Teen Patti Movie Review

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Ben Kingsley, Madhavan, Dhruv Ganesh
Director: Leena Yadav

Teen Patti is the kind of film that makes you want to send everyone associated with it for a urine test so you can confirm whether they had drugs in their system while making this senseless movie. For two hours and twenty minutes I sat in stunned silence as the film unfolded, desperately trying to figure out how and why something like this was made.

Teen Patti has so many things wrong with it that a review threatens to become a list. Let me start with the most obvious: The film's trailers have already revealed its likeness to the Kevin Spacey-starrer "21", but the makers of Teen Patti don't even have the skills to plagiarize competently.

In "21", a greedy university professor and his students figure out how to count cards and make a killing at Vegas casinos. In Teen Patti , a well-meaning professor is coerced and subsequently blackmailed into gambling for money.

Since Amitabh Bachchan plays the central role here, the character is 'tweaked' from dubious to helpless, because let's face it, who'd dare cast Bachchan as a crook? So Venkat Subramanium, the character that AB plays, is a mathematics professor who assembles a team of five students and a younger lecturer to help in his research for a paper on the theory of probability. That research quickly turns into visits to gambling dens and casinos, where the team becomes addicted to making easy money.

The holes in the plot aside, Teen Patti suffers on account of careless direction. Can it really be so easy for two professors and their students to walk in and out of seedy gambling parlors without raising any suspicion? Do red-hot, richie-rich bimbos actually throw themselves at someone that looks like R Madhavan only because he claims he owns an Italian gelato empire? And would anyone really agree to give up half their earnings to an anonymous blackmailer without even making an effort to find out if it's just a prank caller?

You're troubled by dozens of such howlers in a film that gets virtually nothing right. The dialogues are impossibly stupid, and passing off over-fed, gaudily-dressed junior artistes as millionaire gamblers is laughable to say the least.

Amitabh Bachchan appears positively embarrassed to be trapped in this amateur kindergarten-like production; he goes through his scenes robotically as if all wit and thought were beaten out of him. R Madhavan hams it up, and the younger actors fail to even make a passing impression.

Directed by Leena Yadav, Teen Patti is an incoherent mess of logic-defying scenes that never come together as a fluid script. It's got snazzy camerawork and occasionally hip production design, but none of that matters in the end. What you take with you as you leave the cinema is shock. Shock that nobody associated with this film had the intelligence or the courage to turn around.

At best, on a really boring day, this film might provide some unintentional comedy. For that alone, I'm going with one out of five for director Leena Yadav's Teen Patti . Formidable actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Ben Kingsley are cast together for the first time on screen in a film like this.

Karthik Calling Karthik Movie Review

Cast: Deepika Padukone, Farhan Akhtar, Shefali Shetty, Vipin Sharma
Director: Vijay Lalwani

For a substantial portion of Karthik Calling Karthik, writer-director Vijay Lalwani succeeds in keeping you reasonably intrigued. But this is not an easy film to appreciate.Farhan Akhtar stars as meek construction firm-employee Karthik Narayan who's bullied by his colleagues, tormented by his boss, and barely even noticed by the gorgeous co-worker he's got a crush on. When he suddenly starts receiving mysterious phone-calls from a person who claims to be Karthik himself, our hero finds it in himself to face the world. The voice on the other end empowers him to confront his oppressors and woo his girl. His life has clearly changed for the better, and he has those 5 am phone calls to thank. But when the caller is suddenly angered, Karthik's life begins to spiral downwards.

Part-office romance part-psychological study, Karthik Calling Karthik never quite succeeds in striking a consistent tone. Despite its promising premise, the film ultimately fails to work because of a clumsy screenplay that doesn't know which way to go. Despite its snail-like pace, you are hopeful the film will culminate in a thrilling discovery, but the central conceit is a disappointing letdown, not to mention impossibly far-fetched.

It's difficult to discuss the film's shortcomings in detail without giving away too much of its supposed suspense, but suffice to say the film isn't even faithful to its own logic. In its handling of a mental illness, Karthik Calling Karthik is naïve and superficial, and leaves more questions unanswered than addressed.

The romantic portions between Karthik and his colleague Shonali (played by Deepika Padukone) are engaging and entirely watchable because the director employs a contemporary, urban grammar in building their relationship. The same, unfortunately, can't be said for the film's second half in which Karthik heads off on a 'blind' journey to run away from his problems. The key issue here is that Lalwani reveals his suspense fairly early in the screenplay, and yet the film plods along tediously for another 45-odd minutes or so.

Of the leads, Farhan Akhtar seizes your attention as the mousy loser guy, but constructs what is ultimately an inconsistent character because of the shoddy script. Deepika Padukone is easy on the eye, but unconvincing as an ambitious architect, never once seen so much as discussing a building plan.

In the end, Karthik Calling Karthik appears confused and half-baked, and it commits that deadly unforgivable cinematic sin -- it bores you!

VinnaithaandiVaruvaaya Movie Review

Cast: Silambarasan, Trisha, Kitty, Babu Antony, Ganesh
Music: A R Rahman
Director: Gautham Vasudev Menon

Three cheers to Gautham Vasudev Menon, the big daddy of romance is back with a bang! His Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya (VTV) is pure magic. This one works and grabs us where it matters; VTV is straight from the heart.
10 years after his candy floss Minnale, Menon’s VTV is a far more mature Valentine. The film is backed by awe inspiring performance and precisely one thing going for it and that’s the chemistry between its lead actors Silambarasan and Trisha, Manoj Paramahamsa’s eye-catching frames, great screenplay and a stunning climax that is riveting.
It is return of romance and will strike a chord with anyone who’s loved and felt the unbearable anguish of loss, and knows the feeling that binds people in love together. Menon’s creativity is completely home grown though it looks autobiographical.
Karthik (Simbu), a mechanical engineer, dreams of becoming a film director, and meets Jessy (Trisha), a Malayalee Christian girl, who is an IT professional. And it is love at first sight. She lives on the top floor with her strict father (Babu Antony), mother and an aggressive brother, while Karthik and his family have rented out the lower portion of the house.
Vinnnaithandi Varuvaaya is an intense love story: Gautham Menon The first half is all about how he passionately wooes her, follows her to Kerala, with his good friend Ganesh (Ganesh) a cameraman and his mentor who was instrumental in him becoming director KS Ravikumar’s AD. Karthik’s passionate wooing melts Jessy who finally succumbs to his ardent love. But her family and religion stands in the way of true love.
The romantic track is engaging because it's innocent, simple and the director nails it right. Silence convey so much more than irreverent banter, and nowhere is this more evident than in the interactions between Karthik and Jessy, whose romance is conveyed through their conversations, eyes and longing expressions. The credit goes to its lead pair who invests sincerity and genuine enthusiasm while attacking their roles.
However, VTV is not devoid of minor flaws. It has too many songs which are experimental and are non-structured that act as speed breaker. The pre climax song is unwanted, still “Hosanna..” and “Aaromale…” are the pick of the lot. The film at 2 hours and 35 minutes can be trimmed by at least 10 minutes in the second half to make it as racy and interesting as the first half.
Simbu Count among its major plus points- the technical wizardry of the film. Manoj Paramahamsa’s camera and his colour combination especially the night silhouette shots in the backwaters have a touch of class. Art director’s Rajeevan’s choice of interiors and mixing it with the exteriors are brilliant. Antony’s editing without using any gimmicks makes the narration silken smooth.
The film belongs to its lead actors. For sure, Simbu has come a long way from his finger wagging punch line spewing days. It's a joy to watch him in the climax scene when he speaks about his love by taking ordinary lines and delivering them so convincingly, and never miss a beat. His sheer agility in the romantic interludes, his composure, his dead pan humour and his tears in the climax are tangible and real, giving it a heart warming immediacy.
As a woman torn by the dualities of her existence, Trisha looks good and delivers her career best performance in a knock-out role. Her costumes, body language and gait changes as the story shifts from Chennai to New York via the backwaters of Kerala. There is a super cameo by Ganesh (one of the producers of VTV), which is earthy and outrageous as the cameraman friend of the hero and raises huge chuckles and the bar of the film.
The film is a must watch for those who cares for cinema of sense and substance. It stresses the fact that Tamil cinema has to break the mould if it aims to grab eyeballs. Gautham Menon has crafted a movie that will stay in our hearts for a long, long time.

Click Movie Review

Cast: Rehan Khan, Chunky Pandey,Sada, Shreyas Talpade, Sneha Ullal

Director: Sangeeth Sivan

"Click", directed by Sangeeth Sivan, is a horror movie. And just so you know, I don't mean that as a genre description.

This embarrassingly amateurish film stars Shreyas Talpade as a (rather unconvincing) hotshot photographer who's returning home from an evening of drunken revelry, with his equally inebriated girlfriend at the wheel of their car. When they accidentally knock down a girl on a desolate road, the couple flees the spot. Soon after, he is haunted by an otherworldly presence. His photographs suddenly appear to reveal a supernatural element, and his friends begin to kill themselves. His girlfriend decides to investigate these strange occurrences and chances upon a murky secret involving a former lover.

Generously inspired from the similarly harebrained-but-at-least-marginally engaging American B-movie "Shutter", which was itself a remake of a Thai original, Sivan's desi version borrows visual references from so many Japanese and Korean films it's hard to keep count.

To be honest, there's not one scary moment in this film; in fact it's unintentionally hilarious, particularly that portion in which Shreyas is chased down a ladder with a white-faced ghost in hot pursuit. Sneha Ullal (who you may remember as the Aishwarya Rai-lookalike in that Salman Khan-starrer "Lucky") plays the ghost in question who just won't quit. There's also a ludicrous side-track involving a mother who has gone to unbelievable lengths to convince herself that her daughter's not dead.

Painfully dreary and packed with tacky special effects, "Click" offers very little in terms of entertainment. The usually dependable Shreyas Talpade fails to pull off a convincing performance, and looks woefully miscast as a slick lensman.

For a few good laughs, if nothing else, I recommend you revisit one of those old Ramsay films instead of this plodding bore.

Toh Baat Pakki Movie Review

Cast: Tabu,Sharman Joshi, Uvika Chaudhary, Vatsal Sheth, Ayub Khan, Sharat Saxena

Director: Kedar Shinde

What do you call an elder sister who encourages her younger sibling to fall in love with a promising suitor, then demands that she forget about him and focus her attention on the next guy, when it appears this one might be more loaded?

"Toh Baat Pakki", directed by Kedar Shinde, is an idiotic and regressive film that's trying to pass off as a light-hearted family entertainer in the spirit of those old-fashioned Rajshri movies.

Tabu stars as Rajeshwari Saxena, a meddlesome but well-meaning housewife who's playing ping-pong with her li'l sister's feelings. After orchestrating a romance between houseguest Rahul (played by Sharman Joshi) and younger sister Nisha (played by Yuvika Chaudhary), she decides to break up the couple when she finds a more eligible guy, Yuvraj (played by Vatsal Seth) who she believes is more deserving of her sister's hand.

The inherently offensive nature of the film's central premise is shrouded under the director's feel-good treatment of the same. Set in a quaint, idyllic small-town that distinctly resembles Ooty, the film struggles unsuccessfully to channel the simplistic, charming humour of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's films, and the family-friendly melodrama of Sooraj Barjatya's early hits.

But in the absence of a coherent script, and the obvious lack of conviction on the director's part, "Toh Baat Pakki" is ultimately a bumpy, confused ride.The film's second half in particular is convoluted and unconvincing what with Rahul embarking on a preposterous plan to sabotage Nisha's wedding with Yuvraaj.

Of the cast, Sharman Joshi makes a half-decent attempt to save those uninspired scenes with his spontaneous charm, and Tabu knows exactly how to play Rajeshwari naively without turning her into the villain of the piece. But dumped with such mediocre material, neither is able to rise above this travesty.

I'm going with one-and-a-half out of five for director Kedar Shinde's "Toh Baat Pakki". Merely throwing in a half-dozen songs and littering the film with a hundred smiling faces won't turn it into the next "Hum Aapke Hain Koun".

My Name is Khan Movie Reveiw

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Zarina Wahab, Tanay Chheda.

Director: Karan Johar

In an early voice-over in director Karan Johar's My Name Is Khan, Shah Rukh Khan's character Rizwan says his mother loved him unconditionally from the moment he was born, never disappointed or embarrassed of his autism. It's hard not to feel the same kind of unconditional love for Rizwan when you're sitting there in your seat, listening to him as he innocently offers to repair the air-conditioner in a high-security US prison where he is being held and tortured by a suspicious FBI who cannot understand why he's determined to meet the US President.

Rizwan Khan has Asperger's Syndrome since birth; he has a problem expressing emotions, he rejects physical intimacy, he's bothered by crowded spaces and loud noise, and he's disturbed by the sight of anything yellow. Other than that, he's quite smart actually. He can repair faulty home appliances and crack word puzzles in an instant. What he cannot mend is his wife's broken heart, when 9/11 delivers a personal blow.

My Name Is Khan is an inherently sincere, yet unabashedly sentimental story of Rizwan Khan and his Forrest Gumpish journey across America to meet the US President so he can tell him that every Muslim is not a terrorist.

The film's message of religious tolerance and global secularism is an important one, but hardly new. Johar's occasionally naïve script places a series of seemingly impossible hurdles in the way of Rizwan, that he overcomes with sheer good-heartedness and love. Like the clunky portion where he returns to a hurricane-hit small-town in Georgia and inspires a community rebuilding effort.

The director sacrifices subtlety and goes all-guns-blazing to emotionally seduce you. Rizwan's romance with Hindu single-mom Mandira (played by Kajol) and his bond with her son provide the anchor points in a film that tends to overwhelm you with convenient touches.

My Name Is Khan has Johar's typical cheesy flourishes, like the moment when a church choir sings We Shall Overcome and Rizwan breaks into Hum Honge Kamyab. However, for the most part, the director makes a departure from his bubblegum themes.

At roughly two hours and forty minutes, the film is a tad long and packs in every possible plot point that might elicit an emotional response. There are encounters with fundamentalists, the stirring of a nationwide humanitarian campaign, even montage moments of hate crimes against innocent Muslims in the aftermath of 9/11.

But My Name Is Khan steams ahead confidently, propelled by the chemistry of its leads. Johar is on rock-solid ground when he's exploring the relationship between Rizwan and Mandira, investing the film with its finest moments. Watch how Shah Rukh and Kajol virtually bounce off each other in the Tere naina song, and the innocent cheekiness of that post-wedding bedroom scene when they finally discuss what they must get down to doing.

In a striking performance that's right up there alongside Swades and Chak De India, Shah Rukh Khan is endearing and restrained and makes it very hard for you not to lose your heart to him. He never turns the Aspergers-afflicted Rizwan into a caricature, using his peculiarities to warm up to you instead. Notice how he repeats his lines over and over again, or jumps in to correct someone when they've mispronounced his name, or how he hides his face and blushes when Mandira asks him to marry her.

Bringing emotional depth to what is essentially Rizwan's story, Kajol is immensely likeable as Mandira, using her eyes to convey volumes, topping the performance off with a powerful breakdown scene that literally puts her through the wringer.

In all fairness, My Name Is Khan benefits considerably from inspired casting. Zarina Wahab is heart-warming as Rizwan's mother, and Soniya Jehan exudes a quiet grace in the role of his supportive sister-in-law. A thumbs-up also for Tanay Chheda who plays the young Rizwan with remarkable consistency.

The film shamelessly tugs at your heartstrings and on more than one occasion wallops you to weep. Aided by solid camerawork, tight editing and a layered story, Johar crafts an engaging, stirring saga that is earnest and noble. With this message movie in the mainstream format, the director takes a step in the right direction.

Theeradha Vilaiyattu Pillai – Tamil Movie Review

Banner:	G.K Film Corporation
Cast:	Vishal, Neetu Chandra, Sarah, Tanushree Dutta
Direction:	Thiru
Production:	Vikram Krishna
Music:	Yuvan Shankar Raja

We have seen Ranbir Kapoor pulling it off in style in ‘Bachchna He Hasina’ in style. So tries Vishal in ‘Theeradha Vilaiyattu Pillai’. A romantic entertainer targetting front-benchers (Vishal himself says this), the movie has its moments making you laugh and also go red at few places.

Debutant filmmaker Thiru has woven a script that is predominantly aimed at appeasing youngsters. Vishal as Karthik symbolise an upper middle class youth who is choosy in his life. What happens when he comes across three beautiful women of different shades and colour forms the story.

Vishal, who proved his mettle as an action hero in his earlier films has gone in for an image make-over. He has transformed into a cool Casanova, who gets hooked to girls quite easily and comfortably. His gets his comical act well in the company of Santhanam. The Vishal of ‘Chellame’ days is back to woo the hearts.

With three girls around (Neetu Chandra, Sarah Jane and Tanushree Dutta), glamour is abundant. What is interesting here is Thiru coming up with a well-compiled entertainer which is different from the films of such genre. The major lacunae in the script however is the second half that proceeds on a predictable path.

Karthik (Vishal) is a business graduate who is pampered by his family. A youth who is choosy about his priorities, he thinks more than once before deciding on choices before him. Be it clothing or other accessories, he takes he makes decisions only after going through all options.

He applies the same when it comes to choosing his life partner. For, Karthik comes across three beautiful girls Jyothi (Tanushree Dutta), Priya (Sarah Jane) and Tejaswini (Neetu Chandra).

Jyothi is a sports woman and has reservations against men. A girl with feminist ideology, she however as expected gets hooked on to Karthik. Before Karthik could settle down with her, he gets more options in the form of Priya, a girl who strongly rooted in traditional ideas and believes in cultural values. Next in the line is Tejaswini, a top-notch millionaire in the town.

Interestingly all the three fall for Karthik. And he gets into a spot of bother because of the events that proceed. What happens then and whom he marries forms the climax, which has a surprise twist in it.

Vishal suits the character well, but at comical scenes his dialogue delivery leaves a lot to be worked out. It is a meaty role which has everything a hero has to perform. In trendy and colourful costumes, he hogs all limelight.

Among the girls Sarah Jane is a delight to watch. Though she looks alien for the role, her pleasant looks wins for her. Neetu Chandra goes gaga with glamour while Tanushree Dutta is apt for the character she played.

Santhanam as usual walks away with applause with his humourous one-liners. The rest of the cast includes Mouli, Prakash Raj and Mayilsamy who chip in with their best. Sneha and Mallika Kapoor play cameo.

Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music is average with just a couple of songs hummable while Aravind Krishna’s cinematography is cool and pleasant.

Presented by Sun Pictures, ‘Theeradha Vilaiyattu Pillai’, produced by G K Film Corporation is a movie aimed for target audience and it does serves the purpose. A delight apparently for those who live beyond the borders of a city.

Yaathumaagi Movie Trailer

Striker Movie Review

Starcast:Aditya Pancholi, Anupam Kher, Siddarth Narayan, Padma Priya, Vidya Malvade, Seema Biswas

Director: Chandan Arora

Set in the 1980s in Malvani, a claustrophobic ghetto of suburban Mumbai, Striker, directed by Chandan Arora is a gritty slice-of-life movie that never achieves its full potential. Remarkably shot and competently performed, the film is let down by a confused script that can't decide what point to make.

Rang De Basanti's Siddharth stars as Surya, a poor boy who aspires for a better life than the one he's currently living in a dingy shack that he shares with five members of his family. When his efforts to make a passport and land a job in Dubai prove fruitless, Surya has no choice but to use his superb carrom-playing skills to make a living. His friend Zaid (played by Ankur Vikal) introduces him to the local goon Jaleel Bhai (played by Aditya Pancholi) who runs illegal gambling and betting dens in the neighborhood, where Surya must play for big money. Expectedly his involvement with Jaleel Bhai gets him into trouble with the cops, distances him from his family, and ends not very nicely at all.

Striker scores full marks for authenticity -- for its accurate portrayal of the city's dark underbelly, for its use of real locations and for its consistent colloquial dialogue.

Director Chandan Arora does a bang-up job of creating entirely believable characters who you will care for. Like Surya's earnest elder brother (played by Anoop Soni) who repeatedly urges him to pursue a real job, however low-paying. Or his sister (played by Vidya Malavade) who is sympathetic and supportive but ultimately a mute spectator when he's banished from the house by the eldest sibling. Or even Zaid, his best friend and an occasional drug-dealer who's living life on the edge but is eternally optimistic and blessed with infectious enthusiasm.

The film falters eventually because it can't find its feet. There's a side-track about the communal riots which is never fully developed. There are two romantic tracks, the first entirely dispensable, the second too convenient. Surya's journey too comes off as half-baked, and his final voice-over which is meant to put things into perspective, leaves you entirely underwhelmed.

And that's a pity. Because Striker has so much going for it. Aditya Pancholi is appropriately menacing as the scar-faced villain; and Siddharth delivers an excellent performance as Surya, displaying vulnerability when required, or chocolate-boy charm when that is needed. From the physicality of his part to the emotional mind-space he must inhabit, Sidharth creates a fully flesh-and-blood character out of Surya.

Stealing the show, however, is Ankur Vikal who is extraordinary as the free-spirited, hyperactive Zaid. It's among the finest acting pieces you will see this year.

Despite Arora's solid efforts, the film loses steam well before the end credits roll. Although only two hours in running time, the movie feels endlessly long, and fails to culminate satisfyingly. I'm going with two-and-a-half out of five for director Chandan Arora's Striker. It's not a bad film by any measure, but it most definitely could've been better. Watch it for some excellent acting and for its gritty realistic feel.

Asal Movie Review

Cast : Ajith Kumar, Sameera Reddy, Bhavana, Sampath, Prabhu.

Direction: Saran.

Music: Bharadwaj.

Production: Sivaji Productions.

Saran and Ajith’s latest offering Asal is a fitting example of all style and no substance. We can appreciate and enjoy the stylish way of Saran’s making but the same cannot be said about the story and screenplay (Ajith has also contributed to the script), which have nothing new to offer.

Asal (original) is all about who is the original heir of a huge asset of a rich man. The movie tries to tell us about a tussle between three brothers (one of whom is step brother) over the family property. Two of the brothers (Sampath Kumar and Rajeev Krishna) want to grab the whole asset while Ajith, the step brother is not interested in the game. What is the problem then, you might ask. So the director brings in a new villain, who abducts Vikky (Rajiv). Then the director makes Ajith along with his girl friend Sara (Sameera Reddy) swing into action to get him back.

hen the brothers should accept Ajith, you might think. But the brothers have other plans. They want to eliminate him. Why so much of hatred towards the step brother, who saves their lives, you ask. The father, who had no belief or good feeling towards the elder sons, had chosen Ajith as his legal heir. This is the cause of the hatred and hence the hunt for Ajith’s head. How Ajith outsmarts them forms the rest of the story. Meanwhile you get to see Prabhu (what is he doing in the film, you wonder) and Yuhi Sethu (who looks like low budget Vikek) along with cute looking Bhavana, who falls for Ajith at the first sight.

Saran, who has the reputation of presenting a commercial flick laced with humour and emotional touch, has restored to a full fledged clichéd action drama banking fully on Ajith’s charm and style. It is true that Asal has come out as a stylish and colourful (thanks to sexy Sameera and pretty Bhavana)movie but it is anything but an absorbing film. Even the romantic quotient hasn’t been etched out well. Yuhi Sethu’s comedy track looks pathetic to say the least. Prabhu’s acting skills have not been wasted. The clichéd climax is a big disappointment.

Sameera looks hot and handles her role with cool while Bhavana looks pretty and adds charm. The handsome Ajith’s stylish looks remind us his appearance Billa. He performs well in action scenes but falls flat when it comes to emote. Sampath, Rajeev and Pradeep pass muster.

The camera has captured the beauty of France and Mumbai with some grace. The music by Bharadwaj is just above average and he restores to jarring sounds deviating from his characteristic melodious ways.

Angadi Theru Tamil Movie Trailer

Food,Taste and Hunger