Director: Sanjay Gadhvi
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Bipasha Basu, Uday Chopra
Yes, this is exactly was I was thinking (no not the song from the movie!) as I walked out of a half-empty theatre on Monday evening after watching the much-hyped sequel to Dhoom!
This was one eagerly awaited movie with stars such as Hrithik, Aishwarya and Bipasha joining Abhishek and Uday on a speed trip. It held a lot of promise especially since the first one was a runaway success. However, as is the case with most sequels, it turned out to be a damp squib. Read on for more details on one of the most wasted movies of 2006!
The opening sequence shows a sleek four coach train rumbling through the deserts of Namibia. In a brilliant scene, Hrithik sky-dives from a helicopter and intercepts the train with the intent of stealing a precious crown (!) which is being carried on board. What follows is absolute mayhem with gravity defying stunts, which would put even Mithun & Rajni to shame! This sets the tone for the rest of the movie as the characters pull off one unbelievable stunt after another; stunts which would have made Newton redefine the principle of gravity!! And bikes! One gets to see bikes only towards the end of the movie, whereas they were the main theme in the first episode. The locales used are quite spectacular, especially Rio and I would have liked a stunt or two at the Cristo Redentor!
Uday Chopra does what he is good at! Play stupid. Period. And that silly hairband is an ingenious way he's devised to conceal his receding hairline :-) Abhishek has acted decently, however he has taken that serious, grumpy look in the film a bit too far. Aishwarya looks genuinely good; till she keeps her mouth shut. Once she starts speaking, however, her giggly, girlish voice comes through quite clearly. Bipasha Basu, I feel has been wasted in this movie. She is a fine actress, and looks quite hot as well, but the story and the plot just do not do justice to her. I mean - what the hell was her part as the Brazilian chick all about?? Was the director trying to get even with her for a past dispute? I would have personally loved to see Bipasha play Ash's character. Hrithik shines out as the best of the lot. He has done perfect justice to his character as a master of disguise, stealing artifacts from supposedly impenetrable fortresses, and leaving behind his insignia at the scene of the crime.
A special mention must be made about the gadgets in the movie, which I thought were absolutely laughable. Bipasha and Abhishek roam around with Bluetooth mobile headsets passing off as radio transceivers. The height is Bipasha pulling out her cellphone to talk to Uday Chopra while still wearing the Bluetooth headset!! C'mon now, how difficult is it to find realistic (if not real) gadgets in this age? And the scene with the undetectable (atleast to the security personnel posted at the museum) remote controlled vehicle stealing the diamond from its well guarded mount is only surpassed in sheer preposterousness by the scene in which Hrithik replaces it with a holographic image!!!
The music is a real let down too. If the first part had some catchy and well placed numbers, this one had some rank bad numbers, which looked as if they were crudely inserted into the storyline. Some innovation should have been shown here as there is not a single song in the entire soundtrack, which is noteworthy. Hrithik too needs to learn some new dance moves as he is seen grooving to the six year old dance moves from Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai!
To be fair to the movie, it is a one time watch! Go see it only if you want to see Bipasha in a bikini or Hrithik changing appearances a la The Jackal. Forget it if you expect anything close to the original Dhoom...
Rating: 2
(1: Trash, 2: Bearable, 3: Average, 4: Good, 5: Excellent)
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Casino Royale - A Review!
Director: Martin Campbell
Cast: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench
Pragmatic, rational, earthy, unfantastic, authentic! That's how I would define 007 in his latest adventure - Casino Royale! Daniel Craig, who was once a dark horse for the role of the sauve British spy has done more than justice to the oft abused character. And Director Martin Campbell has done an excellent job in keeping the story and the plot believable.
The film opens with a superb sequence showing how Bond gets his "00" status which leads into the famous gun barrel shot and the opening credits. Then there is the slightly stretched (in all senses of the word) chase through a construction site and a neatly executed killing at an embassy.
The film has some superb visuals from the jungles of Madagascar to the beaches of the Bahamas but none of the outrageous and unrealistic special effects that we have seen in the past few Bond movies. The film is also light on the usual Bond gadgets but this is understandable considering the absence of the inventor of these gadgets - Q. Also missing is Miss Moneypenny whose absence Bond reminds us when he meets Vesper Lynd, an accountant (& his love interest) tasked by the government to look after the $10 million given to him to play poker against the evil Le Chiffre - an banker who handles accounts for terrorists. However, M is definitely present in the movie and has a neat role. The story is a combination of fast paced action & stunts on one hand and slow, deliberate drama on the other and the director has managed to seamlessly merge both!
The movie also portrays Bond as a sensitive, caring and a somewhat vulnerable human being rather than the robotic, unbreakable, indestructible engine that we have seen in the Pierce Brosnan series. How many times have you seen James Bond recuperating in a hospital? As I said earlier, the director has made the storyline really believable.
The usual Bond cars are on full display including a brand new Aston Martin DBS and an unreleased Ford Mondeo 2007. Also making an appearance is the classic 1964 Aston Martin. Sony Corporation seems to have paid a princely sum to the producers as Sony products including the Vaio notebook, a Sony digital camera and a Sony Ericsson K800i mobile phone can be seen at different times through the movie.
The closing sequence is also different as compared to the traditional Bond movies which show him rollicking around with one of the Bond Girls. Here, the director has chosen to keep the story running right till the last minute which is also when you get to hear the famed punchline "The name's Bond, James Bond!"
All in all it is a great movie with a brilliant cast. Daniel Craig really stands out as 007 in his maiden shot at the role of the spy with the license to kill!! Go watch it!
Rating: 4
(1: Trash, 2: Bearable, 3: Average, 4: Good, 5: Excellent)
Cast: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench
Pragmatic, rational, earthy, unfantastic, authentic! That's how I would define 007 in his latest adventure - Casino Royale! Daniel Craig, who was once a dark horse for the role of the sauve British spy has done more than justice to the oft abused character. And Director Martin Campbell has done an excellent job in keeping the story and the plot believable.
The film opens with a superb sequence showing how Bond gets his "00" status which leads into the famous gun barrel shot and the opening credits. Then there is the slightly stretched (in all senses of the word) chase through a construction site and a neatly executed killing at an embassy.
The film has some superb visuals from the jungles of Madagascar to the beaches of the Bahamas but none of the outrageous and unrealistic special effects that we have seen in the past few Bond movies. The film is also light on the usual Bond gadgets but this is understandable considering the absence of the inventor of these gadgets - Q. Also missing is Miss Moneypenny whose absence Bond reminds us when he meets Vesper Lynd, an accountant (& his love interest) tasked by the government to look after the $10 million given to him to play poker against the evil Le Chiffre - an banker who handles accounts for terrorists. However, M is definitely present in the movie and has a neat role. The story is a combination of fast paced action & stunts on one hand and slow, deliberate drama on the other and the director has managed to seamlessly merge both!
The movie also portrays Bond as a sensitive, caring and a somewhat vulnerable human being rather than the robotic, unbreakable, indestructible engine that we have seen in the Pierce Brosnan series. How many times have you seen James Bond recuperating in a hospital? As I said earlier, the director has made the storyline really believable.
The usual Bond cars are on full display including a brand new Aston Martin DBS and an unreleased Ford Mondeo 2007. Also making an appearance is the classic 1964 Aston Martin. Sony Corporation seems to have paid a princely sum to the producers as Sony products including the Vaio notebook, a Sony digital camera and a Sony Ericsson K800i mobile phone can be seen at different times through the movie.
The closing sequence is also different as compared to the traditional Bond movies which show him rollicking around with one of the Bond Girls. Here, the director has chosen to keep the story running right till the last minute which is also when you get to hear the famed punchline "The name's Bond, James Bond!"
All in all it is a great movie with a brilliant cast. Daniel Craig really stands out as 007 in his maiden shot at the role of the spy with the license to kill!! Go watch it!
Rating: 4
(1: Trash, 2: Bearable, 3: Average, 4: Good, 5: Excellent)
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
I Rule the Road and the Law!!
No, that ain't a dialog out of the Wild West, but a stark reality on our roads.
Last Sunday, a few rich, drunk teenagers after a night of revelry, lost control of their car and mowed down six people sleeping on the pavement at Carter Road, Bandra. Fourteen others were injured in the accident
One of the kids who were in the car mentioned that they were just unlucky to be involved in that accident!! And what about the luck of the people who you killed?? It is not as simple as you think pal!!! Precious lives have been lost here....
How often has this happened on our roads? And how often have the culprits been punished for their crimes? Its the same old story all over again - they get arrested, there is a "trial" and eventually they go away scot free! Look at the Salman Khan case, which is lying in deep freeze since the past four years, while he continues to rake in his millions. What about the families of the people who were killed? How are they going to earn their daily bread? The ones who died were construction workers who used to live on a meagre daily income!
It is high time that those in power cut through all the bureaucracy and red tape and get straight to the judgement. We need to make sure that the verdict in such cases is delivered in quick time and adequate compensation is handed out to the victims! We need to make an example of this so that no one would dare commit such a heinous deed.
Will this ever happen or is it just a pipe dream??
Last Sunday, a few rich, drunk teenagers after a night of revelry, lost control of their car and mowed down six people sleeping on the pavement at Carter Road, Bandra. Fourteen others were injured in the accident
One of the kids who were in the car mentioned that they were just unlucky to be involved in that accident!! And what about the luck of the people who you killed?? It is not as simple as you think pal!!! Precious lives have been lost here....
How often has this happened on our roads? And how often have the culprits been punished for their crimes? Its the same old story all over again - they get arrested, there is a "trial" and eventually they go away scot free! Look at the Salman Khan case, which is lying in deep freeze since the past four years, while he continues to rake in his millions. What about the families of the people who were killed? How are they going to earn their daily bread? The ones who died were construction workers who used to live on a meagre daily income!
It is high time that those in power cut through all the bureaucracy and red tape and get straight to the judgement. We need to make sure that the verdict in such cases is delivered in quick time and adequate compensation is handed out to the victims! We need to make an example of this so that no one would dare commit such a heinous deed.
Will this ever happen or is it just a pipe dream??
Ten Shortest Books of All time!
Ever wondered what you should read when you're feeling down? Here is a comprehensive list of some of the best literature from around the world!
How to Stay Out of Controversy - by Rakhi Sawant
I Make My Own Destiny - by Saddam Hussein
Doing Business with North Korea - by George W Bush
Keeping it Clean - by Shoaib Akhtar & Mohd Asif
Nukes Are Passe - by Kim Jong Il (North Korean "President")
The Art of Making Successful Murder Mysteries - by Karan Johar
I Love Tigers - by Mahinda Rajapaksa (Sri Lankan President)
Life In the Limelight - by Osama Bin Laden
How To Take Decisions On Your Own - by Manmohan Singh
And the record breaking, chart busting, award winning -
How to win a Cricket Tournament - by Rahul Dravid, Greg Chappel & the BCCI wisemen.
How to Stay Out of Controversy - by Rakhi Sawant
I Make My Own Destiny - by Saddam Hussein
Doing Business with North Korea - by George W Bush
Keeping it Clean - by Shoaib Akhtar & Mohd Asif
Nukes Are Passe - by Kim Jong Il (North Korean "President")
The Art of Making Successful Murder Mysteries - by Karan Johar
I Love Tigers - by Mahinda Rajapaksa (Sri Lankan President)
Life In the Limelight - by Osama Bin Laden
How To Take Decisions On Your Own - by Manmohan Singh
And the record breaking, chart busting, award winning -
How to win a Cricket Tournament - by Rahul Dravid, Greg Chappel & the BCCI wisemen.
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