Tum Milo Toh Sahi Release Date : 02,Apr 2010

Producer Nikhil Panchamiya
Director Kabir Sadanand
Music Sandesh Shandilya
Writer Rajen Makhijani, Kabir Sadanand
Lyrics Irshad Kamil
Release Date 02-Apr-2010

Story: Dimple Kapadia's little tea house is threatened to be swallowed by a bigger chain of coffee stores. But Lucky Cafe isn't an ordinary cafe. It has been the communion point for all kinds of Mumbaikars who now rally around to save the heritage site from greedy multinationals. Leading the crusade is the crabby lawyer, Nana Patekar, who also couldn't stay immune to the charms of the friendly Parsi neighbour.

Movie Reviews: Where have you been, Nana? And why don't we see more of you, Dimple? These are the two questions that primarily stare you in the face as you sit through Tum Milo Toh Sahi, a sweet little ode to the spirit of the quintessential Mumbaikar who manages to connect, communicate and build lasting bonds in the milling crowds. The two veteran actors create such a warm picture of humaneness, warmth and togetherness, it leaves you asking for more. And the fact that they are total opposites -- he's Subbu, the reclusive, angry, Tamilian and she's Delshad, the delightful, exuberant Parsi -- makes the bonding crackle and shine some more.

Ever since their first meeting which begins with a fight in a mall, the duo take you by the scruff of your collar and make you sit up and watch them as they chart out a friendship graph that weaves through unchartered territory. Like, Nana playing the violin in his dead mother's room, while Dimple watches or Dimple trying to convince him to open up his house, and himself too, to let in some fresh air. Eventually, Nana does play crusader and try and save her cafe from the land sharks, but it is the smaller nuances and the several unsaids between the adult couple which makes for compelling viewing.

The other actors too manage to create some firmly-etched cameos. There's Suneil Shetty and Vidya Malvade, the discord-ridden couple who are on the verge of a split. And there are the mass communication students, Rehan Khan and Anjana Sukhani, who may or may not transform their fuchha-senior relationship into something more. Bringing them all together is Dimple's corner house cafe, with its bun-muska, its caramel custard and its `We are the world-We are the children' spirit.

Director Kabir Sadanand picks up a simple story and tells it well. And as he does, he touches upon the new trend of the common-man-as-crusader which seems to have taken India by storm currently. More importantly, he captures the `melting pot' syndrome of our very own maximum city with a treacly tenor that does spread some sweetness in the harsh political reality. A bit of editing needed, however, for the film does tend to ramble a bit, specially in the song and dance sequences. Nevertheless, there's enough to hold your attention....Watch it for the veterans' winsome act, the spirit of Mumbai and for a tale told well.

The Great Indian Butterfly Release Date : 02,Apr 2010

Producer Sanjay Gupta, Parth Arora
Director Sarthak Das Gupta
Music Deepak Pandit, Shibani Kashyap, Gourov Dasgupta, Vivek Philip
Writer Sarthak Das Gupta
Lyrics Jaideep Sahni, Manoj Muntashir, Vipul Saini, Vivek Philip
Release Date

The Great Indian Butterfly is a simple tale in the complex miasma of a changing India. Krish and Meera, form a young Indian couple climbing the ladder of the corporate rate race in a nation hurtling forward at a rate unprecedented in its long history. Stressed, frustrated and unable to come to terms with the sacrifice required for success, they go in search of a legendary magical insect - The Great Indian Butterfly.

Last seen by the unknown Portuguese explorer Carodiguez, in a remote valley located in erstwhile colonial Goa, the butterfly possesses a magical aura, granting immense happiness to the person who catches it.

In the journey that takes the couple from the smog filled, concrete jungle of the Megalopolis of Mumbai through the little discovered coastal landscapes of the western Sahyadris, to the sun soaked land of Goa, the couple lose more than what they want to rediscover. It becomes a passage, which seems to travel with a metaphor of its own and an insect as elusive as a fossil trapped in prehistoric resin.

Will they find the Butterfly? Can they survive the journey? Can it cost them their lives? Will 'The Great Indian Butterfly' wreck havoc on their souls? Will there be redemption? Or is it a futile hunt for an answer to their crumbling lives? Is happiness a rare insect?

Pankh Release Date : 02,Apr 2010

Producer Sanjay Gupta
Director Sudipto Chattopadhyaya
Music Raju Singh
Writer Sudipto Chattopadhyaya
Lyrics Sudipto Chattopadhyaya
Release Date 02-Apr-2010

'PANKH' STARRING Bipasha Basu with debutant Maradona Rebello along with an experianced star cast of Mahesh Manjrekar and Lillette Dubey is set to experiment an all together different subject which seperates itself from mainstream cinema.

The story is about the life of a boy, who turns homosexual because of several problems he faced in childhood, the role is played by Maradona, who is a talented new comer. The boy's life is showcased in a bizarre and weird way. The movie seeks to explore the reasons which lead to the formation of dreams.
Maradona Rebello is in a complex role. He is casted opposite Bollywood actor Bipasha Basu, other actors like Ronit Roy, Sanjeeda Sheikh and newcomer Amit Purohit are also playing important roles in the movie.

The plot develops in a manner which forces Maradona to become a girl. His disturbed childhood makes him mentally unstable. His life is ruined to an extent that he seeks an escapade in behaving like a girl. As a part of his new feminine avtar he starts wearing girl's clothes, a wig, puts on make-up.

Pankh is about a boy (Maradona Rebello) who carries the burden of lost sexual identity which is suggestive of his name in the movie as 'Jerry'. With time as he crosses his youth, he is puzzled about his real sexual identity.

Jerry meets a girl, Nandini (Bipasha), and he starts loving her but he is totally confused about his sexual identity. Jerry starts getting urged by Nandini in his dreams and gets questioned about his sexuality. He sees her as someone who questions his identity and encourages him to be a man.

Ultimately, Jerry recreates his looks and expression into a boy.

The film reaches a climax at this point and reveals what happens to him after he changes his identity for Nandani.

Pankh's approach is to look at a complicatd network of relationships i.e. the Oedipal, the homosexual, the abusive. The film focuses on various aspects in a homosexual's life which include the societal space, the mind space, the sexual space and the spiritual space.

The movie Pankh is directed by Sudipto Chattopadhyay. The movie is set to release today on 2nd April in all the leading theatres of the country. It will be interesting to see the audience response towards this unique concept.

Sadiyaan Release Date : 02,Apr 2010

Producer Raj Kanwar
Director Raj Kanwar
Music Adnan Sami
Writer Raj Kanwar
Lyrics Sameer, Amjad Aslam Amjad
Release Date 02-Apr-2010

Movie Review:

We rarely make desi movies these days. Palatial mansions, swanky cars, designer outfits, the latest handsets and gizmos have replaced large kothis, traditional outfits, ghoda-gaadis and makke di roti aur sarson ka saag. True to its name, SADIYAAN takes you to a different era, when the warmth of relations mattered the most, when blood was thicker than water, when promises were meant to be honoured.

SADIYAAN is set in the 1970s, but travels to the partition days. Raj Kanwar tackles a unique theme this time – of two mothers. The first is the biological mother, who gets separated from her child during the partition. The second raises the child like her own, when she crosses to India after partition. The basic premise is wonderful and you can draw parallels with Hindu mythology.

SADIYAAN is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the love story, which falls on the predictable, mundane stuff, with the Hindu-Muslim angle thrown in. But Raj Kanwar reserves the best for the second part, when the two women meet and the story takes rapid turns. But, let’s face it, SADIYAAN is not everyone’s idea of entertainment, since the ‘multiplex junta’ doesn’t patronise desi cinema anymore, unlike the single screen audience that adores this kind of cinema.

So what’s the final verdict? Watch it if you like desi melodrama of yore, which comes alive with SADIYAAN.

SADIYAAN is a period drama based on an incident which happened during the partition. It’s the story of two mothers, a Hindu played by Rekha and a Muslim mother played by Hema Malini.

In the chaos and confusion during partition in 1947, Benazir [Hema Malini] leaves behind her child in the mansion she lived in, before moving to Lahore. The child is rescued by Amrit [Rekha] and Rajveer [Rishi Kapoor], who try hard to locate the parents of the child, but in vain. They decide to raise the child themselves.

Ishaan [Luv Sinha] falls in love with Chandni [Ferena Wazeir], who lives in the same city [Amritsar]. However, Chandni’s parents oppose the match, since Ishaan is a Hindu. Amrit and Rajveer decide to reveal the truth to Ishaan and also to Chandni’s parents.

Two commonalities in Raj Kanwar movies… One, he has always stressed on drama in his movies and SADIYAAN is no exception. Two, the maker has often worked with newcomers [SRK in DEEWANA, Aarya Babbar and Amrita Rao in AB KE BARAS and Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra in ANDAAZ] and now, it’s Shatrughan Sinha’s son Luv Sinha in SADIYAAN.

SADIYAAN has two stories running concurrently – the love story [Luv, Ferena] and the story of two mothers [Rekha, Hema Malini]. While the love story is hardly exciting since it relies on the tried-and-tested stuff, the Indo-Pak angle in the mothers’ story makes this part extremely watchable.

The best moments are reserved for the second hour, with the penultimate moments proving the mainstay of the enterprise. However, as mentioned earlier, desi themes aren’t too popular these days, except in the hinterland. Hence, a film like SADIYAAN has its limitations to cut across to a universal audience. Another drawback is that a love story should be embellished with lilting music and unfortunately, Adnan Sami’s music is a letdown.

Directorially, Raj Kanwar handles the dramatic moments with flourish, but the writing, especially the love story, is archaic. Also, what was the need to force comedy in the narrative? Cinematography is alright, but the locations are eye-filling.

Rishi Kapoor, Rekha and Hema Malini are the lifeline of the film. Rishi is top notch. Rekha is amazing, while Hema is perfect. In fact, it’s a treat to watch the two actresses share screen space after a really long gap. Luv Sinha needs to polish his acting skills. He’s slightly awkward in the first part, but decent in the second half, when the goings-on get emotional. Ferena is a decent actor, but needs to work on her makeup and wardrobe.

Javed Sheikh is appropriate. Deep Dhillon is good. Vivek Shauq is getting typecast. Avtar Gill is perfect.

On the whole, SADIYAAN is an emotional drama narrated in old-fashioned style. If old world charm still excites you, there are chances you may like this one.

Well Done Abba Release Date 26-Mar-2010

Producer Reliance Big Pictures
Director Shyam Benegal
Music Shantanu Moitra
Writer Ashok Mishra
Lyrics Swanand Kirkire, Ila Arun, Ashok Mishra
Release Date 26-Mar-2010

Shyam Benegal’s political satire, Well Done abba narrates the tale of Armaan Ali (Boman) who works as a driver with a big businessman in Mumbai. After he arrives back from his leave, his boss decides to sack him since he came back after 3 months instead of the allotted 1 month leave. It is then when Armaan narrates the story behind his 3 months absence. Armaan narrates - He had gone back to his hometown Chikatpalli in Andhra Pradesh to hunt a groom for his daughter Muskaan (Minissha) who stays with his twin brother Rehman Ali (Boman again) and his wife Salma (Ila Arun).

Buzz up!

It is then when he finds out the state government has started a special scheme under which those living under the poverty line will be given a sufficient amount to build a well on their land. But when he decides to avail of this scheme, he has to face corruption at every drop of the hat. Eventually, he ends up with literally no money in hand to dig the actual well. Reason, every single person involved in this scheme ends up looting his share of pie from the amount the government had sanctioned. But his fiery daughter decides to turn the table back on all the corrupt officials’ heads. Arif (Sameer Dattani), the motor mechanic who is silently in love with her also joins her mission. The trio’s plan works and things spiral so much out of control that the Government gets on the verge of a collapse!

Benegal’s Well Done Abba is a sweet gem that works despite no big names. A very witty film that’s very well written (by Ashok Mishra) packing in many things together that are relevant to today’s society. The satirical humour may not exactly be of the laugh out loud variety but it manages to keep you smiling throughout the film. It ends up making just the right statement on the many development projects that the government initiates but which frequently get hijacked by systemic corruption.

Only issue many may have is with the pacing of the film. The initial few reels are extremely slow paced but with the introduction of each new character, the film picks up pace. However, one feels, too much screen time is given to the forever horny couple played by Ravi Kissen and Sonali Kulkarni and their track gets repetitive. music by Shantanu Moitra works in the context of the film.

But the film works big time because of the casting. Benegal has a keen eye for roping in just the right actors for his characters and he succeeds yet again. Boman in a Hyderabadi accent is simply superb. He is very good in the emotional moments with Minissha. He is hilarious in his twin brother’s role who is a thief. Minissha Lamba finally gets that role which she can be very proud of in her career. She fits the role to the T. Sameer Dattani is very natural and likeable. Ravi Kissen brings in the laughs as the engineer who is forever in the mood of making love to his wife. Sonali Kulkarni is wasted though.

Amongst the rest cast are Shyam Benegal regulars such as Rajit Kapoor, Ravi Jhankal, Yashpal Sharma and company who excel in their parts. If one remembers the TV serial Farmaan, its pretty lead actress Deepika Deshpande makes a comeback with a cameo in this one playing Rajit Kapoor’s bickering wife. Well Done Abba is not your usual comic fare. This Shyam Benegal gives a strong message without compromising on its entertainment. Do watch this one.

Mitali Mittal vs Karan Mittal Release Date : 26,Mar 2010

Producer Dinesh Chugh, Rajeev Kore
Director Karan Razdan
Music Shamir Tandon
Writer Karan Razdan
Lyrics Shabbir Ahmed
Release Date 26-Mar-2010

The Film

Mitali Mittal vs Karan Mittal is woman centric film with the female protagonist fighting for lawful right to live as she was subjugated to domestic violence and inhuman treatment.

The Synopsis

Mitali (Rituparna Sengupta) is a middle class girl and a busy model. She dreams of a happy married life. As fate would have it, she meets Karan (Rohit Roy) who belongs to the super rich business family of Mittals. While Mitali is a homely girl, Karan is flashy and flamboyant. But somehow, Karan is very much attracted by Mitali and he goes to Mitali’s house along with his parents (Dolly Thakore and Amar Talwar) and proposes marriage. Mitali’s parents (Reema Lagoo and Anjan Srivastava) are overwhelmed and agree for the marriage.

Once married, trouble starts for Mitali particularly from her mother-in-law and also from her husband. She walks out from her in-law’s house and files a case as she was subjugated to domestic violence and inhuman treatment. She hires a lawyer (Suchitra Krishnamurthy). Karan hires a top rung advocate (Gulshan Grover) to defend him.

The court proceedings lead to a surprising climax.

The Performances

Rituparna Sengupta gives a powerful performance as the woman wronged. Rohit Roy fits his role like a ‘T’. As parents Reema Lagoo, Anjan Srivastava, Dolly Thakore and Amar Talwar give very convincing performances. As advocares Suchitra Krishnamurthy and Gulshan Grover are very effective. All others do well too in author backed roles.

The Techniques

Karan Razdan scripted and directed an intense movie about domestic violence and the entire film is very topical in the present Indian social scenario. Cinematography is profound. Editing is punctual. Music enhances the narration style. Technically this is a well made film. Production values are high.

The Verdict

Mitali Mittal vs Karan Mittal is a must see film. It is stylish and slick with sick characters torturing decent people and getting kicked for that.

Hum Tum Aur Ghost Release Date : 26,Mar 2010

Producer Arshad Warsi, Maria Goretti
Director Kabeer Kaushik
Music Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Writer Arshad Warsi, Arshad Sayed, Soumik Sen
Lyrics Javed Akhtar
Release Date 26-Mar-2010

In this peculiar fantasy of a world, a Cosmo magazine editor (great opportunity for drowning the leading lady in labels) has fallen for a refusing-to-grow-up fashion photographer. Editor (Dia Mirza, very good) and Photographer (Arshad Warsi, coming alive only during the sparse comedy), exchange sentimental `i love yous’ in every sentence. There’s a parallel track about his assistant (Sandhya Mridul) who he insists must wear mini dresses; irked, the editor girlfriend drinks up and does a hot number on the dance floor with him. Okay.

Moving on, the leading man realises he can see dead people. As is the case with most films of this genre, a psychiatrist is summoned who instantly says he is 'hallucinating due to exhaustion', and then spits out the 's' word.

Nowhere in the film, however, are we in a quandary whether he’s indeed suffering from schizophrenia or can he really connect with spirits. The ghosts put forth their requests to him; he agrees hoping they’ll stop harassing him thereafter. The requests range from playing cricket to marrying Aishwarya Rai – an attempt at caricaturing the ghosts for laughs. Finally, a lady ghost pleads with him to help her find her son, whom she’s been searching for 30 years; while the girlfriend gives him an ultimatum to shape up or ship out.

While the first half is about too little, the second tries cramming in too many things. The story doesn’t have enough substance to thrive through the running time, which is why the viewer is worn-out much before the finale.

Hum Tum Aur Ghost doesn’t know what it wants to be – a frothy romance, a dark comedy, or an Arshad-Warsi-starrer (his first production, this).

Of course a film can be all; but here, it’s none. The romance is tiresome because of weak characterisation, the comedy is laboured, and Warsi has done far better. Situations are repeated endlessly, from the ghost track to the insipid romance. Speaking of character sketches, they’re implausible. Working and living aboard, the characters choose to converse with each other in flawless Hindi.

Also, the editor’s rarely working (she’s sifting through glam photographs most of the time, yet picks up an excellence award) and mixes the personal with professional, firing her boyfriend for an assignment because he didn’t return her calls. Armaan’s graph appears slightly more fleshed out, because he has more screen-time. Heck even the ghosts appear, disappear and reappear indiscriminately.

Kabeer Kaushik (Chamku, Sehar) tells the story in an inhibited manner, playing by the rules, even adding an unwarranted emotional angle. But then the credit for this film gone wrong must also be shared with Arshad Warsi who is responsible for the screenplay-dialogue of the film. Admittedly a few witty dialogues combined with Warsi’s mumbling delivery style do crack you up – but that’s hardly a cause to spend two hours plus on an otherwise convoluted picture.