KAMBAKKHT ISHQ - Movie Review : Akshay is finally back in form but could not hit a clear six. (Review by Bobby Sing)

One of the most awaited films of the year, with the terrific pair of Akshay & Kareena, opens with great excitement, whistles and cheers. The viewers are really desperate to see some quality work which can be unanimously acclaimed by both critiques and the general public. But once again, Bollywood delivers a half baked product called “Kambakkht Ishq” which has an enjoyable and entertaining first half but miserably fails to sustain the same energy in the second.

The director Sabbir Khan starts off shiningly and straight away comes to the point. Introducing all the lead characters in the first five minutes only, he brilliantly directs the opening sequence of a church wedding, where Akshay & Kareena have their first verbal clash. From here on you start expecting more entertaining stuff coming down the lane related to the battle of the sexes, but sadly you are not served a better dish later on.

The good news for all Akshay Kumar’s fans is that he is back in form with his impeccable comic timing in the first half. Portraying the role of a Hollywood Stuntman, he is simply superb, fighting with Kareena in his own freak out style, trying to prove the supremacy of men over women. And equally good is the ravishing Kareena Kapoor who tends to burn the silver screen with her electrifying hot persona. In fact Kareena is only one, who truly deserves the title of “Bollywood Diva” among her current Bollywood contemporaries. Her performance in the movie also proves the immense acting talent she has, as expected from a lady from the Kapoor Family.

So, the first half is high on entertainment where you keep on enjoying the scenes even when there is no story being developed. As seen in Akshay’s last successful movies, this one also has no story plot as such and the movie revolves around only an idea of a Hollywood Stuntman having an affair with a hard to convince girl. The second half talks more about the love affair and the emotional misunderstanding between the characters, which unfortunately falls flat as compared to the initial moments of the movie. Though from the scripting point of view, post interval the movie has a very interesting plot where Akshay is hearing “Om Mangalam” mantra everywhere around him, due to an alarm clock left in his body during an operation. But the writers couldn’t develop the hilarious plot for long, which could have been the highlight of the movie. In short, the director loses the grip in the later part, which may have a negative impact on the box office performance of “Kambakkht Ishq”.

Coming to the grand budget of the movie, it had a highly supportive producer who actually spent more than required on the project, to make it look glossy, majestic and larger than life. And the movie does have the Royal look with all those famous Hollywood actors featuring in it for the first time. Though, it gives you a feeling that it was all done for bringing in the international audiences, still the foreign Icons have performed pretty well more than what was being expected. Among the three, Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards, the most famous in India is THE RAMBO (Sylvester Stallone), who also gets the maximum scenes in the movie. Brandon and Denise are just fine in their short cameos, but Stallone is super cool in his scenes and leaves an impression.

In the supporting cast, Aftab Shivdasani and Amrita Arora play their roles perfectly. Javed Jaffery and Kiron Kher are cast in an underwritten role giving them the same characters which they have already played in many of their previous movies. Boman Irani is completely wasted in a one scene performance and Vindu Singh, surprisingly comes up with a calm comic performance. Annu Malik’s music does have a new sound but the compositions still have his unique Annu stamp written all over them. Out of the numbers being played all over, only the title song by RDB has the right groove and beat to catch on. “Bebo Main Bebo” is not as enjoyable as projected by its promos on air. Cinematography is first rate capturing the Hollywood Studios, Kodak Theater and the grandeur of the subject magnificently.

Talking about the drawbacks of “Kambakhht Ishq”, there are many to state, but since it’s a comic movie made only with an intention to entertain without any social message, so logic has to be kept aside for this particular genre. The movie goes on the similar lines of “Welcome” and “Singh Is Kinng”, having a very weak script but an enjoyable narration with entertaining moments. This time, we have a flick surely better than “Chandni Chowk To China” but still not a clear winner all the way.

However there were some major flaws in the movie which should have been looked upon importantly. Firstly, in a movie based on the life of a Hollywood Stuntman, you don’t find any amazing stunts and action sequences performed by Akshay Kumar. All the fight sequences are too fast, routine and executed in a clumsy manner. Secondly, it was quite strange to find out that Kareena Kapoor is actually there as a professional surgeon in the movie, whereas in all the promotional campaigns she was shown as a Top Model. She only does one modeling assignment in the movie and that too for raising funds to pay her medical fees.

In a nutshell, “Kambakkht Ishq” falls in the same genre of senseless movies, based on a thin plot, made only with a motive to entertain. It is also said to be the remake of a Tamil film “Pammal K. Sambandam” (2002) featuring Kamal Hassan & Simran which was a huge Hit in the south. Regarding its Hindi version, the excited fans of Akshay & Kareena are sure going to have a good time, but the rest may not take it in high spirits. In other words, Akshay is finally, back in form but could not hit a clear six.

Ratings : 2.5 / 5

NEW YORK - Movie Review : An old wine in a Yash Raj bottle with nothing new or exceptional from Kabir. (Review by Bobby Sing)

More than the Yash Raj banner, it was Kabir Khan for whom, I was eager to see “New York”. Impressed by his unique style of direction in “Kabul Express”, I had my own expectations from the star studded movie based on the impact of terrorism and its innocent targets in America. But the movie is nowhere close to the director’s first attempt and has nothing new or exceptional to offer in terms of content and storyline.

To begin with, “New York” is not a fun filled, youthful movie as suggested by the catchy & colourful promos on air. Instead it’s a dark & intense thriller, dealing with a serious issue of global terrorism and its silent victims. The appealing romantic element associated with the three glamorous faces in the movie lasts for only a few minutes in the first half and then the story moves on to its original plot. So, the relief element with all the college scenes and love angle is only there initially and it all becomes pretty rough and grim later on.

The script department is the main culprit with nothing new to offer to the viewers. It’s the same story of three friends, Neil, Katrina & John, who had a good time in college, but had to part with each other, after their studies. Later, it is found that John, who had married Katrina, is now the leader of an underground terrorist group, which he had formed to fight for his dignity. John’s step towards terrorism was a result of his severe torture by the FBI, who detained him on the grounds of suspicion, just after the 9/11 incident. Taking a clue from their college days, Neil is spotted by an FBI officer, Irfan Khan, and sent to live with John & Katrina as an undercover agent in order to know their future targets.

Now how many times we have already seen the similar subject of an infiltrator being sent in a terrorist gang to know about their game plans. The moment you come to know the main subject of the movie, half your interest is gone. And you further lose more, with all those lengthy unwanted sequences where everyone is giving justifications for their choices made in life. In addition to this, there are many unanswered question left for the viewers to guess, such as what was Neil doing after his College, why was he driving a cab after having completed his studies, how did John become the leader of his high profile gang and many more. The characterization lacks the required depth and that’s the reason why the viewer is not able to feel the pain felt by John and Neil on the screen. The climax has its own loose ends too, where the bombs are being planted on a FBI Headquarters building openly without any security intervention. The dialogues given to John, Neil and Katrina towards the end are also quite underwritten and unimpressive, leading to a somehow weird and uninteresting climax.

At the performing level, the three key actors, John, Neil & Katrina have excelled themselves in “New York”. Especially Katrina, has taken many leaps ahead with her acting skills and expressions. Irfan Khan, is superb as usual and he seems to be enjoying every character he plays in his movies. Cinematography is competent as it captures both the big streets and the lousy backyards impressively. In the music region, there are only few songs incorporated on the screen, whereas you will find more in the original soundtrack of the movie. But no particular song stands out as a winner this time, from Preetam. On the other hand, background score by Julius Peckam, having a rock feel, does grab your attention in a few thrilling scenes.

The director, Kabir Khan, who showed great capabilities in his first venture, “Kabul Express”, stumbles this time with an ineffective script written on an old story plot. The good old Kabir is only visible in some particular sequences in the movie, like the one where John goes on to search for the brown bread and then kidnapped in a van. Otherwise, Kabir is not able to meet his own set standards of excellence in “New York”.

Moreover, I couldn’t understand the need of lifting an entire sequence from the 2006 Oscar winner movie “Crash” and using it in his most prestigious project having great expectations. The scene where Katrina is searched all over her body by a male cop, is straight away taken from the movie “Crash”, where the same sequence was used to show racism being practiced by the cops with the black.

In few words, “New York” is like an old wine presented in a glossy Yash Raj bottle. It is just an Ok movie with nothing new or exceptional from a brilliant director, Kabir Khan. Would love to see him, back in form again with his next.

Ratings : 2 / 5

(ORIGINALLY POSTED AT WWW.BOBBYTALKSCINEMA.COM)

PAYING GUEST - Movie Review : A completely tasteless dish served to the hungry movie lovers. (Review by Bobby Sing)

Movie lovers all over the world are desperate to see a good entertaining movie after the long non-happening break in Hindi Cinema. And even a marginally good movie could possibly become a profit earner for its producers at this particular point of time. But “Paying Guest” doesn’t even score the minimum points to qualify at that level. It is a completely out of tune project with an all predictable storyline and repetitive gags.

The plot can be easily guessed from its title and on air promos, which revolves around men posing like girls to get a shelter as Paying Guests. We have already witnessed the same narrative in many movies in the past and the only thing which could have saved the movie was its treatment and performances. Sadly, the movie doesn’t have anything to hold your interest in those departments too. From the start itself, you already know what is going to happen next and you simply give up all your hopes of watching a quality comedy from there on. All the four key characters lose their jobs, have no place to live and then find a home where only married couples are allowed as Paying Guests. It all sounds like a book already read till the last page. So there is no surprise element as far as the story is concerned.

In the performance department, though we have a talented ensemble of actors known for their comic timings, still no one in particular is as impressive as their earlier movies. Out of all only, Shreyas Talpade and Johny Lever (as the Sikh Landlord) manage to provide a few moments to enjoy for the viewers. Javed Jaffery looks like holding back intentionally, with Ashish Chowdhary & Vatsal Seth just playing their parts as assigned. Chunky Pandey and Inder Kumar are simply wasted in their non sensible roles. In the female lead, only Delnaz is able to give a good performance as Johny Lever’s wife trying to speak English words in her own style. Rest all including Neha Dhupia, Celina Jaitley, Riya Sen and Sayali Bhagat are only there to add more glamour on the screen. In fact, Sheryas & Javed in their woman avatars are more entertaining than all the other girls put together. But even their worth praising acts go un-noticed since there is nothing new in their under-written routine like sequences and all heard before, one liner jokes. Well known veteran comedy actors like Asrani, Paintel and Viju Khote are also there to give a real comedy feel to the movie.

Sajid Wajid’s music once again fails to deliver anything exceptional after their last week project, with only one song “Jack & Jill”, sounding good to the ears. Location wise, the movie has a novelty in store, exploring Bangkok and Pattaya with a fresh perspective. But without any real entertainment happening on the screen, you are just not interested in seeing only the good visuals.

It looks like the director, Paritosh Painter, only had an idea of men posing as women in mind for his movie. And then he got a whole script written around this plot and just started the shoot. He seems to be highly inspired from Ritesh Deshmukh’s widely appreciated lady act in “Apna Sapna Money Money”. A scene from this movie can also be spotted running on a TV in the background, when the boys come to Johny Lever’s house for the first time. Paritosh also tries to create the same magic of “Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron” towards the climax where all the characters jump into an ongoing stage show, in different getups, speaking their own dialogues. But here also the magic of the original remains untouched.

Summing up, “Paying Guest” is like a badly cooked and completely tasteless dish served to the hungry movie lovers at a time when they seriously need a good one.

Ratings : 1.5 / 5

(Originally Posted at www.bobbytalkscinema.com)

Kal Kissne Dekha - Movie Review : The sincere effort of Jackie gets ditched by a baffled script. (Review by Bobby Sing)

Good times are here again as our movie world is back on track with its usual glamour and drama. And what a long gap it was missing the exciting Fridays, parting with our favorite theater ambience and waiting for the lights to go off as usual. So, it was nice to be in my cinema seat again but sadly was not feeling the same moving out of the hall.

Kal Kissne Dekha, is the first movie to be released after the patch up between the producers and cinema owners. It is considered to be a major venture, since it's the launching pad of Vashu Bhagnani’ son, Jackie Bhagnani. The boy looks fresh and has impressive acting and dancing abilities to his merit. But unfortunately he becomes a victim of a below the mark execution of a weak and repetitive script. The film is based on a future gazing plot, also seen in some recent releases, such as “Aa Dekhen Zara” & “8 X 10 Tasveer”. And like these two, Kal Kisne Dekha, also goes on the same path where the direction fails to execute & materialize the interesting plot on screen.

The movie starts off from a village in Punjab with all the characters speaking dialogues, in a deliberate mix of Punjabi & Hindi. This very scene brings down all the excitement level as using Punjab and its background in movies has now reached a saturation point. We have already seen the same kind of sequences and dialogues between a Punjabi mother and his son several times before. So it’s time, Bollywood directors start thinking beyond Punjab.

From Punjab, the story moves on to Mumbai where, Nihaal (Jackie) joins his College and also gets to meet his lady love, Meesha (Vaishali Desai). Here we again are served with repetitive scenes of riffs between seniors and freshers, small fights between the lead couple, and then love emerging from both sides, as a requisite. As Nihaal and Meessha fall in love, we are also introduced to Rishi Kapoor, a Physics Professor in the College who in reality is the technical brain behind a dangerous Terrorist Group.

However, the main plot of the movie, revealed much later, is the Future Predicting power possessed by Jackie. He is gifted with a vision to predict the future events and thus is able to save many lives. Strangely, this plot of future gazing, which should have been given the main emphasis, is used in a very light and unimpressive manner by the director. You never feel excited knowing that the Hero can predict future. Neither there are any thrilling sequences which make you jump on to the corner of your seat. In fact, you feel sorry for Jackie, who keeps on trying hard to bring the viewer into the movie but gets ditched by the screenplay in a big way.

Particularly, the scene where Jackie discloses his precious gift of a vision in front of his college friends, Police & Media is filmed in a very childish manner. For example, on knowing about his futuristic vision, one of the reporters asks, “How do you see those visions, in black & white or in colour?” Quite funny! The climax sequence of Jackie, predicting the hidden bombs planted in different places is also directed in a very simple style, which fails to generate any curiosity in the viewer.

Director Vivek Sharma, did a good job in “Bhoothnath”, where he came out with some good emotional scenes along with a pleasant comedy touch. But in “Kal Kissne Dekha” he seems to be confused between the love theme and thriller plot of the movie. The script tries to incorporate all the famous Bollywood ingredients into it, which in turn completely spoils the final product.

Performance wise, Jackie Bhagnani, definitely shows promise and has surely got the talent to watch out in future. Unluckily, he didn’t get ample support from his director and writer in his debut movie, even when it was his own home production. His personality also has a slight resemblance with Uday Chopra, which should be worked upon for his next ventures. Vaishali, as his love interest, acts well with confidence, but looks more like a glamorous model in many sequences. They both look good together on the screen, especially in the song sequences shot brilliantly.

Interestingly there is a long list of reputed artists, wasted in the movie, doing unimportant things at regular intervals. Rishi Kapoor, plays a negative character of an insane scientist and doesn’t seem to be natural in that. Ritesh Deshmukh, is there trying to make you laugh but fails to do so in an undefined role. Sanjay Dutt can be seen dancing as a DJ in a song, but you may not spot him, if not watching carefully. Juhi Chawla, gives a surprising cameo as a Stage Anchor in the Shopping Mall, who simply vanishes when a Bomb is reported under the stage.

Rahul Dev as the main terrorist, Satish Shah as Meesha’ father, Farida Jalal as Meesha’s caretaker & Archana Puran Singh as Jackie’s mother, have nothing much to do in their under-written roles. Archna’s character of a Punjabi mother, coming to the city for his son, also reminds me of a similar character of Sunny Deol’s mother in “Jo Bole So Nihaal”. Interestingly Jackie’s name “Nihaal” is also the same as Sunny Deol’s in the above mentioned flick.

Sajid-Wajid's music in the movie could only reach the average mark with no particular song as a front runner. And as usual the songs are placed at places where they were not required at all. Though, there are some great natural location canned beautifully by the cinematographer, but the locations also keep on jumping from local to foreign ones with no continuity as such.

Summing up, “Kal Kissne Dekha” is a victim of some baffled writing trying to incorporate both a love story and a thriller, into the same project. It has only Jackie Bhagnani sincerely trying his best to do the right things but everyone else doesn’t seem to be interested.

Rating : 1.5 / 5

(Originally Posted at www.bobbytalkscinema.com)