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. 

Agneepath movie review

A remake of the 1990s movie of the same name. The treatment is also outdated. The only pluses are Hrithik Roshan's incredible looks and screen presence, Ajay-Atul's songs and the rich production design and sets.

It's a typical revenge saga and a blood bath. Vijay has to avenge the death of his father Master Deenanath Chauhan who is killed brutally by Kancha in front of the entire village (Mandwa) because Kancha's ways are opposed by the Master.

After 15 yrs Vijay completes his life's mission of revenge and joins his father in the afterlife. There is a love track, lots of blood, songs, an honest policeman, a corrupt politician, mother/sister sentiment and another gangster in the form of Rauf Lala who opposes Kancha. Stale remake.

Review

• The success of this movie proves that Bollywood is mostly just about a big hero, lots of hype, an item number and very little stuff. Sad state of affairs. Our audience is still welcoming such stale affairs purely believing the hype. Ra.One and now Agneepath, didn't deserve big success. 
• Sanjay Dutt looks seriously scary and overacts at times. Rishi Kapoor is a surprise casting in a negative role. Priyanka Chopra stands beside her man and looks pretty. She emotes well in one dragging scene prior to her marriage and death. Katrina Kaif dances as if she is possessed by a dancing spirit. Chikni Chameli rocks purely as a music video. The sister looks pretty and has some sister sentiment scenes with the Greek God. Om Puri is earnest as always. 
• Too much religious flavor in the songs. The music of the movie is a major plus though. 

VERDICT

Outdated revenge saga and a bloodbath at that. A movie that didn't deserve success. Our audience has been cheated by marketing hype once again. Sad!!!

Wake Up Sid (2009)

The Plot
The film is about the coming of age of a filthy rich young brat named Siddharth Mehra aka Sid. Sid is in Mumbai. He fails his degree exams and has no aim in life. His father is a rich businessman who specializes in flower furnishings. Sid isn't able to fit into his father's business as well.

Sid just has fun with his 2 buddies Laxmi and Rishi. He meets Aisha one day and they instantaneously hit it off. Aisha is from Kolkota and she has come to Mumbai to be independent. Basically she is the exact opposite of Sid. Sid helps her settle in Mumbai and Aisha also gets a job in the magazine "Mumbai Beat"

At one stage Sid has a major fight with his father and he moves out of his home. He lives with Aisha and slowly learns about life. He learns to cook, clean up, wash etc and also gets the urge to work. He is very good at photography and he gets placed as an intern at "Mumbai Beat" thanks to Aisha. Sid works his way up and finally gets a permanent posting as an Assistant Photographer.

By then Sid's father calls him back home and they mend their differences. Aisha also falls for Sid slowly but surely. Sid had been having love feelings for her from the beginning but she feels he is too kiddish for her liking. Finally Sid comes to know about her feelings for him, through her first published article.

Sid and Aisha unite in the Mumbai rains in the end.

Hits

• Such realism in the way relationships have been portrayed be it - love, friendship, mother son bonding, father son bonding. Beautiful to the core. Great work by debutante Ayan Mukerji. 
• Brilliant acting by the entire cast be it Ranbir Kapoor, Konkona Sen, Anupam Kher as the dad, Supriya Pathak as the mom, Sid's friends Laxmi, Rishi & Kashmira Shah as Sonia. Perfect casting. Even the characters in the flat like the young kid, his mom etc. are so life-like.
• Lovely songs by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Amit Trivedi. Peppy, meaningful and melodious at the same time. The BG score by Amit Trivedi is so well in sync with the movie. 
• Even though each of the cast has done a brilliant job, it is impossible to single them out because everyone is equally brilliant. 
• Nice light screenplay that becomes serious just at a couple of points.

VERDICT

One of my all time favorite cults. Ranbir arrived in a big way with this light-hearted coming of age classic.