Ambarsariya se Banarasiya via Agra

It's rare that the last 3 movies I saw in cinemas were all movies that I an watch a million times over and over again... I cant remember the last time this ever happened (if at all)...

The title of the blog should, as always, give the clues to the movies I'm talking about...

Fukrey is the 1st one.. This is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time... It seems to be inspired by Delhi Belly, especially considering the amount of twists & turns & mistakes & misunderstandings.. Hunny, Lali, Zafar & Choocha take us through a entertaining, if unlikely, ride through Delhi... They are accompanied by Neetu ma'am, Priya and Panditji, while being pursued by a villain called 'Bholi Punjaban' (Innocent Girl from Punjab)... The funniest amongst them is no doubt Varun Sharma making his screen debut as Choocha...  The performances are exemplary, even if the storyline is a little loose... All in all, a laugh riot !

The next was Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani... Ranbir Kapoor is becoming one of the most bankable stars in the Hindi film industry, with this becoming his third superhit in a row (Rockstar & Barfi previously)... This is more commendable considering that this is only his 10th leading role... The film is definitely entertaining, though hardly original... The director, Ayan Mukherji, probably got lost in getting inspired by too many movies, so he tries to retain some of his charm from Wake Up S!d, while adding a bit of a road trip with friends theme from ZNMD, and topping it with a love story from an Imtiaz Ali movie... Well, going by the box office returns, it seems that Ayan mixed 3 winning formulae to get a new & improved one ! So what if Aditya Roy Kapoor looks like he just continued his character from Aashiqui 2... So what if Farooque Sheikh's role got overshadowed by his cross-eyed-ness.. The truth is that the songs are amazing, the production work is awesome, Deepika looks gorgeous (and is learning how to act!) and Ranbir, is as charming as ever... YJHD is a film that I can watch over & over...

Last, but definitely not the least, is a love story called Raanjhanaa... This is a movie that most people discounted after looking at the lead actor, K Dhanush Raja... The general buzz was that this ugly looking dude cannot possibly pull off a hero's role in a Hindi movie... Well, Dhanush has proved everyone wrong... He should now be asking the Hindi audience 'Why were u so Kolaveri?' To be fair, even I did not expect much from him... The only reason I wanted to watch it was because I had loved the director's last film, i.e. Tanu weds Manu... A 140 minutes later, I was left with a gaping mouth... 'This guy is awesome' ... Dhanush has pretty much the most expressive face I have seen on an actor, ever... The effortless transition from a school kid to a twenty-something was simply amazing... And his character of a 'Die Hard' romantic could not have been played better by anyone... I should not discount the rest of the cast, however... Sonam proves yet again how under-utilized she is as an actress... Abhay Deol is effortless as usual, and is immensly likeable in his little screen time... The best friend 'Murari' played by Mohammed Zeeshan Ayuub is outstanding, as is 'Bindiya' played by Swara Bhaskar... Aanand L Rai loves to shoot in real locations, and it shows... A R Rahman's music grows on you like it should, and 'Tum Tak' refuses to leave my mind alone... The story is intriguing instead of being predictable, which adds so much more into the experience... My final word, 'Must-Watch' !!!

Who's on the line ? Tell me Who's calling ... ?

Ahh.... It's a relief to see a hindi psychological thriller which does not leave the audience feeling stupid due to the sheer predictability of the cliched screenplay & settings... That's not saying that the script is not predictable.. But it is presented in a way that is most original & intelligent... As a friend, who typically hates the song & dance routine of Bollywood, put it, its not like most hindi movies... In fact, I read on a review on PFC that it's nice to see that the scenic locales of Cochin have not been used for the actress dancing around on a boat with the actor in tow (both deep into a song routine)..

The director realises the importance of the Pledge, the Turn & the Prestige in any thriller while at the same time respecting the discerning cinegoers' intellect... This means that there are tidbits & hints left over during the first half which all tie up in the second half as the mystery is unravelled.... All this is pretty impressive, especially considering that the writer / director is a debutante... I guess Excel Entertainment have made it a habit to get promising writers & directors in their fold... Farhan himself is a good example, and so is his sister Zoya ..

On the topic of Farhan, it is impossible not to shower laurels on his performance in the film... He is simply outstanding... His performance & transition from the shy, reserved & constantly bullied Karthik to the sharp, outgoing & aggresive Karthik is commendable... Deepika too seems to be headed in the right direction... Not only does she look amazing in the movie, her acting skills have improved considerably over her expressionless Bachna Ae Haseeno & Love Aaj Kal... Oh, and did I mention that she looks amazing... ? Well, she does, really... Uff Teri Adaa, I like the way you move !

Well, next on my list are Road Movie & Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge... which I'll hopefully cover within the week... I've covered many movies during the time I've not posted (November was the last one) though am not in a mood to get into that now... Will try and catch up over the coming posts...

Till then, cheerio !