Dhobi Ghat Movie Review - Kiran Rao's next film

Dhobi Ghat Movie Review - Kiran Rao's next film: Dhobi Ghat is a film that will get diverse reactions from the viewers. Some will no doubt snore through it, some will keep shifting in their seats impatiently, and there are still others who’ll be glued to the screen, unable to blink, totally sunk into the layered drama, the melancholy unravelling against the gentle, unnerving thrum of the most unique city in the world.

“Meri hamsafar, meri tawaif, meri jaan.” That’s how Arun (Aamir Khan) describes Mumbai. A reclusive painter with a mercurial temperament, he shifts into a run-down house in Old Mumbai to seek inspiration that he unexpectedly finds in the abandoned video diaries of a newly-wed Muslim woman Yasmeen (Kriti Malhotra), the Mumbai diaries recorded as letters to her brother back home in UP but never sent for reasons that remain obscure until the very end.

Shai (Monica Dogra) is a banker from the US, holidaying in Mumbai with her Canon digital still camera with which she hopes to record the daily lives of the aam aadmi - the dhobis, the hawkers, the perfume sellers, the night-watchmen. Munna (Prateik Babbar) is a dhobi with a dream to become an actor and a heart that throbs for Shai.

Among these four distinct characters, writer-director Kiran Rao weaves - warp and weft - a tale of intersecting lives, a tale of unrequited love, of one-night stand and the regret on the morning after, of hopes dashed and inspiration found, of loss and, ultimately, death. Dhobi Ghat is a film that calls for a different sensitivity from the viewer. It’s not just content being another clichéd collage of vignettes of the city’s streets and squalor, though there are many, thanks to the black-and-white snaps by Jyotika Jain. Nah! It leaps beyond that and takes a plunge into the lives of the characters, depicting their anxieties, desires and loss with nearly brutal realism but an empathetic heart.

It’s surely not a film for the suckers of speed - the folks who trip on imaginative shot compositions, slick editing, brisk pace punctuated with quip-heavy dialogues and more such screenplay-savvy gimmickry. Kiran Rao puts the story above all. Simply and quite craftily she unravels it with no sense of urgency or desire to overwhelm the viewer. She takes her sweet time to let the story take roots on the screen, the tempo of the screenplay being just right for a film of this genre. It ambles on for a good hour and then slowly, creepily, explodes in its dying minutes into a denouement that’s sure to give you a lump in the throat.

Performances are simply top-notch, though I felt a bit shortchanged by the Hindi-dubbed dialogues. Kriti Malhotra and Prateik Babbar are the pick of the lot. Kriti’s transformation from a curious newcomer in Mumbai into a dejected, depressed housewife ruing her marriage is unsettling, to say the least. Prateik Babbar’s gauche manners, rawness and his irresolute demeanour bring to life the character of the starry-eyed dhobi but the bashful lover that he plays. Aamir Khan’s performance hinges mainly on his character’s looks and expressions, for Arun is a guy who speaks in monosyllables. Monica Dogra’s affected Hindi accent does grate on you for a bit, but her natural performance, more than her swoon-inducing natural beauty, makes up for it. And then there’s the haunting score by the Argentinean composer Gustavo Santaolalla, giving the film a definitive identity.

Some viewers will doubtlessly whine about the film’s pace. Others will grunt at the repeated regressions into the video diaries of Yasmeen. Agreed, but keep in mind that Dhobi Ghat isn’t a film made with an eye on the box office. It’s not designed to please everyone. It’s a very personal ode, a melancholic one at that, to the city and the souls it houses. It's a film made from the heart, a film that restores a movie buff’s faith in the cinema devoid of any vain opulence or pretension of art.

My advice: watch it if you happen to love cinema and think that there’s more to it than entertainment, thrills, vanity, and ha-ha-he-he.

Aamir Khan's 'Dhobi Ghat' Movie Preview

Aamir Khan's 'Dhobi Ghat' Movie Preview: The movie stars Aamir Khan, Prateik Babbar, Kriti Malhotra and Monica Dogra in leading roles. Kiran Rao, Aamir Khan’s wife and assistant director of Lagaan, makes her directorial debut with the film that’s been shot in the narrow and crowded alleys of Masjid Bandar area of Mumbai.

The film has already been to some international film festivals and has been described as Kiran Rao’s love letter to Mumbai. Rao herself has admitted that Mumbai is the fifth character in the story.

Aamir Khan as Arun

Arun is a recluse. Mostly he stays holed up in his room and paints endlessly. He stumbles upon the video diaries of a woman named Yasmin.

Prateik Babbar as Munna

Munna is a dhobi with the dream of becoming a filmstar someday. He idolizes Salman Khan. His world changes when he meets Shai.

Monica Dogra as Shai

Shai is a banker on a holiday in Mumbai. She wants to preserve her memories of Mumbai in a camera. She gets interested in the local dhobi Munna. Through her lens she also peeps into the life of the reclusive painter Arun.

Kriti Malhotra as Yasmin

She’s a newly married Muslim woman who records her daily life in Mumbai on a video camera to send the tapes to her brother.

Synopsis:

Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai diaries) is the story of four people from very different backgrounds, whose worlds intersect and leave them forever altered. As they find themselves drawn into compelling relationships, the city finds its way into the crevices of their lives, separating them even as it brings them closer...

Fragments of their experience - seen through a naive video diary, black and white photographic images and painting - form a portrait of Mumbai and its people bound together as they journey through longing, loneliness, loss and love.

The film has music by Gustavo Santaolalla and cinematography by Tushar Kanty Ray.

Patiala House Music Review: The entertaining tracks

Patiala House Music Review: The entertaining tracks: “Patiala House”; Music Directors: Shankar Mahadevan-Ehsaan Noorani-Loy Mendonsa; Lyricist: Anvita Dutt Guptan; Singers: Mahalakshmi Iyer, Hard Kaur, Shafqat Amanat Ali, Shankar, Earl, Master Saleem, Vishal Dadlani, Suraj Jagan, Alyssa Mendonsa, Hans Raj Hans and Richa Sharma; Rating: ** 1/2″Patiala House”, Akshay Kumar’s first outing of 2011, has music that is not something uncommon, yet most of the songs are entertaining and bring out the signature style of composer trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

The album offers 12 songs, including remixes.

“Patiala House” music commences with “Laung da lashkara” with Mahalaxmi Iyer, Hard Kaur and pop singer Jassi - who has made an appearance after a long time - singing it. This is the title track and quite apt for a film that is named “Patiala House”. Full of Punjabi energy and flavour, the song includes a few rap lines as well.

There is a remix version of the number in the album.

After the first song, the album takes a turn and comes up with poignant track “Kya main jagoon” crooned by Shafqat Amanat Ali. It has a long prelude before the vocals begin, but then it is evident that full focus is on the vocals and music becomes secondary. The song changes pace quickly, which is very interesting and cuts the monotony. Shafqat’s voice is praiseworthy and adds weightage to the song. on the whole a beautiful number that strikes a chord with the listener.

It has two more versions - a regular remix and an unplugged version where the tone of vocals is slightly low. These are equally likeable.

Then comes in “Rola pe gaya” that has Mahalaxmi, Shankar, Earl, Master Saleem and Hard Kaur behind the mike. In spite of so many singers, the song fails to make a mark. Initially, it entertains a little bit, but soon the listener loses interest in the not-so-fresh composition. Even the lyrics don’t impress.

The remix version has nothing great to offer either.

Next song “Aadat hai voh” brings in some respite. Sung by Vishal Dadlani, it has a pleasing guitar strumming in the beginning that sets the mood. Then the rise in the tempo with strong orchestration gives the song an edge. It’s a nice, moderate-paced track that grows on you.

“Baby when you talk to me” is the only pure love song in the album, sung by Suraj Jagan and Alyssa Mendonsa. With Hindi and English lyrics, the foot-tapping song is hummable and engaging but you do get a feeling of dejà vu as the composition doesn’t sound too fresh.

This one too has a remixed version.

The next track “Tumba Tumba” is a qawali by Hans Raj Hans and may appeal to those who love qawallis, although the song seems to be more of a situational number.

In the end a Sufi song enters the album. “Aval allah” is also a situational track and might be effective on screen. Sung by Richa Sharma with minimal music, the song does have its high moments.

On the whole, the music of the album is neither bad nor brilliant. Some songs are entertaining and some need more punch. It’s time for Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy to reinvent themselves.

'Yamla Pagla Deewana' Movie Review

'Yamla Pagla Deewana' Movie Review: When the Deols come together in a film that spoofs the best of their cinematic work, expect an unfettered celebration of dum, daru, dileri and a lot of dhamaal thrown in to boot. Hand pumps are not uprooted, nor maudlin suicide speeches actually given from atop water tanks. But there are moments of self-spoofs aplenty that bring a somewhat cracked grin to your lips.

Director Samir Karnik’s Yamla Pagla Deewana is a film that, if made with restraint and a lot of editing, might have been a laugh riot. As it is, it is an overlong, tiresome watch, with the Garam Dharam taking the back seat and the young gun Bobby Deol leading the show.

Bobby Deol? Now, what’s one memorable moment from him that can be spoofed with us not failing to notice the gag? Big Brother Sunny Deol has had his ‘dhai kilo ka haath’ and ‘tareekh pe tareekh’. Papa Dharmendra has had his desi daru guzzling sher who pummels the opponents like they were mosquitoes. But...dear me!...Bobby? May be the waxed chest pansy from Dostana. Eh?

So it’s tragic that most of YPD hinges on an actor who yet has to give one memorable cinematic moment, while Sunny, who comes up with the best performance of the trio, is relegated to being a second fiddle, flexing muscles and helping the young bro in love.

Dharam Singh (Dharmendra) and Gajodhar Singh (Bobby Deol) are two con men in Banaras. Paramveer (Sunny Deol) is an NRI from Canada who comes to Banaras to find his long lost brother and father, the aforementioned swindlers. Together the trio make quite a team - Dharam and Gajodhar going about their con games with an added muscle power from the whisky guzzler of a Jat from Canada.

And then, Gajodhar falls in love with a Punjabi kudi (Kulraj Randhawa) who has an overprotective trigger-happy brother (Anupam Kher) with an alarming temper. The bullet or the babe? Gajodhar is in a fix when Param comes to the rescue. The action shifts to Punjab with the scenic backdrop of sarson ke khet followed by a lot of girl-and-her-brother wooing leading to a Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge style wedding drama spiced with a lot of confusion and free-flowing slaps!

It’s an unabashed celebration of everything Punjabi and you’d be a twit to expect some refined humour here. Crass jokes fly thick and fast. Some work, many don’t. But when you see the three Deols grooving to Dharmendra’s signature dance from the ‘Main Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana’ song from the 1975 comedy Pratigya, some of your money is sure vasool-ed.

Bollywood vs Hollywood: who's beauty to wear in a Little Black Dress Best?

Bollywood vs Hollywood: who's beauty to wear in a Little Black Dress Best?: The stars love to party all night long in the little black dress, but from the East to the West, which celeb wears it best? Check out pics of Kareena Kapoor, Britney Spears, Bipasha Basu, Jennifer Aniston, Katrina Kaif and Nicole Scherzinger to pick your favorite star in the little black dress.

Kareena Kapoor doesn't leave anything to the imagination as she poses in a more than revealing little black dress. The B-town babe looks hotter than ever in the glam gown. "Don't Hold it Against Me" songstress Britney Spears switches it up with a matching clutch and nail polish - and she looks stunning!

Bipasha Basu likes to keep it classy and her little black dress is no exception! The Singularity actress just celebrated her birthday and we're sure this star will only get classier with every year. Hollywood's classy lady Jennifer Aniston opts for a cute version of the little black dress and the simple look works just fine.

Katrina Kaif strikes her sexy signature pose in a little black dress that will make just about everyone jealous! With 90s inspired makeup and curly hair, the actress takes the hot look all the way! Pussycat Doll songstress Nicole Scherzinger opts for a longer version of the little black dress but it doesn't make it less sexy!

'Hostel' Movie Preview in an one eye

'Hostel' Movie Preview in an one eye: Anyone who’s been to college, or even to a boarding school, has witnessed ragging. Sometimes, what begins as banter turns into something altogether ugly when ragging is taken to an extreme. Director Manish Gupta’s film Hostel tackles this theme.

It is a film about a student played by Vatsal Seth who enters a notorious hostel and is ragged by his seniors. It's not just about one incident but a string of incidents. It shows how students are tortured and harassed in the name of ragging.

Hostel stars Tulip Joshi as Seth’s love interest. Mukesh Tiwari plays a supporting role.

Director Manish Gupta, known for writing hard-hitting scripts like Sarkar and The Stoneman Murders, says about Hostel: “There are many suicides that occur in Indian hostels due to ragging wherein students are beaten up, stripped, paraded naked, starved, tortured, molested and even raped by their seniors. Since victims of ragging find it humiliating to report sexual abuse to their parents or others, most ragging-related crimes go unreported. HOSTEL deals with the serious issue of ragging and through this film I want to show the world what actually a victim of ragging goes through.”

The film has music by Virag Mishra.

‘Hostel’ will release on January 14.

Turning 30!!! Movie Preview - Gul Panag turns '30'

Turning 30!!! Movie Preview - Gul Panag turns '30': Hell breaks loose when Naina, played by Gul Panag, turns 30. To begin with her regular boyfriend dumps her. And then she loses her job. She’s manless, jobless at 30 and coming to grips with the anxieties that come with this age.

In writer-director Alankrita Shrivastava’s film Turning 30!!!, Gul Panag plays a talented and ambitious girl with a promising career in advertising industry.

Purab Kohli plays a photographer who’s also thirty and back in Mumbai after a long stint in London. Sid Makkar plays an investment banker and a sweet charmer of women. The supporting roles are played by Jeneva Talwar and Tillotama Shome.

Synopsis

Turning 30!!! is Naina's story as she grapples with heartbreak, and a crisis in her advertising career in the face of her 30th birthday.

And as she fights her anxiety and fears about being 30 years old, Naina realizes there's a lot of growing up to be done.

Set in the heart of urban Mumbai, Turning 30!!! Is a humorous and heart-warming take on a single young woman's journey of finding herself, discovering love and blossoming into a woman of substance.

Produced by Prakash Jha, ‘Turning 30!!!’ has music by Siddharth Suhas. It is slated to release on January 14.

'Yamla Pagla Deewana' Preview - Deol family in an action

'Yamla Pagla Deewana' Preview - Deol family in an action: The three Deols of the industry, namely Dharmendra, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, team up once again for director Samir Karnik’s film Yamla Pagla Deewana.

The film begins in Canada, travels to Banaras and eventually makes its way to Punjab.

The father-son duo of Dharam Singh and Gajodhar Singh (Dharmendra and Bobby Deol) are the biggest con-men in Banaras. Their happy-go-lucky existence involves drinking and pulling off hilarious cons on unsuspecting people. The only hitch in their perfect albeit notorious life arrives in the form of Paramveer Singh Dhillon (Sunny Deol).

A brawny and honest NRI from Vancover, Paramveer lands up in Banaras claiming to be Gajodhar's elder brother separated at childhood. The duo willingly accepts Paramveer into their fold only to exploit his muscle power to serve their con games.

Meanwhile Gajodhar falls in love with Saheba (Kulraj Randhawa), a beautiful Sardarni from Punjab. As their romance reaches its peak, her brothers arrive and forcibly take her away. Paramveer saves the day with a crazy plan to win the girl back for Gajodhar which leads them to the rustic heartlands of Punjab.

What follows is a rollercoaster ride showcasing the great Indian joint family, eccentric relatives, marriage mayhem, and a classic case of mistaken identities!

"Duniyawaalon! Iss kahaani mein Comedy hai! Action hai! Romance hai! Drama hai! Melodrama hai! Emotion hai!... Aur saala bahut saara Confusion hai!!"

Yamla Pagla Deewana also stars Nafisa Ali, Anupam Kher, Mukul Dev, Johnny Lever and Puneet Issar.

The film is slated to release on January 14.

'Bhoot and Friends' Review - Jackie Shroff playing as Ghost

'Bhoot and Friends' Review - Jackie Shroff playing as Ghost: Guess what’s the easiest formula to whip out an adventure kiddie flick? First and foremost, put a bunch of bachcha log on the hunt for a missing treasure. Opposite them pitch a bunch of bumbling goons, after the same treasure. Now, the bachcha log is surely going to need a saviour. Abracadabra! Lo and behold a friendly bhoot to the little one’s rescue.

Director Kittu Saluja’s film Bhoot and Friends boasts of such stock characters in stock situations.

Raghav (Makrand Soni) and his friends go on a holiday to his grandma’s. There they befriend a ghost (Jackie Shroff) and set forth in search of a treasure. There’s also the evil baddie (Ashwin Mushran) who leads a pack of goofy goons to find the same treasure.

There’s obviously a showdown between the kids and the goons, but the little one’s outfox and outmuscle the baddies, but not without a little help from their friend, the bhoot. Jackie Shroff looks jaded playing the turbaned ghost whose magic tricks are not really jaw-dropping.

Still credit to director Kittu Saluja for some interesting sequences before the climax. The back-story is a bit of a let-down, but the performances by the kids (Makrand, Ishita, Aakash) make Bhoot and Friends a wee bit interesting. Otherwise, for the most part, this bhoot is a big bore.

The Year 2010 Survey in Bollywood Eyes

The Year 2010 Survey in Bollywood Eyes: Are you kidding? The letter 'R' kept recurring in 2010. The biggest letdown of the year Raavan and one of the biggest hits of the year Raajneeti shared the 'R' factor. No doubt Ranbir Kapoor was the star of the year while Rahman, the maestro from Chennai lost some of his sheen with unpardonable delays and mediocre scores like Raavan and Jhootha Hi Sahi.

The biggest chartbuster of the year came from the low profile Lalit Pandit whose 'Munni Badnaam Hui' instantly joined the ranks of the ritziest item songs in Bollywood, on a par with 'Kajra Re' and 'Beedi Jalai Le'. It also catapulted the sizzling Malaika Arora to dizzying heights of glory. Malaika will now dance only for her husband producer Arbaaz Khan's films and will of course endorse the brand of balm that the song so seductively talks about.

Brand endorsement and Bollywood became inextricably bonded in 2010. When stars were not shooting feature films (and many of the leading ladies were not) they were shooting ads. And when they weren't shooting ads they were shooting their mouths off to the media. Otherwise there were always the stage performances.

Besides AR Rahman's World Tour, there were no major world-concert tours from Bollywood in 2010. 2011 will see Ranbir Kapoor take off for his first ever live performance all over the world.

If A-lister stars were not heading to the stage they took off for television. Priyanka Chopra displayed some delectable derring-do on Fear Factor. The Big B and Salman Khan decided to helm Kaun Banega Crorepati and Bigg Boss, respectively. Akshay Kumar opted to do a cookery show The Master Chef which sadly did not turn out to be finger-licking good.

In 2010, Ranbir lent his cool clout quotient to Prakash Jha's blockbuster political drama Raajneeti. Later during the year came the unexpected clanger Anjaana Anjaani which boasted of the virgin Ranbir-Priyanka pair (Maybe the fault lay with the word Anjaana. No films with that title Anjaana, Do Anjaane, Anjaan Rahein has ever done well).

Audiences preferred the tried and tested Ranbir-Katrina jodi. That real-life jodis don't work on screen was again proven this year with the debacle of Raavan bringing the hot-and-coveted real-life jodi of Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

The back-to-back success and failure, respectively, of Raajneeti and Raavan within two weeks of one another came as a shock to the film industry. What exactly does the audience want? Stars they love? Then how do we explain the abysmally low opening of Mani Shankar's and Rahul Dholakia's Sanjay Dutt starrer Knock Out and Lamhaa?

The turn-out of newcomers was shockingly sub-standard in 2010. Barring an Anaitha Nair in Nagesh Kukunoor's Aashayein and an Aditya Roy Kapoor in Action Replayy and Guzaarish, there was not a single new face audiences could take home to Mom…or Dad.

Salman Khan, who introduced the Katrina Kaif lookalike Zarine Khan earlier during the year in the box-office fiasco Veer, did a much better job of introducing Sonakshi Sinha in the year's smash hit Dabangg. Sonakshi was undoubtedly the discovery of the year.

In a year cluttered with monstrous debacles like Anurag Basu's pricey Kites and Mani Ratnam's dicey Raavan, Dabangg was the face-saver. Producer Arbaaz Khan is still counting the profits. The film propelled Salman ahead of the other Khan superstars for a while.

Another Khan, Imran had a hit in debutant director Punit Malhotra's I Hate LUV Storys, which was also Sonam Kapoor's career's first bonafide success. Later during the year her home production Aisha was pretty thanda and not so cool-cool. The director Rajshri Ojha was pretty much lost in the film's designer babble.

There were some significant debutant directors this year. Vikram Motwane blew our mind with his coming-of-age saga Udaan. Siddharth Malhotra managed an impossible casting coup in his directorial debut We Are Family when he brought together Kajol and Kareena Kapoor. Abhishek Chaubey fashioned an unusual drama of sex, jealousy, murder and adultery with Ishqiya set in the cow belt. Without glamorous trappings Ishqiya was a sleeper hit about rural India and its fetish for infidelity. Later during the year debutant director Anusha Rizvi's Peepli (LIVE) too did well enough for us to assume that rural India was back on the Bollywood map.

Period films as a genre suffered a setback with Veer and Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey failing to draw in the crowds. By year- end it was clear that the disappointments at the box office far outweighed the triumphs.

Meanwhile Sanjay Dutt and Nandita Das, who once starred together in a film called Pitaah, became proud parents. Sanju and his wife Manyata were blessed with twins while Nandita and her business man hubby Subodh Maskara were blessed with a baby boy.

Vivek Oberoi tied the knot in what he called an arranged-cum-love-zyada marriage. Vivek had two films to his credit this year new director Kookie Gulati's Prince and veteran Ram Gopal Varma's Rakht Charitra. By year-end, the star system was again at low ebb. But myopic producers continued to pay them unheard-of prices.

Except Aamir Khan, no other actor Bollywood can seduce audiences into theatres. So why pay them in multi-crores?

Time to ask these questions all over again in 2011.

Most Smarter Producer: Aamir Khan or Shahrukh Khan?

Most Smarter Producer: Aamir Khan or Shahrukh Khan?: Media has pitted Bollywood actors Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan loads of times against each other. While some say that the debate as to who is greater is futile, there is nothing more delightful to a movie buff than comparisons.

Just like cricket lovers love to have their say on the issue- who, between Tendulkar and Bradman, is a greater batsman; similarly, the comparison between Aamir and Shahrukh is a fantasy for the film lovers.

If we talk of Aamir and SRK as producers, then one can say that Aamir has done what the King Khan has failed to do. Aamir has smartly carried out his films from the whirlpool of controversies and accorded them huge publicities which have lured the audience to the theatres.

Be it ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’ or the non-starry ‘Peepli Live’ or the hearty ‘Taare Zameen Par’, there has been no dearth on his part. And no complaints! Viewers have relished what he has offered.

In fact, recently, Hindustan Kanojia Association objected to his naming his upcoming film ‘Dhobi Ghat’. But Aamir instead of bowing down to their stupid demands went ahead and won a court case. The court found nothing objectionable or insulting in the name ‘Dhobi Ghat’.

Unfortunately, Shahrukh had to scissor out the word ‘Barber’ from his film ‘Billu Barber’ which later released under the stripped name of mere ‘Billu.’ Perhaps, SRK needs to take a leaf or two out of Aamir’s books when it comes to stringent movie production.

'Isi Life Mein' Movie Review

'Isi Life Mein' Movie Review: While surfing television the other day, I chanced upon this hugely popular show that has a nonconforming storyline of two women vying for the same man's attention. One happens to be his sweetheart turned wife, the other, his ex wife, who, I realized, is pregnant with the man's child. Ironically, both women live in the same house. Since I had heard a lot about this show, I decided to watch the entire episode that evening. I was keen to assess if it held my attention for the next 20 odd minutes. It did. The drama, the conflict between the characters, the emotions, the situations the characters had landed into, all kept me hooked.

Okay, so why am I discussing a television program? Well, I have come to realize that practically every paarivaarik theme is tackled by television these days. I have also come to realize that television does far more justice to these themes than films. Which is what I strongly felt while watching Isi Life Mein.

Come to think of it, Rajshri Productions is synonymous with memorable films that became an instant hit with family audiences. The turning point was two films, Maine Pyar Kiya and Hum Aapke Hain Koun. Trendsetters both. These two films brought family audiences back to theatres, infusing life in the veins of a critically ill film industry then. These two films, besides Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, opened new vistas and horizons, gave birth to an altogether new breed of film-makers and reinforced confidence in Hindi cinema then.

Isi Life Mein tries so hard to be cool as well as a perfect family film in the same breath, but what comes across on screen is a lifeless fare. The love story doesn't work, neither does the paarivaarik portions. The culprit, you guessed it right, is the written material yet again.

Final word? A major letdown!

Isi Life Mein tells the story of two teenagers - Akshay Oberoi and Sandeepa Dhar. Akshay is from Mumbai, while Sandeepa hails from Ajmer. Sandeepa arrives in Mumbai for further studies and meets Akshay, who heads the dramatics department of the college. They are drawn towards each other, but don't express their feelings till the end.

Besides highlighting a present-day love story, director Vidhi Kasliwal remains faithful to the Rajshri tradition of showing the traditional side as well. The story re-introduces you to a world many of us may have consigned to oblivion thanks to the barrage of urban-centric themes that are churned out with amazing regularity. The film talks of familial bonding. It also packs in desi sentiments. But the problem is that the noble intentions don't come across convincingly on celluloid.

In terms of screenplay, Isi Life Mein is structured on the lines of Hum Aapke Hain Koun. The story barely moves in the first hour, but the film changes gears during the second half. Frankly, you expect a dramatic twist in the tale, but nothing happens. Ideally, the film should've concluded when the father [Mohnish Bahl] calls off his daughter's marriage, but the 'Taming Of The Shrew' episode and the bizarre culmination only makes the goings-on tedious.

Like most Rajshri films, the characters here are saccharine sweet. In fact, they are too good to be true and that, in my opinion, looks fake. Technically, it's a decent attempt, but content-wise, like I said, there is no plot at all. Music was always one of the USPs of Rajshri, but the music of Isi Life Mein is below par. The songs are better filmed, though.

The only noteworthy aspect of the film is its lead pair. Akshay Oberoi is talented - no two opinions on that. He has good screen presence, but most importantly, he acts very well. Sandeepa Dhar is another talent that catches your attention. Her expressions are just perfect. Also, she's extremely photogenic. Salman Khan is wasted in a cameo. Mohnish Bahl is his usual self. Shagufta Ali is okay. Prachi Shah does well. Aditya Raj Kapoor is wooden.

On the whole, Isi Life Mein lacks the Rajshri stamp. It tries so hard to be cool, but ends up falling flat on its face.