Cocktail

Cocktail – CATCH IT (B) From promos Cocktail looked like something really out of the box or fresh but sadly it's just another story about 2 best friends falling for the same Casanova guy. Now the only thing made this movie different from the previous movies was the brilliant performance and confidence of Deepika Padakone, this woman was amazing and literally stole the show with her brilliant performance. She deserves all the accolades, as she brought this sympathy into audience's hearts towards the party girls. That even though they are bold, and do crazy stuff it doesn't mean that they don't have heart or don't want simple things in life. On the other hand Saif Ali Khan as Casanova was irritating. He has the looks but c'mon his cheesy dialogues and pickup lines were just too cheap to ignore. New girl Diana Penty makes a good impression. The music of the movie is really good. In the end, it's a typical movie with nothing new but still enjoyable and a must see for Deepika's Performance.

I wasn't surprised to realise the point made in the summary, for one reason: this is a film that easterners may not have the capacity to digest. I'll tell you why this is the case and what I thought of the film.

First of all, this is co-written by Imtiaz Ali, the director who presented us with films like Jab we Met ('07), Love Aaj Kal('09) and Rockstar ('11). It is perhaps his touch that takes this film beyond the reach of those who prefer the typical 'masala' stuff, examples of which have been given above. For me, it is once again a pleasure to experience all that Imtiaz's writing brings to a film, not least in the situations created, dialogue, and humour evoking parts. New ground has been broken above and beyond Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.

Secondly, this film has been directed by Homi Adajania. He's the director who had the guts to attempt something like the almost perfectly executed 'Being Cyrus' on debut. With is name on the film, you have to anticipate that it will present something in a different manner. Once again, he has done a solid job. Though the second half could have benefited from a few changes, this is once again a solid effort.

Above I have provided an explanation of why this film won't be the cup of tea of many in India, but instead to Asians living in the west and fans of off-beat cinema. Now let's focus on the positives and negatives.

Of course, as with any review, it is necessary to provide an account of the performances of the cast. Saif Ali Khan is extraordinarily natural in this role. No other actor in India could have fulfilled this part to a level anywhere near his. The film marks a solid start to Diana Penty's career in Hindi films, who is consistent throughout. Deepika Padukone has given her best performance to date. She has been set the task of fulfilling a very difficult role and she throws absolutely everything at it. Kudos. Boman Irani is very good (and funny!) throughout. Special mention to Dimple Kapadia who is effortlessly entertaining as the Desi mum. She is part of of one of the most hilarious scenes in the film, shot on a beach in Cape Town, South Africa. Randeep Hooda gets an opportunity to shine with his brief appearances but he has once again grabbed it with both hands.

The film has been shot in London, New Delhi and Cape Town. As such, the cinematography, is amazing. Credit to the D.O.P, Anil Mehta, who has captured the beautiful views of Cape Town and the chaotic and unpredictable nature of life in London very successfully.

The soundtrack is one of the best of the year, and is entirely appropriate given the film's title. It's a rich mix of different flavours that packs a punch. The chart buster 'tumhi ho bandhu' is beautifully picturised. The other tracks are pretty amazing too.

A negative is the second half as previously mentioned, leading to the climax, which could have benefited from a greater insight into emotions. I suppose you could also argue that the climax itself is not quite sufficient for all that's gone before.

Overall, this is one of the best films of 2012 so far, regardless of the flaws. The main plus points are the performances, a great soundtrack,amazing cinematography and refreshing dialogues. This is a film for you if you, like me, encourage further exploration of genres new to Indian cinema, but also want to enjoy a film at the same time. Go for it!

8/10.

First fool around as much as you can and then settle down for a nice girl. How many times do we have to watch this? There is nothing good Cocktail really offers. I do not even need to give summary of the story. Everything we already watched before. Plus, the ending is way too predictable. Saif is in his same boring role of a player. He was once quite good at playing this character, but now there is something wrong with his face. Sure he looks old. There is nothing wrong with this. Only thing is that his face now has some kind of wildness and that makes him perfect for darker roles.

The second most irritating character was Deepika's. Yes, she is a party girl and personally she did well at portraying it. But the director went overboard with it. Sometimes I felt as if she went to clubs just because it was her real job and for dancing and drinking she got paid hourly. There was also less development in her role. We only get to hear the reason behind her wild lifestyle, but get to see nothing of it. The savior in the film is the new girl, Diana Penty. She is sweet, cute and innocent. More of Dimple was necessary. Unfortunately, she is only minute's guest.

I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. It's simply because it has nothing unique.

This film lacks freshness, and it's a huge step down for director Adajania, who made a promising debut with Being Cyrus. I wonder what can explain the shift from a slick film noir to this romantic love triangle. Now don't get me wrong, the film is enjoyable, it's young, and its story, though nothing original and actually very derivative, flows quite well. Saif Ali Khan is miscast in a role he's done plenty before. He's obviously good being the natural actor that he is, but it's nothing special. Debutant Diana Penty is also pretty cute and effective. Dimple Kapadia makes a short appearance here as Saif's loud mother in a role that was often played by Kirron Kher at that time. She is obviously excellent. But the one who puts her heart and soul into this enjoyable but stale story is Deepika Padukone, who gives the film its dramatic energy and does enough to make for a good watch with a moving performance. She is the main asset of this watchable but ordinary fare.

COCKTAIL as the name suggests is a perfect example of the chaotic formula usually followed in our Hindi Films. Chaotic, because they often make a mess out of a film which in reality could have been a great entertainer for all the young at heart. In fact it has now become a routine to see new big banner films with a great star-cast, starting off brilliantly in their first half and then crashing down miserably in the second as if the makers had lost their interest in its making.

Unfortunately COCKTAIL also falls in the same category of films which successfully manage to impress the viewer before the intermission but then suddenly become tough to handle in their second half since they have nothing new to offer in terms of content or storyline. Now in case of COCKTAIL, no doubt the viewer already knew that its going to be the same love triangle as visible in its promos but still the treatment looked fresh and interesting with some good songs. So the excitement level was there which really gets served well in its first 90 minutes.

But then what happens to the entire narration, writing, direction and acting in its later reels forces you to think that, "If the viewers can see this huge negative difference in the two halves of a movie then why the writers cannot see the same while writing it or why the director cannot see it while directing it or why the actors cannot see it while enacting it or why the consultants cannot report the same while watching the rushes of the movie while its being shot?"

Putting it differently, COCKTAIL is quite similar to the pouring of beer which excites you well with its energetic sound, bubbles and smell while its filling up the glass. But if you keep the same beer for a while then it just becomes useless losing all its charm, energy & taste representing the second half of the movie. Such is a contrast in its two halves that it further raises two questions that Whether there happened to be any problem in its making leading to this mess and Whether this was the exact movie, director wished to make in his mind or not?

Personally, I enjoyed watching both its performances and the treatment given to its predictable storyline before the intermission. But post that, the same narration turns so routine that it becomes really hard to even bear it for another hour or so. Also the writers remain pretty confused about how to portray their characters on the screen in moral terms. For instance, I kept thinking that How they really wanted to show Deepika's character as? Was she a drug addict, a freedom loving person believing in free sex (sleeping with everyone) or just believed in being available?….Who was she as a person really? In the similar manner, the script is also never interested in talking about the character of Randeep Hooda, in the role of a cunning husband.

In the music department, though the songs sound great as a soundtrack but they do hinder the pace of the movie adding to its extra length. Pritam also borrows two hit Punjabi tracks from Pakistan's Arif Lohar (Jugni -Coke Studio fame) and Punjab's Honey Singh-Gippy Grewal (Angrezi Beat), may be since he is now working with Honey in his future projects too (probably RACE 2). Background music by Salim Suleman is cool working well in its romantic scenes and Cinematography surely adds to the exciting look of the movie in great terms. But writing about the technical aspects of the film would remain incomplete here if I do not mention the styling or fashion part of the movie deserving full marks for its appealing outfits.

Performance wise COCKTAIL is unarguably a Ladies film from start to finish withDeepika taking a small lead from Diana due to her bindas portrayal and skin show. She looks sizzling hot, comes straight out of her shell and delivers the best performance of her career till date. Diana Penty as the calm girl supporting Deepika, makes a highly impressive debut which is sure going to be noticed by the Industry. She really looks beautiful & elegant in all the Indian outfits and brings a special kind of innocence to his character deserving praises. Dimple Kapadia is truly lovable as Saif's mother and one enjoys her scenes a lot in particular.

Talking about men, the film has a half hearted kind of performance by one of its producers, Saif Ali Khan. May be because he has done these kind of flirting roles many times before which have now lost the pull. Though Saif is not bad but he really is not there in his full spirits. Boman Irani shines in his few scenes and Randeep Hooda is treated like a forgotten character by the writers.

As a director, Homi Adajania who earlier gave us BEING CYRUS is in his full form in the first half of the film. But what actually happened in the second?....is a question which only he can answer the best. COCKTAIL does have traces of Woody Allen's VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA in its initial reels but then it quickly falls off from the height and gets into the same old routine Indian emotional plot of a love triangle and its sacrifice.

In short, the film can easily be compared to a COCKTAIL party in which you are first served with an imported Gin and then later on the bar- tenders start pouring some Desi Daru into your glasses openly. On a serious note, its really sad that they really ruined a potential sparkling film just like that.