Starring: Ranbir Kapoor

Harpreet Singh Bedi is a recent college grad with not the most impressive transcript. Though he’s an average student, he’s always dreamed of having a successful career. He decides to enter the world of sales – a career that would allow him to experience the corporate world and become a ‘professional’. However, as soon as he starts his job at AYS, he soon realizes his values and ideas clash with those of his supervisors. Harpeet takes his well grounded values and begins a venture that will soon involve many of his colleagues, minus the owner of the company he’s working for. He takes his boss for a ride by starting his own company that has lower rates and offers exceptional service – something unheard of in the sales world. Will Harpeet be successful or be brought down by what possibly could be a serious legal offense?

Verdict: Wait for the DVD!

Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Genelia D’Souza

Sameer is a talented young man with a dream to make it on the big screen. Despite the ups and downs he faces, his passion keeps him motivated to work towards his goal. However, just as he is about to get his big break, the director of the film decides he wants to search for the hero through a talent hunt. Not only does he end up losing this opportunity, he also loses his home! Living out of his car and desperate to get back on his feet, he begins teaching dance lessons to school children. With the help of his new choreographer friend Tina, he helps the kids win a dance competition. Tina also encourages him to enter the talent hunt competition. Will Sameer be able to gain his confidence back and win the competition?

Verdict: Wait for the DVD!

Starring: Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, R.Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani, Mona Singh, Parikshit Sahni, Javed Jaffrey

The story revolves around the college days of three best friends – Raju, Farhan and Rancho. After graduation however, they lose touch with beloved Rancho who taught them that to think for themselves and to have an open mind. Rancho was a free spirited and brilliant student, and he was always helping others to think outside the box and to question the ‘system’. One day, Raju and Farhan embark on a journey to find their long lost friend. After breaking into a funeral, crashing and breaking up a wedding, and finding out about their friend’s past; they finally find their friend in the midst of mountains…what possibly could he be doing there?

Verdict: A must watch! Entertaining and insightful!

Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Paresh Rawal

Auro (Amitabh Bachchan) is a 13 year old with an extremely rare genetic disease called Progeria. This disease causes accelerated aging, so he looks about 5 times older than he really is. His lives with his mother, she is a gynecologist. His father is a passionate young politician who wants to show the world that there is a good side of politics. The theme of the movie is about the relationship between father and son, and ironically Abhishek plays the role of the father.

Verdict: Wait for the DVD!

Starring: Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor

Avantika has recently moved from New York to Delhi after her father suffers from a heart attack. She finds herself teaching at a university in Delhi, where she meets a professor by the name of Ehsaan Khan. Over the next few months they develop a romantic relationship. One day, Avantika receives a call from her university in New York requesting her to come back for the fall semester. Ehsaan is accepting of the idea of moving to New York and finding a job. They get married and settle into a suburban Indian neighborhood. Their Muslim neighbors invite them over for dinner with some friends. One of the women she meets at the dinner party invites herself to Avantika’s home and reveals to her that she is in grave danger. Avantika’s life takes a turn for the worse as she finds herself stuck in a compromising situation. She can trust no one in this time of crisis.

Verdict: Gripping, a must watch!

Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif

Ranbir plays the role of Prem, a guy with a happy-go-lucky attitude who tries to spread happiness to everyone he sees; however, it usually ends up in disaster. Due to a classic case of mistaken identity, Prem ends up kidnapping Jenny, a girl who was brought up by uncaring foster parents. Prem begins to fall for Jenny, but soon realizes she is in love with someone else! Despite his feelings for Jenny, Prem decides to unite the two lovers and get them married.

Review: Entertaining! Check it out!

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Lara Dutta, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Shetty, Zayed Khan

The myth of treasure hidden 250 ft deep in the Pacific Ocean has claimed the lives of many treasure hunters as they risk their lives to get to the treasure which is guarded by sharks. Despite the rumors and stories surrounding the myth, three men each with a different motive embark on a journey to seek the treasure. Aarav, an already wealthy man wants the thrill of obtaining more riches. Sagar, an honest man needs the money to support his girlfriend and brother. As for Sam, he is a fearless one who isn’t afraid of death, and for him it’s all about the adventure. Will they survive and find the treasure?

Verdict: Go for it!

Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Konkona Sen Sharma

Sidharth Mehra (Sid) is the typical slacker who has no interest in his studies or his future; the only things he seems to care about are his friends, his camera, partying and just living an easy life. His father is a hardworking self-made businessman who hopes that one day Sid will wake up and join him at the office. His ‘no work, all play’ attitude soon changes he finds out he has failed all his courses and he’ll be the only one amongst his friends not graduating. After getting in to an argument with his family, he seems to have no where to turn but his new friend, Aisha. An aspiring writer from Calcutta, Aisha has recently moved to Mumbai in search of an independent lifestyle. Aisha and Sid develop a great friendship, and he looks to her for help when he leaves home. This gives Sid an opportunity to realize what he’s doing to himself, but will he really change? Only time will tell!

Verdict:Must watch!

Starring: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogan, Leslie Mann

Adam Sandler plays the role of George, a successful standup comedian who learns he is dying of an incurable blood disease. Ira, on the other hand is a struggling comedian who also works at a deli to make ends meet. One day, both men meet after performing at the same club and George offers Ira the opportunity to become his assistant. Both form a strong bond as they try to help each other personally and professionally. George later learns his disorder has gone into remission, he becomes appreciative of life and the people around him.

Verdict: Head to the theaters for this one!

Starring: Priyanka Chopra, Harman Baweja

Yogesh Patel has recently returned from the US, and in an effort to save his family’s wealth he faces the task of finding himself a wife in the next 10 days. To make this task a little easier, his uncle suggests meeting a girl from each raashee (zodiac signs), and then deciding which one he would like to marry. Priyanka Chopra brilliantly plays the role of twelve distinct personalities. The length of the movie is quite long, but if you’re in the mood for a romantic comedy give it a try!

Verdict: Watch it on DVD!

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Michael Douglas

Connor Mead is a successful photographer who loves living the bachelor lifestyle. He has a notorious reptuation for loving beautiful women, and then goes on to dump them as they start to fall in love with him. Women practically throw themselves at him, and he ofcourse doesn’t mind! He finds no shame in dumping three of them on a conference call , all in front of the his next victim.

His brother Paul is about to get married and Conner tries best to convince him that he’s about to make the biggest mistake of his life! Conner mocks the idea of romance and proves to be a major buzz kill for the entire wedding party, which just happens to include Conner’s childhood friend Jenny. The night before the wedding, Conner is visited by three ghosts that show him his past, present and a lonely ahead. They try to help him rediscover the caring and loving person he once was. But the question is, will Conner be ready to forget his bachelor lifestyle?

Verdict: Wait for the DVD!

Starring: Channing Tatum, Terrance Howard, Brian J. White, Luis Guzman, Zulay Henao

Channing Tatum plays the role of Shawn MacArthur, a young man who comes to New York City with nothing but his mysterious past. He meets Harvey Boarden (Terrance Howard), a scam artist who offers him a path to success and making money by streetfighting. Both find success, but not without a struggle to survive in the dark world of streetfighting. This world comprises of corruption and rich men who make bets on these street fights. Will Shawn ever find his way out of the fighting ring?

Verdict: Watch it in the theatres! Great fighting sequences!

Starring:Pat Morita, Eric Roberts, Gail Kim and Lalaine

"A fierce assassin from a kingdom in the Himalayas arrives in America to assassinate a high school girl. She is unaware of her status as the last living heir to the kingdom. The king's bodyguard also arrives - to protect the girl. As the battle for the princess's life intensifies the line between good and evil begins to blur with a mind-blowing finale that defies all expectations."

This is the last movie of Academy Award nominee Pat Morita (Mr. Miyagi from “The Karate Kid”) and Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts (“THE DARK KNIGHT”). The movie also stars WWE wrestling sensation and Korean Superstar Gail Kim.

Playing at the AMC Hoffman: 206 Swamp Fox Rd, Alexandria, VA 22314

Verdict: Take your family, friends and neighbors to support this film made by your fellow Pakistani Babar Ahmed!!

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Ayesha Takia

Akshay plays the role of Jai, a man with a unique power which helps him solve the mystery of his father’s death. His father, Mr. Jatin, is a successful business man who strongly encourages his son to take over the business and get involved; however, Jai is not interested and would rather live life at his own pace. The differences between the two become so strong that they end up losing their bond as father and son. When his father is killed in a mysterious boating accident, Jai feels lost and guilty for not being close to his father. He manages to stumble across the last photo taken of his father with family and friends before the accident. He begins investigating the accident and finds dangerous details. Not only does solve the mystery of the accident, but finds some loved ones are being unfaithful…

Verdict: Wait for the DVD!

Starring: Neil Nitin Mukesh, Bipasha Basu

Ray is a young, struggling photographer with nothing much going for him, however, his life takes a turn when he inherits a unique camera from his grandfather. The new camera in his life changes everything - he becomes an instant success and also meets the love of his life, Simi. Despite the good fortune the camera has given him, he now faces new dangers and challenges. Will he be able to win the fight against the dark side of reality?

Verdict: Watch it in the theater!

Starring: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy

In hopes of making it big in the magazine industry, Rebecca Bloomwood moves to New York City to pursue her love for fashion and shopping. She manages to spend over $1000 per month on shopping, but one day, when she discovers a green scarf that she just can’t live without, she is forced to ask a random man on the street. Ironically, the same man is the one interviewing her for a job at Successful Living. As she laments over her lack of success, she writes drunken letters to editors of Allete fashion magazine and Successful Living, somehow she also manages to switch the letters she wrote. Despite her first impression, Luke, the editor of Successful Living hires her. Instead of completing her first assignment though, she goes out shopping! To her amazement, the ‘cashmere’ pullover is only 5% cashmere! Luke is impressed by Rebecca and invites her to a conference in Miami. There, the two get to know each other, but when Rebecca returns she finds out there is a debt collector waiting for her and her best friend tells her to join a shopaholic group. Her financial situation and amount of debt is made public by a live TV show, and as a consequence she loses her job. Luke is also disappointed in her that she lied to him. However, Rebecca finds a way to pay her debt by selling all her clothes, even the green scarf! Despite all this effort, will Rebecca be able to get her job back?

Verdict: Wait for the DVD!

Starring: Irfan Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Lara Dutta

Billu owns a barber shop in a small village, where he lives with his family. Billu tells his children that he was once a friend of the superstar Sahir Khan. It just so happens that Sahir comes to the village for shooting a film, and Billu’s children help spread the rumor that Sahir was their father’s childhood friend. The rumor spreads like wildfire and the people of the village start giving him gifts if Billu is able to help them meet the celebrity. Billu, embarrassed about living in poverty, doesn’t want to meet him. However, because the whole town knows about it, Billu makes several attempts to meet the star. Even the school principal, who threatened Billu to expel his children because of no payment of school fees, has a change in attitude and wants Billu to get Sahir to attend a school function. The principal decides to take matters into her own hands and personally goes to see Sahir to see if he will attend the function. The question is…was Billu even friends with Sahir in the first place?

Verdict: Wait for the DVD!

Starring:Abhishek Bachchan, Waheeda Rahman, Om Puri, Rishi Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor

Abhishek plays the role of Roshan, an American born Indian who travels to India with his ill grandmother to her home in Delhi, where she would like to live her last days. Upon arriving, he learns about a mysterious 'monkeyman' who goes around killing people in the middle of the night over a masjid/mandir dispute. Roshan is exposed to the colorful neighborhood of Chandni Chowk and the interesting characters that inhabit it. Especially interesting is Bittu, a young woman who dreams of becoming an Indian Idol rather than getting married to someone chosen by her conservative father. Roshan settles in and starts getting to know people really well; he also falls in love with Bittu. Soon however, the friendly neighborhood breaks out in hatred as the monkey strikes close to home.

Verdict: A must see!

Starring: Bernie Mac, Alec Baldwin, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Ben Stiller

In an African reserve, a young cub by the name of Alekai is learning the art of becoming a lion from his father Zuba, the leader of the reserve. Alekai is not taking anything seriously and is more interested in dancing and goofing around. Meanwhile, Makunga, a manipulative lion is after the position of Zuba and challenges him to a fight. As the fight continues, Alekai notices a rope moving and begins following it; he is then captured by illegal hunters. Zuba runs after the hunters and tries to get his son back, however, he is shot and isn't able to get him back. The crate in which Alekai is captured, falls off the truck and is dumped into a nearby river.

Alekai sits patiently in the crate and is put on a ship heading to New York City! He is turned over to the zoo, where he soon becomes an attraction for his dancing moves. He makes friends with Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo and Melman the Giraffe. Animal rights activists demand that the animals be sent back to the wild, however, the ship goes missing and the animals become stranded on the island of Madagascar. With the help of the lemurs and the penguin pilots, the plane with the four animals is sent into the air via a giant slingshot. Soon, the plane runs out of fuel and makes a crash landing; all animals survive and penguins tell the animals they will need a lot of time to fix it. The animals realize they are in Africa and make contact with the locals living on the reserve. It turns out Alekai has returned to where he was born! His family recognizes him and takes him in; however, he must perform the rite of passage that all young cubs must perform. Alekai fails the rite of passage and must be banished by his own father, however Zuba is unable to do so and leaves with his family. Zuba blames Alekai for putting him in shame in front of the entire community, and Alekai walks off. Alekai is not the only one having problems, his three friends are also finding out that living in the wild is not so great after all. The penguins are still working on fixing the plane, and successfully steal jeeps of the tourists. Alekai has the opportunity to redeem himself when the watering hole dries up. He must leave the reserve and figure out a way, something that is too dangerous. Will Alekai be able to fix the problem?

Verdict: You must take your family to see it!

Starring: Farhan Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Juhi Chawla

Vikram arrives in Mumbai to make it big in Bollywood with the help of his friends Abhimanyu and Sameer who already work in the industry. Vikram soon becomes good friends with Abhimanyu's neighbor, Sona, and later also develops a romantic relationship with her. She has been a struggling actress for sometime, and is currently the mistress of producer Satish Chowdhury, a man who has promised her the lead role in his dream project. Vikram gets the chance of a lifetime when Zaffar Khan (Hrithik) walks out on the movie being made by producer Romy Rolly. The search for a replacement leads them to find Vikram, who must now play the role opposite newcomer Nikki Walia who is the daughter of the older actress Neena Walia. Vikram's relationship with Sona is put to an end when rumors of an affair between Vikram and Neena surface in the tabloids.

Verdict: Interesting movie, wait for the DVD!

Starring: Emraan Hashmi, Adhyayan Suman, Kangana Ranaut, Sonal Chauhan

Raaz 2, as one may call it, is a sequel to the original Raaz which came out in 2002 and was based on 'What Lies Beneath'. Emraan Hashmi plays the role of Prithvi, a very talented painter who has the ability to see the future. He begins to have very disturbing visions of Nandita, a woman in distress that he has never met; he begins to paint her on a canvas. He keeps having these visions and is bound to find her and warn her of what she may face in the future. He finds her and tells her that these paintings he has made are not just portraits of her; but rather accidents that are waiting to happen in her life. She dismisses his ideas and thinks he is merely a stalker; however, she soon realizes that there is an uncanny resemblance in the near death experiences she's had in her life. She is overcome by fear and doesn't know what to do. In the mean time, Prithvi has a vision that she is dead! There is only one way to change her fate, and that is to seek Prithvi's help in unraveling the mystery. She must choose between getting to the bottom of this mystery and alienating herself from her boyfriend Yash, who doesn't believe what Prithvi has to say.

Verdict: Wait for the DVD!

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Ranvir Shoray, Mithun Chakravorty

Akshay Kumar plays the role of Sidhu, a man who earns his living by cutting vegetables at a local food stall in Delhi. He dreams of making it big and becoming rich by taking short cuts. His life suddenly changes when two strangers arrive from China and claim him to be a reincarnated war hero. However, the scheming translator doesn't tell him that he is being taken to a promised land to get rid of Hojo, a smuggler. Thus, Sidhu happily travels to China in hopes of becoming rich. Along the journey he meets Sakhi, a young woman who is also on way to her motherland China. Upon arriving, he manages to avoid being beaten by Hojo's men. Soon however, Hojo reveals the truth of Sidhu to the entire village, and tells them what a clown he really is. Sidhu is angry and wants revenge, with the help of his master and Sakhi, he plans to take down Hojo and conquer the land.

Verdict: Will have you laughing throughout, be sure to see it!

Starring: Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett

The movie is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's book about a man who is born in the eighties and then ages backwards – 'he is born under unusual circumstances'. On her deathbed, elderly woman Daisy Williams asks her daughter Caroline to read the diary of her lifelong friend Benjamin Button. Benjamin was born an old man and diagnosed with several aged diseases, making it unlikely he will survive. Although his mother dies during childbirth, Benjamin survives and gets younger with time. Benjamin was abandoned by his father and is brought up by Queenie, a black woman who works at a senior home. Daisy meets Benjamin at the senior home where her grandmother lives; they stay in touch throughout the years but reunite in their forties when their ages match up. Daisy and Benjamin fall in love, but soon encounter problems as Daisy gets older and Benjamin gets younger…

Verdict: A must see!

Starring: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson

Will Smith plays the role of a successful engineer who lives with his beautiful wife on a beach house. One night as Tim and his wife head out for dinner, Tim becomes distracted with his phone while driving and ends up getting in a car accident that kills his wife and seven others. Tim is petrified and unable to forgive himself; he thus creates a plan in which he will give seven pounds of his 'flesh' to seven individuals to make up for the lives that died in the accident. To carry out his plan, he steals the identity of his brother Ben Thomas, who works for the IRS. By using his IRS ID, he is able to search the IRS database find people who he thinks are worthy of his organs. He goes and meets each individual to make sure they are deserving, good people that are truly living a difficult life. He gets the help of his best friend Dan to assure that his plan is carried out after he dies. All is going well until Tim begins falling for one of the people he is trying to help.

Verdict: A great movie! Take a box of Kleenex with you!

Starring: Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla, Freida Pinto

The story is about Jamal Malik, a young man who is on the brink of a life changing situation – on the verge of becoming a millionaire. Jamal, an orphan from the slums of Mumbai gets the opportunity to play on 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?', and to the nation's surprise, he is one question away from winning 20 million rupees. When time comes for the last question, the show ends and he must return the next day; however, he is suspected of cheating - how could a 'tea boy' working at a call center know the answer to each question? The police beat him to try to get him to confess that he has cheated; however, Jamal is desperate and wants to prove he's innocent. He tells the police officer the story of his life, how he lived in the slums and adventures of being always on the go with his elder brother. Each story he tells reveals how he knew that answer to a particular question. Jamal is not after the money, he has the opportunity to take 10 million rupees and go, but he takes the chance even when he doesn't know the answer because he believes in fate. A truly touching story!

Verdict: One of the best movies of the year!

Starring: Aamir Khan, Riyaz Khan, Asin Thottumkal, Jiah Khan

Aamir Khan plays the role of Sanjay Singhania, a wealthy business tycoon who is suffering from short term memory loss after being hit by a metal pole while trying to save his girlfriend's life. The injury has caused much damage to his brain, and therefore his memory lasts only for fifteen minutes. He cannot recall any events from his life prior to the injury; he now tattoos himself or takes pictures to help himself recall incidents that have happened. The police are after him because he has committed several murders after the death of his girlfriend; he has been trying to figure out who killed her by using his diary. Chitra, a college student also becomes interested in Sanjay's story when trying to find an 'interesting' patient for a psychology project. Chitra finds out about the death of Sanjay's girlfriend Kalpana, who is killed when she tries to stop the kidnapping of 25 girls. Sanjay is helped by Chitra to find the killer of his girlfriend.

Verdict: Must see!

Starring: Shahrukh Khan, Anushka Sharma, Vinay Pathak

The much awaited film has finally released; a film for which Director Aditya Chopra has returned after 8 years since the release of 'Mohabbatain'. Shahrukh Khan plays the role of Surinder Sahni, a man who works for Punjab Power. New comer, Anushka Sharma plays the role of Taani, a young woman with a vivacious personality. The two get married, and are not 'happily ever after' because of the huge age difference between the two. Taani wants to participate in the dance show called 'Dancing Jodi', but hesitates because of her husband's age and lack of interest. When Surinder learns about Taani's desire to participate in the show, he undergoes some major changes. The changes and efforts that Surinder makes helps Taani to fall in true love with her husband.

Verdict: Amazingly stupid! don't waste your time to watch it even on a dvd!

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson

Bella Swan is quite different from other girls; she's not into the superficial things that other high school girls are into. She decides to move to Forks, Washington with her father after her mother gets remarried and little does she know this move would change her life forever. On her first day of school, in biology, she comes across Edward Cullen, a mysterious character who tries to avoid her at all costs. When Edward stops avoiding Bella, they become good friends and she begins to notice peculiar things about Edward. He is unbelievably fast and strong, and she first notices this when Edward saves her from what could have been a tragic car accident. Edward is actually a vampire; he is immortal and hasn't aged since 1918. Edward's family doesn't drink the blood of humans; they choose to drink animal blood. As Bella and Edward become closer, Edward finds it hard to resist the scent of Bella's blood, and he knows she is the soul mate he's waited for – for 90 years, that is! All is going well until some uninvited vampires disrupt a game of baseball the Cullen family is playing, they discover Bella is the human among them and are after her life. Will Edward and his family be able to keep the bad vampires away? You'll have to watch and see!

Verdict: Watch it near a theater near you!

Starring: Paresh Rawal, Manu Rishi, Richa Chadda, Anurag Arora, Rajinder Sethi, Abhay Deol

Based on the story of "Lucky Singh", this movie will have you laughing till you fall to the floor! Singh is a charismatic man who socialized with the high society of Delhi, all the while robbing them right under their noses! Not only did he steal from the rich, but also from the poor. The movie starts with his trial which proceeds to tell the story of how he came to steal in millions, how he socialized with the high class and fell in love all while outsmarting the authorities. This movie is entertaining and worth watching!

Verdict: Why not?

Starring: Kitu Gidwani, Priyanka Chopra, Arjan Bajwa, Mugdha Godse, Arbaaz Khan, Harsh Chhaya, Sameer Soni, Kangna Ranaut

This film shows a glimpse into the fashion industry, the glamorous but harsh industry. This particular story involves the rise and fall of India's number one supermodel, Meghna Mathur. She knew in her heart that she was meant to be famous, and modeling was her passion; and despite her conservative parents, she dared to dream of what she could become. Meghna never wanted to compromise her character or values in order to reach success. She reaches success and becomes the top model in India. She begins to live the life of photo shoots, parties, endorsements, and of course the fashion shows. However, Meghna soon must pay the price for her fame and begins to lose her place in the fashion world. Only time will tell if Meghna will make her comeback into the fashion world.

Verdict: Definitely watch it!

Starring:Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham, Priyanka Chopra and Bobby Deol

Dostana is a story of two straight men acting as a gay couple in order to rent an apartment. This movie is the first of its kind with a love triangle between three men who fall for the same girl. There is a lot of humor and funny moments in the movie. Overall, great entertainment, music and dance numbers. Who will end up with the girl is for you to watch!

Verdict: A definite watch!

Starring: Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Dino Morea, Riya Sen, Salman Khan, Preity Zinta, Amrita Arora, Rekha

Best friends Sammy and Ali embark on a journey to deliver three letters as a part of their film school assignment. These letters are for the families of military men who have sacrificed their lives in the war. Over the course of this journey, they learn more about the meaning of life. Though they are best friends, they have completely different personalities; while Sammy is more of an oddball and finds humor in awkward situations; Ali is the exact opposite with a more mature outlook on life. Each letter has its own story. The first is with a Punjabi background with Preity playing a strong wife taking the challenges of living on her own with her husband at war. The second revolves around two brothers who debate about whether the armed or air force serves the country best. The third is of the story of a young man at war who sends a message to his family at home. The movie is shot beautifully capturing the outdoors.

Verdict: Wait for the DVD!

Starring: Ajay Devgan, Kareena Kapoor, Amrita Arora, Tusshar Kapoor, Celina Jaitly

The story revolves around Gopal, a character who lives with his wife Ekta and her sister Esha and goofy brother Lucky. Gopal ends up getting stuck on yacht after saving a woman from some gangsters, and they end up being stranded on the yacht for one night. When he returns the next the day, his wife becomes suspicious about his whereabouts from the previous night. Gopal doesn't inform her of the truth and instead tells her he spent the night with a made up friend Anthony Gonsalves; however, Ekta doesn't believe him and writes to Anthony telling him to come and visit her. Gopal then tries to convince his colleague Laxman to pretend to be Anthony. All is going according to plan, until they find out that the address to which Ekta sent is real! On top of his domestic issues, he is informed that a body has been found where he rescued the woman. The officer investigating this case turns out to be Esha's boyfriend who becomes suspicious about Gopal when he finds out he was missing the eventful night.

Verdict: Wait for the DVD!

Starring: Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Gulshan Grover, Mikaal Zulfikar

Based on the aftermath of the London bombings on July 5, 2005, this story highlights how the lives of people changed as a result of racial profiling and turmoil in the country. Tariq Ali is a Muslim police officer at Scotland Yard who is asked to investigate the police shooting of a suspected suicide bomber on the London Underground. When digging deeper into the story, he finds himself distrusting both the police officers and the Muslim community. The firm is gripping with drama and chaos in the lives of characters after the tragic bombings in London.
Verdict: Must watch it!

Starring: Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett Smith

The story revolves around Mary Hanes (Meg Ryan), a clothing designer and mother of an 11 year old girl, whose life takes a turn for the worst when she finds out her husband is cheating on her with a woman who works the perfume counter at Saks. Mary's best friend Sylvie Fowler is a successful editor working for a prominent fashion magazine in New York City. Mary's life becomes further complicated when she finds out Sylvie has also been disloyal to her when she publishes a story about Mary's divorce; all in an attempt to save her own career. Mary struggles to trust anyone in her close circle of friends and isolates herself from them. In doing so, she discovers herself and what she wants to do in life.

Verdict: Watch it!

Starring: Nandita Das, Rashid Farooqi, Syed Fazal Hussain, Maria Wasti, Noman Ijaz

Ramchand Pakistani is a film that explains how the unintentional crossing of the Pakistan-India border by a Pakistani Hindu family during a time of extreme tension between the two countries changes the lives of the members in that family.
The story revolves around how the family is forcefully separated and how they are struggling to survive without each other. A young boy must learn how to deal with the fact that he is in a jail cell along with his father after being separated from his mother, who must try to build a new chapter in her life and survive without her husband and son. The family belongs to a small minority of Hindus living in Pakistan, and they are part of the 'untouchable' caste in India. The film makes you aware of discriminatory practices in both countries, as well as the heartless social system that doesn't provide tolerance for people who may be of a certain religion or family background. It is saddening yet revealing of some of the political injustices people face in the subcontinent.

Verdict: Give it a try!

Picture courtesy www.ramchanpakistani.com

Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal

Harish Mishra (Amitabh Bachchan) is a veteran thespian passionate about Shakespeare whose life changes when he meets Siddharth (Arjun Rampal), a young film director who offers him a role in his film. Siddharth develops a friendship with Harish and convinces him to accept the role of the Joker in his production. While shooting in the mountains of India, relationships develop between coworkers. Harish teaches his co-star Shabnum (Preity Zinta) acting and is also is in a way mentoring her both professionally and personally. As the film shots wind up, Harish’s health begins to deteriorate and his memory fades. The entire film is in English and catered to a very niche audience.

Verdict: Rent on DVD!

Starring: Shahzad Nawaz, Mahnoor Baloch, Ali Kazmi, Nausheen Shah 

This telefilm showcases a very intricate and complex story that revolves around the situations couples face when living in Pakistan due to the highly conservative society.  Shahzad Nawaz plays the role of Dabeer Baig, a successful business tycoon who is living a very unhappy (second) married life with university professor and ambitious woman, Izzat Adil, played by Mahnoor Baloch.  In the lives of these individuals enter Sharjeel Khan (Ali Kazmi), a college student and Rosheen Aslam (Nausheen Shah), an assistant and secretary to Dabeer.  How these individuals interact and the relationships they develop make for a very interesting plot.  This telefilm leaves you thinking about the extremes of relationships and how insensitive human beings can be to each other.

VERDICT: A must watch!

Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Deepika Padukone, Minissha Lamba

Some girls can't help but fall crazy in love with the 'bad guy' despite warnings from parents and friends, there is just something thrilling about them. Meet bad boy of the movie, Raj who wins over any girl with his good looks and charm. In this movie, the story revolves around not one, not two, but three young women who have fallen in love with a heartbreaker. Mahi, Radhika and Gayatri all have been in a relationship at some point with Raj, and they have taught him a thing or two about love and life in general. The movie has excellent songs and great scenery to see as it was shot in Switzerland, Sydney and Italy.

VERDICT: Worth a try!

Starring: Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif

The duo of Akshay & Katrina is back in another romantic comedy. Akshay plays the role of Happy Singh who lives in a small village of Punjab and is sent on a “mission” to Australia to bring back Lakhan Singh ‘Lucky’ (Sonu Good), who is the current king of the Australian underworld. The village has actually sent Happy Singh out of desperation so that he will be gone for a while and they won’t have to deal with any embarrassing or disastrous situations. Happy Singh embarks on his journey with the help of his friend Tony Singh (Om Puri). While on this journey to find Lucky, Happy Singh meets and falls in love with Sonia (Katrina Kaif). Upon arriving to Australia, twists and turns begin to happen and somehow Happy manages to fight off the mob of people who were attempting to take Lucky’s life. After this confusing and hilarious brawl, Lucky ends up paralyzed in the hospital and Happy is crowned the new title of Kinng.

VERDICT: Wait for the DVD!

Starring: Boman Irani, Archana Puran Singh, Rachit Trehan, Harman Baweja, Priyanka Chopra, Harsh Vasishtha, Mehezabeen Sarela, Karan Verma

Meet Sana (Priyanka Chopra), a young girl who plays by the rules and is focused in everything she does. Karan (Harman Baweja) on the other hand, is a carefree character who doesn't always abide by the rules. Their 'love story' develops when they travel forward to the year 2050 by using a time machine developed by Karan's crazy, scientist-uncle. They are fascinated by the flying cars, robots and extremely tall buildings. Karan finds himself being drifted from his love, Sana, and thus it is in the hands of the robots to bring them together! However, the robots soon realize that they are in danger because of the evil Dr. Hoshi, the demi god of the future. How futuristic!

VERDICT: Entirely up to you!

Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Vidya Balan, Juhi Chawla
Om Puri, Vishal Malhotra

Shahid Kapoor plays the role of Raj Malhotra, who has been the overachiever and perfectionist in sports and academics all throughout this college career. Four years after graduation, Raj finds himself not as lucky as he once was, as he is repeatedly unable to win over a major contract that could do wonders for his career in architecture. Raj comes to the conclusion that there is a negative energy around him; once anything good is about to happen in his life, just the opposite happens and he's back to square one. Frustrated with never winning the deals, Raj meets oracle Hasina Bano Jaan (Juhi Chawla). She tells him that his luck will soon change for the better, but he must first find his lucky charm and hold onto it for the rest of his life. As she said, things begin to look up, and Raj finally wins the contract he's been wanting. Not only that, his personal life also is beginning to look up, the lucky charm seems to be Priya (Vidya Balan), a pretty lady who is always lending a helpful hand to the community.

VERDICT: Worth a try!

Starring:Govinda, Aftab Shivdasani, Upen Patel, Manoj Bajpai, Hansika Motwani, Celina Jaitley, Ravi Kishan and Prem Chopra

The very funny Govinda is back in the movie scene, and we’re happy to review his next comedy that revolves around six individuals struggling to make it big in their lives. The character of Bobby is one that runs away to prove to his family that he is capable of making it on his own. Lalabhai is a character who wins 1 crore rupees, only to lose that money when his business fails. Gaurav is a copywriter who just got fired, Manik is a model desperate to make some money, Shruti is a struggling designer and finally, Ashima Kapoor is an actress who never gets to play the lead role! Their lives change when one fine day; they all receive a text message stating they are the new owners of a 1000 crore company, however, that too a company that owes money for a 1200 crore loan. Until the loan is paid, they are all under house arrest.

VERDICT: Wait for the DVD!

Starring: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, Terence Stamp, Ken Davitian

Steve Carrell plays the role of Maxwell Smart, an eager and enthusiastic analyst working at U.S. spy agency Control. When the agency is attacked by KAOS, Smart hopes to have the opportunity to work alongside superstar Agent 23 (The Rock). Instead, he is partnered with Agent 99 whose identity is never revealed (Anne Hathaway). As they move closer to figuring out KAOS' plan and strategy, they discover that operative Siegfried and his coworker Shtarker are planning to take the cash for themselves and their evil network. One can only wonder, will Smart save the day?

VERDICT: Will have you laughing throughout!

Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon

For those of you not familiar with the show, the story revolves around Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), a love & sex writer living in New York. After moving in with her on and off boyfriend Mr. Big, both decide they should finally just get married. The wedding at first is planned to be on a small scale, but soon things get carried away when the guest list jumps from 75 to 200 and Carrie is offered a photo spread on wedding dresses in Vogue. Carrie and her girlfriends Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda couldn't be happier for her friend. Although each has their own problems at home, when Miranda lets her problems affect the relationship between Carrie and Mr. Big, things get very complicated.

VERDICT: Worth a try!

Starring: Akshaye Khanna, Paresh Rawal and Genelia D'Souza Director: Priyadarshan Genre

Paresh Rawal is back in the comedy scene with the release of his new movie in which he plays the role of widower Janaradhan Wishvanbhar Rane. After spending his entire life raising his two sons Chirag (Manoj Joshi) and Gaurav (Akshay Khanna), the roles are now reversed as they now look after their elderly father. The fun starts when Gaurav begins getting prank calls from an old college friend Sheeka Kapoor (Genelia D'Souza) who just happens to be staying with Rane's first love Anuradha (Shobana). Gaurav and Sheeka team up to arrange the marriage of Rane and Anuradha. That's bound to be one hilarious journey!

VERDICT: A must watch!

Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Anita (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), CEO of Sheppard Power Plant proposes a plan to the Nagres family of building a power plant in the rural area of Maharashtra. Shanker (Abhishek Bachchan) is easily convinced and can foresee the benefits it can provide the residents. Sarkar(Amitabh Bachchan)isn’t so keen towards the plan; however, Shanker manages to convince him to accept it. Shanker travels with Anita to the rural area to gain the public’s support. Soon, political troubles come Shanker’s way and evil forces group together to destroy Sarkar’s regime and eliminate Shanker from the political scene.
Ram Gopal Varma has done an excellent job in directing this gripping film. As far as the plot is concerned, surprises are a part of the game and make the movie very entertaining. It’s bound to be a box office hit!

VERDICT: A must watch!

Starring: Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Rishi Kapoor, Amisha Patel

The story revolves around the life of a lonely business man who at a young age lost everyone he loved. Due to his loneliness, Ranbeer Talwar strongly focuses on working hard and becoming successful, thus forgoing any other aspect of his life. A rare court ruling provides him the duty to look after four orphans who need love. Ranbeer and the orphans don’t get along and are having an extremely difficult time living together. To help them unite, Geeta (an angel) is sent on a mission to help unite Ranbeer and the kids. While playing the role of a nanny, Geeta begins to feel love towards the children and even Ranbeer, despite knowing that she has to return when the mission is complete. What will happen to Geeta? One can only imagine…

VERDICT: Wait for the DVD!

Starring: Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin McKidd

Tom and Hannah are the best of friends, but they also have their differences; he likes speed dating and she is on the lookout for Mr. Right. When Hannah goes to Scotland for a six-week business trip, Tom realizes his life is boring and quite incomplete with out her. He decides to ask Hannah to marry him when she returns. Hannah comes back already engaged to a handsome and rich fellow from Scotland. When Hannah asks him to be her ‘maid’ of honor, he unwillingly agrees only to have some time with her in which he plans to convince her to stop the wedding before it’s too late.

VERDICT: Worth a try!

Starring: Starring: Emran Hashmi, Sonal Chauhan, Sameer Kochhar, Vishal Malhotra, Javed Shaikh

For the first time, a movie has been released simultaneously both in Pakistan and India. The stars and producers of this movie arrived in Lahore for the grand premiere. Booking had already begun and with the story line containing a cricket background, it is expected that the movie will be received well by the Pakistani audience.

The story revolves around (Emran Hasmi), a character struggling with the dilemma of choosing between his obsession to materialism and the love of his life, Zoya (Sonal Chauhan). Before encountering Zoya, Arjun was much involved with card games and gambling. In an effort to better their lives, Arjun takes it a step further and becomes a bookie, and then later also becomes involved in the mafia. Upon entering the world of match fixing, Arjun finds more success, wealth and power. Offers for infinite wealth once again confuse Arjun…will he continue to immerse himself into the materialistic and corrupt world or will he change?

VERDICT: Definitely a must watch!

Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Cameron Diaz

After a long night of partying in sin city, two strangers wake up and find that they've married each other AND one of them has hit the jackpot (obviously with the other's quarter!). Both begin plotting against each other and are determined to keep the money for themselves. During this quest though, we know love is bound to happen! If you're in the mood for a chick flick, be sure to check this one out; it'll have you laughing throughout and be well worth your time!

VERDICT: Definitely!

Starring: Arshad Warsi, Sunil Shetty, Rashmi Nigam, Sandhya Mridul, Atul Kale

The comedy presented in this movie is not something new in Indian cinema. Throughout the movie, silly jokes are plentiful and they get old…fast. Nevertheless, the movie is an attempt to create something different than the usual Indian love story. As far as the synopsis of the film is concerned, there is some suspense and mystery involved! Sunil Shetty plays the role of Gopi, who travels from Hoshiyarpur to Goa to bestow the responsibility of a small piece of land to his childhood friend Kishen (Arshad Warsi). Kishen is now a corrupt individual who scams people in order to pay for his sister’s education; however, he has been hiding that identity and claims those acts were done by his evil twin brother (ha!). On top of that, Kishen is on a mission to steal diamonds worth Rs. 25 million. Will he succeed in doing so when the owner of the diamonds is also arriving in Goa? Will Kishen even go back to get the land? Oh the confusion and suspense…

VERDICT: Watch it on DVD!

Starring: Anil Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar

Yash Raj Films has produced yet another one hit wonder…or has it? The overly done promotions for this movie are a bit overrated for the actual story presented. Bhayyaji (Anil Kapoor) is a conniving gangster who is planning kill the very people that work for him; along the while learning some English from the swanky call center executive Jimmy Cliff (Saif Ali Khan). Pooja Singh is an untrustworthy character played by Kareena Kapoor. Akshay Kumar plays the goofy role of Bachan Panday who has been hired by Bhaiyyaji to kill both Jimmy and Pooja! Together, these characters embark on a journey across India which ultimately changes all their lives as they must learn to trust each other if they want to stay alive!

VERDICT: Give it a shot - the music and actors make it worthwhile!

Starring: Arshad Warsi, Rajpal Yadav, Irfan Khan, Juhi Chawla, Diya Mirza, Mandira Bedi, Rakhee Sawant and Hrithik Roshan

Dr. Sonali is in charge of treating the psychological problems of four diverse characters. Gangadhar is a schizophrenic patient who thinks he is living in the past and is fighting for the country’s freedom along with Mahatma Gandhi. Dr. Mukherjee is a character struggling with OCD and cannot resist the temptation to clean everything that comes his way. Raja is an angry character who is easily irritated by the smallest issues. Daboo is a quiet character who is suffering from autism. Is it possible for these characters to return to normalcy? Dr. Sonali has faith that with time and patience, they will recover. With as ‘krazzy’ as they are, it seems unlikely…

VERDICT: Wait for the DVD!

Starring: Sunil Shetty, Tusshar Kapoor, Paresh Rawal
Upen Patel, Esha Deol and Sameera Reddy

Laxmi Narayan times three is a more suitable title for this movie! Tushar Kapoor plays the role of Laxmi Narayan No.1, a character with a mafia background who is paid to kill the Don, also known as Papa at the Hotel Blue Diamond. Laxmi Narayan No.2 is an MBA graduate whose main purpose in life is to please his boss, and as an order, he is sent to the same hotel to pick up a car for his boss. The third Laxmi Narayan is played by none other than Paresh Rawal, an older man who makes his living by selling lingerie. He is also arriving at the same hotel to pick up lingerie samples from designer Jiya. As they each arrive, confusion begins and identities are mistaken, thus providing comic relief for the viewer.

VERDICT: Funny and entertaining, a must watch!

Starring: Anil Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Saif Ali Khan, Bipasha Basu and Akshay Khanna

The much awaited star packed movie is finally released, but is its plot strong enough to make it become a box office hit? Obviously, the cast is enough to make it worth watching! The story revolves around two brothers, each with different ambitions and personalities, Saif plays the role of Ranvir and Akshay plays the role of Rajeev. One greedy brother plots to take his sibling down in order to acquire the $100 million insurance claim. Betrayal is the name of the game; with twists occurring all too often, leaving you to keep up with the ever changing story. The action is overrated, especially with the car exploding in mid-air - Saif did you really need to do that? Bipasha and Katrina’s roles are nothing much more than serving as seductive back stabbers that add on to the drama.

VERDICT: Watch it!

Starring: Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Anurag Sinha

Subhash Ghai’s latest production is an interesting one, revolving around the story of a young man on a terrorist mission. Junaid is a young Afghani who is sent to India under the name of Numair Kazi on a explode Delhi’s Lal Quila. Once in Chandi Chowk, he resides with an interesting poet and becomes friends with Rajan Mathur. Mathur and his wife are activists who fight for secularism and justice in the Chandi Chowk area. They develop a friendship with Junaid and offer to help him get a ticket to travel to Lal Quila. Will Junaid go on with his plan or will he decide against it…

VERDICT: Wait for the DVD!

Starring: Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson

Matthew McConaughey plays the role of Ben Finnegan a surfer dude who has a knack for treasure hunting. Finnegan is determined to find out where the 18th century Queen’s Dowry was lost in 1715. With the start of his new quest, his wife leaves him (Kate Hudson) and his boat. Tess is moving on with her life and working for billionaire yacht owner Nigel Honeycut. Finnegan happens to find a crucial clue on the yacht, and convinces Honeycut to help him find the treasure. Tess’ love for Finnegan is reborn with the search. Another party is also looking for the same treasure…who will get to it first?

VERDICT: Fun and entertaining!

Starring: Naseeruddin Shah, Ranvir Shorey, Saurabh Shukla, Neha Dhupia.

Ranvir Shoray plays the role of “VK,” an aspiring actor who only seems to land the roles of an extra. His fate changes when he is abducted by an underworld gang because he just happens to look like the leader of their rival gang. VK seems to enjoy the perks of posing as an imposter gang leader; however he contemplates between choosing this lifestyle or his lifestyle of a struggling artist. Before he can make a choice, unexpected events change the fate of everyone involved in the story for the worst…

Rajat Kapoor has directed the actors exceptionally well; it certainly is not your run of the mill Indian movie. The story is told in a very suspenseful and creative way.

VERDICT: Wait for the DVD!

Starring: Ajay Devgan and Kajol

Ajay Devgan has directed his new movie starring himself and his wife Kajol. Ajay (playing Ajay) is on a cruise with his friends when he encounters Piya (Kajol). Their first meeting is somewhat awkward; after a few too many drinks Ajay is in no position to impress Kajol who has already been turned off from his behavior. He makes several attempts to win her heart, and at the end he is successful. They fall in love and marry despite their family and friends who try to convince them otherwise.

After marriage however, the problems they face are too much to handle…

VERDICT: Worth a try!

Starring: Hrithik Roshan, Ashwariya Rai, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Suhasini Mulay

Director Ashutosh Gowariker has successfully recreated the sixteenth century love story of Muslim emperor Akbar (Hritik Roshan) and his Hindu wife Jodhaa (Aishwariya Rai Bachan). To become an ally with the Rajputs, Akbar asks for Jodhaa’s hand in marriage. Akbar soon finds that Jodhaa resents the fact that her marriage is for political purposes and he must find a way to her heart.

Although the move is long (approximately 4 hours), it is worth watching if you’re interested in the elaborate set locations and costumes. Hritik and Aishwariya have played their roles exceptionally well despite their reputation for not being the finest actors.

VERDICT: Definitely watch it!

Starring: Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi, Ayesha Takia and Irfan Khan

Seher is a young woman that just happens to “forget” about a day in her life – what happened to her on a recent Sunday. In the course to figure out what happened, she finds that she has been the target of an attack. Ajay Devgan plays the role of a shady and corrupt cop who has undertaken the assignment to help Seher figure out exactly what happened.

He soon discovers that Seher is linked to two recent murders. She at first finds it humorous, but soon becomes frightened when clues begin to surface (i.e. her bracelet lying next to the dead body). She is unable to recall anything that happened despite all the evidence pointing to her as the culprit. Her fiancé Rajvir Randhava desperately wants to believe that she is innocent; however he must live with the fact that his future wife could be a murderer. Is Seher really a psycho killer hidden beneath the mask of an innocent woman?

VERDICT: Nobody likes Sunday, especially after this movie!

Starring: · Ellen Page, Michael Cera, J.K. Simmon, Alison Janney, Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner

Juno is a witty young woman who becomes pregnant by her high school sweetheart. She is forced to look at different options about what to do with her situation. Juno decides the best solution for her is to have the baby and give it to young couple who is having trouble getting pregnant. How her character deals with the pregnancy, interacting with the adoptive parents, her family, friends and boyfriend is what makes this movie interesting and heartfelt.

VERDICT: Quirky, fun and definitely worth watching!

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Firoz Khan, Mallika Sherawat, Paresh Rawal and Malaika Arora

It was supposed to be a comedy? And it was for about 40% of the time only if you understood the lame jokes. The movie was disappointing from the very beginning despite the large cast of talented actors. Akshay plays the role of Rajiv who has fallen in love with Sanjana (Katrina Kaif), the sister of the ultimate bad guys of the city (Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor). Rajiv and Sanjana have taken on the task to transform her brothers into “decent” men so that Rajiv’s uncle will not be opposed to them getting married.

VERDICT: Forget it!

Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Slaman Khan and Rani Mukherjee

Saawariya is a timeless story of two young star-crossed lovers whose passions take them to the brink of self-destruction. Based on Dostoevsky's short story “White Nights,” the tale centers on two lonely souls awaiting true love. Raj (Ranbir Kapoor), a free-spirited artist, idealist and dreamer, feels at home in the world when he arrives in a quaint, picturesque town. When he meets Sakina (Sonam Kapoor), a somber, shy and enigmatic girl desperately awaiting the return of her past love, he is instantly enamored. As a tumultuous romance blossoms between Raj and Sakina, they are faced with tests of faith and commitment. Sakina battles her newfound feelings for a man that is not her betrothed, and Raj mustdecide if he loves Sakina enough to set her free. Above all, their story is a testament to the power of unconditional love and the delicate nature of the heart.

VERDICT: Worth a try!

Starring: Shiney Ahuja, Soha Ali Khan, Soniya Jehan and Rajat Kapoor

Set in the 1950’s Indian film era, this movie gives us an insight to the dark side of showbiz. Soha Ali Khan plays the role of Nikhat Bano, a young struggling actress that gets her big break through Prem Kumar, a well known actor who takes advantage of her. Zaffar is a young script writer that also enters the film industry through the help of Kumar. From working together, Nikhat and Zaffar develop a romantic relationship which gradually turns troublesome as both try to concentrate on their careers. Their love has a tragic ending as a result of over inflated egos and selfish goals.

VERDICT: A slow movie, watch it on DVD!

Starring: Katherine Heigl and James Marsden

Katherine Heigl plays the role of Jane, a caring and self-sacrificing woman who has served as a bridesmaid 27 times, and has yet to become a bride herself. Her sister is now the fiancé of her boss.

The twist of the story is that she is also in love with her boss, however now she must deal with being assigned the task to prepare for her sister’s wedding. Just as she is starting to question her bridesmaid syndrome, another man (James Marsden) walks into her life and…

VERDICT: : A must see for those who are fans of Katherine Heigl, and also those who love romantic comedies.

Directed by Marc Forster, Starring: Khalid Abdalla, Zekiria Ebrahimi and Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada

For all those who have read the New York Times best seller The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini’s know that it’s impossible to fit the entire book into a single movie. However, Marc Foster has done an excellent job of incorporating the major scenes into the movie.

The story is set in Afghanistan before the Soviet invasion; and revolves around young Amir, the son of a wealthy businessman and his servant’s son, Hassan. The boys are good friends and together take part in a kite tournament; what happens during the tournament is what changes both their lives and friendship forever. One boy’s act of betrayal leaves him searching for salvation. As an adult and living in America, Amir has an opportunity to go back to Afghanistan and make things good again. What happens there, and the secret he learns about his father and his relationship with Hassan, makes him have a better understanding of his childhood.It is now Amir’s turn to act with a lot of courage and finally put all his fears that had been haunting him to an end.

There is a lot of emotion in the film especially between Amir and his dad, the child actors Zekeria Ebrahimi (young Amir) and Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada (young Hassan) have acted brilliantly. The character of Amir jan, the adult played by Khalid Abdalla fits him perfectly. The movie is actually shot in China, with some scenes shot in the US, and is about 2 hours long.

VERDICT: An overall good movie!

Starring: Kareena Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor, Dara Singh.

Surprisingly Kareena Kapoor is not her usual annoying self, and actually does a job well done in this movie costarring her ex Shahid Kapoor.

The story revolves around a very energetic and careless Kareena whose life collides with a heartbroken Shahid on a train. Kareena is traveling home and plans to runaway to her boyfriend. Shahid’s life has taken a downturn because the love of his life is getting married to someone else. Kareena persistently asks Shahid why he’s so quiet and what his problem is. Shahid finally walks off the train, and Kareena follows him to tell him that he’s about to miss it. They both end up missing the train, and Kareena tells Shahid that because of him she missed the train, and he must take her home. Shahid hesitantly agrees and takes Kareena home; and overtime both become friends.

However, their relationship doesn’t end upon their arrival at Kareena’s house…

VERDICT: Worth watching!

Starring: Madhuri Dixit, Konkona Sen Sharma, Kunal Kapoor, Jugal Hansraj

Let's get one thing straight before you read on - what's special about Aaja Nachle? Madhuri Dixit!

The movie plot is simple - Madhuri plays Dia, a runaway bride, who had dissed an arranged marriage to a local cafe owner in her small Indian hometown and run away to the US. (Hard to imagine how easy it was to "run away to the US" just a few years ago, isn't it?) She is leading quite a progressive life in NYC (Broadway choreographer, single-mom after divorcing her gora hubby). Then, 11 years after abandoning the mandap, she hears that her dance teacher is dying and her dance temple is being torn down to build a shopping complex. Disregarding all the "let's spit in the face of this runaway bride" sentiment back home, she returns to save the temple. Her solution? A grand musical show on the Laila Majnu story. Her challenge is not just to put the show together but to find people to do it with her, given her checkered past and rotten rep with the locals. Does she succeed? Please don't say you are in suspense!!

So again - what's special about Aaja Nachle? Madhuri Dixit. The lady is truly gifted and when you see her, 40+, having packed on a few pounds in addition to dollars, you will still say that she is the unchallenged queen of Bollywood even today. True, she's not as nimble and light-footed as she once was but does she look good? Does she act well? And does she still have the screen presence to hold the audience mesmerized through a fairly blah plot from beginning to end? Yes, yes, and yes!

The movie is all Madhuri and she does not leave any doubt about why she was (is) such a hit with millions of fans. Madhuri is supported by really good performances (as usual) by Konkona Sen Sharma (Page 3, Metro, Laga Chunri Mein Daag) and Kunal Kapoor (Rang De Basanti, Laga Chunri Mein Daag) and all in all the movie is very watchable, inspite of its flimsy though good hearted plot.

VERDICT: A must-see for Madhuri fans; not a bad way to spend time for others either!

Starring: Shaan, Iman Ali, Fawad Khan, Naseeurddin Shah, Austin Marie Sayre, Simi Raheal, Hameed Sheikh

Directed by Shoaib Mansoor, "Khuda Kay Liye" or "In the Name of God" is one of Pakistan's best films in its entire film history!

The film is about the paradox between liberal Muslims (and Pakistanis) being typecast as potential terrorists by the west on one hand and being condemned as heedless traitors to their culture and religion by Muslim fundamentalists on the other.

Shaan is a liberal Muslim from Pakistan who is living in the US when the tragedy of 9/11/2001 unfolds.  The film follows his life in the aftermath, not as a documentary, but a really well made, well directed, and very well acted drama.  It is an excellent comment on the torn state of liberal Muslims that takes a hard and unbiased look at the extremism in our cultures. 

Characters like Shaan's friend who turns fundamentalist add a very real flavor to the cast, which is not mean by any stretch of the imagination.  Stalwarts like Naseeruddin Shah and Simi Raheal have done an excellent job.

According to everyone who has been to see the movie in Pakistan, it is a movie that can revive Pakistani cinema if other directors and producers try to take some lessons from it. 

VERDICT: Opened in the US on November 21 in select theaters - DEFINITELY check it out!

Starring: Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Arjun Rampal, Shreyas Talpade, Kiron Kher, and Javed Sheikh

 Om Shanti Om was the title of a song in the old Indian movie Qarz starring Rishi Kapoor. If you haven't seen that movie or if this doesn't tell you what we are trying to say, then let us not spoil Om Shanti Om for you :) Let us just repeat what the previews say: it is a movie about unfinished business and reincarnation.

Director Farah Khan (Main Hoon Na) has a good, entertaining style. Clearly it does not involve spending money on original stories - take a movie here, stitch it with another one there - and then spend most of your time making the movie colorful and entertaining. Om Shanti Om feels similar to Main Hoon Na - a huge 70s flavor, interesting special effects, glamorous (a bit too much) sets, dances, songs, and lots of sarcastic humor, mocking the "filmi" aspect of films. The music is a disappointment compared to Main Hoon Na but the song "Deewangi Deewangi" makes up for the lackluster music with all the special appearances by almost every actor and actress who has ever worked with Shahrukh Khan. The dialog is entertaining and well written, mocking the filmi-pun of films - while making one laugh, out loud at several occasions.

All in all, the movie was worth watching on the big screen, and one left with a good, entertained feeling.

VERDICT: Certainly check it out

Starring: Emraan Hashmi, Shriya Saran, Mrinalini Sharma, Ashutosh Rana

 You will mostly not find us reviewing Emraan Hashmi movies unless there's a good reason.  In this case, it happens to be Mahesh Bhatt's welcome fascination with Pakistani musicians and the fact that this movie is the third Bollywood flick to be released in Pakistani cinemas as well!  So the film industry continues to forge bonds between the two countries and Mahesh Bhatt, especially, seems to be on the front lines in this peace-not-war campaign!

This time, Mahesh  Bhatt has picked Roxen - a band made famous by their hit "Tau Phir Aao".  Their hit single is, of course, the theme song, touched with the Bollywood music style.  The film itself is love mixed with action mixed with international locations.  The direction is good, the tempo is fast, and the movie wraps up before you can get tired of it.  Oh, the heroine is of Pakistani origin too (just in the script though, she's actually Indian).  Pakistani audiences are rather enjoying the experience of beating the killer heat while actually watching a movie in an air-conditioned theater, instead of dozing off to the 157th Golden Jubilee week of some old "Lolly"wood flop.

We think Mahesh Bhatt is doing something great for Pakistani music.  He has commercialized it beyond the concert level for our bands, first putting Atif Aslam literally on the world map and now taking Roxen to that level. We've got immense talent and it just takes the right commercial platform which our film industry can sadly not provide.  So thank you Mahesh.  We will definitely watch this movie to support you!

VERDICT: Give it a shot!

Reviewed by Ayesha Azhar

Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Tabu, Zohra Sehgal, Paresh Rawal

Mix 1.5 kg of sugarfree Amitabh, 999 grams of fresh Tabu , 2 teaspoons of spice-ridden Paresh Rawal and 5 ml of saucy  Zohra Sehgal and you’ll end up with about two and a half hours of a little bit of romance and a whole lot of sarcasm.

Someone once said, “Age is an illusion.”  I’m thinking it was the director of the forthcoming film, Cheeni Kum.  It’s not as if it’s unusual for an older man to marry a younger woman, especially in the South Asian culture, but isn’t it just a bit over the top when the man of your dreams happens to be a good 6 years older than your FATHER?  Then again, maybe it’s not.  It’s up to you to decide.  I have to admit I entered the theater with a little hesitation and a lot of skepticism about what I would encounter on the big screen. But I had nothing to fear. 

The recipe goes something like this.  Buddha (Amitabh Bachan) is an arrogant 64 year old restaurateur who runs “London’s top Indian restaurant” like a boot camp.  He lives with a mother who thoroughly enjoys wrestling and is best friends with a nine year old smartass named Sexy who is fighting cancer.  Nina (Tabu) is a 34 year old Indian woman who, shocking to say, is still unmarried.  What is the world coming to!  While there’s nothing particularly unique about her character itself, she does have a redeeming factor in the form of a Gandhi-obsessed father (Paresh Rawal). 

The minimalist background, the sharp dialogue and the unusual circumstances all result in a stupendously humorous and slightly thought provoking film. Performances are a mesh of deliberate immaturity, natural simplicity and sharp sarcasm.

Amitabh delivers his character’s lines with such a boyish charm you would think he’s still in his twenties.  Of course, his stylish wardrobe only adds to his character’s inner youth.  Tabu’s character, on the other hand, could have been meatier although the little she said went a long way.  Her colorful shawls and knee length kurtas were a perfect match for Nina’s mature mind and simple lifestyle.  Where Tabu fell short of my expectations, Paresh Rawal exceeded them.  His character’s sharp tongue, Gandhi get up and twisted philosophy only added to the film’s absurdity.  Zohra Sehgal as always made her presence felt.  But the real surprise was the 9 year old Sexy.  The child delivered her lines with an élan unexpected from such a young artist.  Throughout the film, she earned the right responses at the right time from her audience.  In one word, brilliant.
Writer-Director, R.Balki’s witty script and detailed direction were a pleasure to watch.  The background score was an added bonus.  Music Director Ilaiyaraaja’s pieces were perfectly timed to the relativity of the storyline.  “Cheeni Kum” was the best of the lot with its melodious tune and wispy voice.  Cinematography was average while editing could have been better. The film could easily have been shortened by a good 30 minutes resulting in a stronger production.

For those who like to hold the romance in a romantic comedy, Cheeni Kum will be right up your alley.  For those who might get a little queasy watching a father figure court his much much younger love interest, may I recommend the macho-infested Shootout at Lokhandwala playing next door .

VERDICT: Definitely check it out!!

Starring: Shilpa Shetty, Shiney Ahuja, Kay Kay Menon, Konkona Sen Sharma, Irfan Khan, and Dharmendra

Don't you just love movies that launch without hype yet take the box office by storm?  Isn't that how movies ought to be - less pomp and show upfront and more guts in the movie to actually make audiences rave about it?  Well, we do, and Metro is just one of these movies.

An original, released on May 11 without any buzz compared to stolen, remade, and otherwise regurgitated crappy movies that seem to be all the rage in Bollywood, Metro has clean bowled audiences and critics alike. 

A movie about the fast paced life of large metropolitan cities (hence the name) and how it robs people of the time it takes to truly build a relationship with one another, Metro is remarkably enjoyable and well made. The cast is excellent; all the big names of non-conventional commercial cinema are there: Shiney Ahuja, Kay Kay Menon, Konkona Sen Sharma, and Irfan Khan.  This one has the added spice of an otherwise conventionally commercial actress, Shilpa, and a yesteryear icon, Dharmendra.  The movie is seen as representative of metro life in any big city in the world, and has premiered in several large metros like Dubai, Sydney, London, and of course Mumbai.  Audiences love the plot, the acting, and the excecution of the film.  Having opened to limited audiences, the movie raked in Rs.6.6 crores in just 4 days, owing primarily to word-of-mouth publicity!

VERDICT: Definitely check it out!!

Starring: Aishwarya Rai, Naveen Andrews, Robbie Coltrane, Miranda Richardson, Nandita Das, Rebecca Pidgeon, Steve Mcfadden

Provoked is based on the true story of a woman from the Indian Punjab, who moved to the UK after marrying an Indian already settled there.  Things were fine at first but gradually the husband's darker side emerged.  He violently beat up his wife and had illicit relations with other women. The violence got to a point where the wife could not take it any more and she killed her husband.  Jailed for life and separated from her two children, her cause was picked up by an NGO, who fought for her and eventually got her justice.

In Provoked, the lead role (Kiranjit) is played by none other than Aishwarya Rai.  The psycho, drunk, wife-beating, cheating husband Deepak is played by Naveen Andrews.  The cast includes veteran British actors Miranda Richardson and Robbie Coltrane, as well as Bollywood stalwarts like Nandita Das.  From all accounts, the movie is clearly a hard one to watch, for all of the gruesome and violent acts it highlights from the Ahluwalia marriage.  However, it is, in some way, uplifting as well, from the perspective of helpless women who find desperate means to get out of their hellish marriages. Aishwarya Rai plays a far from glamorous role but also proves the point that beauty is not the only thing men go after, or her husband would have definitely stayed glued to her side.  She does a fairly good job, as does everyone else on the cast. 

VERDICT: A must see - whether in the theater or on DVD is entirely up to you!

Starring: Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Javed Jaffery

TaRaRumPum is a light hearted, feel good movie about families who stick together no matter what.  Saif plays a race car driver whose fame on the tracks is only rivalled by immense marital bliss with wife Rani, plus their two lovely (albeit precocious) children.  A twist of fate puts Saif off the track and into a very tight financial situation.  Not having the heart to tell the children how they've lost everything they had, Saif and Rani pretend that they are taking part in a reality show to win a grand prize.  Hence the move from riches to rags goes down somewhat easy on the kids.  Another twist brings Saif back on the racing track but whether he can stake the claim on his lost fortune or if the reality show will unwind quite brutally for the children is something we will let you see for yourself!

There isn't anything striking about this movie except it has a good soul and the Saif-Rani pairing always brings some entertainment.  The music is so-so.

VERDICT: Definitely a DVD flick!

Starring: Kal Penn, Tabu, Jacinda Barrett, Zuleikha Robinson, Irfan Khan

Directed by Mira Nair, The Namesake is based on Jhumpa Lahiri's book.  It is the story of Ashoke (Irfan Khan) and Ashima (Tabu), who immigrate to New York from India to raise a family. They have a son whom they name Gogal (played by Kal Penn) after Ashoke's favorite author; and a daughter who they name Sonia (Sahira Nair). Both children grow up completely Americanized and confused about Indian culture and customs. Gogal grows up resenting his name and later on changes it to Nikhil or Nick. He becomes an architect and has a love interest with a white American girl Maxine (played by Jacinda Barrett). Although his parents are not fond of the relationship, they don't want to interfere in his personal affairs, until a twist of fate brings the family closer together. Gogal/Nick starts to see his world in a different light and begins to understand the Indian culture more. Whether that helps or hurts is something we’ll let you see for yourself. The film showcases the strength of family ties despite cultural differences that may come about between immigrant parents and their children.

The film is a bit depressing but the situations resonate with immigrants, especially South Asians. The plot and story are quite good.

VERDICT: Check it out, but maybe on DVD!

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Rishi Kapoor, Javed Sheikh, Upen Patel

This is a movie about cultural extremes who consider cultural assimilation a sin at heart, even if they condone immigration for economic reasons.  Katrina is the British born, naturally westernized daughter of Rishi Kapoor, an Indian immigrant who cannot let go of his roots, even though he has hardly ever been or exposed Katrina to India. Katrina grows up to be, well, quite British as one would naturally expect.  Ignoring how his own upbringing may have influenced her to be so detached to India, Rishi forces Katrina into a marriage with a very rural Akshay Kumar.  Katrina accepts the marriage but what follows is a war of the cultures with a very predictable end. 

The movie itself may have a good heart and soul but we really don't understand what is the real message. Extremes are just that, extremes!! Immigrants whose children hate or have no connection with their parents' heritage are probably a minority, not the norm.  But making a movie about extremes implies that they are the norm, which is not true, and perpetuates the stereotype that all children born to desi parents who live abroad are disconnected and detached from their roots, which is as stupid and unfair as the stereotype that all middle eastern or desi people are chauvinistic illiterate terrorists!  Anyway, who really expects realism or responsibility from movies!!!

For us, the only attraction is to see Javed Sheikh, one of the most popular Pakistani film and TV actors, play a role in this Bollywood flick so we may indulge in the DVD when it comes out!

VERDICT: Wait for the DVD

Pakistani actor Javed Sheikh (R) with Upen Patel

Starring: Fardeen Khan, Esha Deol, Bikram Saluja, Perizaad Zorabian Irani, Sadia Siddique, Mukul Dev, Kirron Kher, Saitish Shah, Tarina Patel, Raj Zutshi

The story of a young couple who enter an arranged marriage and then struggle to gain that comfort level where they can be each other's friends as well as, well, consummate the marriage.  The friendship part comes easier than the rest, bringing some tension and stress for the groom, and creating as harsh a twist as this otherwise sweet and colorful movie can have.  The movie is filmed in a very colorful way and is enjoyable just for that reason.  The story is simple and slice-of-life, without any violence or other harshness.  Not a bad one to rent for the weekend, but worth $10 in the theater? Maybe not!

VERDICT: Wait for the DVD

Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Jiah Khan, Revathy, Nasir, Shradha Arya

Quite in contrast from last week's Grant and Barrymore flick, this Ram Gopal Verma love story is hard to understand, or so the byline says.  Amitabh is 60 and Jiah Khan is 18.  She is his daughter's friend and visiting their house when Amitabh develops some feelings for her and vice versa.  The feelings deepen and in a sudden, unexpected Bollywood twist, they are discovered by Amitabh's brother-in-law. Inspired by Lolita, Nishabd is another one of RGV's adapted, yet original, movies.  But while his spin on Godfather (Sarkar) may have been more apt for eastern audiences, Nishabd is questionable.  In the east, 60 year old men don't publicly acknowledge lusting after 18 year old girls.  They may marry them, have affairs, etc. but probably won't like to be seen going to a movie that condones such bad behavior!!  No surprise the box office figures were miserable.  However, critics seem to like the movie and even some of the audience praised Amitabh's performance.

VERDICT: Entirely up to you!

Starring: Hugh Grant, Drew Barrymore, Brad Garrett, Kristen Johnston, Campbell Scott, Haley Bennett

Hugh Grant plays a washed up 80s pop star, who receives an unexpected offer from a pop diva to record a duet with her.  Not having put the proverbial pen to paper in many years, Grant is at a complete loss for what to do when Drew Barrymore walks in to help with her flair for words.  She's on a rebound from a relationship with yummy Scott Campbell and Hugh Grant, as ever, is commitment phobic.  The movie is predictably about the two of them falling in love inspite of themselves and their fears.  Whether it is something so predictable that it will make you yawn, or predictable in the warm familiar smell of mom's cookies kind of way, we'll leave it up to you to decide!

VERDICT: Give it a shot, at least on DVD!

Starring: Abhay Deol,Minissha,Shabana Azmi,Boman Irani,Amisha Patel,Raima Sen,Kay Kay Menon,Sandhya Mridul,Vikram Chatwal Karan Khanna,Ranvir Shorey,Dia Mirza,Arjun Rampal,Suzanne Bernert

Co-produced by Farhan Akhtar (Dil Chahta Hai), Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. is a story of six new couples on their, you guessed it, honeymoon! They don't know each other, but they have all signed up for a honeymoon package with the same tour company, to Goa.  The movie is a slice-of-life (Bollywood style) comedy/lovestory/drama with a variety of flavors to choose from.  You will see twelve people with different expectations about their marriages thrust together with veterans like Boman Irani and Shabana Azmi adding a helluva lot of spice to this tasty Goan delight.

VERDICT: Don't miss it!

Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Sharmila Tagore, Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan, Boman Irani, Vidya Balan, Raima Sen, Jacki Shroff

This is a movie to watch! The director of Parinda and 1942: A Love Story, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, is back behind the camera after a hiatus of 7 years.  (FYI, he didn't just sit around these 7 years, he was busy writing and co-producing mega hits like Parineeta and Munna Bhai MBBS!) And he has returned with a movie that is not only getting rave reviews in India, but even publications like New York Times and the Guardian have given it excellent reviews.

Set in contemporary Rajhastan, Eklavya is the story of a ninth generation royal guard, Amitabh Bachchan, who is still devoted to guarding the family of Boman Irani (the king) and Sharmila Tagore (the queen).  Even though the family's heir, Saif Ali Khan, has given up and moved to England, Amitabh stays loyal to the royalty.  A sudden twist brings Saif home and exposes Boman Irani and his brother, Jackie Shroff, for their atrocities.  The king receives a death threat, bringing in Sanjay Dutt, an otherwise insignificant police officer.  The peace and quiet of the small kingdom is shattered and what ensues is no different from any contemporary thriller with a very unique, retro ambience that gives this movie a rare, unique flavor amidst all the remakes and high-tech nonsense being dished out of Bollywood lately.

VERDICT: Don't miss it!

Starring: Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Akshaye Khanna, Ayesha Takia, John Abraham, Vidya Balan, Govinda, Sohail Khan, Perizaad Zorabian, Shannon Esra, Aroon Bakshi, Anjana Sukhani

A multi-starrer, big budget, lots of guts movie with a romantic theme and a light hearted tone.  It's a story of six couples and the twelve different lives they represent, with their own unique issues and challenges.  The music is good, the movie has enough actors for you to like at least some!  The John Abraham-Vidya Balan duo has caused some stirs.  All in all, it's not a bad movie to check out but maybe not so good that you should spend $10 on it!

VERDICT: Rent it on DVD!

Starring: Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman

It will probably be the most serious side of Will Ferrell that you will ever see. The story revolves around Harold Crick (Ferrell) who works as an IRS agent. One fine morning, he discovers that a voice is narrating his every move (from the number of toothbrush strokes to the number of seconds he waits at the bus stop). The voice narrating states that Crick will soon face death. This leaves Crick disturbed and determined to find out where the voice is coming from and how he can prevent his death from occurring. He falls in love with a bakery owner on whom he was conducting an audit. He struggles to find out where the voice is coming from and seeks the help of Professor Hilbert. While on a visit to his office, he overhears the voice of an author on television and recognizes it as the voice of the woman narrating in his head. The voice is of the famous author Karen Eiffel, who writes tragedies and in which the main characters always die. Crick finds Eiffel and tries to convince her to alter the story so that he may live.

Not your typical story line, very different and interesting concept for a movie.

VERDICT: Rent it on DVD!

Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Vidya Balan, and Madhavan

Guru's foremost claim to fame is that it's the first Bollywood movie to solely premiere at an international venue, in this case Toronto, Canada.  Aishwarya and Abhishek attended the premiere attended by the who's who of Toronto, thronged by thousands of fans, some of who paid up to $500 to see the premiere with the stars.  According to the Toronto Sun, the screaming fans could be heard up to 10 blocks away.

Guru is the rag to riches story of an Indian villager (Bachchan), who goes from being an ordinary peasant to one of the richest men in India.  Due to its striking similarities with his real life story, the movie was thought to inspired by Dirubhai Ambani (the founder of the famous Reliance Group).  Even the lead character's slogan "think big, think ahead, think fast" is word for word the Reliance Group corporate motto.  However, Mani Ratnam (director) and the movie's producers deny that Guru is the story of any one person.  They say it can be the story of any Indian who went from nothing to being a mega name in the corporate world.

The movie opened to packed houses in India, so far getting an excellent viewer response, especially for Abhishek's performance.  It has created a new level of international acclaim for Bollywood by its Toronto debut.  What remains to be seen is whether it will go down in history as just a newsmaker or a Bollywood classic.

VERDICT: Definitely check it out!

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black

Diaz and Winslet are two women who meet online on a home exchange website and trade homes during the holiday season to escape their disastrous relationships.

Diaz is a successful movie-trailer maker who lives lavishly in Los Angeles, while Winslet is a columnist for the Daily Telegraph who lives in a quiet neighborhood outside London.   One is in love with a man who is marrying another woman and the other's boyfriend is unfaithful. When they switch homes, Diaz has a hard time adjusting until Winslet’s younger brother (Jude Law) enters the scene.   On the other hand, Winslet adjusts quickly to the comfort of Diaz's home and also makes friends with an acquaintance of Diaz (Jack Black), which later turns into a romance.  And so the story goes on...

Although the movie is at times predictable and slow, if you’re in the mood for a romantic comedy with a great cast, then this is the movie to see!

VERDICT: Give it a shot, if not in theaters, then on DVD

Starring: Matt Damon, Robert De Niro, Angelina Jolie

The untold story of the birth of the (in)famous CIA and the man behind it.  Edward Wilson (played by Damon) loved America so much that he would give up anything and everything (including the people he loved) to protect it.  He believed in the USA and the CIA.

Directed by Robert De Niro, The Good Shepherd is very well made, laying more emphasis on building the characters and conveying an underlying sense of what is going on, through them.  As such, this isn't a movie where you can loudly munch on your popcorn or run to the restroom one too many times.  As long as you give it your undivided attention, you will get the beauty of it.  Of course, having some knowledge of American history won't hurt, as the depiction of events like the Bay of Pigs may not make a whole lot of sense if you think the Bay of Pigs is some wild stop in Disney's Animal Kingdom!  The movie keeps you in suspense on more than one account, most of which is whether this is a fictionalized account of how the CIA was born or the Bay of Pigs debacle.  A safe approach to not overly confuse yourself would be to consider it the story of Edward Wilson as he goes through situations inspired by true events.  All in all, this is definitely a movie to watch, but may be better viewed in the privacy and quiet of your home, on DVD.

VERDICT: Wait for the DVD!

Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Rani Mukherjee, Salman Khan, John Abraham, and Om Puri

From the makers of Baghban, another multi-starrer, with the magnetic duo Amitabh and Hema playing their age.  The youngsters in the cast are also great.  But when will Indian movie makers learn their lesson?  Casting Amitabh as an angelic old man over and over will get boring no matter what.

In Baabul, Amitabh is striving for his daughter-in-law, widowed when his son Salman dies, to have a normal, happy life.  To find love again.  Clean family drama.  No vulgarity, no nanga dances.  How shweet.  In fact, that is precisely what is wrong with this movie...it is too sweet.  The acting is fine but the movie does not evoke many emotions other than a desperate need for a fast forward button.  The direction is so-so. We think it all boils down to trying to replicate the sweetness of Baghban, which was kind of novel the first time around, especially seeing Hema and Amitabh as a couple after so long, but now it's all old news.

VERDICT: Yawn!

Starring: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, Uday Chopra, and Bipasha Basu

A sequel to the original Dhoom, this is a high action, high thrill, multi-starrer blockbuster not to be missed.  The plot is simple enough - Hrithik and Aishwarya are the bad guys (they even got sued in real life for being bad on screen - see our gossip section!) Abhishek, Uday, and Bipasha are the good guys.  The bad guys are planning a heist a la Mission Impossible in an adulterous combo with The Thomas Crown Affair.  The good guys are doing their best to stop it. But it all happens in a glitzy, thrilling, action-packed, musical, festive way from start to finish. 

Oh, and the babes have set forth a new fashion trend in India and Pakistan with this movie - no more straight ironed looks! Check out the big curls, mega body hairdos on Ash and Bips. 

The movie is getting mixed reviews but with all the lookers together on screen (with Uday Chopra the antidote for evil eyes), it is a movie you must catch on the big screen.

VERDICT: Check it out!

Starring: Denzel Washington, Val Kilmer

A futuristic thriller, Deja Vu explores the notion that the feeling you've seen something before may not be a mere trick of the mind.  Denzel Washington plays an ATF agent, investigating a ferry explosion in New Orleans.  He joins hands with the FBI to use a new technology that can look back up to four and a half days into the past, as part of his investigation.  He is struck by the potential use of the surveillance device to actually travel back in time, but doesn't fully realize the "whole truth" about the device/technology itself.  The plot is twisty (maybe a little too much for some people), the execution is fast paced and thrilling, Washington's acting is as usual superb, and the setting, Katrina-ravaged New Orleans, screams for restoring the city back to what it used to be!

VERDICT: Okay to wait for DVD

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen and many Americans

Expanded from British comedian Cohen's character in Da Ali G Show, Borat is one of the most hilarious movies of recent years.  Critics and viewers alike are raving about the lunacy that makes dumb Borat very, very smart.

Cohen plays a Kazakh journalist, who is on a government mission: "Although Kazakhstan a glorious country, it have a problem, too: economic, social and Jew. This why Ministry of Information have decide to send me to U S and A greatest country in a world! to learn a lessons for Kazakhstan" says Borat right as the movie begins. What ensues is a series of encounters that clueless Borat has with equally, if not more, clueless Americans.  The dialog between Borat and his new acquaintances is nothing short of hilarious, if you have an ear for satire.  For example, if you didn't find the opening dialog bone-tickling enough to want to watch this movie, forget it. 

The only problem with Borat is that it is playing to audiences who comprise many of the clueless people he featured in the movie.  So whether they get the underlying meaning or take the movie at face value will determine whether Borat succeeds in its goal to shatter stereotypes or actually ends up promoting them.

VERDICT: In Borat's words, "Please come see my film - if it not success, I will be execute!"

Animated, starring the voices of: Robin Williams, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Elijah Wood, and Brittany Murphy

After last year's surprise hit, "March of the Penguins", we are being treated to an animated movie starring, well, a whole penguin nation.  Another in the new wave of photo-realistic animated features, "Happy Feet" is a movie about being true to yourself, no matter what the norms dictate. The movie tells the tale of Mumble, a little penguin, a fantastic tap dancer, but terrible singer.  His inability to sing is a major issue in the clan of Emperor Penguins, for whom singing is not only a way of life, but also the key to finding and winning true love.  Given Mumble's "disability", he is chucked out of the Emperor Penguin clan.  In exile, he meets up with a posse of non-Emperor penguins led by Ramon (played by Robin Williams), who take Mumble in and truly appreciate his tap dancing talent.  With his posse, Mumble finds his way to self discovery and true love. 

Happy Feet opened almost $1 million ahead of Casino Royale in the US, grossing over $42 million.  Talk about the spending power of American kids!

VERDICT: If you have kids (or yourself are mentally) between 4-10 years of age, definitely take them to Happy Feet.

Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench

 Review by Rehaan Iftikhar

If you enjoyed Borat, the next talk of the town is going to be "Casino Royale".  True to the Bond tradition, CR has lots of action.  The first action scene is very interesting and almost looks like it was inspired by some Indian movie! This movie has less car chases and action scenes involving cars, but they destroyed Aston Martin's new car DBS (see below right). While Casino Royale has yet to make its world premiere, it has already broken a Guinness World Record.  The James Bond production team staged a dramatic car crash that saw 007's Aston Martin roll seven times — a Guinness World Record for a single take! 

VERDICT: You cannot (repeat) CANNOT miss seeing a Bond movie in the theater!!

Starring: Shahid Kapur, Amrita Rao, Anupam Kher, Manoj Josh, Alok Nath, Seema Biswas

Vivah (Marriage) is a Sooraj Barjatya movie (known for movies Hum Apke Hain Koun, Maine Pyar Kiya, and Hum Sath Sath Hain).  That means there is some very traditional eastern setting for the romance.  Yes, in this case, the couple (Shahid and Amrita) are actually entering an arranged marriage, proposed in the old, orthodox tradition of arranged marriage through a match maker.  However, they are engaged for six months and get to know each other.  All is hunky dorey until right before the wedding when a twist throws their love - and commitment - to the test!  If nothing, this movie has an eastern touch to it, which is refreshing given the new trend of filming 0.0001% of the eastern society.  And hey, at least it's not a remake!

VERDICT: Watch it in theaters if you are dying to reward originality; else wait for the DVD!

Starring: Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Khulbhushan Kharbanda, Sunil Shetty, Puru Raj Kumar

In the flurry of remakes comes the one that turned Rekha, already a superstar, into a timeless legend - Umrao Jaan, a girl whose life is a series of unfortunate events.

The story is set in 19th century Lucknow, where Amiran (played by Aishwarya) is abducted as a young girl and sold into a Lucknow brothel house (Kotha), where she is renamed Umrao Jaan by Khanum Sahib (Shabana Azmi), the eldest resident (Madam) of the brothel house. It is in the brothel, as used to be the tradition then, that Umrao learns her ettiquette, dancing, singing, and the Urdu language from Maulvi Sahib (played by Kharbanda).   The day she performs her first mujra, she catches the eye and steals the heart of Nawab Sultan (Abhishek Bachchan).   Both fall so deeply in love that Nawab Sultan leaves the riches of his father to be with Umrao, and Umrao is willing to rebel against Khanum Sahib.   But Nawab Sultan, now a poor man doesn’t meet Khanum’s criteria for letting go of her girls.  To further complicate matters, Faiz Ali (Sunil Shetty), a criminal, disguises himself as a Nawab and offers the highest bid for Umrao.  There are no more pleasant moments in the remake than there were original.

As with remakes, leave your cynicism at home - go enjoy the beautiful Ms. Rai's onscreen glamor in 19th century costumes, and evaluate the chemistry between her and real life boyfriend Abhishek. The music, sad to report, is nothing compared to the original!

VERDICT: Interesting but okay to wait for the DVD

Starring: Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor, Isha Koppikar, Arjun Rampal, Boman Irani, and Om Puri

Since its opening on Oct. 20, Don has been playing to full houses all over the world.  A much anticipated movie with some of today's top billed actors, the movie is well made, thrilling, fun to watch, and the music is great!

Having said that, Don is the remake of Amitabh Bachchan's 1978 classic, co-starring Zeenat Aman, Pran, and Helen - some pretty big shoes to fill!  Farhan Akhtar dared to take on the challenge picking Shahrukh (who else) to play Don. 

Has he come through?  In absolute terms, yes!  There are a lot of twists, making for some interesting differences from the original.  Casting is better where possible (Arjun Rampal looks more credible in an action role than paunchy Pran).  But don't forget those big shoes or shall we say the "Big B" shoes.  As one viewer said, "Nobody should try to mess with Amitabh Bachchan, not even Shahrukh Khan!" Kareena has done exceptionally well in Helen's old role, including her scantily clad dance to the famous number (remixed for the remake) "Yeh Mera Dil, Pyar Ka Deewana" where "she almost came on par with Helen" says another viewer.

So, if you don't quite remember the original, didn't see it, or were not born yet, you'll probably love the movie; but if you are one of those who watched Don 20 times, maybe not as much as the original, but you will still enjoy watching it!

VERDICT: Worth the price of admission - even better if you give it a chance on its own merit!

Starring: Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel

"Nothing is what it seems!" says the byline. The movie is based on Eisenheim, the Illusionist, a short story by the Pulitzer Prize winning author Steven Millhauser. Eisenheim, played by Edward Norton, is a magician in the turn of the century Vienna. He is tempted by love to use his conjuring skills to lure and woo the woman he loves. The movie has got fab reviews from critics and viewers alike. The setting is wonderfully magical, the kind that takes you away from what is to what can be! Edward Norton's performance is really good.

VERDICT: Okay to wait for the DVD!

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin

Martin Scorsese's The Departed (a mob tale) debuted as the weekend's top movie at the box office with $27-million (U.S.).  This is a record opening for Scorsese, whose best thus far was Cape Fear in 1991, with a $10.3-million opening.  The movie is a remake of a Hong Kong flick called Infernal Affairs. 

The plot revolves around the Irish mafia in Massachussetts; the mob places a mole in the police department (Matt Damon) while the police department places a mole within the mob (Leonardo DiCaprio).  The moles continue to serve their keepers but get exceedingly torn between their original occupation and the one they have adopted.  As mole sniffers within the respective organizations begin to squeal, each mole must make a run to reveal the other before he himself is caught, going through several conflicts and questions of loyalty along the way. 

The movie is thrilling, suspenseful, well acted, and extremely well directed. In the face of other films that are currently playing, you would be well served to spend your money on Departed.

VERDICT: A must see!

Starring: Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Kareena Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, and Naseeruddin Shah

Omkara is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello, set in an anonymous village in India. Ajay Devgan plays the main man, with Kareena as his love interest. The movie revolves around the games men play to get ahead of one another.  Each main character personifies traits that lead men to their own and others' devastation - Ajay is suspicious, Vivek is volatile and immature, and Saif is treacherous and conniving.  The women are nowhere near Saif in his ability to craft scandals and uproot anyone he feels is getting in his way.  Ajay is impressionable and insecure, despite his stronghold in the community.  Vivek makes the mistake of upsetting Saif's plans.  What unfolds after that is a treat to watch, in a morbid sort of way. It is not a movie to watch if you are already depressed or recently deceived by a close friend! But it's definitely a lesson in life for when you are in that introspective mood!

The movie is extremely well made - the acting is superb, especially that of Saif.  He has excelled in this role and we continue to be more and more impressed with his versatility.  The songs are outstanding - they go with the movie and are totally download-worthy!

VERDICT: A must see!

Starring: Rahul Bose, Mallika Sherawat

A light hearted comedy about the age old male dilemma - to commit or not to!  Rahul Bose plays the lead role of Sid, who is completely in love with Trisha (Mallika), a runaway bride, but cannot bring himself to commit. And when he finally does, he gets a gazillion reminders of why he never wanted to commit in the first place.  Some misunderstandings cause the couple to break up and Mallika goes back to her ex-fiance.  Realization hits Sid/Rahul and he starts pining for Mallika.  The movie takes on a slightly different turn, but stays comedic and entertaining throughout.

The music is okay, maybe just for a couple of turns on your CD player.  But the movie is not bad at all!

VERDICT: DVD material

Starring: Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan, Boman Irani, Jimmy Shergill, Diya Mirza

This is the second in the series of Munna Bhai MBBS, a movie that stole every viewer's heart just a couple of years ago.  It's not a sequel, though. Think Pink Panther or Austin Powers.  The central characters remain the same, i.e. Munna Bhai (Sanjay) and Circuit (Arshad Warsi).  Boman Irani comes back as Lucky Singh, a vicious builder.  But the story is different and as good, if not better, than the first.  The movie is getting rave reviews and people who have seen it, love it!

This time around Munna Bhai, flourishing as a goon, takes a fancy to radio show host Jhanvi (Vidya Balan).  He also encounters Mahatama Gandhi who becomes his Yoda of a spiritual kind.  With Gandhi's teachings on his mind, Munna Bhai takes us through a wild ride that promises many laughs, and even some tears.  Apparently the movie is about finding the Gandhi in all of us, but is executed in a completely non-sermonistic way.

The music is good, the acting excellent, and the movie promises to be fun for the whole family.

VERDICT: A must see!

Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Abhishek Bachchan, Priety Zinta, Kirron Kher

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (KANK) is billed as a "story of relationships". With historic advance booking, this Karan Johar film is headed for cinematic history like some of its predecessors (Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Kal Ho Naa Ho, etc.)

KANK's story is something like this - Shahrukh is married to Priety and Abhishek and Rani are a couple. Both couples are seemingly happy until they meet each other and sparks fly between Rani and Shahrukh. They start to feel something special and take a second look at their marriages. Whether committment wins over love or vice versa, is the crux of this movie and we can't say anything so as not to spoil the climax for you! Amitabh plays Abhishek's father and Kirron plays Shahrukh's mom.

VERDICT: A must see!

Starring: Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi, Sharman Joshi, Tushaar Kapoor, Rimi Sen and Paresh Rawal

Before you read on, please note that "unlimited fun" is not our caption for this movie, but the producers' own tag line. In this fun movie, the four "hunks" to your right play "college friends". Why the sarcastic quotation marks, you ask? Well, ahem, it's not the kind that had been friends in college 10 years ago, but the kind who are still in college!!! And not because they've "gone back to school after 15 years of work"!!! (Has the casting director recently visited and seen what most college students look like????)

Anyway, these "youngsters" get in trouble with some goons and take refuge in a blind couple's house (the husband played by Paresh Rawal). The couple's been waiting for their grandson to return from somewhere so Ajay Devgan decides to pretend and oblige. Meanwhile some people are after the old blind couple to rob them. Rimi Sen is also somewhere in the movie as the common love interest of the four "young boys". The rest of the movie is a hodge podge of comedic situations among all these characters.

Anyways, casting aside the casting atrocities, we've heard that the movie is fun to watch, Ajay Devgan does a good job in a comedy role, Arshad Warsi and Paresh Rawal do not disappoint, and the rest are all inconsequential.

VERDICT: Check it out when the DVD comes out.

Starring: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, James Marsden, Frank Langella, Eva Marie Saint, Parker Posey

Whatever you say, there is no superhero like Superman.  Once you believe that, there is no Superman movie that you will utterly dislike.  Sure, there will be some that you will like more, and the rest which you will just like watching because they are about your favorite superhero.  Superman Returns is sort of in the second category.

In Superman Returns, Superman comes back to earth after a five year absence (which is really 19 movie-going years, as the last Superman movie was released in 1987).  He has been visiting Krypton, his home planet, in the hopes of finding some remaining life.  He comes back to see that in general, the world hasn't changed; people are still violent, crimes are still rampant, and the planet does need a savior as much as it did before he left.  But he also finds out that his own world has changed a lot.  Lois Lane, the woman he loves, both as Clark Kent and Superman, has kind of moved on.  Lex Luthor is back from prison and back to his imperialistic ways, armed with some very dangerous knowledge.  The movie is about how Superman fights Lex on the one hand, but more noticeably, how he tries to reconcile with the reality of his changed love life.

The movie does a good job of setting the stage for sequels, reintroducing the old characters, adding a special "little" character (we won't give it away if you haven't yet seen the movie), and leaving some loose ends between Luthor and Superman. 

From the opening credits to the very end, the mood and ambience in the movie are very true to the originals, almost making you feel like you saw them recently.  Other than cell phones and digital SLRs, you can't really pin the time period.  Brandon Routh makes a good Superman.  You will dearly miss the late Christopher Reeve, but not because Routh is bad, but because Routh looks quite like him and yet, he's not Reeve.  Just like there is no better superhero than Superman, there can't be a Superman better than Reeve.

VERDICT: How can you even think of missing a Superman movie?!?

Starring: Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Naseeruddin Shah

Krrish is a sequel to "Koi Mil Gaya", in which Hrithik  Sr. made contact with I.E.T. (Indian ET), who quickly changed his name to Jadoo to appeal to Bollywood audiences.  While IET stole Hrithik's heart, he wasn't very pretty, so in the end, the victor of Hrithik's undying love was Priety (Zinta).  Apparently, they got married, even though Hrithik Sr. was a little soft in the head, and had Hrithik Jr.

In Krrish (remember to stress the extra R), Hrithik plays his own son, Krishna, who has inherited everything from the father except the softness in the cerebral areas.  In fact, he can fly like a bird, run like a train, and so on.  (Seems to us like maybe IET and Priety had something going on while soft-headed Hrithik Sr. was out playing with the neighborhood kids). 

Krrish is the alterego of Krishna, who has innocently followed his beloved Priyanka Chopra (thank God it wasn't an alien!) to Singapore.  There he meets Naseeruddin Shah (Dr. Arya), who is intent on destroying the world.  And from there on out starts the most expensive, and most successful movie in recent Bollywood history.

Inspite of the weird, unspoken extraterrestrial gene pool, Krrish will give you stunts and special effects to really marvel at.  In fact, the movie is giving Superman Returns a run for its money (if only Clark Kent knew how to sing and dance!).  It has opened to full houses all over India, is breaking box office records all over, including UK, US, and UAE. 

VERDICT: Oh, go watch it...what do we know!!

Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Neha Dhupia, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, Om Puri, Anupam Kher

The plot of the movie is original: Shahid Kapoor, a small town guy, decides to take his life so that the money from his life insurance policy can come in handy for his dad.  Instead of succeeding, he is saved by a fisherman, Paresh Rawal.  He is presumed deaf and dumb and taken to Kolkatta.  The rest is not so great.  The movie is intended to be a comedy of errors, or one lie spurs a thousand lies, whatever you want to call it.  Basically it's a one thing leads to another, everyone gets caught up,  and (here's the unoriginal part), nobody can see what's going on.  Regardless, the movie is full of people with a huge amount of comedic talent, and will not fail to entertain!

VERDICT: Check it out, but maybe on DVD!

Starring: Paresh Rawal, Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Bipasha Basu, Rimi Sen, Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav

This movie is a sequel to the hilarious "Hera Pheri" where Baburao (Paresh Rawal) acquires two tenants, Akshay and Sunil, and the three go on a wild adventure all on the phone.  Gratefully, at the end they go from paupers to princes, as their mish mash of a very bad "con the conman" plan unravels.

The sequel has the trio living their rich and famous (maybe not) lifestyle, when Akshay is hit with yet another "smart" idea.  Inspite of Sunil's warnings, Baburao indulges (greedy as he was), and the movie takes us through another hilarious journey of what happens to them.

We can't say you'll love it as much as the original, which was a complete surprise and maybe that is why it was so funny! This time, you know the characters and their antics.  Whether the addition of Bipasha and Rimi on the glamor front, and Johnny Lever and Rajpal Yadav on the comedy front, do anything to spark a new chemistry with moviegoers, only time will tell.  So far, the movie is getting solid viewer response and is highly recommended.

VERDICT: Don't miss it!

Starring: Bipasha Basu, Minissha, Sameer Dattani, Kay Kay Menon, Payal Rohtagi, Raj Babbar, Harsh Chayya, Rajat Kapoor

From the director of Page 3, Madhur Bhandarkar, comes the second one in his trilogy about life in Mumbai: Corporate. The movie is about two leading industrialists, engaged in a battle of supremacy in the wake of international competition.

The cast is an interesting ensemble. Bollywood has evolved in a certain respect, which is the ability of art film actors to cross over to commercial cinema and vice versa. For example in movies like Sarkar, Company, Thakshak, and even Chameli, actors like Kay Kay, Rahul Bose, Ajay Devgan, and Kareena Kapoor have all played strong acting roles in movies that had a strong commercial appeal as well. While Page 3 was not as mass-audience friendly, it seems like Corporate may be making that leap with this cast of well known actors.

The theme seems understandable enough for the masses as well...nothing too complicated in industrial feuds. Let's see how the movie does once it is released.

VERDICT: Sounds promising!

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Rebecca Romijn, Patrick Stewart

The last of the trilogy, X-Men 3 takes us through the challenge faced by all mutants as a mutant-parent uses his laboratories and an Anti-Mutant child to develop a "cure" for the mutant gene.  Once shot with the cure, mutant genes are zapped forever, turning mutants into homosapiens.  Magneto takes the brute force approach while Xavier and his students want to follow the tempered approach.  A fight ensues between the triumvirate of homosapiens, good mutants, and evil mutants.  We won't tell you who wins and how, because this movie is worth watching!  There are new characters and defining moments between old characters.  Some will die, others will live, and some will live without their powers...or will they?

The movie opened strong, grossing over $120 million on the opening weekend.  Movies like X-Men 3 always mean something different to their fans than their critics.  As a fan, you would love watching all your favorite mutants, doing their thing as the plot unravels.  As a critic, one can't ignore the weak character building, complete waste of some new characters who don't go far with the plot, and an almost unintelligent, muscle-flexing strategy underlying the whole conflict.  The movie is more like a 1980s flick, with many lost opportunities to show how the intelligence and imagination of the good mutants could overcome the evil mutants without indulging in waterfights and boxing matches.

VERDICT: Fans of X-Men must see this movie!

Starring: Aamir Khan, Kajol, Tabu, Kirron Kher

What a disappointment.  You walk in thinking "Fanaa" is about love and romance, or maybe about the Sufi definition of "Fanaa", i.e. "annihilation of evil deeds from the mind and body".  But you realize midway that the title is really about annihilation of another kind.  Aamir Khan goes from being a street side Romeo madly in love with the blind Kajol, trying to show her the world through his eyes to a mad, raging terrorist who kills people by the dozen.  Kajol, meanwhile, transforms from a blind beauty to a sighted but heartbroken sleuth who helps the authorities capture Aamir Khan.  Both actors play Kashmiri Muslims, Rehan Qadri and Zooni Ali Beg, so the terrorism plot leaves you with the additional "Uggh" feeling that has become so tiring.  Can movies with Muslim characters please start showing the 99% non-terrorist Muslim population?  All in all, this movie is a shameful waste of time and money, both for the producers and for audiences.  To think they went all the way to Poland to film the movie (yes, the Kashmir landscape is actually Polish). Songs are mediocre.  Acting is not bad, but all in all, this movie is a disaster.

VERDICT: If you must watch it, wait for the DVD!

Starring: Akshay Khanna, Kareena Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever

Two words: Funny and Suspenseful. The story revolves around a missing child, whose mother has proposed a reward for 25 lakh to whoever can find him. Kareena Kapoor plays Priya and Shahid Kapoor is Raj. Both are strangers and simultaneously come across the child. They decide to split the reward. Upon returning the child to his mother, they discover her murdered at her house. Shocked and panic stricken, they decide to flee the scene; leaving Priya’s suitcase behind. This leads them to be prime suspects in the investigation that follows. Nice acting, charming characters, and comic relief with Paresh Rawal and Johnny Lever make this movie an interesting prospect.

VERDICT: Worth watching!