Cheeni Kum- My review/ALL REVIEWS HERE! - Page 6

Review



Cheeni Kum: The perfectly blended entertainer

indya.com rating: 3.5 out of 5*

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Tabu, Paresh Rawal and Zohra Sehgal
Director: R. Balki

Synopsis: Owner cum chef of London's finest Indian restaurant, Buddhadev (Amitabh) is an arrogant 64 year old man who meets his match in Nina (Tabu). She hurts his ego when she sends back a dish prepared in his restaurant calling it sweet. Buddha realizes his mistake and in his efforts to tell her sorry he ends up falling for her. She is a strong willed woman and plays hard to get. Finally when he proposes and she accepts but tells him to meet her father for asking her hand in marriage.

He follows her to Delhi to meet her father, Omprakash (Rawal), who in their very first meeting punctures all hopes of Buddha having any chances to marry his daughter. Omprakash's constant reference to Buddha's old age has him frustrated. But with a never say die attitude and timely advises by his only advisor in life, his 9 year old cancer patient neighbour, Sexy (Swini) he gets going. But when Omprakash comes to know about Buddha's interest in his daughter and her too being equally serious about the relationship, the paranoid Gandhian takes out his weapon, of 'satyagraha'. He goes on a hunger strike. How the odd couple manage to get him convinced is what the rest of the film all about.

Acting: Bachchan yet again surprises us with a performance with never been seen before nuances and understanding of the role. During his verbal skirmishes with the three women in his life, his mother, his girlfriend and his nine year old neighbour he adds that something extra which makes him tower above the rest. Tabu matches perfectly to Bachchan. Paresh Rawal as the Gandhian who loves cricket and chicken keeps you constantly in splits even when his character is shown angry. 95 year old Zohra Sehgal amazes you with her energy and comic timing. Little Swini Khara who plays Sexy is a find. She makes you laugh and cry with amazing ease.

indya.com rating: 3.5 out of 5

Direction: Ad guru turned filmmaker, R.Balki mixes a perfect blend of happy and sad emotions. He explores various facets of relationships between a mother and son, a father and daughter and an aging neighbour with a precocious child apart from the main protagonist's love story. The freshness Balki brings in his approach towards handling the most important moments of the film will be appreciated by all.

indya.com rating: 3.5 out of 5

Script: An original script that doesn't go off tangent right till the end, one of the wittiest lines you heard in a Hindi film and a perfectly logical ending. These are the strongest points of Cheeni Kum's script. The film more than making us wonder whether a 34 year old woman can fall in love with a 64 year old man, successfully convinces us how and why this relationship if fructified will last. The climax has you in tears and yet manages to keep you smiling.

indya.com rating: 3.5 out of 5

Music: South Indian music maestro Ilaiyaraaja's music is sweet to the ears. The mellow tuned melodies are so effortlessly interwoven in the narrative that you never feel uneasy that oh there comes a song yet again. The title number is the best pick of the lot.

indya.com rating: 3.5 out of 5

http://cinemaa.indya.com/reviews/ck.html

Cheeni at Box Office

The collections jumped to cool 70% on Sunday from slow 25% on Friday. Movie is a super hit in UK. It reached number 8 position last weekend according to BBC UK. The movie also is doing well in US as reported by Indiafm.

Movie Review - Cheeni Kum

26 May 2007, 01:05 IST Movie Name Cheeni Kum Release Date 25 May 2007 Producer Sunil Manchanda Director R Balakrishnan Story Writer R Balakrishnan Movie Review CHEENI KUM is a light entertaining film with a good sense of humor with themes like sensitivity, emotionalism and relationships taken quiet elegantly and laced delicately. CHEENI KUM talks of two consenting adults wanting to spend the rest of their lives together. Buddhadev [Amitabh Bachchan], a 64-year-old man, is the chef cum owner of London's top Indian restaurant. He lives with his 85-year-old mother [Zohra Sehgal] and his only friend and confidante is his 9-year-old neighbor - Sexy [Swini Khara]. Buddhadev is an arrogant, egoistic, pompous man with a singular passion in life and that is cooking and he is a confirmed bachelor who has never been in love. Until Nina walks into his restaurant and life. Two extremes, in age, character and attitude, meet and against all odds fall in love. They decide to get married. And, like any Indian man, Buddhadev respectfully comes to ask Nina's father, Omprakash Verma [Paresh Rawal], living in Delhi, for her hand. Sweet... just one problem... Mr. Omprakash Verma, Nina's father, is 58 years old six years younger than Buddhadev Gupta, his would be son-in-law. Emotions of excitement and extreme sorrow are captured well by the director and executed splendidly by the graceful Bachchan. The relationship that Amitabh shares with his mother does raise eyebrows, since it's unpredictable filled with great humor. The moments between Amitabh and the child bring to fore another aspect of the protagonist's personality, which is appreciable. CHEENI KUM has got almost everything right. Amitabh Bachchan proves his incomparability yet again. Playing an egotistical chef, the actor is natural all through, but his performance in the finale makes the character all the more authentic. Tabu stands on her feet in the face of a formidable co-star's domineering presence. She's excellent. Paresh Rawal is only adding to his integrity with every film. Zohra Sehgal is endearing. Swini Khara is extremely convincing. Director Balki shows a flair for light entertainers and the execution of certain sequences is admirable. The first half gets enhanced with a much energetic second half and that elevates the film to the watch able level. P.C. Sreeram's cinematography is marvelous. Ilaiyaraaja's musical score is comforting. The title track is supple on your ear drums. Chandan Arora's editing could've been better. Ideally, a few repetitive moments can be done away with. Overall, Clever promos and feel-good ambiance should ensure a affirmative run at the multiplexes. Rating: 3.5 / 5 By Shalini Mehta

Bachchan reigns over Bollywood with two big hits
Two new Bollywood films starring Amitabh Bachchan, released simultaneously last month, have become big hits, proving once again that even at the age of 64 he remains the darling of the box office.

The two hits are contrasting stories. One is a romantic comedy in which Bachchan woos a woman young enough to be his daughter, the other a gangster flick where he plays a lawyer who saves trigger-happy policemen from the law.

The two films opened on May 25 to rave reviews and an impressive box office response, once again proving Bachchan's versatility and reaffirming his status as an industry legend, critics said.

"Cheeni Kum", the romantic comedy, succeeded because of humour, whereas a similar, bold Lolita-like story also starring Bachchan and released this year, failed because conservative Indians rejected its sexual undertone.

"A film like 'Cheeni Kum' signifies the winds of change in Bollywood," said film critic Taran Adarsh. "Amitabh Bachchan proves his supremacy yet again. Playing an arrogant chef, the actor is natural all through."

Not only is "Cheeni Kum" doing very well with urban audiences, as expected, but it is also slowly picking up in small towns.

Bachchan has had a powerful hold over audiences for over three decades, and even now, roles are written exclusively to suit his age.

He has had four releases so far this year and three more are due to open around the end of the year.

COOK VS LAWYER

Bachchan's popularity is not limited to the big screen though. He is also among the most sought-after celebrities by the advertising industry and endorses an array of products from cars to chocolates.

In "Cheeni Kum", Bachchan is a confirmed bachelor living with his 85-year-old mother and his only friend and confidante is a nine-year-old girl with cancer.

An arrogant, egoistic and pompous man with a singular passion in life -- cooking -- Bachchan's first encounters with the 34-year-old heroine are fraught with tension.

But against all odds they fall in love and go to the girl's father -- who is six years younger than the prospective groom -- for consent to marry.

The gangster story, "Shootout at Lokhandwala", is inspired by a real-life gun battle between police and criminals on the streets of Mumbai in 1991.

The shootout was highly controversial because of allegations that it was stage-managed by police who took money from the mob to eliminate a rival gang.

Though Bachchan plays a small role, he shines as the lawyer fighting for the policemen.

Indu Mirani, a film critic with the DNA newspaper, described the lawyer played by Bachchan as a "cynical, headmaster-type of dictatorial figure".

"He thinks nothing of insulting his clients, telling them to shut up and passing judgement on all they tell him."

Cheeni Kum 1 Picked up after a slow start to do well in Mumbai, Delhi NCR and Bangalore. Other areas are poor.

http://boxofficeindia.com/

Cheeni leads, SOAL and FnF dull

The business was low-key this weekend thanks to the heavy flow of Hollywood biggies week after week. In U.K., CHEENI KUM continues to lead… New entrant WATER hasn't been able to leave a mark… SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA has declined considerably… FOOL N FINAL has been rejected.
In U.S.A., SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA has registered a fall… METRO is breathing its last… THE NAMESAKE has crossed $ 13 million.

Weekend: June 1 – 3, 2007.

U.K. BOX-OFFICE

CHEENI KUM [last weekend: No. 9, this weekend: No. 10]: In its second weekend, the film has collected 60,889 on 36 screens, with the per screen average working out to 1,691. Total: 275,457 [approx. Rs. 2.21 crores].

FOOL N FINAL has debuted at No. 12 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected 49,961 [approx. Rs. 39.99 lacs] on 22 screens, with the per screen average working out to 2,271.

WATER has debuted at No. 17 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected 30,562 [approx. Rs. 24.46 lacs] on 13 screens, with the per screen average working out to 2,351.

SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA [last weekend: No. 14, this weekend: No. 21]: In its second weekend, the film has collected 19,674 on 17 screens, with the per screen average working out to 1,157. Total: 123,356 [approx. Rs. 98.73 lacs].

TA RA RUM PUM [last weekend: No. 24, this weekend: No. 31]: In its sixth weekend, the film has collected 5,920 on 9 screens, with the per screen average working out to 658. Total: 771,361 [approx. Rs. 6.21 crores].

METRO [last weekend: No. 28, this weekend: No. 42]: In its fourth weekend, the film has collected 2,416 on 7 screens, with the per screen average working out to 345. Total: 152,902 [approx. Rs. 1.22 crores].

THE NAMESAKE [English; last weekend: No. 39, this weekend: No. 64]: In its tenth weekend, the film has collected 670 on 4 screens, with the per screen average working out to 168. Total: 494,592 [approx. Rs. 3.96 crores].


• NAMASTEY LONDON [last weekend: No. 57, this weekend: No. 71]: In its eleventh weekend, the film has collected 400 on 1 screen. Total: 876,860 [approx. Rs. 7.02 crores].

THIS WEEKEND IN U.K.
[Based on screen averages]

RANK	FILM	AVERAGE
1	WATER	2,351
2	FOOL N FINAL	2,271
3	CHEENI KUM	1,691
4	SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA	1,157
5	TA RA RUM PUM	658
6	NAMASTEY LONDON	400
7	METRO	345
8	THE NAMESAKE [English]	168

U.S.A. BOX-OFFICE

THE NAMESAKE [English; last weekend: No. 23, this weekend: No. 27]: In its thirteenth weekend, the film has collected $ 120,003 on 127 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 945. Total: $ 13,147,618 [approx. Rs. 53.33 crores].

SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA [last weekend: No. 31, this weekend: No. 38]: In its second weekend, the film has collected $ 57,919 on 30 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 1,931. Total: $ 235,039 [approx. Rs. 94.49 lacs].


• METRO [last weekend: No. 64, this weekend: No. 95]: In its fourth weekend, the film has collected $ 1,843 on 8 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 230. Total: $ 150,212 [approx. Rs. 60.93 lacs].

NEW YORK CITY BOX-OFFICE

• THE NAMESAKE [English; last weekend: No. 19, this weekend: No. 22]: In its thirteenth weekend, the film has collected $ 15,145 on 6 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 2,524. New York total: $ 2,273,402.

Business continued to be low-key, with the new entrant, THE TRAIN, not eliciting any exciting response in U.K. Amongst holdover titles, CHEENI KUM is steady, while WATER continues to remain on the lower side.

Weekend: June 8 - 10, 2007.

U.K. BOX-OFFICE

CHEENI KUM [last weekend: No. 10, this weekend: No. 11]: In its third weekend, the film has collected 35,910 on 36 screens, with the per screen average working out to 998. Total: 342,824 [approx. Rs. 2.75 crores].
The breakdown:- Friday: 7,769; Saturday: 14,767; Sunday: 13,374.
Latest update:- Monday collections: 6,494.

FOOL N FINAL [last weekend: No. 12, this weekend: No. 14]: In its second weekend, the film has collected 26,907 on 19 screens, with the per screen average working out to 1,416. Total: 106,373 [approx. Rs. 85.31 lacs].
The breakdown:- Friday: 5,727; Saturday: 11,552; Sunday: 9,628.
Latest update:- Monday collections: 2,964.

WATER [last weekend: No. 17, this weekend: No. 15]: In its second weekend, the film has collected 20,619 on 12 screens, with the per screen average working out to 1,718. Total: 73,156 [approx. Rs. 58.67 lacs].
The breakdown:- Friday: 6,393; Saturday: 9,460; Sunday: 4,766.
Latest update:- Monday collections: 2,668.

SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA [last weekend: No. 21, this weekend: No. 24]: In its third weekend, the film has collected 7,875 on 14 screens, with the per screen average working out to 563. Total: 143,092 [approx. Rs. 1.15 crores].
The breakdown:- Friday: 1,960; Saturday: 3,098; Sunday: 2,817.
Latest update:- Monday collections: 1,781.

THE TRAIN has debuted at No. 31 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected 4,834 [approx. Rs. 3.88 lacs] on 4 screens, with the per screen average working out to 1,209.
The breakdown:- Friday: 1,346; Saturday: 1,767; Sunday: 1,721.
Latest update:- Monday collections: 885.

TA RA RUM PUM [last weekend: No. 31, this weekend: No. 50]: In its seventh weekend, the film has collected 1,549 on 4 screens, with the per screen average working out to 387. Total: 775,386 [approx. Rs. 6.22 crores].
The breakdown:- Friday: 297; Saturday: 617; Sunday: 635.
Latest update:- Monday collections: 91.

METRO [last weekend: No. 42, this weekend: No. 74]: In its fifth weekend, the film has collected 403 on 3 screens, with the per screen average working out to 134. Total: 154,420 [approx. Rs. 1.24 crores].
The breakdown:- Friday: 89; Saturday: 201; Sunday: 113.
Latest update:- Monday collections: 29.


• THE NAMESAKE [English; last weekend: No. 64, this weekend: No. 78]: In its eleventh weekend, the film has collected 372 on 1 screen. Total: 496,594 [approx. Rs. 3.98 crores].
  The breakdown:- Friday: 153; Saturday: 125; Sunday: 94.
  Latest update:-Monday collections: 50.

Cheeni Kum

* * * *

Stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Tabu, Paresh Rawal, Zohra Seghal.

"This is London's finest Indian restaurant, not some fraud shit!" chef Buddha (Amitabh Bachchan) yells, Gordon Ramsay style, at his terrified staff in the opening scene of this latest attempt to push the Bollywood envelope.

Buddha is 64, a bachelor and lives with his feisty mom (Zohra Seghal). With the exception of cooking which he describes as 'the world's biggest art' and his devotion to Sexy (Swini Khara), his neighbour's nine-year-old daughter who is dying of leukaemia, Buddha has very little time for love in his life.

When Nina Varma (Tabu), an Indian tourist from Delhi, returns her 'Hyderabadi Zufrani Pulao' rice dish for being too sweet, the perfectionist Buddha is enraged. It turns out that she's right: the dish should contain 'cheeni kum' (less sugar) and more salt.

From this initial misunderstanding, Buddha and the much younger Nina, 34, develop an awkward friendship which gradually turns to love. They decide to get married but in keeping with Indian tradition, decide to seek their parents' blessings. Buddha's mother readily agrees but will the couple manage to convince Nina's conservative dad (Paresh Rawal) back home in the Indian capital?

Age disparity in relationships has been the theme of many Hollywood movies but this is the first major Bollywood film to address the subject. Male actors over 60 in Bollywood films tend to play the asexual caring patriarch of the extended family. Bachchan breaks this mould. This Buddha is arrogant, romantic and goes to the chemists to stock up on condoms.

Director R Balki adopts a diaphanous approach to the taboo proceedings, opting for deadpan humour to convey his 'age is no barrier to love' message. He is assisted in his task by his leads who add a certain dignity to the unusual romance. Bachchan dominates but it is Tabu, last seen in Mira Nair's The Namesake, whose restrained interplay with the thespian who makes the relationship credible.

Balki also manages to question the respect some Indians have for the Gandhian practice of 'Satyagraha' or the achievement of one's goal via self suffering. Nina's disapproving dad goes on a hunger strike to prevent the marriage. Buddha, in the film's slightly melodramatic climax, acts as the deus ex machina: he convinces the dying dad of the selfishness of his act.

Some ingredients are unsubtle: a running gag about a waiter's buck teeth, a gora's (white person) inability to pronounce curry dishes, the perpetual touristy shots of London and Delhi, the contrived 'few months to live' sexy subplot. But as a whole, this dish is delightful.