Raavan Movie Review

If a travelogue program covering wonderful places, unexplored beauty of India is mixed with super celebrity cast, a fifteen minute drama, couple of songs sung by pathetically scratched, bruised throat of Ila Arun (I am not sure if I am missing something), then you would arrive at the movie Raavan.

Well, since Avatar, I think all the biggies like Mr. Mani Ratnam, Mr. Speilberg have got more fascinated either by VFX based or God provided beauty in locations or creations rather than a story line.

How would life be if you were a millionaire but do not have a job, no one talks to you, to be very precise there is no challenge in life? Similar would be a movie without a story line. What is the use of having versatile actors like Vikram but not using their acting skills?

Few people told Aishwarya Rai Bachan did very well. Come on folks what did she do??? She looks gorgeous, no doubt. But was she given any scope to act? I do not think so. One more thing, a woman's cleavage is a most beautiful thing in the world, provided the structure is so. Showing it every now and then irritates. Have some respect. Abhishek got a role where he could act and he did okay for his talent.

If you are thinking why am I so negative in writing, I have to give you this rule of Physics. It says ...

Work Done = Force * Distance

So if you have exerted a lot of force but did not move a millimeter that means you did not do any work.

Yes it would have taken a lot of toll for everyone in the cinema house to shoot at those locations. The efforts would have been horrible, especially for delicate personalities like Aishwarya to handle, however no story line and no required efforts make the movie pretty dull.

Mani Ratnam sir, you have utterly disappointed us.

My Rating: 2/5
My Verbal Rating: Watch the movie for locations, nothing else. Those locations do not look good on our small television sets. But wait for a while till the ticket prices reduce. No hurry to watch a documentary right!

Vedam Movie Review

I have to say, after a very long time the Telugu Film Industry, sweetly called Tollywood, has produced a wonderful movie. Vedam is a movie with content, message to carry home, action, a little romance and some very good comedy.

Padmashri Bhramanandam appears very early in the movie and has a short stay. However the remaining part of the comedy is attributed via the wonderful dialogues of Allu Arjun, our hero and few others. The comedy dialogues are actually punch lines which one cannot forget so easily.

The movie revolves around different individuals & their personal lives. Finally the story line connects everyone and shows how can everyone try and live together progressing towards prosperity. It also show how dogmas/prejudice can be proven wrong. Every human being should be considered by what they are rather than their caste/creed/sex/citizenship. That is the baseline.

According to me, it should be a career milestone for Allu Arjun and Manoj Manchu. Manoj Bajpai did wonderful however his performance in Rajneeti overwhelms most of his other performances. Similarly Anuskha's Arundathi is a top rank in her career ladder till date.

Anushka, put in a sleazy role did very well. However her role is mostly for the masala. Yes she was looking great just as usual. Moreover you get to see her hot bod in this movie; longtime after Billa. If that is what is the interest of the audience :-)

Overall the movie is very good and is a must watch for all those who understand Telugu language. After watching this movie one would understand how vital is money and how will your financial requirements change when you do not have the right attitude.

My rating: 4/5
My verbal rating: Must watch. Don't just watch, carry the message home.

Rajneeti Movie Review

For all those people who have watched the movie and are a little confused in comprehending it and for those who are yet to watch, Rajneeti, very simply to be put is a modern version of the Epic MahaBharatha. Also to remove the confusion/rumors that the movie is a resemblance to Smt.Sonia Gandhi or a Gandhi family story; no it is not at all. Not even a near match to it.

Now I am only wondering why the papers/critiques have not given either a 5 or a 4.5 for it. The movie is a perfect replica of what is going on in many countries like ours when it comes to political power. How far can insane people go just to retain/achieve power is perfectly shown.

I should say the director or whoever has chosen the right cast for each and every character. Ranbir, Nana Patekar were excellent. I felt Arjun Rampal has an unique personality and is something very similar to Anil Kumble's bowling. There is no bowler like him and similarly there is something very unique about Arjun Rampal. Each and everyone in the cast have put an impeccable performance.

This movie is highly recommended. Its a little lengthy; around 3 hours excluding the break. The best part of the movie is, there are no songs. I really liked it.

My rating: 4.5/5

My Verbal rating: Should watch at least once in the theater. It's lovely to watch the way the story turns.

Kites Movie Review

The starting of the movie reveals the ending of the movie. However one would not comprehend the same till the end. The movie is all about true love. Two very ordinary people who struggle to make a living just get a chance to get rich overnight. However they forgo the same for true love.

The glam quotient added by Hrithik was really impressive. There was one particular dance sequence shot with Hrithik and Kangana. I wonder if the adeptness for such suave moves comes naturally to him or is it practice. He did very well. 

Well coming to Kangana Ranaut, I think post the movie Fashion all roles she got were only because of her body and nothing else. Very early in the movie, she, while sitting on the bed crosses her legs and exposes more than her thighs. Of course it was quick. This was something like the stunt done by Sharan Stone in Basic Instinct in front of the cop; the only difference here, in Kites, is there is a garment and the action was quick.

Movie goes pretty slow and most of the times I was confused trying to classify the movie. I mean, is it a Hindi movie or an English one or is it a Spanish? Most of the time we were busy reading the sub-titles. The most important ingredients missing out of the movie were comedy and a continuously ticking story line. If you have ever watched the Ramanand Sagar Ramayan on TV in the nineties, there were few episodes where the only content was Lord Shriram looking at Devi Sita and nothing else but some background score. Similarly goes the movie here for most of the time. 

However I would say people who are in true love will certainly like the movie. The movie is not for people who like something like Bourne Ultimatum where things keep moving. Its a very slow paced love movie. So it is suggested to watch this movie only when you are not bored and that too with the one you love. Not a movie to go with friends.

My rating: 3/5

My Verbal rating: Good movie on true love. However not for people who are interested even in a little action, cos there is no action at all.

Darling Telugu Movie Review

Darling, name given for the heck of filling the title is a good comedy movie. Prabhas and his group of friends including the villain have put decent efforts to make us laugh almost every moment.

The story runs around Prabhas and his childhood love and another girl who falls in the triangle. The movie was shot in the wonderful locations of Switzerland showcasing decent locations.

Now the best part I like in the movie is this. Once due to certain difficulties the hero and his group get, kind of jailed in a slum in Switzerland. Then a guy in the group says I never thought there were slums in Switzerland; why the heck was "Slumdog Millionaire" shot in India when there are slums even here? I clapped heart-fully to this dialogue. Something to ponder???

Well the movie is worth the money invested as it really gives you the comedy ride and makes you laugh well. However there were two minor things which I wanted to highlight in spite of them being minor.

1. Prabhas Wardrobe: I am not sure which idiot took care of his new style of clothing in this movie, however the clothing was awful and pathetic.

2. I have an example. If you goto any small restaurant for lunch/dinner in South India you would observe that many items which are supposed to be dry are generally wet and in fact contain a lot of water. If you bring the same chef home and tell him there is no need adulterate for profits he still mixes water because that is in his blood now.

Similarly Andhra movie directors, however good they make a film they can't spell complete without one or two silly/sleazy scenes which look awful for any ordinary human being with brain.

My rating: 3/5
My verbal rating: Watch the movie for a good laugh. Its a family movie. Actress Kajal Agarwal somehow kept all her clothes on.

Iron Man 2 Movie Review

First question: Have you watched Iron Man? If yes ...

Second question: What would you script for your sequel movie if you have used all your ideas in your first?

Simple answer is beat around the bush and try and make the two hours count somehow. Correct? I am sure I am and something very similar happened with Iron Man 2. The first movie had so much of Sci-fi and novel ideas that I thought the director ran out of any more ideas for the sequel. Thus created one with sentiment, a little politics and some glam less sci-fi.

However there seems to be one good message out of the movie. If you ever happen to realize that someone ranks high in intellect to you, you better try and dwell into their lives. They certainly leave a message, if not for the whole world, at least for a few.

The movie would be good to watch for once, however no regrets if you missed it. Watch part I again and you should be happier than watching this.

My rating: 2.5/5
My verbal rating: Okay types. Not bad

Yem Maya Chesave - Movie Review

After months of waiting and because of lot of my friends and known people telling me that it was a good movie, I have attempted to watch this movie.

Now I have some friends who do not expect anything from life and they just take what it comes. Well that is their way of life. We cannot have everyone like me, who expects something when invested in something or may be a kind of maverick.

So my review is not for those who take life as it comes.

To say in short this movie neither has anything good to talk about nor anything bad to criticize. This is a typical Ramoji Rao kind of venture sans the twists. There was neither fun nor there was action nor romance nor a punch story. A typical Andhra film story which as always runs around stupid love and ends no where but either a fight or bride running away at last moment.

Yeah may be for a while certain picturesque places of "God's own country" have been shown as most of the movie runs around a Keralite girl.

To stop beating around the bush and to put it short, this movie is for those people who are ... to tell you with an example.

Recently when I was driving to office, I spotted a girl in a call center cab next to my car. She was sitting at one corner squeezed up and holding the door handle and couple of other men in similar positions in the back seat. These people can either be classified as unfortunate or those who do not struggle enough in life to avoid that kind of a squeezed life.

For such people this movie should be good because they just go to a movie for the heck of it.

For people who want either drama, action whatever there could be in a movie, you are up for a total loss.

My Rating: 2/5
My Verbal Rating: I have given 2 above for certain locations and some intimate scenes that were shot with grace. Nothing else. Watch it on TV; it will be soon on our MAA channel.

Housefull - Movie Review

What else could happen when Sajid Khan and Akshay kumar pair up? A wonderful blast of laughter. However the one little change this time is the higher volume of Nitrous Oxide is packed for the part after the break. The first part of the movie goes a little normal.

Now as usual, our Bollywood babes have been used completely and fully in the prostitutionaly ... oops sorry glamorous ways. Every one was bought one bikini which could show them as sleazy as possible and the heroines very comfortably wore those clothing.

I remember once Smt. Asha Bhonsle explaining how a particular song can be sung in numerous ways. She just took one single chorus and sang it in different moods; viz, sad, happy, sexy, romantic ... as far as I remember.

Similarly a woman's body is supposed to be a sensual/subtle thing. People should have an aesthetic mind to show case the sensuality and bring in the right kind of pleasure. Just stripping a woman does not precisely ring the bell, unless you are seeing her for the first time like that.

Okay leaving my philosophy aside, the movie is a overflow of comedy. Boman Irani, Lara Dutta and very well our king Akshay have made it a blast of laughter.

It is a must watch as it acts as a good break from our normal routines.

My Rating: 3/5
My Verbal Rating: A must watch in theater. so that you can have fun without disturbance of either a cellphone or a door bell ring.

Kedi - Movie Review

Number 13: It is ominous even if it does not fall on a Friday. Yes, it was proved once again when I saw Kedi, the Telugu movie in which Akkineni Nagarjuna and Mamata Mohandas were the main cast.

Unless you are pretty dumb, after reading the above line, you do not expect me to tell you how the movie was. Well to substantiate my conclusion ... 

In the recent times I watched movies like 3 Idiots & My Name is Khan. Actors Aamir and Shahrukh have waited for long time to find such wonderful scripts; also SRK took time to learn how a person with asperger's disability would be, so that he can perform in a perfect manner. Look at Taare Zameen Per how well the movie was taken. The most important thing of all these movies was there is a message for the audience, which was well depicted.

Nagarjuna, however after these many years of acting and at such an age does not have even a percent maturity to find some story which at least has a story line if not a message. In any number of ways you abuse Nagarjuna for his immaturity, I am sure it would fall short in insulting him.

Its time Andhra Pradesh citizens show a minimum class of dignity and maturity when it comes to what they watch. And those in Tollywood show enough maturity to produce decent movies.

There is no film in Tollywood which can even run for a week without Shri. Padmashri Bhramanandam in it. This movie too is no exception. 

My rating: 1/5

My verbal rating: If you find Nagarjuna, say this, "Get well soon".

My name is KHAN and I am not a terrorist - Movie Review

Hum Honge kaamiyaab hum honge kaamiyaab hum honge kaamiyaaaaab ...... Ek Din!

हम होंगे कामियाब हम होंगे कामियाब हम होंगे कामियाब ... एक दिन!!!!!!

Now have you ever heard this song??? If so ... then sing the below lines in the same tune.

We shall overcome we shall overcome we shall overcome ... One day!

Just keep singing and watch My Name is Khan, not one/some day, but today. In the movie Hurricane, where Denzel Washington casts as Rubin Carter, he says to a small boy, "Hatred for some society/creed/culture has resulted in me serving 25 years in prison; so do not develop that feeling towards anything". The movie completely runs on the same lines.

Till his last film, all of Karan Johar's films were so far from reality. They were full of love, heart breaks, songs and dances. But My Name is Khan is different from all those.

SRK plays Rizwan Khan ('Khan' from the epiglottis :D ), who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, a type of autism.  SRK's performance was excellent. The story revolves around him, his wife Mandira (Kajol) and his son Sameer, and how their lives changed after 9/11 attacks. Rizwan Khan travels from San Francisco to Washington D.C to meet the American President, and tell him that all Muslims are not terrorists.

The message of the movie is old, yet unrealized. No religion, including Islam, preaches violence against the innocent. If one sect/caste/religion/country is called terrorist then mind you there is a terrorist in everyone. Those people who have made fun of democracy and stopped the filming of this movie in some parts of the country are also terrorists. Those people who went into a pub and misbehaved with young girls there in the beautiful town of Karnataka on the name of Lord Shri Ram are also terrorists. The movie sends this wonderful message, "No one is a terrorist by his caste/sect/religion/country".

My rating: 5/5

My verbal rating: A must watch ASAP for everyone.

On a lighter note: Today morning when I saw Times of India giving 5/5 for this movie, I thought these guys are too much. But the movie proved me wrong. Its certainly 5/5

Movie Review: Striker - A documentary for ........

To complete the title, this documentary is either for those people who are gullible like me (I mean those who think Siddharth's movies are generally good) or for those who do not have any other work to do excepting watching movies.

The movie runs around a particular slum in Mumbai. Story is about gambling mafia that can be found in the streets/slums of Mumbai. How people fall prey for easy money (gambling) and put their lives at risk has been portrayed well. 

Unfortunately I have nothing else to write about this movie, because it does not have anything. I could not believe myself that it just took only an hour to complete the first half of the movie. I felt as if it was hours gone by, but the interval never showed up. Almost similar experience with the part after the break.

My rating: 2/5

My verbal rating: Very soon it is going to be aired on TV, wait for that.

Ishqiya - Movie Review

Ishqiya, all that I wanted to know first was the meaning. Then I found this wonderful blog entry which gave a funny derivation for the word. May be its true. Now my review.

Well as the readers of my blog are well aware I just don't write the story of the movie and say this is my review. For the story you can always bank on wikipedia.

Primarily the movie does not have any great story line. Infact the plot starts only just before the interval. The movie is all about two rogues (Naseeruddin Shah & Arshad Warsi) who ditched their boss and are on the run. These people land up at a friend's place in Gorakhpur only to know that he is no more. The friend's widow (Vidya Balan) gives them space to live for a while. Cunningly, she does that to use them to execute a plot which she has in mind. She tries to seduce both the guys without out one anothers' cognizance.

Leaving the plot aside, the director prodigally filled the whole movie with taboo words. Have we, the viewers got so perverted that we accept anything and everything coming into our way of communications? Are we ready to watch such a movie along with our kids? Are we ready to answer if those kids ask for the meanings of these words??? Is it only by using abusive words that we can laugh? Not by decent comedy?

The Crore Rupee question is "Is the censor board sleeping"? Does an A grade film mean that abusive language is used?

It is so shameful of all those media critics who have unnecessarily overrated the movie. Critics, I think, these days are bought. Obviously a producer who spent huge sums on a film cannot afford to lose the money to critics; right? Shame on those who hide the truth.

For readers who trust in me: This movie is an absolute waste of time and is no worth watching.

One good note is ... the official website of this movie is pretty good :-)

My Rating: 1/5
My Verbal rating: Need not watch

Rann - Movie Review

After Ram Gopal Varma's recent failures, I was a little hesitant about watching Rann in the theaters, however the movie proved me wrong.

Rann is an unconventional movie. It highlights "Media Business" and how the fourth estate is cashing on people's insane craze for Sensational news. The movie has a strong theme, good casting, perfect background score and a nice story line. 

Vijay Harshvardhan Malik (Big B) owns a news channel called India 24x7, which runs on high journalistic ethics. In the age where news is edited, and presented with attention-grabbing headlines, Vijay Malik believes in showing people the true news and not in creating news. His son, Jai Malik, on the other hand, wants to use the channel to earn more money. He joins hands with opposition leader Mohan Pandey(Paresh Rawal) and Naveen Shankalia(Rajat Kapoor) , and turns his channel as a weapon which wins Pandey the Prime Minster's throne. The movie revolves around how Mohan Pandey plots to use the channel to win elections and how Purab Shastry (Ritesh Deshmukh) stops him from succeeding. 

The movie is not about media bashing. It is about how politics affect its transparency. The casting was perfect, with Amitabh Bachchan bringing in the seriousness, and Raj Pal Yadav adding humor. Ritesh and Paresh Rawal did justice to their roles. The background score of the movie was amazing, just like Sarkar. I enjoyed watching the movie, and you will too.

My Rating: 3.5/5
My Verbal Rating: The movie is for thinking viewers, go for it.