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Tuesday, February 15, 2011

My top 5 Bollywood films of 2010

I know I'm late to join in the bandwagon but I haven't watched many Hindi films lately. Blame Telugu cinema for that :D I've been on a writer's block for several months and haven't written a full review with lots of caps. Instead I've been writing a bunch of mini-reviews.

Since I haven't blogged about a Hindi film in a while, I thought I should list my top 5 Bollywood film of 2010 that I've seen so far.

Here goes....

#5

Udaan



After being expelled from school, Rohan (Rajat Barmecha) returns home after being gone to boarding school for 8 years to learn he had a 6-years-old half-brother, Arjun, who he never knew about. Rohan's father re-married, had Arjun, and divorced. Rohan's mother passed away when he was really young. He wants to be a writer but his father rejects the idea. Instead, his father wants him to work in his factory and go to school to become an engineer.



Film opens with four friends mischievously skipping school only to find themselves expelled. Honestly, I thought the film would show the lives of four of the friends but I was totally wrong. The film focused on only one of the guys, Rohan. His relationship with his father.

The actor who plays Rohan, Rajat Barmecha, reminds me of a young Imraan Khan. He has a sweet, innocent look. He is definitely a fresh of breath air. I look forward to seeing him more in the future.

The person who stole my heart was the little boy who played Arjun who was just too cute. I just wanted to go and hug him. He had me in tears many times. I could feel his pain when he was trying to be the obedient son.

Even though Rohan and Arjun had a heartless father who only cares for himself, I am glad there was a supportive relative, their uncle, Jimmy, who tried to be an emotional helping hand when needed.

I wonder how the storyline would be if the father had one daughter instead of two sons? Just a thought.

Udaan is a very good film but it starts off slow. It's not the type of film I could watch over and over. Therefore, it ranks #5 on my list. However, I do like it for the storyline, acting, and brilliant direction. To me, it's definitely Oscar-worthy.

#4

Once Upon a Time in Mumbai



Once Upon a Time in Mumbai...
Sultan Mirza - the man Mumbai once feared....
Shoaib Khan - the man Mumbai now fears....

Sultan (Ajay Devgan) grew up as an orphan and worked hard for everything. As an adult, he becomes a don in Mumbai. He is feared by everyone. However, he has a soft spot for those who are cheated by the government. He loves the famous actress, Rehana (Kangna Ranaut).

Since childhood, Shoaib is a petty thief and a nobody. Ironically, his father is a police officer who cannot control his only son. Even his beloved, naive girlfriend, Mumtaz (Prachi Desai) cannot help him either. Thinking that he could scare his son, he seeks Sultan's help to help "set his son straight."

Because of Sultan's respected status, Shoaib wants to be just like Sultan and joins his gang. So he starts imitating Sultan, the way he smokes, dresses, to wanting to have an actress girlfriend.

When Sultan left Mumbai, he let Shoaib in charge. Mumbai starts to deteriorate, which cause a rift between the two guys.



Film starts off with DCP Agnel Wilson (Randeep Hooda) trying to commit suicide. However, he was saved and explains why he tried to do so. He narrates the stories of Sultan Mira and Shoaib Khan. I enjoyed the narration. Hello Randeep Hooda! I never noticed him before until now. He has that suave look and sexy voice, which reminds me of Arjun Rampal. He was the cool cop who wanted to bring down the two most feared guys in Mumbai but was unsuccessful.

I got this from Wikipedia....

"The film covers the growth of the Mumbai underworld, from crime and smuggling in its early stages through its connection with international terrorism in recent times. It is based on actual events. It is believed to be loosely based on the lives of Haji Mastan and Dawood Ibrahim, as the characters Sultan and Shoaib respectively."

With a moustache, Ajay looks even better. He is a handsome man who doesn't get that much credit in the film industry. He was the perfect choice for playing Sultan. Even though Sultan is known as a don, I think he is more like Robin Hood. He tries to help the people in need who has been victimized by the government.

This is Emraan Hashmi's film all the way!! He is definitely the most underrated actors...EVER! I've been a fan of his since his debut film, Footpath. I cannot stress how much I adore him. He is known as the seriel kisser but I don't care. He is damn good at acting too.

The film started off with Sultan and how he got to where he was.  However, you see the changes and growth of Shoaib who was more of a shady character who didn't give a damn and selfishly thought about himself. He didn't care about what his father or girlfriend thought.

I love the retro look and feel. The hairstyles from the ladies were on point and made me think of the Bollywood Disco movies!

The ladies didn't have that much screentime as the guys but did well in their parts. I like Kangana a lot. She doesn't play the typical girl-next-door roles. She looks even more gorgeous in the film. I never noticed Prachi before until now. She played her part very well.

Well worth a watch!

3.

Tere Bin Laden



Because of the 9/11 tragedy in America, Ali Hassan (Ali Zafar) is unable to fulfill his dreams of a better life in the USA. Immediately, he gets deported right back from America to Pakistan. On top of that, his visa application has been rejected numorous occassions in a short amount of time. In order to make his dreams come true, he has to have enough money to get a new visa. After seeing an Osama Bin Laden look-alike, Noor, who owns a chicken farm, Ali comes up with an idea to make a false video tape by tricking Noor to be in it acting as Osama Bin Laden. However, the USA gets seriously involve when they see the tape and want to capture Osama Bin Laden.



Full of laughters! I haven't LMAO this much in a long time! I looooooove it! From beginning to end, everything about it was hilarious.

Ali Zafar. Ali Zafar. Ali Zafar.
What a debut film! He was so natural. I was already in love with his music and him (see him on my list of drool-worthy guys I wrote in 2008) and now love him even more after this film. I hope he makes it big as an actor.

As an American by nationality (Hmong by ethnicity), any topic with Osama Bin Laden is really touchy. A lot of Americans still grief at even the thought of the 9/11 incident.
But not with Tere Bin Laden! It was a great tongue-in-cheek film.

The satire take of this tragic incident in Tere Bin Laden was done so brilliantly and cleverly!! Hubby and daughter have watched it with me and laughed so much. I am getting my American friends to watch the film and laugh along with me.

2.

Dabangg



Dabangg means fearless and is about the fearless corrupted cop, Chulbul Pandey (Salman Khan), who nicknames himself, "Robin Hood Pandy." Even with working with the flaws and corruption of the police system, Chulbul still has a soft side -- his love for his widowed mother, Naina (Dimple Kapadia).

He has a love-hate relationship with his stepfather, Prajapati (Vinod Khanna), and stepbrother, Makkhi (Arbaaz Khan). But he has to try to make peace in the household per his mother.

Behind this stubborn, badass cop, he falls in love with the potter village girl, Rajo (Sonakshi Sinha). With juggling with his job, home, and now love, he is challenged by Chhedi Singh (Sonu Sood). How will he overcome it?



I loved Dabangg!!!
I caught it in the theater when it released.

Taken from earlier review here and read more in depth why I love it.

1.

Band Bajaa Baaraat



Bittoo Sharma (Ranveer Singh) and his friends are college students and wedding crashers. He bumps into Shruti Kakkar (Anushka Sharma) who she calls him out for being a wedding crasher where she helped organized. Instantly, Bittoo becamse intrigued with Shruti for her sassy attitude.

They later become friends and get to know each other. She tells him her dream of becoming the best wedding planner in India with her future company, Shaadi Mubarak.

Because Bittoo is un-ambitious and doesn't think much about his future, his father wants him to be run the family business at the village. With a quick reply, he lies to his father he is going to be a wedding planner and partners with Shruti.

At first Shruti refuses. But when she finally gives him to letting Bittoo be her partner, they start off with small budget weddings and became an instant hit! They slowly merged to bigger weddings and became successful at that too.

When they mix business with pleasure, the business starts to go downwards. Shruti starts to fall in love with  Bittoo, but he didn't want to hurt Shruti's feelings. Both decide to go their separate ways, even with separate businesses. Shruti running Shaadi Mubarak solo. Bittoo starting Happy Wedding.

Both businesses did not do well separately. A wealthy millionaire's daughter wanted only the "original" Shaadi Mubarak to host their wedding. They must come together and work as a team again. But will their pride get in the way and ruin the wedding? Will they ever talk about their feelings for each other?



OMG, I love love love Band Baaja Baaraat!

I know my taste in films are totally different from some others.
If you like a romantic comedies and tired of seeing the same faces, this is for you.

What I like most about it is relationships between the two leads. There isn't a problem with parents or elders disapproving their love. It was because of both of their ego's.

Shruti is smart, independent, strong, and beautiful. She knows what she wants and aims to get there. Even though Bittoo piggybacks on Shruti's ideas, he is there for her to help her business get started. He is a true friend.

Some people may not like Shruti's unnecessary rude attitude towards Bittoo. But what people failed to realize is that Shruti didn't want to go back on what she said about relationships and businesses. There are many times when my pride overtakes what I should be doing. I'm like Shruti in wanting to be the best I can be and no room for errors. Plus Shruti's take on love.  She thought Bittoo would have the same feelings as her. Of course, I would feel devastated too! So excuse me, if I act like a biatch!

I do adore Bittoo. Overall, I don't think he's a jerk. He also had a huge ego like Shruti. Both were just too stubborn to talk about their feelings towards each other.

Besides the relationship, I enjoyed seeing the beautiful, colorful outfits and the "making" of the wedding. Along with friends helping out the small business turn successful.

Anuksha Sharma. Why isn't this girl more well known? She is cute, can act, and dance! I enjoyed watching her swirl her hips to the "Dum Dum" song. Ranveer Singh isn't bad either. He is good looking and made a good debut choice. I hope to see more of him.

This is why Band Baaja Baaraat is my fave film of 2010

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Mini-reviews: part 6 (Sumanth edition)

Part 1 (Hindi/Tamil), Part 2 (Telugu), Part 3 (Prabhas), Ram, Part 4 (Telugu), Part 5 (NTR JR)



Sumanth is one guy who deserves more credit and shoutouts. He's good looking, a decent dancer, and an entertaining actor. But for some reason, he isn't getting as much love as other Telugu actors.

Before starting on this Sumanth mini-review version, I have already done full reviews on the following of his films -



Godavari (2006)

Sriram aka Ram (Sumath) is a kind-hearted guy who returned from the USA and wants to be politician. Although he has many great intentions, many people do not believe he can lead. Ever since they were kids, his heart has always been for only Raji (Neetu Chandra). However, Raji's father only wants her to be married off to a rich, powerful family. Now, Raji is engaged to an IPS Officer (Kamal Kamaraju). Seetha (Kamalinee Mukherjee) runs a designer store but her family wants her to settle down and get married. She refuses because she rather be an independent woman than bow down to a man. All the characters end up taking a trip on the Godavari River on a boat. Their adventures of love and friendship is bonded on the ship. Raji and her family goes on the trip and Ram only tags a long. Seetha ends up going to get away from her family's pressure of finding a groom. The heart broken Ram and stubborn Seetha start to hang out. Eventually, both start to fall for each other. Raji learns that her fiance is a selfish brat. Will Ram and Seetha end up together? Or will Ram and Raji finally end up together?

taken from my full review with screen caps, read full review and thoughts
Awesome film! Sekar Kammula is one of my favorite directors.



Madhumasam (2007)

Although Sanjay (Sumanth) has a good heart, he is logical and doesn't think with his heart and reasons with his head. He is known as a rowdy but Hamsa (Sneha) overlooks it all and sees him as a sweet person. She takes love to the fullest level and trusts everyone blindly sometimes. So in love with Sanjay, she proposes to him and he accepts. But he reveals to Hamsa that he does not love her but is marrying her because why not? She would be the perfect wife. Hamsa refuses to go through with the marriage. With Hamsa's absense, Sanjay starts to feel lonely and realizes he is in love with her. Reality hits Hamsa and she takes the hard truth that she trusts others too easily and that she is being taken advantage of, even from her family members. She starts to become independent. Will she become too independent and not accept Sanjay's love? Will Sanjay and Hamsa ever be together?

taken from my full review with screen caps, read full review and thoughts
Worth a watch, great performances!



Classmates (2007)

Classmates is about a 10-years reunion in the city of Warangal, to pay respect to a former classmate, Murali (Sharwanand). However, when the students all re-unite again, Ravi (Sumanth) is found strangled in his room. Did he tried to commit suicide? Or did someone tried to kill him? Did someone have a 10-years-old grudge on Ravi?

taken from my full review with screen caps, read full review and thoughts
I loved the film, a great thriller!



Since then, I bought several films of Sumanth on dvd. However, I never gotten around to watch them until recently. I plan to watch all his films.

He is definitely on my list of favorite actors. I've even bought many of his films on dvds blindly becaue I enjoy his screen presence. I've seen 9 out of 16 of his films already. Each of them, I enjoyed for different reasons.



Prema Katha (1999)

Suri (Sumanth) lives in the village with his parents. He's a carefree guy who has a good heart but is a lazy bum. Divya (Antara Mali) is a city girl who comes to the village to visit her uncle/aunt. Suri falls for Divya at first sight. After getting to know each other much better, he finds out that Divya is already engaged, not by choice, and comes from a wealthy, well-known family. Her very strict, stubborn brother, Sankaram (Manoj Bajpai), is furious about Divya's love for a poor guy and comes to the village to knock some sense into her and/or kill her love.



The film starts off with an elder woman telling the kids a story, a true story about her son. Prem Katha is another case of poor boy/rich girl. If you are sick and tired of these storylines of forbidden love because of status, stay away from the film. What makes the film work is the beautiful cinematography portraying the village.

It is both Sumanth and Antara's debut film. Both look young and refreshing. The star of the film goes to Manoj Bajpai! He has a subtle approach to his acting whether or not, he's playing a positive or negative role.



Yuvakudu (2000)

Siva (Sumanth) is raised by his widowed mother, Padmawati (Jayasudha). His father lost his life in the battlefield but hopes to follow in his steps one day. From Hyerabad to Ooty, he goes to visit his mother and sees the beautiful Sudha (Bhumika) who he starts to falling love and tells her about it. Even though she is the daughter of a wealthy man, Sudha is motherless and feels neglected. She happens to befriend Padmawati and looks at her as the mother who she never had. Siva proposes to Sudha but she rejects him but feels bad after finding out that he is the son of the lovely Padmawati.



I didn't want to give away too much of the storyline since there is more to it then what I have already mentioned. The beginning half of the film was wonderful, I love the romantic comedy. The second half wasn't too bad either but didn't flow with the rest of the film, to me. Sudha really started to annoy me but I loved Siva even more! Could someone explain to me why a married couple would sleep in separate rooms if they really love each other? It's the pride right there. I felt that Sudha loved Siva's mother, Padmawati, so much that the only reason why she agreed to the marriage is to be with her and not care for her husband.

Even though Yuvakudu came out in 2000, I saw Madhumasam first and it reminded me of each other. I preferred Madhumasam more though. What I did like about both films is the hero and heroine's arrogant love and it was because of the two of them, not someone who forbad their love.

The second half took a different turn with Siva finding out that his mother has kept a secret from him for a personal reason and why she did what she had to.

Overall, worth a watch but not the greatest.


Sathyam (2003)

Satyam (Sumanth) is one of the sweetest, most unselfish person you've ever met. However, he is always misunderstood by his father (Malladi Raghava) and the girl that he loves, Ankita (Genelia D'Souza). His love for writing landed him a job as a ghost writer where he writes lyrics for a popular film lyricist while he works as a taxi driver. Ankita is a dancer and the popular dancer partner is in love with her. Will Sathyam ever speak what's in his heart?



What an awesome, feel-good film! I have a soft spot for unselfish guys in films :D I do think Ankita was a bit annoying because she written Satyam off without getting to know him and jumped to conclusions. The love that Satyam had for Ankita was sweet. What bothered me the most was the pride of Satyam's father. He literally disowned Satyam for a misunderstanding but since Satyam is really sweet, he didn't mind it because he's just so loving and unselfish.

Both Sumanth and Genelia played the part very well. Genelia is a great actress and I adore her a lot but I want to see more range in her acting. She's been in several films that has her as a "dancer" but I cringe because I think she is definitely miscast for that type of character.

PS - Lawrence is in the film for a song, gosh, I looove him!!! Check him out in the "Kuch Kuch" song :D
Yes, I still have a huuuge crush on Lawrence.
A sweet cute film that is should be watched!



Gowri (2004)

Gowri (Sumanth) is a mechanic in Dhoolpet. He never fell in love before until he meets Swetha (Charmi) at a new years party. Both love each other but her father (Vizag Prasad) doesn't approve of their love becuase of Gowri's low status. Her father ask Sarkar (Atul Kulakarni), the fearful don, to separate Gowri and Swetha.



Gowri is a remake of the hit Tamil film, Thirumalai (Vijay, Jyothika) and seems to be an almost frame-to-frame remake -- only wish the Telugu version would have a dance number with Lawrence like the original Tamil version!

Sumanth is awesome. I love his character, Gowri - he is a sweet, kind guy who never knew what love is until he found it. He is true to himself and very honest. When he loves, he gives his all. Charmy is the perfect choice for Swetha! She has the sweet, innocent baby face with a sassy attitude. Atul was a treat to see and always a treat to watch. His character is black and white and does a great job.

Overall, the film is good and worth a watch.



Mahanandi (2005)

Swami (Srihari) loves his younger sister, Nandini (Anuksha Shetty) who he raised. Shankar (Sumanth) is an orphan and also raised by Swami, and becomes his bodyguard. Swami arranges his sister's marriage but she doesn't agree and convinces Shankar that she is in love with someone else and she will become unhappy. Shakar and Nandini go on a road trip to Mahanandi. Instead of meeting her "love," she confesses that she lied only to bring him close to her because she is in love with him. Shankar never wanted to disobey Swami and now caught in the middle of his loyalty to Swami or love for Nandini.



I loved the first half of the film but the second half fell flat for me. Having Nandini "forced" her love on Shankar really bothered me. I never saw him feel any kind of love for Nandini. Maybe he just needed to be away from Swami to see it? I don't think so. If he had any kind of feelings, it would've been portrayed but it never did.

Sumanth is perfect! He shows off his badass side. Most of the other films I've seen of him, he's the loverboy. Anuksha is adorable but is mainly there for the songs and a love interest. The film totally belonged to Srihari. I've always thought he was a good actor but loved him even more after this film.

Not a great film but watching for Srihari, Sumanth's badass, and Anuksha's beauty.



Pourudu (2008)

Ajay (Sumanth) is totally different from his father, Pandu (Suman). Although Pandu is a police officer, he is a crooked cop and fights with violence instead of his brain. He owes his life to Bhai (Nassar), the feared don in Hyderabad. Therefore, he oblige by Bhai's rules. Ajay is a smart guy and ranks the top of his class. However, many people doubt Ajay is that smart because they want to believe Ajay received his top honors by his father threatening someone. When a misunderstanding makes Ajay use strength instead of his head, he is forced to go the same path his father did.



My absolute favorite Sumanth film! It may be one of my all-time favorites. I loved everything about it -- the father/son bond, supporting girlfriend and her parents, fighting against corruption and evil...

After watching Pourudu, I was thinking why Sumanth doesn't get much love? He is definitely one of the most underrated actors!  He's versatile in his acting playing different characters. 

I was definitely sure Kajal's character is one of my faves ever! I love everything about her. She's strong minded and speaks her mind without being rude. She stands by her man and supports everything he does. Kajal usually annoys me with her eye rolling, I-don't-care attitude but not here!



I realized that I really like Sumanth and wanted to watch more of his films! I am looking forward to watch Golconda High School, which turned out to be a hit! I am excited to watch him paired with Swati :D

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

I'm in the 2nd edition of BLOGUE!

Thanks to the lovely, wonderful Louella for featuring me!!! Blogue was created by her to feature Bolly Bloggers! This lady is so talented and creative! Kudos to her!!!


Do go to Louella's page for more info and instructions to download the 2nd edition :D

Click on image above or link below

http://masalawbigosie.blogspot.com/2011/02/blogue-second-issue.html