CINETALK Pulsating action, innovative stunts

Film: Blue

Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Zayed Khan, Lara Dutta, Katrina Kaif Kylie Minogue Director : Anthony D’Souza;

When the makers of a film proudly proclaim their product to be at par with their Hollywood counterparts, one is bound to be sceptical. More so because Blue is an action film, that too set underwater, which is not just a first in Bollywood but also a rarity in Hollywood.

So does Blue set new standards for Bollywood action movies? Does it actually get into the underbelly of the sea and show a world hitherto unexplored? The answer is yes.

Let’s put it this way - Blue may not be the most mind-blowing commercial action thriller that you would have ever seen. However, it certainly is the most innovative attempt that deserves to be acknowledged and lauded.

Action is truly the USP of the film and keeps the momentum going for Blue due to which one doesn’t quite miss the presence of a solid storyline.

From first till the last frame, it’s the amalgamation of action and an unknown world (under the sea) which brings in a novelty factor.

For those hunting for a storyline, Blue actually begins and ends at the basic synopsis level. Mr. Richie Rich Akshay Kumar wants a treasure to be explored and entices his employee and friend Sanjay Dutt with tempting offers.

Dutt is reluctant to take that dive into the sea even though his girlfriend Lara Dutta and brother Zayed Khan do present him enough reasons to take the plunge. Eventually he relents and the journey of Blue begins. Simple. There are five key action sequences that keep the pace up for the film. Each of the three bike sequences featuring Zayed become better and better and in fact his introduction a la Fast and the Furious is something unique for an Indian film.

The boxing ring sequence featuring Sanjay and Akshay does hint of Broken Arrow, though it works in establishing their characters. Most importantly, the entire underwater hunt sequence is a breathtaking affair.

Anthony D’Souza has a strong eye for visuals and that shows. Technically, whether it is camerawork or sound, Blue bears an international feel. Whether it’s Sanjay or Akshay, the revelation about their past isn’t quite hammer strong, even though convincing. Moreover, even though the film is a multi starrer, one does expect Akshay to be on the forefront. However, for a change, a film featuring him does allow equal screen space for other actors as well.

As for Lara and Katrina Kaif, their presence is required to make the film look good and in that aspect, they do well.

In a nutshell, Blue “ is made for those who want pulsating action, innovative stunts, glamour and some unbelievable moments that defy logic.

It mainly caters to the youth who want some non stop action, in the kind of films where bikes are meant to race through traffic, cars are meant to explode, women are meant to bring on a glamour quotient, villains are meant to be suave, action is meant to belong to never-seenbefore variety and technical aspects are meant to be superior to the best.

Film: Fruit And Nut

Starring: Cyrus Broacha, Dia Mirza, Boman Irani, Mahesh Manjrekar, Rajit Kapoor

Director: Kunal Vijaykar

Fruit And Nut is a film which is neither sweet as a fruit not crunchy as a nut. In fact the best way to describe it is that its makers must have actually gone totally nuts in sanctioning a film - if it can actually be termed so - like this.

It is one thing to go bizarre, break the norms and come up with a quirky affair, but it’s an altogether different thing if the makers become completely overconfident, try to be extra smart and ultimately fall flat on their face.

Fruit And Nut falls in the latter category. For a movie that has been sold as a quickie comedy, there is not even a single scene that actually makes you roll with laughter. At most, there could be a faint smile or two at a few junctures. The film by itself is not even silly enough to be laughed at, if not laughed along with.

In fact the latter half is so unbearable that you actually contemplate walking out of the auditorium. Thankfully, it is the ‘unusual suspect’ Mahesh Manjrekar who actually manages to make you at least remain seated till the end credits start rolling.

Fruit And Nut tries to pack a lot in the overall narrative by introducing newer situations and characters practically every 10 minutes. Cyrus Broacha is a loser who doesn’t fit into any role, whether it is being an office clerk, radio jockey, watchman or even a help at a pizza shop. He fumbles at every step, literally so. Exaggeration is the name of the game here and though one understands where director Kunal was coming from when he created a character like this, it becomes a little too much to digest just 15 minutes into the film.

Dia Mirza as the “lady in sari” is a pleasant watch though and carries a touchme-not persona around her for most of the film. As a young woman who has been kidnapped, she does exude vibes of being someone who deserves to be rescued. However, the kidnapper in question, Boman Irani, gets annoying at places with his ‘Breakfast Kiya’ phrase. Of course the purpose here was to irritate but then there is always a thin line between an irritating character and an irritating actor.

Thankfully, this is where Mahesh Manjrekar comes in handy as his one liners do manage to bring on smiles at frequent intervals. Yes, just like all other characters in the film, he too is quite bizarre. One doesn’t quite mind that since the dialogues mouthed by him - a mix of Hindi, English and plain gibberish - belong to never-heard before variety. His novelty too starts fading amusing’ madness, there are additional characters like the villain’s henchmen, a cop, hired assassins Salim & Sulaiman, a beggar turned RAW agent and a scientist - all of whom only make this 100-minute film seem like double its length. In the past, there have been quite a few quirky movies made and all have met with diverse results.

Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd worked while Bheja Fry paved the way for many more humorous films to come. However, in the last few months, there have also been releases like Aagey Se Right and Quick Gun Murugan, none of which managed to make any impact whatsoever at the box office. Fruit And Nut is all set to suffer a worse fate at the theatres.

Joginder Tuteja

Film: All The Best

Starring: Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgn, Fardeen Khan, Bipasha Basu, Mugdha Godse

Directed by: Rohit Shetty

In his first really decent and meaty role since Munnabhai, Dutt gets into the satirical groove effortlessly and fluently playing a visiting Bade Bhaiyya from abroad whom his kid brother Fardeen Khan (tolerably befuddled) must fool into believing he’s married and decent.

The guys in Rohit Shetty’s comedies are anything but decent. Rascals and rogues of the first order, Devgan and Khan are splendidly supported by a sparkling cast of comic actors ranging from Asrani to Johnny Lever to the wonderful Ashwini Kalsekar (remember how cheesy and charming she was in Rohit Shetty’s Gol Maal Returns?) to Sanjay Mishra (as a zonked out wannabe householder who says ‘Just chill’ as though his tongue had just been through a sugarcane-juice machine).

The screenplay (Robin Bhatt) juices the material for all it’s worth. The constant flow of cheesy-breezy dialogues is littered with high-school humour but blessedly no vulgarity. This is one comedy you could take your mom to see without once walloping a wince into the wanton soup.

The burlesque is fast-paced though surprisingly restrained and has room galore for PJs. The one-liners are so silly and graffiti-like in their basic humour, you can’t but titter at the trivia wrapped in gloss that makes welcome room for Pritam’s pacy music without getting in the way of the oneliners.

So ok. This one doesn’t leave you... er, ‘blue’ in the face. The comedy is purely situational and the style purely ‘Rohit Shetty’. That means a bit of slapstick, a bit of that rapidly-moving tongue in the cheek, and a lot of Ajay Devgan.

And if you add Sanjay Dutt to the bubbly bouncy comic brew... man, you’ve got a show that’s on the road from the word go. This time the setting, if you must know, is Goa.

Shetty doesn’t use the tourist spot as a character. You suspect he places his colony of characters in the Goan location so they could all be camera-framed into a streamlined stampede.

There are only three female characters in the show, the rest are all guys playing conmen, goons, gangsters, wheeler dealers, warriors and worriers all of whom display an exemplary comic strength.

Sanjay Dutt gets it right after a long time. He has a lot of fun doing his part and he lets us share his enjoyment. Ajay Devgan’s comic timing has gotten rapidly dead-on under Shetty’s tutelage. He gives Dutt tit for tat, and then some more.

Not all the material is uniformly amusing. Towards the finishing line you do begin to wonder how much longer it would take this wonky wacky world of wispy and reparable wickedness to set itself right.

Subhash K. Jha

Film: Bal Ganesha 2

Director: Pankaj Sharma

More than half a dozen animated films released in 2008. However, most of them failed to make a mark, mainly because of sub-standard animation.

Now in 2009, comes the next installment of Bal Ganesha and among all the animation films based on mythological themes, this is easily the best India has seen so far.

The sequel to Bal Ganesha has not really been promoted. But the animation is of high order, characters are fleshed out well, the story is interesting, the music is catchy and most important, there are enough rib tickling moments that will keep kids rolling with laughter.

Cynics may compare the storytelling and animation of Bal Ganesha with that of Hollywood films. Though it may not be at the same level as its Hollywood counterparts, it does move in that direction. Film maker Pankaj Sharma sets the entire team of narrators, a bunch of mice, in the present time and uses tapori (street) language to make the narrative more crisp.

For those who missed the first installment of Bal Ganesha, there is a quick recap.

The film focuses on three stories, which are basically episodes from the life of Ganesha when he was a kid.

These stories revolve around playing games with a cat, writing of Mahabharat and battling with a demon.

The stories all have twists in the end. They also have messages but thankfully that is not thrust down the throat of the audience.

It is clear that Sharma has understood the pulse of his target audience.

Also, the song De Taali, which comes in the second half of the film is intelligently used to bring in a desired break between the stories.

Overall, Bal Ganesha is pretty good and deserves a watch.

Joginder Tuteja