Dabangg 2: Fight, Dance, Repeat!!!

Clearly Dabangg2 is not a film for people who read or write stories. Clearly Dabangg2 is not a film for people who read or write reviews. Heck, Dabangg2 is clearly not a film for people who read or write at all.

For those of you who crib that Salman Khan no longer ‘acts’ in his films I recommend watching Dabang2. He doesn’t even do his steps here. His belt sways itself automatically to ‘Hud Hud Dabang’. Now if that doesn’t tell about the star I don’t know what does.

With Chulbul Pandey’s mother and bothersome father-in-law safely out of way in the original, we no longer have the need to be concerned about what happens to anyone. Sure, we know the baddies get killed, the wifey gets her share of kisses and songs, the father is content and happy listening to the heroics of his son and the brother is only too willing to be ignored. So what we are left with are the antics of the actor having so much fun himself and delivering some of them to us too.

The story is such a joke that had Arbaaz Khan heard it himself, he would have laughed to his heart’s content. Pandeyji has now transferred himself to Kanpur and is busy saving children from goons there. But as we all know the world does not let a man do his aviator tricks and pelvic thrusts in peace does it? So we have Bacha Bhayya (Prakash Raj) and his two brothers. Why three you may ask. It is simple. One to get killed in the first half and the other who has some political ambitions to be killed in the second half. You did not think Salman Khan needs to get his shirt off to fight Prakash Raj. So we have the third beefed up brother to facilitate the climax act. Gotcha?

This is a Salman Khan film and no one messes his party for him and this applies for decent artists too. Deepak Dobriyal learns it the hard way when his head gets twisted for putting in a competent act. People are equal in number whether he wants to kill them or shake a leg with them dressed impeccably in formals. Believe me, all of it is so entertaining that the first half breezes away even when it has no real story to connect these acts and you are not even guilty of enjoying it.

So folks, that’s about it. Go and Watch Dabang2 because “Chulbul Pandeyji aapka Manoranjan Karenge”

Aate Hai.

Talaash: Say No to Cheese

Talaash is a great film made out of an absurd story and it is not necessarily a good thing to happen. The much-hyped twist at the end might live up to it in terms of its shock value to find its presence in  an Aamir Khan film but it is certainly out of place. It is surprising to see how everyone decided to play along when the bluff was so easy to call and to think that they have made one flawless film out of this insanity is difficult to chew.

It is a tempting thought to call Talaash a film-noir since it evocatively checks most of the boxes of the genre. But the generous amount of cheese its script is peppered with and the leisurely pace with which the plot unfolds bring down what could have been a decent tribute to the genre.

The film is consistently watchable thanks to the ensemble both on and off the screen. Kareena and Nawazuddin Siddiqui are the standout performers and the later in particular adds an altogether different and interesting perspective to the plot. Aamir plays the role of the cop with his usual earnestness but Surjan Shekhawat is not one of his memorable roles since the character is neither likeable nor layered enough to follow. He asks all the questions in the movie but forgets or conveniently ignores the most important one. The logic of the script. Rani is a natural and seems to be at home playing Roshni who does not resort to theatrics to make her point. Mohanan’s cinematography gives the film the desired moody feel and Ram Sampath’s background score manages to hook you to the proceedings. As we noted earlier, this is indeed a brilliant ‘film’ if one has to go by the true definition of cinema.

There is a scene in the film where Surjan Shekhawat contemplates what might have been his son’s fate had he chose to act differently on that fateful day. Perhaps the film’s current ending is one of those choices (the wrong one, even in the film) made by the writing team. Perhaps there was a better ending to the tale that was not shown to us which would have been more fitting. With a couple of smooches and tackier visuals, this one would well have been Raaz 4 or Jism 3.

To sum it up Talaash is Travis Bickle trapped in a film-noir only to be bailed out by the Bhatts.

Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum: Krish Can Do Better

Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum does not travel that extra mile to become the kind of cinema it deserved to be and contents itself with being a regular potboiler.  It is indeed a pity to see a story having immense potential go down as another run of the mill good vs evil with none of the evil forces matching the hero’s strengths, literally and otherwise. Considering there was no lack of resources in its execution and conceptualization, the output is hugely underwhelming.

Krish had vast and important material at his disposal but for some reason instead of working with it he choses to play it up to the galleries with unnecessary item songs, Brahmanandam and a hackneyed climax which does not serve any purpose other than allowing it’s lead to flex his chiseled body. Of what use to a cinema are all those brilliantly written dialogues if the happenings on screen have little or nothing to do with them. Even as a tribute to the Telugu Theatre and Surabhi Company this seems to be an incomplete film as it focuses too much on the irrational urge to avenge the baddies.  Towards the end of the film, there is a scene where Rana who plays Babu, the grandson of Surabhi Veteran feels that he does not deserve to be playing the eponymous drama Krishnam Vande Jagadugurum. But immediately after another dialogue (a brilliant one again, make no mistake) he transforms himself and changes his mind. Even to a stupid software engineer like me, this is not done. Sir.

All of this is not to say that KVJ is a bad film. In fact it is one of the better films that have been made this year and without a doubt a thought provoking one. But it is out of sheer frustration that Krish has robbed us all off a greater film, one that only he could have made. Krish the screenwriter has definitely let down Krish the director and Krish the dialogue writer.

Mani Sharma comes out with a thumping background score challenging the director to come up with equally powerful visuals and establishes himself all over again. Honors are also due to LB Sriram who captivates us with sheer understanding of his role. Here is an actor, who knows what was required of him and demands his attention from the viewers and the director as well, something which was found wanting in the protagonist, despite having a longer screen time.  

Krish has an interesting tendency to follow his leads in their journey tahrough the wakes of life to study their transformations, something that he has done brilliantly in Gamyam and reasonably well in Vedam with some of his characters. He follows the same pattern in KVJ with RaNa but his transformation looks more as inevitability rather than an effect of a cause.

KVJ ultimately is a film, which will be remembered for what it could have been rather than what it has become and that is a reasonable allegation.

Dream: Get a Load Of This

Dream attempts to tell the story of a man suffering with delusional disorders while dreaming and with whatever means it has got, the film does an exceptional job at narrating the story. Here is one film that is not different just for the sake of it and does not resort to any unnecessary gimmicks to aid in the narrative. Bhavani Shanker hardly hits a wrong note during the film’s entire run time and this is no mean feat considering the offbeat subject he came up with. It is a pity that this film did not have a bigger release or a better PR campaign.

One of the major pitfalls that offbeat films in Tollywood never work after a point is that they run out of steam because they do not have a story to tell but Dream walks head held high among these because of the tight screenplay and hitherto unseen(in Tollywood again) treatment to the sequences. The shots are laboriously conceptualized and executed with finesse and an eye for detail while Rajendra Prasad owns the character and comes up with a winning performance. He may not always be comfortable in the attires the director chose for him but he brings forth all his experience and versatility in portraying a role that was totally unprecedented. This is not a tailor-made role for him but you can not imagine any other actor playing this role with such consummate ease

The idea probably could have been for a short film but it was commendably developed into a feature length without too many indulgences or unwanted songs. A bit of exposition is thrown every now and then into the narrative that might offend the purists but it would have been difficult to follow the story without it. The soundtrack has original records from a few Pop Singers and the background music is minimal but decent. Composition, framing and shot division by the director deserve a special mention for the efficient usage of film reel if not for anything else. In fact the success of this film might be a first step in making the directors moving away from the random, unnecessary cuts that are not at all pleasing on the eye but somehow have become a trend. The producers deserve a huge applause for their belief in a script that was not an instant money churner and their conviction in executing the film as per the director’s vision. Bravo!!!

Dream is a must watch for all the skeptics who never miss a chance to crib about the run of the mill stuff and lack of variety in Telugu Cinema. It is a story well researched and well told that deserves to be seen and seen quickly since it does not have much time at the theatres if the number of people who turned out today is anything to go by. This is totally worth your tickets, popcorn, parking fees and the additional service charge that the ticket vending websites might levied on you.

Dhenikina Ready: No DHEE. This

Dhenikina Ready is that sort of film that wonders what went wrong despite having all the ingredients in the earlier blockbuster in the same genre. True, the leads are not the most charming ones around but that cannot be the reason for a film to go wrong despite having almost the entire comedy clan in it.  A simple tale with easily resolvable complications and characters only too willing to change their hearts that have never budged for 22 years to accommodate love and relationships with generous amounts of comedy, the mandatory song, dance and fight sequence thrown in for good measure. That in a nutshell is Dhenikina Ready for you and as you have read this one is nothing new.

100% entertainment guaranteed is what the posters and the makers claim this film is going to give you but the entertainment unfortunately comes along with immaturely treated melodrama and badly placed songs. The director’s skill comes across as wanting in the way he treats the story as filler between humorous situations. Also, there are a good number of underwritten characters hogging ample screen time (Vennela Kishore, Subba Raju, Kota to name a few) adding little or no value to the overall experience of watching the film.

Vishnu is earnest in his performance and is confident throughout the film but unfortunately there were too many things that were out of his control. Hansika plays the arm candy with not much to do except, well nothing really. It is the acting in the film in general that acts as a saving grace, as everyone knows their act only too well. All the comedians are competent and seem to be having a gala time shooting the film and they even elicit a few laughs here and there. It would be anybody’s guess who walks away with honors at the end of the film. The screenplay credited to Gopi Mohan and Kona Venkat was just like every other film they have dished out till date. Marudhuri Raja’s dialogues still reek of EVV left overs and they even have a medley to spoof hit songs in probably a tribute to the master of this genre.

Music, stunts and choreography are nothing to write home about. They are just there to make the film comply with the length of a regular commercial Telugu film. There isn’t any production design to talk about since the entire movie was shot in less than 5 locations including the songs.

You can watch Dhenikina Ready if you don’t complain that it didn’t tickle your ribs enough.

Chittagong: Wrapped Up in Haste

Chittagong is that rare film which makes you feel that it needed a longer duration than what it contents itself with. For uninformed people like me, this film is a lesson on history and an important one at that about the uprising in Chittagong in 1929-1931 mastered by Suraiya Sen. Everyone calls him Master-da but nothing was made known about what he did or does in the film except calling shots and making plans in the revolt. Which should suit the narrative fine but there always will be some questions that need answers and we just cannot digest someone revolting against the British with a group of underage youngsters with no strong motive. True, there doesn’t have to be a reason to fight for freedom but we could have used a back-story.

The cast consists mostly of GOW (it was an AKPFL film alright) ensemble with Dibyendu Bhattacharya joining them in a delightful comeback and none of them can be accused of putting in a wrong note anywhere. However dialogues credited to Piyush Mishra weren’t as sharp as they were with AK films. Nothing stings a viewer like the film that does not realize its true potential and Chittagong has immense potential and ample scope for drama to make it a longer film but one cannot understand the haste with which everything was wrapped up. It was as if Bedabrata Pain was instructed strictly to make a 90-minute film while the events that enfolded during the period demanded more screen time and a grander canvas.  Shankar Ehsaan Loy also make a comeback as music directors and it felt good to listen Shankar Mahadevan lending depth in his inimitable voice to the situations the lead characters have to go through in their journey.

Pain’s screenplay was so economic that there was no possibility for a non-event but ironically it was not racy either. Things happen and we shift between timelines so quickly that it makes it so difficult to empathize or relate to any particular character. Bajpayee gets more screen time than others but his role was not written to arouse and the subtlety he lends to the character does not help either. The Queen’s men were the regular stereotypes we usually find in patriotic films of yore and have nothing much to offer apart from menacing looks.  

Despite it’s obvious flaws Chittagong is worth a watch for its credible performance s and the story it has to tell about the first farmer uprising in Bengal in 1945, which it claims to be the final nail in the coffin for the British Rule in India. It is not the rousing patriotic film that you have expected especially after tagging it to Anurag Kashyap but it is still a story well told with whatever the director has got to deal with.