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Review Report:KRAZZY 4

Cast: Irrfan Khan, Arshad Warsi, Rajpal Yadav and Suresh Menon
Director: Jaideep Sen


It would be wrong to slot KRAZZY 4 as a comedy. Sure, KRAZZY 4 remains faithful to the ongoing trend of providing laughs at the oddest of things, but it's more of a masala fare that's reminiscent of the 1980s cinema. Packaged in a modern avatar, of course.

A film like KRAZZY 4 is easy on your brains. It rests on a thin plot, but the makers have tried to package the proceedings with entertaining stuff from Scene A to Z. Sometimes it works, at times it doesn't. But the pros outweigh the cons in this case. Also, let's get one thing straight. This isn't path-breaking or ground-breaking cinema by any chance. It's targeted at the aam junta, not connoisseurs of cinema.

Also, one of the trump cards… sorry, make it two, are the dance numbers filmed on the two superstars -- SRK and Hrithik. Just these two numbers are enough to satiate the hunger of an avid moviegoer. Even the Rakhi Sawant track is an asset, since it's hugely popular with the desi junta [like 'Main Aayee Hoon U.P.-Bihar Lootne' and 'Beedi'].


In a nutshell, KRAZZY 4 isn't the kind of cinema that would invite debates or discussions. Its intention is to make people leave the cineplex with a smile and it succeeds in its endeavour.

Arshad Warsi is Raja: Truly the angry young man! His blood boils, his fists clench and he's ready to beat the daylights out of anyone who upsets him in some way.

Irrfan Khan is Dr. Mukherjee: He has decided that he's the Captain of the team! But so obsessed is he by the need to be in control of a situation, he doesn't realise he's totally lost control of himself and his mind.

Rajpal Yadav is Gangadhar: He's marching to a beat only he can hear; he's fighting for a cause that's long over. But in his mind he's still fighting for Swaraj.

Suresh Menon is Dabboo: He's everybody's pet and however far gone the rest may be, when it comes to Dabboo, everybody's protective. Even if he can hear and understand, Dabboo refuses to speak. And nobody knows why!

Dr Sonali [Juhi Chawla] treats them all. She has faith that all it needs is a little time and lots of patience to make them part of the mad, mad, mad world out there…

Rakesh Roshan's story takes a leaf out of ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, while Ashwani Dhir's screenplay tries to pack everything that's available on the shelf. The first hour is quite entertaining, with a few sequences compelling you to flex your facial muscles.

But the problem lies in its second hour. More specifically, the writing relies on the age-old stuff to reach the finale. Too many cinematic liberties have been undertaken in this hour, just to reach the culmination and it doesn't really work at times. Even the end outside the hospital looks contrived.

Jaideep Sen shows a flair for comedy, but had the debutante director opted for a slightly novel screenplay, it would've taken the film to another level. A few comic scenes are well executed and in terms of execution, Jaideep knows the grammar right.

Ashwani Dhir's screenplay may lack novelty, but the dialogues penned by him are witty and enjoyable. Cinematography is nice. Rajesh Roshan's music is up to the mark. The two tracks, filmed on the superstars, are top notch and what enhances the effect are the choreography and production design [of SRK track] and the visual effects [in Hrithik track].

Arshad Warsi is the best of the lot. His character is bound to work with the moviegoers. Irrfan's role doesn't offer him that much scope. Yet, the actor enacts his part with precision. Rajpal Yadav is quite funny at places. Suresh Menon is a surprise. He hardly utters one word in the film, but he delivers with expressions.

Juhi Chawla doesn't get ample opportunity. Dia Mirza is efficient. Zakir Hussain is okay. Rajat Kapoor is relegated to the backseat.

On the whole, KRAZZY 4 is slightly above the average mark, but the brand [Rakesh Roshan] coupled with the presence of the two superstars in its songs and of course, some great actors in comic roles should ensure positive returns at the box-office.

By Taran Adarsh

Review Report:U Me Aur Hum

Cast: Ajay Devgan, Kajol, Divya Dutta
Director: Ajay Devgan

Aamir Khan has raised the bar with TAARE ZAMEEN PAR. Comparisons between Aamir and Ajay Devgan, who makes his directorial debut with U ME AUR HUM, would be erroneous, but you can't turn a blind eye to the fact that the viewer would expect an encore with U ME AUR HUM. Will U ME AUR HUM live up to the humungous hype and expectations? Does Devgan have the trappings of a fine storyteller? Oh yes, he does!

Let's come to the point right away. Devgan needs to be lauded for choosing a daringly different theme in his debut film and most importantly, doing justice to it, handling it with extreme care. We know him as a powerful actor, now there's yet another designation added to his name -- avant-garde director.


Let's move on to the next query! Is the real-life couple -- Ajay and Kajol -- as dynamic yet again? The answer is, they're electrifying. Both pitch in bravura performances, reaffirming the fact that this jodi is amongst the finest of this generation.

One of the prime reasons why U ME AUR HUM works, and works big time, is because it's aimed at the heart. Anyone who's into relationships, anyone who believes in love, anyone who thinks from the heart, anyone who has watched his/her partner grapple a grave disease, will identify with a film like U ME AUR HUM.

To cut a long story short, U ME AUR HUM marks the birth of a powerhouse of talent. Watch U ME AUR HUM for various reasons, but most importantly, watch it for a new director who respects your 2.30 hours and the hard-earned bucks that you invest on watching his movie. It's time to fall in love with love… again!

The first time Ajay [Ajay Devgan] saw Pia [Kajol], she served him drinks. She affected him more than the alcohol, it was love at first sight. The first time Pia saw Ajay, he had a drink too many. She watched him make a fool of himself and was relieved when he passed out.

Ajay is on a cruise with his friends -- Nikhil [Sumeet Raghavan] and Reena [Divya Dutta], unhappily married, and Vicky [Karan Khanna] and Natasha [Isha Sharwani], happily unmarried. Ajay is having a wonderful time dealing with martial strife, lots of bad language and huge hangovers, when he finds Pia and time stands still.

After a disastrous first meeting, Ajay tries everything to woo her. He wants her, by hook, crook or even her little private notebook. She's not an easy catch at all, but finally, by sheer perseverance, he dances his way into her heart. Ajay and Pia develop a strong and special bond.

Happy marriages begin when we marry the ones we love, and they blossom when we love the ones we marry. And Ajay-Pia love each other dearly, but no marriages can be complete without problems, and Ajay and Pia have also have to face hurdles. Kajol is diagnosed with Alzheimer's. How does the couple face the crisis?

The one thing you must carry when you set out to watch U ME AUR HUM is a kerchief. For, this film makes you shed a tear at times, cry at places and weep in at least two vital sequences. But it's not just rona-dhona that you get to see in U ME AUR HUM.

The first hour, strictly average in terms of writing, has several sunshine moments. It's breezy, funny, at times silly, but interesting. What also catches your eye is the eye-filling cinematography [Aseem Bajaj in top form, yet again] on the cruise. The songs, the glam look, the subtle humor… you don't take to the film instantly, but you know for a fact that a volcano is brewing.

And the volcano does erupt in the second hour! Ajay Devgan, the director, shows his expertise in this hour as the story does an about-turn, exposing the delicate, sensitive and fragile relationships. Devgan reserves the best for the concluding reels and you finally get the answers in the end.

U ME AUR HUM is more of a director's film, than anyone else's. A theme like the one projected in this film could go dangerously haywire if entrusted in inept hands, but Devgan seems to have done his homework well. The only glitch is the length in its second hour. A shorter narrative would've only helped!

Robin Bhatt, Sutanu Gupta and Akarsh Khurana's screenplay casts a hypnotic spell in the second hour. Sure, the germ stems from THE NOTEBOOK [2004; James Garner, Gena Rowlands, Rachel McAdams], but the writers have altered the screenplay keeping Indian sensibilities in mind. It works! Ashwani Dhir's dialogues touch the core of your heart. Every spoken sentence has a meaning. Vishal Bhardwaj's music may not be a chartbuster, but it alternates between soulful and melancholic beautifully. Aseem Bajaj's cinematography is topnotch. Monty Sharma's background score is effective.

Now to the performances! U ME AUR HUM is like a medal that glimmers on Ajay Devgan's body of work. He's exceptional! Kajol, well, what can you say of an actress who has proved herself time and again? That she's undoubtedly the best has been proved yet again. Sumeet Raghavan is first-rate. Divya Dutta gets into the groove in the subsequent portions. Karan Khanna and Isha Sharwani are okay. Sachin Khedekar does a fine job. Aditya Rajput and Hazel get minimal scope.

On the whole, U ME AUR HUM is a well-made, absorbing love story that's high on the emotional quotient. And that holds tremendous appeal for ladies/families mainly. At the box-office, it's the kind of film that will gather more and more speed with each passing show. Its business at multiplexes should be fantastic. Overseas too should be excellent.

Very strongly recommended!

By Taran Adarsh

Karan Patel admits he irked Ekta

By indiaabroad

Mumbai,(IANS) TV Actor Karan Patel, the rebellious Robby of 'Kasturi', is becoming tardy, and Ekta Kapoor does not like it one bit.

With surprising candour, Karan admits that there was indeed a problem at Balaji Telefilms.


'Yes, I did come late for the shoot. But that's because I've taken on another show, 'Kaho Na Yaar Hai'. And initially there was some problem synchronising the two schedules although they're both shows for the same channel. I'm sure it'll be sorted out very shortly. For now I regret the inconvenience caused to the 'Kasturi' team and to Ekta,' Karan told IANS.


Karan admits things reached a head and the entire cast walked away en masse.


'Yes, the 'Kasturi' cast did walk out en masse because I arrived late. Then Ekta and I had a meeting and I explained my situation. And she's okay now. But it's not something I could help. Or something that I'd do intentionally.'


Kasturi's bad boy turned angel makes another strangely disarming confession.


Amita Chandekar, who has a vamp's part in 'Kasturi' and who partnered him in 'Nach Baliye 3' was never his real-life girlfriend.


'I'd like to clarify that I don't have a girlfriend. This was something I needed to clear for a long time. It's a misunderstanding that has been allowed to go on for too long. Amita and I are close friends. And we were together for some time, though not as a couple. Our togetherness was mistaken for something else. I'm much relieved to clear this notion,' Karan said.


So how did they end up being a couple on 'Nach Baliye'?


'We were friends and we suited the rules and regulations of 'Nach Baliye'...you could say we were a pair or you could say were never a pair. I never proposed to her. There was never a girlfriend-boyfriend tag. We were two people who hung out together quite often.'


Karan is currently one of Indian television's most coveted stars.


'Really?' he feigns disbelief. 'Now that you've brought it to my notice, I'm flattered and thrilled. Yeah, the change has been quite sudden, though I hardly get time off from television to see what I've achieved. I was just one of the bit players on 'Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki' where I was almost a junior artist. I was suddenly pulled out of the backbench to play the lead in 'Kasturi'. I never thought the serial would fetch me so much recognition. It just boosts your morale to know you've finally arrived. I guess I've made big progress,' says the scion of a Gujarati business family.


The young actor says he was always confident of his success. 'But I never knew it would happen so suddenly. One day I was just another face on television. The next day I was Robby in 'Kasturi'. Then 'Nach Baliye' happened. Now I'm anchoring a show for STAR. I couldn't have hoped for more.'


He admits the fan attention has multiplied. 'I'm now craving to make the next move...to cinema. Insha Allah, it should happen soon. Yes, television has its own place now. But when you do a lot of television, you become identified as the character you play in the soaps. Smriti (Irani) will be known as Tulsi no matter what she does in the future. But age and time are on my side. So I can be patient. I'll have to cut off from television, re-invent myself for the big screen. Yes, I do have film offers.'


He admits 'Nach Baliye' added to his popularity. 'Weekdays, I was seen on a soap. And during weekends I was seen as dancer on a reality show. So I was there in viewers' faces throughout the week. It gave me a chance to dance, something I am very fond of. I used to dance for Shiamak Davar's troupe earlier. Yes, I was preparing for stardom from my childhood.'

Very few can perform like Kajol: Ajay Devgan

By indiaabroad
New Delhi,(IANS) Kajol is a director's delight, says Bollywood actor Ajay Devgan of his talented wife whom he has cast in his directorial debut 'U, Me Aur Hum'.

'Very few actresses can perform like her. Doesn't every director want to work with Kajol?' Ajay told IANS.

'Working with her is a delight. When a writer writes his book, he uses words to express himself and when a director makes a film, actors like her help convey the message rightly,' added Devgan, who was in the capital Saturday to promote his upcoming film.

The actor denies he would only select Kajol for his future projects.

'Taking her in my first film doesn't mean that I would only work with her. Casting depends on who suits the role most, and for this character she fitted the bill.'

Apart from Ajay and Kajol, the movie also stars Divya Dutta, Karan Khanna, Isha Sharvani and Sumeet Raghavan. It narrates the story of three couples and how the successful marriage of one couple helps mend another's relationship and how the third is urged to tie the knot.

'I have not tried to make a pseudo intellectual film, instead a commercial one. 'U, Me Aur Hum' is about love, life and relationships. The aim is that people must come out of the theatre with a smile and feel good,' the national award winner said.

Ajay believes directing a film and acting in it is not difficult.

'Doing two things at a time requires a lot of hard work but once you are clear about what you want to do it is not that difficult.

'Moreover, direction wasn't a big change for me. I started my career as a director. I used to make small films and would do everything except acting in them. I always wanted to direct a full-length film,' he said.

'It all started with a thought that gradually took shape. Only when a second thought comes along will I roll out my next film.'

Commenting on whether his role in the film is a reflection of his personal life, he said: 'No, there are no similarities.'

'For instance, in the film the character falls in love at first sight but nothing like this has ever happened to me in real life. However, I believe in what the character believes in.'

 

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