India Masala

Players: Good action, bad acting

You cannot help but compare the last film of 2011 with the first film of 2012. Both have a lot in common — “Don 2″ and “Players” are both heist films, both borrow heavily from Hollywood movies and have their share of over-the-top cheesy moments. There is just one thing that sets “Players” apart — there’s a lot more action in this one.

Director duo Abbas-Mustan make sure there’s plenty to keep you on the edge of your seat, and even though the film drags on longer than it should, you are still not looking to bolt from the hall.

Borrowing from the premise of “The Italian Job”, “Players” tells the story of Charlie Fernandes (Abhishek Bachchan), who plans to rob gold bars worth billions of dollars while it is being transferred from one country to another by train.

He enlists the help of hardened criminal Victor Braganza (Vinod Khanna), who helps him put together a team of a hacker, illusionist, make-up artist and Riya (Bipasha Basu), Charlie’s trusted partner in earlier crimes.

They pull off the heist after an edge-of-the-seat sequence but that’s not quite the end of the story. I won’t reveal anymore because not everyone’s watched “The Italian Job”, but suffice it to say the directors add enough songs, comic tracks and corny dialogues to ensure they’ve “tailored” it to Indian tastes.

There are several plotholes, the acting is plain vanilla and you can see the myriad twists coming a mile away. What saves this film is that it’s styled well, shot well and has enough chases and high-octane sequences to keep you interested.

One of the biggest problem areas is the acting — not a single person from the ensemble cast stands out. It’s all one-note, except for Neil Nitin Mukesh who is marginally better than the others. Special mention for Sonam Kapoor, who needs to start thinking about her laboured acting and stop thinking about her styling.

Dum Maaro Dum: Wayward, but worth a watch

Rohan Sippy’s “Dum Maaro Dum” attempts to take a hard look at the drug mafia in the tourist haven of Goa through the eyes of a ruthless police officer.

Abhishek Bachchan plays the protagonist Vishnu Kamat, a once corrupt officer who mends his ways and is called on to “clean Goa of drugs” by an ailing minister. Sippy uses a non-linear mode of narration, zigzagging from one character to another, lending a zippy pace to the first half of the film.

Part of the film’s landscape is Lorry (Prateik) a young student who is lured into the drug trade in exchange for the dream of a life in the United States. Also criss-crossing his paths are Joki (Rana Daggubati), a laidback musician and his one-time girlfriend turned gangster’s moll, Zoe (Bipasha Basu).

Thanks to some good writing and zany dialogues, Sippy manages to keep you engrossed in the first half of the film, even though he is let down by a somewhat weak performance from his lead actor. Sridhar Raghavan’s dialogue is sparkling for the most part and you can almost forgive him lines like “aajkal criminals bhi Facebook aur Twitter pe hai” (These days, even criminals are on Facebook and Twitter), uttered by Kamat after going through a suspect’s phone.

Sippy tries to pack in too much and ends up doing no justice to any of the tracks in the film. Also, the pace in the second half falters. His villain is named Biscuitta and there is a sequence in which Bachchan raps his way through a couple of police encounters, which looks ridiculous and far from cool. Abhishek Bachchan doesn’t bring anything new to his character, nor does southern actor Rana Daggubati, making his Bollywood debut in the film.

Nevertheless, this one is worth a watch for the great cinematography (Amit Roy), and some good writing. “Dum Maaro Dum” could have been much better had the director seemed more in control of the film, but it is better than most of what Bollywood has dished out this year. I suggest you give this one a chance.

Game: This one’s a washout

Everybody loves a good murder – and unfortunately, Bollywood doesn’t do too many of them. Abhinay Deo’s “Game” tries to fill that void, with a murder mystery about a tycoon who is shot dead on his private island.

Anupam Kher plays the dead man, Kabir Malhotra, one of the world’s richest men who mysteriously invites four strangers to his private island in Greece, because he believes they have something to do with the death of his abandoned daughter Maya (Sarah Jane Dias).

Abhishek Bachchan plays one of the four — casino owner Neil Menon with a shady past. The other three are a crooked politician (Boman Irani) from Thailand, a Bollywood actor from Mumbai (Jimmy Shergill) and a troubled crime journalist (Shahana Goswami). Of course, each of them have a troubled past that leads them to the island and that is dispensed off pretty quickly and without going into too many details.

The next morning, Malhotra is found dead in his room and International Vigilance Agency (whatever that means!) agent Sia, played by Kangna Ranaut, arrives on the scene.

If you are the type who enjoys an Agatha Christie whodunit then you will immediately know what is wrong with “Game”. The pace is awry, you can see through the red herrings pretty soon, and the characters aren’t intriguing enough. And however old-fashioned Christie might have been, her whodunits never suffered from these flaws.

The film also suffers because it tries to juggle several half-baked themes all at once. There is a revenge angle, Abhishek Bachchan suddenly turns vigilante for a while and finally we move towards a murder mystery.

Of the cast, Bachchan is competent in his role and Dias has a pleasing screen presence in a small role. Kangna Ranaut once again grates on your nerves with her Hindi diction — as for her English diction, it’s better we don’t get into that. Someone should start dubbing her voice in films, or it might get unbearable.

Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey: A story worth telling

Ashutosh Gowariker seems to have made a career out of period films – both “Lagaan” and “Jodhaa Akbar” told stories of our past, and in some way the fight for freedom. Gowariker touches on the same theme again in “Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey” but this time he chooses to tell a story closer to our times — just 80 years ago.

Based on journalist Manini Chatterjee’s book “Do and Die”, “Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey” tells the story of the Chittagong Armoury raid, led by school teacher-turned revolutionary Surjya Sen (played by Abhishek Bachchan) and his band of followers, the majority of which are teenage boys.

In a small town in Bengal, Sen plans a simultaneous raid on all English establishments in Chittagong, dreaming of “breathing in fresh air” again. He gathers a motley crew, including two women Kalpana Datta (Deepika Padukone) and Preetilata Waddedar (Vishakha Singh) and a group of teenagers. The group studies plans, carries out reconnaissance and goes over the plan. When the plan is put into action though, things don’t always fall in place.

Gowariker handles this film in an understated manner — there aren’t fiery speeches or jingoistic dialogue. Unfortunately, this understated tone sometimes lapses into a languid pace and there are parts of the first half that you wish were better controlled. The second half is definitely pacier and will keep you engrossed, in spite of some bumps on the road.

One of the biggest weaknesses in the film are the performances — as the protagonist, Abhishek Bachchan doesn’t seem to muster up the fire needed for this kind of role. Some of the supporting cast, especially Sikander Kher also don’t deliver the kind of intensity you’d expect in a film like this.

Gowariker gets the setting right, and even though the film wasn’t shot in Chittagong, the southern coast of Maharashtra does form a fitting backdrop to the film and right from the cars to the footballs of the 1930s, it all seems authentic enough.

KHJJS is not a perfect film, but Gowariker’s biggest strength is that he chooses a story worth telling. For that reason alone, and to get a glimpse into a much-ignored part of our history, this film is worth a watch.

Raavan: Very little Mani, and absolutely no magic

The overwhelming feeling as one leaves the theatre after having watched “Raavan” is one of disappointment. Make that huge disappointment. Could it be that one of this generation’s finest filmmakers, is credited as director in this disjointed, mediocre effort?

Nothing in the two-hour film is reminiscent of Mani Ratnam’s class. Instead it is littered with shoddy direction, bad acting and long-winding but nonsensical dialogues. The only saving grace is Santosh Sivan’s magical cinematography, but the truth is even that cannot hide the flaws in this film.

Abhishek Bachchan plays Beera, an outlaw, who we are told is a terror but there is no context given to his action. He inspires fear in the villagers of Lal Maati, but not in Ragini (Aishwarya Rai), the wife of a police officer whom he kidnaps for revenge. Dev (Vikram) sets out in search of his wife, but there is no urgency to the search it seems, because he has all the time in the world to stop at villages and ask for people’s opinions on Beera, to read maps and even to shave. You never get the feeling that he wants to find his wife.

There is really nothing more to the story than that. Perhaps Mani Ratnam wants to build a relationship between Ragini and Beera but we never see that happening. It is as if he came up with these interesting characters, but didn’t have the time to develop them. Even Ragini’s sympathy towards Beera seems half-baked and we never really get a sense of why she is doing what she is.

The actors, it seems are trying to make up for the flaws but end up over-compensating. Abhishek Bachchan does nothing but scowl and growl, Aishwarya Rai does nothing but scream and shriek and Vikram…well, he actually does nothing except perhaps advertise a certain brand of sunglasses in every scene. But special mention here for Priyamani, who in her miniscule role brings more pathos on screen than all the other actors put together.

The references to the Ramayana are interesting but by the time they start to take shape, you are far too exhausted to care.

In every Mani Ratnam film I have seen so far, irrespective of whether I liked it or not, I have taken away one lasting image. There is no lasting image in this one. Also, for a filmmaker who has always managed to use his craft to tell his story, this one has far too many dialogues which weigh the story-telling down. Every theme in the film is too obvious and pushed down your throat.

Paa: Flawed but gives us a whole new Bachchan

First things first. “Paa” belongs to Amitabh Bachchan. And Vidya Balan. Or actually it belongs to Auro and his mother. Because that’s who you really see on screen and that is the hallmark of a great performance.

For this reason alone, R Balkrishnan’s “Paa” is worth watching. There are some hiccups (or hickis as referred to in the film) but on the whole, this film should leave you with a lump in your throat and nothing but admiration for Amitabh Bachchan.

Bachchan plays Auro, a 13-year-old boy who has progeria, a rare genetic disorder that causes the body to age much faster than is normal. As a result, this teenager has the body of an 80-year-old, with bulging veins, no hair and decaying skin.

He lives with his ‘maa’, Vidya (Vidya Balan), a gynaecologist. At a function in school, Auro meets Amol Arte (Abhishek Bachchan), India’s “youngest, coolest MP” who immediately takes a liking to Auro.

What both don’t know is that Amol is Auro’s father, and Vidya’s former boyfriend, who asked her to get an abortion because he doesn’t have time for marriage and kids. She walks out of his life, but chooses to keep the child.

Director Balkrishnan chooses to focus on the relationships in “Paa” and those are the high points. Whether it is the interactions between Vidya and her mother, or Amol and his father (played by Paresh Rawal), Auro and his friends, these are the moments that will grip you with their inherent humour.

It is when the director chooses to make statements about issues like poverty and corruption that the film tends to drag a little.

Delhi 6: Mehra’s mirror has many faces

At the end of the first half of “Delhi 6″, a friend messaged me to ask what I thought of the film.

“I like it so far,” I told him, “but I don’t see where this is going.”

I am so happy that Rakeysh Mehra did show me where he was going in the second half.

He weaves a cohesive story from a million plots, tells us a modern parable for our times and extracts some great performances from an ensemble cast — and he did it all in the best place possible — Delhi.

Dostana: A spectacular first half but nothing great overall

‘Dostana’ is a path-breaking Bollywood film alright. Maybe not for gay rights but certainly the number of times the word ‘gay’ has been used in a single film.

Indians hoping for a “Brokeback Mountain” may do well to stay away from this slapstick comedy about two men pretending to be a gay couple in order to lay hands on a top-notch condo overlooking the sun-kissed sands of Miami.

The opening shot of John Abraham emerging from the sea sets the tone for the film, with the camera lens lingering a tad too long on his bright yellow trunks.

The latest offering from filmmaker Karan Johar features the usual mélange of romance, snazzy designer wear, exotic locales and foot-tapping numbers.

But writer-director Tarun Mansukhani plays a masterstroke with the ‘gay’ plot, setting the stage for a hitherto unused treasure trove of witty one-liners and bawdy humour.

But why do the leading men pretend to be gay?

Well, photographer Kunal (John Abraham) joins male nurse Sam (Abhishek Bachchan) in the hunt for an apartment, destiny taking both to the abode of (Neha) Priyanka Chopra.

Drona — more flaws than fantasy

 My most reliable test of judging a fantasy film is whether I notice the person sitting in the next seat – if I do, that means the film wasn’t gripping enough for me to be totally absorbed in it.

That’s what a fantasy film should do – transport you into its imaginary world and haul you back only when the end credits roll – for that matter, any film should do that.

Drona didn’t pass the test.

That said, director Goldie Behl must be at least acknowledged for making the film – Drona is India’s serious attempt at making a fantasy flick with spectacular visual effects, unless we have Hatim Tai, starring Jeetendra, and a whole host of other tacky B-Grade Bollywood fantasy in mind.

Drona is certainly not in the line of Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter series, at least some one tried something different, and that needs to be lauded.

Not that this is to overlook the flaws in the film – especially when it actually starts off quite promisingly. We are told of an age old tale – the Gods nominate a particular king and his inheritors (Dronas) as the protectors of the precious amrit (nectar), which is sought by the asuras (demons).

We are introduced to Aditya, (Abhishek Bachchan) an orphan who grows up lonely and neglected in the company of grouchy aunt and her spoilt son (a la Harry Potter?).