DON 2- a Farhan Akhtar film.

What is the first thing that you expect when you are going to see a character called and sufficiently hyped as-"DON", especially when the tag line screams- "The King is back"?? I went in expecting a man who exudes power; a man who rules an empire and commands obedience.

Shah Rukh Khan in DON 2 is everything but that!!! On the contrary he is a lone criminal- without even a two penny yes man- with a plan to rob a bank! Yes, it is a very big bank but still at the end of the day it is a thief robbing a bank!!! Thus making DON 2 a very stylized cop and robber caper set in exotic locations to very mediocre music!!

There is no taking away from the style of the visuals. They are splendid…but when the pace of the film drags on with no big event happening, when the audience begins to slow their mobiles to check how much longer is left for the film to end and when you have not a single song to hum or jiggle to… you got to know there is something not quiet right!

The film starts on a very promising note but goes down hill from the tenth minute and never recovers for the poor DON does not even have a chauffeur to drive him around, forget about other lieutenants to take his command!! The only hope he has to make a living is his old enemy- Vardhan played rather clumsily- for may be the first time- by the very talented, Boman Irani! At places where Vardhan is supposed to be scary or angry, Irani ends up being funny- unintentionally of course! Priyanka looks stunning and holds her forte amidst the general mediocrity of performances. The dialogues, that are talked about have a shocking degree of inconsistency- while at times they are very refreshing and witty, they also tend to be suddenly lame and timid!

And then, there is our beloved- "King Khan"! A short and thin bloke with a henpeck hair do, walking around with a forceful swagger (Very Funny!) mouthing supposedly menacing dialogues looking more comic than intimidating. Of course the wicked smile still has its charm but largely it is the good will of so many years that makes the audience forcefully react favorably at most places!

I hate to be so harsh and vociferous on any film. I know the grit and grime that goes behind putting it all together but I am a big-big fan of Farhan Akhtar- the film maker. I have so far loved his every creative endeavor… even the acting adventures! Hence I feel more hurt than angry as to why so many things were overlooked while taking forward a franchise that has an already well put together premise! Why the music was so ordinary? Why Shah Rukh looked so pathetic?

My worst fear is if Farhan Akhtar the writer-director is losing out to Farhan Akhtar the actor!! What a loss to the film industry that would be!! Mere liye toh yeh accept karna mushkil hi nahin na-mumkin hai!! (For me to accept that is not only difficult but rather impossible!)

The Dirty Picture by Milan Luthria

Whenever i enter a hall to watch a film, i intend to like it. I hate to criticize a movie- especially these days. May be being surrounded by so called intelligent people who hate everything contemporary and love all things jaded is a reason... alas... With such intentions in place and after being thoroughly impressed by the Dirty Picture promos, Milan Luthria's previous works and Vidya Balam's sensuousness, i was not expecting to be disappointed. But i am!
The film has super dialogues that not only convey the message effectively but do it with plenty of "entertainment." Vidya Balan as 'Silk' looks not only sensuous but 'not surprisingly' delivers a brilliant performance.
Prior to seeing the film i was smitten by the 'ooh la la' song... after the film i am nauseated by it! And not without reason for on the music front, that's all they have got and thus it keeps playing in an endless loop turning a fan into foe!
At the end of the- show, it is the screenplay the counts and that is where the film lost me and the director Milan Luthria seems to have lost the 'plot'. It is slow and predictable.
You know all the time that a woman like Silk is going to meet her downfall and when a linear way of narration has been adopted, it is imperative to keep the screenplay intriguing.
That does not happen at all. The film starts with a bang! It hooks you in and you await anxiously for a trip... there is none however!
The film begins to drop fifteen minutes prior to the interval and from there it is Vidya Balan's cleavage and performance along with Rajat Arora's dialogues that see you through. There is not much space given to anybody apart from Vidya Balan. There had to be something more in the screenplay for it to stay interesting. Even the visuals for what is to seem a craze are very limited.
For a film that is heading towards a tragic end at a slow pace should not have a mediocre romantic number twenty minutes prior to the climax. That song and plenty more should have been edited out.
Had the film been a good 25 minutes short, it would not have become boring.
It is only for the sake of Vidya Balan that i say no more.... All males ofcourse...highly recommended for you and all your dark(not dirty!) spaces!

Rockstar by Imtiaz Ali

I was looking forward to "Rockstar"... for nothing else but because Imtiaz Ali has proven before that he is not only a trustworthy story teller but also a sincere one at that. Although i did not enjoy Love Aaj Kal as much as Socha Na tha and Jab we Met... there is no denying that here again, Ali had attempted to tell a story differently, bravely and sincerely and all of that within the realms of commercial cinema.

The promo's of Rockstar only made my heart grow fonder. This looked good. Visuals like those were exciting and to look forward... now only if the film was as good as the promos...

Last week i realized, the film was not as good as the promos but all the same it was a good film and as has been Ali's tradition... it was a sincere film. It is that very sincerity, may be, that has made him keep those fifteen minutes which have added to the length and bothered many. They did not bother me. I can sit through a long film, provided its not hamming or repeating itself or of course if i don't have to pee!!

The pain and angst of Janardhan aka Jordan played by Ranbir was not made of the regular rom-coms, it was brutal longing for someone. It was a firce and pure need that required the time, it has taken. In hindsight, may it could have been kept shorter but in hindsight all of us can make great films... what matters is what has been made now and in that context Rockstar is a well made film.

The only thing disappointing to me was the beautiful Nargis Fakhri who cannot act to save her and her director's life and face! She is stunning to look at and thats where one's judgement of her should end. Its her first film though and with Hindi, I'm sure she'll learn acting too...

After a long time, i saw a wholesome Hindi film that did not seem patchy with illogical action and sequences simply put for the sake of so called entertainment. After a long time, i saw a Hindi film that narrated a story very fluently and entertainingly without succumbing to cheap thrills and gimmicks.

All films have a few screws to tighten... having said that... Rockstar has very few that need that. It is a good film and requires a theater viewing.