Can89 Reviews

Serenity (2005)

A brilliant cinematic experience!

[9/10 · 5 December 2005]

When I first heard about Firefly I wasn't least bit interested in watching the show. Sci-fi was a genre I completely abhorred. The idea of cow-boys in space just didn't interest me. Also, having the actor who played one of my least favourite characters in Buffyverse, as the main protagonist of the show, put me off even more.

But alas, the magic of Joss Whedon had to prevail.

Curiosity got the better of me and I watched the first episode. Needless to say, I was hooked! I ended up watching the whole season, savoring each an every episode, as I knew there wasn't going to be anymore.

I waited a good long while for the movie to release here. And when it did I honestly couldn't contain my excitement. I went to watch the movie on the opening night itself, as I entered darkened cinema hall, I was surprised to see a grand total of three people. Not counting myself and my brothers.

Anyway, After the end credits rolled, I experienced a rush of emotions. I felt happy, satisfied and sad, all at the same time, for this was probably the end of it. The film left me totally dazed, a feeling, I'm sure all Whedon fans are familiar with.

Serenity was unbelievably exciting, scary, funny, emotional and action-packed! As in, a typical Joss Whedon fare.

*SPOILER ALERT* (Don't read on if you haven't watched the movie yet.) Captain Malcolm Reynolds and his team of rogue independence fighters find themselves having to fight both the alliance and the Reavers when they come to the rescue of a young telepathic girl River Tam, who has extraordinary physical strength, and her brother Simon, who are on the run from the alliance.

In possession of knowledge that could ruin the alliance, an assassin is sent out to destroy River. After much deliberation, the crew agrees to help the girl discover the awful truth about a mysterious planet called Miranda on the edge of the universe.

The Alliance responsible for the Reavers, River's secret, what they did to her and why their after her? The movie tied up all the loose ends. Except maybe for Shepherd Book's past, which still remains a mystery to me.

It was great seeing our beloved crew again on the big screen! I loved the way all the main characters of Serenity's crew were introduced in one single uncut shot.

All the actors were totally in-character. Did I mention how much I love Mal? Though I love everyone, and the relationships they share with one another. Mal and River have always been my favourites.

I love everything about Capt. Reynolds. Mal's straightforwardness and his ability to do what needs to be done, without being too concerned about things like killing people or breaking the law. He is one of the most multi-layered characters to have come out of Jossverse. Full marks to Nathan Fillion! He's absolutely brilliant in this film.

River is equally brilliant. Her innocent child-like manner is endearing. River's presence just makes any moment or scene truly amazing.

I wasn't too depressed when Book died. In fact I breathed a sigh of relief as I thought that this was the 'character death' of the movie. So naturally, I was left gaping at the screen when Wash died. I should know by now that no one is safe in Jossverse.

There wasn't much time to cry over Wash's death, as it was too sudden. And the battle was still underway. Although my heart went out to Zoe, when she took charge and snapped into soldier-mode. I don't remember felling so sad while watching a Hollywood movie, ever.

Amidst the sadness, the movie had it's equal share of light, funny moments. Making us laugh during the most intense and emotional moments is Whedon's specialty. There are some extremely funny moments which I loved, for instance: River's line, after they escaped the Reavers "I ate a bug." is simply priceless or Mal's line at the start "What was that?" which was also the last line of the movie.

All the action sequences are brilliantly shot. Especially River fighting the Ravears in the finale. Summer was outstanding in that fight.

Great plot, stunning visuals, amazing acting, witty humor, brilliant direction! Although I was disappointed at the lack of western background score, which was highly prominent in the Series.

One word to describe Serenity would be: Perfection! Serenity is one of the best sci-fi movies of recent times. It you haven't watched it yet, well, what are you waiting for?

Bunty Aur Babli (2005)

Average - But still entertains!

[7/10 · 16 June 2005]

Tired of their boring lives in their small boring villages, raw passion for a better, bright future and hunger for success is what our main two protagonists Rakesh and Vimmi aspire.

Rakesh aka Bunty, wants to be amongst the richest, he wants to be famous and be known by one and all, and he has the sense to know that he isn't going to achieve all that by staying in his village. So he decides to fly the coop! Vimmi aka Babli, a wannabe Miss India, has dreams and desires that she wants to fulfill. Unfortunately for her, her parents fix her marriage. As what all girls of marriageable age are supposed to do. But the young and vibrant Vimmi wants to follow her dreams before she can settle down, so she too decides to fly the coop! Along their individual journey, the two meet. Being honest and sincere leads them nowhere, so the two decide to fulfill their dreams by conning and swindling people. And so, the duo B&B are born. At first, their crimes are on a small scale, but soon, B&B make a career out of conning people.

From cheating a hotel owner to robbing a mall to leasing the Taj Mahal to a foreigner. B&B start doing crimes just for the fun of it. During the course of their 'work' B&B get closer to each other and gradually fall in love.

Their antics become nationwide news. Everyone sits up and takes notice of the two, known as the smoothest con-artists in the country. Much to the annoyance of inspector Dashrath. Who's main mission is to catch these two swindlers.

Bunty aur Babli can be best described in three words, light, fun and a little crazy. The film starts off as a roller-costar ride. Keeping the viewer glued way into the second half. But the pace of the narrative slackens towards the finale. As the situations tend to get boring and predictable.

One of the biggest flaws in B&B is the many loop-holes in the writing itself. The main two protagonists openly conning and swindling people all over the country and no one knows how they look. Didn't anyone even have the sense to make a sketch of them? Also, inspector Dashrath makes catching B&B his main mission in life, but at the end he simply lets them go because their sorry for what they did? Weird! Honestly, if the writer had only put a little sense into the storyline.

Plus, the ending is completely snatched from the Steven Spielberg directorial brilliance Catch me if you can.

Apart from the above mentioned flaws. B&B is still a decent entertainer. The first half is a joy to watch. While some of the situations in this half may seem unreal, it still manages to bring a smile onto your face.

The second half starts off promising as a new character, the inspector, is introduced. But as I said, the end sequences could have been better.

Music by SEL is good and goes well in-sync with the theme of the movie. All the songs have been well picturized.

Cinematography is adequate. Dialogues are witty at times.

Performances of the three principal characters are the glue that holds the film together. Rani Mukherjee is a delight to watch! She plays the spirited and perky Babli with extreme conviction. Abhishek Bachchan finally delivers a competent performance. He handles the comic sequences adequately. But he still needs to brush up on his dancing skills and expressions. Amitabh Bachchan is good. He tries his best not to go over-the-top and succeeds.

Aishwarya Rai sizzles in the much talked about item number. Yes people -- she has never looked so hot! Shaad Ali succeeds at making a light fun-filled entertainer. Although nothing compared to the directors earlier offering Saathiya.

Not recommended for people who thrive on intelligent cinema. Trying to find logic in the going-ons in B&B will just give you a headache.

In the peak of summer, Bunty aur Babli is the most chilled out offering. Enjoy! 7/10.

Veer-Zaara (2004)

Not a love legend, but still worth it!

[10/10 · 2 March 2005]

Viewers who want to see intelligent thought-provoking films will not enjoy this one, on the other hand, Veer-Zaara is a visual feast for viewers who thrive on sensitive, romantic cinema.

Even though I like watching well-made unconventional films, I would never say no to a romantic love saga. That also made by one of the country's most established filmmakers.

So, is Veer-Zaara a love legend as it's termed to be? Does Veer-Zaara manage to hold the viewers attention throughout.

Firstly, no! Veer-Zaara is not even close to being called a love legend. The reasons, which I will come to, later on in the review. But yes! Veer-Zaara can definitely hold a viewers attention, due to it's well-crafted screenplay and interesting twists in the storyline.

The story, as most of you may already know, is about an Indian man, squadron leader Veer Pratap Singh who is a rescue pilot for the Indian Air Force. During one of his rescue missions he comes across a Pakistani girl Zaara Hayat Khan who comes to India to fulfill her grandmother's last wish.

Initially their relationship begins on a sour note, but soon Veer and Zaara come closer, and before they realize it, they start to fall in love with each other.

Veer decides to show Zaara his village and meet his uncle and aunt who raised him, since he was an orphan. Even his foster parents develop a liking for Zaara. All is going well, and Veer is about to express his love for Zaara, when Raza walks in, Zaara's fiancé who has just landed from Lahore in search of Zaara.

While in Lahore, Zaara cannot seem to forget Veer. So Zaara's maid Shabbo calls India to explain the situation to Veer.

Veer gives up his job and goes to Lahore. He meets Zaara in the presence of her parents and prospective in-laws. However, the wedding between Zaara and Raza takes place, while Veer gets arrested on false charges of being an Indian spy.

Years later, Saamiya Siddiqui, a Pakistani lawyer comes to the rescue of Veer, who has been silent in jail for 22 years. Why has he been silent for so long? Where is Zaara? Saamiya takes it upon herself to find the truth about this man.

Veer-Zaara starts off as any typical Bollywood love story with at least five songs in the first half. But the film gathers momentum as the proceedings unfold in front of us. The story has depth, the screenplay is gripping and never lets you down.

Cinematography is par excellence, the scenic landscapes of Punjab have been shot beautifully. Art direction is authentic, background score is adequate. The heroines look lovely, typical Yash Chopra style.

Veer-Zaara also suffers from some bad writing. The ending of the film was abrupt and unsatisfying. The last song which was incorporated into the courtroom looked weird and out-of-place. Even the songs, though melodious, act as speed breakers in the narrative.

The sequence where Veer recites poetry in the climax was good, but did he have go on for so long. The best songs in the film are undoubtedly 'Kyun hawa', 'Do pal' and 'Main yahaan hoon'. The latter two in particular have been beautifully pictured and are mesmerizing.

Shah Rukh Khan once again has proved why he is the undisputed King Khan of Bollywood. He has portrayed both shades of Veer's character with extreme ease. SRK doesn't ham much in this film, he exudes romance and is the perfect cast for Veer. Hard to imagine Veer-Zaara without SRK.

Preity Zinta enacts the part of Zaara adequately. Her role doesn't demand histrionics. She looks good throughout the film and her chemistry with SRK seams to be improving with every film.

Rani Mukherjee has tremendously improved as an actress over the years. She is the scene-stealer in Veer-Zaara. Essaying the role of Saamiya Siddiqui with complete confidence and it shows on-screen.

Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini are fine in small but significant roles. Kiron Kher is good. Manoj Bajpai plays his part with complete conviction. Divya Dutta is excellent. Boman Irani doesn't get much scope. Anupam Kher is just about okay.

Apart from a few omissions, Aditya Chopra has wonderfully written a sensitive love story. Even the dialogues are outstanding! But I wish they had tamed down the usage of Punjabi, which at places was hard to understand.

Direction is A-Plus all the way. Yash Chopra is a fantastic story-teller. The sequences involving Indo-Pak relations have been handled sensitively.

Veer-Zaara is definitely not a love legend. But it's undoubtedly one of the better love stories in recent times. The theme of the film may be a little old fashioned. But at least there aren't any ridiculous item numbers or girls popping up, scantily dressed every five seconds.

If you enjoy romance or if your a die-hard SRK fan, then Veer-Zaara has a lot to offer. Otherwise stay away from this one. 8/10.

Swades (2004)

Cinematic Brilliance!

[9/10 · 18 February 2005]

Very rarely do we get to see meaningful and thought provoking films in Bollywood. Swades comes out as a breath of fresh air to an industry that's been churning out ridiculous nonsense for decades.

First things first, Swades is no Lagaan. In fact, in some instances it's way better than Lagaan.

Swades's biggest plus point is it's script. The storyline is so real, touching and moving you hardly ever notice the length of the film. By the time the first half was over, I was eagerly looking forward to the second half of this cinematic brilliance.

The main protagonist's journey from being a successful NRI working at NASA, to helping a village in UP generate electricity is well portrayed and captivating.

All characters are simply brilliant, and they gel so well together. You have a school teacher who is a whiz at mathematics, a postman who is also a wrestler, a cook who dreams of opening a small restaurant on a freeway in America and many such characters who play small but significant roles in Swades.

Swades has emotions aplenty, the scene where Mohan goes to collect rent from a tenant and finds out that he can't even afford one meal for his children is striking.

The scene where you see a boy selling water for 25 paisa is so poignant. You wont be able to hold back your tears when you see the harsh reality.

Comedy has been handled well in Swades. It's not loud or over the top in any way.

The screenplay is gripping, holding the viewers rapt attention throughout. Cinematography is stunning, each and every shot is breath-taking. Background music was simply amazing. At times the background music was so expressive and striking, I actually got goose pimples. Dialogues are outstanding!

The songs itself were melodious and went well in-sync with the theme of the film. They were also picturised well and didn't seem out of place.

A star has definitely become an actor. Shahrukh Khan as Mohan Bhargava has delivered an extraordinary performance. He slides effortlessly into the character and emerges victorious. For once you don't see him sporting designer blouses, (thankfully) throughout the film he wears plain checked shirts and looks good in them too. SRK has finally silenced his critics. In my opinion this is his best performance too date.

Gayatri Joshi has given a great performance. She has handled her role with immense maturity. For a moment you forget that this is her first film. Gayatri looks comfortable in front of the camera, her expressions and dialogue delivery is competent. Overall a great debut.

Off the support cast, Kishori Balal played the part of the Kaveri amma well. Dayashanker Pandey and Rajesh Vivek were good.

Ashutosh Gowariker proves once again that he's creative, talented and one of India's finest film-makers. Full credit goes to him for excellently writing and directing such a remarkable film.

All in all Swades is truly a path-breaking film. It entertains as well as spreads an important message to all Indian's everywhere. Hindi cinema at it's best! 9/10.

Kyun! Ho Gaya Na... (2004)

Big Disappointment

[19 October 2004]

The much hyped Kyun Ho Gaya Na, surely disappoints. Then main flaw in this film is the dull storyline. There are a few touching moments in this film, but there aren't strong enough to stay with you even after the film has ended. Kyun Ho Gaya Na, lacks emotional content. And even, the comedy is not really funny. For any love story its important that the on screen chemistry between the hero and the heroine is just right. Sadly, there is absolutely no romantic chemistry between the real life lovers Ash and Vivek. Music is quite good, especially Pyaar mein, No no and Aao na which have been picturized well. The remaining songs could have easily been cut out. Cinematography top notch, the film looks gorgeous. Aishwarya Rai doesn't look the part of Dia and her performance is disappointing. Vivek O'beroi is excellent. He not only looks, but also plays the part of Arjun effortlessly. Vivek's performance comes out as natural and breezy. Om Puri is good as always, Rati Agnihotri seem to getting a lot of mother role lately and she plays them extremely well. Tinu Anand is fine in a small role, Amitabh Bachchan is annoying. Sorry to say that but, an actor of his caliber shouldn't play such mediocre characters. His performance looks fake and childish. Sunil Shetty is adequate. Unfortunately, Kyun Ho Gaya Na doesn't live up to expectations. Apart from Vivek's acting, a few good songs and the fantastic visuals nothing else is appealing about this film. 6/10.

Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004)

Awful!

[14 October 2004]

Senseless, silly and juvenile is how I would describe Mujhse Shaadi Karogi. I don't understand how such films become hits. The first half was boring, the situations in this half are uninteresting and the songs act as a hindrance. The only good part about this half were the scenes involving Amrish Puri and Salman Khan, which were quite amusing. I expected the film to get better after Akshay came in, but unfortunately it got worse. The scenes in which Akshay is always putting down Salman seemed so childish. The second half is filled with such silly pranks and juvenile humor. And the climax sequence where Salman proposes to Priyanka on the cricket field bought the film to an all time low. All Priyanka Chopra does is look pretty, her performance is awful, lets just say, the mannequin acted better then Priyanka. I cannot believe an actor who delivered such good performances in films such as Hera Pheri, Ajnabee and Khakee gave a terrible performance in this film. Salman Khan was the only saving grace in this film. He was extremely likable as the goody-goody Samir and he looked great too. Of the support cast, Amrish Puri and Rajpal Yadav were the best. Other are not worth mentioning. I would give credit to David Dhavan who at least tried to do something different from his earlier films. The promos looked promising. But, at the end Mujhse Shaadi Karogi felt like any other clichéd David Dhavan film. The look of the film is great! The film maintains a stylish look throughout. Music wasn't appealing. For the exception of Lal Dupatta, all the other songs seemed out of place. Watch this film at your own risk. 5/10.

Fida (2004)

Disappointment

[23 September 2004]

The subject of the film was very interesting, but the film wasn't treated well enough. I felt that the main twist when Shahid finds out that he has been betrayed was unfolded too soon in the storyline. And after that the film dragged up to the climax. Even the climax was not as 'shocking' as it was made out to be. The ending is not satisfying, it seems abrupt. For the exception of Kareena (who was awesome) no other actor delivered a great performance. Shahid was fine in the first half, but he seemed completely lost in the second half. And what was the reason for him to imitate Amitabh Bachchan in the finale (I wonder if anybody else noticed that). Fardeen was just about okay, he played the role of the suave Vikram nicely. This is Kareena's best performance to date. She looks gorgeous and makes a great looking pair with Shahid. The actor who played the don was horrible. He hammed throughout the film. The songs are good specially Maine Jisko Chaha and Aja ve mahi. Cinematography is fantastic. The film wears a posh and classy look throughout. Fida doesn't live up to my expectations 7/10.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Little Disappointing

[8 September 2004]

As a fan of the book I was a little disappointed with Prisoner of Azkaban. I felt it was too rushed. Lots of parts from the book which I liked were not there in the movie, and I was surprised not to see any Quidditch matches, the year Gryffindor wins the cup! I know its tough to adapt the book into a movie and please everybody.But even the pre climax sequence in the Shrieking Shack, was cut in half as compared to the book, which was almost three chapters long. Anyway, the performances were nearby excellent. Daniel and Rupert look and act their parts well. Emma was fantastic! Emma has a lot of screen time in this film as compared to the first two films, and she does full justice to the character Hermione. Of the adult actors, all were brilliant, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Gary Oldman, Emma Thompson and David Thewlis to name a few. The music score is excellent, the visuals are breathtaking, and the special effects are really good. I give it 8.5/10.

Hum Tum (2004)

Good Film!

[7 September 2004]

After seeing Hum Tum here are my opinions on the film. Story: Obviously not original, but the writers have handled the subject well and the result is a refreshing romantic, comedy. Acting: Saif Ali Khan is brilliant, no other actor would have been able to enact the role of Karan Kapoor as well as how Saif has done it. His humor and comic timing is perfect. And with this film he has proved that he can do solo hero films as well. Rani Mukherjee has shown once again that she is one of the finest actresses today, her pairing with Saif is flawless. Kiron Kher is First Rate as Rani's mother, . Rati Agnihotri is adequate and Rishi Kapoor is fine in a small role. Although the screenplay is good in the first half, during the second half and towards the climax the film drags and is very much predictable towards the end. I don't think the cartoon characters helped the proceedings in anyway. The cinematography is awesome, and the music is great, especially the title track, Chak De and Ladki Kyon. And they have been shot well too. On the whole a good film, with wonderful performances and great music. I give it 8.5/10

Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)

Great Film!

[30 August 2004]

Kal Ho Naa Ho is a great film! The first half is excellent, its really funny. The second half continues to be fun, but there are a lot of emotional moments too. The songs are brilliant especially the title track and Mahi Ve. Shahrukh does his usual routine (which I like), Preity is really good as Naina, Saif is awesome! and Jaya Bachchan is adequate. Sulabha Arya deserves special mention, without saying anything she made me laugh so much. The film looks gorgeous, the cinematography is too good. The make up and costumes are a little more realistic then K3G.I admit the story is not anything new but the treatment of Kal Ho naa Ho is excellent. Nikhil Advani has made a fabulous debut.