Anjaana Anjaani (2010)

Live each day like it’s your last. Enjoy life to the max. Live with a no regret policy. Yeah yeah yeah, we have all heard this time and again and that’s precisely what Anjaana Anjaani is all about. Directed by Siddharth Anand, starring Priyanka Chopra as Kiara and Ranbir Kapoor as Akash in the lead, Anjaana Anjaani is a story about two strangers who meet on a bridge, wanting to commit suicide.  Of course, they end up with unsuccessful suicide attempts and decide to die together. After a couple of failed attempts, they realize there’s probably something that they have left undone. That’s when they mark the New Year’s Eve for another suicide attempt and decide to spend the remaining 20 days doing things they have always wanted to do but couldn’t. What ensues is a 20-day road trip that takes Kiara and Akash over scenic locales throughout America.

If this rings a bell and reminds you of The Bucket List, let me just clear it out right away, Anjaana Anjaani is not an adaptation or a copy of that movie. However, there’s no denying the fact that the concept is clichéd and has been done over and over again. It’s extremely predictable. Ten minutes into the movie and you can already predict the end but what’s interesting is the way they take the story to the end. You still want to watch it despite the fact that Anjaana Anjaani doesn’t have an anjaana plot.

The reason you want to watch it is that it’s a simple, light hearted love story which is predictable but different in its own special way. Ranbir is the finest actor of this generation and his performance in Anjaana Anjaani proves that yet again. With every new release, Ranbir raises the bar higher and looks charming and absolutely stunning!

Priyanka has performed her role with great ease and looks natural. She has perfect comic timing in the comic scenes. She is emotional in the touching ones and rowdy during the drunken scenes. But even though she looks young, preppy and fashionable in the Manish Malhotra outfits, I believe she could have looked much hotter. Somehow she didn’t have the wow factor like she did in Dostana.

Priyanka and Ranbir are superb and they complement each other. It’s the first time that these two actors have come together and their chemistry is fantastic.

The movie takes a while to settle in the plot as Akash and Kiara’s bond blossoms but after a while you fail to understand why they still want to commit suicide. And just when their lame attempts to commit suicide start becoming annoying, they make you laugh like there’s no tomorrow. Watch out for the swimming adventure scene between Akash and Kiara. It is hilarious to say the least! Also, the scene where Akash is forced to pole dance at a gay club is uproarious and left the crowd in stitches. Kudos to Ranbir for pulling it all off so well without being called gay!

The initial scenes of the movie show a very carefree, fun loving, happy go lucky Kiara, which makes the audience question why she was on that bridge? But oh I forgot, the audience is not supposed to ask questions. Nevertheless, another question that kept popping in my mind was how Kiara and Akash could afford trips to Vegas and around America considering one of them was bankrupt and the other was jobless. Oh well, I guess everything is possible in Bollywood.

Another flaw apart from these unanswered questions in Anjaana Anjaani is that the entire movie focuses on only two characters basically. I am not forgetting the fact that Zayed Khan has a cameo but his performance is completely forgettable. Also, there are parts where the movie seems stretched. That’s when you wonder why Akash and Kiara didn’t jump off the bridge in the first place. But it’s not all that annoying. The locales shown are beautiful and make you feel stunned while seated in your chair gazing at the screen. Every frame is amazing. You can’t help but appreciate the cinematography. The music by Vishal Shekhar is foot tapping and easy on the ears. There’s a kind of song for everyone and the background score complements the movie to give a great effect.

All in all, Anjaana Anjaani is a predictable story with great performances, nice music, superb cinematography and light moments that bring a smile to your face. It makes you want to stop and think about what you really want to do in life. Oh and it teaches you the same lesson all over again, live each day like it’s your last but this time it convinces you a whole lot more – Hafsah Sarfraz

Rating :- 3 out of 5

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 2010, Genre – Drama/Romance, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – Sajid Nadiadwala, Director – Siddharth Raj Anand, Music Director – Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani, Cast - Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Zayed Khan, Anupam Kher

Blue (2009)

It would be unfair to watch every movie with the same vision. You watch Yash Raj films for ensemble casts, romance, songs and exotic locales. You watch Vishal Bhardwaj films for their intensity and David Dhawan films for their light hearted humour. Plunging into another genre of Bollywood films, debutante director Anthony D’Souza with his first film Blue, puts himself in the place of an experimentalist who has changed the way Bollywood shoots underwater thrillers. Remember old Indian films in which water scenes were always shot in swimming pools (for example the scene in Namak Halal after the song ‘Raat Baaqi’ when Shashi Kapoor falls into the sea). It goes without saying that Bollywood films have entered a new era where action is concerned but this film with its fabulous under water cinematography takes action to another level altogether.

Unfortunately Blue’s story is as neglected as the cinematography is paid attention to. The weak screenplay prevents it from rising anywhere above surface (or should we say sea) level. What Blue thrives on is the feel good factor. Set in the Bahamas with several shots taken in Bangkok and Bombay, Blue is the story of the filthy rich Aaarav (Akshay Kumar), owner of Blue Fisheries and Shipping, who wants to coerce his employee and friend Saagar (Sanjay Dutt) into taking the plunge into the deep blue ocean to unearth a hidden treasure that only Saagar knows about. However, the guilt Saagar carries with him over his father’s death – which occurred when they were on an underwater excursion around the coveted treasure site – stops him from taking the bait. In fact he is outraged every time the term ‘Lady in Blue’ (referring to a sculpture on the ship wreck) is mentioned. It is only when his brother Sameer (Zayed Khan) returns with a price on his head that Saagar succumbs to Aarav and Sam’s pressure. The treasure must be dug up to pay off Sam’s debt.

The storyline is hardly original but the cinematography makes up for many things, depending upon what you’re looking for. Lara Dutta plays the role of Mona (Saagar’s girlfriend) to perfection and her underwater (read bikini) scenes are more than impressive. Underwater director of photography Pete Zucarini (who also worked on Pirates of the Caribbean) makes sure that the filming is mature. There is beautiful cinematography involving many shark action sequences and though at times it does seem like a replay of the National Geographic channel, it is a first for Bollywood. The reported 100 crore spent on the making of this film is peanuts by Hollywood standards but make Blue the most expensive Bollywood production of the year.

The story does throw in some twists and turns which keep you from finding the deep blue sea monotonous. But on the whole Blue is a stylish film with an equally hip soundtrack by Oscar winner AR Rahman and it makes more for visual impact than storytelling. It should be watched in the same frame of mind – Aamna Haider Isani (Rating – 2 OUT OF 5)

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 2009, Genre – Action, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – Dhilin Mehta, Director – Anthony D’Souza, Music Director – A. R. Rahman, Cast – Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Zayed Khan, Suniel Shetty, Lara Dutta, Kylie Minogue, Rahul Dev, Kabir Bedi

Blue trivia

The unbelievable whats!

1. It’s unbelievable that the usually fit and athletic Sanjay Dutt did not lose weight before showing off a paunch in a wetsuit. It’s equally unbelievable that he should be portrayed as the leanest, most competent deep sea diver on the island.

2. It’s unbelievable that the treasure buried underwater for fifty years should have shiny and sparkly jewelry in it.

3. It’s unbelievable that after villains attack Saagar’s home in search of Sam – thus indulging in violent gunfire – Saagar’s girlfriend Mona should ask: “Why can’t you talk to them? Everything can be solved through negotiations!” This after they have blown away half the house.

4. It’s unbelievable that an expedition that it so deadly and dangerous that no one has attempted it for fifty years (despite the treasure) should be put together in less than 24 hours.

The wows!

1. All four main actors – Sanjay, Akshay, Zayed and even Lara – filmed their own stunts. Zayed Khan was the only one who came in with underwater training; the others trained for the film. According to Zayed Khan, there’s only one scene in which Sanju was given a body double because he was having some nitrogen problem and doctors had advised him not to dive.

2. Kylie Minogue joins the Bollywood bandwagon to become the latest celebrity to get lured into the bling. She does the ridiculous ‘Chiggy Wiggy’ with Akshay Kumar but looks good. Kylie was the director’s third choice after Madonna refused and Rihanna was proving too expensive. Kylie reportedly cost the director a little over a million US dollars for her item number.

3. Kylie’s tasseled outfit was designed by Manish Malhotra whereas Lara Dutta’s bohemian look for the film was created by designer Rina Dhaka.

4. There are two Oscar winning people on the crew of the Blue: A.R. Rahman and Resul Pookuty (sound design of Slumdog Millionaire)