Finding Fanny

Reminsicent of this fim, 'Finding Fanny' is about a dysfunctional group of friends, family & an artist who undertake a road journey across Goa in search of a long lost love. A robust cast with the best of the past (Pankaj Kapur standing out) and a couple of the young brigade. A decent addition to director Homi Adjani's resume but the general cuteness kills any edge - of the kind we saw in his earlier film. Yes, they are very different films. Nevertheless.

Rating: * * +

Zindagi Na Milega Dobara

Reminded me of one Jacob Koshy in Bandra (ran an audio store somewhere on Waterfield road) who when asked what he thought of Yamaha amplifiers by a friend of mine replied, "I'll piss on it. Piss on it". Thats what I would say about this mega shit.

Rating : *

Khuda Kay Liye

A friend suggested this film saying this is the movie that Shoot on Sight could have been. Like the former this film too tries to extrapolate the perilous situation Pakistanis / Muslims are in all over the world, with the Islamic fundamentalists encroaching up on progressive minds. The storyline is two pronged with the happenings in the lives of two brothers across continents are juxtaposed to highlight this. But in spite of the strong hard hitting content the film appears distant and doesn't engage the viewer. The script could have been easily blamed for this but Naseeruddin Shah's cameo showed the issue lay with the dialog delivery of the other so called actors!

Rating: * *

Shoot on Sight

The aftermath of the July 7th bombings in London leads to Scotland Yard issuing an shoot on sight order on people suspected of terrorist activities. Predictably innocent blood is shed. Command Tariq Ali (Naseeruddin Shah) is assigned to investigate the incident. Family conflicts and work pressures mount as the road blocks mount around his inquiry. A film that ponders the changing life for Muslims in this post 9/11 world but proceeds down a very beaten path.

Rating: * *

A Wednesday

The Mumbai Commisioner of Police, Prakash Rathod (Anupam Kher), is jolted out of his skin when he receives an anonymous call from a man demanding the release of four Lakshar and Al Qaeda operatives. The consequences of not doing so would result in bombs being set off in different parts of the city. As the unknown man (Naseeruddin Shah) plays the police and media like puppets, they strain against the strings being pulled. With two of the finest thespians at the helm, the film with its backdrop of terrorism is one of the finest thrillers released in the Indian film industry!

Rating: * * *

Mithya

The age old story of a down and out actor (Ranvir Shorey) who bares an unearthly likeness to an underworld don and under duress is forced to take the don's place. The presence of Naseeruddin Shah and Vinay Pathak does add some panache to this often repeated plot but they unfortunately are not enough to allow this film to be seen in a new light with a fresh perspective.

Rating: * *

Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota

A woman rushing to reunite with her husband. A boy waiting to turn a page in his book of education. A man running away from murder and love lost. Another running towards love gained. Naseeruddin Shah tries his hand at making a film with multiple stories lines tied together by a fragile thread. The thread in this case is a journey to the USA. Brilliant acting from Paresh Rawal, Irfan Khan, Ratna Pathak and Boman Irani. Naseeruddin Shah deftly manipulates the four threads like a master puppeteer until the last twenty minutes where they get tangled and everything comes crashing down.

Rating: * +

The Great New Wonderful

One of the first few movies made around 9/11. It has 5 sets of characters and their respective stories run parallel to each other. Except for one, there is no real connection or explicit reference to the event of Sep01 - so one wonders why?

The stories are individually thought provoking and performances quite tight. However, at the end of it all, the sum of parts is infinitely lower than the individual bits.

Our own Naseeruddin Shah and Sharat Sexena are involved as a couple of security guards, contemplating their naval. A decent performance nevertheless.

Rating: * *

Being Cyrus

The movie is definitely worth a watch - with another brief, but, stellar performance by Boman Irani. Deadly bugger this fellow is - clearly one of the best we have around these days. It seems he is increasingly becoming a favourite for most mainstream movie makers - which is good, as it will ensure some level of quality amidst the usual trash. Some other performances of note by Mr. Irani - 'Lets Talk', bit role in 'Darna Mana Hai'.

Overall, an impressive directorial debut from a pot smoking, South Bombay, rich Parsi boy. Got a good, easy-going feel about the movie and much of the credit for the movie and the way its turned out must also go to Saif Ali Khan. Who in my mind is clearly emerging as an actor, who performs on his terms and is focussed on creating an unqiue identity for himself. Probably, in some wierd way, losing some of the baggage in his personal life has been cathartic.

Rating: * * +