Sorry Bhai – Movie Review

Star rating: 

Cast: Shabana Azmi, Boman Irani, Sanjay Suri, Sharman Joshi, Chitrangda Singh

Director: Onir

Producer: Onir, Vashu Bhagnani

Cinematography: Sachin Kumar

Editing: Irene Dhar Malik

Screenplay: Ashwini Malik

While I went to watch Dostana last week, I was attracted to the poster of the next release, Sorry Bhai. It was not the sensuous Chitrangda Singh that drew my attention, but the punch line that reads “Come, fall in love with your brother’s bride”. It is, indeed, a bold first-of-its-kind punch line, which may lead us to think in all weird ways. So, I made up my mind to watch it.

My plans to watch the movie went for a toss when I learnt that the Delhi High Court has put a stay on the release of the film till Dec 8 following a complaint by singer Rabbi Shergill. According to his complaint, one of the film’s songs is a copy of a composition from his album “Avengi Ja Nahi”. However, I was relieved when I came to know that the stay has been lifted subject to the deletion of the controversial song and the music related to the song from the film. Thankfully, the movie has been released this Friday as per its schedule.

I have been able to watch Sorry Bhai on Friday only. Directed by Onir, it is a fantastic fun romantic comedy. The movie has wonderfully portrayed the attraction of a man towards his own brother’s to be bride (played by Chitraganda Singh), and how hard he tries to come out of it. The movie is not about any kind of extra marital affairs or betrayal in relationships. It is more about an innocent love, which finds it difficult seek acceptance due to societal pressures.

Sanjay Suri and Sharman Joshi have been excellent as brothers, while Bomam Irani and Shabana Azmi once again proved their mettle in a fun romantic comedy. It was an absolute delight to watch gorgeous Chitrangda Singh after her impressive debut act in Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi. All these years, she was busy travelling with her golfer husband Jyoti Randhwa, and has finally come back with a bang. Playing the female lead in Sorry Bhai, she has been reported to be at the heights of her ecstasy for being able to work with Shabana Azmi. In fact, the entire star cast has complemented one another greatly, making it a must watch movie.

Dibakar Banerjee Bangs Again with Oye Lucky Lucky Oye

Star rating:

Cast: Paresh Rawal, Manu Rishi, Richa Chadda, Anurag Arora, Rajinder Sethi, Abhay Deol, Neetu Chandra, Archana Puran Singh, Manjyot Singh

Director: Dibakar Banerjee

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Cinematography: Kartik Vijay

Screenplay: Dibakar Banerjee, Urmi Juvekar

Do you remember Khosla Ka Ghosla? Yes, a brilliant comedy with a touch of reality by Dibakar Banerjee. If you have liked Dibakar’s first venture, you are sure to love his next directorial masterpiece, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye. This time, Dibakar presented the life of a Delhi thief, which has brought into limelight once again the case of the notorious Delhi thief, Bunty, who has been recently arrested by the Delhi Police.

I wanted to watch it at any cost, as I have become a big fan of Dibakar after watching his Khosla Ka Ghosla. Now that I have watched it today, I can say, it’s a brilliant movie. The whole movie revolves around a thief, who is no ordinary thief by any means. For him, stealing is an art which he thoroughly enjoys. He steals to enjoy all the luxuries in life. This is where the story looks like an adaptation of Bunty’s life where he targets not only money, but also luxury cars, gadgets, and other material goods that are enjoyed by only the elite class.

Abhay Deol, playing the role of the thief, Lucky has given a marvelous performance. He has beautifully portrayed the character’s fetish for all luxuries of life, and how much he enjoys stealing. He has proved once again that he is the only Deol who can make it big in off-beat roles (if you have not forgotten his Manorama Six Feet Under). Another hilarious angle of the movie is Paresh Rawal, who has played three different characters for the first time in this movie. Each character is in complete contrast to the other. If you ever wanted to see the extent of versatility in Paresh Rawal, and that too in the same frame, watch Oye Lucky Lucky Oye.

Oye Lucky Lucky Oye is not a movie that merely serves the purpose of entertaining people. It is more than just a commercial flick. It carries a deep message that may touch our heart. It has presented the bitter truth of vast inequalities prevailing in our society. While one class of people get to enjoy all luxuries of life, there is another class, which can’t even afford to live a decent life with an access to all basic amenities. Such disparities result into a class of people who become desperate to get all luxuries of life, even if that means following a path, which is not-so-legal.

Yuvraaj: Subhash Ghai’s Second Directorial Film of 2008

Star rating:

Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor, Zayed Khan, Boman Irani

Director: Subhash Ghai

Producer: Subhash Ghai

Lyrics: Gulzar

Cinematography: Kabir Lal

Story Writer: Kamlesh Pandey, Sachin Bhaumick, Subhash Ghai

All these years, Mukta Arts came with several movies, with its managing Director, Subhash Ghai only as a producer of most of them (released during past 3-4 years). However, year 2008 has seen him wearing the director’s cap for the second time. After a three year hiatus from directing, he returned with his directorial film Black & White, released in March, 2008. Now, for the second time, he has taken up the job of a director with his recent release Yuvraaj.

Yuvraaj is released on 21st of November. I have already made it to the first day first show of the movie. I was counting days for this moment. Earlier the movie was slated to be released on Diwali. However, later the plan changed, and it was scheduled to be released on 21st November instead. I was very excited to watch this movie owing to its great music (No doubt on that if Ghai’s favourite A.R Rahman has composed the music). The trailers of the film were looking very musical just like Ghai’s Taal.

As the movie talks about the power of music in strengthening sour relationships, the musical feel given to the movie is just apt. Known as the “Showman” of Bollywood, Subhash Ghai has presented grandeur and a rich theme in Yuvraaj (as the name also suggests). After 9 long years, he paired up with his favourite star, Anil Kapoor. The movie has marked some brilliant performances by Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Zayed Khan, Katrina Kaif and Boman Irani. Anil Kapoor, Salman and Zayed have looked quite convincing as brothers.

Salman Khan has looked quite impressive in Yuvraaj, especially with his real lady love, Katrina Kaif. The movie is heart touching and may be loved by every class of audience. Excellent movie…..

In a recent press conference, Zayed Khan showed his excitement for sharing the silver screen for the first time with Salman, another powerful Khan of Bollywood. After doing Main Hoon Naa with Shahrukh Khan, his desire was to team up with our Sallu as well. With Yuvraaj, his wish has been fulfilled. I was actually surprised to see him give such a great performance amidst stars like Salman and Anil Kapoor.

Subhash Ghai has left no stone unturned for the promotion of the film. Salman Khan has been actively involved in most of the promotional events. For instance, he made a guest appearance in Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. He has also met children in a recently organized event in Mumbai. All these promotional events may not have been needed. This is because everyone is eager to watch Subhash Ghai’s movies, especially if they are made around a musical theme, one of the strongest points of Ghai’s movies.

Deshdrohi: A Low Budget Movie with a Heavy Impact

Star rating:

Cast: Gracy Singh, Ravi Kishan, Manoj Tiwari, Hrishita Bhatt, Mukesh Tiwari, Yashpal Sharma, Nirmal Pandey, Ranjeet, Raza Murad, Shakti Kapoor

Director: Jagdish Sharma

Producer: Kamal Rashid Khan

Lyrics: Vimal Kashyap

Story Writer: Kamal Rashid Khan

Released on Nov 14, 2008, Deshdrohi has attracted the attention of the entire nation owing to its story that revolves around the recent issue of MNS workers’ anti-North Indian campaign. Although, I was not too inclined to watch this movie for its not so familiar star cast, I finally watched it today. The hard hitting trailers of Deshdrohi compelled me to watch it. After watching it, I can say one thing. I am actually moved by its story line that has beautifully captured the ongoing regionalism.

Director Jagdish Sharma has been successful in portraying the hatred that people of one Indian state may develop towards the people of other states, if a dirty game is played by our so-called politicians. The film has been truly brilliant in capturing the plight of North Indians who have gone to Mumbai for their livelihood. Like me, my friends have also liked the movie for its message that talks about unity. It has made us think how can we hate people of our own country, if they belong to some other state.

All the characters of Deshdrohi, including the lead actors Kamal Rashid Khan, Gracy Singh, Aman Verma, Kim Sharma, and Hrishita Bhatt have looked apt in their respective roles. However, the strong story line of this movie has sidelined the debut performance of Saif Ali Khan’s Ex girlfriend Rozza Catalano in Deshdrohi. Only after watching the movie, I too came to know about Rozza’s presence in this film. Many of us are also excited to think how Zulfi Syed (Big Boss Finalist in its Season two) would feel after seeing him on the silver screen. He too has done a small, yet strong role in Deshdrohi. After staying for almost 100 days in the house of Big Boss, it would be a great time for him as his film has just been released.

Although Deshdrohi has been successful in getting wide publicity, it may not be shown in Mumbai theaters. The reason being, the Mumbai police has asked the state government to ban the movie in Maharashtra as it contains many sensitive issues, which might trigger fresh tensions between MNS workers and people from UP and Bihar. Such a statement came after the movie was specially premiered for the Mumbai Police on Tuesday. However, I think that the movie should be shown everywhere as it may become successful in removing hatred amongst the people of our country, and also may encourage them to raise their voice against the dirty politics of regionalism.

On the whole, the movie is a must watch for its excellent story and direction.

Dostana: Not a Serious Film on Homosexuality

Star rating:

Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham, Shilpa Shetty, Priyanka Chopra

Director: Tarun Mansukhani

Producer: Karan Johar

Lyrics: Anvita Dutt Guptan, Vishal Dadlani, Kumaar

Cinematography: Ayananka Bose

The first thing that drove me madly to watch Dharma Production’s new release “Dostana” was the alleged homosexuality, and that too between hot John Abraham and classy Abhishek Bachchan. I was all prepared to watch something that may come close to Hollywood’s popular movie on gays, ‘Brokeback Mountain’. However, when I finally watched it on Friday night, the first day of its release, I was deeply surprised to see what the movie was actually all about. But, I must admit that the marketing of the movie, not to forget, a series of promotional campaigns surrounding it, were all hinting at some gay episode. Even the special talk show that Karan Johar hosted, one week before the release of the movie, with the main star cast (Priyanka Chopra, John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan), and which was aired on NDTV Imagine was trying to portray a romantic angle between John and Abhishek. By doing so, the movie has succeeded in attracting the attention of movie buffs. In a way, we were all expecting to see something serious on gays, and were waiting for a trend setter in Bollywood.

But, friends……do not expect anything serious on homosexuality. Rather the film is a laugh riot where two sexy and straight boys pretend to be gays in the eyes of their landlady for a genuine purpose. Director Tarun Mansukhani must be applauded for his brilliant work. If you found the chapter between Shahrukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan in Kal Ho Na Ho hilarious, hold your breath in case of Dostana. Abhishek was superb in portraying a character that was trying by all his means to look and sound like a gay. The comedy surrounding this entire issue can make anyone laugh like never before. Besides, Priyanka, John and Abhishek, the other stars of the movie, including Bobby Deol, Boman Irani, Kirron Kher and Sushmita Mukherjee were all awesome. The music by Vishal-Shekhar has already started appearing as the top chartbusters.

After watching the movie, it is clearly evident that this comedy flick has not tried to demean the emotions of anybody. Rather, it has presented homosexuality in a good light, while at the same time respecting the dignity of every individual. One thing is clear. The movie is largely targeted at the youth, who do not take the issue of homosexuality as anything taboo or against nature.

Dostana has been into news for one more reason, which has nothing to do with the film itself, but with its main star cast. John, Priyanka and Shilpa Shetty (in a special appearance), all were competing with one another on the screen. The competition is not about their performance, but about their body. Once you too have watched the movie, you can actually think of the amount of hard work that these three must have put into to get into that enviable, perfect shape.

Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi: Another Family Drama of Barjatya Banner

Star rating:

Cast: Sonu Sood, Isha Koppikar, Alok Nath, Smita Jaykar, Srivallabh Vyas, Anang Desai, Vishal Malhotra, Chhavi Mittal

Director: Kaushik Ghatak

Producer: Kamal Kumar Barjatya

This Friday, I saw the movie “Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi” produced by the Barjatyas. I wanted to see the movie on the very first day of its release, as I loved their previous blockbuster, “Vivah” immensely. I was expecting a heart touching movie from the Barjatyas this time as well. Even while watching its promos which appeared on the screen rarely, I liked the look of Isha Koppikar as a small town girl. Now that I have watched the movie, I can say that “Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi” has not succeeded in recreating the magic of Vivah. Although, they tried their level best, both Sonu Sood and Isha Koppikar failed to create the charisma that we have seen in Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit in Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and in Amrita Rao and Shahid Kapur in Vivah. But one thing is for sure; Isha Koppikar looked beautiful as a small town girl as against her hot image in the previous movies. As far as the other aspects are concerned, the movie has got everything that a Barjatya banner movie usually has like big sets, a long cast, an Indian joint family, countless number of songs, and above all, a depiction of Indian tradition and culture.

This is for the first time that a Barjatya movie has hit the theaters without much hype and promotion. Only few weeks before the release, I came to know about this movie. The star cast including the leading pair was also not given much hype. In fact, there are many of my friends who did not even know that Isha Koppikar and Sonu Sood are playing the lead pair in Barjatya’s next movie after Vivah. However, such a low key affair involving the promotions of the movie may be a teaser strategy by Barjatyas. They might have wanted to surprise people by rolling out a movie starring a pair, not placed on the A-list of Bollywood actors.

Just one day before the release of the movie, Isha Koppikar and Sony Sood made a guest appearance in NDTV Imagine’s “Mai Teri Parchhai Hoi”. Their appearance was shot on the occasion of marriage of the leading pair in the serial. This promotional attempt looked quite apt. As the serial also depicts true love and sacrifice in a marriage, Barjatyas have chosen the right platform to promote their film, even if it is a slightly late attempt.

Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion: Exposing the World of Fashion

Star rating:

Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Mugdha Godse, Kangna Ranaut, Arbaaz Khan, Harsh Chhaya, Madhur Bhandarkar, Karan Johar, Manish Malhotra, Neil Nitin Mukesh

Director: Madhur Bhandarkar

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Lyrics: Irfan Siddique, Sandeep Nath

If you believed that fashion industry is only about glamour, money and fame, think again. Madhur Bhandarkar’s recently released movie, “Fashion” brings to you the real world of fashion industry. Even before the film released, I liked its promos featuring the gorgeous Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut and Meghna Godse. However, after watching the movie last week, I can tell one thing. I never expected the movie to be so hard hitting. Although, Madhur Bhandarkar is known for his bold depiction of realistic fares, “Fashion” took him altogether to a different level. His direction coupled with Mahesh Limaye’s brilliant cinematography has been successful in capturing every aspect, rather I would say, the dark side of the fashion industry.

The movie “Fashion” has beautifully taken the audience through the journey of a young, female model (played by Priyanka) to make it top in the fashion world. After Aitraaz, this is the next best performance of Priyanka Chopra. But, the performance that deserves a real applause has been that of Kangana Ranaut. Although, there had been continuous denials from Madhur Bhandarkar and the entire star cast of the movie regarding Kangana’s character being influenced by the much publicized story of former model, Geetanjali Nagpal (who was found begging on South Delhi streets), I could see Madhur Bhadarkar’s attempt to show her story through Kangana’s character in the movie. It was indeed an awesome portrayal. This may have prompted the National Commission for Women to appeal for a ban on this movie. Apart from this, the movie has been into news for many other reasons. For instance, all of us might have read about gay fashion designers, casting couch, wardrobe malfunction, drug abuse and many such sensational stories about the fashion world, but “Fashion” presented all these in front of us in a manner that there is no option other than believing in all that we have read about. While exposing the fashion world, the movie has marked some brilliant performances by Meghna Godse, Harsh Chhaya, Sameer Soni, Kitu Gidwani, Raj Babbar, Suchitra Pillai, Arbaaz Khan, and Arjan Bajwa.

In a way, the boldness of the movie has shocked even the super models of the fashion industry. Models like Nayonika Chatterjee have come forward in full defensive mood. According to them, not every model from the fashion industry needs to go through the ordeals of sexual exploitation, drug abuse, casting couch and other such evils as shown in the movie. Whatever be the case, the movie has opened our eyes and also enlightened us in some way.

Golmaal Returns: A Much Awaited Release of the Year

Star rating:

Cast: Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Amrita Arora, Sharman Joshi

Director: Rohit Shetty

Producer: Dhilin Mehta

Screenplay: Neeraj Vora

Story Writer: Rumi Jaffrey

Shri Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd has come up with a sequel of their two year old hit film “Golmaal” in the form of “Golmaal Returns”. Although, called a sequel with the same star cast as far as the male protagonists are concerned, this new movie is not a carry forward of the previous story. It revolves around the same theme of comedy, but presents altogether a different story. The entry of four gorgeous female actors: Kareena Kapoor, Amrita Arora, Celina Jaitley and Anjana Sukhani has added a glamour quotient to the movie, besides making it a much awaited release of the year. This has also been due to the enormous success of “Golmaal”, two years back. The movie has been received by the audience quite well. The presence of Kareena Kapoor gave an impetus to its collections. In fact, the star value of Kareena overshadowed the presence of other three pretty girls. Most of the pre-release promotions were centered around her.

Directed by Rohit Shetty, the movie hit the theaters on Wednesday, 29^th Oct as opposed to the usual practice of a film being released on Friday. This strategy is quite understandable as the producer wanted to reap the advantage of the festive season. Released just a day after Diwali, it managed to start with a handsome box office opening.

An interesting thing about the movie is its music. While in its prequel “Golmaal”, the impressive music was composed by the duo Vishal and Shekhar, this time the job has been done by Pritam and guest composer, Ashish Pandit. This time too, the songs of the movie succeeded to top all the music charts. It is interesting to note that the songs have been sung by ten singers, many of whom are newcomers. This is indeed appreciable, as we get to hear many voices and also it adds versatility to the music score of the movie.

Last but not the least, unlike other movies which continue their promotional campaign till the release of the film, “Golmaal Returns” seems to have taken slightly a different path. The leading stars of the movie, Ajay Devgan and Tusshar Kapoor are making celebrity guest appearances in many reality shows, which are getting telecast after the movie has been released.