Housefull (2010)

There are many reasons to watch a particular movie. The star cast, the direction and the plot are some of them. When none of these antics work, the film is considered a failure. And here`s a rare movie that works on all three fronts.

Housefull has a killer star cast: one look at the movie`s poster will have anyone rushing to the cinemas or their nearest DVD stores. The direction has been well taken care of by a fairly new director, whose previous film Hey Baby (2007) was a huge hit, and considered one of the most entertaining movies of that year. The plot however, is so twisted that one can barely understand what happened when. But then perhaps that is the whole point of the movie.

Housefull is about one `loser`, who is doomed with bad luck no matter where he goes. He feels he will be saved from this horrible curse, once he finds his true love. Therefore, with the help of his best friend, he sets out on a journey, filled with unimaginable lies and deceit, where he sinks himself in a deep intricate web, from where resurfacing with the truth becomes almost impossible.

Now the humour is over the top, almost indigestible at times: There are some really crude jokes, and then there are those jokes that seem to be so forced that you feel like slapping the stars who delivered them. However, some scenes are hilarious, and one needs to give a round of applause to whoever came up with them.

Akshay Kumar is a hugely talented actor, and can easily fit into any kind of role. Throughout the movie, one`s mood fluctuation, from almost crying to laughing hysterically because of his acting.

If Jhoom Barabar Jhoom flopped then with Housefull Lara Dutta proves herself to be the queen of comedy. There aren`t many women in Bollywood who can look hot and be funny at the same time. The expressions on Lara`s face on their own are enough to have you giggling away, even if the scene isn`t really funny.

Deepika Padukone has never looked this gorgeous, and easily takes the award for having the best body in all of Bollywood. She carries herself with such ease and grace, that when she`s present on screen, she overshadows the others. Deepika looks great but its Lara Dutta who steals the show with her comic timing.

Arjun Rampal had the same X effect, as he looks so incredibly handsome, and has acted extremely well for the character he was portraying. Even if one does not like this kind of humour, the movie can be watched solely for the purpose of staring at these two beauties, that is Deepika and Arjun, sing and dance and prance around.

Jiah Khan, too has taken this opportunity to gain her self some recognition. This young star (of Nishabd fame or notoriety rather) has never looked this phenomenal. Her long gorgeous locks and her innocent face in this film will endear her far more to the audience than her Lolita act opposite Amitabh.

Boman Iran, adds another feather to his cap for some of the most hilarious characters everacted, whether it was the crazy college dean in 3 Idiots (2009), or the insensitive doctor in Munnabhai MBBS (2003), this man has left no stone unturned.

The songs aren`t great, you wouldn`t purchase the OST specifically. But even some of the soundtrack is hilarious. One track which keeps playing in the background has a man merrily singing “he is a loser, he is a loser, he`s such a such a such a such a loser”… we all know people we could sing that too. And and there is a song in the beginning where Jiah is trying to seduce the inexperienced Akshay, who doesn`t know how to react, which results in confusion and chaos.

Before anyone decides to watch Housefull, you should keep in mind the kind of humour that is being talked about here. It`s complete slapstick. There is extreme screaming, jumping, and unnecessary vulgarity at times. Also, the fact that it is a Saijd Nadiadwala Production (who has produced countless Govinda-category comedy movies) should be considered.

But it is the perfect movie to watch if you`re in the kind of mood where you feel like laughing loudly, for no reason… and you are the kind who laughs at silliness – Manal Faheem Khan

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 2010, Genre – Comedy, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – Sajid Nadiawala, Director – Sajid Khan, Music Director – Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonsa, Sameer, Cast - Deepika Padukone, Riteish Deshmukh, Jiah Khan, Akshay Kumar, Arjun Rampal, Lillete Dubey, Randhir Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Lara Dutta, Malaika Arora

Rann (2010)

Amidst the abundance of directors vying for mainstream success in Bollywood, Ram Gopal Varma (RGV) is a rare breed. He directs movies that fall out of conventional Indian cinema and it seems he does it for the art of storytelling rather than aiming at box-office success.

Since the critical success of the resounding Rangeela, RGV has ventured into crime, horror and previously untouched topics such as adultery. His recent foray in telling tales of the underworld in particular seemed to have served him well, as evidenced by the well received Company, D, Satya and the Sarkar movies.

In Rann he has taken on a new, perhaps bold, tale of media manipulation, principally focusing on politics and sensational news items. The film brings out the evils in society when striving for success pushes people to extremes, sounding out a sentiment that media has sidelined any moral code of ethics in present times. It may tend to lean towards an idealistic point of view at times, but the requisite of a serious tone makes Rann perfect for a thinking audience.

One of the film’s protagonists, Harshvardhan Malik (Amitabh Bachchan) owns a news channel which operates on the basis of strong moral codes and ideals. Malik believes in presenting honest, factual news and not generating news just to win an audience.

Jai Malik (Sudeep), Harshvardhan’s son, runs with the trend and sees media as a cash-cow. When their channel is under threat from competition, Jai becomes allies with politician Mohan Pandey (Paresh Rawal) and uses his channel to conspire against the ruling Prime Minister.

Enter aspiring journalist Purab (Riteish Deshmukh) who steps in to get to the truth of the issue. The story starts to show some elements of suspense, which seems to diminish as the film progresses, due to an increasingly predictable ending.

The script is almost written and acted out to perfection. Amitabh Bachchan, and more surprisingly Riteish Deshmukh and Sudeep deliver their crisp dialogues effectively. The menacing rather than comedic performance of Paresh Rawal is refreshing, while the support of Mohnish Behl as the competition is solid. Gul Panag brightens the screen with her smile in her limited role.

The one strong point of the film is the cinematography as it is clearly evident that Amit Roy has studied the art. The camera angles, panning shots and placement of actors on the set is well thought out and conducted. The fact that there finally seem to be cinematographers who take initiative and are innovative bodes well for the industry and future films.

To sum up Rann is one movie you do not want to miss. It displays many aspects of filmmaking that are often absent in Indian cinema, such as using music to support the story rather than throwing in inane dance numbers. The film may have some shortcomings but the message it delivers, combined with its uniqueness makes it a must-watch – Amar Ayaz

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 2010, Genre – Crime, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – Sheetal Vinod Talwar, Madhu Mantena, Director – Ram Gopal Varma, Music Director – Amar Mohile, Bapi – Tutul, Sanjeev Kohli, Jayesh Gandhi, Dharmaraj Bhatt, Sandeep Patil, Cast - Amitabh Bachchan, Paresh Rawal, Riteish Deshmukh, Sudeep, Manisha Koirala, Rajat Kapoor, Gul Panag, Raima Sen, Mohnish Behl, Rajpal Yadav, Suchitra Krishnamurthy, Alok Nath, Neena Kulkarni, Simone Singh, Neetu Chandra, Rahul Pendkalkar