[mks_button size=”medium” title=”Average Rating of All ‘Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive’ Review – 2.3 stars” style=”rounded” bg_color=”#1e73be” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=””] Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive Review by Indicine Rating: Director Abhishek Sharma clearly wants to make a more pertinent point about America’s foreign policy through this film but laces it with satire and a comedic overtone. Does it work? Well, not really. A lot of jokes get repeated to death and the pertinent points get lost in translation. It is not a failed effort at all as a lot of the gags work very well and leaves the audiences in raptures. It feels like a lot of time has passed between the first film and the sequel, but still the script seems unpolished and unfinished. Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive Review by Bollywood Hungama Rating: The movie is entertaining when you have the most unusual Olympics for terrorism. The mere idea is very funny. Piyush Mishra brings in the maximum smiles throughout the course of the film. He is first rate. The problem with the film is that it builds up excitement but then falls flat. Such is the story throughout the course of the film. Pradhuman Singh is a let down. He’s not exciting enough. Manish Paul plays himself. He makes you smile at times. There’s nothing substantial. Sikandar promised a lot during the promo but he is loud and over the top. Moreover his make up is too tacky. Ali Zafar in a cameo is wasted. Big time. The song ‘Six Packs’ that is picturized on him is atrocious to say the least. The needless extended cameo of President Obama was needless. The screenplay is credited to Neha Sharma and Abhishek Sharma while dialogues have been written by Pradhuman. Writing is lackluster. Good in parts but average at most occasions. The dialogues are patchy too. When the references to weapons of mass destruction or Junior telling David, “I can blow your trumpet”, you know there’s intelligence at work. Piyush has punchy dialogues. But overall, a lot of forced humour is at work. Gags don’t work if the timing between the actors is missing. VFX are uneven too. The American Helicopter is created out of VFX and it is neat but most of the VFX apart from that are tacky. Chandan Arora’s editing is decent since the short duration of the film gives it a breezy feel. Chaudhary Amalendu’s camerawork is average. Dhruv Dhalla’s music isn’t worth writing about. Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive Review by Shubhra Gupta on Indian Express Rating: There’s more packed into the script this time around, and a little more energy and pace. But the problem of repetition persists: once you’ve slung out a joke, do not bring it up again. Or, if you have to, make it more fun. Lots of jibes at the contrasting working styles of Hollywood and Bollywood abound: the first time around, it’s funny, then less so, and so on. You don’t laugh as much as you should, because successful satires need to be tighter. The one actor, hard to recognize under all the make-up, who proves to be a complete funster is Sikander Kher in a ‘double-role’: as the Yank operative assigned to the Osama job chewing on a broad accent which doesn’t drop, as well as the pot-bellied Hollywood ‘producer’ David Chaddha, he is a hoot. ‘Tere Bin Laden’, Part 2, generates start-up potential, some smiles, some laugh-out-loud lines, but it keeps petering out. Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive Review by Tushar P Joshi on Bollywood Life Rating: While the funny scenes are plenty, there are also moments that don’t take off, especially the track with local terrorist leader Khalil. Ali Zafar’s cameo also doesn’t do much to create any interest in the film. In fact it serves as a distraction from the main plot. The jokes and gags are at times repetitive and revolve around Osama and President’s scenes. The challenge was to rise above the brilliance of the first part and retain the essence of the plot. Unfortunately Dead or Alive is stuck somewhere in between. Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive Review by Rohit Vats on Hindustan Times Rating: The answer is somewhere in the middle. Tere Bin Laden – Dead or Alive is way better than The Shaukeens, but doesn’t match the wit of the original. The film is very self indulgent. Everybody gets their share of screen time. From newspaper clippings featuring the producers Shetty sisters to a film director called Sharma, a lot of throwback props are used. Sometimes they work, but mostly they don’t. Review by Lokesh Dharmani on Masala Rating: The plot of an Osama doppelganger torn between Americans and terrorists is funny indeed but loses punch because of lazy writing and loud performances. This is Manish Paul’s second film, (no, I am not counting Tees Maar Khan) after Mickey Virus. Alas, he is still caught in his Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa anchor avatar. He smiles too much, emotes too much, distorts too much and raises overacting to the power of 80. Pradhuman Singh as Osama’s lookalike fails to do wonders with a badly written character. Piyush Mishra, a fabulous actor otherwise, grunts and grimaces through his lines without much reason. Review by Saibal Chatterjee on NDTVMovies Rating: Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive, is seldom on the right side of that line. For want of the inspired writing that launched the franchise, it rests mostly on deadwood ideas that are as insubstantial as they are prone to rapid disintegration. Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive is best avoided unless a bunch of characters running around in circles is one’s idea of entertainment. Review by Manjusha Radhakrishnan on Gulfnews Rating: The show belongs to Paul, Singh, Kher and Mishra. These four actors took it upon themselves to make this comedy a glorious rip-roaring affair. While Kher had a tendency to lean towards caricature, the relatively unknown Singh is spot on with his Punjabi accent and expressions. Paul does his bit to make this film immensely watchable. Watch this if you are in the mood for some light-hearted fun about war, terrorism and the highly exaggerated world of Bollywood. Review by Jaidev Hemmady on Movietalkies Rating: As for the film, Tere Bin Laden-Dead Or Alive is a semi-intelligently written comedy, with sly barbs at US politics and even Bollywood standards-‘Bollywood heroes blow their trumpet for an year even if they land a minute-long scene in an English film’, says Sharma with a knowing sneer to Chadda in one scene while in another scene, David’s CIA identification reads ‘Chief Of Invasions’ (too good!) However, some of the gags fail to evoke anything more than a tired chuckle (like theSansani reporter act, which has been done to death in countless other films). The plot could have been a recipe for a great satire, but unfortunately, the makers decided to make a goofy comedy with it, despite the potential of the idea. Also, the second half has been stretched to an extent, though mercifully, the film is not peppered with needless songs. Review by Mehul S Thakkar on Deccan Chronicle Rating: The scenes showing the training session of Fidayeen terrorists run by Khaleeli is really hilarious. The director has brought out some really good scenes that makes it enjoyable to watch in portion. If you have loved the first film, this one doesn’t live up to its expectations. But looking at the performances of different characters which are entertaining, it isn’t such a dragging affair either. Review by Sukanya Verma on Rediff Rating: A lot of jokes just don’t work; punches fall flat, laboured slapstick – overacted demonstration of overacting, birds bursting into smithereens, we still doing that? Even the presence of a paranoid Obama (Iman Crosson) doesn’t add up to much. If intended to be a spoof on the vagaries of filmmaking, Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive is completely devoid of whimsy. And, if it aspires to be a satire, there’s little bite or ambition in its pedestrian approach and trivial resolutions. Review by Suhani Singh on India Today Rating: Trouble with part two is that Obama is no Bush who was the butt of jokes in the first. All we get here is an actor who pulls off the accent. Kher is made to do what Robert Downey Jr and Tom Cruise did in Tropic Thunder – paint his face and then don a fat suit – but it is just over the top drivel. Meanwhile Paul, who looks like he is walked straight from the sets of his ill-fated debut Mickey Virus, is only memorable for his poor imitation of a classic Mehmood riff on making a film. One party wants to make a tape to prove Osama is alive, the other to show he is dead. It sounds great only on paper for the execution is sloppy and the writing lacks wit. The quirky gets ridiculous rather than amusing. The film within a film format doesn’t pay humorous dividends. A few bright ideas such as terrorists playing landmine jump, bomb relay and enjoying a retrospective of Osama films draw a chuckle. But that’s as close to a laugh you will get in this comedy. Review by Mohar Basu on The Times Of India Rating: Sequels always run the risk of falling short of expectations. In 2010, Tere Bin Laden emerged as surprise hit with its abundant laughs and particularly smart writing. This time director Abhishek Sharma is hardly able to conjure up an equally enticing story. The chuckles are fewer and the wit from the first part is nowhere to be seen. Franchises are mostly created for moolah and that could be a valid reason for this sequel as well, but with the lack of an effective story to go with it, the results aren’t appealing. Review by Tushar Joshi on DNA India Rating: There is a lot riding for Manish Paul with this film and he delivers in every single frame. There is an instant likability towards Manish that works in his favour. His character is not only someone you could bump into, but also empathetic to a certain extent. The best thing about the film are the scenes between Manish and Sikander who gives a hilarious performance as the CIA officer. The prosthetic and makeup in the first half make him almost unrecognisable. His David Chadda – Bollywood producer act in the second half is funny as well. Writing is sharp and the dialogues are witty in places. Pradhuman Singh as Osama is as enjoyable as he was in the first part. Review by Martin D’Souza on Glamsham Rating: TERE BIN LADEN: DEAD OR ALIVE, is Abhishek Sharma’s sequel to his 2010 movie TERE BIN LADEN. The humour is forced and the plot goes on and on and on. However, having said that, there are several LOL moments but not good enough to keep the interest alive in the 110-minute run time. Review by Meeta on Wogma Rating: From the beginning the movie is loud and doesn’t try to mask the fact that it is aiming for slapstick. Even so, it is acceptable because the satire is amusing. Unfortunately, the well of satire has little water and dries up soon. What is left then is the ridiculous situation that our characters have found themselves in. Review by Sameeksha on IBNLive Rating: ‘Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive’ is a fun watch if you keep the comparison from the first film aside. The air is repetitive but maybe that’s because of the filming style of Abhishek. There is nothing too striking about this film’s direction, but you can clearly see a spark in Abhishek. The way this man has merged satire and goofiness again, is commendable. Is he the next Shyam Benegal? Well, it’s too early to say that but you can feel the same air around his film making. Review by Shubha Shetty-Saha on Mid-Day India Rating: The satire is genuinely fun for a while and then it all starts getting repetitive. The script and dialogues are largely innovative and unpredictable, and more often than not keep you chuckling. But the second half becomes a bit of a drag as the gimmicks and jokes give you a sense of déjà vu and you wish the filmmaker had kept the plot tighter instead of indulging in the humour for too long. The film belongs to Kher whose comic timing is a delightful revelation. As a CIA agent and as the potbellied Hollywood producer, he is fantastic. Hope to see him in more such fun roles, which he clearly seems to be enjoying doing as much as we enjoyed watching him. Review by Kunal Guha on Mumbai Mirror Rating: Director Abhishek Sharma is responsible for the celluloid turd The Shaukeens, which he made between the first Laden and this one. His sensibilities as a maker seem to be skewed towards slapstick and while the detailing in every gag is incredible, most of them are subtle enough to go unnoticed. A very Hot Shots! brand of gag is the one where the CIA chief and his assistant (who he only refers to as ‘junior’) speak in sign language while on a helicopter. One would imagine that the noise of the chopper warrants this mode of communication, it is later revealed the noise was actually from an electric shaver being used by one of the troops on board. It’s a well-written gag but fails to garner the desired impact. The film sets the premise and labours in detailing every sequence, but somehow it doesn’t add up. But if you’ve had a long, tiring week, this one wouldn’t hurt. Review by Sonia Chopra on Sify Rating: Director Abhishek Sharma— he also directed Tere Bin Laden in 2010—lays on the gags one after the other. The fact that one powerful group wants a character alive, while the other equally powerful party desperately wants the same character dead could have been unendingly funny. The film does have its share of genuine laughs. Sharma’s obsession with all things Hollywood is hilarious, as is Sikander Kher’s boisterous Punjabi producer act. The self-deprecating portrayal of the always-silent Shetty sisters and Ali Zafar singing a song about his six-pack abs is also superb. The film is as acerbic in its portrayal of America as it is in the portrayal of the extremist outfit. However there are an equal number of comedic portions that are either repetitive or fall flat. Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive Review by Indiaglitz Rating: There are some good comical moments in the middle of the film which will keep you engaged to the film. Scenes of Manish Paul, Pradhuman Singh and Sikander Kher are hilarious. ‘Hum Item Wale’ song in the end credits is foot tapping. Director Abhishek Sharma tries to recreate the magic of ‘Tere Bin Laden’ and partially succeeds in some places. Manish Paul is fine in his part and one will love his story narration scene. Pradhuman Singh is cute and does his part with grace. Sikander Kher is superb in his role. His body mannerisms and menacing looks along with an American accent is worth a watch. Piyush Mishra is hilarious in his role. Review by Subhash K Jha on Bollyspice Rating: Neha Sharma and Abhishek Sharma’s script is a satirical scam. It rips off various emblems of political dissent from the world map to generate laughter. Agreeably,the shout-out-loud humour shuts out crass humour, except for a few below-the-waist allusions BLOWING in the wind, if you know what I mean (wink wink) . Director Sharma fills the spaces in the satire with overt political innuendos, the kind that are sent off in bulk on your smartphones. What I found missing in the sequel was the audacity of the first film where the director and the team had nothing to lose. This time there is the frantic and unceasing need to generate guffaws even when there is little room for it. The actors, all eager to score, pause breathlessly to jump in with their next still-wet-and-sticky-pain-on-the-wall funny-line while other actors speak. Average critic ratings of other movies released in 2015 – 2016 Aligarh – 3.8 stars Neerja – 4 stars LoveShhuda – 2 stars Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive – 1.4 stars Fitoor – 2.3 stars Sanam Re – 1.6 stars Ghayal Once Again – 2.4 stars Sanam Teri Kasam – 1.6 stars Saala Khadoos – 2.6 stars Mastizaade – 1 stars Airlift – 3.7 stars Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 – 1 stars Wazir – 2.5 stars Dilwale – 2.5 stars Bajirao Mastani – 3.2 stars

Tere Bin Laden was a sleeper hit back when it released half a decade back. It made Ali Zafar a known face in Bollywood...

[mks_button size=”medium” title=”Average Rating of All ‘Bollywood Diaries’ Review – 2.5 stars” style=”rounded” bg_color=”#1e73be” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=””] Bollywood Diaries Review by Mohar Basu on The Times Of India Rating: When you chase your dreams, how far is too far? Director KD Satyam gets ambitious with his story, which has its heart in the right place, but fails to mould it into something impactful. Bollywood Diaries is one of those rare films that you would want to invest in but the half-baked narrative is not successful in holding your attention. It is adequate but not evocative enough. Bollywood Diaries Review by Saibal Chatterjee on NDTVMovies Rating: Bollywood Diaries is somewhat different in that it isn’t the story of a single individual. It weaves three separate, unrelated tales into a single narrative tapestry, flitting seamlessly from one to the other to highlight what happens when reverie gets the better of reason. On the plus side, Bollywood Diaries has a unique texture that blends the firmly commonplace with the overly flighty. Bollywood Diaries Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning Rating: Three rather interesting stories, but when they start rolling, you realise that the three stories are not going to be connected at all. They could easily be shorts just put together and edited event by event to look as though these were parallel events. Bollywood Diaries Review by Martin D’Souza on Glamsham Rating: BOLLYWOOD DIARIES is an honest film with a great connect, and although the build-up gives you that disjointed feeling, it packs a punch towards the end. If there has been a time in your life when you had harbored hopes of being a part of Bollywood, or still wanting to make it big in Bollywood, then this movie is definitely for you. Review by Namrata Thakker on Rediff Rating: Bollywood Diaries captures the struggles of these three protagonists, and how they deal with failure. Though the film has its heart in the right place, it’s too slow and predictable. But yes, there are moments in the film that are absolutely heart-wrenching. The music is surprisingly good. Performance wise, all the actors have played their parts well but it’s Ashish Vidyarthi who totally nails the role. Bollywood Diaries is a good attempt but fails to pack a solid punch. Review by Rohit Bhatnagar on Deccan Chronicle Rating: Ashish Vidyarthi and Raima Sen are flawless in their roles. Salim Diwan could have done much better with his emotional act. The pain of unfulfilled wishes and broken dreams is heart wrenching. Vineet Kumar did justice to his small role. One can’t imagine how beautiful the music of such a low budget movie can be. Vipin Patwa’s emotional music and Dr. Sagar’s lyrics is surely ear soothing and melodic. ‘Mann Ka Mirga’ by the Noora sisters, ‘Manwa Behrupiya ‘ by Arijit Singh and ‘Titli’ by Papon will surely leave you in tears especially when these songs take the story forward. Bollywood Diaries Review by Indiaglitz Rating: The narrative pattern is slow in the first half, the story also takes time to connect. Raima’s track in less engaging and predictable in comparison to others. The climax is dragging and over stretched. Connect between these three characters keeps fading in and out. The movie ends up being very dark and depressing. Scenes such as Ashish Vidhyarthi doing all sorts of Poojas to get reborn in a big celebrity’s house, Salim’s over the top reaction in the finale and a few more are over the top. Raima Sen’s character required more detailing. At many times the passion of these protagonists seemed fake and artificial. Review by Kriti Tulsiani on IBNLive Rating: As much as the actors try to save the film, it fails to rise above the usual average mark. The movie that claims to be a ‘tribute to passionate aspiring actors’ isn’t really a tribute. It’s more of a generic representation of how far is too far when it’s about fulfilling your desires. While there are some scenes where the iconic actors are mimicked in a good way, there are others which end up giving you an unsettling experience, not in a good way per say. Another thing worth mentioning is that when you exit the theaters, you’ll be in thoughts of the people who could have been actors, but didn’t really get a chance to be. While we go gaga over the big names in this industry, there are millions of people out there who’re facing tons of hardships and still unable to reach where they want to. While some of them might lack in resources, others may lack in talent; but you’ll realise there’s no dearth of passion here, courtesy this film! Review by Sonia Chopra on Sify Rating: Director K.D.Satyam (writer of Gattu) expertly weaves together three extraordinary stories of ordinary hopefuls. The storytelling is sure-footed, even if rough around the edges. The feel and look of the film is decidedly old-school. But the performances, styling, production design and songs elevate the film considerably. Watch this film without too many expectations, and you might find yourself moved the by the characters and their Bollywood diaries. Average critic ratings of other movies released in 2015 – 2016 Aligarh – 3.8 stars Neerja – 4 stars LoveShhuda – 2 stars Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive – 1.4 stars Fitoor – 2.3 stars Sanam Re – 1.6 stars Ghayal Once Again – 2.4 stars Sanam Teri Kasam – 1.6 stars Saala Khadoos – 2.6 stars Mastizaade – 1 stars Airlift – 3.7 stars Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 – 1 stars Wazir – 2.5 stars Dilwale – 2.5 stars Bajirao Mastani – 3.2 stars

Aligarh releases in theatres tomorrow, but a few reviews of the film are out already. Check out some reviews...