Sankat City

When I first heard the title I presumed either to be a sleazy movie or yet another new-age cinema on its way to gather dust. Add "no publicity" to it and the perceptions sinks deeper than titanic. When I saw Anupam Kher & Kay Kay in credits, I decided to give it a go. And guess what - its a piece of jewel indeed.

۝ Kay Kay:: Attempts comedy and does it quite well. The role is well sketched and his passion for fish is well portrayed. At the risk of being repetitive "Wake up Bollywood - this guy is grossly under- utilised".

۝ Rimmi:: The character seems inspired from Kill Bill & predominantly Entrapment. She gets very good street-smart lines and uses Bengali quite effectively (Dhoom again?).

۝ Anupam Kher:: Spot on. And his role/ accent is a direct lift of his previous outing as Inspector Giridhar in "Hum".

۝ Dilip Phabhavalkar:: IMO - though he was good he could have been better especially when it came to amnesia.

۝ Chunky:: Good to see him in a suitable role(s) after a very long time. Both the characters though diverse as chalk-and-cheese he managed to give it a distinct flavour. Pity the role was short though.

۝ Manoj Pahwa & Sanjay Mishra:: As usual the Laurel & Hardy duo are dependable with good comic timing between them.

۝ Virendra Saxena, Yashpal Sharma & Vallabh Vyas:: Very short role but do their job quite well.

Barring a few sequences pertaining to the slip-between-the-cup-and-the- lip in the chase of the moolah, the rest is indeed very-very hatke. Quite safe to say director knows his job well.

Sankar City, the title might be deceptive but take my word - its original, its entertaining and the size is just about right. Go for it.

This movie is entertaining.It kept me rooted the entire time. Anupam Kher was funny and did justice to his role. Kay Kay Menon has kept everyone entertained with his comic timing. Rimi Sen was a surprise package as in this the only movie I felt,she acted well. Veerandra Saxena had a short role but he did a great job as a Guruji. Hemant Pandey as Philip Fattu was funny. Manoj Pahwa, Chunky Pandey, Rahul Dev, Sanjay Mishra, Yashpal Sharma had short roles...could have been longer, but they were all great inn their parts. Noted actor Nikhil Ratnaparkhi was hilarious as the uncle. The plot is simple straightforward yet entertaining. Overall, the movie was really good....definitely worth a watch..

"Sankat City" is another one in the category of those recent Bollywood movies that delivers (well almost!!) what it promises; but do not get much hype or response from audience. Blame it on marketing. This one has some quite enjoyable, funny moments that you will savor for quite sometime. Anupam Kher is brilliant again in his role and have done full justice to the character he was playing. I strongly believe he is one of the finest actors Hindi film industry has ever got; so sad to see his talent getting wasted in some of those crap Hindi movies every now and then. Kay Kay also did a remarkable job. Together they gave the audience chances to roll throughout the movie. Rimi Sen, for me, has been a disappointment yet again. The over-use of Bengali really is too annoying and almost becoming a trend in all of her movies. The movie starts pretty well and quite engrossing and comic in its first half. But I felt it had lost its tempo gradually and had become quite lousy towards the end.

A good first time watch. There are some laughs guaranteed. Could have been much better though. Watch it for a relaxed getaway after a tiring day.

In a week, where the big banner has failed to deliver, here comes an entertainer in a small package. "Sankat City", directed by Pankaj Advani, is a comedy cum thriller, capable of impressing both the critiques and the viewers who are in search of something out of the routine. It's a roller coaster ride with enjoyable sequences and well written scenes along with splendid performances by the entire star-cast.

The movie takes off slowly, creating the required ambiance for its characters to establish themselves. And after 15 initial minutes, it drags you in and starts entertaining with its superb enthralling narration. The story moves around a few amusing characters who all have to pay back huge amount of money to a big Gangster of the town. Now how they all manage to arrange that money, which keeps changing hands every five minutes, is the small gist of the movie.

The first half moves on an electrifying pace as compared to the later. The second half has only few minutes of dragging and predictable scenes but then it also picks up the pace, progressing towards an engrossing and surprising climax. Sequences related to various characters are interconnected superbly, backed by some great skillful writing. The star-case ensemble has everyone giving a worth watching performance in their own respective roles. The most entertaining one comes from Dilip Prabhawalkar, as the old man who is a master in re-painting the stolen cars. Kay Kay Menon as the car thief impresses once again with his effortless act. Anupam Kher bounces back with his famous comic timing as the big Gangster. Rimi Sen looks cool and convincing playing the con woman. Chunky Pandey (the actor), Manoj Pahwa (the producer), Yashpal Sharma (the businessman), Rahul Dev (the contract killer) and Virendera Saxena (the imposter Godman), all leave a good impact in their brief roles.

Musically, it has only a few songs, used briefly along with the moving storyline. So, they don't act as an obstacle in the high paced drama. Cinematography is simply basic, with no special gimmick or lighting used to enhance the scenes. But even then, the director keeps you glued to your seats with his interesting and unexpected twists and turns in the story. The intelligent remarks on fake religious figures and sexual fantasies are a treat to watch in this black comedy. Though it also has some major flaws in the storyline but the fast proceedings on the screen don't give you the moment to think about them.

In short, if you love the genre of thrillers without heavy action, relying more on conspiracies, plans and last minute upsets, then "Sankat City" will not disappoint you, if given a chance. It's a brilliant take on conmen, media world and gangsters on the similar lines of "Ek Chalis Ki Last Local". A must watch as the small surprise package of the season.

Pankaj Advani writes and directs an energetically amusing comedy about two con-artists, a film director, a kingpin, his driver, a religious guru and a builder among many more colourful characters. The only Indian comedy that I liked of 2009 is 'The President Is Coming'. Then after lacklustre films like 'Billu', 'Sankat City' felt fresh. The film moves at a very steady pace keeping the viewer hooked from start to finish. There is not one boring moment and plenty to laugh about. The story could have used more development but the comedy factor compensates for this flaw. The cast is very good. Kay Kay Menon excels in an out-and-out comedic role. This actor has shown that he is capable of playing any character. Rimi Sen is a big surprise. I have never been impressed by her acting in the past but here she is spot on and looks great too. Yashpal Sharma too springs a surprise in a non-villainous role while Anupam Kher is back in villain mode but this time with a touch of comedy. There are also numerous interesting references to other films which have been cleverly used in the dialogues written by Advani. 'Sankat City' is full throttle entertainment.