Happy New Year

wogma rating: Add to that never-watched 'To Watch' list (?)

quick review:

Happy New Year is a little more than what you'd expect. A tiny surprise that gives you more of the same, but with some structure - even if it tries do a lot in one go and all of it is predictable.

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Director: Farah Khan
Running time: 180 minutes
Genres: Comedy, Heist, Revenge
More Movie Info

Happy New Year - Preview

It's SRK O'clock on our calendar. In combination with it being Farah Khan's next outing. This is as masala as it gets. You see the trailer and you think Ocean's Eleven. Of course, only as far as the broad plot is concerned.

Unfortunately, little else stays. Especially, the cast. While Abhishek Bachchan is capable of some of the suave that the Ocean's Eleven crew carried, he seems to be reduced to something quite the opposite and Sonu Sood to comic relief - both as typical as they could get. The little we compare Julia Roberts to Deepika Padukone in this avatar, the better, even if the former played a relatively small role in the English film.

Add on the dance and the extravaganza and soon we lose sight of the basic plot. But then again, that just might be a good thing. At least, there is scope to look at the film with unbiased eyes.

Music Reviews:
Bollyspice - "1.5/5"
Bollywood Hungama - "3.5/5"
glamsham - "4/5"
Milliblog - "Less Vishal-Shekhar, lot more Farah Khan, this soundtrack."
Music Aloud - "6.5/10"

- meeta, a part of the audience

Happy New Year is a "buy one get two free" film. You were promised a heist, you get that and a revenge drama and underdog film for free. And imagine a Hindi film with three story films and none of them pressing too hard on the romantic angle. And here I was worried that Happy New Year wouldn't have a story a la Tees Maar Khan. But hey, I'd take that 3 predictable stories compared to none any day.

It isn't surprising then that the film is 10 seconds short of three hours. Indeed, I was dreading the movie even before it started just by a look at its runtime. One would have thought movies of this length aren't made any more. And yet, the movie didn't feel that long. Though I don't know who takes the credit for that. Was the movie really engaging or has my patience and general mental readiness for movies belonging to brand Khan improved by a mile and more? For better or worse, as the case may be, the movie slackens only rarely.

That didn't make the story any less predictable. Granted, the writers try hard to keep the suspense on, but given the genre of the film and the festive season you know where the film is headed even before you've seen the film.

Sure, for every self-referencing, lame joke there is a tiny twist that you wouldn't expect from a Farah Khan film. For every random reference to one film or another there is a tongue-in-cheek remark about pop culture and current trends winking at you. For every time the sole lady in the film is put down by the other characters there is a little detail that catches your attention.

Unfortunately, in each of the above cases, the annoying outweighs the surprising, leaving you in a state where you are good with the surprise but can't overcome the banality of the rest of the film. Happy New Year takes a shot at the "realness" of reality shows. It laughs at films of its own kind, as Farah Khan films usually do, but this time it wasn't wearing a "we are like that only" on its sleeve but had a more "something needs to be fixed" attitude. Hats off to Anurag Kashyap and Vishal Dadlani for their sporting spirit, as cheap and meh as their cameo came across as.

Who would've thought there'd be a film in which Anurag Kashyap overacts more than Shah Rukh Khan even if it is very intentionally so. In fact, all the actors, as expected again, overact. But, it's not the cringe inducing overact. It's the kind that tries to shove the fact that its all a performance down your throat. The kind which tries to make every moment dramatic and impactful. Yet, each of the characters gets that one scene where you see a glimpse of what the actor is really capable of.

Making it seem that it is powerful acting must be the easiest kind to do. Especially for the likes of Boman Irani and Abhishek Bachchan. Shah Rukh Khan comes across as even more narcissistic than usual (especially with the end credits). Sonu Sood is treated like a newbie who has gotten a chance to show off his six-pack, except that they cannot overdo Shah Rukh Khan's ten.

The manner in which Deepika Padukone's character Mohini is put down and treated is the shabbiest of them all. That she doesn't leave insult after insult, to me came across as one of the things that the movie was trying to be satirical about. I am not sure, if I am giving the film a little more credit than is due though. Even so, Deepika Padukone was the only one who really shone in the film. Trying to maintain dignity in the worst of circumstances. The same cannot be said about Abhishek Bachchan. I have now begun to feel bad for him as an actor - he has really reduced to levels where he is a side-flunkey and does whatever comes his way, though he is capable of a lot more. Yet, his comic timing, even with the worst of jokes get you cracking.

In that sense, you cannot help but giggle at a lot of what's going on in the film. At times, it feels like you are watching Tom and Jerry. At other times there are innuendos, you'd rather not have in the film - because they are in bad taste, repetitive, not new and not funny.

Even so, I am pleasantly surprised and happy that Happy New Year attempted story. Yes, most of it is expectedly lame and laughable. But, isn't it cool that Farah Khan thinks her audience to be worthy of it. As if nodding to the fact that the audiences tastes are changing, even if the nod is a weary one and the change is ever so slow. Thank you, lady, and I mean it sincerely. This trend, makes me hope that there will be one Diwali, not to far away, that will make me look forward to a Shah Rukh Khan starrer, directed by Farah Khan.

Come on Team Khans, you can do it!

- meeta, a part of the audience

37 reviewers(?) - 12 yays 9 so-so 16 nays

Warning: clicking on "full review" will take you to an external website that could contain spoilers.

Thumbs up, by Naresh Kumar Deoshi, Apun Ka Choice : ...Go for this flick with your friends and family. You’ll have a blast. And do stay for a peek at the little cuteball AbRam in the end credits. Ciao and enjoy!... full review

Thumbs up, by Shalu Dhyani, Bolly Spice : ...All said and done, Tees Maar Khan can now be forgiven as one-off mistake. Farah Khan is back with a bang! If her earlier films haven’t appealed to you, stay away. If they have, go have a rollicking time this festive season.... full review

Thumbs up, Bollywood Hungama : ...All in all, HAPPY NEW YEAR is definitely a smash hit film, which has blockbuster written all over it. The film will set new records in the days to come. Go for it!... full review

Thumbs up, by Vinod Talreja, Bollywood Life : ... Happy New Year will make ridiculous amount of money at the ticket window. In a time where logic and reason are slayed for saleable entertainment, HNY comes across as a winner in the genre it happily conforms to.... full review

Thumbs up, Daily Bhaskar : ...Happy New Year is undoubtedly Shah Rukh Khan’s best film in recent times, and must watch for all SRK fans... full review

Thumbs up, by Sarita A Tanwar, DNA : ...Despite having everything going for it, you wonder why they didn’t fine-tune the screenplay a bit more. There are logic issues; there are sensibility issues and in a heist film, you can’t have that. Fortunately for Farah, she pulls out a trick every time you begin to look at your phone screen. I wish Boman Irani would stop playing the lonesome Parsi guy – he’s better than that. What to do: Make this Diwali even more special with Happy New Year. One of the best entertainers of 2014.... full review

Thumbs up, by Rachit Gupta, Filmfare : ...A film like Happy New Year makes things easy for its audience. It’s just as easy to dismiss it as it’s easy to like it. The downright absence of logic and the immature humour could offend anyone. But watching grown men act like bumbling idiots has been a great idea of fun for time immemorial. End of the day, it all boils down to how you watch your film. If you like to have fun and you don’t mind entertainment over cerebral arguments, Farah Khan’s Happy New Year is worth your time.... full review

Thumbs up, by koel Purie, india today : ...Farah is back. Tees Maar Khan can be forgotten. She's confident, she's silly and not scared to make fun of herself. But if you didn't get her the first time, you definitely won't now, as Happy New Year is over 3 hours and full of Farah-isms. Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/happy-new-year-review-by-koel-purie-shahrukh-khan-abhishek-bachchan-deepika-padukone/1/397431.html... full review

Thumbs up, Indicine : ...Overall, Happy New Year is a fun watch. It requires you to leave your brains back at home and enjoy what Farah throws at your in those 180 minutes in theatre. It has a bit of everything that you expect from a typical Bollywood entertainer and probably a little more. The music should have better a lot better and the runtime a little shorter, but Nandu Bhide more than makes up for it!... full review

Thumbs up, by Shubha Shetty Saha, MiD DAY : ...The entire cast, including Daisy Irani who plays Boman’s eccentric Parsi mother, was clearly enjoying being part of this movie. While SRK is at his charming best and Sonu, Boman and Vivaan have given sincere performance, Deepika Padukone and Abhishek Bachchan stand out among others. Deepika’s graceful dance act in the climax is enough to show why this girl is where she is. While Abhishek’s role as Charan’s son is rather insipid, he manages to touch a chord with his other role as the uneducated, innocent ... full review

Thumbs up, by Lidia Ostepeev , Planet Bollywood : ...Happy New Year exploits its Dubai setting, looks glossy and has its fun moments but doesn’t have the inbuilt repeat value of Main Hoon Na - a simpler, better constructed film. (Then again, I could have missed quite a few gags because I am subtitle dependent!... full review

Thumbs up, by Anish Mohanty , Planet Bollywood : ...Even with a run time of three hours, Happy New Year keeps you engaged for most of its duration. Farah Khan, successfully, manages to erase the memories of ‘Tees Maar Khan’ by striking back with a film that is hugely entertaining and gives the audience a bang for its buck. Go for it!... full review

So-So, by Anna MM Vetticad, annavetticadgoes2themovies : ...What works for HNY is that it is unrelentingly unapologetic about everything it does, including a product placement that is rubbed in our faces (same brand that Chennai Express endorsed), almost as if it is spoofing the very concept of product placements while also making money from it. This impertinence is what makes HNY entertaining. In spite of all my misgivings, I enjoyed it.... full review

So-So, by Kusumita Das, Deccan Chronicle : ...Because the film manages to tick most formula boxes, one can expect it to rock the festive weekend, a time when the audience automatically seems to get less discerning. We don’t know how much this Diwali release will leave you smiling, but those dazzling lights and eye-popping colours will leave you blinking for sure.... full review

So-So, by Divay Agarwal, Desi Martini : ...HNY is an ‘overambitious’ masala bollywood flick but a full on time-pass for SRK Fans!... full review

So-So, by Ameet Bhuvan, Desi Martini : ...Farah is in total fan girl mode and we arent complaining much... full review

So-So, by Rajeev Masand, IBN Live : ...For a film in which dance is so integral to its plot, I didn't think the musical set-pieces here stood out particularly. The focus isn't so much on the moves, as it is on the scale of the dance numbers. And that's a shame.... full review

So-So, by Divya Solgama, MoviezADDA : ...Well die hard Shah Rukh Khan lovers will love the movie as despite of being a multi starrer film, it's still a SRK film and caters mainly to his loyal audience only. There are few funny moments along with peppy music and decent support from the other actors, due to which one does manage to sit through this super lengthy film, which looks even more than three hours. So on an overall basis, 'Happy New Year' is not a boring film like 'Singham Returns' or mindless drama like 'Bang Bang' but has everything we have seen before and nothing new to offer in any aspect. Thus, this movie could be re-termed as 'Happy Deja vu Year' which, if watched will remind you of many good entertainers and if skipped will not make you feel about missing out something important.... full review

So-So, by Sonia Chopra, Sify Movies : ...But I suspect the audience may not care for such details. Most will be there to take in the star-studded cast, the visual splendor and laugh on the silly jokes. And Farah Khan delivers on all three counts. Ignore the fundamentals, and watch it for the fun.... full review

So-So, by Sudhish Kamath, The Hindu : ...: Farah once again walks the line between spoof and tribute in this rather long, self-aware entertainer with enough moments to make you smile... full review

So-So, by Madhureeta Mukherjee, Times of India : ...The cast pulls off their acts well; and leave you with some feel-good moments, but not enough to last three long hours.... full review

Thumbs down, by Baradwaj Rangan, Blogical Conclusion, The New Sunday Express : ... the nagging sense that Farah Khan is doing for Bollywood what Leni Riefenstahl did for Nazi Germany. Happy New Year is possibly the most lavishly mounted propaganda movie yet about India’s increasing soft power.... full review

Thumbs down, by Bobby Sing, Bobby Talks Cinema.com : ...However signing off on a positive note, I would like to request Shahrukh to please adapt new concepts, new directors and better films in the coming years, since the actor himself and his fans certainly deserve much better films than HAPPY NEW YEAR... full review

Thumbs down, by Sidhant Shori, Desi Martini : ...Crappy New Year Happy New Year is the embodiment of what keeps bollywood behind. It’s typical Farah khan nonsense... full review

Thumbs down, by Mihir Fadnavis , FirstPost : ...Happy New Year is uncommonly stupid and tacky enough to make Sallu’s heist film Kick look as complex as Memento. Deepika Padukone once again has a weird accent, but is the least unlikable aspect of the movie, even though her character is an affront to depiction of women in cinema.... full review

Thumbs down, by Johnson Thomas, Free Press Journal : .... There’s no fresh perspective, creative thought or enlivening expressiveness available to make the terrible tedium of a three hour long sputtering engine look like a swank express train. The over-indulgence in facetious story telling, lack of refrain in plotting, non-alleviating structure and the sheer bedlam of formulaic inducements scattered around in pot-pourri assemblage make this experience a severe strain on the senses. Best suited to the hypochondriacs who may not have to feign an illness after watching this headache inducing monstrosity!... full review

Thumbs down, by Kritika Deval , fullhyd.com : ...The music, as we all know, is quite catchy, and the videos are shot with all of the panache that Farah Khan can muster, which is a substantial amount of it. The production values are fantastic, again, because, of course they are.... full review

Thumbs down, by Martin D'Souza, Glamsham.com : ...Finally, you have this gem of a dialogue which sums up the state of the film: ''Olympic ke liye team, Ya Oscar ke liye film, India losers hi bhejte hain.'... full review

Thumbs down, by Anupama Chopra,, Hindustan Times : ...I have a very high tolerance level for anything Shah Rukh is in, and yet Happy New Year was a slog. Which compels me to repeat a line from my review of Chennai Express: Come back, Rahul. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Suhani Singh, india today : ...Of the cast, Irani hams it up. Padukone looking overtly lean here does her bit of looking gorgeous and repeating the Meenamma act poorly. None of her dance numbers stand out thanks to uninspired choreography, which is shocking for a Farah Khan film. It doesn't help that it's hard to concentrate on the moves with gaudy sets and excessive lighting. Bachchan is the only one who stands out as he uninhibitedly portrays his over-the-top character. Dialogue writer Mayur Puri's best lines are also reserved for Bachchan's Nandu.... full review

Thumbs down, by Rohit Khilnani , india today : ...If you go and watch Happy New Year, you will surely sit through it but will you walk out smiling? I can't take that guarantee.... full review

Thumbs down, koimoi : ...Happy New Year is a muddled mess which has its own warm moments but as a package fails to work. Three hours of Shah Rukh flaunting his abs and swagger gets too much to take minus a strong storyline. Farah Khan has redeemed Tees Maar Khan but Happy New Year is her most mediocre work. I am going with 2/5. It’s a magnum opus which is pretty much hollow from within and remains an all frills, no thrills show.... full review

Thumbs down, by Sanjukta Sharma, Live Mint : ...So much staleness, packed into a running time of 3 hours, is revolting even to the brain-dead stupor that we, fans of Hindi movies, sometimes habitually get into just for the sake of time-pass entertainment.... full review

Thumbs down, by Jaidev Hemmady, Movie Talkies : ...As far as performances are concerned, Shah Rukh Khan relies merely on his six-pack abs, his dimpled smile and his undeniable charm (But then, that is more than enough, isn't it?). Boman plays a stereotypical Bawa and is utterly wasted in the film whereas Sonu and Vivaan try their best to impress, without much success. The surprise package is Abhishek Bachchan, who plays the lovable tapori Nandu Bhide with much gusto and provokes the maximum guffaws. Deepika puts on a Marathi accent this time and manages to hold her own against the five men ... full review

Thumbs down, by Saibal Chatterjee, NDTV : ...There is no dearth of gloss in Happy New Year, but everything else in the film, including the content and its treatment, are allowed to go for a toss. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Kaushik Ramesh , Planet Bollywood : ...As a whole, the movie succeeds unquestionably as an entertainer. The dialogues are crack witty and Farah Khan does an exceptionally adept work at delivering a glamour filled grand Diwali release. Unless you were here to quench your thirst for meaningful cinema, you would leave the movie hall satisfied, thereby qualifying Happy New Year as the perfe ct "Paisa Vasool" film of 2014. People would ask you to "leave your brains at home", but weren't you going to do that anyway?... full review

Thumbs down, by Aparna Mudi, Zee News : ...The plus sides - SRK's well oiled (non-photoshopped) abs, a little bit of the humour, some great visuals of Dubai and the extravagance of it all.... full review

118 tweeters(?) - 85 yays 5 so-so 28 nays

Your_Cleopatra: The best part of Happy New Year is the last 45 mins... the theft, the dance, the change, the end credits... I had tears..

yashpatil2392: happy new year is very best film and the team of hny is very best

xolamia: Happy new year was goood

xmanishaa: I chose the latter. Happy New Year was a happy movie which took me in another world for 3 hours with my favourite actor in it.

Tsu4494: Happy New Year was worth the money . Good movie

thyag1994: Happy new year - much fun ! thanks to king khan @iamsrk

TheChandramauli: "How can Diwali be happy for anyone if the movies like Happy New Year is releasing the very next day

sunshine_dina: Happy New Year was Awesome!!! All of them are gorgeous: ) Must watch, guys! @iamsrk @deepikapadukone #movieoftheyear #smile

subhakantswain2: WOW.HAPPY NEW YEAR IS THE BEST GIFT FROM SRK AND FARAH KHAN TO THE PUBLIC FOR DIWALI.

sidkakspeaks: Private show of Happy New Year.feel like a teenager again.. the magic of cinema! Congrats @iamsrk @TheFarahKhan @juniorbachchan @bomanirani

ShahrukhInMyDNA: OMG *____* finally watched Happy New Year.. the best movie i have ever watch !!! And @iamsrk as always was the hottest <3

shadymumbai: Liked Happy New Year. Full entertainment. @juniorbachchan is a Rockstar . Wonder why they put Shah Rukh Khan in it.

Sanjaysam92: Happy new year, a perfect movie to watch so don't miss this movie.

SalmanKhanfan8: Congratulations to the film Happy New Year on the first day got 44kror Taboawa film and enjoyed

sajidhakhan82: Go see HAPPY NEW YEAR AMAZING MOVIE LOVED IT AWESOME !!!!!!!! http://twitter.com/sajidhakhan82/status/526045881510809600/photo/1

RuchikaSen2: And yes I watched happy new year , super comedy and SRK nd deeps were amazing as always!

royalprincess81: Just watched the film Happy New Year!!! Loved it!

royaldada402: happy new year exellent movie film ki writing is very good i like it sab ko yeh film dekhni chahiye thanks shahrukh for diwali gift

Reviews40: 'Happy New Year' review: If indulgences were trimmed, this might have been a more enjoyable… http://t.co/XCR5bCIiTs

RaVi_V_HiRaNi: Happy new year is awsome movie ever....

RanaShuja: Today I saw Happy New Year and movie was Great.

rakskingrocks: King khan rockkkssss.....in happy new year awsome movie

rahulmulani3: watched happy new year last night.#srk is just beyond awsme #hny a must watch movie

Raeesa_SBW: Happy New Year is the awesomest movie EVER :')

PrateekDhawan4: #happy_new_year awsmness personified #abhishekbachan u rokd man.. !! superb stuff!!1

Pmohapatra5: Happy new year movie.Wat a movie!!! Juz loved it. After a long time..get a chance 2 watch an awsm movie..

nishachauhan9: Watched @happy new year, hats off to Happy new year team, most entertaining movie

nijadnizam: Watched #Happy New Year This Was The movie I Was Waited For No Words A FullFilled Action Masala Entertainer All The Best @HNY

NAlMuttairi_: just saw happy new year it was fantastic

mrmanan1: Happy New Year to all Muslims! @HNY is a gift for all of Us!

MankameManasi: Happy new year! *-* #awesome #movie !!!!

mandar_mestry: #PaisaWasoolHappyNewYear ya Shahrukh's invested money "wasool" hogaya, degraded himself from Swades to happy new year.

KingPatel7: 'Happy New Year' delivered. Very fun film. @HNY @iamsrk @deepikapadukone @SonuSood @juniorbachchan @bomanirani @TheVivaanShah @TheFarahKhan

KedarMkv: #HNYFirst45crOpener maannn. How ppl watch low IQ pathetic remake of Hollywood movies like Happy New Year. No dearth of idiots in India

kcrazy_4me: A combo of Heist Dance Comedy Romance Emotions Thrill Drama Patriotism Revenge is popularly known as Happy New Year #HNYBestFilmEver

KashmiraDeshmuk: Happy new year is the movie of the year. @iamsrk #HappyNewYear

KanabarNidhi: Happy new year was hilarious!

iYatinGupta: Watched Happy New Year and absolutely loved it.

ItsMeJahanvi: Happy New Year. Total Entertainment. Whoever didn't like it... You people don't know what is entertainment

Irfkh1: Happy new year**** https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=671945402921484

imrishabh555: so Happy New Year is the #Full_Package_Total_Khantastic_Movie... history created by the movie and as usual..by... https://www.facebook.com/rishabh.soni.9638/posts/811536628907310

iamZunaira: Happy new year! :)

IamSunnyLeone12: Happy new year is the movie of the year. @iamsrk #HappyNewYear

IamSonam123: Happy new year is mind blowing @iamsrk #HappyNewYear

IamPriyanka123: Happy New Year, bhai wah! Maza aa gaya, badhiya movie hai @iamsrk #HappyNewYear

IamKatrina123: Happy ending. Happy movie. Happy new year. @iamsrk #HappyNewYea

IamAnushka123: Happy ending. Happy movie. Happy new year. @iamsrk #HappyNewYea

iamaki_: Happy New Year @hny is not just a movie, it is an event. #HNYBestFilmEver..

horcruxnialI: HAPPY NEW YEAR WAS SO GOOD

Fazal_Razaque: Really Good Work Boss : Farah Khan #Director Maza aa Gaya Guyz ;) :D #HNY Happy New Year ^_^ (Duniya Me bas Do... https://www.facebook.com/FazalRazaque/posts/735886736448796

fara__amira: Happy new year 4.5/5

FafaBens: Happy New Year <3....may this year be full of amazing moments :*

DR_aalali: Happy New year movie in the 2nd time

DkKandoriya: Happy New year movi awosem

Disha56016371: Awesome movie happy new year go everyone and watch it!!

diptikapoor: Happy New Year is not a Movie. It's a Experience :) #PaisaWasoolHappyNewYear #HNYFirst45crOpener

dipenambalia: Watched happy new year. It's not as bad as people are cribbing. It's a family entertainer.I might be little biased as I am a srk fan :-)

dilipk120890: I think that happy new year film beats kick and Krish 3 ...........

dhirajmeshram39: Happy new year is awasm pic

Dahi_Vada: Best Entertainer in Happy New Year is @juniorbachchan

Crazymestuff: happy new year was a good movie :)

classyboykg: Happy new year...@ Awesome....Movie Great Story... Grand Movie...Wow @classyboykg http://twitter.com/classyboykg/status/525957200397615104/photo/1

choudharyadii: the best part of the entire movie "HAPPY NEW YEAR" IS ABHISHEK.........thanks fr entertaining us ...........:) :)

chopade_kunal: happy new year-nice entertainer

Bhaitard: 100 % Positive response yaar... Happy New Year .. Just too good.. https://t.co/9xT9MglKLx

barbie_rathijit: HAPPY NEW YEAR IS NT NLY RECRD MAKER,ALSO FADU,ENTRTNG MVIE,DIL KO CHU GAYA @iamsrk @hny

AnkitSatapathy1: HAPPY NEW YEAR super,awesome,fantablous,one of d bst entertainment movie evr......SRK proves y he is the King and d bst actor in d world#HNY

AllIndiaContest: Happy new year is the movie of the year. @iamsrk #HappyNewYear

alipolani: Happy New Year was a GOOD movie. @iamsrk never fails

AliaaFcc: Watched happy new year! Epic movie!! #HNY @iamsrk @deepikapadukone @TheVivaanShah @bomanirani

akmgkp55: Happy New year is a most comedy movies abhisek bhi good dance

AKHILCP777: happy new year is super movie

akashpalkar: Happy New Year #few hours to #GOOOOOOOOO Shah Rukh Khan https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=813581562032764

akanksha_anil: HAPPY NEW YEAR IS AMAZING <3 LAUGHED A LOT! EVERYONE DID A GOOD JOB! ABRAM WAS THE BEST <3 AND THE WORLD DANCE MEDLEY <3 #HNY #AMAZING #LOVE

AishiteruJaysh: Happy New Year ws awesome! Hats off 2 abhishek! Laughed till the end!

agrwal_prateek: #Happy #New #Year breaks all #Records.....really a good muvi to watch it...nice....#Acting bye all d the #actors...!

aditirekha6m1s1: Well U r most welcome . Happy new year is an amazing movie I love it.

abhi2345672: happy new year is the amazing movie i have ever seen

abhaysingh788: Happy New Year deserves this #HNYFirst45crOpener

aarnav_com: Nice movie..... Keep it up....#@ Happy new year

aanchal_luthra: Watch @HNY Happy New Year for glimpses of the awesome @ExLolaKutty !!

74mangos: Happy New Year was so good

23amitgupta: happy new year is a very interesting and nice movie,watch it.

0fe65e0a07a0487: Ossum just movie happy new year love it

_angel_uzma_: Happy New Year is Lovely yaar

thegirik: Watched Happy New Year. An ok watch. Neither too exciting nor too boring. Ala vellipotundi. Konni comedy scenes bavunnayi ;)

shishir2112: I watched today Happy new year movie My expectation was for that movie huge.But this movie discontented to me.I am giving that movie 3 star

sarath_krrish: Happy New Year #Average Only :-) My Rating:2/5:-D Ethoo 1time Paarkalam :-) :-D

DivyaaPandit: Saw happy new year , total time pass , at the same time very silly movie , loved sonu sood and abhishek bacchan. ...

96shanaz: Happy New Year was not bad

ZestandLeisure: Happy new year is such a crappy movie!

vivekmit: Happy New Year - the biggest disappointment :-/ . Why SRK???? Bollywood is doomed!!!! :(

vidzi_m: If you dont want your diwali fever to end soon..do yourself a favor..don't watch happy new year

vaidykn: #sonali cable movie a must watch ...better than happy new year ..

utkarshpatel96: Happy new year. Nice entertaining movie. Lovely Dipika and fabulous Charlie's team.

tworitdash: Even Kites was better than Happy New Year. No offense ... Shahrukh did a great job. :) #HrithikFan

sudeepia_tyagi: Happy new year disappointing .. Big time .. Boy overdose of nonsense flicks happening .. #OMSP

SatishSabhlok: Happy new year movie one of the worst movie I ever seen Only dance of deepika was good

sanjeev_ktiwari: Happy New Year movie 1/2* What a senseless dialogue in this movie and such movies breaking records... So what... https://www.facebook.com/stsanjeev/posts/968636689829426

sachidanandasa1: "Happy new year"movie is so boring ,(movie main action aur romance bilkul nahi hai ;movie main comedy aur drama hai ,)

RidaParveez: Happy New Year is just such a non-sense movie!! SRK can't act for real #pity #non sense luxury

RamshaAS: Happy new year ?! Duh !!

PS_Gautam: Happy new year - another example of 'Stale' rukh khan!

PrincessHaj: Don't understand how Happy New Year has broken records...

Myquotes_pk: Top 5 'worst' Bollywood films: Salman vs Shah Rukh face-off: As ‘Happy New Year’ opens globally today, much to... http://t.co/hrIhKzmnQ0

midhun_mohan: Just out from film #Happy new year .very disappointed.. I don't know why they took two years to make this bakwaas film.

manju34: Happy new year is one of the worst movies i have ever seen.

lalitrathore07: Happy new year The DABBA movie

KharismaKaur: Happy New Year sucked. It became worst with the hero. They should have played a better hero.

jagsvivek4u: Dont why y ppl r spreading hatred about Happy New Year when we have already tolerated movies like Kick, Rowdy Rathore, Bodyguard, etc #HNY

idisappearagain: I wouldn't mind if Happy New Year was just a bad movie. It's also classist, racist and misogynistic.

Gotham3: Saw Happy New Year today. Those calling it a bad movie perhaps have no idea about movies at all. It's not a movie, it's a piece of shit.

goodgalprihh: If a stupid & flaw-full movie like Bang Bang can cross 200 crs I guess Happy New Year would do just well..!

ghanshyamdasgup: must not watch movie happy new year total waste of time & money

alpeshdudhat05: Happy Happy Happy............ New Year.. .... The Super Flooooooopp Of D Decade... 4rm Khan's... Farah n Sharukh. http://twitter.com/alpeshdudhat05/status/525892169882542080/photo/1

Aapkaaparichit: WTF !!!! Watched Happy new year !!!! Combination Of all Old film

31FaRrUkH015: Watched HAPPY NEW YEAR last night.just wastage of time.full time dabba film.

20_saadhussain: Happy new year is such a various movie I dont like it

6 readers - 0 yays 4 so-so 2 nays

Not Interested in Watching, by Anuj

Not Interested in Watching, by Fan

So-So, by Anup : Decent

So-So, by guddu : Happy New Year

So-So, by Murtaza Ali : Farah Khan's hackneyed orgy of excess

So-So, by TimELiebe : It's Like Popcorn - Fun While You're Watching It, Done by the Time You Finished

Nay! Thumbs Down, by Huntmaster : Childish - Enough said

Nay! Thumbs Down, by Suman

This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.

Parental Guidance:

  • Violence: A few fist fights, one in a boxing ring.
  • Language: abusive words are alluded to
  • Nudity & Sexual content: Skimily clad women. A dance at a dance bar.
  • Concept: heist + revenge + underdog
  • General Look and Feel: Bright, colorful and cheerful

Detailed Ratings (out of 5):

Direction:
Story:
Lead Actors:
Character Artists:
Dialogues:
Screenplay:
Music Director:
Lyrics:

Happy New Year - Cast, crew, links

Director:
Dialogues:
Cinematography:
Background Score:
Action Choreography:
Choreography:
Costume Designer:
Running time:
180 minutes
Reviewer:
Language:
Country:
Genres:

Comments (131)

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Anup

And guess what ,, recently it was revealed that the running time is gonna be 2hrs and 58mins......
Farah Khan is gonna torture us a loy.....

Anuj

Although I know it won't happen, but I really wish this one ends up the TMK or Ra.1 way so that the Khan siblings stop making their rubbish films for good!

Anup

ANuj - I wish ur wish should be fulfilled .....
Although next two films by SRK 'Fan' and 'Raees' looks interesting considering the fact that Fan is directed by Manish Sharma and in Raees srk will be sharing screen with as u call him Rookie Farhan Akhtar.....But have to wait for them.....For now its the torture diwali weekend coming for movie-goers and non srk fans....And people like us who are gonna watch it any way knowing that this wouldn't be anything better then below average. ...

Fan

Seeing the lack of creativity in the past from the two main khans involved together with their penchant to get inspired by other sleek products: I would say don't be surprised if a bhel puri mix from famous heist films is served starting from the various instalments of Ocean's teams but also including the Now You See Me. Whereas it would be a Happy New year for the Khans as there are enough followers in India and enough Pakis in UK to make him and her recover the money - but for most of us it's going to be a sickening start to the new year.

Anuj

@Anup@Fan : 2 more months and u have the legend of Rajkumar Hirani returning to the silver screen. That would indeed brighten up the new year for me at least. Plus I have Neeraj Pandey's Baby to look forward to in January. @Anup : I do prefer watching rookie Farhan than veteran Khan on screen, especially if he's involved in Rock On,ZNMD or BMB

Anup

anuj - ofcoarse Farhan is more entertaining to watch ,, even in Shaadi ke side effect and Kartik Calling kartik....
and for this year true PK is the most awaiting movie for me but before that m waiting for Bombay Velvet being Anurag Kashay coming in a commercial way for the first time.....

Anuj

@Anup : Bombay Velvet is releasing in May next year. The biggies after HNY are Shaukeens,Action Jackson,Kill Dil,Happy Endings followed by the most iconic of them all...Peekay!!

Anuj

@Fan : Following up on your comment on the Bang Bang forum, I'm surprised to hear that u consider Chak De India to be trash! :/

Anup

Ooops thanks for the update,,,i wasnt aware of that.....
But out of ur biggies list,,,,m not considering Shaukeens to be a BIGGIE,,,,as Akki is not a main lead in that

Fan

@Anuj: honestly from the first frame onwards you could have predicted every twist and turn till the last frame. Hollywood churns out such C-grade sports films every year. Déjà vu. No novelty, no suspense, no thrill.

Anuj

@Fan : Couldn't u say the same thing about Lagaan as well? That's how predictable most sports films are. Its the process to the climax that matters and at least imo (and many more's) CDI was a fabulously well made film except for the needless instances of feminism and cricket bashing.

@Anup: Its been promoted as an Akshay starrer so yes it is a potential biggie at least on paper. Its akin to Salman's role in No Entry or Ajay's role in Masti.

Anup

Anuj and Fan - Interrupting in between ur discussion for me yes Chak De India was among the best movies of SRK ,, one of the film showing his true acting capabilities but too many scenes in the screenplay have been copied from the hollywood movie MIRACLE if u two have seen it....And by too many i dont mean 2-3 scenes but more than that....Both the movie have almost same plot ,, the only difference is that MIRACLE have ICE HOCKEY as its theme and there are boys in the team.....Infact u will be shocked by knowing that the famous so called "90 mins speech" by srk in CDI was only Eng to Hindi translation of the speech given by the coach in MIRACLE....

Fan

@Anup: well pointed out. So much for creativity and the cdi story writer having spent days travelling with women's team and all that.

@Anuj: I was kinda expecting the Lagaan comparison;-). CDI was different from Lagaan in the sense that it's a typical C-grade Hollywood formula of an ex genius but now in doldrums coach cum professor who is given the hopeless and thankless job of coaching repetitive losers in addition to each one having their own character and hatred for coach. Of course the coach always triumphs in the end. Lagaan was predictable just as any film is predictable; but it had the ingredients of the rulers against the slaves. This backdrop generates some extra punch. BTW I did enjoy Lagaan but at the same time did not understand the hype, importance and the cult status accorded to it. At the end of the day it was just another sports film. Probably the coming together of 2 perfectionists in the form of Ashutosh and Amir probably did the trick. Trivia: Ashutosh and Amir had also come together earlier as a villain and hero respectively in Mela.

Anuj

For latest bollywood updates and my personal picks, refer to the following blog :

http://bollywoodboxofficedata.blogspot.in/

Anup

as said by meetu u will get something more then u expect.....In this type of movies expecting a plot is also too much to expect....But this one have one....M not saying that the plot was great but atleast a plot exist.....Then farha khan has tried too much,,,,revenge drama without being the villain knowing his enemy,,,,a diamond heist without any intelligence in it and dance competition without any great dance moves.....Still its better then Chennai Express and Tees Maar Khan......abhishek bachchan is the stealer......He alone makes this movie a one time watch.....Rest if the cast is mainly wasted for me....There are scenes to cut if only editors were not sleeping while editing was on the run....Movie could have been 20-25 min short.....Its a decent one....A little comeback for Farha Khan

We'll give it a try when it hits DVD - sure it's dumb, but with Farah Khan at the helm we know the dance numbers will be great and plentiful, and the premise makes it clearly a "park your brain and want the explosions/dance numbers/fight and chase scenes" movie.

I'm not sure Abhishek Bachchan at this point is capable of more than Wryly Sullen Guy Who Never Shaves, Meetu. He's like a lot of sons of major stars - he's okay but no great shakes on his own, and if his Dad wasn't Amitabh Bachchan he'd probably be working for the desi equivalent of Roger Corman.

Ehinome Okojie

Getting good response from the audience so haters sock it.

Ehinome Okojie

HNY does not need tickets by certain wogma users, should spend it on Annabelle,Mumbai 125km, Dr. Prakash, Yeh Hai Bakrapur.
First 320cr netter is coming and diwali has begun in true festive fashion.

ehinome okojie

Some forget hoe Aamir combined Golden Kela and Ghanta awards for his remarkable performance in Dhoom 3; will be nice to see SRK winning 2 Golden Kelas and 2 Ghantas next year.

ehinome okojie

This should cross Bang Bang lifetime in first week, 2 much is so much.
Still having fun!

Fan

Ehinome: when there's no shortage of suckers who'd be willing to give their hard earned money to a mediocre guy then no wpnder the film would make money. Neverthrledd at this point in time most of the critic's reviews and user reviews are warning to stay away from this self idolising garbage that has come to spoil our new year.

Anuj

PK teaser is outstanding! Hopefully another 3 Idiots on the cards while Action Jackson is gonna be Ajay D's second hit of the year after Singham-2. More at http://bollywoodboxofficedata.blogspot.in/

Anuj

Serious health concerns, near zero publicity and promotion and some tough competition from Haider has not prevented Bang Bang from joining the 150 cr club and giving Hrithik Roshan his 11th hit. Here is a complete list of the actor's biggest box office hits thus far :

http://bollywoodboxofficedata.blogspot.in/2014/10/hrithik-roshans-box-office-hits.html

Anuj

If Abhishek Bachchan is the saving grace in an SRK-Deepika starrer then you can may as well imagine how horrifically disastrous the final product would be. There would be no reviews from my side since I do not plan to watch [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack], but you'd definitely get a complete box office analysis of the [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] artists's latest film who only real achievement has been to teach a generation of infactuated [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] young blokes, [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] young chicks, [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] aunties and a large section of the LBGT community a few lessons in [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] "dimpled" lovemaking.

Meetu... I am having a feeling that u have been generous to this SRK 'spectacle' since it has been directed by a lady. I disagree with ur analysid about Abhishek Bachan'( feel bad for him as an actor), most reviwers and critics found his performance ameilorating. I won't drawn parallel to ur opinin since i always read ur reviews each friday and mostly share similar views.

@anuj : ur assessment about SRK film being watched by only young blokes, chicks ,aloo gobi munching aunties and LGBT community is affronting. I did 'laugh out loud' reading your comment but don't equate everybody in that category. I suggest you to watch the film even if it doesn't suit ur taste. By d way; i checked ur blog, it is quite detailed and concise to read about the box office results.

Meetu... I am having a feeling that u have been generous to this SRK 'spectacle' since it has been directed by a lady. I disagree with ur analysid about Abhishek Bachan'( feel bad for him as an actor), most reviwers and critics found his performance ameilorating. I won't drawn parallel with ur review since i always read ur reviews each friday and mostly share similar opinion.

@anuj : ur assessment about SRK film being watched by only young blokes, chicks ,aloo gobi munching aunties and LGBT community is affronting. I did 'laugh out loud' reading your comment but don't equate everybody in that category. I suggest you to watch the film even if it doesn't suit ur taste. By d way; i checked ur blog, it is quite detailed and concise to read about the box office results.

Fan

Alike Anuj, no review from me. Don't plan to waste my hard earned money to encourage someone of mediocre acting skills to produce such garbage.

Anuj

@Guddu: What made u type the same comment 3 times over? By the way, here is part 1 of my list of Bollywood's greatest movies of all time :

http://bollywoodboxofficedata.blogspot.in/2014/10/the-greatest-bollywood-films-part-1-my.html

Anuj

For any comments and queries, please address them directly in the page's comments section.

Ehinome Okojie

[comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack]

ehinome okojie

Most persons did not watch Avatar but it did roaring theatrical business worldwide; even HNY will not touch 5% of its collections.

Ehinome Okojie

From my own observation out of 20 persons watching Happy (Crappy) New Year , 13 are positive. 3 mixed, 4 negative.
It will trend better than Ready and Rowdy; Welcome to 325cr.
Congrats Team HNY.

ehinome okojie

Just saw 42.62cr as first day Hindi collections from a 3hr film, almost unbelievable.

ehinome okojie

[comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack]

Anuj

I'm sure [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] are pissing in their pants seeing just the trailer of a Rajkumar Hirani film, a film maker whose movies go well above the heads of these [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] who've spent their [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] childhood idolizing Karva Chauth cinema like DDLJ and KKHH.

Anuj

The post diwali day is the best in business and its ni surprise that its netted 40 cr on day 1. Even Krrish 3 netted 33 cr on post diwali last year despite it being Day 4 for that film. Its bound to go down from Monday and will have a 250 cr finish at best.[part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] at the mere mention of the letters 'S'.'R' and 'K' will anyways be [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] and eating humble pie by this year end.

ehinome okojie

[comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack]

Gokul

@Anuj Why are hurling insults at SRK's fans???Because I didn't see you calling Hritik and Aamir fans names after Dhoom 3 and Bang Bang made money

Anuj

@Gokul : Because most Srk fans are as [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] boastful, [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] as their idol's choice of films (if not more) :P and fyi, Bang Bang made nowhere near what it should have all thanks to HR's laziness in promoting and publicizing his own films, something which he's been guilty of over and over again!

Gokul

@Anuj You can say the same for salman,ajay and akshay.And we all know how aamir trolled everyone with dhoom 3

Anuj

yeah got it dude. you're an ark fan and a sympathiser who considers ddlj to be the greatest masterpiece in cinematic folklore and oso/hny to be modern day equivalents of manmohan desai classics. what are u doing here anyways? i'm sure you'd wanna watch hny 3 times over in the next week and rejoice in "king khan's" record breaking blockbuster :P

Gokul

@Anuj Dude I'm no Srk fan and have no plans to watch HNY.It's just ironic how you are hurling insults here at SRK fans for giving his useless films their money while 2 weeks ago you were complaining about how Bang Bang deserved more

Nice review...enjoyed reading it as always. Here are my thoughts...

Happy New Year has all the elements of a quintessential Bollywood masala movie: songs, music, dance, crappy action, nonsensical humor and risqué dialogue. The movie can best be described as an orgy of excess. An intelligent viewer would do good to prevent himself from getting unsettled by this naked display of extravagance. In Happy New Year, Farah and SRK seem so obsessed with the idea of making self-congratulatory remarks to their own works that they completely forget that the audiences deserve to be fed with something new every once in a while. They fail to grapple with the fact that banality is not always what the audiences crave for.

Happy New Year is the epitome of commercial escapism in Hindi cinema aka Bollywood. It maybe the Diwali blockbuster that the masses want but it most certainly is not the movie that they deserve.

The full review can be read at:

http://www.apotpourriofvestiges.com/2014/10/happy-new-year-2014-farah-khans.html

Anuj

@Gokul : Of course Bang Bang deserved more. Its anyday much more entertaining and watchable than any garbage Srk film over the last decade and a half (barring Swades,CDI and MNIK). And yeah, HR in action film is miles ahead of the stunts Srk has ever attempted or tried in his entire lifetime!

Gokul

@Anuj I haven't seen HNY but Bang Bang is one of the laziest attempt of filmmaking I've ever seen.It adapts itself from a lousy film and adds not even a bit of creativity and edge to it.And to top of it there is a house called....well,ghar.And anyone with even half a brain would agree Don 2 is more fun than bang bang

Anup

@Anuj - I agree with u that SRK have been too foolish with the projects he has selected in last decade but there are movies like Kal Ho Na Ho , Main Hoon Na and Rab Ne Banaa Di Jodi which have been liked by non srk fans too ,, these movies are surely better then both Bang Bang and HNY....I also agrees that Bang Bang was better then HNY but i also agree with GOKUL on the fact that DON series was better then Bang Bang which almost doesn't have any plot.....Just because Hritik can do better stunts as compared to srk doesnt makes his movies better .....

Anup

@Anuj - Every person have its own choice ,, and SRK have a really big fan base like Salmaan aginst whom u never say a word.....Its not like Salmaan have not done ur so called Karwa Chaut movies......Infact Sooraj Barjatiya's movies are more of a family tradition showing movies as compared to Yash Raj.... For u MPK , HAHK and HSSH are great movies but DDLJ is crap ,, its difficult to understand ,, simply shows u r Biased towards Salmaan and Hritik....

Anup

Its an Irony that Like for Salmaan fans movies like OSO , Ra One and HNY are useless movies showing no acting capabilities , low on humor trying too much to make audience laugh ,, same goes for SRK fans who doesnt like Salmaan ' s movies which also doesnt have much of plot and only shows larger then life persona of Salmaan's for earning high income......And because both these actors have there fans so we cant say being in neutral position to stop them making such films.....Upto the point where there own fans will want to get something new from them....

Anuj

Don 2 was one of the most laziest, broing and snoozefest of a movie in recent times. In fact it does not even qualify t be called an action movie since there are hardly any stunts or breath taking action sequences much unlike a lot more entertaining Bang Bang. @Gokul : Bang Bang has a better box office performance and trending level than Don-2 which obviously indicates which one of the 2 the audiences preferred (half brains in your definition). In fact the entire Don series was a complete hash of Chandra Barot's iconic 1978 classic and HR with his ability would have formed a far better Don than this romantic hero. Even a plotless movie like Dhoom-2 literally nailed a remake of a classic like Don in the year 2006 only and only on the basis of stunts and action sequences. Bang Bang if at all anything was an improvement on Dhoom-2 and the only reason it underperformed was due to lack of promotion and publicity attributing to HR's ill health and the clash with Haider.

Anuj

@Anup : MPK was a snoozefest and HSSH was trash imo. I've never denied the same. But neither can anyone deny that it was HAHK that began the trend of wholesome "karva chauth" family entertainers and the SRK-YashRaj-Johar trio just milked this genre for the next 10 years and in fact, literally flogged a dead horse to such an extent that most non SRK fanboys and fangirls literally got fed up of his antics and mannerisms on screen. The only SRK films liked by non SRK fanatics in the last decade have been Swades and CDI. Same goes for Salman as well btw. He too has flogged a dead horse for the last 5 years and I'm sure, barring Wanted and Dabanng, there is no recent Salman film that's been liked by non fanatics. No wonder his next with Barjatya is being eagerly looked forward to by even his most ardent critics.

Anuj

Now before u guys jump on me claiming that DHOOM was a franchise, let me remind u that Dhoom (2004) was only an ordinary box office Hit despite being a superior film. It was Dhoom-2 which set the Dhoom franchise rolling with a record breaking performance at the BO and in fact, it was the highest grossing bollywood movie ever at the time of release (a fest which the 3rd part repeated last year). Needless to say, Dhoom-2 was a silly,illogical movie that ran on the shoulders of just one man (just like Bang Bang). Now contemplate what the same performer would have made out of a much more thrilling and complicated plot like DON where the scope for daredevilry was a lot more than a Dhoom-2. In fact Farhan Akhtar has on more than one occasion gone on record saying that Don was first offered to HR and he was the first choice to play the character! Srk's version of Don was more like a chocolate boy trying to be a badass against his age and the end result were 2 long,boring and sleep inducing thrillers where the only thing worth watching were the clothes worn by the respective actors!

Anuj

"House being called Ghar"~ how about a nameless gangster being called "Don" through 180 minutes of 2 back to back films without the cops even bothering to find out his actual name and family background even once and one who switches bodies at the hospital and breaks out of jail in the most laughable and ridiculous manner u can ever imagine! Sorry, but i'd rather take a 3 BHK bunglow build in the middle of ice in some part of Dehradun being named "Ghar" than this!

Gokul

@Anuj Just want to say that if you call HNY a terrible film(which I think it is)but you think Bang Bang a good film,you are the perfect defenition of fanboy.

Gokul

@Anuj and btw Hny seems to collect more than Bang Bang so now you are going to say how it is 'trending' more and thus makes it a better film,right?????

Anup

Anuj - Does earning makes a film better,,,,then Dhoom 3 is the best film of Bollywood and guess what Chennai Express is 2nd best....U cant always say that a movie has earned more so its good....On one sidr u r saying that bang bang earned less because of lack of promotion,,,,on the other side u r saying Dhoom 2 was better then Don because it earned less....Who knows what reason have been years before there. . There may be multiple reason why Don have earned less like Bang Bang....
And here is not a question how an actor could have made a movie different,,,,if Htitik denied Don then its his fault ,, his lack of ability to select a good movie......
Thats a irrelevant topic to discuss.....now we cant start discussing what could have Amir done with the famous villain of Yash Raj's Darr which was first offered to Amir but AMIR suggested Yash Chopda that Srk would be better for the role.....if amir have selected that role Srk may not have been the favorite of Yash Raj Productio.,,and may not have been a super star ....but its not like that......many heroes does role rejected by other..... Thats all past......

Anup

Inspite of all demerits and illogical things,,,,,HNY is still better then Chennai Express and Tees Maar Khan ,, so its an improvement for both Farah and SRK.....
Anyone who thinks Chennai Express was watchable(m not one of them),,,,they can easily watch HNY(which is just watchable for me).....

Anuj

@Gokul : My review of Bang Bang on my blog gives it a 2.5/5 rating!! Talk about fanboys!! That's for Srk fanatics to rate the [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] of the world as a 5/5

http://bollywoodboxofficedata.blogspot.in/2014/10/bang-bang-review.html

Anuj

@Gokul@Anup : How many times am i supposed to repeat myself that earnings indicate the "popularity level" of a film while "trending" indicates its word of mouth and acceptance amongst its "target audience". What is good and what is bad is up to your personal likes and dislikes. 99% of the audience might disagree with me when I say Deewaar>>>Sholay but for me that's the way it is! I cannot deny that Sholay is a much more popular and accepted movie than Deewaar amongst the audiences but for me Deewaar will remain a far more superior film to Sholay in every department. Similarly if HNY trends better than Bang Bang, it obviously means that more people watching HNY have liked it as compared to BANG BANG. Big stars and holiday factors can only bring in the initials but its how a film sustains and trends that indicates the word of mouth and acceptance. For example, Bodyguard might be the highest grosser of 2011 but that movie fell apart in week 2 and had a trending level of 40-50%.

Anuj

@Anup : Fyi, Dhoom-3 had a 50-60% trending score in the A centers and a 70% trending level among B&C centers as indicated by its performance in week 2 and 3. It had a historic 2nd week collection of 65 cr and no rejected film can achieve such a feat. You and many other personally might not have liked the film but there's no denying that this word of mouth coupled with the historic initial (combination of Aamir's stardom and the popularity of the franchise) led to it becoming the highest grossing movie ever!

Anuj

Most accepted and appreciated films in the last 8 years since multiplex era based on trending and word of mouth :

2006- RDB.Lage Raho in A centers, Fanaa/Krrish/Dhoom-2 in B/C centers. Vivah in C centers alone.
2007- CDI/TZP/Jab we met in 'A' centers, OSO/Partner/Welcome in B/C centers.
2008- Ghajini/Rab Ne across A/B/C centers, Jodha Akbar/Jaane tu... in 'A' centers alone. "Singh is king" in B/C centers of the north.
2009- 3 Idiots (A,B & C centers; historic) followed by Love Aaj Kal in A centers and Wanted in C centers.
2010- Dabangg (60% in A centers, 80% in B/C centers), Golmaal-3 in B/C centers.
2011- ZNMD in 'A' centers. Ready in B/C centers,Singham in Maharashtra/Goa and Gujarat.
2012- Barfi in A centers, Rowdy Rathore in B/C centers. Ek Tha Tiger in Salman strongholds viz UP,Bihar,MP,Rajasthan and Nizam, Agneepath in Maharashtra/Goa.
2013- Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani in A centers, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag across north India,Dhoom 3 among B/C centers and Mumbai, Chennai Express/Krrish 3 in Maharashtra and South.

Anup

Anuj - Its not like i have not liked Dhoom 3 ,, i have liked its ,, infact it has greater plot as compared to Dhoom and Dhoom 2 ,, but its not upto to level what Aamir Gives.....I always respect and he is my all time favorite because he always try something different....For Dhoom 3 too he tried something different but in the way of being different it doesnt mean u will succeed always....I still think that the original director of Dhoom series Sanjay or any other experienced director could have have this film better.....
For Aamir after his comeback with Dil Chahta hei only 3 movies which doesnt satisfied me are Dhoom 3 , Dhobi Ghat and Mangal Pandey.....By saying doesnt satisfied me i dont mean they are bad.....But aamir has set his on limits too high.....

Gokul

@anuj dude we are getting off topic here.I'm saying you were hurling insults at SRK's fans bcoz his films make money but you are the everytime first one here bragging about collections be it Dhoom 3 or Kriish 3

Anuj

@Gokul : Collections are the only way we can get an idea of how a film is trending and consequently how positive or negative the word of mouth is. We got to know BB was carrying 40-50% word of mouth in the mass circuits only 'coz it went down quite badly in the B/C centers after 5 days. In the multiplexes of metros it held up somewhat and that indicates a word of mouth of around 50-60% among A centers.

Anuj

@Anup : In that case, your expectations were too high from a popcorn entertainer like Dhoom-3. The so-called "thinking actor" (as the media and pseudos best describe him) will not give you something to think about all the time, will he?

Anuj

28 cr on day 2! That's a 33% fall from day 1 and well below what I was expecting. The first weekend will just about kiss 100 cr and from there on, its the trending game that begins!

Fan

A friend of mine saw it. He told me that this same movie, had it was released on a non holiday Friday then it would have been a box office dud.

Just because it's a Diwali weekend, the Friday happening to be the new year's day (traditionally a higher football on the day after Diwali) , people are in festival mood and wouldn't mind some logic less stuff that this film managed 40+ crore. He even complained about the vulgar crude jokes that only an SRK can exhibit.

Huntmaster

One word comment should suffice: bachkani - childish. Am glad that left brain home and paid half price for the movie (Sunday morning shows). Will watch Farah Khan's next movie only if I get free ticket.

Anuj

Oh dear! Even Sunday's below the 30 cr mark. 99.6 cr in 3 days including dubbed versions. The Dhoom-3 lifetime total of 275 cr is pretty much out of reach now. Lets see if it overtakes Kick.

Anup

Anuj - So u always consider the trade figure whiche is under 100cr while producer figure which most of the websites consider (which also means this data goes to the knowledge of more people) is 108crores which makes is fastest entrant to 100cr in approx 2 and a half day......There are so many ways of collecting data ,, so many ways of calculating profit that the normal audience always get confused of it......Why cant be a single way to analyze everything....

Fan

@Anup: big guys have big egos. When one single way of calculating does not work in their favour then they start another. Like when Ra.1 was unable to meet the hype then all kinds of shady statistics started sirfaci e.g. highest grosser in the 1 pm to 3 pm slot. ;-)

So also HNY will bajao its own pungi and claim fastest 100 even though at a cost of 150 crores it might be a loss making product for its investors AND consumers.

Down with SRK kind of crude comedy.

Anuj

@Anup : Trade figures are usually a lot more reliable since they are straight from the horses' mouth viz the distributors. Producers usually tend to inflate numbers for obvious reasons. I take numbers from a couple of my pals who have inside knowledge among distributor and exhibitor circles. The best site for trade numbers is boxofficeindia.co.in which is usually quite accurate. boxofficeindia.com has time and again shown its bias towards certain actors, as evident by their massive deflation of the Krrish-3 numbers and the fact that they gave a HIT verdict to Ra.1

Anuj

@Anup : Else you're most welcome to refer to my blog for latest and accurate box office numbers!

@Fan : HNY will be a SUPER-HIT no doubt. In today's era, every big movie is sold at massive prices to distributors which basically implies that they need to do huge business just to recover their costs. Ghajini which was described as a Mega Blockbuster and the first 100 cr movie too was just a recovery film for many of the distributors across multiple circuits. It had an all India acquisition price of around 50 cr and a distributor share of 59 cr. That's just 18% on ROI yet its a MEGA HIT in my books. Ditto goes for Kick,Chennai Express and many more.

Anuj

13.5-14 cr estimate on Monday. That's a huge 50% drop from Sunday! Even Kick's final figure of 225 cr seems an uphill task now. The only thing that's saved HNY is its near perfect release date.

Anuj

My name is K-K-K-Khan! And my fan following consists of [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack]

Anup

Anuj & Fan - Thats the thing m saying ,, producer's figures are always inflated , but they are available to most of the people ,, thats why it becomes difficult to make understand other people that the figure are inflated ,, for this movie srk fans will be in that case,,,,as they will definatly call for producer figures.....
And yes i prefer bollymoviereviewz.com which shows both producer and trade figure comparatively ....
But i think u guys should watch the movie,,,,,everyone of us was very familier from beginning that movie would not be that good,,,,but its bad to discuss it without watching it....

Anuj

12 cr on Monday! A 140 cr week on the cards. Even 200 cr looks an uphill task from here!

@Anup: bollymoviereviewz itself takes its numbers from boxofficeindia.com so u may as well follow the original source.

Anuj

Although boxofficeindia itself is quite laughable considering that they called a huge lossmaker like Jai Hi as a Semi Hit and Ra.1 as a Hit! That's more of a Khan fansite.

Swapnil

@Anuj - I'm no SRK fan, but I really feel that your description of SRK fans is offensive. Different people enjoy different type of movies - we don't have to judge people based on their movie choices. I've met some really smart people who thoroughly enjoy not-so-interesting movies (IMO). Peace.

Adam

@Anuj, You talk so much about bias, I just have one question for you. Have you looked at your own comments? You are the most biased than any site, person, producer can even imagine. Implying that couch potatoes, aunties etc watch the Khan movies just goes to show your hatred towards a certain Khan. I am not a big fan of any of the Khans nowadays although I used to be a big fan of SRK till about Ra 1 happened. I hate Salman just because he spoiled Bollywood with Wanted since 2009. I am a fan of Hrithik, mainly for his humbleness but of late, he is becoming arrogant too.
The main point to ponder is what do we get by naming or pointing fingers at fans or these actors. These superstars and even actors are oblivious of your existence. It doesn't matter if you love them or hate them and it makes no difference to their personal or commercial lives at all. Why get tangled in this pointless jargon of who is a better actor or who is more successful etc. Just watch the movie and enjoy it if you like it or trach it if you hate it.

Fan

@Adam, @Swapnil: I do agree that Anuj's comments against SRK fans might seem offensive. At the same time I personally am 200% in agreement with him about SRK.

I agree with you folks that every body has their choice. And I agree with you that not all Khans are great actors. But what makes SRK stand out is his cheap vulgar mentality reflected in his (sickening) home prodictions. Remember Mary Lee from Ra1? Just to give one example. If I would even go down to half his level of cheapness then I'd say ki woh apni aukat dikhata hai. But I would not go down to such levels.

As if that's not enough despite being in public life and light he wears his religion on his sleeves.

So even if other Khans may or may not be great actors(including octogenarian Khans), they are at least normal human beings like all of us. When in public life and light they behave themselves thereby showing the cultured upbringing they have gone through. Which unfortunately cannot be said about the sick Khan.

Fan

And even limiting one to on screen performances the guy just hams. Chennai Express with Salman or Ajay would have been an even greater commercial success.

Anup

@Fan - Only one question If its about the social face of the actors then what u have to say about criminals like Sanjay Dutt and Salmaan khan......
A few years ago Salmaan dont even know how to behave in public or any tv programs....I remember when srk was hosting Kaun Banega Crorepati and Salmaan was on the other seat ,, srk has to make salmaan remember again and again YAAR THODA SANBHAAL KE FAMILY SHOW HEI.....salmaan just keep on saying bullshits without thinking.....Its only past 3-4 year salmaan has been better in his social image.....
And yes about your previous comment that production house like of srk keep inflating there collection to show there movies earned more..... For that i remember no one was blaming Htitik when there has been so much controversy on collections of Krish 3......
Hei Fan dont take me wrong m not backuping SRK but this conversation is really crossing borders.....we are not here to discuss about the social image of actors and comment on such things......

Anuj

I agree with Anup here.

@Fan: Although I consider Raju Hirani to be a genius and Aamir as a master strategist, I wonder what you have to say about the "balatkaar" speech and the "moot visarjan" jokes in 3 Idiots (the biggest hit of our era). And who can forget the brilliantly crass Delhi Belly :P

Anuj

Here is the complete list of my top ten favorite bollywood films :

http://bollywoodboxofficedata.blogspot.in/2014/10/the-greatest-bollywood-films-part-1-my.html

Anuj

138 cr in 1 week! LOL...where are the lunatics who predicted a 300 cr+ finish? As always [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] Srk fanatics eating humble pie just like they did when they predicted MNIK will beat 3 Idiots and Ra.1 will break all records. Had it not been for a post diwali release and no competition at all, HNY would have finished below Bang Bang and even Singham 2.

Anuj

Barring the [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] Srk fans, the only one's buying tickets for HNY in week 2 are the one's who want to witness the PK trailer on the big screen :D

ehinome okojie

Yes HNY has underperformed which is good as it is just an average film but it is better than all Aamir & Salman films in the last 5 years barring Dabangg and 3 Idiots; this film was made to make fun of Indian audience and it has done averagely as a spoof.
May be they should have reduced the quality but only [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] watch braindead films in order to boost collections.
Any how Hindi version is 144 cr while regional version is 6 cr.
The end of brainless films has come with HNY.

ehinome okojie

Seriously this guys are talking as if Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Kahaani, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Queen were made highest grossers of alltime.

ehinome okojie

Yes i know SRK smokes and gets drunk but he is better than the other two.

ehinome okojie

Costars of Khans
with SRK - He makes us feel special.
with [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] sorry Aamir - He always takes credit from us eg Dhoom 3, 3 Idiots, Taare Zameen Par
with [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] sorry Salman - He always threatens and beats us; that is why we told all interested women to stay off him.

ehinome okojie

Highest grossing SRK production 407cr
Highest grossing Aamir production 174 cr
Highest grossing Salman production 35cr.

Even flop king Akshay is far richer than Aamir.

ehinome okojie

Which film have you watched ?
I dont watch films, i wait fot Tv release; i do not understand how Khan or Roshan films gross 1 lakh let alone crores.

ehinome okojie

Interviewer; what is acting?
[part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack]

Anuj

Lol...looks like the [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] artist (the ugliest actor in the history of mankind) with a name similar to a [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] got rubbed the wrong way! Such is his IQ that he wants to compare a 20 cr budgeted Queen releasing in 850 screens with an ROI of 120% with a 150 cr pile of [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] that's good enough to compete with Humshakals and TMK and will have a lifetime collection of under last year's Diwali release Krrish-3 and an ROI of 10%. Its not for nothing that Srk fanatics are famous for their idiosyncrasy across the world wide web and are experts among the bollywood troll world. Factually, HNY will fall at least 75 short of Dhoom-3 and perhaps 100 short of PK. The paper King in reality is a kkk-king kkk-kong! :P

Anup

I find no particular reason why HNY is grossing less as compared to chennai express.....Yes HNY is baf film but its better then Chennai Express by all means.....Only reason visible to me is that Chennai Express was a big hit in south and HNY is getting big compatition from Murgodass's - Kaththi which on its way of earning 100 crores as domestically ,, and thats a big amount for any regional movie......May be SRK should have promoted more of HNY in southern reason as he had done in case of Chennai Express.......
Or may be m wrong ,, may be the Indian audience is really irritated by masala movies like CE , Jai Ho , Entertainment , HNY etc.....who know.....Bollywood audience is really unpredictable....

ehinome okojie

Really i dont give a sheath if PK nets 1000cr, at least it will be remembered for Anuksha and Sushant after all Irrfan has achieved greater numbers with Slumdog millionaire, Life of Pi and The Amazing Spiderman 3.

ehinome okojie

Yes i am a big fan of myself coz i am awesome, while some are awful they know themselves.

ehinome okojie

The Oscars season is getting near, who knows i might just check out a good movie in theatres; time to leave $60 m grossers comically termed all time blockbusters.

ehinome okojie

Time to enjoy myself with some decent activity.

Anuj

So now the fanatic who rates Farah Khan ahead of Raju Hirani wants to indulge in some face saving activity by [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] Hollywood, an industry synonymous with mediocre cinema, well known for borrowing concepts from Korea,Japan,Iran and what not! No wonder outright [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] like Slumdog Millionaire are raised to a pedestial while stone faced actors like Tom Cruise and Ben Affleck become superstars (perhaps the Srk equivalents of Hollywood).

PS: Just watched the critically acclaimed Gone Girl and frankly, found the film so ridiculous that I literally dozed through the entire length of the film. Would rather have watched a porn film than an [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack]

Anuj

@Anup : That HNY>CE is your opinion. Clearly the audiences do not believe the same. Just like BB>D2 was my opinion while it was evident that the audiences did not believe the same! And no, masala films will never go out of vogue. A good masala film with strong content will always work, be it the Bachchan angry young man blockbusters of the 70's or the Dabangg's, Singham's and Agneepath's of this generation.

Happy new year is really great and entertining movie.

Gokul

Bhai @Anuj tu rehne de,tujhe nahi samjhega,jaa Kick air Dhoom 3 dekh.Ek do item song rahega, [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] aur so jaa.

Anuj

@Gokul : [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] do u even know my rating for Dhoom-3 and Kick? Have u even seen my list of bollywood's top 10 films? Yes I understand, you're a [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack] hollywood fanboy for whom even trash like MI and Slumdog Millionaire,Avatar & Gone Girl would be masterclasses of epic proportions, since the real classics like Memento,Fighter or any of the Italian noir films or Korean gangster films would go above [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack]. You belong to the same section of the audience who raise mediocrity like Haider to a pedestial in a desperate attempt to prove yourself to be belonging to the intellectual class but factually,[part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack]!

Gokul

@Anuj I don't call myself an intellectual because I watch better movies,I just don't make a fool of myself by defending third rate,money-grab cinema.And btw all your classics like Memento and Korean films have already been ruined by bollywood

Anuj

Calling popcorn entertainers as third rate is a typical activity of either an armchair critic or a brainless wannabe smartass. Anybody whose watched Memento would know that its resemblance with the popcorn entertainer Ghajini was not more than 10%. Considering that an actor who does Lagaan,TZP and RDB also believes in a Ghajini and a Dhoom-3 is a sign of variety, not mindlessness. Anyone wanting to have a bit of fun would obviously love watching a Ghajini or a Dabangg. Anyone wanting a bit of good cinema would love watching a TZP or a Lakshya. But any pretentious Hollywood fanboy would keep repeating how commercial entertainers suck to the core disregarding the fact that half of Hollywood films too are ripped off from movies made in other parts of the world! The paying public loves them, and that's why Ghajini and Dabangg and Dhoom 3 are the blockbusters that they are while Swades and Lakshya are the cults that they are. Doesn't matter what a bunch of hollywood fanboys and fake intellects believe.

Anuj

In fact its quite senseless for Bollywood film makers to look to Hollywood for inspiration, considering that Hollywood in itself is an industry full of mediocre actors and creative bankrupcy. The only thing they got is money and a handful of good technicians. In fact, I'v always believed Indian cinematic legends are head and shoulders above Hollywood actors, be it AB,Kamal Hassan or even Aamir Khan.

Gokul

Calling Ghajini just 10% 'inspired' from Memento is stupid.They have ripped off the main protagonist from another movie.It's like having an Indian superhero movie with Mutants from the X-men.Oh wait........And btw Aamir doing Ghajini and Dhoom 3 is not called variety,it is called being a sell out

Fan

I did enjoy watching Ghajini.

Having said that, I have watched memento too. Ghajini has clearly been ripped off from Memento - absolutely no two doubts about it. Only thing is that memento was headed towards a climax full of suspense and that was not taken in Ghajini. Ghajini makers decided to retain Indian touch.

Ghajini had two story tracks. One of revenge with short term memory loss - fully insprired (ripped) from Memento. The second track was the romantic track, where Asin falls for Aamir not knowing that he is THE rich guy she is bragging about dating. This second track too was a direct rip from a Mithun Chakraborty and Rati Agnihotri film - where Rati is a b-grade upcoming artist - bragging about dating a super rich tycoon (Mithun) - and Mithun posing with her as a humble guy without her knowing about it. I do not recollect the name of that Rati/Mithun starrer - most probably Pasand Apni Apni.

ehinome okojie

HNY second weekend just went above the second weeks of [part of comment deleted, because it is abusive and/or is a personal attack]. See what a rejected film of Vivaan Shah is doing, cant imagine what will happen when this Bieber wannabe does a massively accepted film.

ehinome okojie

It is not two much to ask Indians to make sensible films, this country with a population of 1.25 billion prides itself in making 200cr grossers ($32 million) when countries with populations of 125 million produce films grossing $80 million, the truth is as long as Indians keep making trash blockbusters, poverty and unemployment will remain a big problem; it is left for this industry to make a difference to society or keep grabbing cash like fraudsters from the poorly exposed cinegoer.

ehinome okojie

This site credits Deepika as a screenwriter and is not in the cast, Kareena is here in supporting cast but no Malaika, do make corrections @meetu.

Anuj

"it is called being a sell out"~i'd love to see how you react if offered a fortune by your organization to perform a job you think is "bogus". Aamir Khan or any other actor is not obliged to the critics and pseudo intellects that he'd always do films to satisfy their desires. Ghajini,Dhoom-3 and 3 Idiots have brought him name,fame and popularity and there's nothing wrong in "selling out" to them as long as the majority of the audiences love watching these films. In fact he's the only actor whose had a good blend of commercial entertainers with content oriented films.

Anuj

Ripped off or not, fact of the matter is that Ghajini,Dabangg and Dhoom-3 are not only huge grossers but hugely admired and loved films among the A.B and C ceter audiences at large (unlike ETT,Bodyguard and noe HNY which have earned huge only initially and then collapsed from week 2 onwards). And the amnesia angle hardly had anything to do with Ghajini's success anyway. Audiences loved it 'coz it was a tragic tale of love and revenge which is perfect fodder for the masses. No wonder even a movie like Ek Villain performed so well despite having near zero face value. As for Dhoom-3, its was the typical age old "baap ka badla" tale rehashed in a Dhoom domain, again a perfect fodder for the masses (a similar story wit the Krrish films). And frankly, all these films are a lot more entertaining than fake blockbusters like Bodyguard,ETT and HNY which crash after a huge initial, indicating unanimous negative word of mouth.

Gokul

Aamir is far better an actor an actor to do films like Dhoom 3.And as far as I know,doesn't need money made by Dhoom 3 to make ends meet.Why fool the audience who have always believed in you??And didn't 3 Idiots make enough money that he had to do this film that is basically The Prestige for buffoons

Suman

Direction: 1
Story: 0.5
Lead Actors: 2
Character Artists: 0.1
Dialogues: 0.5
Screenplay: 0.1
Music Director: 1
Lyrics: 1

Thanks for the healthy discussion @Anuj @Anup @Fan @Gokul. I'd still request you guys to self-moderate your comments for personal attacks and abusive language. There are times (like this one) when I am unable to moderate each comment immediately. I trust intelligent, generally film-loving wogma readers like @Anuj @Gokul @ehinome to be respectful of films, crew members and fellow-filmlovers.

@ehinome thanks for pointing out the mistake. corrected.

@TimELiebe Unfortunately, I see myself agreeing with you on Bachchan Jr. Though I'd like to believe that he just needs that one right film. Oh well...
Also, you just might be disappointed with the dance numbers in Happy New Year. You have been warned. :P

Ehinome Okojie

Now i have overtaken a certain wogma user to become the king of deleted comments, cheers everyone.

ehinome okojie

When Irrfan acts in The Xpose, Thank You and others does it become a buy out.

ehinome okojie

Aamir is in this game to make money and not to please some good for nothing viewers who think they have propriety rights on his career.

ehinome okojie

Happy New Year posts a poor third week of 7.8cr to reach 186cr, may settle at 189cr.

ehinome okojie

Hope SRK fans do not add Happy Ending collections in order to conquer Kick.
By the way Action Jackson is trending fine on social media, any threat to PK; time should tell.

ehinome okojie

Now if collections of Happy Ending are added to
Happy New Year it will not cross Kick.

ehinome okojie

Weekly Box Office (Hindi)
Week 1 - 144.24 cr
Week 2 - 34.34 cr
Week 3 - 7.83 cr
Week 4 - 1.62 cr
Week 5 - 0.35cr
Total - 188.38 cr
Verdict - Superhit
Highest grosser and hit for YRF in 2014.

::Though I'd like to believe that he just needs that one right film.::

Maybe Bachchan, Jr. does, @Meetu - and maybe he'll come into his own after Bachchan-ji retires, assuming he ever does.

Abhishek's never bad, but he does seem to coast a lot as an actor - unlike his father, say, who's still challenging himself physically and creatively as an actor in his Seventies. For that matter, his wife's challenging herself as an actor more than he is, too - almost makes me want to see Sarkar 3, where Amitabh and Aishwarya take on the Eastern Mob on their own!

@TimELiebe Yeah, I agree in a way. Not too sure about Aishwarya, but Amitabh Bachchan just bowls you over in Piku.

:) Maybe I'm just smitten, @Meetu - but I think Aishwarya Rai Bachchan could coast on being The Most Beautiful Woman in the World(TM) a lot more than she does, and she wants to improve as an actor. That desire isn't always successful, mind (her negative characters in KHAKEE and ACTION REPLAYY come to mind!), but at least she's not basically recycling the same character every time.

Abhishek Bachchan too often feels like that's just what he's doing - though he will occasionally surprise you, it's not like the Seventies movies starring his father when he was in the same age range. Or as I've already said, his father now - though Amitabh Bachchan does take the "coasting" parts sometimes, too, he's got a life's worth of impressive work to rest on when he does a TEEN PATTI or a SARKAR RAJ.

@TimELiebe Of course, Amitabh Bachchan can take all the risks he want to and only a few will complain. The rest of us will lap it up and be hungry for more.

::Of course, Amitabh Bachchan can take all the risks he want to and only a few will complain. ::

@Meeta - who's complaining? I only complain when I see Big B in a role he could do in his sleep, and seems to be doing it that way - like Teen Patti or Sarkar Raj.

Yes, I'd rather watch him coast than most actors - but when he does a movie like Piku, Paa or Te3n (or even Bbuddah... Hoga Terra Baap, where he's having a blast playing a character you fear he'll sleepwalk through!) , you're reminded just how Amitabh Bachchan can still bring it on-screen.

Well, we finally saw it, Meeta - and...you're right. It's a perfectly fun desi take on the Oceans movies while you're watching it...and if you asked me about the plot a few days later, I couldn't tell you a thing that I remembered.

You're a bad influence, you know, insisting I demand more from my movies than songs, dances, explosions and subtitled snappy patter....

@TimELiebe on Big B, I couldn't agree more.
About being a bad influence, happy to make a difference one Hindi-movie-watcher at-a-time! :P

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