This is definetly one of the best movies this year! Kajol has done a terrific job as Sonia and Naina. She makes you feel as if they actually are two seperate people and not one person playing a double role. She is for sure one of the best Bollywood actresses of our time!

Sunjay Dutt, even though a small role, made a lasting impression as a blind man, and even though he was blind, it wasn't like a typical indian movie where he gets his eye sight back at the end of the film. He was really good as a blind major in my opinion. The new actor Jas Arora, I would rather not talk about him.

Overall, Pooja Bhatt has produced an amazing movie, and the director isn't bad herself. My rating : A+++++ Just my opinion, I am not trying to offend anyone out there, everyone has their own opinions...but stll this film ROCKED!!!..hameshaa@idirect.com

I recently saw JEANS, and I don't understand why it was such a big flop. The movie seemed pretty good, and worth watching. There was one problem, the dubbing was a little off, but other than that the story, artists, and direction were there to make a above average movie. Other movies like ROJA, BOMBAY, and SAPNAY, were dubbed good, but then again there was still some incongruency with the picture against the sound.

Jeans is a big leap in the indian movie technology. The twins in the movie seemed like they were really two people, and the dancing skeleton was just a site to see. Jeans is THE FIRST INDIAN ------DTS STEREO---SOUND movie. At the end there was also a dinosaur scene, which wasn't quite up to the standards of JURASSIC PARK, but hey it was okay. ITS A GOOD COMEDY--The whole time the movie had something funny, but its the kind of things you have to catch, it wasn't cheap comedy like AUNTY #1( Ohh gosh that movie was terrible, i'll post another review about that)

MUSIC--like usual the music of A.R. RAHMAN was different and just awesome. The songs were well picturised also espesially TAUBA TAUBA.-overall i would give the movie a 7.5 out of 10--the major problem was the dubbing, which does tend to annoy the viewer.

--Ali Syed

Salman Khan has done a terrific job in this film with a very mature performance. Twinkle Khanna looks totally gorgeous and Namarta Shroadker is very good. The songs are good too, especially "Na jaana, yeh dil tera deewaana" Lata ji proves once again why she's the best and Kumar Sanu does a take on the Kishore Kumar's yodling.

If you want to see a film with breath taking scenery, spend the money and see it in a theatre. You'll be glad you did.

The plot of DUPLICATE centers on the expected mix-up and ensuing escapades of two unrealted lookalikes, one an aspiring chef, the other a murderous gangster. It is not the plot of DUPLICATE, however, that is most deserving of our attention. What makes this film so enjoyable are the performances from its principal leads, namely Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, and Farida Jalal.

Shah Rukh Khan's dual performance as Babloo the chef and Mannu the gangster allows him to showcase his creative versatility by playing the opposing characters simultaneously. While Mannu is similar to Shah Rukh's character in RAM JAANE, he has no redeeemable characteristics whatsoever. His criminal acts are either quickly dismissed or ignored, and his maltreatment of the cabaret dancer Lilly (Sonali Bendre in an entirely forgettable performance) is glossed over as routine. Babloo, conversely, is tantamount to a cartoon creation: a slow-witted, bumbling fool whose dialogue includes frequent malapropisms ("Come, Lilly, let's get silly!). He is not, however, without a steadfast loyalty to his mother (and excellent Farida Jalal), whom he fondly refers to as Be-be. The successful portrayal of Babloo and Mannu requires considerable conviction, and it is too Shah Rukh's credit that he plays both characters with such distinct clearness that the viewer never feels that the same actor is playing both.

Juhi Chawla essays the role of Sonia Kapoor, the hotel manager for whom Babloo will literally do anything, not only because she controls his salary, but that she has also laid claim to his heart. Sonia is representative of the self-deceiving woman of the nineties who deems herself a worldly figure when in reality she is simply a lovelorn fool who yearns for that tall, dark, and handsome someone to carry her off into the land of the happily-ever- after. When confronted with a seemingly inescapable situation she becomes an undying fountain of nonsensical English phrases and cliches. Expectedly, Juhi Chawla is outstanding, for having been goven such a comically layered character it would have been virtually impossible for India's premiere comedienne not to mould her into a scene-stealing delight. Juhi's Sonia elicits as many laughs as Shah Rukh's Babloo, owning all the best lines in the film and looking drop-dead gorgeous besides.

The same cannot be said of the film's other heroine, Sonali Bendre, who appears in barely five scenes and three songs and becomes fundamentally important only in the film's climactic moments. Though she is able to bring some substance to the character in the well-executed monologue at the end of the film, her portrayal of the gangster moll Lilly is ultimately flat and one- dimensional. Sonali easily "looks" the part of Lilly, for she is endowed with great sexual allure, but her performance never extends beyond a frightened look in her face or a confused expression which asks the plaintive question, "What am I doing in this film?"

Farida Jalal, cast as Babloo's be-be, a woman who fails to look past the fact that her late husband's Punjabi lineage has escaped her own offspring, is a pleasure to watch in an out-and-out comic shade. Thankfully, the director and script writer have delivered Be-be as a fresh character, rather than the stereotypically monotonous and ill-fated widow, a characterization that has long outlived its own usefulness in hindi films. Mohnish Behl also does quite well in his role as the distant third in the line of rivals seeking the favor of the lovely Sonia. One of the main highlights of the film is Kajol's guest appearance as DDLJ's Simran (presumably shot on the sets of Karan Johar's forthcoming KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI, which incidentally also featurres Shah Rukh, Kajol, and Farida Jalal).

The musical numbers are exceptionally well choreographed. Especialy noteworthy are "Mere Meheboob Mere Sanam" (a fantastic song even without the visual) and "Kathai Aankhon Wali Ek Ladki", the silk-draped love ballad in which Juhi's beauty is enough to make one forget that Shah Rukh is on screen at all. It is very rare that we witness a musical number that is intended to advance the plot of the film, but "Wah Ji Wah" and "Ladna Jhagadna" do exactly that. Both are pictured on Farah Khan's fresh and innovative choreography. The camerawork is well handled and the special effects are among the best ever seen in any hindi film (though one effect, Babloo's bulging eyes when he meets up with Mannu after having assumed his place in Mannu's gang, is directly lifted from THE MASK).

DUPLICATE is a great film for anyone seeking a comically illuminating experience in the dark of the cinema hall. It is not the kind of film that propels us into deep philosophical discussions like YUGPURUSH and LAMHE, nor is it commercial drivel suitable only for viewers bearing no standards. It is for anyone who enjoys a hearty laugh (in this film they come in double doses) and wants nothing more than to be entertained. Do go and enjoy...Abba

There are two excellent songs in Salakhen -Dhak , dhak and Mere pichae Bichu . Manisha has a small role and does it well . Raveena looks good . Sunny is superb in the fights -the ones in the Police Station are well choreographed. He kills the bad guys in interesting ways -one of them on the dhobhi ghat picking him up by both his feet , swinging his body over and crashing his head on the stones , just as they wash clothes in India. The kids loved that one !

Some singing is done on beautiful mountain peaks with snow and the dancers pledged precariously on a ledge . However Switzerland is getting boring. Why cant they take the viewers to say the Andes , with Incas in the background ? To Alaska and encounters with Polar Bears? To China and Pandas ? It is these kind of things which make a movie educational and fun.

Dilip Kumar's Qila I found much more fun and saw it again . It is more 'Indian'. One of Bollywood's strengths was as in Mahabharata , nobody was all evil , and one could forgive the villainous Policeman as long as he gave us a few good Urdu shairs justifying his villainy. With the decline of Urdu in India much of that kind of dialog is disappearing and the govt needs to encourage it by setting up some Urdu cultural universities. Salakhen has very few comedy dialogs and so tends to drag at times -but is a fair time pass.

An enjoyable movie starring Saif ali Khan and Akshay on the lines of 'Tu Chor mein Sipahi ( with the very lovely Tabu-showing May 15 on Zee TV -DONT miss it ) . Raveena -named Sharmilee -but one would never guess that from her dresses !-looks very sexy now that she has regained weight but Sonali is still stick like and needs to go on a high fat diet for a few months.

Dialogue is good -probably because the English words are kept down - for instance when a person falls on the village road he is mocked- 'some people become dust only after death , you want to merge with it while still living !-sounds better in Urdu I know. As a child one usually went off for ice cream or something when the songs came on but once one has been in and out of love a few times they do become more meaningful ! In one of the songs here the boy asks the girl what do you like about me and she sings ' Your friendly manner , the way you tell tall tales , show me dreams , torment me and then make up ' etc. etc. ! He sings back just on her physical attributes ! Typical.

Usually in Bollywood movies the bad guys kidnap the heroines and her mother and make them do an erotic dance to save the mother's life and I was quite looking forward to one here but its not there ! People who always complain too much would have said all Bollywood movies are the same ! The song/dance at the start is a synthesis of a Spanish Bolero/ Ukranian bazalka and a bit of country western and Indian too ! and it is quite good . Full marks to Bollywood for creativity. Interior design - I think called art direction - is extremely good . The villain's palace and the 'poor ' teacher's hut are all a pleasure to look at . Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya had Sharmishta Roy who designed the Western Ranch house in an Indian village and it looked good .

Sometimes I ask busy people who have Zee , what they watch on it -and invariably they say just the Top Ten . Zee has now started showing 'Lollywood Top Ten ' from Pakistan with a very fetching anchor. She kept introducing each song with 'this is a Pakistani song but our neighbors copied it ! -Munda Bhigra Jai for example' I am sure Bollywood would never stoop to anything like that. This program being broadcast worldwide will I am sure start to popularize Pakistani songs and movies.

Zeba was asked on an interview why Pakistani movies had a tough time competing and one of the reasons she said was lack of dancing schools etc. so that even to get one or two girls was a problem. In this movie in one song there were more than 50 dancing on top of a dam -and not computer generated since they were all doing different things . Since males like different types of girls , they can ignore the heroine and concentrate on the one in the group they like.

I am not really religious -the last time I went to a religious place a temple with an American friend , she laughed her head off because I didnt know that you had to do 'darshanum' before you got the 'parsadnum' !, but I found the little Shiv temple in this move quite appealing. One of the reason Hinduism has survived so long in India must also be the open design of these temples -an open courtyard so that one can see the inside of the structure from far and then an inner sanctum with the beautiful idol of Shiv to do the salutation and then after coming out a pat on the head of Nandi -his bull and one is done for the day !

The fighting scenes have been cut -and the manager told me they do it to keep the certificate level as U or PG. A pity really , kids brought up on Tom and Jerry would delight from all the Karate fights - although the final killing could of course be cut. Overall a good entertaining film.

A typical Hindi Masala movie. It created some interest here beocz of PareshRawal's character which is based on LalooPrasadYadav. and that was the main motivation for checking it out.

PareshRawal doesn't disappoint! he is brilliant/hilarious/realistic in his potrayal of our Fodder villian. His makeup is meticulous. The puffy cheeks, sadhanacut, kurta-pyg, spectacles hanging around the neck; and so is his gait and most importantly dialect. Not to forget the obsession with perfumes :-)

It is reported that Lalooyadav saw the movie and liked Paresh's acting ! The first half is dominated by Laloo err Pareshrawal, playing the Rustic Don. But (sadly) his footage is less in the second half of the movie and that too as a ordinary gun-toting goonda.

So, if u are curious to see this one, don't miss the first one hour. The rest of the proceedings can be safely skipped. Regarding the rest of the star cast, Naseerudinshah is a far cry from the actor we admire. The actors who play the two friends are good. (especially the guy who plays the negative character)... cheers raj

Bollywood is getting quite good at special effects. In one scene Johnny Lever is busy strangling his double in the same frame. Such effects I believe are being used in Duplicate as well. A spy , a master of disguises is sent to Pakistan but gets caught after a few years. The GOI disowns him and he comes back after 12 years or so determined to kill the Prime Minister of India who had sent him there. Its Sunil Shetty's job to protect the PM.

One good thing about Hindi movies is that there are now stars from so many different parts of India who fit in quite well . Sunil is Telugu while Shilpa is a Tamil and looks very nice . There are even a couple of Chinese girls in the very catchy song 'Hello , hello bhol ke''

This maybe the first Hindi movie with more than 50% of the words in English ! - 'Dont shoot me , its my understanding etc. ' One deplores this tendency -it may be realistic and the language of India is becoming English and Hindi/Urdu gradually dying out -if the women dont speak it , they cant teach their children . The main problem is that the dialog writers are not confident in English , so you dont get any of the double meanings or subtleties of Cheers , its just straightforward as in most boring Hollywood movies. At least with Urdu one had the masters who wrote shairi etc. which made Bollywood movies such a treasure. I am sure one reason for Sunil Shetty's movies like Prithvi etc. flopping is the unimaginative dialog.

So what is there is more realism -one goes to the movies to be educated and entertained . Car chases are very good and visually much more interesting than in Hollywood American ones where the cars are huge and doesnt see the white of the drivers eyes. In Bombay with narrow roads and cows , camels , roadside stalls make the chases more fun.

Another reason if this movie flops is that the women wear mostly Western dresses and the women of India are not going to see movies where only jeans are worn..

The first half of the movie is listless and tiresome.

But the second half is nicely crafted. Infact the first scene involving Jackie/Anil is near the interval period. The momentum is well maintained. Jackieshroff does his part well. AnilKappor is Ok. It is good to see this pair together after a long time. PoojaBhatt is a misfit in the role. But, the director wisely decided to show less of her body in the later part of the movie. PareshRawal is Brilliant in the role of Kachraseth.

Technically the movie is average. It is a surprise considering that this is a Priyadarshan movie. Art design is excellent. Watch out for the "seedy den" of the Villian. (Drums, paintboxes, compartment etc etc).

Music by Rehman is disappointing. He rehashes his own tunes. The saving grace is the catchy "yara dil dara sun" which is well picturised.

The background score is intresting. You can hear three different "scores" for three different situations. One , when the "murder" topic is raised ; second, when the love triangle thing is on. I forgot the other one. (quite some time, since i have seen the movie). It mebbe a copy of some english flick, but it surely enhanced the seriousness of the scenes.

On the whole, an average movie. Worth a visit if u are a keen Hindi movie buff... cheers raj

I just saw the movie "Sarbans Daani Guru Gobind Singh" on the big screen here in NJ yesterday. It was a special premiere, with more or less simultaneous showings in six or seven sites across the US and Canada.

The movie was very good. It was mainly concerned with events surrounding Wazir Khan of Sirhind, and how he bricked alive in a wall the two young sons of the Guru, and then had Guru Ji assassinated. It ended with Banda's sack of Sirhind and the death of Wazir Khan. It portrayed the Nawab of Malerkotla and how he tried to stop the madness. It also had Sucha Nand the evil Hindu Dewan as well as the Brahmin who betrayed Guru Ji's children. The movie took pains to be objective, and not be anti-Muslim or anti-Hindu per se. It was clear that the villains were to be faulted for their acts as individuals, not as representatives of their religion. It showed plenty of Muslim characters in a good light, trying to prevent the tragedy, and Hindus too. The man who paid the gold to cover the ground to cremate the Guru's sons was as Hindu (Todar Mal).

The cast was excellent, with a couple of Mahabharat alumni (the actor who played Sakuni Mama and the one who portrayed Dhritarashtra, there was also Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Sonu Walia, Dara Singh and other well known actors. The music was by Jagjit Singh.

Interestingly, Guru Gobind Singh was not depicted at all by any actor, nor were his sons or his mother. For that, pictures (paintings) were used throughout the movie. It worked very well.

The audience was about 150-200 mainly Sikh people (my cousin, uncle, and myself were probably the only Hindus). Many must have driven quite far since the immediate area itself does not have a big Sikh population. The majority of the men and boys were Keshdhari, so it seems that mostly the religious, observant Sikhs came, otherwise I'd espect to see more clean-shaven ones there..amitabh hajela

A beautiful slow moving film which slows down even more in the second half . I dont whose brave idea it was to add 15 mins after the normal ending in Indian movies where everybody finds out who they love, but it will probably turn one which could have been a hit to one which is not.

The background props are fantastic. The large statues of the dancing Natraj (Shiva ) , the apsara and others -even for those who are not religious they do form an emotional link to the past culture of South Asia.

The song picturised amongst the ruins at Daulatpur ( what are they ? ) is good. There should be a movement to charge tourists and repair these structures and make them look as magnificent as they were meant to..

Manisha looks really beautiful in some scenes and thankfully doesnt inhale on the cigarettes . Jackie Shroff with his green contacts acts suitably strange -even his own father tries to kill him ! One point of interest in this movie is that Mahabharata style ,Jjackie stakes his girlfriend in a card game with terrible consequences.

Dialogue is good - ' You are not just my love, you are my madness'.'Your lips are saying something but your eyes are saying something else'. One of the highlights of this film are the beautiful sketches that Nana does . A movie which will make you think.

It was a very intelligent film which can be best described as "psychological film". It had a strong story and plot but also mainly had strong characters. Nana as the mental man who is only looking for motherly love from the first woman he sees when he comes out from Gopal. Manisha who wants out of her money driven corrupt world. She just wants simple love.

We have Jackie, who has the thought that He can not lose. And we see his arrogance in some scenes. But his last scene with Nana was remarkable. The movie was great and very intelligent. It is a shame that it will not be a popular film in India because Indian society is still not ready to accept movies that arent' completely Song & Dance. Bogus movies which ridicule intelligence of man. p e a c e o u t... Gurumann