Ekta Kapoor has earned the title of a prolific producer, attempting films on varied subjects in a relatively short span — biopic [THE DIRTY PICTURE], gangsters [SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA and ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI], horror [RAGINI MMS], laughathons [KYAA KOOL HAIN HUM and KYAA SUPER KOOL HAIN HUM], realistic [LOVE SEX AUR DHOKHA]… [...]

The last few years have proved that ‘small films’ [in terms of costing] have big stories to tell. Recall films like DELHI BELLY, KAHAANI, PAAN SINGH TOMAR and VICKY DONOR. Also, one of the strengths of the recent success story, JOLLY LLB, was its absorbing storyline, which was so well presented on celluloid by its [...]

Recall actors who started as antagonists, but switched to positive characters effortlessly… Several decades ago, Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha portrayed negative roles at the onset of their respective careers. Much later, Shah Rukh Khan acted in a series of career-defining [grey] characters, before he got labeled as the romantic icon of Hindi cinema. Now [...]

It’s raining remakes! RANGREZZ. HIMMATWALA. Now CHASHME BADDOOR. I’ve often been asked, is there a paucity of ideas in Bollywood? Why do dream merchants opt for remakes? Why not inventive concepts? Additionally, a lot of cineastes strongly feel classics should not be tampered with. For, rarely has a remake surpassed the original, in terms of [...]

HIMMATWALA was THE film that gave an impetus to the trend of remaking South Indian films in the 1980s. Post this film, there was a sea of remakes, with Jeetendra, Sridevi, Kader Khan, Shakti Kapoor and Asrani featuring in almost every remake… It’s easy to remake a successful film, but the responsibility that Sajid Khan [...]

The horror genre is getting increasingly popular with the top ranks in Bollywood. From A-list actors to reputed production houses, the output of horror movies has, all of a sudden, shown an upward trend in recent years. Besides, horror in Hindi films is no longer limited to ghosts or skeletons. It’s about projecting the emotion [...]

Vashu Bhagnani is synonymous with larger-than-life entertainers. Glamorous stars, foreign locales and lavishly-filmed songs are mandatory in his movies. With RANGREZZ, he delves into the realistic world for the first time. Ditto for Priyadarshan, who returns to hard-hitting, gritty cinema that you appreciated and applauded in his earlier films, especially GARDISH. Of course, RANGREZZ is [...]

Technology is a boon… but it can be a bane too. And you realize this as the reels of 3G, a psychological thriller, unfolds. Coincidentally, in AA DEKHEN ZARA [2009], produced by the same production house that produces 3G, which starred Neil Nitin Mukesh and was penned by Shantanu and Sheershak [who turn directors with [...]

A khadoos and kanjoos dad can’t see eye to eye with his free-spirited son. The backdrop is a big, fat Punjabi wedding in North India. A brand new car that’s supposed to be offered as the wedding gift goes missing. Now add a tadka of assorted characters: Bhai, weirdos and cops. Perfect recipe for a [...]

A little over two years after he delivered PHAS GAYE RE OBAMA, a distinctive account highlighting the ramifications of slump and recession, Subhash Kapoor returns with yet another film that highlights a reality. But before I proceed to review the film, I need to clear a misconception. A lot of you may assume that JOLLY [...]

A song from Aamir Khan’s comic satire PEEPLI [LIVE] is extremely relevant two years after its release: “Sakhi saiyaan toh khoob hi kamaat hai, Mehangai daayan khaye jaat hai…” The common man’s fight against spiraling prices of household items [also corruption] is legendary by now. But the aam aadmi continues to face the inflation audaciously, [...]

Subsequent to the colossal critical success of the first part, SAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER [in 2011], Tigmanshu Dhulia, an avant garde storyteller of the present times, dives into his first sequel, SAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER RETURNS. However, unlike the trend of attempting sequels without connecting with the earlier part, SAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER RETURNS makes [...]

The coming of age movie of a man-child has fascinated many a storyteller in the West. In fact, Hollywood has often churned out movies about guys who refuse to grow up. I, ME AUR MAIN, directed by first-time director Kapil Sharma, has John Abraham reprising the role of an adult who’s a narcissist, a self-obsessed [...]

The terror attacks on Mumbai on 26/11 will remain etched in our memory forever. The attacks, which were condemned globally, still send a shiver down my spine when I reminisce about it. The dastardly acts by a terrorist organization at multiple sites of the city, killing and wounding hundreds of innocent lives, evoked myriad emotions. [...]

Get set for trigger-happy gangs. Wild with vendetta, the guys go on a rampage — slitting throats, pumping bullets, the goons bash up rival gang members like we swat flies, fling daggers and knives, explode bombs… Truly, the men are mean, nasty and short-tempered… Welcome to ZILA GHAZIABAD, which borrows heavily from Vishal Bhardwaj’s OMKARA, [...]

A Chetan Bhagat novel is akin to reading a screenplay. You start visualizing the characters, the occurrences and episodes, the myriad emotions… like it were occurring in front of your eyes. What also makes Bhagat’s novella interesting are its characters and the fact that they are hugely identifiable since they are based in India. After [...]

The gangster genre isn’t new for Bollywood. Several known and lesser-known directors have portrayed the lives of mobsters/criminals/goons on the silver screen. Serious fares like SATYA, VAASTAV, COMPANY and GANGSTER or light entertainers like the MUNNABHAI series continue to have tremendous recall value even today. JAYANTABHAI KI LUV STORY, the love story of a thug, [...]

The premier production house, Vishesh Films, has the maximum number of film franchisees to its credit. The super success of RAAZ, MURDER and JANNAT spurred the Bhatts — Mahesh and Mukesh — to make hi-concept movies that merged erotica and thrill dexterously. The defining success of MURDER [Anurag Basu; 2004] and MURDER 2 [Mohit Suri; [...]

The first time I heard the title of his new movie, I asked Remo D’Souza, can anybody [and everybody] dance? But you get the response while surfing television channels: Dance-based shows have become a prerequisite for the programming department of most channels. From kids to young couples to even senior citizens, these dance-based shows feature [...]

Neeraj Pandey’s directorial debut A WEDNESDAY, which made a strong social statement, remains fresh to this date. It’s one of those rare movies that won critical acclaim, swept major awards and reaped box-office rewards as well. The supremely talented storyteller now carries a major responsibility on his shoulders: SPECIAL 26 has to be a worthy [...]