Bawarchi (1972) Review by Shivom Oza – This Cook Did Not Spoil The Broth!

3.5/5 Stars

Bawarchi, inspired by the Bengali film, Galpa Holeo Satyi (1966), by Tapan Sinha, revolves around the disgruntled Sharma household, who cannot retain a cook for more than a while, owing to their rude behaviour. And then, the affable Raghu enters, and overstays his welcome!

The Hrishikesh Mukherjee film can be described in two words - Simply charming. In fact, any of the legendary filmmaker's films could be given the same description. Bawarchi belongs to a genre that so many filmmakers in today's day and age are trying to recapture. Any story which does not abandon the Indian-ness despite being embedded with western influences, works for us. Bawarchi is a story that reminds us of ourselves. And mind you, so many elements put forward in the film are still very relevant, even four decades later.

No person wants to take up the cook's job at the chaotic Sharma household. Their Shanti Nivas is riddled with ashanti, and no member in the family is leading a peaceful life. All of them carry their problems to work/school/nowhere and back home, and vent out all their frustrations at each other, which leads to much negativity. Add to that, the absence of a cook only increases the tension, leading to much irritation and blame-game!

Enter Raghu (Rajesh Khanna)! Within a few days, Raghu mixes up nicely with everybody in the household. He's absolutely impeccable at his work. Moreover, he takes that extra effort to solve everyone's problems at home. He even sorts out differences between estranged family members, and acts as an agent of change in the Sharma household.

But, how could a cook be so knowledgable, one wonders! Is there more to it than what meets the eye?

There is no dull moment in the film. It has everything that the regular cinema viewer in you would want to watch in a movie. It has got drama and comedy in abundance; music is nicely tailored in, and the suspense element towards the end takes the film to another level. Performances by Khanna, Jaya Bachchan, Usha Kiran, A. K. Hangal and Asrani, stand out. Meanwhile, Amitabh Bachchan's voice works wonders for the narration in the film. Music by Madan Mohan has its 'old-world charm', which may never be created again. Gulzar's dialogues form the perfect foil to Hrishikesh's perfectly-conceived scenes.

More than anything, the film manages to be very witty, despite going down the 'preachy' path, more often than not. Rajesh Khanna's monologues, if listened to intently, will leave you with a melancholic smile on several occasions. There's a certain sense of overwhelming quality in these underdog-films, where you cheer on as those who have for long suffered, decide to stand up for themselves. There's a certain sense of relief in such films, when you see good things happen to good people. Such films give us hope to fight back against all that's negative in our lives. 'Goodness' always wins. While we may not see it happen around us often, it is important that we believe in it.

This cook did not spoil the broth!

Shivom Oza 

Enemmy (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – Not Very Viewer-'friendly'

1.5/5 Stars
 
'Enemmy' is a film about four buddies (do you sense irony here?). Suniel Shetty and Kay Kay Menon play foster brothers in this crime-drama, which revolves around the police-underworld-politics nexus. Mithun Chakraborty plays a senior investigator, who is looking into a robbery case.

There are moments in the second half, when you do notice a semblance of a good script. There is a clever story hidden in the film, and it shows, albeit occasionally. However, most technical elements, such as dubbing, editing, music, screenplay among others, fail to make the cut.

An innocuous robbery takes place in broad daylight. A lot of money is involved, which should apparently reach a dreaded gang lord Mukhtar Menon (Zakir Hussain), but is stolen by four mercenaries. No one knows who the four mercenaries are!

Four police offers begin hunting for these apparent fugitives – Eklavya Karmarkar (Suniel Shetty), Eric Colaco (Johnny Lever), Madhav Sinha (Mahakshay Chakraborty) and Naeem Shaikh (Kay Kay Menon).

But, the real story begins to unravel when Yugantar Sharma (Mithun Chakraborty) enters the picture, and turns the entire investigation on its head.

The way in which the equation between the police department and the criminals, has been portrayed, is quite engaging. However, the production values, the unnecessary songs, needless characters, over-the-top, gravity-defying stunts and the occasional hamming does mar the film a trifle!

Mithun Chakraborty and Kay Kay Menon have got the best dialogues and scenes, and both the seasoned actors live up to their billing. Suniel delivers a decent performance as the ‘Bhau’ of the gang.

The film fails to impress, mostly owing to poor editing and misplaced scenes. Overall, the film is a half-baked affair!

'Enemmy' is promising in some parts. However, these parts are too few, and far in between.

Shivom Oza

Man Of Steel (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – Just Falls Short Of ‘Super’

3/5 Stars

Every superhero franchise has gotten an overhaul ever since Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises) tasted success. This time, it's Superman's turn. 300 and Watchmen director Zack Snyder is at the helm of this story, co-written by David S. Goyer and Nolan. The trailer of Man Of Steel has generated a lot of hype among the audiences. Let's see if the film is worth all of it!

Man Of Steel gets a lot of things right. It mixes up the dark elements (which we associate with the recent Batman films) within the commercial space wonderfully. The screenplay and the dialogues are also a good mix of cheesy and hard-hitting.

Where the film falters is the length, the casting of the principal villain Zod and the never-ending, repetitive final face-off between Superman and his nemeses. However, it is a fine film. Trailer flattered to deceive a little bit, but then you all are going to watch it anyway. So, I must stop the ranting.

As planet Krypton is nearing destruction, Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and Lara Lor-Van (Ayelet Zurer), send their biological son, Kal-El (Henry Cavill), to Earth to carry their race forward.

While Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van do face resistance from Krypton's military commander, General Zod (Michael Shannon) (who has now turned hostile, and planned a coup against the establishment), Kal-El does get transported to Earth eventually.

Zod, along with his team of mercenaries, is caught, and is sentenced to spend all eternity in the Phantom Zone, an eternal living void.

Kal-El, who finds himself in a different environment altogether, struggles to adapt to the human world during his childhood. However, while growing up (with the name given by his adopted parents Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane), Clark Kent), he realizes the significance of the superpowers that he has been bequeathed from his place of origin.

Kal-El/Clark Kent is rechristened once more (SUPERMAN!), when he puts on his suit, and readies to wage a battle against Zod, who successfully managed to escape the Phantom Zone.

The first-half of the film (setting of the basic premise, the marvellous special effects in the Krypton sequence, Kal-El inadvertently showing-off his superpowers, the wonderful conversations between him and his adopted father, the introduction of Amy Adams, and to top-it-up Hans Zimmer's enchanting score) is terrific.

The film, especially in the first hour-and-a-half, wonderfully balances out the quirkiness of a commercial superhero film and the seriousness of a coming-of-age story.

It is in the latter half, when the film really begins to drag. The final face-off, involving a lot of hand-to-hand combat and innumerable explosions, between Superman and his nemeses lasts for almost an hour.

While the action and the special effects are brilliant, the repetitiveness of this never-ending last act does mar the impact, a trifle!

The dialogues of the film, especially the ones involving Kal-El and his two fathers (biological and adopted), are well-written and performed. Watch out for those scenes!

The highlight of the film is our superhero's bravado! There's a scene in which Zod is threatening Kal-El's adopted mother Martha. At this point, the man in the blue suit swoops in and beats the evil commander up to smithereens, while warning him to not threaten his mother. For the lack of a better word, such scenes are absolutely filmy, and manage to keep your interest alive!

The one major downside to the film is the runtime. With a shorter duration, the film could have been much better.

Not bereft of flaws, but entertaining enough.

Shivom Oza

Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 (2013) Review by Shivom Oza - Quite A Mixed Bag!

2/5 Stars

Deols (Dharmendra, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol) are back with the sequel to their 2011 hit 'Yamla Pagla Deewana', 'Yamla Pagla
Deewana 2'. This time, the conning game will get bigger, with the conniving father-son duo (Dharam and Gajodhar) trying to pull off a heist in UK. 

Notwithstanding the magnificent screen presence of the Deols, 'Yamla Pagla Deewana 2' does leave a lot to be desired as far as the 'entertainment' quotient is concerned. Several gags and one-liners, albeit funny on paper, do not transcend well on screen. However, the superb soundtrack and the camaraderie between the Deols, does salvage the film to a large extent. It should work for audiences that do not mind slapstick humour. 

This film is not a continuation to 'Yamla Pagla Deewana'. Barring the three principal characters, Dharam (Dharmendra), Paramveer (Sunny Deol) and Gajodhar (Bobby Deol), 'Yamla Pagla Deewana 2' begins on a completely different note. Dharam and Gajodhar lead extremely comfortable (and dishonest) lives in Benaras, by duping people. Paramveer, meanwhile, is a recovery officer working for a bank in U.K. The conning duo never let the righteous Paramveer know about their misdeeds, and pretend that they are running a flower business in India. 

Dharam and Gajodhar come across a wealthy NRI businessman from U.K., Sir Yograj Khanna (Annu Kapoor), in Benaras, and decide to make him their next target. Dharam persuades Gajodhar to impress Yograj's daughter, Suman (Neha Sharma), and convince her for marriage so that they can acquire all his money. Everything goes as planned till the father-son duo land up in U.K., for the marriage!

Dharam and Gajodhar have to face a few uncomfortable truths during their stay over there, which sets the premise of the film. 

Story-wise, 'Yamla Pagla Deeqana 2' offers something different from the usual fare that is meted out in the 'commercial' cinema space. The screenplay, somehow, manages to do justice to the plot as well. The various twists in the film are well-placed, and move the story along wonderfully. However, the humour, more often than not, lacks the punch. The principal villain Dudeji (Anupam Kher), and his two sidekicks Bunty-Babli (Johnny Lever and Sucheta Khanna), may get overtly slapstick for your comfort. Their side-plot involves the making of a virtual mall (which will consequently become the eighth wonder of the world). In order to acquire land for this mall, Dudeji sends Bunty and Babli to take control of Yograj Khanna's nightclub. Bunty-Babli choose to get into unusual disguises (while taking inspiration from Shah Rukh Khan's 'Don', Sardars, Samurai and the likes) so that nobody recognizes them. There's also an orangutan, Einstein, who befriends Dharam and Gajodhar, and goes on to play a very important part in the story. Johnny-Sucheta's characters, the orang-utan’s antics, and the inclusion of Sumo wrestlers and Ninja fighters, do provide this film with a quirky flavour. However, none of these sequences manage to invoke more than a guffaw. 

The action in the film is all 'Sunny Deol'. Deol can move beyond 'Gadar', but 'Gadar refuses to leave the man. The action is very much similar to what we've been accustomed to see in his films, over the years.

These aforementioned instances do seem like fillers in what was potentially a very good dra-medy! A few of these gags could have been done away with, since they unnecessarily lengthen the duration of the film. 

The film's primary USP is the music (Sharib-Toshi and Sachin Gupta). Songs such as the title track, 'Changli Hai Changli Hai', 'Main Taan Aidaan Hi Nachna' and 'Suit Tera Laal Rang Da', and their excellently-shot-and-choreographed videos, infuse a lot of life and colour into the film. 

The Deols, as expected, deliver exceptional performances in the film. While the hilarious duo of Dharmendra and Bobby Deol have the best dialogues, Sunny pulls off a coup of sorts, managing to perform comedy, action, romance and drama with élan. 

Australian model-turned-actress Kristina Akheeva is extremely impressive for someone who is acting in her first Hindi film. Neha too, impresses with her whole 'Salman Khan-die-hard-fan' act. 

Director Sangeeth Sivan and writer Jasvinder Singh Bath had a great concept at hand. Doing away with a few unneeded gags would have worked wonders for the film. Overall, the film is a half-baked affair, and only die-hard Deol fans will enjoy it!

Shivom Oza

Mere Haule Dost (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – Such A Howler!

1/5 Stars

I had found the premise of Mere Haule Dost was quite interesting, which is why I thought that I should review the film. It revolves around 5 friends, Mota, Bong, Dada, Bheja and Paisa (all nicknames, presumably), who want to go on a bike rally in the Himalayas but do not have the resources.

However, a good concept has to be executed in the same manner. Mere Haule Dost fails to transcend a decent premise into a passable screenplay. Most aspects about this film, from the dialogues to the camerawork to the screenplay to the performances, are amateurish. Notwithstanding the poor production values, the film, which encompasses elements like friendship, trust and love, fails to connect with the viewer at any level.

The basic plot has been already given above. Beyond that, the film focuses on the problems that the five friends face in their personal lives (matters of money, heart etc.).

None of the performances leave a mark. Writer-director Nitin Raghunath tries to capture real situations out of the lives of ordinary college-going students. However, it gets too much into detail, hence making the end-result very cringe-worthy. The basic story had a fair bit of potential, the only positive from the film.

This one’s a howler!      

                                        

Shivom Oza

Now You See Me (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – Just Not ‘Magical’ Enough

2.5/5 Stars

Director Louis Leterrier (of ‘Transporter’, ‘Transporter 2’, ‘Clash Of The Titans’ and ‘The Incredible Hulk’ fame) brings together distinguished actors (Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Jesse Eisenberg) for this film, which revolves around the world of magic.

The screenplay is crisp and fast-paced, and the performances are brilliant. However, the climax (with the supposedly unfathomable twist in the end) leaves a lot to be desired. However, ‘Now You See Me’ is very much watchable. It will keep you engaged through its duration of two hours, and the premise is quite interesting. Clichéd, but interesting enough!

Four street-magicians, J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), receive mysterious invitations from an entity named 'The Eye'. Four of them, who happen to vaguely know about each other, land up at the given address only to be greeted with an empty house laden with a few surreal objects.

A year later, these four street-magicians turn into big-time stage illusionists in Las Vegas. Referred to as 'The Four Horsemen', the team is sponsored by Arthus Tressler (Michael Caine), who is an insurance magnate.

The magicians decide to end this show by pulling off their biggest trick – a bank robbery.

So, their volunteer is apparently tele-ported to a bank in Paris, where he activates an air-duct, which sucks up the money and transports it to the show in Las Vegas.

FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol Agent Alma Vargas (Melanie Laurent) are called upon to investigate into the theft. We are also introduced to Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), an ex-magician who makes money by revealing the secrets behind other magicians' tricks. Thaddeus goes on to play an important part in the film's story.

What follows is a cat-and-mouse game between the law enforcement and 'The Four Horsemen'!

The element of suspense is inherent through the film, as you can never figure out who the 'bad guys' are till the climactic moments. The magic tricks, pulled off in this film, are clichéd but presented in a lavish manner. Visually, the film is brilliant and credit for that should go to the people behind the production design, and the director. The dialogues, especially, deserve special mention.

Concept-wise, the film had the potential to be way better than what it was. It falters at the moments where it matters the most. In films of other genres, if the climax of a brilliant film is a bit underwhelming, it is still forgivable. However, in a film like this, where a viewer's perspective can be overturned just by the ending, ‘Now You See Me’ leaves a lot to be desired.

‘Now You See Me’ is fairly entertaining. However, with a better-written climax, it could have been way superior. It's quite watchable though.

Shivom Oza

Monsoon Wedding (2001) Review by Shivom Oza - Join The Celebrations!

3.5/5 Stars

Indian weddings are, more often than not, known to be dramatic. If it's a Punjabi wedding happening in Delhi, the drama multiplies. Moreover, if it's an arranged marriage interspersed with ego clashes, financial troubles, bitter memories and incessant delays, there's chaos! Welcome to Mira Nair's 'Monsoon Wedding'!

The film is a complete entertainer, filled with drama, emotion, romance, lust, song-and-dance, deceit, betrayal, breach of trust and loads of laughter. At no point, do the aforementioned elements hijack one another, and that is what makes the film an engaging watch. 

Lalit Verma (Naseeruddin Shah) is a worried man. Having taken up the responsibility of taking care of his daughter Aditi's (Vasundhara Das) marriage with an NRI, Hemant Rai (Parvin Dabbas), Lalit finds himself troubled by financial, family-related, work-related and organizational problems. 

In addition, his wife Pimmi (Lilette Dubey) keeps nagging him, his elder daughter Ria (Shefali Shah) is yet to come to terms with a traumatic childhood incident, the 'contractor' 'P.K' Dubey (Vijay Raaz) keeps demanding money without producing results, his elder brother Tej (Rajat Kapoor) burdens him furthermore by insisting on providing more funds and the no-good Rahul (Randeep Hooda) keeps bugging him with his inefficiency. Lalit is a troubled man. Will he be able to pull off the 'Monsoon Wedding'? 

The film treads the fine line between subtle and over-the-top. To imagine an actual marriage (in real life) to be as dramatic as this one, would be a bit far-fetched. The marriage in the film lasts for four days, and within this limited time period, Mira excellently captures relationships. Be it Lalit's changing equations with his wife owing to his growing responsibilities, Ria's moment of vindication and her family's acceptance, P.K Dubey's harmless flirting with the house-help Alice (Tillotama Shome), Hemant and Aditi's acceptance of each other among so many other instances, all of them incorporate realistic settings, dialogues and performances. 

The music of the film (Mychael Danna) is fantastic, and goes well with the 'dhoom-dhaam waali shaadi' concept. Sabrina Dhawan has penned an excellent screenplay, showing the more liberal side of Indians living in metropolitan cities. The only other film to do the same was 'Dil Chahta Hai', which released during the same year. As far as performances go, not a single cast member disappoints. Notable efforts by Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Raaz, Shefali Shah and Tillotama Shome, lift this film to another level. The final 30 minutes of the film are absolutely delightful. Yes, all the dots do join, and in the most celebratory manner! 

Join the celebrations!

Shivom Oza

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – Kuch Zyaada Hi ‘Lambi’ Kahaani!

2.5/5 Stars

Ayan Mukerji made a scintillating debut with the coming-of-age drama ‘Wake Up Sid’ in 2009. With ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’, the writer-director sticks to the ‘coming-of-age’ theme. The film revolves around how four fairly different individuals (Bunny, Avi, Aditi and Naina) deal with friendship, love, success, failure and consequently, life!

Buddy comedy, coming-of-age drama, travel adventure, marriage extravaganza, familial melodrama and multiple love triangles - 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani' mixes up too many elements. There are quite a few sparkling moments in the film. The equations between several characters have been showcased brilliantly. However, owing to some implausible side-plots and the never-ending-length, the film leaves a lot to be desired.

3 friends Bunny (Ranbir Kapoor), Avi (Aditya Roy Kapur) and Aditi (Kalki Koechlin) set off on a trip to Manali, expecting a life-changing experience. Bunny is a middle-class boy who doesn’t want to lead his life in the conventional way. In his words, ‘Main daudna chahta hoon, udna chaahta hoon, girna chahta hoon’. The effervescent Bunny wants to travel the world, and wants every day in his life to be dramatic and eventful.

Avi is a sentimental (and temperamental) guy, who depends too much on his best friend Bunny. The guy has no focus in life, and cannot handle either alcohol or money.

Aditi is a tomboy. Unabashed, brave and gutsy on the outside, but very emotional deep-within!

So yes, these three individuals are quite different, but that’s what works in their friendship. The three are joined on this trip by Naina, an introverted medical student, who wants to break free.

What transpires in this trip, which drastically changes the lives of these four characters, and how they come to terms with its repercussions eight years later, is what ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ is all about.

Several elements don’t work for this film. It could have done away with at least three dance numbers. A big chunk of the film (close to 40 minutes) involves a marriage, and so, all kinds of song-and-dance sequences have been thrown in. Yes, the soundtrack of the film is very good, but the lip-syncing and the over-the-top choreography are reminiscent of dance numbers in Karan Johar’s (the producer) ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ and ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’.

Secondly, the screenplay is very inconsistent. It seems too slow at some places (the aforementioned marriage sequence, the entire Manali trip) and too rushed at some (climax, patch-up between bickering friends).

Thirdly, the film is long. 160-odd minutes!

                               

There are good points as well. The dialogues are wonderful. Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Farooq Shaikh (who plays Bunny’s father) and Kunaal Roy Kapur (delightful cameo) deliver exceptional performances. The music, as already mentioned, is wonderful. The locations are absolutely magnificent.

Ayan is absolutely terrific at capturing relationships. The scenes involving Bunny and his father strike a chord. Even scenes wherein Bunny defends his lifestyle are well written, directed and performed.

The film is quite a mixed-bag. That’s why am sitting on the fence with 2.5 stars.

Shivom Oza

Fast & Furious 6 (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – Crashes And Burns!

1.5/5 Stars

In this film, all the members of the crew, who had given up the ‘fast and furious’ life post their Rio heist, come together to bring down a mercenary organization, led by British Special Forces soldier Owen Shaw.

The SIXTH film in the ‘Fast & Furious’ series, ‘Fast & Furious 6’ is another example of how the makers are running out of stories to tell.

The only good element about this film was the dialogue. Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris, who play Roman Pearce and Tej Parker respectively, share wonderful camaraderie. The rest of the film is tepid, to put it mildly. Even the car-chase and fight sequences leave a lot to be desired. Not that one should look for logic in a ‘Fast & Furious’ film, but this one is devoid of entertainment as well.

As we had learnt in the end credits of the last film in this franchise, Dominic Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) former girlfriend Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), presumably dead, turns out to be alive. In this film, we learn that she has lost all her memory and is now a part of Owen Shaw’s (Luke Ewans) gang.

Owen Shaw, a former British Special Forces soldier, now leads a deadly gang which is causing much trouble for Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson).

Hobbs convinces Toretto to join this mission of nabbing Shaw and his gang, by letting him know that Letty’s still alive. Toretto convinces his now-retired friends to take part in this mission and so, they begin their quest to get Letty back.

Although the premise of the film is quite promising, the screenplay is just not gripping enough. There are a couple 7-8 minute car-chase sequences, which really begin to test your patience, as you’ve seen them all before. The action is ridiculously over-the-top (Yes, even for a ‘Fast & Furious’). There’s a scene in which Toretto gets catapulted at least 40-50 metres from his car and he manages to get hold of Letty, who gets thrown out of a speeding vehicle (a TANK, for God’s sake!), mid-air! Of course, both of them conveniently fall atop a bonnet of another car and end up absolutely bruise-free. Such moments were hilarious, rather than thrilling. The one thing that you always look forward to in such a film, which is the soundtrack, also turned out to be a dampener. The movie falls short on all counts. The only saving grace was the final scene, which is the prelude to the next film. There’s a big surprise in store, but it’s too little and too late. Not worth sitting through two hours of the film itself, certainly!

Avoid the film. You’ve seen it all before.

Shivom Oza

Aurangzeb (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – Mughlai Mash-up!

2.5/5 Stars

Arya, an honest Gurgaon-based police officer, sets up a coup in which he replaces a pivotal member of a gang with a look-alike. However, the coup goes kaput!

Although the cast members (Arjun Kapoor, Prithviraj, Jackie Shroff, Rishi Kapoor, Sikander Kher and Amrita Singh among others) have delivered stupendous performances and the cinematography is first-rate, the film falls flat owing to its convoluted screenplay. The writer tries to mix up too many sub-plots and twists, making the film a very complex and an exhausting affair.

Gurgaon-based police officer Arya (Prithviraj) has to choose between following his late father’s (Anupam Kher), who was an honest policeman till fate did him in, ideals and his uncle Ravikant’s, who is an opportunistic head of the police department, crooked ways. Arya chooses the middle path and ends up facing terrible consequences.

Vishal (Arjun Kapoor) is a simpleton living with his widowed mother (Tanvi Azmi) in a far-off town in North India. The mother has faced a lot of troubles in trying to get away from her turbulent marriage, leave one of her children behind, and bring Vishal up for so many years. Vishal joins hands with Arya and his uncle to help eliminate a very powerful gang reigning in Gurgaon. This gang, led by Yashvardhan (Jackie Shroff), is running havoc with multiple corporate deals and abundant money laundering. Yashvardhan has an errant son Ajay (Arjun Kapoor), who happens to look exactly like Vishal.

How the stories of all these characters intertwine is what ‘Aurangzeb’ is all about!

The characters in this film are very well-etched. Arjun Kapoor effortlessly plays an irresponsible and a conniving ruffian (Ajay) with élan, just like he did in his debut film ‘Ishaqzaade’. However, he surprises with his charming performance as the innocent, harmless man caught amongst rogues (Vishal). The man displays great range playing these two diametrically-opposite characters.   

The veterans Jackie Shroff, Rishi Kapoor and Amrita Singh too, deliver top-notch performances. Sasha Aagha delivers a passable performance, playing Arjun Kapoor’s love interest. Her real moment of reckoning, though, is when she belts out the foot-tapping ‘Barbadiyaan’. She is an amazing singer, and should definitely sing more often in the future. As far as performances go, the pick of the lot is Prithviraj. Be it the body language, dialogue delivery or the acting, the South actor enthrals and how! His character is the least-complex among the entire cast, and perhaps that helped the way it transcended on to the big screen.

It is the story that lets the film down. ‘Aurangzeb’ has too many plots, sub-plots, characters and side-characters. The action scenes have been very well-executed, and the premise of the film, based on the real estate-police nexus, is extremely interesting. However, when logic goes out of the window, no amount of slickness can salvage the product.

Director Atul Sabbharwal directs well, but his writing leaves a lot to be desired. ‘Aurangzeb’ is full of crests and troughs. However, the latter outnumber the former.  

Shivom Oza

The Great Gatsby (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – ‘Great’ In The Film’s Title Is Justified!

3.5/5 Stars

An adaption of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel of the same name, Baz Luhrmann’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ revolves around the equation between a mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his neighbour Nick Carraway.

Although the 3D was quite needless, everything else about the film (visuals, music, performances, subject, dialogues, and screenplay among other notable aspects) is absolutely terrific. The most awesome part about ‘The Great Gatsby’ is that it encapsulates so many elements – love, betrayal, friendship, greed, selflessness, trust, conceit and ambition, in one story. The length may seem a bit long at 2hours 23minutes, but the emphatic climax is worth the wait.

The film starts with a dishevelled-looking Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), assumed to be an alcoholic, narrating Gatsby’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) story to his psychiatrist.

According to Nick, Gatsby was the most hopeful man that he had ever met. He reminisces about the summer of 1922, when he had recently moved to New York City, and started working as a bond salesman. Nick says that he got himself a small house on Long Island, right next to the grand mansion owned by a certain Mister Gatsby. Having been a witness to his grand and wild parties at his palatial residence, Nick finds himself enamoured by this faceless, mysterious person called Gatsby.

After finally coming face-to-face with him (with a little help from the petite common friend Jordan Baker (Elizabeth Debicki)), Nick can’t help but get carried away by Gatsby’s infectious smile and energy. 

Inevitably, both of them become good friends in no time. Nick, often, wonders about how Gatsby collected such enormous amount of wealth, but as time passes, his trust in the man grows stronger. One day, Nick learns that his cousin Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan) had been Gatsby’s lover, and that the latter wants her back.

This leads to a roller-coaster ride for everyone involved – including Daisy’s temperamental husband Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton).

How Nick manages to sort this situation out, and eventually lands up at a shrink’s is what the film is all about!

The biggest positive about the film was the way it tackled rights, wrongs and relationships. Through the course of the film, you will find several real-life connections with its principal characters. Daisy, Tom, Gatsby and Tom’s mistress Myrtle Wilson (Isla Fisher) play complex characters. They’ve all made errors in judgement and eventually, do face the repercussions. However, you can understand everyone’s predicament at the end of it all. Relationships are about give-and-take, but the truth is that ‘give’ and ‘take’ never attain a stable equilibrium. ‘The Great Gatsby’ is about how much are you willing to give and how much can you let go, in a relationship (be it in friendship or love).

The film also talks about ‘hope’. There’s a famous quote from the 1997 film ‘Good Will Hunting’ – “I'm just going to put my money on the table and see what kind of cards I get.” Yes, sometimes one just needs to give a relationship his/her all, and just wait for how it all ends up!

The film’s climax will leave you a bit overwhelmed. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire deliver astounding performances. The film is primarily about the equation between these two principal characters, and the actors do a marvellous job.

Amitabh Bachchan, who plays Gatsby’s business partner Meyer Wolfsheim, has superb screen presence. The Bollywood megastar shines in this two-minute role.

Another aspect that shines out in the movie – the visuals (the 3D, albeit unrequired, is really, really good); comprising wonderful production design, cinematography and special effects. Craig Armstrong’s enchanting musical score wonderfully tailors into the screenplay.

The only downside to the film is the length. At two-and-half-hours, ‘The Great Gatsby’ may leave you exhausted. However, it’s a stupendous effort and a must-watch.

The ‘great’ in the film’s title is justified.

Shivom Oza

The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – Revenge Is No Solution!

3.5/5 Stars

The film, ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’, is an adaptation of a 2007 novel of the same name by Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid. The film is unlike most ‘post-9/11’ films that you’ve seen before. It revolves around a young Pakistani man, Changez Khan, who dares to live the American dream but is faced with a bitter reality check, post the catastrophic 9/11 attacks.

Without getting technical, let me put it as simply as I possibly can – ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ is a ‘realistic’ portrayal of an average Pakistani, who must have had to face the repercussions of living in the United States of America prior/during/after 9/11. The issue of racism has been touched upon in a very subtle manner. In addition, the protagonist does not undergo sudden bouts of extremism, owing to the treatment that he is meted out by suspecting Americans because of his religion. Not all those who have been wronged, end up with weapons and blood on their hands. This is the film’s core principle. And yes, it is the right way to go about it.

An 18-year-old Changez Khan (Riz Ahmed) moves out of Lahore and goes to study in America, as he doesn’t want to be financially inept like his poet father (Om Puri). Changez wants to live the American dream and make it big in life.

And he does that, at least initially. In his early 20s, he lands up a job as a financial analyst at a big firm, where the Managing Director Jim Cross (Kiefer Sutherland) takes him under his wing. Changez shows his mettle very early into the job and impresses his colleagues and his head Jim. The man even manages to find a great partner in Erica (Kate Hudson), a creative, independent woman coping up with the loss of her boyfriend. Back home, even though his father isn’t too impressed with the kind of work that Changez does, things get a lot better – financially.

Changez’s situation begins to go wrong as the twin towers go down in New York City (September 11, 2001 attacks). Suddenly, he is at the centre of it all – only because of his colour, nationality and religion.  

While he is at the job, not once is he looked down upon or judged owing to his religion before/after 9/11. However, one incident at the workplace and one while he is working outdoors, really changes his perspective and makes him take an extreme decision.

How it gets him face-to-face with an American authority Bobby Lincoln (Liev Schreiber) at a coffee shop in Lahore in 2011, is what ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ is about!

The film seems a bit long at 130-odd minutes, but the story is immensely gripping. Changez’s politics defies anything else portrayed in films made on similar subjects. There are a few moments in the second-half, when one feels that the story is digressing from the main issue. The climax is a bit half-baked, the only genuine complaint that I have with the movie. However, the monologue at the end will make you forgive every infirmity within the film. The best things about ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ are – it doesn’t celebrate America, it doesn’t offer terrorism as an unresolvable issue, it doesn’t justify extremism in any manner, it doesn’t offer any sympathy to those who pick up weapons after being wronged by society, or any other ‘cliché’. The film offers change! The lead character speaks on several occasions about how the weak would have to become more self-reliant.

Music plays a very important role in the film’s screenplay. The lyrics (which are mostly in Urdu but aided by well-translated English subtitles) are absolutely out-of-this-world. Even the poetry had so much to say between-the-lines. If you do end up watching the film, listen to the poetry and the lyrics/ keep a close watch on the subtitles.

Another notable aspect about this film was the selection of the locations. Here, Pakistan looked like Pakistan, Turkey looked like Turkey and USA looked like USA. Thankfully, there was no make-believe stuff here!

The lead actor Riz Ahmed has done a brilliant job as Changez. The other actors in the ensemble, including Om Puri, Shabana Azmi, Kate Hudson, Kiefer Sutherland, Liev Schreiber and Imaad Shah, deliver amazing performances.

Don’t want to get too technical – but the people behind the music (Michael Andrews), cinematography (Declan Quinn), editing (Shimit Amin), casting (Cindy Tolan) and production design (Michael Carlin) must be lauded.

Director Mira Nair is back in form, and how!

If you’re not into history/current affairs, you might find this film slow and uninteresting  But, I’d suggest that you watch it anyway! Revenge is no solution, friends. Let’s work towards making our own lives better and ignoring negativity!

Shivom Oza

Garm Hava (1973) Review by Shivom Oza – Whose Country Is It Anyway?

4/5 Stars

M.S. Sathyu’s ‘Garm Hava’, which roughly translates to ‘Scorching Winds’, is based on an unpublished Urdu short story by Ismat Chughtai. It was adapted for the big screen by Kaifi Azmi (Shabana Azmi’s father) and Shama Zaidi (director M.S. Sathyu’s wife). The film revolves around how a Muslim family, living in Agra, copes up with the repercussions of the India-Pakistan partition. 

The movie is an absolute must-watch. Any Hindi film, which borders on religion and communalism, doesn’t come close.

‘Garm Hava’ is about how the Mirza family, based in Agra, India, comes to terms with the after-effects of the India-Pakistan partition. The family, headed by two brothers; Salim (Balraj Sahni) and Halim (Dinanath Zutshi), takes care of its livelihood by running a shoe-manufacturing business in the city. However, post the partition, things start to get difficult for this relatively modernist Muslim family. Even though the Mirzas are keen to stay back in India, circumstances in the country make it difficult for them to lead a peaceful life.

So, Halim, who is a major leader of the All India Muslim League, backs out and leaves for Pakistan, along with his wife and son Kazim (Jamal Hashmi), after pledging initially that he would stay back in India to look after its Muslims.

This results in a lot of troubles for Salim, who doesn’t want to leave his home country to settle elsewhere. Moreover, his ageing mother (Badar Begum) doesn’t want to leave the place where the family’s forefathers have been buried.

One shouldn’t think of Salim as egoistic. He loved his country (India) and always hoped for everything to get back to normal. However, Salim and his elder son Baqar Mirza (Abu Siwani) cannot get a loan, or retain employees or win their clients’ trust. This situation makes it next-to-impossible for them to run their shoe-manufacturing business. Moreover, the house that they lived in belonged to Halim, who fled to Pakistan. So, the Indian government had every right to take away their mansion, which it does eventually. Salim’s other son, Sikander Mirza (Farooq Shaikh) can’t get a job, because of his religion.

Salim has a young daughter, Amina Mirza (Gita Siddharth), who falls in love with Kazim, but is left heart-broken after Halim’s family moves back. That’s one of the other important side-plots of the film. ‘Garm Hava’ realistically portrays the condition of a normal, peace-loving, nationalistic Muslim family. Although the circumstances have changed a lot since the painful divide, the film remains very relevant, even today.

To talk about ‘Garam Hava’, one can go thousands of years back in history. A particular community settles in our country over a thousand years ago. For hundreds of years, they adopt and adapt to, the culture of the natives, and give it their own touch at the same time. The two leading communities live peacefully on the same land for eons, until a foreign nation squanders it all away. Yes, pre-partition India equally belonged to the Hindus and the Muslims. It was politics that led to the creation of a separate nation, Pakistan. However, just because a few people want a separate country and government, do you impose it on everyone? Sure, all Muslims did not want to go to Pakistan. They have every reason to call India their ‘home’, as much as people belonging to any other religion do.  When you live in the same place for years, it’s really difficult to move on. That’s why; it’s difficult to understand the predicament of the Muslims at that time. Pakistan offered an alien land but a new opportunity; whereas India was always ‘home’ but it had turned hostile.

Imagine a family, which has been living in a country since time immemorial and has its roots, culture, lifestyle imbibed within the nation, suddenly being asked to move to a foreign land?

That’s the Mirza family. The politics of the film is very clear, especially from Salim Mirza’s point-of-view. Your heart goes out to every character in the story, which gets judged just because of his/her religion. There is no negative character in the story. Everybody is just a victim of circumstance, which makes the film look and seem very real. At some point, the film may make you ponder if anything has changed at all in the way that we look at minorities.

We may call ourselves a secular and a democratic country, but the truth of the matter is that there are prejudices even today. It takes a lot of gumption to stand up to the system, and while watching the film, I was glad that Salim Mirza stuck to his guns and did not relent to the political pressure. Along with the millions of other Salim Mirza’s living in India!

There are several elements in ‘Garm Hawa’ – love, nationalism, religion, betrayal, hate, greed and politics among others, and each one of them has been dealt with, finely. The cast of the film is absolutely terrific. Balraj Sahni is the pick of the lot, but everyone’s done a great job. The music of the film deserves special mention. You will fall in love with the instrumental pieces, composed by Aziz Ahmed, Bahadur Khan and Khan Warsi.

What else to write? The film is sheer genius, and you must watch it!

Shivom Oza

Gippi (2013) Review by Shivom Oza - Over-the-top, Yet Delightful!

3/5 Stars

'Gippi' is about Gippi (real name - Gurpreet Kaur), played by Riya Vij, a 14-year-old overweight, ordinary-looking, clumsy, poor-in-sports, poor-in-studies, unpopular girl, who lives with her divorced mother, Pappi (Divya Dutt), and her adorable brother Booboo (Arbaz Kadwani) in Simla. Gippi's life revolves around her family, friends and her collection of old Hindi film songs. Being a huge fan of Shammi Kapoor, Gippi lets her hair down whenever/wherever his songs start playing.

The only time she starts to get insecure is when she attends school. Having to deal with the constant bullying by the most 'popular' girl in school, Shamira Chauhan (Jayati Modi), and her gang of girls, Gippi goes into a shell and starts thinking of herself as inferior to the other students. Moreover, having to deal with the physical, emotional and social changes that accompany a growing teenage girl; Gippi only gets more cranky and introverted. In order to impress everyone in school, Gippi befriends a much-older high school student, Arjun (Taaha Shah), and tells everyone that he is her boyfriend. But, the truth comes out when Arjun publicly tells Gippi that he always thought of her as a friend.

This gives Shamira and her friends one more reason to belittle their favourite target. The clash reaches such a level that Shamira challenges Gippi to stand against her in the student elections for the position of the head girl. So, the battle lines are drawn. Our much-troubled girl's brother, Booboo, and friends, Anchal and Ashish (Aditya Deshpande), who is terrific as the nerd besotted with Gippi, help her out in marking certain goals (Hot Body, Popularity, Boyfriend and the likes) that would make her win the elections. The film is about how Gippi overcomes the odds at school, in addition to helping her mother cope up with her father's (Pankaj Dheer) second marriage.

Another important part in the film is Kabir's (Mrinal Chawla), the most popular boy in the college. Watch out for what he does in the film!

The film showcases several delightful moments - Gippi and Anchal talking about puberty, Gippi's inspirational speech during the student elections, her equation with Pappi and Booboo, Gippi’s makeover among others. The actors, who play the school students, have done a brilliant job. These teenagers have been given the best scenes and lines, and they charm you with their effortless performances. Among the adults, it's only the formidable Divya Dutta who impresses. The rest of the cast, comprising Taaha Shah, Pankaj Dheer, actors playing the school professors among others, have poorly-written roles and so, don't quite leave an impact.

There are various outrageously over-the-top sequences in the plot. One of them involves an apparently-introverted Gippi, who assumedly gets stage fright, suddenly breaking into a dance in a bizarre costume, while giving her student election speech. While it may evoke a guffaw or two from the viewers, the scene does seem terribly out-of-place and isn't in line with what Gippi's character is supposed to be. Another low for the film is the underwhelming climax.

For films such as this one, which deal with the coming-of-age of an underdog, you would expect a cracker of an ending. However, what you get is a very tepid version. Even the music, composed by Vishal-Shekhar, doesn't quite stay with you. The only hummable number in the soundtrack is 'We're Like This Only', sung by Dadlani. The rest of the songs do not go well with the theme of the movie. Leaving these aforementioned drawbacks aside, 'Gippi' does pack in several feel-good moments and considering that it's been made by a debutante director Sonam Nair, the film is a decent effort. The best thing about this teenage movie was that it ENTIRELY revolved around a girl, which seldom happens in our part of the world. Obviously, we love 'Gattu', 'Stanley Ka Dabba' among other children-based films, but it's good to know that someone has made a 'Gippi'!

For those of us who've passed out of school and college, 'Gippi' is a fairly good nostalgic ride. Those of you who are still studying, you may watch and learn.

The film teaches you to get rid of your own insecurities and accept other people's weaknesses. And, one must add, it does a good job of doing that!

Shivom Oza

Mud (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – Muddled Up!

2/5 Stars

Matthew McConaughey is a fine actor. He pulls off these understated, brooding characters really effortlessly. However, is he engaging enough for the audiences? Not quite!

In the film, ‘Mud’, the actor plays a lost-in-thought, lonely, distressed man, Mud. The story revolves around his equation with two unsuspecting 14-year-olds, who come to his rescue.

Everybody has acted well in this film. The actors, who play the two kids, deliver delightful performances. McConaughey too, is fine. However, what really brings the film down is its awful pace, lack of a proper conflict and the terrible climactic sequences. There are several sparkling moments in the second half, but overall, the film is below-par.

Two adventurous 14-year-old kids, Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland), set out to an island on the Mississippi River, where the latter has found a boat, suspended atop a tree. Here, they meet Mud (Matthew McConaughey), who is on the run after having committed a murder.

Matthew wants to reconnect with his ladylove, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon) and so, he approached the two kids to help him elope with her!

The story is quite simple, right? NO!

There are needless characters that enter the plot – the track involving Ellis’ parents, Neckbone’s uncle, Ellis’ crush, Mud’s nemeses, Mud’s father-figure etc.

Not that, it’s not alright to have so many characters in one film, but their presence should be justified. 

The film scores in two departments – the kids – their characters, dialogues and performances are absolutely brilliant, and so is the music. The actor, who plays Ellis’ friend, Jacob, is amazing as Neckbone. Watch out for this character, if you do end up watching the film.

‘Mud’, on the outset, comprises one element – the concept of love. There’s hardly anything happening in the awfully slow first-half. It’s in the latter part, when the film actually picks up. Ellis’ character strives hard to find the true definition of ‘love’. While it’s not clear if he eventually manages to figure it out, we, the viewers, do end up getting our own interpretations dented.

Totally muddled up! Pun intended! 

Shivom Oza

Iron Man 3 (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – ‘Stark’ly Delightful!

3/5 Stars

The third installment in the ‘Iron Man’ series, ‘Iron Man 3’ revolves around how Tony Stark battles the dreaded Mandarin, and tries to prevent him from causing havoc.

Even for someone who is not a big fan of superhero/adventure/science-fiction movies (me!), ‘Iron Man 3’ is immensely enjoyable. The film is all – Robert Downey, Jr., as expected. His one-liners and his affable charm, which works wonders for the franchise, have been utilized to their fullest yet again. While it is a visual spectacle, the 3D once again dilutes the impact (a trifle!).

The plot continues from where ‘The Avengers’ ended. A much-troubled Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) has been going through a rough time with his girlfriend, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), owing to his unrequited obsession with his Iron Man suits.

Stark recollects an incident from 1999 in Bern, Switzerland, when he, along with a scientist Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), ignores feelers from the crippled Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) about creating Advanced Idea Mechanics (a terrorist organization), which in turn will manufacture viruses.

As it turns out, Killian joins hands with a dreaded terrorist Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), over a decade later. In one of the bombings orchestrated by the duo, Happy Hogan, the security chief of Stark Industries, goes comatose. This enrages Stark, who issues a televised threat to the perpetrators and even lets out his address in the media so that the terrorists could get him!

If I tell you more about the film, you’ll cry ‘spoiler’! So, let’s cut this short and get down to how the film fares. There are a couple of jaw-dropping twists in the plot, which manage to make the film engaging enough over its 130-minute-duration.

The action scenes are very well choreographed and Tony, along with War Machine (James Rupert "Rhodey" Rhodes), do a great job pulling them off. The entire team behind the visuals (cinematography, VFX, editing etc.) has done an awesome job. Some of the scenes, especially the one in which Mandarin attacks Iron Man’s Malibu mansion, are absolutely breath-taking (despite the irritating 3D).

Robert Downey, Jr. plays Robert Downey Jr., and the rest of the cast members do well in their limited parts. Director Shane Black and Drew Pearce reinvent the audacious character of Tony Stark with this film. The entire track between Stark and Harley (12-year-old Ty Sympkins) is absolutely delightful! Watch out for the little boy, who does a wonderful job in this small role.

There’s a small funny bit after the end credits roll. The problem is that the credits roll for about 5-6 minutes. So, you’ll have to wait for that long. Besides the fact that you should go for the film anyway!

Shivom Oza

Deewaar (1975) Review by Shivom Oza – Must Watch For Its Performances And Dialogues!

3/5 Stars

‘Deewaar’, the Yash Chopra film made in 1975, is a classic tale about two brothers, who get caught on either side of the law.  

The principal characters of the film, labour union leader Anand Verma (Satyendra Kapoor), his wife Sumitra Devi (Nirupa Roy), elder son Vijay Verma (Amitabh Bachchan), younger son Ravi Verma (Shashi Kapoor) and Vijay’s love interest Anita (Parveen Babi), are essentially victims of circumstances.

Anand Verma is an upright labourer who stands up for his colleagues. However, circumstances force him to go against his principles, and wrong the people that he once stood for. The consequences of Anand’s actions are faced by his family.

Troubled by the constant taunts and humiliation from Anand’s (who eventually runs away) nemeses, wife Sumitra Devi is forced to move from their hometown to Bombay city. Here too, she finds it difficult to earn enough to bring her two children up. So much so, that Sumitra and Vijay have to go on about their menial jobs, just so that they can earn enough to send Ravi to school.

Vijay, who goes through the turbulent experience of having ‘mera baap chor hai’ (My father is a thief) inked on his forearm, gets deeply disturbed by all that happened to his family, and starts holding their poverty responsible for their family’s condition. He even refuses to go to the temple, as he has lost all faith in God!

The two sons grow up and while Ravi ends up becoming a police inspector, Vijay, owing to fate, gets on the wrong side of the law. ‘Deewaar’ is about how the drama unfolds between the two siblings!

The film captures several realities that we associate with the 1970s – the real estate boom, labour strikes, clout of the underworld, victimization of the poor etc. However, the basic essence of the film is about how there is no clear ‘wrong’ or ‘right’ on show. We may think of Vijay Verma as the villain of the story, but the crux lies in what forced him to do what he did!

The dialogues and the one-liners in the film are the scene-stealers. Who can forget the iconic ‘mere paas maa hai’ dialogue? The confrontation scenes between the Verma brothers are ‘power-packed’, not just for Salim-Javed’s writing but also owing to Bachchan and Kapoor’s performances.

Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor and Nirupa Roy are terrific in their respective roles. Neetu Singh does a good job in her limited part. Parveen Babi, who plays Amitabh’s love interest, is shown as a liberated Indian woman who smokes, drinks, gets into relationships and is modern-in-thought and spirit.

Watch out for A.K. Hangal’s cameo in the film. The minor sequence, involving him, leaves a huge impact on the viewer’s mind.

The songs of the film are good, but certainly not extraordinary. ‘Keh Doon Tumhein’, sung by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle, is a nice, peppy track and the pick of the lot! The plot may seem a bit bizarre at some portions, but considering that the film was made in 1975 and has been a reference point for so many screenplays written since then, ‘Deewaar’ should be watched!

‘Deewaar’ is not Yash Chopra’s best film. However, there are a couple of elements in it which should not be missed – performances and dialogues!

Shivom Oza