Indian movies

If you've watched the promos of DE TAALI, you'd expect a film with tremendous youth power. You'd expect gags, gimmicks, laughter-n-sunshine and lots and lots of fun. But DE TAALI is anything but this! On the contrary, it's a slow-paced love story, which depicts one of the actors as a modern-day Devdas who hits the bottle when his girlfriend walks out on him. There's a kahani mein twist as well -- the kidnapping episode -- but you don't feel giving a taali to that too.

Note another aspect. Two songs from the film have been heavily promoted -- the title track [which has lots of energy] and 'Maari Teetri' [plays to the masses completely] -- which might compel you to buy the ticket. The title track comes when the movie concludes [end credits], while the other number is just not there.

Most importantly, DE TAALI gets it wrong on the script level. Loosely inspired by a popular TV drama [DAWSON'S CREEK] is okay, but the material lacks the power to keep you hooked. Sure, DE TAALI has a few engaging and enjoyable moments, but it's akin to an oasis in a desert.

In one word, disappointing!

Paglu [Riteish], Amu [Ayesha] and Abhi [Aftab] are buddies, an integral part of each others lives. Amu is a girl amongst the two guys, though Paglu and Abhi don't treat her like one. Paglu is the one who makes her realize about her feelings for Abhi. Life, however, takes a serious turn when Abhi falls in love with Kartika aka Anjali [Rimi Sen].

DE TAALI starts off quite well and the bonding between the three friends is well established in the initial portions. Things perk up the moment Rimi Sen enters the scene and shows her true colors. Everything's fine till she's kidnapped -- the interval point.

But things only go downhill in the second hour. The entire kidnap drama, the Saurabh Shukla track [it can't get weird than this], the dejected lovers [Mukul Dev, Pawan Malhotra, Sanjay Narvekar] reaching the wedding venue and the family surfacing from oblivion, everything looks ludicrous. By the time you reach the finale, the viewer is already bored and has lost all interest in the enterprise.

E. Niwas doesn't get in right this time. He knows the job well, but if you've noticed his last few outings as well as DE TAALI, you'd agree that he needs to concentrate on the script than making the frames look alluring. Vishal-Shekhar's music is a mixed bag. Barring the above-mentioned two numbers, the remaining songs lack fizz.

Riteish is lovable and his range is finally being tapped by film-makers. Aftab lends his part the required class. Ayesha Takia is getting better and better with every film. Rimi Sen spices up the otherwise bland scenario with her performance as a gold digger. Anupam Kher is wasted. Ditto for Pawan Malhotra and Mukul Dev.

On the whole, DE TAALI is a poor show. It's an apt case of the promos looking great, not the film.

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!

Vikram Bhatt has often been accused of borrowing heavily from foreign films. In SPEED, he borrows from the Hollywood film CELLULAR, which, in turn, reminded you of PHONE BOOTH. Despite the similarities, SPEED is slick, has several compelling moments and isn’t as predictable as one thought it would be.

SPEED is an edge of the seat thriller and unravels at a feverish pace. The only problem is, there’re a few rough edges [a few questions unanswered, predictable climax], but the pros easily outnumber the cons here.

In a nutshell, SPEED is an engrossing fare, with moments that stay with you.

What do you do when you get a phone call from a stranger begging you to save her life? What would you do if your only ray of hope is your phone?

Zayed Khan comes to London to convince his girlfriend Tanushree Dutta to give him another chance to prove his love for her. Meanwhile, Sanjay Suri, an undercover agent, receives a CD from Aftab Shivdasani and Sophie Chaudhary, which contains the recording of his kidnapped wife, Urmila Matondkar, and is asked to follow the instructions.

He’s completely confused about what’s happening. Soon he realizes that he is being used as a weapon to assassinate the P.M. of India on the London tour. As he is still not agreeing to plans, Aftab finally decides to kidnap his kid.

Sanjay’s kidnapped wife, Urmila, starts trying to escape. Her only ray of hope is the telephone call she’s accidentally made to Zayed Khan. He’s in touch with her throughout, continuously talking with her and giving her moral support. As Zayed decides to help Urmila, his love of life, Tanushree gets annoyed and threatens to break up again. A happy-go-lucky brat Zayed, who never takes anything seriously, risks his own life to save an unknown family just because of a call.

Aashish Chowdhary, the super-cop of London, is in charge of security of the visiting Prime Minister. But as his girlfriend has her birthday the very same day, Aashish is caught between his personal life and duty. He obviously chooses the later. Will Aftab and Sophie succeed in their sinister plans?

Although SPEED borrows from CELLULAR, it must be mentioned that the Indian moviegoer has witnessed strikingly similar themes in the past. Yet, in all fairness, Vikram and his team of writers have Indianized the plot well. For, the film is absorbing in most parts, except for some glitches in the second hour.

The Aashish – Amrita track, for instance, should’ve been better developed. Also, the film gets slightly predictable towards the finale, although, frankly, you don’t really mind it since the culmination couldn’t be different.

Director Vikram Bhatt is in form this time. Thrillers have always been his forte and his handling of the subject material is commendable this time. It’s stylish and most importantly, it succeeds in keeping your interest alive. Pritam’s music is okay, although, given the genre, the makers have wisely restricted the songs in the narrative. Pravin Bhatt’s cinematography is topnotch. The locales of London are eye-filling and give the film the required sheen. Action sequences [Abbas Ali Moghul] are well executed.

SPEED belongs to two actors primarily -- Urmila Matondkar and Zayed Khan. Urmila handles her part with dexterity and adds freshness to the goings-on since she has cut down on her acting assignments. Zayed is cool and suits the role well. Aashish Chowdhary springs a surprise. In fact, the actor is getting likable with every release.

Sanjay Suri is a fine actor, but the spark is missing this time. Aftab too isn’t fiery enough and his look is a complete put-off. Tanushree Dutta needs to go easy on her makeup. Otherwise, she’s passable. Sophie Chaudhary makes her presence felt. Amrita Arora looks glamorous.

On the whole, SPEED is an interesting thriller that has the advantage of being a solo release. At the box-office, this reasonably priced fare should attract its share of viewers in its initial run.

What do you do when you get a phone call from a stranger begging you to save her life?
What would you do if your only ray of hope is your phone?
Would you sacrifice your love to save somebody's child?

Speed answers these questions in a dramatic way. It's a great mix of mystery, action and comedy, on the beautiful backdrop of London.

Zayed Khan comes to London to convince his girlfriend Tanushree Dutta to give him another chance to prove his love for her. Meanwhile, Sanjay Suri, an undercover MI5 agent, receives a CD from Aftab Shivdasani and his lady, Sophie Chaudhary, which contains the recording of his kidnapped wife, Urmila Matondkar, and is asked to follow the instructions. He asks his colleague Amrita Arora to crack the code and moves off. He's completely confused about what's happening. Soon he realizes that he is being used as a weapon to assassinate the PM of India on his London tour. As he is still not agreeing to plans, Aftab finally decides to kidnap his kid.

Sanjay's kidnapped wife, Urmila, starts trying to escape. Her only ray of hope is the telephone call she's accidentally made to Zayed Khan He's in touch with her throughout the movie on his cell phone. Continuously talking with her and giving her moral support. As Zayed decides to help Urmila, his love of life, Tanushree gets annoyed and threatens to break up again. A happy-go-lucky brat Zayed, who never takes anything seriously, risks his own life to save an unknown family just because of a call.

Aashish Chaudhary – the super-cop of London is in charge of security of the visiting Prime Minister. But as his girlfriend has her birthday the very same day, Ashish is caught between his personal life and duty. He obviously chooses the later.

Speed deals with many different characters and their lives on a parallel ground. It's a story of how lives of unknown people get intermingled during this crisis.

Will Aftab and Sophie succeed in their sinister plans?
Will Zayed be able to save Urmila and get back his love Tanushree?
Will Urmila and her kid live another day just with the help of Zayed's phone?
Will Ashish be able to protect the life of the Prime Minister?

Speed is a visual extravaganza with a touch of humour, action and suspense.