total timepass...

First things first, I liked Talaash. Maybe because I had heard enough negative reviews to lower my expectations or maybe just that I have a low base level for Hindi movies:). Anyhow, I was very involved with the movie throughout and enjoyed it completely. Would agree that the end was a bit out of the place but the rest of it was very well crafted. The movie follows Aamir Khan's investigation into the death of a famous movie star along with his dealing with personal pain and loss. The movie is very well developed, slow at times but still bringing out the different aspects of the story very well. The acting was brilliant, both by Aamir and Rani. But for the first time ever, I liked Kareena and her acting. As the outspoken but warm prostitute, Rosie. There is pain in her eyes and looks like she has a lot to share (and hide). The music was good, always in the background and adding to the storyline. I think the only part out of place was the end. Not that Kareena was a ghost, but...

Gangs of Wasseypur is a movie which brings to my mind the word 'good cinema' which is more often than not used to refer to the artsy part of the movie business. But GOW is not just artsy, its as mainstream as possible but still maintaining its integrity and saying and showing what it wants to! I don't really know what I can write about this movie. I think its just amazing. The story is well crafted, flowing at its own pace but with a solid foundation. The pace is definitely slow, it just takes its own time to reach its end, introducing and developing all its characters on the way. It meanders all over the place but finally takes you where it wants to. The character etching is amazing, you remember each character for what he or she stands for. Sardar Khan with the i-dont-care-about-anything attitude is just so real. His acting is out of this world, and even though there are many of his dialogues which are good, what I remember him for is his dance on top of a tempo to...

Skyfall is the first Bond movie I have ever seen in the theater  Have watched some earlier ones but all were on TV and I found them all extremely mindless and entertaining:). But this one promised to be different! For one, Daniel Craig has been a different Bond, focusing not as much on the style quotient of the movie as the thought behind the man. And this one was definitely in that genre. The focus of Skyfall was on M and her relationships with the spies she trained, while also raising a question at the existence of her department. It starts with M allowing an agent to take a shot at Bond risking his life for a higher reward. But then Bond returns from the dead to save her and her department from the unknown enemy.Some sequences later turns out the unknown enemy was none other than an ex-Bond, burnt by M's betrayal in the past now looking to take his revenge on her. Its a story of delving into the depths of M's mind, 'orphans make the best recruits'. Even ...

The TV series, Yes Prime Minister has been long appreciated by all who can enjoy British humour. But once you had watch the entire series, there wasn't anything new to look forward to. So when there was an on-stage production of Yes Prime Minister playing in London (at Trafalgar Studios), I was obviously keen to see what the latest version had to offer. Of course the fact that there are not too many comedy plays running at a time also limits the choice but still I was very excited about this one:). Anyways, first things first, I was suffering from jetlag, and so could not pay 100% attention to the play. Still I think I do remember the essence! The play centered around a country Kumranistan which was doing an oil deal with England for which England had to join the EU (which of course was kept hidden from the PM). On the way to signing the deal, multiple crazy developments keep coming up including the foreign minister of Kumranistan asking for an escort! Anyways many twists a...

As happens every year, Shah Rukh had a release on Diwali, and as happens every year, I went to watch it too! And as has been happening every year in recent times, I regretted it! But to be frank, I felt a lot more let down this time, it was a Yash Chopra romantic movie with Shah Rukh, Katrina and Anushka; it had beautiful locales like Leh and London; music was by AR Rahman; how could it go wrong? But it did, terribly! I could not see one saving grace in the movie. Actually there was one, which was the ' Challa ' song. Other than that, nothing at all! Where do I start? The story was just terrible! Was it not read before the filming of the movie started? There was no character development, no story development at all. Things were just happening for no real reason! A fish-seller-and-waiter-and-street singer-and-snow plower, all-in-one in London runs into rich girl Katrina Kaif couple of times, starts teaching her to sing and they fall in love. There are enough sequences b...

Barfi! Whats not to like about this movie? Beautiful locations: Darjeeling with its white clouds covering the idyllic green forests all around, the tea gardens filled with simple people going along with their simple lives. Its virtual poetry all around! Barfi: The very lovable, good for nothing but very naughty (and with a heart of gold) resident of this small town. Barfi cannot talk or hear but leads a very interesting and unapologetic life (and Ranbir has done a brilliant job portraying him). Jhilmil: The daughter of a rich gharjamai son-in-law. A girl suffering from autism, who does not find a home at her own home. Barfi and Jhilmil cross paths with each other and what follows is a beautiful story of the bond of friendship and support they form with each other. The whole setting is beautiful and feel good to watch, with some comic sequences added in between, some good songs et al. All this has been well made and would go for 4 stars upto here. But the movie h...

'Ek Tha Tiger' is a typical Salman Khan movie, a mindless masala entertainer with lot of action and pretty locales to keep you entertained throughout. The story is simple: a RAW agent falls in love with a Pakistani ISI Agent while on a mission, and then both of them run away to lead a life away from the enmity of these two countries. The story being so simple and straightforward, the whole movie is just about Salman in a lot of action scenes, and the background being a travel advertisement for Ireland, Cuba, Istanbul and so on. There is pretty much nothing else in the movie. Some songs, not worth remembering either. Salman Khan looks funny though, he doesn't fit the role of an agent. He is so fat and when he tries running around and jumping from here to there, he looks out of place. And he is different from the rest of his recent movies, like Ready, Bodyguard, Dabbang etc too. Its a different but still Salman role that he does. Katrina looks good as usual. As I said, n...