Pannu Times

I have a list of heroines/actresses I like from present times. They are- Chitrangada Singh, Aditi Rao, Amrita Rao, Vidya Balan, Yami Gautam, and now I am going to add Taapsee Pannu (that's an odd name, but what the heck, she is cute). Much of the film revolves around her- I am talking (new) Chasme baddoor here- and she pulls it off with her charming presence. Of course there's help from the cutie-pie (for female viewers) Ali Zafar, and a rocking performance from oldies Bharti Achrekar, Rishi Kapoor, and Anupam Kher.

For me, the heroes- all three of them, came second, or third, after all these. David Dhavan has cleverly used take-offs on films and film stars, and inserted his old songs (What is mobile number used to be my favourite for a long time when it first appeared) to add to the fun.

The standout song is of course, Dhickyaon Dhum, dhum.. and it is a very catchy, hummable song. But I think it is a combo of a couple of songs from Khel Khel Mein starring Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh. Probably Ek main aur ek tu and Khullam khulla pyar karenge hum dono. The musical know-alls can try and figure that one out.

Entertaining, and worth a look, though a bit crass compared with the original. But then, one should not be comparing Deepti Naval and Farooque Shaikh with anyone, to start with. Or the original Lallan Miyan, played so well by Saeed Jaffrey.

London, Paris, New York, Nagpur

This is about reviews and me. Incidentally also about a film called London, Paris, New York. I started writing reviews in my teenage years. One (of Ram Balram, the weird Amitabh-Dharam starrer) even got published in Filmfare. My style of reviewing was influenced by Khalid Mohammed, who did some great take-offs on films. But those were the days when we did not know what was to come later. To put it in perspective, Amar Akbar Anthony seems like a classic today. Anyway, over the years, I have mellowed. Don't know the causative factors yet, but I have become somewhat sympathetic to the film making community. Having been to a couple of film shoots, and looking at the chaos they are, I am surprised that any sense can come out of it at all. Therefore, my sympathies lie with the makers. No doubt, as a viewer, we have a right to complain if we find garbage being churned out, but...

Another disclaimer..or disclosure. I like Aditi Rao Hydari, the heroine of this film called London, Paris, New York. Some more reason for a sympathetic review. The story in parts is a repeat of the Rockstar (which was not about Rock) idea that a man and a woman who go together on a motorbike or otherwise for a day tend to fall in love. Quite possible, I would say. Such a relief to meet someone in person rather than on Facebook, that it is within the bounds of reason. And if the location happens to be exotic, all the better. My choice would have been Venice instead of NY, though. If you must have traffic, why not over water?

The lead pair look cute, go through their song, dance, love, fight, reunite routine without taxing your brain too much. The songs could have been better, but they are OK. The dialogue is quite good, and up to date, with teenage lingo used liberally. The intended takeoff on feminists comes through, though Aditi hardly behaves like one in many sequences. But then, cute looks compensate for lack of consistency..all in all, a nice stroll through the cities mentioned. Don't expect a lot, and you should be OK.