Ek Baar Bhi Mat Dekho

#BaarBaarDekho - Student of the Year ko Kuch Kuch Hota Hai; Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham wale life ke moments dikhte hai; Ultimately chahta toh hai woh apne pyaar ko Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna;

This basically summarises it! A mediocre attempt at a concept that could have achieved brilliance given the right treatment.

Overall, only one time dekko if u really want to! Else wait for the "World Television Premiere" 😁 2.5/5

Picture-perfect Family Drama!

Kapoor & Sons - a functional tale of a dysfunctional family!

The family is typical - a doting grandpa with a funny side, fighting parents, and 2 sons - 1 perfect and the other not so much. Throw in an uncle, aunt, cousins, friends and girlfriends and you got yourself a full house!

To summarize the plot, Grandpa has an heart attack and estranged siblings return to their family home in Coonoor. What unfolds is family drama, with its ups and downs, secrets, betrayals, jealousies, so on and so forth. All grandpa wants is a perfect photograph of a happy family - Kapoor & Sons (Since 1921)!  The rest of the movie is a journey of how the characters finally fulfill grandpa's wish.

Rishi Kapoor rocks his grandpa act, with his adorable looks and near-perfect comic timing. Fawad Khan is effortless and extremely lovable as the "perfect bachcha". Siddharth Malhotra plays the second fiddle efficiently. Rajat Kapoor and Ratna Pathak Shah are good as the fighting parents. Alia Bhatt has a sidelined part but blends in perfectly. Supporting cast is also apt.

All in all, the movie is a good one time watch, with great characterization, engaging story line, fine performances, and minimal loopholes.

Dil Chahta Hai Jo Jeeta Wohi Harry Potter...Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa??

Just when you start feeling that I have completely lost it, let me justify the title of this post!

I went to watch "Student Of The Year" expecting a typical KJo flick and the film completely lived up to my expectations. It was an extremely over-the-top candyfloss story. However, it was definitely worth that one-time-watch.

The story is set in a out-of-this-world fancy school named St.Teresa's, which is kind of a blend between Gurukul (Mohobbatein) and Hogwarts in terms of sheer size and magnitude. The three leads, Rohan Nanda, Shanayah Singhania and Abhimanyu Singh are among the most popular kids (sounds like Ron, Hermione and Harry??). No points for guessing who is a rich brat and who is poor. Thanks to our endless number of movies, names like Nanda and Singhania are synonymous with wealth and abundance!

So, the story mainly revolves around this group of 7 kids, their effeminate principal and the sports coach (and the principal's dream-boy :-D). The two dudes are great at sports, academics and whatever else they do. The babe is good at being sexy. Then there's this fat, studious guy and a sardar to attempt comedy. There's also a chamcha of the rich dude, a "best friend" of the babe and another wannabe babe. The entire film focuses on school life, romance, friendship, competition, betrayal, revenge and reconciliation. The story is simplistic. The first half opens with a Dil Chahta Hai-esque hospital sequence with a story telling similar to Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa. The second half focuses on how they try to win the prestigious "Student of the Year" trophy. This part is a mixture of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar  and Harry Potter. Overall not a bad one though...

Out of all the new comers, I personally liked Varun Dhawan the best. However Siddharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt are a close second. Kayoze Irani also stands out. I was kinda surprised to see Sanaa Saeed after so many years since Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Rishi Kapoor is damn cute in the gay-ish principal's character! The rest of the supporting cast is alright although I feel Ram and Gautami Kapoor are an incorrect choice as parents of a 20 year old!!

Overall, these students have made their mark and am sure will go a long way! Kudos to KJo for maintaining the candyfloss quotient with this goody goody movie! Whatever everyone else says I thoroughly enjoyed it!