Humshakals Review

*** This review is a repost from Bollyspice.com review ***

There are some movies that can be remade with current trends/technology and made to suit a new generation of viewers. Who knows, they can even be a cult classic in themselves. But to walk into a film with the byline ‘A Film Made By Sajid Khan’ is to forgo that notion and a few rights. The rights to have logic in your dictionary, the right to any real wit or sense of humour and the right to have a threshold on how much crass writing you can bear.

There is no point in making a mention of a story since there is none. In fact, films like Double Dhamaal and Rascals had more of a story than Humshakals does. Sach. Three sets of Saif Ali Khan, Riteish Deshmukh and Ram Kapoor, foreign locals, impossible situations, three beautiful ladies with no screen presence at all and a soundtrack to put you to sleep. That is all this film is about. Even the idea of dressing the three main actors as women has been done a trillion times before.

It’s understandable that slapstick comedy has its audience and Bollywood cine-goers take a particular fancy to it. It’s also understandable that some comedy isn’t required to be rocket science. But Sajid, how many times are you going to think the audience is stupid enough to take you seriously as a director? There is literally nothing in this film that you haven’t seen or heard before. Actually there is. The new is the level of stupidity on film. And while I can accept that not all great movies have brand spanking new stories, as a lover of comedy, there is no excuse for long-winded, haphazard writing that leaves the mind numb from sheer torture.

None of the actors could possibly save this horseplay infested film. Saif looks so disinterested, he’s sleep walking. For an actor who has shown wit in his comic roles, this film is a huge step backwards. Yes, Riteish has done questionable comedies before, you can’t say the man hasn’t been the diluted saving grace. Ram Kapoor gives a 5 second interesting performance in a negative shade and then that vanishes once again. Both him and Riteish, and the locales, are about the only decent aspects of the film but that too is only barely.

Tamannaah Bhatia is still fairly new to Hindi cinema but if this is going to be her path to selection, her future will be skeptical. The same goes for Esha Gupta, since wearing skimpy clothing and bikinis doesn’t amount to acting skill. Oh Bipasha Basu, what can be said that hasn’t been said already? Beyond the wish that these lovely ladies think twice before selecting a film like this.

A song that is heard by the heart stays on your playlist for longer than a song stuck in the mind. The negatives continue as Himesh Reshammiya decks out the tunes and literally, you forget them the minute they are heard. A shame since that’s where Himesh used to stay, once upon a time. Rameshwar S. Bhagat doesn’t help the cause as he forgets to cut out a lot of the nonsense writing, making the film an unbearable 2 hours 40 minutes. But its not like he had the best material to work with. Which brings us to the main culprit, our director. A director that started with Housefull and didn’t rest till we saw a Housefull 2: Dirty Dozen, and threw in a Himmatwala in between. Sajid Khan had the wit to take a dig at his own film but forgot to learn from it.

So am I biased? No. Did I have any expectation. No. Will I recommend Humshakals to anyone? Absolutely NOT. Not even to my own humshakal.

Dum Maaro Dum Review

**This review is a reprint of the Bollyspice Dum Maaro Dum review**

The stakes are high and lined up when it comes to Dum Maaro Dum. For Abhishek Bachchan, he needs to come back to form after Game andKhelein Hum Jee Jaan Se failed to muster up the marks. Rohan Sippy returns to wield the megaphone after 5 years. Besides the success duo, Bipasha Basu, Rana Daggubati and Prateik Babbar join them in a movie that has all the makings of a hard-hitting suspense thriller that's been hyped since the initial promos were released. Does it live up to the expectations? Read on to find out. 

Goa: A beautiful paradise on earth for so many. But every paradise has its demons that lurk in the night. For Goa, the snake with the forbidden fruit is drugs and Goa is swamped with them. It's the black stain on a white cloud and it's ACP Vishnu's (Abhishek Bachchan) job to get rid of it. But the battle against drugs is not his alone. There is Lorry (Prateik) who takes a wrong turn out of desperation for money. His story intertwines with Joki (Rana Daggubati) who bares scars from his lost love Zoey (Bipasha Basu) and who tries to help Lorry get out of the trap he's fallen into. However, before they can blink, the two get caught into the sickening web that Kamath is trying to clean. Kamath begins working with Joki and Lorry and turns his investigation to public figure Lorsa Biscuita aka the Biscuit [Aditya Pancholi]. But it is not only Biscuit that is at the heart of the evil, it is the shadow that hides in the background. The Drug Kingpin that has had the Goan police fooled for so long. The time has come for Kamath to get rid of this shadow named Michael Barbossa and with help from Lorry and Joki,Dum Maaro Dum is about the three men's battle with the snakes in the society but also the demons hidden within.

First of all, this film bears no resemblance to the past successes and failures of Rohan Sippy so it is best that the past be left where it is, in the past. This film marks his shift in genre to a thriller that has enough suspense to hold the audience's attention and entertain. But let's step back a bit and start with our performers. He may have hit damp squibs in the recent past but Abhishek Bachchan works ACP Vishnu Kamath to the full capacity while looking amazing. Whether it's anger, frustration or the confidence of a street-smart cop, he scores and is convincing to say the least. Right by his side is Rana Daggubati. The actor acts his part well and his potential that shined through in his first film Leader is evident again in his Hindi debut. He is fresh yet restrained while standing his ground next to A-list actors. This film is yet another example of the acting talents of Prateik Babbar. Only three films down, he is proving to be versatile with his role selection just like co-star Rana, and throughout the film there is never a moment that you feel he doesn't fit the character with his emotions and body language matching perfectly. Bipasha Basu plays an ambitious Zoe that is like a modern version of her role in Aakrosh as a "traumatized victim" character. However, the actress does make her presence felt in a male dominated cast and her chemistry with Rana is sweet and simple. Aditya Pancholi has an impressive track record somehow the actor doesn't hit the mark as needed. Where he scores in his outbursts, the subtle slyness and evil persona that is necessary for the antagonist isn't present all the time in his performance. Govind Namdeo hams on occasion and gets to the point of irritating in the second portion. Anaitha Nair is cute but barely there while the actor that plays Ricky is effective as is Vidya Balan.

Rohan Sippy has taken his time to get back into the director seat but the wait has proved beneficial. The director brings to life Sridhar Raghavan's story about three men of varying backgrounds and weaves them together in an easily understood yet intriguing narrative. If there is one aspect that stands out in DMD, its the cinematography by Amit Roy. Not a stone out of place like authenticity yet stylishly sexy, Amit brings the beauty of Goa onto celluloid that has rarely been seen before. From the intoxicating surroundings of a rave to the town parades, his work speaks for itself. Background score by Midival Punditz is top notch while Purva Naresh's dialogue is sharp at times.

However, DMD isn't a straight clean shot, the scenes in the second half lack the necessary depth needed, making them more like speed breakers to a fast pacing narrative. Editing by Aarif Shaikh should have reduced the intermittent lag that is present in the second half, including in the sequence leading up to the climax, but instead it falters and considering the crispness of the first half is so fresh, the audience tends to get bored and restless. 

Yet, is this enough to call it a bad film or even a badly made good film? With so much hype and gloss surrounding the film, does Dum Maaro Dum deliver? No and Yes. With awesome performances, great visuals, a thought out story and easy to understand screenplay, Dum Maaro Dum isn't a masterpiece but it has merit. And Abhishek Bachchan.

Rating:  

Dil Ka Funda..

Have you ever had that moment when you get a bunch of questions popping into your head when you hear about something or see an incident? Well, I've been reading and seeing articles about relationships for quite some time and felt compelled to write about. If not to vent my own frustration, to find out if anyone else feels the same. If you don't agree or have an answer to any of the these questions/statements, please do comment as this is something that has me somewhat dumbfounded.

Having written an article on Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif's recent break up, I have been reading a bit about what each have openly said to the media and how many articles have been written about them. But it wasn't just them that got me thinking. Now yes, I am talking about couples in the limelight of Indian Film Industry but what I witness as well is how the aam janta - my family, friends, colleagues or even people that I follow on Twitter - respond to it including their emotions, ideals and/or morals on the topic.

Its evident that as people change relationships will as well but certain fundamental principles seem to have no place in today's society. But the desire to be in a relationship and be loved by someone still stands. The issues that I have been witnessing over the last few years, and more so in the last 6 months, seems to boil down to one thing. Self. That is the importance given to oneself and ones needs/desires/wants. Ultimately, remaining in a loveless relationship and being abused either mentally, physically or emotionally is not something that I endorse but at the same time, the threshold for the common person seems to have reduced. I know that circumstances in life dont stay the same and my life is perfect example of what can happen if you hold on too long or get into something that you dont believe in. But the amount of broken relationships that one witnesses is increasing and there is no age limit to it either.

I maybe wrong in that its only now this is happening but in all honesty, the ratio of failed relationship have increased for sure. It isn't that I am looking for these situations either. As a sort of agony aunt to my friends and relatives, my exposure to relationships is limited I know but at the same time, the above mentioned articles plus the on-going buzz about certain relationships does make a impact. Further to that a friend said that I shouldn't take relationship in filmdom seriously. What is that supposed to mean? People are people. Whether your famous or not, it doesn't make a difference. The fact is  things that once had importance dont seem to exist anymore.

Yes there are people that still value the concept marriage, including myself, and family. I would be stupid to look past some of my favourite on screen couples that have proven themselves to be normal yet made for each other in real life too [Suriya-Jyothika, Ajith-Shalini, Madhavan-Sarika]. But these people are hard to come by. The concept of arranged marriage still exists but the number of times my younger cousins or non-Sri Lankan/Indian friends are me why I'm agreeing to it is testament to how absurd they feel it is. 

So while on one side you have people that see marriage as a hinderance and prefer to remain as "partners" or a "living together" couple. On the other side you have people that aren't hesitating to form a relationship even while they've been in another for years. Then you have people that have spent close to a lifetime together and separating for the most peculiar reasons. Yes, I dont know the history and there may be valid reasons for it all but like I mentioned, this is a thought of mine. Why is it that after spending so many years of their life together, couples separate for the same things that were present at the beginning of the relationship? Why does there seem to be a rush to start and end things officially? Have the traditions of 'Till death do us part' died with previous generations? There are alot of girls that I know that dont entertain the idea of living together relationships only because they cant find the right guy and there parents would have a field day. I know parents that are aware of their childrens' relationship with someone they don't approve but say that 'its an age thing, they'll get over it' as they turn a blind eye to it.

I recently read a a weekly magazine that had tidbit articles about the latest gossip topic of Prabhu Deva and Nayanthara's open affair. Beyond my opinion of this relationship, the article talks of supposed compromises between the parties and whatnot. But there was a question-answer section that said if Prabhu [Sivaji's son] and Khushbu were together now, they would have stood a better chance now than in their era. I don't know about you but that doesn't sound like a good thing to me. 

Standing by your friends is something everyone agrees on and has followed for years but where has the era gone for people who lived their lives with one person? Circumstances out of our control can forgive people who love again but in all honesty, is being someone's ex a title worth having..