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 - Gunday

City of No Joy 

Film: Gunday

Cast: Ranvir Singh, Arjun Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra

Directed by: Abbas Ali Zafar

Duration: 2 hrs 33 mins

Rating: * 1 / 2

Made by Yashraj, one of the top production houses in the country and directed by Abbas Ali Zafar, Gunday doesn’t lack in resources when it comes to production values but what is sorely missing is a story that has something novel to offer. Most of the film is set in the 80’s but sadly, it also looks like a film of the 80’s.

Not only is it predictable from start to finish, at two and half hours, it is also long enough to leave you exasperated and you can’t help but look at your watch from time to time waiting for the ordeal to end, especially in the second half.

Set during the formation of Bangladesh, two boys Bala and Bikram manage to sneak through to India after escaping from the refugee camp. Now if kids would talk like kids it would be convincing but when they mutter lines by an adult dialogue writer (in this case the director himself) it doesn’t look credible- “Marne se koi bada nahin banta, dimaag se banta hain ” says one kid and there is another line with something to do with anger and boiling milk.

They are a bit like Jai and Veeru, except that the Sholay buddies were small time crooks where as these guys grow up aspiring to become the biggest dons of Calcutta, as it was known then.  Bikram (Ranveer) and Bala (Arjun Kapoor) spawn their empire from coal to LPG and everything in between and Saurabh Shukla plays a similar role that he essayed in Satya.  A tough cop (Irrfan) is hot on their heels and vows to bring them to justice. 

As it has happened in a billion Bollywood films before, the two men fall for the same girl (Priyanka Chopra) who happens to be a cabaret dancer. The woman unflinchingly says “Main tumhe ek haafta deti hoon mera dil jeetne ke liye”(I’ll give you’ll one week to win me over), yes, the dialogues are that tedious.  The Jai and Veeru friendship goes kaput as they bay for each other’s blood, which is not a bad time for you to take a nap because this is so much been-there-seen-that.

It attempts to pay a tribute to vintage films right from Sholay, Kaala Pathaar, Deewar and there’s also Mr. India playing in a theatre where a fight sequence is choreographed (the only admirable scene). The rest is so very mind numbing and the finale which has a Salman type lets-take off-our-shirts-and fight is in super slow motion. Actually a lot of the film is in slo-mo, had it been shot it normal speed, the duration would reduce considerably.

The film also tries too hard to catch the flavor of the city by showing the mandatory Durga pooja , Howrah bridge and cops in white but that is not enough.

On the acting front, the lead men make an effort to be noticed. Irrfan is superb as usual and steals their thunder. He doesn’t get to take off his shirt though. Priyanka Chopra has become a bit lackluster lately and this role affirms that.  On the whole, Gunday is so passé; it’s time to move on folks. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 16th Feb 2014

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Film Review - Ram Leela

                             Old Wine, New Bottle & Gift Wrapped

Film: Ram Leela

Cast: Ranvir Singh, Deepika Padukone, Supriya Pathak

Directed by: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Duration: 2 hrs 33 mins

Rating: * * 1 /2

Like most Sanjay Leela Bhansali films, RamLeela has a big canvas, stunning visuals and is very self indulgent. On the flip side, the story inspired by Romeo and Juliet is one of those that have been churned out with clock work regularity. In fact, you wish that Bhansali had treated the story a little differently than just to indulge in those ‘oh-look-how-beautiful-this-is’ kind of shots.

  

Excessive songs, including an item number and a not so convincing screenplay is not how you want to see another version of one of the Bards most popular tragedies.

“For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo” he wrote. The reason for the woe here is the enmity between two clans, on one side is the relatively calm Ram (Ranvir Singh), his brother (Abhimanyu Singh) calls the shots. On the other side of the fence we have Leela (Deepika Padukone) whose mother runs the show in the family. Not a very pleasant woman you want to be around, she can even chop off a finger is she feels like it. The two communities fire more bullets in the air and each other than you saw in The Expendables.

Ram and Leela fall in lust first and love comes later, both cause severe consternation in the communities. They decide to elope but their families won’t give up. It is easier to understand Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle rather than figure out the unnecessarily twisted complications and misunderstandings in the latter part of the film.

There is no doubt that Bhansali has a remarkable eye for visuals - the colors, framing and lighting is extraordinary. There are a few scenes that have the chutzpah but inconsistency mars otherwise. The songs keep popping up (including an item number by Priyanka) like any other film and the editing is very lenient. Take the scene for example where a widow is being chased by men from the opposition camp, first it goes on in the narrow lane, then there is a long shot along with a couple in slow motion and it is in scenes like these that the indulgence shows.

 The dialogues are apt and full credit to the writers, Garima and Siddharth for the same. On the acting front, Supriya Pathak as the don smolders fire playing her character with élan. Richa Chaddha is convincing, Ranvir Singh and Deepika Padukone share a good chemistry, the actress though impresses with every outing.

Ram Leela is old wine in new bottle which is gift wrapped. 

(Published in The Navhind Times on 17th Nov 2013)

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