DHOOM 3 - MOVIE REVIEW

There are stories that induce sleep, actors that don't fit the bill and then there is DHOOM 3. The last big release that 2013 witnessed is also probably the most mediocre release of this year.

So the thief is at it again. And this time the target is THE WESTERN BANK OF CHICAGO whose 4 branches get robbed by the time the film ends. Oh and yes, unlike the other 2 films in the series, you don't get to know how the branches were robbed. Something different right? It is an Aamir Khan film after all!

So the thief is out to take revenge from a bank which could not extend the loan repayment period to a circus group which led to the gaudy looking circus master (Jackie Shroff) commit suicide right in front of his pre-teen child. Why should a bank consider an extension if you cannot repay? What is the point in committing suicide and making your child scandalize so much that he takes revenge for your default in payment? Umm couldn't he have simply moved on and started something else, something small in order to secure his as well as his family's future? Who cares! There wouldn't have been a scope for a back story then!

With repeated robberies, ACP Jai Dixit and his sidekick Ali are called to solve the case! International Agencies be damned! And boy do the 2 super cops have a plan! They'd make the thief rob again!! So after some genuinely good chase sequences and some scenes where a bike transforms into a jet-ski and then into a submarine and then into the bike again (gosh that would've given the bat-mobile sleepless nights), you finally reach the dramatic high point, which, if you've seen The Prestige, would be able to guess pretty easily!

Alright enough of logic bashing. Dhoom series isn't here to make logical sense. It is our own F&F series but there has to be some entertainment element right? Dhoom 1 was a flawed film but had tremendous raw energy. Dhoom 2 was shabby story but was presented in such a stylised manner that it made jaws drop. Dhoom 3 is sadly low on energy and on style. The fact that it focuses on a script and story makes it an even more shabbily made film because of the glaring loopholes in the screenplay!

You will never see a more consistent film than Dhoom 3 if acting is your prime motive to catch a film. Aamir Khan has displayed much flair in portraying the same expression throughout the film. Frankly he never looked the perfect thief.

AND I HAVE 2 GENUINE QUESTIONS.

1.      Was Aamir Khan a clown thief or a magician? They are 2 different characters altogether for God's sake. 

2.     And does a bank close down simply on the grounds that its cash has been robbed, no rather sprinkled all around the bank! How does Aamir rob is the best kept secret and is never revealed.

Intensity was required in this role and Aamir provides it, probably too much. Continuous hamming and amateurishly written dialogues which hardly make sense and I have Never seen Aamir overact so much!

Katrina Kaif too is very consistent with her 5 dialogues and 3 songs kind of an acting regime. 

Abhishek Bachchan is also consistent with appearing only in the Dhoom series and always letting the thief go away despite this time having a SWAT squad at his disposal!! And despite all the years he has been in service, he still remains an ACP! Umm yeah if he keeps on believing what a Circus master tells him without any reference or background check, the ACP title is there to stay.

Uday Chopra.. who cares! It is good to see him crack self deprecatory jokes though!

Vijay Krishna Acharya has dished out another Tashan-isque film, High on budget and scale but low on substance and energy. I wonder how he even passed off a film with such evident loopholes. A total paisa-waste film. You know the bore fest the film was if you find majority of your friends dozing off in a high octane film like Dhoom 3!

So yes, Dhoom 3 is the most spectacular blunder ever made by YRF. No Jhoom Barabar Jhoom was a bigger one!

The only saving grace was the Malang song. Excellently choreographed. But yeah not worth 5 crores of rupees. Dibaker Banerjee makes an entire full length feature film in that much budget!

And by the time this line gets repeated for the 20th time -BANDE HAI HUM USSKE..HUMPE KISKA ZOR..UMMEEDO KE SURAJ..ZZZZZZ ZZZZ

SPECTACULARLY RUBBISH FILM.

** 1.5 STARS**

10 most amazing Bollywood films of 2013

As 2013 draws to a close, we at THE REEL OBSERVER have planned to bring out the best and worst of Bollywood that has been served to the audience.

The first section is going to be focusing on the 10 most amazing films made this year. (Commercial performance of a film has not been used as a criterion in judging the films. So all you superstar fans have a reason to be disappointed :P)

10. GO GOA GONE / WAR CHODD NA YAR

The 10th spot is shared by 2 films that have been the genre openers in Bollywood.

Ever seen a ZOM-COM in Bollywood?? Go Goa Gone was our answer to some amazing Zombie Comedy capers already made in the west.

Filled with superb performances, witty one-liners, slick direction, stupendous editing and a great sound-track Go Goa Gone was a laugh riot. All at the dead man's expense!

Ever seen a WAR-COM in Bollywood? War Chodd Na Yar was one hell of a movie! Portraying comedy out of a patriotic theme is no easy task. Though not at the level of The Dictator, WCNY was extremely effective. If the theme and the set up do not seem funny enough, Mukul Dev Sanjay Mishra and Javed Jaffery will surely have you falling off your seats. This film could have been a genuine commercial success had it been backed by an able distributor and a more effective marketing campaign.

9. DAVID

Bejoy Nambiar's second venture saw accolades coming in from audiences and critics alike. The film seamlessly focused on 3 time zones, 3 separate stories and 3 different characters. Amazingly shot, with performances to die for, David emerged as one of those rare Bollywood films that are high on substance as well as style. Despite being an extremely stylish narrative, David could not be commercially successful as the target audience was a very niche segment.

8. RAM-LEELA

Alright, there were mixed views about this film from the audiences and the critics alike. But one cannot deny the fact that it was one of the most beautiful looking films made this year. The sets, costumes, music, performances, dances, everything had the SLB's stamp of grandeur posted on it. With Deepika growing into a fine performer with every film, Ranveer Singh can now be counted as the next big thing in the industry! The concluding scene of the film still gives me goosebumps when i think about it.

  

7. YEH JAWANI HAI DEEWANI

This film can boast of a unanimous response from the audiences and the critics alike. Everyone liked this film. There wasn't a thing one could possibly not like about YJHD. Well they say in the industry that Ranbir can hardly go wrong. He never does! This film had everything. From being a teenager's fantasy to being a more emotionally matured narrative, YJHD did strike a chord with everyone at some point of time. With Chartbuster songs, sparkling chemistry and some excellent direction made YJHD one of the most successful films of 2013.

6. KAI PO CHE

We have always read poetry, heard people reciting it. But to see poetry in motion is truly a revelation of sorts. This is exactly what KAI PO CHE delivers. A richly detailed, soothingly emotional and a BRO-MANTIC tale of three friends took us on a journey which made us root for every character. The film was based on Chetan Bhagat's best selling novel 3 MISTAKES OF MY LIFE. Kai Po Che was the biggest surprise film this year. 3 relatively new faces, a detailed script and refreshing performances!! One of the finer feel-good-films that I have seen in recent times.

5. MADRAS CAFE

Madras cafe came across as a film which silenced everyone with its sincerity to showcase good cinema. Madras Cafe revisited the period from 1986 to 1991 and showcased probably the darkest phase in the history of our neighbouring nation and its repercussions on our country. Madras Cafe opened up a disturbing chapter in the human history. It also opened up the gates for filmmakers to make films which made sense. It opened up the gates for the filmmakers willing to tell the stories that needed to be told.

Madras Cafe deserved an audience.

The film ended with Tagore's lines (mouthed by John)..Where the head is held high..and the mind is without fear...

Madras cafe was a thoughtful cinematic experience.

4. SHIP OF THESEUS

Words wouldn't suffice the praise that this film deserves. Watch it to believe it. One of the finest indie films that have released this year, both in terms of content and context. Thought provoking cinema at its very best.

3. THE LUNCHBOX

There are certain films which are made to delight the audience. With accolades coming from world over, The Lunchbox was a very fine film, evolving in its own space and probably redefining the clichéd notions that we had in our minds about love. A fascinating narrative pattern, superlative performances and a rare use of imageries made The Lunchbox a film to savour for a long long time.

2. BHAAG MILKHA BHAAG

One simply cannot afford to miss watching Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, purely because it is an essential part of the rarity of athletic glory that we posses, for the sheer hard work that has been put into making this film, for feeling proud about yourself, for not being affected by distractions and being a better human being. No praise is sufficient enough for Farhan Akhtar. Living the role they call it. And he has done precisely that.

Life is never about owning big things. It is about dreaming big and keeping the smaller elements in place; the bigger picture, automatically, will become glorious.

1. LOOTERA

This is one film that made me feel like being in love throughout its runtime. Adapted from the short story The Last Leaf, Lootera was simply a superlative cinematic experience. Sonakshi performed exceptionally well, Ranveer, well he carried the film on his shoulders! Amit Trivedi churned out a brilliant music album, the art direction was out of the world and one thing that I realized once Lootera was aired on T.V, it has tremendous repeat value. Art finally found acceptance in Indian Cinema; though not the kind of thundering success in monetary terms but in terms of the positive vibe that the movie generated.  Vikramaditya Motwane proved that Udaan was no fluke and to me Lootera was the best film made this year.

(There were other films as well that caught our attention..

-Jolly LLb -Special26-Inkaar -B.A Pass-Shahid -D-day)

Feel free to comment about your pick for the 10 most amazing films made in 2013.

GOLIYO KI RAASLEELA...RAM-LEELA - MOVIE REVIEW

Sanjay Leela Bhansali creates his own little world on the celluloid when he sits up to tell a story. Set up in some fictional town in RANN, RamLeela is magnificence at its very best.

There is a thing with the kind of films that SLB makes. The audience either loves them or discards them outright. There is no middle path. Ramleela is Bhansali's return to colourful canvas after a heart wrenching Guzaarish and a rather dud Saawariya. 

The story he picks up is based on the romantic epic by Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet. The screenplay is where he works up magic as he adapts the basic story into a narrative that has shades of rustiness, glamour, gritty patterns and more so it looks extremely believable despite it being a highly dramatized depiction of a quintessential love story.

Expect visual grandeur while watching Ram-Leela. The film is shot beautifully. It is one of those rare films where the technical aspects play a huge role in the way the movie impacts a viewer.

The set pieces are exquisitely designed and detailed. The lighting and shot angles enhance the already beautifully designed set pieces and what transpires on the screen thereafter did, after a point of time, made the story a secondary element for me to derive entertainment from. RamLeela can boast of some of the finest cinematography seen in Bollywood.

Editing department has done an extremely good job in supporting the efforts of the director. 

Background score is situational and is used so judiciously that whenever it comes up during the scenes, it helps to develop the desired emotion. 

The costumes again are superbly in sync with the location and set up and are wonderfully crafted.

The choreographer deserves awards for sure. I am not sure about the last time I saw such beautifully choreographed songs that made me go WOW!

The screenplay is the primary strength of the film. It contains in itself, vast amount of details to be told to the audiences. Bhansali too, uses the screenplay in a rather smart manner by just using it as a tool to establish situations and leaves the rest on some superb camerawork, lighting, acting, music and dialogues to deliver the desired goods. 

This is primarily the reason why many of the faults in the screenplay get covered. 

As the film moves forward post the interval, it gets stuck into situations that do not add much value to the overall screenplay. But rest assured it is just a minor hiccup. 

Deepika Padukone has had an amazing 2013. With all her films grossing humongous amounts, RamLeela too finds itself sitting pretty in the 100 crore club. She is steadily growing into a seasoned campaigner. But it is when she steps into the position of Supriya Pathak that you realize her growth as an actor. Superbly done. She looks breathtaking in certain scenes and emotes as is desired.

Richa Chaddha is brilliant in her stint. She gets her accent so spot on that it is hard to believe that she isn't a resident of Kutch. So is Abhimanyu Singh. He lends tremendous support to the premise during the 1st half. 

Barkha Bisht, Sharad Kelkar, Raza Murad are all familiar names and play their parts perfectly. Probably the only weak link in the entire support cast is Gulshan Devaiah. That he tries too much to deliver shows in his performance.

Ranveer Singh. Well I have been a fan of this guy ever since he appeared in Band Baaja Baraat, and with every film, he has grown as an actor. He enacts with tremendous energy and flaunts a perfectly chiselled physique. This is one of the most remarkable performances of his career. When he is on the screen it is tough to look elsewhere; such is his screen presence. He cracks up an excellent chemistry with Deepika and when they appear on the 70mm, sparks do fly, pretty frequently.

But to me, Supriya Pathak emerges as the best performer. She is just terrific. Such is her understanding of the character and mannerisms that she makes it hard for the audience to imagine her in any other role; as some say, born to play this role! Those menacing eyes turn tender on seeing her daughter take up the reins of the family. Superbly enacted. CLAP CLAP CLAP. Hats off Mrs. Pathak. 

Sanjay Leela Bhansali has yet again shown that there is no one who comes close when it comes to telling a simple story in the most artistic manner possible. Yes RamLeela is filled with the trademark over the top hysteric sequences, melodrama but it somehow does not irk the viewer at all!

His understanding of aesthetics is without doubt the best in the industry and hence you see some of the most stunning visuals ever shot in the history of Indian cinema coming up from Bhansali's films. Club along with this, an ability to tell a story. He puts up the narrative with superb style and flair on display and never lets gloom set in. (which is one emotion SLB frequents in his films)

In what has always been a rarity with the kind of work SLB puts up on screen, RamLeela is a joyride. It is fun to watch. Mind you these are the terms which are not usually associated with Bhansali's brand of cinema.

RamLeela also succeeds in a fair way because of the superbly written dialogues. From being playful to being thought provoking, the dialogues do bring out whistles as well as awestruck appraisal. 

RamLeela is one of the finest music albums released in 2013. It is a totally different experience altogether to watch the songs on the silver screen. For a more detailed music review kindly visit -http://arpitpokharna.blogspot.in/2013/10/ram-leela-music-review_6.html

There are so many scenes that caught my fancy! Visual Splendour!

RamLeela also suffers from certain shortcomings. Some scenes fail to deliver the desired impact. The 2nd half is long drawn and required some editing. The item number by Priyanka Chopra was a mere addition to the reel and not much to the impact on the film.

Certain portions get too corny with the bosoms being the main focus of attention for a large part of time. Too much is put up in certain frames to be digested at one go. The cop getting bribed with porn DVD's was another sequence that did not go well with me.

Furthermore, the sms chats between Deepika and Ranveer were far from being cute. They were ridiculous. Sample this - "Laal hai seb aur peela hai kela..raam ki hi hai Leela.." ya something like that :/

RamLeela is worth every penny spent on purchasing the ticket. Nagade Sang Dhol alone is enough the price of admission. There is art and yet it is high on commercial value, there is lust but also a very strong emotional undercurrent flows throughout and yes there are visuals that will stay with you long after you have walked out of the cinema house. It was such a fulfilling experience. 

How I wish Laal Ishq and Dhoop had been included as full length tracks in the film! 

**4 STARS**

BULLETT RAJA - Movie Review

There were 4 questions which sprang up in my head within the first 10 minutes of the runtime of Bullet Raja.

1) Did Tigmanshu Dhulia direct Paan Singh, Haasil, Sahib Biwi aur Gangster?

2) If yes, then was it really Dhulia who directed Bullett Raja?

3) What has Sonakshi Sinha got to do in every film now days? 

4) Why isn't Jimmy Shergil seen in more films and meatier roles?

Bullett Raja is a serious headache. The characters, well you've seen them all. The dialogues, you've heard them all. The set up too is familiar. The script, beyond a point would make you irritable as you'd just watch everyone kill everyone, with logics best suited to the scriptwriter's sense.

The relation between the characters here isn't complex or nowhere near being intriguing, but is plain nonsensical. You cannot sell anything in the name of a film set in Uttar Pradesh’s political backdrop. 

Not that I went along with any expectations from BR but the sole reason of it being a Tigmanshu Dhulia's product had me interested to look out for some surprise element. And yes I was surprised as I found none.

The story is not as much about Saif's and Sonakshi's romance, instead it is about Saif's and Jimmy's bromance! Acceptable. But Saif thinking of Jimmy in a sequence that has him sing love odes to Sonakshi is a bit too much I guess!

The plot has been done to death. Dhulia tries to make his commercial attempt look realistic but he succeeds only partially. The first half has some moments for sure but the opening sequence had an item number of Mahie Gill dancing to don’t touch my BODY and it made me scratch my head off! Even rubbish isn't capable of describing that song.

The premise is established in a haphazard manner with no proper reasoning. Of the second half, all I could comprehend was that everyone was trying to kill Saif for their own merry reasons. Alliances were formed and forged. And amidst all Saif soared. For of course he is the RAJA. 

There is Tamanche pe disco as well. You could see an elephant dance to the tunes of RDB in a red dress along with a Nawab. Rare sight.

Saif, who blew my mind away when he donned the hat of the brutal Langda Tyagi struggles to sail through Bullett Raja. His accent sounds forced, dialogue delivery is pathetic but it is somehow his persona that makes him watchable.

I DO NOT FIND MYSELF COMPETENT ENOUGH TO REVIEW SONKASHI SINHA'S ACTING ABILITIES. DID LOOTERA REALLY HAVE HER PLAYING THE LEAD? WAS IT A DREAM?

Jimmy Shergil is a fantastic actor. He is the only saving grace of Bullett Raja. Come-on! Give him more chances. He is one hell of an actor. From dialogue delivery to nuances, he gets them bang on.

To conclude, it was beyond my understanding as to what made Tigmanshu Dhulia make such a film. To call it even mediocre is an over statement. All I hope is to see Dhulia get back to making what he is good at, gritty hard hitting cinema, Saif getting back to his suave avatar, Jimmy getting more roles and Sonakshi appearing in lesser films. Oh she already has another release lined up for next Friday!

*1.5 STARS*