Nagpur Today : Nagpur News

Kajol plays Eela with full honesty and her energy is contagious

Helicopter Eela is the story of an obsessive mom played by Kajol who can’t spend a minute without her son Vivaan. The first half of the film establishes Eela’s obsession with her son and why her life revolves around him.

We go back in time and revisit the ’90s when Eela aspired to be a playback singer. For those who grew up listening to the ’90s music, there are some cool throwback moments to the pop music scene with cool cameos by Baba Sehgal, Shaan, Ila Arun and Anu Malik.

Eela dreams to be a singer but a twist in the narrative takes her journey somewhere else. Her husband Arun makes a decision that changes the destiny for her and Vivaan.

In the present day scenario, Eela has joined the same college as her son to pursue her studies. Kajol is as effervescent and bubbly as ever. Her energy is definitely contagious and she plays Eela with full honesty. The film needs to pick up pace and add some drama to make the second half more entertaining.

Helicopter Eela Movie Review

Nagpur Today : Nagpur News

The Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra film is cliched and charmless

Namaste England movie cast: Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Aditya Seal
Namaste England movie director: Vipul Amrutlal Shah
Namaste England movie rating: One star

In 2007, Shah had come up with Namastey London, in which Akshay Kumar got to tell a bunch of Brits how great India really is, and how wise Katrina’s Jaaz aka Jasmeet was to prefer a large-hearted ‘desi munda’ over a stupid ‘gora’.

This week, Shah’s new film, Namaste England attempts at telling exactly the same story, with a different set of actors. The former was passable, with Kaif trying her paces, and Kumar taking baby steps in creating his best-selling persona–the full-fledged Mr Bharat he has now turned into.

This re-tooling is drowned in stale banter in what passes for Bollywood’s idea of rural Punjab. We meet Jasmeet ( Chopra) and her ‘bauji’ and ‘veerji’ who watch strictly over her. No, she can’t work. No, she can’t romance. Except she does both, because she has Param (Kapoor), her ‘gabru jawan’ whose sole aim in life is to support his Jasmeet’s single-minded ambition, which is to get a ‘residency’ in the UK.

Both try different routes to get there, and a better film could have made something of the heartbreak and challenges people face when leaving their country for another.

But Namaste England is not that film. It is just plain awful, in which the ‘desis’ who live in the UK are poor misguided souls, and the real ‘desis’, especially those from good ‘ol Punjab, will rescue the world. One is a man-about-town (Seal) who wants a pind-ki-kudi as pretend-biwi to make his old-fashioned grandpa happy; the other is a hottie who falls for the bluff, good-guy Param, and I will spare you the asinine things they have to say and do.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen something so clichéd and charmless.

Namaste England movie review

Nagpur Today : Nagpur News

Director Amit Ravindernath Sharma’s Badhaai Ho deserves unstinted kudos. It not only dares to tackle a tricky theme, it does so with laudable finesse. This film is a worthy addition to the raft of adventurous, sure-handed genre-benders that the Mumbai movie industry has been delivering of late in a welcome rush.

Badhaai Ho is a far cry from Sharma’s debut film, Tevar, which was all fire and brimstone, a small-town love-and-vengeance concoction that allowed itself to fall prey to excess. In sharp contrast, restraint is the key in his sophomore effort. From the first outing to the second, he has clearly come a long way. Badhaai Ho is a sweet little gem informed with gentle wit and infectious warmth. The slice-of-life storytelling, which is appreciably enhanced by solid performances from a wonderful cast, is marked by control and sensitivity.

The screenplay by Akshat Ghildial (who is also the dialogue writer) is shorn of clichés – an attribute that lends the film a veneer of freshness. It lasts all the way until the very end and helps it tide over the more difficult elements in the plot. With the actors on song, Badhaai Ho has a smooth, even feel that makes it an easy watch.

This is a family drama with a difference whose appeal stems from the confident and steady manner in which it unfolds. Badhaai Ho is relatable despite the fact that it deals with a situation that isn’t all that common, in real life or in cinema. Sharma knows his craft and demonstrates an acute sense of proportion, especially when he is dealing with the dramatic moments that spur the tale forward.

Set in Delhi, Badhaai Ho revolves around a pregnancy that causes a major stir in a middle-class family and the neighbourhood in which it lives. The would-be mother isn’t some unwed girl, but a fifty-something mother of two grown-up boys, Priyamvada (Neena Gupta). The news is greeted with disbelief and disdain.

Priyamvada’s husband, Jitender Kaushik (Gajraj Rao), is a travelling ticket examiner is assailed by conflicting emotions. He toys with the idea of an abortion, but leaves the decision to his wife. She puts her foot down and opts to take the risk of bearing another child. Her elder son, Nakul (Ayushmann Khurrana), who has a corporate job, is in a tizzy when he figures out what is ‘wrong’ with his mom.

The Kaushik family, which includes a younger son (Shardul Rana) and a grandmother (Surekha Sikri), lives in a modest railway colony where news of any domestic development spreads fast and wide. But Nakul manages to hide the fact that his mother is pregnant from his girlfriend and colleague Renee (Sanya Malhotra). But, inevitably, his success is short-lived.

Badhaai Ho tells two love stories – one of the elder couple, the other of Nakul and Renee. The strain unleashed by the former tells on the latter: the younger couple are on the verge of splitting up when the class divide between them snowballs into a full-blown confrontation between the man and the girl’s widowed mother (Sheeba Chadda).

Nakul overhears Renee’s mother badmouthing his family when she learns that Mrs Kaushik is expecting a child at an age when she should be concentrating on raising grandchildren. She describes Nakul’s brood as “a circus I wouldn’t buy tickets to” and asserts that “such things don’t happen in families like ours”.

The script skillfully balances the intersecting strands as the two couples negotiate necessarily different sets of problems. Priyamvada and her husband have to reckon with the latter’s temperamental mother, who appears to have no love lost for her daughter-in-law and is shocked out of her wits when the news of the late pregnancy is broken to her.

The two sons are embarrassed no end, and have to face tetchy moments when friends begin to pull their legs. But at no point does Badhaai Ho slip into overt facetiousness – it goes through with its unusual construct with an absolutely straight face, never straying into territory that might be described as corny. That isn’t a mean feat given the delicate crux of a story in which veteran actors are allowed as much play as two romantic leads.

Gajraj Rao, in what is by far his most protracted role in a Hindi film, is consistently convincing, oscillating between elation and embarrassment without missing a single trick. Neena Gupta is outstandingly measured in her interpretation of the woman grappling with the repercussions of an unplanned pregnancy. But perhaps the film’s most impactful performance is delivered by Surekha Sikri as the crabby old woman who never shies away from speaking her mind.

Yes, among the most impressive aspects of Badhaai Ho is the way the director harnesses the rest of the on-screen talent pool and makes every character, even the minor ones, count. In the scene where Ayushmann Khurrana’s character harangues his girlfriend’s mother in her own home, both he and Sheeba Chadda – she does all the talking, she only listens – are in top form, as is the director himself. The set-up is replicated a little later in an apology sequence in which Khurrana is the sole talker and Chadda is the listener.

Sharma extracts equally useful performances from Alka Kaushal (as Mr. Kaushik’s Meerut-based sister, Guddan), Alka Amin (as her elder sis-in-law) and Shardul Rana (as the younger son).

2 COMMENTS
Badhaai Ho is certainly worth a visit to the multiplex.

Badhaai Ho Movie Review

Nagpur Today : Nagpur News

Circa 1795. Khudabaksh aka Azaad (Amitabh) leads a band of thugs who aspire to free Hindostan (Indian subcontinent) from Britain’s East India Company; which came to trade but started to rule. Alarmed by this threat, British commander John Clive (Lloyd Owen) gets Firangi Mallah (Aamir), an unscrupulous thug from Awadh, to infiltrate Azaad’s gang and help the goras neutralise the revolutionaries.

Review:

How many of you have seen The Pirates Of The Caribbean put your hands up? Those who haven’t, there is a possible chance you will enjoy TOH. However, to credit Vijay Krishna Acharya with anything here is unfair. His contribution appears zilch. It’s more like Aamir took his six-year-old son Azad’s fairy tale book along to Amitabh’s office. The Hindi cinema icon had in turn brought along his six-year-old granddaughter Aaradhya’s bed-time stories. Between them, Aamir and Amitabh quickly weaved a fable of good v/s evil as is the concluding paragraph in all kiddie books.

Amitabh decided to play Khudabhaksh, a trusted lieutenant of Raunakpur, the only place the evil English army couldn’t capture. Aamir decided he was in the mood to display shades of grey. So, he appointed himself as Firangi; a scheming, low-on-morals wheeler-dealer who would sell the righteous Azaad off to the drunk-on-power, English.

For a little glamour, they strung along a dancer Suraiyya (Katrina) and Zafira (Fatima), who was the real heir to the Raunakpur throne. Unfortunately, she had to flee her kingdom after Clive killed her parents and her brother. She has been on the run ever since, protected by Khudabaksh and his eagle, no less, but she hopes that someday, she will be free herself, her people and reclaim her kingdom.

Honestly, 15 years after Hollywood mounted a spectacular action-adventure like The Pirates Of The Caribbean and made a successful franchise of it, one is sure Indian studios were also itching to try something similar. But since movies like these need mammoth budgets (TOH is a big-screen experience), they had to wait patiently for a legend and a superstar to bite the bait. Aamir and Amitabh kindly did the honours, so we have this grand Diwali offering called Thugs Of Hindostan.

Now that you know the story is a simple one, you can concentrate on the other pluses and weaknesses of this extravaganza. It is a treat to watch Amitabh and Aamir shake a leg to Vashmalle. It is a super-treat to watch Katrina dance like a dervish to Suraiyya and Manzoor-e-Khuda. It is a delight to catch a few sparks between Hindi cinema’s two bright acting talents, the Big B and Aamir.

On the flip side, it is a pity no one thought of writing a more novel story, especially when they had two superstars on board their ship. It is a pity that after spending so much on VFX, gimmickry and virgin locales of Malta, no one thought it appropriate to fit the whole thing in with more emotion and entertainment.

Verdict: If you like films that are high on style and low on substance watch TOH. After all, you may not get another opportunity to watch Amitabh and Aamir in an adventure of this scale.

Thugs Of Hindostan Review

Nagpur Today : Nagpur News

For a movie that constantly weighs in the pros and cons of technology, it’s a pity how inept 2.0’s own understanding of its capabilities are.

There are tons of special effects in Director Shankar’s undoubtedly inferior sequel to Enthiran/Robot — the 2010 sci-fi masala that explored the daredevilry and dangers of man-machine interaction to entertaining results. Except they are so overwhelmingly shoddy, 2.0 ends up looking like a downgraded, cost-cut version of a promising idea.

Never one for subtlety, Shankar’s film-making is defined by his unabashed love for gimmicks and excess.

His audacious approach coupled with extraordinary conviction pulled off many reality-driven fantasies.

Under his bold if impractical vision, a common man could be a CM for a day, a senior citizen could single-handedly banish corruption and a doppelganger could be generated using motion capture to keep a charade going.

But he hit the peak of his big-scale morality musing in the spectacular and wholesome Enthiran pitting Rajinikanth against Rajinikanth.

Given the mega response the Rajni feast generated, working on a bigger, better sequel with a Bollywood hero for antagonist must’ve sounded like the logical next step.

It would have worked too if 2.0 would give a semblance of thrill or threat to its mindless and monotonous battle between a vengeful environmentalist and a robot experiencing a shifting personality disorder.

2.0 opens with a striking visual of a man doddering into a reddish pink sunset, a flock of birds flying above his head and a mobile tower before him, the action to follow will lead to the birth of a strange union of cell phones and creature.

An hour of teasing later, the bird finally hatches an egg and manifests into Akshay Kumar, looking rather savage in his beastly fangs, Ramsay red eyes and Count Olaf eyebrows.

His backstory has something valid to say about the evils of mobile phone and toxic radiation triggered by undue networks.

But between scenes that ogle over Amy Jackson in a tight-fitting Tron-ish body suit to feebly demonstrate even robots aren’t spared from the male gaze, a half-baked subplot featuring Danny Denzongpa’s (villain of the first one) son and Pakshiraja Akshay’s cell phone cluster assault on exclusively portly victims, the message is lost and buried.

What plays out is a persistent, exhausting, endless onslaught of a poorly constructed digital creature throwing up countless phones on the screen and Rajni’s scientist and robotic alter ego firing some photon miracle to counter all his negative shakti.

Loose physics and indulgence are the prerogative of movies modelled in the comic book spirit.

2.0 takes ample advantage of these liberties but forgets to have fun.

Such humourless treatment makes the 150-minutes long proceedings a slog to sit through despite Rajini’s best efforts to get all sneaky in his reloaded form against a Star Wars-inspired background score thrown in good measure.

No doubt his devoted fans will cheer for Chitti repeating his tricks.

The lack of ingenuity will frustrate the rest.

Akshay’s scowling is robust, but he comes in too late and contributes too little to lift 2.0 with the menace it deserved.

Somewhere in all that clutter and mass of men, mobiles, bots and birds hides an interesting allegory on the reliance and recklessness of the ubiquitous mobile phone culture.

2.0’s cursory ticking of the downsides in clumsy common man conversations and confusion over ‘all life forms matter’ in an absurd, tiresome climax ensure it remains hidden.

Movie Review: 2.0

Nagpur Today : Nagpur News

Love in the land of Shiva. Or what political polarisers prefer to call it: Love jihad. Muslim pitthoo Mansoor falls in love with Pahadi Pandit’s daughter Mukku. What happens next in 2013 Kedarnath is a no-brainer. Right after the teaser of Kedarnath the film released, grey clouds had shrouded the very idea of the film. Protests calling for a ban on the film erupted, with comments like ‘But how can a Hindu girl fall in love with a Muslim boy in lord’s abode, Kedarnath?’ leading the way. But India has gotten tired of protests now and thankfully, the film is finally in theatres.

Kedarnath launches Bollywood actors Amrita Singh and Saif Ali Khan’s daughter Sara Ali Khan in a role that oscillates between doing justice to her and not. Sara Ali Khan plays Mukku in the newest tale of star-cross’d lovers, set against the background of the June 2013 Uttarakhand floods. The holy town of Kedarnath through director Abhishek Kapoor’s camera comes to life. But take away the optics and it is left with little to stand on.

Director Abhishek Kapoor and actor Sushant Singh Rajput return to the big screen with a collaboration after 2013’s Kai Po Che. That film, based on Chetan Bhagat’s book The Three Mistakes of My Life, serves as the occasional muse for director Abhishek Kapoor. He picks up elements from his own work and strews them here and there in Kedarnath. There is a Hindu-Muslim riot angle too in Kedarnath that is glossed over, like much of the main talking points of the film.

The character arcs of both Mukku and Mansoor, Kedarnath’s protagonists, are underdeveloped. You want to feel for both Mukku and Mansoor, but sob-stories can only do so much and no more. The story of Kedarnath, written by Abhishek Kapoor and Kanika Dhillon (whose last film, Manmarziyaan was decently written), does not cut through you the way a poignant tale should, the kind Kedarnath aspired to be but could not. And that’s a real shame because the film gets a solid performance from debutante Sara Ali Khan and a commendable one from Sushant.

Newcomer Sara displays the potential to go far in her career. Director Abhishek Kapoor throws in a scene with Sara and Sushant taking shelter from the rain in a cave; a scene that pays its own tribute to the song Badal Yoon Garajta Hai from Amrita Singh’s debut film Betaab.

While Sara makes a radiant debut as Mukku, there are moments when her acting comes across as *acting*. Her efforts – at times a little too much – are visible in the film. But Kedarnath is her first film. Some of it can be overlooked. Sushant Singh Rajput brings his Kai Po Che freshness to the role of Mansoor and one can be hopeful that the Raabta days are behind him now.

But the actors’ performances cannot save the lack of involvement in the story that Kedarnath betrays. All of it looks superficial, done from a distance. When you see the film, you know that it is not happening to you. You cannot be part of this smalltown life, thanks to the way the film unfolds over the course of exactly two hours.

What harms the film further is that the filmmakers probably gave away a little too much in the promos and songs. The story was known. The execution was what was to be seen. Sadly, Kedarnath the film too is washed away by the floods before your mind can start thinking about it. What stays are the characters. And, to use a word from Mansoor, the ‘malaal’ (regret) at seeing the way the film is handled.

The writers, Kapoor and Dhillon, use a George Eliotesque punishment in Kedarnath. A regression has happened. A Hindu girl and a Muslim boy have fallen in love. The land has to be purged. So the filmmakers, aware of the present-day climate of the country, use a convenient climax in Kedarnath. It is this that keeps Kedarnath from becoming something different. The music, the cinematography, the setting; Kedarnath ends up squandering everything that is good in it. Watch the film for Sara Ali Khan. The girl will surprise us.

Kedarnath starring Sushant Singh Rajput marks the big Bollywood debut of star kid Sara Ali Khan. The film is directed by Abhishek Kapoor. Actors Sara and Sushant shine in Kedarnath but the film drowns, says our review.

Kedarnath Movie Review

Nagpur Today : Nagpur News

Rohit Shetty’s Simmba starring Ranveer Singh, Sara Ali Khan and Sonu Sood is releasing tomorrow in India. But, the movie has already released in Dubai earlier today and if the audience’s reaction is anything to go by then this is yet another blockbuster from Rohit Shetty. Before the release of the film, Rohit Shetty was quite confident about the box office performance of the film and looks like he exactly knew how general audience is gonna react to the film.

If early reviews and reactions are anything to go by then nothing can stop Simmba from being the “Mega Blockbuster”. A Twitter user who watched the early morning show in Dubai wrote during the interval, “#Simmba Interval: Ranveer Singh reaches the zenith of playing a loud inspector, a very CRAZY avatar, barring the last 10 mins where the seriousness of the plot kicks in. His entry will ROCK big time, nobody executes ‘masala genre’ as good as Rohit Shetty. #SimmbaReview @Simmba” Also read: Simmba box office collection: Ranveer Singh’s action film likely to open at Rs 25 crore. Read trade prediction

However, it looks like the second half takes the movie on another level. After the movie got over, the user wrote, “YAAY!! The MOST THUNDEROUS movie of the year!!!! MEGA BLOCKBUSTER Guaranteed!!! #SimmbaReview @RanveerOfficial #Simmba #FDFS #Dubai @VOXCinemas”

Another user took to Twitter after the first half and wrote, “The first half was FULL ON entertainment! The audience was in splits and that’s when I realised i’m not being biased if i’m enjoying the film. I was actually teary eyed out of pride because of your strength as an actor #Simmba” And further wrote after the movie ended, “@RanveerOfficial The second half was something I had not expected. I have to mention how charming Sara is. BUT…YOU! There was depth and realisation in #Simmba. Seriously, I am SO impressed! How are you like this!? Uff”

The two reactions also teased a surprise rather a cameo by an action superstar.

One thing is clear after these early reactions that Simmba is all set to be a monstrous hit at the box office.

Simmba Movie Review

Nagpur Today : Nagpur News

After several demands of banning the movie and court cases, Anupam Kher and Akshaye Khanna’s controversial film The Accidental Prime Minister released on Friday.The film is based on former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh’s media advisor Sanjaya Baru’s eponymous book and it shows us Singh’s journey as the PM of India through Baru’s eyes. The movie tells how the economist-turned-reluctant politician was given no choice but to become the Prime Minister of the country.

The Accidental Prime Minister[/caption] It showcases how he became a puppet in the hands of the Gandhi family, how the opposition supported him as his own party stabbed him in the back and how he wasn’t even allowed to resign as the ‘Yuvraj’ wasn’t ready to take the command. Mr. Singh maintained a stoic silence on the scams that happened during the Congress rule and was ridiculed and mocked at for the same but watch this film you will have so much more respect for the genius. How he stood his ground despite every effort of ‘10 Janpath wali madam’ and her son Rahul Gandhi is commendable and will have you in awe of him.

The Accidental Prime Minister[/caption] Anupam Kher is phenomenal as Dr. Manmohan Singh. He is worked really hard on his character and while he has imitated him very well, it doesn’t look caricaturish. He is as soft-spoken in the movie as the former PM and has maintained his dignity. He seems so lonely in certain scenes that you actually feel bad for him. Akshay Khanna has played Baru and he is brilliant. He lends some light moments to the movie and lifts every scene that he is a part of. He is also the narrator of the film and many a time looks straight into the camera to give all the inside dope directly to the audiences.

The Accidental Prime Minister[/caption] Suzanne Bernert is a spitting image of Sonia Gandhi and she is outstanding. Arjun Mathur has played Rahul Gandhi and Ahana Kumra has played Priyanka and while they are both good in their respective roles, they don’t have much to do in the film

The Accidental Prime Minister[/caption] Vijay Ratnakar Gutte’s film calls its lead character Bhismapitamah, who sacrificed it all for the Gandhi family. Vijay has also co-written the script and while he has told the story beautifully, the direction could have been better but thankfully he didn’t let it turn into a parody. Elections are near, this film can help the ruling party
f
The Accidental Prime Minister[/caption] Dialogues are okay, background score is jarring and cinematography is also weak but as the story is enthralling and riveting, it keeps you engrossed. I do feel that they could have focused a bit more on the 2G, 3G scams and Nira Radia tapes. I enjoyed watching the film and feel that it needed to be made. However, as it’s a one-sided story there’s a lot left to imagination.

Review: The Accidental Prime Minister

Nagpur Today : Nagpur News

Badla! What a devious little title.

Both an anagram and a pun, it fits the suspenseful soul of Sujoy Ghosh’s languid thriller to the T.

A nearly faithful remake of the Spanish mystery, Contratiempo (2016), Badla wears the air of a cold, civil, old-fashioned whodunit, which treats its premise like an insidious game and characters with undisguised suspicion.

In a reversal of genders, it is a woman (Taapsee Pannu) of considerable means and power facing incriminating evidence for a murder.

The only man (Amitabh Bachchan) who can prove her innocence has never lost a single case in his 40-year-old career.

This is all too comfortable for a genre like Badla’s, and so Ghosh brings on the murky — one convoluted flashback at a time.

As the two go back and forth over the scene of crime in her cheerless makeshift apartment, the pieces of a puzzle slowly emerge in the shape of an adulterous affair, unwary spouses, a road accident, an old couple whose help was sought and an undisclosed blackmailer.

Against the backdrop of Scotland’s icy air and imposing beauty, Badla savours its many permutations and combinations to widen the differences between every passing account.

The truth has many versions, believes the undefeated lawyer whose love for details and drawing analogies from the Mahabharata describe his distinctively patronising disposition.

Huff and puff aside, forensics and logic are forsaken to build on dramatic twists and surprise takes precedence over sense. Badla isn’t above this dearly held trope.

What then works, despite its susceptibility for contrivances, is Ghosh’s intense focus on the chemistry of two opaque individuals testing each other’s aptitude for justice.

There is a seductive quality to Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu’s interactions, something we miss sorely every time Badla turns its attention on the ancillary elements of the plot.

Amrita Singh and Manav Kaul are compelling personalities, but Badla confines them to the shadows. And the utter blandness of Malayalam actor Tony Luke could single-handedly destroy Badla if it wasn’t for the combined magnetism of Bachchan-Pannu.

Ghosh has roped in two perfect leads to elevate Badla;s adequate standards.

If Pannu’s exhausted eyes and irritated veneer capture her predicament, her ingrained arrogance conveys the volume of her self-worth.

Though in a soup, she is smart as a whip.

In Pannu’s expressive skin, it’s all so effortless.

As the ally she evaluates and confides in, Bachchan is a prim portrait of shrewd and sceptical.

His apprehensive tone reverberates the authority of experience that can tell 6 from 9.

Is it this ‘ahead of the curve’ quality to his portrayal, that keeps Badla ticking even if you have solved the mystery long, long ago.

Master of mysteries, Alfred Hitchcock once said, ‘Revenge is sweet, not fattening.’

At two hours running time, Badla keeps the deed both short and sweet.

Badla review

Nagpur Today : Nagpur News

21 Sikh soldiers against 10,000 Afghan tribesman — it’s a staggering statistic and splendid premise for a full-bloodied action film.

A feat Kesari not only honours but delivers too if only you’ll be patient.

The year is 1897 and the guidelines of a Bollywood historical insist on delaying the deed in favour of hackneyed subtext and tedious sentiment.

Shot against the picturesque backdrop of Spiti valley’s majestic snowy mountains and craggy landscape, Kesari would be a lot more taut and short than its 150 minutes if its building up for battle revealed more strategy than shenanigans.

And so no matter how much uniformity it projects, this is, ultimately, an Akshay Kumar vehicle.

He even changes into a saffron turban in case you miss the point.

From his gallantry when he rescues an Afghani girl from getting executed, his wounded patriotism on being humiliated by the evil British officer, his team spirit as he takes charge of the 36 Sikh regiment at Saragarhi to his secular beliefs as he builds a mosque for the local tribesmen, Kesari devotes a significant chunk of its script to brandish Akshay’s might as the dauntless, magnanimous, Sardar, Havildar Ishar Singh.

To his credit, the actor is a picture of restraint and righteousness as the worldly-wise Sardar on a mission.

Anurag Singh’s fictionalised take on the Battle of Saragarhi, where a small group of Sikh soldiers in the British army laid their lives down while fighting an overwhelming enemy pays rich tribute to the Sikh community, their valour and religious dogmas.

As its most virtuous embodiment, Ishar Singh instructs the cook to offer water to the injured, whether one of their own or the enemy. But it is his almost spiritual outlook towards combat where the imprint of his teachings shows most favourably.

The cardboard adversary is on the other side of the extreme. If the British are toffee-nosed bosses getting their kicks out of demeaning the ghulams, the Afghanis are one-note barbarians misusing religion to incite violence.

There is no middle ground in Singh’s black and white shades of conflict.

Instead, customary scenes of comedy and romance squeeze their way in until Kesari can truly take off.

Parineeti Chopra, as Ishar Singh’s wife, has imaginary gupshups with him and has precious little to do. But his 20 other home-sick companions at Saragarhi receive just about enough attention for us to feel bad when they fall.

Once the battle gets rolling, Kesari jumps into high-octane mode. Though heavily outnumbered, the rifle-ready soldiers assume their positions to guard the fort swarmed by opponents.

They know how it’s going to end.

You know how it’s going to end.

But the raw bravado at display, the high-pitched intensity and the relentless urgency of the events kept me on the edge of my seat.

Things get down and dirty by the end.

The carnage by the door, pile of corpses used to clamber atop, a wall scribbled in casualties, swords skewering man after man, the upshot is more bloody than kesari.

Movie Review: Kesari

Nagpur Today : Nagpur News

Movies dealing with patriotism have done well, and so, film-makers rarely shy away from making films on it.

And when you have an actor like John Abraham, who has made a name for himself in this genre, producers are willing to take the risk.

But what the makers don’t understand is that just by adding the Indian Tricolour and an instrumental version of our National Anthem, doesn’t make the movie a hit.

It needs to have a gripping story, which will do justice to the patriotic theme.

John Abraham’s new film RAW: Romeo Akbar Walter, falters at that.

The movie tries very hard to invoke love for our motherland, but fails to make that connection.

Something somewhere feels amiss

Set during the 1970s, RAW is a story of a banker-cum-theatre artist Romeo Ali, who has been picked up by R&AW — the Research and Analysis Wing, the country’s external intelligence agency — for a mission.

He is trained in combat, shooting and for reading between the lines, under the able leadership of Shrikant Rai, played by Jackie Shroff.

Within days, Romeo, now called Akbar Malik, is sent off to Pakistan, to find out details about the neighbouring country’s preparedness for war.

Akbar gets his hands on secret documents and passes it onto his superiors.

However, he gets caught by a Pakistan officer Khudabaksh Khan (Sikander Kher).

John Abraham does his job well, but amateur writing makes his multiple characters look caricaturish.

At no point in time do you feel pained for John’s character, except at the start when the Pakistan officer is torturing him.

As a spy, John isn’t able to make the audience feel the same tension, which is the biggest flaw of the movie.

John’s love interest, Mouni Roy, another spy, hardly has a role. She just serves as eye candy.

Jackie Shroff does well. But again, his role isn’t laid out properly, and hence you can’t blame him for the shortcomings.

Sikander Kher is amazing — he is the brutal officer you want to hate. His honest act makes us feel sorry for the goof-up in the film’s scripting.

Despite having a decent storyline, Director Robbie Grewal isn’t able to get us on the edge-of-our-seats with this thriller.

The movie appears ‘raw’ at many instances and one only wishes that it was cooked better.

Robbie tries hard to make RAW like Raazi, but doesn’t quite get it.

John Abraham’s film is TOO RAW!

Nagpur Today : Nagpur News

First POV movie in India # Netflix

Synopsys: An asylum patient’s troubled past threatens his grasp on reality as fellow hospital residents begin disappearing at the hands of an unknown entity. (Rakkhosh is a first-person POV of a schizophrenic person based on a Marathi short story ‘Patient No. 302’).

When the person’s body and mind are not integrated his behavioral pattern changes. The primary cause of one’s actions is emotions. The film focuses on the central character (Birsa’s) exposure to the outside world around him. Only his sister and a friend from mental asylum could understand him. His father treats him harshly and sends him to and overcrowded the mental asylum.

One by one, the patients begin to disappear due to some mysterious circumstances; this catches the attention of a journalist who becomes entangled with the thrilling drama. The film gives insights on the lead character’s perspective and approach towards various situations and the consequences he has to face because of it.

Camera: As a first point of view film, where the camera is the character, the camera work and over all cinematography is extremely praiseworthy. High and low angles mostly show the extreme discrimination of the society whereas the hand-held and shaky camera movements show the unpredictability in the behaviors and situations.

Edit: Action edit is beautifully used along with the sound to cut the scenes and to generate that shocking impact, though there was a scope for sound designing where some background sound feels unrealistic.

Final take: The film is well researched and directed with a lot of subtext and socio-psychological intertextuality.

Art and blue color tones show the captivity, dullness and darkness from the depressed point of view of the character. The point of view composition engages in unfolding and revealing the content and grasps the imagination till the end, as one becomes intimate with the character. If you want to experience some thrill go ahead and switch to Netflix ‘Rakkhosh (Demon) is waiting for you.
Akshay Kadam: (Film maker/Critic)

Movie review: Rakkhosh

Director Vishal Furia’s Forensic now available on Zee5 , Watch Forensic now in Hindi is a remake of the 2020 Malayalam film of the same name, starring Tovino Thomas and Mamta Mohandas. The Hindi version, based on a script by writers Adhir Bhatt, Ajit Jagtap and Vishal Kapoor, is a fast-paced thriller about a serial killer who targets little girls.

One can Watch Movies on ZEE5 now one ZEE5 , the story starts when the town of Mussoorie is rocked when young girls start going missing on their birthdays and are later found murdered. Radhika Apte plays Megha Sharma, a sub-inspector who is made the lead investigator on the case when a dead girl’s body is found in a garbage dump. Also called in to assist is forensic scientist Johnny Khanna, played by Vikrant Massey. Megha and Johnny must set aside their history – they were previously romantically involved — to solve these crimes.

Megha is also guardian to her niece Aanya, who visits a child psychiatrist for therapy related to a family tragedy that also keeps her away from her father Abhay (Rohit Bose Roy), who happens to be Johnny’s brother. The family doesn’t seem too involved in Aanya’s mental health else they might have noticed her doctor’s (Prachi Desai) methods as being not wholly valuable.

Megha follows a few leads, makes some arrests, but the murders continue. Her unhealed wounds make her resistant to Johnny’s scientific findings and clues about the killer. Johnny is meticulous, and there is enough focus on the methodology and technology used to assist in criminal investigations.

The first half of the film is crisp with three murders in under 10 minutes, albeit some years apart. There is quick character development and establishing of plot, and the hill town provides the right atmosphere for a murder mystery. As sincere as Megha is, her colleagues are portrayed as ambitious and competitive or buffoons.

It’s up to Johnny and Megha to find the killer before another victim falls prey. As the team comes closer to figuring out whodunit, there is a bizarre twist, which knocks the film off track.

When the crime is finally solved, it’s fun to see individuals who have serious jobs not taking life seriously all the time. What keeps it from entirely derailing is Massey’s portrayal of a jaunty forensic scientist who enjoys his work. Massey is terrific as the skilled, confident and sensitive Johnny. The pairing with Apte, who walks the line between anguish and duty, works well. The supporting cast includes Ved Prakash Mathur and Vindhu Singh Randhawa as Megha’s colleagues.

In spite of the unpersuasive plot, Forensic is involving and worth a watch for world-building and to see Massey’s novel interpretation of his character.

The post Movie Review: Vikrant Massey’s brilliant portrayal of jaunty forensic scientist is the highlight of this crime caper appeared first on Nagpur Today : Nagpur News.

A national hockey team captain (Vineet Kumar Singh) forced to leave his town and team after Partition and play for its newly created neighbour.

An aristocrat (Amit Sadh), who excels at the game but is too smug to realise why he must not exert his privileges on the field.

A hot-tempered Sardar (Sunny Kaushal) lad blessed with extraordinary talent frustrated by his under-utilisation and internal politics.

Gold has three noteworthy stories to tell.

Yet, it sidelines their potential to say something pertinent about a freshly freed country, its hopes and uncertainties, to focus on a drunkard manager’s flimsy contribution in Independent India’s victory at the 1948 Olympics.

Tapan Das or Tuppen, as he likes to pronounce it, is nursing a dream since 1936 after his hockey team got gold for British India before an elated crowd that includes a world-famous German tyrant (more like Bertie Wooster with a toothbrush moustache).

A decade goes by as India becomes free from British rule, Pakistan is born and World War II cancels the 1940 and 1944 Olympics.

In this time, a disappointed Tapan has taken to the bottle and bets against wrestlers.

When he finally lands an opportunity to put together his dream hockey team with star player-turned-coach (Kunal Kapoor), a surly senior creates problems for no legitimate reason.

Director Reema Kagti, who put together a quirky ensemble in Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd and combined sorrow and supernatural so sublimely in Talaash, struggles to give her distinct voice to Gold’ wishy-washy complexity.

As a consequence, Tapan’s disillusionment feels exaggerated and grating.

Nationalistic fervour is pretty much thrust upon him after the tricolored flag fortuitously lands in his hands.

But since those hands belong to Akshay Kumar, rest assured, it shall not be taken lightly.

Bollywood’s go-to crusader reminds us repeatedly of his plans to avenge ‘Do sau saal ki ghulami’ by speaking in a jarring accent that is clearly more Bollywood than Bangla, breaking into a dhoti-clad bhangra as though he’s confused Gold for Singh is Bling while being a hockey hero from the sidelines.

It is a sloppily written role performed with equal ineptitude, a rare misstep from the actor, who hardly gets it wrong anymore no matter how partisan or embarrassing the contents.

As Gold grows into a timeworn underdog tale, the British emerge as the unanimous bad guys having changed their objective from divide and rule to divide and defeat.

It is nice to see Kagti remembers that India and Pakistan break up is too recent to view its common enemy differently. It gives the climatic scene’s communal cheer a heartrending unity, years before it would be looked upon as romantic idealism in Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

Barring these little details, her recreation of the era feels more postcard than living.

Gold’s glossy, sepia toned rendition of retro revelries is fancy, but the contemporary energy they betray is telling of how accurate the endeavour is.

Characters are dressed in vintage, set designs throws in the decade appropriate props and knick-knacks, but one never gets a sense of those times or the wave of patriotism it so conveniently whips up to suit its purpose.

Gold’s other issue is the game it builds itself around.

Hockey isn’t a visually exciting game for everybody.

Unless its stakes and soul are smartly and shrewdly woven into the narrative like Chak De! India, viewers are unlikely to invest.

Half-hearted depiction of the sport, a moment of epiphany to showcase barefoot bravado and starstruck fan following of a former legend among Buddhist monks do very little to promote its cause.

The only thing Gold borrows from Shimit Amin’s deeply layered classic is the Sabharwal-Chautala rivalry.

Luckily for Kagti, her supporting cast stands her in good stead and does well in bringing out the vulnerability and ambition of their characters.

If only they’d get a little more screen time.

At 150 minutes though, Gold digresses too often to accommodate a bizarre episode of Amit Sadh’s philanthropy, Mouni Roy’s domestic chatter and heavy-handed federation politics.

It is only when Gold moves away from Akshay Kumar’s blundering Bangla and hockey humbug to become a story of grace among go-getters that it comes close to becoming the movie it should have been.

And then the national anthem plays and manipulation wins once again.

The post Review: Gold appeared first on Nagpur Today : Nagpur News.

A mysterious man in a hoodie drags an unconscious fella towards a wooden pyre. As soon as the latter regains senses, he discovers he is tied to the logs, loud sounds of Sanskrit shlokas are booming all around and the tall hunk is going on and on about some matchstick analogy.

Meet serial corrupt cop killer John Abraham, a character born out of Aakhri Raasta and Shahenshah’s leftovers that strains to evoke Deewar and Shakti-reminiscent sentiments out of Manoj Bajpayee, the only decent policeman in all of Satyamev Jayate.

While Abraham’s fire-breathing dragon sends off few more bribe-taking officers to direct hell, Bajpayee gets cracking down on his case and reveal the initial reason the film is called Satyamev Jayate.

The individual letters of the title signify the location of the incinerated cops — something Bajpayee miraculously deduces on the basis of a homophone. Of course there are just too many letters to prolong the ploy in a script that cannot even pretend to be clever.

I’s not long before Satyamev Jayate completely abandons the idea and brings on board good old baap ka badla

Director Milan Milap Zaveri’s dreadful lack of originality would be a little more bearable if it wasn’t so tedious about its nostalgia.

Every single phone call between a duty-bound cop and self-appointed vigilante is a gabby round of steal a march versus rain on your parade.

It’s only marginally less laughable than John Abraham attempts to look sly.

The film labours to paint him as this model citizen volunteering at cleanliness drives and rescuing stray puppies yet his mineral water-glugging, needless plastic amassing and flirting with the vet (Aisha Sharma who sounds like Suniel Shetty every time she opens her mouth) has a different story to tell.

Satyamev Jayate is so committed to Abraham’s pyromania it happily overlooks all the damage his irresponsible justice seeking leads to.

From blowing off petrol pumps to causing stampedes in public places, his so-called valour reeks of hypocrisy.

It’s foolhardy to expect nuance from a jaded action drama that not only recycles 80s clichés, but also expects to pull off a reckless revenge in the absence of Amitabh Bachchan’s charisma and Sunny Deol’s fury.

Only Satyamev Jayate’s predictable twists and superficial emotions have absolutely nothing new to offer.

What it does is test your threshold of pain.

Zaveri’s energy-sapping hysterics pitting Islamophobic cops and Abraham’s saviour act (‘Patil ho ya Qadri, sabki ek biradri’) during a bombastic, blood-soaked Muharram ritual is where I threw in the towel.

John Abraham has Popeye’s muscles and Bluto’s scowl, but how many times can you watch a deadpan Hulk pull out a van door or burst forth from a truck tyre?

And if Manoj Bajpayee chitchats on one more phone call as the gyaan spewing, exasperated, righteous law enforcer with a soft spot for his outwitting adversary, it qualifies as stock character.

If the anti-corruption baloney isn’t agonising enough, the writer in Zaveri over-rides the film-maker and stuffs the scenes with excessive verbosity.

After 141 exhausting minutes of unending appeals, phony revelations and long-winded dying words, the only satya I cared about is there is a cab outside the theatre waiting to take me home.

The post Satyamev Jayate Review appeared first on Nagpur Today : Nagpur News.

Two years after Mudassar Aziz won our hearts with the sleeper hit Happy Bhag Jayegi starring Diana Penty, Ali Fazal, Jimmy Sheirgill, Piyush Mishra and Abhay Deol, the director is back with a sequel comprising most of the previous cast plus two new characters played by Sonakshi Sinha and Jassi Gill. But will the sequel prove to be as entertaining as its predecessor, considering the fact that Bollywood has mostly fumbled when it comes to sequels? Let’s find out…

This time, Happy (Diana) and her husband Guddu (Ali Fazal) are in China for the latter’s concert and a case of mistaken identity has led to the kidnapping of another Happy (Sonakshi Sinha). If this was not all, Daman Singh Bagga (Jimmy) and Pakistani cop Usman Afridi (Mishra) too have landed up in China against their will. When Sonakshi’s character manages to escape from her kidnappers and runs into Indian Embassy employee Khushwant Singh Gill (Jassi), it leads to a comedy of errors involving all the characters…

Though the film boasts of a stellar cast, I must say that the sequel belongs to Jimmy and Piyush Mishra and their banter is the highlight of the film. Both the actors are so endearing as Bagga and Afridi that I want the makers to make a third film in the franchise only for these two whacky characters, who will have you laughing till your sides hurt. Gill, who makes his Bollywood debut with this film, is fresh and earnest while Diana, Ali and Sonakshi are strictly average, though in their defense, Ali and Diana don’t get much screen time. Aparshakti Khurrana, who plays Sonakshi’s runaway fiancé, is a delight to watch.

happy-3As for the film itself, Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi is one of those comedies that may not make much sense plot-wise, but will entertain the hell out of you from the first scene itself. The dialogues are super funny, even if there is a liberal dose of Pak-bashing and the characters are crazy and lovable (even the bad guys).

On the flip side, there is a bit of slapstick comedy that may not appeal to everyone and the plot is somewhat haywire, as mentioned earlier. happy-5 happy-6However, if you enjoyed the prequel, be sure that ‘Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi’ will ensure a ‘Happy’ weekend…

The post Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi Movie Review appeared first on Nagpur Today : Nagpur News.

Film: Stree; Starring Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurrana; Directed by Amar Kaushik;

A new language in the horror genre burgeons as we watch this quirky cocktail — or shall we call it a quirk-tale? –of strange eerie mysterious goings-on in a minuscule town somewhere in Madhya Pradesh.

First off, the narrative acquires its judiciously-harnessed strength from the lazy serpentine locations. The congested claustrophobic gullies and lanes of Chanderi lend themselves effectively to the plot that quite literally loses it.

This is a film where supernatural beliefs are dragged to the extremes of self-parody and then dragged back up panting puffing and gasping for breath. It’s a delicious voluptuous mishmash of terror and titillation all titivated in loads of guffaws.

To sustain the mood of mirth during times of terror is not easy. Stree manages it. It also squeezes in a piercing message on gender dignity and women’s empowerment, proclaiming the ill-treatment of women to be the root cause of all evil perpetrated by ghoulish feminine spirits wandering aimlessly in the night.

The writing, in this case, is clearly and literally on the wall, as every home in the spooked town has a message ‘Stree Kal Aana’ painted on the raw brick wall. Well, Kal or not, this Stree rides the train of mystery with bloody-thirsty bravado.

Many passages play for anti-climactic scares. And these get annoying when repeated. Even when the deadends to the frights are too frequent the film never ceases to be fun. Barring Shraddha Kapoor who is listless pale and wan (and not necessarily because the script demands her to be these) the entire cast gets the spirit of spooked satire dead right.

While Aparshakti Khurrana has shaped into one of the strongest supporting actors of contemporary Bollywood, what appealed the most to me was this self-effacing actor’s accent. So North Indian in its wackiness, I was left decoding his words long after Khurrana finished uttering them. Pankaj Tripathi as a local scholar-exorcist with a penchant for alcohol and caller tunes that remind us of beautiful ghosts from Raj Khosla’s cinema, has the film’s best lines. Tripathy chews on them for all the meat they’ve got and spits them out with loving care.

As for Rajkummar Rao, he takes ownership of the film and its peculiar flavour of fear and fun, instilling the two elements simultaneously in several scenes. I dare any other actor to have so much fun with fear. Watch him and Atul Shrivastava in the sequence where ‘Deddy’ tells son to not go to prostitutes for ‘Frandship’, but opt for self-help instead. It is priceless.

Stree moves in mysterious ways through a labyrinth of lip-smacking interludes, some razor-sharp others blunt to the point of blandness. Even when the momentum of the eerie gets overly airy, there is still enough steam in the storytelling to keep us interested, if not enthralled, to the end.

And when all fails, there is always Rajkummar Rao. An actor we can depend on to rescue even the most inept scene from doom. Luckily Stree for all its audacious dips and curves through mofussil anxieties never stumbles too hard to fall fright on its face. And watch out for the final twist in the tale. You will agree this quirk-tale, shot with vinegary vibrancy by cinematographer Amalendu Chaudhary, is no mock-tale.

The post Stree Movie Review appeared first on Nagpur Today : Nagpur News.

In the picturesque valley of Kashmir, there are two lovers – conceptualised as the modern-day Laila Majnu. They meet, admire the beauty around, only to be separated later due to raging family rivalries. But, as the fate has it, they meet again, until the two get lost in oblivion, in search of the ultimate bliss – something that only the other-worldly lovers get.

Director: Sajad Ali
Writers: Imtiaz Ali, Sajid Ali
Producers: Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor, Preeti Ali
Actors: Avinash Tiwary, Tripti Dimri, Parmeet Sethi, Benjamin Gilani, Sumit Kaul

Laila, played by Tripti Dimri, is the city’s heartthrob. She enjoys the attention she gets from men while on her way to college. Qais, played by Avinash Tiwary, is a known rich-brat, allegedly famous for breaking hearts and using women as commodities. The two accidentally meet each other and love strikes. They decide to get married but their plans are marred by the old enmity between their fathers, who are two biggies of the town. What follows is years of wait and a process of self-realisation. Only when the two are finally going to be together forever, Qais sets on an unbelievable journey of finding love with the Laila of his dreams. He no longer lingers on the actual presence of his beloved. For him, Laila is always with him, and he is able to see her the way the world can’t.

“Yeh ishq nahin aasaan, bas itna samajh lijiye… Aik aag ka darya hai, aur doob ke jaana hai.” The poetry written by Jigar Moradabadi, is the basis of most Imtiaz Ali films. Even this new one, that’s directed by Sajad Ali. Laila Majnu is a glossy attempt to bring in front the ages old popular Persian folklore. Ali, however, fails to make it relevant today. In the first place, the lovers in the film never even appear to have fallen in the kind of love which is capable of self destruction. The characters don’t evoke empathy, even when Qais is wandering in woods talking to himself, terrorising the local people around. Avinash seems effective at places, but his Majnu is overstretched and over-acted.

While Imtiaz keeps the flavour of his style of cinema alive in Laila Majnu, the story lacks the modern-day connect. The idea of becoming a ‘deewana‘ for somebody in love is too-outdated-to-believe.

There are major ups and downs in how Laila’s character evolves in the narrative. She’s shown as a girl, who’s excited about life, and doesn’t fear in exploring anything new. She’s like a pretty blooming flower in a much conservative settings of a Kashmiri Muslim family. That is established when she’s asked to have her dupatta in place by her mother. Or her sister’s continuous resistance to her increasing proximity with Qais. Her lively answer to everything objected: ‘Chal na, try karte hain‘.

Now, when the same Laila, who’s full of life, decides to let go of his lover so easily – it does raise questions. Why doesn’t she see that her man needs medical help? What happened to the rebellious Laila who didn’t shy away from telling her father that he has no business in the decisions of her life anymore? In a scene when he tries to stop him from eloping with Qais, she tells him “Raat ke andhere me ja rahi hun, piche ke darwaaze se ja rahi hun… isse zada main aap ke liye kuch nahi kar sakti.” The same courage gets lost in oblivion later and you are left to rediscover Ali’s Laila again and again in the plot.

Lost Performances
Take it as it is — For the most part in the film, Avinash seems to be copying Ranbir’s Jordan; while Tripti’s Laila is an absolute rip-off of Nargis’ performance as Heer – her over-pouty lips overshadowing her acting skills. The two are never able to establish the we-will-die-for-each-other connect to the audience. Neither do they hold on to the Kashmiri accent for long. Together, Ali’s Laila-Majnu lack both lustre and life.

Verdict
Imtiaz Ali’s Laila Majnu doesn’t have anything new to set on the table for you. It has the story which is widely discussed and the treatment which is cliched and predictable to describe. Even when you aren’t appreciating anything about Ali’s cinema, you are taking music that stays with you for long. Here, you don’t even get that much. One thing the film does for you though, as most Ali’s films do, is that it makes you want to pack your bags and explore the stunning locations of the valley. But, just that.

The post Laila Majnu Movie Review appeared first on Nagpur Today : Nagpur News.

Anurag Kashyap gave Bollywood one of its best stories of love and lost love in Dev D. He lent the classic love triangle his own twist and Dev D developed a cult following. His last film too was a love story with the backdrop of boxing, Mukkabaaz.

With the Kashyap signature, conventional love stories become memorable.

So when Anurag Kashyap returns with another love triangle in Manmarziyaan, comparisons with Dev D are inevitable. He dedicates his newest film to Amrita Pritam, the precocious poet who herself is known for her unconventional, trailblazing love story.

Manmarziyaan is set in small-town Amritsar where Vicky loves Rumi loves Robbie. The who loves whom equation is fluid here, with Taapsee playing the erratic and moody Rumi – the pivot of this tale who oscillates between the two. Rumi symbolises manmarziyaan. ‘Mann’ and ‘marzi’ form ‘manmarziyaan’. Do what your heart says. Kashyap’s heroine does exactly that, and leaves a trail of destruction and heartbreak behind.

Hockey-player Rumi ‘manipulates’ her family for her own gain. She is unapologetic about it. She smokes, chugs drinks and has sex like there’s no tomorrow. Her partner in crime is the local guy with tattoos and piercings; the entire f**kboi package, Vicky (Vicky Kaushal in terrific form). Enter goodboi Robbie (Abhishek Bachchan in a passable comeback) who doesn’t talk much but doesn’t let that keep him from fighting against all odds to acquire the woman he likes.

Rumi and Vicky love each other. But Vicky is commitment-phobic. Rumi waits for him right till the end of time but stops short. She turns back and takes her own decision. “Rumi khud gayi thi,” she scribbles in rage for Vicky to tell him that she left him and not the other way round. But ishq da rang hai grey wala shade. Kashyap tells us what comprises the grey. Not convincingly.

The film, much like its lead heroine, suffers from a curious case of being too dependent on its director’s manmarziyaan. Kashyap picks up elements from Dev D and strews them here and there in Manmarziyaan. The teenmurti from Dev D become the twins in Manmarziyaan. A heartbroken person walks into a bar as the twins shake their head in pity while a heavy number plays in the background. We have seen these before.

Manmarziyaan is fabulous in its first half. There are little moments that warm your heart. Rumi lights up the screen with her energy. Rumi brands herself on to the viewer. Vicky Kaushal roars and proves yet again why he is one of the best we have in Bollywood today. The frames with Taapsee and Vicky are ones to cherish.

Among the three leads, Abhishek Bachchan is weak. He impresses but not quite. He is brooding and silent most of the time and you are expected to expect a storm whenever he speaks. When the crescendo finally reaches its climax, Junior Bachchan does a poor impression of the Angry Young Man.

There is more of Abhishek in the second half, and the film loses steam post interval, largely because of the silences and the patchy writing by Kanika Dhillon. We are left to deal with the whims of Rumi and by now, we’ve seen way too much of them. You feel restless. You want the explosion to happen just so you can leave. But all we get is a whimper.

The film benefits from Amit Trivedi’s fabulous soundtrack. Songs like Daryaa and Halla stay with you after you leave the theatre. Rumi and Vicky stay with you after the end credits roll. But Manmarziyaan lets you go with the feeling that you’ve just seen Dev D from a Paro’s point of view. Except, a mediocre version.

Three stars for Manmarziyaan.

The post Manmarziyaan Movie Review appeared first on Nagpur Today : Nagpur News.

Batti Gul Meter Chalu is a hero’s journey in his fight for social justice.

Set in Uttarakhand, this social drama is a common man’s fight against the corrupt system, especially the company supplying electricity to the State.

Sushil Kumar Pant (Shahid Kapoor) is a crooked lawyer who makes his money by blackmailing businessmen whose products don’t match their advertising claims. And he is happy with his lifestyle. But when his best friend Sundar Mohan Tripathi (Divyendu Sharma), a budding entrepreneur who has a printing press in an industrial zone on the outskirts of the town, is driven to the brink after receiving an inflated electricity bill, Sushil fights a legal battle against the company. How he delivers justice to his friend, forms the crux of the tale.

Crafted with good intentions and strong, hard-hitting messages to the requisite people of the society, the plot takes a circuitous route that makes its 175 minutes of run-time, tedious for viewing.

There is obviously a story in the narrative, but the director does not make it compelling. He has gone overboard with gimmicks developing the characters. And by doing so, the first half of the film lacks focus or purpose. Each scene is lengthy, overtly dramatised and pretentious with talk-heavy exposition. Also, the Kumaoni dialect after a while becomes a sore point.

The second half does pick up momentum with interesting inciting moments. But it is the courtroom drama that is the focus of the act. If only court cases were as simple or as smooth as projected in “Batti Gul Meter Chalu”, the acceptance of this film would have been a totally different ball-game. Also, the frivolous direction of the courtroom scenes takes away the seriousness of the said messages.

On the performance front, Shahid Kapoor is one of the most robust and powerful actors in the film. He emotes exquisitely with his delicate facial expressions. But at times, like a typical Hindi film hero, he goes over-the-top, making his entire exercise appear staged.

Divyendu as Sushil’s “timid” and “bust friend”, is sincere with his efforts and is subtle as a second fiddle.

Shraddha Kapoor as the fun-loving and bubbly Lalita Nautiyal aka Naughty offers a romantic angle to the narrative as the love interest of both friends. She is confident and earnest but unfortunately her on-screen chemistry with both, Shahid and Divyendu, is zilch.

Yami Gautam as Gulnar, the corporate lawyer of the electricity company is dramatic and over-the-top. With her quirky and bored demeanour, Sushmita Mukherjee makes her character of the Judge, funny.

On the visual front, the director uses black and white scenes to kick off the narrative, as an artistic leitmotif, to distinguish the story from the editorial. Here in a bus journey, two co-passengers — Vikas and Kalyan — are used as ‘sutradhars’ to propel the narrative forward. These double-entendre names and other poetic applications make this satire stimulating and amusing.

Overall, despite excellent production values, the film does not cut the mark of distinction.

The post Review: Batti Gul Meter Chalu appeared first on Nagpur Today : Nagpur News.