Movie Review: Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari

November 13, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

It’s been eight months since the last big Hindi film, ANGREZI MEDIUM, hit screens. Once the lockdown kicked in, films began to go online, even the ones starring A-listers. But producers of some small films decided to wait for cinemas to reopen. Last month, cinemas finally got the go-ahead in most parts of the country while on November 5, the prime state of Maharashtra too gave its nod. This prompted Zee Studios to release SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI on Diwali on the big screen. The trailer of the film has been impressive and carries a good vibe. So does SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI manage to entertain and give viewers a good time? Or does it falter? Let’s analyse.

SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI is the story of a feud between a wedding detective and a dairy owner. The year is 1995. Suraj Singh Dhillon (Diljit Dosanjh) is a single guy from Mumbai and the heir of Jai Mata Rani Doodh Bhandar. He lives with his father Gurnaam Dhillon (Manoj Pahwa), mother Yeshodha Dhillon (Seema Pahwa) and sister Guddi (Vanshika Sharma). His parents are looking for a right match but their efforts are futile. Suraj’s sidekick Sukhi (Manuj Sharma) tells him to be ‘cool’ and a ‘bad boy’ and that it would help attract girls. Suraj likes the idea and as part of his stint as a cool bad boy, he breaks the traffic signal and consumes alcohol in front of a girl’s college. Meanwhile, his parents find a match for him. An excited Suraj goes to the girl’s house with his parents. But the girl’s parents refuse their proposal because they had the pictures of Suraj while he was in his ‘bad boy’ avatar. Suraj is dejected and is dying to know who clicked his pictures after all. After cajoling the Pandit Dubey ji (Neeraj Sood), he gets to know that it’s none other than Madhu Mangal Rane (Manoj Bajpayee), a wedding detective. He believes it’s his job to find flaws in the to-be grooms and thus save the lives of gullible girls and their families. Suraj wants revenge but doesn’t know how. He then realizes that Mangal has a sister, Tulshi Rane (Fatima Sana Shaikh). He decides to fake a relationship with her in order to get back at Mangal. However, he falls for her in real. He expresses his love to Tulshi. She however is hiding a shocking secret about her life and passion. This secret gives Suraj the much needed opportunity to damage Mangal’s reputation. At the same time, it can also dent his marriage prospects with Tulshi. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Shokhi Banerjee’s story is very interesting and entertaining. One might feel that the makers revealed almost the whole plot in the trailer. But that’s not the case as the film has a lot more to offer. Rohan Shankar’s screenplay is entertaining for most parts. The various twists and dramatic points are well fleshed out. However, a few rough edges remain. Also, the humour quotient is limited. Rohan Shankar’s dialogues are hilarious and a few of them are sure to induce claps.

Abhishek Sharma’s direction is neat. He deserves brownie points for keeping the mood of the film light from start to finish. The film never gets too heavy, even in no-nonsense situations. Also, the film is replete with some very quirky characters and he makes good use of them to add to the fun. Moreover, the film celebrates the Marathi culture and the middle-class lifestyle of the city. It fondly also reminds one of the simple, slice-of-life films made by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee. On the flipside, some of the portions of the first half aren’t upto the mark, especially the ‘Bad Boy’ sequence. A few developments are hard to digest, especially the track of the professor deciding not to take any action against his wife despite the latter cheating on him. Also, the manner in which Madhu plans the breaking off the engagement ceremony of his sister is a bit too much. Mangal’s change of heart in the climax also comes across as very unconvincing. Thankfully, the DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE [1995] inspired climax makes up for it.

SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI starts off on a fine note. The entry of Mangal is hilarious and it neatly explains the dedication towards his work. The film drops a bit when Suraj turns into a ‘bad boy’ and when he gets into detective mode. But it picks up once Suraj starts wooing Tulshi. The twist in Tulshi’s tale is unexpected and gives a nice touch. Post-interval, the patch-up between Suraj and Tulshi happens rather quickly. But the fun continues as Mangal uses a new trick to get back at Suraj. More twists take place in the narrative as new characters get introduced. The finale is predictable but hilarious.

Manoj Bajpayee is energetic and is sure to be loved. One rarely gets to see him in such roles and it’s a pleasure how he puts his best foot forward. Surely, this is one of his most memorable performances! Diljit Dosanjh is as always in his element. He suits the part to the T. Fatima Sana Shaikh is quite good in some scenes. But in a few sequences, her expressions are a bit off. This is especially in the scene where Mangal finds out the truth about her. Annu Kapoor (Shantaram Kaka) is impressive and one wishes he had a longer role. Supriya Pilgaonkar (Rekha Rane) is great and contributes to the humour. Manuj Sharma is nice as Diljit’s sidekick. Manoj Pahwa and Seema Pahwa and Neeraj Sood are alright. Vanshika Sharma is funny. Neha Pendse (Kavya Godbole) is beautiful and has a crucial part in which she does very well. Vijay Raaz (Chinmay Godbole) is arguably the funniest part about the film. Sadly, he’s hardly there and on top of that, his character is not utilized well. Rohan Shankar (Ashok) leaves a mark. Vivek R Puranik (Ashok’s father), Harsha Gupte (Ashok’s mother) and Anjali Ujawane (Vatsavitri Lady) are fine. Abhishek Banerjee (Dinesh) is okay in the cameo. Karishma Tanna is sizzling in the special number.

Javed-Mohsin’s music is poor. ’Basanti' (composed by Kingshuk Chakravarty) is foot-tapping while the title track is catchy. ’Waareya' works because it’s well shot. Same goes for ’Ladki Dramebaaz Hai'. ’Bad Boys' is disappointing. Kingshuk Chakravarty’s background score is excellent, especially the theme music used in Manoj Bajpayee’s scenes.

Anshuman Mahaley’s cinematography is first-rate. Rajat Poddar’s production design is authentic and reminds one of the 90s. Vijay Ganguly’s choreography is appealing in ’Basanti'. Jia Bhagia and Mallika Chauhan’s costumes are realistic for all the characters. Fatema’s clothes however don’t seem to be of 1995 but nevertheless, looks glamorous. Rameshwar Bhagat’s editing is fair.

On the whole, SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI is a decent entertainer and a clean family film that works because of its plot, the depiction of the mid-90s era and the performances.

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Movie Review: Chhalaang

November 12, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

Hansal Mehta in its 2.0 avatar has usually made serious films like SHAHID [2013], CITYLIGHTS [2014], ALIGARH [2015], OMERTA [2018] etc. He did try a black comedy in between with SIMRAN [2017] but it was forgettable. His most recent venture, the celebrated web series, SCAM 1992, too was a no-nonsense affair. But now, Hansal Mehta switches to a light-hearted zone with CHHALAANG. It reunites him with his favourite actor Rajkummar Rao. Meanwhile, it is produced by Luv Ranjan and Nushrratt Bharuccha, a regular in his films, has been casted as the female lead. The trailer promises entertainment and also some amount of thrill. So does Hansal Mehta succeed in acing this genre with CHHALAANG? Or does he fail to deliver? Let’s analyse.

CHHALAANG is the story of a disinterested sports coach finding meaning in life. Mahinder Hooda aka Montu (Rajkummar Rao) is a PTI (Physical Training Instructor) in Sir Chotu Ram School in Jhajjar, Haryana. In his teenage years, he had participated in cricket and athletic tournaments from the same school. But he quit sports after he didn’t make it to the state team. Similarly, he also left law when he realized that he’ll have to read lots of heavy books. This is when his father (Satish Kaushik) recommended his name to the school’s principal Ushal Gehlot (Ila Arun). Hence, she hired him. Montu is not quite interested in doing his job as he believes that sports are not going to help the students. He also indulges in other activities in school, one of them being assaulting couples roaming in a park. During one such session, he ends up harassing a middle-aged couple (Rajeev Gupta and Suparna Marwah). The next day, Neelima aka Neelu (Nushrratt Bharuccha) joins the school as a computer teacher. Montu gets attracted to her and this is when Neelu reveals to him that the middle-aged couple were her parents! She also blasts him for being the moral police. Montu realizes his mistake. Slowly, both Montu and Neelu grow closer. Montu wants to take the relationship to the next level. But before that can happen, there comes a twist in the tale. Inder Mohan Singh (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub), a certified sports trainer, joins the school as PTI. Montu is demoted to being an assistant PTI though his salary still remains the same. Montu obviously protests but the principal doesn’t pay heed. Inder arrives and starts giving hard training to the students. He also gets friendly with Neelu, further angering Montu. Singh realizes Montu is jealous and taunts him. An angry Montu assaults Singh. The principal tells Montu to apologize to Singh. He refuses at first and then requests her to hold a competition between two teams of the school. One team would be trained by Singh and the other by Montu. Further, Singh will have the advantage of selecting the best students. Montu asks the principal that if his team loses, he’d resign and he expects vice versa from Singh. Singh gives his nod. The principal, too, agrees and selects three sports for the tournament – basketball, 400 meters relay race and kabaddi. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Luv Ranjan’s story is predictable and nothing new. However it makes an important comment that sports are a vital cog in the wheel of the overall development of the child. Luv Ranjan, Aseem Arrora and Zeishan Quadri’s screenplay is better. The writers pepper the narrative with some very interesting moments that keep the interest going. The first half especially is well-written, especially before Montu and Singh become arch rivals. This is the point where the interest should have been maintained and the writers succeed in doing so. The characters are also very well-written and fleshed out. In the post-interval portions, however, the script should have been tighter. Luv Ranjan, Aseem Arrora and Zeishan Quadri’s dialogues are sharp and quite funny.

Hansal Mehta’s direction is decent. A film of this genre is not exactly his forte but he manages to pass with flying colours. He has handled the light-hearted and also the sports moments with elan. However, a big issue with the film is its release timing. It should have ideally been released 1 ½ or two years ago, before the release of CHHICHHORE [2019]. That film had a similar premise of a poor, underdog team training hard using creative methods and then giving a tough fight to a strong team for self-respect and honour. Not just that, two of the sports shown in CHHALAANG are also the same as the Sushant Singh Rajput starrer! Also the climax is a bit like PANGA [2020]. To give the credit where it’s due, the makers try their best to use the rustic flavour of the film and by other means to ensure that their film doesn’t remind viewers of CHHICHHORE.

CHHALAANG begins on an average note though the opening credits are very creatively done and the Haryanvi setup sets the mood. The film picks up interest once Montu harasses Neelu’s parents and Neelu teaches him a lesson the next day. From here on, the film holds interest well. The film gets better as Singh makes an entry and gives tough competition to Montu professionally and also personally. The intermission point is dramatic. The second half, too, has its share of interesting scenes especially the tricks used by Montu to motivate his team and Neelu and Montu’s father using the ’saam-daam-dand-bhed' strategy on the parents. The match scenes are nail-biting and are very well edited. Montu’s climax speech where he talks about being parents of Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli etc. is excellent and would have been greeted with claps and whistles if the movie had released in cinemas.

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Rajkummar Rao delivers a very entertaining performance as always. One might argue that he’s being repetitive but watch closely and one realizes that he has added some fine touches and nuances to his role. Nushrratt Bharuccha looks graceful and delivers a lovely performance. She also gets the Haryanvi diction right. However, her character doesn’t have much to do in the overall scheme of things. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub is quite nice as the so-called antagonist. His dialogue delivery especially is praiseworthy. However, his character should have been better fleshed out. Saurabh Shukla is adorable and adds to the fun and drama. Satish Kaushik is dependable as always. Ila Arun is apt for the part. However, the makers should have further stressed on how her character used to tell Montu to help the school earn extra bucks by renting the school premises as a marriage venue. Jatin Sarna (Dimpy) is hilarious and one wishes he had more screen time. Baljinder Kaur (Montu’s mother) gets limited scope. Naman Jain (Bablu) has some interesting scenes in the first half and is efficient. Garima Kaur (Pinky) is an integral part of the film’s last 30 minutes and is superb. Rajeev Gupta and Suparna Marwah are nothing great.

Music doesn’t work except for ’Le Chhalaang'. It has an anthem-like feel and is in sync with the film’s mood in the second half. ’Teri Choriyaan' is okay. ’Care Ni Karda' appears just before the end credits while ’Deedar De' is missing. Hitesh Sonik’s background score is exhilarating.

Eeshit Narain’s cinematography (sports cinematography by Chris Reed) is spectacular. Both the lensmen work well in tandem to uplift several scenes. Shashank Tere’s production design is realistic. Same goes for Aki Narula and Arun J Chauhan’s costumes. Samidha Wangnoo’s costume in the ’Care Ni Karda' song for Nushrratt Bharuccha is glamorous. Harpal Singh’s action is fine. Akiv Ali and Chetan M Solanki’s editing is uncomplicated. Lastly, special mention should also go to Vicky Sidana’s casting for getting such great child actors, and also to Rob Miller for his effective sports direction.

On the whole, CHHALAANG is a simple, relatable and a well-made entertainer that keeps viewers engaged from start to finish. The performances, writing and well-edited scenes are like an icing on the cake. Recommended!

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Movie Review: Ludo

November 12, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

Director Anurag Basu’s previous film JAGGA JASOOS [2017] didn’t impress the audiences and was also criticized for going overbudget and for being in production for nearly 3-4 years. However, Bollywood didn’t lose trust in him thanks to his good-hearted nature and also because his overall track record has been great. He has helmed some of the most significant films in last 20 years like MURDER [2004], GANGSTER [2006], LIFE IN A METRO [2007] and BARFI [2012]. Hence, it’s no wonder that he got an ensemble cast in place for his next, LUDO. It was unofficially referred to as LIFE IN A METRO 2 as just like the 2007 flick, this film also features multiple stories which are connected to each other in some manner. However, while LIFE IN A METRO was a slice of life fare, the trailer of LUDO indicates that it’s in a wacky, crime comedy space. So does LUDO manage to entertain and enthral viewers? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse.

LUDO is the story of quirky characters and how their life gets interlinked in a series of bizarre circumstances. Alok Kumar Gupta aka Aalu (Rajkummar Rao) loves Pinky (Fatima Sana Shaikh) like crazy since childhood. Sadly for him, Pinky ditches him and marries Manohar Jain (Paritosh Tripathi). It’s been three years since she’s hitched and she even has a son. Yet, Aalu continues to love her. Pinky, however, is not happy with Manohar. She gets suspicious that he’s having an affair. However, he lies to her by saying that he goes out to meet his friend, Bhinder (Saurabh Sharma). One day, she follows him. He realizes he’s being followed and hence has no choice but to drive to Bhinder’s villa. Pinky realizes that Manohar isn’t lying and leaves. Manohar then goes to meet his girlfriend, Sambhavi (Geetanjali Mishra). Minutes after he leaves, Sattu (Pankaj Tripathi), a dreaded gangster, arrives and kills Bhinder and his wife. Rahul Awasthi (Rohit Suresh Saraf), a sales executive in a hypermarket, who is kicked out of his house for non-payment of dues, happens to take refuge at the Bhinder villa at the same time. While leaving, Sattu takes him hostage to his sprawling hideout in the middle of a river. While he’s on his way, he kidnaps a person named Bhanu (Bhanu Uday) hostage as he has failed to repay him Rs. 90 lakhs that he owed. He also tells Bhanu’s wife Asha (Asha Negi) that she should tell Bittu (Abhishek A Bachchan) to meet him. The next day, cops spot Manohar’s car in Bhinder villa and conclude that he’s the murderer. He’s arrested by inspector Sukumar Sinha (Ishtiyak Arif Khan). Pinky ruins it by telling the cops that she saw Manohar entering the villa. Manohar, however, tells her at this point that he was with Sambhavi. He pleads her to meet Sambhavi and confess to the cops the truth and only then he’ll be able to get out of custody. Sambhavi, however, refuses to even admit that she has even met Manohar ever. With no other option, Pinky approaches Aalu for help. On the other hand, Asha meets Bittu. Bittu and Asha were married at one point and even have a daughter, Ruhi. Bittu used to work for Sattu but after he fell in love with Asha, he quit. Sattu didn’t like it and he got Bittu arrested. Asha then married Bhanu and became the father of Ruhi. On Asha’s request, Bittu goes to Sattu’s hideout. At this point, Akash Chauhan (Aditya Roy Kapur) comes to meet Sattu. Akash finds out that a porn clip featuring him and Shruti Choksi (Sanya Malhotra), with whom he had a fling once, is viral. He first approaches inspector Sukumar Sinha. But he tells her to bring Shruti to file the FIR. Shruti is getting married in five days to a wealthy chap named Shekhar (Aman Bhagat) and when he meets her and tells the truth, she is livid. Hence, he approaches Sattu. Sattu assures him that his work will be done. As Akash leaves and Bittu enters, a loud explosion takes place there because of Rahul, who had gone to the kitchen to prepare tea and left the gas on. Akash and Bittu escape with minor injuries but Sattu gets grievously hurt. Yet, Sattu manages to take a nurse, Sheeja Thomas (Pearle Maaney) and Rahul hostage. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Anurag Basu’s story is promising and sounds fantastic on paper. Anurag Basu’s screenplay tries to do justice but succeeds only in parts. There’s no doubt that a lot of hard work has gone in connecting the dots and in ensuring the various parallel stories converge at interesting points in the narrative. While a few of them arrest attention, there are several such intersections which seem to have been done just for the heck of it. Samrat Chakraborty’s dialogues are well worded and add to the humour and drama.

Anurag Basu’s direction is decent. He tries his best to ensure the film stands out not just with the script but also by filling the narrative with some creatively executed scenes. The manner in which he takes his time to establish the characters and then inform viewers how they are related to each other is smartly done. On the flip side, this also gets a bit too much after a point. Also, in order to be unpredictable and quirky, the director takes a lot of cinematic liberties. The manner in which Aalu especially manages to commit crime after crime, to the extent of even killing cops, and he never gets nabbed is too hard to believe. The same kind of unconvincing moments are also a part of the other stories. Moreover, a few stories don’t work individually, and that further mars the impact.

LUDO begins in an interesting manner as all the main characters are presented by two mysterious, Ludo-loving men. It takes a while to comprehend how each of them are related to each other and it becomes clear as the film progresses. Sadly, not all tracks work equally. The Aditya Roy Kapur-Sanya Malhotra track is the most interesting. The circumstances which compel them to be together and their conversations make for an interesting watch. The Abhishek Bachchan track is the weakest of all and simply doesn’t work. The Pankaj Tripathi story commences on a rocking note. But it loses steam once he gets admitted into the hospital. Also, the way he manages to escape death everytime is too hard to digest, even in a quirky film like this. The Rajkummar Rao-Fatima Sana Shaikh track has its share of interesting moments but is also unconvincing. Rajkummar’s sacrificial nature should have ideally made us teary-eyed but that doesn’t happen. Lastly, the Rohit Suresh Saraf- Pearle Maaney story is bland, except for some occasional quirky moments.

Abhishek A Bachchan is not in complete form. The scenes of him losing his temper don’t seem convincing; he did a similar act in a much better way in YUVA [2004]. Later on, his performance however gets better but is still let down by the script. Aditya Roy Kapur is apt for the part. His laidback persona works for this role. Rajkummar Rao (credited in the film as Raj Kumar Rao) tries his best to rise above the script. The manner in which he tells Pinky how he turned into a Mithun Chakraborty fan for her is cute. Pankaj Tripathi plays the kind of a role which he has played before in MIRZAPUR but here, his character has a quirk that makes his performance worthwhile. Also the use of the song ‘O Beta Ji’ for his scenes gives a nice touch. Sanya Malhotra is lovely as a practical girl who wants to settle with a rich guy. Fatima Sana Shaikh leaves a huge mark. Rohit Suresh Saraf hardly has any dialogues but one might not even realize this aspect. His screen presence is too good. Pearle Maaney makes an amazing Bollywood debut and looks ravishing in the second half. Ishtiyak Arif Khan tries too hard to be funny but doesn’t work. Child actor Inayat Verma (Mini) has a crucial part and delivers a splendid performance. Also, it’s after ages that we got a chance to see such a well-written role for a child actor. Shalini Vatsa (Latha Kutty) is a surprise of the film. Paritosh Tripathi gets to shine in the beginning and climax. Asha Negi and Bhanu Uday get limited scope. Saurabh Sharma, Bhanu Uday, Geetanjali Mishra, Aman Bhagat, Varun Verma (Mini’s father), Mamta Verma (Mini’s mother) and Rajiv Mishra (hotel receptionist) are decent. Shivaaji Satam reprises the role of a CID officer which he has played on TV but he has a blink-and-miss appearance. Lastly, Rahul Bagga (Chitragupt) and Anurag Basu (Yamraj) are entertaining.

Pritam’s music isn’t of the chartbuster variety. ‘Aabaad Barbaad’ is the most memorable. The rest of the songs like ‘Meri Tum Ho’, ‘Tere Sirhane’, ‘Dil Julaha’ and ‘Humdam’ are poor. Pritam’s background score however is way better. Allan Amin’s action is first-rate and is not too gory. Ashish Dawyer’s costumes are realistic yet appealing. NY VFXWalla’s VFX could have been better. Anurag Basu’s production design is neat. The different episodes of the film are shot in different cities but set in one town. Yet, due care has been taken to ensure that all the locales look like they are situated in one place. Anurag Basu and Rajesh Shukla’s cinematography also works well in this aspect. Ajay Sharma’s editing is uncomplicated and the various tracks and stories are neatly woven into the narrative.

On the whole, LUDO is interesting and entertaining in parts and consists of unpredictable scenes and bravura performances. But due to a few poor tracks and unconvincing moments, the desired impact is not made. A marginal one time watch.

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Movie Review: Laxmii

November 9, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

The MUNI series has won tremendous love from moviegoers in South India. The film franchise — directed by Raghava Lawrence — is also hugely successful when one looks at its economics and BO returns. Frankly, it didn’t come as a surprise to me when a Hindi remake of the second film in the series — KANCHANA — was announced sometime back.

However, what did catch my attention — and I admit, I was surprised too — was Akshay Kumar’s decision to not just back the project [LAXMII], but also reprise the pivotal role enacted by Raghava Lawrence in the original. Just when you thought that Akshay would attempt a hardcore masala film, the decision to green light LAXMII came as a welcome move.

I have watched KANCHANA twice and what genuinely grabbed my attention was the taut screenwriting of the film. The unconventional plot — with a strong message — stayed with me the first time, which explains why I watched it again, after a gap. And I enjoyed KANCHANA during the second viewing as well.

Now let’s analyse LAXMII. A few questions before I move ahead…
<ul>
<li>Does LAXMII grip you, like KANCHANA did?</li>
<li>Does Akshay suit the character or is it an over the top performance?</li>
<li>What about the VFX? How convincing does it look when juxtaposed with the dramatic and emotional goings-on?</li>
<li>Most importantly, does LAXMII combine humour and horror seamlessly or does it hit a roadblock?</li>
</ul>
The plotline. LAXMII narrates the story of a man, Asif [Akshay Kumar], possessed by the ghost of a transgender, who had been brutally murdered. The family [his wife and in-laws] soon realise Laxmii’s motive: Revenge.

To start with, LAXMII is nowhere close to the original Tamil film [KANCHANA], although one notices modifications in the narrative to cater to the Hindi audience. The problem with LAXMII lies in its weak screenwriting. It hinges on humour for most of its first half, but it doesn’t work. It is only towards the second hour — when Sharad Kelkar makes an entry — that the narrative gathers momentum. That point onwards, right till the finale, it gets better.

The horror tropes don’t leave much of an impact. Ideally, the jump scares should give you chills, but it’s old school horror. Even the songs — especially the first two songs [including ‘Burj Khalifa’] — deserved better placements/situations.

Raghava Lawrence is letdown by the writing. The writers try to juxtapose humour in the classic horror template, but it lacks meat. Recent horror-comedy hits like GOLMAAL AGAIN [2017] and STREE [2018] worked big time due to a strong screenplay. Unfortunately, LAXMII is an opportunity lost.

‘Bam Bholle’ is clearly the best song, in terms of placement and choreography. The background score adds spunk to the proceedings, while the DoP captures the mood of the film right. The VFX — it has an important role to play here — is alright.

Now to the performances. The scene stealer here is — without a shred of doubt — Akshay Kumar. It’s a physically demanding character and the actor goes all out, proving his versatility in the process and delivering a sparkling performance. Kiara Advani looks gorgeous, but gets limited scope. The big surprise is Sharad Kelkar. He is excellent.

LAXMII has a plethora of actors — Rajesh Sharma, Manu Rishi Chadha, Ayesha Raza, Ashwini Kalsekar, Tarun Arora and Prachee Shah — and each one of them is strictly okay.

On the whole, LAXMII lacks the punch. One expected so much more from this film, but it clearly disappoints.

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Movie Review: Taish

October 29, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

Director Bejoy Nambiar made a smashing debut with SHAITAN [2011]. The way he helmed the film with perfection made it difficult for many to believe that it was his first outing. His later Bollywood films like DAVID [2013] and WAZIR [2016] didn’t meet expectations but all hope was not lost on him. And now he’s returned with TAISH and from the trailer, it looks like a taut action thriller. So does TAISH manage to entertain and enthral viewers? Or does it fail to impress? Let’s analyse.

TAISH is the story of two families who end up destroying each other. Rohan Kalra (Jim Sarbh) is a UK resident of Indian origin who works as a GP in a hospital. He is living-in with Arfa Sayeed Khan (Kriti Kharbanda), who is of Pakistani origin. Rohan takes leave from work to be with his family in the countryside and to attend the wedding of his brother Krish (Ankur Rathee) with Mahi (Zoa Morani). Rohan wants Arfa to join him but he’s apprehensive how his father (Ikhlaque Khan) would react on knowing that he’s dating a Muslim girl. Arfa understands and stays back. Rohan returns home and his mother (Monisha Hassen) tries to set him up with Simmi (Melissa Raju Thomas). Rohan’s best friend Sunny Lalwani (Pulkit Samrat) too joins the celebrations, meanwhile. He also convinces Arfa to come for the wedding and even tells the truth about their relationship to Rohan’s parents. All is going fine until one day the whole gang goes to a pub to celebrate. Here, Rohan sees Kuljinder Brar aka Kulli (Abhimanyu Singh). He goes berserk and has to be taken home. Sunny is puzzled at the turn of events. To which Rohan reveals that Kulli had sodomized Rohan when he was 10 years old. Sunny is enraged. He goes back to the pub where Kulli is still present. He assaults him in the washroom. Kulli’s life is saved but he loses his voice and ability to walk. Kulli’s brother is the notorious gangster Pali Brar (Harshvardhan Rane). Pali is cross with Kulli as the latter has married the love of his life Jahaan (Sanjeeda Shaikh). But when he learns about Kulli’s condition, he goes out all to find out who did it. When he realizes it is Sunny, Pali decides to take revenge. On the day of the wedding, he kills Krish. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Bejoy Nambiar’s story is decent. On paper, it must have sounded like a great thriller. But Anjali Nair, Kartik R Iyer, Bejoy Nambiar and Nicola Louise Taylor’s screenplay don’t do justice entirely. A few scenes are very well written and thought of but then there are also scenes which are pretty average and just add to the script’s length. Gunjit Chopra and Bejoy Nambiar’s dialogues are nothing great but a few of the one-liners in the first half are quite funny. However, the use of Punjabi for the scenes of Pali and the surrounding characters might compel audiences to activate subtitles.

Bejoy Nambiar’s direction could have been better. There’s no doubt that technically he’s quite superior and he uses his knowledge and expertise to enhance the impact in several scenes. The use of the red light especially is brilliant and makes for a visual treat. Some scenes also turn out to be exceptional. However, he fails to cover up the loopholes in the script. The way Pali and his family operate, that too in the UK, is very unconvincing. They have no fear of law and moreover, even when Pali is imprisoned, he has access to a cell phone with even the prison officials being on his payroll! In fact, the film would have been more realistic if it was set in Uttar Pradesh instead of the United Kingdom! Secondly, the first half is still fine but the film goes haywire in the second hour. Why did Rohan break off with Arfa? Couldn’t he have stayed with Arfa and grieved together? The other problem is with the love story of Pali and Jahaan. This track deserved a backstory without which it looked superficial.

TAISH has a thrilling beginning which sets the mood and the conflict between Pali and Kulli. The focus then also shifts to the Kalra family and how they are gearing up for Krish and Mahi’s wedding. A few scenes stand out here like Rohan trying to dodge the marriage topic from his mother and Rohan admitting that he wants to marry Arfa. The scene where Rohan confesses to his parents about Arfa (the mirror shot here is very wittily done) and the scenes where he chides his father for being rude to Arfa are two of the best scenes of the first hour. The film goes on another level when Sunny grievously injures Kulli. The tragic sequence of the demise of Krish also adds to the impact. But from hereon, the film falls. The manner in which the narrative moves two years ahead and the way Rohan turns very aloof are quite difficult to digest. Even the scenes of the problems arising in the Brar gang pop up out of the blue. A few scenes again arrest attention like Sunny attempting to finish off Pali in the prison and the pre-climax scene in the nightclub. But these scenes are few and far between. The finale lacks the punch. Also, at 2.22 hours, the film is too lengthy.

ENTERTAINING- Pulkit, Kriti, Jim, Sanjeeda & Bejoy’s HILARIOUS Rapid Fire on Ranbir, Ranveer, Taish

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TAISH, however, is embellished with some fine performances by actors who try their best to rise above the script. Jim Sarbh arguably has the most screen time and does a great job. He has often played twisted characters and here he gets to play a sensible chap for a change. And he manages to do justice. Harshvardhan Rane looks dashing and gives a first-rate performance. He oozes fear and that proves advantageous for his character. Pulkit Samrat is the surprise of the film. Here, he plays an impulsive, stubborn man and gets totally into the skin of his character. He is especially great in the washroom action scene. Kriti Kharbanda looks stunning and gives an impressive performance. Sanjeeda Shaikh is strictly okay and her character is not well fleshed out. Zoa Morani has a fine screen presence. Ankur Rathee is decent. Abhimanyu Singh is dependable as always. Melissa Raju Thomas leaves a huge mark. Saurabh Sachdeva (Sukhi) gives a performance to watch out for. Viraf Patel (Shozi) is fine but how his character is known to Kalra’s is not established. The other actors who are decent are Ikhlaque Khan, Monisha Hassen, Armaan Khera (Jassi Brar), Saloni Batra (Sanobar Brar), Kunickaa Sadanand (Beeji), Mahavir Bhullar (Gyaan ji), Ekansh Kumar Sharma (Sattu) and Shivanshu Pandey (Ismail).

Music is a disappointment. ’Shehnai Bajne Do', ’Jaago' and ’Saavan Mod Muhara' get registered a bit. The rest of the songs like ’Kol Kol', ’Roshni Si', ’Re Bawree', ’All I See Is The Light' and ’Mila Na Tu' are forgettable. Gaurav Godkhindi and Govind Vasantha’s background score is a bit better. Harshvir Oberai’s cinematography is appropriate. The shaky camerawork is interesting. Ian Van Temperley’s action works as it’s not too gory. Gopika Gulwadi’s costumes are appealing especially in the marriage sequence. Mandar D Nagaonkar’s production design is rich. Priyank Prem Kumar’s editing could have been crisper. The film should have been shorter by 15-20 minutes.

On the whole, TAISH rests on an interesting storyline and is embellished with some fine performances. But the long length and a weak second half dilutes the impact to a great extent.

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Movie Review: Ginny Weds Sunny

October 9, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

Many moviegoers might not be familiar with producer Vinod Bachchan. But he has a major contribution to Bollywood as he was the producer of the much loved romcom, TANU WEDS MANU [2011]. He’s now back with another flick with a similar sounding title, GINNY WEDS SUNNY. TANU WEDS MANU worked big time due to the chemistry between the leads, supreme writing and chartbuster music. Does GINNY WEDS SUNNY manage to reach to the level of TANU WEDS MANU? Or does it to fail to entice viewers? Let’s analyse.

GINNY WEDS SUNNY is the story of a couple amidst loads of confusion and madness. Satnam Sethi aka Sunny (Vikrant Massey) lives with his father Pappi (Rajeev Gupta), mother Rita (Menka Kurup) and sister Nimmi (Mazel Vyas) in Delhi. Sunny works with his father in their family hardware store. Sunny, however, loves cooking and wants to start a restaurant named ‘Tilak Nagar Tandoori Nights’. Pappi makes it clear that he’ll agree to finance Sunny’s dreams only after he gets married. Sunny is interested in a girl named Sanya (Venus Singh) but she backs off when she finds out that he wants to marry her only to fulfil his restaurant dream. In the same neighbourhood lives Shobha Juneja (Ayesha Raza), a matchmaker. Sadly, she is not able to find a match for her own daughter, Simran aka Ginny (Yami Gautam). Ginny is against arranged marriage and wants to fall in love before getting hitched. Sunny has had a crush on Ginny since they were in school. When Pappi asks Shobha to find a match for Sunny, she decides to hook him up with Ginny. Sunny is more than ready, obviously. Shobha then guides him on how to win her heart. Sunny gets going but one day realizes that Ginny is still friends with Nishant Rathee (Suhail Nayyar). Both had broken up 1 ½ years ago but are still quite close and confused about their status. Sunny gets disheartened but Shobha tells him to keep trying. Slowly, Ginny warms up to Sunny and even invites him to join her and her friends for a trip to Mussoorie. This trip brings Ginny and Sunny even closer. There comes a moment where they are about to get intimate, with Ginny even almost agreeing to marry Sunny. Sadly, this is when Nishant lands up. He proposes marriage to Ginny. In shock, Ginny fails to utter a word and ends up wearing the ring which Nishant offers her. Sunny gets the shock of his life. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Navjot Gulati and Sumit Arora’s story is routine. But the Navjot Gulati and Sumit Arora’s screenplay is very entertaining. The writers have tried their best to add some novel moments throughout the narrative to keep the interest going. This is no easy task especially when the basic plot has been beaten to death. Hence, the writers surely deserve kudos for managing to do so much with the characters and plot points so that audiences don’t get a been-there-done-that feeling. Having said that, a few sequences still turn out to be predictable. The gurudwara episode, though moving, is something that audiences would anticipate from a mile away. The same goes for some of the developments in the climax. Navjot Gulati and Sumit Arora’s dialogues are hilarious, clean and very witty and add to the entertainment quotient.

Puneet Khanna’s direction is simple and uncomplicated. The first-time director handles a lot of scenes with panache. The pace of the film is neither too fast nor too slow and the way Ginny and Sunny fall for each other seems very organic. Just like the writers, even he tries to incorporate novel touches to the narrative. One of the most interesting bits in this regard is how even the third wheel character of Nishant also gets footage in the sad song in the second half! On the flipside, the 125 minute long film could have been shorter by 5 or 10 minutes especially in the second half. A few cinematic liberties are hard to digest. For instance, it’s bewildering that a smart girl like Ginny never realized even for a moment that Sunny didn’t coincidentally ended up meeting her everywhere and that it was all planned. Secondly, the manner in which Sunny takes her out for one full day, a day before her wedding with Neha Gulati (Isha V Talwar), was strange, especially since we don’t see anyone from Neha’s side asking about his whereabouts at all.

GINNY WEDS SUNNY begins on a very fine note and immediately introduces the characters with all their flaws, qualities and challenges. Ginny’s entry scene particularly is funny. What’s interesting is that not just the leads but even the supporting characters contribute to the film’s entertainment quotient. This is particularly in the case of Pappi and Shobha and the dynamic they share. The scenes of Shobha turning ‘love guru’ for Sunny make for a great watch. The Mussoorie episode is sweet. The scene where Nishant proposes Ginny is dramatic, and probably would have been the film’s interval point had it released in cinemas. Post-interval, the film drops a bit and also the humour lessens. However, a few scenes stand out like the drama at Ginny’s house where all her love interests land up, and also the gurudwara episode. The finale has some nail-biting moments and adds to the fun.

Vikrant Massey gives a superb performance. The actor has mostly been a part of niche films or has been relegated to supporting parts in mainstream films. This is his first commercial film as a lead hero and he does a very good job. His comic timing and his attempts to not go overboard are very praiseworthy. Yami Gautam, after BALA [2019], gives yet another memorable performance. Here, her character is not over-the-top and she performs accordingly. She is riveting in a few scenes, especially in the pre-climax and climax. Also, special mention should be made of Vikrant and Yami’s chemistry. It’s electrifying! Ayesha Raza is in superb form and has a very crucial part in the film. Rajiv Gupta, who recently hammed a lot in VIRGIN BHANUPRIYA [2020], is on another level. His dialogues contribute to the humour. Menka Kurup doesn’t get much scope. Mazel Vyas however leaves a mark. Suhail Nayyar is decent and suits his part to the T. Venus Singh is okay in the cameo. Isha V Talwar is fair. Gurpreet Saini (Sumeet) is funny. The other actors who do well are Sanchita Puri (Prerna), V P Kalra (Piles uncle in metro), Munish Dev Mohan (Neha’s father) and Deepak Chaddha (Neha’s uncle).

Music is decent. ’Sawan Mei Lag Gayi Aag' works big time and surprisingly, it looks like a promotional track but is actually a part of the film’s narrative. ’Lol' is foot-tapping while ’Rubaru' and ’Phir Chala' are well used in the background. ’Phoonk Phoonk Ke' is well utilized in the film’s pre-climax and finale. Prasad S’s background score is in sync with the film’s narrative.

Nuthain Nagaraj’s cinematography is neat and captures the Delhi, Noida and the metro network well. Ashwini Shrivastav’s production design is eye-catching, especially the houses of Ginny and Sunny. Mandira Shukla’s costumes are okay but Amandeep Kaur’s costumes for Yami Gautam are very glamorous and appealing. U&V Media’s VFX is average and it could have been better in the hot air balloon sequence. Sandeep Sethy’s editing is fine.

On the whole, GINNY WEDS SUNNY rests on a routine plot but yet it’s worth watching thanks to its well-written screenplay and electrifying chemistry of Vikrant Massey and Yami Gautam. Moreover, it’s a clean entertainer, devoid of any vulgarity and abuses, and hence is an ideal family entertainer.

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Movie Review: Khaali Peeli

October 2, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

The ‘Mumbaiya’ lingo became famous thanks to films like RANGEELA, MUNNA BHAI SERIES etc. and also the various films based on the Underworld. The lingo has a charm of its own and sadly, very few films have been made of late that are based on the characters mouthing this dialect. KHAALI PEELI attempts to be an exception in this regard. It’s a special film as it marks the debut of SULTAN [2016] and TIGER ZINDA HAI [2017] director Ali Abbas Zafar as producer. The chemistry of the lead actors – Ishaan Khatter and Ananya Panday – has also got noticed. So does KHAALI PEELI manage to entertain? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse.

KHAALI PEELI is the story of a boy and girl on a crazy night-time adventure. Blackie (Ishaan Khatter) is a cabbie in Mumbai who drives the famous black-and-yellow taxi, also popularly known as kaali-peeli cab. One night, a strike of the taxi drivers is going on. Blackie however comes across a pregnant lady on her way to the hospital. He agrees to take her and her hubby to the hospital in return for Rs. 5,000. While he is on the way, some cabbies catch him red-handed. They inform the union leader (Ashish Varang) who along with some taxi drivers confront him. While trying to save himself from their attacks, he accidentally ends up stabbing one of them. He decides to run away from the city in his cab for a few days till the matter cools down. This is when he bumps into Pooja (Ananya Panday). She stays in a brothel run by Yousuf Chikna (Jaideep Ahlawat) since she was a child. It was at a very young age that one of Yousuf’s customers, Choksi Seth (Swanand Kirkire) had fallen for her and had decided to marry her when she grows up. She, however, is not at all interested in him. She hence steals a lot of money and jewellery from Yousuf and escapes. That’s when she comes across Blackie. Blackie decides to drop her somewhere outside the city and Pooja decides to pay him generously in return. Blackie realizes she has a lot of money in her bag. He has always desired to be rich and hence, he devises a plan to hand her over to Yusuf’s goons. In return, Yousuf’s goon Mangya (Suyash Tilak) promises that he can keep the bag that Pooja stole and he would additionally pay him the same amount as well. The plan is put in motion and Mangya manages to get hold of Pooja. But at that very moment, Blackie realizes that Pooja is the girl who was her first love. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Sima Agarwal and Yash Keswani’s story rests on a wafer-thin plot. Sima Agarwal and Yash Keswani’s screenplay saves the film to an extent from becoming a dated fare. However, the script loses steam in the second half as nothing exciting happens after a point. Sima Agarwal and Yash Keswani’s dialogues (additional dialogues by Suraj Gianani) are funny and laced with some smart, tapori-style one-liners.

Maqbool Khan’s direction is stylised and neat and he tries his best to turn the ordinary script into a watchable fare. And he succeeds to do so in the first half. But how much can the direction help when the content is just not exciting enough? Moreover, there are too many cinematic liberties in the film. Initially, one won’t mind but later, it becomes difficult to digest. And although the film is essentially a masala entertainer, it has a bit of a dark setting. This might go against the film’s target audience.

KHAALI PEELI’s first half is quite entertaining, despite absence of logic. The trademark masala film stamp is visible in few scenes, especially the way Blackie turns from a kid to an adult. The flashback portions keep the interest going and also the fun conversations between Blackie and Pooja. The intermission point is dramatic. The second half is shorter but this is where the film really slips. The back-and-forth narrative gets too much after a point. The track of Inspector Bhim (Satish Kaushik), though funny, is forcefully inserted in the film. The finale is nothing special and is instead long drawn and predictable.

Ananya Panday on dealing with TROLLS, her Mom’s message, Khaali Peeli, Ishaan & Karan Johar

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Talking of performances, Ishaan Khatter is pretty confident. He looks every inch a streetsmart Mumbaikar and he also adds to the film’s entertainment quotient. Ananya Panday looks stunning and does much better than her previous two films. She shows promise and looks convincing in her action scenes as well. Jaideep Ahlawat is decent and is letdown by the script. Swanand Kirkire is strictly okay and his track doesn’t reach a logical conclusion. Suyash Tilak is fair. Same goes for Zakir Hussain (Inspector Tavde). Satish Kaushik’s comic timing is spot-on but the character is added in the film just for the heck of it. Vedant Desai (young Blackie) and Deshna Duggad (young Pooja) do very well. Ashish Varang, Annup Sonii (Blackie’s father Ravi), Vaisshalee Thakkar (Khala) and Kasturi Banerjee (dancer) are decent.

Vishal-Shekhar’s music is very disappointing. The film ought to have a chartbuster. ’Duniya Sharma Jayegi' is okay. ’Shana Dil' is played in the background and is forgettable. ’Tehas Nehas' is forced but is well-choreographed. Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara’s background score is much better.

Adil Afsar’s cinematography is stylish in some scenes. But the visuals should have been brighter. Parvez Shaikh’s action makes for a nice watch. Natascha Charak and Nikita Mohanty’s costumes are glamorous, especially the ones worn by Ananya Panday. Durgaprasad Mahapatra’s production design is realistic. Rameshwar S Bhagat’s editing could have been slicker, especially in the second half.

On the whole, KHAALI PEELI rests on a wafer-thin plot and is riddled with a lot of cinematic liberties, thus diluting the impact. Moreover, the decision to release the film on a pay-per-view model, that too at an exorbitant price, might go against the film.

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Movie Review: Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare

September 18, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

Director Alankrita Srivastava didn’t create waves with her directorial debut TURNING 30 [2011]. But her second film LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA [2017] got worldwide recognition and also succeeded well at the Indian box office. That an attempt was made by the Censors to make reckless cuts in this ‘lady oriented’ film also caught people’s attention. And now the talented writer-director is back with DOLLY KITTY AUR WOH CHAMAKTE SITARE. It has a stellar star cast and the trailer indicates that it’s in the same zone as LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA. So does DOLLY KITTY AUR WOH CHAMAKTE SITARE manage to entertain and engage? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse.

DOLLY KITTY AUR WOH CHAMAKTE SITARE is the story of two cousin sisters trying to survive in an emerging city. Radha aka Dolly (Konkona Sensharma) is married to Amit (Aamir Bashir) and has two kids – Pappu (Kalp Singh) and Bharat (Hearty Singh). Dolly and Amit have invested in a flat in an under-construction building and can’t wait to shift into their new house. However, they are falling short of money and Dolly manages to arrange it from her office bank account through unscrupulous means. Her cousin sister, Kaajal (Bhumi Pednekar) moves in with them after she runs away from her family home in Darbhanga to avoid marriage. After being unsuccessful in finding a decent job, Dolly has no choice but to get employment in a Friendship club’s call centre. Here, she is rechristened as Kitty. She also moves out of Dolly’s house after Amit touches her inappropriately. In the PG, she befriends Shazia (Kubbra Sait) and begins to hang out with her and her boyfriend, DJ Teja (Karan Kundrra). At her workplace, she comes across Pradeep (Vikrant Massey) and she falls for him. Dolly meanwhile is unsatisfied with her sex life and she gets attracted to Osman Ansari (Amol Parashar), a young delivery boy. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Alankrita Srivastava’s story is decent. The attempt to make a comment on patriarchy and the ills existing in our society is praiseworthy. But Alankrita Srivastava’s screenplay doesn’t do justice to the plot. There’s no proper flow to the writing and things happen in the film at random. Also, there are far too many subplots and not at all of them impress. Also, a few plot points don’t have a logical conclusion, especially the one about Dolly’s dream flat. Alankrita Srivastava’s dialogues are sharp and to the point.

Alankrita Srivastava’s direction is average. She was in a far better form in LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA, possibly also because she was equipped with a far better script. In DOLLY KITTY AUR WOH CHAMAKTE SITARE, the script is not watertight, with only a few scenes really making the impact. Moreover, the biggest problem with the film is that Alankrita tries too hard to make the film as scandalous as possible. Almost everyone in the film is having a wild life – Dolly is fantasizing about a young boy and stealing money from office for her dream flat, her mother (Neelima Azeem) had left her husband to be with her lover, Kitty is selling romance for a living, Shazia is having short-term relationships while Dolly’s work colleague Juhi (Pavleen Gujral) doubles up as an escort. Moreover, Dolly’s son Pappu is a cross dresser. Amit and Pradeep, meanwhile, also have their share of dark secrets. The attempt here is to not judge or be regressive. But when almost all the characters in the film are having a scandalous double life, it becomes too much to digest. And not to forget, there’s also a political angle and that further makes things unconvincing.

DOLLY KITTY AUR WOH CHAMAKTE SITARE begins on an interesting note and in no time, we get acquainted with the characters of Dolly and Kitty and also their relationship with each other. The first half is quite scattered and one won’t complain as one assumes that the director is trying to explain the setting and building up. But the same happens in the second half as well. On the positive side, a few scenes are well executed like Kitty’s first day at the call center, Dolly’s confrontation with her mother, the drama at the police station and Dolly and Kitty pouring their heart out on the rooftop. One expects the climax to be smashing but the way the events unfold are difficult to digest. To see all the main characters of the film, some of them from different cities or parts of the town, assembling at the same place is laughable. If this was a Priyadarshan film, it would have made still sense. But in a realistic film like this, it’s too much. The film’s final scene is sweet but not enough to enhance the impact.

The performances however save the day to an extent. Konkona Sensharma as always does very well and gets into the skin of her character. Bhumi Pednekar too puts her best foot forward and leaves a huge mark. Aamir Bashir is dependable. Amol Parashar is endearing while Vikrant Massey is first-rate in a supporting role. Kubbra Sait is quite good and it’s high time she is given lead roles in films. Karan Kundrra is decent in a small role. Kalp Shah has a challenging role but pulls it off nicely. Hearty Singh gets no scope. Neelima Azeem is excellent though she appears in just one scene. Pavleen Gujral, Prabhat Raghunandan (Billa), Ghanshyam Pandey (Shahnawaz Pradhan), Nutan Surya (Nancy; old-aged employee in the call center) and Brij Bhushan Shukla (property broker) are okay.

The songs are forgettable. ’Khwabida’ gets registered a bit while ’Neet Ve', ’Bimari' and ’Rap Battle' fail to impress. Mangesh Dhakde’s background score is subtle and effective. John Jacob Payyapalli’s cinematography is neat and well done. Tiya Tejpal’s production design is realistic and in sync with the film’s setting. Same goes for Rohit Chaturvedi’s costumes. Charu Shree Roy’s editing is passable but too quick at places.

On the whole, DOLLY KITTY AUR WOH CHAMAKTE SITARE has an important underlying message but the attempt to forcefully scandalize and politicize the narrative takes away the impact. This very reason, however, might also make the film a talking point.

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Movie Review: Sadak 2

August 28, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

A list of one of the prolific directors of Bollywood will remain incomplete if Mahesh Bhatt isn’t mentioned. He carved a niche for himself and impressed audiences and critics alike with his ability to handle light-hearted musicals as well serious, intense dramas with equal panache. One of his memorable films in the latter category was SADAK [1991]. The film was appreciated for its performances, particularly Sadashiv Amrapurkar as the villainous Maharani, subject and music. 29 years later, Mahesh Bhatt decides to take this story forward with SADAK 2. It is a significant film as it also marks Mahesh Bhatt’s return to direction after almost 21 years. That it’s the first film of his daughter Alia Bhatt with the Bhatt’s Vishesh Films banner also makes it special. So does SADAK 2 manage to entertain and thrill audiences just like the first part? Or does it fail to entertain? Let’s analyse.

SADAK 2 is the story of a girl trying to expose a powerful godman. Aryaa (Alia Bhatt) has lost her mother Shakuntala to cancer but she feels that it’s because of the involvement of a godman Gyaan Prakash (Makarand Deshpande). Her father, Yogesh Desai (Jisshu Sengupta) is a devout follower of Gyaan Prakash and he fails to realize the truth. He even gets married to Shakuntala’s sister Nandini (Priyanka Bose), also a follower of Gyaan Prakash. Aryaa meanwhile starts an online campaign against this godman and gets close to 2 lakh followers. It also helps her meet Vishal (Aditya Roy Kapur) and both soon start a relationship. All is going well but one day, Gyaan Prakash attempts to kill Aarya by sending a henchman. Vishal, however, kills the henchman for which he’s jailed. Aryaa is sent to a mental asylum and falsely declared mentally ill. Her online activities are also ceased. She, however, escapes from the hospital and decides to go to Mount Kailash. This is because her 21st birthday is round the corner and her mother had wished that she visit this holy place on this important day of her life. She books a cab three months in advance from Pooja Travels and Tours, run by Pooja (Pooja Bhatt) and her husband Ravi (Sanjay Dutt). After Pooja accepts the booking, she dies in a road accident. Ravi is shattered and turns suicidal. This is when Aryaa lands up at his place and demands to go to Ranikhet from where she’s supposed to take a chopper to Mount Kailash. Ravi reluctantly accepts the booking, because of Pooja’s reference. The journey begins and both end up telling each other about the sorrows of their lives. Incidentally, Vishal, too, gets released from the prison and he also joins in the journey. Unfortunately, Gyaan Prakash’s men catch up with the trio. The godman sends his most devoted disciple, Dilip Hathkataa (Gulshan Grover), to finish them off. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Mahesh Bhatt and Suhrita Sengupta’s story is illogical and all over the place. There’s no head or tail to the plot and it’s shocking that it even got approved. Mahesh Bhatt and Suhrita Sengupta’s screenplay fails to improve the weak plot. There is so much the writers could have done as they had taken up a burning topic of fake godmen. It’s astonishing that they let go of this huge opportunity. Instead, they resorted to cheap gimmicks and twists and turns which ends up putting off audiences. Mahesh Bhatt and Suhrita Sengupta’s dialogues are nothing special.

Mahesh Bhatt’s direction doesn’t work. Direction has always been his forte but here, he doesn’t seem to be in form at all. There are glaring loopholes in the film and his execution does nothing to hide them well. Vishal, for instance, is jailed for murdering a man. By Aryaa’s own admission, the cops arrested him because they were ordered to do so by Gyaan Prakash. Yet, how on earth he manages to get released from the prison is something that goes bouncer. The twist in the track of Yogesh Desai also is very unconvincing. The worst is however reserved for the climax. From the scene where Ravi feeds a sedated cake to Aryaa and Vishal, to Ravi entering a powerful godman’s place with ease, the last 20 minutes will make it difficult for viewers to tolerate.

Aditya Roy Kapur on SUCCESS of Malang, Akshay Kumar, EK VILLAIN 2 with John, Sadak 2 | Fan Questions

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SADAK 2 begins on a bizarre note. The introduction of characters is not done well and it makes it clear that it won’t be a smooth ride. The film gets a bit better once Aryaa and Ravi get to know each other. However, logic consistently takes a backseat and that becomes too much after a point. The scene where Ravi gets into action mode and bashes up Dilip Hathkataa and his men raises interest. Also, the scene where Aryaa makes it clear that she still loves Vishal, despite knowing the truth, is heartening. But more and more twists are unveiled and instead of surprising, it ends up depressing the audiences. One still expects the ending to be a highpoint. Instead, it is shockingly insipid and poor. The final scene is supposed to be moving but thanks to the lack of sense and logic in most of the film, this particular sequence doesn’t evoke any emotion.

Sanjay Dutt is the best highlight of the film. He is in his element and manages to give a convincing performance. He also looks quite dapper. Alia Bhatt too puts in her best but is letdown by the weak script. She, too, looks quite ravishing. Aditya Roy Kapur is fine but he hardly gets scope in the second half. Pooja Bhatt is not there in the film at all and only her voice is heard. Makarand Deshpande hams all the way and comes across as a weak villain. Jisshu Sengupta also overacts a lot. Same goes for Priyanka Bose. Gulshan Grover is criminally wasted. His character seemed so cool but doesn’t have much to do. John Gardner (John) and Mohan Kapur (Rajesh Puri) are the only two supporting actors who don’t overact in this film. Anil George (Om), Himanshu Bhatt (Gaurav), Jehangir Karkaria (Dr Dastur), Chrisann Pereira (Naina Das) and Akash Khurana (Psychiatrist) are okay.

Music of this film doesn’t have a shelf life. ’Ishq Kamaal' has some recall value but the rest of the songs – ’Shukriya’, ‘Tum Se Hi' and ’Dil Ki Purani Sadak' – don’t leave a mark. Sandeep Chowta’s background score is sans complaints.

Jay I Patel’s cinematography is quite good and captures the locales well. Abbas Ali Moghul’s action is theatrical. Amit Ray and Subrata Chakraborty’s production design and Priyanka Bhatt’s costumes are fine. Sandeep Kurup’s editing is nothing special.

On the whole, SADAK 2 is confusing, depressing and a dull fare.

from Movie Review | Bollywood Movie Reviews | Latest Hindi Movies Reviews – Bollywood Hungama https://ift.tt/3lok7XL

Movie Review: Khuda Haafiz

August 14, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

Over the last few weeks, viewers got a chance to see biopics of extraordinary personalities like Gunjan Saxena and Shakuntala Devi. But these are personalities whose greatness is already known to an extent. There are many who have done unbelievable feats in their lives and hardly anyone would be aware of it. Faruk Kabir, who has made ALLAH KE BANDAY [2010] and a couple of web series in the past, tells one such story in his latest outing, KHUDA HAAFIZ. It stars Vidyut Jammwal, who has created a fan base of his own thanks to his action films. So does KHUDA HAAFIZ manage to entertain and thrill? Or does it fail to impress? Let’s analyse.

KHUDA HAAFIZ is the story of a simple man whose wife goes missing under mysterious circumstances in a foreign country. In October 2007, Lucknow-based Sameer (Vidyut Jammwal), a software engineer, gets into an arranged marriage with Nargis (Shivaleeka Oberoi). Both fall in love with each other in no time. All is going well until recession strikes the world. Sameer has to shut down his business. Even Nargis is fired from her workplace. They hunt for jobs but three months pass and they fail to get employment. With no other choice, they apply for a job in the Middle-Eastern country of Noman through an agent named Nadeem (Vipin Sharma). Nargis gets the job first and she is asked to leave for Noman the very next day. Sameer is apprehensive but Nadeem assures that she’ll be safe there. He also tells Sameer that the latter’s job confirmation notice should also come within 5-6 days and then he can unite with his wife. Nargis thus flies alone to Noman. Next day she calls Sameer and appears distressed. She is crying and she tells him that this isn’t the job she signed up for. Before she could say anything else, the phone call ends. A shocked Sameer lands up at Nadeem’s office along with the cops. Nadeem feigns ignorance. Sameer immediately flies to Noman’s capital city, Noor Us Saba where Nargis has supposedly got the job. Outside the airport, Sameer meets a kind-hearted taxi driver, Usman Ali Murad (Annu Kapoor) and he tells him to take him to the address of Nargis’s workplace. Usman tells him that this address is incorrect. The cops at Noor Us Saba refuse to help him till he gets an approval from the Indian Embassy. At the embassy, he doesn’t get timely help as the top officer I K Mishra (Ikhlaque Khan) is away. Sameer now has only one clue – the phone number from where he got Nargis’s call. From the mobile company, he manages to find out the name and address of the person owning the number. It turns out to be that of a person named Parvez Shirazi who resides in a town named Baith Us Saif, located 300 kms away. Sameer reaches there immediately. Coincidentally, it’s also the hometown of Usman and he helps him in the search. They realize that Parvez is involved in flesh trade. Sameer’s world comes crashing down. Nevertheless, he goes to the brothel, impersonating as a client and manages to locate Nargis. The pimp (Gowhar Khan) however realizes that Sameer knows her and attacks. Sameer too fights back but fails to rescue Nargis. He and Usman escape and are chased by the goons. They almost manage to run away but then meet with a minor accident. The cops land up and arrest Sameer. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Faruk Kabir’s story is quite interesting and fit for a commercial film. The first 30-35 minutes might remind one of BAAGHI 3 [2020] which also dealt with the protagonist’s close family member disappearing in a middle-eastern country. Moreover, BAAGHI 3 also shows the protagonist finding out about his brother’s disappearance while he was on a call with him! Thankfully, once Sameer reaches Noman, the film doesn’t even seem remotely similar to the Tiger Shroff starrer. Faruk Kabir’s screenplay is engaging. The film moves at a great pace and the focus is on the principle plot from start to finish. But there are times when the film moves too fast and hence, one might not get emotionally attached to certain characters. Faruk Kabir’s dialogues are decent.

Vidyut Jammwal: “UNLEARNING was the most AMAZING learning process in Khuda Haafiz”| Shivaleeka Oberoi | Faruk Kabir

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Faruk Kabir’s direction is quite good. On the positive side, the film is quite fast-paced. There are some great dramatic and action moments that sustain interest. Also, the director deserves praise as he doesn’t make the film looks sleazy despite the fact that it deals with trafficking and sex trade. Also, no item song is added for the heck of it. On the flipside, the film has its share of cinematic liberties. The manner in which Sameer manages to escape from the brothel and even from the airport raises eyebrows. Sameer’s very final fight could have been better thought of. Lastly, the courtship period of Sameer and Nargis is shown too quickly and perhaps a little more time could have been taken to explore their relationship for a better impact.

KHUDA HAAFIZ begins on an intriguing note. Sameer is already captured by the cops on foreign soil and then the film goes on a flashback mode as he narrates his tale to the Indian Embassy official. Not much time is spent in showing how love blossomed between Sameer and Nargis and their eventual marriage. The director soon comes to the point where Nargis leaves for Noman and how she disappears. Sameer reaching Noman and trying to locate his missing wife keeps the interest going. The best part of the first half obviously is when Sameer goes on a rampage in the brothel in Baith Us Saif and then has a dramatic escape. The entry of Faiz Abu Malik (Shiv Panditt) and Tamena Hamid (Aahana Kumra) add to the madness. The film also slips in the middle of the second hour. But it picks up in the final act once Sameer reaches the place of Itzak Regini (Nawab Shah). From here till the finale, the film keeps one at the edge of the seat.

Vidyut Jammwal plays a common man here and does his share of action. Performance-wise, he is decent and shines in some emotional scenes. Sadly, in a couple of places, he goes a bit over the top. Shivaleeka Oberoi doesn’t get much scope but is fine and has a good screen presence. Annu Kapoor is excellent and quite endearing. Shiv Panditt leaves a mark with his performance and accent, despite his late entry. Same goes for Aahana Kumra. Ikhlaque Khan is passable. Nawab Shah plays the villainous role well. Vipin Sharma is dependable as always. Gowhar Khan, Shahnawaz Pradhan (Sameer’s father), Gargi Patel (Sameer’s mother), Mohit Chauhan (Nargis’s father), Suparna Marwah (Nargis’s mother), Rio Kapadia (ISA Commissioner Ali Azam Ghazi), Tamara Mirmahsudova (Usman’s wife) and Kinal Muchhala (Sonia Singh; employee at Indian embassy) are fine.

Mithoon’s music is nothing great. The film doesn’t have the scope for music. The title song stands out a bit because of the Arabic feel while ’Aakhri Kadam Tak' registers a bit because of the situation in which it’s played. ’Jaan Ban Gaye' and ’Mera Intezaar Karna' are forgettable. Amar Mohile’s background score is quite better and exhilarating. Jitan Harmeet Singh’s cinematography is spectacular and the various locales of Uzbekistan are well captured. Bijon Das Gupta, Ranjit Singh and Prerna Kathuria’s production design are authentic. Divvya Gambhur and Nidhhi Gambhir’s costumes are appealing and in sync with the character’s ethnicity. Ivanov Victor and Andreas Nguyen’s action is very violent and gory. It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted. NY VFXWaala’s VFX is fair. Sandeep Francis’s editing is rapid.

On the whole, KHUDA HAAFIZ is a well-paced action thriller that works chiefly due to the script, direction and performances of Vidyut Jammwal and Annu Kapoor.

from Movie Review | Bollywood Movie Reviews | Latest Hindi Movies Reviews – Bollywood Hungama https://ift.tt/31PNnO1

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