'GOLMAAL' PLACES BOLLYWOOD COMEDIES IN TOP GEAR
By Pankaj Shukla - Eye TV India Bureau
Critic's I-view Gone are the days when comedians like Johny Walker, Mehmood, Asrani, Jagdeep and Rajendra Nath had fun with cinema. Those were the days when a Hindi film was not complete without a parallel love story of second lead actor often played by a comedian of repute. It all started with Amitabh Bachchan announcing his new screen name- 'My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves' and Bollywood ran after him and started chasing Anthony thereafter. The chase is still on in the name of 'Anthony Kaun Hai'. If Amitabh marveled in films like 'Don', 'Mr. Natwarlal', 'Satte Pe Satta', 'Yaarana', 'Namak Halal' and others, the same formula was repeated by erstwhile dancing star Govinda in 'Coolie No. 1', 'Hero No.1', 'Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan'. However, both killed the real comedian of Hindi cinema. In a move to become Jim Carry of Hindi films, lead heroes have almost finished a tradition of comedians. Last of the bunch were Laxmi Kant Berde and Johny Lever and now even Rajpals too want to become hero but not a comedian. Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi have succeeded in different comedy films, and comedy is also flavor of the season post-super success of 'Phir Hera Pheri'. Director Rohit Shetty makes a comeback on big screen after three years of his debut film 'Zameen' that proved to be a dud at box office. But this time around he may just get lucky. 'Golmaal -- Fun Unlimited' is Rohit Shetty's take on brainless comedies of Bollywood and with the help of a good star cast he manages to crack the right code this time. 'Golmaal-Fun Unlimited' is a comic caper weaven around four boys, a girl and an old couple. Four boys in question are Gopal (Ajay Devgan), Lucky (Tusshar Kapoor), Mahadev (Arshad Warsi) and Laxmi (Sharman Joshi). They are friends with only one common thing, that is, they are very uncommon in the campus. Thier rowdiness soon gets them thrown out of the college and having nowhere to go, they bang at an elderly couple (Paresh Rawal and Sushmita Mukherjee). The old couple is blind and thier son and his family lives abroad. To get an entry into thier house, Gopal comes out with a unique plan and that is to plant Laxmi in thier house as thier grandson. As they hatch the plan almost successfully, enters a sizzling siren (Rimmi Sen). Her beauty smites each member of the gang and every one wants to get close to her. And, as this mayhem was not enough there is more drama added to this, thanks to a treasure chest that is supposedly hidden in the old couple's home. The boys come face to face with a dreaded group of pirates and that shakes thier life like anything. The chase for love soon becomes a chase for life and the equations change from bad to worse; but for a hilarious journey. Writer Neeraj Vora who has written scripts of films like 'Ajnabee', 'Josh', 'Kuchh Na Kaho' and stories of 'Baadshah', 'Chori Chori Chup Ke', 'Hulchul' in the past and 'Phir Hera Pheri' and 'Chup Chup Ke' in the recent time shows his caliber in a comedy again in 'Golmaal-Fun Unlimited'. Teaming for the first time with a young director like Rohit Shetty, Neeraj excels in jokes' soap opera. Yes, soap opera of jokes because there is no definite line for 'Golmaal-Fun Unlimited'. It is a collection of comic situations and that's it. It is because of apt handling of these situations by Rohit that makes 'Golmaal-Fun Unlimited' an entertainer. Regular comedy viewers may not get much novelty in this film but for those who come to cinema halls for just an entertainer 'Golmaal-Fun Unlimited' is not a let down. Rohit is supported by a very good technical team in his second voyage and Neeraj Vora leads the team with his full capabilities. If Vishal-Shekhar's music works in favor of the plot and brings out specific characters very well through its mood, it's Aseem Bajaj who stands apart with his apt handling of cinematography department. Steven Bernard's editing is another highlight for the film. Among actors, Ajay Devgan leads the band and proves that his take on comedy in 'Hum Kisise Kum Nahin' may have failed but he has the guts to experiment in this genre. People still remember his work in films like 'Ishq' and 'Masti'. Ajay Devgan rebrushes his skills in comedy in 'Golmaal-Fun Unlimited' and comes out a winner. And, what to say about this Arshad 'Circuit' Warsi, he is getting better and better with his every film. From 'Munnabhai MBBS' to 'Golmaal-Fun Unlimited' he has come very far and has made his own place in the comedy genre. Tusshar is another revelation, he may not have succeeded in becoming a solo hero but he can be a value addition to any project now. Tusshar excels in his role and Sharman Joshi gives him a tough competition, too. Among seniors Manoj Joshi is the best and next to him is Sushmita Mukherjee who makes a very good comeback after a long gap. Mukesh Tiwari and Anupam Shyam fail to live up to the expectations. And last but not the least is our very own Paresh Rawal. He has become the godfather of comedies, and it has become now impossible for Bollywood producers to think of a comedy without him. But haven't we seen enough of him? On the whole, 'Golmaal-Fun Unlimited' is an average entertainer and gives its value for the money. MUSIC REVIEW OF OMKARA
By Kaydee - Eye TV India Bureau
Juke Box Shakespeare's dramas are based on reality and they are widely read. But, it is significant that some of his dramas have of late become basis of Hindi movies. This time round producer Kumar Mangat and director Vishal Bhardwaj have made a movie titled 'Omkara' on Shakespeare's 'Othello' starring Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan, Viveik Oberoi, Naseeruddin Shah, Kareena Kapoor, Bipasha Basu and Konkana Sen Sharma. This is not the first time when Vishal Bhardwaj was inspired by Shakespeare's dramas, earlier too he made the movie 'Maqbool' based on Shakespeare's Macbeth. Omkara is set in the interiors of Uttar Pradesh in the milieu of political warfare. This is the journey of a brave man who loves a woman blindly and for this love and jealousy; he also blindly destroys his life. Omkara (Ajay Devgan) is lovingly called Omi and he is the head of a gang of outlaws. He is the chief of the group, which includes Langda Tyagi (Saif Ali Khan) and Kesu (Viveik Oberoi). While Langda is shrewd and Kesu is energetic Omi appoints Kesu and not Langda as his chief lieutenant. This threatens the pride of Langda and out of sheer jealousy he hatches a plot. He entangles Omi's beautiful wife Dolly (Kareena Kapoor) in a love affair with Kesu. Aiding him in his treacherous plan is his wife Indu (Konkana Sen Sharma) and Raju another moaner of the gang. The plan looms to take a horrid shape, as Langda keeps poisoning Omi's mind. One day, Omi lets loose and destroys everything only to realize the impact of it after everything is done. It's too late for him though; what he has done cannot be undone. Usually, there is not much of a scope for music in Shakespearean dramas. But Vishal has given music to 'Omkara' and well-known writer Gulzar has provided the lyrics. Incidentally, Gulzar has introduced several words and sentences of North India in his lyrics. These are praise- worthy. 'Omkara' has eight tracks and one of them is the theme. The first track of the album is the title track 'Omkara', sung by Sukhwinder Singh. Sukhwinder proves himself the best once again after "Chaiyya Chaiyya…". This is a worth listening track. The song "Dhum Dhum Dhadam Dhaddya re…" is now on the top of all the chart busters. The entire team of Sukhwinder, Gulzar and Vishal has done full justice to the track. The next track 'O Saathi re..' is sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Vishal himself. This is slow paced romantic track that Chinto Singh has played with his guitar. The third is a special one "Beedi Jalaye Jigar Se…" The track was sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, Sukhvinder, Nachiketa Chakravorty and Clinton Cerejo. This is an item number where Bipasha Basu dances in the same style as Shilpa Shettty has in 'Shool's item number. The next track 'Jag ja Re Gudiya' is sung by Sudesh Bhosle. Ashwani has played this track on his flute. 'Namak Ishqka..' is the next track sung by Rekha Bhardwaj and Rakesh Pandit. Vishal has tried to present this qawwali in the 'Kajra Re Kajre Re..' style of 'Bunti Aur Bubli' . This track creates a sensation in one's feet. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan of "Jiya Dhadak Dhadak" fame has sung the next track 'Naino Ki Maniyo Re..'. This is a soothing number and one can listen to it a number of times. The use of Sitar has made this song more listenable. "Lakkad Jal ke Koyla Hoi Jaye" is a classic song sung by Rekha Bhardwaj. This is another good track from the album. Hitesh and Clinton have played the guitar with this song. The last track of the album is an instrumental track 'Omkara'. However, guitar has played too fast at some places. On the whole, the music of 'Omkara' is nice, and Gulzar has provided fitting lyrics to it. MUSIC REVIEW OF THE KILLER
By S. Kumar - Eye TV India Bureau
Juke Box Filmmaker Mukesh Bhatt has again presented a musical movie 'The Killer'. This is his sixth movie with Emraan Hashmi after 'Murder'. This time also T- Series has released the music of ' The Killer' unlike in the distant past when the Bhatts got their all film music released through Saregama. The music director is duo Sajid-Wajid and the lyrist is Jareesh Sherwani. 'The Killer' is the story of a killer and a commoner who are brought together by fate to spend one night on the road! While the commoner in this case is Nikhil (Emraan Hashmi), the killer is Vikram (Irrfan Khan). Nikhil is a happy-go-lucky man who wants to enjoy life to the fullest but for that he doesn't shy away from working a little harder. He wants to earn a lot of money in lesser time. However, he doesn't resort to any shortcut that may be illegal. Rather, he chooses to work round the clock by handling two jobs in the daytime and driving a cab in the night. All this and more to earn so much in life that he can own a private travel agency of his own and give his girlfriend Rhea (Nisha Kothari), a comfortable life. Rhea is a girl who is a bar dancer by profession but is in Dubai with a purpose! Life moves on for Nikhil and Rhea when the entry of Vikram changes the course of their direction. He enters Nikhil's cab as just one of those dozens of passengers who use his cab daily. But soon it is revealed that Vikram is a much bigger, stronger, powerful and dangerous man than any of the passengers whom Nikhil had dropped to their destinations. Vikram turns out to be the killer who kills, and uses people for his own benefits. So, he is listed as one of the most wanted criminals by none other than Interpol. The modern trend of remixing very much reflects in the music of 'The Killer'. The album has eight tracks in which two songs are remixed and one is a repeat. The album is strong as far as the music is concerned. Sajid-Wajid has tried to present traditional instruments in the new style. K.K. and Shreya Ghoshal lend their voice to the first track of the album -- 'Tere Yaadon Mein'. This is similar to the recently released 'Kalyug's song 'Juda Hoke Bhi.' Though the song is slow paced, yet it is interesting to listen to it. This slow paced song is also available in the remix version. K.K. and Shreya also lend their voice to the next track 'O Sanam O Sanam'. This is an Indipop melody song with western music. This is also repeated in KK's voice in a solo track. The next track 'Abhi Toh Main Jawan Hoon' is a remix track sung by Alisha Chinoy. This may turn out to be best track of the album. The audience may appreciate the use of traditional instruments like Nagada (Drum). The next track 'Habibi' was sung by Suzzane while Earl and Humza have made this track spicier. As the movie is set in the backdrop of Dubai; the track suits the locations and gives the Dubai flavor. The remix version of this track will definitely lure you to come to the dace floor. The next track 'Yaar Piya' was sung by none other Sunidhi Chauhan and was picturized on Nisha Kothari. As the track is an item number, it hasn't attracted more attention than other tracks. On the whole, the tag of musical movie on 'The Killer' didn't suit much. It seems that Mukesh has shortage of tracks and that's why he has used the remix funda besides repeating a track twice. The music of 'The Killer' is average and may not get good response as compared to Vishesh Films' earlier movies. |
Jodha Akbar
Anupamaa
