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Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Bobby Deol And Lara Dutta

One of the first things you notice as the curtain proverbially pulls up at the theatre is the super stand-up comedian Russel Peters as a Gujarati shopowner. This in itself portends good times to come, you think. The opening credits, with the zingy title-track, are just over. You’ve found your seat.

Amitabh, if you may, singing and prancing around with a double-barreled guitar, dressed like Jack Sparrow from Pirates of The Caribbean (to put it mildly) plays no role. He’s just there to be there. Abhishek is the movie pirate, or so he claims, as he walks into a train station: a comfortably exaggerated, boisterous boy from Bhatinda. He meets a stranger of Pakistani descent (Zinta). The two may not share many smiles. You can tell there is faint chemistry. They exchange stories of their respective love-lives. The world set before appears amusing, so does the grammar of storytelling: modeled, without context (of course), on western musicals, the sorts of Chicago or Moulin Rouge, remixed with what’s now come to be described “Bollywood“.

Over a few minutes though, the collective craft takes away so much from the cinema itself that the same aspects that got you glued to the surface, makes you wonder how long can you senselessly float on it. Loss of restraint is established. Soon it ceases to matter: that the protagonists, with no reference points yet, fall in love within two hours of the film, and their conversation; that they are actually not engaged; that the hero and heroine of their two separately faked lovestories, played by Lara Dutta and Bobby Deol, are exactly opposite of what they’ve been made out to be. Dutta is a prostitute, not a Parisian sophisticate; Deol is in reality a mama’s boy, not the super stud.

The plot was never the purpose. The point is to order in a multi-colour, multi-song, multi-dream-sequence, multi-vitamin, willfully brain-dead “blockbuster”. Any script could do. And that’s what this is: an enormously mounted, tendecker wedding cake with all icing, but no cake.

Blurred lines between surrealism, willing suspensions of disbelief and self-indulgence that often blur your brains isn’t new to theatres (Shirish Kunder’s Jaaneman is a much better instance of that). It just hurts when the narrative occasionally reveals the material, traverses from the punishably over-done, technicolour hyper-bole, to the gloriously earthy humour.

When the screenplay simply sticks to sweetly campy caricatures, the energy in the wonderfully wordy sequences is a delicious treat. Abhishek Bachchan walks away with the best lines; Piyush Mishra as his side-kick/buddy is a riot. A 10-minute DVD compilation of those scenes alone would make a better film. It should have been the only film.

Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Irrfan Khan, Nisha Kothari.

Nikhil Joshi (Emraan Hashmi) is a young Indian who has gone to Dubai, and dreams of making it big out there. At present however, he is a taxi driver, and is madly in love with a bar girl Ria (Nisha Kothari). So smitten is he, that he is willing to do anything for his love – even die. However, life has other plans for him one night, a suave Vikram (Irrfan Khan), hails his cab. Joshi discovers that this pleasant passenger has an agenda of his own and a rather sinister one at that. Vikram holds Joshi hostage in a bizarre plot to bump off various people who would testify against the dreaded don Jabbar, who is at risk of being deported to India to face charges against him. As Nikhil helplessly becomes witness to one killing after another, he finds his life and dreams crumbling around him. Faced with the prospect of losing everything he has been working towards, he finally takes control of the steering wheel of his life. He stops dreaming and starts acting, as he begins to pit his wits against the assassin.

Cast: Konkana Sen Sharma, Paresh Rawal, Jimmy Sheirgil, Irrfan Khan.

Tilottima Punj (Konkana Sen Sharma) is on top of the world because she has married Hemant (Jimmy Sheirgil) who she met though the net, but their honeymoon is cut short because he has to return to his job in the US. Now Tilottima will do what it takes – fight with ma-in-law, lie to the immigration officer – just to wing her way back into her husband’s arms. Salim Rajabali (Irrfan Khan) is the stockbroker son of a Godmother. He’s besotted by the much older but sensuous Namrata (Suhasini Mulay). Even as he involuntarily gets involved in a killing. he discovers that she has been cheating on him. Before the shattered man can gather his wits, his mother (Saroj Khan) forces him to pack his bags and flee the country before he’s implicated further. Rahul Bhide (Ankur Khanna) is a brilliant but poor student who’s already got admission into a prestigious university abroad. But he’s hardly excited, nor appears to be too keen on going because of a lack of funds and an incapacitated father. Almost overnight, almost magically, all his problems get sorted out and he finds himself flying out to a brighter future. Rajubhai Patel (Paresh Rawal) is a small time organiser of foreign shows. To be a part of his show will cost an aspiring dancer /singer a few cool lakhs. But nobody is complaining, least of all, Rajubhai. Till old flame Tara (Ratna Pathak Shah) has to mortgage her house to pay him the money to take her only daughter into his show. And so the seasoned and hardened Rajubhai finds himself fathering a wide eyed, innocent girl on her first trip abroad. Four people – Tilottima, Salim, Rahul and Rajubhai from four disparate worlds of dissimilar backgrounds… Four people with distinct hopes and diverse motives… Yet their lives are entwined. For fate has randomly selected them to play their assigned roles in one of the most horrific events of recent times.

Cast: Ajay Devgan, Tusshar Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Sharman Joshi, Paresh Rawal and Rimi Sen.

The story revolves around four friends, Gopal (Ajay Devgan), Lucky (Tusshar Kapoor), Mahadev (Arshad Warsi) and Laxmi (Sharman Joshi), who are bound together by their childlike notoriety, aimlessness and petty business of conning people for fun and money. Gopal is the wisest of them and all he wants to do is eat, drink and be merry. Due to their notorious acts, the dean of their college throws them out of the hostel and they have nowhere to go. Gopal tells them about a bungalow which is inhabited by an old blind couple, whose son, daughter-in-law and grandson are in the US. Gopal plans to enter the bungalow pretending to be the blind couple’s grandson. He also asks the rest of them to move in with him — the only condition however is that everyone, except for Gopal would always remain silent. This leads to much confusion.

Cast: Bipasha Basu, Kay Kay Menon, Raj Babbar, Samir Dattani, Minissha Lamba.

Corporate is the story of two leading industrialists in the food sector. Each powerful, each ambitious and equally relentless. When the market opens up to international players, competition gets fierce. And the battle for supremacy begins. Moral codes are abandoned and ethics are forgotten as these two bitter rivals embark upon a deadly game of monopoly. Success and prestige take precedence over all else. People are driven to the brink of insanity. All in the name of business. Meet the handful of men and women, who hold in their hands the power to influence the lives of unsuspecting millions. Live their lives. Learn their lies. This film takes a deep insight in the mindset of these powerful people and attempts to find out what makes them tick. It explores the nexus between the corporate world and the political; and follows the trail of sex and corruption that hides behind a glittering and glassy exterior.

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Naseeruddin Shah, Rekha, Rajpal Yadav and Sharat Saxena.

Rakesh Roshan’s sequel to the earlier Koi Mil Gaya, has now being released as Krrish. In the film, Krishna (Hrithik) is born with magical powers – a legacy from his father, Rohit Mehra. Priya (Priyanka Chopra) comes into his life and becomes his world. When she beckons him to Singapore, he follows.

In Singapore, Dr Siddhant Arya (Naseeruddin Shah), the megalomaniac scientist is on the verge of changing the future forever. But, only one man stands between him and his destructive dreams. And for this, Krishna must become Krrish.

What to watch out for: Hrithik as a super hero.

Cast: Vinod Khanna, Dia Mirza, Akshay Kapoor, Jayant Kriplani, Mukesh Tiwari and Sharat Saxena

Hemant Rastogi, a middle-aged man, is supposed to be staying all alone in a house. Suddenly there is news about his death and the police feel that there is something strange about it all. The officers’ doubts become stronger when neighbours tell them that apart from Hemant Rastogi, the house was occupied by someone else too. The police get to know that this person is none other than Hemant’s son Tejas (Akshay Kapoor). And they wonder why anyone would keep one’s own son hidden from the world?

Meanwhile, Tejas needs to be admitted to an institute that is run by Purva (Dia Mirza). The sole aim of the institution is to look after orphans and those youngsters from the world of crime who show hope of returning back to normal life. Purva is happy to look after Tejas but is irritated by his behaviour. He is different from any other man and acts differently too. With Purva’s care and love, Tejas realises that the world is quite different from what he been used to. Soon, Purva starts observing some unknown traits about Tejas. He is not just physically different but also mentally so, for, he is equipped with some special powers…

What to watch out for: Yet another ‘different’ love story.

Cast: Juhi Chawla, Urmila Matondkar, Sanjay Suri, Jimmy Shergill and Rehan Engineer.

Plot: After the critically acclaimed debut ‘My Brother Nikhil’, director Onir is ready with his next film ‘Bas Ek Pal.’ The film deals with the lives of five principal characters and how a certain incident redefines their relations.

Who is doing what: While Sanjay Suri is an NRI who comes to Mumbai, Jimmy Shergill is a successful businessman; Urmila is an attractive, intelligent and sexy civil engineer. Juhi Chawla plays a social worker-wife of a rich businessman with problems in her marriage and hence falls for the charms of Jimmy Shergill.

Director speak: “The film is an urban fiction on human relationships. It is about unusual relationships, but let me clarify that it’s not about homosexuality. People’s perception will change after they see ‘Bas Ek Pal’,” says director Onir.

What makes it hot: After being in the movie business for more than a decade, this will be the first time that you will get to see Urmila and Juhi in the same frame.

What’s unusual: The film’s stylist Anita Dongre has given a distinctive and unique look and colour to each of the cast that personifies the roles they are playing in the film. Each star is associated with particular colours. Sanjay with red, Urmila with burnt orange, Juhi with turquoise, Jimmy with white and Rehaan with grey.

Get the look: An urbane movie, all characters are well-educated, stylish and affluent. Sanjay changes his look thrice in the movie. Urmila sports a sophisticated short-hair look. Juhi and Jimmy also look exceptionally good in the film.

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Neha Dhupia, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav and Om Puri.

Directed by Priyadarshan, this film is a romantic comedy of errors and mistaken identities. It’s about Jeetu (Shahid Kapoor), a smalltown hustler, who is constantly in debt and dodging creditors. His father, a retired schoolteacher and fiancee are made to suffer the consequences of his financial instability and problems. No wonder, he is constantly being told off and is even forced to ‘kill’ himself in shame.

Jeetu decides to fake his death so that his family gets to claim his life insurance to pay off erstwhile debts. Two bumbling fishermen, Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav, find Jeetu entangled in fishing nets and take him with them. They owe money to a businessman, Prabhat Singh Chauhan (Om Puri) and mistaking him to be a millionaire, hatch a scheme to give Jeetu’s services to Chauhan in exchange for the money they owe him. Sensing that he may reveal too much, Jeetu plays safe and pretends to be a deaf-mute and plays along with them.

Complications ensue when Chauhan’s niece, Shruti (Kareena Kapoor) also turns out to be deaf-mute. Jeetu’s secret is revealed one night when Shruti and her cousin, Meenakshi (Neha Dhupia), find him in a highly inebriated state…

What to watch out for: Shahid’s comic timing once again, after 36 China Town.