Madhavan, who stars in the film, and Shakti Kapoor, whose daughter Shraddha makes her debut in Teen Patti were also present. The makers of Teen Patti held a special screening of the film for their close friends and B-town colleagues.

Irrfan Khan, Ranjeet, Susanne Khan and Preity Zinta were among those who attended the screening. Madhavan, who stars in the film, and Shakti Kapoor, whose daughter Shraddha makes her debut in Teen Patti were also present.

The makers of Teen Patti held a special screening of the film for their close friends and B-town colleagues. Irrfan Khan, Ranjeet, Susanne Khan and Preity Zinta were among those who attended the screening.

Madhavan, who stars in the film, and Shakti Kapoor, whose daughter Shraddha makes her debut in Teen Patti were also present. The makers of Teen Patti held a special screening of the film for their close friends and B-town colleagues.

Irrfan Khan, Ranjeet, Susanne Khan and Preity Zinta were among those who attended the screening. Madhavan, who stars in the film, and Shakti Kapoor, whose daughter Shraddha makes her debut in Teen Patti were also present.

The makers of Teen Patti held a special screening of the film for their close friends and B-town colleagues. Irrfan Khan, Ranjeet, Susanne Khan and Preity Zinta were among those who attended the screening.

Madhavan, who stars in the film, and Shakti Kapoor, whose daughter Shraddha makes her debut in Teen Patti were also present (less)

After a brief gap, he signed up for Happy Happygaa by debutante director Priya Saran. It was the director's supreme ability, which made the film worth watching, and gave the actor a reason to smile.

Santosh (Varun) is an orphan, who works as a delivery boy. Once, Santosh gets an order from a couple (MS Narayana and Rajitha) who wish to invite their niece Puja (Vega), who lives in the UK.

Puja likes Santosh's attitude and falls for him. But soon, he comes to know that Puja's opinion on love is very different from his.

So, Santosh tells Puja that he had written his dream girl 50 love letters and for her benefit reads them out. When Puja expresses the desire to see this 'dream girl', Santosh shows a girl in a white chudidar, completely different from what Puja is.

Puja meets Priya (Saranya) and reveals Santosh's secret love for her and hands over the love letters. Puja makes it clear that it is a one-sided love.

Impressed with his love letters, Priya also loses her heart to Santosh. Puja shows elation at the union of Priya and Santosh.

The story gets interesting when it so turns out that Priya is the sister of a big mafia don Suri (Bommali Ravi). However, Priya swears her undying love for Santosh to her brother.

The highlight of the film is the impressive subject, the way of narration, the perfect presentation of the subject on the celluloid, the directorial ability to present it in a way to impress the audience. It is an out and out director's film, as he does not lose grip on the story at any given point and the audience do not feel that the film is getting stretched a tad too much.

Despite the slow paced narration, the director maintains good pace and tempo in running the film. Music by Manisharma is another highlight as almost all the songs are full of melody.

It is Sirivennela Sitarama Sastry, who should be patted for penning excellent lyrics. The movie, of course , has an item number.

Cinematography by Venky A Darshan is adequate, while editing by Krishna Reddy is okay. Dialogues by Anil Ravipudi are good in parts.

As a whole, the technicians team that worked for the film should be complimented for excellent work. Vega, who had the shades of Anjala Jhaveri, gives a good performance.

Her photogenic face and hourglass figure fills the glamour slot too. However, there is no exposure of any kind by the heroine.

Saranya, as usual had maintained the girl-next door image. She too does complete justice to her role.

After a long time, Ali manages to tickle our funny bones . The minus point in the film is the hero.

Varun Sandesh completely failed to measure up to the expectations. Though he has a lot of experience to his credit, he fails to portray basic emotions.

He still needs to work heavily on dialogue modulation and histrionics.Despite a little slow narration in the first, the movies is saved on the whole .

Many directors handle different love subjects but only a few directors can make the audience taste the real feel of love on the screen. Debutant Priya Saran proved that a director should have grip on the subject and should have the ability to visualise it to himself before presenting it on the screen.

The basic point in the film is getting loved by some is greater than loving someone. The way of presentation of this storyline was quite different and impressive (less)

The album boasts of nine tracks. It starts with the melodious, soft love ballad Pee loon in the voice of Mohit Chauhan.

The song has touches of Sufi and is quite likeable. The song gives a good start to the soundtrack and is a winner all the way.

The song also arrives in a remix version. It is followed by another appealing composition Tum jo aaye .

Sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Tulsi Kumar, it has elements of qawwali . The soothing number strikes a chord with the listener.

The song also has a reprise version attached, which is a solo Rahat Fateh Ali Khan version. Even though the original is promising, the reprise version takes the cake.

Then comes Parda , a song that is a mix of two of R.D Burman's greatest hits and few original lyrics.

Sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and Rana Mazumder, the song has influences of Monica oh my darling and Duniya mein and brings in the true retro feel. While the basic essence of the old songs is kept intact, Pritam brings in a new flavour by doing his own bit.

After a long time one gets to hear a cabaret number album in a movie album. Up next is I am in love , a soft, pleasing, romantic track with KK and Domnique Cerejo behind the mike.

"I am in love" shows potential with its melodious music and is good to hear in loop. It is a song that will appeal to the younger generation more.

It has two more versions - dance and duet. Finally, there is Babu Rao mast hai .

Sung by Mika, it is an edgy and mischievous song about a certain Babu Rao, who is believed to be an important character in the film. The song is average and musically not that appealing.

On the whole, the album impresses and will appeal to music lovers. (less)

A; DRAMA So much that they can't catch a wink without getting spooked. Micah decides to find the cause of the paranormal activity by setting up a night vision camera in their bedroom which captures every small movement throughout the night.

Throw in?? an Ouija board and a psychic and we have the makings of a horror film.?? Director: Oren Peli ?? Cast: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat?? The premise is ingenious.

A young couple trapped in a haunted house with nowhere to go. Watching two unknown faces play themselves in an eerie environment works on a subconscious level.

The dialogue is basic and the event unfolds at a natural pace. **1/2 There is no rush or hurry to build up the impending climax.

Oren Peli infuses life into his camera making into a character that participates in the proceeding rather than being a standby machine. Both Micah and Katie have a natural comfort with each other which makes the film more believable (less)

Jha has said he based the dynastic family at the film's heart on characters from the epic "Mahabharata," and there are also parallels to the Gandhi clan (generation Sonia). But Jha's real touchstone seems to be The Godfather .

Take the quiet Samar Pratap (Ranbir Kapoor), the Michael Corleone figure. He has just finished his dissertation (on Victorian poetry, no less) at an American university but becomes entangled in the internecine wars of the Pratap clan, the ruling family of an Indian state.

(Just when he thought he was out, they pull him back in!) Raajneeti , with its large cast of characters and wealth of subplots, is often a mess, but an interesting one. Shot in Bhopal, the film at first shows us the India of crowded, dusty lanes, though it quickly retreats to the mansions of the powerful.

A similar bait and switch occurs with Sooraj (a brooding Ajay Devgn), a man-of-the-people anti-hero, who is soon co-opted by the Prataps. Perhaps Jha's point is that the system absorbs and corrupts outsiders as easily as it mouths banalities about poverty.

Except the film - full of romance, intrigue and fraternal strife - is too diffuse to score political points. Or to have much impact (less)

Similarly, Astro Boy set in the futuristic Metro City is the?? story of Toby (Highmore) who dies in a freak accident at a scientific lab only to be reborn as a robot.??His father (Cage), unable to cope with the loss of his son, tries to do everything possible to treat the new Toby the same way as the old.

After finding out the truth about his origins, Toby decides to wander out and be friends with other robots. However, that plan doesn't work out well as the evil General Stone (Donald Sutherland) has other plans.

'? The colours, animation and landscaping of the futuristic city is brilliant. Perhaps a bit inspired from the Japanese anime features, the characters (and particularly Astro Boy) have an edge to them.

They aren't merely pencil-sketched characters brought to life using latest technology but are full of life and emotion. Despite the action sequences, what mostly works here is the interaction between Astro and his dad.

?? Effort has been taken to work on the connection between the characters before showing off their wizardy. Astro Boy will work for both kids and their parents who've been dragged to the theatres.

'? Despite the colorful visuals, the story could have had more dimensions. After Toby's realisation that he's just a robot, the plot gets a bit predictable.

Of course, parallels will be drawn between the classic tale of Pinocchio, which definitely had more charm and less predictability. The fight between the war loving red and the peace keeping blues is one-dimensional and linear.

'? Those following the adventures of Astro Boy on the small screen will queue up anyways. Others will be in for a visual treat.

u; animation Similarly, Astro Boy set in the futuristic Metro City is the?? story of Toby (Highmore) who dies in a freak accident at a scientific lab only to be reborn as a robot. Dir: David Bowers ?? Cast: Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage, Kristen Bell, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy After finding out the truth about his origins, Toby decides to wander out and be friends with other robots.

However, that plan doesn't work out well as the evil General Stone (Donald Sutherland) has other plans.?? *** ?? (less)

When the first Toy Story came out in 1995, there was an instant connect to the film that talked about friendship, companionship and overcoming obstacles while having fun along the way. Pixar resisted numerous temptations to follow up the original with a series of sequels, but it resisted and waited till there was a story worth telling.

In the third part, they don't just have a story but so much emotion to back it up. Andy (John Morris) has grown up, he isn't the kid having galactic wars with Buzz or riding the desert with Woody.

A day before leaving for college, he needs to make a decision about his favourite toys locked up in a box??-- does he trash them, put them in the attic or take them with him? The answer isn't simple, putting Woody, Buzz and rest of the gang in a precarious situation that takes them on the journey of a lifetime where they discover who their real friends are and how far will they go to prove they belong together. Right from the opening scene to the last, there is a reason for everything happening.

The biggest asset of the film is the script scoring over the animation. When the toys are locked up in the box wondering where their future lies, you can actually feel for them.

After landing up in a daycare centre, the film takes a completely different turn. The teen princess Barbie and the metrosexual prince Ken make a whacky debut giving moments that will stay with you for a long time.

Watching Ken show off his 'closet' to Barbie takes his character to a different level. Buzz and Jessie (Joan Cusack) have a special track that's totally unexpected.

Watch Buzz do the tango and put his best Spanish foot forward.?? Andy and Buzz go through a difficult phase when they separate for a while.

There's a great message in the film??-- of never giving up on your best pal even when the odds are against you. The climax hits an emotional high and don't be surprised if you reach for that tissue.

When Andy has that look at Woody and Buzz towards the end, you realise how much significance these toys hold for him. Of course, apart from Woody and Buzz, we have the regulars??-- Mr and Mrs Potato head, Rex the ferocious dinosaur and others.

I don't know how much of a difference 3-D made to the experience, but don't miss the short film Day & Night at the beginning. It's not all fun and games, there are pretty serious moments in the film.

Andy should have got more screen time with his favourite toys capturing his best memories of them. We hope this isn't the last we see of Andy and Buzz, cause Toy Story 3 just reminds us how much we love them and want more.

U; Animation It's been over a decade since we last met Woody (Hanks) and Buzz (Allen). Well, they are back, this time in a whole new dimension and with a team of new friends.

When the first Toy Story came out in 1995, there was an instant connect to the film that talked about friendship, companionship and overcoming obstacles while having fun along the way. Pixar resisted numerous temptations to follow up the original with a series of sequels, but it resisted and waited till there was a story worth telling.

In the third part, they don't just have a story but so much emotion to back it up. Andy (John Morris) has grown up, he isn't the kid having galactic wars with Buzz or riding the desert with Woody.

A day before leaving for college, he needs to make a decision about his favourite toys locked up in a box??-- does he trash them, put them in the attic or take them with him? The answer isn't simple, putting Woody, Buzz and rest of the gang in a precarious situation that takes them on the journey of a lifetime where they discover who their real friends are and how far will they go to prove they belong together. Right from the opening scene to the last, there is a reason for everything happening.

The biggest asset of the film is the script scoring over the animation. When the toys are locked up in the box wondering where their future lies, you can actually feel for them.

After landing up in a daycare centre, the film takes a completely different turn. The teen princess Barbie and the metrosexual prince Ken make a whacky debut giving moments that will stay with you for a long time.

Watching Ken show off his 'closet' to Barbie takes his character to a different level. Buzz and Jessie (Joan Cusack) have a special track that's totally unexpected.

Watch Buzz do the tango and put his best Spanish foot forward.?? Andy and Buzz go through a difficult phase when they separate for a while.

There's a great message in the film??-- of never giving up on your best pal even when the odds are against you. The climax hits an emotional high and don't be surprised if you reach for that tissue.

When Andy has that look at Woody and Buzz towards the end, you realise how much significance these toys hold for him. Of course, apart from Woody and Buzz, we have the regulars??-- Mr and Mrs Potato head, Rex the ferocious dinosaur and others.

I don't know how much of a difference 3-D made to the experience, but don't miss the short film Day & Night at the beginning. It's not all fun and games, there are pretty serious moments in the film.

Andy should have got more screen time with his favourite toys capturing his best memories of them. We hope this isn't the last we see of Andy and Buzz, cause Toy Story 3 just reminds us how much we love them and want more.

Dir: Lee Unkrich Right from the opening scene to the last, there is a reason for everything happening. The biggest asset of the film is the script scoring over the animation.

When the toys are locked up in the box wondering where their future lies, you can actually feel for them. After landing up in a daycare centre, the film takes a completely different turn.

The teen princess Barbie and the metrosexual prince Ken make a whacky debut giving moments that will stay with you for a long time. Watching Ken show off his 'closet' to Barbie takes his character to a different level.

Buzz and Jessie (Joan Cusack) have a special track that's totally unexpected. Watch Buzz do the tango and put his best Spanish foot forward.

?? Andy and Buzz go through a difficult phase when they separate for a while. There's a great message in the film??-- of never giving up on your best pal even when the odds are against you.

The climax hits an emotional high and don't be surprised if you reach for that tissue. When Andy has that look at Woody and Buzz towards the end, you realise how much significance these toys hold for him.

Of course, apart from Woody and Buzz, we have the regulars??-- Mr and Mrs Potato head, Rex the ferocious dinosaur and others. Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Estelle Harris, and Michael Keaton I don't know how much of a difference 3-D made to the experience, but don't miss the short film Day & Night at the beginning.

It's not all fun and games, there are pretty serious moments in the film. Andy should have got more screen time with his favourite toys capturing his best memories of them.

Rating:??*** We hope this isn't the last we see of Andy and Buzz, cause Toy Story 3 just reminds us how much we love them and want more (less)

But Nagesh Kukunoor has been rather consistent. From Hyderabad Blues, Iqbal, Teen Deewarein to Rockford and Dor (Bombay To Bangkok and 8X10 Tasveer have been the stray exceptions), he's often taken inspiration from his own experiences and that's what makes his films look real.

Aashayein is about a gambler Rahul (John Abraham) who on the night on his biggest win, passes out after proposing to his waitress girlfriend Nafisa (Sonal Sehgal). 24 hours later, he learns that he has barely three months to live, as he is diagnosed with lung cancer.

Even as he is coming to terms with the sad news, Nafisa suggests they get married. Not wanting to leave her a widow, he quietly steals away into the night with a backpack to a hospice for terminal patients.

Here, he befriends other patients as they all move towards their inevitable end. How Rahul eventually ends up changing everyone's lives (including his own) forms the crux of the film (less)

Donsai (Fardeen) is a spoilt brat who's forced to marry a small town girl Samarpreet( Ishitta) to inherit his father's (badly painted Randhir Kapoor stuck on a frame!) fortune. U/A.

DRAMA ?? Dir: Mudassar Aziz If Tim Burton had to make a desi version of Alice in Wonderland, then it would be as colourful and spaced out as Dulha Mil Gaya. With character names resembling a 12-year-old girl's phonebook, this one starts off the new year with a whimper! Shimmer (Sushmita) suffers from a Devil Wears Prada hangover and behaves like the Anna Wintour of Trinidad and Tobago.

Donsai (Fardeen) is a spoilt brat who's forced to marry a small town girl Samarpreet( Ishitta) to inherit his father's (badly painted Randhir Kapoor stuck on a frame!) fortune. As the climax approaches or rather eludes us, Donsai has a change of heart courtesy PRG (Shah Rukh) who's happy walking the one- way street of love with shiny Shimmer! Not to forget the story keeps swinging between the exotic Caribbean islands and a Mehboob studio set of a cruise liner that transforms into a yacht when needed.

?? Lalit Pandit compose some hummable tunes in an otherwise dull soundtrack. Sush's pet dog Bozo seems to be the only actor who responds (barks) on cue to the director! Shah Rukh's entry comes at a time when the plot seems to be heading towards a comatose state.

Blink and miss??Vikram Phadnis sprinting like an antelope in a makeover song. There are ample WTF! moments right from the opening frame.

When you have a movie with characters named Lotus, Jasmine, Valentine, Donsai, Bozo, and Shimmer, you know there's a big ass red flag ahead! It's evident the reels were stuck in the storeroom for a long time when you see Sushmita wear a flaming pink derby hat on a cruise liner, or have some really bad tight close-ups of Fardeen whose weighing scale seems to be tipping in opposite directions throughout the film. Despite the visual goof-ups and coherent flaws, the real villain of the film is the lazy and uninspired script, corny dialogues (ladkiyan ladkon mein agar koi size dekhte hain, to wo unke dil ka hai!) and ridiculous twists.

Sush falls flat playing a diva, instead she ends up looking like a caricature of herself. It's unfortunate to see such a confident, good-looking actress playing cardboard characters like these.

Fardeen plays the rich kid part for the hundredth time, with the same vigour and determination! Poor Johny Lever who seemed like a tiny ray of light is forced to give deadpan expressions and act serious. Ishitta Sharma's part is wobbly but she delivers in a handful scenes in the second half.

Shah Rukh Khan puts on his best dimple, and works double the charm in the sketchiest role he's ever played. Was the editor fired halfway that he let the film running close to three hours' Mudassar's debut looks like a Dulha wearing an old sherwani with new embroidery.

The fitting still sucks, regardless of what the lacing is! Cast: Sushmita Sen, Shah Rukh Khan, Fardeen Khan, Ishitta Sharma If Tim Burton had to make a desi version of Alice in Wonderland, then it would be as colourful and spaced out as Dulha Mil Gaya. With character names resembling a 12-year-old girl's phonebook, this one starts off the new year with a whimper! Shimmer (Sushmita) suffers from a Devil Wears Prada hangover and behaves like the Anna Wintour of Trinidad and Tobago.

Donsai (Fardeen) is a spoilt brat who's forced to marry a small town girl Samarpreet( Ishitta) to inherit his father's (badly painted Randhir Kapoor stuck on a frame!) fortune. As the climax approaches or rather eludes us, Donsai has a change of heart courtesy PRG (Shah Rukh) who's happy walking the one- way street of love with shiny Shimmer! Not to forget the story keeps swinging between the exotic Caribbean islands and a Mehboob studio set of a cruise liner that transforms into a yacht when needed.

?? Lalit Pandit compose some hummable tunes in an otherwise dull soundtrack. Sush's pet dog Bozo seems to be the only actor who responds (barks) on cue to the director! Shah Rukh's entry comes at a time when the plot seems to be heading towards a comatose state.

Blink and miss??Vikram Phadnis sprinting like an antelope in a makeover song. There are ample WTF! moments right from the opening frame.

When you have a movie with characters named Lotus, Jasmine, Valentine, Donsai, Bozo, and Shimmer, you know there's a big ass red flag ahead! It's evident the reels were stuck in the storeroom for a long time when you see Sushmita wear a flaming pink derby hat on a cruise liner, or have some really bad tight close-ups of Fardeen whose weighing scale seems to be tipping in opposite directions throughout the film. Despite the visual goof-ups and coherent flaws, the real villain of the film is the lazy and uninspired script, corny dialogues (ladkiyan ladkon mein agar koi size dekhte hain, to wo unke dil ka hai!) and ridiculous twists.

Sush falls flat playing a diva, instead she ends up looking like a caricature of herself. It's unfortunate to see such a confident, good-looking actress playing cardboard characters like these.

Fardeen plays the rich kid part for the hundredth time, with the same vigour and determination! Poor Johny Lever who seemed like a tiny ray of light is forced to give deadpan expressions and act serious. Ishitta Sharma's part is wobbly but she delivers in a handful scenes in the second half.

Shah Rukh Khan puts on his best dimple, and works double the charm in the sketchiest role he's ever played. Was the editor fired halfway that he let the film running close to three hours' Mudassar's debut looks like a Dulha wearing an old sherwani with new embroidery.

The fitting still sucks, regardless of what the lacing is! *1/2 There are ample WTF! moments right from the opening frame. When you have a movie with characters named Lotus, Jasmine, Valentine, Donsai, Bozo, and Shimmer, you know there's a big ass red flag ahead! It's evident the reels were stuck in the storeroom for a long time when you see Sushmita wear a flaming pink derby hat on a cruise liner, or have some really bad tight close-ups of Fardeen whose weighing scale seems to be tipping in opposite directions throughout the film.

Despite the visual goof-ups and coherent flaws, the real villain of the film is the lazy and uninspired script, corny dialogues (ladkiyan ladkon mein agar koi size dekhte hain, to wo unke dil ka hai!) and ridiculous twists (less)

Ajay can never refuse friends and bails them out when in trouble. When Aseem was in hospital last year, Ajay had arranged for his entire medical stay there, including his doctor.

Aseem's wife Leena, is the director of Teen Patti and Ajay and the couple go back a long way. Aseem was to direct Ajay's home production All The Best but as he had given the dates for Atithi and had to refuse.

Aseem is also the DoP (director of photography) for Atithi."The source adds, "Leena's Teen Patti was to release on February 12 but because of some problems cannot.

The producers of Teen Patti got a release date of February 26 but apart from Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?, Karthik Calling Karthik is also scheduled to?? release on the same day. So Aseem and Leena approached Ajay and executive producer Kumar Mangat Pathak and requested them personally to postpone the film.

She told them that Teen Patti had already been pushed back and it would help them if Atithi could be pushed back. Ajay graciously agreed to release their film on March 5.

" Says Amita Pathak, "Yes we have been in talks with Aseem and Leena. Since the three films are of different genres, releasing all of them on the same day would cut into their individual markets.

We decided to postpone the film. We didn't want the films to clash.

Also Teen Patti had already pushed back their date once, so we decided that we should do it this time. We took the decision to postpone Atithi on Sunday evening.

We have made some changes to the film and shot the promo song with Ajay, Paresh and Konkona. The film is complete.

The promo should come out next week." Yeh dosti.

..

The release date of Amita Pathak's debut production, Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge? starring Ajay Devgn, Konkona Sen Sharma and Paresh Rawal, has been pushed back from February 26 to March 5. Says a source, "Ajay Devgn is very close to cinematographer Aseem Bajaj.

Ajay can never refuse friends and bails them out when in trouble. When Aseem was in hospital last year, Ajay had arranged for his entire medical stay there, including his doctor.

Aseem's wife Leena, is the director of Teen Patti and Ajay and the couple go back a long way. Aseem was to direct Ajay's home production All The Best but as he had given the dates for Atithi and had to refuse.

Aseem is also the DoP (director of photography) for Atithi."The source adds, "Leena's Teen Patti was to release on February 12 but because of some problems cannot.

The producers of Teen Patti got a release date of February 26 but apart from Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?, Karthik Calling Karthik is also scheduled to?? release on the same day. So Aseem and Leena approached Ajay and executive producer Kumar Mangat Pathak and requested them personally to postpone the film.

She told them that Teen Patti had already been pushed back and it would help them if Atithi could be pushed back. Ajay graciously agreed to release their film on March 5.

" Says Amita Pathak, "Yes we have been in talks with Aseem and Leena. Since the three films are of different genres, releasing all of them on the same day would cut into their individual markets.

We decided to postpone the film. We didn't want the films to clash.

Also Teen Patti had already pushed back their date once, so we decided that we should do it this time. We took the decision to postpone Atithi on Sunday evening.

We have made some changes to the film and shot the promo song with Ajay, Paresh and Konkona. The film is complete.

The promo should come out next week." Says a source, "Ajay Devgn is very close to cinematographer Aseem Bajaj.

Ajay can never refuse friends and bails them out when in trouble. When Aseem was in hospital last year, Ajay had arranged for his entire medical stay there, including his doctor.

Aseem's wife Leena, is the director of Teen Patti and Ajay and the couple go back a long way. Aseem was to direct Ajay's home production All The Best but as he had given the dates for Atithi and had to refuse.

Aseem is also the DoP (director of photography) for Atithi." Says Amita Pathak, "Yes we have been in talks with Aseem and Leena.

Since the three films are of different genres, releasing all of them on the same day would cut into their individual markets. We decided to postpone the film.

We didn't want the films to clash. Also Teen Patti had already pushed back their date once, so we decided that we should do it this time.

We took the decision to postpone Atithi on Sunday evening. We have made some changes to the film and shot the promo song with Ajay, Paresh and Konkona.

The film is complete. The promo should come out next week.

" (less)

Sameer (Shahid) is stuck in the rut, wanting to be an actor but shuffling between jobs to make ends meet. Everything in this flick happens by chance, including Tina's (Genelia) bumping into Sameer.

The boy's luck doesn't quite favour him and in stead of auditions, he's stuck picking couriers and teaching dance to a bunch of school kids! More of a dance video and less of a film, the story moves at its own pace with frequent flashes of Shahid's eight-pack! Though you've seen it all before, it's Shahid and Genelia's chemistry that breathes life into the predictable proceedings.??The songs might not be chartbusters, but their treatment and the camerawork make them stand out.

Shahid has a certain earnest appeal that he uses to his advantage. Not to forget he's easily one of the most confident dancers in the industry.

He touches a chord in the scene where he breaks down in frustration. The length of the film works in its advantage, not stretching it to the point of irritation.

Genelia is easy on the eyes, not so much on the ears though. She sounds screechy in parts and brings back her Jaane Tu expressions when all else fails.

The whole world knows Shahid is a natural born dancer, if not an actor. That's a great thing if you are making a remake of Step Up! or a High School Musical, but making a dance film that loses focus and steam early on, isn't going to help anyone.

His moves and twists might be as fresh as Justin Timberlake's but the script and characters seem drawn out of a 1902 film! Laden with age-old clich'?s and subplots, the film rolls out the same underdog-versus-the-world story.??The track of Shahid playing teacher to a few school kids with two left feet should have been overplayed and utilised to make the premise interesting.

??Instead, it gets shoddy treatment and a cut-paste job worse than an editor snoozing on duty! There's so much?? invested in the build-up to the finale act that it all crumbles under pressure.??Shahid's bronzed look and his last performance are uninspiring and bereft of the zing or punch it promised.

Give this one a chance only if you're a fan of Shasha's Timberlake moves. Or pick up the Step Up! DVD for an encore.

?? U/A; Drama If that's the case, the actor definitely had a stinky time before he hit stardom. Sameer (Shahid) is stuck in the rut, wanting to be an actor but shuffling between jobs to make ends meet.

Everything in this flick happens by chance, including Tina's (Genelia) bumping into Sameer. Dir: Ken Ghosh The boy's luck doesn't quite favour him and in stead of auditions, he's stuck picking couriers and teaching dance to a bunch of school kids! More of a dance video and less of a film, the story moves at its own pace with frequent flashes of Shahid's eight-pack! Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Genelia D'Souza, Mohnish Behl, Vikas Bhalla ?? ** The songs might not be chartbusters, but their treatment and the camerawork make them stand out.

Shahid has a certain earnest appeal that he uses to his advantage (less)

Enter Neha (Neetu), a village belle who exhibits strange behaviour and becomes Preeti's roommate. Soon, strange incidents start happening.

The neighbour's (Kher) cat is poisoned, a pet goldfish becomes fodder for the crows, and Preeti's life gets caught in a mesh of unexpected circumstances. The premise is interesting, and Neetu's character does have an edge at the start.

Not telling us anything about her background or where she's from gives her a mystery element. Before the movie began, Mundhra gave an impromptu speech to the present audience telling them he's fully responsible for how good, bad or ugly Apartment turned out.

Unfortunately, it's the third option that he was referring to. Despite being labelled a thriller, there's nothing that fits the genre.

Loud background music, jarring close-up and hideous camera angles are no substitutes for a rivetting storyline. After Neha's diagnosis and its result, the plot reaches new heights of insanity resulting in a climax that swings between the devil and the deep sea.

Among the cast, Tanushree gets to react more than act. Neetu dilates her pupils expecting us to be scared.

Anupam Kher and his cat Shehzadi have more chemistry than the lead pair! Archaic in treatment and extremely outdated, this Apartment is in need of a serious makeover. A; thriller The premise is interesting, and Neetu's character does have an edge at the start.

Not telling us anything about her background or where she's from gives her a mystery element. Dir: Jagmohan Mundhra Before the movie began, Mundhra gave an impromptu speech to the present audience telling them he's fully responsible for how good, bad or ugly Apartment turned out.

Unfortunately, it's the third option that he was referring to. Despite being labelled a thriller, there's nothing that fits the genre.

Loud background music, jarring close-up and hideous camera angles are no substitutes for a rivetting storyline. After Neha's diagnosis and its result, the plot reaches new heights of insanity resulting in a climax that swings between the devil and the deep sea.

Among the cast, Tanushree gets to react more than act. Neetu dilates her pupils expecting us to be scared.

Anupam Kher and his cat Shehzadi have more chemistry than the lead pair! Cast: Tanushree Dutta, Neetu Chandra, Rohit Roy, Anupam Kher Karan (Roy) and Preeti (Dutta) live in an apartment. Despite their affair, Preeti has trust issues with Karan and asks him to move out after catching him in a compromising position.

Enter Neha (Neetu), a village belle who exhibits strange behaviour and becomes Preeti's roommate. Soon, strange incidents start happening.

The neighbour's (Kher) cat is poisoned, a pet goldfish becomes fodder for the crows, and Preeti's life gets caught in a mesh of unexpected circumstances. The premise is interesting, and Neetu's character does have an edge at the start.

Not telling us anything about her background or where she's from gives her a mystery element. Before the movie began, Mundhra gave an impromptu speech to the present audience telling them he's fully responsible for how good, bad or ugly Apartment turned out.

Unfortunately, it's the third option that he was referring to. Despite being labelled a thriller, there's nothing that fits the genre.

Loud background music, jarring close-up and hideous camera angles are no substitutes for a rivetting storyline. After Neha's diagnosis and its result, the plot reaches new heights of insanity resulting in a climax that swings between the devil and the deep sea.

Among the cast, Tanushree gets to react more than act. Neetu dilates her pupils expecting us to be scared.

Anupam Kher and his cat Shehzadi have more chemistry than the lead pair! Archaic in treatment and extremely outdated, this Apartment is in need of a serious makeover. * Karan (Roy) and Preeti (Dutta) live in an apartment.

Despite their affair, Preeti has trust issues with Karan and asks him to move out after catching him in a compromising position. Enter Neha (Neetu), a village belle who exhibits strange behaviour and becomes Preeti's roommate.

Soon, strange incidents start happening. The neighbour's (Kher) cat is poisoned, a pet goldfish becomes fodder for the crows, and Preeti's life gets caught in a mesh of unexpected circumstances.

The premise is interesting, and Neetu's character does have an edge at the start. Not telling us anything about her background or where she's from gives her a mystery element.

Before the movie began, Mundhra gave an impromptu speech to the present audience telling them he's fully responsible for how good, bad or ugly Apartment turned out. Unfortunately, it's the third option that he was referring to.

Despite being labelled a thriller, there's nothing that fits the genre. Loud background music, jarring close-up and hideous camera angles are no substitutes for a rivetting storyline.

After Neha's diagnosis and its result, the plot reaches new heights of insanity resulting in a climax that swings between the devil and the deep sea. Among the cast, Tanushree gets to react more than act.

Neetu dilates her pupils expecting us to be scared. Anupam Kher and his cat Shehzadi have more chemistry than the lead pair! Archaic in treatment and extremely outdated, this Apartment is in need of a serious makeover (less)

He think he's the best in the business till someone else (Jason Segel) steals his thunder after robbing an Egyptian pyramid. Now a restless Gru plans to take revenge with the help of three cute little orphan girls.

Unlike the staple fare of animation films coming out of studios, Despicable Me has a different colour and texture to it. The characters are edgy and never seem phoney.

Humour is laced with sarcasm and wit. There are ample scenes and funny one liners to keep you entertained.

Carell is a genius in using his voice and keeping his accent ambiguous to make Gru interesting. Is he Russian, French or Italian? We don't know, but his brain keeps coming up with ingenious ideas.

If you've ever read the Spy vs Spy series in the MAD magazine, then you'll know where the project's inspiration comes from. Visually the film is a treat as well.

The little yellow minions are fantastic with their antics. The 3D actually works without seeming gimmicky.

There's a good mix of humour for adults as well as kids in the film. It's a family film so the jokes might not work for everyone.

Don't expect something extraordinarily unpredictable. You would have been there and seen most of it, but it's the treatment and punch lines that separate this one from the rest.

Absolutely charming and a real heart warmer, the film works wonders across all ages (less)

Rajamouli has an enviable record of all his seven films being hits. And he adds another feather to his cap with Maryada Ramanna , which features comedy actor Sunil as the hero.

Maryada Ramanna is quite different from all his previous commercial hits, which include Simhadri, Magadheera and Vikramarkudu , that focused on giving a larger than life image to the heroes. Rajamouli has narrated his latest gripping tale with less of comedy and action, but makes it engaging and entertaining.

He has chosen a story revolving around the factional feuds of Andhra Pradesh's Rayalaseema region where revenge and violence get prime focus. But he has kept away from these two factors in the film.

Rajamouli has put together a fast-paced love story packaged with thrilling and enjoyable elements. He has woven magic with his screenplay and there is never a dull moment in the film.

In the movie, Ramu works in Hyderabad and finds it difficult to lead a decent life. A notice from a village officer reveals that he has a five-acre plot in his native village.

Ramu then heads home to sell off this land to get some funds to purchase an auto-rickshaw. He meets a beautiful girl Aparna in the train.

Aparna happens to be the daughter of a big faction leader Ramineedu, whose brother was killed by Ramu's father many years ago in a factional feud. Ramu lands at Ramineedu's house without knowing the past.

Ramineedu and his entire family want to kill him..

. but there is a hitch.

Ramu had entered their house as a guest and it is a tradition in Rayalaseema that guests be treated as god. Ramu comes to know that he is safe only if he is inside the house and will be killed the minute he leaves.

Aparna, meanwhile, tries her best to woo Ramu. Ramu manages to escape from the house and makes all efforts to leave the village as well.

Finally he understands Aparna's love and decides to be with her even if it means facing a big risk. Sunil excels in his performance.

He has lost weight and shows his brilliance as a dancer too. Saloni has come out with another good performance.

Debutant actor Nagineedu perfectly fits into the villain's role. M.

M. Keervani's music is the highlight of the film.

All the songs are melodious and hummable. Ammaayi Vachchindhi and Ra Ra Saloni are well choreographed also.

Rajamouli has once again proved that he is a master at churning out hits (less)

Just when things are getting better for Madho, he loses his limb in a bomb blast that results in a sectarian divide. His daughter Sudha falls in love with their Muslim neighbour Anwar.

Disturbed and unable to move on in life, Madho starts questioning his existence only to be lectured by imaginary friends who give him a reality check. There is a feeble attempt to create an aesthetic setting of a person living in a chawl.

Madholal's body language and mannerisms seem right, even though their pretext is deeply flawed. Pranay Narayan stands out among the cardboard caricatures as the only real character who has a story to tell.

He plays Anwar with sincerity, making him one among us. At no point in the film do you feel any sort of connect to Madholal.

Despite the inspirational title, the protagonist only sleepwalks through out the film. He starts off on the right note, but the film goes downhill when we are introduced to his friends on the local train-- utter hamming champions (one using a plastic bag as a spittoon!).

Lewd jokes, double entendr s (kitne baje utha? tere daddy ne uthaya?) and vulgar dialogues only make matters worse. Anwar is completely sidetracked after his introduction.

Even after the terrorist blast we aren't told what happened to the Anwar-Sudha love story. The second half has annoying monologues and unending songs (Altaf Raja's comeback!) that exhaust your patience before you gobble down that popcorn.

None of the supporting actors manage to make a mark. In its final frames, Madholal Walking leaves you with an utter void of disbelief as it fails on every front - it neither has an engaging story nor empathetic characters.

"Only when we stop being afraid, do we start living," says the final quote in the film. Perhaps the writer should have stopped hunting for quotes and started thinking of a story to tell (less)

I like being directed by females. They bring a different eye through the camera and an unusual perspective," Kingsley said in an interview.

Yadav is the third woman to direct Kingsley. "Female directors see things that guys miss.

I respond well to female direction. The ego is in a different place.

They are focussed on fundamental things like narrative and human behaviour rather than issues that may be distorted by the male ego," the Hollywood actor said before leaving for Abu Dhabi. In "Teen Patti", he has teamed up with Hindi film industry's megastar Amitabh Bachchan.

He, however, warns that his is a very small part in the movie, but he enjoyed working with Indian cast and crew. "It's a very, very small part.

..

I keep appearing in little scenes in the film as a storyteller." "It was an opportunity to work with an Indian crew again after 'Gandhi'.

It was an opportunity to work with Mr. Bachchan, who is an icon in his own field.

It's interesting to mix cultures in a film to see how different people from different backgrounds can be so very synchronized and work together. We worked very intensely.

We hit a very quick working rhythm," Kingsley said. Much as he enjoyed his cameo in "Teen Patti", Kingsley would be unable to come to India for its release Feb 12 next year.

"I'm going to be very very busy from February 2010 onwards." Kingsley is a bit alarmed by all the hype surrounding his next project "Taj Mahal", which according to reports may feature Aishwarya Rai as Mughal emperor Shah Jehan's wife Mumtaz.

"It's very, very, very early days to talk about that project. The ink is hardly dry on the script.

It's coming together. We've a beautiful script.

And we've some financial interest being shown in the project. I now have a short list of directors.

I hope not to be disappointed about the director I want," said Kinglsey. Commenting upon the cast of the film, he said: "We must not make impolite, inappropriate announcements till everyone is on the same page.

There is no Indian cast yet. We don't know what the actors' interest or feedback would be.

We're still putting the team together. We just have to put all the components together, take a deep breath and see what our investors have to say.

" The actor, known for his astonishing performance in "Gandhi", says he turned down a lot of acting assignments in 2009. "I respond to what's offered to me.

I feel having portrayed one character (Gandhi) so effectively, I need not use the same set of muscles to portray other characters. Luckily, directors and producers like to stretch me and offer me a variety of roles.

I owe my variety of roles to American and British filmmakers. "However, I was pretty versatile even before I worked on 'Gandhi'.

I had done 17 Shakespearean characters before. So variety for me is not an unusual thing.

It's amazing how beautifully the cards fell for my career." He will next be seen in Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" that is set to release in February.

"This is my first film with him although we've known each other for years. I loved the experience.

He's a remarkable man, loves cinema. Very decent with his actors, caring and provoking them in the right way.

I play a psychiatrist," Kingsley said. Oscar-winning veteran actor Ben Kingsley, who will be seen in Bollywood director Leena Yadav's crime thriller "Teen Patti" as a narrator, says he loves working with women directors and responds well to them as they see things men miss.

"I just did two other films with female directors. I like being directed by females.

They bring a different eye through the camera and an unusual perspective," Kingsley said in an interview. Yadav is the third woman to direct Kingsley.

"Female directors see things that guys miss. I respond well to female direction.

The ego is in a different place. They are focussed on fundamental things like narrative and human behaviour rather than issues that may be distorted by the male ego," the Hollywood actor said before leaving for Abu Dhabi.

In "Teen Patti", he has teamed up with Hindi film industry's megastar Amitabh Bachchan. He, however, warns that his is a very small part in the movie, but he enjoyed working with Indian cast and crew.

"It's a very, very small part..

.I keep appearing in little scenes in the film as a storyteller.

" "It was an opportunity to work with an Indian crew again after 'Gandhi'. It was an opportunity to work with Mr.

Bachchan, who is an icon in his own field. It's interesting to mix cultures in a film to see how different people from different backgrounds can be so very synchronized and work together.

We worked very intensely. We hit a very quick working rhythm," Kingsley said.

Much as he enjoyed his cameo in "Teen Patti", Kingsley would be unable to come to India for its release Feb 12 next year. "I'm going to be very very busy from February 2010 onwards.

" Kingsley is a bit alarmed by all the hype surrounding his next project "Taj Mahal", which according to reports may feature Aishwarya Rai as Mughal emperor Shah Jehan's wife Mumtaz. "It's very, very, very early days to talk about that project.

The ink is hardly dry on the script. It's coming together.

We've a beautiful script. And we've some financial interest being shown in the project.

I now have a short list of directors. I hope not to be disappointed about the director I want," said Kinglsey.

Commenting upon the cast of the film, he said: "We must not make impolite, inappropriate announcements till everyone is on the same page. There is no Indian cast yet.

We don't know what the actors' interest or feedback would be. We're still putting the team together.

We just have to put all the components together, take a deep breath and see what our investors have to say." The actor, known for his astonishing performance in "Gandhi", says he turned down a lot of acting assignments in 2009.

"I respond to what's offered to me. I feel having portrayed one character (Gandhi) so effectively, I need not use the same set of muscles to portray other characters.

Luckily, directors and producers like to stretch me and offer me a variety of roles. I owe my variety of roles to American and British filmmakers.

"However, I was pretty versatile even before I worked on 'Gandhi'. I had done 17 Shakespearean characters before.

So variety for me is not an unusual thing. It's amazing how beautifully the cards fell for my career.

" He will next be seen in Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" that is set to release in February. "This is my first film with him although we've known each other for years.

I loved the experience. He's a remarkable man, loves cinema.

Very decent with his actors, caring and provoking them in the right way. I play a psychiatrist," Kingsley said.

"I respond to what's offered to me. I feel having portrayed one character (Gandhi) so effectively, I need not use the same set of muscles to portray other characters.

Luckily, directors and producers like to stretch me and offer me a variety of roles. I owe my variety of roles to American and British filmmakers.

"However, I was pretty versatile even before I worked on 'Gandhi'. I had done 17 Shakespearean characters before.

So variety for me is not an unusual thing. It's amazing how beautifully the cards fell for my career.

" He will next be seen in Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" that is set to release in February. "This is my first film with him although we've known each other for years.

I loved the experience. He's a remarkable man, loves cinema.

Very decent with his actors, caring and provoking them in the right way. I play a psychiatrist," Kingsley said.

Oscar-winning veteran actor Ben Kingsley, who will be seen in Bollywood director Leena Yadav's crime thriller "Teen Patti" as a narrator, says he loves working with women directors and responds well to them as they see things men miss."I just did two other films with female directors.

I like being directed by females. They bring a different eye through the camera and an unusual perspective," Kingsley said in an interview.

Yadav is the third woman to direct Kingsley. "Female directors see things that guys miss.

I respond well to female direction. The ego is in a different place.

They are focussed on fundamental things like narrative and human behaviour rather than issues that may be distorted by the male ego," the Hollywood actor said before leaving for Abu Dhabi. In "Teen Patti", he has teamed up with Hindi film industry's megastar Amitabh Bachchan.

He, however, warns that his is a very small part in the movie, but he enjoyed working with Indian cast and crew. "It's a very, very small part.

..

I keep appearing in little scenes in the film as a storyteller." "It was an opportunity to work with an Indian crew again after 'Gandhi'.

It was an opportunity to work with Mr. Bachchan, who is an icon in his own field.

It's interesting to mix cultures in a film to see how different people from different backgrounds can be so very synchronized and work together. We worked very intensely.

We hit a very quick working rhythm," Kingsley said. Much as he enjoyed his cameo in "Teen Patti", Kingsley would be unable to come to India for its release Feb 12 next year.

"I'm going to be very very busy from February 2010 onwards." Kingsley is a bit alarmed by all the hype surrounding his next project "Taj Mahal", which according to reports may feature Aishwarya Rai as Mughal emperor Shah Jehan's wife Mumtaz.

"It's very, very, very early days to talk about that project. The ink is hardly dry on the script.

It's coming together. We've a beautiful script.

And we've some financial interest being shown in the project. I now have a short list of directors.

I hope not to be disappointed about the director I want," said Kinglsey. Commenting upon the cast of the film, he said: "We must not make impolite, inappropriate announcements till everyone is on the same page.

There is no Indian cast yet. We don't know what the actors' interest or feedback would be.

We're still putting the team together. We just have to put all the components together, take a deep breath and see what our investors have to say.

" The actor, known for his astonishing performance in "Gandhi", says he turned down a lot of acting assignments in 2009. "I respond to what's offered to me.

I feel having portrayed one character (Gandhi) so effectively, I need not use the same set of muscles to portray other characters. Luckily, directors and producers like to stretch me and offer me a variety of roles.

I owe my variety of roles to American and British filmmakers. "However, I was pretty versatile even before I worked on 'Gandhi'.

I had done 17 Shakespearean characters before. So variety for me is not an unusual thing.

It's amazing how beautifully the cards fell for my career." He will next be seen in Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" that is set to release in February.

"This is my first film with him although we've known each other for years. I loved the experience.

He's a remarkable man, loves cinema. Very decent with his actors, caring and provoking them in the right way.

I play a psychiatrist," Kingsley said. Oscar-winning veteran actor Ben Kingsley, who will be seen in Bollywood director Leena Yadav's crime thriller "Teen Patti" as a narrator, says he loves working with women directors and responds well to them as they see things men miss.

"I just did two other films with female directors. I like being directed by females.

They bring a different eye through the camera and an unusual perspective," Kingsley said in an interview. Yadav is the third woman to direct Kingsley.

"Female directors see things that guys miss. I respond well to female direction.

The ego is in a different place. They are focussed on fundamental things like narrative and human behaviour rather than issues that may be distorted by the male ego," the Hollywood actor said before leaving for Abu Dhabi.

In "Teen Patti", he has teamed up with Hindi film industry's megastar Amitabh Bachchan. He, however, warns that his is a very small part in the movie, but he enjoyed working with Indian cast and crew.

"It's a very, very small part..

.I keep appearing in little scenes in the film as a storyteller.

" "It was an opportunity to work with an Indian crew again after 'Gandhi'. It was an opportunity to work with Mr.

Bachchan, who is an icon in his own field. It's interesting to mix cultures in a film to see how different people from different backgrounds can be so very synchronized and work together.

We worked very intensely. We hit a very quick working rhythm," Kingsley said.

Much as he enjoyed his cameo in "Teen Patti", Kingsley would be unable to come to India for its release Feb 12 next year. "I'm going to be very very busy from February 2010 onwards.

" Kingsley is a bit alarmed by all the hype surrounding his next project "Taj Mahal", which according to reports may feature Aishwarya Rai as Mughal emperor Shah Jehan's wife Mumtaz. "It's very, very, very early days to talk about that project.

The ink is hardly dry on the script. It's coming together.

We've a beautiful script. And we've some financial interest being shown in the project.

I now have a short list of directors. I hope not to be disappointed about the director I want," said Kinglsey.

Commenting upon the cast of the film, he said: "We must not make impolite, inappropriate announcements till everyone is on the same page. There is no Indian cast yet.

We don't know what the actors' interest or feedback would be. We're still putting the team together.

We just have to put all the components together, take a deep breath and see what our investors have to say." The actor, known for his astonishing performance in "Gandhi", says he turned down a lot of acting assignments in 2009.

"I respond to what's offered to me. I feel having portrayed one character (Gandhi) so effectively, I need not use the same set of muscles to portray other characters.

Luckily, directors and producers like to stretch me and offer me a variety of roles. I owe my variety of roles to American and British filmmakers.

"However, I was pretty versatile even before I worked on 'Gandhi'. I had done 17 Shakespearean characters before.

So variety for me is not an unusual thing. It's amazing how beautifully the cards fell for my career.

" He will next be seen in Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" that is set to release in February. "This is my first film with him although we've known each other for years.

I loved the experience. He's a remarkable man, loves cinema.

Very decent with his actors, caring and provoking them in the right way. I play a psychiatrist," Kingsley said (less)

However, this time he isn't battling werewolves or other vile creatures. He plays Tyler, a rich complicated kid, who meets an uncomplicated girl named Ally (Emilie de Ravin) falling in love with her.

However, the story isn't that simple as it sounds. There are multiple subplots going beneath the surface.

A story of an estranged father-son relationship and deep buried family secrets being found. Remember Me touches a myriad of subjects like loss, fragile relations, blood bonds, but above all it talks about love and longing in a time of contempt.

There's no doubt most of you (fairer sex) will watch it for Pattinson. Fortunately the good news is that the actor who plays the blood-sucking vampire in the Twilight series is actually brilliant here.

He still has those perfectly messed locks and gloomy stare, but one gets to see him tackle a character that's real and not larger than life. Throughout the film there are ample moments to keep you intrigued.

Apart from talking about love and treasuring it, the subject has many other elements that make it work. Tyler's strained relation with his super rich dad, or Ally's own troubled past and dealing with loss are both handled with maturity.

What's not: Despite its earnest approach, the second half seems manipulative and gimmicky. We are told that Tyler's dad has an issue with his son and all the money in the world can't mend that.

Then how come he suddenly warms up to him? Was that the moment the writers thought let's make the audience reach for their tissues? Either way, it doesn't serve the purpose. Also the twists and turns keep happening with no logic or reason.

Most of the characters behave like they have split personalities. Not to forget the movie is set in 2001 when something really bad happened.

Talk about milking tragedies. Watch it for Pattinson's earnest performance, and savour it till he returns as Edward Cullen to annoy the hell out of us.

Yes it's the Twilight dude with the messy hairdo. Robert Pattinson gets to brood, sulk, fret and fume yet again.

However, this time he isn't battling werewolves or other vile creatures. He plays Tyler, a rich complicated kid, who meets an uncomplicated girl named Ally (Emilie de Ravin) falling in love with her.

However, the story isn't that simple as it sounds. There are multiple subplots going beneath the surface.

A story of an estranged father-son relationship and deep buried family secrets being found. Remember Me touches a myriad of subjects like loss, fragile relations, blood bonds, but above all it talks about love and longing in a time of contempt.

There's no doubt most of you (fairer sex) will watch it for Pattinson. Fortunately the good news is that the actor who plays the blood-sucking vampire in the Twilight series is actually brilliant here.

He still has those perfectly messed locks and gloomy stare, but one gets to see him tackle a character that's real and not larger than life. Throughout the film there are ample moments to keep you intrigued.

Apart from talking about love and treasuring it, the subject has many other elements that make it work. Tyler's strained relation with his super rich dad, or Ally's own troubled past and dealing with loss are both handled with maturity.

What's not: Despite its earnest approach, the second half seems manipulative and gimmicky. We are told that Tyler's dad has an issue with his son and all the money in the world can't mend that.

Then how come he suddenly warms up to him? Was that the moment the writers thought let's make the audience reach for their tissues? Either way, it doesn't serve the purpose. Also the twists and turns keep happening with no logic or reason.

Most of the characters behave like they have split personalities. Not to forget the movie is set in 2001 when something really bad happened.

Talk about milking tragedies. Watch it for Pattinson's earnest performance, and savour it till he returns as Edward Cullen to annoy the hell out of us.

U; Romance Yes it's the Twilight dude with the messy hairdo. Robert Pattinson gets to brood, sulk, fret and fume yet again.

However, this time he isn't battling werewolves or other vile creatures. He plays Tyler, a rich complicated kid, who meets an uncomplicated girl named Ally (Emilie de Ravin) falling in love with her.

However, the story isn't that simple as it sounds. There are multiple subplots going beneath the surface.

A story of an estranged father-son relationship and deep buried family secrets being found. Remember Me touches a myriad of subjects like loss, fragile relations, blood bonds, but above all it talks about love and longing in a time of contempt.

There's no doubt most of you (fairer sex) will watch it for Pattinson. Fortunately the good news is that the actor who plays the blood-sucking vampire in the Twilight series is actually brilliant here.

He still has those perfectly messed locks and gloomy stare, but one gets to see him tackle a character that's real and not larger than life. Throughout the film there are ample moments to keep you intrigued.

Apart from talking about love and treasuring it, the subject has many other elements that make it work. Tyler's strained relation with his super rich dad, or Ally's own troubled past and dealing with loss are both handled with maturity.

What's not: Despite its earnest approach, the second half seems manipulative and gimmicky. We are told that Tyler's dad has an issue with his son and all the money in the world can't mend that.

Then how come he suddenly warms up to him? Was that the moment the writers thought let's make the audience reach for their tissues? Either way, it doesn't serve the purpose. Also the twists and turns keep happening with no logic or reason.

Most of the characters behave like they have split personalities. Not to forget the movie is set in 2001 when something really bad happened.

Talk about milking tragedies. Watch it for Pattinson's earnest performance, and savour it till he returns as Edward Cullen to annoy the hell out of us.

Dir: Yes it's the Twilight dude with the messy hairdo. Robert Pattinson gets to brood, sulk, fret and fume yet again.

However, this time he isn't battling werewolves or other vile creatures. He plays Tyler, a rich complicated kid, who meets an uncomplicated girl named Ally (Emilie de Ravin) falling in love with her.

However, the story isn't that simple as it sounds. There are multiple subplots going beneath the surface.

A story of an estranged father-son relationship and deep buried family secrets being found. Remember Me touches a myriad of subjects like loss, fragile relations, blood bonds, but above all it talks about love and longing in a time of contempt.

There's no doubt most of you (fairer sex) will watch it for Pattinson. Fortunately the good news is that the actor who plays the blood-sucking vampire in the Twilight series is actually brilliant here.

He still has those perfectly messed locks and gloomy stare, but one gets to see him tackle a character that's real and not larger than life. Throughout the film there are ample moments to keep you intrigued.

Apart from talking about love and treasuring it, the subject has many other elements that make it work. Tyler's strained relation with his super rich dad, or Ally's own troubled past and dealing with loss are both handled with maturity.

What's not: Despite its earnest approach, the second half seems manipulative and gimmicky. We are told that Tyler's dad has an issue with his son and all the money in the world can't mend that.

Then how come he suddenly warms up to him? Was that the moment the writers thought let's make the audience reach for their tissues? Either way, it doesn't serve the purpose. Also the twists and turns keep happening with no logic or reason.

Most of the characters behave like they have split personalities. Not to forget the movie is set in 2001 when something really bad happened.

Talk about milking tragedies. Watch it for Pattinson's earnest performance, and savour it till he returns as Edward Cullen to annoy the hell out of us.

Allen Coulter Yes it's the Twilight dude with the messy hairdo. Robert Pattinson gets to brood, sulk, fret and fume yet again.

However, this time he isn't battling werewolves or other vile creatures. He plays Tyler, a rich complicated kid, who meets an uncomplicated girl named Ally (Emilie de Ravin) falling in love with her.

However, the story isn't that simple as it sounds. There are multiple subplots going beneath the surface.

A story of an estranged father-son relationship and deep buried family secrets being found. Remember Me touches a myriad of subjects like loss, fragile relations, blood bonds, but above all it talks about love and longing in a time of contempt.

There's no doubt most of you (fairer sex) will watch it for Pattinson. Fortunately the good news is that the actor who plays the blood-sucking vampire in the Twilight series is actually brilliant here.

He still has those perfectly messed locks and gloomy stare, but one gets to see him tackle a character that's real and not larger than life. Throughout the film there are ample moments to keep you intrigued.

Apart from talking about love and treasuring it, the subject has many other elements that make it work. Tyler's strained relation with his super rich dad, or Ally's own troubled past and dealing with loss are both handled with maturity.

What's not: Despite its earnest approach, the second half seems manipulative and gimmicky. We are told that Tyler's dad has an issue with his son and all the money in the world can't mend that.

Then how come he suddenly warms up to him? Was that the moment the writers thought let's make the audience reach for their tissues? Either way, it doesn't serve the purpose. Also the twists and turns keep happening with no logic or reason.

Most of the characters behave like they have split personalities. Not to forget the movie is set in 2001 when something really bad happened.

Talk about milking tragedies. Watch it for Pattinson's earnest performance, and savour it till he returns as Edward Cullen to annoy the hell out of us (less)

And most of that appreciation is coming from his lady love ? his wife! We come to hear that Maddy's wife who is a big Justin Timberlake fan has started singing the pop hit ?I'm bringing Sexy Back? to Madhavan since she thinks his look in Teen Patti was drop dead hot. Reveals a source ? Sarita keeps singing ?I'm bringing sexy back to Madhavan.

It's her way of sweetly teasing him. She absolutely loves his look in the film.

? Madhavan who plays 6 suave grey characters in the film right from a Casanova, an Italian, a high-end party goer, a slum dweller, a professor and a thug post his great reviews in Teen Patti is ready to take on more roles that challenge his versatility as an actor (less)

??Based on Maurice Sendak's book of the same name, the film has Max (Records) spend time with the cuddly creatures Ira (Forrest), Carol (Gandolfini), Judith (O'Hara), Douglas (Cooper) and Alexander (Paul Dano).??Proclaiming himself the King, he soon entrusts them with the mammoth task of building a fort and an imperishable kingdom.

Things however do not go as planned as reality bites Max who returns back home after having an adventure of a lifetime. This isn't a children's film and the teasers or posters shouldn't deceive you.

Despite it's childlike traits and characters, the subject matter here is quite serious. Dealing with issues like depression, family issues and suicide, Jonze has a series of undercurrents of various emotions running beneath the surface of what you see.

Rich in colour and vivid in landscape, the film has been beautifully captured in contrasting natural surroundings (forests, deserts, oceans).??The talented ensemble bring life to these SFX muppets who seem tangible and life like in most parts.

Max has a certain vulnerability that isn't yet spoilt by Hollywood's studios. He plays his part seamlessly, bringing alive the child in each and every one of us.

The background score gives the film an impetus that takes it to another level. Hauntingly melodic the voices and instruments weave a magical charm on you.

Jonze is a genius when it comes to creating an alternate world that doesn't justify or explain its setting. It's lengthy.

There are portions that drag. After Max meets the wild things and becomes one of them, the novelty soon wears off.

Also the main subtext is simple a child questioning the adult world. Making an entire movie based on that idea is far-fetched.

You need to be patient and let yourself follow Jonze's vision without questioning his motive. There is a constant air of gloom and despair in the proceedings.

Visually, a winner with an amazing soundtrack, the film is a feast for anyone who appreciates art. U/A; Drama ?? Dir: Spike Jonze Based on Maurice Sendak's book of the same name, the film has Max (Records) spend time with the cuddly creatures Ira (Forrest), Carol (Gandolfini), Judith (O'Hara), Douglas (Cooper) and Alexander (Paul Dano).

Cast: Catherine Keener, Max Records, Mark Ruffalo, Lauren Ambrose, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, and Forrest Whitaker, Chris Cooper?? Proclaiming himself the King, he soon entrusts them with the mammoth task of building a fort and an imperishable kingdom. ***1/2 Things however do not go as planned as reality bites Max who returns back home after having an adventure of a lifetime (less)

After a brief gap, he signed up for Happy Happygaa by debutante director Priya Saran. It was the director's supreme ability, which made the film worth watching, and gave the actor a reason to smile.

Santosh (Varun) is an orphan, who works as a delivery boy. Once, Santosh gets an order from a couple (MS Narayana and Rajitha) who wish to invite their niece Puja (Vega), who lives in the UK.

Puja likes Santosh's attitude and falls for him. But soon, he comes to know that Puja's opinion on love is very different from his.

So, Santosh tells Puja that he had written his dream girl 50 love letters and for her benefit reads them out. When Puja expresses the desire to see this 'dream girl', Santosh shows a girl in a white chudidar, completely different from what Puja is.

Puja meets Priya (Saranya) and reveals Santosh's secret love for her and hands over the love letters. Puja makes it clear that it is a one-sided love.

Impressed with his love letters, Priya also loses her heart to Santosh. Puja shows elation at the union of Priya and Santosh.

The story gets interesting when it so turns out that Priya is the sister of a big mafia don Suri (Bommali Ravi). However, Priya swears her undying love for Santosh to her brother.

The highlight of the film is the impressive subject, the way of narration, the perfect presentation of the subject on the celluloid, the directorial ability to present it in a way to impress the audience. It is an out and out director's film, as he does not lose grip on the story at any given point and the audience do not feel that the film is getting stretched a tad too much.

Despite the slow paced narration, the director maintains good pace and tempo in running the film. Music by Manisharma is another highlight as almost all the songs are full of melody.

It is Sirivennela Sitarama Sastry, who should be patted for penning excellent lyrics. The movie, of course , has an item number.

Cinematography by Venky A Darshan is adequate, while editing by Krishna Reddy is okay. Dialogues by Anil Ravipudi are good in parts.

As a whole, the technicians team that worked for the film should be complimented for excellent work. Vega, who had the shades of Anjala Jhaveri, gives a good performance.

Her photogenic face and hourglass figure fills the glamour slot too. However, there is no exposure of any kind by the heroine.

Saranya, as usual had maintained the girl-next door image. She too does complete justice to her role.

After a long time, Ali manages to tickle our funny bones . The minus point in the film is the hero.

Varun Sandesh completely failed to measure up to the expectations. Though he has a lot of experience to his credit, he fails to portray basic emotions.

He still needs to work heavily on dialogue modulation and histrionics.Despite a little slow narration in the first, the movies is saved on the whole .

Many directors handle different love subjects but only a few directors can make the audience taste the real feel of love on the screen. Debutant Priya Saran proved that a director should have grip on the subject and should have the ability to visualise it to himself before presenting it on the screen.

The basic point in the film is getting loved by some is greater than loving someone. The way of presentation of this storyline was quite different and impressive (less)

And I simply assumed, in spite of the vocal support for their music by a friend of mine who doesn't normally make recommendations in that particular art form, that all their music sounded the same. The next time I was made aware of the band was when I learnt through Twitter and Facebook updates that Asheem Chakrabarty (tabla, vocals) was seriously ill.

I found out a little later that he had passed away. So when I went to watch the press screening of a documentary about the band I knew they were 'important' but I didn't know why.

From the very beginning of Leaving Home -- The Life and Music of Indian Ocean it became very apparent why this band has such an enthusiastic fan following. Here were four guys who gave up on the idea of fitting into the larger fabric of working class India [ Images ] so that they could make music that could be appreciated equally by the haves and have-nots.

From the very early shots in this film it becomes clear that Susmit Sen, Asheem Chakravarty, Rahul Ram and Amit Kilam were blessed with a special gift. I use the past tense because I realized even as I was watching the film that I was discovering a body of work that was complete.

Maybe Indian Ocean will carry on in some other avatar but with the death of one of the band's longest standing members the original incarnation of the band is gone. The fabric of the documentary consists of interwoven strands of song performances and interviews with band members, their families and well wishers as they talk about the music, the band's origins and the meaning of their catalogue within the ethos of Indian music as a whole.

And all of it is fascinating. To think that four guys, who came from backgrounds designed for a life of 9-to-5 labour (until retirement) could take the decision to make their music their primary occupation as well as source of income is nothing short of incredible.

Their fusion of earthy lyrics (inspired from places and times, far and wide) and western instruments, their run-ins with recording labels (local and overseas), their recounting of personal tragedies and the knowledge that Asheem (whose vocals soar over several of their compositions) is no more, add a level of poignancy to this film that far surpasses most of Bollywood's offerings in any given year. Try and watch Leaving Home �� The Life and Music of Indian Ocean even though it certain to enjoy only a limited engagement on the big screen.

It will rejuvenate you and perhaps even remind you of a dream or two that you allowed yourself to forget because more pressing realities made demands on your time. Watching four regular guys from Delhi [ Images ] find joy and actualization in following their dreams is perhaps what all of us need to shake us out of our stupor.

For that alone I heartily recommend that you go watch this film. Rediff Rating : Elvis D Silva in Mumbai (less)

After a brief gap, he signed up for Happy Happygaa by debutante director Priya Saran. It was the director's supreme ability, which made the film worth watching, and gave the actor a reason to smile.

Santosh (Varun) is an orphan, who works as a delivery boy. Once, Santosh gets an order from a couple (MS Narayana and Rajitha) who wish to invite their niece Puja (Vega), who lives in the UK.

Puja likes Santosh's attitude and falls for him. But soon, he comes to know that Puja's opinion on love is very different from his.

So, Santosh tells Puja that he had written his dream girl 50 love letters and for her benefit reads them out. When Puja expresses the desire to see this 'dream girl', Santosh shows a girl in a white chudidar, completely different from what Puja is.

Puja meets Priya (Saranya) and reveals Santosh's secret love for her and hands over the love letters. Puja makes it clear that it is a one-sided love.

Impressed with his love letters, Priya also loses her heart to Santosh. Puja shows elation at the union of Priya and Santosh.

The story gets interesting when it so turns out that Priya is the sister of a big mafia don Suri (Bommali Ravi). However, Priya swears her undying love for Santosh to her brother.

The highlight of the film is the impressive subject, the way of narration, the perfect presentation of the subject on the celluloid, the directorial ability to present it in a way to impress the audience. It is an out and out director's film, as he does not lose grip on the story at any given point and the audience do not feel that the film is getting stretched a tad too much.

Despite the slow paced narration, the director maintains good pace and tempo in running the film. Music by Manisharma is another highlight as almost all the songs are full of melody.

It is Sirivennela Sitarama Sastry, who should be patted for penning excellent lyrics. The movie, of course , has an item number.

Cinematography by Venky A Darshan is adequate, while editing by Krishna Reddy is okay. Dialogues by Anil Ravipudi are good in parts.

As a whole, the technicians team that worked for the film should be complimented for excellent work. Vega, who had the shades of Anjala Jhaveri, gives a good performance.

Her photogenic face and hourglass figure fills the glamour slot too. However, there is no exposure of any kind by the heroine.

Saranya, as usual had maintained the girl-next door image. She too does complete justice to her role.

After a long time, Ali manages to tickle our funny bones . The minus point in the film is the hero.

Varun Sandesh completely failed to measure up to the expectations. Though he has a lot of experience to his credit, he fails to portray basic emotions.

He still needs to work heavily on dialogue modulation and histrionics.Despite a little slow narration in the first, the movies is saved on the whole .

Many directors handle different love subjects but only a few directors can make the audience taste the real feel of love on the screen. Debutant Priya Saran proved that a director should have grip on the subject and should have the ability to visualise it to himself before presenting it on the screen.

The basic point in the film is getting loved by some is greater than loving someone. The way of presentation of this storyline was quite different and impressive (less)

Rajamouli has an enviable record of all his seven films being hits. And he adds another feather to his cap with Maryada Ramanna , which features comedy actor Sunil as the hero.

Maryada Ramanna is quite different from all his previous commercial hits, which include Simhadri, Magadheera and Vikramarkudu , that focused on giving a larger than life image to the heroes. Rajamouli has narrated his latest gripping tale with less of comedy and action, but makes it engaging and entertaining.

He has chosen a story revolving around the factional feuds of Andhra Pradesh's Rayalaseema region where revenge and violence get prime focus. But he has kept away from these two factors in the film.

Rajamouli has put together a fast-paced love story packaged with thrilling and enjoyable elements. He has woven magic with his screenplay and there is never a dull moment in the film.

In the movie, Ramu works in Hyderabad and finds it difficult to lead a decent life. A notice from a village officer reveals that he has a five-acre plot in his native village.

Ramu then heads home to sell off this land to get some funds to purchase an auto-rickshaw. He meets a beautiful girl Aparna in the train.

Aparna happens to be the daughter of a big faction leader Ramineedu, whose brother was killed by Ramu's father many years ago in a factional feud. Ramu lands at Ramineedu's house without knowing the past.

Ramineedu and his entire family want to kill him..

. but there is a hitch.

Ramu had entered their house as a guest and it is a tradition in Rayalaseema that guests be treated as god. Ramu comes to know that he is safe only if he is inside the house and will be killed the minute he leaves.

Aparna, meanwhile, tries her best to woo Ramu. Ramu manages to escape from the house and makes all efforts to leave the village as well.

Finally he understands Aparna's love and decides to be with her even if it means facing a big risk. Sunil excels in his performance.

He has lost weight and shows his brilliance as a dancer too. Saloni has come out with another good performance.

Debutant actor Nagineedu perfectly fits into the villain's role. M.

M. Keervani's music is the highlight of the film.

All the songs are melodious and hummable. Ammaayi Vachchindhi and Ra Ra Saloni are well choreographed also.

Rajamouli has once again proved that he is a master at churning out hits (less)

However, after the 9/11 bombing of New York, his visa is not being sanctioned by US embassy despite of several attempts STARRINGAli Zafar, Barry John, Chirag Vohra, Nikhil Ratnparkhi, Piyush Mishra, Rahul Singh, Seema Bhargava, Sugandha Garg, Pradhuman Singh, ChinmayMandlekar and others.DIRECTIONAbhishek SharmaSTORYThe plot of the flick revolves around the character of an ambitious journalist (Ali Zafar) from Pakistan.

His dream is to migrate to the land of opportunities in the US and lead a contented life. However, after the 9/11 bombing of New York, his visa is not being sanctioned by US embassy despite of several attempts .

When nothing works, he thinks of a scheme to earn money through his scoop. He decides to make a fake video of Osama Bin Laden with the help of a lookalike farmer, who fortunately came across.

Ali?s plan is to sell the fake video tape to Television channel and make money. However, the name Osama Bin Laden rang alarm bells in the US and they send a secret agent to know the reality and investigate Ali?s connection with Osama Bin Laden.

What happened to Ali after that and how the agent investigated the truth, forms the rest of the flick.PERFORMANCEAli Zafar, who plays the ambitious journalist of Pakistan trying his hand at going to the US, has done a superlative job.

The guy is just livewire and handles the character with panache. His confidence only adds to his over all charming performance in the film.

The newcomer has a strong screen presence and does not feel bogged down by the dangerous subject for a bollywood debut. In fact, the film has already been banned by Pakistan for making fun of Osama Bin Laden.

Whatever, but Ali is just brilliant in his journalistic act of creating fake Osama videos. The actor (Pradhuman Singh) who played the on screen Osama Bin Laden comes out a winner with a sterling performance.

Osama in salon and also becoming partner in this venture, doing menial work, etc, induce laugher. But the actor is definitely convincing while doing all these things.

Piyush Mishra as the producer of the fake video of Osama, looks incredibly convincing. His falling in to drain and then straight to hot seat was definitely funny.

Other actors like Chirag , Chinmay Rahul Singh, etc, provided able support to the main cast of the flick. The direction of Abhishek Sharma is good.

The debutant director deserves credit for choosing such a dangerous subject for his comedy. However, he has succeeded in tickling the funny bone of one and all through the movie.

Creating Pakistan in Hyderabad was not mean task and Abhishek comes out as a winner in his efforts.The music by Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy is one of the high point of the film.

Two number ?Ullu De Patha? and ?I love amreeka? have already made their way into audiences? heart. Santosh Thundiyil?s cinematography is good and adds to the value of the flick.

STARDUST VERDICTAli Zafar has done a great job in the film. The film is successful in tickling the funny bone of audience.

The unusual topic of Osama Bin Laden and that too for a comedy in itself is enough to attract viewers to theatre. However, the flick lacks star value.

But nonetheless, it is likely to work at the box office. A good movie.

Star Rating: * *1/2 -- k k rai Send comments: 0comments (less)

But sometimes - for instance in the recent Spider-Man, X-Men and Batman cycles - the second time is a charm, as filmmakers and actors use the reasonable certainty of financial success to take chances and explore odd corners of their archetypal, juvenile stories. Iron Man 2 , directed by Jon Favreau from a screenplay by Justin Theroux, doesn't achieve the emotional complexity of Spider-Man 2 or the operatic grandeur of The Dark Knight , but it does try something a little bit new and perhaps, given the solemnity that has overtaken so much comic-book-based filmed entertainment, a little bit risky.

It's funny. Favreau and Theroux are both accomplished actors - in Iron Man 2 Favreau again plays Iron Man 's nebbishy gopher - and they have in effect turned this movie over to its game and talented cast.

It's not that the action sequences are badly executed; they just aren't very interesting. The suits and explosions and C.

G.I.

flight simulations may have cost a lot of money, but more imagination has been invested in the film's sleek and shiny look and, above all, in its jittery, loquacious and eccentric population of geniuses, frauds, playboys and bad guys. At the head of this crew - and playfully keeping everyone guessing as to just which of those categories he fits into - is Robert Downey Jr.

's Tony Stark. Stark has the identity issues and daddy problems that come with the superhero territory, but self-pity is as alien to him as false modesty.

An apostle of pleasure, progress and the free market, he is the kind of devil-may-care, lady-killing capitalist demigod that just about every hedge-fund cowboy and high-tech guru of the past 10 years has dreamed of being. And he cares too: about world peace and race cars and scientific innovation, among other things.

Downey, his restless features keeping Stark's lounge-lizard facial hair in a state of perpetual animation, has a way of turning action-hero duty into a form of intellectual comedy. As fast as his body and mouth might move, his brain is even quicker.

He has the rare and marvelous capacity to surprise himself, which is one reason, even in a noisy dud like Sherlock Holmes , you can't stop watching him. But though Tony is a narcissist - he admits as much when a psychological profile tells him so - Downey is happy to share attention with any actor possessing the nerve and verve to try and keep up with him.

Gwyneth Paltrow, as Pepper Potts, Stark's right-hand woman, informal nanny and unacknowledged love interest, handles the rematch with even more exasperated aplomb than the first time out. Every encounter between these two is a flurry of interruptions, miscommunications, false starts and premature conclusions.

At a time when romantic comedy has abandoned its tradition of witty dialogue in favor of either simpering or crudity, apparently it falls to a comic book spectacle to keep the screwball tradition alive. In addition to his Girl Friday, Stark also has a nemesis, a sidekick (Don Cheadle, replacing Terrence Howard) and a designated heel.

The heel is a rival armaments mogul named Justin Hammer, played with a sublime mixture of pomposity and cluelessness by Sam Rockwell. Hammer is Daffy Duck to Stark's Bugs Bunny, forever trying to outdo his competitor and discovering new registers of pique and humiliation every time he falls short.

Which would make Mickey Rourke's Ivan Vanko - what, exactly? The Tasmanian Devil? Yosemite Sam? There is something of a physical resemblance to both, but Rourke composes a fugue of malevolence in his own demented key. Vanko, like Stark the son of a military scientist, is what his lucky enemy might have been if the cold war had gone the other way.

His body covered with Russian prison tattoos, his face a fleshy mask of bitter pride, Rourke takes possession of the movie every time he shows up. In his first few seconds on screen he speaks Russian and plies a cockatoo with vodka.

Later he dons a high-tech supervillain suit complete with fiber-optic whips and a breastplate like Iron Man's, but none of that can match the silky menace of his line readings. There are, I suppose, viewers who will regard the comic filigree of Iron Man 2 - and I haven't even mentioned Clark Gregg's deadpan secret agent or Garry Shandling's bloated senator - as diverting or distracting filler deposited between action sequences and plot revelations.

I take the opposite view. A bunch of guys in metal suits slugging it out in a park in Queens? I can probably find that on pay-per-view or even YouTube.

And the plot of Iron Man 2 is frankly a bit of a hash, as Stark's two-front conflict with Hammer and Vanko competes with exposition that will only pay off (meagerly, I suspect) in later sequels. Such preparation is one reason that Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L Jackson show up here, though there are of course others.

Jackson looks good in an eye patch, as Johansson does in tight skirts and tighter body suits. So you might say that the movie has something for everyone, which is fine but also, in the end, not quite enough.

You're left wanting more, but not quite the "more" Iron Man 2 works so hard to supply. Iron Man 2 has swearing, mayhem, discreet bloodshed and sexual innuendo (less)

And 2010 and is begun with an epic named Clash Of The Titans , a motion picture that purports to tell the tale of a time when gods and men locked themselves in epic battle. Since this is a 'big' movie it is made available to the paying audience in that latest, tastiest of flavours -- 3D.

A prelude tells us of how it came to be that Zeus (Liam Neeson [ Images ] in ridiculous armour that calls to mind old advertising for shiny stainless steel utensils) ruled the heavens, Poseidon took command of the seas and Hades (Ralph Fiennes playing a hairier version of Voldemort) was banished to sulk in the 'underworld'. From there we are shown a fisherman who discovers a casket in the sea which bears a dead woman and a living, breathing male child.

Watching over the rescue of this child is a mysterious woman Io (Gemma Arterton) who narrated that earlier prelude. The boy's name is Perseus and he grows up into possibly the hardest working man in Hollywood these days, a man named Sam Worthington.

When Perseus and his family are witness to the destruction of a statue built in Zeus's honour by human soldiers he also bears first hand witness to the wrath of a god when Hades rises through the sea, takes the form of fearsome flying creatures and kills all the soldiers of Argos who dared defile the image of Zeus. In the ensuing carnage Perseus's adoptive family is also killed.

The King of Argos celebrates the return of a few of his men while his queen goes a step further and declares that her own daughter Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) is no less than a goddess. Needless to say Hades arrives, kills a bunch of soldiers, declares that Argos will fall unless a sacrifice (of the princess) is made to appease the gods.

And if the sacrifice is not forthcoming he will unleash the fearsome beast known as the Kraken and destroy Argos. He also notices that Perseus is not killed in the carnage he unleashed before he delivered his dire warning.

So who is Perseus? And will he survive his journey to places far and deadly as he looks for a way to defeat the dreaded beast? If the trailers and promotional materials for this movie were to be believed one might be forgiven for assuming that this movie was going to another Dungeons & Dragons or 10,000 BC in its outcome. Fortunately for director Louis Letterier and the producers of this movie, this is not so.

The film is an engaging swords and sandals epic with enough action designed to keep the testosterone bunch glued to their seats. The cast members seem committed to the scenes and dialogues, even when they border on the ridiculous.

No major new ground is broken with this film, visually or in the form of narrative but it is still an enjoyable ride. Several legendary figures make their appearance and the movie's DVD might serve as the source for an amusing drinking game called 'spot the legend'.

The film features patchy special effects with imagery ranging from tacky to sublime coexisting in most frames. The most impressive effect is the appearance and disappearance of Hades.

In the plumes of spark-riddled smoke that form his wings there is a majesty that really casts him as a scary figure. Conversely, the effect they have chosen to apply to Zeus's heavenly avatar is so laughable it makes one wonder if visually impaired individuals were responsible for such a travesty.

For once, Hollywood may be right. It appears that 3D is the saviour of all things big and blockbustery about modern cinema.

At least the novelty of watching big action rendered in that depth-highlighting dimension definitely allows audiences to suspend their disbelief to a greater extent, thereby buying into the antics on screen rather than questioning motivations (and/or behavioural shifts), the sudden surprising absence of gravitational pull on human beings and the straight up ridiculousness of certain outfits and performances. So should you watch this movie? Yes, if you're in the mood for mindless fun, are not bothered by patchy special effects and are willing to shell out the extra bucks to see this in 3D.

Even though this film wasn't authored in 3D, there are enough scenes that benefit from the conversion to the new format. So yes, if you were planning on catching this movie at some point in your life, in 3D on the big screen would be your best bet.

Rediff Rating : Elvis D Silva in Mumbai (less)

The movie is also expected to provide the great spectacle of two titans of acting?Amitabh Bachchan of bollywood and Ben Kingsley of Hollywood ? coming face to face for the first time in any movie. -- k k rai Send comments: 0comments (less)

And 2010 and is begun with an epic named Clash Of The Titans , a motion picture that purports to tell the tale of a time when gods and men locked themselves in epic battle. Since this is a 'big' movie it is made available to the paying audience in that latest, tastiest of flavours -- 3D.

A prelude tells us of how it came to be that Zeus (Liam Neeson [ Images ] in ridiculous armour that calls to mind old advertising for shiny stainless steel utensils) ruled the heavens, Poseidon took command of the seas and Hades (Ralph Fiennes playing a hairier version of Voldemort) was banished to sulk in the 'underworld'. From there we are shown a fisherman who discovers a casket in the sea which bears a dead woman and a living, breathing male child.

Watching over the rescue of this child is a mysterious woman Io (Gemma Arterton) who narrated that earlier prelude. The boy's name is Perseus and he grows up into possibly the hardest working man in Hollywood these days, a man named Sam Worthington.

When Perseus and his family are witness to the destruction of a statue built in Zeus's honour by human soldiers he also bears first hand witness to the wrath of a god when Hades rises through the sea, takes the form of fearsome flying creatures and kills all the soldiers of Argos who dared defile the image of Zeus. In the ensuing carnage Perseus's adoptive family is also killed.

The King of Argos celebrates the return of a few of his men while his queen goes a step further and declares that her own daughter Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) is no less than a goddess. Needless to say Hades arrives, kills a bunch of soldiers, declares that Argos will fall unless a sacrifice (of the princess) is made to appease the gods.

And if the sacrifice is not forthcoming he will unleash the fearsome beast known as the Kraken and destroy Argos. He also notices that Perseus is not killed in the carnage he unleashed before he delivered his dire warning.

So who is Perseus? And will he survive his journey to places far and deadly as he looks for a way to defeat the dreaded beast? If the trailers and promotional materials for this movie were to be believed one might be forgiven for assuming that this movie was going to another Dungeons & Dragons or 10,000 BC in its outcome. Fortunately for director Louis Letterier and the producers of this movie, this is not so.

The film is an engaging swords and sandals epic with enough action designed to keep the testosterone bunch glued to their seats. The cast members seem committed to the scenes and dialogues, even when they border on the ridiculous.

No major new ground is broken with this film, visually or in the form of narrative but it is still an enjoyable ride. Several legendary figures make their appearance and the movie's DVD might serve as the source for an amusing drinking game called 'spot the legend'.

The film features patchy special effects with imagery ranging from tacky to sublime coexisting in most frames. The most impressive effect is the appearance and disappearance of Hades.

In the plumes of spark-riddled smoke that form his wings there is a majesty that really casts him as a scary figure. Conversely, the effect they have chosen to apply to Zeus's heavenly avatar is so laughable it makes one wonder if visually impaired individuals were responsible for such a travesty.

For once, Hollywood may be right. It appears that 3D is the saviour of all things big and blockbustery about modern cinema.

At least the novelty of watching big action rendered in that depth-highlighting dimension definitely allows audiences to suspend their disbelief to a greater extent, thereby buying into the antics on screen rather than questioning motivations (and/or behavioural shifts), the sudden surprising absence of gravitational pull on human beings and the straight up ridiculousness of certain outfits and performances. So should you watch this movie? Yes, if you're in the mood for mindless fun, are not bothered by patchy special effects and are willing to shell out the extra bucks to see this in 3D.

Even though this film wasn't authored in 3D, there are enough scenes that benefit from the conversion to the new format. So yes, if you were planning on catching this movie at some point in your life, in 3D on the big screen would be your best bet.

Rediff Rating : Elvis D Silva in Mumbai (less)

Beth not only battles some goofy oddballs chasing her, but also bumps into Nick (Duhamel) who might be her prospective Prince Charming. U/A; Romance What's it about: ?? Beth (Bell) is the curator of a museum and she spends more time organising and attending parties than checking her inventory.

After a rocky night at her sister's wedding, she lands up in the magical fountain of love (not to be mistaken with the Trevi) picking up some random coins which actually are wishes made by men seeking true love. Beth not only battles some goofy oddballs chasing her, but also bumps into Nick (Duhamel) who might be her prospective Prince Charming.

What's hot: It has all the ingredients of a rom-com??-- cutesy couple, scenic locales, corny one-liners and finally the happy ending. If you had the itch to watch two good looking people act goofy and pursue each other in awkward situations, then When In Rome might entertain you.

Duhamel is easy on the eyes and uses his charm to maximum advantage, but unfortunately, the poor script and dialogues do not support his effort. The lead pair also lack chemistry.

What's not: The director exhausts every trick in his bag to recreate scenes we've watched before. So when Beth fumbles with her words around Nick or when he constantly keeps tripping and falling down, we know where the plot is headed.

Despite the magic and hocus-pocus of the fountain, the whole premise doesn't hold fort and comes off gimmicky. Poor Danny De Vito is reduced to a caricature of a desperado pursuing Beth aimlessly.

Kristen Bell has the looks no doubt, but her comic timing and take on humour leave much to be desired. When In Rome tries hard to fit the Date movie bracket but it fails on all grounds.

What to do: Watch it only if you want a free trip to Rome.?? Dir: Mark Steven Johnson What's it about: ?? Beth (Bell) is the curator of a museum and she spends more time organising and attending parties than checking her inventory.

After a rocky night at her sister's wedding, she lands up in the magical fountain of love (not to be mistaken with the Trevi) picking up some random coins which actually are wishes made by men seeking true love. Beth not only battles some goofy oddballs chasing her, but also bumps into Nick (Duhamel) who might be her prospective Prince Charming.

What's hot: It has all the ingredients of a rom-com??-- cutesy couple, scenic locales, corny one-liners and finally the happy ending. If you had the itch to watch two good looking people act goofy and pursue each other in awkward situations, then When In Rome might entertain you.

Duhamel is easy on the eyes and uses his charm to maximum advantage, but unfortunately, the poor script and dialogues do not support his effort. The lead pair also lack chemistry.

What's not: The director exhausts every trick in his bag to recreate scenes we've watched before. So when Beth fumbles with her words around Nick or when he constantly keeps tripping and falling down, we know where the plot is headed.

Despite the magic and hocus-pocus of the fountain, the whole premise doesn't hold fort and comes off gimmicky. Poor Danny De Vito is reduced to a caricature of a desperado pursuing Beth aimlessly.

Kristen Bell has the looks no doubt, but her comic timing and take on humour leave much to be desired. When In Rome tries hard to fit the Date movie bracket but it fails on all grounds.

What to do: Watch it only if you want a free trip to Rome.?? Cast:?? Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Bobby Moynihan, Will Arnett, Jon Heder, Dax Shepard, Danny DeVito, and Anjelica Huston What's it about: ?? Beth (Bell) is the curator of a museum and she spends more time organising and attending parties than checking her inventory.

After a rocky night at her sister's wedding, she lands up in the magical fountain of love (not to be mistaken with the Trevi) picking up some random coins which actually are wishes made by men seeking true love. Beth not only battles some goofy oddballs chasing her, but also bumps into Nick (Duhamel) who might be her prospective Prince Charming.

What's hot: It has all the ingredients of a rom-com??-- cutesy couple, scenic locales, corny one-liners and finally the happy ending. If you had the itch to watch two good looking people act goofy and pursue each other in awkward situations, then When In Rome might entertain you.

Duhamel is easy on the eyes and uses his charm to maximum advantage, but unfortunately, the poor script and dialogues do not support his effort. The lead pair also lack chemistry.

What's not: The director exhausts every trick in his bag to recreate scenes we've watched before. So when Beth fumbles with her words around Nick or when he constantly keeps tripping and falling down, we know where the plot is headed.

Despite the magic and hocus-pocus of the fountain, the whole premise doesn't hold fort and comes off gimmicky. Poor Danny De Vito is reduced to a caricature of a desperado pursuing Beth aimlessly.

Kristen Bell has the looks no doubt, but her comic timing and take on humour leave much to be desired. When In Rome tries hard to fit the Date movie bracket but it fails on all grounds.

What to do: Watch it only if you want a free trip to Rome.?? *1/2 What's it about: ?? Beth (Bell) is the curator of a museum and she spends more time organising and attending parties than checking her inventory.

After a rocky night at her sister's wedding, she lands up in the magical fountain of love (not to be mistaken with the Trevi) picking up some random coins which actually are wishes made by men seeking true love. Beth not only battles some goofy oddballs chasing her, but also bumps into Nick (Duhamel) who might be her prospective Prince Charming.

What's hot: It has all the ingredients of a rom-com??-- cutesy couple, scenic locales, corny one-liners and finally the happy ending. If you had the itch to watch two good looking people act goofy and pursue each other in awkward situations, then When In Rome might entertain you.

Duhamel is easy on the eyes and uses his charm to maximum advantage, but unfortunately, the poor script and dialogues do not support his effort. The lead pair also lack chemistry.

What's not: The director exhausts every trick in his bag to recreate scenes we've watched before. So when Beth fumbles with her words around Nick or when he constantly keeps tripping and falling down, we know where the plot is headed.

Despite the magic and hocus-pocus of the fountain, the whole premise doesn't hold fort and comes off gimmicky. Poor Danny De Vito is reduced to a caricature of a desperado pursuing Beth aimlessly.

Kristen Bell has the looks no doubt, but her comic timing and take on humour leave much to be desired. When In Rome tries hard to fit the Date movie bracket but it fails on all grounds.

What to do: Watch it only if you want a free trip to Rome.?? (less)

According to film director Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Cage has already confirmed his leading role in the movie. However, the Ghost Rider will not have to learn a new language for his part in the upcoming film.

The movie is said to be a remake of Chopra's 1989 Hindi film Parinda . The shooting locations for the film has been shortlisted to New Mexico and New York.

Nicolas Cage is not the first Hollywood star to have graced the Bollywood silver-screen. Sir Ben Kingsley was seen in Teen Patti earlier this year, after having won worldwide recognition with Gandhi in 1982.

Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards were seen in Kambakkht Ishq last year (less)

Because the Dhuri family depicted in City of Gold is shown to go through the most tragic situations ?? unfortunately, those situations have nothing to do with mills shutting down. In an attempt to show their sorry state, he makes the characters suffer incessantly without anything to substantiate the condition.

While the setting is a chawl in Parel, the characters making it their home seem from elsewhere. Karan Patel's act as Naru stands out from the rest.

Totally comfortable in his skin as the local goonda who's a marionette in the hands of a bigger fish, Patel gives a natural performance. Manjrekar takes effort to recreate the '80s with everything from sideburns to old transistors used to show the period.

The action scenes are choreographed keeping in mind the setting. The stylish punches and kicks make way for some hand-to-hand combat scenes.

The problem starts early on in the film. After setting up the stage with an epic backdrop, Manjrekar's characters soon start losing their sheen.

Be it the matriarch of the family or the playwright son who happily sells one kidney to bail his younger brother, everything seems like a forced effort to play to the galleries. While the story keeps swinging like a badly oiled pendulum from the mills to the chawl, its flow is erratic and uneven.

Halfway through, the director loses focus from the subject and starts playing up the characters like leads of a daily soap. Also scenes showing kids drinking beer and showing them biting the flesh off passers-by (to depict their state of poverty) is repulsive.

Unlike Vaastav, where violence was cathartic for the protagonist, here it's plain gimmicky. Kashmera Shah's act as the cleavage-baring maami who craves to have a son from someone else than her unappealing husband (Kaushik) stands out like a sore thumb in an already weak story.

City of Gold tries very hard to be a realistic hard-hitting take on the Mumbai mill workers, sadly it only works in parts. A; drama Karan Patel's act as Naru stands out from the rest.

Totally comfortable in his skin as the local goonda who's a marionette in the hands of a bigger fish, Patel gives a natural performance. Manjrekar takes effort to recreate the '80s with everything from sideburns to old transistors used to show the period.

The action scenes are choreographed keeping in mind the setting. The stylish punches and kicks make way for some hand-to-hand combat scenes.

Dir: Mahesh V Manjrekar The problem starts early on in the film. After setting up the stage with an epic backdrop, Manjrekar's characters soon start losing their sheen.

Be it the matriarch of the family or the playwright son who happily sells one kidney to bail his younger brother, everything seems like a forced effort to play to the galleries. While the story keeps swinging like a badly oiled pendulum from the mills to the chawl, its flow is erratic and uneven.

Halfway through, the director loses focus from the subject and starts playing up the characters like leads of a daily soap. Also scenes showing kids drinking beer and showing them biting the flesh off passers-by (to depict their state of poverty) is repulsive.

Unlike Vaastav, where violence was cathartic for the protagonist, here it's plain gimmicky. Kashmera Shah's act as the cleavage-baring maami who craves to have a son from someone else than her unappealing husband (Kaushik) stands out like a sore thumb in an already weak story.

Cast: Vineet Kumar, Satish Kaushik, Sameer Dharmadhikari, Kashmera Shah, Seema Biswas, Sachin Khedekar?? Towards the end of the movie as the credits roll, Mahesh Manjrekar starts rapping to the lyrics of the title song. After the song ends, he asks the audiences "Aap abhi bhi Mumbai mein rehte ho?" Well the audience might be living in the city, but Manjrekar seems to have gone elsewhere to research his story on the life of mill workers in the '80s.

Because the Dhuri family depicted in City of Gold is shown to go through the most tragic situations ?? unfortunately, those situations have nothing to do with mills shutting down. In an attempt to show their sorry state, he makes the characters suffer incessantly without anything to substantiate the condition.

While the setting is a chawl in Parel, the characters making it their home seem from elsewhere. Karan Patel's act as Naru stands out from the rest.

Totally comfortable in his skin as the local goonda who's a marionette in the hands of a bigger fish, Patel gives a natural performance. Manjrekar takes effort to recreate the '80s with everything from sideburns to old transistors used to show the period.

The action scenes are choreographed keeping in mind the setting. The stylish punches and kicks make way for some hand-to-hand combat scenes.

The problem starts early on in the film. After setting up the stage with an epic backdrop, Manjrekar's characters soon start losing their sheen.

Be it the matriarch of the family or the playwright son who happily sells one kidney to bail his younger brother, everything seems like a forced effort to play to the galleries. While the story keeps swinging like a badly oiled pendulum from the mills to the chawl, its flow is erratic and uneven.

Halfway through, the director loses focus from the subject and starts playing up the characters like leads of a daily soap. Also scenes showing kids drinking beer and showing them biting the flesh off passers-by (to depict their state of poverty) is repulsive.

Unlike Vaastav, where violence was cathartic for the protagonist, here it's plain gimmicky. Kashmera Shah's act as the cleavage-baring maami who craves to have a son from someone else than her unappealing husband (Kaushik) stands out like a sore thumb in an already weak story.

City of Gold tries very hard to be a realistic hard-hitting take on the Mumbai mill workers, sadly it only works in parts. Rating:??** Towards the end of the movie as the credits roll, Mahesh Manjrekar starts rapping to the lyrics of the title song.

After the song ends, he asks the audiences "Aap abhi bhi Mumbai mein rehte ho?" Well the audience might be living in the city, but Manjrekar seems to have gone elsewhere to research his story on the life of mill workers in the '80s. Because the Dhuri family depicted in City of Gold is shown to go through the most tragic situations ?? unfortunately, those situations have nothing to do with mills shutting down.

In an attempt to show their sorry state, he makes the characters suffer incessantly without anything to substantiate the condition. While the setting is a chawl in Parel, the characters making it their home seem from elsewhere.

Karan Patel's act as Naru stands out from the rest. Totally comfortable in his skin as the local goonda who's a marionette in the hands of a bigger fish, Patel gives a natural performance.

Manjrekar takes effort to recreate the '80s with everything from sideburns to old transistors used to show the period. The action scenes are choreographed keeping in mind the setting.

The stylish punches and kicks make way for some hand-to-hand combat scenes. The problem starts early on in the film.

After setting up the stage with an epic backdrop, Manjrekar's characters soon start losing their sheen. Be it the matriarch of the family or the playwright son who happily sells one kidney to bail his younger brother, everything seems like a forced effort to play to the galleries.

While the story keeps swinging like a badly oiled pendulum from the mills to the chawl, its flow is erratic and uneven. Halfway through, the director loses focus from the subject and starts playing up the characters like leads of a daily soap.

Also scenes showing kids drinking beer and showing them biting the flesh off passers-by (to depict their state of poverty) is repulsive. Unlike Vaastav, where violence was cathartic for the protagonist, here it's plain gimmicky.

Kashmera Shah's act as the cleavage-baring maami who craves to have a son from someone else than her unappealing husband (Kaushik) stands out like a sore thumb in an already weak story. City of Gold tries very hard to be a realistic hard-hitting take on the Mumbai mill workers, sadly it only works in parts (less)

Which is why producer Ekta Kapoor and director Milan Luthria need to be lauded for their joint efforts for the heady cocktail called Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. The eclectic mix of real and reel results in one of the finest offerings on celluloid this year.

Set in the '70s, OUATIM tells the story of Sultan Mirza (Ajay Devgn) who lands in the city of dreams as a child, and grows up to become the most feared and respected person in Mumbai's sinister underbelly. For the cops, Sultan is the shrewd Don, and for the masses, he's a messiah.

Sultan's 'smuggling' activities are limited to the city's waters and he keeps the streets of Mumbai clean of crime. Enter the son of a cop, Shoaib, (Emraan Hashmi) who hero worships Sultan and wants to emulate him in every way.

Shoaib, drawn to the dark side, soon joins Sultan and wins his trust. But while Sultan has his set of ideals even when it comes to crime, Shoaib has none -- he's a man in a hurry to become the undisputed don.

This is what leads to the confrontation between the two and with the law-enforcers sitting on the fence for their own motives, it is the city of Mumbai that eventually pays the price. OUATIM is a cinematic triumph -- the film is edgy, raw, thrilling and completely entertaining.

Milan Luthria captures the vintage look and detailing of 'Bombay' meticulously. Especially the clutter-free skyline of the city, now spoilt by ugly skyscrapers.

The story and screenplay by Rajat Aroraa are the film's highlights -- the narrative through the eyes of a senior cop (Randeep Hooda) is a classic touch. Aroraa's dialogues are the best in recent years -- taking you back to the time of loaded punchlines and unrestrained heroism.

Luthria's finest stroke comes in the form of the interplay between his lead characters. Just like your heart beats for Sultan and his magnanimity, you're also made to witness a viable perspective from Shoaib's angle.

The two stories, at one time, run parallel and the way Luthria effectively connects them at one point, truly defines his calibre as a master story-teller. The way he's also added some sweeping romance in this tale is also praiseworthy.

Every moment of Sultan's love story with actress Rehana (Kangna Ranaut) is filled with pathos. And Shoaib's track with his girlfriend Mumtaz (Prachi Desai) has dollops of grey humour and unpredictability.

Don't miss the references to film star Kaka; and emerging new superstar Amit "who has eyes just like Sultan"; the banner of a '70s film in a fleeting shot; the Mandakini look-alike who wins Shoaib's affections, and many more. The background score by Sandeep Shirodkar is one of the many highlights of the movie.

Pritam comes into form again with some delightful compositions. OUATIM also stands apart for the stellar performances by the film's cast -- Kangna is totally convincing as a yesteryear heroine.

Prachi looks charming and delivers her finest performance to date. Randeep as top cop is the surprise packet with his perfect command on demeanour and diction.

Emraan, as the ambitious Shoaib, ignites every frame with his presence and delivers his career-best. The heart and soul of OUATIM is Ajay Devgn in a tailor-made role.

The dignity he brings to Sultan's character -- the walk, the talk, the brooding eyes -- is unparalleled. Ajay makes Sultan a fictional legend.

Quite easily, this is one of the finest performances by an actor this year. The one hiccup in this near-perfect script is Sultan's sudden disappearance from the scene to pursue another career, which gives Shoaib the liberty to strategise his own rise.

The reasoning seems abrupt just like his tryst in Delhi where he's positioned during that time. It's difficult to comprehend how a man who's created his own kingdom would give up on it so easily and wouldn't even keep a check on it when he's away.

The silver lining is that Luthria doesn't waste time on it -- the speed picks up again, racing to a climax that's dramatic as well as disturbing. One of the best films of 2010, OUATIM takes mainstream Hindi cinema to a new high.

Go for it -- now! (less)

Starring Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, Raavan has six songs but no remixes. The album starts with Beera that describes Abhishek's character in the film.

With strong orchestration, congo beats and foot-tapping rhythm, the song instantly connects with the listener and is highly intriguing. Sung by Vijay Prakash, Mustafa Kutoane and Keerthi Sagathia, Beera is truly enthralling.

Next is Behene de . Wonderfully crooned by Karthik and Mohammed Irfan, it is the best song of the album.

Even though it has a 50-second-long and haunting prelude, the listener doesn't lose interest. In fact, the prelude creates more curiosity about what is in store.

The track has a punch and holds the attention of the listener till the end. Changing the mood of the album is the next song called Thok de killi .

Sung by Sukhwinder Singh, the fast-paced track is loud, rustic and yet impressive. The increased pace and rise in the tempo towards the end gives an adrenalin rush.

Then there is Ranjha ranjha , which is an average track belted out by Rekha Bhradwaj and Javed Ali. The other songs of the album are so captivating that this one fails to create a mark.

Up next is Khilli re , a slow, soft love song that brings out the longing of a woman for her lover. Sung by Reena Bhardwaj in her sweet melodious voice, it has a balmy effect and the melody strikes a chord with the listener.

Finally, there is a wedding song Kata kata . The thumping beats and strong orchestration can make it chartbuster.

Sung by Ila Arun, Sapna Awasthi and Kunal Ganjawala, the track has a celebratory tune and a Rajasthani folk touch. On the whole, the album is a musical treat and impresses thoroughly.

Away from the usual psychedelic beats and run-of-the-mill compositions, the music of Raavan shows that Rahman is truly a maestro and when he teams up with Gulzar and Mani Ratnam, the result is pure magic (less)

And I simply assumed, in spite of the vocal support for their music by a friend of mine who doesn't normally make recommendations in that particular art form, that all their music sounded the same. The next time I was made aware of the band was when I learnt through Twitter and Facebook updates that Asheem Chakrabarty (tabla, vocals) was seriously ill.

I found out a little later that he had passed away. So when I went to watch the press screening of a documentary about the band I knew they were 'important' but I didn't know why.

From the very beginning of Leaving Home -- The Life and Music of Indian Ocean it became very apparent why this band has such an enthusiastic fan following. Here were four guys who gave up on the idea of fitting into the larger fabric of working class India [ Images ] so that they could make music that could be appreciated equally by the haves and have-nots.

From the very early shots in this film it becomes clear that Susmit Sen, Asheem Chakravarty, Rahul Ram and Amit Kilam were blessed with a special gift. I use the past tense because I realized even as I was watching the film that I was discovering a body of work that was complete.

Maybe Indian Ocean will carry on in some other avatar but with the death of one of the band's longest standing members the original incarnation of the band is gone. The fabric of the documentary consists of interwoven strands of song performances and interviews with band members, their families and well wishers as they talk about the music, the band's origins and the meaning of their catalogue within the ethos of Indian music as a whole.

And all of it is fascinating. To think that four guys, who came from backgrounds designed for a life of 9-to-5 labour (until retirement) could take the decision to make their music their primary occupation as well as source of income is nothing short of incredible.

Their fusion of earthy lyrics (inspired from places and times, far and wide) and western instruments, their run-ins with recording labels (local and overseas), their recounting of personal tragedies and the knowledge that Asheem (whose vocals soar over several of their compositions) is no more, add a level of poignancy to this film that far surpasses most of Bollywood's offerings in any given year. Try and watch Leaving Home �� The Life and Music of Indian Ocean even though it certain to enjoy only a limited engagement on the big screen.

It will rejuvenate you and perhaps even remind you of a dream or two that you allowed yourself to forget because more pressing realities made demands on your time. Watching four regular guys from Delhi [ Images ] find joy and actualization in following their dreams is perhaps what all of us need to shake us out of our stupor.

For that alone I heartily recommend that you go watch this film. Rediff Rating : Elvis D Silva in Mumbai (less)

Sriram, Rajiv Menon and Santosh Sivan have turned the screen into visual opulence, spinning the script into a radiantly moving imagery. No quarrels on this point.

But a film has to transcend that barrier between the eye and the mind. Otherwise, it will quite possibly remain a string of lovely shots no better or worse than an advertisement campaign complete with classy costumes, beautiful faces, scenic spots and merry jingles.

Sadly, for all that buzz Ratnam’s latest movie, Raavanan (also shot in Hindi and dubbed into Telugu), created, it has ended as one long promotional propaganda for the forests of God’s Own Land. Why, Kerala, of course, where the film was shot.

Cinematographers V. Manikandan (who had to leave midway) and Santosh Sivan let their lenses caress the region’s lush greenery, mighty waterfalls, sweeping rivers and awesome cliffs, mixing and mingling these into a canvas of sheer magnificence.

Misty vistas, rain-drenched hamlets and moss-kissed rocks take our breath away. It is against this series of fabulous picture postcards that Ratnam’s story of Rama, Raavana and Sita, with a Hanuman and even a Lakshman, unfolds, sometimes in irritatingly jerky sequences.

In the first 15 minutes of Raavanan one is battered with several episodes, one merging into the other and each disappearing in the wink of an eye. The plot, though, is predictable, despite the director’s attempt to give it a twist here and a twist there.

Veeraiya (portrayed by Vikram) is a forest brigand, a kind of sandalwood smuggler Veerappan, who rules, using reward and retribution as his weapons (other than revolvers, but, of course). His sense of justice matches his illiteracy and upbringing (as an unpolished, uncouth country bumpkin, but with a heart that understands an emotion called love).

People mostly adore him, some out of fear or necessity. The others hate him, and among them is a chocolate boy of a cop, Superintended of Police, Dev Prakash.

An encounter specialist -- whose immaculately made-up face and figure deceptively hide an almost evil mind -- he is bent on finishing Veeraiya. And for that he would go to any length: he storms into the marriage of the bandit’s sister, Vennila (Priyamani), wounds Veeraiya and looks the other way when his men take her away to the police station to rape and ravish her for a whole night.

It is then that Veeraiya kidnaps Dev’s wife, Ragini (Aishwarya Rai), and takes her into the deepest of jungles, holding her hostage and finally succumbing to her exceptional beauty and fiery disposition. In a kind of Stockholm Syndrome, Ragini begins to inch towards her captor, ultimately realising that Veeraiya is not as ruthless and steely as she had imagined, but compassionate and even extraordinarily magnanimous.

His generosity is amply evident during a superbly choreographed do-or-die fight on a wooden footbridge between Veeraiya and Dev, who in his desperation to find his wife has been turning the forest into battleground with his gun-toting men and sniffer dogs. The tale is told in bursts of explosions, the background score dead intrusive, and the editing turning the movie into one mad rush of images.

Yet, the film appears far too long, almost to the point of being a big yawn. Characters have really not been fleshed out: forest officer Gnanaprakasam (Karthik) essaying the modern-day Hanuman appears more like a circus clown, while Dev seems terribly shallow.

We never understand him: his brutality, his singular resolve to gun down Veeraiya, and his distrust of Ragini (that provokes him to ask her to go through a lie-detector test!) are never convincingly explained. If it is the call of duty that incites Dev to try and kill Veeraiya, the outlaw’s dark side is at best narrated in the passing.

Performances in general do not add up either to lift the Ratnam work. Prithviraj is miscast, and he remains more of a mannequin than the hard policeman he plays.

Rai continues to be the gorgeous looker that she has always been. Yes, she has a got a trifle bolder here, and has allowed a few marks to scar her spotless appearance.

But as the woman tormented by her doubts about her husband’s goodness and intentions, and her growing affection for her tormentor, Rai fails -- and completely. Her Tamil sounds laboured.

Mercifully, Mani Ratnam is blessed with one saving grace. Vikram is excellent, despite a script that helps him very little.

His strong screen presence, and his ability to get into Veeraiya’s skin (with a set of peculiar mannerisms) and emote with conviction largely helped “Raavanan” to score the two stars here. Otherwise, Ratnam’s latest effort seems soulless and adrift under a canopy of dense foliage (less)

It's an unbelievable new low, and trust Sajid Khan to hit it before anyone else does. The film itself is just as distasteful.

Just as you've stopped cringing at a typical farcical stereotype, another one comes along: the black baby makes way for the gay jokes, after which come pun-laden Sikhs Santa and Banta, all while people reassuringly tell their elder brothers things like 'oh, of course he's rich.' You get the drift.

The director of Heyy Babyy is an offensive humourist, and while there might not be anything wrong with that approach per se, he tries far too hard to forcibly inject consistently lame humour from every pore of his film. Watching Housefull is exhausting, above all else.

It's also a film starring Akshay Kumar [ Images ] surrounded by a parade of increasingly bad actors. The superstar occasionally (very very occasionally, maybe three times in total) deadpans a bad line and makes it shine, but around him is a festival of bad acting: led by Deepika Padukone [ Images ] of the miraculous legs and plasticky expressions, Jiah Khan [ Images ] who can't stop smiling, presumably at being in a film of this scale, Lara Dutta [ Images ] louder than ever, Chunky Pandey [ Images ] trying to play an Italian, and capped by Arjun Rampal [ Images ], whose scowling world-weariness reaches ridiculous heights as he grimaces to himself in a bubble bath.

To Kumar's credit, keeping a mostly-straight face in this monstrosity is quite a feat. The writing is abominable, the plot not worth a mention, and the generous helpings of syrupy melodrama around the 'comedy' plain unforgivable.

You may wonder if this film's a ripoff of any particular Hollywood DVD, but Sajid would probably say its his homage to Ben Stiller's [ Images ] worst films, picking plotpoints from Along Came Polly, The Heartbreak Kid and Meet The Parents. Leave all that aside, however.

Bad taste, plagiarism, lack of logic: none of these are impediments to an effective comedy. Khan, however, seems to be daring us to enjoy this uneven film, serving us essentially a Priyadarshan [ Images ] farce, only replacing Paresh Rawal [ Images ], Rajpal Yadav [ Images ] and Asrani [ Images ] with people who look good in bikinis.

The funniest moment in the film -- and there are very, very few contenders -- comes when Riteish Deshmukh [ Images ], driven to hysterical giggles presumably by the sheer absurdity of it all, talks about a phone falling into a bathtub and joyfully puns on it, calling it having 'phone tub-ble.' Yes, that is the film's finest moment -- not particularly hard to believe when two grown men slap around a father-figure with great gusto, over and over again in the hope that there will be laughter.

Well, when they aren't slapping a monkey, anyway (less)

No such luck.Here's what happens in this film.

..

Carrie Bradshaw (Parker) gets nostalgic about the past, then brings you up to speed to the present, and then carries on..

. whining.

Being married to Big (Noth), she finds herself competing with the TV and the couch and eating takeouts night after night. She feels the need to spend some alone time (at her apartment) for a couple of days but when Big brings up his wanting to do the same week after week, she fusses and frets.

They have nothing to talk about. There's even a whiff of jealousy when Penelope Cruz makes a cameo as the head honcho of a Madrid bank.

Samantha (Catrall) can't control her 'hormone' addiction and is desperate to avoid menopause. She hates being told that a dress is "too young" for her and needs a Miley Cyrus to point that out to her.

She gets her gang to go out on an all-expense paid trip to Abu Dhabi (the film was actually shot in Morocco) and then behaves in the most bawdy, inappropriate way possible.Miranda Hobbes' boss is giving her a hard time at work.

Frustrated, she reaches the end of her tether and gets herself fired. Charlotte (Davis) has her hands full with two kids.

Her girls are driving her up the wall. And all this, despite having an efficient nanny.

Will a trip to the Middle East change all that? In times of recession, will it give them a reason to smile through their problems? The fact that it has shown itself to be critic-proof in some countries. Maybe, Liza Minelli's spunky rendition of Single Ladies had something to do with it? Plenty.

We're in the 21st century, not the 1960s. Since when has a mere kiss between exes been a matter of marital discord and doubt? A change of scene.

That's what ruined this one. The team that put together this film just pile insult after insult at their hosts with utter disregard.

How unclassy!It is embarrassing to note that the highlight of their trip is the discovery that the burqa-clad women they've been making fun of, are just as fashion-conscious as they are. If this one doesn't ring the death knell for the Sex And The City movie franchise, God alone knows what will.

A; Romance, Comedy Here's what happens in this film..

. Carrie Bradshaw (Parker) gets nostalgic about the past, then brings you up to speed to the present, and then carries on.

..

whining. Being married to Big (Noth), she finds herself competing with the TV and the couch and eating takeouts night after night.

She feels the need to spend some alone time (at her apartment) for a couple of days but when Big brings up his wanting to do the same week after week, she fusses and frets. They have nothing to talk about.

There's even a whiff of jealousy when Penelope Cruz makes a cameo as the head honcho of a Madrid bank. Dir: Michael Patrick King Samantha (Catrall) can't control her 'hormone' addiction and is desperate to avoid menopause.

She hates being told that a dress is "too young" for her and needs a Miley Cyrus to point that out to her. She gets her gang to go out on an all-expense paid trip to Abu Dhabi (the film was actually shot in Morocco) and then behaves in the most bawdy, inappropriate way possible.

Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Catrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon,?? Chris Noth, John Corbett and Liza Minelli Charlotte (Davis) has her hands full with two kids. Her girls are driving her up the wall.

And all this, despite having an efficient nanny. * Will a trip to the Middle East change all that? In times of recession, will it give them a reason to smile through their problems? (less)

?? Here she plays Eloise, a florist whose opinions of love seem picked up from a Chicken Soup for the Soul series. U/A; Romance Jennifer Aniston has become synonymous with schmaltzy mush-fests where she tries to different versions of Rachel from Friends.

Love Happens is no different from Rumor Has It or He's Just Not That Into You.?? Here she plays Eloise, a florist whose opinions of love seem picked up from a Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

Eckhart plays a grief counsellor who helps people move on and deal with loss while he's personally striving to get closure from his wife's demise. Eloise and Burke meet, say a few cheesy dialogues, she nods her head while he attempts to milk those dimples.

Everything else happens in the background. There is something about Aaron Eckhart that makes him a natural charmer.

Using it to his maximum advantage, he breathes some life in his otherwise cardboard character. Surprisingly it's John Carroll Lynch who despite his supporting role stuns us as a mourning father.

?? Predictability is thy middle name! Everything you watch and hear in Love Happens has been seen and heard before. There's not a single new angle or character it explores.

It's like watching a rerun of a fairly average sitcom. Jen sorely disappoints with her blandness and pale demeanor.

If she's doing this for the paychecks, she might as well turn back to TV (think Alec Baldwin). Despite Eckhart's honesty, there is zero chemistry between him and Aniston.

Most of the situations and dialogues are cringe-worthy and extremely banal. Even those weak attempts to use humour to take the story forward doesn't work.

Love Happens is a classic case of 'been there seen that', with nothing new to offer, it could make a good rental on a hot summery afternoon. Nothing more.

Dir: Brandon Camp There is something about Aaron Eckhart that makes him a natural charmer. Using it to his maximum advantage, he breathes some life in his otherwise cardboard character.

Surprisingly it's John Carroll Lynch who despite his supporting role stuns us as a mourning father. Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Jennifer Aniston, Dan Fogler, Judy Greer, Joe Anderson, John Carroll Lynch Jennifer Aniston has become synonymous with schmaltzy mush-fests where she tries to different versions of Rachel from Friends.

Love Happens is no different from Rumor Has It or He's Just Not That Into You.?? Here she plays Eloise, a florist whose opinions of love seem picked up from a Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

Eckhart plays a grief counsellor who helps people move on and deal with loss while he's personally striving to get closure from his wife's demise. Eloise and Burke meet, say a few cheesy dialogues, she nods her head while he attempts to milk those dimples.

Everything else happens in the background. There is something about Aaron Eckhart that makes him a natural charmer.

Using it to his maximum advantage, he breathes some life in his otherwise cardboard character. Surprisingly it's John Carroll Lynch who despite his supporting role stuns us as a mourning father.

?? Predictability is thy middle name! Everything you watch and hear in Love Happens has been seen and heard before. There's not a single new angle or character it explores.

It's like watching a rerun of a fairly average sitcom. Jen sorely disappoints with her blandness and pale demeanor.

If she's doing this for the paychecks, she might as well turn back to TV (think Alec Baldwin). Despite Eckhart's honesty, there is zero chemistry between him and Aniston.

Most of the situations and dialogues are cringe-worthy and extremely banal. Even those weak attempts to use humour to take the story forward doesn't work.

Love Happens is a classic case of 'been there seen that', with nothing new to offer, it could make a good rental on a hot summery afternoon. Nothing more.

*1/2 Predictability is thy middle name! Everything you watch and hear in Love Happens has been seen and heard before. There's not a single new angle or character it explores.

It's like watching a rerun of a fairly average sitcom. Jen sorely disappoints with her blandness and pale demeanor.

If she's doing this for the paychecks, she might as well turn back to TV (think Alec Baldwin) (less)

Just when I thought the Scientology guru was over his crazy 'jumping on Oprah's couch' act, he stunned me with this movie. Roy Miller is an agent who manages to put himself in the trickiest, most hackneyed of situations.

The single-line premise is this: Miller has to?? protect Simon Fleck (Dano), the creator of an energy battery?? from the Spanish mafia. Along the way, Roy bumps into (literally) June at an airport and their bumps continue even on the flight.

What follows is a series of chase and fights??-- on trains, planes, cars and bikes, until they get the answer to that Yoda-like question asked in the beginning. Think of Mr and Mrs Smith without the charm, finesse and razor-edge action??-- and you get Knight and Day.

Tom Cruise leaves no stone unturned (botox, tummy tuck, teeth whitening) to remind you he's still the Top Gun in the business. Diaz still charms you with her smile, making you forgive why she's a part of this mess.

There's too much dialogue, too many?? borrowed jokes (from Saturday Night Live) and very little substance to support the scattered plot. Thank God this wasn't 3-D, or watching Cruise grin into our faces would have been a challenge to tackle! Also why does Diaz take pleasure in playing ditzy blonde yet again? Her character is so one dimensional that every time she pretends to get serious we wonder if she might show us a new side.

Unfortunately, her emotions are as fake as the driving scene where Cruise and Diaz have a chat in a car loaded on a truck. Over the top in action and lame in storytelling, entertaining you seems like a Mission Impossible.

TJ (less)

??Greengrass tries to put a perspective on what it must be like to work as someone justifying the US attack to the entire world. Matt Damon plays Roy Miller, a military officer whose duty is to find those weapons and make his government's decision seem credible.

The problem is, the deeper he digs and more questions he asks, people he's working for, start seeing him as a threat.'? Despite being heavy on the subject and full of well-researched and documented material, the film doesn't come across as a docudrama.

Instead, it is a tight thriller, with a good pace and rivetting action. The supporting characters don't just float around Damon but work as catalysts in taking the story forward.

??Damon is fantastic as Miller. There's a sense of calmness about him even in the most violent situations.

'? As the movie nears its end, there seems to be a dire rush to give it a proper ending. Also the camerawork which is handheld at times is quite shaky and can be a distraction.

'? Worth watching for Damon's performance, the film makes you think if things have changed since 2003. A; Drama Everyone from Larry King to Christiane Ammanpour has discussed the implication of an incursion into foreign territory based on hearsay of alleged weapons that could harm the West.

Dir: Paul Greengrass ?? Cast: Matt Damon, Yigal Naor, Said Faraj, Faycal Attougui Matt Damon plays Roy Miller, a military officer whose duty is to find those weapons and make his government's decision seem credible. ***1/2 The problem is, the deeper he digs and more questions he asks, people he's working for, start seeing him as a threat.

?? (less)

Arnold Schwarzenegger's take on battling the aliens in the late '80s is certainly a tough act to follow. The follow ups to the franchise have been nothing but disappointments.

This time, Adrien Brody leads a team of mercenaries from around the world huddled together on a planet as human bait to lure the predators. It's survival of the freakiest.

Action and suspense are the make or break ingredients in this dish. Even though it's low on intrigue the film offers pure cheese in the form of dim witted yet entertaining fight scenes.

The creatures look tormenting enough to pass off as the bad guys. Laurence Fishburne pops up in an interesting cameo outshining the entire cast.

Alice Braga feels like the only actor in the ensemble who's asked questions before signing the contract. Her character stands out among the supporting caricatures.

Despite the nostalgia, the latest offering does nothing more than reinforcing why it's the least successful movie enterprise of all time. Problem begins early on.

Just when the tension starts to settle in, actors start popping out of nowhere saying ridiculous dialogues. Why are they together? How have their destinies been tied up? No one bothers to explain.

Even when the pieces start falling together, it doesn't make enough sense. Casting is a real bummer.

Despite the number of bench presses and crunches he must have done, Adrien Brody stands out like a sore thumb. Unfortunately the actor is still remembered for his infamous lip lock with Halle Berry at the Academy Awards, rather than the film he won the award for.

Special effects are above average but lack finesse. When the best moment of the film is an ode to the first (Alice talking about Arnold), you know how it's going to end up! It's time to put these monsters to rest.

Predators is the final nail in the coffin for the series (less)

But nothing of the sort happened last year and now Amitabh has given only three days to director Leena Yadav to shoot the film. Even these three days of Big B has come in only because he got three day off from his Shimla spell of upcoming ?Shoebite.

? The producer Ambika Hinduja and director Leena Yadav have no option but doing their best to erect the sets in Film City for these all important three days of Big B. The buzz doing the rounds in the industry is that Big B is behaving in such a strange way because he is not happy with the characterization of his role in the film.

He is also said to be unhappy over the undue importance given to a new pair which is making its debut with this film. Though Bachchan plays an important role in the film but movie revolves around this new pair and other younger stars like Arshad Warsi.

Hmm?.hmm?.

you too Big B!!..

..

.and? we, the people, thought that tantrum throwing is the preserve of pretty young things of bollywood?.

not of respectable seniors like you?..

how mistaken, na?? Amitabh Bachchan, the Big B of bollywood who is one of the most respected icons of the industry, has been playing truant with the makers of ?Teen Patti? by not giving them dates for shooting the film. Big B had signed the film last year and was paid Rs 5 core to complete this quickie as the film was expected to go on the floors in November.

But nothing of the sort happened last year and now Amitabh has given only three days to director Leena Yadav to shoot the film. Even these three days of Big B has come in only because he got three day off from his Shimla spell of upcoming ?Shoebite.

? The producer Ambika Hinduja and director Leena Yadav have no option but doing their best to erect the sets in Film City for these all important three days of Big B. The buzz doing the rounds in the industry is that Big B is behaving in such a strange way because he is not happy with the characterization of his role in the film.

He is also said to be unhappy over the undue importance given to a new pair which is making its debut with this film. Though Bachchan plays an important role in the film but movie revolves around this new pair and other younger stars like Arshad Warsi.

Hmm?.hmm?.

you too Big B!!..

..

.and? we, the people, thought that tantrum throwing is the preserve of pretty young things of bollywood?.

not of respectable seniors like you?..

how mistaken, na?? -- k k rai Send comments: 0comments (less)

According to film director Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Cage has already confirmed his leading role in the movie. However, the Ghost Rider will not have to learn a new language for his part in the upcoming film.

The movie is said to be a remake of Chopra's 1989 Hindi film Parinda . The shooting locations for the film has been shortlisted to New Mexico and New York.

Nicolas Cage is not the first Hollywood star to have graced the Bollywood silver-screen. Sir Ben Kingsley was seen in Teen Patti earlier this year, after having won worldwide recognition with Gandhi in 1982.

Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards were seen in Kambakkht Ishq last year (less)

Dir: Kathryn Bigelow ?? Cast: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty Sanborn and James don't get along, initially and as the number of days before their rotation changes, they bond after frequent clashes. ***1/2 Stuck between a rock and a hard place, the squad can trust no-one, least of all, the locals (less)

..

"I came in early and went straight to the back into the vanity van, to get ready and be made up for the presentation of the Teen Patti promotion skit we were doing. Hunger pangs almost ripped my stomach apart and I stepped out into Shah Rukh's vanity opposite mine and stole some of his salad that he was gorging into; he having missed his lunch as well.

" Prior to the film awards held over the weekend, a hungry Big B had to turn to SRK for food. He states on his blog.

..

. "I came in early and went straight to the back into the vanity van, to get ready and be made up for the presentation of the Teen Patti promotion skit we were doing.

??Hunger pangs almost ripped my stomach apart and I stepped out into Shah Rukh's vanity opposite mine and stole some of his salad that he was gorging into; he having missed his lunch as well." Prior to the film awards held over the weekend, a hungry Big B had to turn to SRK for food.

He states on his blog..

..

"I came in early and went straight to the back into the vanity van, to get ready and be made up for the presentation of the Teen Patti promotion skit we were doing.??Hunger pangs almost ripped my stomach apart and I stepped out into Shah Rukh's vanity opposite mine and stole some of his salad that he was gorging into; he having missed his lunch as well.

" Prior to the film awards held over the weekend, a hungry Big B had to turn to SRK for food. He states on his blog.

..

. "I came in early and went straight to the back into the vanity van, to get ready and be made up for the presentation of the Teen Patti promotion skit we were doing.

??Hunger pangs almost ripped my stomach apart and I stepped out into Shah Rukh's vanity opposite mine and stole some of his salad that he was gorging into; he having missed his lunch as well." (less)

Your watch will tell you that a shade less than two and a half hours have elapsed, but you may be shocked at just how much older you feel when the whole thing is over. The wedding, the characters frequently remark, with the mixture of insouciant mockery and cosmopolitan self-congratulation that seems to have become the hallmark of this weary franchise, is a gay one.

Stanford (Willie Garson) and Anthony (Mario Cantone) have made honest men of each other, giving the four main female characters, their male companions and the director, Michael Patrick King, a chance to wink, nod and drag out Liza Minnelli to perform Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." Her version is in no way superior to the one in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel , and it is somehow both the high point of Sex and the City 2 and a grim harbinger of what is to come.

The number starts out campy, affectionate and self-aware, but at some point turns desperate, grating and a little sad. Come to think of it, the possibility of sadness, which shadowed this movie's precursor and the long-running HBO series (if not the Candace Bushnell column in The New York Observer that is the source of it all), has been banished this time out.

Happy endings, once achieved, cannot be undone. Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Harry (Evan Handler) are the loving parents of two young daughters.

Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) has settled in Brooklyn with her husband, Steve (David Eigenberg), and son, Brady. Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is, as ever, the proudly promiscuous publicist, while Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Big (Chris Noth) dwell in a plushly feathered uptown nest.

She's still a writer, he's still a master of Wall Street, and the real-world knocks that their professions have taken barely register outside an occasional pasted-in line of recession-conscious dialogue. (One of which is spoken by Pen lope Cruz.

) Not that everything is perfect. Samantha frets about the onset of menopause, and doses herself with hormones and lotions.

Miranda has a mean, sexist boss at the law firm, and Charlotte worries that her buxom young nanny (Alice Eve) may have caught her husband's eye. She's also stressed out by parenthood.

Carrie and Big, meanwhile, endure barbed pity from other couples because of their decision to remain childless. "You mean it's just the two of you?" a fellow guest at Stanford and Anthony's wedding asks, incredulous.

Yes, it is, and after two years the Prestons - as Mr. and Mrs.

Big are more officially known - may be in something of a marital rut. All of which could be perfectly interesting.

Good movies have been made of smaller crises, and over the years all of these characters - Carrie and Big in particular - have earned and repaid our interest. At its best the series, a swift half-hour at a time, distilled and defanged the world it represented, giving HBO subscribers a fantasy picture of New York they could both aspire and relate to.

The clothes were fabulous, the social pressures and professional ambitions intense, the names aggressively dropped, but at the heart of every episode were four friends who, while they could be competitive, judgmental and mean, could also be relied upon when it really counted to be loyal and supportive. Sex was the tease, the city was the packaging, but the real selling point was always the love among those four wonderful women.

If they seem less wonderful now, it isn't because of slackened effort or diminished charm on the part of the actresses who play them. It is that the movie itself, and perhaps the culture it stands in for, has lost interest and can't figure out what to do with them as they tiptoe toward middle age.

Samantha is the exception, but the whole point of her character is a steadfast resistance to change. So Ms.

Cattrall dutifully reprises her trademark outrageousness, come-hithering guys of all ages and sponsoring a decadent girls week out in Abu Dhabi. Is Manhattan really that over? Maybe it is for Carrie and her friends.

Time does not stand still on that island, where the party girls of yesteryear are tomorrow's Ladies Who Lunch. But rather than trying to find a place for Carrie and company on their native ground - which has shifted a little in the recessionary, politicized interval between the series's heyday and now - "Sex and the City 2" flees into a never-never land that manages to be both an escape from contemporary reality and an off-key, out-of-touch mirror of it.

The Emirate to which the four friends repair is an oasis of gilded luxury in a world that has grown a little ambivalent about unbridled commodity fetishism. The longest segment of "Sex and the City 2" consists of a drooling, gawking deluxe tour that would not be out of place in a high-end travel magazine or a hip-hop video.

Four white Maybachs greet the ladies at the airport. (The production could not obtain four white Maybachs in time for the shoot, so black versions had to be wrapped in white vinyl and delivered to Marrakesh, which stood in for Abu Dhabi.

) They are led through ever more lavish rooms, oohing and ahhing at their amazing good fortune, and assuming you will do the same. Maybe.

But the ugly smell of unexamined privilege hangs over this film like the smoke from cheap incense. Over cosmos in their private bar, Charlotte and Miranda commiserate about the hardships of motherhood and then raise their glasses to moms who "don't have help," by which they mean paid servants.

Later the climactic crisis raises the specter either of Samantha going to jail or the friends having to fly home in coach, and it's not altogether clear which prospect they regard as more dreadful. That might depend on the in-flight movie.

This one is grueling, especially when the action moves to the Middle East. There are some gestures toward a plot - a stolen kiss, a lost passport, the appearance of a former lover (Aidan, played by John Corbett) - but remarkably little happens, even when Samantha runs into trouble with the local mores.

The attempt to be both piously respectful of a foreign culture and to stand up for sexual liberation against repressive tradition may be admirable in principle, but in practice it's silly and strained. And the trademark quips, never as witty as they might have been, would be unlikely to make you chuckle even if your best friend said them.

"Inter-friend-tion"? "Bedouin bath and beyond"? "Lawrence of my labia"? Yes, it's supposed to be fun. And over the years audiences have had the kind of fun that comes from easy immersion in someone else's career, someone else's sex life, someone else's clothes.

But Sex and the City 2 is about someone else's boredom, someone else's vacation and ultimately someone else's desire to exploit that vicarious pleasure for profit. Which isn't much fun at all.

Sex and the City is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It has the expected, and not terribly fresh, sexual references and situations (less)

If reports are to be believed, thelatestKapoor babe on block said no to Madhur Bhandarkar, as she had already commited to YRF. Bhandarkar’s film, Dil Toh Bacha Hai Jee stars Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi.

According to sources, Shraddha will be doing films exclusively for the Yash Raj banner till she completes all her three films. The contract was finalised a few days ago.

If all goes well Shraddha will soon be working with Shahid Kapoor and Ranvir Singh. Good going Shraddha! (less)

Kis Hudh Tak takes into account one such tale. Law student Dia (Shah) meets spoilt brat Sharad (Sharma) and falls head over heels in love in no time at all.

One thing leads to another and he ends up raping the gal at his farmhouse. She cries foul and goes to the police.

Sharad, the son of a politician mother, is promptly jailed but claims he's innocent. The case goes to court and a verdict is delivered.

Is justice served? And who's the victim here? Frankly, my dear, even if there was something, I didn't give a damn! You had to ask. For one, even though Mr Dhanrajgir has his fingers dipped in every pie of the production, it's obvious there were several minds at work when the screenplay was being written.

The acting is uninspired, loud in places and one doesn't feel sympathy or disdain for either lead character caught in the mudslinging. The acting is strictly B-movie and the court scenes which should have been the lynchpin of this film, is very been there-seen that.

Obviously, the lead pair can't act and they get several opportunities to make that point amply clear.The intent may have been one of education but it comes across as inherently sleazy, which doesn't help anyone concerned.

When you're going to pick a subject like this, research the subject sufficiently and then pick a cast to do justice to it, not make do with what you have. Kis hudh tak can you torture yourself? Wanna find out? Watch this film (less)