Movie Review: Kabul Express

The Reviewer	Liked the trailors - Appeared to be an aberration from the standard Bollywood potboilers Doesn't consider anything other than the Yashraj banner going in favor of this flick (New Director, No earth shattering cast) Liked the music of the film
Watched it	In a Theatre
Bottomline	The message in the film is good. Inspite of being a slow paced narrative, it does not appear to be a drag - 1hr 45min. The locales in Kabul are captured quite well. (Could have been even better) The comical sequences that are present right from the start to the end are a very welcome aspect of the film. The absence of this might have made the film as drab as a soulless documentary. Dialogues are very well written. (Specially the Coke-Pepsi, Madhuri Dixit-USA, People universally liking cricket-John's closeup, etc.) The background score is very good. The music (OST of the film) is also pretty neat. Though the film only has the Kabul Fiza number playing with the credits. Background score is pretty decent. Screenplay is good. Script decent. Inspite of this being a very good attempt by Yashraj in doing something that isn't their domain (Non lovey-dovey war ravaged heroineless film based on a true subject), the film lacks the punch. There could have been sequences that could have been heart wrenching - One's that standout are when the Mujahids are killing the Talibs, When Imran Khan's daughter lifts her burkha to show her face to her father, and a few more. Room could have been created for the role of the American Journalist to have more meaning (Characterization not the best). Screenplay and Cinematography cannot be compared to Hollywood flicks. Expected a lot more deft in these areas.
Peformances	This film rests on the shoulder of two men - Arshad Warsi and Salman Shahid. Both are daringly different for a film of this genre - Specially the portions when the two interact - Superb! Hanif Hum Ghum (Mujahid - Khyber) is more than decent. John Abraham appears to be listless and clueless. The American Journalist Linda Arsenio is barely present in the film.
Recommendation	Watch it - And I would recommend watching it on a big screen.
Expectation	** 1/2
Rating	A bit under ***

Movie Review: Dhoom 2

The Reviewer	Quite liked the original Dhoom Found the trailors of D2 to be super stylish Considered this to be a casting coup of sorts - Two stars who would be vying for The Superstar status that would soon be relinquished by the Badshah Khan cast as chor and police - Aaaah! That's interesting!
Watched it	In a Theatre
Bottomline	The Film works - It's slick, stylish n sexy. The heist sequences are very well done. The begining sequence in Namibia deserves special mention. Comparable to Bond movies - No need to use brains. Mr. A enthralls. Story is not non-existent as many people claim. That said, it's not the strong point of the movie either. Liberal garnishing of comical portions thanks to Ali Bhai. Quite likable for most parts. Background score is pretty decent. Screenplay is good. Script decent. Editing could have been better. Two sequences between HR and AR ought to be edited big time - The Basketball and the Gun Exchange. Perhaps, romance shouldn't be given so much space in such kind of a film. Music is plain ordinary (Pritam Sir - Flicking music works just fine - No need to be original :-)) and lots of songs. Dialogues are not the best in the world. Some James Bondish lines would have done the film a world of good.
Peformances	If you wanted to see a clash of the titans (AB and HR), forget it!! It just doesn't exist. Hrithik's presence is sooo super strong that he relegates AB Jr. and ethereal Ash to nowhere. AB looks clumsy - Had a feeling he used to wake up in the morning and forcefully dragged into the shoot. ACP Jai Dikshit needs a makeover. D3 beckons!! Hrithik Roshan is the Ace of Spades. Makes a statement - A real strong one at that - Probably the first time he shines like Kohinoor without Papa dear at the helm. Aishwarya Rai is pretty good (Her entry is an hour into the film). Uday Chopra is good (Definitely a lot better than AB). Bipasha is just about passable.
Recommendation	Oh ya - Go watch it - This one's a Paisa Vasool!
Expectation	*** and a bit
Rating	*** and a bit