A number of movies have depicted a brewing ‘love story’ between a young boy and an older woman and vice versa. NASHA is no different. This one marks the debut of Poonam Pandey, who has been in the news for varied reasons. Besides exuding heat, Poonam tries her level best to spell seduction with the capital ‘S’.
NASHA has been made on a plot which has been the domain to many likeminded films like MERA NAM JOKER [1970], DOOSRA AADMI [1977], EK NAYI PAHELI [1984], MAYA MEMSAAB [1993], EK CHHOTISI LOVE STORY [2002], NISHABD [2007] and CHEENI KUM [2007], wherein a young boy/man falls for an older woman or vice versa. Even though the promotions of NASHA make the audience’s expectation meter soar really high, expecting more of skin show in the process, director Amit Saxena serves an emotional tale instead of padding the narrative with steamy sequences.
NASHA tells the story of an 18-year-old boy [Shivam Patil], who falls hopelessly in love with a 25-year-old woman [Poonam Pandey]. Life is pretty normal for the teenager with flashy clothes, a pretty girl friend, the summer vacations and his gang of friends, who are up to some trick or the other. The moment Shivam sees Poonam, he not only falls for her charms, but also starts dreaming and fantasizing about her day and night. All of this eventually leads to a roller coaster ride of love getting entangled with lust and sprinkled with doses of jealousy and possessiveness.
With a film that’s woven around such a plot, exploring myriad emotions, one expects more than a love story in films of this genre. While director Amit Saxena tries to explore every possible angle of growing up years in a teenager’s life, the film suffers in its first half itself, but manages to pace up in the post-interval portions. Even though it ends on a conventional note, there’s hardly any innovation that one can bring to this film considering the plot/theme of the film.
Come to think of it, the writing barely offers anything new to the spectator. One can’t really blame the writer/s for the lack of novelty in the story as there’s hardly anything that one can write in a film where the mainstay/focus is purely on skin show, which, incidentally, is limited too. However, the DoP captures not just the beauty of the scenic locales, but also human emotions justifiably. Besides, this one’s more of a treatment film, with the effective background score enhancing and elevating a number of sequences.
Poonam Pandey needs to work really hard on her expressions and dialogue delivery. The surprise packet of the film, however, is Shivam, who appears supremely confident and has the potential to grow as an actor. He seems to be completely at ease before the camera. Vishal Bhonsle, as Poonam’s boyfriend, is perfect. The seasoned actors who play Shivam’s father and uncle are also natural. The director has beautifully captured their awkwardness and hesitations when they go to Poonam to enquire about her relationship with their child. The young actors playing Shivam’s friends are self-assured.
On the whole, NASHA is more of an emotional love story than a film that rides on skin fest. An average fare!
Rating: Two Stars
https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/moviemicro/criticreview/id/569587
Tags: Nasha Poonam Pandey Reviews Taran Adarsh
Bajatey Raho Movie Review by Taran Adarsh
A revenge comedy, or conning a con to be specific, is a rarity in Bollywood. Recall KHOSLA KA GHOSLA, which was amongst the first in this genre. Subsequently, a whole new segment that deviate from the tried-and-tested route, boast of an ensemble cast, are close to real life and belong to diverse genres have made it to cineplexes. The success of VICKY DONOR and FUKREY has given an impetus to this trend of low cost, high concept films. Shashant Shah, who attempted diverse genres in his first two outings, DASVIDANIYA [2008] and CHALO DILLI [2011], follows the trail with BAJATEY RAHO.
However, unlike the over-the-top humor that we are subjected to in most films, the humor is understated in BAJATEY RAHO. In addition, Shashant and writer Zafar A. Khan stay true to the ‘commercial format’ of amalgamating just about every ingredient to quench the appetite of the entertainment-seeking spectator. Although the narrative is not without its share of déjà vu moments, Shashant does manage to dole out a fairly absorbing tale, more towards the second half of the movie.
Sabharwal [Ravi Kishan] is on a roll, committing a series of frauds, all in the garb of a successful business entrepreneur. But little does he know that one of his misdoings has created a huge impact on the lives of four commoners, Mrs. Baweja [Dolly Ahluwalia], Sukhi [Tusshar Kapoor], Mintoo [Vinay Pathak] and Ballu [Ranvir Shorey], which has only resulted into an enormous wave of need for vengeance.
The death of Mr. Baweja [Yogendra Tikku] due to a cardiac arrest after being framed in a bank fraud and Saira, his assistant, being put behind bars, Mrs. Baweja takes the situation in her hands. The four decide to get even with Sabharwal…
While the story starts off on a rather haphazard note with a random sting operation and eventual blackmail, director Shashant Shah manages to weave the plot together without confusion. Gradually, as the story unfolds, the viewer is taken down memory lane which sets the premise while taking the story forward. Since much of the first half goes in establishing each of the characters, the pace appears sluggish, with the romantic track [featuring Tusshar and Vishakha Singh] standing out like a sore thumb. Agree, Vishakha had to fit into the scheme of things, but it could’ve been done in a more persuasive manner. Fortunately, the narrative gathers momentum post interval as the motley crew gear up for their biggest con yet. It is this episode that elevates the film a notch above the ordinary. Additionally, with a run time of 1.47 hours, the film manages to keep you in your seat for most parts.
But, having said that, let me add that the film is *not* laced with humor-laden situations/episodes in entirety. This one’s more about conning the con and settling scores, hence the focus is primarily on drama and taking the story forward. The humor, hence, is sparse and not in your face. Besides, Shashant could’ve avoided the mostly Punjabi dialect, for it may be difficult to comprehend for the uninitiated.
Shashant reserves the best for the post-interval portions and that includes the con act as well as the songs. ‘Tennu Main Love Karda’ [modeled on the lines on the popular track from DESI BOYZ], ‘Naagin’ and the RDB track [towards the end credits] are easy on the lips.
Dolly Ahluwalia, Ravi Kishan, Brijendra Kala and Rajender Sethi are the scene stealers here. Post VICKY DONOR, one sees Dolly in an entirely new avatar and the natural ease with which she glides into her part makes the goings-on worth it. Ravi Kishan enacts the evil man with flourish. Brijendra Kala, playing the sidekick to Ravi Kishan, proves his prowess yet again, while Rajender Sethi may be getting stereotyped in negative roles, but it’s a delight watching him as the greedy father of the groom.
Tusshar enacts his part with conviction, while Vinay Pathak, cast in a non-comic character, is restrained. Ranveer Shorey doesn’t get much to do here. Vishakha Singh is alright. Kamlesh Gill is wasted in an insignificant role. Husaan Saad is lovable. Yogendra Tikku [as Mr. Baweja], Rajinder Nanu [as Raman], Vikas Mohla [as Pawan], Anya Singh [as Gudiya] and Nikhil Pandey [as Aman Kapoor] fill the bill.
On the whole, BAJATEY RAHO is quite entertaining with an absorbing second half. Decent entertainer!
Rating: Three Stars
https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/moviemicro/criticreview/id/582420
Bajatey Raho Movie Review by Komal Nahta
Eros International and MSM Motion Pictures’ Bajatey Raho (UA) is a comedy thriller. Mummyji (Dolly Ahluwalia) has a very tough task on hand. To save the family honour and her property from being attached by the court, she has to amass Rs. 15 crore in a short period of time. Sabharwal (Ravi Kishan), for whom her husband, Baweja (Yogendra Tikku), worked, had conned poor people by offering them heavy interest on their savings if they deposited money in his bank. Since the signatory on the receipts was Mummyji’s husband, Sabharwal had very cleverly blamed him after himself siphoning off the money. Baweja had been arrested by the police for defrauding the public of Rs. 15 crore and had died of a shock. Mintoo’s (Vinay Pathak) wife, Saira (Vidhushi Mehra), had also been arrested and her release is now dependent on Mummyji returning the Rs. 15 crore to the hapless investors.
Mummyji, her son, Sukhi (Tusshar), Mintoo and their friend, Ballu (Ranvir Shorey), do everything under their command to collect the money but they succeed in collecting only Rs. 3 crore by carrying out a sting operation on Sethi (Ramakant Daayama), the principal of the school run by Sabharwal. Days are running out and they are still short by Rs. 12 crore.
They now solicit the support of Manpreet (Vishakha Singh) who enters Sabharwal’s house to teach him, his daughter, Gudiya (Anya Singh), and others dancing. Gudiya is to be married to television actor Aman Kapoor (Nikhil Pandey), and the dance lessons are for the pre-wedding celebrations. Manpreet wins Sabharwal’s confidence and manages to let Sukhi and Ballu enter the house as caterers for the marriage. Likewise, Mintoo enters Sabharwal’s home to conduct a jagraata as part of the wedding celebrations. The plan is to rob the Rs. 15 crore presumed to be kept in Sabharwal’s house as dowry money for his daughter’s marriage.
Do Mummyji, Sukhi, Ballu, Mintoo and Manpreet succeed in their mission? What are the difficulties they have to face? Is Sabharwal booked for the crime he had committed? Is his daughter’s marriage solemnised as planned?
Zafar A. Khan’s story is predictable and devoid of novelty. The screenplay, penned by him, with additional screenplay by Sanjeev Mehta, is also very routine and fails to offer both, thrill and comedy. Although a couple of twists and turns in the drama do come as a surprise, the major part of the drama progresses in an unexciting manner, which fails to involve the audience. A lot of the drama is also quite implausible and even this may have been acceptable had the pace been fast and the episodes, interesting and engrossing. But since that is not the case, the drama starts appearing too convenient to be believed. Resultantly, the viewer just doesn’t feel fulfilled after watching the film. Why, even the climax is very convenient! Frankly, the screenplay writers have penned it like the screenplay of a television serial. Akshay Verma’s dialogues are funny but only at a few places.
Dolly Ahluwalia does not have a very substantive role. Her performance is just about alright but she does impress in the last part of the film. Tusshar acts ably. However, his character disappears from the scene for quite some time in the second half. Vinay Pathak has almost been wasted. Ranvir Shorey is effective as Ballu but, again, he doesn’t have too many scenes to make his mark. Vishakha Singh acts effectively. Ravi Kishan leaves a mark with his fine acting. Brijendra Kala performs very naturally in the role of Bagga. Rajender Sethi is also lovely as Tej Kapoor. As TV actor Aman Kapoor, Nikhil Pandey makes his presence felt. Husaan Saad is cute in the role of Kabootar. Yogendra Tikku (as Baweja), Vidhushi Mehra (as Mintoo’s wife, Saira), Ramakant Daayama (as the school principal), Anya Singh (as Gudiya), Rajinder Nanu (as Raman), Vikas Mohla (as Pawan), Svitlana Manoylo (as Jeni), Kamlesh Gill (as Naniji) and Maryam Zakaria and Scarlett Wilson (both in special appearances) provide the necessary support. Others are okay.
Shashant A. Shah’s direction is alright but his narrative style does not involve the audience or prompt it to engage itself in the drama. Music (Jaidev Kumar, RDB, Honey Singh, Gajendra Verma and Vikram Singh) is average. The ‘Naagin’ song, composed by Jaidev Kumar, is the best of the lot. The title song, the parody song and the wedding song are fair. Lyrics (Kumaar, Aseem Ahmed Abbasi and Honey Singh) are okay. Arvind Thakur’s direction in the ‘Naagin’ song and Jasmine Oza’s, in the ‘Pyar di umar’ song are eye-pleasing. Daniel B. George’s background music is functional. Action scenes, choreographed by Parvez Khan, are quite nice. Arun Varma’s camerawork is fair. Sets (Ravikant Bhakre) are nothing to shout about. Aseem Sinha has used his scissors efficiently to edit the film judiciously.
On the whole, Bajatey Raho is a dull fare devoid of entertainment value. It neither entertains with its comedy nor thrills with its action and drama. Flop.
https://komalsreviews.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/bajatey-raho-review/
Wolverine Decent Opening Bajatey Raho Best Of Hindi Films
Friday 26th July 2013 12.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network
Hollywood release Wolverine took a decent opening of 40-45%. The film was better than all the new Hindi releases was helped by its 3-D format which opened to good occupancies.
The Hindi releases Bajatey Raho, Isaaq, Love You Soniyo and Nasha did not start well with Bajatey Raho being best with around 15-20% at multiplexes. Nasha may have chances at smaller centres while Isaaq and Lou You Soniyo will need huge word of mouth to score. Best Of Luck (Punjabi) opened well in Punjab and will affect all films in that circuit.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is still doing well and will give good competition to all of the new releases. In Delhi it will top collections for the third week running.
https://boxofficeindia.com/boxnewsdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=5894&nCat=
Nasha Public Review
haha..one of the guys really liked it..he says..ye koi jhooth kahani toh hai nahi…aisa sabki life mein hota hai…rofl hahaha
Bajatey Raho, Isaaq And Nasha Opening Day Collections
Saturday 27th July 2013 11.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network
It was a dull week at the box office as none of the films could make a mark. Bajatey Raho was the best as it grossed around 1-1.25 crore nett with best collection at multiplexes of North India. The film should improve over the weekend but with such a low start it is not going anywhere.
Nasha was best in East and collected around 1 crore nett while Isaaq had best collections in UP and collected around 80-90 lakhs nett. Films like Luv You Soniyo and Thore collected very poorly.
Bajatey Raho is the only film that is likely to show growth but with such low starting point it has to double up on Saturday which is unlikely to happen.
https://www.boxofficeindia.com/boxnewsdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=5894&nCat=
Bajatey Raho Movie Review by Rajeev Masand
Alas, it could’ve been so much better
Fine actors can make poor films just a little bit easier to endure. Nowhere is that more evident than in a film like ‘Bajatey Raho’. This comedy, directed by ‘Challo Dilli”s Shashant Shah has a harebrained plot with so many holes, you could shoot footballs through them. But the film’s brisk pace and its terrific ensemble cast are exactly the ointment required to help with the pain.
Mummyji (‘Vicky Donor”s Dolly Ahluwalia) assembles a team of allies to avenge the death of her bank manager husband who was wrongly framed in a fraud masterminded by his corrupt boss Sabharwal (Ravi Kissen). Her son Sukhi (Tusshar Kapoor), his friend Ballu (Ranvir Shorey), Sukhi’s girlfriend Manpreet (Vishakha Singh), and a close family friend Mintoo (Vinay Pathak) assist her in coming up with a series of scenarios to rob Sabharwal, so they can repay the very people he swindled using her husband. They resort to everything from sting operations and false raids, to romantic enticements and elaborate cons in their grand plan to serve comeuppance to their offender.
It’s not a wildly inventive premise, and the cons are pulled off a little too conveniently. The climax too is a melodramatic mess that could set off a migraine. And yet it’s hard not to root for the gang when you have such endearing characters. Tusshar Kapoor’s Sukhi is an earnest cable guy who ironically hangs on to his fair business principles even as he’s involved in this revenge plan. Sukhi is assisted by a smart kid nicknamed Kabootar (Hussan Saad), who helps the gang with all their tech requirements. But no one deserves more praise than Brijendra Kala who nails it as Sabharwal’s trusted assistant Bagga, always ready with an SMS joke, bringing both laughs and a lump in your throat with his pitch-perfect performance.
Ranvir Shorey and Vinay Pathak get lesser screen time to do their shtick, yet neither disappoints in limited scenes. It’s Dolly Ahluwalia, however, who steals the film as the feisty Punjabi matriarch, determined to deliver payback. Long after the film loses steam, she remains the best thing on screen.
‘Bajatey Raho’ isn’t particularly clever; in fact it reeks of lazy writing. But given the poor standard of recent Bollywood comedies, it’s far from unwatchable. I’m going with two-and-a-half out of five. Alas, it could’ve been so much better.
Rating: 2.5/5
https://ibnlive.in.com/news/bajatey-raho-review-alas-it-couldve-been-so-much-better/409703-47-84.html
Bajaatey Raho Shows Growth Nasha And Isaaq Flat
Sunday 28th July 2013 14.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network
Bajaatey Raho was the only release of the week to show growth but the 25-30% growth it itched out on Saturday does not make much difference due to the dull start. the film collected 1.15 crore nett on Friday and around 1.55 crore nett on Saturday taking its two day total to 2.75 crore nett.
Isaaq collected around 90 lakhs on Friday and 1 crore nett on Saturday while Nasha was the opposite with 1 crore nett on friday and 90 lakhs nett.
Love U Soniya is a washout and will probably not even collectet 50 lakhs nett over the weekend. Bhaag Milkha Milkha is sure already a SUPER HIT film and now is sure to cross 100 crore nett with fantastic third weekend collections.
https://boxofficeindia.com/boxnewsdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=5899&nCat=