Comedy is serious business and I genuinely believe that making people laugh is an arduous task. The best of film-makers, with years/decades of experience behind them, have tried attempting laughathons time and again. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they don't. HELLO DARLING also tries to tickle your funny bone, but in vain. Frankly, the story of a sex pervert and three alluring ladies could've resulted in one naughty film. HELLO DARLING uses every trick in the book [skin show, generous dose of double entendres et al] to make you laugh, but barring a scene or two, the effort falls flat on its face. Final word? This film is a joke in the name of comedy! HELLO DARLING tells the story of three working girls - Candy [Celina Jaitly], Mansi [Gul Panag] and Satvati [Eesha Koppikhar] - who bond together in a posh office of Mumbai, though each of them belongs to a different stratum of society. The biggest issue they face is in their work place. It is headed by their smart boss Hardik [Jaaved Jaffrey], a chronic playboy. He is smart. They have to be smarter. Who wins this battle of the sexes? An interesting story idea may not translate into an interesting/entertaining film.
 
On paper, perhaps, the concept of HELLO DARLING may sound hilarious, but what unfolds is childish and bizarre. Forget smiling, you wear a constant smirk on your face at most times. In fact, even if the plotline was weak, but had the writers [Pankaj Trivedi and Sachin Shah] and director [Manoj Tiwari] packed the film with gags and punches, the film would've kept your attention alive. But what comes across is an excuse in the name of comedy. A few funny moments, like the 'kidnapping' of a dead body from the hospital and a Godmother [Seema Biswas] who brings errant and wayward husbands back on track, are amusing. But the negatives outweigh the positives in this case. In fact, the goings-on get unbearable towards the post-interval portions, when a robber [Vrajesh Hirjee] lands up at Gul's apartment and finds Jaaved chained. From that point onwards, till the finale, which includes the boss [Sunny Deol] reprimanding Jaaved and transferring him to Bangladesh, the film only worsens. Director Manoj Tiwari fails to deliver, mainly because the writing is corny. The double entendres, used generously to spice the proceedings, are tasteless. The music [Pritam] is mediocre, barring the 'Aa Jaane Ja' track. Ravi Yadav's cinematography is functional. Amongst the three, Gul stands out with a convincing performance. Celina is decent, while Eesha doesn't look like a Haryanvi. Jaaved goes over the top, but is believable nonetheless. Divya Dutta is alright. Chunky Pandey gets no scope. Seema Biswas is just right. Sunny Deol, in a brief role, is monotonous. Asawari Joshi is passable. Mukesh Tiwari is wasted. Ditto for Vrajesh Hirjee.
 
On the whole, HELLO DARLING tries hard to make you laugh, but falls flat on its face. In fact, this comedy is more of a tragedy for the viewer.

Jog your memory and recall films highlighting the nuisance called dowry. Images of a number of movies would instantly conjure up in front of your eyes. Now think of groom kidnapping. Have you heard of it or 'Pakrauah Shaadi' [that's how it is referred to in North India]? I had vaguely heard of it once, but was clueless about the reasons that prompt people to kidnap eligible bachelors. ANTARDWAND not only spells out the reasons, but also tackles the issue with rare understanding. Cinema lovers are thirsting for novel and untold stories and ANTARDWAND is a applaud-worthy film that fills the void. Real, disturbing and shocking, ANTARDWAND, reportedly based on a true story, is a power-packed film. If you crave for new stories and often complain that Hindi films have started stagnating, ANTARDWAND should be your pick this weekend. Final word? The year 2010 has seen a number of 'small' or low cost films having a lot to offer in the dark confines of an auditorium. Now add ANTARDWAND to that list! Raghuveer [Raj Singh Chaudhary], who has just appeared for his Civil Services exams, is admonished by his father [Vinay Pathak] against marrying his pregnant girlfriend in Delhi. Distraught and defenseless, Raghu terminates his visit home in the interiors of Bihar and leaves for Delhi. But before he could get out of the village, he is abducted by another headstrong and ambitious father [Akhilendra Mishra] of a girl [Swati Sen] wanting to have a potential IAS officer as his son-in-law. The boy is forcibly married off at gun point, much against his and the girl's own wishes. Once married, they are locked up in a room for several days till they consummate their marriage and accept each other completely. But do they accept each other in the face of inevitability?
 
Director Sushil Rajpal needs to be lauded for choosing a novel story and narrating it with flourish. Filmed at actual locations, the debutant director not only captures the atmosphere well, but also keeps the realism alive all through those two hours. In fact, one of the strengths of the film is its unconventional story/screenplay [Amitabh Varma] and even though the viewer becomes a participant after a while, you just can't guess what will happen next or how the film will culminate eventually. In fact, the open ending sets you thinking and most importantly, also seems appropriate. The first-time director has handled a number of sequences with elan. The entire episode of the groom being kidnapped, tortured physically and mentally and his subsequent marriage gives you gooseflesh. Even the finale, when the daughter reacts sharply, is brilliant. Sushil Rajpal makes a solid impact as a storyteller. However, the story stagnates in the second hour, but gathers momentum quickly thereafter when the guy consummates the marriage in an inebriated state. The twist and turns in the final reels also keep you thoroughly engrossed. ANTARDWAND has fine performances by one and all. Raj Singh Chaudhary is natural. Swati Sen is first-rate. Akhilendra Mishra is dynamic. Vinay Pathak is calm and restrained. Himanshi [as Sia] is okay. Jaya Bhattacharya stands out. The actress enacting the role of Swati Sen's mother is good.
 
On the whole, ANTARDWAND has a hitherto untold story to tell, which it tells most convincingly. Of course, a film like ANTARDWAND caters to a niche audience, who, I am sure, should praise the effort.

Practically every new-age film-maker wants to attempt a real story on celluloid. Stories which are straight out of life/newspapers/news channels. These stories, generally, strike a chord with the ticket buying audience if narrated convincingly and most importantly, narrated within commercial parameters. Nagesh Kukunoor has been a frontrunner as far as choosing and narrating real stories are concerned. AASHAYEIN too seems like 'our' story. Here's a man who suddenly discovers that he has a few months to live. The indomitable spirit of living life to the fullest, under all circumstances, is what you expect from him. But AASHAYEIN gets so bizarre and abstract that you feel anesthetized after a point. Sadly, you don't react to the characters, you don't react to the film either. Like Kukunoor's previous attempts, AASHAYEIN is sensitively told and has several poignant and heart wrenching moments, but the story strays from realism and ends up being a fantasy, which leaves a sour taste in your mouth. The entire RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK track, with John imagining himself in Harrison Ford's boots, is weird.

 Final word? AASHAYEIN just doesn't meet the aashayein [hopes] of the viewer. At a party to celebrate his big win at gambling, Rahul [John Abraham] proposes to his girlfriend Nafisa [Sonal Sehgal]. Within minutes of announcing his engagement, he collapses on the floor. After a medical diagnosis, Rahul discovers that he has only a few months left to live. He is diagnosed with lung cancer. A distraught Rahul learns of a hospice and without sounding off his girlfriend about it, packs his bags and leaves in the middle of the night. He meets a number of people at the hospice, who may have failing health, but unfailing spirit. For millions of viewers worldwide, Hrishikesh Mukherjee's classic ANAND [Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan] remains one of the best films on the matchless spirit of a person diagnosed with a terminal illness. The person in question [Rajesh Khanna] knows he doesn't have much time on hand and decides to spread light and cheer all around.  Though AASHAYEIN has nothing to do with ANAND [although there's a reference to the film], the least Kukunoor could've done was to narrate the story without getting into the fantasy zone. When you talk of matters as serious as death, when you show people spending their last days in a hospice, you can't deviate from the topic. Even the hospice here looks more like a small-town resort where people have come for a vacation. The seriousness is clearly missing! On the brighter side, the sequences between John and Anaitha Nair are wonderful. Ditto between John and Farida Jalal. Salim-Sulaiman's music is in sync with the mood of the film. The song filmed on Shreyas Talpade is the pick of the lot. Sudeep Chatterjee's camera captures the outdoors well. But the writing is imprecise and like I pointed out at the outset, the culmination to this story is difficult to decipher. Kukunoor is a master when it comes to extracting performances and AASHAYEIN also boasts of sparkling performances by each and every member of the cast. John puts a whitewash on his previous works and comes up with an honest and sincere performance. In fact, this film makes you forget that he's blessed with a striking personality. Instead, you notice the fine actor beneath the good looks and that's what makes you relate to this character for most parts. Anaitha Nair is pure dynamite. Fiery, feisty, someone who can light fire in water. She's sure to make people notice her talent after this film. Sonal Sehgal is efficient. Girish Karnad, Farida Jalal and Prateeksha Lonkar are perfect. Ashwin Chitale [as Govinda] is natural to the core. Vikram Inamdar [as Xavier, John's friend] is alright. Sonali Sachdev [Doctor] is adequate. Shreyas Talpade appears in a song.
 
On the whole, AASHAYEIN falters and fails on the writing level. Not much aasha [hope] from AASHAYEIN. Nonetheless, the film has been made on a shoe-string budget and therefore, the recovery from non-theatrical avenues would keep its distributors safe, although the returns from theatrical business would be disastrous.

Sometimes, your reputation precedes you. Pradeep Sarkar carries the reputation of making women-centric movies. Films like PARINEETA and LAAGA CHUNARI MEIN DAAG prove it. Who would've ever thought Sarkar would do a 360 degree turn in his third film by calling it LAFANGEY PARINDEY, set it in a chawl and make his characters speak tapori lingo? Hard to digest, isn't it? Frankly, the skilled storyteller takes you on a trip least expected from him. When you attempt something you haven't attempted earlier or ventured into before, you either fall flat on your face or walk with your chin up in air. Sarkar doesn't slip, although LAFANGEY PARINDEY does have its share of hiccups that show up intermittently. Unlike PARINEETA and LAAGA CHUNARI MEIN DAAG, Sarkar narrates a simple story this time around and though it has nothing to do with the Rajesh Khanna - Mumtaz - Meena Kumari starrer DUSHMUN, you can't help but draw parallels with it, which, frankly, could be a coincidence as well. Yet, to be fair to Sarkar, he ventures in an unknown territory like a seasoned player. On the flipside, the film has a major flaw and that dilutes the impact to an extent: Casting Neil Nitin Mukesh as a tapori. He just doesn't look like one. Even if he tries very hard to get into the skin of the character, you just can't connect with him since the suave and dashing demeanor makes him look like a Harvard returned, not someone from the streets or wadis of Mumbai definitely. Final word? Sure, it has its share of shortcomings, but is an engaging watch nonethess. LAFANGEY PARINDEY is about a group of youngsters living in the backstreets of Mumbai. It is the love story of Nandu [Neil Nitin Mukesh] and Pinky [Deepika Padukone].

One-Shot Nandu takes boxing to a new level by knocking down his opponents - blindfolded. Needless to say, One-Shot lives life on his own terms and is a local hero amongst his friends. But all that changes when he meets Pinky. Pinky works at a mall, but is a kickass dancer on skates. Strong-headed, talented and fiercely ambitious, she aspires to rise above all the 'losers' living in her locality and carve a niche for herself. Two different personalities. Two different lives. Destined to meet. LAFANGEY PARINDEY starts with gusto! Also, it moves on a singular path, without diversifying into unwanted sub-plots and superfluous characters. In fact, the story takes off at the commencement of the film itself and how Neil and Deepika's lives get intertwined makes for interesting viewing. The film has some truly engaging moments and most of them are in its first hour. Sequences between Neil and Deepika after the accident are wonderful and keep you hooked. However, things begin to slacken in the post-interval portions, when the love story takes over and Neil and Deepika realize that they share a deeper bond. Just when things are about to go downhill, the climax happens and LAFANGEY PARINDEY is back on track. In fact, the drama in the finale - when Deepika and Neil have to perform the final act for a television show - is the highpoint of this film. The skating sequences and choreography are stunning and awe-inspiring. Blemishes? Oh yes! The love story is conventional and dreary. Also, the investigating officer's track is half-baked and looks like an add-on. Besides, the film is embellished with a mediocre musical score [R. Anandh]. Also, the Bambaiya Hindi has its limitations. Like I pointed out earlier, Neil is the wrong choice for this part. Also, he lacks the fire to carry off the role with flourish. LAFANGEY PARINDEY clearly belongs to Deepika Padukone, who suits the character and enacts it with such competence that it leaves you amazed. The pretty lass is only getting better with every film. Piyush Mishra is first-rate. Kay Kay Menon is okay in a brief role. The friends, each them, leave a mark. Especially Namit Das, who's wonderful. Shiamak Davar, Juhi Chawla and Javed Jafferi feature in brief roles.

On the whole, LAFANGEY PARINDEY may be predictable, but is engaging and entertaining nonetheless. A decent watch!