Javed Akhtar Movies

The Wall was the film that turned Amitabh Bachchan into the Hindi James Dean. In this complex story, told primarily in flashback, two brothers, Vijay (Bachchan) and Ravi grow up in a working-class urban area. As they enter adulthood, their lives take two entirely different directions. Vijay becomes a smuggler, posing as a businessman, and his money helps his family through hard times. He meets and falls in love with an exotic dancer, Aneeta. Meanwhile Riva joins the police force, where he gets assigned to a case tracking down a smuggler. It turns out to be his brother. What follows is a hard-to-watch, entirely inevitable conflict between brothers, complicated by their dying mother. The tragic, bloody finish takes its cue from 1960s Asian gangster films. ~ Brian Whitener, All Movie Guide

An Indian narcotics officer concocts an ingenious plan to capture a notorious drug lord, only to discover too little too late just how wrong even the most well-executed plan can go in this Bollywood action thriller from director Farhan Akhtar. As drug trafficking between Asia and Europe rockets to an all-time high, DCP DeSilva vows to bring one of the world's most notorious drug cartels to justice no matter what the cost. Though many believe the powerful operation to be run by the dreaded Singhania, it is actually trusted lieutenant Don who is pulling the strings from behind the scenes. DCP DeSilva knows well that the ruthless and power-mad Don is the true mastermind behind the actions of the cartel, and upon capturing the elusive drug trafficker he sets into motion a complicated plan designed to bring down the elaborately conceived operation once and for all. DeSilva's secret weapon is a man named Vijay. Not only is Vijay the spitting image of Don, but he has studied Don's mannerisms extensively and now possesses the skills needed to infiltrate the group and deceive even the sharp-eyed Singhania. Trouble arises, however, when DeSilva is unexpectedly killed during a raid on the cartel and the only people Vijay can turn to for help are woman who has infiltrated the gang to avenge the death of her brother, and the man who once entrusted Vijay with his son and now owes the frantic undercover cop a sizable favor. But now the ruse has been revealed, and with the police closing in on one side and the vengeful gangsters gaining ground on the other, time is quickly running out for the hunted undercover cop without an identity. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Ashutosh Gowariker's epic historical romance Jodhaa Akbar tells the story of how the Mughal emperor Akbar found his match in the princess he marries for political reasons. In order to convince the Rajputs that he was worthy of their fealty, the shrewd leader Akbar marries their princess, Jodhaa. Soon he develops true feeling for the woman, who feels no need to consider herself inferior in any way to her husband. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Three men become unlikely heroes in the midst of a disaster in this grand-scale drama from India. Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) is a former Naval officer who, after a deadly episode at sea, was forced to leave the military in disgrace; humiliated and suicidal, Vijay has taken a job in a coal mine, relishing the dangerous work with an attitude that borders on the suicidal. Mangal (Shatrughan Sinha) is a convicted felon who escaped from custody and found work in the mine along side Vijay. And Ravi (Shashi Kapoor) is an engineer who is attempting to improve the deplorable conditions of the coal mines, but runs into severe interference from the mercenary owners of the facility. When disaster strikes at the mine, trapping hundreds of men below the surface, Ravi must devote all his strength, imagination, and courage to find a way to bring the men back to safety, while Vijay and Mangal struggle to help rescue their co-workers and find redemption under trying and perilous circumstances. Kaala Patthar was inspired by a real-life mining catastrophe, and director Yash Chopra brought in top-rank special-effects men from the United States to give the mine sequences the necessary realism. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Love blossoms in the most unlikely of places in director Rohan Sippy's feature debut. A carefree bachelor who is in no hurry to marry, Raj (Abhishek Bachchan) finds himself the pawn of an overzealous Cupid upon attending his cousin's wedding in India. Though Namarata (Aishwarya Rai) has soon laid out a series of potential mates for Raj, her plan backfires when she learns that it isn't her suggestions that Raj is interested in, but Namarata herself. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Acclaimed Bollywood choreographer Farah Khan (Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge, Monsoon Wedding) makes her directorial debut with Main Hoon Na, a mix of action, comedy, and romance. Shah Rukh Khan (Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...) stars as Ram, a straight-laced action hero and major in the Indian army. When General Bakshi (Kabir Bedi) proposes a plan to release 50 harmless Pakistani POWs as a gesture of goodwill, he draws the ire of terrorist Raghavan (Sunil Shetty), a former army officer with a deep-seated hatred of the Pakistanis. Raghavan and his well-trained crew invade a television studio where the general is being interviewed, despite the efforts of Ram's father, Shekhar (Naseeruddin Shah of Monsoon Wedding), who is Bakshi's head of security. Ram intercedes and nearly captures the masked terrorist, but Shekhar is killed trying to protect Bakshi. With his dying words, he tells Ram his shameful secret. Shekhar was never married to Ram's late mother. Shekhar's wife and son left him when Ram, his illegitimate son, came to live in their home. Shekhar's dying wish is to have their forgiveness. Ram gets an opportunity to look for his long-lost stepbrother when General Bakshi assigns him to guard his estranged daughter, Sanjana (Amrita Rao), who goes to the same college as Ram's stepbrother. In order to stay close to Sanjana, Ram has to pose as a student. Being much older and far more conservative than most of the students, Ram immediately stands out, and is mercilessly mocked by the coolest guy on campus, Lucky (Zayed Khan). Sanjana wants nothing to do with him, making his job difficult. Things become more complicated when Ram learns the identity of his stepbrother, and finds himself falling for his sexy chemistry teacher, Chandni (Sushmita Sen). ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Sanjay Gadhvi's romantic comedy Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai is about an attempt to undo an upcoming wedding. Uday Chopra plays Sanjay Malhotra, a young, successful man with lots of luck with the ladies. He discovers that his childhood friend Anjali (Sanjana) is going to marry. He leaves his model girlfriend Ria (Bipasha Basu) and attempts to wreck the ceremony. When her family welcomes the fiancée with open arms, and takes an immediate liking to him, the situation becomes more complex. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Love and dreams follow two starry-eyed actors across three decades and two incarnations in this splashy Hindi musical. It's the early Seventies, and Om Prakash Makhija (Shah Rukh Khan) is a young would-be actor who has been playing bit parts in Bollywood musicals while looking for his big break. Om's ambition is to become a film star and win the heart of beautiful screen siren Shantipriya (Deepika Padukone), and his pal Pappu (Shreyas Talpade) and his mother Bela (Kirron Kher) both encourage him not to give up on his dreams. One day, Om meets Shantipriya on a movie set, and he feels as if destiny is finally smiling on him, but when he overhears her having an argument with studio chief Mukesh Mehra (Arjun Rampal), Om senses things are not as they should be. Before Om can decide what to make of his misgivings, the studio burns to the ground, claiming the lives of Om and Shantipriya. Thirty years later, a bit of Om's spirit seems to live on in Om Kapoor (also played by Shah Rukh Khan) a popular film actor with a large ego and a fear of flame who was born the day the old studio burned down. Despite his fame, Om is lonely, at least until he meets Sandhya (also played by Deepika Padukone), a shy but eager would-be actress looking for her chance to become a star. Om Shanti Om was directed and co-written by Farah Khan, who was a top choreographer in the Indian film industry before moving up to the director's chair, and features guest spots from a number of Bollywood's greatest stars, a few appearing in the form of digital recreations taken from films of the Seventies. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide