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.

Top 10 Movies of 2015. Best Actor and Director Awards.

2015 Top 10 Movies -

1. Bajirao Mastaani (Historical)
2. Badlapur (Suspense Thriller Drama)
3. Ugly (Art)
4. Drishyam (Thriller)
5. Haider (Drama)
6. Baby (Thriller)
7. Dil Dhadakne Do (Drama)
8. Detective Byomkesh Bakshi (Suspense Thriller)
9. Guddu Rangeela (Thriller / Drama)
10. Baahubali (Fantasy)
11. Honorable Mention - Piku, Tanu Weds Manu - 2, Guddu Rangeela, PK, Kill Dill.

2015 Top Performers -

Best Actors (Male) -

1. Ranveer Singh (Bajirao Mastaani, Dil Dhadakne Do, and Kill Dill) - It will be hard to match the hat trick of acting greatness by any other actor in coming years. A great entertainer is born. Many positives very few negatives with Ranveer. He probably is yet to give a great comic performance or a great intensely sad performance to reach an all time great actor. But for this year he is definitely the best of the recent crop.
2. Ronit Roy (Ugly and Guddu Rangeela) - Scary and bad. He is menacing without being over the top. Always has been a great actor this time he got some roles to show it off. I am pretty sure he can do any role if he is given one.
3. Nawazuddin Sidique (Badlapur and Bajrangi Bhaijaan) - He has already established himself as a great actor. Badlapur blew my mind the film was taken up a notch because of His acting. Though he is a little type casted but this jury (of one) is not fretting too much about it.
4. Honorable Mentions - Shahid (Haider) and Ranbir Kapoor (Bombay Velvet) - Both got into their respective roles lived it and came up with good performances.

Best Actors (Female) -

1. Kangana Ranaut (Tanu Weds Manu - 2) - She is already one of the best actors today. If she is there she takes over. The double role was so awesome that this jury (of one) was confused if it is kangana or someone else as the second girl.
2. Priyanka Chopra(Bajirao Mastaani and Dil Dhadakne Do) - Thank God Piggy Chops is back. I had forgotten why I used to call her female Bachchan. 2 very different roles, done perfectly. She is lucky that this jury is not deducting her marks for her overseas endeavors :).
3. Honarable Mentions - Deepika Padukone (Piku and Bajirao Mastaani) and Huma Qureshi (Badlapur).

Best Director - It is a great sign that this jury had hard time to put numbers to all the awesome directors in Hindi films. One area hindi films have huge improvement is Directors. If we start paying writers then we truly will have great movies.

1. Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Bajirao Mastaani) - He probably lived this movie for a few years. Waited to make it this big and this extravagant. you can see from performances that everyone believed in Bhansali's vision.
2. Anuraag Kashyap (Ugly and Bombay Velvet) - Every other director can be replaced except Anuraag Kashyap. Who else can think of Ugly? and then make it!
3. Honarable Mentions - Sriram Raghavan (Badlapur) and Vishal Bhardwaj (Haider) - Badlapur and Haider were philosophical masterpieces.

Worst of the Year -

1. Actors - Fallen yester superstars - Sunny Deol (I Love NY), Naseerudin shah (Dharam Sankat Mein) and Om Puri (Dirty Politics). Honarable Mention - Shah Rukh Khan (Happy New Year).
2. Directors - KC Bokadia (Dirty Politics) and Farah Khan (Happy New Year).

Q4 - Awesome Year closes with Awesomness.

2015 Top Performers -

Rules - scores will be posted with the reviews how many marks did each actor and director earn. These will keep getting added over the year and one will be crowned the "Actor / Director / Music Director of 2015".

Best Actors (Male) -

1. Ranveer Singh (Bajirao Mastaani) 
2. Ranveer Singh (Dil Dhadakne Do)

Best Actors (Female) -

1. Priyanka Chopra(Dil Dhadakne Do)
2. Priyanka Chopra (Dil Dhadakne Do)

Best Director -

1. Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Bajirao Mastaani)

Worst of the Quarter -

1. Sidharth Malhotra (Brothers)

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• Bajrangi Bhaijaan - 3 Stars.

Actors: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor

Director: Kabeer Khan

If it is a Salman Movie even if it is different it is not really different. The pony can do a few things and that's what he can do. He likes to play the simpleton or the superman. In this one he is the village idiot simpleton who is going to return a kid to Pakistan. Oh how cute! He can't lie whenever the narrative suits him. The movie has almost no story but is pretty clean and if you have kids watch it with them. Not that it's a bad movie it is pretty good time pass, Nawaazuddin Siddique is in it. He is good enough. Kareena is one trick pony. She does only one thing no matter what the movie is, she will make same faces and look sideways and pout... and that's it.

• Bajirao Mastani - 5 Stars.

Actors - Deepika, Ranveer, Priyanka.

Director - Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

There are movies and then there is THE Movie. Bajirao is in stratosphere of it's own. To garner a 5 Star from this blogger you need to pack a "Philosophical Punch" - check. Drama - Check. Out of the world Acting - Check. Director's love for his craft should show- Check. Bhansali is always good with his grandiose and painting a great painting on a huge canvas, in Bajirao he breaths life and a soul. At interval you are bowled over by the grandiose and the second half the drama completes it.

When the movie won't let go of you after you come back and you can't sleep.... either you watched a nightmare or a great movie. 7 thousand years ago Krishna liberal as you get God himself told the society they do it all wrong by sticking to their dogmas and traditions, nothing changed, then Bajirao seems to run into a similar wall.... world is great.

Acting - Ranveer Singh has established himself as the best actor in Hindi movies by a mile. But in this movie there is no Ranveer ... there is only Bajirao, his Marathi-sed - hindi diction and the way he says each and every word is awesome. He is the reason the movie achieves what it dreams of achieving. Deepika and Priyanka are perfect but it seems Bhansali made Ranveer stand out by giving him the Marathi accent which was missing for Priyanka.

This is basically a Drama - love story in the backdrop of constant war when circumstances make Bajirao torn between his love for country, wife and Mastani. Go watch it in theater.

• All is Well - 3 Stars.

Actors: Abhishek Bachchan, Asin, Rishi Kapoor

Director: Umesh Shukla

This could have been a good movie, but ended up half baked, as if everyone lost interest in it between getting conceived and getting completed. Actors are tired and Director seems to be borrowing from others. But it is not really a bad movie, it is still pretty good movie if you like low budget sweet movies.

It is about estranged son coming back to his parents and ending up getting tangled in their lives again.

• Baahubali - 4.5 Stars.

Actors: Prabhas, Anushka Shetty

Director: S. S Rajamouli

This blogger does not like fantasy or period drama. This quarter still gave us 2 great movies in these zenre, if Bajirao was a historic period drama, this one was a fantasy out of thin air. There has never been a movie out of India which is so technical and visually perfect. This is like a LOTR of India. Pretty tight script but pretty easy to understand and obvious too. It is an age old story of King who is separated from his kingdom and is going to reclaim it back with the help of small thieves and villagers. He is also a Super Hero who can jump and run and almost fly. The makers were so confident that they end with a setup for part 2! Good one go watch it.

• Badlapur Boys - 2 Stars

Actors: Shashank Udapurkar, Annu Kapoor, Anupam Maanav, Saranya Mohan, Puja Gupta, Kishori Shahane

Director: Shailesh

This is not the Badlapur of the Movie Badlapur fame (near Bombay) this is some fictitious Badlapur in UP and does not make any sense why the movie is named that way. This is about a boy who wants to fulfill his father's dream of getting a river in his village. disjointed and borrowed. It feels honesty to make a film is missing.

• Drishyam - 5 Stars

Actors: Ajay Devgn, Shriya Saran, Tabu, Rajat Kapoor, Ishita Dutta, Kamlesh Sawant

Director: Nishikant Kamat

I have heard that the original is even better and it is a Malayalam movie. I am hoping the Malayalam was not a copy of some French movie. The script is taut and execution is perfect. It has a look and feel of a thriller and suspense and does not deviate from it. Typical to any good thriller suspense you can go back and check the scenes that make sense later but won't make sense when you are watching the first time. This movie is about a lower middle class family who are trying to save themselves from a precarious condition they find themselves in. They are in the wrong and cops are tightening the noose around them. Ajay Devgan does a good job and Tabu as usual is awesome in a difficult role. Very well done. Watch it.

• Bangistan - 2.0 Stars.

Actors: Ritesh Deshmukh, Pulkit Samrat, Jacqueline Fernandez, Chandan Roy Sanyal, AkashPandey, Aarya Babbar

Director: Karan Anshuman

The heart is in the right place, and the movie is ok. You can tell that the movie maker made the movie with the message being central to the movie. Hindu is changed to Muslim and vice versa and both have no idea about their own religion but are ready to do some damage. It has some laughs but when you already know what is going to happen and it is all predictable it is takes off the sheen. Also comedy is not understated but a little over the top which this blogger does not like.

Brothers - 1.0 Stars

Actors - Akshay Kumar, Sidharth Malhotra, Jackie Shroff, Jacqueline Fernandes.

Director - Karan Malhotra

A movie about street fighting - that's all the movie maker thought before they started on it. For no reason really the 2 brothers are fighting. For some reason street fighting is now become like IPL in India. The dad (Jackie Shroff) was a fighter too and he has a dark past due to which the Brothers hate him. The movie tried to grip you with many different angles thrown in, but somehow it all is just a half hearted buildup for second half where the movie completely changes to so called street fights. I was tired watching Akshay and Sidharth in there boxing shorts doing weird stuff. Jacqueline Fernandes is fast wanting to grab the greatest non-actor tag from Katrina. Skip it.

Phantom - 2.0 Stars.

Actors: Saif Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif, June Smith, Joelle Koissi, John W.G. Harley, Rajesh Tailang, Paul Lazenby

Director: Kabir Khan

There was a time when Aamir Khan was called chocolate Hero he worked hard to et rid of that image. I think Saif also has trauma of his earlier days of being branded about his feminine looks and soft characters. He keeps on coming in these action thrillers where he is the greatest spy ever born, a ajmes bond ka baap and everytime he does that it just doesn't work. Instead he is pretty good at playing a wayward lover who doesn't understand love till the last scene a La Ranbir Kapoor. Again it is not a bad movie, but these movies are coming too fast and too many. India is out avenge the Bombay attacks and  a covert operation will kill the criminals. Obviously things go wrong and then one man army (not Stallone but Saif) will save the day. There is Katrina too... who is believe it or not a spy and an agent or both .. I didn't get it. Because no matter who she plays it's all the same, oh am so pretty that I can't talk and bother about acting.

• Dil Dhadakne Do - 4.5 Stars

This blogger hates the rich people problem films but still this film was just an exception. Or maybe I am changing. It was well done, it is feel good drama nothing over the top or out of place. Rich people go on a cruise and all the drama in their family unfolds. Big sister (Piggy chops) is in unhappy relation, Parents (Anil Kapoor and Shefali) are also living a fake life. Then there is Mr Ranveer Singh, right now he can do anything, he is on a high. this did not seem to be a role for him but he takes to it like fish to water. He is cute funny and supportive and everything he does he does perfectly.

Priyanka chopra who lately had nothing to do in hindi movies suddenly shows why she is the best, Dear Priyanka - stop acting in those crappy American shows where you over act and don't do justice to you talents... please!. The movie itself is a breeze and will be over in no time and you will take nothing away from it either. it is like a good feel good timepass.

• Miss Tanakpur Haazir Ho - 2.5 Stars

Actors: Annu Kapoor, Hrishitaa Bhatt, Rahul Bagga, Ravi Kissen, Sanjay Mishra, Kamlesh Gill, Bhupesh Pandya, Om Puri

Director: Vinod Kapri

One thing is for sure, you will never watch such a movie in your lifetime. This is definitely a once in a lifetime thing. It seems it is lifted from real incidences that happen in rural India. The village chief marries a girl 20 years younger and then goes after the lover of that girl. In the end he gets him accused of raping a buffalo and the case goes to court. it is hilarious at times and disgusting at times. I will like to describe some scenes but it's better you watch what's disgusting and what's hilarious and sometimes both.

Movie Reviews for Kids as dictated by Savi (9 Yr Old) -

• Dilwale - 4.0 Stars.

This movie is about 2 brothers and 2 sisters. Younger brother and younger sister get together and older brother and older sister get together. Older couple (Kajol and Shah Rukh) get in a fight and the younger couple try to put them together.

I liked about movie is that there was a lot of emotion and the emotion connected to the action. I liked most of the people's acting, their clothes were covered all the way and there was no fake muscles being shown by the men. I liked Veer's (Varun Dhawan) comedy. What I disliked was when they were driving cars and shooting there was too much action and blood. Also I disliked was that Kaali (SRK) and Meera's (Kajol) love story was too intense.

• Prem Ratan Dhan Payo - 3.5 Stars.

The movie is about a family that is separated and Salman Khan has double role. One of the Salman has to pretend to be other Salman to save his (King's) life. There is lot of colorful and fun songs. Salman who is poor and trying to play King Salman was goofing around at the palace. It was more of a timepass movie than an intense movie.

I liked was it was not too intense and easy to understand.

Q3 - Awesome Year Continues and a Review from Savi

2015 Top Performers -

Rules - scores will be posted with the reviews how many marks did each actor and director earn. These will keep getting added over the year and one will be crowned the "Actor / Director / Music Director of 2015".

Best Actors (Male) -

1. Amitabh Bachchan (Piku)
2. Ronit Roy (Guddu Rangeela)
3. Sushant Singh Rajput (Detective Byomkesh Bakshi)
4. Ranbir Kapoor (Bombay Velvet) 

Best Actors (Female) -

1. Kangana Ranaut (Tanu Weds Manu2)
2. Deepika Padukone (Piku)
 

Best Director -

1. Dibakar Banerjee (Detective Byomkesh Bakshi)
2. Shoojit Sircar (Piku)
3. Anurag Kashyap (Bombay Velvet)

Worst of the Quarter -

1. Sunny Deol (I Love NY)
2. Naseeruddin Shah (Dharam Sanket Mein)

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• Detective Byomkesh Bakshi - 4.5 Stars.

Actors: Sushant Singh Rajput, Anand Tiwari, Swastika Mukherjee

Director: Dibakar Banerjee

The movie takes you back in 1940s Bengal. It is very difficult to do a period movie and make it work at least in hindi films. This one makes it look easy, very well done, beautifully set. Detective Byomkesh is our own Sherlock Holmes the story drags in the start and then gets confusing and completely chaotic before making sense of everything. A typical whodunit movie. Perfectly done. No sly tricks by the director at the end but just a very taunt script done well. Sushant Singh Rajput does an awesome job and fits the role perfectly. Other support roles are very well done. the story is about a detective whose casual interest in a young man's father's disappearance turns ugly and way serious than anyone expected.

• Piku - 4.0 Stars.

Actors: Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Irrfan Khan

Director: Shoojit Sircar

The movie self confesses to be heavy on toilet references. The entire movie does not have a single scene that does not talk about gastric problems! it is understandable that some people got "nauseated" because of it. But the movie on the surface is talking toilet but has a beautiful soul. The Daughter Father relation is cute, between Bachchan and Deepika. The movie is more from the eyes of the daughter and hence some people may think it makes mockery of an old man. But if you can rise above this, it is a beautiful movie about love for parents. Old people become kids and kids become parents as life goes on. Deepika frets about how the old man has no responsibility because he leaves whenever he likes!! typical of all kids who think there parents after a certain age should tell them everything about where they are going! (like kids). Old people think they still can do everything on their own when clearly that is not the case! they are stuck on one or two major things which they obsess about. All these may be clichés but somehow it all works for this movie.

• Tanu weds Manu Returns - 4.0 Stars.

Actors: Madhavan, Kangana Ranaut

Director: Anand L. Rai

The movie starts off at a hilarious note! They are married now and they have issues and it is hilarious. The first 30 minutes of the movie is a laugh riot. Look for the first scene when Tanu and Manu fight at the asylum. Then later when Manu's Dad tells him why he should stay married and just somehow find a way. It is hilarious. the movie can't keep the hilarity all through and becomes a little of a drag in the second half with some subplots that stretch too far. but over all it's a good timepass movie. Manu's friend is as awesome as in the first movie, this guy is a crack up anytime he opens his mouth. Obviously the star of the movie is Kangana, she can do anything if given the space to do it. She has double role which may be a spoiler because for sometime I could not make out that the second girl in the movie is kangana herself. Her dialect and transformation is unbelievable. She is like a Batsman in purple patch, she just can't do anything wrong right now in her career.

• Rahasya - 3.5 Stars

Actors: Kay Kay Menon, Tisca Chopra, Aashish Vidyarthi, Mita Vasisht, Ashwini Kalsekar, Nimai Bali

Director: Manish Gupta

The movie is based on Aarushi Murder case with some twists. It is almost same story ine for most of the film. Lifting a real life story as inspiration is different to almost make the story exactly as the real life case is another. The movie does have grip but something is lacking. If you don't know much about the real life case I think you enjoy the movie more. It is pretty good whuddunit thriller with lot of twists. This is the era of thrillers and suspense movies and Bollywood is doing pretty good job at it. Kay Kay Menon plays the CBI officer who needs to crack the case of whether parents killed their own daughter or not. I have high expectation of him and that's why he disappoints, he plays a typical detective but does not give his own flare to the role. Anyway the movie is a good watch.

• Hunterrr - 3.5 Stars

Actors: Gulshan Devaiya, Radhika Apte, Sai Tamhankar, Sagar Deshmukh

Director: Harshavardhan Kulkarni

This is all Marathi movie, it seems everyone in the movie is Marathi. It has a pretty heavy Marathi influence and it works pretty well. I did not expect this movie to be anything but 0 stars but it surprised me! The guy is a player and all he wants to do is play the field and not get married. He is commitment phobic in fact he loves to use anyone and everyone. Then things change, he starts getting old and the field starts drying his friends are married. With middle age new challenges come and so does new love. If you like low budget and can take some shoddy productions value this is a pretty good one to watch.

• Dharam Sankat Mein - 1 Star.

Actors: Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, ANNU KAPOOR, Murli Sharma

Director: Fuwad Khan

This idiotic movie plays on the recent trend of anti-religion movies like OMG and PK. This one doesn't add anything but continues on the same godman is a cheat and already used clichés about religion. Paresh Rawal and Naseer act like cartoons, which makes you wonder if the product is substandard can seasoned actors not act substandard? Please no more Anti-Religion movie if you have nothing new and original to present.

• ABCD2 - 5.0 (REVIEW BY SAVI BANSORE)

Actors: Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor, Prabhu Deva, Lauren Gottlieb, Raghav Juyal, Dharmesh Yelande

Director: Remo D'Souza

The Movie is about Dance and how winning isn't everything. Perseverance and how fair-play is important too and Any Body Can Dance (ABCD) and Dance for fun! I liked the awesome Dance moves in the Movie! I liked how they showed that you should always play fair.

The Story starts out with this Indian Dance group and they are in a competition against a different country and the judges say they copied the other team and that they were eliminated. They all had jobs and when they did there jobs everybody called them cheaters! People quit the group and they find this awesome dancer (Prabhu Deva) and begs him to choreograph them. They go for a championship and they learn Dance from him.

I think Varun Dhawan had OK acting and Dharmesh Yelande did awesome dancing and awesome acting and was super nice in the movie. Shraddha Kapoor was pretty and she did great hiphop dancing for a actress that you haven't seen Dance that much and she was very responsible in the movie against irresponsible boys on her dance team. Lauren spoke really good hindi for an American and did great dancing too. Prabhu Deva did awesome dancing and he did good acting for the character he played. My favorite character were Dharmesh, Varun and Shraddha Kapoor. I watched the most exceptional dancing I have ever seen and if you are looking for good dancing then go watch this movie!

• Hamari Adhuri Kahaani - 3.75 Stars.

Bombay Velvet

Actors: Emraan Hashmi, Vidya Balan, Raj Kumar Yadav, Madhurima Tuli

Director: Mohit Suri

The most reliable star in Hindi films delivers again. Emraan Hashmi never has a bad movie it seems. This one starts slow and directionless and you wonder this one is going to fall flat. But slowly the movie picks up and ends up on a great note. Now this is not your typical Hindi movie so you have to give it some time and patience, it has a very different story, it is kind of in the same genre in treatment of the movie as "Badlapur". As always Emraan falls in love, but this time with a married woman. She has a lot of baggage and her past comes to haunt her when everything looks rosy. Watch it.

• Bombay Velvet - 3.75 Star.

 Actors: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Naseeruddin Shah, Kay Kay Menon, Karan Johar, Siddhartha Basu

Director: Anurag Kashyap

Anurag Kashyap is one of the favorite director of this blogger and this was probably the movie a little bit out of his comfort zone as it involved big stars. Anyway he did not disappoint it was a pretty good movie. The movie is set in 60s and the entire movie is shot beautifully making that era look and feel dreamy and jazzy. The entire soundtrack and songs are Jazz music. This itself lifts the movie above a lot of other movies made, they have took pains to create this era of jazz from firs to the last screen. The master stroke is to cast Ranbir Kapoor in the movie, because all we know about that era is his own family. So he is an instant fit, you can see he is completely invested in the movie just like he was in "Rockstar".

It is about life and times of a road side thug who becomes the most important criminal in the 60s and the movie tracks his rise and fall. Don't have pre-conceived notion sit back relax it's a different era and enjoy the ride.

• Guddu Rangeela - 4.0 Stars

Actors: Arshad Warsi, Amit Sadh, Aditi Rao Hydari, Ronit Roy, Dibyendu Bhattacarjee, Amit Sial, Brijendra Kala, Rajiv Gupta

Director: Subhash Kapoor

Another bankable star is Arshad Warsi, you are guaranteed a good time with this dude in a movie. I don't know why moviemakers misguide the audience with the posters and movie name that don't gel with the movie content! Arshad Warsi has a reputation of being comic actor, that does not mean you name the movie and advertise it like a comedy when it is not!

Anyway movie is a typical Bollywood potboiler with a real and awesome 100% villain in Ronit Roy. If you did not yet, you will hate the Chhap panchayat culture of some states in India. Ronit Roy does a great job of making sure you do. It is a little bit like sholay with 2 friends small time crooks out to get a big time villain. Arshad is good as usual but Amit Sadh needs to make his sadak chhap role more believable. This blogger has high standards when you try play a small time crook, then you can't show that you are stylish city kid. It is a pretty gripping good movie, go watch it.

• I Love NY - 0 Stars.

Actors: Sunny Deol, Kangna Ranaut, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Navin, Prem Chopra, Virag Mishra, Manoj Joshi, Reema Lagoo

Director: Radhika Rao, Vinay Sapru

The movie must be in the cans for years and now that Kangna is a big star they released it. Pretty bad for Sunny papaji who is horrible in this. This is a low budget cute love story, generally reserved for Rahul Bose, what are you doing in it Sunny??? AND you are really old to play that! you were not good at this anyway! Well.. I did not complete the movie ... I refuse to. Just because I am a reviewer does not mean I can sit through anything.

 

Q2 - End of Drought! 5 stars are back after a year!

2015 Top Performers -

Rules - scores will be posted with the reviews how many marks did each actor and director earn. These will keep getting added over the year and one will be crowned the "Actor / Director / Music Director of 2015".

Best Actors (Male) -

1. Nawazudin Sddiqui (Badlapur)
2. Ronit Roy (Ugly)
3. Akshay Kumar (Baby / Gabbar)
 

Best Actors (Female) -

1. Huma Qureshi (Badlapur)
 

Best Director -

1. Anurag Kashyap (Ugly), Sriram Raghavan (Badlapur)


2. Raj Kumar Hirani (PK), Neeraj Pandey (Baby)

Worst of the Quarter -

1. Om Puri
2. KC Bokadia.
 

• Ugly - 5 Stars.

Actors -  Siddhant Kapoor (+2), Tejaswini Kolhapure, Ronit Roy(+2), Pallavi Sharda, Vineet Kumar Singh

Director - Anurag Kashyap (+5)

Genre - Real / Thriller.

What a movie! You wanna get real and ugly! there you go, take this. Beautifully done ugly. Anurag Kashyap is a guy who can't do run of the mill to save his life. He just can't and thank god he can't. A regular guy's daughter goes missing and the thriller starts! Is she kidnapped? where is she? who took her? is it an insider job? Movie does a research in human psyche and how every human is dirty and ugly deep down. If you can't admit that you are also one and all of the characters somewhere inside you, you are faking it. Keep it up Mr Kashyap. Ronit Roy is scary bad and good, this actor knows his craft and so do others like Sidhant and Vineet. Ugly is beautiful.

• Roy - 2 Stars.

Actors - Arjun Rampal, Jacqueline Fernandez, Ranbir Kapoor
Director - Vikramjit Singh

Genre - Thriller / Romance

Ranbir Kapoor as second fiddle won't work in a movie. He is too big to be that. The movie is offbeat and working in 2 parallel universes. Director was aiming for the stars but did not get the stars right in casting. Though you sympathize with the director on his subject but any movie about an author and his struggles always ends up being boring. Only the authors are interested in their lives but really they are not that interesting.

• Shamitabh - 3.5 Stars

Actors - Dhanush, Amitabh Bachchan, Akshara Haasan
Director - Balki

Genre - Novel Concept.

Balki always comes up with a very novel concept and this is as novel as it gets. Very well thought, an entertainer needs a face and a voice. what if the voice and face don't see face to face! the problem is the movie never goes anywhere after establishing the concept and when it does in the end, it is a tad bit too late. Dhanush and Amitabh the 2 powerhouses are ok doing what is needed but something was amiss.

• PK - 4.0 Stars

Actors - Aamir Khan (+1), Anushka Sharma, Sushant Singh Rajput, Boman Irani, Saurabh Shukla, Sanjay Dutt
Director - Rajkumar Hirani (+2)

Genre - Drama

Everyone has seen this 'most successful movie ever'. I generally have low expectations of a popular movie, but the greatness of Aamir is he regularly comes up with movies which are not your regular fair but still entertains the masses. This movie was loved by all it seems, the movie does a great balancing act between lot of things. It doesn't hurt you but still proves it's point. Rajkumar Hirani movies tend to be didactic and it is expected. This one is done the best way possible. Religious leaders are on their way out if popularity of this movie is to be believed!

• Baby - 4.5 Stars

Actors -  Akshay Kumar (+1), Danny Denzongpa, Rana Daggubati, Taapsee Pannu, Kay Kay Menon (+2)
Director - Neeraj Pandey (+2)

Genre - Thriller

Now a days these 'Indian commandos given a dangerous project and they pull it off' kind of movies have become common place. They also are of vey high standard. Neeraj Pandey knows his 'thrillers'. this movie is so taut and well made it rivals many Hollywood thrillers! Kay Kay Menon is just awesome actor and Akshay Kumar is to thrillers like Govinda used to be to cheap comedies.

• Dirty Politics - 2 star

Actors - Naseeruddin Shah, Mallika Sherawat, Jackie Shroff, Ashutosh Rana
Director - K. C Bokadia
Genre - Drama

YESS... KC Bokadia!! Yess.... he is the director! I am guessing the movie was being made for at least 15 years or sitting somewhere in someone's closet. Mallika Sherawat is small time dancer who gets involved with politicians and then disappears! what happened and who did it. Politics around that is the theme of the movie. BUT the shocking part is Om Puri making out for one entire song in all sorts of dirty pose with mallika! it is disgustingly hilarious! it also is the crux of the movie. I don't know what Om Puri was thinking! or was he?

• Hawaizadaa - 1 Star

Actors - Ayushmann Khurrana, Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Sharda
Director - Vibhu Puri

Genre - Historic

I think this movie broke all records for how many sittings it took to finish this one off. It never engaged us. we knew the plot but normally ok Ayushman and Mithun just did not transport you into another era. It all looked like a cheap drama on stage. It is about the person who designed and flew the first aircraft but was never credited with it because he was Indian under British.

• Badlapur - 5 Stars

Actors - Varun Dhawan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui (+2), Huma Qureshi (+2), Yami Gautam
Director - Sriram Raghavan (+5)

Genre - Drama

Badla is probably the single most important theme for hindi movies. Revenge based movies are staple diet for Indians since 1960s. Revenge for Dad's killing probably made many careers. This movie is about revenge BUT it completely and totally flips the entire concept on it's head! Philosophically Sriram Raghavan has taken a leap like no other. He has created poetry. I don't have enough superlatives for Nawazuddin Siddiqui, this was HIS role. Huma is as always out of this world. Varun Dhawan has been given some crutches to stand on his own with these great performers. The dialogues are at a very high level. If you did not like it, come a discuss with me. Revenge has no where to go after this movie. It has been dismantled and put to rest by Mr Sriram Raghavan.

 

• Gabbar is Back - 3.0 Stars

Actors - Akshay Kumar, Sruti Hassan

Director - A. R Murugadoss

Genre - Action / thriller

Akshay has found his mojo to make stupid movies look better than they are. This is throw back 80s movie. A lone Hero fighting against the system. Nothing special but not boring either.

 

Q1-2015 - Fresh Start and a New Beginning

2015 Top Performers -

Rules - scores will be posted with the reviews how many marks did each actor and director earn. These will keep getting added over the year and one will be crowned the "Actor / Director / Music Director of 2015".

Best Actors (Male) -

1. Ranveer Singh (Kill Dill)
2. Shahid Kapoor (Haider)

Best Actors (Female) -

1. Parineeti
2. Illeana

Best Director -

1. Vishal Bhardwaj.
2. Shaad Ali
3. Charudut Acharya

Worst of the Quarter -

1. Farah Khan
2. Ajay Devgan
3. ShahRukh Khan
4. Deepika

Fun Video from archives -

Khakee one of the favorites of this blogger. This scene is definition of "Drama". You can see all emotions on Bachchan's face from will to fight, to loser, to dejection, to pain. 2 people became actors in this scene - Tushar and Akshay and then there is Ansari! it is just beautiful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHB2oVCNu1A

 

Top 10 Movies of 2014

A pretty ordinary year for Hindi Movies. Generally it is a struggle to put top 10 together... and this time it was a struggle too... to find top 10. There were only 8 movies which received 4 star rating! and only 1 each with a 5 and 4.5 Star!!. Clearly one of the worst year since this blog started few years back.

1. Shahid - Genre - Drama - Only 5 Star of the year.                                                                          
2. Mardaani - Genre - Thriller / suspense  -    4.5 Stars.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Forgot to review it in Q4. Sorry for a rare miss. This is Rani Mukherjee at her best. Yes Rani is THE Hero a bad ass cop. Yes.. even I thought that is not possible but she proves you wrong. Taut script, cute villain and bad ass Rani. All somehow mixes into a nice thriller. Only negative is it is also a little too real, and disturbs you with it's subject of human trafficking. But a definite 'not to be missed'.                                                                                                                 
3. Lunch Box - Genre - Drama.                                                                                                            
4. RamLeela - genre - Voilent Love Story (Whacky) - Romeo Juliet Adaptation.                                                                                                                                                                     Only reason this is number 4 is because it is technically a 2013 movie.                                           
5. Raja Natwarlal - Genre - Thriller.                                                                                                                                                                                              
6. Holiday - Genre - Thriller / Suspense                                                                                               
7. Hasee to Phasee - Genre - Comedy / Drama.                                                                                  
8. Revolver Rani - Genre - Thriller (Whacky)                                                                                            
9. Bobby Jasoos - Genre - Thriller / Drama                                                                                          
10. Ek Villian - Genre - Love Story / Drama                                                                                         
11. Other notable mentions - Hate Story 2 / Khoobsurat / Dekh Tamasha Dekh / Dedh Ishqiya - Hate Story if you want to watch a revenge drama and Khoobsurat if you want to watch a love story. Dekh Tamasha Dekh for Black Comedy and Dedh Ishqiya for drama / thriller.