MUMBAI: With most stars turning to film production and also since most are past their romantic role playing age, a comedy film seems to be the only choice.
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Producer: Sanjay Dutt, Sanjay Ahluwalia, Vinay Choksey.
Director: David Dhawan.
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgn, Kangna Ranaut, Lisa Ray, Chunky Pandey, Arjun Rampal, Satish Kaushik.
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The The film Rascals is actor Sanjay Dutt‘s foray into film production; playing safe, he opts for a comedy film entrusting the helm to David Dhawan who has quite a successful track record with this genre. But the fact that a comedy would need a good writer with some very sharp gags seems to have been overlooked.
Dutt and Ajay Devgn are two conmen, rather born conmen as the animation depiction in the film‘s titles would suggest. Next the duo pick on Arjun Rampal, a self styled toughie; while Ajay Devgn steals his bag with Rs 3 million in cash, Sanjay Dutt makes away with his Mercedes.
Soon both are headed for Bangkok sitting next to each other on a flight trying to con each other where Devgn emerges the loser as Dutt makes away with all his cash and belongings. Both check into a ritzy hotel and their con business turns to game of outwitting each other to find favours with Kangna Ranaut who they see splashing her money around.
The rest of the con game consists of both the lead men contesting for who smooches and necks Kangna Ranaut the most! There are a few distractions in the form of Chunky Pandey, Lisa Ray, Satish Kaushik and Hiten Paintal brought in and out of scene at whim; hence, effectively contributing nothing.
The script has no coherence and the gags on which the film is built are banal and childish, the laughable ones being about three in all! With no script to go on, David Dhawan manages a farce at best and the only time you are amazed at his confidence is when he lives the film‘s end open to a sequel!
Dutt and Devgn both lacking a natural comic streak resort to buffoonery and seem to be the only ones enjoying what they are doing instead of letting the audience in on it too. Kangna Ranaut is supposed to contribute in oomph; not burdened with much clothing, she manages that amply. Arjun Rampal is wasted while with Chunky Pandey, Satish Kaushik and Lisa Ray nothing is expected and nothing is forthcoming. Lack of catchy songs is made up by bevy of dancers and crowds. Bangkok locations are pleasant. But, then, they have been so in all the horde of recent films shot there! For a funny film, dialogue writing is sad.
Rascals is a poor example of a comic film which will start telling on its box office performance within first three days.
Love Breakup Zindagi: Just another love story
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Producer: Sahara Motion Pictures, Born Free Entertainment P Ltd.
Director: Sahil Sangha.
Cast: Zayed Khan, Dia Mirza, Cyrus Sahukar, Tisca Chopra, Satyadeep Misra, Vaibhavi Talwar, Pallavi Sharda, Umang Jain, Anurita Ghosh.
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Weddings are still the popular tried and tested situations for a new love to blossom; what is more, they also give you scope to use upample footage of a thin story line in the name of colourful marriage rituals like sangeet, mehendi etc.
Love Breakup Zindagi is one more in the line up of wedding romances with a bit of contemporary where a boy and girl from different worlds meet and are drawn to each other but don‘t instantly say ‘I love you‘, leaving scope open for other part of the film‘s story to materialise.
Zayed Khan is a well placed adman in Delhi with his associate and friend Cyrus Sahukar as his soul mate. Zayed Khan has a steady girl friend in career oriented Pallavi Sharda who is not totally convinced she is the girl for him while Cyrus Sahukar is twice divorced and, hence, much experienced in the ways of women‘s matters. Dia Mirza is a Mumbai based creative kind whose banker boy friend, Vaibhav Talwar, is too busy for them to find a suitable date to marry.
There is boy‘s side and there is girl‘s side in a wedding: Zayed Khan and Cyrus Sahukar are from the boy‘s (Satyadeep Misra) side while Dia Mirza is from the girl‘s. Anurita Ghosh, a friend, lands up at Chandigarh to attend their wedding. Somehow, a Punjabi wedding is a norm for film love stories to flourish! A twin love story starts at the wedding, Zayed and Dia Mirza being ones to be attracted to each other and Cyrus Sahukar finding his third love in Tisca Chopra.
Wedding over, the four are back on their respective desks only for Zayed Khan to be conveniently sent to Mumbai for office work while, also conveniently, her suitor, Vaibhav Talwar having to go to Singapore. The seeds of romance, sowed in Chandigarh, take roots as Zayed Khan is taken on a Mumbai Darshan tour by Dia Mirza. For things to fall in place in the end, she puts all her daily sojourns down in a diary which can work out a quick understanding on parts of all concerned and bring the film to a happy end!
The problem with Love Breakup Zindagi is that it is just another love story with an Indian wedding as the backdrop. Things are held out on a platter for the duo to fall in love, later meet and date at fancy and bring in the third angle only for the brevity sake at the end. There are a few pleasant moments but not enough to carry a routine film with nil face value through.
Music is fairly good. While Zayed Khan and Dia Mirza are passable, Cyrus Sahukar and Tisca Chopra perform more convincingly; Umang Jain and Anurita Ghosh are good, considering this is their debut film. Vaibhav Talwar, Pallavi Sharda and Satyadeep Misra are okay.
Love Breakup Zindagi has had no takers at most centres on its opening day and nothing much is expected to change over the weekend.
Soundtrack has limited box office aspirations
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Producer:Sanjiv Goenka, Apurv Nagpal.
Director: Neerav Ghosh.
Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal, Soha Ali Khan, Mrinalini Sharma, Mohan Kapoor.
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Soundtrack is inspired from the English film It‘s All Gone Pete Tong, described as a comedy. Soundtrack, however, shows no traces of a comedy and, if at all it had to be slotted in a genre since it does not fit any regular one, it can be slotted into a new genre — weird film.
The film is about a small town lad, Rajeev Khandelwal, who comes to Mumbai gifted with his zeal for music; soon he is a top sound maker on the disco circuit, almost a genius. The success goes to his head and life is all about wine, women and drugs thereafter. However, the profession of loud noises in nightclubs does take its toll on his life; soon he is losing his hearing, thanks to noise and drug abuse and finally he is stone deaf.
This all had to happen to him just when he was on the verge of getting a break to score a film soundtrack. While the hero lives his life in fast lane, there is his alter ego, dressed as a clown, one never figures out doing what: is he a good impression on the hero or a bad one? Whatever it may be, the alter ego is surely an irritant for the viewer.
Now the genius is AWOL since he does not want the world to know about his deafness and all sorts of speculations are made about his act; from RJs to DJs to singers and filmy music composers comment on him and his absence. In-between there are slides quoting the greatest composer in history, Beethovan, who also went deaf but continued to compose, conduct and perform after the handicap.
Ditched by his woman, Rajeev Khandelwal comes to terms with his plight; he meets Soha Ali Khan, a deaf person, who teaches him to lip read as well as to cope with life after deafness. Rajeev Khandelwal descends back to earth, turns into an obedient momma‘s son and overcomes his shortcoming to prove his genius scoring a number his father taught him as a child to present it in public performance.
Not much credit can be given to writer/director, the source being a foreign film. Musical score is good, fast paced. Rajeev Khandelwal does a good job carrying almost the entire burden of the film. Soha Ali Khan is okay.
Sountrack is not the kind of film to nurse any box office aspirations.
