Review of Kaagaz Ke Fools

KAAGAZ KE FOOLS
Friday 24 April 02:01 0 COMMENTS
Release Date : 4/24/2015 12:00:00 AM
Director : Anil Chaudhary
Genre : Drama

KAAGAZ KE FOOLS Makes Fools Of Audience


Pluses:

hard to find

Minuses:

bad performances, amateur direction, pathetic screenplay, bad dialogues, shabby editing

Critic Rating:
0/5
 
Business Rating:
0/5

Verdict:

Watch it for any reason you can find

Dtailed Analysis:
 
All Vinay Pathak starrer films failed miserably at box office and now here comes one more badly made film without any marketing.

The film kicks off with a search operation by Dev (Saurabh Shukla) and Nikki (Mugdha Godse). This brother-sister duo are in search of Nikki's 'non-ambitious but honest' husband Purushottam Tripathi (Vinay Pathak), who leaves the house after a tiff with his nagging (but loveable) wife Nikki. While on one hand, Nikki's relatives help to reconcile her relationship with Purushottam, on the other hand, the couple's common friend lays his bets on them getting divorced. Caught in a whirlpool of relatives, friends and emotional turmoil, Purushottam lands up in a gambling den, where he drinks heavily and wins not just the money but also the company of a 'working woman' prostitute Rubina (Raima Sen). Despite all her attempts to seduce him, the 'patni-vratha' Purushottam refuses to give in to her advances. Seeing a 'truthful human' in her, he starts staying with her, but without any intimacy between them. On a professional front too, his life is in turmoil as his book 'Ek Thehri Si Zindagi' fails to find any publisher, which further adds to his frustration. One day, when Purushottam is totally out of control emotionally, he again lands up at the same gambling den. Lady Luck favors him to the core and he makes a killing, so much so that he even defeats the owner of the gambling den 'in his own game'. He, then, hands over all the winnings to Rubina asking her to fund her brother's education.

The next day, a series of incidents happen in quick succession that puts everyone including Purushottam in a tizzy. While on one hand, Purushottam gets kidnapped in broad daylight, on the other hand, someone renames his book from 'Ek Thehri Si Zindagi' to 'Ek Tharki Si Zindagi', which lands up being a Bestseller' in no time of its publishing. Who are the people responsible for Purushottam's kidnapping and what are their motives, who is responsible for the renaming of the book, do Purushottam and his wife ever make peace with each other or do they land up divorcing each other is what forms the rest of the story.

Performance wise not a single performer stands out as every actor including senior ones ham and ham throughout. Mughda Godse is pathetic, Raima Sen looks old, Saurabh Shukla has only one thing funny an artificial mustache and Vinay Pathek repeats himself in a really bad wig.

Film has cliche premise and screenplay lacks pace. Film has poor dialogues. Film has irritating background score. Art department is so so and editing is poor.

Director Anil Chaudhary fails in bringing out some kind of comedy and basic etiquette of direction as he has written real poor screenplay. Though climax is bad and lack of events make it a tiring watch for masses.

Film released today and should release across 200 screens. Film had no chances at box office as its a film with very niche appeal and average reviews will kill its chances further. Film will depend on exceptional word of mouth to survive as it has no great buzz or marketing awareness.

GABBAR IS BACK

GABBAR IS BACK
Releasing On : 01/May/2015
Director(s) : Krish
Starring : Akshay Kumar, Shruti Haasan, Sunil Grover, Jaideep Ahlawat
Film should take a good start at box office especially in mass centers as film has Akshay Kumar and good title. But the film will depend on response form multiplexes to get going at box office. It can surprise at box office though it will face some challenge from 'Avengers' but overall it has good clear first week at box office.

Mr. X

MR X
Releasing On : 17/Apr/2015
Director(s) : Vikram Bhatt
Starring : Emraan Hashmi, Arunodya Singh, Amrya Dastur
Film will take a start at box office especially in smaller centers as film has Emraan Hashmi and Bhatts' brand. But the film will depend on response form multiplexes to get going at box office. Still it can surprise at box office but it has rather uphill task considering dull period and such a cliche content but yes only Emraan Hashmi can save it.

'Satyagraha' Tweet Review: First day, first show

New Delhi: Prakash Jha is known to dwelve in topical issues in each of his films. From 'Gangaajal' to 'Chakravyuh'- Jha has talked about very serious issues in his films.
His latest offering 'Satyagraha' promises to be a gritty political drama where five individuals come together to protest against a corrupt system thereby starting a revolution of sorts. The film has an impressive line up of actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpayee and Amrita Rao playing key roles.

While the trailers of the film lead us to believe that the film is based on Anna Hazare's movement, the makers have insisted that the film isn't and that Bachchan is not essaying Hazare's character.

Jha's films usually are thought provoking and try to find a solution to some pertinent issues prevailing in the Indian society. He also is able to get the best out of his actors in his films and with bevy of stars in 'Satyagraha' one expects the film to be high on content as well as performances.

So does 'Satyagraha' have an original story or is it based on Hazare's movement? Has Jha been able to take out the best performances from his actors? Will this film be a turning point Bachchan and his other co-stars? Shomini Sen of IBNLive.com is inside the theatre to find that out.

11:02 AM: Stay tuned for the tweet review of director Prakash Jha's 'Satyagraha'. #Satyagraha

11:08 AM: Strong views on pertinent issues. That's what #Satyagraha is all about.

11:19 AM: What conditions lead to a revolution in modern times? And how can they be avoided? #Satyagraha

11:36 AM: Good to see Bengali actor Indraneil Sengupta in a Bollywood film. Not quite sure why an issue based film like #Satyagraha needs an item number.

11:51 AM: Subtle brand promotion here and there.Amitabh Bachchan as the rightist Dwarka Anand is just perfect. #Satyagraha

12:22 PM: Prakash Jha makes a brief cameo as a gawking passerby. Manoj Bajpayee is brilliant as politician Balram Singh. His talent is hardly used by filmmakers. #Satyagraha

12:48 PM: There is an uncanny similarity to the recent people's movement that took place in the country even though makers deny it. #Satyagraha

12:53 PM: First half of #Satyagraha is taking its predictable course towards the interval. Narrative is a bit slow.

01:19 PM: Why do we need a romantic track in the middle of a serious track? #Satyagraha resorts to cliches.

01:27 PM: The role of social media in modern day revolution is highlighted well in #Satyagraha.

01:39 PM: There is something amazing that Amitabh Bachchan does every time he comes one screen. Even after so many years. #Satyagraha

02:02 PM: There are also drawbacks to a revolution. Some people do get affected. All sides of the story well highlighted. #Satyagraha

02:14 PM: Among the actors Amitabh Bachchan and Manoj Bajpayee shine throughout. #Satyagraha

02:20 PM: It documents the recent movements that the country witnessed but takes a bit of cinematic liberty while narrating the story. #Satyagraha

02:23 PM: There are cliches but the film manages to get its message across to its viewers. #Satyagraha

02:27 PM: Thanks for being with us throughout the tweet review of #Satyagraha. Stay tuned for more movie updates.

Satyagraha movie review

Cast:Amitabh Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Arjun Rampal, Amrita Rao, Manoj Bajpai 
Director: Prakash Jha 

Like in Aarakshan, Rajneeti and Chakravyuh, in Satyagraha too, Jha dares to take on the well-entrenched vested interests that symbolise the current political turmoil in the country, but in equally frivolous vein fritters away the chance to capture his audience's attention with the mastery that he once showcased while steering Mrityudand, Gangaajal and Apaharan in recent times and much earlier with Damul.

When the film ends -- a good 152 minutes later -- one comes out with a feeling that Jha might have outsourced his job to somebody who was under no compulsion to do justice to his audience as well as to the film's superstar-cast.

When the film opens a train trundles into a fictitious Ambikapur station. Thereon the film trudges its length trying to bank upon such big names like Amitabh Bachchan (Dwarka Anand, a Gandhian school teacher), Ajay Devgn (Manav Raghvendra, an ambitious, wily, businessman-turned Satyagrahi), Kareena Kappoor (Yasmin Ahmed, a journalist-turned Satyagrahi) and Arjun Rampal (Arjun, a student leader).

Sadly, each one of them look out of place in roles that are half-baked and served dry. These characters look as scattered as the scenes that one gets to see in the film after a number of lathi-charges on Anand and his band of satyagrahis.

While Bachchan tries honestly to portray Anna Hazare -- there is lot of resemblance between the star cast of Satyagraha and the personalities that made Team Anna in the heydays of the Gandhian's agitation to enact the Jan Lokpal Bill in August 2011 -- in the first half of the film, past interval he gets overwhelmed by the weak script that tries to give screen time to the entire star-cast.

Ajay Devgn looks drowsy throughout the film. The ease with which he delivers his punchlines is sorely missed as he mumbles his dialogues.

Kareena Kapoor's TV journalist is all over the place. Strangely, at times she is the only journalist shown to be covering the "revolution" that engulfs the streets of Ambikapur as the 70-year old Anand slaps the district collector and gets arrested for taking on the wily Balram Singh (Manoj Bajpayee) and the system.

Arjun Rampal is so casual with his character that at times you wonder if he is taking a stroll in the garden as he shares dais with a fasting Anand, Manav and Yasmin.

On the opposite side of these satyagrahis is Bajpayee, who plays a scheming legislator from Ambikapur, and at times gets to show his venality and guile. Bajpayee does play his politician shrewdly but at times stretches his funny bone a little too much.

In an attempt to connect Anand's revolution with the twitter-generation, Jha makes abundant use of hash-tags and asterisks, tablets and laptops, but he forgets that these media can just act as catalysts to bring the revolutionaries together. These media can never substitute the real ingredient that inspires revolutions and revolutionaries. And that is a strong script, a gripping storyline and spell-binding story-telling.

Satyagraha fails miserably in all these three departments.

However, an attempt to recreate the scenes that the nation witnessed during Anna Hazare's agitation in August 2011 does create some resonance with the events India was glued to 24x7.

Music by Indian Ocean, Salim-Suleiman, Aadesh Shriivastava and Anjjan Meet fails to uplift the film's tired mood and lyricist Prasoon Joshi makes you run for shelter with numbers like Janata Rocks!

And here's why one feels that Jha seems to have outsourced his job:

Don't miss the scene when Manav explains his strategy on a whiteboard to find out pending applications of thousands of villagers from more than 200 panchayats to take on Balram Singh and his inefficient district administration.

Ahmed's cameraman keeps shooting Anand who is seated opposite Manav, instead of Manav. Such a neglect for details elicits laughter and makes you think if Jha really, really was the helmsman of this sinking ship.

Having said all this Jha must still be appreciated for making films on topics that the mainstream Bollywood producers-directors happily ignore to explore. Never mind the film's treatment, though.

CHENNAI EXPRESS Movie Review

Release Date  Director : Genre : Love Story 8/8/2013 12:00:00 AM Rohit Shetty

Details :

Thursday, 8th August 01:00 AM IST  CHENNAI EXPRESS Is Outstanding Entertainer Pluses: Shahrukh Khan is back in OSO & Main Hoon Na form with outstanding performance,  Deepika is surprise package with some real hilarious dialogues, Nikitin Dheer career  will get boost after this film, Sathyaraj is good so is Mukesh Tiwari, Editing is strongest  point, songs lift the spirit, dialogues are hilarious, director mixes all elements in right  proportion Minuses: Film takes time to warm up, shooting locales are not at par with big films of SRK,  script takes too many turns in due course Critic Rating: 3.5/5 Business Rating: 4.5/5 Verdict: Watch it for paisa vasool entertainment and superb cast/crew Detail Analysis: If it is a Shahrukh Khan release then excitement soars to new heights no matter what is the  genre or what is the occasion. But after not so great spell in last few years at domestic  box office, he teams up with director Rohit Shetty who has mastered box office, this  excitement goes through the roof. On top of that Deepika Padukone adds brownie point  after super successful YJHD. Film has rather simple but interesting plot (and we will not reveal much as always been  the case). Rahul (Shahrukh) goes on to a journey of his lifetime where he meets Meena  (Deepika) and how his meeting with her changes his life completely. Tangaballi  (Nikitin Dheer) who is good friend of Durgeshwara (Sathyaraj) puts forth every possible  hurdle. But all the fun, song and dance make this journey an experience full of   entertainment or we say dhamaal! Performance wise Shahrukh Khan excels and excels big time. His comic timing and aura  simply lift the film to another level. If this is not his best comic performance then  certainly one of the best. He is back as hero for masses and how! The way Shahrukh   takes you as fun narrator through the film is hilarious in itself! Deepika surprises in  every frame and she is real surprise package of the film. Her accent and comic timing  are top notch. This is her 2nd big performance in 2013 after YJHD. Nikitin Dheer  makes a mark with intense performance and so is veteran south actor Sathyaraj.  Mukesh Tiwari and Kamini Kaushal fit the bill in brief roles. Also be ready for f ew surprising supporting performances and cameos. Music was not plus point before release but be assured that after watching it you will  bound to change your opinion. Title song and "Titli" look best and positioned well. Vishal -  Shekhar deserve all kudos for their work. Action always been a high point of Rohit SHetty   cinema and he doesn't disappoint you this time either. Watch out for post interval  portion, two mind blowing sequences. Editing is one thing which keeps film so breezy  that you hardly blink before its over. Cinematography is decent but not so  overwhelming location leave you wanting for more.   But it is director Rohit Shett who keeps proceedings racy and his command over  the right mix of entertainment makes this special. There is a song followed by super  dialogue and then some nail biting action - take a bow masala king! This will be by  far the best work of Rohit Shetty.  Overall this is a film which belongs to distinct and lethal combo of Rohit Shetty and SRK.  1st half is very comic an light hearted and at interval point when SRK - Deepika  elope from Deepika's house, the fun begins. It has item song but that is not vulgar like  many other films in same genre, it has comedy but not slapstick like many other films  of same genre, it is entertaining but not as mindless as many other films in same genre.  This is a complete entertainer and surely win the heart of masses. But film's success will be  decided by how well classes take it and how much film sustains on weekdays. ref: Box Office Capsule

Madras Cafe Movie Review

Release Date : Director : Genre : 8/23/2013 12:00:00 AM Shoojit Sircar

Madras Cafe

Details :

Friday, 23rd August 09:30 AM IST MADRAS CAFE Is Well Crafted Edge Of Sit Thriller Pluses: John Abraham gives his best performance, Nargis Fakhiri is big surprise, Rashi Khanna is good and so are Siddharth Basu & Piyush Pandey, first rate supporting cast, superb direction, stellar writing Minuses: editing is patchy, background score is uneven, action lacks novelty Critic Rating: 3.5/5 Business Rating: 2/5 Verdict: Watch it for rare breed of Bollywood - political intense thriller Detail Analysis: Director Shoojit Sircar made "Yahaan' on Kashmir military issue but film did not get anything at box office but critical appreciation. Post that his Amitabh starrer film "Shoebite" (or "Johnny Mastana") failed to see the light of the day. But he made smashing come back with last year's biggest surprise hit "Vicky Donor". This time he is back with same producer John Abraham but again with a gritty political thriller. Film has complicated plot which is a medley of some real political events of late 80's and early 90's. Film tells you a gruelling story of assassination of Prime Minister of India. How a RAW agent played by John Abraham stumbles upon a conspiracy of killing Indian PM. A war reporter played by Nargis and his lady love played by Rashi Khanna add to this intense proceedings. What happens in the end leaves you a bit of shocked and a bit of surprised. Performance wise John Abraham is top notch and undoubtedly this is his best act till date. He underplays RAW agent unlike few other recent films where flimsy agents keep doing death defying stunts with muscular body of WWF wrestler. Watch out for climax where John shines above the rest. Nargis is the biggest surprise and she plays this war reporter with aplomb. She will get some meaty roles sure post this. Debutant Rashi Khanna is good as John's love interest but real scene stealer is the supporting cast. Siddharth Basu as Robin Dutt is perfect and Piyush Pandey gets notice in small role. Dibang, Prakash Belawadi and Ajay Ratnam fit the bill. Though background score is uneven and editing is patchy but excellent cinematography gives you chill down the spine in more than one scene. There is only one song towards the end and that is why there is not much interruption in storytelling.   But the real winner are writers Juhi Chaturvedi and Somnath Dey who keep it real but interesting. There are few jerks though - PM is too noble to believe and killer Bhaskaran is complete bad guy. Dialogues by Juhi lift the proceedings. This is another winner from director Shoojit Sircar  and he succeeds in narrating untold chapter of Indian political history without making it boring. After "Vicky Donor" this will again ensure few more awards to director and crew. Overall film is a rare case in Bollywood where political conspiracy and thrilling experience woven in an entertaining manner. This might not get big numbers at box office but will surely stamp authority in awards and among critics.   Go for this one if you cry for quality cinema from Bollywood! ref: BOC

Movie review: Bombay Talkies

Bombay Talkies

By Taran Adarsh, 1 May 2013, 08:31 hrs IST

It's a fact... Cinema and cricket are pursued with religious fervor in India. Cinema connects us. Cinema unites us. Cinema is indeed the predominant influence on our lives. Cinema is, without doubt, an integral part of every movie lover... Indian cinema, which completes its 100th year this year [RAJA HARISHCHANDRA, the first full-length feature-film made by Dadasaheb Phalke, was released in 1913], ought to be commemorated. What better way than four avant garde film-makers combining forces to pay respect to cinema -- Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee and Anurag Kashyap. Backed by Viacom18, the four prolific film-makers set out to narrate stories that are unconventional, borrowed from real life, about the common man. Also, each of those stories has a reference to Indian cinema/stars. 

The four stories in BOMBAY TALKIES -- made at a stipulated budget of Rs 1.5 cr each, the duration not exceeding 20/25 minutes -- are entwined in one film. Of course, experiments like this, when one or multiple raconteurs join hands to narrate distinctive stories, aren't new. Recall DARNA MANA HAI [2003; Prawaal Raman narrated a series of six stories in one film], DARNA ZAROORI HAI [2006; seven directors narrating seven different stories], SALAAM-E-ISHQ [2007; six love stories helmed by Nikhil Advani] and DUS KAHANIYAAN [2007; ten stories narrated by six directors]... 

A film like BOMBAY TALKIES gives an opportunity to film-makers to step out of their comfort zone and try to create something novel. It's a podium that does not necessarily cater to the box-office or the diaspora alone. Also, it helps the film-maker to tap the latent talent that he/she possesses, but it's never nurtured due to commercial constraints. The challenge lies in not merely narrating a story within a budget, but also narrating a tale effectively encompassing myriad emotions…

Karan Johar
Plot: All's well between an urban couple [Randeep Hooda, Rani Mukerji] till the wife meets a colleague [Saqib Saleem] at work. It changes their lives forever. 

Think of Karan Johar and you can't help but recall larger than life movies, music, dances, emotions, drama, grandiose sets, stunning locales, chic outfits… But Karan does an about-turn with the story in BOMBAY TALKIES. Of course, in films like KABHI ALVIDA NAA KEHNA and MY NAME IS KHAN, Karan did make an attempt to push the envelope, but with the short story in BOMBAY TALKIES, he narrates a story that no film-maker has endeavored to narrate on the Hindi screen. I was in a state of disbelief because I never expected Karan to narrate an account with such flourish in those 20 odd minutes. Karan reinvents himself here! 

The story revolves around three characters and each of them delivers bravura performances. Rani is efficient, as always. Randeep is finally getting the characters that do justice to his talent. But it is Saqib Saleem who stuns you with a dazzling performance. Kudos to Karan for taking a giant leap as a storyteller and depicting a harsh reality with brilliance! 

Dibakar Banerjee
Plot: An actor [Nawazuddin Siddiqui] is struggling to make a living. While watching a film shoot one day, he gets an opportunity that helps him prove himself to his daughter. 

Based on Satyajit Ray's short story 'Patol Babu, Film Star', Dibakar changes the setting from middle class Kolkata to middle class Dadar in Mumbai. With this story, Dibakar attempts to underline the actuality that personal contentment cannot be weighed against monetary incentives. In the end, the contentment on Nawaz's face, his body language as he narrates a story to his daughter, the cheerfulness he radiates seems so bona fide. You must hand it to Dibakar for transporting to the fore a story that makes you reflect on the various decisions of your past. 

There are two vital performers in this story -- Nawazuddin and Sadashiv Amrapurkar. Nawazuddin is brilliant all through, specifically in the sequence when he rushes home to his daughter to narrate a new story. It's indeed a pleasure to watch the supremely talented Sadashiv Amrapurkar after a hiatus. 

Anurag Kashyap
Plot: A young man [Vineet Kumar Singh] arrives in Mumbai from Allahabad to fulfill his ailing father's [Sudhir Pande] last wish. 

Anurag is known for pushing the boundaries, for thinking out of the box, for swimming against the tide… most importantly, he's known for encouraging new, deserving talent. Anurag too does an about-turn and makes a film that's in sharp contrast to the 'dark films' he's synonymous with. The story he narrates evokes myriad emotions -- it makes you chuckle, it makes you feel sympathetic towards the millions of hopeful who arrive in the city, it makes you moist-eyed when something drastic transpires during the train journey. With this film, Anurag should silence the naysayers who feel he restricts himself to confined themes only. 

Vineet Kumar Singh is a talent to watch out for. The vulnerability of an outsider when he arrives in a metropolis like Mumbai is projected radiantly by this young actor. Sudhir Pande is first-rate. But it is Amitabh Bachchan's super cameo that adjoins credence to the sequence of events. 

Zoya Akhtar
Plot: A kid [Naman Jain] from a middle class family is captivated by an actress [Katrina Kaif]. He decides to break the rules of the society and chase his dreams. 

Parents who thrust their condescending ambitions on their kids are not new for Bollywood. Zoya tackled a similar plot in LUCK BY CHANCE [recall Dimple Kapadia's character]. Now Zoya drives home a pertinent message through a kid here. The middle class setting, the defenselessness of the kids, the dilemma when parents decide what their kids ought to be when they grow up… Zoya's handling of the delicate moments stay with you. The usage of 'My Name Is Sheela' [from TEES MAAR KHAN] is the icing on the cake and the kid's moves are amazing. 

While Ranvir Shorey enacts the part of the disciplinarian father to perfection, it's the performance of the two kids -- Naman and Khushi Dubey -- that are most rewarding. Naman in particular is the star of the story. Katrina Kaif appears in a sparkling cameo. 

The film concludes with a tribute to Indian cinema, which brings as many as twenty top stars together on the same platform [choreography: Vaibhavi Merchant]. 

On the whole, BOMBAY TALKIES is one of those infrequent movies wherein you get to eyeball the superior efforts of four top notch film-makers in less than two hours. This reality alone makes the film a compelling watch, while the superior performances and absorbing themes that the movie prides itself in only serve as an icing on the cake. This celebration of cinema is a must watch!