Aum Mangalam Singlem - Fun, Funny & Fiesty

Who enjoys a Single life, Boys or Girls!! Watch AMS & find out. 

One of the challenge that is delaying the revival of Gujarati Film Industry is also that good quality film-makers are not making enough films with their teams. I understand it is not an easy process but spacing films this far-out, especially good films, is not fair to the industry.

Yes, yes, let me get it out in the beginning, just so that the hero and heroine’s expression and beauty is caught, they don’t wear helmets!!! If Daaru is banned in Gujarat, where do they  get the Daaru and why is it part of films (with a disclaimer!)

Now, let us speak about the popcorn, samosas and drinks that has become the norm with movie premieres. Actually, no, I don’t remember the taste of the same because they were served in the first half and I was too busy laughing, enjoying the word-fest. However, post interval I could focus on the after-taste and realized the samosas were a bit too salty and the pop-corn bland.

Aum Mangalam Singlem’s (AMS) trailer really got me thinking on how would it be to be single (hope my wife is not reading this, can’t afford to get her to think that!!). It actually made me think of all the fun I had being single and much more, so the anticipation of the movie was high, very high. Not to mention a tried and tested team of winners was making it. The movie did not take my being single too far. Telling you why.

But first, one aspect of the film which no one speaks about. Promotion. I loved the fact that it was quick, crisp to the point and only informed and did not impose. Generally promotions as so in your face, so forceful so pushy. None of it happened here.

So, about the movie. There are four Heroes of the movie.

Dialogues: Mitai-Nehal seem to have hit the groove big time. They seem to have the midas touch with words and have really touched the right cords all the time. They seem to have a chemistry with Malhar’s comic timing. Each word hits bulls-eye with him. Focus on the spoken and acted words you would love it big time all through.

Music: What amazing refreshing scores by Sachin-Jigar. They seem to always reserve their best for Saandeep-Aarti. Sawariya just takes off many a times in the film’s narrative. Latko is my personal favourite, Niren Bhatt has worded it perfect too. Khune Khune thi, Sahiyar too complete a great album. It is pleasing to see that directors like Saandeepbhai are focusing on the music to make the film memorable.

Malhar-Aarohi: They are a fluid pair. Pick any emotion and they seem to get it right. Perfect chemistry, great understanding and comforting body language makes them super. Malhar is extremely normal in his comedy skin and excels big time. Aarohi just can't seem to do anything wronng (including her natural talent of dancing).

Cinematography: Well, I have a bias towards Tapan Vyas for the absolute quality of his craft. He makes the film extremely rich, flawless & jerk-less. You feel rich watching AMS, the scenes, the close-ups and the overall emotions are so beautifully captured.

Well, the story is about two school-hood sweet hearts who grow up, finish college and are slotted to be married when they realized they have yet to live a life without each other. So, they take a pause and decide to prepare a singlenaamu and live a life (in the same city sic!). What follows, and everyone knows will happen, happens. Yeah yeah no twists and turns (or are there T&Ts, well you will have to watch the movie and find out).

One gets a feeling that once the core concept was frozen the story, especially the last part was forgotten. It leaves one with so many questions?

• If there are no rules then where did the rules come from?
• Why is it that its always the girls who are right?
• Why do the boys always have to be seen as guilty?
• Girls kare toh vaandho nai, guys bole toh vaandho!
• Anyone can come into the society, shout our daughter's name and sell Soda!
• How easy it is to stop a very determined girl going to London?
• How many Pounds would the father have lost in the cancelled admission/tickets?
• Why does Malhar look like Ranbir Kapoor when he cries?
• Why does a film have to show a happy Malhar crying, he just can’t do it!

The other cast too have good roles to play, especially Bhamini Oza Gandhi & Darshan Jariwala. Tatsat Munshi in his maiden appearance impresses but lack the meat to his role. Again am biased towards Sanjay Galsar’s craft, he too did not have much to do.

All in all, AMS is a movie that starts extremely fantastic then goes into predictable lines and ends happy.

A good family watch.

PS: Yes, seeing Ashish Kakkad and hearing his baritone sure leaves you sad.

Go Watch it, Saandeep-Aarti rarely get it wrong, be it daughters (Aarohi -acting & Sanjana – costumes) and then this second film in their version  2.0.

 

 

Prem Prakaran

A love triangle between the Hot, Hotter & the Hottest.

First & Foremost hats off to the team for withdrawing their release to accommodate The Kashmir Files.

A rare gesture.

Such rarity is also the film, rare to see a good, classy and cool Gujarati film.

The film is a great product.

The hero of the film is the music. Begins and ends only at the climax. Take a bow Amit Trivedi, you have created pulsating scores that not only maintain the pace but also gives a brilliant direction to the entire prakaran. Songs like Laagni, Zidd, Yaado Taari Tu Nahi To, Kori ne Kaachi liven up the entire experience of the prakaran. Niren Bhatt’s lyrics too touch your heart, though none have yet become hummers. Singers Jigardaan, Ishani, Siddharth Amit Bhavsar too have responded very well.

But first, there are some Prem Lessons you will get:

Prem is Love

Prem is like a label

Prem is not like cigarette.

Prem is like Nasha.

Prem is like Memory.

Prem goes but memories remain.

Prem needs to take memories with it.

Prem is a letter from the past.

Prem break-up & make-up always happens best on a bridge.

Prem is not all signals.

Prem failure makes you paddle your cycle harder.

God so much pressure on Prem, wonder what would happen to his performance.

 Furthermore, we learnt:

If you are a science student you will do arranged marriage.

If a girl gives the mother a chitthi meant for a boy, she will not read it.

MICA has an MBA and MNC job pays only Rs 22,000, might as well have joined a local.

Now, lets get serious. I went to the movie to watch two of my favourite actors, Deeksha Joshi & Sanjay Galsar. They did not disappoint. Deeksha at her goofy and beautiful best and Sanjay in his normal elements always stole the show.

But as I came out, I had added two more to my favourites list.

Director Chandresh Bhatt. Man, you are a find. What a great package.

Esha Kansara. Always liked her act, but here she completely lit up the screen from her first scene. What an amazing essay.

The story is about Aditya (always-teary-eyed, Gaurav Passwala) who falls in love with his school mate Aarti Vyas (Deeksha) who friend-zones him and life goes on. A series of turns later Aditya is dejected and shifts to Ahmedabad where not only does he become rich (wonder how!) but also classy and beardy. But his love continues to burn for Aarti till one-sad-rendition-of-the-sad-song-hothon-se-chhu-lo-tum, a rendition so sad, even Jagjit Singh cried in his grave, he meets Riya (Esha Kansara).

Now the story takes off from here and comes to point where it forms a triangle. Who will Aditya choose? That you will have to go to a theatre and watch the glamour in person.

All I can say is, you know who it would be and yet you will enjoy the reveal.

The movie is at least 20 mins too long, but the music does not make you feel the length. There are times when you wish it would pace up. But the overall chemistry among friends, lovers and the team, makes it really stand out.

Gaurav Passwala looks good and carries the role well. Besides the lead even the friends are well chosen and the entire team led by Maulik Chauhan, Manan, Deep, Aariz, Mehul Nilesh do a great job in keeping the film lively. Even the Katko, replaced by Chashma act of Manan is good.   

The frames are Bollywood, the feel is classy Suraj & Pratik have done a good job on the camera. Even Junagadh looks classy in the entire experience. Heck even the costumes are truly a class apart lifting the film.

All in all, it is a good movie, worth investing your time and money. It is not every day that you come across such good movies from

One dialogue stands out: Past is a good place to visit not to Stay.

Go Watch it Today 

Montu ni Bittu – Pol Ni Bhavai

Jignesh Vasavada

3.75 Stars (.75 for Hemang Shah)

Boy loves girl, who doesn’t love-love him, falls in love with another boy and then triangulated, story brings us back to the same point. Have we seen this before?

 

Full predictable entertainment, thy name is Montu Ni Bittu. A good laugh fest that begins and ends exactly as you know it will. Yet you don’t mind it at the end of 2 hrs 13 mins. You get up feeling good.

Then, you start thinking, evaluating and the fun begins.

Like always, few observations:

1. This is my first ever film which I saw sitting next to the heroine’s parents. Oh my God! It was intense.
2. How many ads precede a movie? Just so many that when we see the cancer ad, there is a collective sigh of relief and happiness, now the movie would start. Arrey even the interval has scores of ads.  
3. Wonder why Vijaygiri Bava had to thank so so so many people (including myself). He has made a good movie, we need to thank him.
4. Which Pol was the movie shot? I want to see women doing the Ketchup Dance as morning exercise, again. Yeah yeah, that is how these women exercise.
5. Sorry, if this sounds eeech…but Mehul Solanki has a mole in the ear! 
6. Now, this film is better than others, the rider wears a helmet and pillion does not. And, none of them wear helmet at night, what re!
7. Funny to see police wala parking their vehicle during night checks opposite a NO PARKING sign board.
8. You know a person is a painter if he has paint all over his body, most of the time.
9. Now, this is perfect Amdavadi opulence. You can spend on a multi-crore bungalow but cannot afford a security system or a watchman.
10. I am just curious, the heroine kept saying, What The…but never got to complete it…wonder how she wanted to complete the same…(Hell, Fafda, Time, Film, Faydo, Help…) Couldn’t get the right answer from people sitting around me.

Now, the movie.

A perfect-for-everything-and-everyone Pol boy Montu (fun-masti-rocking Maulik) is visibly in love with a Pol Girl Bittu (cute-beautiful and natural Aarohi). He does everything to impress her including managing/repairing her home appliances to guiding her 30 plus suitors. But she has Friend-Zoned him (I relate to this feeling). During one such outing they come across an abstract painter Abhinav (handsome, dashing, boring Mehul) and she starts crooning Painter Babu, I Love You.

Now the triangle keeps getting murkier and things keep moving around, guided by Montu’s friend Darri (Magnificent, Lively, Great comic timing, Hemang). Love leads to engagement and then to marriage to Montu’s misery and predictably towards the climax. Keeps you gripped despite you knowing right from the day the trailer was released how it was going to end.

Right then, let us play evaluate, evaluate.

Story: By Ram Mori is the weakest link with glaring gaps. Somethings just don’t add up. How come a breakup happens over something so silly? The characters, though fairly well defined, some of them just do not have relevance or closure. Many such characters like Bittu’s Father, Montu’s Mom, Neighbour Bahu (played by a very talented Kaushambi). The twists and turns are just too casually handled. Dialogues are crisp, fresh and funny. They keep tickling you to laugh out loud.

Performances: Imagine the story where the side comedian takes the accolades in the presence of stalwarts! We waited for Hemang to come and liven up the screen. Very happy to see Maulik carrying the film so well. Aarohi, nothing new, oodles of natural talent despite a casual character sketch. Happy Bhavsar is just perfect bundle of talent. Her portrayal of Mohini Madhuri is just class apart. Mehul Solanki is the weakest link. Poor dialogue delivery, deadpan, yet good looks. We wish he had less-to-none dialogues. Vishal and Bansi (her first movie and she looks so beautiful!!) excel in the presence they get. Pinky Parikh too makes a good mark.

Music & Lyrics: Mehul Surti scores like a legend. My personal favourite is the Aditya Gadhvi voiced Pardesi Mena. Great Beats. The garbo penned by Chirag Tripathi too is

powerful (I have been asked to write this :) no but seriously, it is good). Rang Dariyo by Parth too is hummable. Amdavadi Song by Dilip Dave too is a good ode to the city. 

Cinematography gives it a grand and colourful feel, though we catch lights in some scenes.

All in all, Vijaygiri and Twinkle have made the Janmashtami Weekend rocking with a nice and funny Montu Ni Bittu. 

Go Hopeful (with a capital H), watch it with full family, because even if the heroine wants to swear, What The…Montu stops her and she ends up saying Rani No Hajiro (whatever that means).

Good Going Vijaygiri Filmos…

Pics Courtesy Montu Ni Bittu Promotions