Movie Review: Gunjan Saxena – The Kargil Girl

August 10, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

In many parts of the world, women have faced discrimination in every field and India, sadly, is no exception. But at the same time, India is also full of inspiring stories of those women who fought the challenges posed due to gender discrimination and yet emerged victorious. Bollywood, off late, has taken keen interest in such films. Last year saw two such inspiring films release in the form of MANIKARNIKA – THE QUEEN OF JHANSI and SAAND KI AANKH. As for 2020, just a couple of weeks back, we got a chance to witness the adventures of a ‘Human Computer’ in SHAKUNTALA DEVI. And now, get ready for GUNJAN SAXENA – THE KARGIL GIRL, a tale of a Kargil war hero. So does GUNJAN SAXENA – THE KARGIL GIRL manage to entertain and thrill the audiences? Or does it fail to impress? Let’s analyse.

GUNJAN SAXENA – THE KARGIL GIRL is about the tough journey of India’s first female combat aviator. The year is 1984. Gunjan Saxena (Riva Arora), who is around 9 years old, is travelling with her family in an aeroplane. She gets a chance to enter the cockpit and experience the magic of flying an aircraft. She decides immediately that she wants to be a pilot. In 1989, Gunjan (Janhvi Kapoor) passes her Class 10 exams with flying colours. She tells her family – father Anup Saxena (Pankaj Tripathi), mother Kirti Saxena (Ayesha Raza Mishra) and solider brother Anshuman (Angad Bedi) – about her plans of quitting further studies so that she can fulfil her dream. Kirti and Anushman disapprove but Anup tells her to go ahead. However, when she applies at a flying school, she realizes that the rules have changed and she’ll have to study till graduation. She applies again after five years but by then, the fees for the course have increased to Rs. 10 lakhs, a figure which is unaffordable for the Saxena family. Gunjan is dejected. Anup then asks her to apply in the Indian Air Force, which has recently started a course to get female officers. Gunjan applies and emerges as the only one who gets selected. She then successfully completes her training and then heads to Udhampur Air Force Station in Jammu and Kashmir. Here, she faces massive discrimination over her gender. The fellow officers refuse to fly with her, fearing that she might jeopardize the sortie and crash. Her flight commanding officer Dileep Singh (Vineet Kumar Singh) makes it clear that she’s not equal in the camp. And the commanding officer Gautam Sinha (Manav Vij) also appears to be strict and not-so-understanding. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Nikhil Mehrotra and Sharan Sharma’s story has a lot of potential and the need of the hour. Nikhil Mehrotra and Sharan Sharma’s screenplay is watertight. The focus is not just on narrating Gunjan’s life story but also on ensuring that the entertainment quotient is maintained. They also keep the narrative very simple and hence it’ll be easy to comprehend for anyone who watches it. On the flipside, it’s important for character names to be uttered in some way and that’s something that doesn’t happen in this film. The names of Janhvi’s parents or commanding officer Gautam Sinha are never mentioned. In case of Jahnvi’s brother, his nickname Anshu is mentioned but never his real name! Nikhil Mehrotra and Sharan Sharma’s dialogues (additional dialogues by Hussain Dalal) elevate the impact and also the humour to another level. Again, the balance is maintained – the dialogues never turn too filmy.

Sharan Sharma’s direction is superlative and it’s impossible to say that this is his debut flick. He keeps the focus on story, without adding a romantic angle or anything of that sort. He also keeps the duration firmly in check – the film is just 1.52 hours long. And thanks to his narrative, boredom doesn’t creep in even for a moment and there’s a lot happening in the film every now and then. On the flipside, the war scenes in the last 20 minutes could have been more thrilling and terrifying for a better impact. Also, Sharan fails to extract the desired performance from Janhvi Kapoor. More on that later!

Gunjan Saxena – The Kargil Girl: The Story Behind | Janhvi Kapoor

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GUNJAN SAXENA – THE KARGIL GIRL starts on a tensed and thrilling note. Gunjan’s entry is heroic and it would have been fun to witness it in cinemas amidst claps and whistles! The film then goes on a flashback mode but before it does, it makes it clear that the country is at war and that Gunjan, despite being able, has been left out in aerial operations. The growing-up years of Gunjan is dealt in a very entertaining and hilarious manner. Several scenes stand out here – young Gunjan in the cockpit, the party sequence and late-night conversations of Gunjan’s parents. However, two scenes take the cake in the first half. The first is when Gunjan doles out Bollywood gossip when asked to comment on current affairs – it’s sure to bring the house down! And the second is when Anup explains to Gunjan the real meaning of patriotism. The second half is where the film gets very grim as Gunjan faces obstacles at the Udhampur base. The film ends on a very emotional note.

Janhvi Kapoor delivers a fine performance and one can sense that she has given her best, physically and emotionally, to the film. But she doesn’t have a range of expressions which would have elevated her performance and also the film. On the positive, she is great in the scenes where she fails to reach the tarmac on time or the scene where she confronts Dileep Singh. Pankaj Tripathi is outstanding and this is surely one of his most accomplished performances. He would be loved for his role of a supporting father – every girl would wish for a father like him. Although he’s done great throughout the film, the scene where he drags Gunjan into the kitchen is something to watch out for. Angad Bedi is strictly okay. Ayesha Raza Mishra plays her part well. Vineet Kumar Singh as usual gives a very fine performance. It’s surprising, however, why his role is credited as a special appearance part. Manav Vij leaves a huge mark and he suits the part. Manish Verma (SSB Officer Sameer Mehra, who trains Gunjan) is memorable. Same goes for Yogendra Singh (Pilot Montu) and Akash Dhar (Pilot Shekhar). The other actors who do well are Riva Arora, Maria Shrishti (Air hostess), Barbie Rajput (Gunjan’s friend Mannu), Rajesh Balwani (clerk at Delhi Flying School) and Gulshan Pandey (Chief operating officer at Srinagar Air Force Station).

Amit Trivedi’s music is fine but mostly situational. There are 6 songs in the film but are well woven into the narrative. ’Bharat Ki Beti' stands out and is very moving. ’Rekha O Rekha' is hilarious and very witty and also serves as a beautiful ode to actress Rekha. ’Dhoom Dhadaka' is catchy but gets wasted as it’s played during the end credits. ’Asmaan Di Pari', ’Mann Ki Dori' and ’Dori Tutt Gaiyaan' are okay. John Stewart Eduri’s background score elevates impact.

Manush Nandan’s cinematography is stunning and captures the various moods nicely. The location of Georgia works well for the film as it has a resemblance with the Kashmir valley. Aditya Kanwar’s production design is rich. Samidha Wangnoo’s costumes are very realistic. Vikram Dahiya’s action is subtle and not gory at all. Special mention here should also go to Marc Wolff’s stunts and aerial coordination. Red Chillies.VFX’s VFX is very good. Nitin Baid’s editing is topnotch as so much has been packed in 112 minutes and yet, it doesn’t seem like a rushed job.

On the whole, GUNJAN SAXENA – THE KARGIL GIRL is a well-narrated tale of a female war hero of India. Despite some minuses, this flick would touch a chord, especially with the family audiences.

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Movie Review: Raat Akeli Hai

August 1, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

Murder mysteries can never go out of fashion and some of the finest Indian, Hollywood and world cinema has something to do with murder. Last week, we saw casting director Mukesh Chhabra turning director for the love saga DIL BECHARA. This week, it’s the turn of another casting director, Honey Trehan, to don the director’s hat. For his debut, he chooses an intriguing murder mystery, RAAT AKELI HAI. So does RAAT AKELI HAI manage to entertain and thrill viewers? Or does it fail? Let’s analyse.

RAAT AKELI HAI is the story of a cop investigating a complicated murder case. Inspector Jatil Yadav (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) from Belghat, Kanpur gets a call one night informing him of a murder in his jurisdiction. The murder turns out to be that of the wealthy Thakur Raghubeer Singh (Khalid Tyabji). Incidentally, it is the day of Raghubeer’s second marriage, with Radha (Radhika Apte), who was his mistress earlier. Raghubeer’s first wife Kavita Singh (Natasha Rastogi) had died five years ago in a hit-and-run case that remained unsolved. Raghubeer’s nephew Vikram Singh (Nishant Dahiya) informs that he last spoke to Raghubeer at 11:30 pm. Radha meanwhile doesn’t give a proper reply, which raises the suspicion of Jatil and his colleague Nandu (Shreedhar Dubey). Though the other family members – son Karan (Nitesh Tiwari), daughter Karuna (Shweta Tripathi Sharma), son-in-law Ravi Sisodiya (Gyanendra Tripathi), niece Vasudha (Shivani Raghuvanshi), sister-in-law Pramila Singh (Padmavati Rao) and the maid Chunni (Riya Shukla), too, behave suspiciously, Jatil can’t help but wonder if Radha is connected with the murder. At the same time, he gets intrigued by her and even gets attracted to her. Radha, meanwhile, is despised by other family members and one day she is about to get assaulted at the hands of Karan when Jatil stops the latter by slapping him. This infuriates Ravi and he complains to the local MLA Munna Raja (Aditya Srivastava) who was also Raghubeer Singh’s close friend. Munna finds Jatil’s investigation method unfair and he complains to Jatil’s senior, SSP Lalji Shukla (Tigmanshu Dhulia). Soon, Jatil realizes that Munna Raja is also connected, not just with Raghubeer’s murder but also with the murder of Raghubeer’s first wife. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Smita Singh’s story is promising and it also gives one a déjà vu of last year’s Hollywood flick KNIVES OUT. However, it’ll be wrong to conclude that RAAT AKELI HAI is a copy as it was made way before. But the resemblance is uncanny in not just the murder mystery bit but even the house setting! Smita Singh’s screenplay is a major spoilsport. The script ideally should have been watertight and tense. Instead, it’s needlessly dragging at several places as the investigation goes around in circles for most parts of the film. Also, the film is quite lengthy with a run time of 2.29 hours. Smita Singh’s dialogues are okay.

Honey Trehan’s direction is average. Technically, he gets the film right and makes good use of the location, setting and even extracts fine performances from his actors. But on the flipside, he takes a lot of time to get to the point as the narrative just needlessly wanders from here to there. A few developments are also very unconvincing. When a murder of this sort takes place, the investigating cop should have ideally grilled each and every person present in the mansion. Instead, Jatil focuses chiefly on Radha and Vikram Singh. In one scene, he does hint that his junior has investigated but it’s never shown. It’s only in the second half that Jatil finally investigates Karuna and others. The kind of question he asks her is something he should have asked on the night of the murder itself! There are many more silly instances in the film. Jatil gets hold of a nursing home report in the later part of the film. A dedicated cop like him should have ideally checked its contents immediately. Instead, he forgets about it and is reminded a few days later when he’s waiting for his train at the railway station! As a result of such moments, the film fails to engage.

RAAT AKELI HAI begins on a very horrifying and thrilling note and sets the mood. The introduction of Jatil Yadav’s character and his relationship with his mother (Ila Arun) is funny. The initial scenes of the murder mystery are quite engaging. But in no time, the interest begins to drop. A few scenes do impress and catch attention like Jatil reaching the tannery, Karuna’s investigation and the action chase sequence, but at the rest of times, the film just drags. The last 20 minutes is when the mystery is solved. It’s unpredictable but thanks to the slow pace and long length, the desired impact is not made.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is in his element as always. It’s interesting how he tries to add something new in each and every performance and RAAT AKELI HAI is no exception. Radhika Apte leaves a huge mark and plays the role of the mysterious and troubled woman earnestly. Nishant Dahiya is a bit polished but it works for his character. Shreedhar Dubey is okay initially but gets better in the second half. Ila Arun is hilarious and also quite touching. Shweta Tripathi Sharma doesn’t get much scope initially. She, however, makes her presence felt in the second half. Gyanendra Tripathi is a bit over-the-top, as per the requirements of his part. Shivani Raghuvanshi is quite good especially in the later part of the film. Padmavati Rao is decent. Aditya Srivastava is okay but his character ideally should have oozed fear. Tigmanshu Dhulia is wasted. Khalid Tyabji is hardly there. Same goes for Nitesh Tiwari. In fact, his character is nothing to do in the film and is added just for the heck of it. Ravi Bhushan (henchmen) is quite scary and is well-casted for the part. Swanand Kirkire (Ramesh Chauhan) does well in the cameo. Riya Shukla is an actor to watch out for. Baljinder Kaur (Chunni’s grandmother) is superb in a small role. Natasha Rastogi and Vijay Kumar Dogra (driver Ramdeen) get no scope.

Sneha Khanwalkar’s music is forgettable. All three songs – ’Jaago', ’Ghoom Charkhaya' and ’Aadhe Aadhe Se' don’t have a shelf life. ’Ghoom Charkhaya' however does impress a bit due to Sukhwinder Singh’s singing. Karan Kulkarni’s background score is subtle and has the mystery feel. Pankaj Kumar’s cinematography is terrific and captures the many moods and moments of the film beautifully. Shruti Kapoor’s costumes are straight out of life. Rita Ghosh, Vinay Narkar, Niyoti Upadhye’s production design is realistic. Harpal Singh Pali’s action is impressive. A Sreekar Prasad’s editing is very bad and the film ideally should have been 30-40 minutes shorter.

On the whole, RAAT AKELI HAI is a slow, lengthy and flawed murder mystery. The only saving grace are the performances and the climax.

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Movie Review: Lootcase

July 31, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

We all have different dreams and aims in life but one common dream for most is to get wealthy. But the reality of life is that despite slogging for years, most people are able to barely survive financially in today’s world. Rajesh Krishnan’s comic caper LOOTCASE uses this as a crux and spins a funny story out of it. So does LOOTCASE manage to tickle the funny bone of the audiences? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse.

LOOTCASE is the story of a common man who gets rich overnight. Nandan Kumar (Kunal Kemmu) resides in a chawl in Mumbai with his wife Lata (Rasika Dugal) and son Aayush (Aryan Prajapati). He works in a printing press and has a hand-to-mouth existence despite working hard and being the next contender for the ‘Kirori Mal Employee of The Year’ in his office. Meanwhile, MLA Patil (Gajraj Rao) has got a goon eliminated who is associated with the gangster, Bala Rathore (Vijay Raaz). Bala decides to take revenge. He finds out that Patil is going to send a sum of Rs. 10 crore and a controversial file, which consists of details of his shady dealings, to his party head. Patil sends two of his men – Omar (Sumit Nijhawan) and Abdul (Shashi Ranjan) – to get the suitcase, filled with money and the file. Bala’s men Rajan (Nilesh Divekar) and Graduate (Aakash Dabade) intercept Patil’s men and a shootout begins among them. Bala’s men get hold of the bag but have to escape without the moolah as the police lands up suddenly. But before running away, they hide the suitcase near a public toilet neatly and decide to come back in an hour’s time to retrieve. As luck would have it, Nandan happens to use the toilet minutes after the shootout is over at that exact same place. He gets hold of the suitcase and realizing that nobody is nearby, he takes it with him. He hides it in the house of his neighbour Ramlal (Ghanshyam Garg) who is away for a fortnight. Nandan now starts to spend the money gradually on his family. Lata gets a bit suspicious though. Meanwhile, Patil is distraught when he learns about the missing suitcase and he gets Inspector Kolte (Ranvir Shorey) to retrieve the bag for him. Kolte realizes that finding the bag is next to impossible. The CCTV at the shootout site is non-functional. Also, Kolte believes that some local gangster has looted the suitcase. Nandan, meanwhile, hasn’t done anything to arouse the suspicion of the police or even the gangsters. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Kapil Sawant and Rajesh Krishnan’s story is nothing new and might remind of similar films in this space or genre like DELHI BELLY [2011], EK CHALIS KI LAST LOCAL [2007], BLACKMAIL [2018], PHIR HERA PHERI [2006] etc. But Kapil Sawant and Rajesh Krishnan’s screenplay is highly effective. There are tons of funny moments in the film which will raise loads of laughs. Also, these comic scenes are not urban or niche and have a pan India appeal. A few developments however are unconvincing. Also, the killing of the character in the first scene and its repercussions could have been better explained. The file plays an important role in the film and it doesn’t get its due in the film. Thankfully, the plusses outweigh the minuses. Kapil Sawant’s dialogues are very witty and funny. In fact, the smart one-liners elevate impact considerably.

Rajesh Krishnan’s direction is smooth and uncomplicated. There are multiple tracks in the film and all of them progress well. There’s no jerk in terms of sequence change. At a few scenes, he falters but overall, it’s a decent film debut of this director who has earned fame in the web series and advertising space.

LOOTCASE takes a while to settle. The initial 15-20 minutes are spent in introducing various characters. Once Nandan gets hold of the suitcase, the film goes on a high. The scene where he is splurging for his family’s happiness is endearing. But it’s the supporting characters that really add to the humour tremendously. Whether it’s MLA Patil’s psychological tactic of getting work done or Bala giving references of animal’s scientific names and even promoting National Geographic to Kolte’s sarcasm and aggressive behaviour, most of these characters have unique traits that not only keep the interest going but bring the house down. In the second half however, the film drops. The song ’Pavitra Party' is forced while Nandan attempting to buy a flat is silly and needlessly adds to the length. Nandan keeping the wet currency notes on terrace for drying is also quite unconvincing. But the interest is revived once Kolte goes to the bank and gets some details about the bag thief. The climax is maddening and it’s interesting to see how the humour has been kept intact. The final scenes raise lot of questions which are left unanswered but no complaints though.

Kunal Kemmu delivers a genuinely fine performance. His comic timing is first-rate and he underplays his part very well. Rasika Dugal is lovely and plays the role of the righteous housewife to the T. She is the emotional backbone of the film and hence stands out from the rest. Gajraj Rao is excellent and the way he persuades others to get his work done will be loved. Vijay Raaz does his deadpan humourous act yet again but this time, he’s equipped with a novel character trait and that helps. Ranvir Shorey is the surprise of the film. He brings out the humour with his aggression and sarcasm. At places, it’s his scenes that work the most. Vijay Nikam (Nandan’s boss Vasant Goenka) doesn’t get to do much but shines in the pre-climax. Aryan Prajapati is entertaining. Sumit Nijhawan and Shashi Ranjan are okay and same goes for Atul Todankar (PA Subhash). Nilesh Divekar and Aakash Dabade however have a good screen presence. Ghanshyam Garg, Digvijay (Jameel), Sachin Naik (auto driver Keshav Prajapati), Manuj Sharma (Faizu) and Preeti Sharma (Real estate salesperson) are decent. Himanshu Sharma (Supermanav) is nothing great but what’s disappointing is that such an interesting character doesn’t get utilized properly in the film.

Music is nothing great. ’Laal Peti' is soothing while ’Pavitra Party' is wasted. ’Muft Ka Chandan Chandan' is played in the end credits. Sameer Uddin’s background score has the wicked and quirky feel.

Sanu John Varughese’s cinematography is appropriate. The chawl scenes are especially well shot. One can feel the characters struggling to survive in a small space. Rateesh UK’s production design is very authentic. The chawl and printing press look straight out of life and probably shot in real locations. And the book shop is a lovely set and well thought of. Divvya and Nidhhi Gambhir’s costumes are realistic. Manohar Verma’s action is a bit gory especially in the end. Anand Subaya’s editing is neat and except for few scenes in the beginning of second half, nothing in the film is unwanted or forced.

On the whole, LOOTCASE is a highly entertaining and funny film which works due to its superb writing, smooth direction and effective performances.

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Movie Review: Shakuntala Devi

July 30, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

Our country has produced a lot of genius minds who have made India proud all across the world with their talent and determination. One such personality is Shakuntala Devi. Most people don’t know much about her except that she was hailed as the ‘Human Computer’. Director Anu Menon, co-director of the path-breaking web series FOUR MORE SHOTS PLEASE, bases her next film on the adventurous life of this iconic lady. So does SHAKUNTALA DEVI manage to entertain and awe the audiences? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse.

SHAKUNTALA DEVI is the story of a mathematical genius and her complicated relationship with her daughter. Shakuntala Devi (Araina Nand) is 5 years old and lives in Bangalore with her family. Her brother Srinivas (Ahan Nirbhan) discovers that she can solve complicated maths problems easily. Shakuntala’s father (Prakash Belawadi) realizes that he can do maths shows with her to enthral audiences and thereby earn money. He starts doing so, depriving Shakuntala of a formal education in school. He justifies it by reasoning that she is too intelligent and sharp for schooling. Shakuntala agrees but begins to hate her father for his selfish agenda. She also gets irritated with her mother (Ipshita Chakraborty Singh) for not standing up against her father. Shakuntala’s closest family member is her paraplegic sister Sharada (Jiya Singh). Sharada passes away one day because of lack of medical care. Her father argues that he didn’t have enough money to take her to the doctor. This enrages Shakuntala. Two decades later, Shakuntala (Vidya Balan) moves to London, hoping that she can use her talent to make money. After initial rejections, she finally gets a chance to do her own shows thanks to Javier (Luca Calvani), a member of a mathematical society. He also fine-tunes her English and makes her presentable. In no time, Shakuntala becomes renowned and she is able to buy her own house in the English capital. This is when Javier decides to leave her as he believes that she doesn’t need him anymore. A year later, she meets a divorced IAS official Paritosh Banerji (Jisshu Sengupta) in Bombay and they fall in love. They get married and soon have a daughter, Anupama (Sanya Malhotra). At first, Shakuntala gives up on her work and becomes a full-time mother. Soon, she begins to miss doing shows and travelling around the world. Paritosh encourages her to follow her dreams and assures that he’ll take care of Anupama. Shakuntala begins her tours once again. All is going well until one day, Shakuntala learns that Anupama’s first word is ‘Daddy’. Shakuntala realizes that she shouldn’t be away from her daughter. Hence, she decides to take Anupama with her on her tours. Paritosh protests but she doesn’t listen. Anupama starts living like a nomad with Shakuntala and begins to miss her father and a normal routine life. Shakuntala, however, encourages her to enjoy the life she’s living and she even uses Anupama for her work purposes. Slowly and gradually, Anupama begins to despise Shakuntala just the way Shakuntala had begun to abhor her own mother. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Anu Menon and Nayanika Mahtani’s story is quite unique. Many would not know about Shakuntala Devi’s personal life and her rift with her daughter. Anu Menon and Nayanika Mahtani’s screenplay is entertaining and the writers have tried their best to ensure the film is as engaging and mainstream as possible, narrative-wise. However, the content can be quite shocking and uncomfortable for our audiences. This is because viewers are accustomed to seeing woman character in a particular way and here, the woman here is shown to be highly progressive, ambitious and breaking all norms. And while doing so, she also gets into the bad books of her ex-husband and daughter. One can’t however deny that it also makes for a refreshing watch. Ishita Moitra’s dialogues are sharp and witty.

Anu Menon’s direction is praiseworthy. She keeps the duration in check at 2.07 hours and tries to pack in as much of her life as possible in a neat and concise manner. She adds a lot of entertainment and drama to many proceedings to keep the interest going. And most importantly, she doesn’t make a hagiography. Biopics in Bollywood usually treat their characters with unnecessary reverence. SHAKUNTALA DEVI is a rare biopic that doesn’t do so and highlights her flaws as well. On the flipside, the narrative is complicated. There’s a lot of back-and-forth happening as the film jumps across timelines. A few developments are too quick and some tracks don’t reach a logical conclusion. For instance, Paritosh’s character is forgotten completely in the last 30 minutes.
<h4>Vidya Balan: “Shakuntala Devi is the only Computer with sense of humour” | Amit Sadh | Sanya</h4>
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SHAKUNTALA DEVI begins on a dramatic note, at a time when the grown-up Anupama announces that she’s going to sue her own mother. It immediately catches attention and makes one curious. The film then goes on a flashback mode depicting Shakuntala’s life as a child and how her mathematical prowess was discovered. The scene where she does her first maths show in a local school is interesting. Things however get better when she moves to London. The scene where she horrifies her male roommates about what she did with her boyfriend brings the house down. Also, the manner in which Javier and Shakuntala get close is cute and makes for a great watch. The sequence where Shakuntala proves the computer wrong and the scene of her first meeting with Paritosh are the other entertaining scenes of the first half. Humour and light-heartedness takes a backseat once Paritosh and Shakuntala fight and Anupama is forced to tag Shakuntala across the world. In the second half, a few scenes become difficult to digest as the mother-daughter relationship turns horribly sour. The tension is broken mid-way in the scene where Shakuntala and Ajay Abhaya Kumar’s (Amit Sadh) parents meet for the first time. The climax is dramatic and justified, though a few developments could have been gradual and more convincing.

SHAKUNTALA DEVI belongs to Vidya Balan without a shred of doubt. She has rarely disappointed and this flick is no exception. She owns the character and her style, comic timing, expression, hearty laugh etc, all contribute in making the performance superlative and award-winning! Sanya Malhotra has a crucial part and though she goes overboard in few confrontational scenes, she gets her act right in most places. She is quite natural in a crucial scene wherein she realizes that she is also becoming like her mother. Amit Sadh lends able support and leaves a huge mark. Jisshu Sengupta is dependable. His is also a challenging character but he succeeds in impressing. Luca Calvani is endearing. Sheeba Chaddha (Tarabai), Prakash Belawadi, Ipshita Chakraborty Singh, Jiya Singh and Ahan Nirbhan are fine. Araina Nand and Spandan Chaturvedi (12-year-old Shakuntala) are confident. Neil Bhoopalam (Dheeraj) is funny in the cameo. Purnendu Bhattacharya (Ajay’s father) and Renuka Sharma (Ajay’s mother) are fine.

Sachin-Jigar’s music doesn’t have a shelf life. ’Pass Nahi Toh Fail Nahi' is played during the end credits and is catchy. ’Rani Hindustani', ’Jhilmil Piya’ and ’Paheli' work well in the film but don’t have a lingering effect. Karan Kulkarni’s background score is sans complaints. Keiko Nakahara’s cinematography is simple and neat. Vintee Bansal and Meenal Agarwal’s production design is superlative and the period look comes through well. Niharika Bhasin’s costumes are terrific and Shakuntala’s various kinds of dressing styles over the years are depicted beautifully and authentically. Vikram Gaikwad and Shreyas Mhatre’s hair and make-up design also adds to the impact. Do It Creative Ltd and Future Works Media Ltd’s VFX could have been better. Same goes for Antara Lahiri’s editing.

On the whole, SHAKUNTALA DEVI, despite the unconventional subject, works big time due to the execution and Vidya Balan’s award winning performance. Recommended!

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Movie Review: Dil Bechara

July 24, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

NOTE: As a mark of respect to the deceased lead actor Sushant Singh Rajput, Bollywood Hungama has decided NOT to assign any star rating to this movie review

The untimely demise of Sushant Singh Rajput has left a void in the lives of millions across the country. And around 40 days after his demise, his last film DIL BECHARA released today on Disney+ Hotstar. In a heartening gesture, the streaming giant has made the film available for free for everyone. So does Sushant’s swan song manage to tug at the heartstrings of the viewers? Let’s analyse.

DIL BECHARA is the love story of terminally ill youngsters. Kizie Basu (Sanjana Sanghi) has shifted from Zambia to Jamshedpur along with her parents (Saswata Chatterjee and Swastika Mukherjee). Her life has turned upside down as she has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. This requires her to wear a pipe around her nose and carry an oxygen cylinder 24×7. One day, in her college, she bumps into Manny (Sushant Singh Rajput). She finds him to be loud and arrogant. But later, she realizes that even he’s suffering from a cancer (osteosarcoma) due to which one of his legs had to be amputated. Yet, he lives life to the fullest and this makes Kizie fond of Manny even more. As they start to spend time with each other, she confesses to him that she loves the ’Main Tumhara' album of a musician named Abhimanyu Veer (Saif Ali Khan). Manny listens to the songs reluctantly but soon becomes a fan. However, he finds the title track incomplete. Kizie agrees and expresses that she wishes to meet him once. Manny realizes how much meeting Abhimanyu Veer will mean to Kizie. Hence, he finds Abhimanyu’s email address and arranges their meeting with him in Paris, where Abhimanyu resides. Kizie’s parents are aghast with her plans to fly in this condition. However, they soon get convinced and Kizie’s mother also decides to join Kizie and Manny in their Paris trip. Manny books the tickets as well but few days before the trip, Kizie’s health deteriorates and she has to be hospitalized. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

DIL BECHARA is the official remake of the 2014 Hollywood love saga THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. Suprotim Sengupta’s adapted story is simple, neat and uncomplicated. Suprotim Sengupta’s adapted screenplay is entertaining and the characters and their journeys are well fleshed out. Shashank Khaitan’s adapted dialogues are witty and conversational and also have the ‘filmy’ touch for Manny’s scenes. And in Abhimanyu Veer’s scenes, the lines are acidic.

Mukesh Chhabra’s direction is decent, considering that this is his debut film. He deserves brownie points as he makes viewers fall in love with the characters seamlessly. However, the film does drop in the second half, after the Paris episode. But this is a minor complaint and it picks up yet again in the climax that is sure to tear you up and make you grab the tissue box.

DIL BECHARA is just 1 hour 41 minutes long and doesn’t waste time. From the first scene, the focus is on the characters and the cancer factor. The first 8-10 minutes are fine but the film gets better as Kizie and Manny get introduced. Manny’s character is quite funny and it adds a lot to the entertainment quotient. The other two scenes that particularly work are Kizie and Manny going to the ‘serial killer-serial kisser’ spot and the scene where Manny meets Kizie’s family while watching the National Geographic channel. In the second half, scene involving Manny and Kizie’s father touches the heart. The Paris episode is unexpected but has its share of lovely moments. The finale however is heart-breaking. Moreover, parallels can be drawn with reel life and the loss of Sushant in real to the sequence where Kizie gives Manny a preview of the funeral speech and also in the final scene.

EMOTIONAL- Sanjana on Sushant’s demise, lovely memories, harmful blind items, Dil Bechara & Music

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DIL BECHARA belongs to Sushant Singh Rajput not just because he’s no more but also because he’s on another level in the film. His character is very well written and he adds his charm. He’s sure to make you laugh a lot in the scenes where he’s pretending to be goofy and sweet and he’s sure to make you cry buckets of water in the finale. For many of his fans, this will be a difficult watch. Sanjana Sanghi is excellent as her first role as a female lead. She also maintains her strong position and leaves a mark in several sequences particularly in the confrontational sequences and the finale. Saswata Chatterjee is adorable. Swastika Mukherjee is too good and suits the part. Her change of heart towards Manny, however, does seem a little unconvincing. Sahil Vaid (J P) is dependable as always. Saif Ali Khan is quite cool in the cameo. Subhlaxmi (Manny’s Nani) is sweet and one wishes she had more screen time as it would have been interesting to know Manny’s relationship with her. Sunit Tandon (Dr Jha) is decent. Michael Muthu (Manny’s father) and Rajie Vijay Sarathy (Manny’s mothe) get no scope. Durgesh Kumar (Rickshaw puller) is fine.

A R Rahman’s music is in sync with the film and its many moods. The title song is the best of the lot and that it’s shot in one take makes it even more special. ’Main Tumhara' is an important song of the film and is sure to linger in one’s mind. ’Taare Ginn' is beautifully composed and shot. ’Afreeda' is played just for a minute but has a catchy feel. ’Maskhari’, ‘Khulke Jeene Ka' and ’Mera Naam Kizie' are also good. A R Rahman’s background score is better and elevates impact.

Setu’s cinematography is splendid and captures Jamshedpur and Paris with panache. Amit Ray and Subrata Chakraborty’s production design is appealing. Watch out for the abandoned dump yard by the lake – it gives a nice touch to the narrative! Natascha Charak and Nikita Raheja Mohanty’s costumes are visually pleasing. Aarif Sheikh’s editing is without complaints.

On the whole, DIL BECHARA has strong emotions and hype as its trump card – a fact that goes in its favour completely. It will make you tear up and grab the tissue box atleast once. For lovers of Hindi cinema and fans of Sushant Singh Rajput, say ‘YES’ to Dil Bechara.
<h4>NOTE: As a mark of respect to the deceased lead actor Sushant Singh Rajput, Bollywood Hungama has decided NOT to assign any star rating to this movie review</h4>

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Movie Review: Virgin Bhanupriya

July 16, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

The 2005 Hollywood comedy THE 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN has been quite loved especially for its premise – a man desperate to lose his virginity but is not able to do it due to certain circumstances. Bollywood has made its unofficial remake in the form of NAUGHTY @ 40 [2011], starring Govinda. There have been many more Bollywood films where this plot point is used as side track and for comic relief. VIRGIN BHANUPRIYA, starring Urvashi Rautela is based on this idea but it stands out as here, the protagonist is female. So does VIRGIN BHANUPRIYA manage to impress and entertain? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse.

VIRGIN BHANUPRIYA is the story of a girl trying to lose her virginity. Bhanupriya (Urvashi Rautela) is a young, conservative girl from Mumbai. Her parents (Rajiv Gupta, Archana Puran Singh) are separated and are always fighting with each other. She wants to fall in love but all her attempts fail. She starts dating a man named Irrfan (Vikas Verma). He pretends to be an animal activist but one day, he gets arrested for selling stray dogs as animals of international breed. Bhanupriya’s friend Rukul (Rumona Molla), meanwhile, is quite promiscuous and she is trying her best to ensure that Bhanupriya gets laid. In one such attempt, she attempts to hook Bhanupriya with the college nerd Rajiv (Sumit Gulati). Bhanupriya detests him but with no other option, she decides to have sex with him in the college library. Sadly, she gets caught red-handed and the matter reaches her parents. Bhanupriya’s father realizes that Rajiv is rich and will hopefully get a government job in future. He realizes it’s a good match. However, Bhanupriya stops them for taking matters further. Rukul then introduces Bhanupriya to the stud Abhimanyu (Gautam Gulati). He’s called Shartiya as he loves to bet and never loses. Bhanupriya falls in love with him and he too gets attracted to her. One day, when her father has gone out, Bhanupriya calls him home. She tries to get physical but Abhimanyu asks her to consume vodka, which he has brought with him. As Bhanupriya is about to drink, Rajiv lands up at her house and warns her not to drink from the bottle as it’s countrymade liquor filled in the vodka bottle. An angry Bhanupriya kicks him out of the house. Shattered, she goes into the washroom and starts to cry. Her father meanwhile arrives home and drinks from the same bottle. He finishes the whole drink and collapses. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Ajay Lohan’s story has a lot of potential and could have made for a laugh riot. But Ajay Lohan’s screenplay is very weak. Ideally, the writer should have gone all out and added some maddening moments as the story deserved that. Ajay Lohan’s dialogues are poor. A couple of one-liners raise laughs but that’s about it. Also, there have been a lot of digs on the right-wing ideology and while it works in the Goa hospital scene, in the rest of the film, it seems forced. And a dig on popular actress Rakul Preet Singh is bizarre and added just for the heck of it.

Ajay Lohan’s direction is poor. To give credit where it’s due, one can sit through from start to finish. It never gets unbearable. Sadly, that’s not enough and one needs a lot more in the film to impress the audiences. A few moments are entertaining and funny. The emotional moments fail to move. The biggest issue, however, is with the climax. The director raises tension levels as Shartiya is presumed to have run away. However, Bhanupriya’s reaction after the truth comes out is unconvincing. Also, Rukul’s decision on her pregnancy doesn’t cut ice.

VIRGIN BHANUPRIYA is 1 hour 50 minutes long and starts off with the central plot without wasting any time. Some of the situations in the film are funny, on paper, but doesn’t translate the same way on screen. The track of Rajiv is mediocre. Shartiya’s entry is heroic and one expects the film to get better. Sadly, that doesn’t really happen. The film should have been high on humour and also emotional moments and barring a joke or two, nothing really works. The climax is haphazard and even though the twist is kind of unexpected, the impact is not made.

Talking of performances, Urvashi Rautela has a fine screen presence. She manages to do well as the film’s lead and no complaints in this regard. Rumona Molla gives a good performance but sadly her track in the end does haywire. Gautam Gulati is a bit over the top but that works for the character. Rajiv Gupta hams and it’s sad to see such a talented performer being reduced to a caricature here. Archana Puran Singh too overreacts but comparatively, she is better. Niki Walia (Moon Aunty) is decent. Brijendra Kala (cop) is dependable. Sumit Gulati performs as per his character. Others like Natasha Suri (Shonali), Pranav Verma (Jhanda), Amrit Arora (Pungi), Ashutosh Semiwal (Chukiya), Vikas Verma (Irrfan), Delnaaz Irani (Tarot Card Reader), Rajiv Nigam (Astrologer) and Babita Thakur (right-winger doctor in Goa) are okay.

Amjad-Nadeem’s music is forgettable. ’Beat Pe Thumka' is the best of the lot as it’s catchy. ’Dil Apni Haddon Se' is shot well. ’Kangna Vilayati' is played during the end credits while the title track is missing. The recreated version of ’Pucho Na Yaar Kya Hua' is poor. Sanjoy Chowdhury’s background score is unimpressive and has a daily soap-feel. Same goes for Bhimrao Sapkale’s art direction – the sets look straight out of a TV show. Johny Lal’s cinematography is passable. Moushmi Rana’s costumes are appealing especially the ones worn by Urvashi, Rumona and Gautam Gulati. Akshay R Mohan’s editing is fine.

On the whole, VIRGIN BHANUPRIYA rests on a good idea but is spoilt by its writing and treatment.

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Movie Review: Gulabo Sitabo

June 11, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

The Coronavirus-induced lockdown has led to closure of cinemas. Since last three months, not a single star-studded film has released. But finally, GULABO SITABO is all set to be streamed on a digital platform from today and this flick has been noticed thanks to the pairing of Ayushmann Khurrana and Amitabh Bachchan. Moreover, it’s helmed by Shoojit Sircar, who has given memorable films like VICKY DONOR [2012] and PIKU [2015] with both the actors respectively. So does GULABO SITABO manage to be as memorable as the aforementioned films? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse.

GULABO SITABO is the story of the rivalry between a tenant and a landlord. Mirza Chunnan Nawab (Amitabh Bachchan), 78, is married to Fatima Begum (Farrukh Jafar), who is nearly 17 years older to him. Begum owns more-than-a-century-old palatial mansion called Fatima Mahal in Lucknow, where she resides. But since she is quite old and also a bit delusional, Mirza takes care of the haveli. A part of Fatima Mahal is given to tenants, one of whom is Baankey Rastogi (Ayushmann Khurrana). Baankey’s family has been residing in the haveli as tenants since ages and Mirza now wants to drive Baankey and his family out since they are paying merely Rs. 30 as monthly rent. Mirza’s demand to increase the rent always meets with a stiff resistance from Baankey, further infuriating the former. In the absence of finances, Mirza is not even able to renovate the haveli and it’s in a completely dilapidated condition. The condition is so bad that a mere kick of Baankey leads to breaking of a toilet wall. Mirza demands that Baankey pay for the damages while Baankey makes it clear that maintenance is the responsibility of the landlord. The matter reaches the cops who tell them to take this dispute to civil court. At the police station, Gyanesh Shukla (Vijay Raaz) from the archaeology department overhears their commotion. He follows them and realizes that Fatima Mahal is a heritage property. He starts to click pictures secretly but Baankey catches him red-handed. Gyanesh however tells him and other tenants that the haveli is of heritage value and can also collapse anytime. He recommends that they allow Fatima Mahal to be handed over to their department who’ll then renovate it and convert it into a museum. In return, he’ll give them a decent-sized flat with all amenities. Mirza, on the other hand, meets a lawyer, Christopher Clarke (Brijendra Kala) who suggests that the former should sell off the mansion to solve the problems of the tenants once and for all. In the bargain, he’ll also get a handsome amount. However, it is Begum who owns the property and moreover, her siblings might also have ownership. As a result, Mirza sets off to find out who all from Begum’s side are alive and if they can give him a No-Objection Certificate over selling the mansion. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Juhi Chaturvedi’s story is promising and novel. We have read and seen films about horrors faced by tenants. But landlord being unfairly harassed is also a reality and this is a rare film to focus on that aspect. Juhi Chaturvedi’s screenplay, however, doesn’t do complete justice to the concept. The film is laced with some interesting characters and setting and so much could have been done with them. Juhi, however, lets the opportunity pass. Juhi Chaturvedi’s dialogues are conversational and simple, with few of them being quite sharp and witty.

Shoojit Sircar’s direction is decent. He had a weak script in hand and hence, there isn’t much he could have done anyway. However, we have seen the charm of his execution in films like VICKY DONOR and PIKU. GULABO SITABO, too, is in the same zone but his direction leaves a lot to be desired. On the positive side, he captures the essence of Lucknow beautifully. On the big screen, experiencing it would have been interesting. He also extracts great performances from his actors. On the flipside, the humour is missing and it would have made a lot of difference. Also, a few developments are bewildering and this is especially with regards to the character of Mirza. On one hand, he’s supposed to be quite smart and money-minded, which made him marry Begum in the first place. But on the other hand, he’s also quite simpleton who didn’t even know the proper worth of the items he used to sell and even of the haveli in which he has been residing since many decades.

GULABO SITABO starts off on a decent note, introducing the characters (including the mansion), the relevance of the title and the world in which they reside. The background score and even the situations give the vibe of a comic caper but there are hardly any funny moments in the movie. It’s only when Mirza wakes up in the middle of street is when the film actually and finally gets a laugh-worthy sequence. Things thankfully get better from here as Gyanesh Shukla and Christopher Clarke get introduced and it adds a lot to the game of one upmanship between Mirza and Baankey. Though the film keeps one glued, one does miss something exciting or even funny to happen with the characters. That happens only in the last 10-15 minutes. The twist in the tale is definitely unpredictable and though it’s not entirely unconvincing, it ends the film on a great note.

Amitabh Bachchan delivers a smashing performance. His make-up is spot-on and the manner in which he gets totally into the skin of his character is seen to be believed. He makes an impact just through his expressions. In this regard, two scenes which really stand out are when he wakes up on the road and when he looks inquisitively as Vijay Raaz inspects the mansion. Ayushmann Khurrana also is quite entertaining but his screen time is less than that of Amitabh. This is the second consecutive time that Ayushmann has settled for an extended supporting role, after SHUBH MANGAL ZYADA SAAVDHAN [2020]. Farrukh Jafar has a significant role and leaves a huge mark. She in fact rocks the show in two key sequences in the second half. Vijay Raaz and Brijendra Kala are dependable as always. Srishti Shrivastava (Guddo) is quite confident. Others like Poornima Sharma (Fauzia), Annanya Dwivedi (Neetu), Ujali Raj (Payal), Sunil Kumar Verma (Mishra ji), Jogi Mallang (Munmun ji), Rajiv Pandey (Police inspector) and Behram Rana (Abdul Rehman) also do well.

Shantanu Moitra, Abhishek Arora and Anuj Garg’s music doesn’t have a shelf life. The theme music is catchy and works well. ’Madari Ka Bandar' is another song that in sync with the film’s theme. The rest of the songs like ’Kuya Leke Aayo Jagme’, ‘Kanjoos’, ‘Budhau' etc aren’t memorable at all. Background score is quirky and much better.

Avik Mukhopadhayay’s cinematography is excellent and captures Lucknow and especially the dilapidated mansion beautifully. Mansi Dhruv Mehta’s production design also adds a lot to the realism of the film. Same goes for Veera Kapur Ee’s costumes. None of the characters even remotely look glamorous and that goes in favour of the film. Pia Cornelius’s prosthetics make-up design is excellent and adds to the impact. Chandrashekhar Prajapati’s editing is passable. Though the film is just 124 minutes long, it seems quite slow.

On the whole, GULABO SITABO is a decent entertainer for home viewing. Despite the lack of humour and an average script, the film works majorly because of the performances, the Lucknow setting and the twist in the end.

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Movie Review: Angrezi Medium

March 11, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

Education-based films might not seem like profitable ventures but over the past few years, several such films have tasted enormous success like SUPER 30 [2019], CHHICHHORE [2019] and HICHKI [2018]. And the film that started this trend in recent times was HINDI MEDIUM [2017]. The film was a runaway success thanks to its message, realism, humour and performances. And now producer Dinesh Vijan is back with a second part of this franchise, titled ANGREZI MEDIUM. The film has been awaited keenly mainly because it’s a comeback of sorts for Irrfan Khan, after he was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour. So does ANGREZI MEDIUM manage to entertain and impress as much as HINDI MEDIUM? Or does it fail to impress? Let’s analyse.

ANGREZI MEDIUM is the story of unconditional love between a father and daughter. Champak (Irrfan Khan) is a single parent of Tarika (Radhika Madan) and is based in Udaipur. His brother is Gopi (Deepak Dobriyal) and though both have lot of love for each other, they are also involved in a legal tussle. Both run a shop named Ghasiteram Sweets and both claim to be the original shop running since generations. The matter reaches court where Justice Chheda (Zakir Hussain) gives a verdict in favour of Gopi. In a drunken state, Gopi later reveals that he bribed the judge which is why he won the case. Gajju (Kiku Sharda), a friend of the brothers, records this statement. Tarika, meanwhile, is an average student and wishes to win the scholarship offered by her school that will take her to London. She works quite hard and manages to get 85% and it makes her eligible for UK scholarship. A felicitation ceremony is held for this occasion. The chief guest here is none other than Justice Chheda. Champak, in anger, informs the crowd of the nefarious activities of Chheda, not realising that Chheda is the husband of the Principal of the school (Meghna Malik). The Principal, in anger, cancels Tarika’s scholarship. Champak promises Tarika that come what may, he’ll get her admission done, that too in the college of her choice in London. Sadly, Tarika fails to get the admission from other quotas. Gopi suggests Champak that they contact Bablu (Ranvir Shorey), their childhood friend who is settled in London. Bablu comes to Udaipur on a plane ticket sponsored by Champak. He tells Champak that he can help him get British citizenship after which Tarika can get admission easily. Champak, Gopi and Tarika reach London airport. Here, Champak and Gopi are mistaken for drug dealers. They are deported back to India while Tarika is stranded in London. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Bhavesh Mandalia, Gaurav Shukla, Vinay Chhawall and Sara Bodinar’s story sounds interesting on paper. Their screenplay, however, doesn’t live up to the expectations. While the writers get the father-daughter bond right, the other tracks aren’t convincing and arguably, not even necessary. Bhavesh Mandalia, Gaurav Shukla, Vinay Chhawall and Sara Bodinar’s dialogues are decent and a few one-liners are witty.

Homi Adajania’s direction is decent. He gets brownie points for the scenes involving Champak and Gopi as these scenes and their performances elevate the impact. Also the scenes of Champak and Tarika at some places will be loved. The Indian audiences, especially the middle aged and senior citizens, would connect with the message of children often leaving them after turning adults. On the flipside, the film has too many subplots that are difficult to digest. Audiences will find it strange that Champak and Gopi are business rivals and even fighting it out in the court. But at the same time, they even drink and hang out together like best of buddies. Not just that, Gopi doesn’t even mind when Champak leaks his video where the latter brags that he bribed the judge! The manner in which Champak and Gopi get deported over a misunderstanding seems stupid. Tarika, meanwhile, gets settled in London and finds a job and house, even before her admission is done. She doesn’t ask Champak even once how they’ll manage to procure funds. Also the track of Naina and her mother Mrs. Kohli (Dimple Kapadia) seem totally unwanted. Audiences never come to know why they are at loggerheads.

ANGREZI MEDIUM starts on an average note, depicting the life of Champak and Tarika, and also the feud between Champak and Gopi. The latter part seems bewildering though as their love-hate relationship. A few scenes here stand out like a drunken Tarika accusing Champak of being intoxicated, the madness at the court and at the school ceremony. The father-daughter bond touches viewers. The intermission point is unconvincing. Post-interval, the film drops at places thanks to too many confusing developments and too many subplots. Thankfully, a few genuinely novel moments stand out here like Tarika turning her T-shirt into a crop top to fit in among her new London friends, Gopi tying Champak to his bed and Champak and Gopi rescuing Mrs. Kohli and later singing Happy Birthday song for her. Also the finale might leave viewers teary eyed.

Talking of performances, Irrfan Khan delivers a top-notch performance. He seems completely in form and ensures that he makes audiences laugh and moist eyed. Deepak Dobriyal too is superb and his chemistry with Irrfan saves the film to a huge extent. Radhika Madan has a fine screen presence and gives a fine performance. Her dialogue delivery, however, is difficult to comprehend at few places. Kareena Kapoor Khan looks great but is underutilised and same goes for Dimple Kapadia. Ranvir Shorey gets some scope in the second half and excels. Pankaj Tripathi (Tony) tries too hard but manages to raise laughs. Kiku Sharda is dependable. Zakir Hussain, Meghna Malik, Manu Rishi (Bheluram), Ankit Bisht (Anmol) and Manish Gandhi (Advait) are fine. Tillotama Shome (Counsellor) leaves a mark and deserved more screen time.

Sachin-Jigar’s music is disappointing. ’Ek Zindagi' works well as per the situation. The rest of the songs are forgettable. Sachin-Jigar’s background score is however quite better.

Anil Mehta’s cinematography is appropriate. Smriti Chauhan’s costumes are real and the transformation of Radhika once she moves to London is effective. Bindiya Chhabria’s production design is quite good. A Sreekar Prasad’s editing is nothing great and suffers because of loopholes in the script.

On the whole, ANGREZI MEDIUM works only because of Irrfan Khan and Deepak Dobriyal’s chemistry and also due to some touching moments. At the box office, HINDI MEDIUM’s goodwill and Irrfan’s comeback will ensure decent footfalls for the movie over the weekend.

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Movie Review: Baaghi 3

March 6, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

Tiger Shroff has been in the industry since just six years but he has already become a force to reckon with thanks to his stylised and risky action stunts and a cool style. His fans have particularly loved him in the BAAGHI franchise. The first part, released in 2016, was a runaway success from day 1. BAAGHI 2 [2018] was an even bigger success, embarking upon a terrific opening [Rs. 25.10 crore] and lifetime total [Rs. 164.38 crore]. Hence, the expectations are tremendous from BAAGHI 3 where the action and scale has gone many notches higher. Interestingly, this time, Tiger’s character Ronnie is all set to battle an entire country! So does BAAGHI 3 manage to entertain and give the audiences a gala time? Or does it fail to impress? Let’s analyse.

BAAGHI 3 is the story of a man against a terrorist organization. Ronnie (Tiger Shroff) is the younger brother of Vikram (Riteish Deshmukh). Their father was a cop, Charan Chaturvedi (Jackie Shroff), who had died when both were young. Charan knew that Ronnie is braver out of the two and hence he made Ronnie promise that he’ll take care of Vikram. When they grow up, Vikram joins the police force at Lohamandi Police Station, Agra. On his first day of joining, a goon named Bajwa sets a person on fire inside Lohamandi Police Station premises. Bajwa’s senior IPL (Jaideep Ahlawat) comes to the rescue and the cops don’t press any charges. This is because IPL is a feared criminal by locals as well as the police. IPL’s main business is into kidnapping the entire families but he never asks for ransom. This has always baffled the cops. What the police doesn’t know is that IPL works for Abu Jalal Gaza, the leader of Jaish-E-Lashkar, the biggest terrorist organisation of the world. They operate out of Syria and have almost taken over the country. Back in Agra, the Lohamandi Police Station gets a kidnapping complaint. Knowing that it’s committed by IPL, they fear taking action. Hence, they decide to send Vikram as scapegoat. Vikram is terrified and he asks Ronnie for help. Ronnie accompanies Vikram at IPL’s factory, where the kidnapped people are held. Ronnie bashes up IPL’s goons by shutting off the lights. Everyone assumes that Vikram is the one responsible for beating them and for rescuing the hostages. He becomes an overnight hero. Vikram meanwhile gets married to Ruchi (Ankita Lokhande). Her sister is Siya (Shraddha Kapoor) and she starts dating Ronnie. Life is going good until the Ministry Of External Affairs sends Vikram to Syria. He’s given the responsibility of getting IPL arrested and facilitate his extradition process. It seems like a fairly easy task. Vikram reaches there and this is when he gets abducted by Abu’s men. With no other option, Ronnie now decides to go to Syria to rescue Ronnie. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

BAAGHI 3 is partly inspired from the 2012 Tamil hit film, VETTAI. Sajid Nadiadwala’s story adaptation is entertaining but stands on a weak plot. Farhad Samji’s screenplay (additional screenplay by Sparsh Khetarpal, Tasha Bhambra, Madhur Sharma) is only effective in the first half. There’s also a bit of novelty in terms of action and situations and that keeps the interest going. Farhad Samji’s dialogues are very entertaining and witty.

Ahmed Khan’s direction is average. He handles the scale and grandeur with panache. BAAGHI 2 focused more on nationalism but that isn’t the case here. There’s also a nice comment made on India-Pakistan brotherhood instead. Khan keeps the pace in control to ensure the film never drags. His direction is passable in the first half but in the second half, he slips. The biggest problem is that it doesn’t seem like Ronnie is against a country. Also, it wasn’t really a country that he is against. It is a township at best which the makers want audiences to believe is a ‘country’.

BAAGHI 3 begins on a bit awkward note. To show a kid Ronnie bashing up older kids violently, in a heroic style, doesn’t seem convincing. However, Chaturvedi’s death scene makes for a nice emotional moment. The entry of Siya is hilarious while that of adult Ronnie is too good and would be lapped up by fans. The scenes of Abu Jalal Gaza seem superficial but thankfully, the focus in the first half is on madness happening in Agra. And this makes for an entertaining watch especially how Ronnie is doing the bashing while Vikram taking the credit. The humour quotient is also nicely maintained. The scene where IPL’s men abduct Ronnie and the way the latter pretends to be scared is hilarious. And then there’s also an emotionally fulfilling scene involving Vikram and Tripathi (Virendra Saxena). The intermission point is when Vikram is taken away. One expects the film to go many notches higher especially with Ronnie reaches Syria. The introduction of Akhtar Lahori (Vijay Varma) also adds to the film. But from here, things get quite unconvincing especially the way Ronnie easily defeats the whole army of Abu Jalal. Zaidi seems tough but gets eliminated so easily and also foolishly. The climax has a twist that might be enjoyed by viewers.

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Talking of performances, BAAGHI 3 rests on the tough shoulders of Tiger Shroff and he pulls it off like a pro, as expected. The same also goes for his comic timing. And of course, his action is simply out of the world and in that regards, his fans will surely get their money’s worth. Shraddha Kapoor looks gorgeous and gives a decent performance. She goes a bit overboard in a scene or two but overall, she seems convincing as a foul-mouthed person. However, her screen time is very limited. Also, she plays an aggressive character and ideally, she should have been given a chance to indulge in action. Riteish Deshmukh plays his part well and also adds to the fun and madness. He would be loved in the climax. Interestingly, he did a similar role in his Marathi production MAULI [2018] as well which was also a partial remake of VETTAI. Ankita Lokhande gets limited scope but has a fine screen presence. Vijay Varma is highly entertaining. Jaideep Ahlawat suits the part and has a crucial role in the pre-climax. Jameel Khoury is okay as the villain but could have been more menacing. Shifuji Shaurya Bharadwaj (Mishra) is wasted. Virendra Saxena is dependable as always. Satish Kaushik (Commissioner Chatora) and Farhad Samji (Man in toilet) raise laughs. Manav Gohil (Asif), Shriswara (Hafeeza), Danish Bhat (Bilal), Ivan Kostadinov (Abu’s henchman), Sunit Morarjee (Sharad Kute), Amit Sharma (Bajwa) and Karan Singh (Zaidi) are fair. Jackie Shroff’s cameo contributes well to the film. Disha Patani is sizzling.

The music of BAAGHI 3 is decent. ’Dus Bahane 2.0′ is a great remix and is played in the end credits. ’Bhankas' is well picturised. ’Do You Love Me' is passable; the situation demanded a fast-paced dance song. ’Get Ready To Fight – Reloaded' is played during action scenes. ’Tere Jaisa Yaar Kahaan' doesn’t work. Julius Packiam’s background score however elevates impact.

Santhana Krishnan Ravichandran’s cinematography is stunning not just in capturing Syria but also the action scenes. Ahmed Khan’s action design and Ram Chella, Laxman Chella, Kecha Khamphakdee’s action choreography is splendid and keeps viewers engaged. The action gets a bit gory but a limit is maintained and visually looks great. Manini Mishra’s production design is topnotch. One can see that a lot of money has been spent in ensuring that the film looks like a top-class product. Aki Narula, Karishma Gulati and Ashish Sharma’s costumes (with styling by Tanya Ghavri) is appealing. Redefine, NY VFXWaala, Resonance Digital and Red Chillies.VFX’s VFX is more or less fine. Rameshwar S Bhagat’s editing is slick but in some places, it is needlessly jerky.

On the whole, BAAGHI 3 has a terrific combination of Tiger Shroff’s powerful performance, superlative action and stunning visuals. At the box office, it will surely appeal to its target audience – the Tiger Shroff fans and the audience in smaller town and cities who relish action entertainers.

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Movie Review: Thappad

February 27, 2020goodfriendme Leave a comment

We are in the year 2020 but still, a lot of objectionable trends are sadly quite common. Violence against women, especially, continues despite progress of our country and growth in education and standard of living. Anubhav Sinha, whose 2.0 avatar has given us films on Hindu-Muslim unity [MULK; 2018] and caste discrimination [ARTICLE 15; 2019] now takes up this topic for his latest hard-hitting flick, THAPPAD. The trailer has already intrigued viewers because of its storyline and the association of Taapsee Pannu and Anubhav with this project. So does THAPPAD manage to be as impactful as Anubhav’s last two films? Or does it disappoint? Let’s analyse.

THAPPAD is the story of a woman fighting a tough battle. Amrita (Taapsee Pannu) is a housewife and is happily married to Vikram (Pavail Gulati) in Delhi. Vikram works in a reputed company and is desperately looking forward to an opportunity which will take him to London for work purposes. Amrita knows how much this means to Vikram. She loves him with all her heart and her entire life revolves around him and in attending to his mother, Sulochana (Tanvi Azmi). Thankfully for Vikram, he’s selected for the London stint. The same night, he throws a party in his house. All is going well until he gets a call from his superior, Thapar. He informs Vikram that he won’t be getting the desired profile that he’s looking for in London and that he’ll have to report to an authority there. This is not something that Vikram was initially assured. He confronts Rajhans, another superior of Vikram and who is present in the party. Things heat up between them and Amrita tries to pacify him. In the process, Vikram slaps Amrita. Her whole world comes crashing down. She tries to move on but is just not able to. Vikram shows regret when he realizes that Amrita has been hurt by his actions. He tries to console her but it doesn’t work for her. Amrita hence shifts to the house of her parents (Kumud Mishra and Ratna Pathak Shah). Vikram stops her and later even comes to take her back. But she doesn’t budge. Vikram then sends a legal notice to her. Swati (Naila Grewal), the girlfriend of Amrita’s brother Karan (Ankur Rathee), suggests that Amrita should show this letter to Nethra (Maya Sarao), a reputed lawyer and Swati’s boss. Nethra suggests that Amrita should solve this issue amicably. Amrita however doesn’t want to and she insists on a divorce. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Anubhav Sushila Sinha and Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul’s story is superb and applause-worthy. In a society where repeated acts of violence committed by husbands on their wives is fairly common, it requires guts to pull off a film where the woman has been hit just once by the husband and yet make it seem convincing. Anubhav Sushila Sinha and Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul’s screenplay (script consultant: Anjum Rajabali) helps a lot in ensuring that the audiences get persuaded to agree with the vision of the team. They very well put out the situation and how patriarchy is deeply ingrained in our psyche, not just in case of men but also women. Anubhav Sushila Sinha and Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul’s dialogues are acidic and sharp and add to the impact. Some of them simplify the proceedings but that goes in favour of the film. There are lot of one-liners that will surely hit viewers and make them reflect on their own wrongdoings.

Anubhav Sushila Sinha’s direction is superlative. He has not just penned a great script but he has even executed it very well. The world and mood is drastically different when compared to MULK and ARTICLE 15 but he understands it and does justice. Amrita’s predicament is well established and one is bound to get moved by her struggle, especially when even her family members fail to support her. There are also several subplots and most of them are well helmed and add to the principle plot nicely. There are a few scenes where he does a fine job like Shivani (Dia Mirza) hugging Amrita, Sulochana ignoring the slap and insisting that Amrita should attend to the guests, Amrita’s father scolding his son for misbehaving with Swati, Amrita’s mother Sandhya chiding for not getting support to continue her singing career, the confrontation between the lawyers etc. On the flipside, the second half seems dragging. The makers could have done away with the track of Sulochana living separately as it just added to the subplots needlessly. Additionally, they could have fine-tuned the track of the lawyer cheating on her husband. A section of audience might find the entire bit of Vikram not apologizing to Amrita difficult to digest. It’s strange that no one from his circle suggested that he should say sorry. It’s only in the pre-climax that this issue is raised in front of him.

Anubhav on Delhi Violence: “We used to be ANIMALS and may be we CONTINUE to be” | Taapsee | Thappad

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THAPPAD has an impressive beginning where all the supporting characters are introduced and the commonality is them having an ice-cream. Amrita’s introduction is superbly down. It does give one a déjà vu of Nishikant Kamat’s classic Marathi film DOMBIVALI FAST [2004] but it works very well here to depict what her day looks like. The highpoint is definitely the party sequence and the slap. After this scene, it might feel that the film is stagnating but those scenes are important to explain how Amrita’s life has changed drastically post the slap. The intermission point is great. Post-interval, the interest is maintained but this is where the film drags. One expects dhamaka when the parties come face-to-face but nothing of that sort happens. The confrontation is there and though it is sync with the film’s plot and mood, it might seem mild, especially those expecting some entertainment here. The film ends on a justified note.

THAPPAD has several excellent actors but it belongs to Taapsee Pannu without a shred of doubt. She has delivered several memorable performances and this one will surely be one of her most accomplished acts! She gets completely into the skin of character, making viewers forget of her earlier performances. You forget its Taapsee when you see her dutifully performing her housewife duties. Pavail Gulati makes a fantastic debut. He looks dashing and completely suits the part. Kumud Mishra is terrific. Anubhav Sinha always extracts a fine performance from him and THAPPAD is no exception. Ratna Pathak Shah is quite subtle and makes an impact. Same with Tanvi Azmi – her dialogue in the finale sums up the film in a way. Maya Sarao is a powerhouse of talent and is an actor to watch out for. She gets her act totally right, especially her body language. Geetika Vidya (Sunita) gets to play a memorable part and she kills it. Dia Mirza has limited screen time but it works. Gracy Goswami (Sania; Shivani’s daughter) has a fine screen presence and she dances nicely. Naila Grewal, Manav Kaul (Rohit Jaisingh), Ram Kapoor (Advocate Gujral) and Ankur Rathee are fair. Harssh A Singh (Thapar), Santanu Ghatak (Vikram’s colleague Subodh), Rohan Khurana (Nethra’s love interest), Sushil Dahiya (Vikram’s father), Siddhant Karnick (Vikram’s brother), Nidhi Uttam (Vikram’s sister-in-law) and the actor playing Rajhans also do a good job.

Anurag Dipali Saikia’s music doesn’t have much scope. ’Ek Tukda Dhoop' however has a nice, lingering effect. Mangesh Urmila Dhakde’s background score is magnificent. The initial sequences have a jazz style music that gives a nice touch. Soumik Sarmila Mukherjee’s cinematography is top-class. Vishakha Vidya Kullarwar’s costumes are appealing, especially the saree worn by Taapsee in the party. Jyotika Mirpuri Aroura’s make-up and hair is appropriate. Nikhil Kshipra Kovale’s production design is rich. Yashpa Pushpa Ramchandani’s editing could have been a tighter, but overall he has done a commendable job.

On the whole, THAPPAD makes a strong statement on patriarchy and violence against women and is laced with a powerful performance by Taapsee Pannu. At the box office, it will be loved and adored by its target audience – the womenfolk.

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