Bollywood, Hindi Movie Reviews

Direction : Vishal Bhardwaj

Cast : Priyanka Chopra, John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Naseruddin Shah, Irrfan Khan, Anu Kapoor, Usha Uthup

Till a few years ago, no one would've ever thought of making a film on a woman who marries, remarries, weds again, ties the knot yet again... in fact, she walks down the aisle multiple times. That's not all, the woman, we are told, kills each of her husbands subsequently. The theme might come as a jolt to the trditional moviegoers, since the wives on the Hindi screen are either depicted as docile and dutiful or fiercely independent and ambitious. The question is, will the orthodox Indian audience absorb a theme like this? It's blasphemous, some may opine. Imagine a murderous bride, some may rant.

Direction : Sagar Ballary

Cast : Vinay Pathak, Sarika, Rukhsar, Chinmay Kambli, Armaan Malik, Atul Kulkarni, Taheer Sutarwala

KACCHA LIMBOO suffers due to a sketchy screenplay, also penned by Ballary. In fact, the post-interval portions ruin the impact that was beautifully created after a fairly engrossing first hour. One would've expected Ballary to explore the infatuation angle in the story or the cracks that develop between the adolescent and his parents. Instead, the story wanders to an alien territory in the second hour and I actually wondered, did Ballary intend telling a fresh story in the second half? That's not all! The story goes on and on and on and on… so much so that you fervently pray that it reaches its culmination pronto. But Ballary messes up the conclusion too.

Direction : Vikram Pradhan

Cast : Emily Watson, Johnny Depp, Chunky Pandey

Quite an interesting idea, I must add, but interesting ideas don't necessarily translate into fascinating cinematic experiences. The problem is, MASTI EXPRESS appeals in parts, not in its entirety. At places, the film is engaging, but there are times when it comes across as a yawn-inducing attempt. The screenplay writing is clearly the culprit here!

Direction : Nikhil Advani

Cast : Akshay Kumar, Anushka Sharma, Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Prem Chopra, Hard Kaur, Rabbit Sack C

In fact, a lot many factors go against PATIALA HOUSE. Director Nikihil Advani and Akshay's last outing together, the infamous CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA, remains a favorite punching bag to this day. Besides, PATIALA HOUSE comes at a time when people have had an overdose of Akshay starrers. I reiterate, there ought to be at least six months' gap between two films of a major star, while this is Akshay's fourth release in six months [KHATTA MEETHA - 23 July, ACTION REPLAYY - 5 November and TEES MAAR KHAN - 24 December]. Moreover, the film opens exactly one week before the keenly anticipated World Cup cricket matches and coupled with that, it will have no breathing space as the very next week witnesses the release of another much-awaited film 7 KHOON MAAF. Expecting PATIALA HOUSE to overcome these hurdles is tough, mainly when the chips are down!