Belated Q1 2016 Results - Bunch of middling movies.

Talvar - 4.0 Stars

Actors: Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Neeraj Kabi

Director: Meghna Gulzar

When Meghna Gulzar directs generally the movie has substance and is going to grip you. No difference this time. No unnecessary emotions about a subject which has been written and made into movies many times now. This take is really well done, because it is looking at how callous the people working on so called Investigation and giving Justice are. How easily as public we believe that is handed to us by the system. In case you are living under a Rock - this is about the Aarushi Murder case.

Pyaar ka Panchnama 2 - 2.5 Stars

Director - Luv Ranjan

The first one was awesome and so had higher expectations than what it turned out to be. The jokes are there but you need to be in the mood to take them. Again the 3 poor men are being harassed by 3 selfish girl friends. I am done with this stereotypes of 'Boys are so stuck with Girls'. I want a Pyaar ka Panchnama 3 with 3 girl protagonists irritated with boy-stupidity.

Shaandaar - 1.5 Stars

Actors: Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt

Director: Vikas Bahl

This is the movie I should be liking. It is the Zenre I call 'whacky' a little off. But this one just never engaged. In fact if you see Shahid Kapoor and Pankaj Kapoor in a movie together it is not going to be that good. I have this theory that if family members try to make a movie together it doesn't work. Look at Kareena and Saif movies. Anyway this movie is about 2 insomniacs, weirdos falling in love because they see the world different than the rest. Interesting premise but then there are unnecessary forced racist comedy of sindhis and gujjus and Punjabis and whatever. 

Singh is Bling - 0 Stars

Actors: Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Lara Dutta

Director: Prabhu Deva

The problem of sequel culture is - even if you have no idea to do a sequel - you need to do it because no one wants to leave money on the table. 1/10th the effort and you get another movie. This has nothing in it, Akshay Kumar can't save this crass stupidity. stay away says the guy who loved Singh is King.

In fact any movie made my Prabhu Deva - comes with a guarantee that you won't see anything novel or different. Might as well make me the director of the movie. Why is Prabhu Deva directing a movie about Singh?? makes no sense.

Welcome Back - 2.5 Stars.

Actors: Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, John Abraham, Sruti Hassan

Director: Aneez Bazmeez

Really I am giving it 2.5 stars because I don't recall what happened in this movie. All I know is they replaced Akshay Kumar with a stone called John Ibraham. They guy has some serious problems emoting. Talk about being in the wrong profession, I think I maybe better at my day job than John at his. But the movie has Anil Bhai and Nana... who did give you a few laughs. Again problem of sequels - nothing new to present. The story line is similar Nana and Anil need to marry but then they find they have a sister who needs to be married off too. Something like that.

Hate Story 3 - 1.5 Stars

Actors: Karan Singh Grover, Sharman Joshi, Zarine Khan, Daisy Shah

Director: Vishal Pandya

Another Sequel!! Yea.... there was a Hate Story 1 and Hate Story 2 AND actually they were pretty good movies. They made sense to have a name - hate story. This one kills the Hate Story franchise, it starts with indecent proposal from one billionaire to another and obviously you have no idea what these guys do but they are super rich. the girl is wife of one but has some past. It is  thriller with a pretty good twist in the end, only if you are as good at staying up till the end as I am. Sherman Joshi overacts and the other guy doesn't care to act. The girl tries to look sexy but fails.

Wazir - 3.5 Stars

Actors: Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Aditi Rao Hydari

Director: Bejoy Nambiar

This one disappoints because just by the name and cast you start thinking this is going to be some kind of a smart thriller, don't think too much. it is barely a thriller. It has a 6th sense style of direction where you cant figure out what's going on until the end. A story about a Police Officer who lost his daughter during a shootout and finds solace with a chess teacher, only to get entangled in Chess teacher's life and his pain. Both Bachchan and Farhan play the parts ok, with not much interest. Bachchan is at an age where you can say at least he is acting and being centerstage of a movie at this age!, just like people talk about my cricket - at least he is still playing or at least coming the ground! 

Airlift - 3.5 Stars

Actors: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur

Director: Raja Krishna Menon

Has a documentary feel to it. It is about Iraq war during Sr Bush era, when Saddam ran over Kuwait. This is story of how Indians stuck in Kuwait needed to get out of there and how they were helped by one person (Akshay Kumar). Akshay is good in such movies and you will enjoy it if you are not looking for too much of filmy masala in it.

Mastizaade -

Actors: Sunny Leone, Tusshar Kapoor, Vir Das, Suresh Menon, Shaad Randhawa
Director: Milap Zaveri

Another Tushar Kapoor sex comedy. I don't know how many crass comedies he has come in, by that standard he should be good at it, but he is not. The new guy Vir Das is still probably ok. I sat through entire movie and only laughed once - the joke was - में तीन चीज़ो से प्यार करता हु, धरती माँ, धरती माँ, और। .... दो बार धरती माँ क्यों? क्यूंकि मेरे माँ का नाम भी धरती है

Dum Laga Ke Haisha - 3.5 Stars

We heard a little too much about this movie, hence did not enjoy it that much. a typical low budget feel good timepass movie. story of couple in a small town who are married without their consent and how their relationship grows with time. Good one.

Hero - 0 Stars.

Director - Nikhil Advani

Actors - Suraj Pancholi, Athiya Shetty, Tigmanshu Dhulia          

Sorry did not finish this one. When the story is written by uncle subhash ghai... what can they write? when a movie is made because we need to introduce actor son and actor daughter..... you know it is better not to make a movie and just introduce them in one of the zillion TV shows they come for no reason. is this 1980s? one fight scene - the guy knows how to fight. One cool scene - wow he can mouth dialogues, one romance... and then girl can smile and dance. The girl just looks like Sunil Shetty, I couldn't get Sunil Shetty out of my mind when I looked at her. Anyway nothing against kids debuting but they need something better.