Tanu Weds Manu Returns [2015]

Language - Hindi
Director - Anand Rai
Run Time - 2 hours, 1 minute
Genre - Drama/Romantic
Starring - Kangana Ranaut, R.Madhavan and Jimmy Shergill

There are some movies to which there shouldn't be a sequel, and Tanu Weds Manu is one them. Anand Rai tried to make a movie after the 'happily ever after' and delivered something which didn't make any sense at all. I do not know why this movie is garnering rave reviews, but in my personal opinion, it was a terrible movie which had me pulling my hair waiting for it to end.

Barring Kangana Ranaut's marvelous dual performance, there is nothing in the film. And I say that literally, as there is no plot to the film. There are a bunch of sub-plots in the movie, which have been fused together to create a wreckage. R. Madhavan is a terrible actor, and as usual he was just there in the movie, to deliver his dialogues, not to act. I must, though praise Deepak Dobriyal as Pappi and Mohammed Ayyub as Chintu for some good comical performances.

The movie hardly makes any sense, right from the first scene where Manu Sharma [Madhavan] is dragged off into a mental asylum without any reason; and it continues to not make sense thereafter. Some characters are introduced in the movie, like 'Komal', the bride to be in Chandigarh who is kidnapped and then forgotten about.

The movie is a mess which starts with four years after 'Tanu weds Manu' as both are frustrated with each other and visit a mental asylum [a marriage counsellor would have been a better option] where Manu is forced into being admitted and Tanu runs away to her hometown 'Kanpur'. Thereafter, the drama kicks off where they want a divorce, then not, leading to Manu finding a Tanu lookalike, falling in love with her, wanting to marry her, and it goes on.

The film is so predictable, even after attempts by Rai to add sub-plots and extra characters. Another failure that I noticed in the movie was 'unprofessional dubbing'. During many scenes we could see that the characters voice did not match with the lip synchronization. Even the songs were extremely bad, apart from the catchy 'Banno'.

A movie to miss, unless you are a fan of senseless comedy/plotless movies and/or Kangana Ranaut - who is turning out to be one of the best actresses in Bollywood.

My Rating - 5.8/10

Piku [2015]

Language - Hindi
Director - Shoojit Sircar
Run Time - 2 hours, 3 minutes
Genre - Drama
Starring - Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan

Don't get me wrong, Piku is a pretty well made movie which touches the heart and has excellent performances from its three main actors. But to me, it seemed a tad bit boring. Not to be insensitive, but a movie circulating around 'Constipation' can become bothersome. And too much potty talk is always bad.

Shoojit Sircar manages to make good films, but they remain just good. Vicky Donor, Madras Cafe and recently, Piku, were all quite good. But that's it. Sircar hasn't yet been able to make exceptional films. His films always manage to touch the heart, but somewhere they fall quite short, and that is where he must improve upon, I believe.

Piku is a family drama, which circulates around Amitabh Bachchan as Bhaskor, a 70 year old, constipated man, and his daughter Piku, who sacrifices everything to take care of him. Bhaskor is demanding, attention craving, vile and selfish as people in the movie call him too.
But that does not hinder Piku [Padukone] from taking total care of him, including missing dates and meetings to talk about Bhaskors's yes you guessed it, poop!

Enter a situation which leads to a road trip and there comes in Irrfan Khan a.k.a Rana Chaudhary. Rana is clearly infatuated with Piku and cannot seem to fathom why she would sacrifice so much for Bhaskor. Over the trip, the three bond, Rana even helping out with the constipation. Watch to see how the rest unfolds.

In all, a decent movie, which could have been made better if it hadn't been fixated on one topic. The acting is top notch by the veteran actors. There could have been more of comedy to lighten up the mood.

My Rating - 6.8/10

Mad Max : Fury Road [2015]

Language - English
Director - George Miller
Run Time - 2 hours
Genre - Action
Starring - Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron and Nicholas Hoult

MAD MAX has to be the best movie I've seen this year. It is exhilarating, captivating and invigorating. I haven't seen the earlier movies but it does sure feel this movie must have done justice to its predecessors. Believe the hype, the movie will leave you grasping for more.

I may be over exaggerating, but the movie is perfect in every way. The acting - Tom Hardy as always is exceptional, but sorry Tom, Charlize Theron as 'Imperator Furiosa' kicks ass and steals the show. Credits to Nicholas Hoult also who portrays the War Boy 'Nux'.

The film is shot so remarkably, that we are left in awe. Look out for the scene where the rig disappears into the desert storm. And the action sequences have been shot so magnificently. This has to be one of the best action movies in a long time. It reminds you what action movies are.

The accompanying soundtrack by Junkie XL is also quite riveting, keeping in the line with the plot of the movie. I'm so excited for Batman vs Superman, as Junkie XL and Hans Zimmer are composing the soundtrack together!

Set in a dystopian future where humanity as a concept has seized to exist and the last remnants of society have been placed under the tyrannical rule of Immortan Joe. We get an early glimpse of the protagonist of the film Max [Hardy], who has been captured the War Boys - the cult of Immortan Joe.
Amidst all this, we see Furiosa [Theron] driving a war rig to collect gas. She is seen taking a detour which alerts Joe, who's wives  are with Furiosa, and the chase begins. Luck fortunes, and Max is united with Furiosa, as both are escaping the War Boys, and we are to WITNESS [pun intended] a magnificent, violent and action packed chase sequence. Do they make it to a safe haven?

Even the supporting characters of the movie deserve a lot of praise, be it Immortan Joe, his wives or his sons. The casting is perfect and everyone does justice to their roles. I wish Rosie Huntington would have had a larger role though.

This movie is not to be missed on. One of the better movies seen by me in recent times. And a must watch for all adrenaline junkies who love action.

My Rating - 9/10