Rajeev Masand – movies that matter : from bollywood, hollywood and everywhere else

November 25, 2016

Cast: Alia Bhatt, Shah Rukh Khan, Kunal Kapoor, Ali Zafar, Angad Bedi, Ira Dubey, Yashaswini Dayama

Director: Gauri Shinde

Early on in writer-director Gauri Shinde’s Dear Zindagi, the protagonist, a 20-something-year-old named Kaira (Alia Bhatt), points to the jacket she’s wearing – one she’s had since Class 10 – to defend herself in an argument with her friends who insist she’s incapable of having a long term relationship.

Kaira is what one might describe as emotionally stunted. She clearly has commitment issues, she can’t decide what (or who) her heart wants, and she puts up a wall the moment any of the young men in her life seek genuine attachment. Plus there’s a stack of unresolved issues with her parents.

It’s a tricky part to pull off for any actor, let alone one as young as Alia. Kaira, after all, is not an easily likeable character – she’s moody, makes bad decisions, and can be unmistakably selfish – but Alia’s natural, unaffected style of performing and her go-for-broke approach keeps you invested in her. Alia’s performance, in fact, may be the best thing about this indulgent film that has little by way of plot and way too much talking.

Shah Rukh Khan, although marvelously restrained and charming as hell, probably won’t earn points for authenticity from real-life shrinks who’ll likely scoff at his unconventional methods in the role of Jehangir Khan, a therapist Kaira seeks out in Goa. Over long walks on the beach and cycling sessions, Jehangir dispenses wisdom, the kind you could get for free on bumper stickers. At one point he tells Kaira: “Don’t let your past blackmail your present to ruin a beautiful future.” On another occasion he says, simply, “Har tooti cheez jodi jaa sakti hai.”

Gauri’s previous film, her directing debut English Vinglish, felt authentic and was powered by emotions that were real and relatable. The problem with Dear Zindagi is that so much of it – particularly the first half – feels superficial and even contrived. The banter between Kaira and her friends is hokey and often forced. Her parents and relatives are stock caricatures who go on about marriage and about getting a ‘real job’. We know Kaira is a cinematographer on the rise and she has ambition, but her career, her talent, and the obstacles she faces professionally are never adequately explored.

Despite that, Alia soars. Her work here is the film’s one true treasure. The piece de resistence is a breakdown scene during a therapy session with Jehangir that she nails with such precision, you’re practically reduced to a puddle.

The other admirable thing about the film is its attempt to root out the stigma attached to mental health and the shame associated with therapy.

But these are small gifts in an overlong, disappointing film that misses its mark. I’m going with two out of five for Dear Zindagi. Honestly, it’s a slog.

(This review first aired on CNN News18)

November 25, 2016

Cast: Ranvir Shorey, Neha Dhupia, Dev Chauhan, Vidushi Mehra, Anant Raina

Director: Munish Bhardwaj

Gordon Gekko, the protagonist in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street, famously declared that, “Greed is good.” That mantra is turned on its head in writer-director Munish Bhardwaj’s Moh Maya Money, in which greed destroys the comfortable lives of a middle-class Delhi couple.

Aman (Ranvir Shorey) is a smooth talking broker who aspires to become the king of the real estate market someday. Nothing wrong with that ambition, except that he cheerfully scams his own company and his boss to feather his nest. Divya (Neha Dhupia), a senior producer at a news channel, is his unsuspecting wife, who we find out has secrets of her own.

Their lives unravel when Aman’s boss catches him swindling the firm and fires him from his job. Left to return an obscene amount of money – that he doesn’t have – to a dangerous thug, Aman seeks Divya’s help in committing a white-collar crime. Before they know it, they find themselves stuck in a quagmire of guilt, corruption, murder, and betrayal.

Bhardwaj sets up a recognizable milieu and his characters speak like real people. We’re pulled into the lives of his protagonists, and we can sympathize with their tragic errors as the narrative alternates between their perspectives. But in its second half the film stumbles. Even as the noose around their necks tighten, the writing never feels urgent enough. The same characters who felt refreshingly real initially start talking and behaving like characters in a film, and logic is left by the wayside. As a result, it’s hard to remain invested in them as their situations worsen.

For the most part, the film benefits from its fine performances. Ranvir Shorey is terrific as Aman, a man who continues to push his luck long after he ought to have learned that what goes around inevitably comes around. Neha Dhupia doesn’t disappoint either as the wife caught between her husband’s lies and her own. In smaller roles, both Dev Chauhan as the goon who wants his money back from Aman, and Vidushi Mehra as the pregnant woman Divya befriends, do impressive work.

Moh Maya Money is both a cautionary tale about a middle class desperate to get ahead in a capitalist society, and an occasionally chilling noir that unfolds in a busy metropolis. The actors make the most of the material, which is frankly compelling for a good part of this film. The tragedy, alas, is that it could have been so much more. I’m going with two-and-a-half out of five.

(This review first aired on CNN News18)

November 18, 2016

Cast: John Abraham, Sonakshi Sinha, Tahir Bhasin, Adil Hussain, Narendra Jha

Director: Abhinay Deo

Much like last week’s Rock On 2, the truth is that Force 2 is a sequel the world could have done without. Delhi Belly director Abhinay Deo, taking over from Nishikant Kamat, brings a slick upgrade to the action, but it’s a mystery why none of the three credited producers thought of investing a little more towards a better script.

John Abraham returns as upright but reckless cop ACP Yashvardhan Singh whose fists do most of the talking, and whose shirt seldom stays on. When multiple RAW agents embedded in China are killed one after another, Yash is partnered with a local operative (Sonakshi Sinha) and tasked with ferreting out a mole in Budapest responsible for the intelligence breach.

The film is basically an extended chase scene with a smattering of plot thrown in. Some of the unending car, bike, and foot chase portions are genuinely thrilling, but after a point you begin to feel like you’re trapped in a video game because it’s so repetitive and relentless, and because you’re never truly invested in the characters.

Tahir Bhasin, who was so good as the creepy child trafficker playing cat and mouse with Rani Mukherji in Mardaani, is called upon to pretty much repeat that performance as a smirking mastermind always two steps ahead of the lawmakers.

Repetition, and specifically a lack of imagination, is what cripples this textbook thriller which borrows liberally from every other Hollywood film of the genre. The big reveal can be spotted from a distance, and logic and common sense are on vacation. Intended as a tribute to RAW agents who’re killed on duty and abandoned by the government when their cover is blown, the film reveals a facile, naïve understanding of covert agencies and their operations.

John Abraham, who doesn’t once smile in the film, lest one forget that his character hasn’t gotten over his wife’s death, efficiently delivers the kicks and punches, and some cold hard stares. There are moments that suggest he’s in on the joke – like the fight he pulls off, dressed only in a towel – but it’s a shame he’s willing to settle for such mediocre material.

Continuing what she started in Akira, Sonakshi Sinha takes another stab at action, but she’s weighed down by an underwritten role as the least convincing operative since Katrina Kaif in Ek Tha Tiger. It’s Tahir Bhasin, not surprisingly, who walks away with some of the best moments in the film, but this talented young actor would do well to seek out parts that require him to stretch his range.

Force 2 isn’t unwatchable, and it won’t give you a migraine either. But it is a wildly inconsistent film that fills up the gaps between its many action sequences with ridiculous attempts at humor and drama. I’m going with two out of five. Hopefully this franchise ends here.

(This review first aired on CNN News18)

November 11, 2016

Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal, Purab Kohli, Shraddha Kapoor, Shashank Arora, Kumud Mishra, Prachi Desai, Shahana Goswami

Director: Shujaat Saudagar

There was a time, not too long ago, that Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy were making such terrific music, you’d think they could churn out chartbusters with their eyes closed. Watching their music play out in Rock On 2, you have to wonder if in fact these songs were created while half asleep.

It’s such an underwhelming score, to be honest, that the only time you find yourself tapping your feet is when you hear snatches of the hit tracks from the earlier film. Which this sequel dips into quite frequently.

Nostalgia for 2008’s Rock On is something the makers of Rock On 2 lean on heavily. Bad idea. Because it only serves to draw attention to how much weaker the new film is in comparison. The easy, laidback vibe that powered the previous film makes way for a more labored tone and a plot that feels unmistakably contrived.

Picking up five years after they disbanded Magik, the new film, directed by Shujaat Saudagar, re-introduces us to the gang, who although still close, are doing their own thing. Joe (Arjun Rampal) has sold out for a cushy life, running a successful club and judging one of those mind-numbing reality shows. Adi (Farhan Akhtar), plagued by guilt over the suicide of a young singer he didn’t help, has retired to a village in Meghalaya where he helps run a local school and a farmers’ cooperative. Their respective wives (Shahana Goswami and Prachi Desai) are strictly fringe characters, and neither the men nor the plot has much use for them.

Meanwhile, KD (Purab Kohli) composes jingles for a living. It’s not quite the music career he’d dreamed of, but he remains cheery and upbeat presumably because he’s living off a fat inheritance. I don’t suppose it’s a spoiler to remind you that Luke Kenny’s character, Rob, who appears in a flashback song, has passed on since the previous film. But never once does anyone so much as mention him. Such friends!

By way of new additions, there’s Jiah (Shraddha Kapoor), a pretty young singer whose oppressive classical musician father (Kumud Mishra, one-note) has an allergy to modern music. Through a clunky plot twist that you can spot a mile away, Jiah’s track intertwines with our protagonists.

Arriving eight years ago, Rock On, written and directed by Abhishek Kapoor, was no classic band film. But it did give us endearing characters grappling with real conflicts. They were an amateur band that made up charming songs about things they knew – their dreams, laundry bills, and heck, even Sinbad the Sailor. Even if they didn’t exactly sound like rockstars, they had the attitude down pat. They exemplified the definition of ‘cool’.

The men we meet in Rock On 2 are older, more cynical, and dealing with existential issues. Perhaps that’s why in addition to the disappointing music, the other big problem with the film are its lyrics…most unremarkable, to put it politely. There’s none of the cheekiness, the mischief of that earlier work. Also, the novelty of listening to Farhan Akhtar’s raspy voice has worn off now, and although Shraddha Kapoor also croons on this album, there’s nothing here to write home about.

By the time the film inches towards a rousing climax in Shillong, it’s too little too late. There are occasional sparks of potential – like the celebrity-and-fan dynamic, and the rejection of fusion music by purists – but the script has little interest in digging deep. It has little interest in anything at all frankly, other than the character of Adi, who is at one point, portrayed as the sole messiah of a ravaged north-east community.

The performances are adequate at best, and the picture-postcard photography of Meghalaya is refreshing. But as you leave the cinema in the end, you can’t help missing the distinct sense of fun that the earlier film delivered…and yes, those infectious tunes.

I’m going with two out of five for Rock On 2. It’s an opportunity lost.

(This review first aired on CNN News18)