Cast: John Abraham, Kangana Ranaut, Anil Kapoor, Tushaar Kapoor
Director: Sanjay Gupta
A gangster runs into a police station, both his arms lopped off by a rival wielding a butcher's knife. Another goon is held down as his skull is pushed through an ice-crusher. A third, tied to a chair, is run over by a speeding car in reverse. The brutality is relentless in Sanjay Gupta's 'Shootout at Wadala', a saga about the rise and fall of dreaded Mumbai gangster Manya Surve (John Abraham) in the 1970s, and his subsequent death in 1982 in what was reportedly the first police encounter.
Based on a chapter in S Hussain Zaidi's book 'From Dongri To Dubai', the film nevertheless conveniently insists that it be viewed "as a hybrid between fact and fiction". This means that while the story is rooted in Manya Surve's journey from an innocent, bright college student to one of the city's most powerful mafia dons, 'Shootout at Wadala' is a potpourri of stomach-churning slashing and shooting, writhing item girls, and lewd dialogue. In fact, Gupta infuses so much violence and sex into this tale that it hits the G-Spot - and by this, I mean, gratuitous. The director has no qualms pandering to the lowest common denominator; inserting item songs at will, peppering his actors' lines with cusswords, filming bump-and-grind lovemaking sequences, and even throwing in a titillatingly-shot rape scene. ...more
Rajeev Masand says 'Shootout at Wadala' revels in its violence but sadly the bloodshed leaves you cold. What do you say? Write your own review and win prizes.
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kunal Roy Kapur, Pooja Salvi Director: Rohan Sippy 'Nautanki Saala', directed by Rohan Sippy, hinges on the wobbly notion that if you save someone's life, he becomes your responsibility. Ayushmann Khurrana plays Ram Parmar, or RP, a kind-natured theatre actor who, while rushing home after work one night, notices a random stranger trying to kill himself. RP stops the fellow - a homeless, heartbroken chap named Mandar...
Many believe that hiring Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock, to star in 2011's 'Fast Five', was the genius idea that salvaged a flagging franchise. The same trick, however, doesn't work for 'GI Joe: Retaliation' which, as it turns out, is even more awful than 2009's disappointing 'GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra'. ...
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tammanah Bhatia, Paresh Rawal Director: Sajid Khan It must take a special kind of skill to remake a mediocre film like 1983's 'Himmatwala' without even marginally improving on it. Director Sajid Khan's pot pourri of excessive melodrama, puerile humor, cartoonish action, and garish songs plods on for two-and-a-half hours with little concern for your bladder or your mental health. The all-new 'Himmatwala' has many of the same...
Evidently made for no other reason than to cash in on the current trend of revisionist storybook fantasies, 'Jack the Giant Slayer', directed by The Usual Suspects' Bryan Singer, is a mostly forgettable adventure based on the popular children's folktale, Jack and the Beanstalk. As many as three screenwriters are responsible for this overstuffed script, that recycles too many familiar plotlines, never succeeding in creating anything significantly original. ...
There's an interesting premise at the heart of debutant director Kapil Sharma's 'I, Me Aur Main', which tells the coming of age story of a 35-year-old. But despite giving us a believable protagonist, Sharma and writer Devika Bhagat fast run out of interesting ideas to keep us hooked. ...
Rajeev Masand this week reviews Late Yash Chopra's 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' and Ajay Devgn starrer 'Son of Sardar'. Calling the Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif starrer a watchable film, Masand says the film has script problems. Masand says 'Son of Sardaar' is only sporadically entertaining, and peddles the same tired stereotypes of Punjab and Sikhs. A cameo by Salman Khan, sadly, doesn't make up for the film's many flaws. ...
This week, Rajeev Masand reviews producer Karan Johar's 'Student of the Year' which has newbies including Aalia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra. The film is set in a school. Too long by about twenty minutes, the film couldve done with some tightening " perhaps the clunky treasure hunt sequence could go? Nitpickings aside, this is a breezy, enjoyable film by a director who knows his craft. Masand also reviews ...
This week on Now Showing, Rajeev Masand reviews Sridevi's comeback film 'English Vinglish' and Vivek Oberoi, Mallika Sherawat starrer 'Kismet, Love, Paisa, Dilli'. In first-time director Gauri Shinde's charming comedy 'English Vinglish', Sridevi hits all the right notes. In 'Kismet, Love, Paisa, Dilli', Vivek Oberoi plays the horny opportunist convincingly, but the film doesn't exploit that beyond a point. ...
This week on Now Showing, Rajeev Masand has reviewed Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal starrer 'Oh My God'. The film, according to Masand, makes a compelling argument against the commercialisation of religion, but the tone of the film is so shrill, the approach so preachy, you feel like youre being tied down and forced to listen to a sermon. Masand says in a sea of dumb Bollywood comedies (many starring ...
(1) Listen carefully to the musical tune that follows, and identify the popular song and the Bollywood film in which this tune appears:
Answer: Dhan ten an, Kaminey
(2) Take a look at this picture from a popular Hollywood film. The actors have been removed, but can you name the film?
Answer: Titanic
(3) In 'Vicky Donor', what bank does Ayushman Khurana's character Vicky repeatedly go to in order to open an account, where he meets the film's heroine Ashima?
Answer: RSF Bank
(4) In the first 'Toy Story' film, what restaurant does Andy go to with Woody, after Buzz Lightyear is accidentally knocked out of the window?
(1) Listen carefully to the musical tune that follows, and identify the popular song and the Bollywood film in which this tune appears:
Answer: Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan'
(2) Take a look at this picture from a popular Hollywood film. The actors have been removed, but can you name the film?
Answer: 'Friends With Benefits'
(3) In 'Fight Club', Edward Norton's character The Narrator meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) on a flight. Tyler introduces himself as a salesman. What does he say he sells?
Answer: Soap
(4) In 'Kahaani', on arriving in Kolkata to search for her missing husband, Vidya Bagchi checks into a guest house that she believes her husband was staying at a few months ago. What is the name of this guest house?
Cast: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube Director: Phil Lord, Chris Miller If movies were people, '21 Jump Street' would be the younger brother of 'The Hangover', both belonging to the same family of potty-mouthed comedies that are undeniably hilarious. But where 'The Hangover' was blazingly original and thrived on its outrageousness, this one takes a familiar set-up and turns it on its head with perceptive writing. Jonah Hill and...
Cast: John Abraham, Kangana Ranaut, Anil Kapoor, Tushaar Kapoor
11:04 PM, May 03, 2013
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kunal Roy Kapur, Pooja Salvi Director: Rohan Sippy 'Nautanki Saala', directed by Rohan Sippy, hinges on the wobbly notion that if you save someone's life, he becomes your responsibility. Ayushmann Khurrana plays Ram Parmar, or RP, a kind-natured theatre actor who, while rushing home after work one night, notices a random stranger trying to kill himself. RP stops the fellow - a homeless, heartbroken chap named Mandar... 
Many believe that hiring Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock, to star in 2011's 'Fast Five', was the genius idea that salvaged a flagging franchise. The same trick, however, doesn't work for 'GI Joe: Retaliation' which, as it turns out, is even more awful than 2009's disappointing 'GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra'. ... 
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tammanah Bhatia, Paresh Rawal Director: Sajid Khan It must take a special kind of skill to remake a mediocre film like 1983's 'Himmatwala' without even marginally improving on it. Director Sajid Khan's pot pourri of excessive melodrama, puerile humor, cartoonish action, and garish songs plods on for two-and-a-half hours with little concern for your bladder or your mental health. The all-new 'Himmatwala' has many of the same... 
Evidently made for no other reason than to cash in on the current trend of revisionist storybook fantasies, 'Jack the Giant Slayer', directed by The Usual Suspects' Bryan Singer, is a mostly forgettable adventure based on the popular children's folktale, Jack and the Beanstalk. As many as three screenwriters are responsible for this overstuffed script, that recycles too many familiar plotlines, never succeeding in creating anything significantly original. ... 
There's an interesting premise at the heart of debutant director Kapil Sharma's 'I, Me Aur Main', which tells the coming of age story of a 35-year-old. But despite giving us a believable protagonist, Sharma and writer Devika Bhagat fast run out of interesting ideas to keep us hooked. ... 
Cast: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube Director: Phil Lord, Chris Miller If movies were people, '21 Jump Street' would be the younger brother of 'The Hangover', both belonging to the same family of potty-mouthed comedies that are undeniably hilarious. But where 'The Hangover' was blazingly original and thrived on its outrageousness, this one takes a familiar set-up and turns it on its head with perceptive writing. Jonah Hill and... 
