BOLLY REVIEW : Tees Maar Khan (2010)

Tees Maar Khan, Farah Khan's third directorial venture, starts interestingly with a voice-over of Sanjay Dutt and a very innovatively amusing, James Bondish title sequence involving a baby Tees Maar Khan(TMK) learning the trades of con from his mother's womb. This, unfortunately is the singlemost comic sequence in this wannabe comic caper gone completely haywire.

Based on Peter Seller's After the Fox, TMK tells the story of Tabrez Mirza Khan a.k.a. Tees Maar Khan (Akshay Kumar), a self-flattering con artist who takes pleasure in bragging about himself with not-so-funny one liners. He is surrounded by his incompetent assisstants Dollor, Soda and Burger (if these names are meant to be funny then I don't get it) and has a girlfriend(Katrina Kaif) who is dabbling in the Z-grade exploitative cinema to make it big as an actress. Aatish Kapoor (Askhaye Khanna) is a big Indian star actor who is obsessed with the Golden statuette ever since Anil Kapoor has made it to the Oscars. Then, there are the Siamese twins, the Johri Brothers (played by real life twins Rajeev and Raghu) who want to rob the antiquities that the Indian Police is transporting from Mumbai to Delhi in a heavily guarded non-stop train. The brothers seek the help of TMK who apparently is the only mind which can plan the great heist. And what does Mr.TMK do? He concocts a plan to shoot a fake film in a small village though which the train would pass and use the villagers as the cast. And this would provide him with enough men to stop and rob the running train. He also cons Atish Kapoor and convinces him to act in the film by posing as the great Hollywood director Manoj Day Ramalan. So much for the greatest con.

Nine (2009) : A Review

Musicals have never fascinated me. Even classics like "Wizard of Oz" and "Sound of Music" could not grab my attention. But Rob Marshall's musicals have evoked a certain interest in them.

Nine is Marshall's second musical after Chicago. It tells the story of the star director Guido Contini (Daniel Day Lewis) who after giving a spate of flops, is struggling with the script of his come-back venture Italia. Luisa (Marion Cortillard) is Guido's wife who is an ex-starlet, now retired and supporting her husband. Though she has sacrificed her career for him, she often feels neglected by Guido. Carla (Penelope Cruz) is Guido's mistress who is madly in love with him and can not stay away from him. Stephanie (Kate Hudson) is a fashion journalist fascinated with the work of Guido. Lili (Judi Dench) is the costume designer for his movie. She is a friend who Guido confides in. There is Guido's late mother(Sophia Loren) whose always comforts him in moments of despair. Sara (Fergie), the prostitute from his childhood, who danced to him for money, and gave him the first ever lessons on sex. And finally his muse Claudia (Nicole Kidman) who has been his inspiration for most of his movies. Guido has to find the script for his movie while struggling to manage the relationship with his wife and the mistress while also seeking help from these women.

Nine is similar to Chicago in terms of the treatment, but is more personal in nature. You sympathize with the protagonist and relate to his problems. And the credit should definitely go to Daniel Day Lewis who has time and again proved that he is one of the greatest actors alive. His portrayal of a director who has to find a balance in his professional and personal life is brilliant. Marion Cortillard portrays her character with a lot of depth. Penelope Cruz once again proves that she is as versatile as they come. Nicole Kidman brings the aura of a diva to the character. And all the women look gorgeous in the songs. The actors should be lauded for their vocals and dancing skills as much for their acting. Special mention should go to the cinematographer who makes each and every frame look picture perfect with brilliant use of lighting. And finally the director who envisioned such a beautiful looking musical.


PS: I know its a musical based on the Broadway show which in turn was based on 8 1/2. But I am glad that I haven't watched the originals and hence safe from the comparison syndrome.

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