“read more”And here is the rest of itBy Taran Adarsh Editor Rating : 1/5
I've often been asked, what makes a film different from another film bearing a similar storyline? My reply is, the execution of the subject makes all the difference. Recall DOOSRI DULHAN. Now recall CHORI CHORI CHUPKE CHUPKE. The issue - surrogate motherhood - isn't new, but if handled expertly, it would make for an interesting viewing. Sadly, LIFE EXPRESS fails and fails miserably.
The serious issue has been tackled carelessly, callously and amateurishly and for this reason, it comes across as an exercise in boredom. In fact, the film falls flat at the screenplay level itself and since the direction [Anup Das] is equally unimaginative, even the talented actors in the cast fail to redeem the enterprise.
The ambitious Tanvi aborts the plans of having a baby since she feels that the impending pregnancy will make her skip her job for a few months and in turn, she would lose out on the golden opportunities in her career. Subsequently, a common friend suggests the concept of surrogate motherhood and they decide to go for it.
Just when you thought that Hindi cinema is evolving and first-time directors are ready to experiment with hitherto untold stories, a film like LIFE EXPRESS makes you change your opinion. The director had a solid plot on hand, but first the writer ruins it with an impoverished screenplay and subsequently, the director wrecks it by showing no maturity, as far as execution of the material is concerned. In fact, barring the sequence in the end - when Divya makes Rituparna realize the im
Rituparna Sengupta is a fine actor, but is bland here. Kiran Janjani is miscast. Divya Dutta is the sole actor who acts convincingly. Yashpal Sharma, as Divya's husband, is okay. Dayashankar Pandey provides some comic relief. Vijayendra Ghatge, Anjan Srivastava and Alok Nath are wasted.
On the whole, LIFE EXPRESS is a lifeless experience.
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Practically every new-age film-maker wants to attempt a real story on celluloid. Stories which are straight out of life/newspapers/news channels. These stories, generally, strike a chord with the ticket buying audience if narrated convincingly and most importantly, narrated within commercial parameters.
Final word? AASHAYEIN just doesn't meet the aashayein [hopes] of the viewer.
Though AASHAYEIN has nothing to do with ANAND [although there's a reference to the film], the least Kukunoor could've done was to narrate the story without getting into the fantasy zone. When you talk of matters as serious as death, when you show people spending their last days in a hospice, you can't deviate from the topic. Even the hospice here looks more like a small-town resort where people have come for a vacation. The seriousness is clearly missing!
Anaitha Nair is pure dynamite. Fiery, feisty, someone who can light fire in water. She's sure to make people notice her talent after this film. Sonal Sehgal is efficient. Girish Karnad, Farida Jalal and Prateeksha Lonkar are perfect. Ashwin Chitale [as Govinda] is natural to the core. Vikram Inamdar [as Xavier, John's friend] is alright. Sonali Sachdev [Doctor] is adequate. Shreyas Talpade appears in a song.
Okay, WE ARE FAMILY is the official adaptation of Chris Columbus' STEPMOM [1998] and lots of us have already watched this Julia Roberts - Susan Sarandon starrer. Even otherwise, the story of a woman, diagnosed with a terminal illness, entrusting her kids to the 'other woman' before she does the final salute, gives the feeling of deja vu. But WE ARE FAMILY is not a tear-jerker. Sure, it has dollops of emotions, but also integrates the light moments wonderfully in those 12 reels.
Final word? WE ARE FAMILY is for the family. It is well acted, deftly written, entertaining and broadly appealing drama. Watch it with someone you love!
On the flip side, the film tends to stagnate in the middle of the second hour. One expects the story to move forward, but there's not much movement here [thankfully, the film picks up wonderfully towards the penultimate reels]. Also, the music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is a complete letdown. You feel it all the more because Dharma is synonymous with excellent music. The only redeeming track in the enterprise is 'Let's Rock', which is high on energy. S-E-L need to reinvent themselves by experimenting a little more.
WE ARE FAMILY gives the two popular actresses an opportunity to sink their teeth into strongly drawn, juicy, challenging and interesting female roles that move beyond the normal stereotypes. The scene stealer is, without doubt, Kajol. She expresses the gamut of emotions brilliantly and speaks a million words even when silent. This is yet another incredible performance from an actor par excellence. Kareena excels yet again and her sequences with the kids are a delight. In fact, casting Kareena as the stepmom is just right, since she's the only actor who can stand up to Kajol in high-voltage scenes and that's because Kareena is a powerful actor herself. Arjun continues to surprise. ROCK ON, HOUSE FULL, RAAJNEETI and now WE ARE FAMILY indicates the growth of this actor. He handles the emotional moments well too. The kids - all three of them - are superb. In fact, the casting of the kids [done by Shanoo Sharma] is an ace.
Certain stories that the Ramsay Brothers attempted a few decades ago are being rehashed and packaged in new avtaars to this date. The revenge of the restless soul, the reincarnation bit, the spate of murders, the decomposed dead body coming to life… haven't we watched it all in the past? MALLIKA is hackneyed, uninspired and clichéd from start to end. Also, there's nothing in the film that would make you jump out of your seat or give you sleepless nights at home. On the contrary, the film is unintentionally funny and also makes you chuckle at the absurdities at several points in the story.
MALLIKA holds a new record in recent times: Practically every woman in the film goes for a shower or heads for a bathing tub every 10/15 minutes. If that's not enough, the women wear the skimpiest of outfits, which makes it looks like a skin-fest of sorts. Besides the aatma seeking revenge, there's a half-baked love story, a weirdo cop and a couple of songs thrown in to complete the package.
First things first! THE FILM EMOTIONAL ATYACHAR bears no resemblance to a reality show with the same name [EMOTIONAL ATYACHAR]. Nor is THE FILM EMOTIONAL ATYACHAR an exposé on relationships. Now let's proceed...
One has to be attentive, sorry, very attentive while watching THE FILM EMOTIONAL ATYACHAR. This one's not the leave-your-brains-at-home types, for sure. The story of the film is truly hatke and its execution, double hatke. In fact, it takes time to grasp the goings-on initially because the characters aren't connected with one another and also, there're multiple stories running concurrently.
The show belongs to Ranvir Shorey and Vinay Pathak. The duo is top notch and the camaraderie is superb. It's a tailor-made role for Ravi Kishan and he carries the tapori lingo well. Mohit Ahlawat is in sync with his character. Kalki Koechlin is charming and handles her part with amazing ease. Abhimanyu Singh is wonderful. Snehal Dabhi entertains. Sakshi Gulati gets no scope. Anand Tiwari is a fine actor.
The fight between good and bad has been the fodder of many a Hindi film of 1970s and 1980s. In fact, it wouldn't be erroneous to state that these films dominated the cinema of yore and a lot of us, who have grown up on masala films/wholesome entertainers, will vividly recall the serpentine queues outside cinema halls and a mad scramble to book the tickets of those films. Hardcore masala films were relished with glee by the audience then.
Most importantly, it has Salman like never before. Breathing fire and venom, Chulbul Pandey aka Robinhood Pandey taps Salman's star power like no film has and the result is sheer magic. In fact, DABANGG stands on three pillars - Salman's star power, smashing stunts and super music.
When Makhanchan realizes he has been used, he turns to Chulbul. Will Chulbul take his extended hand? Will the brothers be able to thwart their detractors?
Director Abhinay Singh Kashyap is in his element. He's made an out and out entertainer with an eye at the masses and he succeeds in his endeavour. Doing justice to vintage formula is no cakewalk, let's not forget. Besides, the director stays away from going overdramatic while handling the dramatic and emotional moments. This explains why you don't exit the theatre with a spinning head. Mahesh Limaye's cinematography is perfect. I'd like to make a note of the editing [Pranav V. Dhiwar], which is super-slick in action scenes. Dialogue, especially those delivered by Salman, will be greeted with claps and whistles. Especially the one 'Itne chhed karunga'.
Vinod Khanna is excellent in a role that has grey shades. Dimple Kapadia is truly wonderful. Anupam Kher is, as always, good. Ditto for Om Puri. Mahesh Manjrekar doesn't get ample scope. Mahi Gill is alright. Tinnu Anand is effective. Murli Sharma is nice. Malaika Arora Khan sizzles in the 'Munni' track. 




























