Wick to someone you send to kill the Boogeyman, but well that kinda writing glitches are pardonable. So in a desperate attempt to save his son he announces a open contract of $2 million which any paid assassin would be willing to take upon. Meanwhile, a few attack Wick at his home where he kills everyone of them. In between, a cop knocks on the door, only to witness the dead bodies, seeing Wick he just walks away. Then Wick calls upon an unique waste management service who actually does the cleaning up of dead bodies & any sort of blood mark on the floor. - who am I kidding, that was freaking awesome.

Now Iosef is on the hide, by hide it really means he's partying at the club basement with a lot of bikini clad girls. The whole club is protected. Wick enters it in style, with loads & loads of gunshots, bullet to the heads, broken necks, brutal fights.. well that's exactly what we paid to see isn't it? There's Willem Dafoe playing Marcus who is also a paid assassin, someone who is in good terms with John Wick. Viggo asks him to take care of Wick for him, $2 million is a big amount to take up such a target. Now that, Wick is an open target, with several assassins trying to kill him in order to win that price put on his head.. Wick moves on as focused he is in reaching his target.

PERFORMANCES - 

Keanu Reeves nails it. He plays the emotional sequences as per the requirement of the character but when it comes to action, he's on a roll. Not an exaggeration, it's his best after Speed, of course excluding The Matrix. Michael Nyqvist is very good in the role of Viggo. Willem Dafoe is first rate. John Leguizamo is there for only one scene. Adrienne Palicki plays her part efficiently. Alfie Allen acts dumb at the beginning & scared for the rest of the film as required by his character.

DIRECTION - 

Well the script isn't path breaking by any means. It's just a revenge tale which has been done to death. What makes the film stand apart is the direction by David Leitch & Chad Stahelski. They don't waste a single minute to get on with the story & once the action kicks in, it's one hell of a ride. There're no subplots to deviate the movie or act as disturbance.

My Rating - 3.5/5

Final Word for Keanu Reeves - Keanu Reeves is fucking Back & he's an extreme animal activist.

Final Word for the movie - It's Taken, only this time it's a puppy.

INTERSTELLAR - Murphy wins. LOVE wins. NOLAN WINS !!!

INTERSTELLAR

I will not lie, I never had to scratch my head this hard to write an answer in any of exams. It's not that Interstellar is complex to review, what's tough is to review it without giving away the crucial moments of the film & most importantly to review without capturing the essence of the script/screenplay. So, let me listen to whatever my heart says... And may be in the 3rd dimension or the 5th dimension, my views can be put in the right format.

Nolan's strength has always been the specifics, be it his Following or Memento or the Batman trilogy or Inception or Interstellar, he takes time to form a strong baseline. Having a strong screenplay isn't enough but presenting it effectively, laying out each of those elements in the first act matters the most. Actually it's exactly what makes Nolan's work standout. He follows the same here, we get to know that earth is dying (by dying, it's not playing a good host for humans anymore), we get introduced to a family of 4 - a grandfather, father & his 2 children. The key characters, showing enough bonding between them especially the father & his daughter. The first act firmly lays out Murphy's Law.

The 2nd act takes us through the Theory of Relativity. We're introduced to few more important characters who are basically explorers who in turn take us viewers on an expedition. An expedition to search for a new home. Nolan doesn't forget his basics here, remember he started out with Murphy's Law. As serious the issue is here, he explores the depth of a father-daughter relationship because that's the key ingredient to the entire script, a strong point that holds the entire screenplay together. The stronger the relationship the more prepared you are to face the third & the fourth act. So, begins the emotional ride through the wormhole. Also remember, time flies.

Post interval, Nolan prepares himself to bring the third act to life. It has few surprises thrown at your way & a terrific actor as a separate surprise package. I would not dwell much into here. You get thrown a bunch of Quantum Mechanics here too but yes by now you've reached a new dimension compared to the first 2 acts. Nolan the genius keeps giving you the clues. All you got to do is fetch them & trust his motives. Like I said I'm not going dwell much here, I've strong reasons which you'll know soon, atleast a part of it.

FOURTH ACT - PREPARE YOURSELF TO EXPERIENCE THE REAL NOLANESQUE STORY TELLING.
Whatever you watched till now takes not just a 360 degree spin but trust me you'll lose count, provided you dare to count. This is the moment you've been waiting for, this is exactly what you paid for. The movie may or may not be a MASTERPIECE but this fourth act itself is a certified MASTERPIECE. All you've to do hold yourself tight for the experience of your life. It all comes down to this, Murphy's Law vs Theory of Relativity. Love Vs Science. What way Nolan chooses? Will they "STAY" together or Will they "STAY" apart? Every single second of the fourth act, bowls you over. You live the moments.

Still I don't think I can write a review that does full justice to the film. It's Nolan afterall, he demands us to experience his storytelling. Wade through his vision. The third act is actually a bit underwhelming only because we have kept our expectations so high that we take a journey through galaxies & expect every bit of it to work like the FOURTH ACT. We are just greedy, Nolan is greedier. It's not just his actors but he wants his audience to live his vision too.


My Rating - 4.5/5 (Falls a tad bit shorter of a masterpiece, only because of my high expectations which I think the third act fell a tad bit short off.)

Final Words - Murphy wins. LOVE wins. NOLAN WINS.

Happy New Year - Iss Diwali Sirf Box Office Ki Hi Taale Todenge Yeh Indiawaale, Dil Nahi Jeetenge !!!

STORY - 

Charlie (original name Chandra Mohan Sharma, don't ask!!!) is planning to avenge his father's death by taking revenge on Charan Grover (Jackie Shroff). He gathers his own team of losers, as he keeps re-iterating throughout their introduction to execute his revenge by stealing precious diamonds. But in order to steal the diamonds, the team has to first participate in World Dance Championship, which would smoothen their master plan. As the team of losers are filled with bad dancers, they hire a dance teacher Mohini (Deepika Padukone) to help them get in the WDC. How these losers succeed in their mission of stealing the diamonds from world's safest locker forms the rest of the story.

PERFORMANCES - 

Shah Rukh Khan leads the pack effectively. He shows off his chiseled body - the ABS & showcases his lover boy image throughout the film with enough spreading of arms & dimples. There is nothing in the role offered to him & is no match for his caliber. But he definitely saves the film from sinking.

Deepika Padukone is good & provides an honest performance. Like in Chennai Express, here too she succeeds in modulating her accent. She has a couple of scenes & a song to shine. Sadly, Lovely is not the song I'm talking about despite it being her solo song.

Abhishek Bachchan as Nandu Bhide is funny. The characterization is very inconsistent but he gets to mouth some funny dialogues & provides a lot of comic relief especially during the heist scenes. Sadly, he also gets a few worst scenes too. And he has a double role too which again doesn't has much to speak about.

Boman Irani impresses as a Parsi. Nothing new from his role but his comic timing does the trick. Sonu Sood is good in first half but he's totally wasted in the second half. Vivaan Shah is noticeable in between this star cast. But he looks clueless throughout. Jackie Shroff is again wasted.

DIRECTION & SCREENPLAY -

What lets the movie down is the bad direction & terrible screenplay. The writers have come up with such a confused screenplay that it ends up trying way too hard. The heist scenes are not exciting at all, the entire WDC part comes out bland & it was never expected from Farah Khan. The story talks about a team of losers, just because they're losers doesn't mean they'll act like clowns & buffoonery is delivered in the name of comedy. The team of losers, acting as underdogs stealing the diamonds, avenging the death of Anupam Kher & eventually winning WDC with actual "DANCING" would've made sense. But what we get to see is a team of losers, acting like buffoons, stealing the diamonds so easily like stealing candy from a baby & with all the terrible dancing skills, they end up winning the World Dance Championship. To their support, not once the audience get to know how tough the championship. Even the no.1 team, Koreans are so average dancers that instead of dancing they're used for one action scene in the 2nd half. So with such competitors, it's not bad on the part of audience to think any Tom, Dick & Harry can win the WDC.

Farah Khan has failed in the direction part, but atleast I expected her to do justice to the DANCE parts, something which we know for sure that she can never go wrong. But she was hellbent on proving us wrong.

TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT -

The visuals... the cinematography gets full marks. It's a treat for eyes & the movie looks super grand on screen. The music by Vishal & Shekhar is disappointing. Except for Manwa Laage nothing else works. Even IndiaWaale disappoints due to ordinary choreography. Lovely doesn't set anything on fire either. Dance Like Chammiya is completely wasted. The climax World Dance Medley, impressed a bit but it's far from believing a performance like that would be worthy of winning the championship. Nonsense Ki Night & it's picturization is passable. Dialogues work only in parts, not all dialogues are funny. And editing, well the movie is 3 hours long, it's self-explainatory.

POSITIVES - 

1. Shah Rukh Khan
2. The performances by other star cast, they try really hard to elevate the scenes to a certain level.
3. The first half is very much watchable due to some funny lines. The Chak De India reference is funny & Deepika pulls it off well.
4. Manwa Laage is really good.
5. The grand look of HNY. It's money well spent.
6. The Cameos - watch out for AbRam Khan & Farah Khan's triplets. They're worth your money.

NEGATIVES -

1. Very poor story & screenplay.
2. Indiawaale in the end steals the diamonds as well as wins the WDC. If you look at it, they were thieves who stole (which can be forgiven as they were "Avenging") but they're the winners of WDC, something they won by cheating. They blackmailed the judges with an MMS, they rigged the voting... They danced terribly (minus Deepika's Mohini) & the only good thing they did was to save the Korean kid on stage. That got them a special entry to the finals & suddenly one long performance to save the "IZZAT" of India, that they ended up as champions. What were the writers thinking?
3. The writers again are so confused that, once they've the cast ready to avenge, the next moment they're acting like buffoons, they get emotional, they get serious & after stealing the diamonds, they suddenly get all patriotic. Why? Just because they're IndiaWaale.
4. Remember you've paid for the ticket & you get to see Junior B vomit over & over again. And if that's not enough, you get to see him taste his own vomit. How creative?!
5. The songs don't work except for Manwa Laage.
6. Only Srk can say "breast-taking & love your booty" to a girl & have her fall head over heels. But to what extent will you take him? Plus over use of Madar.... Chod Na Yaar. It's not funny, it's sick.
7. The movie is way too long. It's ridiculously long.

My Rating - 2/5 (1 for Srk, 0.5 for the rest of the cast & 0.5 for the cutie AbRam Khan, also Farah's triplets.)

Final Word - Iss Diwali Sirf Box Office Ki Hi Taale Todenge Yeh Indiawaale, Dil Nahi Jeetenge.

Shah Rukh Khan deserves better, way better. Even if a movie wastes his talent is not a bad thing, what's worse is when a movie mocks his talent. He has achieved a lot & he has proved a lot in his 2 decade career, so a movie like HNY is definitely not needed at all. Here's an actor with a box office potential of earning you never heard before figures, all you've to do is use him the right way. You've only one Shah Rukh Khan & it's time to realize it.

Kaththi - A Real Diwali Treat from A.R.Murugadoss.

Story -

The script revolves around the Vijay Duo - one a social activist fighting for a cause named Jeevanandham & the other an intelligent thief named Kathiresan aka Kaththi. Kaththi is on the run after escaping from jail, comes across an attempted murder where the victim is none other than Jeevanandham. Kaththi in order to escape from Police switches his identity, while Jeevanandham is imprisoned, Kaththi steps in Jeevanandham's shoes to escape. How Jeevanandham escapes from the prison, What changes Kaththi? Will Jeevanandham succeed in his fight against the MNC & it's owner, played by super talented Neil Nitin Mukesh forms the rest of the story.

Performances - 

Vijay has done a terrific job in handling both the characters. While he underplays the character of Jeevanandham, he shines in the role of Kaththi. The entire film rides on this character & Vijay with his mannerisms lives the character. Samantha Ruth Prabhu is there only for the songs. Neil Nitin Mukesh is superb as the villain. He's shown inferior to Vijay's Kaththi character but then that's because of the characterization. His expressions gets full marks. Sathish playing Vijay's friend is funny but it's not a character that's totally brainless as we usually see in big commercial films.

Direction, Screenplay & Dialogues -

A.R. Murugadoss is a magician. Making a commercial film out of a social cause is possible only by him now. He makes a cameo in the second half, hats off to him for the idea behind the entire second half. The only glitch is the initial loopholes but they're overcome by the strong script, performances & ARM's direction.

And now for the real deal, DIALOGUES. A.R.Murugadoss deserves an award for his dialogues. They're so powerful & yet meaningful is simply fantastic. Let me share few masterstrokes...

> When Vijay explains Communism as "After we eat our share of food, whatever is left belongs to the next person is called Communism".

> When Vijay bangs "Vijay Mallya" without even taking his name "A beer factory owner takes a loan of 5000 crores & says he'll not the pay it back. Neither the owner committed suicide nor the banks that loaned him commit suicide. A farmer takes 5000rs loan & he's forced to commit suicide"

> And then the next masterstroke "We even need our condoms in strawberry flavor and our poor children can only dream of ever eating a strawberry in their life".

Technical Department -

Technically Kaththi is brilliant, first I have to salute the cinematographer George C.Williams for his outstanding visuals throughout. The 360 degree shot in the pipe which was shown in the teaser is mindblowing. The music from Anirudh is chartbuster written all over it but what needs the special mention is the Background Music which is clearly the best of this year. Next, the action... wow every single one of them clap-worthy & whistle worthy. This is how it's done, the pre-interval fight & the climax fight, Anl Arasu take a bow man.

Positives - 

1. The strong story & especially the hard hitting scenes.

2. Vijay's performance throughout.

3. The coin fight scene. I am darn sure everyone will copy it in the future. The entire strategy of turning off the lights & just turning it on for a second when Vijay flips a coin, just enough to beat the hell out of the bad guys. Nobody can simply sit & watch the scene. People in my screen were jumping from their seats throughout.

4. The entire flashback, introducing Vijay's Jeevanandham character in the first half itself. Weak hearted will shed tears for sure. It's such heart wrenching looking at the fate of all those poor villagers.

5. The best scene of this year.. The entire taking over of the water supply to Chennai by Vijay & his team of old men. The idea itself needs the applause. The entire 15mins was met with non-stop cheers.

6. Effectively showing the true face of our media who are just hungry for news & nothing else.

7. The climax fight, completely filmy but nevertheless thoroughly entertaining. Especially Vijay & Neil Nitin Mukesh's facial expressions.

8. The background music by Anirudh & the strong dialoues backed by superb visuals.

Negatives -

1. The film takes the same liberties as every double role film. It hampers the film initially only.

2. Samantha's character is only there for the songs. Thankfully there are only 3 songs.

3. The initial 10-15 mins seems to put logic in the backseat. But thankfully after that Kaththi teams takes us all for a stormy ride.

My Rating - 3.5/5 (Would've been 4 if it was not for those cinematic liberties taken.)

Final Word - Kaththi is pure mass as well as class film, a real Diwali Treat. A.R.Murugadoss shows how it's done.

BANG BANG - It does BANG but falls short of BANG BANG.

REVIEW MIGHT CONTAIN  SOME SPOILERS DESPITE ALL THE EFFORT

Bang Bang is an official remake of Knight And Day, so I will not dwell much into the story in detail.

Movie -

The first half has it's share of blemishes where the movie drags but whenever Hrithik enters the screens you'll know it's going to be Bang Bang time. The humor in the first half is subtle, some silly but will definitely generate laughs for most of the time. The comedy scenes with the Bank's Vice President is funny while the humor between Javed Jaffrey & his henchman will definitely tickle your funny bones & above that the funny conversation between Katrina & Hrithik works well too. The songs here does work but Uff despite being a nice song seems out of the place in this action movie as there isn't much scope for a dream song. Nevertheless it's nice watching Hrithik-Katrina pair in that song but all it does is to add on to the screen time. The action scenes are top notch & these are the ones that keep the hopes alive, of course in terms of screenplay. As for the movie goes, Hrithik Roshan's performance does that job effective.

The second half loses it's pace quite often than compared to the first half. The movie keeps getting more predictable where the screenplay works on the tried & tested formula of showing Hrithik-Katrina's romantic moments clubbed with their humorous conversation until an action scene shows up. The screenplay seems hurried in places & due to predictability the Jimmy Shergill connection explained in the second half loses it's impact. But then, there's Hrithik Roshan with his fiery performance to lift the film along with Katrina Kaif providing the oomph factor. And here again, the action sequences does the trick. More crisp editing would've definitely helped in making those stunts look more effective. Danny's role is weakly written & it shows on screen where he gets very little to perform.

Performances -

Hrithik Roshan gets full marks. He steals the show right from his introduction scene till the after credits title track. He carries the film firmly on his shoulder. Be it his abs, his stunts, his romantic side, his funny side, his serious side as well as his crazy side, he gets it perfect in BANG BANG Style.

Katrina Kaif gets it right towards the second half since all he has to do is look glamorous & provide good amount of humor, during the action scenes in the first half & of course during the climax scenes. Other than that she comfortably hams her way through. Javed Jaffrey is good but gets limited scope & same goes to Danny Denzongpa. Jimmy Shergill appears in a special appearance & he performs as per requirement. Pavan Malhotra is first rate. The actress who played Katrina's grandmother looked monotonous. Deepti Naval is hardly there.

Technical Department -

Two words, Simply Awesome. The huge budget of the film is well justified. The only scene where there was slight complaint from my side was in the race car chase sequence, better detailed vfx effects would've been more effective in that scene, nevertheless it's way too small a glitch to whine about. The songs on screen works well, I had a complaint regarding Uff song despite it being good only because I was not happy having a dream song in a movie like this, otherwise watching Kat & Hrithik in that song is worth it. Choreography, well it's Hrithik & Katrina dancing, no more words required to describe it. Screenplay was weak & inconsistent.

Plusses -
1. Hrithik Roshan. You paid to see him, he gives it all & yes worth every single penny you've spent.
2. The technical aspects of the movie are top notch.
3. High production values are a treat to watch on big screen, especially the exotic locales.

Minuses -
1. A remake of a weaker script doesn't make the remake any better. The main problem with Knight And Day was it's second half which was extremely predictable. The main problem with Bang Bang too ironically is the second half.
2. The very first scene where Jimmy Shergill's character is introduced, you know what to expect. So you don't have to wait till the connection to be revealed in the second half to know it. Whatever changes the makers have made to cater to the Desi audience looks too predictable & nothing better than ordinary in terms of the screenplay.
3. The first 30mins in the first half drags. The Katrina & her grandmother's scenes are monotonous. Up until Hrithik's first encounter in Shimla, nothing much happens on the screen.
4. Carrying on from the point 3, in Knight And Day Cameron Diaz gets involved in the mess on her own without knowing & Tom Cruise warns her not to get on the plane but he's not the one to get her involved. What doesn't work in Bang Bang is, Hrithik Roshan is shown to be blown away by Katrina's looks & he voluntarily goes to her, falling for her thus he's the one to get her involved in the mess which was needless in the first place. Considering his mission, it doesn't justify at all. The writers could've come up with something better for Hrithik-Katrina's first meeting & then they could've followed it up with the restaurant scene.


Final Words - It does BANG but falls short of BANG BANG

My Rating - 3/5 (For the efforts, the first half is far more entertaining but it's the second half that gives it away.)

Anjaan (Tamil) - A boring gangster bromance, sheer snorefest.

What a snorefest?! I mean they've actors like Suriya & Manoj Bajpai in the film who are unanimously deemed as one of the best actors of Indian cinema & director Lingusamy makes a mess of them. Yes, Vidyut Jamwal can't act especially when his voice is getting dubbed, he struggles a lot to fit the south Indian gang. But the dubbing made even Manoj Bajpai look tedious along with that ghastly hairdo.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu has been given a role which is mastered by Tamannaah Bhatia. Samantha is desperate to be accepted in Tamil films & it shows on screen. While Tamannaah is yet to say yes for a bikini avatar, Samantha goes ahead to show her bikini avatar for a few seconds which was totally needless as well as pointless. The moment second half starts she's completely missing. The director thought he has an unique way of storytelling keeping her character hidden but that came out totally lame.

They said Rajpal Yadav was in the film, I kept searching for him throughout. Notable Bollywood actor Dalip Tahil was there in the film too. Infact all the posters have highlighted him as one of the main villains. He hardly comes for a scene or two of maximum 5-6 mins in the first half & he vanishes. There are few other Bollywood actors but why are they even there is totally left unanswered. Those roles could've been played by anybody, the UTV factor made them to cast the Bollywood actors.

Maryam Zakaria makes a very very short appearance. Before people could recognize her she vanishes. I mean what was the point? Chitrangada Singh in an item number. I mean it's villain's birthday & item number is still the way to celebrate it. Bad guy has a receptionist, she must wear shorts so short that it looks like she isn't wearing one & it's mandatory for her to show her cleavage more than necessary. If you are not able to catch her then not to worry, there's a table infront of her so that she can deliberately bend right into the camera.

Like I had predicted the film had a threadbare storyline. The moment the interval twist is revealed, it's like what's the point of watching the second half? Oh yeah, Brahmi darling aka Brahmanandam has a short role which tries to be funny & is funny for a very shortperiod of time. I mean it's more like a cameo for Brahmi & sadly, the comedy is also treated like a cameo.

Good points, they showed Suriya & Samantha go to the theater to watch Chennai Express, the train anthakshari scene & the audience did receive it well. Infact in the second half just for the sake of killing time, a medley is inserted where Suriya remembers in the flashback where he, Samantha & Vidyut dance for fusion of hit songs - ek do teen (Tezaab - Samantha fails totally to match Madhuri or even to give a tribute to her), Kajra re (Bunty Aur Babli - Suriya & Samantha seems to be having fun), Ringa Ringa (Arya 2 - wonder why they were doing Dhinka Chika's steps. Guess when Anjaan gets dubbed in Hindi, the Hindi audience will get to hear Dhinka Chika song) & Lungi Dance (Chennai Express - Everybody including Vidyut dances for it. The song is still a rage among the audience, it got the loudest of cheer, something even the original version didn't get).

The songs are bad too. The production values are better. Some of the action though routine is still good since there isn't much ropework to ruin the action scenes. The dialogues heavily inspired, I mean they fizzle out way too quickly. The punch dialogue "(translated) I will decide when I have to die, I will only decide when you are going to die", doesn't work.

This is Samantha's desperate attempt to get accepted in Tamil industry, an actress of her calibre, brought down to just a glamdoll to show off her cleavage, waist & thighs... not acceptable.

And it's unpardonable to waste the talents of Suriya & Manoj Bajpai combined. I mean with talent like this, a director could do wonders. Lingusamy just decides not to.

Vidyut Jamwal now has starred along with Ajith Kumar (Billa 2), Vijay (Thuppakki) & now Suriya (Anjaan). While he played the villain to eventually get beaten up by Ajith & Vijay, he gets to have a bromance with Suriya where he gets to mouth, he's his life & even goes on to ask "Will you give your life for me?".

My Rating - 1.5/5 (1 for Suriya & the rest for Samantha's honest efforts in exposing.)

Finally mil hi gaya mujhe mera asli KICK. Salman Khan & Single Screens zindabad.

Have to say watching KICK in a multiplex that too twice, had still made me feel something was missing. That too this time, it didn't feel like watching a Salman Khan flick due to audience pretending to be over-sophisticated. It's a Salman Khan film for heaven's sake & there is only one way to watch it. And if you're like me who doesn't know to whistle, doesn't scream or shout or openly dance in the theater then the least you could do is enjoy others doing it, every bit of it. Without that, it ain't the way to watch a Salman Khan film.

I reached at the venue. Big hoardings of Salman Khan & his fans welcomed me. I knew I was at the right place.

The fans had already climbed up to do all the pooja's & decorate the poster. It's Bhai's film & it's on EID. Double celebrations toh banta hai. EID is a huge festival by itself & Salman Khan's film demands to be celebrated. It was indeed a sight to watch, something to be experienced.

Thankfully, I had already booked my tickets online so that housefull board didn't bother me much at all. And this time no more buying tickets in black. Spoke directly to the theater's manager & he took extra care to let me inside before everyone rushes in. But before I made up my mind to get inside the theater this happened.

When this was happening outside there was no way of me missing it. I joined the rest of the crowd to capture this moment which has become a synonym with any Salman Khan starrer. I might've shifted to multiplex for a long time now but when it's a Salman Khan starrer, single screens are the best way to experience his films. Infact it's like a tribute on it's own. The LAST ACTION HERO of Bollywood & one of the rare megastar to actually get this kind of "worshipping" from his fans. Single screens are deteriorating, worst part is that one day this madness will come to an end along with the single screens. Capture most of it as and when you can. Because this is something you can only experience & the actual KICK lies in it.

I am a loyal fan of Salman Khan for more than two decades, well that's another way of saying I've been his fan ever since I realized I could be a "fan" of someone. Was one year old when Maine Pyar Kiya released, the first ever song I sang as a kid was from the same film. Ofcourse as told by my parents. See, the connection has been instant which has turned into loyalty.

Being loyal fan of his, I refused to take any sort of pics or video inside the theater. Nevertheless, the experience of people cheering, whistling, clapping throughout the film & dancing whenever the songs arrived, it was really a treat to me as a fan. EID pe maine apna EIDI zarur paya.

Aur isse kehte hai asli KICK. Aur sabhi ko life long KICK prapthirasthu !

Jao, aap bhi movie ko dekho apne 3 doston ke saath, feel the experience. aur apne 3 doston se kehna ki woh aur 3 logon ko zarur Salman Khan ki film dekhne ko bole. JAI HO !!!

KICK - Yaar Is KICK ki HANGOVER itni aasani uthregi nahi. KIIIICCKKKAAA !!!

Story -

As we all know this is a remake of Telugu hit KICK. The female lead's characterization has taken major changes. Shaina is a psychiatrist, who is asked to meet Himanshu Tyagi who is a strict police officer. They meet on a train formally as their families want them to get married. They choose to open up to each other & Shaina starts narrating her past to him, her lost love Devi Lal Singh. He's a character who does anything for his own "KICK". Devi Lal Singh chooses his "KICK" over his love Shaina & has left her. Himanshu too shares his story where he found his partner in the form of Devil, a thief who has robbed over 600cr & how he has given him nightmares. Himanshu has come to Poland, not just to marry Shaina but also to catch the Devil. Devi Lal Singh re-enters Shaina's life & what happens forms the rest of the story.

Film -

The first half of the film is completely loyal to the Telugu original. The pace is decent here with right amount of entertaining scenes backed up by very good dialogues & comic timing of the actors making it a fun first half. The story like in the original, takes a lot of time to begin so until then it's more of an assortment of all the fun escapades of Devi Lal Singh. Enough time is given to establish his character. The actual "KICK" begins when Randeep Hooda's Himanshu starts narrating about Devil. The action scenes kick in & the camaraderie between Hooda & Salman, all the war of words makes it very entertaining helping the first half to end on a very high note.

The second half has a complete different approach compared to original version. Unlike Telugu, here the writers don't follow the comedic approach. The retrograde amnesia which was portrayed completely comically in the original version is completely toned down here with the second half starting on a serious note with the twists happening at the right time. Most importantly, one of the best talent of our industry, Nawazuddin Siddique makes his entry as Shiv & right away steals the show. The pace in only certain scenes seems to drop a bit but that's no concern once the truth about Salman Khan's KICK is revealed which is extremely emotional & well captured. The climax of the original is retained in Hindi too but what makes it extra special is the blockbuster dialogue "Dil mein aata hoon, samajh mein nahi" is the last thing you get to hear. Now that's a powerpack punch.

Performances -

The role is tailor made for Salman Khan. He lives it, he enjoys every bit of it & excels in the emotional scene like anything. It's his show all the way, he looks a lot younger which is a huge asset. He dances his way, he excels in comic timing, the action involving him is all the more common things which people are so used to now but what makes this more special he gets the romantic Salman Khan from 90's efficiently & shows the glimpses of his attitude of the Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya era. Awestruck is the word.

Jacqueline Fernandez is good, her dance bit in the Jumme Ki Raat song is a paisa vasool moment. Ofcourse her diction is just like Katrina in her early days, nice that she gets limited scope in the second half which doesn't let her shortcomings to be visible. Randeep Hooda plays the role of a cop with gusto, he brings in a honest performance & all his scenes with Salman Khan is commendable. Mithun Chakraborthy is good as the father of Salman Khan & his party scene with Salman in the first half is more entertaining than the police station scene. Archana Puran Singh is alright. Saurabh Shukla is good & the scene where he interacts with Salman at his house is hilarious. Sanjay Mishra is very effective, his comic timing deserves to be applauded. Sumona Chakravarthy is passable. Nargis Fakhri is eye candy but the choreography isn't.

Now what do I say about this actor? Nawazuddin Siddique is an asset to our film industry. Loved every scene he featured in as he undoubtedly ruled it. Be it the dialogue delivery, that weird laugh, the bottle cap popping sound.... whatever he does straight away entertains. Watch out for him during the climax. I Salute him.

Technical Department -

The production values is never seen before for a Salman Khan film. It's lavish & every frame looks like a million bucks. The DOP deserves all the credit. The background score was decent but nothing more than that. The film's runtime is perfect but considering some of the scenes that drop in momentum, I felt the editing could've been a little more crispier. As far as choreography goes, it was just about okay. Expected a lot so I can say it was just not at the level of Ahmed Khan. Although the choreography was nowhere close to be called bad, just the expectations were higher & only Jacqueline's solo act matches it. Action is mindblowing.

Direction -

Got to praise Sajid Nadiadwala on his first attempt at direction. He has definitely handled the film well for a first timer. Wish he had ventured into direction a lot before.

Plusses -

1. Ofcourse Salman Khan. He's loving, living and enjoying his character. We all know we are in for a grand treat when Salman does that.
2. Some episodes in the first half is very entertaining. The police station scene featuring Sanjay Mishra. Ofcourse the action scene before that is very good too. But it was even more fun when Salman Khan & Mithun Chakraborthy danced for Akshay's Party All Night from Boss.
3. The whole Devil's introduction, the chase scene & most importantly the train-bicycle scene.
4. Again Salman Khan dancing to Divya Bharti's Saat Samundar song was again a high point.
5. Salman Khan doing Nawazuddin's bottle popping noise & laugh pre-climax plus Salman's dil mein aata hoon dialogue in the end.
6. The entire kid's episode in the flashback. Salman Khan at his emotional best.
7. And who else, NAWAZUDDIN SIDDIQUE & every scene that he features. 1-2 cha cha cha.....

Negatives - 

1. The pace being uneven when it comes to certain scenes. Those few scenes just couldn't maintain the momentum.
2. The songs placement. Yes, the songs were entertaining but except the Tu Hi Tu version which comes in the opening credits and Yaar Naa Miley, Jacqueline's version in the end credits, all other songs were not placed properly as they affected the pace.
3. They said only 6 scenes are similar to original version & rest all is new. That is not at all the case. Still couldn't find what new was contributed by Chetan Bhagat.


Final Word - KIIIICCCKKKAAA !!!

My Rating - 4/5

Yes the movie deserves it for it's entertainment. Although I am being slightly influenced to rate it 3.5 because the makers said the story is not a scene to scene remake but apart from the Nawazuddin's character, the movie was indeed a scene to scene remake. But anyways it's EID, it's SALMAN KHAN & the movie is damn entertaining so as of now I will stick to 4/5.

Edge of Tomorrow - Get off your asses and watch this movie, you maggots.

Story - 

Private Cage happens to relive his day over & over again where he combats with the mimics (extraterrestrial enemy). The future of mankind lies in his hands. How he succeeds in doing this forms the rest of the screenplay.

Movie -

The movie begins with the news reports of various tv channels announcing the invasion by the extraterrestrials and the whole world is fighting them although the news channels only mention the Russian & Chinese troupes. Anyways, Private Cage is arrested for impersonating a military officer & is forced to join the combat army to be part of the battlefield. As unwilling he is, he joins the forces to battle out the mimics at the beach in France. He is not trained & he wants to escape from his situation. The brutal battlefield turns into a slaughter, Private Cage runs into the most celebrated war hero Rita Vrataski only to see her die. This is followed by Cage's death. Now, Cage wakes up and his day starts all over again with the events repeating themselves as it is. Sooner it's revealed what actually triggered this Groundhog Day fiasco but ofcourse not before Cage's killed enough number of times. Now Cage must team up with Rita to make his nightmare, the nightmare for the enemy. The first half is terrificly told, the pace is faster, entertainment guaranteed with enough amount of laughs that compliment the scenes.

The second half is where the fun time looping thing ends and the film gets more serious. Sure, Cage keeps dying only to learn from his mistakes and use it as a strategy to execute his true mission. There's an well intentioned attempt to give an emotional touch to the lead pair's relationship which looks half baked or rushed but the acting definitely makes up for it & succeeds somewhat in separating this film from the usual Sci-Fi fantasy films. The battle shifts to Paris, the major twists appear at the right time to make this film a nail-biter. The success of the mission depends on Cage's ability to hold onto his visions long enough to execute the plan & kill the extraterrestrials. The last 15 minutes of the film will take the audience for a ride. The climax too is as subtle as it can get, giving perferct justification. By the time the end credits roll in, you will know you had got your money's worth.

Performances -

Tom Cruise as William Cage really kills it. He is in his elements and entertains you throughout. The age will never stop this guy. Emily Blunt as Rita Vrataski gives an effective performance & supports Tom Cruise superbly. Bill Paxton is first-rate, it's always good to see him on the big screen. There are bunch of supporting actors & their performances are in sync with that of the lead actors.

Technical Aspect -

Again the 3D worked big time. The visual effects definitely justifies the huge budget of $175+ million. The mimics design is super effective and the battlefield shots are terrific.

Positives -

1. The interesting plot revolving around repeating time loop.

2. Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt's highly energetic performance.

3. Highly entertaining first half.

4. Doug Liman is back. The one we know for The Bourne Identity & not for Jumper.

Negatives -

1. The film does lose it's pace for a while in the second half.

2. The emotional connect seems half baked.

Final Word - Get off your a**es and watch this movie, you maggots. Hollywood is on fire with back to back best entertainers.

My Rating - 4/5

X-Men: Days of Future Past is entertainment at it's best.

Story - 

It goes something like this, the mutants should time travel to the past to stop one of the mutants from committing a grave mistake that would lead to their destruction in the future. To alter the course of events means to alter the entire history, affecting the past & the future. Mutants in the present day have united to alter the past, but will the mutants in the past unite?

Movie -

Bryan Singer, the director of X-Men & it's sequel X2: X-Men United knows the franchise better, gets to business right from the first scene. He doesn't waste time in introducing us to the present day scenario & the war with The Sentinels. Here, we are introduced to a small band of X-Men who fight The Sentinels & manage to defeat with the help of Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde's ability to phase through solid objects as well as time. The initial few minutes itself prove that this is an high octane action ride. In the present day, Charles Xavier & Magneto have united & along with The Wolverine & Storm meet this small band of X-Men & asks Kitty Pryde to send them back in time to alter certain event. Now Kitty Pryde has the power to send them back in time but it's limited to a month at most, anything more than that will rupture the mind. What Charles Xavier asks for is to be sent back to 1973. Knowing the danger involved, The Wolverine steps in as he can withstand the rupture through his power to heal quickly. So, The Wolverine gets sent back to 1973 where his task is to unite Charles Xavier & Magneto, the glitch? They can't stand each other & reaching Magneto is, to put in his own words "complicated". How The Wolverine succeeds in getting them together & will they stop the actual event from happening forms the first half of the film. The pace is extremely good here, you've all the whistle-worthy, clap-worthy scenes in this segment. Not revealing much, yes the first half enough provides double the entertainment for the money you've spent.

The second half elegantly passes through past & the present time, the twists come in the right time & the follow up for that twist is commendable. Like I said, Bryan Singer knows the franchise better than everybody & his vision does justice to the characters. It's a very interesting but deadly game between the mutants themselves & between the mutants & the humans. Is altering the event enough to change the course of the future? Is it worth changing if the war is inevitable? Does mutants have a chance or should the humans be given a chance? All these questions are answered as the screenplay for the second half is entire based on those answers. The pace loses a bit in the second half since concentration on building up scenes for the grand finale. The grand finale is ofcourse epic considering the huge budget spent on the film & it's the CGI which does the talking. The ending if revealed will be the worst thing for any reviewer to do, if you're a true X-Men fan then all I can say is this is the ending you were all waiting for. Ofcourse the logic does take a toss in the second half but hey that's exactly the last thing you wanted while buying the ticket.

Performances -

Hugh Jackman as The Wolverine nails it. It's a treat to watch him, wonder why he doesn't get any decent standalone film? James McAvoy takes off from the prequel & is very efficient as Professor Charles Xavier. Patrick Stewart makes a comeback as the original old Charles Xavier & he does what he does best. Ian Mckellen as Magneto is very effective while Michael Fassbender as the young Magneto gives a an elegant performance as the baddie making up for the Ian Mckellen's positive portrayal of Magneto. Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, well what can I say for her, respect is the word. Halle Berry as Storm doesn't get much to do but very glad to see her. Ellen Page as Shadowcat contributes a lot during the initial few minutes which is very important for the entire film. Nicholas Hoult as the Beast renders great support throughout the film. Peter Dinklage as Trask is first rate. Shawn Ashmore as Iceman is decent but again limited scope. There's a bunch of actors playing mutants & they support really well. Not going to mention few actors as I said I'm not going to reveal much.

Special mention for Evan Peters as Quicksilver, if you're going to love this movie it's because of him. His action scene in the first half is what gonna get the maximum cheers, whistles & claps. Yes, he's that fabulous.

Techinal Aspect -

What can I say? The 3D is efficient in certain parts, but the CGI is extra-ordinary. All I can say is money well spent & it shows on screen making the film a visual treat both in the action sequences & the scenes that doesn't involve action.

Positives -

1. Evan Peters as Quicksilver.

2. The Wolverine.

3. The whole concept of the past and the present. The conception of having the characters together in their older form as well as younger form.

4. Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique. You just can't stop loving her.

5. Also, Ellen Page as Shadowcat & the new band of X-Men.

6. The Climax.

Negatives -

1. You wish Evan Peters was part of the plan in the 2nd half too. He's used only in the first half & it's not justified at all in not involving him in the second half.

2. Logic does take a toss.

3. The involvement of Magneto's younger version starts losing it's justification in the second half.

4. Storm literally has nothing to do. When you see her, you would atleast expect one contributing scene involving her.

Final Word - Watch it because it's entertainment at it's best.

My Rating - 4/5 [3.5 for the actual film + 0.5 rating only for Quicksilver. After a long time I clapped, cheered during a scene & it truly deserved it.]

Godzilla - The King of Monsters, saviour of the city. Finally Hollywood pays a true homage to Gojira.

Plot - 

Let me clarify that this movie is not about Godzilla vs Humans, it's treatment is completely different than the 1998's Roland Emmerich's Godzilla. This movie solely lies on the battle of the monsters where humans are made into just spectators unlike the previous film where humans were made to battle it out directly.

So, this time Godzilla is back but for a reason & that reason is what holds the movie till the end. He has his monster friends who call him out for a battle & humans are caught in between them. All the humans do is get shocked looking at the monsters in Japan followed by Honolulu & of course California. The story begins in 1999 where a nuclear plant is being attacked by an unknown force, we are introduced to Joe Brody played by Bryan Cranston who is the first one to detect the unusual events that occurs. The attack results in a mysterious meltdown of the nuclear reactor leaving Brody's wife dead. Now Joe Brody, the Hollywood's most conventional be-the-only-person-to-know-it-all, continues his search for the truth behind the nuclear meltdown. 15 years later, the truth is revealed & it comes with it's own price. The monsters get unleashed & what follows forms the entire film.

Movie -

The first 15 minutes of the film starts as a prologue with the events that occur in the nuclear reactor. Then the story moves forward to the current times where the characters of Aaron-Taylor Johnson & Jennifer Olsen are introduced along with their son. Soon, Aaron has to leave for Japan to get his father who is currently been arrested for getting inside a prohibited zone. After the father-son reunite, they opt for their own journey back to the prohibited area in search for the truth. The entire first half is about introducing the main human characters & move the story forward along with them. Apart from Aaron-Taylor Johnson, Bryan Cranston there is Ken Watanabe to introduce the audience to the respective monsters as the story moves forward in it's own pace. The main character, Gojira aka Godzilla makes an entry only towards the end of the first half & it's a superb introduction scene for him.

The second half shifts to Las Vegas where all the monsters are headed to. All the attempts by humans to contain these monsters go in vain. The story moves in a brisk pace here as the audience anticipate a huge showdown between the monsters & any scenes before the final battle adds as a built up having a positive effect on the scenes that unfold. The audience get to view the three huge monsters, they get to sympathize with the big guy, they get a glimpse of human emotions & efforts to witness as well as do their part in this epic battle. The final showdown like I mentioned is epic & is worth all the wait. The movie ends on an open note & yes there'll be a sequel. But to the ones who expected an after credit scene, realized that it's not a Marvel movie a tad bit late.

Performances -

Bryan Cranston sets the mood of the film as the scientist & the father of Sam Brody. He forms the emotional involvement in the initial 15 minutes. Juliette Binoche is effective in her brief role. Aaron-Taylor Johnson puts up an honest effort to make up for all the scenes not featuring the monsters. Jennifer Olsen gets very little scope. Ken Watanabe gets limited exposure but all his scenes contribute majorly to the film.

Technical Aspects -

As usual it's done brilliantly. You get to see choppers to trains to submarines being played upon as broken toys, you get to see a tsunami, you get to see several money shots of Godzilla, all that money spent proves to be worthy. The 3D, well enhances the film.

Positives -

1. Godzilla himself.

2. The epic battle between Godzilla & the MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms)

3. The effective initial 15 minutes.

4. Portraying Gojira/Godzilla in it's original form nowhere like the 1998 version.

Negatives -

1. Godzilla has roughly about 20 minutes screen appearance & he's absent for the larger part.

2. MUTOs though positive additions to the movie remain unidentified creatures as far as the Indian audiences go. As happened with the audience in my theater, they seemed largely disconnected with MUTOs till the entry of the big guy.

3. Humans are turned into mere spectators throughout since the entire movie is about the battle between the three monsters. This could be a negative aspect for those people who expect  Godzilla vs Humans showdown.

The movie is typical Hollywood in all aspects, got way too many cheesy scenes, entire climax is heavily relied upon the battle that turns out to be epic & despite it's cheesiness what makes this movie so good is the fact they've got everything right this time. It's pretty clear whose side we are on, it's not the MUTOs, it's definitely not the humans...  yes it's the big guy, who gets all the sympathies followed by loud cheers as he gets up, walks towards the ocean & swims off.

Final Word -

This Godzilla is a true homage to the original Gojira series. He's the King of the Monsters & he's definitely the saviour of the city. GO FOR IT !!!

My Rating - 4/5

The Amazing Spider-Man 2: A ridiculously pointless sequel.

Story - 

Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) has successfully graduated from high school & he is still fighting the crimes in the city as well as seeing Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) breaking the promise he made to her father in the prequel. He's feeling guilty about breaking the promise & calls it off or to say let Gwen call it off between them. That's the only way for him to save his love. On the other hand, a new villain character Electro effectively portrayed by Jamie Foxx emerges & Peter Parker gets to meet his old frined Harry Osborn played by Dane DeHaan [well don't we all know what Harry is going to turn into!]. So, there's our hero, his complicated love story, two villains, his search for the truth about his parents, Aunt May (Sally Field) & a cameo by Stan Lee... the ingredients for the Spider-Man sequel is ready. Isn't it Amazing? Hold on, it's not.

Movie -

Well, the first half begins with Richard Parker & their back story regarding what happens to them. Then the story gets back to New York where the Spidey is flying all over the city to fight crimes. Unlike the prequel, the lead pair goes through a break up which leads to several scenes that doesn't feature them together which makes the first half miss that much needed spark. Sure, there are funny moments, few manage to get some chuckles the rest seems repetitively old. The highlight in the first half is Jamie Foxx's character, it's unique characterization & Jamie Foxx's performance holds the first half of the film tight. The pace here is decent & events unravel smoothly enough.

The second half loses it's steam with several twists which was supposed to be thrilling but ends up dragged. It's here where the film actually seems crowded where too much concentration is put on several sub-plots & make it part of the main story. What holds the second half is the honest performances & those few scenes which are perfectly handled by the director, the inconsistency in the screenplay shows which plays the spoilsport. Honestly, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is way better than The Amazing Spider-Man 1, but the problem is apart from the technical aspects, the standards were never set that high as far the story goes. Purposefully not going to speak about the pre-climax & climax, just going to reveal the fact that, close to the climax you will feel that the entire 2hrs 20mins journey was pointless.

Technical Aspects -

It's brilliant. The camera work is top notch, the 3D is very effective unlike several other superhero movies that hardly exploit the 3D technology, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 perfectly uses it & it justifies to be made in 3D.

Performances -

Andrew Garfield has worked really hard to get it right this time. He does grow on you in this sequel. Emma Watson takes off from where she left in the first part, she is good. Jamie Foxx steals the show as Electro. Dane DeHaan handles his part very well. Paul Giamatti excels. Sally Field does justice to her character & surprisingly she gets to do a major melodramatic scene.

Final Word - This Spider-Man is still far from being AMAZING. So if you want something Amazing, still suggest you to watch Sam Raimi's Spider-Man sequel.

My Rating - 3/5

2 States - A marriage not to be missed.

Story -

Based on the Chetan Bhagat's novel, the story is about two lovers who wants to marry their parents with one another in order to be united forever. It's a predictable love story since the novel is equally famous among the film's target audience. How the boy gets the girl's family to like him & how the girl gets the boy's family to like her, how the boy & girl gets the boy's family to like the girl's family & how the boy & girl gets the girl's family to like the boy's family form the entire novel as well as the screenplay for the film. It's based on a novel & yes it is a "novel" story too. 

The Film - 

The movie follows the novel not just page to page but actually word to word. The first half starts decently with Arjun Kapoor's introduction & it's his narration unravels the story of his marriage to the viewers. It's love at first sight for him, so he gets the audience involved in his love story. The story moves in a decent pace giving ample time to both the principle characters to get established. For this kind of story it's very important to clarify the characterization of the lead characters & that is what makes them instantly connect with the audience. Their successful love story comes to a point where they need to take it to the next level i.e. getting committed. That's when they decide to meet each other's parents & also get the parents to meet each other since these are no ordinary lovers, they are lovers with high self respect for themselves & their love. What next? Have North Indians & South Indians oops Tamilians ever shook hands & hit it off straight away. May be for friendship, for crush but for starting a relationship.... 

With that starts the second half, where the lovers try everything to bring each other's parents together & convert the hatred into love. The efforts are honest, heart touching, funny, romantic & that makes the flow of the story even more smooth. Like I pointed, all it takes is the instant connection, the movie's first half successfully establishes that much needed connection with the viewers that makes it easy for the second half. Yes, it gets little more filmy in the second half but that's how Chetan Bhagat's writing skills are. Too many hurdles for the lovers to unite & too much stronger the relationships are in this film. How the hurdles are passed is something to watch out for. 

Performances -

Arjun Kapoor impresses brilliantly throughout. I wonder why he kept reminding me of Abhishek Bachchan in many scenes but that might be just me. He enacts his role with conviction & ease. Alia Bhatt shines yet again, she's convincing as a Tamilian-Brahmin & yes she again speaks with her eyes. 

But the real stars of the film are Ronit Roy, Amrita Singh & Revathy. The real savers as well as contributors to this film are these three. They've such strong characterizations, Amrita Singh as the Punjabi mother actually lives the character. The movie can be connected with real life characters mainly because of her. Revathy again comes out with flying colors, she sang Saathiya Tune Kya Kiya & that was my paisa vasool moment. Then, Ronit Roy, man what a terrific performer. Salute to him for his controlled performance. Shiv Subramaniam as Revathy's husband supports very well. 

Plusses - 
1. Definitely the performances especially Amrita Singh, Ronit Roy, Revathy & the two lovers. 
2. The relationship between a mother & son is beautifully exploited here. It's really heart touching. 
3. The proposing scene. Beautifully shot & performed. 
4. The dialogues, no two thoughts about it. 

Minuses -
1. Like I said the movie follows the novel word by word. Anybody who knows the novel by heart like me would say "they could've simply made the characters read out the novel for 2 hrs". For us novel readers, the story doesn't offer anything even slightly different than the novel. 
2. The music, they did gel well with the mood of the film as well as in the narrative but still they lacked the charm & one does miss a chartbuster. A love story without charbuster songs will definitely would end up making us feel something's incomplete. 
3. Since the movie follows the novel so closely, the pace keeps dropping now & then making the narrative inconsistent. 

My Rating - 3.5/5