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.

Vijay Anand's evergreen classics TEESRI MANZIL and JEWEL THIEF have been inspirations for many a film-maker over the decades. A number of films have borrowed from these two classics that are rightfully acknowledged as textbooks in film-making. Director Rohit Shetty also seems like a big fan of TEESRI MANZIL, since the script of his third outing SUNDAY is structured on those lines. But, in actuality, SUNDAY is inspired by the Telugu film ANUKOKUNDA OKA ROJU [2005].

A lady is murdered at the very outset and the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle are fixed in an interesting and stylish way. Any whodunit works if and only if the needle of suspicion points at the various assorted characters all through the narrative. And SUNDAY has that quality, it keeps you guessing!

As a storyteller, Shetty whitewashes his previous highly competitive works [ZAMEEN, GOLMAAL] and comes up with his most watchable experience so far. Oh yes, there are glitches [in the second hour specifically] and Shetty should've taken care of them, but let's not fuss over trivial matters.

To sum up, SUNDAY strikes the right balance between the two diverse genres [suspense, comedy]. It's a film that holds appeal more for the aam junta, not for the hard-nosed critics. SUNDAY can be summed up in four words: Engaging, engrossing, entertaining and enjoyable!

A dead body found floating in a lake… Unexplained scratch marks on her neck… Supari killers out to kill her… A taxi driver who yells 'bhoot, bhoot' every time he sees her…

Sehar's [Ayesha Takia] world turns topsy-turvy when she gets a clue about the missing Sunday of her life, which points to a possible violent attack on her. A.C.P. Rajveer [Ajay Devgan] takes up the case to sort out the complicated and jumbled up threads of Sehar's life.

In the process of solving Sehar's case, it comes to light that on Sunday, different people interacted with her and amongst them, one could be the accused. The lot included Ballu [Arshad Warsi], the taxi driver and his friend Kumar [Irrfan Khan], a struggling actor, Ritu [Anjana Sukhani], Sehar's close friend, a scary and suspicious character [Murli Sharma], who resides in Sehar's society and the group whom she had come across while partying at the discotheque.

Rajveer is convinced that Sehar is innocent, but he is also equally sure that she is linked to everything. Is Sehar really as innocent as she claims to be?

Even though the two genres [suspense, comedy] move concurrently, the suspense element isn't heavy on your mind and nor are the comic portions of the nonsensical variety that one laughs at the spur of the moment and forgets all about them the very next moment. The funda is clear: Make a wholesome entertainer that works for an avid moviegoer.

Although the story isn't path-breaking, the screenplay [K. Subhaash, Robin Bhatt and Tushar Hiranandani] holds your attention all through the first hour. The writing is highly competent in this hour. It's only in the second half that things slow down. Reason? There's an unwanted song ['Pyaar To Hona Hi Hai'] and an unrequired, long-drawn chase [with cars somersaulting in the air], that tapers the impact. Even the climax should've been more convincing. The shock-value -- so vital when the murderer's identity is unveiled -- is missing in the end. Also, a more prominent actor would've only enhanced the impact.

The screenplay writers should've worked harder on the second hour, since that's the most important aspect of any whodunit. Yet, all said and done, director Rohit Shetty steers the film through turbulent waters with his expert execution.

The songs -- by various music composers -- give the film a varied sound. 'Kashmakash' [Shibani Kashyap] is the best of the lot. Filmed on Esha Deol [excellent], the song boasts of an imaginative picturization. 'Manzar' [Raghav Sachar] is another winner. This one's filmed on Tusshar [dances very well]; it has a catchy beat and an equally arresting choreography. The stunts [Jai Singh] are stylishly executed. Aseem Bajaj's cinematography is topnotch. He proves yet again that he's amongst the best in the business. Dialogues [Sajid-Farhad] are admirable; very much in snyc with the mood of the film. The sets, especially in the Esha Deol track, are awesome.

The performances are likable! Known for intense roles, Ajay Devgan shows a flair for comic moments and gets it right. SUNDAY would only multiply his fan-following since the actor has started deviating into areas that he seldom visited as an actor. As always, Arshad Warsi is in terrific form. It's a treat to watch him essay his role with such precision. Irrfan is another actor who surprises you all the while. In fact, this combo -- Arshad and Irrfan -- compliment each other very well.

Ayesha Takia is a complete natural. The best thing about her is, she never makes you feel she's acting. She just slips into her role so well. Her introduction -- her dubbing for an animation film -- is excellent. Anjana Sukhani doesn't get any scope. Mukesh Tiwari is first-rate. Murli Sharma, Vrajesh Hirjee and Ali Asgar are alright.

On the whole, SUNDAY is a well-made entertainer that has the potential to click with moviegoers. It also has the advantage of having open weeks ahead, with no major opposition till 15th February. Should end the drought that the industry is facing after a flurry of flops.

Okay, Anubhav Sinha unleashes his heist saga today -- CASH. Come to think of it, CASH is very similar to DUS. A plethora of stars, stunning locales/visuals, an energetic musical score and stylized action. CASH goes a step further -- it has animation too!

Sinha has mastered the craft and garnishes CASH well, but as you begin to savor the taste, you realize that the recipe isn't perfect. Perhaps, writers Yash-Vinay had the right intentions of making a chor-sipahi kahani, but the writing is just not convincing.

Where does the problem lie? Not with Anubhav Sinha, for the director is, without doubt, one of the most stylish narrators in Bollywood. The choice of subject is also right, but the writing lacks the meat to mesmerize the viewer. Clearly, the screenplay is the villain here!

To sum up, you expect a sangam of style and substance in CASH, but what you eventually get is style, style and only style!

CASH is a thriller set in Cape Town, South Africa.

The film revolves around an ace con artist [Ajay Devgan], who hires a set of topnotch robbers [Esha Deol, Zayed Khan, Dia Mirza and Ritesh Deshmukh] to steal a set of priceless diamonds in South Africa.

The group also faces a threat from underworld don [Suniel Shetty], who is after the same diamonds and also the Head of Security [Shamita Shetty]. How these three groups manage to thwart each other forms the rest of the story.

CASH bears an uncanny resemblance to some films. The concept of a guy hiring professionals to execute a plan brings back memories of SHOLAY. There's an uncanny resemblance with DHOOM 2 as far as the stylish stunts are concerned. Also, a number of individuals wanting to lay their hands on the priceless diamonds take you to SHALIMAR.

It's not blasphemous to be inspired by any film, past or present, but what the writers ought to know by now is that there has to be a riveting story at the end of the day. What you take back as a viewer is only style. The writing is unenergetic in the first hour, but the second hour, you've to admit, is far more absorbing. The marked currency notes and also the chase by the cops [Ritesh, Esha, with Zayed atop the speeding car] are pulse-pounding.

Director Anubhav Sinha does make a 'good looking film', but the writing curtails it from being called an engrossing saga. If Sinha deserves brownie points for making a visually enticing movie, all you want to remind him is that the viewer wants to listen to an absorbing story at the end of the day. As the captain of the ship, he should've ensured that Yash-Vinay gave him a smart screenplay that compliments his skills.

Anthony Stone's stunts are topnotch. A never-seen-before experience on the Hindi screen. Vishal-Shekhar's music is trendy and the visuals and choreography supporting the tracks make you exclaim 'Wow'. Ravi Walia's cinematography is mesmeric. The film bears a striking look all through. Dialogues are well-worded at times.

Ajay Devgan is not in form this time around. He looks unenergetic… something is missing! Suniel Shetty gets to play a role he has visited a few times in the past. Zayed Khan is strictly okay. The real scene stealer is Ritesh Deshmukh. Very confident and easy-going, he's sure to walk away with ceetees and taalis.

Shamita Shetty stands out. Esha suffers due to sketchy characterization. Also, her make-up makes her face look hard. Dia is far more appealing and enacts her part well. Ayesha Takia adds to the star-value.

On the whole, CASH has style, but rests on a thin plot and that is its biggest flaw. At the box-office, the film might attract the audience in its initial weekend, but a weak script will throw a spanner.

Some rules you need to follow before you embark on a journey called FOOL & FINAL…
One, don't wear your thinking caps. Here's why: The film defies logic.
Two, don't ask questions. Here's why: It's all about entertainment, not enlightenment. Three, don't look for answers. Here's why: The motive is to keep you in splits.

FOOL & FINAL is all about transporting you to a world of make-believe. The sole intention is to offer you loads of entertainment in those 17 reels / 2.20 hours.

But, wait, there's a hitch…

The execution of the material is done most stylishly, it's akin to watching a comic book on screen. But the effort falls flat since there's no script in the first place. The film packs in too many characters and too many incidents in those 17 reels. No issues with that, but director Ahmed Khan and his team of writers [Umesh Shukla, Abbas Hierapurwala] should've mixed, merged and unified the assorted characters and incidents skillfully so that the entire experience would be worth cherishing. Unfortunately, what happens here is that you root for a few individualistic sequences only, not the film in entirety.

What redeems FOOL & FINAL are the portions between Johny Lever and Paresh Rawal and a few splendid stunts in the narrative -- Shahid's bike chase at the start or Sunny's fight to finish combat in the finale. But as you walk out of the auditorium, you strongly feel that Ahmed hasn't utilized the golden opportunity of creating a paisa vasool entertainer.

To sum up, FOOL & FINAL disappoints!

FOOL & FINAL is all about a diamond that's robbed by Chunkey Pandey in Mumbai and smuggled to Dubai. Chunkey's uncle [Gulshan Grover], a don based in London, asks Chunkey to sell the diamond to his accomplice in Dubai, Asrani.

Arbaaz Khan, a don based in Dubai, gets to know of the diamond and also of Chunkey's weaknesses -- guns and gambling. Arbaaz asks Paresh Rawal to get on to the job. Paresh plans to carry out the robbery with his niece [Ayesha Takia], her boyfriend [Shahid Kapoor] and a cabbie [Johny Lever].

Viek Oberoi owes money to a don [Zakir Hussain], who conducts illegal boxing matches in Dubai. Meanwhile, Chunkey cannot resist the urge for guns and calls Arbaaz, who in turn asks Chunkey for a favor: Chunkey should bet on his behalf at Zakir's illegal den. On Arbaaz's instructions, Paresh, Shahid, Ayesha and Johny decide to kidnap Chunkey.

Sunny Deol has an altercation with Vivek's fighter. Zakir asks Vivek to bring Sunny for the big fight. Sunny knocks down Zakir's fighter. Zakir is seething with anger. In the meanwhile, Arbaaz walks away with the diamond. Subsequently, Zakir walks in and demands the diamond from Paresh and gang. Gulshan and Asrani also land up at Paresh's place with Jackie Shroff and ask for the diamond.

FOOL & FINAL is meant to be a laughathon, but it excites in bits and spurts. The first half offers rich visuals and a few interesting gags, but the entertainment quotient isn't high enough. It's only when Johny Lever enters the frame that things intensify. The sequence in the car, with Ayesha's dog swallowing the mobile, is hilarious and every time Paresh and Johny interact with one another, the smile on your face only widens.

But too many cooks spoil the broth. In this case, with so many characters around and so many stories running concurrently, the writer duo hasn't been able to do justice to each of them. As a result, the viewer feels dejected because every sub-plot isn't as interesting as the Paresh - Johny track.

Director Ahmed Khan tries to pack just about everything in those 2.20 hours. His fundas may be, let's give the viewer a dash of everything that they expect from a masala movie. It's like offering twenty well-garnished dishes to a foodie, but [a] most of the dishes [read, sub-plots] aren't delicious and [b] the appetite doesn't permit you to relish each and every dish in your plate.

Himesh Reshammiya's music is in sync with the mood of the film. 'Yeh Dooriyaan' and 'Tere Layee' are visually enticing as well as superb in terms of choreography. Cinematography [Johny Lal] is excellent. The D.O.P. does complete justice to the eye-filling, glamorous locales of Dubai. Dialogues are witty at places.

FOOL & FINAL has a host of actors, but the ones who stand out are Johny Lever and Paresh Rawal. No two opinions on that! Johny is in form after a long, long time and the funster is the soul of the enterprise. The masses will simply love him. Paresh is excellent yet again and together with Johny, elevates the film to a major extent.

Shahid Kapoor is noticeable because he's with Johny and Paresh all through. Even otherwise, he leaves a strong mark in dances. Ayesha Takia pairs off well with Shahid, but doesn't have much to do really. Sunny Deol is okay, although his mukka will be liked by the hoi polloi. Vivek Oberoi hams in the little role that he has.

Sameera Reddy has no role either. Sharmila Tagore is wasted. Om Puri deserved a better deal. Jackie Shroff is hardly there. Chunky Pandey is passable. Ditto for Arbaaz Khan. Zakir Hussain does well. Gulshan Grover, Asrani, Vijay Raaz, Razzak Khan and Suresh Menon are mere gap fillers.

On the whole, FOOL & FINAL is all gloss, no substance. At the box-office, given the hype for the film as also the fantabulous promotion embarked by the magnanimous producer [Firoz A. Nadiadwala], the film will attract footfalls in the initial days, but the weak content will tell on the business in the initial weekend itself. Its sustaining power at the ticket window, therefore, is doubtful.

A slick diamond robbery takes place in India. The robber is none other than Rocky (Chunky Pandey) who’s the nephew of Chowksi (Gulshan Grover), a Don based in London. Chowksi tells Rocky to sell the diamond to his brother Lalwani (Asrani) in Dubai. Lalwani is a dealer of smuggled gems and jewellery. But he warns Rocky to stay away from guns and gambling, which is his weakness, to ensure nothing goes wrong.

On the other hand, the local mafia in Dubai, Moscow Chikna (Arbaaz Khan) is torturing Choubey (Paresh Rawal) because he was unable to return the money he had loaned from Moscow Chikna. Choubey owns a junk shop and was facing major loses. He gets information about the diamond robbery from one of his informants. He is also made aware of the involvement of the International mafia Chowksi. To keep a low profile, Moscow Chikna asks Choubey to get the diamond for him, only after which he will leave him. Choubey gets along with Raja (Shahid Kapoor), a fast robber, and Tina (Ayesha Takia) who’s his niece to plan the robbery of the precious diamond.

Luckee (Viveik Oberoi) and Bob (Suresh Menon) own a small video and game parlour in Dubai. To earn a little extra money they also promote new fighters who want to take part in illegal boxing matches in Dubai.

J.D (Zakir Hussain) is a big underworld Don, who controls all of Dubai's illegal gambling and fights. J.D's men also get girls from India to Dubai promising them jobs. But once in Dubai, the girls are forced to work in dance clubs. One of them is Payal (Sameera Reddy). But Payal manages to escape from there. J.D is very upset as he really likes her. He orders his men to find her.

J.D’s men are looking for Payal in the market place. Right there are Bhabhi (Sharmila Tagore) and Bhaiya (Om Puri) who are quiet shaken when they see Payal being taken away by the men. They call Munna (Sunny Deol), who is Bhaiya’s brother, to save her. Munna enters in a heroic manner and knocks them out. They all then take Payal home. Payal eventually falls in love with Munna.

Munna owns a garage and is known for his strength and power. He is strong and very impulsive. He can knock out anyone and just about anyone in one blow! He doesn't think before getting into a fight because he is aware of his potency. Because of this, he is also approached by Luckee to wrestle with some of the strongest men around.

Bhabhi’s son dies in an accident two years back, which completely shakes her. Munna then finds Raja, who is a look alike of her dead son. Munna hires Raja to play her son for a handsome amount. Raja is anyway a crook and does anything for money. He agrees to do so.

Along with this, Raja is now planning the robbery with Choubey and Tina. They hire Pattu (Johnny Lever), who’s famous for his driving skills, to help them flee after the robbery.

When Rocky lands in Dubai, he gets in touch with Moscow Chikna to buy guns. But he is well aware who Rocky is. He asks Rocky not to pay for the guns instead bet on his behalf at J.D’s illegal bookies. Moscow then instructs Choubey, Raja and Tina to kidnap Rocky outside the bookies.

Outside the bookies when they do not get hold of anything they plan to rob the bookies. But again they come out empty handed. As they come out they are over whelmed to find Rocky. They kidnap him and take him to their junk shop. Moscow Chikna shoots Rocky and takes the diamond away leaving them with the body.

Meanwhile J.D learns that some men attempted to rob his bookies. Agitated he comes to Choubey’s junk shop. There he finds out that Rocky was the one who was carrying the precious diamond. He tells Choubey and gang that he will spare them only if they get him the diamond.

Chowksi who comes down from London realizes that Rocky is missing. To find him he hires G9 (Jackie Shroff). Now here all the stories inter cross.

Now with all of them caught up together in this chase, the story takes a comical twist.

A lot of breaking bones for stealing stones ends up this bout with a complete knockout comedy!