Film Review: ROWDY RATHORE

An out and out masala flick influenced by South Indian cinema!

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, Nassar
Director: Prabhudheva

Venkat and I went to see this film on the day of its release, all thanks to Cinemax Sion.

THE STORY:

Shiva (Akshay Kumar) is a thief who steals anything he can lay his hands on along with a sidekick. He falls for Paro (Sonakshi Sinha) on sight and chases her. She returns his feelings despite knowing the truth about his thieving habits that he promises to get rid of. Things take a turn and Shiva’s life collapses when he is stuck with a girl child who insists on calling him her father. Who is the kid? Will Paro tolerate this new entry into his life? Watch the film to know more.

MY PERCEPTION:

It’s Akshay Kumar’s film from the beginning till the end. Back as an action hero after a long time, the actor has done an excellent job in the movie. I had stopped watching Akshay Kumar films (especially those in the lines of Housefull: Part 1 & 2, etc.) as the comedy had begun to get on my nerves. The actor is best suited for action with some comedy thrown in and it works in this one.

Sonakshi Sinha plays the part of a supportive heroine. She can act and she can dance – very well. I am sure she will go places once you stop looking at her broad shoulders that give the impression of a hugely built woman. That’s not so and she has done alright.

Other actors such as South Indian actor Nassar as the main villain and police officer Yashpal Sharma have done very well too.

The background score by Sandeep Chowta is quite catchy. While the music by Sajid-Wajid is quite good, I somehow felt that all the songs sounded the same. And believe me, there were a number of them – 4, if I am not mistaken. For a film that runs for 2 hours and 20 minutes, that can be quite trying.

The film is a copy of a Telugu original is what I heard. I don’t watch Telugu films as I don’t understand the language. But I think the same film was also released in Tamil as Siruthai starring Karthi (Surya’s brother) and Tamannah.

Rowdy Rathore is an out and out masala flick that has a heavy South Indian influence. There were a number of fight sequences. Luckily, they had the hero triumphing over the bad guys every time and hence worked for me.

VERDICT: You can see it. Not seeing it might not be a great loss.

RATING: ***Smart

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

Film Review: YEH KHULA AASMAAN

Watch at your own risk!

Cast: Raghubir Yadav, Yashpal Sharma, Raj Tandon, Anya Anand, Manjusha Godse
Director: Gitanjali Sinha

I went for the film immediately after watching Arjun, The Warrior Prince. I had seen in the papers that the movie had won an award at the Los Angeles Film Festival and decided to find out more about it despite the new faces involved.

THE STORY: Avinash (Raj Tandon) has just failed his IIT Entrance and finds out that he has scored 78% in his Twelfth Standard. He feels dejected and lonely. While he lives in Mumbai, his parents (Yashpal Sharma and Anya Anand) live in London. Both are too busy to give their only child quality time. That’s when Avinash decides to go to his grandfather in the village. He had not met Dadu (Raghubir Yadav) in ten years. Grandfather and grandson bond together and soon Avinash’s confidence is reinstated.

MY PERCEPTION: The film has a strong storyline and that’s the only thing that works in its favour. Five songs drive you nuts in the 100-minute long film. The scenes are very slow – typical of a film where the editing is quite sloppy or negligible.

Youngster Raj Tandon has done a neat job of his role as the dejected teenager. Manjusha Godse plays his friend and she is not too bad. Raghubir Yadav is a good actor and plays an affectionate grandfather.

What I fail to understand is how a teenager is able to put up with his Dadu’s constant preaching? The dialogue from grandpa to grandson consists of sermons throughout the second half of the film. It is so unnatural.

VERDICT: Watch at your own risk!

RATING: **Shaky

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