What haseena maan jagei!!! It's ek thi haseena...omg please if you goof up, do not goof up this big, that too admist all the high end vocabulary you used..!!! You make readers (me) regret reading first two sentences at all!!
First & foremost I didn't see ROY. Fact is usually I don't see HINDI movies as they bore me to death with those weak plots, insipid and juvenile direction, loud acting, those flying-acrobatic-gravity & sanity-defying action sequences and constant attempt to COPY HOLLYWOOD or SOME OTHER FOREIGN movie themes.
However, when I saw that the movie "Badlapur" was being directed by Shriram Raghavan, I decided to make an exception. I do that, occasionally, depending on the reputation of the director & the plot of the story & do go and watch HINDI movies too. :)
I am a fan of Shriram Raghavan. I had like his both first two movies, namely, "Haseena Maan Jayegi" and "Johny Gaddar". Both excellent thrillers. His "Agent Vinod" I didn't watch because I think Saif Ali Khan is a loud actor & besides I can well Imagine how an INDIAN BOND MOVIE may well turn out. ( I heard Agent Vinod flopped badly to my prediction..). Anyway, Badlapur plot sounded reasonable, and with Raghavan's direction, I thought the movie would be good.
But, I must confess, I was disappointed. Sure, the movie had its high points. It begins fairly well with some taut direction. But slowly & surely, it fails to hold grip & develop the tension. Well, "Badlapur" is supposed to be REVENGE story. A revenge taken after the gap of 15 years. They say "Revenge is a dish that is best served cold". Raghavan & the script writers have exactly swayed away from BUILDING THE TENSION, THRILL & SUSPENSE that a REVENGE DRAMA, that too extracted after a gap of 15 years on unsuspecting CRIMINALS by the HERO and PROTAGONIST, is what makes this movie lose its sheen.
What begins with much promise tapers off in the post-interval part. ( Compare that too Raghavan's HASEENA MAAN JAYEGI & JOHNY GADDAR, & you would realize what I am talking about )
Also I thought, the HERO's conduct was too westernized even while living in a town like Badlapur. I think at times it sounds phoney & people can't exactly relate to it. Varun Dhawan is a bad actor and his dialogue delivery & diction is just HORRIBLE.
However, the role of main Antagonist called Liaq , played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, as an essentially a petty thief with some crazy mental edge, emotional confusion, and a cunning of low breed felon, makes movie little interesting and keeps the audience engaged. ( Siddiqui must watch out though or he may soon become STEREO-TYPE like Irfan Khan.. He has bring in more EMOTIONS & other ANGELES to his acting to play different roles.. In Badlapur, however, he shines..) .
The roles of all 3 actresses & their acting are Ok. Yami Gautam, Huma Qureshi, & Radhika Apte all are very pretty ladies and have played their parts well. Nothing extraordinary. Just about OK.
Shriram Raghavan is No Ram Gopal Varma. ( that is When Ram Gopal Varma was in his ELEMENT of course.) He pales somewhat in front of the his contemporaries like the director of "BABY"; (Neeraj Pandey), which is surely a better & taut thriller.
But despite all this, drawbacks, the movie keeps you engaged. Our grouse is, with proper plot and more contemporary INDIAN ACTING and SCRIPT, the movie could have been much, much better.
As Always, ashis custom, Raghavan pays tributes to his childhood heroes. ( For example, In 'Johnny Gaddar' he paid TRIBUTE to "James Hadley Chase", when one of the character is shown to be reading "No Orchids for Miss Blandish" or to Amitabh Bachchan, when others are being shown as watching Bachchan in excellent Mystery/Murder movie "Parwana". Incidentally I can relate to it, with some fondness, as J. H. Chase Novels & the movie Parwana remains my favorite too, since my college days ).
In 'Badlapur' Raghavan shows Yami Gautam , reading "Daphane Du Morrier's" stories "Don't look now". Such things I like & I ruminate upon it fondly. It rekindle my memories. (Who would forget Daphane DuMorrier's "Rebecca" or "My Cousin Rachel" or "Scapegoat" ?? All Firstclass Mysteries.. For the new generations, "Rebecca"
What haseena maan jagei!!! It's ek thi haseena...omg please if you goof up, do not goof up this big, that too admist all the high end vocabulary you used..!!! You make readers (me) regret reading first two sentences at all!!
First & foremost I didn't see ROY. Fact is usually I don't see HINDI movies as they bore me to death with those weak plots, insipid and juvenile direction, loud acting, those flying-acrobatic-gravity & sanity-defying action sequences and constant attempt to COPY HOLLYWOOD or SOME OTHER FOREIGN movie themes.
However, when I saw that the movie "Badlapur" was being directed by Shriram Raghavan, I decided to make an exception. I do that, occasionally, depending on the reputation of the director & the plot of the story & do go and watch HINDI movies too. :)
I am a fan of Shriram Raghavan. I had like his both first two movies, namely, "Haseena Maan Jayegi" and "Johny Gaddar". Both excellent thrillers. His "Agent Vinod" I didn't watch because I think Saif Ali Khan is a loud actor & besides I can well Imagine how an INDIAN BOND MOVIE may well turn out. ( I heard Agent Vinod flopped badly to my prediction..). Anyway, Badlapur plot sounded reasonable, and with Raghavan's direction, I thought the movie would be good.
But, I must confess, I was disappointed. Sure, the movie had its high points. It begins fairly well with some taut direction. But slowly & surely, it fails to hold grip & develop the tension. Well, "Badlapur" is supposed to be REVENGE story. A revenge taken after the gap of 15 years. They say "Revenge is a dish that is best served cold". Raghavan & the script writers have exactly swayed away from BUILDING THE TENSION, THRILL & SUSPENSE that a REVENGE DRAMA, that too extracted after a gap of 15 years on unsuspecting CRIMINALS by the HERO and PROTAGONIST, is what makes this movie lose its sheen.
What begins with much promise tapers off in the post-interval part. ( Compare that too Raghavan's HASEENA MAAN JAYEGI & JOHNY GADDAR, & you would realize what I am talking about )
Also I thought, the HERO's conduct was too westernized even while living in a town like Badlapur. I think at times it sounds phoney & people can't exactly relate to it. Varun Dhawan is a bad actor and his dialogue delivery & diction is just HORRIBLE.
However, the role of main Antagonist called Liaq , played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, as an essentially a petty thief with some crazy mental edge, emotional confusion, and a cunning of low breed felon, makes movie little interesting and keeps the audience engaged. ( Siddiqui must watch out though or he may soon become STEREO-TYPE like Irfan Khan.. He has bring in more EMOTIONS & other ANGELES to his acting to play different roles.. In Badlapur, however, he shines..) .
The roles of all 3 actresses & their acting are Ok. Yami Gautam, Huma Qureshi, & Radhika Apte all are very pretty ladies and have played their parts well. Nothing extraordinary. Just about OK.
Shriram Raghavan is No Ram Gopal Varma. ( that is When Ram Gopal Varma was in his ELEMENT of course.) He pales somewhat in front of the his contemporaries like the director of "BABY"; (Neeraj Pandey), which is surely a better & taut thriller.
But despite all this, drawbacks, the movie keeps you engaged. Our grouse is, with proper plot and more contemporary INDIAN ACTING and SCRIPT, the movie could have been much, much better.
As Always, ashis custom, Raghavan pays tributes to his childhood heroes. ( For example, In 'Johnny Gaddar' he paid TRIBUTE to "James Hadley Chase", when one of the character is shown to be reading "No Orchids for Miss Blandish" or to Amitabh Bachchan, when others are being shown as watching Bachchan in excellent Mystery/Murder movie "Parwana". Incidentally I can relate to it, with some fondness, as J. H. Chase Novels & the movie Parwana remains my favorite too, since my college days ).
In 'Badlapur' Raghavan shows Yami Gautam , reading "Daphane Du Morrier's" stories "Don't look now". Such things I like & I ruminate upon it fondly. It rekindle my memories. (Who would forget Daphane DuMorrier's "Rebecca" or "My Cousin Rachel" or "Scapegoat" ?? All Firstclass Mysteries.. For the new generations, "Rebecca"