Director Brett Ratner, who has previously directed the Rush Hour trilogy, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Horrible Bosses, brings Hercules, an action-packed movie with Greek muscles written all over it. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1jounb_hercules-international-trailer_shortfilms[/embed] Pumping the action in the lead role is former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who is seen clad in leather attire while swinging his swords and clubs at his enemies with Greek conviction. Unlike the Greek mythology, where Hercules is the son of Zeus, the movie doesn’t bode that connection as this time the story is somewhat different. Hercules (Dwayne Johnson) is the leader of the mercenaries and although he is regarded as the demigod son of Zeus, the story portrays him as a human. Nevertheless, it did not bother Hercules for he has acquired training to take down beasts twice his size. Moreover, the story narrates the reason why Hercules became mortal. To know this, the viewers must watch the movie. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] The story is quite straightforward, where Hercules is asked by Lord Cotys of Thrace (John Hurt) to provide his army with ample training to defend the Thracian Kingdom against Rheseus (Tobias Santelmann). Those following Hercules in his band of mercenary are Amphiaraus (Ian McShane), Autolycus (Rufus Sewell), Tydeus (Aksel Hennie), Atalanta (Ingrid Bolso Berdal) and  Iolaus (Reece Ritchie). All are experts in particular domains of warfare. Iolaus, however, is Hercules’ nephew and the one who narrates the story. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="593"] Still of Rufus Sewell, Aksel Hennie, Dwayne Johnson, Ingrid Bolso Berdal and Reece Ritchie. Photo: IMDb[/caption] To keep the story simple, the narrative explains that Hercules did complete the Twelve Labours, a feat that made him a legend. However, the story doesn’t dwell on these achievements. Only glimpses of his success were shown in the opening scenes of the movie, which set the pace with special effects of battle scenes shot to suit Herculean might. Though the movie is set in Greek times, one can relate the story to on-going modern day conflicts among countries and in particular regions, as Lord Cotys is aggressively pursuing to expand his kingdom while Hercules and his men are preventing him from doing so. Ring any bells? It was Lord Cotys’ daughter, Ergenia (Rebecca Ferguson), who delivered his father’s message to Hercules. He did have a brief moment of romance with Ergenia, however, it was a decent attempt not to prolong the affair because the movie is about muscles, fights and an adrenaline rush that shows why Johnson is a rising action star. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="590"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] In the previous versions of Hercules, it was portrayed that in time of need, Hercules would call upon his father, Zeus, for help. The ruler of Mount Olympus would send his soldiers or would change the weather to beat the enemy to save Hercules. However, in this version, since the demigod son is human, he must therefore complete all the tasks on his own. This, however, adds spice to the story, as the viewer’s know that Hercules will be in action this time and not Zeus. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] Johnson began preparing for the role months before the shooting began. Although he was always in top shape because of his wrestling career and later turned into an action star, he needed to go an extra mile to turn himself into Hercules. According to Johnson, he trained himself in Budapest where he would begin his workouts at three in the morning. For nearly eight months, he followed a schedule of working out for hours in the gym, consuming a strong three course diet and shooting for the film that could go on for 12 hours. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="594"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] Ratner’s professional graph will take a giant leap for he has never done a movie based on a Greek character and his past projects belonged to the genre of fantasy, science fiction, comedy or drama. After directing X-Men: The Last Stand (2005), which wasn’t as big a success as the other movies of the X-Men franchise, Ratner was in pursuit of a movie that could establish his directorial skills, and Hercules certainly is his best work yet. It has catapulted both Ratner and Johnson’s careers to new heights. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="593"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] With a story as big as Hercules’, the running time of the movie is 98 minutes. Ratner and producers, Barry Levine and Beau Flynn have done a good job summing up the story with breath-taking action sequences within a time span of 100 minutes. The 3D effects bring action to life as Hercules’ weapons and his battles become prominent along with the special effects that are just what the viewers want to see. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="593"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] Even though the film has action and a smooth story, it seems as if the sword wielding scenes were honed down for some reason. The movie is adapted from the graphic novel of the same name and those who have read the novel must be wondering why similar graphic content wasn’t shown in its scenes. Being an avid fan of Johnson, this is perhaps my only criticism. Besides that, the movie is a good watch that would appeal more to male viewers for its testosterone-fuelled fights.

French writer cum director Luc Besson, whose work includes The Fifth Element, The Lady, The Professional, La Femme Nikita and Taken, is back to captivate the moviegoers with a high-concept hypothetical thriller – Lucy. It is a compelling hybrid, graced by volatility and lots of violence, intermingled by surreal bedlam that will challenge you intellectually. The creative inspiration of Lucy is based on a philosophical point of view that humans use merely 10 percent of their brain capacity, and if someone unlocks the rest of this cerebral capability, they will ultimately develop superpowers. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1luxag_lucy-trailer-1-2014-luc-besson-scarlett-johansson-movie-hd_shortfilms[/embed] Lucy is a story of an American woman, Lucy, played by Scarlett Johansson, studying in Taiwan, who is forced to be a drug mule in Taipei for a drug smuggler, Choi Min-sik. A small bag of the crystalline drug CPH4 is surgically implanted into her abdomen, but the bag ruptures and the drug spreads in to her bloodstream. As a result, she develops implausible superhuman mental abilities. The rest of the plot involves Lucy’s revenge, her struggle with her superpowers and the help of a renowned neuroscientist professor Samuel Norman, played by Morgan Freeman, who convinces her to transfer her cerebral capability on to a computer. Sounds quiet familiar? Yes, the central idea would remind you of Johnny Depp’s Transcendence and A Space Odyssey. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] Doesn’t the story of Lucy progress and end similar to the movie Transcendence? Let’s leave these questions for you to find out. Here, I will only add the ending narration which says,

“Life has been given to us a billion years ago, now you know what to do with it.”

However, the same degree of care is not applied to other significant things, such as justification for her capability to learn several languages and the logic behind her spontaneous changing physical appearances. The screenplay also fluctuates a lot and lacks consequential reasoning in script, for example the philosophical narrations of the movie say, “Time, it is not only a unit of measurement, without time we do not exist.”

I went to watch this movie with little expectation, quite frankly. I was dragged into the movie theatre with reassurances from my friends that this was the “movie of the summer”. I quickly took out my phone and Googled the movie, cringing at the prospect of sitting stationery for two hours. I tried my best to come up with a believable excuse to get out of it but all efforts proved futile. [embed width="620"]http://vimeo.com/87176451[/embed] One thing was for sure: a movie featuring Dave Batista and Vin Diesel would undoubtedly be a train wreck. Chris Pratt, for me, was going to be this film’s only saving grace. But how wrong I was in my presumptions! Walking out of the cinema I had a massive smile on my face, because Guardians of the Galaxy exceeded my every expectation. Undoubtedly, this was the bravest project that Marvel has taken on in recent times. The guidelines by which Marvel played was chucked out the window with Guardians of the Galaxy; for the first time they dared to make a movie based on characters not prevalent in mainstream culture. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Guardians of the Galaxy Facebook Page[/caption] James Gunn had the mammoth task of bringing to life and interest virtually unknown characters; he was essentially following up previous juggernauts with an indie film. What transpired, however, is a movie that is witty, devoid of cheesy dialogue and characters that complement each other splendidly. The protagonist, Peter Quill, (played by the lovable Chris Pratt) is an instantly likeable character; his wit and humour are not unlike the ones fans of Park and Recreations are used to. I did have my reservations of seeing him as a lead; to me he seemed as an actor most potent on the fringes, I thought it would be almost uncomfortable to see him sink his teeth into a lead role. However, my reservations proved to be baseless as the role of Peter Quill fit him like a glove; what followed was a protagonist who was funny and instantly relatable. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Guardians of the Galaxy Facebook Page[/caption] Bradley Cooper has been overlooked for too long; his performance as Rocket was bang on target. The one-liners by Rocket was what kept the movie going along seamlessly and the chemistry between the characters (human or Computer Generated Imagery-CGI) was commendable. The special effects were breath-taking, admittedly not on the level of say, Avatar; Guardians of the Galaxy still packs a strong enough punch. However, one criticism for the character of Peter Quill is that, at times, he lacked a sense of originality. As mentioned above, I was still used to seeing Andy Dwyer in a sci-fi action film, rather than the actor, Chris Pratt. Furthermore, one way that the Guardians of the Galaxy can be a problem to some people is the time it takes to establish the characters. Unlike The Avengers, groundwork needed to be laid down of every character, because for the majority of the audience, the heroes were unrecognisable. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Guardians of the Galaxy Facebook Page[/caption] This took a large chunk of the film early on, and if you are someone who lacks patience while watching a movie, this aspect of Guardians of the Galaxy could be off-putting for you. All in all, Guardians of the Galaxy – although way outside of Marvel’s comfort zone – still works like a charm. The on-screen chemistry from the characters, including a commendable effort from Zoe Saldana and Dave Batista keep the movie entertaining. It doesn’t have a serious and self-indulgent script and it doesn’t pretend to be something that it is not. The movie is witty, with enough laugh-out-loud moments and on-screen chemistry; it makes you overlook its almost cavalier storytelling and character development. It is definitely a movie to watch.

Yes, Emraan Hashmi is back in his ‘serial kisser avatar’ in Kunal Deshmukh’s Raja Natwarlal. This time Emraan is blessed with both: his serial kissing traits and his power packed spontaneous performance. The movie created a lot of buzz pre and post release, as it casts Pakistani ‘drama queen’ and movie star, Humaima Malick, opposite Emraan. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x21ou0p_raja-natwarlal-official-trailer-emraan-hashmi-humaima-malik_people[/embed] Although, Humaima made her début in the Pakistani film industry with ‘Bol’, back in 2011, in Bollywood this is her first release. There were a lot of expectations for the movie to be a success for everyone, including Emraan, Humaima, Kunal and Kay Kay Menon. So, what happened to the movie? Let’s explore that thought. Raja Natwarlal is a typical revenge saga of a con-man, Raja Natwarlal, (Emraan Hashmi) fighting for the cold-blooded murder of his partner cum caretaker, Raghav (Deepak Tijori). Raja stands up against all odds to take vengeance from Vardha Yadav (Kay Kay Menon) with the help of a retired con artist, Yogi (Paresh Rawal). Raja leaves his love toy, Ziya (Humaima Malick) – a bar dancer, back in India and flies to Cape Town (Raghav’s empire) with Yogi to con Raghav. What happens next is a typical Bollywood caricature. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640"] Emraan Hashmi. Photo: Publicity[/caption] Kunal and Emraan, together, gave some great hits in the past, including Jannat and Jannat 2, but this time despite being 100% dedicated to the show; they couldn’t save the movie from getting lost somewhere in translation. There was no grip in the plot; blame it on the writing, editing or whatever – Raja Natwarlal sinked at the box office. Performance wise, it is a decent affair. Emraan gives a 100% to both his images; as a revenge seeker he was believable and livid, and as a serial kisser he is back in form. And Humaima Malick does not restrict herself in any scene. In fact, she looks gorgeous throughout the film and shows no signs of shyness. She cannot be called cheap or vulgar under any circumstances for this character. She managed to look naturally sensuous. However, she deserved a much better character than just ‘acting as a support’ sort of part. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640"] Humaima Malick. Photo: Publicity[/caption] Deepak Tijori is back on the silver screen, after a hiatus, in a brief role. He performs decently and gives exactly what was expected from him. Kay Kay Menon and Paresh Rawal were the usual: detailed, faultless and a treat to watch in some scenes. All the main characters in Raja Natwarlal are experienced and cannot be questioned on their performance potentials. The only new bird in the flock was Humaima Malick, and even she bagged (unofficially) three movie-deals as a result of this performance. One is with Vidhu Vinod Chopra (starring Sharman Joshi opposite her) and the other with Shaan, titled ‘Mission Allahuakbar’, which is about to hit Pakistani cinema theatres in 2014. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640"] Photo: Publicity[/caption] In totality, Raja Natwarlal has nothing novel or interesting to offer; a list of talented actors is wasted. I would rate it two out of five and I am being generous.

When you think of movies under the Sanjay Leela Bhansali banner, you think of epic romances, of the colours blue, grey, and black, of love and passion, and women dancing in the most extravagant of lehngas. But the last thing you would expect from a Bhansali movie is a story about a young girl trying her luck in the patriarchal field of sports. This is why the movie Mary Kom was pleasantly surprising. [embed width="620"]http://vimeo.com/101509532[/embed] But Mary Kom coming from a big production house is not why I liked it. I liked it because of the following reasons: 1) It is a biopic. This kind of cinema is really inspirational and it gives the masses something to watch other than the mainstream Bollywood love stories, family drama and masala. 2) The protagonist is a female and this just goes to show that Indian movies have come a long way and have matured in terms of gender equality and giving a voice to the female population. 3) Despite it being an Indian movie, it’s not completely ‘Indian’. They have not tried to ‘Indianise’ the movie and have done justice to the local language, culture and mannerisms of the people of Manipur. Although Manipur is a part of India, it is very different from mainstream India which we always come across in movies. All the actors seem to be of Manipuri origin, except for Priyanka Chopra of course, and this makes the story seem original and believable. They have also highlighted the discrimination the people of Manipur face at the hands of Central Indians. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Mary Kom official Facebook page[/caption] 4) Priyanka Chopra. I don’t think this movie would’ve created such an impact without Priyanka’s award worthy acting. Though at first I was a bit sceptical because she signifies beauty and glamour, whereas the real Mary Kom is simple and athletic, but the filmmakers did a great job with Priyanka’s costumes and make up. They also made her skin look like that of the people of Manipuri. But apart from her appearance, Priyanka became Mary Kom in a way that nobody probably expected her to be. Her performance was very powerful and any young girl striving to achieve her dreams would be able to relate to her. Perhaps the best thing about Mary Kom is that it narrates not only the story of MC Mary Kom, the boxer, but also gives us an idea of the thousands of girls living in male-dominated societies that are too conservative and too rigid to let them follow their dreams. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Mary Kom. Photo: Mary Kom official Facebook page[/caption] While watching the movie, I thought of Maria Toorpakai from Waziristan, Pakistan, who had to disguise herself as a boy just so that she could play the sport she loved. After winning competitions, she received threats and so had to practice in her room but continued to pursue her ambition without giving up in the face of adversity. There are an innumerable amount of girls who do not get to do what they love just because their family, culture, society and religion say it’s not ‘appropriate’. This makes you think, because of backwardness, of how much talent Pakistan has lost? Our youth has a lot of potential but it is being wasted because we don’t have proper channels to nurture it, groom the talent and allow it to grow. Instead we suffocate it and keep it buried in our backyard and, in the case of girls, in our kitchens. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Mary Kom official Facebook page[/caption] Even though Mary Kom didn’t do so well at the box office, I am glad that Bollywood made this movie and hopefully, one day, Pakistan will also make movies about inspiring people like Maria Toorpakai and others who struggled but made it, with no help from their country or society. Maybe such a movie won’t be allowed to screen in Pakistan, the same way Mary Kom has not been allowed to screen in Manipur, but when has banning something ever stopped people from seeing it? People will watch it, nonetheless, and it might help in fixing certain distorted, unfair perspectives. This film will help people open up their minds a little, and make them understand the importance of coming out of their shell of bigotry and valuing talent irrespective of gender.

Rarely do movies of such calibre come along that transcend generations and provoke our greater thought process, not because of impressive visuals, A-list actors, extravagant set pieces and locales but because of its strong story-driven narrative – narrative that is deeply entrenched into the harsh realities of life, as opposed to a work of fiction.  Dukhtar too has a potential to lay claim to all of that and then some, thanks to its excellent subject matter. [embed width="620"]http://vimeo.com/100581493[/embed] Dukhtar means ‘daughter’ in Farsi and Urdu dialects. The movie is predominately a story about the plights, miseries and ultimately the bravery exhibited by the principal protagonist of the movie, Allah Rakhi (Samiya Mumtaz). Under the banner of The Crew Films, Dukhtar is directed by Afia Nathaniel, who is a graduate of Columbia University School of Arts. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="595"] Photo: Dukhtar Facebook page[/caption] The movie’s premise revolves around a woman’s struggle, resilience and unwavering perseverance in the face of extreme odds. Rakhi undergoes many trials and tribulations to make sure of the fact that her daughter Zainab (Saleha Aref) doesn’t fall into the dreaded shackles of the same fate, of getting married to an old tribal chieftain, that she had encountered when she was 15-years-old. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="594"] Photo: Dukhtar Facebook page[/caption] The mere thought of her daughter’s marriage to a much older man sends shivers down her spine and she vows to protect her infantile daughter, who is only 10-years-old, from this draconian custom. Subsequently, as events progress during the course of the movie, she decides, as a last resort, to run from her husband’s home with her daughter to escape the ominous fate which would surely befall her daughter and which seemed more than imminent had she stayed there. Thus, her journey to escape the picturesque and serene northern areas of Pakistan and to reach her hometown of Lahore begins. On the run from her husband and the whole tribal clan, her path gets entwined with an ex-mujahid truck driver, Sohail (Mohib Mirza), who helps her in whatever capacity he can. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="496"] Photo: Dukhtar Facebook page[/caption] Rakhi’s actions and the movie itself will make the audience question the logic behind this antediluvian custom. This archaic tribal ritual of child marriages (child brides) is used as a mean of settling old feuds between rival clans under the guise of “honour”. If bluntly put, this practice is nothing more than satiating one’s vile paedophilic, sadistic and masochistic tendencies coupled with the false bravado associated with it. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="594"] Photo: Dukhtar Facebook page[/caption] The dialogue delivery of the cast members, especially Mumtaz, is unwavering and strong. Mirza also exhibits a strong portrayal of the character that he plays. The child actor, Saleha, is surprisingly good as well. They are augmented by a strong cast of seasoned actors such as Asif Khan, Ajab Gul, Adnan Shah (Tipu), Abdullah Jan, Samina Ahmed, Zeeshan Shafa and Omair Rana. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="595"] Photo: Dukhtar Facebook page[/caption] In terms of the visual elements, Dukhtar in a nutshell is breath-taking to look at. Set against the backdrop of gorgeous and surreal locations of Gilgit, Hunza Valley, Skardu and Kallar Valley, it will be, aesthetically speaking, a visual feast for moviegoers. The director does well to differentiate and saturate the visual tones between showing the beautiful, albeit rugged, terrain of northern Pakistan and the monotonous urban concrete jungle that is Lahore. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="595"] Photo: Dukhtar Facebook page[/caption] In terms of the auditory elements, the music and soundtracks composed for this movie are powerful and complement the storyline very well. Cases in point are, “Jeenay Chaley” by Shafqat Amanat Ali and “Naina” sung by Hina Nasrullah. While the movie depicts a specific backdrop (actors who play Pakhtuns) that can be limited to northern areas, this movie should not be misunderstood as portraying negative stereotypes of a certain ethnicity. It should, instead, be seen as shedding light towards a serious matter in general that is as much prevalent in other parts of our country and has also plagued Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab in equal measure. Additionally, it should also be seen as a catalyst that will hopefully bring attention of relevant authorities towards this menace of child brides, for implementing regulatory frameworks to cease this practice once and for all. The movie has been praised internationally as well. Recently, on September 5, 2014, it was premiered at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and received widespread acclaim for its story. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="597"] Photo: Dukhtar Facebook page[/caption] Dukhtar opened nationwide in all major cinemas across Pakistan on September 18, 2014, and I would highly recommend people to watch it.

A seasoned and intellectual filmmaker needs only a few characters, a bit of detailing and some good incidents to share with his audience, to create magic. That’s what Homi Adajania proved with his latest venture Finding Fanny.  The entire movie revolves around five main characters, a grungy old Dodge and a not-so-lucky cat. Adajania’s first movie, Being Cyrus, was all about Parsi families and their intrigues, which turned out to be quite a hit since it was something a lot different than the usual masala flicks, released back in 2005. After almost nine years, he marks another movie based on a typical Goa lifestyle. And guess what? He nailed this one too! [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x214gfm_finding-fanny-hd-movie-trailer-2014_shortfilms[/embed] The movie is based on the journey of an aged and forlorn postmaster, Ferdie (Naseeruddin Shah), along with four other individuals, to find his lost love. One night, Ferdie receives an undelivered letter, which he posted 40 years ago to a girl named Stephanie Fernandes, aka ‘Fanny’, intending to propose to her. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="595"] Photo: Finding Fanny Facebook page[/caption] Lost in despair, he shares that with his only friend, a widow, Angie (Deepika Padukone). Angie steps forward and plans to help Ferdie in finding Fanny, the only woman he ever loved. She gets help from her childhood friend Savio (Arjun Kapoor) to let them ride his late father’s old Dodge. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Finding Fanny Facebook page[/caption] Accompanying them on their journey is Angie’s mother-in-law, Rosie (Dimple Kapadia), and Don Pedro (Pankaj Kapur), a painter who wants to paint a portrait of Rosie, being an admirer of buxom figures which Rosie has in abundance. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="595"] Photo: Finding Fanny Facebook page[/caption] But the question being, do they find Fanny? Well, that is something for which you’ll have to watch the movie to find out! Adajania displays the entire journey in no rush. However, the movie is hardly one and a half hour long. It’s executed as a ride and that’s the beauty of it. The audience can easily witness different shades in every character. If Don Pedro is at the peak of vulgarity and licentious ideas for Rosie, there is also Ferdie whom you may easily label as a one-woman man. All his life, he has waited for his true love to riposte. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Finding Fanny Facebook page[/caption] On the contrary, there is Angie, who is also in search of exhilaration and love with blends of lust in it. She also has a very strong relationship with Rosie, something that can be defined as courteous and affectionate. Rosie, on the other hand, is a woman with an attitude, secrets and onion peels. And then we have Savio, a heartbroken and lousy fellow, who lost his love as she married his brother. If they are mirthful at one point, they have something to mourn about as well. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="696"] Photo: Finding Fanny Facebook page[/caption] Assembling a cast like Shah and Kapur with Kapadia is definitely not easy. They are the quintessence of unparalleled characters. With the ‘tarka’ (spiciness) of new age heartthrobs Padukone and Kapoor, Finding Fanny has the perfect blend of what one can call performers and stars. Kudos to Adajania for bringing Shah and Kapur on the silver screen together again after a hiatus since these two were the show stealers. Shah as Ferdie is definitely a character which many heartbroken, timid and confused lovers would easily relate to since he makes it so believable. Kapur knows no bounds; he is both disgusting as a shameless artist as well as beguilingly witty. Kapadia gives a perfect enactment of her character; her facial expressions change within seconds, while talking from one character to the other. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="595"] Photo: Finding Fanny Facebook page[/caption] Both Padukone and Kapoor give an earnest performance. They are both developing as dependable and serious actors. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="595"] Photo: Finding Fanny Facebook page[/caption] If you are fed up with the clichéd, unrealistic romantic tales and the dhishoom dhamaka flicks, and want to discover a movie that offers good content, a few subtle smiles and some great performances, then Finding Fanny is a must-watch for you. I would rate it 3.5 out of 5.

Jutt and Bond was where most of us first saw Fawad Afzal Khan. He was a skinny, lanky, clean shaven guy with bangs. Soon after, we were surprised to see him as the lead singer of Entity Paradigm (EP), a Pakistani nu metal band, with his husky, soulful voice and that pained musician look. That was when we, the female population of Pakistan, said to one another,

“Hey, this guy’s not bad looking.”

“Woah”

“Hayeee”

“Khoobsurat is sweet, benign, and bland.”

“He didn't do real kissing because he is Pakistani.”

The term “Na maloon afraad”, in recent times, has become almost ubiquitous and synonymous with those unknown/anonymous miscreants that are up to no good at all vis-à-vis to any law and order situation in our major cities. However, this time around, it has a comedic spin surrounding it; enter Na Maloom Afraad, the Pakistani feature movie! [embed width="620"]http://vimeo.com/99359741[/embed] Suffice to say, the consensus will be unanimously positive and endearing when one will head out to the movie theatres to see this particular motion picture; they will be thoroughly entertained and get their money’s worth. It is a pure masala film through and through, which is not a bad thing, seeing how lately there has been a great dearth of unadulterated, solely “paisa wasool” (worth your money) and quality entertainer movies that have been churned out of Lollywood, and Na Maloom Afraad delivers that aspect in abundance. By having Nabeel Qureshi as the director at the helm under the banner of Filmwala pictures, the film benefits greatly as a direct result. He has been acknowledged as one of the few directors that are playing their due and active role to usher in a new wave of contemporary Pakistani cinema. A cinema that is not merely about the “ghundas”, “Maula Jutts” and “Noori Naats” of our world but rather more about substance, quality, well-rounded scripts and overall aesthetics. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="536"] Photo: Na Maloom Afraad Facebook page[/caption] Speaking about the premise of the movie, it swivels around the three main protagonists: Shakeel Bhai (Javed Sheikh), Farhan (Fahad Mustafa) and Moon (Mohsin Abbas Haider). For the sake of not spoiling the story of the movie itself, let’s just say that fate intervenes and due to a series of unfortunate events, their paths get aligned and together, they conspire to plan something ‘big’ to earn fast and easy money. And what that ‘big’ thing is, you might ask? Well, you have to go to cinemas to see for yourself. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="536"] Photo: Na Maloom Afraad Facebook page[/caption] In the acting department, all actors demonstrate their acting prowess sufficiently, especially Fahad and Mohsin. Fahad has transitioned seamlessly from the smaller screen of the drama industry towards the bigger celluloid screen of the cinema format. Javed is, as usual, on point and Urwa Hocane has perhaps given her best performance yet that will strongly cement her position for future movie acting endeavours. Salman Shahid, in his portrayal as Gogi, requires special praise and kudos for the way he has portrayed this character. Perhaps one can’t help but to draw an outright parallel between his on screen persona of Mushtaq Bhai in Dedh Ishqiya and Gogi, but nonetheless his comedic timing remains impeccable as always. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="536"] Photo: Na Maloom Afraad Facebook Page[/caption] Ultimately, it is the trifecta (Javed, Fahad and Mohsin) that carries the movie competently on their shoulders because their chemistry is just amazing and they click and gel in with each other like three peas in a pod. Other cast members include Paras Masroor, Kubra Khan, Ali Rizvi and Nayyar Ejaz; they all hold their own in the limited on-screen time that they are given. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="536"] Photo: Na Maloom Afraad Facebook page[/caption] The director has intentionally opted to choose regular local Karachi landmarks and locations for shooting the bulk of the movie, instead of international exotic locales. Same is the case with shooting the songs of the movie. The subject of the story is such that showing outdoor and extravagant foreign location in large proportions will seem out of place and incompatible with the on-going theme of the movie. In particular, it will resonate well with Karachiites and they surely will appreciate the fact that their daily commuting routes, streets, back alleys and roads are shown extensively in the movie. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="536"] Photo: Na Maloom Afraad Facebook page[/caption] In terms of the musical score of the movie, it will rival any Bollywood flick, as all the songs are catchy and melodious, especially the item song Billi in which Mehwish Hayat exhibits her dancing talent. She is simply scintillating, drop dead gorgeous and spectacular. Finally Pakistanis have an item song they can call their own, without going into the merits or the demerits of the culture of embedding an item song in a movie; it is a reality whether one likes it or not. Instead of playing the usual Munnis, Jalebi Bais and Chikni Chembalis of Bollywood over and over again in our local functions such as weddings and the likes, Billi will be a better if not equal substitute for them for some time to come. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x25e88y_billi-na-maloom-afraad-movie-song-featuring-fahad-mustafa-urwa-hocane-and-javed-shiekh-audio-song_music[/embed] To sum it all up, Na Maloon Afraad doesn’t exactly transcend its genre led clichés but it does however offer quality entertainment in bucket loads. The songs, the comedic timing, the punchy yet idiosyncratic hard-to-forget one liners coupled with an excellent timing that will not drag the film and the subtle social commentary. To the naysayers, it is a request that instead of trying to find flaws in our locally generated movies such as that it’s inspired from the likes of Hera Pheri or any other Bollywood movie, we ought to applaud the fact that after such a long hiatus, some good, wholesome movies are again coming out in Pakistan which are locally made. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="536"] Photo: Na Maloom Afraad Facebook page[/caption] It would be almost criminal (pun intended) to miss this one out. Na Maloon Afraad is a riot, in every sense of the word that would leave its audience short of laughing fits and aneurysms!

First and foremost, before getting down to the brass tacks of the movie Operation 021, those that have the slightest of doubt or inclination that Operation 021 mimics or is made along the same lines as Waar can put their doubts safely to rest.  Operation 021’s principal plot, overall theme, script, character build up and dialogue are poles apart from what was previously seen in Waar. For that reason, Waar and 021, apart from having Shaan Shahid as the main lead, do not have an iota of commonality in between them. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ws427_operation-021-official-trailer_shortfilms[/embed] 021 is created under the umbrella of One Motion Pictures and the Azad Film Company; produced by Zeba Bakhtiar and her son Azan Sami Khan. It is directed by Jamshed Mahmood Raza, popularly known as Jami, and co-directed by Summer Nicks. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="539"] Photo: Operation 021 Facebook page[/caption] After getting that bit of crucial information out of the way, 021 is a pure spy action thriller feature movie from its start till the credits roll down. Spoiler alert: contrary to the popular perception or any insinuation that you may have that its plot is somehow based around Karachi, could not be more wrong; seeing as how 021 is also coincidentally the dialling prefix for the aforementioned metropolis. Fundamentally, the numerals ‘021’ in the movie signifies the number of hours (i.e. 21 to be precise) for implementing a plan that could potentially save the two estranged neighbouring countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan from going into further turmoil, all-out chaos and a state of lawlessness. If the plan that is to be executed fails, its repercussions will reverberate in equal damaging terms in Pakistan and as well as in Afghanistan. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="536"] Photo: Operation 021 Facebook page[/caption] The underlying premise of the movie gyrates around the principal character, Kashif Siddiqui, aka Kash (Shaan Shahid), a Pakistani Black Ops Field Officer and how he collaborates with his Afghani acquaintance and friend, Abdullah (Ayub Khoso), to safeguard the national security associated interests of their respective countries. Other cast members include Aamina Sheikh, Hameed Sheikh, Tatmainul Qulb, Ayaz Samoo, Gohar Rasheed, Bilal Ashraf, Wendy Haines, Joe Towne, James Hallett, Abdullah Ghaznavi, Shamoon Abbasi and Daniyal Raheal respectively. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="540"] Photo: Operation 021 Facebook page[/caption] While keeping the spoilers firmly at bay, without going into the nuances of the main plot line of the movie itself, holistically speaking, the plot focuses on the real life revelation that Afghanistan is sitting on a $1 trillion dollar mineral deposits and how the antagonistic elements conspire to steal this natural resources wealth. Apart from that, the narrative of the motion picture is also inspired from the real world bombing of NATO tankers that took place in Afghanistan some years ago. The role of American spy organisation, CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), and how it fits within the context of all of this is also shown expansively and in scrupulous attention to detail. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="484"] Photo: Operation 021 Facebook page[/caption] 021 at times can get a tad too complex for its own good with relation to its plot structure but it never gets too convoluted or deviates a lot to lose sight of the main story among the short-lived clutter. It does, however, exude a Jason Bourne-esque vibe and feel, which the spy thriller genre enthusiasts will come to appreciate. All in all, it is an intelligently crafted movie with a background that can be plausible and entrenched in real life events. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="536"] Photo: Operation 021 Facebook page[/caption] Shaan has given another concrete performance, and Ayub Khosa also did justice to his roles, while Aamina Sheikh in her supporting role was on par as well. However, the American actors who are casted in this movie try a bit too hard at times and their performance doesn’t exactly come out as organic or natural as their Pakistani counterparts. But digressing from that point, it is but a small stumbling block in an otherwise excellent movie. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="437"] Photo: Operation 021 Facebook page[/caption] 021 delivers on the thrills and on the action it promises, yet it gives us some food for thought with regards to what is happening in Af-Pak relations. Politically speaking, the rhetoric upon which it relies on as fodder may be known beforehand and presented in Hollywood but this shows that Pakistan cinema too is capable of producing an intelligently crafted and engaging spy thriller. The journey of the rejuvenation and renewal of the Pakistani cinema that was once initiated with Khuda Ke Liye and supplemented by the likes of Bol, Waar and Na Maloom Afraad will be further traversed efficaciously by Operation 021, another feather in the cap of the new age of contemporary Pakistani cinema. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="437"] Photo: Operation 021 Facebook page[/caption] With few minor blemishes here and there that are insignificant, Operation 021 is greater than the sum of its parts and should be watched in order to support our local movie industry, if not for anything else, and for encouraging further movies of this calibre seeing the light of day.

As I sat munching on popcorn and taking an occasional sip from my coke glass, I had a flashback; a flashback of all the Fincher movies that have wowed me over the years. With the amazing end of Se7en and an even more ultra-dramatic finish of Fight Club, David Fincher has made my jaw drop on a number of occasions. So, to say that I had high expectations from Gone Girl would be an understatement. My thoughts were taking their toll while the screen in front of me displayed the initial trailers – the Fincher sensation had begun. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1p4bef_gone-girl-official-trailer-1-2014-ben-affleck-rosamund-pike-movie-hd_shortfilms[/embed] As expected, to no one’s surprise, Gone Girl truly delivered. If you’re familiar with any of Fincher’s films, you’ll know his movies are meticulously crafted and brilliantly visual. So when the opening credits started to show, I already felt the dark and shadowy tone of the movie that told me something wasn’t right. As the movie played on, my jaw dropped on numerous occasions as the film twisted, turned and moved forward with great pace. And by the time the end credits were rolling, I was just awestruck; Fincher had, yet again, pulled a spectacular one on us. The plot of the movie revolves around Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) and his missing wife Amy (Rosamund Pike). As her disappearance becomes the centre of a media circus, suspicions start to point towards Nick, who was previously thought to be innocent. One might think that this is just another movie about a missing woman, when in actuality, it is much more twisted and mindboggling than that. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="536"] Photo: Gone Girl Facebook page[/caption] The movie has other commendable factors as well, including the acting. Affleck was on top of his game from the get go. He seemed mysterious and guarded. On numerous occasions, he stole the scenes with his eloquently expressed emotions. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="536"] Photo: Gone Girl Facebook page[/caption] But the real surprise came from Rosamund Pike. Where was she all these years? The only thing I knew about Pikes prior to this movie was that once upon a time she was a Bond girl. But boy does she pack a punch in this one. My predictions: Pikes will definitely be nominated, if not win, for the Oscars this year. If she’s not nominated, my little attachment with the Oscars will be diminished forever, until they hand Leo his rightful award. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="537"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] The supporting actors performed exceptionally as well. Neil Patrick Harris was creepy and that’s a good thing because that means he did a good job. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="536"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] Although the musical score was amazing, at certain points, specifically during the first few minutes, the audio could not be easily heard. It got better as the movie progressed though. But at this point, I’m just nit-picking and trying to find faults in a nearly flawless film. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="536"] Photo: Gone Girl Facebook page[/caption] The movie is two and a half hours long but you know a movie is amazing when you don’t feel the duration. Since I haven’t read the book, I heard that the ending was quite different from it. But in my opinion, the ending was perfect and gelled well with the rest of the film. As the end credits started rolling, I looked at my friend who was watching his first ever Fincher creation, and he looked at me dumbfounded as I looked at him the same way. We walked out of the theatre without saying a word to each other and it was minutes before we spoke. His first words were,

“What just happened?”

“That’s Fincher for you.”

Set in the near-future where an agricultural crisis has brought the world to its knees, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is a widower who lives on a farm with his two kids, daughter Murph (Mackenzie Foy) and son Tom (Timothée Chalamet), and his father-in-law, Donald (John Lithgow). Though a farmer by default due to a “blight” that has affected the food supply on Earth, Cooper was once a pilot, an engineer and an explorer – a past life he often dreams about. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Interstellar Official Facebook Page[/caption] While Tom is more than satisfied being a farmer and is encouraged to become one by an education system that no longer prioritises anything but agriculture on the syllabus, Murph is a dreamer with a scientific mind and wishes she could go into her father’s previous line of work. When a chance discovery leads Murph and Cooper to a makeshift, secret NASA lair, Cooper is enlisted in a mission to find habitable planets outside of this galaxy, reachable through a newly discovered wormhole. The film then jumps between the crew’s journey to new lands and the experiences of those left behind on Earth. Christopher Nolan likes simultaneous worlds, existing at the same time, jumping back and forth between them, keeping the audience hooked on the crescendo of action until he pulls it in to a satisfying climax. These consecutive worlds are painstakingly put together, their fabric infinitely detailed and extremely clear, at times mirroring each other, at times apposite, with Nolan defining the black, the white and the grey between them. This definition can come at a cost and sometimes, like in The Dark Knight Rises, the cost is the passage of time, specifically when we are forced to watch Gotham City live out an unrealistic state of criminality through superfluous images of destitution while Batman rebuilds his strength in prison. [embed width="620"]http://vimeo.com/108990817[/embed] In Interstellar the same applies but here, time is almost an antagonist in its own right – it is what keeps us riveted between the two worlds – and it is in fact the human element, the characterisation of those specifically on Earth, that lets the film down a little. People on Earth die, they make choices, they discover truths but the effect of these scenes is lost because the focus of the film is overstretched – and understandably so – by the exploration of space. Of course, the juxtaposition of the two worlds is crucial to propelling the story forward but there are scenes and themes that take place in space that could certainly have been fine-tuned, allowing for more screen-time to focus on the subsidiary but pivotal characters back on Earth. And this rings true for other elements in the script as well, which do not seem completely thought through and lack nuance. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Interstellar Official Facebook Page[/caption] While in order to portray a dystopian world at the brink of self-destruction, the story needs characters that no longer believe there’s utility in looking beyond Earth’s means, which are content with just surviving. There is a tendency to over-exaggerate the sheer extent of these people’s idiocy and single-mindedness which leads us to dangerous ground where, for example, the education system itself challenges the idea that the Space Age ever took place. And then, at the other extreme, we have adventurers who suggest love might be an evolutionary marker and scientists who lie to their children and let a world die because of their entrenched beliefs. Even the subsidiary divides within societal groupings come across as lacking nuance which might be overlooked if the film weren’t challenging our suspension of disbelief in so many other ways. Because we are faced with such an outlandish storyline, we should at least be given a grounded cast of characters to hold on to. What is interesting in all of this overly simplified characterisation is the trajectory of Cooper – a man who, at the start of the film, would selfishly pursue his own dreams knowing full well he may never see his children alive again, to someone who puts all his faith in the love he has for his daughter. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Interstellar Official Facebook Page[/caption] We are dragged along with this, the heart of the film willingly right to its final exposition and through all the twists and turns of the plot, some worthwhile and others superfluous, we believe in the bond between Cooper and Murph; without this, the film may just be a sprawling, awe-inspiringly beautiful yet pointless juggernaut. In spite of all its flaws, there is ambition and beauty in this film that has never been seen before and that is incredibly inspirational. While there is a sense of frustration with the script and dialogue, there is also a sense of wonderment at the scale of it all. That in turn is additionally frustrating because the film’s potential is so palpable. We begin to wonder, perhaps if Batman had not taken up so much of Nolan’s time, he would have been able to really perfect this film with his brother and co-screenwriter Jonathan Nolan, as he had with Inception, which is similar in scale and concept to the film. But then he had a decade for that one, which is time that Nolan, as one of the most in-demand directors today, just does not have to spare. We wonder these things not because we are comparing Interstellar with other films, or even other event movies, no. We are comparing it with Nolan’s exceptional filmography to date and in that respect Nolan with all his talent, genius and ambition is his own worst enemy. Interstellar is one of those films that may need to be watched twice and not because some parts hold complicated quantum science (the factual physics is surprisingly not horrendously hard to follow; in fact it is a little too over explained in parts) or, like in other Nolan films, you might want to make sure you’ve caught all the beautifully chosen intricate details. It’s because once you know the trajectory of the film and have learned that some elements of its plot and dialogue don’t live up to impossibly high expectations, you can just let the brilliantly acted film wash over you and watch it for the sheer awe-inspiring levels of imagery and physical effort that have gone into it. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300"] Photo: Interstellar Official Facebook Page[/caption] And so, regardless of mixed critical reviews (relative to his other films), Interstellar is going to be a big hit, because of the Nolan fans who will have geeked out, soaked in and read up on every last bit of the outrageous amount of detail, physical set building and effort that has gone into allowing this film to live and breathe as the creation of one of the most intelligently detail-minded writer/directors of our time. That farm that you see standing in front of a cornfield? Well that farm was built from the ground up, architecturally sound and bar plumbing, works like a proper homestead. That corn? Well, that’s 500 acres of corn that the production planted and let grow over the course of six months, in Canada no less. Why? Because Nolan found the perfect geographical spot with mountains in the background and vast amounts of space and in spite of uncooperative weather, wanted the homestead there. There’s no denying that there is a sense of awe and wonderment in the feats that the production has achieved and this may translate into some Academy Awards for the production in the same way it did for Gravity last year, though there certainly won’t be any for the excruciatingly loud sound design. The detail is endless as are the spoilers, so I’ll stop there. Go watch this film, you have to see it on the big screen, you can’t not, but before you do, if you are a Nolan fan, lower your expectations and make sure you watch all the behind-the-scenes footage after the fact. I certainly intend to. I’ll give it a 4/5.

Fury is a quintessential war movie that yet again reminds us of what horrors men are capable of when they wage war. It portrays and reveals the story of a lonely tank squad from the US army’s 66^th armoured regiment, the second armoured division during the finishing days of the Second World War, and how they struggle to survive and endure in the face of un-seemingly terrible odds, behind enemy lines, in Nazi Germany. [embed width="620"]http://vimeo.com/105395676[/embed] Starring in the lead role, as the central protagonist, is Brad Pitt who dons the character of a US sergeant Don ‘War Daddy’ Collier. He is a battle-hardened veteran who has experienced the ravages of war first hand, from the vast expanse of the North African desert to Europe. Other actors in the tank squad include Shia LaBeouf as a gunner named Boyd Swan, Michael Peña as the tank’s driver Trini Garcia, Jon Bernthal as the tank’s arsenal loader Grady Travis and lastly, Logan Lerman as a rookie novice named Norman Ellison. Apart from that, Fury has David Ayer at the helm as the director who has acclaimed movies like End of the Watch and Street Kings to his credit. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] The M4A3E8 Sherman tank pertinently nicknamed ‘Fury’, which is also intentionally the title of the movie, is as much of a character as any other living, breathing actor in the motion picture. It doesn’t feel like a regular run-of-the-mill war machine or an inanimate object, but rather a fortress which protects the crew when need be and is their peripatetic home away from home, where they find solace, relief and comfort among the savage and callous circumstances that they find themselves in. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="540"] Photo: Fury Facebook page[/caption] Fury is as much a war movie as it is a period drama that can hold its own; the overall aesthetics coupled with the look and feel exudes attention to detail and authenticity. The epic tank battles, in proportion and scale, are shot without using over the top CGI. The director chose to utilise the traditional film stock for shooting the movie instead of the digital REDs or the Panavision movie cameras for a more realistic, raw and grittier feel that complements the subject matter of the movie. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="540"] Photo: Fury Facebook page[/caption] Perhaps the action highlight of the movie is when the crew members of Fury try to ward off the much dreaded Panzer VI (Tiger-I) tank, which is several times larger in size than the Fury tank. This goose-bump causing, adrenaline filled encounter will leave many with a taste of what it was like to be inside these unforgiving metal contraptions called tanks and being aggressively pursued by relentless enemies like the Nazi Germans. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] In terms of the acting prowess, the entire ensemble cast delivers a concrete performance but Brad Pitt goes one step beyond. The depth of his acting skills is fully realised in his portrayal as the devil-may-care, war-torn Sergeant Don ‘War Daddy’. At times, Pitt’s portrayal in this movie is oddly reminiscent of his previously performed role of Lt Aldo Raine in the movie Inglorious Basterds but never does it get to a point where it may seem that it is emulated in its entirety. In summation, Fury is a visceral experience, it delivers upon the grand action sequences it promises but it is not devoid of a heart either. As oppose to just showing typical, macho, alpha males seamlessly laying the wrath and killing their enemies with cut-throat ease. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] Moreover, speaking specifically of the World War II genre led movies, Fury has the grandeur of Saving Private Ryan, the emotional gravity and trauma of The Pianist and at times the humour of Inglorious Basterds. All in all, in the war period movie category, Fury can stand tall aside such classics as Saving Private Ryan, We Were Soldiers, Full Metal Jacket and Apocalypse Now.  However, Hollywood has done World War II period drama/action movies to death now and no matter which story arch, which setting (Europe, Japan, Asia) they try to recreate, it has been done countless times before. It inhibits a fresh experience, Hollywood needs to move on from the World War II and needs to explore different alternatives in their war story telling. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="540"] Photo: Fury Facebook page[/caption] Furthermore, here is some food for thought; Hollywood only churns out movies that always demonstrate the American forces not as invaders but rather as liberators. They show these knights in shining armours, who help people from suffering at the hands of totalitarian and dictatorial regimes. Although, a part of it may be true, it is not always that black and white, there’s a lot of grey area in between but unfortunately, as a whole, Fury too exhibits that over the top ‘Americanised heroism’ propaganda-esque rhetoric. Except for this one instance in the film (Spoiler Alert!), where the last surviving crew of the Fury, Norman, is captured by a German Waffen SS troop. Rather than turning him in to his superiors, the German lets him go. This is perhaps, the only occasion, where it is exhibited that the enemy too has a heart. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] To truly understand World War II in its entirety, holistically and also from the German perspective, one ought to watch movies that are neutral and not biased to either the American side or the German. German made movies like Das-Boot (1981) and the Tom Cruise starring movie Valkyrie (2008) will shed a light on the Second World War from the other side of the coin, an alternative perspective if you will, to truly grasp the nuances and complexity of the events that unfolded in the Second World War. Whatever said and done, Fury is still worth a watch.

Kill Dil was amongst the most anticipated movies of 2014, due to numerous reasons like Ali Zafar’s first hardcore masala entertainment, Govinda’s villainous re-entry and Ranveer Singh’s flamboyant character. So, what does Yash Raj’s banner offer this time to its audience? Let’s explore! [embed width="620"]http://vimeo.com/106483114[/embed] Kill Dil is about two orphans – Dev (Ranveer) and Tutu (Ali), who get noticed by a local hoodlum, Bhaiyya Jee (Govinda) while crossing a ‘kachre ka dabba’. Bhaiyya takes them in and provides the orphans with shelter. As they grow up, he nurtures them to be his special and most trustworthy assassins. Everything is mundane when until one fine day, Disha (Parineeti Chopra) bumps into Dev and they fall in love. Eventually Dev wants to leave his gang life behind but Bhaiyya doesn’t approve and resultantly, doesn’t allow him to do so. What happens next is what Kill Dil is all about. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="595"] Photo: Kill Dil Facebook Page[/caption] In terms of performance, the entire movie rests on the shoulders of two actors - Govinda and Ali. The former looks intimidating with his powerful dialogue delivery and adept expressions. Keep a look out for him in “Bol Beliya” and the first scene after the interval; he nails his role with utmost ease and conviction. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x27yrja_bol-beliya-song-kill-dil-govinda-parineeti-chopra-ranveer-singh-ali-zafar_music[/embed] This is one of the most prominent roles Ali has played; his screen presence is very strong. The scene where he carries Ranveer to the hospital is the highlight of his role. As usual, there is nothing extraordinary to Ranveer’s role. We have seen him doing the same roles time and time again. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="435"] Photo: Kill Dil Facebook Page[/caption] Parineeti for me, unfortunately, was an eyesore throughout; she definitely needs to work on herself. Also, her selection of roles has become monotonous and even... boring. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="536"] Photo: Kill Dil Facebook Page[/caption] In my opinion, the only saving grace for this was its music. Gulzar penned down some true masterpieces and Shankar-Ehsan-Loy (the trio) proved once again why they are the maestros of lively music. They understood the kind of emotion the music represented and made it shine bright through all their music. Nakhriley, Bol Beliya, Baawra and Sajde are tracks that you would definitely consider listening to more than once. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x290rqd_nakhriley-song-kill-dil-ranveer-singh-ali-zafar-parineeti-chopra-govinda_music[/embed] [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x28fivy_sajde-exclusive-video-song-kill-dil-ft-arijit-singh-ranveer-singh-parineeti-chopra-hd-1080p_music[/embed] On the whole, however, the movie failed to impress its audience and is nothing close to anything that the Yash Raj banner is normally known for. Director Shaad Ali could not live up to the standard and lacked the ability to carry the film through properly. There are quite a few loopholes in the plot and the script was just not gripping enough. In my opinion, the production would have been a lot better had the cast and crew focused on the key elements of a typical Yash Raj movie. Due to its humdrum storyline and the average performance of most of its actors, I couldn’t give this film more than a 2 out of 5.

Nightcrawler follows one man’s quest to claw his way up the career ladder, from a life of petty crime to the world of ‘nightcrawling’, a blood sport where stringers capture footage of graphic crime scenes, their motto – “if it bleeds, it leads” – to sell on to news channels. It is in this insalubrious world, bolstered by the media’s thirst for ratings, Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) excels, scheming his way to success. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x226qwh_jake-gyllenhaal-bill-paxton-rene-russo-in-nightcrawler-teaser-trailer_people[/embed] Positioned from the start in an unorthodox situation with this anti-hero, it is precisely because we are seeing the story unfold from Bloom’s eyes that we can suspend disbelief and root for him. While there are some timing issues with the inevitability of Bloom’s life spiralling out of control paired with non-apparent repercussions, Director and Writer, Dan Gilroy could argue that this reflects the state of today’s media that has few broadcasting restrictions and this is satire after all. This might not forgive the combination of a borderline homicidal sociopath with the unsatisfying lack of payoff for the audience, but it is a minor indiscretion for this otherwise tightly wound script with a topical yet non-preachy moral message at its core. Yet something’s not on point with Gyllenhaal’s portrayal of Bloom, which can come across as a grotesque pastiche of previous roles, with limited nuance, odd for an actor lauded for portraying complex characters. Eyes wide throughout the film, he is sadistic, verging on possessed and while this can be dismissed as his personality, it does not give the audience a sense of unpredictability. The ambitious loner, an autodidact revered as ruthless mentor, should be an enigma, but we know everything about Bloom from the start and that is a shame. We take similar issue in supporting characters, Rick (Riz Ahmed) the sidekick hired to navigate the LA streets at high speed and Nina (Rene Russo) the producer with her career on the line. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="538"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] But there are some brilliant looks in Nightcrawler, well thought-out moments that ease the tension and give the film the pacing crucial to a horror thriller like this one. These flashes of genius remind us of the pool of talent here, suggesting that while the performances are good, the best has not been brought out of this talented cast. A lack of cohesion throughout limits the build-up and leads to a feeling of incredulity that might not have been a pitfall perhaps for a more experienced director. But there’s so much more to Nightcrawler than this slight failing and Gilroy shows great promise in this his directorial debut. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="540"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] Both a sardonic indictment of news media’s thirst for ratings and a chilling satire of the lengths some go to for the American dream, there are no holds barred in this original take down of not only a largely unregulated media but also the public’s obsession with increasingly graphic imagery. As we listen to Bloom mentor his assistant, Rick, and recite the mantras of the business world he has painstakingly studied online, we are shown a mirror of the dog-eat-dog world that does in fact exist in our own and the hyper reality of a capitalism that lauds persistence, ambition and going above and beyond for the ultimate goal – financial and social standing. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="540"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] Bloom’s relationship with his boss Nina provides a further and delicious lampoon of ‘office politics’ and ‘sleeping your way to the top,’ reminding us once again that this extreme character is not all that far away from perceived normalcy. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="540"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] Overall, Nightcrawler is that rare revelation of independent cinema that has an original concept, a killer script and a buzz-worthy cast. It topped the US Box Office in its opening weekend and deserves to do well internationally, even though it faces tough competition. I’ll give it a 4/5.

It doesn’t come as a surprise for the audience when they get to watch remakes of classic movies of the 70s and 80s. Many filmmakers, directors and actors have started this trend of remaking movies and this time we have The Shaukeens, a remake of the 1982 rib tickling comedy Shaukeen. Just like the original version, The Shaukeens is based on ‘almost’ the same plot and characters. However, there are a few changes in the storyline which will appeal to today’s audiences more. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x26qf00_the-shaukeens-2014-hindi-movie-theatrical-trailer-%E1%B4%B4%E1%B4%B0_shortfilms[/embed] It is a tale of three childhood friends, Lalchand (Anupam Kher), KD (Annu Kapoor) and Pinky (Piyush Mishra), who are in their early 60s and lust after every woman they lay their eyes on. The trio plan a fun-filled vacation to Mauritius, in order to live up their wildest and most lecherous fantasies. They reserve a guest house owned by Ahana (Lisa Haydon), a young flamboyant and ‘earth child’ kind of a girl, who is also head over heels in love with Akshay Kumar, the movie star cum serious alcoholic. She announces that she’d do anything for the person who would make her dream of meeting Akshay come true, and these words play as music to the ears of the young-at-heart oldies. The measures they overtake and endure to make her wish come true is what The Shaukeens is all about. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="540"] Photo: The Shaukeens Facebook Page[/caption] The movie rests mainly on the shoulders of its primary leads. Whether it is Akshay, Lisa or the trio of maestros of power packed performances, all of them were fantastic and did complete justice to their characters, roles and diction. The other strongest point is its flawless and witty script. In almost every other scene, there are some dialogues that were applauded and thoroughly enjoyed by viewers. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="538"] Photo: The Shaukeens Facebook Page[/caption] If I were to pick out the best performances, it would have to be the trio’s. Piyush excelled in every scene; his articulation, peculiar way of delivering dialogues and his expressions stole the show. Even his emotional outbursts were a treat to watch. Annu was another ace in the movie. His craziness, style and ‘Mr-know-it-all’ attitude is delightful and he looked at ease in performing his role. As always, Anupam delivers a good performance and does not overact, especially when it came to his expressions. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="536"] Photo: The Shaukeens Facebook Page[/caption] Lisa’s performance looks promising and her screen presence is very strong. Similarly, Akshay does exactly what he is the best at doing – entertaining the crowd, from the gallery to the critics. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="536"] Photo: The Shaukeens Facebook Page[/caption] In terms of music, some of the numbers were nice, especially Manali Trance and Alcoholic which are great to watch and listen to. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x284h5g_manali-trance-official-dance-video-the-shaukeens-ft-yo-yo-honey-singh-lisa-haydon-hd-1080p_music[/embed] [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x273gqy_alcoholic-hd-video-song-yo-yo-honey-singh-the-shaukeens-2014-akshay-kumar_music[/embed] This is Abhishek Sharma’s second release after Tere Bin Laden, and his production seem very promising in terms of providing entertainment value to his movies. The Shaukeens is a great attempt and does exactly what it’s meant to do – provide entertainment to the viewers, with some fine performances. Compared to the original Shaukeen, the latest version is louder, more dual meaning and suits the likes of today’s society. However, the two productions cannot be compared to one another because it is close to impossible to provide the kind of cinema Basu Chatterji provided. Shaukeen is still a masterpiece even after three decades but The Shaukeens is a rollercoaster ride for sure. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="540"] Shaukeen (1982), The Shaukeens (2014)[/caption] In terms of the acting, script and thorough entertainment, I would rate it 4 out of 5 - an incredible fun watch!

Saif Ali Khan’s re-entry was a success back in the early 2000s. The hero who had fallen flat in the 90s was seen in a completely new light in movies like Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, Dil Chahta Hai, Hum Tum, Salam Namaste, Kal Ho Na Ho, Race and Love Aaj Kal etcetera. And in movies like Omkara and the likes, he overshadowed anyone else who may have been in the film with him.  Unfortunately, nowadays I feel Saif Ali Khan’s performance is a bleak reminder of the hero he was in the 90s – none of the movies he is doing have any nostalgic value or cinematic value nor have they brought in good business; examples being Humshakals and Bullet Raja. On the contrary, Govinda, who was seen in a negative role in Kill Dil recently, has re-launched himself with a bang, with critics applauding his work. This time, in the movie Happy Ending, Govinda is all set to play for the front-row audience. After all, he’s the king of comedy. Let’s see if they both, Govinda and Saif, got their share of brownies this time! [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x27lxrt_happy-ending-2014-hindi-movie-official-trailer-%E1%B4%B4%E1%B4%B0_shortfilms#from=embediframe[/embed] Happy Ending is based on the life of a writer called Yudi (Saif Ali Khan), who published his last book five and a half years ago which turned out to be a major hit. Unfortunately, after that, he couldn’t publish any book and making ends meet became a task. His stardom, as a writer, starts to fade away and then enters a new romantic author in the limelight of the literary world called Aanchal (Ileana D’Cruz). Aanchal gets everything that Yudi once had as an upcoming writer. Soon after, Armaan (Govinda) comes into Yudi’s life. Armaan is the superstar of Bollywood and wants Yudi to write a fresh script (copy of multiple Hollywood blockbusters) for him. Having no other choice, Yudi accepts his offer and starts to alter his lifestyle and terms. The rest of the movie is the journey of how Yudi, as a writer and a person, learns how to end some things and start new things. Performances wise, Saif stands tall and delivers a dependable performance. One can easily recall the comfort he had in the movies Cocktail and Love Aaj Kal. Govinda, as always, is hilarious and owns every scene he is featured in. Nachcho Saaray G Phaar Kay is a song of the film that provided the perfect entertainment to the audience and credit for that goes solely to Govinda. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that if given a good script and the opportunity of outdoing himself, Govinda can still be in the race of the most entertaining actors in the industry. Kalki Koechlin is a revelation, she looks adorable, highly irritating and fits her role perfectly. Ileana is okay too; in fact, she is improving as an actress and is able to handle serious roles quite well. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x28elez_g-phaad-ke-official-full-song-video-happy-ending-govinda-saif-ali-khan-ileana_music[/embed] Ranvir Shorey, who plays Saif’s best friend, delivered some good performance. Some of his scenes are truly amazing, especially, (spoiler alert) the scene where his wife tells him that she’s pregnant. There are some surprise packages in the movie like appearances by Kareena Kapoor and Preity Zinta. Preity has an extended role and she looks good but the fact that she is ageing is pretty obvious. The dialogues are fresh, some of which require reading between the lines, but they go along with the mood of the movie. Content wise, Happy Ending will make you feel ‘happy’ at the ‘end’ of the movie. It’s an entertaining romantic comedy with a few hummable songs. I would rate it a 3.5 out of five on the basis of decent performances, a good script, nice music and lightness of the theme. And no, it’s not based on the American TV show, Californication, which most people think it is.

It’s the 1960s and no one wants to buy ‘lady art’, not least from a withering divorcee and single mother, or so starts Tim Burton's latest offering, Big Eyes. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400"] Photo: Facebook page[/caption] Based on a true story, the film centres around artist Margaret Keane (Amy Adams) and her new realtor husband Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz) who, with his knack for selling and compulsion for artistic fame, ends up taking credit for her paintings and successfully making them into a commercial art sensation. It is only ten years down the line, once Margaret takes her daughter and leaves Walter, that she gains the courage to speak up and finally tries to reclaim the art that is rightfully hers. [embed width="620"]http://vimeo.com/106629781[/embed] Big Eyes is about as un-Burton as it gets which, as with Ed Wood, is not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just a shame that in this type of film where there is scope for the visual exploration of a character's inner self, this is not illustrated through the more immersive, surreal aesthetics for which Burton is renowned. While there are some striking glimpses into the artist’s psyche as well as pop culture, it is the story of a lost sense of self-worth that is the most fascinating and alongside the perennial question of what is art, could have been better explored. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400"] Photo: Facebook page[/caption] Instead, the film focuses on the more conventional story of Walter and Margaret’s relationship, mostly eschewing a deeper understanding of the more challenging cultural debates, though these are briefly explored through art critic John Canaday (Terrence Stamp). [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400"] Photo: Facebook page[/caption] The trouble with concentrating on the relationship throughout the film is that Walter is painted as a clichéd pre-Frozen Disney villain – right from the creepy first kiss he shares with Margaret – limiting room for character growth thereafter. And as the film continues hammering home the vilification of Walter Keane, it simultaneously campaigns for a sainthood for Margaret Keane, making these polarised characters not only a little boring to watch over an hour and a half but also further reduces the impact the deceit has on other relationships in the film, most importantly, the mother daughter arc, which is left to the wayside and only features in contrived fits and starts. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400"] Photo: Facebook page[/caption] While the characters are rather one dimensional, Amy Adams is once again pretty remarkable and although she plays a rather feeble character, we still manage to empathise with her by the end and it is arguably safe to assume that she plays Margaret with more nuance than the character might have been written on the page. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400"] Photo: Facebook page[/caption] Waltz, on the other hand, does not go unscathed and is left playing a maniacal character from the start without respite, ending up as an obscenely melodramatic arch villain by the end of the film (though overzealous Weinstein's cleaver-editing may also be a contributing factor). [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] Big Eyes is the epitome of a case in which the Hollywood-sanitised version of a story is told and a much more fulfilling yet less straightforward structure akin to a riskier independent film is sacrificed for salubrious, commercial fayre. I'll give it a 2/5.

American Sniper is a biopic action-drama picture directed by, the accomplished spaghetti western cowboy hero turned director, Clint Eastwood. It is inspired from the autobiography and real life memoirs of Chris Kyle  titled, American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in US Military History. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x279nbl_american-sniper-2014-official-trailer-hd-bradley-cooper-sniper-movie_shortfilms[/embed] On the celluloid format of the cinema, Bradley Copper plays the protagonist and puts himself in the shoes of the larger-than-life persona of Kyle and does full justice to his role in the process. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] To the uninitiated and those lacking insight into who Kyle was, he was considered as one of the most lethal and deadly snipers in American military history, with well over 160 confirmed kills to his credit. He was able to amass this huge tally during the duration of his four tours of duty in Iraq from 2003 to 2009 due to his excellent proficiency, dexterity and prowess with the long barrel rifle. He belonged to the elite Navy SEALs division of the United States Military. American Sniper tries to embody and exemplify Kyle’s jingoistic patriotism albeit almost to a fault. Kudos to Cooper for emulating Kyle’s character on the big screen with tactful nuance – from copying his Texan accent and mannerisms with such exactitude, to putting on 40 pounds of additional weight to look the part on screen. Having said that, Eastwood, in his pursuit to give Kyle a befitting hero’s tribute, sometimes goes a tad beyond the realm of belief. He tries to focus more on the myth that enveloped him rather than the real man – a man who was heroic and courageous but not devoid of personal shortcomings. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] Digressing from that, holistically, the movie is more about the depiction of a soldier coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and how he struggles to adapt to the normal life back home, away from the ravages and horrors of war in the war torn Iraq. It depicts how combat impacts a person and the emotional toll it can take on him; how, apart from the obvious physical harm inflicted, it can suck the vitality out of him. To that degree, the director has somewhat succeeded, but the heart and life of the movie remains in those tense, adrenaline-filled action sequences that have been masterfully crafted. In these instances, Eastwood comes into his own but they are few and far between. Although, in my opinion, there is a dearth of action sequences in the movie, when they do appear, they complement the gritty narrative of the movie brilliantly. It will be a delight for action enthusiasts. Among such action scenes is the pursuit of, self-proclaimed, Butcher of Fallujah and the hunt for the Mustafa (Sammy Sheik), a Syrian-born Iraqi insurgent sniper whose sniping skills challenge and rival those of Kyle’s. Although there is no clear antagonist or villain in the movie, the Iraqi sniper comes close to being Kyle’s nemesis. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] The movie is not seething with violence as that aspect has been kept to a minimum, but it is a visceral experience nonetheless, with adequate but restrained blood, gore and death. The only difference is that these graphic scenes aid the overall progress of the movie story-line and are not present for the sake of an action sequence. The highpoint of the movie is set in the backdrop of a rooftop battle and an impending sandstorm in which Kyle manages to eliminate the Iraqi sniper. This particular scene, however, is not a figment of the director’s creative imagination but inspired from a real life event in which Kyle eliminated an Iraqi insurgent in Sadr City. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] Sienna Miller (Taya Renae Kyle) portrays Kyle’s initial love interest and eventually becomes his wife. I don’t think her true acting potential was tapped into in this movie and is mediocre at best. She is either shown crying, worrying or being tormented by her husband’s presence in the unrestrained death trap that is Iraq. One might say that it is perfectly understandable, as logic dictates that a wife probably garners these sentiments when one’s husband is serving in such a hostile place, but the audience will notice that after seeing the quality of acting being displayed by Cooper, anything that precedes it, in terms of acting, is equivalent to being white noise. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="598"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] Another overbearing feeling one will experience when watching the movie is the stark familiarity with the film The Hurt Locker. One can’t help but draw an outright parallel between these two as both are set in Iraq and portray characters from American military armed forces. However, the action drama interspersed with emotional depth of character(s) is explored more efficaciously in the latter. It is rather sad that a director of Eastwood’s calibre wasn’t able to truly elevate this movie like he did with other works like Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino or Unforgiven. With context to movies that are from the larger sniper-action genre, it fails to hold its own among films that have either a more intriguing story or action thrills. Movies like Enemy at the Gates, Shooter and Sniper fare far better in terms of delivering satisfying thrills. But then again, American Sniper tries to be more of an emotional drama coupled with little action. Unfortunately, while trying to portray this hybrid drama cum action film feature, Eastwood manages to construct a muddled affair that is neither a solid entertainer nor indulges those looking for some profound emotional gratification. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: IMDb[/caption] It also does not portray how Kyle actually died in real life. Instead of dying on the battlefield, he was killed in cold blood and rather unceremoniously by a 25-year- old Marine Corps veteran Eddie Ray Routh at a shooting range in his home state of Texas.     To explain this movie in appropriate analogy, American Sniper is like a bullet projectile fired from a suppressed tactical rifle which fails to hits its mark, and we cannot see the mark, whilst also acting as a glorified eulogy for its subject, Kyle. I would rate it a 3.5 out of 5.

Dolly Ki Doli is a cinematic venture that has been hyped up beyond understanding. One reason that comes to my mind, surrounding this hype, is the fact that this is the first time Arbaaz Khan, Salman Khan’s baby brother, has chosen a lead who is not his own brother. Dolly Ki Doli revolves around a con artist named Dolly (Sonam Kapoor) who marries young men from different backgrounds and religions, and then steals their money. To help her complete such feats, she has a gang of con artists who act as her family members. Zeeshan Ayub (one of the ‘family members’) extracts information about rich, gullible families who are then approached by Dolly’s ‘family’ to get the wedding bells ringing. The movie is primarily about Dolly and the cons she undertakes with Sonu Sarawat (Rajkumar Rao), Manjot Singh (Varun Sharma) and Robin Singh (Pulkit Samrat). [embed width="620"]http://vimeo.com/114342254[/embed] Performance wise, the actors who stood out in the movie include Rajkumar, Zeeshan, Pulkit and even Varun. Sonam, in my opinion, does not manage to ‘shine’ in this movie like she did in Khoobsurat. While she carries the role well, there are not many performance-oriented scenes for her to show her merit. Besides, working with three different actors so closely and trying to match chemistry with each of them is not an easy task. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Dolly Ki Doli Official Facebook Page[/caption] Rajkumar, however, is a treat to watch from the very first scene. He is a volcano of talent and his Haryanavi diction is free from any flaw. He is a first rate actor and should consider doing comedies more often. His romantic and emotional scenes captivated the audience completely – nothing at that point could distract these viewers. And for good reason. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450"] Photo: Dolly Ki Doli Official Facebook Page[/caption] Zeeshan, who also gave a riveting performance, should be given more credit for his work. From his debut role to acting in films like Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Jannat 2 and Raanjhanaa, he has always managed to impress his audience. Yet he remains in the shadows. His outburst of emotions is amazing; if given a stronger role I am sure he will easily acquire a standing in the same league as Boman Irani and Paresh Rawal. Pulkit is like a gush of fresh air and he looks great! In his Robin Singh avatar, you will see glimpses of a younger Chullbul Pandey from the Dabangg series. In my opinion, the testimony to his talent is the scene in which he shouts at Sonam on the highway – keep an eye out for it! [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450"] Photo: Dolly Ki Doli Official Facebook Page[/caption] Varun was… cute and gave a calculated performance. This performance could easily be considered one of his most prominent works. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450"] Photo: Dolly Ki Doli Official Facebook Page[/caption] Alongside these, Manoj Joshi, Rajesh Sharma and Brijendra Kala (Inspector Khan) also performed very well. Archana Puran Singh is, as usual, loud. With regards to the music, the ones that stuck with me were, the item song Fashion Khattam by Malaika, Naina Kafir Hogaye by Rahat Fateh Ali and Phattay Tak Nachna by Sunidhi Chauhan. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2duyxz_fashion-khatam-mujh-par-dolly-ki-doli-hd-720p-song_music[/embed] The one positive about Dolly Ki Doli was its length– Abhishek Dogra keeps it nice and crispy. Thank God. With a weak script that was predictable and not engaging at all, Dolly Ki Doli is the perfect example of how good performances still have a chance at saving a movie. The best way to describe this film, in my opinion, is ‘brainless fun’. Based on the performances and comedy, I’ll give it a 2.5 out of five.