Jhootha Hi Sahi

'Jhoota Hi Sahi' reinstates a couple of beliefs that were established after the release of 'Jaane Tu... Yaa Jaane Na' a couple of years back. First, it is not necessary to always have a complete new story if you have a well done screenplay and fresh approach. Second, Abbas does not need a great actor to pull his film! 'Jaane Tu' was not the most unique story and neither is Imran Khan the most versatile actor we have. Yet the film and Imran went on to become sensations. With 'Jhoota Hi Sahi' the director attempts something similar. While the attempt has its freshness, it remains to be seen how it scores with the audience.

'Jhoota Hi Sahi' has a story with loads of winner moments strewn all over. But it also has loads of scenes and characters so completely inspired from elsewhere. For one the characters are quite inspired from the American sitcom Friends. And then we have the lead guy taking lies to make the girl fall for him. And of course how can we forget similarity with Hera Pheri - the entire story starts because the protagonist Sid (John Abraham) gets a wrong call as a result of his number being published in a helpline directory by mistake.

Nevertheless Abbas goes about building his story in his own style adding humour and drama to it. He and Pakhi script out an interesting screenplay and dialogues.

The film has been shot very neatly and has been edited well too. A. R. Rahman's music however is definitely not a highlight.

What's interesting is that John Abraham comes up with a good performance as a geek. Pakhi does well too but the only wish was if the film had a younger looking heroine. Raghu Ram does well in his first outing as an actor.

Overall, 'Jhoota Hi Sahi' is fun and refreshing. It's definitely a cool watch for the youngsters. What more, the final moments lead to the airport too!

Ramayana - The Epic

A job gets way tougher when you have to live up to expectations that are huge. And when we talk about the story of Ramayan you are pretty much on danger terrain. And in case of this new film, the director Chetan Desai not only had the responsibility of portraying the story well but also do it style better than the Oscar nominated Japanese production made by Yugi Sako and Ram Mohan in 1992. The 1992 film has been loved by the audience world over and saw multiple releases over the years. Hence it is only pertinent that Desai got things better. And he does try.

In the 3D animation, the director Chetan Desai tries a new narrative, telling the story through Laxman. Sadly though, this movie falls short of any sort of expectation - in terms of story as well as any advances in animation.

Animation is the least of the issues. Each character and settings are very well modeled. In fact at points the built is quite grand and detailed. Also the lighting and camera movement is splendid. However the characters and backgrounds don't sync totally leaving a lot to be desired.

What's a cause of worry in this film is the screenplay. At no time does the story telling create any drama or empathy, something the earlier Japanese film had managed so beautifully. It's hard to find a soul to Ramayana: The Epic. And the loud music does not help in anyway.

Another aspect that needs good thought is the target audience. In no way is this fare meant for the grownups. And when you make a film for the kids what's the point of using a language that they need help to understand. While the producers and director can be proud of making a 'Hindi' film, the kids and even some grownups would need a dictionary to comprehend the dialogues which have bombastic Hindi words!

Coming to voiceovers, Ashutosh Rana does a superb job as Ravan. He creates an aura every time he says 'hum Rakshah hai'. Others are fine.

Overall, Ramayan the Epic is neither the film you would like to watch nor is it the most entertaining film for your kids this season. With 'Lava Kusa' around, at least that film offers a newer story from a much told Ramayan. And if you want them to watch Ramayan, Yugi Sako's film remains the better choice. The only good reason why you should watch this is that it is an Indian 3D animation.

Rakta Charitra

It's been a long time since we saw Ram Gopal Varma making film worthy to bear his name on it, considering his remarkable history as a director. Rather he has been at the butt of many jokes and criticism for constantly coming up with unworthy products. During his recent interviews the director admitted that Raktra Charitra is one film that he is extremely anxious about as he considers it among his best. The expectations rise right away. And does he deliver on these? An honest answer would be 'yes he does to a large extent'!

Rakta Charitra is one film with action and attitude right from the first scene till the last. The story is based on true life incidents related to slain Telugu MLA Paritala Ravi. Though the characters are fictionalized to a reasonable extent the director has managed to keep enough authenticity. The protagonist in this film is Pratap Ravi (Vivek Oberoi). Pratap's father Veerbhadra is killed after he gains way too much power in his own party and that does not go too well with some others. That war that starts is clash of castes. Veerbhandra's elder son Surya gets into revenge more but is killed too. And that's when Pratap steps in and goes on to finish of all who were behind his father's murder. The story takes a turn as Pratap steps into politics.

The story moves at a relentless pace. By the intermission time it leaves you wondering what more can be set into the story in a tale of revenge. The second half does not disappoint either. The screenplay is in its place. And as usual Ramu sets the mood with the help of his innovative camera-work and energetic background music. Also he uses a news channel type narration to lend the story urgency and also to keep the story time shorter.

The director however fails to end the film well. The story does not have a proper ending. However it is innovative too as Ramu opts to reveal the promo of his second part at the end. Stylish and confident!

Performances too are worth watching, Vivek Oberoi does his best as he carries the film. But it is Abhimanyu Singh, who we have earlier seen in a power-packed Gulaal, who steals the show completely with his demonic presence. And of course Shatrughan Sinha minus his moustache and trademark 'Khamosh' is extremely likable. He rather has another phrase 'topic is over' to mark end of all his conversations and you have to watch the film to believe in the elegance the veteran actor delivers it!

Overall, Rakta Charitra is tale of blood and gore and may not be digestible to many. For them there will be other options. But if you are sucker for the gore and revenge dramas Rakta Charitra is your film. RGV nails it right on the head this time. 'Topic is over'!




SHOW TIME -MUMBAI
CineMAX: Versova

Sat, 23 Oct 2010		9:30 AM 12:45 | 3:00 | 6:00 | 8:15 | 11:15 PM

Sun, 24 Oct 2010		9:30 AM 12:45 | 3:00 | 6:00 | 8:15 | 11:15 PM

Mon, 25 Oct 2010		9:30 AM 12:45 | 3:00 | 6:00 | 8:15 | 11:15 PM

Tue, 26 Oct 2010		9:30 AM 12:45 | 3:00 | 6:00 | 8:15 | 11:15 PM

Wed, 27 Oct 2010		9:30 AM 12:45 | 3:00 | 6:00 | 8:15 | 11:15 PM

Thu, 28 Oct 2010		9:30 AM 12:45 | 3:00 | 6:00 | 8:15 | 11:15 PM

CINEMAX-ANDHERI 

Sat, 23 Oct 2010		9:45 AM 3:00 | 8:15PM

Sun, 24 Oct 2010		9:45 AM 3:00 | 8:15PM

Mon, 25 Oct 2010		9:45 AM 3:00 | 8:15PM

Tue, 26 Oct 2010		9:45 AM 3:00 | 8:15PM

Wed, 27 Oct 2010		9:45 AM 3:00 | 8:15PM

Thu, 28 Oct 2010

9:45 AM 3:00 | 8:15PM

CINEMAX-BANDRA

Sat, 23 Oct 2010		12:15 | 5:30 | 10:45PM

Sun, 24 Oct 2010		12:15 | 5:30 | 10:45PM

Mon, 25 Oct 2010		12:15 | 5:30 | 10:45PM

Tue, 26 Oct 2010		12:15 | 5:30 | 10:45PM

Wed, 27 Oct 2010		12:15 | 5:30 | 10:45PM

Thu, 28 Oct 2010

12:15 | 5:30 | 10:45PM

It's Hrithik, not Abhishek in 'Agneepath' remake

Mumbai, Oct 20 (IANS) It's official. Karan Johar finally admits it is Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra in the 'Agneepath' remake.

Speaking officially for the first time about the casting of the 'Agneepath' remake, Karan Johar coolly and cleverly passes on the buck to his novice director Siddharth Malhotra for Abhishek Bachchan's non-presence in the remake...a casting digression that jolted everyone who thought Abhishek was a natural and inevitable inheritor of the 'Agneepth' role.

Says Karan: 'When my father (late Yash Johar) produced 'Agneepath', he left everything to his director Mukul Anand and kept completely away from the project. I'm carrying on the family tradition.'

'The casting for the 'Agneepath' remake was decided by the director Siddharth Malhotra. He decided on Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra. Why Hrithik and not Abhishek? I think Siddharth has his own ideas on how to present the character. I think the protagonist in the new 'Agneepath' would be very different from how he was in the original.'

The script for the new 'Agneepath' is also entirely revamped. Priyanka Chopra won't play a nurse, like Madhavi had done in the original. And Mithun Chakraborty's character from the original has been done away with completely.

If there was any tension about the Bachchan scion Abhishek not even being approached for the remake of 'Agneepath', it was wiped away Wednesday and Thursday last week at the Haute Couture Week where it was crystal-clear that the Bachchans still treated Karan as part of their family.

At Manish Malhotra's fashion show Wednesday night, Abhishek, more baffled than hurt by not even being asked to do the 'Agneepath' remake, walked up and warmly hugged Karan. The following evening, Karan coaxed the original 'Agneepath' protagonist Amitabh Bachchan to walk the ramp with star of the remake Hrithik Roshan, thereby putting an end to all speculation within the film industry about a strain between the Bachchan parivar and Karan over the 'Agneepath' issue.

Says Karan emotionally: 'The Bachchans and my family go back a long way. Our association is not on a film-to-film basis. It doesn't matter how many films we work in or don't work in. For the record I will be doing at least 10 more films with Abhishek in my lifetime. He has already done two films with our banner Dharma Productions. He's doing 'Dostana 2' next year.'

I'm far more comfortable in Tamil now: Aishwarya Rai

Endhiran - The Robot:  Reviews |  Videos |  Synopsis |  Discussions |  Gallery | 

• Mumbai, Oct 21 (IANS) After doing her fourth Tamil film, 'Endhiran', Aishwarya Rai claims to be far more comfortable working in the southern language. She also feels it is the kind of entertainer most leading actresses do though she hasn't done too many of them.
  
  'I am definitely far more comfortable and more confident working in the language. I won't risk breaking into a conversation because I don't do that on a daily basis,' Aishwarya told IANS in an interview.
  
  'Probably because I have travelled so much, I am familiar with the language. It falls easy on the ear. I understand it, but I respect the language; so I don't want to break into a conversation in it, unless it's a group which is very forgiving on grammatical errors!'
  
  'You learn dialogues, they are constructed sentences already, but I am far more confident today than I was during 'Iruvar' or 'Jeans'. Today I am far more at ease working in Tamil,' said Aishwarya. She has also done the bilingual 'Raavan'.
  
  Filmmaker S. Shankar made his latest, a sci-fi flick, in two languages - 'Endhiran' in Tamil and 'Robot' in Hindi - and released them simultaneously Oct 1. Made at a whopping budget of Rs.175 crore ($38 million), it's the costliest Indian film ever.
  
  Aishwarya maintains that her character was easy to essay and she has rarely done films in the typical entertainment genre, unlike many leading heroines.
  
  'The character was not difficult to get into the skin of. It's a kind of role that any leading heroine would do. Probably the kind of roles that a lot of leading heroines do in their career, in my case it has been rare.
  
  'I have not done this kind of character very often in a typical entertaining genre, the kind of character a leading heroine would get.
  
  'He (Shankar) has a made an entertaining film. He has taken entertainment to the next level and has introduced something technically much ahead of what we have seen in recent times. So for me to go on set, it was more exciting to see the film come together. In terms of my contribution, I was just happy to work in this film,' said Aishwarya.
  
  This was her second film with Shankar after 'Jeans' in 1998.
  
  Asked what changes she noticed in Shankar as a director, she said: 'I think now I know him better. 'Jeans' so early in my career, unlike any newcomers, I was associated with multiple projects at the very first year of my career.
  
  'I was constantly experiencing a different set ambience and a different film I was working in. So, that time we were discovering each other. For me films were new, the technical aspect of films was new and I was working in Tamil. From then till today, we know each other much better.'

Hrithik staying off Mumbai this Diwali

Mumbai, Oct 21 (IANS) Actor Hrithik Roshan has decided to celebrate this Diwali with family out of Mumbai to avoid cracker pollution, fretting bronchial problem of his son.

'Diwali I am celebrating hopefully not in Bombay because I have problem with the pollution and my son has a bronchial problem,' Hrithik told IANS in an interview.

The actor who played a paraplegic patient in director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's forthcoming film 'Guzaarish' has off late realised that cracker fumes are unhealthy and wishes Diwali was celebrated without polluting the atmosphere.

'I hope there was a better way to celebrate Diwali, without polluting the atmosphere. I used to rejoice and buy crackers of Rs.10,000, but now I realise that this is not the best thing to do. It's dangerous and bad for health,' said Hrithik.

Asked if he has planned to flee abroad, he said: 'No, no, to places close by. Maybe to places like Panvel or Lonavala.'

She's Danish and sings peppy numbers in Punjabi

New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) Her peppy numbers in Punjabi are a hit and only that tiny hint of anglicized accent suggests she may not be of Indian descent. Meet Danish singer and songwriter Anita Lerche who performs in no less than 16 languages - but Punjabi is her favourite.

People in the national capital got a taste of Lerche's talent at an event hosted by Danish brewery major Carlsberg Wednesday during which she charged the evening with numbers such as 'Aao Ji', 'Chandni', 'Gori', 'My Heart is Beating' and 'Maahiya'.

'I just love to sing in Punjabi. The music and the beats are lively. There's also this certain spirit, which makes people love this type of mucic,' the singer, who recently released a new album 'Heer From Denmark' in India, told IANS after the two-hour performance.

According to Lerche, who is in her 20s and is based in Copenhagen, she took to Punjabi music in 2005 during a trekking tour in Kullu and Manali in Himachal Pradesh following which she ended up in Hoshiarpur with an offer for an album, and grabbed the opportunity. 'I was mesmerised by Punjabi music.'

She has another solo album to ger credit, 'I Love Piano', and is currently working on the third, which she says is a fusion of Western and Indian music. Little wonder, she has been approached by some Bollywood music directors to sing and appear in films.

Lerche also won the World Track of the Year award at the Danish World Awards in 2009 that was held at the Copenhagen Jazzhouse in October. She was also declared the Best Non-Resident Female Debutant at the MH1 Music Channel awards earlier this year.

Apart from India and Denmark, the countries where she has performed include Britain, the US, Canada, Germany, Norway, China, Israel and Greenland. She also has to her credit a song specifically written for the Indian cricket team during the World Cup in 2007.

I would love to do a musical: Irrfan Khan

New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) After carving a niche for himself by playing unconventional roles, actor Irrfan Khan now wants to do a musical film.

'I want to do action films, comedy films and I want to be part of a musical. I want to do a character who sings or plays something,' Irrfan told IANS.

After his recent release 'Knock Out', the actor has a bag full of films. He will soon be seen in 'Paan Singh Tomar', 'Yeh Saali Zindagi', 'Saat Khoon Maaf' and 'Thank You'.

BOLLYWOOD NEWS

Sanjay Dutt blessed with twins (boly wood news)

It's time for celebration in the Dutt household as Sanjay Dutt's wife, Manyata Dutt, has been blessed with twins, a boy and a girl. Surely, Sanjay Dutt is on top of the world. With Diwali around the corner, this is truly an auspicious moment for the couple. Sanjay Dutt's friends from the film industry have started tweeting congratulatory messages to the star.

movie workshop gives its best wishes to Sanjay and Manyata Dutt.

Anwar

Rating :3/5 



anwar review ,
Anwar is one of the best shot malayalam movies ever . Amal neerad who created block busters earlier with our super stars has tried his luck with probably the next big super star of malayalam film industry "Prithviraj".The direction has been handled pretty cleanly by him making sure that there are'nt any flaws in it and to a great extend he is succesful . The story is also by him , which actually discusses one of the important issues of our time . For the reason that the movie discusses a sensitive issue dialogues have been framed carefully and most of the time they are quite catchy . The cinematography of this movie is so superb .And now for the performances in the movie , Prakash Raj remains the stand out performer of this movie ,prithvi and lal has also come up with great performances but its hard for them to match the potential of this amazing actor .The chemistry between Prithvi and Mamtha has also worked well for the movie . The music of this movie, alredy chart busters, has been very well complimented with the visuals . Gopi sunder has again done a great job with the background score ,which always keeps the movie lively .And i cannot complete this review without mentioning the narrator ... its our own superstar MAMMUKKA who makes sure that the movie starts with a great roar.Altogether the movie is an entertainer that wont let you down for spending Rs 45 and 2.5 hrs of your day .
Rating 3 / 5


 The   film also star National Award-winning Tamil actor Prakash Raj as a determined police officer in hot pursuit of a band of terrorists and actor/producer/director Lal, as a religious leader who recruits men for his activities. Mamtha Mohandas too is paired for the first time opposite Prithviraj for this movie. Scripted by R Unni and Sreejith D, the movie is cinematographed by the director himself.

Prithviraj who even injured himself while working on an action scene for the movie is in all praise for the director. The young actor believes that the movie which connects well with the young generation is all set to do well.

Anwar touches the sensitive topic and it shall be watched for the performance of Prakash Raj & Prithviraj.

ENDHIRAN RATING

•                                          ENDHIRAN RATING
•  
•  4.5
•  
• A star-studded music release, a pompous trailer release, innumerable TV ads; after such excessive promotions for the movie, the expectations had been set sky high for Enthiran. This movie, a first ever sci-fi movie of the Tamil Movie industry manages to hit right on spot. Rajnikanth, Shankar, A. R. Rahman; the dream trio can never go wrong, and this has been proved once again with Enthiran.

The movie, without wasting any time, straight away jumps into the robotics lab of the scientist, Vasigaran (Rajnikanth), fondly called as Vasi, who has successfully created Chitti, the humanoid robot, his ten year hard-work. His lifetime dream is to enroll his robot for the service of the Indian army. Chitti is introduced to Sana (Aishwarya Rai), Vasi's girlfriend, and to Vasi's family and stays with them to learn the human activities and behavior. Dr. Vasi introduces human emotions to Chitti to improve his learning capabilities of the human race. Chitti gets transformed. He can now feel and the first feeling that he discovers is Love. And he falls in love with Sana. Will this love come in the way of Dr. Vasi's purpose of creating Chitti? Will Dr. Vasi's own creation destroy him?

Director Shankar's masterpiece of Enthiran keeps the interest of the average Rajnikanth fan, as well as meets the expectations of the more sophisticated moviegoer. A R Rahman's music is awesome. Songs locations are exotic and certainly a visual treat. Whether it's the breezy Kadhal Anukkal, or the exotic Kilimajaro or even the final Arima Arima, the picturization is marvelous. Aishwarya looks glamorous and enchanting. Audience will enjoy watching her as much as Rajnikanth, if not more.

To say that the movie belongs to only the dream trio would be huge injustice to the technicians, and the animators who worked on the movie. The special effects team is world class and the stunt scenes are executed flawlessly. The last half an hour is absolutely spectacular with the hundreds of 'clone' Robots in certain awesome defensive formations. The movie's success rides on the special effects team.

This movie is path breaking in its sci-fi script and use of world-class special effects technology. Hope it inspires other producers and directors to break from the vicious circle of run-of-the-mill scripts.

We have enjoyed a human Rajnikanth performing some super human stunts in most of his movies, but in this movie, you'll absolutely relish a humanoid Rajnikanth doing some super duper robot stunts.