फ़ोर्स 2: बुरा भला है. नायक से खलनायक अच्छा! [2/5]

अपने तमाम समकालीन फिल्मों की तरह ही, ‘फ़ोर्स 2’ भी सीक्वल होने का कोई भी धर्म निभाने में दिलचस्पी नहीं दिखाती; सिवाय गिनती के दो-चार दृश्यों में जहां एसीपी यशवर्धन (जॉन अब्राहम) अपनी स्वर्गीया पत्नी माया (जेनेलिया देशमुख, मेहमान भूमिका में) से यादों में रू-ब-रू होते हैं. वरना तो इस फिल्म को आप ‘रॉकी हैण्डसम 2’ या ‘ढिशूम 2’ ही क्यूँ न कह लें, किसी की क्या मजाल, जो अंतर बता भी सके. हाँ, दो बातें अहम् हैं, जो इस फिल्म की बड़ी खासियत कही जा सकती हैं. एक तो ये ‘आजकल’ की फिल्म है. मामले की गंभीरता को समझाने के लिए ‘ये देश की सुरक्षा का मामला है’ जैसे जुमले यहाँ दिल खोल कर बोले जाते हैं. पाकिस्तान को डायलाग बोल-बोल कर तबाह कर देना, बॉलीवुड के लिए अब जैसे पुराना हो चला है. चीन है अब हमारा अगला निशाना. हीरो पहले भी अंडरकवर मिशन पर जाता था, विदेशी धरती पर खलनायकों का कीमा बना के लौट आता था, पर इस बार उसके इरादे और लोहा हो गए हैं. उसकी बुलंद आवाज़ में जैसे कोई और भी दहाड़ रहा है, “देश बदल रहा है, सर! अब हम घर में घुस के मारते हैं!”

दूसरी खासियत है, फिल्म का दकियानूसी विवादों से बचे रहने की लगातार कोशिश. यहाँ देश से गद्दारी करने वाला कोई ‘अब्दुल’ या ‘सलीम’ नहीं है, बल्कि शिव शर्मा (ताहिर राज भसीन) है, जिसकी वजहें भले ही निजी और ज़ज्बाती हों, गुनाह तनिक भी हलके नहीं हैं. उसके तेवरों में भी धार और चमक आजकल वाली ही है, “देशभक्त और देशद्रोही की बहस तो आप मुझसे कीजियेगा ही मत, हार जायेंगे!”. पर इन सब के और अपनी सांसें रोक देने वाली तेज़ रफ़्तार के बावजूद, अभिनय देव की ‘फ़ोर्स 2’ एक आम एक्शन फिल्म है, जहां लॉजिक और इमोशन्स दोनों ही स्टाइल की भेंट चढ़ जाते हैं. ‘फ़ोर्स’ सुपरहिट तमिल फिल्म ‘काखा काखा’ की रीमेक थी, इसलिए साउथ इंडियन फिल्मों का सबसे कामयाब और स्पेशल ‘इमोशनल’ एंगल फिल्म में भरपूर मात्रा में था. ‘फ़ोर्स 2’ सिर्फ और सिर्फ आपकी आँखों तक पहुँचता है, न दिल तक, न दिमाग तक!

हंगरी में भारत के रॉ (रिसर्च एंड एनालिसिस विंग) एजेंट्स को कोई एक-एक करके मार रहा है. इन्वेस्टीगेशन मिशन पर जा रहे हैं दो लोग. मुंबई क्राइम ब्रान्च के एसीपी यशवर्धन (जॉन अब्राहम), जिनका जासूस दोस्त पहले ही शहीद हो गया है और क्यूंकि रॉ चीफ के अनुसार, ‘पहला क्लू यश को ही मिला था”. दूसरी हैं रॉ की सबसे काबिल ऑफिसर कमलजीत कौर उर्फ़ के.के. (सोनाक्षी सिन्हा). के.के. गोली नहीं चला सकतीं. उसके पीछे उनके अपनी वजहें हैं. और मुझे नहीं पता, ये राज़ उनके डिपार्टमेंट में किस किस को पता था? और फिर वो दूसरी क्या खूबियाँ थीं उनमें, जिसकी वजह से उन्हें इस मिशन के लिए चुना गया? स्मार्ट होंगी शायद, पर जब एक जगह फिल्म के खलनायक शिव (ताहिर राज़ भसीन) उन्हें टिप देते हैं, रॉ का एक और एजेंट अगले आधे घंटे में मारा जाने वाला है और सिर्फ वो ही उसे बचा सकती हैं; के.के. का दिमाग सिग्नल भेजता है, “इसका मतलब वो एजेंट कहीं आस-पास ही है” इसके तुरंत बाद आपका दिमाग के.के. से आपका ध्यान हटा कर फिल्म के निर्देशक की ओर ले जाता है, जो अगले बीस मिनट तक लम्बे-लम्बे शूटआउट्स के साथ, दिन से रात होने के बाद भी ‘जल्दी करो, सिर्फ 10 मिनट और बचे हैं’ की घुट्टी दर्शकों को बड़ी बेशर्मी से पिलाते रहते हैं.

‘फ़ोर्स 2’ उन तमाम फिल्मों की अगली कड़ी है, जिनमें सिनेमेटोग्राफी और एक्शन को कहानी से ज्यादा तवज्जो मिलती है. ऐसे फिल्मों में अभिनय की बारीकियां ढूँढने की गलती न मैं करता हूँ, न ही आपको करनी चाहिए. फिर भी. जॉन अब्राहम जिस्मानी दर्द को परदे पर परोसने में ज्यादा मेहनत दिखाते हैं, चाहे वो चलती कार को हाथों से उठाने का स्टंट हो या मार-पीट के दौरान बदन में घुसी कील को निकालने की जद्दोजेहद. सोनाक्षी रॉ एजेंट दिखने में सारा वक़्त और सारी मेहनत बर्बाद कर देती हैं. काश, उनके किरदार को थोड़ी सूझबूझ भी, खैरात में ही सही, फिल्म के लेखकों ने दे दी होती. ये वो काबिल ऑफिसर है, जो ‘मिशन कौन लीड करेगा?’’ जैसे सवालों में ही खुश रहती है. ‘फ़ोर्स 2’ टाइटल को अगर जायज़ ठहराना हो तो, ‘2’ इशारा करेगा जॉन और सोनाक्षी की जोड़ी को, और पूरा का पूरा फ़ोर्स जायेगा ताहिर के नाम. ताहिर अपनी खलनायकी में हर वो रंग परोसते हैं, जो मजेदार भी है, रोमांचक भी है और थोड़ा ही सही पर इमोशनल भी. आम तौर पर ये सारा कुछ हीरो के जिम्मे होता है. इस बार नहीं.

अंत में, ‘फ़ोर्स 2’ इतनी तेज़ रफ़्तार से आपकी आँखों के सामने चलता रहता है, कि ज्यादातर वक़्त आपको सोचने का वक़्त भी नहीं मिलता. अब यही खासियत भी है, और यही नाकामी भी. जितनी तेज़ी से चीजें चलती रहती हैं, उतनी ही तेज़ी से चली भी जाती हैं. आखिर बुरा वक़्त जितनी जल्दी गुज़र जाए, अच्छा ही होता है! [2/5]    

ढिशूम: बेमतलब है, पर वाहियात नहीं! [2/5]

रोहित धवन की ‘ढिशूम’ बिलकुल अपने नाम की तरह ही है, बेमतलब. ढिशूम को सालों-साल पहले हिंदी फिल्मों में मार-धाड़ के दृश्यों में मुक्के और घूंसों की आवाज़ के तौर पर इस्तेमाल किया जाता था, वो भी डबिंग के वक़्त मुंह से बोल कर. आज अगर उन दृश्यों को आप देखें तो शायद उस वक़्त की तकनीकी कमियों पर हंस भी पड़ें, पर उस जमाने के दर्शकों पर उसके प्रभाव को नज़रअंदाज़ करना आपके बस में नहीं. खैर, सिंक-साउंड और रीयलिस्टिक सिनेमा के दौर में धीरे-धीरे इस लफ्ज़-ऐ-इज़हार में वो प्रभाव, वो असर अब रहा नहीं. ऐसी ही कुछ तबियत, रंगत और सीरत ‘ढिशूम’ फिल्म की भी है. हाँ, एक बात तारीफ के काबिल ज़रूर है...’ढिशूम’ बेमतलब और बेअसर की होने के बावजूद आपको दूसरी वाहियात फिल्मों की तरह परेशान बिलकुल नहीं करती. सच्चाई तो ये है कि ये फिल्म अपने आपको भी कभी सीरियसली नहीं लेती. नतीजा ये होता है कि पूरी फिल्म आपकी आँखों के आगे से यूँ निकल जाती है और आप उस पर रियेक्ट करने की जेहमत ही नहीं उठाते!

मिडिल-ईस्ट में कहीं किसी जगह, भारत-पाकिस्तान के फाइनल क्रिकेट मैच से ठीक पहले भारतीय टीम के धुआंधार बल्लेबाज विराज शर्मा [साकिब सलीम] को किसी ने अगवा कर लिया है. भारत ने स्पेशल टास्क फ़ोर्स के अपने सबसे काबिल ऑफिसर कबीर [जॉन अब्राहम] को अगली ही फ्लाइट से वहाँ के लिये रवाना कर दिया है. कबीर की मदद के लिए वहां है जुनैद [वरुण धवन], अपनी छिछोरी, बेवकूफ़ाना और हंसोड़ हरकतों के साथ. गुस्सैल-अकड़ू कबीर और मजाकिया जुनैद की ये जोड़ी बॉलीवुड के लिए कोई नई नहीं है. दिमाग पर ज़ोर डालिए और इस तरह की ‘एक अनाड़ी-एक खिलाड़ी’ मर्द जोड़ियों के जो भी नाम आपको याद आयेंगे, यकीन मानिए कबीर और जुनैद उन सब से ही निकलते मिलेंगे, उन सब जैसे ही दिखते मिलेंगे.

जैकलीन फर्नान्डीज़ फिल्म में शौकिया चोर की भूमिका में हैं जिसकी अपनी एक दर्द भरी कहानी है, जो करन अंशुमन की ‘बैंगिस्तान’ में उनके किरदार की कहानी से इतनी मिलती-जुलती है मानो जैकलीन सीधा उसी फिल्म के सेट से इस फिल्म में आ गिरी हों. और इन सब के बीच अक्षय खन्ना का वापस फ़िल्मी परदे पर आना! मेहमान भूमिकाएं हों, खूबसूरत लोकेशंस हों या एक्शन, रोहित धवन एक मौका नहीं छोड़ते, आपका ताबड़तोड़ मनोरंजन करने की कोशिश में. एक के बाद एक वो अपने पत्ते कुछ इतनी जल्दी में फेंकते हैं कि आपको दिमाग लगाने की जरूरत ही नहीं पड़ती. गैर-मुल्कों में कैसे सभी लोग इतनी अच्छी हिंदी बोलते-समझते हैं? ये गलती तो बॉलीवुड में अब गलती मानी ही नहीं जाती, पर दुश्मन के अड्डे से बच के निकलना हो, किडनैपिंग के केस में एक लीड से दूसरी लीड तक पहुंचना हो या फिल्म के सबसे बड़े विलेन को पकड़ने में एक कुत्ते की भूमिका; फिल्म के लेखक भी कहानी लिखने में दिमाग का इस्तेमाल करने से बचते रहे हैं. बड़ी बात ये है कि इसके लिए भी उन्हें काफी मोटी रकम पेश हुई होगी.

अभिनय में किसी को भी अच्छा कहना थोड़ा विवादास्पद हो सकता है, और हास्यास्पद भी. जॉन अब्राहम के डोलों की साइज़ में भले ही इज़ाफा हुआ हो, उनकी एक्टिंग में धागे भर की भी तरक्की नहीं दिखती. जैकलीन में जितनी चाभी भरिये, उतनी ही देर तक चलती हैं. हाँ, वरुण आपको अपने भोले-भाले-साफ़ दिल चेहरे से अच्छा-खासा बहलाए रखते हैं. अक्षय खन्ना अभी पूरी तरह वापस नहीं आये हैं, एक-दो फिल्में और लगेंगी. विराट कोहली के इर्द-गिर्द बुने गए किरदार में साकिब सलीम और सुषमा स्वराज जैसी दिखने-लगने-बोलने वाली केन्द्रीय मंत्री की भूमिका में मोना अम्बेगांवकर फिल्म की सबसे मज़बूत कास्टिंग हैं. अक्षय कुमार, सतीश कौशिक और नरगिस फाखरी अपनी-अपनी मेहमान भूमिकाओं में ठीक-ठाक हैं.

आखिर में, रोहित धवन की ‘ढिशूम’ उन पलों में ज्यादा कारगर साबित होती है, जहां रोहित अपने पिता डेविड धवन मार्का एंटरटेनमेंट की झलकियाँ पेश करते हैं. सतीश कौशिक, विजयराज और वरुण के किरदार डेविड धवन की ‘हार्मलेस’ कॉमेडी फिल्मों के आड़े-टेढ़े किरदारों की ही याद दिलाते हैं. अफसोस, ऐसे मजाकिया पल फिल्म में बस गिनती के ही हैं और ज्यादातर वक़्त फिल्म सिर्फ अपना ही मज़ाक बनाने में गुमसुम रहती है. देखिये, अगर आप उन चंद ख़ास ‘गिफ्टेड’ लोगों में से हैं जो अपना दिमाग हर जगह लेकर नहीं जाते! [2/5]   

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]   

WAZIR: Stylish But Not Smart Enough! [2/5]

While talking about Bejoy Nambiar’s WAZIR, let’s not talk about anything related to the game of Chess. I fear, it might sound something smart, edgy and intelligent. And I don’t want to give any wrong impressions. It does try to look like one but it is not. So, we better stick to the movie and not the game. Based on an original (?) story by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, WAZIR couldn’t have been any better directorial vehicle for Nambiar. He’s known for those over-stylized crime-thrillers (SHAITAN, DAVID) that sure are racy-pacy but also predictable at the end and too manipulative in terms of throwing some loud-mouthed ‘smart’ twists and turns at you. WAZIR is exactly that but then, where is the midas touch of Vidhu Vinod Chopra-Abhijat Joshi collaboration on the writing front? Oh, I remember there is a shred of Bachchan Mania that brings him on board in a magical make-up phenomenon [like in EKLAVYA] and a trivial bit of Kashmir too. So much for Mr. Chopra!

WAZIR sets pieces to bring two of tormented souls struggling with identical grieves together over the chess-board. Danish Ali [Farhan Akhtar] from Anti-terrorist Squad is facing his wife’s [Aditi Rao Hydri] rejection and repulsion for losing her daughter in a terrorist encounter. Enters wheelchair-ridden Pundit Omkar Nath Dhar [Amitabh Bachchan] sharing the pain of similar loss of his young daughter in a mysterious accident. A union minister [Manav Kaul] is on his radar as a prime suspect of the murder. And then, begins the game of chess where metaphors like ‘pyada’ ‘wazir’ ‘badshah’ get much of exposures in dialogues but hardly sound considerable in actual actions. In one of the scenes, Pundit ji throws a momentous line at Danish about how it’s all about timing in the game of chess but there is no timing to play the chess; and Danish hits back with a plain, simple and straight-faced reaction as ‘Bakwaas’. I wanted these kind of verbal punches more in the film than relying on a heroic shootout, a couple of ‘race against time’ chase sequences and some soulful melodies only to give the director a framework to fit some of his trademark shots i.e. capturing rainfall in slow-motion.

WAZIR’s strength, without a doubt, finds its traces in its supremely competent cast. Though making Mr. Bachchan’s character wheelchair-ridden looks mere a gimmick, he never lets you feel the same about his performance. He’s easy, effortless and a pro but again, the writing holds him back restricting it to not make it to the list of his bests. Farhan tries hard and succeeds in a couple of emotionally-charged scenes. His quick ‘spur-of-the-moment’ real reactions do grab your attention for most of the scenes. Aditi Rao Hydari looks good on her part, and makes you wanting more of her, once again. Manav Kaul does it again with his skilled acting ability to perform the part with absolute honesty. His subtly to be in a scene and in a space made exclusively for him is never overpowering or too imposing to make anyone feel unsettled, and it’s rare. My only expectation from his intellect was to have a Kashmiri dialect as his character is sketched like one and he’s too not alien to the place in actual.

Overall, WAZIR is one of those thrillers that make all the deliberate attempts to be able to overwhelm you with its calculated twists in the plot without showing any respect to your intellect. I could see this coming from a first-time filmmaker who doesn’t live in hopes to have a second chance, thus applying every trick to impress the viewers but not from someone so established. Play smartly; don’t play smart! [2/5]  

WELCOME BACK: Partly funny-largely frustrating! [2/5]

Anees Bazmee’s WELCOME BACK is a time-machine that takes you in the times of its successful predecessor WELCOME (2007). The moment it takes off, you come to realize that nothing have moved an inch in all these 7-8 years; neither the silliness in the plot nor the sensibility of the director. A girl, despite having strong and extreme dislike for ‘goondas’ gets kissed by one belonging to the same genus and ends up singing and dancing a romantic number with him, without showing any apprehension. This is a crass world where everyone makes a joke on everyone’s looks, features and physical stances irrespective of their gender, age and class. All in the name of entertainment! All for the sake of cheap laughs! Some really work but in the tiring 2 hour and 33 minutes of its total duration, most fall on the face. WELCOME BACK remains a terrible try to reproduce and recreate the box-office magic WELCOME (2007) created long back; which by now, looks like a classic in comparison with this partly funny-largely frustrating flick.

The furious Uday Shetty [Nana Patekar] and the fanatic Majnu Bhai [Anil Kapoor] are looking for a simple, sober and sophisticated groom again for their brand new sister Ranjana [Shruti Haasan]. The search takes them back to Dr. Ghoongroo [Paresh Rawal] whose newly-find son Ajay [John Abraham] loves Ranjana. Now if you are scratching your head to know where these new additions have come from, let me give you a hint. ‘The dark secrets of a happy married life’. Anyways, the trouble in the proposed marriage happens to be the groom himself. Ajay is actually Ajju Bhai- a local don in Mumbai. Things go messy when an international mafia Wanted Bhai [Naseeruddin Shah] makes an entry with his drug-addict son [Shiney Ahuja] wanting to marry Ajay’s love interest and Uday-Majnu’s sister. Meanwhile, there is a con mother-daughter duo [Dimple Kapadia & Ankita Shrivastava] to make it more muddled and mixed-up.

WELCOME BACK is majorly backed by the Nana Patekar-Anil Kapoor combination. Together, they live every moment in the film with total conviction and wholesome energy. Although Bazmee relies more on the third-rate giggles out of unapologetic comments on everyone’s appearances like Anil Kapoor is called ‘Tedhe Kandhe’ because of his leaning body posture, Supriya Karnik’s character is cursed for her hairstyle with ‘boy-cut halkat’ comment etc. The list includes blinds, deafs and dumbs, overweights and what not. The background music constantly hammers on your hearing senses with a completely unbearable chorus-intro for every major character. Sub-plots are added just to complicate the storyline and to make it overcrowded to create a chaotic climax where you can easily fall for the trick and get ready to accept anything that comes on the way to finally end it all. The logics get its high when a blind don gains his eyesight after his head gets banged in a fight. Similarly, the hero manages to run on the humps of running camels to save a life.

In a very few mentionable sequences, Nana and Anil supposedly play Antakshari with ghosts in a graveyard. In other, Rajpal Yadav impresses in a scene where he’s beaten by goons but forced to dance while being in the middle of it. Paresh Rawal is watchable but Dimple, Ankita & Shruti are not even that. John carries off it well. The addition of Naseeruddin Shah to the cast was supposed to recreate the magical presence of Late Feroz Khan but ends up being in an uncomfortable zone. Shiney Ahuja seems out of the place all the time.   

Overall, WELCOME BACK is an old and predictable, long and tiring joke. Some of the performances do make it watchable but the lack of smart writing-clever punches-logical explanations, and idiocy in the storyline kills the fun and the pun both. If WELCOME had amused you, this will annoy you. [2/5]                        

MADRAS CAFÉ: Flawed but undoubtedly the finest political thriller Bollywood has come up with [3.5/5]

Imagine a war thriller where you already can sense what is going to happen but still it manages to make you question your understandings that either it might not happen this way or if it must, how the proceedings will fit into place. Shoojit Sircar’s MADRAS CAFÉ is one such intriguingly intense, aptly intelligent, flawed but finest political thriller in recent.

Positioned in the time-zone of mid 80’s & early 90’s, when our neighboring country Sri Lanka was going through its toughest episode of heavily brutal & deeply inhuman civil war, MADRAS CAFÉ digs into the past to expose an untold political conspiracy behind our prime-minister’s assassination. Now the best part is, it is a fictional documentation but wrapped cleverly in a series of historic facts that it looks more promising than any other war-dramas based on real life events. West has been doing it since ages, thanks to their liberal environment of freedom to create but in a country like India where extremist-groups are much more in numbers than the unwanted mushrooms in your backyard in monsoons, coming with such a debatable product needs sheer amount of guts.

In his first ‘YAHAAN’, Shoojit Sircar has impressed most of us with a textured romance in the backdrop of militancy and army rule in Kashmir. Here the backdrop is set in Jaffna- the point of action for LTF headed by Anna [reference to LTTE chief Prabhakaran] and Indian force working for peace. John Abraham plays Vikram- an R&AW agent on a secret mission to knock down the open-ended territory of Anna. Meanwhile, the traces of treason take the organization and the mission for granted and in order to repair it, with the help of a committed British journalist [played by Nargis Fakhri], Vikram intercepts the covert plot to assassin our prime minister [reference to Mr. Rajiv Gandhi].

Film’s strongest point is the ‘real people on real locations’ feel, at least for the most of it. Sircar sets a perfect atmospheric war-scene with chilling visuals captured beautifully by Kamaljeet Negi. Also, be ready to witness the most surprising casting in Bollywood ever. Siddhrath Basu as the R&AW chief is the most impressive. There is not a single moment where you doubt his ability to act. Then, there is the ad-man Piyush Pandey as the effortlessly straightforward cabinet secretary and Dibang- the most consistent news anchor on NDTV in the most delightful cameo I have seen in Bollywood.

Having said that, I won’t deny the fact that MADRAS CAFÉ is far from a flawless effort. Story is impeccably fascinating. Dialogues are as colloquial as it could be. But the narrative and the screenplay have more than one loose end. First part is filled with voice-overs and runs like a bullet train to capture and clear the political picture before setting the premise for the finale ‘pressure cooker situation’ where assassination supposes to end it all. Scenes come with a fade-in/fade-out manner only to give it a disengaged lengthy montage kind of feel. Some of the vital information [the madras café conversation between LTF representative, Indian bureaucrat and foreign beneficiary] is being thrown to you repeatedly without much addition until the very last.

Despite all this, the 2 hour 10 min of MADRAS CAFÉ is worth all your money spent on tickets and popcorn. This is a flawed but undoubtedly the finest political thriller Bollywood has come up with. The war-scenes and the bone-chilling explosion scene of Indian prime-minister’s assassination in the climax alone will leave you contented. [3.5/5]

SHOOTOUT AT WADALA: Avoid it and feel blessed.

What could be the bigger irony that Bollywood has come up with release of a film like SHOOTOUT AT WADALA on the same day; Indian cinema got its first film released? It's been 100 years now...and we still believe in such regressive product.

Sanjay Gupta's obsession with underworld is not concealed to anyone whoever is familiar with his name. But with SHOOTOUT AT WADALA, he stinks like rotten vegetables more, than just sticking to his love. It's a male chauvinist film that relies completely on exhibition of bare body in irrelevance to genders, showcasing muscle power in slow motion, hammering action sequences with forcibly breaking glasses- screeching sound, glorifying the negatives, unapologetic foul-mouthed characters, titillating portrayal of women as sex symbols...and what not! 

Victimized by police, Manya surve- allegedly a sincere student is now force-fit into the pit of crime, only to face the deadly hollows of rivalry with the uprising D-gang and some fearless men in uniforms...the plot sounds good but it ends where it hasn’t even begin from. 

Based partly on S. Hussain zaidi's book on the first encounter ever in history by Mumbai police, the film rather than documenting the facts, decides to create 'ho-halla' over star values and item numbers on regular intervals in the name of entertainment...that too in its loudest & worst form. You never feel for Manya Surve once, even when just before end credits, screen reads, "Manya got 78% marks with distinction in his academics the day he got arrested." I seriously doubt if Sanjay Gupta has really read or kept Zaidi's book in question on his film set to bring some authenticity to the story line.

With 150 min of 'hard to sit through' duration and low-IQ'd dialogues that if I could write any of them here, it would have more stars than the whole movie gets from me. It is a total waste of your money and time. We have seen much better underworld dramas in Bollywood in the past; this is nowhere close to any of them. Avoid it and feel blessed. ** [2/5]

P.S. This film sees debut of Siddhant Kapoor, son of the veteran Shakti Kapoor…and all I can say about his acting and appearance is that “jhelne ke liye ek hi shakti kapoor kafi the, aap kyun aa gaye??”