Movie Review Cocktail Bollywood 2012
Acting
A star studded cast is accompanied by star-sized expectations. And Cocktail stars did not disappoint. Saif was brilliant – and one of the only two men in Bollywood capable of pulling off a true philanderer (Farhan Akhtar being the second). Saif brings his unique acting style which seems to blend a light-hearted comic sense with an intense, serious side. This blend is a hallmark of all great actors including Big B – and more recently Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar.

Dimple and Boman added to the hilarity with their own unique comic timing. And Deepika, cast in a a partly villainous, but ultimately heroic role, played her character as well as anyone in the industry could.

But little did I expect all these superstars to be eclipsed by a newcomer. Diana Penty proved to be more than just a pretty face. In sharp contrast to other model debuts (Narghis Fakhri – sorely in need of acting lessons), she played her role to perfection.

Cast in the role of a simple, god-fearing, trusting desi girl (Meera), she oozes with the inner strength that true Indian women possess. It is hard to not fall in love with Meera – as Saif discovers to his own self-created misfortune. Thus begins the complex love triangle – or a quadrilateral if you include Meera’s separated husband. All geometrical constructs aside, Diana’s debut role was simply awesome. Only Anushka Sharma and Vidya Balan (who, for me personally, are the best in their industry today), had such impressive debuts. Both Parineeta and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi were harbingers of good things to come – and fans were not disappointed. Vidya and Anushka continue to prove their mettle in performance after hit performance. So, it seems, will Diana Penty.

Cinematography
Set primarily in London, with forays to Cape Town , the cinematography is breathtaking.

Music
If you’re not already tapping your foot to ‘Tumhi Ho Bandhu’, chances are you’ve been living under a rock. Certainly, some of my neighbors are not shy to express their love for the song – blaring it at volumes that are only possible in India. Call it the director’s brilliance – that he presents this hit song as the ‘coming out song’ of Meera. The otherwise quiet, brooding Meera finally comes alive and lets her hair down ( quite literally). One can sense the release of all the pent up sadness as Meera truly smiles for the first time in the movie. Add to this – some catchy music and a spotless beach in South Africa, and you’ve got a super hit on your hands.
Not to be outdone, ‘second hand jawani’ brings additional car-stereo blaring potential – along with the full import of Deepika and Diana’s beauty. In fact, if Saif had been left out of the song, I don’t think anyone would have noticed. Other notable songs include Jugni and Daaru Desi. All in all, definitely worth purchasing the soundtrack.

Direction
Homi Adajania (director of Being Cyrus) is surely under-recognized. If crud like MNIK can win the ‘Best Director Award’ , then there’s something wrong with our industry ( I respect KJo as a human being and a brilliant director – but he peaked with his debut KKHH – was still ok till KKKG – but has been in a directorial slump ever since). I hope that Cocktail receives the acting and directorial credit it deserves.

Summary A few months back, I walked out of a theater playing ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’. I was in a daze – it was easily the best and most unusual thing I had seen in recent times. Before I could get out of my daze, I was stunned again by ‘Delhi Belly’ and , more recently by ‘Vicky Donor’. It seems unfair to send a person from daze to daze without much gap. If Bollywood were a restaurant, it seems that they (the newer directors and actors) are churning out unusual, fusion dishes that cannot be found in other restaurants. Cocktail is one such dish. Hopefully, in the same vein as the debut performances from Vidya, Anushka and Diana , this fusiony trend is a harbinger of great things to come. This was a short review of the 2012 Bollywood movie Cocktail .

Anuj holds professional certifications in Google Cloud, AWS as well as certifications in Docker and App Performance Tools such as New Relic. He specializes in Cloud Security, Data Encryption and Container Technologies.

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