Surprisingly Above Average

Going for this play was a total blind game. And boy was I pleasantly surprised!

True to its name, the story is full of surprises and keeps you involved right till the end. Although it appears to be predictable at first glance, the end is not too goody-goody as you would expect.

I never had much expectations from this cast but Saurabh Gokhale has proved his mettle. His performance is effortless and excellent! Prajakta Mali is also pretty good - so much better than her TV show! Mayuri Deshmukh is ok. Sameer Khandekar was a total turnoff. Had so many expectations after watching him on TV - but his dialogue delivery was too speedy for my taste. Diction was pretty bad. Could not even catch some of the words!!

Overall, this play is decent. You will definitely not be disappointed.

The Eid King ;-)

Is it just me or has Salman "bro" transformed into a docile version of his earlier self? With ‪#‎Sultan‬, he seems to have completely given up on his nonsensical, tad cheap, mannerisms and comedy! Has the era of a matured bhaijaan finally dawned?

That said, its a decent one-time watch movie. Lot of muscle and masala with standard set of ingredients - romance, action, milna, bichadna so on and so forth! And of course ek signature dance step to banta hi hai! The theme song is catchy.  

All in all 3/5. Personally, I enjoyed Bajrangi Bhaijaan, with all its melodrama, more than this one!  

Low Flier

Udta Punjab - Despite the hoopla, it turned out to be a low flier.

It was more of a Punjabi documentary than anything else. Cuss words in every other dialogue with graphic depiction of drugs and violence did not make the deal for me.  

Alia Bhatt and Diljit Dosanjh stand out with amazing performances; Shahid Kapoor is pretty convincing as the pop star; Kareena is not as bad as some people have described. 

The movie could have been shorter in length. Overall ok-ok for me. 2.5/5 

Te3n tighda toh kaam bighda

Te3n tighda toh kaam bighda - that pretty much summarizes it!

You expect greatness from the deadly trio of Amitabh Bachchan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Vidya Balan but this one is just not upto the mark. A tad bit too slow with a predictable plot, this Kahaani is nowhere in the league of its predecessor. Vidya Balan seems somewhat unfit for the role (thats a rare comment!); Amitabh looks too senile; Must give it up for Nawazuddin though- that guy's a natural.  

Overall just an okay-ish one time watch. 3/5  

Flying High

Gela Udat - Nothing short of a cinematic experience on stage!

It has everything from drama to comedy and dance to fight sequences. Story is average but superhero Siddharth Jadhav never lets the spirit drop! Like he says in the play, "Ekach fight - vatavaran tight!" The guy's enthusiasm and energy are at an altogether different level. The rest of the cast is apt. 

Overall, a typical Kedar Shinde comedy. 3.5/5. The extra 0.5 for the effort put into creating live cinema on stage! 

Prison-break!

Sarbjit - A good one time watch if you are into biopics. Omung Kumar seems to have found his niche.

The story is free flowing with a plethora of emotions - be it love, angst, melancholy, sadness, patriotism, hate - name it and its there somewhere in the movie. 

Performances are rock solid - Randeep Hooda aces it; Aishwarya Rai is pretty convincing; Richa Chaddha is restrained but holds on to the character. 

Overall, pretty good. 3/5 from me. 

Every Second Counts

Traffic - A good attempt but not as gripping as it should have been.

Since the story was simplistic and predictable, the onus of success was entirely on the actors. Performances are strictly OK but nothing extraordinary. Personally felt Manoj Bajpai didn't fit the part. Jimmy Shergill may soon take up police duty for real considering so much experience on his resume! 

Overall its a decent one time watch. 

To Infinity and Beyond!

The Man Who Knew Infinity - an inspiring story of chasing one's dreams.

Especially loved the performance by Jeremy Irons - the guy who played Hardy. Dev Patel is also up to the mark and a huge improvement over Slumdog Millionaire.

With a crisp narrative, good acting, and an insight into the life of one of the most brilliant Indian minds - Srinivasa Ramanujan, this movie is a good watch.