Mirch

A young script writer is at his wits end when he finds it impossible to sell his script to a producer. In desperation he starts weaving tales from the ancient yore of the Panchatantira. Soon an omni-bus of scripts unfold as the producer wants a couple more with a modern touch. The film reads like a set of short stories with sexual undercurrent that one would enjoy when in their early teens. The highlight might be what comes closest to a sex scene in mainstream Indian cinema (yes, do not expect anything more that). That and Boman Irani!

Rating: * +

Dosar

Kaushik (Prasenjit Chatterjee) and Mita (Chandrayee Ghosh) dilly dally over breakfast before a ride back from a vacation. In spite of the frustration and irritation in their interaction there is a strong undercurrent of love. The sequence culminates in a horrific accident and setups the rest of the film. Kaushik's wife Kaberi (Konkona Sen Sharma) discovers his infidelity in the aftermath of the accident. Torn between anger over his actions and her husband's need for care, she soldiers on, anger being the only emotion she betrays. Rather than just focusing solely on the couple and their situation, the director introduces friends of Kaberi who are also in an extra-marital relationship. Shot entirely in black and white, centers around pain but with a subtlety that makes it immensely watchable. Only few directors like Rituparno Ghosh could make such a tragedy interesting instead of depressing.

Rating: * * * +

Amu

Kaju (Konkona Sen Sharma), a young  Indian American, returns to Delhi to spend time her extended family and discover her roots. But she finds things to be clouded by the '84 riots. A well intentioned film but executed in a tad contrived fashion with Kokona seemingly going through the motions.

Rating: * +

Traffic Signal

A traffic signal in the downtown of any Indian city is a hub of activity with its hawkers, policeman, prostitutes and beggars. Madhur Bhandarkar's film tries to highlight the economy involved in such a place and the people who eke a meager living out of it. A slightly long winded movie which meanders around trying to make its point. Thankfully the viewers interest is never lost at any point.

Rating: * *

Life in a... Metro

Every character in this film is in different stages of relationships. Shruti (Konkona Sen Sharma) is looking for her first love. Monty (Irfan Khan) is a walking advertisement for shaadi.com. Shikha (Shilpa Shetty) is having dangling conversations with her husband (Kay Kay Menon). Amol (Dharmendra) is trying to rekindle the flames of a lost passion. Irfan, KK and Kokana dish out excellent performances. Shilpa is still HOT and Dharmendra still cannot act. A film that burns bright but fizzles out in the end.

Rating: * +

Omkara

From the point of acting in Dil Chahta Hai, Saif Ali Kahn has discovered the sacred art of acting. He again along with Ajay Devgan has done some good work in this film. The only weak link in the movie is Vivek Oberoi who seems to be able to portray only two mudras. He either looks happy like an idiot or looks very confused.

The movie is really well made. But since it is yet another take on Othello, it went stale on me after a while.

Rating: * * +