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Category: Movies

  • Anaarkali Of Aarah: Worth a look

    MUMBAI: Just when one was expecting a week of lack-lustre films especially as some small filmmaker is releasing his or her work, comes a surprise that reinforces faith in good cinema.
     
    Usually, region-centric films are all about violence and local Bahubalis. The gang wars, corrupt politician/police and so on. Anaarkali of Aarah puts a Bahubali in the second place and the limelight is totally on a local dancer woman who earns her living by entertaining townsfolk and those highly placed with her traditional lewd dances and suggestive lyric typical to the area.

    Swara Bhaskar has taken to dancing from her mother. The film has background of gun-totting, trigger happy, lawless Bihar and so when alcohol combines with eroticism of any kind, a gun goes off. Swara has seen her mother being shot dead for no reason by an influential man at one such dancing session. It was considered to be a manly thing to do for creating fear among townsfolk.

    Having learnt the ropes while watching her mother, Swara knows nothing else but to follow her mother’s profession, dance to entertain and titillate. Endowed with a powerful voice and all the dance moves that can drive her viewers crazy, she has become a super star of her locality. When she passes on the road, the traffic stops, so to say. As Aarah has only human traffic, the crowds drop what they are doing and gape at her.

    This time, Swara has been asked to perform at a function organised by the police. The function is open to public and the chief guest is a man close the state Chief Minister and the Vice Chancellor of the local university, Sanjai Mishra, a much respected man in the area. He drinks on the sly to keep his clean image, and is a closet debauch.

    While Swara is dancing at the function, the devil in Mishra comes out of the closet. Drunk till the gills, he climbs the stage, joins the dancing and almost rapes her in public view. Swara ends the scene with a tight slap on Mishra’s face.

    The film now runs short of ideas and gets into a rut as Mishra and the local cop try with all their might against her including an attempt on her life till, finally, she is forced to flee to Delhi. Considering Swara has been projected as a strong willed woman, the parts while she is in Delhi are a bit against her character while also being tame for the viewer.

    The climax, though not new, is made effective by the actors involved and one leaves the cinema with a positive word for the film.

    Anaarkali of Aarah, though a regional theme, is a well thought of script and can be identifiable with a woman’s situation all over. It is a well-conceived and executed film by writer-director Avinash Das. The film is well endowed with Bihari situational longs with double-meaning lyrics which keep the story going. The film needs some editing in its second half of scenes of Swara indulging in self-pity. Dialogue are in tune with the theme, bold but not vulgar.

    What, finally really lifts the film are the performances by the artistes. While the protagonist Swara Bhaskar and the antagonist Sanjai Sharma are outstanding, with Swara excelling, and every other actor on the screen lives his/her role.

    Worth a watch but lack of face value will keep Anaarkali of Aarah down.

    Producers: Priya Kapur, Sandip Kapur.

    Director: Avinash Das.

    Cast: Swara Bhaskar, Sanjay Mishra, Pankaj Tripathi.
     
    Phillauri: Soulless!

    Phillauri bases its story around various superstitions rampantly followed by people and their solutions, as defined by the pundits, which neutralise ill effects borne out of superstitions. There are stories about a girl marrying a sword, a tree, a dog and so on. The idea being, if one’s first marriage has to fail, let it be with a dog or a tree. (Marriage with a sword represented its owner in his absence.)

    There are some who grew up with the popular comic character, Casper The Friendly Ghost. As films go, with a ghost as a character one recalls Mani Kaul’s Duvidha (1973) as one such film based in Rajasthan. The film though a sleep inducer, was later adapted by Amol Palekar as Paheli with Shah Rukh Khan in lead as well as the producer.

    There were other films like Chamatkar and Bhootnath franchise based on ghost stories.
    Phillauri is meant to be a comedy blended with romance using superstition as the prop. Suraj Sharma (Life Of Pi) is on way to India from Canada to marry his childhood love, Mehreen Pirzada.
    But, Suraj is a Manglik, one whose married life is affected due to ill effects of the planet Mars. To ward off this problem, the astrologers have a suggestion. Accordingly, Suraj is married off to a tree which is later chopped off.

    Unknown to Suraj, the tree was home to the soul of Anushka Sharma for many decades. Now she hovers around Suraj as a ghost. He is scared of her but eventually comes to terms with her presence.

    The soul of Anushka came to the tree and has a back story about her unrequited love with Diljit Dosanjh. Anushka was drawn to poetry writing and music and Diljit being a singer, love happens.
    The film traverses between past and present as it narrates both stories. What happens is, while the present is fun to an extent, the past hinders the pace.

    Balancing past and present stories has been tried earlier but has not accounted for smooth narration. The idea, similar to the English movie Corpse Bride, an animated film of 2005, manages a few light moments and drags as it fails to make audiences sit for a long duration as it stretches to 137 minutes. The film’s music sounds soulful in the film. Cinematography and special effects are good, especially the way Anushka’s ghost is presented. The film uses Punjabi language extensively while also going for a Punjabi ambience similar to Vicky Donor (2012).
    Anushka Sharma lives up to her role. Diljit Dosanjh is good in a brief role. Suraj Sharma is very good. Mehreen Pirzada is okay.

    Phillauri is too slow, and universal appeal and the weak opening are its setbacks.

    Producers: Anushka Sharma, Karmesh Sharma, Fox Star Studios.

    Director: Anshai Lal.

    Cast: Anushka Sharma, Diljit Dosanjh, Suraj Sharma.

  • Dismal releases help last week’s film to turn lucky at the Box Office

    MUMBAI: With dismal releases, the week proved lucky for last week’s ‘Badrinath ki Dulhaniya’ as none of the three films fresh releases this week managed to create any impact on the viewers.

    Govinda attempted a make comeback with a stale home production, Aa Gaya Hero, which had been gathering dust for a few years now. Having somehow managing to bring an end to this patchy enterprise, the film was finally released with multiplexes offering it scattered screen times at odd hours. The film will not only loose whatever was spent on producing it but also the monies that went towards releasing it.

    The other enterprise Machine had some family interest at stake, though not financial. Director duo Abbas Mustan used the film as a launch vehicle for Mustafa Burmawala, son of Abbas. As it turned out, neither did Mustafa have potential nor were Abbas Mustan tuned in with what the audience seeks now. The script seemed to be a recall of their past films. It lacked the chemistry between the romantic pair and music that such a love story needs.

    The third release Trapped was an utter torture. Following foreign trends is fine but knowing which audience one is catering to matters more. Expectations were too high for a non-face value negative film of 113 minute duration to work.

    In such a situation, Badrinath Ki Dulhania stands a chance to better its figures in the second week, since the film does offer some entertainment.

    Aa Gaya Hero, earlier titled Abhinay Chakra, may not even be able to cross the one crore figure as its lifetime business. With an opening day figures of Rs 25 lakh, the film has managed to collect just about Rs 70 lakh for its opening weekend.

    Machine opened with Rs 60 lakh on Friday, which spells disaster for its investors. For its opening weekend, the film collected Rs 1.6 crore.

    Trapped, the most unbearable film of the week, suffered the worst fate despite some positive words from a few critics.With just about Rs 30 lakh on its opening day, the film managed to collect Rs 1.4 crore for its first weekend.

    Badrinath Ki Dulhania emerged a winner. After an opening weekend of Rs 54.7 crore after facing Holi and North India election results, it added another Rs 17.9 crore through the week to take its first week total to Rs 72.6 crore.

    Commando 2 has collected Rs 1.8 crore in its second week. This takes its two week tally to Rs 23.6 crore which is far off the mark.

    The Ghazi Attack collected Rs 95 lakh in its fourth week to take its four week total to Rs 18.9 crore. Jolly LLB 2, at the end of its run, has added Rs 35 lakh in its fifth week taking its total to Rs 106.55 crore.

  • ‘Freedom of speech’ vital in progressive society, says Nandita Das

    NEW DELHI: Three short films made by renowned filmmakers Sudhir Mishra, Nandita Das and Ram Madhvani on meaningful subjects marked the India Today conclave on its closing day in Mumbai. India Today Group editorial director Kalli Purie said the films had been commissioned by the group to mark four decades of its existence.

    Nandita Das said: “Freedom of expression is needed for any society to be progressive else we will go back in time if there are no diverse views or analysis, if a child cannot ask questions.”

    The three films addressed poignant and almost dark issues as compared to the power play in politics to the bloodshed of the Partition.

    The 30-minute-long screening began with Mishra’s “Life Support” that revolves around the play of power in politics with three protagonists. “It doesn’t show anyone in particular; it’s about power and its sad stories,” said Mishra. Explaining his film in which a young politician and “heir apparent” of a political party condones his father’s killing ordered by a powerful politician, he added, “There are people who have compromised. We don’t have an answer to everything and that’s the power of a story, it’s all about many things.”

    Das’s film was on celebrated Pakistani writer Saadat Hasan Manto played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, “In Defense of Freedom”. The film explores the need and importance of freedom of expression, as Manto questions why he should not write about the not-so-pleasant things in society. Through Manto’s life and preachings, Das emphasizes the need for freedom of expression in our society as well. “Manto is still so relevant even after all these years,” she said. “In any democratic or progressive society, freedom of speech, although ambiguous to define, should be cherished,” she added.

    Even as Nandita’s film drew attention to the freedom to express, the last film screened brought back to public memory the pain of the Partition. In his film “This Bloody Line”, filmmaker Ram Madhvani tells the story of Mohamed Ali Jinnah and the Partition and the fact that the Radcliffe Line led to the biggest mass migration in the history of mankind. He used poignant videos and pictures from the Partition of filled trains carrying people to their new country, of assaulted and injured women and children. “Till today, this line makes us bleed” said the concluding message. “This film is a reaction to the sadness and anger we feel,” he said.

  • Machine…. Poor show

    MUMBAI: Machine is a rather unlikely story with an unlikely title. Coming from Abbas Mustan duo, the Burmawalla brothers, who made a reputation for giving thrillers and action films with good musical score, one expected more of the same stuff. Having worked with some of the top artistes of Hindi film industry, their inspiration has almost always come from English movies besides an odd Indian language film.

    Though Abbas and Mustan started their career with Gujarati films, which were usually crudely made, in Hindi films, they made a reputation for their finesse. Their brother, Hussain helped them keep their content crisp as an editor.

    This time, the Burmawalla brothers were expected to give their all; they were launching a family scion, Mustafa, the son of Abbas as the hero. Mustafa earlier assisted the duo in direction department.

    Mustafa’s character drops out of the blue in the life of the character played by Kiara Advani, a student at Woodstock school/college somewhere in North India as the legend on the screen informs you. Having met on a picturesque highway, he turns out to be a fresher at the same institution as her. Kiara is a car-racing enthusiast and so is he. She is in to dramatics in her institution, and so is Mustafa.

    These sequences are pure copy-paste from any given 1980s campus film, though oft used later too. Kaira has fallen in love with Mustafa instantly, and that is how Mustafa wanted it to be. But, there are two more candidates on the campus vying for her attention and love in Rishabh Arora and Eshan Shankar.

    Kaira keeps getting romantic messages on the balcony (no, they are not into text messages or WhatsApp) of her hostel room which looks more like a graded hotel suit! One of the three aspirants is sending her messages but, since she has fallen in love with Mustafa, she can only imagine him sending those messages. She is about to find out as the messenger has sought a rendezvous on a bridge where lovers meet and commit themselves.

    Here, two of the claimants for her love lose the race. Mustafa and Kiara tie the knot.

    As the couple’s honeymoon begins, it is also the end of the viewers’ hopes. The film goes haywire, hereafter. Not that it had much to promise in the first half.

    The writer-director team seems to have no control over the content as well as on what they want to be the mainstay of the film. They try to cram in a few things from their own previous films which worked like the antihero from Baazigar, devious guardian from Khiladi and so on. What emerges finally is a royal mess.

    Known for their positive sense for popular music, the director duo fails this time as the film falls short of the kind of songs such a love story needs. Editing is a let-down. The film does have a couple of catchy dialogues. The film is shot on scenic location overseas in the name of North India which is some relief.
    Mustafa Burmawalla can be rated fair as an actor but he is no star material nor a draw. He lacks that charm or magnetism.

    Kiara Advani is cute, reminds you of Hema Malini in expressions. Rishabh Arora and Eshan Shankar lack presence and their roles are poorly etched out. Ronit Roy goes overboard. Kishori Shahane, Sharat Saxena, Dalip Tahil, Supriya karnik and Johnny Lever have little to do.
    Machine is poor on all counts and has no prospects at the box office.

    Producers: Abbas, Mustan, Pranay Chokshi, Haresh Patel.

    Directors: Abbas Mustan.

    Cast: Mustafa Burmawalla, Kaira Advani, Rishabh Shukla, Shabbir Burmawalla, Eshan Shankar, Supriya Karnik, Ronit Roy, Sharat Saxena, Kishori Shahane, Johhny Lever. 

    Trapped…Feels like self-torture?

    The urge to experiment and make a different kind of a film is strong among newer and younger filmmakers. The stars being hard to get and the budgets restraints that prevail, there is this quest is for something thought provoking.

    Trapped is one such attempt. The story puts the protagonist in impossible situations, makes him go through all kinds of testing times and, eventually, lets him get out of the tight spot the same way he could have done within an hour of being trapped if he had thought carefully and planned logically. Instead, he throws tantrums and goes on destroying things around him, things that could have saved his life as well as the situation.

    The character of Rajkumar Rao is some sort of a bespectacled white collar worker. You can’t say what kind because you don’t see him doing any work since he is busy trying to date a girl, played by Geetanjali Thapa. After some quirky talk on phone, the two decide to meet over a meal. No matter that the girl is due to marry in next two months.

    They date, they make out and they decide to marry notwithstanding the girl’s earlier commitment. But Rao shares a small apartment with many others and can’t bring Thapa here. He goes out in search of a one-BHK accommodation and gets what he needed in an under construction building, almost ready but unoccupied.

    Usually, a guy does not choose a place to live without his woman by his side; it is always her choice. But, here, Rao rents a flat, even occupies it and Thapa is not even aware or around. But this is a script that suits the makers for a very low budget film.

    Having occupied the new flat, Rao learns to his dismay that he has been had. The flat has no running water or the electricity that he was promised. Next, as he decides to go to work, he discovers he has left his cell phone behind. In hurry to retrieve it, he gets locked into the flat with the keys hanging outside.
    He is Trapped!

    Thereafter, what he does is everything that is illogical and for the convenience of stretching the film to an intolerable 103 minutes! Seeing is believing but I would not advise it!

    Shot in one flat with nothing for distraction, the film has a deficient script, patchy direction and lack of editing sense. The film counts on Rajkumar Rao to bear the burden of this non-entertainer. He does very well but not enough to salvage this misadventure. Geetanjali Thapa and others in the cast are incidental.

    Trapped is a tedious watch.

    Producers: Madhu Mantena, Vikas Bahl, Anurag Kashyap.
    Director: Vikramaditya Motwane.
    Cast: Rajkumar Rao, Geetanjali Thapa.

  • ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’ is on its way to becoming a hit

    The time period for the release of Badrinath Ki Dulhania was dicey to say the least. The film was released bang in the middle of days of election results in the most politically volatile states of the North India, board exams and the pre-Holi Friday. Also, cinema halls are closed till mid-noon on Holi day and one or two shows are cancelled across most cinemas.

    Being a youth-oriented musical romance, the film could have drawn and deserved a better opening response over the weekend. The film did have a sagging second half till it picks up later towards the end. But, the young pair of Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt had a great chemistry going, and the film sustained all the onslaughts best as it could.

    Badrinath Ki Dulhania opened on Friday with about Rs 12 crore, improving a little by little over Saturday and Sunday. Being the solo release and an entertainer helped. The film collected Rs 54.7 crore in its extended weekend of four days.

    *Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai has managed a poor Rs 20 lakh in its first week.

    *Commando 2, a forced sequel, had nothing to offer except action by Vidyut Jammwal. He may be an ace martial arts exponent but how many times can one watch the same person doing same action sequences? What people prefer is stunts and that, just about every hero seems to be doing, thanks to special effects.

    The film, which did Rs 14.6 crore business during its first three days, managed to add little over seven crore for rest of the four days to close its first week with Rs 21.8 crore.

    *Rangoon adds to its misery as the film dropped Rs 19.1 crore in first week to Rs 65 lakh in its second week. The film takes its two week tally to Rs 19.75 crore which, for all practical purposes, is the film’s lifetime business.

    *The Attack On Ghazi continued to add bit by bit to the collections. The film collected Rs 2.5 crore in its third week to take its three week tally to Rs 17.95 crore.

    *Jolly LLB has collected Rs 2.4 crore in its fourth week to take its four week total to Rs 106.2 crore.

  • Paramount & Anonymous Content to make ‘The Windfall’ as a TV series

    MUMBAI: Paramount TV and Anonymous Content have come together to develop Indian author Diksha Basu’s upcoming debut novel The Windfall as a TV series.

    Indian filmmaker Shonali Bose has been assigned the responsibility to write and direct the potential plot. Rosalie Swedlin and Doreen Wilcox Little are the executive producers for Anonymous Content under the company’s first-look deal with Paramount TV.

    Scheduled to be published in June by Penguin Random House imprint Crown, The Windfall tells the story of an Indian couple in Delhi who are suddenly catapulted from their humble middle class origins into massive wealth. When they leave their safe and yet claustrophobic environs of their East Delhi home, and move to a mansion in the plush new suburb of Gurgaon, the family discovers what it means to be nouveau riche in modern India as they struggle to fit in.

    Paramount TV and Anonymous Content’s previous collaborations include series Berlin Station, now in production on its second season for Epix; 13 Reasons Why, based on Jay Asher’s bestselling YA book, premiering 31 March on Netflix; Maniac, to be directed by Cary Fukunaga starring Emma Stone and Jonah Hill, also for Netflix; and The Alienist for TNT, based on Caleb Carr’s novel.

    Also in the works are Spoonbenders, based on Daryl Gregory’s upcoming novel; a series based on Rebecca Traister’s bestselling book All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation; a series based on 9-year-old journalist Hilde Lysiak’s book series Hilde Cracks the Case; Legbreakers, an English language version of the hit Swedish drama series Torpederna with Irvine Welsh penning the pilot; and Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: and Other Lessons from the Crematory, adapted and executive produced by Nurse Jackie co-creator Evan Dunsky, based on Caitlin Doughty’s bestselling memoir.

  • Kung Fu Panda 3 premiering on Star Movies on 19 March

    MUMBAI: This month Star Movies brings to its viewers Kung Fu Panda 3, the latest installment in the animated series featuring Po, a dumpling loving Panda, who defies all odds to become a Dragon Warrior. From the very first film, Po has created a special space in the hearts of audiences of every age and with each sequel, the fan following of this beloved Panda keeps growing. This weekend, get ready to experience the Panda Village with a stellar cast starring Oscar® winners Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, J. K. Simmons and many more notable actors such as Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Kate Hudson & Jackie Chan.

    So tune in to Star Movies on 19 March at 1pm and 9pm for the premiere of Kung Fu Panda 3.

    Dreamworks with each Kung Fu Panda film, has brought together a spectacle of bold colors, dazzling blend of animation styles, highly detailed character designs and incredible action sequences. Each of the films along with being worldwide hits also have strong life lessons.

    Kung Fu Panda 3 highlights the reunion of Po with his long lost father, Li. The movie follows the journey of Po, Li & Mr. Ping as they travel to the Panda village where Po must prepare to defeat the ultimate evil villain Kai. He learns that he cannot face him alone and will need the support of his family to achieve this. When Po becomes the master, the endeavor is humorous, endearing and the audiences are constantly reminded of his initial struggles as the Dragon Warrior.

    Star Movies celebrates Po and his family through an engaging ‘How to Panda’ campaign, welcoming viewers to experience the exciting life of a Panda. A lovable movie for kids and adults alike, Kung Fu Panda 3 is a delightful third chapter of the series and a great way to enjoy the weekend.

  • Badrinath Ki Dulhania: Part fun, part dull

    Director Shashank Khaitan seems to be creating a franchise of his own as he comes back with ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’ after his earlier film, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. This film too starts off in Hindi belt but later traverses to Singapore to break the monotony.

    In the process, Badrinath Ki Dulhania also heavily promotes the woman’s cause, her independence and right to choose.

    Varun Dhawan’s character is a barely educated lad from Jhansi working as a recovery man for his well-off but steadfast and old-fashioned father played by Rituraj Singh. Singh’s character considers himself lucky. Since he has sired two sons, daughters, according to him, are a liability. He does not care if his sons love some girl, they have to marry according to his wishes and the dowry that the girl brings is his prime consideration.

    Accordingly, his elder son, Yash Sinha’s character had to sacrifice his love and marry Shweta Basu Prasad’s character who brought along a car showroom besides cash as dowry. She is well-educated but a working woman is no-no for Rituraj.

    Varun joins the baraat of his friend headed for Kota. There, he spots Alia Bhatt, also a guest, and instantly falls for her. It is a one-sided love as Alia is a headstrong and independent girl who wants to work to bring her middle-class family out of a tight financial situation. Also, Alia has an elder sister, played by Aakanksha Singh, who, according to tradition, has to marry first.

    Nice guy that he is, Varun decides to help Alia and her family find a suitor for Aakanksha on the condition that Alia will marry him in the same mandap. Varun does manage to find a match for Aakanksha and the wedding day is decided.

    Things don’t go as planned, however, and Varun has to chase Alia all over again.

    Enjoyable so far, the film loses pace as the location shifts to Singapore where Alia has taken up a career in an airline. Varun is left to do a Devdas act, slipping into a bout of self-pity. This part slows down the film considerably for a while before it comes back into some fun and songs. The climax is interesting while it also delivering a message.

    The script is penned keeping in mind that the theme is youth-oriented and romance, with light moments aplenty, especially in the first part. The second half needed to be spruced up. Direction is competent and the songs are well placed.

    The film has a popular musical score with Humsafar…..,Rokenaruke…. Tenutakiyabina…. being hummable while the title song has a sectional appeal. The remixed Tammatamma… is already popular number from the film Thanedaar (1989). Cinematography is good.

    Varun plays his carefree character with élan. Alia makes a good pair with him, and acts well. Sahil Vaid makes a mark. Rituraj is impressive. Yash, Shweta and Aakanksha land good support.

    Otherwise a plus film, Badri Ki Dulhania will have to contend with pre-Holi weekend which affects collections, especially in the Hindi belt, board exams and election results aftereffects for next few days.

    Producers: Hiroo Johar, Karan Johar.

    Director: Shashank Khaitan.

    Cast: Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Gauahar Khan, Mohit Marwah, Aakanksha Singh.

  • Movies channel Star Gold Select HD goes live today on Tata Sky & Cable TV

    MUMBAI: One of India’s largest broadcaster of entertainment, movies and sports, Star India Network, has announced the launch of its fourth Hindi movies channel – Star Gold Select HD. An exclusively HD channel Star Gold Select will serve carefully curated, meaningful stories from Indian cinema on television to a discerning audience. The channel will go live on 6 March, and will be available on Tata Sky and digital cable platforms.

    Star general manager – Hindi movies cluster Hemal Jhaveri adds “From a Hindi movie content-consumption point of view, it’s safe to say that India is at its best stage so far. Movie lovers across the country are looking for differentiated content in films, television and digital. With the launch of this channel, we will cater to this need with our handpicked movies that have a compelling storyline”.

    Currently, movies on television are intermittently consumed and often times, breaks and repeats lead to a less-than-ideal viewing experience. Star Gold Select HD is committed to bringing the multiplex-experience of watching movies to the comfort of our homes. To stay true to this commitment, apart from its lineup of distinguished content, every movie will have just one break. The channel promises to premiere one movie every week at the 9 pm prime slot.

    “Each of our movie channels offers a unique proposition to our consumer. With Indian cinema taking a leap with regards to content, we believe that there is a growing need for movies with great storytelling to have their own destination on television. This is the genesis of Star Gold Select HD. The channel packaging is clean and minimalistic making it easy to navigate through content. , with just one interval in every single movie, every day, delivering an enjoyable in-home movie experience,” adds Jhaveri.

    Star India is all set to launch Star Gold Select HD with its integrated marketing campaign on television, leveraging the STAR network strength, on digital, and radio. Along with this, a multi-city cinema plan has been designed to drive awareness with passionate movie lovers. Star Gold Select HD is a step forward in the direction of bringing great stories to its viewers in an engaged, enjoyable manner.

  • Commando 2: The Black Money Trail…On a cold trail!

    MUMBAI: Vidyut Jammwal is India’s answer to Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone and his Rambo series which started in 1982 withFirst Blood. Jammwal made his debut in Hindi films with Force (2011). Since then, he has done half a dozen action Hindi films, a genre he is comfortable with.

    When a film is made around the protagonist’s specialty rather than a theme, one tends to stitch a story around him. And if your hero happens to be one without mass following, it is tough to get a decent opening. Jammwal has yet to arrive or make an image for himself.

    Commando 2 is a sequel, in the Hindi filmmaking parlance. The first one was no commercial trailblazer so the idea was to use the title and give an identity to Jammwal.  An accomplished action actor demonstrates his abilities in his first film and so making a mark in the sequel becomes difficult.

    There are some high profile tycoons, represented by Satish Kaushik, who have stashed their monies in foreign banks. The monies are routed through one Vicky Chaddha. A new regime runs the government now and it wants to live up to its promise of bringing all this money back and into the accounts of poor farmers – déjà vu?

    A team is formed which includes Jammwal, Freddy Daruwala, Adah Sharma and Sumit Gulati, the last being a computer wizard. They are supposed to trace Vicky and bring him back to India so that all the data is made available to the government.

    There are some twists and turns as Suhail Nayyar, the son of a minister, Shefali Shah, is also involved in stashing money abroad. The other twist is about the real identity of Vicky Chaddha. As expected, the film starts with establishing the specialties of Jammwal as he tackles a building full of armed men protecting the person who knows the real Vicky and he can be found.
    All this keeps the film reasonably interesting till the interval. The second half tries to cram in too much along with a lot of computer mumbo jumbo which fails to take the audience along. And once the real Vicky is in sight, it is more like a game of chor-police and outsmarting each other.

    The script is convoluted and the viewer is supposed to accept many things sans logic. Direction by Deven Bhojani, who has earlier directed TV serials, is fairly good. Cinematography captures the scenic outdoors of Bangkok as well as the action sequences ably giving the film a certain finesse.  The song and dance routine is wisely avoided in this film. Action is good though stretched a couple of times. Editing is average as a further 10 to 12 minutes could easily have been chopped off.

    Vidyut Jammwal excels in action sequences as expected. Adah is passable, her street brand dialogue delivery is tough to catch. Esha Gupta lives up to her role very well. Satish Kaushik, Shefali Shah, Adil Hussain, Suhail Nayyar, Sumit Gulati and Anjum Rajabali are okay in support.
    Commando 2: The Black Money Trail is the kind of film meant for B List multiplexes and single screens.

    Producer: Vipul Amritlal Shah.

    Director: Deven Bhojani

    Cast: Vidyut Jamwal, Adah Sharma, Freddy Daruwala, Suhail Nayyar, Thakur Anoop Singh, Shefali Shah, Adil Hussain

    Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai………..a lesson in suffering a movie!

    Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai comes across as a kind of biography but one does not know whose! Probably it is somebody known to the makers. But as it turns out, the film is an adaptation of the book My Little Heaven, written by the film’s producer, Purnima Mead. The story tries to blend the primitive (as in 1960s and 70s) with the contemporary. It is about wealthy vs literate, but does not commit to the era it belongs to. There are no cellphones nor computers.

    Manjari Fadnis belongs to a Christian family somewhere In Rajasthan. Her father and mother think a daughter is a burden and treat her badly, more like a servant deprived of even basics even as the two sons get the best of everything.

    Though Manjari is a bright student and tops her class, she is shifted to a government school to save money. Now in college, Manjari is sent to interview the college trustee, Ashutosh Rana, by her principal, Raju Kher. Rana, a local royalty, is a cruel man and his life is all about wine and women. Provoked by Manjari’s questions and confidence, he is later attracted to her. He in effect buys her from her father to make her his wife.

    Despite being in love with a fellow student Himansh Kohli, Manjari has no alternative but to marry Rana. Her ordeal starts soon thereafter. She is barred from stepping out of the palace apart from other restrictions. Manjari has but one sympathizer in Supriya Pathak, the palace help.

    Rana asks the doctor to abort the child if it happens to be a girl when Manjari is pregnant, much to her horror. Pathak gives her support and encourages her to flee.
    Having gone through the depressing part of the film, everything turns positive for Manjari. She arrives in Mumbai and finds everything on a platter. A place to stay where even her daughter is looked after, a job in an Urdu newspaper, and a new wooer in Arbaaz Khan, an NRI who visits Mumbai every year to make his contributions to the orphanage where Manajri has found shelter as a help.

    Having found a job with an Urdu paper run by Prem Chopra, Manjari is suddenly invited to the US to join a major daily newspaper. It seems Chopra forwarded some of her writings to a contact in the US and they were impressed with her writings! She joins the publication and takes up an assignment nobody else wanted. She writes a book and becomes a celebrity! She accepts Arbaaz’s love and all is well that ends well.

    Nothing to mention about technical aspects or performances needed.

    That is for the film and its story, not so for the viewer. For Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai is a 171 minutes of sheer torture.

    Producers: Purnima Mead, Stanton Mead.

    Director: Keshhav Panneriy.

    Cast: Arbaaz Khan, Manjari Fadnis, Ashutosh Rana, Himansh Kohli, Supriya Pathak, Prem Chopra, Rati Agnihotri.