Kai Po Che movie review

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3 / 5

Chetan Bhagat’s books are much in demand among Bollywood filmmakers for they are believed to lend themselves easily for on-screen adaptation. Bollywood’s biggest blockbuster 3 Idiots is the best example of how Bhagat’s book can be turned into a wholesome Bollywood template entertainer.

Kai Po Che is the latest to be adapted from one of Bhagat’s books, ‘The 3 Mistakes of My Life’. This book talked about three close friends, Govind, Ishaan and Omi, in the city of Ahmedabad and being set around the turn of the millennium, happenings, like the Gujarat communal riots in 2002 and the earthquake in 2001, were also woven into the narrative. Cricket was also a big part of the scheme of things and the epic India – Australia series in 2001 proved to be crucial to the lives of the three friends.

Kai Po Che is a faithful adaptation of the book and it is basically the twists and turns that happen in the lives of the three friends with the above said incidents also playing their own crucial roles in their destiny. With a lot of Bollywood pop-culture elements like bromance, cricket and politics, Kai Po Che turns out to be a wholesome potboiler with a feel-good finale.

The fresh actors go a long way in making the movie work with the handsome debutant Sushant Singh Rajput having all the makings of a solid hero. He wears his heart on his sleeve and makes the impulsive Ishaan a very likable chap. Raj Kumar Yadav has shined in the past as a character actor in movies like Talaash and Shaitaan. He proves his worth yet again and his shy, hesitant romance with the effervescent Amrita Puri (as Ishaan’s sister Vidya) is charming and understated. Amit Sadh as Omi has an emotionally heavy role and he pulls it off as well. Digvijay Deshmukh as the young cricketing prodigy Ali, who smashes 4s and 6s on the leg side and he is quite natural.

Though bonding between friends has been shown extensively in movies like Dil Chahta Hai and Rang De Basanti, Kai Po Che also has its own share of likable bromance sequences shown through the songs.
The movie is heavily lifted by the cinematography and music score by Anay Goswamy and Amit Trivedi respectively. The look of the film is truly international and it brims with bright and energetic colors. Anay's work in the Gujarat riots sequence gives the necessary tension and grip to the proceedings. Amit Trivedi is a master at giving soft and poignant songs and the three songs in Kai Po Che are sure to find a place on playlists all over.

The movie gives an impression of slightly meandering at places probably because we already know what is going to happen thanks to the book. And though the cricket coaching scenes have been done well, we somehow get a feeling that our movies can never authentically show what cricket is all about. The VFX is obvious in these scenes and we also have Ajay Jadeja making a cameo appearance as a commentator and calling a cover drive ‘classy’ when it obviously doesn’t seem so.

But such slight lulls aside, Abhishek Kapoor has given a worthy follow-up to his almost cult-like Rock On. Kai Po Che, though not an original work, has its heart at the right place, is technically strong and has a fresh cast which delivers.

VERDICT: A nice feel good trip to the theaters and a faithful adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s source material.

Aadhi Bhagavan review

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3.25 / 5

Ameerin Aadhi Bhagavan (AAB) releases today after being in the making for more than two years. The lead actors, Jayam Ravi and Neetu Chandra, have invested all their time and effort to make this movie worth the wait. Coming with the tagline ‘A Mafioso Action Love Story’, the movie majorly happens in Thailand and India. So, is it worth the wait and will it join the list of memorable gangster movies?

The plot of the movie revolves around the mafia as the tagline says and elements like betrayal, mystery and politics are also part of the mix. There is also one major spike which gives the movie a huge fillip just before the halfway point. And as expected, being an Ameer product, the film has its fair share of raw violence, gritty action and in fact there is a certain manic streak in the entire movie.

Pre-release, Ameer had said that if he had to work again with the same hero, he would opt for Jayam Ravi and now we realize why he said so. AAB is definitely Ravi’s most daring and gutsy performance till date. In two absolutely varying roles, the star has put his heart and soul into the movie. He is quick in his moves during the action sequences and the suspense behind his second role better be guarded, because that is when the movie picks up some pace and interest after a bland first half which moves along like Scarface. Characters like Sudha Chandran and Ravi’s sister that come in the first half are cliched and wasted. Ravi has also seemingly worked on his voice modulation to make it sound stern and rough.

Neetu Chandra’s character also throws a surprise before the interval after we expected her to be the typical ‘damsel in distress’ early in the movie. Her expertise at taekwondo comes in handy when she has to do some ass-kicking towards the end. But, her lip sync for her Tamil dialogs is below-par, truth to tell.

Babu Antony appears in the initial portions of the movie before disappearing after the action shifts to India. Former lead actress Sakshi grooves harmoniously for the ‘Yeisalamey’ number but her visage has aged obviously.

The movie definitely has its share of flaws like the overdose of Hindi in the movie. Tamil dialogues have been superimposed over the existing track and despite the disclaimer before the movie starts and before the interval, we get the feeling that we are seeing a dubbed movie. The lip sync for this ‘Tamil on top of Hindi’ routine, leaves a lot to be desired and this proves unsettling and one may feel the same about the other Ravi character’s mannerisms and gestures, as he has overdone some of them. The actor sure seems to have a taste for the theatrics as evidenced in his second role.

The pace of the movie is laborious in the first half and Aadhi Bhagavan is definitely not one of those movies which scores on the brevity front

Yuvan Shankar Raja’s songs don’t have much of a presence in the movie, with two of the romantic melodies totally chopped off. One feels even the ‘Kaatriley Nadandhene’ track could have been done away with. The Bhagavan rap gels with the movie while the ‘Agadam Bagadam’ song towards the end dampens the proceedings just as they become tense. Yuvan’s background score is apt enough for the action genre of the movie.

The stunt sequences though, are definitely among the highlights of the movie. The action is really chaotic, raw and the cinematographer Devaraj has made sure that his camera has captured the action from close quarters. The chase sequence in Goa in the climax and all the fist combats in the both the halves have been done painstakingly. But, the action might hurt the eye too as the cuts are quick and abrupt.

The editor S.P.Ahmed could have made sure that the movie didn’t drag at quite a few instances. Though the end product is watchable and bearable, a little more sprucing and tightening could have helped matters even more.

So, after 6 years we have an Ameer directed movie and though this movie is in stark contrast to his earlier movies thanks to its commercial intentions, it is still worth a trip to the theaters thanks to Jayam Ravi’s versatility and the action set pieces in the movie.

VERDICT: Check out Aadhi Bhagavan if you like Jayam Ravi and if you have the stomach for raw action movies.

Zero Dark Thirty review

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Kathryn Bigelow has already given us a taste of her brand of gritty and intense cinema with The Hurt Locker. For her latest, she has taken the USA's capture of Osama Bin Laden as her subject matter and delivered another intense, hard-hitting and authentic movie replete with in-depth research. The greatest manhunt in history is among the greatest historical dramas produced.

The movie has been filmed in authentic locations including our own Chandigarh and Patiala, to pass off as Pakistan. The torture scenes early in the movie also give us a glimpse of what it is, to be involved in such operations. The last half hour or so of the movie when the US Navy Seals attack a house in Abbottabad, Pakistan suspecting that Osama is hidden in that house, is one truly gripping episode. This entire sequence is shown through the point of view of night-vision goggles and we are sent to the limits of anticipation as we eagerly wait to see Osama. But till the end, we aren't shown Osama's face properly, even after he is dead.

The movie's mainstay is Jessica Chastain as Maya, the CIA operative whose only motto in life is to nab Osama. Her character is inspirational as she is relentless and single minded in her focus. She knows when to raise her voice and when to play the ideal team member. When she says to the CIA director "I'm the motherfucker that found this place, sir.", it gives us an idea of how driven she is, to her goal of finding Osama. Her reactions after she comes to know that the Seals have successfully captured and killed Osama, are nice moments when the emotional load is lifted off her shoulders.

Jason Clarke as Dan holds the center-stage in the torture scenes in the prison and he has some memorable lines like "Can I be honest with you? I am bad fucking news. I'm not your friend. I'm not gonna help you. I'm gonna break you. Any questions?", "When you lie to me, I hurt you.", "This is what defeat looks like, bro. Your jihad is over.", "It's cool, that your strong and I respect it, I do. But in the end, everybody breaks, bro. It's biology."  

Jennifer Ehle and Mark Strong also have their moments as part of the CIA. Ricky Sekhon plays Osama in a makeover which sadly isn't revealed in its entirety.

In all, this is another sharp movie by Kathryn Bigelow which doesn't waver one bit and is a must watch; such is its theme and authentic detailing. The movie is divided into appropriately named chapters, akin to Tarantino's style.  

PS - Badly missed English subs, though. 

Haridas review - FIRST ON THE NET

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3 / 5

Director G.N.R.Kumaravelan, who gave us movies like Ninaithale Inikkum and Yuvan Yuvathi, is back with Haridas, a movie which intends to be an ode to fatherhood. Kishore and Sneha lead the cast list along with support actors like Parotta Suri, Pradeep Rawat, Yuhi Sethu and Raj Kapoor. Prithviraj Das plays the ‘special child’ in focus.

Haridas is basically a tribute to parental love and sacrifice shown through the characters Sivadas, Haridas and Amruthavalli. Sivadas (Kishore) is a cop who is suddenly thrown into a position wherein he has to take care of his 10 year old son Haridas (Prithviraj Das), who has special needs. A teacher at Haridas’ school, Amruthavalli (Sneha) is specially drawn to Hari and she starts exhibiting motherly care and affection on the child.

As his police duties keep begging for his attention on one side, Sivadas is also hell-bent on somehow proving to the naysayers and pessimists that his son can also create a promising future for himself. Will Haridas find his calling, given his father’s relentless persistence on him?

First things first, the director ought to be patted on his back for taking such a sensible subject and delivering it in a convincing manner. That said, we also tend to feel that he could have eschewed the comedy portions and in particular the police-gangster action pitting Sivadas and his colleagues against a group of gangsters led by Aadhi (Pradeep Rawat). Though the scenes dedicated to the police work have also been seriously handled, it takes the focus away from the main plot about Sivadas’ struggles to raise his son.

The director has been aided in his vision majorly by cinematographer Rathnavelu. Each frame is picture-perfect, has a specific color template and has been well-planned and executed. Awesome work by the ace ‘Enthiran’ cinematographer. Vijay Antony’s involved background score lifts the emotional scenes but tends to become loud at times too. Among the songs, the ‘Police Gaana’ provides some light-hearted solace with the other tracks going along with the movie as montages.

Among the performers, it is Sneha who turns out on top with Kishore coming a close second. Sneha’s role is among the most dignified in recent times and the actress has put her heart and soul into the role. Her character’s motherly intentions will surely leave a lump in your throat. Kishore proves that he can emote well in the sober scenes too, as evidenced in that heart-wrenching scene in the rain with his son. The actor’s physique and manly charm gel with his police garb.

The kid, Prithviraj, who is being introduced with this film, is a Coimbatore based lad and he is really genuine in his reactions and gestures. You would root for him, all the way. Audiences always have a soft corner for underdogs and Haridas is no exception. His transformation has been shown in a very gradual and realistic manner. The director has shown where the kid’s interest lies in a metaphoric manner with support characters like Yuhi Sethu and Raj Kapoor playing their own crucial roles in the boy’s transformation.

Parotta Suri’s antics and attempts at romance, though half-funny, stand out from the movie though he fits in to the scheme of things well-enough towards the end.

In all, had the director just focused on the kid’s coming-of-age journey and his father’s efforts pertaining to the same, this could have been a memorable underdog movie also paying handsome tributes to parenthood. Still, one may excuse the director’s shifts in focus and the over- dramatization at instances, as the movie provides plenty of uplifting and heart-warming moments.

VERDICT: This subject needed more single-minded focus but it’s still turned out as a glowing tribute to parental love and sacrifice.

Killing Them Softly review

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The movie happens in times of severe financial crisis in the US, in the fall of 2008. Based on the lead given by a man named Squirrel, two young rookies, Frankie and Russell, rob a Mob protected poker game thinking that they would escape scot-free thanks to the fragile perception on Markie, the proprietor of the poker ring that they plan to rob. Markie had busted his own poker game sometime back.

Post this robbery, an enforcer by the name Jackie Cogan is called upon to clear the mess. Squirrel, Frankie and Russell are pinned as the perpetrators of the crime and time is running out for them as Jackie is slowly but surely planning his moves cunningly.

Ray Liotta as Markie gets a real whacking and he is pulped in all possible means. Poor man, the violence that he is subjected to, isn't for the weak-hearted.

The film moves at a really slow pace and we are constantly reminded of the financial crisis in the country, thanks to videos and speeches of Bush and Obama. It's basically a dog-eat-dog world and the characters are selfish and desperate for money. Brad Pitt, playing Jackie Cogan, goes as far as to say that America is not a country but a business. He even takes a shot at Thomas Jefferson's values while authoring the Declaration of Independence.

Jackie Cogan has some rules and values while plotting the downfall of his targets as he says in one of his dialogues "They cry, they plead, they beg, they piss themselves, they cry for their mothers. It gets embarrassing. I like to kill 'em softly. From a distance"

After the entry of Mickey Fallon, another hit-man, an already slow movie becomes even more slower as he spends all his time boozing and fucking women. The movie has some stylized violence of visuals backed by a retro soundtrack. Brad Pitt looks evidently old but retains his style.

In all, this movie is not everyone's cup of tea and it may be skipped.

Lincoln movie review

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This Steven Spielberg movie shows the last 4 months in President Abraham Lincoln's life during which he made all possible efforts to somehow bring an end to the brutal and deadly Civil War between the Union (North) and the Confederacy (South). The South comprised states where slavery was still legal (slave states) while the Union was one where all the states were prohibited from practicing slavery (free state).

During this time, Lincoln also made relentless efforts to somehow pass the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, one which outlaws slavery and involuntary servitude. He saw this Amendment as a key tool in ending the war and had to have this Amendment passed by the US House of Representatives (The Lower House of the US Congress, the Upper House being the Senate) comprising Democrats and Republicans with varying ideologies and opinions on the issue of slavery.

The movie is lifted totally by the performance of Daniel Day-Lewis as President Lincoln. The makeup is authentic, the voice modulation is perfect and the tall 6'4 frame also looks natural. He has already won 2 Oscars and a third one looks likely as the movie has been nominated for 12 Oscars in all, inclusive of the Best Actor nomination for Daniel.

Tommy Lee Jones's is another expert performance and as the radical Republican Thaddeus Stevens, his emotional reactions, to his colored housekeeper / lover after the Amendment is passed, are memorable. He has also been nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category and this authoritative performance deserves one indeed.

Sally Field as Lincoln's troubled and disturbed wife scores brownie points as well, though she gets emotionally overboard at times. Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Lincoln's ambitious son has a minor role which he plays with the usual intensity. Gloria Reuben as Lincoln's colored dressmaker scores in the scene when she opens her heart out to Lincoln about being a slave and about how the Amendment would result in better times for her clan. David Strathairn leads the rest of the supporting characters in one huge ensemble cast.

The movie has a lot of characters in the form of politicians and army men. It also makes sense to give a proper reading of how the US Congress is structured, about the two Houses, about the two political ideologies in the US, what the Civil War was about , what the 13th Amendment was about and many more related material. After reading all this, seeing the movie again is recommended.

The movie moves at a leisurely pace, is heavily dialog oriented but is definitely uplifting as the climax voting scenes in the House bring the necessary emotional connect in us. The way the movie ends with Lincoln's speech fading out to a close, is again CLASS.

The cinematography, costume design, the period production design and the musical score also play their own little parts in ensuring that Lincoln would be a worthy winner of the Best Motion Picture Oscar.

In all, Lincoln is a solid historical drama about one of the most important men in the history of world politics.

Murder 3 review

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2 / 5

The previous Murder movies were known for their deadly combo of sex, thrills and good music. Actresses like Mallika Sherawat and Jacqueline Fernandez got a huge boost thanks to these Murder movies which were a big success at the box-office as well. While Emraan Hashmi was the male lead in the earlier movies, Randeep Hooda fills in for this edition of the franchise with two alluring women for company in the form of Aditi Rao Hydari and Sara Loren.

Murder 3 is the official remake of the Colombian movie ‘The Hidden Face’. The plot revolves around a big shot fashion photographer (Randeep Hooda), his missing girlfriend (Aditi Rao) and the new girl (Sara Loren) that comes into his life as a result of his girlfriend’s mysterious disappearance. The first half moves at a snail’s pace with songs and some intimate moments thrown in. Post the interval, the mystery about Aditi’s disappearance begins to unravel interestingly.

The movie abides by all the stereotypes and clichés associated with Indian thriller movies like an old palatial house which is deserted, a mysterious servant and creepy props like a painting. The music, by Pritam and the band Roxen, is also decent like other Murder movies while the movie has a sleek and glossy look. The dreamy locales of Cape Town are another treat for the audience.

Both the girls make sure that the male members in the hall have no reasons to complain, thanks to their generous skin showcase. While Sara Loren takes the skin-show honors in the first half, Aditi Rao makes up in the second half. There are some bathroom scenes and lots of tight close-ups on the girls’ assets to abide by the ‘Murder’ glamor template that is well-known by now. Sara Loren's side boob is actually visible after one of the love-making scenes in the first half of the movie. Aditi Rao is seen in hot pants and a tight top for most of the second half, thereby providing a veritable feast of her boobs and thighs.

Randeep Hooda looks imposing and manly but the movie doesn’t demand much of his performing capabilities. There are just two more investigating police characters in this movie which majorly revolves just around the lead pair and the girls in particular.

Thanks to the original source material, the mystery in the second half is exciting and definitely succeeds in interesting an otherwise laidback audience. The climax though could have been more gripping given the way the finale was set up. The sluggish pace in the first half, though justified in the second half, could have been spruced up a bit more. And the way Sara Loren, playing a waitress, falls so quickly for an utterly drunk Randeep in the first half and even drives him safely to her home is hard to believe.

To sum up, Murder 3 is another typical movie from the Bhatts with its fair share of thrills, good production values and titillation. But given an interesting source material, a lot more was expected from this remake than the solace in the second half.

VERDICT: Thanks to ‘The Hidden Face’, the thrills in the second half save the movie to an extent.