Drive

#Drive - Is #Race on your mind? Then #DhoomMachale! 😏

Its basically a crude version of #Dhoom on 4 wheels, with an attempt to throw in the “thrill” of #Race. Extremely predictable, it fails to engage. May be thats why it was released directly to #Netflix. #SmartMove😬

#SushantSinghRajput is good (or may be I am biased 😜); #JackquelineFernandes is a bimbette as usual; #BomanIrani and #PankajTripathi are wasted; others are whatever!

Overall, nothing much to “drive” you crazy.

2⭐️ from me.

Total Dhamaal

#TotalDhamaal - Just the kind of nonsense and brainless entertainment needed after 2 hectic weeks in office! 😬

No, I am not saying its good; neither am I saying its bad; it does have its moments with some good punches and one-liners.

All characters are silly and unreal but the overall presentation is quite okay.

#MadhuriDixit is just so at ease and looks amazing. #AnilKapoor is getting younger by the day. #AjayDevgan ,#RiteishDeshmukh , #ArshadWarsi, #JavedJaffrey , #SanjayMishra , #BomanIrani and so on - all possible comical ingredients are thrown in.

Overall quite alright.

2.5⭐️ from me.

Crappy New Year!!

I am not at all Happy this New Year! I mean, what on earth was Farah Khan thinking??

She had set a "worst possible movie" benchmark with Tees Maar Khan  a couple of years ago and has maintained the same (sub)standard style of film making in this one!

She and her brother Sajid are taking Bollywood to a whole different (lower) level! Their sibling rivalry (or collaboration?) is resulting in cheap, cheaper and cheapest "comedies" (if you must call them that) being churned out year after year!

Happy New Year is a sheer waste of good talent. With an ensemble like Shahrukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood and Deepika Padukone, one should be able to simply rock it! Instead, the outcome is more of the "put a sock in it" kind!

The film looks like a bad rip off of Ocean's Eleven, mixed with Shalimar.

The jokes are either non-existent or disgusting and crude. For example, it is not even remotely funny to see a guy vomiting on demand or a fat guy (Kiku) dressed up as a lady and trying to emulate Saroj Khan or a play on words like "Madar...........chod na yaar"! And what's with lines like "Nandu Bhide..dokyat kidey" and a sick gay-ish scene between Vishal Dadlani and Anurag Kashyap....puh'lease!!

As far as the cast goes, Abhishek's comic timing is under-utilized, Sonu seems to be there only for the muscle quotient, Jackie Shroff is passable, Anupam Kher's role is so short that you may miss him if you blink an eye, and Vivaan Shah needs to wipe that constant smirk off his face!

The saving grace is SRK's abs and aura (although they don't match with his aging face), Boman Irani (I just love the guy in whatever he does), Deepika Padukone, and the title track at the end (Farah style).

I strongly feel that Farah needs to rewatch Main Hoon Naa and Om Shanti Om and at least try to get the next one right!

All in all...SRK...you broke my heart!!

Murder They Wrote...

It has been a while since I saw a well-acted “murder” mystery in Bollywood. The reason I put murder in quotes is that this film is a murder mystery without a murder.  The tag line says it all…”How do you murder a man who has already committed suicide?”

The film opens slowly, a tad boringly. We see a typical Bollywood-style dysfunctional marriage with a once-successful, drunk, slightly older husband (Naseeruddin Shah) with a young, attractive, and probably gold-digging wife (Neha Dhupia).  And there is a family friend cum confidante cum lawyer, Boman Irani. A near-death DUI experience for the husband brings an average Joe, Paresh Rawal, into the household as a driver. As the plot progresses, we are introduced to the hopelessness and eccentricity of Naseeruddin Shah’s character.  Then comes a day when he decides to screw his wife’s life for good…he reveals to her and  the driver the secret about his Rs.250,000,000 insurance and the twists and complexities involved in claiming it,  and then commits suicide. All the wife needs to do is prove that he was murdered in order to claim the money. At this point begins a tale of twists and turns, trust and betrayal, and double cross, which keeps the viewer engaged. There are several moments when the movie is totally predictable (at least it was to me!), but it is enjoyable nonetheless.  There are some obvious plot holes and inaccuracies but overall it is a good effort.

Paresh Rawal excels as the driver Subhash. It is a good change to see him as a character-actor rather than a comedian. Boman Irani and Naseeruddin Shah have done a great job as well. Surprisingly, Neha Dhupia is good too! Om Puri is good, but wasted in the miniscule role. The only thing I didn’ t like much was the title..I would rather name it differently, and try not to give away the entire story through the tag line!

This movie is an adaptation of a Gujarati play by Paresh Rawal. It is pretty decent as a film, but I believe it would be more engaging as a play. The screenplay is a little play-like and seems designed to be performed live on stage instead of the silver screen.

In conclusion, “Maharathi” is a good entertainer, with a nice plot, and a stellar cast. Definitely worth a dekko.