Chalo Cinema

The girl with the 'buy'line

Film: Confessions of a Shopaholic (English)
Star cast: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Krysten Ritter, Joan Cusack
Director: PJ Hogan
Theatres: PVR, Fame, Fun, Inox
Rating: '''

What's it about: If you loved The Devil Wears Prada or Sex and the City,u00a0 Confessions of a Shopaholic will steal your heart.

Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) is a young journalist whose dream is to work at a ritzy fashion magazine. She looks forward to the time she'll be marooned in a sea of smart shoes, expensive designer wear and classy handbags. But in a cruel twist of fate, she finds herself at a money magazine, where she has to offer tips on Successful Saving.u00a0 How she lands the job is itself a terrific story.u00a0 Her role now is to dole out financial wisdom to her readers as The Girl with The Green Scarf, a psuedonym that she earns after a chance encounter with her new boss. Rebecca, who is drowning in debt, has zero knowledge on saving but she writes from the heart and touches readers far and wide. Does she emerge unscathed from her own debt trap? Go check her out.

What's hot: The whole shopaholic act by Isla Fisher is brilliant.

What's not: There's nothing novel about a troubled girl trying to sort out her life (and her wallet). Those who think of shopping as a necessary evil would want to give it a miss.

Dramatic and disturbing

Film: Firaaq (Hindi)
Star Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Deepti Naval, Mohammed Samad, Sanjay Suri, Tisca Chopra, Shahana Goswami
Director: Nandita Das
TheatreS: PVR, Inox, Fame, Fun Cinemas
RATING: '''

What it's about: Nandita Das's directorial debut, Firaaq, is based on one day, a month after the 2002 carnage in Gujarat, in the life of five people. The film begins with trucks pulling into burial grounds with dead bodies.

Muneera (Shahana Goswami) is unable to get over the nightmare of her house being set ablaze. Next door, a Gujarati housewife (Deepti Naval) can't get over her guilt of refusing help to a Muslim woman who was being hounded by a mob. Au00a0 young couple (Tisca Chopra, Sanjay Suri) are packing their bags to leave the city as they worry about what will happen when their neighbours discover that one of them is Hindu and the other, Muslim. In the midst of this turmoil lives musician Raghuvir Yadav (Naseeruddin Shah) and a child who lost his family to the riots. Their stories make the film riveting.

What's hot: Nandita's deft direction and the fact that her film lingers on in your head and heart, long after it's over.

What's not: With five skeins, you wish more justice, in terms of screen time and story,u00a0 had been done to some of the characters.

Chaat with no masala

Film: Aloo Chaat
Star cast: Aftab Shivdasani, Aamna Sheriff, Khulbushan Kharbanda
Director: Robby Grewal
Theatres: PVR, Inox, Fun Cinemas
Rating: ''

What's it about: Aloo Chaat promised some serious laughs in the promos. And they cheated because the movie itself is a major letdown. It drags on and the witty lines come too far apart to make an impact.

Nikhil (Aftab), a student in the US, falls in love with Aamna (Aamna Sheriff), a Muslim. But he can't muster up the courage to break the news to his conservative khandaan. He comes up with a (harebrained?) plan and what follows is confusion compounded. What could have been funny turns out contrived and complicated.

What's hot: Veteran actors like Kulbhushan Karbanda put up a decent show. Aamna looks nice... if only she could act.

What's not: Poor direction and screenplay, miserable performances by both Aamna and Aftab make Aloo Chaat bland and boring. Aamna should have stuck to her K serials. Comedy is not her forte. Don't spoil your system with this not-so-theeka chaat.

The trouble with double...

Film: Ee Shatamaanada Veera Madakari
Star Cast: Sudeep, Raagini and Tennis Krishna
Director: Sudeep
TheatreS: Kapali, Prasanna, PVR
Rating: ''

What's it about: Director-actor Sudeep's Veera Madakari is a remake of Vikramarkudu (Telugu). As director he has done justice to the script and screenplay. But as actor, he doesn't look the part of tough guy who wields guns and swords with little provocation. Sudeep fans will be thrilled with his double role as Satya and Madakari.
u00a0
Satya is a charming thief, who loves Neeraja (Ragini). He kidnaps a child from a railway station and stumbles on the identity of the child's father, Madakari, an honest police officer and his lookalike, whou00a0 was killed in an encounter with criminals. It falls upon Satya's (able?) shoulders to complete Madakari's unfinished task and redeem himself in his girlfriend's eyes.

What's hot: Cameramen Srivenkat's work is excellent.

What's Not: Ragini is a disappointment. The film itself is mediocre.