Gangster Movie Review from Now Running!!

Akbar Ali(Mamooty) see his Family murdered and he grow through pain all through the time. The Grudge and pain can't releive him, so decides to wreaks vengeance on the men that crunched his past, he decides join them silently and he gradually he turns out to be a don of fearful repute. In the nineties, he shifts base to Mangalore from Mumbai, and forms a peace treaty with the two Parties of Mangalore - Mani Menon (Kunchan) and Uncle Sam (John Paul). Things did go well, until Anto Pandhare (Shekhar Menon), Uncle Sam's godson enters in the play.

Story revolves the same like ganster story, tale is portrayed on Mangalore port, and has zilch new to offer. This time something that changes is the focus from regular movie, and this is where director Aashiq Abu does the trick everyone and his leap in the making of gangster saga whacks into the stands. Here is something he made audience thinking and deflects the peopes taste from general audiences.

He takes off to Ajmer, and after a song, and some therapy later, lands back in Mangalore, with a single mantra chant flowing from his lips - that of revenge. Sadly though, this is the sole merit of the film that takes a while - the entire first half, in fact - to get its feet on the ground. By then, the man has had his share of losses, and the wait starts for his rejuvenation.

The extensive periods of silence with a slow, whirring background score playing through, soon start getting on your nerves, and with the action showing little progress, the film even threatens to be a mere collage of a few disjointed shots thrown together. The shallowness of the script is evident throughout, and the odd dialogues that crop up every now and then are a respite at times, and a blight at others. Quite obviously, this isn't a film that banks on its one-liners, and those of you who are on the lookout for some dhamakedaar dialogue-maari are in for a big disappointment.

With the narration starting off in full swing with some awesome animation to boot, it all looked set to be a monster of an entertainer. As minutes kept passing the thrill in this style and action gradually dissipiated and in no time, the energy burned out, and it all ends up as a shadow of a whimper. And we have seen them all, and by all, I mean pretty much all of it.

I guess a decree of sorts exists that categorize the women in gangster films into two categories - the ones that would be bumped off without a second thought, and the others who are destined to seductively adorn the villain's den. Sana Muhammed (Nyla Usha) falls into the former class, while Lily (Aparna Gopinath) almost makes it to the second group.

Here is an experiment that seems to have gone all wrong, and in effort to be realistic to the core, attempts are made to lend some flesh and bone to each one of those characters that hover around the background. The classic case is that of Vidhura, a widowed cop who has recently got married, and whose bride has a tough time managing his son, who is badly missing his mom.

Surprisingly, 'Gangster' does not come across as a visual treat either, and there is no visual wizardry on show. I wonder if this is a deliberate ploy, and the stealth and sneakiness are retained to the core, as Alby's camera looms large over the Mangalorean landscape like a mobster on the prowl. With several sequences strewn together almost haphazardly, 'Gangster' at times leaves the audience dazed, and the editing one wishes, could have been much crisper.

Mammootty looks dashing as Akbar Ali, and yet there is no missing the lost look that creeps into his eyes every now and then. Shekhar Menon is quite impactful as the stout baddie, and Kunchan, Hareesh Peradi and John Paul impress among the supporting cast. Nyla Usha and Aparna Gopinath - well, they're there.

Nothing more, nothing less. The even saga  that painfully persists throughout, the mindless gunshots and blood splatter and the sodden predictability together blow up this film beyond recognition. And in no matter of time the amount of crashing and crunching can salvage an entertainer from the massive debris that it leaves behind.

Rating:**

Dishkiyaoon Reviews from Now Running!

You know you aren't needed back in the industry when you disappear and aren't remembered by anyone. As rude as this sounds but we wish it could've been made clear to Mr. Harman Baweja who hardly shows any sign of improvement in his comeback film after a long haul -Dishkiyaoon.
The movie happens to a maiden production venture by Shilpa Shetty which also stars Sunny Deol and except for the latter's presence there's hardly a reason why one should watch a apology of a screenplay as Dishkiyaoon.

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Following an edgy childhood, Viki Kartoos (Harman Baweja) wants to make it big in the underworld. Under the mentoring of Mota Tony (Prashant Narayanan) Viki enters the underworld and aims to be known as the number one gangster in India. The movie traces his highs and lows of Viki Kartoss in the underbelly of Mumbai.
Directed by Sanamjit Singh Talwar, Dishkiyaoon still has a first half that may hold the attention of junkies of gangster flicks. The first half does depict an innovatively shot interaction between Sunny Deol and Harman Baweja as we are taken in the early life of Viki Kartoos, his psyche, his traumas and his indulgences, all while the two are inside bars much against your knowledge. But it's the second half which meanders into paths so meaningless that you are left exasperated.
It's high time filmmakers understand, going by the current trend at least, that the audience has actually become quite choosey about the films they watch and content is the key. Dishkiyaoon is an example of good packaging with shallow product which also is the case with its lead actor Harman Baweja who focuses more on highlighting his chiselled torso than his expressions.
Sunny Deol who attempts a Haryanvi character for the first time tries hard to do justice to a character that suffers mediocrity while debutant actress Ayesha Khanna lacks promise and appears to have only been kept for songs and all the commercial trappings.
Throughout the film Viki Kartoos keeps reiterating his mantra that being smart is enough for him in his field, only if the makers could stick to the story in a similar fashion we would've had a far better film than Diskiyaoon. A complete shot in the dark.

Rating: *1/2

Praise the Lord Reviews from Now Running!

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Paul Zacharia's 'Praise the Lord' put forward pertinent questions on faith, belief and love, and has been much discussed in literary circles for its sharp witticism. The cinematic version though, does not manage to transfer this allure on to the big screen, and merely manages to scrape through, with minimum damage incurred in the process.

Joy (Mammootty), a Pala based planter has been living a blissful life with his wife Ancy (Reenu Mathews) and their two kids. Until, Sunny (Mukesh), his best friend asks him for a favor. On Sunny's behest, Joy and Ancy agree to offer refuge to a young couple that has eloped from Delhi. When Samkutty (Ahmed Siddique) and Annie (Akanksha Puri) arrive, Joy is tremendously excited at having grabbed the opportunity to watch a real life romance in action.

The novelette 'Praise the Lord', as interesting as the insights that it provides, does not have the prerequisites of a full length feature film. At best, it could have been transformed into a sweet short film, with the messages in it delivered crunchy and crisp.

The film does have a few pleasant moments, but they are simply not enough to be stretched out into more than a couple of hours. Which is why, the initial build-up takes longer than usual in the film, and the end looks all too abrupt.

Joy is pictured as a man in his forties, who has perhaps stuck to the conventionalities that are expected of him as a devoted husband, who never ever has crossed those border lines of decorum. We get to see him trying hard to have a few private moments with his wife during daytime, and his Goa escapade further accentuates this fact.

'Praise the Lord' holds no surprises for the viewer, and even for those of you who have not actually gone through the literary work, the denouement should remain as obvious and clear as in broad daylight. Which reemphasizes the fact that it would always remain better in print.

All said and done, it should also be stated that 'Praise the Lord' is never a boring film; in fact, dull moments are indeed rare. However, it does lack that very special verve that makes you reach out to the characters in a film, which is why, it does not leave a lasting impression on the viewer's mind.

As funny as it may sound, Joy finds himself in a quandary aka the friends in the much lauded Tamil film 'Nadodigal'. The striking similarity in the theme that lies at the core of these works of art is plain apparent. The guardians of love, in both these cases, are left appalled as the love birds throw open the gates of their prison and fly away to glory, albeit in opposite directions.

Mammootty is adorable as Joy, and shares an amazing screen chemistry with Reenu Mathews. This is their second film after 'Emmanuel', and they do make a real good on-screen pair. Ahmed Siddique and Akanksha Puri offer a study in contrast with their respective portrayals of the young ones in love, and are up to the mark. Shibu Gangadharan's 'Praise the Lord' is doubtlessly devoted to its material, and yet remains a lumbering affair. Almost inexplicably, it struggles to blow life into a few charming characters that had appeared so lively on print, and which surprisingly come across as bloated on screen.

Rating:**1/2

Thegidi Reviews from Now Running!

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Thegidi" Means Responsibilities and duties of the Detective Job.It's after you hear this line and understand what it means completely, you realize how brilliantly the entire story of the film is built on this single line. With films like "Pizza" and "Soodhu Kavvum" proving to be successful of its wacky content and clear presentation, "Thegidi" comes in the same lists that portrays the success their formers.

Having successfully completed Master of Arts in Criminology, Vetri (Ashok) takes up a job with a detective agency. On his first assignment, he is asked to gather information about three subjects. He does so by closely watching his subjects without blowing his cover and gathers vital information. As his fourth subject, he's asked to follow Madhu (Janani), but in the process he falls in love with her and even gets close to her by concealing his true identity.

The first thing to like about the film is its short running time of 122 minutes. When most star-studded films take about nearly three hours to narrate a done to death story, "Thegidi", with a not so popular lead cast, succeeds in keeping us hooked to our seats. Meanwhile, each of Vetri's three subjects dies mysteriously. He comes to the conclusion that Madhu might be also on the list. Vetri should protect Madhu, but at the same time, he has find out what lead to the death of his three subjects. But with a slow build up to the climax, even with a shorter running time, it does make you little impatient every now and then.

Ideally you expect a thriller to race at the speed of a stallion, but this film maintains a low profile and builds up tension gradually. This should not be mistaken as lousy filmmaking because director Ramesh does it on purpose. He expects his audience to be vigilant and step into the shoes of Vetri to observe the tiniest detail with attention. By having a slow narrative, he gives us the opportunity to see everything that Vetri could miss. In essence, he makes us the eyes and ears of Vetri.

All the recent thrillers in Tamil like "Pizza", "Pizza 2" seem to have an unconventional end, hinting at a possible sequel in the offing. Likewise, "Thegidi" too packs in a twist in the tale that will totally catch you off guard and it is at that moment that you root for the film even more. While Ashok Selvan does a neat job of playing a detective with a nosy attitude, the film, I feel, needed a stronger lead. It needed someone who could express a gamut of emotions such as fear, curiosity, and love so on flawlessly.

Ashok struggled in expressing the required emotions in some important scenes. Janani did well in a role with minimum scope for performance. Jayaprakash as usual impressed in a cameo and proves why he's one of the finest character actors in the industry.If "Thegidi" turns out to be a hit, debutant music composer Nivas Prasanna deserves huge credit for the success. He carries the tension of the film right till the end with his background score and songs that are placed in the narrative at right junctures.

With its share of ups and downs, "Thegidi" is a taut film executed in style.

Rating:***1/2

Vallinam Reviews from NowRunning!

All Sports in India is ruined by the power of capitalist and political interference. Very few privileged people get the opportunity to represent their country. Sport depicts struggle of each sportsman in their respective sports and hardly get recgnised anytime and some don't even get an opportunity, this also highlights the discrimination between sports and sportsmen and shows how a certain sport like cricket has been glorified, Although it might not be as powerfully engaging as Bollywood movie "Chak De! India", the film has the spirit to celebrate sportsmanship.

Director Arivazhagan's second directorial "Vallinam", which while addressing the aforementioned points. It turns out with an accident basket-ball player Krishna(forces) in an inter-collegiate basketball tournament, this leads to quit playing the game for good and relocate to another city. In short he moves from Trichy to Chennai, hoping to forget the past incident and exercise himself to perfect life. But call it destiny or fate; he's forced to play again, but this time to stop his college management from destroying their basketball court to make way for the extension of the cricket ground for the upcoming national level cricket championship, to be hosted by the college.

The tension that's accentuated through these moments is testimonial to the fact that the film has succeeded in entertaining the audience. But what's worrisome is whether the film will be embraced by all, irrespective of the fact that it has a college campus as backdrop and it's quite natural to assume it's made for college students. You can find inspiration from films such as "Lagaan", "Chak De! India" and several sports-based dramas of the recent past in "Vallinam", but it manages to maintain some originality in the execution. It might not be a great film, but considering the fact that we don't have many sports-based films in Tamil, this is a great effort. Even with a jagged screenplay that only gains momentum in the second half, the film manage keeps you hooked for the most part of the running time.

In this process, it gets little preachy at regular intervals with dialogues that are purposely written for commercial reasons, but it is understandable from the point of a view of catering to the masses. "Vallinam" never tries to convince us that basketball is a better game than cricket. It reminds us that cricket is not the only sport that deserves to be celebrated in a country where we have other equally popular sports as well. You root for the film when you realize that the actors took the effort to get trained in basketball, portraying the commitment with which they have prepared. Some of the best moments of the film unfold in the court, in between the game and when the ball spins in slow motion on the rim of the basket.

For a change, Thaman's music doesn't make you cringe in your seats. His background score syncs well with the second half, while Bhaskaran's celluloid captures the best shots during the basketball games. Nakul gives his career's best performance. He proves himselfs to hero can step out of the commercial zone and take up roles that can still be liked by audience. Debutant Mrudhula will shine with proper guidance while the rest of the cast members are good in their respective roles.

Overall, "Vallinam" attempts to galore the classifiation of one sport from another in our country.

Rating:***

Bewakoofiyan Review from Now Running!

It's Delhi's noveau riche Gurgaon world bathed in cosmetic conceit. Sonam Kapoor and Ayushmann Khurrana blend into this gleaming kingdom's excesses effortlessly. The two of them are so good as a couple, imagining them apart for even a portion of the bitterness that bites into the narrative during the second-half becomes unbearable.

Debutant director Nupur Asthana's film is a bright scrambled world of wealth, luxury and the yuppy club's unstated desperation to move up the corporate ladder. It is also, by its very definition, a ridiculously self-important delusional world.
There is an interestingly crafted fight scene between the film's lead pair where Mayera reminds Mohit that she has not bought a new pair of shoes during the last two months because of his job loss. That she doesn't realize how ridiculous she sounds to Mohit is a measure of the underlining irony that the narrative scrapes out of these characters while portraying the exacerbated materialism of the go-getting generation.

Ayushmann looks like the guy next-door who wouldn't mind pulling a few strings to float higher than the level allotted to him by fate. He brings a suave arrogance to his role and creates a cohesive graph for his character. He is an actor to watch.

Habib Faisal's writing is smart and amiable, crowded with quaint colloquialisms culled from the capital youngster's language. The writing also surprises itself by becoming inwardly-drawn and introspective at the most unexpected moments. That the screenplay has got Ayushmann to play the cool guy whose perfectly laid-out plans fall apart, is a stroke of luck for this likeable film.

Ayushmann looks like the guy next-door who wouldn't mind pulling a few strings to float higher than the level allotted to him by fate. He brings a suave arrogance to his role and creates a cohesive graph for his character. He is an actor to watch.

Habib Faisal's writing is smart and amiable, crowded with quaint colloquialisms culled from the capital youngster's language. The writing also surprises itself by becoming inwardly-drawn and introspective at the most unexpected moments. That the screenplay has got Ayushmann to play the cool guy whose perfectly laid-out plans fall apart, is a stroke of luck for this likeable film.

Rishi's Sehgal is a pompous name-thrower with an inflated sense of self-worth, over-possessive about his only daughter's life and preferences. V.K. Sehgal is a striking image of a man on the verge of erupting into a self-deprecatory laughter, if he only he knew how funny his quirks look from the outside.
Of course it helps Ayushmann that he has Rishi Kapoor to play his girlfriend's hawk-like father. Rishi's character of the IAS officer on the verge of retirement (with a companion from his work place who typically, offers his "humble" advice on every matter) is brilliantly written.

So many of Rishi Kapoor's scenes with Ayushmann stand tall because of the way the two characters meet as adversaries who fortunately love the same girl in different ways. Sonam as the girl torn between an autocratic dad and unreasonable lover is so in-character you wonder whether the role and its fetish for designer labels were written specially for her.

Bewakoofiyaan Pictures   30 Pictures

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Rishi brings to the characters a cornocupia of "cool". Seldom in his any other recent film except "Do Dooni Chaar" has this brilliant actor expressed such pleasure in putting forward his character's point of view.It's no coincidence that film too was written by Faisal.

"Bewakoofiyan" has nothing new to say. And that is its greatest virtue. It is "Meet The Parents" where the father and the prospective son-in-law's roles are better played than the original. Yes, Rishi and Ayushmann are better than Robert de Niro and Ben Stiller were in the Hollywood film about the father of the bride.

The narrative sparkles with a mischievous elegance. The winking homage to the go-getting glam-set of Delhi works mainly because the three protagonists are so immersed in the goings-on they make us forget that we've seen most of these conflicts over and over again in the past. In terms of the fluency with which the cliche about the love birds and the girl's disapproving dad is tackled, "Bewakoofiyaan" is a marked improvement on Yashraj Productions' last two pretentious hammy films "Shudh Desi Romance" and "Gunday".
Miraculously this film with its gleaming polished surfaces neither gasps nor laughs at the ignobility of upward mobility, Ayushmann's performance is oh not so hammy. A pure delight to behold after Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor's over-energized bravado in "Gunday".

Rating:***

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