Movie Review- U, Me Aur Hum

After Aamir Khan’s Taare Zameen Par, we now have Ajay Devgan flexing his directorial muscle with the romantic drama U, Me Aur Hum.
The movie deals with the trials and tribulations of a married couple (Ajay and Kajol) who deal with the wife’s Alzheimer disease. The movie is not all drama as the hunky star has incorporated all the usual elements of a viable commercial film including a considerable portion of the movie being shot on a cruise ship.
The movie is in the form of a flash-back sequence being narrated by a much older Devgan to an equally aged Kajol (The relationship of the elderly duo is not clearly defined at the start but starts coming into focus as the movie progresses). Devgan recounts the tale of a Casanova, Ajay (a young Ajay Devgan) and his encounter with the love of his life, Piya (a stunning Kajol). The first half of the movie dwells on the romantic escapades of our hero as he attempts to win the heart of his soul-mate. The two take the wedding vows after a brief split. All seems hunky dory, till one day Ajay’s wife is diagnosed with the ailment of the brain. What follows is the couple’s and more importantly Ajay’s battle with Piya’s condition and his resolve to help her out of her trauma. The movie focuses on the triumph and power of true love.
The movie has its lighter moments in the form of the couple’s friends, two other couples, one on the verge of divorce (Divya Dutta and the smart son from Sarabhai vs Sarabhai) and the other at the pedestal of marriage (Isha Sharwani and some new dude, most probably from one of the many K serials!!!!). The supporting cast showcases, or at least attempts to, the different phases of a relationship.
In terms of story-telling, Devgan sticks to the main script and focuses on the plot without being too single-minded. The cinematography (by Aseem Bajaj) experiments with many styles and forms an intricate part of the story-telling process in many scenes. Although in the earlier scenes, the excessive use of close-ups tends to get a little annoying.
As an actor Devgan has a repertoire that spans across serious drama (Zakhm) to hilarious comedy (Golmaal). However in this movie, one fails to see the same conviction. Perhaps the onus of producing and directing the movie drained this talented actor of his brilliance; however that should not be an excuse. Kajol as usual delivers and is convincing as the Alzheimer’s struck patient. Her natural exuberance as a girl in love is endearing. But her portrayal as a person who has a psychiatric problem is dazzling. She comes of so natural you tend to forget she’s acting.
The score of the movie is nothing out of the ordinary barring the title song and the salsa number atop the cruise deck. Overall the music fares above average, barely.
The movie is highly recommended for couples at any stage of their relationship. Not because the movie is about couples, but because it personifies the eternal matrimonial commitment, “For Better or for Worse”.
My rating *** ½ Stars.

Movie Review-Sunday

After the rib-tickling comedy, Golmaal, Rohit Shetty gives us a suspense-comedy in the guise of Sunday. Sehar(a rather voluptuous Ayesha Takia) is a dubbing artist who seems to have a weak memory and somehow can’t remember one day in her life, yes you guessed it happens to be a Sunday. What ensues is an array of incidents and characters that try and fill in the gaps for our damsel in distress. Prime among them is the love-bitten corrupt cop (Ajay Devgan), a struggling actor (Irfann Khan) and a street-wise cabbie (Arshad Warsi)
The basic premise of the movie is of course the search for the truth and the screenplay engages the audience in this quest along with the on-screen characters. This is a hallmark for any good suspense flick and Shetty does a great job in that department. In many scenes, Shetty places in the camera at interesting angles, which adds a certain quality. Shetty also has a good eye for action, which is evident from the cinematic chase and hand-to hand combat sequences in the movie. My favourite one is the chase sequence atop the roofs of Chandni Chowk.
The humor in the movie is mostly thanks to Arshad Warshi and Vrajesh Hirjee (who plays a Souht Indian Karate expert!!!). Irfann Khan’s contribution to the comedy scenes may seem deadpan to the untrained eye, but it is in fact his trademark style, which is in fact brilliant. Devgan’s attempts to make you break into a laugh are not always successful but are quite noble.
Barring the background score and two item numbers (one by Tushar Kapoor and the other by Esha Deol) the music score of the movie is nothing extra-ordinary.
Golmaal falls under a new genre of movies that is fast turning into a financial bankable venture. With Bhool Bhulaiyaa making it big in the previous year, more and more movies are wiling to cash in on the Suspense-Comedy genre.
Although the climax and the suspense are lacklustre, the overall movie is a good experience and easily falls into the category of ‘Paisa Vassol’ flicks. Don’t expect award winning performances or other similar moments. Sunday is a typical entertainer which should be viewed for its smart comedy and even smarter suspense plot. My rating - *** stars.

Movie Review-Om Shanti Om

The team that gave us Main Hoon Na is back, this time with a reincarnation saga, titled Om Shanti Om.

The movie is set in two different eras, as most re-incarnation sagas are. The movie opens with the colour and vibrancy of the zany 70s where we find our protagonist, Om Prakash Makhija (Shahrukh Khan). Along with his mother and best friend, Om leads a simple life as a junior artist who has aspirations of being a superstar. Our simpleton is also in love with the gorgeous Shantipriya (Deepika Padukone), a reigning starlet of the time. The villain, a dubious movie producer and owner of the film studio where both Shantipriya and Om work, Mukesh Mehra (Arjun Rampal) is responsible for the tragic end to this romantic lore. In his re-incarnated avatar, our hero is in fact a superstar, Om Kapoor, heartthrob of millions and a spoiled rich brat. But soon he realises his past and what follows is his quest for justice to right the wrong done to his love. The climax is heavily inspired by earlier Hindi movies of the re-incarnation genre, viz. Karz and Madhumati.

Throughout the movie, the storyline provides numerous moments where the director has poked fun at many aspects and many people of the Indian Film Industry. Be it the trademark moves of actors from yesteryears (Manoj Kumar, Rajesh Khanna) or the amusing dance steps of the 70s songs or the red carpet phenomenon of the present day awards ceremonies, Farah has left no stone unturned to tickle the audiences funny bone at the expense of her peers.

The highlight of the movie (one of many) is of course the debutante, Deepika Padukone, who is, simply put, drop-dead gorgeous. Her svelte figure and expressive eyes make her the perfect eye-candy. Although this is her first movie, she delivers a reasonable performance.

Shahrukh as always gets the ladies swooning with his new look. His wash-board abs is of course the centre of attention during a certain item-number. Although his age is apparent when close-ups reveal his wrinkles! But then in a country that continues to call Amitabh Bachchan a superstar, Khan has still many good years ahead.

The surprise for me was the charismatic bad-guy, Arjun Rampal. His cigarette smoking, long-hairdo and smooth accent remind you of the sophisticated villains during the 70s. Rampal makes a superb baddie!

Another major highlight of the movie is the music score, which is brilliantly rendered by the talented duo, Vishal-Shekhar. The album is a mixture of different genres of music. Endearing romantic numbers like ‘Main Agar Kahoon...’, the foot-tapping title track, the classic 70s number ‘Dhoom taana’ to name a few. The item number ‘Dard-e-Disco’ is an absolute treat and deliciously remixed as a club thumper. The song ‘Dastaan-e-Om Shanti Om’ has overtones of the song ‘Ek Hasina Thi’ from the Subhash Ghai re-incarnation flick, Karz, albeit in the concept alone.

The movie is not about award winning performance, nor does it have a brilliantly original script. Then why go watch a movie that has neither of the two elements that are signs of a good movie? Well the answer is simply that this movie, like so many made during the decade it depicts, the 70s, is a complete masala movie, one that you ought to enjoy with friends and family when you are interested in being entertained. Farah Khan has, in a manner of speaking, paid tribute to an era that is synonymous with weird hairdos, cocky punch lines, rising sexuality and movies that were made for the public, not the critics.

My rating *** stars, worth a watch!