bhatia-apurv

Ritesh Batra's timeless classic tale of a 'dabba' delivery gone wrong is one that hits all the right notes. Irrfan steals the show as the Sarkari baabu Saajan Fernandes who goes about with the scheme of things every single day in the usual monotonous fashion ,Nimrat Kaur is a delight, she s graceful ,sultry ,sensual & still has that feel of vulnerability in her portrayal of Ila, superb debut ! Put Nawaazuddin and Irrfan in the same frame and you just watch in awe with a tingling of smile on your face as the exemplary jodi showcase some great chemistry and jugalbandi. Lunchbox s a fine ,sumptuous delicacy,garnished with just the right blend of emotions ,with a curry so rich and texture smooth that you would be left craving for more as you leave the cinema hall. It was a project that was in doldrums and had the likes of UTV and KJo not backed it,might never have seen the release it truly deserved. The Lunchbox,is in a different league altogether ! One that would be etched in memories for times immemorial.

Sharply edited with a reel length of just over a 100 odd minutes, this is one flick you just should not miss or else even if you do ,jot it down in things to do before you die - your 'bucket list.:)

>> D-Day :: He has had failed starts in the past with Chandni Chowk TO China ,Patiala House and Salaam-e-Ishq, received redemption with Delhi Safari and has finally come to terms with the 'D-Day'. Yes, this one's a Nikhil Advani baby. The flick starts with a huntdown - Operation Goldman to bring home the Most Wanted Man on India'a wishlist, scampers off to the protagonists' past and the emotional turmoils each of em go through. Irrfan's a guy torn b/w family , the risks of business , Rampal (one of the best of the lot ! a better performance than his Rock On outing and a marked improvement from the days of 'Asambhav') is a tough,level headed ex army men fighting with the ghosts within. Huma's calm and composed in her role, Shruti Hasan s adorable. Its unfortunate ,but I found Rishi Kapoor -the 'bhai' miscast and ludicrously laughable at times and was more so undone by the stretched climax of the movie and the flaws that ranged from him being all tidy and well suited even as a car with huge amount of explosives burst right next to him, yes even the shades were intact.. Lol !! :-P . The best act (apart from Rampal offcourse!) comes from Chandan Roy Sanyal , playing Goldman's nephew here. Long,messed up hair,like those of a reggae lover and an evil guy you love to hate, rightfully deserved those whistles you would hear from the crowd when he gets his fateful end, starts from where he ended in Kaminey. As for Kapoor ,who fails otherwise but delivers one of the last dialogues of the movie which save the finale potholes for Advani. The portrayal of the Prime Minister who is constantly given instructions on the phone by somebody referred to merely as "Madam" is a nice caricature :) Am going with a 3* outta 5 for D-Day, its well researched and at a decent run time for just over 2.5 hrs , D-Day is a pretty watchable ...But it has its share of crests and troughs and those last 20 minutes or so, where Advani goofs up pulling a Zero Dark Thirty sequence, for that extra ounce of Patriotism hit I guess are the ones that stops it from being more than just an 'okayish- good' flick.

MKBKM :: The latest gem from Vishal Bharadhwaj is a treat that leaves a 'delicious' taste long after you have left the theatre , its eccentricities , idiosyncrasies and the weird ass comical concoctions are the ones to savor for. Pankaj Kapur lords over everyone else and is very aptly supported by the scheming Shabana Azmi and the vivacious Anushka . Imran is okayish , Arya Babbar's a surprise ! :-) For those who loved Ishqiya, Shaitaan , Ata Pata Laapata and even GOW for that matter might like it, the movie aptly lends a couple of social messages too in its reel length of 150 minutes. Watch out for :: A drunk jet flight , Operation Mao-Mao, Azmi's monologue on corruption and a tipsy Anushka :-)

P.S :: Welcome, the first hit of the year ! A 'Bhains' is just about to grunt, a 'Gulaabi bhains' to be precise ;-) ~~3.5*