Murder 3 Plot, Movie and Music Review

 

Story/Plot

Murder 3 opens with Vikram (Randeep Hooda), a hot-shot fashion and wildlife photographer , viewing a video of his girlfriend, Roshni (Aditi Rao Hydari) telling him she is leaving him. Vikram becomes distraught. While drinking away his sorrows at a bar, he meets Nisha (Sara Loren) and they had a relationship where Nisha moves into the house that Vikram was sharing with Roshni. Vikram becomes a suspect in the disappearance of Roshni, however, the investigators can find no evidence of Vikram's involvement in Roshni's disappearance.

It is revealed that the house is owned by a German lady who shows Roshni a secret room built to hide her husband just in case someone came to look for him because he was in British Army at the time of 1947. The room is self contained and sealed off from sound.

In a flashback, it is also shown that Roshni, jealous of Vikram's relationship with one of his colleague, decided to pretend she is leaving him. She creates the video saying she is leaving as she hides in the secret room. The room has some one way mirrors where she can observe Vikram's reaction. When she decides he has had enough she looks for the key and realises she lost the key and is now trapped in the room with no way to contact him.

Nisha finds the key to the secret room, but she doesn't know what it is used for. Nisha eventually figures out that Roshni is trapped in the house because Roshni is able to communicate through tapping on the pipes in the secret room. As Nisha is ready to open the door, she pauses and decides not to rescue Roshni because she might lose Vikram after that. Nisha struggles with her decision, but decides to open the door and check on Roshni because the investigators gave Nisha pictures of Vikram and his Colleague and she herself feels the pangs of jealously. As Nisha is checking on Roshni laying in a bed in the secret room, Roshni surprises Nisha and knocks her out and leaves Nisha locked in the room. After Roshni comes out of the secret room, she sees Vikram and his colleagues photographs and shatters.She decides to leave the house. She leaves that picture of Vikram with his colleague on mirror and send the keys of the room to the investigator who actually loves Nisha. The final scene shows Roshni tearing her and Vikram's photograph and is going on a highway road in a car alone

 

Positive Reception

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave it 4 out of 5 and stated that Murder 3 is one of the finest thrillers to come out of Vishesh Films. An outstanding story narrated with ferocious enthusiasm. Vishesh Bhatt hits a boundary in his very first attempt! Sukanya Verma for Rediff.com has given 2/5 stars and says Murder 3 has some badly-acted thrills.

 

Soundtrack

1. Teri Jhuki Nazar   4:39

Watch Video          View Lyrics
A quintessential Pritam romantic track. Shafqat Amanat Ali might be one of the most underrated great singers of present times. A simple and lovable romantic melody that harks back to tracks by Pritam in Cocktail, Dum Maaro Dum and Agent Vinod.

If anyone can notice any difference between the main version and Film Version, I am keen to know.

2. Mat Aazma Re  4:11

 Watch Video View Lyrics
Just when I thought KK days were long gone, he makes himself relevant. Although I still believe his days are numbered. Anyways, getting back to the song, this song is everything that made us love KK's commanding voice. Nice instrumentals with a tinge of intense emotions sung well by KK makes this a great song.

3. Hum Jee Lenge    4:35

 Watch Video View Lyrics
If anyone in Bollywood is doing rock music well, it is Mustafa Zahid and his Roxen band. The use of low-pitch acoustic guitar is unexpected and novel. Besides his style of mildly sad melodies is great, unless you are looking absolutely cheerful. Great transitions between lines which gives a nice structure to the song. The transition between soft tunes and hard-hitting louder notes have been executed well.

The Rock Version is nearly identical. For the sake of comparison, the original sounds better and it is a little longer than the Rock Version and thus feels well developed.

4.Jaata Hai Tujh Tak ( Film Version )   4:48

5.Jaata Hai Tujh Tak    4:49

 Watch Video View Lyrics
A simple and straightforward R&B track by Nikhil D'Souza. The song opens with a fast tempo and slowly leads to main theme. Owing to this, the song feel a bit repetitive by the late middle to the end. Enjoyable song.

Ditto like Teri Jhuki Nazar, if anyone can find the difference between the main and Film versions, I am interested.

6.Teri Jhuki Nazar ( Film Version )  Pritam  Shafqat Amanat Ali  4:38 

7.Hum Jee Lenge( Rock Version )  Roxen  Mustafa Zahid  4:17

Watch Video

 

Overall, Murder 3 gets a 9/10. Pritam has been so consistently successful with his major albums, that it's almost boring to say: Another fine album by Pritam, with some help from Roxen band. He shows some semblance to his past work. The album is strange though. There are four original tracks and three alternate versions.The three alternate versions are barely alternate. Wonder if Pritam just got lazy or had some money dispute with the recording company or is it good old fraud in plain sight by Sony Music India, that the alternate versions of the songs are near identical.

3 Idiots Full Movie Reviews

Following the stupendous success of "Slumdog Millionaire" in 2008, interest in Indian cinema increased markedly. Yet that movie, while set in India, was directed by an Englishman. Most people in the U.S. know very little of real Indian film, but the number of Bollywood fans is growing rapidly, and they are almost evangelical in their admiration for Aamir Khan, the star of "3 Idiots" and a golden boy in his native country. Of the relatively few exports from that enormous market to play in American theaters, this 2009 film is one of the best. It makes a fine entree into the cinematic culture of India, which is, I must warn you, an acquired taste.

The first thing you may notice is the language, which entails what linguists call "code switching." Sentences often begin in Hindi and end in English or vice versa. But much more important to grasp is the Bollywood aesthetic, which is radically different from Hollywood's; to enjoy it requires a suspension of the rules that constrain American films. Ours have rather tightly defined genres: domestic drama, buddy picture, slasher movie, Broadway musical, sci-fi actioner, and so on. Combining two of them is rare; three is straight over the top.

Indian film, in contrast, is kitchen sink filmmaking, throwing together themes and plots from many diverse genres to create tales of epic scope (this one is nearly three hours long). These sagas whipsaw the viewer back and forth from farcical parody to ghastly tragedy to musical fantasy to weepy melodrama to bathroom humor to social protest to romantic comedy. The plots are frequently Byzantine in their complexity and the characters hopelessly unrealistic. As in the Hindu epic Ramayana, they are better thought of as caricatures of love, wisdom, heroism, foolishness, envy, ambition, and other traits.

Now if you find a frenetic hodgepodge of styles and a resolute lack of realism irritating, if you can't accept what will at first seem crazily contradictory conventions, you won't like Bollywood. If repetitive fart and pee jokes bother you, if the idea of grafting a "Revenge of the Nerds" sensibility onto "Mamma Mia!" or of having Judd Apatow direct "Days of Our Lives" strikes you as horrifying, then this movie is not for you. But if you can wrap your head around these jarring juxtapositions, read on.

I'll admit I'm not a big Bollywood fan, but I have to give props to screenwriter-director Rajkumar Hirani for the manic energy and complete commitment he brings to his interpretation of "Five Point Someone," a novel by Chetan Bhagat. "3 Idiots" centers on three students attending the most prestigious engineering college in India, a pressure cooker of a school. They include Farhan (R. Madhavan), who is an aspiring but frustrated photographer, and the impoverished Raju (Sharman Joshi). The charismatic leader of this triumvirate, Rancho (Kahn), is a witty prankster, a down-to-earth genius, and a humanitarian guru who makes it his mission to humble the arrogant: to show the educational authorities their wrongheadedness and the wealthy their hypocrisy.

While he's at it, this charming idealist saves the life of Raju's father, crashes a wedding, and wins the heart of Pia, a medical student (played by the beautiful Kareena Kapoor) who happens to be the daughter of his nemesis, the dean of the college. The dean is a heartless buffoon (played to the scenery-chewing hilt by Boman Irani) who is in the habit of driving his students to suicide, but Rancho gets the better of him. And all of this is accomplished before the first half of the film is over!

The movie could easily have ended at midpoint, but no. Rancho mysteriously disappears, and so his friends embark upon a quest that frames the plot, along with Chatur (Omi Vaidya), an envious rival who has made a wager with him. They attempt to track him down, settle the bet, and reunite him with his lost love. We move back and forth in time and tone with myriad subplots about exam results, summary expulsions, dreams deferred, job interviews, identity swaps, heartbreaking betrayals, near-death experiences, miraculous recoveries, and undying friendship.

There's a runaway bride scene that puts "The Graduate" to shame, and enough high-stakes medical drama for several soap operas, including paralysis, a coma, and a bizarre episode in which a team of engineering students uses car batteries and a vacuum cleaner to deliver a baby during a blackout. And interspersed with all of this are several wild song-and-dance numbers, one of them set in a communal bathroom and another that involves flying and a rainstorm and a cross between the Twist and the Chicken Dance.

In the end, justice is done and all's right with the world. The challenges our protagonists face -- of fulfilling their parent's old-fashioned expectations in a viciously competitive educational system and an utterly class-ridden society, or of following their own personal passions and finding happiness and untold wealth in the process -- are resolved to everyone's satisfaction. Of course, our saintly hero finds true love and, after hours of teasing, gets a single kiss. We're in India, remember, where the good guys must be chaste (though cavorting in their underwear is apparently just fine).

It's a cheerfully preposterous film filled with fine performances, one of the most well-made pieces of pabulum I've seen since the cricket-themed "Laagan," a 2001 Aamir Khan epic of nearly four hours that received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. With a story that aspiring young Indians can relate to, "3 Idiots" was hugely popular at home, shattering all sorts of box office records and winning a ridiculous number of awards.

If you'd like to know more about India, where tradition and modernity uneasily coexist, then a marathon of broad tragicomedy and rags-to-riches wish fulfillment is an entertaining way to learn. Bear in mind that this is nothing like reality. It's hyperreality: what a nation of 1.2 billion who experience poverty and a daily grind and rapid social change are hoping for, not what you'll really find if you visit. As such, it reveals much about their mentality, about their ideals and anxieties, and about what motivates them. And if you can let go of your American preconceptions, it's a head-spinning ride that's undeniably fun.

 

3 Idiots Songs Review

While you're listening to the songs of the soundtrack you can easily recall the scenes of the movie, bollywood style music is a good and new experience to enjoy this cd. This soundtrack really complements a fantastic movie! I love listening to this music as it's showing great stuff Bollywood is turning out and more movies need music like this to complement a movie! It's all on him. I absolutely loved this CD. I recognize that it's not very common but the music, even more when accompanied by the movie, is beautiful. If you haven't seen the movie though... you should, BEFORE buying this.

Race 2 - 2013 Movie and Music Reviews

Race 2 is a 2013 Bollywood action thriller film directed by Abbas-Mustan and produced under the Tips Music Films banner. It is the sequel to the 2008 film, Race, and stars an ensemble cast that includes Anil Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan reprising their roles as Robert D'Costa and Ranveer Singh respectively from the previous film, while Deepika Padukone, John Abraham, Jacqueline Fernandez and Ameesha Patel are new additions to the cast. Bipasha Basu reprised her role of Sonia Martin in a special appearance. Made on a budget of 60 crore(s) (US$11 million), Race 2 was released on 26 January 2013, and opened to a positive response at the box office.

 

Race 2 Story / Plot

To take the revenge of the death of his beloved wife Sonia Singh (Bipasha Basu), Ranveer Singh (Saif Ali Khan) cons Vikram Thapar (Rajesh Khattar) so badly that he is divested of the five casinos that he owns in Istanbul. Ranveer’s next target is Armaan Malik (John Abraham), who was also responsible for Sonia's death. Ranveer asks Robert D’costa alias RD (Anil Kapoor) and his dim-witted assistant Cherry (Ameesha Patel) to introduce him to Armaan, promising him a commission from the profits he and Armaan would make in a fail-safe scheme he has in mind.

Ranveer charms Armaan as well as his half-sister Alina (Deepika Padukone), who is a 50% partner with Armaan in all his profits. Soon, he establishes contact with Armaan Malik’s girlfriend, Omisha (Jacqueline Fernandez), under the belief that she is the sister of Sonia. He tells Omisha of his plan to destroy Armaan, like he had finished Vikram Thapar, as they both had been instrumental in killing his girlfriend and her sister, Sonia. On her part, Tanya(i.e. Omisha) also pledges her support to Ranveer. It turns out that Armaan and Omisha had conned Ranveer into believing that she was Sonia’s sister so that they could know what was in his mind.

Unaware of this, Ranveer plans to steal the Shroud of Turin from the museum in Italy and sell it to Armaan at a discounted price. Armaan agrees to pay the hefty price with the intention of laying his hands on the shroud and manipulating matters in such a way that he’d also get his money back. In the meantime, Armaan gets notified that Alina and Ranveer are inside a car which is armed with an explosive that would explode if the vehicle slowed down. Ranveer removes the bomb from the car and throws it. It later explodes in mid air. Armaan strikes a deal with Godfather Anza (Aditya Pancholi), an underworld don, for the money to pay Ranveer. Ranveer is enlightened by Alina who shows him the tapes revealing that Armaan had planted the bomb in her car, and his best friend Robert had betrayed him. Alina agrees to help him to get his revenge. With Robert's help, Ranveer successfully steals the Shroud, but Hides it at the Istanbul Airport's Locker. Meanwhile Armaan fights with Anza's top fighter and defeats him to get the money for buying the Shroud. Armaan buys the Shroud (fake one) with Ranveer. Ranveer is later double crossed by everyone, including Alina and is left to die from poison. Armaan collects the real Shroud from the Airport's Locker with Omisha and meets Alina at his private plane. On the plane, Armaan betrays Alina and tries to kill her. Before he can pull the trigger, Ranveer appears and snatches the gun, leaving Armaan and Omisha in disbelief. Ranveer reveals that Alina never betrayed him at all. Added to this, Robert's betrayal and his acting dead was part of the plan. When questioned, Armaan reveals that he had killed Sonia as she betrayed him in the past. After a final fight with Ranveer, Armaan and Omisha bail out from the plane with the Shroud & the Money, leaving Ranveer and Alina to die in the speeding plane (as Armaan kills the pilot). However they bail out before the plane crashes. Armaan sells the shroud to Anza, which turns out to be a fake after all. Anza offers him a choice – either to leave everything he has and walk away, or give up his life. Armaan walks away, with Omisha leaving Armaan for Anza. He thinks about the 'Race' he has just lost, but reminds himself that the race starts from where it ends.

Ranveer pays homage to Sonia at her grave, with Alina. Later, he pays Robert 10% of the money for helping him carry out his plans. When questioned about the fake Shroud, Ranveer reveals that the Shroud was never stolen at all and that Alina exchanged the bags with the bonds with fake ones when Ranvir and Armaan were fighting on the plane.

 

Critical Reception

 Madhureeta Mukherjee of Times of India rated the film 3 out of 5, while commenting "Heists, hot-babes, roulette, raging cars, gizmos and gags — Director duo, Abbas-Mustan have thrown in everything with pompous grandeur, save for a riveting plot that shocks or stuns." Rubina A Khan of The First Post gave it 3 out of 5 stars, adding, "Race 2 delivers what it promises — good looking ensemble cast, exotic locations, cars, bomb squads, revenge, lust and love, a couple of good music tracks and, most importantly, a plot which unravels at a thrilling pace." Shivesh Kumar of IndiaWeekly awarded the movie 3 out of 5 stars.

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and said "The writing isn't watertight, the film lacks a hit score, the climax is far from effective and overall, Race 2 pales in comparison to Race."  Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN awarded it a score of 2.5 out of 5 while commenting "The film has no intellectual pretentions; its only ambition is to offer a good time. In that, it mostly succeeds." Anupama Chopra of Hindustantimes gave 2 out of 5, reviewing, "Race 2 is essentially a big-budget cartoon in which coolness is all. The director duo Abbas-Mustan have no pretensions about what they are making — full-on masala with a dash of revenge, a slice of heist and characters who are either strutting their chiselled bodies in slow motion or betraying each other." Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave it a score of 1.5 out of 5 and feels "This is a wreck of a movie strictly for action junkies who might be looking for a feverish two-and-a-half-hour ride that is far more giddy than heady.

 

Box-Office Collection

Race 2 was released in 3200 screens in India and the film is the third biggest release ever for a Hindi film after Ek Tha Tiger(3300 screens) and Dabangg 2(3700 screens). Race 2 was released in more than 50 countries, including US, UK, Gulf, Australia, Pakistan as well as non-traditional markets like Maldives, East Timor, Myanmar, Morocco and Vietnam (with as many as 7 screens). The film had a simultaneous release in Morocco in four to five screens, including theatres in Casablanca and Marrakech. Race 2 is subtitled in Arabic, Thai, Bahasa, Malay, Vietnamese, Dutch.

 

Race 2 had what Box Office India called a "solid opening" at both multiplexes and single screens with occupancy of around 60–70% range. The film had a very good opening day, netting 14.25 crore(s) (US$2.6 million). The film showed 37% growth in its second day, collecting approx. 17.50 crore(s) (US$3.2 million) nett. Race 2 did well on its first weekend by collecting around 46.25 crore(s) (US$8.5 million) nett by collecting around 14.50 crore(s) (US$2.7 million) on Sunday. Race 2 dropped on Monday as it collected around 6 crore(s) (US$1.1 million) nett. Despite dropping collections after the weekend,the film managed to do well and netted around 69.50 crore(s) (US$13 million) in its first week. Race 2 did pretty well on its second Friday collecting around 3.25 crore(s) (US$590,000) nett. Race 2 had a decent second weekend and collected around 14 crore(s) (US$2.6 million) with first Sunday collections going to around 6 crore nett plus. The film has collected around 83.50 crore(s) (US$15 million) nett in 10 days. It did well in its second week collecting around 20.50 crore(s) (US$3.8 million) nett. The two week total for the film is around 90 crore(s) (US$16 million) nett. It further added 3.50 crore(s) (US$640,000) in its third week.

Race 2 had a good opening in overseas with $3.25 million approx in opening weekend. Race 2 has grossed $5.5 million approx overseas in ten days. After grossing $6 million in 17 days overseas, the film was declared a hit by Box Office India. Race 2 recorded similar figures in overseas markets like its prequel. Moreover, the film recorded the highest ever collection in Pakistan for any Bollywood film with an amount of $775,000 beating Don 2 which netted $675,000. Its final business in the overseas market is around $6.5 million range.

Race 2 Soundtrack

1. Party On My Mind     
Prashant Ingole & Honey Singh
KK, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Shefali Alvares
3:43 

Watch Video Song               View Song Lyrics

2. Be Intehaan 
Gourav Bansal
Atif Aslam, Sunidhi Chauhan
4:51 

Watch Video Song               View Song Lyrics

3. Lat Lag Gayee 
Mayur Puri
Benny Dayal, Shalmali Kholgade
4:45 

Watch Video Song               View Song Lyrics

4. Allah Duhai Hai 
Mayur Puri
Atif Aslam, Vishal Dadlani, Anushka Manchanda, Ritu Pathak, Michie One
4:16 

Watch Video Song               View Song Lyrics

5. Party On My Mind (Remix) 
Prashant Ingole & Honey Singh
KK, Shefali Alvares
4:41 

Watch Video Song                View Song Lyrics

6. Be Intehaan (Remix) 
Mayur Puri
Atif Aslam, Sunidhi Chauhan
5:15 

7. Allah Duhai (Remix) 
Mayur Puri
Atif Aslam, Vishal Dadlani, Anushka Manchanda, Ritu Pathak, Michie One
4:13 

8. Be Intehaan (Unplugged) 
Gourav Bansal
Rahul Vaidya
3:59 

9. Race 2 (Mashup)
 Dj Kiran Kamath
 4:09

Watch Video Song

Namastey London Movie Review

 

 

For unabashed, expansive love stories which dwell in that exalted state of heartbreak, go no further than a Bollywood film. NAMASTEY LONDON, which came out in 2007, is only the latest example of this Indian cinema's penchant for giddy, achy romance and go-all-out musical numbers. I happen to think that this picture is a Bollywood gem and shouldn't be missed.

Jasmeet (Katrina Kaif), who prefers to be called Jazz, is a bright and beautiful Indian girl who was born and raised in London and, thus, has picked up westernized sensibilities and a modern attitude. Jazz insists that she is British and scoffs at the idea of marrying a nice Indian boy, even going so far as to sabotage her parents' attempts to introduce her to one. Instead, she hooks up with her British boss, the urbane Charlie Brown (yes, Charlie Brown), who boasts Prince Charles for an acquaintance. Finally, Jazz's partying lifestyle becomes too much for her father and he acts. He convinces his daughter to go along on holiday to India, where he has Jazz run a gauntlet of prospective husbands. But the suitors prove to be hopeless and weird. At this time, enter Arjun.

Arjun (Akshay Kumar) happens to be the son of a friend of Jazz's dad, and Arjun fancies Jazz. Soon, a marriage is arranged, to Jazz's vehement objections. But Jazz tricks Arjun into flying to London on their wedding night. Once in London, she refuses to acknowledge the wedding's legitimacy and proclaims herself a single girl, with the intent of marrying her British boyfriend. Arjun is heartbroken but decides to remain in London until Jazz's wedding to Charlie. In the limited time left him, Arjun hopes to win his wife's heart.

Let me say this, I love this movie. It's breezy and delightfully contemporary. At 2 hours 12 minutes, this one is shorter in length than the Bollywood norm and that, perhaps, helped the film as, this time, the script had to be trimmed of fat, leaving no room for non sequitur subplots. Whoever wrote the story knew how best to tug at your heart strings. There are tiny but perfect romantic moments here which provide intoxication for the soul. Attractive leads Akshay Kumar and Katerina Kaif provide sizzling chemistry as they turn in performances which I soon won't forget. True, it took me a while to like Akshay's character as his Arjun seemed to be too much the laughing, rustic Punjabi yokel who guzzles milk straight from the cow. And yet, once in London, he reveals his true mettle. Out of his element, unable to speak English, Arjun remains steadfast and clings to his love for Jazz. This love is the primary driving force which enables him to accomplish all that he does in his stay. Accomplishments which seem ordinary. But, on closer look, the things that Arjun does for Jazz are quite remarkable. This is the best I've seen of Akshay Kumar. As much as Katerina dominated the first half of the movie, Akshay owns the second half. Just watch this man, the ache in him as he gazes at Jazz. The wistful, self-mocking grin he flashes. Arjun is perfectly aware of the situation and its implications (his family in India thinks him still happily married) but what else can he do but try his best to win the unattainable girl? And if he can't win her love, then, at least, be in her company for as long as possible. Yup, this is good acting by Akshay.

Katerina Kaif complements him wonderfully. Katerina is still fairly new to acting. NAMASTEY LONDON is her second film with Akshay Kumar, the first being the 2006 release Humko Deewana Kar Gaye. Born in London in real life, of a British mum and an Indian dad, she was dubbed by other actors as it was felt her skill with the native Indian tongue wasn't nearly proficient enough. Here, for the first time, she gets to dub her lines in Hindi. Acting wise, Katerina hits all the right notes. She integrates personal growth into her character. Initially a spoiled, hip girl who only wanted to have fun and who scorned the Indian lifestyle, Jazz matures in her ways and eventually changes her outlook and her preferences, thanks to Arjun's presence and influence. Yet, even with this maturity, Jazz retains her vibrancy. The camera wonderfully catches the expressions on her face every time she looks at Arjun, expressions which transition from bemusement to confusion to appreciation, and, finally, to tenderness.
NAMASTEY LONDON does engage in unsurprising nationalism here (the film even momentarily becomes a travelogue for India) and portrays several of the Brit characters in less than complimentary light. From Charlie's making fun of Indian dances at a rugby match to old Mr. Pringle's civilized racial slurs to English parents who, before they allow their daughter to marry Imran, Jazz's Pakistani friend, demand that he change his name to Ian or Immanuel, give up his religion, and sign paperwork indicating that he isn't involved in terrorist acts. Now that's cold.

The sub-title work stumbles in places, never more glaringly than when it butchers the Pussycat Doll's "Don't Cha" lyrics as "Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me?" becomes "Don't you wish to gulp Haywards hot like me?" On the positive side, there's an extensive "Making Of" segment, gratifyingly sub-titled in English for us who are Hindi-challenged. The songs are all fantastic (and how rare is that?), from the hip, disco-trendy "Dilrooba" to "Rafta Rafta," with its explosion of brilliant colors, and to the wistful and hopeful "Yehi Hota Pyaar." There's also the brief, heartachy interlude of "Veeraniya," but the most effective and most fun track is "Chakna Chakna" which showcases a riveting performance by Akshay. The songs in London, by the way, are an even bigger hoot when one factors in that these numbers jarringly utilize British back up dancers.

I've a few favorite moments in this film. The amusing bit with the ridiculous suitor obsessed with Indian soaps is one. Then, following Arjun's quiet declaration of love to Jazz, the song "Yehi Hota Pyaar" shows fleeting scenes of Arjun running into her all over London, which includes a moment I particularly cherish (I dunno why, exactly), of Jazz having a footwear malfunction and Arjun helping her out. I also enjoyed Jazz's discomfort in India (which is presented humorously), the rugby match, Rishi Kapoor's droll supporting turn as Jazz's dad, the dancing in the dark, and Arjun's patriotic speech, with Jazz translating, to the condescending Mr. Pringle. Most of all, I enjoyed the romantic essence of the film. Really, is there anything more elegantly heartbreaking than unrequited love?

 

Namastey London Soundtrack

The soundtrack was released on 27 January 2007 and received, so far, good reviews. This the first time Himesh Reshammiya and Javed Akhtar collaborated.
 1.Chakna Chakna – Himesh Reshammiy                                         Watch Video Song
 2.Viraaniya – Himesh Reshammiya                                                 Watch Video Song
 3.Main Jahaan Rahoon – Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Krishna Beura  Watch Video Song
 4.Yahi Hota Pyaar – Himesh Reshammiya, Sunidhi Chauhan        Watch Video Song
 5.Rafta Rafta – RDB                                                                        Watch Video Song
 6.Annan Faanan – Jayesh Gandhi, Akriti Kakkar                            Watch Video Song
 7.Dilruba – Zubeen Garg, Alisha Chinai                                         Watch Video Song
 8.Viraaniya (Mehfil Mix) – Himesh Reshammiya
 9.Aanan Faanan (Mehfil Mix) – Jayesh Gandhi, Akriti Kakkar
 10.Chakna Chakna (Remix) – Himesh Reshammiya
 11.Dilruba (Remix) – Zubeen Garg, Alisha Chinai
 12.Main Jahaan Rahoon (Remix) – Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
 13.Yahi Hota Pyaar (Remix) – Himesh Reshammiya, Sunidhi Chauhan
 14.Aanan Faanan (Remix) – Jayesh Gandhi, Akriti Kakkar
 15.Main Jahaan Rahoon (Mehfil Mix) – Rahat Fateh Ali Khan,
 16.Yahi Hota Pyaar (Mehfil Mix) -Himesh Reshammiya, Sunidhi Chauhan
 17.Viraaniyan (Remix) – Himesh Reshammiya
 18.Rafta Rafta (Remix-x) – RDB

 

Critical Reception

The reviews of the film were generally positive. Taran Adarsh of indiafm.com wrote, "Namastey London is addictive stuff. You watch it once, you wanna watch it again."
Akshay Kumar has received almost unanimous praise for his portrayal of Arjun Singh, with a critic saying "Kumar certainly leaves his mark throughout the flick. One of the coolest performances of the star." Adarsh said "One of his finest performances so far, Namastey London also marks the coming of age of an actor who was often dubbed as an action hero or a funster. Akshay not only wins the heart of Katrina on screen, he's sure to win the hearts of millions of moviegoers with a terrific portrayal in this film." On Katrina Kaif's performance he wrote, "she handles the complex part with remarkable ease. The pretty lass is only getting better with every film." Despite the generally favourable reviews, Prachi Singh of Moviewalah panned the film, with a verdict of 2 out of 5 stars.

 Box Office Collection

Namastey London opened to a good response and mainly picked up momentum after the second and third day of its release, a major reason being India's exit out of the 2007 Cricket World Cup. The film did extremely well in the northern parts of India especially in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. It also did well in Mumbai and in the first week of its release collected Rs. 73,575,657. The film was received very well in other parts of the country. The success of the film ended a long spell of box office failures since the release of Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love in January 2007. The film went on to become a huge hit & grossed Rs. 483,700,000 making it one of the top hits of 2007.
The film was a huge hit overseas. It debuted at number 9 on the UK charts and similarly debuted within the top 20 in the United States and Australian charts. The film collected £238,841 in the first week of its release As of 27 July 2007 the movie has grossed an estimated $15,273,747 USD in five territories which included the United States ($4,149,772), Australia ($197,148), India ($17,267,662), Malaysia ($15,285), and the United Kingdom ($9,021,900).

Raajneeti Movie Reviews

The Hindu epic Mahabharata and the American film classic 'The Godfather'--both gripping stories about corrupt family dynasties and the power struggles within them--are the basis for 'Raajneeti,' a thriller about down-and-dirty regional Indian politics. The film is not about political views or agendas, but rather, behind-the-scenes jockeying for control of a political party. And oh, is it cynical. While the film succeeds at turning something as plodding as political maneuverings--even lurid ones--into a dramatic epic, the characters are largely too despicable and unsympathetic for audiences to care who wins. The actors make them riveting villains at least.

The story follows the Pratap family and begins with Bharti, a high-ranking mainstream politician's daughter, who joins a leftist group led by Bhaskar Sanyal (Naseeruddin Shah), with whom she has an affair. After Bhaskar vanishes, she gives birth to his son, Sooraj, who is taken from her by her brother Brij Gopal (Nana Patekar). Bharti marries into the Pratap family and has two more sons: Prithvi (Arjun Rampal) and Samar (Ranbir Kapoor). Unbeknownst to anyone, Sooraj is raised by none other than the Pratap family's chauffeur. Once he reaches adulthood, Sooraj (Ajay Devgan) challenges the Prataps for leadership while their party is in disarray, going up against Prithvi and taking sides with Prithvi's wronged cousin Veerendra (Manoj Bajpai).

If anyone thought Rampal's impressive performance in 'Rock On!!' (2008), which earned the model-turned-actor a prestigious National Film Award, was a fluke, his turn here as the ruthless Prithvi puts those doubts to rest. Prithvi is the dashing and explosive foil to his younger brother Samar, a Michael Corleone-type character who has just finished his dissertation on Victorian poetry at an American university. Samar's sweet, innocent girlfriend Sarah (played by American actress Sarah Thompson) follows him to India, where he turns into a lethal political operative for Prithvi following the murder of their father. But we don't get a rehash of Pacino's cold, calculating performance--Kapoor's character maintains the façade of his former self--a gentle, bespectacled student--while he murders opponents and lies to two women he doesn't love--Sarah and his childhood friend, Indu (Katrina Kaif). We only see the real Samar when he's alone, dragging on crackling cigarettes with the smoke swirling in his evil eyes.

Indu is the most challenging character Kaif has tackled to date, and she convincingly pulls off Indu's compelling development from silly girl to scorned lover, reluctant bride to devoted wife, and finally into a noble widow who finds her life's purpose. (Although the director Prakash Jha has denied that Kaif's character was inspired by Sonia Gandhi, Indu is strikingly similar to the Congress party president nonetheless.) Indu is the only character who remains uncompromised, and in fact, her climb to power makes her more righteous, not less. While she's ultimately the redeemer of the fallen Pratap family, and thus the hero of the story, she's relegated to the background for too much of it.

Soundtrack

 The background score of the film was composed by Wayne Sharpe while the soundtrack was composed by Wayne Sharpe, Pritam, Aadesh Shrivastava and Shantanu Moitra. The lyrics were penned by Irshad Kamil, Gulzar, Sameer and Swanand Kirkire. The soundtrack consists of four original songs and four remixes.

Track	Song	Artist(s)	Composer	Lyricists
1	Bheegi Si Bhaagi Si	Mohit Chauhan,Antara Mitra	Pritam	Irshad Kamil
2	Mora Piya	Aadesh Shrivastava, Shashi, Rosalie Nicholson	Aadesh Shrivastava	Sameer
3	Ishq Barse	Pronob Biswas,Apurba Iyer,Swanand Kirkire	Shantanu Moitra	Swanand Kirkire
4	Dhan Dhan Dharti	Shankar Mahadevan	Wayne Sharpe	Gulzar
5	Mora Piya (Trance Mix)	Kavita Seth	Aadesh Shrivastava	Sameer
6	Ishq Barse (The Bombay Bounce Club Mix)	Pronob Biswas,Hamsika Iyer,Swanand Kirkire	Shantanu Moitra	Swanand Kirkire
7	Mora Piya (Twilight Mix)	Aadesh Shrivastava, Sachin Pandit and Shashi	Aadesh Shrivastava	Sameer
8	Dhan Dhan Dharti (Call of the Soul)	Sonu Nigam	Wayne Sharpe	Gulzar

Reception

In India, Mayank Shekhar of Hindustan Times rated it 3/5 and said, "None of the actors assembled on stage let him (the director) down; right from an unusually inspired Rampal to his powerful, polar opposite Bajpayee". Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India rated it 4/5 and said, "The film basically anchors its plot in two classic tales — The Mahabharata and The Godfather — to create an engrossing diatribe on India's political system where democracy may prevail, but not in its purest form." Anupama Chopra of NDTV rated it 3/5 and said "Jha creates a real sense of the machinations and sordid deals that fuel politics but then hobbles it with outlandish twists and some decidedly 'filmy' moments". Rajeev Masand of IBN said, "Raajneeti is thrilling and gripping for the most part, even though it does lose steam in its final act. For the superb acting, and for the exciting dramatic highs, it's a film I recommend you do not miss."
In the U.S., Rachel Saltz of The New York Times said, "The film – full of romance, intrigue and fraternal strife – is too diffuse to score political points. Or to have much impact." Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times found that while it aimed "for something trenchant about thwarted destiny and ugly ambition in modern Indian democracy", it "mostly winds up with a convoluted and tonally awkward Godfather rehash, with nary a character worth rooting for," and that "Kapoor's performance is stony rather than calculating...." Frank Lovece of Film Journal International said, "More pulpy than political, this Godfather-ripoff Hindi electoral drama is a candidate for oblivion in U.S. theatres.... It all eventually becomes so ridiculous and over-the-top violent that there is nobody, nobody, to root for."

Box Office Performance

Raajneeti recorded an opening of nearly  10.50 crore net on its first day. It had the second highest Friday opening in India after 3 Idiots, and the highest Friday opening in the first half of the year, surpassing Kites. It collected  34 crore at the end of the weekend and set a record for biggest weekend in the first half of the year, surpassing Housefull. It showed no major decline in business on Tuesday and collected Rs. 5.85 crore. At the end of the first week, the film collected Rs. 54.75 crore and set a record for biggest week in the first half of the year beating Housefull. Raajneeti sustained well in the second weekend and collected  16.25 crore. Rajneeti nett grossed 929.3 million(s) (US$17 million) in India with a distributor share of 487.2 million(s) (US$8.9 million). It is currently the tenth highest grossing Bollywood film.
Overseas, the film opened to weekend business of $2.25 million. In the U.S., the film played well for a limited release, noted Ray Subers of BoxOfficeMojo.com, grossing $850,244 on 124 screens its opening weekend, "which was good for first among limited releases and 11th place on the overall weekend chart." He specified that Raajneeti "became the third Bollywood movie this year to lead all limited releases in its first weekend," following My Name is Khan and Kites. In Australia and New Zealand, Raajneeti surpassed the opening weekend record set by 3 Idiots.