Patiala House

Patiala House:A perfect dish with all ingredients in the right measure..Anushka's bubbly character, Punjabi background, our original bobby couple Rishi and Dimple, the omnipresent Indian Shaadi and cricket.The film essentially debates the eternal Indian subject whether to put our dreams/wishes on the back burner for what tradition/parents demand or go against them to find success and happiness in pursuing our dreams. This movie really surprised me because i expected a gloomy tale looking at the trailers but Akshay's glum character is suitably balanced by the rebellious streak in all other well cast members , anushka's charm, her kid brother, and the wonderful track of Hard Kaur the singer which was a surprise once again and above all with fun songs well and differently picturised with no romantic songs/dream sequences in the swizz alps.highlight of the movie is when akshay manages to get the final wicket and i had a smile and moist eyes at the same time. Well done Akshay, a first for your acting capabilities.Kudos to lyricist.."Mujhe Yunhi karke Khabon Se Juda, Jaane Kahan Chupke Baitha Hai Khuda, Janoon na main kab hua Khudse Gumshuda" ..great stuff!!!Go, watch and have FUN this weekend.

Okay, first up I suppose I best say that this is the best film Akshay Kumar has done for a long time. Whilst he will never be a great actor, at least here he does an excellent job with a character that could have been a disaster. No over the top performance, this is a measured effort that conveys the character's inner turmoils very well.

The rest of the cast also do a fine job. Rishi Kapoor is always excellent and does a very creditable job as the head of the house. Dimple Kapadia plays his wife with sensitivity and purpose, although she is under utilised and perhaps underwritten and subservient in the screenplay. Anushka Sharma also does an excellent job in a role that could quite easily have devolved into a mess. I quite fancy that, on the evidence of her first four films, we may potentially be seeing the emergence of a new Queen of Bollywood.

The film itself is a very interesting look at the family in an Indian household in Southall, London, where traditional values are being undermined somewhat by the younger generation being more influenced by the cosmopolitan opportunities of a more accepting London than that which their parents faced.

The only real complaint I have with the film is that too many characters were brought to the fore and it results in a bit of confusion as to who is who. However, that aside, the screenplay is good, the film has a sense of purpose and moves forward at a nice pace. There is no unnecessary sentimentality brought into play and the end result is a film that does not scale great heights of classic cinema but is an eminently watchable film that deals with its subject matter very well.

Nikhil Advani creates yet another melodramatic Bollyflick that is 'Patiala House'. Given the script, it actually had potential of being an engaging film that tackles issues like racism, relationships and the cricket craze but Advani succumbs to Bollywood formula with the usual ingredients such as over-the-top characters, intrusive background score, brightly colourful songs, stereotypical clichés, needlessly lavish sets, sentimental scenes, overt patriotism, predictable conclusion and what not. I felt that the attempt to tackle racism was weak. A more subtle and sincere treatment could have made the difference here. Yet, if only mildly, 'Patiala House' is a tad better than the usual formula films that are churned out these days mostly because it raises some important issues (although it fails to tackle them well). Akshay Kumar takes a break from the usual mindless comedy. His performance does remind one of the work he did in awful movies like 'Ek Rishtaa' and 'Waqt, Rage Against Time' and he proves to be competent. It's high time that he chooses a decent film and a role that suits him for a change. One wonders when that's going to happen- Rishi Kapoor seems to have taken over Amitabh Bachchan's tyrannical dad role and he grossly overdoes it. Dimple Kapadia is brilliantly restrained but an actress of her calibre deserved better. Anushka Sharma is vivacious and has a commanding screen presence. 'Patiala House' is forgettable but it's not among the worst Hindi films of the year.

First of all, I'd like to praise the entire production team, but especially the director, Nikhil Advani, for doing such a great job with this. It doesn't actually feel like a film because the characters are so believable and their livelihoods are very normal. The film's story is relatively simple, but it conveys a very important and nice message. Hats off to Akshay Kumar, Rishi Kapoor and Anushka Sharma - they all have given really good performances here. Dimple Kapadia and the supporting cast also do their parts really well. The music is also good. The best tracks are 'Adat hai woh' and 'Laungda Lashkara'. The screenplay is fabulous and the editing has been done very well.

Verdict: this film deserves to be a success at the box office - go for it!. I give it 8.5/10.

I've put off watching this movie for over three months now simply because I have been very disappointed by the last few films of Akshay Kumar. But this movie was a pleasant surprise. The story line is very predictable but the movie doesn't really disappoint in terms of story, acting or plots. The execution of the plot is excellent. Akshay Kumar looks great and so does Anushka Sharma, although her performance is forgettable and so is Dimpla Kapadia. Waste of her acting prowess - she only has one dialog in the movie. Rishi Kapoor looks great as a Sardar and I was hoping Akshay Kumar would don his sardar "avatar" too but he still looks great. I wasn't bored at any point in the movie and I would say the movie is definitely worth a watch