FilmyTown Reviews

Ankhon Dekhi (2013)

He believes only what he sees with his own eyes and negate everything

[8/10 · 26 March 2014]

It is a story of a man who begins to think philosophically and feels within himself the reality of life of seeing and believing in those things which normally an average man wouldn't think of treading into finding realism in several 'minute' issues like hearing the roar of a tiger, flying like a bird… Raje Bauji (Sanjay Mishra} is a man in his late fifties, living out a dreary but eventful life in a small house in old Delhi- where he lives with his extended family. An executive in a travel agency, head of his family lives a typical middle class, happy, content life with his younger brother's family.

A random incident is going to change his life in a dramatic way, though he does not realize at the moment.

Bauji's daughter has been seeing a boy of ill repute. When that fact is revealed to the family, after much deliberation they decide to do the obvious – lock up the girl and go beat the willful boy.

Taking a cop along with them to warn the 'laundiya baaz' (means – a womanizer as labelled by other people), Bauji realizes that the boy isn't that bad as as the terrible reputation formed by the people around him. Ajju is exactly opposite of what he had heard about him. This incident gets him to think that what is being heard and talked about any thing or a person, isn't exactly what is the truth behind it.

Bauji leaves his job and decides to stay at home, rather than 'mislead or cheat the clients' thats what he thought.

It is a funny old journey of this man, this old fool- who is both Lear and the fool.

Gang of Ghosts (2014)

Peaceful, harmless group of ghosts being dislocated by unscrupulous builders

[3/10 · 26 March 2014]

A haunted mansion in Mumbai is to be demolished making way for a glitzy shopping mall. The gang of harmless Ghosts of different eras and social spheres residing in this house are to be dislocated.

A late zamindar is the boss of the house residing with a British Lord of the East India Company era, a yesteryear actress, a spoilt rich girl, an unhappy rock musician, a Bengalee and a cab driver. These ghosts decide to fight their own battle against rampant development and win it.

A remake of the commercially successful Bengali film Bhooter Bhabishyat, Gang of Ghosts comes up as mish-mashed comedy with sub-plots and undesirable buffoonery.

The grand old mansions and mills of South Mumbai are being razed to the ground to make way for swanky condominiums, malls and Multiplexes.

Some of these dilapidated disputed buildings were haunted by Ghosts who had taken shelter there over centuries. They were evicted and are homeless today. There is no rehabilitation package on offer. Politicians, media, intellectuals, civic society- no one gives a dam to them. After all, Ghosts can't vote.

Royal Mansion is one such heritage property which is rented out for film shoots to facilitate its maintenance. A heroine faints during a shooting allegedly sighting Ghost in a mirror. A filmmaker on a reconnaissance trip to the building gets to hear of a spooky story revolving around the house.

It is a pity that even the experienced actors like the buck-toothed Anupam Kher and Rajpal Yadav appear to enact their parts with seemingly no involvement, just taking it easy as walking around in a garden or a mall.

Saurabh Shukla, Parambrata Chaterjee (of Kahaani fame) and Yashpal Sharma appear as a bunch of loitering jokers without any sense of direction.

To top this all, there is Jackie Shroff with his Bombaiya style taporigiri which doesn't amuse at all.