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More and more film-makers are borrowing stories from real life. Giving shape to stories or incidents they believe in. Stories that provoke thinking and divert your attention towards issues that we otherwise brush aside. Director Mahesh Pandey's 332 - MUMBAI TO INDIA attempts to chronicle an incident that occurred almost two years ago in Mumbai. But let me clarify at the outset that 332 - MUMBAI TO INDIA is not a documentary on Rahul Raj, as is widely understood, but tries to portray the incident and its repercussions [from the director's point of view]. In fact, the director has clubbed yet another incident to the main story, which is not connected to the bus hijack episode even remotely - 26/11.  Though interesting in parts, 332 - MUMBAI TO INDIA left me with mixed feelings at the end of the screening. Ideally, the film should've been a hard-hitting drama or a pragmatic interpretation of an occurrence, but what comes across on screen, in the final tally, is a tame exper

Recall IS RAAT KI SUBAH NAHIN. The turn of events in a single night kept you on tenterhooks all through the film. PAYBACK has a different plotline, but like IS RAAT KI SUBAH NAHIN, the story unfolds in one night. But the similarities end there. Frankly, PAYBACK had the ingredients to be a riveting fare, but the mundane writing plays the spoilsport. I've often said that most Hindi films sound damn interesting on paper. I am sure, the concept of PAYBACK must've come across as fresh and innovative during story discussions, but the film comes down like a house of cards because the interesting idea becomes an uninteresting and unexciting screenplay, which tells on the film eventually. In fact, the film falls prey to predictability as it progresses.  Kunal [Munish Khan], who works for an insurance firm, loves Ishita [Sara Khan], an architect. One fateful night, Kunal meets with a fatal accident. While he lies in a pool of blood, no passerby cares to stop and atte

Was just wondering the other day, why do [most] Hindi films that tackle the horror genre don't really succeed in their endeavour of scaring the viewer? I mean, real stories concerning supernatural forces continue to make the rounds to this date and make us break into a cold sweat, especially when you listen to them in rapt attention at nights. So why don't these stories succeed in their motive of scaring us in the dark confines of a cineplex? Stories about ghosts, spirits, haunted mansions and paranormal activities aren't alien for us Indians, right? Like the Ramsays, director Wilson Louis, known for spooky films [HO SAKTA HAI, MALLIKA, now KAALO], might soon have his name entering the record books. From the current lot of film-makers, here's one film-maker choosing subjects of the horror thriller variety; perhaps he doesn't wish to change tracks. Perhaps, his sole aim is to scare the living daylights of the viewers and also take them on a mysterious journey,  whi

The girl is strong-minded, unwavering and focused. The boy has no aspirations in life and is typically interested in having a ball. Two conflicting characters. BAND BAAJA BAARAAT parks its plot within the 'opposites attract' blueprint, a theme common to numerous rom-coms. These two characters are poles apart, diametrically opposite and therefore mismatched. But they end up falling in love with each other. There's talk that BAND BAAJA BAARAAT borrows heavily from THE WEDDING PLANNER. Perhaps, the allegation germinated because THE WEDDING PLANNER and BAND BAAJA BAARAAT talk of wedding planners. However, THE WEDDING PLANNER dealt with a female wedding planner falling in love with the bride groom, while BAND BAAJA BAARAAT tells the story of two youngsters who start a wedding planning business and who eventually fall in love. Sure, the background setting of the two films is slightly similar, but the stories are as diverse as oranges and apples.  BAND BAAJA BA

The one thing I've observed in Anees Bazmee's movies is that the plotline may be bizarre and outlandish, but each of his films has stood tall on the entertainment quotient. Perhaps, that's one of the reasons why his movies have struck a chord with a big chunk of moviegoers [read the hardcore masses]. The heroic triumph of NO ENTRY, WELCOME and SINGH IS KINNG endorses this statement. The most difficult thing is to make people roll with laughter and that's precisely what Bazmee does in film after film, for viewers of all ages. Follow these three mantras religiously, while watching an Anees Bazmee film: Don't seek logic, don't ask questions and just keep your thinking cap outside the theatre. You need to follow these rules while watching NO PROBLEM as well. Unfortunately, Bazmee's latest outing is so mind-numbingly dull that you wonder how could he come up with such a soulless and charmless film.  NO PROBLEM doesn't have a smart plot,  theek hain , no pr

Brutality has a new name and it's called RAKHT CHARITRA. The first part was gruesome. The second part, well, is not as violent, but is a bloodbath nonetheless. I don't think Hindi cinema has ever witnessed such gruesome murders, such manslaughter and such scenes of carnage ever. But beneath the blood and gore, slaughter and assassination lies the shocking story of enmity between two families. RAKHT CHARITRA undertakes to enlighten the story of vengeance in two parts. RAKHT CHARITRA 1 depicted the rise of Pratap and how he became a demigod for the poor and the exploited. The Part 2 unfolds a new story, although it's linked with Part 1. The challenge lies in making it more attention-grabbing than its precursor.  Brutality, gore and violent behavior are indispensable attributes of RAKHT CHARITRA 2. The story in itself is nothing more than a customary vendetta drama, but what makes you connect compellingly with the narrative is the fact that Ramgopal Varma [RGV] has treate