An Aparna Sen film is always special. Like her previous endeavours, THE JAPANESE WIFE [a film in Bengali with English sub-titles] also looks at relationships. Only thing, this time it's about two strangers, who start off as pen friends, exchange letters, get drawn towards each other, even get married through letters, but never meet each other. Despite staying apart and not meeting even once, the couple share an honest and chaste relationship, confiding the smallest of incident to one another, thru letters and phone calls.
This unique story [penned by Kunal Basu] is translated beautifully on celluloid thanks to Aparna Sen's deft handling of the material. Of course, a story like this unwinds at a leisurely pace, but there's no denying that the proceedings keep you engrossed for most parts, mainly towards the penultimate moments.
Aparna Sen also gets it right because her choice of actors is perfect. And the characters they portray are real as well as unreal. Real, because there do exist people who look beyond physical relationships and who eventually become soul mates. It's unreal at the same time because, in today's times, when love, sex and dhokha have become a norm, characters like Snehamoy and Miyage appear straight out of dreams. Do they belong to this era, really? You may watch THE JAPANESE WIFE for varied reasons. But I recommend that you watch it with someone you love.
Snehamoy [Rahul Bose] and Miyage [Chigusa Takaku] are pen friends, who exchange wedding vows through letters. Yet, even after fifteen years of marriage, the two have not met. It is always a question of not having enough money or Miyage's sick mother or Snehamoy's mashi's [Moushumi Chatterjee] health. But their physical absence in each other's lives never comes in the way of their sense of belonging as a couple.
A young widow, Sandhya [Raima Sen], comes to stay with Snehmoy along with her eight-year-old son Paltu. Sandhya is Snehamoy's mashi's god-daughter. With Sandhya, Snehamoy discovers a bond of domesticity as they gradually start sharing household chores. With Paltu, Snehamoy discovers the joys of fatherhood. When Miyage falls sick and has to leave her home to live with her brother, Snehamoy is frantic with worry. As days pass by and Miyage's health worsens, it becomes clear that Snehamoy will need to visit an oncologist in Kolkata to get a proper assessment of his wife's condition. A storm strikes as he makes his way to the city and he returns disheartened and severely drenched.
Far from his wife and desperately worried over her health, Snehamoy's life hangs by the thread as he is tended by Sandhya, just as any beloved husband would be by a loving wife.
A compelling story comes alive if the writing has meat and the actors are on the same page as the director. Aparna successfully creates a world that's so simple and relatable. In fact, that's one of the highpoints of the film. The purity and simplicity is what wins you over.
On the flip side, the bond between Rahul and Paltu comes across well, but the relationship between Rahul and Raima isn't too convincing. The writing isn't coherent during these portions. Also, the sub-titles get merged with the colours on screen and aren't decipherable at most times. Talking of performances, Rahul Bose delivers a stellar performance. He portrays his character with panache. Chigusa Takaku is equally convincing, enacting her part with restraint. Raima doesn't get too many lines to deliver, but conveys a lot through her eyes. Moushumi Chatterjee is a revelation. She's exceptional.
On the whole, THE JAPANESE WIFE is an emotional journey that keeps you hooked for its sheer novel story. A film for connoisseurs of art house cinema mainly!
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He is being hunted by the secret service of India, the CBI and the biggest white collared criminals in the world. He is the most wanted man in the country because only he knows the whereabouts of the heist, which contains a secret that is linked not only to his loss of memory, but threatens the future of the human race.
Director Kookie Gulati has an eye for visuals and that's evident from the very start of the film itself. The film looks magnificent and wears an international look as well. Shiraz Ahmed's screenplay is watertight in the first hour, but leaves a lot to be desired in the latter portions. Dialogues [Mayur Puri] are well worded. Cinematography [Vishnu Rao] is top notch and the eye-filling locations are a visual treat. Allan Amin's stunts and chases are mesmeric. Sachin Gupta's musical score is trendy and catchy. 
Nothing works in PANKH. The protagonist is besotted by a stunning looking actress and even fantasises about her, so why this hullabaloo about his sexual identity? And pray, what is Bipasha doing in so many avtaars? Did she walk on the set straight out of a fashion show?
TUM MILO TOH SAHI has three different stories running concurrently, but get merged into one after intermission. The Nana-Dimple chapter is the pick of the lot, in terms of writing and execution, followed by Suniel-Vidya track and Rehan-Anjana story.
Suniel too strikes a chord and plays his part with amazing maturity. Vidya Malavade is super, a dependable actor. Rehan springs a pleasant surprise. It's an honest performance. Anjana is a complete natural too, displaying the varied emotions with ease. Amongst the host of supporting actors, Mohnish Bahl and Amit Behl stand out. Raghav Sachar has a brief role; he looks photogenic. The child actor playing Dimple's grandson is very good.
Two commonalities in Raj Kanwar movies… One, he has always stressed on drama in his movies and SADIYAAN is no exception. Two, the maker has often worked with newcomers [SRK in DEEWANA, Aarya Babbar and Amrita Rao in AB KE BARAS and Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra in ANDAAZ] and now, it's Shatrughan Sinha's son Luv Sinha in SADIYAAN. 
Rishi Kapoor, Rekha and Hema Malini are the lifeline of the film. Rishi is top notch. Rekha is amazing, while Hema is perfect. In fact, it's a treat to watch the two actresses share screen space after a really long gap. Luv Sinha needs to polish his acting skills. He's slightly awkward in the first part, but decent in the second half, when the goings-on get emotional. Ferena is a decent actor, but needs to work on her makeup and wardrobe. 
Krish [Aamir Bashir] and Meera [Sandhya Mridul], a young couple, go in search of a legendary magical insect -- The Great Indian Butterfly. Last seen by an unknown Portuguese explorer, in a remote valley located in Goa, the butterfly possesses a magical aura, granting immense happiness, peace, love and luck to the person who catches it.
The film is embellished with bona fide performances by Aamir Bashir and Sandhya Mridul. Aamir is a remarkable actor and it's a pity that we haven't tapped his acting abilities in our movies. Ditto for Sandhya, who deserves much more than what she's being offered. Koel Purie is efficient in a small role. Barry John is alright. 
Love knows no language. Love knows no barriers. Love knows no age. It's this thought that director Kabir Sadanand tries to encapsulate in his second directorial venture TUM MILO TOH SAHI.
If you observe director Karan Razdan's body of work, you'll realize that he has, quite often, made women-centric movies that defy stereotype...
Mitali [Rituparna Sengupta], a successful model, has dreams of marrying the prince of her dreams. She meets Karan Mittal [Rohit Roy], the heir to one of the richest families in the country. Mitali's simple, middle-class upbringing is in complete contrast to Karan's super-brat lifestyle. 
Unable to bear the humiliation and pain after she is repeatedly raped by him, Mitali decides to take charge of her life. Mitali walks out of Karan's home, hires a lawyer [Suchitra Krishnamoorthi] and files a case against her husband. Karan retaliates by hiring the best lawyer [Gulshan Grover] money can buy to fight on his behalf. 
Also, he film turns formulaic in the post-interval portions. There's an item song [Hazel], there's a hidden past of the husband [Iravati Harshe] and also his mother and a few more scenes [calling both the parties for a discussion on a TV show] that are far from convincing. Why this need to resort to clichés and formulaic stuff? Ideally, it should've been a stark and gritty film on this issue. 
Corruption has made deep inroads in every sphere of life and Shyam Benegal focuses on it in his new endeavour WELL DONE ABBA!. Like his previous film WELCOME TO SAJJANPUR, WELL DONE ABBA! is also set in rural India and has characters you either know or observed in the course of your journey.
When you weigh the pros and cons, WELL DONE ABBA! is an average fare from a maker who has made much better films in the past.
Like most Benegal movies, WELL DONE ABBA! has a story to tell with a message. Although the issue [corruption] isn't new and has been attempted in various movies before, the interesting characters and the way the story moves ahead make the effort watchable, in the first hour mainly. 
The casting is perfect and the performances, super. Boman Irani is the lifeline of WELL DONE ABBA!. You can't imagine any other actor enacting the part. He is incredible, handling the two roles differently and of course, impeccably. Minissha takes you by complete surprise. She's fantastic in a role that you never thought she could carry off. This film should make people notice this talented actor. 
I've often said, interesting ideas don't necessarily translate into enthralling celluloid experiences. That's what I realized, for the umpteenth time, as HUM TUM AUR GHOST concluded.
Now here's the hitch. The screenplay - the lifeline of any film - is what makes a film stand on its feet and in this case, HUM TUM AUR GHOST suffers due to inept writing. Ideally, the writers and director should've come to the point right away, but the film takes its own sweet time to come to the point and what comes across is also not enticing, barring a couple of attention-grabbing moments. By then, the viewer has already lost interest in the film. 
Soon, Armaan becomes aware of his special ability to connect with the dead. Equipped with a will to fulfil the wishes of these spirits who hound him, Armaan sets out on a mission to help out three souls - a child, an old man and a young woman. 
Director Kabeer Kaushik was entrusted with a great idea, but his team of writers blew it up into smithereens. The impact generated by a few worthy of note sequences gets evaporated as the film reaches its culmination, primarily because the writing doesn't hold. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music is strictly okay. Ashok Mehta's cinematography is of top quality. 
Post RAAZ and 1920, you expect an enthralling horror film, with chills aplenty, from Vikram Bhatt. You presume his third horror film SHAAPIT would be even more scarier than his earlier works, mainly because Bhatt is now a seasoned player, as far as this genre is concerned.
When Kaaya's parents [Murli Sharma, Nishigandha Wad] hear about their daughter's accident, they rush to the hospital to find an engagement ring on their daughter's finger. Distraught, the father explains to the young couple that three hundred years back, their family had incurred the curse of an angry Brahmin and that curse did not allow the daughters of their family to be married. 
A number of sequences bear the unmistakable stamp of this refined storyteller - Vikram Bhatt. Sample these... 
Yet, despite the minor hiccups, Bhatt keeps you hooked to the proceedings. Those looking for chills, well, SHAAPIT has it in plenty. Also, his storytelling is super-stylish. Chirantan Bhatt's music is tuneful, although one misses the haunting tunes of RAAZ and 1920. The background score [Raju Rao] heightens the impact of the chills. Pravin Bhatt's camerawork is eye-filling. Dialogues [Girish Dhamija] are appropriate. The production design [Rajat Poddar] is excellent, especially the set of the palace. Special effects are amongst the best we've seen in Hindi movies. Costumes [Rahil Raja] are in sync with the demand of the characters.
A title like LAHORE gives you the feeling that it's an Indo-Pak story. The fact is, it is, but it's about kick-boxing, a sport that hasn't been presented on celluloid before, at least on the Hindi screen. Cricket, boxing, hockey and football have found their way on the Hindi screen, but kick-boxing, not to my knowledge.
The selection of the Indian kick-boxing team is to be done. The final stage of qualification is in process. Amidst all this there is a minister [K. Jeeva], who wants his favourite participant to be selected; a coach [Farooque Shaikh], who wants merit to be the order of the day; an aspirant [Sushant Singh], who dreams to qualify purely on the basis of his merit; another aspirant [Kelly Dorji], who is over-confident, well connected and aims high to represent India. 
The highpoint of the film are the kick-boxing duels -- in Kuala Lumpur first [first half] and Lahore [second half] later. The sequence at the interval is shocking and one looks forward to an equally exhilarating second hour. 
Farooque Shaikh is top notch. Saurabh Shukla compliments him well. Sabyasachi Chakraborty is incredible. Sushant Singh enacts his part efficiently. Shraddha Nigam is good. Mukesh Rishi conveys a lot through silence. Shraddha Das carries the Pakistani look well. Nafisa Ali is restrained. Ashish Vidyarthi is proficient. K. Jeeva is perfect. Kelly Dorji impresses. Nirmal Pandey gets minimal scope. 
Generally speaking, a film starring relative newcomers and helmed by a first-time director comes with zilch expectations. And if the film in question happens to be a suspense-thriller, the debutante director has to walk a tight rope. One false step and chances are he'd fall on his face.
They were kids - Om, Abhi, Jaideep, Imran, Gunita and Jyotika. And it all started as a game on a chilly Christmas night. But little did they expect that night that the game would change their lives forever. Twelve years later, while some still wrestled with memories of that fateful night and others left it buried deep within them, it was a past that came back to haunt them again.
The performances by the lead actors are neat, with every member putting his/her best foot forward. Purab Kohli is super-efficient, as always. Arjan Bajwa gets the look and feel of the character right. Samir Kochhar leaves a strong impact. Ayaz Khan is decent. Mrinalini Sharma springs a pleasant surprise with a 'spirited' performance. Amruta Patki impresses as well. 
Appearances can be deceptive. Somehow, I've not been able to connect to the promos of RIGHT YAAA WRONG. And now, after I've watched the film, I genuinely feel that the promos don't do justice to this taut thriller.
Ajay and Vinay [Irrfan Khan] were the best of friends, but an intense rivalry leads to a battle for supremacy. A dramatic confrontation ensues, where Vidya [Konkona Sen Sharma], Vinay's sister, chooses to support Ajay in this chase of mind games and Vinay has to fight it out. 
Sunny seems to get it right this time. He underplays his part beautifully. But it is Irrfan who lights fire in water and emerges the scene-stealer. He's excellent all through the second hour. Konkona stages an entry in the post-interval portions and makes a stunning impact in the courtroom sequences. Eesha Koppikhar is first-rate. Arav Chowdharry [Sunny's brother] enacts his part with conviction. 
