Wednesday, December 19, 2012


Khiladi 786: Movie Review


Directed by Aashish Mohan starring Akshay Kumar, Asin, Himesh Reshammia and Mithun Chakraborty

An open letter to actor/producer/singer/music director/story writer Himesh Reshammia,

Dear Himesh,

How are you? Hope your nose is doing well.

Well, first of all, I would like to congratulate you for your home production film’s success and your vise decision both. Regarding your vise decision, well you announced, you wouldn’t be doing music in other than your films once, well everything didn’t go well in your acting assignments and we missed your melodious music. With Bodyguard, Bol Bachchan and SOS you corrected your self. All music were huge hits. So congrats. Here too in K786, the music is the most rocking thing along with the lead actor. Another congrats as mentioned is for success of your home production film. We always knew you would be a good (better say a profit making) producer, as we had seen your production house daily soaps’ huge success even when daily soaps culture was not that developed in India.


Coming to K786, it’s entertaining if one puts their brain outside the theaters. Though, it’s not that much possible for everyone, and though pre-warned one brings atleast 10% of the brain to the film, and hence it hams in parts. Akshay Kumar, whenever, is on screen, manages to steal the hearts and cheers, but whenever he leaves, the film falls flat. The concept, for such film, is meant to be like this. But the direction is quite childish and hence there are not much good one liners, not much of comic timings by other actors and hence the film remains half baked. Your comic performance, my friend was much much better in film Radio, but here you have overdone a lot. Though, fortunately or unfortunately masses are going to love you for this. Asin looks good and that satisfies the need of the role. Raj Babbar, Mithun Chakraborty, Sanjay Mishra, Mukesh Rishi, Johnny Lever or the guy who plays Aazad are okay. It’s just and just Akshay who is true khiladi. That's why it's his 8th film as Khiladi.
 
All tracks by you in the film are fantastic and well placed, be it peppy ‘lonely’, rdb style ‘balma’, sad ‘saari saari raat’ or ‘hooka baar’. Even the picturisation of the songs are quite better than the rest of the film. Lyrics by Sameer Anjaan may be his 504th or so movie, is pacable with music.

Scenes which I liked were, ‘chak de india’ parody, ‘gadar’ parody, super rafter by akki, some escapades of aazad from jail, some akki scenes and the songs (which were unfortunately all trimmed to one antaraas).

Though, we were not getting bored and didn’t felt disgusted but not enjoying that much, people in multiplex, where I watched the movie, mostly the family audience were cheering like anything for the movie, even though it was a second week, so well done.

2.5 cheers out of 5 from me, for akki and for your music only.

Regards,

The 70mm idiot – rancho – hardik raychanda

Tuesday, December 18, 2012


Aadukalam : Double Movie Review


Directed by Vetri Maaran, Starring Dhanush, Tapsee Pannu & Jayabalan

an open letter to actor Dhanush who plays the lead role in the film


Dear Dhanush,

Why all this Kolaveri di.. about such ordinary song? Anyways, as it’s not from this film, let’s not discuss it right now.

I had heard a lot about you, positive things off course. Had chance to watch your performance for the first time in this Tamil movie, and yes it was delightful.

The film is about two groups of villagers who by tradition believes winning in a cock(the male hen one :P) fight as the matter of respect. Yes, at the beginning of the film only the director successfully explains that the rooster fight is the traditional in many countreys, and in tamil culture it had a great value. Though as nowadays, it is restricted legally, the villagers have illegally continued to keep this art alive. One of the two major groups of villagers is headed by Ratnavelu who have won all the cock fights till date but have always lost to the other group which is headed by Pettaikaran. Ratnavelu’s only goal in life is to defeat Pettaikaran once in the cock fight. You as K.P. Karuppu are the jockey of Pettaikarn, who he believes to be a father figure.

The film in first half is a feel good film regarding your and tapsee’s love story and arranging the cock fight and all. Post interval it takes the dark turn regarding your and Pettaikaran’s distorted relations.


Performances by all the actors are marvelous, especially you, the guy who plays your friend Durai and Jayabalan. Performance of the lead actress tapsee is okay, she looks plain average too. Music by G.V. Prakashkumar is good to listen. Direction, story and screenplay by Maran is flawless.

Overall, the film is a must watch, even to non-tamil audiences like me. (one can always use subtitles)
Hope to see your more and more films in tamil and waiting for your bollywood debut Ranjaana.

Regards,
The 70mm Rancho – Hardik Raychanda

P.S. Your dance while you come to know that Irene also loves you, is fab. Loved it.











I haven’t watched  too many of  south Indian movies, neither  am i  a die  hard  fan of them.!  But being a  die hard  fimly freak, most of  the hindi movies  are  never  left, and  an overdose  of English movies  always  bores  me very quickly.!  So every now and then , a  South Indian flick seems  quite relieving.!

Prior  to watching  the movie, just knew  that it starred  Dhanush!  His  song kOlaveri  di was  unnecessarily so much over rated by people that it made  me  have  a  completely un personal anonymity with him.! Though did begin the movie.

The  plot is based  on the tradition(illegal) of cock fights  in southern states and  rivalry between two ferocious opponents Rathnavelu – a police  cop, tough respectful but always  a  loser  against , Pettiakaran- a  not so wealthy person,but a  master  in raising n training cocks  for  fight.! Dhanush, from the start is a “happy-go-lucky-fellow”, just full of enthusiasm ,zeal n keenness to learn cockfights.! He is a disciple of Pettikaran and has the utmost respect for  him.

But the movie  takes  an unprecedented  turn when things  fall apart between the guru and  the disciple.!  Personal vengeance overtakes the true image  of a guru and  things  get worse  from there. The  graphics  used  for  the  cock –fights  were brilliant. Also the emotions  of  everyone  were  beautifully picturised.

The  faithfulness  of a disciple, the  mixed  mental states  of a  guru when he  is  overtaken by the personal vengeance  and selfishness, and  later  when he  realises and  cant bear even the slightest of guilt, where all picturised  in a great influencive  manner.! The graphics  used  for  cockfights were  also highly advanced. Acting by everyone (especially Dhanush, in his  typical south Indian  look with a bit of ugliness, lungi n larger  than leg slippers :p) was  great. Peppy music too .Also great direction!

Rating : 4.1/5

By the 70mm Raju - Sidharaj Jadeja
(some  are  patriotic- I'm writiotic)


Delhi Heights: Movie Review

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0989633

Directed by R. Anand Kumar, Starring Jimmy Shergil, Neha Dhupia, Rohit Roy, Simone Singh

Dear Jimmy,

This one was surely a crappy movie, and I just watched as it had you in the lead role. Since a long time, you have been doing good works, choosing right scripts and performing very well. There’s nothing wrong in being wrong some times, so never mind. But watching this was a quite bad experience and ye baat tumpe udhaar rahi.

Apart from rabbi’s song ‘tere bin’, there was nothing good in the movie. Even the song was picturised so unintentionally funnily. Waste of such a nice track. One expects something different from a low budget multiplex movie, but this one had quite regular, done to death, story dealt with nothing new kinda direction.

You, Neha Dhupiya and Simone Singh did good work. Om Puri and Vivek Shauque were okay. Rohit Roy was misfit for the role. The boys of delhi heights were boring, the track was forcefully added.

Those who have skipped the movie, good work. Those who have missed the movie, it’s better not to visit it.

0.25 cheers out of 5 from me.

Waiting for Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster 2.

Regards,
The 70mm idiot Rancho – Hardik Raychanda 

Sunday, December 16, 2012


Restraint - Movie Review:

Directed by David Denneen, starring Travis Fimmel, Teresa Palmer & Stephen Moyer


An open letter to director David Denneen…

Dear director,

We are done to death by the Hollywood plot – a hostage, two or more criminals, dead bodies, suspense, cheques, jewelleries, crime and more. Please spare us from more such movies. Though, the concept of Dale (Teresa palmer looking very much like Kirsten Stewart in the film)-a good by heart-stripper, trapped with the company of psycho criminal-loving but using dale, Ron (Travis Fimmel copying many styles of Leonardo Decaprio and Matt Dammon) and at the climax (*** spoiler *** in next line, doesn’t matter though) is trapped with another psycho criminal Andy (good performance by Stephen Moyer), but the film is quite slow to get progressed to the climax.

Sometimes, too dark doesn’t work. And that too, if it is quite slow. Restraint falls in that category. Nude scenes of Teresa Palmer are quite naturally cold, not seducing at all, may be as wanted by the director, doesn’t add any positive points to the film.

If one is regular watcher of Hollywood films, can avoid the film. If one loves this genre, can watch it once.

Overall, 2 cheers out of 5 from me.

Regards,


The 70mm idiot rancho – Hardik Raychanda

Saturday, December 15, 2012



Student Of The Year - Movie Review:
directed by Karan Johar, starring Sidhdharth Malhotra, Varun Dhavan, Alia Bhatt & Rishi Kapoor

an open letter to Uday Chopra....

Dear Uday Chopra,
You might be surprised why I am writing the letter to you for SOTY instead of Karan Johar or Varun or Sidharth or Alia. It’s just I remembered you a lot while watching the movie. We would discuss the reason later but right now let’s discuss the movie.

When the first poster of the movie was declared way back a year or so ago, many of the fans including me were surprised about Karan’s decision for starting such project after making critically much acclaimed MNIK. The poster didn’t have any big name on it. But thankfully, it looked fresh and we expected KKHH kinda magic from the film, though our expectations were never much high. When the teaser  came out, it looked average kinda movie which had nothing new in store except the fresh pair. It didn’t excite us much, the only reason to see the movie was directorial credit of Karan Johar.

The film came, collected good word of mouth, went a hit as it was a low budget film compared to Karan’s other films. I wasn’t able to watch it as it didn’t release at my center and I was quite busy in our other idiot’s marriage function planning that couldn’t watch it elsewhere too. Finally watched it and found it ‘not bad’.

The movie is about a rich-popular-sporty-wannabe-rockstar boyfriend, a simple-high society-caring girlfriend, a middle class-ambitious-wanna be business tycoon-sporty-good looking-new entrant (offcourse who eventually falls for the girl and vice versa) and an over hyped-with strange rools-created by dean- traditional(since last 25 years or so)-competition-Student of the Year. Felt like JJWS? eh! It’s not.. it has the love triangle.. oh was that in JJWS too.. sorry man. Wait.. it has ameer-gareeb situation. Leave it..it was in JJWS too.. yeah.. there is a difference.. the ameeer-gareeb competitors are friends.. now that’s good. And yeah, KJo has tried to concentrated on that too apart from the glossy love story.

Your friend, KJo, has one quality. He can concentrate on many different topics in the single film going on parallel without creating havoc. Be it, the friendship – romance – college life – dean-coach gay romance – geek middle class fatty sudo track – sports – buttering middle class no iq jeet track – true friend turns rival shanaya’s friend track – preparation of SOTY track – the father track and many more. Kudos for that…

Performances of Varun Dhavan, Sidhdharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt are decent. Not that good, not that bad also. Boman Irani’s son Kayoze marks a super debut as Sudo. Sahil Anand as Jeet is fantastic. Mansi Raachh as Shanaya’s friend is decent. Ronit Roy is compatible. It is Rishi Kapoor who wins hearts. Now here I reveal, why I remembered you, Mr. chopra.  You have been disrespected, thrown boulders for nonacting and everything always, as you are a star director son, and YRF has tried a lot to make you successful and we have heard after D:3, you are retiring as an actor. When I watched the movie, the statutory warning voice (I think it’s of Sidhdharth Malhotra) seemed like your voice, and that’s why through out the movie I thought about your career. You are nowhere less talented actor compared to the lead duo in SOTY. And you would have fit in any of the role if the movie might have made 10 years earlier. But it was you who got bad mouthed reviews coz you are a star director son. Anyways, it’s nothing in our hand, but it’s in your hand for sure, you can be here and do some good roles (they may be supporting ones) if you want, as we would want that. Many of the bad actors (e.g. Tushshar Kapoor) are still surviving in the industry, why cant you?

Anyways, getting back to the film, it starts well, ends well, passes the time well, makes you feel good quite well, but has nothing to be remembered.

2.95 cheers for the film out of 5.

Regards,
the 70mm idiot Rancho - Hardik Raychanda

P.S. - Music by vishal-shekhar is decent but not memorable. Dialogues are good but actors cant carry them well as they are needed.

Friday, December 14, 2012

TALAASH - Double Movie Review:


Though i knew  the consequence  or suspense  whatever u say, i was  gripped  to it right  from the very first second,!! In ordinary genres  we  can call it to be  a suspense thriller, or  maybe  even a  slight hinge  of fear.! But for  me  it was  some  real extraordinary grasping stuff.! And  i felt  maybe  sometimes  when you know what you are to expect makes  you watch it all the more  carefully and with  all the more  curiosity.!

Being a  policeman, sometimes  does  take  a  test of your patience, your  thinking power. How much do you fight to make  your  brain distinguish between whats real and whats not.. whats  luring you and  what seems  the unpleasant truth.!! Suri did really lie  between a  situation just jamming up even more ..
And well, for  me  the  most intriguing part was  the  guilt  that was  being shown by amir  as  a  father.!The  scene where  the  boat gets  turned upside down, and  amir  runs  through and  takes  a  leaping dive into the lake was just awesome..!
But what was  more  influencive  was the  time  when Amir  thinks  of different things  he could  have  said to his son, when he was  going for playing with his  friend. ! Each and  evry other  possible scenario makes  him drown deeper  into his  guilt, his  carelessness(which he feels it was) as a  father. And  isn’t it true, that seldom after we witness  some  particular  consequences we  think “if i had  done  this” and  repent on it.!
But losing a son is something heavier , something more  fearfull and  maybe  something more “phobic” . Some incidents  make  us  become phobic  of them.! The scene where Rani shares  with her  friend, that Amir  doesn’t even want to listen about having   a second  child, completely moved  me  and  made  me  ponder a little  deeper to how  much guilty a  person can feel.! And  the greater deal is to live  “a-normal-life” accepting it..! Amir’s tears  were totally a  simple  strong gesture  how  much guilt he had in him, how  much did a  single  decision haunt him each and every night that would  make  him sleepless.!  And  the case  of armaan kapoor too was  similar.! 
If we are  guilty of something and  our  conscious doesn’t allow  us  to accept it, then it surely will itself  find  a  way and  come to us for expiation.! 
And  as  the tagline rightly says, and  what even i have  experienced  most of the times personally,
whenever a  question rises , the  answer does  lie  within us...!!
Truly the  movie did take away a tagline that i had  in mind(wont mention it here :p)
The  way the concept of human trafficking and  women exploitation was  shown was  just brilliant.!
Amidst lakhs  of  daily “customers” , who cares  if a single  parcel goes  missing?? Afterall they do write *terms & conditions applied ,right?
Call girls  or prostitutes are never out of choice, its because  they “run out of choices”! 
Its a  huge  and damn complex  matter ,which is quite  above  my head at present, but nevertheless the  ruthless and  brutality with them was  shown greatly. And  like armaan kapoor, if a guilt does  stay in you, i can give  my word, that you never really can live calmly unless  you do get  a  way to quench your  regret, you get a ‘paschatap’. Then be  it just even a  true realisation or at times  maybe  some  bigger  deal. But also one thing that is sure is.. once  you’ve  realised  and  asked  for its  forgiveness  truly..(you are  bound to be  forgiven) and you experience  a divine satisfaction with yourself which becomes  soothing than anything...! Which was shown with utter serenity in the end  sequence  of Amir  sitting  alone  and  reading karan’s  letter !

No need to say fabulous perfoemances  by the entire  starcast.! Great direction..! not extraordinary but pretty fair job with music too...! And,, oh yes  i forgot.. To all who were/are  saying Talaas is  not a worth watch.. just STFU!!!

And as  for me , films  are  something that stretch out of the cinema screen, i review  this flick in a  bit deeper touch.. 

rating : 4.25/5

(just felt one  goof, when kejriwal watches  the news  channel at the airport , they said  “salman kapoor" & i feel it more  strongly coz even @hardik raychanda  felt the  same :p :D... hain main kya ji salman kapoor?? )


By the 70mm idiot - Raju (Sidharaj Jadeja)















Dear aamir,

Since long, I wanted to revive the 70mm blog, and what better than starting from your film.

We have seen you being cop once in Baazi, then in Sarfarosh and now as Suri in Talaash. Sir, you are awesome. What I liked here was your portrayal of suri the person. The kind of person suri was - really fearless cop but neck deep in guilty and sad by heart. Doesn’t speak his heart to any one but strangely with a ______. Wah!!! I would like to salute you for the bravura performance, but above that I would like to salute Reema Kagti for such a tremendous script and direction. Say my hii to her.

Rani as your co-star was fantastic. She shown the grace of the character, one cant even imagine losing her/his child at very young age. You and Rani shown it brilliantly. Kariena as your co-star was convincing too. Nawazuddin Sidique was fantastic as tahemur. Rajkumar Yadav and others did good too. But it was either your or a Reema Kagti film.

I don’t wonder why it didn’t earn more than crappy Dabangg or Singham (sorry yaar, I know sallu is your friend, we love him too, but the film was surely crappy), coz all mass want is masaala, and this was quite a serious stuff. Unlike 3 idiots, this was not for class and mass both, but was strictly for class and hence it would just cross 100 crores, not more than that.

Anurag Kashyap’s dialogues were fabulous.
“tum comedy achhi kar leti ho, lekin problem ye hai ke mujhe jaldi hasi nahi aati..”
“galat mat samajna, main sirf baatein karna chahta hun” – “saab aisa kahoge to galat to lagega hi na..”

Loved the details by Reema Kagti, but sir I believe, if Anurag Kashyap might have directed this movie, it might have much more height.

4.25 cheers for you and reema.

By the 70mm idiot - Rancho (Hardik Raychanda)

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Review: Soundtrack

By 70mm Idiot FARHAN (Brij)

After long time writing another review as it made me to write review due to its story telling and impact on my mind. I wanted to write review of Ra-one also but its already much late so writing review of Soundtrack.

When the movie was released I haven’t watched its single trailer only heard its songs and was knowing that Rajeev Khandelwal is there and I decided to watch it in theatre as he always do powerful movies. But somehow I couldn’t. But yesterday I finally got the chance to watch it.

Story: Raunak Kaul (Rajeev Khandelwal) is a master turntablist who spins at a nightclub in what is implied as Bandra, the hip Mumbai suburb. One day he goes deaf. Does he plunge deeper into his cocaine-and-whiskey path towards perdition and hell? Or does he crawl back up to life and music? There’s that tantalizing promise—the promise of a man’s redemption after he has hit the abyss with drugs, bad decisions, being in love with the wrong person, and a sudden physical disability.

When I watched this movie I first searched about its director and music director, and surprisingly I found both debutant in movie and I gone gaga over them. After watching I felt that now how many well made movies like this goes flop but we are getting too many people who has something new to give to bollywood. I know movie is remake of Canadian movie but it needs many efforts to make successful remake also.

In direction department, Debutant Neeraj Ghosh blew away my mind by giving such fabulous start in bollywood. No doubt movie losses its charm at many places, like he could have shown Raunak’s inner split person more effective (Like it was in a beautiful mind, Shutter island etc.) but in the first time its really too good work. Director has managed movie by showing it documentary cum drama movie with such a fabulous music.

In script and screenplay department, movie also takes credits as it is well written and executed. Still it loses ­focus at many places and can be developed more but still its too much effective.

In acting department, Hats off to Rajeev Khandelwal. He never fails to our expectation and always leaves much impact by being like the real character. He impresses in every shade weather as DJ or as psycho or as deaf person. Soha ali khan has done his part well. Mohan kapoor is entertaining. Mrinalini Sharma is ok. Loved special appearance of everyone.

Music and song department of the movie needs to be impressive in the musical film and so it is in this movie. Almost all songs are well made and well placed. Starting music and when Raunak feels the music first time after being deaf are awesome.

In short, the movie is power pack surprise with superb acting, Fabulous music and well executed story with some lake of ineffective scenes.


My rating – 3.45/5

(Must watch for the bollywood lovers who like something different.)