Karan Johar in a note before the re-make rolls applauds the genius of Amit uncle (Amitabh Bachchan) and the vision of Mukul Anand, the director. Produced by his father, late Yash Johar, this is Karan’s tribute to the vision of the three that produced one of the finest films to come out of Bollywood, which unfortunately failed to be coined as a commercial success.

Any comparison to the original now, is inevitable.

Assistant to Karan Johar, Karan Malhotra gets to hold the reins for the first time. He knocks off a few elements from the original, and adds new layers to the new. For instance, Mithun Chakraborty’s character, which was central to the plot, has been done away with, while Vijay’s mother’s role has been cut down, only to be exploited towards the end. Even Vijay’s sister’s role has been modified while a layer in the form of the character of Rauf Lala (Rishi Kapoor) who trades in the flesh market and drugs has been added. Kanhcha Cheena (Sanjay Dutt) has a father who is the village headman, while Danny Denzongpa in the original was a one-man-show. No song stands out in the AGNEEPATH of old; it’s just the brilliance of one man. Chikni Chameli (Katrina Kaif) leaves an indelible mark on this one. The track is not only catchy and peppy, but also sees the Kaif girl dancing like a ‘Kat on a hot tin roof!’ She sheds all inhibitions jumping into the song with gay abandon. A paisa vasool moment in the film.

The story: Master Dinanath Chauhan is a respected teacher in Mandwa. His popularity threatens the village headman who uses his son, Kancha Cheena to frame him in a crime and then eliminate him in a most brutal fashion. Vijay is just 10-years-old when he sees havoc wreaked in his life. He leaves Mandwa with his pregnant mother for Mumbai and begins his journey of hate, to one day reclaim Mandwa and eliminate Kancha. He uses the power of Rauf Lala, who is the Badshaah of Mumbai, to gain in strength to get closer to his target.

Drawbacks:

- While the late Mukul Anand took pains to etch out Master’s character, here Karan Malhotra quickly runs through the process without dwelling into how important Master’s existence is to the whole plot. He expects his newer audience to have seen the old film.

- As someone who is into the ‘flesh trade’ and drug mafia, Rishi Kapoor is a poor choice. Simply because he fails to characterize evil in a way it was meant to be. Pawan Malhotra could have been a good choice.

- The film is 20 minutes too long. A couple of songs could have been done away with. The birthday song for Vijay’s sister and the wedding song for Rauf’s son.

- Madhavi’s role (that of a nurse) though small, left a lasting impression. Priyanka Chopra’s role has been very poorly defined leaving no room for the actress to improvise or act.

- Finally, even 15 years later, Kancha is still the same fit old villain. Nothing changes for him, not even his style of dressing. Danny has aged considerably in the original. Dutt’s make-over has not been looked into properly. His style of dialogue delivery and his bald pate gives one a ‘comical feel’. For a character that is supposed to have you shuddering, it’s very weakly scripted. However, he makes up towards the end.

Highpoints:

- The dinner table scene this time is powerful where Vijay is shown grabbing his thali and devouring his mother’s food after 15 years. Touching.

- The entire sequence where Vijay rescues his sister from being sold by Rauf Lala is gripping till the time Shiksha learns who Vijay really is. For 15 years, she never knew she had a brother. And, it is only here, that Rishi manages to go top gear in the evil department.

- The climax more than makes up for the weak beginning. Even though there are a few cinematic liberties that the director takes, you as a viewer want to root out the evil.

- The Chikni Chameli item song which I have already mentioned.

- Hrithik double crossing Rauf Lala is smartly executed. He moves in for his own selfish motives, but is smart enough not to leave a trail. Malhotra handles these moments with the ease of a seasoned pro.

Hrithik conforms himself to the mould set by Amitabh. He sticks to the plot working with vengeance as his crutch. If you blank out Amitabh’s performance in the original, Hrithik stands out. He is cool, calculative and not afraid of death. Remember he has Maut ke saath apintment!

Kanika Tiwari who plays Hrithik’s sister towers in her brief role. A youngster pitied against seasoned stars like Priyanka and Hrithik, she holds her own in pivot scenes to steal the show.

The entire production is first rate. The songs, especially the Ganapati immersion and the wedding of Rauf Lala’s son, are picturised beautifully with well-choreographed dances.

Although it will not have a recall value like the old AGNEEPATH, this surely is a ‘must one-time-watch’.

This GHOST is a nuisance. The directors needs to learn the ABC of scripting before venturing into a horror story. What he does know is to keep the lighting low and make scary background sounds. Apart from that he just scratches the surface. Whoever coined the saying, ‘A little knowledge is a dangerous thing’, must surely have had this director in mind.

Picture this: There’s a lady who is rushed to the hospital with third degree burns. Her saree is intact! Get a load of this too: Just when the investigation into the killings in the City Hospital is reaching its peak with the investigating officer (Shiney) stumbling on some important facts, he answers a call from Dr Suhani (Sayali) to dance in a night club. There are many such flaws in this film that leaves the viewer enough time to catch a quick nap and wake up at the opportune time to hear another background score that tries hard to scare.

For the record, a few killings at the City Hospital is baffling the authorities. All the victims have their heart pulled out and face disfigured. In walks Shiney, the investigating officer. Sayali is a doctor who has just joined this hospital and in her second meeting is singing songs with the investigating officer. It also appears that Shiney is suffering from retrograde amnesia, meaning he has forgotten a certain phase of his life. No prizes for guessing that it has some link to the happenings.

At least, the Ramsay brothers, whose name is synonymous with horror films, had a set formula which made sense. This one is comical in its approach.

The movie is urban in its approach, with roots going back to small towns from where the central characters come from.

It’s a story about six bachelors coming together to live in a rented 2BHK apartment. They call their home ‘Sadda Adda’. All come from diverse backgrounds with dreams to make it big. While one wants to make it in acting, the others in engineering, and sales and design. There’s another who is struggling to find a suitable job.

Their home, as expected, is in a mess, with a detailed daily chart of who will do what during the day. However, there’s just one guy, Jogi, who ends up doing most of the work as the others bully him around.

From here, the story takes a predictable turn as to how one of the boys loses his focus, despite being talented. He finally realizes his act of arrogance and corrects it with all humility to regain lost ground.

Another, unable to cope with failure, decides that suicide is the best option.

First time director Muazzam Beg has a completely raw cast at hand and does a decent job extracting some good performances, especially from Karanvir Sharma and the boy who plays Safal, a Bihari. Both these actors should be able to make a mark like Omi Vaidya did in 3 IDIOTS.

The movie should strike the right chord with audience from within the college community and those who have just begun their professional career.

Like I said, it does end with a message of hope. In these stressful, competitive times, it is indeed heartening to be rejuvenated with a message to live your dreams, and not give up. It also subtly tells us that picking yourself up and fighting on is a better bet than suicide.

Chaalis Chauraasi Review

This one’s a dhamaal entertainer, with suspense and comedy thrown in at crucial moments to spice up the events that happen in one night. At every turn, there’s a new twist, sometimes comical, sometimes sinister. To sum it up, director Hriday Shetty conjures up an entertainer which could be bracketed as ’suspense comedy’. The comedy comes full-on towards the end as the suspense builds up to the grand finale.

Shetty begins by showing his four main protagonists, Naseeruddin Shah, Kay Kay Menon, Atul Kulkarni and Ravi Kissen on beat in their police van. It appears they have finished their duty and are off for a good night’s sleep. The mood, the setting and the screenplay that makes its presence felt in the next 10 minutes sets the tone for the rest of the film.

Already in a ‘mood’ with rum in their belly, they indulge in some harmless masti with a couple in a car who overtake their police van from the left. Annoyed Sir (Naseer) blocks their path. While the hapless husband wonders what he has done wrong, Kulkarni, from the other side questions the wife with a ‘leer’. There’s tension in the air as to what will follow next even as Naseer asks the husband to take a swig from the bottle as he is sober. Is this a trap to corner the man? What follows next is a series of events that will have you gripped in.

The Hawa Hawa and Setting Zala, songs add to the tempo with small flashbacks thrown in to give you the complete picture. Obviously, I cannot spoil the suspense for you here.

However, Shetty could have been smarter in the editing department, by cutting the screen time by 10 minutes. I feel that is what stops me from describing this film as brilliant. A few scenes, although clear to the viewer, are unnecessary lengthened by going into more flashbacks. So much of spoon-feeding spoils the narration.

Naseer is his flamboyant self, playing the leader with a dash of arrogance and sympathy to his juniors. Kay Kay Menon, coming on screen after a long hiatus, takes time to get into the skin of his character, and when he does, he thrills. Ravi Kissen deliberately downplays his usual body language to match that of the character he plays, and succeeds to an extent. Which is a huge relief. But it is Atul Kulkarni who surprises doing a complete new act, getting into the character so deep that you cannot find shades of his earlier performances. Even Shweta Bhardwaj is used smartly with Shetty extracting a smart performance from her.

If you are looking for a film to entertain you, this one’s definitely a must-watch. The ratings are for the screenplay, camaraderie between the four main characters, the plot which is smartly woven, the suspense and the right dose of comedy.

Players Movie Review, Players Movie Watch Online

The 2003 Hollywood release, THE ITALIAN JOB was a decent flick. The movie opens with the heist of $35 million in gold bars from a Venetian mansion. And although PLAYERS, Abbas-Mustan’s latest offering is a straight lift from the Hollywood flick, they fail to even lift impressively. I mean, you have a ready plot, you know what each actor’s role ought to be and the screenplay is well laid out. All they have to do is adapt it to the Indian audience which, frankly speaking requires a little imagination. That’s where they suffer!

There are enough loopholes in the plot which will have you leave your mouth open gaping in disbelief. In fact, if one starts to get going, pointing out the flaws, one will not know where to stop. Here are a few…

The gold bars, after they have been robbed in Russia, find a safe haven in New Zealand. How did they land there? We are talking about tons of gold here?
Finally, how on earth can a few Indians infiltrate the Russian government and execute a heist of this magnitude? And then they go all the way to New Zealand to claim the gold back. They are more comfortable than the locals on the Kiwi streets, blasting off their underways and creating traffic jams, ‘Like in Mumbai’.
Is Mumbai the only place in the world famous for traffic jams? And is MERA NAAM JOKER the only film the Russians remember? I wonder if Abbas-Mustan even realize what they have done to tarnish the image of India abroad.

Having said that, let’s also give credit where it is due, PLAYERS is a slick treat of high adrenaline action scenes that rates up there with the best in Bollywood. With thrillers being their forte, and action their main course, Abbas-Mustan do not disappoint in this department.

Abhishek Bachchan (Charlie) and Bipasha Basu (Riya) are partners in crime. Six months before and after a con job, they stay away from each other to plan their next big robbery. No one doubts their involvement. But now, there is a big heist to undertake and it requires not just Charlie and Riya but a gang of experts to pull it off.

The Russian mafia is after Aftab Shivdasani because he is sitting on a goldmine of information. He knows where, when and how the Romanian gold is going to be sent back to its country by Russia. He also knows which high-profile Russian officials will be a part of this very important operation. However, he is killed by the mafia, and a parcel he has left with his wife in Goa is given to Charlie after his death. The parcel contains a CD with some basic information. He advises Charlie to get a team of Players, the world’s best to pull off this gold heist.

Only Vinod Khanna, a master con artist himself who is in jail, can set this team up for Charlie who incidentally is also his Chartered Accountant and a friend of his daughter Sonam Kapoor (Naina). Being a computer genius with a Masters in ethical hacking, Naina is an integral part of the team. There’s also Bobby Deol (Ronnie) who is the equivalent of P C Sorcar, a master illusionist; Omi Vaidya (Sunny), a prosthetics expert; Sikander Kher (Bilal) who has worked with several secret service agencies all over the world and Spider (Neil Nitin Mukesh), a computer geek.

From here, the movie moves on to slick action zone taking the viewer on a high-speed ride through Russian terrain where each Player has to play his part to get through the gold bars. The clip with the two trains running parallel to each other with Charlie dangling mid-air off-loading the gold while the Russian guards are hoodwinked by Ronnie’s illusion is well-executed.

The mystery unfolds once the gold has been successfully robbed. The drama begins anew!

It would not be wrong to say that most of the cast are plastic in their expression. Bobby Deol sports a grumpy look, mouthing just a few lines. There are no layers to Abhishek’s character and he is left performing at just one level, while Neil Nitin Mukesh, though looks good in his role, fails to inject that necessary fear element. Bipasha Basu does what she does best, looking hot. But it is Sonam Kapoor who disappoints. I get the feeling that the poor girl is trying too hard to play this ‘oomphy’ character. She is either overawed by Bipasha or is rattled by the recent spate of her flops. The music too is a big let-down, with songs unnecessarily thrown in.

The relief comes from Johnny Lever who has a foreign wife and a gora ‘Ramu Kaka’, all based in Wellington, New Zealand. I guess, Abbas-Mustan sensed what they had done and injected Lever’s track at an opportune time allowing the audience to let of steam with a hearty laugh!

The rating is purely for the thrills!

Rating : 2.5/5

Kya Yahi Sach Hai Review, Kya Yahi Sach Hai Watch Movie Online

Former IPS Officer Y P Singh’s maiden directorial venture, based on the novel Carnage of Angels, is an honest attempt to bring the truth to light.

Police officers of the highest ranks are shown groveling like dogs at the feet of the Home Minister! Kya Yehi Sach Hai?

There’s an elderly police officer begging to be made Mumbai’s Police Commissioner. In return he is willing to sign on any documents the Home Minister tells him to! Kya Yehi Sach Hai?

Home Secretary and Chief Secretaries, too are falling at the feet of this Home Minister based in Mumbai! Kya Yehi Sach Hai?

And when an honest IPS officer sets on a crusade to clean the city of its ills, he is given no support by his seniors! Kya Yehi Sach Hai?

All the seniors, including the Home Minister, Police Commissioner and the Chief Secretary are busy trying to pull down this honest IPS officer instead of concentrating their energies on running their office for the benefit of the citizens! Kya Yehi Sach Hai?

This movie focuses on the malaise that affects the police force, in particular the nexus they allegedly run with criminals and those running unethical businesses. Hafta is their extra income that allows them to live a lavish lifestyle and when an honest officer comes along in the form of Raghu Kumar, they feel threatened. Instead of helping him fight crime and criminals, they gang up against him.

The story per say has nothing new. We have seen a zillion scenes in movies where cops and ministers run their rackets. Another drawback is that the film drags at a slow pace. You know what is going to come next and still Singh takes a long time to bring the scene to an end and move on to the next. Also, the narrative would have done with a little more technical expertise.

All in all, it’s a brave attempt by someone from within the community to bring to light the dark secrets of the police force. On that front this film scores big time.

Don 2 Review, Watch Movie Online

Farhan Akhtar has taken credit for the dialogues, direction and story of DON 2. This, apart from being in the production team. Farhan, as we all know, has set very high standards in Bollywood. So DON 2, which has no story, dialogues which are ‘college class’ and no direction comes as a surprise.

No, in fact it is a huge blow because this is not something that you expect from a Farhan Akhtar. DON 2 is as bad as the recent duds like SHAKAL PE MAT JA, BE-CAREFUL, and MILEY NAA MILEY HUM, to name a few.

Let me start from the beginning. For the first 15 minutes, you are clueless. The next 15 minutes you are trying to fathom what exactly is going on the screen. For the remainder of the film, you are left numb with disbelief.

CHECK OUT: Shahrukh: Don ko pakadna mushkil hee nahi…

Shah Rukh Khan tries too hard. There is no aura of a Don around him. Nothing sinister even though he tries bloody hard. Priyanka Chopra is left mouthing, ‘Oh my God,’ ‘Really,’ and ‘I’m on my way.’ She is not convincing as the character she plays and is as clueless as Farhan and SRK. Om Puri looks as stunned as the rest of the cast while a role etched out for Kunal Kapoor is laughable. Even Aly Khan who was impressive in a movie released two weeks ago, JO HUM CHAHEIN (Featuring two debutants), is left groping in the dark. Boman Irani, what have they Don(e) with you!

The beginning itself is a bummer. Everyone wants Don dead and the Malaysian cartel where he is king has been given a deal by gang lords in Europe to finish off Don so that they have a network there. This is because Don has now set his sights on Europe. There is a gun (automatic weapon) pointed at Don’s head and he is surrounded from all sides. So what do these guys do? They indulge in dialogue baazi and in the clumsiest of action moves Don triumphs. C’mon Farhan, this is an action flick. Make it believable!

There is no fear in the moment. Another low-point is Don surrendering and being imprisoned in a maximum high security prison in Malaysia. His escape from there with Vardhan (Boman Irani), in the most comical way is more annoying than sinister. It’s like a Tom and Jerry show. But even in a Tom and Jerry show you marvel at the innovative ideas of the two characters to get at each other.

A third most disappointing factor is the use of Hrithik Roshan. OK, even if you have to use him as a face mask, at least don’t show his double thumb. This way we will think he is a part of the cast!

And yes, there is a hint of Don 3 making its way…

Ratings : 1/5

Ra One Movie

Watch Ra One Movie

Director: Anubhav Sinha
Producer: Gauri Khan, Shahrukh Khan
Starring : Shahrukh Khan, Arjun Rampal, Shahana Goswami, Kareena Kapoor, Satish Shah, Dalip Tahil
Release Date: 26 October 2011
Genre: Sci-Fi,Action
Language: HIndi
Country: India
Synopsis: Ra One is a sci-fi movie based on Gaming,Bad Guys and Super Heroes. In the movie Shahrukh Khan plays the role of a Gaming Freak who falls in Love With Kareena Kapoor.

The film is about Jeevan (Shahrukh Khan), a Software engineer in Miami, who has a video game and always tries to beat his villain RA.ONE.

Attempting to connect with his teenage son, a Game Designer creates the ultimate video gamevillian. When the villainous program becomes self-aware, itescapes from the game and kills the father. Now hunted by the digital demon because he’s the only player to ever defeat him, the Boy must extract the game’shero – designed in his father’s imagection. Together, the unlikely duo bond form a relationship they never shared as father and son while stopping thevillian’s plan to enslave the world.

Girl grows up to be strong and emotionally independent. She is Aranya. She runs her watch repair shop. One day, a complete stranger comes to her to repair his watch. He is quirky. He keeps coming daily to get his water-logged watch repaired. They fall in love and then comes the twist.

At first you wonder how Aranya (Ayesha Takia) falls in love with a person who she knows has an obvious problem. But later you realize that she is truly in love. Absolutely and completely.

Cut back to 10 years when Aranya was in Class X. Oblivious to her, her classmate Andy was in love with her. He visits her on her birthday wanting to read her a poem he has written. She is not amused and asks him to return 10 years later. Ten years later, Andy (Ranvijay Singh) does return. But is he Andy?

Aranya is in a fix when she learns of this dual personality she has fallen in love with.

MOD has the Nagesh Kukunoor trademark and he spins the tale interestingly. There are times when you wonder where the film is headed and why it is not ending. That’s when he introduces a new turn to engage you a little further. However, there comes a time when you feel he could have ended the film a little earlier than he actually did.

All said and done, it’s a clean story with love, in its purest form, as the central theme. It’s love which stands the test of time as Aranya leaves everything to embrace Abhay, helping him escape from hospital where is been given the shock treatment, and begin life anew together.

Did I say Abhay? So who is Abhay? Herein lies the MOD (twist).

Go watch it!

Rating – 2.5 /5

Everything happens in one night and the lives of the characters are interwoven to bring it to a cute crescendo towards the grand finale. The few dances on show are well-choreographed and the music, foot-tapping. In the end, it’s not Pinto’s friend who introduces him as ‘My Friend Pinto’ but the others he has met a few hours ago, while his friend looks on from the background.

Sameer (Arjun Mathur) and Michael Pinto (Prateik Babbar) are school buddies. While Pinto lives in Goa, Sameer is now married and living in Mumbai. Caught up with the pressures of making life ‘happen’, he fails to correspond with Pinto who has been writing letters faithfully for the past 10 years or so. Most of the letters have never even been opened by Sameer. Given this background, Sam is unaware of what Pinto is going through – He does not know that he has lost his mother.

Pinto is on a week’s holiday in Mumbai before he goes to join the seminary to become a Priest. Sam is in a fix because his wife, though aware of who Pinto is, is also aware that he has the uncanny knack of getting himself in trouble and making a mess of things. She is house proud and wants nothing to do with a mess, while Sam cannot refuse Pinto this honour. It’s New Year’s Eve and Sam and his wife have to go for a party. They leave, with Pinto still in the bathroom, busy trying to fix a tap he has just broken.

One incident leads to another and before you know it Pinto is out of the house, after accidently finding himself locked in the balcony. Stuck, he has two options; to wait for his friend’s return, or walk dangerously on the parapet. From here begins his journey into the night and onto the Mumbai streets. He ends up at the same party as his friend. To top it, he is the cynosure of all eyes.

Prateik is a raw talent. It’s in his genes. He plays the bumbling fool to good effect. Not a standout, or his best performance, but definitely worthy of an applause. I just thought it would have been a good move to have run this movie without an interval. The break kills the momentum it builds up for the viewer.

Having said that, MY FRIEND PINTO is definitely a feel good movie. One, which an entire family can enjoy together.

Anurag Kashyap tried his hand at this ‘experimental element’ in NO SMOKING. That’s probably the reason why he is part of this film in a small role as someone who talks glowingly about Raunak Kaul (Rajeev Khandelwal) who is now a successful music composer, although he has turned deaf. There are others from the music industry as well, who speak about Raunak’s genius. There’s Anu Mallick, Salim (of Salim-Suleiman fame), Kailsah Kher apart from successful VJs and DJs. That’s a novelty Neerav brings into this film as he intersperses their views on the central character as he tells the story.

Raunak is full of life. He comes to the city from a small town to make it big. He lost his father at the age of six, but does remember the ‘musical times’ he had with his dad. His uncle hands him some unfinished tapes of his father and Raunak adds layers to it which become an instant hit in the night club where he is the most sought-after DJ. Already high on alcohol, he takes to drugs of all sorts not to mention women. Life is actually a mess, but he perceives it as bliss. Excess takes its toll on his body and the constant loud decibel levels at the club aided by his ‘wasted’ lifestyle brings about a hearing disability. He turns stone deaf.

The first half is full of excesses to the point of being repulsive. Drugs, alcohol, women and what have you… But I guess, Neerav had to drive home his point. And you realize the reasoning behind this move after the break when things glide smoothly. Raunak comes to terms with his deafness, returns to civilian life and meets with Gauri (Soha Ali Khan), who is also deaf. She is his lip-reading teacher.

It is the second part that balances out the tumultuous first. Both Soha and Rajeev share a chemistry that endears you to them. Modulating her voice and aiding it with her finger movements and facial expressions, Soha is first rate. I mean this is not a movie any heroine would do. It’s only the bold who will experiment with such technically difficult roles.

It’s hard-hitting and creatively presented. But what could have worked in Neerav’s favour is if the rest of the cast were within the confines of the parameters he had in mind for the film.

It would be tough to get in the audience (read commercial success), but those creatively inclined should definitely watch this flick.

Rating – 3/5

LOVE, BREAKUPS, ZINDAGI is a story that is close to everyone’s heart, no matter what age you are at. It has as its central theme relationship complications, which are not new to anyone. The movie also dwells on that ‘once in a lifetime moment’ that you have to be able to grasp and the ultimate move you have to make, no matter what it takes. You may be in love, but is this love? Tough question, which LBZ makes you answer. Love has no logic… its pure magic! Debutant director (also producer), Sahil Sangha gets it right.

At the helm are five couples. One is getting married. At their sangeet, two settled love birds will find the truth their relationships are based on. While a third, will try and test the other to see if they are compatible. The fourth will gorge on ice-cream after breaking into that ‘private zone’ of her partner – reading an SMS!

The first half is a breeze. Sahil takes you through the lives of the love-birds without an effort. The marriage scene in Chandigarh (shot on location in Alibaug) are not the ones you see in movies, dhol, shol, et al. This one is different. It entertains you. The ceremonies leading to the wedding and the shock episode a day before the pheras leave the cast wondering what life is all about.

Though technically sound with melodious music flowing in, and dialogues which have freshness to it, the second half tends to go off track a wee bit before. This is where a few ‘cuts’ were recommended. However, Sahil manages to steer the ship back to course. A few ‘unkind cuts’ where scenes jump between Cyrus and Tisca, too put a blotch on the product. Otherwise, it’s a commendable effort from the entire team. Dia as Naina is outstanding in the final scene bringing in the fragility of love in a helpless manner.

Killer move:

The song from KHUDGARZ, aap ke aa jaane se is superbly choreographed and gracefully performed. Gives the whole sangeet scene, a welcome feel. Takes you to the eighties, giving a Boney M feel when Disco was king. The camera pans beautifully on the actors capturing the moves of everyone and their perfect lip-syncing. It will have you grooving to the beat.

Since it is the first for two young actors, on the other side of the fence, I have decided to go a different route to chart the story and also rate the performances.

Here’s the report card

Zayed Khan… Jai
For once, he restrains himself, rather than running way with his dialogues and character. Kept on a tight leash by Sahil.
Performance rating: 7/10

Dia Mirza… Naina
Very much in love. But is this love? She is faithful to the point of breaking her heart, and ruining her life. A real character you often see in unhappy marriages.
Performance rating: 9/10

Cyrus Sahukar… Govind
Never lets his television persona override his character. Not your typical screen buddy who goes by what the hero says, but has a say in what he has to say. As a man in search of romance after two broken marriages, he brings a distinct warmth to his character. No, he is not disillusioned by love. For him it is a process.
Performance rating: 9/10

Tisca Chopra… Sheela
Earthy and warm. Sheela is someone you would bump into at a party. Takes to the advances of Govind in a mature manner. If Govind has been in a hurry to marry, Sheela has waited and waited. Another real character you often find who have crossed their 30s and are still looking for love.
Performance rating: 8/10

Satyadeep Mishra… Arjun
Stays in sync with his part. His scene where Cyrus ‘accidentally’ refers to his girlfriend as hot is what every lad wants to hear about his spouse to be. Or is it?
Performance rating: 9/10

Auritra Ghosh… Gayatri
Like Satyadeep, she keeps within the confines of her role.
Performance rating: 8/10

Vaibhav Talwar… Dhruv
Brings a steely coldness to his character, where figures matter more than the emotional quotient. He is busy climbing the corporate ladder while missing out on the little things that make life truly beautiful.
Performance rating: 8/10

Pallavi Sharda… Radhika
A go-getter who wants things done her way; does not matter if her partner has a say. She has chalked out her life. Everything seems perfect, at least on paper. Until, she gets a dose of reality.
Performance rating: 8/10

Guest Appearances:
All four guest appearances (Shabhana Azmi, Shahrukh Khan, Boman Irani and Riteish Deshmukh) score high. They are woven seamlessly into the screenplay. Boman, especially, as father of the bride is hilarious. No forced comedy.

LBZ celebrates love. Go for it!

Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt are two conmen out to outwit the other. Both, in a way, stepped on the toes of bad man Anthony played by Arjun Rampal and are now on a flight to Bangkok, where one situation will lead to another pitting the wits of both conmen. Awaiting them are two hotties, model Lisa Haydon (making her debut) and Kangna Ranaut. Why Bangkok? Good question!

Kangana is a rich man’s daughter. Dutt eyes her empire while Devgn eyes ’something else’. Dutt sets up ‘Art of Giving’ of which Kangana is a regular and is soon his student as well. But Devgn won’t let Dutt succeed in his plan. He pretends to be blind and befriends Kangana and here begins the free-for-all. The two are ably assisted by Chunkey Pandey, the hotel bellboy who plays both ways.

While Dutt looks tired and old, Devgn brings a youthful zest to his role, playing the rascal to the hilt. Lisa has nothing much to do other than flaunt her assets, while, surprisingly, Kangana too has to do the same. Both have a blast doing it, as do the RASCALS who grope like school boys everytime opportunity presents itself on screen.

David Dhawan unleashes the two senior pros and lets them have a ball. His comedies of the past may have made a mark, but this one, though lacking in punch, delivers in panache. And it’s mainly the two seniors who steer Dhawan out of difficult situations. There are a few scenes that, if you throw logic out of the window, will have you in splits. Devgn has that comic streak in him, which is as intense as the ‘angry young man’ element. He gives his all to the role, never once getting himself in an awkward position even in a weak scene. Dutt, has been there done that and knows where and when to pull in his weight. And though he appears tired and jaded, he does manage to match Devgn, ’scene for scene’.

The music by Vishal and Shekhar is peppy, while the dialogues are full on wit, and less on logic. What hits you hard on the positive side is the fact that even when there is no plan or plot, Dutt and Devgn don’t feel the heat. They go about their business of making you laugh with glee.

RASCALS is what the film promises… buy your ticket, take your popcorn, and get set for a situational comedy.