Cinema Paradiso- All about Cinema

Riyasat, Hindi Bollywood film Movie review,Johnson Thomas, Rating: *

#Riyasat(Hindi) Rating: * The last&worst #RajeshKhanna Starrer, this #Godfather wannabe is inept, slack and unremitting in all the departments! #AshwaniShukla #Altairmedia #AshokTyagi #AryemanRamsay #AryanVaid

Hindi film review

Johnson Thomas

Can’t get worse than this!

Film: Riyasat

Cast: Rajesh Khanna, Raza Murad, Aeyeman Ramsay, Aryan Vaid, Vishwajeet Pradhan

Director: Ashok Tyagi

Rating: *

As a film that attempts to resurrect the forgotten charm of Bollywood’s first superstar, this one , ‘Riyasat’ a desi ‘Godfather’ wannabe, is miserably blasé. It is being hailed as Khanna’s last film, made at a time when he was weakened by a severe debilitating illness and it shows. Khanna’s scenes as a Saheb/Godfather clone are done so artlessly and without energy that it cripples the film completely.

The patchy story of a benevolent Don and his two sons who run a parallel kingdom divining justice to those who seek them out, is old hat. One of his son’s, Vijay (Aryeman Ramsay)is an aspiring actor while the other, Shakti(Aryan Vaid) helps him in his underworld dealings. The plot includes a corrupt deshdrohi Minister(Raza Murad) and the routine terrorist angle.

The narrative is hapless, very amateurishly executed. There’s not enough content or emotive drama to spark interest. The directionless performances and Kakaji’s emancipated state makes it all look pitiful. The technical glitches are innumerable. A clueless Ashok Tyagi, can do little to improve matters. This is definitely one of Rajesh Khanna’s worst outings as an actor. In trying to redress the imbalance between his and bête noir Amitabh Bachchan’s career highs, he has done grave disservice to memories of his own momentous past!

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Bazaar-E-Husn, Hindi Bollywood filmmovie review,Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * 1/2

#Bazaar-e-Husn (Hindi) Rating: * * 1/2 Director #AjayMehra tries hard to invoke the nostalgia of an era passed, through this adaptation of age old(1919) outdated #MunshiPremchand story - aperiod piece, enlisting #Khayyam’s ‘#RaziaSultan’ ish musical support. Fairly competent invoking of #Pakeezah & #Umrao Jaan moments but without the tension or emotive appeal. Not strong on mood either. #ReshmiGhosh, #OmPuri #YashpalSharma #AshwaniShukla #Altairmedia

Hindi film Review
Johnson Thomas

Banking on Nostalgia!

Film: Bazaar-e-Husn

Cast: Reshmi Ghosh, Jeet Goswami, Rajeshwari Sachdev,Om Puri, Yashpal Sharma, Rajeev Verma, Savita Prabhune

Director: Ajay Mehra

Rating: * * ½

This film is an adaptation from the 1919 published Munshi Premchand story which was titled ‘Bazaar-e-Husn’ in Urdu and ‘SevaSadan’ in Hindi. Needless to say it brings back to mind the classic old-world charm of a bygone era-One that was supremely evoked in films like ‘Pakeezah’ and ‘ Umrao Jaan.’

This one is neither an ambitious take nor a progressive one. It’s merely an effort at telling a tale which now seems too outdated to amount to anything meaningful for today’s fast food generation.

Director Ajay Mehra brings us this fairly engaging, understated tale of a young virtuous woman, Suman(Reshmi Ghosh) who falls foul of love(Jeet Goswami) because of family compulsions, and is coerced into marrying a slime ball, Gajadhar(Yashpal Sharma) following her father, Darogaji(Om Puri)’s incarceration for taking a bribe. Suman’s trails and tribulations continue after marriage and she is forced to take shelter in a brothel run by a kind-hearted soul(Rajeshwari Sachdev).Thereafter it’s a series of predictable events leading up to the former lovers’ reunion.

In 1919, Munshi Premshand’s story had bite since it captures quite beautifully the traditions and compulsions of that bygone era. Today, though there’s really nothing we can relate to, here. This film is a mere period piece which is fairly engaging and nothing more. The scripting is done without much finesse. Merely re-invoking the written word doesn’t justify this sort of a movie. Ajay Mehra’s lack luster treatment also makes the exercise pointless. There no tension, the mood is underdeveloped and the moments are non-existent. The art direction is smartly nondescript.

The performances are quite crisp even though the characterizations appear underdeveloped. Reshmi Ghosh, Rajeshwari Sachdev and Om Puri elevate the experience somewhat. Khayyam’s music which appears to be a rehash of ‘Razia Sultan’ is nostalgia inducing at best. Even though this is one of the better offerings this week it still doesn’t make the cut for a must-see!

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Amit Sahni ki List, Hindi Bollywood Film movie review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * 1/2

#Amit Sahni ki List(Hindi) Rating: * * ½ As a stand-up #VirrDas is unparalleled but as an actor, he needs to pick better projects to make a mark. This attempt at romcom based on a guy’s list of attributes for his soul-mate, which he puts up on Facebook, is unusual but not completely immersive! It’s Possible that this could get the multiplex crowd in a twitter though. #VeraTamotia #AnuMenon #AjayBhuyan #PyxisPictures

Hindi Film Review

Johnson Thomas

Errantly charming!

Film: Amit Sahni Ki List

Cast:Vir Das, Vega Tomatia, Anindita Nayar, Anu Menon and Kavi Shastri

Director: Ajay Bhuyan

Rating: * * ½

Virr Das is the superstar among stand-up comics and anyone who has any doubts on that score should just try to get hold of tickets to any of his hot-selling comedic theatre acts. They sell at unheard of rates and in black too. Astounded? Don’t be. The guy is a class act. In cinema though, his talents havn’t really come through to a shine. ‘Amit Sahni…’ has him as the titular lead with a bunch of newbies and Anu (Lola Kutty)Menon providing some comedic inputs. But it’s not all-through smooth sailing or entertaining though.

This attempt is much like an Adam Sandler romcom but without the grossed-out bits. In ‘ Amit Sahni..’ the humor is the light-hearted sitcom variety made-up mostly from Facebook and whatsapp forwards. The list is a matter-of-fact pointer to what Amit Sahni(Virr Das) a well-to-do bachelor belonging to the social networking generation, who is once bitten(betrayed by his ex who he scaled mountains to win back) yet never twice shy. So he gets proactive on the social network and puts out a liust of attributes he expects in his dream woman.

After some seriously engaging serial dating( which includes a dog loving, bungee jumping Mala played by Vega Tamotia) he finally meets up with his true love (Anindita Nayar) who fits the bill–that’s the predictable part. But how he gets there is the interesting bit.

The film is not overly ambitious trying to provide a subtext for romantic disillusionment. It’s a matter-of-fact telling, in fact a fairly humorous take, on a well-heeled Guy’s romantic dalliances which inevitable leads to happily ever after- albeit after some trying efforts on his part. The script plies on the romantic allusions with crisp dialogues and up-market irreverence. The characters, all flawed, are of today, imminently relatable with a studied indifference to traditional romantic tropes. The all pervading gen next appeal appears pre-meditated. Amit Sahni is heady on confusion though. For a guy who knows what he wants(the list) he seems a little too eager to move on to the next capture. The ebbs and flows in pace does get a little tedium inducing. The inconsistencies in titular character build-up is also quite off-putting. But the refreshing low-key performances keep the engagement light and entertaining. Virr, Anindita and Vega are likeable and entertaining in their own ways. The supporting cast in fact does a bang on job to keep you engaged and interested.

Kavi Shastri, as Sahni's best friend Push-kar, Sahni’s talkative, acronym spewing, pole-dancing, mother, Natasha Rastogi, Anu Menon as the relationship breaking-up expert and Noni Singh, the canine with witty thought bubbles, helps keep the perkiness evenly spread-out. The songs do tend to put punctuations marks on the entertainment though. This one’s a fairly engaging dekho-not taxing in the least!

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Friday, July 18, 2014

Riyasat, Hindi Bollywood film Movie review,Johnson Thomas, Rating: *

Bazaar-E-Husn, Hindi Bollywood filmmovie review,Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * 1/2

Amit Sahni ki List, Hindi Bollywood Film movie review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * 1/2