RAAJNEETI Reviewed

PLOT
Rajneeti talks about the politics of dynasty, that of sleaze and also of the corruption and malpractices which are rampant in the dirty game that’s politics. Manoj Vajpayee and Arjun Rampal belong to the same party and so does Nana Patekar and a few others. But there is internal bickering which leads first to the induction of Ajay Devgnm (step brother of Ranbeer and Rampal) into the party followed by Manoj Bajpayee’s demand to make him the laeder of the party. Consequently 2 factions are formed one of Manoj and other of Rampal. What follows is the political drama.








POSITIVES

Ah there are many.

1.Manoj Bajpayee is the lynchpin of the movie.He truly steals the show and is the real highlight of the film. Its amazing how actors like Boman Irani and Manoj bajpayee,are seldom part of B-town conversations but in actuality they are the drivers of many movies. Manoj has an awesome screen presence and the confidence and panache with which he delivers his dialogues makes you feel that he should star more often in Bolly movies. His dialogue “Kararaa jawab milegaa” is marvelously executed. He is too real.



2.The screenplay,cinematography camera angles and sound effects are brilliant and worth appreciation.

3. For a change Arjun Rampal has acted well. Katrina Kaif has “tried” but influences the viewer by her acting only so much. She still has a long long way to go before she truly is crowned the queen of bollywood. Dialogues need urgent attention. NRI accent in every movie is a given now. Not admirable. Ranbeer Kapoors performance is par for the course and so is Nana Patekars’.




4.Ajay Devgn is mind blowing. You develop so much positivity and respect for his character that you want to hug him for his performance which is being equated with that of Karan of Mahabharat due the similarity of the character he portrays.



5.The film has no dragging songs. Infact there are no songs as such in the movie. Not track is played more than a minute. That speaks volumes of the content and editing of the movie. Directors must take a cue as to how to successfully narrate a movie sans music and dance.

6.You take the brilliant eloquence of every character of the movie home. There is at least one dialogue you remember for each character. So credit to the lyricist and dialogue writer. A job well done.



7.There are scenes which tend to falsh in your memory even after the movie. Like Ajay Devgn driving a Benz in narrow streets of Patna and his pals running after him.

8.Scenes of shock and tragedy are believable and shot really well.





So what went wrong?

NEGATIVES

1. Some inexplicable sequences like:

a. The media ignoring Manoj Bajpayee’s death and as has been shown throughout the movie that they try and find out the core reason of every development are not interested in his death. He is shown to be a big political player so how can his death fade into oblivion.
b. Ranbeer kapoor is shown to be studying and pursuing his PhD all this while when suddenly at the demise of his father he decides to take to politics and shockingly his moves are politically correct also. So Not believable.




2. Gunning down of persons was never so easy.



3.Chaste hindi dialgues will forbid English speaking urbanites to watch this movie. The hindi that’s used is too much for an average multiplex viewer to comprehend. Sample this “Tum mere jeshtha putra ho”. People started to shout “KUNTI KUNTI”

4.Katrina Kaif doesnt deliver political speeches with the flair of a politician. Agreed that shes a woman but political speeches aren’t love lectures. They need authority and command which Manoj Bajpayee can perhaps teach her.

5.Nasrudeen Shah coouldve been used more than just a prop.



6.As in Mahabharat, when one feels bad for Karan, the death of Ajay Devgn makes one feel that the director could’ve done away with that.

7. The last few minutes of the movie seem a formality. The audience predicts the content.



All in all its not a family film with a few expletives and a few intimate scenes but is worth a watch only if you have spare time. To cast commercial actors in a political drama was always going to be risky but Prakash Jha has nearly managed the impossible. Barring the last few minutes. The movie is justified and unlike other bollywood ventures compels you to think.

A 2.5 on 5 for this one.

KITES Reviewed

Genre: Action / Romance
Language: Hindi
Release date and status: Released on May 21, 2010
Website: www.kites-thefilm.com
Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes

PLOT

Hrithik plays a lad called J. He is a dance instructor not by choice but by chance. He teaches dance to earn his living but plans to make it big in the casino city of Vegas. As an another means of income J or Hrithik helps women by acting as their false husband in order that the latter get their Visas and in which it is written "married" for the facilitation of their exit from the country. For this J charges money from women. Kangana who is a student of Hrithik plays Gia and falls in love with Hrithik who spurns her advances at first. But then he realises that she is the gateway to being richie rich as she is the daughter of the owner of biggest casino in Vegas and feigns later that he loves her too. J falls in love with the fiancee(Barbara Mori) of Jia's brother(Nicholas Brown) and eventually has to pay for it. The ensuing portion is the movie that follows.

The POSITIVES:

1. Barbara Mori comes as a refreshing change from the usual B-town lasses. She is a promising talent and acts superbly. Her chemistry with Hrithik is sizzling. She looks her part and fits the bill completely.

2.Hrithik ----With a Greek God appearence in most part of the movie, Roshan junior doesnt balk at the prospect of flaunting his body and his well chiselled physique is awe inspiring. He carries his part with aplomb. And not TO forget his singing which through audio software has been made to look over the top but still is worth appreciating. His hard work shows onscreen.

3. The background score is breath taking and scintillating. The sound mixing is superb. Notice how songs and completely contrasting moments and situations are clubbed just after each other to keep the viewer on his toes.

4.Nicholas Brown the villain looks his part and gets into the skin of his character.

5. The songs are apt for the situations theyre played in.

6. Kangana Ranaut although plays a cameo but will remain an actress who is under utilized in movies despite being above all the leading ladies of today in terms of acting.

7.The song "Fire" has Hrithik doing what he does best----dance. His moves are totally marvellous and awesome. They most certainly induce a gasp in the viewer.

8. Kabir Bedi appears though for a short duration but leaves a long impact.


So what is it then that this movie was being critixized so much ?

The NEGATIVES

1.The basic premise of the plot is extremely weak. Anurag Basu in trying to shell out a commercial venture has resorted to the old tried and tested formula of hero eloping with a heroine and with goons to company them , inevitably related somehow to the girl. This doesnt excite anyone anymore. Of course if you are a die hard Romantic you would disagree but this is too hackneyed for majority of the viewers including yours truly.

2. This one is a shocker. Hrithik while speaking in an American accent falters 2 times grammatically and that too not deliberately to make any one laugh. Sample this " I did not rubbished it". There is one more if one can spot.

3.Things go too easily for the eloping duo. They somehow manage to survive in forests and shanty homes.

4.It has been shown that the whole police is after the 2 ie Hrithik and Barbara as they try and elope and there is an alert all over the city to intimate any and every single detail of theirs to the cops. Despite this they are able to "loot" a bank and at another point when they get lots of money they are easily able to buy the daily paraphernalia through shops. As if doing the above is so easy. Defies logic to the core!!!!!!

5. There are too many twists and turns which are superfluous and uncalled for in the plot and the viewer who has come for entertainment succumbs to the rocket science.

6. For Hrithik to jump genres and more importantly the viewers----from Children to adults was always going to be fraught with risk and this transition has gone kaput.

7.Hrithik seems to have been inspired by Sunny Deol. He is unperturbed by bullets piercing him at regular intervals. Would you believe it he crosses the Mexican desert limping just after receiving a bullet wound. Inexplicable!!!!!

8.The villain and co are killed in a rather amusing scene wherein Hrithik openly fires bullets in heavy rain. As if the bad people dont have guns. And their target accuracy is nil. May be they can go to Abhinav Bindra for a lesson or two.

9.The climax makes the leading protagonists losers in the eyes of the viewer and this is the nail in the coffin for this laughable venture.
The viewer on so many occasions is given the assurance that the movie shall culminate on a positive note but it ends on a note which can be called anything but positive.

The Aamir Khan policy of Hrithik ------ to appear on screen less but do appreciative work has failed entirely ,utterly and consummately.

In the climax of the movie J or Hrithik realises it was much a do for nothing and this feeling is echoed by the discerning viewer whose pain turns to laughter by the end of 2 hours and 10 minutes.In the end the film makes a mockery of itself.


Watch it only if you have free money ,free time and free energy and want to test your levels of tolerating negativity. Unsurprisingly ,this Kite couldnt fly too high.

A meagre 2 on 5 is more than this movie can ask for.

	>Kites

MY NAME IS KHAN Reviewed

PLOT
My Name Is Khan is based on the atrocities faced by Muslims as an aftermath of 9/11 attack. Shahrukh Khan plays Rizwan Khan who is out to prove and proclaim to the world that Muslims are not synonymous with terrorists and that the religion does not propagate any form of violence. He falls in love with Mandira who plays Kajol and the evnents which follow their marriage are the reason why Rizwan wants to quell the wrong notions about Muslims.

SO WHY DOES ONE WATCH THIS MOVIE?

POSITIVES
The movie does not lack the positives and here they are as far as I could observe.

1.Kajol is simply superb and contemporary actresses who are making moolah by the bucketful with almost zilch acting capabilities must take acting lessons from this legendary actress. How well she emotes just with her eyes is outstanding. Full marks to her for looking so real and immersing herself in the skin of the character Mandira. She still looks pretty if she does a slight make up and gives the latest in the lot a run for their money.

2.SRK the mainstay of the movie is brilliant in almost all the scenes he does. His character is weak as far as wielding power is concerned but how well his role is written to make it look powerful. His voice over inb certain scenes is simply superb. If not the best this has to be one of the best performances of his career. One wonders why he squanders his talent on films like Billu and not indulge in cinema of the ilk of this film. He emotes in such subtle ways that the viewer is most certainly enthralled in the performance. He seems to have fully done his homework on the autism. Notice how we imitates them to every fine detail. Thats the hallmark of a great actor

3.The film does not fall short of lessons at every step.

a. It teaches us that humanity is superior to religion.
b.It sermonizes also that people must follow the religion and not the followers of religion.
c. Love is the most powerful tool and not physical or logical strength is also one of the core lessons this beautiful film gives out.
d. Not many would take this lesson from the film that if you have talent it can win you all battles indirectly or directly.
e.Were there is a will theres a way.
fGod helps those who help themselves.

4.Side actors have played their part in a silken manner.

5.Karan Johar has tried his best to put every incident in the film to explanation.

6.There are no lip sunc songs and that gives the movie a modern touch.The song Noor e Khuda and Sajda stand out for the situations they are played in and you keep them out of the cinema house too.

7.All the characters in the movie get the Urdu diction right.

8.The lady playing SRK's mother is excellent in her brief part.

9.The slumdog kid who plays the role of child Rizvan is also magnificent in his part.

10. Karan Johar has made a film very different from his brand of flicks.

11.The sentimentally moving scenes wallop you to weep alongside the protagonists.

12.The location viz. San Fransisco has been captured with utmost grandeur in sight.

13 It is a family film with no obscenity at all.


NEGATIVES

1.There are 2 gaffes or blunders in the movie: One is that Barkha Dutt is not a hindi Journalist and second is that the alms collection post 9/11 was not done in such a jolly mood as depicted.

2. There are times when the movie really sags and that slows down the tempo and gives the viewers a chance to yawn.

3.The songs are weak and barring 3 songs you dont have much of a song list to carry home humming.


To conclude My Name Is Khan must be watched for the secularism and democratic ways it supports. SRK is superb and Kajol is at her level best. It may not be entertaining at times but it is a movie which shall bag many many awards in ceremonies to come.

I will go with a generous 3.5 on 5 for this one. Go watch it, there are many lessons you would get and films like these which are a family watch are rare in these sex obsessed times.