We Are Family Release Date : 03,Sep 2010

Producer Karan Johar, Hiroo Yash Johar
Director Sidharth P. Malhotra
Music Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonsa
Writer Gigi Levangie
Lyrics Irshad Kamil, Anvita Dutt Guptan
Release Date 03-Sep-2010

Debutant director Siddharth Malhotra's We Are Family, an adaptation of the English film Stepmom, is yet another tear-jerker from Dharma Productions. Malhotra has quite faithfully followed the KJo style to dish out a melodrama that tries to wring out tears from the audience.

The premise is the same as the original; Maya (Kajol) and Aman (Arjun Rampal) are divorced and have three children who live with their mother. Both seem to have separated on amicable terms and Aman is quite a doting father. He has moved on and is now in love with Shreya (Kareena) and desperately wants her to get along with his family. There is obvious conflict - the children are afraid they'll lose their dad, the ex-wife is reluctant to let go and the new girlfriend is all eager to win them over but no one is cooperating. Maya is diagnosed with terminal cancer and that makes the domestic interplay more complicated.

The film struggles to build a logical rationale for the totally improbable relationship dynamics that play out. Maya's character is the most important and yet it's the most inconsistent, her reactions are incomprehensible to say the least. I understand that a single mother with a terminal illness undergoes a gamut of unexplained emotions but somehow the upheavals seem rather whimsical and selfish.

Shreya's character is layered but not completely well-defined as the ambitious girlfriend who is trying her best to balance her career and her love life. Kajol and Kareena underplay and do their part but fail to rise above their inconsistent characterization. The children are quite a treat to watch, especially the youngest one. Arjun as usual looks suave but is completely marginalized in a film that completely belongs to the two women.

The film is so caught up with the power play between the two stars that they become more important than the characters. Kajol and Kareena take precedence over Maya and Shreya. Karan Johar tries to desperately replicate the Madhuri- Karisma chemistry that we saw in Dil To Pagal Hai but that somehow doesn't happen.

There is this nagging suspicion then about KJo's real motive in making this film. It seems more like he was looking for the apt script that gives Kajol and Kareena sufficient room for repeated face-offs rather than picking up a Hollywood story that he really believed should be retold for the Indian audience. The film is so focused on making the turf war the focal point that somewhere the soul goes missing. The "fulcrum" where the "other woman" desperately tries to make the transition to a step-mom and the supermom eventually learns to accept her into the family gets buried.

I understand the film is an adaptation but the almost verbatim translation of every word just shows lack of imagination and any sort of creativity. The problem with any Karan Johar production is that they lack any subtlety in the portrayal of emotions. The plot lacks the nuances that explain how people caught in such an unusual situation learn to reconcile their differences and learn to accept each other despite the initial discomfort. The music by Shankar-Ehsan-Loy is very disappointing.

Like any other KJo film the packaging is great, the actors look good and are dressed immaculately. The film has been shot in Australia so you get to see some awesome foreign locales. The film is not completely unwatchable and does have its moments. If you like mush you will love this film.

Mallika Release Date : 03,Sep 2010

Producer Percept Picture Company, Glorious Entertainment
Director Wilson Louis
Release Date 03-Sep-2010

Mallika is a technically well shot film with a very pathetic and clichéd screenplay. It tends to get so unintentionally hilarious at times that you forget you are watching a supposedly horror film.

Sanjana (Sheena Nayyar) is troubled by deadly nightmares every night. She sees a murder happening of the girl who stayed in the same apartment. Frustrated by her daily night torture she decides to go out of town for a break. She goes to Rajasthan to a fort resort. She meets Saahil (Sameer Dattani) who too has come for a work cum pleasure trip at the same resort. But unfortunately for her, if she goes away from one trouble, a much bigger one awaits her. She starts seeing the spirit of a lady resembling her. The resort caretaker’s (Himanshu) wife and a resort guest get brutally murdered. Strange things start happening in the resort and there is no escape for its guests. Who is behind all this? What connection does Sanjana have with the spirit forms the rest part of the film.

Louis is a horror expert what with having only directed horror flicks so far. But sadly, his scriptwriter has let him down. All his superb technical expertise and special effects goes waste because of the poor script. The comedy track by Suresh Menon is pathetic. One also wonders why have the makers put in so many bathing scenes in the film! But Louis should be credited for managing to give a good scare in a couple of scenes. The camerawork is excellent as well and the dark night scenes have been superbly lit up. The editing is also good. The sound is too loud. The music doesn’t impress but the picturisation of the yesteryears number Woh Bhooli Dastan is excellent.

Sheena tries hard and manages to deliver a good performance. It could have been more impressive had she not been made to expose her body in practically every scene of hers. Sameer Dattani is just unbearable. Himanshu Malik hardly gets any scope. Suresh Menon is the most irritating factor of the film. Mamik in a special appearance is good.

Mallika offers nothing new apart and is a let down. Watch it if you want to have a good laugh over its silly screenplay or else skip it!

Aashayein Release Date : 27,Aug 2010

Producer Percept Picture Company, T-Series
Director Nagesh Kukunoor
Music Salim Merchant
Writer Nagesh Kukunoor
Release Date 27-Aug-2010

That sublime theme of living life to the fullest even if there isn’t much time left to live finds a retelling in Nagesh Kukunoor’s somewhat good to middling tale of a compulsive gambler and chain smoker who discovers the secret to a happy life while counting down his last days to death. Aashayein, a bit delayed and staid, isn’t intended as a tear-jerker for kerchief-friendly audiences. It’s rather a subtle, slow, laidback cinematic experience that tugs at your heart now and then and leaves you in a state of sweet melancholy.

Rahul (John Abraham), a reckless gambler who can put all his life’s earnings at stake in a single bet, would not have been what he’s if not for his loving, caring, doting girlfriend Nafisa (Sonal Sehgal). But life plays a cruel joke when he’s diagnosed with lung cancer and told that he’s got only three months left to live.

With his days numbered, Rahul gives a lion’s share of his gambling wins to his girlfriend, who actually wants to stick by him until the inevitable end, and goes all by himself to live in a hospice at a scenic location next to a beach. There, at the hospice, he meets an assorted bunch of terminally ill characters, racing against time like him, who change Rahul’s perspective on life and how it ought to be lived.

Girish Karnad, a regular in Kukunoor’s films plays an elderly who’s lost his speech; Farida Jalal somewhat overplays her character of a high class ex prostitute who’s now HIV positive and therefore shunned by many at the hospice for fear of contracting the deadly virus. Anaitha Nair pitches in a terrific performance as a cancer-stricken teen who has the hots for Rahul. And there’s also the child artiste Ashwin Chitale playing a spirited character full of life’s wisdoms too early for his age.

John throws himself completely into his character and delivers a performance worth noting. But is it his best? We doubt. Sonal Sehgal shows the promise of a good actress in her.

Aashayein has a number of poignant moments, including one in which John and Anaitha are shown watching Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s film Anand, that moving ode to the spirit of living to the fullest from a protagonist facing death. The reference obviously has a resonance with the film’s theme, but Kukunoor wisely abstains from cashing on it for a lump-in-the-throat moment.

There’s also a fantasy sequence in which John, a fan of Indiana Jones, dresses up as the adventurer - with fedora, whip and khakis et al. The sequence stands out as a blur between the protagonist’s dream and reality.

Aashayein has more such engaging instances, but the film unspools at a pace that may be a tad too slow for many audiences. There’s no in-your-face melodrama, no mawkish sentimentality; just subdued interplay of emotions as the protagonist learns some important lessons of life from the dying.

Watch it only if you have a taste for slow, pensive, understated cinema.

Antardwand Release Date : 27,Aug 2010

Director Sushil Rajpal
Music Bapi - Tutul
Writer Sushil Rajpal
Lyrics Amitabh Verma
Release Date 27-Aug-2010

Often in movies, we have witnessed a female being forced into marriage, much against her wishes. But seldom has one seen the so-called stronger sex being forced into such ordeal. Sushil Rajpal's Antardwand tells one such story of groom abduction, a rampant practice in Bihar where a prospective bridegroom is forcibly married and kept under house arrest.

Raghuveer (Raj Singh Chaudhary) has appeared for civil services exam in Delhi and is in a steady relationship with girlfriend Sia (Himanshi). When Sia gets pregnant, Raghuveer visits his hometown in Bihar to discuss marriage with his father Madhukar Shahi (Vinay Pathak). But his father doesn't approve of their relationship.

With expectations of higher dowry for his IAS son, Shahi also turns down Mahendra Babu (Akhilendra Mishra) who comes with a marriage proposal for Raghuveer. That's when Mahendra gets Raghuveer abducted and inflicts him with continual physical torture to make him consent for marriage with his daughter Janki (Swati Sen). When Raghuveer doesn't comply, he is forcefully married to Janki at gunpoint. Further he is kept under house arrest with Janki for weeks until they consummate their marriage. But despite the inevitable wedlock, the marriage seems loveless and the couple is unable to acknowledge each other.

Sushil Rajpal comes up with a shocking story from unfamiliar terrains and keeps his storytelling simple. From cold-blooded characters, ruthless attitude, rustic locations to the dry dialect, the director keeps the authenticity intact. The theme and treatment bring back memories of Manish Jha's Matrubhoomi where the female species had almost gone extinct and hence much in demand. But unlike Jha's film which was fictional, Rajpal's film is inspired from true stories and more interestingly has the male gender as the one in demand.

Raghuveer's prolonged confinement is portrayed so disturbingly that as a viewer you can empathize with his vulnerability and mental trauma. The irony of the entire idea of groom abduction is such that post marriage when the copulation accounts to marital rape, the bride and her family is happy that the marriage is consummated. Through its runtime the film compellingly expresses the ugly patriarchal power play at the price of their children's life. The female form remains silent spectators throughout, having absolutely no say in the state of affairs.

The pace of the narrative drops once the duo is married off as time is consumed to express their turmoil and achieve their intimacy. The repetitive flashback cuts of Raghuveer's yearning for his girlfriend further slacken the flow. Amitabh Varma's screenplay is hard-hitting but at times resorts to convenient conflicts. Like the male protagonist is made to indulge in sex under the influence of alcohol. Or the female protagonist revolts only when forced to abort her fetus. Though dealt poignantly, it makes the otherwise original film appear somewhat standard.

While the film touches an untried topic effectively, one feels that the entire quest for the girl's father to abduct that one particular guy could have been established with more elaboration and clarity. At times you wonder whether the whole effort is because of dearth of grooms, obsession for IAS suitors, to dodge hefty dowry, merely for self-esteem or all of these reasons. Also it appears a little unconvincing that the girl's father gives up on the guy so easily in the end after the extended exercise. Technically the film is not overtly demanding and seems flawless in all departments from art direction, cinematography, sound design and music.

The drama comes live with competent performances from the entire cast. Raj Singh Chaudhary as the powerless and victimized groom is believable. Swati Sen is exceptionally good in her emotional act. Akhilendra Mishra has an authoritative and imposing presence. His character gives him enough scope to get dramatic and thankfully he doesn't ham like his usual tendency. Vinay Pathak is efficient in his small part. Jaya Bhattacharya and Sumukhi Pendse lend good support.

Antardwand completely redefines the term 'wedlock' showing a face of the supposed democratic country where even today guns decide grooms.

Gumshuda Release Date : 27,Aug 2010

Producer Sudhir D. Ahuja
Director Ashoke Viswanathan
Music Bikram Ghosh
Writer N. Viswanathan
Lyrics Rakesh Tripathi
Release Date 27-Aug-2010

Anisha, an attractive young lady in her thirties, is astounded to find that someone is sending her a series of diamonds by courier. Her father, Captain Mehta, had disappeared some years back and the letter accompanying the diamonds hints at some link between her father and the diamonds…

The diamonds lead the intrepid Anisha, a night club singer by profession, to the idiosyncratic private detective, Prashant Saigal and his associate, Dr. Arvind Rao: a criminological expert with an eye for the beautiful things in life!

The trio of Prashant, Arvind and Anisha reach the house of the man who was sending the diamonds, namely, the ultra stylish Goutam Dutt. He tells them the intriguing tale of the Agra treasure, a collection of highly priced jewels that had its origin some 150 years back and which disappeared nearly 40 years back…

The search for the treasure and for the truth behind Captain Mehta's death leads the trio to Shillong, to the house built by Colonel Dutt, the father of Goutam Dutt. The colonel had died in a strange paroxysm of fear upon seeing a ferocious face at the window…

Saigal and Arvind stumble upon a series of murders including that of Siddharth Dutt, Goutam Dutt's brother, mercilessly annihilated by a poisonous dart – the last in a series of killings that began with the butchering of the merchant Achmet, at Agra, some forty years ago… It was Achmet who had been entrusted with the Agra treasure by the Maharaja of Sitamgarh.

Prashant, who has a great liking for single malt whiskeys, gradually unravels the mystery, aided by his own hallucinations and dreams. His research, coupled by his own subconscious, leads him to the mysterious and malevolent Jalaluddin who is the prime suspect in the Siddharth murder case. In the course of the adventure, Anisha's traumas and uncertainties throw her close to the disarming Arvind, who often has to face the ire of the short tempered Prashant.

Meandering along a path full of strange sulphurous fires and labyrinthine corridors, Prashant and Arvind engage in a cat and mouse game with the one legged Jalal. This culminates in an incredibly complex chase on the Badapani River, a massive water body surrounded by mountains. The final confrontation between Prashant and Jalaluddin takes place on the high seas with the mythical treasure ever remaining cloaked in historical mystery, even as a shaken Anisha tries to assimilate the nuances of this dream like sojourn…

Hello Darling Release Date : 27,Aug 2010

Producer Ashok Ghai
Director Manoj Tiwari
Music Pritam Chakraborty
Writer Sachin Yardi, Pankaj Trivedi
Lyrics Shabbir Ahmed, Kumaar, Ashish Pandit
Release Date 27-Aug-2010

A blatant copy of Hollywood film of the 80s, Nine To Five, Hello Darling is for those who enjoyed comedies like Kya Kool Hain Hum and Apna Sapna Money Money.

Sat (Eesha) comes to Mumbai for a job from Haryana. She joins a fashion house headed by Harddick Vasu (Javed Jaffrey), a lecherous boss who leaves no chance in sexually harassing his employees. Though married to a devoted wife Purvi (Divya Dutta) Vasu is philandering and harassing his female employees. Also, working in his office are Candy (Celina) as his personal secretary and Manasi (Gul Panag) as a senior manager. They two are fed up of his constant passes. Sat joins Manasi and Candy to teach him a lesson. Circumstances lead to Manasi accidentally pouring rat kill powder instead of coffee meant for Vasu. Vasu collapses but it is because of his chair falling down. But the three ladies mistook him for dead and the chaos that follows leads them to stealing a wrong dead body from the hospital thinking its Vasu’s. Meanwhile Vasu captures this all on his mobile video camera and blackmails them into spending a week with him at a hill station. The three ladies have no option but to say yes to him but with a condition that he will spend the seven days in Manasi’s house instead. What plan do the three ladies have in store for Vasu and what all it leads to forms the rest of the film.

The film is full of double intender jokes and one-liners that amuse you at times but don’t really entertain. While the first half is quiet pacy and hilarious at places, the pace drops considerably after Vasu’s visit to Manasi’s house. Nothing much happens in the second half and it simply drags. The climax too is unnecessarily stretched and the entry of Sunny Deol (in a cameo) doesn’t add much. One wonders why his voice appears dubbed by a mimicry artist. The whole section of Chunky Pandey being mistaken as Divya Dutta’s hubby and kidnapped by Seema Biswas’s hench men is howlarious at first but then gets repetitive.

While Javed Jaffrey enacts his part well he doesn’t appear lecherous from any angle. He however gets his comic timing perfect. Gul Panag, Eesha and Celina all three have managed to do their job well. Eesha especially displays a better comic timing than the rest two. Chunky Pandey as Celina’s unfortunate boy friend in a desi Elvis avatar is first rate. Divya Dutta is endearing.

Music by Pritam is nothing worth to rave about and the only passable song being the redoux version of yesteryears super hit track Aa Jaane Jaa.

Hello Darling seems to be aimed completely at the front benchers. Watch it if you like corny humour.

Life Express Release Date : 27,Aug 2010

Producer Sanjay Kalate
Director Anup Das
Music Roop Kumar Rathod
Writer Anup Das
Lyrics Shaqeel Azmi
Release Date 27-Aug-2010

“Life Express” is a film based on the dilemmas faced by two women from two different strata of society. It is a passionate and encapsulating story of an urban educated couple, Tanvi (Rituparna Sengupta) and Nikhil (Kiran Janjani), and their successful fast-paced life and their need for parenthood and it is also a story of Gouri (Divya Dutta) and Mohan(Yashpal Sharma), who live a life far from the din and bustle of the city, far from the one lived by Tanvi and Nikhil, and their need for wealth.

With ease the story moves from the busy streets of urban city to the desolate red-soiled dusty lanes of a rural India and brings to the fore-front the cross currents of human emotions and sentiments. It helps one understand motherhood in a way Indian films haven't showcased before. The film narrates a story never told in Hindi films. It sheds light on those mothers who have always remain in the dilemma of the cross road between materialistic aspirations and motherhood. “Life Express” is really an experience, a journey and challenges there in.

This story weaves a captivating soul searching story of woman’s need for motherhood and materialistic aspirations. This film also touches upon various facets of life in the real sense i.e. of love, hatred, relationships, responsibilities, defiance and greed. Will the Tanvi and Gouri achieve what they strive for? Or will the desire for materialistic needs overshadow even the greatest gift of motherhood…