Garam Masala is again a remake of Priyadarshan’s Malayalam film Boeing Boeing, which itself was inspired from a Hollywood film which went by the same title.



A comedy revolving around two photographer colleagues, Akshay Kumar and John Abraham, who work for a magazine called ‘Garam Masala’ in Mauritius, are both Casanovas of the first order. And though Akshay is engaged, but it doesn’t stop his wandering eyes at all. John manages to win an award by submitting a photograph borrowed from a veteran photographer, which gets him promoted and rewarded with a trip to America. Left alone, Akshay Kumar manages to have affairs with not just one but three air hostesses played by Daisy, Neetu and Nargis simultaneously.



Paresh Rawal works in Akshay’s house as a cook and helps Akshay in making sure none of the girls ever cross each others path at home, which gives rise to some hilarious sequences in the movie!



Rajpal Yadav, who works as a mechanic, is a close friend of Akshay who helps him with his antics. John, who forays into comedy for the first time with the film, does a superb job where though he is always ready to help out Akshay, it doesn’t stop him from competing with him either.



The film revolves around how the men carry out their wild capers and who Akshay finally decides to settle down with, or rather who ultimately wants to settle down with him, after his frolics have been exposed.



Production values are good, with some excellent cinematography. And though Pritam’s music has the vigor and tempo, but there is no ‘hit’ number.



Performance wise, Akshay Kumar brings lots of energy to his role. John Abraham is fairly successful in his first attempt at comedy and he provides good support to Akshay. Paresh Rawal again shows his versatility as he lifts the scenes and leaves his mark. Neha Dhupia too is impressive with her brief role. As the director, Priyadarshan shows his capability as the undisputed comedy king yet again. ... More ... Collapse

Shaadi No. 1 is a comedy about three friends, Fardeen Khan, Zayed Khan and Sharman Joshi going astray. Where Fardeen is married to Ayesha Takia, Zayed is married to Esha Deol; Sharman is married to Soha Ali Khan.



All three of them work for Satish Shah in his company. A man with suicidal tendencies, Satish Shah’s latest problem are his three daughters, played by Aarti Chabria, Riya Sen and Sophie, who stay abroad, have lead a fast life and do not believe in arrange marriages at all.



The trio has a bright idea for their boss, but little do they know that they would be subject to their own scheme, as once they suggest that he should get three young men to romance his daughters, who ultimately ditch them so that the girls lose their faith in love marriage. The hassled father automatically jumps the gun and asks Fardeen, Zayed and Sharman to play the three respective heart breakers. It is an order, they can’t refuse.



And though they succeed in romancing the girls, trouble starts when they actually fall in love with the girls, and decide to indulge in extra-marital affairs.



Sanjay Dutt enters the scene. He plays a caring-big-brother to Ayesha, Esha and Soha, who in return run to him with every little problem. Once he learns about the game the boys are playing with their wives, he cautions them, but to no use, as the women claim to have ‘immense’ faith in their husbands and don’t bother to listen to him at all.



It is a typical David Dhawan film, where the interest of the audience is kept alive with the fast tempo. Dialogues are entertaining with plenty of punches thrown in for effect. But the main drawback of the film is the lack of novelty, where even the climax looks contrived.



Production values are excellent and Johny Lal’s cinematography is superb. Anu Malik’s music sounds good, but there is no hit number. Performance-wise, Sanjay Dutt dominates the film from the time he comes on the screen. Fardeen Khan and Zayed Khan again show their capacity with comedy. Sharman Joshi is able to team well with the more experienced actors. Esha Deol, Ayesha Takia and Soha Ali Khan are good and Rajpal Yadav too is amusing in his limited role. As the director, David Dhawan keeps his style of comedy, but a poor script is not going to help the film. ... More ... Collapse

Kyon Ki is again a remake of Priyadarshan’s super hit Malayalam film, which at times will remind you of the old day Waheeda Rehman and Rajesh Khanna starrer Khamoshi and the Jack Nicholson starrer One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.



But the Bollywood twist comes in when Salman Khan who is madly in love with Rimii, dies in an accident, and he is charged with her murder. Salman goes insane and is admitted to a mental hospital, where Kareena Kapoor works as a doctor. She is the daughter of the head of the hospital played by Om Puri. Jackie Shroff, who knows Salman from his childhood days, is also a doctor at the hospital, treats Salman like a younger brother.



Kareena is drawn towards Salman when she learns the reason of his state and they gradually fall in love. Salman is treated and is about to be released, but Om Puri can’t tolerate their union and is totally against their marriage. The antics of mental patients in the hospital are amusing, but the trouble being with the depiction of Salman’s role which is confusing as it is not clear whether he is really mad or is pretending to be so. Even the romance between Salman and Kareena does not have a convincing built up. The tragic climax too does not suit the overall development of the story either.



Production values are very good, with some really International standard cinematography. Himesh Reshammiya again scores this time as the music is the highlight of the film with ‘Kyonki itna pyaar’ being the best of the lot.



Performance wise, Salman Khan shows his magnetism despite a confusing role, and Kareena Kapoor too portrays her unglamorous role well. As the director, Priyadarshan gets confused with the mixing of the scripts of ‘well’ known films. ... More ... Collapse

Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena is a con story inspired by the Hollywood slick film Con-fidence. Fardeen Khan and Ronit Roy are proficient con men and the best of friends, who dupe a bank manager. But to their ill fate, the bank manager happens to be close to a goon, played by Gulshan Grover. Gulshan avenges, and his henchman, played by Kay Kay, kills Ronit.



Not stopping there, Gulshan Grover demands the amount back. But Fardeen has already spent the money and he knows he has no choice but to get the money back somehow, and he and his ‘gang’ including Mukul Dev, Amin Haji, Makrand Deshpande and Kay Kay, get to work. Koena Mitra, who plays a psychiatrist, initially joins them because she is intrigued by the mind of the con man and wants to understand it better. But half way through the game, she is so fascinated by their modus operandi, that she slowly gets totally involved in their game. And when she suggests a game of duping banker Feroz Khan of Rs. 25 crores, Fardeen Khan and Gulshan Grover plan to cheat one another, and in the process a chain of events, plots, and sub plots emerge, where everyone seems to playing their own game. Who succeeds? The answer comes in the climax.



Production values are good. Manoj Soni’s cinematography is up to the mark. Pritam’s music has fast tempo and beats. It suits the theme of the film. But there is no hit number.



Performance-wise, Fardeen Khan is natural. Koena Mitra is average. Kaykay is able to dominate in his scenes by his mere presence. Gulshan Grover is competent as usual. Mukul Dev, Ronit Roy, Sharad Kapoor and Makrand Deshpande provide able support. Feroz Khan leaves his mark as the guest artist.

As the director, Suparn Verma fails to deliver the goods mainly due to his own weak script. ... More ... Collapse