Fake tha Tiger

Ek tha Tiger

Loved the following 2 takes on the movie :)



*ing: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Girish Karnad

Director: Kabir Khan
Music: Sohail Sen, Sajid-Wajid

The film is the story of a RAW agent (Salman) who falls in love with a girl (Katrina) during one of his missions and then decides to quit espionage to be with her. The RAW agency considers it a risk to their agency's functions and the rest of the film is how they escape the agencies attempts to capture them.

A Gent We Know

Agent Vinod

*ing: Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor

Vinod is a super spy on a mission to find out what '242' means to an international group of terrorists. This involves guns, chases, globe trot and lots of action.

Director: Sriram Raghavan
Music: Pritam

Pros:
- The pace of the film in the first half is twice that in the second half.
- An eye-for-detail is exhibited in every scene (e.g. the seekh with half-eaten kababs in the opening sequence in the middle of an Afghan desert.)
- The background score brilliantly translates the on-screen actions to sound (e.g. the background music stops as soon as Kareena turns off the faucet and fills her glass)
- The action is super fast and does not rely on super-slow-mo to create an impact
- Retro, stylish and slick
- New foreign locales
- Hardly any logical loose ends

Cons:
- The narration slows in the second half and becomes predictable in bits
- 'Muft ka' song was easily avoidable

Things I remember:
- 'Raabta' filmed in a single continuous shot (earlier done by Farah Khan in 'Main hoon Na'). All songs except 'Muft ka' are in the background and yet complete.
- The viewer is taken through a quick touristy tour of Delhi - Red Fort, India Gate, Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh and Ring roads.
- If 'BBuddah hoga tera baap' was done by Sriram Raghavan, it would have made an even better Agent Vinod (of Agent Vijay)

You would like this if:
- you liked 'Johhny Gaddar'

Trivia:
- It has become a norm for Sriram Raghavan to pay homage to bollywood of 70/80s. He does it by using 2 Nasir Husain songs this time.
- More homage to the 70s is offered generously:

1. "Kaun hai?"
   "Mahendar Sandhu." << Name of the hero who played the original Agent Vinod in the 70s
2. "Yeh jheel si neeli aankhen, koi raaz hai inmain gehra" << Lyrics of the hit song from Kashmir ki Kali debuting Saif's mom, Sharmila Tagore.
3. "Naam kya hai?"
   "Vinod. Vinod Khanna. Rishi Kapoor, Akbar. Amitabh, Anthony. My name is Anthony Gonsalves."
4. Persis Khambatta (model of the 80s and starred in Star Trek) and Freddie Mercury (of Queen) - both with Parsi roots - are used as a character named 'Freddie Khambatta'
5. Boney M's Rasputin

- 242 is the BEST bus number that ferries to the offices of some popular TV production houses.

Hagneepath 2012

Agneepath (2012)

*ing: Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt, Rishi Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra

The movie is about Vijay (Hrithik) who, as a child, witnesses the murder of his father in his native town - Mandwa. Kancha bhau (Sanjay Dutt), a heroin businessman, is the schemer and the main stakeholder for the murder. Vijay and his mother abandon Mandwa and settle in Mumbai. He grows up being part of the Mumbai underworld (?). His aim is to become as powerful as Kancha in order to avenge his father's murder.

Director: Karan Malhotra

Music: Ajay-Atul (the beauty of the marathi version of Chikni Chameli was the rustic male voice which is sorely missed)