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Direction:      Ram Gopal Varma

Cast:   Amitabh Bachchan, Ritesh Deshmukh, Paresh Rawal, Mohnish Behl, Manisha Koirala, Rajat Kapoor, Gul Panag, Raima Sen, Rajpal Yadav

Ram Gopal Varma (RGV)’s latest offering is Rann. Movie managed to raise some eyeballs because of its media-bashing focus. RGV did not really had a successful time in his last few releases and people have started to questions regarding his once famous Midas touch. Since his now notorious ‘RGV ki Aag’, things have gone really haywire for this once considered as harbinger of new age Hindi cinema. That was a fine example of what actually happens when a moviemaker starts assuming himself bigger than the medium; movies.

Phhonk, Agyaat, 13B were some of his attempts that did not find any takers but thanks to Big B who salvaged his Sarkar series and now he is at it again in ‘Rann’. Even at this age, Amitabh Bachchan has continued to defy expectations by giving us ‘Paa’ first and now ‘Rann’. He alone has made this movie worth watching by the sheer force of his talent, charisma and personality.

On the face of it, ‘Rann’ had a wonderful premise and well, of course intention yet the film turns out to be a contrived social and commercial drama. The plot had every potential to be hailed as stark, sensible and thought provoking yet movie successfully manages to fail the vision of its maker. Rann tries hard to expose the media blunders but when you come out of theatre all that you will term it as is simple average neta media story on the surface of a T.V. channel. That’s all.

The story revolves around founder of a private news channel, Vijay Harshvardhan Malik played brilliantly by Amitabh Bachchan. His channel is facing hard times because of its ethical and moral way of reporting news. Enters, Jay (Sudeep), his son, for whom, this is just a business that must earn profit to survive the cut-throat competition. Other end of the spectrum has unethical and immoral Mohnish Bahl who is running a hugely successful news channel because of its focus on sensationalism. Accompanying him is corrupt politician, Mohan Pandey (Paresh Rawal) who plays games to his advantage by using Vijay’s son-in-law Navin (Rajat Kapoor). Pandey aspires to be the Prime Minister and his game plan includes Navin and Jay and stopping them becomes the responsibility of Vijay and an honest reporter played by Ritiesh Deshmukh.

All the lead actors including Big B, Ritesh, Paresh Rawal, Rajat Kapoor and Mohnish Behl have given commendable performances. Watch out for Big B’s 5 minutes speech during the end moments of the film. It’s simply outstanding. All in all, you can go watch the movie if you are feeling bored and get a dose of ever growing feel of Mr. Bachchan’s acting prowess.

Banner: Shemaroo Entertainment,Vishal Bhardwaj Pictures Pvt Ltd

Production: Vishal Bhardwaj,Raman Maroo

Direction: Abhishek Chaubhey

Cast:   Naseruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan

Music : Vishal Bhardwaj

Lyrics : Gulzar

Ishqiya was one of the most talked about releases primarily because one, It was coming from Vishal Bhardwaj stable and secondly the promo managed to raise the curiosity level among the viewers. No wonder, movie has managed to prove itself ‘different’. Though, the tag of ‘different’ is an overused one yet debutant director Abhishek Chuaubhey has shown glimpses of his talent in this dark comedy cum thriller genre film. Vishal Bhardwaj has become a master in this style and every time viewers are left gasping for more.

Ishqiya thrives on wonderful performances and apt dialogues. Movie is a bold step towards new age of Hindi film making. Yet, it is strongly recommended that parents should leave the bachcha party at home and rejoice this cinematic experience. Talking about lead actors, Naseruddin Shah, as usual is in peak form whereas Vidya Balan has surprised one and all with her bold scenes. She is pretty different from what we viewers are used to watching her on-screen exploits. Ishqiya is definitely another feather in her cap after giving a stunning performance in ‘Paa’.

Arshad Warsi has matched his co-stars step by step and seems like a perfect match for the role of Babban. Movie revolves around two thieves Khalujaan (Naseeruddin Shah) and Babban (Arshad Warsi) who are on the run from their boss, Mushtaq. During their course of journey they seek refuge at a friend’s house, but instead meet his widow, Krishna (Vidya Balan). Thereafter, movie takes a different turn as duo find themselves mesmerised by Krishna who had some other sinister plans of her own. But eventually, they all have to face the past realities and slowly new secrets start pouring out of cupboard.

Ishqiya is a must watch because of its eastern UP backdrop, fascinating dialogues and of course for ‘Dil toh bachcha hai’. Songs are already chart toppers adding to crisp editing and wonderfully captured background of the movie. Vishal Bhardwaj gives us another winner and this time its desi flavour in western style.

Not every small budget, multiplex movie manages to impress. Considering its star cast, ‘Bolo Ram’ had managed to raise expectations of movie fans but sadly, things were far from impressive. How could you justify assembling together stalwarts like Naseruddin Shah, Om Puri and Padmini Kolhapure (her comeback vehicle) and making something like this? Movie fails on all counts whether, its screenplay, script, predictable twists and even songs. Movie was tagged as a thriller but trust me, in first 20 minutes you are sure to figure out what turn movie will take.

 The movie fares badly on its screenplay and lack of character development. The characters are half baked and yes, not at all established. Well, the story revolves around lead character Ram played by newcomer Rishi who is in a state of shock. The reason? Well, he has been charged with murder of his mother (Padmini Kolhapure). Om Puri plays the role of an investigating officer who has been assigned the job of getting the truth out of our lead character who in turn is seriously struggling with some serious psychotic disorder.

 Comes, Psychiatrist Dr. Ns. Negi played by veteran Naseruddin Shah on request of Inspector and tries to determine the cause of Raam’s state of mind and the reason for his silence. As movie progresses, you start losing the interest and proceeding becomes monotonous. The last nail in the coffin comes from the climax where you are literally forced to wonder, ‘what was that, Really’? All in all, avoid if you can and better stay at home.

These days, Hindi movies are churning out different flavors. It has literally become a trend to make Hindi movies based on real life events. This is definitely a welcome sign. If reports are to be believed then, a movie is being made on notorious Jessica murder case. Tentatively titled, ‘No One Killed Jessica’, movie is being produced by UTV Spotboy. It will be a non-fictional drama. Movie will be directed by Rajkumar Gupta of Amir fame.

 Movie will star two powerful actresses of bollywood, Vidya Balan and Rani Mukherjee. While the earlier will play the role of Jessica’s sister, Sabrina Lall whereas later will play role of a journalist. Seems like an interesting movie in making.

 Lately, Rani didn’t actually have a very fruitful box office record thanks to duds like ‘Laaga Chunari Mein Daag’, ‘Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic’ and ‘Dil Bole Hadippa’. It is also being rumored that she has opted out of Yash Raj Banner and seeking to make new beginning with outside banners. We all know Rani’s talent and together with Vidya, this pair can prove to be a real hit.

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 Recently, 56^th National Film Awards for 2008 were announced. Hindi movies have performed significantly well in different awards categories. Seems, Madhur Bhandarkar has some happy relations with National Film Awards. This time again, the lead actresses of his hit movie Fashion, Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Raut have fashioned their way to National Awards. While the Priyanka has won the National Award for Best Actress while Kangana Ranaut got the Best Supporting Actress.

Let’s have a look at the awards.

Best Hindi Film: Rock On

Best Supporting actor: Arjun Rampal (for Rock On)

Best Debut Film: A Wednesday

Best Child Actor: Shams Patel (for Thanks Maa)

Best Popular Film: Oye Lucky Lucky Oye

Best Film on Social Issues: Jogwa

Best Animation Film: Roadside Romeo

Best Editing: Firaaq

Best Costume Designer: Neeta Lulla (for Jodha Akbar)

Best Special Effects: Mumbai Meri Jaan

Best Choreography: Jodha Akbar

Best Male Singer: Hariharan (for Antaheen)

Best Non-Feature Film: AFSPA 1958

Best Actor: Upendra Limaye (for Marathi film Jogwa)

Best Film: Antaheen (Bengali film)

Best Female Singer: Shreya Ghoshal (for Antaheen)

Best Film on Family Values: Little Zizou (English, Gujarati)

Indian cinema has produced all genres of classic films since its inception. One of the crowning genres of bollywood is comedy films. The comedy movies make people laugh, forgetting all their worries for at least three hours. Some comedy films also contain socially relevant messages. The screenplay of comedy movies are usually light hearted and it seeks to entertain and provide enjoyment to people of all classes. Strangely, some of the biggest tragedies act as best source of comedy situations. There are several day to day situations or usual frustrations in our life that later on act as source of fun and merriment. It is also true that making people laugh is a huge challenge so producing quality comedy movies that can make people laugh is no mean achievement. Let’s talk about some of the all time great comedy movies made in bollywood.

One movie that distinctly comes to my mind is ‘Chalti ka naam gadi’. By all means, this movie was a true classic comedy. Directed by Satyen Bose, movie had wonderful songs and starred three real brothers Ashok Kumar, Anup kumar and Kishore Kumar. Movie was primarily a situational comedy and is still considered as a benchmark in Hindi comedy movies.

Talking about great Hindi comedies, who can forget ‘Golmal’, directed by one of the finest directors Indian movie industry has ever seen, Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Movie is immensely witty and lead stars Utpal Dutt and Amol Palekar simply make it an unforgettable experience. A must watch if you truly want to experience best of Hindi cinema.

‘Padosan’ is an all time great Hindi comedy. This was a movie that had all the elements of typical Hindi cinema; comedy, romance, melodrama and wonderful music. Movie has many hilarious scenes and is strongly recommended for comedy fans.

The last in the list would definitely be ‘Chupke chupke’, another masterpiece by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. It had impressive star cast of Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya, and Om Prakash. A true classic, it has to be seen to truly understand the nuances of subtle comedy. There are many more classics that we will talk about in upcoming posts.

Seems like there is no stopping Aamir Khan. This ever growing young actor has kept belting one hit after another. In fact, it is hard to remember which one was his last flop? Anyone? Mr. Perfectionist has chosen his movies very wisely and has kept outgrowing himself as an actor. He chooses diverse genres every time and gives it 120%. He is pretty good at marketing strategies as well and one can remember his Ghajini and Rang De Basanti marketing gigs. His recent release 3 Idiots is already making waves and this movie might be helping bollywood in finishing the year on a high. That also reminds me of Aamir Khan’s penchant for December releases and how all of them have performed so well in last 2 years.

December 25 witnessed release of 3 Idiots and whether it is a coincidence or plain planning, his last two December releases had set box office on fire. Taare Zameen Par was released during the same time in 2007 whereas 2008 witnessed blockbuster Ghajini. 3 Idiots has already earned Rs.4 crore through paid previews and is going very strong on box office thanks to no other releases and extended holiday season.

Taare Zameen Par was also Aamir’s directorial debut and movie earned rave reviews because of its different theme and amazing acting. The movie was   released on Dec 21 in 2007 and it hit the bull’s eyes. Reports say, movie earned more than 37 crore at the box office. Aamir’s next release Ghajini hit the theatres on Dec 25, 2008 and it broke almost all the box office records. A remake of a Tamil film by the same name, it reinvented action genre. December or no December release, we hope Aamir continues with his hit path.

3 Idiots was definitely one of the most hyped movies of the year and currently movie has opened to packed theatres. The names associated with the movie were big enough the likes of whom include, Amir Khan, Raju Hirani and Vidu Vinod Chopra to name a few. Movie is based on ‘Five Point Someone’, a hit novel penned by famous writer Chetan Bhagat. Movie is based on lives of three friends in a college campus and usual matters pertaining to youth, academics etc. Recently, it has been heard that 3 Idiots might be a part of case studies in the management institutes of the country. At some places in Mumbai, movie is being offered for viewing from 6 AM in the morning. Blame it on extended holiday season but that has definitely helped movie in raking more moolah.

The production team of 3 Idiots has taken some innovate steps to pull the viewers out of their houses and watch the movie as first thing in the morning. Amir khan, as we all know is a smart marketing alek and he is leaving no stone unturned in raising the curiosity factor for the movie. Recently, he was travelling across different cities in different get ups during the promotion of the movie.

The movie takes a hit at education system of the country. There are fair enough chances of 3 Idiots along with Rocket Singh changing the way parents perceive education system and consequent careers. Amir Khan is known to work in selected movies and superior marketing strategies that see film doing great business at the box office. Hope, 3 Idiots extends the ‘Jaadu ki Jhappi’ touch of Chopra production. However, one thing is pretty sure. Because of 3 Idiots bollywood will be finishing the year on a relatively high note.

One of the most anticipated movies of the year was Avatar. Said to be the most expensive movie ever made, Avatar has been directed by James Cameron of Titanic fame. James Cameron has ventured into film making after almost one decade and people were eagerly anticipating for his dazzling spectacular treat. The movie is already earning huge gross revenues in different parts of the world. In India also, movie is doing great business and to the Indian multiplexes it has come as a relief after the relatively dismal performance of Indian releases.

Avatar is already being talked about for some of the Oscar awards in technical segment. Avatar is a captivating and mesmerising movie. Its story is a simple one comprising of a love story but the technical finesse used in the movie might redefine the way movies are made worldwide. The movie has been made on a large scale and could be put in any genre of action, adventure, sci-fi and drama. This is a visual epic bigger and better than any other movie ever made. Movie is best watched in 2D or 3D theatres to truly experience its visual extravaganza.

Avatar is over two and half hours and cine goers are bound to come back satisfied and surprised. You will get to see unique world of floras & fountains apart from exotic species. The action sequences displayed in the movie are marvellous works of FX engineers and digital media. James Cameron even worked on developing a new language for the alien creatures shown in the movie and that gives them more authenticity. The scale is huge and production designs are stunning. Avatar is a must watch for any movie lover. 

This year, many movies despite promising high results failed to enthuse audiences and Cineplex’s wore a deserted look. One of them was 8 x 10 Tasveer directed by acclaimed director Nagesh Kukunoor who has his credits movies like Hyderabad Blues, Dor and Iqbal. Movie even had the star presence of Akshay Kumar but despite that viewers rejected movie out rightly. Critics blame the presence of too many loopholes in the movie which was basically a thriller.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan had only one release this year and it was Billu Barber. Movie was based on Malayalam film Kadha Parayumbol and this was the first time Shahrukh and Priyadarshan had worked as a team but that too didn’t help the movie. It was too filmy and somehow the spark was missing. Despite the presence of some controversies and appealing items songs, movie sank at the box office.

The second half of the year had its hopes pinned on hit stars Saif Ali Khan and Kareena starrer Kurbaan but movie is perhaps one of the biggest flops of the year. Movie had every possible ingredient including tight script, good acting, good direction and songs and chemistry of real cum reel life couple yet movie sank without a trace. It’s hard to fathom what exactly viewers wanted.

Diwali witnessed release of three big movies in All The Best, Blue and Main Aurr Mrs Khanna. The last one mentioned had presence of bankable stars like Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Sohail Khan and yet movie was a bigger disaster than sunken Titanic. It is said that because of lack of response some theatres even had to cancel the shows. Salman experienced best of both the worlds in form of Wanted and Main Aurr Mrs Khanna. Hopefully, year 2010 will bring great news for all the bollywood fans and stars alike.

 Movie Name                                            Director                                                       Starring

My Name is Khan                                  Karan Johar                                       Shahrukh, Kajol

1-800 Love                                           Abbas Tyrewala                                  John Abraham, Pakhi

Anjaana Anjaani                                     Siddharth Anand                  Ranbir Kapoor,Priyanka Chopra

Action Replayy                                              Vipul Shah                  Akshay Kumar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan,        

Chance Pe Dance                                                Ken Ghosh             Shahid Kapoor, Genelia D’souza

Agent Vinod                                                      Sriram Raghavan          Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor

Ayesha                                                                        Rajshree Ojha              Abhay Deol, Sonam Kapoor

Chatur Singh Two Star                                           Ajay Chandok            Sanjay Dutt, Ameesha, Anupam Kher

Chenab Gandhi                                                         Vibhu Puri               Amitabh Bachchan, Rajeev Khandelwal, Vidya Balan

Delhi Belly                                                                     Abhinay Deo              Imran Khan, Shenaz Treasurywala

Guzaarish                                                              Sanjay Leela Bhansali             Hrithik Roshan,Aishwarya Rai

Crooked (working title)                                         Abhinay Deo               Abhishek Bachchan, Jimmy Shergill, Gul Panag

  Dabanng                                                                     Abhinav Kashyap         Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Sonakshi Khan

I Hate Luv Stories                                                       Punit Malhotra     Imran Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Sammir Dattani

Dhobi Ghaat                                                                      Kiran Rao                   Prateik Babbar, Aamir Khan

Hook Ya Crook                                                                David Dhawan          John Abraham, Genelia D’souza, Kay Kay, Lara

Ishqiya                                                                            Abhishek Chaubey        Naseruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, Vidya

House Full                                                                           Sajid Khan                      Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone,

                                                                                                                                                   Ritesh Deshmukh, Arjun Rampal,

Johnny Mastana                                                            Shoojit Sircar                     Amitabh Bachchan, Dia Mirza, Sarika,

Rakta Charitra                                                               Ram Gopal Varma         Vivek Oberoi, Shatrughan Sinha,

Rann                                                                            Ram Gopal Varma                  Amitabh Bachchan, Ritesh Desmukh, P.rawal

Run Bhola Run                                                                    Neeraj Vora                   Govinda, Tusshar Kapoor,  

Teen Patti                                                                          Leena Yadav                            Amitabh Bachchan, Sir Ben

                                                                                                                                         Kingsley, R Madhavan, Saira Mohan,                   

Tees Maar Khan                                                                      Farah Khan                                   Akshay Kumar

Tera Kya Hoga Johnny?                                                        Sudhir Mishra                    Neil Nitin Mukesh, Soha Ali

                                                                                                                                                 Khan, Kay Kay Menon, Shahana Goswami