Anurag Kashyap's magnum opus Bombay Velvet which was all set to release this November has been postponed to mid next year. The director himself has confirmed that the project is taking a long time to finish due to the VFX involved. Anurag has recreated a bygone era and old Mumbai, hence he wants everything to be perfect. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar and Raveena Tandon. Guess the fans have to wait longer for this already much talked about film.
Cast: Rani Mukerji
Director: Pradeep Sarkar
The best films consist of a perfect balance between logic and emotion. It should be smart enough to engage your intelligence and dramatic enough to tug at your heart strings. Mardaani is somewhere in the middle but slightly off centre. Its emotional bits outweigh its cinematic intelligence marginally. But even then it retains a sense of dexterity. It allows its protagonist to hit home an emotional hit. It’s engaging to see a woman out play a man at his own game. A nice dent in the male ego.
What’s new about Mardaani is that it puts a lady in the shoes of a classic movie hero. She’s quite literally the Dirty Harry of Maharashtra. But she doesn’t talk smack unless she needs to. She quietly goes about dispensing justice in all androgynous glory. But even the feisty Shivani (Rani Mukerji) meets her match in a drug and human trafficking King pin and his nexus. She’s too tough to lie down and he’s too wily to be caught off guard. It’s the perfect set up for some testosterone overdose. With a male protagonist this would’ve turned in to a battle of muscles. But with Rani at the helm, it becomes a battle of the sexes. And when she does beat up men like rag dolls you want to cheer for her hoarse.
The reason you empathize with Rani’s character and her skirmish is because she is fighting the good fight. You’re exposed to the misdeeds of the villain pretty early. You hate him when you see him exercise such control over helpless girls and their virgin minds and bodies. Human trafficking is a serious crime. And Mardaani gives you the low down unadulterated. Seeing such emotional torture being inflicted on young girls can have only one effect: condemnation. That’s the intelligent part of writing in the film. It’s designed to hit you exactly where it hurts. Nonetheless every shot of misogyny is shot with careful censorship. You won't feel offended by the visual just by the characters. Good job by director Pradeep Sarkar and writer Gopi Puthran.
Despite the tactful writing the movie still portrays a clichéd black and white, good versus evil scenario. The bad guys are just plain evil. There’s one scene where the bad boy Walt (Tahir Bhasin) breaks down in tears. But that’s too little. No such qualms for Rani’s character though. She’s more man than most of us will ever be. Her character’s bravado is spot on. But before the plain good versus bad portions spoil the fun in Mardaani its emotional grip takes control. You’re shown the underbelly of Mumbai and New Delhi (stereotypes intact) and the suffering of helpless young girls. So when justice is finally dispensed it feels adequately justified.
What doesn’t quite work is seeing the pint-sized Rani take the wind out of six-foot bad guys. The martial arts inspired hand combat looks a little off. But heck when you know it’s for emotions and not for machismo you let go of finer details. Full marks to Rani Mukerji’s attempt and performance. The expletives never seem jarring, the androgyny doesn’t seem misplaced. She’s the hero of Mardaani and she’s pitch perfect. The surprise package is Tahir Bhasin, playing the bad boy. The lad has some serious talent. His bad guy act is easily the best of the year.
You can watch Mardaani for all the wrong reasons and feel underwhelmed. Don't watch it for Rani Mukerji trying to be a Salman Khan. She’s not. Don’t watch it for true grit or precise realism; this is still a dialogue driven entertainer. Don’t watch it for song and dance, there isn’t any. Watch it for thrills; watch it with a pro-feminist stance. And you could find the right perspective.
Finding Fanny releases on 12th September 2014
Shake your bootiyas with Deepika Padukone, Arjun Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Pankaj Kapur and Naseeruddin Shah in Finding Fanny's new song
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Androgyny has always been a source of interest and intrigue. The trend has been around for a while now and has gotten bigger with time. It’s not just about teaming button-down shirts with trousers anymore but going all out with suits and tuxedos. B-town ladies also seem to be embracing this semi masculine trend. And Rani Mukherji is the latest one to sport it while promoting her upcoming film Mardaani…
Suri, a competent director, who has a knack for ripping off foreign films and 'Indianizing' them by adding a romantic subplot and a superhit soundtrack, employs the same formula here. The victim on this occasion is the Korean revenge saga, 'I Saw The Devil' It's a shame then that despite the uniformly impressive performances, and Suri's nifty directing skills, the film is only moderately fulfilling. I'm going with two-and-a-half out of five for 'Ek Villain'. If you're still wondering, the real villain here is the lousy script.Visit Site for more
Mohit makes EK VILLAIN an enthralling experience, no two opinions on that. Although a number of movies have focused on serial killers, the talented raconteur along with screenplay writer Tushar Hiranandani makes sure they pack several remarkable twists that transcend the genre, making it a novel experience for the spectator.T he writing, in short, keeps you captivated right through the finale, which, again, is not of the run of the mill variety.On the whole, EK VILLAIN is a stylish, spellbinding and terrifying edge-of-the-seat thriller. It's a step forward in this genre, without doubt. A sure-shot winner!Visit Site for more
On the whole, Ek Villain is a super-hit, a blockbuster. It will score in the multiplexes and the single-screen cinemas, in ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ class centres, and will be loved by the masses and the classes alike. It has tremendous repeat value – yes, tremendous repeat value despite being a suspense thriller.Visit Site for more
Inspired largely by Korean filmmaker Kim Jee-Woon's I Saw the Devil (2010), Mohit Suri's romantic thriller is Bollywoodised for the desi market. While the Korean film relied on too much blood and gore, Suri's film mixes romance and violence in equal measure, letting the plot meander a bit but allowing for some sharp twists as well You cannot fault the scale of Ek Villain or berate its lead star cast. But you wish you could celebrate this thriller like you did Suri's last movie outing Aashiqui 2. This one lacks soul.Visit Site for more
The biggest of the villains in Mohit Suri's Ek Villain is the screenplay itself. It is as muddled as a serial killer's twisted mind and just as destructive. A vapid love story dovetailed into a confused psychological thriller. Ek Villain is all empty flash and flourishes. Its plot, the essence of which is lifted from the 2010 Korean thriller, I Saw The Devil, is riddled with trite contrivances. Ek Villain is, in the end, a revenge drama with a laboured closure whose utter farcicality is in keeping with the rest of the film.Visit Site for more
Hence we have Ek Villain, where we take a hardboiled Korean film -- full of brutal gore and sexual abuse but enough panache to stay constantly gripping -- and inexplicably scramble it into a sex-less, gore-less slasher film with a wide-eyed love story running through it all. Gone are the thrills from the original and in come the cliched background score, watered-down murder scenes, and much, much silliness. If I were to review it in one word, I’d say Ek Villain is... Unnecessary. Given free tickets, sure, you could escape Humshakals in theatres this weekend with this mediocre effort, but I say do yourself a favour and seek out the Korean DVDVisit Site for more
Mohit Suri has a gift for vivid characterisation, even if some things are underlined a tad too much. He also does a good job with weaving high-octane moments around his characters. So you don’t really twig on to the plot’s hokeyness to begin with. Ek Villain’s swinging between drama and melodrama is its weakness: the portions I bought into kept me engrossed, and then I was back in those in which I couldn’t suspend disbelief.Visit Site for more
Unlike most of the below average stuff Bollywood unleashes on us every Friday, Ek Villain stands out for its ingenuity: the story is intriguing, the suspense dark and haunting. And, it does not leave you even more confused!Watch Ek Villain for an amazing performance by Riteish Deshmukh, the music (which is already a hit) and a well-knit plot. This is certainly not a film you would want to miss.Visit Site for more
When you walk into the theatre to watch a thriller, you naturally expect the twists and turns in the tale to keep you at the edge of your seat. But that doesn’t happen in Ek Villain (you figure most of it out pretty soon). And by interval point, the suspense is out for all to see. However, the parallel past and present tracks blend intricately together to keep you glued to the screen. Though indulgent in parts, Ek Villain packs in a punch. Copy of a Korean film or not, it’s ‘good’ paisa vasool entertainment. Make it your weekend watch.Visit Site for more
Filmmaker Mohit Suri's latest film Ek Villain is inspired by the South Korean revenge film I Saw the Devil. Although, it is quite evident that the action is toned down for the Indian audience. The film has a lot of interesting portions but the plot is full of loopholes. Mohit Suri has managed one big thing and that's getting some of the best performances out of all the three actors. Even after a lot of flaws Ek Villain is a decent watch but it could have been much better!Visit Site for more
Shockingly, it’s not so bad. Suri takes the core of I Saw The Devil and turns it into a melodramatic, manipulative, pyaar-mohabbat-dardi-humdardi drama. One of the reasons the original is a classic is that it skips over the love story and focuses purely on the revenge section. They also add in two hours of love story – because you should feel for the revenge-seeker’s loss and justify his actions. And what a love story.Visit Site for more
Ek Villian is a revenge drama; but not like ones the Hindi audiences have been exposed to. Mohit Suri's latest offering is not for people with a weak stomach. It is brutal and relentless. The best thing about this vendetta of violence is that once it gets going, it sweeps you up in it. If you're looking for a edgy thriller with some romance and great songs, Ek Villian is for you.Visit Site for more
Ek Villain folds out quite contrary to its simplistic name. Told with an even pitch, the film isn’t anything like the run-in-the-mill stories we are subjected to watch every week. This is sheer compelling commercial cinema that has a lucid story and its heart in the right place, without indulging in anything stoop! Mohit Suri doesn’t depend on ‘signpost’ characters; surprising and gratifying you in equal measures. I don’t even care if this film is a rip off of some obscure Korean flick, this is a smashingly effective one! The film’s riveting rhythm, breathtaking performances especially from Sidharth and Riteish and the fantastic writing makes for a magnificent, racy and emotional watch.
Forget 'Saathiya', which felt honest and real in the manner that it addressed young love and an impulsive marriage; 'Lekar Hum Deewana Dil' isn't even a satisfying rom-com about squabbling lovers. The humor is consistently juvenile, the climax so obvious you've guessed it long before it arrives, and the dialogue phoney despite being peppered with modern-day slang. I'm going with one-and-a-half out of five. You'll be bored out of your mind.Visit Site for more
LEKAR HUM DEEWANA DIL has got its heart in the right place. There's a boy. There's a girl. Romance blossoms. They face roadblocks. There's heartbreak. They drift apart. Ultimately, all's well that ends well. Arif uses the time-tested template to narrate a story, but, let's not overlook the fact that a mere outline with the usual tropes can never make an out of the ordinary film. Thankfully, Arif cushions the proceedings with sparkling moments in the first hour, but the writing slips in the post-interval portions. On the whole, LEKAR HUM DEEWANA DIL has several wonderful moments and genuine sparks that stay with you. The film should appeal to its target audience -- the youth.Visit Site for more
Lekar Hum Deewana Dil is a sweet film that borrows the elopement theory from evergreen 70s'-80s' romances like Bobby, Love Story and Betaab. It even has shades of Arif's older brother Imtiaz's Jab We Met and Highway. But this has a mint-crisp feel with its .com lingo. The lack of melodrama, for most part of the movie, is also refreshing. And if you're looking to cuddle up this monsoon just like the slightly mismatched young couple in the movie, attempt doing it the LHDD way.Visit Site for more
Somewhere in the middle of their escape from parental tyranny, this Bobby-meets-Highway-meets-Chalte-Chalte loses the plot. To sum it up, Lekar Hum Deewana Dil would have done much better for itself had it tried to find its original voice, instead of pandering to a vague idea of what sells when it comes to love stories. Because who has ever cracked the code for that?Visit Site for more
At various points in Lekar Hum Deewana Dil, the word ‘blunder’ is uttered. Quite apt! And in the run-up to the climax, which predictably unfolds at a big fat wedding ceremony, the harried heroine says that she cannot handle the pain anymore. Neither can the audience. Well before the film draws to a close, you begin to wish it was shorter. Lekar Hum Deewana Dil is much ado about nothing and painfully pointless.
Was this meant to be a political awakening for two city-bred well-off ignorant-about-real-India young people? It would have been terrific if the plot had known what to make of it. But this is a story which ricochets from one awful point to another, involving the `ladka’ and `ladki’’s parents and extended families, and the `ladka’ and `ladki’ hurling themselves at each other’s throats, before getting back to more tender body parts.
Stories like Lekaar Hum Deewana Dil did very well in the '80s but that's just about when these concepts had begun to fade out. The problem with this film is that it has released late by a couple of decades. Director Arif Ali, the brother of Imtiaz Ali fails to entertain through this stale formula with appalling direction.Ratings:1.5/5 Review By: Rahul Desai Site: Mumbai Mirror
There is a germ of an idea in showing how their grand plans fall apart as reality sets in the relationship, and they end up hating each other and return home. But it is shallowly executed. The second half is a predictable sequence of events where they both realise that they actually are in love. In a film like this, you know within the first fifteen minutes what you're setup for - a separation and a reconciliation. That's the one line story for Lekar Hum Deewana Dil. Ref: http://www.bollymoviereviewz.com/2014/07/lekar-hum-deewana-dil-review.html
