Indian movies

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!

Each film has a twist in the tale. And with 12 writers, eight composers, six directors and 25 actors, this sure is one wholesome cinematic journey. Sunday MiDDAY tells you the who's who in each story and what it's all about


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 strange man claims her plate of rice. Will she place her hunger before her beliefs? A sensitive story with the most awaited performances; this is something everyone is waiting for.

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. Dino has to pay a price for his dream coming true.


Love Dale
Cast: Anupam Kher, Aftab Shivdasani and Neha Oberoi

Neha meets an old 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.


Matrimony
Cast: Mandira Bedi, Arbaz Khan and Sudhanshu Pandey

Mrs. & Mr. Sarin are a happily married couple. Living in their paradise the devoted wife goes and meets her ailing aunt every Thursday. But is she really meeting her aunt? A story about betrayal and faith. It talks about how love makes a fool of all of us.


Gubbare
Cast: Anita Hasnandani, Nana Patekar and Rohit Roy

After an argument with her husband in the bus, Anita sits next to an intriguing man holding 14 red balloons. This story written by Gulzar unfolds a journey within a journey into this man's past uncovering the key to one of the most important lessons in life.


Pooranmashi
Cast: Amrita Singh, Minisha Lamba and Parmeet Sethi

Adapted from writer Kartar Singh Duggal's short story, Pooranmashi is 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. Pooranmashi is a story of women whose unconditional love makes for a tale of unforgettable emotional power.

Strangers in the night
Cast: Neha Dhupia, Mahesh Manjrekar

Every anniversary, they told 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. From there is revealed a secret that changes their lives. Maybe she should have never shared this secret.

High on the highway
Cast: Jimmy Shergill, 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.

Zahir
Cast: Manoj Bajpai, Dia Mirza


This is a story about friendship, love and mystery. After discovering something startling about his lover, a writer is driven to madness. The one step he takes gives this story its required twist. The mysteries of love are explored and the consequences analysed. The trademark Sanjay Gupta style that will grip you in your seats.

Rise and fall
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty

This is a story of dreams and their bitterness on fulfillment. Two parallel stories run together to meet one end. It is a story about two gangsters, their friendship and subsequent betrayal. Rise and Fall is a story of two friends united as brothers but divided by power.

It started with PARTNER eight weeks ago. Then HEYY BABYY three weeks back. It's DHAMAAL now. Howlariously funny, Indra Kumar's latest outing completes the hat-trick of laughathons that succeed in entertaining you from start to end. Like its predecessors, DHAMAAL is abundantly rich in humor and most importantly, has the right set of actors to carry off those roles with aplomb.

DHAMAAL lives up to its title. It's non-stop dhamaal for the next two hours. Sure, there're inane situations and jokes that cater to the popular tastes, but when did Indra Kumar and his team of writers [Paritosh Painter, Balwinder Suri, Bunty Rathore] ever set out to challenge Einstein? The mantra is simple: Let the auditorium reverberate with laughter. And DHAMAAL succeeds in its mission!

Any hiccups? The post-interval portions aren't as funny as the first hour. More on that later! But the film works in totality and that's what matters at the end of the day. With MASTI, Indra Kumar proved that he knows how to tickle the funny bone. With PYARE MOHAN, he tripped and ended up bruising himself. With DHAMAAL, he sprints back to the junta's hearts.

So what's the final word then? Go, watch DHAMAAL and have dhamaal. But do carry a rumaal since this madcap comedy is quite kamaal in parts. You'd cry laughing!

Roy [Riteish Deshmukh] believes that he is the best detective in the world. Manav [Javed Jaffrey] actually happens to be the biggest idiot in the world, but is blissfully unaware about it. His brother Adi's [Arshad Warsi] half knowledge about everything only adds to the great expertise of this group. The final component is Boman [Aashish Chowdhary], who's Mr. Scared.

These four idiots live and work together. Their idea of work? Doing small-time con jobs! The thought of earning an honest living has never even crossed their minds. One day, while trying to save a dying man, Bose [Prem Chopra], they get their big break. Their life is made! Unfortunately for them, Inspector Kabir [Sanjay Dutt] has been chasing Bose for the last ten years. He finally finds him. Only dead!

Desperate for his promotion, he questions the suspicious-looking foursome he finds next to the body. Inadvertently, they blurt out the secret before managing to escape. Now begins a marathon chase.

DHAMAAL begins with gusto. The introduction of the four characters at the very start makes the viewer aware of what to expect from each of them. The sequences that follow [taking the horse painting at condolence meetings] are rip-roaringly funny. Ditto for the sequence when they're mistaken as gangsters and arrested by the cop [Murli Sharma]. Another sequence that's sure to bring the house down is Asrani's vintage car going up in flames and also Sanju tying the four to a tree. The first hour rocks big time!

The writers continue to inject humor in the second hour as well. Only thing, the jokes work at times, but look forced at places. Take, for instance, the track of the robbers inside a bus and their interaction with Ritesh. Non-happening! The aircraft portion [Asrani, Aashish] is excellent, but one should know where to end a joke. Never stretch it beyond a point, but the writers do. Resultantly, the impact gets diluted. Sanju's accident and the entire cliff track, again, is mediocre. The search for the 'Big W' in the park, beneath which lies the treasure, is funny, not hilarious.

Directorially, Indra Kumar is in form. Opting for a new team of writers this time around, he gets it right on most occasions. The two songs at the very start [Adnan Sami] are interesting. Vijay Arora's cinematography is nice. Dialogues are excellent.

The one performance that stands out from the rest is that of Javed Jaffrey's. He's magnificent in a role that seems tailor-made for him. What timing! The viewers are sure to go into raptures. Arshad Warsi is not in his element. Also, why is he looking so tired? Ritesh Deshmukh is dependable yet again, although his track suffers in the second hour because it lacks meat. Aashish Chowdhary is a revelation. Confident and easygoing, he shows a flair for comedy. Sanjay Dutt is alright. Asrani is mind-blowing. It's a treat to watch this veteran in a meaty role again. Suhasini Mulay, as the landlady, is first-rate.

On the whole, DHAMAAL is one joyride that should keep its investors smiling!

Hollywood has often made films based on real-life incidents. Just one incident/accident/encounter/catastrophe is enough to trigger off the imagination of a storyteller.

In India, the trend of making a film on a solitary incident is still in its infancy stages. That's because moviegoers in India expect a film to provide 'wholesome entertainment', with every ingredient that contributes to a masala film being served in proportionate doses.

SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA follows Western movies in terms of presenting an incident on celluloid. And with an impressive cast at his disposal, director Apoorva Lakhia gives faces to characters that aren't in public memory anymore, also enlightening those who weren't aware that such an incident took place in a bustling locality of Mumbai.

Like KAANTE, MUSAFIR and ZINDA, SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA is dark and violent. In fact, the film begins with blood stains and concludes with blood-soaked bodies being carried to a van. The action is real and the impact this film makes in the penultimate 30 minutes is jaw-dropping.

But there's a flip side too. You ought to have a strong stomach to absorb a film like SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA. If the raw action depicted on screen is very real, it could have a nauseating effect as well. Blood, gore and guns can be very off-putting, especially for families/ladies/those into feel-good, sunshine cinema.

In a nutshell, SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA is sure to meet with extreme reactions. You'd either love it or detest it!

SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA is the story of a top cop [Sanjay Dutt], who along with Kaviraj Patil [Suniel Shetty] and Javed Shaikh [Arbaaz Khan], eliminated the trigger-happy gangsters in a residential locality of Mumbai.

SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA is the story of Maya [Vivek Oberoi], who made extortion the buzzword in the early 90s, dared to disobey the 'Big Bhai' of the underworld and fought back a posse of policemen for six hours.

It takes time to absorb a film like SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA. That's because the film goes back and forth before focusing on the main incident. The initial portions, depicting the rise of Maya and his gang, are difficult to comprehend at first. But, gradually, the viewer is sucked into a world that sent shivers down the spine in the 1990s.

Thankfully, the film doesn't turn out to be one of those docu-dramas that depict the rise and fall of a gangster. Neither is SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA an extension of 'cop films' like KHAKEE and DEV. The film talks of a dreaded gangster and how the cops eventually eliminated him. But there are layers in the film that we, as commoners, weren't aware of.

That SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA is raw and crude would be an understatement. The subject demands that kind of a treatment and director Apoorva Lakhia executes it accordingly. The film is interesting in parts, but the best is reserved for the finale. However, from the writing point of view, there's not much that the viewer gets to know of these gangsters. Also, while the incident may be a novel experience from the cinematic point of view, the cop-versus-gangster saga has been beaten to death in Bollywood.

Also, Apoorva could've limited the film to a song or two. The songs in the film are akin to uninvited guests, standing out like sore thumbs in the narrative. Cinematography is consistent. The editing of the final portions is topnotch. Action scenes, as mentioned earlier, are life-like.

SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA is embellished with a great cast, but the ones who stand out with winning portrayals are, in this order: Sanjay Dutt [effective], Amrita Singh [exceptional], Suniel Shetty [competent], Tusshar [impactful] and Arbaaz Khan [good]. Amitabh Bachchan is not in his element, expect for the final sequence in the courtroom. Abhishek Bachchan is wasted. Although the makers have publicized his presence as a special appearance, it's shocking to see Abhishek getting bumped off at the very start.

Vivek Oberoi repeats his COMPANY act yet again. In COMPANY, it came as a surprise. In SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA, it's monotony. However, his death sequence is fantastic. Rohit Roy is strictly okay. Shabbir Ahluwalia is limited to a few closeups and a line or two here and there. Aditya Lakhia gets no scope. Akhilendra Mishra is fair. A.A. Khan is natural.

Dia Mirza does well. Neha Dhupia gets no scope. Aarti Chhabria registers an impact in the penultimate telephone sequence with Tusshar. Rakhi Sawant's presence comes as a surprise.

On the whole, SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA will meet with mixed reactions. A section of moviegoers [masses especially] would love the violent proceedings, while the ladies/families might give it cold shoulder. At the box-office, the terrific cast and promotion will ensure a fantastic start for the film, helping its producers/distributors recover their investment and make some profits too. Business in Mumbai should be the best.