I had been waiting for this movie since a very long time. And I would say I was not disappointed. Although the storyline is weak and by the end one starts to feel arrey kya bekar ka jhanjat hai, but there are a few things that have been done well in the film.
The new girl has done a pretty decent job. Although it’s not the best performance, but the high point about her is that she looks very real, natural and believable. Shah Rukh is outstanding. I have never felt this before but after this movie I must say – he is a very good actor. Suri’s niceness in the first half would just make you fall in love him. Vinay’s portrayal of a Punjabi guy, though not very convincing, is still is enjoyable.
The treatment of all the songs (and the songs themselves) are good. I can see the movie again only for ‘hum hain rahi pyar ke phir milege chalet chalet’ itself.
The basic feel of the movie is beautiful. The shot compositions are esthetically designed and are well though out.
The movie has a good pace almost throughout but loses everything in the last 20 minutes, and picks up only 5 minutes before the end. And please, if you go to watch the movies, don’t miss the end titles.
The movie is watch able. It’s not bad. In fact, it’s almost good.

Expectations are always high when you know Aamir Khan is in a movie, so my suggestion would be to go into the cinema not expecting anything. By the end of the movie you are wondering what was worse - the direction or the dialogues and then you wonder how Mr. Perfectionist could have ever let either of them pass.  Though it is a scene-to-scene imitation of the Tamil version, it was thankfully not a direct copy off of the English movie Momento - but the idea of short term memory loss was picked up. Some scenes were well shot, while other parts kept you on the edge of your seat. The songs, as good as they may have been, were completely misplaced and ill timed (and sorry but Aamir is 43… the  Beheka song looks just didn’t gel with your character or your age!) Acting wise - Aamir was ok as usual- Jia Khan was a disaster and Asin- who starts of with a good job -  overdoes the bubliness of the character bringing it to the point of being annoying.  All in all the movie is worth maybe a one time watch if you step into the cinema ready for three hours of long drawn out and unnecessary flashback scenes, coupled with bad dialogues delivered equally badly by all the actors. Poor direction actually causes people to laugh at times when you should feel sympathetic towards the character. So sorry Aamir- you failed to impress!

So is this yet another movie to show the sad and deplorable conditions of India- the run down slums, the corrupt ethics, the god forsaken state of the poor, the discrimination towards people of what Indians would call the “lower class”- or is this a movie about fighting for the one you love, never giving up hope no matter how down you are on your luck? As an Indian, the bias is bound to creep in and you wonder if you really want to be shown the sad state of affairs that you are already aware of. But putting that aside the first half of the movie is nothing short of brilliant covering all kinds of issues from religious turmoil, to the conditions of children in slums, to kids forced into becoming beggars. The second half of the movie, however, gives way to Bollywood melodrama and almost feels a little redundant, but that doesn’t mean that Dev Patel and Freida Pinto fail to deliver- they even outshone Anil Kapoor. Both Irfan Khan and Anil Kapoor are at their usual best, but as an audience, it sometimes becomes a little difficult to listen to Dev Patel’s (the boy from the slum’s) perfectly spoken English versus Anil Kapoor and Irfan Khan’s (the educated bunch’s) very ‘Indian’ English accent.
What could have been a different ending, seems to have given way to poetic justice. The director (Danny Boyle) seems to have given up the charm of realism for a “happier” ending. So barring the stretched out second half- Slumdog Millionaire is definitely worth the watch for its great actors, its gripping first half, its sense of realism and its ability to captivate audiences irrespective of where they are from- truly a movie for world cinema- and its entry into the Oscars and it’s Audience Award win are proof of that.

A movie which is not to be missed by anyone! An absolutely brilliant movie which keeps you gripped from beginning to end. Only a visionary director can create such magic on screen and this movie gives us reason to be proud of Bollywood.  Why movies like this do not get recognised for Oscar nominations are beyond comprehension.
Naseer-ud-din Shah and Anupam Kher prove their acting calibre yet again and the supporting cast does no less of a fantastic job. This movie wakes you up- makes you think – makes you wonder. It makes you challenge your own traditional beliefs- what is right what is wrong?- who decides that for us? All these questions are not answered in this movie but they are aggressively asked throughout this movie. Ethics, values, human rights- everything gets challenged in this movie and is completely open ended for each viewer making it a true treat.
Watch out for the climax and Naseer-ud-din’s “speech” at the end- not only is it a well crafted set of dialogues, but it is so well delivered- that it stays with you for a long time.

Fashion
This time Madhur Bhandarkar takes us through the fashion world- another hard hitting reality based movie- but how well does Madhur really manage to display his idea. The answer is- not very well. Though the story is interesting but the weak point is the direction, which has always been the case with Madhur’s movies. His lack of ability to carry a movie from beginning to end is reflected in Priyanka Chopra’s unappealing and non-conveying acting skills. Though the promos promised a bolder and fiercer Priyanka Chopra in Meghna’s skin- what the audience got was a weak character development. Priyanka was unable to display aggressively the internal torment that she was going through as the story moves along. The transformation of her character from one point to another due to circumstances was not well portrayed and almost seems abrupt and sudden at some points.
Kangan Ranaut, was a pleasant surprise. It’s for the first time that I felt her as a good capable actress. She truly stood out in the entire film and overshadowed Priyanka in every scene she was paired opposite her. But the best surprise, however, for me was Kitu Gedwani. She was as elegant and sophisticated as ever. All in all, the movie is worth a watch as are any Madhur Bhandarkar films- but don’t expect to come out of the hall with a sense of catharsis – Madhur never really gives time to the audience to soak in all the events in the plot.

Bond is Back
Rarely do we get to see a sequel which can live up to expectations- but the new James Bond flick does just that. Today all super hero movies seem to be following the trend of the flawed, and hence more believable, characters- and James Bond succumbs to that as well- only making it a more pleasurable experience.
While Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond caved into commercial viability and cheap tricks- Daniel Craigs’ James Bonds seem to shed light on a lot of global issues. They  are now no longer about the age old Cold War with Russian spies, but a reflection of today’s society- the greed for oil, water shortage problems and the power houses that really run this world and how our governments fall weak in front of these money hungry vultures to whom human life has no value.  Quantum of Solace manages to do all that- and of course make Daniel Craig look his absolute best with great panache and style- an element of James Bond we can never get enough of.
Though it leaves audiences craving for the words “the name’s Bond ...James Bond” to be said, or for Daniel Craig to ask for a martini which is “shaken not stirred”, the movie still manages to grip the intelligent audience which is looking for a James Bond who is not only about style, but also about content. The action sequences may seem farfetched and don’t have the appeal that Casino Royale did, but to see Bond’s character develop with the time frame of two movies has been nothing short of amazing. A definite watch for the true blue James Bond fan.

I got up from the seat and as I walked towards the exit I wondered – what was it? Within 5 seconds I got my answer, finding which was not that tough – it was a confused state of affairs. Not from the characters psychological point of view, but from the filmmakers point of view. They did not seem to be clear about what they trying to make. What were they trying to portray? Or tell? What was the theme? Sex? Homosexuality? Friendship? Or a queer mix of all which makes no sense??!!! The film starts with John and Shilpa showing a lot and hiding very little). Each character is introduced as a sex object. Almost every relationship, by the end of the movie is shown to be based on a physical attraction. Is this true? Is this what the present generation is all about? And is incapable of thinking anything beyond? No relationship in the movie (apart from Priyanka and Bobby’s) has been built up. Every other ‘love’ appears to be unsubstantial and hollow. The characters towards the end of the film behave so stupidly that it becomes difficult to believe that some ‘27’ year old grown ups could behave, or even think like that, can have no mind of their own and could get so influenced by what other people might have to say.
The music of the film is good and so are the performances. But there is hardly anything beyond that.
There are a few ‘feel good’ moments in the film. But a overall lack of structure or substance spoils the whole show.
The film is not a recommendation.

A modernized version of A Journey To The Centre Of The Earth. And in 3-D in selected theatres. Well, I must say I was not disappointed. We have it all as it is – the man eating plants, the dinosaurs! It’s an action adventure that successfully grabs interest. One of the things that the film lacks is the emotional connection between the characters and the viewers. It’s a decent film. If one has a taste for such films, one would like it.

It was a pain to watch Drona, when I had been watching films like ‘Out Of Africa’, ‘The English Patient’ and ‘The Way We Were’ lately.  The movie starts on a very sloppy note with a song which is probably the most terrible song in the history of Hindi cinema with the most miserable and mindless choreography. One can see direct inspiration from the Harry Potter movies in the beginning of the movie. There is a thoughtless use of props and elements. The music is unappealing. The shades of unoriginality are reflected (again) when one starts to see things that the mind links directly to the Da Vinci Code. The songs are non-required and difficult to enjoy. It is the perfect movie in which one can go to call back the people who have been calling during the movie, during the songs. It is a pain to tolerate the irritating antics of the villain from the very beginning when one knows that the good is gonna win over the evil in the end. A few action sequences are good but even in those the makers of the movie have not held themselves back from using the most iconic shots from various Hollywood movies and music videos.
The performance of none of the actors is impressive. The whole plot and storyline feels frivolous and non substantial due to the treatment given to the film. It is sad to know that there is soo much of effort and money that goes into making a film and there are some people who put so little thought before making one.
The whole movie is loaded with a background score that is inappropriate and pretentious. The ‘reference library’ for the background score seems to range from ‘Harry Potter to The Mask Of Zorro’ used on the basis of pure whims and fancies and no logic. There is really no end to the list of things that have been ‘inspired’ from movies like ‘Lord of the Rings’, ‘Star Wars’ (and the endless list of such movies.)
A film with such unoriginal treatment is really not worth commenting upon.

Mamma Mia! This is what I have to say for the film. I had not written any movie review for the past almost 1.5 months now (owing to the series of sicknesses I went through). But this film compelled me to write one. The film is great! Meryl Streep is at her mesmerizing best. She is purely magical. This after Devil Wears Prada definitely marks her, yet again, as of one of the greatest actress of our time. Julie Walters and Christine Baranski give their most delightful performances. Stellen Skarsgard, Colin Firth, Dominic Cooper, Pierce Brosnan and Amanda Seyfried, Everyone is great.

The first half of the movie is a constant state of uninterrupted euphoria. The songs that most of us have grown up and danced on, do not fail to make one hum and sing along. The movie is set on a magically vibrant Greek island that almost bursts out of the screen. The cinematography and the art direction are outstanding. For the choreography, it goes without saying – wonderful.

One does not need to say much about the storyline or its structure when it has already been a stage musical with world wide acclaim and success, which is still running and never fails to leave the audience singing and dancing in the isles.

The music of the film – ABBA are the Gods. The songs were greatest hits decades back and so they are still. And as Meryl puts it – ‘The music enters your body. It has amazing hooks.’

The movie is fun. Its cheerful, its naughty, its bubbly, its uplifting. Its pure joy! For anyone who likes ABBA, or musicals, or romantic comedies, or dancing, or just simple plain fun, it’s a must watch. I give it a 9 on 10. I found the movie truly amazing. I say thank you for the movie!

(I can go on and on and write a book stating what are the strengths of the movie but… this is not a book, its ONE movie review.)