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Director: Anurag Basu
Starring: Emraan Hashmi, Shiney Ahuja,
Kangana, Gulshan Grover
Rating: ***
 The
question everyone's asking, first: Is Gangster based
on Abu Salem's life? Yes and no. Yes, because he is
a gangster and she is a one-time club dancer (a minor
variation there: Monica Bedi was a one-time starlet).
No, because fiction - in this case at least - is stranger
than the facts you've seen on the news channels.
Gangster, the latest from the Bhatt stable, is definitely
one of the better Bollywood flicks this year. Don't
go by the title, it's not a mafia movie. Although there
is a dose of blood in the script, director Anurag Basu
by and large takes the traditional love triangle route.
It's not ghisa pita stuff, though. Basu (who has also
done the screenplay) laces enough twists in the plot
to keep surprising you.
This is thestory of Simran (Kangana), who lives in Seoul.
An alcoholic loner, Simran's only friend is Akash (Emran
Hashmi), a singer at a local Indian restaurant. As their
friendship metamorphoses to love, Simran's past rears
its head by way of ex-flame Daya (Shiney Ahuja), a dreaded
gangster on the run. The triangle is set as Daya wants
Simran back in his life, promising to mend his ways
for her sake. Things get complicated when Simran discovers
she's pregnant with Akash's child.
Predictable? It isn't. Gangster works because the film
keeps you guessing. Basu keeps the tension quotient
high at all times, cunningly moving his script from
one climax point to the other. This is definitely the
director's best work yet - better than 2004's Murder.
If Murder gave Bollywood a star by way of Mallika Sherawat,
 Gangster
should do the same for Kangana. As Simran, the debutant
is perfect - she brings alive every complex nuance of
her character with the ease of a seasoned actress. Shiney
Ahuja lives his role, finely underplaying the strong
and silent Daya. Emraan Hashmi fans won't be disappointed
- he gets to kiss the heroine this time too. Good music
(Pritam) had already given Gangster a headstart. The
film lives up to the pre-release hype.
'Pyare
Mohan' - Mundane
 Pyare
Mohan lacks heart, soul and everything besides having
such a talented director of MASTI and Fardeen Khan who
did a good job in NO ENTRY and ofcourse Boman irani
who is always dependable
Barring a few sequences, the humour in ‘Pyare
Mohan’ is pretty mundane.
Given the movie’s basic story idea, ‘Pyare
Mohan’ could have been an interesting flick. Two
friends – one blind and the other deaf –
go about their lives with fun and masti without letting
their handicap become a weakness. ...............more
'Humko
Deewana Kar Gaye' Mushy
 Akshay
Kumar's films are becoming classier by the month. There's
a certain restrain in his presence here. The way he
conveys the pain and hurt of an impossible love, is
quite surprising for an actor who until recently was
counted among the wooden.
Director Raj Kanwar's recent efforts to polish up his
act have yielded tepid results. Dhai Akshar Prem Ke
and the boxoffice hit Andaz were louder than the lyrical
aspirations of their creator.
Filmmaker Raj Kanwar’s previous movies have bore
an indubitable stamp of melodrama and romantic mush.
HDKG is no exception. ................more
Saawan
 "You'll
die this Friday." No, that isn't a trade pundit
predicting doomsday for this hopelessly loopy and washed-out
take on the vagaries of life. That's just the 'desi'
Nostradamus, played by Salman Khan, predicting sure-death
for the film's pert heroine (Saloni Aswani).
The film's feverish take on the matters of fate is so
hopelessly out of sync with the times, you feel sorry
for the perpetrators of this celluloid atrocity.
Poor Salman. He's given the thankless task of shouldering
this creative carcass. ............more
Shaadi
Se Pehle
 The
title SHAADI SE PEHLE gave an impression of it being
a sex comedy and Mallika's presence just strengthened
the belief. But the motion got wiped off immediately
after the movie starts rollin'. This ain't no sex comedy,
this is an ex-comedy!
Well, read the story first. Ashish Khanna (Akshaye Khanna)
and Rani (Ayesha Takia) are very much in love. Ashish
suffers from hypertension and one day he misunderstands
it for cancer after overhearing his doctor's (Boman
Irani) conversation on the phone. Ashish is devastated
and then embarks to turn nasty so that Rani starts hating
him and does not have to face the suffering of his death.
....................more
Banaras
Starring: Urmila,
Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia, Raj Babbar, Ashmit
Patel.
Director: Pankuj Parashar
 Ashmit
Patel has a problem. It's not that he can't act. Director
Pankuj Parashar has taken care of that issue admirably,
skirting his skills and asking him to smile vacantly
at everyone. This is what Bollywood, bred on a diet
of melodramatic histrionics, calls 'subtle.'
No, his problem is peculiar. A shy, silent orphan named
Soham, he's a bit overwhelmed by the unashamedly frank
proposal come his way from the overenthused Shwetambari
(Urmila). The randy little rich girl is thrilled about
Soham's music classes, and singing is clearly not foremost
in her thoughts. But, Soham asks himself, is this right?...................more
Being
Cyrus
With the influx of multiplexes, novel concepts and offbeat
themes are being attempted with amazing regularity.
The fact that the moviegoer of today is receptive to
changes has given an impetus to 'multiplex cinema' that's
slowly and steadily taking over India. Think out of
the box, is the new mantra!
BEING CYRUS is a sign of cinema that defies the stereotype.
It travels a path not many films would dare to venture
into. Debutante director Homi Adajania not only opts
for a story that may seem bizarre to many, even the
execution of the material is innovative and distinguished..................more
UMAR
 The
plight of senior citizens has been depicted in a number
of Bollywood films in the past, but the ones that stand
out are ZINDAGI [Sanjeev Kumar, Mala Sinha], AVTAAR
[Rajesh Khanna, Shabana Azmi], SWARG [Rajesh Khanna],
JAISI KARNI WAISI BHARNI [Kader Khan] and BAGHBAN [Amitabh
Bachchan, Hema Malini].
But UMAR, directed by Karan Razdan, goes a step
further. It not only looks at the atrocities committed
by their kith and kin during their sunset years, but
the story also has a crime angle running parallel.........more
Malamaal
Weekly
 Malamaal
Weekly is about the struggles and survival
of people in a small town. Plagued by poverty, bad harvests
and a monster of a moneylender called Karamkali, the
people in this town are barely able to make ends meet.
What’s it about: When a filmmaker
sets his own goals with films like Hera Pheri and Hungama,
obviously the expectations are high.
But how can quality control be assured when Priyadarshan
resorts to mass production of his movies? ...............more
TEESRI
AANKH - THE HIDDEN CAMERA
There's a flip side to almost everything. If technological
advancements have made life simpler and easier, there's
always a possibility that someone could be misusing
it to their advantage. TEESRI AANKH - THE HIDDEN CAMERA
looks at the issue of hidden cameras creating havoc
in people's lives.
The problem with TEESRI AANKH
- THE HIDDEN CAMERA is that the moviegoers have watched
a similar theme a couple of months ago, in KALYUG. Besides
the concept that sounds similar, even the basic plot
-- of the lead man wanting to expose those who made
the blue film of his sweetheart -- bears a striking
similarity to the Mohit Suri-directed Kunal Kemmu-Emraan
Hashmi starrer................more
TAXI
NO:9211
 A
simple cab journey changed their life...
An engrossing rollercoaster ride. That’s what
Taxi No 9211 promises to be when its acerbic, witty
and very unhappy with the world driver shifts into first
gear, even as a well written and delivered commentary
by Sanjay Dutt begins the storyline and with deft economy
of words defines the characters and puts them in perspective.............more
CHINGARI
 Some
films just get you interested for all the wrong reasons.
Think about it. This is a sex comedy about a bored and
boring man who wants to pep up his life with a bit of
wife-swapping… hardly the kind of theme and film
that would qualify as little more than an effort to
titillate audiences with a whole lot of junk feud in
the domestic ambience. Some films just get you interested
for all the wrong reasons.
........more
FIGHT
CLUB
 Action
films will never go out of fashion. Bollywood has seen
a spate of romantic musicals and family dramas in the
last few years, so it was getting a little cranky. That's
why action flicks come in as a fresh whiff of air. FIGHT
CLUB is an action film and true to its theme it quite
succeeds in packing the punch! Vikram Chopra here shows
that he is adept with the technical aspects of filmmaking.
But the script is a let down and hence the execution
is hampered. FIGHT CLUB is the story of four friends,
..........more
Mixed
Doubles
 Some
films just get you interested for all the wrong reasons.
Think about it. This is a sex comedy about a bored and
boring man who wants to pep up his life with a bit of
wife-swapping… hardly the kind of theme and film
that would qualify as little more than an effort to
titillate audiences with a whole lot of junk feud in
the domestic ambience.Some films just get you interested
for all the wrong reasons. Think about it. This is a
sex comedy about a bored and boring man who wants to
pep up his life with a bit of wife-swapping… hardly
the kind of theme and film that would qualify as little
more than an effort to titillate audiences with a whole
lot of junk feud in the domestic ambience........more
Holiday
 With
the influx of multiplexes in India, stories that were
considered experimental at a point are slowly finding
their way to the big screen. Pooja Bhatt picks up the
essence from the Hollywood hit DIRTY DANCING [1987;
Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze], garnishes the plot with
a dance form [Salsa] and sets her story in the land
of sand, sea and surf [Goa].Ideal date movie? Not really...
HOLIDAY could've been one enjoyable joy ride. Instead,
it turns out to be a bland experience thanks to an ineffectual
plot and the sluggish pace at which the story unfolds.............more
Aksar
 AKSAR, directed by Ananth Narayan
Mahadevan, takes a look at relationships. The story
isn't about two men fighting for a woman. This one has
a complex theme. In terms of storyline, AKSAR does push
the envelope, but the question is, will the orthodox
Indian moviegoer digest the theme?AKSAR has an out of
the box kind of a plot: A millionaire hiring a casanova
to have an affair with his wife, the millionaire-husband
then catching the wife red-handed in an uncompromising
position in the bedroom, the wife not regretting her
decision… the concept, though bold, is extremely
modern for the Indian audiences............more
Rang De Basanti
It is rare that such a well-crafted
and beautifully told story is seen in Hindi cinema.
Genius Director Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra’s movie
‘Rang De Basanti’ is a
must-watch for reasons that the length of this review
may not suffice to express. More than just a technically
brilliant flick, ‘Rang De Basanti’ has a
story that entertains you, makes you think and stirs
you deep inside in the end. The director merges two
plots in RANG DE BASANTI. The first
is about a group of friends, their bonding, and the
carefree lifestyle they lead..........more
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Ram
Gopal Varma is back with Darna Zaroori Hai. DZH is
suppose to be a sequel to Darna Mana Hai.
The
movie keeps the audience interest alive primarily
because it keeps flitting from one interesting story
to another. And each story has some unexpected twist,
which, by the way, becomes a tad predictable after
you have gotten the hang of the directors’ intention.
Director
Chakravarthy packs in quite a wallop in his movie
starring Randeep Hooda , Zakir Hussain, Rasika Joshi.
The film tells the story of a man who runs into a
woman on a rainy night. In the morning he finds himself
behind bars in a police station, accused of murder.
This episode carries a shock value and works primarily
because of superb acting performances.
