Mission Istanbul Movie Review Money Hai To Honey Hai Movie Review
This weekend is gonna be cold folks because we have two boring movies released this week - Apoorva Lakhia’s Mission Istanbul and Ganesh Acharya’s Money Hai To Honey Hai.
Mission Istanbul is nothing but a stupid story of gun fights, car chases, and larger than life stunts and over all a childish mindless mission. Understood that terrorism is the latest topic people would want to make films and write stories about but terrorism is not just about goodies vs. the baddies. C’mon… there has to be some human element somewhere. The film complete lacks the emotional bedrock. But when you see the characters themselves not connecting with each other, how do you expect the film to connect to the audiences? There is nothing to watch out for in the movie… except for the exotic locales of Istanbul.

Rating 2/5
Money Hai To Hone Hai is another silly comedy and one wonders why Govinda, who used to be the King of Comedy in the 90s gets so tacky. Good comedians and good actors like Govinda, Manoj Bajpai, Prem Chopra and Archana Puran Singh desperately trying to be funny. Celina Jaitley and Hansika Motwani acting as pretty and dumb props. If you have decided to check this movie out for the weekend… well… be prepared to sit through the movie trying to figure out whether to laugh at joke or laugh at the silliness of the movie.

Rating 1/5

Ignorance. It seems that this is a popular theme that the non-mainstream filmmakers enjoy analysing nowadays. Earlier this year we saw Summer 2007, which was a story about the new generation and their ignorance toward issues in the world around them. Now Ram Gopal Verma (RGV) takes on that same theme but in a new light. No matter how many mistakes the director has made (we all try and pretend that Aag doesn’t exist) you cannot ignore the fact that he is a genius and Contract reminds you exactly that.

The movie opens with the following line: “You can ignore terrorism however terrorism won’t ignore you” and immediately you know that this film will not be wasting time because from the very beginning it gets to the point. Getting to the point quickly is a rarity in Indian cinema so you know that Contract is off to a good start.

Contract revolves around Aman (Adhvik Mahajan) who is an ex-army member now leading a normal life with his wife and daughter. He’s a man who just wants to lead a normal life and chooses to ignore the horrors that his country is facing day after day. Selfish almost or simply logical, that’s for you the audience to decide.

Soon the horrors that Aman had been ignoring catches up with him, a terrorist attack at the local temple causes the death of both his wife and daughter. At that point the glossy and normal life that Aman had designed for himself comes crashing to the ground leaving him feeling more empty and helpless than ever. In rage and to seek revenge Aman becomes Amaan and he is planted in the underworld by the local police to end the gang wars with the added goal of becoming a part of the ring of terrorists that the underworld is closely connected with. Contract is the story of how Amaan makes a reputation in the underworld and how he completes this contract.

RGV has crafted a very intelligent and unique script. The only thing that dampens the spirit is that the twists and turns aren’t as gripping and edge of the seat as you want them to be. This is possibly the only and biggest flaw and because of it the film fails to keep your attention or keep you entertained.

Performances wise the movie is a winner all the way. Adhvik Mahajan had a very big role to perform which gave him a lot of scope. The actor pulls of the huge responsibility placed upon him with style and perfection. Most importantly he is confident on screen, which really makes his portrayal of Aman/Amaan all the more believable. Hard to believe that this was his first time onscreen!

Sakshi Gulati makes an effective debut. She impresses in the scenes she has, however one cannot help wanting to have seen more of her onscreen or at least seen more of her talent.

Like every RGV movie Contract is also packed with extremely talented supporting cast that leaves an impression. The music is something that is not predominantly used in the movie, however all songs are very uniquely intertwined in needed scenes as effective background score.

The winning factor of Contract is its climax. As strange as it may sound it seems like déjà vu from the recent Hollywood blockbuster, The Dark Knight, and before you jump to conclusions we’d like to say that no its not inspired by it but coincidentally shares the same concluding thoughts. In the closing scene Aman explains that he prefers being the silent guardian of his country rather than being the publicised hero that everyone praises, in other words not the hero that his country wants but the hero that his country needs. These final words leave the most impact on you and even after walking out of the cinema you ponder on the thought and cannot help but agree very strongly with the final message.

All in all Contract is an impressive film that lacked energy. Indian audiences would say that it needed ‘tadka’ (spicing up) and we couldn’t agree more. However, the movie does have something unique to offer which will surely impress certain portions of the audience. A must see for all RGV admirers.

Singh is Kinng is touted to be Akshay Kumar’s biggest film till date. With music by Pritam and title track of the film rendered by Neeraj Shridhar, Singh is Kinng is a multi starrer which also includes Neha Dhupia, Ranvir Shorey, Javed Jaffrey, Sonu Sood, Om Puri, Sudhanshu Pandey and Kirron Kher in its cast. Shot in Punjab, Australia and Egypt, Singh is Kinng marks superstar Akshay Kumar’s re-entry into the action-comedy minefield. With plenty of romance, glamour, laugh-aloud moments and chartbusting music, it promises to be one of the most appealing and entertaining motion pictures of 2008. The surprising element Snoop Dogg-RDB number for Singh is Kinng has been recorded at last and will form a part of the film’s soundtrack when it releases.

It comes from Producer Vipul Shah and Director Anees Bazmee, the master-makers of blockbusters like Aankhen, Waqt, Namastey London, no entry and Welcome.

A Studio 18 release Singh is Kinng will hit the theatres on 8th August worldwide.

Synopsis

Singh is Kinng, the most keenly awaited romantic comedy of 2008, revolves around a gang of crooks transformed by a good man and his selfless love for a pretty girl…

Lakhan Singh aka Lucky (Sonu Sood) is the ‘king’ of the Australian underworld accompanied by his associates (played by Javed Jaffrey, Neha Dhupia, Manoj Pahwa, Yashpal Sharma, Kamal Chopra and Sudhanshu Pande.) Far away, in a small village in Punjab, where Lucky was born, there exists someone more notorious than him - Happy Singh (Akshay Kumar). The village is fed up of his magnanimity, which has resulted in a number of hilariously disastrous situations. Out of desperation, they decide to send him on a long trip (that will keep him out of the village for a while!) to bring Lucky back to Punjab, as his despicable deeds were maligning their image in Australia.

The happy-go-lucky bumpkin, taking his mission a bit too seriously, embarks on his journey accompanied by his friend, Tony Singh (Om Puri), who hates Happy for dragging him, into it.

The high point of his journey is his chance meeting with Sonia (Katrina Kaif) with whom he falls in love, but upon reaching his destination, things take a precarious turn as he runs into a series of comic misadventures, leaving him penniless. He is fortunate to find warmth and affection in an elderly lady (Kirron Kher) who helps him meet Lucky.

In a strange turn of events, an attempt on Lucky’s life is foiled by a well-intentioned Happy who fights off the attackers by risking his own life. Following the hilarious altercation, Lucky lands up in hospital paralyzed, and Happy, unexpectedly, finds the tables turned on him when he is expected to assume the role of the new ‘kinng’!

The series of chaos shocks and comic misunderstandings that ensue eventually result in redemption and an accidental wedding!

A film like MEHBOOBA makes you nostalgic. It takes you back to the cinema of 1990s, when an altogether new breed of film-makers took over Bollywood. Multiple heroes, lavish sets, scenic locations… money was being pumped in from all corners in Hindi movies.

MEHBOOBA comes across as an offshoot of films made in that phase. It bears an uncanny resemblance to SAAJAN [two brothers in love with the same woman], HUM DIL DE CHUKE SANAM [locales of Budapest + Ismail Darbar + execution of songs], HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN [a big hasta-khelta parivaar, with mama-mami, sisters, domestic helps et al… hero atop a chandelier, a la 'Didi Tera Dewar Deewana']. Come to think of it, there could be so many more inspirations…

That MEHBOOBA wears a dated look can be gauged by the outfits and hairstyles. Also, the presence of Manisha Koirala gives away [she reigned supreme then].

Having said that, let’s also add that MEHBOOBA isn’t a ‘bad’ film. It’s dated, yes, but it has the old world charm that still works in the hinterland, in the mofussil areas, the Hindi belt. The tuneful songs coupled with the lavish execution, the atypical Hindi film situations [well presented], the presence of formidable stars like Sanju and Ajay…

MEHBOOBA is definitely not for the multiplex or yuppie crowd. It’s for those who still want their dose of 5 emotional scenes, 4 comic scenes, 6 songs, a good dose of glamour and an item song, all packaged in those 2.30 hours.

Shravan [Sanjay Dutt], a casanova, loves being in the company of beautiful and desirable women. His charm and money gets him any beauty he desires till he meets Varsha [Manisha Koirala].

Varsha is the first girl in Shravan’s life who says ‘no’ to his advances. Shravan is not the type who would take no for an answer. Yet, he realizes his mistake and apologizes to Varsha. To make amends, he asks for Varsha’s hand in marriage. Varsha’s father convinces her that he is a changed man now and genuinely loves her. After much deliberation, Varsha agrees and they get engaged. Soon, their romantic sojourn ends in lovemaking.

Varsha’s dream comes to a shocking end when Shravan tells her that his love for her was just a drama so he could sleep with her. Heart broken and shattered, Varsha feels shattered, her father dies of heart failure. She leaves New York and starts life afresh in Budapest.

Much later, Shravan’s younger brother Karan [Ajay Devgan] decides to get married. The girl is Payal, who, in actuality, is Varsha. Is this a plan by Varsha to teach Shravan a lesson? What happens when Karan gets to know what transpired between Varsha and Shravan?

The story [Rumi Jaffery] of MEHBOOBA is as old as the hills. Actually, you don’t need to read the synopsis in the booklet to know what the storyline is. 10 minutes into the film and you know what’s in store next. But what saves the film from sinking is Afzal Khan’s handling of the scenes and the lavish making.

A few moments are truly well handled. Take, for instance, the two confrontations between Sanju and Manisha in the first hour as also the hair-raising climax. But what dilutes the impact is its length. With a running time of close to 3 hours, you actually want to scream, “Ab bas bhi karo yaar!”

Ismail Darbar’s music is a major asset. Although the songs have a HUM DIL DE CHUKE SANAM hangover, they still linger in your memory. Ashok Mehta’s cinematography is top notch. That the veteran is a master in his field is re-affirmed yet again. Dialogues [Javed Siddiqui] relies on clichéd lines. Sets [Nitin Chandrakant Desai] are truly lavish.

Both Sanju and Ajay have visited similar roles in the past and hence, it doesn’t take much effort to get these roles right. But Manisha Koirala, what can you say? So beautiful, so regal, so talented… where did it all disappear? Kader Khan’s role is also an extension of what he has portrayed in film after film.

On the whole, MEHBOOBA comes too late in the day. Had it released in the 1990s, well, it might’ve been a huge grosser. But there’s still hope! A film like MEHBOOBA works well, even today, in the hinterland, the Hindi belt, the interiors and that’s where it might find its audience.