Movie Review: Don 2

Starring: Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra
Director: Farhan Akhtar
Original Release Date: December 23, 2011

*No Spoilers*

If you ask me whether Don 2 was better than Don, I probably wouldn't be able to give you an answer. Because it was a remake, the element of surprise in the first Don wouldn't be possible in any other installment of Don. Therefore this sequel stands on its own.

I'd been waiting almost five years for this movie. After Don, I just knew there had to be a sequel. Five long years later, we finally have it. And it was pretty much everything I could have asked for. I feel like I shouldn't go into too much of a synopsis, in fear of killing it for anyone who hasn't seen it (is there really anyone who hasn't seen it?). I'll stick to being vague.

Shahrukh Khan's entrance in this film is bomb (pun intended). Seriously, it was goosebump inducing and almost comparable to his Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham helicopter entrance. Simply powerful. I was also worried about the long hair when I initially saw stills, but he pulls it off oh so well.

The story is an interesting one, and one that brings Don and Vardaan back together. It feels well thought out rather than simply thrown together. Loose ends seem to actually get tied up as well. And, don't worry, there are enough twists and turns in the story to keep you at the edge of your seat.

Shahrukh is simply flawless in this movie. Brilliant acting, brilliant styling, brilliant everything. He seems young(er) and fresh, yet polished. At 46, the man has maintained himself well enough to act with a costar almost 17 years younger than him. Speaking of said costar, Priyanka Chopra is beautiful but largely underwhelming in the film. This could be blamed on lack of character development for Roma, or the overpowering nature of Don's character. (Or maybe I was just too busy paying attention to Shahrukh!)

As for new characters, Lara Dutta was cute but didn't really have a whole lot to do. I would be more annoyed about the lack of impactful female "presence" in Don 2, but we all know that this movie simply revolves around Don--as it should. Kunal Kapoor does a great job in his role.

So the story was good, characters were good, what about music? I think I was the lone wolf who loved the Don 2 soundtrack before viewing the film. After seeing all the tracks in context I further realized what a phenomenal soundtrack it is. "Zaraa Dil Ko Thaam Lo" is easily the best of the batch, and picturization is superb. I also love "Dushman Mera" but the picturization of this one (shown at the end) is just...weird. "Hai Ye Maya" goes well with the film. Unfortunately, "Mujhko Pehchaan Lo" which is a truly great track, was not included in the film.

Another great aspect of Don 2? The action. That's all I can say. The action sequences in this movie are truly a highlight and show how far Bollywood has come in this respect. No more "dishoom dishoom"-- the action in Don 2 is simply at another level.

I had only one real gripe with Don 2. In the first Don, Don's character was very dark and sadistic--almost creepy. I missed that element in the sequel. While Don's character is still dark, that creepy "I enjoy killing" attitude just isn't there. Even so, this is only a minor complaint in light of the amazingness that is Don 2.

Easily the best movie of 2011. And a slap in the face to those who say that Shahrukh Khan is losing his fire.

Final Verdict: 9.5/10

Movie Review: Ra.One

Starring: Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Armaan Verma
Director: Anubhav Sinha
Original Release Date: October 26, 2011

*No Spoilers*

I rushed to see Ra.One in theaters on opening weekend. So I've had quite some time to contemplate the film and finalize my feelings for it. In general, Ra.One will not appeal to the typical Bolly-goer, but is a wonderful film for those who choose to appreciate it.

Ra.One was heavily, heavily promoted and talked about, so expectations were bound to be sky-high. The project was ambitious, unique, and...expensive! It may not have lived up to many folks' expectations, but the film should not be written off. Shahrukh Khan single-handedly took Indian superhero cinema from lame (Krrish) to lavish.

Shahrukh Khan initally stars as Shekhar Subranmaniam, a goofy Tamil fellow who pines for his young son's approval. Though you may gag at the wig, Shahrukh plays this character flawlessly (do we expect anything less from the man?). His South Indian accent is spot on, and you can't help laugh at and feel sorry for Shekhar at the same time. Add in the wacky Shekhar grooving to Akon's "Criminal" track, and everything is golden.

Shekhar is married to the scholarly, yet beautiful Sonia (Kareena) and they have a young video game loving son Prateek (Armaan). To win his son's affection, Shekhar designs a video game to appeal especially to him. Kareena is likeable in the film, but doesn't seem to be an integral aspect of it. Armaan is wonderful as Prateek, despite the horrible hair (I was convinced he was a girl in real life to be honest).

Now, to fast forward the plot without spoiling anything: stuff happens, the villain in the video game (Ra.One) comes to life and goes after Prateek, and SRK becomes G.One. Arjun Rampal is perfect as Ra.One, but his lack of screen time was pretty disappointing.

Sounds weird, right? It is! But that's almost the fun of it. The plot is pretty much implausible...but isn't this a movie geared towards children and sci-fi fans? Since when is Superman plausible? Or even Koi Mil Gaya?

Needless to say, the plot lends itself to tons and tons of action. And let me say, the action sequences and special effects in this movie are AWESOME. I also saw it in 3D, making the whole experience even more amazing. The superior effects alone allow this movie to compete on an international scale.

The biggest challenge for a movie like Ra.One is to successfully blend the Bollywood with upscale action and science fiction--without cheapening the effect. Here is where Ra.One excels. We get our Bollywood flavor with goofy Indian humor and masala dance sequences like Chammak Challo but action and adventure is clearly the dominant theme in the movie. Sure, some of the action sequences may have gone a bit overboard (like the one where G.One and Sonia first arrive in India), but the humor of it almost made it worth it.

I'm not saying Ra.One was a perfect movie. It, of course, had its flaws. The plot could have used some tightening, some of the action scenes could have used some trimming, and for God's sake we wanted more Arjun Rampal!

Despite the flaws, Ra.One broke some major boundaries. It was the first sci-fi Bollywood film that wasn't completely cheesy and didn't completely lose its Bollywood roots--a difficult feat in and of itself. The movie also didn't give the audience exactly what it craved: a Shekhar-Sonia love story. While that would've been entertaining, including a love story would have simply distracted from the father-son story, and would've added that "typical" and predictable element into the film. The special effects, the action, the budget, and the sheer extravagance of the film was something never before seen in Bollywood. And perhaps audiences simply weren't ready for how different this film was and tried to be.

Simply put, Ra.One was entertaining. Who's gonna love it? Children, sci-fi fans, international audiences, and SRK die-hards. Who's gonna hate it? Probably everyone else. But in a world where a movie like Ready is a blockbuster, I guess I can't expect much more.

Final Verdict: 7.5/10

Now let us swoon over Don 2.

This still says it all. I am so completely and totally excited for Don 2, it's not even funny. 5 long years later, and it's finally finally finally releasing. And I can already tell that it will be well worth the wait!

Don was one move that actually warranted another installment...unlike many Bollywood sequels slated for release (I'm looking at you, Kya Super Kool Hai Hum, Housefull 2, etc.). Don was brilliantly shot, brilliantly made, and brilliantly picturized--and I expect no less from its upcoming sequel.

And then there's Shahrukh...how amazing does he look in this still?! He embodies Don's persona to the very core--even in a simple picture.

Christmas can't come soon enough!

(And, I swear, less fangirly posts to come)

Ra.One: The Second Poster

I know, I know I haven't been very timely lately. Ra.One posters, promos, and songs have been making a whirlwind around me and I have nothing to say? Not possible. It seems like the promo videos are getting most of the attention, so that the newest poster has slipped under many radars. Let us examine:

* O hayyy Shahrukh!!! Nice abs! Even if they are probably computer generated, he's looks great.

* Finally! We're getting more Kareena exposure. Is it just me or does she look wayyyy skinnier than she actually is? Probably more photoshopping magic, but she also looks pretty good. Only Kareena can manage to look ravishing in an injured state.

* Does that outfit look familiar? Looks like Chammak Challo is going to lead into some crazy action sequence. Either that, or this poster actually has nothing to do with the movie's story.

* The background looks like Hogwarts. Just sayin'.

* My other reaction to the background was that it looks like a video game. Then I read part of the synopsis and realized that it makes sense (I refuse to read the entire synopsis--what's the fun in that?!)

* "Haan farishtey hote hain..." Getting senti, are we?

* What's up with all this blue blood we keep seeing? I just hope it's not some terrible metaphor.

* WHERE IS ARJUN RAMPAL?!!!!!!!!! :(

This movie is looking more promising with each preview.

Chammak Challo--full on!

Clearly on yesterday's post, I spoke too soon because here is a full 90 second promo of "Chammak Challo" from Ra.One!

Ok so I can't be the only one who's first reaction to this preview was "WTF." That Bharatnatyam by Shahrukh at the beginning really threw me off...and actually kind of scared me. But I quickly got over it because the rest of the promo is AWESOME.

I stand by pretty much everything I said about the 15 second teaser in my previous post. SRK and Kareena both look divine. I'm still getting used to the choreography of the whole thing but, hey, at least it's interesting.

Now on to the big issue--the lip synching. I admit, it's a little weird. Akon's voice doesn't really match Shahrukh...EXCEPT for the Hindi portions, which really do work. And by the time you get to the (extremely well pronounced) Hindi, you forget that SRK really just said "shawty." I do think it would've been best if Akon made an actual appearance in the song though. Also, where did the female voice come from? That definitely was not in the leaked version! I like it though. The female voice meshes with Akon's really well.

My favorite part of the trailer was what it revealed about Ra.One as a whole--it's actually going to be funny! That's something I wasn't really expecting. But this trailer shows that the movie is definitely going to have its goofy moments. And goofy is something Shahrukh definitely does best.

Ra.One: The Shortest Teaser Ever

Here's a teaser in true teaser fashion--a mere 15 second glimpse into arguably the most hyped up song (and movie) of the year. An early version of "Chammak Challo," sung by Akon, was leaked on the Internet a few months ago and ever since then, we've all been dying to know exactly how the song will be picturized. So it's only 15 seconds. At least it's something.

My first thought upon watching this (besides watching the time quickly run down) was how completely breathtaking Kareena looks. I was pretty surprised at the Indian-ness of her get-up. But her traditional look is so sexy! Then of course there's SRK, who looks as dashing as ever. We don't get a close up of him, but his hair is perfection. Seriously.

One of the things I was concerned about when "Chammak Challo" leaked was whether Shahrukh would actually be lip synching to the song--and how ridiculous that would be. From this trailer, it kind of seems like he is lip synching to it, but somehow it's not that bad! And on an unrelated note, the beat of this song is totally hot.

As time goes on, I'm feeling better and better about Ra.One. =D

Don 2 First Official Teaser!

I'm baaaaack! And with a bang, considering that the Don 2 promo finally came out today! After watching it multiple times, all I can say right now is that SRK ain't called the King for no reason!

This teaser has pretty much everything I wanted for Don 2. It looks polished and chic, Shahrukh is embodying his evil character with amazing style, it looks action-packed without being cheesy, and King Khan looks smokin'! Well, minus that long hair, which I'm seriously hoping won't last through the whole movie. Shahrukh's dialogue delivery is impeccable. It's amazing how much he's able to convey simply through his voice. I gotta say, I love evil SRK.

Don 2 has a lot to live up to. One of the reasons why Don was so good was that Farhan Akhtar was able to take a supposed "remake" and put in a completely unexpected plot twist at the end. Don 2 is going to be a completely different story. Will Farhan be able to make it as engaging, thrilling, and unexpected? Judging from this trailer, I honestly believe so.

I only have one complaint about Don 2 and its trailer/poster so far. WHAT is up with that font? The original Don font was simple and sleek. This graffiti art looking font for Don 2 looks like stuff that boys in my 7th grade class used to doodle. What is this, 1995? Whatever, the rest of the trailer is so good that I'm willing to ignore this little hitch.

Even though SRK completely overpowered this teaser, I'm still excited to see what Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta are gonna bring to the story. First of all, how does Roma (PC) even factor in to the story considering the ending of the last film? Who's side is Lara on? So many questions--which will be answered once Don 2 comes out this Christmas. Have I mentioned how excited I am?

Ra.One Theatrical Trailer!

I am so incredibly conflicted right now. After watching this much awaited theatrical trailer for Shahrukh Khan's Ra.One I don't know what to think. The SRK fangirl in me loves everything about it. But the critic in me is very afraid that this movie could end up a disaster. Yikes!

This trailer, like the previous two teasers, still reveals very little about the film--which I think might be the problem. This theatrical trailer has no dialogue. It's simply a mash-up of glossy action scenes set to some (very good) background music. We, as an audience, get few clues about the plot and characters. We got a slight glimpse of Kareena (finally!) but nothing about Ra.One (Arjun Rampal). Most sources are saying that the Ra.One character won't be revealed before the movie. Is that really the best tactic?

I really hated the last superhero film to come out from Bollywood (Krrish) because of the lukewarm plot and the childish execution of the entire movie itself. Will Ra.One be any different? These trailers aren't giving me enough information to make a judgment! Most films use the best parts of their movies for the previews in order to draw audiences in. So will Ra.One be all action and no content/substance?

My inner SRK fan is just gawking over Shahrukh and marveling at how good he looks. I'm also relatively impressed with the actions and special effects. A lot of people are concerned that the movie seems too Hollywood-ized. I don't think that's such a bad thing in this instance. I have to admit, Hollywood has refined its special effects and action sequences. So if superior action/special effects makes Ra.One "Hollywood-ized" then I'm all for it.

But still. I'm afraid for this movie. I really really want it to do well, but I don't know how audiences are going to receive this type of film. The trailers not revealing anything except action also heightens my concerns. The only saving grace is that they're just saving the best for the actual movie.

Please, someone convince me that this movie is gonna be great.

First look at "Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap"

The Big B is back, and in a movie with an awesome title (although I'm not a fan of the transliterated spellings)! Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap looks like it should be loads of fun. Directed by Tollywood producer/director Puri Jagannadh, the film seems to have a clear Southie feel to it. It should be a nice change from the more glitzy Westernized movies that Bolllywood has been churning out recently.

I do have certain qualms about Bbuddah at this point though. Is it just me or does the movie have a very Dabangg-type style to it? Are we just in for more over-the-top action scenes intertwined with "funny" dialogues? (Yes, I hated Dabangg.) Hopefully Bbuddah will be more than that, especially if Amitabh is involved. But Bollywood does have a tendency to make similar-themed films once one film is a success. We saw a slew of terrorist films, sports films, or films dealing with infidelity all around the same time. So is this just Bollywood's next genre convention? Only time will tell.

Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap also stars Raveena Tandon (!!!), Hema Malini, and Minissha Lamba in lead roles. I am beyond excited to see Raveena back in action, considering her last truly successful film was probably 2001's Daman. Amitabh also looks set to rock this film as an angry "bbuddah." Judging from this promo, the Bbuddah is clearly banking on Amitabh's legendary star status as a way to bring audiences in. But in this case, I feel it's more than understandable. Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap is scheduled for release in early July.

Ra.One Teaser 2: 30 Second Promo!

The film isn't due until Diwali, and already another teaser is out! This one's longer than the last, but still doesn't reveal too much about the film. Regardless, here are some of my thoughts:

1. The movie looks surprisingly "adult" and hi-tech. Honestly, when I first heard about Ra.One I was expecting a child-like disaster like Krrish (2006). Thankfully, this looks nothing like that. The action sequences also look top-notch.

2. I'm loving the intro music. It fits the theme well and I'm eager to hear the rest of the soundtrack, whenever that comes out.

3. ...where's Kareena? You know, the other star of this movie? Though perhaps that's her hand at around 26 seconds? Hm.

4. Can anyone decipher what he says at the end?!

Let's wait and see what else Ra.One has in store for us...

Ra.One First Look (Teaser!)

Finally! We're getting some real shots from the forthcoming Shahrukh-Kareena action flick Ra.One. The first official teaser (shown above) was released on Wednesday to us eager Bollywood fans. We're only getting a very slight peek at this much awaited film, with the trailer being a fast-paced 10 second long teaser. I've watched it at least a dozen times already, and still can't extract much from it except:

1. Shahrukh looks amazing, and that hairstyle is wow.
2. The movie looks surprisingly sleek and Don-esque.
3. We're in for a ton of action!

Can't wait to see more from this film! Apparently the first official trailer will be released sometime in July and the movie itself is due around Diwali.