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.

Vivaah - 2006 Movie & Music Review

So, just this once, toss those hip modern values out the window along with that bathwater. This movie is VIVAH, and it unabashedly hearkens back to India's more traditional conventions, and specifically that of the arranged marriage. Released in 2006 VIVAH tells the story of two young people, Prem and Poonam, strangers to one another yet destined to be wedded. So it'd be nice if they like each other.

Poonam (Amrita Rao) is an orphaned girl from the small town of Madhupur, who was raised in her uncle's household. She is beautiful and demure and brought up to be obedient and traditional. Despite this, her aunt dislikes her intensely, simply because Poonam is far prettier than her own daughter, never mind that Poonam and her daughter get along very well. Poonam has tried to make the best of it, basking in the love lavished on her by her doting uncle and cousin. But, all her life, she's longed for a mother's affection...

Prem (Shahid Kapoor) is the youngest son of an industrial magnate in Delhi. Carefree and just about to settle into his career, Prem is very surprised and unprepared when his father proposes an arranged marriage for him. Yet Prem is respectful enough to at least meet his potential bride, an act which proves fatal to his bachelorhood. Instantly charmed by Poonam, Prem promptly gives the nod to the marriage contract. As for Poonam, it's hard to tell what she's really thinking because she's so damned demure, but she seems to reciprocate Prem's interest. So the contract is finalized, friendships are struck, a romance is fostered, and the nuptials set to take place in six months' time.

As the following weeks and months elapse and the families get better acquainted, Poonam and Prem continue to get ever closer, until that old familiar happens: Poonam and Prem fall in love. And, suddenly, the big day can't come soon enough. But complications surface. Poonam's aunt still bears her a deep jealous resentment and, so, what should have been an idyllic time for Poonam is sabotaged by her aunt's venomous snipings at her uncle, over his extravagant financing of the wedding and over his seeming disregard for his own daughter's future prospects. Then, on the eve of the wedding, a life-threatening tragedy unfolds, and Poonam and Prem and their families will be tested as never before.

Even in Bollywood cinema, the idea of the arranged marriage has taken its share of negative hits. So, every once in a while, for balance's sake, it's nice to see a film which espouses the positives of this age-old institution. I don't necessarily agree with it as I'm more with the free choice side of the fence. But it's nice to hear from the other point of view. And, more importantly, while not a classic, I do think VIVAH is a movie worth watching. It certainly did well enough at India's box office.

Granted, not much of a plot here in VIVAH. Basically, the film is built on simple moments as it tracks the progression of the arranged marriage, from the contractual conception to the courtship to the consummation of the marriage ceremony. Nothing gossip-worthy happens, and, other than the virulent aunt, all is easy-peasy until the last thirty minutes when the tragic twist surfaces. Sadly, the musical interludes are lackluster. And the sedate pacing and lack of narrative punch might've turned me off, except that the superb cast managed to keep me involved. These characters are likable enough (except for the aunt) that you even get immersed in the slow scenes. VIVAH applies a huge chunk of the running time in developing Poonam and Prem's blossoming relationship, as they overcome their mutual shyness and awkwardness and begin to fall for each other. Theirs isn't a raging romance. Their subdued personalities don't lend too much to fiery, over-the-top demonstrations, although there is a moment when Prem shouts "I love you!" in an airport. Rather, theirs is a connection arrived at by achieving a certain mutual comfort level and by clinging to a commitment to and a respect for traditional culture and customs. But, also, that they're both very attractive people probably didn't hurt any.

Again, the glue of VIVAH is the cast. The two young leads, Shahid Kapoor and the ravishing Amrita Rao, turn in sensitive, if bland, performances. The supporting actors turn out to be as equally important. Particularly great are Anupam Kher and Alok Nath, who respectively play Prem's wealthy but grounded father and Poonam's loving uncle and surrogate father. And the fact that you end up hating on Poonam's dour-faced aunt is, of course, a reflection of Seema Biswas's very good acting skills.

Graced with a gentle, low key charm and a heartwarming simplicity, the waterworks really come on in the tense and emotional last half hour (Grab your hanky). And yet VIVAH may prove to be too Pollyanna for some. Are arranged marriages really this wonderful? Does love really come after marriage? Well, no, and sometimes. VIVAH is a celebration of this institution and is, for all purposes, a Bollywood fairy tale, an idealization of arranged matrimony. As such, it's about as real and convincing as, well, as a Bollywood motion picture. Would that all arranged marriages work as well as this one did.

Reception

Vivah received a mixed response by critics: Taran Adarsh of IndiaFM generally compliments the actors by calling Shahid Kapoor a "tremendous actor", Amrita Rao "splendid all through" and compliments the strong supporting cast, he criticises the first half as "ordinary/routine". Raja Sen of Rediff gave a generally negative review of Vivah, calling it "a nightmare" and "unforgivably regressive". Deepa Ghalot of Sify.com called Vivah "close to being regressive" and "syrupy sweet", however, she complimented Shahid Kapoor's acting The Hindustan Times called Vivah "boring" and an "utopia", but complimented Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao on their acting, calling the first one "good", but "lacking charisma" and the latter "sweet". "The Hindu" however called Vivah "lovable" and a "choice unlikely to regret". BBC.co.uk complimented Shahid Kapoor as being "playful", called the movie itself however "sickeningly sentimental". The Telegraph criticised Vivah for "lacking plot", "flat characters" and mentioning that the story is "rather weak" and "improbable".

Box-Office Earnings

Like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Rajshri Productions released limited number of prints for the film and eventually increased prints with increasing popularity.The film was declared a blockbuster, after earning Rs 22.22 crore net gross after seven weeks of running. The film earned Rs 35 crore in box office earnings. By the end of November, it was reported that there had been over 4 million (4,000,000 * $9.99 = approx. Rs. 18 Cr.) online streams of Vivah. By October 2012 Over 7 million have watched it online on YouTube. After more than six months, its position remained in the top 10 at the Indian box office despite its limited release and competition from some of year's and industry's most successful movies including Dhoom 2, Bhagam Bhag, Krrish, Don - The Chase Begins Again, Jaan-E-Mann all being released after Vivah's debut.

Soundtrack

Ravindra Jain, the music director of Vivah has put together a soundtrack of old world charm, with a full orchestra behind some of the best known voices of the Hindi movie scene. The orchestra combines with classical Indian instruments, like the sitar, sarod, violin, dholak and tabla to produce a blend between classical western and classical Indian music. The music has, however been criticised due to its monotony, with the range of singers, choice of instrument and music arrangements being very similar. Rediff.com wrote in its music review that "Vivah's music disappoints".

 

"Mujhe Haq Hai"
Udit Narayan & Shreya Ghoshal 

05:02

"Do Anjaane Ajnabi"
Udit Narayan & Shreya Ghoshal 

05:02

"Milan Abhi Aadha Adhura"
Udit Narayan & Shreya Ghoshal

05:47

"Hamari Shaadi Mein"
Babul Supriyo & Shreya Ghoshal 

05:17

"Kal Jisne Janam Yahan Paaya"
Suresh Wadkar, Kumar Sanu & Ravindra Jain 

07:43

"O Jiji"
Pamela Jain & Shreya Ghoshal 

05:20

"Tere Dware Pe Aai Baraat"
Sudesh Bhonsle & Ravindra Jain 

03:58
 

"Jai Gauri Maa"
Pamela Jain 

02:03
 

"Savaiyaa - Chhota Sa Saajan"
Suresh Wadkar & Aparnaa Bhaagwa
with young Poonam
01:21

"Savaiyaa - Raadhey Krishn Ki Jyoti"
Shreya Ghoshal & Ravindra Sen
with grown Poonam
02:16 

Jab Tak Hai Jaan - 2012 Movie Review

 

A beautiful last love story created by the great Yash Chopra. The story portrays the wonderfulness of being in love along with the difficulties that are caused by it. In the first half of the story, Samar (Shahrukh Khan), is shown as a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, who has a lot of energy, and says what he thinks. Then he meets Meera (the Yash Chopra heroine), a daddy's girl who is about to marry a man she doesn't truely love. Meera is a woman who is refined and has a lot of self-control and makes baragins with God in order to get what she wants, along with this she also has walls built around her (why?... you'll have to watch). We only see these walls come down and the true Meera emerge when she is with Samar. But she has made a promise to God to marry the man her father wants her too, and when an accident happens to Samar, she believes it is her fault for going against her promise to God. Therefore, she promises that if he lives she will never meet him again. Samar lives and she tells him that she will no longer see him and will marry her fiance. In that instant we see Samar change to a cold man as his love walks out the door, he then tells God that he will put himself in danger every day in order to prove to Meera her baragin won't suffice to keep him alive. It is truely painful to see Samar walk out of the church with a stone cold look on his face, knowing that his love broke his heart and he will spend his life without her.

In the second half, ten years later, we see Samar has become a bomb defuser for the Indian Army. This is where Akira enters. A spirited girl, and very modern in her thinking of how relationships should work. She is a tom-boy who loves to have fun and is very intrigued by Samar, who she is following for a documentary that could make her career. She is interested in this hardened man who puts his life in danger. While with him she falls in love with him, I think it's because he is a broken man and she wants to put him together again, which is nothing she has felt with a man before, and she seems determined to make him forget about Meera.

And then comes the dilemma, Samar meets with another accident and loses his memory. The only thing he remembers is being with Meera, and does not recognize Akira, and continues to ask for Meera. I admire Akira for taking it upon herself to unite the two even though she loves him. She finds Meera and brings her to the hospital to see Samar, which the doctors believe will help him remember the past ten years. My favorite scene is when Samar and Meera meet after such a long time, it is so beautiful and sweet how they hug each other and you can see Meera allow herself a bit of happieness of being with him again. Samar is told that he is suffering from amnesia and what he remembers is from ten years ago. Because of this he believes that he and Meera have been together the entire time, and Meera plays along. The doctor tells her it will help him adjust and maybe remember but I think she truely does it because her love for him never ended, and this is a chance to be with him. Even though we can she her restrain herself when it comes to truely letting herself be with him there are moments in their time together that we see her allow herself the luxury of being with him. Eventually, Samar gets his memory back, in an unlikely event that I could have done without but it's a movie and reality should be left at the door anyways. He confronts Meera for making a mockery of his love for her by leading him on, and he leaves her crying in the same church where her baragins were made, and where the war began between Samar and God. I won't tell the ending but if you know Yash Chopra you can assume how the movie ends.

I think it is interesting that God is believed to be the obstacle in the way of Samar and Meera being together, but in reality Meera is the obstacle to their happily ever after. Her utter belif that she keeps her promises to God is both admirable and stupid as we become frustrated with her inability to realize God never intended for them to be apart. The story of Samar and Meera becomes a testament to Akira that true love exists, and modern views on relationships may be incorrect.

Now onto performances. Of course Shahrukh did wonderful as the happy guy bouncing from job to job, but he also did a wonderful job as the hardened man wary of letting people in. He is an actor who can really portray love, and does so in little nuances, such as a hand on a cheek, or a kiss on the forhead, he has it down. His chemistry with Katrina Kaif is very nice, and helps make the story believable. For this being Katrina Kaif's first serious romantic film I think she did great. She did a believable job portraying a self-restrained, and strong woman, who allows a man to come a sweep her off her feet. Some critics panned her performance for being to cold and ridged in spots, but I think this is how Yashji wanted it to be. She is loose and goofy only with Samar and restrained the other times, when she is reunited with Samar, I think she is supposed to show some coldness so that she can protect herself. The character Meera belongs to Kaif and she did a wonderful job portraying her. Anuskha Sharma does a great job playing Akira. Sharma very easily embodies this tom-boy hyper girl. But the moments in the movie where she is serious she also does very well, and she is able to cry on screen which is always a plus in portraying emotions! Other critics said that her character was too much and over the top, but if Sharma is representing modernism, which is overwhelming and all encompassing, then that is what the character needs to be as well, which is what she did. Some said her character has no dimension to her, but in the serious scenes we can see that is not true. Overall, all three did a wonderful job portraying their characters.

In the end, this is a beautiful love story that sweeps you off your feet. And it's extra special because it is the last great work we will see of Yash Chopra. Enjoy the movie because it is spectacular.

 

Aamir's 2012 movie "Talaash" Review

 

It has been three years since 3 idiots and Aamir Khan had not returned to the movies, then he decides to make a movie with a small set up and a director called Reema Kagti (Honeymoon Travels and writer Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara), which is a unique state for a star of his stature. Then the delays begin and the endless waiting as the movie gets postponed for release several times for many reasons -that it is similar to Kahaani, it's based on a graphic novel ` An Act of Providence and Aamir's so called head butting with the director ( when has that not happened with Aamir starrers) and finally the endless text messages before the release which gave away the movie ending.
I watched the film on the first day of its release itself, a luxury that I give myself and I loved the film. In my view, after a year of mediocre films - there finally was a film that I could think about for a long time. Armaan Kapoor ( a filmstar) is killed in a freak accident on the promenade near Worli, Mumbai. Inspector Shekhavat ( Aamir Khan) comes in to investigate the accident and tries searching for clues but there are not any. While trying to piece this mess, he is also trying to resolve many personal issues in his life and family. Wifey ( Rani Mukerjee) and Inspector have drifted apart after their sons accident in a boating accident many years ago. He finally discovers that there is a brothel nearby and a helpful escort ( Kareena Kapoor) helps him solve the mystery. Let's just stop here because writing anymore about the story would give it away. When the final credit roll, a lot of you will say..I knew the murderer all along...I wish I could but the movie held my attention...
The screenplay is well written and maintains a steady grip on you throughout the 2 hour and 14 minute runtime. The final 15 minutes were blockbuster and at a point I literally jumped out of my seat, amazing end to a slow stroll...
The cinematography (Mohanan) is another feather in the hat of the makers, and is superb. Mumbai looks so pretty despite the grime and the pollution. The mood and the setting is just so perfect throughout the film.
Kareena Kapoor is miscast (me thought), she looks too glamorous to play the part of a street walker from the rough trade. Nevertheless, she has an extremely important role and she delivers.
Rani Mukherhjee without make up looks so gorgeous.....a dazzling performance of a woman longing for her lost family and husband. Her explosion at Aamir outside their house ( amazing location) fantastic- a professional discovering her craft after years of circus shows.
Aamir Khan delivers yet another finely tuned, underplayed, nuanced performance of many, many layers. This coming after Three Idiots would be like bread between wine tastings to clean the palate. It seems to me that he deliberately choose this role because he wanted people to forget Rancho and embrace the policeman with the creased forehead, scowl and the bags under his eyes from a lack of sleep. He returns to the realm of commercial cinema with Dhoom3 and PK in 2013.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui is in a very significant role and is fantastic. Watch his scene with the prostitute when he confesses his dreams of starting a life with her.

 

Reception

Talaash received mostly positive reviews from critics all-over India. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave Talaash a score of 4.5 out of 5 stars and said "Talaash: The Answer Lies Within is an outstanding film. A taut psychological thriller that keeps you guessing till the end, it leaves you spellbound, leaves you mesmerized, leaves you with an exclamation." Aniruddha Guha of DNA India gave it 3.5 out 5 stars while commenting "Talaash successfully whets the appetite of all the Aamir Khan fans. As for the story, you can always trust Zoya Akhtar to give her best. Talaash is not a flawless film, but it is a fascinating tale that compels one to look beyond that which is evident. You can’t miss this one." Saibal Chatterjee Of NDTV rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars,noting"By no means is Talaash the end of your search for the perfect whodunit. But there is so much going for this compelling, slow-burning, well-acted tale set in the dark, grimy underbelly of Mumbai that you can barely take your eye off the screen."

Meena Iyer of The Times of India award the film 3.5 out of 5, adding "You may not like Talaash, if mystery and intrigue set at a languid pace is not what you look out for in your matinee outing." Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave it 3.5 out of 5 while remarking "It's a very watchable film but not an unforgettable one." Aseem Chhabra for Rediff.com gave the film 3.5 out of 5,reviewing "In Talaash, Kagti weaves a complex web, and she colours it with the mood and the atmosphere she and her collaborators create. Talaash has the feel of a noir film.It is an intelligent film but falters towards the end." Anupama Chopra of Hindustan Times gave it 3 out of 5,stating "For once, I also feel the need to explain my rating: I wanted to give four stars to the first half and two stars to the second half, so it averages out to three. See Talaash and do post comments. I'm curious to see how many were as furious as me."

India Today gave 3.5 out 5 to Talaash and stated "Talaash creates its chills primarily tapping into the dark side of the mind, which makes it an unusual Bollywood film. Any resemblance to Joseph Payne Brennan and Donald M. Grant's 1979 novella, Act of Providence, is purely coincidental." Raja Sen for Rediff has given 2.5 out of 5 stars while adding that "Talaash is well made and strongly acted but is not as enjoyable to watch as it deserved to be." Shubra Gupta of The Indian Express rated the film 2.5 out of 5,remarking "Talaash starts out as a smart, well-written noir-ish thriller, and then slips between the tracks. Pity about the second half." Deccan Chronicle gave 2 out of 5 and stated "See Talaash only if you believe that Aamir Khan can do no wrong. Otherwise you’ll be left with a sinking feeling." The Hindu stated that "It’s not like we haven’t seen anything like this before. If Kahaani used a key scene from a film called Taking Lives as a final twist, Talaash uses one of the most abused endings of this genre." Firstpost stated that Talaash is a brave effort. Mainstream Bollywood movies try to keep it linear and uncomplicated. Directors avoid dealing with multiple strong subplots as might lead to a clutter.

 

Cocktail Saif Ali Khan, Deepika and Diana - 2012 Movie Review

Deepika is the rich wild child , the emotionally raw Veronica. She's flash and cash all the way but has a soft spot under her party girl facade . One night she runs into a bathroom after boozing it up too much and happens to meet a beautiful traditional Hindi girl Meera (Diana) who's crying her eyes out. She just found out that the arranged marriage she thought she was part of was real only on paper and she has been victimized by a total rat (extended cameo in two sections of the movie played by Randeep Hooda) . The marriage was a sham hoax. When she showed up in London because he didn't send for her , she finds he married her for her dowry money . He tells her to get lost she can file for married visa and he will divorce her later but he spent her money. After hearing this tale Veronica (Deepika) basically takes her home to help her out until she get's settled in and helps her to slowly change into a more confident person. They become best friends and room mates.

Enter Saif who meets and start a Friends with Benefits relationship with Veronica and a somewhat bumpy friendship with Diana who is his total opposite. They annoy each other in constant little ways but get along for Veronica's sake. One day when his mom shows up with BRIDE ON THE BRAIN , he freaks and tells his mom (Dimple) it's Diana's traditional hindi character that he's in a relationship with not Veronica and that he's going to marry her (hilarious scene you have to see this ). Since Veronica doesn't want anything to do with permanent at this stage and she finds this very funny, she goes along with the lie.

While on a trip to Capetown his mother takes them on, they all discover a few things about themselves. Saif really is attracted to the traditional Diana even though he always dated modern women; and Veronica now wants what she can't have . Saif as her husband . She's fallen in love with the idea of love. She's been alone so long emotionally and Saif was the closest she ever came. His mother is so sweet to her as a person, like a mother figure, filling an empty spot in her life . She is more in love with the idea of being the daughter of the house than she is with being in a giving relationship . She's never seen one in her life. She basically does everything she can do to destroy Diana and Saif to get him back even though when she had him she never really wanted him completely. Her pain and misery almost destroy all of them before she has a second epiphany and restores their lives back to some semblance of sanity.

Deepika soars, crashes and claws her way through this film , peeling back the character layer by layer until ultimately the human weakness in all of us is dealt with at it's most painful level. All human ,no self sacrificed moments for her character . She want's the prize this time . She wants her self respect back she just doesn't know how to go about it anymore. Always grasping but never obtaining.

Diana's character grows more subtlely in the movie, in strength and love, both obtained in measure by her relationships with Veroncia and Saif . Her softly overlapping layers are a stark contrast to Veronica's . She has her self respect but is constantly trying to sacrifice herself or later her love because she is somewhat conflicted by the new perceptions of her life that she is shown. Her traditional values have given her inner strength but unfortunately some of the old perceptions are also suffocating her in her new life. It's hard for her to see that she is not at fault all the time . That her strength and acceptance of all things that come at her are not helping the other people in her life be stronger. At some point she will have to stop accepting and start fighting for what SHE needs and only then can they ALL start to work at being healthier in their perspective relationships. She feels a sisterhood with Veronica and mistakenly thinks she can gift Veronica her own happiness. She can try to be there for her but she can not MAKE Veronica's life a happy one until Veronica is ready to take responsibility for her own actions. The writers are very good at making these situations felt and swap out tense moments with some music and lighter moments in attempts to keep it from being too dramatic. I liked the songs but could of done with a couple less of them but that is purely a taste thing and not a quality issue.

Saif rocks his role and manages to fulfill the balancing act of first the hilarious imp of a boyfriend to Veronica and then ultimately the slowly evolving picture of a man coming into his own adult hood and finally knowing his own mind . He grows into the man his mother knew he could be and the man they all needed him to be. Soft heart but strong back bone. They all walk away together as heroes with no total evil only flesh and blood humans with flaws present and accounted for. Lovable. Redeemable. Whole again.

Totally recommend this movie. Some great humor . Some great songs, good emotional scenes and an ending you can live with. Don't worry. It's Bollywood. That's why we watch.

 

Darr Movie Review

 

Darr: A Violent Love Story is a 1993 Bollywood romantic psychological thriller film directed by Yash Chopra under the banner of Yash Raj Films. It is the story of an obsessed lover (Shahrukh Khan) and the lengths to which he goes to get the girl (Juhi Chawla) who is already happily engaged to Sunil (Sunny Deol). It is the second film in which Shahrukh Khan played the role of a villain. It is considered to be one of his best performances and earned him a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Villain. Darr was the third highest grossing movie of 1993, being declared a Super Hit at the Box Office.

In 1993, Khan won acclaim for his performances in villainous roles as an obsessive lover and a murderer, respectively, in the box office hits, Darr and Baazigar. In Khan's entry in Encyclopædia Britannica's "Encyclopedia of Hindi Cinema" it was stated that "he defied the image of the conventional hero in both these films and created his own version of the revisionist hero." Darr marked his first collaboration with renowned film-maker Yash Chopra and his banner Yash Raj Films, the largest production company in Bollywood.

 

Story / Plot

Kiran Ahwasti (Juhi Chawla) studies at a college in Shimla, where she is one day serendaded by a man whose face she cannot see. She believes this was done by her lover Sunil (Sunny Deol). However, when they reunite Sunil tells her that he never came to Shimla. When Sunil drops Kiran home one night, a stranger shines a torch in her eyes and says "I love you K-K-Kiran." Later that same night, he telephones her house and says the same words. Kiran believes that the man who did this is the same man from Shimla.

Sunil works in the Indian Navy, his boss is Captain Mehra (Dalip Tahil). It is soon revealed that Mehra's son Rahul (Shahrukh Khan) is Kiran's obsessed lover. Rahul is a lonely man, with very few friends and is often in a world of his own, to the extent that he talks to his mother (who died eighteen years ago in a car crash) about his love for Kiran. He follows Kiran around and is increasingly jealous about her love for Sunil. On the phone he starts threatening to hurt Sunil if Kiran continues to meet him. Rahul soon meets Sunil and befriends him with the hope of getting closer to Kiran - he manages to hide his true intentions by telling Sunil he is Captain Mehra's son. Later, on Kiran's birthday, Rahul manages to make his way into her house. Sunil and Kiran's brother (Anupam Kher) and sister-in-law (Tanvi Azmi) decide the incident needs to go to the police - when Sunil goes to report it, his car crashes because Rahul had tampered with the breaks. The next day, when Rahul phones, Kiran attempts to trick him into meeting her so that they can apprehend him - the plan nearly succeeds until Rahul notices Sunil standing and watching Kiran from a distance. Later, Kiran's family bring a police inspector to the house - after Rahul next phones, they ask him to trace the number and are in shock to find that Rahul had phoned from one of the upstairs bedrooms. During Holi, celebrations are held at Kiran's house. Rahul manages to sneak in and confess his love for Kiran but Sunil again fails to capture him. Kiran and Sunil now decide to get married in order to warn off Kiran's obbsessed lover. Rahul learns they are to marry and is livid - he attempts to shoot Sunil but misses. Sunil angrily chases him down, still unable to identify him. During the chase, Sunil is run over and severely injured. Kiran blames herself for this and decides to leave the city - however, Sunil stops her and they get married. Rahul carves Kiran's name on his chest, vowing to break up her marriage to Sunil. Kiran and Sunil move into a new apartment - the police inspector places two constables outside to protect them. When the constables enter the lift, it crashes (Rahul made it crash). When Kiran and Sunil enter the apartment, they find messages written from the obsessed lover.

To get away from the stalker, Kiran and Sunil decide to take their honeymoon in Switzerland. Rahul is falsely told at the airport that they have travelled to Goa - he goes there but cannot find them, instead he reunites with an old college friend Vikram (Annu Kapoor). Rahul befriends Kiran's family, because of his friendly nature neither of them suspect he is up to something. Vikram is soon dying of liver failure, Rahul makes it look like Vikram committed suicide and places photos of Kiran along with a suicide note next to his dead body, making everyone believe that Vikram had been Kiran's obsessed lover. Rahul overhears that Sunil and Kiran are in Switzerland. Kiran and Sunil receive the news that the man who had been scaring Kiran is now dead - they are overjoyed. They later bump into Rahul - Kiran recognises Rahul, as they were friends from college. Kiran also tells Sunil how Rahul was in love with a girl at college but nobody ever knew who the girl was. Later, Sunil is on the phone to Kiran's brother, who reveals that Rahul had been visiting them whilst Sunil and Kiran were in Switzerland. Sunil puts two and two together and realises that Rahul is the one who terrorised Kiran. He lures him into the forest and beats him, but soon Rahul stabs him. Rahul finds Kiran on a boat and confesses everything to her. That night,Sunil reaches the boat and they have a brutal fight Rahul beats Sunil but dies confessing his love for kiran. Thus they both came back to india where Kiran's family welcome them warmly.

Review

"Darr" is fear. And fear beats in every lover's heart. Fear that your love may not be reciprocated, fear that you lose the one you love, fear that your beloved could have a change of heart. In short, fear is the villain in every love story. But in "Darr" fear is the ultimate expression of passion, of obsession and of sacrifice. "Darr" is Rahul's story whose love and obsession for Kiran frees him from all fears of life and death. "Darr" is Sunil's story, whose enduring love and passion for Kiran gives him the courage to face the fear of death.

And finally "Darr" is Kiran's story, one who is caught between one man's love and another man's obsession. She fears one and fears for the other. One stands for love and the other for life.

In this battle between love and life, the supreme victor is Love, because Love always wins, in Life and in Death.


"DARR was an important film for everyone associated with it. Most of all it was important for Yash Raj Films who had tasted only moderate success with Lamhe and Juhi Chawla, who was looking for perfect ending to the year 1993 so as to come up as Number 1 in the film industry. Shah Rukh had already had a monster hit in baazigar and was hot as sun, Juhi was resplendent and challenging the queens of Bollywood, Sridevi and Madhuri and more than that we had a Yash Raj Banner. The song Jaadu Teri Nazar had become a rage and add the ever dependable Sunny Deol who was coming back from critical appreciation from Damini and you had a lethal combo lined up. The movie moves at good pace usually with perhaps a little too many incidents in the second half. Those could have been done away with. And like the movies of early 90 s it does not have the polished look that yash Raj films were to master with DTPH. Cinematography is quite ordinary at places and the music is pretty ordinary save a couple of songs. The direction is good most of the time but it does not have the deft touches which made Lamhe a classic. Performance wise it is perhaps SRK s more original performance, rest all the films are a copy of this performance with an addition here and a deletion there. KKK Kiran is so much like KKK Kaurwaki. It is definite benchmark for the performances of SRK. But still it would have been nice if he had just curbed his instincts a little and given a controlled performance. Sunny is as plastic as u get and Juhi has pretty much nothing to do but look pretty. Anupam Kher is irritating to say the least. Rest of the cast r there to just compete is a wildlife park. Overall the high that SRK and Juhi were in 1993 got the film a fantastic initial and also miffed more feathers like Sunny who claimed to have been sidelined completely in the film. Yash Raj banner was established and though the movie did not win any major awards it established the Yash Raj banner and gave it the direction to go to in 1990 s." --mouthshut.com

 

Salman Khan's Veer Movie Review

"Veer" is a sprawling, action epic starring Hindi cinema's favorite action hero, Salman Khan. The violence and gore is reminiscent of "Gladiator", and the elaborate fight sequences centering on the hero-who-can-do-anything will remind you of Brad Pitt in "Troy". Of course, Salman can do something that neither Russell Crowe nor Brad Pitt can do - dance! But more on that later.

"Veer" opens in 1870s colonial India: various tribes and chiefdoms vie for power by collaborating with the occupying British. One of these tribes, the Pindari, are a rough bunch who live by a strict code of honor - a code that is often maintained through duels within the tribe itself. One thing the Pindari refuse to do, however, is collaborate with the British. When they are betrayed by a more sophisticated Indian chiefdom, they become even more entrenched in their hatred for the British and their Indian puppet-kings.

Our hero, Veer, is born to the Pindari tribe after this great betrayal, and he is raised to be fiercely anti-British and physically aggressive. However, unlike his father, he is also raised to be educated so that he might one day match the cunning of the British. Veer is sent to England, ostensibly to join one of the schools meant to educate the "natives", but really to learn the ways of the evil occupiers.

As one reviewer noted, it is true that this film portrays sections of society in rather black-and-white terms: the British are always evil; the Pindari are always fighting for what is right; and other Indians who collaborate are good at heart but unfortunately stuck with corrupt rulers who follow the British. This film suffers from what almost every other Hindi film suffers from: mediocre actors in the "white" roles. I've always been puzzled as to why this is the case, or where Indian studios find their white actors, but they never quite live up to their Indian counterparts in the acting department. So, be prepared for some stiff acting from the British actors.

On the Indian side, however, the casting is superb. Mithun Chakraborty looks fantastic and entirely believable as the chief of the Pindaris; Jackie Shroff is also great as the corrupt ruler of the kingdom of Madhavgarh. Zarine Khan is beautiful and fits the role of a crown princess who is also being educated abroad. Her character is a bit more passive than I would have liked, but to be honest, this film is really not about the women. Salman Khan is, of course, perfect for the role (since he wrote it himself).

The locations are stunning, particularly the shots of Rajasthan. It's the costume design that is strangely divided: the Indian costumes are magnificent, the British ones less so. The time period should be turn of the century, but the Western costumes seem to run the gamut from late 19th century to 1920s in style. It feels as though the costume designers weren't too sure about the Western outfits, particularly for women, and they're not as high quality as the Indian costumes.

The music is pretty good - the opening song, "Taali", is a rousing number that features Mithun, Salman, and Sohail Khan with some good choreography. "Meherbaniyan" is a catchy song with some bagpipe-sounding elements. I particularly like the choreography for this one, because it's creatively structured around the fact that Veer is supposed to have an injured leg at this point in the story, so the steps are meant to highlight that Veer's dancing mostly on one leg. Very fun, and Salman's a great dancer. "Surili Akhiyon Wale" is the main love theme and it's very nice - especially with the fantastic Rahat Fateh Ali Khan on lead vocals - but it would have been better without the female English part.

Overall, the story is a bit lacking in nuance, but if you're a fan of big historical epics, then it's worth watching. I was particularly struck by the amount of violence and blood, which I haven't seen very frequently in Hindi movies. Veer is a vicious, tribal character who also adheres strictly to his code of honor. His character is perhaps the most nuanced, as he wrestles with very violent rage alongside a desire to be humane.