No filmmaker sets out to make a lousy film, that much I'm willing to believe. But if your film doesn't have one single merit, how dare you expect it to work?

Jashnn, which releases at cinemas this weekend, is a film with no perceivable merit. It has a silly excuse for a plot, some of the poorest actors you could possibly assemble, and just about average music. No wonder it's such a punishment to endure.

Adhyayan Suman, the most stiff young newcomer since Harman Baweja, stars as a wannabe musician who's waiting for his big break, but bides his time arguing with girls in coffee shops meanwhile. His sister, played by Rock On's Shahana Goswami is the stay-at-home mistress of a married businessman (played by one Humayun Saeed) who pays the bills for the fancy house that Shahana and Adhyayan live in. When Adhyayan starts dating Anjana Sukhani, a Boston-returned bimbo who happens to be the sister of Shahana's boyfriend, all hell breaks loose.



An old-fashioned morality tale with stereotypes for characters, Jashnn fails miserably because the drama's so predictable and most of the performances so embarrassing. Adhyayan Suman, looking silly with that frizzy mop of hair, can't pull off the simplest of scenes without breaking into hysteria, and Anjana Sukhani has precisely one expression. Humayun Saeed, the villain of this piece, yells most of the time but he's got a blank look plastered across his face.

A one-line premise that's reluctantly stretched into an unconvincing screenplay, Jashnn belongs to that pantheon of bad '80s melodramas where characters say horrible things to each other and then spend the rest of the movie regretting it.

Directed by Raksha Mistry and Hasnain Hyderabadwala, the pair who helmed such previous duds as The Killer and The Train, both starring Emraan Hashmi by the way, Jashnn is a fiasco of the highest order. Judged purely by what you see on screen, it's evident the director-duo doesn't have a fingernail's worth of skill at telling a credible story. The film collapses like a house of cards; it's only strength being a reasonably convincing performance by Shahana Goswami who comes off as gifted as Shabana Azmi when compared to the rest of these jokers.



Because the zero rating is reserved for objectionable films, I'm going with a generous one out of five for Jashnn. The film's title means celebration. I can safely say that was wishful thinking on the part of its makers.

A thrilling cocktail of gloomy mystery and comical growing pains, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is easily the best of the six films in the series so far, even if it's the one in which very little happens in terms of actual plot development and crucial incidents.

Setting the mood with that terrific opening scene in which evil swoops and soars into the normal world with explosive black trails of smoke destroying London's monuments, the film remains fiercely faithful to the book, and makes no attempts to woo Harry Potter virgins who will struggle to appreciate this as a stand-alone picture.

Starting off at the point where the Death Eaters are wreaking havoc in London, The Half-Blood Prince follows Dumbeldore as he asks Harry to help persuade retired Potions Master Horace Slughorn to return to Hogwarts, with the aim of retreiving a buried memory from Slughorn's past that will prove crucial in the upcoming fight against Voldemort.

Meanwhile, Hogwarts has been hit by a flood of raging hormones. While Harry struggles with his feelings for Ginny Weasley, Ron starts going out with Lavender Brown, which upsets a jealous Hermione. Draco Malfoy is behaving suspiciously too, but he seems preoccupied with a mysterious vanishing cabinet.

Imaginatively visualised and stylishly filmed, The Half-Blood Prince is packed with stunning sequences like the suspenseful chase between Bellatrix and Harry in a wheat field, and a breathless conflict between Draco and Harry in a Hogwarts bathroom.

The film's one sole flaw is that at two-and-a-half-hours it's way too long and unforgivably slow in some stretches.



The genius, yet again, lies in the endearing performances and the lighter moments. Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley, steals the film with his comic delivery, especially that scene he performs under the influence of the love potion; and Brit thespian Jim Broadbent is ace as the bumbling Professor Slughorn.

There is a sense of comfort and familiarity each time you settle down to watch a new Harry Potter film because you know the characters, you care for them now, and you want them to be safe. The relationship between Harry, Ron and Hermione remains the lifeblood of these stories, and it's to the credit of the three actors who play these parts that they bring a degree of warmth and affection to their scenes together.



In a sense, The Half-Blood Prince is really the set-up story for the next instalment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows which will be split into two films. It lays the groundwork for what will happen next and succeeds in leaving you with a foreboding sense of doom.

Complaints against the plot and against the omission of several incidents from the book feel redundant when you look the film as a whole. For followers of the franchise, this is potent stuff and a very worthy companion piece to the rest. I'm going with two thumbs up and four out of five for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Directed remarkably by David Yates, this is exactly what fans have been waiting for.

Cast: Diego Luna, Samantha Morton, Denis Lavant

Director: Harmony Korine

It's release timed shrewdly to coincide with all the hysteria around Jacko's death, Mister Lonely is an intriguing, fascinating film in which a Michael Jackson impersonator (played by Diego Luna) meets a Marilyn Monroe clone in Paris, and follows her to a Scottish commune of celebrity imitators including Charlie Chaplin, Abraham Lincoln, James Dean, Madonna, The Pope and Sammy Davis Jr among others.

The beauty of this film lies in the dichotomy of its very premise - these quietly obsessive souls grapple with who they are and how they can find their own way of life away from the real world, even as they spend the most part of their lives imitating celebrities from this very world.


There's more than a hint of sadness brimming beneath the surface of this film, and it rears its head occasionally to cause a lump in your throat.

But there's also a bizarre parallel track about a priest and some skydiving nuns who work on an aid mission in South America that is hard to put your finger on. Despite some fine performances, this film is no easy watch because it's often abstract, and expects you to decipher and interpret much for yourself. There's also no apparent link between both narrative tracks, making it hard to understand where it's all leading to.



Still, give it a chance if you have a taste for experimental cinema. I'm going with two out of five and an average rating for Mister Lonely. It's not conventional entertainment, but there is an interesting idea somewhere there.

Seemingly inspired by the great mythological character of Vamanan, debutant director Ahmed has dished out a movie
that is about an ordinary young man who gets into a tangle and emerges successfully against all odds.

After making a mark for himself by doing a couple of experimental movies, Jai is finally seen in a full-length commercial film that has loads of romance, action and humour.



Right from frame one, Jai makes his intentions very clear, delivering a performance that has influence of mass heroes like Vijay and Silambarasan complimented by his body language and dialogue delivery.

The story of the film is as old as a hill. A prominent minister (Delhi Ganesh) is killed by his colleague and a video tape that captures the crime goes missing. The murderer, who is an influential man in society, searches for the tape in connivance with some policemen.

As it happens, it eventually reaches the hero and what follows is the crux of the story.

Anand (Jai) wants to make a career in acting. He sets out of his village and comes to Chennai. He takes refuge in his friend's (Santhanam) house, who works as a cameraman with a satellite TV channel.

Anand tries his best to find a chance to enter the tinsel town. One day he comes across John (Rahman), whose antics and valour impress him. And they soon become good friends.

Anand, in the meantime, meets Divya (Priya) at a railway station and romance blossoms between them. He also comes across Pooja (Lakshmi Rai), a model, and befriends her. The twist in the tale is that the much sought-after video tape that captured the minister's murder by his colleague Anbu Chezhiyan (Sampath) lies with her.

Coming to know of it, the cops and Anbu Chezhian's henchmen are behind her. One day she gets killed and the blame falls on Anand. He manages to escape from the police and meets John. Only through John, he comes to know about the tape.

Anand manages to get the tape from Pooja's house after much search. It's now the cat and mouse game between him and Anbu Chezhiyan before he gets a surprise in the form of John.

Jai manages to leave a mark playing an aspiring actor. In the company of Santhanam, he does evoke good humour. Newcomer Priya plays a typical heroine. She loves Anand, shakes a leg to a couple of songs and disappears suddenly.

Lakshmi Rai plays a role that she has been doing for sometime now. As a model, she wears stylish costumes and even does a pole dance. Sampath, as a menacing villain, is good.

Santhanam walks away with honours. His humour does evoke laughter.

The scene-stealer is cinematographer Arvindh Krishna. His lens captures the wild chase well, besides picturising dry Chennai in a fresh tone. Yuvanshankar Raja's music is a letdown. The songs are average and give a 'heard before' feeling.

The major flaw is that one gets a feeling of dej? vu as scenes unfold, especially in the second half. Also, the lengthy second-half badly needs trimming.

Vamananm had promised big, but falls short.

Movie Review: Morning Walk; Star cast: Anupam Kher, Sharmila Tagore, Divya Dutta, Rajat Kapoor, Nargis, Shayan Munshi and Avika Gor; Director: Arup Dutta; Rating: * 1/2 - Offers nothing new.

Professor Joymohan (Kher) stays alone in Kolkata. He is a heart patient and when he gets a severe heart attack on his birthday he realizes he needs to spend as much time with his family in Mumbai as possible. He then goes to Mumbai to his son Indra (Rajat), daughter in law Rita (Divya) and grand daughter Gargi (Avika). While Indra and Gargi are delighted, Rita is not so happy about his arrival. She makes her displeasure more vocal. Joymohan starts going for morning walks to the nearby park in the mornings. During one such morning walk he meets his old student Neelima (Tagore) and her daughter Anjali (Nargis) who wants to do a doctorate in the US. What secret Joymohan and Neelima share and what happens after it comes out forms the rest of the plot.


Morning Walk offers nothing new. The makers aren’t focused with one issue but try to pack in a lot of things together. Some sequences like those between Anupam Kher and Balika Vadhu girl Avika Gor and between Sharmila Tagore and Kher have been penned and enacted well. But the displeasure of Divya Dutta about her father in law’s arrival is ditto in the lines of Baghban. Arup Dutta has handled few emotional moments well and is technical sound considering it is his debut directorial venture. However he is failed by a lackluster script. The music by Jeet Ganguly is extremely tuneful and worth a buy.

Veterans Anupam Kher and Sharmila try to rise above the script and succeed to an extent. Garam Masala girl Nargis needs a crash course in acting. Shayan Munshi is passable. Divya Dutta is good and so is Rajat Kapoor. Avika Gor is cute and immensely likeable.

Morning Walk is a movie that doesn’t need a trip to the movie hall, but it wont harm you if you catch it on a lazy Sunday noon on home video.

Movie Review: Sankat City; Star cast: Kay Kay Menon, Rimi Sen, Anupam Kher, Chunky Pandey, Yashpal Sharma and Dilip Prabhawalkar; Director: Pankaj Advani; Rating: ***1/2 - Go enjoy the ride.

Guru (Kay Kay Menon) is a car thief whose partner in crime is a garage owner Ganpat (Dilip Prabhawalkar). Fouzdar (Kher), an underworld don sends his driver to deliver Rs. 1 crore cash to deliver it to filmmaker Gogi (Manoj Pahwa). But Guru ends up stealing this car and is over the moon on finding the cash bag inside. But before Guru could savor the money, he is caught by Fouzdar. When Fouzdar sends his henchman Lovely (Jehangir Khan) along with Guru to get back his money hidden in garage, Lovely unintentionally ends up hurting Ganpat’s head. Since Ganpat before that had hidden the money at a different place it gets crazier since Ganpat now has lost his memory with the assault on his head. Now Guru is given three days by Fouzdar to get back his money or else face death. Guru then chances upon his old partner in crime Mona (Rimi) and both join hands. What helluva crazy ride it all leads as Guru goes on to get Rs. 1 crore forms the rest of the plot.

The film’s biggest assets are the zany humour and also the acting by each and every actor. Pankaj Advani’s narrative style is terrific and keeps you engaged throughout. It is good debut by the filmmaker. While the first half breezes quickly, the second gets a little slow but however the film picks up well during the climax. Amongst the most hilarious scenes are Anupam Kher’s sequences with a nervous wreck builder played by Yashpal Sharma, Kay Kay and Ganpat’s friendly banter, Kay Kay and Rimi’s theft at Yashpal Sharma’s flat and Kay Kay’s taxi ride with a Sardar taxi driver who is hunting for his lost brother. Ranjit Barot’s background music is impressive.

Kay Kay is simply superb while Rimi gives her best performance till date. Her constant Bengali banter is cute. Anupam Kher is top class. Chunky Pandey in a double role is hilariously good. Manoj Pahwa, Yashpal Sharma, Sanjay Mishra, Hemant Pandey, Virendra Saxena and Sunita Rajwar lend able support. Rahul Dev in a short role of a hit man impresses.

Sankat City is a must watch for all those complaining to see something different yet full of fun.

Movie Review: Shortkut – The Con is on; Star cast: Akshaye Khanna, Arshad Warsi, Amrita Rao, Siddhant Randeria and Chunky Pandey; Director: Neeraj Vora; Rating: * 1/2 - Is an opportunity lost.

Shekhar (Akshaye) is a hardworking assistant director who is striving to become an independent writer director. He lives in a Mumbai chawl and all the chawl residents including the owner Kantibhai (Randeria) dote on him. Popular actress Mansi (Amrita) and Shekhar are in love but her gold digger parents are against their relationship. Shekhar finally manages to write the perfect script that would give him the golden break. Meanwhile Raju (Arshad) a good for nothing struggling actor becomes his unwanted guest after having been thrown out of his rented house. Raju manages to find a producer who would cast him as a hero if he gets him a great script. Meanwhile at the same time, a producer agrees to make a film on Shekhar’s script and even gives him the signing amount. But a greedy Raju backstabs Shekhar and steals this very script and sells it to his producer, Tolani (Tiku Talsania). Since he is a very bad actor, Tolani hires Guru Kapoor (Chunky) an acting teacher to train him. Smooth talking Raju manages to convince Guru to become his business manager as well apart from acting guru. When truth dawns upon Shekhar after Raju’s film’s trial show is held that he has been conned by the same person whom he gave shelter to, shattered and shocked he threatens to sue Tolani’s film. A hapless Tolani begs him not to since he was pinning hope on this very film since all his previous projects had flopped. Shekhar agrees with a heavy heart. Meanwhile, Mansi leaves her demanding parents’ home and comes to Shekhar and they get married. However, hard times fall on Shekhar as he is unable to concentrate on writing after Raju’s heartbreaking con. While Raju goes on to become a big star with his debut film becoming a super hit, Shekhar’s family life suffers and he starts venting his frustrations on Mansi. Frustrated, Mansi leaves Shekhar. How then a determined Shekhar rises up from the ashes with the help of his chawl owner and neighbours and manages to teach Raju (who is now King Kumar) a lesson and also win back Mansi forms the rest of the film.

Although modeled on a popular Malayalam film starring Mohanlal and Meena, Shortkut’s script is a mix of Hollywood films Big Fat Liar and Bowfinger (especially the climax portions). However, despite having a script writer of Anees Bazmee’s caliber, good actors like Akshaye, Amrita and Arshad and a prolific producer in actor Anil Kapoor, the film falls flat. One fails to understand why Neeraj Vora has made his every actor yell while mouthing their dialogues. While the promos of Shortkut have been giving the feel of the film being a full on comedy, it is far from one. The best comic moments in the film are the ones you have been watching in the promos, rest is full on melodrama. The initial portions of the film manage to impress you as everything happens with break neck speed hardly giving you anytime to think but once Raju’s con is exposed, the film drops pace and only manages to come to life during the truly hilarious climax. Anees Bazmee’s script is the main culprit here. Shankar Ehsaan Loy’s music is average. The item song featuring grown up item boys Sanjay Dutt and Anil Kapoor appears forced.

Akshaye Khanna is a good actor but watching him yell almost every time while speaking his dialogues is not a great experience. Arshad Warsi as the wily star suites the role. Amrita Rao is good as always. Her much talked about hot avatar works and is definitely going to increase her fan following. Chunky Pandey is okay. Siddharth Randeria is very good and the motley of Gujarati theater actors who play Shekhar’s chawl neighbours are mirth inducing.

After you come out from Shortkut the first thing that comes to your mind is that it’s a wonderful opportunity lost by the makers. Though it aims to be a clean entertainer, it disappoints big time and ends up being a wannabe Priyadarshan film

Movie Review: New York; Star Cast: John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Irrfan Khan; Director: Kabir Khan; Rating: ***1/2 - Is a must watch.

Omar (Neil) is picked up by the FBI and detained for arms found in his owned taxi. Basically it’s a well planned set up by FBI officer Roshan (Irrfan) and his boss to get Omar agreeing on to work as an undercover agent for them and infiltrate the family the life of Samir (John) and Maya (Katrina) who were Omar’s college friends 7-8 years back. Roshan suspects Samir of running a sleeper terrorism cell and he wants to nab him red handed. Omar is left with no option but to comply with Roshan’s orders but he agrees on one condition that the FBI won’t kill Samir if he agrees to surrender. Years back when in college Omar, Maya and Samir were thick buddies and Omar silently loved Maya but when she expressed her love for Samir, Omar had gone away from them. What truth Omar uncovers when he meets Samir and Maya both now a married couple with a small kid Danielle and what it all leads to forms the rest of the film.

New York can easily be considered the best film to come out of the Yash Raj stable after Chak De India. Shot entirely in the US, the film not only is on par with the best of the Hollywood films made in this genre but is a completely different experience which the Bollywood audience is not used to. You are completely hooked from the first scene of the film when Neil is arrested by FBI and the interrogation that follows by Irrfan of Neil’s. The first half is extremely well narrated and keeps you constantly guessing as to what will happen next. The interval point is a shocker and you look forward to an exciting second half. But then the pace of the second half somehow doesn’t match up that of the first half and there are some predictable things in store. But nonetheless it is packed with some really great moments. The whole frisking episode of Katrina Kaif by a cop on the road late at night and the sequences that follow it linger on your mind for long. The climax though a bit word heavy is superbly shot as well. The torture scenes shown immediately post the interval send a shiver down your spine. Pritam’s music is easy on the ears and there are no lip sync songs to hamper the proceedings.

New York scores high in the acting department with each single actor delivering his/her best. John Abraham often termed as an expressionless actor has delivered his career’s finest performance. Katrina Kaif has finally got the meatiest role of her career and she has taken full advantage of it. She is very good in emotional scenes as well. Neil in a difficult part shines. Irrfan Khan never disappoints and here again he is in great form. His scenes with Neil and also his senior officer have turned out well.

New York takes up a topical theme and perfectly exposes the wily ways of the American FBI to which over hundreds of innocent Muslim people had fallen prey to post 9/11. It is a must watch for many reasons so just don’t miss it.

Movie Review: Zor Lagaa Ke…Haiya; Star Cast: Mithun Chakraborthy, Mahesh Manjrekar, Riya Sen, Gulshan Grover, Seema Biswas, Ashwin Chitale, Ayesha Kaduskar, Meghan Jadhav, Ritwik Tyagi and Hardik Thakkar; Director: Girish Girija Joshi; Rating: *** 1/2 - Best children’s film in recent years.



Four kids staying in the same building – Laddu (Hardik), Priya (Ayesha), Ritesh (Ritwik) and Karan (Meghan) feel threatened by a beggar staying near their building. They nickname him Ravan for his scary appearance. Forever intrigued by the bag he always carry with him, the four friends devise various plans to steal it and find out what is inside it but all their plans fail as Ravan (Mithun) outsmarts them every time. Finally they decide upon building a small tree house in their building compound so that through it they can keep a watch on Ravan who stays on the road across their building. Ram (Ashwin) who works as a labourer on the upcoming new constructions in their complex, comes to their aid and helps them build this tree house. But after many more attempts on stealing Ravan’s bags, the five kids end up being friends with Ravan and their tree house starts becoming the night abode for him. But, danger comes in form of ruthless builder Bakshi (Gulshan Grover) who decides to raze the tree for making way for a new gate in front of it for his commercial purposes. He takes aid of Gupta (Mahesh Manjrekar) his contractor on the site. How the five kids with the help of the homeless Ravan give a fight to Gupta and his cronies to save their tree forms the rest of the film.

While there was always a risk of sounding preachy when films carry a strong message, debutante director Girish has successfully managed to avoid that by subtly yet strongly incorporating his message through a neatly woven screenplay. The best thing about Zor Lagaa Ke is that the children in the film behave their age unlike typical filmy kids and their behaviour in this film is definitely relatable. Girish and his writer’s team have come up with some really good emotional moments especially in the second half. The lighter moments, such as the Superheroes, Mahabharat and Sarkar take offs have been imaginatively woven. The various tricks employed by Ravan and the five kids to shove away Bakshi and Gupta from cutting their tree house are simply hilarious. But the big twist in the climax is the master stroke. Bapi Tutul’s music is melodious with some real good lyrics by Amitabh Verma with the pick of the lot being Sapnon Ka… number. Most importantly none of the songs hamper the pace of the film.

The film deserves full marks in the acting department. Each single kid has leaves you very impressed with his/her endearing act. While Ashwin Chitale the child star of India’s Oscar entry Shwaas is simply superb in emotional moments, the burly Hardik and also Meghan, Ayesha and Ritwik enact their parts naturally. Mahesh Manjrekar is the most entertaining amongst the adults. The constant bearing he has maintained of his mannerisms is howlarious. Seema Biswas is remarkable as usual. Gulshan Grover is menacingly good. Riya Sen manages a cute cameo. But it is Mithun who towers over the film with his absolutely brilliant acting. This old war horse has proved yet again that if you give him a good role and a nice script and he will show you why he is such a multi National Award winning actor.

Zor Lagaa Ke…Haiya is a film for you and your children and of course the child in you, so just don’t miss it. Very rarely sensitive yet entertaining children’s films are made in India. It is a fine effort by debutante director Girish Girija Joshi and deserves a huge applause.

Kal Kissne Dekha: Waste of time and money

Rating: 2 out of 5*

Starring: Introducing Jackky Bhagnani and Vaishali Desai, Rishi Kapoor, Rahul Dev, Archana Puran Singh, Rachana Shah and Satish Shah

Director: Vivek Sharma



Nihal Singh (Jackky) from Chandigarh comes to Mumbai for higher studies. His college is the typical filmy college where he encounters seniors (Akshay Kapoor and company) who rag him. But then there is also the pretty Meesha (Vaishali) who steals his heart the moment he sees her. But she is a rich snooty gal who looks down upon Nihal and forever finds reasons to insult him. But he wins her over by saving her in the nick of the time from a bomb blast. This situation also brings forth to the world his special gift that he can see future. His doting Physics professor Verma (Rishi Kapoor) however has other sinister plans and takes advantage of Nihal’s innocence for planning out serial blasts in Mumbai. He is also aided by Marshal (Rahul Dev) in hideous act. How Nihal turns the tables on the villains forms the rest of plot.

Once you come out of the cinema hall the first question that comes to your mind is what were the makers thinking? That the audience has a brain of a 13 year old and can be easily taken for a royal ride? You constantly keep getting feeling of déjà vu so many times that you lose count. The stuff such as - the typical small town boy with a heart of gold going to big city, getting ragged by seniors, falling in love with a rich and snooty girl, heroine abducted by villains, hero fighting everyone single handedly has been witnessed countless times. Agreed the makers have added the premonition bit for the hero’s characters but due to lack of imagination on part of the writers, even that part has been not explored properly. New Zealand and South Africa are passed off as Mumbai, hero from ground floor parking lot drives his car to 15 floor of a building and jumps along with it directly on a yacht some miles away and escaping unhurt. What was he Superman? Also what is the motivation behind Rahul Dev and company for carrying out blasts? They appear more as filmy terrorists shown staying in deserted factories. Also, so much noise was made about Slumdog Millionaire child stars Rubina Ali and Azhar are in the film but they are barely there for 2 seconds and there faces too aren’t shown properly. Sanjay Dutt’s appearance is to be seen to disbelieve. Akshay Kapoor suddenly disappears from the scene for no reason. Vivek Sharma had earlier messed a film starring Bollywood’s two living legends Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan and he has now messed up the debut of two promising newcomers. He is technically good but lacks imagination. Sajid – Wajid’s music is a mix of good peppy numbers and melody and the back ground score is effective. However, just when the pace picks up during pre-climax, a sad song is incorporated.

Jackky makes a confident debut and with the right script and direction can go places. Also, debuting along with him, Vaishali Desai not only has amazing screen presence but also good acting skills. She has also carried some glamorous clothes with panache. Rishi Kapoor carries out his diabolic professor act with effortless ease. Though Rahul Dev puts up a convincing act as the villain, he appears as if he is playing the same character that he did in Aa Dekhen Zara. Archana Puran Singh as Jackky’s mom is loveable. Akshay Kapoor is good. Rachana Shah as Rahul Dev’s aide doesn’t impress whereas Satish Shah playing heroine’s dad, for no reason appears grumpy throughout the movie. Ritesh Deshmukh is hilarious in a cameo and so is his sidekick played by music director Wajid.

Kal Kissne Dekha is simply not worth your hard earned money and time. The two stars we have given are just for the honest acting efforts by the lead pair and Rishi Kapoor.

Kitkit+Cricket = Kirkit: Amateurish Crap

Rating: 1 out of 5*

Starring: Jackie Shroff, Sayali Bhagat, Sanjay Kapoor, Johhny Lever and Gulshan Grover

Director: Shashi Preetam

Five spoilt rich brats come to Goa on a holiday from Mumbai. Their sole aim is to enjoy girls and alcohol which they assume one gets in abundance in Goa. They end up having clashes with another group of boys from Hyderabad who are very hot headed. If they think that was their last encounter together, they have more clashes as they end up landing in the same hotel wherein only a single room is available for both of them. Now when that matter gets resolved, they end up having a fight over the same girl in the hotel night club. Frustrated by their constant skirmishes the two groups then decide amongst them that to settle the matter for once and all between them as to who is the real winner, they will have a deciding cricket match. Their two cocky hotel managers played by Sanjay Kapoor and Gulshan Grover come to know of it and taking advantage of this situation they decide to turn it around into a money making business. They arrange the match on a larger scale and also invite their hotel owner (Jackie Shroff) and his blonde assistant as the chief guest. So there we have a match between the two teams aptly titled Mumbai Vada Pavs and Hyderabadi Biryani. How a smart Sayali Bhagat decides to exploit this situation further and what more complications it all leads to forms the rest of the film.



From the first frame of the film itself you are sure that the film ahead is going to be one helluva amateurish attempt at filmmaking. Corny one-liners, toilet humour, double innuendo jokes galore you name it you have it all. Pray why do they have to show five dudes pissing, so elaborately?

Technically not a single department is worth a mention. Characterisations full of cliché, lack of imaginative screenplay, trivial matters given more importance makes one difficult to sit through the entire film. All the team members of both teams are newcomer boys who simply lack any acting skills. They haven’t been presented well either.

We wonder what made Jackie Shroff, Sayali Bhagat and Sanjay Kapoor sign such an embarrassing affair. May be lack of good offers perhaps Our sincere request, don’t commit the mistake the above mentioned names have committed and stay miles away from this one even on Home Video.

'Kal Kissne Dekha' is a common adage heard whenever a conversation veers towards future. Time and again one wonders about what future has in hold for us but the end result is always a casual shrug of shoulders.


Director Vivek Sharma
Producer Vashu Bhagnani
Starring Jacky Bhagnani, Vaishali Desai, Archana Puran Singh, Akshay Kapoor, Javed Jaffrey, Rachna Shah, Kunal Kumar, Nushrat Bharucha


Kal Kissne Dekha Movie Review

Kal Kisne Dekha Movie Review will be Posted soon, meanwhile check out the Movie Preview of Kal Kissne Dekha


Well, that's not something that Bollywood is content with though. The film industry, which is forever looking for newer and creative ideas, has quite happily grabbed the idea of looking into the future. Result is that there have been three such releases in recent times that had a common theme of venturing into a territory that has been hitherto unexplored while a fourth is already on it's way.

These films are 'Tasveer 8X10', 'Aa Dekhen Zara', '13B' and 'Kal Kissne Dekha'. While future gazing is of course a favorite topic ['Aa Dekhen Zara', 'Kal Kissne Dekha'], even supernatural element around a non-living subject defining our tomorrow (or yesterday) held prominence in at least a couple of films ['Tasveer 8X10', '13B'].

In 'Aa Dekhen Zara', director Jehangir Surti focused on a camera which had the ability to look into the future and warn in advance about what's going to happen next. Well, seems audiences were truly warned about what was really in store as they chose to stay away from the film which has failed at the box office in two weeks flat.

With a camera gadget doing the trick, one wonders where does the place remain for a conventional lead hero in Bollywood?

"Exactly the point", says R. Madhavan, "My '13B' didn't have any conventional male lead in fact. Instead, it was the TV which played the main lead."

In such poor times at the box office when films are failing left, right and center, Madhavan's 13B has still managed to hold fort to an extent by accumulating 8 crores at the box office during it's four week run so far.

The biggest of them was touted to be Akshay Kumar starrer 'Tasveer 8X10' though where a photo frame held prominence in the film's narrative. This time around it was a journey into the past through this frame. However, present audience was hardly interested in the past and caused a dent to Akshay's future by giving it thumbs down. Result is that the film has turned out to be one of the biggest trade disasters of Akshay's near two decade career.

One looks forward to the fourth movie with a 'future' subject being explored - 'Kal Kissne Dekha'. The film talks about the power of seeing the future though this time around it's the lead protagonist himself and not a gadget or a picture that does the trick.

"Nihal Singh is a gifted boy. He realizes only after a point in time that he gets some true premonitions. He isn't sure about it to begin with but later settles down to this gift", says Jackky Bhagnani, the debutant lead of the film in a guarded tone. Of course there is a lot more to the storyline but with the film still being a few more weeks away from release, he is rightly holding on to the information.

Well, with quite a few innovative story ideas failing when it came to execution, all eyes are now set on 'Kal Kissne Dekha' to 'see' (pun intended) if the 'future' actually holds good for Bollywood. With debutant Vaishali Desai in the lead and director Vivek 'Bhoothnath' Sharma at the helm of direction, this Vashu Bhangani production which has music by Sajid-Wajid could arrive on 1st May if the stand off between producers and multiplexes gets cleared by that time!

Though there is still some more time to go before the tumultuous phase at Bollywood comes to an end, there is little respite in store with the arrival of a new movie at the least. It is Kunal Khemmu and Soha Ali Khan starrer ‘99′ which would be seeing a release at single screens as well as multiplexes.

The film comes at the time when Bollywood is reeling under three way pressure. a) Producers v/s multiplex stand off is still on which means premier multiplex chains would have to wait for a while before films start screening there. b) Keeping aside this strike, 2009 has been a horrific year with barely a couple of movies managing to be successful at the box office. c) Recession, which showed it’s ugly face in 2008, has started showing it’s uglier side as hardly any new projects are currently being announced.

In such context, even if ‘99′ turns out to be a moderate success, it would be some reason to cheer at least. Not that it would make much difference to Bollywood score card since this small budget film is not expected to become a 50 crore super success overnight, hence bringing in good moolah back to the industry. In fact if the film manages to bring in even 20% of the stated figure, it would be celebration time for Bollywood.

So what kind of opening are we looking at for this comic caper which also stars Cyrus Broacha along with veterans Vinod Khanna, Boman Irani and Mahesh Manjrekar. Well frankly, in spite of ‘99′ being the first decent new film releasing after 6 weeks (’8X10 Tasveer’ was the last film with known names that arrived before the strike took off), there aren’t many expectations of an opening per se.

Moreover, promotion of the film has been below average, both on television as well as print media. Songs too haven’t been popular hence not really contributing to the buzz around the movie. What surely can be mentioned though is that the talkie promo of the film looks interesting, hence promising to be on the lines of a Guy Ritchie caper. If the entire film is as slick and interesting as the theatrical promo, we may actually have a film in hand that may go on to cover some distance in days to come.

Nevertheless, from an opening perspective, it would be a win in itself for the film if it manages to touch 50% mark on Friday. Fingers crossed and here is hoping that in the second quarter of 2009, ‘99′, which is directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, brings back some smiles into Bollywood.

Movie Review: Suno Na – Ek Nanhi Aawaz; Star Cast: Tara Sharma, Dharmendra Gohil, Avinash Tiwari, Rinku Patel, Makarand Shukla and Neha Baam; Director: Amy Thanawala; Rating: * 1/2 - Is simply boring.

Small town girl from Andhra, Anupama’s (Tara Sharma) boyfriend ditches her after she becomes pregnant. But Anu taking a brave step decides to get keep the child much against her family’s wishes. Facing their opposition, she moves to Mumbai with her best friend Raina (Rinku Patel) and even manages to get a job. Soon she begins experiencing an unusual thing. She starts hearing her yet unborn child talking to her. She names her unborn child Sammy and starts enjoying conversations with it. As Anu sets out to get a father for her child, she encounters three men from varied backgrounds. First one is her neighbour, musician HMV (Avinash), the second one is middle class professor Dhruv (Dharmendra Gohil) and the third one is her office colleague Deepak (Makrand). But then as Anu is trying to zero down on one, she realizes HMV is gay, Deepak is too conservative to accept someone else’s child and Dhruv is heartbroken on knowing she is carrying someone’s child without marrying him. Finally it boils down to a hospital climax which is the height of idiocy wherein all the three suitors are shown going inside the labour room wearing the scrubs. As expected by the audience by now, the new born turns out to be a girl. Professor saab Dhruv then makes Anu realize that it was her own inner voice she was listening to and not the unborn baby’s!

The whole concept of the film is suited more for a TV serial than a full fledged film. As you sit down to watch the film, your interest wanes of 20 minutes into the film. Lack of imaginative writing, screenplay full of clichés seen umpteen times before starts grating on your nerves and you wait for the film to end. Towards the end also you lose the curiosity who shall Anu end up with.

Tara Sharma is a decent actress but has a bad dialogue delivery. Amongst the three newcomers in male leads, Avinash Tiwari is okay while the rest two just about pass the muster. Rinku Patel is good.

Just give this film a pass and save yourself the agony which seems much worse than actual labour pains.