Fatso Movie Review (Hindi)

Story: Navin and Nandini are to marry - but Navin dies in an accident that wasn't supposed to kill him. He returns in Sudeep's chubby body - but will 'Fatso' get his girl?

Critic's Rating: 

Direction: Rajat Kapoor

Cast: Ranvir Shorey, Purab Kohli, Gul Panag, Neil Bhoopalam, Gunjan Bakshi, Brijendra Kala

Genre: Romance

Avg Readers Rating: 

Movie Review: Think of all those uber-cool Mumbai movies you've seen - Dil Chahta Hai, Bluffmaster, Wake Up Sid - put them in an imaginary blender, switch on, and hey presto, you have Fatso, frothing over with shots of surfing sea, rain-soaked skies, stylish bars.

Fatso Movie Official Trailer

Add a group of friends led by Navin (Kohli), who pops the question to Nandini (Panag) before crashing headlong into a truck and you have Fatso's main course - how to live after death. And what to do if your buddy, thinking you're in the great beyond, makes a move on your girl.



Fatso's a whimsical film with a rhythm somewhere between jazz and an old Bollywood song. Starting on an innovative note, it's brightened by Kohli's sparkly performance, Panag's dimpled smile and every shot of Mumbai that's made prize-winning cliche-level. Its most stunning sequences however occur in the grim sarkari office everyone apparently visits after they're dead - there is no heaven or hell, posits Fatso, just hundreds of peons, files, queues and babus, eternally occupied in 'mittings'. But Navin refuses to rest in peace till returned to earth - as fat friend Sudeep (Shorey). With Shorey literally getting a new lease of life, having visibly restrained himself as the much-mocked 'saand' of his group, you imagine Fatso's second half will rev up.

Alas. Here's where Fatso flops down heavily. Any sense of magic, of life rescued from death, love saved from vanishing, even the funny ironies of a slim guy stuck in a fat form, is totally missing. The 'friends group' is unconvincing. Kala's notable as a chatty clerk escorting souls about while Panag stands out in the silence of someone hit by grief. A cafe sequence, where Navin sees Nandini ordering spaghetti, then crying in the ladies' room, is moving. But otherwise, strangely flat acting and banal lines leave Fatso more heavy than cheerful.

The film seems overwhelmed by its own smart styling - little details like a dress drying on a clothesline, a girl rubbing hand-cream onto her palms, are clever. But there's too much style, not enough substance. No-one but pretty Tanuja (Bakshi), whose boyfriend Yash (Bhoopalam) hits on Nandini, seems to have a job. Life's a round of bar-hops with holidays when the living gets dull. The movie's peppiest number - 'Fatso! Na jaane kab last time sofe se khara hua' - is reserved for its feeble end, pushed wearily by Shorey listing everything he loves - mangoes to mosquitoes - before Panag mercifully plugs his outpourings with a kiss. Willing, yet weak, Fatso joined a good gym - but could have done with a much stricter trainer.

Courtesy: The Times Of India

Jannat 2 Movie Review (Hindi)

Story: A rookie guns dealer goes undercover for a cop who is out to crack the illegal arms racket. Caught in a web of lies and miscalculated moves, he becomes the target of suspicion and gun-war.

Critic's Rating: 

Direction: Kunal Deshmukh

Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Randeep Hooda, Esha Gupta, Manish Choudhary

Genre: Thriller

Duration: 2 hours 20 minutes

Avg Readers Rating: 

Movie Review: 'Guns for a cause - Nothing illegal about it!' That is gun dealer Sonu Dilli's ( Emraan Hashmi) theory - If everyone in the world owned a gun, there'd be no war, only peace. He's as easy with his guns as with his gaalis, and like a self-proclaimed KKC (kutti, kameeni cheez), 'humps' a woman, ridiculously to the rhythm of 'ek rasta, do rahi ...' (climaxing to aha aha!). ACP Pratap (Randeep Hooda) is the always bloodshot, almost 'Devdas'esque cop, wallowing in grief at the loss of his wife, killed in one such shootout. This cop of 'caliber', has a personal agenda, he tracks down Sonu Dilli (forever with his pants down), and takes him under his wing as an informer who can expose the illegal gun racket, led by the deadly Mangal Singh Tomar (Manish Choudhary). In the meanwhile, Sonu is shot in the heart (by Cupid), and his ladylove Jaanvi (Esha Gupta) is a doctorni who believes he runs a shop called 'Kareena Cut Piss' (read: cutpiece). Sadly, it's not a 'bullet-proof' plan, all hell breaks loose, with everyone gunning for something, and Jannat seeming like a faraway destination.

Emraan plays Sonu Dilli with a brusque Haryanvi accent, which is forgotten halfway through the movie. He's impressive in intense scenes and panic moments, portraying conflicting emotions with aplomb. He's crass and cool at the same time, wooing the lady, kissing and making love - in true Hashmi style.

Jannat 2 Official Trailer (HD)

The man to watch is hot-gun Randeep Hooda. Explosive in this one. Brooding but brave, intoxicated but vigilant. In this angry young cop avatar, he stuns you with silent pain and frantic outbursts. The film almost rests in his able holster. In probably the best performance of his career, Randeep is 'bang on'.

Debutante Esha Gupta struts ravishingly at times, though expressionless; shoots off a few dialogues, romances Emraan in Sufi-ish songs, and kisses back passionately. Her role is essential to the plot, but is under-written and she is over-exposed (ahaan).

Manish Choudhary is as evil as he can get. More pungent than gunpowder, deadlier than his weapons. He's the baddie that we love to fear.

Hot & Sexy ESHA GUPTA

Director Kunal Deshmukh shoots off gritty action and gushy romance, combined in unequal proportions. The chase sequences give you a shot of adrenaline and the action is high-tension. Although random romantic moments and too many songs break the pace of the story (Shagufta Rafique). The climax is touching, but for a thriller, there are several predictable turns, minus the twists. The dialogues are crude, but suit the rawness of the film, and the actors use cuss words as liberally as their guns. The music (Pritam) is memorable, but only till the next Bhatt album release.

Jannat 2 is a decent crime caper, but doesn't shoot you between the eyes.

Tip Off: If you don't have an appetite for crude desi gaalis, be armed before watching this one!

Courtesy: The Times Of India

Movie Review: 21 Jump Street (English)

Story: Nothing gives two not-so-happening cops a kick of their life more than an opportunity to bust a drug racket on college campus.

Critic's Rating: 

Direction: Phil Lord and Chris Miller

Cast: Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Dave Franco, Brie Larson

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 1 hour 49 minutes

Avg Readers Rating: 

Movie Review: You know this one's about two cops who are all out to make high school teens say no to drugs. So you obviously know what to expect -- car chases, gun shots and swearing unlimited. But then what you really do not expect turns out to be the highpoint of 21 Jump Street. Ghosts from the past, in this case one's college life, staring right into the face. What does one do? Still remain the cool cop who has everything under control? Or think a zillion times before asking a girl out on a prom night? Can't really blame the boys - Jenko ( Channing Tatum) and Schmidt ( Jonah Hill) - for they have their share of rejections to deal with. But before that, it's some unfinished task.

21 Jump Street is the place where the men in uniform decide to do something more fruitful. And what better way to nab the drug peddlars on campus than by being a part of the campus. Once within the campus, things fall in place and the brain behind all that nefarious activities is exposed. Who is that? We don't really care for this time it's all about how the boys gel well with teens on campus... and how the boys resist all that temptation. Get your dose of haha moments from here; get your I've-been-through-that-in-college-too moments here. All this and more as Channing and Jonah actually seem to have a ball of a time. They find it too hard to follow the rules of the undercover programme. First, no sexual relations with students, no getting them drunk. But what can they do when the teachers of this high school are rather high on the libido quotient. Next is no trying out HFS (the drug) themselves. But what can they do when peer pressure is the driving force. They do it and then tounges go waggling, Peter Pan goes texty, iconic bond in the chemistry class becomes the four letter word and the rest is all laughter. Finally, no nightout for buddies when mom and dad are away. But what can they do if friends drop by. Enjoy, get drunk, get naughty and when stabbed (all that hot blooded stuff post a couple of tequilla shots), just say 'it's awesome'.

The back to school cops, Channing and Jonah, fit the campus bill with ease. Not only do they look like they belong to the Justin Bieber-Miley Cyrus looking generation and live their teenage angst all over again, but eventually do what they ought to - get all to stay away from deadly drugs.

21 Jump Street (2012) clearly says cops Jenko and Schmidt have got to revive an undercover police programme of the 1980s. Remember Johnny Depp's television series by the same name? Incidentally it ends up reviving more - laughter and teen insecurities.


Courtesy: Movie Reviews @ Times Of India

Movie Review: Malligadu (Telugu)

Story: The gory climax might make some peoples stomach churn, but then it's essentially a Tamil film, could have some nativity issues as well. 

Movie Review: A dubbed version of the 2007 Tamil cult classic, Paruthiveeran, Malligadu is releasing four years later in Telugu but is still makes for a bewildering cinema experience that evokes awe and disgust in equal measure. Awe for the sheer caliber of filmmaking that captures nuggets of rustic village life - dancers in exotic costumes, loudspeaker announcements, cattle with balloons tied to their horns, card players oblivious to the ear-shattering noise around them, eunuchs performing - these opening frames transport you into another realm. 

Then there scenes in which you have Malli (Priyamni) vomiting all over the screen and in others where women are repeatedly slapped and smashed against walls and shoved and raped and murdered, all captured in graphic detail. Well, the rustic romance between Malli Babu ( Karthi) and Malli is disarmingly cute. 

Malli Babu is village ruffian who spends most of his life going in and out of jail. His life's ambition is to do something so notorious that would get him on TV before landing in the central jail. His only friend is his uncle Sivayya (Saravanan) who is just as jobless and ready for adventure. Malli is his cousin who swears undying love for Malli Babu after he saves her from drowning in the river as a kid. Malli Babu ignores her romantic overtures but eventually falls for her. 

Their families however, are sworn enemies and are dead against their marriage. So the lovers elope to live the life of their dreams, but their families are determined to punish them. What ensues is some pretty intense cinema.

Courtesy: Movie Reviews @ Times Of India

Review Movie: Life Ki Toh Lag Gayi (Hindi)

Story: In the big bad city of Mumbai, four people are on a 24-hour mission to survive. Some make it, some don't. Caution: If you thought a drive down Mumbai's over-flooded, potholed roads was a nightmarish experience, sample this. 

Critic's Rating: 

Direction: Rakesh Mehta

Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Ranvir Shorey, Pradhuman Singh, Neha Bhasin, Manu Rishi

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 1 hour 45 minutes

Avg Readers Rating: 

Movie Review: Salman (Kay Kay Menon), son of a one time underworld biggie ( Jackie Shroff, in a flash of an appearance), is on a mission to nail the murderer of his parents, even before he's started mourning their sudden death.

ACP Chautala (Manu Rishi) is chided by his bully boss and packed off from the capital city to Mumbai's underbelly, to track four Nigerian drug peddlers (referred to as kaale throughout the film). The gold medalist cop, who prides himself on being Haryane-da-sher, cruises his way around Mumbai's gallis with ease, but struggles with Mumbaiyya lingo.

Amol Ganguly (Ranvir Shorey) quits his job as a chef in UK and dashes back to Mumbai to his beloved, only to find out that she's ditched him for an ugly millionaire. Distraught, he seeks comfort in his wannabe rockstar friend, dope-head Ajoy Ghosh (Pradhuman Singh), who walks around in boxers with sazaa-e-maut tattoo on his back, chants 'The Bengali will rock', has 'Mother Chucker' sprawled on his walls, scratches his privates (yuck!) and 'Doogle'-searches ways to commit suicide, for his heart-broken Bong buddy. Chandigarh ki chori, Dolly (Neha Bhasin), a struggling starlet is on a mission to dupe Mumbai's rich men to recover some of her losses (money and dignity). They all converge at the shady Hotel Plaza, amidst bullet showers, purposeless blood-baths, and a climax that leaves an after-taste of stale vada pau.

Ranvir Shorey, as the loser boyfriend looks the part, but only for a few scenes. He loses steam along the way, and boringly finishes the rest.
Much-caked-up Menon, tries hard to force intensity, but fails to evoke any emotion. Amidst all this mayhem, Manu Rishi breathes some life and laughs in this movie. Pradhuman Singh as a pseudo rockstar is exaggeratedly stereotyped, driving us to hair-tearing moments. In her debut film, singerNeha Bhasin, looks desperate to make a mark, but has slim chance.

For eons, Mumbai has spurred creativity in filmmakers. Some good, some bad. Some grossly confused. Like this one. Director Rakesh Mehta tells a story which is more cramped with characters than Mumbai's local trains. The dialogues are unmoving and script more disoriented than the city's unbearable traffic. While trying to create a montage of a struggling day in the life of Mumbai, the real story is stuck in some galli of Crawford Market.

Watch it at your own risk, but remember, we warned you. Given a choice, we'd like the real city and a drive on Mumbai's roads - it probably has fewer potholes than this story.


Courtesy: The Times Of India

Review: The Avengers (English)

Story: Global catastrophe is round the corner. And the onus of saving citizens on Earth lies with Nick Fury. But how does he go about it? Time to chalk out a super plan. But then looks like it'll take him something more super than just a plan....

Critic's Rating: 

Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston

Direction: Joss Whedon

Genre: Action

Duration: 2 hours 26 minutes

Avg Readers Rating: 

Movie Review: What do you expect when six mighty super heroes - Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Hulk - 'assemble' together on the silver screen for one common purpose? Action unlimited. High voltage drama. Larger-than-life effects. Throw in some smart one liners (humorous, of course) and you maybe in for some push button video gaming fantasy.


Nick Fury ( Samuel L. Jackson), director of S.H.I.E.L.D, an international peace keeping agency, goes out of his way to save Planet Earth from impending doom, courtesy Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Loki, of course, is on the look out for the Tesseract, the cube that has all the power to swallow the planet... and get its inhabitants to bow before the evil one. That's when Fury thinks the best way to save Planet Earth is by handing charge to the evergreen power personalities. And that's precisely when Whedon creates an assembled six-in-one pack - The Avengers -- to wage war on screen. Yes, the story is rather simple. But then with testosterone swelling and bullets whizzing here, there, everywhere, we don't mind missing out on a breath-taking script.

The Avengers is not just your typical good versus evil kind of super hero flick. Here, before all scores are settled, it's the good-versus-good hungama that keeps you glued to your seat. Blame it on the big egos of the superstars. After all, they are all super in their own rights, have never worked as a team to ward off evil... and never taken instructions from other super guys. Naturally then, fireworks and action cuts are bound to follow.

Cut to the performances. Robert Downey Jr's Stark not just delivers his lines with panache in his typical 'playboy' avatar, he keeps the action going-literally - on screen. Chris Evans' Captain America as always makes it on time just when you are about to give up on all that mess. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) comes across as the perfect brother who is torn between the right and the wrong amidst lightening power and battles. Black Widow's ( Scarlett Johansson) mind games leave you simply asking for more. Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) is once again seen doing what he does best -- play around with his bow and arrows. Finally, it's Mark Ruffalo, first spotted in the bylanes of Kolkata, who gives you ample opportunity to clap when he turns into what he calls 'the other guys' (Hulk). Special mention: Tom Hiddleston who surprisingly stands tall as the bad guy in a group of otherwise good samaritans.

So here's what you've got to do: Just settle down with your 3D glasses for some bang-bang stuff where special effects speak louder than guns and the super guys have nothing to fall back on, other than their muscles, reflexes and of course, their super powers...


Courtesy: The Times Of India