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VEER drives home a few hard facts…

No amount of gloss can substitute for an engaging story.
Not all directors are capable of pulling off a period film.
No star - howsoever strong his rankings are - can infuse life in a comatose script.

Everyone’s awaiting VEER with bated breath. The film industry will get another breather if VEER goes the 3 IDIOTS way at the box-office. The junta will have one more fascinating genre to look forward to, if VEER appeals to them. But your hopes go crashing as reel after reel of VEER unfurl.

Salman Khan [who has been credited as the story writer of VEER] takes TARAS BULBA, adds GLADIATOR, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, TROY, TITANIC and even KRANTI [the end is a straight lift of Manoj Kumar's Dilip Kumar starrer] and comes up with this khichdi which gets unpalatable after a point.

VEER is about a warrior and at the same time, it’s a love story too. Sadly, neither does it evoke any patriotism, nor does the love story make your heart go dhak-dhak.

The writing [screenplay: Shaktimaan Talwar, Shailesh Verma] is so fragile that one is mentally exhausted by the time this marathon movie finally reaches its finale. Of course, Salman’s star power tries hard to salvage the situation, but window dressing doesn’t help if the store has nothing to offer.

Final word? You have to be a veer to sit through VEER. Colossal disappointment!

As the British enslave India with their devious Divide and Rule policy, kings and nawabs fall to their guile and cunning schemes and entrust their precious kingdom to the foreigners. Except for the brave Pindaris, who prefer death to dishonour and will fight to their last breath to save their land.

The bravest, the toughest, the strongest of the Pindaris is Veer [Salman Khan]. As Veer takes on the might of the British Empire, he also has to fight the conniving King of Madavgarh [Jackie Shroff] as well his own jealous tribesmen. At stake is his love for princess Yashodhara [Zarine Khan], daughter of his sworn enemy. At stake is his thirst to avenge his father’s dishonour.

VEER has it all - great stars, opulent and majestic sets, adrenaline pumping action scenes, but no soul [read script]. The movie begins with a bang, but the moment the story shifts to London, it crashes!

Frankly, it’s a screenplay of convenience. Salman meets the woman of his dreams within minutes of reaching London and that looks so unreal. You try to digest it and move on to the next scene and lo! The damsel studies in the same college that our hero has enrolled in. Now that looks fake!

The sequence at the interval is interesting, although it remains a mystery how Puru Raaj Kumar gets to know of Salman’s identity. At this point, Salman becomes a killing machine, slaughters more than a dozen people in the hostel campus [including a few gora soldiers] and conveniently escapes from London with a badly injured brother [played by Sohail]. Now that is taking it too far.

The second hour goes on and on and on, emphasising on unfulfilled promises, seething anger and revenge, love and freedom and frankly, you are least bothered by now. In fact, you lose interest in the proceedings. Period. The climax is so long drawn and more of an anti-climax, while the ending is bizarre and unintentionally funny.

Director Anil Sharma fails to deliver. That’s the bitter truth. The project had everything going in its favour, but alas, Sharma and his writers make a complete mess of the story. Sajid-Wajid’s music is melodious, but why repeat one song ['Surili Ankhiyon Wali'] again and again? The background score [Monty] is top notch. Gopal Shah’s cinematography is splendid. Tinu Verma’s action scenes are dynamic and in fact, the saving grace of VEER. The production design [art: Sanjay Dhabade] give an authentic feel of the bygone era.

VEER rides on Salman’s star power, but even his hardcore fans will be disappointed by this movie. Zarine Khan resembles Katrina Kaif, but wears one expression all through. Mithun is okay, while Jackie does his bit well. Sohail Khan irritates. Puru Raaj Kumar and Aryan Vaid get no scope. Neena Gupta is as usual. The English actors are stereotype.

On the whole, VEER proves the age-old adage true: All that glitters is not gold. The film may open very well at single screens thanks to Salman’s popularity and the hype surrounding the film and may also enjoy a healthy extended weekend [Tuesday, 26th January is a holiday], but given its exorbitant costs and poor merits, VEER will face an uphill task to recover its costs. This one’s a monumental disappointment!

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Indians are passionate about cricket. Am also sure you must’ve encountered a number of cricket fanatics over the years. Most film-makers dread to release their films during crucial matches, fearing that a sizable chunk of moviegoers would prefer to watch a match than a movie.

This year, we’ve had VICTORY [Harman Baweja, Amrita Rao] and DIL BOLE HADIPPA [Rani Mukherji, Shahid Kapoor] focusing on this popular sport. Prior to that LAGAAN, IQBAL and JANNAT. Now WORLD CUPP 2011. Unfortunately, WORLD CUPP 2011 neither excites you as a cinematic experience, nor does it whip up those passions.

Ravi Kapoor essays the captain of the Indian cricket team, who tanks a match with the help of his team-mates against arch rivals Pakistan in World Cup. They are banned for four years when exposed by the media. His girl-friend Soha [Manisha Chatterjee] dumps him and his family disowns him.

Cut to 2011. Ravi is given one more chance to prove his patriotism by the coach [Suresh Oberoi]. Ravi is again approached by the same bookie [Zakir Hussain] to repeat the same performance once again, but this time he turns the offer down. His girl-friend is kidnapped. Ravi goes through a crisis before he wins the World Cup trophy.

WORLD CUPP 2011 falls flat due to a weak script. The film tries to explore the unholy nexus between cricketers-bookies-underworld, besides the rise-fall-rise of a cricketer, but the writing is so amateurish that it doesn’t hold your attention. Perhaps the intentions were right, but not the final output.

Debutante writer-director Ravi Kapoor may’ve borrowed from real-life, but several portions seem unpalatable. Like, for instance, the ease with which the captain of the Indian cricket team and even the umpire interact with underworld dons while the final match is in progress seems bizarre.

Talking of acting, Ravi Kapoor has screen presence, but needs to work on his acting skills. Prem Chopra, Suresh Oberoi and Zakir Hussain are passable.

On the whole, WORLD CUPP 2011 is a weak fare.

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Mumbai, (BollywoodWorld.com) After the warm reception to his just released “De Dana Dan”, Priyadarshan plans to make a film on AIDS with Aamir Khan in a way that’s palatable to the public.
“And why not? Films are meant to generate a mass reaction. No point in making a film with one of the biggest stars of [...]

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In real life, if you feel your colleague is far more superior to you in intelligence, talent, charisma, efficiency, chances are you might feel the heat. Jealousy, generally, stems from there. In the process, the best of relations get strained. LONDON DREAMS, directed by Vipul Shah, talks of two musicians, thick pals actually, and how jealousy drives a wedge in their friendship.

Let’s clear a few myths before discussing the positive and negative factors of this film. LONDON DREAMS is not BAIJU BAWRA. LONDON DREAMS is not ROCK ON!!, ABHIMAAN, YAARANA or SAAJAN either [a section of the industry wants us to believe that]. The truth is, LONDON DREAMS borrows from Milos Forman’s brilliant film AMADEUS [1984], which was based on Salieri and Mozart’s life. In fact, Suneel Darshan too had made a film based on AMADEUS called SHAKALAKA BOOM BOOM [2007; Bobby Deol, Upen Patel].

LONDON DREAMS is a complete departure from Vipul Shah’s earlier outings, AANKHEN, WAQT, NAMASTEY LONDON and SINGH IS KINNG [produced by Vipul, directed by Anees Bazmee]. This film is about relationships and tends to get very real and intense, in the post-interval portions specifically. The scale of LONDON DREAMS is gigantic and the execution of concerts [it's about a band] sweeps you off your feet.

In terms of execution, it wouldn’t be erroneous to state that LONDON DREAMS is amongst Vipul Shah’s most accomplished works to date. Also, it boasts of incredible performances by Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn. But there are hiccups too and it’s these deficiencies that bog the film down!

They were childhood friends. But they had little in common except their family’s connection with music. While Arjun’s [Ajay Devgn] life was consumed by a passionate drive to get on stage and realize his grandfather’s unfulfilled dream, Mannu [Salman Khan] was content with remaining a child at heart with no higher ambition than enjoying the good things in life.

As Arjun forges a band with Zoheb [Rannvijay Singh], Wasim [Aditya Roy Kapur] and Priya [Asin], a music enthusiast from a conservative South Indian family, far away in Punjab, music becomes a survival tool for Mannu, who takes to playing in wedding bands in his village.

Arjun gets Mannu to London and makes him a part of the band, but soon realizes he’s created the biggest threat and obstacle to his own ambitions.

Mannu, with his inherent musical gift, becomes an instant darling of the crowds. Arjun’s unbearable pangs of jealousy and insecurity only worsen when Mannu also unwittingly woos and wins his secret love, Priya. As he battles his inner demons, Arjun slowly devises a sinister plan to destroy his best friend.

It takes time to get into Ajay’s world [its Ajay who's narrating the story here]. The film moves back and forth and it’s only when the two buddies, now adults, meet that you realize where the story is headed. The first hour depicts the two extreme characters - Ajay, who’s an introvert and who cannot think of anything but his goal and Salman, a happy-go-lucky guy, laidback and fun-loving, least focused.

The narrative has some interesting moments in the first hour, but the actual story unravels only towards the second half. The first half, frankly, only sets things up for the explosive drama that is to follow. The wheels start moving when Ajay plays a vicious game and hatches a conspiracy to ruin his buddy’s career.

It’s the second hour that does the trick. You can’t help but carry several sequences in your heart, even after you’ve made an exit from the auditorium…

Note the scene when Salman makes four different tunes from the original tune created by Ajay.
Note the scene when Ajay meets an inebriated Salman and professes revenge, while Salman is completely clueless about Ajay’s sinister plans.
Note the scene when the band arrives in London after a 3-city concert and they’re received by aggressive mediapersons.

But there’re roadblocks too. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music is a downer. LONDON DREAMS is about a rock band, about music, about concerts and the music had to be the soul of the film. Unfortunately, it’s not! The songs have been filmed in the most energetic fashion, but how one wishes the music was one of the strengths of the film.

Also, the film could’ve concluded when the two friends re-unite at the station. Adding one more song thereafter only dilutes the impact of the emotionally correct sequence that has just been witnessed. Besides, the song in question hasn’t been promoted either, so it only comes across as an aberration.

Prior to that, Ajay’s outburst at the end of the concert is far from convincing. The film has a real feel, real characters and real situations, but the outburst looks unreal and is one of the drawbacks, from the writing point of view. It’s just not convincing!

Besides, Ajay’s childhood character is shown fleeing from the airport and making it big in a foreign land [London], without any support whatsoever. It’s unpalatable!

Vipul Shah has handled this intricate subject well, but the writing could’ve been tighter. Sejal Shah’s cinematography is super. Brownie points for capturing the concerts brilliantly. Salim-Sulaiman’s background score matches international standards.

Both Salman and Ajay vie for top honours. Salman has a role that the junta would take to instantly and the actor too endears himself to the viewers. He’s stupendous. When it comes to displaying intensity on screen, very few can live up to the standards set by Ajay. To state that he packs in a power-packed performance would be an understatement. They, in fact, compliment each other wonderfully well.

Asin is admirable and pairs off very well with Salman. She is sure to have a new name after this film - Chennai Express [that's how Salman addresses her affectionately, all through the film]. Om Puri has a brief role. Aditya Roy Kapur is very good and registers an impact. Rannvijay Singh doesn’t get much to do, except throw nasty looks at Salman. Manoj Pahwa provides some funny moments. Brinda Parekh is okay.

On the whole, LONDON DREAMS has superb performances from its principal cast and several emotionally-charged sequences as its two trump cards. But its biggest drawback is its climax and also the music, which is the weakest link of the movie. At the box-office, the film should appeal more to the multiplex audience than the masses. Business at big centres, especially at metros, should be better, but mini-metros and towns will be a contrast.

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Film: “Jail”
Music Directors: Shamir Tandon, Sharib Sabri and Toshi Sabri
Lyricists: Ajay Garg, A.M. Turaz, Sandeep Nath and Kumaar
Singers: Sonu Kakkar, Lata Mangeshkar, Sharib Sabri, Toshi Sabri and Neil Nitin Mukesh
Rating: ***
After the success of “Fashion”, Madhur Bhandarkar returns with “Jail”, which stars Neil Nitin Mukesh and Mugdha Godse. And the filmmaker has roped in composer [...]

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Mumbai, Nightingale of India Lata Mangeshkar says that she wants to continue singing forever, provided she is offered meaningful songs.
“I want to continue singing for the rest of my life,” said Lata who turned 80 Monday.
“I’m open to all kinds of songs, but the only thing I look for is the lyrics. The lyrics [...]

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