Movie Review: 'Ankur Arora Murder Case' could have been amazing

Wednesday, June 12, 2013 10:48 IST

By: jrj4u.com

Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Paoli Dam, Tisca Chopra, Vishaka Singh, Arjun Mathur

Directed by: Suhail Tatari

Ratings: * * 1/2

There are films which are either commercial or intelligent cinema. But there is also one more cinema which could be easily termed as "Important Cinema". Films which might fall into this "Important Cinema" criteria could be those films which entertains you and educates you as well. Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par or Lagaan could be the best example here.

Going by Ankur Arora Murder Case's plot and trailer, You definitely get a feeling that this one is an important film. But what kills this (Could be a Fantastic Experience) film is it's long dragging first half and half baked and rushed second half. The film leaves you confused and paranoid just like it's Posters.

If the plot can be told in a very simple manner, It is about Dr. Asthana (Not from Munnabhai MBBS) (Kay Kay Menon) the Chief of Surgery of the Shekhawat General Hospital and an eight year old boy Ankur dies due to his medical negligence. A good surgeon is not necessarily a good person. We don't say this, This film does.



Ankur's mother Nandita (Tisca Chopra) along with another surgeon Romesh (Arjun Mathur) sets out on a devastating journey to fight for what is right. No nonsense lawyer Kajori Sen (Paoli Dam) takes on this system and the fight begins.

As far as the performance is concerned, Kay Kay Menon is good and impressive. However you get a feeling of him being repetitive. Tisca Chopra plays the mother again. Her performance has nothing new to offer. Vishaka Singh can be seen mostly crying in the film, But gave a good performance.

In fact, She made herself registered in front of such a talented star cast. Arjun Mathur is powerful and promising. But the surprise packet of the film is Paoli Dam. She totally steals the entire show with her power-packed performance.


If you have seen her playing the victim in Hate Story, Here you will see her in a totally new avatar of a Lawyer who stands out as a Hero.

Director Suhail Tatari who directed the forgettable Summer Of 2007, Picks up a story which is hard hitting and important at the same time. He has also successfully executed some fine performances by the players.


But the film looks too lengthy especially in the first half. By the time the second half proceeds, You know the happenings. On the writing side, Too much of Medical Terms have been used in the dialogue part. Which can be understood only by Doctors. I have my own doubts if a common cine goer will relate to those medical terms.

Musically, The songs in the movie looks out dated and forced in the screenplay. Camera work and production value of the movie is good because it comes from the banner of Vikram Bhatt. The Editing is not up to the mark.


Ankur Arora Murder Case could have been an amazing film. Sadly it ends up as a long and dragging routine fare which have been seen and witnessed many times. The film is watchable only for the performances of the actors, Especially Paoli Dam and to an extent Kay Kay Menon.

First Day First Show Of 'Yamla Pagla Deewana 2'

Movie Review: 'Yamla Pagla Deewana 2' is a 'torturous' joke

Cast: Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Neha Sharma, and Kristina Akheeva

Director: Sangeeth Sivan

Rating: **

It is awfully painful to see the iconic Dharmendra, who has acted in several imperishable comedies during his heydays, being reduced to a mere parodic shadow of his old flamboyant utterly unaffected self in this cheerless travesty masquerading as a comedy.

If you are one of those who thought the first segment of this farcical franchise was painful and laboured, then wait till you see what the sequel has in store. "Yamla Pagla Deewana" appears decidedly desirable in comparison with its sequel.



"Yamla Pagla Deewana 2" (YPD 2) is bigger in canvas, more ambitious in terms of cultural leaps made from Punjab to London. But finally what we are left looking at is a vehicle meant to bring the Deols together gone horribly haywire.

It would be an exercise in futility, if not impossibility, to describe the over-italicised plot or the caricatural characters. Suffice it to say that the farcical saga takes the three main characters forward on the same moral equilibrium as the first film. The father Dharmendra (God bless his affable screen persona) and the younger son Bobby are certifiable rogues. The turbaned elder son Sunny is upright and no-nonsense.


From this starting point, the film weaves in and out of a plodding mass of episodes, each one more strenuous and laboured than the previous. There isn't one 'Laugh Out Loud' moment in the entire lengthy proceeding stretching into two hours 40 minutes of a tale that wastes the talents of one of Bollywood's most celebrated film families.

Director Sangeeth Sivan believes in packing the proceedings with as many events and as much noise as possible. Everyone is seen running around all the time in search of laughter. In the process, talented actors like Anupam Kher, Annu Kapoor and Gulshan Grover are reduced to shadowy props.


So okay. This is meant to be a vehicle to celebrate the Deols' collective stardom. But where is the spark and spirit to bolster the celebratory mood? Like a joke that horribly misses its punchline, YPD2 goes on and on elaborating on a joke that never had any laughter in the first place.

While it's tragic to see Dharmendra and Sunny Deol trying so hard to milk the mirthless material for some laughter, it's even more heartbreaking to find our cinema mistaking boisterous gags for genuine humour.


Oh yes, the two leading ladies are easy on the eyes. Some relief to offset the ceaseless aural assault. Sheer torture.

Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 - Movie Review

Movie Name:

Yamla Pagla Deewana 2

Viewer Rating: 

| 

Critic Rating:

(1/5)

Release Date:

2013-06-07

Star Cast:

Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Neha Sharma, Kristina AkheevaAnupam Kher, Annu Kapoor, Johnny Lever, Gulshan Grover

Director:

Sangeeth Sivan

Producer:

Dharmendra

Music Director:

Sharib Sabri-Toshi Sabri

Genre:

Action, Comedy

Story

Awji, ki paaji!

What’s there to review when there isn’t even a film playing before you on the screen? Plenty. It’s become a solemn duty now to try and make sense of what’s going on here. Before walking into a shindig like this, you could do with a stiff Patiala peg to dull your senses first. It’s too early for that. The theatre is freezing cold. Not too many ‘bhakts’ have landed up for the first day 9.30 am show anyway.

I squint my eyes harder to figure out why there’s so much action when there’s no villain, really. I can see a fellow (Anupam Kher) who wants to build a mall similar to a space station, but he has nothing to do with the film or the plot whatsoever. There’s romance, but it’s difficult to ascertain who’s in love with whom or why. At the end of the day, this is a comedy without any sense of humour. So, what are we watching exactly? A full-on family film, of course – that ideally, the Deol family alone ought to be watching and rolling on the floor and laughing over.

Papa is Dharmendra. He has two betas – Bobby and Sunny, who share screen time in equal measure. One is the soulless romantic lead. The other is the ‘faulaad’ who roars so hard that the screen shivers and people start flying away into corners. Sunny’s wife Lynda is credited with this film’s story, which is for five minutes Andaz Apna Apna, Golmaal for another five minutes, and for the rest of 141 minutes – wholly indecipherable. The film is named after a popular Mohd. Rafi song picturised on Dharmendra, ‘Jatt Yamla Pagla Deewana’ from Pratigya (1975).

Dharmendra and Bobby play paajis, or con-men. They seek entry into a London businessman’s home, posing as the owners of a certain Oberoi Group of industries. Oberoi ‘pranaam’ is their preferred greeting. While I see everybody holding an iPad, they’ve obviously never been to Google, which is good. Quick search would give this game away. The London bizman (Annu Kapoor) has two young girls in his house – one is his daughter, the other is not. Bobby boy nets the wrong girl first, tries for the right one later. Sunny D is the conscientous one who wants to wreck this con plan.

Here’s the beauty of being sober. I’m able to report this piece in the midst of all the Sumo wrestlers and Ninja warriors and Salman Khan dialogues and other senselessness that the screen is otherwise stuffed with. This is the equivalent of a Bhojpuri film made keeping in mind Punjabi residents and immigrants settled in Southall. Yamla Pagla Deewana, its prequel, I am told, was a big hit. Bobby D poses as an artist later to impress the London bizman’s daughter. A chimpanzee accidentally starts playing with colours on his clean canvas. He sells that rubbish as his own abstract painting. The world is in tears, auction houses go nuts while he becomes the “next Picasso”. You think to yourself, if that is art, then surely this is a film. Yes, it is.

‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ breaks record, earns 19.45 cr

Friday released ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ starts off really well. The film broke all the opening day records of the movies released in 2013. The movie has won the heart of both Indian and overseas audience and made a promising Rs 19.45 cr in the opening day and emerged as the biggest opener of 2013 so far.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted: #YehJawaaniHaiDeewani Fri Rs 19.45 cr. STUPENDOUS!!!. He also added that the YJHD is on the way to make a new record in India and abroad. He tweeted: YehJawaaniHaiDeewani is on a record-shattering spree in India and Overseas. The figures are as follows:
The trade anaylyst tweeted the overseas collections of the movie: UK: #YehJawaaniHaiDeewani Fri £ 118,159 ... #Barfi! £ 229,783 [wknd], #Rockstar £ 184,592.

AUSTRALIA: #YehJawaaniHaiDeewani Fri A$ 69,501 ... Barfi A$ 138,257 [wknd], #Rockstar A$ 99,676 [wknd].

NEW ZEALAND: #YehJawaaniHaiDeewani Fri NZ$ 20,028 ... #Barfi NZ$ 22,815 [wknd], #Rockstar NZ$ 21,547 [wknd].

Taran Adarsh tweeted that the movie is all set to break Ranbir Kapoor starrer, ‘Barfi!,’ and ‘Rockstar’ box-office record. He tweeted: YehJawaaniHaiDeewani takes not just India, but Overseas markets by storm. Is all set to beat Barfi and Rockstar by a big margin! This is Ranbir Kapoor’s biggest opening film till date.
Taran Adarsh also informed that after ‘Dabangg 2’, ‘Yeh Jawwani Hai Dewani’ holds the record of No 1 non-holiday opener. He tweeted: Those asking, Dabangg2 holds the record of No 1 non-holiday opener. Will #YehJawaaniHaiDeewani emerge the biggest opener? Wait-n-watch!

Taran Adarsh also tweeted: In Overseas, Ranbir Kapoor is right next to the 3 Khans: SRK, Salman, Aamir. #Barfi and now #YehJawaaniHaiDeewani have cemented his status!
Released around 3000 screens in India ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani ‘ is expected to cross 50 crore mark in the first weekend. Directed by Ayan Mukherjee, the film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Kalki Koechlin and Aditya Roy Kapoor in the lead roles.

First Day First Show Of 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani'

Movie Review: 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani' is captivating must watch

ast: Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Kalki Koechline, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Evelyn Sharma, Farooq Sheikh, Poorna Jagananathan, Madhuri Dixit (in cameo)

Director: Ayan Mukherjee

Run Time: 2 Hrs 41 Min

Rating: * * * 1/2

If any one of us ever get an opportunity to get retro with our lives, then probably we would love to go to our youth days. With no worries to bother, millions of dream to aspire for and on top of it don't give a damn attitude, undoubtedly days of ones youth age are the most memorable ones.

And over the years even our cine biggies have realized that any cine cantata passing through this vestibules of youth stage towards a mature life have got good charming potential in the cine business too. After debuting with "Wake Up Sid" which was somewhat a spoilt brat's transformation saga now director, Ayaan Mukherjee has come up with a relatively novel angle to romance, which has got youthful charm, aspirations, friendship, tons of human value and a sweet love-story at its core.



This much or rather most awaited movie of the year starring Ranbir, Deepika and Kalki opened with an average occupancy of 95 percent at the cineplexes.

Ever since their respective debuts in showbiz Ranbir and Deepika have thoroughly experimented with their onscreen characters and every time have succeeded in proving their potential and now so is the case with their "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" stint where the outstanding chemistry of the duo clearly takes the movie miles ahead of the other movies belonging to same ilk.

Plot of "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani", narrates the story of Bunny (Ranbir Kapoor) a free spirited guy who has got a staunch fascination for leaving life to its fullest.

Naina (Deepika Padukone) a simple "Plain-Jane" kinda girl who is good-natured and extremely focused but somewhere down the conscious is fed up of her confined way of leaving.

And besides them we have two more characters, tomboyish Aditi (Kalki Koechline) and another happy go-lucky-guy Avi (Aditya Roy Kapoor) who has got a firm fascination for alcohol, cricket and adventure.


As the narration of "YJHD" takes off it starts with a narration of Naina about one of their trekking expedition to Himachal where all four of them had been together and where she failed in confessing her love to Bunny.

On the last day of their holiday, Avi, Adi and Naina finds that Bunny is going to US for a course in videography which is one of his another passions. Post this movie takes a leap of eight years, with Adi getting married to Taran ( Aditya Roy Kapoor) to which she invites, Bunny. So does Bunny comes back and reunites with his pals or not? To find out watch this mesmerizing cine cantata directed by Ayaan.

Unlike other cine delights of its ilk, premise of "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" is not just about a bunch of carefree youngsters who want to get rid of any of their real-life complexities or are in any manner oblivious of their career path.


Rather it is a tale dabbled in the treacle of realism which quite clearly showcases the emotions and mindset of today's youth. Although with "YJHD", Ayaan seems to be garnering goodies out of the tried and tested formula of youth-centricism, friendship, romance, a holiday etc.

But believe me, "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" is quite different from its predecessors belonging to the same genre. After debuting with, "Wake Up Sid" which had a spoilt brat and his tryst with life at the center stage, this time with a proportionate dose of love, humor, friendship and aspirations, Ayaan has conveniently succeeding in developing a more captivating saga.

It won't be wrong to say that Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani has got many such instances which are high on predictability scale and are not "not-seen-before" kind either, but in spite of that they have a soothing fragrance of freshness to charm you.



And the best thing pertaining to script of "Yeh Jawaani Deewani" is that, the characters and their general mindset is so well defined and convincing, that by the time movie reaches its end you up-till an extent fall in love with each one of them.

Although script of "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" up-till a great extent showcases the aspiration, but at the same time it thoroughly showcases that it's our loved ones who matters the most at the end. In nutshell in spite of serving something which is not out of the world at all, Ayaan has firmly succeeded in getting a right script and has no where tempered it unnecessarily to make it look something detesting.

Besides this in writing department even dialogue writer Hussain Dalal has succeeded in inscribing some impressive rhetoric chunks. Though none of them has any over the top appeal, but at the same time they make you laugh, cry and compels you to introspect.


Even while being in director's chair Ayaan has kept everything under tabs and nowhere allowed melodrama, unwanted irrelevant cine variables to blemish the over all appeal of the movie.

Screenplay of "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" is simply dauntless, be it the the first half or the post interval part, narration firmly succeeds in maintaining a constant flow. Although it gets a bit slow in bits and pieces at a few places, but keeping in view the over all appeal of the movie and the captivation coefficient these micro flaws can be overlooked with quite an ease.

Despite having a run time of over two and a half hours "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" keeps your gazes glued to the screen throughout and the worth-mentioning characteristic of movie's screenplay which keeps your attention seized during entire run-time is that, besides not skipping any relevant information it no where attempts to obtrude anything unwanted too. All in all YJHD's screenplay does a thorough justice to a captivating tale.


Even the sharp yet pinpoint editing of Akiv Ali in both the halves thoroughly complements this smoothly flowing spellbinding narration. And how can one forget the stupendous cinematography of V.Manikandan which aesthetically adds on to the over all appeal of the movie. Be it the locales of Himachal or the scenic views of New York or Udaipur every visual-capture is simply spectacular and magnificently succeeds in capturing the diverse spectrum of landscapes.

Well as far as music of "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" is concerned then it has all the traits in it, which an enthralling music album needs to emerge as a chart topper. Music of YJHD has got nearly all the shades to pamper your aural drive. With "Badtameez Dil" and "Balam Pichkari", "Kabira" is another aural delight which will satiate your thirst for a good music treat.

In performance department, it's completely Bunny's ahem Ranbir's show. Over the years, Ranbir has not only graduated to the status of a great actor, but has also constantly proved his mettle too. Be it his youthful acts, his aspirations or his proximity to life everything pertaining to Ranbir in "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" will make you re-fall in love with him.


Besides Ranbir even leggy lass Deepika has mastered the art of doing a complete justice to diverse kind of roles. And this time again she comfortably succeeds in mesmerizing the masses by her performance as Naina. And besides this it's the drool-worth onscreen chemistry of Ranbir and DP which emerges as the USP of "Yeh Jawaani Hai Dewaani".

After proving his mettle as Rahul in "Ashiqui-2", Aditya is here again with a sinewy performance and in "YJHD" Aditya well showcases his superb acting talent. Kalki in her tomboyish avatar has looked impressive too. Despite being in a small role, Farooq Shaikh as Ranbir's father touches your heart.

Evelyn Sharma in an extended cameo of a sort has looked charming. And besides this Poorna Jagananatha, Tanvi Azmi and Dolly Ahluwalia also perform their respective cameos with utmost brilliance.


Undoubtedly, "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" has been one of the most awaited movie of the year for some very obvious reasons. So with a glittering starcast, a neat plot and good entertainment quotient, it will surely emerge as one of the respectable BO grossers of the year.

To sum up, with a captivating premise, a somewhat new angle to romance and relationships, and a mesmerizing appeal, "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" is a must watch cine cantata with which masses of all ages would love to identify.

Box Office: 'Ishkq In Paris' fails miserably

Tuesday, May 28, 2013 12:07 IST

Both Preity Zinta's film and 'Hum Hai Raahi Car Ke' suffered a dull week at the marquee

The past weekend proved lacklustre for the Hindi film industry. While most big banner films shied away from a release during the final weekend of the IPL season, the sixth edition of the Fast & Furious franchise revved up and made the most of the vacuum. In fact, it not only left behind other Hollywood releases but also Bollywood films by a huge margin.

Preity Zinta's Ishkq in Paris failed miserably. Jyotin Goel's Hum Hai Raahi Car Ke faced a similar fate as well. On the other hand, films from the past weeks such as Aurangzeb, Go Goa Gone and Shootout At Wadala are gradually fizzling out -- if not completely.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsha says, `Ishkq In Paris collected approximately Rs 1.25 crore to Rs 1.35 crore in its opening weekend while Aurangzeb's second weekend collection reached Rs 2.55 crore dragging its grand total to Rs 22.24 crore. Fast & Furious 6 raked in Rs 21.55 crore across 1200 screens in the country.`



However, not every single Hollywood release made hay under the Indian sun. Baz Luhrmann's extravagant The Great Gatsby, with a budget of $125 million, could not meet up to the expectations while Mira Nair's The Reluctant Fundamentalist had few screens to begin with.

According to Box Office India, Ishkq in Paris had a net collection of Rs 1.06 crore whereas The Reluctant Fundamentalist's first week hovered around Rs 1.15 crore. Fast & Furious 6 made Rs 21.5 crore in its first weekend itself.

As far as the action film is concerned, the numbers speak for themselves. `It's amongst the best figures for a Hollywood film that have ever released in India. According to my estimate, it made around Rs 21.5 crore over the past weekend.

If it weren't for the IPL final on Sunday, I'm sure it would have been a crore to Rs 1.5 crore higher! Unfortunately, none of the Hindi releases of the week came close to what it managed, ` adds film exhibitor and distributor Akshaye Rathi.


Speaking of Bollywood releases, Ishkq in Paris had a limited release while other films from the Hindi bunch slowed down. Akshaye points out, `It released primarily at the multiplexes and not in single screens.

Besides, the micro limited showcasing (with an average of two-three shows) at the multiplexes automatically put a ceiling on the kind of numbers it could have achieved even if it were to be lapped up by the audience.`

Distributor Rajesh Thadani adds, `Hum Hai Raahi Car Ke couldn't even make one crore as the amount reads Rs 75 lakh as of now.` Now all eyeballs are on the upcoming Ranbir Kapoor-Deepika Padukone starrer Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Manoj N Shyamalan's After Earth that release next Friday.