Category: Movies

[h4]In a day and age of competition by numbers and box-office earnings, the concept of two films releasing on the same day creates frenzy in not just Pollywood but Bollywood as well. But here we have the team of Rhythm Boyz Entertainment which released their latest Punjabi film – Laiye Je Yaarian along with none other than Salman Khan’s much-awaited film Bharat today.[/h4]

When the makers take such a big risk, it shows that they’re really confident about their product. So whether Sukh Sanghera’s directorial debut, Laiye Je Yaarian falls into the category of films which shall win the heart and mind of public in Punjab or not, read on to find. 

Written by Golak Bugni Bank Te Batua writer, Dheeraj Rattan, LJY takes a detour from the tried and tested family dramas and takes us into the world of business, entrepreneurs, bank loans and MBAs. With the backdrop of Vancouver, Canada, the entire setup becomes chic and modern.

The film’s plot revolves around four main characters – Raunak (Roopi Gill), Sukh (Harish Verma), Jaanu (Rubina Bajwa) and of course, the “baddie” Garry Randhawa (Amrinder Gill). One of the most unique parts of LJY is that besides the lead characters, you won’t find any real known face in the film (barring some pleasant guest appearances like Amberdeep, Ranjit Bawa, Shipra Goyal), thus leaving no scope for extras to support the leads. The film truly stands on the shoulders of the four main actors and the strong storyline, which is a big plus and takes LJY several notches above other films.

[h4]The film’s plot is tight and doesn’t waste time on meaningless comedies or long dialogues. The to-the-point yet witty one-liners suffice and take the movie forward efficiently.[/h4]

Harish Verma, as a Patiala youth desperate to go to the promised land of Canada, plays his part to perfection. Verma’s comic timing, along with his act of a charmer, is one of the strong points of the film. Roopi Gill, as a stubborn business owner, shines in her role. In fact, she’s the central character of the film who holds LJY together with her superb acting skills. More than the dialogues, her eyes do the acting and it won’t be wrong to say that with Laiye Je Yaarian, this pretty actress has got just the kind of role that shall hopefully, bring her a lot of appreciation from the crtics and probably, more offers as the female lead.

While Amrinder Gill makes a smashing entry and lives up his part well as the cunning “Garry Randhawa”, the twist in his character is what really takes the audiences’ hearts away. Rubina Bajwa is the only weak link in the film and doesn’t suit in the role of a “banker”.

The songs and background score complement the upbeat theme of LJY and there are no unnecessary Bhangra numbers in the film, keeping in mind the taste of this unique flick. “Meri Aakad” by Garry Sandhu featuring Bajwa and Verma remains with you for a long time even after you exit the theatre.

What could be counted in the negatives by some is probably lack of enough Punjabi touch in the form of music or dances or outfits or perhaps, some known character artistes. But for us at Iampunjaabi.com, the only negative (if you want to really find so) is the editing, which in some frames appears a bit abrupt. 

Overall, Laiye Je Yaarian marks the beginning of new kind of Punjabi cinema away from the world of usual comedies, Punjabi cultural dramas and period flicks. Though the film has to face a tough competition from “Bharat” at the box-office, yet with a strong word of mouth, LJY will end up scoring big in the coming weeks.

[h4] Rating: 4/5 [/h4]

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[h4]With the plethora of regular Punjabi family dramas and wedding comedies flooding the Punjabi film industry for over two years now, here’s a filmmaker who’s finally dared to attempt something out-of-the-box with “15 Lakh Kadon Aauga” and steered Punjabi cinema in a completely new direction.[/h4]

Frriday Russh Motion Pictures’ latest presentation (after the highly successful Mr and Mrs 420 series and Uda Aida), 15 Lakh Kadon Aauga starring Ravinder Grewal and Pooja Verma in the lead shall definitely remind you of the ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’ and Hrishikesh Mukherjee kind of cinema when complicated social issues were told in a simple yet entertaining manner.

Without revealing the plot much, Manpreet Brar’s 15 Lakh Kadon Aauga is based on the life of a good-for-nothing common man, witty but extremely lazy to work-hard and put his highly convincing oratory skills to a good use. Played by Ravinder Grewal, the man after trying many options lands into a highly prolific profession of a ‘God Man’, preaching in the day and drinking his nights away merrily. His luck further intensifies when a political party’s election ‘joomla’ indirectly helps him gain a lot. How the gullible common people get befooled, how the system plays out its own game, is what the story is based on causing enough chaos and drama to entertain you.

Tangentially touching the realm of Indian national politics, 15 Lakh Kadon Aauga successfully saves itself from landing into any controversy. Thanks to the smartly written dialogues, the screenplay and decent direction that keep the film strictly for entertaining purposes.

Talking about the performances, 15 Lakh Kadon Aauga would certainly give a second-wind to Ravinder Grewal’s career. The man looks absolutely fantastic in his comical role of Indian ‘Baba’. The way the character’s written, it gives ample opportunity to him to perform, and Grewal does his best. Pooja Verma, complements being his wife, a simple yet nagging homemaker who manages to make you laugh at certain points too with the way she utters the witty one-liners. Rana Ranbir, in a short but powerful role, lifts the film to new heights.

Rest of the actors fit in their respective roles well too. However, the one who scores the best is Ravinder Grewal for sure. 

Iampunjaabi.com Rating: 3.5/5

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[h4]Today’s release, Punjabi period drama movie Blackia receives appreciation for its unique storyline and proficient acting skills of the star-cast. [/h4]

For last few years we’ve seen many Punjabi period movies but most of them have run around the themes of weddings and romance. In fact, so far we’ve not seen any true-blue action period drama on the Punjabi big screen. However, ending our wait, today the much-awaited film of Dev Kharoud after Kaka Ji, Blackia produced by Vivek Ohri in association with PTC Motion Pictures and directed by veteran filmmaker Sukhminder Dhanjal has finally hit the silver screen.

 A Punjabi period drama movie, Blackia narrated the journey of Gurnam Singh, a young boy who hails his roots from a family which deals with gold smuggling and as destiny would have it, the boy becomes a victim to circumstances and the story further unfolds.

Distributed by Global Moviez, BLACKIA caters to that era of Indian history when the border between India and Pakistan was unfenced and a lot of gold smuggling happened from Afghanistan to India via Pakistan. 

Playing the role of Gurnam Singh, Dev Kharoud was spotted partaking in various action – packed scenes which were appreciated by the audiences. 

To his parallel was Indian actress, Ihana Dhillon who was seen in Punjabi movies after a long haul, but nevertheless she didn’t lose her sheen. Her beautiful chemistry with Dev initiated a new found love for the on-screen jodi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm5M0vfzQl4

BLACKIA presents Dev Kharoud in once again that “angry young man” mode – giving him ample screen presence and scope to perform. 

The movie is shot in the typical 70s style Bollywood film reminding one of those Amitabh Bachchan films wherein he bashed the baddies down effortlessly. Be it the hairstyles of the actors (including Ihana Dhillon’s elevated puff trailed by a long “braid” ponytail and not to miss, the omnipresent “gulaab ka phool”) or the model of cars, the outfits (printed shirts of the heroes and tight kameez of the heroine) – everything seems to be worked out in detail, in this film replete with enough retro drama. 

National award winning director Sukhminder Dhanjal who has helmed Blackia, it seems has given his all in making the film look as realistic as possible. We believe that the robust dialogues and crackling action would help the film fetch a great word of mouth for itself. 

The movie also stars Ashish Duggal, Rana Jung Bahadur and Lucky Dhaliwal in pivotal roles who have all interestingly given an applauseworthy yet different performance this time. 

Rating: 3.5/5

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With inputs by Harman Dhanjal

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