Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan

Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan

translates as "Someone's Brother, Someone's Love"

2023

Did Not Finish

Jagapathi Babu

Oh golly, y'all, this Hindi-language masala film was terrible! I'm a huge fan of many of Salman Khan's movies (evergreen and newish) but this stinker was just unwatchable.  I was especially disappointed because it collaborated with Telugu cinema and featured many familiar faces from that industry, including one of my favorites, the extremely talented Jagapathi Babu, who makes such a fantastic villian.    

The worst part of the movie was, frankly, Khan.  He's simply too old to play a romantic lead anymore, and he looked foolish and cringe-worthy.  (And just what was with that horrible reddish, long hairdo?!)

I haven't been impressed with Khan's costar, Pooja Hegde, in other movies (reviews here and here), and she had zero chemistry with him and little sparkle overall. The three that played Khan's brothers (Raghav Juyal, Jassie Gill, and Siddharth Nigam), were also underwhelming.

I stuck it out through the half-way point, but couldn't finish -- this coming from one who watched all of that dud Race 3 just to see how bad it would get.  Bottom line: let's just pretend this movie never happened.

Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

(translates as "it's my friend's wedding")

2002

3/5 stars

Sanjay (Uday Chopra) and Anjali (Tulip Joshi, credited as Sanjana) have been best friends for twenty years.  When Anjali returns from a trip to America and announces that she is engaged to an American doctor (Rohit, played by Jimmy Sheirgill), Sanjay is stunned.  After his friend and flatmate, Ria (Bipasha Basu), awakens him to the fact that he is in love with Anjali, he determines to stop the wedding.

The movie has a predictable and light plot, with nice cinematography and average music.  Chopra and Sheirgill, while not fully lead material, are above average in this film, and have good chemistry together.  Sadly, neither had any with Joshi.  She is the weakest link in the movie, giving an unconvincing and unnatural performance, unlike Basu's generally strong one.  Overall, it's forgettable and I wouldn't particularly recommend it, especially to those new to the Indian Cinema experience.

Dil Hai Tumhaara

Dil Hai Tumhaara

(translates as "my heart is yours")

2002

3/5 stars

Shalu (Preity Zinta) is devoted to her sister, Nimmi (Mahima Chaudhry), but has a difficult relationship with her mother, Sarita (played by Rekha), who never seems to show her any affection.  Shalu meets Dev (Arjun Rampal) and, after a few misadventures, they fall in love.  Nimmi misinterprets Dev, thinking that he is in love with her, not Shalu.  Based on that, Sarita arranges for Dev and Nimmi to marry.  Shalu, wanting only her sister's happiness and desperate to win favor from her mother, stands aside and asks Dev to forget her.

(Jimmy Sheirgill and Alok Nath also star.)  

The movie is light, predictable, and forgettable, being obviously nothing more than a vehicle to show Zinta's extremely convincing acting and her usual delightful, bubbly self.  Chaudhry conveys her emotions well and mostly holds her own with Zinta. The striking Rekha is especially impressive, while Nath gives his signature benign performance.  Neither Rampal or Sheirgill are strong enough to balance Zinta, however, and they come across as weak and unconvincing.  The music is good, though, with "Dil Laga Liya Maine" being particularly memorable.  Unfortunately, good music and the excellent Zinta aren't enough to make this more than average due to the bland, sometimes ridiculous, plot.

Note: SCARY PUPPET ALERT!

Late Summer Viewing

First Time Viewing:
Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007)  3/5 stars
Parts of it were unappealing,  but it has two excellent songs and great performances by Priety Zinta and Abhishek Bachchan.  

Janatha Garage  (2016)  4/5 stars

Mainly a predictable vehicle for Jr. NTR, but enjoyable nonetheless, and with a strong performance by Nithya Menen.

Delhi 6  (2009)  3/5 stars
Started off really good, but by the end I was rather puzzled.  Abhishek Bachchan gave a good performance, but Sonam Kapoor was unimpressive.

Dhoom 2  (2006)  3/5 stars
Action packed and fun, except for Aishwarya Rai's performance --she was so unsuited to the character that it was painful to watch.

Rewatched:
Raavan (2010)  5/5 stars (my review here)
My husband watched it with me this time, and he felt pretty much the same as I did.

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)  5/5 stars (my review here)
This was my third viewing and, if anything, I cried even harder.

While You Were Sleeping  (1995)  5/5 stars
I first watched this in the theater, and I can't tell you how many times after that.  This was the first time in a decade or so, though, and it stands the test of time.  It's a fantastic movie.

Funny Face  (1957)  3/5 stars
I loved this as a teen, but wasn't as impressed this time around.  The plot was thin, Astaire and Hepburn seemed mismatched, and her singing was weak.  Costumes were fantastic, though, and Kay Thompson gave a stellar performance.

Veer Zaara  (2004)  5/5 stars  (my review here)
I cried so hard this second viewing that I gave myself not only a headache, but a stomach ache as well.

Raavan

Raavan
2010
5/5 stars

Dev Pratap Sharna (played by Vikram), a ruthlessly determined police officer, is transferred to a province to capture the dangerous tribal leader/villain Beera (Abhishek Bachchan).  Beera kidnaps Dev's wife, Ragini (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), beginning a violent and bloody fourteen day chase that ends in a showdown between the two men.

( Nikhil Dwivedi and Ravi Kishan also feature, with extended cameos by Priyamani and Govinda)

First off, let me say that a thriller of this sort is not my usual kind of movie.  I started it out of curiosity, merely wanting to see how well the married Bachchans acted together, only intending to watch a few minutes.  I finished it two hours and sixteen minutes later because they are great together (at times electric), because Abhishek is so convincing he scared the heck out of me, and because Vikram lives up to his glowing reputation.  Aishwarya is impressive in this extremely emotional role. Both the supporting cast and the cameo actors give solid, believable performances,  The camera work is stunning -- angles, colors, points-of-view -- and the entire film has a gritty, striking beauty.  The music (songs and incidental both) is often haunting and always highly effective.  As for the suspenseful story, it is chilling, well-plotted, nicely paced, and wholly engrossing.  As I said, not my typical film, but it was fully worth five stars.

(This film was shot in Hindi and Tamil simultaneously, with slightly differing casts.  My equally glowing review of the Tamil version can be found here.)

3 Idiots

3 Idiots

2009

4/5 stars

Farhan (R. Madhavan), Raju (Sharman Joshi) and Rancho (Aamir Khan) meet as freshmen at the Imperial College of Engineering.  While Farhan and Raju are in college with the sole purpose of a degree for a job, Rancho wants to learn for sake of learning and has a nontraditional approach to education.  This causes him trouble with the Dean (Boman Irani), despite his obvious intellect and ability. Rancho's unusual view of life causes upheaval in the lives of Farhan and Raju, in both negative and positive ways, creating a deep bond of friendship. Rancho dropped out of their lives immediately after graduation, however, and hearing a rumor of where he is from a fellow classmate (played by Omi Vaidya), they set out on a road trip to find him. (Kareena Kapoor plays the love interest.)  

The well-written plot of this comedy-drama is charming, funny (though not ridiculous or over-the-top as the title might indicate), moving, and thoroughly enjoyable. .  The chemistry between the three leads is excellent; they are completely convincing as tight-knit friends.  Khan is outstanding, with Madhavan (a favorite of mine from Tamil films) and Joshi also giving strong performances. I usually find Kapoor to be stiff and not fully believable, but this somewhat small role was a good one for her, and she shone.  This multiple award winning film deserves it's accolades, and if the music had been better than average, would be a full five-star movie.

Madhavan, Khan, Joshi

Summer Viewing

I changed my routine this summer, so I've not been watching as many movies, and most of what I have watched have been repeats.  Here are the new ones I have seen:

Good Newwz  2019  2/5 stars  Akshay Kumar, usually quite talented and funny, couldn't salvage this movie with it's unappealing "humor", stale acting, and lack of resolution.  It didn't live up to the hype, and frankly, I felt like I wasted my time.

Banarasi Babu ("The Gentleman from Banaras") 1997 3/5 stars  Govinda and Ramya Krishnan had good chemistry, and, both talented actors, gave good performances.  The plot was mostly good, though a bit racy and did get too silly at times.  Veteran supporting actor Shakti Kapoor's role and performance was off-putting, a definite detriment to the movie. The music was average, with "San Sanana Sai" being the exception.  Overall, it was fun to watch once, but not particularly memorable.

Aunty No. 1  1998  3/5 stars   This Govinda - Raveena Tandon classic has an extremely convoluted plot, is often too silly, and wraps up unrealistically.  However, the principals have good chemistry and that, along with a talented veteran supporting cast and a few good songs, makes it mostly enjoyable overall.

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.

Ramji Londonwaley

Ramji Londonwaley
(Ramji, the man from London)
2005
3/5 stars

Ramji (played by Madhavan), an excellent cook from an Indian village, takes a job in London to pay his sister's dowry.  When he reaches London, disaster strikes and he finds himself with no identification and no job. He finds help from new friends, and forges an unexpected relationship with a London girl, Samira (Samita Bangargi,) who is his opposite in every way.

This is a cute, feel-good movie somewhat based on Hollywood's 1990 movie Green Card.  Madhavan is a good actor and his portrayal of the sweet, naive, and honorable Ramji is well done.  Samita Bangargi is not as convincing, and their chemistry was unexceptional.  The songs were just average, but incidental music was effective.  Overall, while it's not particularly memorable, Ramji Londonwaley is entertaining, and at times moving, mainly due to Madhavan's strong performance.

Saathiya

Saathiya
("companion")
2002
3/5 stars

Aditya (Vivek Oberoi) falls in love with Suhani (Rani Mukerji) and, after some time, wins her.  Both of their fathers are against the match, but they choose to marry anyway, sure that love will overcome all problems.  Instead, they discover that marriage is a difficult game of give and take, and they struggle to keep faith with each other.

This romantic drama is a remake of the 2000 Tamil film, Alaipayuthey (my review here), which gives a realistic view of marriage.  Oberoi and Mukerji have generally good chemistry, and make an attractive couple.  Mukerji gives a convincing performance throughout, but Oberoi's emotions are not convincing in the end scenes.  Shah Rukh Khan and Tabu give an extended cameo appearance, but their chemistry is decided lacking, and what should have been some of the most moving scenes fell rather flat.  However, Tanuja, who plays Suhani's difficult mother, gave an excellent performance. The songs were mostly beautiful, with the incidental music being used quite effectively.  Overall, I found the movie to be entertaining, but with an ending too abrupt to be fully satisfying.

Dil Chahta Hai

Dil Chahta Hai
(translates as "the heart wants")
2001
5/5 stars

Akash (Aamir Khan), Sid (Akshaye Khanna), and Sameer (Saif Ali Khan), just graduated from college, are the closest of friends.  Sameer falls in and out of love regularly, while Sid is too involved in his painting to be interested in women.  Akash, a cynic, doesn't believe that love truly exists.  This coming of age drama follows their first tastes of real love, a devastating break in their friendship, and their eventual maturing.

The film also stars Dimple Kapadia, Priety Zinta, and Sonali Kulkarni.

This was a most impressive movie.  The three male leads were believable and natural as they gave award winning performances.  Zinta, and veteran actress Kapadia were also particularly good in their roles.  The soundtrack was uniformly enjoyable.  The plot is funny, moving, and engrossing, enhanced by excellent cinematography.  It is obvious that the screenplay writer/director, Farhan Akhtar (27 at the time), is talented and able to bring out the best in his cast.  It's easy to see why this film has become a cult classic.

Toh Baat Pakki!

Toh Baat Pakki!
(translates as "Then it's final!")
2010
3/5 stars

In this romantic comedy, Rajeshwari (played by Tabu) is a pushy, outspoken woman who, nevertheless, only wants what is best for her family.  When she meets Rahul (Sharman Joshi), an engineering student, she thinks he would be a perfect match for her younger sister, Nisha (Yuvika Chaudhary).  With a bit of meddling from Rajeshwari, the two fall in love.  Then Rajeshwari meets Yuvraj (Vatsal Sheth), an even more eligible bachelor, and breaks the the match with Rahul, to arrange one with Yuvraj.  Rahul, deeply in love with Nisha, is determined to be the one to marry her.

The predictable plot is amusing, but not engrossing.  Tabu is an accomplished actress and gave a fine performance as the likable-yet-unlikable Rajeshwari.  Joshi also gives a good performance, but is hampered by not being a convincing romantic hero. The music was lively and enjoyable, but not exceptional.  Overall, it's a light movie, not particularly memorable, but still entertaining. 

Aisha

Aisha
2010
4/5 stars

In this Bollywood remake of Hollywood's Clueless -- itself an adaptation of Jane Austen's 1815 classic Emma -- spoiled, rich, entitled Aisha (Sonam Kapoor) flits from project to project, such as animal welfare, art, and matchmaking among her friends.  She meets middle-class Shefali (Amrita Puri), and makes it her new plan to update the small town girl and find her a upper-class husband.  As Aisha meddles, her childhood friend Arjun (Abhay Deol) watches in frustration, trying to give her a guiding hand and encourage her to mature.  Despite Arjun's attempts, Aisha makes a muddle of things, her own love life included.

Aisha's best friend, Pinky, is played by Ira Dubey.  Cyrus Sahukar, Arunoday Singh, and Lisa Haydon round out the main cast.

Though not sticking fully to the plot, Aisha was well adapted from Austen's novel, hitting all the high points that make the book so compelling and entertaining. The movie balanced humor and drama well, and developed the characters nicely.  The music was generally excellent, and the overall filming exceptional.

I've not been impressed with Kapoor previously, but she played Aisha perfectly.  Deol is a strong actor, and was great in his role.  The rest of the cast were convincing as well, with Puri giving a particularly good debut performance.  I was surprised at just how good this movie was, and had it not been for the alcohol and marijuana usage, I would have rated it five stars.

Siggh, Haydon, Dubey, Kapoor, Deol, Puri, Sahukar

Ahishta Ahishta

Ahishta Ahishta
(translates as "slowly, slowly")
2006
3/5 stars

Megha (Soha Ali Khan), runs away from home to Delhi to marry her secret fiance Dheeraj (Shayan Munshi).  When Dheeraj doesn't show up at the marriage registrar's office, Ankush (Abhay Deol), who is making a living as a wedding witness, offers to help.  Since Megha feels she can never return home, Ankush assists her to find a place to live and work.  They become fast friends, with Ankush eventually falling in love with her.  She agrees to marry him, then Dheeraj returns to her life.

Deol gave a mostly natural performance, but Khan was wooden at times, and not fully convincing.  Music was average and less.  The plot was typical, but then had a most unexpected turn. This would have made the movie higher rated, but there had not been enough emotional build up previously to cause the viewer to be invested in the characters.  The movie was not a disappointment, as such, but could have been much better. 

Kalank

Kalank
( translates as "stigma" or "blemish")
2019
3/5 stars

In Lahore, in 1946: Satya (Sonakshi Sinha), knowing she is to die soon, persuades a reluctant Roop (Alia Bhatt) to become a second wife to her husband, Dev (Aditya Roy Kapur) so that he won't be alone at Satya's death.  Petulantly, Roop insists on taking singing lessons from Bahaar Begum (Madhuri Dixit), despite being initially forbidden to enter that part of the city by her father-in-law (Sanjay Dutt).  While there, Roop meets a womanizing blacksmith, Zafar (Varun Dhawan), and falls in love with him, a situation that leads to disastrous results.
(Kiara Advani, Achint Kaur, and Kunal Khemu also have prominent roles.)

The six main actors gave mostly natural performances, with good chemistry throughout.  Dixit was especially convincing, but Bhatt was stiff at times.  This movie is visually stunning: costumes, sets, choreography, cinematography, and even the actors themselves.  The songs are generally good, with exceptional incidental and atmospheric music.

The basic story, while mostly predictable, is strong but there are plot holes that weaken it, and unneeded scenes (the bull fight in particular) that seem to be there just to add minutes.  In addition, the action is interrupted from time to time by an unnecessary interview scene taking place with Roop ten years later.  This breaks the mood and why it was included is baffling.  Despite these negatives, it is worth watching for the visual spectacle alone.

Dutt, Dixit, Dhawan, Bhatt, Kapoor, Sinha

Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Jab Tak Hai Jaan
2012
(translates as  "As Long As I Live")
4/5 stars

Major Samar Anand (Shah Rukh Khan), fearless when defusing bombs, hides grief over a lost love behind a severe and stand-offish personality and a strong disregard for his safety. Akira (Anushka Sharma), a young filmmaker, finds Samar's journal, and discovers his past romance with Meera (Katrina Kaif), ten years ago in London.

After making a documentary on Samar, Akira returns to London, but needs him to come there as well, to verify the legitimacy of her story.  Reluctantly he returns to the city of his heartbreak, and the unexpected brings Meera back into his life.

(Anupam Kher plays Meera's father.  Rishi Kapoor and his real-life wife, Neetu Singh, play Meera's mother and step-father.)

The first two hours of this film were excellent; the plot was immersive and the characters believable.  The make-up artists did a wonderful job making Khan look younger, but did not do so well aging Kaif.  The music was mostly great and the cinematography was perfect.  Khan and the vivacious Sharma had fantastic, natural chemistry together; Kaif was too stiff at times, however.  Unfortunately, around the start of the third hour, when Samar returns to London, the plot becomes less credible and the ending lacks emotional punch.  Despite that, it's a movie worth watching, just don't expect to be particularly moved by the ending.

Notebook

Notebook
2019
4/5 stars

Kabir (Zaheer Iqbal ), at loose ends since he quit the Army, agrees to become the teacher of an isolated Wular Public School with an enrollment of seven students.  He is failing dismally when he finds the diary of the previous teacher, Firdaus (Pranutan Bah).  At first, reading her diary gives him confidence to teach the children.  Later, however, he falls in love with her as he learns to know her inner self through the diary.  He leaves the school at the end of the year, still thinking of Firdaus.

In the meantime, Firdaus is teaching in a large city school, trying to conform to traditional ways of teaching while she waits for her marriage.  The unexpected happens, and Firdaus' wedding is cancelled; she returns to Wular Public School, and finds messages to her from Kabir.

This is a charming movie. Iqbal and Bah, both debut actors, are natural and believable.  The energetic and jubilant children are a pleasure to watch.  The music is only average and below, unfortunately, and does effect the whole.  The ending was particularly good.   With it's uncommon plot, engaging cast, focus on the importance of education, and beautiful cinematography it is an overall enjoyable experience.