Aniruddha Guha reviews Ek Tha Tiger — an action extravaganza

Rating: *** 1/2

The action is riveting, the stunts breathtaking and the plot racy. In the midst of it all is Salman Khan, Hindi cinema's poster boy for escapist entertainment. After having acted in some good, bad and terrible films for over two decades, Salman Khan's Chulbul Pandey regaled masses inDabangg, Abhinav Kashyap's quirky take on the masala genre. This was soon after Wanted brought audiences back to single screen cinemas.

Since then, it's been one monstrous hit after another, including films that had little going for themselves other than the not-so-towering presence of Khan. Most of these — Wanted first, and then Ready and Bodyguard —have been poorly written, are haphazardly put together and have more or less followed a simple formula — piggyback on the 'bhai' persona, and play to the gallery.

Ek Tha Tiger is similar in some ways — it's a film that presents Salman as a larger-than-life, superhero-esque secret agent. There's action, music and a plot that is tailored to satiate Khan fans looking to get off on his antics.

But, surprise surprise. Director Kabir Khan doesn't leave things to theSalman factor alone. He banks on it, no doubt, with his film exploiting the actor's persona to the hilt, but makes sure he makes it a spectacle of it. "I'll show you how to do it" - his film arrogantly seems to be telling filmmakers chasing multiple crore figures and box office records. There's style, there's slickness, and there's an ingredient almost entirely missing from most other Salman films - wit.

Tiger's a RAW agent - the best there is. The film opens with a well put-together action sequence shot on the outskirts of Iraq. Tiger kills a bunch of agents after bumping off one of his own men, who defected to Pakistan'sISI.

Back home, he's yearning to go back on another mission. He's assigned to follow acclaimed science expert Professor Kidwai in Dublin, believed to be sharing nuclear secrets with Pakistan. There, Tiger meets Zoya and the expected happens. The two fall in love. But the revelation of Zoya's true identity throws things out of gear. Can a spy afford romance? And what if the person might be the enemy?

The narrative is linear. Kabir Khan keeps the storytelling simple and the runtime short. The film, if anything, gets over before you expect it to. Designed to be a two hour-long adrenaline rush, Ek Tha Tiger doesn't pause for breath. There's very little excess, almost not a single scene out-of-place and the editing watertight. The first half is mostly driven by humour and romance, the scenes between Tiger and Zoya setting up the explosive action that follows.

Hindi cinema's tryst with the spy genre has been scattered. Dharmendra'sAankhen, Jeetendra's Farz, Mithun Chakraborthsy's Surakshaa and theMahender Sandhu-starrer Agent Vinod all met with varied success, beforeSridhar Raghavan's tongue-in-cheek take on the latter earlier this year. All of them had 'khufiya agents', 'dushman-e-mulk' and double crossing femme fatales.

Where Ek Tha Tiger works is the balancing act - it's a full-blown Hindi film, with desh prem, farz and mohabbat all a part of the recipe. But Kabir Khan treats the film like a stylised Hollywood thriller, never getting into graver issues, but using the set-up as a tool to regale. His plot takes the characters to some of the most exotic locales around the world ala James Bond, each of them woven into the screenplay. Ireland is where Tiger andZoya meet, before reuniting in Turkey and then taking off to Cuba.

A spectacularly put together action sequence in Havana - probably the best you have seen in a Hindi film - is enough to get back your money's worth. Expertly choreographed and stylishly executed, it delights you with its clever stunts as much as it does with humour. Sample this: Having landed in a house inhabited by an old couple in-between a chase sequence, Tiger struggles to open the exit door to the apartment. The old man calmly gets up, and opens the latch to let Tiger and Zoya out.

Ek Tha Tiger, at the end of the day, is an out-and-out Salman Khan film. But it's the rare well-made one. It's escapist, but it has style. Go watch.

'Ladies vs Ricky Bahl' Review - CNN IBN

'Ladies vs Ricky Bahl' is watchable

Rating: 3/5

As Dimple Chaddha, the motor-mouthed spoilt-little-rich-brat who’s lattoo over her gym-trainer boyfriend, newcomer Parineeti Chopra steals 'Ladies vs Ricky Bahl' from under the nose of its leads. Whether she’s barging into her father’s office, demanding that he help solve her boyfriend’s property dispute, or drooling over the sight of the man who duped her of her affection and her money, she’s the most charming thing about this inconsistent film.


Dimple from Dilli, along with Raina from Mumbai (Dipannita Sharma), and Saira from Lucknow (Aditi Sharma) – discover they’ve each been swindled by the same deceitful charmer (Ranveer Singh). Now the trio put their heads together, and come up with a plan to get revenge on him – they hire a woman (Anushka Sharma) to con the conman.


The film’s first half hour or so plays out breezily, where everything from Habib Faisal’s delightful dialogues to Ranveer Singh’s performance as an earnest, middle-class Dilliwala hits the right note. The Mumbai chapter is engaging too, where Ranveer assumes the identity of an art exhibitor, but by the time we reach the Lucknow portions where he pretends to be a trader of zardozi designs, the screenplay has slipped into a predictable, episodic routine.


'Ladies vs Ricky Bahl' nosedives further post-intermission because of script holes the size of craters. The trio of women track down our hero way too conveniently, and you can’t help but question how a seasoned conman could so easily be charmed into parting with his cash. Doesn’t help either that the narrative is interrupted far too often with unnecessary songs.


Director Maneesh Sharma grounds his characters in reality, but unlike last year’s charming Band Baaja Baaraat, this time he’s saddled with a clunky script. Good for him, he’s got actors he can count on. Anushka Sharma is in fine form as the pushy salesgirl who’s hired for this improbable mission, but the script asks so little of her. Ranveer Singh is competent and gets some lovely moments to shine – watch how he virtually casts a spell on a girlfriend’s parents when he carries her home in the wee hours of the morning, promising them he’ll always safeguard her dignity – but after a crackling debut as a quirky unconventional lead last year, with this film he’s struggling to fit into the traditional definition of a star. The film belongs to its three supporting actresses, and particularly to Parineeti Chopra who injects a huge dollop of zing into what might have otherwise been a glossy failure.


I’m going with two-and-a-half out of five for director Maneesh Sharma’s 'Ladies vs Ricky Bahl'. It’s an easily watchable film with much to smile about. Pity it could’ve been so much more fun.

Ladies v/s Ricky Bahl - EveryMedia Review

Story: Ricky Bahl ( Ranveer Singh), is a young and charming conman who dupes girls for a living. Three of those coned include Dimple (Parineeti Chopra), Raina (Dipannita Sharma) and Saira (Aditi Sharma). The trio decide to take revenge and hire Ishika Desai (Anushka Sharma) to carry out their plan. So is it time for redemption or checkmate?

Review: Maneesh Sharma hit the jackpot with Band Baaja Baarat. The film did exceptionally well raising the bar for both Maneesh and the cast (which is almost the same) in Ladies v/s Ricky Bahl. Luckily, Maneesh’s second film not only manages to, but rather surpasses the verve, zing and presence of its predecessor.

Ranveer probably deserves the most claps for an extremely convincing performance as Sunny, Deven, Iqbal and finally Ricky. He plays every role with a zest that is clearly visible on the big screen. He comes across as classy and entertaining.

The surprise element of the film is the three girls who have done a wonderful job in depicting their character. Parineeti Chopra, especially stands out, with her impeccable comic timing. Dipannita is convincing in her role of a poised corporate woman but may not have done enough to mark her comeback. Aditi Sharma plays her character well and is quite impressive.

Anushka Sharma looks superb throughout the movie, though the same cannot be said of her acting. Her performance in the movie is at best, average.

The first half of the movie is fast paced and exciting. The second half becomes a little slow in bits and parts but the script, the dialogues and the music are good enough a disguise to keep you from noticing the lag.     

The spirited performance of the girls, the foot-thumping music and Ranveer’s convincing acting warrants a 3.5 star rating for Ladies v/s Ricky Bahl.

Samay Live Review - A must watch romantic comedy!

Samay Live Review - A must watch romantic comedy!

The pair of 'Band Bajaa Baraat'-- Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma-- once again back to the silver screens in the movie 'Ladies vs Ricky Bahl', which hit the theaters across the globe this Friday.

This is the second romantic comedy for Ranveer and Anushka after the success of BBB.

The movie 'Ladies vs Ricky Bahl' is directed by Maneesh Sharma and produced by Yash Chopra. Priyanka CHopra's cousin Parineeti Chopra is also making her debut in Bollywood with this movie.

The movie Ladies vs Ricky Bahl is supposedly based on Hollywood's 2006 hit ‘John Tucker Must Die’.

Ladies vs Ricky Bahl movie review:

In the movie, Ranveer has been playing the lead character of Ricky Bahl, who is a handsome and dashing con-man. In one words, Ricky is perfect Casanova, who targets reach women and woo them with his charming personality. And at the end, all the women are left with broken hearts and empty bank accounts.

Ricky Bahl cheats several women to make quick money until he meets his female counter part Ishika Desai (Anushka Sharma). Ishika is well aware of Ricky's tactics to dupe beautiful women. She plots to dupe Ricky on the same lines. The movie is the story of a con-man dupes another.

All the drama runs superbly on hilarious script. In one words you must enjoy this weekend with 'Ladies vs Ricky Bahl'. The music of the film is also topping the chart busters.

Mere Brother Ki Dulhan: Creating a storm in India and worldwide!

Mere Brother Ki Dulhan has been the talk of the town, not only in India but all over the world as well, as fantastic reviews have kept pouring in ever since the release of the movie.

Here are a few excerpts from some of the international reviews:

• "It's a stylish Bollywood crowd-pleaser with a provocative subtext revealing the toll exacted by those craving happiness but seemingly hamstrung by tradition and propriety," said the Los Angeles Times.

• "Engaging leads, high-end production values, energetic musical numbers and a familiar story should ensure healthy biz" for the film, said Variety magazine.

• The New York Times says "Written and directed with a sure hand and the occasional witty touch by Ali Abbas Zafar, 'Mere Brother' spends most of its 145 minutes hitting Bollywood's sweet spot: a wedding."

         "This Yash Raj Films production entertains, but the brittle Kaif keeps it earthbound," it says. "Her dimple is brash all right, but her antics are more grating than convincing. Styled as open and self-possessed, she lacks one essential quality: charm."

At the home front, the praise hasn't been been any less:

• "The music by Sohail Sen has already become popular and comprises chartbusters like Madhubala and Kaisa Yeh Ishq Hai amongst others. All in all, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan holds out a promise for a pleasant weekend viewing", says the Times Of India.

• Zee News reports, "Overall, ‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’ touches the right chord and doesn’t overkill the fun. The screenplay and narrative is tight and crispy and some great performances by Imran, Katrina and Ali are the USP of the film. ‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’ is a great watch this weekend! Four cheers for this one!"

• "The mood and feel of the film shuttle smoothly between life and larger than life. It has got real Delhi street scuffles and also a girl strumming an electric guitar without any cords in front of the Taj Mahal. You don’t mind either. ", by The Telegraph (Kolkata).

• Koimoi wrote, " The entertaining screenplay; the emotional undercurrent of the drama; Katrina Kaif’s fantastic performance; the hit music and the eye-pleasing song picturisations."

If you still haven't seen the movie, well what are you waiting for??