Paathshaala Release Date : 16,Apr 2010

Pick up a newspaper or surf news channels and I'm sure, atrocities being committed on students by teachers/principals wouldn't escape your attention. Also do a Google and so many results on this topic would open up in a fraction of seconds.

Buzz up!

Educational institutions - not all, but a few definitely - are in a crazy rush to create a brand for themselves and even parents [not all, again] are keen that their kids become scholars and whiz kids overnight. Resultantly, the child is not just burdened with a bulky school bag on his back, but also carries the burden of ambitions, aspirations and unfulfilled dreams on his tiny, frail shoulders.

Paathshaala merely touches the tip of the iceberg. It attempts to answer questions related to the sanctity of today's education system

. It sheds light on the shortcomings in today's schools and how morals and ethics associated with the teaching profession seem to have taken a complete backseat. Let's not compare it with Taare Zameen Par or 3 Idiots, although a few sequences, in these two trend-setting films, threw light on the pressures on students.

Paathshaala, penned by Ahmed Khan and directed by Milind Ukey, is well-intentioned. It has a lot to say, but the predicament is, what translates on celluloid is not razor-sharp. Of course, there are few defining moments in the movie, which do make you ponder on the plight of the educational system. But there are also portions - when the media steps in to boost the brand of the school - that are mumbo-jumbo.

On the brighter side, the acting is distinguished. Nana underplays beautifully, Ayesha adds to the sunshine moments, but it's Shahid who pitches in a commendable and convincing act.

Final word? Paathshaala, made with noble intentions, could've been a splendid wake up call, but it runs out of steam midway!

The story begins with a new English teacher, Rahul Prakash Udyavar [Shahid Kapoor], joining Saraswati Vidya Mandir School. Though he strikes an instant rapport with students and teachers alike, he realizes that there is something amiss in the school.

Slowly, his doubts prove true as School Manager Sharma [Saurabh Shukla] makes many monetary obligations compulsory on the parents in the name of extra-curricular activities. He goes to the extent of punishing the students inhumanly when the new, unjustified demands of the school are not fulfilled by the parents.

When Rahul unifies the teachers [Ayesha Takia, Sushant Singh] against the atrocities of school management, Principal Aditya Sahay [Nana Patekar] defends the management decision. This comes as a shocker to the teachers as Sahay is known for his dedication as an educationist for last 32 years, which has built the school's high reputation.

The situation turns grave as the school management becomes over-ambitious with its growth and involves media planners in the extra-curricular activities. This demands the involvement of students in TV reality shows and many other media activities used for building up the school image in public, which starts reflecting on the students' stress levels. The pressure on young minds increases incredibly, leading to unexpected consequences.

One of my childhood memories is of a few students being called to the principal's office and being reprimanded for not paying their school fees on time. In another instance, I vividly recall a student being made to stand in scorching heat, under the blazing sun, since he was up to some mischief all the while. The barbaric attitude was a way of teaching the student a lesson.

Paathshaala brings back those dark memories because the film encapsulates these two incidents on celluloid. The problem with the film is, it gets very real at times, but gets farcical as well. The participation of kids in media activities doesn't have a hammer-strong impact. The chilly portion and the director capturing it on camera, or the press photographer munching samosa as the kids get ready with a pyramid, looks unreal, despite being identifiable incidents. Even the climax is confusing. What is Nana saying in the concluding reels lacks precision.

Director Milind Ukey has filmed some scenes expertly, but, as mentioned above, the film lacks the power to make you do a serious introspection. Hanif Shaikh's music is strictly okay.

Nana is very much in sync with his character. Shahid displays the vulnerability and helplessness remarkably. Ayesha is a complete natural, as always. Amongst the plethora of teachers and students, Sushant Singh does well, Sushmita Mukherjee is serviceable and Saurabh Shukla is so effective, you start hating him for his repulsive attitude.

On the whole, Paathshaala is a well-intentioned film, but lacks clarity thanks to an uninspiring screenplay.

Phoonk 2 Release Date : 16,Apr 2010

Producer Prashant Burra, P Chandrashekhar
Director Milind Gadagkar
Music Dharam & Sandeep
Writer Milind Gadagkar
Release Date 16-Apr-2010

The 'success' of a film pretty much ensures that a sequel will be released as soon as the filmmakers can collect enough elements from the previous film to roll cameras.

I suppose Phoonk [ Images ] by Ram Gopal Varma [ Images ] made enough money to justify the production of a sequel. The first one was about black magic, so I suppose this new one is about more black magic and a little revenge.

This time around RGV has handed the directorial reigns to Milind Gadagkar, the man who wrote the first instalment. And the film picks up not too far away from where the previous one left off.

Madhu (Ashwini Kalsekar, in appropriately grotesque makeup) has returned from the dead to torment Rajiv (Sudeep) and his family. They may have moved to a new home with a pool and access to a beach but it appears that the demonic presence has travelled with them.

Before long voices are heard all over the house, reflections disappear from mirrors and his young son Rohan (Rishabh Jain) is scared stiff by the doll his daughter Raksha (Ahsas Channa) brings home one day. Things come to a head for Rajiv when his wife Arati (Amruta Khanvilkar) is possessed by the spirit of Madhu who promises to do very bad things to his family before she exacts her revenge.

This movie does 'creeping dread' pretty effectively. The first twenty minutes of the movie focus singularly on setting up the family's move to their new home.

The floating camera work by Lenhert Pereira (under Director of Photography Charles Meher), the accompanying creepy background score (Dharam and Sandeep) and the effective sound design (Jayesh Dhakan) contribute to a sense of impending doom on several occasions.

That said however, too many sequences in this film promise a terrifying spectacle and then deliver a predictable 'been there, seen that' outcome, which gets quite frustrating after a point.

The editing is pretty lax and it often feels like several scary moments would have been more effective if they had turned up a beat or two quicker than they do on most occasions. Horror, like comedy, is all about timing and too often the editor gets the timing wrong on this movie.

Apart from that, there are also sequences where people don't seem to be arriving from point A to Point B in a logical manner. Like there is no logical explanation for how the kids ended up exploring the beach one moment and then wandering through the jungle behind their home in the very next shot.

I suppose it is too much to ask of movie children to not pick up random dolls that they find abandoned in a jungle. And I suppose it is also pointless to draw attention to the truly atrocious dialogue. Rohan seems to speak only in superlatives and cliches. Everybody overacts. The presence of Rajiv's sister Arushi (Neeru Bajwa) and her husband Ronnie (Amit Sadh) seems to be justifiable only as an injection of sex appeal since the lady prances around in tank tops and short shorts for most of her time on screen.

If one were to break this movie down into its component parts this is how it would play -- people walk around the house, its grounds, or the beach spouting inane dialogue; the camera floats away, the music builds to a crescendo and (occasionally) something 'scary' is revealed. Many of the previous movie's greatest hits are back -- the scary face at the window, the disturbingly behaving reflections in the mirrors, the crow... it is all filmmaking by the numbers. And it all adds up to a big fat zero.

The happenings in this movie are not as scary as the notion that producers are repeatedly funding movies like this. I suppose we get the entertainment we deserve but one can't help feeling that the man (Varma) who helped rejuvenate the horror genre in India [ Images ] might also be instrumental in hastening its demise.

Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai -Release Date : 09,Apr 2010

Producer Mukesh Talreja, Nikhil Advani
Director Milap Zaveri
Music Sajid-Wajid
Writer Milap Zaveri
Lyrics Sameer
Release Date 09-Apr-2010

In two days, a girl from Venus descends on Earth in a sad-looking spaceship to study love. But isn't Venus supposed to be the planet of all things romance, you ask? Milap Zaveri's Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai, however, doesn't feel the need to explain the irony.

Feel free to draw your own sub-text. Like maybe things got way too mechanical up there? Or perhaps they felt a need to introduce a science-of-love program along the lines of Yoga? Yeah, let your imagination travel to obnoxious extremes. This is a fantasy, after all.

And so in two days, this smiley-faced alien (Jacqueline Fernandez) displays a month's wardrobe, learns to speak Hindi, quote Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge [ Images ], make the country's leading superstar (Ruslaan Mumtaz [ Images ], looks too rookie to pass off for a megastar but lends warmth in his Prince Charming skin) and his assistant director (Riteish Deshmukh) to fall in love with her, enjoy strip-porn videos and attend two high-profile New Year parties.

What's funny though how our contrived story-telling doesn't even spare an extraterrestrial? At the end of the day, the hero's idea of a perfect date has to be trips to places of worship and the skimpily-clad Venusian will somehow find a way to fit into the Bhartiya naari prototype. And so from skimpy silver boy shorts to shiny silk kanjeevarams it is.

The only way you can mildly amuse yourself with this sham is a) Do not ask questions. b) Do not think. c) Ignore the stereotypes (a loud Gujju middle-aged couple, gay jokes).

Considering, the film is set against the backdrop of the Hindi film industry; Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai had a lot of opportunity to work some gags and comical situations around the topsy-turvy world of show-business.

It does exploit this potential in the beginning with Akshay Kumar's [ Images ] cameo or when Riteish employs his talking-the-camera technique to narrate the bumbling episodes of his life as filmmaker Farah Khan's [ Images ] incognito assistant.

The lady can be a lot of fun as you all have witnessed in her various interviews. But there's something unnecessarily gimmicky and flimsy about her constant Shah Rukh Khan [ Images ] references -- 'Miss you Shah Rukh,' or 'Don't cry Shah Rukh, I'll do your next film.'

Eventually though, Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai sidelines earlier-demonstrated possibilities to obsessively capture Jacqueline's gooey glances, impish smile as opposed to Riteish's hard-to-buy sorry state. Dude, just two days back, this guy was completely besotted by another pretty thing (a vivacious Sonal Chauhan). Microwave feelings, anyone?

Also, innuendoes are a recurring mainstay in writer- turned-director Zaveri's brand of comedy. While he sourced sit-coms like Friends to gather some laughs in Masti, here he whips a lopsided mix of corny humor involving a sex video, which competes for screen time with the beaten- to-death track of Does-he/she-love-me confusion?

Same old worn-out sighs on new faces. Same old I-was-only-joking-about-being-in-love-with-you sympathy card. You know how it goes, right?

The only reason you're able to keep pace with the irregularities in the script's momentum is because of its young, efficient cast.

The actors give their spontaneous best even while conveying sentimentality that is flowery enough to put a greeting card to shame. Riteish has played the golden-hearted loser on more than one occasion. As usual, he lends his wide-eyed loopiness and earnest charm to a role he can sleep-walk through by now.

Vishal Malhotra, as his round-the-clock turned-on buddy too plays a part he's being essaying since Ishq Vishq. Yet, you've got to hand it to him. He's hilariously salacious and the only reason for that infrequent chuckle.

As for the alien, Ms Fernandez, handicapped by a one-dimensional role, is quite the sport. She gamely makes a fool of herself whilst aping the actions of movie stars, ranging from Sridevi's [ Images ] Naagin dance, Mithun Chakravarthy's Disco Dancer moves to Big B's [ Images ] violent headshake in Hum. Her Tara could be a keeper if only Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai wasn't so intent on turning her into a love-struck Barbie. Ditto for the movie.

Prince Release Date : 09,Apr 2010

Producer Renu K. Taurani, Ramesh S. Taurani
Director Kookie Gulati
Music Sachin Gupta
Writer Shiraz Ahmed
Lyrics Sameer
Release Date 09-Apr-2010

'PRINCE' RACES through in the first half with technical stunts and strong script in this fast paced action thriller, set to amaze the audience with the sharp instincts of 'Prince'. The film 'Prince' has been scripted by writer Shiraz Ahmed of Race fame. The story offers quite a number of twists and turns but slips to maintain a tempo in the second half of the film.

A production of Taurani brothers and directed by Kookie V Gulati ' Prince' has tried to break all the extremities of a conspiracy, deceit and deception.

The storyline webs around one of the most shrewd and intelligent burglars, who one fine morning wakes up to find a gun shot wound on his arm after committing the most dangerous theft of all times.

The thrill is witnessed right from the onset of the film when Prince (Vivek Oberoi) fails to remember his past and sets on a never ending trail of unanswered questions. Following his quest, he is able to discover his name to be Prince and that he used to work for a man named Sarang. He gets to know about his girlfriend's name to be Maya.

The film runs along a parallel sub-plot which shows the secret services in India I Grip, the intelligence CBI and the white collared criminals in the world, who are on a hunt for Prince because he is the only one who knows the whereabouts of the stolen . The whereabouts of the theft is found to have a secret not only to Prince's lost memory but also to the threat which can damage the entire human race.

Prince is entangled within lots of twists and turns which adds to the thrill of the story. Prince has no option but to rely upon his sharp instincts to save himself from the peril.

The role of 'Prince' is played by Vivek Oberoi, who is the protagonist while Aruna Shields, Nandana Sen, Niroo Singh, Sanjay Kapoor, Isaiah, Rajesh Khattar, Dilip Tahil, Mayur Puri, Manish Anand and Mohit Chauhan team up to make for a fantastic star cast for the film.

As a complete masala flick it has fantastic stunts, upbeat music though drops down in pace post- interval but still offers entertainment in tit-bits.

The Japanese Wife Release Date : 09,Apr 2010

Producer Madhu Mantena
Director Aparna Sen
Writer Kunal Bose
Release Date 09-Apr-2010

Story : Snehamoy, a school teacher in a small village in the Sunderbans, finds a penpal in the Japanese girl, Miyage, who runs a grocery store in Japan. The duo build a beautiful relationship and even marry through an exchange of letters. Sadly, it remains a long-distance relationship, since the two are unable to meet due to the constraints of their personal life. But, that does not affect their love or the depth of their feelings, despite the presence of the beautiful widow, Sandhya in Snehamoy's life.

Movie Review: If you really care about aesthetics and have been hungering for something that will satiate your finer sensibilities -- battered by now, by the relentless onslaught of kitsch -- you must grab a dekko at Aparna Sen's artful rendition of Kunal Basu's novel, The Japanese Wife. There is such beauty, restraint and minimalism in this akin-to-a-haiku film, it transports you into another world altogether. One, where love can exist without consummation and togetherness can be attained, despite spatial and cultural distances.

Snehamoy (Rahul Bose) and Miyage (Chigusa Takaku) build an everlasting bond through a mere exchange of letters that manage to communicate their devotion and longing for each other, even though they both are unsure of their English and are bred in totally different cultures. But Snehamoy connects with his distant wife by flying the beautiful kites she sends him and Miyage dons the bangles and drinks the medicine her husband posts to her, hoping that someday they might be physically together....It's an unconventional yet undeniable bond that is accepted by all and sundry: by Snehamoy's vivacious aunt (Moushumi Chatterjee), who does get hysterical initially, by Sandhya, the silent and adoring widow (Raima Sen) and her young son who seek shelter with Snehamoy and by the villagers too. And yet, like the mercurial landscape of the Sunderbans, it's a bonding that is not without its turbulence too: unfulfilled passion, deep desire, desperate longing....

Watch out for a new-look Rahul Bose, who pitches in a powerhouse performance, complete with Bengali English, as the laidback Snehamoy, the vibrant Moushumi Chatterjee, the poignant Raima Sen, sweet little Chigusa and then savour Anay Goswami's superb cinematography, which paints landscapes on celluloid. Truly, this one's a heady potion from Aparna Sen...can still feel the senses clouding!

A word about:

Performances : Rahul Bose is in stellar form with his village boy look and his Bangla Angrezi. Raima Sen is delectable as the reticent, shy widow and Moushumi Chatterjee is a revelation.

Screenplay : Kunal Basu's book has been superbly adapted for a celluloid rendition.

Cinematography : Anay Goswami's camera creates visual poetry even as it captures the wild Sunderbans in all their devastating fury.

Inspiration : The film is based on Kunal Basu's book, The Japanese Wife.

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?