PK

Rating : 9/10
Release Date : 19th December, 2014
Time : 153 minutes
Director, Writer : Rajkumar Hirani; Co-Writer: Abhijat Joshi; Music : Shantanu Moitra
Starring : Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, Sanjay Dutt, Parikshit Sahni, Boman Irani, Saurabh Shukla, Sushant Singh Rajput



Ten Things About PK (and I’m trying hard to give nothing of the story away)

1. Aamir displays a child-like curiosity in the film, questions many things we take for granted. Imagine, if we were brought up in isolation, without parents / elders to make us conform, how many of our customs would we find odd ? For example, the concept of money ? Or Dancing Cars ? Or even clothes ? Its inevitable then, that he gets the name he does…

2. One custom, that for sure Aamir finds very intriguing, is that of our religions. Or different companies, run by different managers, as he puts it. Just for starters, ever wondered how the colour of mourning in one is the bridal colour in another ?

3. He, for reasons that will only be clear as you watch the film, does all this questioning in fluent Bhojpuri… which definitely enhances the humour quotient

4. He only trusts two people. One is Sanjay Dutt, a band master in Mandva, Rajasthan. Who, to assuage his own guilt, takes Aamir in, gives him shelter, helps him in many ways

5. The other is the pretty, petite, Anushka (looking quite different, not all naturally I’m assured by women who claim they can make out such stuff), who helps him out of a bit of a jam. Freshly jilted by her lover, Sushant Singh Rajput and back from videsh (picturesque Bruges), she is now a TV reporter in Delhi, and her Dad (Parikshit Sahni) is a great believer in a God-man, Saurabh Shukla

6. Saurabh Shukla, as many others of his ilk, claim to have a direct line to God. And his routine, extremely well enacted, actually involves him doing a mock conversation with our Maker, whenever a question is posed to him. He ends up having a key role to play in the film

7. Aamir’s acting and dialogue delivery is close to perfect. He is brilliant and with this one cements his reputation as one of the best actors we have on screen, definitely the best amongst the superstars.

8. Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi deserve many kudos for delivering a great script (this time hopefully no controversy from a disgruntled author) as does Vidhu Vinod Chopra for producing it. Credit also due to Raju Hirani for extracting super performances from all actors (Sanjay Dutt was very good in his brief role) and also for great locales. The music, songs by Shantanu Moitra, lyrics by Swanand Kirkire is great – enhances the film, doesn’t disturb the story / pace of the film and isn’t the type that makes you reach for the phone to check your messages (the case with most film songs these days)

9. The film is a light-hearted yet hard hitting look at life and an aspect that divides us quite deeply. Probably something that should be kept personal but is instead used more for outwardly show, to create schisms among us. Something that in recent times has led to too much ‘touchiness’, unnecessary ‘sensitivity’ and even senseless violence.

10. There is a fable like feel to the movie (was reminded for some reason of Chocolat) and it deserves a lot of credit for managing to keep the tone light, despite the seriousness of the points it makes. The choice of Bhojpuri really does prove a master-stroke in this regard. There was, I felt, one redundant love angle in the film, and the sole point deducted for its final rating is probably towards that. I recommend making time for the film this week. And taking the kids with you is highly advisable.

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Action Jackson

Rating : 6/10
Release Date : 5th December, 2014
Time : 144 minutes
Director, Writer : Prabhu Deva; Co-Writer: Shiraz Ahmed; Music : Himesh Reshammiya
Starring : Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha, Manasvi Mamgai, Yami Gautam, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Anand Raj, Ketan Karande, Puru Raaj Kumar



Much to my surprise, and despite its senseless story, over-burdened script, I enjoyed this one. Its one of the rare Hindi film’s where the second half is actually better than the first (quite ordinary, standard tapori stuff with the romance thrown in). The film suddenly shifts gears in the second, almost as if, directed and styled by a different director, becoming a homage to Kill Bill / Shoot ‘Em Up – way over the top but then reveling in it being so. And no one relished their roles more than Ajay Devgn and Manasvi Mamgai (Ooh, La La !), who both stood out with their performances, physiques…

The story, if one can call it that, is all over the place. The first half is about a small-time Mumbai villain, Ajay Devgn, with his side-kick, Kunaal, earning their money by bashing up people. There is also a long romance with Sonakshi, with her trying to reform him. And then, suddenly, in the second half, the film becomes a story of an international crime-lord, Anand Raj, his lustful, psychotic sister, Manasvi and our ball-busting, ass-kicking hero, Ajay Devgn, in his Action Jackson avatar, protecting Yami Gautam from them.

There are plenty of silly moments, cheap laughs – none more so than the motorcycle ride in the beginning with pani puri playing a key role or even Sonakshi’s belief that her luck will change if she see’s Ajay naked. Almost inevitably, this is mixed up with moments of cringe-worthy sentimentality – the school admission / the neighbour’s glowing recommendation – as our hero has to have a heart of gold. The second half, despite again having distracting songs which slow down the pace and some moments of redundant comedy, works better simply because its better styled, slicker and has stuff which you haven’t seen before in Hindi films – the action sequences go a bit beyond just people flying in different directions / slow mo shots of bones breaking. And Manasvi, till her role makes her half-crazed, is simply wow ! (Did I mention that before ?).

Prabhu Deva’s mind popping moves with the end credits are not to be missed. And its important in an over the top film that the actors perform their roles with a knowing smirk, helping the audience realize not to take them too seriously. Which Ajay pulls off with elan.

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Exodus : Gods And Kings

Rating : 5/10
Release Date : 5th December, 2014
Time : 114 minutes
Director : Ridley Scott; Writers : Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Jeffrey Caine, Steven Zaillian; Music : Alberto Iglesias
Starring : Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Maria Valverde, Ben Kingsley, John Turturro, Ben Mendelsohn, Dar Salim, Sigourney Weaver, Indira Varma, Aaron Paul



It’s the story of Moses. Grim. Sombre. Slow. Tragic for the most part. And apart from some snazzy sets, special effects and a fondness for Christian Bale derived from his past work, doesn’t work at all as a feature film…

It’s the story of how two step-brothers, Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton, turn against each other, once their father, the Pharoah, John Turturro, passes away. How Bale discovers the secret of his birth, communicates with God through visions / hallucinations and then leads his people away from Egypt, away from their life of slavery, fighting the land and the army he once inhabited and led.

The only interesting part was watching the classic human failings – jealousy, greed, doubt, betrayal, self-preservation (vs greater good). And, the most fascinating part, whether the prophecy, like most astrological predictions, turns out to be a self-fulfilling one just because the ruler is wracked by insecurity, determined not to let it happen. In this case, if Joel hadn’t gone against his brother – would events have unfolded differently ? Or is his insecurity a key factor, nay, the reason, behind the prophecy itself ?

Have realized religious epics don’t work for me - Noah was another recent example. They soon deteriorate into who’s God is stronger, more powerful than the other. And if the seven plagues that afflicted Egypt, were the ‘right’ answer for 400 years of oppression – doesn’t that sanctify the idea of revenge ? Here I can only quote the Mahatma – “An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind”

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Ungli

Rating : 5/10
Release Date : 28th November, 2014
Time : 114 minutes
Director, Writer : Rensil D’Silva; Co-Writer: Milap Zaveri; Music : Various
Starring : Emraan Hashmi, Randeep Hooda, Kangana Ranaut, Sanjay Dutt, Neha Dhupia, Angad Bedi, Neil Bhoopalam



Sick of the systemic corruption, a gang of four, which becomes known as the Ungli (middle finger) gang, devise clever ways to name and shame individuals who’re doing wrong – whether it’s a smart-ass pension bureaucrat, an errant RTO official, or bribe-taking traffic cops.

While the heart is in the right place, and some of the tricks the Ungli gang pull off are fun, the screenplay falls into an all too common trap for Hindi films, lumbering what could’ve been a catchy, zippy storyline with back stories, dead fathers, wronged friends, sub-plots, a couple of romantic angles, and even an amazingly out of place item number…

Also, while the ensemble cast put together is highly competent, none of the actors really sets the screen on fire or breathes life into their character- all of them kind of doing only the minimum necessary to discharge their roles. The finale is fun but highly far-fetched, and while the film does enough to keep you in your seats for its two hour duration, there are plenty of occasions when your mobile seems to offer more entertainment than available on the screen, especially when some misplaced songs erupt like jarring jack-in-the-boxes…

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The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 1

Rating : 5/10
Release Date : 28th November, 2014
Time : 123 minutes
Director : Francis Lawrence; Writers: Peter Craig, Danny Strong, based on the novel ‘MockingJay’ by Suzanne Collins; Music : James Newton Howard
Starring : Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Donald Sutherland, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Mahershala Ali, Jeffrey Wright, Willow Shields, Stanley Tucci, Natalie Dormer



Grim. Slow. Agonizing.

Probably the three words, in that order, which best summarize this film. It lacks the pace, zing of the earlier two installments (Hunger Games & Hunger Games : Catching Fire), misses any key confrontation or action sequences and just seems to meander along (hopefully) setting things up for the next one.

We watch Jennifer Lawrence grudgingly become the face of the revolution, led by Julianne Moore. She becomes the MockingJay, the counterpoint to Josh Hutcherson, who has been kidnapped by the Capitol and now speaks for them. We watch Phillip Seymour Hoffman, as the marketing guru, try to put a glitzy, schmaltzy propaganda campaign together, aided by Elizabeth Banks and Woody Harrelson, who thankfully votes for spontaneity rather than prepared scripts and costumes. We watch Jeffrey Wright, as the tech brains of the movement, try to gatecrash into the Capitol and Mahershala Ali, along with Liam Hemsworth and Natalie Dormer, lead the muscles unit of the revolution. And above all, we watch Donald Sutherland, as the leader of the Capitol, hell-bent on crushing the other districts, toy with the revolution.

Jennifer’s character seems strangely distracted, more preoccupied with personal considerations (Josh, her sister, a cat) rather than the greater objectives of the struggle. The Orwellian setting of the revolution HQ, with the jumpsuits and the underground chambers, along with the strong-willed Julianne Moore as its head, does beg the question whether the Districts are jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

There is very little progress, story-wise, in this edition, and neither do we learn much more about any of the central characters. There is just a dark sense of foreboding throughout, with somber music to match, that doesn’t make for and enjoyable watch

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Horrible Bosses 2

Rating : 5/10
Release Date : 28th November, 2014
Time : 108 minutes
Director : Sean Anders; Writers: Jonathan M Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Sean Anders & John Morris; Music : Christopher Lennertz
Starring : Jason Bateman, Jason Sudekis, Charlie Day, Chris Pine, Christopher Waltz, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jonathan Banks



Sort of a Dumb and Dumber, with a tad more class (just a smidgeon more, mind you)…and a little bit of corporate gobble-dee-gook thrown in to earn the title. The plot is far-fetched, what the characters do, bizarre and the end is from Planet Fantasia.

Christoph Waltz, a rich businessman, playing his usual urbane, smug self, royally screws our three leads, (Bateman, Sudekis, Day), crippling their business and bringing them to the point of foreclosure. With their backs to the wall, its inevitable that a harebrained scheme follows – Bateman being the sole voice of sanity while presiding over the foolish, thoughtless antics of his two mates – and they eventually decide to kidnap Christoph’s son, the spoilt, equally smug, Chris Pine. Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston and Jamie Foxx, each reprise their characters from the prequel, but their plans are so foolish as to beggar belief.

This is a timepass film of the Ready / Bodyguard / Bol Bachchan genre. It just happens to be in English and wastes the incredible acting talent of some extremely fine actors (and the only reason my rating is so generous). It does provide a few laughs but they are far and few in-between. Am praying they don’t go for three time lucky…

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Equalizer - Happy Ending

Rating : 6/10
Release Date : 21st November, 2014
Time : 132 minutes
Director : Antoine Fuqua; Writer: Richard Wenk, based on the TV series by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim; Music : Harry Gregson-Williams
Starring : Denzel Washington, Martin Czokas, Chloe Grace Moretz, David Harbour, Haley Bennett, David Meunier, Johnny Skourtis

Rating : 7/10
Release Date : 21st November, 2014
Time : 137 minutes
Director, Writers : Raj and Krishna DK; Co-writer: Sita Menon; Music : Jigar Sachin
Starring : Saif Ali Khan, Ileana D'Cruz, Kalki Koechlin, Ranvir Shorey, Govinda, Rahul Nath, Preity Zinta






Equalizer and Happy Ending, as films & genres, couldn’t be more dissimilar. One is a action, one-man army, bloody, gory film, the other a soft focus, breezy romantic comedy. In one bad things happen to a lot of bad people while in the other, good people enjoy the good life. Yet my movie viewing experience was so alike that I felt compelled to write a kind of combined review. That, and a slight time constraint.

In Equalizer, Denzel Washington, a seemingly innocuous worker at a DIY store, perennial do-gooder, transforms into a plague of sorts against a well-heeled, well-connected Russian mob. Just because they beat a not-so-close friend of his, Chloe, up. And when they turn up the heat, sending Marton Csokas, their enforcer, he switches on some sunlight himself…

In Happy Ending, Saif is a commitment phobic, serial womanizer, rich, popular author. Who suddenly finds his book replaced on the shelves, his money finished, his popularity faded and the women drying up. Suffering from writers block, handed a life-saving script-writing opportunity by a single-screen star, Govinda, who wishes to now connect with the multiplex audiences, Saif (for reasons not entirely clear) decides to hook-up with the new author / flavor of the month, Ileana D'Cruz, who’s pulpy, romantic novel, has replaced his on the shelf and him at his literary agent. And she turns out to be the female version of him…

What struck me, with both movies, was the predictability of the storylines and also the inevitability of the endings, whether Happy or otherwise. And yet, they were both enjoyable, gripping in their own ways, proving once again that even if the destination is clear, the journey can still be fun.

What works for Equalizer are its action sequences, background music, superb visuals and earnest performances from Denzel and Marton. It helps that Antoine Fuqua, the director, is no stranger to the action genre, with films like Training Day, Olympus Has Fallen and Shooter under his belt, and keeps the film crisp, pacy and slick, yet manages to build a good emotional connect with simple, deft touches – chance meetings, stray conversations about books at a diner, a musical doll, a glistening tear rolling down the cheek. Chloe also comes through in her brief role…

And what works for Happy Ending is its irreverent take on life, relationships, writing and Saif. The good thing about him is that, especially when playing the lovable rascal, it really feels that the character is him in reality – he’s not playing a part, just being himself. Ilena does well (though not without flaw),Kalki's role, as Saif's slightly psychotic girlfriend, was a bit unidimensional, and Ranvir, as Saif’s bff and a much harried, married man, delivers the laughs fairly consistently. It was also a nice change to see a film about an author, and the dialogue, refreshingly, was consistently good and funny.

Equalizer’s end was worse than Happy Ending’s. Required a suspension of disbelief longer than the Golden Gate, the locale of part of the latter…though, arguably, HE’s was more contrived. But both still made for a good watch, stopping a few milestones shy of greatness but giving us some happy viewing…

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