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Reviews
Main Hoon Na (2004)
There are better "feel-good' movies than this one.
Farah Khan's Main Hoon Na has a lot of cons that outweigh the pros. Even Shah Rukh Khan's presence and charm was not enough to save it.
The movie had some positives that didn't make me want to close my screen. As mentioned, Shah Rukh Khan was doing what he does best. Suniel Shetty and Amrita Rao were also highlights for me. The music by Anu Malik was decent too, especially the self-titled and Tumse Milke which were my favourite songs from the soundtrack.
Now for the negatives, there were way too many for me to give it anything higher than a 3 star rating. The action and comedy were way too goofy for a film whose main conflict has to do with the relationship of India and Pakistan. I am fully aware that Farah Khan movies are meant to be somewhat satirical, but it felt like it was making a mockery out of it. Zayed Khan exaggerates his ass off in every single scene, and yet we see him way more than Sushmita Sen. Sadly, if you remove her out of the film, nothing in the plot changes at all. She really deserved a better role. Also, the cinematography by V. Manikandan was pretty bad, and the editing by Shirish Kunder was even worse.
Looking back at this film, I think they tried to target the younger audience, which it might have accomplished. People are saying this is a "great feel-good movie." Frankly, there are WAY better movies
that can make your day than this one, some released years before this one even came out.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
A thrilling adventure
Raiders of the Lost Ark was the start of one of the most iconic movie franchises in film history. Steven Spielberg created what is considered one of the best adventure movies of all time, and years later, this classic still lives up to its immense reputation.
One of the biggest highlights for me in this film was the introduction of Indiana Jones and the entire first 15 minutes. As viewers, we get to know everything about our hero and get a taste of what's to come later on. Plus, the action segments were extremely entertaining and exciting, which were superbly enriched by John Williams' stellar composition and Douglas Slocombe's slick cinematography.
Of course, Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones was fantastic! He is literally perfectly fit for the role of the famous archaeologist. If I had to nitpick something about this film, it would be about the climax. Although solid, it did not age very well compared to the rest of the film in my opinion and, to avoid any spoilers, I will simply leave it at that.
All in all, Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark is truly a film to remember when it comes to action adventures. Without a doubt a very special movie to endlessly revisit for many years.
Uunchai (2022)
A surprisingly decent movie
As someone who is not a fan of director Sooraj R. Barjatya's films, I have to say this was an unexpectedly good movie.
Uunchai really delivers the aspect of feel-good as we have seen in Hum Saath-Saath Hain and Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!, but the film does it in a way that is not unbearably sweet and over-the-top. The friendship depicted felt real, and it helped immerse myself into the story more, which was also an interesting aspect.
What I thought was really cool about the plot was that the characters were not flawless, which helped me resonate and connect with them in an emotional level. Everybody had a reason to go on this trip other than for the sake of their friend, and it made me want to root for them more. Also, the differences between the old and the new generation was put into display in many parts of Uunchai. Not only did it portray the flaws of this disconnect, but it depicted the understanding of both sides of the issue very well.
Highlights for me were the music and background score by Amit Trivedi and George Joseph respectively. All the actors were in fine form, even Parineeti Chopra who surprised me with her well-suited role as a trekking guide. Barjatya is still somewhat in his comfort zone with this film, but he is still doing what he does best: making joyful entertainers.