Tiger Zinda Hai

Tiger Zinda Hai 
(translates as: "Tiger is alive")
2017
4/5 stars

When Indian nurses are held hostage by a religious militant extremist, former RAW agent "Tiger" (played by Salman Khan) is recruited to rescue them.  With the help of his team and his wife, former ISI agent, Zoya (Katrina Kaif), Tiger plans a daring rescue with a tight deadline.

Like it's prequel Ek Tha Tiger, Tiger Zinda Hai is a fast-paced espionage thriller, with much action and excitement.  Kaif plays a steely-eyed killer well (much better than her acting in romantic comedies) and Khan is obviously at home portraying a hero.  The music is good, though there is little of it.  The action looks realistic, the plot is generally tight and believable, and the film is overall enjoyable.


This movie is available on Amazon Prime.

Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam

Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam
(translates as "I am yours darling")
2002
4/5 stars

Radha (Madhuri Dixit) has been friends with Suraj (Salman Khan) since childhood; they are as close as siblings and spend much time with each other.  Radha marries Gopal (Shah Rukh Khan), previous ward of her grandfather (Alok Nath), and each is very much in love with the other, though Radha is uncertain how to show it.  This brings misunderstands, which grow as Gopal becomes jealous of Radha's obvious affection for Suraj.

Shah Rukh Khan does a fantastic job as Gopal, slowly cracking under the strain of his jealousy.  Dixit gives a good performance as well, displaying convincing emotions.  Salman Khan's character had very little development, and the result was a 2-D performance.  His musical numbers were quite good, though.  My only complaint with this film is the erroneous (to my mind) advice given by Gopal to his secretary about her marriage.  Other than that, this is an excellent drama, showing realistically how problems can arise in a relationship.

Cast also includes Aishwarya Rai and Atul Agnihotri.

Marigold

Marigold
2007
3/5 stars

In this Hollywood/Bollywood "crossover" film, Marigold (Ali Larter), a vain and spoiled American actress arrives in India to star in a film.  When it is cancelled, she has the good luck to make a friend and find another movie.  On the set, she meets Prem (Salman Khan), whose gentleness and kindness help her to change, and they fall in love.  Prem has a secret, however, that will prevent their happiness.

The cute plot is typical Bollywood, with both romance and drama.  Songs were average, but did nothing to advance the plot; the choreography was generally good, though.  The costumes, particularly Marigold's, were gorgeous.  Khan's role was stereotypical and two dimensional, giving him little scope for acting.  Larter did a good job being unlikable, but did it so well that it was hard to warm to Marigold even after her personal transformation.  Sadly,  Khan and Larter did not have good chemistry.

Other problems I had include finding the personality change to be too abrupt and not credible, and disbelieving that Prem could fall for Marigold before this change.  By suspending belief on those points, I was able to enjoy most of the film, but it's not one I would universally recommend.

Special appearance by Helen.

Padmaavat

Padmaavat
2018
3.5/5 stars

This film is based on the epic poem "Padmavat" (1540) in which Sultan Alauddin Khilji ( Ranveer Singh) becomes obsessed with the beautiful queen Padmavati (Deepika Padukone) and so goes to war with her husband, Maharawal Ratan Singh (Shahid Kapoor), in order to capture her.

Padmaavat's is a controversial movie which leaves the viewer questioning the message intended. The story drags a bit in places, but picks up in the last third.  Overall the plot is interesting (even to one familiar with "Padmavat"), perhaps not engrossing, but certainly attention-holding.  Ranveer Singh was excellent as the unhinged villain.  Padukone and Kapoor did well individually, but lacked the needed chemistry when together.  The CGI animals were unconvincing, but the armies were believable.  Two of the songs were incongruous, nearly laughably so, but the other music was excellent.  Most of the choreography made for lovely scenes, and the costumes and setting were stunningly beautiful. While Padmaavat is lacking in several areas, it is a visual feast and worth watching for that alone.

This movie is available on Amazon Prime.

Kapoor, Padukone, Singh 

Jewel Thief

Jewel Thief
1967
4/5 stars

Vinay (Dev Anand) suddenly finds himself being mistaken for another man named Amar.  It then begins to seem that this Amar is a jewel thief, and Vinay's doppelganger.  Vinay joins with his father, the police commissioner, to infiltrate Amar's gang to catch the thief.

The film also stars Vyjayantimala as the main love interest, and Ashok Kumar as her brother.  It also features four actresses in secondary romantic roles: Anju Mahendru, Tanuja, Faryal and Helen.

This popular movie is, for the most part, an enjoyable watch.  It becomes genuinely confusing--intentionally, no doubt--to keep up with who is doing what: Amar or Vinay.  This adds to the feeling of suspense, as does some excellent film angles and the incidental music.  It contains a great surprising plot twist.  The music was average, and there are no exciting musical numbers, though it was fun to see the famous Helen dance.  The costumes are mostly typical 1960's outfits, though Vyjayantimala did wear some beautiful traditional saris.  The acting was more stilted than is the style today, but all the cast did well portraying their roles and creating the tense atmosphere.  Despite being sometimes hard to follow--perhaps a problem due to having to read subtitles--it's easy to see why Jewel Thief was such a success and still enjoyed today.

Savitri

Savitri
2016
4/5 stars

Savitri (Nanditha) was born during a wedding, and that shapes her life in that all she wants groiwng up is to be a bride.  When her family finally set up a wedding for her, she is overjoyed, and takes a trip to ask a blessing for her marriage.  On that trip, Savitri meets Rishi (Nara Rohit), who falls in love with her instantly, shaking up both of their marriage plans.

This cute Telugu romance is laugh-out-loud funny in places, reminding me of a 1940's Hollywood screwball comedy.  Unfortunately, as a lot of the humor was spoken in quick deliveries, it was hard to keep up while reading subtitles.   In addition, there was a subplot that didn't make complete sense, nor particularly add to the plot.  Rohit was excellent, easily pulling the audience to his side, and his action scenes were great fun.  Nanditha's part was such that the viewer has to warm to her, and she played it well.  The pair had good chemistry together.  Overall, though silly in parts, it was an enjoyable film.

Note: This movie is free on Amazon with Amazon Prime.

Veer

Veer
2010
4/5 stars

Pindari warrior, Prithvi Singh (Mithun Chakraborty) spent his younger days fighting against the British Rule.  When his sons, Veer (Salman Khan) and Punya (Sohail Khan), come of age, he sends them to England to learn the ways of the British so as to fight them better.  While there, Veer falls in love with an Indian princess, played by Zareen Khan.  He returns to India determined not only to win her, but to overthrow her British-supported evil father (Jackie Shroff) as well.

This action drama is an enjoyable one from start to finish.  The plot is convoluted enough to be interesting, without being overly political.  Most of the costumes, the Pindari in particular, look great, but the dresses of the British women always looked too flimsy and somehow inappropriate.  The musical numbers were generally good, one tune particularly haunting, despite the fact that not all the songs or dances fit the time period.  The action and fighting, with one exception, looked real and natural  Chakraborty and Shroff were great in their supporting roles.  Whether the fault of the actor or the script, Sohail Khan's role was too full of slap-stick comedy.  Salman Khan played the hard warrior very well.  Zareena Khan's role was minimal and somewhat two dimensional, but she certainly was lovely.  Overall, it was an exciting and fun film and well worth watching.