There is something about Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK. Their first film "99" had its moments. It was an ode to the city(Mumbai) in it's 90s. They did ensure that everything in that movie was from 1999. It had some memorable moments and one brilliant character played by Mahesh Manjrekar.They are back with SHOR and this time it's even more subtle.

SHOR is slice of life cinema and every incident in the movie is inspired from a real life incident found in the newspaper. So, there is an NRI with a shrouded past, trying to open a business in the city. Then, there is a group of 3 lafangaas trying to make money through their racket of pirated books and there is one aspiring cricketer struggling to ensure that the love of his life is not torn apart from him. While the first 2 storylines work well, the last one keeps interfering with the pace of the film.

The movie spans across 11 days of Ganesh Chaturthi in the mad city of Mumbai. Tusshar Kapoor, Nikhil Dwivedi and Pitobash Tripathy are 3 small time goons who aspire to be more. While Kapoor is the leader of the pack, his character is subdued and he carries it off well. Nikhil Dwivedi is bearable but the show stealer is Pitobash Tripathy as Mandook. Pitobash plays the small sized lunatic with aplomb. He's got the best lines and delivers them with precision. Sundeep Kishan as the struggling cricketer is decent while the suave NRI Sendhil Ramamurthy (of HEROES fame) does a stellar job. His angst of being helpless is believable and though you do not know his past, you sympathise with him. Overall, the performance of everyone in this ensemble cast is more than decent.

The real hero of the film is the script and the direction. A couple of scenes are so brilliant, that they keep you on the edge of your seat and make you laugh nervously, at the same time. The background score is apt and the songs are surprisingly good. In some places, there is no background score, which makes the proceedings a little monotonous, but overall the movie and its dialogues keep you engaged. The movie is not too long either.

So, I would say, this is probably the best Hindi bet in the cinema for the weekend. Infact, its a movie that you must not miss. It's sensitive, has sense and showcases that you could do great things in a low budget film. Cheers to the new wave.

Rating: 7 / 10

3D movies are now dime a dozen. Every other animation film is 3D and it's become a must for Sci-Fi. Well, it does add a dimension to cinema, but finally, the power of the script gives it the depth.

THOR is a "fairy tale coming true" adventure. The mighty THOR is the heir to the throne of the realm of Asgard. His brother is a jealous man. He makes sure that THOR is banished from the kingdom and makes arrangements to usurp the throne. THOR is sent to Earth, where he finds love and loses his arrogance. Well, as destiny would have it, he goes back to Asgard through the worm hole and saves the day.

Now, the movie has great visual effects and even the sense of humour is spot on. But, it's not amazing and it stops short of good. Chris Hemworth looks like a brute and is perfect for THOR, while Natalie is her charming self. Wicked brother, Loki, is played with sincerity by Tom Hiddlestone and even the background score is engaging.

But like all fairy tales, its too far fetched. When people from other dimensions come to earth, a secret group of alien hunters suddenly appear from no where and act as if it's usual business. Things happen too conveniently and in this realm of realism, this fantasy is a little out of place. Also, the visuals in some of the fight sequences are so fast, dark and jerky, that the 3D goggles make it difficult to really understand what happened.

Nonetheless, the movie is well worth the ticket because of it's brisk pace and steady comedy. So in case you are free, catch it. Timepass fare at best but surely not a bore.

Rating : 6 / 10

Abhishek Bachchan needs help. His miserable form is now visible on TV too.. On the Big Screen, well, its expected. He needs to get an IDEA very soon.

Dum Maaro Dum is a classy film, third classy!!! With so much money poured into the camerawork and cutting edge post production work, you sometimes forget the basic elements. And that's what Sippy forgot. The movie is so DUMB , that it keeps MAAROING your brain incessantly. As Deepika croons "Potty pe baitha Nanga" you start thinking "Who's she talking about? Lucky him, atleast he is doing something productive!"

The film moves at a supposedly frenetic pace and yet you feel as if you have aged by atleast 20 years. And that's because it does not have any material. It keeps moving into useless flashbacks and inane songs.

It starts off with Pratiek Babbar being set up by the drug mafia. Then Abhishek turns up to spoil the party and takes you back in time to his wife's death. Then Rana Haggu'pati or is it  Daggupati,anyways, lives up to the former and takes you back in time to show us how he lost the love of his life, Bipasha. And then finally comes Bipasha, who again takes us back in time to show us how she was also set up by the drug mafia..Sniff.. Sob.. By the time it gets back to the story, you really don't care. You just want to get it over with. But it keeps going on and on. Maybe the director wanted us to know first hand what's O.D.!!!

Acting wise, Pratiek Babbar is alright, Jr.Bachchan is tolerable, Bipasha looks haggard, Rana bores the hell out of you, but the cake goes to Aditya Pancholi. He hit's a new low when it comes to acting. He is so bad, that even the trees in the background act better! Screenplay is frenetic, but tries too hard to mimic the west. Storyline had potential, but seemingly landed in the hands of some real retards. The music and songs are worse than Pancholi himself, if that was possible! The dialogues fail to make an impact, and actually make you laugh at the most serious of junctions. And ultimately, Rohan Sippy fails miserably, even though he tries advanced camera/screenplay techniques and manages to make the film look decent.

So, I hope you have got the message. Dum Maaro Dum is the fruit of the IDEA that took birth while Sippy sat on his potty... And the result - what else? shit !   and guess what Bachchan would have said???  "What an Idea sirjee!!!" Smells nice :P

Rating : 3.5 / 10 (For some decent camerawork)

Sometimes God needs to intervene to show us what perfection is. And yesterday, we saw the perfect climax to the greatest blockbuster in the history of my life. I am sure, a billion would say the same thing.

There have been many brilliant directors and great men who have written amazing screenplays. But then nothing is perfect. Out of the target audience, some agree, some don’t.  What if you could write a script that was so perfect that you probably had to pinch yourself to believe that it isn’t a dream. And that’s what the 2011 Cricket World Cup was. A dream, a belief that turned to reality.

I am not an atheist, but I do have my reservations about the concept of god. I believe in fate and that things happen for a reason. We do write our own destiny, but then the skeleton of that story is broadly written. And yesterday, it seemed as if FATE was definitely at play. God, the unseen omnipotent, omnipresent entity was at work and he/she might have been very happy with the outcome. Maybe he/she might think that he/she had outdone himself/herself yesterday! And it was worthy of every prize in the history of films.

It all started on Feb 19th – my birthday and I would say, that was the most auspicious start – it was fate! Each and everyone of us played a part in this perfection. So if you were not in Wankhede yesterday, believe me that it was meant to be. If you were not watching – it was meant to be. If you were praying –it was meant to be. If you were not moving from your seat – it was meant to be. If you kept having the same drink to keep up the luck – it was meant to be! Whatever you might be doing, wherever, if you had not done that, the climax may have been different. The perfect script had something planned for you, and that’s what you did.

Think about it. What an amazing story! A great man was about to play his final cup. He had every record in the book, yet had his dream unfulfilled. His team mates swore to do it for him. 1.2 Billion people wanted them to do it for him. We had other opportunities, he didn’t. And they did it. They did it, in front of his home crowd and gave him the perfect farewell from World Cup cricket. If that’s not a perfect script, what is?

But the screenplay was twisted. Even though the climax was obvious to everyone, the scenes were woven with an intent to thread in the doubts. The film started with a bang, with the protagonists showing their might (Bangladesh) – It was all feel good. Then, a hiccup and doubts started creeping in (England) – A little bit of Drama. The next 2 scene were the most difficult to take. The protagonists were injured and even weaker opposition stretched them – Some more Drama. And then came a vital blow. They were defeated(South Africa) and everyone was stunned  - Interval.

Some films lose steam after the interval, but the perfect script just built steam from here on. The next scene was of dogged determination. The wounded protagonists decided to fight back. They scrapped their way through the first opposition(West Indies), then they raged into a battle with the mightiest villains(Australia) and defeated them, followed by a high Drama encounter with their nemesis (Pakistan) and finally, as the background score reached a crescendo, they countered the omens in their own minds to win the War – A thrilling Climax.  The climax, predictable as it may be, was the perfect one. And the tears of joy flowed.

And what brilliant characterization and acting! The protagonists were meant to win, yet they had a weakness that oppositions could take advantage of. They were mere mortals, who were driven by Belief to overcome their weakness and win against all odds. HERO No 1, a master of his art, his only dream unfulfilled, came up with an inspirational performance. HERO No 2, the spear head of the attack, leading his force with aplomb. HERO No 3, the bad boy, turning good and delivering the goods – Khota Sikka bann gaya SONA!!! HERO No 4, the man with the Midas touch, who shows his class in the final Act. But overall, it was truly the great work of an Ensemble cast, full of world beaters!

Has there been a better script? No. Has there been better execution? No. Have there been better protagonists? No. This is perfection personified.

To give you a final proof that there was a supernatural involvement, I would like to point out what surely cannot be a coincidence. Who were the 2 protagonists who played the biggest role in the climax? Dhoni and Gambhir. And which two teams start off the IPL? Chennai (Dhoni) vs Kolkatta (Gambhir) !!! Anyone has doubts now? Ready for the sequel to begin???? Will it be this good? Ofcourse not. The Original is always better!!!

Rating : 10*** / 10