Movie review: Avatar: The way of water

Let’s begin from where the Avatar had left us last time. We had witnessed former marine Jake Sully giving up his human form in 2009 when he fell for Neytiri and his heart started beating for Na’vi people.

This time around it starts with showing the Sully family settled and happy with its Forest people with Jake leading the pack, ingesting disciplines in his sons. He very well knows the ills of letting their guards down, and trains well as to how to be great warriors and protect the people.

On the other hand, the “Sky people” are back with their greed of plundering Pandora for its natural resources. Sr Sully soon gets a rather tough realization when he had to get his kids released from the foes that it would be better for everyone for them to move on to another place, and that place happens to be Metkayina, the home of amphibious reef people led by Tonowaris.

The automated world is uncannily amazing and very involving. It’s only its overstretched, many times unnecessarily elongated plot drags you out of otherwise an engaging journey. 

 

Movie review: 'Atrangi Re'

It starts with a girl named Rinku (Sara Ali Khan) trying to run away with her lover. She gets caught at the railway station by the goons her grandmother keeps, and then she walks back home with a well-rehearsed, who-gives-a-damn gait for this is supposed to have happened for not the second or third, but 21^st time!

We come to know that she has inherited this daring from her mother who too had run away with her father and since then her maternal grandmom had lost it. And lost it so badly that she beats her up like nobody’s business. Rinku puts up with this as if it were a normal routine and moves on with her day only with the feeling that she couldn’t escape with him – Sajjan (Akshay Kumar), whose name she hasn't ever revealed to anyone.

Anyway, this time around, her wicked grandma has another plan. She is done with playing such catch-me-if-you-can dares with such uncontrollable Rinku. She orders her chaps to go fetch a random, suitable-looking boy from outside to forcibly marry her off. They set out for a literal groom-hunt and come back with a bag filled with a human body. Out comes a mouth and hand-tied Tamilian boy, Vishu (Dhanush) who is visibly boiling as he doesn’t know what the heck just happened with him. Both of them get married in no time!

This boy has had a fine life before being kidnapped and was to have his engagement in a few days, but to his horror, he is now married to an absolute stranger! Both irate newly-weds decide to break it up. Exactly then, Bollywood steps in. In the process of going for divorce, they start developing feelings for each other! Anyway, how they are faced with their emotions, how Sajjan plays a role, and how the story ends up is something I refrain from spelling out.

Specifically, three things stood while I watched: Sara’s acting abilities are for everyone to see. She exudes confidence of a veteran and it is sheer pleasure to watch her play Rinku. Among at least a few scenes, one shows her dash of rebellion when she requests and then threatens her grandmom against her forced marriage. Your heart would reach out to her vulnerabilities. Secondly, Dhanush whose acting is as effortless as Akshay’s iconic smile. His performance while being forcibly married under the influence of Nitrous oxide, his guilt-ridden confession in Tamil to Rinku when he realizes he is falling for her, and whenever he breaks into spurts of dance, is a pure joy to watch. Lastly, the continued magic of AR, especially – Rait zara si and its extremely evocative instrumental interlude. 

With all this, you can sail through the movie which has picked up a very important topic of mental illness with multiple layers including a dilemma to choose the "caring" love. For the director, fitting of Akshay's role could have been as challenging as speaking Hindi for Dhanush. Speaking of Akshay, he would take up as much space both in the movie and on your mind as he has in this review.

Though this well-intentioned story of Anand L Rai seems to emerge from a faltering plot during the execution, he deserves a pat on his back for picking up things that only a few can imagine.

 

Movie review: 'AK vs AK'

First time I am sharing my review of a Netflix-launched movie! Changing times but in regards to the visual content, this has turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

With that said I am turning to what you are looking for. Firstly, this movie title is nothing but initials of Anil Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap, just in case you are challenged in that respect. It begins on the back of a decade-long and still-simmering resentment between both actors. This picks up heavy steam in the media after they engage into a rather insulting interaction during a live TV programme.

Both are offended to the point of showing the other who he really is and what he can be. Anurag offers Anil a movie, the most dangerous hostage thriller in his words, with a plot that Anil absolutely cannot deny despite him being overly busy. The plot includes Anil searching for his real-life daughter Sonam who is kidnapped. Also, he must save her by sunrise without involving police or anyone else, and all his calls are to be placed on speaker phone. Lastly, in that limited time of ten hours whatever he does, wherever he goes, whoever he talks to would be filmed by Anurag’s assistant. No retakes. No lights. One camera (always on). All actions.

To add music to the mystery, this has popped up on Anil’s birthday night. He has to evade proper answers to frequent calls from Harsh (his son) to get home sooner and from Anand (his son-in-law) to check up on Sonam’s whereabouts. Anil zooms past one location to the other, running through streets to find some leads to reach Sonam. Both AKs roam around the roads of Mumbai in the late hours of night. By the morning, they are sorted in a way that I don’t want to spell out how.

I found some of the portions of the movie a little, only a little, stretchy. But in most parts, the story moves along quite well. Vikramaditya Motwane does a good job in knitting this together while engaging the audience well. Performance wise, Harsh takes this as a redeemer and gives his best which also is well noted. Sonam is only for a mute cameo with disturbed facial expressions. Anurag is very good with his expressions and delivery of his villainy lines. To me, the movie rested on the sturdy shoulders of Anil Kapoor.

With the strict eye of a school principal our sensor board has never allowed our actors to spew cuss words in a way they normally do. Especially the kids and adults of 80s and 90s who have carried a typical image of Anil Kapoor would love to see him in a different character. Here the senior AK would not only rattle out Hindi slangs like a pro but also break into his iconic Lakhan dance on a public demand even while he is being screwed.

This movie has made me watch Anil the actor I hadn’t known thus far. For a change, this time he may have wanted his audience to say for him: Jhakaas!

Movie review: 'Soul'

I saw the movie because I heard so well of it in such a short time, and then I had to write about it since I felt quite strongly about its theme. Thanks to this movie I visited my blog after what seemed like a lightyear to me! Anyway, let’s get to it.

It opens with Joe Gardener teaching band lessons to middle-school students sharing his own story of how he came to know of his passion. He is sure that he is born to play jazz and that too at serious level with all his freedom by his side.

When one day which is supposed to be the biggest one of his life, he thinks he would finally “arrive” on the scene, the excitement doesn’t make him notice a manhole. He gets up in another world altogether. The world of souls, with him being one of them! This world is like the intermediate station between one life and another one. Joe obviously is freaked out and is far from accepting his death. He escapes somehow to another compartment in that world called The Great Before – the place where souls are to be readied for the next birth.

From the whole lot of eligible souls which are gearing up for the next birth, there is one named Twenty-two. She is rather clear-headed and doesn't give a rat's ass to being born again. She is fine in not getting her "spark" and is enviably at ease with herself. Anyhow, she and Joe got on well with each other and become good pals. Their friendship is very endearing to watch. With Joe raring to go back on his big day, she decides to help Joe get a return pass to Earth. How she helps and what follows afterwards is something that I would like you to watch rather than me being a spoiler and suck all the fun out of it.

All in all, the theme highlights the importance of having a “life”. It is about not letting yourself take the unimportant-looking things for granted while you await a few events to make your mark. It tells you to stay in the moment and enjoy the little joys of life – be it holding a little leaf spiralling down from a tree or taking interest in the anyone assisting you or running fingers on railings to make a music or whatever that brings you a smile! Twenty-two turns out to be a rather eye-opener for Joe. And you too. “Letting out yourself” is the key message she sends in all her actions which are all brilliantly shown without a P of Preaching.

I particularly loved the portrayal of that another world where differently-sized souls are designed so superbly in that light green-and-blue transitioned colour with a faded border to give it an adorable look. In fact, their figureless inspiration managers – Jerrys- too are sketched to perfection. It is pure delight to watch the imagination come alive so beautifully. Since it revolves around sparks and purposes, it is clear as daylight that Pixar and Docter know theirs so damn well.

Movie Review: 'Dabangg 3'

There are three levels of torture: the most basic is boredom, next is lifelessness, and the crudest of all is Dabangg 3 kind. I don’t know what I just saw. Honestly, I felt like quitting the hall just after 20 minutes into the movie with my best tolerance levels on. I hung on to it just to see the depth of nadir. The movie beings with overly self-assured cop who can comfortably dance his way out of streaming bullets. His styles and unbearable spurts of shy laughs are the signals for villains to shit their pants. And he does that too often and too cheaply that you begin to ask question on your unavoidable need of continuing with the movie.

Anyway, so this one imposes the history of how Chulbul Pandey gets his name, and his first love. Also his non-cop life filled with nothingness except body building and idealistic intentions of a family boy. I am sure half the public in the theatre hall was not even giving rat’s ass to how his oh-so-unpredictable history would unfold to be. However, they didn’t have any other alternative but to let their brains keep aside.

Basically his history is more of Salman Khan’s message of how boys should act in the face of prevailing societal wrongs. Chulbul decides to give dowry for getting a girl and goes on financing his to-be wife’s education before they get hitched. He is head over heels in love with the girl who has accidentally charmed a villain as well. This baddie has a propensity to destroy whatever he thinks he can’t get – pretty time-saving ideology though. He becomes the reason for Mr Pandey to lose his first love and join the police force. And rest you know what happens – series of slow motions, forced bare chested appearances, earth-cracking blows, and Salman emerging the demigod.

All in all, Dabangg 3 lumbers along the laborious path with utterly unwanted songs and tacky dialogues. It is not a movie. It is a punishment of 2019.

Movie Review: 'Baaghi 2'

Ronnie (Tiger Shroff), a brokenhearted product of an unfulfilled love, is a serving army officer in Kashmir, making baddies eat his dust. A voice message from his moved-on and married ex is enough for him to pack his bags and come to Goa. She (Disha Patani) recounts the kidnapping of her daughter Rhea two months ago and calls him her only hope and help. He, obviously earnest to do his best, ventures out in no time.

Now the fractured screenplay shows its might and takes you for a ride. Goa is shown with its stereotypical shady shades with a barrage of characters doing their dirty bit. There is a Hyderabadi car dealer Usman Langda (Deepak Dobriyal) chooses to become his informal sidekick as he respects the army. Then there is a police department filled with idiosyncratic characters: the best of them is a selfie-loving cop named LSD (Randeep Hooda), a Chandigarh equivalent of Jack Sparrow transported to Goa. He reports to a kindly DIG Shergill (Manoj Bajpayee) who pulls strings whenever he feels and allows Ronnie to flaunt his built and jumps.

The verdict is clear. It's a no from me. Read on to know why I say that.

You are left literally as wandered as Tiger is in the movie merely because of the lazy script. Barring Hooda’s and Bajpayee’s almost all other characters are less than convincing either in impact or in existence. There are some really tolerance-testing patches like the one in which Ronnie bumps into his college friends, answers why he now keeps short hair, and then friends coldly move on after saying one clichéd line about him and Neha being that college-ki-shaan or whatever! Hold your breath; this whole setup was only to stab the audience with one lame song! One more rather insignificant instance when Usman utters the line in his last breath: Hyderabadi Biryani ke liye hi nahi, qurbani ke liye bhi jaane jaate hain! (or likewise) I would have left the hall right then had the popcorns weren’t fresh in the tub.

Some really good action sequence by Tiger and Hooda’s role in specific bring some respite and provide some oxygen to live through the movie. Disha fares good as a charmer in college and downcast outside. For Prateik Babbar it must have been a leftover shoot of Dum Maaro Dum with a bit twist in his role. Let’s move to the poster boy - Tiger. When in jungle, he transforms himself into a big daddy of Tarzan. He flings the goons by swinging and punching. He jumps from underwater like a whale to land kicks on them. He can break their calf bones even with tied hands. The list goes on and looks good on him to a point. The problem is to see him act. His expressions are like changes in the Fixed Deposit rates over a year – moving with minimal or no interest. He shrinks his default smile and gives a surprise look and shrinks further for an angry look. And lastly, songs – err, sorry, except for O Saathi by Atif which is really good, I took naps for mental restoration while others were on.

Look, it’s not the movie is bad. It’s the script, and the direction, and some acting are not up to the mark. That’s it.

Movie Review: 'Secret Superstar'

Bollywood produces six categories of movies – hit, 100-crore hit, brain-dead, flop, super-flop, and Aamir Khan-touched. This one, as you know, belongs to the last and the most bankable category. Aamir - the guy is a genie who goes the unexplored path, takes those rare risks, wears a new avatar as a filmmaker, and turns the whole bundle of newness into a surefire success.

Enough praised? Hold on. There’s more. Cut straight to the movie. If you have a voice, passion, and YouTube – you are bound to be a superstar. In addition to all that in a patriarchal Indian set up, when you have an overbearing father questioning your identity and supremely supportive mother backing up the very same thing, you’re on your way to becoming a secret superstar against all odds. I think this more or less summarizes the whole plot which anyway is pretty guessable from its impressive trailer.So I am all for watching this movie. You may want to disconnect from here as next are the details why you should watch it.

Insiya, a girl of 15 from Vadodara hails from a Muslim family, who has charms as heavens’ and attitude as solid as a rock. She wants to make it big as a singer and views the world as her audience. Her mother is the sweetest motherly portrayal I have ever seen on screen but her father is a hell of a gruesome figure you would never want to meet, even accidentally. Here again is a case of destiny calling its child but doors are locked; the child gets frustrated and finally finds a window named YouTube and meets her audience as a Burkha-donning, guitar-wielding singer with a voice that sweeps them off their feet. Then what? Like greased lightning she becomes an overnight sensation, gets a break by a musician, and wins hearts. The movie could have been a bit tighter but thankfully that extra looseness doesn’t lose its soul. The real meat however lies in its star cast.

Zaira Wasim is terrific as Insiya. She is a spectacular blend of beauty, charm, talent, and maturity beyond her age. Her titular performance is an enviable depiction of a character that would give even seasoned actors run for their money. Then comes Najma, played by Meher Vij who I still fail to believe has acted and is not her real mom! She has pulled off the role effusing all the assorted emotions — from an abused wife to a sensitive daughter-in-law to a strengthening mother to a resolute individual — with impeccable sincerity. To counter them, ready to receive your hate is Insiya’s father Farookh, played by Raj Arjun who too does a brilliant job in making you grit your teeth in disgust and anger every time he shows up. It’s a sheer joy to see Aamir switching to his comic side and crack the audience up with his signature comic gestures by being Shakti Kumaarr – the yesteryear musician who is overly hungry to get his dues but still has his heart in its place. The director, Advait Chandan, makes a remarkable debut with this cracker of a movie.

You may find yourself battling tears and losing the battle a few times. I remember when the movie ended and theatre lights dawned just the next moment, many people were seen not wanting to be seen wiping their tears. Go, watch this and be wowed by the absolute craft of acting that sends a strong message home. Even the songs of the movie collectively stand as a strong supporting actor. If I am to go Shakti Kumaarr's way, I would say only this: Wadda movie! Muaah.

Movie Review: 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania'

It begins on a disturbing note with the lofty portrayal of a newborn baby boy as an ‘asset’ and baby girl as a ‘liability’. Thereafter the movie leaves no stone unturned in over emphasizing this gruesome fact of gender discrimination to the point of utter disgust and anger.

Badri the sexist son of a misogynist moneylender from Jhansi falls for Vaidehi the self-assured daughter of a hapless father who has earned all his living only to build dowries for her daughters. Both these fathers of protagonists are seen carrying oxygen cylinders to keep their hearts pumping during distressing times, mainly gifted by their children with surprise. Special mention to the father of Badri - the epitome of the crudest creature in an elderly human form – who gets furious even with the polite request from a girl’s father if she could do a job after marriage. Vaidehi is an extension of Ananya of 2 States, this time from the opposite side of the country. She chases her dream of being an air-hostess and Badri, enamoured of her, chases her for marriage. The setting is known: Parents of primitive mindset in a pathetic patriarchal society that believes in proud distribution of costly sweets for the birth of a baby boy and shameful declaration with inexpensive pedas for a baby girl; on the other side, a resolute girl transforming a lover boy from a mindlessly nodding son into the women-respecting husband.

In presenting this obvious conclusion, the movie dabbles rather clumsily between being a light romcom and a serious one, much in the way Shashank Khaitan does in being a director and a writer. This seems to have lost some deserved impact in its climax. For instance, when Badri’s father blurts repelling threats of finding out Vaidehi and hanging her or shooting her to set an example for she had run out of the wedding, one would really want a strong lesson to be given to an uncouth goon like him. But the movie bails him out easily and quickly without him having shown any guilt, remorse, or apology to anyone he had humiliated so inhumanly. I think the plot of the movie is a brave attempt but it has certainly punched below its weight. However I must say the leads carry it with conviction and charm.

Alia is a cuteness school in herself and Varun is a modern day Govinda; rather Govinda with a taste. She is an effortless stunner and simply fabulous in carrying off all emotions with grace and grit. He is an adrenaline bag, always on the move, and bang on with his acting. If there is anyone whom I have to put for a stellar side-role after Deepak Dobriyal (remember Pappi bhaiya from Tanu Weds Manu?), it would be Sahil Vaid, who nails it being Badri’s close friend.

It’s watchable for it dares putting the gut-wrenching societal frame of India of 2017 out in the open for us to shame and correct the course. The unfortunate definitions of asset and liability beg to bring their termination.

Movie Review: 'Lion'

This is a true-story flick about a little boy of five named Saroo, who gets lost from the safe shelter of his elder brother Guddu, when he can’t control over his sleep in a strange, stationary train which is destined to depart. Next morning, the horrified Saroo runs in the running train to find a way out, wails out for help, but can come out only at the Kolkata station swarmed with the sea of uncaring travellers. Unaware that his family is about a thousand miles away, unknown to the local language and locations, Saroo stands strong in the face of adversities till the time an affectionate Australian couple adopts him and gifts him a privileged life. The transformation from the godforsaken to the well-educated Saroo escapes one thing: his want for finding and getting back to his original home. Thanks to the advent of Google Earth, his subdued want for his roots gets rekindled and without surprise, the story culminates in a sublime reunion with happy tears.  

Director Garth Davis does a brilliant job. I was totally blown by the ways certain scenes are captured. The moments showing the sights of the deathly silent, deserted railway station where Saroo calls out for Guddu, the scene in which Saroo demonstrates Guddu how he can lift any weight by lifting a cycle with gritted teeth, how their mother blithely watches her kids having a bowl of milk, and how the lost Saroo enquires helplessly at the railway ticket window about his home while frequently being elbowed aside.  

Dev Patel is spot on as an adopted grownup in late twenties, constantly battling with the thoughts and whereabouts of his lost family. But the showstopper is Sunny Pawar, the younger Saroo. He is so phenomenal in his expressions that he virtually dims everything and everyone sharing a screen space with him. His breathtaking intensity is such that it makes you stop your munching midway in the theatre the moment you watch him sitting hungrily outside of the restaurant imitating a soup-relishing guy with his garbage-given spoon.

This is a movie that displays two starkly opposite images of humanity and evokes strong emotions not only of sympathy, sorrow, and happiness but also of love and gratitude. Lion is not only watchable but strictly unmissable; because it is feelable.

Movie Review: 'OK Jaanu'

Woohoo! Here is a movie starring Rahman’s music in the backdrop of the young couple from Aashiqui2, old couple bearing fine acting, and other potpourri of stuff filled with Mumbai and tons of clichés. Yes, it is the music that keeps you in the theatre, happily awake and interested. Happily is underlined.

Adi (Aditya Roy Kapur) and Tara (Shraddha Kapoor) meet accidentally at first, then unrealistically later at a wedding, and then hit it off sickeningly puerile way. The movie had lost me there. Nachos in hand kept me seated and thankfully so as the worst was over. Let’s move on. Sharing a common belief of staying far from even the word called marriage, they go the live-in route under the watchful eye of an elderly couple - their landlords – Gopi (Naseeruddin Shah) and Charu (Leela Samson). They both share a supremely sublime love with husband calling wife Baby and she calling him Papluji. Gopi uncle (that’s what our leads call him) is exceedingly caring for his wife who ungrudgingly struggles with advancing Alzheimer’s. On the one hand, Adi the video game maker and Tara the budding architect fall in love; on the other hand, the older couple unknowingly leads them out of their idea of marriage being the synonym of hell and the opposite of career. Sticking to the hackneyed thumb-rule, post interval they are bound to realize the goodness in togetherness with wedlock. They do and then proudly and publicly become fools, the tag they often ascribe to the married.

The good thing is there is no much-wallowed melodrama. And the best thing is its ending. Pun intended. You can sail through to it by occasional fresh strokes of dialogues, often cleverly stuffed with contemporary repartee, in this painfully predictable story. You will see plenty of Mumbai local, BEST, Gate way of India, and force-fitting of ‘Ok-Jaanu’ multiple times to justify the lazy title. By the way, having seen the sincerity and impeccable love from Gopi to his ailing Charu, I feel that ‘Ok Baby’ would have suited better as the title!

As for the due credits, Shraddha is truly a revelation: she looks ravishing and claims your wholehearted stare including for her acting. Aditya makes his mark as well. Let me say, they really make a fine pair. Naseer and Leela literally own their parts and command the hearts of the audience. Their chemistry is palpable and heartwarming. Last but the best thing is the might of the maestro. Whenever AR holds a mic he is gifted to churn out a goosefleshy number. In this it is the fantabulous title track, the one that has been knocking on my eardrums loudly since its launch.

The bottom line is that if you can digest a reasonable number of here-we-go-again and who-does-that moments, you won’t mind watching this. My final word is: Skippable.

Movie Review: 'Dangal'

There are interesting movies. There are inspiring movies. Then there is Dangal – a movie balancing both angles while striking right commercial chords and more importantly, without ever losing sight of the subject. Mahavir Singh and his mighty daughters steal the show and win the hearts along with winning matches. The story as everyone knows or at least can easily guess is a potent attempt, rather hugely successful I say, in the direction of changing people’s mindsets about our daughters in specific and girls in general. It is simple, predictable and despite that, a delightful watch.

An ambitious national-level wrester, Mahavir Singh Phogat (Aamir Khan), has to quit wrestling to earn bread for the family, but its stinging seed of winning a gold medal for India never leaves him, showing him always at unrest. Keeping with the earlier Indian tradition he doesn’t mind fathering children in the hope of having a son to whom he can pass on his wrestling baton and train him into a gold-worthy champion.  As luck would have it, he gets blessed with, not one, not two, not even three, but four daughters. Rightfully mentioned in the movie, as a drowning man clutches a straw, Mahavir Singh clutches on to the fighting spark he sees in his elder daughters, Geeta and Babita. Both the girls have to ditch their typical girlhood, grudgingly at first and painfully later, to live up to their father’s dream. Senior Phogat leaves no stone unturned, rather no boy unturned, in converting their hesitant daughters into powerful wrestlers. In the face of the mocking patriarchal society, both shine their way to championship by flipping, swinging, and pinning the opponents to the ground.  Though they bring their father and India many proud wins internationally, the movie elaborates on the Commonwealth games of 2010 to allow the audience to sit back and rejoice Geeta’s journey to getting gold.

The cast of the movie is outstanding to say the least. From the girls playing young Geeta and Babita to two lovely actresses showing their adult versions come across with forceful gusto and solid cinematic presence. Pulling off deft back-archs to fine-rolls to leg-takedowns by wearing a grim face isn’t a kid’s play. Fatima Sana Shaikh and Zaira Wasim are simply terrific as Geeta. Sakshi Tanwar is effortless in her role of a supportive wife and mother. Aamir Khan towers above his contemporaries by nailing with a “dhaakad” performance with those extreme looks – paunchy and pecky.  And Nitesh Tiwari gets a thumbs-up for direction.

I don’t want to be a nitpicker and share what I felt were easily avoidable, fringe-looking theatrical patches towards the end for it would chip off its deserving sheen. It is sure to consume you with assorted emotions and leave you with a smile.

Movie Review: 'Mohenjo Daro'

The movie has rather rotten resemblance with Bahubali from a partial plot point of view. A son of royalty (of that time!) stroked by destiny and brought up in modesty shows bravery running in his blood and is strongly drawn towards his roots. Overruling his guardians’ wish, he visits his homeland, gets a pretty girl, enjoys with her, comes back to the story, knows the history of injustice to his father, gets angry, bashes up sidekicks and goons, and resolves to bring justice. That is all about it. The only thing is – it’s done unconvincingly. Rather, boringly.

The protagonist, Sarman (Hrithik) is a bronze-coloured, brown-haired young man in the village of Amri. To show how adventure-loving he is, the first scene of the movie creates a dull hype of his heroism when he kills a crocodile with his trident, and the village goes all clapping for him. That night a one-horned animal (ek-singaa) at a river bank pops into his dream, and the next night he decides to go to Mohenjo Daro without even knowing why. He goes there to trade and predictably falls in love with the only good-looking chick named Channi (Pooja Hegde). He gets to know the evils of Maham (Kabir Bedi), challenges him, and again predictably does what a hero should do. Protect the people and destroy the devil. The movie ends with a surprisingly summarizing note. The way those Sindhu waters demolish Mohenjo Daro is quite symbolic of the movie doing the same to our hopes with similar intensity. However, there are four reasons to rejoice: Rahman’s music, a few glimpses of the debutant beauty, intermission, and the arrival of end credits.

While I admire Ashutosh Gowariker to adopt a difficult subject and put his soul into it, I can’t help share what it felt watching. Sarman looks quite kicked to see Mohenjo Daro, partly by the feeble script and therefore mostly by overacting. Hrithik’s thirst for knowing ek-singaa matches his earlier curiosity of knowing Jaadu in Koi Mil Gaya! His nimble limb movements are the only watchable thing left in his acting which too has a limited scope in this movie. Pooja Hegde is beautiful in her role that revolves around revolving around Mohenjo Daro, receiving salutes, and enjoying attention (much like that road traffic inspector in a small town). She wears a bunch of feathers on the headgear and a long fine gown stitched in a way that reveals just enough skin that, I am sure, must have worked as a generous incentive for people of Mohenjo Daro to bow down to her in guise of respect. This is because she is the daughter of a priest and at her birth some holy chap declared that she had the blessing of the mother Sindhu, the river everybody respects and swears by. Thanks to this belief, she seems to be the only girl bestowed with a designer tailor while the rest of the cast wears whatever Ashutosh could muster to give a historical touch.

Sarman emerges as the most eligible bachelor of that era. He is handsome. He knows how to control a mad horse. With his God-gifted engineering skills he designs and helps make the entire bridge of boats to save people in the midst of the horrendous flood. He is not a PMP certified but he executes the entire evacuation project with impeccable timing. With his leadership traits he delegates duties and saves himself at the very last only after ensuring the headcount. All that is fine but Channi seems to like him may be because he can dance without rehearsal and kiss without fear. Just joking. Her character barely bothers and looks lacking passion. The chemistry between the leads looks cold. Kabir Bedi’s acting involves giving his naturally crooked smile, adjusting his ridiculously funny horn-crown, and manipulating a vote of hands. Mentioning the rest would be as time-wasting as watching this movie.

Movie Review: 'Wazir'

It is rare when a movie-song possesses you more than the movie and it either keeps on playing itself inside of your mind or comes out through your humming. But there is no way stopping it. This soothing song – Tere Bin - is a delicate stream of silken, romantic lyrics voiced by sugar combo of Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal. It begins as the movie begins and while ending it makes sure of taking away the smiles you had while it was on. Not because the movie is terrible, but it slips into a serious plot.

Danish Ali (Farhan Akhtar), an Anti-Terrorism Squad officer, has a happy life with his wife Ruhana (Aditi Rao Hydari) and his daughter until the daughter gets killed in an inadvertent gunfight. Danish revenges this by killing the goon responsible for his loss and gets himself suspended. Already a guilt-ridden father and a blamed and neglected husband, he gets bumped into a master chess-player, Pandit Omkarnath Dhar (Amitabh Bachchan). Danish finds an empathetic friend in Pandit who is a sharp brain with a wheelchair-bound body, appearing a wise man despite his own dilapidated life. While teaching Danish chess and life-lessons emanating from it, he lays his case of bringing justice to his daughter who he firmly thinks was murdered by a politician. Danish buys into his theory after a gentle probe. He promises to save him when Pandit gets life-threatening warnings from Wazir (Neil Nitin Mukesh), the hired toughie of a politician. Danish takes this to his heart a bit too much as a personal challenge. He wears a fanatic resolve and leaves Ruhana uninformed who has barely forgiven him under Pandit’s wisdom. May be he fears that given his track record, there is no chance in hell she would allow him to prove himself a hero. He then goes hunting for a politician for his chess-buddy’s justice and protection. The obvious gets thrown up as a surprise, elaborated liberally to ensure the audience gets it, but trust me, it is tiring, at least in some stretches towards the end.

The performances of the leads are impeccable and hold the movie together despite their characters are forced by the fragile script, especially in the second half. Farhan is fantastic as a failed father, Aditi is good in her quiet role of a heartsick mother. Bachchan is as good as his character in the game. It pains me even to think of the necessity of roping in John Abraham and Neil Nitin Mukesh. The movie seems to have been made to bring out suspense, I gather. If you ask me whether to watch this or not - my ultimate reaction will be that of the politician in the movie when he is asked about Wazir! - Don’t know what to say. But when I picture those sincere faces of Farhan and Bachchan, who put their best to make the movie really work, I would say, go watch it once, for them. 

Movie Review: 'Bahubali'

An infant is shown floated on the surface of river, backed by a royal palm of a dead queen, Sivagami, who had surreptitiously escaped from her kingdom of Mahishmati to save this child – her grand-nephew, and son of Bahubali (her nephew) and Devasena (his wife). The child is raised by a tribal family and is named Shiva. He grows up to be a cheerful, free-wheeling, mother-lover soul preferring to stay mostly bare-bodied and is shown insanely crazed about getting on top of the waterfall and the mountain causing it. Neither the village folks nor he has any clue why he was so psyched about it. Making true the universal saying Boys are boys, Shiva too is no different. After repeated attempts over the years, a girl’s face-mask becomes the strongest motivation for him to achieve his age-old goal. He does reach at the top to find the girl, and finds her surrounded by blue butterflies and loses his heart to her. His freshly sparked testosterones make him chase wherever she goes dancing which is captured by a labored song, as uncalled for as I feel Uday Chopra’s presence in all of his movies.

To extend this bad patch of the movie further, Shiva seems to have acquired a special talent for making tattoos without someone’s knowledge. Thinking that tattooing the chick free of cost would make her happy and fall for him, he draws tattoos whenever he finds a chance with her, without her knowledge, also without even knowing whether she likes such body-spoiling stuff or not. And that's what happens; she certainly isn't impressed with this cheap display of talent from a stranger. However when confronted, he manages to make her realize that he is the dude born to be her partner for life and she somehow agrees to it. Having seen the confidence and devotion in his talks and a couple of punches, she smartly passes the baton to him that was given to her – to free the former queen, Devasena, Shiva’s real mother – the fact unknown both to her and Shiva. She was chained by Bhallal Dev, the current ruler of Mahishmati, the elder brother of her late husband.

This Bhallal chap is introduced when a wild bull isn’t controlled by anyone. He takes charge and controls the bull like a manager treats an underperformer during appraisal and the bull ends up eating dust. His father was sidetracked (I am sure, politely) by his younger brother who was deserving of being a king. So he became one and ruled but he had to pass away as the destiny had decided so. After this, Bhallal's mother, Sivagami, an all powering, kickass lady with strategic insights, became a queen. She believed only a worthy would get the throne and after a decisive battle she announces that Bahubali, her orphaned nephew would be the king and offends her power-hungry son, Bhallal, and her good-for-nothing husband. It looks that both father and son had conspired to get Bahubali killed by the ready-to-kill senapati, Katappa, ruthlessly loyal to serve Mahishmati who confesses this secret by the end of the movie. And there SS Rajamouli calls it CUT for the first part of the sequel, leaving the audience hungry for the second one.

The visuals are more than amazing even though waterfall looks laughingly fake. VFX more than makes up during war scenes when the black heads are slashed through acrobatically deft weapon strokes by Bahubali and a customized sudarshan chakra, riveted onto the smart chariot of Bhallal Dev. This is one of the few movies where acting voluntarily sides to give way to charismatic spectacles in the fantasy world.

Movie Review: 'Tamasha'

Imtiaz Ali loves tempering with normal love between his lead roles. In this one, he creates a guy named Ved (Ranbir), a crackpot, dumb-in-math, who is brought up listening to stories and eyeing fictional figures. He is so damn abnormal in his behaviour that even in normalcy he acts like a joker. As God is kind and even kinder to such buffoons, his nautanki impresses a swear words-mouthing bold babe, Tara (Deepika). In being friends-without-benefits and friends-without-identity, they have a gala time with each other before Tara has to fly back to India from Corsica – a Mediterranean island.

The song Heer to badi sad hai (a good song unnecessarily throws zoomed-in ugly faces in your face) spans across many years depicting Tara pleasantly lost in the times spent in Corsica. Ved on the other hand transforms himself from a stubbled live-wire to a French-cut bore. Imagining Ved a cool chap, Tara plots an accidental meet with him in a Delhi café. Both hit it off immediately but soon our I-know-what-I-want heroine realizes that he isn’t the same guy who would do Matargashti in public being a Dev Anand. Like all sane, smart girls do, Tara breaks off with him and tells him to get his life back. He takes some time in introspection and in process funnily humiliates his boss and emotionally moves his father. Since he has found a mentor in his lover, he goes back to her and professionally begins to do what he does best - Tamasha.

Even though the end is predictable, Imtiaz Ali ensures freshness and keeps the movie majorly entertaining. Leads make a perfect pair with evolved acting. The music is a big plus and Rahman is, well, Rahman. Go, watch it to know, yet again, that following your heart has bloody no alternative.

Movie Review: 'The Walk'

Those who have heard about the movie know that there is no convoluted story. It is mainly about basking in the digital genius to see the fantastic demonstration of what an absolutely unflinching power of belief can achieve. Let me wrap up the story quickly before I jump on to what it feels like witnessing it in a theatre hall.

A death-defying young French boy Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), fascinated by the skill of walking on high wire, pursues it mainly through self-learning which is bettered and completed by his mentor Papa Rudi (Ben Kingsley). His eyes constantly hunt for a space to connect it with his rope and be a showman of the place. He makes up his mind to bridge the gap between the then tallest towers of the World Trade Center. He forms a team of accomplices to pull off this coup - his dream. He spreads a wire in the no man’s land of the New York sky and turns the wire-walk into a cakewalk.

The long, heightening shots of twin towers act as teasers for the main show as they haughtily send shivers down your spine. 3D version gives you a special access, transports you to the terrace of the World Trade Centre, and gives you a frightening privilege of walking with that crazy chap who would salute, sit, dance, and even lie down on wire. You will observe many rounds of gasps from the audience while Philippe enjoys his walk and acrophobic souls recover from dizziness. Visuals are simply out of this world; particularly the early morning sight from the tower and the scenes from the wire, between the towers, are enough to knock you off your feet. Robert Zemeckis, the director, creates as big voids between our continual breaths as the void between the towers.

As Philippe Petit, Gordon-Levitt shines through brilliantly and enjoys as many silent prayers for his safe comeback as Amitabh Bachchan might have had gathered while in hospital. The movie is truly a spectacular spectacle. What Petit pulled off is the exact opposite of petit; to say the least, it was and till date, the ballsiest act the world has ever seen. Go and be a part of the most exciting morning walk you can ever have in this lifetime.

Movie Review: 'Manjhi The Mountain Man'

Love can move mountains. Love can also break them if need be.

A strong-willed, freedom-loving Bihari, Dashrath Manjhi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) falls for a girl named Falguni, aka Phagunia, (Radhika Apte) having come home after seven years since he escaped being a slave to a landlord. When he discovers the attractive lady he is after is no one else but his childhood bride, he goes all out to pursue her and manages to run her away from her objecting family on an axe point. Both seem to be deeply in love which gives them two children. While fighting against the caste discriminations and feudal oppressions, a mountain-borne misfortune comes upon his wife during her second pregnancy. She passes away gifting her husband with a daughter he had so sweetly requested her for. Now Manjhi is all heartbroken and torn to pieces as he struggles to accept her death. Visibly stoic, he then pulls himself together and heads to tear the mountain down.

The character Manjhi is yet another lovely feather in Nawazuddin’s mutli-coloured acting cap. His diminutive frame on screen resembles a mammoth acting institute for those muscle-flexing and mirror-staring dudes wanting to be or calling themselves actors. Radhika shines through as a dusky, charming muse to Manjhi’s herculean feat. Other actors do their bits well however at times inconsequential or uncalled for. While crafting the backdrop for the story, many atrocities shown send a chill down your spine and are sure to unnerve a human being. Many aspects of that era are forced to fit together in the movie – police abuse, corruption, draught, Naxalism - which was a bit too much for the topic chosen.

In the end you might sense that the movie is given only a little better treatment by the director than what is given to Manjhi’s endeavour in the movie by his fellow villagers. Instead of allowing us to leave the theatre hall with a positive force after witnessing the indomitable willpower of a man, Ketan Mehta makes us settle with sympathy for our Mountain Man. This goes to show that a film can lose its desired punch if the subtle elements of film-making are not blended well with good story, good intention, and even with good actors. However, it is a good watch even though you are right when you feel like knowing the story having seen its trailer.

Side note:

Whenever a movie title ends with a Man, mostly it brags about its portrayal of a super hero. Manjhi The Mountain Man from India joins the global pattern – and mind you, he is not a fictional character.  The irony is – he never wanted that goddamned title of a Mountain Man while siding more than 2 decades of his life to continue to chip off the mountain piece by piece only to make lives easier for villagers. The story brings to light the pathetic state of Indian system of governance, which I doubt has changed much since then.

Movie Review: 'Dil Dhadakne Do'

A proudly successful businessman, blessed with copious luxuries, named Kamal (Anil Kapoor) and his hapless-yet-supportive wife (Shefali Shah) wear a Happily Married mask in the social circle. Their daughter Ayesha (Priyanka Chopra) bears the fortune of her father in business and plight of her mother at home. Their son, Kabir (Ranveer Singh) despite giving his tries is now convinced that he is not born for the business but for the plane that the business has brought in. Ayesha despite making it to the Forbes’ list doesn’t seem to effuse the powering aura of a businesswoman in her personal life. She succumbs to do the balancing act between herself and both her alienating family before freeing herself eventually. Anushka wears a micro version of Katrina’s role in ZNMD of a pseudo life coach with clarity in life. 

The movie is narrated from the point of view of a dog, narrated by Aamir Khan. Beyond a point it feels like Aamir taking up a family episode in Satyamev Jayate with the same repetitive, already-highlighted insights. However, the movie belongs to the entire cast. Ranvir and Priyanka make an effortlessly amazing pair of siblings and Anil and Shefali nail it to their roles like none other could. The impact from Farhan is seen more through his unconventional dialogue writing than through his character. The songs are no match to the zappy numbers of ZNMD. Pardon some off-the-track, stretched parts of the movie in regard to the refreshing shots of one-liners that you will often be gifted with.

Sometimes you win. Sometimes you learn.

Till yesterday millions of messages were circulated on how the tiger would devour the kangaroo. Today the tiger looked a bit unfit, the kangaroo escaped and the tiger had to back off. This wasn't digested by many who took leave from their work or had nothing better to do than showing how freaking hypocrites they were. The same crowd after the defeat is now leaving no stone (pun) unturned in defaming the otherwise proud team till the match began. This shows that many wear jingoism for a day in the name of patriotism without knowing what supporting a nation is about. Many are bloody phonies with no clear idea whether they are supporters or just dogs who can only bark at every situation! It saddens and after a while angers when you see bashing up of Indian cricketers the way many have chosen to do so for their own reasons.

Okay, India couldn’t make it to the final. And that is a reality. Even I believe we couldn’t put up a show we were capable of. There were some glitches and so we couldn’t fit the bill. But get this loud and clear. You have no business to ridicule someone who proudly wears the Blue for the nation especially when all your job is to forward messages on WhatsApp or to give your damn opinion at a nearby paan shop. Check what you are up to. You are far from even knowing what it means to representing a nation.

There are no failures. There are only results. The result of today was not favourable. We all get it. Move on. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you learn.

Movie Review: 'Shamitabh'

A confident village lad, Daanish (Dhanush) overwhelmingly crazy about movies, spends his childhood living in his fantasy of being an actor. However the nature has a condition with him that he could only be a mute actor which he has no problem with but the world at large wants otherwise. He is rejected by many but he gets lucky to be spotted by a wanna-be-director girl, Akshara. She even though looks down on him and often calls him Monkey, becomes a fan of his acting. She finds a way that a voice can be embedded into the dumb actor which can give his facial expressions and moving limbs some understandable meaning. The actor then chooses the voice of an old, shabby, serial whisky-drinker Amitabh Sinha (Bachchan), whose acting career wasn’t taken off due to rejections for his voice, and who spends his life in hangovers in the middle of a graveyard. With the help of technology the strengths of both the artists are put together and they rule the Box Office without letting out their secret. The villager becomes the talk of the town and gains enough fame to cause indigestion to his voice donor. They argue, fight, and abuse to prove that the other is less talented and often convey that by lowering the alphabets of other’s name parts used in Shamitabh, the pseudonym they make for their combined endeavour. Egos clash, both separate, and when wisdom strikes, join hands again. At this time of the movie, R Balki, the director, pitches in and makes his presence felt.

Both the leads exhibit power pack performance and is fun to watch before things begin to cross the fine line between adequate and over-the-top. The bits that delighted me the most are - the intensity of Daanish to be an actor, and music, which is a touch of a genius named Ilaiyaraaja. The movie celebrates the most popular and dearly loved baritone of Indian cinema and is certainly a good watch especially the concept is novel and a few directional touches truly deserve thumbs-up.