Gori Tere Pyaar Mein Yahoo Reviews!

Cast: Imran Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shraddha Kapoor, Anupam Kher

Direction: Punit Malhotra

Rating: **1/2

I have always maintained that Karan Johar teaches his protégés well; they almost always get the entertainment quotient and the slick productions qualities right but alas that can’t be said about ‘Gori Tere Pyaar Mein’.

The production is so slick that even when Dia Sharma (Kareena Kapoor Khan) and Sriram Venkat (Imran Khan) choose to stay in a dusty Gujarati village, they are always impeccably dressed. Imran’s white linen shirts don’t even have a speck of dust on them, Kareena’s kohl-lined eyes are always perfectly done and she exhibits the most extensive cotton kurta collection possible in a poor village. I guess she dresses immaculately to express solidarity with the impoverished village folk.

And this in effect is what exposes the inherent superfluousness of the plot. Sriram actually makes a very valid point when he erupts and blames Dia of being a hypocrite. The fundamental problem with ‘Gori Tere Pyaar Mein’ is that there isn’t an iota of conviction in the narrative - whether it’s the heroine’s activism, the hero’s love for the heroine or the entire living-in-the-village, among-the-poor, understand-their-plight charade that they carry on throughout the second half.

What really doesn’t help their cause is the complete absence of chemistry between the film’s lead stars, Imran and Kareena. I understand that we have established at the onset that our social activist is older than our chocolate boy but that doesn’t mean that their relationship has to be asexual. There is not a single passionate embrace or kiss or even a look that can allude to some latent attraction underlying their relationship.

In fact, the only thing that rings true is how mechanically Sriram goes through the motions of an arranged marriage, even after the girl has told him that she is in love with someone else. So self-absorbed is our hero that he refuses to be the fall guy and insists that if she is so hopelessly in love, she should gather the courage to tell her parents. The director doesn’t romanticize the arranged marriage set-up nor is there any dramatic meltdown. And what really makes the situation funny is how deftly the prospective bride Vasudha (Shraddha Kapoor) manages to systematically brainwash our vulnerable hero into believing that he is still in love with his former girlfriend, and thus ensuring her escape. That I thought was really well played.

The film tends to gloss over a lot of real issues. Why take them up when you can’t do justice? Stick todil, dosti and friendship and you’ll have a winner all the way. Real issues just expose a pretentious approach and superficial concern for social causes like education, poverty, illegal land acquisition and sanitation.

‘Gori Tere Pyaar Mein’ is an insipid love story dragged down by a flimsy plot that limps on at a tedious pace.

Actual Review Links:

http://in.movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-reviews/yahoo-movies-review-gori-tere-pyaar-mein-120554266.html

Singh Saab The Great Movie Review from NDTV!

Rating: ***1/2

Cast:Sunny Deol, Urvashi Rautela, Amrita Rao and Prakash Raj
Director: Anil Sharma 

SPOILERS ALERT

There is something to be said about that 'dhaai kilo ka haath' which Sunny Deol patented in well-made action films like Ghatak, Ghayal and Gadar - Ek Prem Katha. Lately, his career was eclipsed by wrong choices. Maybe, the 'haath' (hand) was not in the right place.

Back in form with a bang in Singh Saab The Great, Sunny delivers a wallop. Looking every inch the Sardar in-charge, he furnishes the film with a flair that is quite engaging. No, he doesn't wrench off a hand-pump to thrash the goon. But yes, he does turn a static jeep from back to the front with his bare hands.

And guess what? He looks every bit convincing doing the heroic hijinks in a country certainly not meant for the weak and the infirm.

When we first meet Singh Saab (The Great) in this non-stop actioner, we are told by his on-screen aides that Singh has formed a political party called Aam People's Party. Now, if that reminds you of a certain Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party, then I am sure the resemblance is not coincidental.

God knows, we do need a change in governance and in the rampant corruption in the country. Anil Sharma's over-zealous though never-misplaced passion to put across Sunny in a messianic mould works to a large extent. The film is an old-fashioned, very simply written morality tale between an idealistic hero and a villain who rules a backwater town with an arrogant ruthlessness that romances decadence and debauchery.

What works well for the film are the powerfully executed confrontational sequences between Sunny and the arch-villain Prakash Raj. While Sunny shows exemplary control in the inherently melodramatic milieu, Prakash Raj tries a variation on his stereotypical villainy. He comes up with a character who's a Bihari goon who can at the drop of a hat, break into a song and dance while executing the sleaziest of deeds and dialogues.

God knows, we need a bit of humour in the decadence.

It's a murky world of compromised morals out there made bearable by larger-than-life heroes who know they are up against impossible odds, and yet find a kind of subverted comfort in making their unbelievable hero-giri credible by dint of their powerful screen images.

Sunny Deol has that kind of a presence. While romancing the mean, he is also capable of infusing moments of goofy tenderness in his scenes with his screen wife, played by a pretty and reasonably watchable debutante Urvashi Rautela. Their glaring age difference is also brought to chuckling notice by a script whose USP is its determination to not act over-clever while executing an old-fashioned revenge tale.

Amrita Rao struggles to give substance to an under-written role of the narrator and journalist who seems to have only one assignment, to trail Singh Saab (The Great) through his crusade against corruption. Clearly, she's ready to fall in love with the Missionary Man, if only the script would allow her.

You've seen the noble bureaucratic hero in different uniforms,take on the corrupt villain in numerous films. What works in Singh Saab The Great is the way the action scenes flow in motions of choreographed contemplation. Action directors Tinu Verma and Kanal Kannan lend a rigour to the narrative.

While the plot tends to sag under the weight of italicized cliches, the twists and turns are negotiated by the technicians with ample aplomb. The sound design is deliberately exaggerated and meant to manipulate moments of machismo. S Gopinath's cinematography captures the feverish flourish of men on a rampage with gusto. The art director makes innovative use of rusty-brown colours that lend a bronzed hue to the brawn festival.

It would be the easiest thing in the world to dismiss Sunny's pronounced heroism as archaic and 'loud'.But don't be hasty in your judgement.

Anil Sharma and Sunny Deol's combustive force earlier yielded the powerful Gadar - Ek Prem Katha. This time they aspire to the same level of dramatic velocity, and succeed to an extent.

There is a virility and fluency to the storytelling. Singh Saab The Great is a homage to the cinema of the 1980s when Sunny was the daredevil determined to bring on a social reform. Somewhere, that hero lost his way. It's good to have him back.

http://movies.ndtv.com/movie-reviews/singh-saab-the-great-movie-review-897?fb

Aarambham Review from Now Running!

Rating:**

Remember how the "Die Hard" series in the fourth and fifth instalment was all about Bruce Willis performing age-defying stunts and entertaining fans of the franchise; likewise Tamil film "Arrambam" is all about Ajith Kumar. 

Glorifying actors, already being worshipped as gods, Tamil cinema continues to make films that are aspirational but empty from the inside. 

Ajith's "Arrambam" is undoubtedly highly stylish, but otherwise it's just another cliched revenge drama.

Mumbai police receives a tip off about three bombs planted in different parts of the city, ready to explode in about 15 minutes. The anonymous caller happens to be AK aka Ashok Kumar (Ajith), who is on a mission to avenge the death of his close friend. 

Aarambam Pictures   50 Pictures

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AK's hit list comprises of some of the most influential names in society, including the homeminister played by Mahesh Manjrekar. With the help of his comrades, AK begins eliminating them one by one but everything doesn't pan out the way he had originally planned.

"Arrambam" is not bad but the problem with it is that it lacks creative touch. What I fail to understand or find irritating in most revenge-based dramas is why these films always need to have an emotionally manipulative back story. Why can't they for once try something different?

This is the third time in a row Ajith has played the anti-hero with elan. He is unarguably one of the more stylish actors in the industry and he has proved it time and again. 

In "Arrambam", Ajith takes the style quotient a notch further with his new salt and pepper look and leaves his fans in a celebratory mood throughout. But what he doesn't deliver as an actor is variation in his performance. 

If you pay close attention, you'll realise that his role is an extension of the one from "Billa", which was also helmed by Vishnuvardhan.

Let's also not forget that the film bears a lot of resemblance to Hollywood flick "Swordfish". If we replace the bank robbery episode in the latter with the mission to eliminate some baddies with the help of a techie to earn some technological leverage, we have "Arrambam".

Director Vishnuvardhan makes it a very stylish outing but he produces a very mediocre movie that reeks of heroism. He also makes the same mistake of compromising on content to do justice to the image of Ajith. He does everything to satisfy hardcore fans of the actor but fails to deliver a film everyone can root for.

Arya and Nayanthara play their respective parts well while Tapsee becomes irksome after a few minutes. Rana plays a decent cameo but talented actors such as Manoj and Atul are completely wasted. 

In some scenes we see Manoj mouthing dialogues in Hindi with Tamil translation but we also see him speaking in Tamil in a few instances. Are we supposed to infer that he can speak Tamil whenever he desires? The same is applicable to a few other characters as well.

Yuvan's music is a big letdown as not even a single track is hummable while the background score occasionally reminds one of "Billa". 

The cinematography by Om Prakash stands out but editor Sreekar Prasad could have cut it at least fifteen minutes short.

"Arrambam", which works solely on Ajith's charisma, can be watched for some well orchestrated action sequences.

Actual Review Link:
http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/13549/tamil/aarambam/4452/review.htm

Pandia Naadu Review from Now Running!

Rating:***

 
A grieving father conceals his happiness with an awkward smile when he comes to learn that the man responsible for his son's death is dead too. He silently walks into his room, breathes a sigh of relief and picks up his crying grandson and takes a stroll.

This is one of the most powerful scenes of "Pandiya Naadu", which unarguably is a better film compared to other two Diwali releases. It's a quintessential revenge drama supported by taut narration and wonderful performances.

Director Suseenthiran is known for his action flicks, and "Pandiya Naadu" is an actioner too, but it also has this genuine touching family angle included with a purpose. He cashes in on a strong family bond to narrate an engaging revenge story sans any commercial cliches.

Pandianadu Pictures   18 Pictures

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When the local don of Madurai kicks the bucket, war ensues between his two brothers for the position he has left behind. It's just a matter of time when one of the remaining brothers, Sharath Lohitashwa, emerges victorious in the battle to take over the empire.

Sharath runs several illegalbusinesses in the city and when an accident in his granite mining factory is leaked to media by a local government officer, he kills him. To avenge the death of the officer, his younger brother (Vishal) and father (Bharathiraja) set out to kill Sharath.

"Pandiya Naadu" has a very ordinary first half with a lot of focus on family drama and romance, but it takes a detour post-interval to give audiences an engaging climax. 

It steers away stereotypes and entertains with a very strong screenplay, while strong performances by the lead cast make the film one of the best in this genre.

The film is a winner because of Suseenthiran, who knows exactly how to use his craft and never let goes off an opportunity to pleasantly surprise the audience. 

He did it recently with "Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer" and now repeated it with "Pandiya Naadu", which gives us a much needed face life to the genre. I loved the fact that he used the family tie to never strip the film off its emotional quotient, but use it poignantly to build an edge-of-the-seat narrative. Brilliant!

For the first time in his career Vishal has shed his action hero avatar, and it worked in his favour. To see a commercial actor sans heroism is a rarity in Tamil cinema nowadays, but Vishal stood by the change, which was the need of the hour. It was a welcome relief and helped audiences to instantly connect with his character in particular.

Casting is also the film's biggest strength. 

Veteran filmmaker Bharathiraja as the father is brilliant and his subtle relationship with Vishal stands out. He gives a knockout performance that makes you root for the actor in him. 

Vikranth makes a comeback with an impressive cameo, but wish we got to see more of him.

The amateurish style action is appropriate, much better than most exaggerated action sequences in several Tamil films. 

Madhie's cinematography is top class especially during the chase sequences, while Imman's tunes and background score was satisfying.

This festival weekend "Pandiya Naadu" is your best bet at the cinemas. It's a dark horse that gallops with pride.

http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/12771/tamil/pandianadu/4456/review.htm

Pizza 2 Review from Haricharan Pudipeddi!

Rating:***

Film franchise is something new to Tamil cinema, which usually consists of commercial potboilers and senseless comedies, but Karthik Subbaraj's "Pizza" is an exception. 

What most Tamil filmmakers couldn't achieve, C.V. Kumar (producer of "Pizza") did in just two years. He not only envisioned an opportunity to introduce the concept of a franchise, but also used it effectively to deliver a gem like "Pizza 2: Villa", which is undoubtedly even more deceiving and complex than the original.

Pizza 2: Villa Pictures   23 Pictures

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A struggling writer Jebin, who is on the lookout for a publisher to back his debut novel, is going through the worst phase of his life. His father's (Nasser) untimely death has not only made him lonely, but emotionally weak. 

Arthi, his girlfriend, tries her best to support him emotionally as well as mentally and helps him in his search to find a publisher.

Meanwhile, Jebin learns about a villa his father has left behind through their family lawyer. Having faced rejection from numerous publishers, he is forced to self-publish his work, and therefore, plans on selling the villa for a hefty price. 

He goes to inspect the villa, but falls in love with it and eventually decides to stay there and work on his second novel. But Jebin's life takes an ugly turn at the villa, which paves way to more unfortunate events.

If you have ever wondered how could films possibly deceive us, then you ought to watch "Pizza 2: Villa", which in no way is a sequel to "Pizza". 

There are layers of deception in the film and as you start peeling it off, you'll be surprised to find more.

The more you try to compare both the films, higher are your chances of getting disappointed. 

What I really liked about the film is the fact that it gives hints to understand its climax, which is not easy to comprehend in the first viewing. 

As the saying goes, 'devil lies in the details', everything brilliant about "Pizza 2" lies in the most unexpected scenes and only when you look back at them afterwards, you'll understand its purpose in the film.

At one-hour-and-42-minute, "Pizza 2: Villa" is perhaps the shortest Tamil film. But the irony is that despite being short, it has few dull moments that might turn off a few. 

Nonetheless, kudos to debutant Deepan for narrating an engaging story in less than two hours.

Ashok and Sanchita live up to the occasion and deliver outstanding performances. 

Music and the background score heightens the overall visual experience, while occasional use of visual effects is fitting.

"Pizza 2: Villa" ends with the room for a sequel in the offing, which let's hope is even better. The film is an underdog that deceives you to eventually finish as a winner.

http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/12273/tamil/pizza-2-villa/4463/review.htm