What has happened to Bollywood. It used to be better than this. Every day I wake up with this hope…  

What has happened to Bollywood. It used to be better than this. Every day I wake up with this hope that one day Bollywood would become what it used to be but I am not sure of it anymore, and I don't think that would happen in the near future. We hardly get 4-5 good movies in a year. I am a fan of Zoya Akhtar. I loved ZNMD and was eagerly waiting for this film as she is one of the few directors in India who can make good films. First Anurag Kashyap and now Zoya Akhtar has disappointed me. This is a crappy film. It does not know what to do with itself. There are way to many unnecessary characters and subplots. The music is awful and the lyrics are out of the world. The songs do not fit the storyline well. I won't waste my time by writing a detailed review. Stay away from this film.  

After ZNMD everyone expected (including me) a GREAT movie, Again from Zoya Akhtar. But actually…  

After ZNMD everyone expected (including me) a GREAT movie, Again from Zoya Akhtar. But actually it's not even close to it. yet The film is good overall. Comparison between these two seems a disrespect to ZNMD as ZNMD seems to be at the hole another level. Anil Kapoor and Shefali Shetty played the role brilliantly and are one of the strongest part of the film. Ranveer stands out the best. There's dog named Pluto in the film that's the biggest surprise in the film. Priyanka is good. Farhan,Anushka and Rahul Bose these too are good but their screen presence is less.These 3 seems to be in cameo rather than the lead. lead. Don't be fooled by the trailer.The 4 Mehra's are the only lead in the Film. Rest of the cast is alright and well characterized. Raveer And Priyanka's Brother-sister chemistry is too good and is excellently executed. Ranveer and Anushka's chemistry, and Anil Kapoor's and Shefali Shetty's chemistry is also good. Weak Part of the film is it's plot and it's music. The plot of the film has nothing much to offer. But the Directoin and Screenplay doesn't let you feel it. But music except "Gallan Goodiyan" and "Pehli Baar" no other song was good. Ranveer,Shefali, and Anil saves every bit of the Film by their energy and skills. Worst part of the film was the Best Part of ZNMD. The End was worst part of the 2hr 51mins movie. It seems the end was totally incomplete. I had a whole lot of expectations from it and I thought it'd be another EPIC but i was disappointed and Due to which i lost the track and appreciation of the film and it's content, what it has to offer. In my opinion don't expect much.Maybe you'll love it then.  

"We keeps too many faces in our closets.Whenever situation arise we change it with another one and…  

"We keeps too many faces in our closets.Whenever situation arise we change it with another one and carry-on." This time Zoya akhtar brings fantastic family melodrama with furious humor.It's a full family-fun-film.So I suggest it should be watched with family as now a days such opportunity or film doesn't come usually. Although it seems resemble with ZNMD to some extent,there's an ingredient which distinct both, named "family drama".Former was formed around friends where as DDD is centered on Family. Mehra family goes on a cruise on holiday for the special occasion of Mr.  

Dil Dhadakne Do is a 2015 Indian family drama film directed by Zoya Akhtar and co-produced by…  

Dil Dhadakne Do is a 2015 Indian family drama film directed by Zoya Akhtar and co-produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani. Co- written by Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar, Dil Dhadakne Do features a star-studded ensemble cast led by Anil Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Rahul Bose, Shefali Shah, and Farhan Akhtar. The movie revolves around an upper class Punjabi family on a cruise trip. The father, Kamal Mehra (Anil Kapoor), is a self-made businessman who is married to Neelam (Shefali Shah), a housewife, and the couple has two children, Ayesha (Priyanka Chopra) who is married to Manav (Rahul Bose) and Kabir (Ranveer Singh) who is a bachelor. The cruise is planned by Ayesha and Kabir to celebrate their parents' 30th marriage anniversary. However, Kamal Mehra is facing bankruptcy, and, being a shrewd businessman, he sees the cruise as an opportunity to revive credibility by selling off 49 percent of his company's stake to a powerful adversary, by hook or by crook. Soon things begin to take an ugly shape as Kamal's ambitions once again come in the way of his children's happiness. Dil Dhadakne Do is essentially about rich people, their extravagant lives, scandalous affairs, and the problems that surround them. Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar must have had the Indian diaspora in their minds while devising the movie's script. Since independence, the Hindi cinema had been instrumental role in highlighting the issues of national importance; time and again, it played a pivotal role in eliciting a strong feeling of patriotism that kept the nation together in the times of need: be it war or natural calamities. But, it all began to change around the 1990s as the Nehruvian socialism made way for liberalization, globalization, and privatization. As the Indian economy slowly opened up, the Hindi cinema began to experience an Anglicization of sorts with the growing influence of the Indian diaspora which is best demonstrated by films like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Pardes, Namastey London, etc. Bollywood started catering more and more to the English speaking Indians as oppose to the whole of India as used to be the case earlier. While some recent films have shown a change in this trend, many major production houses are still sticking to the time- tested formula of making films that cater to the Anglophonic tastes of the ever expanding urban middle-class. It can be said with absolute certainty that Dil Dhadakne Do is targeted towards the very class of audience. Dil Dhadakne Do brings to the fore the issue of marital incompatibility between partners. It's a topic that's seldom been touched upon in Hindi films. Even the modern Indian families haven't yet fully come to terms with the important issue of gender equality. Yes, the women certainly have greater liberty but they still don't enjoy the equality that's associated with the fairer sex in the western societies. For all important matters (like marriage, family planning, work, etc.) the females must seek permission from their fathers/husbands. And then there's this childish fascination for a male heir to take forward the family legacy. Why can't a daughter assume the mantle, if she has both the interest and the qualification? It is questions like these that lie at the heart of Dil Dhadakne Do. The movie also poses some important questions about life: Why we humans despite being gifted with the power of speech fail to propagate our innermost thoughts to the ones we love? Why we spent most of our time doing things that have little relevance to life? Why we allow our ego to come in the way of our love? Why we complicate the lives of ones we love and care about instead of showing them the right path? Most of these questions appear in form of voiceovers, brilliantly delivered by none other than Aamir Khan whose narration is certainly the movie's USP. ?Overall, Dil Dhadakne Do? comes across as a breath of fresh air with a rainbow of touching performances. But, the movie could have been much more than a clichéd melodramatic family affair had the makers given greater importance to storytelling than merely trying to accommodate a stellar ensemble cast in the screenplay. Dil Dhadakne Do can be watched for the performances and the scenic locations (although the movie proves to quite underwhelming even in this department, especially when compared to Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara). This critic, for one, certainly expects more in the creative department from the able duo of Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti. Is in asking for too much? Speaking of performances, the sizzling romance between Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma proves to be a major highlight (it's their first outing after a long hiatus following their break up and it has certainly been worth the wait). Also, it's good to see Priyanka Chopra being her a-game to the table. While Farhan Akhtar puts up a rather sedate show during his special appearance, Rahul Bose is solid as ever in the role of a chauvinistic husband. One particular scene between Bose and Chopra wherein the husband-wife duo plays Tennis is both funny and intense— the sequence brilliantly sums up their rather lopsided relationship. Amidst a series of solid performances, it's Shefali Shah's performance of a troubled housewife that stands first among equals. Dil Dhadakne Do certainly lacks a universal appeal, and while it will best be appreciated by the Anglophone urban audience, anyway who is not particularly uninterested in rich people's problems can afford to give it a try.  

The Mehras host friends on a luxurious cruise - but what happens when the hosts discover another…  

The Mehras host friends on a luxurious cruise - but what happens when the hosts discover another journey? Straight away, Dil Dhadakne Do redefines the Bollywood family drama. Millionaire Kamal Mehra (Anil) faces bankruptcy. To shore up credibility, Kamal and his wife Neelam (Shefali) invite their rich friends on a luxurious Mediterranean cruise, joined by son Kabir (Ranveer), daughter Ayesha (Priyanka), her pompous husband Manav (Rahul), his complaining mother (Zarina Wahab), the gentle Mehra dog Pluto - and lots of bitchy buddies. What happens when tension between Kamal and Neelam becomes obvious? When Kabir refuses marrying heiress Noorie because he loves dancer Farah (Anushka)? And when Ayesha's attractive ex Sunny (Farhan) joins the cruise? Dil Dhadakne Do goes behind the glossy grins of Indian family life, presenting screaming, sobbing dysfunction, heart-ripping extramarital affairs, bitter gender discrimination and heavy parental control. Yet, it has a light hand, not preachy but breezy while sensitively making modern points. Family scenes - Kamal sourly taunting Neelam's weight, Kabir silently supporting Ayesha, Neelam weepy binging on chocolate, Kamal tackling bills with pills - are little gems, capturing the daily friction, the deep hurt, the bonds and binds families represent. Performances impact - Anil Kapoor is terrific as dominating, steel-haired, stressed-out Kamal, Shefali as stiff Neelam, whose coldness to her daughter chills a Turkish hamaam, whose plasticly response to her son's worries is, "Awww, cheese toast banwayun?" Priyanka Chopra presents a finely tense Ayesha, building a winning business - but crumbling under a miserable marriage, her last straw being Sunny (Farhan, who smolders satisfactorily). The revelation however is Ranveer Singh in a new avatar - his Kabir is unsure, vulnerable, sometimes weak. Combining gentleness with slow grit, Ranveer makes this family saga also about a boy. Hilariously, another Indian 'family member' appears - the aunt, several sparkling entertainers on board, gossiping, judging, surprising partying progeny whose guilty drawl, "I was hanging out..." meets an outraged, "Hanging out what - clothes?!" Cameos, clashes, confessions - and the pulsating long-take 'Amritsari Chooriyan' - crescendo in a climax when an 'amargancy' forces the Mehras to sink or swim. With her quirky third, Zoya Akhtar further sharpens her oeuvre - the stylish ensemble tale, where journeys take over destinations. On this ship, a few bolts could be tighter. The Kabir-Farah track over-extends while British Farah's Indian accent and Indian Ayesha's American accent should'vie been ironed out. But these are fleeting clouds on an otherwise beautiful sea, hosting a cruise which hilariously combines butter chicken with bruschetta while searching beyond Bollywood's emotional Botox for a family's warts - and its heart. 

Zoya Akhtar's 'Dil Dhadakne Do' is A Well-Made  

Zoya Akhtar's 'Dil Dhadakne Do' is A Well-Made  

Zoya Akhtar had a kind of a decent start with her debut Luck By Chance some years ago. From then…  

Zoya Akhtar had a kind of a decent start with her debut Luck By Chance some years ago. From then on, she has come quite a long way with her last outing Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara which arguably was the spiritual successor to her brother's debut Dil Chahta Hai. With Dil Dhadakne Do, Zoya has made more than a statement as a filmmaker. She has quite simply announced her arrival as one of the best in the industry today. Dil Dhadakne Do delves into the lives of a business tycoon, the Mehra family, consisting of Kamal Mehra (Anil Kapoor) and Neelam Mehra (Shefali Shetty), parents to Ayesha Mehra (Priyanka Chopra) and Kabir Mehra (Ranveer Singh), as they celebrate the 30th wedding anniversary of the Kamal and Neelam Mehra, which they plan to give shape in the form of a Mediterranean cruise while also inviting friends and family. Trouble starts when the brother and sister try to deal with their romantic lives while taking the pressures of their parents into consideration (or not). The cruise also holds an opportunity for Kamal Mehra to save a sinking ship, his business, by finding a buyer for 49% of his company's stake in the form of a wedlock between his son and Lalit Sood's (Parmeet Sethi) daughter Nuri (Ridhima Sud). Then there also is also his daughter, Ayesha who is looking to walk out of her marriage with her husband Manav Sangha (Rahul Bose). Things get slightly more complicated for the Mehras with the entrance of two more characters: Farah Ali (Anuskha Sharma), an dancer performing on the ship, and Sunny Gill (Farhan Akhtar), a journalist and Ayesha's estranged lover. Without doubt Dil Dhadakne Do is essentially a character-based film in its soul. There is relatively little in terms of the story but what takes the cake is Zoya Akhtar's treatment to it. And there are quite a few of them characters, alright. This brings us to the performances of the actors who played them: It's refreshing to watch Anil Kapoor in this all greyed-out avatar of his in Dil Dhadakne Do. He stands out with his performance as the father who feels the need to stamp his authority on his children even though they are adults. Then again he has played the neglectful husband to his on-screen wife with his usual brilliance. He has literally played a character which has shades of grey (pun intended) to it. There is also a certain growth to his character as the film progresses which takes its full form toward the climax. Superb. This is Ranveer Singh's best work till date. Starting out as the confused son to a rich dad to an almost lovelorn guy in the second half of the movie, he has outgrown himself as an actor. Priyanka Chopra has definitely been much better in Dil Dhadakne Do than some of her previous, more loud performances. Shefali Shetty is simply amazing to watch. She plays the rich housewife to the T. the chemistry between Anil Kapoor and her deserves a special mention for sure. Anuskha Sharma, Rahul Bose and Farhan Akhtar provide great support throughout the length of the film. They have well-written characters which definitely can be seen through their performances in this otherwise crowded ship of characters. The song Gallan Goodiyaan deserves a special mention for being an amazingly shot one-take song. There have been quite a few of such sequences in the past but this one is really great to watch since it involves so many actors performing and dancing without breaking their characters. Dil Dhadakne Do is certainly not immune to some plot holes and continuity errors. The film most certainly needed a better ending. In fact, the last fifteen minutes do grave injustice to the rest of the film. There are some loose ends that have been just left with no explanation from the protagonist which has been played by the dog of the family named Pluto, and voiced by Aamir Khan. That said, the good in Dil Dhadakne Do certainly outdo the bad. Zoya Akhtar needs to take a bow for Dil Dhadakne Do. She has created a niche for herself. A slot that will be very hard for anybody fill. There might just be a feeling that Zoya Akhtar's films have particularly "rich" people in the lead characters which is definitely true. But what makes her successful as a filmmaker is the fact that she is able to create characters that are so very relatable to every Indian family. Strictly speaking from the heart, Dil Dhadakne Do might just be the film of the year. There might be the Khans lining up their releases later in the year and which also might do much better commercially than this one. But this is a film that has its head firmly on its shoulders.  

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is surely one of the most favorites of many people, especially youngsters.…  

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is surely one of the most favorites of many people, especially youngsters. This film, directed by Zoya Akhtar, is also a delight watch and gives same feeling as we got in ZNMD. Though, this film may not take you to the top of the world as ZNMD did, but, you can not miss this wonderful film on family issues. Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti have panned the story. Some people may find it little bit slow. But, I don't think it's slow. This type of storyline is required a steady flow, which DDD has for sure. Live your life, do what you want to do, don't give so much attention to other person's advice, just be with your family, support them in their respective steps and let the heart beat - The simple and sweet storyline of DDD with some romance, some melodrama, some serious issues of married couple, some strategy of business and some really understandable things of life in very simple words through a dog narrator. Anil Kapoor is terrific. His expressions are totally hilarious. Shefali Shah looks like a rich woman, delivers a superb performance. Priyanka Chopra is as usual sweet and funny. I don't like her hairstyle, but, dresses are cool. I don't know why I hate Anushka Sharma, in this film also, she is no where according to me. One can never forget Farhan Akhtar's small but effective role. His entry made his fans to shout in the theater. Two character which are so important in this movie, have been done brilliantly by Ranveer Singh as Mehra's son and his dog Pluto. These two characters are the heart of this movie. Without them DDD is nothing to me. I loved Ranveer Singh, he steals the show this time. And Pluto and his dialogues are off to mark, written by Javed Akhtar and dubbed by Aamir Khan. These dialogues can make anybody to watch this movie again and again. Other dialogues have been written by Farhan Akhtar. They are fabulous as always. Cinematography is superb. Every outdoor scenes, as well as the scenes which were shoot in the cruise, are just awesome. Music as well as background score is given by the trio- Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy. Gallan Goodiyaan is my the most favorite song. Choreography of that song is so crispy and engaging that your eyes can't decide where to watch or where to not. Pehli Baar is a masti song. Swing is also enjoyable. Background score is good. No doubt in direction. This type of products is my cup of tea. I was born to enjoy this type of cinema. So, I'm enjoying a lot. And will definitely go for the second time. One of the top 3 movies of 2015 as per my opinion. Go and enjoy with your entire family.