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JAWAAN (2023) : review

- September 10, 2023

And finally the much hyped, much awaited Jawaan saw light of the day ! Big stars, big budget( humongous budget actually), big music composer, everything super large. But does it meet the expectations of the average viewer? No it goes not. Read on. A decorated jawan locks horns with a criminal called Kaali, this is in 1986 ( the year movies like Aakhri Raasta released, just for reference). Kaali gets him eliminated and send the pregnant wife to jail. The baby born in jail grows up to become the hero (look alike of the father) and decides to avenge the misdeeds done to his innocent patriotic parents. Well, isn’t it a masaaledaar full on Bollywood- Tollywood drama subject ? And then the director Atlee also borrows ideas and references from various retro movies, some idea from Sholay (1975) as the hero assembled a gang of jailed Qaidis in order to form a team to nab the villain, then there’s an entire episode borrowed from Dhartiputra (1993), and the basic theme is copy pasted ...

Whatever Happened To: Farha Naaz

- June 08, 2022

Where-for art thou Farha ? Remember her ? Today best known as actress Tabu’s elder sister, during her heydays she was better known as a feisty and spitfire leading lady who never minced her words. Revisiting the daring Hyderabadi lass who was once the darling of the masses. Introduction to Movies: Born in 1968 Farha was raised by her mother, a single parent. With little sister Tabu (b. 1970) for company Farha grew up as a daring and bold young girl who preferred taking the bull by his horns. Her only connection with Bollywood was aunt Shabana Azmi. The filmy connection helped both sisters who debuted in the same year 1985, Farha with Yash Chopra’s Faasle and Tabu with Dev Anand’s Hum Naujawan. A brief eventful career: After Faasle, Farha was flooded with offers and was seen playing lead roles in movies like Love 86 (1986), Palay Khan (1986), Marte Dum Tak (1987), Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani (1988), Do Qaidi(1989), Jawani Zindabad (1990) and others. She lost out on big p...

Gone With The Wind ? …….

- May 28, 2022

‘What went wrong’? Or rather why it went wrong, it’s not that easy to dissect and find out why some artists just fizzled out after an initial spark! Revisiting some dashing leading actors who ‘sparked’ and then vanished from the silver screen. Prithvi was almost like an 90s Hrithik Roshan, those light eyes, a good height and he could act as well. Dil ka Kya kasoor(1992) a musical that made him a star. Followed by second lead roles in Platform(1992), Ikke Pe Ikka(1994) and then sliding lower to a junior artist in Daraar(1996) and then shifting to tv. He had it in him, but luck didn’t favour. Avinash Wadhwan had a good personality, and acting skills as well. Movies like Aayee Milan Ki Raat (1991) and Meera Ka Mohan(1992) did well with good music, but did very little for his career. He was unceremoniously pushed into the supporting role category and soon vanished from the big screen only to surface on tv in Daddy roles. Ravi Bahl could dance well, Narsimha (1991) ...

The Sunset Nightingale: Sulakshana

- May 20, 2022

‘I asked for the Mike, I was given the mirror’ ‘If I were a boy I would’ve married LATA MANGESHKAR’ Just two of the many quotes attributed to yesteryear’s star singer Sulakshana Pandit, a former star forgotten by film lovers and her own fraternity as well. Sulakshana was born in 1954 in the illustrious Pandit household which boasted of renowned classical vocalists like Pandit Maniram, Pandit Pratap Narayan(her father), pandit Jasraj and many others. In the mid 60s she along with her father and older brother shifted to Bombay and started singing as a child star in movies like Taqdeer(1967). Her rose complexion and golden tresses only added to the film makers and Co singers recommending her to take up acting as an alternate career. She struck gold with the suspense thriller Uljhan(1975) her debut as a lead star opposite Sanjeev Kumar. She alternated between a singer and an actress and struggled hard to establish herself as a singing star. She appeared in films like...

BHOOL BHULAIYAA 2- Review

- May 20, 2022

Priyadarshan’s sleeper hit bhool bhulaiyaa(2007) gets a poor cousin in the form of this franchise successor bhool bhulaiyaa 2 this time spearheaded by comedy king Anees Bazmee. Now Bazmee is nowhere in the league of Priyadarshan, considering his penchant for brainless comedies (some of which have become all time blockbusters) and the ‘brainlessness’ reflects in every frame of this horror- comedy! Set very evidently in Rajasthan inorder to justify a ‘Royal’ background for the story, a lot of paranormal events start occurring in the Thakur family during the course of a wedding preparation week. Rooh Baba (Kartik Aaryan) arrives to solve the mystery which is deep rooted in the dark past of the Thakur’s. Comedy- okayish, mystery- hollywoodish, music- pathetic. Overall is a bore drama, there are some genuinely funny moments specially the ones involving Mishra and Yadav, but Aaryan acting like a poor man’s Akshay Kumar is a big letdown. Advani looks as beautiful as 70s Dreamgirl b...

10 Slice of Life 70’s Bollywood Classics

- April 06, 2021

70s era ushered in a new wave of middle of the road cinema which focussed on slice of life events and occurrence that would be highly relatable to the audiences, not only during the 70s but viewers watching them during the television telecasts would also lap up such offbeat movies. Revisiting and listing top ten favourites from the Slice of Life Genre of 70s Bollywood, brief and quick synopsis. Buddha Mil Gaya (1971) directed by the principal of offbeat cinema Hrishikesh Mukherji lovingly called Hrishida was a comical suspense musical. R.D. Burman’s music was soulful, can you forget Raat Kali Ek Khwab Mei Aayi(Kishore)? With the ever jovial Om Prakash portraying the intriguing Buddha who’s connected to a series of cold blooded murders and the fresh cast of Navin Nishchol, Deven Verma & Archana, this may not be a blockbuster but it’s certainly a fun watch. Considered a cult classic that paved way for realistic middle of the road films Rajnigandha (1974) is like a fresh ...

Sensational magazine covers and shocking confessions

- March 27, 2021

Do you remember the magazine MOVIE ? Was quite popular in the 90s and then suddenly stopped circulation. It was like a bridging gap between the virgin Filmfare and the saucy Stardust. There were sensational covers where established stars as well as starlings tried to hog the attention of gossip hungry readers. Revisiting some controversial tag lines and sizzling covers. So if you can’t take your eyes off the bohemian lass Pooja Bhatt from the above 1994 cover then kindly read the honest not so animal friendly confession by Nawab Saif Ali Khan Pataudi. In a royal pride manner he confessed to having dropped his dog from the seventh floor! And also sliced his pet parrot !!! Those were the days when the society wasn’t exactly animal friendly. Imagine an actor making such claims today and how he’ll be mercilessly trolled and labelled an inhuman butcher. It’s a well known fact that former superstar Rajesh Khanna aka Kaka once eclipsed by the then angry young man Amitabh Bachchan,...

And the National award goes to.....

- March 25, 2021

And the national award for best actress goes to.....Kangana Ranaut! Her fourth national award and third in the best actress category. A must to revisit some Bollywood heroines who’ve been awarded the coveted award in the past. Now these awards are awarded taking into account all the language films in the country and that makes it all the more tough to win it, but some of the winners haven’t been controversy free. Here’s a look at Ten Bollywood stars who won the National Award for best actress (also known as the Urvashi Award) Magnanimously talented Nargis Dutt is the first Bollywood actress to have won the national award, she won it for Raat Aur Din(1967) where she portrayed a middle aged woman suffering from dissociative identity disorder wherein she’s a docile housewife during the day and transforms into a nightclub crooner at night. Rehana Sultan an FTII graduate won the award for her very first movie Dastak(1970) where she played Salma, a newly married woman who shifts ...