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September 30, 2019 — No Comments

K.G.F Chapter 1 Review

Rating: 7.5/10 (Majestic Action Thriller)

Cast: Yash, Srinidhi Shetty, Ayyapa, B Suresh, Srinivas Murthy, Archana Jois, Roopa Rayappa, Master Anmol, Ananth Nag, Tamanna, Mouni Roy, Malavika, Achut Kumar, Naga Bharana, Dinesh Mangalur, Harish roi, Ninasam Ashwath, Avinash, Ram, Lucky, Vinay, Puneeth Rudranag

Music: Ravi Basrur
Cinematographer: Bhuvan Gowda
Production Design: Shivakumar
Lyrics: Ramajogayya Sastry & Madhura Kavi
Fights: Anbariv-Venkat
Editor: Srikanth
Story-Screenplay-Direction:Prashanth Neel
Producer: Vijay Kiragandur

Format Watched: Amazon Prime (Kannada Version) 

On December 21st 2018, a film called KGF released. Led by the stunning trailers and grandeur, the film became an India wide sensation and the Kannada film industry took the nation by storm. Starring Rocking Star Yash in the lead role, KGF Chapter 1 is directed by Prashanth Neel. Why was the film such a sensation? Let's find out in this review.

Plot: Rocky (Yash) promises his mother that he will become rich and powerful. The rest of the story is why he enters KGF and the power struggle that ensues.

Performances: Rocking Star Yash is apt for the lead role and looks incredible as the rowdy Rocky Bhai. The beard and whole look compliment the character very well.

Heroine Srinidhi Shetty doesn't have much a role. Famous Kannada actor Ananthnag garu gets a crucial role as the narrator of the story and is he excellent as always.

The rest of the actors are all new and from the Kannada film industry and they are all well casted.

Direction: Prashanth Neel, take a bow. KGF is simply stunning and one of the most beautifully shot movies to ever come out of India. The visuals in the movie are simply world class and on par with any big budget movie anywhere in the world. The story of the film is simple. It's about a young man's quest for power and his hunt and journey of achieving it. It seems routine and you need emotions for the story to connect. And Neel succeeds mightily in that. The mother sentiment os heart touching and goosebumps inducing stuff. Literally every scene in the movie is grandly shot and is goosebumps inducing. The whole visual style of the narrative is amazing and shows how talented he is. The villain intro in particular is another highlight scene in the movie. Overall, KGF proves that you can have an average story, but it's the execution and narrative story telling technique that matters at the end of the day and Prashanth Neel succeeds in that regard and is easily one of India's most exciting young directors.

Technicalities: As mentioned before KGF is just a stunning movie overall. Not only is the story told brilliantly, but the technical aspects are just another level. Music and BGM by Ravi Basrur is WORLD CLASS. The BGM is the lifeline of the movie and easily one of the best background scores in the history of world cinema. Each and every scene is complemented by the incredible score. Cinematography by Bhuvan Gowda is also WORLD CLASS. Literally each and every scene in the movie is an elevation scene. There are some 500+ elevations scenes in the movie and each and every frame is grand and goosebump inducing to the viewer. The look and feel of the movie gives this rustic and gritty feel to the movie with constant green and brown color palettes. This is some next level stuff from the cameraman and here's hoping that he gets many more huge projects in the future. Simply outstanding. Dialogues are good. The best one is there is no better guardian than a mother in the bread scene. Goosebumps scene. Production Design is outstanding. The KGF set is incredible and the attention to detail needs to be commended. Costumes and Styling are very good. All the other technical departments are excellent. Production Values by Hombale Films are Mesmeric. It's amazing to see such a quality film with world class visuals coming from the Kannada film industry and here's hoping that they keep making bigger and better films for years to come.

Positives: 

+ Yash

+ Background Score 

+ Direction

+ Cinematography

+ Grand Visual Narrative and Scale 

Negatives: 

- Too Many Bearded Villains 

- Overdose of Elevations

Analysis and Final Take: KGF was hyped since day 1 with these trailers that gave us this epic feel and grand visuals. The movie wasn't expected to make any headlines outside of Karnataka. But the result is another Indian film that we can all be proud of. Simply put, KGF is a scintillating film. Not only is the story told well, but it's well made film in all components.

The first starts off in stunning fashion with a flashback. Yash's introduction scene is amazing and then Salaam Rocky Bhai is goosebumps inducing stuff. The first half is very good. The real story really starts at the interval when Rocky enters KGF and the emotions are excellent during this period and carry the film. The climax is outstanding with one particular scene involving Garuda in a pool. The shot there is simply iconic. The film ends with a bang and makes you restless for the 2nd part very similar to Baahubali.

However, this film does have its flaws. There are way too many villains and people in this movie needs a shave ASAP. Every single villain has a damn beard and there are too many villains and too many names thrown around and it's hard to pay attention to who is who. Also despite the background score and cinematography being world class, there are way too elevation scenes which eventually get boring and tiresome to some viewers. The right amount of elevations in doses is fine, but constant ones do tend to leave you exhausted.

Nevertheless, due it's grand scale and solid direction, KGF is a solid movie in the end.

Overall, KGF is a majestic action thriller from Prashanth Neel and Yash. The story, emotions, world class background score and cinematography make KGF a scintillating viewing experience for anybody. Definitely worth a watch for the moves South India is making as a whole. Massive steps towards huge respect from the entire country. 

 

Published by Teja Rao in Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu
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August 31, 2019 — No Comments

Saaho Review

Rating: 3/10 (Loses the Battle) 
Cast: Prabhas, Shraddha Kapoor, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Murali Sharma, Jackie Shroff, Tinnu Anand, Chunky Pandey, Arun Vijay, Mahesh Manjrekar, Mandira Bedi, Evelyn Sharma, Vennela Kishore, Jacqueline Fernandez, Supreeth, Tanikella Bharani 
Story-Screenplay-Dialogues-Direction: Sujeeth
Music: Guru Randhawa, Tanishk Bagchi, Baadshah, and Shankar-Eshaan-Loy
Producers: Vamsi- Pramod
Banner: UV Creations
The most awaited movie of the year is finally here. After a long gap of 2.5 years and the sensational success of the Baahubali series, Rebel Star Prabhas has achieved what most heroes dream to do their in lifetime which is to become a Pan-India superstar. Reportedly made with a budget fo 350 crores and billed as India's biggest action thriller, Saaho is directed by Run Raja Run fame Sujeeth. Does the film live up to the sky high expectations? Let's find out in this week's review. 
Plot: In the fictional city of Waaji known as the city of powerful gangsters, Prithviraj (Tinnu Anand) has created an empire for a bunch of gangsters. The main power struggle goes on between Roy (Jackie Shroff) and Devraj (Chunky Pandey). Roy has hidden his wealth in a vault that can only be opened with a black box that contains the key to access it. Inside lies 2000 crores worth of gold.
20 years later, a thief ends up stealing the black box and undercover officer Ashok Chakravarthy (Prabhas) is assigned with the task of retrieving it. He teams up with Amritha Nair (Shraddha Kapoor) to solve the case.
What happens to the Black Box? Who actually stole it? What is the connection between the present and Roy's empire in the past? Watch Saaho to find out the answers.
Performances: After a gap of 2 years, Prabhas finally returns to the silver screen and his performance is adequate at best. One cannot deny his ever reliable screen presence but the performance lacks energy or finesse of any kind. His dialogue delivery is also bizarre and very slurred and slow for some reason. It's safe to call this one of the worst performances and characterizations of his entire career. His weight also fluctuates from the interval onwards and doesn't look the best. His hairstyle also looks odd. Overall, the Rebel Star looks tired and lethargic and it seems that even he got lost in the grand scheme of things. However, he does well in the action scenes.
Shraddha Kapoor as Amrita Nair is alright. She doesn't do much except appear in the songs and the role definitely isn't the best. Performance wise there really isn't much to take home either. She gets decent screen time.
The movie has a huge ensemble cast yet almost everybody is not utilized properly. Arun Vijay as Vishwak is probably the best character in the movie and he gets some solid moments throughout the narrative. So does Chunky Pandey. The veteran actor does well as the main villain with his stone cold killer act. Neil Nitin Mukesh is also adequate.
The rest of the cast in Mahesh Manjrekar, Lal, Mandira Bedi, Jackie Shroff, Tanikella Bharani, Supreet, Vennela Kishore, Evelyn Sharma, Tinnu Anand and even the ever reliable Murali Sharma are all wasted in inconsequential roles and make no impact at all.
Direction: Oh man where to start. First things first. Sujeeth, you can pat yourself on the back for wanting to be ambitious and pushing the envelope of Telugu Cinema and taking it forward. Saaho is unlike anything we have ever experienced in a Telugu movie and the scale and grandeur should be commended. Unfortunately that's all the good that comes out of it. It's clear Sujeeth has a very good eye for his technical aspects in his movies. What he doesn't have is proper story telling ability. Saaho at the end of the day is a disappointment and most of the blame goes towards Sujeeth. It was always going to be a tough task to follow up Baahubali and be successful and he crumbled under the pressure. The biggest problem with the movie is the execution. The ambition is there but the execution is amateurish. The script is another huge problem. On paper, Saaho sounds great. But in reality the way that it plays out doesn't make any sense. The film is another adaption or ripoff of French film Largo Which in which a dreaded tycoon hides his son identity to the world and the son takes revenge on all the villains in the end. Right from the first scene you start to get confused with Tanikella Bharani. Then Jackie Shroff meets his end soon after and then Prabhas is introduced in an awkward fight sequence in a Mumbai slum. The movie lacks any entertaining moments barring the interval twist and maybe the last two action sequences and as a whole, the movie is full of illogical sequences which will be discussed later. The movie lacks any memorable scenes and all the characters end up looking like caracitrues and the name get even more confusing in the end because you don't know what's going in. Action movies are successful because they have minimal story and breathtaking action set pieces. In Saaho the story is so complicated and so convoluted that one gets lost in the narrative from the very beginning itself. The romantic track only adds to our wounds and its cringeworthy and patience testing at best. Saaho has its moments, but unfortunately it never shines bright like Sujeeth promised us it would. He could have easily made the movie in a tighter budget because the 350 crores never really show up on screen. He also failed to utilize Prabhas screen presence and charisma to the full extent which makes it an added loss for the Rebel Star's fans. Bottomline what you need for a successful movie is emotions and a good STORY. Unfortunately, Saaho has neither and ends up being a huge disappointment for everyone involved.
Technicalities: Background Score by Ghibran is phenomenal. He's one of the few bright spots in the entire movie and elevates some scenes with his scintillating background music. The songs of the movie are composed by 4 different composers. All of the songs are useless and only disrupt the flow of the narrative. They are also all terribly placed. However, the locations in Ye Chota Nuvvuna and the pink lake in Baby Won't You Tell Me are outstanding. Cinematography by Madhie is world class. Each and every frame looks amazing and the ace cameraman's work in Saaho is probably his best to date. Whatever the scene was or the context, the lighting and palettes used reflect the grand scale and situations presented throughout the movie. The VFX however takes away a little of grandeur of the visuals. Production Design by Sabu Cyril is world class as well. The sets and design for the entire production is tremendous in scale and visually stunning throughout. Another one of the bright spots in the film. Editing by Sreekar Prasad is not good. The film is too long for it's good and should have been minimum 2hrs and 15 mins or maximum 2.5 hours. Instead Saaho drags on for almost 3 hours and becomes exhausting in the end. Action Sequences by Kenny Bates, Stunt Silva, and a horde of other action directors are excellent. They are unlike anything we have ever seen in telugu movies. The much hyped Dubai chase sequence is alright but fizzles out in the end due to no logic. Visual Effects by RC Kamalakannan are decent. They are not on standard with Hollywood blockbusters at all and a bit amateurish. Choreography and Hairstyling are horrendous throughout the movie. Styling is decent. Lastly, Production Values by UV Creations are exorbitant and grand. But nowhere do you actually see a movie that's worth 350 crores. It seems to be a marketing gimmick by the makers as the graphics are sub standard and makes the audience question where the money was being spent.
Positives: 
+ Cinematography 
+ Production Design
+ Background Score
+ Interval Sequence
Negatives: 
- Story
- Screenplay 
- Direction 
- Editing 
- No Emotions 
Analysis and Final Verdict: Back in 2017 along with prints of Baahubali 2, a concept teaser for Saaho was released. It featured a futuristic city and Prabhas in a room beating the crap out of goons and a concept of a jetman action sequence. Over the course of time, the film was in the news for various things such as the budget which went from 250 to 300 finally to 350 crores and then the making videos released and further garnered hype and anticipation  for the movie.
After the record breaking success of Baahubali 2, SS Rajamouli established Prabhas as Pan-India star and naturally Saaho garnered immense hype and expectations from the audience. The anticipation grew so much and the day finally arrived. After scintillating teasers and trailers and grand songs, the film is just a huge disappointment. Simply put, Saaho wasn't worth the wait.
Generally, action movies don't try to overcomplicate the story by having a basic plot line and filling the narrative with a maybe a few twists and turns and having outstanding action set pieces as it's USP. Saaho tries to do the same and fails miserably. In his interviews promoting Saaho, Prabhas repeatedly kept saying it's a screenplay based film. Screenplay, screenplay, screenplay, and screenplay. While watching the film, the audience raises the question of what script is he talking about.
The film's biggest letdown is it's script. The goal was to make a pan India action thriller that would appeal to everyone and stun the audience and world. Instead Saaho is so complicated from the first scene and filled with illogical scenes and sequences that in the end you're just left clueless throughout the narrative as whole.
One really wonders how UV Creations were convinced with Sujeeth's pitch to make this film because the basic storyline of a son returning to his father's empire and eliminating the threats has already been done in Pawan Kalyan's Agnythaavasi. While Saaho is better than that film quality wise, story wise it's pretty much the same and in a rare instance, it fails both times in the same language. It's clear nobody in the production knew what they were doing except Madhie and Sabu Cyril.
The film is filled with so many bizzare sequences I don't even know where to begin.
1) In the opening sequence, Tanikella Bharani's hand is lit on fire and he places it into a glass of ice and is forced to sign a paper. What the paper is for we are never told.
2) Prabhas is introduced and he literally fights through about 5 stories of a Mumbai slum to rescue some guy who looks like he's in a poor man's version of Hangman. And there he meets a python and panther in a room for no reason, and manages to escape from the panther by bending the jail lock on the window and climbs to the next area. There's also an ostrich that just cooly walks around in the slum as well and nobody questions it.
3) Next he is given a case to handle with Shraddha Kapoor. The flirting and entire investigation makes your cringe and is a complete waste of time. The interval sequences present a huge twist which is probably the best part of the movie.
4) Post the interval, Prabhas jumps off a cliff shirtless to catch a bag. We are never told why. It just happens. And he grabs the bag and it just happens to be a parachute and he magically lands at the bottom which happens to be a beach. We see his six pack and then Bad Boy song follows.
5) They also take a break from the investigation one day and go to the club at night and dance which is where Psycho Saiyaan song happens
6) There at least 1000 bullets fired in the movie including half of them during the much hyped Dubai chase sequence on a bike and not a single one hits Prabhas.
7) Prabhas hops on a jetpack and Sraddha falls from a helicopter on midair. They ack stops working so Prabhas lets go, magically catches Shraddha some 3000 feet in the sky, and they magically fall into a body of water nearby. The water is very conveniently placed.
8) Lastly, there is a 1 min sequence about the Karna village that is just there and you see some weed in the process that an officer is about to smoke.
9) There is a fight scene where Shraddha tries to arrest Prabhas and a fight scene happens with Mr and Mrs Smith playing on a TV in the background. The background score during this scene is akin to what the violin medleys they play at grand gala events with every dressed up in suits and ties. It just seems so out of place and ridiculous. And the people who are trying to kill Prabhas are the very same people who cut a deal with him to find the black box in the next scene. So why try to eliminate him to begin with?
10) Shraddha goes to Austria to be uncover and work with Prabhas and pledges her loyalty to the police. And then a useless song happens which in which she reverses her loyalties again and actually falls in love with Prabhas and they move into a house together there by the beach, A house that is almost identical to Tony Stark's house in Malibu.
If you liked the above scenes, then by all means please watch Saaho. To add to our wose, Sujeeth tries to link everything back together in the last 10 mins but by the amount of twists already make our brain hurt and becomes too much the process.
Unfortunately, the negatives outweigh the positives in this movie and that it's biggest weakness. A simple story that's unnecessarily complicated and tepid performances by the entire cast and a lengthy runtime makes Saaho an exhausting and painful watch in the end.
Overall, Saaho loses the battle and ends up being a massive disappointment, Sujeeth and team try really hard but in the end nothing really clicks. The execution doesn't match the ambition and despite the team's best efforts, it's hard to salvage anything in a movie that promised so much. Despite outstanding visuals, Saaho fails to meet the expectations to keep you engaged throughout it's entirety. Not even Prabhas' ever reliable screen presence can save the film as the star looks tired and disinterested throughout.
Saaho roughly translates to Jai Ho meaning Victory. In the end, it's a loss for everybody involved including the audience. 
Published by Teja Rao in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu
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June 17, 2019 — No Comments

Bharat Review

Rating: 5/10 (Anything for Family)

Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Disha Patani, Jackie Shroff, Sunil Grover, Satish Kaushik, Nora Fatehi and others

Screenplay-Direction: Ali Abbas Zafar

Story: Based on Ode to my Father (2014 Korean Film)

Producers: Atul Agnihotri, Salman Khan, Alvira Khan Agnihotri, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Nikhil Namit

Banners: Reel Life Productions, Salman Khan Films and T-Series

Music: Vishal-Shekhar

After a horrendous outing in arguably the worst film of 2018, Salman Khan is back with his latest Eid release, Bharat. An adaptation of the South Korean film Ode To My Father, the film has Katrina Kaif and Disha Patani as the female leads. Directed by Sultan fame Ali Abbas Zafar, can he deliver a hatrick of blockbusters with Salman? Let's find out in this week's review

Plot: The film tells the journey of Bharat (Salman Khan) from the ages of 18 to 70, and all the important phases in his life and the various circumstances he faces to keep his family together because of a promise he made to his father (Jackie Shroff) when he was young. What happens in Bharat's life forms the rest of the story.

Performances: As expected, Bharat is all about Salman Khan. He gets to play a character that has a lot of different looks but on the acting front, there's nothing to really take home. His classic comic timing, charm, and screen presence are in full effect and he gives an honest performance as usual and is impressive in the emotional scenes.

Katrina Kaif has really improved since Zero and delivers another outstanding performance in Bharat. The chemistry between her and Salman make up the film's lighter and more enjoyable moments. She looks beautiful throughout but the makeup department should be questioned at times for her look as it's inconsistent throughout the film.

In her biggest film yet, Disha Patani sets the screens on fire for her role which is merely a cameo lasting no more than 10 minutes. She does well in what's she's given.

Sunil Grover as the sidekick doesn't have the charm of Anant Sharma from Sultan but he entertains as Bharat's friend Vilayati.

Satish Kaushik gets a hilarious role where he just speaks gibberish as the boat captain. Lastly, Jackie Shroff is adequate as Bharat's father.

Direction: This is Ali Abbas Zafar's third film with Salman after Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai. While the former was a sensational emotional blockbuster, the latter was a full on action thriller and both were well made despite the length. Here, he has chosen to adapt a Korean film in Ode to my father and the basic concept is good of a child keeping the promise he made to his father and his dad being the constant driving force in his life. But besides the character of Bharat, there's really nothing to take home in the film. It starts off with a highly emotional flashback during the Partition and Zafar touches upon the theme of humanity early. But the entire film fails to follow up on that theme and it goes around doing other things. In the end, one feels that the film lacks any soul or purpose as the 2nd half is literally pointless despite the good 1st half and buildup. To be brutally honest, Bharat is a very weak film from Ali Abbas Zafar and because he knows how to use Salman Khan's strengths to his advantage, Bhai essentially saves Zafar from any embarrassment. But the film is poorly written and quite weak and one wonders why he chose the adaptation in the end. Bharat could have easily been an original film but the only thing that works in the film is the protagonist. The female leads are pretty much just there for filler and the songs don't play that much of an important role in the film other than further extending the 2nd half. Simply put, Bharat doesn't have enough content to engage the audience for the entire runtime and a 2nd half full of illogical sequences spoil what could have been another blockbuster for Salman Khan. The film ends up being average but he somehow manages to get Salman to carry the film despite a weak script.

Technicalities: Music by Vishal-Shekar is catchy. All the songs are a treat to watch on screen. Background Score by Julius Packam is good. Cinematography by Marcin Laskawiec is adequate. There are some nice visuals here and there but not upto the standards and grandeur we expect with a Salman Khan film. Editing by Rameshwar S. Bhagat could have been better. Even at 155 minutes, Bharat still feels infinitely long. A good 15-20 minutes could have easily been trimmed. Dialogues by Varun V. Sharma are ok. Styling deserves a mention as Salman, Katrina, and Disha look beautiful throughout the film. Action Sequences are ok. Production Design is nice for the Lahore set during the Partition era. Production Values are adequate. There's really nothing in the film that will make you say wow or oh like in previous Salman Khan films.

Positives:

+ Salman Khan

+ Katrina Kaif

+ 1st half

Negatives:

- 2nd half 

- Editing

- Pace at times

Final Take and Analysis: After Race 3 which I can proudly say I didn't have the pleasure of watching, Salman Khan offers the audience Bharat. There are certain elements that we expect in a Bhai film like punch dialogues, heroism and the mandatory shirtless scene. Bharat only features the latter and it becomes quite evident that this is not going to be your typical Salman movie. Despite this, Bharat still feels underwhelming.

Director Ali Abbas Zafar introduced Bharat in the opening scene as a 70 year old and it's quite hard to an old Salman and Katrina is that type of makeup. Through flashbacks, we are shown Bharat's life and the beginning flashback with Jackie Shroff is highly emotional and Zafar sets up the graph nicely talking about humanity and religion and how we should live together peacefully despite those invisible barriers. The 1st half of the film is fine and features Zafar's trademark flashback comedy like in Sultan. The interval bang works.

The real problems start in the 2nd half. It's hugely disappointing. The main problem starts when the boat lands in Malta and Salman's friend falls for a Maltan dancer played by Nora Fatehi. From this sequence on all the way to the end, the film tests your patience for the rest of the film.

There is one very illogical scene featuring African pirates who raid the ship but then Salman tells them about Shah Rukh Khan and AMitabh Bachchan and the pirates start dancing with Salman and don't raid the ship and give all the money they looted back and drive away waving their hands. I mean if this isn't absurd, then I don't know what is.

There's another sequence where a reality show is established by Katrina to find the lost family members who got separated during the Partition. It seems like a good idea and works at first but this entire thing lasts for a good 30-35 mins again. Salman eventually finds who he's looking for and this is really the only scene that works in the 2nd half.

The climax is dragged and the entire 2nd half just ends up feeling like an unnecessary chore that you have to complete.

Overall, Bharat is a film about doing what it takes for family. Despite Salman and Katrina's performances, Bharat suffers from a weak 2nd half and at times illogical sequences that ruin the viewing experience making it an average film at best. People who have a connection to the Partition Era will most likely connect to it. But if you're expecting it to be a pure commercial entertainer from Bhai, you will be disappointed, Watch it only if you're a die hard fan of Salman Khan.

Published by Teja Rao in Hindi
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March 4, 2019 — No Comments

2.0 Review

Rating: 6/10 (Visually Stunning yet Hollow)

Cast: Superstar Rajinikant, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey

Story-Screenplay-Dialogues-Direction: Shankar 

Producer: A. Subaskaran

Banner: Lyca Productions

After more than a year and VFX output hell, Shankar's much waited film 2.0 has seen the light to day. Touted as a spiritual successor rather than a direct sequel to Enthiran, the film features Rajinikant and Amy Jackson in the lead roles while having Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar in the role of the antagonist. Does the film live up-to the gargantuan expectations that people have on it? Let's find out

Plot: A huge force shaped like a bird is stealing people's cellphones and causing havoc across the city. To solve the problem, the government recruits Dr. Vaseegaran (Rajinikant) to investigate the issue. When he finally destabilizes the force, he finds out there's more than meets the eye. Who or what is this force? Why is it wreaking havoc against cellphones across the city? Watch the movie to find out.

Performances: Superstar Rajinikant is in his elements as Chitti and Vaseegaran. It's more or less an extension of what we saw in Enthiran. It's a bit disappointing because the real fun starts when Chitti 2.0 arrives but by the time that happens, it's only towards the climax of the film and you wish the fun factor had lasted longer

To be honest, the hero of the film is not Rajinikant. It's actually Akshay Kumar. He is just outstanding in his role as Pakshi Rajan. The role and flashback that Shankar has created for his role is very emotional and it forms the core of the movie. Despite less screen time, he makes the most of his role and delivers a knockout performance. His makeup and everything else is excellent and Akshay Kumar is arguably the highlight of the film.

As a robot, Amy Jackson is seductive and does her part well. The film primarily revolves around these 3 characters and if there's anyone else that makes an impact, it's Sudhanshu Pandey who play Danny Denzongpa's son from the first film.

Direction: Even though the reception of his last film Ai wasn't universal, Shankar's knack for brilliance and grandeur and his vision were unquestionable. After a gap of almost 4 years, he is back with 2.0. The film to be brutally honest, is pretty weak. The reason being is that the entire first half tests your patience and is completely pointless. After a shocking opening scene, the constant scenes of the force taking out people one after another is tedious and you have no idea what's going on. Only at the interval do you get some sort of closure and everything is answered in the flashback, revealing Akshay Kumar's character. Post in the interval, the technical brilliance is on full display and the climax makes for a scintillating watch. The graphics are mind-blowing and on par with big budget Hollywood films' visual effects. Despite the visual excellence, 2.0 lacks in character development or real exciting moments. It's almost as if Shankar was throwing a hailmary with introduction of the 2.0 character towards the climax. The fun factor and enthusiasm that we associated with a film like Enthiran is completely missing in 2.0. The only character worth redeeming in the film is Pakshi Raja. The rest are all artificial literally and there's really not much to take away from the film. While we cannot deny Shankar's vision and perfection, his eye for visual brilliance doesn't match the adept storytelling skills the great director has become known for in 2.0. It's not his worst film, but it's certainly not the best one either from Shankar.

Technicalities: Music and BGM are AR Rahman is excellent as always. There are very few music directors who rarely make a bad album or give a bad product and Rahman is definitely one of those people. While the songs don't make that much of an impact due to the narrative, he excels with a pulsating background score. Cinematography by Nirav Shah is just outstanding. Editing by Anthony is alright. Art design is magnificent as in every Shankar film. Costume Design is equally as good. Makeup deserves a special mention as the makeup and looks for Rajinkant, Akshay Kumar, and Amy Jackson are all amazing. Dialogues by Madhan Karky are ok. Stunts by Peter Hein are excellently choreographed. VFX by Srinivas Mohan is outstanding. 2.0 is a visual wonder and feast and features some of the best VFX we have ever seen in Indian cinema. Lastly, Production Values by Lyca Productions are magnificent. Though I must say a budget of $76 million doesn't seem to be required for the film

Positives:

+ Rajinikant

+ Askhay Kumar

+ Visual Effects 

+ Flashback and Climax 

Negatives:

- Shallow Plot 

- Fun Factor Missing 

- 1st Half

Analysis and Final Take: When Shankar first announced a sequel to Enthiran, many felt it was unnecessary, including myself. Now that the film has released, it doesn't really change the opinion of the audience unless you're a die hard fan of the director himself.

2.0 is a visual wonder but lacks the gripping elements or overall emotions throughout the entire narrative that Shankar has become known for over the years. If his last film Ai was any indication, the director is giving preference to more style than substance.

And the same could be said for 2.0. The makers have promoted the film as Rajinikant's movie through and through but in reality, the movie belongs to Akshay Kumar.

The film starts off in a sad way and then proceeds to introduce us to an unknown force that is killing people all over the city. The entire first half tests your patience as neither the plot or the motive behind what is going is revealed. Instead we are just treated to shapeshift after shapeshift and murder after murder. It can best be described as a poor man's Anniyan for most of the first half. Only during the interval bang do we get to know what the hell is actually going on. Who Akshay Kumar is and what he goes through in the flashback is very emotional and will possibly bring you to tears. It's a classic Shankar mark flashback which will touch your heart and explains the motives for actions of the antagonist. But in reality, Pakshi Raja is the real hero and since he is fighting for a good cause, you don't hate him. So in reality it becomes good vs good. The climax portions is where the real visual feast is and Rajinikant in his 2.0 avatar will keep you entertained.

But as proved with many cases in the past, a star can only do so much when there is a weak story. And unfortunately 2.0 suffers from this same issue. Despite a stunning visual output, the film lacks any commercial elements or entertainment of any sort and anyone expecting something in the fun range of Enthiran will be disappointing.

Shankar's films always have a good message and this one, albeit implausible to believe, is a very good one. The concept that radio towers and frequencies are killing birds and we should preserve them. Despite this however, the charisma of the leads and the visual effects make for a decent watch.

Overall, 2.0 is a visually stunning film with a hollow plot. The film lacks any commercial elements or real entertainment but is saved by the star power of both Rajinikant and Akshay Kumar along with some of the best visual effects we have ever seen in Indian cinema. It's worth a watch just for the technical brilliance and vision of director Shankar. 

Published by Teja Rao in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu
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December 30, 2017 — No Comments

Tiger Zinda Hai Review

Rating: 6.5/10 (Tiger Roars Back) 

Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sajjad Delfarooz, Paresh Rawal, Girish Karnad, Anant Vidhaat

Story-Screenplay-Dialogues-Direction: Ali Abbar Zafar

Producer: Aditya Chopra

Banner: Yash Raj Films

Salman Khan tasted a rare disaster in the form of Tubelight earlier this year during Eid. He's now back with the sequel to his blockbuster Ek Tha Tiger, reuniting with katrina Kaif. Directed by Sultan fame Ali Abbas Zafar, does the film have enough to give Salman a comeback blockbuster that his fan expect? Let's find out

Plot: When 40 nurses are captured and taken hostage by the fictional terrorist organization the ISC headed by Abu Usman (Sajjad Delfarooz), Tiger (Salman Khan) and his now wife (Zoya) travel to Iraq to rescue them in an impossible rescue mission.

Performances: Salman Khan is devilishly stylish and handsome as Tiger. The beard look suits him very well and he is superb in his 2nd outing as Tiger. He can fight wolves, take bullets, and even be immune to poison gas because, well he's Sallu Bhai. Tiger Zinda Hai is a feast for Bhai fans and the perfect comeback film for the superstar after Tubelight.

Katrina Kaif is ravishing and absolutely stunning in the film. She kicks some serious ass as Zoya and even has her own fight sequence in the 2nd half which is brilliantly executed. She goes for a deglam look in the 2nd half as well and it works out just fine.

Debutante Sajjad Delfarooz is perhaps the most good looking Bollywood villain ever and is superb as the villain Abu Usman. Though the characterization is a bit illogical as the character can speak English and hindi and doesn't speak Arabic to his henchman, he nevertheless makes the most of his screen time and role.

Girish Karnad and Anant Vidhaat do a sincere job as usual.

Paresh Rawal gets a role in a big film after a long time and plays his role to perfection and delivers the best one liners in the film.

The rest of the actors who make up the teams of Tiger and Zoya do a good job as well.

Direction: Ali Abbas Zafar proved his mettle in an emotionally action packed sport entertainer and extracted perhaps the best performance of Salman Khan ever in that film. He was a real talent to watch out for and now he has reunited with Salman Khan for an action film in Tiger Zinda Hai. It's safe to say he passes with flying colors and makes an entertaining action thriller with Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif delivering on all front. The movie is action packed but the length is perhaps too long. The story is based on true events and Zafar does a good job of executing the film. The only negative is perhaps the villains as it's obvious as to which group the film is influenced and the some of the things shown. The action sequences are excellent but there are some sequences that defy logic, but hey it is an action thriller similar to a James Bond flick and it's also a Salman Khan film. Overall, Ali Abbas Zafar does a brilliant job and he probably has another blockbuster on his hands here.

Technicalities: Music and BGM by Vishal-Shekar is very good. But the Tiger theme is played one too many times in the background score. Dil Diyan Gallan is the only song during the film. Swag Se Swagat is played during the end credits. Cinematography by Marcin Laksawiec is outstanding. The visuals of the UAE are just absolutely breathtaking especially some of the desert shots. Editing by Rameshwar S. Bhagat is ok. The film is a little too long for the action thriller genre. Action sequences are incredible. Tiger Zinda Hai is one film that has action on par with Hollywood films like Jason Bourne and James Bond. Artwork is superb for the ISC main base building and the rest of the sets. Production values by Yash Raj Films are phenomenal as usual.

Positives:

+ Salman Khan

+ Katrina Kaif

+Direction

+Action Sequences

Negatives:

- Length

- ISC Scenes

Analysis and Final Take: Tiger Zinda Hai is an out and out Salman Khan film. If you liked the first one, you are bound to like this one as well. the film starts off with the abduction of the nurses by the ISC and then Salman Khan is given an excellent introduction with a chase sequence featuring real wolves.

The film moves into a predictable mode with Tiger declining RAW's offer to take up the mission but of course everyone knows that he will go to Iraq and save everyone. The first half is engaging while the 2nd half is equally as engaging. The only negative would be the length as the film is too long and it could have been trimmed and a murder featuring the ISC group.

The film once again touches upon the theme that Indians and Pakistanis should be together and work for peace similar to Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Special mention should be made to Sajjad Delfarooz who is perhaps too good looking for his own good and has a bright future in Bollywood.

Though there are some illogical moments, Tiger Zinda Hai is pure fun and the perfect popcorn blockbuster during the Christmas season.

Overall, Salman Khan roars back to form in Tiger Zinda Hai and it's a Bhai film from start to finish with Katrina Kaif nicely supporting him. You can watch it for Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, and the action sequences. And of course, there's a shirtless Salman Khan scene in the 2nd half. Go for it. It's entertainment guaranteed.

Published by Teja Rao in Hindi
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January 3, 2017 — No Comments

Dangal Review

Rating: 9/10 (Amazing)

The most awaited film of 2016 is here. Aamir Khan, Mr.Perfectionist's Dangal has arrived. Based on the true story of Mahavir Singh Phogat, the film is directed by Nitesh Tiwari. How is the movie? Find out in my review

Story: Mahavir Singh Phoghat (Aamir Khan) is a wrestler from Haryana who dreams of winning a gold medal for India in the Common Wealth games. Due to financial struggles, he gives up his dream and gets married and hopes that one day his son can become a wrestler and achieve his dream. Irony is that his wife gives birth to 4 girls. After his two eldest daughters Geetha and Babita beat up two boys, he decides to make them wrestlers. The rest of the story is how Mahavir coaches his daughters and they finally achieve his dream and bring glory to India.

Performances: As expected, Dangal belongs to Aamir Khan. He is simply incredible as Mahavir Singh Phogat and his transformation from a ripped wrestler to a belly gut father and coach is remarkable. He is one of those actors that doesn't just play the role, he lives and breathes them. Dangal is Aamir Khan all the way.

Fatima Sana Shaikh as the older version of Geeta is very good and the scene where she reconciles with her father is very touching and emotional. Sanya Malhotra as the older Babita is fine. Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar as the younger Geetha and Babita are hilarious and adobrable and they do a fine job as well. Sakshi Tanwar as Daya is fine.

It's Aparshakti Khurrana that steals the show as the narrator and Mahavir's nephew. He provides ample comedy throughout the film. Grirish Kulkarni as the national team head coach is evil to the core and the pre climax sequence is truly messed up.

Technicalities: Music and background score by Pritam are excellent. Cinematography by Sethu Sriram is superb. The locales of Haryana and the wrestling sequences have been shot in a beautiful way. Dialogues by Nitesh Tiwari and co writers are hilarous in the opening 30 minutes of the film. The rest are fine. Art is good especially for the wrestling sets. Editing by Ballu Saluja is good but the film is a bit long at 160 minutes. Production Values by Aamir Khan Producitons is top notch. Screenplay is pretty good. Direction by Nitesh Tiwari is excellent. Full marks to him for making such an incredible film.

Analysis: Dangal you could say has tons of similarities to the other blockbuster of 2016 about wrestling, Salman Khan's Sultan. But they are two very different stories. Sultan is fiction and Dangal is fact. And that is where the film stands out on it's own from Sultan. Dangal is not about Mahavir Singh but rather the incredible true story about how his daughters made his dream come true.

I missed the first 20 minutes of the film due to traffic as it was natural there would be traffic on December 23rd for last minute Christmas shopping. Nevertheless I entered and straight away started to laugh at the dialogues. The opening 30 minutes of the film are absolutely hilarious and the superstitions the villagers have about the chances of giving birth to a boy are too funny. The film really only takes off once Geetha and Babita start to take wrestling seriously. Aamir Khan breathes and lives the role of Mahavir Singh and carries the film on his shoulders.

As expected the 2nd half gets a bit too serious and the narrative of the film is a bit slow. But that's expected when watching a sports film as it;s really about the ups and downs one goes through to achieve success and nothing happens overnight. The film has tons of emotional moments such as Geetha reconciling with her father after consistently losing and the pre climax sequence. But above all, the film is a strong message about woman empowerment and it will surely inspire more and more young girls to achieve their dreams and make their presence felt.

On a whole, Dangal is an incredible film about a true story of two girls from Haryana who shocked the world. Despite it's predictability and slow narrative at times, Aamir Khan's spellbinding performance and Nitesh Tiwari's excellent direction keep you engaged throughout the 160 minutes.

If you're looking for the best Hindi film in recent times, look no further than Dangal. Don't miss this one. I'm going with 9/10.

Published by Teja Rao in Hindi
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December 16, 2016 — No Comments

Dilwale Review

Rating: 1/10 (Out of respect for SRK and Kajol)

Shah Rukh Khan or SRK is arguably the biggest star in India. He's teamed up with Rohit Shetty again for a romantic action film called Dilwale. Raising expectations to the sky because of the their all time industry hit Chennai express, it also reunites SRK with Kajol, the blockbuster pair in Hindi cinema who have acted 9 times together. Also starring Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon, can SRK and Rohit Shetty do it again? Nope. Find out why

Story: Dilwale's story is as old as the hills. Raj (SRK) and Meera are the son and daughter of two warring warring families in Bulgaria, SRK belonging to Randhir Bakshi (Vinod Khanna) and Kajal to Dev Mallik (Kabir Bedi). They want to get married and their respective father's accept. When Dev and Randhir decide to meet to talk things out about the marriage, Dev back-stabs Randhir and tries to kill him and does so. But before Randhir dies, he kills Dev also and Raj arrives at the scenes. The gun Randhir used is in Raj's hand and Meera arrives and sees this and thinks Raj killed her father for some reason. She leaves him and then in the present day, Raj is a mechanic working in Goa. His younger brother is Veer (Varun Dhawan). One day he helps Ishita (Kriti Sanon) and love blossoms between them. When Veer asks Raj to talk to her olders sister to help them get married he agrees but the twist is that Ishita is none other than Meera's younger sister. How Raj and Meera put their differences aside and let their younger siblings unite forms the rest of the story.

Performances: SRK is usual SRK as Raj and doesn't have much scope to perform in this film. He looks devilishly handsome with his bearded look in the present day and like a 30 year old man clean shaven in the flashback episodes. But one man can't save a film as bad as this and this is definitely one film SRK will regret that he ever acted in.

Kajol is the true highlight of the movie. Not only does she still look stunning as the age of 41, but dominates everyone with her screen presence and powerful performance. Her chemistry with SRK is as good as ever and the two try to carry the film.

Varun Dhawan doesn't much to do except screw around in this multi-starrer and maybe he just did it cause he got to hang out with SRK.

Kriti Sanon is wasted and doesn't put in half the performance she put in 1 Nenokkadine.

Rohit Shetty films are usually hilarious. Dilwale is devoid of any entertainment. Varun Sharma, Johnny Lever after a long gap, Mukesh Tiwari, and Prakaj Tripathi are all wasted and don't have any scope to showcase their comic abilities.

Boman Irani is irritating with his "villain" role as King. Sanjay Mishra is also criminally wasted as Oscar Bhai.

Last but not least, Kabir Bedi and Vinod Khanna do the usual good father, bad father fare and it's boring.

Technicalities: Music by Pritam is the saving grace for the movie. The songs are very good. Gerua deserves a special mention with out of this world visuals. Cinematography by the always reliable Dudley is magnificent. He has captured some amazing visuals in Bulgaria and Iceland. Dialogues by Sajid Farhad are awful. Not even one line is memorable from the film. Story is terrible. Screenplay is the main villain of the film. Editing by Bunty Nagi is not good. At 154 minutes, Dilwale is painful to sit through. Production Values by Gauri Khan and Rohit Shetty are amazing but the film doesn't live up to the money spent on it. Direction by Rohit Shetty is below average.

Analysis: This film is very similar to Tollywood film Aagadu. Huge hero, director who makes hilarious action packed masala film, great music, amazing visuals and a top heroine and a combo reuniting in hopes of recreating a magical blockbuster success from the first time. And what cpud go wrong. Well in this case, everything for Dilwale.

When Rohit Shetty announced that he was teaming up with SRK again, die hard SRKians were enamored by the sheer though of another film like Chennai Express. But sadly we are fed to a completely outdated masala entertainer.

Dilwale starts off in Goa with Varun Dhawan and Kriti's romance. But this film is too predictable and lacks neither a plot or entertaining elements. It's hard to believe that this is the same acto-director duo that gave us such an entertaining film last time around and this time, they made a film devoid of any entertainment or logic. If you've seen enough movies, you knew the twist between Raj and Meera was coming. The action sequences are over the top and the film has a banal story that reeks of predictability and is cliched to the core.

Rohit Shetty's direction is not good and his screenplay is horrendous. There is not even a single memorable moment in this big budget film. At 154 minutes long, Dilwale is hard to sit through and is told in a very dull manner and doesn't excite. A film which was expected to create fireworks doesn't blast or even make a sound. SRK tries his best to save the film from sinking and his screen presence is the sole reason as to even attempt to watch this film. And Kajol.

On a whole, Dilwale is SRK's worst film in recent times. Poor direction, terrible story, and a horrendous screenplay devoid of any entertainment or exciting moments are the drawbacks of this masala film. If you're a die hard fan of SRK or Kajol or want to see them back on the screen after 5 years, be my guest and watch it. For others, there's no need to ever watch this film.

 

 

 

 

Published by Teja Rao in Hindi
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October 31, 2016 — No Comments

Hungama Review

Hungama is directed by Priyadarshan and stars Akshaye Khanna, Aftab Shivdasani,Rimi Sen, Paresh Rawal, Shakthi Kapoor, Rajpal Yadav, and Shoma Anand. It an adaptation of the directors own Poochakkoru Mookkuthi. This hilarious film was released on August 1st, 2003.

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Published by Teja Rao in Hindi
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October 30, 2016 — No Comments

Chennai Express Review

Shah Rukh Khan is arguably the biggest star in Hindi cinema. Competing with his contemporaries, Salman and Aamir, his films usually break records and set new ones in the process and the Bollywood Baadshah has tons of fans across the globe. Teaming up with the actress he once introduced and action film specialist Rohit Shetty, his much awaited Chennai Express hits the screen. Could King Khan and Rohit deliver the goods? Find out in this review

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Published by Teja Rao in Hindi