Posts Tagged ‘professional’
By Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 24, 2009)
The much-hyped premiere of 3 Idiots promised what seemed impossible – bringing all the three Khans under one roof. Well, turns out that it actually is impossible. For while Salman Khan made a gamely appearance, Shah Rukh did not complete the picture of the happy Khan-daan. It was left up to an unchaperoned Karan Johar to pass on the good wishes for both of them.
Amitabh Bachchan was missing in action as well, taking some of the sheen away from the big premiere. Of course, other stars showed up but many of them are associated with the film or with director Rajkumar Hirani’s earlier Munnabhai series.
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| From (Left): Kareena kapoor and Saif Ali Khan, Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan, Imran Khan and Avantika, Rajkumar Hirani and Vinod Chopra |
Aamir Khan, always the professional, played the courteous host despite the fact that he was running a high temperature. His doctor had visited him twice yesterday and his fever had hit a raging 103 degrees. Dressed in a Sabyasachi suit, he received the guests with the cast and the crew of 3 Idiots at a multiplex at Wadala, while his wife Kiran Rao stationed herself on the first floor near the screens. She was seen discussing the film with Chetan Bhagat. Bet he was trying to figure out which bits from his book finally made it to the film.
Salman caused quit a stir when he appeared and had to be whisked away and he entered the venue from a different route. Kareena Kapoor, looking stunning in a saree, came in with a dapper-looking Saif Ali Khan. Mona Singh, who makes her debut with the film, was seen in a quiet corner with her father, keeping a low profile. Bhushan Kumar was heard saying that he had cancelled his family vacation for the premiere. Touching.
Mansoor Khan was the self-appointed babysitter as he was seen loading up on the popcorn for Aamir’s kids Junaid and Ira. Reema, Aamir’s ex-wife, was also present.
Sanjay Dutt came without his devoted wife Manyata, while a bearded Sonu Nigam decided it was better not to leave his better half at home.
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| Sanjay dutt | Sharman joshi | Salman khan |
It’s always a pleasure to see a meaningful flick which entertains as well enlightens. Rajkumar Hirani is the master of such flicks (his forthcoming 3 Idiots is also expected to be the same). Rocket Singh also falls in this category. Although it is laden with some glitches, overall it gives you a great time and also teaches you some valuable lessons which we may have forgotten or ignored because of living in this fast-paced urban ‘corporatized’ life!
The story of the movie: Harpreet Singh Bedi (Ranbir Kapoor) has just graduated with low marks but is determined to enter into the world of sales. He justified himself as ‘number kam hai dimaag nahi’! With his confidence and ‘never quit’ attitude, he lands as a trainee in the reputed company, AYS. But he soon realizes that in this professional field, the people worked with the most unprofessional attitude! He always believed in working honestly and caring for the customers. He even attempted to apply his principles which received a sharp reaction from his seniors. Harpreet was then denounced and humiliated. And this is when he realized that instead of merely being an observer, he’ll be the change he wants to see! From here begins the journey of Harpreet aka Rocket Singh!
One won’t take to Rocket Singh instantly, esp in the first hour. This hour focuses more on establishing characters. Also the film hasn’t applied sync sound system well due to which one has difficulty in deciphering some of the dialogues. But after some time in the film, we get ‘accustomed’ to it!
But there are some sequences in the first hour that deserve a mention. The ‘complaint’ scene was great and the boss’ (Manish Choudhari) angry reaction looked quite real. Also watch out when Ranbir is humiliated by the boss with his ‘zero-value’ theory. It was a bit over the top but made an impact.
But the second hour is when the film rocks big time! Ranbir creating a company within a company and popularizing it with his honest ways and making partners was damn interesting. The pre-climax wonderfully built up tension but the climax was dragged a bit. Maybe, the lengthy dialogue should have been a bit crisp. It would have made a better impact.
But nonetheless, the film manages to put its message across in a cool manner. It’s a must for all in the sales field or anyone dealing with customers…maybe it will inspire them to adopt more ‘human’ and honest ways of working!
Without a doubt, it’s Ranbir Kapoor who carried the film fabulously on his shoulders and came up with a great performance. He looked charming even in his sardar look and managed to do a great job-as great as he did in Wake Up Sid and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. The film may unfortunately not work at the BO but Ranbir will surely be appreciated and Rocket Singh will be remembered as one of his best performances!
Prem Chopra as Ranbir’s paa played his part well. D. Santosh (famous for his Rajguru act in The Legend of Bhagat Singh) was outstanding! In fact, he delivers better performance than Ranbir in many of the scenes involving both of them! Watch out for him!
Besides these, the rest of actors were all newbies but leave a mark. Gauhar Khan as Koyna looks stunning and gives a top-class performance. Her career in Bollywood is on the right track with this film! Shazahn Padamsee gets very little scope but manages to impress. Mukesh Bhatt as Chotelal was just brilliant! And finally, the other two actors who leave a maximum impact as Ranbir and Santosh are Naveen Kaushik (as Nitin) and Manish Choudhari. Both were wonderful and if the film impresses, then they are also to be credited!
Salim-Sulaiman’s music doesn’t make a mark as song-and-dance isn’t part of this film. Pocket Mein Rocket is missing from the film. But their background score like everytime was fabulous.
Vikash Nowlakha’s cinematography was flawless. Manas Choudhury, the sync sound recordist, could have done a better job.
Jaideep Sahni has written the story, screenplay, dialogues and lyrics. His work was exceptional in all four. Only the screenplay could have been a tighter in the climax and easy in the initial portions. But the best part is-his Khosla Ka Ghosla magic is wonderfully seen in some of the scenes which really makes the film impressive.
This is Shimit Amin’s weakest directorial venture, simply because his last two flicks, Ab Tak Chappan and Chak De! India are considered as classics. But still even in his weak performance, he impresses! Watch out for how he has paid attention to little details to make the film look as realistic and closer to real life as possible. Watch out for the beginning portions when the credits appear-observe how the simple articles found in every household are impressively highlighted. Overall, a good job, could have been better and best wishes for the next project!
Some of the best scenes of the film:
1. Harpreet’s first interview
2. Harpreet’s complaint box ‘kaarnama’
3. Boss reacts to Harpreet’s kaarnama!
4. Colleagues scold Harpreet
5. The intermission point
6. Koyna joins Harpreet
7. Harpreet and his boss’ telephonic conversation (best scene of the film!)
8. Boss finds out the truth (amazing!)
9. The final scene
On the whole, Rocket Singh is a feel-good film and should be seen by all sales professionals and corporates. A must watch for Ranbir too. Go for it to have a different kinda experience!
My rating-*** out of 5!
This review first appeared on MouthShut.com: http://www.mouthshut.com/review/Rocket_Singh-181580-1.html
A few days back, Vivek Oberoi was woken up at 6 in the morning with an SMS. It was a text message from his Kurbaan co-star Saif Ali Khan, praising Vivek Oberoi him for his work in the film.
“I’ve craved for this kind of appreciation,” admits Vivek candidly, “I wanted people to see me for my work and not have a coloured perspective because of whatever’s transpired in the past.”
The actor’s gone through his share of trouble, both personally and professionally. “One thing I’ve learnt is that it’s easier to deal with failure than to deal with success. If you don’t know what to do with success, then you lose the plot. Success had gone to my head. I was surrounded by people who kept pushing me in the wrong direction and I kept going there, and when it finally hit me, I was like, how did this happen?
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| Vivek Oberoi |
Those four-five years were just a blur, then to understand and recover from that took time,” he says, wisened from the experience.
But yes, there were times when he was completely down in the dumps too. “There was a time when I felt that everything I did was going to backfire. It was difficult to keep my sense of reason or humour at a time like that. One day, I was really upset and my mom asked me what’s wrong. I said I just feel completely lost — there was so much professional and personal upheaval. Then she pulled out a copy of one of my first interviews during Company and said ‘start here’. I read that and realised this is what I was,” he recounts.
The journey to recover started with Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara and life seems to have taken a turn for the better since then. His performance in Kurbaan has been appreciated and the actor’s looking forward to Prince — It’s Showtime, where he plays a slick, stylish thief and his mentor Ram Gopal Varma’s Rakta Charitra.
Vivek realises he has been given a second lease in his career. “I think in my seven years, something I have realised pretty late is the value of opportunity. What stands between me and a lot of talented actors is a platform that Mr Varma gave me, and the second time around, I got it with Kurbaan. Then I’ve got Kumar Taurani backing me with a big film and it’s a dream to be working with my mentor Ramu again,” he says.
The smile on his face says it all when he adds, “I’ve realised the whole idea of carrying grudges, negativity, anger, hatred and enmity just bogs you down. I’m at peace now. When I started out, it was more of a high, right now, I’m humbled.” So Vivek’s finally grown up? He’s quick to answer, “I’ve a better understanding of who I am now.” That’s more than what most would say.
MEENA IYER Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; September 15, 2009)
Aditya Chopra’s promising debutant Anushka Sharma continues her run as a big league player. After Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, one of the biggest blockbusters of all-time, Anushka is romancing Shahid Kapoor in Parmeet Sethi’s untitled venture. In December, she will team up with super-hottie Akshay Kumar in Nikhil Advani’s Patiala House. “I loved the script the moment I heard it,’’ she confesses. “However, I didn’t want to do anything impulsive. So I slept over it for a day and went back to Nikhil telling him I was most certainly on for the project,’’ says the heroine, who stands almost six feet tall. Anushka adds, “I have never met Akshay Kumar in my life and I’m going to be romancing him in my next project. I can’t tell you how excited I am. First I got to romance Shah Rukh, then Shahid and now Akshay. It is as if I’m walking on a cloud.’’
Has she talked to her godfather Aditya Chopra about this film? “Adi would hate it if I called him my mentor or godfather,’’ she says. “He and I are not friends. He is someone I hold in high regard. He holds a special place for me forever because he gave me a break every girl can only dream of. Adi is also too professional to ask me about the script of another film-maker. And I’m equally professional, so I will not reveal any details. But I can pick up the phone and seek his advice if I wish to. He is always there for his actors/technicians.’’
The Rab Ne girl admits that she is ruthlessly ambitious but will not resort to anything unscrupulous to attain great heights. “I started at the top with Rab Ne. Now I have to work double hard. An actor told me, ‘Anushka, you have been given a silver platter. Keep it clean.’ My desire, therefore, is to always try and put my best foot forward.’’ With her nose buried deep in the Patialia House script, she day dreams. About Akshay Kumar, perhaps…
meena.iyer@timesgroup.com
Fenil and Bollywood 