Film Festival

Double Dhamaal Pre-release Review

After the phenomenal success of the 2007 riotous and side-splitting comedy flick ‘Dhamaal’, Indra Kumar and his team is back to tickle your funny bone with the sequel ‘Double Dhamaal’. Presented under the banners, Maruti Pictures Pvt. Ltd. and Reliance Entertainment, this gleeful and frolic flick is directed by Indra Kumar, who, along with Ashok Thakeria, has also played producer to it. With all the characters from the previous film, the new additions to this comedy caper include the sexy and hot Mallika Sherawat and the completely ravishing Kangna Ranaut, since the prequel didn’t star any female leads. The trendy and highly versatile music numbers are composed by music director Anand Raaj Anand and lyricist Mayur Puri. ‘Double Dhamaal’ is slated for a June 24, 2011 release.

The four idiots, or rather fun delivers, are back with hopes of creating twice the fun, twice the enjoyment, and twice the laughter. Four good-for-nothing friends, Adi (Arshad Warsi), Roy (Ritiesh Deshmukh), Manav (Jaaved Jaaferi), and Boman (Aashish Chaudhary) return to find better ways of living a comfy life without doing anything. For guys (call them jokers!), whom hard work doesn’t exist in the dictionary, the least they can expect is dream a good life while earning helluva lot of money. What they are unaware of is their partner in crime in the prequel, Inspector Kabir Nayak (Sanjay Dutt) is no more a cop and is leading a luxurious life with lots of money in his accounts to splurge, Mercedes to drive in, a posh office to run, and a plush bungalow to live in. Seeing their arch enemy living a happy-go-lucky life, the four mad guys get envious and hope to snatch a share of Kabir’s fortune.

With this, begins a comical tale of plots and plans as the four boys try their luck at blackmailing Kabir to turn their dreams into reality, unknown about the wickedness and cleverness of Kabir, who is a step ahead in turning their dreams into nightmares, instead. Supported by his alluring wife Kamini (Mallika Sherawat) and gorgeous sister Kiya (Kangna Ranaut), Kabir readies you to a cat-and-mouse game, filled with rollercoaster rides, unexpected mayhem, and unlimited fun. With loads of twists and turns, who will have the last laugh – astute Kabir or four loveable buffoons? Do not miss the hot and sultry item number ‘Jalebi Bai’ filmed on Mallika Sherawat; thus, falling in the league of whether or not will it be as big as ‘Munni’ and ‘Sheila’. Just like the title, we have to wait and watch whether ‘Double Dhamaal’ creates twofold laughter and mirth at the box-office or not. Come June 24, 2011 and we’ll soon find out.

Let the monsoon magic begin as ‘Ready’ gears you up for a rollicking time ahead. Promising full on masti, mazza and dhamaal, ‘Ready’ is what you have been waiting for for long, considering the overdose of rom-coms. The interesting fact about Salman Khan movies is that they are a genre of their own—try categorizing his movies in the regular grades and you would be at a loss, for each of his flicks is one-of-its-kind. No matter how much the staid movie goers rebuff and scoff at his flicks stating them as “no-brainer, senseless drama”, each time the audience goes all the more gaga about the film, making it a super, duper hit. Take for example the tremendously successful ‘Dabangg’—who in the wildest of dreams could have thought the movie to bag the prestigious National Award? Having said that, ‘Ready’ may not be as big as ‘Dabangg’ but it wouldn’t be any less either.Coming back to ‘Ready’, the story line is not a pricey one—just the usual drama wherein the hero is from an affluent khandaan, the heroine is an orphan-on-the-run, who lands into the hero’s home mistakenly and out starts their love story. In no time, she becomes the favorite of his family members, of course with the clicked tactics of morning prayers and superfluous respect and reverence. Then there is a bunch of evil guys, after the property of the heroine and can go to any means to usurp the same. How hero manages to befool the villains and how he actually switches their mind from wrong to right is what ‘Ready’ is all about. Though you might have watched somewhat or even the same storyline earlier as well, what is different this time is it is packed with Salman’s dynamic presence and powerhouse performance. Aneez Bazmee has made up for the lack of novelty with bundle full of entertainment.The screenplay of ‘Ready’, however, doesn’t work well, for there are sequences in the movie that look out-of-place and sometimes, not attended to as well. The action sequences of the movie are total Salman Khan movie ishtyle—with loads of style, masti and mayhem. The last bit of the movie is sure to get the viewers in the frenzied mood with Salman going topless. The music is another factor that has worked well for ‘Ready’. Songs like ‘Character Dheela’ and ‘Dhinka Chika’ have already topped the charts, while ‘Humko Pyar Hua’ is slowly making a place of its own. Wondering why three stars then? Well, it the hit-and-miss dialogues, unnecessary confusion and somewhat seen-that-before feel that ‘Ready’ carries. Also, while the first half of the film is entertaining as you unveil each character, it is the bummer second half that has the problem. Also, ‘Ready’, much unlike ‘Dabangg’ or ‘Wanted’, isn’t a laugh-a-thon; in fact the funny moments are just hither and thither.Unabashedly, ‘Ready’ is in every sense of the word a Salman Khan movie. So, you have Salman, Salman, more Salman and only Salman. Love him or loathe him, he is Salman Khan, the darling of the masses—no doubt about that! And this explains his doing it all—cracking all the jokes, teaching bad goons a lesson, romancing, and of course, dancing outlandishly. Such has become the star power of this actor that his captivating screen presence is enough to get the box office rolling. As for Asin, she sure needs to do something about her acting or else her career is sure to go for a toss. Paresh Rawal is excellent and complements Salman beautifully, bringing the house down every time he utters a single word. Sudesh Lehri also needs to be complimented for his exceptional style of comedy. The gags and the gimmicks of ‘Ready’ are sure a stress-buster, if not more.Last Call: For hero-worship Salman fans, you would be watching ‘Ready’ anyways. As for others, keep your mind behind as you enter the theatre, for Ready is strictly meant to make you smile, laugh and break into guffaws. Break loose your apprehension—maaro a seeti and bajao a talli for Salman is back with a bang! Ready Hindi Movie Pre-release Review.

Want to know the secret of Salman Khan’s delivering back-to-back box-office hits, of late? Give yourself a break from Bollywood and catch up a flick from the South Indian cinema! Whether it’s the phenomenal ‘Wanted’, super-duper hit ‘Dabangg’, the most-awaited ‘Bodyguard’ with Kareena Kapoor, or the ready-to-be released ‘Ready’, apna Sallu bhai is concentrating on south remakes to re-establish his career. While ‘Wanted’ was a remake of 2007 Telugu ‘Pokkiri’, it’s the 2008 successful Telugu flick of the same name, starring Ram and Genelia, this time that falls into Salman’s hat. Directed by Aneez Bazmee, ‘Ready’ brings back Salman Khan and Asin together as the main protagonists after their first dud ‘London Dreams’. The movie is produced by Rajat Rawail, Bhushan Kumar, Nitin Manmohan, Kishan Kumar, and Sohail Khan, under the banners T-Series, Rawail Grandsons Entertainment and Software Pvt. Ltd., and Sohail Khan Productions. The rapping, connecting, and rhythmical soundtrack has been composed by Pritam Chakraborty and Devi Sri Prasad, while the lyrics have been penned by Neelesh Misra, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Kumaar, and Ashish Pandit. ‘Ready’ is scheduled to hit the silver screen on June 3, 2011.

‘Ready’ revolves around a rich and handsome businessman who falls in love with an orphan, with their marriage being disrupted by her greedy uncles. Prem (Salman Khan) is the sole heir to a wealthy and extensive empire owned by his father and uncles. But before he is handed over the property, his father wishes to get him married and settled, which falls under Prem’s law of don’ts, simply because he is happily enjoying his singlehood. Enter the sweet and bubbly orphan Sanjanna (Asin), whose uncles make all efforts to get possession of her fortune. In the act of a mistaken identity, Prem and Sanjanna cross each other and fall in love. Here, begins their eternal love story, only to be interrupted by Sanjanna’s unruly uncles who have second plans to marry her off to another guy, all for inheriting the long-desired wealth and property.

This follows a series of a roller-coaster ride and mirthful journey as Prem’s family takes the responsibility of uniting Prem and Sanjanna. With Prem masterminding the whole entertaining expedition, each family member plays his individual role to fool the deceitful uncles. Will the family succeed in releasing Sanjanna from this chaotic turmoil and make her their daughter-in-law? With the music and promos released, the chirpy and peppy ‘Character Dheela’ is already clicking with the audience, considering it to be a tribute to the legends Raj Kapoor – Nargis of ‘Shri 420’, Dilip Kumar – Madhubala of ‘Mughal-E-Azam’, and Dharmendra – Hema Malini of ‘Sholay’. Expect loads of fun, humor, entertainment as the very stylish and dashing Salman Khan brings you a heavy dose of side-splitting and slapstick comedy. After proving his expertise in action with ‘Wanted’ and ‘Dabangg’, will he grab another commercial success? Will he strike a hat-trick? Watch out when ‘Ready’ hits the theaters on June 3, 2011.

Seems like the underbelly of Mumbai has become the favorite amongst directors, but what they have simply forgotten is that not every script is as engaging as “Slumdog Millionaire” or as complete as “Once Upon A Time in Mumbai”. Nevertheless, the quest to portray the deceitful world on the big canvas successfully is what every director is aiming for. And the latest to join the bandwagon is first-time director Ankush Bhatt’s “Bhindi Bazaar Inc”. The story revolves around two gangs who have made pick-pocketing their vocation. So, we have characters who put in their heart and soul and try out creative ways to survive in this dangerous profession.The movie opens with two players playing the game of chess. Every move they make on the board is figurative of the movie moving forward. The two main protagonists of the movie Darzi (Gautam Sharma) and Fateh (Prashant Narayan) were street urchins before their life changed and they were absorbed into the world of pick-pocketing by the gangster, Mamu (Pawan Malhotra). Together, the kids become a part of one extended family, despite the hidden rivalry and jealousy. As years go by and the number of picked pockets increases to 550, both become capable henchmen of Mamu. However, with every success, the quest for power looms all the more high.No sooner, personal relationships are put on stake and the chase to be the most powerful becomes the only motive, primarily for Fateh. Apart from these, there are about of half a dozen of other characters in the movie. There is Mamu’s mami, Bano (Deepti Naval), a mistress Shabana (Vedita Pratap Singh), Darzi’s love interest, Simran (Shweta Varma), Kajri (Shilpa Shukla), Jackie Shroff who plays a narcotics cop and numerous other henchmen. What is interesting to note is that none of them add even a bit to the movie. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the characters just stroll in and out of the scenes aimlessly.First time director Ankush Bhatt has nothing to be happy about in his debutorial venture, for the film is all cluttered and loose. First the film takes too long to get on-board and when it does, you realize it is but a zilch. To add to the woes is the denigrated cinematography and strictly pedestrian dialogues. Such is the sad state of affairs that even the background score cannot hide the feebleness of the dialogues. The music of the film is further depressing, with even the raunchy number not grabbing many ears. As far as performance is concerned, while veteran actors are wasted, new actors have nothing much in them to be talked about.Last Call: “Bhindi Bazaar Inc” is an out-and-out unconvincing tale. Spare yourself the time, rather than indulging into this one!Bhindi Baazaar Inc Pre-release Review

A crispy conception, forceful storyline, and dynamic characters, all combine to bring you the latest in-line Bollywood venture, ‘Bhindi Baazaar Inc’. Presented under the banner Picture Thoughts Production, the movie marks the debut of newcomers Ankush Bhatt as director and Karan Arora as producer. Set in the underbelly of Mumbai, the flicks brings forward the underworld gang culture of reaching the top spot, using all illegitimate and barred methods. Interestingly, a gritty and coarse dramatic thriller like ‘Bhindi Baazaar Inc’ does have a music album, where it was expected to be a song-less affair. With half a dozen songs, the soundtrack is composed by Sandeep Vyas and Surya Narayan, to the lyrics of Naveen Tyagi and Ghalib Asad Bhopali. ‘Bhindi Baazaar Inc’ is set to hit the silver screen on June 17, 2011.

The infamous area of Bhindi Baazaar in the metropolitan Mumbai forms the base of this flick, with bloody politics, unruly gangs, and customary pickpocketing playing the main characters. Similar to any organization that comprises of employees and designations, the movie, too, has workers with their respective specializations, set skills, and administrative structure, and, most of all, business rivals. Bhindi Baazaar Incorporation is headed by a local mafia goon called Mamu. It is a position that no one ever thinks to reach, leave aside making attempts to even try. The movie revolves around vicious crime syndicates, beginning with the game of chess, played between two characters, Shroff (Kay Kay Menon) and Darzi (Gautam Sharma). With each one trying to move towards the other end of the chessboard to become the ‘Vazir’, ambitious and planned moves of a pawn fall into limelight. Agreed that pickpocketing is an art and a means of earning livelihood in Mumbai, how the two characters use their intelligence and spontaneity to survive in the profession to reach their destination is something to be checked out.

With the profession of pickpockets not being a clean journey, a trail of betrayals, revelations, deceits, and vengeance follows next. What’s more, not every pawn can be in the run and desire for the position of Vazir. In the dirty and wild game of chess, or call it pickpocketing, even kingmakers use pieces to accomplish their ultimate destination. Now, will Darzi succeed in becoming the Mamu, considering that he is the best friend of small time pickpocket, Fateh (Prashant Narayanan), who was once next in line to-be Mamu? Or does Shroff have second plans for Darzi who is an underdog for the game of chess? With a fresh concept and new story in hand, debuting director Ankush Bhatt can only hope for striking at the box-office in the first attempt. Expect loads of feared hierarchy, unspoken rules, authoritative commands, crafty wit, cold blooded betrayals, and shrewd intelligence. Watch out for the game of chess amid pickpocketing, when ‘Bhindi Baazaar Inc’ releases on June 17, 2011 in theaters near you.