Oye Lucky Lucky Oye Movie Review - Worth a Watch

It takes some time to set aside misgivings about a film that seems to say "crime pays". When the eponymous Lucky of Dibakar Banerjee's 'Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!' is first seen, he is a media star and a battery of cops is fetching and carrying for him.

But once you are swept into the flow of the crazily unfolding story, Lucky's 'profession' doesn't matter. In a flashback he is a cheeky teenage Sikh boy (Manjot Singh) in one of Delhi's out-of-a-mould, lower middle class colonies– with untidy houses, wires crisscrossing, all over and Hindi-speaking boys ogling snooty English-speaking girls and beating up a boy from a rival school, just because he is rich.

Lucky starts by stealing greeting cards, and a scooter to take a girl on a jaunt, and by the time he is grown up (Abhay Deol), he pretty much steals everything, using his brains, charm and chutzpah. He has a sidekick called Bangali (Manu Rishi) and a flamboyant fence Gogi (Paresh Rawal), who protects him.
However amoral he may be in other ways Lucky is loyal to Sonal (Neetu Chandra) and is never seen using guns or violence—his only weapons are his quick thinking and glib tongue.
Reminiscent in tone to Steven Spielberg's 'Catch Me If You Can', and closer home to 'Bunty Aur Babli', the film is marked by Banerjee's eccentric crafting and funky wit (evident in his first film 'Khosla Ka Ghosla'). He also maps a grungy side of Delhi, seldom seen in films—while many directors have gone into the nooks and crannies of Mumbai. The dialect, speech, slang and body language of working class Delhi are so perfectly captured, that you suspect the actors attended workshops before shooting.
Banerjee's whimsical style is demonstrated by his arbitrary assigning of a triple role to Paresh Rawal (excellent), when none of the characters he plays have any connection to each other. The performances by some new actors are also exceptionally good – Richa Chadda who plays Sonal's shrewd sister, Manu Rishi, the young Lucky and Archana Puran Singh as a wily housewife. Abhay Deol, of course, makes a marvellous Lucky with deadpan humour—the actor has consistently shown an adventurous streak in his choice of films.

The director—reportedly inspired by a real life thief—has his sympathies lying with Lucky; even as he steals from Delhi's rich, he is exploited by everyone from a potential business partner (Paresh Rawal) to Sonal's mother (demanding a toaster) to the hypocritical girlfriend, who accepts his money, but won't "touch" it.

The boisterous music (Sneha Khanvalkar) plus retro kitsch look and feel, make it worth a watch. Banerjee is clearly not a one-film wonder, but a director who stands out in a crowd with a style that's quirky and individualistic.

'Sorry Bhai': Flat and humourless

It's not exactly shocking or path-breaking, the story about a man falling for his brother's fiancée—over 20 years ago, there was the sensitively made Panchvati had the same plot, only Onir's Sorry Bhai is light (not enough) and shallow (very).

Siddharath (Sharman Joshi) is supposed to be a scientist, who is working on a project to "make a toy dog fly" and seeking a grant for that. Could anyone take a man like that seriously? His redeeming feature is that he plays the saxophone and has all the time in the world, when his older brother Harsh (Sanjay Suri) is a busy stock broker in Mauritius (which is a pretty location, but hardly such a major financial hub!)

Harsh is to marry Aliya (Chitrangada Singh), which for some reason annoys his mother Gayatri (Shabana Azmi), and she is reluctantly dragged by husband Navin and Siddharth to Mauritius for the imminent wedding.

Gayatri's persistent queries about her parents, irritate Aaliya (she could have just told her the truth right at the start, which she does later) and the family gathering is not a success.

While Harsh and his boss are battling a market crash, Aaliya and Siddharth fall in love. He has some scruples about it, she behaves as if it's quite alright and goes to the extent of seducing him.

'Sorry Bhai' is just a flat and mostly humourless film – Siddharth and Aliya's attraction involves silly gimmicks like sliding down a banister. This kind of no-substance, fluffy film needed style, great acting and an ability to pull off melodrama—all of which 'Sorry Bhai' lacks. And what is one to make of Navin's outburst at his wife—in which he makes accusations at her, which are not quite substantiated with what is seen of their relationship all along.

Shabana Azmi, who can be depended on to lift up any role, cannot do much with one so banal; it is Boman Irani's vivacity, that somehow makes their scenes together work and get an impromptu quality.

Chitrangada Singh looks sultry, but doesn't bring much to the role—not the strength the character needed, or even any jagged edges. Sanjay Suri and Sharman Joshi do their parts with plodding gravity, without any flashes of fire. You suspect everyone went to Mauritius for a holiday and came up with a film while they were at it.

Onir had made the heartfelt 'My Brother Nikhil' and the ponderous 'Bas Ek Pal' before this, and must have wanted to do a romantic comedy-drama for a change, but maybe this is just not his genre.

Maharathi - The Preview

Subhash (Paresh Rawal) has spent the last 10 years unsuccessfully trying to get acting parts in films. He makes ends meet by his uncanny ability to think on his feet committing small time cons on unsuspecting victims.

One night he saves a man's life, to do so he puts his own at risk. He accompanies the injured man back home. Subhash is awe struck at the grandeur and affluence of Mr. Adenwalla (Nasserudin Shah). Subhash realizes this may lead to a generous tip.

Soon enough Subhash is hired by the grateful Adenwalla as his driver. The wife Mallika Adenwalla (Neha Dhupia) resents Subhash for his proximity to her husband and senses this man taking advantage of her husband.

Subhash now firmly ensconced in Adenwallas house and heart discovers his wife's evil designs. On the other hand, Adenwalla, driven to the point of insanity by his money hungry wife decides to take the ultimate revenge. He puts his wife in a catch 22 situation by throwing down a challenge.

Subhash recognizes this as an opportunity to rid him-self of a lifetime of middle class mediocrity and poverty. He collaborates with Mallika to acquire all the money and property.

Working hand in glove, they get a caretaker (Tara Sharma) with the help of their family lawyer (Boman Irani) to be a witness to an ailing Mr. Adenwallas presence in the house which they concoct their plans.

Several thrilling situations arise in their plan, ranging from false alibis, double-crossing, phony kidnappings to hidden agendas which wreck havoc all around.

But even the best laid plans can go awry and this brings ACP Gokhale (Om Puri) and Inspector Borkar (Vivek Shauq) into the picture.

How the scheming Subhash gets trapped in his own lies and how he finally manages to save his skin, forms the crux of the story.

Dostana - Movie Review / Download free MP3

Dostana (comedy)
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham, Priyanka Chopra
Direction: Tarun Mansukhani

Download Free Dostana MP3 Songs

Dostana works, not because it is a film about gay rights, like Philadelphia, Brokeback Mountain or The Birdcage . On the contrary, the film doesn't plead the cause of alternate sexuality at all; instead it unspools as a relentless spoof on gays and the way society looks at them. And no, unlike Fashion, it doesn't even have any primary gay characters who play a pivotal role in the drama.

So why and how does Dostana work? Simply because it introduces the most outrageous scenes in popular Hindi cinema and manages to get away with it because it's all done with an infectious zest and effervescence that keeps the ribs tickling. Rarely will you get to see two popular desi heroes indulge in such gay banter, even though it's make-believe. Recounting his fictitious love story, goofy-eyed Abhishek creates a bizarre Venetian soiree with brawny John Abraham, even as his traditional Punjabi mom, Kiron Kher reluctantly begins to accept John as her son-in-law, no daughter-in-law, no...whatever! Absolutely rollicking stuff. Add to this, a funny cameo by Boman Irani as a seriously gay fashion editor who can't control his libido when he spots John, and be ready for mayhem to explode.

Yes, Dostana works, only as a no-holds-barred comedy that cracks most of its laughs in the first half when homeless Abhishek and John pretend to be gay in order to live as tenants in fashionista Priyanka's upmarket pad in Miami. The subterfuge begins to crack when the two fall in love with their gorgeous landlady (Priyanka's never looked better!) and the film slips onto an emotional track as each tries to woo her his own way. More emotions, when a third player enters: silent, chivalrous Bobby Deol who grows from despised boss to benevolent beau for piquant Priyanka. With three guys angling for one hottie, the competition sure gets desperate and dirty, requiring one more outrageous act to resolve the climax. Hold your breath for the last act!

Just for laughs, with a loose second half, Dostana boasts of some fine chemistry between the two lead players: Abhishek and John. However, Priyanka too manages to hold her own between the buddy and the beefcake, with her sassy desi girl act, while Bobby suitably blends in. Eventually, it's the modern look and unconventional drama of the film that prevails, specially since the film doesn't actually promote a better understanding of homosexuality at all.

Yuvvraaj - Movie Review

Yuvvraaj (drama)
Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor, Zayed Khan Direction: Subhash Ghai

HE'S the last of the showmen left, apart from Yash Chopra, who seems to have taken a break from direction. Yes, not so long ago, Subhash Ghai was a synonym for Bollywood's opulent extravaganzas of the '80s-'90s, when cinema was still a larger-than-life narrative about good versus evil. Remember Karz , the original, Karma , Ram Lakhan , Khalnayak , Taal ...an era of cinema where the formula not only held sway, but was a grand success too.

The onslaught of new storytellers and new styles may have pushed the old guard into the background, but it failed to dim the passion. Today, after a lean phase, the veteran filmmaker returns with Yuvvraaj , a grandiose film that has lots to boast about, even though it falters here and there in terms of script and narrative.

Topping the list of positives is AR Rahman's scintillating music score which brings to life Gulzar's poetry with sublime fluidity. And since the film is essentially set against a musical backdrop, where Katrina and Salman are members of an Austrain orchestra, Rahman's ode to Beethoven seems in perfect sync with the script.

Secondly, it's the aesthetics of the film which leaves a lasting impression. Mostly shot in Prague and Austria, the film is picture-postcard perfect, with cinematographer Kabir Lal capturing the exotic locales in splendid hues. And finally, the film scores with its performances, especially by Salman Khan who essentially plays himself — a super brat — with perfect elan.

He is the prodigal son, who was thrown out of the family mansion by his father because of his sibling rivalry with his mentally challenged elder brother, Anil Kapoor. As a choir boy in Prague, he finds a soulmate in cellist Katrina Kaif, but cannot marry her since her dad (billionaire Boman Irani) doesn't approve of his impoverished situation.

Hoping to change his fortunes after the death of his dad, he rushes home to inherit the family millions, only to realise there's nothing left for him and his younger, equally roguish brother, Zayed Khan. Nerd Anil has been declared the sole heir, with sundry greedy relatives eyeing the moolah around him. Time for the dysfunctional family to outwit each other and split or to outsmart the outsiders and come together, once again....

Essentially a tale of three brothers, who rediscover their ties after hating each other for years, Yuvvraaj does have some fine moments of bonding between Salman and Anil. Zayed, however fails to connect and remains the outsider in this Trimurti, though surprisingly, Katrina does manage to hold her own in this bhai-bhai business. We do wish the duo (Katrina-Salman) had more time to set the screen on fire with their crackling chemistry, especially since all that we manage to get is a tantalising teaser with Katrina handcuffing a bare-chested Salman with her silken scarf. Kendi pump up the jam, janah!

On the flip side, the story hangs loosely in the middle and winds up in a mothballed climax, where old-fashioned baddies try to bump off the goofy Anil Kapoor who does an Eeshwar all over again. But Salman Khan and AR Rahman more than make up for the lapses, carrying you off on a sonata and a song. Watch Yuvvraaj for an in-fashion retro feel.