Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi (Hindi)

It's important for people to realize that just because their father/mother/sibling/wife/husband is a popular actor/director doesn't mean that they too have the same artistic gene in them, just like me starting a film blog doesn't mean I am a professional film critic. There obviously is no harm in trying, for we all must try, but when you have backing and experience at your disposal, you just might want to make the most of it in your attempt.

Bela Bhansali Segal, sister to ace director Sanjay Bhansali, tries desperately to present a charming film that revolves around the Parsi community with an unconventional love story at the heart of it. The problem is that although the Parsi community is full of eccentricities and charm, the quirkiness just doesn't explode on the screen. If you really want to watch a film that truly gives an insight into the Parsi community of India watch the underrated Little Zizou. As for the supposed unconventional love story between the mid 40s couple, it isn't anything new as there have been numerous films in the recent past that have revolved around a similar topic.     

Starring Boman Irani and Farah Khan as the couple in love, the film never really amuses or entertains. The comedy is so juvenile that I sat in amazement thinking what really was going through the head of the makers and the actors when they filmed the scenes. Mind you, the film is not really meant for kids, so they can't pass the comedy on that either. Boman Irani gives a good performance, but doesn't bring anything new to the table. Farah Khan, officially acting for the first time, is wooden with her dialogue delivery and try as she might just doesn't have any grace during the song and dance numbers either, of which there are many. The supporting cast that comprises mostly of character actors like Daisy Irani are probably the only saving grace, but once again they are given such absurd situations and comic moments that they too find it hard to give their best performance.

Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi is a feeble attempt at new-age cinema, such as Khosla Ka Ghosla and Do Dooni Char, that has been relatively successful. Unfortunately a poor and predictable storyline is its biggest downfall making this two hour film unwatchable.

Rating 1/5      

Ek Tha Tiger (Hindi)

Surprise surprise, I actually enjoyed Ek Tha Tiger, a film that has been criticized by many and yet has managed to break most ticket-sale records. 

Starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif the film doesn't bring about anything new, but under the direction of Kabir Khan and production of Aditya Chopra, it presents a cleaner and straightforward film.

Here are my top 10 reasons why you should watch Ek Tha Tiger;

The Story - While most of the recent Salman Khan films are heavy on action, Ek Tha Tiger is more of a romantic film with intermittent fight sequences. It's the story of a RAW agent, played by Salman, and about him falling in love during a mission and the complications that arise when he "listens to his heart rather than his head". The story might seem simple, and it is, but it manages to entertain because it avoids unnecessary drama and sticks to the basics.

Salman Khan - I am no fan of Salman Khan, and there are some movies of his that I enjoy while others that I despise. Here though he somewhat tones down his larger than life persona a little bit and gives a pretty good performance as a RAW agent.

Katrina Kaif - Although her name should be enough of a reason, Katrna Kaif for a change comes across as very comfortable in the film. She's in her element and doesn't seem out of place or struggling. Could this be because of the nature of the film being international or the presence of Salman Khan, I cannot say. (Those of you who are not into Indian cinema gossip, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif have long been "linked" together as a couple).

Action - There is a fair bit of action in the film but rather than the slow motion one man killing ten people with one punch kind of action there are more realistic fight sequences. There is also a fair bit of running around and chases that happen in a semi-parkour fashion which once again are beautifully shot and executed. Unfortunately there are also sequences like the one on a tram that are so CGI laden that they shout FAKE from the onset.  

Romance - Say what you may, but there is definite chemistry between Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif and it shows on the screen. It's easy to see that both are extremely comfortable with each other and for a change the romance seems real which adds to the charm of the film.

The Direction - Kabir Khan deserves credit for sticking with the story and presenting a sleek film. Ek Tha Tiger does get slow in the middle, but as stated above the romance feels genuine enough that the couple of "forced" song and dance numbers in the film don't irritate much. Moreover, the so called packaging of the entire film is at par with other Yash Chopra productions.   

Locations - The number one rule of a good spy film is that you need to take the audience around the world to pretty locations. Once again the film succeeds rather well in this category as we are whisked away from India to Ireland to Turkey, to even Cuba. The film also incorporates the local culture and sounds into the music numbers beautifully, showing that there really was a lot of planning and thinking that went into the production.

Songs - Hummable and on most top chart lists, the songs lack longevity. Still with only four songs, yes four is 'only' in an Indian film, they are good enough not to drag the film too much.   

Supporting cast - For a change the supporting cast actually supports the main characters and the film. There are no sidekicks which lack a character arc placed in the film for vulgar comedy. There are no subplots taking the film on a tangent. The primary story remains the same, and every supporting member is simply a part of it. Girish Karnad requires no introduction and Ranvir Shorey steps out of his usual comedy routine to give a pretty good performance.   

Roshan Seth - I know he should be part of the support cast reason given above, but his role, which is unfortunately very small, oozes old world charm so much that it was truly a pleasure to see this underrated legend of cinema act in an out-and-out commercial film like Ek Tha Tiger. 

If you haven't seen Ek Tha Tiger, you might be fooled into thinking that it is like other Salman Khan films (Ready, Bodyguard, or Dabaang). It is anything but that. The film is not without faults. There are enough loopholes that I could fit my plump body through them, but for a change the pros in the film are multitudinous compared to the cons.

Rating 3.5/5

Bol Bachchan (Hindi)

For the longest time I have been a huge supporter of Abhishek Bachchan's acting. While most people had given up on him after his first few movies, I actually thought he could carry certain roles really well, especially the ones in multi-starers. For the first time ever did I find him lacking real acting talent as I watched him play the role of Abbas Ali/Abhiskek Bachchan in Bol Bachchan. It might have been the film, or that he was surrounded by actors like Archana Puran Singh and Krishna Abhishek who pretty much duplicated their childish acts that can be seen on those comedy stage shows that run all the time on TV, but Abhishek Bachchan could be seen finding it hard to produce good comedy. What is truly ironical is that during the end credits there is a brief moment when Abhishek talks to the director Rohit Shetty and says "I told you I was made for this role"... I strongly disagree.

Bol Bachchan is a rather poor copy of the classic Hrishikesh Mukherjee film Gol Maal. What Rohit Shetty has done is tried to add his trademark Golmaal-ism to the film in the hope that he would end up with a winner. Unfortunately, that is not the case. For those of you who are confused, as are most of the characters in the film Bol Bachchan, Rohit Shetty has the GolMaal series (nothing to do with the classic film except for the name) to his credit and it can be considered his claim to fame.

Now that I have the school-play acting rant out of my system we can move to the numerous unnecessary subplots and characters that bring absolutely nothing to the story of the film. The comedy is so crass that I often wonder who is it that the film is targeted to. Okay, I do admit there were a couple of instances, in a movie that ran for two hours, where I did laugh out loud, but then again I never said my comic sense is all that great.

The supporting cast does exactly that, try and support a film that is weak from the get go. Ajay Devgan might change his name to Ajay Devgn and also call his production house Devgn FFilms, but it's high time everyone realizes that it takes a lot more than playing with letters to actually succeed. His role is similar to what he has been doing lately, i.e. tough guy who can beat an army of men with one punch. Abhishek Bachchan, thanks to his gay act in Dostana, seems to have found a character that everyone making the film thought was worth repeating, but once again his comic timing is simply atrocious. Asin and Preeti Desai are there to be the damsels in distress and give the two heroes an excuse to showcase their emotional venerability.

As for the direction, it is very Rohit Shetty like. I actually have no problem with the kind of slow-motion fight sequences he usually directs and thankfully they are just about the right amount of fight sequences in the film. The songs seem to be popular right now on radio, but I do not think they are memorable.  

Bol Bachchan was one of the biggest disappointments of 2012. It lacks originality or even class. What it worse is that with Bachchan being in the name of the film Abhishek should have stood out, but the film for me is his worst performance till date.

2/5 Rating.

  

Barfi - The Unsweetened Truth

SPOILER ALERT - Although I am not giving away much, this review, well rant, is meant more for people who have seen the film. I would have loved to give a short write-up on the story but I honestly have no clue where to begin and where to end, somewhat like the story of the film which has no apparent direction.

There I was being dragged to watch Barfi, again. We didn't actually watch the film the first time around because my dear wife got the timings wrong, and I was joyous thinking I had averted watching the film. How wrong was I and here on a somewhat cool Friday morning I found myself driving once again to witness the so called "marvel" that is Barfi.

Barfi has been the talk of the town since its release a week back. Reading some of reviews online, it has been described as "poetry in motion" or was it "poetry in celluloid" and other mushy-mushy romanticized words in conjunction with the word poetry. Well, let me get the facts straight, it's not. It's not poetry of any kind, and if the title of the post didn't tell you, I’m here to categorically state why the film, in my opinion, is overhyped and overrated.

Different Doesn't Make Good - Talking to people about the film, the consensus seems to be that the film is good because it's different, or tries to be. Is that all we look for in a film? Don't we crave and demand a different film every time we step into a theater? Don't we hear filmmakers say that their film is "different" day in and day out, even when it is not? So why should we be satisfied by just the film being different even though it is not a good film on the whole? Also, let me tell you that it is not really a different film. It's a film that has been sugarcoated in sweetness and emotions to seem different. But, the fact remains; I shall not deem the film to be a good film just because it tries to be different.

Here, There, Everywhere - That's the story of Barfi for you. Spanning over three different time periods, the film is full of so much useless acts and information that it is merely a hotchpotch of drama, forced emotions, and comedy. It's a love story, a story about heartbreak, with a kidnapping thrown in between, and a bank heist, and murder and death for extra measure, and writing about it does make it sounds brilliant, but it's not. There's an autistic Priyanka Chopra, a mute and deaf Ranbir Kapoor, and the girl-next-door Illeana D'Cruz along with an array of supporting characters. It's also a story about making the most of your life and enjoying the smallest things in... Oh you know the usual crap! It seems that the story writers and film makers sat down and brainstormed ideas and then in place of sorting them out decided to put in every idea that was on the table.    

Comedy Undone - A huge part of Barfi, the film and the character, is slapstick comedy. We saw quite a bit of it in advertisements and TV spots that have been on for almost a month now. Whatever rest there is just seems to have been copied from the West. It's all Chaplin-esq and I know they give homage to him by showing his cardboard cutout in the start for a second, big whoopee!! Whatever is left is very Roberto Benigni and there is even an act from Singing in the Rain's "Make 'em Laugh". So yes, if there is something original, it's buried way too deep amongst all the copied slapstick acts.

Back to the Future - The other most annoying aspect of the film is that it tries to play havoc with the timeline. The film jumps from one era/year to another and having a poor storyline just adds to the frustration. Let's not even get into the presentation of the film. Okay I will just for a bit. At times it is a first person account while at others it shows people being interviewed, by God knows who, and then there are times when the film runs like a normal everyday film. Did I say there is just too much going on and no apparent direction to it all? YES I DID!!

UnCharacteristic - Now for the characters. I cannot comment much on Priyanka Chopra's portrayal of the autistic Jhilmil, but I will say that she is not at all comfortable in the role. Her act is just that, an act, and while she is obviously trying really hard, it just doesn't come across all that great on the screen.

Ranbir Kapoor's Barfi IS the best part about film, and one of the reasons why I did like his act is that I could not think of anyone else who could have played the character as seamlessly as he did. Although, yes there is one, he did play a somewhat similar part in Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani, but nevertheless he should be commended for experimenting. The same also holds true for Priyanka Chopra.

As for Iliana D'Cruz's Shruti, she gets the most annoying character in the film award. As an actress Iliana has done a wonderful girl-next-door with unnecessary emotional baggage role real well, but the character is just too filmy, for lack of a better word. Here is a woman who is about to get married to her college sweetheart, sort of, and falls in love with our hero Barfi while on vacation for three months in Darjeeling. Then, without any real pressure from her mother played by Rupa Ganguly, she leaves Barfi. Later when Barfi again comes into her life, she falls in love with him, or rather realizes that she always was in love with him, because now he loves Jhilmil. When Jhilmil leaves, Shruti leaves her husband and starts to live with Barfi, and then afterwards ... you get the point. I think the girl just needed a reality check and a nice sit-down scolding so she could make up her mind once and for all and live with it.

Give Me Back My Time - Why do Indian film makers still feel that they need to make a long film for it to be considered a good film? Barfi is a much better film till half time, around the one-and-a-half-hour mark, but the second half is simply torture. I still do not understand the need to make a two-and-a-half-hour film that could have been polished better and presented in a little more than half the time.

Preachy Peachy - Indian cinema is going through a revolution. It seems that the newest trend is to take up social issues or if not that then preach about how we should live our life. Barfi falls in the same bracket. It tries to tell us that love sees no boundaries. You need to feel love. True love is never leaving the one you love. Blah Blah Blah! Give me a good story with a meaning any day and i'll be happy with that, but don't preach things by being overly emotional about them.

The Aunty Make-Up – Yeah! I’m usually the last person to crib about make-up, not saying it’s not important, but when the entire primary cast is made to look old, all I wanted to shout was “Your wig, your wig is just too blatantly obvious”.  

The Good Stuff – Barfi is not all bad. It has its good moments too. What does stand out is the cinematography and the editing which is outstanding and the only saving grace of the entire film. At least visually the film kept me interested.

The Luck of The Seats - Lastly, my rant takes on a more personal aspect. This has nothing to do with the film really, but more with the people who were sitting behind me. Yes, the two girls who probably told their parents that they were going to college and ended up being the bane of my movie watching experience. I think these two nincompoops took the opportunity of the film being somewhat of a silent-film as an indication that they could give each other running commentary of what was happening on the screen. "Look he's wearing a green sweater", "Look he fell down", "Oh no how is he going to hear when he is deaf"... WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP!

...and so shall I

Rating 2/5

          

Kahaani (Hindi)

The reason why I enjoyed and like Kahaani is because the film is primarily a return to clean storytelling. It doesn't deviate from the story too much into unnecessary subplots thankfully avoiding "item numbers" and other such atrocities that have become a common part of Indian films.

Kahaani is the story of a pregnant woman played by Vidya Balan visiting Kolkata on her own in search of her missing husband, who, and this is where the story forms its basis, is also being hunted by the Indian government and police for being a terrorist involved in a bombing. The story, which does have a few loop-holes, works well as a detective piece and having a pregnant woman, gives it an unconventional primary character. Vidya Balan plays the role so convincingly that there were reports around the time of the release of the film that she might actually have been pregnant during the shoot. The reports turned out to be false.

The weakest aspect of the entire film is the opening sequence. What this sequence does is implant doubts in the minds of the audience about the story that follows and that in turn takes away from the deductions happening in the film. Nevertheless, the supporting characters played by Parambrata Chatterjee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Ritabrata Mukherjee, and Saswata Chatterjee are so good and so into their respective roles that its hard not to enjoy their characters perform and add their own dimension to the storyline.        

The director Sujoy Ghosh makes the most of the vibrant city that is Kolkata making events like the Durga Puja intrinsic to the story and in fact goes to the extent of even making the music by Vihal-Shekar relate to the region.

Kahaani is simplistic storytelling at its best. Staying away from the run-of-the-mill commercial aspects of Indian cinema it manages to attract the thinking audience into enjoying the film all the while demonstrating the wide variety of talent available to Indian cinema in the form of actors, locations, and filmmakers.

Rating 4/5  

Delhi Belly (Hindi)

Delhi Belly is a great movie if you want to understand the mindset of the urban youth. It's hip, it's happening, but it's also crass.

Tashi (Imran Khan), Arup (Vir Das), and Nitin (Kunaal Roy Kapur) are three friends who share a studio apartment in what looks like the shady underbelly of Delhi. What they go through during a day thanks to Tashi's air-hostess girlfriend Sonia (Shenaz Tresury who was formally known as Shenaz Tresurywala) agreeing to deliver a package for a friend is what forms the basis of the movie.





Delhi Belly is clearly inspired by Guy Ritchie films (Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch) with mistaken identities, stolen diamonds, gangsters and added to that a dose of shit. Unfortunately, the film also relies heavily on the use of vulgar language (which some might argue is the language of the youth nowadays) and potty jokes, literary.

Having comic talents like Vir Das does have a positive impact on the dialogue which clearly meant for adults is at times unique and funny and intelligent. But the unnecessary side story-lines, mainly consisting of Arup and Nitin, which come together forcibly at the end makes Delhi Belly an average watch. Aamir Khan who produced the film makes a cameo "item number" appearance at the end, but again it seems forced and unnecessary and almost desperate. Shenaz probably gets more noticed for her "assets" than her acting. Poorna Jagannathan playing Meneka, who over the course of the movie ends up with Tashi is probably the only standout performance in the entire film. Imran, I feel has not really explored his acting talent barring a few performances in movies like Luck or Kidnap, both of which flopped. His acting seems repetitive and hasn't matured much since his role in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.





The only credit that I would give the film is that it doesn't hide away from being bold. It's proud of its A certificate and makes the most of it keeping intact the morals of Indians and Indian Cinema. Pushing the boundaries, but never really crossing that line which would give the censor board sleepless nights, Delhi Belly is no breakthrough cinema.

So as the tag line of the films states "S#!T HAPPENS", well it did, and it's quite evident when you watch the film.

Rating 2.5/5

Don 2 (3D) (Hindi)

My problem with Don 2 starts with Shahrukh Khan and ends with the story. I've always been an avid Shahrukh film watcher, but off late his acting has just become too repetitive. The worse part is that not having watched My Name is Khan and Ra.One I still felt that there hasn't been any change in his mannerisms onscreen. Now, most people might say that that is his appeal and that's fine, but to me I would love to see a Shahrukh Khan that has grown professionally since his days of DDLJ (which I know he has and hints can be seen in movies like Chak De).

The other major problem with Don 2 is unfortunately the story. Not only was the entire execution of the film a bit drab with not much really happening, the film simply glorifies Shahrukh Khan's Don as the be all and know all. It's as if he can do no wrong and holds some mystical power which as a result made the film extremely predictable after a while.

Don 2 also lacked any real link with the previous Don. Replace the character's name and some of the people who have trickled down from the previous film and Don 2 could have been any other con-caper. It lacked a heart and a soul and simply focused on the look.

Enough thrashing, the film did have a few elements that really surprised me. I went into the theater ready to lash out at the 3D. Surprisingly, leaving aside a few out-of-focus fight shots, the 3D was pretty good. Now, it would not have made much difference in 2D, but yes I do give credit that although it did not add much to the film, it still was executed well especially during the song sequence.

The locations, the cinematography, and to an extent the direction was spot on. I've pretty much liked most of Farhan Akhtar's directed and acted films so I was not expecting anything less. I also admire the subtle hint to the next Don and the special appearance that no one saw coming.        

Now, most people might argue that Don has a larger than life persona so that reflects in the acting by Shahrukh Khan, but I felt he needed to be more grounded and take a step or two down from the pedestal that he was on. More human if I may say. The story needed to be faster and meatier with more emphasis on the characters.

Don 2 is a fun watch. It doesn't have the charm of Don and moves more in the territory of movies like Dhoom or the soon to be released Players. I would love to see Don 3 be more bold maybe even darker, but then we can only hope for such things.

Don 2 disappointingly gets 3 stars out of 5. If the 3D hadn't impressed me or had I watched the film in 2D, I would have given it 2.5 stars.    

Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010) (Hindi)

It seems lately I have been only watching movies with Abhishek Bachchan in them. It is not a conscious decision, but then again I’m not complaining since I have said it time and again that he remains one of the most underrated actors in the Indian Film Industry.

Ashutosh Gowarikar's Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey is a lesson in history, and that too quite a good one. What works for the film is that it is stays true to its roots and isn't stylized or sensationalized. There is one and only one star in the film and that is the story. It's quite clear that a considerable amount of research went into the making of the film. Based on the Chittagong uprising of 1930 the film tracks the lives of a number of individuals as they plan and execute an attack again the oppressive British in their eastern Indian town of Chittagong. The featured rebellion has a special part in India's freedom struggle because this time children as young as 14 years and women were also part of this attack. Looking at the real life photographs of the prominent characters featured in the film during the end credits did make me realize the importance of freedom that we take for granted and too an extent the fight against corruption going on in India right now.

Ashutosh Gowarikar has proved with Jodha Akhbar and Laagan that he can handle period films quite well. There is detail and importance given to the sets and the clothing to make the environment and feel of the movie genuine.

Considering the number of characters and the fast moving story there really isn't time enough to evaluate the acting. Abhishek Bachchan playing the leader and school teacher Surjya Sen along with Deepika Padukone's Kalpana Dutta has a certain underrated elegance throughout the film. Everyone does a decent job and brings out authenticity to their respective characters. The junior artists brilliantly bring about the innocence in their characters that also covers up the sketchy acting at times. Amongst the seniors notably the physical transformation in Sikander Kher is commendable. The movie not only has prominence as a historical event, but even works as a thriller, almost to an extent like Munich wherein the happenings before and after the actual event are equally important.

I highly recommend the movie to everyone who is in any way linked to India just to appreciate the freedom that we all enjoy. For everyone else, it is a well made movie and works for anyone interested in historical events. 4/5 Stars for this patriotic piece of cinema.   

Tees Maar Khan? More like Tees Thapad Kha!

Tees Maar Khan



Right then! You know Tees Maar Khan (TMK) is a stupid movie the moment is begins. But what you don't expect is that the movie is more than that. It's as if stupid was tied to a chair and lobotomized to make sure that no sign of intelligence is left.

Let's take a few example;
We start the movie with a baby being able to view TV from inside her mothers womb and learn the art of conning and martial arts and what not.



The introduction to the title character in which he escapes from a couple of nincompoop police officers is so over the top that the people involved in the scene must have been high on something. Oh! and one look at the set, inside of a plane, clearly suggests that no one from the film unit had ever laid eyes on a plane, let alone go inside it.



Now, the story has loads of potential. It's basically a heist film of sorts wherein the protagonist enlists an entire village to rob a train at the pretext of shooting a movie. Since the villagers are unaware of the situation and go about the robbery thinking it is just a part of the movie, there was ample opportunity for good comedy. Unfortunately the movie lacked everything. The acting was below par. None of the performances stood out. The song "Sheila is Jawani" is probably the only point of interest in the entire movie.



Akshay Kumar once again is seen in a comic role that is over the top, loud, and nonsensical. Katrina Kaif is simply eye candy and underused. Akshay Kumar who apparently received a lot of praise for playing an Oscar hungry Indian film actor seemed like he was acting in a school play. As for Rajiv and Raghu who decided this to be their debut into Indian Film Industry, what in the world were you thinking? In fact, the entire film was as if a bunch of talentless school kids were given a whole lot of money and told to do whatever they fancied. As for the director, Farah Khan, can we please simply say overrated. But then, I honestly have not liked any of her movies since she debuted with "Main Hoo Naa".



Complete and utter waste of time and money. I am going to give 1 star out of 5 to this movie and that too for "Shiela Ki Jawani".


Raghav

Location:Gurgaon, India

Before or After ... It's simply Bad!

Break Ke Baad ( After the Break )


Okay! I don't understand this, so help me a little will you ...

Why is it that in order to make a character look "cool" and "hip" I presume, she has to call her mother by her name?

Also if Aaliya (Deepika Padukone), our leading lady, is a smoker, then why is she unaware of the fact that you cut/bite off the tip of a cigar before you puff it?

How is it that our hero is able to fly to Australia at a days notice (ever heard of standing in line for a visa?), but then at the spur of the moment decides to stay in Australia, and then also work multiple jobs (Manual labor, Taxi Cab Driver, Roadside Food Stall). I mean seriously didn't he get one of those stamps on his imaginary visa where it says he cannot work or even the maximum duration of his stay (as he ends up staying for more than a year).

Why is it also that when our leading lady gets a job as an actress, signs a contract, she is able to simply walk out of it, then come back and get it again a few weeks later, and then towards the end (of this movie, not the one she is making) leave filming and head back to India?



It is obvious that for our leads all that matters is the ups and downs of their relationship, and everything else can pretty much be skipped. The movie is all about life between two childhood friends and lovers and what happens once they decide to take a "break" from each other. The first half is all about getting to the point of the Break! So in a way (I'm sure it was planned) Break Ke Baad happens After the Break (Interval). Unfortunately, there is nothing to the story. The cracks in the relationship arise over mundane and shallow reasons and at times you feel like giving both the characters a slap and telling them to grow up. Most of the supporting characters (Sharmila Tagore, Shahana Goswami, Navin Nischol, Yudhishter Urs) as always remain undeveloped and pretty much come and go just to provide humour or pass on their philosophy of life which to be honest has been done to death in a number of films. The only supporting character that stands out is Pammi played by the much underrated Lillete Dubey. We have Imran Khan, playing Abhay, who is stuck in a dead end job running his fathers cinema. Raise your hands if you have seen other coming of age movies where the hero doesn't know what he wants from his life and is stuck in a unsatisfying job. Here in place of the parents we have a girlfriend who eventually (because of the break-up) makes him realize his talent in guess what? ... Cooking! (I love it when the story tries to act original).



Imran Khan has reached a point in his career where he needs some solid character driven movies as he no longer can ride on the success of his debut. As for Deepika Padukone, I am yet to understand the film industries infatuation with her being the next "IT" girl. Her role/character in the movie is very similar to the one in Love Aaj Kal or Bachna Ae Haseeno.


Okay I'm going to stop now and abruptly end this review by rating the movie a 2/5. Why so abrupt?... Because no story, no characters, no dialogue, nice music makes a movie that is Baad (pun intended) before and after the Break.


Raghav

Location:Gurgaon, India