Review: Don 2 (2011)

No Marketing is the best marketing - Probably not quoted by any famous person but this is something I'm saying and something that the team of 'Don 2' partly believes in. After the infamous Ra.One debacle, SRK thought it is better to keep mum on his films and to everyone's surprise - it works, big time. Period.

Don 2 is a tribute to Hollywood's impact on the Indian audience. With every Hollywood action flick releasing, the average Indian viewer expects the same in Bollywood - None of the biggies were able to satiate their thirsts until one man a.k.a. Farhan Akthar brings about a powerful script coupled with power packed stunts with the Baadshah of Bollywood and hence Don 2 scores.

If only would have the music been a tad better, Don 2 would have been rated as a classic and a benchmark set for others to reach but it doesn't, the songs are bad and the only thing that keeps playing in the background is the cherishable 'Don' theme.

Watching a Bollywood movie in 3-D would have people laughing at you when announced but watching Don 2 in 3-D was absolutely awesome.The explosions, the stunts and SRK were absolutely kickass in 3-D.

Farhan Akthar is intelligent so is Don 2 just like his creator. (Except for one flaw which i found towards the climax)

Action. Thrill. Suspense. Drama and a sprinkle of romance pretty much sums up Don 2. And the credit goes majorly to Farhan Akthar for drafting a brilliant script to continue the 'Don' franchise. Hats off Farhan!

Boman Irani as Vardhan, Om Puri as Malik and Priyanka Chopra as Junglee Billi come up with passable performances.

SRK proves his haters as to why people call him the Baadshah aur Is Baadshah ko pakadna mushkil hi nahi naamumkin hai.....


Rating: 3.5/5

Don 2: A Class Apart!

Review: Mission:Impossible Ghost Protocol

What can you expect when one of the most popular cult action series goes into the hands of a person who is known for directing animated flicks? Frankly, you wouldn't care who calls the shots because the 'Mission:Impossible' franchise is such that just Tom Cruise and his stunts would suffice for the movie to click. And though it doesn't click that well, it works..

This installment of MI is more comical than gripping. The makers decided to take tickle the funny bone more than pumping up the adrenaline because most of the action sequences(save one or two) just failed to impress.

Graphics is one department where the crew should have worked upon. It is simply just not Hollywood standards. The scenes where the sand storm hits Dubai are just mediocre and some places you feel you are watching a B grade movie.

Unlike most of the other MI movies, Ghost Protocol offers an engaging script rather than thrilling action sequences, although the one part where Ethan (Tom Cruise) does a stunt on the Burj Hotel, Dubai was kick ass.

People told me that the movie's first half was awesome and second half sucked but i don't quite agree with that. The first half is pretty boring and the second half is where you get the hold of the story. 

Music by Micheal Giacchino could have been better. The visuals were so dull at places and the viewer is put to sleep - this is where the music should have worked.

Some things i couldn't digest in the movie - 

They said Mumbai and they showed some posh palace which probably doesn't exist in that part of India.

Too many exotic cars on the Indian roads.

They showed Sun Networks and some tamil channels being played in a satellite TV station in Mumbai.

They showed some door with a caution sign and its translation written in Telugu.

They showed some exotic cars with left hand drive and with number plates which vehicle numbers in Indian format but written reversed.

Tom Cruise gets hit at sensitive areas too much but still gets up like a normal person.

Ideally what they have done is, they brought cameras to India, shot some scenes in Mumbai and then carried out rest of the shooting at Ramoji studios in Hyderabad. This is an area where the team should have worked a bit more.

Anil Kapoor comes as a playboy and just like every typical Indian, he falls for a mediocre sexy woman with saliva dripping out of his jaw dropping face.

Overall, Mission:Impossible Ghost Protocol is not such a great movie to look up to but it does entertain. Tom Cruise carries the movie throughout and keeps the audience engaged.

Hopefully, there is no further sequel to this series.

Rating: 3/5

Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol - Timepass!

Review: The Dirty Picture (2011)

Have you ever thought that Bollywood should also make movies in the likes of American Pie. Well, Bollywood has heard you - 'Soap queen' Ekta Kapoor and Director Milan Luthria bring you something better - The Dirty Picture (read. soft(er)core porn)

When you hear the first moans of the protagonist (Vidya Balan a.k.a. Silk), you start to wonder, what is Naseeruddin Shah doing. To an extent, 'Smooch Expert' Emran Hashmi's presence is justified but what the hell is 'Kid Face' Tushar Kapoor doing in the same flick. These thoughts bother you just for some time - just until silk scorches the screen and when it starts there is no stopping for entertainment. You keep wanting for more. And you get 'satisfied' until the interval.

Post-interval, there are a few unwanted breaks(songs) which gets you frustrated. The story is purely about Silk and her rise to stardom and later. So there is no scope for any betterment on the story line. The writer has to be given a pat on the back for making a real life story gripping. Silk's life sure is one to ponder upon and get inspired but its adaptation on screen could have been 'finished' well.

You have double meaning dialogues all over the movie and they make you clap and laugh. Some of them so dirty that you first decide whether is it really something to laugh upon. "Hum tumhe aisi jagah pe maarenge ki tum confuse ho jaogi ki pant pehnna hai ya ghagra"

A disclaimer, I personally don't like Vidya Balan and I don't think she is anyway hot or seductive. I was wondering whether she would anyway resemble Silk but I had no idea how Silk looked either. Then my friend told me that she looked ugly and that answers my question and some of yours too.

In spite of all this, Vidya Balan created an impact on me and after 'The Dirty Picture', I respect her more for being so bold and choosing such a brave script. Hats off to her for doing justice to Silk.

Well she has her double meaning dialogues too - "Holi khelne me shauk hai magar pichkaari me dum nahi" - Tell me, when you have such dialogues spoken in a big screen and with mature audiences listening to it with you, Do you need Bollywood to be more transparent? Kamal Hassan once said in a press statement - ' I think it's high time to bring X-rated films on screen' and though not with full accordance but Milan Luthria and team have heard the master and they have tried 'obeying' him to their best.

That is all I have about 'The Dirty Picture' for you. I hope it triggers your senses to get triggered again while watching the movie. Enjoy!

Rating: 3/5

The Dirty Picture: DoubleX

P.S. You would never expect Nasseruddin Shah to star in such a movie! Let alone talking about his performance.