EK VILLAIN

PLOT:Its been ages since we've seen a romantic-thriller Bollywood flick. The last one many might recall being Darr(1993). That's really a long time to wait to see a quality film on screen but our wait finally ends now. Even though built on the traditional hero-heroine formula, Ek Villain stands out from the rest. Guru (Siddharth) plays a gangster whose life takes a sweet turn come Aisha (Shraddha) into his life. Things seem to fall in place as they shift from Goa to Mumbai but life has a different saga to tell as Aisha is murdered. What follows it is a squeaky tale of vengeance with some enthralling experience of visceral scenes.. Its somewhat difficult to go ahead as it may act as a spoiler for you. MIND YOU. Even though the plot is borrowed from a South Korean movie, I saw the devil(2010), it has no resemblance to Ek Villain

TEAM AND PERFORMANCE:Riteish Deshmukh delivers the best role of his career so far in Rakesh. His dead eyes talk more than him. His role of a rather cynical killer works out well mainly due to his excellent acting. Siddharth, who is just 2 films old has a lot to offer and is undoubtedly way better than his contemporary debutants. Shraddha's acting is upto to the mark with special praise to KRK. A small role, but he leaves a big mark. Mohit Suri, delivers a classic here after Murder 2(2011) and Aashiqui 2 (2013). This genre is a home pitch for Mohit and he makes no mistake with the film being a typical "Mohit" film if you've seen his movies. Riteish finally gets out of his comic avatar and shows us his acting prowess. Mohit Suri has proved yet again that he can deliver hits even without glamour in the film and barring Riteish, we see no established faces in the film. The dialogues stand out. Simply superb script and even superb dialogues add a flavor to the revenge saga.

MUSIC AND PROMOTIONS:
Do I need to say something? Chartbuster songs and apt promotions sky rocketed the pre-release hype for the film and it strikes the bull's eye. Banjara, Zaroorat and Galliyan add some thrill to the film. The film has a sort of ruthlessness but most of it is well conveyed through the songs rather than blood in the film(though it still has violence). Siddharth and Shraddha promoted the film well and I was surprised to see Riteish missing out some promotions, but nevertheless it didn't hinder the collections at all it seems.

COLLECTIONS:The film took an opening of 60% overall. The collections in Punjab were hit due to the release of "PUNJAB 1984". The film will eventually grow over the weekend to give out rich collections with many centres already housefull which includes metros.

USP:It has to be Riteish. I was convinced of his acting ability right back in Bardaasht(2004) but it took me 10 years to write something about him. Getting out of the comedy roles, he has delivered a beauty here. Siddharth deserves a mention too. Watch it for them both. Ek Villain is incomplete without them.

FLAWS:
None. Ignore if any. Nothing is perfect. Never listen to those critics who see the wrong in everything. They probably haven't taken the hardwork to create a movie. So the one who doesn't walk in their shoes has no right to criticize anybody's work.

FINAL VERDICT:
Go and watch it once. Cheers to those who've watched it already(and not Humshakals :-P).

RATING:
4/5

2 STATES

PLOT:
Welcome to the MPL(Marriage Premier League) of India. Unlike fighting against each other, we fight for each other here. Just like foreigners' quota, we have the caste quota here. Reservations. Personal reservations! This is what forms the soul of 2 States,as the name suggests, a North Indian boy(Arjun) and a South Indian girl fall in love (coz they fall in love in the book) :-) Will their parents approve. Of course we know what. Will they win the MPL. Will they succeed in convincing their parents. Find it out yourself.

TEAM AND PERFORMANCE:
Arjun Kapoor has finally grown up we must say. After the loud role in Aurangzeb, and the one from Gunday, Arjun's graph is finally hitting the sky a bit now. Alia Bhatt is on the same path and does well. But rather than their love story, its a family duel we see. Karan Johar and Kirron Kher walk hand in hand. But seeing Amrita Singh here, I was surprised. She lives upto the role. She has done well. Others are,well, what we would say the "cake". The icing on the cake is Ronit Roy. A well crafted father-son relationship is seen. Simply the pick of the lot, though this is my personal view. Better than the love saga, its a family drama side of those both that is better explored. Learn from it if you can

MUSIC AND PROMOTIONS:
Aggressively done. Both the depts. The music is good. With Offo and Locha-e-Ulfat, we are in for a treat in the music dept(keeping in mind today's taste). The film has been well promoted. With Alia's highway role just fading out of memories, we could easily take note of her role here. The film does lack the glamour kings like the Khans who by their name pull lots of crowd. Overall, a fair matter so far.

COLLECTIONS:
A whopping 11+ cr collection on day 1. Whopping because the film doesn't star those "entertainers". Hoping that the film stays in the range till Monday.

USP:
C'mon its a film on Chetan Bhagat's semi-autobiography. Isnt it? Well for all those non- Chetan Bhagat fans, watch it for the lead characters. Music by Shankar-Ehsaan- Loy works well, so go for it with your other half.

FLAWS:
I must say....wait even my friends say...the book is better than the film.

FINAL VERDICT:
Go for it whether you've read the book or not. Never say no to honestly made films like these.

RATING:
3/5

A RAINY DAY

PLOT:
Everyone has deep dark secrets, some deep desires. Somewhere beneath our personal life, lies an inner life. Something that only we know. Sometimes even an honest attempt to work out a bad situation drastically worsens it. Im saying it. You'll see it in A Rainy Day. Its a tale of a couple viz. Aniket, a wannabe wealthy person and Mugdha, a woman of virtue. Aniket can do anything and everything to earn money, be it by immoral means, while his wife, Mugdha, on the other hand is quite the opposite. All's well until one rainy day, when Aniket gets a double surprise that Mugdha is pregnant and that she knows a secret. As the film progresses, Aniket is clueless about his secrets revealed by his wife one after another. Is his private life private anymore? Watch and find the answers.

TEAM AND PERFORMANCE:
Subodh Bhave is at his best. He gets in the character well. The clueless looks he gives are awesome. But Mrinal Kulkarni is in her Killer(do not take literally) avatar her. Superb performance by her. She deserves all the applause. She has potrayed the troubled wife very well. Kudos gor her acting! Ajinkya Deo, Harsh Chhaya, Manoj Joshi and Neha Pendse leave an impression in the few scenes they get. Sanjay Jadhav should get a special mention too. Some real crispy cinematography from him and Rajendra Talak has executed it well.

MUSIC AND PROMOTIONS:
Resul Pookutty is the undoubted king of sound it seems. He proves the justifies the academy award everytime he has worked on a film after that. A gripping story and an even gripping sound design takes the thriller quotient sky high. This guy rocks. The promotions are average. The posters have been good.

COLLECTIONS:
N/A.

USP:
Lets get back to the basics. A thriller genre story should have its pace increasing slowly as the film progresses with a tight climax. This film does so. An even pace is maintained almost everywhere. The odds of slowing down and going offtrack are too low. Worthy watch.

FLAWS:
I doubt the audience and hence the collection. Such type of movies have the least audience, though the theatre i watched showed a nice response.

FINAL VERDICT:
Go and watch. Such movies are apt for theatre more than a DVD.

RATING:
3.5/5