NH 10

Dear Navdeep Singh,

Your first film Manorama - Six Feet Under aka Desi Chinatown, was a gritty, edgy and rustic film. With NH10 my expectation was sky high but the film ends being only time pass and not a cult thriller, which it should have been.

The film is about a horny couple who are on their way to a private villa in Haryana (in Haryana ? seriously, what the fuck). They encounter a kidnapping and the Virat kohli aggression in the husband lights up. He follows the Gujjars to scare them (yes, he wants to scare 6 Gujjars with one pistol in spite of having a hot wife in the car alone, How stupid can one be). They end up witnessing a honor killing case, which starts a cat & mouse chase where everyone is out for blood.

The first half of the film is unbelievable, why would a Delhiate guy decide to take panga with Gujjars when he knows he has a hot wife, who is shit scared of an attempted robbery just days before. Then, the Husband takes a flying arrow in his ass, as he is the one who starts the killing first. OK, i believe people should stand up for whats wrong but when you are heavily outnumbered in an unknown dangerous area, its plain stupid to be a hero. Anyways the film picks up post interval and the gritty thriller is superb in the end. Irrespective of the loop holes in the first half, the film is still fast paced and keeps you engrossed.

Deepti Naval's track in the second half is one of the best scenes of the film. Also, Anushka's chase scenes in the stone quarry is shot very beautifully and of course the climax, which is done very tastefully in the by lanes of a village. But i couldn't understand one thing in the climax, why would you run in front of a car which is driven by a mad woman who wants to kill you, when you can climb some stairs next to the road or even enter some gaavwala's house, but i guess liberty is the name of the game.

Anushka Sharma delivers her best performance till date. She is powerful, wild and simply outstanding in the film. Check out her emotional breakdown below the railway track. Neil is good and acts well but is handicapped in a poorly etched character. Darshan Kumar is good at the start but doesn't have much to do later. Deepti Naval springs a surprise.

Virat Kohli's dialogue containing MC, BC, and other abuses are naturally written by him. (Sarcasm)

Overall, Eden Lake oops i mean NH 10, in spite of its flaws is a one time watch. In a time, when our country is termed as a hub for rapists and woman beaters, this film acts as a fucking mirror. But is it necessary to generalize all the Haryanvi Gujjars to be like the villains from The Hostel series ? Well as our friend Virat Kohli would say 'chupkar k picture dekh BC'.

Rating - **

Dum Laga ke Haisha

Dear Sharad Katariya (c/o Aditya Chopra),

After Gunday, i had lost all hope from Yashraj, It was as if you people gave us the date-rape drug to steal our money. But then came Mardani, where Bahurani salvaged the banner. And now you come up with a gem of a small film called 'Dum Laga ke Haisha'. Bravo !!

The film is set in Haridwar during the early 90's, where cassettes and pencils made sense. Where Kumar Sanu was Honey Singh. The story is about an illiterate loser who gets married to an educated plum girl. The whole family tries to seduce them to have sex but the loser still doesn't get over his wife's weight leading to differences and divorce. But all is well, which ends well, The mismatched couple take part in a traditional race to give the hero a life time of slip disc and missionary position.

The details of the 90's era is painstakingly assembled. It reminds you of the simple era where the whole family would listen to a couple fornicating. The simple nature of the film makes it stand out. A film where the narrative is taken forward without losing the audience's interest is a masterstroke in itself and DLKH manages that in the first half. The second half is fun as well. The scene where the wife buys a nylon night wear and adjusts on the creaky bed, musical war on cassette, the shakha scenes, family bonding over divorce are the highlights of the film.

The climax is a bit over the top but what the hell, its Yashraj, so just suck those caramel popcorns in your ass and watch the film.

Ayushman's career has been reborn with this film. His simple UP lingo is superb and he carries the film on his back. Literally.

Bhumi as the Big Mac (Royale with cheese) is the mota packet bada dhamaka. Watch out for this firebrand.

Sanjay Mishra excels as the authoritative father.

Chandrachur Rai as the Deepak Tijori of Jo Jeeta Woh Sikander, is brilliant and is bound to do good work in the future (He stars in our film 'Meeruthiya Gangsters', that's why the free publicity :p)

Overall, DLKH is the small film like Queen that you should watch. It's not as brilliant as Queen but it will make you nostalgic about the era most of us have lived in. Also, the film teaches us a valuable lesson that sex .. oops i mean love is bigger than looks, weight or ego.

Rating: ***half