Film Review-No Entry

Lara Dutta, Fardeen Khan, Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Celina Jetley, Bipasha Basu and Esha Deol in No Entry.

Starring: Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Fardeen Khan, Lara Dutta, Bipasha Basu, Esha Deol, Celina Jetley

Director: Aneez Bazmee

Rating: * * 1/2

Is No Entry a take off on Masti? No, not really. How good is it? Its passable, worth a watch. Its about three friends and their silly lives and even more sillier wives. There is nothing much that I can write about the story, but hell yeah I can write about the performances.

No Entry makes a dull start, an interesting mid and an overtly funny second half. If anyone would see the film it would definitely be for its second half. The director, I must appreciate has directed the second half extremely well with all the chaos and confusion woven extremely well.

The music is nothing to speak about, infact to make the film a racy, fast paced comedy all the songs except the title song should be deleted. The background score with the title song tune fits really well. It would have been a really good and memorable comedy caper had the characters been chosen carefully, no one suits the role what he or she has got except Lara and Bipasha.

Here's my advice to each of the lead actors.

Celina Jetley, ok I understand you are improving but behaving hyper and prancing like a cat is not acting and the clothes I shall not comment but they seem to be slipping everywhere, especially in the song "Ishq mein".

Mr Fardeen Khan the doggy faces that you make in the film is not acting, the final verdict is you cannot act.

Esha, what are you doing in this movie? it's not even a lead nor a good guest appearence.

Bipasha, you have performed well and very naturally , but something is drastically wrong with the make up and clothes, its ghastly at times. Keep a check.

Lara, the only saving grace in the movie, keep it up.

Salman Khan, how many times will you jump around the beach in a bikini? Aren't u fed up? WE ARE.

And finally Anil, you are one of the best actors of our country and one of my favorites too, I really find very difficult to write this despite the fact that you have acted well, as always , Uncle please do roles that suit your age. Roles like My Wife's Murder in which you were simply outstanding and which do justice to your age and acting capabilities.

Enter the No Entry zone bindaas, despite all its flaws its still not disappointing.

-Sanketh Rao..

Film Review- Mangal Pandey~The Rising

Aamir Khan in and as Mangal Pandey~The Rising

Starring: Aamir Khan, Toby Stephens, Rani Mukerjee, Amisha Patel.

Direction : Ketan Mehta

Rating : * *

Four scenes and one good song doesn't make a memorable film. I don't know how the film is being critically acclaimed everywhere, but I think its a big disappointment. After a sabbatical of four years and a memorable Lagaan what we get from Mr. Perfect Khan is a half baked history lesson with some unwanted filmi fiction added for reasons only known to the director and the writer.

Ok whats good in the movie, a scene where Amisha is offered as Sati, another scene is where Aamir Khan is agitating against the British and comes forward alone as a rebel, also the scene where Mangal is being taken to be hanged to death and a haunting title song.

And whats not good, well everything else, I just cant believe I got such a film from Aamir Khan. The cinematography rocks. The music by Rehman is absolutely lacklustre except the title song. The direction is patchy, screenplay and script are weak.

Om Puri as the narrator cannot match Amitabh Bachchan, Kirron Kher in a 45 second role is good. Tom Alter, gawd knows what he is doing there, Varsha Usgoankar (if you remember her) is hilarious in her 5 second Rani Laxmibai avatar.

The only actor who gets a thumbs up is, Toby Stephens. Whether its his acting capabilities or his Hindi dialogue delivery with the right expression, he excels. Amisha Patel (Jwaala) in her 3 scene role, cannot rely on this film at all to do her any good. I hope Rani doesn't end the year with this film, coz although she plays the role of a prostitute (Heera) to perfection she is hardly there, even her song Mai Vaari Vaari is unimpressive. And the funniest is when she turns from a pros to a sepoy in the climax, my question is WHY?????????

Last but not the least Aamir Khan can never be bad, rite? but yes he can be odinary at times and this is the perfect example.

With all due respects to Mangal Pandey one of our prominent freedom fighters, I would still say you haven't missed anything if you haven't seen this flick. If you really wanna know about the real Mangal Pandey, I think you can refresh your memory by reading that one chapter about him in the history textbooks.

Jai Hind!

-Sanketh Rao.