Hello

Bummer ! Yes, Bollywood does it yet again, successfully adding one more flop flick to it's "2008 flop-list" and simultaneously increasing the odds in favor of my ever growing thoughts of putting a full stop to viewing their movies whence I'm afraid I must admit, if I don't get a hit and I betcha, I really mean a big hit soon Bollywood won't see my face again with its movies that are no more than a blot of mustard on the shameless faces of the entire crew involved, needless to mention the so called "promisingly huge cast" being used for the greater bad and acceleratingly increasing unrepairable damage being caused, primarily mental, to the blockbuster-expecting viewers inhabiting God's whole green earth who enter the theater happy-face like an expecting mother and come out ruined-face as if the mother just unexpectedly lost her baby whilst causing me no dismay or even a bit of concern as I never enter a theater expecting anything great from Hindi cinema and that is the least I'm asking from you in lieu of this this entire one-sentence review...LOL

Hello, the movie, is loyal to its source 'One Night@ Call Center". Thats where the issue lies. Let me explain. Hello is the story of 3 Men and 3 Women working at a call center, their lives, their work and above all their relationships. Without dwelling much into the very well known and popular story I can safely say that the story is very loyal to its source. Its so loyal that it forgets that reading a piece of Literature and watching the same thing on-screen are two completely different experience. The Novel is so popular that most Indians are very familiar with the story and how it ends. When they go to watch the same thing on-screen it becomes very predictable. It actually becomes boring to he movie-goer even though the acting and the character developments are well enough to match the novel. But then again, when filming a novel of such popularity a direction just would not dare to twist the story to an extent where the original becomes separable from its copy on celluloid. So, if you have read the novel, you have seen the film too. Regarding the acting, the only thing awful in this movie is Mr. Khan. He should stop playing characters which are suitable for actors 20 years younger than him. Specially 'paired' with an actress as young and beautiful as Ms. Kaif. One of the comments on IMDb objects to the movie calling Americans Dumb. Agreed, they are definitely not. But it is a well known fact that in call centers in India the '35=10' rule is followed. It is to ensure that no agent is rude to the 'general' customers (who are, in most cases, 'relatively dumb', regardless of which country they belong to) and not to poke fun at any country. Also, racist calls are rampant in call centers. In all call centers. Not just those serving US clients/customers. Overall - 7/10. Strong recommendation: Set your expectations right before you see this movie IF you have read the book.

Based on the book called One night at the call centre, the film centres on the events that happen to an eclectic array of characters over one night at an Indian call centre. I've not read the book but the movie is absolutely atrocious. The rubbish drama was so boring that I had a sore head & I felt like ripping my arm out and constantly bash my head with it. There were no different events and situations and was far from entertaining & beyond boring. At the start Salman's character was not told that who is he but instead they put a stupid song Bang Bang.

Then out of nowhere Katrina Kaif came and was telling him the outrageously boring story and she is completely crap. Neither she knows acting, language (her voice is always dubbed for her), dance and always fails to impress. I do not like her one bit and its better off that she is kicked out of Bollywood and never comes back again. Even all of her movies suck (except Race). In the story the Americans where calling the Indian call centre to get help and the film was showing that the Americans were stupid and Indians are smart (I mean how daft a film can get??). If I was in Salman's place then I would've ran away as soon as I can and said "Bye Bye" instead of Hello.

I was more interested in the film's ending not because the twist or anything would be revealed in the last reel but because it would mean the end of discomfiture.

OK... let me start off by saying HATS OFF Mr Atul Agnihotri and Chetan Bhagat!!! YOU ARE GR8!!! Now for the rest. VERY IMPRESSIVE! Sohail Khan has left me stunned.Esha Koppikhar has improved her performance a hundredfold since her film Kyaa Kool Hai Hum. Gul Panag was brilliant! Last i was her in the film Dor , and I never expected she was so good! Sharaat Saxena unexpectedly looks gr8 in his small role. The other characters life Amrita Arrora and Sharman Joshi also gave a decent performance! The story is simple. The name says it all - Hello is about life of six people working in a call center.. and how their life takes a u turn when they receive a phone call from God.

The climax is like many other films, but in a very unique manner! the film keeps you involved till the end. The characters successfully cast a charm on you and you can actually feel as they do. Some parts will really make you smile and laugh, while others will make you feel great.

The music also adds to the fun, friendship, and fun. The touchy script succeeds, cinematography and editing is good, choreography pretty good, and, all-in-all, one must- watch performance. A great start for Chetan Bhagat and a great No. 2 for Atul Agnihotri. Way to go Atul, Your amazing!

Easily an 8/10.

Go for it!

And I assure you, there's no heavy display of sad emotions. So you won't be crying at any point of time!

Is Atul Agnihotri a worse director than actor? Well that's a discussion not worth having. His debut film ripped off 'Return To Me' and it was a pathetic movie. This film is pretty bad (though not as bad as other disasters of the year such as 'Drona', 'Krazzy 4' etc) and the worst thing about both of Agnihotri's films is the direction. The guy should have given up after his first attempt and perhaps do something not-related to cinema (perhaps follow the footsteps of another non-talented ex actress like Twinkle Khanna who has now become an interior decorator).

I haven't read Bhagat's book but what convinced me to give this movie a chance were Isha Koppikar and Gul Panag. The movie really drags at several sequences and the dialogues are stale. The romantic scenes are corny and dull e.g. Priyanka proposing to Shyam. The songs are irritating and of the fast-forward quality. The characters are not well-developed and as a consequence, some of the performances suffer. The entire God sequence appears forced and ridiculous and the Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif track are cringe-inducing. The film is offensive to non-Indians and there is even a forced 'patriotic scene' about how Westerners use Indians and then treat them like nothing etc etc. The resolution is presented in an amateur way.

'Hello' is carried by Sharman Joshi and the actor does a fairly adequate job. Sohail Khan is mostly annoying but there are a few scenes where he displays signs of good acting. Amrita Arora shows some improvement in acting as she's cast against type. Sharat Saxena too is good. Anusha Dhandekar makes a funny appearance as the bimbo girlfriend. Salman Khan's scenes are puke-inducing. He looks and acts like a 50 year old haggard has-been retarded popstar (who has gone under the knife and thinks he's 20 and cool). His fake hair and age are oozing out of the implants and, as always, he's stripping again (ghastly!). Katrina Kaif has never been able to act and she is laughable (unintentionally of course). A gorgeous Isha Koppikar and a sensual Gul Panag are sufficient (but this is far from their best works). The rest of the cast are truly abysmal (especially that office rapper)

There are a few funny moments and I liked the chemistry between the five main actors. But, overall, it's a very weak film. Atul Agnihotri should give up on cinema (and so should Salman). Perhaps one can give it a go if they are fans of the actors but otherwise, there isn't much to miss.