Dhoom 2: Review

DHOOM : 2 or Doom 2?

You thought Dhoom was all about crazy bikes, breath-taking chase sequences and a self declared confrontation of the cops by a talented thief? Then it’s surely time to get your thoughts changed as the new version is far from meeting your expectations.

The expectations from this movie were quite high considering that the earlier Dhoom took the nation by storm two years back and was a real entertainer too. And more importantly, it really provided the much required push for the people to go crazy about big machines…or rather I should call them bikes.

The action of the movie was supposed to be the key factor in keeping the audiences interested. But this one proves to be a big big dampner in this regard. Infact when one sees the first scene of the movie where Hritik jumps from xxx feets on to a train to get hold of a jewel studded crown and the fight scenes that follow, they immediately make you realize that there is nothing much to take back from the movie. The notable point is the screenplay and the plots seem so un-realistic that one would rather prefer watching The Matrix (all 3 parts) for a much realistic one.

The story is a reasonably good one but what undid the plot for the film is the rather poor direction of the movie which lacks any kind of essence. The audience wanted to go by the bikes craze all over again, but alas that seemed to be conspicuous by its absence. The music of the movie by Pritam is nowhere near the ones from Dhoom where the entire nation was and is still singing Dhoom Macha Le. Infact none of the songs seem to be good enough to hum around even in the bathroom.

Hritik Roshan seems to have carried on himself from where he left in Krrish, jumping and flying in the air as and when required. And to top it all he’s done a Salman (mostly topless) and Emraan Hashmi (need I mention that) act in the movie. Aishwarya seems to have become so desparate to put her feet back in Bollywood that she is done a role which was just a bit more than being an item girl. And I believe Bipasha too needs to do some serious justice to herself and realize that she just won’t become a good actor by just posing in a bikini.

The only saving grace here is Abhishek Bachhan who seems to be growing up with every movie. His on-screen presence as a super-cop is as expected full of vigour and the required passion. Also Uday Chopra’s character, like in the earlier version, helps put some light moments in an otherwise rather tragic sequence.

Verdict: I am still figuring it out as to what was the movie all about. It did not really seem to be anything more than a fashion show and some badly done stunts. This movie promises to test your patience right from the word Go. But I guess that is not what you expect when you pay for the movie…Correct? Arre Bhai…Dhoom machega ki nahin?

DON: Review

Everybody told Farhan Akhtar that remaking one of the greatest movies of the previous generation is no easy task. But the old saying goes…'No Risk, No Rewards!' Farhan Akhtar decided to take that risk and the result is what we see today is a modern avatar of Don.

The Story and the Plot: The best thing about this remake is that the characters from the older version haven’t been fiddled much and the story line has been kept as it is for a major part of the movie. However, it is the striking manner in which the locations are chosen, the way the characters are dressed and the use of the latest gizmos on the block which makes this movie entirely differentiate itself from the erstwhile Don.
There are countless scenes in the movie when you unconsciously tend to visualize the corresponding scenes in the older movie, but then those are the only moments when you are made aware of the fact that this is a remake. Else the flow of the story as well as the action sequences keep you guessing all the time and at times make you wonder that Bollywood films have grown and there’s probably hardly anything to differentiate between the Hollywood action movies and the ones being made here. The scene where Priyanka Chopra and her team rescues Don on the highway by crane lifting the entire vehicle onto the flyover as well as the mid-air fight scene with SRK fighting it out for the parachute are really breathtaking as well as nicely done.
There will be a section of the audience who will not be happy with Farhan Akhtar tweaking the original story here and there. But then, the point is that tweaking was very much required to keep the movie interested. Else, who would like to watch a movie where you expect everything and as such does not keep you interested?

Shah Rukh Khan looks as trendy and sleek as he can be with a sleek, snazzy and a flamboyant look. He carries the character of both Don as well as Vijay quite effectively. He keeps the movie alive throughout with his vibrant performance which will silence his critics. And the way he has danced to the tunes of ‘Khai ke Paan Banaraswala’ and ‘Maurya Re’ displays high level of energy which will put even the young actors to shame and definitely no signs of his age.

Boman Irani’s character of D’silva is a noteworthy performance and is a much meatier and active character than the one portrayed in the earlier DON. Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Om Puri do their part quite well, though they do not have much to take home from this movie due to the very short roles played by them.

SRK desperately needed a big success after the ‘not-so-good’ response to KANK (though the movie made tons and tons of money) and hats off to him for reliving the immortal character with success. His performance in this movie is really praiseworthy with his on-screen presence providing enough evidence that he is still peaking up his career and is getting better by the day. No doubt…SRK Ko Harana Mushkil Hi Nahin, Namunkin Hai!!!

Verdict: The movie is a real entertainer (except for a little portion in the first half which goes in establishing the characters and is a bit slow) and you would definitely don’t mind watching it again. The real teaser of the movie comes in the form of an unexpected twist at the movie's end which will keep you fuming on the entire tale of the second half. Obviously, we can’t expect this movie to be another legendary movie like the earlier DON, but this one is of the kind where you go to the theater with a cool head, enjoy your popcorn over the three hours and then come out happy (and probably book tickets for another show).

Celebrating DON

“Don ko pakarna mushkil hi nahin, naminkin hai!!!!”

This is the dialogue which SRK dreamt in his childhood of delivering in a movie. And very few will have such a real chance to actually deliver it. And let’s hope he delivers it in style. Being touted as the most awaited movie of the year and due for a release tomorrow, expectations from the movie have reached great heights. Diwali/Eid has been one of the most sought out dates for the big banners to release their movies to cash in on the opportunity provided by the holidays as well as to tap the consumer spending spree during the festival season.

Coming to the movie, which is a remake of the erstwhile DON starring none other than the Big B was a legendary movie in itself. And this movie has not only to keep up to its credentials but also surpass it to prove that such a bold step of re-making the movie itself in the first place was worth the buck and a challenge in itself. And no doubt there will be comparisons between both the movies, comparison between Big B and SRK, comparison between the 2 stories and a lot more.

However, one thing seems to be sure…if the movie was made exactly the same way as the previous DON, then there would be no fun in there and everything would be predictable. And Farhan Akhtar has probably understood this quite well. The result is we see a totally new avatar of DON where the DON is more
-rustic
-trendy
-tech savvy
-plays golf
-more passionate for girls
-and dares to jump from a height of 50000 feet

And not to mention, this DON has left the beaches of Mumbai where he used to carry his smuggling activities and now adores the Petronas Towers in his backyard.

The movie if a success would also mean a stamp of authority for SRK and would prove that he has not budged a bit from maintaining his status as the King of Bollywood. More so because unlike the previous DON, which was made when Big B was peaking up in his career, this one comes at a time when SRK is already at the peak of his career.

Other challenge for the movie is to beat the competition in the form of Jaaneman which is also a strong contender on the block and is a movie which SRK could not do due to unavailability of dates. Let’s hope SRK does it again as he has done in so many of the previous Diwali releases.

Pyaar ke Side Effect-My review

Folks…this is a movie to cherish. This is another kinda movie where you can keep your brains aside and enjoy the 2 ½ hours of the movie.

Coming to the hot name straightaway, for a change, Mallika Sherawat finally does some acting in a movie. And guess what, she does really act well. She not only does look sexy, but also beautiful and sweet which would make every guy want her to be a girlfriend. And don’t miss out the once in a life time opportunity of watching Mallika Sherawat in a fully loaded bridal wear.

Rahul Bose is at his best as in the past and delivers quite a lot of witty and humorous dialogues with great ease. Actually he drives the movie as the story is centred around him and portrays how he shys away from marriage inspite of being committed in a relationship for around 3 years.

The Story tries to bring out the very old theory of the woes of being in a relationship in an innovative way and the director actually classifies the movie into the following parts:
side effects of being in love
side effects of getting engaged
side effects of having a break-up
side effects of mending ways together again
and of course the side effects of getting married.

My Verdict on the movie: Well, when I went to see the movie on Saturday, the movie hall was 80% empty and I felt whether I had put in my 100 bucks in the wrong movie. However that opinion changed quickly as the movie progressed and by the end I really felt that it was total “Paisa vasool”. So I feel this movie would be a slow starter, but would pick up and be a hit, mostly in the cities in the coming weeks and this will happen mostly through the word-of-mouth.