ROCKY HANDSOME: The Rock that doesn’t Roll! [2/5]

I hate this when critics label an actor as a piece of ‘furniture’ in his said professional work. This is really demeaning and an act of character-assassination of serious intensity, I believe. But then, what adjectives could you use for someone who has precisely and only a couple of expressions to showcase? A rock, if not some furniture? Well, it goes well with the title of the film and also describes the neatly oiled and chiseled body of John Abraham playing the main protagonist in the film. Trust me; he is so unshakeable, unflinching and immovable (for all the wrong reasons) that at some point, you might outburst your patience with ‘bhai, kuch toh acting kar!’ Nishikant Kamat directed ROCKY HANDSOME too, has exactly the same kind of after-effect on its viewers. You are left unshaken, unmoved and cold as a rock, again for all the wrong reasons.  

Copied frame to frame from Korean blood-porn THE MAN FROM NOWHERE (2010), ROCKY HANDSOME revolves around a mysterious pawnshop owner [JOHN ABRAHAM] and his unusual bonding with his 7-year old neighbor Nayomi [DIYA CHALWAD]. The tryst of Nayomi’s drug-addict mother [NATHALIA KAUR] with the deadly sharks in the game lands them in an unwanted situation only our mysterious man can get them off from. And then starts a hysterical action adventure having some amazingly choreographed hand-to-hand martial arts combats, knife fights, blood & gore action-sequences and a couple of peppy, foot-tapping, well-shot item numbers! Sounds good? Well, some of it but not entirely. There is always a sense of disbelief floating around throughout the film. It’s like visiting those arty-farty exhibitions where everything looks neat & clean and presentable but you could never make any connections with them as most of it was just an imitation.

I am not sure if the film is an official remake of its Korean original but even then, Kamat known for remaking DRISHYAM in Hindi last year, never actually bothers to use his right side of brain while recreating it. Most of the props used in the film are shamelessly and leisurely gets modeled on the original ones e.g. the noticeable pouch to carry drugs. Kamat’s unimaginative approach is largely overshadowed by stylized action-pieces and a typical cinematography relying always on slow-motion tiger walks in the rain, red-tinted lighting and continuous shots during fights (An impressive one has John running towards a window, jumping on to it, breaking it and making a safe landing on the ground through it…all in one continuous shot). The ear-defying background score is another run-of-the mill tactic Kamat never shows any problem with but I truly wish if the control would have been in viewer’s hands.

ROCKY HANDSOME has a cute looking kid in its major star-cast. Diya is sure a talent to watch out for but the dialogues are so grave and methodical, it doesn’t sync in well with the innocence Diya brings on screen. Kamat himself plays the main villain but could never create any impression with that. Teddy Maurya, despite being a good actor, settles with a regular portrayal of the done-to-death character of a drug-sniffing maniac. Sharad Kelkar owns most of his performance with the right kind of attitude and confidence in him. For John Abraham, read the first para of this article again. There is nothing more to add.

At the end, ROCKY HANDSOME strengthens your believe in ‘the other side of the coin’ theory. For every KAPOOR & SONS and NEERJA, there is always a ROCKY HANDSOME or a JAZBAA. You can call it the balancing-act of Bollywood. Love it, hate it but you can’t ignore its existence. It’s a copy & paste (Ctrl C + Ctrl V) job better left to find a place in your trash bin, soon after watching it if you had already managed to watch! [2/5]   

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE : Justice denied! [2/5]

Every film has a reason behind its existence. Some possess the purpose to entertain. Some have a propensity to satisfy one’s creative urge. Zack Snyder’s BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE is no exception. It’s just that the reason it holds works more in favor of its sequel JUSTICE LEAGUE planned for the next year release. Consider this a conjunctive chapter that has to be there before the sequel could finally take off. Obviously the much-dreamt clash between the world’s two biggest comic book superheroes was another potential orgasmic spectacle one could never miss to experience on big screens but far-flung from all that, BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE is substantially a tough and nauseating endurance-test as how much Hollywood trash you can take at once. And if that wasn’t enough, you get a whole container of Bollywood junk to make it even tougher for poor you!

Imagine this; a mother is taken hostage by a maniac who wants to see the son, also a superhero by passion, in wrestle with the other superhero. I don’t want to put you on the spot but if you’re an ardent fan of these two DC comic characters, you would know better that they will stop at nothing. Well, you got what you asked for. They are out now to kill each other before something supernatural strikes. The son, at the very final flash, recites his mother’s first name. Guess what? The other superhero has a mother of same first name too. Bingo. The two have now joined their hands to take down the scheming baddie. Sounds familiar? I know. We have been gulping down this bitter mixture for centuries. The problem doesn’t rest in the unintelligible and unimaginative plot but in shamelessly marching ahead from one muddy mess to other convenient chaos.

Superman [HENRY CAVILL] is held responsible for all the causalities constantly taking place in his insensitive missions to save the world. People have started labeling him as an ‘unwanted alien’ to the earth. Even the Gotham city has few unfortunate hits under his name. Batman [BEN AFFLECK] must stop him. Meanwhile, the evil head Lex Luthor [JESSE EISENBERG] has his own plans to establish his supremacy in the Metropolis city. One of them is, of course, to bring both the superheroes in the same arena, against each other. AMY ADAMS plays Clark Kent’s love interest mostly to get herself into troubles so that the Superman could come and save her. An interesting and comparatively satisfying addition in the cast comes as the Israeli beauty from THE FAST & FURIOUS series GAL GADOT playing the Wonder Woman.

Talking about the Hollywood trash; BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE emerges as an average sci-fi action entertainer that tries too many formulaic elements it possibly could. The conflict between the superheroes is undercooked and often confusing. God knows why couldn’t they just sit and talk in lengths to clean the slate. We have seen them performing this rather impressive (verbal) action in their earlier independent ventures. The overtly done and excessively exposed action sequences also don’t really add any substance to the intensity of the conflict, and only target your appetite to watch something mammoth if not necessarily momentous created in heavily confident CG machines.

Overall, BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE doesn’t do justice to any of your favorite superheroes featured in it. Performances range from being superficial to mediocre and one-dimensional. A lot would have been better if the plot hasn’t been so incoherent, lousy, convenient and Bollywood-ish! It looks so inspired from us that even you can sue them for creative and cultural plagiarism. After all, kidnapping mothers is a trademark move for all the Prem Chopras, Ranjeets and Shakti Kapoors of Bollywood, not some Jesse Eisenbergs. Justice denied! [2/5]   

KAPOOR & SONS (SINCE 1921): Perfectly Imperfect! [3.5/5]

It seems Bollywood has learnt its way to deal Indian families in films the way it should be. Chaotic, dramatic, relatable and real! With Shakun Batra’s KAPOOR & SONS (SINCE 1921), even Dharma Productions have come a long way. Forget Karan Johar’s all elite, genteel and heavenly prosperous families melting & merging patently into the equally overwhelming interiors inspired by latest interior design magazines! The characters here, in Shakun’s world, don’t really chew their words before spitting them out. On the contrary, they are loose out in the open to grind each other’s peace unabashedly. Backed up by good writing and even better direction skills, KAPOOR & SONS (SINCE 1921) marks the arrival of a totally fascinating and utterly dysfunctional ‘on-screen’ family you would love to see more of it.

In a picture-perfect locality of Coonoor, a 90-year old grandfather [Rishi Kapoor in his prosthetic best], out of boredom, is practicing his forthcoming event of death. The rest of the family hardly pays any attention to his gimmicks, until one severe heart attack takes its course of action sincerely. The grandsons are flying down from abroad. The family reunites but there’s nothing what it looks from the outside. Everyone in the family has something to hide, lie and complain about. The husband [Rajat Kapoor] has financial crisis eating his head. The wife [Ratna Pathak] suspects him of adultery. The elder son [Fawad Khan] is a successful novelist carrying unbearable mass of being his parent’s perfect son. The younger one [Siddharth Malhotra] accuses them for not being equally warm to him. And then, there is an inevitable chaos of inter-personal issues in the family that declines to settle down.

Shakun Batra scores most of his marks in the first half only where he introduces the all messed-up characters in the family one by one in a particular scene. Shakun gives us many delightful moments in the rest of the film but this one single scene never loses its impact on you. He hits the right note almost every time there is a conflict in waiting to take over the drama. Unfortunately, the comic elements don’t make you feel as satisfying. Shakun tries roughly everything from some ‘below the belt’ gags performed comfortably by the actors to some harmless yet discouraging ‘potty’ jokes. The plot dealing with real human behavior especially in the relationship of the brothers keeps you hooked till the very end. Siddharth playing the younger one sees Fawad- the elder one as his competition but the moments in which they share their warmth in the relationship are enough to celebrate. The writing constantly works against falling into the pit of predictability, despite some melodramatic approach towards the climax.

Alia Bhatt brings with her a certain kind of energy, innocence, humor and vivacity in spirit of the film. She excels in her introduction scene while playing almost herself and in one emotional sequence which is a complete letdown by comfortable writing but has Alia as a winner. Rishi Kapoor’s shameless, blatant and brash grandfather act is one of the most enjoyable. Ratna Pathak and Rajat Kapoor are a worthy addition to the cast providing a solid support throughout the film. Siddharth and Fawad both look incredibly charming on screen but Fawad steals the show with his strong hold in the moments where he has to express and expose his soul.

At the end, KAPOOR & SONS (SINCE 1921) is a family saga very distinct and dissimilar from Karan Johar’s typical design of Indian families. It’s not perfect. It’s not ideal but it’s real and relatable in its guts and will. I wish Shakun had finished it in same zeal and madness he had taken the start. Even then, it’s like one of those joint family photographs where not everyone is at his best but still, you would like to keep it with you. [3.5/5]    

TERAA SURROOR: The Himesh ‘Horror’ Reshammiya Show! [1/5]

The most ironical part in Himesh Reshammiya starrer TERAA SURROOR is also the most amusing part yet so not an agreeable statement to make. Himesh gets to play a ‘Bharat ka beta’ with a heart of gold. He used to sell Chai once in his childhood while battling with poverty. He involuntarily gets enraged with so much aggression that he pierces the chest of a gangster with bullet-driven holes when the latter makes lewd remarks involving his Maa.

Years pass. Himesh is now a Modi-fied young man with newly developed chiseled body and all expressionless wooden face. He’s seen giving tough time to ‘gore angrej’ in a verbal spat over India and Indians being targeted as the incredibly incompetent. He flaunts his Desi Tamancha made in Azamgarh smugly in Dublin to represent and rest his case; and leaves the premise in such swag that most pseudo nationalists will rise up and start saluting and waving Indian flags if allowed. Wait, there is more. He never forgets to make his enemies citing ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ before he could take his final shots at them. What the puking patriotism!

TERAA SURROOR is apparently being pushed as a sequel to Reshammiya’s AAP KA SURROOR (2007). It is not but only when Reshammiya uses some of the head-thrashing songs from the previous. Tara [Farah Karimee] has been booked by cops for the act of drug possession in Dublin, Ireland. Her beau Raghu [Himesh] needs to find a way to rescue her and to trace the unidentifiable man behind all this. Enter Elle Jordan [Monica Dogra]- a lawyer, an Indian official at the embassy [Shekhar Kapoor] and a seasoned conman in prison Robin Santino [Naseer Saab] fondly called as ‘the bird’ for his 14 successful attempts at prison break! Together they all try to help Raghu in his mission and also the film in getting some kind of gravity. I wish they had not been overshadowed by the one and only Himesh Reshammiya!

While tasting your endurance for nearly 2 hours, you often find yourself in a tight spot to decide who irritates you the most; Himesh- the actor or Himesh- the composer. Both have their pros and cons to their individual (ir)responsibilities. Himesh never really bothers you as an actor. He certainly is not one at the first place. He never tries to wear too many varied emotions on his face to impress, though the shades on his lips do magnetize your attention. His self-possessed tunes and the background score by the master himself make sure you don’t miss out a single frame in the film. I made serious efforts to take a quick refreshing nap in between but the hammering beats, earsplitting sounds and eerie singing will never let you be successful in your thoughts.

In rest of the cast, Karimee has nothing to impress. She is smartly given a lesser number of dialogues to mouth and it appears bliss in many ways. Shekhar Kapoor charms as good as Naseeruddin Shah. Where Kapoor shows off his ease and delightful presence on screen, Naseer Saab does quite a job as an interesting cameo. Shernaz Patel and Kabir Bedi are good. In an attention-grabbing portrayal, the villain of the film [He only surfaces at the end] plays a new musical instrument every time he appears on screen. Each time I wanted and wished him to be a real life competitor of Himesh disapproving his success and guts to bounce back with an unabashed self-praising attitude! Could have been a real joke!

Overall, I might have gifted you many spoilers from the plot of the film but the real spoiler is the one who spoils your very idea of entertainment i. e. the unstoppable, the unbearable and the uniquely annoying Himesh Reshammiya. He can seriously trouble you for nights with his hugely haunting ‘O huzoor, tera tera teraa surrrooor!’ Beware, he’s there waiting for you in the dark! Visit at your own risk! [1/5]   

ज़ुबान: दिल, दुनिया और म्यूजिक! [3/5]

सपनों के पीछे भागते-भागते आप मंजिल तक पहुँच जाएँ, और वहाँ पहुँच कर आपको लगे कि ये तो वो मंजिल नहीं, जिसके लिए अब तक आपने इतनी जद्दोजेहद की. ऐसा अक्सर नहीं होता. ऐसा सबके साथ भी नहीं होता. या अगर होता भी है तो इतनी देर से कि आपका पीछे लौटना मुमकिन ही न हो. पहली बार निर्देशन की बागडोर सँभालते मोज़ेज सिंह की ‘ज़ुबान’ एक ऐसे नौजवान की कहानी है, जो अपने सपनों के लिए किसी भी हद तक जा सकता है पर, एक दिन जब उसके चाहतों की दुनिया उसके क़दमों में बिछी दिखाई देती है, उसे एहसास होता है इस पूरे सफ़र में उसने अपनी पहचान ही खो दी है, अपनी जुबान ही खो दी है.

गुरदासपुर के दिलशेर [विक्की कौशल] को अपने रोल मॉडल गुरुशरण सिकंद [मनीष चौधरी] जैसा ही एक अमीर और कामयाब बिज़नसमैन बनना है. सिकंद उसी के गाँव से आते हैं, शायद इसीलिए दिलशेर सिकंद ही बनना चाहता है. हालाँकि हमेशा से ऐसा नहीं था. दिलशेर को अपने पिता के साथ गुरबानी गाना बहुत भाता था पर एक हादसे में पिता नहीं रहे. और अब दिलशेर हकलाता भी है. सिकंद तक पहुँचने के लिए, दूसरा सिकंद बनने के लिए दिलशेर कोई मौके नहीं छोड़ता पर जब अपनी सारी कोशिशों के बाद उसे अपनी मंजिल तय नज़र आती है, अचानक उसे सब कुछ बेमानी लगने लगता है. जैसे कस्तूरी उसके अन्दर ही रची-बसी थी और वो पागलों की तरफ इधर-उधर भटक रहा था. उसकी ज़ुबान ही उसकी पहचान है...और उसे इसका एहसास दिलाने में मदद करती है, अमाईरा [सारा जेन डायस]!

‘जुबान’ उन चंद खूबसूरत फिल्मों में से है, जो आपसे कुछ कहने की कोशिश करती हैं (यकीन मानिये, ऐसा हर फिल्म के साथ नहीं होता. मेरी याददाश्त में शायद ‘तमाशा’ इस तरह की आखिरी फिल्म रही है) ये बात दीगर है कि कई बार ये कोशिश सटीक बैठती है, कई बार नहीं. फिल्म को गहराई देने के लिए मोजेज़ अक्सर गीतों और संगीत को अपना जरिया बनाते हैं, जो कहीं से भी आपको निराश नहीं करते और फिल्म को नयेपन का चोला पहनाने में भी बखूबी कामयाबी हासिल करते हैं. फिल्म एक ठहराव के साथ आगे बढती है, जहां कहानी के बहुत से हिस्से पहले रोमांचक तरीके से छिपाने और बाद में सामने लाने के सांचे में पिरोये गए हैं.

खूबसूरत सिनेमेटोग्राफी के साथ-साथ, ‘ज़ुबान’ को देखने लायक फिल्म बनाते हैं तो वो हैं उसके किरदार और उन किरदारों में ढले कलाकार. हालाँकि विक्की कौशल को हम ‘मसान’ में पहले भी देख चुके हैं, मगर तकनीकी तौर पर ये उनकी पहली फिल्म है. उनके अभिनय में एक ख़ास तरह का कसाव है जो आपको कभी भी उनसे ऊबने नहीं देता. मनीष चौधरी मंजे हुए अदाकार माने जाते हैं, और यहाँ भी वो अपना लोहा खूब मनवाते हैं. सारा जेन डायस फिल्म में एक अलग ही रंग भरती हैं. सिकंद के बेटे की भूमिका में राघव चानना प्रभावित करते हैं.

आखिर में; ‘ज़ुबान’ में सब कुछ अच्छा है, ऐसा नहीं है. कहानी की पकड़ अक्सर आप पर बनती-छूटती रहती है. फिल्म की रफ़्तार भी कुछ इस तरह की है कि आप इसे एक ‘स्लो’ फिल्म कहने से गुरेज नहीं करते, पर इन सबके बावजूद ‘ज़ुबान’ एक आम फिल्म नहीं है, एक आसान फिल्म नहीं है. दिल, दुनिया और दिमाग के बीच झूलते-जूझते नौजवानों को आवाज देती एक ऐसी ज़बान, जिसे सुनने-समझने के लिए आपको भी थोड़ी मेहनत तो करनी होगी. [3/5] 

जय गंगाजल: प्रकाश झा का अभिनय...बस कुछ और नहीं! [2/5]

एक तेज तर्रार पुलिस अधिकारी की रोबदार भूमिका में प्रियंका चोपड़ा भले ही फिल्म के पोस्टरों में सबसे बड़ा चेहरा नज़र आतीं हों, भले ही उनका किरदार फिल्म को उसके गंतव्य तक पहुंचाने में एक बड़ा और जरूरी माध्यम साबित होता हो; प्रकाश झा की ‘जय गंगाजल’ में अगर कोई आपको बार-बार दर्शक के तौर पर टटोलता रहता है, उकसाता है, आपके अंतर्मन को झकझोर जाता है तो वो हैं खुद प्रकाश झा! और यहाँ बात उनके निर्देशन की नहीं, उनके अभिनय की भी नहीं, उनके किरदार की हो रही है. झा भ्रष्टाचार में लिप्त एक ऐसे पुलिस अफसर की भूमिका में हैं, जिसने हालात से समझौते तो कर लिए हैं पर अभी भी अन्दर से पूरी तरह मरा नहीं है. अपने इस एक किरदार से प्रकाश झा फिल्म में वो तमाम उतार-चढ़ाव परोस पाने में सफल रहते हैं, जिनके सहारे फिल्म धीरे-धीरे ही सही, एक संतोषजनक प्रयास बनने की तरफ हमेशा उत्सुक और अग्रसर दिखाई देती है.

‘गंगाजल’ की ही तरह, ‘जय गंगाजल’ की पृष्ठभूमि भी जंगल-राज से ग्रस्त एक ऐसा इलाका है, जहां राजनीति बाहुबलियों के हाथों का मोहरा है और कानून-तंत्र पूरी तरह ध्वस्त. विकास के नाम पर गरीबों की जमीनें तरह-तरह के हथकंडों से हथियाई जा रही हैं, किसान आत्महत्याएं कर रहे हैं, और इन सबके पीछे हैं स्थानीय दबंग विधायक बबलू पाण्डेय [मानव कौल] और ‘छोटे विधायक’ कहलाने वाले उनके छोटे भाई डबलू पाण्डेय [निनाद कामत]. बी एन सिंह [झा] हर जायज़-नाजायज़ तरीके से इन दोनों को हमेशा कानून से गिरफ्त बचाते आये हैं, पर अब जिले का चार्ज ले लिया है नई एस पी आभा माथुर [प्रियंका चोपड़ा] ने. निडर, साहसी और निर्भीक माथुर पहले ही साफ़ कर चुकी हैं, “मैं यहाँ सलामी ठुकवाने नहीं आई’.

कहानी अलग और नई होने के बावजूद, ‘जय गंगाजल’ कई मायनों में ‘गंगाजल’ का सीक्वल ही लगती है. पुलिस महकमे में भ्रष्टाचार का मुद्दा हो या अपराधियों के बढ़ते रसूख और आतंक को ख़त्म करने के लिए पुलिस का भीड़ के साथ मिलकर एक अलग, पर गैरकानूनी तरीके का इस्तेमाल करने लग जाने की प्रवृत्ति, दोनों ही फिल्में समान रूप से एक ही पैटर्न के पीछे भागती रहती हैं. फर्क सिर्फ इतना है कि ‘गंगाजल’ में अपराधियों की आँखों में एसिड डालने की घटना भागलपुर की वास्तविक घटना से प्रेरित थी और यहाँ [Spoiler Alert] भीड़ का अपराधियों को खुद सज़ा देने का उन्माद महज़ एक लोक-लुभावन अभिव्यक्ति!

फिल्म के मुख्य किरदार में प्रियंका चोपड़ा भारी-भरकम संवादों, कड़क हाव-भाव और अपने तीखे तेवरों से लगातार प्रभावित करने की कोशिश करती रहती हैं, पर कहीं न कहीं एक बनावटीपन, किरदार में दिखने-लगने की एक जरूरत से ज्यादा ललक उनके अभिनय में और खालीपन ले आती है. उनके हिस्से के संवादों में बेवजह के वजन ठूंसे गए लगते हैं. प्रकाश झा के अभिनय में इस तरह की कोई रोक-टोक नहीं दिखती, हालाँकि कहीं –कहीं उनकी संवाद-अदायगी नाना पाटेकर की याद जरूर दिला देती है. अभिनय में झा की झिझक और चढ़ी-चढ़ी आँखों में रुक-रुक कर आते भाव उनके किरदार को और विश्वासी-और जमीनी ही बनाते हैं. मानव कौल सहज हैं और कुछेक दृश्यों में एकदम खुल कर प्रभावित करते हैं. राहुल भट और निनाद कामत ज्यादा निराश नहीं करते.

अंत में, ‘जय गंगाजल’ अपनी २ घंटे ३८ मिनट की ‘थका देने वाली’ कुल अवधि में आपको ज्यादातर समय वही सब दिखाती है, और ठीक उसी तौर-तरीके से, जिसे अक्सर आप प्रकाश झा की पिछली फिल्मों में पहले ही देख चुके हैं. झा का अभिनय जरूर एक नयापन देता है फिल्म को, पर उनका निर्देशन और फिल्म का लेखन औसत दर्जे का ही है. कहीं झा दूसरे ‘मधुर भंडारकर’ बनने की राह पर तो नहीं? [2/5]