Source Code Review... Rating 4/5 ... MUST WATCH

Source Code
    
Director: Duncan Jones
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga, Michelle Monaghan and Jeffrey Wright
Release Date: 2011-04-29 00:00:00
Quick Take: Twisted sci-fi that is thoroughly entertaining
If you thought Inception was intelligent, The Matrix path-breaking, Pi intellectually stimulating or Groundhog Day thoroughly entertaining, chances are you’ll end up liking Source Code. The film is as unique in its concept as any of the above mentioned films and, most importantly, it affects you enough to make you think, discuss and talk about the possibilities of its premise long after you walk out of the screening.
The plot of the film is classic sci-fi mumbo jumbo, the kind that gives average students attending a physics class a serious sense of disbelief. Soldier Colter Stevens wakes up inside the body of an unknown man, he’s on a train, his companion is attractive and there’s a bomb on the train too. Before you think this is Fritz Lang meets Alfred Hitchcock, think again. It becomes a Run Lola Run. As the plot thickens, several new layers are added to the story, several new doubts are added to the explanations and it all complicates into one messy test of the average moviegoer’s perception and intellect.
The film uses complex physics theorems like alternate time lines, alternate realities, parallel universes and dimensions and gives you a new world where all these theories blend together to give you blow-your-mind kind of abilities. With each passing second, as Jake Gyllenhaal copes with temporary loss of memory to discover new aspects of his reality, the viewer is fed pieces of the plot that he can add to his jigsaw puzzle to make more sense of the film.
And while the complex narrative engages your brain cells, the piercing background score isolates your senses. The film has fantastic editing and within the 90-odd minutes of its runtime the film squeezes in a lot of information. The best way to watch Source Code will perhaps be to watch it at a stretch.
This is a one man performance and Jake’s energy and range of emotions drive the film. Vera Farmiga and Michelle Monaghan do well with their supporting parts too.
Just in the end, the film takes a turn that warrants suspension of disbelief. All the reasoning and logic makes way for an illogical turn of events. It’s like love and hope triumph over science and logic. Some of it makes sense and some of it doesn’t. And because the movie leaves room for speculation, it urges the viewer to think about the climax and come up with reasons to believe or condone it. Source Code it not an instant classic nor is it the most original piece of cinema ever made. But it has all the trappings of a sci-fi film that make for good entertainment.

THOR is undoubtedly entertaining... Review Rating 3.5/5

THOR Review:

THOR is undoubtedly entertaining. The tale of a hammer wielding god of thunder is a fun filled ride that is solely made to entertain its audience, mostly those under mid 20's.
Based on Marvel comic book's character by the same name, THOR is a good one time watch especially for its CGI fight scenes. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, the epic adventure spans from present day Earth to the mystical realm of Asgard.
Odin (Hopkins), King of Asgard wages a war against the huge Frost Giants who possess the power of freezing anything to ice. The giants start converting the universe to ice by freezing and killing every living being they witness in order to solely gain control over the nine realms including earth. Odin wages a war against the giants to protect the world and wins it. He captures their power and keeps it in his custody. Years pass and the day Odin decides to crown his mighty son THOR, as the new king of Asgard, the giants manage to barge into the secret chambers of the king to get back their power thus enraging the short tempered prince THOR.
THOR secretly attacks the giants to wipe off their race, much against the wishes of his father. THOR's reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Odin punishes his son's deviant behaviour by banishing him to earth. Odin expects THOR to realize some day what it takes to become a true king.
Though visually entertaining, plot wise, THOR is highly clichéd and dated which is why this superhero does not leave the kind of impact you would ideally expect from it.
THOR is more of a fantasy filled fun fairytale than an intense sci-fi thriller based on an ancient mythology as it had touted to be. In fact the light hearted treatment given to THOR will remind you a lot of Disney's Amy Adams starrer Enchanted.
You encounter many loopholes too. THOR's shift from Asgard to earth looks rather comfortable as the God of Thunder manages to get along with humans a bit too conveniently. He even lands up on earth in jeans and Tee, unlike his other friends from Asgard who come to earth in their warrior outfits! On earth, THOR even goes to a local pub, drinks beer and falls in love with a scientist ( Natalie Portman) like any other American cheesy romcom!
The script's twists are too little and way too predictable for you to feel for the central character or his change of ways.
Anthony Hopkins is convincing as usual. Portman has barely anything to do. Aussie Chris Hemsworth as the blonde well built 'THOR' looks and plays his part well.
For a light hearted superhero film, THOR is a good one time watch. Don't expect anything new though.

I AM Movie Review: 3.5 / 5

I AM Movie Review: 3.5 / 5

I AM movie is made based on cultural differences, city life in India, child abuse and harassment, gay's life in the country, relationships, life, moral values and suffering of people due to the society and system. Director Onir had taken many stars for this film. Let's see how this movie goes.

Story: Afia (Nandita Das), who wants to become a mother and searches for a sperm donor, she meets a yound medical student (Purab Kohli). Both becomes very close in a short time, how Afia asks Purab to do need ful to her, will she break the traditions, culture and ristrictions.

Megha (Juhi Chawla) a Kashmiri Pandit goes on a short trip to Srinagar, where she faces fights, war, communal attacks. Megha faces a hard time, she is not quite let go of her uprooted past. Megha had a friend Rubina (Manisha Koirala) who represents other side of the coin – other religion.

Abhimanyu, a director haunted by his childhood memories, Abhimayu was sexually abused by this step father (Anurag Kashyap) for 11 years, always feels himself victim for a criminal minded fellow. He always wants to share his worries and problems with his mother (Shernaz Patel) but unable to.

Every story progresses into an ascending degree of intensity. The final one involves the hostile attitude faced by homosexuals in the country. Here, a well-to-do corporate guy (Rahul Bose) becomes bait to a sex hustler (Arjun Mathur) and sadistic cop (Abhimanyu Singh) looking to make a quick buck and more. Etc forms the story.

Director Onir had come up with a strong script, he worked much on various issues in society. His attempt on these sensitive plots was good. He done his ground work brilliantly, for making a film on sexual abuse, cultural issues and sexualities was taking risk. This kind of films not easily connects with audience, I AM is an adult movie, only few genres of audience connects with this movie. On a whole I'm going with 3.5 out of 5.

Bottom Line: A Brilliant Attempt on Issues in Society.

Nenu Naa Rakshasi Review

Nenu Naa Rakshasi
Starring: Rana, Ileana, Subba Raju, Ali, Abhimanyu Singh and others
Director: Puri Jagannath
Music: Vishwa and Rehman
Director Puri Jagannath has been struggling to register a hit for some time now. This time he close to make a film on the subject of suicides. Let us see how far Puri has succeeded in his attempt to come up with a winner.
Story:
Meenakshi (Ileana) works in a coffee shop. She has a secret life and this is revealed as the film progress.
Abhimanyu (Rana) is a professional killer. Why he has turned into a professional killer is revealed in a flashback. Nagineedu’s son Abhi wants Rana, an amateur shooter to kill a politican. As Rana’s father refuses to allow his son to do this, he is killed. Rana’s mother too is shot by Abhimanyu Singh, son of Nagineeedu. However, she does not die but goes into a coma. 
Rana turns into a professional killer in order to pay for the medical expenses of his mother. Rana’s mother dies after three years without ever coming out of coma.
Meenakshi wants to die as she is has no faith in men and love. Her twin sister is forced to commit suicide after her lover ditches her. Meenakshi’s father dies of a heart attack unable to bar the insult of his daughter being branded a prostitute by her very lover.
Abhi falls in love wih Meenakshi at first sight. She however does not reciprocate his love. Meenakshi is involved in a shady operation. She shoots people who are commiting suicd and then uploads the video on YouTube.
All those who want to commit suicide contact her and ask her to shoot them committing suicide and upload it on YouTube. The police are on the lookout for the person who is doing all this.
Abhi also tries to commit suicide as his mother has dies after being in coma for three years. He gets in touch with the person who shoots this on her video camera. Abhi stabs himself while the woman is capturing the act on video. Abhi is shocked to learn that she is none other than Meenakshi.
Now Abhi does not want to die and he begs her to rush him to a hospital. She refuses initially saying that her job is only to shot him while he is dying and not to save him. She however informs the ambulance and Abhi is saved.
The bad guy Abhimanyu Singh is now after Abhi as he has killed his brother and his father. Meenakshi is on the run from the police as they are out to arrest her for shooting and uploading suicide videos on the net.
Abhi and Meenakshi go to Venice in order to escape from the police and the rowdy respectively. Meenakshi sets a 15-day deadline to Abhi saying that she will commit suicide on the 16th day.
Abhi contnes to profess his love to her but she does not relent on her decision to commit suicide. The rest of the film is whether she commits suicide or she changes her mind and they both live together happily.
Performance:
Rana comes up with a good performance. He is quite convincing in his role as a professional killer. He however has to improve his acting skills as he manages the film with just a few expressions.
Ileana is her usual self. Filling the role of glamour heroine. She does as per the demand of the script.
Subba Raju is neat as a police officer. Abhimanyu Singh is perfect for the role of a cruel gangster. Kota appears briefly in a guest role. Ali tries some comedy with Mumaith but it is not very funny. Mumaith has done an item song in the film but it is not in the same class that she is so well known for.
Analysis:
Puri Jagannath has chosen a very big and complex subject – sucide for his film. He tries to analyze why people commit suicide and what is the factor that drives them. He gives some examples. However, Puri dilutes the serious subject with some unnecessary side tracks.
The comedy borders on vulgarity. There are many dialogues in the film that are vulgar. The explicitly adult theme and content and the slow pace of narration minus some badly needed entertainment makes the film a bit difficult to sit rhrough.
Verdict:
Nenu Naa Rakshashi has a very limited appeal. The film is a strict no, no for women and family audiences. Even the multiplex audience may not fully understand or enjoy the film. The film has too much vulgarity for audiences and even teenagers may not appreciate the film fully. The fate of the film now rests fully on the 18-22 audience.

Rating: 2/5

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Shor In The City Review

A major chunk of the film industry is under the misapprehension that when a film makes it to the festival circuit, it holds zilch prospects at the box-office. It isn't for the aam aadmi; these films are sans entertainment. Tags such as offbeat and unusual are attached to it, even before the audience can give its mandate. But the perception has gradually changed with time, with more and more people getting cinema literate. These films have been successful in striking a chord with the festival crowd as well as passionate moviegoers. Most importantly, these films have quashed the notion that they aren't commercially viable.

SHOR IN THE CITY, which won tremendous acclaim at various international festivals, takes this legacy forward. Like some striking films in the past, this one has the power to mesmerize and fascinate the festival crowd as well as those looking for an intelligent film while planning a trip to cineplexes. Yet, it is not one of those regular entertainers that we churn out with amazing regularity and which insult the intelligence of the viewer.

Get ready for a film that keeps you on the edge, but at the same time is one helluva entertaining film. As a film, SHOR IN THE CITY absorbs you into its world in no time. It is slick, has a lot of nervous energy and also has its share of fun moments. This one actually stands out in the crowd due to its unconventional plotline as well as execution.
SHOR IN THE CITY revolves around three stories in the midst of the noise and grunge of Mumbai. It has the gangster backdrop [but that doesn't make it dark and depressing] as well as the thriller quotient that keeps you on the edge. The three stories run concurrently - the characters are not connected with each other, they don't cross paths and nor is the film episodic. It's not like watching one character/story first, followed by the second and then the third. Nope, not at all! And there lies the beauty, for the characters never meet till the very conclusion, but there's a commonality or cohesion that can't be disregarded.

Does SHOR IN THE CITY bear an uncanny resemblance to the British black comedy FOUR LIONS? That's a misconception again, for FOUR LIONS was about four jehadis, while this one has a brand new story to tell.
SHOR IN THE CITY revolves around three loosely interconnected stories set in the midst of the noise and soot of Mumbai during Ganeshotsav festival. Abhay [Sendhil Ramamurthy], an outsider, is forced to come to terms with the fact that he is alone in an unwelcoming city, which he thought was home.

Tilak [Tusshar Kapoor] is an honest bootlegger who pulls scams with his unruly buddies Ramesh [Nikhil Dwivedi] and Mandook [Pitobash]. They chance upon a rare loot on a local train, which opens up new, dangerous avenues for them.

Young Sawan [Sundeep Kishan] has one goal, and more importantly, the only option - to get into the Mumbai Junior Cricket team. In a city where corruption is a way of life, the goal comes at a price - he needs to find the money first.

Directors Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. deserve brownie points for their choice of the subject and most importantly, for handling it with aplomb. Though the situations are simple and the tone serious, the film offers laughs in decent doses.

Besides the skilful direction, the film is embellished with a taut screenplay [Raj Nidimoru, Krishna D.K., Sita Menon] that leads to an explosive, stunning, nail-biting finale. In fact, the penultimate moments are pure dynamite and any misgivings or shortcomings you may've had vis-à-vis the pace of the film vanishes into thin air when you watch the finale explode right in front of your eyes. Besides a watertight screenplay, the film is embellished with exceptional cinematography that's just hard to overlook [Tushar Kanti Ray] and some truly wonderful dialogue. Although there's not much scope for music [Sachin-Jigar], 'Saibo' and 'Karma Is A Bitch' do catch your attention - the former due to the soothing melody, the latter due to its infectious tune.

SHOR IN THE CITY belongs to the men, while the women [Radhika Apte, Preeti Desai and Girija Oak] take a backseat. Radhika [RAKHT CHARITRA, I AM] is a natural, while Preeti has good screen presence. Girija does a fine job. As for the men, Tusshar, Sendhil, Nikhil, Pitobash and Sundeep - each one shines in their respective parts.

Tusshar's character in SHOR IN THE CITY is a stark contrast to the characters he has portrayed in the GOLMAAL series. He displays a humane side that's sure to win hearts. Pitobash is simply outstanding and without doubt, the discovery of the season. His performance is bound to be talked about. Sendhil is efficient, displaying helplessness and anger with remarkable ease, while Nikhil is striking, especially towards the second hour. Note the sequence in the end, after the bank robbery goes wrong. He’s electrifying! Sundeep is first-rate, who, like Sendhil, displays vulnerability with natural ease. Amit Mistry is remarkable. Zakir Hussain is excellent.

On the whole, SHOR IN THE CITY belongs to one of those rare categories of movies with sensibilities that would not only entice the festival crowd and the cinema literate, but also lure the ardent moviegoer. Although it is not your standard Bollywood entertainer and nor does it have your customary flippant and frivolous humor, it prides itself on a certain distinctive Indian appeal with elements of adventure, thrill and drama with its understated and minimalist humor which makes it stand out in the crowd. I robustly recommend, try not to miss this one!
Rating: 3.5/5

Dum Maro Dum Review Rating 3/5

                                                                                                                                                           

Director: Rohan Sippy
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, Pratik Babbar and Rana Daggubatti
Release Date: 2011-04-22 00:00:00
Quick Take: Movie mein hai dum

The opening montage of Dum Maro Dum shows you a Goa that you wouldn’t recognise. It’s sharp and edgy and sets the tone for the film. If you say a film doesn’t fall far from the title then you wouldn’t be wrong in guessing that Dum Maaro Dum definitely has a lot to do with drugs. Drugs mean power. Drugs also mean the wrong use of power. And it’s crucial in whose hands that power lies. Goa meri jaan, jannat ki shaan says the opening voice over. Only, this heaven’s infested with the scums of the earth who peddle drugs and traffic them.

Inspector Kamath wants to clean up this sewer. Only it’s not so easy. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing and the system is so deeply infected that only unorthodox methods will help. 

So Lori (Pratik Babbar) is arrested for being a carrier. The poor boy was only trying to fund his scholarship abroad so he could untie with the love of his life but a mix of sex, alcohol and bad judgment leads him to a bad decision. Joki (Rana Daggubatti), a singer, vouches for his innocence but has no way of proving it. Inspector Kamath won’t believe him either. And then there is the menacing drug lord Lorsa Biscuta who loves to play good Samaritan in public. And troubled damsel always in distress Zoe (Bipasha Basu) has to grapple with too many inner demons not to mention an outer one in the form of Lorsa.

DMD has a taut narrative that doesn’t flail till post interval. It keeps you engrossed through an imaginative blend of some stupendous background music, animated cinematography and simple effective storytelling. The characters are introduced with clarity and soon you get a very clear picture of what’s going with whom. DMD also has strong relationship threads running through it and each character does what he does because he has an intensely personal motive. Plus there is enough suspense and action to keep you hooked.

Rohan Sippy has given sunny Goa a sepia toned grainy texture and you seriously begin to wonder if this is the same place you go to, to leave the world beyond.

As for the performances Abhishek does an earnest and impressive job. Rana Dagubatti sure has an impressive screen presence but we must wait to find out if that dead pan expression is restricted only to this film. Here it works completely in his favour. Pratik looks dazed and confused and again this is totally what the role demands of him. Yet the boy has such an endearing quality about him and you don’t want to take your eyes off him when he is on screen. Bipasha looks suitably traumatised.

As far as gritty thrillers go DMD scores high. Give it a shot. If you can manage to not wince through that horrible remix where the only saving grace is a hot Deepika Padukone. There’s enough dum here to give you a movie high.

NTR’s Wedding Card

NTR, Jr. always talks about his grand parents Late NTR and Basavatarakam. Especially, he has great memories with the late NTR in his childhood. This deep bond with taatayya reflected in his wedding card too. The wedding invitation is designed like a book and it starts with the photos of his great-grandparents and then follows the photo of Late NTR and Basavatarakam with the invitational text in Telugu. Followed is text in English with the names of entire Nandamuri clan.

NTR is getting married to Lakshmi Pranathi on May 6th at HITEX in Hyderbad. NTR has invited to all the celebrities, technicians from Tollywood and has sent invitations to his friends in Kollywood and Bollywood.

Ntr's Oosaravelli First Look

Shankar's Nanban remake of 3 Idiots ... First Look

Teenmaar Review 2 .. Simple & Sweet Love Stories

                                     
Director : Jayanth C Paranji
Producer : Ganesh Babu
Music Director : Mani Sharma
Starring : Pawan Kalyan, Trisha, Kruthi Kharbanda others...


The complexity of urban relationships in modern times, especially of that of a boy and a girl, is difficult to talk about. On the outside they are extremely simple, and their problems could come across as laughable. But all one needs to do is look around, and each one of us will be in one such relationship. Things weren’t as complex, say a generation ago. Pawan Kalyan’s Teenmaar tries to compare two such love stories, of different times, without being too judgmental on either situations and does manage to be quite convincing.


 What’s it about : In Cape Town (South Africa), Michael Velayudham (Pawan Kalyan) leads almost a playboyish life. He is an MBA graduate, works as a Chef in an Italian Restaurant, and would leave it only if he gets to work in Wall Street! Here he meets Meera (Trisha), an art restorer and who is as modern as Mike. Sparks fly, they spend some time together, and when Meera wants to go back to India, they break quite amicably, even though both cannot deny that there is ‘great connection’ between them. Seeing them celebrate their ‘break up’ Senapathy (Paresh Rawal) tells Mike a love story of his generation that features Arjun Palwai (also Pawan Kalyan) and Vasumathi (Kriti Karbanda). Arjun’s old fashioned love story – having silent looks, almost no talks and complete devotion inspite of this – is quite amusing for Mike. However, Arjun’s story slowly starts playing havoc with Mike as he comes to know that Meera is not just seeing another man, but also is all set to marry him! Together both these love stories tell us how times have changed but love seems to break social barriers, no matter how stigmatic they seem.
                      
What is Good : Pawan Kalyan is terrific in both his roles. As the urban class playboy who can’t stop hugging girls, he is bubbling with loads and loads of positive energy and charishma. He sheds his general shyness and doesn’t mind being the one and only man amidst bikini clad girls on a beach. As the forthright Arjun of seventies, he is dynamic and stern. Trisha carries her role with élan. The girl definitely has hit a purple spot in her career as she seems to select her films, both in Tamil and Telugu with special care.

Paresh Rawal gives a restrained performance and so does Sonu Sood in his very small role. Ali’s role may seem minor in the scheme of things, but plays a very vital role of explaining a lot of things to audiences, though in the garb of humor. Inspite of having these amazing actors, what catches you off guard is the way conversations have been written and staged. But more about it later!


What is bad: The movie takes it takes its own sweet time to come to it core story, even though we have a narrator telling the story. The movie takes all of Pawan Kalyan’s class act to ensure that Trisha’s character graph doesn’t dip. However, even Pawan’s energy is not enough for us to notice that Kriti Karbanda’s make up could have been done better. Infact few scenes seem to have been overdone, few only added to cater to the star’s image, while few others leave gaps that need the audiences to understand them. However, on the whole, the key scenes towards the climax have been done with utmost care, with everything working in the film’s favor.
                    
Technical Departments : Trivikram’s ‘conversations’ lives upto all their hype. He easily blends in strong reasoning with his own style of comedy; and with Pawan Kalyan’s act the conversations make full impact. Simply put, Trivikram’s words are the soul of the film. He should also be appreciated for etching a strong girl character, unlike his previous film heroines. Jayanan Vincent’s camera work plays an important role in the screenplay. Both the different periods in the film have been given unique textures, and with some neatly done editing, Teenmaaris a treat to watch. Songs have been done neatly, and after some gap, Mani Sharma’s songs are as good as his re-recording. Jayanth Paranji, may not be amongst the best directors of today’s Telugu Cinema, but he manages to make both these 'simpe-sweet'love stories work towards their happy endings.

Final Point : The urban Indian girl suffers more brickbats than her other counterparts, trying to fit in with modern times and maintain the classical Indian traditions. It seems only a section of people understand her and unfortunately they all are called ‘class types’. The success of this entire film depends on how Trisha’s character is received by the audiences. That said, because it’s a remake of a Hindi film Love Aaj Kal, Teenmaar had enough scope and time to make this character even more convincing to not just those ‘class types’. Guess we need more time, but Teenmaar is a movie in the right direction, with right amount of drama, comedy and romance. Watch it and don’t forget to take your partner along too!

Teenmaar Review Rating 3.5/5

Director : Jayanth C Paranji
Producer : Ganesh Babu
Music Director : Mani Sharma
Starring : Pawan Kalyan, Trisha, Kruthi Kharbanda others...

After the disastrous “Komaran Puli”, Power Star Pawan Kalyan quickly returns to the silver screen with “TeenMaar”. With this remake of the superhit Saif Ali Khan – Deepika Padukone starrer “Love Aaj Kal”, Pawan Kalyan very wisely decides to come back to tried & tested loverboy role which gave him many blockbusters earlier.
                                 

 What’s it about : TeenMaar very simply starts off with Michael (Pawan Kalyan) meeting Meera (Trisha) at a Cape Town disco resulting in them going around but never formally declaring their love for each other. After a year of this casual relationship, Meera decides to go to India to pursue her career and so they amicably decide to split since they are not confident of maintaining the relationship. Staying in touch as good friends, Meera and Michael struggle to understand their feelings for each other and continue to deny the existence of a strong bond between them. At this juncture, Senapathi (Paresh Rawal) comes into the scene as Michael’s friend who starts narrating about Arjun’s ( Pawan Kalyan) love story with Vasumathi (Kriti) that happened 30 years back. Complicating the present day love story is the fact that both Michael and Meera have moved ahead with their new relationships. The rest of the movie is about how the two love stories unfold with their own set of value systems and contrasts.
                    
What is Good : TeenMaar scores fairly well in terms of the entertainment and emotional quotient thanks to some fine performances, direction and superb dialogues and music. Pawan literally carries the film thanks to his double role that ensures he is there in every scene. His easy-going and confused Michael very effectively contrasts from his characterization of the intense and focused Arjun. Trisha backs him with a balanced performance as the complex Meera who wants and tries to move ahead but keeps doubting her own intentions. She looks gorgeous as the modern girl and her styling is extremely well done. Kriti and Paresh Rawal are adequate in their supporting roles. Director Jayanth maintains the pace of the movie while his biggest support comes in through the Trvikram’s dialogues. Trivikram captures the essence of the movie through the casual conversations that occur constantly between the leads without getting melodramatic. Music by Mani Sharma is another plus point thanks to the catchy numbers. The art and cinematography departments make sure that the modern and retro locations stand out.

              
What is bad: The pace in the second half gets impacted due to the need to play up to Pawan’s star image resulting in a couple of fight scenes and a song. The fight scenes look completely forced into the script to ensure that the power star’s fans are satisfied. The movie also shifts from Cape Town to New York for no strong reason except for a need to have more international locales. Sonu Sood, Mukesh Rishi and Tanikella Bharani are wasted in a inconsequential roles.
                  
Me Thinks: The concept of an urbane, contemporary love story with its challenges of commitment phobia and the resultant mixed signals are very well captured. The movie will definitely do well amongst the city/multiplex audiences while not really making any impact in the B and C centers.

Double-digit pay hikes for techies this year

The salary increment season has just started. And techies have something to look forward to. In contrast to the salary cuts and the single-digit hikes during the slowdown years, increments this year are expected to be in double digits for most.

The surge in demand for IT globally and rising customer confidence have substantially increased the demand for people. A quick check done by TOI found that average increments would be in the 12% to 15% range. People in specialized areas, like the product space, are expected to get up to 20% or more.

Fresher salaries/stipends are already up by 10% to 15% compared to last year. Hires from premier educational institutions have seen 15% to 20% increases this year. Recruiters say the country's top tech firms - TCS, Wipro, Infosys, HCL and Cognizant - are considering a 10% to 15% average hike this year. A senior official at Infosys said the company is looking at a pay hike in June and that it should be in the range of 10% to 12%.

Wipro has just started its appraisal process. An e-mail to employees on Wednesday said the process would be completed by May. Increments are expected to be announced in June-July, and will be effective June 1. Sources in the company said increments would be in the 12-15% range, against 8-12% last year.
                                    
C Mahalingam, senior V-P and HR head in Symphony Services, said the situation had improved significantly for IT companies. "Markets are warming up. Customer rates are improving. There is also tension in the talent demand-supply scenario. All these will have a positive impact on increments this year,'' he said.

Roy Joseph, head of HR in the technology product development and sourcing of Mahindra & Mahindra, said that with the economy rebounding quicker that expected, there is additional pressure on retaining the best talent. "There is limited supply of quality talent. That means a scramble for good people. Ultimately, what prompts good talent to remain where they are is the remuneration.''

Mahalingam said that people with 3-8 years of experience have become particularly hot property. That's because business has increased rapidly and has not given enough time for companies to train freshers to deal with these orders. However, increments will remain lower than what they were in the years immediately preceding the global recession. Companies are cautious about the global economic outlook, given the sluggish recoveries in western markets and the problems in Japan and West Asia. Salary hikes this year will reflect that caution. 

First Look: Allu Arjun as Badrinath

Allu Arjun is back. He comes as warrior now. In his forthcoming movie, Badrinath, the actor is playing the title role. Directed by V V Vinayak, the movie is produced by Allu Aravind. The film's first look was unveiled on the occasion of Ugadi.

"We are planning to release the movie in the second week of May and will release the audio soon. It is romantic action entertainer. It is not fantasy film as rumors are being circulated," producer Allu Aravind clarified.

It stars Tamanna as heroine and the script is by Chinnikrishna. Keeravani is providing the music. 

FALTU Movie Review

Ace Bollywood choreographer Remo D’Souza makes his debut as a director with the film ‘Faltu’, a romantic comedy produced by Vashu Bhagnani.

The film is based on the concept of youngistan, modern youth and their cool approach towards life. In the film, you could expect to see some amazing dance moves for an obvious reason of Remo being its director.

The word ‘faltu’ means complete waste in Hindi. The very name suggests that the movie is different from the usual comedy films. Apparently, the film cracks joke on our Indian education system. The movie is particularly releasing on the all fool’s day, 1st April 2011, to celebrate the funny quotient of the movie.

The story of the film revolves around a group of best friends, who are good at nothing and are permanently marked as failure by the education system. Arshard Warsi is the one with frog eyes, who has solutions to offer to everyone in their group, Chandan Ray Sanyal is the silliest of them all in the group, Jackky Bhagnani plays the funny bone, who loves to make fun of everyone, Riteish Deshmukh is the one with too much creativity to offer, Pooja Gupta is a freaky, non- marriage material girl, who is obsessed with listening to music whereas Angad Bedi is a dumbo, with a soft and sweet heart. The boys and the girl stay together and enjoy the life together. However, things change when they undergo a life changing experience.
                          
The satire on the educational system tries to highlight the message that students should not be forced to study by their parents. Instead they should be given the freedom to choose what they wish to do.

Movie carries a message for the modern age parents and kids in a funny and lighthearted way. A must watch this weekend. 

A word on ‘Faltu’ tracks, the music has already received a great response from the audience as its popular track ‘Char Baj Gaaye’ has been topping charts ever since it came on air. Sachin Jigar and Sameer are the music directors for the film’s music. In all, ‘Faltu’ is a fun film to watch this weekend.

Rating: Three Cheers to this one!

What is common between 1983 world cup final date and 2011

What is common between 1983 world cup final date and 2011?

say 1983. The eyes of every sports-lover in the country will go wide.  It was the year that Kapil and his men won the World Cup for India defeating the mighty West Indies and ended their supremacy in the shorter version of the game. 2011. There is enough chance for us to repeat the magic with Men In Blue led by MS Dhoni ready for the finals of the ICC World Cup Finals against the Lankan Lions.

What is common between 1983 and 2011. It's not just that World Cup was played and Indians entered the finals. But also the calender suggests that the days corresponding to the date are common between 1983 and 2011. Both the year starts on the same day. So many say that this commonality might have something to say with India cricket team. They opine that if India won the World Cup in 1983 cricket world cup final, they would do it this year too.

'It is pre-determined. Hopefully this would propel Indian team to win the coveted trophy. Sure the magic of 1983 would be recreated', says an avid cricket-fan. Another say, ' our boys would go ahead to conquer the final frontier and win the cup. Its Go India Go, conquer the world'.

Wankhade Stadium will be buzzing with activity on Saturday. fasten your seat belts and get ready for the action.

Game Review

                          
Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Kangna Ranaut, Sarah Jane Dias
Music: Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonca
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Director: Abhinay Deo


Abhishek Bachan who is well known for his cool, action and as well as serious kind of roles, is casted in the latest movie “Game”. The first impression upon hearing the movie name suggests that it is going to be yet another movie filled with action and drama. Abhishek Bachan (casted as Neil Malhotra) who owns a Casino / Club in Istanbul actually runs drugs.

Story:

The story begins with Anupam Kher (as Kabir Malhotra) who owns an Island on Greece and is a billionaire. He invites few people to his Island promising them fortune and helping them financially. The invitees includes characters like Boman Irani (as OP Ramsay) who is a politician from Thailand; Abhishek Bachan (as Neil Malhotra) a drug handler and Casino owner; Jimmy Shergill (as Vikram) who is an upcoming movie star. They all have something in common which Anupam Kher reveals in their first meeting. All of them have come across his 1st daughter Sarah Jane Dias (as Maya) in their lives at some point and Anupam Kher feels that they were the cause of his daughter’s sufferings at some or other way. Anupam Kher collects evidences against all three persons and forces them to confess their misdeeds.
                           
The story take twist with the murder of Anupam Kher and then these three persons are suspected for that. In the 2nd half of the movie we get to see that Abhishek Bachan goes after Boman Irani (or OP Ramsay) & Jimmy Shergill (or Vikram) and make them confess their crime. It appears that Abhishek is taking revenge of his beloved girl friends murder with Jimmy Shergill (as Vikram) and with Boman Irani (as OP Ramsay).

Critics:
                              
The overall movie holds audience till 1st half of the movie but it loses its grip in the 2nd half where the movies seems to go out of track for a while. There are not too many songs where the audience can take them back to their homes. Infact we can’t think of any song which is pleasing and one can catch up. The shoots taken are very good with the ambience background of the shots taken at good places.

The movie ends with a turning point where Kangna who is a cop and investigating officer of Anupam Kher’s murder will come to know the fact that Abhishek is actually a cop too. Both of them then work together to solve the murder mystery of Anupam Kher.
                                          
So watch out for the suspense and the way Abhishek Bachan solves the murder story in the end. Let us tune up and see, if the movie Game can make Abhishek win the game in Bollywood industry or not.

Rating: 2.5/5

Shakti Review

Title: Shakti Movie
Banner: Vyjayanthi Movies
Casting: Ileana, Jr NTR, Manjari, Sonu Sood
Music: Mani Sharma
Producer: Ashwini Dutt
Direction: Meher Ramesh


Shakti Telugu Movie Review: Aswini Dutt said that Shakti is the highest budget movie ever in Telugu. Jr. NTR stated that except him no one else can do this film. Meher Ramesh added that late NTR would be once again seen on screen in this film, such is the intensity of Rudra character, he told.

Well, after hearing such statements from the hero, producer and the director, anyone on earth would expect an earth shattering film. Shakti did shatter, not the earth but all the hopes and expectations. This is one of the poorly made high budget films in the past ten years. Read on Shakti Movie Review…

Story:
Egyptians (Sonu sood, Pooja Bedi) eyes Shakti Peethams in India to get their mummies back to life. However, they come to know that it is not an easy task to get that Shakti Trishoolam as it was guarded by Rudra (NTR Jr.). Sonu Sood dies in his hands when he tries to get that Trishoolam. His wife (Pooja Bedi) avenges her husband’s death and takes an oath to fulfill his desire. After 27 years, when the time arrives, she sends his men to get the Shakti Trishoolam. For that she has to kidnap Aishwarya (Ileana) who is born with the special powers of Shakti Matha. She is safeguarded by Shakti (NTR Jr.) and what happens next is the rest of the story.

Analysis:
Meher Ramesh seems to have a knack of picking the format of previous blockbusters and writing a new story in the same lines. His first film Kantri is a poor copy of Pokiri and it deservedly ended up as a flop. After making a below average film Billa, which is again a remake of Tamil hit, Meher is back in business.
                        
Now, he took a cue from the biggest blockbuster of Tollywood, Magadheera and has written a story based on Shakti Peethams. When Magadheera is still afresh in the minds of Tollywood audience, making a film on the same lines is a bad idea. And when crores of rupees are at stake it is even more disastrous.

Shakti opens on a dull note. The concept of involving Egyptians in to this story didn’t work at all. The film is set up in 1984 and 2011 where the people are civilized and the kingly rule was vanished. But the director deliberately ignored many logics and blindly told whatever he felt like. May be he might have thought that anything is possible in a socio fantasy flick. When he has involved politicians, police and also military into this it is no longer a fantasy film, especially when the director revealed the period of time that the story is running in.

Even after ignoring logical errors, Shakti seems unconvincing and meaningless due to the lackluster script. The narrative too weak that you lose focus on the happenings within no time. First half of the film is sheer time waste. Interval twist is borrowed from Pokiri again.
                
The flashback part involving Rudra character has to be the lifeline for this film. But sadly that has turned out to be the major disaster. Meher Ramesh directly lifted dialogs and happenings from Magadheera in this part. Even NTR’s getup and outfit resembles to that of Charan’s in it. When the director faltered at the crucial juncture, there is no way that a film could survive. He might have tried to end the film with some sense so that the audience might have given him grace points. But the climax is ridiculously horrible.

Performances:
NTR Jr. is the only saving grace in this film. If not for him, audience might have walked out of the auditorium by the interval point. His performance as Shakti is cool. He looked dashing in those blazers in post interval scenes. However, he should have taken care on Rudra’s getup. It didn’t suit him at all. Even NTR diehard fans would be disappointed with it.

                       
Ileana plays a spineless character which hardly gives her a chance to act. She has sizzled in the songs though. Sonu Sood’s role is limited and he is wasted. Pooja Bedi doesn’t know the basics of acting and watching her on screen is sheer torture. Manjari Fadnis played Rudra’s wife. There are hordes of actors in this film and none of them are given a purposeful role. Everyone looked pale and dull due to poor characterizations and bad dialogues.

Tehnicalities:
Mani Sharma’s music is another weak link in this movie. None of the songs are worth hearing repeatedly. Hari giri Nandini… song was good on ears but the director spoilt it with his picturization. Background score is bad too. Keeravani might have done a better job for this film. Dialogues by Satyanand are weak. None of the jokes worked and also the dialogues in crucial scenes are a big let down.

Sameer Reddy’s cinematography is good. Art department did a very good job. So called visual effects aren’t great. Producer has hyped this movie as the costliest film in Tollywood history but the grandeur is completely missing on screen. Except for shooting in number of locations, Shakti doesn’t possess any visual splendor.

Meher Ramesh yet again proved that his skills are limited. He should stick to commercial flicks rather jumping the genres.
                                          
Plus Points:
- Jr. NTR

Minus points:
- Story
- Screenplay
- Direction

Final Word:
Shakti is a major disappointment for all the hype it generated. Now the economics of this film completely depend upon the fate of other releases and holidays season. Given its budget and the high rates it was sold for, Shakti would find it really tough to get into a safe zone.

Shakti Review rating: 2.5/5