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'Ek Tha Tiger' is a good time pass movie and nothing else. It is a pure entertainment movie with magic touch of Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. 'Ek Tha Tiger' heavily rely on the shoulders of its leading stars. I will not say this is the best movie of Salman or this film completely exploits Salman's magic in the movie. Excellent promotion, timing of release, pairing of Salman and Katrina are few things which helped it to gain a super hit status and hence like three of Salman's earlier films (Ready, Wanted & Dabangg) this is his fourth film to cross 100 crore business barrier. Many trade pundits are in view that 'Ek Tha Tiger' will be first film to break every record. But the question is how this movie is making so much business. I watched it today and was really surprised this is a completely average film full of all spicy stuff which often makes no sense. No, this is not a bad movie but it is not good either. 'Ek Tha Tiger' is ba...

I still remember Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt starer 'As Good As It Gets'. I watched this beautiful film in 1997 and was very impressed. But at the same time I was very keen to know why we do not make movies like this, why we are always stick to formula movies? It is a good change Indian cinema is witnessing. New and experimental filmmakers are writing stories on subjects which were till now almost untouched or unexplored. Earlier no producer dared to make films like 'Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi'. Even lead actress Farah Khan who is playing heroine in the movie thought this film will never be a reality. But producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali and director Bela Bhansali Sehgal were confident. Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi is comedy film about two 40 plus people falling in love. Though there were few attempts earlier but not too substantial and those films hardly made money. Multiplexes in the metros played a major role in providing a business opportunity in pro...

Movies are my passion. It is like food for me. It rejuvenates and fills a great energy inside me whenever I see a good film. I don’t remember how this passion for films developed but one thing I clearly remember that Since childhood I used to bunk classes and watch Bollywood movies at nearby cinema halls. At least one day in a week was fixed for movies. That particular day was safest day for movies because my parents had clearly no idea about school timings on Saturdays. They believed that like other government schools my school also runs full day on Saturday. But in reality those days it was for half day only. So throughout my school days I used to enjoy my movies every Saturdays without any questions. And that routine strengthened my passion which is still continued. Though my frequency of going to theater decreased over the years but watching them on DVDs or on small screen have increased many fold. Sundays have replaced Saturdays now but the enthusiasm is still st...

Indian Cinema is growing in almost every field. Be it subject, acting, characterisation, music, cinematorgraphy, art direction or overall treatment of the film, it seems movie makers are trying to experiment new genres. Recently I watched Anurag Kashyap's 'Gangs of Wasseypur' (GOW) based on coal mafia of Dhanbad. And I must say this film breaks a lot of barriers in filmmaking in India. It's a path breaking film in many ways and its commercial success denotes that those filmmakers who believes in good cinema must not give up and they must continue exploring in different subjects backed with equally good amount of research and yes they should also keep in mind the commercial aspect of it. After all movie making is a commercial form of art. Let's come back to .'Gangs of Wasseypur'. I feel this film caters a specific set of viewers and not meant for all. A strong depiction of mannerism of coal mafia in Bihar is the high point of the film. For the fir...

Everybody is talking about it, everybody is raving about it. Aamir Khan's show 'Satyamev Jayate' created a lot of buzz everywhere. Though the format of the show is not new but talking on female foeticide by a superstar on national entertainment channel is the real differentiator. It has started a nationwide debate on social evils and also raised many question. We all have experienced and seen that Aamir does not do things just for the sake of it. He puts his heart and soul in the project. Satyamev Jayate is no exception. Promotion of this show is also phenomenon. Every media is talking about it and everybody is saying that it has redefined the nature of entertainment channels. Ok right, not going to raise doubt on this. But is 'Satyamev Jayate' or Superstar 'Aamir Khan' really going to take social issues further? Or 'Satyamev Jayate' will become one more programme like others? When the show finally gets over what will happen? A new show will ...

India is the largest producer of feature films in the world. Despite this fact, very few films are world standard. Though Indian film industry has become a biggest film industry but very few movies are innovative or very few filmmakers dare to innovate. Most of the producers stick to the formula films which can give them quick return money without much pain. That’s why film lovers often don't have choice for good films. There was a time when in the name of good and meaningful cinema some directors made so called ‘art movies’. These movies had good story lines but pathetic and super slow treatment kept viewers away from cinema halls. Art movies died their own death. But their intellectual impact and liberalization of Indian economy heralded a new breed of filmmakers who believe only in good cinema. Money is not taboo for them. After all film making is a commercial art and if it makes money while essaying the massage then nothing like it. These young di...

What you can expect from a film? A good storyline, brilliant performances and immaculate direction. Today it is a great challenge for filmmakers to make a film on an athlete turned dacoit when the trend is to make masala movies and rake quick money. We have seen so many films based on Chambal’s dreaded dacoit’s theme in 70’s and 80’s. Almost every filmmaker at that time exploited this theme. With Paan Singh Tomar Director Tigmanshu Dhulia takes a different turn and based his film on a real life character. I am not going to tell you its story but I must say one thing to all movie lovers who believes in good cinema, that this is the film they must watch. It is packed with great direction of Dhulia and intense acting by lead actor Irrfan. Moreover, the authentic feel of Chambal and its dialect is going to spellbound you.

It is primarily a Shahrukh Khan film and I must say I did not enjoy watching it. Shahrukh playing the central character of DON is more about style and less about the fear and charisma of DON. Director Farhan Akhtar has focused heavily on creating a persona of DON who does not spare anybody. This film is nowhere come close to the original DON movie. Big B looked very natural and stylish too but Shahrukh seems shallow in the movie.  I feel big sets and foreign locales are not going to impress real movie goers in a three hour long movie unless the film offers more in terms of storyline and treatment. Its story is not new and you feel cheated in the movie hall. Bank robbery theme is not innovative and does not experiment more rather than picking sequences directly from Hollywood movies. Farhan Akhtar who has directed wonderful movies like Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya, DON 1 did not do complete justice to this mega budget movie. I do not say this is a completely unwatchable movie but i...

Devanand My media profession gave me the opportunity to meet legendary actor of bollywood Devanand few years ago. I still remember the day when I went for the Hot Seat show shoot with Devanand. He was amazing and full of life. His enthusiasm and energy was out of the world. Dev Sahab never said no to his fans for autographs and photographs. May his soul rest in peace.

This could be one of the most bizarre incident of recent times. We all know how this seasons's 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' or 'KBC' (Indian version of 'Who Wants to Be A Millionaire') has witnessed contestants from smaller towns and villages. Their humble background and knowledge has attracted a lot of attention in media. People were delighted when the saw common man winning million rupees by just answering few questions. This has given hope and courage to millions of Indian that they can also win and change their fate. It was like their dreams coming true finally. But today I read a news piece from Times of India newspaper which mentioned about a KBC contestant   Pushpa Udyeniya   from Madhya Pradesh who won Rs. 25, 00,000 on Hot Seat. When she returned from KBC she came to know that her school where she was teaching fired her. The reason given was she did not choose her senior during 'phone a friend'. Initially I felt numbed and did not figure out...

One quote about movies I like most is said by Richard King. He said "Movies are an art form that is very available to the masses". When we watch movies we fall in love with its story telling, cinematography, visual appeal, amazing sets, soulful music and dance, brilliant acting, craft of direction and so many things. Yes there is a lot of money involved in the production of a full length feature film. It is not only an art form but I rather say it is a commercial art where a lot of creative inputs are sourced from different departments. But does this commercial art only stand for commerce or for some sort of social responsibility? Do films talk on social issues or are they just for the entertainment sake? Because, every art form is related to social responsibility and above all movies are the mirror of the society. Films are publicly released and appreciated, enjoyed by masses. But how many carry the issues related to masses? I was going through the releases of...

It has an essence of a Rockstar but it is primarily a strong love story about a middle class boy Janardhan Jakhar who falls in love with a high society beautiful girl Heer. After 'Love Aaj Kal' and 'Jab We Met' director Imtiaz Ali once again proved that he has a vision and he certainly knows how to tell a story. This film has everything for youth love, aggression, rebellion and its main character Janardhan Jakhar or   Jordan  played by Ranbir Kapoor succeeded in essaying the role of a lover and Rockstar with conviction. His aggression with disheveled looks make you believe in his character. He is unpredictable, radical, creative and full of life. A sense of rebel pushes him to do only those things which he believes in.  Rockstar is full of surprises. Singer Mohit Chauhan who rendered Rockstar's vocals is till now only known for singing slow melodious numbers. But in this film he has surprised everyone by singing high note rock songs like Sadda Haq on O...

Indian Cinema is known for its melodrama and over the top treatment of song-dance sequences. This is the identity of every Indian film whether it is a Hindi, Tamil or Telugu language film. Almost all Indian movies have song and dance sequences with high melodramatic themes and people of this subcontinent love it. This has given a unique identity to the Indian movies worldwide. But is this situation changing? Song and dance will no longer be featured in the movies or it is just an assumption? Why I am saying this? Indian Cinema lovers are aware of the fact that during 1970's and 1980's there was a wave of parallel cinema with strong depiction of realism, naturalism and serious content based on socio-political situations. Parallel cinema was an alternative to the mainstream cinema, which was not so real but full of entertainment, fun and audience love every bit of over the top song and dance movements. But parallel cinema died its own death soon because, it has almo...

Ra.One is not the first film on super hero in India and it won't be the last. Hollywood has seen so much commercial success in exploiting the charisma of these comic superheroes on the box office and this propelled filmmakers across the movie world to bring local super heroes on their silver screen. Earlier attempts on superhero films in India failed miserably. First major success was   Hritik Roshan's  ' Koi Mil Gaya ' and then ' Krrish '. Producer and director Rakesh Roshan in a true sense brought an Indian superhero 'Krrish' first time on Indian celluloid. Though Krrish's character was not from any comic book unlike Batman, Spiderman or Superman movies but he has the superpower to fight evil, fly in the sky and like any Indian hero he can dance with beautiful heroines. Ra.One   is also an attempt to take advantage of this superhero mega market by Bollywood superstar who has pumped all his money to produce this special effect superher...

Who want's to watch a   movie   with the almost same story and not so great treatment? ' Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster ' takes its name from greatest Hindi film ' Shib Biwi Aur Ghulam (1962 movie) '. There are some common points in these two films like, the rich man has a mistress and he has hardly any time for his beautiful wife, who is almost living in seclusion. There was a house help in ‘Saheb Biwi Aur Ghulam’ who was faithful to the rich man and his wife. Here, director   Tigmanshu Dhulia   instead of house help mends his plot to introduce a opportunist character who develops a relationship with his master's wife. This film has used Uttar Pradesh as its milieu and tried hard to infuse local sensibilities and lingo with the huge emphasis on delivering dialogues as much loudly as the actors (Randeep hooda, Jimmy Shergill, Mahie Gill) can. This film might have worked as a good thriller but it deviates many times. Direction is not as impressi...

Sometimes you want to write, express something but your mood spoils it. Same thing was with me last night. I decided to refresh myself with idiot box. I switched on the TV and changed channels after channels, but pity there was not a single show which was fresh and offered something interesting to watch out for. I enjoy travel and food shows and sometimes watch good movies on the television. While swapping channels, there were some reality shows which attracted my attention. It was all about drama and seems everything scripted. Most of the reality shows which have decent ratings are borrowed shows either from USA or from Australia or some other European countries. Who wants to be millionaire is   Kaun Banega Crorepati , Fear Factor is   Khatron ke Khiladi , Masterchef also has an   Indian edition , American Idol is   Indian Idol   in India, Big Brother is   Big Boss   etc...: list is endless and they are still going strong. What is noticeable h...

Iran is a free country but it seems Iranians are not free people. How can any government punish its artist with 90 lashes and one year in jail? This happened with   Marzieh Vafamehr , who starred in   My Tehran For Sale . This film was made in 2009 and also premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. It is being said that this cruel punishment was due to a scene in the film where she appeared with a shaved head and without any headscarf. Punishment of this sort raises highest concern over creative artistic freedom. 

These days I hardly get time to watch any movie and whenever I get that precious time, I try to use that moment completely and watch something very selective. Yesterday was such day and I selected Bol, a Pakistani movie to watch. It was an fulfilling experience and my selection was right. After watching 'Bol' movie, I was compelled to think whether situation of women is really that bad in Pakistan as shown in the movie or it is just a movie. One can argue over the style of making of this film, which is slow, long and a bit outdated but one can not take his/her eyes off from the matter it raises and that too convincingly. Plight of women is a major area of concern in not only Pakistan but in whole South Asia.  I recommend everyone who believes in good cinema and concern about the plight of women to watch this extremely good film, which forces you to think again and again.  Links: http://bolthemovie.com/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1891757/ http://en.wikiped...

This is one of the biggest event of our times. Developing country like   India  has taken a leap in terms of staging big events. Country is prepared to witness Formula 1 championship on its soil.   Indian Grand Prix   will witness top drivers driving their machines on Buddhist International Circuit from 28 th   October to 30 th   October. But without celebrities there is no fun in any event. A number of   Hollywood  and Bollywood (Indian film industry primarily Hindi film industry) celebrities are going to make this event bigger for fans. Though Parish Hilton just left the country after her promotional tour, lady Gaga has confirmed that she would be performing in the closing ceremony on 30 th   October. Heavy metal band Mettalica would be doing live and televised concerts alongside Formula 1 race. This great band would be performing on 28 th   October in   Delhi  and 30 th   October in Banglore. Shahrukh khan, one...

There are many children films where they talk seriously about issues related to children, where children play protagonists and yet they do not even come close to list as children films. But they carry a tag. Very few movies celebrate childhood the way it has been celebrated in the film 'Chillar Party'. It is fun to watch as children take a stand for their issues and fight for them. Their battle is no way a heroic battle unlike our feature films but it is very much childish in nature. This film has the strength to take you to the tour of your childhood days. You will feel nostalgic and a mischievous smile will certainly come on your face.  There are many moments in the film where it slows down but within minute it picks up. It raises curiosity about what these children will do to save the orphan boy, who cleans cars in their society and his dog from a stupid politician. I loved their chaddi March and all the kids who acted in the film. This movie has cr...