the29game Reviews

Shikhar (2005)

A movie addressing a social cause

[7/10 · 1 January 2006]

All the reports of the movie were pretty dull. I decided to go against all odds to see the movie, solely because the director of the movie had proved class in his first outing (Sarfarosh).

Let me tell you, this was really a very directed movie. The pace of the movie is definitely not as quick paced as Sarfarosh was, but the story is refreshing, and is only made better by some fabulous acting by Ajay Devgan and Shahid Kapoor (who has by far made his best performance till date).

It is an intelligent movie, bringing out all the games played in politics and in the cut-throat business world. The only drawback of the movie is its slower pace, and addition of unwanted songs which really serve no purpose in the movie and neither were melodious. Had the edited the songs, the impact of the movie would have been much more.

All in all, I would say this movie is trying to bring out a social message to all the people in the world. My final comment is, if you liked "Swades", definitely go watch this movie.

Deewane Huye Paagal (2005)

Pretty decent!

[6/10 · 28 November 2005]

Well I must say I quite enjoyed the movie even though I was expecting it to be another one of those boring comedies with the same story line. Well the movie is a rip-off of There's Something About Mary. The whole plot and characters are similar. So I give it very low points for originality. But I have to admit, that although the storyline was not original, the jokes fitted into the story were pretty hilarious.

Akshay Kumar has returned back to some really good acting after a terrible mess in Garam Masala. Paresh Rawal is well used in this film, along with some pretty good scenes from Sunil Shetty, Johnny Lever and other members of the film.

I enjoyed it much much more than Garam Masala, and it really won't be a BIG waste of time if you go watch it. I'd recommend it if you really have the time. It is entertaining.

Garam Masala (2005)

A huge disappointment to what could have been a potential blockbuster

[6/10 · 6 November 2005]

I had tremendous expectations from the movie, which was marketed really well and had all the ingredients of a potential blockbuster. The casting was done really well with all great comedians in Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, and the really popular John Abraham. The cast was given a storyline that was really good (although a copy from Jerry Lewis' movie Boeing Boeing), and in the hands of a director that has proved class in comedies in his previous creations (such as Hera Pheri, Hungama, Hulchul).

I think the sold house in the first weekend of its release was truly disappointed with the movie. There were no original moments of laughter in the movie with most of the jokes pretty stale and tried out previously. The plot, although not original, was pretty new to the Indian cinema and was the only saving grace of the film. But that too seemed too hastily done. To me it just seemed a good story line taken to the drain with some bad direction.

All in all, it just seemed like the film makers wanted to get the movie over by Diwali and hurried up in the production. I really didn't believe I would be saying this but - I would not recommend watching it really, and would seriously wait for it to release on DVD to rent it out.

Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya (2005)

A total disappointment

[5/10 · 24 July 2005]

I was totally not expecting anything out of this David Dhawan flick, and the film lived up to its expectations... by totally wasting my money and 3 hours. I usually give a lot of props to David Dhawan, since he is probably the only Indian director who ventures with comedy more often than anyone else. Its usually a nice break from all the dramatic movies. But I have to say this was a total disaster.

The film is filled with songs... at least 6-7 of them, almost never allowing the movie to ever maintain a flow. The storyline of the movie is pretty decent but a lot more could have been done with it to make the movie a whole lot better. Most of the movie was a drag, specially the second half.

Sushmita Sen has done a great job and looks good as always, Salman Khan is getting pretty good at comedy, and Arshad Varsi is hilarious as usual. But barring maybe 25-30 minutes of funny original scenes, the movie is mostly a big waste of time. I would recommend to definitely wait till the DVD is released for watching the film. It might be just a little more enjoyable.

It is probably not the WORST David Dhawan flick, but a BAD one.

Sarkar (2005)

In one word... Brilliant

[9/10 · 10 July 2005]

First of all let me start by the fact that I really liked how Ram Gopal Verma actually credited "The Godfather" before the movie started. Very few, if any, Hindi remakes of Hollywood movies actually credit the original. That made the movie already start on a positive note for me.

The plot around which the movie runs is definitely from the original with some changes to it. Although the second half of the movie is quite similar. So for the people who have seen the great movie, "The Godfather", might not be in the same awe of the movie as the people who have not seen the original.

But as a separate film to be judged for itself, it is no less than spectacular. Amitabh Bachchan displays his talents of acting which make him the top actor for decades now. He is flawless in the entire movie, with some great intensity and dialog delivery. His role takes a back seat in the second half, where Abhishek Bachchan is the focus. I did not expect much from him, but I was wrong. Abhishek Bachchan maintained the standard of the movie to top class with equally great intensity in the entire movie. This is by far the best performance I have seen of his, and this movie perhaps is just the one he was looking for as a launch pad to his golden era as the next superstar of Indian Film Industry.

Talking about great acting, the villain of the movie "Rashid" has done a great job. One of the best acting I have seen in a negative role, and does create his fear as a character.

All in all, another terrific movie in a terrific year for Indian Film Industry. Definitely recommended to watch in theaters to get the complete experience of this well made movie.

Parineeta (2005)

A milestone for Indian Film Industry

[9/10 · 3 July 2005]

"Parineeta" is based on a classic Indian novel, and the movie is probably the third or fourth remake of the novel. The plot/story of the movie is of the nature that could SO EASILY have been a big blunder at the box office. I had no intentions to go see the movie since I felt it would be a serious waste of my time and money.

As time went by, the movie became more and more popular amongst masses. I grew compelled to see what really made it so. But props to the Parineeta team to choose a wonderful star cast that drove me to see the film. Saif Khan's recent performances and of course Sanjay Dutt motivated me to go see the film.

Still not expecting much, I have no words to explain it, but I was truly shocked by the direction, editing of the movie backed by some of the best acting and screenplay I have seen in the Indian Film Industry. The movie, 130 minutes long, is also unlike other Indian movies which run easily 150+ minutes. The movie is crisp, and edited to perfection. Saif Khan and Sanjay Dutt were great like always, but Vidya Balan surprised me in her debut film.

This movie has set a new standard for Indian films. I like the direction in which Indian films are headed. 2004-05 has been a break through year for actors, directors for the Indian Film Industry, and movies like Parineeta is the fruit for the efforts.