Review: Hameshaa

Hameshaa
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Kajol, Aditya Pancholi
Directed by: Sanjay Gupta
Released: September 12, 1997

Childhood friends Raja (Ali Kha) and Yash (Pancholi) come from two very different back grounds. Yash is very wealthy, and Raja is poor. This, however, does not stop them from growing up thick as thieves and close as brothers. Hameshaa opens with them racing each other in what seems like a very dangerous setting. The friends, however, simply laugh it off and begin talking about who they would choose if they had to – each other, or the girl of their dreams. Enter Rani Sharma (Kajol), a beautiful young woman in a neela dupatta peela suit (arguably the best, most upbeat song from the movie despite the laughable choreography. But, hey, it was 90s Bollywood). Soon after, Yash too encounters Rani and is also completely in love with her beauty and charms and finds it impossible not to fall in love with her.

Both men are quick to find each other and express their hearts’ desires, neither of them realizing that they are in fact speaking about the same woman. When Yash, however, finds out that the woman he so desperately wants has given her heart to his best friend, he becomes… a tad bit unhinged. He poses to Raja the same question they discussed when we first saw them – friends or the perfect girl? Much to Rani’s horror, Yash pushes Raja over the edge of a cliff and she joins him despite earnest efforts from Yash.

Years later Yash is an older and bitter man living with his Dai Ma and as fate would have it, he stumbles upon Raju and Reshma – both bearing an uncanny resemblance to Raja and Rani respectively. Not about to lose what he considers to be the love of his life a second time, he begins working hard to keep the two of them apart. Does true love always prevail? Well, you’ll just have to find out!

I truly love how Kajol can look great with any – and I mean any – Khan. She and Shahrukh are one of if not the most popular and charismatic couple in the history of Indian cinema, their jodi bringing many fans young and old to the cinema to watch their magic unfold on screen. Then she acted with Salman Khan and proved to have chemistry with him as well in their small parts of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and the cute movie Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya. And of course who could possibly forget the tangible love that she and Aamir Khan portrayed during Fanaa. That covers the three major Khans, right? Well this film proves that she and Saif are pure pyaar, even more than her and Shahrukh in the majority of their films together, in my opinion.

            

As far as their acting goes, Kajol does what she is famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask) for and takes the emotion to the next level. Her expressions during songs are equally adorable and hilarious. The song Aisa Milan Kal Ho Na gives her a chance to prove just how sensual she can be. This film is nothing difficult and doesn’t require top notch acting and therefore natural talents such as Kajol and Saif Ali Khan pull it off with little effort on their parts. Aditya Pancholi is able to deliver a good performance as Yash, making you truly hate him and his villainous self increasingly throughout the film, while still making you feel somewhat bad for him as he too loved Rani and had her taken away from him. But in the end, I found it hard to root for anyone other than Raja and Rani, which of course is only right.

            

I would classify this film under my guilty pleasure category. It is not a perfect film, but it is decent. Classic 90s romance film and a good one time watch for most people. But because of the combination of beautiful settings, wonderful chemistry and a beautiful struggle for love, I enjoy this film much more than I probably should. Objectively, however, the rating really must be a simple:

Rating: 5/10

Review: Barfi!

Barfi!
Stars: Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ileana D'Cruz
Directed by: Anurag Basu
Released: September 13, 2012

Let's get down to business: Murphy, or Barfi (Kapoor) as he calls himself, is a deaf and mute man living in Darjeeling, India. His mother died shortly after his birth and so he depended heavily on his father throughout his life. He is street smart and cunning, but also has a habit of getting into some trouble. When he meets Shruti (D'Cruz) he falls head over heels in love with her beauty and her own charm. She, however, is already engaged (because it wouldn't be an Indian film if that wasn't the case, right?). Despite this fact, they become fast friends and spend their days getting into silly antics. Shruti enjoys being alive and carefree and Barfi enjoys making her happy and having her around. However, her engagement does not go away and therefore causes some issues for the two. In the middle of all this, we meet the young, sweet Autistic Jhilmil (Chopra). She is ostracized by most of her family, but have friends in her teachers, her nanny and her grandfather. Unfortunate events in both her and Barfi's lives cause them to cross paths, and create yet another eye-opening friendship.

Barfi was perhaps the most loved film of the year. It has comedy, romance, mystery and sadness. All enough to keep you happy and interested. The acting is top notch. Ileana - who has this credited as being her debut even though it is far from it - is gorgeous and holds her own next to Chopra and Kapoor. Priyanka impresses with her ability to play the Autistic but still lovable Jhilmil and Ranbir - of course - steals the show from the both of them. I often argue whether or not his contemporary Imran Khan is better and while Imran wins in most aspects in my opinion, Ranbir takes the cake in the acting arena. He cannot be beat when it comes to these roles. He amazed me when I watched Rockstar earlier this year and reinforced it with Barfi.

The music is another win with this film, Ala Barfi and Aashiyan being my two personal favorites although Main Kya Karoon is also a pure and epic win. However, like all good things, there is a fatal flaw and in Barfi, this flaw is their borrowed scenes. One that stuck out to me the most was when Shruti's mother drives her out to see her first love - the man she turned down to marry Shruti's father. It was taken right out of the Hollywood blockbuster The Notebook. Because of that and other stolen scenes, my rating was lessened. However, one cannot take away the mark this film leaves on your heart.

The biggest proof of this is what I just witnessed. I rented the film and had my brothers and sister watch it without subtitles. They are no strangers to Indian films as they have seen My Name Is Khan and parts of Devdas, but both of those were with subtitles to help them along. Even without this help, they were able to see the purity and sweetness that is Barfi and were even able to understand it. All four of them said that they loved the film when it was over and begged to watch it a second time. This was amazing to me as they often make fun of me for my interest in Indian films and music. "Why would you watch something or listen to something that you don't understand?" And now they see why.

I highly recommend this film. It's somewhat artsy and unconventional as far as Bollywood films go, but I think  it is one of the best I have ever seen. It's a shame the Academy Awards didn't see that as well.

Rating: 9/10

No One Killed Jessica

No One Killed Jessica

Stars: Rani Mukherjee, Vidya Balan

Directed by: Rajkumar Gupta

Released: January 7, 2011

No One Killed Jessica was a film that I was greatly anticipating. I had heard of Jessica Lal’s murder long before I sat down to watch the film and was touched – and of course saddened – by her story. The trailer was top notch and promised meaningful quotes, powerful scenes and tears. Well, that isn’t exactly what happened.

On a late night in 1999, bar maid and aspiring model and actress Jessica Lal refuses to give a rowdy man a drink after she and her fellow bar tender have quite serving alcohol for the night. She swears that she will not give it to him, not even for 1000 rupees. Angry, the man pulls out a gun and shoots her dead on the spot. Jessica’s older sister Sabrina (Balan) is heartbroken, but is assured that there will be justice for her bubbly baby sis. There were over 300 people at the party, many of them witnesses to the crime itself. It seems like it would be an easy, open and shut case right? Wrong.

The key witness, Jessica’s bar tender friend, saw what happened first hand but eventually proves not to be very helpful in the prosecutions’ case. Sabrina is outraged when she finds out that the killer is the son of a powerful man in India, and that her sister’s murderer is getting away from justice because of the power of bribing. She does her best to fight for her sister – she talks to witnesses, spreads the word, but none of them prove to be fruitful. She and her family begin to fall apart under the pressure of their grief and their mission for justice.

Meera (Mukherjee), is a news reporter full of attitude. Don’t cross her, don’t make her angry – or you’ll pay. When she first hears of the story, she doesn’t think twice. As everyone else assumed, she thought it would be an open and shut murder case, hardly worth her time. But when she catches wind of how the trial was a bust, she becomes more interested in this case. With her help, she is able to shine light on the error of the courts and give Sabrina the relief and peace she had wanted for so long.

Despite the amazing trailer that I mentioned earlier, the film really lacked luster. It wasn’t as fast passed and meaningful as I had imagined and I soon found myself sticking with it for the entire time for Jessica’s memory and Rani’s performance. Rani, despite being shown to be second banana to Vidya, was the heart and soul of this film. She was playing a character that was different from any other avatar I’ve seen of hers before, and she was perfect at it. I now want her to be a brash bitch in more movies. Perhaps because this mirrors my personality in some ways, or at least the person I wish I could be, but for me, she was the true hero of the story. Vidya was a grey mouse, through and through. I went to this movie wanting to see how she was as an actress because at this time I was not her fan. This movie proved to me that I hated her (thankfully that would change when I watched Parineeta). She had nothing to do and when she did, it was awkward and boring.

No One Killed Jessica was easy enough to get through, but I think I would have liked it better had I not had such high expectations for a ground shaking, mind changing film. If you decide to skip the film, please at least take a look at Dilli, the fantastic song that was really responsible for the heart racing excitement of the trailer and promotions.

Rating: 6/10

Films I Didn't Finish: Dil To Pagal Hai

Dil To Pagal Hai

Stars: Shahrukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor, Akshay Kumar

Directed by: Yash Chopra

Released: October 31, 1997

Dil To Pagal Hai is one of those films that I've been told to watch ever since I first started my journey in Bollywood. The person that urged me the most was my best friend and soul sister Ally (Bollywood-ish) who is Madhuri Dixit's biggest fan as well as the Madhuri/SRK jodi love slave. So when I sat down to watch this film I expected it to be fabulous. The visuals always seemed stunning and in fact - they were. However, I could not get past how dull it was. It moved too slow! I also was not at all enamored by Karisma who was awkward and strange in her role. Madhuri was past the point of having any chance of being bad by the time she made this film, but she looked far too mature for SRK and also, in my opinion, too mature to be playing the girl who skipped around trees and dreamed of teenage love. Which is my interpretation of it anyway. I may someday go back to this film and give it another try, but I wouldn't count on that happening anytime soon.

Time wasted: 52 minutes

Review: Lajja

Lajja
Stars: Manisha Koirala, Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Mahima Chaudhary, Madhuri Dixit, Rekha, Samir Soni, Ajay Devgan
Directed by: Rajkumar Santoshi
Released: September 19, 2001

Vaidehi (Koirala) runs away from a loveless marriage to Raghu (Shroff) and embarks on a journey that shows her more about life and womanhood than she ever anticipated. Raghu is not exactly the model husband, he's abusive and lecherous. When Vaidehi becomes pregnant, she decides that is enough is enough. As fate would have it, Raghu is involved in a terrible car accident which renders him unable to impregnate a woman. Upon realizing that the child Vaidehi made off with would be the only one he would ever have. This causes him to send his hired men after her to bring her back.

On her way she meets three strong, revolutionary women; starting with Maithili (Chaudhary). Maithili is a bride-to-be from a lovely middle class family. Her troubles stem from her groom's rich and greedy father who demands a large wedding and an even larger dowry; one that Maithili's father cannot afford.

Then there is Janki, my very favorite out of all the women. She is a theatre actress who is unwed and newly pregnant. She is not the submissive mouse that women are so often expected to be, but an outspoken beauty that wants to take control of her life and do what means the most to her. She is in love with a fellow acto and wants nothing more than to be with him.

On her way to her next adventure, she comes across Bulwa (Devgan),a Robin Hood type. He brings her to Ramdulari (Rekha). Her trouble stems from her son's forbidden relationship with the daughter of the head of her village. This struggle and the end result makes for a terrifying scene; one that will leave you shaken and disturbed for a while after you've seen it.

Manisha delivers a fine performance but is completely overshadowed by Madhuri and Rekha. This is my second favorite Madhuri character and performance ever, coming in only after Chandramukhi. It was my first full film with Rekha and Anil as well and I was impressed with both of them. Some of my friends insist that Anil cannot do comedy, but I disagree. Ding dong! Ajay Devgan's character was more or less... well, pointless, but I enjoyed seeing him on screen nonetheless. I believe that Jackie Shroff is one of those actors that cannot be bad and therefore he most definitely didn't disappoint. As for the music, the only song I walked away singing was Badi Muskil, which I still listen to regularly, almost a year after seeing this film.

Now... The movie itself was fantastic in that it showed the true hardships of women in India. Lajja itself means shame and you can see the 'shame' that these Indian women bring upon their family. The thing about this, however, is that the idea of shame is so incredibly backwards. Shame, honor and pride are all so trivial in life and I left this film wishing that the families of these women would have better understood their reasons for what they did instead of going home and crying about how much shame their daughters brought upon them. As for the main character Vaidehi, I was disappointed on her. Woman has husband, leaves husband, leans on thief, leans on bride, leans on actress, leans on Superman, leans on wise village woman, leans on... well, watch the film to discover that one. You get the point, though. She never really learned to stand on her own.

Watch this film, please, and the next time you consider putting a woman down, remember that in the end, they are the strong ones and that they are the ones that have the courage to make a needed change.

Rating: 7/10

Here's a bonus that I couldn't resist:

Chalo Manisha, let me show you how to dance to these steps so you can change your opinion on me completely.

Song Of The Week: The Kathak Dance

Kathak Dance
Dil To Pagal Hai

This weeks SOTW doesn’t focus as much on the music (although it its essential), but more so on the dancing that goes with it and the woman who brings it to life. As most people know, Madhuri Dixit is a trained Kathak dancer and she excels at it. It is something she enjoys immensely, and I would not be surprised if she loved Kathak and dancing in general more than acting. There are few times in her career where we have been able to see her true talents in this classical form of Indian dancing, but we get lucky enough in this film to get quite the treat. Madhuri makes her ghungroos sing with her every move as SRK accompanies her on the drums. Kathak with drums, the way it’s meant to be. There are a few different ideas as to where Kathak originated. In the myths, Shiva created the dance and when he did, I’m sure he had a woman like Madhuri in his mind. She is never more feminine and graceful in her dancing than when she does the dancing form that she has been trained to do since she was at such a young, precious age. So enjoy this Song Of The Week. Enjoy something a little more out of the box from the other 90s Indian masala films and songs. Enjoy beauty, in the best form possible.

Song Of The Week: Dreamum Wakeupum

Dreamum Wakeupum
Aiyyaa

The first song released from the upcoming movie Aiyyaa is catchy to be sure. It's different than most item numbers and the dance moves are something quite unlike anything Bollywood has ever seen. Rani impresses in the song. She's always been a good dancer and it's nice to see her be put in movie where she gets the chance to dance - even if it's some odd musical number. The words are catchy, the beat catchier. Because this film is due out rather soon, I thought it would be good for the first SOTW!

Review: The Dirty Picture

The Dirty Picture

Stars: Vidya Balan, Emraan Hashmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Tusshar

Directed by: Milan Luthria

Released: December 2, 2011

Entertainment, entertainment, entertainment. One of the main messages of this film is surely what it is. Some would say that this film was overhyped, that it was nothing groundbreaking and that Vidya Balan's performance was nothing special. Well, I would like to kindly disagree with them.

Reshma (Balan), a poor girl in India runs away from home the night before her wedding, forever damaging her relationship with her mother. She has big dreams to be in pictures and she falls into some luck. A dance director pulls her into a song with a whip and she uses it well. This is her big break into films and suddenly everyone wants to get a piece of Silk, as Reshma is now known. The actor Surya (Shah), which she has been in love with for years, gives her the time of day after some sexy convincing from Silk. Being in his movies only boosts her further into stardom. This, however, makes him a little upset since his thunder is being stolen away.

In the meantime, we run into Abraham (Hashmi) every once in a while who has a real chip on his shoulder and hates Silk. I feel like we never really got to understand why he hated her, though, and that bothered me. He hated her because she was vulgar? So what? That's no reason to hate someone. There seemed to be more there that was never really addressed or explained. As with many actresses, Silk hit her prime... and started to fall. She could no longer get roles as easily as she could before and this lead her to financial and emotional problems which led to her ultimate and final downfall.

There are things about this film that make me mad - but they're supposed to, I believe. For starters, The Dirty Picture does good at pointing out a serious flaw in people, which can easily be explained in this quote from Silk, "You make films about sex, you sell them, you watch them, you show them, you even present them with awards, but you're scared to aknowledge them." That's something I've noticed in my time of being a fan of Bollywood. It's alright for men to watch a woman dance around half naked but she is forever scarred and scorned for life. Then, those same men want to act as though they have done nothing wrong, like they are as pure and chaste as the day they were born. 

From the reviews I've read, it makes me laugh because so many people talk about how vulgar this film was. Did they not see the previews? The trailers? The title? It's The Dirty Picture, what do you expect? Of course this might be my American showing here, but nothing in this film shocked me that much. However I do understand that as far as Bollywood and Indian standards go, this was vulgar and dirty. Still, don't be surprised  by it and act like you had no idea what this film was going to be about.

Vidya deserved every single accolade and praise that she got from this film. Her acting was nothing short of spectacular. She became Silk. Watching her in Parineeta, No One Killed Jessica and now The Dirty Picture proves just how dedicated and versatile she is. She is one of the hardest working actresses today and I hope she continues to produce these fantastic films. And extra points to her for the curvy body she was sporting in the film. Her hips, thighs and larger stomach were all adorable to me and it was nice to see that she wasn't afraid to go there as well. Emraan was wood throughout his performance but that might be because he didn't really have much of one. Shah was fantastic and made me cringe, but for all the right reasons. Tusshar was cute, I thought. It was my first film with him and liked him well enough. The music is of course great. Ooh La La will forever be one of my favorite songs and there's no changing that.

The only reason I took a point off from it being perfect was because the second half dragged so much. Other than that, it was perfect to me, honestly. I enjoyed it so much and it lived up to its hype, me thinks. I will watch it again someday, for sure. 

Rating: 9/10

Review: Aaja Nachle

Aaja Nachle
Stars: Madhuri Dixit, Konkona Sen Sharma, Jugal Hansraj, Akshaye Khanna, Kunal Kapoor
Directed by: Anil Mehta
Released: November 30, 2007

Namaste aur salaam. Meet Dia (Dixit)! She is a beautiful young choreographer that lives in New York with her young daughter Radha. She is rather successful in New York and enjoying her time but must leave on short notice when she receives news that her old guru from India is on his death bed and fading fast. So fast, in fact, that she doesn't even reach the country until after he has passed away. Being back in her old town bring back many memories, some are down right painful for Dia because they remind her of the relationship that she had and lost with Radha's father. He was an American and in deciding to run off and marry him, she disgraces herself and her family, which is something that is hard to get away from. Her guru's reason for calling her back was to convince her to save the theatre (Ajanta) that they practiced and performed in, a task that he convinces her to do through a video he recorded before his death.

Now with a mission, Dia does the first thing she can think of and talks to the man who wants to destroy Ajanta, Raja Uday Singh (Khanna). Singh is reluctant to agree to her because of the good business he is sure he will get from building a business in the theatre's place, but Dia convinces him to give her a chance. Dia most come up with an amazing performance in two months time, using only local dancers and present it at Ajanta. If the audience loves it, the theatre is saved, if not, the wrecking balls come out. Dia accepts of course!

And of course, nothing can be done without bumps along the way. In this case, the hardest part is finding the right people to play in Laila-Majnu, an old Indian classic, Romeo and Juliet before Romeo and Juliet. Eventually, however, she does stumble upon the right people and is able to get rehearsals going. This is where we meet Imran (Kapoor) and Anokhi (Sen Sharma). Imran is a rugged, tough guy and Anokhi is a tomboy like Anjali in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (with one hell of a runny nose problem). At first she is shot down but later convinces Dia that she can do the job. Once in, she finds herself falling in love with Imran. After a makeover, he finds himself doing the same. This ultimately helps the play of Laila-Majnu become more real.

This was a decent time pass, but nothing extraordinary in my opinion. Ishq hua, O Re Piya, the ever popular Aaja Nachle and the play itself were all winning numbers that I listen to on a regular basis (ESPECIALLY the play. It makes me feel feelings). The acting was, again, decent. I came for Madhuri and stayed for Konkona and Kunal. Their chemistry was fantastic and I wouldn't mind seeing them together again soon! This film was to be Madhuri's major come back and she ended up not being as successful with her comeback from motherhood as Kajol was with Fanaa, but I wish her the best of luck with this next one she has coming up with Dedh Ishqiya and Gulab Gang.

Rating: 6/10

Review: Rang De Basanti

Rang De Basanti
Stars: Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Soha Ali Khan, Waheeda Rehman, Siddharth Narayan, Kunal Kapoor, Atul Kulkarni, Alice Patten
Directed by: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Released: 2006

Koi desh perfect nahi hota. Use perfect banana padta hai.

Every once in a while, a film will come around that completely makes you stare at the screen with awe during the entire film. Rang De Basanti is one of those films. This is a film that shows the truth and does not sugar coat anything. It shows real characters all with different personalities. All with different positive and negative traits that all end up balancing each other out. You fall in love with these characters in the two hours, forty-six minutes they are on screen and they don't leave your mind or your heart anytime soon after the credits roll.

Sue McKinley (Patten) a cute, sweet little blonde from the UK with a video camera, lots of time on her hands and a big interest in the men mentioned in her grandfather's diary decides to go to India to shoot a film about the revolutionaries Chandrasekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, Ashfaqulla Khan, and Ram Prasad Bismil. Sue holds auditions with her friend Sonia (Soha Ali Khan) and has no luck finding the perfect actors to play her beloved freedom fighters. Later the same day, Sonia introduces Sue to her friends DJ (Aamir Khan), Karan (Narayan), Sukhi (Joshi) and Aslam (Kapoor), four friends who are all very different but have a strong relationship that would put brotherhood to shame.

It's not long before Sue sees in them the famed freedom fighters and proposes and idea to them... Why don't they star in her film? None of them are really all that excited about it, but in his quest to make Sue happy, DJ gets his friends to agree to it. Because of their lack of passion, it takes a while for the film to take off. It also doesn't help that Sue has also hired Laxman (Kulkarni), a man who has always had his difficulties with the group, to also star in the film as Ramprasad Bismil. But still wanting to make Sue happy and complete the film, the group gets more into it and starts to realize the importance of the men they are portraying.

During the filming of Sue's film, Sonia gets engaged to Ajay (Madhavan), an air force pilot who believes that there is nothing more honorable and special that fighting for your country. When his MiG mysteriously crashes and the government closes the investigation as quickly as it begins, the group is enraged and decide to follow the example of the men from their past and take matters into their own hands.

Many films have been made on these men, especially Bhagat Singh, but I believe there is something that sets Rang De Basanti apart from all the others... and that is simply the fact that Rang De Basanti connects the past with the present. Many times it can be hard to relate with the past, but the creators of this film carefully weave the stories from the past with events in the future and help today's youth see why it is important to learn about the actions of the past and, as the title says, the color of sacrifice.

I have absolutely no complaints whatsoever as far as the acting goes. But I must give Aamir Khan a huge honorable mention. His performance in this film has cemented his spot in my list of favorite actors. I don't see his spot being challenged again anytime soon. Also, Siddharth Narayan needs to do more Hindi films! He's terribly cute and very impressive with his acting. Joshi was amazing with his comedic timing and did a great job turning on the serious acting when it was time (I was also shocked to find out that he was the same young man from Lajja!). But perhaps the one that surprised me most of all (other than Aamir, of course) was Kunal Kapoor. I've heard of him, seen him around and never gave much thought to him. But once he was on screen he was there and not to be lost, which is hard to do when you're with Aamir Khan, but he held his own. And my, how nice it was seeing Waheeda Rehman on here! I went insane seeing such a legend!

The music was also a sheer and utter win, but that's something I've come to expect when watching a film done with music done by A.R. Rahman. Rang De Basanti and Paathshaala are personal favorites.

The story left me in tears, sorrowful and wishing that things had ended differently but also realizing that they couldn't possibly have or it would not have been as effective. Rang De Basanti is now on my favorite films list, and is definitely a film that cannot be missed by fans of Indian cinema.

Rating: 10/10

Kassy On Celebs - Katrina Kaif

Katrina Kaif



Why India? Why? Why?! WHY?! Of all the new actresses out there for you to fall completely in love with, why Katrina Kaif? It has made me lose faith in so many people and their ability to choose good actors and actresses. How could anyone possibly fall for someone who is in Hindi movies - and doesn't even speak it correctly? How could anyone possibly fall for someone who isn't even all that attractive? And even more so, and perhaps most importantly - How could anyone fall for someone with as little acting ability as Katrina Kaif has?

I've tried again and again to try to understand why so many people have gone pagal over Katrina, but I still can't figure it out. For whatever reason, unbeknown to me, she sells and she sells well. If there is any credit that this girl could get from me whatsoever, it is that she works hard and tries even though she continuously falls flat on her face in her roles. She's okay at playing herself, but if she has to go outside the box, she doesn't work. A true actress should be versatile, and Katrina is not. When in Bollywood, I personally believe that an actress should be able to dance reasonably well, but Katrina can't seem to do that either.

Katrina Kaif wouldn't bother me as much if it weren't for the fact that everyone and their brother is constantly raving about her and - what's worse - comparing her to actresses that actually KNOW what they're doing and can act any role you throw at them well.

As my friend Ally has said, in the future, modern actresses like Kareena Kapoor and Deepika Padukone will be remembered as good actresses. Katrina will be remembered as a pretty face, a cute personality... but not much more.

Star Rating: 3/10

Review: Guzaarish

Guzaarish
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai
Directed By: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Released: 2010

Sanjay Leela Bhansali does it again! This time with his magical drama, Guzaarish.

Guzaarish tells the tale of a once great magician named Ethan (Roshan) who became paralyzed from the neck down in a terrible and mysterious accident during one of his most popular acts. He's lived in a large run-down mansion with his nurse Sofia (Rai) for twelve years - but now he's had enough. He summons his lawyer Devyani Dutta to help him with 'Ethanasia' a project in which he hoped would not only help him get the right to die, but would also help him make peace with his decision.

He travels along his journey with the ever-faithful Sofia, and the budding magician Omar who hopes to learn all of Ethan's secrets. It is a bumpy road full of set backs, second thoughts and revealing secrets that makes everyoen in this story question where they stand on this issue.

The reason I love Guzaarish so much is because of how it surprises you. It seems very straightforward, you think you know all the facts about the characters, stories and such but then SLB throws you for a spin and you discover that there's more to each and every character that you never would have suspected before. And what makes it even better is that each and every twist and turn helps weave the story and makes the characters more real to the viewer.

As for the acting - Hrithik was great as Ethan, but Aishwarya was undoubtedly the heart and soul of this entire film. She shone throughout the entire 109 minutes, in each and every scene she was in. She simply changed the entire atmosphere of the film to fit what hse was doing and what Sofia was feeling. For example, the movie was sad and gloomy... until Sofia danced to Udi (which, by the way is a favorite of mine) on stage. At that point, the entire movie lit up and was more alive than it had been previously.

Guzaarish means favor, so do me a guzaarish and watch this film! Just be warned - if you cry easily, you will quickly cry your weight in tears!

Rating: 9/10

Review: Devdas

Devdas
Stars: Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit, Jackie Shroff, Kirron Kher
Directed By: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Released: 2002

When a film weaves magic, when a film defines a movie industry, when a film touches every inch of your heart and soul, it's name is Devdas. This is the first Bollywood movie that I sat down to watch and I was captured by it immediately. It is a timeless story about love, loss and tragedy that is told in the proper Bollywood way: With Madhuri Dixit, fantastic sets and timeless music.

Devdas Mukherjee (Khan) is a young man returning from studying in England. He has been there for ten years, having reluctantly left his home and his best friend Parvati (Rai) in order to study law. His mother, Kaushalya is over joyed when she hears that her son is returning home to her. This happiness is stolen from her, however, when Devdas is more interested in meeting up with Paro than he is his own family. Paro and Devdas' friendship is stronger than ever and a romance erupts between the two. Paro's mother Sumitra (Kher) is very excited about this, as she believes that Devdas will be the perfect husband for her Paro. When she goes to Kaushalya's house for a party and to propose marriage, Kaushalya turns her down and insults her in the most terrible of ways. Sumitra swears to Devdas' mother that her daughter will marry someone richer and of higher status that the Mukherjees - and she succeeds. Devdas is heartbroken over his family's betrayal and his loss of Paro, and he goes to a brothel with his friend from London, Chunnilal (Shroff), or Chunni Babu. It is there that he meets the courtesan Chandramukhi (Dixit) - the woman who is as beautiful as the moon. With the urging of Chunni Babu, Devdas decides to take his first sip of alcohol - an action that sends him on the downward spiral towards his self-destruction.

Devdas is often Shahrukh Khan's most praised performance - and for good reason. He and Madhuri Dixit prove just how versatile they are all in this one film, which is a very rare thing to find. They both are able to pull off the different shades of their characters, be it happy, sad or angry - they were completely convincing throughout.

Yet another thing that makes Devdas so special is that it has two heroines. Many will try to tell you that Chandramukhi is nothing but a supporting character, but that is simply not true. She had just as much influence on Devdas and the movie as Paro and she is the true heart of the movie. Aishwarya Rai was fantastic as Parvati, but I could still think of better actresses. Madhuri was the true gem of the film. She gave life to my favorite character in all of Bollywood. She is the only role that I could not recast, no matter how hard I tried.

As fantastic as the story itself is, one cannot talk only about the story. They cannot talk about Devdas and not mention the amazing music. Personal favorites are Maar Daala, Dola Re Dola and Kahe Chhed Mohe - all of which, Madhuri Dixit shows off her top notch dancing skills in.

I could not have picked a better film to watch for my first Bollywood film. To me, it represents all the qualities that every single Bollywood film should have. And of course, part of what makes it so special is the fact that not every Bollywood movie is up to the standards of Devdas. I recommend this sensational film for first-time Bollywood watchers and anyone else who loves romance, music and beauty.

Rating: 10/10

Review: Kurbaan

Kurbaan
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Vivek Oberoi
Released: 2009
Directed by: Rensil D'Silva

So we start out with Avantika Ahuja (Kapoor), a young professor working in Indian while simultaneously taking care of her father who has had medical issues. On her way to work one morning, she comes upon Ehsaan Khan (Khan) who is able to trick her into giving him her cab and therefore starts things off on a not so good note. When Avantika finally arrives at work she realizes that Ehsaan is also a professor there. He is intrigued by her and asks her out for a coffee. She initially rejects his advances but ends up being charmed by him all the same. After a short time of courting, they go to Avantika's father and ask permission to marry each other. Although her father is reluctant because he wants Avantika to marry another Hindu, he agrees and gives them his blessing.

Avantika and Ehsaan move to New York to work in the same university that Avantika worked in before she had to move to India to care for her father. Ehsaan is able to get a job teaching a course about Islam and the western world that many people take interest in. When Avantika and Ehsaan find their perfect home in an Indian neighborhood, Avantika is happy and content - that is until she meets the neighbors. She and Ehsaan are invited over to a dinner gathering and Avantika begins to see just how oppressed the women are by their husbands.

She doesn't think too much of it, however, until one of the women, Salma comes to her in a very distressed state. Avantika finds out that Salma is under house arrest by her husband and now fears for her life. Salma asks Avantika to contact her friend, a news reporter, for help. Avantika does this and learns that the reporter, Rihana - who is involved with Riyaz (Oberoi) will be traveling to the Middle East to deal with business but says that she will go to see Salma when she returns.

After the meeting with Rihana, Avantika goes to the doctor and discovers that she is pregnant. Happy, she goes home to wait for Ehsaan to come home so that she can tell him the happy news. While waiting, she hears noises from the neighbors house and when she goes to check it out, discovers not only Salma's dead body but also the neighbor's plan to bomb the flight Rihana is supposed to get on. Avantika runs but is heard and chased by the neighbors. She reaches her home and is convinced that she will be safe once she sees that Ehsaan is home, but little does she know... he is very much aware of what is going on and is more involved in it that she could have ever imagined.

When I sat down to watch Kurbaan, I thought it was going to be something like Gangster. In a way, it was, but it was also a lot different. I knew from the start that Ehsaan was going to end up being involved in the terrorist organization, but I thought he would be forced into it, not in it willingly. There were several parts in the movie that were terribly predictable, but there were also many times where I didn't see it coming. But sadly, as an altogether story, it wasn't all that amazing.

The one thing that is definitely worth seeing is the scene where Riyaz goes to visit Ehsaan's class and gives his speech about American's being terrorists as well. It sums up my feelings about the entire situation completely and thought that it was very well done.

And thank god for the acting. Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Vivek Oberoi were all above average. I was mostly impressed with Kareena. Not even a half hour into the movie, I was no longer seeing Kareena playing Avantika, I just saw Avantika. One thing that turned me off, however, was that she and Saif didn't have very good chemistry, especially in the beginning. He seemed to be more of a father figure to her than anything else and it was a total turn off to me. They didn't even look like they were married, on screen or off screen.

All in all, I would recommend this movie if you wanted a good, somewhat action filled time pass, but don't sit down to watch it expecting much.

Rating: 6/10

Review: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
Stars: Shahrukh Khan, Kajol
Released: 1995
Directed by: Aditya Chopra


This film is a classic, possibly the most famous film ever to come out of Indian cinema and is known all around the world. For the children of parents who have actually lived in Hindustan get a glimpse of what their parents lives were all about. The great thing about this movie, is that it is able to do that all while giving it a very modern take.

So we have Simran, the daughter of convenience store and dedicated Indian Chaudhary, or Babu-ji as she calls him and a strong but meek mother, Lajo. They're not very wealthy, but Simran and her younger sister Chutki have always felt a lot of love from them. Raj Malhotra is the goof-ball son of a very wealthy widower, Dharamvir Malhotra. He goes to college and fails - which his father is surprising proud of. Combine that along with Simran's sensual and heartfelt dance to Mere Khwabon Mein, and you already have a pretty good understanding of their characters.

About twenty minutes into the movie, Simran gets a marriage proposal from her father's best friend's son, Kuljeet. Simran isn't too crazy about this, but wants to make her father happy, so she agrees to the marriage. However, she wants to travel Europe before she goes to India to get married and reluctantly, her father agrees. Who would happen to be going on this trip along with her and her friends? Well none other than Raj Malhotra of course. The two share a very interesting meeting when they both rush to catch the train and Simran's clothes - including her bra - end up all over Raj. Raj, being a ladies man, immediately starts to put the movies on Simran, all of which she rejects.

As their trip through Europe runs its course, it is obvious that the two young people are getting closer and closer, but still want to try and hate each other. It's not until they're leaving each other when they are back in London that they realize they have feelings for each other. When Simran expresses these feelings to her parents, her father is outraged and promptly packs the family up to take them to India and get Simran's marriage on its way. When Raj comes looking for Simran and discovers that she's gone to India to get shaadied off, he of course rushes after her.

Simran is going through with the wedding and her father's wishes, but is not at all happy about it. She doesn't see how she could ever be happy when she's in love with Raj and can't be with him. That is, until she hears a mandolin playing a soft, familiar tune... It is none other than Raj, whom she runs to through a thick field of yellow flowers. He assures her that he has a plan on how to get them to be together, and tells her to trust him.

I'm going to stop here - that's right, you don't get to know how it ends unless you watch it, which I advise you to do... NOW! I don't think you're a true Bollywood fan until you've seen this movie. SRKajol is Bollywood's Kate and Leo x 10000 and this movie made it for them both. This movie is responsible for all the cliches we see in Bollywood movies. This movie has inspired so many other movies. This movie has been referenced several times in other movies throughout the years and is, from what I've seen, the most popular Indian movie ever.

The acting is top notch. Both SRK and Kajol won Filmfare awards for their roles and it was very much well deserved. Their chemistry is perfect and their comedic timing is priceless. Scenes that would normally make you roll your eyes (running through a field of flowers to each other) is sweet and romantic in this movie and a lot of that is thanks to the amazing acting powers of SRKajol.

The songs are also amazing. My two favorites are, of course, Mere Khwabon Mein and Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna. This is a movie not to be missed by anyone. I mean it. If you haven't already stopped reading this review to go watch it - do it. Now!!!

Rating: 10/10

Kassy On Celebs - Shiney Ahuja

Shiney Ahuja



I have a feeling this post won't be very well received if you're familiar with Shiney and the legal issues surrounding him, but that's exactly why I'm doing it. So let's get started:

He has gorgeous eyes and a smile that could knock any girl over. He also has a lot of talent and has the power to make any character that he plays believable. Who is he? He's Shiney Ahuja and all these great qualities he has go right out the window when someone hears that he was recently convicted of raping his maid.

Now, normally this would make me fall right out of love with him... only the evidence is in his favor. The maid who originally accused Shiney of raping her later retracted her statement and told the courts that she only accused Shiney because a friend bribed her into doing. The courts still continued to prosecute Shiney and he was convicted and sentenced to 7 years in prison. Not long after that however, he was bailed out and is now free as the higher courts in India discuss his case. I feel terrible for Shiney since so many people assume that he is still guilty even when the woman who accused him came out and say that he never did.

But putting his personal issues aside, his acting skills are great and getting even better as time goes on. My first Shiney movie was Gangster - which is one of my very favorite movies ever. In this movie, he doesn't have as many speaking parts as his costars Kangana Ranaut and Emraan Hashmi have, but he still is able to deliver every thought and emotion through his body language, eyes and facial expressions. I was completely taken away with him and this love only grew when I moved on to watch Woh Lahme. Again paired with Kangana, he played a different role in which he is a movie director who wants to make it big and will do almost anything to get there. His feelings for Kangana's character seemed very realistic and very heartfelt. He seemed to truly get into his character and love Kangana's. But what I think is his best role is Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi which in the end he ends up mentally handicapped. He was good all throughout, but it was the last few moments that took my breath away. He did very well and even won the Filmfare award for best male debut - an award well deserved.

Despite the setback that Shiney has unfortunately suffered, I have no doubt that he will be able to make his way back into the Bollywood film industry and get back on the fast track to the top he'd been getting closer and closer to until his image was scarred.

Star Rating: 8/10

Review: We Are Family *Spoilers*

We Are Family
Stars: Kajol, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal
Directed by: Siddharth Malhotra
Released: 2010

We Are Family is a remake of the western/Hollywood film Step Mom starring Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts. This is the first time I've seen a western film remade in Bollywood and actually thought that the Hollywood version was better. This isn't really my type of film, as I tend to stay away from those extra sappy films, but I was on a Kajol kick and was interested in seeing Kareena Kapoor.

So we have Maya (Devgan), a divorced mother of three spoiled brats named Aleya, Ankush and Anjali. Although these three kids live with their mother most of the time, they also visit their father, Aman (Rampal), often. However, what used to be a fun trip to daddy's house soon became a nightmare when Aman begins dating Shreya (Kapoor). Shreya makes a terrible first impression when she falls - literally - into Anjali's cake and the kids hate her right from the start. Maya shares their feelings and is not at all crazy about having her children around this stranger. That is, until she finds out that she has terminal cervical cancer. After which she begins on a quest to get her children to like Shreya, and to get Shreya ready for the motherhood she never thought she'd be asking for.

This movie was... well, terrible. The only thing that saved it for me was the acting. As my friend Ally says, Kajol is one of those actresses that can't be bad - this was no exception. But the person who really shone through for me was Kareena. I'd hear some good things and some... not so good things about her and was hesitant to see how she acted, but I was very pleasantly surprised. She was absolutely fantastic. Arjun really just annoyed me, as he usually does - I really can't stand him or his acting. However, the fabulous acting on the two heroine's parts couldn't save the movie. The lines were terrible and cliche (and not in the way I like..) and the music was terribly misplaced. Don't EVEN get me started on the Jail House Rock number they did, which wasn't too bad until Arjun came in and danced with the girls. It was all a colossal joke to me, and in the end I was surprised Maya wasn't ready to die in order to get away from her incredibly annoying and spoiled children.

Rating: 4/10

Review: I Hate Luv Storys *Spoilers*

I Hate Luv Storys
Stars: Imran Khan, Sonam Kapoor
Directed by: Punit Malhotra
Released: 2010

For a month or two now, I've been perusing the Bollywood section of Netflix Instant Watch and noticing I Hate Luv Storys. I'd heard about it a few times outside of that, and knew that I thought Imran Khan was the hottest thing since a summer in the desert. However, I'd heard that Sonam's acting was terrible and Imran reminds me of someone I'd much rather forget, so I was hesitant. Finally, after sucking it up, I decided to watch it. At first, like with most Bollywood movies I turn on, I was alarmed by the length of the film - 2 and a half hours - and I was sure that I would quickly get bored with it - I. Was. Wrong.

I was instantly captured by the beauty of a certain hero, humor, cliches and mentions of other films that I'd seen. I got a kick out of hearing mentions of Devdas and going "I understand that!" - But that's mainly because I'm just a spaz. There was a point where I began to wonder if perhaps it was going to get boring when Simran and Jay were doing their "I HATE YOU" act, but the movie quickly moved onto more interesting scenes and began to develop their friendship and then romance.

But like all romances in Bollywood, the hero and heroine can't just be together and be happy - noooo, Simran has to be with a man named Raj (Ha. Ha. Ha) since childhood and be completely dedicated to her Mr. Right, who doesn't even realize that she hates the color white although that's the only type of flowers he ever gets her. (Needless to say, Jay gets her red, which she loves). However, after a while, Simran realizes that she loves Mr. Wrong as well but when she confessed it to Jay, he is befuddled and turns her down - not understanding where her feelings had come from. But, again, as we often see in BW, he soon realizes (about half way through the film and too late of course) that he loves her as well and begins his quest to win her heart.

The acting was so/so. As much as I love Imran Khan, he does have a long way to go with his acting. He delivers comedy very well and made me laugh numerous times throughout the movie, but there were several times when I just got annoyed with him - such as when he was upset over his relationship with Simran and had the same look on his face in every. single. scene. However, my annoyance with him can't be at all compared with the large annoyance I had with Sonam Kapoor. She's a pretty face and had her moments, but she can hardly be called an actress. She needs to take lessons from Kareena. Funnily enough, I actually got a kick out of Bruna Abdullah. In the beginning of the movie, she is just a dumb girl with an annoying voice that Jay picks up at a night club, but later she comes back into the movie to help with his plan to get Simran and, although still annoying, she delivered some nice comedy. I just wish she didn't sound so out of place speaking Hindi..

The music was FABULOUS I think. I adored I Hate Luv Storys, Jab Mila Tu, and Sadka Kiya (Sonam and Imran's little number was super cute!) See for yourself:






Overall, a good movie I think. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and for the first time in a long time - was not bored with it at all! Check it out!

Rating:7/10

Review: Fanaa

Fanaa
Stars: Kajol, Aamir Khan, Rishi Kapoor, Tabu
Directed by: Kunal Kohli
Released: 2006

Okay so, there is a lot wrong with this film, let me just start by saying that so you're prepared. We start off with Zooni, a sweet young but blind girl who is looking for Mr. Right. She travels with her friends to Delhi to perform in a dance for independence day. And of course, if you're going to the capital of your country, you don't just dance right? And of course you're going to find someone to show you the sights, right? Right! So they hire sweet, handsome and poetic Rehan who seems to fall instantly in love with Zooni despite her blindness. Her friends do not take kindly to this, but that doesn't stop Zooni from going out to meet her charming tour guide so he can give her a private tour of Delhi.

Going against the odds, Zooni and Rehan slowly fall in love with each other. The night before Zooni is due to board the train and go back to her home in Kashmir (really shot in Poland with gorgeous scenery) Zooni and Rehan meet up at his house and find themselves in a not-so-innocent situation. After a night like that, the two lovers decide that they cannot be apart any more, and they decide to get married. But first, Zooni goes to the doctor the get her eyes examined and discovers that there is a surgery that will give her her eyesight back. She quickly agrees to it and prepares for the day of her surgery. Her parents come down from Kashmir to support their daughter and their future son-in-law, but disaster strikes and Rehan is presumed dead due to a terrorist bombing. Zooni finds it hard to move on, but goes back to Kashmir with her parents. Little does she know, Rehan is far from gone and has a huge secret - one she never saw coming.

The first hour or so of Fanaa when Zooni and Rehan are falling in love is my very favorite. I love watching them grow closer, and it was these scenes that made me start to like Aamir Khan and, more importantly, my very favorite actress Kajol. It was just about everything a Bollywood romance should be. With singing and dancing in the rain in Dekho Na and lighthearted flirty songs like Chand Sifarish. I felt that the plot twist in the middle was a little odd and definitely unexpected, but that can be good or bad depending on how you look at it. Fanaa is most definitely a movie that had not been seen before (although similar stories would come about ie: Kurbaan) and it was a chance to see one of the best jodis in Indian cinema shine.

The acting was a sheer and epic win on all the main actors' parts. Kajol very much deserved her best actress Filmfare award and made a very good choice picking Fanaa to be her comeback film after marriage and the birth of her daughter Nysa. Aamir Khan is an actor with a lot of charm and masculinity, but surprisingly enough, I always find that who he is paired with in a movie is very crucial to his performance and whether or not I will end up enjoying it. But, as I stated earlier, he and Kajol are amazing together and really should get doing some more movies soon. Perhaps the most surprising person was Rishi Kapoor. This was the first look I'd ever had of him and boy am I glad for that! I would soon come to realize that he spent a lot of time during his prime as a hero romancing girls that looked too young and innocent for him, but he is bloody fantastic as a father in a film. He was a sweet old man and very loving towards his little Zooni.

Besides the great acting and mindblowing scenery, Fanaa had great music to go along with it. There is not one song from that film that is not on my iPod. I love it all - from Chand Sifarish to Chanda Chamke to Mere Haath Mein. All were great and it was very nice to see the classic random Bollywood songs with the multiple costume changes that I adore more than any other.

Despite the half-ridiculously predictable/omg I didn't see that coming plot line, Fanaa has enough great assets to make it a good and enjoyable film. A win in my book and a must-see if you like true chemistry between a hero and heroine.

Rating: 7/10