Film Review -Ek Paheeli Leela

Whiplash

Film: Ek Paheeli Leela

Cast: Sunny Leone, Jay Bhanushali, Mohit Ahlawat

Directed by: Bobby Khan

Duration: 2 hrs 25 mins

Rating: *

If you have seen the trailers, posters or have heard anything about the film then you would expect that the film is either A. a titillating adventure-thriller or B. It is the so-bad-that-it-is-good category. Sadly, it disappoints on both counts. Directed by Bobby Khan, this is just a dull snooze fest – there are no corny dialogues either, which is usually the hallmark of such films.

There is precious little that happens at the beginning of the film – Meera (Sunny Leone) is a London based model who can bring the house down with her presence. She is tricked into flying to India for a photo shoot in Rajasthan. Meanwhile a music composer (Jay Bhanushali) gets these nightmares that he is being whipped by someone and that happened in his previous birth. As the hapless audience, you have endure all that nonsense in this birth though.

In no time, Meera gets married to the local palace owner (Mohit Ahlawat) and gives up her dresses for a salwar kameez. It also turns out that in her previous birth, some 300 years ago, she was Leela and it was her lover who was whipped. 

The screenplay in all likelihood was written on a piece of paper smaller than Sunny Leone’s costume. There is only one memorable line which goes “Glamor industry mein success ka short cut - short skirt”

Sunny Leone tries to be earnest but her performance is cringe worthy – they should hand over the Razzie and a Golden Kela to her right away.

Leela the mystery is a disappointment, on every count. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 12th April 2015

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Film Review - Hate Story 2

Cull Bill

Film: Hate Story 2

Cast: Surveen Chawla, Jay Bhanushali

Directed by: Vishal Pandya

Duration: 2 hrs 7 mins

Rating: * 1 / 2

The success and skin show of Hate Story prompted the film makers to make a sequel – Hate Story 2 doesn’t have any sleaze and we were never quite expecting it to have any story anyway. This is just another revenge drama inspired by a host of films right from Khoon Bhari Maang (1988) to Tarantino’s Kill Bill (2003). She comes close to doing that but  the heroine should have wiggled her big toe, that homage would have been fun.

Much like The Bride, Sonika finds herself buried alive in a coffin but manages to sneak out. In flashbacks we are told that she was a demure girl once upon a time who also happened to be the mistress of a politician Mandar (Sushant Singh). When she falls in love with her friend from the photography class (Jay Bhanushali) and escapes to Goa, Mandar bhai gets very very angry and literally sends her underground.

When she is back on her feet she is seeks vengeance, there is no Deadly Viper Assassination Squad to take care of here, just a bunch of few ordinary thugs. Defying the laws of science, one of them also succumbs to death with a LPG tube in his mouth and given the rising cost of LPG, it is not the cheapest option to kill.

Neither the characterization nor does the story has much to write home about – they are stereotypes all the way. There is no rational or justification how the main protagonist transforms herself from a shy person to gun totting glamour girl.

The leading lady doesn’t leave much of mark on her performance and Sushant Singh does the scowling and growling that is demanded of him. From being a tale of retribution Hate Story 2 ends up as a farce. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 20th July 2014

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