Dus bahene karke le gayi Dil !!!

Starring

Sanjay Dutt .... D.I.G. Siddhant

Sunil Shetty .... Dan

Shilpa Shetty .... Aditi

Abhishek Bachchan .... Shashank

Zayed Khan .... Aditya

Esha Deol .... Neha

Dressed in black, the quartet - Abhishek, Sanju, Zayed and oh-so-shapely Shilpa - almost look like models flaunting their zany outfits, besides some attitude, of course. They are not. In Dus, they are the members of an Anti-Terrorist Cell. They are the people who diffuse bombs, take on the terrorists and thwart possible attacks.

Anubhav Sinha's movie Dus is a slick product - made with heavy budget and huge star cast. To have as many as eight known Bollywood stars in a movie is no small feat. But to relegate a movie's story to the backdrop and to give precedence to what is secondary - style, action, stunts, dresses, visual appeal - is a big flaw. That is what handicaps Dus.

As the movie begins with a dance number Dus Bahane, it doesn’t take much time for you to realize that on offer is a celluloid
feast, stodgy with breath-taking stunts but bereft of a substantial story. Logic, rationale and realism are simply not to be
expected.

The ATC, led by Dutt, is deft in handling terror situations. The swaggering Abhishek is the dude who maintains his cool in
the dangerous of situations and the catty Shilpa can surprise the bad guys with her martial arts skills and a kick into their
butts. Zayed plays the man who is a bit flippant in diffusing bombs, but luck, luckily, stays on his side all the time.

The dashing foursome get a mission to stop a terrorist from unleashing terror in Canada when the Indian PM visits there. No one has seen the terrorist. What they know about him is his name - Jamwal.

Abhishek and Zayed get orders to reach Canada and nab the bad guy. There, they meet Esha Deol and a Canadian Cop, Sunil Shetty, who eventually help them in their mission.
Just when the story seemed to be gathering some momentum, director Anubhav Sinha decides to throw in some romance. Hence the audience are subjected to the muted, unexpressed sparks between Esha and Abhishek. But the romantic interlude gets extended with the Sunil Shetty-Raima Sen track and also Zayed's daydreams of his 'darling' Dia Mirza.

By the way, the guys are supposed to be on a mission not on dates.
As the D-Day draws closer, the ATC guys pull up their socks. And it is just in the nick of time that Sanju (who arrives in Canada later) figures out who the terrorist is. But no reasons are given as to how Sanju came to know the terrorist. Perhaps some sort of super-intuition.
Despite the absence of story, there indeed are certain things about Dus worth appreciating.

Director Anubhav Sinha tells the movie's story at an electric pace. Dus is replete with high quality action scenes and stunts, previously unseen in Bollywood films. The background music by Ranjit Barot adds the extra punch.

However, the climax takes the fizz away, firstly because it is long-drawn, secondly the way the identity of the “much dreaded terrorist” is revealed lets you down.

Abhishek Bachchan is the one who stands out in the colorful cast ensemble of Dus. Sanjay Dutt looks intense, but age has begun to show on his face and body language. Zayed Khan is amusing in his clumsy antics. Sunil Shetty hardly leaves any impact except looking dashing.

Among the ladies, Shilpa Shetty is unmatchable. Her sylph-like figure is a constant distraction from what is going on the
screen. Raima Sen is oddly cast while Esha Deol gets a few moments to display her histrionics.
All said, Dus is a movie that will appeal to those who dig action thrillers, no matter what the story is. Brawns, bullets, bombs, high-speed chases, pyrotechnics - all is on the platter in Dus.

The romance, in-between, is a sore thumb.

Fast but not moving.

Aapna Sapna Money Money!!!

Starring

Ritesh Deshmukh.... Krishna
Celina Jaitley.... Saania Badnaam
Koena Mitra.... Julie
Jackie Shroff.... Danny Carlos
Shreyas Talpade.... Arjun
Sunil Shetty.... Namdev Mane
Riya Sen.... Shivani

Here comes yet another slapstick comedy filled with madcap characters in search of hidden diamonds. Sangeeth Sivan’s movie ‘Apna Sapna Money Money’ is a corny, crowded entertainer that banks majorly on crass and crude humour.Wit is not something you should expect from a movie like ‘Money Money’.

The comedy in the movie is juvenile and at times even childish. Yet there are some sequences that turn out to be immensely entertaining. These sequences mostly come from Ritesh Deshmukh, the young star with a very natural flair for comedy.The movie has no concrete story to write home about. Even the plot keeps veering off the track due to the presence of too many characters in the story. In this muddle, good, laughable humour flashes through intermittently, but the movie gets heavy and begins to drag as it approaches the end. The film is full of several wacky characters. There is an underworld don (Jackie Shroff) gone bankrupt. His moll Sania Badnaam (Celina Jaitley) has a bag of diamonds that could revive his fortunes again.

There is a rogue Kishan (Ritesh Deshmukh) with a natural gift to dupe people without slightest of compunction. There is a mechanic Arjun (Shreyas Talpade) head-over-heels in love with Shivani (Riya Sen), daughter of an overprotective father Pandit Shastri (Anupam Kher).

There is a chief (Chunky Pandey) of a Nepali gang baying for Kishan’s blood. There is a tabela owner (Rajpal Yadav) who imitates Amitabh Bachchan from movie ‘Sarkar’. There is an honest cop (Sunil Shetty) out to catch a bunch of criminals.In this big crowd, the movie’s story gets lost somewhere as Kishan is smitten with dancer Julie (Koena Mitra), and his cousin (Shreyas) falls for a stubborn pandit’s daughter (Riya). Kishan helps his cousin in winning his ladylove and at the same time also puts his enemies off his trail by assuming different get-ups.He slips into the guise of a woman to play his cousin’s aunt Sania. Unfortunately, Pandit Shastri falls for him (disguised as her). And the diamonds that everyone is after is closer to Kishan than he suspects. A series of slapstick situations crop up as one character after another joins the mad race to find the booty that is worth crores.

The prominent flaw of ‘Money Money’ is that its humour is very generic. The movie’s script is like mishmash of old, outdated jokes given a new tenor by situational twists and turns. The movie’s music (by Pritam) further adds to the woes of a viewer.However, some actors stand above the film’s ordinary script and make the movie watchable. Ritesh Deshmukh is a laugh riot in his various getups. His comic timing, his facial reactions, his expressions and the very tone of his dialogues evoke laughter. Rajpal Yadav and Chunky Pandey also chip in moments of quality humour. Anupam Kher is very entertaining. The actresses (Celina, Koena and Riya) basically add glamour and oomph to the proceedings. Sunil Shetty is likeable.

Jackie Shroff is over-the-top.On the whole, ‘Apna Sapna Money Money’ is no great shakes. But in the confusing melee of its madcap characters, you do find some real good moments of hearty laughter.In short, ‘Money Money’ is a good timepass entertainer if you don’t value your time and money too much.

Kabul Express!!!

Kabul Express’ is an engaging thriller by documentary filmmaker Kabir Khan. The movie tells an interesting and thought-provoking tale against the backdrop of a country ravaged by war. Without falling prey to the stereotypes of commercial cinema, Kabir Khan attempts to bring the hard-hitting realities of Afghanistan to light. The story is set in the time when the Taliban were being wiped out by the Americans and the Afghans after the 9/11 attacks.

The movie does have a slightly anti-Pak flavour and it also goes into America bashing. But these seem to have been incorporated to bring the truth to light. The ruins of Afghanistan are testimony to 22 years of incessant wars that destroyed the country since the Soviet invasion. The Taliban hunted by the Afghans and betrayed by Pakistan mirrors the shift in the policies of the nation that once supported them.

In this complex setting, Kabir Khan tells the story of five individuals and what transpires in a period of two days. Cameraman Jai (Arshad Warsi) and journalist Suhel (John Abraham) enter Afghanistan to cover the war and get an interview with a Talibani. With the help of their local guide and driver Khyber (Hanif Hum Ghum), the two set out in Toyota Jeep called Kabul Express in search of their big story.

After a series of adventures and close brushes with death, the trio meets an American photojournalist Jessica (Linda Arsenio).The quartet is then kidnapped by an escaping Pakistani soldier Imran (Salman Shahid) who had been operating for Taliban before the US attack. Now he is on the run to get back to his country. As the five set out on their perilous journey to the Afghan-Pakistan border, the hostility between them gives way to trust. They debate and discuss the situation in the region. Eventually, Jai, Suhel, Khyber and Jessica help Imran reach his country. But there is a surprise in store for everyone.‘Kabul Express’ has a raw and rugged feel that verily complements the film’s story and setting.

The movie has several nail-biting moments, all of which are peppered by impeccable humour by Arshad Warsi. In fact, Warsi completely overshadows John Abraham in the film. The latter’s presence seems primarily to lend some star value to the movie. The same goes for Linda Arsenio too. If only Kabir Khan had developed John and Linda’s characters better and made them essential to the plot.Salman Shahid gives an emphatic performance as a former Talibani on the run. Hanif Hum Ghum too is effective.

On the whole, ‘Kabul Express’ is a well-crafted and technically sound film. The only flaw is that Kabir Khan doesn’t give depth to some characters in the story. Otherwise, the movie entertains you and leaves you in a reflective mood.

Chocolate!!!

Starring: Anil Kapoor, Suniel Shetty, Arshad Warsi, Irrfan Khan, Emran Hashmi, and Sushma Reddy

Director: Vivek Agnihotri

Music: Preetam

Producer: Ram Gopal Varma, Anil Kapoor

CHOCOLATE also reminds you of Vijay Anand's classic JEWEL THIEF [Ashok Kumar, Dev Anand, Vyjayantimala, Tanuja] in terms of narrating the story. The story is told in two different time frames: In the present and looking back at the events. Also, the persons attempting to put the missing links in CHOCOLATE are con men themselves, it’s similar to Ashok Kumar’s character in JEWEL THIEF.

Krish (Anil Kapoor) is a sharp lawyer who always wins the case. There is Rocker (Suniel Shetty) who is obsessed with love. Nothing gets in his way. Pipi (Irfan Khan) is a thinker who always prefers to follow the right path. We also have Tubby (Arshad Warsi) who is a Casanova, while Sim (Tanushree Dutta) is a seductress with a dubious past. Suniel Shetty as Rocker There is also Devaa (Emran Hashmi), a passionate musician... while Mansoon (Sushma Reddy) is a charming out-of-luck journalist trying to make a name for herself in the media world.

Director Vivek Agnihotri knows the power of technique and there’s no denying that CHOCOLATE is a refined product. The execution of a few sequences deserves good marks, but Agnihotri is saddled by a script that the average Indian cinegoer wouldn’t comprehend at all.
Irrfan Khan is convincing as a man caught in someone else's mess and Emraan and Arshad are very bankable. Anil Kapoor gets into the skin of the lawyer, but sometimes overdoes it while trying to lend a tinge of eccentricity to his character. Tanushree Dutta, who has a sufficiently meaty role in the film, has the goods to carry off the role of a conniving sex goddess, but she could brush up on her acting skills. Sushma Reddy's character is cutting-edge journalist, clumsy klutz, scatterbrain and sexy woman all rolled into one.

Cinematography [Attar Singh Saini] is splendid. Suniel Shetty puts in a sincere effort. Arshad Warsi and Emraan Hashmi, competent actors both, are sidelined completely. Sushma Reddy is cute, but doesn’t have much to do.

On the whole, CHOCOLATE is body beautiful, minus soul.