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Movie stills: Khiladi 786Cast: Akshay Kumar, Asin, Himesh Reshammiya

Director: Ashish R Mohan

Casting: **

This is Ashish R Mohan's directorial debut but having assisted on the 'Golmaal' series, he is quite familiar with the shortcut to the 100 crore club; sign up a popular Bollywood actor, pack in a few well-choreographed Matrix-style action sequences, pepper the narrative with clichéd slapstick humour, throw in an item song complete with pelvic thrusts and you have the perfect blockbuster that will set the cash registers ringing.

'Khiladi 786' has a plot, okay may be a mishmash of several other plots that we have seen before. Khiladi 786 aka 72 Singh (Akhshay Kumar) belongs to a family of thugs who work in collusion with the police in Punjab. While the brave fake cop has a heart of gold, his search for a life partner is proving futile. On the other hand, underworld don TTT (Mithun Chakraborty) is looking for a suitable alliance for his sister Indu (Asin).

Enter Mansukh (Himesh Reshammiya), his father runs a

Says Karan Johar as he tells us why he chooses to make films on relationships

Karan Johar's repertoire as a director of 'family' films, endorsing Packed To The Rafters was the right choice. The film maker is seen promoting the soon-to-be launched show and says that he 'Connected with each character in some level.' The director is unfazed that his teeny blooper Student of The Year failed to make a mark at the box-office. Ask him why he chooses to stick to romance in his films, he is quick to reply, "We like to watch what is aspirational and perfect love is aspirational and that's why we enjoy it so much." In a candid chat, Karan Johar talks about his favourite tv shows, why he loves making films on relationships and his definition of a successful film.

Excerpts from the interview:

When you watch a film, Can you step back from being a director to enjoy it?

Sometimes it is a bit difficult you are a part of the medium and profession which makes you a bit judgmental towards other pieces

Talaash: The movieCast: Aamir Khan, Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor

Direction: Reema Kagti

Rating: ****

Reema Kagti's 'Talaash' is a suspense thriller that not only boasts of a taut script but has a multi-layered structure that manages to pack in enough surprises to keep the viewer hooked till the very end. The storyteller's craft lies in the fact that the modus operandi of the plot seems as intriguing as the motive of the crime.

Surjan Singh Shekhawat (Aamir Khan) is investigating the death of actor Armaan Kapoor (Vivan Bhatena) whose car seems to have suddenly veered out of control and plunged right into the sea. Considering the actor was neither under the influence of alcohol/drugs nor was he suicidal, the death throws up a lot of unanswered questions. The plot thickens when Armaan's widow informs the police that the actor had withdrawn Rs 20 lakh on the day of his death, raising suspicion that he might have been a victim of blackmail or extortion.

One of the prime suspects in this case is a pimp and

Says Rani Mukerji as she talks about 'Talaash', her choice of films and why romance always works in India

As we are ushered into Rani Mukerji's tastefully done up office, we are strictly told that Rani won't be available for photo shoot. Few minutes later we find out why. Sitting with a freshly scrubbed face with minimal makeup, the actress looked relaxed and very much at peace (Is a certain Chopra responsible for it?). Her last release Aaiyaa may have got mixed response but Rani is nonchalant about it. Ask her if she is disheartened and Rani is quick to retort, "It can't bother me because as actors, we are meant to do projects and not meant to forecast whether it will work or not." Her latest release Talaash is a suspense-drama with Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor. Rani is one of the very few actresses who never had any qualms about working in a multi-starrer. "Multi starrers are infact lot of fun as it like a picnic with s many stars working together," she says. In a candid chat, Rani

Photos from 'Life of Pi'Cast: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tabu

Direction: Ang Lee

Rating: ****

Ang Lee takes on the arduous task of translating Yann Martel's 'Life of Pi' into cinema, a book that deeply philosophizes faith, hope and illusion. Ang Lee transports you into Pi's world; as a viewer you might be captivated by the visual spectacle that the director has managed to create on screen but you are also fascinated by the young boy who is struggling to survive at sea and is trying to come to terms with his relationship with God.

Photos: Special screening of 'Life of Pi'

Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi) is quite a spiritual boy from his childhood. His family runs a zoo in Pondicherry and Pi is distraught when they decide to relocate to Canada. As the family sets assail in a ship with the zoo animals, a terrible storm leaves Pi (Suraj Sharma) shipwrecked, stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. They manage a miraculous feat of surviving 227 days at sea braving storms, hunger and a carnivorous island among many

Behind the scenesCast: Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha, Sanjay Dutt

Direction: Ashwni Dhir

Rating: *1/2

Ajay Devgn's Diwali gamble didn't quite pay off this time. A film like 'Son of Sardar' can work on two accounts, either on the merit of star power or on the quantity/quality of amusing gimmicks that the makers can pack in. However, with a flimsy plot and inadequate humour, the story fails to take off.

Simply put, it is a bloody revenge saga where Jassi (Ajay Devgn) and Billu (Sanjay Dutt) belong to the opposite camps. Jassi comes to India to sell off an ancestral property and wants nothing to do with the existing family hostility but the Sandhus are still waiting to settle the score. Predictably he falls in love with Sukh (Sonakshi), the girl from the enemy camp and he must now, not only fight for his life but also his love.

Jassi discovers that the only way to save himself is to remain a guest in the Sandhu household and thus, follows tedious hide-and-seek sequences where the Sardar tries to pull off one

Yash Chopra's lastCast: Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma

Direction: Yash Chopra

Rating: ***

There is a reason why Yash Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan are called the Kings of Romance, they have managed to weave one unforgettable love story after the other that remains etched in our memories. 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan', Yash Chopra's last directorial venture had created ample pre-release buzz and the anticipation in the theatre was palpable. 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' is yet another impossible love story made believable by the conviction of the makers.

Samar Anand (Shah Rukh) does odd jobs in London for sustenance, needless to say our quintessential Bollywood hero is multi-faceted; he croons, he grooves, he has a heart of gold and he is charmer all the way. On a cold London night, while cleaning snow from the sidewalks, Samar falls for the beautiful Meera (Katrina Kaif), Indian billionaire's daughter who is always negotiating with God and cutting deals to accomplish her unfulfilled wishes. Quite obviously their

Ajay Devgn is a busy man these days. Apart from promoting his film, the actor is in news over the tussle for screens with Yash Raj Films. His production house has taken the legal course to sort out the sharing of screens for 'Son of Sardar' which releases with 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' this Diwali. "I wanted to sort this matter out with the production house without creating negative publicity for any one of us," he says about the issue. The actors mood lightens up when asked about his film and how it is different from the Telugu version. In a candid chat, the actor talks about getting the first promo right, the current crop of actors and why the '100 crore' mark doesn't bother him.

Excerpts from the interview:

Why didn't you speak about the Yash Raj Films issue earlier?
I am not a person who wants create controversy in the media. I wanted to sort this matter out with the production house