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I HATE LUV STORYS
Release date: 02.07.2010
What: She revels in romance. He loathes love. They start off as colleagues at loggerheads and turn into friends. Until Cupid strikes.
Thumbs up: The fresh Imran-Sonam pairing, Vishal-Shekhar’s music.
Thumbs down: Predictable plot, too many spoofy moments. Below par acting in parts.
t2 review: The smartness of I Hate Luv Storys starts and almost ends with the title. For a film which is a derivative of every famous love story made in B-town, it needed the magic wand of a Farah Khan or a Farhan Akhtar masterstroke.
Verdict: ABOVE AVERAGE
RED ALERT
Release date: 09.07.2010
What: A struggling simpleton is forced by circumstances to pick up arms and join the Naxalite movement.
Thumbs up: The realistic and hard-hitting premise, competent performances led by Suniel Shetty and Sameera Reddy.
Thumbs down: The slow pace.
Verdict: FLOP
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MILENGE MILENGE
Release date: 09.07.2010
What: A desi (and disastrous) Serendipity remake where a couple meet and separate, willing fate to reunite them. Producer Boney Kapoor tried to hoist Milenge Milenge on ‘Kareena-Shahid are back together’ promos, but this dated Satish Kaushik film was a no-show from show one.
Thumbs up: Almost nothing.
Thumbs down: Almost everything.
t2 review: This jagged jelly of a movie, as old as Methuselah, is an unmitigated disaster.
Verdict: FLOP
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LAMHAA
Release date: 16.07.2010
What: Devastated by militancy and ravaged by vested political interests, Kashmir 2009 is torn between picking up arms and supporting a democratic electoral process.
Thumbs up: A heart-wrenching premise, Bipasha Basu as a strong-willed Kashmiri, Mithoon’s music, the camerawork.
Thumbs down: Tepid narrative, lacking punch.
t2 review: Lamhaa’s heart may be in the right place, but that isn’t enough to tell a story as hard-hitting and poignant as one that Kashmir deserves.
Verdict: FLOP
UDAAN
Release date: 16.07.2010
What: A well-told and beautifully crafted self-realisation andcoming-of-age tale of a young boy in small-town India.
Thumbs up: A strong and engaging narrative, compelling performances.
Thumbs down: Slow in parts.
t2 review: You absolutely must watch Udaan. For every rupee you have wasted on big, bad Bolly noise, you must back this beautiful and brave voice.
Verdict: HIT
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TERE BIN LADEN
Release date: 16.07.2010
What: A side-splitting satire about the world’s most wanted man.Thumbs up: The fun plot, super performances(especially from Pradhuman Singh as the Osama lookalike), the rip-roaring one-liners.
Thumbs down: Runs out of steam.
Verdict: ABOVE AVERAGE
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KHATTA MEETHA
Release date: 23.07.2010
What: An assembly-line Priyadarshan comedy about a road contractor perenially in debt. A tortuous watch from start to finish.
Thumbs up: A few fun moments.
Thumbs down: Loud humour, lacklustre performances, Pritam’s music.
t2 review: Wonder which market will feast on this bitter pill called Khatta Meetha. It’s not funny, it has nothing new to say and its treatment is archaic.
Verdict: FLOP
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI
Release date: 30.07.2010
What: Mumbai of the 1970s. Of smugglers. Of dons-in-the-making. Of love and trust. Of betrayal and bullets.
Thumbs up: Tight script, power-packed performances, Pritam’s foot-tapping music.
Thumbs down: The abrupt ending.
t2 review: It mixes myth and movies to offer a concoction so heady you cannot refuse.
Verdict: HIT
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AISHA
Release date: 06.08.2010
What: A quintessential uptown girl from super-rich south Delhi has one passionate pursuit — matchmaking for her friends. With disastrous results
Thumbs up: Abhay Deol, the fab clothes, the fun supporting cast, Amit Trivedi’s music.
Thumbs down: Sonam Kapoor, the meandering plot, the lack of screen time for Abhay.
t2 review: Tum ho nyaka... bahut paka... par mast timepass ho Aisha.
Verdict: AVERAGE
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PEEPLI LIVE
Release date: 13.08.2010
What: A satirical yet poignant take on the menace of farmer suicides in poverty-stricken ‘real’ India. India’s official entry to the Academy Awards next year.
Thumbs up: An uncommon story well told, the bang-on casting, Aamir Khan as producer, the music.
Thumbs down: The slow pace.
t2 review: Peepli Live demands to be absorbed and not just watched over the weekend.
Verdict: HIT
HELP
Release date: 13.08.2010
What: A film star helps his estranged wife exorcise the demons from her past. We needed help to figure out the rest of Help.
Thumbs up: Some genuine spine-chilling moments.
Thumbs down: Not scary enough, weak performances, lack of big stars.
Verdict: FLOP
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LAFANGEY PARINDEY
Release date: 20.08.2010
What: A tapori boxer and a roller-skate dancer who loses her eyesight in an accident learn to live and love in a Mumbai chawl in this Pradeep Sarkar romance.
Thumbs up: The promising premise, the music, Deepika Padukone.
Thumbs down: Not meaty enough, tends to drag.
t2 review: For some moments and that bewitching Padukone girl, Lafangey Parindey... is definitely a ‘decent’ watch.
Verdict: FLOP
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AASHAYEIN
Release date: 27.08.2010
What: A compulsive gambler becomes a do-gooder with just 90 days to live.
Thumbs up: The premise, Anaitha Chak De India! Nair as a cancer patient.
Thumbs down: The painful pace, too long in the making, Pritam’s dated music.
t2 review: Aashayein never becomes the big uplifting experience that Kukunoor aims for.
Verdict: flop
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HELLO DARLING
Release date: 27.08.2010
What: Three female subordinates team up to kidnap their autocratic and sexist boss. But then things start going awry.
Thumbs up: You kidding?
Thumbs down: The whole film.
t2 review: Hello Darling is the kind of film that you wouldn’t wish even on your worst enemy. A wafer-thin script made worse by sexual innuendo, double entendre and cheap humour, Hello Darling is sic.
Verdict: FLOP
AntArdwand
Release date: 27.08.2010
What: In the badland of Bihar, a man is kidnapped by the desperate father of a bride and forced to marry her at gunpoint.
Thumbs up: The hard-hitting premise, the powerful performances from Raj Singh Chaudhury and Vinay Pathak.
Thumbs down: Zero publicity, lack of stars, the indulgent pace.
Verdict: FLOP
Emotional Atyachaar
Release date: 27.08.2010
What: Four sets of travellers set out on separate journeys, bound together by their love for money.
Thumbs up: Fun plot and fun performances.
Thumbs down: Lack of publicity.
Verdict: FLOP
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We Are Family
Release date: 03.09.2010
What: A terminally-ill mother entrusts her children to the care of her ex-husband’s current girlfriend in this Stepmom remake.
Thumbs up: Kajol, a fun first half.
Thumbs down: A slack second half, too much rona-dhona, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music.
t2 review: Every reel, every scene, every dialogue is a constant ploy to make you reach out for your handkerchief.
Verdict: average
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DABANGG
Release date: 10.09.2010
What: The life and times of Chulbul Pandey, a corrupt cop with a cause in the Uttar Pradesh heartland.
Thumbs up: Salman Khan as Chulbul, the debut of Sonakshi Sinha, Munni badnaam hui and kickass action sum up the second biggest grosser in the history of Indian cinema (after 3 Idiots).
Thumbs down: Illogical plot, formulaic finish.
t2 review: This is possibly the role of a lifetime for Salman and as the no-holds-barred Chulbul Pandey, he plays to the gallery to the hilt. Humour, action, romance or arrogance, Salman is in top form. He’s total paisa vasool.
Verdict: BLOCKBUSTER
Life Express
Release date: 17.09.2010
What: A socially relevant film dealing with surrogate motherhood, its perils and pitfalls.
Thumbs up: The realistic premise.
Thumbs down: Simplistic treatment, lack of big names (Rituparna in this region apart).
Verdict: FLOP
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ANJAANA ANJAANI
Release date: 01.10.2010
What: Two suicidal strangers meet and fall in love in this Ranbir Kapoor-Priyanka Chopra rom-com.
Thumbs up: Some fun moments, Ravi K. Chandran’s cinematography.
Thumbs down: The RK-PC thanda chemistry, the meandering plot
t2 review: Unfortunately, the hottest stars of Bollywood today do not make the hottest pair. The Ranbir-Priyanka combo doesn’t have the spark of the Ranbir-Katrina pair or the spunk of the Shahid-Priyanka jodi. So even when RK and PC lock lips, you don’t bite your lips.
First weekend verdict: GOOd START
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ROBOT
Release date: 01.10.2010
What: A genius scientist creates a genius android that rebels against him in this Rajinikanth riot.
Thumbs up: Rajini as Chitti the robot, a gorgeous Aishwarya, mid-boggling special effects, picturesque locations.
Thumbs down: Too long, A. R. Rahman’s dull music.
t2 review: Robot’s visual opulence enchants, its sheer scale exhausts, its textured storyline engrosses and its leading man enthralls.
First weekend verdict: EXCELLENT START
...fast forward to the fourth quarter
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Why: Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan rewind to the 1970s in this Vipul Shah film. The biggie this Diwali.
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Why: The third instalment of the highly successful comic franchise. Mithun Chakraborty and Kunal Khemu join the cast to triple the fun in this Rohit Shetty riot.
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Why: Hrithik plays a paraplegic magician and Ash his married nurse in this much-awaited Sanjay Bhansali film. The promos have grabbed eyeballs already.
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Why: Imran and Deepika pair up for the first time in this feel-good rom-com about a pair that breaks up and wants to get back together again!
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Why: Manini Chatterjee’s Do or Die is brought to 35mm life in this Ashutosh Gowariker film. Abhishek as Masterda Surya Sen and Deepika as Kalpana Datta.
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Why: Farah Khan promises to end 2010 on a mad masala note with this kitschy Akshay-Katrina starrer. Could be kickass.
