nishesquire09 Reviews

Nautanki Saala! (2013)

A Beautiful Combination of Comedy, Romance and Drama

[9/10 · 12 April 2013]

Nautanki Saala! was a thoroughly enjoyable movie, from beginning to end. The first half is hilarious and the audience was laughing uncontrollably. The second half becomes a little more serious, but the story of the three main characters is artfully interwoven throughout. The dialog is witty and the acting was superb -- I was particularly impressed with the lead actor, Ayushmann Khurrana, whose range of expression and detail to the nuances of his character was on full display. Kunaal Roy Kapur was lovable and is comical with his goofy, aloof look. Finally, Pooja Salvi starts a little slow but grows into her role progressively and delivers a powerful flourish at the end.

In short: watch the movie, you will not be disappointed. You will identify with the characters, you will laugh at their banter, and you will appreciate the creativity and imagination of the storyline.

P.S. This is the kind of movie you would want to watch with your partner or your friends, since some of the "romantic" scenes are not conducive to parent-child watching.

English Vinglish (2012)

Superb acting, superb story

[10/10 · 15 October 2012]

English Vinglish is a feel-good movie that will leave you wanting for more. Sridevi is the shining star among a a cast full of strong performances. She plays an absolutely lovable hero in this movie, and her attention to the details of "Shashi" was mesmerizing. She was soft and delicate while also powerful and courageous. She exhibited a strong, free mind without ever abandoning her role as a traditional homemaker woman in a nuclear family. The story was great and the ending was memorable. Of course, there were some absolutely hilarious moments in the movie. The only regrettable aspect of this movie was that it over-dramatized the rudeness of one American, and as an American it made me roll my eyes. But the movie as a whole portrayed the United States and its people in a positive light, so even in that respect the movie was good!

Please watch it in the theaters, you will not regret it!

The Dirty Picture (2011)

Atypical Bollywood, but still mediocre

[4/10 · 3 December 2011]

Many people will rave that the "The Dirty Picture" is not your typical Bollywood movie and then mistake "atypical" with "great." True: the movie contains many, many sex and kissing scenes -- some of which are hilarious and others that will make you squirm. Also, Vidhya Balan shows a lot of cleavage and bares her midriff way too often (I say this because her midriff will also make you squirm). But beyond the sex scenes and body exposure, does the movie really present anything new or interesting for Bollywood? My answer is no. I walked out of the theater with the feeling that the movie missed the chance to be compelling and lacked the cohesion and precision of a true "hit" movie (I just watched Rockstar, by the way, which WAS an epic, compelling, powerful movie). The second half, especially, was very disappointing. Sorry, but the overly sexual theme and explicit language does not, by itself, make this movie deserving of a high rating.

The movie is watchable, and is at times funny. Vidhya Balan is the star of the show. She remains at most times a lovable and fun character. My guess is that movie watchers will fall into two camps: those that love the "entertainment" of the sex scenes and occasional funny moments, and those that expect much more from a movie. Because I fall in the second camp, I cannot rate this movie higher than a 4.

Mausam (2011)

Boredom Alert

[2/10 · 24 October 2011]

Let's just cut to the chase here (something I WISH the movie had done): Mausam is a never-ending borefest. I will never be able to recover the 3 hours I spent on this movie, but I will use the next 5 minutes to help you save yours.

The movie tried too hard to be an epic. Other movies that tie together themes of romance and religious / political conflict (Bombay for example) do so with force and passion -- Mausam tries to be subtle, which is all well and good, but when you repeat the subtle message for THREE HOURS it begins to be less subtle, and terribly boring.

Mausam is an epic case of boredom. If I wrote that sentence 2000 times, and forced you to read it, you will get an idea of what this movie is like. Please save your loved ones from this gigantic wastebasket of a movie.

The only redeeming factor in this movie was Sonam Kapoor, who is quite beautiful and does her best to look good while playing an insanely boring character. Shahid Kapoor remains an average actor, but my wife tells me he's very good looking too.

Blitz (2011)

A good action flick

[7/10 · 7 September 2011]

This movie is an action packed thriller, one that should be enjoyed with a couple of beers in a man cave (with friends, of course). Some scenes are quite violent and gory, including depictions of dismembered body parts and brain splatterings. There are some hilarious moments that are perhaps more funny because the movie is otherwise quite serious. The main actor (Statham) plays his role well and has an edge about him that comes off as real. He had some nice banter with his homosexual boss, but thankfully there wasn't any suggestion of any sexual tension between the two (not because I'm homophobic, but because I think it would distract from the action too much.) The rest of the cast was average. The deranged killer was neither scary nor psychotic and I didn't get the feeling that he was really on a killing spree. I guess the bar of the deranged killer was set by the Joker from Batman. Overall, a good movie to watch once.

The Hangover Part II (2011)

Lacking the feel of a bachelor party

[4/10 · 30 May 2011]

The first Hangover set the standard. It was a legendary night of craziness that resonates with men who have participated in insane bachelor parties, or sets the tone for those who will. It captured the mentality, the feel, the utter spontaneity of a "last night out with your bachelor friend." It correctly understood that the bachelor party brings together people who meet for the first time - a combination of high school friends, college friends, brothers and cousins - who collaborate on a common quest to celebrate the end of single life for a special person.

That's what made the first Hangover special. For the most part, the sequel lacked that feel. There was less celebration and much more panic. And it really missed the opportunity to bring in an additional character to truly mix things up. The brother of the bride was hardly involved, but when he was, he was too meek, too geeky, and generally a pain to watch.

At times this movie felt too serious for a bachelor party celebration, and at others too repetitive. It was essentially the same recipe as the first, except it was set in Bangkok and with a couple of minor changes. Unlike the first installment, which provided a steady stream of comedy, this one sputters throughout, although it does have several laugh out loud moments.

Tees Maar Khan (2010)

Not your typical Bollywood comedy, TMK is truly hilarious!

[8/10 · 1 February 2011]

I watched the movie while vacationing in India with 5 others between the ages of 21-28 (three men, two women, and I was the only NRI). Each of us thoroughly enjoyed the movie, laughing from beginning to end. We were joking about the movie days after watching it. On our recommendation, our uncles and aunts watched TMK, and they returned with the complete opposite view -- like many of the reviewers on this site, they hated it. Immediately it occurred to me that this might be a result of a generation gap, or an open-mindedness gap.

This movie shares many similarities with Austin Powers or Anchorman or any other "absurdly" funny movie you're familiar with (note: I hate most Bollywood "comedies," so I bring up Western titles. I loved 3 Idiots but it's a different type of comedy.) Yes, the storyline is unrealistic, but that enhances the comedic value of the movie -- it's not supposed to be serious. Yes, Akshay Kumar "overacts," but that's his character and he plays that role exceedingly well. Yes, the jokes sometimes lack depth, but the movie is replete with memorable one-liners.

I'm dumbfounded as to why people hated the movie so much. At the risk of sounding insulting to others, my only explanation is that many of the reviewers were simply not ready for such a film. It does feature several homosexual characters, but most younger generation Indians, I'm guessing, can roll with that. Maybe it takes a certain level of experience with absurdity or sarcasm that maybe the younger folks are more experienced with (I apologize about the "maybes" but I'm trying my best to provide possible explanations as to why so many people disliked this movie).

I urge you not to write this movie off. Watch the trailer on this site -- if you find yourself chuckling at some of these scenes, then I guarantee you will find yourself cracking up at the movies. Like myself, you may even buy the DVD and put it in your comedy collection (next to your Friday and Big Lebowski).