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

Fashion (2008)

A movie that looks at the fashion industry like never before - gay designers, shrewd model co-ordinators, big shot managers and finally alcoholic & drug addicted models.

Meghna Mathur is a small town girl from Chandigarh who moves to Mumbai to become a super model. She is a go-getter, makes contacts and becomes big in no time. But, her arrogant and over-confident nature brings her down quickly too. She loses a good boyfriend, hurts people who care about her, undergoes an abortion and becomes an alcoholic. She finally overcomes depression and takes a long time to come back and the very people whom she insulted, stand by her and help her make a great comeback.

Shonali Gujral is another show-stopper model who loses her way due to her drug addiction and subsequent erratic ways. She is replaced by Meghna as the show stopper and at one stage their lives coincide as they lose their bearings in the glamour world.

Hits

• Gritty, detailed but cinematic take on the glamour world. Things are predicable yet gripping. 
• Priyanka Chopra impresses when she repents for her over-confident ways and while she walks on the ramp. Kangana Ranaut dazzles as the show stopper and later when she goes down due to her addiction. She over reacts while emoting. Mugdha Godse is cute and cheerful. Once in a lifetime roles for these heroines. They look and play the part as models. Bold and daring. 
• Salim-Sulaiman make their presence felt throughout the movie with their montage songs and BGM which is repetitive. 
• The rest of the huge cast is impressive. So many people be it - the gay designers (Rohit, Rahul, Vinay), the boyfriend (Manav) , the agency co-ordinators (Sarin, Anisha), the photographers etc etc. Solid casting. 

Misses

• The phone call before Meghna's comeback as the show stopper is utterly cinematic and makes us restless. 

VERDICT

Gutsy and gripping tale about the fashion industry, with very few hitches. Kudos to Madhur Bhandarkar 

Tanu weds Manu (2011)

The Plot

Manish Sharma aka Manu returns to India from London to get married according to his parents wish. He is arranged to meet Tanuja Trivedi aka Tanu in Kanpur on a marriage alliance. But Tanu turns out to be a brat who changes boyfriends frequently and she is currently in love with a railway contractor. But, Manu falls madly in love with her. Yet, he being such a simple and decent man lets go off Tanu.

But he encounters Tanu again in his friend Jassi’s marriage with Payal, who is Tanu’s friend. There, the fire is rekindled. Manu’s loyal aide Pappi, his friend Jassi and Payal are all in favor of Tanu marrying Manu. But Tanu takes a long time to realize this and there is also a suspense regarding who her lover is. Raja is the guy and they plan to elope and get married and Manu also helps in getting their marriage approved by their family too.

But, in the end Tanu realizes all the sacrifices and the pure love that Manu has for her and decides to get married to Manu. After a major scene created by Raja on the wedding night, Tanu weds Manu. 

                                                                     

Hits

• All the support characters Pappi, Jassi, Payak and Raja do a great job. They are the major plus points of the movie. Jimmy Shergill does aggressive characters very well.
• The music and the songs are all peppy and melodious.

Comments

• Maddy is overweight and looks plump. He underplays in the entire movie and the one scene where he bares his heart to Tanu is impressive. He needs to watch his weight but for this role of the decent middle aged London returned Indian, he is perfect.
• Kangana Ranaut is heavily made up but is cute nevertheless and does her part well, as always. She is perfect for such brat roles

VERDICT

Though the movie is just under 2 hrs duration, it drags to the finish line. Not much going for this movie but, it will appeal to the families as proved by the super hit status of the movie. 

Life in a Metro (2007)

What's it about:

           Set in Mumbai, the film deals with the lives of people who are stuck in matters of love, family and relationships.

       Amol and Shivani are an elder couple who re-unite after 40 yrs to spend their twilights together. Rahul is an ambitious young man who goes to the extent of lending his flat to his office seniors so that he can get some money through promotion, for his dream restaurant.  Shikha has a troubled family life and she finds solace in a struggling theater actor. Shikha’s husband has an affair going on with Rahul’s one side love Neha. Neha’s roommate and Shikha’s sister, Shruti is looking for her ideal man and she finally finds her match in Monty, a naïve good-at-heart man.

    All the characters are connected in one way or the other and the film is basically a relationship drama. 

                                                                             

Hits

• Some natural acting from all the actors. The film has a huge ensemble cast.
• Irfan Khan leads the pack with his innocent portrayal of Monty.
• Shilpa Shetty impresses with her acting skills as well, for a change and she looks absolutely smoking hot in that one moment of closeness she has with her lover. 
• The songs are all melodious

Misses

• The climax is in total contrast with the realistic nature of the film. It is quite funny and dramatic and sticks out sorely
• The gang of 3 performers who come in each song, becomes repetitive

VERDICT

A serious, watchable relationship movie.