Guru (Kay Kay Menon) is a car thief whose partner in crime is a garage owner Ganpat (Dilip Prabhawalkar). Fouzdar (Kher), an underworld don sends his driver to deliver Rs. 1 crore cash to deliver it to filmmaker Gogi (Manoj Pahwa). But Guru ends up stealing this car and is over the moon on finding the cash bag inside.

Movie Review: Sankat City
Rating: 3.5/5
Starring: Kay Kay Menon, Rimi Sen, Anupam Kher, Chunky Pandey, Yashpal Sharma, Dilip Prabhawalkar
Director: Pankaj Advani

But before Guru could savor the money, he is caught by Fouzdar. When Fouzdar sends his henchman Lovely (Jehangir Khan) along with Guru to get back his money hidden in garage, Lovely unintentionally ends up hurting Ganpat’s head. Since Ganpat before that had hidden the money at a different place it gets crazier since Ganpat now has lost his memory with the assault on his head.

Now Guru is given three days by Fouzdar to get back his money or else face death. Guru then chances upon his old partner in crime Mona (Rimi) and both join hands. What helluva crazy ride it all leads as Guru goes on to get Rs. 1 crore forms the rest of the plot.

The film’s biggest assets are the zany humour and also the acting by each and every actor. Pankaj Advani’s narrative style is terrific and keeps you engaged throughout. It is good debut by the filmmaker. While the first half breezes quickly, the second gets a little slow but however the film picks up well during the climax.

Amongst the most hilarious scenes are Anupam Kher’s sequences with a nervous wreck builder played by Yashpal Sharma, Kay Kay and Ganpat’s friendly banter, Kay Kay and Rimi’s theft at Yashpal Sharma’s flat and Kay Kay’s taxi ride with a Sardar taxi driver who is hunting for his lost brother. Ranjit Barot’s background music is impressive.

Kay Kay is simply superb while Rimi gives her best performance till date. Her constant Bengali banter is cute. Anupam Kher is top class. Chunky Pandey in a double role is hilariously good. Manoj Pahwa, Yashpal Sharma, Sanjay Mishra, Hemant Pandey, Virendra Saxena and Sunita Rajwar lend able support. Rahul Dev in a short role of a hit man impresses.

Sankat City is a must watch for all those complaining to see something different yet full of fun.

Also Read:

City throngs Sankat City premiere

Rimi, Anupam, Rahul at Sankat City film music launch

Rimi Sen Interview On Sankat City

First Look Sankat City

K K Menon in a candid interview talks at length about the current scene of Indian Cinema and his experience about venturing into comedy.

Are you satisfied with the audience response?
Well, so far as per our expectations, the film has been loved by the people who took an initiative to watch it. Thus, their initiative led them to discover an intelligent comedy. So, I request my audience to go and witness an out-of-the-box concept driven film.

Today the success of a film largely depends on the promotion. But Sankat City has not been promoted the way it should have been, do you think it’s going to reflect on the overall performance of the film?
Well, the producers are supposed to answer that question. But I would like to mention that, it’s the audience which is to be blamed here. Good subjects with low-budget become the prey of audiences’ ignorant attitude. Why? Despite getting fooled by the same filmmakers who spend lavishly on promotion of the films with senseless subjects, audiences continue to watch such films. If you go to see the fate of subject-driven films under low-budget conditions, they have just been critically-appreciated. Because, business comes with masses watching the film; which is very negligible for low-budget ventures. Excluding a few exceptional hits like Bheja Fry, low-budget films generally don’t get good box-office results. I personally feel it is the audience, which does not give low-budget filmmakers the confidence to make another film where the producer can think of increasing the budget.

Theatre has always catered to niche audience; do you think big screen is where recognition comes easily for talent? How has life been after films?
As far as I am concerned, I feel that after giving 15 years to Indian Cinema I better be recognized now (laughs). Well, on a more serious note, I have outgrown the concept of recognition or fame, etc. I believe after a certain stage in your life, one becomes selfless and starts thinking with a broader perspective. Indian cinema has a long way to go. Being a part of it, I feel very disappointed to see the way our cinema is heading. I feel pity at the very thought that Indian films have become a source to mint-money. Definitely, business is an important aspect but the notion of nurturing good subjects has disappeared somewhere, which hurts my creative sensibilities.

You have continued with theatre simultaneously, how do strike a balance?
Honestly, my performances have reduced gradually as I have been busy with film schedules. However, I will surely get back to theatre in the next couple of years.

Coming back to Sankat City, what does the title suggest about the film? Tell us about any real life sankat that hovered on you?
Sankat City as the title goes is a city where people face the Sankat (troubles) coming their way and move on. As far as sankat in real life are concerned, I am completely fearless. I feel that I am too strong and mature to handle them by now.

Tell us about your on and off screen chemistry with Rimi Sen?
Rimi is a very spontaneous actor. Although we play the protagonists in the film, still Rimi does not play my love interest. We share a very strange kind of relationship where I play a car thief and Rimi a con-woman.

This is the time for monsoon and the word Sankat in Mumbai is on top of every one’s mind. Seems like, it’s a perfect time for the Moserbaer -Seven Entertainment flick; Sankat City, to hit the marquee. The premiere of the film saw the glitterati of tinsel town flock at PVR.

Harish Dayani and G Dhananjayan played the perfect hosts while stars KK Menon, Rimi Sen, Anupam Kher, Chunkey Pandey, Vipin Sharma, Rahul Dev, Mohit Chadda, Manoj Pahwa, Raajesh Tondon, Saurabh Shukla, singer June Bannerjee, Naveen Prabhakar, Prashant Pandey, Makarand Deshpande, Padam Bhola, Kalki Kolchein, directors Pankaj Advani, Yashpal Sharma, Anurag Kashyap, Shriram Raghavan, Anirudhya Mitra, Shivam Nair, Karan Choudhary, Imtiaz Ali, Arup Dutt, Bunty Walia, Chirantan Das, Hemant Pandey and a host of others thronged the event.

He further adds, “I chose from what I am given. Maybe filmmakers are now seeing in a different light. Earlier I was not given the choice of doing different genres. They always considered me a serious actor. But after Drona filmmakers are offering me different roles.”

Talking about the debacles of Stoneman Murders and Drona, Kay Kay says, “Stoneman was a decent film. I did my best for the film but then the onus lies on the audiences. I think the audience needs to be enlightened on cinema. They should stop promoting thrash. They should give a good movie its due and not just judge a film by the display.”

For now Kay Kay has another comedy up his sleeve titled Aage Se Right along with Shreyas Talpade. Then there’s David Dhawan’s Hook Ya Crook where Kay Kay will be seen with a new make over.

Set in the fictional Rajpur town of modern-day Rajasthan, Gulaal is entangled with stories of student politics, a covertly taking shape local rebellion for an independent Rajputana stare and love taking it forward. The meek, Dileep Singh (Raj Singh Chaudhary), is an idealistic man who gets caught in the whirlpool of student politics and much more.

Rating: 4/5
Starring: Kay Kay Menon, Raj Singh Chaudhary, Jesse Randhawa, Deepak Dobriyal, Aditya Srivastava, Ayesha Mohan, Piyush Mishra and Abhimanyu Singh
Director: Anurag Kashyap

As Dileep gets sucked into the world of Rananjay (Abhimanyu Singh), Dukkey Bana (Kay Kay), an autocratic local Rajput leader who is leading a planned armed movement to reclaim Rajputana for Rajputs, a brother-sister couple (Aditya and Ayesha), the illegitimate children of an erstwhile Rajput king who are seething at their bastard status (Aditya Srivastava, Ayesha Mohan) and Anuja (Jesse), a young teacher who becomes a social misfit in college after a particular incident inflicted upon her by college hooligans. Dilip gets used as a pawn by people who matter to him and ends up being an unwilling player in a sinister plot. What it all leads to forms the rest of the film.

Bollywood gets yet another talented actor in Raj Singh Chaudhari who is also the co-writer of the film. In a film packed with great acting talents, Raj stands out with his convincing act. Kay Kay Menon as always is simply superb. Another show stealer is Deepak Dobriyal who plays his loyal assistant in the film. He speaks volumes just with his expressions without speaking much. Mahie Gill as the mujra girl cum beauty parlour owner is stunning and has tremendous screen presence. Aditya Srivastava and Ayesha Mohan are good as well. Piyush Mishra is terrific as Kay Kay’s brother and has the film’s best lines.

Gulaal was claimed as Anurag Kashyap’s angriest film and it indeed is. It explores the dynamics of royalty vis-à-vis the democratic system. Sectionalism today has set everywhere in a big way and the film is the true reflection of where our nation stands today. Though been in the making for more than four years now, never once the film gives a dated feeling. The credit for which also goes to cinematographer Rajeev Ravi.

Kashyap’s dialogues that are replete with sarcastic one-liners, beautiful poetries and philosophies and also the referential meanings are amongst the finest seen on screen for a long long time in Bollywood. Piyush Mishra apart from acting superbly also scores full marks for his hard hitting lyrics and beautiful music that is mix of many interesting things such as sarcasm, peppiness, and sensibility. It is the film’s lyrics and music that make the film a completely an extraordinary experience.

Gulaal is something that is extremely relatable, especially for today’s youth. Though at a running time of over two and a half hours, there are times when the film tends to appear dragging, it is worth a watch. The film though has Anurag’s now trademark abstractness at times, it is not as incomprehensible as it was in No Smoking or in Dev.D. Go watch Gulaal.

The film takes place in the city of Mumbai, where serial killings are taking place at a rapid pace. The serial killer, who has been named ‘Stoneman’ by the media – due to the way he kills people, has already claimed his fifth victim. Still, the case seems to be of little interest to Mumbai Police force.

Rating: 3/5
Starring: Kay Kay Menon, Arbaaz Khan, Rukhsar, Vikram Gokhale
Director: Manish Gupta

However, there is one person in, rather out of, the police who deems it to be of great importance – suspended sub-inspector Sanjay Shelar (Kay Kay Menon). To him, the killer presents an opportunity to come back into the police force. AIG Satam (Vikram Gokhale), who supports Sanjay, provides him secret aid as well, for tracking down the serial killer.

However, posing as the biggest roadblock to Sanjay is Inspector Kedar Phadke (Arbaaz Khan), the officer who is in-charge of the case. As both of them do their investigation, delving deeper into the case, their ways clash. On the other hand, the killer continues to haunt the streets of Mumbai, claiming victim after victim. Will the police be able to know who ‘Stoneman’ is? If yes, will it be Sanjay or Kedar who solves the case?

Manish Gupta who wrote Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar makes a brilliant debut as a director with TSM. Also doubling up as a writer, mixing real life incident of the stone man killings in the early 80s and weaving a fictionalized story around it, Manish has succeeded in making a tight thriller which keeps the viewer guessing the true identity of the killer right till the final reel of the film.

Keeping the length at just 1 hour 40 minutes, Manish has avoided adding unnecessary stuff making the film stay true to its thriller genre. Also, his technical team deserves special applause lending him able support. Almost the entire film takes place during the night and cameraman Srikanth Naroj has succeeded in brilliantly setting up the lights creating just the right atmosphere to give you the chills.

The sound work is brilliant too and the background score builds up the necessary tension. Just that you feel that the item song was not needed in the film.

What takes the film to a higher level is the performance of Kay Kay Menon. He is a master in doing intense roles and yet again he delivers the goods. He carries the entire film on his shoulders and succeeds. Arbaaz Khan is in good form but Vikram Gokhale has nothing much to do. Rukhsar is strictly okay. Virendra Saxena leaves a mark in a small cameo.

TSM is an original piece of work and one of the finest thrillers made in Bollywood in recent times. Suspense film lovers should not give it a miss at any cost.

Movie Stills

Do you think that this movie will also create the same buzz like Bobby Bedi’s last realistic film Bandit Queen?
See you can’t compare Bandit Queen and The Stone man Murders. Bandit Queen was internationally acclaimed and it was a great great film it was a very realistic film with real characters whereas this movie is based on the real event but the characters and many of the things are fictional in the film you can say that this movie is the combination of fictional and non fictional things.

The actual story of the stone man was always covered up do you think this movie is an attempt to bring all the truth out?
Manish the director of the film has done a lot of research on this story and yes there is an attempt to bring out many facts about the incident through this movie.

It all happened in 1983 and being a strong storyline too nobody took this subject and now after so many years Manish is making the movie on this what do you think is the reason behind it?

Manish is really passionate about these types of subjects and he has worked really hard on the subject and that is the reason he is making the film on this subject and I have no idea why anyone else didn’t take this subject from so many years.

The movie is releasing on Friday 13 which is considered to be an unlucky combination?
It is a coincidence that the movie is releasing on the Friday 13 and lets see whether it is going to be unlucky or lucky for us.

You are playing the role of the police officer what challenges you faced while playing this role? Tell us more about your role?
I have played the role of a police officer in black Friday too but there the character was inspired by the real life character whereas in this movie this character is fictional is very different from that one. I get into the character deeply and analyze it and I find myself very comfortable acting so it wasn’t a challenge but a pleasure doing this role.the cop which I am playing in the movie has been suspended and to get his job back he is struggling to find out the truth behind The Stone man case.

This incidence happened in 1983 and you were in your teens that time were you aware of the fact about the incident that time? What was your reaction after you heard about it?
Yes, my parents use to tell me that don’t go out otherwise Stone man will hurt you and stuffs like that so I knew only this much about the incident.

Do the story expose the intentions and the reason behind the method of killing used by Stoneman?
Yes, the story expose the intentions and the reason behind the method of killing used by the Stoneman .

Kay Kay Menon, Rukhsar at The Stoneman Murders press meet in Andheri on 3rd Feb 2009.

The Stoneman Murders Releasing 13th February
What was the real story behind the serial killings that took place in Mumbai in 1983?
Why was THIS serial killer not caught when every other serial killer was apprehended?
Was there a cover up by the agencies that were investing this case?

The Stoneman Murders – The film asks some straight questions and exposes the rot in the system that allowed for the cover up of a crime of such magnitude that let the killer go scot free Bobby Bedi, the famed producer of the internationally acclaimed Bandit Queen is back with yet another hard hitting film that makes us sit up and take notice.

“When I first saw this script, I was completely taken aback by the mystery of so many murders that took place in Bombay, with not definitive arrest! Our writer had done extensive research on these serial killings. We found that there had been detailed investigations by the agencies but the killer was apparently never found. Without giving away the plot of the film I will say with conviction, that there was an enormous cover up on part of the investigating agencies. And this coverup is exactly what our film exposes” say the producer Bobby Bedi

“Stoneman or pattharmaar, as he was known, is the only serial-killer case in India that was never solved. The identity of this killer, 25 years after he killed his last victim, remains a mystery to the world even now. The reason was that his identity and motives were probably covered up. How and why is what the movie The Stoneman Murders is all about.” – Manish Gupta, Director of The Stoneman Murders

SYNOPSIS
After the serial killer aptly dubbed ‘Stoneman’ by the media has just claimed his fifth victim, the case is still of little interest to the Bombay Police force. But to suspended sub-inspector Sanjay Shelar (Kay Kay Menon), this killer poses an opportunity. Sanjay hopes to track this killer down and thus, possibly find an entry back into the police force. With the secret aid of his patronizing superior AIG Satam (Vikram Gokhale), Sanjay takes up the arduous process of tracking this killer down. But the official police investigator of the case Inspector Kedar Phadke (Arbaaz Khan) clashes incessantly with Sanjay as both of them, separately, delve deeper into the case. Even as the police jostle for leads and clues, the Stoneman stalks the streets unabated, claiming victim after victim…

CHARACTER SKETECHES
Sub-inspector Sanjay Shelar (Kay Kay Menon)
Sanjay is a violent cop – reckless and ruthless and therefore now suspended from the Police force. Under the patronage of his superior AIG Satam, Sanjay is carrying out a secret unofficial investigation of the Stoneman case. This case may be Sanjay’s last chance to redeem himself and win his job back.

Sub-inspector Kedar Phadke (Arbaaz Khan)
Kedar is Sanjay’s professional rival. He is a regular Bombay cop – laidback and unconcerned. His rivalry against Sanjay often motivates him more than his sense of duty. He is the official investigator of the Stoneman case and he is unaware that Sanjay has been assigned by AIG Satam to unofficially investigate the case.

AIG Satam (Vikram Gokhale)
Crime branch veteran Satam is the superior officer-in-charge to both Sanjay and Kedar. Knowing Sanjay’s abilities, he has allowed Sanjay to carry out an unofficial investigation of the Stoneman case. On the other hand, he has appointed Kedar as the official investigator of the same case. Since he cannot let Kedar learn about Sanjay’s secret investigation, Satam often finds himself torn between the two rivals Sanjay and Kedar.

Manali (Rukhsar)
Sanjay’s wife Manali, a simple housewife, finds her relation with her husband strained due to his obsession with a mysterious case that she knows nothing about.

PRINCIPAL CREW

Writer/Director Manish Gupta

Producer Bobby Bedi

Director of Photography Srikanth Naroj

Executive Producer Gautam Talwar

Editor Sanjib Datta

Music & Background Score Siddhartth-Suhas

Lyrics Kumaar/Manish Gupta

Art Director Satish Chipkar

Choreography Remo

Costumes Darshan Jalan

Sound Design Jayesh Dhakkan

Media Consultancy Nine Winds Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd

DIRECTOR’S NOTE
September 1983, Bombay shivered in dread and people were afraid to venture out of their homes, as a serial killer stalked the streets between Sion and Matunga. This killer preyed on poor homeless pavement dwellers, killing them while they slept. The killer invariably left behind his mark – a heavy stone placed near the head of each victim, sometimes the same stone had been used to crush the head of the victim. The media aptly dubbed this killer The Stoneman, who continued his spate of killings in an unabated manner, even as the police groped around in the dark. However, the killings stopped just as mysteriously as they had begun. Apparently, the killer was never caught and the police found no evidence. This led me to wonder – Was there more to the killings than met the eye? – Manish Gupta.

Film: Drona
Director: Goldie Behl
Actors: Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Kay Kay Menon, Jaya Bachchan, Akhilendra Mishra, Master Veer Arya, Navneet Nishan
Rating: 2/5

There is the youth separated from his real mother, who is the chosen legendary hero to save the world. The magicians evil and cunning to destroy him and get the secret that gives the power to Drona.  Then there is a Blue Rose petal that plays the key role. Still to figure what that blue petal stands for!

There are moments where the hero goes talking to the petal asking why he is a ‘loser’! Probably the petal would have had more to say for our poor super hero.

As a child the hero grows up in a foster home in a hindi speaking family guess where? Prague!  A day arrives when he brought to a bar (is that how bars look?) where he is revealed the secret of who he is – Drona, a man who has inherited the mystical power to protect the Amrit.

Neither Drona nor rest of the characters in the movie know where to find the amrit!  After going through a series of flashy sets, train sequences, ocean by the desert, you still figuring out what is happening.. By the time all is over you will find that three fourth of the movie is already over.

The villian Riz Raizada (played by Kay Kay) comes and goes around like the Joker in ‘The Dark Knight.’  Lo what is he is looking for? Ofcourse he is after the magic potion for immortality. But it is even more appalling to note that he can recreate himself from a drop of blood and you wonder why he would still need that magic potion!

More to see of his powers, he turns the hero’s mother into a stone what our super hero calls Mamta ki moorat.  Jaya Bachchan ofcourse is our mamta ki moorat!  May be she should have stayed a stone all through the end. We could have avoided many mamta-based emotional sequences.

Then we have the super hero’s lady love Priyanka who is supposedly his bodyguard. Apparently the idea was given by Abhishek to have Priyanka do that role! Well, well best not to say much about that.

In this period when we have better made movies like Superman, Spiderman, Lord of the Rings, do we really need a desi versions of these?  Who would have loved this? The kids? Yes for the super effects and adults, better not say anything about that!

Mumbai, Oct 2 (ANI): Film premiere of Bollywood fantasy-thriller DRONA was held in Mumbai on Wednesday evening. The film is produced by Shrishti Arya and directed by Goldie Behl. Behl’s film stars Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Kay Kay Menon and Jaya Bachchan. Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan who essays the role of Drona in the film said that entire team had really worked hard on the film and hoped that it did well in theaters.

“I am very excited and nervous as well. We will come to know in one two days that how did people like the film. We have all worked very hard for the film and I want it to do well,” said Abhishek.

Drona is the modern tale of one man’’s spectacular voyage through the labyrinths of mystic myths and legendary legacies. As good and evil clash in this contemporary fantasy fable, a breathtaking journey beckons one into a world of mythic heroes and malicious magicians, of cunning curses and absolute innocence.

Shahrukh Khan walked into the premiere with his wife and daughter to put at rest the rumours about his differences with the Bachchan family. Bollywood super star Amitabh Bachchan congratulated the makers of the film for its unique presentation and said Bachchan family’s expectations about it are high.

“This is our profession. In our profession we make films and want the public to appreciate them. In this film Goldie, Abhishek and Priyanka have done the same and as colleagues we are putting in an effort that people should like the film,” said Amitabh.

Former Miss World and Bollywood actor, Aishwarya Rai looking at her best in an off-shoulder dress sought media’’s help in the success of the film.

“He (Abhishek) is a darling and I am very happy for him and entire team’’s effort. So looking forward to Drona and you (the media) do your job and invite the audience to watch the film,” said Aishwarya.

Vaibhav Modi has penned the lyrics of the film, while Dhruv Ghanekar has given the music to the film. The film released in the theatres today.

Aishwarya Rai, Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Gauri Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Sonali Bendre, Goldie Behl, Preity Zinta, Ritesh Deshmukh, Harman Baweja, Priyanka Chopra, Sajid Khan, Arshad Warsi, Shahid Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor, Twinkle Khanna, Sushmita Sen, Sunil Shetty, Mana Shetty, Adnan Sami, Arjun Rampal, Jaya Bachchan, Amar Singh, Adnan Sami, Divya Dutta, Chunkey Pandey, Anusha Dandekar, Aarti and Kailash Surendranath, Aadesh Shrivastav, Abbas Mastan, Parsoon Joshi, Ashutosh Gowariker with wife, Kunal Kapoor, Kunal Kohli, Kirron Kher, Sikander Kher, Neelam, Manoj Tiwari, Prem Chopra, Ramesh Sippy, Kiran Juneja, Sanjay Khan, Shaan, Sheeba, Sophie Chaudhary were present at Drona Premiere on 1st october 2008

“I’m playing a negative character in the film because it interested me. I never did that type of role before. But that doesn’t mean that I will be doing only negative roles in future,” Kay Kay told IANS.

“Indian cinema has evolved recently and today’s audience is exposed to international cinema as well. So I think we can’t typecast an actor. I think if any actor thinks of creating an image and sticking to it, then he is not an actor. He should only do his job and leave the rest to the audience.

“Image is created by the work one does. For me, it is a job and I keep doing that. So, whatever image comes thereof is not my calling. And I don’t think anybody can really change one’s image.”

Directed by Goldie Behl, “Drona” is a supernatural adventure fantasy. Inspired by comic books, graphic novels and Indian mythology, the film features Kay Kay as an evil magician who wants to achieve immortality but is confronted by the protagonist Drona played by Abhishek Bachchan.

Of late reality films have done well at the box office, but Kay Kay feels that audiences will accept “Drona”. “I think the audience is mature enough. All kinds of films peacefully co-exist. In today’s world, there is an audience for all kinds of movies.”

Kay Kay has worked with many well-known directors like Sudhir Mishra and Madhur Bhandarkar, but he doesn’t have any favourites.”I absolutely don’t analyse my career nor do I foresee it. I normally do films and forget about it. I don’t look back or look forward. I just keep on doing things that interest me.”

Kay Kay, who does not have any background in films, said being a star-son can get a person instant recognition, but the actual success lies in talent. “A good launch has a gala opening, which is good for an actor. But, I think, if you are talented and reasonably good enough at your work you can make your way through,” Kay Kay said.

Kay Kay debuted with Saeed Mirza’s “Naseem” in 1996, but it took him nine years to get recognition. He shot to fame with Sudhir Mishra’s 2005 movie “Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi”. But the actor is not complaining about getting his due so late.

“Recognition has its own destiny and I did not want to fight that. I was just trying to do as good work as possible and I guess one should be recognised for his work,” said the actor, who is an MBA.

Kay Kay, who excelled in his academic career, started acting at the age of nine. “I started acting on stage when I was nine years old. I studied and got the degrees for worldly satisfaction, but acting was my first love. It was a gradual progression into acting from my childhood to the present.”

– By Devapriyo Bhattacharjee

While “Maan Gaye Mughal-E-Azam” is a comedy that also stars Rahul Bose and Mallika Sherawat, “Mumbai Meri Jaan” is based on the 2006 Mumbai train bombings. “I got to do comedy again in ‘Maan Gaye Mughal-E-Azam’. This is an entirely new genre for me. The director Sanjay Chhel comes from Gujarati theatre. I play a Ghazal singer Haldi Hassan with a roving eye…slightly sleazy. And though I sing quite well I left it to the professional playback singers to sing for me. I’m only an actor,” Kay Kay told IANS.

The last time the actor tried his hand at something comic was in Reema Kagti’s “Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd.”. “But genres are not relevant. I leave it to the pundits to segregate by genre. I go by what the script requires from me. For me acting is cathartic. It gives me a chance to be and do what I wouldn’t in real life. We actors are a blessed lot. Acting gives me a chance to recognise myself.”

Director Nishikant Kamath’s “Mumbai Meri Jaan” is a collage of stories related to the Mumbai train blasts, Kay Kay explained. And his role is once again very different. “I play an unemployed guy. He can apply himself to work but chooses not to and hangs around with younger boys in an Irani café. It’s all very interestingly done.”

Asked how he felt about not being in Ram Gopal Varma’s “Sarkar Raj” after being in the original “Sarkar”, Kay Kay laughed and said: “I used to joke about me being a garlanded photograph in ‘Sarkar Raj’. That didn’t happen. He added: ” ‘Sarkar’ was one of my most popular films. I’m quite happy with the work I do. I’m getting to live my life the way I do.”

– By Subhash K. Jha

This film means to be quirky, cute and comical. It ends up being a crashing bore. And the sound of the crash that you hear could be those plaster-of-paris props that adorn the stage where the cast enacts the worst version of K. Asif’s imperishable romance “Mughal-e-Azam” ever conceived.

As often happens, the film must have sounded so much better on paper. All the accomplished actors who constitute the vast cast must have got the joke and agreed to do this intended satire about the goofy adventures of a stage troupe during the week of the 1993 Mumbai blasts.

Film: MAAN GAYE MUGHAL-E-AZAM
Cast: Rahul Bose, Mallika Sherawat, Kay Kay Menon, Paresh Rawal, Pavan Malhotra
Director: Sanjay Chhel
Rating: 1/5

Alas, Asif weeps in his grave. And so do we. This is a political satire combined with a naughty comment on theatrical infidelity with Paresh’s sexy wife Mallika being wooed by a smitten Rahul (suitably wide-eyed and far removed from his Mallika-driven affections in “Pyar Ke Side Effects”).

Kay Kay, who had done a serious gritty film on the bomb blasts in “Black Friday”, slips into its satirical interpretation with astonishing fluency. As a bumbling cheesy ghazal singer with terrorist links (remember Naseeruddin Shah in “Sarfarosh”?), Kay Kay brings a sparkling tongue-in-cheek quality to the goings-on, a sparkle that the film doesn’t deserve. It fails to earn itself the committed devotion of such a distinguished cast.

Pavan, another fine actor, is also delightfully over-the-top as a sleazy gangster who gets as confused about the characters played by Kay Kay and Paresh (a bit of Kundan Shah’s “Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron” here) as we are about this film’s intentions.

Is this a theatrical film on play-acting? Or is it meant to be a cinematic interpretation of theatrical hi-jinks? Be that as it may, while Kay Kay goes from “Black Friday” to goofy Friday, Mallika (god bless her costume designers) goes from “Murder” to blue murder. Watching her do a re-mix of “Pyar kiya to darna kya”, Madhubala must be smirking in her grave.

If Mallika’s “Murder” on infidelity was a path-breaker (at least as far as sexual audacity goes) her attempts to flirt from the pokey stage with her besotted spectator right under her suspicious husband’s watchful eyes can at best be described as “Pati Patni Aur Woh” gone to the dogs.

Chhel has always been a capable wordsmith. As a director, he had his polished moments in “Khubsoorat” where Sanjay Dutt turned ugly duckling Urmila Matondkar into a swan.

One is never sure if Mallika is the duck or swan in “Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam”. All one knows at the end of this horrifically hammy ode to a hammy theatre company’s outrageous attempts to save Mumbai from the underworld (yeah, but who saves us from this film?) is that there is no more than perhaps seven minutes of bonafide humour in the entire tale.

The dialogues are either dreadfully double-meaning or primary school gags. RDX and R.D. Burman are equated for laughs. But the film has neither Burman’s melodiousness now the explosive quality of RDX.

– By Subhash K. Jha

MUMBAI MERI JAAN is a sincere attempt to capture the aftermath of the serial bomb blasts in Mumbai’s local trains that ripped apart the city’s lifeline on July 11, 2006, killing 80 innocent commuters and leaving scores injured. By recounting the individual trauma of a few of those affected, director Nishikant Kamat tries to delve into the genesis of communalism through the everyday life of Mumbai’s common people.

Film: MUMBAI MERI JAAN
Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Irrfan Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Madhavan, Paresh Rawal, Vijay Maurya
Director: Nishikant Kamat
Rating: 2.5/5

Though Kamat’s objective is noble, he succeeds in his enterprise only partially in terms of communicating to the viewers what he intends to say. Although the movie ends with Hindus and Muslims of the city regaining their trust in each other, what precedes is a tale of hatred, distrust, helplessness and anguish, a tale which is also about ineffectual police administration, unconcerned and unfeeling about the woes of the common men.

In essence, the underlying theme of MUMBAI MERI JAAN is to show the city’s mood in the face of odds. But that does not come off on the screen as convincingly as it should have. Scenes are repetitive and the delineation sketchy. Before one can absorb the mood of a scene, it dissolves into another of the same nature.

Perhaps, by intention, the script has no strong characters, because the writer’s objective is to present Mumbai as a composite character, a city braving the after effects of the blasts. The only character that stays with the viewers is the one of a Hindu fanatic played by Kay Kay Menon. The actor delivers the goods by his convincing portrayal of man obsessed with his hate-Muslim campaign.

As constable Tukaram Patil, a symbol of decadence in the police department, Paresh Rawal, as usual, acquits himself splendidly. The performance of Vijay Maurya in his role of Sunil Kadam, Patil’s younger colleague, but who is diametrically opposite to him, is praiseworthy.

Soha Ali Khan actually springs a surprise in the movie by giving a realistic performance in a deglamourised role of Rupali Joshi. She plays a TV reporter, who is traumatized by the devastating effects of the train blasts in which she has lost her fiancé. Kamat has extracted the best out of her so far.

R. Madhavan, as Nikhil Agarwal, an IT professional, and Irrfan Khan, as Thomas, a roadside coffee vendor, do the best within the limited scope the script provides them. Madhavan moons about India’s future and Khan does his best to spite the country’s mall-obsessed middle-class, but why he does so is not clear.

In sum, “Mumbai Meri Jaan” is the director’s tribute to the spirit and resilience of Mumbai and its people. The theme of the movie is commendable, but the narration lacks spontaneity. This is because Kamat wants to tell the story through the lives of too many people, so that, by doing so, he loses the thread here and there.

Nevertheless, the movie is worth watching. A movie like this helps society to introspect, to find its strength and drawbacks. Better still, it helps Hindus and Muslims to understand each other better.

Professionals of the VFX studio, Tata Elexi, deserve kudos for simulating the blast sequences with awesome reality. This one sequence would be enough for the viewers of “Mumbai Meri Jaan” to comprehend the brutality of the murderers, otherwise known as terrorists.

Definitely, we are having a roll of a time with filmmakers ready to experiment and give us different varieties to savor. We are getting out very own Hitchcocks, Spielbergs and Kurosawas. Via Darjeeling is a film that leaves you an open ending to cud on. The question here is are we ready for endings! The debutant directors these days are coming up with fresh and smart themes for the audience to enjoy.

Rating: 2.75/5

They are leading a path lesser visited and that gives us even more reasons to smile. Directed by debutant Arindam Nandy, Via Darjeeling visits one such lesser visited path of collecting different perspectives and leaving it on to the audience to take toe most viable option without the filmmaker forcing it on them. The film has been produced by NFDC; it is a relatively less expensive film than Kunal Kohli’s Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic which released this week.

NFDC has been known for patronizing the likes of Satyajit Ray, Shyam Benegal and the types, and for producing films that have not only been synthetic eyewashes but mind-stirring drama with a point to put forth. This creates a lot of expectations for Arindam Nandy to take care. Though not absolutely original, Via Darjeeling borrows its plot form master filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon. This academy award nominated film dealt with a murder presented with different perspectives and the viewer are left to take their pick.

The film probably never expected to make a race with the other releases this week. With some of the most talented actors of the film industry today, the director wanted to make a statement which he does. He has tried his best with the rather unconventional narratives and roping in the singular description to a common result. Truth from different perspectives can mislead and put a strong mist upon what really happened and it all depends on the opinion giver’s psychology to see the truth according to his particular taste.

The film is not very engrossing but it keeps you in good humor though out and even though there is no nail-biting conflict mystery shown here, the presenters keep you guessing about what really happened. It teases you brain and that is probably what Arindam Nandy wanted to prove. Technically speaking, there is no loose strands that peep out so that you give negative marks to the filmmaker but over all the open ending leaves you restless to know what happened and even though the purpose is solved by the filmmaker, it doesn’t provide you complete entertainment.

Via Darjeeling talks about the mystery behind a man’s disappearance told from different outlooks. The film mostly moves in and around Kolkatta and Darjeeling where a normal couple go honeymooning. The couple Ankur (Kay Kay Menon) & Rimli (Sonali Kulkarni) spend some days in Darjeeling and on the very day of their departure from there, Ankur goes missing without a clue.

An inspector Robin Bose (Vinay Pathak), who takes the charge of the case tries his best to find Ankur but fails to do so and the only clues that he gets out of Rimli are a fight Ankur had taken up with a taxi driver and a mysterious man (Parvin Dabas) who has been following her throughout her time in Darjeeling. Rimli had told about her doubts about the mysterious man to Ankur but he had dismissed her. The case is closed without any solution and Rimli left with her parents who spent no time to use their influences.

Then one rainy night the cop Robin attends a get together at his friend’s house. Ronodeep (Rajat Kapoor), who happens to be the editor of a happening news paper, and his wife Preety (Simone Singh) find their urban Kolkatta residence to be the stage for unveiling a mystery that Robin brings up. The other people who are present there are a budding filmmaker Kaushik (Proshanth Narayanan) and an actress Malaika (Sandhya Mridul). Robin brings up the topic via Darjeeling after gulping down a few pegs and everyone gets interested to present their opinion of what really happened to the couple. Their stories change with their psychology, profession and personalities.

While Ronodeep who is bound by his profession to add sensation to the plot, assumes that trimly had a hand in the whole episode and the mysterious man was her lover and the taxi driver kidnaps Ankur. He tries to make it look like a scandal which her influential parents dismissed. Preety, who loves to read thrillers and takes the side of Rimli. According to her Rimli might have been victimized by Ankur and she even goes ahead to say that the mysterious man was her lover and she got pregnant with his child and knowing this Ankur abandons her and goes absconding. The budding filmmaker Kaushik makes it look like a cheap thriller and takes the mysterious man to be a contract killer who was hired by Ankur to kill Rimli to get her out of the way and inherit her ancestral property. Malaika who doesn’t believe in men thinks it was Ankur who was to blame. The story goes on and doesn’t have a definite closure.

Both Kay Kay Menon and Sonali Kulkarni are awesome, they change according to teach narration and give convincing performances. Kay Kay however shadows the others. Rajat Kapoor and Vinay Pathak look utterly realistic and give credible performances. While Sandhya Mridul just performs well, Simone Singh looks like an ordinary Bong housewife with an intelligent mind. She looks absolutely adorable. Proshanth and Parvin Dabbas are good.

Director Arindam Nandy does a nice job to create a big time Adda tradition of friends and gets the best out of the actors but he plot is too slow to make a huge impact. The beauty of Darjeeling isn’t captured well so cinematography is just okay. Atul Sabharwal’s dialogues create the mood pretty well, to please the taste of an educated audience. Over all the film is a good watch.

Rating: 2.75/5

The scene required his character to jump on to a fast moving train and then jump off when it gained full speed.

As director Manish Gupta was sceptical about letting his lead actor attempt such a dangerous stunt, he had arranged for a stunt double to do the act. But Kay Kay was adamant.

Gupta gave in to his wish and the crew of the film waited with baited breath as the train hurtled ahead at full speed.

As Kay Kay leaped off the moving train, he safely landed on the ground, much to the thrill of the director, who got a perfect shot.

To everyone his own! This is the very line on which director Rajaatesh Nayar wishes to exploit in Sirf, which has four couples from different strata of life dealing with love and relationships born and breeding in a Metro and none seems to be content with what they have, pining to exchange lives with the other without realizing that life isn’t really green on the other side as well. Sirf, or say only, deals with the dilemma that we all live in, we have something and we lack something else, which keeps us wondering what to do with what we have. We all people who live in the so-called metros will be surprised at the concern the tinsel screenplay writers put on display. There was a time when Bollywood directors used to love the village with most movies being based on the life of people living in villages, now with the modernity touching our lives, these directors have matured from villages to cities. But as much as these metro-centric stories look good in a novel fail to capture your fancy in the silver screen, and more so, when they have been depicted time and again. That is also fine but what fails in most movies dealing with such sensitive pieces from our lives is the fact that the relating factor is either missing or not devised well. The catch point of the realistic movies is that they just touch your heart and catharsis is not deliberately created, which is also a selling point. While Anurag Basu’s Metro clicked at the box office pleasing the audience as well as the critics, what stops Sirf from joining the league of good movies is that even though it was nice of the director to think about the only things that we miss in life, he gives a very lousy job of presenting it in the big screen.

Rating: 2/5

No director can breathe in peace by just getting some talented actors in a movie when the plot is as loose as a far too much stretched elastic. Courage in picking up a difficult storyline isn’t everything, while having four couples with each one being as intricate as a labyrinth, keeping track of the growth of each character and the way they should be presented in the movie was not a simple task for a debutant director. Even when he wishes to make a realistic presentation looking at it through a rose-tainted glass, Rajaatesh Nayar has lost track of the gray colors of life. Possibly the whole narration is superfluous and the hints of realism is only a matter of desire! Coming straight to the story which fails to win itself a place among the general audience has four couples, taken right from the top strata of life to the low-income group. Devika and Gaurav (Manisha Koirala and Kay Kay Menon) are a high-profile couple with every pleasure at their feet while they lack the basic necessity in a relationship, the lack of compassion for each other. In the run for success, money and grandeur, they accept that their relation is minus any love, which clouds the very future of their togetherness. The flagship punch line this couple holds is that having only money doesn’t necessarily buy you love.

The upper middle class newly-married couple Suchita and Amit (Rituparna Sengupta and Parvin Dabas) have plentiful in life, in terms of money and love. Suchita belongs to a conservative family from a small town that makes her quite clueless about the way people meet and live in a metro and is quite perturbed at the fact that her husband is meeting so many open-mined women everyday. Her innocent mind gives in to hysterics that starts driving her relation with her husband to an uncertainty beyond repair. The flag this handsome pair holds is that only love and money can’t ensure a healthy relation.

The third couple, which is the more realistic of the four is from the affluent working middle-class. Namita and Akash (Sonali Kulkarni and Ranvir Shorey) are a couple who have everything, love, money and trust. They are both successful professional who are able to maintain a decently financially stable life. Their issue is nothing to do with their relation but having a daughter with a chronic illness that forbids them to leave her alone at home while they work. The lack of time or rather qualitative time with family creates the contravening antagonism between them. This pair proves the third and powerful fact that only love, money and trust is nothing without sufficient time for family.

The fourth and the most lovely couple from the lower income group is in search of a complete world, weaving dreams of a successful life with the little means they have. Shalu and Rahul (Nauheed Cyrusi and Ankur Khanna) are madly in love with each other and they are searching for means to fulfill their dream home. Their wish to marry is on hold owing to lack of money and so life is nothing with only love, trust and time without money. These people meet in some cultivated coincidences and imagine the other being happier than them. Ironically, the shoes that they are pinning for is made of unseen thorns not roses. This completes the circle of unsuccessful desires and lives.

Acting wise, Manisha Koirala is desperately wishing to make a come back but isn’t very successful with even this one. Kay Kay Menon is pretty good as usual. Ranvir and Shonali are like ever before, refreshing and exhibit their usual charm. Rituparna Sengupta and Parvin Dabas look good together and their chemistry is not given full justice. Nauheed hasn’t got any meat while Ankur Khanna shows much promise with the limited screen time he had. Sohail Sen and Shibani Kashyap’s music is nothing astonishing or fresh, sounds far too much inspired. Cinematography by Baba Azmi is ok-ok. Editor Rajendra Surve seems to have taken an off during the initial screening of the movie as a decent amount of editing is required and gives an uncouth look.

Over all, good to be seen in television with some amount of ads, at least the ads will give you some punches!

Rating: 2/5

– Mahua Ray for Hamara Photos

(Photos) Makrand Deshpande celebrated his birthday at the RIO lounge on March 5th 2008. Present were Tejaswani Kolhapure, Shekar Suman, Sudhir Mishra, Mita Vashisht, Gauri, Yash Tonk, Vasudha Jha, Kay Kay Menon and Amol Gupte with a new clean look.