Ajay Devgan, Kangana Ranaut, Aditi Rao Hydri in Bikini, Nargis Fakhri’s Scans + Interview from Stardust – June 2012

Ferrari Ki Sawaari Movie Review 3.5/5

Ferrari Ki Sawaari Review - In Brief:
 A father's struggle to fulfill his son's dreams sends him on a wild ride…

Ferrari Ki Sawaari Review - Story Plot:
 Rustom (Sharman Joshi), a widower Parsi stays with his father Deboo (Boman Irani) and son Kayo (Ritvik Sahore) in an old world Parsi house. The son is a budding cricketer and when the son gets an opportunity to go to Lords for a cricket camp, Rustom starts struggling to come up with the fee amount of Rs. 1.5 lakhs. When all his efforts to come up with the amount fail, the 'honest to a fault' RTO clerk decides to 'borrow' cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar's swanky Ferrari for renting it out to a wedding planner for a corporator's son's wedding. How this one act to raise a fee amount manages to turn Rustom's world upside down forms the rest of the plot. In the middle of this crazy ride, Rustom also manages to melt his crusty father's heart and help him conquer his bitterness towards life at large.

 Ferrari Ki Sawaari Review - Performances:
 After playing second lead in most of his movies, Sharman Joshi as the good hearted and honest Rustom manages to put up a commendable performance and prove without a doubt that he is capable of carrying off a film on his shoulders. There is something very endearing about his character, who reluctantly commits a 'wrong deed' just to ensure that his son's dreams are fulfilled. In today's scenario of gray protagonists who might break the law without blinking an eyelid to get what they want or to avenge a wrongdoing, Rustom's goodness is like a breath of fresh air and one can't help but cheer at the smallest of his victories. Needless to say, Boman Irani is one of the finest actors we have today and as the crusty patriarch, who finally stands up to set things right for everyone, Irani deserves a round of applause too. What's interesting about this character is that despite his bitterness and irascible attitude, Irani's Deboo is still endearing, like a grumpy Santa Claus, perhaps. On his part, Sahore as the cricket crazy Kayo performs wonderfully. Sahore does look like a young Sachin Tendulkar (except for the lack of a curly mop) and is quite believable as the young aspiring cricketer, for whom Sachin Tendulkar is no less than any God. Paresh Rawal's cameo as the antagonist Dharmadhikari is also good enough. Moreover, like in any Vidhu Vinod Chopra flick, the supporting cast is as good as the lead characters and everyone from Seema Bhargava as the loud Punjabi wedding planner to Deepak Shirke as the bumbling security guard to the two actors who play the corporator and his son manages to impress you with their performances.

Ferrari Ki Sawaari Review - Direction:
 When it comes to 'feel good' movies, the Vidhu Vinod Chopra camp has no equal and debut director Rajesh Mapuskar, who has worked as an assistant in films like Lage Raho Munnabhai and 3 Idiots, takes the legacy forward. The film has a very cheery feel to it and Mapuskar manages to make every character shine during his or her scenes. Special mention must be made of the flashback scene where Boman's past is explored. It has been captured quite beautifully and in a unique way. However, the last half hour of the movie seems a bit stretched and one feels that Mapuskar should have gracefully finished the film a bit earlier instead of dragging the plot for a few more minutes by adding unnecessary situations.

 Ferrari Ki Sawaari Review - Music:
 The music of the film is quite peppy and Vidya Balan's much talked about lavani number mala jau de is quite a foot-tapper though the same cannot be said for the title track, which is quite juvenile.

 Ferrari Ki Sawaari Review - Final Word:
Ferrari Ki Sawaari is most definitely a great way to spend a weekend and indulge in some amused chuckles and fond smiles…

Qasam Se Qasam Se Movie Review 2/5

Qasam Se Qasam Se Review - In Brief
 A love story set in a college. Boy faces all kind of odds to get his ladylove but destiny had other plans.

Qasam Se Qasam Se Review - Verdict
 You could give it a miss!

Qasam Se Qasam Se Review - Short Plot
 The film is about Rohan (Azim) and Faith's (Faith Mehra) love story set in a college. There is Rohan's friend Vijay (played by Faraaz) who ends up falling in love with the same girl and hell breaks loose. Rohan fights all odds possible to win his ladylove. He gets jailed, beaten up, humiliated, even labelled a terrorist but nothing comes in between the hero and the heroine.
 Vijay's father DCP Mahadik (Ashwini Kaushal) pulls all strings to nab Rohan. The crux of the film is about how the lovers will come together despite all odds.

Qasam Se Qasam Se Review - Performances
 Azim, who makes his silver screen debut in this film, did show sparks of brilliance in a few scenes. He has been given ample opportunities, be it romance, action or drama, but unfortunately, he does not make the most of them. Let's hope he can get his act together in his next film.
 The leading pair Rohan (played by newcomer Azim) and Faith (played by Faith Mehra) break into a song at some or the other picturesque location after every 'hard-hitting' (Yes, it hits you hard!) scene. Such inept acting has seldom been seen on the big screen and the stars of the film scale newer depths.
 Actors of calibre such as Satish Kaushik (who plays Mamu) and Omkar Das Manikpuri (who looks 'dapper' in sloganeering T-shirts, Hip Hop caps and baggy trousers throughout the film) are wasted in this apology of a film. Kaushik who has a longish role in the film reprises his hilarious 'Pappu Pager' act from Deewana Mastana, once again but fails to impress.
 The supporting cast too boasted of Mukesh Tiwari, Rakhi Sawant, Satish Kaushik, Omkar Das Manikpuri and a few faces from television, but none of them lived up to their billing.

Qasam Se Qasam Se Review - Direction
 The director (Ashfaque Makrani) and the writers (Nazim, Moazzam Azm & Ravi Rawat) would have been better off sticking to a conventional storyline rather than convoluting it with nonsensical twists.
 The climax is noteworthy, for setting newer standards in storytelling. An interesting revelation towards the end turns the entire film on its head. The problem with the film is that it muddles up too many issues – college rivalry, romance, action, comedy, terrorism, law and order and lastly AIDS awareness. Even the best filmmaker in the country Rajkumar Hirani wouldn't dare to pull that off!

Qasam Se Qasam Se Review - Music
 The music of the film is disappointing. Considering that stalwarts like Neha Bhasin, Kunal Ganjawala, Farhan (from the Pakistani band Jal), Mika Singh, Shaan, Neeraj Shridhar, Mohit Chauhan, KK and Monali Thakur sung for this film, the composer (Shailendra-Sayanti) too, needed to get his act together. The cinematography (Johny Lal) for the songs was good; the locations played a big part.

Qasam Se Qasam Se Review - Final Word
 To amalgamate mediocre acting, lifeless music, meandering story line, inexplicable twists and turns, appalling dialogues and incessant hamming in the same film requires some effort. The plot could have lifted in the second half, but unfortunately the writing team let the film down. Not recommended.

Kshay Movie Review Rating 2/5

Written and directed by Karan Gour, Kshay, which means corrosion, can be best described as an experimental film. Shot entirely in black and white, the film might need a patient viewer to appreciate it. The story basically deals with what can happen when a person's desire turns to obsession and the resulting consequences…
 Chaya (Rasika Duggal), the wife of a construction foreman Arvind (Alekh Sangal) comes across an unfinished sculpture of the Goddess Lakshmi at a small workshop near her husband's workplace and impressed with the art, decides to acquire it despite the fact that her husband cannot afford it. Chaya, who had suffered a miscarriage earlier, starts believing that getting the sculpture home would solve all her problems and as days go by, her loneliness (caused by Arvind going out of town for some work) transforms her desire into obsession to a point when all Chaya can think about is possessing the piece of art by any and all means possible. How this obsession starts affecting her psyche and her relations with her husband and others around her forms the rest of the plot.
 Rasika Duggal as Chaya does a commendable job, emoting through her eyes and at times, even managing to send a chill up your spine in scenes where her obsession threatens to completely take control to the point that she seems possessed by a supernatural spirit. Arvind as the loving husband, who is initially clueless about how this obsession for the sculpture is affecting her, is passable too as are the rest of the cast. Gour's talent lies in showing how Chaya's mental state slowly but steadily deteriorates as she keeps obsessing about the sculpture and the character's gradual transformation is interesting to watch.
 The drawback of this film is that it might appeal to only a specific class of viewers. Though the storyline is interesting and there is potential for making the movie a first class psychological thriller, the director seems to fumble trying to be too experimental at times. Though making the film in black and white is a good idea, some of the scenes, where the director steps in the head of the character, might seem a bit too complicated for the average viewer.
 Moreover, the film does not move at a fast pace, which always puts at risk the thrill inducing capacity of any film. All in all, this film might find favour with fans of experimental cinema…others may proceed at the risk of being disappointed or worse, confused…

Kshay Official Theatrical Trailer - HD

Malika Haydon on the cover of HAIR – May 2012

Elle India June 2012 Featuring Chitrangda Singh

Kanishtha Dhankhar’s Scans from Harper’s Bazaar Dubai – June 2012

‘Dil Garden Garden’ trends nationwide on Twitter in less than 24 hours!

In less than 24 hours of its online release, the first track of the forthcoming sex-com ‘Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum’ has created a flurry.

 

‘Dil Garden Garden’ took Twitter by storm as it was trending India-wide on Thursday at No.4 for the right reasons. It was, in fact, trending even above Vertu, Samajwadi Party & Ambika Soni.

A wide section of the industry, from Karan Johar to Sunny Leone, could not stop raving about the national hit on the virtual world. 

Music composer Sachin (of Sachin-Jigar) was blessed with the best birthday gift, as his sole composition on the ‘Kya Super Kool…’ soundtrack, met with such an overwhelming response.

The funky video, choreographed by Bosco-Caesar, has been lauded for its energy, color and ‘kool’ retro look.

Anupam Kher summed up the response to the track in a short but sweet tweet: “Jai Ho”

Ghazal maestro Mehdi Hassan passed away

Islamabad, June 13 Mehdi Hassan, the legendary Pakistani ghazal maestro born in India, passed away at a Karachi hospital Wednesday after a prolonged illness. He was 84.
His son Arif told Geo News that his father died of breathing complications at a private nursing home in Karachi.
The ghazal king had been discharged from Agha Khan hospital only last month. He was back in the hospital only a day later but was not put on a ventilator.
My father has been ill for the last 12 years but this year, his condition has deteriorated significantly… in the last one month,” said Arif. “He was released from hospital for just one day before being admitted again.”
Hassan, who has a huge fan following all over the world, had been suffering from lung, chest and urinary tract ailments for the past many years.
A paralytic stroke almost a decade ago had left the musician helpless and immobile.
Family sources said he was being fed through a tube for the last two years and had lost his voice. His family had appealed for help to revive the doyen of the modern-day ghazal.
In April this year, the legendary ghazal singer had got a visa to come to India for treatment but was too unwell to make the journey. He last came to India in 2000.
Hassan leaves behind nine sons and five daughters. He married twice. Both his wives are dead.

Kanishtha Dhankar on the cover of Cosmopolitan India – June 2012

Plan Your Wedding, June 2012 issue Sonam Kapoor

'English Vinglish' First Look and Official Trailer

 

Sridevi is back after 14 long years in R Balki’s film, ‘English Vinglish’. The promo of the film was released today and it was liked by her fans. Fans can’t wait to see their dazzling diva on the silver screen again.

 In a two minute trailer, Sridevi was shown reading a Censor Board’s film certificate and she was seen struggling with English words. The story is about a middle class woman trying to learn English to impress her husband and her family.

Amitabh Bachchan will also be seen in a pivotal role. Sridevi was as usual rocking in peach color sari. She was dressed in a simple sari, neatly tied her hair and was carrying a black handbag. The trailer gives us an idea what the film is all about.

 Sridevi ruled the silver screen in 80’s and has many super hit films under her credit. She has taken a long break from acting due to family priorities but her love for films again dragged the actress in front of the camera.

 Directed by Gauri Shinde and produced by R Balki, the film is slated to release in September.

Mallika and the rumors!

The quintessential item girl aka JAlebi bai takes Rs 75 lakh from the Azaan actor and ignores his pleas to return the money. But she has a different story to tell…
We are tired of publishing negative stories about Mallika Sherawat but the Hisss actor seems unwilling to stop scaling the heights of histrionics and unprofessional behaviour. And the latest to bear the brunt of Mallika’s erratic mood swings is Sachin Joshi. The Azaan actor, we hear, wanted to make a film with Mallika. The film was titled Mumbai Mirror and the leggy lass had agreed to be part of the venture. She signed on the dotted line and had even taken Rs 75 lakh as a signing amount.
Apparently everything was hunky-dory between the young producer and the sizzling babe before Mallika’s ever-swinging mood changed! Just two days before the shoot started, Mallika came up with unreasonable demands. She asserted that she wanted to be the hero of the movie and wasn’t particularly happy with her role. Left with no option but to find a replacement for Mallika, Joshi found a new actor called Vimla Raman for his film.
A little birdie tells us that when Sachin tried to contact Mallika to return his Rs 75 lakh, she completely ignored his repeated pleas. In fact, the Murder star was happily preening and blowing kisses on the red carpet in Cannes.We hear that Joshi is about to approach the Producers Guild of India and file an official complaint against Mallika now. We hope Sachin’s legal action will change Ms Sherawat’s tune and good sense will prevail in her whimsical head. Till it does, producers need to think twice before having this Haryanvi babe on board.But then comes a twist in this sordid tale. We hear now that Mallika is fabulously furious with Sachiin Joshi for spreading stories about her greedy and unprofessional behaviour, especially after he was the one who tom-tommed it all over town that the lady had loved his script and was eager to do the film. Our buddy the birdie tells us that Mallika was majorly shocked to hear the stories, since she had just about met Sachiin and heard the synopsis of the film; she had not agreed to do it, but had asked for a complete script.
Now who is cooking up what stories about whom, we cannot tell without knowing more from Mallika and Sachiin alike, but as soon as we do, you will be told!

Neha Dupia in Karan Johar’s film.

Actress Neha Dhupia is all set to share screen space with Emraan Hashmi in Karan Johar’s next home production to be directed by Rensil D’Silva . “Yes, I have been signed for this film. I can’t talk much about it. There are other two films of mine that are coming out- Maximum and Rush,” said Dhupia.
The film will also star Sanjay Dutt, Kangana Ranuat, Randeep Hooda and is likely to roll out later this year.
Earlier, Karan had said, “The film has a strong ensemble cast, like Emraan, lots of people are there in it like Kangana, Randeep Hooda and host of young brilliant actors. We will announce the film with title and cast very soon. It is about individual paths, there is no predominant love story. It is too early to talk about it.”

IIFA winners!

Here is the list of Winners at the IIFA Awards 2012

Best Actor (Female): Vidya Balan for The Dirty Picture
Best Actor (Male): Ranbir Kapoor for Rockstar
Best Movie: Zindagi Na Milege Dobara
Best Story: Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar for Zindagi Na Milege Dobara
Best Director: Zoya Akhtar for Zindagi Na Milege Dobara
Green Award: Dia Mirza
Best Music Direction: A.R. Rahman for Rockstar
Best Lyrics: Irshad Kamil for the song ‘Nadaan Parindey’ from Rockstar
Best Playback Singer (Female): Shreya Ghoshal for ‘Teri Meri’ from Bodyguard
Best Supporting Actor (Male): Farhan Akhtar for Zindagi Na Milege Dobara
Best Supporting Actor (Female): Parineeti Chopra for Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl
Best Negative Role: Prakash Raj for Singham
Best Comic Role: Riteish Deshmukh for Double Dhamaal
Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema: Rekha
Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema: Ramesh Sippy
Hottest Pair: Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri in Rockstar
Best Debut (Female): Parineeti Chopra for Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl
Best Debut (Male): Vidyut Jamwal for Force

‘Zanjeer’ remake, First Look!

South actor Ram Charan Teja is all set to step into Amitabh Bachchan’s shoes, as the angry young man Inspector Vijay, on in the ‘Zanjeer’ remake.
Here is the first look of the actor.
The film is directed by Apoorva Lakhia, who shot to fame with Shootout At Lokhandwala, and will have Priyanka Chopra step into the shoes of Jaya Bachchan.
Says Ram, “Zanjeer is a tribute to Mr. Bachchan and my father (actor Chiranjeevi).”
Amitabh Bachchan posted on his blog, “I do hope they will make a successful film. It is a compliment to the film being remade it was worthy of remaking when you had a hand in making the original. How many films do carry the benefit of a remake, is what needs to be appreciated also.”
Till date, just forty percent of the film is complete.

‘Cocktail’ Stills

First Look! ‘Raunchy’ Kareena Kapoor’s Halkat Jawani Curves

Kareena Kapoor has joined the ever growing brigade of item girls! Here’s the first look of the star in the song Halkat Jawani from the film Heroine. No more size zero, Bebo is flaunting her curves. Director Madhur Bhandarkar shared the first look and tweeted: ‘Scintillating & beautiful Kareena in her HalkatJawani look on the sets of Heroine.’
According to reports, Kareena followed a special diet for weeks to get those perfect curves. Kareena seems to have lost a lot of flab around her waist for the song (compared to her last appearance in the Agent Vinod mujra ‘Dil Mera Muft Ka’).
Halkat Jawani is sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and choreographed by Ganesh Acharya. Her costume has been designed by favourite designer Manish Malhotra. Dressed in a fuschia sari and black choli, Kareena’s look reminds us of Katrina Kaif’s turn in Chikni Chameli.

Katrina Kaif’s New Poster for ‘Ek Tha Tiger’

TV actress Rucha Gujrati physically and mentally abused

Television actress Rucha Gujrati aka ‘Kiya’ of popular soap ‘Saas Bina Susural’ was physically and mentally harassed by her husband Mitul Sanghvi. Rucha got married to chemical engineer Mitul Sanghvi in 2010. She lodged a complaint against her husband at the Juhu police station.
 Rucha’s marriage hit the rock few months after her marriage. She was physically and mentally abused by her husband and in-laws.
 Says the source, "Problems cropped up soon after Rucha tied the knot on October 24, 2010 with Mitul, who is from a very affluent family. Mitul is completely under his parents' hold and shares everything with them, including the couple's bedroom conversations. The torture began on their honeymoon. Mitul woke Rucha up at 6 am and asked her why she didn't share the honeymoon expenses with him. He grabbed her by the hands and flung her onto the bed. She was shocked! No sooner had they returned that his parents started meddling in their affairs too. She was asked by her husband to follow whatever her father-in-law asked her to do."
 Rucha’s in-laws are said to be not happy with her profession. They put on many restrictions on her. "At one point, they took away her set of house keys and warned that they'd never allow her in if she stepped out. They even deprived her of meals and asked her to foot the bills for her expenses and fend for herself. Rucha has been bearing her own expenses for the past two years. She isn't working currently, which has already made a dent in her savings. Her financial condition isn't very good."
 Forgetting the past, Rucha tried to mend the differences with her husband but she and her father was ill-treated by Mitul. "He refused to open the door for her, and that's when her father landed up at his house. An infuriated Mitul opened the door, grabbed her father by the collar and started hitting him. He then directed his anger at Rucha, pulled her by her hair and slapped her, leaving a deep cut on her lips."
 Both Rucha and her mother-in-law called the police separately, “When Rucha pleaded with them to book her in-laws for mental and physical abuse, the cops instead apologised to her inlaws and left! She had kept quiet all this while hoping things would change. Now, she has called her sister to stay with her as she fears her in-laws will harm her. She doesn't mind giving the marriage a second chance, but her husband and in-laws need to treat her with respect," adds the friend.
 Rucha confirms that there is trouble in her marriage, "I would not like to divulge the details. All I can say is that I want justice."

Ranbir, Vidya bag IIFA best actors award

Ranbir Kapoor and Vidya Balan bagged the best actors’ award at the IIFA. Ranbir walked away with the honor for his fabulous performance in ‘Rockstar’ while Vidya grabbed the award for ‘The Dirty Picture’.
 Ranbir and Vidya bagged the best actors award in all the award shows held this year. Zoya Akhtar received the best film and best director award for her film, ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’. Parineeti Chopra won the IIFA for 'Best Female Debut' for 'Ladies vs Ricky Bahl'. Veteran actress Rekha and filmmaker Ramesh Sippy are honored with 'Lifetime Achievement' trophy.
 The evening saw some scintillating performances from stars of every generation. The most rocking performance of the award night was of the father-son duo, Rishi and Ranbir Kapoor. Ranbir Kapoor made a grand entry with guitar on hand and grooved on ‘Saada haq’ from his hit film ‘Rockstar’. He donned tapori hat and danced to the tune of Chillar Party.
 Rishi entered the stage saying his famous line from the film ‘Karz" – “Kya tumne kabhi kisi se pyaar kiya” - and soon the audience joined him in completing the line saying.... “kiyaa...”, before he kick started his performance.
 Both the father and the son grooved together on popular number ‘Paisa yeh paisa’ from the film ‘Karz’.

Raja Chaudhary desperate to marry Veena Malik

Pakistani starlet Veena Malik’s marriage dream through the popular reality show, Swayamvar-Veena Ki Shaadi’ might be shattered but the actress has got a new fan in TV actor and Shweta Tiwari’s ex-husband Raja Chaudhary who is desperate to marry her. Raj is so much impressed with Veena that he expressed his desire to marry the actress.
 Raja met Veena during the music release of ‘Daal Mein Kuch Kala Hai’ and he was totally taken aback by Veena’s fantasy. His liking for Veena crossed all the barriers and he even called Veena with a new name, ‘Raja Malik’.
 Raja Chaudhary hit the headlines quite a often for physically and mentally abusing his wife Shweta. The TV actress filed several cases of harassment against Raja. He also dated struggling actor Shraddha Sharma and even accused of harassing her physically. Later Sharddha filed a case against the Raja at the Oshiwara police station. Shweta has also a daughter from Raja's side. Her daughter is under her custody.
 Shweta Tiwari also filed case against Raja for physically harming her boyfriend Abhinav Kohli. Veena Malik has also her side of story. She dated Ashmit Patel during her stay at the Bigg Boss house. Their romance continued off the show also but the duo eventually moved apart from some unknown reasons.

'Rowdy Rathore' enters 100 crore marks

After ‘Agneepath’ and ‘Bodyguard’, Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha starrer and Prabhudeva directed film ‘Rowdy Rathore’ joins the 100 crore club. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted about the box-office report of the movie.
 "Rowdy crosses 100 crore mark. Shanghai is below the mark," Adarsh said. "RowdyRathore collected Rs 22 crore nett in weekend 2, taking the total to Rs 101.5 cr nett. Breakup:- Fri 5.1 cr, Sat 6.4 cr, Sun 10.5 cr +. Rowdy Rathore has crossed Rs 100 cr nett mark at the end of Weekend 2. Has performed exceptionally well at single screens as well as multiplexes," he said.
 Made on a budget of 48 crores, ‘Rowdy Rathore’ had a massive opening. The film made a total Rs 15.10 crore on the opening day. The number went higher and higher.  It was Akshay Kumar’s first ever grand opening in the long tenure of his filmy career.
 Adarsh had earlier said "Rowdy Rathore collects Rs 79.52 cr nett in 1st Week, Outstanding. Rowdy Rathore smashed previous records in many circuits. Has performed exceptionally well at single screens and plexes...Fri 15.1 cr, Sat 14.7 cr, Sun 18.5 cr, Mon 9.5 cr, Tue 8.12 cr, Wed 7.1 cr, Thu 6.5 cr. Total: Rs 79.52 cr nett . Fabulous!"
 'Rowdy Rathore' is a remake of Telugu film 'Vikramarkudu'. This is Sonakshi Sinha’s second big Bollywood blockbuster after ‘Dabangg’. The film was highly liked by the audience and appreciated by the critics.

Vishwaroop Movie Poster

‘Shanghai’: Movie Review (2012)

Movie Review (2012)
 Film: “Shanghai”
Cast: Prosenjeet Chatterjee, Abhay Deol, Emraan Hashmi, Kalki Koechlin, Supriya Pathak and Farooque Shaikh
Director: Dibakar Banerjee
Rating:  3.5/5

Watching “Shanghai” is revisiting your daily local newspaper, full of scams, conspiracies and crime stories. In short, the film is a slice of today’s India.
Adapted from “Z”, a 1966 novel by Vassilis Vassilikos, Dibakar Banerjeer brilliantly exposes the reality behind the irony of India Shining.
The scenes are verbatim daily newspaper briefs.
Set in present day nondescript shanty called Bharatnagar, it sees Dr. Ahmedi (Prosenjeet Chatterjee), a US-based professor and activist, visiting Bharatnagar to enlighten its inhabitants about ‘pragati’ (progress).
He opposes the transformation of the shanty town into a zany township, a la Shanghai. But he is murdered by the opposition who try to pass off his death as an accident.
After that the story moves ahead with Shalini Sahay (Kalki Koechlin), Ahmedi’s besotted student and daughter of an ex-army general who is involved in a scam, IAS Officer T.A. Krishnan (Abhay Deol), videographer Joginder Parmar (Emraan Hashmi), Ahmedia’s wife Aruna (Tillotama Shome), chief minister (Supriya Patak) and her PA (Farooque Sheikh).
While the film grips you, it’s the system that gets to you.
“Why did you do commit the murder, when you knew it is wrong,” Shalini asks the murderer.
Another dialogue – “Jeene se haraam lagta hai. Par marne se darr bhi lagta hai…” clearly shows the hunger for survival. It’s a sorry state of affairs, where the common denominator is the victim.
There is a simplistic nature to the narrative and archetype.
The performance of every character is realistic and matter-of-fact. Emraan impresses with his rustic portrayal, quite different from his usual flamboyant characters. Abhay Deol, as the IAS Officer, bowls over the audience with his grit and, of course, unmistakable Tamil accent. Kalki slips effortlessly into the character, yet again, revealing her versatility.
However, what you take home is not the memories of a character well-performed, but the story.
The film is frighteningly true.
The strength of “Shanghai” is its tight screenplay by Urmi Juvekar and Dibakar Banerjee and the meticulous details leave no scope for arguments.
What adds to the flavour is excellent cinematography by Nikos Andritsakis and the marvellous use of sound, both ambient and otherwise, to build up the tension in the political drama.
The controversial song “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and the item number “Imported Kamariyaa” are well-picturised and the latter is on the way to become the next favourite numbers at all ‘basti’ celebrations.
Despite its simplistic and down-to-earth locations, “Shanghai” has a nice hard-boiled vibe and a sense of semi-exotic danger. Definitely gives you a lot to ponder about.
Don’t miss this one.

‘Love Wrinkle-free’: Movie Review (2012)

Movie Review (2012)
 Film: “Love, Wrinkle Free”
Cast: Ash Chandler, Shernaz Patel, Seema Rahmani, Ashwin Mushran
Director: Sandeep Mohan
Rating:  3/5

Every year only a handful of English films are made in India, fewer still finding a release. The marriage of English and cinema is one that has sadly not happened in the country.
Hence, to see a film made in English that retains local Indian flavours despite a few flaws, is a sheer delight. “Love, Wrinkle-free” is that tangy little Indian English comedy which has few parallels in the country.
Middle-aged Savio (Ash Chandler) with an adopted teenage daughter and a seven-year-older henpecking wife Annie (Shernaz Patel), is going through troubles in his job. The couple discover that despite her age, and inspite of many failed attempts, Annie is pregnant.
Savio, meanwhile, falls for a suave businessman Rajiv (Theron D’souza), who raises money to invest in his business.
As things start falling apart, Savio finds himself falling for Rajiv’s girlfriend Natalie (Seema Rahmani) even as Rajiv goes absconding with his money. Things, it seems, can’t go worse. But they do.
There are many things that work for this little indie Indian-English comedy. Most of all are the actors.
Ash Chandler is likeable as the perennially confused, hassled and typical Goan man Savio. However, it is Shernaz Patel as his wife who excels in the film and holds it together.
As director Sandeep Mohan digs deep into Goan culture, he finds many of their idiosyncrasies that make for funny screen time. The writing is also funny with some really witty lines.
A film set in Goa cannot be devoid of music. And this one has its decent share with some foot-tapping numbers and some hilarious songs like the one called “Kha Momo (eat momos)”. Its silly, irreverent lyrics go on and on in all seriousness.
Despite many elements that come together, especially the wit and humour that sparkle in bits, the main flaw of the film lies in the end that seems rushed up as many things are left unexplained. Many opportunities to play up the humour at the climax are missed.
The stereotype of low-budget indie film is that they are supposed to be serious. It is hence refreshing to see one that isn’t.
Of course, you can’t expect a masterpiece with this one, but why should you? Just because it is an indie film does not mean it has to be boring, oblong and serious to boot.
Go expecting a film that is fun, has a few laughs and a lot of giggles. Expect a spicy Goan fish curry and you won’t be disappointed. If you ever had the inclination to support a small but well made indie film, this one you must not miss.

June 29 fixed for Esha-Bharat wedding!

Hema Malini and Dharmendra’s daughter Esha Deol, engaged to Bharat Takhtani, is said to wed on June 29 at a temple.
Bharat Takhtani is a Bandra-based businessman whom Esha has been dating for quite some time.
Mommy Hema said, “We are very happy and excited. The preparations have started. The wedding will take place on June 29 at a temple. We wanted to have the wedding in a temple.”
It is heard that the couple have decided to keep the wedding a private affair, with only near and dear ones attending the ceremony. However, The reception will be grand, at a suburban five star hotel on 30 of June.
“The reception will take place on June 30 at a five star hotel. We just want best wishes and love from everyone,” Hema further added.