Sorry Bhai!

Sorry bhai is the testimony to the fact that Bollywood is moving forward and the new crop of directors on the right track. The performances have all been wonderful. Sharman Joshi is developing as a good actor and if he chooses his films wisely he can one day become one of the best. Sanjay Suri proves that he is the best from among all model turned actors. The chemistry between Boman Irani and Shabana Azmi is better than what is between most actors and actresses today. They both look a very good pair on screen. Chitrangadha Singh is not only a good actress but is one of the most beautiful ladies of Bollywood and she proves that one can look sensual and hot without shedding clothes. Sharman Joshi has a tinge of comedy in his acting which is only going to help him achieve greatness.

Now about the story and direction. The story is fresh and is shot beautifully. The family relations - between brothers, mother and son, father and son, husband and wife - have been portrayed excellently. There is not an instance in the film where you will get bored. A very good script supported by some really good performances makes Sorry Bhai a real good movie. A must watch.

This year has given us some really good 'not so commercial' movies and Sorry Bhai can be said to be the top runners among them.

It breaks my heart to see films like Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and other crappy movies like those getting nominated and winning awards just because they are made by a known director and are under a big banner whereas some really good movies and performances like this one just sits and watch. Its high time we have an Oscar like award for Bollywood movies where awards are given to performances, characters and not people who are influential.

For a limited cast of only five characters, Sorry Bhai is a markedly refreshing departure from standard Bollywood rom com fare. The movie plays around with a simple theme of sibling equations as influenced by the catalyst called the elder siblings fiancée. The script is a typical take on the 'dysfunctional-family-comes-together-for-a-cause' mold. Harsh (Sanjay Suri) has been away from his family for a while his younger brother Sid (Sharman Joshi) tries for a research grant for his latest hypothesis. When Harsh decides to get married to Aaliyah (Chitrangada Singh), he pleads his younger brother to get his parents, especially his mom for the wedding. The fun in dysfunctional is put in by the antics of the parents, played with superb chemistry by Boman Irani and Shabana Azmi. They take this one further than their first stint as a couple in Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.

Sharman Joshi as the genius younger brother does a pretty good job keeping up his boyish yet mature image while Chitrangada Singh essays a role that perhaps doesn't present her as much of a challenge as the one in her debut did. For an actress of her potential, this is just about par for the course and she is underutilized. On the brighter side, the scenes shared by her and Shabana Azmi deserve special mention. Sanjay Suri exudes quiet confidence as usual and it fits his big brother persona perfectly. The slow narrative (you sort of expect that with a limited cast of characters) is a bit of a dampener though the locales of Mauritius provide a picturesque background for the well shot scenes.

Sorry Bhai deserves a watch, at least for being far better off than the apology of a movie that other comedies have become.

I started watching it alone not realizing that it was something that I needed to see with my wife as it turned out to be an extremely engrossing entertainer. Sharman Joshi is someone who I have come to look upon as a talented actor but I could never remember his name until this film. His uncanny ability to deliver comedy effortlessly both impresses and surprises me. Boman Irani and Shabana have real chemistry. They are not just bystanding, intervening, stereotypical Hindi-film parents. They are integral to the storyline. Chitrangada Singh (I never new her name before this film) has not had to try hard (or wear less clothes or wear crazy outfits) to look gorgeous. No crazy mind-numbing jhango sets or bolly-typical dresses to insult one's taste and intelligence. No boorish loud mouths filling the gaps in creativity, or tear jerking long drawn out funerals and death scenes. These folks looked like real people with real lives that people identify and connect with. Songs are well chosen and well blended and do not stick out like a sore thumb breaking the continuity of narrative. I wanted to listen to more of its music after the film was over. I attribute a large part of the success of its music to KK's Mere Khuda. Joyful experience. Would like to see more of Hindi films along the same lines.

Sometimes the title eludes you, and trust me, 'Sorry bhai' is not best of the title that one can grab a movie while browsing the video store. But I surely am going to change that habit, because of this movie. If it wasn't for a good friend of mine, this gem would have slipped under my radar. Wow, it surely was one of the best 5 movies of the year 2008 (though I will be really hard-pressed to name the other four). And I haven't seen a single movie directed by Onir yet - so I make it a point to watch other two. And I have been searching for the DVD of Hazaron for quite sometime. The performances in the movie are top notch, everyone gives a solid, very controlled, and powerful performance. I didn't know who the actress was, but by the end of the movie, I was eager to know who she was, coz I knew everyone else but her. Now I am so looking fwd to DevD by Anurag Kashyap. Absolutely endearing story, though I couldn't convince myself with the ending. Direction, Spot on! Very well directed the emotional conflicts (emosanal atyachar?), the dilemma, the love, the hate and the confusion! The most jarring part of the movie is the 'Sorry bhai' song during the end titles! Guess they made the song for the promos, and thought they might include it in the movies as well, for posterity! It was during titles, so I didn't mind it, while being busy reading the titles through the moving white figures. Music wise, 'Mere Khuda' is yet another powerful ballad form KK, dependable as always! Rest all songs are okay, thankfully doesn't come on the way of narrative!

I wish there was little more noise on this movie, so more people would have come to know this sensible movie.

2008 has been a year of the B-side movies (if there is such a term) - all the big banner movies starting Jodha till Ghajini are full of disappointment! However the movies like this one, Dasvidaniya, Oye Lucky, Rock On, and few others are the REAL winners.

Must watch, this one!

as was expected by ONIR and the 5 main actors of this movie, the movie is simply great. no one disappoints in the movie. the director has chosen each actor for the right character and has managed to get the best out of each. the story is well dealt as was the case in the movie 'My Brother Nikhil'. suttleness stays throughout. this story as the tag line says deals with a situation of a guy falling in love with his brother's wife. the story's major part is set in a flashback and is supposed to happen in Mauritius. humor remains in the movie at every stage. the audiences enjoy the son's(sharman joshi), dad's (boman irani) and the mom's (shabana azmi) relation. amazing dialogues and superb delivery makes sure one falls off the seat laughing. chitrangada singh looks really good throughout and will definitely carry on the tag the next 'smita patil'. sanjay suri also plays the role to the best potential.

overall a superb watch. i enjoyed it. hope you people also do.