Dev D - a punk and grunge version of 'Devdas'

Nine cinematic versions of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's immortal love story Devdas have been released since the first silent film in 1928. Now Anurag Kashyap is ready with the 10th version, titled Dev D releasing on Friday - a fresh, contemporary take on the romance that breaks all its typecasts.

"I scripted the film on the basis of news headlines on the Gen-X because I wanted to take the angle of today's youth in the film," Kashyap said over phone from Mumbai.

Produced by UTV Bindaas, the film has Abhay Deol in the title role. Newcomers Mahi Gill and Kalki Koechlin play the female leads.

While the previous adaptations were set in Kolkata and the protagonist was shown as a zamindar's son, Kashyap's film is set in rural Punjab and also explores the dingy, morbid and dark underbelly of Delhi. For a change, the protagonist Dev (Abhay) is a rich industrialist's son.

Dev, who was sent to London, returns to his hometown and his childhood sweetheart Paro (Mahi) after 12 years. But his life is turned upside down when he finds out that Paro is married off to someone else.

While Paro picks up the thread of her life and moves on with grit and dignity, Dev, soaked in self-pity, drowns himself in darkness and hopelessness.

While mourning his lost love, Dev comes across a prostitute called Chanda (Kalki) who lives life on the edge. After a disastrous MMS scandal, she is disowned by her family and is forced into isolation.

Kashyap captures the sensibilities, conflict, aggression and recklessness of youth today through these characters.

The music of the film can already be heard in discotheques and cars in cities. Its 18 tracks include Rajasthani, Punjabi and Awadhi folk numbers.

Abhay is very confident about the film.

"Devdas has been made before, but this one has a very new, fresh and out of the box approach. Nobody had ever thought of making Devdas in this contemporary way," said Abhay.

"Dev D adopts an unusual and contemporary approach and I think that is exactly what will work for the film because it will be like a revelation to the people. It's always good to turn a stereotype image and experiment with it," he added.

While the 1955 version by Bimal Roy and the last remake in 2002 by Sanjay Leela Bhansali won audiences' hearts, what is to be seen is whether Kashyap's modern version of the twisted Bengali romance manages to strike a chord with film buffs.

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Sanjay Dutt's 'EMI' role inspired by real loan recovery agent

Sanjay Dutt plays 'Sattarbhai', a bully who collects loan instalments from bank debtors, in his forthcoming film 'EMI'. The character has been inspired by a real-life collecting agent and the Bollywood actor spent a lot of time with him to get his act right.

'Sanju sir's character is modelled on a real-life agent. In fact, the whole film's plot about all these debt collectors who have the thankless job of getting bank loans back from debtors was inspired by the real-life Sattarbhai,' said TV tsarina Ekta Kapoor, who is co-producing the film with Suniel Shetty.

The real-life character's identity is, however, being kept a secret right now.

Said Suniel Shetty: 'We don't want the real Sattarbhai to come into the picture until Sanju baba's fictional avatar is properly unveiled to the public.'

Sanjay Dutt met, interacted with and studied the real-life Sattarbhai very closely to get into the skin of the character. And he was glad that he wasn't playing an underworld gangster yet again.

'This is my most seriously funny and socially relevant character since Munnabhai. And I'm happy to be doing something that doesn't require me to go into the underworld,' he quipped.

As for the real Sattarbhai, he is free to share the thrill of the film unless he suddenly decides to demand a bigger share in the movie's investments.

This isn't the first time this question has cropped up. When Preity Zinta played a real-life battered wife in Deepa Mehta's 'Heaven On Earth', the woman who inspired the character suddenly came forward to demand a huge amount of money.

'She demanded an obscenely astronomical sum of money that really put Deepa Mehta off,' a member of the 'Heaven On Earth' team said.

However, producers Ekta and Suniel seem pretty sure their real character won't suddenly demand his pound of flesh.

'He's more than happy to be a role model for a character that Sanju baba is playing. We'll include him in the promotional events of 'EMI' very soon,' said Suniel.

There's also the debate of 'EMI' sharing its title with the international music label. Any copyright hassles on the anvil?

'But we've registered our title. And EMI is accepted bank jargon, short for Equated Monthly Instalments. If EMI is a music company, then we're glad to be keeping such musical company,' Suniel joked.

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Movie Review : C Kkompany

C Kkompany (comedy)
Cast: Tusshar Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Raima Sen
Direction: Sachin Yardi

THREE losers -- Tusshar Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Rajpal Yadav -- form a fictitious underworld gang to solve their personal problems. But soon, the gang ends up as the popular trouble-shooter for the aam aadmi who tries to solve his paani, bijli , pension problems by appealing to the Counterfeit Kkompany.

Munnabhai, anyone? Only, this one is such a pale-pale attempt to create a desi Robin Hood, it almost makes you cry. Actually, this one's hardly a film. Instead, it's more like a promo for Balaji Inc, where all the big and small stars from Ekta Kapoor's factory keep parading up and down, for no reason at all. And if that's not enough, there's the czarina herself trying her hand at emoting. Bad job.

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Movie Review : Mukhbir

Mukhbir (drama)
Cast: Sameer Dattani, Raima Sen, Om Puri
Direction: Mani Shankar

SHADES of The Departed , did we say? Well, Sameer Dattani does a Leonardo Di Caprio here as he infiltrates a terrorist gang to help the assiduous cop (Om Puri) nab them before their bombs go boom.

The film does have its moments, specially when the hapless young infiltrator is forced to prove his loyalty in some nerve-wracking sequences. Rahul Dev essays the role of the terrorist with credible menace, but it is Om Puri who walks away with the applause as the cop who tries to clean up the system, even though he knows it's a deadly game.

Eventually however, it is the multiplicity of plots and subplots that act as a dampener and transform the film into a somewhat rambling investigation into the state's counter-terrorism programmes.

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Movie Review : Rock On

Rock On (drama)
Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Prachi Desai, Arjun Rampal, Purab Kohli, Luke Kenny
Direction: Abhishek Kapoor

IF you really want to see how Bollywood has matured and come of age, then here's the perfect litmus test. For Rock On is a film that not only breaks new ground in terms of its subject matter -- now when has desi movielore ever tackled something akin to Hollywood's That Thing You Do -- it creates a whole new EQ (emotional quotient) for mainstream cinema. Of course, there is the great passion reminiscent of Dil Chahta Hai , but here, there is a poise and a restraint that portrays the friendship between four rock musicians, with all its ups and downs. The bonds are strong, but there are the dark sides too, like rivalry, physical violence, the fear of failure....Yet, no one hollers, no one screams and ever so often, you feel a tug at your heart.

The film traces the relationship between the four buddies from college days until their stagnant thirties, when the band has been disbanded due to interpersonal rivalries and the foursome has drifted apart. The lead crooner, Farhan Akhtar is an investment banker who has stuffed away the memorabilia of the past in the attic of his well-ordered house. The lead guitarist, Arjun Rampal, is a miserable man, echoing the anguish of an artiste who cannot go commercial, even if his family struggles with bread and butter concerns. Purab Kohli, the kick-ass drummer, is now selling jewellery in his father's store, while Luke Kenny is literally dying of frustration, strumming tunes for Anu Malik. It's left to Prachi Desai, Akhtar's lonely young wife, to forge a reunion and bring the band together for a final concert that almost takes your breath away and has you cheering, as you did in Chak De and Lagaan .

Surprisingly, everything falls in place in this refreshing, new film. Farhan Akhtar's vocals are absolutely fundoo, even as the foursome pitch in perfectly orchestrated performances. If you actually had to choose, then the vote would go for Arjun Rampal who displays a newfound maturity and looks absolutely groovy with his windblown hair and his guitar-strumming stance. Farhan Akhtar too is a surprise package, delivering a well nuanced portrayal of a rock star-turned-boring-yuppie. The girls, Prachi, Koel and Shahana, are riveting too.

But finally, it's the message of the film that makes it a winner. Follow your dreams and life will literally be on song!

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Movie Review : Chamku

Chamku (action)
Cast: Bobby Deol, Priyanka Chopra
Direction: Kabir Kaushik Chamku (action)

OKAY, so Hindi films find a new hero this time. He's the naxalite who first kills the corrupt state agents and then ends up killing for the state. Now that's quite a bold step for Bobby Deol who decides to don a different role as Chamku, the favourite lieutenant of a Pushkin-reading Danny Denzongpa who talks of class conflict and revolution from his secret adda in the dense jungles.

The film begins on a promising note with some imaginative frames capturing the action as Bobby goes about his business with deadpan glee. But midway, you realise the Naxalbari was just a convenient ploy to package the same old formula of an action hero who is out to avenge the death of his father. Chamku was actually a happy village boy who saw his father being shot by the local thakur and could never rest happy ever after. Not even when he finds the chiffon-clad school madam (Priyanka Chopra) who sings Yippie-Yippie, whenever she sees him. Strangely, she never knows what her brooding beau actually does, even though he keeps disappearing for covert missions for his new boss (Irrfan Khan).

The problem with Chamku is its disjointed script and its relentless flashbacks which mar a film that could have tread new ground. Although, we do laud the attempts of the Deol Inc to turn to serious cinema.

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Movie Review : Phoonk

                                          




Phoonk (horror)
Cast: Sudeep, Amruta Khanvikar, Ahsaas Channa
Direction: Ram Gopal Varma 
 



FIRST of all, it's hard to believe a post modern filmmaker like Ram Gopal Varma could actually make a film that ends up upholding mumbo-jumbo. The rationalist engineer (Sudeep) ends up chasing shamans and witch doctors to save his possessed daughter (Ahsaas Channa), even as the doctors fail to cure her of her demons with their psychological fundas.

The film ends up as a warning to all you scientific non-believers out there who scoff at black magic, voodoo and the mysterious lemoo (lemon). The next time you see bones in your backyard or a crow staring down at you from the overhead tree, don't take it lightly....Oh, really!

But he doesn't only get the premise wrong. The film fails to create a single scare, even though the camera does slide into strange places, focusing on all the stuffed toys and the ugly artefacts in the house and the soundtrack gets dizzy with ominous sounds.

Technically speaking, there's only one `jump' moment, when Sudeep moves but his mirror image doesn't move. The rest of the chills are ekdum thanda , as the story traces the attempts of a young couple to cure their daughter of the mysterious ailment that seems to have stricken her. From a happy-go-lucky kid, she's now a girl who grunts in a man's voice and flies up to the ceiling, a la Exorcist .

All said and done, Bhoot was the bigger scare than Phoonk.  

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Abhishek, two Bollywood Khans in Forbes' 10 'cell celebs' list

Three Bollywood stars, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Abhishek Bachchan, feature in Forbes magazine's list of 10 celebrities who are brand ambassadors for different mobile phone companies.

The three Indian actors are joined by football star David Beckham and tennis champion Maria Sharapova on the list released by the US magazine, otherwise known for its billionaire rankings. Sharapova endorses Sony Ericsson phones and Beckham lends his name to the Motorola RAZR2 phone.

While Shah Rukh lends star power to mobile phones made by Nokia, Abhishek and Aamir endorse Motorola and Samsung phones respectively.

The Forbes report said that Nokia, the world's largest phone manufacturer, 'doesn't work with many celebrities but makes an exception for Shah Rukh, who says he has used Nokia phones for more than a decade.'

It added that after a popular commercial last December, the company sponsored Shah Rukh's Indian Premier League cricket team earlier this year.

The magazine said Abhishek, a former LG Electronics' brand ambassador, now represents Motorola phones in India, and that he is 'Bollywood royalty, thanks to his famous actor father, Amitabh Bachchan, and glamorous actress wife Aishwarya Rai'.

About Aamir, the report said: 'After appearing in his first movie at eight, Bollywood star Aamir now produces and directs films, as well as acts. Samsung has said it is counting on his popularity to help it double its market share in India this year.'

Samsung also claimed that Aamir's work mirrors their brand's 'qualities of innovation, change, discovery, self-expression and excellence in performance'.

Explaining how mobile phone companies are now emulating perfume and designer jean makers in hiring celebrities, Forbes said: 'As nearly everyone on the planet seems to have a cellphone, device makers must work harder to win new customers. Cool designs and low prices help, of course. But so do celebrities. That's led phone makers to recruit some A-listers from Usher (a singer) to David Beckham to lend an ear and a smile to selling cellphones.'

Others in the magazine's 'Ten Celebs and Their Cells' list are singers Fergie, Rain (also known as Jung Ji Hoon), Andy Lau and race car driver Danica Patrick.

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movie review : God Tussi Great Ho

God Tussi Great Ho (comedy)
Cast: Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Sohel Khan
Direction: Rumi Jaffery
Critics rating:  


IT takes the charisma of Salman Khan to make this film work, but only in places. The actor's comic timing and his spontaneity does create some magic intermittently, but, by and large, it's the loose script and the hurried directorial approach that lets him down.

A desi version of Bruce Almighty , the film does borrow heavily from the Jim Carrey venture as it traces the desperate attempts of harried TV anchor, Salman Khan to shed his 'loser' tag and counter the ill-luck that seems to follow him everywhere. Despite being talented, he loses his job, he fails to cement his relationship with his girlfriend (Priyanka Chopra), has an angry father (Anupam Kher) raving at his failures permanently and a plain Jane sister who desperately needs to get married. In such a dismal scenario, he has just one favourite punching bag: God, whom he blames for all his ills. Naturally, God (Amitabh Bachchan) strikes back and hauls him up to the moon where he abdicates his responsibility and asks the eternal whiner to run the show for ten days. Only so he may stop whining.

Okay, so the job's back, the rival's (Sohel Khan) demolished, the girlfriend's swinging in his arms again, the father's speechless, the sister's got a make-over and life's a ball. Until the chaos begins....The film has a tedious second half; the music is lacklustre; Priyanka Chopra is a mere prop; Sohel Khan's funny. Meant mostly for Salman buffs.

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Wall Paper : God Tussi Great Ho 2

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Wall Paper : God Tussi Great Ho 1

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Wall Paper : God Tussi Great Ho

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movie review Bachna Ae Haseeno

Sorry to disappoint all the young girls, but unfortunately Ranbir doesn't drop the towel in this one but to make it up to you, he looks super hot throughout the film, appearing shirtless in a few scenes. Bachna Ae Haseeno may have flaws as a film, yet it succeeds in entertaining and does so many things right, that you are willing to overlook the mistakes. The best part about the film is that in spite of being slightly over two hours twenty minutes, the film's pace is very crisp and you in fact may walk out of the theatre planning to see the film again. As a director, Siddharth Anand has got this one right because his intention was clearly to entertain and he does that extremely well (without a single double meaning joke, vulgarity or over the top melodrama) while extracting great performances from each of the key four characters.

The fact that the film races ahead is a plus and a minus; a plus because from the time the opening credits roll in the title track music video to the end credits there is constantly something happening and the proceedings are quick, but a minus because things do get left a bit unexplained and at times resolutions and reactions happen because they are supposed to happen and not at a point where they are completely convincing. But yet, somewhere this doesn't bother you once you realize that Bachna Ae Haseeno is just a fun romantic comedy and is not meant to be path breaking cinema and hence you realize that these flaws do not hinder your viewing of the film because they never make the film less enjoyable.

In a nutshell, there are three women who Raj interacts with at various stages in his life; Mahi when he is eighteen, Radhika when he is in his mid 20's and finally Gayatri when he hits his early thirties. He initially breaks Mahi and Radika's hearts and it is only when he finally wants to commit to a woman, that he himself experiences his first heartbreak. It is then that he realizes that even if he never gets the love of his life back, he wants to go back and find the women he has hurt apologize to them and convince them that he was the one at fault and not them.

The film begins with Raj's short but cute love story with Mahi (Minissha Lamba). We are taken back to Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge with the very optimistic Mahi who believes luck follows her wherever she goes. This is the one story where things seem to happen very quickly, as she falls in love with Raj and endures heartbreak at his hands in the course of only one day. But then again, at that age, where a girl like Mahi is searching for her DDLJ Raj, Siddharth succeeds in not making you doubt her love too much. Minissha Lamba literally glows on screen as the young, cute, bubbly Mahi and she is completely believable as an eighteen year old. Ranbir and Minissha look so cute together as teenagers that they easily make this track work. What's even more surprising is that when we see Minissha again in the second half of the film, she is just as believable as a married woman with two kids. There is a huge difference between the young Mahi who falls in love with Raj and the Mahi we meet later who seems to have shut the doors of her heart post her experience with Raj and has somewhere become cold and hard. Minissha handles this with utmost maturity ensuring that while making the character cold, she retains the fact that Mahi has become this way only because of her hurt and that hurt is always there in her eyes. When you watch her on screen you find yourself amazed at how much she has matured as an actor and along with strong screen presence, she shares great chemistry with Ranbir Kapoor. Along with Deepika and Sonam, Minissha Lamba is the one actress from the young brigade who is definitely headed for superstardom.

Radhika is Raj's live in girlfriend and he is thrilled at this arrangement, that is until his transfer to Australia is announced and Radhika proposes they get married and go to Australia together. This track has a several funny moments making you wish Bipasha Basu would try her hand at comedy more often as she is so good at it. Her track is quite fun to watch and at no point in time do you feel she looks older than Ranbir. Her switch to the cold hearted super star Shreya in the second half is just as convincing and fun to watch, especially when she makes Raj truly earn her forgiveness. Here Siddharth has subtly shown that because Raj and Mahi's story was a bit more innocent and whatever Raj did was a more innocent mistake, Mahi is able to forgive him more easily. But leaving Radhika at the altar after a one and a half year live in relationship has scorned her deep and hence her forgiveness does not come easy. Bipasha is extremely likable and of course looks stunning but it's the way she has performed with such ease that truly deserves credit.

Raj meets Gayatri (Deepika Padukone) in Australia and he can't get over the fact that there are female taxi drivers there. She is someone who lives life on her own terms, drives a taxi and works as a cashier at a grocery store to fund her MBA education. This track too, is filled with several funny moments and Deepika has improved tremendously from her debut in Om Shanti Om and of course, this time her voice not being dubbed, adds to her performance. As usual she looks stunning on screen and her chemistry with Ranbir is undoubtedly superb but that chemistry is strong in the comic and fun scenes as well, and not just the romantic ones. She is quite likeable as the carefree Gayatri and when she smiles or laughs on screen, you instinctively find yourself smiling too; such is the power of her dimpled smiled.

It would be wrong to call Ranbir Kapoor's Raj a Casanova in the true sense as right from his "first love" Mahi, you get the feeling that his intention is never to hurt any woman, and yet without realizing it, his actions scar them for life, or at least until he reappears in their life to apologize. Ranbir Kapoor is the perfect choice for the character because even while breaking hearts, he exudes a certain innocent vulnerability making this character all the more loveable. He lights up the screen like magic, his comic timing is great and he is just a pleasure to watch on screen. In fact the film is out and out a Ranbir Kapoor film and he laps up the opportunity, not letting the audience down in a single scene. Also, he is as believable as an eighteen year old as he is as a thirty year old which is also noteworthy for an actor in only his second film. Heroes beware, Ranbir truly is set to take on the industry and this young lad is set to rule hearts and the box office for years to come.

The film is not saddled with too many supporting characters but Hiten Paintlal is great fun to watch as Raj's friend and Kunal Kapoor in a special appearance as Mahi's husband also does a fine job.

The cinematography (Sunil Patel) is breathtaking as you are exposed to various locales of Switzerland, Italy and Australia. The music has been steadily climbing the charts and the songs are smartly placed in the film so that even when two songs do happen almost within five minutes of each other, it is justified and doesn't bore the audience. The editing is crisp, the dialogues fresh and overall Bachna Ae Haseeno is like a breath of fresh air which the audiences will thoroughly enjoy.

Watch Bachna Ae Haseeno because it is what entertaining cinema should be; watch it for great performances from the young brigade and watch it knowing you will want to come back to the theatre to watch it again.

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No one ever called me sexy: Deepika

Model-turned-actress Deepika Padukone, who is set for her second release "Bachna Ae Haseeno", is feeling ecstatic after topping the popular Maxim Hot 100 girls' worldwide list.

"I really didn't expect it. I'm really excited. People always used to call me either cute or pretty, but no one ever called me sexy. I take it as a compliment," Deepika told IANS.

Although the young actress is flattered by the title, she did not feel even a tad embarrassed.

"There is nothing wrong in being called sexy. I think the term itself has been misunderstood. People think that a person is sexy only if she is wearing tiny clothes. But for me, being sexy is about being mysterious and having your own personality and certainly has nothing to do with a person's fashion sense," she held.

After being a top model, and coming up with a successful debut with super hit "Om Shanti Om", Deepika has become a Bollywood star, but she says stardom hasn't affected her as her feet are firmly grounded.

"Stardom has not changed me. I believe I am the same person. I am too new in the industry. I like being in front of the camera and I love acting," said the 22-year-old.

"I'm very close to my parents and they handle my money. I even discuss my work with them every evening," added the actress who is set for her second release, "Bachna Ae Haseeno".

While in "Om Shanti Om" Deepika shared screen space with superstar Shah Rukh Khan, she has been paired opposite real life beau Ranbir Kapoor in "Bachna Ae Haseeno". The romantic drama also stars Minissha Lamba and Bipasha Basu and is being directed by Siddharth Anand.

In the film, Deepika plays an NRI girl called Gayatri.

"Gayatri is an independent girl who knows what she wants. She is focussed. She is modern as well as traditional in her thoughts. The role is very similar to the person I am."

The actress, who will be seen with Akshay Kumar in "Chandni Chowk To China", says both she and Ranbir are focussing on their career and try to give as much space as possible to each other.

"Right now we are focussing on our career and what we are doing in front of the camera. At the end of the day, we are both actors. One plays a certain character in a film and so we cannot let possessiveness come in between. We have to understand each other."

Having already worked with big banners like Red Chillies Entertainment and Yash Raj Films, will Deepika stick to only big banners in future?

"I want to focus on commercial cinema as of now. But, if I find any offbeat film or a small production house with a good role, I would love to go for it," she said.

She has been roped in to play an important role in "Jab We Met" fame director Imtiaz Ali's next venture.

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Wall Paper : Singh is Kinng

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

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Movie Review : Singh is Kinng

 Singh is Kinng (comedy)
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Om Puri
Direction: Anees Bazmee
Critics rating:  
Blame it on the charisma of Akshay Kumar, but Singh is Kinng is going to find its audience despite being a no-brainer. And, the audience isn't going to be just the Singhs, spilling across the globe. It's going to be people like us who are suckers for corny comedy that breeze across the screen in a string of unstoppable gaffes, demanding nothing from you, other than a bunch of goofy grins. Of course, it does take the chutzpah of Akshay Kumar, the box office's current badshah , to make the bakwas bindaas . Catch him chasing stray chicks in his pind (read village) in Punjab or refusing to change his underwear, despite being in it for three days and you can't help say c-h-e-e-s-e. Or else, hear him introduce himself as 'Happy Singh' to a bunch of firangs , and you'll end up feeling happy too. Comedy does seem to flow effortlessly from this actor who seems to have taken over where Govinda left off...

Okay, so this one's truly cheesy with a Munnabhai heart at its core. ‘Happy Singh’ is the proverbial do-gooder who tries to help any and everyone, even if it means engaging with ruthless killers and mafia kingpins. He leaves his village and sets off for Australia to bring back a bunch of bonny sardarjis to their wailing moms and dads. So what if the Sardar brotherhood has metamorphosed into a mafia gang in distant shores, headed by two chalk-and-cheese brothers (Sonu Sood and Jaaved Jaffrey). Happy Singh is here to browbeat them onto the path of goodness, ek baar phir . One by one, the rogues undergo their life-changing experience -- calling for some rowdy fun and games - and end up reformed souls.

The magic of Munnabhai , this time in a turban, seems to have worked again. There, in distant Australia, with a short song-dance trek to Egypt, this desi joker win hearts and influences people with his rustic charms. The gangsters end up as good guys, the lonely flower seller (Kiron Kher) finds a foster son and the tattoo-flaunting law student (Katrina Kaif) finds a pucca Hindustani husband, a la Namastey London. Easy to understand why Akshay is proving to be King Midas at the box office. His rustic, anti-urbane heroics in film after film instantly raise the underdog on a pedestal and strike a chord with the aam janta , the way Govinda did in the 1990s with his red pants, purple jackets and nonsensical lyrics. (Remember 'what is mobile number?')

The film has an entertaining first half which sees some great camaraderie between the village boys, Om Puri and Akshay Kumar. The second half does get cluttered, clumsy and loose with loads of wasted talent in the likes of Ranvir Shorey, Javed Jaffrey and a side-lined Om Puri. Even some of the songs get deafening and inarticulate in a bid to celebrate Punjabiyat . But hey, there's that crackling chemical equation between the missy and the munda (Katrina and Akshay) to keep the hungama high, as they did in Namastey London and Welcome . Don't go looking for king-size entertainment and this King con might just end up as breezy time-pass.

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Movie Review : Ugly aur Pagli

 Ugly aur Pagli (comedy)

Cast: Ranvir Shorey, Mallika Sherawat

Direction: Sachin Khot

Critics rating:





Ah! All those missed opportunities. This one could have been a laugh riot, but for a script that suddenly loses its nuts and bolts and winds up into irrational territory. The Sassy Girlfriend (Mallika Sherawat) suddenly grows senty, dives into the Mandovi river and leaves her petticoat boyfriend (Ranvir Shorey) hanging love-lorn notes on a tree. And when she re-emerges, she's ready to marry someone else who suddenly reminds her of her old flame and sends her scurrying back to him. Of course, she doesn't find him at the old address, but hey, what happened to the breezy first half and the outrageous bakwas between the odd couple: the he-girl and the she-boy?



The film begins on a promising note, despite being a re-take of a Korean film. Loser Ranvir meets a slobbered Mallika Sherawat trying to jump before a local train and ends up carrying her to a hotel and spending the night with her, until she sobers up. Of course, the loser ends up sleeping on the floor and falling deeply in love with a girl who slaps him hard and proper whenever she's not sloshed or demanding something bizarre. Like, walking in high-heels, riding a seat-less bike in a red petticoat, stealing red roses from a park or dancing with her while she's ekdum talli . Sometimes, he does get his moments too and dares her to play the superwoman she poses to be. But our Ms Sprightly is ready for any and every challenge, even if it means strutting in college (yes, Mallika is a college kid!) with her chhaddis over her jeans.



So these are the fun parts, where Ranvir actually wonders why he loves this girl who is an alcoholic, a snorer and a goondi . And Mallika maintains the mystery of why she hangs out with this guy who has failed four times in college and has neither looks nor spirit. But when the mystery is unspoiled, the magic wanes and the laughs dry down. Then, it's the performances that keep the film afloat, specially Ranvir Shorey who excels in portraying the perfect underdog. Mallika too displays a newfound restraint and creates a lively new image for the archetypal heroine. Wish the laughs hadn't petered away....Wish that Zeenat Aman hadn't been wasted in a fleeting cameo!

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Rab is on Shah Rukh’s side

Never mind if Tashan and Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic weren’t eventful. Aditya Chopra’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is all set to bring back Yash Chopra’s lost glory.



Looks like Shah Rukh Khan will prove to be their lucky charm once again after Chak De... India. At least that’s what numerologist Niraj Mancchanda predicts.



He tells us, “Rab Ne... will be the biggest hit of 2008. It comes to number 42 just like Dil Toh Pagal Hai did and that number vibrates with both Yash Chopra who is a number 9 and Aditya Chopra who is a number 3. The movie may might break records.” So, SRK need not worry about losing his throne or crown.

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'RK' breathes down Deepika's neck!

Don’t know how far this is true, but the word is strong that Deepika Padukone has taken a tip from Saif Ali Khan and professed her devotion to her beloved with a tattoo.



Saif’s “Kareena” tattoo on his forearm is now legend. But Deepika, being shyer and more private than the flamboyant Khan, is reported to have got the initials “RK” daintily tattooed on the nape of her neck.



It can’t be seen, naturally. But Deepika is said to have revealed the tattoo to a friend and spoken about it on the air waves. Bollywood, of course, loves such displays of affection, and if true, some crafty filmmaker must already be considering how to show Deepika’s RK on screen first!

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Movie Review : Mission Istaanbul

 Mission Istaanbul (action)

Cast: Zayed Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Shreya Saran

Direction: Apoorva Lakhia

Critics rating:

APOORVA Lakhia simply got carried away by the bang-bang of Shootout at Lokhandwala . But whilst the earlier film was a high testosterone action flick which clicked simply because it didn't compromise on its emotional quotient, Mission Istaanbul sees Lakhia concentrating on action alone. End result? A cold, clinical drama, spilling over with gun fights, fist fights, car chases and stunts that have no emotional bedrock. The characters fail to connect with each other and the audience and the good versus evil war against terrorism remains thanda at the core. Once again, it's the lack of a story that sorely lets down the actors who try hard to get the adrenalin pumping with their guys-and-guns lore.



The director chooses a topical theme: terrorism, but loses the plot midway and blames a media channel for creating most of the terror in the world. Osama has been conveniently bumped off in his bunker by Turkish commando, Rizwan Khan (Vivek Oberoi), yet his tapes keep appearing on the popular Al Johara (Al Jazeera, did you say?) television network. The doctored tapes have been created by the media mogul (Niketan Dheer) who is in league with the terrorists and is spearheading mayhem, the world over, only to raise the TRPs.



This time, the target is India, but for the brave Indian television anchor, Zayed Khan and his Turkish comrade-in-arms, Vivek Oberoi. Of course, they manage to find a third partner too in the desi Lara Croft (Shweta Bhardwaj) who has the uncanny knack of jumping in whenever the stakes are low. Quite a distraction, actually, especially since Hunk No. 1 (Zayed) is newly divorced from wife Shreya and Hunk No. 2 (Vivek) has lost his wife to the terrorists.



The film has been shot well in the exotic locales of Istanbul, but there isn't much that Vivek's long hair and Zayed's serious be-spectacled look can do to save the film from ending up as a thriller that doesn't actually thrill. Even Abhishek Bachchan's item number fails to garner applause this time. The only time the film perks up is with the Bush humour. The American President wonders what's the problem with Turkey? Are the birds in short supply? he asks. And if that's not enough, he warns his aides to `leave those Indians alone with their pen drives' since all the call centres are in India and he must learn how to pronounce Man-mo-han, before he visits India. Ha!

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