Tiger Zinda Hai - Trailer Review

With the release of some remarkable movies like 'Baahubali: The Conclusion', 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha', and a couple more lined up for the next two months, 2017 has been quite an eventful year for Bollywood so far. While, most of us are looking forward to Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Padmavati', let's not forget that Salman Khan is right behind him, all set to blow our minds away with 'Tiger Zinda Hai'.

Yash Raj Films today dropped the much-awaited trailer of the movie and we have now officially lost our chill. In 2012, Tiger, an Indian spy came into our lives along with his leading lady, Zoya (Katrina Kaif) who turned out to be a Pakistani agent. The two love birds disappeared from the radar of RAW and ISI and while we were dreaming about the two living a happy life, chilling on a beach with their kids; turns out that spies can't stay away from beating the lights out of bad guys for long.

Fast forward five years and our lethal duo are back in action, this time for a combined mission to eliminate a common enemy, Abu Usman, whose accent is harder to decode than a doctor's prescription. But, we guess Salman can decipher his language, so he was summoned (don't ask how the agencies got hold of him now when they couldn't in 2012, technology maybe) to take the matter in his hands.

Set in the backdrop of Iraq, an evil dictator and his terrorist organisation kidnaps a group of Indian nurses, Salman's mission is to save them from their evil clutches. In the first few seconds of the trailer, you realize what you are signing up for –killer fighting sequences, shots being fired and bombs exploding everywhere, cars and buildings blowing up and lots and lots of classic kick-ass action. Don't get confused, Rohit Shetty is not a part of this film, other directors too can blow up cars like a pro. The trailer looks amazing and there's not even a single frame that will make you snooze.

While Salman was possibly chugging down some magical potion that was originally kept hidden with Rambo, James Bond or Terminator; Katrina Kaif seems to have taken a sip as well before dealing with the bad guys. From killing terrorists with a gun that's bigger than her face without blinking an eyelid and taking down enemies like it's nobody's business; Katrina is the new superhero in the block, sans the power of Wonder Woman.

Salman Khan and epic dialogues go hand in hand and he continues this legacy in this one too. “Shikaar to sab karte hai, lekin Tiger se behtar shikaar koi nahi karta.” We won't be surprised if this statement goes down in the golden pages of Bollywood as one of the most intense dialogues ever (for reasons most of us are already aware of), after Gabbar's “Kitne Aadmi The” and Shahenshah's “Rishte me to hum tumhare baap lagte hai.”

The trailer looks promising and Ali Abbar Zafar has done a commendable job in turning 'Tiger Zinda Hai' into a spy movie that every Hollywood or Bollywood actor would like to be a part of. The movie is slated to release on December 22.

Ittefaq - Movie Review

CAST: Sidharth Malhotra, Akshaye Khanna, Sonakshi Sinha and others.

DIRECTION: Abhay Chopra.

DURATION:1 hour 40 minutes.

The last Bollywood murder mystery I remember vividly is Manorama Six Feet Under. However, most people would categorise this Abhay Deol film as "indie" or in more polite terms, "offbeat". Aamir Khan's Talaash is probably the last mainstream whodunit to come out of Bollywood.

This is probably why interest in this Friday's release, Dharma Productions' Ittefaq, has reached new heights — we're starved of a good murder mystery.

Starring Sidharth Malhotra, Akshaye Khanna and Sonakshi Sinha — Ittefaq is a remake (I'm using this word loosely) of the 1969 film starring Rajesh Khanna and Nanda. Adopting a no-promotions and no-spoilers approach to the film ahead of its release (smart, if you ask me), the makers have been careful to not reveal anything related to Ittefaq's plot.

It's hard to have a spoiler-free opinion (and give spoiler-free updates) for a whodunit like Ittefaq. Right off the bat, Ittefaq kicks off with a car chase involving Sidharth Malhotra. During the first five minutes of the film, you get a sense of how the next two hours are going to play out. Ittefaq ticks all the boxes of a noir film — the dark undertones, mostly shot at night, sharp cuts of a wild goose chase between the police and Malhotra, deep-blue and crimson hues making up the frame, and an eerie, mysterious background score.

The opening credits of the film roll as the murder is finally introduced to us: we see Sonakshi Sinha signaling the police to her house where we find a bloodied Vikram Seth (Sidharth) a novelist, standing above a corpse. We then also meet Akshaye Khanna (Dev), the detective investigating the case (and his wife, played by Mandira Bedi).

This is a high profile case, we hear. Vikram is a UK-based novelist and is wanted by the police for two murders: his wife Catherine's, and that of lawyer Shekhar Sinha (the husband of Maya, the character played by Sonakshi). As most whodunits go, Dev's main role in the film is to debunk all the thoughts people have about the murders. The plot takes its time to unravel the small mysteries, letting you stew in your questions.

Why is Vikram not saying much? He's been kept inside a room with chai and idlis and it seems like he's traumatised. Why is Dev so suspicious about everyone? What is Maya's deal?

Akshaye as Dev has the tough cop act nailed: he sports a thick mustache, is funny at the wrong time — just to unnerve the person in front of him. Sidharth as Vikram, on the other hand, really demands your sympathy. He makes you feel right from the beginning, that he's been dragged into a mess. He claims innocence. And the first 15 minutes of the film are told to us from his point of view.

There's definitely something iffy about this case and you have your guard up. From Vikram's point of view, Maya's hiding something, and is equal parts reluctant and scared. With the advantage of having very expressive eyes, Sonakshi conveys this mystery well. Her performance is subdued and raises the right questions.

As expected, when she speaks to Dev about the eventful night of the double murders, she has a whole other point of view — one that incriminates Vikram. The confusion that Ittefaq is trying to build works on multiple levels. It thrills you, but leaves you with more questions than answers. And that's a good sign in a murder mystery. Ittefaq is deliciously aware that it is toying with your ability to pay attention.

The plot throws you hints when you least expect them and doesn't depend on tricks. All we have as an audience is the ability to put two and two together, and Ittefaq uses that to its advantage by giving us multiple points of view. As the story unravels, we are told there is a third murder charge against Vikram — by a girl who committed suicide a couple of years ago. All these loose ends dance around in front of your eyes as more details are revealed. In Dev's words: 'There are three side to this story. Vikram's, Maya's and the truth.'Each point of view is played out so convincingly by all the actors, that it's hard to come to conclusions. At this point I have my theories but I'm not going to reveal them just yet. This wait seems to be worth it.

By mid-point, the stakes have gotten higher, and the claims have gotten even more confusing. We see long, unwinding shots of both Maya and Vikram looking tense and confused. We see Dev watching them like a hawk.

The best thing about Ittefaq is that it doesn't take itself seriously. The tone of the film is light when the murder isn't being discussed. The cops joke amongst one another and the set design reveals a realistic side of the city — juxtaposing the plush homes where the murders happen with the seedy jails and underbelly of Mumbai.

One thing is certain, director Abhay Chopra knows this genre well. He makes us believe in every story, even though we know there's only one truth.

As the audience, you tend to follows Dev's trajectory because he's the suspecting eye, trying to get to the bottom of these murders — and so are you. The entire story unfolds over three days, but the film gives off a timeless vibe. It's in no hurry to unravel. I was expecting a more explosive build-up and one final mind-blowing reveal, so I guess the only flaw so to speak is an underwhelming second half.

It's not devoid of shockers but it's not unpredictable either. If you watch TV crime dramas, you'll guess this one within 45 minutes. But this is not to take away from the merit of Ittefaq. It's a tight, crisp debut by Abhay Chopra, and while Sonakshi and Siddharth both play their parts well, the real star of Ittefaq is Akshaye Khanna. Someone give this talented man more films.

My Rating: 3/5

Thor Ragnarok - Movie Review

CAST: Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Anthony Hopkins

DIRECTION: Taika Waititi

DURATION:2 hours 15 minutes

The moment Thor Ragnarok opens with a close up of Thor suspended somewhere in a cage, staring directly at the camera and delivering a darkly funny monologue, you know you’re in for a very different Thor movie. And the moment the camera pans to the left to reveal a fiery demon chilling on a makeshift throne arguing with Thor, you’re sure that this is going to be an incredibly entertaining movie.

Marvel and Disney have outdone themselves – Thor Ragnarok is the best film of their superhero cannon to date, thanks to the weird genius of the director Taika Waititi.

The Kiwi filmmaker brings a whole new layer of hilariously awkward comedy, self aware set pieces, eye poppingly splashy colours, 8-bit inspired music along with the MCU’s ridiculously high bar for special effects. More importantly, Waititi also finds the right balance of heroism and humor in the Thor character, something the previous films had missed, turning him into a serious bore.

If you’ve been following the sprawling timeline of the MCU, you’ll fit right into the story. The events in this film occur parallel to the stuff that happens in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Spider Man Homecoming and Civil War, and a few months after Doctor Strange.

The fact that we’re able to follow such a complicated timeline so easily is a testament to how finely Marvel has built their storytelling machine.

Anyway, we follow Thor who is stuck on a strange planet called Sakaar, which has odd colours and is ruled by an even weirder dude named Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) who organizes gladiator matches of sorts. This is a problem because the villain of the week – Hela (Cate Blanchett) shows up in Thor’s home Asgaard with plans to rule the world. You can guess what happens next – Thor must escape the bizarro planet and save his people (again).

Every time there is a potentially familiar setup, the filmmaker injects his trademark visual comedy to make it all seem fresh. The film also plays like it is made by an MCU fanboy suddenly given the power to control the ship.

So the plot zooms from one awesome set piece to the other, feeding an imagination that has gone completely wild. Rocket ship blasters controlled by invisible gloves, scary looking but soft spoken aliens made of rocks, laugh out loud cameos by other superheroes, hyper kinetic action which culminates into an awesome slow motion final punch, and even the ultimate badass female sidekick called Valkyrie played by Tessa Thomspson.

Since you’ve probably already seen the trailer you would know that The Hulk has a major presence in the film. But it’s not just a presence, it’s the best rendition of the character to date.

Even if you are wowed by the spectacular action, it’s the Thor-Hulk banter that makes the most impact. Placing these two inherently serious characters in a plot device reminiscent of buddy cop and road trip comedies is a brave decision that pays off handsomely.

On the downside, despite Blanchett’s fun performance, the film suffers from the same problem that every other MCU has to date – a villain that shows great promise but disappears without making too much of an impact. With a scale this huge in these films, peppered with so many hero characters and even grey characters like Loki, it’s impossible to create a well-developed ultimate villain whose arc starts and ends in just one movie.

You should watch Thor Ragnarok on the biggest screen in your town, and to be able to enjoy the pop fizzy colour palette you should head to a theater playing it in 3D. This is a new standard set for superhero movies, and I wonder how Marvel will top this with the Infinity War movies.

My Rating : 4/5