Dunki: Shades of genius Geniuses are not born every day. Not everybody is a genius. Geniuses are not perfect. Geniuses can make mistakes. Sometimes, they go wrong. Not all the time. Sometimes. And that too, by their own yardstick. There are things that they do which have shades of their genius, but do not add-up to expectations among their admirers. Rajkumar Hirani is a genius. A commerce graduate from Nagpur, he had humble beginnings in the 80s, as a video editor, and mock news reader in vid...

Mark Antony, Review: Mark and Tony and Telephony Inspired by the works of Shakespeare’s prodigal cousin, Shake Speer, this assault on your senses is a tribute to the Emperors Brutius and Scissor (real names Mark and Antony). Some 40 years ago, a TV series was made in Mumbai called Indradhanush. It was the first sci-fi, time-travel serial, where a remote control has the power to transport the bearer to a time centuries ago. I should know. I played the Mafia Don villain, who uses this rem...

Jawan, Review: Eggs on the windshield You can be pardoned for believing that Jawan is Pathaan rebooted, if you walked in as ShahRukh Khan (SRK) is lying half-dead on a bed somewhere near the Indian border (with which country?) and a chinky medicine man is spending days, and possibly weeks, using all kinds of herbs and other local Ayurvedic medicine to revive him. It was exactly the same in Pathaan, where he was nursed back by a Pathaan tribe. Obviously, the makers thought once is not enough, ...

Salman Khan’s Bhaijaan trailer release: Much awaiiiiiiited No, first let’s get the title right. It is Kisi ka Bhai Kisi ki Jaan (KKBKKJ) (somebody’s brother, somebody’s life). Clever pun on the sobriquet that has been associated with Salman Khan since Bajrangi Bhaijaan, released eight years ago. If that interests you, the original title of this film was Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali. Salman Khan was last seen in a star-cameo in Pathaan, reprising his role as Avinash Singh Rat...

Pathaan, Review: Exploits and exploitation Encyclopedia Brittanica defines a pathan thus: Pashtun, also spelled Pushtun or Pakhtun, Hindustani Pathan, Persian Afghan, ethnolinguistic group residing primarily in the region that lies between the Hindu Kush in northeastern Afghanistan and the northern stretch of the Indus River in Pakistan. The Pashtun constitute the largest ethnic group of the population of Afghanistan and bore the exclusive name of Afghan before that name came to denote any na...

Trailer launch of Lakadbaggha: Hyenas, dogs and animal vigilantes For many, the meaning of the word lakadbaggha was discovered yesterday, when they attended the trailer launch of the eponymous film at Cinépolis, Fun Republic, Link Road, Andheri, Mumbai. It means hyena. And I bet no Indian film has been made with this title, before this. It is produced by First Ray Films, the production unit headed by actor Anshuman Jha. In an amazing co-incidence, a film called Kuttey (meaning ‘d...

Laal Singh Chaddha, Review: A run for your money, in branded underwear It’s been fifteen years after Aamir Khan acted in and directed Taare Zameen Par, about a dyslexic child, and 28 years after Tom Hanks captivated our hearts as Forrest Gump, who had an IQ of 75 and needed braces to correct what was believed to be a curved spine. In 2022, here comes a film that is the official remake of Forrest Gump. It could be among the warmest, heart-tugging tales you’ve heard being told, or i...

Ek Villain Returns, Review: V for Villain, Q for Qiran What do you call a serial killer? An Assistant Commissioner of Police, at a public forum, shows a picture of Rakesh Mahadkar, the serial killer in Ek Villain (2014), calls him “A “Villain,” as if Archimedes’ spirit has entered his body and he actually wanted to say “Eureka!” That does not mean that the new serial killer will get caught in the next few seconds. No way. It will be six months before he is ...

Hachette’s The Bollywood Pocket Book Series, A 4-in-1 Set, by Diptakirti Chauduri: Get set Yes, it’s a pun. I mean you should get the set, buy the book, or rather, books. They look deceptively thin when ensconced in the hardcover box, but provide a substantial reading once you pull them out. Book one is about Iconic Dates, with Raj Kapoor and Nargis on the cover, under an umbrella. The author reminds us about the calendar of events that begin with Raja Harishchandra’s releas...

Love Aaj Kal 2020, Review: 141 minutes of messy, moronic, melodramatic mishmash What do you do when that elusive commodity called plot decides to stay clear of your net? You dig into your archives and find a film that you think lends itself to building a sequel. You also pay a visit to the Hollywood classic which helped you spawn another set of two films, the first a charmer, the second that should have been much warmer. And so, from the stable that gave us Jab We Met, Love Aaj Kal 2009 and J...

Dabangg 3, Review: A Bad Dab at Bangg 3 theory There must be a theory that if the first two instalments of Dabangg have worked, a third one must be attempted. The theory probably stipulates that this will work even if it has a skeleton in place of a story, that a host of insider jokes, tongue-in-cheek references to another superstar, repetition of dialogue and the smash hit song of the earlier two Bangs, will replicate box-office magic, that the directorial abilities of Prabhudeva will stitch...

Siraj Syed interviews Mumbai-based, under 23, prolific, short film-maker, S. Ashwin *You have been prolific in output. How many films have you made since you completed your studies a couple of years ago, and what/who made it possible to make so many? I have made 29 short films till now. My love for film-making and the conviction I have to keep making them has made it possible for me to have a large number of films to my credit today. Apart from that, my parents have been a great support--the...

Siraj Syed reviews Raees: Contentious content, alias “Don’t call me Battery” Ra.One did it. Don 2 had done it. Raees, wherein he plays a Don once more, adds to his raeesy. Superstar ShahRukh Khan must be a happy man these days, heading in the right direction, hitting the road to Hitsville.Touted as the block-buster of the year, Raees, about a small-time bootlegger who wrangles his way to the top and becomes not only raees (Urdu for ‘rich’) but filthy rich, has no...

Erosactivity gets into top gear, announces 50 films, 40+ directors on board The next financial year for their India econ0my is 01 April 2017-31 March 2018, and at 50 productions in the pipeline, they will have almost every week at the box office covered. It’s a multilingual black-board, and includes wiz-kid Aanand L Rai and their joint production entity, Colour Yellow Production, Viki Rajani's NextGen Films, and Trinity Pictures, Eros’ in-house franchise label. Commenting o...

Siraj Syed’s IFFI 2016 diary, XIII: IM Kwon-taek’s 102 films and SPB’s 40,000 songs South Korean film-maker IM Kwon-taek was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award and Indian singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam was felicitated with the Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year at the International Film festival of India, 2016. The 80 year-old, famed director talked briefly, even owning up to some of his work that wasn’t well-received. Regarded as the fath...

Is there no justice in this world? Lex Luthor argues that since God takes sides, he cannot be a just hero, and likewise Superman, who is revered as God’s agent on earth. What if Superman went rogue, he postulates? So, he asks the White House to allow him to import kryptonite (rock from Kal El’s native planet, Krypton, that robs him of his superpowers) from an ancient ship wreckage in the Indian Ocean, just in case.... Senators are not impressed, possibly because instead of behavin...

Shahrukh Khan's new film“Don 2 – The Chase Continues” introduces the German Capital to Bollywood filmlovers. One of the top three destinations in Europe, after London and Paris, it registered an increase in the number of Indian visitors  by 43 percent in 2010. Now, Berliners would like Don 2 to make the city even more popular with Indians. Burkhard Kieker, CEO, visitBerlin says "Don 2 has two starring roles, Shah Rukh Khan and Berlin.” What's Shahrukh's considered opinion of...