Film Review Kill /Dil

Shoot To Kill

Film: Kill /Dil

Cast: Ranveer Singh, Ali Zafar,

Directed by: Shaad Ali

Duration: 2 hrs 7 mins

Rating: * *

The success of Gunday seems to have prompted Yashraj films to go full throttle on films that are reminiscent of the flicks made in the 70’s and 80’s. Directed by Shaad Ali (Saathiya, Bunty aur Babli, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom), not only the screenplay but the direction also looks like it belongs to the Mohenjo Daro and Harappa era.

The plot is similar to Gunday and there can’t any other reason apart from box office considerations that the production house went ahead with this film. 

Told in flashback, the story is about two young men Dev (Ranveer Singh) and Tutu (Ali Zafar) who are sharp shooters. The latter also puts a bullet in a politician’s brain from a moving train, at a railway crossing.

Both the blokes are orphans rescued by a gangster Bhaiyyaji (Govinda) and they always do as he says and mostly it is about extortion or pumping bullets. All is well till they meet Disha (Parineeti Chopra) a hip girl who becomes friendly with the two guys. For Dev though, it is more than just friendship and he falls head over high heels in love with her.

Bhaiyyaji doesn’t like it, Tutu doesn’t like it and you don’t like it either. When Dev spends Diwali with his girl Bhaiyyaji gets very annoyed- so annoyed that he sings a song. Actually, they all sing songs at some point when just about anything happens. Besides, it is rather odd to see gangsters singing songs and dancing and then getting all serious in the very next scene. As Guns and Roses said, “My way your way anything goes…” 

Love makes the world go round and it also makes shooters give up their profession and be become decent hardworking men. Post interval the plot gets more contrived than before and heads for a finale that is all too convenient. The only convenient factor for the audience is the running length of the film which just over two hours.   

Initially the film opens on a decent note but very quickly goes downhill and never recovers. The plot has neither any logic nor sense or conviction. Even though Govinda tries his vintage act, the character of Bhaiyyaji is the weakest of them all. Not that the others are any better.

The background score is reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s Have a Cigar. Of the cast, Ranveer Singh adds some zing with his enthusiastic act. But these gangster sagas are so passé, time to let them rest in peace.

Published in The Navhind Times on 16th Nov 2014

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Film Review - Total Siyapaa

Border Issues

Film: Total Siyapaa
Cast: Ali Zafar, Yami Gautam, Kirron Kher
Directed by: E Niwas
Duration: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: * *

Inspired by the Spanish film Only Human (2004), Total Siyapaa had the potential to be witty film with comic situation but unfortunately, it gets lost in quick time. Set in London, Yami Gautam plays Asha who brings her boyfriend Aman (Ali Zafar) to meet her parents (Kirron, Anupam Kher) She hasn’t revealed the fact that he is a Pakistani and her family has a deep running distrust for the neighboring country. Her grandpa even brings out a rifle to boast about how many Pakistanis he killed during the war. 

In an already uptight situation, Aman drops a container of frozen soup which falls on a passerby’s head who is knocked down. It only dawns on him later that that man could well be his prospective father in law.  By the time they get there, he has vanished and the rest of the film revolves around searching for him.

The plot hits the peak in the first 30 odd minutes, after that it all goes downhill. The subplot of Asha’s sister and her husband is least bit engrossing. There are some funny lines and comic situations but the water runs dry quickly. Kirron Kher is the only silver lining in this otherwise average entertainer. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 9th Mar 2014

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