Disappointing tribute to the most Inspiring leader of the Nation

The Light : Vivekananda is biopic based on the life of Swami Vivekananda. The film intends to pay tribute to Vivekananda on his 150^th birthday.  

The Light : Swami Vivekananda Movie is the lifeless portrait of the most inspiring leader of the nation. The movie misses the mark altogether in all departments. Movie delivers an emotionless messed scripted events and completely boring screenplay. Spoiled by technical heavy-handedness as well as tonal flaws and a narratively disjointedness throughout, the film can’t live up to any promise.

As we know, Vivekananda continues to inspire generations with his thoughts after 100 years. Hence there is a huge expectation from the movie. The painful feeling is “most powerful spiritual leader of the nation” is being presented in such a weak manner. Film should focus how he achieves the enlighment, his thoughts and how he becomes the saint and how his thoughts are relevant today?  The film doesn’t deliver any integrated effort to achieve the above. 

 Movie has too many songs in first half and they don’t grip the audience at all. The major important part of his life was his own self discovery phase where he questions everyone “have u seen the God?” and his conversations with Ramakrishna.  All of these have been presented in the awful manner. The actor who plays Ramakrishna has been below par and delivers monotonous performance.  Audience waits and keeps on waiting for message to evolve and powerful person to awaken our scenes via dialogues and screenplay but it just doesn’t happen. 

Scenes like Vivekananda meeting kings and being there for a music ceremony adds to the failed direction and audience ends up losing interest in the movie. Art direction and sets of the movie is another letdown of this uninteresting epic. Deep Bhattacharya who plays Vivekananda only becomes tolerable in second half. The Chicago conference 10 minutes is the only acceptable part of the movie. 

The movie's inability to showcase its greatest assets which are “teachings and thoughts of Vivekananda” and this is the biggest failing. If it had demonstrated them via right dialogues, its other shortcomings would have got un-noticed. To summarize, the creators' hearts just weren't in this thing while making a movie. 

If you want you kids to know about Vivekand, then read books or follow something else but not this movie for sure. Few things which I recommend, if newcomers don’t know how to make movies, Please don’t touch big historic characters and present them with your little knowledge of film making to the world. 

I rate move as  1 out of 5. 

I think, we need knowledgeable and intellectual writers to present Vivekanda’s thoughts infront of this world! Till then final thought from Swami Vivekananda.

“You have to grow from inside out. None can teach you. None can make you spiritual and no other teacher then your own soul”. 

Director: Utpal Sinha

Cast: Deep Bhattacharya, Premankur Chattopadhyay, Piyali Mitra

Lunch was never so fascinating and full of hope

Lunchbox is a love story of two solitary people who have nothing else in common apart from loneliness. The two people who are living a deserted life and finding a hope of new life with a stranger whom they never met.

This is simple movie which makes a huge impact on audience by beautifully crafted screenplay and humor at right place. The realistic story of the movie takes you through local trains, Mumbai roads and the chawls and holds the audience breath. Protagonist of the movie is Irfan Khan who is widower and is about to retire in a month, comes in a contact with a lonely lady by wrongly delivered dabba.

The communication starts via the letters in the dabba.The secret of communicating with another person is to communicate with his “own thought image”. The moment you do it, you start communicating with person as a whole and touches the heart and mind as well. If the communication has that impact then the medium of communication doesn’t matter whatever it may be.  In this case the medium which is “Dabba” starts becoming tasty and loveable as well. Screen-play and dialogues of the movie does the same.  

 The friendship started by complimenting the dabba goes on day by day. Audience can easily sense the initial tension and concern with first 2 letter as they both are talking to a stranger.  Later on they trust and share their challenges and pain and start respecting each other views and insights.  The realistic bond which has all the truth, care and love has been formed.  

Lunch box brings care and feeling of attachment in the life of story leads Ila (Nimrat Kaur) and Saajan (Irfan).  It gives them hope that someone they never met, cares for them and this hope generates the dreams of a new life..! 

Primary part of the movie is a Character’s honesty. All characters express themselves clearly with no masala and no intent to impress and it creates a wonderful memorable love story. One of the most entertaining part of the movie is role of “Nawaz” who plays a newly joined person who is supposed to take hand-over from Irfan after his retirement.  Nawaz brings humor to the story and bit of cheer to the audience. He remains ground to earth and a friend to Irfan. 

Beautiful script and carefully constructed dialogues shows “how memory and age impacts the love”? We all recall pain and pleasure of our life when similar moments happen. The Old Irfan remembers his wife and shares a word of wisdom to Ila and even shares importance of spending time together.  Age does have an impact the way Irfan thinks and it shapes his actions towards the love which he found at his retirement. 

Screenplay required that Irfan to be straight and a serious in his role and he does exactly the same. Irfan delivers one more awesome performance of his career. Ila the leading lady and mother of a child is a housewife and dependent on her husband for everything. She plays role brilliantly and make you believe in her role. 

Director Ritiesh Batra has great attention to detail and his set shows it. He has done a terrific job here.

Lunchbox makes you laugh, it makes you feel the care and it keeps you involved. I definitely recommend this movie.

I would rate it as 4.5 out of 5. 

Direction: Ritesh Batra
Actors: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Apathetic JOHNDAY fails to deliver !

“Sore and disappointing thriller” is actually a really fitting word for JOHNDAY, because when you're watching a full-length movie that centers on a character as deeply unlikeable and it just feels like a punishment. Even its promising cast can't save this from being a hot mess.

Story of the film is about Bank officer who loses his daughter in accident. He realizes later that it is not accident. And revenge drama with terrible incidents unfolds over a two hours. 

Every Character has troubled past and they are not capable to deal with it. Randeep Hooda has miserable childhood plays a police officer. Naseeruddin Shah who plays a “revenge father role” finds it difficult to deal with sense of loss of his daughter and hospitalized wife.  The third character, Police officer Girlfriend who loves him more than death and only few emotions to display throughout the movie.  

Positive part of direction could be some realistic sets of the film sets and unpredictable locations. Otherwise, Debut director Ahishor Solomon's direction is weak. Script doesn’t offer excitement and neither the director tries to create it. I could not understand director’s love for Graveyard and rain..? It did not helped this movie for sure. 

Language or script of the movie is insensitive apart from few good dialogues.  Good part of script is that it doesn’t have item song. Few lines may feel that script has some life but it is temporary and most of time you keep wondering, writer needs a crash course in writing or need to alter the approach. 

The bad guys of John Day movie are really bad. One level has been crossed to reach Hollywood. A bad guy hammers an innocent woman head and this head hammering happens with two characters to show that bad boys are growing without emotion. Too much of sadness in mind and heart, blood on body and some realistic scene but it fails to create a meaning sequence which can create griping screenplay. You need to have strong chest to see heavy blood, troubled past people.

 As we know that in the past, Anjum Rizvi happened to meet Neeraj Pandey and created a movie named “A Wednesday” I believe, entire nation loved the common man spirit of the movie. I definitely applaud producer Anjum  for giving a chance to one younger director (Debut director Ahishor Solomon)  but this time young man failed to produce the same result.

Movie is made around 17 Crore and it will be screened in 700 screens so needs a very good weekend to recover its cost. It looks unlikely that Movie will hold theaters for a week. 

I rate it as 1.5 out of 5. 

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Director: Ahishor Solomon
Cast: Randeep Hooda, Naseeruddin Shah

Shuddh Desi Romance : Convenient, commitment free scripting of romance

Shudh Desi Romance is the love comedy trapped between tradition and modernity. It’s the battle between mind and heart. Heart wants love and Indecisive mind trying to avoid marriage. 

Central plot of the movie is Sushant and Parineeti two small town youngsters run-away from their marriage as they don’t want get trapped in this marriage tradition but love the romance bit. The entire story is about character refusing to commit and acting in convenient entertaining manner to find an escape route to marriage on the marriage day.

To begin with, I can suggest an appropriate title which could be “ Shudh Desi Live-In relationships” or “Confused in Jaipur”.

Jaideep Sahni has written excellent movies in the past. Among his best writing are Ram Gopal Varma's Company, Yash Raj Films' Chak De India and Dibakar Banerjee's Khosla Ka Ghosla. Here, Jaideep writes an average comedy with few non-veg jokes and romance where characters express true love in a bold fashion in the movie.

For any Romantic movie, where is the love? How characters express the love and how chemistry works.? Well, characters use 100% localized Indian language. The bold script has multiple kisses but kisses give u hot entertainment doesn’t enhance the chemistry. Characters are visual as they gets attracted by looks and fall in love. Its modern romance where attraction is heart and it changes over-time with emotions. Emotions are not deeper and hence accountability or responsibility has little role to play in script.

Director of “Band Baja Barat “ repeats few band baja barat” sets as he is expert in that. Direction of the movie is good with full Indian sets and treatment of the movie looks impressive. However, Where it lacks is “ Creation of pure romance". It is as modern day kissing and hugging sequences where the soul of romance is lost.

Sushant does well in acting but his character is so indecisive and loosely developed that he has only couple of emotions to display. Parineeti and Vaani looks beautiful and does well. Vaani looks impressive out of the two.

In the end, you can’t help but u feel these are entertaining or different type of people who just romance and doesn’t commit. It’s a surprise to walk into a cinema and find a different script and treatment and characters moving boldly.

Shudh Desi Romance is not for everyone but if you’re in search of different script and bit of entertainment and ready to experiment then you can watch it. If you prefer movies with ethical and honest messages, don’t go for it.

I would rate it as 2.5 out of 5.
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Director : Maneesh Sharma
Music : Sachin-Jigar
Lyrics : Jaideep Sahni
Starring : Sushant Singh Rajput, Parineeti Chopra, Vaani Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor

Satyagraha : Painful and paralyzing boredom.

The Satyagraha is the agonizing experience in every aspect of the film. The law of change suggests something should have been good in the movie but Prakash Zha beats the law and makes a movie which is worst in all departments except few good scenes in patches.

Firstly, Script is developed from bigger than life “Anna national movement” and director made it as district story. So national issue was made a district issue and there starts the failure. Never minimize the impact of reality that was truth of million Indians. So bad start to the script.

Another part is boring and hellish dialogues. In the film someone asks : What is future of India and Ajay Devgan gives most pathetic and disappointing answer giving an example of BPO worker.!

The sets of the film are poor in the first half and few of them copied as it is from “Anna movement in the end.” Film raises all important points and communicates to audience using all wrong ways. The Minister acts as “Bollywood Villan” and story looks unbelievable. Why every character in Zha’s film want to give a speech? Well, don’t understand and it did not helped this movie.

Film has actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Ajay Devgan, Kareena Kapoor and acting skills have been wasted in the absence of good script. Film should have made us angry at our system but it neither entertains nor disappoints and finally audience starts laughing at poor drama.

The movie has no magic, no feeling for character, nothing for us to care about. I have tried to search something good in movie but except few scenes in the movie, it is a failed attempt. 

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Director: Prakash Jha

Music composed by: Salim & Sulaiman, Adesh Shrivastava, Indian Ocean

Producers: Ronnie Screwvala, Prakash Jha, Siddharth Roy Kapur

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Bhaag Milka Bhaag : Excellent movie with lessons filled for growth

It is excellent movie with lessons filled for growth. Movie is based on Real life story of Indian athlete Milka Singh. Three hour perfect entertainment from a Flying Silkh who tries to teach, don’t ever look back in your life, just run ahead passionately toward your goals!

Entire theater was clapping for the Milka’s win against Pakistan. This means that Director succeeded in getting spirit and passion in theater and it reaches to audience. 

People look beautiful and admirable when they follow their goal passionately with pure heart. Milka runs for glass of Milk as his first ever race. Meaning to his life comes when he falls in love and want to make difference in way he lives a life. He joins army and becomes India team player to achieve a love and finally when he realizes he cannot achieve his love, he doesnot stop there by saying all is over.!
Lesson there, love loss can make you stronger if you really commit yourself to some bigger goals.
Milka’s character discovers himself in finding new goals for his life, the medals for India. He again losses in 1956 Olympics where he spend time with Aussie beauty, but his resolve to come out of it is wonderful. His preparation for a goal and commitment towards next competitions is very well told and hence it becomes an inspiring story. 

The director is brilliant and even story starts as backdrop of Olympics and later unfolds his life and there is right mixture of reality and drama and use of Patriotism which helps story reaches the audience.
Writer Prasoon Joshi does equally well bringing right words for emotions and fulfills need to bring best of the scenes. 

Outstanding job by an actor got well inside the character of Milka and he defiantly has gone step ahead as an actor in this film.

I would rate it as 4.5 out of 5. 
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Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Producer: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Cinematography: Binod Pradhan
Music composed by: Ehsaan Noorani, Shankar Mahadevan, Loy Mendonsa

D-Day : Gifting hope in a hopeless manner.

D-day movie is based on story that Indian Raw agents capturing most wanted terrorist Dawood from Pakistan. So gifting hope to Billion Indians that we can capture him. But it doesn’t happen in a constructive manner. 

Failed attempt by a director to grip the audience for entire film.
Good part of the film is first half where screenplay manages you to stay on your seats and keeps your interest going. Characters played by Irfan and Arjun Rampal do justice to the screenplay.

Half part of the film is reality and half is fiction on top it. Here, film loses grip in second half where character and even Dawood starts talking unrealistic where audience fails to believe the script. Second half fictional dream is a failed attempt. 

It looked like director was not short of budget but short of good script and screenplay for the second half.
You can watch a movie for first half and be prepare for a second half boring drama. Probably, we deserved a hope delivered to us in a better believable and entertaining fashion.You can watch D-day if nothing else to do..!

I would rate it as 2.5 out of 5. 

Duniyadaari : Don’t follow the trend but follow your heart !

Duniyadaari is an excellent Marathi movie based on love and friendship in 70’s. The story is of college group and friendship between them and how lead character achieves his love. 

Excellent screenplay and concept of college katta and environment helps each character to stand-up and audience gets involved in the story. Character named “Digya” a college “bad boy” and Shreyas is a “good boy” and both of them follows love in different way. Destiny plays a game with Digya but Sheryas achieves his love. Movie also a friendship angle and shows a friendship as a magnificent obsession and director succeeds in scripting it. Music of AmitRaj and Pankaj has 2 brilliant songs to keep story moving.

Most interesting part of the film how the Marathi Boy “Follows his heart”?. I loved the way director used characters as catalyst whose story inspires the hero to achieves his love. When our hero starts thinking let his love go, there he listens story of his mother and how she lost her love and her life become meaningless. He meets a lect. who suicides as life was empty without love. All such events gives all necessary courage to act as a hero and follow his heart. 

Acting of Swapnil Joshi and Ankush is excellent and fit to the screenplay. Sanjay Jadhav as a director does a brilliant job in holding story together and creating a message out of a movie.

I would rate it as 4 out of 5.

Well, message is : Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart !  Unless you love someone, nothing else make sense.

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Cast: Ankhush Chaudhary, Swapnil Joshi, Jitendra Joshi, Sai Tamhankar, Urmila Kanetkar

Direction: Sanjay Jadhav

Once upon a Time in Mumbai Again : Love Triangles cannot be so dumb !

Most Disappointing love triangle story I have ever seen. Story about Don and his right hand man fall in love with same girl. Till the last 10 minutes, audience doesn’t have a clue what the heroine/girl thinks.

The plus point of film are some dialogues and 2 songs. Akshay does well but he cannot save the film anyway. In the film, Don fights to be loyal with his identity so called “Pehachan”. Somewhere in this battle of don’s identity and way don thinks, the love story get lost.!Audience kept searching and waiting for story to evolves and last 15 minutes firework happens to end the boring saga.

Director Milan Luthra after success of dirty picture makes the mistake on replying on dialogues bit too much..!Love never comes into the focus and there’s a conspicuous lack of meaningful emotion in relationship of all 3. Sonakhi plays the girl and she looks beautiful and fails to impress.

Ideally movie shouldn’t be rated at all but I would still give 2 out of 5.