REVIEW 152: EK THA TIGER

Release date:	August 15, 2012
Director:	Kabir Khan
Cast: Language:	Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ranvir Shorey, Girish Karnad, Roshan Seth Hindi

Ek Tha Tiger is neither here nor there. It’s neither this nor that. It’s not an all-out action film, nor is it a heart-wrenching romance. It doesn’t balance out its stunts and love story well enough to be an effective romantic thriller. In fact, whatever its intentions may be, it seems to forget them off and on. This is one of those films that has left me in a 50-50 mood. There are elements in Ek Tha Tiger that I enjoyed, but when I look at the film in its entirety, I neither particularly like nor dislike it.

Ek Tha Tiger begins with a voice-over about the never-ending battle between India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Cut to Iraq where a RAW agent nicknamed Tiger (Salman) is pursuing another agent through the streets in a well-executed chase. The other guy is an ex-RAW chap who sold his soul to ISI. Cut to India, where Tiger is much gawked at by the women in his neighbourhood while his kindly boss (Girish Karnad) worries that his feisty subordinate does not have a life beyond work, but sends him off on his next assignment when Tiger refuses to take a break. That mission involves travelling to Dublin to keep a watch on a scientist (Roshan Seth) who may be collaborating with ISI. The good professor’s housekeeper is a pretty student of Indian origin called Zoya (Katrina Kaif of course). She and Tiger fall in love … of course. And of course there are hurdles in their path. I’ll leave you to discover them if you watch Ek Tha Tiger.

The first point in favour of Kabir Khan’s film is that it does not give us the almost overpowering obeisance to Salman’s star status that we saw in Anees Bazmee’s Ready last year. Except for the actor’s grand entry in silhouette on a burnished background and the salaam he gives the audience at the end of the final song, we are spared constant reminders throughout the film that he is in conversation with his fans.

Where Ek Tha Tiger falters though is in not being alert to Salman’s weaknesses and strengths; and in failing to achieve that balance of humour and self-effacingly humorous action that made Dabangg such a delight. This Khan is a charismatic star whose likeable screen presence is hard to ignore, but he has his limitations as an actor. He pulls off comedy not because of impeccable timing but because he’s naturally funny when he’s being himself; his Salman-ness can be so charming that it’s tempting to ignore the sameness of his performances. More than comicality though, what this film needed was an aching love story, but Salman fails to pull that off. The actor’s shortcomings are never more evident than in a scene by a lake where he first declares his love for the first woman he’s ever loved. Instead of being poignant, it was dull.

Interestingly, Katrina’s action scenes in the film actually overshadow Salman’s stunts. Didn’t know she had it in her. What a pleasant surprise! In fact, except for a slamdunker of a climax that is entertaining in spite of (perhaps because of) the way it defies believability, for the most part Salman comes across as slightly slow, even a tad bit tired when he’s meant to be throwing punches. It doesn’t help that his heroine is an actress about 20 years his junior … but try telling a Hindi film hero that! Which brings me to the other plus point of the film: unlike in Wanted, Dabangg and Ready, the heroine here has not been relegated to the role of a showpiece. Katrina rises to the challenge in the best way she can, showing us just how much she has evolved since her early, impassive days. She also shares a friendly equation with Salman, though warmth is not sizzle, is it?

What really does this film in is its failure to come up with a convincing storyline. The professor in Dublin is quickly forgotten when lurve takes over. RAW and ISI officials who have been outed to their enemy countries roam about in extremely public spaces while trying hard to draw attention to themselves. And trained intelligence officials stare hard into surveillance cameras although most crooks worth their salt on CSI and Criminal Minds know better than to do that. In fact, it’s tough to believe that this film comes to us from the same director and production house that gave us the far more believable and moving John Abraham-Katrina Kaif-Neil Nitin Mukesh-starrer New York. Completely unrelated to these flaws, is there some deep point being made in Ek Tha Tiger by giving Tiger’s associate Gopi a thick beard and moustache?

So here’s the balance sheet: Ek Tha Tiger has a couple of good, blithely over-the-top action scenes (especially one involving a tram and the hero’s jacket), a few funny sequences and some stunning locations. I’m afraid that’s it. The pace is a complete let-down. The oddest thing about the film though is that its background score is a marginally re-jigged version of the signature tune of the Don films. It’s the good luck of Team Tiger that the film’s most enjoyable stretch comes in the final half hour, and the only worthwhile song comes as the end credits roll. The pleasant memory helps reduce the impact of some of the dullness that preceded it.

Rating (out of five): **1/4

CBFC Rating (India):	U/A
Running time:	132 minutes

Photograph courtesy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ek_Tha_Tiger

REVIEW 151: GANGS OF WASSEYPUR 2

Release date:	August 8, 2012
Director:	Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Language:	Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Huma Qureshi, Zeishan Quadri, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Raj Kumar Yadav, Pankaj Tripathi, Richa Chadda, Piyush Mishra, Reemma Sen Hindi

This will be a short review: Gangs of Wasseypur 2 didn’t work for me. That’s it. There’s nothing much to say beyond that. Yes, Nawazuddin  Siddiqui is a wonderful actor and commendations need to go to both director Anurag Kashyap and casting director Mukesh Chhabra (one of the best in the industry) for the choices they’ve made in both editions of Gangs of Wasseypur ... on the other hand, the entire magnificent cast has been sorely under-used in this one. Yes, the music is fun and the lyrics are cheeky ... on the other hand, some of the sheen is lost because of the sameness to the proceedings they’re meant to complement. And yes, the treatment of some of the scenes of violence did take my breath away (in particular that one involving a dying man’s beating heart, of which I will say no more in this review) ... on the other hand, monotony sets in beyond a point. And so, in the overall analysis I found the film boring, overly long and repetitive, it didn’t add any particularly new dimension to the GoW1 story, and to be honest, I don’t understand why Part 2 needed to be made at all.

Gangs of Wasseypur 2 takes off where Wasseypur 1 left off, and then moves along pretty much the same lines. Sardar Khan (Manoj Bajpai) has been killed by Sultan and his men, which leads to a continuation of the Khan-versus-Qureshi inter-family war of generations. The politician Ramadhir Singh (Tigmanshu Dhulia) continues to pull the strings from a distance. And Sardar’s son and successor Faisal Khan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) continues – like his father before him – to be emotional and sensitive before his wife but brutal and heartless elsewhere. The violence continues to be unrelenting. And Wasseypur town in Dhanbad continues to be ravaged by the pointlessness and mindlessness of it all. Continues … continues … continues … so what’s new?

Perhaps I might have liked GoW2 more as a standalone film without GoW1 coming before it. Perhaps the repetitiveness could have been dispelled if the focus of the film had shifted entirely from the unyielding cycle of bloodshed and political maneuvering, and to the vulnerability of Faisal’s reluctant gangster. Nawazuddin has one of the loveliest faces in Bollywood right now. His slight stature adds charm to the character of Faisal who is a politely shy boyfriend yet reveals himself to be a ferocious lover to his wife; a man who weeps because he was compelled by circumstances to join a battle not of his making yet is a single-mindedly cruel don. Unfortunately the film gives us only sporadic glimpses of an intimate portrait of Faisal. The overwhelming picture is of Faisal’s actions as a ganglord alongside the shenanigans of his brothers, pretentiously named Perpendicular and Definite.

The first two films of the Godfather series – to which GoW seems like an ode – were effective because they were not uni-dimensional and the sequel took the story forward. Not so with the disappointingly dull Gangs of Wasseypur 2. As a cine buff who has immense respect for Anurag Kashyap’s work, I seriously wish he had not made this film.

Rating (out of five): **1/4

CBFC Rating (India):	A
Running time:	160 minutes

Photograph courtesy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangs_of_Wasseypur_-_Part_2        

REVIEW 150: SPIRIT

Release date:	July 27, 2012
Director:	Ranjith
Cast: Language:	Mohanlal, Kaniha, Shankar Ramakrishnan, Lena, Thilakan, Tini Tom Malayalam

I remember the first time I watched a Mohanlal film as a little girl growing up in Delhi. The Kairali Film Society was holding a screening of Manjil Virinja Pookkal, and my parents thought it would be a good idea for us kids to get some exposure to cinema from our home state. I just HATED Mohanlal in that film! God how he made my skin crawl!

As I grew older though, and I began to understand what acting is about, I realised it’s not the actor that I had found despicable while watching MVP, but the man that he became for that role. That’s the thing about Mohanlal … When it comes to the craft, there are few film stars in India who are within touching distance of him. Not all his films have been artistic delights though. Through multiple National Awards in a career spanning over three decades, Lalettan (as he is known to adoring fans in Kerala) has also acted in some unabashedly loud masala fare. But when a man has delivered so many noteworthy performances over so many years in both good and bad films, it’s only fair to go to watch him with an open mind, because there’s no telling what he might come up with next.

Director Ranjith’s Spirit features Mohanlal as TV journalist Raghunandan whose straight-talking style has won him fans across the state. He’s an honest man with a severe drinking problem that he refuses to admit to himself. His closest friends include his work, his ex-wife Meera and her second husband Alexy. Raghu and Meera’s son stays with his mother. Although Meera has often tried to help Raghu understand that he suffers from an addiction, he refuses to accept the truth…until one day, tragedy strikes too close to home and everything changes.

The most likeable part of this film is, of course, that it has its heart in the right place. Alcoholism can destroy families … Alcoholism is a disease that needs to be treated … Physically abusing your wife in a drunken state is inexcusable … These and many more messages come through loud and clear in this well-intentioned film about the “spirit” that is rampant in India’s most literate state. I particularly liked the almost chilling portrayal of the plumber Mani’s rabid dependence on drink. I also enjoyed Mohanlal’s interpretation of a well-meaning but pompous journalist.

A great message is not enough to make a great movie though. Spirit’s heavy-handed dialogue writing rings its death knell from the very start. Okay, I can understand the bombastic lines being delivered by Raghunandan’s character. He is, after all, one of those obnoxious, over-bearing TV anchors who seems to interview people to hear his own voice and does not allow guests on his show to get a word in edgeways. So I can accept the writing of Raghu’s dialogues, but it’s jarring when the other characters in the film also speak in a similarly theatrical manner. When Raghu misbehaves at a party, Meera’s friend consoles her by saying somberly, as a character in a cliché-ridden book might: it’s not him, it’s the spirit within (give or take a word here or there). Oh c’mon, who talks like that? The end result is that despite being mildly entertaining, in the overall analysis Spirit is too wordy and lacks subtlety.

The other problem I had with this film is the Raghu-Meera-Alexy relationship. I’m not for a moment suggesting that divorced couples can’t remain friends even after a bitter break-up … It’s possible, it happens, I know that. The question here is, what does Raghu bring to the table that prompts Meera and Alexy to feel an iota of a desire to socialise with him? He is loutish yet they routinely invite him to parties at their house where he never fails to pick quarrels and be rude to their friends. He may be a journalist with lofty ideals, but this father of an adolescent deaf-mute son is so self-centred that in all these years he has not bothered to master the sign language to communicate with his child, unlike the boy’s stepfather Alexy. I could understand if Meera and Alexy were staying in touch with Raghu out of a sense of duty. But why on earth do they make such an effort to spend so much time with him when it’s not required? This rather dominant aspect of the story is completely unconvincing.

At the risk of inviting the wrath of Mohanlal fans, I must also state that I felt considerable discomfort watching the megastar with actress Kaniha who plays Meera and looks young enough to be his daughter. Firstly – and rather sadly – Lalettan has allowed himself to go all over the place physically for the longest time now. His expanded waistline coupled with the over two decades that separate him from this so-very-evidently-young actress, make the seeming attraction between them in one scene rather hard to digest. Yeah yeah, I know of course that there are older-man-younger-woman romances in the real world, but show me a redeeming feature in this particular older man that might draw any woman to him, and I will erase this paragraph.

Still, Spirit does touch a chord with its call to Keralites to recognise the poison that could destroy the state. It’s moderately interesting. It should and could have been so much more.

Rating (out of five): **1/2

CBFC Rating (India):	U/A
Running time:	145 minutes

Photograph courtesy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_(2012_film)       

REVIEW 149: JISM 2

Release date:	August 3, 2012
Director:	Pooja Bhatt
Cast: Language:	Sunny Leone, Arunoday Singh, Randeep Hooda, Arif Zakaria Hindi

Let me state this right at the start... Sunny Leone is many galactic miles behind Bipasha Basu! The US-based porn star of Indo-Canadian origin is, as you know, the heroine of director Pooja Bhatt’s Jism 2. It boggles the mind that Pooja would not have realised that while Sunny is pretty, sweet-faced, busty and has a fit body, she has neither Bipasha’s screen presence and charisma nor that same oomph that could out-burn temperatures in the Sahara Desert as Ms Basu has done for about a decade now. To then position Sunny as some sort of successor to Bipasha by casting her in Jism 2 – a title which harks back to the Bipasha-starrer of 2003 – is not just an error of judgement but also misleading to the audience. 

Limp, flaccid, lifeless … I can think of a number of adjectives to describe this yawn-worthy film. The only pertness on screen comes from Sunny’s bosom generously displayed in tiny outfits with plunging necklines and from the obliging shirtlessness of those two very muscular heroes. Jism 2 has been marketed as an erotic thriller, but there is neither erotica nor any thrill in evidence here. The polished production design and good-looking locations can hardly be considered compensation for the failure to deliver on that promise. Film-goers hoping for loads of sex should be warned that there’s not much more love making in Jism 2 than there was in Karan Johar’s Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna … meaning, there’s not much at all. Mahesh Bhatt has been quoted in the press as saying that the Censor Board cut out 50 per cent of the film’s ‘adult’ scenes. Well whatever be the reason, frankly, there was 10 times more between-and-beyond-the-sheets action in Jism which was released almost a decade back and in the Bhatts’ own Murder 2 just last year. In fact, Jism 2 seems stuck in some sort of time warp and the director seems strangely out of touch with what Indian audiences have been exposed to in recent years. C’mon … a few shots of a bare-backed heroine are hardly likely to shock film-goers who, in 2011, watched those torrid scenes between Randeep Hooda and Mahie Gill in Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Saheb Biwi aur Gangster!

Even for those walking into the theatre hoping for some completely asexual entertainment, this film has nothing to offer. The story – if you can call it that at all – is about a porn star called Izna (Sunny) who is roped in by intelligence official Ayaan (Arunoday Singh) and his boss (Arif Zakaria) to serve as a honey trap for the terrorist Kabir Wilson (Randeep Hooda). Sunny doesn’t act as much as she poses around cutely … and oh boy, is she cute! She also insists on wearing stilettoes almost throughout, although her walk suggests a painful discomfort with those killer heels.

I’ll be honest here … Unlike some of you (yes, I write the words “unlike some of you” with tongue firmly in cheek and a smile) … Unlike some of you, I have not seen any of Sunny’s earlier films. Therefore, I can’t put this present performance in perspective in comparison with her other work. Randeep Hooda and newcomer Arunoday Singh are a different story however. Both are good actors. In films like Saheb Biwi aur Gangster and Yeh Saali Zindagi, both have also shown us that they are uninhibited and capable of steaming up the screen with a strong female co-star in bed (or on rock formations, in the case of Mr Hooda). Yet, look what passionless direction and verbose dialogues can do to even the best of actors … Arunoday comes across as inexplicably wooden in parts of Jism 2 and the otherwise-often-excellent Randeep appears to be hamming uncontrollably here. In fact, his love-making with Sunny’s Izna must rank as one of the most embarrassingly posed and cold examples of sex ever in Bollywood. Hopefully Arunoday and Randeep will have better films coming up soon that will erase this one from our memories. And hopefully next time Pooja will give us a heroine who can act!

Rating (out of five): *

CBFC Rating (India):	A
Running time:	132 minutes

Photograph courtesy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jism_2