Movie review: om shanthi om

Finally, the much awaited biggie of this year is out and is surely here to make a thunderous presence. Farah Khan's ' Om Shanti Om' with the dream star cast of Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone , Arjun Rampal and Shreyas Talpade has done it yet again.On similar lines with reincarnation stories , the movie starts with the backdrop of the 70s with Om (SRK), a junior artiste struggling to make it big and is madly in love with Shanti (Deepika) the reigning superstar. His dream to reach the top fizzles out when he dies in a mishap and this incident changes his life forever, he is now born in the present day and is a top star but then he fails to understand those flashes of those voices he hears, the 'Flames' that go up , his mother chasing his car sets him on a soul search to understand the roots of his past birth.Interestingly, Shanti (Deepika) reappears in the present day too but in a different aspect and how the movie takes you into a very mystic journey forms the rest of the film.Presentation Farah Khan has scored full points in her direction, she is improving by the day and with the excellent combination of Mushtaq Sheikh (writer) she has once again confirmed that she knows what she wants and how she can present it to the audience to give them the maximum. She is a full pack of surprises when it comes to the story and catches the viewer off guard many times, that's a very intelligent work which is hard to find these days. Supporting her with the story is an excellent cinematography by V Manikandan , some rich sets by Sabu Cyril, a very tacky dialogue pack by Mayur Puri and to top it all a heart rendering background music by Sandeep Chowta added with some pleasant numbers by Vishal - Shekhar duo especially the 31-star track and 'Dard -e - Disco' is the highlight of the film. The icing on the cake is the cast , SRK leads the pack as usual with a mind blowing performance and once again proves to the masses that he still has not forgotten his roots as a mass actor. Deepika shows equal maturity sharing screen space with a top star and has all the ingredients to become a successful heroine.The surprise package comes in the form of Arjun Rampal who has carried out the negative role with exceptional ease and Shreyas Talpade who proves that he has no weak knees when it comes to performing with the king of Bollywood.The other roles carried out by Kiron Kher, Javed Sheikh and Bindu add to the spice. On the flip side, the second half could have been well tailored but some intelligent editing by Shirish Kunder keeps you busy.Conclusion Walking into the theatre with an apprehension of 'Karz' and 'Karan Arjun' in mind , you will be in for a roller coaster ride as you not only get a taste of it but then more than what you can take. Every scene has something new to offer and there is a lot of freshness, it is like a journey that takes you back to the nostalgic 70s and then gets you back to the present day life with some real comfort.This is an out and out entertainer so don't expect to get messages to reflect or some thought provoking ideals to work on, it wont work here. It can be branded more on the 'sit back and enjoy' genre and will give your money's worth.

Movie Review: Om Shanti Om Banner: Red Chillies EntertainmentRating: 4/5 Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Arjun Rampal, Shreyas Talpade, Javed Sheikh, Kirron Kher, Bindu, Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Rekha, Mithun Chakraborty, Rishi Kapoor, Subhash Ghai, Karan Johar, Juhi Chawla, Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Sunil Shetty, Govinda, Kajol,Priyanka Chopra, Shilpa Shetty, Rani Mukherjee, Preity Zinta, Lara Dutta, Vidya Balan, Abhishek Bachchan, Bobby Deol, Karisma Kapoor, Tabu, Urmila Matondkar,Tusshar Kapoor, Zayed Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Malaika Arora Khan, Amrita Arora, Dino Morea, Ritesh Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani, etc...Art: Sabu CyrilEditor: Shirish KunderCinematography: V ManikanandanChoreography : Farah KhanMusic : Vishal-ShekharProducer: Gauri KhanDirector: Farah KhanRelease Date: November 9, 2007

Aajanachele... Madhuri is ok Not the Movie

The story of comebacks have been pretty successful in the history of Bollywood be it the erstwhile Manoj Kumar or the recent Kajol, but then the jinx looks ready to break with the comeback of Madhuri Dixit which fails to impress from the very beginning.

The story starts with a phone call to Dia (Madhuri Dixit) in New York from her guru Makarand (Darshan Zariwala), who is in his final stage in a small town Shamli in India. Dia rushes to the town and gets transported to nostalgic times when she left the very place ten years ago on a bitter note and now Ajanta Theatre once the most happening place is now on the brink of destruction and is being looked at a real estate conversion by the local authorities.

In a dedicated will to stop this from happening, Dia joins hands with Doctor (Raghuvir Yadav), the caretaker of the theatre and vows to come up with a theatrical production with each member of the production from the same town in less than two months time. How she overcomes the obstacles posed by the local politician (Akhilendra Mishra) and the shrewd businessman (Irrfan Khan) and gets successful in her journey forms the rest of the story.Presentation Debutante Director Anil Mehta who is known for his cinematographic skills has failed to realize that ultimately it is the story line and the content in it that gets the audience to the theatre.

The major drawbacks in the movie are the script and the music and since this happens to be a musical as the title suggests, there is hardly a single number which the audience can carry home. Salim - Sulaiman (Music) have failed miserably in that department. What looked like a realistic cinema gets converted into a fairy tale as things fall into line very smoothly with not much efforts required. No one talks about the funds and its source to erect the grand set that comes in the climax (the set design is awesome to look at).

The only credits to the movie are the quality performance by Madhuri and some really interesting dialogue situations between Madhuri and Akshaye Khanna, who has given a stellar performance. Other talents like Irrfan Khan and Konkona Sen Sharma have been underutilized. The other departments like Cinematography and production design are perfect. The other cast in the form of Ranvir Shorey, Kunal Kapoor and others have done justice to their role.Conclusion Madhuri fans who expect her to make a smashing comeback will have to smash such ideas as the two main organs for a film - Music and Script have disappointed which led to the downfall of the movie. What could have been a very realistic subject has been presented in a very unbelievable manner, which has slipped the audience interest on the movie. The film has a feeble start and fails to pick up at any point.

Madhuri has to be appreciated for looking just the same when she left and credits to Akshaye Khanna for coming up with a brilliant performance. Both Madhuri and Akshaye actually set the screen on fire when they were together. The other departments have done a decent job.

This could perhaps be a major flop at the box office this year!!

tarezameen par ..good movie

Story: Aamir Khan does it again but this time the perfectionist has excelled not only in his performance but also as a story teller.

'Taare Zameen Par' is the story of Ishaan Awasthi (Darsheel Safary), an eight year old who lives in a world of imagination far away from the realistic sights, his world is full of beautiful animals, kites and colors which in no way seem to make an impact on the grown ups in society who believe in academics and discipline to be the only best things for a child.

As expected, Ishaan fails to perform in the classes and a freak incident that lands the boy in trouble spikes up his parents and they decide to put him in a boarding school much against his begging pleas. Their idea of imbibing discipline and order fails to do much for Ishaan and instead he goes into further recluse. In comes Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Aamir Khan), the new art teacher and contrasting to the regulars Ram motivates the children to use their imagination to the fullest and let their mind go as far as it can dream but this has no effect on Ishaan. Ram observes this indifference in the child and sets on a journey to understand the mind and heart of the boy. With an unconditional perseverance and care; he guides Ishaan to the ultimate discovery of himself.Presentation Words are no match for the brilliance exhibited by Aamir Khan in this film; apart from a stellar performance he has proved that he has a master story teller inside him. The notion that Aamir's film has only Aamir throughout the film will be totally wiped out when you watch this movie and what appears to be a fun loving movie for the kids is actually a movie about kids. The film enlightens on the finer aspects of a child's sensitivity and Aamir conveys it clearly to the audience that it is the world that has to be viewed from a child's eye and not from our thoughts and prejudices when dealing with them. The first half of the movie is an intense emotional recipe where tear jerking scenes are not a surprise and it showcases a marvel while showing the mother and son relationship. Till interval, the show is carried out literally by Ishaan and the second half takes you the heights with its challenging scenes and ends with a breathtaking and a truly revealing climax. Selva has tranced the audience with his camera and the master music trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy has come out with some catching tunes. The other technical departments have done a master's job in their area. Coming to the cast, this by no means is an Aamir movie when it comes to acting; the real show stealer was Master Darsheel Safary who has mesmerized the audience with his naïve expressions and emotions. Sharing screen space with a thorough professional like Aamir , Darsheel had the ease and reality to show a child's true personality. Aamir needs no words as yet again he has delivered what he knows best - perfection in action. A revealing performance by actress Tisca Chopra is an eye opener and she is one lady to watch out for in the movie. The other cast comprising of Tanay Cheda (Ishaan's friend) Sachet Engineer (Ishaan's brother) Vipin Sharma (Father) and the other teachers has been perfect.Conclusion Aamir khan deserves a standing ovation for his debut venture and one will agree after watching the film that he is on par with any talented directors in the industry. His presentation and his handling of such a sensitive subject in a matured way is revolutionary. A mind blowing performance by the child artist Darsheel Safary which sort of overshadowed some brilliant performances by Aamir and Tiscal Chopra. It is a must see for every parent and would be parent not just for the movie but the close relation it has with daily lives and the importance of respecting a child's thinking. Aided by some good music and some splendid camerawork, the movie is a masterpiece and can find its way through the awards and accolades.








Movie Review: Taare Zameen ParRating: 4.25/5


Banner: Aamir Khan Productions, PVR Cinema


Star Cast: Aamir Khan, Tanay Chhed, Darsheel Safary, Tisca Chopra etc


Music Director: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Shailendra Barv


Cinematography: Setu


Choreography: Shiamak Davar


Editor: Deepa BhatiaStory: Amol Gupte


Producer: Aamir KhanDirector: Aamir KhanRelease


Date: December 18, 2007