Dhoom Dadakka

Comedies are the flavor of the season and more and more film-makers are following the formula re-invented by David Dhawan and Priyadarshan. Entertainment is the key word, while a logical story goes out of the window. Shashi Ranjan's new outing DHOOM DADAKKA tries to recreate the hungama and gets it quite right in the first hour as well, but it's on a slippery wicket thereafter.

Problem kya hain? Let's not look at the plotline, but the funny situations fail to evoke mirth. In fact, the entertaining moments don't work after a point. Unlike the first hour, which packs in quite a bit in terms of substance and laughs, things slide downwards soon after the intermission.

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DHOOM DADAKKA could've created a mini-dhoom with its entertainment quotient, but the writers play the villain here!

An 'All Asian Bhai Meet' is being held in Bangkok. The agenda is to discuss and assess the falling sensex of 'Bhaigiri' in Asia. In the discussion, a rival Don of Mungi's [Anupam Kher], Fursat Lala [Gulshan Grover], proposes an ambitious plan for a piece of land in Alibagh and puts across a valid argument that it is important to have a waaris, the new generation, to improve matters. Since Mungi has no waaris, it is only logical that the next man, i.e. Fursat Lala should be made the new Don.

Mungi assures the syndicate that he has a waaris, who he will present before the syndicate and asks for a month's time to do the same. Now Mungi and his friend Jignesh [Satish Shah] set out to trace Mungi's estranged sister Angoori [Bhavana Balsawar], whom Mungi had thrown out years back because she wanted to marry a music teacher. One of the letters reveals that Angoori did give birth to Kamal. Mungi is thrilled and resolves to hunt his waaris in Mumbai, where he comes across a detective, Johnny English [Satish Kaushik], who promises to find Kamal.
Through his weird ways, Johnny English gets hold of an NRI [Sammir Dattani], who claims to be Kamal. Johnny takes him to Bangkok but, to his shock, finds another guy [Shaad Randhawa] there, who also claims to be Kamal. While this confusion is on, Shivani [Aarti Chhabria] arrives on the scene claiming to be the real Kamal.

A confused Mungi asks all of them to stay in the house till he arrives at a decision as to who the real Kamal is. In the ensuing drama enters the second girl Jiya [Shama Sikander], who claims to be a girlfriend of the NRI Kamal. Is one of them the real waaris?

That Shashi Ranjan has a flair for comedies is evident at several points in the first hour. Together with the dialogue writer Ashwani Dhir, Shashi succeeds in making you laugh at the funniest of situations and silliest of jokes. That's where the director triumphs. Note the portions involving Satish Kaushik and Deepshikha or the three youngsters claiming to be Anupam Kher's nephew. Shashi changes gears and uses the brakes like a seasoned driver.

But the car runs out of fuel as you munch popcorn and relish the samosa after the interval. In terms of script, a number of questions remain unanswered even after the show has concluded. Besides, the second hour is an exercise in boredom and gets unbearable after a point. The climax is also a major hotchpotch.

Roopkumar Rathod's music is unlike what he has composed so far. It's easy on the lips and quite catchy. The title track as also 'Ishq Ka Rog Laga' [filmed on the seductive Aarti Chhabria] stand out. Ashwani K's cinematography is perfect, although the director and the DoP haven't captured the beauty of Bangkok to the optimum.

DHOOM DADAKKA doesn't demand histrionics, but given the genre of the film, the two boys - Sammir Dattani and Shaad Randhawa - handle their parts well. Sammir also dances well in the title track, while Shaad mimics the top actors quite well. Aarti and Shama are more of eye candies.

Of the supporting cast, Satish Kaushik is excellent, while Deepshikha exudes tremendous confidence. Anupam Kher is, as always, first-rate. Satish Shah is equally convincing. Gulshan Grover does well. Newcomer Zac has an inconsequential role. Jackie Shroff is just okay. Razzak Khan does a fine job.

On the whole, DHOOM DADAKKA could've been a decent timepass flick, but it misses the bus.

Jannat ( 2008 )

The Bhatts never run out of stories. In their new outing JANNAT, Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt have yet another new story to tell. This time, it's all about match fixing and bookies. But wait! It would be erroneous to classify JANNAT as a cricket-centric film. Cricket is just the wallpaper here. The focus is on the love story, like GANGSTER which was, at heart, a love story.

What catches you by complete surprise is the fact that JANNAT has been helmed by a debutante director [Kunal Deshmukh] and penned by, again, a debutante wordsmith [story: Vishesh Bhatt; screenplay Kunal Deshmukh and Vishesh Bhatt]. You're surprised at the level of maturity, the command over the craft, the display of confidence in their very first outing.

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Honestly, you don't take to JANNAT instantly. The initial portions - the love story - are strictly chalta hai stuff. But the best part is, JANNAT takes a step forward every 10 minutes. The film actually takes off when the characters reach Cape Town, South Africa. The portions thereafter are akin to a roller coater ride.

Right from the interval point to a hair-raising, pulse-pounding climax, JANNAT is another journey altogether. The end, especially, hits you like a ton of bricks [it wouldn't be right to reveal what happens to the characters].




You can't imagine JANNAT without Emraan Hashmi. Right from his debut film FOOTHPATH to JANNAT, the actor has only grown with the passage of time. The actor displays the gamut of emotions with aplomb, he changes expressions like a chameleon changes colors. JANNAT is yet another turning point in his career.

In a nutshell, JANNAT is one of the finest films to come out of Vishesh Films. Not to be missed!

Arjun [Emraan Hashmi] is a reckless young man with an obsession for making money at card games. A chance meeting with a girl in a mall, Zoya [Sonal Chauhan], gives him the reasons he was looking for to move out of his ordinary life. He steps up from playing small-time card games to becoming a bookie.

Stuck in a triangle of sorts between the woman he loves and his addiction to make a quick buck, Arjun steps into the world of match fixing. But his dizzy rise attracts the attention of the police [Samir Kochar].

Arjun has to now choose between Zoya and this new-found success and power. As Arjun struggles to choose between the two, the Don [Jawed Sheikh] offers the forbidden apple of limitless wealth in exchange of his soul and draws him into his core entourage of money spinners.

You may not be a cricket fan, but it's not difficult to decipher JANNAT. In fact, the makers have refrained from using any technical jargon in the movie. Portions depicting match fixing and Emraan's interaction with the cricketers are, in fact, amongst the high points of the film. The speed at which JANNAT unfolds and most importantly, the turn of events is the hallmark of this enterprise.

Vishesh Films has an eye for talent and this time the prolific production house pulls up two more aces - director Kunal Deshmukh and writer Vishesh Bhatt. Kunal is a storyteller to watch out for. In the past decade, the Bhatts have nurtured several talents, prominent among them being Anurag Basu and Mohit Suri. Now add Kunal Deshmukh to the list. If you understand cinema, you'd realize that every sequence in JANNAT is not only well-shot, but there's meat in those scenes too.

Vishesh Bhatt's writing is dew-fresh and doesn't take the tried and tested route. Note the intermission point or the twists in the second hour as also the climax, the writer's contribution looms large in those portions. Pritam's music is lilting. The film has a hit score, but you'd like to single out two numbers - 'Zara Sa' and 'Jannat Jahan' - for the sheer melody.

Manoj Soni's cinematography is first-rate. The stunning locales of Cape Town are filmed exquisitely. Sanjay Masoom's dialogues are excellent. A few dialogues, in fact, are refreshing to the ears. Background score [Raju Singh] is top notch.

You can't visualize JANNAT without Emraan Hashmi. If you loved him in MURDER, GANGSTER and AWARAPAN, you'd place his performance in JANNAT in the same league. Note the naughty streak as also the helplessness [at the interval point and towards the end]. An incredible performance indeed!

Sonal Chauhan looks pretty and though she's passable in the initial portions, she gets into the groove eventually. This girl has the potential. Jawed Sheikh is brilliant. This is his finest work so far. Samir Kochar is excellent. Vishal Malhotra is good. Shakeel Khan does very well. Abhimanyu Singh is competent. Vipin Sharma leaves a mark in a brief role.

On the whole, JANNAT is a well-made film with lilting music, gripping script and excellent performances as its mainstay. Coupled with an absorbing second hour and a brilliant climax, the film has all it takes to prove a success story in times to come. Its solo release coupled with good hype should overcome the strong opposition [IPL].

Jimmy

By a strange co-incidence, the new releases of last two Fridays have been poor clones of the 1970s/80s formula. Two weeks ago TASHAN and last week's MR. WHITE MR. BLACK were perfect examples of outdated cinema trying to make a foothold in the multiplex era, but in vain. Now add JIMMY to this list!

JIMMY is meant to be the launch of a star-kid [Mimoh Chakraborty], but the question that crosses your mind constantly is, is the script befitting the launch of a star-kid in the first place? Does it do justice to the debutante's skills? Most importantly, how could a veteran, experienced Mithun Chakraborty okay such a shoddy script for his son's launch?

One look at Mimoh and you know that given the right roles, he can work wonders. So why a tacky script in the first place? He deserved better! The screenplay of JIMMY is an assemblage of the numerous masala films we've visited since time immemorial. The main betrayer here is its concept that has already passed the expiry date. And even a majestic tower will fall if the very foundations are weak.

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Look at the cinema being churned out these days. Newer concepts, newer ideas, newer stories are the order of the day. The multiplex era has taken over completely. There's just no room for mediocrity any longer. In such a scenario, JIMMY looks like a fish out of water, an obsolete product that stands no chance in today's times.

Sorry, you just don't feel like humming the popular Mithun track 'Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy, aaja aaja aaja' for this one!

In the dead of the night, a young woman's dead body is uncovered by the police. All leads point towards Jimmy [Mimoh Chakraborty]. A mechanical engineer in day and DJ by night, Jimmy works hard to pay off the debts his late father [Prithvi] left behind. While everybody is shocked, Jimmy owns up to the murder and is sentenced to death.