Ferrari ki Sawaari review

2.5 / 5

‘Ferrari ki Sawaari’ marks the return of Vidhu Vinod Chopra to production after 3 Idiots. Raju Hirani is also involved with this movie as a dialogue writer and creative producer, while Rajesh Mapuskar is the director. Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani and young Ritvik Sahore complete the cast. Music has been provided by Pritam while there is Vidya Balan in a special item ‘lavani’ song.

The movie traces the lives of the Deboo family comprising young Kayo (Ritvik), his father Rusy (Sharman Joshi) and his grandfather (Boman Irani). Kayo is a cricketing prodigy while his grandfather is skeptical about the young kid’s cricket interest due to his own failed past as a promising cricketer ruined by his close friend (played by Paresh Rawal). Rusy, a ‘Mr. Do-Gooder’, wishes to make his son a cricketer by any possible means despite his meager savings from his government job. An opportunity to send his son for coaching to a prestigious club at the home of cricket (Lords, London) comes up and Rusy goes through one helluva rollercoaster before he finally arranges the required money and fulfills his dreams. The grandfather also joins in the cause to send his grandson to London, once he is convinced of the young kid’s caliber.

As the title suggests, a Ferrari also plays a prominent role in the scheme of things. One must say that the red Ferrari is indeed jaw dropping and to add to its appeal, it belongs to ‘Little Master’ Sachin Tendulkar. There are a set of people who are after the Ferrari for various reasons and these events surrounding the Ferrari are half-funny and take the focus away from the aforementioned main plot which is truly endearing. There is also a lot of Sachin worshipping in the movie which is justified because the movie is set in Mumbai which is the cricket heartland of the country. The movie in fact is dedicated to Sachin.

The movie has a truly special opening few minutes when we are introduced to the special bonding between Rusy and Kayo. These sequences will bring a light tear to the eye. Boman Irani also adds to the emotional appeal of the movie with a typically fantastic performance in a different makeover. Sharman Joshi and the kid are very earnest and their bonding is what makes the movie tick. Generally, filmy kids act over smart while here the young kid is natural and truly likeable. His face and innocent smile will win you over. Sharman has caliber and he proves it yet again in the emotional scenes. The father-son bonding has shades of the climax portions of ‘Forrest Gump’ and ‘Life is Beautiful’. Generally also, movies based on the sacrifices made by a father, always strike a right chord. In that sense, ‘Ferrari’ is a timely release for ‘Father’s Day’.

There is some needless melodrama and mush in the climax which could have been toned down and it is also tough to digest the fact that an entire community back in Mumbai is watching a live feed of an under-14 match happening in London. Needless to say in these scenes, Kayo is worshiped on the lines of Sachin himself.

Hit machine Pritam has given nice feel-good songs which are on the mark. The VFX work for the title song is authentic. Most of the songs just go with the flow of the movie as montages. The BGM score also adds to the mushy, feel good appeal of the movie. The item number featuring Vidya is a good distraction.

Ultimately it is the honest intention of the movie and the endearing, earnest nature of the grandfather – father – son bonding that make the movie work to a large extent. The scenes featuring the Ferrari are illogical and are just supposed to provide some fun. Also, the climax could have been made more believable even though it is an underdog movie which is supposed to end in triumph.

VERDICT: A feel-good ‘underdog’ movie with its share of flaws. 

Tezz review

Genre: Action Thriller

Prolific director Priyadarshan has decided to try out some thrills and spills, leaving behind his favorite comedy genre. Senior statesmen Ajay Devgn and Anil Kapoor are part of the cast which includes some more bankable names in Boman Irani and Sameera Reddy. Made at a generous budget of 40 crores, Tezz released in close to 2000 screens. Does it provide the expected adrenaline rush?

An Indian immigrant (Aakash Rana) with a maligned past suddenly lands up in London after a 4 year exile and decides to plant bombs in a  goods train and more importantly in the London – Glasgow bullet train. Expectedly the railway network and the police force are forced to take the requisite measures. What forced Aakash to take this step, what happens to the bomb & the 500 passengers and whether he unites with his estranged family are certain questions for which the answers may be found in a theater near you where Tezz is playing.

Though the actual trigger that makes Aakash do what he does, is not very convincing, the action on screen and the pacy screenplay make you forget such glitches. There are all sorts of terrific action blocks featuring Parkour, bike stunts and river rafting. The cinematographer Tirru must be given major credit for the superior cinematography and the aforementioned pulsating action fest.

On the performance front, Anil Kapoor and Boman Irani compete for the cake. After a long time, Anil is intensity personified and really turns in a solid show as the investigating cop. His working style is reminiscent of the legendary Harry Callahan. Boman Irani also keeps the tension going with his proactive moves as the railways traffic head. Ajay Devgn doesn’t have much scope as the lead other than looking grim, manly and speaking some serious lines. Zayed Khan must be a proud man for all the Parkour stunts that have been credited to him, thanks to the stunt double.  On the ladies front, Sameera Reddy has an action packed role in which she excels while Kangana Ranaut is crying most of the time in her artificial style. Mohan Lal in a cameo as the cop looks pretty stuffed and there isn’t much required out of him.

Technically, the movie is superior thanks to some stunning cinematography by Tirru. His aerial shots of the bullet train are captivating. The songs by Sajid-Wajid pop up at odd times including the totally unwarranted item number by Mallika Sherawat right at the beginning of the movie. But, despite these speed breakers, Tezz mostly gallops to the finish line.

If only the setup to why Aakash decides to plant these bombs had been convincing and the needless songs had been chopped off completely, this movie would have been more taut and riveting.

To conclude, Priyadarshan has come out with an action thriller that is convincing to a large extent inspite of the obvious inspiration from ‘Speed’, that classic Keanu Reeves action thriller.

VERDICT: Save a few minor glitches, this one fittingly lives up to its title

2.5 stars

Housefull 2 movie review

Another Akshay Kumar multi-starrer comic caper has released and it is by the same director who gave us the 2010 hit ‘Housefull’. Sajid Nadiadwala has produced this movie and it has music by Sajid-Wajid. Almost entirely shot in London, ‘Housefull 2’ has kick started the lineup of big budgeted Hindi releases for this summer. It has taken on the IPL bravely. The plot which is heavily inspired by Crazy Mohan and Kamal’s brand of comedy goes like this

2 step brothers (Daboo and Chintu) are always at loggerheads with each other. While Daboo calls his family, Kapoor and son, Chintu calls his family, Kapoor and ‘real’ son. Such is the level of their nonsensical rivalry.

Their wives and daughters (Bobby and Henna) can’t stand one another too. The only goal of these 2 brothers is to get their daughters married to the son of the richest man in London, which happens to be JD, a former dacoit. Jolly is his only son who is pretty scared about his uptight father. Jolly is in love with J Lo. 2 useless loafers, Sunny and Max are lured into this comedy of errors and mistaken identities & both of them are paid to act as Jolly. While Sunny goes to Chintu’s house and woos Henna, Max goes to Daboo’s house and woos Bobby.

This drama is initiated by Jai who wants to get even with Chintu for his father’s ill health. Jai is in love with Parul.

In the climax, all the people who were merely behind money reform and all is well, according to typical Indian cinema rules. There is some stupid drama in the climax which tests our patience. The jokes work at places while at other places they are downright silly. The episodes at the island are entertaining while the scenes with the crocodile and snake are absurd to say the least.

Chunki Pandey as the marriage broker and Johnny Lever as JD’s assistant add value to the movie with their silly laugh-cracks. The veterans Rishi, Randhir, Mithun and Boman play their requisite parts which require them to be loud. John Abraham tries too hard to succeed at comedy. Shreyas and Ritesh don’t have the screen presence and they also try too hard like John. Akshay is a riot and he is a past master at such comic roles. His one liner “kyuu takrei” and his “eeeii” gesture are his USPs in this movie.

The girls are all hot and look picture-perfect. Asin looks super chic and has really spiced up her clothes with her generous necklines, micro-minis and hot pants. The other 3 girls, Shazahn, Jacqueline and Zarine, have even more miniscule roles but look good as expected. 

3 of the songs are real winners – ‘Anarkali’ featuring the ever-hot Malaika, ‘Papa Toh’ and ‘Right Now’. The girls make sure all the songs aren’t just mere excuses to go out for a smoke. The frames are picture perfect like all big budgeted Hindi films. No compromise on the production values.

The single screen audiences will really love this one while the multiplex counters should also keep buzzing over the next week or so. Akshay Kumar can bank on this one for a hit after a pretty lean patch.

VERDICT: Leave your brains at home for some mad fun which is silly yet entertaining too.

Ek main aur ekk tu movie review

Another glossy rom-com from Bollywood, inspired by similar such Holly love flicks. Has a contrasting couple in the form of a boyish but uptight Rahul & a jovial and bubbly Riana. Rahul has just been fired from his job while Riana has been dumped. They cross paths a few times before getting married overnight in Vegas after a drinking binge on Christmas night. They decide to get the marriage annulled but their journey together is destined for more.

Rahul falls in love with Riana slowly and he turns around his life in a more cheerful manner thanks to Riana's influence. Riana on the other hand, treats Rahul as her best friend and even takes him to India for him to lighten up his mood. Rahul finally gets the courage to speak his mind out to his parents who are obsessed with his looks, habits and career.  

Just as we expect Riana to slowly start reciprocating Rahul's love, the ending is something unexpected. She stays firm in her stand and maintains that she is just a great friend to him. Rahul turns around his life and the two stay friends forever. 

Review

• Imran Khan sets the benchmark for boyish charm and turns in an engaging performance. Towards the end, he is top class. His dressing, his style sense are all very "boy next door" types. 
• Kareena Kapoor delivers as expected. The parents have all done well, be it Riana's cheerful parents or Rahul's socially conscious parents. 
• The songs by Amit Trivedi are a major plus. The BG score by Clinton fits the mood as well. The locations in the movie are fresh and glossy. Rich production values. 
• Some classy scenes like the scene when Riana calls Rahul the perfect average guy, when Rahul is about to kiss Riana but she refuses, when Rahul burst out to his parents and the climax
• The editing is nice and the chapter style is new to Indian films. The chapters could have been named better though. 
• The dialogs are cheeky, humorous and quite progressive for a typical Indian film. 

VERDICT

A familiar romantic premise lifted by Imran Khan and the different ending. Worth a watch. 

Don 2 (2011)

Don is now a big shot drug dealer in Asia. He pisses off the European drug cartel due to his low rates and they want him dead. Somehow he escapes an attempt on his life in Bangkok and surrenders to Roma and Malik in Malaysia. Don is sentenced to death. He meets Vardhan in the jail and convinces him to escape along with him for a job.

This time Don is eyeing a German bank. He wants to get hold of the plates that are used to print currency notes. He uses the corrupt Indian vice president in the bank, Diwan to get the information that he wants to pull off his heist. Diwan wants Don dead due to this.

Don gets some more men for his heist job, including a computer expert Sameer for hacking. He has his trusted 'sweetheart' Ayesha by his side as always. Things don't go very smoothly and there is in-fighting between the men as expected.

Just when the police think that Don is good enough to be behind bars, he pulls off a coup and manages to either kill all his enemies or send them behind bars. It is all a big master plan cleanly executed. Don's soft corner for Roma remains and he is now ready to rule the underworld even more due to the lack of a single enemy.

Don 3 will be back to tell more on that ...

Hits

• The look and feel of the movie is like any Hollywood action blockbuster - be it the locations, the action blocks, the cinematography, the sound effects, the costumes etc. Top notch production values. 
• SRK is made for such roles that flaunt his villainy and style. He carries off a stubble like a king be it, the intro scenes or the climax. It is a solid return to form. The crowd just goes berserk whenever he mouths the famous punch dialogs or smokes or wears his coolers or just walks in his designer wear. King of the masses, this Don is. 
• Boman Irani as Vardhan and Priyanka Chopra as Roma carry on in the same roles. Priyanka looks super hot while Boman is convincing as always. Kunal Kapoor has a solid role too, considering the future of this series. 
• No place for contemporary Indian romance and dream duets. Limited songs that don't spoil the movie one bit. 
• The initial scenes with SRK in his long hair - stubble avatar, are racy and send the crowd into a mass frenzy. Heroism rules as always. When SRK's name is mentioned on screen, it is a moment of sheer mad fanaticism. 

Comments

• Om Puri sticks out like a sore thumb with his total lack of style and finesse in a movie that oozes style and suaveness. 
• The twist in the climax is expected because we know what Don is capable of. 
• The 2nd half is not racy and most of the scenes are dedicated to the heist at the bank. 
• Hrithik Roshan makes a special appearance in a scene that celebrates typical Hollywood action blockbusters like MI.

VERDICT

A solid return to form for SRK. The star rocks such villainous roles like none other. Kudos to Farhan Akhtar for making a Hollywood movie in an Indian budget