Was the movie long??? And HOW??? Whatever happened to Hitchcockian time limit??? Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar and Hrithik Roshan celebrate Abhay Deol’s bachelor party by embarking on a road trip through the picturesque landscapes of Spain. They indulge in a lot of shenanigans and learn a lot about life along the way in their three week holiday. Farhan has given an exuberant performance. The man has written the dialogues himself, and they are witty and profound. Abhay Deol is good; as for Hrithik everyone knows by now that he can act well. Katrina adds a little zing to the movie with her presence. She looks a little chubby though. But rest assured, I saw her just 2 weeks back at Cinemax and she was her usual toned self once again. Kalki Koechlin seems superfluous. Seriously, who is she??? Spain is beautiful and the road trip with friends enviable. Sigh!!! Inspite of shows every half hour, the movie is running to packed houses even on a weekday and in non-stop Mumbai rains. Watched this movie in a 10:00 pm show yesterday (could not get any previous ones second time in two days) sitting in the 2nd row. Overall the movie is good and watchable, espcially for Farhan Akhtar. To each his own.
Tag: Katrina Kaif
Ek Tha Tiger
On a lazy rain-drenched Sunday morning, the only thing that dragged me out of the bed was the thought of two hours of non-stop entertainment where I could watch (read stare, ogle, salivate and soak; not necessarily in that order LOL) my first crush, the handsome Salman Khan. Truly, Salman Khan Film (that too after almost a year) is a veritable treat for me.
But halfway through the movie and I was wondering, “What was Salman Khan thinking when he agreed to do the film?”
The story is about a RAW agent who is fondly called Tiger (Salman Khan) because of his fearless nature and ‘care-a-damn’ attitude. Tiger jumps from one mission to another globetrotting in his quest to crack down enemies and traitors. On one such assignment, he meets Zoya (Katrina Kaif) and is bowled over by the sweet and simple beauty. His love is reciprocated too. But all is not hunky dory in the spy world. When our beloved spy turns rogue, suddenly the whole world turns against him baying for his blood. After a series of mindless goose chase where you are exposed to some class stupidity by RAW agents, you are left to wonder, “If this is the level of professionalism and intellect of our much-esteemed spies, GOD alone save our country!”
The story by Aditya Chopra seems like a moment-of spur concocted fairy tale. The screenplay and dialogues leave a lot to desire too. But the stunts were breathtaking. The songs “Mashallah’’ and ‘Laapata’ are nice tracks and are already topping the charts.
Salman Khan, guys, is looking younger by each passing year. It’s sinful for somebody on the wrong side of forties to look as hot and ravishing as him. Has he got the elixir of life? On the acting front too, the man was flawless.
Verdict: Not quite the festival present I was looking forward to. But in all, a paisa vasool.
Jab Tak Hai Jaan
Two big-starrer movies, Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Son of Sardaar (SOS) releasing on the same day was a virtual Diwali bonus for the viewers. I had been dithering as to which movie to watch but the untimely demise of Yash Chopra definitely upped the attraction quotient for me. So leaving Aanya behind with my maid (fortunately, I have one these days J), Rishi and I went to watch this movie on a weekday, that too in the afternoon show.
In London, live a young Samar Anand (Shahrukh Khan) trying to make an honest living by doing odd jobs and Meera Thappar (Katrina Kaif), a billionaire’s daughter. Fate throws the two of them together where they fall totally, completely and madly in love with each other. Meera is smart, beautiful and generous; but she has a weird habit of negotiating deals with the God. In a freak accident, Samar gets badly injured; so Meera strikes a deal with her favourite God, Jesus that she would never meet Samar again if he gets to live. Well, you guessed it right! Samar lives and Meera asks him to leave London to honour her promise to God. Seriously guys, what intelligent woman would throw away her love like that??? We are in 21st Century here, for God’s sake!!!
Circa 2012, 10 years later, Major Samar Anand of the Indian Army defuses bombs in Kashmir and invites death every day of his life. He is the Man Who Cannot Die but cannot live fully either because of his unfulfilled love for Meera. Next, enters a young and bubbly Akira Rai (Anushka Sharma) who is a typical today’s girl, all fast, ambitious and uncommitting. But she falls hard for this aloof and enigmatic Army Major. There’s a twist in the tale and Samar Anand once again finds himself in London looking into the eyes of his long lost love, Meera. What happens next, does he reunite with his lady love or does he fall for the charm of Akira?
The film has everything that a contemporary romance has; love, romance, décolletés and hot pants and sex. The song ‘Challa’ has become quite popular while the other tracks like ‘Ishq Shava’ and ‘Jiya Jiya Re’ are hummable too. The film is 3 hours long and loses pace in the second half. The characters except Samar’s have not been well detailed. Katrina looks hot but sounds stilted and unconvincing. Anushka seems to be trying too hard but fails miserably. So then it’s Shahrukh who carries the entire movie on his shoulders. London is breathtakingly beautiful; the cobbled lanes, the Thames, the City, the huge green parks and the rolling countryside. Samar rightly quips, “London is getting younger while we are getting older with each passing year.”
It’s said Yash Chopra could make only 2 films in his entire life; one Lamhe and second all others. I was so looking forward for Jab Tak Hai Jaan to be his third, but unfortunately that’s not the case. Sadly, Jab Tak Hai Jaan is not the Romance of the Year as it’s touted to be.
My Verdict: Don’t expect too much and you won’t be disappointed. If nothing else, watch the movie as the last respect to Yash Chopra, the King of Romance.