Turning 30 Release Date : 14,Jan 2011

Producer Prakash Jha
Director Alankrita Shrivastava
Music Siddharth, Suhas
Writer Alankrita Shrivastava
Lyrics Kumaar, Prashant Pandey
Release Date 14-Jan-2011

Turning 30 is a momentous occasion in one's life. While some say it's just a number, you know better. And the speedily-aging-leading-lady in this film, Naina Singh (Gul Panag) is also dreading her own countdown to doomsday (when she will turn 30, obviously). The movie begins with a rant from the textbook for 'screenwriting on Mumbai city'. The city of dreams, blah, yawn, crunch, beep. Right away, you know that Naina would be narrating her life as it happens (through voiceover) for the dyslexic audience who can't interpret what they see on the screen. This voiceover is also being fed into her Macbook for documentation (another Bridget Jones hangover!).

Naina is a spunky copy head with an ad agency who speaks her mind (leading to many ackward confrontations) and celebrates every emotion by sucking on a cigarette. She also has a dream boyfriend, Rishabh (Sid Makkar), who cooks, cares and sings corny proposal songs (so that's 2/3). Like every Mumbai girl, she has one girly friend, Ruksana (Jeneva Talwar) and one lesbian friend, Malini Roy (Tilotama Shome). They offer contrasting opinions each time she consults them. Why don't we just make these two friends imaginary and give them a pair of horns and a halo each?

Anyway, Naina's rather perfect life crumbles as she approaches her 30th birthday. She's fired from her job and from her almost ideal relationship and suddenly the gravity of bidding farewell to the twenties gets amplified. How she manages to get it together becomes the story of this film. And a large part of this failing battle with fate is relatable as things just refuse to go her way (just like in real life). But this is a movie after all and miracles have to be scripted. So perpetually chunni-clad ex-boyfriend, Jai (Purab Kohli) arrives to provide his f*** buddy services and may be revive his relationship. Naina's inability to 'move on' and sporadically surfacing desperation lands her in a tangled mess, while Jai hangs around hoping for an happy ending. The film takes a predictable turn towards the later half, which disappoints as most of the film (refreshingly) strays away from the obvious.

Gul is endearing and you feel for her when she's down in the pits and teary-eyed (which she is through 70 per cent of the film). Among the supporting cast, Jeneva Talwar is naturally casual and her character exudes a certain warmth. The film tugs through for the dialogues which range from quick wit to pretentiously urban. One thing that could get some people uncomfortable in the audience would be the female bachelorette party song, complete with cowboy strippers and 60-year-old grannies swinging dildos in their hands. Unless this is a celebration of womanhood? The in-film endorsements include a lingerie store which doesn't seem forced and eases into the story. Wonder how? Wonder why? Wonder bra!

Naina's story will have many buyers as they would spot slivers of similarities with their own. Almost everyone has once lost in love, succeeded by a shameless display of desperation. Only difference is, when we see someone doing it on the big screen, we're quick to say, "Sheesh! Get a grip!"

Yamla Pagla Deewana Release Date : 14,Jan 2011

Director Sameer Karnik
Producer Sameer Karnik, Nitin Manmohan
Starring Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Kulraj Randhawa, Paresh Rawal, Anupam Kher, Sucheta Khanna, Mukul Dev, Himanshu Malik, Amit Mistri, Digvijay Singh, Krip Suri, Puneet Isaar, Poonam Sinha, Emma Brown

Yamla Pagla Deewana is, more or less, modeled on Bollywood's age-old lost-and-found formula where a son is separated from his father in childhood. But for a pleasant change, the father and son do not have to wait till the climax and rather reunite within the first 15 minutes of the film. After that they remain together in almost every other frame of the film and (joined by the younger son) share great combined chemistry.


The film starts in a Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Ghum mode though with a 'disjoint' family setting. Canada based Paramveer (Sunny Deol) is estranged from his father Dharam (Dharmendra) and brother Gajodhar (Bobby Deol). When he gets a cue that they are in India, the banker comes on an extended break to Banaras in their pursuit ala SRK of Main Hoon Na . Without beating around the bush for a split second, the first person he meets in his motherland is his father and brother. While one doesn't mind the convenient and coincidental reunion as it gives way for early camaraderie between characters, a lackadaisical love story only delays the excitement in store.

By the time Gajodhar lures ladylove Saheba (Kulraj Randhawa), he is already separated from her. Paramveer decides to help him out. The story traces a DDLJ -meets- Haseena Maan Jayegi path as the brothers pose as prospective grooms for Saheba in the Punjab hinterlands. Saheba's band-of-brothers (headed by Anupam Kher) opt for the elder brother over the younger as the bridegroom. As everyone from Dharam to Paramveer's Canadian wife (Emma Brown) come into the scene, a comedy of error ensues.

Pretty much like the three Deols are given their individual trademark dance steps in the title track of the film, director Samir Karnik assigns each one to do what they are good at. So Dharmendra tickles your funny bone, Sunny breaks bones and Bobby makes no bones about playing the lover-boy.

The romance track in the first half is uninspiring and unconvincing and only slackens the pace. But the graph of the narrative soars in the second half as Saheba's Sardar siblings come into picture. While they are conventionally characterized as a bunch of authoritative and English illiterate countrymen, their antics and episodes are hilarious enough to keep you engrossed. Thankfully there are no sermons on sanskaar and culture of the country.

The humour is fortunately not slapstick and the gags vary from hilarious to humdrum. Instances like Sunny Deol's drunken stupor and its aftereffects have a sidesplitting effect while another where Dharmendra takes Bobby's proposal to the heroine (supposed spoof on a similar scene from Sholay ) falls flat. A short scene where Sunny hijacks an elevator makes no sense. Then again Sunny's exaggerated action sequences are senseless yet spoofy. The dialogues are as inconsistently comical as the screenplay.

The separation of the father-son is never ever detailed through a flashback account and remains restricted to just a verbal mention. That dilutes the lost-and-found formula to an extent. The mother accidentally talking to her younger son on phone in the climax is evidently a Manmohan Desai moment. A folk story account on some Mirza-Saheba adds no dimension to the storytelling.

Music clearly is the weakest link of the film with as many as half a dozen composers spoiling the broth. Other than the title track revived from the yesteryear film Pratigya , each and every song is absolutely lackluster. Cinematography is decent while action is intentionally larger-than-life. Editing could have been crisper.

The film clearly belongs to Sunny Deol who despite underplaying himself, delivers punches – both combative and comic, with perfection. Bobby Deol has a fresh appeal to his character and exudes enormous energy in his performance. Dharmendra resorts to buffoonery and occasionally looks jaded. But it's a treat to watch him perform with his sons. Kulraj Randhawa is charming but lacks screen presence. Sucheta Khanna as her Canada-loving cousin is exceptionally hilarious. Anupam Kher makes you laugh with his impeccable comic timing. Mukul Dev gets the best one-liners. Amit Mistry is funny.

Yamla Pagla Deewana employs formula but doesn't get formulaic. It has action and comedy but doesn't get slapstick. It brings together the Deols but not without a story. This one is an entertainer and not without a reason.