JOKER

What happens when you need to become alien to help getting your village on the map of your country. On the outset the concept of 'JOKER' sounds promising. But all interesting ideas don't always translate into good movies.....Let's figure out how does this JOKER play out.

Agastya (Akshay) is a US based scientist working on a project to make a machine to connect with the outer world. Sonakshi is his live-in partner. Turn of events brings him to his native village - Paglapur, along with Sonakshi. A village which has weird characters like a boy who thinks he is a lantern or Asrani, who still lives in pre-independence era. The village is in bad shape and there's no support from govt for it doesn't exist on India's map. Now he must help his village get its due and bring it back on the world map... What a bunch of self sustaining human villagers couldn't do, can Aliens from outer world can do...?

The biggest flaw of JOKER is its screenplay, which takes the viewer completely for granted. There's no attempt to detail the proceedings. The use of word aliens is so loose as if it's proven fact that they exist somewhere around the moon. Even after watching the entire movie, you hardly remember name of any character, for the characterization is so poor. Akshay as the main protagonist is strictly ok. Infact he doesn't get enough opportunity to display his comic brilliance. Sonakshi is a total waste and doesn't add anything to the story. Asrani & Sanjay Mishra are good and bring some humor in the movie. Minisha Lamba, Gurpreet Ghuggi have negligible presence. Shreya Talpade is pretty average in a very confused character. Chitrandga Singh's song is the highlight of the movie, though it is abrupt in the context of the screenplay. Overall music is below average.

I would rate Shishir Kundar's "JOKER", 1.5 out of 5 stars. It had an interesting concept, wish the Director (who's also the writer & editor) could have spent some time on the screenplay to make it more convincing. He needs to wait more to taste success at box office.

Rating: 1.5/5

Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi

Love doesn't have an expiry date....or has it?? "Shirin Farhad ki toh Nikal Padi" is a love story of two middle aged people who have might have lost their youth but not the desire to be loved. Ace Director Farah Khan makes her 'debut' as an actor with the film while Bela Sehgal (elder sister of Sanjay Leela Bansali) makes her directorial debut. So how do the 'young' ladies match up, let's find out...

Farhad Pastakiya (Boman Irani) is 45, works as a salesman at Tim Tim Bras and Panties shop, stays with her mother & grand mother. Life has reached a stage where everyone around him wants to know - when is he getting married and why is he not getting married. But the biggest problem is his job mention of which sways away any proposals coming his way. Also for Farhad, being 45 is no reason to settle for second best. He is still hopeful of finding his soulmate. And there comes Shirin Fugawala (Farah Khan) - a middle aged Secretary of Parsi Trust, with I-give-a-damn attitude. Both get instant liking for each other and cupid strikes. Everything seems perfect but there is one problem - Farhad's mother hates Shirin to the hilt. How this love story blossoms under the nose of peeping mom and where it finally reaches is how the rest of story unfolds..

Boman Irani looks a part as a middle aged Parsi. His performance is believable and brings out the vulnerability of the character very well. This is Farah's first attempt at acting and it shows.. She gets her looks right for the role but couldn't bring the required emotions. In most of the scenes of leading pair it is Boman who clearly steals the show. Their pairing on the screen looks cute though. The supporting cast though is very competent does a fabulous.

Bela Sehgal as a debut director does few things right. She brings about the Parsi culture pretty well on the screen. She gets her cast right barring Farah Khan. The story loses its grip towards the last part of movie and seems a little drag. Some moments are funny and makes the audience smile. Music is just about ok.

I will give "Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi" 2.5 stars. It is a movie made with right intentions but lets down by dragged screenplay and leading lady.

Rating - 2.5/5

Ek Tha TIGER

Well, it's EID time and Salman is back.... and how! "Ek Tha TIGER" released on Independence Day isn't a movie, it is an event. As soon as you get near the multiplex, you can sense the excitement, the euphoria, the anticipation. So does EK Tha TIGER lives up to massive expectations...

"TIGER" (Salman) is a RAW agent whose life revolves around the dangerous missions around the world. He has been assigned the job to keep a close eye on an Indian Scientist (Roshan Seth) staying in Dublin for his possible link with ISI. Zoya is close to the Scientist and needs to be used as a bait to get close to him. During the mission TIGER and Zoya get close to each other. Just as TIGER is about to propose her, he finds out that Zoya is not the person he thinks she was. He needs to choose between his duty and his love. How does TIGER and Zoya fights against all the odds to be together even as the tensions soar between RAW & ISI is what the rest of the story is about.

Salman Khan carries the movie on his broad shoulder as a restrained yet sharp RAW agent.  He is the heart and soul of the movie. Unlike few of his recent movies (eg: BodyGuard) his character is well defined and he does full justice to it. The audience cheers at his witty one liners and moves along with him with high voltage action. Katrina Kaif is good in the role of Zoya. She looks absolutely stunning. And she kicks ass in some nicely done stunts, literally so! Her chemistry with Salman is one of the highlights of the movie. One wishes there was little more space given for their intimacy to soar..  Ranvir Shorey as co RAW agent and friend of Salman and Girish Karnad as chief of RAW are also convincing.

The cinematography deserves special mention. The movie is shot around 7 countries and every shot is taken with precision. Kabir Khan is in form as a director. He gets the right subject, cast and treatment for the movie. Music is good but the picturization adds that extra bit to it. "Mashalla" is the best of the lot and comes at the end credits. Action sequences are unique and top notch. Screenplay is consistence.

This one is a must watch for Salman fans. I will give 3.5 stars for Salman Khan's "Ek Tha TIGER". Its delivers what it promises - larger than life entertainment. It looks set to be the biggest hit of the year!

Rating : 3.5/5

Gangs of Wasseypur 2

“Karenge Vaar, Akhri Baar” is what the punchline of GOW2 says. And what an “attack” it is!!

Sardar Khan (Manoj Vajpayee) died in the climax of part one. Elder son Danish (Vineet Singh) sets out to revenge the murder of his father but he soon becomes the target. Now onus is on younger son, the drug addict Faizal Khan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) to take the legacy forward and he follows the suit. Soon he becomes fearsome figure in Wasseypur and rules the Iron trading business.

As his dominance increases so does the list of enemies. Sultan (Pankaj Tripathi) kills his teenager brother and a twist of events lands him into the prison. It takes the help of “Definite” (Zeishan Qadri), the son of Sardar & Durga (Reema Sen), to get out of prison and launch the final assault on Ramadhir Singh (Tigmanshu Dhulia). How he finally takes the revenge in a game of cat & mouse is how the rest of story unfolds.

Nawazuddin is the find of the movie and plays the complex character with finesse. His portrayal as a son out to revenge his father’s death is realistic. His act as a lover in the first half is one of the highlights of the movie and brings the house down with his innocent style. Huma Qureshi as his love interest looks charming and delivers a convincing act. We will see her a lot in coming days for sure. Zeishan is electric as on the edge – Definite. He matches Nawazuddin punch for punch and gets lots of seetis and taalis. Richa Chadda as mother is top notch. Rest of the cast also played their part well.

Anurag Kashyap seems to have rediscovered himself completely. He has a unique story telling technique which is raw and original. He has always been an acclaimed Director but somehow never tasted the box office success as he deserved. But that all is going to change with GOW and now with  GOW2. The movie has huge mass appeal and the audience who liked the part one is going to love this one too. To create such characters like – Definite, Perpendicular, Tangent and make them all look so real is a touch of genius.

I am going with 4 out of 5 stars for Gangs of Wasseypur – 2. It is original, hard hitting, raw & of course hugely entertaining.

Rating – 4/5

JISM 2

The mind can get over the emotional involvement of a relationship.....but what about the physical intimacy. Physical intimacy between the opposite sexes is the most difficult to resist. An intriguing subject in itself around which this week’s release JISM 2 revolves. It is not a sequel of JISM but falls in the same genre, much as it was the case with other Bhatt Camp movies (Jannat 2, Murder 2 etc..)

Izna (Sunny Leone) is a happy go lucky Porn Star, who lives her life on her own terms. In a bizarre incident she meets Kabir (Randeep Hooda) who is a part of IIB (Indian Investigation Bureau). Both fall in love with each other. One day out of the blue, Kabir leaves Izna without informing. She keeps living her life full of illusion for next 6 years till she meets Ayaan (Arunoday Singh) who is also a part of IIB. He hires her to deceive Kabir, who has now turned a terrorist; and get vital information from him. Can Izna come over her love of 6 years to get past Kabir? How will Kabir reacts to her? Can Ayaan resist his desires being so close to Izna?  these questions get unfold in those 132 minutes.

Sunny Leone has been given the role which is closest to her real self. What she lacks in expression she more than makes up with her body language. She looks stunning and her intimate scenes are going to make few men go weak in their knees. This by far has been the boldest (read sensual) portray of a women on screen for a long time. Arunoday Singh is just about average. He seems to try too hard in few scenes. But the real show stealer is Randeep Hooda. He plays a complicated character and does justice to it. He emotes with eyes and has the best lines in the movie.

Pooja Bhatt as a director lacks the grip at places. Writing is weak in some areas too. Characterization could have been better and motives of certain characters are left to imagination. Songs are one of the bright points of the movie and take the story forward. Background score though is not the best.

I would rate Jism2 as 2.5 out of 5. It lacks in terms of screenplay but still provides what it promises – loads of sensuality.  

Rating - 2.5/5