DAAWAT-E-ISHQ : Serving some well succulent kababs but alas! not a hot steamy Biryani !!

At one point in the film Gulrez tells the garishly flamboyant Tariq ‘ you are a high school drop out, your english is pathetic, you wear tacky shirts , chew paan and burp!’, well but that’s not evident in the film though! And that's what was probably essential in Tariq’s character that could have worked out more so if he was made more vacuous rather than the ‘laugh a loud, good at heart lucknovi chap. Their hasn't been enough timing for the romance to develop between the lead players hence you don’t feel bad for Tariq when he is betrayed by Gulrez.

Having said that, Aditya Roy Kapoor is likeable & attractive,no longer camera conscious or droopy (like his previous projects), he shines as the robust kohl-eyed Tariq. 

Parineeti Chopra with her spontaneity & vivaciousness evident from her very first film is sadly restricted here within this regular glamour doll image with huge dollops of make-up, pan cake and flashy attire,not at ease ,at times, misfit to her character Gulrez! Save for that Hyderabadi accent slipping and falling back into place every now, the dynamics of Parineeti’s role isn’t all that we haven't seen before, but nevertheless, she is always a delight to watch!

It’s a light hearted film focussing on the menace aka dowry, the misuse of section 498A & a father-daughter duo’s plan to con a rich guy who demands a hefty dowry forms the basic premise of the film. The actors should have undergone some strict workshop sessions to get their hyderabadi & lucknowi accent correct, or maybe a few lessons from Shabana Azmi’s Mandi ! The father and daughter’s big, well executed con job is lame and unbelievable! Tv actor Karan Wahi is so bland in the film that one wonders whether he is just out of a drug rehab centre with that anorexic frame and excess baggage under his eyes. Anupam Kher is a delight to watch and it’s good to see him in a charming role after a long time.

The note able landmarks of Hyderabad – Charminar (the film starts with it as the background), Hussain Sagar and Nehru Zoological Park making way for Lucknow’s grand Bara Imambara, Rumi Darwaza and bustling Aminabad in the second half, unfortunately, hasn’t been utilized properly by the DOP . Sajid-Wajid’s dragging soundtrack, a reminiscence of the 90’s tracks is such a waste barring the title track which has been utilized well into the narrative with some yummy cuisines on display. The film is surely one time watchable because of the sparkling screen presence of the lead cast and Anupam Kher . A much tighter screenplay could have made a lot of difference to the narrative.

MARY COM (review) : Mother Mary shines!!

In one scene, the selectors at a boxing event unfairly rewards and selects Mary Kom’s opponent (hailing from Haryana) and Mary throws a chair at them yelling ‘You did that to me just because I hail from Manipur’. Those who have suffered, can feel her frustration and hurt. In yet another scene, Priyanka is seen cut-pasting newspaper clips while her baby rests on her side over a pile of newspapers featuring her on the front pages, eventually when the baby soils those papers wet, she crunches the papers and throws them away. The movie brings out some noteworthy issues like the plight of our sports stars,who despite winning medals for our country, face poor treatment at the central officials' hands and sometimes have to sell their medals in order to survive, also the opportunist and vindictive federation officials in India who make it almost impossible for people who hail from the north eastern part of our country to make it big!

But i have a complaint, when u say you are making a biopic it means you are trying to tell the life story of a person and present it on celluloid just ‘as it is’! But if you take cinematic liberties in re-telling your story keeping the box office in mind, then why not say ‘inspired by a boxing champion’s life, rather than ‘a biopic’? (i had the same feeling while watching ‘The Dirty Picture’!) For example , here director Omung Kumar while trying to get the tear ducts flowing, resorts to same old gimmicks like showing Mary Kom’s son almost dying in the hospital while she is in the finals of the World Championship, which did not happen in real Mary Kom's life at all! Hence the film becomes an entertainer as it treads & weaves her life story look like a film's script, complete with her early year’s struggles, victories, familial conflicts, the hardcore training sessions, and the amazing comeback post motherhood.

The film is possibly let down by the pathetic dubbing artists! Instead, the actors should have dubbed themselves which might have kept the Manipuri-hindi accent intact, adding more flavor. And when shall our film makers stop promoting products through their films (iodex and sugar free in this case!!)
Another let down in the film comes in the form of some unnecessary songs turning up every now and then!
Priyanka shines as mary kom, totally committed to her role even though her physical appearance is nothing like the real-life Mary Kom, Chopra manages to get inside the skin of her character, and gives you a couple of genuine praise worthy moments, but we know she is capable of that,she has done that before, so even though mary kom is yet another feather to her shining cap, the cap still shines brighter with her roles from Barfi , Fashion or Aitraaz ! The rest of the cast is just about okay!