Tum Mile

Banner Sony Music Vishesh Films
Status Released
Genre Romance
Producer Mukesh Bhatt
Executive Producer / Co-Producer Kumkum Saigal
Director Kunal Deshmukh
Star Cast Emraan Hashmi..... Akshay, Soha Ali Khan..... Sanjana,

Sachin Khedekar..... Sanjana's father
Cassettes and CD's on Sony Music
Singers Neeraj Shridhar K K Javed Ali Mohit Chauhan Shafqat Amanat Ali
Lyricist Kumaar Sayeed Qadri
Music Director Pritam Chakraborty

In TUM MILE, a couple faces two storms. The storm within, when they come face to face after their breakup. The storm outside, when a natural calamity strikes Mumbai on 26th July, 2005 [unprecedented rainfall devastated Mumbai on this date].After JANNAT, director Kunal Deshmukh [KD] chooses a love story yet again. It's about an estranged couple, but the wallpaper in TUM MILE is the Mumbai floods. Naturally then, the expectations from TUM MILE are colossal, given the fact that TUM MILE is the first film that attempts to chronicle the natural calamity on celluloid, with seriousness.

Had KD limited himself to narrating the ups and downs in a live-in relationship, TUM MILE may've struck a chord. But if you're attempting a disaster movie [its promotions send out strong signals], you'd be eager to know how KD recreates the horrors of 26th July on celluloid. Let's not forget, the catastrophe is still etched in our memory and has tremendous recall-value.

While KD succeeds in depicting the tiffs between the lovers, it's the disaster aspect that doesn't make much of an impact. That's because you strongly feel that the infamous Mumbai floods should've been given more prominence, instead of using it as a tool to take the story forward. 26th July, 2005 rang an ominous bell for most, but amidst all the chaos and the tragedy, it re-united two star-crossed ex-lovers. Two people [Emraan Hashmi, Soha Ali Khan] meet after a hiatus of six years. What starts off as a seemingly innocuous encounter on the same flight back to Mumbai, ends up as a rollercoaster ride through some of the darkest hours of Mumbai, as they see the city get swamped with disaster and loss... and are forced to stick together in this time of crisis. 26th July, 2005 remains etched in your memory and I'm sure, every Mumbaikar would've a story to tell vis-à-vis what transpired with them or their beloved/relatives/friends/acquaintances on that fateful day. TUM MILE also highlights the dilemma of a couple, who once shared a beautiful relationship, but have moved on in life after they split, till they meet again on 26th July.

Opposites attract and so do Emraan and Soha in TUM MILE. Although their story goes back and forth several times, the narrative doesn't confuse the viewer one bit. So far, so good. But the problem lies in integrating the natural calamity with the love story. Even if you're a non-Mumbaikar, you'd vividly recall the images that were flashed on news channels continuously or perhaps, you may've watched the footage on internet. But in TUM MILE, the nature's fury doesn't come across strongly or effectively. In a few scenes, yes, you do draw parallels with real life, but the impact it ought to make is just not there. Something is amiss! KD has handled the love story very well. The tiffs between Emraan and Soha are so identifiable. The 'Dil Ibaadat' song in particular completely moves you. But how one wishes the film would've focussed more on the characters' attempts to escape or cope with the disaster or its aftermath. Pritam's music is melodious to the core. The cinematography does justice to the beauty of South Africa [romantic portions] and also during the flood sequences. But the usage of stock footage, at places, doesn't work. The computer graphics could've been better and more effective.

Emraan takes giant strides as an actor. He continues to surprise in film after film. Grossly under-rated despite having delivered competent performances in the past, here's hoping that people wake up to this talented actor after TUM MILE. Like Emraan, Soha too has evolved into a truly fine actor and TUM MILE proves it. The best part is, Soha is extremely natural and that's what makes her sequences so believable.

Sachin Khedekar is there for just one sequence. Mantra, as Emraan's friend, is confident.

On the whole, TUM MILE caters to the youth mainly. At the box-office, the Vishesh Films - Emraan Hashmi combo has cultivated a strong fan-base over the years and coupled with good music, which is also very popular, the film should find itself in the comfortable zone. However, the super-strong opposition in 2012 [also highlighting a disaster on celluloid and which has had a wide release in India] might eat into its business at places.

By Taran Adarsh

bollywoodhungama.com

London Dreams

Producer: Aashin Shah

Director: Vipul Shah

Starring: Salman Khan, Ajay Devgan, Asin Thottumkal, Rannvijay Singh, Brinda Parekh, Om Puri, Khalid Azmi Adithya Roy Kapoor

Music: Shankar Ehsaan Loy

Lyrics: Prasoon Joshi

Genre: Social Recommended

Audience: Parental Guidance

Film Released on: 30 October 2009
Reviewed by: Irene Nexica- Rating: 7.0 / 10

London Dreams – The Moody Blues
Like its title, London Dreams is ambitious in the scope of its cinematography and plot. The widely publicized self-imposed star salary cuts to afford to film it on a grand scale were probably not a bad idea, given that the script includes huge concert scenes (mostly done in CGI) in three major European cities. The tale is complex and above average in general, with parallel storylines and nuances that allow it to rise above standard melodramatic fare. However, there are significant weights that keep the film’s execution from flying high.

With this outing, director Vipul Shah crosses into more sinister and adult territory than his past films, which include Namastey London (2007). This is one of a very few mainstream masala films I wouldn’t recommend bringing the kids to, unless you want to explain self-flagellation and intravenous drug use by popular film heroes.

The story begins by introducing us to Arjun (played as an adult by Ajay Devgan) and Mannu (Salman Khan) growing up in the Punjab. Misunderstood within his family, Arjun is drawn to play music, something he’s forbidden to do. Mannu is from a musical family, and being rather a layabout in general, he literally runs from music lessons. The tale charts Arjun’s London escape from his family and his obsessive quest to redeem himself and perhaps another family member through his version of musical success.

Technically, the film is rather uneven. Some scenes are beautifully shot, enhancing the emotional tone well, while some seem shoestring and cheap, using techniques like dark red lighting in an enclosed space to convey a character’s mental state. Similarly, the plot has some moving and insightful moments that are undercut by trite devices and actions that seem nonsensical.

The film suffers from trying too hard to look “young.” Styling comes off as corny and overdone (largely via loud and cheap-looking t-shirts and too many garish accessories), and the music scenes seem wooden and without energy, especially from Devgan’s Arjun. A sure signal in Hindi films lately that characters are supposed to be hip is hanging out on rooftops and other gritty urban settings à la 2008’s Rock On and New York (2009), and there’s plenty of roof scenes here to hammer the point home. These people are so street-wise they even graffiti! Their arty-ness seems forced and unreal.

The Rock On comparison seems obvious, especially since both films emphasize the importance of friendship in our lives. However, beside that general message and some stylistic resemblances, the comparison becomes lazy, especially when you consider that one of the challenges for the characters in Rock On is their belief they’re “too old” (read: boring and tame) to rock, while in London Dreams it’s taken for granted that characters who appear in their late 30’s-early 40’s can break through to worldwide success.

London Dreams veers more into Mozart/Salieri territory by adding an extra layer of malevolence. Arjun seems desperately in need of a good therapist, denying and punishing himself to placate a god whom he believes will bring him to his dream of playing in Wembley Stadium. You’d think the pitchfork tattoo on his hand would give him a clue that the deal may have been forged niche, not upar, but to no avail. Arjun brings Mannu to London to join the band and almost immediately regrets it, because Mannu’s innate emphasis on having fun and valuing personal relationships translates well on stage, where he connects strongly with the audience.

Arjun can’t understand why all his hard work doesn’t get him the adulation he feels he better deserves, and the seeds of mayhem are planted. Perhaps because he’s been alone on his own for so long, he doesn’t see that for social beings like humans, emotion often trumps technical skill. It’s not enough to know the mechanics and theory of music, you have to have the heart involved for art to be meaningful. Arjun deliberately cuts that tie over and over, unconscious that by leaving dil out of the equation he moves himself away from his goal. Without audience, there is no Wembley show.

Beloved pop culture figures are often not the most talented, but the ones who seem the most human, and ignoring this maxim has hamstrung careers. Shah would have done well to observe this idea in his film to balance our sympathies for the leads. Salman Khan steals the show. Though he’s the secondary lead and a stock character, he glows onscreen, playing the innocent country boy type well. Even as Arjun sets a plan into play to ruin Mannu, Khan’s character convincingly tries his utmost, if clumsily, to be musically on-point for Arjun.

Unlike Arjun, Mannu doesn’t crave the power of ruling the crowd at Wembley, he gets joy from helping his friend realize a dream. He’s not concerned that the goal may be flawed. There have been enough sarcastic and caustic Khan characters (his love guru role in Partner (2007) being one). Here his emotional devotion to Arjun creates the bulk of the film’s empathetic notes, and the majority of the rationale for the viewer to care about what ultimately happens. It’s worth seeing the film for his performance alone, because it reveals Khan’s capabilities more than a lot of his recent work.

Namastey London had similar naïve bumpkin comic elements as London Dreams, and I’d venture that Akshay Kumar plays the pathos of his character, also a man alone in London, much more convincingly and sympathetically than Devgan’s Arjun, who is so wooden, even when onstage, that he veers into bathos. Facial expressions that are supposed to be tortured can instead resemble the lopsided look he brought to his mentally challenged character in Main Aisa Hi Hoon (2005), and I don’t think that’s intentional.

Devgan has brooding malevolence down. His eyes narrow as he plots his way past the impediment that Mannu has become by “stealing” his spotlight and perhaps even his love interest. However, especially since it’s clear Arjun has had emotional wounds since childhood, Devgan would have done well to consistently convey the affective layers that lead his character to behave as he does. Doing so would elevate his role beyond that of a soap opera villain, which is what he more often resembles. Devgan’s version of being happy (which doesn’t come often) seems forced and insincere. For a change, I’d love if he’d switched roles with Khan in this film to play someone more emotionally open.

One hopes Asin Thottumkal, playing the third lead, was well paid for this turn, which is a step back after co-starring in Ghajini (2008), since her Priya (also the love interest’s name in the musical “Bombay Dreams”) has so little to do and virtually no detail to her character. She functions more as a symbolic point of conflict. Arjun is secretly in love with her (of course he gives no indication, so she doesn’t know), while Mannu begs her over and over to make an honest man of him by agreeing to marry. The plot throws us a tiny bone by showing her negotiating a second-generation immigrant’s double life by being “traditionally” Indian at home and more “Western” in the rock band, but most of her nuances are unexplored. In the band she starts as backup singer (yawn), and is relegated to leading the dance ensemble when Mannu shows up. Thottumkal works with crumbs to give Priya a bit of a spirited personality, but not much is asked of her other than as a love object in songs.

In a film about a rock band, the music and dance seems to have been an afterthought. The choreography isn’t featured much and the songs are pedestrian rock that will neither inspire nor inflame. None stand out after leaving the theatre. Ultimately, this film’s flaws mirror its script. Not enough human details about the characters, and not enough emotion in the music and dance make for something technically admirable that will not have a long-term effect. After admiring the filmmaking skills, clever script and effort, you leave the theatre without the sublime emotional impact characteristic of beloved films.

-Planet Bollywood.com

Blue

Producer: Dhilin Mehta

Director: Anthony D’Souza

Starring: Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, Zayed Khan, Rahul Dev and Katrina Kaif, Kabir Bedi

Music: A.R. Rahman

Lyrics: Abbas Tyrewala, Mayur Puri, Rajat Arora, Sukhwinder Singh, Raqueeb AlamGenre: ActionRecommended

Audience: General

Film Released on: 16 October 2009
Reviewed by: Ankit Ojha- Rating: 7.0 / 10

In the run up to its release, the word BLUE has been associated with mammoth expectations, with three factors going in its favour:
1. A. R. Rahman’s music and Resul Pookutty’s sound design
2. The Rs. 125 crore budget given to the hands of an apparently novice director
3. The killer cast consisting of Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt and Lara Dutta, as well as Zayed Khan and Katrina Kaif

The tremendous hype and the near-perfect promotion had already sent the audience in a frenzy, so much so that the only other movie close enough to get its due (re promotion) was the Salman-Sohail-Kareena starrer Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna, whilst All the Best was struggling even to get noticed. Such was the gushing force of the Blue wave! Then the music release marked the return of the Oscar winning Rahman and whilst not his best, many people still enjoyed the fun soundtrack further increasing expectations.

With so much hype and expectations associated with Blue, the new director, Anthony D’Souza, was already associated with a lot of baggage without any prior release – which was strange.
So, does Blue survive? Does Anthony get a chance to really show his mettle in Bollywood? Does it impress? Read on for a full lowdown!

The movie is all about three friends – a conniving, shrewd businessman Aarav (Akshay Kumar), his employee Sagar (Sanjay Dutt), and Sagar’s brother Sam (Zayed Khan). Aarav wants to find a mysterious treasure in a mythical ship, called Lady in Blue, which lies 250 feet deep down under the sea. Sam’s own problem forces him to flee from Bangkok and team up with his brother who, with the help of Aarav, comes to realise that the only way of getting out of the problem is to find the treasure. But deep down, a lot is exposed besides the treasure – treachery, greed and more shades of grey than blue.

Let’s clear some points straight away – Blue is an entertaining movie with stunning visuals and electric action. But for a movie with mammoth expectations, the writing and execution of the sequences should be bang on, thus giving it the potential to be nothing less than a classic. Classic was what was expected of the movie, but classic it certainly isn't. Anthony didn’t really miss the bus, but caught a '1970 Ashok Leyland' rather than the latest one!

For a novice, writer-director Anthony D’Souza knows his game well, and executes a number of sequences in the most top-notch manner. The underwater cinematography is nothing short of a spectacle, and is revealed right from the start – at the extremely well-made opening titles, which floors the viewer and sets the base for what is about to come. And come it does – a well layered storyline with decent characterization and loads of thrills. Time after time, you get to know a lot about the characters, their problems and the base of the story. And understandably, the pace remains slow for around the first hour of the movie.

But once the second hour starts, you begin to wonder if this really is all that good as its made out to be. Firstly, the nemesis’ characterization (Rahul Dev) is very underwritten and underestimated, something that was only suitable for the Bollywood masala of the 70’s. The same can be said with the climax of the movie when everything is revealed but the manner of the execution gives you a sense that it was poorly written.

In the category of performances, Akshay Kumar impresses one and all with a fine performance of a shrewd and greedy businessman. His looks and hairstyles are very inconsistent throughout though, which is questionable of a movie with a huge budget. Ditto for Sanjay Dutt, who looks very fat in some places and decent in others. Zayed suits the character very well – that of a biker with a passion for life in the fast lane. His acting also cannot really be questioned, as it suits the character he plays. Lara Dutta has a short role, but nevertheless impresses with her stunning makeover and her acting isn’t disappointing either. Katrina Kaif adds to the glamour quotient for the limited seven minutes she appears in the movie.

Technically, the movie is first-rate. Cinematography, both underwater (as well as on land) is amazing. The lighting on the underwater impresses you. Editing by Shyam Salgaonkar is impressive, though at times it turns a bit choppy. The background score and music (by Oscar winner A. R. Rahman) along with sound design (by Oscar winner Resul Pookutty) are also amazing- they fuse the urban sounds with the desi beats really well. Rahman’s music is supported by some stunning videos.

Now for the flaws, and there are quite a few. Firstly, it is disappointing to note that for an action/adventure movie, the screenplay is not as tight as it could be resulting in certain scenes getting so slow to the point of being annoying! The problem with the story itself is that it’s not so well-researched in many places. The navy angle looks very clichéd and in some places, has loopholes that some ardent and picky viewers will not appreciate. Also whilst the performances are effective, they are not effortless. In fact, in some sequences, the acting looks very rehearsed rather than natural, which is disappointing. Another sore point is from the villain angle which looks a bit clichéd. Not that Rahul Dev is miscast but more was expected from his character. Finally Kabir Bedi’s inclusion (even in a special appearance) is silly! They might as well have given him some dialogues, as he looks like a wooden puppet here which is disappointing given his past CV.

Despite the above flaws, the movie still manages to keep you hooked as you are regularly guessing 'what will happen next'. Also, the director has succeeded in upping the entertainment levels which also helps to hold the viewer's attention until the end. D’Souza has dared to do something different (as a novice) and was even given the budget to execute it (although in reality the production values look fairly ordinary in some places). Alas, if only Blue rose out of the clichéd storyline. Maybe then we would be talking about a classic rather than a good film which it has ended up as!

-Planet Bollywood.com

Main Aurr Mrs Khanna

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala, Sohail Khan

Director: Prem R. Soni

Starring: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Sohail Khan

Music: Sajid-WajidLyrics: Jalees Sherwani, Junaid Wasi, Arun Bhairav

Genre: RomanticRecommended Audience: GeneralFilm Released on: 16 October 2009
Reviewed by: Lidia Ostepeev- Rating: 4.5 / 10
If you watch films solely on the basis of who’s in them, then Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna, by novice director Prem Soni - might be your choice this Diwali. Touted as a romantic comedy, it is neither romantic nor particularly comedic - a grab-bag of high points thrown up in the air then assembled any-old-how. I’ve watched enough Bollywood comedies and masala films to know that they don’t always require a sequential, logical narrative flow. Their prime purpose is to entertain but to do so they must be quite outrageous, over-the-top and fun. The problem is that Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna is painfully earnest through its entire first half, moving into some light comedy far too late. The laughs are few and the fun element - the feeling of being entertained - is sorely missing.

When we first see him in flashback Samir Khanna (Salman Khan) looks like an elderly guy clinging to his youth or a caricature where parody wasn’t intended. Haggard face, bags under his eyes, sallow complexion suggestive of far too many tequila sunrises and an eccentric hairstyle to hide loss of hair - are features that should have been airbrushed away. But no - we are expected to believe that the innocent straight-out-of an orphanage Raina (Kareena Kapoor) would instantly fall for the guy just because he has been hanging around a church. Hadn’t she been taught not to talk to strange men? The far-fetchedness of their lightning courtship is bizarre enough when zap - they are married and living in Melbourne, Australia. Samir has morphed into a businessman who is reeling from the effects of the global economic crisis and their marriage is on the rocks because of it. Melt-downs ensue with lots of soulful staring out of the windows at bleak urban vistas.

We move tiresomely but purposefully towards the airport - stock symbol of meetings and partings - renewal and loss. One can almost hear the filmmakers saying - ‘Let’s have a decisive scene at an airport but we won’t go down the usual track - the touching reunion- climax - instead we’ll insert our more original airport scene early in the film and surprise viewers with its outcome.’ Yep. The outcome is mildly surprising but mainly for its weirdness and incongruity (to say more would be to spoil).

The high points of the film stand out like the dots on a puzzle for children while the spaces in between are inconsequential - a mindless, joyless slog. It presents as laborious plotting without the understanding of how to craft a proper, cohesive screenplay.

It’s probably unwise for first-time writers-directors to shoot off-shore because of the difficulty posed by costs, logistics and stringent timing. Bollywood stars are usually heavily booked up and time frames become squeezed. This film appears to have suffered set-backs in its infancy - a change of female lead from Lara Dutta to Kareena Kapoor and reduction in the impact of its item number from the originally desired inclusion of Shah Rukh Khan to the reality of featuring Pretty Zinta. I can only guess that re-writes were necessary but Soni wasn’t able to do them effectively as well as direct.

The biggest mistake in the construction of this screenplay appears to be that Soni has chosen to tell the story from Mrs. Khanna’s perspective when really - the character he most enjoyed creating was Aakash (Sohail Khan) - Mrs. Khanna’s confidante and companion. Aakash owns a café at Melbourne Airport where he meets Mrs. Khanna on that life-altering day. Sohail Khan adds value to Mr. Nice Guy and viewers readily warm to his goofiness, total ease and innate timing. The morning after a drunken club scene we see him in hang-over mode - defensive, funny, interesting unlike the moribund characters of Samir and Raina.

In a less than engaging film, one has time to ponder the settings, costumes and make-up in much the same way as one is often forced to read ads when waiting for a train. So I noticed how painfully thin Kareena was and how bones were accentuated in her back by some of the more revealing frocks. I observed a line of what looked like adhesive on one of Salman’s sideburns and studied the zits on Kareena’s face with some interest. There was make-up caked onto the faces of several peripheral female characters which was so thick that it seemed to have been applied with a palette knife. In terms of settings - the homes in some of the Melbourne settings looked unconvincingly bare as if no one could be living in them while others gave the impression of being hotel rooms. In better Bollywood films scenes are set up with a lovely eye for detail and aesthetics. Unfortunately this film appeared hasty and tacky in the visual department.

Both Kareena Kapoor and Salman Khan are great dancers but there wasn’t much comment-worthy choreography. While the songs by Sajid-Wajid are pleasant listening, picturisation did nothing to enhance them with more bare rooms and people staring into the distance and an overly dark ‘Kajra Re’ wannabe item number in ‘Happening’ . The song ‘Mrs. Khanna’ with some silliness from Sohail, Kareena and a Bappi Lahiri (in cameo) is a bit more flamboyant and interesting.

With a first half that takes itself too seriously and a mismatched second half that doesn’t seem to know where it’s going Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna is neither drama nor a ‘roller coaster romp‘. Watch an old favourite this Diwali - chances are you will be more entertained.

-Planet Bollywood.com

Acid Factory

Producer: Sanjay Gupta
Director: Suparn VermaStarring: Fardeen Khan, Dia Mirza, Irrfan Khan, Manoj Bajpai, Dino Morea, Aftab Shivdasani, Danny DenzongpaMusic: Shamir Tandon, Bappa Lahiri, Gourav Dasgupta, Manasi Scott , Ranjit BarotLyrics: Virag Mishra, Manasi Scott, Amitabh Bhattacharya
Genre: Action Recommended
Audience: Parental Guidance
Film Released on: 09 October 2009
Reviewed by: Ankit Ojha - Rating: 9.0 / 10

As a genre (of late), the action thriller never made a huge impact at the box-office in Bollywood, with the exception of the Dhoom franchise, the super-success of Race (2008) and the moderate success of Anubhav Sinha’s Dus (2005). All other movies falling in the genre lately have fallen off the box-office records like a pack of cards, the latest in memory being the very odd Luck (2009), and a confusingly executed Cash (2007). The added speculation that only Tamilised action a la Ghajini (2008) or Wanted (2009) work in the Indian film industry has made most action lovers stay away from such movies of late.

And then, in the midst of all this so-called ‘boycott’ come the killer promos of Acid Factory, directed by Suparn Verma of Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena (2005) fame. And from one promo to another, the producers paved up a fantastic marketing strategy for the movie, hence making action-crazy fans sit up and notice. The soundtrack perked up further interest with urban dance tracks such as Yeh Jism, Raftaar and Kone Kone Mein making the biggest impact of the lot.

A lot of radio airplays, interviews (both audiovisual and print), promo watches and song unveilings later, the time has finally come for the movie to reveal it’s magic (or perhaps the lack of it) to the audience. And with such an ambitious tagline – "Some thrillers go too far… this one starts from here" – the director is left with no choice but to fulfill the expectations of the viewers. So, does it impress? Is it fit to be called ‘the mother of all thrillers’? Or does it fall, yet again, in the category of ‘stale Bollywood action thrillers’? Read on to know more!

What happens when one fine day, you wake up to find no trace of your past? What happens when an innocent man wakes up to find his memory erased? Will that change his perception of reality? What happens when a killer wakes up one fine day to find his memory erased? Will that change his record of the past crimes he has committed? Acid Factory traces the lives of five such people who wake up in an acid factory to find out that they don’t have an inkling of their past lives. Sometime later, a phone call from the leader of the gang makes them know that they have been kidnapped and the better half will be gotten rid of after ‘the work is done’.

After some treachery and a few failed survival attempts, the leader arrives unveiling a shocker and turning a lot of tables by way of revealing the shocking past of the lives of the people.
Some stories may sound like blockbuster material on paper, but it is the execution that decides the fate of the movie. As a respite, the execution of the story (Milind Gadagkar) and screenplay (Sanjay Gupta, Suparn Verma) of the movie is terrific, and to be very honest and frank, this is the first action thriller after ages that has managed to provide the audience the thrill-a-minute factor, with each character and each story having a layer of its own. Every character in the acid factory is given some time to develop, such that the audience manages to get an overview of what the character does. But the real fun lies in the narration of the movie, which constantly moves back and forth between the past and present, thereby keeping the viewer uptight and – literally – on the edge of the seat. Characters have been sketched out really well, and not a single character has been ‘left out’ metaphorically, and this is where the storywriter and the screenplay writers score highly. Dialogues (Saurabh Shukla) are very well-penned, which gives the movie an overall edge. And to top it all, Suparn Verma as a director is top-notch, and it is due to him that the movie has delivered so well, he certainly appears to be in total control of the proceedings this time. Hats off to Suparn!

Technically, the movie is brilliant, and has scored on many aspects. The movie boasts of some amazing camerawork, which deserves brownie points. Cinematography (Sahil Kapoor) also hits the bullseye, where the locales of Cape Town are well captured. The editing (Hemal Kothari) is amazing and in fact, it is this very aspect of the movie that supports its execution to the T. The sound mixing (Nimish Chheda, Harjeet Singh) is eclectic and at times, mind-blowing. Action choreographer Tinu Verma takes away all the accolades for executing some breathtakingly choreographed stunts from the stars, and gives us just the thrills that action lovers want. The music (more like the background score) of the movie (with the exception of Khatti Meethi by Manasi Scott), supports the movie and gives it a stylish feel. It is interesting to note that part from Khatti Meethi and the remix of Jab Andhera Hota Hai which appears in the end credits, no other song has been lip-synced, which is good to see, considering even the oddest of sequences in some films have a lip-synced song squeezed into it! Thankfully, the music here doesn’t act as a dampner, and, with its urban techno sounds, adds to the overall mood and gives the movie a style of its own.

Performances are noteworthy. Fardeen Khan has given one of his better performances in this film as Suparn Verma clearly stated in an interview, “he has outdone himself.” Dia Mirza looks stunning and clearly stuns everyone with her performance as well, as she not just looks the part she plays – she is the part! Irrfan Khan gets the meatiest role, and plays it with aplomb. Aftab Shivdasani does tremendously well, and makes the required impact. Dino Morea is amazing. His dry humor really jells well with the theme. But speaking about dry humor, the king of it should be Manoj Bajpayee, who incidentally gets the best one-liners throughout the first half of the movie, though it is his overall performance and sticking to his characterization that floors you. Danny Denzongpa is really cool. He’s just himself in this flick, and you will probably forget his miscast in Luck after watching him here. Others, including Gulshan Grover and Neha Bajpayee (it is a pleasant surprise to find her back on screen after a long time), are efficient.
There aren’t many flaws and weaknesses but if you look closely you may notice some jump cuts in editing. Also, the movie has a very slight resemblance to the 2006 movie Unknown, though it has many different aspects.

Overall, the movie is a winner all the way; a high-octane suspense-action thriller that delivers a punch to the audience in terms of execution, thrills and suspense. At long last we get to watch a thriller that differs from the ‘been-there-done-that’ spin-offs. This one has an edge, and on some levels, turns out to be a mind-blowing piece of work particularly due to it’s tight script and even tighter execution. As a result this one comes highly recommended. Go watch it, you will not regret a second!

Wake Up Sid

Producer: Hiroo Yash Johar & Karan JoharDirector: Ayan MukerjiStarring: Ranbir Kapoor, Konkona Sen Sharma, Rahul Khanna, Anupam Kher, Shikha Talsania, Supriya Pathak, Namit Das

Music: Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Amit Trivedi (Guest)

Lyrics: Javed Akhtar, Amitabh Bhattacharya (Guest)

Genre: ComedyRecommended Audience: Parental GuidanceFilm Released on: 02 October 2009
Reviewed by: Lidia Ostepeev - Rating: 8.0 / 10

It’s quite conceivable that Ayan Mukerji - the director of Wake Up Sid - has been a traveller. Not the sort of traveller who stays in five star resorts but one who really gets to experience a city from its street level outwards. The sense of experiencing an environment for the first time; of learning how to function within it, is very well articulated in this unpretentious coming of age story. Aisha Bannerji (Konkona Sen Sharma) - a 27 year old writer from Calcutta is new to Bombay (as it is lovingly referred to in this film). There she meets with Sid (Ranbir Kapoor) - an immature but privileged college student who also eventually journeys to a world outside his comfort zone.

Mukerji has mentioned that his film is a little like Dil Chahta Hai (Farhan Akhtar, 2001) and Luck by Chance (Zoya Akhtar, 2009) and he’s not wrong. Wake Up Sid - like these films - has a youthful feel to it, a knack for character development, humor and attention to detail. In the opening scene - set in Sid’s bedroom we get a snapshot of where he’s at: superhero screen saver, Star Wars T-shirt, Spongebob sheets, empty pizza boxes and in the midst of Boy-dom there’s Sid vacillating between studying a business problem and drawing Homer Simpson. It’s a nice example of visual humor which evolves naturally - doesn’t feel contrived.

Or Aisha and Sid are flat hunting and have been told that someone in an apartment block named Sonia - is renting a flat. A curious child guides them to Sonia’s door where the lady emerges looking like she is selling her person as well as rooms. The child is in the habit of observing Sonia and is clearly entertained by her appearance at which point a straight-laced mother emerges to take him away from corrupt influences. The beauty of the scene is that it sets up economically yet powerfully two minor characters who appear in a major scene later on. So often peripheral characters appear in Bollywood films for no apparent reason never to be seen again. Here we have an example of the kind of detail that raises the film a notch.

In quite a number of recent romances dialogue and screenplay writers don’t seem to know what to do with characters when they are courting. They know that viewers are hanging in there for the declaration - the ‘I love you’ part but it’s almost like ‘killing time’ till that point. There are those who favor the cute interlude - flowers, ice-creams, chocolates or perhaps the raunchier club scene. Then there are those whose who contrive an accident, a drunken episode or perhaps a stalled car or cottage on a stormy night in the middle of nowhere. Once the couple has been thrown together by fate it seems such a chore to make their togetherness interesting because the characters are not the sum of their interactions but a set of clichéd responses to a set of tired situations. Wake Up Sid progresses very smoothly. Both characters are fleshed out and situations seem to unfold seamlessly if not a little too languidly. When clichés occur there is usually a slight twist involved which makes them more watchable.

It’s not that Wake Up Sid is more real. Portraying reality is not a measure of better filmmaking - and certainly Bollywood hasn’t made a feature of reflecting it. The film’s strength lies in drawing out points of contact - authentic moments of distilled emotion that connoisseurs of Bollywood romance appreciate. What we observe between the four walls of a shared apartment is akin to the journeys on trains experienced in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (Aditya Chopra, 1995) and Jab We Met (Imtiaz Ali, 2007) We realize in an instant why father and son have grown apart or how friends bond on the basis of a quirky sense of humor. All up it’s a very good screenplay from Ayan Mukerji. There are a few slow sections in the second half but it’s an understated narrative by Bollywood standards which breathes modernity but retains strong Indian family values.

Ranbir Kapoor has been boyish in all three of his first films but his acting in Wake Up Sid - more than the other films convinces me that he is a good actor. In Sawariyaa (S.L. Bhansali, 2007) the other-worldliness of his character made his motives more than a little unclear. Bachna Ae Haseeno (S. Anand, 2008) was focused on Ranbir to the detriment of the female characters. It is only now - freed from the constraints of monologue and engaged in meaningful interaction with other properly configured characters that his talent really surfaces. Whether Kapoor is very good at his craft will be apparent when he has played a wider range of roles. Konkona Sen Sharma essays a part which is familiar to her - one of an independent but slightly deluded career woman (Metro, Luck By Chance). The difference is that the character of Aisha is a tad more subtle and Konkona gives her the light and shade which good writing engenders.

There is no grandeur and spectacle from Anil Mehta, the cinematographer who gave us the larger-than-life Veer Zaara (Yash Chopra, 2004), Lagaan (Ashutosh Gowariker, 2001) and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (S.L Bhansali, 1999). The shared apartment in Wake Up Sid takes on many aspects depending on the film’s mood and time of day: from homely to glamorous; from stark to ugly. Aisha and Sid inhabit the space - not as talking heads but as moving, evolving beings. Songs by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and their picturisations complement the story telling without interrupting character development or narrative flow.

It’s a very good first film from Ayan Mukerji. What remains to be seen is whether he can cross from the semi-autobiographical material of his youth to the less comfortable terrain of writing about characters and situations which are more distant. I wish him well on his journey.

-Planet Bollywood.com

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