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Story: Sameer is the archetypal struggler who leaves his dad in Delhi and comes to Mumbai, chasing dreams of becoming a star in Bollywood. Does he manage to survive the bleak and gruelling rounds of endless auditions, broken promises and missed chances?
Movie Review: Begin the count....How many times have you seen and heard the story of the bechara struggler who leaves his home town with a tooth brush in his backpack and a bag full of dreams that can only be fulfilled in maximum city, Mumbai. And then, how many times have you seen him eventually rise like the Phoenix over a relentless period of struggle which has him being shunted out of producer's offices, battling with rejection slips, shedding a salty tear of desperation on the salty sea front or giving himself some pep talk when the going gets really tough.
Umpteen times. And that's where Ken Ghosh's film slips. For, it offers you nothing new in terms of the script which ends up as the weakest link in this entire show. Sadly, it follow all the predictable twists and turns that comprise the star-is-born story. Yes, super-talented Sam (Shahid Kapoor) does leave his dad (Parikshat Sahni) to sell saris in saddi Dilli, in order to become an actor in big, bad Bollywood, minus a godfather and a grand daddy. Yes, he bides his time making low brow lungi ads and pitching in as a courier boy, hoping the empty promises of stardom might just come true. And yes, they do come true, but only after a prolonged period of struggle which goes through the usual grind of hunger, a homeless and penniless state.
Yet, what makes this film watch-able is the passion that Shahid Kapoor injects in his delineation of Sam, the struggler with stars in his eyes. May be, it's the autobiographical strains of the film -- the advertisements, the dance school, the chorus boy act, the no-godfather syndrome -- that stoke the fire in him. But there is a ring of sincerity and authenticity in his `Hi, I'm Sameer Behl and this is my number, Sir,' stuff during the sundry auditions that seem to be going nowhere. Also, the interactions with the school kids, when he tries to make a living as a dance teacher, has a spontaneity about it. Again, perchance spilling over from his days with Shiamak Davar. The initial I-hate-kids attitude is absolutely delightful -- and refreshing -- too. Add to this the effervescence of Genelia as Tina, the scooty-riding choreographer who thinks from her heart and you have an adequate medley of some moments of fun, fuzz and fantastic moves on the dance floor. Although, we do confess the audio track (Pritam Singh, Adnan Sami, Ken Ghosh, Sandeep Shirodkar) isn't much to boast about, considering the film is actually conceptualised as a musical.
The film may not have the emotional quotient of Ishq Vishq, Shahid and Ken's first film that set the box office on fire, yet it does have its moments. A better scripted, less clinched second half would have surely given the film a better chance to dazzle and shake.
A word about:
Performances: Shahid has a ring of sincerity as Sam, the struggler, while Genelia is her usual ebullient self.
Story: The plot is so predictable, it could put you to sleep. Now that's ironical at a time when Bollywood has so many new stories to tell.
Music: Four music directors and not a single song to boast about. Sad, really sad.
Choreography: The dances are supposedly choreographed by Marty Kudelka, the American who has directed the dance moves of stars like Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson and N'Sync. Shahid does set the dance floor on fire in certain sequences.
Styling: Genelia smartly sports the sassy, singleton, scooty-girl look while Shahid goes casual with Ed Hardy.
Movie Review: Begin the count....How many times have you seen and heard the story of the bechara struggler who leaves his home town with a tooth brush in his backpack and a bag full of dreams that can only be fulfilled in maximum city, Mumbai. And then, how many times have you seen him eventually rise like the Phoenix over a relentless period of struggle which has him being shunted out of producer's offices, battling with rejection slips, shedding a salty tear of desperation on the salty sea front or giving himself some pep talk when the going gets really tough.
Umpteen times. And that's where Ken Ghosh's film slips. For, it offers you nothing new in terms of the script which ends up as the weakest link in this entire show. Sadly, it follow all the predictable twists and turns that comprise the star-is-born story. Yes, super-talented Sam (Shahid Kapoor) does leave his dad (Parikshat Sahni) to sell saris in saddi Dilli, in order to become an actor in big, bad Bollywood, minus a godfather and a grand daddy. Yes, he bides his time making low brow lungi ads and pitching in as a courier boy, hoping the empty promises of stardom might just come true. And yes, they do come true, but only after a prolonged period of struggle which goes through the usual grind of hunger, a homeless and penniless state.
Yet, what makes this film watch-able is the passion that Shahid Kapoor injects in his delineation of Sam, the struggler with stars in his eyes. May be, it's the autobiographical strains of the film -- the advertisements, the dance school, the chorus boy act, the no-godfather syndrome -- that stoke the fire in him. But there is a ring of sincerity and authenticity in his `Hi, I'm Sameer Behl and this is my number, Sir,' stuff during the sundry auditions that seem to be going nowhere. Also, the interactions with the school kids, when he tries to make a living as a dance teacher, has a spontaneity about it. Again, perchance spilling over from his days with Shiamak Davar. The initial I-hate-kids attitude is absolutely delightful -- and refreshing -- too. Add to this the effervescence of Genelia as Tina, the scooty-riding choreographer who thinks from her heart and you have an adequate medley of some moments of fun, fuzz and fantastic moves on the dance floor. Although, we do confess the audio track (Pritam Singh, Adnan Sami, Ken Ghosh, Sandeep Shirodkar) isn't much to boast about, considering the film is actually conceptualised as a musical.
The film may not have the emotional quotient of Ishq Vishq, Shahid and Ken's first film that set the box office on fire, yet it does have its moments. A better scripted, less clinched second half would have surely given the film a better chance to dazzle and shake.
A word about:
Performances: Shahid has a ring of sincerity as Sam, the struggler, while Genelia is her usual ebullient self.
Story: The plot is so predictable, it could put you to sleep. Now that's ironical at a time when Bollywood has so many new stories to tell.
Music: Four music directors and not a single song to boast about. Sad, really sad.
Choreography: The dances are supposedly choreographed by Marty Kudelka, the American who has directed the dance moves of stars like Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson and N'Sync. Shahid does set the dance floor on fire in certain sequences.
Styling: Genelia smartly sports the sassy, singleton, scooty-girl look while Shahid goes casual with Ed Hardy.
