Dedh Ishqiya Review from Mansa Rastogi!!

One of the biggest formulas being applied over and over again in cinema over the last few years is that of converting a hit film into a franchise by dishing out sequels one after the other only to cash in on the success of the first. Now whether those sequels have anything to do with the first one or are even closely as good as the original is a redundant query. Some of the cerebral filmmakers too have fallen into the money spinning trap so it's no surprise that you see producer Vishal Bhardwaj too doling out the sequel to his 2010 superhit Ishqiya. But does his sequel live upto the standards? Let's find out.

Dedh Ishqiya Pictures   52 Pictures

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Partners in crime, Khalujaan (Naseeruddin Shah) and Babban (Arshad Warsi) are back to their silly misadventures. The setting again is the badlands of North India although with a decadent feudal system. 

Mahmudabad is the land of decrepit, crumbling Nawabs, each covering up for the bankruptcy with a sham of grandeur. Begam Para (Madhuri Dixit), an ageing widow of the late Nawab of Mahmudabad has a task at hand - to fulfil the last wish of her late husband that of re-marrying. A "Jalsa" is organised for all Nawabs, competitions held that of sher-mushairas, guns and ghazals. Enters Khalujaan under the garb of Nawaz of Chandpur followed by his Khadim Babban; the agenda - to ransack the wealth of Begam Para. Tables turn the moment Khalujaan lays eyes on Para and his heart flutters. He forgets the objective while trying to woo her only to know much later in the course, that Begam Para too, along with her aide Muniya (Huma Qureshi) has a plan up her sleeves.

The film scores ace on the laudable story of Darab Farooqui, painstakingly written screenplay of Abhishek Choubey and the saucy, witty and hilarious dialogues of Vishal Bhardwaj.

The story is extensive, there's ample back and forth, the characters are complex, each with a grey shade but it's Abhishek's master direction that doesn't leave any depiction rushed. He takes his time to establish the backdrop, that of the dying era of Nawabs. He interestingly captures their failing attempts of the few leftover Nawabs to latch on to the Nawabi royalty and its perks. He evolves his characters smartly as their real agenda blend brilliantly with the proceeding storyline. 

It all goes very good in Dedh Ishqiya till the penultimate moment and the film goes awry from thereon. It's Vishal and his protege's fascination for Tarantino that reflects in the end there the screenplay goes completely berserk and there's mindless gun-totting and bloodshed. Also the later portions of the second half appear extremely stretched and could well be edited for a crisper screenplay.

Both Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi once again form the heart of the film. Their antics and banter make for an enjoyable watch. However, this time around it's Arshad who supersedes Naseeruddin Shah's performance. 

Madhuri Dixit is luminates in her comeback film and is as graceful as ever. There are dance portions of the actress which are extremely delightful and beautifully shot. Huma on the other hand remains underutilized and hence, may be the only sore thumb in the list of actors.

Among the many character actors in the film, the one that outshines is Vijay Raaz. Not only does he get a meaty part to play but also the right director who taps his potential as an actor and extracts commendable display of acting prowess. 

To sum it up, Dedh Ishqiya falls just a step short of being flawless and that's only because of the Tarantino-esq climax. But in the rest of the portions, the film, as promised, "Dedh" (One and a half) times the fun of the original.

Rating:***

http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/10000/bollywood.hindi/dedh-ishqiya/4519/review.htm

Dhoom 3 Review from Times of India!

Story: Chicago is hit by a mysterious thief targeting one bank - can Mumbai cop Jai Dixit catch the shadowy chor?

Review: Straight up, Dhoom 3 makes you laugh, gasp - even sniffle. The most emotional of the Dhoom series yet, this is Aamir Khan's show all the way. As revengeful circus star Sahir, whose father Iqbal (Shroff) dies after losing his beloved Great Indian Circus to a stony-hearted Chicago bank, Khan is terrific. The Dhoom series usually showcases brawn on bikes but in this one, mind meets machinery, Khan's brain almost visibly ticking behind his eyes, calculating every second before he vrroooms off on a bike - across a wire stretched high between buildings, beneath a mega-truck, even underwater.

Chicago forms a super backdrop for Sahir's stunts, the grainy stone of its buildings the perfect texture against which those bikes purr past with velveteen growls. Scrawling 'Teri aisi ki taisi' on its vaults and scattering the bank's money across Chicago's skies, Sahir makes the local police look as intelligent as turkeys. But things change when Mumbai cop ACP Jai Dixit (Bachchan), with bike-and-babe-mad subordinate Ali (Chopra), arrive and figure out why - and how - Sahir is breaking the bank.

Dhoom 3 rests on Khan's magnetism, his actor's eyes and jaw-line, his abs playing a part too. But the film is powered by its action. With WOL (whistle-out-loud) moments, this is super-slick and on an extravagant scale, using Chicago's skyscrapers like sexy statues arching into the sky. Alongside,Dhoom 3 features the franchise's tongue-in-cheek cheekiness, Ali, fida over blonde policewoman Victoria (as in 'secret'), Jai telling him to focus not on Kamasutra but kaam. As circus star Alia, Kaif provides soft romance, her fitness and innate grace redefining sexiness, making even potentially risque sequences - she lands her job following a speedy striptease - look delicately sensuous. Alia's charming beauty stops our protagonist in his tracks - but for how long?

Clocking in at nearly three hours, Dhoom 3 is slightly extensive. But it holds advantages, the first, that sizzling Dhoom tune, all leather, boots and electric guitars, which straightens sagging scenes. The second - sharp performances by Khan, Bachchan (an underrated actor, whose ability to drawl languid lines with intense looks stands out) and Chopra, who sprinkles lightness and fun. And the third - Dhoom 3's story with a twist wrapped around it, like the ribbon around a Christmas gift. Merrily unwrap - flying out of the Great Indian Circus, Dhoom 3 is great fun.

Rating:****
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/Dhoom-3/movie-review/27677238.cmshttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/Dhoom-3/movie-review/27677238.cms

Silence Review from Rediff!

Paresh C Palicha says Silence is the first attempt at serious film making from the writer-director team of Y V Rajesh and V K Prakash and have made a decent attempt.

Watching Mammootty play a legal eagle is always interesting. May be because he is a qualified lawyer in real life too. Director V K Prakash seems to know this fact well and uses it to his advantage in his new film Silence.

Written by Y V Rajesh, this legal thriller has taken its inspiration from a couple of Hollywood films to make a highly watchable film.

Arvind Chandrasekhar (Mammootty) is a very successful lawyer, who is appointed judge in the Bengaluru High Court. He is the youngest person to achieve this distinction. Before taking the oath, he visits his parents in Kerala. There he is harassed by an anonymous caller, who says he is not fit to be a judge. At first he thinks it’s a prank played by some friend or a rival.

But things get serious when his wife and children face dangerous situations supposedly created by the same caller. So he tries to dig into his past to see if he has made any mistakes or unintentionally hurt anyone.

He uncovers the mystery in the beginning of the second half and sets out to correct his past mistake before assuming charge as a judge.

The first half moves at break neck speed. But the momentum is lost in the second half as Arvind goes on a fact-finding mission to find his mistake and correct it.

The film borrows heavily from the Richard Gere starrer, Primal Fear (1996).

Among the legion of supporting actors is Anoop Menon who plays a high-ranking police officer and a batch mate of Aravind’s in law college. He had a crush on Sangeetha (Pallavi Purohit) who later married Aravind.

Jayaprakash Kuloor is a Malayali priest and Joy Mathew plays Markos who wanted the judgeship that went to Aravind.

Mammootty gives a controlled performance as Aravind. His greying sideburns and moustache somehow add to his vulnerability.

Silence is the first attempt at serious film making from the writer-director team of Y V Rajesh and V K Prakash after low-brow comedies such as Gulumaal and Threekings.

It is notches above the previous attempts and highly watchable.

Rating:**1/2
http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/review-mammoottys-silence-is-worth-a-watch-south/20131209.htm

Nambootiri Yuvav @ 43 Reviews from NowRunning!

Folks, let me tell you that Mahesh Sharman's 'Namboothiri Yuvavu @ 43' is no 'Paavam Paavam Rajakumaran'. It isn't even a pale shadow of the Sreenivasan film that talked of an almost middle aged bachelor, desperate to tie the knot. 

Jayanthan (Maniyanpillai Raju) works as a priest at a local temple, and has almost given up on his plans to get married. Which is why he is taken by surprise when Sangeetha (Tanusree), an eighteen year old girl at an orphanage expresses her willingness to spend the rest of her life with him.

Nambootiri Yuvavu @ 43 Pictures   85 Pictures

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Post-marriage however, Jayanthan is in for a couple of severe shocks as Sangeetha seems scared of him. Pretty much soon, he realizes that his wife is suffering from a post-traumatic stress disorder, and sets out to find out more about her past.

For one, this is a tale that hassomewhere along the years, lost its significance. So, it becomes extremely difficult to retain the viewer interest in an account in which you know exactly what lies around the corner.

So when the girl looks like she has a story to tell, you sit up, all perked up, hoping thatthis will turn the tables around for an otherwise humdrum film. And along comes the flashback, that is quite uninspiring, and you watch as the last straw of hope floats downstream and away.

The characterization too leaves pretty much a lot to the imagination, and it has these chestnut characters that fit every bill. For instance there is the character played by Nandu, who is an elderly Muslim, who seems to have been planted right opposite the Brahmin who marries a girl from a church. Things couldn't probably get any more specific, perhaps. 

For most of its part, it does stick to reality, though on two instances, it makes a considerable deviation. Jayanthan decides to go chic all on a sudden at the insistence of a friend, and tries out even some low waist jeans in the process. The antics that he indulges in makes you wonder if the man has not really mellowed with age.

His interactions with a youngster (Sraavan) who has a very special wily way with women is the other occasion that almost misfires. When the association finally ends in a brawl, you realize that all this beating around the bush has eventually served little purpose.

I should add that 'Namboothiri Yuvavu @ 43' is not really a film that merits a detailed analysis, and try hard as it may, it is a formulaic piece of cinema, that does not have the potential to rise above the bery minimal standards that it has set for itself.

Maniyanpillai Raju makes a decent middle aged guy who is caught in the doldrums of life, courtesy a late marriage. Tanusree makes a confident debut, though her performance borders on the theatrical at times. 

'Namboothiri Yuvavu @ 43' is thus a futile exercise in film making that is a bit of astretch, since it's neither emotional nor funny. It's a bland adaptation of a theme that we have already seen before, delivered with less charm and even lesser appeal.

Rating:*1/2
http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/12707/malayalam/nambootiri-yuvavu-@-43/4487/review.htm 

Silence Movie Review by NowRunning!

V K Prakash's 'Silence' has Mammootty playing Aravind, a vibrant lawyer who is all set to take office as a judge. The celebrations are on in full swing, when Aravind starts receiving phone calls from a stalker, who seems to know everything about him. Whenhis family is threatened, Aravind has no other option but to track the caller down and seek out his intent.

Y V Rajesh's script has a few thrilling moments in the first half and the film has a striking interval punch that sets the ball rolling on a thriller field. However, we see the script toppling down in the latter half, with a few loose ends hanging about here and there. 

Silence Pictures   12 Pictures

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'Silence', to be fair to the makers, does have its share of thrills, is slickly shot and keeps you perched on the edge of your seat - at least for the most part. Its collapse lies in the fact that the surprise comes perhaps a bit too early, and once the revelation is made, there is nothing much sturdy enough to hold the rest of the film together.

It has become almost customary these days, for every thriller film to have a psychotic character who would wreak havoc in someone's life, and 'Silence's is no exception. Psychosis seems to be the key factor here as well, and everything from a troubled childhood to a history of schizophrenia are dwelled on, but we have all seen it before. 

The shock moments that are so imperative for a film as this to get its moves right, are sadly what are missing here. The buildup is quite fine, and you get all perked up and excited, and when the final disclosure does not match up to the setting, the effects are catastrophic.

It's a shame really, since the film does show signs of immense potential during its initial few moments. A golden thriller premise is what it has on offer, and hence when you watch it tumble down like a pack of cards, you are disappointed and wish that things were indeed better.

One does wonder if it's at all possible to deliver a real exciting thriller any more, with almost all the possibilities explored by film makers across the world. And yet, films continue to be made; the ones that excite us, and which make our hearts skip a beat or two. 

The underwater scenes at the climax have been captured on camera remarkably well, and Mammootty does deserve an ovation for having done the action sequences on his own. Manoj Kumar's cinematography is slick, and suits the mood of the film to the 'T'.

Mammootty looks incredibly handsome with the salt 'n pepper look, and though the role does not throw any fresh challenges to him as an actor, slips into the portrayal of the troubled lawyer with remarkable ease. Basil does a neat job as well, and perhaps this should open up a vista of new opportunities before the young actor. Anoop Menon and Pallavi Purohit lend ample support in their respective roles.

I would still say this Y V Rajesh's best script till date, and with a bit more polish, he could have had a real winner in his hands. As of now, things are pretty much silent over here. So much so that you wish someone would at least let out a scream.

Rating:**
http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/14416/malayalam/silence/4500/review.htm