Ajay Devgan and Abhishek Bachchan In Bol Bachchan

From the looks of it, Ajay Devgan is up for a macho role while Abhishek Bachchan has two avatars: a Dostana type one and a moustachioed hero. Since the film is inspired from Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s comedy Gol Maal, Abhishek will be seen switching a lot between his moustachioed and minus-the-moochlook in the film.

Ajay Devgan and Abhishek Bachchan In Bol Bachchan

Bol Bachchan also stars Asin and Prachi Desai. The film will hit theatres on July 6.

Hrithik Roshan in Guzaarish & Emraan Hashmi

“Hrithik was quite impressive in ‘Guzaarish’ but what he did suits only him. You can’t expect massy stars like Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar or Emraan Hashmi to be repeating that. Perhaps such an outfit and personality, as seen in ‘Guzaarish’, could suit the likes of Saif Ali Khan or Ranbir Kapoor. However others want to play their own game, especially Emraan who has found his bearing over the years. For ‘Ek Tha Daayan’ he has formed a body language of his own while the costumes too have been handpicked to go with his image”, informs a source attached to the film.

Though his look is being closely guarded, our source informs that despite boasting of a massy touch, it would be entirely different from what Emraan has donned over the years. Also, rumours about his character being designed on the lines of P.C. Sorcar, a famous Indian magician, who was an internationally known magician through the 50s and 60s, have been dispelled as well.

“Neither is it on the lines of Hrithik nor is it like that of Sorcar. Hrithik’s magical act in ‘Guzaarish’ was akin to making love while Sorcar was known for his Indrajal shows. However Emraan is doing none of that. His hunt is for the ‘daayan’ and while being a magician is a backdrop for Emraan, it is his ‘wild encounters’ with Konkona Sen Sharma, Kalki Koechlin and Huma Qureshi that would shock audience”, the source adds.

When contacted, Emraan refused to comment about the look and just smiled away without revealing much. Perhaps he would throw a hint or two closer to the film’s release.

Rohit Shetty and Karan Johar

Speaking about their collaboration, Karan said, “We are both passionate about cinema. Apart from that, I greatly admire him as a filmmaker and a person. He has tremendous goodwill in the industry. He has the respect of his cast and crew. I know that they love and respect him, and for me that speaks for the kind of person he is. As a director, his track record speaks for itself.”

He also added, “Right now Rohit has some commitments to finish and once that’s done, we’ll figure that and the cast out. Then, we’ll make the big announcement. Dharma has produced many films with first-time directors (Soham Shah, Nikhil Advani, Ayan Mukherjee, Puneet Malhotra, Rensil D’Silva and Karan Malhotra). This is the first time we’ve got an established director… someone who is on top of his game. He’s made six films in five years! That’s more than me! I have directed five films in 14 years!”

Talking about Karan, Rohit said, “I respected his dad Yash Johar a lot, although I’ve never worked with him, I’ve heard great things about him from my mom and my seniors. When I entered Dharma office for the first time, I was entering Yashji’s office, and I wished he was around to see that. I respect Karan for his achievements as a director as well as a producer. For me, making a film for Dharma is not just a project but a big responsibility. People are saying it’s going to be one of the biggest collaborations ever but for me it’s a film that I want to work harder for. I want to make a good and highly successful commercial film for Dharma. Not to prove anything or to anyone but to pay tribute to a man who is not with us. A man the Hindi film industry respects and loves. This one is for Yash Johar.”

But considering that Ajay Devgan is Rohit’s blue-eyed boy, and KJo favours Shah Rukh Khan, who will they rope in the film? Or will we see them together?

Rating: 3.5/5 stars (Three-and-a-half stars)

Star cast: Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Gauhar Khan.

What’s Good: The breezy first half; the good performances; the music and the background score.

What’s Bad: A few boring portions in the second half; the climax, which will not be liked by a majority of the lay viewers.

Verdict: Ishaqzaade makes for an entertaining watch.

Watch or Not?: Go for it if you want to watch a love story with a twist.

Yash Raj Films’ Ishaqzaade is a love story of two youngsters belonging to two opposing political families.

In a small town in UP where muscle powers reigns and politics is conducted through the muzzle of a gun, Parma (Arjun Kapoor) is one of the grandsons of Chauhan, a political leader who is contesting for the post of the MLA. Chauhan’s bête noire, Qureshi, is the current MLA of the area. Chauhan and Qureshi are sworn enemies, whose fight for supremacy often leads to gun battles in broad daylight. Parma, who is one of the ringleaders of the Chauhan family, wants to rise up the family ladder. He brazenly uses his might to do things for the family.

On the other hand, Zoya (Parineeti Chopra), Qureshi‘s gusty daughter, is no less than her brothers in her hate for the Chauhans.

While canvassing for votes in their college, Parma and Zoya have a tiff and Zoya slaps Parma in front of everyone. As he has orders from the family patriarch to not indulge in violence, Parma stops short of shooting Zoya.

Soon, he falls for her and woos her till she reciprocates his love. The two meet secretly and even get married in the presence of two of Parma’s friends. Immediately afterwards, Parma has sex with Zoya. Then, to her surprise, he abandons her, claiming revenge for the slap.

Parma even uses photos of Zoya getting married in the Hindu way – without showing his own face – to rubbish her family’s name. As a result, Zoya’s dad loses the election. Parma becomes his grandfather’s blue eyed boy.

Zoya’s father decides to snap all ties with her. Zoya, meanwhile, escapes from her home with the intention to put a bullet in Parma’s head. What happens then? Does Zoya kill Parma and avenge her honour?

Ishaqzaade Review: Script Analysis

Story writers Aditya Chopra and Habib Faisal take the age-old plot of a love story between members belonging to feuding families and give it a very nice twist. Faisal’s screenplay does full justice to the story. The first half is fast paced and entertaining. All the characters are well-etched and leave an impression the viewer’s mind. The last scene of the pre-interval portion has a surprise in store for the audience, which is shocking as well as engaging. However, the drama loses steam in the second half when the young couple deals with the aftermath of their marriage. Certain portions of the second half seem repetitive and even bore the audience a little bit. The climax, which is very unlike the happy endings the audience is used to seeing in commercial movies, will disappoint a section of the viewers.

On the positive side, the emotions will appeal to the audience, especially the youngsters and girls. Screenwriter Faisal also successfully establishes the film’s milieu very well, something that makes the drama completely believable. The angle of Hindu-Muslim rivalry has been exploited very well. Dialogues, penned by Habib Faisal, are earthy and entertaining.

Ishaqzaade Review: Star Performances

Arjun Kapoor makes a fine debut as Parma. He emotes well, acts with a swagger and dances delightfully. He has a very good screen presence as well. Parineeti Chopra, whom we loved in Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, shines again in a complex and intense role. She looks very good and acts like a song. Arjun and Parineeti’s on-screen chemistry and excellent performances are the highlights of the film. Gauhar Khan, who plays courtesan Chand, does very well. All the supporting cast members provide very good support.

Ishaqzaade Review: Direction & Technical Aspects

Habib Faisal’s direction is first-rate. The writer-director treads a very different territory after Do Dooni Chaar but manages to make the narrative compelling. Only if he had paid more attention to making the second half crisper, the film would have proved to be a better package. Amit Trivedi’s music is very good. The songs go with the narrative. Lyrics, by Kausar Munir and Habib Faisal, are fine. Ranjit Barot’s background score sets the pace of the drama. Choreographers Chinni Prakash and Rekha Chinni Prakash make the songs a delight to watch. The production design is excellent. Cinematography, by Hemant Chaturvedi, is eye-pleasing. Aarti Bajaj’s editing is fine. Sham Kaushal’s action choreography is realistic.

Ishaqzaade Review: The Last Word

On the whole, Ishaqzaade is an entertaining fare which works on the strength of its first half and the performances.

Ishaqzaade Trailer

The Raid: Redemption Movie Review

Rating:3/5 stars (Three stars)

Star cast: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Ray Sahetapy, Yayan Ruhian, Doni Alamsyah, Pierre Gruno.

What’s Good: Exciting action sequences; some fabulous performances; breathtaking stunts; the background score.

What’s Bad: The basic plot; some audiences might be put off by the gore.

Verdict: The Raid: Redemption is an excellent action fare but its prospects at the Indian box-office are very limited.

Loo break: None.

Watch or Not?: Watch it if you want to see an out-and-out action film.

Pt. Merantau Films’ The Raid: Redemption is the English sub-titled version of the Indonesian action film Serbuan Maut.

The film begins with Rama (Iko Uwais), a young police officer in Jakarta, leaving his home early in the morning after a round of strenuous exercises. Rama tells his pregnant wife that he’ll be back home for sure. Before he leaves, he promises his father that he will find someone. Who that someone is, is not clear.

Inside a police van, Rama teams up with other members of his elite SWAT team, under the leadership of Sergeant Jaka (Joe Taslim). Their mission: to impregnate a safe house for Jakarta’s most dangerous killers and gangsters and take down the landlord of the apartment block, the notorious drug lord, Tama (Ray Sahetapy). Tama has two notorious aides, Mad Dog (Yayan Ruhian) and Andi (Doni Alamsyah), who help him run their illegal drug operations in the building. The building has never been successfully attacked before, either by the police or by any rival gang. Lieutenant Wahyu (Pierre Gruno) is accompanying the SWAT team on the raid.

The police enter the building and swiftly secure a few floors in the multi-storeyed structure. But soon, a spotter blows their cover and news of their assault reaches the drug lord. The building’s lights are cut and all the exits blocked.

Stranded on the sixth floor with no way out, the unit faces a deadly assault from the rag tag but dangerous army of the drug lord as well as from the residents of the building, who are baying for the police’s blood.

Under a gruesome attack from the criminals, Sergeant Jaka loses several men. He then asks Lieutenant Wahyu for permission to call in for reinforcements but the latter refuses because, he implies, the raid was an unauthorised one. Stuck in such a situation, Sergeant Jaka and Rama lead two small teams comprising of a few men and attempt to break out of the building. Tama, in the meantime, unleashes his aides, Mad Dog and Andi, as a final attack on the surviving SWAT members.

Are the policemen able to do the impossible? Do they receive some help from the building’s residents? Did Tama know about the attack before hand? What was Lieutenant Wahyu’s aim behind conduction an unauthorised raid? The rest of the drama answers all these questions.

The Raid: Redemption Review: Script Analysis

First and foremost, it must be said that The Raid: Redemption has some wonderfully exciting action sequences. Almost the complete drama has intense hand to hand combat sequences, gun fights and many martial arts duels. Having said that, it must be added that Gareth Evans’ story has little beyond the basic plot, a slight family connection (in the case of Rama) and a hint of a conspiracy (Lieutenant Wahyu’s illegal behaviour). The rest of the narrative, as mentioned, is made up of many action sequences that happen within the confines of the derelict building. A section of the audience, which is not interested in the gory action, will be put off.

However, for the youth and fans of the action genre, The Raid: Redemption will be as good as it gets. The writer-director Gareth Evans has deftly combined the elements of Kung Fu with guerilla warfare and to marvellous results. In fact, the screenplay is solely focused on making the most of the action. At times, the audience finds itself rooting for the police survivors and hopes that they will make it out.

The Raid: Redemption Review: Star Performances

Iko Uwais is fabulous as Rama. He wows with his performance and excels in the fighting scenes. His honest and serious characterisation endears him to the viewer. Joe Taslim is competent as Sergeant Jaka. Ray Sahetapy is villainous to a fault as Tama. Yayan Ruhian, as Mad Dog, terrifies the audience with his martial arts performances. Doni Alamsyah (as Andi) supports well. Pierre Gruno, as Lieutenant Wahyu, is fair. Others, mostly fighters and stuntmen, offer good support.

The Raid: Redemption Review: Direction & Technical Aspects

Gareth Evans’ direction is very good as he manages to keep the viewer engaged by offering edge of the seat entertainment. Stunts, by Yayan Ruhian and Iko Uwais, are breathtaking. Aria Prayogi, Joseph Trapanese and Fajar Yuskemal’s background score sets the pace of the drama. Matt Flannery’s cinematography captures the fight scenes very well. Editing, by Gareth Evans, is sharp.

The Raid: Redemption Review: The Last Word

On the whole, The Raid: Redemption is an excellent action fare. But the fact that it has a limited target audience, that it has no known faces and that it has not been promoted well, will mean that its prospects at the Indian box-office are very limited.

Watch The Raid: Redemption Trailer

The song has been sung by Richa Sharma, Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani. It has been composed by Vishal-Shekhar.

Imported Kamariya – Shanghai

Scarlett Mellish Wilson in Imported Kamariya song in Shanghai Movie

Shanghai releases on 8 June 2012.

Emraan Hashmi, Esha Gupta Jannat 2 Movie Review

Rating: 3/5 (Three stars)

Star cast: Emraan Hashmi, Randeep Hooda, Esha Gupta.

What’s Good: The drama; the dialogues; the performances; the music.

What’s Bad: A few boring parts in the second half; the predictable climax.

Verdict: Jannat 2 is an entertaining fare.

Loo break: A couple, especially in the climax.

Watch or Not?: Watch it because of the excellent scenes between Emraan Hashmi and Randeep Hooda.

User rating:

Fox Star Studios and Vishesh Films’ Jannat 2 is an action drama about a small time arms dealer in Delhi who becomes a police informer.

Sonu Dilli (Emraan Hashmi) is a street-smart, small time arms dealer in Delhi who has the gift of gab. When he is interrogated by a tough cop, ACP Pratap Raghuvanshi (Randeep Hooda), he turns informer for the latter.

Although helping ACP Pratap puts Sonu in jail for a little time, he continues to purvey the ACP with information about illegal arms racket as he has no other choice. But when Sonu falls in love with a doctor, Jhanvi Tomar (Esha Gupta), and manages to woo her, he wants to leave the life of crime and settle down. ACP Pratap, who is hell bent upon finding who the leader of the arms racket is, persuades Sonu to continue being his informer by promising him protection and a good life afterwards. Sonu, unknown to his wife, joins a bigger gang of arms traders.

Sonu’s world is shaken to the core when he realises, after his marriage to Jhanvi, that Jhanvi’s estranged father, Mangal Singh Tomar (Manish Choudhary), is also the leader of the arms business in Delhi. However, Sonu manages to convince Mangal that he is a corrupt and shrewd person who will be of use to his gang. Mangal embraces Sonu as his next in command.

ACP Pratap, who knows this, blackmails Sonu to give him information on upcoming arms deals, so that he can catch Mangal Singh red handed. Sonu, caught between the devil and the deep sea, starts playing a double game. He neither gives information to the ACP, nor tells Mangal the truth about him being a police informer. Secretly he plans to run away with Jhanvi, so that he can live a peaceful life with her.

What happens then? Is Sonu able to get away? Or do ACP Pratap and Mangal Singh find out the truth about him? Does Jhanvi discover that Sonu is an arms dealer, just like her father, whom she hates? The rest of the drama answers these questions.

Emraan Hashmi, Esha Gupta (Jannat 2 Movie Stills)

Jannat 2 Review: Script Analysis

Shagufta Rafique’s story is interesting. Her screenplay, with all the twists and the turns, makes for a very good watch, especially in the first half. In the port-interval portion, the pace of the drama slackens a bit, particularly in the scenes between Sonu and Jhanvi. However, the excellent performances and the witty and expletive-laden dialogues, penned by Sanjay Masoomm, keep the audience involved in the drama to a great extent.

The narrative has the stamp of the Bhatt camp but it also makes sure that the language and mannerisms of Delhi are incorporated, making the drama more authentic. The scenes of the interactions between Sonu and ACP Pratap are the highlight of the film, given the tenuous but friendly relationship between the two.

On the flip side, the drama does seem a little convenient at places – especially in the part where Mangal Singh easily accepts Sonu as his own without questioning his motives. The climax is predictable and abrupt.

Jannat 2 Review: Star Performances

Emraan Hashmi is first-rate as the glib and deceitful but endearing criminal. He has proved once again that he can make a negative character likeable. Randeep Hooda carries himself very well and delivers an excellent performance. Esha Gupta is alright. She adds glamour value. Manish Choudhary, as Mangal Singh Tomar, is villainous to a fault. Zeeshan Ayyub, as Sonu’s friend Balli, leaves a mark. Sumeet Nijhawan, as the goon Sarfaraz, fills the bill. Brijendra Kala, as ACP Pratap’s assistant, is marvelous. Arif Zakaria, Imran Zahid and others offer good support.

Jannat 2 Review: Direction & Technical Aspects

Kunal Deshmukh’s direction is praiseworthy as he is able to make the drama engaging for the most part. Music director Pritam delivers very good songs which have been used judiciously in the narrative. Lyrics, by Sayeed Quadri, Sanjay Masoomm and Mayur Puri, are fine. Raju Singh’s background score is appropriate. Cinematography, by Bobby Singh, is eye-filling. Sets, by Pradeep Redij, are good. Javed Eijaz’s action choreography is realistic. Editing, by Devendra Murdeshwar, is sharp.

Jannat 2 Review: The Last Word

On the whole, Jannat 2 is an entertaining fare from Vishesh Films. If you go in expecting that, you won’t be disappointed.

Jannat 2 Trailer

Amitabh Bachchan in a still from Department Movie

“Arun Gawli is a politician who was earlier a dreaded gangster. He is pretty active in Maharashtra till date. Now Amitabh Bachchan has a similar characterisation as he playing the part of a gangster turned politician in Department. Similarities are too blatant to be ignored here”, comments an observer.

Amitabh Bachchan in Sarkar & Sarkar Raj Movie Posters

This isn’t the first time though that Big B is playing a real life figure. In Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar and Sarkar Raj, his character was clearly based on Bal Thackerey.

“When it comes to films centred on politics and underworld, Ramu’s characters time and again bear real life resemblance”, says a close associate, “Even Company had Ajay Devgan and Vivek Oberoi playing Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Rajan respectively. Now Big B’s role as well as dress up etc. is clearly based on Arun Gawli.”

Expectedly though the director isn’t forthcoming about his inspiration here. Says RGV, “Amitji’s part is indeed that of a gangster turned politician. However it isn’t based on Arun Gawli. As for the similarities, all I can say is that I have researched on real life figures and incidents surrounding them. Mr. Bachchan plahs someone who is powerful and an intriguing personality. Rest is for the audience to find out.”

Guess that should be able to reveal the complete truth.

Tere Bin Laden Poster

WalkWater Media’s plans for the sequel to the sleeper hit Tere Bin Laden are in full steam. The original movie, produced by Pooja Shetty Deora and Aarti Shetty was a satirical parody on Osama Bin Laden. The Shetty sisters are now working on a sequel to the blockbuster.

Titled Tere Bin Laden 3, the sequel of the takes place after Osama’s death. “I’m very excited about Tere Bin Laden 3 as it reunites a young, talented bunch of people and will allow us to relive the exciting Tere Bin Laden journey,” Pooja says. While she will be overseeing production, the film will be written and directed by Abhishek Sharma, with both Pradhuman Singh and Ali Zafar acting in the sequel. “Abhishek has a good script with a whole new format of story-telling,” discloses Aarti, adding, “We are looking forward to starting work on this film!”

WalkWater Media is set to begin the pre-production of Tere Bin Laden 3 on 2 May, to coincide with the first death anniversary of the terrorist.

Kamal Haasan (Vishwaroop First Look Poster)

The film also stars Pooja Kumar, Rahul Bose, Andrea Jeremiah and Jaideep Ahlawat. Music for the film is composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

Here’s the teaser of the film:

Vishwaroop Teaser

Kamal is also directing Vishwaroop.

Ferrari Ki Sawaari & Rock Of Ages Posters

“This is really brave on the part of Chopra since it is a known fact that Hollywood releases have started making a huge impression across the length and breadth of India as well. No big film can be taken lightly, especially when it features someone like Tom Cruise”, comments a trade source.

It is after much deliberation though that Ferrari Ki Sawaari has decided a release date for itself. Over the last few months there have been a couple of instances when the film seemed ready for release. However there was never a concrete announcement from Chopras.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol Poster

Meanwhile Rock Of Ages is expected to open huge as well Tom Cruise has traditionally been quite popular in India. Moreover his Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol had taken a record breaking start when released last year. With Catherine Zeta-Jones, another hot favourite amongst Indian audience, giving good company to Cruise and making it a further star studded affair, it can be definitely stated that Sharman Joshi and Co. have good competition ahead.

An industry insider has the final word here, “If Chopra believes that his ‘Ferrari Ki Sawaari’ is carrying enough ‘dum’ to take on such mighty competition then he must be really sure of the content in the offering. He isn’t new to creating magic and ‘Ferrari Ki Sawaari’ could just be one of those magical affairs waiting to be unveiled.”

We hope so as well.

Emraan Hashmi in a still from The Dirty Picture, Murder 2, Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji and Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai

Over the years he has been doing well and is now sitting pretty at the box office with four successful films in a row (The Dirty Picture, Murder 2, Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai). However the fact remains that when he did these films, he was under no pressure to deliver since he was growing up the ladder. Now that he has achieved a superstar status for himself, there are immense expectations from him. More so since Jannat is a franchise waiting to be explored.

Emraan Hashmi in a still from Jannat 2 Movie

All of this means that the film should take a good opening at the box office. However a huge release size would mean that the occupancy would be in the range of 50%-70% depending upon the single screen/multiplexes and small/big centres. One could have hoped for a tremendous opening all over (80% and above) but that seems quite unlikely since the buzz around the film is good, not extraordinary. Also, while the songs are collectively good, that one single chartbuster that makes for tremendous hype surrounding an Emraan film is conspicuous by its absence.

Still, for entertainment deprived audience, Jannat 2 is a gift in the offering as it arrives full one month after Housefull 2. Yes, Vicky Donor and Hate Story have been successful but they had small releases. On the other hand Tezz has failed to bring audience into theaters. This means the ball is in the court of Jannat 2 to deliver. From the release timing and placement perspective it has everything going in its favour. Now if the content turns out to be fantastic as well, it has in it to make the most out of an open week available for itself.

Fatso! & The Forest Movie Posters

There are two more films releasing alongside Jannat 2 but none are expected to make any dent whatsoever at the box office. Fatso is a delayed film which is releasing without any zing in promotion. This Ranvir Shorey-Gul Panag-Purab Kohli film can’t expect occupancy more than 20%. As for the other release of the week – The Forest – it may just release in select multiplexes of the country but isn’t expected to last beyond a week.

Sunny Leone

Sunny signed as the protagonist with Johnson-Suraj Films International for the TV commercial of the phone. The TVC directed by Narayan C was recently shot in Bangkok and will soon be aired on channels.

Sunny Leone

Talking about the choice of Sunny Leone to represent the mobile phone, producer Suraj Kumar said, “Sunny has grappled with odds and made a celebrity status in the west and even in the east. She was a definite and the most accurate choice for this ad as she is well received by the man world and I respect her journey.”

Besides Jism 2 and this endorsement deal, Sunny will also feature in Ekta Kapoor’s sequel of Ragini MMS.