Vicky Donor movie review

Genre: Emotional romantic comedy

Vicky Donor is another movie with a heavy Punjabi flavor following last week’s Bittoo Boss. It stars relatively unknown stars and has been helmed by Shoojit Sircar and Juhi Chaturvedi. John Abraham turns producer with this offbeat entertainer and Eros have made sure it has got adequate number of screens to make an impact, 750 to be precise. The subject of infertility and sperm donors has been touched upon in a very entertaining manner that makes you laugh and also appeals to you on an emotional level.

‘Vicky Donor’ is set in Delhi where Dr.Chaddha runs an infertility clinic. He caters to a lot of infertile couples and his dream is to set up a sperm bank from where he can service all his clients. So, he is on the lookout for a suitable donor who is flamboyant, dashing and attractive. Vicky Arora, a 25 yrs old Punjabi youngster is the chosen one and after much coaxing and convincing, Vicky agrees, predominantly for the pocket money. He is supported by his mom and grand-mom, who are amongst the coolest women around. As expected cupid also strikes and Vicky decides to settle down with Ashima, a Bengali banker. How his body of work as a sperm donor plays with his marriage life is the remaining part of the movie. 

Annu Kapoor is a riot as the doctor who is always thinking about sperms. His mannerisms while he describes sperms in various adjectives like greedy, complicated etc. are to be seen to be enjoyed. Ayushmann Khurana is earnest and more than adequate. His smart, boy next door looks and his street smart ways make him a perfect fit for this role. Yami Gautam is angelic in her looks and is pretty decent in emoting as well, save the scene when she becomes serious and starts yelling. The mom and the grandmom light up the screen whenever they are around. The way they enjoy a drink will put even hardcore male drinkers to shame. The Bengali family of Ashima also provides some very enjoyable moments when they deliberate about the merits of Bengalis and the demerits of Punjabis prior to the marriage between Vicky and Ashima.  The marriage scene is a real festival that is played out on screen.

The songs take the movie along and are all montages save the end credits song where John Abraham, the proud producer, flaunts his insane physique to the happy audience. The production values are all in line with the movie. Nothing flamboyant. Smart production.

The humor quotient of the movie is its biggest USP. It might not appeal to people who are a bit sensitive about sex and fertility. There is more than a fair share of sperm mentions in the movie. But, for the young minded, it’s a ‘laughathon’ all the way. The romance angle has also been treated very tastefully and realistically. The movie does lose its pace and energy when it becomes serious in the 2^nd half for a while but, it recovers pretty well for a nice emotional climax that isn’t too cheesy or teary

On the whole, kudos to the team for treating a subject that has been considered taboo in Indian cinema till now. They have made sure that the audience will leave the theater smiling and not regretting the time and money spent. A different attempt that has struck the bulls-eye. John Abraham must be a proud man for sure for this decision. A handsome run at the box-office can be expected safely. This sperm will definitely make the producers fertile.

VERDICT: Grab your tickets, your popcorn and enjoy this whole new experience which is super fun and has a heart as well

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.

Desi Boyz (2011)

It is recession time in London in the year 2009 and 2 'cheddi' buddies Jerry and Nick lose their jobs. Nick has a demanding girlfriend Radhika to maintain while Jerry needs to take care of his sister's orphaned son Veer. They are desperate to find a job but don't find any. Then they come to know of 'desi boyz', a service where hunky handsome men escort and satisfy women with varying needs.

They make money, satisfy many desperate women but soon they lose Radhika (breakup) and Veer to a foster home, respectively. Nick convinces Radhika after persisting for long. Jerry goes back to college, graduates, finds his lady love, convinces the social services department and wins back Jerry. The movie ends with the premise for a sequel in Mumbai.

Hits

• Both the handsome hunks play to their strengths. John Abraham flaunts his body and his looks while Akshay flaunts his energy, charm and comic sense. The lead ladies are hot as well, Deepika Padukone and Chitrangada Singh. They match their Hollywood counterparts in style. The movie has gloss written all over. 
• Nice peppy songs by Pritam. 
• Light hearted movie. Good for killing some time. 

Comments

• The movie has 2 cameos by Sanjay Dutt and Omi Vaidya. While Sanjay is macho, Omi irritates with his gayish style. Anupam Kher plays another of his innumerable so-called funny roles. 
• The college romance scenes between Akshay and Chitrangada are similar to Main Hoon Na

VERDICT

Light hearted time pass movie with the 'male escorts' theme being particularly entertaining. 

New York (2009)

The Plot

How Muslims living in the US are driven to take up terrorism due to the torture that the Americans inflict upon them post 9/11 is the movie’s theme. It is told in the backdrop of 3 friends (Sam, Maya and Omar) and their college life. Sam and Maya are lovers and they also marry each other. Omar is used by the FBI to infiltrate Sam’s suspected sleeper cell. Omar goes back to his friend Sam’s house after many yrs and slowly starts to know about Sam’s real existence.

Yes. Sam is indeed planning some major attacks on the FBI and Omar wants to stop this as an undercover FBI agent and as a friend to Sam, and ensure that Sam is not killed. He also gets a guarantee from the FBI officer Roshan to this effect. But, things turn haywire and it is needless bloodshed for the husband-wife due to the hyperactive nature of the Americans in the FBI. Omar takes over as the guardian of Danyal, Maya and Sam’s little son, in the end.

                                                                        

Hits

• Yash Raj's production values are top notch. It looks like a Hollywood product. The cinematography is the main reason for this richness. 
• Katrina Kaif has acted very well for the first time in her career. As the understanding lover, wife and mother, she is top notch. She looks a million bucks as always. An elegant goddess
• Despite the robotic voice modulation, John Abraham scores in the emoting area. Neil Nitin Mukesh also impresses with his earnest show of desperation and frustration. His voice is cute. 
• Irfan Khan looks and plays the part of the Indian FBI officer to perfection. His sarcasm at the friendship between the 3, is enjoyable. The man who comes as Zilgai, the tortured Muslim portrays all the angst and embarrassment through his eyes. Great talent. 
• The torture scenes are very hard hitting. 
• The songs are all melodious and peppy at the same time. Credit to Pritam for that 
• The messages given in the end credits about the detention of foreign nationals in the US post 9/11 makes a lot of impact.

Misses

• The climax though beautifully shot on a grand scale, is very melodramatic. A played down climax would have worked much better.

VERDICT

One of the better 'serious' Hindi movies. Kudos to the director Kabir Khan for taking a heavy subject in his very first film. 

Dhoom (2004)

Whats it about:
The film traces how Jai, a super cop nabs a biker gang which specializes in hi-tech robberies and heists. The biker gang is lead by Kabir. Jai takes the help of Ali, a local racer to eliminate the biking robbers after a few failed attempts
      Side by side, we are also shown the romance between Jai and his wife Sweety in a very sexy manner, Ali's misfortune at getting his lady love, Ali's racing exploits and also some hardcore masala elements in the name of sexy songs.

                                                                          

Hits

• Terrific stunt sequences in bikes, boats and what not. Thrilling stuff helped in no small measure by Nirav Shah
• Foot tapping songs and BGM by Pritam and co. 
• Style all the way, be it Abhishek or John or a bikini clad Esha or the super sexy Rimi Sen or the super bikes
• A celebration of Indian masala

Misses

• Logic has been ignored. The genre is such, But, some stunts are definitely gravity defying, beautifully shot nevertheless. 

VERDICT

Thrilling time-pass. Fun filled action extravaganza.