Film:

A more of a leer and simpler kind of drama by Ashwini Dhir, Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge is quite different from all the frenzied laugh acts that have been trying to make its audiences laugh recently in Bollywood. The movie does not even try to convince you that life is full of smiles and laughter, where as it just goes on creating condition where in you feel the warmth and smile off with a known eccentricity of the decipherable situations.

Inspired by the comedy entries of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee’s cinemas in 1980’s, Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge is a light hearted entertainer resting on three main characters, Munmun, Puneet and Chachaji. Munmun (Konkona Sen Sharma) and Puneet (Ajay Devgan), a married couple, who are living happily in Mumbai till a distant relative, Chachaji (Paresh Rawal) drops off, from a far off village, into their house without informing. The visitor overstays his welcome and hence, the couple starts getting incensed and begins to plan out different ways to speed up his departure.

Though the movie may not be completely fulfilling, but it has got a sure shot old-world charm that one certainly misses out in the cinemas of today. The surprising part is that the devotional factor has smartly been infused inside the screenplay and the audiences, especially the traditional Indian ones, will love the way the different sanskaars, Chachaji inculcates into Puneet and Munmun’s son. But somewhere the writing moves off into unwanted areas that could have been avoided easily, especially, the raid at the hotel then the cop scene, and later the hiring of the services of a Bhai to get rid of Chachaji from their home. Also, the repeat telecast of Chachaji breaking the wind looks funny but then due to the repetition becomes an overdose.

Regarding the performances, all were good. Ajay Devgan has performed his part most persuasively, Konkona Sen Sharma is completely natural and spontaneous throughout the movie and Paresh Rawal is truly superb in his act as Atithi and has stolen out every scene from the other actors. Sanjay Mishra, Akhilendra Mishra, Mukesh Tiwari and Viju Khote were also good in their role, and Satish Kaushik shines out, especially in the part where he apologizes to Ajay. No doubt the dialogues by Ashwani Dhir are excellent and the cinematography by Aseem Bajaj is truly first class.

Truly cunning, smart and softly funny, the movie is a worth watch. Bring its DVD home to have more fun.

Film:

In a mood for watching some mature romance with some tangy yet sweet and touching taste, then It’s Complicated should be there on your list. Directed by Nancy Meyers, the movie is all about love, marriage, divorce and everything in between all of this. The director has tried to transform a divorced couple into a romantic couple, signifying a faith in love persevering even after the marriage dies off.

The movie moves around a typical middle aged woman, who is proud of her hormones and does not see herself in midst of the dating game as a dust-laden aged intransigent Jane (Meryl Streep), is the mother of 3 grown up kids and has taken over 10 years of time to get over her divorce with her husband, Jake (Alec Baldwin), who leaves her for a younger woman. But then, one chance of meeting her ex, on her son’s college graduation, sets off all the old currents into action. Just one innocuous meal together swings them off into an unimaginable love affair. Jake is remarried to Agness (Lake Bell), the young girl and Jane is now the other woman. Things do not end here, Adam (Steve Martin) is caught up in the middle of the renewed romance of Jane and Jake, who in turn loves Jane and the things start becoming complicated while the duo start to enjoy the joy that was left behind around a decade ago.

There is a witty chemistry between Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin and this keeps the audiences pampered with some meek cuddles and little pot smolders throughout the movie. Surely, there is something about Meryl Streep that makes her one of the Hollywood’s must-see Diva. Definitely she was perfect with her roles in Mama Mia and Julie and Julia, and truly carries off her success in her role in It’s Complicated. Yes, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were also the apt companions for her. Though, both the male characters are full of beans, the director has used a woman’s perspective to narrate the story.

Though, the movie is not that complicated as its title suggests, it turns out to be a worth watch this weekend.

Produced by Dar Motion Picture, City of Gold is an upcoming bollywood film which is directed by Mahesh Manjrekar. The movie is believed to be picturised in both hindi and marathi language, where it is supposed to release in April 2010.

Synopsis:

City of Gold is inspired from mid 1980’s mill strikes in Mumbai that lead to the disappearance of the mills. Story of the film deals into this aspect and explores the apathy of the mill workers by narrating the story of one such family.The starcast include actors like Satish Kaushak, Sachin Khedekar, Seema Biswas, Kashmira Shah and debutant Karan Patel.

Moreover, the film focuses on organized crime in Mumbai, traces the birth of the politics greed in Mumbai and exposes the plight of the trade union leaders and mill workers, their struggle to protect their rights, that changed the entire landscape of Mumbai where today at the same place we see swanky shopping malls, nightclubs, lounge bars, clubs, etc. that has sprung up across the centre of Mumbai.

For more details, just log on to the official website of the film:  www.cityofgoldthefilm.com

Film:

Have you ever received a call from yourself? Is it possible? Actually this concept impulsively generates the curiosity in the film. Karthik Calling Karthik is a decent creation but unfortunately with an unconvincing conclusion. There are a lot of theories going about round and round inside the movie but on the whole the movie turns out to be unpersuasive.

Karthik Calling Karthik moves about Karthik (Farhan Akhtar), a common loser, who would have remained unnoticed until the phone call that changed his life one early morning. The caller teaches him to get the best position in his job, the hot chick (Deepika Padukone) in his company and a happening life until he angers the caller, who calls himself Karthik. Then suddenly after this, his life starts going downhill. His caller gets bruised when Karthik tells his girlfriend about him and spoils out everything and sends him back into hiding from everyone.

Yet, at one level, the movie turns out to be a worth watch. The purely for the class act performed by Farkhan Akhtar for Karthik is something that is immensely watchable throughout the film. Deepika Padukone is effervescent in her role as the sassy, uptown girl, although one does wish a bit more from her. Disappointingly, the chemistry between the two of them flares off due to which the romance turns out to be uninspired and sluggish. Yes, the tassel players, Shefali Chhaya and Ram Kapoor have done their job and have given up their best throughout the movie. The screenplay, though totally in sync with today’s culture, has turned out to be a bit crashy and the drama is somewhat heavy. Despite of this, there is a thrill factor that has kept the movie on its own impetus.

Film:

An immensely topical film based on the novel by Walter Krin and directed by Jason Reitman, Up In The Air is rooted completely in today’s corporate culture, ethics of modern living, independence and success along with an envelope of self ostracism. With all the white-collared bewilderment moving in and out of the film, the movie is something about todays continuous, the people who appear to be heartless souls giving out the fearful firing sheets and the ones who jump off the bridges after getting the sheets.

Ryan Bungham (George Clooney), a high-profile, corporate downsizer, fritters out most of his time in flights, traveling to offices throughout US and sacking out people without disappointing them.  He is the well-known recluse who suddenly realizes that there is something more to life besides flying in business class from one office to other and firing people off their jobs. Natalie (Anna Kendrick), a 23-year-old psychology main, is on the brink of putting an end to Ryan’s ways of downsizing by introducing her new-fangled proposal of cutting down the heavy bills of the companies by firing on the internet. Now, Ryan’s boss loves the feisty new proposal and sets up Ryan and Natalie to head the change. And here comes the time when a few lessons of life need to be exchanged by both these generation gapped corporate buddies. Natalie should be taught to disconnect out with her unworthy boyfriends and Ryan should learn to connect in with his family and girlfriends.

The incapability to connect and disconnect along with making up life long relationships and the decoded isolation of the people inside the corporate world is well interpreted throughout the movie. Though the script is small, it’s smart with extremely crisp but real dialogues. All the performances are excellent. Anna Kendrick looks really adorable as the twenty-three old and George Clooney has been perfect as the heartless 21st century wanderer. Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner have created a fantastic screenplay that is completely packed up with quotable quotes. The movie also stirs off some comedy sequences as well in its serious business world.

Truly a film not be missed out!

Synopsis: Valentine’s Day is a 2010 American romantic comedy that takes place over the course of one day. Directed by Garry Marshall, the film is about that one unique Valentine’s Day in the lives of many people. As each individual is involved in tackling his or her own issues in life, irrespective of their conflicts or shortcomings, they find out that one day is sufficient to alter a life forever. The screenplay of the film  is written by Katherine Fugate and the music is composed by John Debney.

Creative Commons:Sörn

With so much action by the environmentalists these days, the Hollywood’s legendary landmark sign too has now been sheltered with panels that read- ‘Save the Peak’. It was an action taken by a conservation group wherein the motive is to actually protect the bordering land from getting urbanized into lavish residences. Thus, it is believed that this is nothing but a part of the group’s fund-raising drive.

The conservation group is basically a San Francisco-based Trust for Public Land which was given authorization to cover up the iconic sign with red lettering until next Tuesday. Come what may, it is good to see that the tourist attraction mark will get protection in one way.

“We want to raise the visibility of it, so people will support our campaign to save the peak, to save the land,” Trust for Public Land spokesman Tim Ahern said at a ceremony.

The landmark sign on Los Angeles’ Hollywood Hills has always been a centre of attraction to millions of people who visit the city for the love of films and simply to get a glimpse of the celebrities.

Film:

One more cinema that motivates, moves, inspires and forces you to think. My Name is Khan not only brushes out the history, but also builds up an astonishing vignette with its challenging scenes that lay out a question in front of its audiences and debunk all the myths that have been laid down up till now. “My Name is Khan, and I am not a terrorist” is the kind of message left by the movie to its audiences. The movie is unquestionably one of the meaningful and touching films, being rolled out from the Bollywood reels and its hilariously overfilled and extremely enjoyable performances moving on the drive make the movie a worth watch.

My Name is Khan effectively unfurls as a love story with Rizwan Khan (Shahrukh Khan) who grows up with his mother (Zarina Wahab) and younger brother (Jimmy Shergill) in Mumbai and is forced to join him in the US and sell out beauty products, which is their family business. In one of the business meets he meets up Mandira (Kajol), a hairdresser and a single mom. Later on he decides to move in with Mandira and her son Sameer (Yuvaan Makar), in a turn convincing her to marry him. This love story proceeds with a feathery flow until 9/11. Post 9/11, Rizwan and his family have to bear the burden of racial prejudice in a greatly personal way as a result bringing down their bastion.

On the whole, the film remains a story of the good man who wishes to live with good people inside a good world. The movie is completely overflowing with scenes that are inspiring, uplifting and tear-jerking. Also, the performances by all the actors are so much inspiring that it seems as though you walk out with the characters and take them home inside your car after the movie. Shahrukh has no doubt given his best act, and Kajol as Mandira is a complete winner throughout the film. There is a scorching kind of simplicity maintained throughout the movie through Karan Johar’s narration and also, choosing a character who suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome seems to be a completely planned move on the part of the film maker and has worked up like a masterstroke throughout the movie.

Towards the end, My Name is Khan has taken up a difficult task of trying to tell its audiences that tolerance is the crucial asset for the 21st century and it has got no room for the casteists, class and cultural chauvinists, communalists, regionalists and other fundoos that do not let the world rest in peace.

Rapunzel

Both Disney and SlashFilm have confirmed the news that their upcoming 3-D animated take on the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale ‘Rapunzel’, has been retitled to a unique name ‘Tangled’. Slated for a November 2010 release, Disney’s three-dimensional film fairytale weaves the story of Rapunzel, a girl with amazing long hair.

Disney’s decision of renaming a film title that has been so firmly established, has been due to the mediocre success of its last release ‘The Princess and the Frog’. The studio is seriously reconsidering their marketing strategies for their upcoming animated movies.

Nathan Greno and Byron Howard of ‘Bolt’ are directing ‘Tangled’ with voices by Mandy Moore (Rapunzel), Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, and David Schwimmer. Music will be by Alan Menken (’The Little Mermarid’) on lyrics penned by Glenn Slater.

Film Producer Roy Conli’s announcement on the new title can be viewed on Disney’s Facebook page.

Film:

It’s current and topical. Ram Gopal Verma returns back to his old lets dissect the world attitude with the go fast kind movie, Rann. Though it runs on some predictive lines, the movie has a gripping touch that keeps its audiences not to move out for popcorn. There is businessman-politician-news baron at work that brings out the whole known story of the media world, news battle and the hackneyed politician chronicle that tells you that “sensationalism” is not the only buzzword in the business of news.

Vijay Harshvardhan Malik (Amitabh Bachchan) is the one who heads a news channel that relays only news all day long. As a true result, the channel, though excelling in sensationalism, begins to loose its TRP day by day. His son, Jai (Sudeep), along with Vijay’s son in law, Ashwin (Rajat Kapoor), try to win the TRP by crouching into all the new and low, despite of the fact that the ethical code of the channel is being damned somewhere. In this attempt, both of them group up with the foe politician (Paresh Rawal) and cook up some news and put it p on the channel that lends air credibility by winning out the channel war. But in this attempt, they end up bringing down the honest government.

Leading the complete story is Amitabh Bachchan who is portrayed as the media chief. Yes, he has acted perfectly throughout, but still the best part is a climatic speech about clean journalism given by him in the middle of the movie and forms a cherry on the cake. Paresh Rawal as the evil politician is truly perfect in his role. And the smaller players, Rajat Kapoor, Sudeep, Riteish Deshmukh (as the channel’s lead reporter), Mohnish Behl, Rajpal Yadav, Neetu Chandra and Gul Panag also walk away getting an applause from everyone.