It has been a long waiting for JP Dutta's LOC KARGIL, but every second of it has now been worthy. LOC KARGIL is a fantastic way to wrap up 2003 and Bollywood shows every sign of a well-crafted theme and script getting appreciated. JP Dutta has attempted to draw another histrionic after BORDER and REFUGEE and has managed to find a room in the hearts of people. LOC KARGIL has started with a bang and it has everyone in que to watch the movie.



LOC KARGIL doesn't have one story to speak about. LOC KARGIL is the story of Indian soldiers fighting in Kargil and being remembered by their family. There is Vikram Batra (Abhishek Bachchan), a daredevil soldier who won Param Vir Chakra for his bravery. Manoj Pandey (Ajay Devgan), a poet by nature laid his live and was served with Param Vir Chakra too. The toughest of all the soldiers was Lt. Balwant Singh (Akshaye Khanna) awarded the Mahaveer Chakra.



Major Deepak Rampal (Sanjay Kapoor) was on leave when the call for war came. He was the backbone of the unit, awarded VIR CHAKRA. Lt. Col. Y. K. Joshi (Sanjay Dutt), a daredevil soldier too was awarded VIR CHAKRA. Captain Anuj Nayyar (Saif Ali Khan) for whom death was just another game lived his life and was awarded with Mahaveer Chakra.



A few reasons as to why the movie LOC KARGIL should work. First and foremost would be the viewers getting an account of the harsh realities that the Indian soldiers had to face during the Kargil war. The film evokes pathos of the bereaved family and gives an account of the landscapes and terrains that were an unknown identity to us.



Performance wise, Abhishek Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Ajay Devgan and Manoj Bajpai are cut above the rest. Abhishek has produced another mettle after ZAMEER. Saif is getting better with each movie and Ajay Devgan proves, as why he should have been in BORDER. Ajay repeats the same feat, as Sunny Deol did it in BORDER. Manoj Bajpai and Ashutosh Rana share a great camaraderie.



The actresses didn't have much skin show, but they have managed to put forward a brilliant show. Kareena Kapoor stands tall with her performance, as does Rani Mukherjee. Esha Deol, Kim Sharma, Preity Jhangiani and Mahima could thank their stars for being a member of the film.



JP Dutta's movies music has always been a delight to the masses especially when one remembers the BORDER track (Sandese Aate Hai...) by Sonu Nigam and Roop Kumar Rathod, but it's tough to pinpoint one track in LOC KARGIL. Main Kahi Bhi Rahoo.. by Sonu Nigam does well. Still from LOC KARGIL



Take a bow Bhiku Verma, action master; LOC KARGIL required excellent war sequences and Bhiku has put us in the midst of an inferno twisted metals, shrieking shells and human trauma. Cinematography (Karim Khatri) is A rated and dialogues (JP Dutta) are amazing.



Perhaps there is one area where the movie could suffer and i.e., is post interval. The romantic track doesn't do any good also the length of the movie (4 hours) is too much. It will be a question, since its tough to keep viewers grasped to their seats for such a long duration. However, we have to bear in mind that there are not one or two stories discussed here, but a dozen. Also JP Dutta has not turned any stones unturned, be it the technical department or on editing side.



JP Dutta has proved once again that he is a master storyteller and his excellence in war movies is beyond any doubt. LOC KARGIL by history of the Kargil war and the emotions conveyed by the man in combat makes it a movie worth viewable. In a nutshell, every Indian should get a slice of LOC KARGIL. ... More ... Collapse

Mercifully, Banaras is different from the usual Bollywood trash but still left us a little disappointed.



Set in the ancient North Indian holy city of Banaras, the movie centers around the character of a young girl Shwetambari (Urmila Matondkar) who falls in love with a low caste boy Soham (Ashmit Patel).



An abandoned child who had been raised by a low caste sweeper woman, the spiritually-inclined Soham turns out to be a fine classical singer and is appointed as a music teacher in the Banaras Hindu University.



Shwetambari's relationship with Soham arouses intense opposition from her rich, upper caste parents Mahendranath (Raj Babbar) and Gayatri (Dimple Kapadia) as well as some other citizens in the city.



However, the parents seem to acquiesce to the relationship and even participate in a grand engagement ceremony.



But the stars are not aligned right for the young pair as Soham is murdered soon after the engagement.



A distraught Shwetambari is inconsolable. Even foreign-trained psychiatrists cannot help to bring her out of her grief.



After accidentally overhearing that even after the engagement her father was behind the scene pressurizing Soham to end the relationship, Shwetambari forsakes her parents and the city she dearly loves. She travels around the world and becomes a renowned spiritual figure.



Years pass and her father, now on his deathbed, wishes to see her before he breathes his last. Word is sent to Shwetambari about her father's ill health. She comes home and the audience then learns of the shocking truth of Soham's murder.



The movie falls short in several ways. While offbeat, the story is not richly layered. It tends to the superficial in not adequately exploring the caste compulsions or the unique draw of Banaras for millions of Hindus.



Although one of the few talented Bollywood actresses, in Banaras Urmila Matondkar tends to overact often. Ashmit Patel renders a fine job in what is essentially a heroine-dominated film. Naseeruddin Shah as the saint Baba gives no cause for complaint.



The songs are alright but unlikely to have a lingering impact.



In his previous avatar, L.C.Singh, the writer and a driving force behind this movie was an information technology executive. ... More ... Collapse

For every tear drop that fell off Rani Mukerji's lustrous eyes in Baabul, we shed a thousand more - for our misfortune in having to sit through such a tedious movie.



If Baabul proves just one thing, it is that director Ravi Chopra (who also takes credit for the story) has a ways to go in mastering the fine art of storytelling.



After three decades in the movie business, Chopra seems hopelessly at sea in cobbling together a watchable movie even as he works with some of the best talent in Bollywood.



Like most Bollywood movies, Baabul is an incoherent tale of love, some of it unrequited.



But unlike other love stories, Baabul is a very shallow exercise even by Bollywood's woeful standards.



Rich businessman Balraj Kapoor (Amitabh Bachchan) and wife Shobna (Hema Malini) are overjoyed when their only son Avinash a.k.a Avi (Salman Khan) returns home after seven years in the U.S. No sooner does he land in India than he bumps into artist Malvika a.k.a Millie (Rani Mukerji), right at the airport.



Love is soon in the air and the two get married. Meanwhile, Millie's dejected lover Rajat (John Abraham) - if you believe it, the young girl considers him only as her best friend and is blissfully unaware of his deep love for her - quickly vamooses to Europe to pursue his career as a singer.



Four years quickly pass before director Ravi Chopra decides it's time to send Salman Khan to his maker. Millie is so heartbroken over her soulmate's death that she gets into a slough of depression. Voila, her father-in-law Balraj Kapoor hits upon a novel - and bizarre - plan to restore sunshine into the young widow's life. He goes in search of her friend Rajat and prevails upon the young lad to woo Millie into marriage.



There is plenty that seems to have gone askew with Baabul.



Entertaining movies like Constant Gardner, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Sunset Boulevard, Casablanca, Nayagan (Tamil) or Bobby are rooted in the solid edifice of a powerful story supported by the twin pillars of strong acting and coherent narration. Throw in decent music in the Bollywood context and you have an entertainer.



Baabul lacks all of the above. Instead, what we get is an effete love story and a mouthful of cliches from Balraj Kapoor such as life being more important than customs and traditions.



There is also a certain hurriedness sometimes that mars the flow of the movie. For instance, even before you realize that Millie and Rajat are headed towards the altar the wedding cards are printed.



The final scenes wherein Balraj Kapoor gives a moral lecture to his wife and elder brother Balwant (Om Puri) seem so contrived. After listening to a lengthy monologue by his younger brother, Balwant quickly realizes the errors of his decades-long obsession with customs and tradition and changes his ways! Wow, Pericles would be impressed at the power of Balraj's oration.



Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukerji play their parts well but not spectacularly. Dream Girl Hema Malini's performance is overshadowed by her age-defying beauty.



Salman Khan is so-so while John Abraham seems miscast as the ardent suitor. We liked John Abraham better in Taxi No 9211 and Zinda.



Baabul provides little comfort on the music side. Virtually, all of the songs are dispiritingly commonplace and weak fare.



Forty five minutes into Baabul, we were stuck by the notion that to Bollywood directors audiences must be nothing but cannon fodder. Otherwise, why else would they torment us with an endless run of vapid movies.



Also perplexing is why Bollywood directors have such an idée fix on love to the exclusion of everything else in life. Even in Baabul, there are very few scenes where we see Amitabh Bachchan or Salman Khan focusing on their business. Surely, a billion Indians must at leasty occasionally have other things on their minds besides love.



A misadventure for director Ravi Chopra, Baabul is sheer agony for the audience. ... More ... Collapse

Oh, for more anti-hero movies like Baazigar.



If a movie's purpose is entertainment, Baazigar does that very well indeed.



Baazigar is as different from the run-of-the-mill manure that Bollywood routinely shovels out as the sun is from the moon.



Out to avenge the grave injustice to his family, Shah Rukh Khan as Ajay turns in a fine performance. Ajay woos Seema (Shilpa Shetty) and Priya (Kajol), the daughters of his enemy Madan Chopra (Dalip Tahil), as part of his game plan to destroy Madan.



Shah Rukh Khan's role in Baazigar reminded us of Sigappu Rojakal (Red Roses), an old Tamil movie of the 1970s starring Kamal Haasan in which Kamal starred as a psychopathic murderer.



The songs are a treat - Particularly Baazigar O Baazigar and Ye Kaali Kaali Aankhen. ... More ... Collapse