Dhada Review

Its not always easy to keep up with the hype of an action film. For Naga Chaitanya, Josh had its action sequences and so did 100% Love but the main feature wasn't the action in the film. Ajay Bhuyan's Dhada was supposed to be Chaitu's foray as an action hero with a string of love in the story. But having the elements worthy of a commercial flick like music by DSP, current favourite Kajal Agarwal as the ladylove and locations in Thailand, Milan and Europe isn't enough to make it a successful one. Read on.

There really isn't much to either of the stories [yes, there are two]. On one side you have adrenaline junkie-ish Chaitu who has a run in with Rahul Dev's brother and thus becoming the reason for Rahul losing the 100 girls he sold to black market kingpin Kelly Dorji. On the other the hand there is Kajal who lives by her business minded father Mukesh Rishi rules and finds solace only in her mother's last home video before her mother commited suicide. In between the thrashing of the bad guys from one track, Chaitu spends most of his time impressing Kajal or using Brahmanandam for a bakra to get to Kajal or getting sentimental with his brother Sriram [Srikanth for the tamil audience] and sister-inlaw/mother Samiksha. In short, do the baddies/Kajal get Chaitu or not forms the crux.

A done to dust action film in terms of story can still work if the screenplay and the performance permit. But in the case of Dhada both are a severe let down. Now I dont mind that Chaitu has decided to do something different with the love angle taking a back seat but this is not the film of choice. He does score brownies on making an effort to improve his skills including dancing [one that he has been ripped to shreds for] but sorry Chaitu, you cant save this one. As a majority, it is hard to find leading ladies that have much to do in action films that dont revolve around them. But even with a particular portion about her, Kajal Agarwal fails to do anything. Yes, for the purpose of being a "pensive and melancholy" character, her character is restricted in emotion. But she doesn't invoke any and falls apart like nobody's business. Looking pretty and having 3-4 faces, none of which depict the intensity needed, just doesn't cut it. Rahul Dev tries really, really hard to be sinister but is given some ridiculous lines that just mar his performance. For a deadly gangster, Kelly Dorji doesn't even make you blink as a reaction, let alone fearful of a seemingly dangerously brutal individual. On a side note, both of these actors need to find better dubbing artists pronto! Sriram tries his best to add life to his character but it doesn't help when its a badly written role and is hardly impactive. Samiksha looks pretty. Mukesh Rishi is wasted beyond comprehension and funny men Brahmanandam and Ali need new material.

Ok so the performances were a washout. But visually, Dhada is great. Cinematography by Gnana Sekhar V.S. depicts Thailand, Milan and Europe in awesome light. Music by Devi Sri Prasad is good but nowhere near as good as you would expect from the likes of the composer that brought Arya 2 and Jalsa. Hello Hello Laila is hummable but Ey Pilla has too strong of a resemblance to Na Pere Meenakumari from Mallana [En Peru Meenakumari from Kandhaswamy for the Tamil folk]. Editing by Dharmendra cant be blamed for not snipping enough since the material isn't the best to begin with. For that, the man in the criminal corner is Ajay Bhuyan. The thought may have been a good idea at the time but the director not only struggles to present it, his script lacks cohesiveness entirely. We must be honest that originality isn't something that is often seen in TFI, but making the proceedings enjoyable can cover that major flaw. But Dhada loses out to that too. 

So is there are anything good about this film? Yes. The end credits.

Rating: 1/5

Singham Review

** This is a repost from the Singham Review at Bollyspice**

Yet another remake hits Hindi screens and tries its hand with lady luck. This time it is hit combo Rohit Shetty and Ajay Devgn in the action avatar,Singham. But it’s not the fact of being a remake that sets a film a part or be detrimental to any film. In the scheme of the things, the audience has somewhat gotten used to every third film falling into one of the categories remake, sequel or second episode. The challenge is making it enjoyable for even the select section of the audience that has seen the original, no matter the language or the period. For this hit jodi, the need to go a step forward and bring out something bigger and better than the Tamil Blockbuster starring Suriya Sivakumar and Sweety [Anushka] Shetty, is far greater with the memory Ghajini so strong even now. Considering the statement made by director Rohit Shetty that their version will be fierier in the action, the confidence the makers displayed added to the expectations.

Yet, is confidence enough to win over the audience. After all, the story of an up

right police officer becoming the thorn in the eye for a powerful criminal and their showdown isn’t exactly pioneer story-telling. With that said, this isn’t just about an honest cop. Its about a small town Shivgad’s sub-inspector, Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn), fierceful yet faithful to his roots, his family and his town. For him, criminals like Jaikant Shikhre (Prakash Raj) are unheard of. But when the Goan Kingpin tries to pull a fast one over the sub-inspector, Singham sets him straight and unknowingly gets on his bad side by hurting Shikhre’s ego. Do what you will but hurting Jaikant Shikhre’s ego is a no no with dire consequences. What happens when Singham gets transferred from his hometown to big city Goa, the kingdom that Shikhre has ruled with his smuggling, extortion and drug trafficking for so long forms the crux.

It has been a while since seeing Ajay Devgn in an action based masala flick and he tries his best to deliver however, doesn’t quite make it. On one side the action is powerful, but when it comes to the emotive side, a normally free-flowing Ajay seems a little stiff. But he does well regardless. However, with a villain like Prakash Raj in front of you, it is tough to stand out. Prakash seriously goes to town in this film and what’s more he maintains his sinister side while appealing to the audience with his quirky lines. Debuting in Hindi as Ajay’s ladylove is Kajal Agarwal who looks pretty but is not only disappointing in her portrayal but the character itself is weak, a stark difference from the original in Tamil. In fact the whole ‘love story’ lacked any connection to the story and remained just as an extra fitting that took up time. Govind Namdev, Sudanshu Pandey and Sonali Kulkarni work effectively and play their parts. The rest are ok.

On the technicals side of things, Amar Mohile’s background helps the proceedings by giving the much needed punch. Camera work by Dudley is nice and editing by Steven Bernard could have been crisper. Music Ajay-Atul worked well for the title track but the rest don’t mesh well with the screenplay. Rohit Shetty has designed some eye-popping action for the film, making it a tough challenge for Jai Singh to execute, but it works nonetheless.

While the dialogue by Farhad-Sajid is phenomenal is most situations, there are some that lack the punch they require. Screenplay writer Yunus Sajawal has made his intentions clear in the beginning itself, so it would be futile to think otherwise. But you can’t help but think the slow-motion button was permanently stuck on for a good portion of the second half. After delivering a exhilarating first half, this becomes a damp squib only revived by Prakash’s presence on screen. Even with all the masalafied drama inserted for the masses, the intensity dwindles because of it too.

So while Singham does roar his loudest, it doesn’t always frighten.

Our Rating: 

Veera Review

There are some actors that you expect to not stray far from their style of movie making. Of these, there are only a select few that you can tolerate. Ravi Teja is one such actor that has a distinct style. But not to say he doesn't try different things. Films like Neninthe Shambo Shiva Shambo and Shock may not have done well for the the "Mass Maharaja" but they were just a few reasons for the hardcore fans believing he was an actor not just a star. However his latest offering of Veera directed by Ramesh Varma starring Kajal Aggarwal and Taapsee Pannu is one that will test the boundaries of admiration. Read on to find out how.

Veera begins with ACP Shyam [Shyam] standing up against crime and criminals. He bows to none and makes it clear justice will be served. On one such serving, Dhanraj [Rahul Dev]'s son is killed in a misfired shot meant for Shyam. As revenge, Dhanraj kidnaps and kills his son. Although an honest cop, Shyam is human and he starts to question his purpose since he as in the police department is there to protect the innocent when something happens. But when he himself is targeted, what happens? Enter Deva [Ravi Teja]. A stern security set to protect him and his family, he quickly mingles with the family barring Shyam's wife, Satya [Sridevi]. Agitated and irritated by Deva's presence, her disliking is most apparent while the friendly neighbour Aiykee [Taapsee Pannu] forms a liking towards him. Deva develops a rapport with Shyam's young daughter Anjali, and aids Shyam in hiding the truth about his son from his family, Satya holds her tongue from verbalising her annoyance and asking him to leave. But Shyam isn't the only one that is hiding the truth as there is more than meets the eye with Deva. With the threat hanging over his family's head, will Shyam be able to find out the details of this stranger before its too late. Who is he? Where is he from? And whats his connection to Dhanraj? Watch to find out.

Ravi Teja is one actor that I know has the talent to be amazing on screen. Yet his mass form of acting and dialogue delivery is one that does entertain as well. In Veera, the actor delivers his normal antics in a different light as usual. He may have succeeded had it not been for bad writing and a logic lacking screenplay. Taapsee Pannu is one cute actress that I have faith in but her role of Aiykee is limited to say the least. Strutting in designers didn't make her role any more enjoyable but what worse is that your expectations are completely shot and your left asking for more. Result, the actress leaves little to no impact at all. Kajal Aggarwal has more depth in her role but in all honesty, she too has very little to do and has done the bubbly character before, although not in such mass action flick. It would be great if she selected roles that were not only different but she looked the part as well. She puts in her two cents worth but seems completely out of place in some areas. Brahmanandam and Ali try their best to lift up the proceedings with their comedy and succeed to a degree. Sridevi returns after a few years of marital bliss but hams severely. Roja is forgettable while Shyam doesn't get much of a chance this time around to make a mark. However, he is ok when he is on. Supri, Pradeep Rawat and Rahul Dev simply do a repeat show of their former roles. The rest are strictly ok.

Chota K Naidu takes hold of the camera and makes it work in his favour where possible with some amazing visuals of Europe and nice handy work on onshore shots. However the good points pretty much stop there. Music by Thaman S is strictly ok and have a serious sense of deja vu. Background score does perk it up a bit as compensation but not high enough to count. Editing by Gautham Raju could have been much better but in his defence, the real culprit is the main man, Ramesh Varma. His lack of direction, in more ways than one, really brought down this film. Yes it is an action based film so it wont be accepted by everyone and some hardcore fans will love the bloody screens and graphic violence that is present in abundance. But even the good points of the film struggle to bring the film over the border. For Veera, logic has not just gone for a stroll in the cinematic liberties park,  it is non-existant. Major loopholes in logic not only drag out the film but lose the audience entirely on occasion because of disbelief. On top of this, the dialogue simply did not evoke enough emotion to engage the audience. Due to this lack of emotion, at times, it would seem the casting was completely wrong for the melodramatic screenplay and OTT dialogue.

So what does it leave us the audience with? A half-baked film that only entertains in bits.

Rating: 2/5

Brindavanam Review

I've always had a soft spot for Nandamuri Taraka Ramarao Junior (Tarak). I found him adorable as this massively chubby kid that was larger than life on screen. I know, he was 17 when he did Ninnu Choodalani, but still, he seemed liked a child. Even when he did his macho thigh-slapping in Aadi, it was more funny than ferocious. Anyway, fast forward 10 years, major flops and awesome blockbusters, 2 years of recovery from a near fatal accident and his first release of 2010, we have his latest flick with Vamsi Paidipally. The director is wielding the megaphone after his directorial debut, which didn't so well. The gap between the actor and director, and their films [Adhurs and Munna] created more hype about this film than most anticipated. Add to the basket Kajal Aggarwal, Samantha Prabhu and S.Thaman and you have Brindavanam. 

So what is it about? It’s about 2 families, a friendship and the importance these two have in the protagonist's life. Yes, it does have the violin effect in the background during some of the speeches Tarak gives and some may speak of common sense, but we all know that it ain't that common. So we begin in a typical Tarak fashion with some stylish fight sequences to show Krish [Tarak]'s strength and some fun yet sentimental scenes to introduce his parent [Pragathi and Mukesh Rishi]. Cool, calm and immensely confident, he is their only son. Their apple of their eye and the heir to more money than anyone cares to ellaborate. Enter the glam doll Indu [Samantha] and the girl-next-door Bhoomi [Kajal]. The former is his girlfriend and the latter is her friend. While Krish's parents have given the go-ahead for his own love story, Bhoomi is stuck in an alliance she doesn't want to go through with. Even though her father [Prakashraj] has arranged it and is aware she wants to go overseas to study, he is stubborn. To break this alliance, her grandfather [Kota Srinivasa Rao] says a lie. A lie which Bhoomi through Indu, gets Krish to make believable. But the fun doesn't stop with their little act. Add in a possessive "bava" [Ajay], an enmity of dire straits with the neighbouring town head [Srihari] and lots of comedy from Venu Madhav and Brahmanandam, and you have yourself a commercial pot-boiler for the family with Tarak in a slightly different role.

Let's begin with my soft-corner. Tarak is larger than life again, but in a subdued manner. This may be contradicting but as Krish, he looks the part and performs it well. Yet you will get the feeling he takes over each scene he is in. As the catalyst, I guess its warranted but except for the confrontation between the family and Prakashraj and Kajal's outburst, the other characters seemed overshadowed. Hence the larger than life statement. Kajal Aggarwal doesn't do much and was down-right annoying. Yes, she is supposed to be a little tame and less bubbly like her last film, Darling, but she pretty much uses 3-4 facial expressions and does not seem convincing on the story-within-a-story level. Samantha on the other hand, is cute and plays her smaller role as the girl/friend well. There are stages in the film that she seems completely forgotten and they add balcony shots to remind the audience she is there. However, I would say she left more of an impact that Kajal. The secondary casting all have limited scenes and play them well but one would expect more from biggies such as Prakashraj, Kota, Srihari, Ajay but Tanikella Bharani as Ajay's father, does seem a little odd in his sinister-ish role.

Moving on to the music, it has all the elements of a "mass" album. With a blend of western and folk, Eh Raja, Chinnado Vaipu and Yuvakulu will have you tapping your feet without you realising. Not clear if the music is supposed to be his trademark tuning or not, as sense of de-ja-vu comes to the fore and plays spoilsport in some cases. However, there’s a huge disappointment with the blatant use of DB Boulevard's Point of View in Nijamena [You too, Brutus]. On the visual front, it looks good, barring the obvious affection to blue [Another reference back to Krishna?] Vamsi has done an ok job with such a big cast but as mentioned, his concentration is apparent, especially, the ending. What’s worse is the film has so much potential to be a laugh-a-thon but it drags at the points where it should flourish.

Tarak is the backbone and probably will be the sole reason this film runs.  Rating: 3/5

I Wanna Dance With You..

There are just some songs that make you want to get up and dance.. these are a few of mine... As always will keep updating as I go..





There are some songs that dont need to be fast paced but get your foot tapping anyway. Khushbu from Naattupura Paatu






Prabhas has always been ridiculed for his dancing skills but I dont complain .. :)
Kajal and Prabhas from Darling



I don't know what it is but I've always thought Anushka was super good-looking and talented. And with Prabhas (for Billa), double treat!!



I would kill to be able to move like NTR Jnr. So cool! With Mamta in her debut Telugu film, Yamadonga.



Now I know her outfits can be scary at times but this girl Mumaith Khan can move. She openly admits to always say yes for Prabhas because they have superb chemistry and he's so nice. (Yogi)

I think I should have called my Prabhas collection. But its just he has some really good numbers in his filmography. This is the one that started the Mumaith- Prabhas craze.. (Chatrapathi)

Yes its a freemake but the are soo cool together Salman Khan, Govinda and Katrina Kaif in Partner

Song Rocks but choreography could have been better but still... :)

John, Arshad and Bipasha in Goal

Salman Khan and Malaika Arora Khan.. Hot hot hot... Phew!

Maybe its the surprise in the middle .. Akki, Ritiesh, Vidya ..and SRK!  (Hey Baby)

Naan Mahaan Alla - Almost

If you were expecting a feel good film from Karthi, a grand re-entry to Tamil Filmdom by Kajal , or a rustic yet poetic film from Suseendran (Vennila Kabaddi Kuzhu), don't. In fact, whatever expectations you have about this film, I suggest you leave them at the door. Granted its not a path-breaking storyline, but in it, you do see a freshness that Suseendran started in VKK and has continued in a different genre, proving that he is a promising story-teller.

The film starts off simply with a group of 5 college goers playing soccer but quickly changes shade to show the darker side of these boys. On the other side of town, we meet Jeeva. A simple guy with a rose glassed view on life and generally sees the positive side of people and situations. Nothing amazing happens during this phase but none the less, quite amusing to see Karthi once again show his flare for comedy while he remains in control to not make a caricature out of his character. Anywho, just as our hero gets his wake up call and begins to see the reality in life.. Boom! Change again. Then Boom again! Before he knows it, our hero's life has no resemblance to how it was. While I don't want to give away the story, a simple way of saying it would be how a normal human being. No radical ideals, no major goals.Just your boy next door, gets pushed into dealing with a rare situtaion and how he this changes him. 

As mentioned before, Karthi is lovably casual in his comedy with his trademark "local" essence. He then switches gear to a tortured soul that is out to get answers. Somewhere along the line, he seems brings back a bit of Paruthiveeran. But still, believable and had almost everyone in the theatre hall in splits or crying. Kajal hasn't got much of a role in this as well so I'm hoping she is still looking some good projects in Tamil too. Jayaprakash however, got the vote from me. Honest, simple and realistic portrayal of a doting father without the cinematic tackiness or looking like a sentimental fool. A special mention must be made about the SCG- Sinister College Goers, who all are apparently newcomers. Each has a part but they put in their 2 cents worth.

Personally, I dont favour movies that have a strong blood quotient but Suseendran succeeds in manipulating the mind by not actually show that much blood but more rather letting the mind fill in the blanks. With stunning cinematography and in tune re-recording, you laugh, fear, cry and be merry on cue to the director. However, its not perfect and I believe there were quite a few dragging bits in the first half but it picks up again post the interval with several scenes being depicted within "hours" of occurrence. On the music front, unlike recent releases, Yuvan was strictly ok in this (I have yet to get over Paiyya/Awara)

All in all, its not your typical love story nor is a path-breaking story. However, it is simple and well made and if you like suspense, then do take a look.