Movie Review : Kick

Directed by:  Sajid Nadiadwala

Starring:         Salman Khan

                              Jacqueline Fernandez

                              Randeep hooda

                              Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Language:      Hindi   

Run Time:      146 Minutes

Salman Khan plays the role of Devi Lal Sigh, who is a care free adventurous lad and does only those things that supposedly give him a "kick" justifying the title of the movie. The hot  Jacqueline Fernandez who is a Psychologist in Poland meets him at a friends wedding. The wedding is where the bride and groom elope from home and marry. The first introduction of Salman Khan in making this wedding successful is the typical "Saloo bhai" scene that only his die hard fans would appreciate. For the rest of the audience this is the time to realize your error in deciding to watch this movie and run away. However if you continue the two do fall in love after much persuasion from Salman Khan.However, him being a rolling stone that gathers no moss, it becomes difficult to do anything at all and so the bride's father, a businessman doesn't agree to the match till he is capable enough to support his high maintenance daughter. So they break up.

She then meets Himanshu Tyagi (played by Randeep Hooda), as a prospective match.They share their stories where he is trying to catch a goon named "Devil" who like Don makes it "mushkil hi nahi namumkin". he is on the look out for him. The story continues till he faces Jacqueline once again as a psychiatric patient. How did he land up there? Is it another scheme y Devil? Why did a fun loving man turn into a goon? The answer to these questions is the crux of the story or really not because it wont surprise you. Bollywood always has a way to make the lead actor "a hero" as he is called mostly.

The writers which surprisingly also has "Chetan Bhagat" have tried to introduce novelty in the entire script only for it to be more age old, like the twist in 90's and the movie fails to entertain and surprise you.There is also use of advanced and modern animation in the film which was just not needed. Overall its a movie to not waste your time over unless you are "bhai's fan".

Rating: 1.5 stars on 5.

Movie Review: Dum Laga Ke Haisha

Directed by: Sharat Katariya

Starring:      Ayshmann Khurana

                    Bhumi Pednekar  

             

Producers:   Aditya Chopra 

                    Maneesh Sharma

Language:    Hindi  

Since its trailers and then the 90's theme based song 'dard karara" that stole my heart I was eagerly waiting for this movie to be released, and so I watched it yesterday. As the trailer suggests its a different, unusual love story. In rural India where arranged marriage is still the norm and so is following what your parents wish, Prem (Ayshmann Khurrana) the male lead is pressurized to marry Sandhya (Bhumi Pednekar). 

The movie is set in the partly serene and mostly the lanes of Haridwar. Prem and Sandhya are opposites. While Prem fears English and has never cleared his SSC examination, Sandhya is a BEd and teaches in a school. Prem runs a cassette and recording company which isn't doing great, almost facing extinction with evolving CD world. Prem's family convince him to marry the overweight Sandhya as she is educated and employed, therefore a source of income. Sandhya likes him at first sight and why not, he is good to look at and marries him. Within a month they realize that it was a mistake. Prem's dislike of Sandhya prevents him from consummating the marriage. He avoids being spotted with her publicly, dislikes her looks and cannot go ahead. One day when at a friends wedding he insults her in front of his friends, Sandhya decides to take a call a "divorce". They are given the courtship period of six months before the court can give them a permission for divorce. 

It is in this period that Prem realizes he hasn't done anything with his life. The story takes further a lighter tome as "Dum Lagao Pratayogita" which is the centre of this film then begins.  Then begins the challenge of proving oneself in a game which is all about compatibility.  As he discovers himself will he also realize Sandhya's love for her? Will he find the compatibility with her and win the race? Will he find love for her. Well to know do watch this movie.

Its unique concept is certainly a breather in the romance category from the same old love stories. The unusual character of Sandhya will definitely draw the audience to theatres. It is a movie where even for a moment one doesn't get bored and the pace is maintain light and hilarious throughout. A movie after long one can watch with family. Bhumi as a debutante has done a fabulous job and Ayushmann Khurana is completely into his character. The supporting cast has done an outstanding job as well.

Rating: Overall this film deserves 4/5. Go watch it today!!!

Movie Review: The Imitation Game

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch

                    Keira Knightley

                    Matthew Goode

                    Mark Strong
                    Charles Dance
                    Allen Leech
                    Matthew Beard
                    Rory Kinnear

Directed by: Morten Tyldum

The Imitation Game is a movie based on life and work of Alan Turing, a man you would want to bow down to as the device you are reading this  post on is courtesy his life's work. He was a British Mathematician, Cyptologist and one of the most important researchers involved in development of Computers. He is infact referred to as both father of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. The film begins with Alan Turing being recruited into the British Intelligence Agency MI6 that was trying to decode the codes by Enigma, the Nazi coder which was then considered unbreakable. The strategy was to decipher the code each day via human efforts. As the codes changed everyday it was impossible to do so without artificial intelligence and Turing was quick to realise it. Therefore inspite of following his colleagues into a dark tunnel where a faint beam might appear someday, he decides to use his imagination into developing algorithm and computation for the first time. 

The road is not easy and he is met with all odds but he does manage to get the funding. He builds it but it doesn't work in one go, when do experiments anyway? The trouble shooting, the failure, the time line crunch, the suspicion of being a spy and above all being a homosexual which was considered an offence then. The movie has amplitudes of inspiration as Turing sits endlessly by his machine waiting for it to work, his belief against odds in his work, living physically till the end with his machine and taking in everything, even hormonal therapy as instructed by the law just to be with his machine will give one a feel of what it is to have a purpose and love it till the end. A life of a real scientist has always been of hardship and this movie gives you a full zoom into Turing's emotions for his work and pain. There is also a hint of friendship and love, albeit of a different kind, though a kind that is a boon for the soul born for a purpose. Benedict Cumberbatch plays the most convincing Alan Turing. His work on his speech for the role is commendable. 

The movie is based on a book "Alan Turing : An Enigma" by Andrew Hodges. His code breaking machine named "Christopher" by him and more popularly known as "The Turing Machine" saved about 14 million lives and helped the allied win World War II. The machine and the mission was kept a secret and hence Turing never was celebrated in his lifetime. He however was sent to prison for being gay, one of the worst ever treatments to the best minds. The movie will make one think a lot on these lines as well. 

If you need the inspiration that you have been lacking, especially scientists. go watch this movie. 

"Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things no one can imagine"

Movie Review: Ugly

Directed by: Anurag Kashyap

Starring: Ronit Roy

                 Rahul Bhat

                 Tejaswini Kohlapure

                 Surveen Chawla

Language: Hindi   

Run Time: 128 Minutes

Ugly a much awaited movie from the maker of the movie that made its place despite of being one of its own kind "Gangs Of Wasseypur", undoubtedly we really waited for the next one from Anurag Kashyap and "Ugly" it is. What is also special about this movie is it was the first film screed at the 2014 New York Indian Film Festival and screened under Directors Fortnight section at 2013 Cannes Film Festival.  It released late as Anurag still fights the court case since 2013 for this movie, against putting the line "smoking is injurious to health" when an actor smokes in his movies.

Ugly is a story not less complicated than his previous movies and this is one thing Anurag should be credited for, his experiments with twisty scripts. A girl child "Kali", the daughter of Shalini - a forced to be a housewife (played by Tejaswini Kohlapure) and the step father Shoumik - an aggressive and honest police officer (Ronit Roy) gets kidnapped and as evident from the trailer, it is a story into finding her. The movie begins with Shalini trying to commit suicide but is interrupted. She is portrayed as a depressed woman, dominated by her husband who rules her life but has no interest in her. Kali is picked up by her genetic father Rahul (Rahul Bhat) as is she every Saturday for a movie. Rahul is a struggling actor who though having tried his hand at acting for a lot of years in the film industry hasn't made it big. He struggles with poverty and debt. When he stops at his friends place who is a casting director Chaitanya (Vineet Kumar Singh), he leaves Kali in the car and goes upstairs. When his friend reaches his place  he tells her Kali wasn't in the car. They try searching for her in the nearby vicinity, find a guy with her phone who in a traffic accident as they try to chase him. 

The matter goes to the police and Ronit Roy keeps a tab on each suspect as he goes into the wild goose chase. The story then moves as Chaitanya tries to cash in the situation by making calls as a kidnapper. One isn't sure whether its him or Rahul's latest girlfriend a small time actress played by the hot Surveen Chawla. One sways through the past when Rahul and Shalini were together, how they split up, her ending up with Shoumik who had loved her since college. It reflects how things change with situations, money and human needs as each character's true colors slowly zoom into the front. Each character has done a phenomenal job, especially Ronit Roy, Tejaswini Kohlapure and Rahul Bhat who as leads couldn't have been better.  

The best thing about story isn't just about finding her but finding the truth about each character and to what extent each one goes in a situation as grave as this. The idea of course is extrapolation into human psyche under extreme conditions, which is unpleasant and "Ugly". The meaning of the film title justified at the end in so many ways if not co-incidence is a genius. The film aces in terms of script and could be watched more than one time. Another great twisty tale from Anurag Kashyap that would engage you.  Highly recommended. 

Rating: 4/5