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I have been a huge fan of Vishal Bhardwaj ever since Maqbool. In all his films, he has done a great job and the great combination of a music director and a director that Bardhwaj is, can be seen in all his films - Makdee, Maqbool, Omkara and even Blue Umbrella. To say that I have been waiting to watch his next film is an understatement. And how pleasantly surprised I was when I went to watch Delhi 6 and this promo was screened. Kaminey stars Shahid Kapoor in a double role and Priyanka Chopra. This movie has certainly aroused the curiousity of everybody, and be sure that I will follow this film up! For starters, this one's coming across as a comedy, with a "mean side" as the trailer says, Priyanka looks stunning another Desi Girl avatar and Shaid seems to have joined the six pack club.. Lets wait and watch

This is such a great concept. Autobiographical, Reflective and very inspiring.. WOW.. is the only word. A friend of mine and I first saw this ad on the cannes lion website and we went silent for some time.. This ad has that effect on you... Watch it to believe it!

Humko Monkey Shakti Dena ;-)! If one had to compare, I don’t think Delhi 6 is anywhere near Rang De Basanti. In fact, the friend with whom I saw the movie suggested that the direction looked like a poor replica of Rang de Basanti. I agree to the extent that the movies message seems to come in its last quarter and up until then it’s just a watchable film. The film begins with the an aged Waheeda Rehman deciding to come back to Delhi 6, the place where she wants to die in peace. Abhishek Bachan, her grandson, decides to drop her there and comes to experience an internal journey. In Delhi 6, we meet an array of characters, a Old style house with Tulsi in the aangan, neighbours who practically live with you and stories of estranged brotherhood, lost love and ambitions crushed in orthodoxy. While this happens among the principal characters, on the broad level, Delhi is experiencing attacks from a black monkey, who no one has seen but all have heard of. There is also a Ramleela, which stops ...

Whats the whole poverty porn debate about? What really is the fuss? Are we upset at the display of poverty? Or are we upset about portrayal of India? Or are we simply upset that a movie which is a favorite to win the Oscar for the best film is based on a character life sees the downside of India? What really are we upset about? Why was it not an issue when Lagaan was nominated? Why was it not an issue when Deepa Mehtas water was nominated? Is it the importance of the category then that has upset us? What really has upset us? Are we not in the midst of this vague debate forgetting that this is infact a very well made film? Danny Boyles Slumdog Millionaire is very rich cinema. It makes you empathise for its characters. The directorial genius that oozes out of all the visual metaphors of the movie is commendable. I like this film for what it is – a film. No reasons to get personal about it. IF it were only about showing poverty in india and ensuring the film becomes a hit, why haven’t fil...

Confessions of a drunk mind! Every once in a while comes a movie that the critics go gaga about and the box office reports don’t quite agree. The overacclaimed-yet-failed category of films. So while there seems to quite a upheaval about whether this movie deserved the 5 star rating it got, it is clear this isn’t a movie for all. (In fact, what reviews have done by slating this movie as one based on lust and sexuality, is that it has driven the wrong kind of audiences into the cinemas. May be.. anyways now to the review.) It is indeed the coming of age for Sex in Indian films. While there have been many attempts, they have stopped at mere lust, or the occasional skin show, more than smooching and stripping. And now, finally a movie that uses ‘sex’ as its essence. No. I do not mean that there is a lot of skin show in this movie. Infact, there is hardly any to call this an erotic experience in any sense. But it is realistic portrayal of sexual chemistry in the between its principle charac...

Khoda pahad nikla Ghajini?? Well Well Well… Is there such a thing as a threshold of hype? The marketing campaigns that go into creating hype around the big releases are quite a case study in themselves. That Ghajini would have recovered all of its money in advance booking and music sales, is old news. If after so much push, it hadn’t recovered the money, that would be some news!! But is it a good movie? Let's investigate. Take one of the oldest bollywood formula – Revenge, try and add a common twist with an uncommon twang – Anterograde amnesia (where the patient remembers only 15 minutes of his past) – That’s Ghajini.. Oh yes.. the flashback also shows us who his lady love Kalpana was and introduces us to a bubbly budding model of a smalltime agency. Endearing and enthusiastic! To begin with, nothing is awfully wrong with this one. Just that one expected a lot more from the promos. For one, the writings on Aamirs body have only a word of explanation in the film .And that’s that!!...

'Look, he is Madhur Bhandarkar’, says a model backstage to another. ‘He is making a realistic film on Fashion, must be doing his research.’, pips her colleague. Clearly, the director, is trying to prove in more than one way that he knows the strike a balance between being realistic and outright commercial. He does it, and how! So while fashion has all the glitz and glamour that one associates with the industry in context, he goes way deeper and exposes the dirty realities of the same. Drugs, abuses, wardrobe malfunctions, rivalries, live in relationships, gays - he has it all! And to his credit, the ensemble comes to life on the screen in a well told story. Fashion is about the small town girl Meghna (Priyanka) and her dream to make it big in the Fashion world. She leaves Chandigarh against her parents wish and comes to Mumbai. Fashion explores her journey from a struggler, to an eye-candy, to a model to a supermodel and a victim of her own success. Too much success too early becom...

When the terrorist calls! A retired police commissioner sits on a bench on Marine Drive and goes back in thoughts.. and is reminded of the most unforgettable day in his life.. a Wednesday. The Commissioner (Anupam Kher) apparently an expert at cracking terrorism cases, gets a call from an unknown number – it’s a threat that 4 bombs have been planted at different places in the city. They will blow the city apart at the same time. There is only one option: Hand over 4 arrested Islamic Terrorists. The police are shown to act with poise under the leadership of Kher. Loyal officers, all willing to give their lives for the project to save Mumbai, is a heartwarming feeling, especially at a time when bomb blasts are more frequent than film releases. In Anupam’s restless eyes you see the intensity to nail down the terrorist. His body language and the crisp dialogues go hand in hand to convince you that he is indeed the best man for the job (both as the policeman and as the actor). And then ther...

Tahaan.. Wow! Innocence exploited, Images of a burning fire that spits fury on the white ice of the valleys of Kashmir, visual metaphors galore – welcome to world class cinema! A film which at the premise is a story of a boy who will do anything to get his pet donkey back, is also a real earthly fable of non fictitious events that have burnt the heaven on earth – Kashmir. Tahaan- the protagonist is a typical kid being himself - Talking to his donkey, sharing secrets with him. Poverty and misfortune strike one after the other and the family has to sell everything – finally, even the donkey. What will he do get him back? Rather, what won’t he? A failed attempt to steal it back (and genuinely making it look like it wasn’t stolen), racing the donkey against mules, nothing works. He finds comfort in a new friend Idriz who promises him that his Baba will get him his donkey back, for a favor. The rest is of course history. The child, without knowing the meaning of terrorism becomes a means of...

Phoonk Welcome to the vague world. Where crows stare continuously, lemons spell disaster, an angry look can send you flying. RGV invites us to get scared with what is possibly a ‘scary movie’ attempt at horror film making. The titling of the movie does builds your appetite, and perhaps that’s the reason why you end up so disappointed. Post Bhoot and the promotion built around phoonk, you cant help but expect to be surprised by the director. A surprise it is, of the dismal kind! A construction tycoon fires an eccentric duo, characterized by a spastic-acting man and a devilish-laughing woman. Doom follows as the home is now jinxed. From scary (?) dreams to bones to lemons to charcoal crosses on the walls – you name it and you have all the stereotypical material to convince you that there indeed is some black magic in the house. The daughter is now possessed. She speaks in a manly voices, kicks the doctor on his belly, stares at crows endlessly. Enter the psychiatrist. ‘All physical tests...

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na “Woh gaana to sirf mai usi ke liye hi gaaonga. For that special someone”, says Jai (Imran) when his friends ask him what’s that song he will sing for his love. He goes dreamy eyed, chococate smiles. Typical moment for an archetypal romantic film to break into an alaap! But no! “Gaaega ki maar khayega!”, pips Aditi (Genilia). Such spontaneity, wit and humour, take Jaane Tu at a level that very few films reach. What’s new in this film? Nothing and Everything. There is no pretence in the director’s approach. He knows what he is doing. He gives us what we have always gotten - but makes sure that the sum of parts is greater that the whole. While each department of the film excels on its own, put together, the experience is Simply Superb! Its fresh, relevant, contemporary, identifiable and an amazing movie experience.. A story of a group of friends. Two of them (the lead pair) are so close to one another, that the obvious is expected. Questioning the popular Ek ladka au...