Tum Bin 2- A Sequel to Tum Bin

Tum Bin 2...

We saw some striking performances from Priyanshu Chatterjee, Sandali Sinha and the supporting cast along with some really soothing soundtrack (including hits like Choti Choti Raaten, Koi Faryad, Tumharey Siwa and many others) in Tum Bin, which was released way back in 2001. Directed by Anubhav Sinha (Ra One fame), it was a hit at its time.

News has it that makers of Tum Bin are all geared up to make a sequel of the said movie. However other details are still not known, Tum Bin 2 is likely to come with fresh cast and shooting may gets started earlier next year. Stay tuned on Shobywood for more buzz...

Tamasha- Movie Review by Shoby

Tamasha- Movie Review by Shoby

2.5 Stars out of 5

When artists like academy award winner AR Rehman, most versatile director of Bollywood Imtiaz Ali, supremely talented lyricist Irshad Kamil and two of the cream actors Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone join hands for one project, expectations are sky touching indeed.

The director of critically acclaimed and commercially successful films (Jab We Met, Rockstar and Highway) Imtiaz Ali brought all of them together in Tamasha and obviously it was one of the most anticipated films of the year. Let’s see how much entertainment quotient this Tamsha has in it.

Story is quite complex and at the same time quite simple in parts. A boy meets a girl (like almost all other stories of the world) but this time both of them meet somewhere in the middle of dil and dunya so they decide to fake themselves in front of each other, so they do not disclose their identity and spend 6 days together in Corsica, doing all the silly things and enjoying the life their heart out. Then leave each other and meet after four years in India. What happens next is to be watched in the movie.

The plot, as I said earlier is complex with too many derivatives and it does not let you settle down at one place, so you keep roaming around with the characters from one place to another without getting what actually is going around. It is a typical Imtiaz Ali narrative and he used almost the same technique which was used in Rockstar but this time unfortunately he couldn’t hit the right chord.

Film surely does wonders in patches. In some scenes you feel yourself all geared up to witness what Imtiaz Ali is famous for i.e. intense emotional cinema. Some sequences are beautifully executed with beautiful dialogues and delivery and they really deserve much applaud.

Watch when Deepika says to Ranbir, "Mujhey laga ke theek ho jaey ga. Jaisey humesha theek ho jata hai per 4 saal ho gaey...". Watch the outburst of Ranbir when he utters (read shouts) only one sentence of the whole conversation so loud to Deepika, "... Jo sach hai". Standing ovation for the dialogue writer is due.

No points for guessing in the acting department. When two of the strongest performers are placed in front of each other, they literally create magic. Ranbir (as a person having complex psychological personality) and Deepika have given marvelous performance. Check the change in their body language and attitude, when they meet each other after so long. See, how Deepika responds to Ranbir (after he breaks out). Truly splendid… Javed Sheikh and other supporting cast had nothing much to do, as the story revolves around two characters primarily.

After composing two beautiful scores for Imtaiz Ali (in Rockstar and Highway), this time AR Rehman and Irshad Kamil could not met the expectations honestly. Songs are situational (as mostly in the case of Imtiaz's films) but this time they are not very engaging.

Ravi Varman has captured Corsica beautifully through his art. Editing is confusing, may be due to the subject matter of the film.

Overall, Tamasha lacks that very appeal and authenticity for which Imtiaz Ali is famous. It was a bit disappointment for me, who has always been a fan of his cinema. Hope he comes well after this.

Bahubali- The Beginning… Movie Review by Shoby

Bahubali- The Beginning… Movie Review by Shoby

4.5 Stars out of 5

He literally took the cinema by storm with his creativity and execution when he made Eega (Makhi). Not only the story was refreshing, he filmed it with utmost authenticity and gave us a beautiful product. One of the most creative film makers of our times S S Rajamouli then decided to on to the next big thing in cinema, to make India's most expensive film till date Bahubali. Let me say one thing right at the start of the review, he literally guided Bollywood to an altogether different level by his new offering.

Bahubali- The begining has a plot (and some sub-plots embedded within) that is as solid as a rock. First scene shows a wounded woman carrying a child on her hand while drowning in deep waters. The child is then taken into the custody by some locals. He grows up with the enchantment of climbing up to the jal-parbat (mountains with waterfall) and his (new) parents stop him doing so. One day, after so many trials, he succeeds in climbing there, ultimately reaches the place from where he originally belongs and there starts a roller coaster ride.

What differentiates Bahubali from its counterparts of this era is the treatment by the crew. Not only it is shot in grand locales and astonishing sets, it gives you pure aesthetic feels in the beautifully shot scenes. Watch the arrow throwing scenes for instance. One where Prabhas makes sort of a bridge to reach to the highest peak of the waterfall and one where Tamannaah throws the arrow wrapped by the snake). Similarly, the scene where Prabhas reveals the girl within the character of Tamannah.

To me on of the highest points of the script is the motivational speech by Prabhas in the middle of the war, just after when his army runs back to save their lives. He gathers them and inspires them to move forward, as death is when you run away from the ground. Simply Mind blowing.

A special mention is due for the team responsible in arranging grand sets and locations where Bahubali was shot. Art direction is at its very best. VFX team has also done pure justice to their work, commendable job indeed. Cinematography (by K.K. Senthil Kumar) and camera work is top notch making every frame of the movie worth watching.

Acting is good by the whole cast. Prabhas, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah, Sathyaraj and almost everyone has performed with utmost authenticity. Music composed by M. M. Keeravani is trustable and goes very well with the proceedings.

It is pertinent to mention the aesthetically beautiful combats and wars choreographed for the last 20 odd minutes. Not only the fighting scenes are convincing but also the war strategies devised for the scenes are worth praising. I believe Indian cinema has not seen anything like this before. Truly wonderful.

Editors has made sure that viewer does not get distracted and bored so editing here is crisp and the film's length is just perfect.

With excellent story line and equally beautiful techniques used to make them look more tangible, Bahubali is no doubt the best thing ever happened to Indian cinema. As Bahubali- The beginning is just half of the whole story and more secrets are yet to be revealed therefore 2016 will witness the release of much anticipated Bahubali- The Conclusion. I hope the sequel gets grander and better.

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo- Movie Review by Shoby

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo- Movie Review by Shoby

2.5 Stars out of 5

Rajhri Productions- A name associated with family dramas. This banner has given us some fabulous family sagas over a span of decades. We have laughed out loud when typical “family politics making women’s cheap tactics” have gone wrong in Hum Sath Sath hain and we have cried with the death of Pooja in Hum Aap ke hain Kaun… They have made us emotional in all possible manners by dipalying similar sort of incidents, thus making themselves a brand which is so correct to be called as a family oriented movie maker.

Prem is one name that comes to the mind when we say Rajshri films. From Salman Khan to Shahid Kapoor and from Abhishek to Hrithik Roshan, Prems have been an integral part of the story by Sooraj Barjatya. Let’s analyze the return of Prem that he made this Deewali.

PRDP starts with a brief introduction of a man with a golden heart (Prem Dilwale) who has a wish to meet the royal princess Raajkumaari (Maithili Devi). Prem happens to see the princess when she was doing some social work in a flood relief camp. Prem came to know that he can meet her in Pritampur (the royal state) where she will be having some royal traditional (engagement type) ceremony. Meanwhile, we get to know that prince of pritampur is also Salman Khan (in a duplicate role of Yuvraaj Vijay). Due to some family issues, he is attacked to death and kept away from the people by his confidant. Coincidently, Prem meets with Vijay’s reliable guard Sanjay, who asks him to pose as Vijay till he gets well and here starts a whirlpool of events.

The premise seems to be somewhat old fashioned and it’s a 1000s times tested and tried formula of duplicates. Script and Screenplay has the typical Sooraj Barjatiya’s feel and signature on it. In places, some scenes are beautifully executed. Sets are lavish and grand matching well with the primary theme of the movie. Dialogues are average but goes well with the proceedings. Background score and sound track is soothing but not up to the mark of Rajshri’s. You may feel yourself humming a couple of tunes especially Jaltey Diye (sung by VOI Chotte Ustad fame Anwesha) and Aaj Unse Milna Hai (sung by the seasoned singer Shaan in his ultimate sweet voice).

Salman Khan is as usual excellent in both the roles. Especially his performance as Prem Dilwale is a treat to watch. Sonam Kapoor and Neil Nitin Mukesh are just OK in the roles of Raajkumaari and Chotey Rajkumaar respectively, whereas supporting cast especially Anupam Kher and Arman Kohli have given a very impressive performances.

What goes wrong with the movie here is its length. At times, you feel they are over exaggerating the happenings. Some scenes does not at all go well in this era and gives you a feel of typical 90s cinema. Especially when they arrange a football match in front of Vijay’s sister’s house. One does not expect these type of sequences in today’s cinema.

Overall, this is a feel good movie that you can digest only once. Sooraj Barjatya is no doubt a veteran in cinema and once again he has stuck to his roots but he needs to bring something more fresh in his offerings. 

Bajirao Mastani- Movie Trailer Review by Shoby

Bajirao Mastani- Movie Trailer Review by Shoby

Trailers are almost the very first look of the movie, which prepares the audience to expect what actually they are going to experience in cinema.  It is believed that trailer should not be as short as people does not get an idea about what really would be the content of the movie and it should not also be as long as after watching it, someone thinks look I have tasted all the movie. Nothing else is left behind, so why should I watch it in cinema now.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali (the father of artistic cinema) the man behind cult classics is famous for presenting fascinating trailers for his movies. People still cherish a blind girl (Rani) hitting her white stick on the floor and then just sensing the snowfall in the trailer of Black. They still praise Shahrukh Khan uttering the epic word "Paro" in Devdas. it still brings a smile to their faces, when they think about Hrithik Roshan (a quadriplegic patient) sitting on his wheelchair and giving a smile, full of sorrow after almost failing in thrashing a fly away from him in the trailer of guzaarish and who can forget the grand entry of Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone in his first 100 crore grabber Raam-Leela.

After the extended teaser and few songs, November 2015 saw the launch of the trailer of year's most awaited magnum opus Bajirao Mastani. Let’s see, what does it has in it for the audience.

Grand sets, sword fights, vibrant colors, intense bg score, pleasantly attractive lightings, colorful ambience, graceful moves, make-believe war sequences. These are a few highlights of the trailer. One thing that Bhansali sb has done this time in the trailer is, he just kept minimal of dialogues embedded in the trailer and this strategy has worked wonders to me. It literally asks for more. All the actors are looking stunning. ranveer Singh has a very intense look of a warrior. Deepika is looking graceful and so does Priyanka.

Moment u think Sanjay Leela Bhansali has given his best and nothing more to be done is left, he shocks you and sprinkles yet another spell of more magic. If anything deserves to be seen in cinema. It is only the magic of Bhansali sb who is surely a winner when it comes to make the big scale quality cinema. One dialogue at the end of the tariler is sure to give enough goose bumps. Humare dil aik sath dharakte hain mastani. Or aik sath ruktey bhi hain. One expects a grand cinematic affair altogether after watching this grandest trailer and I really hope Bajirao Mastani turns out to be the best from the house.

Kashaaf Iqbal's Mus'haf- Novel Review by Shoby

Kashaaf Iqbal is now a known name in the world of monthly digests. He is one of those very few male writers, who are continually striving hard to pave the ways to get a name for themselves, as currently we do not have much male writers in the digest world and this is undoubtedly in rule by females. After Zulekha, Mohabbat Rooh Ki Ghiza Hai, Mus’haf is his third attempt, which is published in a monthly digest.

First thing first, do not confuse this Mus’haf with the long novel by Nimra Ahmed, which is one of the most beautiful pieces of current Urdu literature. Nimra Ahmed wrote a classic with an excellent theme behind it and top notch characterization amalgamated with bang on incidents and captivating dialogues. This Mus’haf has nothing to do with later one and is an altogether a unique novel on its own, be it theme or execution.

Coming back towards Kashaaf’s Mus’haf, it is a story revolving around two strangers, who happen to meet by an incident and fell in love, however they (almost) sacrifice their love and do not reveal it in front of each other for a reasons better to be known to themselves.

What I actually liked about kashaaf’s Mus’haf was the usage of some beautiful words and phrases. Check the scene, where Mus’haf (the male protagonist) asks Rania “Yeh ansoo apney ander sanbhal kar rakho... jab main wapis ao ga, tab yeh gham ke ansoo khushi ke darya mein baha dena” on their first departure and when he says “Insaniyat ka rishta”, when Ayat asked him tumhara mujh se kiya rishta hai. Very well written lines indeed and it really deserves applaud.

In one scene, when Mus’haf gives himself some logical reasoning of Why to live with Ayat and say Acha khana peena or acha ghar thing to himself is yet another excellent line which truly depicts the real thought of a common man. Brilliant work Kashaaf.

Some short comings of the novel. At times, it gives you a feeling that you are reading a travel itinerary and looks a bit mechanical, when Kashaaf drags you in the detailing of the locations. Same was also felt in his earlier novels and to me (as a reader) it is his weakness that the technical details (which at times include geographical and demographical details of the spots) overshadow the exact essence of the story.

At some points, Kashaaf has over exaggerated the things. Like when Mus’haf says, “As I am an engineer, I knew it was Lamborghini. (I reckon, it does not need to be an engineer to understand that the vehicle is Lamborghini and that too even after having a mere look at it. Then he used a word yaar (for Rania’s husband) which did not go well with the proceedings (as we are not at all supposed to use cheap words for depicting the happenings, especially when the protagonists are shown from some good background).

Overall, Mus’haf is a bit laid down, as if you are reading a story from the City of love and lights you always expect something much more intensive and greater in terms of scale and emotions. My best wishes are always with Kashaf and I believe, he will pay attention to what I humbly pointed out.