Indian movies

Let's clear a misconception before we get down to reviewing SHAURYA. It's not a war film. It's not jingoistic. It doesn't spew venom on the neighboring country. It doesn't show mutilated bodies or blood-soaked faces and limbs.

Sure, SHAURYA has the backdrop of the armed forces. But it's about a court martial. It's about two friends, who're pitched against each other in a courtroom. The 'culprit', in turn, doesn't want to defend himself and remains a mute spectator for reasons best known to him.

SHAURYA is a serious film and raises a serious issue in the penultimate 20 minutes. And that's where it scores. Director Samar Khan gradually builds up the tension and when it explodes in the finale, it leaves you stunned and speechless. Most importantly, it makes you uncomfortable… perhaps, that's one of the reasons why it succeeds.

SHAURYA is about the common man, but as a cinematic experience, it's more for the discerning viewer looking for a hatke theme, thirsting for a story in those 2 hours. Most importantly, it does justice to the tagline - 'It takes courage to make right… right'.

Captain Javed Khan [Deepak Dobriyal] is charged with mutiny, treason and killing a fellow officer. Even when he is held for court martial, he refuses to speak in his defense as the secret he holds is too powerful for the establishment to handle. Assigned for this task are Sid [Rahul Bose] and Akash [Jaaved Jaaferi], two best friends, lawyers and very ambitious individuals who have contrasting views on life.

Nevertheless, this one case changes their lives forever. The case takes them to Srinagar. While Akash, for whom winning the case matters the most, follows the blueprint, Sid discovers a new meaning in life, Kavya, Javed and of course, the man in question, Brigadier Pratap [Kay Kay Menon].

Why is Javed silent? What is the truth of that night? Why is Brigadier Pratap hell-bent on getting Javed convicted? Will Sid have the courage to save Javed's life?

SHAURYA isn't a flawless script. But it has been treated with utmost realism and sensitivity by Samar Khan. Talking of the narrative, the film could've done without the item song at the very start [and what was Pawan Malhotra doing in this song?]. Besides, one fails to understand why Deepak Dobriyal doesn't confide to his mother, since the family has always taken pride in the fact that they've adhered to principles all their lives. Besides, the film could've been shorter by at least 15/20 minutes. The second hour drags at places!

Despite the hiccups, SHAURYA delivers what it promises. At the end of the screening, you actually pinch yourself. Did the same guy who helmed this riveting fare called SHAURYA, direct KUCH MEETHA HO JAYE, a bitter cinematic experience? The execution of SHAURYA is impressive and Samar also succeeds in extracting stellar performances from the ensemble cast.

Despite the shortcomings, the screenplay is tight, not deviating from the core issue. The reason that compels Deepak Dobriyal to shoot a fellow officer and also the powerful climax prove that the writers [Jaydeep Sarkar, Aparnaa Malhotra and Samar Khan] know their job well. There's not much scope for music in a film like this, therefore the two songs don't make much of an impression. However, in terms of melody [Adnan Sami], 'Dheere Dheere' has a soothing effect on the listener. Carlos Catalan's cinematography is topnotch.

The story rests on five actors - Rahul Bose, Kay Kay Menon, Jaaved Jafferi, Deepak Dobriyal and Minissha Lamba. Rahul excels in a role that fits him like a glove. In fact, this performance easily ranks as one of his finest works. Kay Kay is dynamic. Watch him explode in the climax and you realize the potential this actor possesses.

Jaaved does a decent job. However, his character is relegated to the backseat after a point. Deepak conveys a lot even when silent - that's the sign of a fine actor. Minissha is effective. Besides, she looks the character. Amrita Rao handles her part with maturity. She's first-rate. Seema Biswas, as always, is a complete natural.

On the whole, SHAURYA is a well-made film that will have to rely on a strong word of mouth to sustain in the coming days. However, the film deserves to be tax-exempted since it's a genuinely deserving case.

Sometimes, you miss out on a few movies due to their uninspiring promotion. You're so put off by the quality of promos/posters/billboards that you are in no mood to leave everything and rush to the nearby cineplex. There're times when inadequate publicity also plays a vital role in keeping the moviegoers away from theatres. Uninspiring promotion as also an unsung release goes against BHRAM largely.

Honestly speaking, BHRAM, helmed by Pavan Kaul, is engaging in parts. The film holds your attention intermittently, but the writing gets too predictable in the latter reels. The problem is, the incidents leading to the culmination appear to be a complete compromise from the writing point of view.

Let's explain. In BHRAM, director Pavan Kaul doesn't open the cards at the very outset. You've to be alert to grasp things since the past and present move concurrently in the first hour, which, let's face it, tends to get confusing at times. It's only at the interval point that you exclaim, 'Okay, got it' and you look forward to the second hour with enthusiasm.

Any thriller works if the culmination hits you like a ton of bricks. In BHRAM, it doesn't. The ending is so tame, so hackneyed that you know the answers even before they're spelt out on screen. That's when the impact evaporates into thin air!

Antra [Sheetal Menon] is a successful model, but is hiding behind the veil of a traumatic past. Shantanu [Dino Morea] is initially attracted to Antra, who snubs him initially, but the two develop a strong bond subsequently.

Things take a dramatic turn when Antra is introduced to Devendra [Milind Soman], Shantanu's elder brother. The wounds re-open and the skeleton tumbles out of the closet…

Pavan Kaul has managed to lay his hands on an intriguing story, but the writers let him down. While the first hour isn't faulty, things go awry in the second hour. When Dino lands up in Manali to experience the truth, he meets a series of people who were present on the fateful day. Now note this: Everyone seems to be talking of the birthday party, but the incident never takes place then. It happens at a time when only the young kid is a witness. So how would the entire town know what really transpired?

The assorted people Dino meets in Manali are suddenly told to keep their mouth shut. Wait, a still photographer is murdered as well. The question is, how does the key culprit [name withheld] enjoy such clout in an altogether different state, when, in the first place, people blame him for the rape and death? Clearly, the writers [writer: Bhavani Iyer, screenplay-dialogue: Radhika Anand] don't know how to culminate matters. Incidentally, the dialogues are too hot to handle. Sure, it's right to change with the times, one doesn't argue that, but why so many words and terms which are in poor taste? Not required!

As a storyteller, Pavan Kaul has chosen an interesting story and the execution of the subject supersedes his earlier efforts. He has handled a few sequences with maturity, especially the finale [filmed on a breath-taking location]. But why the sepia effect in most parts of the film? Not needed! Music [Pritam, Siddharth-Suhas] is quite okay, although the songs aren't too popular and therefore, don't come easy on your lips. Cinematography [Hiroo Keshwani] is first-rate. Editing [K. Rajgopal] is loose. The film should be tightened by at least 15 minutes.

Milind Soman gives a decent account of himself. There wouldn't be a reason to dislike him. Dino Morea carries off his part with sincerity. The vulnerable look comes across well at places. Sheetal Menon fits the role. Simone Singh is first-rate. Chetan Hansraj is strictly okay. Sheetal Shah is hardly there. Ditto for Deepshikha.

On the whole, BHRAM has an interesting story to tell, but lack of hype, face-value and uninspiring promotion will hit the business hard.

Of late, the trend is to make entertainers that don't tax the viewers' brains. The mantra is simple: Plonk yourself on the cushy seat, munch popcorn, sip cola and enjoy the on-screen antics. Just don't ask questions. Just don't look for logic. No-brainer comedies are what the doctor ordered to keep the industry's heart live and ticking.

ONE TWO THREE, helmed by debutante Ashwani Dhir, follows the rules faithfully. But…

Like most films of its ilk, ONE TWO THREE rests on a waferthin plot. No issues with that, but after a point you don't react to the on-screen jhamela. Substituting a cohesive script with witty one-liners and funny situations has never been the shortcut to success and never will be.

Besides, the masti-mazaak works at times, but falls flat on several occasions. The on-screen characters try their level best to tickle your funny bone, to evoke mirth, but the viewer sits motionless and expressionless like a mannequin.

Comedy is serious business and Ashwani Dhir has proved his skills in the past [he had penned the immensely likeable OFFICE OFFICE], but cinema is a different medium altogether. Sure, Dhir has worked hard on wit-laden dialogues and individualistic sequences, but how one wishes he would've worked on presenting a tighter script.

It's like promising a sumptuous meal, but being offered just starters. The main course is conveniently forgotten!

Diamonds belonging to a Don [Manoj Pahwa] get stolen. The diamonds accidentally fall in the hands of Chandu [Upen Patel] and Chandni [Tanishaa], who hide them in a car. Papa [Mukesh Tiwari] and his henchmen [Vrajesh Hirjee and Sanjay Mishra] are desperately hunting for the diamonds, while hot headed police office Mayavati Chautala [Neetu Chandra] is on the prowl looking for offenders of any kind.

Enter the first Laxmi Narayan [Tusshar Kapoor]. He's from a khandani mafia family and his mother prays that with a few murders under his belt, he will be settled for life. He's got a final chance to redeem himself as a Bhai. He comes to Hotel Blue Diamond because he's taken a supari to bump off Papa.

Enter the second Laxmi Narayan [Suniel Shetty]. He is sent to Hotel Blue Diamond to collect a new car for his boss from Laila [Sameera Reddy]. The third Laxmi Narayan [Paresh Rawal] is a hawker who has made so much money selling under-garments on the footpath that he has set up a lingerie factory now. His son sends him to Hotel Blue Diamond to collect lingerie samples from upcoming designer Jiya [Esha Deol].

The three Laxmi Narayans are at the same place, at the same time. They get letters and photographs meant for the other. The first Laxmi Narayan gets lingerie designer Jiya's photo and goes to kill her, only to end up falling in love with her. The second Laxmi Narayan gets Papa's photo and goes to collect the car from him, only to be mistaken for a killer and gets beaten black and blue. The third Laxmi Narayan gets Laila's photo and asks her to show him the under-garments, only to be branded an old pervert.

Meanwhile, Chandu and Chandni are determined to stop anybody from buying the car where they have hidden the diamonds.

Lock your brains at home when you watch this movie, for ONE TWO THREE, like its predecessors, is more of a stress buster than anything else. Unfortunately, the absence of a strong screenplay evokes mixed reactions. You do laugh when you're supposed to laugh, but even those jokes are forgotten as you breeze out of the cineplex. You don't carry the story, the film, the gags and punches, the witty one-liners with you at the end of the show.

Ashwani Dhir is a far more accomplished dialogue writer than a screenplay writer. Directorially, the choice of actors is right and a few scenes are well canned. Raghav Sachar's music disappoints. Barring the title track, the remaining numbers are forgettable. Cinematography is inconsistent. It looks like a hurried job at times.

The film has a number of characters, but the one who actually makes you laugh the maximum is Sanjay Mishra, who impersonates the yesteryear villain Jeevan to perfection. Suniel Shetty too has his moments, but his 'Left-Right' dialogues, in scene after scene, tend to get monotonous. Tusshar does a decent job. Paresh Rawal is okay, but not the scene stealer -- something you've started expecting from him.

The girls enact their parts mechanically. The performances are in this order -- Sameera Reddy [okay], Esha [dull], Tanishaa [no scope] and Neetu Chandra [loud]. Manoj Pahwa excels. Mukesh Tiwari is alright. Ditto for Vrajesh Hirjee. And what is Upen Patel doing in this film? Murli Sharma doesn't deliver this time.

On the whole, ONE TWO THREE falls below the ordinary mark. At the box-office, don't expect much!