Starring: Irrfan Khan, Manoj Bajpai, Dia Mirza, Aftab Shivdasani, Fardeen Khan, Dino Morea and Danny
Director: Suparn Verma
Rating: **

Five guys (Danny, Manoj, Aftab, Dino and Fardeen) wake up in a dilapidated warehouse only to realize that they have momentarily lost their memory due to a gas leak.

The exit doors of this factory are locked from outside and there is no way out for them. They get a phone call from a mafia boss (Irrfan) telling them that out of them four are kidnappers while one amongst them is the hostage.

Puzzled, frustrated and irritated, the five try hard to make sense of things happening to them and desperately attempt to find their personal identities before the outside who set them up arrives!

Acid Factory is a typical Sanjay Gupta production (means a foreign rip off, sepia tone camerawork with loads of slow motion and dialogues full of expletives) which offers nothing new in terms of treatment, styling and dialogues.

Suparn Verma’s narrative tries to be cool by jumping back and forth but ends up fizzling out midway for various reasons. The over the top action filled climax blows the film out completely.

To be fair the film begins well with a superb opening credit sequence and coming straight to the point in the initial scenes itself but then as the suspense gets revealed not much is left to hold your interest till the climax.

However the men are presented extremely stylishly and a few sequences, especially in the first half have turned out really well. The Manasi Scott-Vida item number wasn't really required for the film.

Amongst the actors it’s the veterans who hold fort and make the film more interesting than it is. Manoj Bajpai, Irrfan Khan and Danny are superb in their given parts.

Aftab, Fardeen and Dino are well suited to their parts as well and act ably. Gulshan Grover and Neha don’t have much to do. The much talked about ‘hatke’ role of Dia Mirza is a big disappointment. She looks super hot but her role is relegated to the back ground as the men take over.

It is not entirely a waste of time at a running time of just 1 hour and 45 minutes but you just wish had the rip off (from Hollywood film The Unknown) been more innovative with better twists and turns added.

Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Konkona Sen-Sharma, Anupam Kher, Supriya Pathak
Written & Directed by Ayan Mukherjee
Rating: ****

Wake up, Bollywood. Here comes the warmest most credible captivating and kaleidoscopic coming-of-age film since Dil Chahta Hai.

Wake Up, Sid has no overt dramatic highs and lows. It has an inherent charm and candour in its storytelling that take the narrative a very very long way, right to the heartwarming lovers’ union ending on the seaside where the only splashy thing is the sea and where Sid embraces love with all its glorious shortcomings.

At the end of Sid’s saga of spiritual awakening one is a little flummoxed by what quality in debutant Ayan Mukherjee’s film makes this film so endearing. Could it be the disarming lack of artifice and affectations in the way Ayan portrays Sid’s journey from slothful affluence to working-class agility?

Or could it be just the fact that Ayan uses tender supple moments in the narrative as though they were punctuation marks in a long and deeply disarming discourse on ‘How To Find Yourself & Your True Vocation In The Melee Of Bombay….sorry, Mumbai.’

Wake Up, Sid is a triumph on many levels. It takes the protagonist’s predictable but yet kinetic voyage into self- realization to a level where the langorous plot exudes a beam of light that cuts right across the radiant narrative.

The colours are bright but never glaring. The film is shot in a warm and sunny speckled ambience filled with fleeting glimpses into hearts that are forever on a run. The moments to retrospect are snatched from the bustle of metropolitan life.

The most obtainable component of young Ayan Mukherjee’s artless narrative is the remarkable rhythms of the ordinary and the unostentatious in the narrative.

All the relationships in the plot are potentially predictable and clichéd. Ayan takes the age-old dramatic conflicts of our commercial cinema into quiet supremely understated corridors. Wake Up, Sid gives us many moments to carry home.

Whether it is Ranbir Kapoor with his screen-father (Anupam Kher) or his mother (Supriya Pathak, endearing n her simplicity), or his bummy-chummy camaraderie with his friends (Shikha Talsania and Namit Das are credible all the way as Laxmi and Rishi) the motivations behind the characters’ words bubble to the surface without external props to hammer in the emotions.

The background score and cinematography (Anil Mehta) are done in practical and unassuming shades. Mumbai never looked less romanticized.

The relationhsip between Ranbir and Konkona develops as they move around her cramped apartment. Miraculously their hearts never bump into the furniture. The narrative dodges the clamour of daily life with a determined fluency.

Konkona Sen-Sharma as the Kolkata girl trying to find her bearings in the cool largely heartless city of Mumbai conveys so much of her character’s unstated emotions that we wonder if she’s even aware of the camera’s presence.

And she isn’t alone in her pursuit of a non-cinematic performance in a film that salutes and dodges predictable drama. Anupam Kher as Sid’s father effectively uses his limited space to create a tycoon who wants his laadla to stand on his own sneakered feet.

It’s the little-little things that the characters do when the camera isn’t looking that nourishes the narrative.

Would this wonderfully –uncrowded film have worked without Ranbir Kapoor ? Ranbir’s Sid is a near-perfect portrait of the aimless young man searching for a direction in life.

Ranbir handles the character’s innerlife with the effortlessness of a Sitar maestro twiddling with his instrument’s strings to create a music that takes the audience to a world where the sounds suggest a harmony between art and life.

In Wake Up, Sid Ranbir proves once and for all that he’s the future of Hindi cinema.

As for Ayan Mukherjee, the debutant director gives us insight into maturity of hearts even when they are stubbornly immature in their outward conduct.

Don’t miss thie wake-up call from a director-actor duo who have created a world of heartbreaking transparency.

Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Zayed Khan, Lara Dutta, Katrina Kaif Kylie Minogue
Director : Anthony D'Souza
Rating: ****

When the makers of a film proudly proclaim their product to be at par with their Hollywood counterparts, one is bound to be sceptical. More so because "Blue" is an action film, that too set underwater, which is not just a first in Bollywood but also a rarity in Hollywood.

So does "Blue" set new standards for Bollywood action movies? Does it actually get into the underbelly of the sea and show a world hitherto unexplored? The answer is yes.

Let's put it this way - "Blue" may not be the mind-blowing commercial action thriller that you would have ever seen. However, it certainly is the most innovative attempt that deserves to be acknowledged and lauded.

Action is truly the USP of the film and keeps the momentum going for "Blue" due to which one doesn't quite miss the presence of a solid storyline.

From first till the last frame, it's the amalgamation of action and an unknown world (under the sea) which brings in a novelty factor.

For those hunting for a storyline, "Blue" actually begins and ends at the basic synopsis level. Mr. Richie Rich Akshay Kumar wants a treasure to be explored and entices his employee and friend Sanjay Dutt with tempting offers.

Dutt is reluctant to take that dive into the sea even though his girlfriend Lara Dutta and brother Zayed Khan do present him enough reasons to take the plunge. Eventually he relents and the journey of "Blue" begins. Simple.

There are five key action sequences that keep the pace up for the film. Each of the three bike sequences featuring Zayed become better and better and in fact his introduction a la 'Fast and the Furious' is something unique for an Indian film.

The boxing ring sequence featuring Sanjay and Akshay does hint of "Broken Arrow", though it works in establishing their characters. Most importantly, the entire underwater hunt sequence is a breathtaking affair.

Anthony D'Souza has a strong eye for visuals and that shows. Technically, whether it is camerawork or sound, "Blue" bears an international feel. Whether it's Sanjay or Akshay, the revelation about their past isn't quite hammer strong, even though convincing.

Moreover, even though the film is a multi starrer, one does expect Akshay to be on the forefront. However, for a change, a film featuring him does allow equal screen space for other actors as well.

As for Lara and Katrina Kaif, their presence is required to make the film look good and in that aspect, they do well.

In a nutshell, "Blue" is made for those who want pulsating action, innovative stunts, glamour and some unbelievable moments that defy logic.

It mainly caters to the youth that just want some non stop action in those two hours while keeping James Bond movies in mind.

The kind of films where bikes are meant to race through traffic, cars are meant to explode, women are meant to bring on a glamour quotient, villains are meant to be suave, action is meant to belong to never-seen-before variety and technical aspects are meant to be superior to the best.

Aren’t you working too much these days?
I don’t think so. Recently when we shot in London for Housefull it was like family holiday. It was like a picnic. Houesfull is an emotional comedy.

When Sajid Khan told me we were done with 90 percent of the film in Europe I couldn’t believe it. Our families were there. Once I was back in Mumbai my schedules got stressful. That’s why I like shooting abroad. I came back to Mumbai last month to shoot two songs for Blue.

Do you enjoy shooting songs as much as all the other aspects of a film?
I enjoy being in front of the camera, period. It doesn’t matter whether it’s to put sindoor in the leading lady’s hair or to wipe it off.

The rapport between you and the Blue director Tony d’Souza is supposedly amazing.
Tony took really good care of his cast. Though Blue is his first film you can’t really make it out. He’s a very hard-working man. Of course I want Blue to work for my sake. But more than me it’s Tony who deserves to succeed. I hope he succeeds. Regarding our rapport it’s all about the vibes you give to the director as your actor.

You’ve established a long-standing rapport with many directors?
Why just directors? It’s important to have a rapport with producers. You’ve to be a thoroughly professional, finish your work on time. I feel it’s more important to be a good human being than a good actor.

When you are shooting abroad you also escape all the gossip and controversy?
No, that you are clued in to wherever you are. You can’t get away from that. Trust me if I’m shooting abroad and no one calls me I’d get very anxious and insecure. After every shot every actors checks his missed calls. If after three shots there’re still no missed calls it’s time for pack-up.

Do you enjoy the freedom of moving around freely abroad?
You mean because of the fans? But there are Indians in every part of the world. And they do call out to you, wave and say hello. But beyond that they leave you alone. My son loves skating. We went in skating in Hyde Park.

Do you want to direct a film?
Not really. I’m very happy being in front of the camera. I’m happy being an actor and a producer.

Are you producing a film with Shah Rukh Khan?
No, not at all.

Are you working in a film with Trisha?
Yes I am. Priyan is planning something. I love working with all kinds of co-stars, new or established doesn’t matter. I’ve worked with three new girls in Priyan’s Garam Masala. And that was a hit. Hopefully Trisha will be a hit too.

Blue is the first Hindi film to go underwater?
I think the movie should’ve been called Red. The sea is now filled more with the blood of killed fish than the blue of the ocean. And now there’s my own blood in the ocean.

What do you mean?
I got badly injured doing an underwater sequence. I hit my head 150 feet under water and blood just started oozing out. I was in a daze. I’d have been dead. I could’ve been eaten by one of the sharks.

It happened while I had to kick a goon underwater. For the action shots the oxygen tanks were removed. You can’t control your body movements underwater. I hit my head in a sunken ship. Blood started oozing out. The unit was in a panic because sharks get instantly attracted to the smell of blood. There were 40-45 sharks around me.

One of the unit guys quickly stopped the blood from oozing out of my forehead. Two sharks actually smelled the blood and started coming my way. One shark chased me all the way to the top of the ocean, as I swam back to safety.

Were you frightened?
Not at that time. But looking back I realized anything could’ve happened. I realized sharks are not a threat to you until they feel threatened by you. Now do you know why I think Blue should be called Red?

Was Blue the most difficult film you’ve ever done?
By far it was the most difficult film. Every morning going underwater. It’s the toughest film I’ve ever done. I don’t know what bigger challenge I can throw at myself…except shoot a film in space. I’d also love to jump down from the Empire State Building.

Didn’t you once say you won’t do these dangerous stunts now that you’re a father?
If you saw Khatron Ke Khiladi (Fear Factor) I warned audiences not to try the stunts. I don’t want any harm to come to anyone while trying my stunts. I do them with a lot of precaution. But at the end of the day I know with my caution and experience I could go badly wrong with my stunts.

Is it worth it?
I’ve seen stunt men lose their lives in front of my eyes because of one wrong move. The wind can suddenly change its direction during an aerial stunt and you’re gone. I know it’s dangerous. But I just love doing stunts. It’s a thrill I can’t stop myself from. I tried to stop it for my son. But I can’t. I suppose it’s my one addiction in life.