GHANCHAKKAR: be lazy lad for this monotonous 'jholumpatti'

When opened, wrapped in a bafflingly dark misty packaging of a crime thriller, Raj Kumar Gupta’s GHANCHAKKAR turns out to be an average colorful candy that often tastes weirdly funny […not hilarious, to be precised] at times but mostly it reminds you of an unbothered chewing gum settled in your teeth, best to enjoy if you can really force yourself into it.

After an impressive debut in AAMIR and sustaining the expectations with hard-hitting social-legal-truth seeking thriller NO ONE KILLED JESSICA, Raj Kumar Gupta decides to take you in a bizarre world of an odd couple with one having passion with fanatical fashion [the effortless Vidya Balan] and the other being a hopeless victim of partial memory loss [the noticeable performer Emraan Hashmi]. Their perfectly imperfect world is now invaded by two unwanted guests from past [Rajesh Sharma & Namit Das], looking forward to get their heist money recovered from the couple as soon as the lost memory strikes back.

With a totally intriguing story-line, GHANCHAKKAR really never runs out of giggles & chuckles here and there throughout the first half but undeniably the screenplay gets repetitive and overtly stretched when the narrative opts to rather bank on comical quotient for entertainment than taking you on an intelligent riddle ride to solve the mystery. As a result, till the time when finale showers you with unraveling twists in the tale…you don’t actually participate in the act to your fullest. Stories with limited characters and single track narrative needs certain kind of riveting writing and elements that keep your thinking bone tickle all the time but GHANCHAKKAR fails in deliver them in large.

If I could recount a few scenes that stand out completely, one is for sure where the partners in crime rob the bank with masks of the innocently charming Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan with his in-anger young look and the hilariously suspensful Utpal Dutt on their face to hide the identity; you will find a constant smile on your face throughout. Other is when faded up with Vidya’s cooking disasters, Emraan & partners decide not to dishearten the lady with their comments but couldn't hold themselves up from acting contrary.

Overall, in its 2 hour 19 minute long duration; this ‘continuous jholumpatti’ is monotonous & tedious. Don’t look for laugh-out-loud gags or a complete mind-bending twist for a thriller that it could sure be if someone had invested a little intelligence not as a cherry to top it all but a vital ingredient to the recipe. Watch it if you really have to…or else, just wait for the home video release or satellite premier on the LCD TV in your drawing room. Till then, just be a lazy lad [2.5/5]          

RAANJHANAA: extremely likable! miss it at your own risk!

Well, I don’t want to waste any minute to pronounce Aanand L. Rai’s RAANJHANAA one of the best movies this year. It makes me really restless as a viewer [ you could actually feel the beats, my heart is skipping in excitement] after experiencing so much good things coming in place for this simple-rustic yet very unpredictable-very ‘matter-of-fact’ romantic drama that rides on the brilliance of music, applause-worthy performances, writing with an eye to look beyond detailing and an extremely skilled direction.

One more thing that you can not look away from being an inseparable part of the film is Banaras. This place has its own multifaceted character to watch out for. Banaras has never been portrayed so tasteful in Bollywood so far. In his teens, Kundan [played by ‘kolavery di’ fame Dhanush] follows Zoya [the complexed but lovable Sonam Kapoor] in the by-lanes of this holy city and you, sitting in theaters, could smell colors flowing freely in the ambiance. 8 years later, Zoya meets Kundan at one of the ghaats to give him the shock of his life that she is in love with someone else and again you would not miss the quietly poignant sound of river Ganges for any moment of time.

Well-written characters are also what make it a ‘not just another run of the mill’ experience. Swara Bhasker [you have loved her in Rai’s past sleeper-hit TANU WEDS MANU] plays a loud-mouthed, big hearted girl next door, falling for the carefree Kundan. Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub gets away with the best of cheeky one-liners but more than that, he amazed you in emotional scenes too. Abhay deol- a potential student leader-cum-social activist-cum-aspiring politician as the love-interest of Zoya is a textbook performer. Look at his body-language & the attitude he wears with Nehru jacket-denims & black kurta…and I bet you would not fail in taking him into account for any of the Delhi University leaders. 

& now, let’s talk about Dhanush. This man slips into the ‘happy-go-lucky, uncomplicated-far from sophistication’ character of Kundan like anything. You can never draw a line where Dhanush is not kundan. It’s a tailor-made role for him and if he not, I can’t imagine who would have been in his shoes. Sonam Kapoor has to show certain kind of transition to her character and she did full justice to this multi-layered personality.

Film’s last merit but not the least in any which way is the unpredictable nature of writing. From cheesy one-liners to cutely delightful love portions, from earthy emotional outbursts to ‘you never see it coming’ twists, it has all to entertain you...and to shock you especially in the second part where this romantic journey takes a serious turn, landing intelligently into a political drama. There’s more to it but I leave it to you to explore. A R Rahman’s music is of course one of them that still making me excited to watch it out one more time, sooner the better. MISS IT AT YOUR OWN RISK! [3.5/5]

WORLD WAR Z : a horror film? yes, but not a regular one! [3/5]

The very existence of human race is in danger…again. This time, it is not about aliens or some creepy creatures but man-eater zombies who are spreading all over like some terminal biological syndrome, ready to bring down the world in the most gruesome manner, identical to the plague of locust’s attack!

Based on a novel by Max Brooks, Mark Forster’s WORLD WAR Z scares the hell out of you, especially with its horrific visuals. You may not get frightened and panicky as regular horror flicks do in a prescriptive routine sequencing of the events but the spine-chilling imagery it creates of world being wiped out of mankind itself keeps you on the edge of your seat for most of the time. 

In an apocalyptic circumstance, ex-UN investigator [played by the producer Brad Pitt] is back on mission to find the root-cause of worldwide zombie-attacks and the search for clues and crumbs to reach on substantial buoyancy in fighting it back. The race to save is against the time. And the film does really good in keeping you on your toes through constant interesting twists in the plot and a taut screenplay. First 20 minutes in the film and you know where this ‘thrill that chills’ sci-fi horror film is headed to.

The best part about it is that it doesn't restrict itself to be a typical horror film but tries its level best to overwhelm you with the intelligence of a thriller. The effort shows but sadly doesn't always pay off and it becomes only an acknowledgement for first rate cinematography specifically while using aerial shots and a good direction in bringing out some of the nastiest zombie attacks on screen ever. A good one-time watch for people who can admire even a ‘world coming to an end’ movie without much of loud action & heavy VFX construction! [3/5]         

MAN OF STEEL: lethargically repetitive, overtly stretched and too loud to enjoy!

Superman is not human. Superman is rather an alien […who looks very much human]. Superman has a difficult childhood and a haunting past to deal with. But superman is superman. Do any of these sentences create some kind of excitement to you? Do you feel any tingle in your bones while reading this out? Same goes with the latest Chris Nolan-Zack Snyder’s collaborative effort ‘MAN OF STEEL’. It only is a resurrection of what we all have seen in past but that doesn't keep you away from expecting freshness in the approach and some astuteness while penning it down again, and that’s where it falls badly to deliver.

Film takes its own time to establish the tug of war between the parents to our superman and the big baddie, far away from our galaxy in another planet called Krypton and way back when superman was merely a child with possibilities and hope to many. Parents get killed but not before transporting the child to a much safer and convenient planet earth. The ‘naturally born in centuries’ child is now in hands of much sorted foster parents and just in time, 20 years later when the child manages to learn how to cover up his scary powers; the big baddie comes back with deadlier plans for both the planets. Will our man with possibilities do the needful? Why not, he’s superman after all.

In trying to balance the emotional quotient and the thrilling action, the film falls measurably on both fronts. The pace is sometimes dead to feel any high. Intelligence in the writing is a complete miss, and what could really be the surprising element, even action is lethargically repetitive, overtly stretched and too loud to enjoy. If I really had to pick high-points in those 2 hours 23 min long duration, it would be one where Clark interacts with his foster mother, second when he first discovers his super-powers and goes for a test in details and rest being some romantic frames with Amy Adams and a couple of fights in the finale.

At last, it only looks a show reel [or rather a show-off] to experiment how much we can create on those heavily potent VFX machines. Too much of graphic content, long excessive action sequences, lack of freshness and loose editing kills the purpose to rekindle the joy of watching superman acting super human. Had it not been the love for him, I would have gone for short & quick naps in between. [2.5/5] 

FUKREY: very DILLI at heart! not to be missed!!

Dilli, not the elite Delhi mind you, has become quite a hot favorite these days for most of the filmmakers to set their films up, not only to explore the quirkiness in the lingo and the defiance of its overly flamboyant characters but also as an integral intimate essence to the story-line.  You can take out a Delhiite from Delhi but you can never the Delhi from a Delhiite...that's the attitude that holds you and keeps you glued to your seats throughout (though allegedly this statement is incorrect since it being a laugh riot experience, you are bound to jump over it most of the time) while watching Mrighdeep Singh Lamba's FUKREY.

Vaguely termed for youth, charged with intrepid gusto to achieve their goals by any means aboveboard or overboard, ‘fukrey’ is probably the only word what could describe its characters. The way their body traffics towards girls passing by, the way they are vigorously ready to take on anyone including friends of lifetime even in their hardest times, the way they think whatever they do is the new cool thing, is very very enjoyable.

Spending your 134 mins with these 4 youngsters (BITTOO BOSS fame Pulkit Samrat, Manjot Singh of ‘OYE LUCKY LUCKY OYE’, Ali Jafar- the ‘sunshine’ guitarist in 3 IDIOTS and the hilariously funny first-timer Varun Sharma) are now at their own to come out of the problem they are trapped into because of shortcuts taken in life to earn some big loads of money, is like taking a short vacation for measurable amount of laughs and smiles. This roller coaster also has a couple of the most competent actors Bollywood hasn't paid much attention to till very late (the impeccably impressive Pankaj Tripathi as the 'can do everything' watchman of the college and the awesomely gifted Richa Chaddha as the local lady don) performing with sheer brilliance for equally well written characters.

Lamba has shown us previously some nice flares of good situational comedy in his overlooked debut '3 THAY BHAI' but this is definitely a far better- near perfect addition to his kitty. Vipul Vig is another star behind camera responsible for the story and madcap dialogues with wackiest one-liners. Make it a must in your ‘to do’ list for the weekend. Laughter is guaranteed so is an entertainment that brings out the youth in you. I haven't laughed and clapped so much, so for in 2013. Don't miss it even if you haven't been in Delhi before, all your life. Some scenes sure demand repeat watch! (3.5/5)

YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA 2: if goofy spoofs could save the day!

Playing a cartoon-ish scientist of sky-high ambitions who wants to build a literal ‘out of this world’ mall in space, when Anupam kher inquires about Sunny Deol’s gravity-defying encounter with his ‘can you believe once I was really funny’ sidekick Johnny Lever as ‘kitne aadmi thay?’; Lever replies, “jaswant singh” “ohh, you mean his name was jaswant singh?” Lever clarifies to create some giggles, “no boss, I mean Just one Singh…sirf ek sardar” well if you really find it funny, I would suggest rush to Deols’ dumb comedy YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA 2 right now, you’ll have plenty of such rag-gags…and meanwhile, I’ll go and mourn over the dying idea of entertainment.

Problem with YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA 2- the sequel to 2011’s mad comedy of same name is never the performances, you always know what this father-sons trio is going to do in order to entertain you. So, don’t expect any surprises in that part; they do pretty regular monotonous things they are identified & labeled for…but the real letdown is the writing that hops on to a screenplay liable only for creating stupidity over spoofs mostly on Salman Khan’s films & dialogues. Then there is an orangutan described irrationally as Monkey most of the times. He reads novel about human behavior. He paints exceptionally well on par with Mr. Piccaso…and if that’s nothing to you, there’s also Sunny paaji’s famous symbolic scream attack that produces tornado/tsunami stronger than any Katrina, sandy or Rita. 

If these two paragraphs written above suggest it is a complete washout, here is some relief. I would not rate this insufferable because it doesn't go overboard all the time. Some scenes and especially one-liners where Dharamji naively talks about Deols in real life and splashes a certain charisma on screen is something to count for. Sucheta Khanna surprises you with her quick lovely regular appearances as Babli-the other sidekick to Anupam Kher. Annu Kapoor tries his hard to impress but succeeds only in parts.

On the whole, 2 hour 35 minutes is what it demands from you, but the kind of patience you need to carry with yourself to be able to sit through is quite high. I survived this hopeless mad comedy because I have developed good amount of immunity to such ill-humored non-sense, you might not. Don’t take risk! **[2/5]