The incomparable Naseeruddin Shah plays a role inspired by, hold your breath Fernando Rey in the 1971 crime caper classic The French Connection,

After the success of Ishqiya there are lots of movie offers that Naseer is considering. "Suddenly my enthusiasm for film acting is up. I'm looking at a lot of parts. At the moment, I've Dev Anand Saab's Charge Sheet where I play this underworld don who operates in Mumbai from Dubai. The character's look and traits are inspired by Fernando Rey in The French Connection. I loll around in bed with this lovely lady."

Characteristically Naseer is clueless as to who's playing the "lovely lady". What prompted Naseer to accept the film? "It's Dev Saab's film. No one says no to Dev Uncle. He's one of the most charming gentlemen in our film industry."

Naseer recently returned from Bangalore from what he describes as one of the most incredible experiences of his life as an actor.

Recounting the experience, Naseer says, "It's always a pleasure to perform on stage in Bangalore. We were doing this really intense moment from Waiting For Godot at the Chowdaiah Memorial Hall when this irate lady with an old gentleman in tow simply walked on to the stage to complain about the cars parked outside."

For a few minutes, Naseer and the other actors were thrown completely off-course. "All of us on stage were first jolted and livid. In all my years as an actor this was a first. No one had ever done such a thing. I immediately decided to call of the performance."

But then better sense prevailed. "I soon realized the lady had a long-standing and understandable grievance and she had been suffering for a long time because of the parking issue. So we carried on after a break. But I must say it was the theatre of the absurd at its absurdist. Incredibly the lady left the stage after triggering off a chaos in the middle of our Godot. The poor gentleman accompanying her was left to his own devices on stage."

Chuckling at the memory, Naseer says. "It's always good to look at the absurd side of life. But imagine what such an experience would've done to a young actor just starting out. What inspires and enthuses me the most at this point of time is to teach acting. The look of hope and joy I see in the kids' eyes as they listen to me is truly inspiring."

When you decide to adapt the Iranian film by renowned director Majid Majidi, CHILDREN OF HEAVEN [1997], which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, you're shouldering a big responsibility. People are bound to compare the two films. It's inevitable, isn't it?

For those who've watched the Iranian film, you'll realize that BUMM BUMM BOLE is not a patch on that film. And those who haven't watched the Iranian film and would view BUMM BUMM BOLE as an isolated case, BUMM BUMM BOLE still disappoints.


So what ails this film? There's no denying that Priyadarshan is one of the finest storytellers around, but if you've watched some of his recent films, you may've realized that they have been stretched beyond a point. That's one of the prime reasons why BUMM BUMM BOLE suffers. 




Reason II: The finale of the film should be the best part of the enterprise, since the viewer carries home the end of the film, besides several wonderful moments, while making an exit from the auditorium. In this case, the finale is a complete letdown. What comes across is on-the-face, blatant promotion of a shoe brand and also an energy drink, which actually robs the film of its innocence. A film that should've been pure and considered a piece of art falls prey to commercial diktats. Why Priyan?

Every once in a while Priyan makes a departure from the kind of films he's known for and attempts a film that's real and unadulterated and for that, the avid storyteller deserves a salute. But is it necessary to make a 2-hour film, when the story could've been Indianized in approx. 1.30 hours?

What elevates the film to a watchable level at times are the two kids - Darsheel Safary and Ziyah Vastani - who are simply adorable, besides a few individualistic sequences. That's about it!

Khogiram [Atul Kulkarni], his wife [Rituparna Sengupta] and their kids Pinu [Darsheel Safary] and Rimzim [Ziya Vastani] belong to a terrorist-dominated region. Khogiram and Ritu have a hand-to-mouth income and can barely manage things. The kids are affected by this as well. They go to a respectable school as it is Khogiram's ambition to give them the educational opportunities he missed. But the financial crunch makes it difficult for kids to match the standards of the school. They don't have enough money for uniform or shoes.

Things worsen when Pinu misplaces Rimzim's only pair of shoes. Rimzim can't go to school without her shoes. They work out a scheme where both of them will share the same shoes. Pinu comes to know of the Interschool Marathon where one of the prizes is a pair of shoes. Pinu plans to run for it and win the shoes for Rimzim. Will Pinu be able to win the shoes for his kid sister and avert his father's anger?

BUMM BUMM BOLE has a simple, uncomplicated story and that's its USP. But what could've been narrated in a concise format is stretched so much that it tests the patience of the viewer. Besides several unwanted sequences, especially towards the second hour, the pacing of the film is painfully slow, which only adds to the woes.

The film falters mainly towards the finale, when Darsheel takes part in a marathon, but the entire sequence doesn't make you euphoric. Ideally, the race should've been an exhilarating experience, which it is not. Also, you can spot Darsheel wearing orthodontic braces; it's there in some scenes, it's missing in some scenes. Even otherwise, the braces don't go with his character.

There's no denying that Priyadarshan has shot the film well and the lush green locales make a sweeping impact. Also, he has executed a few sequences with panache, but BUMM BUMM BOLE doesn't come across as a film that would be lapped up by either kids or adults. Cinematography is top notch. Musically, the song on the kids is eye-catching.

Darsheel proves that he's no fluke. Of course, you can't compare Darsheel in BUMM BUMM BOLE with Darsheel in TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, since both were different movies, but what you do notice is that the kid knows the grammar of acting right. Ziyah is a scene-stealer and looks like a doll. In fact, you can't take your eyes off her, every time she appears on screen because of the innocence she radiates. Atul Kulkarni is in top form, while Rituparna doesn't get much scope.

On the whole, BUMM BUMM BOLE starts off well, but loses focus as it develops. Nothing to rave or rant about! 




Rating: 1.5/5

Celebrations are continuing for Sajid Nadiadwala. While his Housefull is holding on well at the box office after a terrific opening, he is also readying up plans for his first ever musical Anjaana Anjaani. The film is now all set for 24th September release.

"That's right, 24th September is the confirmed release date for Anjaana Anjaani. This is the first ever 100% romantic musical film from my banner. I can proudly say that this is the best ever music made for a film of mine", says Nadiadwala.

Coming from him, this is indeed a tall statement since traditionally; music has stayed on to be one of the highlights of his movies. Right from Jeet till Housefull, his movies have been remembered for their popular appeal. Whether it is Judwaa, Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Jaan-E-Mann, Heyy Babyy or Kambakkht Ishq - movies coming from the house of Nadiadwala have boasted of at least one chartbuster track.

"Well, it's going to be an entirely different experience in case of Anjaana Anjaani", says Nadiadwala who certainly has an eye on mass entertainers, "Vishal-Shekhar, who have composed the music of my film, have touched a new high this time around. There are seven songs in the film and I can comfortably state that they have managed to do something which is on the lines of Aashiqui. Music created by Nadeem-Sharavan for that film is considered cult today. I am sure Anjaana Anjaanitoo will find similar space for itself in years to come."

Association of Vishal-Shekhar and Siddharth goes back a long way. After creating music for Siddharth's debut film Salaam Namaste, Vishal-Shekhar also collaborated with the young filmmaker for Ta Ra Rum Pum and Bachna Ae Haseeno.

While Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra are the obvious star attraction in Anjaana Anjaani, Nadiadwala continues to be mighty excited with the way music has shaped up for his film.

"For director Siddharth Anand as well as me, Anjaana Anjaani has been en entirely new experience. For some movies, the highlight factor is action or comedy; in case of Anjaana Anjaani it is music. Vishal and Shekhar have given their best ever score till date", says Nadiadwala.

Other than being conscious about the way music has shaped up for his film, Nadiadwala also ensured that the best of the best was roped in for Anjaana Anjaani when it came to technical front. The film's DOP is Ravi Chandran, Sharmishtha Roy has handled art direction while Nakul Kamte is the sound designer.

"We have roped in number of top technicians, most of whom are National Award winners", says Nadiadwala proudly, "Anjaana Anjaani was meant to be a quality fare and I am glad that it has lived up to my vision on how a romantic musical should be."

Well, going by the confidence that Nadiadwala has in his film, one looks forward to see how the film has indeed shaped up. Come 24th September and we would know.

jiteshpillaai ->[Filmfare]

Saw the I'm Khan promo. OH MY GOD! This is International stuff. Awesomeness. SRK and Kadsoo best in the world


correction: My name is Khan. Sorry if I sounded breathless, but it's so unlike kran Johar territory. Fab



all you super excited guys, hold on to yr horses...it might be out in december 

Red Chillies worker