Sirf

Cast : Manisha Koirala, Sonali Kulkarni, Ranbir Shorey, Parveen Dabbas, Rituparna Sengupta, Ankur Khanna, Nauheed Cyrusi. Director : Rajatesh Nayar Producer : n.a Genre : Release Date : 25-4-2008

Synopsis Life is like highway on the night when you don't know what awaits you on the next turn, still people move on with hope in their heart and dreams in their eyes. SIRF – ‘life looks greener on the other side’ takes an insight into the lives of these people. How the pace of the city affects their relationships, how they deal with it, how the problems of one person many times bring comical relief for others. No matter what happens, life has to go on. The film revolves around four couples played by Kay Kay Menon with Manisha Koirala, Sonali Kulkarni with Ranbir Shorey, Parveen Dabbas with Rituparna Sengupta and Ankur Khanna with Nauheed Cyrusi. While one couple has money, they are looking for love. Other has love but money is missing in their life and the third couple is searching for trust. Fourth couple has to find time to nurture everything else that they have. They all belong to different levels of society and each couple has their own problems to deal with, but somewhere they all come across each other on the cross road of life. It is at this junction of life that they all can be set free from their worries। Will they find solutions or will their life be pushed into more chaos? Will this chaotic disorder show them the light of wisdom or will they fall in the darkness of folly? 'Sirf' is a tongue in cheek look at the fast paced life of people in cities, big or small. Reviews Sirf is the story of four couples who are battling their own set of issues as they try to build their life in the busy city of Mumbai. So we have Shalu (Nauheed Cyrusi) and Rahul (Ankur Khanna) who are desperate to get married but can't afford the rent in the city. Next are Namita (Sonali Kulkarni) and Akash (Ranvir Shorey) who have money but need to work all the time to ensure the money keeps coming in. They have a daughter who has a congenital heart defect and the guilt of leaving her for long hours with a maid isn't helping. . Meet couple number three - Suchita (Rituparna Sengupta) is a young bride from Jabalpur who has trust issues with her husband Amit (Parvin Dabas) who is from Mumbai. She is sure that her husband is ready to sleep with any woman and that is causing a rife in their marriage. And finally there is Devika (Manisha Koirala) and Gaurav (Kay Kay Menon) who are both successful professionals and in this need to move up the ladder they seem to have lost any sense of reality. While the director has made an earnest effort to make the film most of his starcast lets him down. Nauheed and Ankur Khanna do nothing to the viewer. Sonali Kulkarni needs to lose weight and Ranvir Shorey shouldn't have been in this film in the first place. Now let's come to the slightly senior actors. Manisha and Kay Kay Menon are horrendous. Manisha looks like she's never seen a mirror before coming for the shot while Kay Kay's depiction of the uncaring husband comes across as indifferent. And Rituparna looks older than Parvin! Take our advice and give this one a miss!

Hope and a Little Sugar

Cast : Amit Sial, Mahima Chaudhry, Vikram Chatwal Director : Tanuja Chandra Producer : n.a Genre : Release Date : -----

Synopsis Set in New York in the weeks before and after 9/11, this poignant tale of love set against the forces of hate and intolerance centers on the romance between an aspiring Muslim photographer and a young Sikh woman. Bike messenger, Ali Siddiqui (AMIT SIAL, debutant) meets the beautiful but married Saloni (MAHIMA CHAUDHRY,) a charismatic mithaai shop owner who encourages Ali's photography and becomes his muse. Despite Ali's secret and largely unrequited crush on Saloni, he develops a close friendship with her and her husband Harry (VIKRAM CHATWAL). But when tragedy strikes with the terrorist attacks on Sept 11, 2001, her father-in-law, a retired army Colonel (ANUPAM KHER), devastated by grief and anger, directs his longstanding animosity towards Muslims at Ali, as the young man's affection for Saloni grows increasingly evident. Although the Colonel's wife (SUHASINI MULAY) bravely tries to pacify her husband, the Colonel, unable to accept life's pain, threatens to bring everything to a violent end. An emotional drama, Hope and a Little Sugar is written and directed by TANUJA CHANDRA, for whom this is her first English language film। Joining Chandra behind the scenes is a seasoned film crew, including cinematographer NIRMAL JANI, who had earlier shot Dushman and Sur for her, as well as Costume Stylist, ANAITA SHROFF ADAJANIA (Dhoom, Race, Being Cyrus.) The producers for the film are two independent film-makers living in New York, SCOTT PARDO and GLENN RUSSOW, while the editor is HILLARY PEABODY. The music is by WAYNE SHARPE, New York based musician, who has also composed the background score of Prakash Jha's Gangajal (for which he won a Filmfare award) and Afghan filmmaker Jawad Wassal's Firedancer. Joining him in composing as well as in playback singing in some of the film's tracks are accomplished singers, SONU NIIGAAM and JASBIR JASSI. Reviews Hope and A Little Sugar is set in New York city and spans the life of a Sikh family who lose their son in 9/11. The film begins with a bike messenger Ali Siddiqui (Amit Sial) bumping into Saloni (Mahima Chaudhry) who mistakes him on the first glance as someone else. Mesmerized by her charm Ali takes up her invitation to join the family at a part taking place at Saloni’s home later that evening. However, while Ali harbours a crush on the much married Saloni, soon the truth about Ali’s real identity is revealed to all. Despite that Ali soon becomes a close friend of Saloni’s husband, Harry, (Vikram Chatwal), her father in law, Colonel Vir Oberoi (Anupam Kher) and the mother in law Mira (Suhasini Mulay). Colonel Vir Oberoi is a typical retired army personnel who wears his heart on his sleeve the choicest abuses at the tip of his tongue! And just when things are going fine in the Oberoi family, Harry dies in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Unable to deal with the loss of his son, the Colonel begins to direct his anger towards all Muslims and especially Ali who is a part of his daughter in law’s life. Seeing a strong bond form between Saloni and Ali, the Colonel takes it in his own hands to kill Siddique to stop the possibility of any romance blossoming. However on his way over to settle things with Ali – who happens to be spending Christmas Eve with Saloni at his home – the Colonel becomes a victim of racial violence himself. This changes his thought about Ali. Over all Tanuja’s story line and concept are great. However what it lacks is a punch and longer screenplay to really hit home the film and its message. Certain areas like the Colonel’s immediate hatred towards Ali just because he is a Muslim seems a bit far fetched because having spent time in the Indian army it is hard to believe that he wouldn’t have interacted with them. Also Ali’s acting doesn’t leave you very convinced of either his love for Saloni or his ability to stand up for himself. Even his confession of love seems almost school kid like. So while there maybe some hope for the film amongst the festival audiences it does still feel like a serving of little hope and lots of artificial sweetener at the end of the day!

Krazzy 4

Cast : Irrfan Khan, Arshad Warsi, Juhi Chawla, Rajpal Yadav, Suresh Menon, Dia Mirza, Rajat Kapur, Zaakir Hussain Director : Jaideep Sen Producer : Rakesh Roshan/Filmkraft Productions Genre : Release Date : 11-4-2008

Synopsis Raja's anger knows no bounds, he'll hit out at the slightest provocation or even without. Intermittent explosive disorder is what the doctors call it. 'Sarphira', is what everybody else does! Dr Mukherjee is your perfect doc – clean and orderly, not a pin out of place. So what's wrong with that? Obsessive compulsive personality disorder, that's what. Schizophrenic Gangadhar lives in the past…his mates are Nehru and Gandhi, Tilak and Patel! He's so busy fighting for swaraj and freedom, he's lost his sanity! Cute Dabboo is everybody's pet. So what if he hasn't spoken for years? So what if he's frightened all the time? So what if he's autistic? Dr Sonali treats them all. She has faith that all it needs is a little time and lots of patience to make them normal…to make them part of the mad, mad, mad world out there… But are the Krazzy 4 ready for the world? And is the world ready for them? And yes...If you think they are crazy, think again! Character Sketches Juhi Chawla as Dr Sonali - As a psychiatrist she knows what's wrong with her patients; as a sensitive woman she firmly believes that if you really want to make them well, you should treat them with your heart, not just your mind. Arshad Warsi as Raja - Truly the angry young man! His blood boils, his fists clench and he's ready to beat the daylights out of anyone who upsets him in some way. Irrfan Khan as Dr Mukherjee - He has decided that he's the Captain of the team! But so obsessed is he by the need to be in control of a situation, he doesn't realise he's totally lost control of himself and his mind. Rajpal Yadav as Gangadhar - He's marching to a beat only he can hear; he's fighting for a cause that's long over. But in his muddled mind he's still fighting for Swaraj; still hobnobbing with the likes of Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi. Suresh Menon as Dabboo - Cute and adorable, he's everybody's pet and however far gone the rest may be, when it comes to Dabboo, everybody's super protective. Even if he can hear and understand, Dabboo refuses to speak. And nobody knows why! Dia Mirza as Shikha - As a TV reporter she controls the news on the channel, but as a woman she's unable to control the unruly and unmanageable rage of Raja - the man she loves. Rajat Kapur as Industrialist - R K Sanyal, who's also Dr Sonali's husband. But in his quest for power and money he takes a step that will have alarming consequences for his wife and her patients – the krazzy 4! Zaakir Hussain as Srivastav - He is so neck deep in illegal activities that now he'll stoop to anything – even kidnapping and murder – to keep him ahead. Interesting facts After turning director with his production house FilmKraft, Krazzy 4 is the first film which Rakesh Roshan is only producing and not directing. It is directed by his protégé Jaideep Sen. The story of the film is by Rakesh Roshan. The film has item numbers by Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan. They have been shot separately but the song is the same. Rakhi Sawant also features in an item song in the film। Hrithik's sister Sunaina has also entered Bollywood by being the co-producer of the film. Reviews Krazzy 4 is the story of four patients who are currently admitted in a mental institution. Raja (Arshad Warsi), Dr Mukherji (Irrfan Khan), Gangadhar (Rajpal Yadav) and Daboo (Suresh Menon) suffer from different mental disorders and are currently treated by Dr. Sonali (Juhi Chawla). As a part of their treatment, Dr. Sonali decides to take the four patients for a day out to watch the India – England cricket match. However, as soon as they step out catastrophe strikes as the doctor is kidnapped leaving the four mental patients to find their way out and rescue their doctor. What happens when they realize that the very people they are turning to for help are the ones behind their doctor’s kidnapping and how they outwit all of them to rescue Dr. Sonali is what Krazzy 4 is all about. Jaideep Sen’s directorial debut, simply put, is a fun film. It plays on social issues but does it without making it sound like a sermon. The four guys known for their comedy deliver well but Suresh Menon’s character could have been better fleshed out. Also Dia Mirza’s fascination to play a journalist needs reviewing. And finally the three songs picturised on Rakhi Sawant, SRK and Hrithik Roshan are going to be huge with the audiences! SRK and Hrithik leave you mesmerized with their charm and dance. All in all Krazzy 4 is a great film to see provided you are looking for a fun day out. It’s light, fun and slightly krazzy!

U, Me Aur Hum

Cast : Kajol, Ajay Devgan,Divya Dutta, Sumeet Raghvan, Karan Khanna, Isha Sharvani Director : Ajay Devgan Producer : Ajay Devgan & Eros Genre : Release Date : 11-4-2008

Synopsis Bollywood's much admired couple Kajol and Ajay Devgan are back to sparkle on screen in Ajay Devgan's Directorial Debut film U, Me Aur Hum। The first time 'Ajay' saw 'Pia', she served him drinks. She affected him more than the alcohol, and he found true love. He was a leading psychiatrist, but she messed up his mind. The first time 'Pia' saw 'Ajay', he had too much to drink. She watched him make a fool of himself, and was relieved when he passed out. She was a woman who followed her heart, but despite his claims of true love, she had made up her mind. Thus begins the story of Ajay (Ajay Devgan) and Pia (Kajol). A love story, that begins at sea on a cruise liner!! Produced & Directed by Ajay Devgan, this emotional love story stars Ajay Devgan and Kajol in the lead along with Divya Dutta, Sumeet Raghvan, Karan Khanna and Isha Sharvani. Written by Robin Bhatt, Sutanu Gupta and Akarsh Khurana, the film has dialogues by Ashwani Dheer, Music by Vishal Bharadwa j and Lyrics by Munna Dhiman. Contrary to recent tabloid reports, U, Me Aur Hum, is not based on The Notebook, a Hollywood film. U, Me Aur Hum is set for release on April 11, 2008. Reviews Although initially Ajay finds it difficult to convince the girl whom he has just met that they are meant for each other, he gains access to her room on the ship and finds out all of her likes and dislikes. And just as Pia is about to give her nod, Ajay comes clean about his sneaky behaviour which upsets Pia and she decides to end things. However, six months later she finds her way back to Ajay and the two get married. One day while returning from work Ajay finds Pia standing in the middle of the street completely hysterical as she is unable to find her home or remember his mobile number. Ajay who is a psychiatrist himself understand the symptoms and takes her to see his senior who determines that Pia is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. And just as he is telling Ajay about the precautions and lack of treatment for Pia’s condition, they also discover that she is pregnant – another factor that will worsen her condition. How they have kids, go through the trials in their marriage and come out stronger is what the rest of the film is all about. In terms of acting Kajol has done a brilliant job bother as a young waitress and as a patient. Her ex-pressions and acting is top notch. Ajay Devgan on the other hand is a tad disappointing. His acting isn’t as consistent as you would expect from someone of his calibre. Divya Dutta, Isha Shravani... Mmm... nnn do a good job in their own roles. As far as Ajay Devgan’s directorial debut is concerned, Ajay has come out on top. He has got the locations, shots and editing to the T. From costumes to dialogue delivery everything is in just the right proportion and conveys the message without sounding like a sermon. Over all it’s a good attempt by Ajay Devgan – both the actor and the director!

Shaurya

Cast : Rahul Bose, Jaaved Jaaferi, Minissha Lamba, Deepak Dobriyal, Kay Kay Menon Director : Samar Khan Producer : Mukesh Bhatt Genre : Drama Release Date : 4-4-2008

Synopsis A story of justice, honour, faith and above all believing in yourself। A story of finding courage within... where friendships are tested in the battle that matters the most... Reviews Shaurya is a film about courage and it was definitely needed to make this film. Captain Javed Khaa (Deepak Dobriyal) is charged with the murder of a senior officer in Punj and has to undergo court martial. Best pals Major Siddhant Chaudhary (Rahul Bose) and Akash Kapoor (Jaaved Jaaferi) are put in charge of the case – Siddhant handling the defense and Akash the prosecution. But the former is least interested in the case and is involved just because he wants to enjoy some time off in Kashmir. He is basically in the army only because he dad achieved laurels in the same profession. His first interaction with Javed is met with stoic silence on the latter’s part but he doesn’t seem too perturbed. However, he soon gets into trouble following an interaction with a journalist Kaavya Shastri (Minissha Lamba) during which he blabbers stuff which he himself is not sure of in an attempt to impress here. Things get worse when during cross questioning he mutters that he would like to inspect the scene of crime and ends up meeting the arrogant Brigadier Rudra Pratap Singh (Kay Kay Menon) which gives him the jitters. All the while, Akash stands by Siddhant’s side assuring him that it is an open and shut case and that he would just have to be present in court during the proceedings when it will be decided that Javed is guilty. But as Siddhant gradually gets involved in the case seriously he realizes that the truth is not as straightforward. With the help of Kaavya, whom he begins to like, Siddhant sets out against all odds to trace the motive behind why Javed opened fire on his senior officer. Acting wise, Rahul Bose and Kay Kay Menon are proven performers who stand up yet again. Though there are traces of sameness in his acting, Rahul’s portrayal of both a happy go lucky officer and an intense defense lawyer showcase his acting abilities. Kay Kay playing the Brigadier who believes that he is above all is superb. Jaaved Jaaferi in the role of a hard hitting officer impresses while Minissha as the journalist is competent. Amrita Rao chips in with a heart-wrenching cameo playing the struggling wife of the deceased officer but the real hero of the story is also the hero of the film. Deepak Dobriyal has minimal dialogues but his straight faced expression and the pride with which he carries himself throughout the film is exceptional to watch. If Shaurya suffers anywhere it is in the screenplay. The first half moves at a snail’s space when Siddhant is struggling to cope up with the responsibility handed to him. But once he finds his bearings, the narrative gets riveting. The transformation that takes place in Siddhant through the course of the case is one of the high points of the film. Also a couple of scenes from the film stay with you. The short emotional interaction between Kaavya and the dead officer’s wife (Amrita Rao) and the one in which a Kashmiri child refuses to take a chewing gum from Siddhant because he is a fauji are among them. The climax confrontation between the feisty Brigadier and a restrained yet confident Siddhant stands out. Adnan Sami’s music does its bit for the film. Dheere Dheere is soulful while Kaise Kahe Dosti is aptly placed in the film just after the surprise midnight marriage of Aakash and Nandini arranged by Siddhant. Rozza Catalano’s item number is thanda compared to some recent ones. With no big stars and a ‘non-commercial’ theme, Shaurya’s chances of succeeding at the box-office are minimal but it is definitely a brave attempt – one that Samar Khan can be proud of.

Khuda Ke Liye

Cast :	Naseeruddin Shah, Shaan, Iman Ali
Director :	Shoaib Mansoor
Producer :	n.a
Genre :
Release Date :	4-4-2008

Synopsis

The film is about the difficult situation in which the Pakistanis in particular and the Muslims in general are caught up since 9/11। There is a war going on between the Fundamentalists and the Liberal Muslims. This situation is creating a drift not only between the Western world and the Muslims, but also within the Muslims. The educated and modern Muslims are in a difficult situation because of their approach towards life and their western attire. They are criticized and harassed by the fundamentalists and on the other hand the Western world sees them as potential suspects of terrorism just because of their Muslim names. This paradox is resulting in great suffering for a forward looking Muslim. Above mentioned is the theme of the film "KHUDA KE LIYE" which in English means "IN THE NAME OF GOD". The interesting thing about the film is how it connects the happenings in the three continents. Unlike the usual Indian and Pakistani films based on romantic saga, dances and songs, this film is based on some very serious issues, raising a lot of controversial questions boggling the Muslim minds these days.

Reviews KKL tells the story of two brothers, Mansoor (Shaan) and Sarmad (Khan), the care-free musician sons of very liberal parents. Whilst Mansoor is working towards a music scholarship in the USA, Sarmad finds himself an increasingly disillusioned young man, turning towards his faith for answers. He becomes quite extreme in his beliefs under the wings of radical cleric, Maulana Tahiri (Naz) and distances himself from his family after their inability to conform to his increasingly obtuse demands. Things get complicated further when the brothers' cousin, Mary (Iman Ali) arrives from London to spend a few days with them, only to discover that she has been tricked by her father into coming to Pakistan to avoid her marrying her Non-Muslim boyfriend Dave. When Mansoor declines the proposal to marry her, she is forcibly married off to Sarmad. Mansoor then leaves for Chicago to enroll at the "School of Music" there. But unfortunately, he gets wrongly indicted in America's post-9/11 witch hunt for being a Pakistani and a Muslim. Picked up at midnight by the FBI, he is questioned relentlessly about his links with Al Qaida.

Shoaib Mansoor in his debut film has tackled some significant issues - forced marriages, radicalisation of young Muslims, erroneous interpretations of Islam, tribal intricacies and the 'war' between moderates and fundamentalists. To an extend Mansoor succeeds in analyzing them, leaving the conclusion very much open. The finale, (involving a cameo by Naseeruddin Shah) has its highs and lows, the latter being it leaves you with a slightly discerning outlook. The film also features a few subtle digs at India. Also, what is commendable is Shoaib's placing of music in various scenes. The score grows on you as the film proceeds. What you like about this technically topnotch film is that despite its heavy subject it never tries to be preachy and retains its entertainment value.

While the entire principal cast has put in a fabulous performance, its Naseeruddin Shah in his brief appearance in the climax as the long bearded progressive Islamic scholar with his dialogues ('There is beard in religion, but no religion in beard' and 'Two men who did the greatest service to Islam in Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal, did so without a beard and out of the so called Islamic dress code, in western dress.) who literally steals the thunder. It is learnt that, he had liked his part so much that he even did the role for free.


Khuda Kay Liye don't miss this multi international awards winner movie!

Bhram An Illusion

Cast : Milind Soman, Dino Morea, debutant Sheetal Menon, Simone Singh, Chetan Hansraj. Director : Pavan Kaul Producer : Pavan Kaul Genre : Crime Release Date : 4-4-2008

Reviews What’s it about? Sheetal Menon, who plays a successful model called Antra, has a traumatic past that she is hiding from the world. When she first meets Shantanu (Dino Morea) she looks through him but over time their friendship develops. However, things take a toss when Antra comes face to face with Shantanu’s elder brother Devendra (Milind Soman). People and situations are questioned and what happens next is what Bhram is all about. Is it worth watching? Now that’s a tricky question in a film like Bhram. Although initially the film feels a bit sketchy and run of the mill it does get interesting in the second half. The director, Pavan Kaul, has built an interesting story and also managed to pull off an okay job. Of ten the viewer will be enjoying the locales in the backdrop more than the story itself and the over all film should have been edited much tighter. In terms of acting Milind Soman and Dino Morea have both done a good job. Newcomer Sheetal Menon for most part has also worked hard on her role. Simone Singh plays the role of the socialite wife perfectly. Surprisingly Chetan Hansraj and Deepshika are a let down. Bhram is one of those films that might pick up business over time through word of mouth. The inadequate publicity and bad promotions haven’t helped matters and the lack of any big stars will also work against the film. Overall the film is worth an afternoon trip to the theatre as long as you don’t go with too many expectations!