rhitwick Reviews

Iron Fist (2017–2018)

A good Kung-Fu choreographer, please!

[4/10 · 19 March 2017]

Story: The story is not clear even after 1 full season. Iron Fist is supposed to guard path of Kun-Lun but Danny (now Iron Fist) escapes and comes to New York. He finds his biggest enemy here. Well. this is the main story. I'm sure the comics must have had some good story-line but the TV-show sure failed to stay on a particular track. Rather trying to be smart made a hotch-potch of multiple subplots. Neither of the subplots provide enough clarity on what is going on, nor help establishing the big crisis.

Character Development: Danny/Iron Fist should have been in focus and he was but his character was not given enough solid background. I mean, this is the origin story of 'Iron Fist' and we hardly see any such background story. What is the point of making an origin story then?!

His character hardly shows struggles of modern world coming from a remote monastery. He used to drive a bullock-cart but can manage an Aston Martin without any hiccups. Proficient in internet, tablets. bank account transactions all. How, how the hell it is possible?!!

We are reminded in each episode that he was away for 13 years but the gap does not seem to make any impact on him.

I've read in once review that the character "Daughter of Dragon" deserves her own spin-off show. I'm in full agreement with that. Given a scenario where her spin-off and 'Iron fist' airing at same time I might opt for the spin off.

Then comes the clueless connection between all i.e. Claire Temple. She went away from Daredevil in fear of her life and increasing complexity of the situation and then willingly travels with Danny to China to capture Madame Gao!!! Are you fcuking kidding me?!

Action: This was supposed to be about a hero who is the final word on martial art but 'Finn Jones' can't fight. Seriously, take Colleen in the role of 'Iron Fist' she fights better than him. I mean, in the whole show everyone fights better than 'Iron Fist'.

Verdict: I'm a comic book fan. I know that I must not look for logic in such shows/stories but at least do some good in any department. A poor story in an 'action' based show can easily be forgiven with the help of some marvelous action. We didn't even get that. A good Kung-Fu choreographer is what I recommend to the makers of this show.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016)

Sometimes formula movies are rare and welcome

[7/10 · 29 October 2016]

In the era of experimental movies, this movie on a tried and tested theme is like a breath of fresh air.

We've seen a lot of movies on the theme of "unrequited love". Probably we've seen all variations concerning it but the treatment Karan Johar did here is yet to be seen by me.

Imtiaz Ali may be surprised how he missed this aspect of love. Coming back to topic, this movie not only looks at love from a different angle but tests friendship too on a different parameter. I liked the theme and treatment, well may be at times a bit cheesy and you might know this already as it's KJo's movie.

This could be a second coming for Ranbir, leaves a lingering taste of "Rockstar" watching him here. Anushka did very well and Aishwarya is ravishing. Just gorgeous. With growing age different grace and aura is showing on her face. This makes her even more beautiful and Karan most of he time did justice to here by letting her express via eyes only.

SRK charmed in the brief 2 min role and Fawad got all the hype for no reason at all.

All in all, if melodrama does not disgust you, go for it. You may just enjoy it.

Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon (2015)

This had no intention being an intelligent movie

[5/10 · 26 September 2015]

This is a mindless comedy. Lacks logic, lacks sense but would make you laugh for sure.

Most of the heavy lifting was left to Kapil and he tried and tried very hard. Even his one liners was not enough to save this movie. Even if everyone had given an Oscar wining performance, this would still be bad nonsense movie. At times it would be those one liners that would make you re-think of not leaving the theater halfway of the movie.

Let me tell you one more thing that would help you to decide if you should go for this.

Have you seen "Sajan chale sasural" ? If yes, you've seen the best movie of this genre. Have you seen "Garam Masala" (Akshyay and John)? If yes, you have seen the crappiest movie of this genre.

"Kis kis ko pyaar karu" falls in between of these two.

It's bad, it's nonsense but could just make you laugh those two and half hours.

Bheetu: Coward (2015)

Surprise package!

[8/10 · 13 July 2015]

For a Bengali movie this is a height that people would seldom achieve even in near future. Unsettling, uneasy and awesome. It succeeds in achieving exactly what it wanted to do.

A tighter editing would make it just perfect. Very good acting by Ritwick and Sudipta. The cast is greatly supported by Parno.

Direction is superb and I would add one more word i.e. "courageous".

Cinematography is good but I found the use of background music is overpowering the dialogs at times.

Still without undermining its efforts a solid 8/10 from me.

Note: Not for weak hearted!

Baby (I) (2015)

Ignore your intelligence and you got a good movie!

[6/10 · 5 February 2015]

If you can ignore your baggage of having watched many movie, this can be a good watch. If you do not allow yourself thinking anything or cultivating anything that the film says, it can be a good watch.

But, you most probably won't be able to do that and then you would realize

1. The villains could not do any villainy in the movie. The whole movie was about 'BABY' and they took all screen time.

2. People did a lot of walking and you had to see them walking, like always.

3. In a realistic movie the car stopped at the very point so that tension could built up.

4. Who was Maulana, how crucial was he, why he was so important to India...you weren't told. Thus his capturing scene failed to evoke any 'achievement' emotion in you.

5. Maulana was shown 'in slow motion' in Al-Dera hotel with Bilal. The way it was shown, seemed it should be some 'shocking' revelation to audience. Again, it made no impact, Maulana was found with Bilal...so? Whom-else would he found? baba-Ramdev?!!! (though should have created more shock in this case)

6. An annoying housewife who keeps on ranting "Marna mat"!!! Recall your memories of the girl from Kaliyug "Mitti me gadoge kaya?" Ughhhhh

7. And, you just fcking leave a car at the very shore of sea at a desert, why don't u fcking push it into water then? Why?

8. The detective catches their game well in time but decides to let 'em go. Why?

Anyway, only things I liked are : pace of the movie and the strong female character. The girl really fought which is rare in Hindi movies. Generally even if a girl belong to police a 'man' always helps her. Neeraj Pandey broke this myth here.

Mountain of the Moon (2013)

A Bengali movie - up on cloud nine!

[7/10 · 22 December 2013]

Waited for this since it was a rumor. Liked the end product.

Theme: Its an adventure movie. 90% of the movie is shot in either wild or desert. Chander Pahar is the story of a young Bengali man's adventures in Africa in the years 1909-1910. Shankar Roy Chowdhury, the protagonist, is a 20-year old man, recently completed his FA(graduation) and about to take up a job in a jute mill, a prospect he absolutely loathes. He yearns for adventure, wild lands, forests and animals. He wants to follow the footsteps of famous explorers like Livingstone, Mungo Park, Marco Polo, all of whom he has read about and idolizes. By a stroke of luck, he secures a job as a clerk in Uganda Railway through a fellow villager already working there and goes to Africa without a second thought.

Character development: The character of Shankar is drawn very well. His transformation from a Bengali village boy to a wanderer is drawn very carefully. Two things made it possible i.e. make-up and Dev's somewhat mature acting.

Direction: The director first gets a nod for daring to make such a movie. Then he again gets a nod to make Dev act. Non-linear narration was used to tell the story. He took artistic liberty to tweak few story points. At times actors took time to react to their environment which should have been taken care of. Man vs. Wild scenes are very well captured and they are a treat to your eyes. The thrill and excitement is very well built and executed. He gets nod for creating few edge-on-the seat action scenes. Still more work should have done Dev's expressions. Why is he smiling in almost all scenes?

Cinematography: This and this only makes all sins made by Dev go away. Beauty of Africa, wild animals, chase scenes are very well executed.Hats off to the DOP Soumik Haldar.

Acting: Dev tries and tries very hard. Till he's accompanied by Alvarez he poses an immature look on his face and casual approach to situations around him. May be its intentional to make his character feel more out-of-place without Alvarez or its his weakness. Still, till Alvarez is alive he at times appears annoying. Gerard Rudolf as Deigo Alavarez did a very commendable job. Very good acting by this gentleman. Kudos to him.

Songs and background score: Only one song and I did not like it. Background score was apt to the mood of the scenes and never overwhelms the scene.

Editing: The dialog parts are too slow for the high paced movie like this. Editing could have been more good. Few unnecessary scenes are kept which can be removed. Specially the scene where Shankar Alvarez gets to meet three Masai tribe members in wild. This is an important part of the book but when pictured this scene does not add any value to the move. One or two more scenes like this could have been edited.

Entertainment value: Apart from the occasional slowness this a very good adventure movie. Full of African wild animals and edge-on-seat thrill. I would recommend this.

Verdict: Tollywood never did an adventure movie. Did not do in India and leave alone Africa. But the director and more-over the producers took the risk to do the impossible. The risks were great. What if it tanks, what if it does not live up to the expectation of people. Making movie from a classic is always a risky business. Still they braved this and we get a very good Christmas present in the form of a movie. Should you watch it? Why not? Most of us had read the book and imagined the locations in our mind. This is a dream-come-true for all of us. The director does not cheat us here. If not 100% but I would say 80% of your thirst would be quenched. Yes Dev hams at the beginning of the movie but later he throws a good acting example. Ask me, I liked what I had seen. A warning, don't expect much as VFX from a movie whose total budget was 15 crore.

The Lunchbox (2013)

Life in lunchbox!

[8/10 · 23 September 2013]

A very very average sweet movie.

Most of the time we go to movies to see our secret dreams fulfilled; may be its the below average hero getting the girl, the loser making it big in sports or business, at times even few secret dreams of our coming to true in the big screen. Most of the time Cinema plays an escapade for us,. What if rather seeing a miracle you get to see reality where the miracle is a breeze of sweet fragrance of a random lady. When you look back you Can't distinguish which one was that but that you like that small glimpse of happiness that she brought to you for that brief time.

Lunchbox does exactly same. No solution to existing problems. Rather a hope for a miracle, an indomitable urge to break-free but the middle-class mentality keeps you thinking are you doing the right thing? Pace slow, Irfan khan is awesome! Nawaz is good but my dramatic mind kept me misguiding all the time that he might be having some ulterior motive or might be lying. Nirmit Kaur is very natural being a newcomer.

Check it out if you can.

Raanjhanaa (2013)

Raanjhanaa : up, close and personal

[8/10 · 28 July 2013]

Initially I was sceptic about this movie. I assumed a different story from the trailer. A story full of romance and clichés. A story which was bound to have a good first half and boring second half. Well, I am right about the second half. Post interval the movie slows down very much, at times drags then after few minutes beating around the bushes it concludes with a good ending.

Theme: "The pundit's son Kundan (Dhanush) has fallen for the girl at first sight. That they're both kids makes us dismiss it as a meaningless crush. But a few years later, the boy is still in love with the girl, Zoya (Sonam Kapoor). When she's in school, he follows her around holding her hand and getting slapped in the process. Finally, she relents because of his "consistency". The film shifts cities when Zoya gets into JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University), and through her, we are introduced to the idealistic and political culture of the place. She discovers a long-lost strength as she confronts and then falls for student leader Abhay Deol. The film takes a turn when Zoya returns to her hometown after eight long years only to find some things changed, and others surprisingly the same"

Character development: This movie is stands on the shoulder of two leads Sonam as Zoya and Dhanush as Kundan. But, mainly zoya's character goes through any development. Say it mentality, expectation from life, treating situations. Dhanush kind of stops growing emotionally. Most of the time he learns that things have changed in and around Zoya and impacts him momentarily but does not change him or his mentality towards Zoya. I would say Dhanush's character in this regards does not go through much changes in the movie.

Direction: The movie has a very unconventional script and putting that to frame could not have been easy but Anand Rai did a marvelous job. If only he thought about anything about post interval scenes. Dhanush is used to the fullest and he proves he's here to stay. But more praise goes to Anand Rai for bringing out a convincing performance from Sonam Kapoor. This movie won't win her any award but might help her land some good roles. And if she stick around like Deepika, she might improve. Next praise of the direction is the scene construction. There are few gems in the movie. Specially mentioned would be the gas cylinder scene, scooter into Ganges and Dhanush vomiting scene. Anand Rai got an excellent script and did a marvelous job portraying it into movie.

Cinematography: Cinematography is apt to the situations.

Acting:Dhanush is superb. This is a tailor made role from him and him only. His looks and his physique complements the movie. Then add his brilliant acting talent, the way he speaks, his body language is brilliant. People talk about chemistry between lead pairs but here Kundan(Dhanush) and Murari's chemistry surpassed everything. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub as Murari did a solid job and at times shadowed Dhanush. Sonam here dared to do a very tough role. Her role was the most strong role in the movie and even tougher than the Priyanka's role in Barfi. Her character goes through various changes in the movie, jealousy, love, revenge, guilt, passion everything comes into her role. We are grateful that she pulled that off somehow, else it would have been a torture to tolerate her in a movie like that. Swara Bhaskar as Bindiya did a very good job. I really liked the scenes where Murari, Kundan Bindiya fight with each other. Rest of the characters are average does not require a special mention here.

Songs and background score: Only one song i.e. 'Tum Tak' I found apt to the situation rest do not contribute to the movie. I would appreciate the background score here more than actual songs.

Editing: Can't have mercy on the editor for the bad second half. Few unnecessary scenes could have been avoided.

Entertainment value: Till first half this movie would entertain you later you might get bored but the ending is good.

Go Goa Gone (2013)

Hilariously scary!!!

[8/10 · 10 May 2013]

Long back (actually 2 years back) there was a rumor that Bollywood was on its way to make movies on Zombies. Two unnamed films were heard to be in making. Two years after one movie is already released "Rise of the Zombie" (released and flopped) another released today "GoGoa Gone". The name is wacky and trailers are not that interesting but the songs...the songs were its USP. Remember "Delhi Belly", how its wacky songs created the curiosity around it and turned it into a smash hit?....I hope the same thing clicks for it. Now the main business, the review.

Theme: Three friends goes Goa for different reason. Two guys to just chill out and one for office presentation. They join a rave party and things turn bad there. People suddenly start turning into zombies. What now? (Well Zombie movies were always about two things either its a horror or its a comedy. Its a comedy and that's the maximum you need to know about it)

Character Development: There is hardly any chance of any character development. And this being a "piece-of-life" movie its unjust to ask any from it too. So, leaving this topic.

Direction: Was going through the filmography of both the directors. A very impressive catalog : "Shor in the city", "99" to be mentionable. In case of "Go Goa Gone" I would say they have nailed it. The big hit that everyone waits for is here, they can enjoy the success. Its not easy to make offbeat movies in India specially if you want to make profits too from ticket sales. But I guess this is gonna be hit among young viewers. The direction is very much to the point, gives very less focus to individual characters so less time to commit mistakes. You would get almost 100% dialogs rather any monologue. This ensures a creative input of comic timing and surprise element to audience. Just imagine you won't be seeing Saif doing overacting! That's an achievement on its own! On second thought, actually Saif actually did over the top acting. And that blends to the tone of the movie. Crazy characters! Every single one was created with utmost care and then was given some intelligent lines. The chemistry between Vir Das and Kunal Khemu to be mentioned here for this. Then the intelligent film-making by including inspired scenes from "Zombieland" and "Shaun of the dead". Well, you know what is intelligent here? They not only copied scenes but took a dig on it! Bollywood making fun of Hollywood movies is a remarkable scene for sure. Another intelligent aspect is how they handled Clichés. They touched every Cliché that is related to such zombie flicks and made fun of those. Then they made fun of themselves too. Too many things in a movie?! Yeah and you would enjoy it for these things. Hats off to the director duo. Hope they bring a sequel too.

Cinematography: Though the movie takes place in Goa they have cautiously escaped showing the scenery of Goa. That was unnecessary for his movie and it was avoided. Rather collage of a rented room of bachelors, office room and a zombie infested island is well crafted. No special mention here. You get to see just what is there, no artsy-fartsy bullsh1t.

Songs and background score: The songs are already popular. Specially "Slowly slowly" and "Khoon choos le". Whacky lyrics along with party themed music. Apt to the mood with movie. Two of the songs are used as title credit scene and end credit scene and others are as background score. The dedicated background score is average though.

Editing: The editing is superb till intermission but the movie slows down its pace in the second half and this happens mostly due to lack of ideas in screenplay. Still a very good job.

Entertainment value: After a long time laughed out loud in theatre. Full entertainment (provided profanity does not bother you!). Kunal Khemu and Vir Das runs havoc and Saif's crazy Russian accent is fun...trust me!

Verdict: Since "Delhi Belly" this is the only movie which can shake the former's stature of intelligent. tongue-in-cheek comedy movie. Beware of profanity though. IF you have problem with profanity, this movie is not for you. Rest all assured you would enjoy for sure.

Special 26 (2013)

First hit of 2013

[8/10 · 10 February 2013]

The movie is 2.5 hrs long (yes, I checked!) which could have been easily shortened to 2 Hrs. Just remove all those good for nothing songs, few flashbacks (collage of scenes which you've already seen) and one or two more unnecessary scenes.

BUT, but, don't go by that negative starting, this is a good movie and may be first hit of 2013 from Bollywood. Neat(well, 98% neat) script, short and smart dialogues accompanied with powerhouse acting of Manoj Bajpayee, Anupam Kher and Akshyay Kumar(I've never thought I would say Akshyay and good acting in one sentence, ever!)

Go, watch it...you'll definitely enjoy it.

Person of Interest (2011–2016)

Really interesting

[9/10 · 2 November 2012]

I first saw one episode in "Star World" and that too 15 minutes after it started. Could not grasp it and the ads along with our sensor board made it unbearable.

Then I got the whole season 1 in HD and was hooked to it till the very end. It has the characteristics of every good TV show.

Starts slow. Each day a new story but very subtly we get backgrounds of each character. I would go one step ahead would claim that the screenplay is developed with utmost care and production value is very high. The director has eyes for every detail.

Then take the character of "Reese", initial few episodes he would appear to you as an invincible vigilante but the more you progress you get to know his weak spots; he too gets beaten down by skilled opponents, gets knocked down and these things made him more of a guy who is not 'superman' but a man with certain skills who stood for right.

And, then the character of "Harold", even though every loose end is tied till the season 1 finale we still don't know much about Harold; I guess the director wants to play with him season 2.

+ Good storyline, great character development, action and at times edge of the seat thriller -A few episodes are boring

Barfi! (2012)

Barfi : A visual poetry

[9/10 · 14 September 2012]

I was not actually very keen to watch Barfi. The trailers intrigued me enough to go for it but till the last time I was unsure if it would be any good. And then on a boring Friday I found myself waiting in queue for a 3.05PM show. And I do not regret my decision.

Story/Theme: I'm not sure how to tell the story without giving anything. Let me then take the help of IMDb here.

Three young people learn that love can neither be defined nor contained by society's norms of normal and abnormal

Actually, giving any more would spoil the movie for you.

Character Development:Once in a while there comes a movie which consists of characters not stars. But, it takes a master to make his puppets grow in the short span of 2hrs and 33mins and make people feel the change. Barfi is such a movie where you could observe the characters changing with time, maturing, being tolerant to each other with passing time. Though Barfi is the central character of the movie still, Jhilmil, Shruti and Inspector are well crafted and given ample scope to go through changes. Anurag basu gets full marks from me here.

Direction: Day by day directors are understanding the value of freedom and Anurag Basu once again proved that. Even though having powerful stars and big banner for his last movie Kites various restrictions took away the artistic freedom from him and we got a flop movie. This time he showed what a master director he is. Look at the character of Barfi. How beautifully its crafted. His mannerisms, gestures, postures all are shot with utmost care. Then take Jhilmil's character. An autistic girl. Who gets tangled in the Barfi's life. They fall in love and discover love in their own way. It had the risk of being a "Koshish" anyday. A lucrative trap for making a tearjerker, emotional serious drama but Anurag Basu took the risk of walking on rope here. He subtly showed the pain of the characters through comedy. And there he wins hands down. Then there is Shruti and confused normal person. Who gets lost in the world of few 'abnormal' persons and never survived fully. And, hats off for choosing Saurav Shukla as Inspector. He's a revelation in this movie. Other supporting casts are also good but coming out of theater I bet you would remember only these. And, the subtle touch of live background score...an intelligent touch :)

Screenplay: The movie narration does not go in linear motion. We get jump cuts, flashback within flashbacks and stories from different key characters. I don't know if many would appreciate such story telling. Screenplay is neat, dialogs are few and far between. Silence plays a bigger role in this movie.

Acting: I'm speechless here. Every actor seemed to be acted in this movie considering this is their last chance to prove themselves. Ranbir proved his level in Rockstar already...but Priyanaka just took reinvented herself. A very strong but sidelined character she played here. The focus was never on her but whenever she got scope she just marveled it. Kudos to her and Kudos to Anurag Basu to show us what Priyanka could do. Barfi for Priyanka is going to be what "Jab we Met" is to Kareena. Then, the next gem of the movie is Saurabh Shukla. Another brilliant performance. Ileana as Shruti also did well.

Cinematography: The movie is a visual poetry. Every frame is such beautiful that reminded me "Raavan" by Santosh Shivan. After a few searches I found out the man behind this poetry and he is Mr. Ravi Varman. Just remember this name. Because if you watch the movie you are obvious to search who was the man behind camera.

Songs and background score: Songs are good, specially "Main Kaya Karoon". And, nice melodic background score. Best thing is the story does not stop when the songs happen. The songs just help enrich the moment on-screen.

Editing: In theater few were complaining about the length of the movie. I on the other hand think its the way it was meant to be. Such movies are best told in slowly, like a poetry. Such that every scene, every dialog leaves mark in your mind.

Verdict: Reading this far it might seem its nothing but a romance between two invalids and Anurag Basu emotionally blackmailed you in the movie to love it. But what I've not told you is how much laugh riot it is, how this is even a thriller or how beautiful this movie is. All in all, a movie that gives the pleasure of listening a complete story. A movie to watch with your family. A movie where if you take your girlfriend does not stop saying "how cute!"

Go, watch Barfi!. Watch the best movie of 2012.

The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

A 'different' horror movie indeed!

[6/10 · 25 August 2012]

I'm not sure what I saw or what the director wanted to make. Was it an attempt to a 'different' slasher movie or perhaps a zombie movie or a conspiracy movie or what?

For me it did not stood up to the hype it created and everything in this movie is not what it seems. Like the virgin girl who herself is not sure if she's virgin!

I think they made this movie with scripts as they progressed. That could only explain it. Or it could be a result of all those social networking story writing games where one person starts from where the previous on left.

On positive side, only 10 minutes of last 15 minutes is fun to watch. Innovation at its best :P

Yeah, I'm too disgusted (IMDB is not letting me swear here) and trying to justify what I saw.

Hemlock Society (2012)

Die, but don't make a scene!

[9/10 · 16 July 2012]

Concept: I'm really amazed by the concept of the movie. I have never seen such a movie in any language. Read one story in my childhood in similar concept and happened to come by an article few days ago. But, I could never imagine someone would ever dare to make a movie on this topic. Topic? If summarized its "Assisted Suicide"! To make it more clear, let me translate the tagline of the movie i.e. "Morbe moro chorio na" (Die if you want but don't embarrass). So there is private organization which helps people to commit suicide successfully! Provides a 3 days crash course to enlighten the participants about various methods to suicide. What not to do and what to do etc. Meghna(Koel Mallik) recently has broken up with her bf. She's very upset after breaking up a 14yrs long relationship and wants to end herself. Enter Ananda Kar(Parambrata) the CEO of "Hemlock Society". He asks her to join the course so she could die properly without embarrassing everyone including herself. Rest you need to see.

Character development: Only two characters come into focus since the movie begins. Meghna and Ananda, even though I would say its Koel's movie. She first time got the chance to break out of her usual happy, bubbly, naughty characters. Her d-glam representation is also something she tried first time. And, I love her so I liked her anyway Supporting characters are also very strong actors but not much explored.

Direction: So Srijit Mukherjee made a hat-trick with his 3rd movie. Another totally different subject executed very well. A very beautifully crafted movie. Well executed first half and not so well executed second half. But, I've a question to Srijit, what is this obsession of him to explain everything, every character getting justice. Life is boring, zero dramatic. Why not keep that way. Would have really loved it if the "6 months later" part was not there.

Screenplay: Slow but steady. At a length of 2 and half hours its too much. Movies on such concept should be crisp and short. Which has the scope to impact to audience. Last few minutes just dilutes everything, breaks the quirky environment it created from start.

Cinematography: Good but not great.

Songs and background score: Few are already hit. Nice mix of pop and normal filmy music. Background music is apt to situations.

Editing: Poor job with editing. The movie should have been 30 minutes shorter.

Verdict: Even with few downside this movie wins (or would win) hearts because of its subject and great acting. Watch it even if you have to watch it with subs.

Kahaani (2012)

Cryptic Kahaani

[8/10 · 10 March 2012]

The day its poster first appeared in newspaper I disliked it. A pregnant woman in backdrop of goddess Durga...resembles a heavy film on values, ethics, emotions etc... first impression.....not my kinda movie.

Then I saw the trailer. I liked the idea. There are movies on similar idea so wanted to know how this movie is treated but the real reason of watching this was 'Kolkata'; I'm a Bengali and I just had to see how the director (Sujoy Ghosh) captured and presented Kolkata to global audience. I just had to know because for a long time Bengal and Bengali were type-casted in 'Dhoti', 'Specs' and 'oil soaked hair'. And who likes getting type-casted?!

Story/Concept/Theme: So Bidya Bagchi arrives to Kolkata from London to search her husband who seems to be missing. She visits local police station, his uncle's home, his school and all possible places. But Arnab (Vidya's husband) appears to be vanished into thin air. None knows about him, none has ever seen him! Rest is to be seen. A very promising theme, at times reminded me of Hitchcock's "North by Northwest".

Character development: There are total four characters who are given considerable time that you could recall their faces when they reappear. But, its only Vidya Balan's character which goes through various turmoil and transformations and her character is only one where "Character development" phrase can be applied. Next comes Parambrata Chatterjee as the police inspector (Rana). I would like to confess, I liked his acting better than Vidya's (don't judge me...not being biased here) Then a brilliant performance by Nawazuddin Siddiqui as IB officer. His character is well developed. And, Kharaj Mukherjee as Parambrata's senior officer gives few comic relief and lite moments for the movie.

Direction: Sujoy Ghosh kept the movie as it should be i.e. an end to end thriller. He did not fall for giving it some patriotic angle, some insane back-story. Kept things simple and eye to details. And choosing the backdrop of the story as Kolkata. If it were not Kolkata I don't know where you could get lost so easily; the chaos, the places add extra point to story. A dusty almirah in a hotel seems possible here. The movie length is also of 2hrs only. Apart from a few unnecessary scenes (few seconds at max) the direction seems perfect. Looking forward his other projects.

Screenplay: The screenplay is confusing enough to keep you busy remembering all the names of the characters you see in the movie. If you lost focus once you might just end up searching for answers. Dialogs are precise but void of swearing! This is not how bengalee speak, specially when men in uniform are talking among themselves! We curse but I could not hear a bit of faint cuss word in background. The pace of the story is also crisp only after interval its a bit slow. And you would only notice if you want to point out some fault in the movie.

Acting: Vidya Balan is great as usual. But I don't think she's the man of the movie. Its a too easy role for her. Only challenge might be acting as a pregnant woman when you are not. I can't give the movie's full credit to her. No, I can't. I would rather say Parambrata did a very good job as 'Rana' the friendly police officer. Certain subtle gestures, his body language were superb. A simpleton newly joined police inspector full of values and slowly discovering how the system works. And obvious next mention is Nawazuddin Siddiqui as IB officer. His body language only shows how a person in position can abuse his power. He's so thin people could just slap him once he would fall flat but he uses his post to overpower people. Thus, may be he's portrayed as so aggressive.

Cinematography: Absolutely brilliant! It had to be kolkata and that too this way only. Dirty, organized, friendly, rugged, fast and slow all at a same time. The movie was not about to promote Kolkata tourism so no extra shots on its beauty or prized possessions. To bring the essence of a vibrant and live city Sujoy had to capture kolkata this way.

Songs and background score: Starting song by Usha Uthup is good apart from that we get another one sung by Amitabh Bachhan which I found misplaced and unnecessary. Rest are alright.

Editing: Impressive job with editing. Very few unnecessary scenes that too would get noticed if you were looking for faults.

Few words: The moment the movie started I was blown away. Slow but steady things stared falling into places (or out of place). You start to get pieces of the puzzle one by one. At times my intelligent friends here could have guessed the end but when the end comes near I can assure you all would be confused (This is how Agatha Christie did in all his novels). The end is a bit clichéd though 8)

Verdict: A brilliant thriller after a long time (only comparable is 'Baishe Srabon' a Bengali movie) and a must watch for sure. 2 hours of your life well spent. Go for it.

Don 2 (2011)

Good action movie

[8/10 · 29 December 2011]

Watched the movie on 24th Night. Being a SRK fan, watching a second day last show is disappointing for myself. But...better late than never.

Now, the main task.... review

Story/Concept/Theme: Don is back and this time wants to make an entry to Europe drug market. But he has his rivals who want him dead. He then makes another plan to finish his contenders and make himself billions. Loot DCB plates! Rest of the movie is on how he executes this plan.

Character development: There is one character who is seen in the whole movie i.e. SRK. And his character is already developed. I was surprised to see his Don character to be so mean and witty this time. In Don1 he was not this witty. Then there was Roma and other few persons who just floats on surface. In short...if you are discussing character development, Don2 is not a fitting example.

Direction: Well, like many out there I'm a fan of Farhan Akhtar too. Many of you are there who have a blind faith that if Amir Khan makes a movie it must be some revolutionary movie, I've kinda same faith on Farhan Akhtar. Only revolution I found here is action choreography and camera work. Oh, and I must admit I appreciate the quirky dialogs. Nothing exceptional here...

One thing I've observed...I don't know if anyone would agree with me...is that Don is no more a overpowering, overshadowing supervillain anymore. He's kind of a super thief now. A bit like Jack Sparrow. Intelligent, sarcastic, mean and sleek.

Screenpaly: Screenpaly is good. It gets slow the moment Priyanka is on screen. I think Farhan was not sure how to use Roma's character. She was absent in 80% of the movie and just slowed down the pace whenever on screen. (oh that was not screenplay related...hmmm) I liked the dialogs. Though the theft idea was childish, at least the crew took it seriously.

Acting: SRK is handled properly. A bit more mean would have been better. Rest of the characters played along well.

Cinematography: Camera-work is really appreciative. A bit of Malaysia and Germany is captured well. Then comes camera movements in time of action, which was also good. not shaky, no un-necessary close-ups or focus on muscle or slow-moing the finisher punch. Good job.

Action and 3D: Action choreography is really good and I'm impressed. Recently I'm seeing the realistic fighting in Hindi movies. It feels you are fighting with a worthy opponent. Proper chops and punches, blood if necessary...a few cool finisher moves. If you are still not sure if you should watch this, go for action only, you won't be disappointed. 3D is bad...like baaaad

Songs and background score: All but one are used as background score. So no more annoying song-dance sequence in the movie to bore you. Not very remarkable job from Shankar-Ehsan-Loy trio. A few forgettable hummable tunes thats all.

Editing: Should have edited few parts with Roma. Keep only scenes which impacts movie and should have edited last emo scene with Roma in bank vault. And obviously Arjun's scenes.

Few additional words: The moment the movie released it started a buzz. Lame movie, copy of this and that, nothing new and obviously SRK sucks. Well, I would like to say something on these. The movie is not lame. There are more bank robbery movies with more lolable concepts. At least this was better. Not much challenges in terms of bank vault breaking but good approach and scene structure. Copy of MI and Oceans...come on guys, I understand if you have seen only one movie on the bank robbery theme and only MI for jump scenes. Someone jumped from a high rise...that is not a MI copy. That is someone jumped from a high rise. And all robbery (not only bank safes but all kind of safes) movies had their own set of hurdles before you reach the main vault/safe/box/etc without proper authentication. What is the hype and hoopla if the challenges matches with one or few movies. Stop being a movie-know-it-all and stop boasting I-see-Hollywood-movies-I've-seen-it-all-and-I'm-not-impressed. Nothing new...none promised you anything new. Its a movie. Enjoy it the way you have enjoyed Singham, Dabaang, Bodyguard etc craps. And from the day Don2 was announced to be in production...I guess none in the world expected an intelligent brainfcuk movie. So...shut-up. SRK sucks...if you are a SRK hater. He always sucks for you. If you are a neutral guy...you might tend to appreciate his acting this time. Overacting?...Not this time at least. And if you are a fan, he's beyond the petty matters like perfection, overacting etc

Verdict: One time watch for sure. The movie takes time to build up the plot and slow a pace but after intermission its a joyride for action lovers.

Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge (2011)

Bad title for a good movie

[7/10 · 18 October 2011]

My room-mate insisted and as earlier I made him see movies that I like I had to go this time with him. So, there I was at Cinemax, wonder mall @10.30PM last night with a disgust in my mind and little hope that I would like this movie. The scary thought was that the movie had songs!!!

Let me analyze the movie first and would provide my verdict at the end.

Theme: The story is set in fashion technology college. Vishal and Rahul are friends and Malavika and Preity are friends. Vishal take the identity of Rahul in facebook and similar happened with Preity. They chat, impress each other and fall in love. The catch here is that in real life Vishal and Preity can't tolerate each other. One minute with each other would translate into a fight. Well, a known premise with predictable twists and climax. Concept matches (very slight and I'm just nitpicking) with "10 things I hate about you" and "You've got mail".

Character development : The main assets of the movie are its vibrant characters. They are young, enthusiastic and bring the energy on screen. From start importance is given to main leads though you never get the feeling that some odd boys and girls are playing the part of being their friends only.

Direction : Crisp, smart and shiny (why did I use 'shiny' I don't know. It just felt right). Apart from the climax scene never I found the direction is out of control. The direction really helped developing the characters more. Good job there director sir!

Screenplay: The concept is old, tried and tested. Making a movie at this time based on an old concept and drawing audience to it is not easy. It has no big stars, not much promotions, and bad songs...and a worst title ever. So, it had to had something right for it to survive. Screenplay and dialog writing are the two strong pillars that it depends on. Screenplay is smart and you could relate to the story without feeling out of place. And dialogs are a real gem of the movie. When is the last time you've heard in a movie where two girls chatting and one jokingly says to other "sada boyfriendbati bhabo"!!! If anyone of you had watched it...I'm not aware of ur opinion but I liked the dialogs. They are the reason the movie could be a hit (or should be)

(well, there are few moments when its tacky and too predictable twists. I agree those are weak points but its like riding a faulty Mercedes. The ride is smooth and comforting but the engine stops working sometimes but for very short time)

Acting: The two main protagonists play their part very well. Its a treat to watch them fight or pulling each others leg. Apart from few scenes it never felt that they are acting in a movie. Apart from the main lead..the other important and unavoidable characters are their friends. All characters are drawn very well

Cinematography: I'm not sure about cinematography. No extra effort there. Nothing exceptional there that I could mention in a review.

Background scores and songs: I did not like the songs. Period.

Editing: Editing is good. Never felt the movie was stretched beyond its limit.

Overall entertainment value: I liked the movie. Maybe I went with a negative expectation (not even zero) It surprised me more. i did not expect it to be such smart, hip or light. It did not bore me (well a few moments though). If not in a cinema theater...a DVD watch is must.

Verdict: Like most of you even I had disliked the movie the moment I heard the name. What kind of looser keeps a name like that! That was the only repulsive factor which discouraged me to even pay attention to its trailers. I'm happy that I knew nothing about the movie and that can be one of the many reasons I liked it more. The movie is funny, light, smart and entertaining. A perfect movie to catch on a lazy afternoon with your friends.

I Saw the Devil (2010)

A very lengthy suspense thriller

[7/10 · 31 August 2011]

I SAW THE DEVIL=ISTD (rating 7.5 but obviously not 8! Hence rated 7 in IMDb)

After a long time watched this movie yesterday. It was a good decision that I started it at 7PM as its a 2.5 hrs long movie!!! So the movie starts with the killer kidnapping and killing a girl. A very normal move for serial killer movie. And, if the last movie u saw was "THe chaser" this is even more normal.

Then her husband starts looking for the killer and within 15 minutes finds him. I thought the movie might be on the search for the killer (other than that I could not imagine how they might be able to build a suspense). Now that the killer is found and 1hr 45 mins is still left I was surprised what is still left.

Well I WAS surprised by the later offering!!! The movie I realized is actually a revenge drama and the brutality only reminded me of "Sympathy for lady vengeance". At times ISTD surpassed the violence of that movie but failed to build the suspense. It failed to make me angry enough to the killer to kill him like "The Chaser" did. It failed to make me one with the protagonist of the movie and if can't be one with the protagonist u fail to enjoy a movie.

At times it really bored me and then there is the unnecessary plot of friends of the killer. What was their contribution in the plot? Nothing! The plot of the movie is good. Punishing the killer every time he tries to commit the sin again. But I've one question, our protagonist was a cop and he took the decision of keeping the killer alive...did he not ever realize that in this process he's risking the lives of more people! In the events later at least 4-5 more people died because he kept him alive. May be that was the intent but that is the reason I lost sympathy for him and his reason.

Then the climax. Again gr8 starting but the punishment was not apt. Keeping him alive for days and then just killing him in front of his parents! What does this achieve?!! He's already dead!!! He's not going to feel shame, guilt or pain but his old parents and an innocent little kid has to go through the trauma for the rest of their life.

If he had to be punished and to make him beg for death everyday...I had something in my mind... cut his both palms, one leg, tongue, pen1s and leave him near a hospital... for the rest of his life he would be forced to beg and pray for death. Our hero can visit him everyday, insult him, beat him and then leave him to live.

The movie deserves 5.8 to 6 out of 10 for what it is but the extra 1.5 points is given only for the violence and brutality and the realism in them.

Watch "Sympathy for lady vengeance" for a good revenge movie. And the chaser is best in this category any day.

Delhi Belly (2011)

Sh1t happened and it worked superbly!!!

[9/10 · 3 July 2011]

First and foremost. This movie is not for all and certainly not for the fainthearted. This is step jump from bollywood. This movie breaks so many orthodox myths, values and etc that its a revolution on its own. I really thank Aamir Khan for backing this project and kudos to our sensor board for allowing this movie to release without a single cut.

Theme : Tashi(Imran Khan), Arun (Vir Das) and Nitin (Kunal) are three flat mates. Tashi is a journalist, Nitin is his photographer and Arun works in an ad-agency. Tashi's gf is an air-hostess. She gets a request from her friend that she has to drop a packet to a place on her behalf. She was too busy and the responsibility of dropping of package falls on Tashi. The movie starts to unfold its original events at this time. What happens next is mad chase and quirky, tongue-in-cheek humor which lasts with you even after movie ends (I still could not get over of the hangover and I watched d movie yesterday)

Character development : This is very neatly done. Every details is portrayed with great care. At titles you get to see the room, bathroom and kitchen where our protagonists stay. It helps you to imagine how the people would be who live there. Then as the movie progresses with every dialog and incident the characters are drawn carefully. Full marks here.

Direction :As Abhishek Chaubey surprised and shocked me in Ishqiya same does Abinay Deo. I would go one step forward and say he not only shocked but shattered a lot of people's masks of culture, elegance etc... This movie is what today's urban youth say, this movie is what todays urban youth do or deal with problems. Kudos to him for showing us this movie. One more thing I want to add here, I've always hated the sh1t jokes in movie, I totally detest it and dislike it. I've always found that the scene having the sh1t joke contributes nothing to the storyline, in no-way it alters or modifies the main events. BUT, this movie is standing on the sh1t and the slogan they adopted from the movie "How to rob a bank" is very true for this movie. Sh1t happened and thus Delhi Belly happened. I've only one complain for this movie. This movie is 5 minutes long. At the end it tries to conclude every fragment of story that resulted in the mayhem. Why was it necessary, a movie of such intellect should leave something for its audience to imagine or ponder upon later. This is the only issue I found in the movie which seemed to bother me. I don't think many here would have any problem with that.

Screenplay:Screenplay is the main pillar of this movie. Such dialogs and their filming are so cohesive that they never seemed acted or unnatural. The whole theater was laughing with every every dialog... loud scenes like "sh1t happens" with ViJay Raj, "Rakhle meri jaan" at brothel, "did they shave you b4 hanging" in taxi and lots of others are to be mentioned for bringing the house down with uncontrolled and fluent laughter. And add with this list all subtle blink-and-miss scenes and you get a perfect movie Delhi Belly.

Overall entertainment value: I laughed and laughed and laughed throughout the movie. I last laughed so much when I watched "Khichdi the movie" but that was a no-brainer and this movie not only has brain but heart and comedy at right place.

Acting: Everyone including Vir Das (or specially Vir Das?) acted superb. Vijay Raj once again proved that a talent like him is very less used in the industry.

Cinematography: This is another strong point of this movie. Rough and rugged looking Mumbai is what you get to see in this movie. Dirty flat, broken toilet, electric wire mesh running in-front of your balcony, crowded gallis are so well captured that you never feel you are watching a place which you don't know. This could have been any city.

Background scores: Music of Ram Sampath is already superhit. The music alone got its fair share of controversies but still grew strong with every passing day. All the songs you have heard of this movie are used a background score and never affects the pace of the movie in any way.

Editing: Another fist class job here (apart from the concluding scenes at the end). This is a 96 mins movie and was shown without any break. In no time it felt long or you thought of taking a look at your watch to check out the time (because you really did not want miss anything on the screen)

Verdict: A must and must watch movie. This movie won't be liked by all for its bold and I-don't-care-what-you-think-of-me presentation. A lot would detest it for showing them mirror and a lot won't understand the humor in it or would simply bring the topic of culture, sankriti etc while swearing on it. Watch it if you think you can tolerate satires and black comedies. Don't watch it if you think you have the responsibility and ability to judge what is right and what is wrong for others. This movie is obviously not for you. Stay out of this because at the end you would end-up abusing it.

Pyaar Ka Punchnama (2011)

Most of the punches fall in places...

[7/10 · 20 June 2011]

There were so much talk on this movie I had to watch it. I had only fear of it showing everything extreme and I found to be true.

Concept: Three friends who work in software firms stay together in a rented house in Delhi. Three guys are of three diff. characteristics. One is emo, another is nerd and another is apt for being a playboy. They live life like most bachelors do. Playing games in spare time, drinking till u vomit and in a very dirty and scattered room. Eventually they all fall in love and how the girls (not love; generally movies are shown how love changed someone's life) changed their life is the movie.

Directing: This movie could have been slick and crisp. But ended up being boring and lengthy at certain times. Crying scene of "Rajjo" was so hammed that I fast forwarded it and a few like this. Most of the cast acted as they should; girls being too girly and boys being, well, just themselves. Not very much impressed by directing. Kind of lame directing as like Sajid Khan. Shines but the shine of a tin not gold.

Cast: Three guys and three gals. And few side characters who just happened to be there because someone had to be there. Of all Divyendu Sharma as Liquid was awesome. Only his role is explored much, has got much screen time and has all the great punchlines. And, he gets to swear Again the office and work related environment is much more shown with him too. So, if you are a s/w engineer you might find resemblance with him (till certain level)

Rest of the two characters are not that explored, so they don't leave that much impression on you when movie ends. And, you have seen them in all other movies but not "Liquid" I bet. He is an unique character as "D. Santosh" of "Rocket Singh"

Girls. Well only one actor Nushrat Bharucha got much more screen time. She had to, she is the nagging one. And does justice to her role. Really gets on to your nerve. Ishita Sharma get to play the *****. She just had to exploit Liquid's desperation in her use and she did it by book. Not much acting used (eye movement, lips etc body language are not captured either intentionally or the director forgot these subtleties). Then there is Rhea played by Sonali Shehgal and she is the weakest character of them all. Weakly portrayed and stiff acting.

Screenplay: Tries to cover three diff. types of character and their reaction to three diff. types of extreme gals. So there were lots to do but only few characters are properly explored. Still, good attempt.

Editing: Only section of the movie that outright sucks. Made the movie slow at times and few scenes are stretched too much.

Cinematography: Lots of color. And nothing special to mention here.

Verdict: One time watch. Has some genuine moments. You would enjoy it, if not whole movie but at least 3/4th of it sure.

P.S. Songs sucks

Band Baaja Baaraat (2010)

A god romantic movie after a long time

[8/10 · 21 May 2011]

After "Jab We Met" this is a true romantic movie. But in a raw style.

Directing: Being a newcomer Maneesh Sharma did a wonder. Don't know if he's like one film wonder but I want to say one thing, he has his eyes to details and this would take him far. Silence and subtlety are such beautifully handled that I've really impressed by him.

Editing: One and only downside of this movie. Some scenes are stretched and prior intermission movie pace is very slow. After intermission it picks up again and does not stop until end.

Cinematography: Being a marriage centric movie this had to be a colourful movie and that job is done perfectly. Lots of colour, music and crowd, no where a slight intention to take a shot from different angle. The director and cameraman knew exactly who are the directed audience for this movie and they stuck to the basic. God job here.

Screenplay: Dialogs are raw and total Delhi oriented; If someone is not familiar with such way of conversation he/she might find it rude or improper but this how its done there and that is exactly captured in script. Anushka and Ranveer Singh got balanced dialogs. Balanced means, none ever shadowed another in any scene. The conversation at the climax is very real life like.....without drama.

Acting: Anushka showed she can act and can be trusted with more responsibility. Ranveer Singh is one who surprised me. He showed more confidence and maturity in acting than any recent new launches. In trailers I totally disliked him. But now I know he was the perfect choice for this role. In supporting cast liked performance of Neeraj Sood as Maqsood-florist. Rest of the cast did not get much screen time so can't really complain.

Verdict: A nice above avg romantic flick. Touches all peaks of perfection apart from editing. I really had no expectation from this movie but its simplicity, raw energy and good performances impressed me. Recommended.

Thor (2011)

Thor: move ur hammer a bit more!!!

[7/10 · 29 April 2011]

I was waiting for this movie for a long time. Had very vague idea about THOR, only read in mythology about him and then knew that there is comic strip about him. So, I was very much excited and eager for this movie.

3D: It was in 3D and that sucks. Most of the close-ups have not 3D effect. I know because I watched half of the movie without the 3D specs! It might be my cinema hall or the movie, but at the same theater I had watched "Megamind" which had some average 3D. Thor is bad 3D. Watch it in 2D medium only. Would cost you less and would not have to keep the heavy glass on your nose for 2 hours.

Story: I had a faint idea about story. Its the beginning of Thor,so more explanation and less action. I did not come across one movie which handled a superhero beginning movie with balanced story and action; SpiderMan1 and Batman begins are such perfect movies to name. IN short Thor is long, and story is hurried.

Direction and acting: Well he had nothing to do exceptional. Not much emotional scene. Only one scene of conflict with Loki and Odin, where Odin said nothing and Tom Hiddleston as Loki did good. Natalie Portman...obviously she signed this movie before "Black Swan" else she would have never accepted it. Has a hairline role, half of the time she is shouting to SHIELD personnel or her colleagues. Rest of the crew was average, nothing much to do apart from gasping...something landed(Thor)!!!...something landed again(hammer)!!!somethings(Thor's friends) landed again....something(that robot) landed again... see lotsa moments for gasping!!! That too I've not mentioned about when they launch to sky...

Action: I'm disappointed here. A superhero movie to me is full of action and demise of villain. Isn't that the only reason we have superheroes?!!! Am I asking too much? To beat some police personnel we have Statham here who always becomes a baddie and beats the sh1t out of police guys in all his movies. If u bring a hero, give him a worthy opponent, else his greatness is shadowed...

Editing: The length is too much and actions are far between. Should have been short. How long? Well, its 114 min and has less action than "Iron Man 2" Dialog: Few witty and funny lines and most of corny and clichéd lines.

Summary: Watch it in 2D and have patience.

7 Khoon Maaf (2011)

Good but not great

[7/10 · 20 February 2011]

Let me tell you one thing, if you are getting bad reviews about it, don't pay heed to it. A good watch if you are into dark movies.

BUT, the movie is not perfect though. Has problem with pace and flow.

Acting: PRIYANKA and Gunga Othes mentionable are Neil Nitin Mukesh, Irfan Khan and Annu Kapoor.

But, I would say Vidya Balan's character was more seductive that Priyanaka's either Priyanka's role demanded certain amount for ignorance or she failed to go that level.

Do watch (remember its about Priyanka's character not her killing her seven husbands)

Phas Gaye Re Obama (2010)

Yes, bollywood can!!!

[8/10 · 24 January 2011]

Another gem of 2010.

A comedy movie with a script (which is very rare now-a-days).

Plot Summary: NRI OM Shastri is broke after recession hits USA, going to loose his home very soon if he doesn't come up with enough money to save it. He visits India to sell of his old "haveli" but finds all his relatives now stay there. He is now in a dilemma how he could make the deal, in between local goons com to know that an NRI has returned to India and kidnaps him. The movie starts here.

Directing: The movie is directed in a very smart way, no unnecessary scenes, no songs (oh, that's a breather) and a nice crisp and fresh presentation.

Editing: The editor did a superb job here. I can not point out a single scene which is stretched unnecessarily or slows down the pace of the movie. For a movie like this pace is very important which keeps the audience engaged and keeps them guessing whats gonna be next.

Acting: I liked acting of Mannu Rishi in "Oye Lucky..." and he shines again here. Rajat Kapoor, I would say, had not had much acting scope. He did what the script wanted him to do...i.e.go with the flow. But, I would admit Neha Dhupia's effort, she is becoming an unavoidable choice for such small budget movies. And her acting skills are mentionable now. AND, SANJAY MISHRA as BHAISAAB is nothing but superb...each scene he is on screen is a LOL moment. Kudos to him. Amol Gupte also did a good job too. So, it seems I've praised all who acted in the movie...hmmm...

Cinematography: Not much scope to show u scenic beauty of the place but the camera shows u what u need to see. No unnecessary closeup, no try to invent a new camera angle...the camera work goes with movie tone...telling a simple story in a simple way and keeping the focus on story.

Verdict: A very good black comedy. Expect an intelligent story with a predictable ending (only if u r movie buff and I mean it when I say "movie buff"). Don't expect a laugh-out-loud movie like Khichdi (none can surpass it, ever) but, ya if u want to include brain and still want to make people laugh, u can only go this far as did "Phas gaye re obama". A must watch for sure.

Dexter (2006–2013)

Review of Season 1

[9/10 · 11 December 2010]

Finished watching season1 last night. And I've something to say (with spoilers)

I love this show and totally hooked to it. Till the episode Deb falls for Rudy everything was OK. But making Rudy the killer is so so so so clichéd. It was so intelligent and engazing I was thinking about a 9 rater..But I've problems with the following. 1>Dexter is surviving only because he's cautious and observes everything. But only thing or person he did not observe was Rudy and he's the killer!!! Can't accept. 2>Deb falling for Rudy. Already told, clichéd. 3>In a scene Dexter hacks into Masuka's mail and edits a word document and just saves it. WTH!!! How do u change the original document that the sender has sent. It will be still in the inbox. Dexter can't delete and the solution shown for it is so false. 4>The Cuban boy describes Jesus!!! WTF? Kuch bhi?!!! 5>All of a sudden the investigation for Valerie Castillo's murderer is stopped. And obviously everyone stops searching for Valerie Castillo's husband (who they considered as the suspect) 6>Rudy gifts the hooker's ring to Deb. WTF??? Most used cliché. 7>AND the mother of all cliché. Rudy is brother of Dexter. WTF??? Why can't he be just a worthy competitor?

Apart from ^those I loved the show and gonna continue. Its different.