movie review : The Stoneman Murders.

Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Arbaaz Khan , Vikram Ghokle. Rukhsar,



Director: Manish Gupta






The Stoneman was a name given by the popular English language print media of Kolkatta to an alleged serial killer who menaced the streets of that city in 1989.


The Stoneman was credited with thirteen murders over six months (the first in June 1989), but it was never established whether the crimes were the handiwork of one person or a group of individuals. The Calcutta police also failed to resolve whether any of the crimes was committed as a copycat murder. To date, no one has been sentenced for these crimes, making this one of the greatest unsolved mysteries plaguing modern metropolitan Indian police forces.







Yeah, the film is made about it. The film is entirely shot on the streets of Mumbai instead of on the location.



As shown in the film the Stoneman has already claimed his fifth victim.The Mumbai Police force does not consider this case to be important. However, there is one person in, sub-inspector Sanjay Shelar (Kay Kay Menon), suspended, who takes it on himself to find this killer. AIG Satam (VikramGokhale), who supports Sanjay, provides him with a opportunity of making it back to the team if he nails this criminal and with it provides him secret aid as well, for tracking down the serial killer. However, in the roadblock to Sanjay in his redemption attempt is Inspector Kedar Phadke (Arbaaz Khan), the officer
who is officially in-charge of the case. As obvious, their ways clash.




There are a handful of good scenes in the movie lyk those nail-biting scenes involving Kay Kay's pursuit of the shrouded killer and that of the killer moving in the dark alleys. I heard d crowds whistle (hey, hey, i hadn't been to a cheap screen. All i can say is the multiplex had lowered their rates that day) when Rukhsar says the *cough cough* Hindi word for a prostitute.




What takes the film to a higher level is the performance of Kay Kay Menon. He is a master in doing intense roles and yet again he delivers the goods. He carries the entire film on his shoulders. Arbaaz Khan does his bit too but Vikram Ghokle is wasted. Rukhsar is strictly okay. Man, next tym, get her voice dubbed. Virendra Saxena leaves a mark in a small cameo.




However, some portions f the movie, i felt was unessential, lyk the backless profile shot of Kay kay's wife (Rukhsar, who always plays his wife on-screen.. remember Sarkar?) and a dance-bar item number. And also there are loopholes lyk the films not-so-convincing ending and pointless portions.




The thing which earns the movie brownie points is its smart storytelling. It doesn't prematurely kill the thrill. The Stoneman Murders is an original piece of work and one of the finest thrillers made in Bollywood in recent times. Suspense film lovers should not give it a miss at any cost.


Manish, however, says that his story for the movie is 40% fact and 60% fiction. I'd rather say, it's a fictitious tale based on the real life footpath stoning incidents.




With a running tym f 100minutes, watchin Stoneman Murders is not a waste of tym.

Xpressions..

movie review : Videsh -heaven on earth.

Cast: Preity Zinta, Vansh Bharadwaj


Director: Deepa Mehta




I like Preity Zinta. Period. I like her so much that Im almost in love with her. But, Im tellin you, folks, this is review ain't a biased one. Man, Preity Zinta was awesome in the movie is kinda like the only thingy y'al wonder once the movie is over.



Pz plays Chand, a young Punjabi girl who's parents have fixed her marriage with Rocky, played by Vansh Bhardwaj, who's family resides in Toronto. So, for her marriage Chand travels to Toronto from India and lives in a small house containing her husband's entire family which includes,a grandfather, a mom, an aunt, brother's, brother's wives & their children. There she is tormented my her mother in-law & is ignored by her husband who talks more with his hands than his mouth whenever she stands up against his ill-treating mother. After several such incidents she even tries to poison Rocky gathering courage as advised by a black-American-woman cum door-mat working with her. (Well this tells us somethin bout American women too; they won't take shit lyin flat on their back, something which i always felt Indian women should also practice)



Rocky's mother like any any age-old-mother shown in Indian cinema thinks that the 'bahu' will take his 'beta' away from her. There's a wonderful scene where when Rocky & Chand live in a hotel room for a night for you-know-wot, and the mother shows up in the pretext of missing her son too much & sees to it that they don't come close that night.



Sounds like any other bollywood film, ryt? Yeah, it is, xcept for the Zinta babe's performance who portrays the sorrow's and feelings of Chand brilliantly thru' her eyes only. Vansh brings intensity to Rocky's character and his mother played by Balinder Johal, too, does a fantastic job as a insecure mother. But boy, Videsh is driven by Pz who delivers her career-defining role as she brings so much depth to the character of Chand.



The movie's quite realistic for most of it's part until Mehta decides to use the unrealistic element like a cobra showing up in the backyard which forms a part of Chand's imagination and takes the human form of her loving-husband Rocky. It looks a bit too much as it gets repetitive.
It's here where, Videsh looks cold.



The movie is ultimately the story of a woman's struggle for her identity and self-confidence in the face of domestic violence.



Videsh is slow yet alarming. I'd say it's worth a watch for Pz's honest performance. Go ahead, folks.