Film Review: DIL DHADAKNE DO

I am going with 6 stars for Dil Dhadakne Do!

Cast: Anil Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Shefali Shah, Anushka Sharma, Farhan Akhtar, Rahul Bose
Director: Zoya Akhtar

We wanted to go to this film as a family together and finally managed the 11 pm show last night at PVR Sion. The theatre was completely packed.

THE STORY

Kamal and Neelam Mehra are keen to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. A self-made Delhi businessman, Kamal’s company AyKa is facing problems. And their marriage is not what it appears to be. They had their daughter Ayesha (Priyanka Chopra) married off when she was 21 to Manav (Rahul Bose), a businessman from Mumbai. Ayesha sets up her own travel agency and is extremely successful. Kabir (Ranveer Singh) is the Mehras’ son who’s more interested in flying than in the family business.

The Mehras organise a cruise and invite their relatives and friends for a 2-week trip to Greece and Turkey. That’s where they plan to get Kabir’s marriage fixed to the Sood heir Noorie (Ridhima Sud), hoping that her father (Parmeet Sethi) would finance their business in return. But is Kabir or Noorie interested? What happens when Ayesha wants to divorce Manav? Watch the film to find out more.

MY PERCEPTION

The film is 2 hours 50 minutes long. It’s been a few years since I watched such a long movie. But I really don’t know where the time flew as the story kept me hooked from beginning till end. I was actually sorry when the film ended. It was a simple family drama with a bit of romance thrown in.

Anil Kapoor was perfect in his role as Kamal Mehra – a shrewd, self-made businessman; fitness freak and flirt. He has always been a good actor and this is probably his best performance.

Ranveer Singh brings a lot of energy to his roles. This one was no less and he was impressive as the Mehra heir and Ayesha’s younger brother.

Anushka Sharma was also good as dancer Farah who is Kabir’s love interest.

Farhan Akhtar has a small role that he has performed extremely well.

Rahul Bose’s character was completely irritating and he fit the bill to perfection.

Priyanka Chopra was amazing as Ayesha. Her eyes spoke volumes in the scene when she silently watches her brother telling their parents off for their self-centredness. The way she quietly puts up with the attitudes of her parents and mother-in-law while becoming a truly successful businesswoman is beautifully portrayed. A special kudos!

The cruise was lovely, the music perfect, the cinematography beautiful while all the other actors did their parts very well. The directing and editing have been done to perfection.

Aamir Khan narrates the film in the background as the voice of Pluto, the Mehra family dog. It was a cute and novel way of presenting the story. I liked it!

I have saved the best for the last. Shefali Shah – I have been to her reading of the book Gandhi, My Father before the release of the film by the same name. She was present at the book reading at Oxford Book House, Churchgate along with Akshaye Khanna and Gandhiji’s grandson Tushar Gandhi. Shefali Shah played the role of Kasturba in the film. I was too impressed by her reading a few pages from the book. I think she’s a very good actor.

But in Dil Dhadakne Do, her performance as Neelam was exemplary. The way she portrays high-society arrogance, her sarcasm towards her husband, her affection for her son, her frustration, her overeating nature because of the unhappy life she leads – I can go on and on. Shefali Shah deserves First Prize in this film.

Special congratulations to Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar for conceptualising such a wonderful film!

VERDICT: I am going with 6 stars for Dil Dhadakne Do while 5 stars have been the maximum I give my film reviews. Need I say more?

*Silly
**Shaky
***Smart
****Snazzy
*****Super
******Super-duper

TV Show: ANIL KAPOOR’S 24

Cast: Anil Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Tisca Chopra, Neil Bhoopalam, Mandira Bedi, Shabana Azmi, Sapna Pabbi, Anita Raj
Director: Abinay Deo

THE STORY

Anil Kapoor’s ‘24’ began on Friday, October 4, 2013 on Colors TV. This drama series is based on the Hollywood TV series by the same name.

Jai Singh Rathod (Anil Kapoor) heads the Anti Terrorist Unit (ATU) of the Indian government. His marriage to Trisha (Tisca Chopra) is on shaky ground as Jai is wedded to his job 24/7.

The show begins with Trisha’s birthday where both Jai and their daughter Kiran (Sapna Pabbi) bring a cake for her. But Jai is called to work just when the cake is being cut. An upset Kiran goes away with a friend to party all night. Trisha is left alone to bite her nails in tension as she does not know where her daughter is and Jai appears too busy to be bothered.

In the meanwhile, there’s a threat to the life of Aditya Singhania (Neil Bhoopalam), the to-be-sworn-in Prime Minister. What follows is a nail-biting thriller that happens over the next 24 hours real time.

MY PERCEPTION

I am not a fan of the small screen and prefer watching films on the big screen. I just happened to see the beginning of this show on Friday and was hooked. It’s quite interesting and is woven well with the Indian scenario. My son Vignesh is a fan of the Hollywood series and found this one not quite up to the mark. My argument is that there is no sense in comparing as this local series has been made to suit the Indian environment and it works for me.

It’s amazing to note that Anil Kapoor is all of 57. He has never been recognised as a great actor but he has done a number of commendable roles. I especially appreciated his work in Mr. India. This show must be a great challenge and so far it looks like the actor is up for it. Kudos Anil Kapoor!

I read somewhere that Anil Kapoor’s toughest challenge in this venture was getting the cast together. Well, I think it’s time to congratulate the actor as he has done a fantastic job of that. Each one of the actors is excellent, of what I have seen of the show so far. Neil Bhoopalam, Tisca Chopra, Sapna Pabbi, Anil Kapoor, Anita Raj and a whole lot of others including the ones playing the bad guys – all are very good.

One cannot help but compare the characters to the Gandhi family at the helm. Aditya Singhania’s character appears too much like Rahul Gandhi. Anita Raj plays his mother. His father used to be the Prime Minister who had been murdered. There is a sister and a drunkard for a brother-in-law too.

I missed the second episode on Saturday and searched the net for a repeat show on Sunday morning. There was not one. But luckily, Colors TV had uploaded the episode and I could watch it minus the advertisements, which was even better.

I eagerly look forward to the rest of the thriller.

‘24’ airs from 10-11 pm on Fridays & Saturdays on Colors TV.  There are 24 episodes in all set in real time.

Click Here to watch the episodes that you have missed.

Film Review: TEZZ

I was surprised that Priyadarshan had moved on from his mindless comedies to make this thriller. More so as it was good! 

Cast: Anil Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Zayed Khan, Boman Irani, Sameera Reddy, Kangna Ranaut, Mohanlal
Director: Priyadarshan
Editing: T.S. Suresh


I expected a lot of violence on seeing the promos and was not at all keen to see this movie. The two-star rating given by Mumbai Mirror was not very encouraging either. But as Venkat and Vinitha were keen to see the film, I tagged along.

THE STORY

The film begins with the British Court imparting the judgement that Aakash Rana (Ajay Devgn) is to be deported from England. Aakash is an engineer who is married to Nikita (Kangna Ranaut), a UK citizen. His papers are under process and the law insists that his earning his living in England is illegal. The film continues four years later when Aakash returns to England and meets Adil Khan (Zayed Khan) who used to work with him. Adil and his girlfriend Megha (Sameera Reddy) are also illegal immigrants. The three of them plot a scheme to make the British government pay them. They plant a bomb on a train and hold 500 passengers hostage while demanding 10 million Euros. Watch the film to see whether they succeed in their venture.

MY PERCEPTION

I was surprised that Priyadarshan had moved on from his mindless comedies to make this thriller. More so as it was good! The 2-hour film moved fast, the story weaving in and out of the past and the present. Special kudos to T.S. Suresh for his editing skills! That’s what made the film worth watching more than anything else.

Anil Kapoor plays Arjun Khanna who retires from the British Anti Terrorist Force. He is called back on duty the very next day to get to the bottom of the train bombing. While Anil Kapoor has won very few awards, the actor has consistently delivered and has made a conscious effort to reinvent himself at every point. He has one more feather in his cap with this film where he has done a very good job of chasing the crooks. He has a chunky role to boot. More than Ajay Devgn who plays the main character.

Ajay Devgn as Aakash Rana did not have much to do in the way of acting. To begin with, his role was not all that big with so many others taking up screen space. Then again, playing a serious man is not too difficult for the actor as he probably had to just be himself.

Zayed Khan was not too bad in that he has done his best which is not much.

Sameera Reddy has done a good job, her acting skills a bit more challenged than usual as she has very little to talk. Her eyes do quite a bit of speaking while she rides the bike. I have been reading a lot of hype about Sameera Reddy’s bike riding skills. If she has done the stunts herself, then I can only say ‘WOW’!

The first prize goes to Kangna Ranaut. While the actress had but a small role to play and comes in a handful of scenes, she has emoted absolutely beautifully. Considering that she did not know the ‘A’ of acting at the beginning of her career, Kangna Ranaut has come a very long way. Congratulations, Kangna! Way to go!

Boman Irani plays the role of Sanjay Raina, the Railway Control Officer. While it falls upon Sanjay's shoulders to ensure the safety of the train with 500 passengers on it, he is also a tense father who's young daughter is one of those on the train. Boman Irani is a versatile actor who has played many character roles. He has portrayed Sanjay Raina simply beautifully and definitely adds value to the film.

Tezz has not done all that well at the box office while most of the publications have given the film an ‘okay’ review. The trouble is that we all tend to compare actions films – Agent Vinod is another case in point – with Hollywood films. We also keep pointing out scenes from foreign films that are maybe similar and how it could have been done much better, etc. I don’t see the sense in that. Watch the film for what it is. It has been made very well and is quite an interesting watch with the actors playing their roles to a ‘T’.

VERDICT: It’s definitely worth a see if you like thrillers!

RATING: ***1/2 Snazzy (almost)

* Silly
** Shaky
*** Smart
**** Snazzy
***** Super