MohenjoDaro Reviews/BO Updates Thread - Page 37

Originally posted by: Deathstroke

Movie Review: Mohenjo Daro Is An Epic Disaster
Rating: 1.5
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Cast: Hrithik Roshan , Pooja Hegde , Kabir Bedi and others
The first time we see Sarman (Hrithik Roshan), the camera focuses on his bulging tricep, followed by his chiselled back, and then the pectoral muscles. The story, we are told only seconds before, is set in 2016 BC, roughly 4000 years ago, before the world's first gymnasium was invented. Yet Roshan, whose "look" in the film was kept a closely-guarded secret before the first trailer came out, resembles every character he has played in each of his films - only more tanned (a tribute to the Bronze Age, literally?).

"Sohn", or as gold is referred to in this film, is at the root of all of Mohenjo Daro's problems, which is why evil man Maham (Kabir Bedi, booming voice and fury, but ineffective) built a dam across the Sindhu (Indus) river, 20 years before the events of this film. Roshan's perfectly toned-body forced me to think about how profitable a "Sohn's Gym" (an equivalent of Gold's Gym) franchise would be in ancient Mohenjo Daro', with the perfect poster boy already available in Sarman.

Mohenjo Daro UTV Motion Pictures

Roshan, who was last seen on the big screen in the atrocious Bang Bang' almost two years ago, seems to have dedicated a length of time to this Ashutosh Gowariker film, and yet his enactment remains identical to pretty much every role he's taken on till date. This character is Hrithik Roshan himself, a man who always stands with an upright posture, perennially aware of which muscle of his body is twitching at what point. A man who is easily among the country's finest dancers, but puts so much effort into them, aligning his arms and stiffening his legs, they begin to resemble elaborately-designed geometric constructions. His cheeks quiver when he's angry, and his baritone becomes ever more pronounced while expressing rage. These are all traits the actor displayed in his debut film, Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai', and which remain unchanged 16 years later.

For 150 minutes of the film's runtime, I kept looking for a hint of newness in Roshan's portrayal - something that would distinguish it from the roles he played in, say, Dhoom 2' or one of those awful Krrish' films, and found none. I was reminded, instead, of someone we all know by the name of Harman Baweja, a Roshan prototype that failed to replicate the actor's superstardom, and how Roshan himself has begun to resemble a poorer version of himself - a Sarman Baweja.

Mohenjo Daro UTV Motion Pictures

His performance, though, is the least of Mohenjo Daro's problems, directed by a man who will probably remain in public memory forever on the basis of him having directed Lagaan', a veritable modern classic. He also made Swades', a film that didn't exactly set the box office on fire, but displayed nuances that set Gowariker apart from his contemporaries for a short span of time. But with more Pehla Nashas' and Baazis' and What's Your Rashees' in his filmography, Gowariker's self-importance as a filmmaker - visible in every frame of his films - remains puzzling.

Mohenjo Daro reeks of it, in fact, even though it rests on a plot seen in at least a dozen Hindi films over the years, replete with formulaic tropes. The "romantic track" involves Sarman falling in love with Chaani (Pooja Hegde, utterly forgettable), who happens to be betrothed to Maham's son (Arunoday Singh, the film's "comic relief"). Every sub-track, every character, every plot twist is predictable and, worse, devoid of life.

Mohenjo Daro UTV Motion Pictures

A disclaimer up top warns viewers that they are about to witness a fictional tale, because it's unlikely that Shakespeare's Hamlet' unfolded against the backdrop of the Indus Valley Civilisation (but then, who knows?). Mohenjo Daro', like the Bard tale, is a straight-up revenge drama, about a man realising he is actually the rightful king/head/leader of a group of people, and whose father was wrongly executed by the current holder of that position. Prince Of Thieves', Haider', or last year's spectacular Baahubali' (which this film looks like a poor version of, in every sense) - we've seen it all before, and Gowariker and co-scriptwriter Preeti Mamgain infuse no degree of freshness in proceedings. Mohenjo Daro could be Mandwa, and Maaham could be Kancha Cheena, and it would all still be the same.

Mohenjo Daro UTV Motion Pictures

Which is what makes Gowariker's lame attempts to cloak this tried-and-tested formula in a veil of "period retelling" and "historical relevance" all the more infuriating. What the setting only does, in fact, is ensure that Mohenjo Daro' joins the list of "epic" misfires dotting Hindi cinema over the years, like Razia Sultan' in the 1980s, Ajooba' in the 1990s and Drona' last decade - movies that tried to sell bigness and grandeur, but came a cropper.

Ashutosh Gowariker's film, really, should have been called Mohenjo DaNO.

Originally posted by: niyati13

My gut feeling says KJo has a hand in bringing down MD..dont hate him but usually he is all talks about fraternity love and all that bullshit, praises each and every trailer and movie but is silent on MD...off late he is sucking up to twinkle and Akshay..and he and his gang made vidoes for Rustom, none of them except Varun wished Hrithik..

He and Salman hold that kind of clout..and something went wrong during Shuddhi..Hrithik even sounded dejected that KJo didn't wait for him to recover

Originally posted by: s4aditya

The dirty game by akshay and rustom along with bw stars workd for rustom 4 oppning but not as mch as thy promted da movie any way i still feel at last MohenjoDaro will b da winner :)

Mohenjo Daro Review: An over-bronzed Hrithik tries his best but his film has no mystery or magic

Originally posted by: niyati13

So this movie will go down in history as a cult classic.. underappreciated by the critics and box office but remembered and worshipped later..like Lamhe, AAA , swades or even Lagaan

Originally posted by: Coldplaying

Don't go by the youtube reactions and twitter reviews. They are always misleading. The ground reality is different, It has poor word of mouth. 2 of my friends watched it and both were abusing the makers like anything.