Mini-reviews: part 1 (Hindi/Tamil edition)

Hello everyone!

I started this post a few days ago and got sick, constant coughing :( Therefore, I couldn't finish up this post.

I've been soooooo behind in blogging this year! Urgh. I have been wanting to write up another review but since I'm a visual whore, there was no way I was going to do a full review with *out* any screen caps.

Here's some films I watched but haven't blogged about....
I will continue the Telugu mini-reviews later.

HINDI



Chance Pe Dance (2010)

Sameer (Shahid Kapur) has big dreams to make it big in Mumbai. He meets the choreographer, Tina (Genelia D'Souza), at an audition and ends up being in a film with her. However, his world turns upside when he ends up homeless and jobless. With the encouragement and help of Tina, he ends up putting his life back together and participate in a tv talent show.



I've been wanting to see Shahid and Genelia in a film together for the longest. He has a babyface and unfortunately, most of the heroines opposite him look too old for him with the exception of Amrita Rao and Ayesha Takia. Therefore, I was looking forward to the Shahid-Genelia jodi. However, this movie did not live up to my expectations.

Don't get me wrong. It's not a bad film but it's not a good one either, so it's meh. I wanted to see more dancing. I was so disappointed with the choreography. Shahid is a fabulous dancer but the film didn't portray his dancing skills.



I Hate Luv Storys (2010)

Simran (Sonam Kapoor) has the perfect life! She has a loveable fiance, Raj (Sameer Dattani) who is exactly like her. Both love being in love and live a fairytale life. Raj is her prince charming, everything who she has ever dreamed of. But why does she second-guess herself when she meets Jay (Imraan Khan), a guy who is nothing like her Prince Charming? He is hates anything to do with love!



Even though my brief synopsis may be focused on Sonam, it isn't. The film is all about Imraan! He does really good in his role and has cute facial expression. Sonam is gorgeous and has strong fashion-sense but her acting needs to be worked on. Sameer is cute but was just there.

Direction is weak. Storyline is nothing new but that has never stopped me for loving a film before. I am completely in love with the soundtrack. I don't hate love stories. I just don't care for I Hate Luv Storys.

TAMIL



Ayan (2009)

Deva (Surya) is a cool, slick smuggler and works for Dass (Prabhu Ganesan), who Deva's mother (Renuka) does not approve of. She does not understand why a smart guy like Deva who has a Masters Degree would do illegal things for quick cash. She wants him to have a government job instead.

Chitti (Jegan) joins forces with Dass and Deva. Kamalesh (Akashdeep Saigal) is a jealous foe who wants to be on top and tries to take down the trio.
Deva falls for Yamuna (Tamannah Batia), Chitti's younger sister.



I haven't seen a fun-filled masala film like this in a while. Everything about it, I loved! Surya looks hotter with age. That man is just too good-looking! I had to wipe my drool off several times! Even though Surya is more than a decade older than Tamannah, I couldn't see it. He looks that good. Tamannah is one of my favorite actresses. I've loved her in everything I've seen! Cannot wait to see her with my favorite hottie next! That jodi will be sizzling!

Everything from the storyline to the direction to the songs to the acting were on point. What I love most is seeing how gorgeous Malaysia and Congo are. I cannot complain at all. I just want more affordable, accessible Tamil dvds for me to buy :D



Chinna (2005)

Chinna (Arjun) is a rowdy to be feared and don't care for anyone. All this changed when he met Gayathri (Sneha). He ends up going to jail and Gayathri is forced to marry someone else. What happens when he gets out of jail and comes back to Gayathri's life?



Since I have the Arjun crush, I watched this film for Arjun Sarja. I was stoked to find out that Sneha is in the film too. However, this movie, I would not recommend to anyone. Only watch if you're a fan of Arjun or Sneha. I was extremley disappointed. Sneha had the most fickle character ever. Arjun was good but even he couldn't save the film for me. Total Bore!



Dhool (2003)

Even though Arumugham (Vikram) is uneducated, he has a strong heart and mind to become the leader to take down a factory that is polluting his village's water. He, along with his grandmother and Eeswari (Jyothika), goes to Chennai to meet Minister Kaalapaandi (Sayaji Shinde) to alert him of the situation.



Overall, the film is good. However, I preferred the second half over the first. The first half was silly with Eeswari and her love-hate relationship with Arumugham. Adding the sexy Swapna to the love-hate angle just made it more comical. I didn't really care for it and found Eeswari very annoying! The second half focused more on the plot of the crooked politicians and government.

Vikram is a handsome man but I don't drool for him like a lot of my online friends do. Besides being a pleasure to look at on screen, he is a good actor. I love Jyothika but disliked her childish character. Reema Sen was good to see and looking lovely.
Definitely worth a watch but I don't love it.

Saawariya - Beloved by who?

Saawariya is an adaptation of the Russian short story - "White Nights" by Fyodor Dostoevsky. In the beginning of the movie, Gulaab (Rani Mukherji) narrates the story of a musician name Raj (Ranbir Kapoor) who she calls Saawariya. She is smitten by Raj because of his cute, adorable, naive nature but only wants to befriend him. When Raj sees Sakina (Sonam Kapoor) on a bridge, he falls head over heels for her. Sakina loves Raj's company but her heart belongs to Imaan (Salman Khan) who she awaits nightly for at the bridge. However, it's been years since Imaan has left. The more time she spends with Raj, she is falling for him. Will Imaan ever come back or will she fall in love with Raj?

From the promos, Saawariya looks so beautiful and dreamy. Everything about it seems like a fantasy world. Sanjay Lee Bansali is a well known director/producer who has given hits and/or critically acclaim films such as Khamoshi - The Musical, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas, and Black. Therefore, Saawariya has been a highly anticipated film of 2007.

Another reason why people would want to see the film is to see the debuts films of Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor? Why? Rishi Kapoor's son - Ranbir. Anil Kapoor's daughter - Sonam. Rishi and Anil are both well known established stars earlier in their career and both still act today.

At first glance, Ranbir looks dorky and nerdy. But when you watch him on screen more, you start to adore him because of his sweet presence. Besides his smooth dancing (which reminds me of Hrithik Roshan - could just be the dance moves), he has a nice physique.

I saw Saawariya on the big screen when it first came out. For some reason, the scene where the towel drops off, you can see his bare butt (nice too, by the ways) - it was cut out from the official dvd. Not that it really makes a big difference to the film but just something worth noting.

From pictures, Sonam reminded me of Sonali Bendre and at times, Katrina Kaif and even Dia Mirza. She is so lovely and beautiful. Her character is quite boring and laughs a lot. I was very disappointed because I wanted to see her do more than look pretty. Since this is her debut film, I'll wait to see her future films. I think every star is likeable if you give them a chance, there will be at least one film you will enjoy them in.

Lillipop was soooooo adorable - I just wanted to give her a hug. It was great to see Zohra Sehgal on screen again. Most people will remember her from Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham. I love her chemistry with Raj (Ranbir Kapoor).

I love Salman Khan. He's always been one of my all time favorites. Love him or hate him, he's has made his marked with Bollywood long ago. I still find him handsome. Hey, I met the guy before - he really is good looking! In addition, he's sweet! In Saawariya, he fit the role so well. Imaan is a tough, silent, good looking guy which Salman portrays perfectly! His role was short but you can see why Sakina (Sonam Kapoor) would fall for a guy like him. She's so innocent and naïve which makes her want to be loved.

I have to say that Rani Mukherjee is the best thing about the movie. Not only does she look lovely, she brings an extra aroma. I love her her outfits. I'm glad to see her in Saawariya after a long hiatus of boring roles for her.

Ranbir and Sonam definitely look really cute together on screen. I rather see them together as a couple in real life than Ranbir and Deepika (sorry Deepika fans, I just think Ranbir look better with Sonam).

The movie is beautiful, no doubt. I don't know if I would recommend Saawariya to a newbie. I can not tress how beautifully stunning the colors of the movie is. I'm not totally satisfied with Saawariya. I felt the movie was too long for a weak storyline. Saawariya is definitely worth a watch but don't have high expectations.