It's time to celebrate. We have two new volcanoes of talent in Bollywood- Ishan Khatter and Malavika Mohanan. Shahid Kapoor's brother has burst on the scene giving you only one impression: You better not write a simple scene with him, it will be a criminal waste of resources. Shahid Kapoor, Neelima Azim and Rajesh Khatter- party kab hai? Malavika Mohanan reminds you a lot of Deepika Padukone (interestingly, Deepika had auditioned for the same role) and is out to give run for the money to her counterparts.
But does the film
enthrall you? Yes and No. 
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By and large, the emotions are fickle and at times, questionable. Malavika's
eruption in jail is questionable when her friend-inmate dies. The
brother-sister bond which suddenly surfaces (like a tornado) only when Malavika
is led away by the cops is not established extremely well.
Aso, a lot could
have happened as emotions build up in every scene but the story does not move
forward and keeps coming back to square one. Sample this: Ishaan's best
friend gets him beaten up in kichad (yeah that scene is something!)--- but the
very next moment rushes to save him. Ishaan doesn't want Tanishtha and her
family at his house--- but then quickly lets them in, courtesy lightning and
thunder. And then he drives them out, but suddenly brings them back; after all
Holi is meant for reunions in Hindi films. And just when the jailor has left
the door half ajar and it's raining to give a perception that it's gonna be an
escape to victory, it's suddenly a state of resigning to fate!
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Back to the
performances. Tanishtha Chatterjee is brilliant. Ditto for Gautam Ghose,
Heeba Shahand and Sharada.
Vishal Bhardwaj's
dialogues are excellent and they pack a punch in this story of siblings.
Anil Mehta, take
a bow for your breathtaking cinematography. Born and brought up in Mumbai, you
have shown me the places I thought I knew at the back of my hand in a totally
new light. And I will commit a a cardinal sin if I don't give you a standing
ovation for the opening shot.
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Can't resist
coming back to Ishaan and Malavika. They have had a dream start and now they
must capitalise, err, the filmmakers must capitalise and knock their doors.
Watch Ishaan erupt when he returns home after seeing Malavika almost losing her
sanity behind bars, watch Malavika break down in her opening scene when she
tells Ishaan of her plight...
But A R Rahman disappoints, and disappoints heavily. Nothing worth to hum
about.
I am going with THREE-AND-HALF. Rahman could have made it FOUR.