Posts Tagged ‘sajid-wajid’
Sallu has low-key all-boys bday party after his ‘break-up with Katrina’!
Posted on: December 28, 2009
Salman Khan is well-known in Bollywood circles for his wild parties. If the party happens to be his birthday bash and that too at his farmhouse at Panvel, it promises to be double the fun. However, yesterday night, Salman had a low-key celebration for his 45th birthday. He had a stag party.
A source says, “Bhai is known to have fun during his parties at Panvel. His parties are much awaited and talked about by his guests. Salman’s large-heartedness ensures that all of them have a blast. However, this year, Salman is not in one of his merry moods. After his break-up with Katrina Kaif, he is not in the mood to go all out and celebrate. So, on his special day, he did not send invitations to any female. He did not feel the need to have a girlfriend by his side or even bask in the glory of any other female company. Incidentally, Katrina is in London to celebrate Christmas and New Year with her family. Salman has invited only his close male friends. Also, unlike every year, the celebration this time is not on a lavish scale. Yesterday’s party was held only for his close friends music composers Sajid Wajid, hairstylist Aalim Hakim, his bodyguard Shera, his close associate Nadeem, his filmmaker friends Vijay Galani and Sajid Nadiadwala among others. Salman has already celebrated his birthday with his family on Saturday night.”
Let’s hope that by next year, the tide turns and the large-hearted Khan gets back to hosting lavish parties.
By Taran Adarsh, October 16, 2009 – 11:22 IST
We love drama. That’s the staple diet of Bollywood films. Even television shows, till a few months ago, relied too heavily on dramatic moments and twists-n-turns, especially the saas-bahu shows. Of late, the reality shows rely on drama to boost the TRPs.
MAIN AURR MRS. KHANNA, directed by debutante Prem Soni, could’ve been an interesting story had the drama quotient been a bit stronger. What comes across is too simple and ordinary.
Actually, the problem lies in its writing. It wouldn’t be erroneous to say that Prem Soni, the director is letdown by Prem Soni, the writer. The writing gyrates from interesting to ordinary to unconvincing and that bogs the film down. The inconsistency is evident all through.
| BY BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM |
Final words? This Mr. and Mrs. Khanna won’t live happily ever after!
Raina [Kareena Kapoor], Samir [Salman Khan] and Akash [Sohail Khan] are three people whose lives get entwined at an international airport. Samir has to decide whether he wants to stay in the same city [Melbourne] that gave him so much and then took away everything or fly away to a new city [Singapore], to a new life.
Raina has to decide whether her love and loyalty for her husband Samir, who left her to pursue success, is more justified than her faith and trust in her new-found friend, while Akash has to decide whether what he feels for a married woman is lust or true love and whether he’s justified in trying to win her at all costs, even at the cost of her marriage.
Now let’s analyse…
MAIN AURR MRS. KHANNA makes a promising start. The cracks in the relationship are evident when the husband starts facing problems on the professional front. He tries to re-locate to Singapore, but decides to send his wife to Delhi, to his parents’ home. Convincing!
The wife decides to stay back in Melbourne and suddenly meets an ‘angel’ [Sohail Khan] and a friend’s friend [Mahek Chahal], who gets her a job at the airport [within hours of meeting her] and a few scenes later, Mrs. Khanna shifts into a palatial mansion. Wowwwww! How can she afford a palace-like home in Melbourne from the salary that she gets, while working in a shop at the airport? Not convincing!
The wife and angel become friends. The angel is well aware of her marital status, yet loves her dearly. The woman trusts him as a friend. Convincing!
The husband re-surfaces [very quickly]. He’s now settled in Singapore, has even bought a house there, he returns to Melbourne to fetch his wife back. Complications arise when the marriage registration letter surfaces. Not convincing!
The question is, why didn’t the wife confide in her husband about it? That she had to do it for the work permit? Of course, she states subsequently that she didn’t want to complicate things further, but didn’t she ever realise that the truth would be out sooner or later?
Also, when the husband is in Singapore, there’s scant or zilch communication between the couple, which looks so unreal. There’s just one sequence of the wife calling her husband, but the husband isn’t responding to the call. Again, not convincing!
The ending is interesting, but the surprise appearance of Deepika Padukone looks forced in the script. Perhaps, it was incorporated so that Sohail doesn’t come across as a loser. Strangely, Deepika’s name is also Raina [also Kareena’s name in the film] and she too was in a relationship with a Samir [also Salman’s name], which looks fake.
Prem Soni has handled a few scenes well, but the writing is ineffectual. Dialogue, also by Prem, are wonderful at places. Sajid-Wajid’s music is tuneful. ‘Don’t Say Alvida’ and ‘Rabba’ are melodious compositions. The cinematography is striking. The locales of Melbourne give the film a perfect romantic setting.
Salman handles his part with maturity, but it’s a Kareena show all the way. She is remarkable and delivers a winning performance yet again. Sohail contributes to some light moments. Yash Tonk is alright. Mahek Chahal is perfect. Nauheed Cyrusi doesn’t get any scope.
The film has several star appearances: Deepika Padukone, Preity Zinta [okay], Dino Morea [hardly there for a few minutes] and Bappil Lahiri [yes, the veteran music composer has a proper role in the film].
On the whole, MAIN AURR MRS. KHANNA is weak in merits. At the box-office, the BLUE wave, followed by another strong opposition in ALL THE BEST will sideline MAIN AURR MRS. KHANNA completely. It’s a non-starter!
Although our tastes for film has improved manifold, we still don’t mind watching a hardcore action flick, where the hero is able to take care of more than a dozen criminals and escape unscathed. Wanted also falls in this same category. Although the film is bound with many loose ends, it still gives a thrilling experience. And Salman Khan takes the film to dizzying heights!
The story of the movie: Radhe (Salman Khan) is a one man army. He is a gangster who can do anything for the sake of money. Golden (Aseem Merchant), who works under Singapore-based Gani Bhai (Prakash Raj) invites Radhe to join his gang. Radhe becomes a part of Gani Bhai’s gang and nearly at the same time, falls for Jhanvi (Ayesha Takia). The eyes of Inspector Talpade (Mahesh Manjrekar), a corrupt cop at a nearby police station fall on Jhanvi and he desires to make her his mistress. Radhe then begins eliminating the rival gang members and also succeeds in impressing Jhanvi. But will Jhanvi be able to get into a relationship with a person like Radhe, who doesnt think twice before killing? And there’s a new Commissioner in Mumbai, Ashfaq Khan (Govind Namdeo) who has vowed to city crime-free. Will he become a threat to Radhe?
Wanted begins well and Salman Khan’s entry sets the mood wonderfully. However, after all character gets introduced, the film falls a bit and the story hardly moves. Thankfully, there are some funny interesting moments in the first hour that prevent the film from getting boring. The intermission point was gripping and was well shot.
But things lighten up in the second half after Gani Bhai’s arrest. Commissioner interrogating Gani Bhai was hilarious. Later, the kahani mein twist moment in the pre-climax takes the film to a new high. In fact, it was what made the film stand out. Even though the climax was a bit lame, one won’t complain, thanks to the wonderful suspense.
Each character in the film is well written. Radhe, Gani Bhai, Jhanvi’s landlord (Manoj Pahwa) and Inspector Talpade were my favourites. As for the flaws, the film gets little dragging at places and the narrative just doesn’t go ahead. Also, the wonderful suspense also raises some questions. However, the impact is so huge at this point that one doesn’t get the chance to think of any goofs.
After Partner, this is surely Salman’s next best performance. In fact, it won’t be wrong to admit that Wanted is one of the finest performances ever given by Salman Khan! He fills life and colour to the rowdy character that he plays in Wanted. Also, Salman’s thoda-good boy-thoda-bad boy image helps a lot in doing total justice to his role! Hence, Salman was the perfect choice for this film and he comes up with flying colours. Hats off to Sallu!
Ayesha Takia Azmi looks charming as everytime and manages to give a nice performance. Here’s an actor who deserves to get more and better roles. Mahesh Manjrekar plays the baddie with élan and also makes us laugh. Watch out for him in his entry scene and in his first meeting with Salman. Prakash Raj, a popular face down South and whose last Hindi film was Khakee, performs wonderfully. He is hardly there before interval but dominates in a lot of scenes in the 2nd half. Govind Namdeo gets a positive role after a long time and does a fine job.
Mahek Chahal was perfect in the role of the seductive moll. Aseem Merchant was simply fantastic. Why is this actor not getting enough roles? Manoj Pahwa was hilarious. Vinod Khanna and Inder Kumar do a nice job in their respective roles. The kid playing Ayesha’s brother leaves a mark too.
Sajid-Wajid’s music was energizing. Two songs steal the show, thanks to their execution-‘Jalwa’ and ‘Love Me Love Me’. Anil Kapoor, Govinda and Prabhudheva also make an appearance in ‘Jalwa’ which increases the appeal of the song. The song ‘Dil Leke’ is missing from the film. Salim-Sulaiman’s background score was good but could had been better.
Nirav Shah and S Sriram’s cinematography was outstanding and just the kind required for an action flick. Vijayan’s action was also praiseworthy. The action scenes were not foolish or funny but one which looked real and raw. Although the film has quite bloodshed, giving it an ‘A’ certificate was unnecessary.
Shiraz Ahmed’s screenplay wasn’t flawless but still works. However, his dialogues were phaadu, esp the ones mouthed by Salman! The best dialogue of the film is “Tu jis school se ye seekh ke aaya hai, wahaan ka headmaster mujhse tuitions leta hai!” Clapworthy, isn’t it?!
Puri Jagannadh’s story was indeed worth appreciating and appealing. This explains why three films are made from the same plot! Prabhudheva’s direction wasn’t top-class but still manages to come up with an entertaining action flick. His smart treatment to some of the scenes (esp the climax) enhances the film to a great extent.
Some of the best scenes of the film:
1. Salman and Mahesh Manjrekar’s entry scene
2. The song ‘Jalwa’ and ‘Love Me Love Me
3. Radhe joining Gani Bhai’s gang
4. Radhe and Inspector Talpade’s meeting at the basketball court
5. Radhe and Jhanvi in the elevator
6. The intermission point
7. Radhe bashing up Talpade
8. Commissioner Ashfaq Khan interrogating Gani Bhai
9. Radhe fighting the goons in the local train
10. The last 35 minutes of the film
On the whole, Wanted is a cool action flick that will surely be loved by Salman fans. It has some loose ends but manages to impress. If you relish action flicks, this one is for you! Go for it and experience Salman Ka Jalwa!
My rating-*** out of 5!
This review first appeared on MouthShut.com: http://www.mouthshut.com/review/Wanted_Dead_or_Alive-175348-1.html
| While Salman Khan is sizzling in the promos of the Ganpati song Jalwa in Wanted, the song has a closely guarded secret. Well, not any longer. No one is aware that the song also features Salman’s close friends Anil Kapoor and Govinda. The two actors readily shot for the song on Salman’s request. The actors being part of the song was meant to be a surprise.
A source said, “Salman Khan is a firm believer of Lord Ganesha and celebrates Ganesh Chaturthi with much enthusiasm. When the song was being recorded by music directors Sajid-Wajid, Salman told producer Boney Kapoor that he wants the song to be shot in a very grand fashion. This is also the only song in the film that has been choreographed by Prabhu Devaa who is also directing it.
When they were planning to shoot the song, Boney, Prabhu Devaa and Salman decided that they should add something more to make the song a memorable one. That’s when they decided that they will have two different stars dancing with Salman for the two antraas in the song. They spoke to Anil who readily agreed. Apart from it being his brother Boney Kapoor’s film, Anil also shares a great rapport with Salman. A lot of debate happened for who the other star should be. That’s when Salman suggested Govinda’s name and Prabhu Devaa was quite excited by the idea as Govinda is a fantastic dancer. Both the actors came at short notice and shot for the song, which is one of the biggest highlights of the film.” Anil Kapoor dances with Salman in the first antraa. Both Salman and Anil have worn the same costumes. Same is the case for Govinda who dances with Salman in the second antraa. |
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| After news of Salman Khan bonding with Ranbir Kapoor at Mehboob Studio, Bandra, while they were shooting for Veer and Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, respectively, here comes the news that the two actors did far more than just have a casual chat over lunch. They planned to spend time together this Independence Day on Saturday. Taking time off from his hectic shoot schedules on August 15, Salman is looking forward to the chutti. He intends to spend the day with his gang of boys playing football. He invited Ranbir when they were chatting at Mehboob Studio on Sunday afternoon.
Word has it that Salman is making sure that everything is planned perfectly for the match. He has already asked his younger brothers Arbaaz and Sohail to spread the word and they too are inviting their friends. As of now, joining the Khan brothers will be Ranbir, Dino Morea, Ashish Chaudhary, Vatsal Seth and music composers Sajid-Wajid. Many more actors and friends are expected to join the list. Ranbir, of course, was super-excited as he is an ardent football fan. While the venue of the match is yet not known, sources say that the boys will play at one of the Bandra grounds. Guess Salman wants to live it up this Independence Day.
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If a play is successful, it doesn’t necessarily mean that its cinematic adaption too would work. Paying Guests just confirms this. Based on a successful play, the film would have clicked even if it had some minor loopholes. But alas, the film falls at several places. Besides, the weak direction spoil the things more.
The story of the movie: Bhavesh (Shreyas Talpade), Parag (Jaaved Jaffery) and Parikshit (Aashish Chowdhary) live as paying guests at the place of Kiska (Asrani) in Bangkok. Due to bad luck, one day, all three of them are thrown out of their respective jobs. At this point of time enters into the scene, Parikshit’s cousin Jayesh (Vatsal Seth), who arrives at Bangkok to work as an architect. Bad times are still not over for the three paying guests as they are thrown out by Kiska. They now desperately search for a new landlord, who would give them a room at cheaper rate. Finally, they get one such person-Ballu Singh (Jhonny Lever), who is coincidentally the former employer of Bhavesh. He is willing to rent his house only on one condition-the paying guest should be married! And so, Bhavesh and Parag take the guise of women and pretend to be Parikshit and Jayesh’s wives, Karishma and Kareena, in front of Ballu and his wife (Delnaaz Paul)! What follows is madness!
Problems with Paying Guests are many. The biggest culprit is of course the execution. The screenplay also is to blame. The idea at hand was wonderful-four friends trying to fool a landlord (This idea was wonderfully utilized in Dostana recently). However, it was not fully tapped.
To add more drama in the story, the writer had added two villains-Chunkey Pandey and Inder Kumar. But both of them don’t help to improve things much. And the climax-you have to see it to believe it! Akbar, Salim, Ravana, Thakur, Spider Man, Phoolan Devi, Shehanshah, Krrish and even Osama-all come under one roof (and on one stage) and perform! What’s more, Spider Man calls Ravana his best friend who in turn gets smitten by Anarkali! It can’t crazier than this! Although this spoof-filled climax does manage to make you laugh, it was one of the most stupid climaxes of all time!
So any plus point in the film? Fortunately, yes! Besides nice performances, the film has some funny entertaining moments here and there which manage to raise a few laughs. The scene where the four friends are making fun of Asrani without knowing that he’s standing right at the back works well. Another funny sequence-Delnaaz believing that Shreyas is pregnant! Many such scenes succeed in entertaining.
Performance-wise, Shreyas Talpade was certainly the best one. Comedy has always been his forte and he performs perfectly, as per his character demanded. He was also very impressive in his women-act. He certainly deserves to be nominated for Best Comic Role!
Jaaved Jaffery and Ashish Chowdhary, too give a good a performance. Ashish was particularly excellent in the scenes with Neha Dhupia. Vatsal Seth, like everytime, looks charming. Jhonny Lever was as usual funny. Delnaaz Paul fails to make the viewers laugh. Same for Chunkey Pandey who was irritating. I wish he can repeat his Apna Sapna Money Money magic. Inder Kumar was horrible. Paintal was bearable.
The film also has four heroines-Neha Dhupia, Celina Jaitly, Sayali Bhagat and Riya Sen, who add to the glamour quotient in the film. However, only Neha Dhupia succeeds in making a mark. In one scene, one could clearly see her grey hair!
Sajid-Wajid’s music was plain average. Songs were added unnecessarily in the film. 2 songs-‘Jack & Jill’ and the title song stand out. P Shelvakumar’s cinematography was good. Although the film is shot in Pataya, its scenic locales were not showed much in the film. Dialogues, especially the ones mouthed by the four actors and Jhonny were funny. But the lines of Delnaaz, Chunkey and Inder were plain horrible.
Paritosh Painter impressed one and all with his screenplay and dialogues in Dhamaal. He has also directed plays, many of which are super-hits. Unfortunately, Paritosh fails to deliver this time. Paritosh is a great play director, but couldn’t do justice as a film director. The story (also penned by him) was good and could have been made into a better film. Better luck next time, Paritosh!
The only good scenes in the film:
1. The first scene
2. Bhavesh getting a call from a 7 star hotel
3. The four friends making fun of Kiska (Asrani)
4. Chunkey trying to rape Shreyas
5. Delnaz assuming that Shreyas is pregnant
6. Scenes of Paintal
On the whole, Paying Guests is a disappointment. It makes you laugh, but only in very few places. It’s better to avoid it and instead watch it on VCD/DVD/Cable later!
My rating-** out of 5!
This review first appeared on MouthShut.com: http://www.mouthshut.com/review/Paying_Guests-169841-1.html
By Taran Adarsh, June 19, 2009 – 14:32 IST
Never judge a book by its cover. But we do! We tend to get carried away by eye-catching promos that a film-maker unleashes prior to a film’s release. We act in haste, rush to a nearby cineplex and soon realise that the best parts were actually highlighted in the promos itself.
That’s exactly what you feel when you watch PAYING GUESTS, helmed by first-timer Paritosh Painter.
Comedy is serious business and Paritosh Painter ought to know this by now, since he has successfully directed a number of plays in the past. Sadly, PAYING GUESTS stands on a waferthin plot, although Paritosh tries hard to add meat to the skeletal body. The film doesn’t have the power to hold your attention for the next 2 hours, although it does [intermittently] make you smile or break into a guffaw.
| BY BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM |
Earlier too, we’ve had our macho men getting disguised as girls [Rishi Kapoor and Paintal in RAFOO CHAKKAR were hilarious], but PAYING GUESTS tries so hard to tickle your funny bone, but falls flat.
Final word? This comedy is more of a tragedy… for its viewers!
What happens when four fun-loving boys [Shreyas Talpade, Jaaved Jaffrey, Ashish Chowdhry and Vatsal Sheth] begin a crazy house hunt? In the search for a new accommodation, these crazy friends manage to convince their crazier landlord Ballu [Johny Lever] to keep them as paying guests, but Ballu has one condition, i.e. he wants only couples.
However, the problem is they are all bachelors. Who will play their wives?
PAYING GUESTS may be a remake of a play, but it also bears a striking resemblance to Sachin’s super-successful Marathi film ASHI HI BANWA BANWI. PAYING GUESTS starts off very well, but runs out of fuel in its initial 30 minutes itself.
You do laugh aloud initially and expect to wear a smile on your face all through the film, but the smile turns into a smirk gradually. Actually, the on-screen characters laugh all the while, not the audience.
PAYING GUESTS fails to deliver thanks to a poor screenplay. Barring the four heroes and the landlords [Johny Lever and Delnaaz Paul], the remaining characters in the film just don’t work. The four leading ladies have nothing worthwhile to do and even the negative forces here [Chunkey Pandey and Inder Kumar] are wasted.
The climax – in a theatre, with every character doing a spoof – is a straight lift from JAANE BHI DO YAARO.
Paritosh Painter had an interesting idea on hand, but the writing plays the villain here. Sajid-Wajid’s music is a ear-sore. Barring ‘Jack & Jill’, the remaining songs lack energy. Visually, the film looks good, with the locales of Bangkok and Pattaya adding freshness to the enterprise.
Of the cast, Shreyas is the best, followed by Javed, then Ashish and then Vatsal – in that order. The leading ladies don’t have much to do, but Celina and Neha are most noticeable. Riya and Sayali Bhagat don’t get any scope. Johny Lever is in form and so is Delnaaz Paul. Chunkey Pandey is alright, while Inder Kumar is wasted. Asrani stands out, while Viju Khote and Paintal are okay.
On the whole, this paying guest is just not welcome!
