Taxi No. 9211

Rating: 8/10

Taxi no. 9211 lives up to your expectation. It’s a bit surrealistic at times, where on earth, sorry Mumbai would you find such idiosyncratic taxi drivers? Its one of those roles for which you just can't think of anybody else but Nana Patekar. That John Abraham can improve so much in a comic role after his performance in Garam Masala is commendable. Sameera Reddy needs to slim down a bit; otherwise she would just be another passenger. The movie is about two people who have nothing much in common except their misfortunes and their stubborn I-will-get-you nature. Their fate crosses one morning and results in this super thrilling day which would change their lives forever. The pace of the movie is fast and fun filled, and definitely worth a second viewing. I have heard it’s a remake of ‘Changing Lanes’ but haven’t seen it myself.
Sonali kulkarni as Nana’s wife has done well. Sanjay Dutt’s prologue at the beginning of the movie is very apt especially the casual bambaiya accent he can put on so well.

Verdict: Not to be missed, if possible watch it tonight!

Zinda

Rating 9.0/10
Beware! This movie really hits you hard, saw it last night and couldn’t get it out of the mind the whole night. I haven’t seen the original Hollywood version ‘Old Boy’ but would like to see that now. Sanjay Dutt fits the role to the T. If you haven’t seen it I don’t want to spoil the fun by saying, who the other actor is. I will just refer to him by his screen name Rohit, who’s acted well too, for a change, and can be pardoned for some of his recent outings. Imagine you are a software engineer, offshore in Bangkok, married to Celina Jaitley (man we are getting spoilt for choice these days, after I got over Madhuri, it’s very difficult to find a heroine who holds your attention), and then one morning, you wake up and find yourself locked up in a cell not sure for how long? ...Not sure for what? ...eat the same food everyday, and count the years role by….14 years!....I do not like to reveal the story in my reviews, so I will stop right here. The movie holds your attention from start to finish, is well paced and very slick. All actors have played their part well, except maybe Lara Dutta who initially feels a bit out of place, but makes up for it later. The feel of the movie will remind you of Musafir, Kaante and Ek Ajnabee (Ek Ajnabee is another must watch brilliant movie which warrants a separate review itself, but in short, if you are an AB fan, take my word and just watch it).
Verdict: A must watch

Bluffmaster

Rating: 6.5/10
The movie promo for this movie was a bigger hit than the movie itself, as is the trend nowadays. The movie itself is not as fast paced or out of the world funny or slapstick comedy as the video album might have portrayed. However it has a different feel to it. It’s stylish and yet simple. Being an AB Junior fan its hard for me to write anything against him, but personally I feel he could have done a touch better. Nana Patekar is at his cool best, as always. Some of the punch line between AB Junior and Nana are quite funny. For me the movie is a dividing line between two eras, a pre-Priyanka chopra era and a Priyanka chopra era, I couldn’t help but take notice of this girl who has been around for a few years now, but looks her best here; I think she acted well too. The movie is probably inspired by the Michael Douglas movie ‘The Game’, not the central story, but just has a feel. Let me know if you think so too. Ritesh is good in parts. The chemistry between Ritesh and Abhishek is good, so is the chemistry between Abhishek and Priyanka. Boman Irani is OK. The songs fit well in the movies and almost all of them are a big hit now. The video album is a rage. Not exactly a must watch but a shade better that Bunty and Bubly, if you get a chance do see it.

Maalamal weekly

Maalamal weekly – 5.5/10

Another one from the Priyadarshan mill, it has the Priyadarshan stamp all over, a few jokes have been repeated, and the unexpected funny situation is only to be expected these days in Priyadarshan movies. But nevertheless it does manage to tickle your funny bone every now and then. Good performances by Om Puri, Paresh and Asrani. The movie scores a few points because it’s not a typical boy meets girl type of movie, however the central story is a bit weak to be stretched for 3 hours, and drags for quite some time. It was good to see Rimi Sen, its always good these days to see the hero and heroine reduced to just a character in the movie so that we can have a story. I had liked her in ‘Hum ho gay aapke’ a movie which I should have included in the worst movies ever made. Gosh can’t believe I still remember it, even Fardeen would have forgotten about it, and Apurva-Arman-Agnihotri would even deny he acted in it…that would be honest of him to be literal. Back to Maalamal weekly, Ritesh Deshmukh and Vijay Rajpal Yadav are good too. After ‘Kya kool hai hum’ Ritesh has consistently failed to live up to the expectation, but he tries nevertheless.
Verdict: See it if you have nothing much to do tonight.