Blog Posts by Kunal Guha

  • Ragini MMS review

    By Kunal Guha | Movie Reviews – Fri 13 May, 2011 7:40 AM IST

    Ragini MMS

    Cast: Kainaz Motivala, Raj Kumar Yadav

    Directed by Pawan Kriplani

    Rating: ***

    Those who say, they don't enjoy watching horror films, are the ones who shit their pants. Those who say they do, enjoy shitting their pants. And 'Ragini MMS' has many scenes that, well, induce one to visit the washroom. Only problem, you don't want to go alone.

    Another ambassador of the found-footage genre that first got noticed in 'The Blair Witch Project', this one is not about a witch hunt, but about a hunting disembodied spirit, who finds her (yes, it's a woman) prey in anyone who happens to tread her path.

    The story begins with jump cuts of a young couple filming each other with a handycam as they plan a trip out of town where, quite apparently, the idea is to get intimate. The boy, Uday (Raj Kumar Yadav) has another secret plan, while the girl, Ragini (Kainaz Motivala) is truly committed and ignorant of her boyfriend's true motives. Their love-nest happens to be an oddly-shaped bungalow in the middle

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  • Stanley ka dabba: Review

    By Kunal Guha | Movie Reviews – Fri 13 May, 2011 4:38 AM IST

    Stanley ka dabba

    Cast: Divya Dutta, Partho, Amol Gupte, Divya Jagdale

    Directed by Amole Gupte

    Rating: ** 1/2

    Stanley Ka Dabba is a deliciously candid and naturalistic portrayal of not just children but also of school teachers. Many montages in the film sweep us through the different kinds of teachers we've all had in our school life. Some- dictators like Hitler, some- you can confide in, some- who find novel ways of making the most mundane subjects seem interesting and even those who find a new excuse to pick on that one kid in class every single day. In this case, no prize for guessing who that kid is. The film succeeds in furnishing a back-to-school experience and as much as you realise what you miss, you also realise how regimented school life made us blindly follow silly things, which at the time seemed significant.

    The film is about Stanley (Partho), a minor 'bol-Bachchan' loved by his friends, who look forward to his elaborate and fantastic tales about the most inconsequential things. His

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  • Review: Luv ka The End

    By Kunal Guha | Movie Reviews – Fri 6 May, 2011 3:48 PM IST

    Luv ka The End

    Cast: Shraddha Kapoor, Taha Shah, Archana Puran Singh, Errol Marks, Sreejita De
    Directed by Bumpy
    Rating: ** 1/2

    Bubblegum romance in Hindi films has finally come of age. So, teens will still be teens but they've grown up with a healthy appetite for Southpark and Simpsons. Consequently, apart from turning their brains into pudding, this has made them more resilient to emotional turmoil and 'moving on' after a bitter break-up is as easy as opening a can of soda. And this attitudinal change is just what this film tries to portray.

    If you haven't figured it out yet, 'Luv ka The End' is not a hate story but a pun on the character's name, Luv Nanda (Taaha Shah) whose girlfriend Rhea (Shraddha Kapoor) discovers his two-timing ways and decides to script his end. And Rhea is assisted by her two friends, Gollu (Errol Marks) and Sonia (Sreejita De) in planning and executing her masterplan to kick Luv's butt. And what spans out over the night before Rhea's 18th birthday, takes us on a hilarious

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  • Haunted: Movie Review

    By Kunal Guha | Movie Reviews – Fri 6 May, 2011 12:30 AM IST

    The prospect of getting horrified in three-dimension could be promising. But Indian horror films have rarely gone beyond chalk-faced spirits in Halloween costumes grunting like death-metal vocalists. Here you have just that, in 3D. And the most interesting thing that pops out of the screen is one character's nose. And as incredulous as it may sound, you can actually count the blackheads and even join them to form a shape, if you will.

    The story is about Rehan (Mahaakshay Chakraborty) who has just returned from the US. Appropriate look: squirrel hairdo, leather jacket, neck scarf: check. He's headed to Ooty to sell off a family property (which is haunted), so appropriate expression: bewildered: double check. In fact he probably rehearsed the expression so well that his forehead is crinkled even in one of his intimate scenes.

    Once he reaches the haunted house, Glen Manor, he is welcomed by a sound similar to Hard Kaur clearing her throat mixed with rodents making love. And if this

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  • Get to know: Ashish Patil

    By Kunal Guha | Flickipedia – Wed 4 May, 2011 3:47 PM IST

    Creative people are often written off as people with limited understanding or interest in the financial aspect of any business. This notion is openly rubbished by Ashish Patil, Business and Creative Head — Y Films, the Youth Films Division at Yash Raj Films Pvt. Ltd. Most would have heard of his latest release, Luv Ka The End, that he has written and produced and he's busy writing two other films that he would be producing as well for the same banner this year.

    What Ashish did before Y Films

    Clearly, Ashish didn't appear out of thin air. With 17 years of experience in the media and entertainment business, he started his career writing copy for Contract Advertising and due to pressure to "get a real job" he went to Business School to major in Marketing. His love for creative brought him back to advertising and account planning at SSC&B Lintas where he handled a range of clients covering a 3rd of the agency's billings — from FMCG's, Pharmaceuticals and Consumer Durables to Alcohol and

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Pagination

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