Only 2 were good out of 5 that too with flaws : Shorts

Directed by : Shlok Sharma, Siddharth Gupta, Anirban Roy, Rohit Pandey and Neeraj Ghaywan

I have liked very few short films that I have seen till now, everytime the story fails to create a impact because it ends too abruptly or quickly. The same trend continues here with 3 of the five stories not clicking for me.

That makes me wonder if the films that are loved in festivals, are not the ones I associate with. Or I am generalising too much. Maybe if I happen to make a short movie, I might change my views.

Sujata works for me little bit for the topic it covers, relationship between a young girl and her cousin brother. But the problem is, all happens quickly.. I needed more scenes of the trauma she goes through, before she takes  revenge. Huma Qureshi does well in this story, though not among her best for me.

Epilogue totally went out of my head, the treatment was way too creative for my liking. Didnt like it at all. I kept waiting for this story to end.

Audacity was the 1st short that showed signs of 'finally kuch acha/awesome type ka dikh raha', but what a poor ending it has.

Mehfuz was too slow, Nawazuddin was good in a role that slightly looked inspired from Taxi Driver (to me)..  Again, too less a time to make a impact.

Shor turned out to be the one that I loved almost fully, only that final scene spoiled it a touch.. and the fact that Vineet once again talks in same lingo I have seen him in Gow and Bombay Velvet... making it not look anything new. But the female lead and the train sequence made it a lovely watch.


Overall, Shorts doesn't offer anything that would force me to watch it again someday.

Among best Bio-pics ever : Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Directed by : Rakesh Omprakash Mehra
Imdb link -> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2356180/

Yeh meri khud se ladaayi hai... 

Biopics always interests me, and more so when I know very less about that person. Lincoln was probably the last biopic that I saw (which covered only a certain phase of his life). Milkha Singh, a well known famous Indian athelete lost his parents in riots after independance. He somehow manages to escape from Pakistan, lands in India, survives days without food. And through all the struggle, he joins Army one day which didn't happen easily either, as he got rejected few times. But Army wasn't his last stop, it was the 1st step towards his new life, soon to become a athelete who would be hard to beat.

Rakesh covers almost every aspect of Milkha's life into the film. Only the marriage of Milkha and his love for Golf in later life isnt shown which would had only increased the length of movie by 5-10 mins. He has used fiction to his advantage to make sure film is more entertaining than a serious biopic which I guess most critics didnt like.. not so for me though. Non-linear narration is something I associate with his films and I am of a opinion that a history or biopic based movie should always be non-linear.

Rakesh focusses more on the emotions than the sport, having said that he doesn't make the race sequences look average in anyway.  His direction is top-notch, watch the scene where Milkha slaps himself, Rakesh wonderfully shows the anger towards himself Milkha has in that powerful scene, he realizes that he went away from his main goal and it costed him olympics race qualification. Or the scene where Milkha breaks down and releases all his pain out, again Rakesh lenghthens the scene because that pain was inside him for many years.

There are three main weak links in the movie, Dalip Tahil who never looked like Pandit Nehru - clear case of miscasting which resulted in Milkha-Nehru relation not develop at all when he asks for a favour in climax,  Yograj Singh who was inconsistent as many places he was hamming - wish Rakesh had control over those scenes and Meesha Shafi whose character was loosely written or I would say not really required though that dialogue of Milkha 'yeh meri khud se ladaayi hai' should had  been adjusted somewhere in that case.  That scene where Isri (Divya Dutta) re-unites with Milkha in Dilli was very melodramatic. And I would have preferred more shots of all races instead of scaling them into small portions. Much like was the case in Chak de India.

Editing was good, I specially liked the slow motions used at various places like the parallel cut of record break scene, or the place where he has bad memories when he is on bike. Also, liked many camera angles used, the starting scene of presenting Milkha Singh was well done.

Music is superbly used, not a single song looks forced. Rakesh once again uses the best song of album in completely different way, 'Zinda' comes at a time when you least expect it. Like it was with Rehna Tu, I loved his thought behind it this time too. Though I wish he had used some part of lines in any race, he actually used the tune in the first abdul khaliq race. Also, using the tune to introduce Milkha was perfect too.  'Maston ka Jhund' is very fun song, only problem I found was it starts suddenly almost cutting the ongoing conversation, could had put one extra army practice scene and then move to it. 'Mera Yaar' is total romantic, and is picturised in that way too.. a song that I didnt like initially but fell in love with the visuals, love the song now.  'O Rangrez' carries forward the romance with a flashback within flashback inserted in. 'Slow Motion Angreza' is very energetic, and choreographed brilliantly.  The title track has very nice lines 'Tu jaag ab tu bhaag milkha, tu hai aag, tu bas ab bhaag milkha'.. but the composition is weak, if it was as good as Zinda, it would had been great to see those practice sequences of Milkha reaching to the top in fitness. One best line of this song is used beautifully in a particular race.

The background score was touch dissappointing, except for one that is used in opening credits or when he re-visits his home in pakistan.. rest were not worth remembering.

I love the scene of Milkha's childhood where the leap to Farhan Akhtar introduction happens.. the smile expression on his face as he runs on train.. Yes its very much un-real and must had not happened with real Milkha, but isn't it great to watch on screen? I for sure did love it.

Farhan Akhtar has given the performance of his career till now, the effort he has put it in is visible in almost all frames. He enacts the struggle and rise of Milkha to the best, and special mention to the people who worked at his looks as he very much resembles like real Milkha Singh. Love the scene where he asks 'blazer kahan milta hai, pehnne wale ko jyada izzat mil rahi, main  bhi pehnunga', or the one where he tells Sonam 'ek din tere milkha ke naam pe bhi poore india mein chutti hogi', and my very fav when he re-visits his childhood place on bike with all the bad and good memories going in head.

Sonam Kapoor is tolerable thanks to small role though she shows signs of faltering in even the fewest dialogue scenes she has.. how awkardly she looks saying 'aaho sardarji'.

Divya Dutta as Milkha's sister is excellent, except for that one particular scene I talked about.

Pawan Malhotra is the pick of actors among the supporting cast, the person who motivated Milkha towards success. I like when Rakesh shows his expressions at two particular places, once when he asks to run without boots in Olympics, and other when tailor comes for measurements. Also, when he feels proud of Milkha's achievements, and the look on his face in the final race. He has the key dialogue in movie 'panchi dil lagana' one.

Good to see Prakash Raj in new avatar, and he did great work, though his dialogues were at places hard to understand. Also, Art Malik as Milkha's father was good in small cameo.

Special Mention to Jabtez Singh who as young Milkha did very good work as it was quite a lengthy role.

Rebbeca Breeds looks beautiful, and had good chemistry with Farhan, I love that shot where Milkha does push-up with her, and the look on his face when she is talking, probably not understanding a thing. She plays the young love part very well. Good thing was it was a short role too.

The final race gives goosebumps, excellently thought of.. very unlike finale one always sees in sports movies. Wont spoil mentioning what happens, but if you love the film, this scene would be your fav too.

I love the final two frames of movie, the one where Farhan is shown running with young Milkha, both running as Farhan looks at him and slowly a smile comes on him telling that he has finally overcome everything. And then the title he gets as his expression shows  feeling special and the slow fade away to end the film.


Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is a film that is very inspiring for how focus, determination and hardwork results in eventual success. Plus, you see how in real Milkha Singh did it with all the struggles he has in his childhood or early days of army. Its a 3 hr 7 mins long movie, but I never felt boredom at any part.. despite the mentioned flaws, its a immensely loved movie for me.


Verdict : EXCELLENT 

This brutal contract killer must be seen : The Iceman

Directed by : Ariel Vromen
Imdb link -> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1491044/

The film is based on true story of a contract killer Richard Kuklinski (played by Michael Shannon) who easily hides his identity from his family. They come to know about him only when Richard is caught and tried out in court, but almost 10-15 years later.

The director shows Richard as very cold person who isnt afraid of death as seen in the scene when Roy (Ray Liotta) points gun at his head and he shows no sign of fear. Only times when you see fear in his eyes is when a eye witness is girl while he performed a hit, and he had his rule of not killing girls or kids. Or when Roy came at his home warning of informing his family about who he is.

The brutal murders aren't shown in detail, except for the latter partnership Richard goes in with, where he is shown in some body exposing sequences but thankfully they aren't shown from close.

Michael Shannon (for me) looked fit to play this role, that beard and moustache look made him look even more dangerous, and the walk he has as if he lives a good normal person life. He easily played role of a guy who was different to the world, and so opposite to his family, almost like a multi personality disorder.

Winona Ryder does great work as wife of Richard in the movie, I like two scenes particularly, one is the opening date with Richard, and the other where she questions herself if she is a spoilt brat and then tells Richard, she likes the way he takes care of her.

Richard works in Porn lab, and gets interested in the offer of Roy to work for him. He doesn't think of denying his offer for a second because he sees the profit, the money he would earn and provide to his wife and future kids. His wife and the kids were the only people whom he cared for, as he says later in the movie.

He never feels regretful for the people he kills, he considers it a job and does it perfectly. Though, I somehow felt the montage of his killings came too soon, maybe 1 extra full murder like the beggar one would had been better, just to highlight how brutal killer he is.

Special mention to the scenes where Richard loses his temper, once while driving, and other time at his wife in his own home.

The later part of movie goes on the lines of Goodfellas, Roy parting ways and Richard in need to earn money finds new partner betraying Roy. The way he gets caught is very well shot (don't know if thats how it happened in real), it came very much as a surprise to me as it does to him in that scene. Probably it was a intention to catch the audience unaware without putting extra scene of 'yes, his end is coming now'.

I like the fact that no dialogue conversation is shown of his and family after or during the time he gets caught. There's one shot of his car passing by her car when police takes him in, and the shocked look on his wife at court trials learning what his husband in real was.


Great direction and Michael Shannon performance makes it a pretty good movie, though latter part of the movie slips down a bit and could had been dealt better. Still, worth a watch for sure.

One of best romantic movie ever : Lootera

Directed by : Vikramaditya Motwane
Imdb link -> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2224317/

Vikram hits the right notes once again so well in just his 2nd movie after Udaan. Having Ranveer and Sonakshi as lead actors, one would had been skeptical about the quality of movie. Though for me Ranveer has been good in his earlier movies. Lootera is a welcome change to both actors who have given one of their best performance of career and who knows might turn out to be their best one even after many years.

The film is set in 50's  in Manikpur where Pakhi's (Sonakshi Sinha) father is a zamindar whose friend keeps advicing him of a potential chance of zamindari getting abolished with new laws. Varun (Ranveer Singh), a con-man arrives at Pakhi's place as a archaeologist with aim of taking away all the priceless statues Zamindar had at his place. But as expected in such situation, the character falls in love with the girl. Due to certain reasons, he choses his profession over love.. but destiny makes them meet again in Dalhousie allowing the love to blossom once again.

Vikram establishes key points of the whole film straightaway without telling the background of the characters like the health problem of Pakhi, the story his father narrates to him moments later, dreams of Varun. And that works in favour of the film. He keeps the pace of movie steady, some might find it slow but I felt it was in sync with the story.

He never tries to make Varun-Pakhi romance as priority, the purpose of Varun is more important in 1st half. That is why, their romance isnt given extra time to establish.. we see Pakhi falling in love instantly when she drives car into his bike, and Varun on other hand is slowly falling in love while he is working his way into the work he is doing secretly. I would say it worked for me this way, then it would had if there were more romantic scenes between them.

The best romantic scenes come when Varun and Pakhi interact with their eyes speaking minimal dialogues, or the slow whisper talks. Also, there's one scene where Pakhi and Varun look at each other in 2nd half when Varun is painting, and lips of both actors move very slightly as if they just talked to each other on something (my bad, that was only scene I couldn't interpret). That final dialogue conversation they have, and few secs of silence used when it ends.. loved the entire sequence, probably after mann-marziyaan my best moment.

Editing is good, excellent cinematography, that makes the initial moments of 2nd half more lovable. That is the only time in movie when the pace goes very slow, and again much to the requirement of story. Very good lighting, specially that romantic scene between Varun and Pakhi at her home in 1st half. Even the car scene is well done if the grainy part is ignored. I like how Vikram deals with the dreams of Varun, certain other directors may have glorified it a lot, but he keeps it just a part of story. Dialogues are good, 'ladki ne ladke se kaha ki woh sabse jyada duniya mein usse pyar karti hai ?'

Amit Trivedi's music and background score compliment the screenplay immensely. Ankahee background when Pakhi's father narrates story to her, interval bg and the haunting mann-marziyan bg were my most fav ones. Mann Marziyaan was such a romantic as well as emotional song the way its used into the movie, simply loved that moment in 2nd half. Only Zinda was the track where I would have preferred a good bg, as the song looked out of sort.

There are certain loopholes in the movie, one of that being some loud sound mixing. Like the violin that plays when Varun shifts at Pakhi's place, it was important that it started on low note and lifted up after that (making sure it was low always when dialogue is said). Then, 'taqdeer se bigdi huyi' song almost overlaps the dialogue conversation going on between Varun and Pakhi's father. Also, two grainy sequences, one in 1st half 'the car romantic scene' and the other in 2nd half', wonder if it was intentional or just a mistake gone un-noticed.

Sonakshi Sinha steals the show for me, something I didn't expect would happen as she was the only reason why I felt this movie wont work for me. If you add all her previous films, then also she would come no where close to what she did in just the 2nd half alone in the movie. She simply nailed it. Even  in 1st half she is very lovable, note that scene where she says 'mera dil rakhne ke liye toh haan keh dete'. Or when she cutely asks her dad that she wants to learn painting. and how she says 'mat jao' to Varun. The anger and love she shows towards Varun in 2nd half, the way she looks at the tree outside her house, specially the last time with a surprised look.

Ranveer Singh was complete opposite of the roles he did until now, and he did very well. Though at places, he under-played it, and at 1-2 places his dialogue didn't come out rightly, for instance 'tum meri zindagi mein woh eklauta mauka thi' which looks awkward the way he speaks it. I love the scene where his angst at Pakhi comes out in 2nd half, also the interval sequence when he is torn between two worlds.

Adil Hussain as the cop is efficient as always. That chase sequence is another of great sequence of the movie.

The actor playing Pakhi's father was effective too. Also, good performance by Vikrant Messey who plays friend of Deb who time and again imitates Dev Anand being a great fan of his. Dibyendu and Divya Dutta are fine in small roles.

In terms of entertainment, the film has not too much to offer, 1st half has some scenes like the bulb dialogue or painting scene or Pakhi scolding driver. But essentially its a romantic love story of Varun and Pakhi that may or may not find its way together.

I loved 2nd half more, while the final 15 mins is just splendid.

Lootera works for me, it isn't perfect movie but romantic movie lovers (non-fiction specially) should most likely love the movie, specially if you have ever loved anyone.


Verdict : MEMORABLE

Expected lot more crazy movie, dissappointed : The Lone Ranger

Directed by : Gore Verbinski
Imdb link -> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210819/

Either I mis-read the trailer or the film was in real low on the crazy insane stuff it should had. There are some good scenes like the robbery one, or the train chase  when John (Armie Hammer) choses right way to punish wrong guys is law and not himself, as a result making a mess of what Tonto (Johnny Depp) was attempting. Or the final action sequence on the train. Thats all this film has.

Both Tonto and John (the lone ranger) share good sequences together, though the look of Tonto aint pleasant to eyes (I dont know the history behind it, not seen earlier movies of Johnny depp). I actually liked Armie Hammer's performance more than Johnny Depp. Its just the slowness of the proceedings that doesn't allow the movie to make a mark. Easily 30 mins too long.

The Lone Ranger is a decent watch for the lead performances, and some good one-liners. My fav is 'there comes a time when good man must wear mask'.

Below Average, but not as bad as it looked initially : Policegiri

Directed by : K.S Ravikumar
Imdb link -> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2861320/

If you leave out all the over the top action sequences, and some punchlines repeated uselessly, and the silly Rajpal Yadav plot, then Policigiri is very much watchable. No, I didn't leave out the entire movie with that line.

The main plot somewhat resembles Singham, to fight criminals even if it requires out of police duty action. As Rudra (Sanjay Dutt) says in the movie, he considers himself Combo - buy one get one free. He is police as well as a gunda. The first sequence showing him using beer in different ways was over-done. The rivalry he has with Nagori (Prakash Raj) is what makes the film interesting. Rudra is always against him, but Nagori is so impressed that he isnt keen to make him his enemy until he loses his temper completely. No doubt Sanjay Dutt is given importance but Prakash Raj isn't sidelined as he was by Arbaaz in Dabangg2.

Some punchlines are very good, 'sur one' or 'combo' or karan arjun ayenge'.  Music is average, and they are used in the movie forcefully making them look even worse.

Sanjay Prachi pair look very odd. Prachi does fine job, but its time she experiments a bit. Sanjay Dutt has always looked great in cop roles, would like to see him do one such role in future on the lines of Kurukshetra, more serious than comedy.

Prakah Raj shines again, in a villianeous role giving his typical comedy touch to it.. but I feel its getting repeated too much. Time to do different roles, bhaag milkha bhaag would actually be a pleasant change in that respect.

Om Puri is wasted in small role.


Policegiri is watchable for Sanjay Dutt-Prakash Raj performances plus some good punchlines. If you love over the top action, then you may like the film.


Verdict : BELOW AVERAGE

Journey of Directors : Imtiaz Ali

Last Updated on : 3rd August, 2017

Most Loved movies :

Rockstar > Tamasha > Love Aaj Kal > Jab We Met > Highway 

Disliked movies : 

None

Yet to watch : 

Socha na Tha

Fav Songs : 

Tum se hi (Jab We Met), Main kya hoon (Love Aaj Kal), Jo bhi Main (Rockstar), Saadda Haq (Rockstar), Tum Ho (Rockstar), Aur Ho (Rockstar), Patakha Guddi (both versions, Highway), Maahi Ve (Highway), Matargashti (Tamasha), Safarnama (Tamasha) 

Best Scene : 

• Jordan telling Khatana in middle of a road that he isnt happy despite getting all the fame (Rockstar)
• Jordan hugs Heer and asks what feeling is this, just before Aur Ho song starts (Rockstar)
• The entire Tara-Ved sequence from start of introducing as Don and Mona, and continuing till end of Matargashti song (Tamasha)
• Tara telling Ved that he isn't the same guy anymore she met as Don in Corsica (Tamasha)
• Geet asking TT whether he is convinced or she needs to say more (Jab We Met)
• Geet-Aditya conversation in Ratlam ki gali (Jab We Met)
• Jai realizing how that last good-bye is so important when someone you love is leaving at airport (Love Aaj Kal)
• Jai conversation with Meera on the wedding night (Love Aaj Kal)
• Veera telling Mahabir that she doesn't want this journey to ever end (Highway)

Imtiaz Ali has in short time become one of my very favs in romantic genre and possibly many others too. There are numerous directors who make romantic movies, but what seperates them from Imtiaz is the real feel he brings to the movies.. the situations and dialogues aren't over the top. He brings the vulnerability in characters very well, a reason why many people don't like his cinema as they get un-comfortable watching films which in a way questions them or people they would know in real life. Most of the times the character in Imtiaz movies goes through a self-discovery phase trying to find what he/she has been missing till now in their life. Like Aditya (Shahid Kapoor) in Jab we Met is broken but finds a new way to live life after meeting Geet (Kareena Kapoor). In Love Aaj Kal, Jai (Saif Ali Khan) doesn't take love seriously until he finds the job he dreamt of having one day not giving him any satisfaction at all because all he wants is to be with Meera (Deepika Padukone). Or Jordan (Ranbir Kapoor) in Rockstar who becomes a great musician only after meeting Heer (Nargis Fakhri),  the time spent away from her brings the best music out of him and he doesn't even realize how quickly fame is reaching him. With time he realizes, that his love for Heer has overtaken his dream of becoming a famous musician.. but its too late.

There's Veera (Alia Bhatt) who has gone through child abuse, and wants to break out of fake society norm, live the life the way she wants, the freedom she finds with Mahabir (Randeep Hooda) when he kidnaps him taking her to a journey she wants to never end. And then there's Ved (Ranbir Kapoor) who since childhood wanted to be a storyteller but bows down to parents demand of a regular job and be a robotic person like others, until he meets Tara (Deepika Padukone) who shakes up his life as she is able to see the real Ved which others haven't. It doesn't come as a surprise to me when I see Imtiaz getting labelled as modern 'Yash Chopra' but if I had to choose one, I will go Imtiaz way. Also his movies are never stuck at one place, a character is always travelling to some different city/country and it ends up having some kind of effect on him/her. 

Rockstar is above all for me and that comes as no surprise. Though what surprises me is Imtiaz saying in a interview that he felt the 2nd half wasn't well done, he could had directed better, which he actually feels for most of his films. But then, I personally don't see any change required, maybe loving imperfect things gives more pleasure. I still like watching Jab We Met  as its his most entertaining movie till now. But, the level Imtiaz has reached in Rockstar, Highway and Tamasha, that makes Jab We Met look not so spectacular. That makes me wonder if Imtiaz would outdo Rockstar one day ? Its very much like asking will Nolan ever make a film as spectacular as Prestige or The Dark Knight ? The answer in both cases at present is No! 

I remember how I felt wierd to see some of the people I knew online when Love Aaj Kal released, who had loved the film, and here I was battling to even like it due to lack of connect. I almost kept forcing myself to find the love for film, watching it 3 times. But, as its said.. jo hona hai woh hona hai. One day I bunked college class, and went to watch movie in a casual mood for a 4th watch and that was the time, the movie finally hit me big time.

A confession to make here, there's not a single Imtiaz movie that actually worked fully at 1st watch for me. Its like Rahman music, keeps growing with each watch until you realize 'Oh fuck, I madly love this film'. 

Both Rockstar and Love Aaj Kal go on similar ways, their 1st half entertains completely and 2nd half brings scenes and dialogues that you may not accept because the character behaves the way you aren't expecting it to. Meera in Love Aaj Kal saying to her husband, that she will leave him as she loves Jai and further says 'Main tumse baad mein maafi maang lungi'. That single dialogue had almost everyone in theatre laugh hard, unintentionally ofcourse. I wont deny that even now I may not feel comfortable watching that scene, and I don't really have a valid reason. Maybe we say stupid things when we have no control over our feelings, don't we? 

Similarly in Rockstar, Heer tries to stop Jordan going further in their love when he kisses her, but she can't control her own feelings either.. as a result another scene created laughter. This time, I was with the character, not the audience. 'Aur Ho' I would describe as Imtiaz's best filmed song till now, two lovers who want to be together but the thought of society keeps stopping them, what should they listen to, their heart or the reality of life. It brought out the vulnerable moments of Jordan and Heer very beautifully.  

Highway is only Imtiaz movie that despite being narrated in a lighthearted manner like his other movies, still ends up more serious. There's that amazing scene where Veera completely lets her anger out at the people who are related with her family. Not to forget, Highway was the film that showcased Alia has acting talent (which her debut SOTY didn't), and she hasn't disappointed ever since. I have rated Highway at last, but it still has the appeal factor me, just that I prefer other movies more.

Tamasha would easily be Imtiaz's most tough movie to understand, not for the way he presents it, but the mindset Imtiaz shows of Ved, the constant daily fight he goes through with himself, and in film we get to see only the portions after he meets Tara. Just think how it would had been even before (few flashbacks Imtiaz does show where he is angry trying to focus for some college assignment), going to a routine job that doesn't give him satisfaction and yet consoling himself at mirror to not divert away, this is the best for you.  Every conversation that Ved has with Tara post interval makes for a great watch, its a pity Deepika gets small role in 2nd half but then maybe we won't have been so invested in Ved then.

I have always loved how Imtiaz has handled romantic moments in his films, and then the moments that come after that including the troubles, pain, misery or the vulnerabilities character faces. Its only Tamasha where I actually prefer the entertaining portion more, the entire Corsica  sequence made me feel like this should just go on and on, don't end this chapter.  

Music has always been great in Imtiaz movies, Pritam for Jab We Met and Love Aaj Kal giving good punjabi flavour. 'Tumse Hi' by Mohit is still one of the songs I love listening to. 'Aaoge jab tum' however never works for me. 'Main Kya hoon' was something only Imtiaz could had done, a character repeating a particular act on daily basis and slowly the fun becomes a boring habit and eventually a work that gave pleasure during start of song, starts giving him headache as the song ends. Rahman with Rockstar brought best album of his career (probably for me atleast). Mohit's 'Jo bhi main', 'Saadda Haq'  and 'Aur Ho' still gives me the same great feeling they did 6 yrs back. And 'Tum ho' I like listening whenever I feel like putting on romantic songs. Mohit Chauhan continued his trend of giving his best songs when working with Imtiaz with 'Matargashti' in Tamasha and also there's lovely rendition of  'Safarnama' by Lucky Ali. Like film, music of Highway didn't appeal to me completely, Rahman's 'Maahi Ve' was soulful, but the slow tracks and lullaby weren't my cuppa of tea. Best takeaway though was it gave Nooran Sisters 'Patakha Guddi' to our industry, I totally adore their singing. 

Another thing in Imtiaz films is the casting. Shahid and Kareena was perfect, but what a timing it was for Imtiaz to get the film done with. If the breakup happened much before shooting started, everyone would had lost a great character of Geet because I don't see any other actress doing that role perfectly. Then, Saif and Deepika were unusual pair but the moment Love Aaj Kal trailer came out.. it appeared that its going to work. Only question was will Saif pull off the sardar role, which he did. 

With Rockstar, Imtiaz tried new actress who didn't knew hindi, as a result in film her voice is dubbed by some other girl. But, she didn't disappoint with her performance. I personally feel that if you haven't loved her in Rockstar, then you don't have the right to say that you loved the film. And as I had said, some roles demand imperfect actors so I disagree everytime I see someone say Deepika or for that matter any other actress would had been better.

Then, there was unusual pairing of Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda, which I felt won't work when trailer came but it did. Whatever my views on the film are (I hope they change when I get time to watch film with Imtiaz dvd commentary), Alia-Randeep not only were a pleasant fresh pair but they also gave top-notch performances. Tamasha was the only instance when Imtiaz went for established actors, Ranbir-Deepika which I feel was again perfect choice, there was too much in the script to risk a newcomer or for that matter Tara-Ved roles are tailor-made for Ranbir and Deepika.

Next up is 'Jab Harry Met Sejal', Imtiaz is trying to move away from the 'he makes heavy films' tag, by trying a light-hearted happy movie. Its first Imtiaz movie where I am going to theatres tomorrow feeling that disliked movies 'none' may change in this post. All because of very average music of Pritam (songs released till now) and promos where Shahrukh doesn't seem to have come out of his starry mode. Remember the scene in Love Aaj Kal where Deepika taunts Saif at breakup party that he must have forgotten to flirt in 2 years 'aadat daal lo, jang lag gaya hoga', that resembles Shahrukh who despite doing good films since Fan, isn't able to act as good as he used too, the sideffect of doing bad films! I know its suppose to be a happy film, but I would so love to be surprised with a ending where Harry doesn't end up with Sejal at climax. If Imtiaz can make it more than just a happy rom-com movie, then I am still in for it.