Jai Ho Movie Review : Watch it Only For Salman Khan!

A braveheart commoner stands up against injustice and spreads a life-changing mantra of the circle of goodness, giving and generosity.

Rating: 3.5 out Of 5

Review: There is nothing ordinary about this aam aadmi. He rips, roars and ravages the raavans with a single blow - like a Stallone on steroids.

Jai (Salman) is an ex-Army officer, who runs a garage part-time and plays incredibly good (looking) Samaritan fulltime, beating up baddies to bloody pulp with anything from hockey sticks, chains, scaffolding and even a mighty pen. During one 'good-deed' demo, he's hit by a brainwave - a thought that can change the world! His funda seems profound but is simple. Goodness is redeemable.

If someone shows you a random act of kindness, you pay it forward to three people. And they'll pass on the 'act of kindness' to three more each. A multiplier effect on millions - snowballing into a mass junta movement of goodness.

The film has the heart and the haath (read: fist) in the right place. But there's more than just 'do-gooder' drama in this potboiler with purpose.

Jai gets embroiled with a nefarious neta, Dashrath Singh (Danny) and his heavy-weight hooligans, who're a 'pain in the rear' of the aam aadmi. It sparks a raging war between the udaas aam aadmi and khaas politicians.

'Jai Ho'- A remake of Telugu film 'Stalin' (inspired by Hollywood film 'Pay It Forward') resonates with the current mood of the country. Sparking an optimistic hope of a Utopian world. Sohail presents our 'Hero of the Masses' fabulously - with all Salmanisms perfectly in place.

The premise pompously alerts us of cliches and trappings of a commercial masala fare. The screenplay is not as inspiring as the noble message, the story cuts into too many episodes and the underlying idea is repetitive.

Tabu and Danny leave a decent impact. Debutante Daisy grooves well and shows impressive confidence. The bone-crunching, blood-splitting scenes are a delight for action addicts. The story is laced with light-hearted humour and massy music.

Like most Salman Khan films, this one too rests solely on his undeniable superstardom.

There is one explosive moment of revelation in the film - when Salman tears off his shirt to show off his greased, stabbed, scarred and sensational sinews. Nothing else matters for 'bhai' fanatics. It's 'the' paise wasool moment. Rest assured, they will 'pay up' and 'take it forward'.

Yaariyan Movie Review : Big Dreams, Desires and Ambition Packed in A College Drama

Hormonal groans and first-kiss misses. Pyjama parties and lessons in puberty. Big dreams, desires and ambition - all the stuff that youth is made of - packed in a college drama.

Rating : 3 out of 5

'Grease' was the word. Helping hormone-rushed youngsters slide into puberty and outta tight-fitting pants. 'Yaariyan' could have been the word. About friends, first-kisses and hot flushes. Peppered with candy-crushes and teenage desires furthest from reality.

So we have Bettys and Veronicas crushing on extra-smiley Archies, all the while shaking their 'toohs' and 'tees' (beep, beep!) at beach parties. Of course, with thoda ambition, kuch-kuch competition, and mostly out-of-classroom lessons.

Presenting the leads of 'Gen-Y'. Lakshya (Himansh) the college casanova who spends all his time trying to get his first kiss with some sexy miss. Neil (Dev), the biker boy (minus hot babes), Pardi (Shreyas), the Jughead in the batch, but not hotdog enough for the gals. The plain-Jane, all-brain, Saloni (Rakul) who knows more about gigabytes than love-bytes. And the oomphy Jiya (Nicole), prowling all over this campus 'rompus' whipping every boy's fantasy.

Their chilled-out lives go into top gear when the principal (Grover) chooses them as the 'Dream Team' to compete with the Aussie students (at sports & music), to save the pride and honour of their college. Suddenly their life is faced with new challenges, newer angles and love-triangles. To add more chapters, there are dramatic maas, horny teachers and their 'busty' subjects.

Divya's debut film 'Yaariyan', a comparatively small-budget film coming from a big banner, is mounted on a large canvas with impressive production value. The star-cast is all-new and enthusiastic; and most of all the music boasts of chartbusting numbers.

Watch: Yaariyan Theatrical Trailer (Official)

Dedh Ishqiya Movie Review : Madhuri, Naseeruddin Sizzle in Delicious Sequel to Ishqiya

Dedh Ishqiya is a sequel to the zany 2010 black comedy Ishqiya. Like its prequel, the idiom and the setting are rural. The spoken language is Hindi with a peppering of heavy-duty Urdu. Thank God for the English subtitles in circuits except the Hindi belt! What's also nice is the contemporary thought woven in (with references to Iphone-5 and hamburgers in New York). So, the desi-yuppies can connect.

Rating :3.5 out of 5

The plot, with many interesting twists, is about the irrepressible team of crooks, Khallu and Babban (Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi respectively). When these two arrive in Mehmudabad, Naseer finds himself magnetically drawn to the local heiress, Begum Para (Madhuri Dixit Nene). And Arshad falls head over heels in love with the Begum's aide, Muniya (Huma Qureshi). The uncle-nephew team chase their love interests and build castles in the air about sex, life and wealth.

The women, Begum Para and Muniya, also have a back-story. Para is the widow of a debauched Nawab who gambled away his wealth on men and wine. Her crazy suitor, Jaan Mohammad ( Vijay Raaz) wants to bail her out.

In their attempt to live happily ever after, Begum and Muniya devise their own Thelma and Louise (the 1991 Hollywood flick) kind of plan. Not willing to give up, Khallu and Baban try hard to fit in.

Vishal Bharadwaj's dialogue keeps you in splits. The free usage of words like sex and chu**yapaa tickle the funny bone. Naseer is back in super-form after straying in outings like Jackpot. Ditto Arshad. Madhuri looks gorgeous but the dhak-dhak girl (now woman) falls short on the oomph meter, as compared to Vidya Balan in Ishqiya. Huma Qureshi is interesting.

Wach: Dedh Ishqiya (Jan 2014) - Theatrical Trailer

Mahabharat Movie Review: Stars Voice Makes Film Watchable

The story of Mahabharata is well known and has been oft told. The difference with the current film is that it features top Bollywood star voices, in particular Amitabh Bachchan (Bheeshma), Ajay Devgn (Arjun), Vidya Balan (Draupadi), Shatrughan Sinha (Krishna), Manoj Bajpayee (Yudhishtir), Anil Kapoor ( Karna) and Anupam Kher (Shakuni Mama).

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

It's quite an achievement to enlist such a host of actors to lend their talent to an animated film.

This is the biggest achievement of director Amaan Khan's Mahabharata, which is clearly aimed at a young audience that might appreciate an introduction to the epic.

This biggest letdown, however, is the animation itself. Considering the strides Hollywood and even Indian animation films have made (such as Delhi Safari), the art, rendering and technical finesse of Mahabharata falls way short.

While the faces of the characters are designed to match those of their star voices, the movements are staccato and facial expressions limited. The effects in the final battle of Kurukshetra - as arrows fly through the sky - are reminiscent of the popular TV show about the battle between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. That was fine in the 80s but surely our technicians can do better in the 2010s.

This all-too simplistic retelling of a legendary tale is saved from collapsing only thanks to the voicing talents mentioned above.

Watch: Mahabharat Official Trailer

Dhoom 3 Movie Review: Is Only Aamir Khan Show?

Dhoom 3 may have been the toughest role that Aamir Khan has essayed but it clearly isn't one of his best performances.

Rating : 4 out of 5

But what the heck, you do not go to watch an action-thriller like Dhoom 3 anticipating great acting chops. You expect fast bikes, great action stunts, pulsating chase sequences, fantastic music, spectacular locations and a terrific music score. The film delivers a bit of everything but not to the level you expect from the Dhoom franchise or from a banner like Yash Raj Films. Blown or 'Dhoom-ed' away, you will not be.

So here's the story: Circus boy/man Sahir (Aamir Khan) is a person with fire in his belly (or on his arms as seen in the film's posters, along with the other fired-up 'lead' characters). Of course, there is little heat that Mumbai cops Jai Dixit (Abhishek Bachchan) and Ali (Uday Chopra) bring to the plot or their characters (caricatures?). On the other hand, 'Asian Goddess who can sing and dance like water and fire' Alia (Katrina Kaif) does set the circus on fire with her introductory dance number but after that, evaporates from the plot.

The first 15 minutes or so of the film are painfully boring as the plot sets up sympathy for Aamir by showing us his emotional journey with his father (Jackie Shroff) and The Great Indian Circus. The Great Indian Circus was owned by Shroff in 1990 but was repossessed by some hamming extras posing as bankers from the Western Bank of Chicago when they failed to see merit in the 'Indian magic' (rightfully so; it's entirely lame) and close down the circus (unbelievably housed in a Greco-Roman building!). Cut to 2013, a grown-up, bare-bodied Sahir awakens on a leather upholstered bed in the middle of a glass-covered, minimalist furnished penthouse with the Chicago skyline as backdrop. Vendetta for his father's suicide caused by those very ruthless bankwalas forms the rest of the film's plot. (The glass penthouse too evaporates into thin air henceforth as Sahir is shown living in some backstage apartment of the Greco-Roman building). Why? Because there lies hidden Sahir's deep secret which only he, one more person (and now we! Help!) are aware of.

Watch: Dhoom 3 Trailer

Dhoom 3 throws logic out of the circus tent. Oops, we mean the circus mansion. Jai and Ali's character are flown into Chicago (American taxpayers' money being used to fly in Mumbai police? Tch, tch) to investigate Sahir's various robberies which are part of his elaborate plan to bring the banks down. But why the Mumbaikars? Because not only does he leave his imprint in the bank in Hindi after every heist (shouldn't the messages have been in Marathi then?), the entire Chicago Police force comprises of a bunch of incompetent fools. They know nothing about their job and are shown, for the most part, wielding guns they never shoot and shouting 'stop', 'stop'. Much like how Mumbai cops are shown in Bollywood - as decoration and arriving on the scene at the end of everything. Jai and Ali on the other hand should have been in Interpol or FBI. They are on Sahir's tail like moths to a flame and nothing, not even random hot babes will stop them. No wonder the crime rate in Mumbai has gone up - our heroes are in Chicago chasing a middle aged Indian con-tortionist!

There is more. Like the busty blonde Chicago cop Victoria who comes to pick up Jai and Ali from the airport. But while Jai gets lucky to ride pillion with her, Ali is forced to ride on a bus seated next to a Black passenger. Did someone say racist?! Stereotype?

The other good part is that the film is shot brilliantly. The three-hour long film is (ironically!) edited crisply. The stunts are mostly well-choreographed. Strangely, the circus scenes for which Aamir and Katrina reportedly trained for months are ho-hum, passable. Wonder what happened to the decent cinematography here? The first half does not give you any clues about the delicious twist at interval (we're not telling, go find out yourself). Pritam's music is not even close to what he scored in the earlier Dhoom prequels.

Acting is not the hallmark of this film. The firang actors act like how all firangs act in Bollywood films. Abhishek Bachcan and Uday Chopra should not have been in the film. Katrina Kaif by far is the best thing of Dhoom 3 because she does what she does best - dance crazy super after months of training.

Despite the fact that his face looks like someone injected Botox in it to freeze his scowl, at its heart, Dhoom 3 is Aamir Khan show. And Aamir Khan never let's you forget that you are watching Aamir Khan in this film. This was not the case, say, when he played Rancho in 3 Idiots or the character in Ghajini or Inspector Surjan Singh Shekhawat in Talaash. Even Aamir's effort at tap dance is far from effortless.

The earlier two Dhoom films sizzled. This one fizzles right at the beginning and keeps stalling intermittently.

Source: India Today

R…Rajkumar movie review: Shahid Kapoor’s Dhanshoo Action Failed To Save Movie

Shahid Kapoor tries to be Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan at the same time and falls miles behind. You take a bowl and fill it with parts of Wanted, Chennai Express and numerous Telugu movies – what you get is mundane, no-brainer potboiler of a movie called R…Rajkumar

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

If your dabbawala gave you the same curry every day of the week, how would you feel? Definitely after a few days, you would get annoyed at the mundane monotonousness in your life. This is exactly the case with most Bollywood filmmakers nowadays. Why don’t they understand that if you serve the same old whiskey in a new bottle it does not become new.

This week’s offering R…Rajkumar is nothing different. In fact, it could be any of the many films that you have already seen. The boy-meets-girl-fights-with-villain of Chennai Express and the boy-joins-villain-and-becomes-the-informer of Wanted are still fresh in our minds. Then why combine the two and offer another one? Also, the wind farms of Andhra Pradesh have been shown a zillion times in Telugu movies, so why pick that same location for a Bollywood film?

To be honest, the biggest put off in the movie is the lack of a surprise element. The only time you are surprised is when Mukul Dev comes up and discloses his friendship with Shahid. Another big stumble is the comedy. The director has tried every trick in his book to tickle funny bones, but falls flat on his face. The unpersuasive, often clumsy and confused comedy scenes make your viewing even more difficult. The comedy sequences have old jokes and various other pathetic attempts that do not tickle you even a little bit.

Illogical action sequences and stunts that defy all rules of physics at times that make you wonder if the walls of your house are actually made of bricks and stones or not. In a hurry to make movies which earn more than Rs 100 crore, Prabhu Dheva has lost his touch. He has come out with the second no-brainer of the year after Ramaiya Vastavaiya. Like his past movies, this one too is laden with pinches of southern spices. The story is based in a small village where two drugs mafias, Sonu Sood and Ashish Vidyarthi are fighting with each other to be the sole kingpin of an opium business. Rajkumar (Shahid Kapoor), who works for Sonu Sood and falls in love with Ashish Vidyarthi’s niece, has so much strength that he can single-handedly beat the pulp out of 100 goons at a time.

Although a good thing about the movie is that Shahid is back to acting. The actor displays the same intensity as he did in Kaminey and the same boyish charm he did in Jab We Met. Sonu Sood is good as he tried bettering his Dabangg act but did not have much scope. Still he did well enough to make other writer-directors think of him the very instance they write the character of a villain. Sonakshi Sinha’s character could have been portrayed by any background dancer in any of the songs and Shahid is actually not wrong when he says  tera weight dekha hai. You really feel that yes, he is adjusting. It’s time she starts experimenting with new roles as she has been constantly doing the same role over and over again. And a tip, Sona, please join a gym.

The music of the film is good and might be on the charts for sometime but there are way too many songs. Why don’t the directors understand that if they want to put in five songs each of five minute they might as well make a separate music video and spare the viewer of an extra half hour. And who the heck has an item number on their wedding day?

If you are a die-hard fan of south movies or a bigger fan of their no-brainer potboiler Hindi remakes, then do go for this movie and have a gala time. For the rest, wait for the DVD or better still watch it, free of cost, when it comes on TV.

Bullett Raja Movie Review: Brainless Action With Blood-Battle Saga

Challenging brainless action movies that our B-town directors have been selling blatantly with alarming regularity-in the name of blockbusters or crowd pullers-Tigmanshu Dhulia gives us a delicious blood-battle saga. The intelligent filmmaker blends high-octane drama and power-packed action beautifully with a concrete plot, taut editing and excellent writing to produce an engaging watch!

Rating : 3.5 out 5

Do Rs 100 crore movies have to be brain-dead mass pullers? Do stories have to be crafted keeping in mind ‘what’s in’ with an air of arrogance that tends to take cinegoers’ wisdom for granted? And most importantly, is it mandatory for movie buffs to leave their brains at home when they walk into a movie theater and then invariably get served mindless masala flicks in the name of entertainment?

In this day and age when entering the glamorous club of Rs 100 crore seems to be the only motive of our directors, Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Bullett Raja should ideally be served as a template especially to those who believe that the business of entertainment is trend-driven as opposed to logic-driven. In his attempt to engage the audience, Dhulia comes up with an electrifying entertainer that demands you to use your brains!

For those who have been cringing at the alarming flourish of Dabangg kinda productions, where the protagonist is larger-than-life; someone who keeps the audiences glued to the seats with his relentless high flying starry kicks and power-packed punches, Dhulia’s Bullett Raja comes across as a breath of fresh air. It certainly is a time for our high profile film directors to watch Dhulia’s latest endeavour to get a clear idea about how a fine cinematic experience can be creatively crafted. In this one, even if our hero wanders around with the machismo of a desi cowboy while totting guns, his antics never defy your ability to think. The director certainly has a grip on the narrative and he knows how to draw the proverbial laxman rekha between fiction and facts without going overboard.

Moving over the Rowdies and the Tigers and the Singhams –who should, by now, die a shameful death-thanks to the arrival of the new age Raja..err Bullett Raja who keeps you entertained without taking your IQ for granted. This tale is rustic, raw and unapologetic with lots of believable twists and turns that leave you wondering what will happen next. Dhulia keeps both the intensity and intrigue element of his earlier movies like Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster and Paan Singh Tomar intact as he portrays his story set in the backdrop of Uttar Pradesh’s goondaraj.

Following the trajectory of hot headed Raja Mishra aka Saif Ali Khan Bullett Raja’s story should not be unraveled in words, for the attempt may dilute the essence of the action thriller. Instead we give you a list of pluses (and a few misses) that makes this flick an entertaining watch.

Amidst the showers of bullets being sprayed in almost every second frame (to exaggerate) this movie follows a definite path to unveil the story in a gripping manner.

Fiery and impactful dialogues will make you giggle and think at the same time. For instance when Saif Ali Khan is suggested to think twice before seeking revenge against his opponents our hero goes- Bhai mara hai hamara, badla lena parampara hai. Koi corporate culture nahin hai ki agli deal mein profit ya loss adjust kar lenge. The lines are really quirky and stay true to the situations and believable for the characters who mouth them, throughout the film.

Possibly the best role Saif has played ever after Langda Tyagi in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara. Saif’s Raja Mishra aka Bullett Raja is rooted and raw.

Jimmy Shergill has once again made us ask the pertinent question-why has the good looking Punjabi lad has remained underrated in our movies despite his commendable acting skills? Shergill is never off key in any of his scenes.

Sonakshi Sinha has played her part well. Raj Babbar is fine with his portrayal of an influential politician, while Vidyut Jamwal looks impressive with his solid screen presence and his impossible to match action moves if not exactly with his acting chops.

Krrish 3 Movie Review

Each time evil awakens in the world, a superhero rekindles his superpowers. This time Krrish is back, with thrice the power to destroy the demonic Kaal and his bastion of beastly mutants.

Review: Evil doesn't raise its ugly head anymore. It raises a finger. But then 'Good' flies too. In 'Superhero' form - Caped, masked, winged - with muscles of steel and hearts of gold. Our comic-book phirang fantasy boys have flown high as 'Supermen' in Hollywood epics for eons. In India, only one man with an audacious flight of imagination - Rakesh Roshan - has thrice-over, superbly crafted a fantastical world 'alien' to Bollywood, with our very own amazingly evocative superhero - Krrish (Hrithik).

Leaping from where the prequel ended, Krishna (Hrithik) lives with his wife (Priyanka), and genius Dad, Rohit Mehra (Hrithik). In twirling black cape and mask, he hurtles across the city on heroic rescue operations, playing good hubby and doing odd jobs (as the alter ego). But his life is uproariously interrupted with the emergence of a dark and destructive world of an evil called 'Kaal' (Vivek). A maniacal villain, with special powers and a venomous will to erase inferior beings - the human race.

Kaal fuses DNA, to create an assortment of evil mutants called maanvars (manav+jaanwar) - a horned Rhinoman, red-eyed Antman, a Frogman (who gives lot of tongue) and a super-shapely chameleon Kaya (Kangna). He wants to spread a deadly virus to exterminate humanity, but Krrish uses his superpowers to save 'mankind' from the malignant 'mutakind'.

Hrithik is truly the stuff superheroes are made of. Brandishing his Greek-God looks and almighty powers. Displaying larger-than-life flair and flying shoulder-to-shoulder with any Hollywood superman. As the prosthetically pot-bellied and ageing Rohit, he is incredible. Vivek, as a physically disabled anti-hero is menacing as a 'hellboy'. His lunatic laugh and white-washed make-up make him fearfully fantastic. Priyanka is good in her limited role. Kangna in her gothic and deviously dark avatar looks stunning and pulls off an outstanding act.

With a visually riveting and emotionally engaging story, intriguing characters, sweeping VFX (unseen thus far on Indian celluloid) Rakesh Roshan's ambitious dream lives up. Yes, it's hugely inspired (by the Bats, Spideys and Wolverines of the West), but our superhero has his own 'X-factor'. Even with all the high-octane car crashes, explosions and 'animatronics', the philosophy is the force behind it all, yet, never overpowering the story.

The songs are slightly disappointing and background score (Salim-Sulaiman) is good, but unable to amp up the magnitude of the film.

For sheer vision, bravado and superlative execution, this one soars to new orbits. Latch on to this cape for an exhilarating ride.

Note: You might not like this film if sci-fi, fantastical films are not your scene.

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Vivek Oberoi, Kangana Ranaut

Director: Rakesh Roshan

Rating: ****