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My Name is Anthony Gonsalves - Review

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In the 1970s, the foot-tapping number from AMAR AKBAR ANTHONY, 'My name is Anthony Gonsalves', proved a chartbuster and despite innumerable songs invading the Hindi screen in the intervening period, the song still lingers. MY NAME IS ANTHONY GONSALVES uses the wordings of the popular track, but will the movie be remembered as the song in question? Now that's a tough one!

Looking at the promos of E. Niwas' new outing MY NAME IS ANTHONY GONSALVES, it's difficult to comprehend the genre of the film. That's precisely why you wait for the reels to unfold, to understand what this boy next door called Anthony Gonsalves would be up to.

The sad part is MY NAME IS ANTHONY GONSALVES appeals in bits and spurts. An ordinary idea seems to be stretched beyond a point and that's one of the reasons why MY NAME IS ANTHONY GONSALVES lacks the fizz.

Another aspect that goes against the film is that the first hour lacks the power to keep you hooked. There's no movement in the story, frankly. Yet, it must be said that E. Niwas' execution of the subject, in the second hour mainly, camouflages the defects. A few portions are extremely well handled, especially those when the gangsters get to know that Anthony is going to spill the beans.

Overall, a disappointing fare!

An ordinary guy, Anthony Gonsalves [Nikhil Dwivedi], has an extra-ordinary dream. His dream is to become an actor. Anthony works as a bartender in Jimmy's Pub in Bandra, Mumbai.

Sikander [Pawan Malhotra], Maqsood [Mukesh Tiwari] and Riyaaz [Dayashanker Pandey] are gangsters and the pub is a legitimate front for their illegal activities. Sikander is Anthony's benevolent benefactor and protector.

One fine day, Anthony inadvertently becomes a witness to a crime committed by the gang. Enters Inspector Khan [Jawed Sheikh], an honest, conscientious officer, investigating the murder of a dead colleague. Khan gets to know about Anthony being a witness to the crime.

Khan starts pursuing Anthony and the gang with dogged determination. Anthony has to choose between Sikander on one hand and his dream to become an actor, on the other.

Clearly, the fault lies in the writing. As mentioned at the outset, there's hardly any movement in the story in the first hour. Once the characters are established, instead of taking the story forward, it just stagnates. In fact, things start moving only at the intermission period. The second half holds a lot of promise and the wheels start moving at this stage, but the climax, again, is outright predictable, straight out of the 1970s.

Director E. Niwas is bogged down by a patchy script, which vacillates from interesting to boring. The writing [Mayur Puri, Lajan Joseph] is the culprit here. Dialogues are well penned at times. Cinematography is strictly okay.

Nikhil Dwivedi suits the character and handles his part confidently. He has the trappings of a fine actor, his expressions are perfect at most times. But he needs to better his dialogue delivery and work on his voice. Amrita Rao looks gorgeous, but her role isn't substantial enough. Mithun Chakraborty is alright. Anupam Kher is excellent. Pawan Malhotra is superb. Mukesh Tiwari and Dayashanker Pandey are first-rate as well. Lillete Dubey is wasted in a role that any other actor could've enacted. D. Santosh is competent.

On the whole, MY NAME IS ANTHONY GONSALVES is a dull fare. At the box office, it's a tough journey ahead for this film!

Halla Bol - Review

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In the 1990s, rape, violence, power, crime, fraud and abuse -- issues that concern us daily, nationally as well as internationally, were being depicted on the Hindi screen with unfailing regularity. Films that raised a voice and raised an issue faded into oblivion because a different genre [comedy] gradually took over. The issues concerning the common man remained dormant on the Hindi screen.

But Rajkumar Santoshi raises one pertinent issue with HALLA BOL. A lot has been said and written about the film bearing an uncanny resemblance to the Jessica Lal murder case. Does HALLA BOL attempt to recreate the ghastly incident on celluloid? More on that later!

What's noteworthy is that Santoshi succeeds in stirring and pricking your conscience. The accomplished storyteller, who started off with a bang with GHAYAL, DAMINI and GHATAK, films that raised a voice and issues, lost his touch in between, although he appealed greatly in THE LEGEND OF BHAGAT SINGH in the intervening period. With HALLA BOL, Santoshi is back with what he's best at -- hard-hitting drama.

HALLA BOL is atypical Santoshi product, which re-opens wounds, is raw and hard-hitting and has life-like situations, with a savior who pricks your conscience. Frankly, HALLA BOL is, without an iota of doubt, a film that reflects the current times. You can easily draw parallels with real life. Of course, there're cinematic liberties; it's not a dry film.

In short, we've had enough of meetha [comedies] since the past few weeks, it's time to have something teekha [hard-hitting drama] for a change. HALLA BOL leaves that kind of an impact!

Ashfaque [Ajay Devgan] is a small-town boy aspiring to be a film star in the Hindi film industry. He joins a street theatre group run by a reformed dacoit Sidhu [Pankaj Kapur], who uses street theatre as a medium to bring about an awakening in the masses.

Ashfaque's determined struggle pays off and he gets a break in films. He gets a new screen name -- Sameer Khan. With the passage of time, the roles start becoming better and he moves up the success ladder in a very short time. Soon, he becomes Sameer Khan the superstar -- one who can enact any role with finesse, get under the skin of any and every character with ease and walk away with audience applause.

Sadly, amidst all adulation and applause, he slowly loses his own identity. He forgets his real self and imbibes all characteristics of the various roles essayed by him on screen. Corruption takes over his entire system, alienating him from all loved ones, including his wife Sneha [Vidya Balan].

A shocking incident at a party changes everything, rocking Sameer's lifestyle. He gets caught between his human self on one side and his corrupted superstar image on the other.

Rajkumar Santoshi interweaves a lot of plots in those 2 + hours. It tells you about the degenerating of a small-town person who gets swayed by money and power as he grows big in stature. It tells you about the games the rich and powerful play. It tells you that corruption has become a part of our everyday life. It tells you that a lone voice [raised against injustice] can multiply into millions gradually. It tells you that all's not lost, that honesty, integrity and courage still have an upper hand.

What starts off as a movie about a self-obsessed star changes tracks within 20 minutes of the start, when the rich, spoilt brats shoot a young girl at a well-attended party and everyone stands there as mute spectators. The sequence is simply hair-raising! The gradual change in Ajay's attitude is also well built and the film actually gathers momentum at the intermission point when Ajay decides to testify against the culprits.

But the story actually takes off after the intermission when Ajay, aided by Pankaj Kapur, wages a war against the unscrupulous elements.

The sequence at the minister's palatial residence, when Ajay urinates on the carpet, is an outstanding, clapworthy sequence. The viewers would go in a frenzy at this sequence! Note another scene: The media persons are grilling Ajay if his wife has walked out on him and Vidya shoots back, giving the media a fitting reply. Note yet another sequence: The corrupt minister's sidekick [Abhay Bhargava] trying to bribe Pankaj Kapur and Pankaj's reply. And here's another gem: Pankaj Kapur's lengthy outburst when Ajay lies in the hospital. Brilliant sequences all, which bear the stamp of a genius!

However, the film can do with some trimming in the second hour. A few sequences can be trimmed for a much stronger impact. Also, the climax could've been more powerful.

Santoshi is in form after a gap. The film brings back memories of Santoshi's earlier works. Sukhwinder's music is okay. 'Na Guzre Huwe Pal' is a wonderful track, while the cry of war, the title track, enthuses you. Cinematography [N. Nataraja Subramaniam] is perfect. Dialogues [Santoshi, Ranjit Kapoor] are raw, but appealing. In fact, there are a number of clap-trap lines in the enterprise.

Every performance in HALLA BOL stays etched in your memory. Ajay proves yet again that he's a magnificent actor. He conveys a lot through his expressions. Here's yet another award-worthy performance from one of the finest actors of the country. Vidya's role may not be as substantial as Ajay and Pankaj Kapur, but she's fiery in the sequences. Pankaj is awesome yet again. A power-packed performance. In fact, he's to HALLA BOL what Sunny Deol was to DAMINI. Darshan Jariwala is superb, changing expressions like a chameleon.

Anjan Srivastava manages to create an impact. Abhay Bhargava is efficient. The actress enacting the role of the victim's sister is very good.

The film has a host of stars making appearances, which include Tusshar Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Sridevi and Boney Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Neeraj Vora and Aarti Chhabria.

On the whole, HALLA BOL is a powerful film that has its heart in the right place. At the box-office, HALLA BOL has the power to grow with a strong word of mouth.

Dus Kahaniyaan - Review

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Sometimes, a short story of 10 minutes or a music video of 4 minutes has a better story to tell than most 2.30 hour movies.

It would be unfair to club DUS KAHANIYAAN in the same category as DARNA MANA HAI, DARNA ZAROORI HAI and SALAAM-E-ISHQ. Not only because the genres are as diverse as chalk and cheese, but because each 10-minute story in DUS KAHANIYAAN has something to say. At times, the message is loud and clear. At times, feeble. But there's no denying that DUS KAHANIYAAN is refreshingly different from the episodic films we've witnessed in the past.

At the end of the day, it's all about narrating interesting stories effectively. Sanjay Gupta and his team of directors have chosen 10 different stories that are not linked with each another and also don't have a sutradhaar to bind them in one thread. Nor is the finale of each story the same. So let's minutely look at each story and the impact they create.

'Rice Plate'
Cast: Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah.
A Hindu woman and a Muslim man's journey over a rice plate. It is about the challenge that the woman faces when a man claims her plate of rice. Will she place her hunger before her beliefs? Maturely handled by debutante director Rohit Roy. Plus, watching Shabana and Naseer after a hiatus is a treat. Shabana is outstanding!

'Sex On The Beach'
Cast: Dino Morea and Tareena Patel.
Dino picks a worn out book on the beach and its character comes alive into a breathtaking woman. They have a great time together, but suddenly everything changes. The mystery woman has some surprises in store for Dino. Director Apoorva Lakhia succeeds in giving you some chills down your spine. The culmination to the story is eerie. Dino is alright, while Tareena flaunts her assets without inhibitions.

'Love Dale'
Cast: Anupam Kher, Anooradha Singh, Aftab Shivdasani and Neha Uberoi.
Neha meets a woman in the train who is wearing only one earring. She finds that strange and that chance meeting strikes the change in her life. A story about fate, destiny at play and the notion that one moment can change your entire life. Very identifiable, very true to life. Beautifully handled by debutante director Jasmeet Dhodi. Aftab and Neha are natural.

'Matrimony'
Cast: Mandira Bedi, Arbaaz Khan and Sudhanshu Pandey.
Mr. & Mrs. Sarin is a happily married couple. The devoted wife meets her ailing aunt every Thursday. But is she really meeting her aunt? A story of betrayal and faith. The twist in the tale, towards the end, comes as a bolt from the blue. Mandira is efficient, Arbaaz is able, Sudhanshu is perfect. Sanjay Gupta shows his expertise as a storyteller.

'Gubbare'
Cast: Nana Patekar, Anita and Rohit Roy.
After an argument with her husband in the bus, Anita sits next to an intriguing man holding 11 red balloons. This story unfolds a journey within a journey into this man's past, uncovering the key to one of the most important lessons in life. Fantastic performance by Nana. Anita is effective. Sanjay Gupta is in form yet again!

'Pooranmashi'
Cast: Amrita Singh, Minisha Lamba, Parmeet Sethi and Vishwajeet Pradhan.
It's about the mother-daughter bond. A mother's only daughter is about to get married and she would do anything to make her daughter happy. But an incident changes their lives forever. A brilliant story beautifully handled by Meghna Gulzar. Amrita is topnotch, Minisha is okay. The end moves you!

'Strangers In The Night'
Cast: Neha Dhupia and Mahesh Manjrekar.
Every anniversary, they narrate the other a secret; this year it's the wife's turn. She begins narrating an interesting encounter with a stranger at the railway station waiting room. What you perceive and what you eventually witness is a sharp contrast. Again, an outstanding story. Neha is first-rate, Mahesh okay. But what you carry home is the culmination. Sanjay Gupta handles the story with élan!

'High On The Highway'
Cast: Jimmy Sheirgill and Masumeh.
The highway symbolised their companionship and their unspoken love. Its unpredictable and volatile turns define this story of two people, who discover the boundaries of freedom and the recklessness of life. Though interestingly handled by director Hansal Mehta, the story lacks meat. Jimmy and Masumeh are competent. Too dark, content-wise as also visually. Overall, mazaa nahin aaya.

'Zahir'
Cast: Manoj Bajpai and Dia Mirza.
After discovering something startling about his neighbour, a writer is driven to madness. The one step he takes gives this story its required twist. Hits you like a ton of bricks. Manoj is superb, Dia is excellent. Sanjay Gupta shows that he can handle emotional moments with remarkable ease.

'Rise & Fall'
Cast: Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty.
Two parallel stories run together to meet one end. It is a story about two gangsters, their friendship and subsequent betrayal. Very confusing, looks very theatrical and the action and the subsequent scene only add to the chaos. Gupta and Hansal concentrate more on technique instead of simplifying things. Both Sanju and Suniel are strictly okay.

On the whole, the number of interesting kahaniyaan in DUS KAHANIYAAN outnumber the not-too-interesting ones and that's what goes in its favor. At the box-office, the film may not set the box-office afire, but would definitely keep its investors safe given the fact that the film has been sold for more than reasonable prices and also due to the fact that it has the merits to keep you hooked. A novel experience!