ng_attempts; $rval = $this->contact_service( 'ping', array( 'args' => $vaultpress_pings ) ); if ( $rval || $ping_attempts >= 3 ) break; if ( !$rval ) usleep(500000); } while ( true ); if ( !$rval ) { if ( $this->get_option( 'connection_error_code' ) !== -8 ) { // Do not save pings when the subscription is inactive. $__vp_recursive_ping_lock = true; $this->ai_ping_insert( serialize( $vaultpress_pings ) ); } } $this->reset_pings(); if ( $close_wpdb ) { $wpdb->__destruct(); unset( $wpdb ); } return $rval; } function resolve_content_dir() { // Take the easy way out if ( defined( 'WP_CONTENT_DIR' ) ) { if ( substr( WP_CONTENT_DIR, -1 ) != DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR ) return WP_CONTENT_DIR . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR; return WP_CONTENT_DIR; } // Best guess if ( defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) { if ( substr( ABSPATH, -1 ) != DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR ) return ABSPATH . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'wp-content' . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR; return ABSPATH . 'wp-content' . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR; } // Run with a solid assumption: WP_CONTENT_DIR/vaultpress/vaultpress.php return dirname( __DIR__ ) . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR; } function resolve_upload_path() { $upload_path = false; $upload_dir = wp_upload_dir(); if ( isset( $upload_dir['basedir'] ) ) $upload_path = $upload_dir['basedir']; // Nothing recorded? use a best guess! if ( !$upload_path || $upload_path == realpath( ABSPATH ) ) return $this->resolve_content_dir() . 'uploads' . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR; if ( substr( $upload_path, -1 ) != DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR ) $upload_path .= DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR; return $upload_path; } function load_first( $value ) { $value = array_unique( $value ); // just in case there are duplicates return array_merge( preg_grep( '/vaultpress\.php$/', $value ), preg_grep( '/vaultpress\.php$/', $value, PREG_GREP_INVERT ) ); } function is_multisite() { if ( function_exists( 'is_multisite' ) ) return is_multisite(); return false; } function is_main_site() { if ( !function_exists( 'is_main_site' ) || !$this->is_multisite() ) return true; return is_main_site(); } function is_registered() { $key = $this->get_option( 'key' ); $secret = $this->get_option( 'secret' ); return !empty( $key ) && !empty( $secret ); } function clear_connection() { $this->delete_option( 'connection' ); $this->delete_option( 'connection_error_code' ); $this->delete_option( 'connection_error_message' ); $this->delete_option( 'connection_test' ); } function site_url() { $site_url = ''; // compatibility for WordPress MU Domain Mapping plugin if ( defined( 'DOMAIN_MAPPING' ) && DOMAIN_MAPPING && ! function_exists( 'domain_mapping_siteurl' ) ) { if ( !function_exists( 'is_plugin_active' ) ) require_once ABSPATH . '/wp-admin/includes/plugin.php'; $plugin = 'wordpress-mu-domain-mapping/domain_mapping.php'; if ( is_plugin_active( $plugin ) ) include_once( WP_PLUGIN_DIR . '/' . $plugin ); } if ( function_exists( 'domain_mapping_siteurl' ) ) $site_url = domain_mapping_siteurl( false ); if ( empty( $site_url ) ) $site_url = site_url(); return $site_url; } /** * Sync the VaultPress options to WordPress.com if the Jetpack plugin is active. */ function sync_jetpack_options() { if ( class_exists( 'Jetpack_Sync' ) && method_exists( 'Jetpack_Sync', 'sync_options' ) && defined( 'JETPACK__VERSION' ) && version_compare( JETPACK__VERSION, '4.1', '<' ) ) { Jetpack_Sync::sync_options( __FILE__, $this->auto_register_option, $this->option_name ); } } /** * Add the VaultPress options to the Jetpack options management whitelist. * Allows Jetpack to register VaultPress options automatically. * * @param array $options The list of whitelisted option names. * * @return array The updated whitelist */ function add_to_jetpack_options_whitelist( $options ) { $options[] = $this->option_name; $options[] = $this->auto_register_option; return $options; } /** * When the VaultPress auto-register option is updated, run the registration call. * * This should only be run when the option is updated from the Jetpack/WP.com * API call, and only if the new key is different than the old key. * * @param mixed $old_value The old option value, or the option name (if add_option). * @param mixed $value The new option value. */ function updated_auto_register_option( $old_value, $value ) { // Not an API call or CLI call if ( ! class_exists( 'WPCOM_JSON_API_Update_Option_Endpoint' ) && ! ( defined( 'WP_CLI' ) && WP_CLI ) ) { return; } remove_action( "update_option_{$this->auto_register_option}", array( $this, 'updated_auto_register_option' ) ); $defaults = array( 'key' => false, 'action' => 'register', // or `response` 'status' => 'working', 'error' => false, ); // `wp_parse_args` uses arrays, might as well be explicit about it. $registration = (array) json_decode( $value ); $registration = wp_parse_args( $registration, $defaults ); // If we have a working connection, don't update the key. if ( $this->check_connection( true ) ) { $registration['action'] = 'response'; $registration['error'] = 'VaultPress is already registered on this site.'; update_option( $this->auto_register_option, json_encode( $registration ) ); return; } if ( ! $registration['key'] ) { return; } $registration['action'] = 'response'; $response = $this->register( $registration['key'] ); if ( is_wp_error( $response ) ) { $registration['status'] = 'broken'; $registration['error'] = $response->get_error_message(); } else if ( $this->get_option( 'connection_error_code' ) ) { $registration['status'] = 'broken'; $registration['error'] = $this->get_option( 'connection_error_message' ); } else { $registration['error'] = false; } update_option( $this->auto_register_option, json_encode( $registration ) ); } function add_global_actions_and_filters() { add_action( 'init', array( $this, 'sync_jetpack_options' ), 0, 99 ); add_filter( 'jetpack_options_whitelist', array( $this, 'add_to_jetpack_options_whitelist' ) ); add_action( "update_option_{$this->auto_register_option}", array( $this, 'updated_auto_register_option' ), 10, 2 ); add_action( "add_option_{$this->auto_register_option}", array( $this, 'updated_auto_register_option' ), 10, 2 ); add_action( 'admin_enqueue_scripts', array( $this, 'styles' ) ); } function add_admin_actions_and_filters() { add_action( 'admin_init', array( $this, 'admin_init' ) ); add_action( 'admin_menu', array( $this, 'admin_menu' ), 5 ); # Priority 5, so it's called before Jetpack's admin_menu. add_action( 'admin_head', array( $this, 'admin_head' ) ); } function add_listener_actions_and_filters() { add_action( 'admin_bar_menu', array( $this, 'toolbar' ), 999 ); // Comments add_action( 'delete_comment', array( $this, 'comment_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'wp_set_comment_status', array( $this, 'comment_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'trashed_comment', array( $this, 'comment_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'untrashed_comment', array( $this, 'comment_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'wp_insert_comment', array( $this, 'comment_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'comment_post', array( $this, 'comment_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'edit_comment', array( $this, 'comment_action_handler' ) ); // Commentmeta add_action( 'added_comment_meta', array( $this, 'commentmeta_insert_handler' ), 10, 2 ); add_action( 'updated_comment_meta', array( $this, 'commentmeta_modification_handler' ), 10, 4 ); add_action( 'deleted_comment_meta', array( $this, 'commentmeta_modification_handler' ), 10, 4 ); // Users if ( $this->is_main_site() ) { add_action( 'user_register', array( $this, 'userid_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'password_reset', array( $this, 'userid_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'profile_update', array( $this, 'userid_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'user_register', array( $this, 'userid_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'deleted_user', array( $this, 'userid_action_handler' ) ); } // Usermeta if ( $this->is_main_site() ) { // Keeping these action hooks for backward compatibility add_action( 'added_usermeta', array( $this, 'usermeta_action_handler' ), 10, 4 ); add_action( 'update_usermeta', array( $this, 'usermeta_action_handler' ), 10, 4 ); add_action( 'delete_usermeta', array( $this, 'usermeta_action_handler' ), 10, 4 ); add_action( 'added_user_meta', array( $this, 'usermeta_action_handler' ), 10, 4 ); add_action( 'update_user_meta', array( $this, 'usermeta_action_handler' ), 10, 4 ); add_action( 'delete_user_meta', array( $this, 'usermeta_action_handler' ), 10, 4 ); } // Posts add_action( 'delete_post', array( $this, 'post_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'trash_post', array( $this, 'post_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'untrash_post', array( $this, 'post_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'edit_post', array( $this, 'post_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'save_post', array( $this, 'post_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'wp_insert_post', array( $this, 'post_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'edit_attachment', array( $this, 'post_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'add_attachment', array( $this, 'post_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'delete_attachment', array( $this, 'post_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'private_to_publish', array( $this, 'post_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'wp_restore_post_revision', array( $this, 'post_action_handler' ) ); // Postmeta add_action( 'added_post_meta', array( $this, 'postmeta_insert_handler' ), 10, 4 ); add_action( 'update_post_meta', array( $this, 'postmeta_modification_handler' ), 10, 4 ); add_action( 'updated_post_meta', array( $this, 'postmeta_modification_handler' ), 10, 4 ); add_action( 'delete_post_meta', array( $this, 'postmeta_modification_handler' ), 10, 4 ); add_action( 'deleted_post_meta', array( $this, 'postmeta_modification_handler' ), 10, 4 ); add_action( 'added_postmeta', array( $this, 'postmeta_action_handler' ), 10, 3 ); add_action( 'update_postmeta', array( $this, 'postmeta_action_handler' ), 10, 3 ); add_action( 'delete_postmeta', array( $this, 'postmeta_action_handler' ), 10, 3 ); // Links add_action( 'edit_link', array( $this, 'link_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'add_link', array( $this, 'link_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'delete_link', array( $this, 'link_action_handler' ) ); // Taxonomy add_action( 'created_term', array( $this, 'term_handler' ), 2 ); add_action( 'edited_terms', array( $this, 'term_handler' ), 2 ); add_action( 'delete_term', array( $this, 'term_handler' ), 2 ); add_action( 'edit_term_taxonomy', array( $this, 'term_taxonomy_handler' ) ); add_action( 'delete_term_taxonomy', array( $this, 'term_taxonomy_handler' ) ); add_action( 'edit_term_taxonomies', array( $this, 'term_taxonomies_handler' ) ); add_action( 'add_term_relationship', array( $this, 'term_relationship_handler' ), 10, 2 ); add_action( 'delete_term_relationships', array( $this, 'term_relationships_handler' ), 10, 2 ); add_action( 'set_object_terms', array( $this, 'set_object_terms_handler' ), 10, 3 ); // Files if ( $this->is_main_site() ) { add_action( 'switch_theme', array( $this, 'theme_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'activate_plugin', array( $this, 'plugin_action_handler' ) ); add_action( 'deactivate_plugin', array( $this, 'plugin_action_handler' ) ); } add_action( 'wp_handle_upload', array( $this, 'upload_handler' ) ); // Options add_action( 'deleted_option', array( $this, 'option_handler' ), 1 ); add_action( 'updated_option', array( $this, 'option_handler' ), 1 ); add_action( 'added_option', array( $this, 'option_handler' ), 1 ); $this->add_woocommerce_actions(); $this->add_vp_required_filters(); } function add_woocommerce_actions() { add_action( 'woocommerce_tax_rate_deleted', array( $this, 'woocommerce_tax_rate_handler' ), 10, 1 ); add_action( 'woocommerce_tax_rate_updated', array( $this, 'woocommerce_tax_rate_handler' ), 10, 1 ); add_action( 'woocommerce_tax_rate_added', array( $this, 'woocommerce_tax_rate_handler' ), 10, 1 ); add_action( 'woocommerce_new_order_item', array( $this, 'woocommerce_order_item_handler' ), 10, 1 ); add_action( 'woocommerce_update_order_item', array( $this, 'woocommerce_order_item_handler' ), 10, 1 ); add_action( 'woocommerce_delete_order_item', array( $this, 'woocommerce_order_item_handler' ), 10, 1 ); add_action( 'added_order_item_meta', array( $this, 'woocommerce_order_item_meta_handler' ), 10, 1 ); add_action( 'updated_order_item_meta', array( $this, 'woocommerce_order_item_meta_handler' ), 10, 1 ); add_action( 'deleted_order_item_meta', array( $this, 'woocommerce_order_item_meta_handler' ), 10, 1 ); add_action( 'woocommerce_attribute_added', array( $this, 'woocommerce_attribute_handler' ), 10, 1 ); add_action( 'woocommerce_attribute_updated', array( $this, 'woocommerce_attribute_handler' ), 10, 1 ); add_action( 'woocommerce_attribute_deleted', array( $this, 'woocommerce_attribute_handler' ), 10, 1 ); } function add_vp_required_filters() { // Log ins if ( $this->get_option( 'login_lockdown' ) ) { add_action( 'login_form', array( $this, 'add_js_token' ) ); add_filter( 'authenticate', array( $this, 'authenticate' ), 999 ); } // Report back to VaultPress add_action( 'shutdown', array( $this, 'do_pings' ) ); // VaultPress likes being first in line add_filter( 'pre_update_option_active_plugins', array( $this, 'load_first' ) ); } function get_jetpack_email() { if ( ! class_exists( 'Jetpack' ) ) { return false; } // For version of Jetpack prior to 7.7. if ( defined( 'JETPACK__VERSION' ) && version_compare( JETPACK__VERSION, '7.7', '<' ) && ! class_exists( 'Jetpack_IXR_Client' ) ) { Jetpack::load_xml_rpc_client(); } $xml = new Jetpack_IXR_Client( array( 'user_id' => get_current_user_id() ) ); $xml->query( 'wpcom.getUserEmail' ); if ( ! $xml->isError() ) { return $xml->getResponse(); } return new WP_Error( $xml->getErrorCode(), $xml->getErrorMessage() ); } function get_key_via_jetpack( $already_purchased = false ) { if ( ! class_exists( 'Jetpack' ) ) { return false; } // For version of Jetpack prior to 7.7. if ( defined( 'JETPACK__VERSION' ) && version_compare( JETPACK__VERSION, '7.7', '<' ) && ! class_exists( 'Jetpack_IXR_Client' ) ) { Jetpack::load_xml_rpc_client(); } $xml = new Jetpack_IXR_Client( array( 'user_id' => Jetpack_Options::get_option( 'master_user' ) ) ); $xml->query( 'vaultpress.registerSite', $already_purchased ); if ( ! $xml->isError() ) { return $xml->getResponse(); } return new WP_Error( $xml->getErrorCode(), $xml->getErrorMessage() ); } function register_via_jetpack( $already_purchased = false ) { $registration_key = $this->get_key_via_jetpack( $already_purchased ); if ( is_wp_error( $registration_key ) ) { return $registration_key; } return self::register( $registration_key ); } } $vaultpress = VaultPress::init(); if ( isset( $_GET['vaultpress'] ) && $_GET['vaultpress'] ) { if ( !function_exists( 'wp_magic_quotes' ) ) { // Escape with wpdb. $_GET = add_magic_quotes( $_GET ); $_POST = add_magic_quotes( $_POST ); $_COOKIE = add_magic_quotes( $_COOKIE ); $_SERVER = add_magic_quotes( $_SERVER ); // Force REQUEST to be GET + POST. If SERVER, COOKIE, or ENV are needed, use those superglobals directly. $_REQUEST = array_merge( $_GET, $_POST ); } else { wp_magic_quotes(); } if ( !function_exists( 'wp_get_current_user' ) ) include ABSPATH . '/wp-includes/pluggable.php'; // TODO: this prevents some error notices but do we need it? is there a better way to check capabilities/logged in user/etc? if ( function_exists( 'wp_cookie_constants' ) && !defined( 'AUTH_COOKIE' ) ) wp_cookie_constants(); $vaultpress->parse_request( null ); die(); } // only load hotfixes if it's not a VP request require_once __DIR__ . '/class.vaultpress-hotfixes.php'; $hotfixes = new VaultPress_Hotfixes(); // Add a helper method to WP CLI for auto-registerion via Jetpack if ( defined( 'WP_CLI' ) && WP_CLI ) { require_once __DIR__ . '/class.vaultpress-cli.php'; } require_once __DIR__ . '/cron-tasks.php'; 'VIP 2 (Lalkar)': What's Kajol doing in a film as silly as this? (Review) - Social News XYZ
Social News XYZ     

‘VIP 2 (Lalkar)’: What’s Kajol doing in a film as silly as this? (Review)

Posted By: Doraiah Vundavally August 19, 2017

'VIP 2 (Lalkar)': What's Kajol doing in a film as silly as this? (Review)

By Subhash K. Jha

Film: "VIP 2 (Lalkar)"; Director: Soundarya Rajinikanth; Cast: Dhanush, Kajol; Rating: *1/2

 

Confession time. I haven't seen the first "VIP" film. And after seeing the follow-up, I swear on my favourite Dada Kondke feature, I will never touch anything with a VIP in it, not even the suitcase.

More confession. "VIP 2" is not a film. It is an abomination. It is two hours of excruciating self-promotion for Dhanush who is an embarrassment in this film. Dhanush plays the kind of larger-than-life bully-hero who looked ridiculous even back in the 1960s when Rajendra Kumar or Gemini Ganesan would saunter on to a sprawling set representing a well-to-do living room replete with a spiralling stairway leading upstairs, and hug and kiss a woman 10 years younger and say, "ceMaa, I've come first-class-first in class" (Please translate into Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, etc).

Dhanush plays Raghuvaran, a first-class-first in everything, including male chauvinism and self-congratulation. He sings songs about his greatness with his buddies (terrible ones at that), bullies his pretty wife (Amala Paul, grossly misused) and swigs his swag at the camera as though it were a hungry leopard in a zoo.

Then when he takes on a corporate head honcho played by the totally misused Kajol, he takes on more than he can chew. Which is okay because Dhanush's character does exactly what the director is doing. Taking on more than can be handled, they both flounder and fall trembling to the ground.

Soundarya Rajinikanth is, I don't know how to say this politely, not a director at all. To build on a confrontation between Dhanush's Raghuvaran and Kajol's entrepreneur Vasundhara, Soundarya uses tropes and cliches from old archival Rajinikanth starrers. These plot points would make even Rajini sir shudder in disgust.

Not now, please. Not any more! Who behaves like a Rajini spinoff treating women with the courteous contempt we usually save for bags filled with detonative dynamite?

Kajol plays a variation of Sridevi's snooty entrepreneur from Raj Kanwar's "Laadla", where she would run her finger, cross the bridge of her nose and bellow, "You understand? You better understand!".

At least Sridevi had a formidable adversary in Anil Kapoor. In "VIP 2", Kajol's confrontation sequences with Dhanush are so high-pitched and hysterical that the verbal sparring threatens to come apart at the seams to expose the hollowness of this film's anarchic gender war.

"VIP 2" empowers mediocrity to the extent that it (mediocrity) seems the only natural status to be attained in the course of the storytelling. Some day Kajol will show this film to her grand-kids as an example of how wrong a sensible seemingly intelligent professional's judgement can go when she is focusing on the zeroes on her pay cheque.

You understand? You better understand!

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'VIP 2 (Lalkar)': What's Kajol doing in a film as silly as this? (Review)

About VDC

Doraiah Chowdary Vundavally is a Software engineer at VTech . He is the news editor of SocialNews.XYZ and Freelance writer-contributes Telugu and English Columns on Films, Politics, and Gossips. He is the primary contributor for South Cinema Section of SocialNews.XYZ. His mission is to help to develop SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgement towards any.