By Rama Gaind
Film: Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol, Katrina Kaif, Kalki Koechlin
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Director Zoya has been called the ‘hero’ of this film for pulling off a hard-hitting genre with genuineness and lavishness.
What’s more interesting is that it took a woman to come up with this authentic film about male bonding since 3 Idiots. It is believable because the narrative is not sugar coated. There are no lingering flashbacks on the past and no recriminations. None of the characters overshadow each other.
This is a ‘on the road’ film about Kabir (Deol) who wants to go with his two childhood friends on a trip with fellow bachelors before getting married to Natasha (Koehlin). Confused about his love-life, he is a commendable mediator between his friends.
Arjun (Roshan) is a financial trader who is a workaholic with a desire to retire at 40. His ‘Greek God’ looks do not detract from his acting ability.
Imran (Akhtar) wants to find his biological father on this trip and displays a stimulating talent for comedy.
Their pact is to participate in an adventure sport chosen by each one of them. They turn their hands to sky diving, deep-sea diving and running with the bulls. Thereby, they liberate themselves from the bonds that bind them to the world.
The three male leads are the actors, not heroes, who make their presence felt without larger-than-life action sequences, heroic existence or stylistic background musical score.
It’s their easy camaraderie that enables you to relate to the adventures as they unfold.
The soundtrack by Shankar/Ehsaan/Loy is not overwhelming.
Zoya (sister of Farhan) is perfectly at ease at the helm, introducing humour in the most trying of situations.
The three male actors play their parts well, while Kaif is surprisingly delightful and Koechlin is excellent as the possessive girlfriend.
This is a road film where the virgin Spanish backdrops are used to advantage – not as an attention-grabber.
An immense capacity for melodrama is replaced with subtle and light-hearted frames.
After all, we only have the one chance to live life to the fullest!
***
Film: Delhi Belly
Cast: Imran Khan, Vir Das, Kunal Roy Kapoor, Poorna Jagannathan, Vijay Raaz
Director: Abhinay Deo
This is a perceptive, at times, pleasant study of young, educated, urban Indians.
Three friends sharing a dingy Delhi room land themselves in trouble when a parcel of smuggled diamonds is mistakenly exchanged with a stool sample.
Tashi (Khan), Arup (Das) and Nitin (Kapoor) are caught in the thick of it as the underworld don (Vijay Raaz) is the after the trio for his diamonds.
There’s lots of mayhem in the film with the soundtrack mostly playing in the backdrop, not interrupting the film’s flow in storyline.
Kapoor has the best lines in the best scenes and shines for his perfect timing, comical expressions and madcap characterisations.
As usual, Khan does not overshadow the other two male leads.
Delhi Belly is hilarious for those who don’t seek a sophisticated fare.
***
Film: Murder 2
Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Jacqueline Fernandez, Prashant Narayanan
Director: Mohit Suri
The sensationalism that surrounded the prequel, unfolds very early in the sequel.
Not designed as a crime thriller since the identity of the serial killer is revealed early in the film, Murder 2 does not centre on finding the murderer. The investigative drama is not the focus either.
Instead, emphasis is placed on characterisation of the psychopathic-sadistic killer who enjoys what he does. Narayanan switches his character shades effortlessly, making them plausible.
Arjun (Hashmi), who reprises his role, plays an ex-police officer who does odd jobs for gangsters and flesh traders. He’s perfect in the role of an angry man, having mastered playing this character for the Bhatt-family films.
Fernandez is suitably seductive, but her romance with Arjun lacks credibility.
Producer Mahesh Bhatt’s storyline draws some inspiration from the 2008 Korean film The Chaser with writer Shagufta Rafique adding her own particular brand of colour.
The Hashmi-Fernandez sensuality adds nothing to the plot, except bold, erotic scenes.
Murder 2 sees dark evil as the key component where necessity is the murder of invention.
