Bollywood products.....

Entertainers from Bollywood,which is one of the largest producers of films from India despite being just a part of Indian Cinema.The movie's I have reviewed below vary from the motivational master-pieces to the incredibly mundane.Am sorry if opinions differ....

MOVIE COUNT :: 14
Click on the Titles below to read the corresponding review directly(no scrolling hassles) in this page::
Vivah
Khosla Ka Ghosla
Antony Kaun Hai
Iqbal
Bunty Aur Bubli
Ellan
Zinda
Shootout At Lokhandwala
Eklvaya
Ek Ajnabee
Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.
Bluffmaster
Sarkar
Black Friday



VIVAH:
Barjatya's are always popular for the tradition-steeped movies.Their movies are doused in traditions,family values and of course family-love.'Vivah' is no different and we have a charming Hero(Shahid Kapoor as Prem) and a really gorgeous Heroine(Amrita Rao as Poonam) who is the traditonal-indian-family girl.But i got to state that Amrita Rao is so charmingly beautiful it is difficult to ignore her beauty.It rather funny to know that she has already acted in 2-3 movies prior to 'Vivah' and i never noticed her at all.It hardly comes as a surprise that the famous Indian artist M.F.Hussain wanted to portray her beauty in his paintings.

Coming back to the film,we have Prem's family which comprises of his father(Anupam kher),brother,babhi(sister-in-law) & batheeja(brother's kid).They are quite a happy family and are looking for an ideal match for Prem.And quite obivously we have Poonam's(Amrita Rao) family,who live in a small town but are a well-cultured Indian family.Poonam who lost her parents at an young age is doted on by her uncle(Alok Nath).But this does'nt go down well with her aunty,as Alok Nath showers more affection on Poonam than their own daughter(Amrutha Prakash as Rajni/Choti).

However the wedding is fixed and the bride & bridegroom takie a liking for each other.But a fire accident before the marriage scars Poonam.Will Prem change his decision to marry her?Will Poonam's aunty change her mindset against Poonam and accept her as a daughter????

All the knots are tied well in the climax and we do have a happy ending.I liked this movie more because,the interactions between Prem and Poonam were really sweet and very natural.The background score as well the songs were easy on the ears with no hard music blarring in.Prem represents the man,who is willing to do anything for his ladylove and of course,his love for Poonam is pure and unadultrated,which is beyond beauty.A wholesome entertainer for the family and as for the youngsters of todays generation.This movie would sure teach them a thing or two about love !!!

My rating: 8/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0494290/
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KHOSLA KA GHOSLA:
A small-budget entertainer which was aggresively marketed by UTV before its release,here in India.It is a well made film and it DOES manage to bring a smile on the viewer's face.It is also a talking encyclopedia about land-sharks and their MO(modus operandi) in and around New Delhi.

Kamalkishore Khosla played brilliantly by Anupam kher invests his hard-earned money into a plot of land and duly,is cheated off the land.It has been seized by Kurana Constructions,which belongs to Kishan Khurana(Boman Irani,i love you).Khosla is heart-broken as he loses his money and his eldest son(Chiraunjilal 'Cherry' Khosla/Chirag Khosla) is hell-bent on leaving their family and settling in the States.Cherry decides to help his father out before leaving and all hell breaks loose with the entire family trying different methods to cheat Khurana and get back their rightful land.The methods used are of course,against a protesting Khosla whos words are not heard for good this time.A breaking family re-unites to get back at the sly Land-shark Kishan Khurana.

Anupam Kher is briliant at what he is,acting and he gives another wining performance as the man cheated of all his hard-earned money.The complex reactions come at a later stage in the climax.Navin Nischol returns(Sethi/baapu) to the silver screen after a very long time and his impersonation brings the roof down.Vinay Pathak who initially irritates Cherry,turns the Khosla family's saviour.And we have humour sprinkled throughout the film that will have the viewer in splits.

My rating: 9/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0466460/
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ANTONY KAUN HAI:
Finally i find a good stylised hindi flick,that does not seem to be ripped off or inspired by other films.I do hope it stays so....It is a well-known fact in Bollywood that the on-screen chemistry between Sanjai Dutt and Arshad Warsi is awesome and its a rib-tickling experience.It is no less in 'Antony Kaun Hai'...

...the movie starts off with Antony's/Champu's (Arshad Warsi) flashback with his captor Master Madan(Sanjai Dutt),who is trying to pass his time.As he is still to get his money the capture of Antony.The flashback is inter-mingled with many sequence returning to the present where we have some really funny scenes involving Master Madan.Whereas in the flashback,as Antony relates his flashback,he tries to make sense of the things around him.This repeated jumps to the past and present make sure the viewers are entertained as well as intrigued with the proceedings.As the flashback comes to an end and it is time for Master Madan to finish off Champu,we have a nice little mini-twist(mini because it has veen seen before)!!!

Finally we see Arshad Warsi come out from under the cloud of Munnabhai and give us a sterling performance.He sings,breaks into jigs,cracks jokes,cries(yea he does) and almost everything a hero does,other than a fight!!!Sanjai dutt as Master Madan is cool and has the viewer in splits with his quick wit and sarcasm.Raghuvir Sharma(Raguvir Yadhav) is good in his role Antony's narrative.Inspector Suraj Singh(Gulshan Grover) with his strange hums is funny and evokes a few laughs.

I did'nt take a liking to all the songs played in the film.Hey tastes do differ,so maybe you would like them!!!Hey psssst,It turns out Champu is really Champu and not Antony at all.Confused?Well check out the movie....

My rating: 8/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800981/
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IQBAL:
Nagesh Kukunoor is a name to reckon with.His versatility is visible with the different genres hes tried in all his films(Hyderbad Blues,Rockford,Bollywood Calling,Iqbal,Dor,....).His movies have that very simplistic plot that is quite evident in lives of the common man!'Iqbal' is no different,being a story about a dumb-deaf boy Iqbal(Shrayas Talpade)who aspires to play cricket for his nation.Coming from a very poor family with a father against cricket,the odds are stacked against Iqbal.How he overcomes his hurdles,both personal and others to adorn the Indian Team's Shirt is all Iqbal is about.

The performances are what take this film to a high level of excellence.And leading the pack is Shreyas Talpade in the most brilliant performance of his young career.Khadija(Shweta Prasad) as his younger sister is really adorable and she provides Iqbal the moral suuport that he very much needs.Mohit(Naseeruddin Shah in a cake-walk of a role)is a loval drunkard whose help is seeked by Iqbal and Khadija.Having been a great cricketer once,Mohit comes out from his shell of isolation and helps Iqbal tread the right path.

On the way to glory and success,come many hurdles.And here we have Guruji(Girish Karnad) who throws Iqbal out of his training academy over a small scuffle with a rich.With all doors closing in around Iqbal(including increasing pressure from his father to have him do agriculture),he must struggle agaisnt all odds to come up trumps.

After all, the human spirit is all about not giving up,till it has achieved what it has set out to achieve.A film that certainly will motivate handicapped people regardless of language,cast,age,nationality!!!Job well done Nagesh Kukunoor.... :)

My rating: 10/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0453729/
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BUNTY AUR BUBLI:
A comic caper quite obivously 'inspired' from some Hollywood movie(Bonnie And Clyde).A good film which was the most talked about post-release in 2005.And the first major hit in Abhishek's(Bunty) career.No big surprises as regarding Rani Mukharjee(Babli,) who is chirpy and somber as needed.Amitabh is suave,cool and with a Sholay score running when he's around,its nostalgia time.

Two day-dreaming teenagers(Rakesh & Vimmi Saluja) run out of their homes to seek something interesting in life and they bump into each other when the odds are against them.They team up just once(or so as they say intially) to get back what they lost and they end up conning people for the thrill they got in it!!!Meanwhile,love blossoms between the two con artists and they live happily ever after????Noooooo wait,things cant be so easy.We have ACP Dashrath Singh(Amitabh Bachan)who backtails them after being intrigued by their strange ways of conning people.And he does catch up with them,not before we have Aiswarya Rai performing 'Kajra Re'(the chart-topping song from Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy) and the couple becomming the proud parents of a boy..But once they are caught,we have a couple of emotional and 'patriotic' twists to end a really good entertainer.

Abhishek Bachan and Rani Mukharjee have a total blast in different disguises and they manage to sell the Taj Mahal to an unsuspecting tourist as well :D .Amitabh is as cool as he always is and when he breaks into a jig in the 'kajra re' song,one cannot but do the same!!!A well made entertainer that made Abhishek the Star that he is now...

My rating: 9/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448206/
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ELLAN:
Mithun Chakrabothy is BABA, a terrorist.His hand reaches every corner of the Globe(lol..), he is barely menancing IMHO(in my holy opinion).A son seeks him out to take revenge for his father's murder.On his revenge quest,he discovers friendshipl,love,courage and the pain of sacrifices(read he teams up with four others).

The plot sounds reasonable enough,but the Director has meddled with it and what results is a half-baked product.The climax fight scene could have been revolutionary,what with all the rain and cool stunts.But the art department(or whomever responsible) had made sure the rain drops are so interfering,the audience wont have any idea whos fighting whom.A waste of time if you ask me, the plot has'nt been developed well.

Arjun Rampal comes up with a decent enough performance,same for the lead actor(Rahul Khanna i think,not so sure!!!). Mr.Director,foreign locations and friendship songs alone will not make up for a shoddy script.Better luck next time..i mean the viewers :)

The tagline could have read>> five poor souls,one really poor movie :(

My rating: 4/10
Links: none(could not find this title on imdb & wikipedia)
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ZINDA:
For fourteen years of his life, Balajeet Roy (Sanjay Dutt) was imprisoned without knowing what his crime was nor where he was.One day,he is suddenly set free and has four days to find out why he was imprisoned in the first place and the reason he was kept alive so long.So begins his quest for answers and 'revenge'.

A very violent movie but with an interesting plot ripped totally from the critically acclaimed korean movie 'Oldboy'(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldboy). Mindless and inappropiately placed songs are an irritant on the ear drums.In my opinion,this film would have fared much, much better without the songs.And the thing which totally sicked me out was the unneccesary and totally idiotic sex scene between Roy and Jenni Singh(Lara Dutta) a cab driver.That scene was very sick if you would ask me.A Hollywood-styled film need not have a sex scene at all,i pity the makers for having included it to appease the front benchers.

And to appease the masses,the director has introduced trash in the name of commercial elements(stylish disco songs,sex scene between you know who,ultra-violent scenes of action).But despite all these disappointing glitches,i liked the film for its concept and am sure,my hate for 'Zinda' would have shot the roof if I had watched 'Oldboy 'earlier.

Sanjai Dutt and John Abraham(Rohit Chopra) give good performancec.John Abraham in particular has that aura of intrigue till the shocking secret is revealed in the climax.Hats off John,you are ablt to make the audience understand the anguish of Rohit.An ample foil for a silver-haired Dutt....this movie is certainly NOT for the weak-hearted.

My rating: 7/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0488906/
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SHOOTOUT AT LOKANDHWALA:
Note:This particular review carries more of my distaste about the film and please proceed to read it at your own risk.Do not blame me for having biased your own opinion!!!

Another wasted effort...what is the use in having half of Bollywood starring in this no-brainer movie?The huge huge star cast comprises of,ordered as per ease of viewing them::
Brillaint acting>>
Vivek Obroi(Maya)
Sanjai Dutt(ACP Shamsher Khan)
Amitabh Bachan(Dhingra)

Commendable>>
Aai(Amrita Singh)
Suniel Shetty(Inspector Kaviraj Patil)
Rohit Roy(Fattu)

Quite okay,but irritating at most times>>
Arbaaz Khan(Inspector Javed Shaikh)
Diya Mirza(Reporter Mita Matu)
Neha Dhupia(Rohini,ACP's Wife)

Major eye-sore and a funny sight to watch>>
Tusshar Kapoor(Dilip Buva)

Guest appearences>>
Abhishek Bachan(Inspector Abhishek Mahatre)
Rakhi Sawant(herself)

Ekta Kapoor must be reprimanded for having cast her brother because she is producing the film.She has no right to kill the audience by having a bloke with a woody face,portray a menacing gangster!!!I was laughing my guts out when Bhuva mouthed "Theri Maa Ki......" ,he was so darn funny i kept watching his scenes again.Take a break Tusshar.....

I agree one is supposed to sit back and enjoy the performances,but to what avail????Most performances stand out like sore thumbs and this brings down the quality of the film down.The film is held on the strong performances of Sanjai Dutt as the ACP and Vivek Obroi as Maya(now here is a gangster who frightens the audience)!!!Amitabh as the appointed defense counsel manages to bring some lighter moments during the interrogation with the officers.The camera angles are good and the actual 'shootout' has been captured brilliantly.The good points are limited to the above few lines alone....

...too many songs,at the most inappropriate of times manage to move a person to his/her limits of sanity!!!!The Gangsters walk has been copied from 'Reservoir Dogs'(slow motion style) and to add fuel to the fire,we have a crappy rap-lind-of score for the walk!!!

But for the trio of Vivek Oberoi,Sanjai Dutt,Amitabh supported by a very few others,Shootout would have triggered a mass-upraisal against its screening in the country.Heartfelt thanks to the Trio(and the few others!!!).Watch this wasted effort only if you like Oberoi,Big B or Sanjai Dutt...else better catch some sleep.

If you like the film,i respect your feelings..the same way you must respect mine!!!! :)

My rating: 5/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0811066/
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EKLAVYA:
A glittering star cast all for nothing,i was kind of disappointed with the ending and moresover with the entire movie.I had to watch the climax nearly two months after I lost interest the first time.

Eklavya(Amitabh Bachan) is the royal Guard who's family has been guarding the Devigarh Dynasty for nine generations.With the demise of Queen Suhasini Devi,Prince Harshvardhan returns to India from London for the funeral.Meanwhile,King Rana Jaywardhan gets a death threat and Inspector Panalal Chauhan(Sanjai Dutt) investigates the matter.An aeging Eklavya fails to thwart the attempt on the Rana's life and the latter is murdered.As things head from bad to worse,more and more skeletons come tumbling out of the closet,what with Rajjo(Vidya Balan) loving Harshavardhan and his sister Princess Nandini claiming the Queen was actually murdered.

Big B is excellent in his role of Eklavya,an aeging and slowly-turning-blind loyal Guard.Other actors play out their parts very well,which includes Saif Ali Khan & jackie Shroff(its been a long time).This film was meant to be a thriller and Vidhu Vinod Chopra could have doen with a less known cast,excluding most of the filmed cast other than Big B,Bomman,Saif,Jackie and Jimmy Shergill.To have such a huge star cast has simply taken away the sheen from the story & screenplay.The public expectations were sky high becuase of the cast and that is exactly,why this film flopped at the Box Office.Chopra gifted Big B a Rolls Royce for this movie,which i think was just to create worthless hype!!

The murder scene of the Rana was well filmed with great Camera movement without hurting the eye too much....

Eklavaya sans most of the filmed cast(Sharmilla Tagore,Sanjai Dutt,Vidya Balana,Raima Sen,) would have been a commercial success.I mention thse above names not to state that they performed badly,but to state that their Star Value has diverted the attention of audience.Eklavya has acclaimed critical success though,for being a good thriller!!!

My rating: 7/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0459605/
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EK AJNABEE:
Tries to be very stylish,but the outcome is pretty mediocre.The plus points of this highly-stylised-wanna-be movie is the chemistry between Ananmika(Rucha Vaidya) and Suryaveer Singh(Amitabh Bachan).A retired Colonel(Suryaveer Singh) is assigned the job of guarding Anamika by Shekhar(Arjun Rampal) who runs a Security Agency in Bangkok.As kidnapping of rich children is a common occurence in Bangkok,Anamika's parents request the services of Singh.Singh has some psychological war injuries and he is not his normal self,but over time,he bonds with sweet Anamika and the two become inseperable.

Bad things are supposed to happen and the Anamika is kidnapped,Singh gets injured in the process.Pland to pay the ransom money and get Anamika backfires and she is killed.An injured Singh gets revenge-thirsty and henceforth we get to see the angry-Big B,an epitome of justice. Big B is the young-angry-man he was in his young days and it is delight watching him play with the villains....Anamika is really sweet.

There is a special appearence by Lara Dutta,Abhishek Bachana and Sanjai Dutt.And in my holy opinion,the producers whould have cast someone else in place of Dutta,as i think she made me puke with here presence in this film...The film in itself is a remake of the Hollywood Flick 'Man On Fire' and Director Apporva Lakhia even apes HBO's 'Band Of Brothers' for a short cut scene.Initially i was disappointed that this movie flopped,but after watching it I was happy it had'nt happened otherwise.Watch this movie if you have nothing worthwhile to do at home or else,if you are a Big B fan.

My rating: 6/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457875/
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HONEYMOON TRAVELS PVT LTD. :
As seen from the above promo,the film is about 6 couples who are out on their honeymoon(well most of them are).We are introduced to all the couples and also the problems and happyness they share,or rather do'nt share in their life.A feel-good movie foucssing on the problems faced by different couples.

It is literally a coup d'état,as we have a lot of stars here.And it is a pleasure to watch them interact with each other.I will not go too much into the story,it is quite enjoyable with a lot of surprises thrown in here and there.Just sit back and enjoy the movie folks.

My rating: 7/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808306/
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BLUFFMASTER:
Get ready to be conned...this comic caper will either have you in splits or have you wondering "Now,what was that?" after the end credits roll.Thank God it was the former for me and am sure it will be the same for you as well.

Roy(Abhishek Bachan) is a professional Con artist and he is in love with Simran(Priyanka Chopra).At his engagement ceremony,one of his fishes(con victims) tells the truth about Roy to Simran and she ditches Roy!!!

Roy meets Aditya Srivastav alias Dittu,an amateur wanna-be conman and due to circumstances,Roy agrees to teach the latter the tricks of the Con business.Soon the two unlike poles become good friends.In time,Roy finds he has cancer by Doctor Bhalerao(Boman Irani) and he has to count his days.Simran comes to know of this and she returns to Roy.And exactly at this point of time,Dittu confesses his plan to take revenge on Champu(Nana Patekar) for having cheated his father.Roy decides to help him out as a final good act in his life.And he does manage to do it..he is on his way to get operated for his Cancer when he comes to know Simran is in Champu's grasp.His act of rescue brings the twist in the tale for both Roy as well the audience,thus becoming the final and biggest of all cons in the movie.

Performance of all the lead actors is top notch and praise-worthy.The most applaudable one's is that of Abhishek as he delivers this comic role with complete style and panache.Next is Ritesh Deshmukh who plays second fiddle to Roy,but gains greater mileage during the closing parts of the film.Bomman Irani fits the role to a T.Nana Patekar is on screen after a long time and it is total delight to watch him squirm and swear :) and finally,Priyanka Chopra is cute & beautiful in her 'surprising' role!!!If one is sharp enough ,he/she can catch a nice bit of dialogue between Abhishek and Priyanka right before the credits roll.If you miss that part,contact me and i will enlighten you.

All technical aspects are of high quality,including the songs as well as thebackground score.Special mention must be made of the camera,lighting as well as editing department who have done a marvellous job!!!A light hearted entertainer that is sure to lighten your day...Abhishek sizzles in his 'con'-ing performance!!!

My rating: 8/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0476527/
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SARKAR:
It's Ramu's(Ram Gopal Varma) turn to pay homage to the Cult Classic 'The Godfather'.I have no idea how many Directors actually got inspired by THE GODFATHER,but I am least bothered.Because Ramu's 'Sarkar' is good enough for me.

Subash Nagre(Amitabh Bachan/Big B) is a ray of light for the down-trodden and ill-treated in the dirty lanes of Mumbai.He is respected by the 'aam janta'(public) and feared by the sinners.If found reasonable,Nagre is a man who will murder a person for the sin he commited!!!His family comprises of his wife,elder son Vishnu Nagre(Kay Kay Menon) a wastrel,foreign returned MBA graduate Shankar Nagre(Abhiske Bachan),Avantika(Tanish) Shankar's cousin.

Nagre is up against Selva Mani(Srinivasa Kota Rao),Swami Virendra(Jeeva)amongst other.Rashid(Zakir Husain in a chilling villainous role) approahes Sarkar with a drug and the latter warns him against moving forward the drug plan.Rashid teams up with Sarkar's other enemies and they try their best to dethrone Sarkar,but to no avail.In the midst of this,we have Shankar returning to Mumbai with his girlfriend Pooja(Katrina Kaif),who later is force to ditch him for obivous reasons.Vishnu lands himself in trouble over a murder and he is thrown out of the Nagre house and he is aptly used by the Rashid team.With eveythin against him,Sarkar is is imprisoned and an attempt is made on his life.And at this point of time,Abhishke(Shankar) takes over the show and delivers one of his unforgettable performances ever.His revenge spree coupled with the haunting 'govinda govinda' background score,sends shivers down the viewers spine!!!

Big B is too good for us to ignore his performance and the scenes are power-packed with his presence.Things get even better when his Shankar slowly gains screen presence and marks his stamp during the final part of the movie.It is difficult not to make comparisons with 'The Godfather',but when Ramu has given us an excellent piece of adaptation,who is to complain.I thoroughly enjoyed the film..two thumbs up Ramu!!!

My rating: 9/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432047/
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BLACK FRIDAY:
A brilliant masterpiece by Director Anurag Kashyap.He gives out a neutral opinion on the Mumbai Bomb Blasts.The movie is based on the book about the same,written by Hussain Zaidi.

Many different angles(view-points of different people) are shown in the movie.Kashyap starts with the shattering bomb-blasts(shown very effectively) and going back to the point in time,where the plan was hatched in the first place.

March 9,1993 was a day not to be forgotten by the Mumbai Police.For that was the day,a crook confessed to major bomb blasts being planned around major places around the city and it was the same day when the Mumbai Police dismissed the confession without a blink.And on March 12th,Mumbai is rocked by the blasts that tear the metropolitan city apart,leaving more than a 1000 dead.

Inspector Rakesh Maria(Kay Kay Menon) starts the invesigation into the matter and skeletons come tumbling out of the closet.Tiger Memom(Pavan Malhotra) is found to be one of the prime suspsects with orders coming from an upper echelon.The films moves around with the investigation of Maria and later on we get to see the justifications of Memom for the war!!!Next comes Badshah Khan,one among the criminals involved in the bombing.His intial faith in the hallucinations for jihad ,his sufferings as he is lead on a wild goose chase by Memom and finally his submission to the Mumbai Police as a Police Witness.And we also have the views of the criminal and financial mastermind behind the entire plot,Dawood Ibrahim.

Vijay Maurya who depicts Dawood Ibrahim looks chillingly identical and one cannot help but shiver on watching him enact Ibrahim.Being a film based on a real event,it needed a strong screenplay matched with some decent performances.The screenplay is taught enough and the way of story-telling is quite gripping.The major USP of the film comes from the acting department.Almost everyone in the film is excellent and the major characters give a rock-solid performance.

Kay Kay Menon as Inspector Maria is menacing and cool as required and Pavan Malhotra steals the show as the cool,suave and calculating Tiger Memmom.Another brillaint performance is given by Adhithya Srivastava as Badsha Khan.He is able to make the audience feel his anguish and confusion very well that,the audience actually start feeling pity for him.

Note:It could also be considered a documentary,because its been shot in such a way and am sure a layman will have a fair idea about the Mumbai Bomb Blasts after watching this movie.The only thing against this movie is the fact that it has theat documentray feel,which means the pace is quite slow.But that should not deter people from venturing to watch such a master-piece!!!Certainly deserves a watch.

My rating: 9/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0400234/
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