Here is a Well-made movie which keeps the viewer engrossed for a major part of the proceedings. Even though the plot is routine, the slick treatment of (debutant)Director Sangeeth Sivan makes it absorbing. Editing is perfect, u can hardly see a letup in the pace of the movie. Photography is brilliant. Music score by debutant (Agosh) is catchy. I liked a few numbers, especially the one picturised in Switzerland with Sunny dancing :-) ;

SunnyDeol is a ace reporter, sniffing around for scoops . (i never knew, reporters zoom around in Gypsies :-) ) ; His father, AnupamKher is a incorruptible DIG. Then, we have Sushmita sen , an aspiring reporter, but who behaves more like a dumb nitwit. The other major character is MilindGunaji, who is a Muslim Army officer , who later defects to terrorist "foreign" forces.

The movie revolves around the friendship of Sunny-Gunaji which turns sour when Gunaji turns a traitor in the guise of friend. The "evil elements" are played by Ompuri, Chandraswami duplicate and Namdeo. One notable thing about the movie is , the villians are not given much footage till the very end. Songs are well-integrated into the proceedings and pop up just when needed (for light relief).

Among the starcast, SunnyDeol fits the role perfectly and does a Ghayal again! His "dances" are going to be the surprise packet for his fans and critics. If he continues in the same vein, we will not hear any more guffaws in the theatre, when a song with Sunnyd comes up :-)

SushmitaSen plays her part with ease. Looks very attractive too! (compared to her roles in Rakshtckan and the debut movie); Gunaji is OK. (his scenes seems to have lost out in the editor's table). Rest of the cast, have nothing much to do.

I expect this to be the first hit of the year. One negative point: The last half hour tends to drag a bit with lot of dialogue baazi... cheers raj

A formula Govinda film where he plays the nice guy trying to cope with and prevent a spoiled disrespectful wife from divorcing him.Newcomer Ramia Krishna is a talented actress but some of her outfits are not flattering.Kader Khan tries to keep his spoiled daughter from divorcing her husband.Shakti Kapoor does his usual thing.Bindu does a good job as a spoiled and difficult wife and mother-in-law.Worth seeing but not outstanding-Govinda is particularly effective and funny playing a villager with a big walking stick and dhot-i clad on the streets of cosmopolitan downtown Singapore...Michelle

I had to bear the torture of seeing it :-) Nothing to recommend or review about this routine masala.

Sunil"robot"shetty is the Vinashak-OnemanArmy-Destroyer pitted against a RogueJailor(Danny),Corrupt Politician(Tinnu)& DCP(aloknath). He plays the role of a Daredevil Cop who is trapped in a well-layed plot, which lands him in a dreaded Prison in the control of Danny. How he comes out of the prison and finishes of his Oppressors forms the crux of the movie.

Raveena does not have much to do, other than singing the mandatory duet and doing her regular "cabaret number". First song "chal chal" is good. The prison set is very well-designed. (does anybody know where it was filmed?). I wonder how could RajKumarSantoshi Screenplay such a Asinine Yarn!.. Raj

What a great way to start 98 ! Anybody who thinks Bollywood doesnt make the most fun and entertaining movies in the world has obvioulsy been dropped on his head as a baby ! Keeps one entranced for every minute of the three hours.

South Indian male actors ( women eveywhere look pretty much the same ) have a tough time getting accepted in the North as the audience finds it difficult to identify with them but here Kamal Hassan changes his features and gender in a knockout perfomance .

Tabu is stunningly beautiful and does a Kathak dance really well !. Hope to see her doing more of the same -she could be as good a dancer as Vajayntimala ! It is a tribute to her acting that inspite of being a devout Muslim in her private life she is so comfortable in a superb role as a Hindu wife and does an excellent Karvachauth macarena dance . I was disappointed -with her figure ! She is much too thin and will make all teenagers anxious -in fact everybody in this move appears slimmer than normal -maybe the film was taken through a trick mirror.

Om Puri is perfect in the comic role - a real surprise hit!. Dialogue as is true of most Bollywood movies is outstanding -although you have to understand some of the in- jokes-for eg an aside against Paresh Rawal ( a real life Gujarati) to send that Gujju out !, a woman who jumps off a bridge and then starts walking in the water and when asked what she is doing says -she is looking for deep water to drown herself properly ! , a Muslim who pretends to be dumb and a Brahimin and takes a job as a chef in a vegeterain household and is then trapped weeks later when somebody says Salam e Lekum and he replies automatically and much much more !

The one worrying thing is that there was only one and a half song in the whole movie and that is to be discouraged. What makes Bollywood worth seeing again and again is not only the cut and thrust of repartee but also the excellent songs and dances which each tell a story by themselves...mo

Among the current crop of films, where there is a drought of good,clean comedies , Chachi420 should come as a welcome relief to the audiences. Remake of a TamilHit "AvaiShanmugi", it revolves around a Father and his little daughter. It is somewhat akin to MissDoubtfire, except that Chachi has been Indianised well. Kamal as usual, does his (Chachi) role with great ease. Just check it out. It is the highlight of the movie. Tabu provides good support as his estranged wife.

Amrish Puri plays a very "mischeivous role" of a Ol' man who falls in love with the Chachi. Should be a surprise packet for the audiences. Ompuri is hilarious as AmrishPuri's secretary and so is PareshRawal who plays the bania crazy about Chachi. Music score by Vishal is bit of a disappointment.

Not to be missed, especially for those who did not see the Tamil/Telugu version. oh! I forgot to mention JohnnyWalker, who makes a comeback after almost 20 years. He plays the alcholic Makeup artist and does play it well. Good comeback!... cheers raj

A movie which reflects the violent society India has become .
Like all Bollywood movies it has quite a bit going for it - the dialogue , songs , costumes ,dances. The main problem is the lack of comedy to break up the fights - I quite like choreographed fights but too many become a bit tedious. Incidentally one wonder how news gets roung the grapevine so quickly - why such large crowds at Ishq and none at this on the opening night ? . Even if they couldnt fit in Johnny Lever or a couple of others as village clowns they can make the hero play the fool sometimes.

Sonali is starting to look quite attractive now that she is losing her stick like figure. Sunil Shetty and Sunny Deol are OK as is the new action hero -whose name I have forgotten -but just because somebody has body hair does not mean they should walk round with the shirt always open !.

Some memorable phrases - When a flame is going out it always flickers ( the villain commenting to his fellows when the hero is putting up a big fight ) , the ocean does not become sweet with a few spoons of sugar ( hero telling a policeman who protests that some policemen are honest !) , the fire doesnt say anything to anyone but if somebody makes it flare it can grow and consume everybody! ( hero warning the villain not to take advantage of his good nature ) , you dare ask to kill a lion when you cant even sacrifice a goat ! ? ( villain beating his henchaman when the latter fails to kill the girlfriend and asks to kill the hero ) , and many more. These are some of the good dialogue bits most people go to see Bollywood movies for ..

The village Bhangra dance is good and so is the one done in the Egyptian temple. I also liked the full scale statues holding up the pillars in a temple which I think is somewhere near Bombay..Mo

A remake of a tamil hit "pudhiyamugam" (also has shades of an old Engish classic), the Story revolves around Sharadkapoor who gets involved in a terrorist act due to certain cirumstances and repents for it. He decides to turn himself to the Cops but his gang tries to bum him off. A gang member helps him out by sending him off to Gulf to undergo a Plastic surgery for changing his Face!. Job done, Sharad Kapoor turns into Jackie Shroff; After a few years, he returns to the country as a Rich "NRI" and meets his old flame (AyeshaJulkha) who does not recognise him. He gets married to her; They have a Son, who is a Carbon copy of Sharad Kapoor!! .

Sharad(junior) becomes a police officer. The ol' bunch of terrorists come across Sharad(junior) and suspect that their Old mate who pulled a fast one on them, and is still alive. This triggers off lot of intresting scenes (directed very poorly); Sharad gets into the ol' terrorist case which his father was involved in and when he sees the files, he finds staring at his own image.

His trail leads him to his mother, whom he comes to know was in love with the "terrorist"; He then sucpects that he is the "illegitemate son" !! with the poor jackie consoling him. Things end in the normal routine manner... One could have expected a lot from this script which has enough "masala" and potential for drama and suspense. But Farooq Siddiqui's pathetic direction Screws up the film badly. The are lots of "jerks" in the continuity of the film. Even the technical aspects of the movie is poor.

Music is by Rehman and one gets to hear some good tunes (not the routine rehman beats!). Acting wise, Jackie shroff and SharadKapoor are OK. AyeshaJulka looks pretty. PoojaBatra has wonderful Loooong legs... (forget her acting!).... cheers Raj

Starts off well with a corrupt official being hauled off by the Police and having his fingers chopped off . Raveena is a Brahmin girl who doubles as a nightclub dancer and Nana is a devout Muslim who has an illegal distellery and is involved in a lot of bad things and as always happens in real life they meet and fall in love.

I dont want to be cynical . It is actually a beautiful and moving film and explores the prejudices Hindus and Muslims have about each other very well. The fact that Muslim men wont let their wives wear a gold necklace and devout Hindus wont eat from the same plate as Muslims ( more to do with the fact that Hindus are vegeterians and Muslims meat eaters than any other reason) and many others , since this is an Indian movie mostly failings of Hindus. With Nawaz know in full charge maybe Pakistani film makers will be given the same freedom to explore Islamic shortcomings. Bollywood is to be congratulated for always being innovative and not being afraid to explore controversial topics.

There is a complete Namaz prayer being shown which will be an eye opener for most non Muslims and a great learning experience and I think only by seeing these sort of things will prejudice break down and people stop mistreating each other because of labels. Apart form one gruesome scene at the end when a guy comes to rape a bride -one which should have been censored out - the violence is bearable and fights are good.

Photography of the outdoor scenes is great . The Dargha with overgrown plants in a hill setting is pictureseque. There is a great Dandia dance . The Qawalli would have been a stunner if half the singers there had been women- after all pretty women in beautiful dresses is what most people go to see these movies for - but just watch out for the gorgeous large painting in the background. Soon when I am rich I shall have one like that. I think it is Anarkali dancing sensoulsy at the palace. There is also a superb wall mural of Apsaras in the Ministers house -how much would something like it cost ? but sadly the camera does not linger on it.

Rao in screen criticised Ishq for prolonging the gag in the two pipes scenes and wanted Bollywood to ape Hollywood with fast sequences. No , No , No - a thousand times no ! There must be persisitence of vision and one of the things that makes this movie great in retrospect is the measured pace in the second half. It really does make you think .Go and see it....Mo

Here is a short review of Darmiyaan, an excellent film with great music by none other than Bhupen Hazarika: Starring: Kiron Kher, Arif Zakaria, Tabu, Shahbaaz Khan
Director: Kalpana Lajmi
Music: Bhupen Hazarika
Released. Kalpana Lazmi's Darmiyaan, like her earlier films (Rudaali, Ek Pal) is an off-beat film. This film is a brave attempt which deals with the most neglected section of the society in India -- the hermaphrodites (commonly known as hijras). The subject of the film is very sensitive, and has been superbly dealt with by Kalpana. She has tried to tell the truth and makes the audience feel the characters.

The story is set against the backdrop of the Bombay film industry of the 1940s. Zeenat Begum (Kiron Kher) is a reigning queen of the forties of the film industry. She is shattered when her only son Immi (Arif Zakharia) is born a hermaphrodite. She is not ready to accept this fact and tries to keep Immi at a distance. Zeenat's mother adopts this child and trains him to call Zeenat appa (sister).

Slowly her age shows and her lover Inder (Shahbaaz Khan) and fame are lost to a new reigning beauty Chitra (Tabu). She breaks down financially and mentally. She starts drinking and here it is only Immi who continues to flatter her ego. On the other hand, there is Champa (Sayaji Shinde), leader of enunches who goes on coming to Zeenat to claim Immi but Zeenat refuses. Rejected by the society, Immi finds a source of inspiration when he decides to adopt an abandoned child. He starts working as an extra in the film industry. But even this is not acceptable to the society and so Immi hands over the baby to Chitra and Inder and goes back to his mother. Both mother and son together find a solution to their problems.

It is a very heart-touching story enhanced further by some very good performances. Kiron Kher has lived up the role of an aging actress. It is one of the most challenging roles which any actress could play and she has played with perfection. Arif Zakharia is superb. He must have really worked very hard to get all those feelings of an enunch. Sayaji Shinde in the role of a leader of enunches has also done an excellent job. Tabu and Shahbaaz Khan have also performed well. The music by Bhupen Hazarika and lyrics by Javed Akthar and Santosh Sivan's cinematography add value to the film and have helped in making a memorable film.
Rating: Excellent ... Regards, Baber

See also Ali Ikram's review , link above

Aamir is just Aamir in every frame, fulfilling his role just as well as he did with Akele Hum Akele Tum and Rangeela, proving that he is one actor whose concern for quality (hence the sporadic release of his films) allows the best of him to emerge.

Juhi Chawla is absolutely enchanting, proving after that disarmingly charming and award winning performance in Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke that she is a comic genius, second only perhaps to the legendary Sridevi herself. Her antics are wild, her chemistry with Aamir as good as ever, and her beauty is exactly that: beautiful. Her characer here is not as "nice" as others she has played, but her shrewish behavior in the second half especially is refreshingly human in nature.

Ajay Devgan turns in a bankably pleasing performance after Diljale and returns to the spotlight after a long gap. He is very funny when need be and handles the emotional highpoints of the film with experience. Those who had written him off as the action hero should have kept their protests silent. He is very good in this film and even dominates over Aamir in certain scenes. His real-life lady love Kajol lives up to her role, despite the apparent abbreviation of her character, and looks beautiful while doing it. Her's is the more subdued performance of the film and she is on par with the others. The dramatic second half focuses more on Kajol and Ajay, while the out-and-out comic first half belongs to Aamir and Juhi.

The music rates abymally low on originality but it is hard to remember a musical score that has been more flat out fun in the last ten years.

Ishq has also taken in a fantastic opening, recording 100% collections all over India in the first week and has already made its overseas markets flow with lotsa moolah. Thus it has been tagged a "hit". What remains to be seen is whether it can elevate to the level of superhit. This year's blockbuster is Border which has grossed upwards of 90 lakhs already. Gupt, Judaai, Deewana Mastana, Dil To Paagal Hai, Pardes and Yes Boss have been other lucrative projects,...abba

A few years ago I asked an Italian friend of mine how he liked the film Bomaby he had seen at a film festival. He said he liked it a lot. . What did you think of the songs I asked him. There werent any he said !
Now Producer Jha is showing Mrityudand at film festivals again with the songs amd dances cut out . It would be interesting to hear the views on these dances and songs frrom non South Asian viewers of Indian and Pakistani films but I personally find them the the most entertaining part of the whole movie .
These dances may look spontaneous and easy but they are based on hundreds of years of experience and refinement - of inticrate hand and eye gestures and body movemetns to convey stories. Even pop singers like Dheler Mehndi have had classical training which is why his Bhangra dances are so outstanding.
Mrityudand has a beautiful erotic come hither dance at the beginning - a kind of village open air nightclub which Western audiences would have been delighted to see - but I think these producers think Westerners dont have the same sense of fun - maybe not the ones who go to the film festivals - but for general release they MUST put them back in.
The best in my view was the one done by Nagma and Akshay in Suhag - Gore gore galo pe kala kala chashma ( dark glasses on fair cheeks ) with Choli ke peeche ( what's behind the blouse ? ) a close second but others must have their own favourites.
Pakistani movies would also become more popular if they made a different version for overseas audiences which dont have to go through Pakistani censors. Some of the Pashtun actresses are really pretty and dance well especially the ones from Pushtoon areas !
One glorious thing about Bollywood movies is that one can hear the sound so clearly -even in movies that are 50 years old. Apparently this was forced on the producers when in the 40s they didnt have good microphones , so they had to dub all the outside shots.
I believe that Pakistani movies and many soaps are not dubbed and that is why it becomes so difficult to keep one's attention. The same is true when watching videos of Hollywood movies. One recent commentator in Screen wanted Bollywood to end dubbing. Noway !! leave dubbing alone , its done very well and adds greatly to the enjoyment of these shows...Mo

Since dance sequences form such an important part of Pakistani and Indian movies here are some interesting comments from young Farah Khan one of the top choregraphers.

She represented India in the world dance championship in 86 and her first song was Pehla Nasha in Jo Jeeta wohi Sikander . Then 1942 and Kabhi han kabhi nahin .She says she does the step to suit the character being played and not the artiste . So she wouldnt give break dance to Anil Kapoor in 1942. She made SRK do a Shammi Kapoor tyoe in DDLJ .

She says it is very simple to form a step and and make a hundred dancers stand in a row and dance to it but very difficult to work to a definite concept. In Hum Dono she says she made Nana Patekar rehearse for days to make him look drunk as she did not want someone with Nana's image to be picture perfect !

She says it takes a lot of pain and patience to visualise a concept and implement it . She says that audiences are now bored with all those hip swinging and wild pelvic movements and the dancers have run out of ways to lift up the skirts. .

She is currently doing Darmiyan where there are two mujras and she has been learning Kathak for three months to be able to do justice to them , and she has been taking lessons from eunuchs to do the two hijda numbers .

People think of her as 'Western' because she wears jeans and shirts and she says she should start wearing salwar kameez and chew paan and spit it all round so that people feel she belongs to Hindi cinema! . Her dancers charge a flat 1000 rupees ( $25 ) per shift . She also did Virasat , Duplicate , Angarey , Loveria, Badal and Border.

She rates Prabhudevaand Govinda as the best male and Karisma as the best female dancer and looks forward to becoming a director one day. What may look easy and effortless on the screen requires a lot of thinking which is why I think these movies feel so content rich and many see them a repeated number of times...Mo