Bhagam Bhag

Bhagam Bhag
(translates as "running around")
2006
2/5 stars


Champak Chaturvedi (Paresh Rawal) is the director of a theater group whose heroine (Tanushree Dutta) attracts a British businessman into hiring them for a London show.  His two male leads, Bunty (Akshay Kumar) and Babla (Govinda), are both vying for the attention of said heroine and annoy her enough that she quits, leaving Champak in a lurch.  While in London, Bunty and Babla search for a replacement, leading to a mix-up with a drug ring, trouble with the police, a murder, and involvement with an amnesiac, suicidal actress, Munni (Lara Dutta).

With three superb comedians in the lead, and an excellent supporting cast, this suspense-comedy had such promise, but did not deliver.  There was little-to-no chemistry between any of the main actors, particularly between Akshay Kumar and Govinda, so most of the humor simply fell flat, or the situations were so silly that they just were not funny.  The thriller element  was good, but simply was not strong enough to override the rest of the movie. The songs were average or below, with one being particularly off-putting.  Overall, Bhagham Bhag was such a disappointment.

Rajaji

Rajaji
1999
3/5 stars

Rajaji (played by Govinda) is an unscrupulous, lazy wastrel who decides that he will marry a rich woman, so as not to have to work.  He meets Payal (Raveena Tandon), daughter of a millionaire, and deceives her into falling in love with him.  It is only after they marry, that Rajaji discovers that Payal is actually the daughter of a gardener.

(Cast also includes Kader Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Satish Kaushik, and Aruna Irani.)

The plot of this romantic comedy/drama is predictable, but still enjoyable.  The costumes are beautiful, and most of the scenes look lovely.  The music is average, with the exception of the memorable " Tere Pyar Ne" which is used twice in the film.  Govinda was convincing, nicely balancing between comedian and hero. He had good chemistry with Raveena Tandon, who gave an average performance.  The veteran supporting cast was solid.

The problem with the movie was the last twenty minutes or so, when an unnecessary subplot emerged, creating chaos for the last scenes of the movie.  The ending could have been strong, had this been absent and the emotional impact left intact.  Overall, though, it's worth watching once, especially for Govinda fans.

Dulhe Raja

Dulhe Raja
(translates as "the bridegroom Raja")
1998
3/5 stars

The oh-so-cute Govinda plays Raja, owner of a small eatery located beside a luxury hotel.  The hotel's new owner, K.K.Singhania (Kader Khan) feels it lowers the value of his property and attempts to buy out Raja.  When Raja refuses, the two become sworn enemies, even though Raja has fallen in love with Singhania's daughter Kiran (Raveena Tandon).  In the meantime, Singhania and Kiran argue over the man (Rahul, played by Mohnish Behl) that Kiran wants to marry, so to get revenge, Kiran becomes engaged to Raja, who thinks she is sincere.

(Johnny Lever also stars, as Singhania's personal assistant.)

The movie is predictable but often funny, with catchy songs, lovely costumes, and mostly strong supporting actors.  Kader Khan and Govinda give excellent performances, with great chemistry between the two.  Raveena Tandon is the weak link in the film, being stiff at times and never fully believable.  Over all, Dulhe Raja is an average movie that will be enjoyable for Govinda fans, but won't draw viewers back for a rewatch.

English Babu Desi Mem

English Babu Desi Mem
(translates as "English sir, Indian madam")
1996
3/5 stars

English businessman Vikram Mayur ( Shah Rukh Khan) learns that his deceased brother left a son, eight-year-old Nandu (Sunny Singh).  Nandu has been raised in India by his young aunt, Bijuriya (Sonali Bendre), who supports them both by dancing in a club.  Vikram goes to India to bring Nandu back with him, an event which leads to many emotional complications.

This movie was declared a flop at release, but it's really not bad.  The plot is predictable, but at times quite moving.  The acting from the leads was solid, but the child actors were fantastic.  Young Sunny Singh gave a compelling performance and the actress who played the child Bijuriya was a natural.  (Unfortunately, I've been unable to find who this child was for certain, but it may have been Baba Brahmbhatt.)  Bijuriya's near-vulgar dance routines are particularly unappealing, however, giving the film a sleazy feel not compatable with the innocence of the rest of the movie. While English Babu Desi Mem is not a stand-out movie, it's mostly enjoyable, and the child actors make it worth watching once.

Anbe Anbe

Anbe Anbe
(translates as "my dear, my dear")
2003
3/5 stars

Cheenu (played by Shaam) is part of a tight-knit, loving extended family. The only thing marring this is the unfriendly rivalry between Cheenu and his cousin Shiva (Yugendran). When Cheenu and Shiva fall in love with the same girl (Vishali, played by Sharmelee), Cheenu must decide between his love for Vishali, and his desire to see his family happy.

The predictable plot is is generally enjoyable, but is hampered by a detracting side-plot.  The music is average, with two not-very-appealing item numbers.  The acting by the supporting cast was quite good, but Shaam and Vishali were not fully convincing. Yugendran, on the other hand,  gave a good performance, and was a much more interesting character (either due to acting or written part) than the other two leads.  On the whole, this isn't a bad movie, but it's certainly not memorable.

ABCD

ABCD
2005
4/5 stars

This romantic drama follows an honest, upstanding young man, Anand (played by Shaam), as he meets three lovely young women, who are in three very different life situations: Bharathi (Nandana Kumar), Chandra (Sneha), and Divya (Aparna).  He forms a friendship with each individually, and due to his goodness and kindness, each falls in love with him - - a situation which can only lead to heartbreak.

ABCD has an engrossing plot, with believable characters trying to make the best of difficult circumstances.  The acting was excellent from all four leads.  The music was generally good, despite the surreal and rather disturbing video accompanying one song.  The humorous breaks didn't fully fit in with the movie, and detracted somewhat.  Overall, this film is absorbing and moving, just falling short of five stars.

Jay Jay

Pooja, Madhavan, and Amogha

Jay Jay
2003
3/5 stars

Jagan (played by Madhavan) falls in love with Jumuna (Amogha), without knowing her name or address.  She is a strong believer in fate, and so writes her details on a 100rs bill, and tells Jagan that if it reaches him within a year, she will marry him.  After spending six months searching for her, Jagan -- through no fault of his own -- becomes engaged to Seema (Pooja), the sister of two dangerous politicians.  Meanwhile, Jumuna realizes that she cares for Jagan and begins to search for him as well.  The two continue to miss crossing paths, while the date for Jagan's marriage draws ever nearer.

The plot of this romantic drama is predictable, and not well-written enough to be convincing.  The music is mostly enjoyable, but the Amazon streaming version of this film does not have subtitles for the songs, so it's impossible to comment on the lyrics.

Madhavan delivers a good performance, and Pooja does equally well.  Amogha, however, has one main facial expression throughout the movie: dimwitted.  She flounders throughout giving the impression of a clueless airhead. 

Overall, Jay Jay is an average film, not terrible, but definitely not memorable.  I can't see myself rewatching it, or recommending it to others.