DRISHYAM : Movie review

Family comes first.They always do.They are a pivot on which our lives revolve. Family lets you stand put on slippery ground and manages to keep you afloat even in troubled waters.
It is also the family which gives you the strength to take on the world.
And so, Most often in matters concerning our own blood, the line between right and wrong becomes blurred significantly.

In DRISHYAM too, a man stands firm and stands strong for his family and makes every possible attempt to prevent them from any harm.
The movie then, though unsteady and crude in its execution, just about manages to hold your attention owing to its robust story and a quite strong second half.

Very seldom it happens that the two halves of a film are poles apart, both in terms of the narrative and the execution. It is the content in the second half of the film which makes the film rise above its flaws.

The first half is a big dull. Meant to introduce the facets of the protagonists middle class affairs, it fails miserably. The emotional bonding of the family never truly surfaces and their sentiments never quite kick into our senses. The director, so it seems, doesn't trust our intelligence, and establishes facts which are so on our face.
The monotonous track tries hard to be simplistic but becomes awfully boring. The humor is non-existing, and the a lot many scenes are purely unnecessary. Music doesn't help one bit.

Just about time when you want to give up on the film, and moments before the intermission, enter the always dependable Tabu, her entry being by far the most stylish introductions of a female protagonist on screen.
The movie post intermission, eventually finds steam and keeps you hooked for its entire length. It works best when it stays true to its thriller element.
The entire cat and mouse chase is intriguing as well as entertaining. The game of wits between the cop and the illiterate man is a lot of fun. The pace is good, and though it isn't nail biting, it surely is very gripping.

Barring the character of Tabu, every other character is badly written or underdeveloped. The biggest drawback is the character of Ajay Devgn. An illiterate man who plans and plots owing to his craziness for Cinema, his character comes off very one-dimensional. Ajay though, mostly makes it up with his convincing eyes.

If you end up on a high, probably you don't care much of what happened before the intermission. For the very same reason, the film scores and becomes an above average watch.
Not entirely disappointing. The content and the story will let you condone the below average narrative.

Movie review : BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN

Bonding with a child can make you do strange things, their innocence and vulnerability can bring out the best in you and many a times their despair and grief can stretch you to attain the implausible. In BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN, the same bond transcends all- caste, religion and even borders and transforms a simpleton into a messiah.

Usually, a Salman khan film does not necessitate an emotional and coherent plot. Commercially speaking, his movies are never in need of anything which even vaguely resembles a decent script.
His swagger and his demeanour is all his fans ask for, his pelvic thrusts and cheezy one-liners are what they throng in for. Paisa vasool for them, end of the story.

But this film displays a different him, he minus his flamboyance and swagger. He is no larger than life hero here who thrashes the daylights out of the bad guys, does not vocal his signature one-liners and never for once rips off his shirt for the audiences.
Instead, he plays ( or underplays) a naive, honest and earnest simpleton who keeps bowing in front of every ape in gratitude owing to his Hanuman worshipping. Still then, he brings an unmissable charm and sincerety to his character which gradually grows on you.

BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN, then, is a hypersweet, over simplistic and unabashedly massy portrayal of a man reuniting a mute six year old girl to her family in Pakistan.

The show stealer in this Salman khan film is strangely, not him. She is this super cute and adorable mute girl, played by Harshaali malhotra, whose charming demeanour and expressive eyes do wonders for the film. The film succeeds largely because of her and her predicaments. Her relationship with Salman khan is of essence here and their journey, though predictable, has its heart at the right place.

The intelligence is lowbrow here, but the intent is omnipresent. The cross border conflict is addressed very simplistically and is way too contrived, but the message seems to make sense. The ideologies, religious practices and the socio norms all faintly dealt with, some work and most don't. But what for the most part works, is the fact that it projects love and peace as  strong forces. What makes the film rise over its flaws is the message it puts forth: compassion being a universal language and transcending every barrier.

The film also succeeds because of the infectious energy that Nawazuddin siddique brings to the forefront. Though he has his presence only in the second half, he is an absolute joy to watch. His timing and body language is both crackling and riveting.There are instances when the sheer talent and craft of Nawazuddin even overpowers the charm of Salman khan.

Every attempt is made in the long drawn climax to impact the tear ducts of the audiences and to the director's credit, it does work.You know the consequences,  you know what is to come and you know the result and yet you feel the lumps in your throat when it happens.

It is very tough not to like a film which makes you cry in the end. Over dramatic as it may seem, and way too loose and a tad too lengthy, but still this film is immensely watchable.

Movie review: BAHUBALI

Stunning visuals, technical splendour   and grandeur stylised execution. Add to it, the warmth of human sentiments and we have BAHUBALI : an epic, ambitious tale which stays with you long after you leave the cinema halls.

If you can't do much with the story, you better be good with the presentation. If the premise (the old good against evil) offers no novelty, make sure the execution is innovative. And this is exactly what BAHUBALI has in to offer. More so, it does better: enthralling you and captivating your senses for most part of the film's running time.

Great CGIs and VFXs alone are never instrumental in making a film work. They only complement and enhance a director's vision. And here we have, a visionary and enterprising director, who takes a routine revenge saga and transforms it into a colossal establishment. His synchrony with technology and tradition deserves special mention.

It is the sheer brilliance of the filmmaker, who, inspite of giving an over the top and a high decibel melodrama, infuses moments of genuine arousal and makes the viewer root for their protagonists. He understands his craft perfectly and knows exactly when to escalate the scene and the viewers mood.

The intermission point when Shiva holds onto the 50 feet golden statue from falling and in return the crowd responds by screaming 'Bahubali Bahubali ' in unison is absolutely riveting. It is a scene which is bound to make you stand up and applaud.

To be honest though, the film surely suffers from minor glitches.Not everything works and not everything sinks in too.The first half feels weighed down by its length and the silly love track hamper the proceedings further. The love story never picks up, looks contrived and even foolish. But then, there is much to savour even in scenes which are silly and inconsequential. Full marks to the director for having the intent and for trying.

There are glimpses and impressions of a handful of Hollywood flicks, but they are intelligently inculcated and sprinkled with original makeovers.

The final half an hour, depicting the battle is nothing short of astounding. Never redundant or repetitive, it throws in some of the best camera shots and makes in for a compelling watch.

Very few films warrant a sequel, and even few, deserves them. This one surely does.
Do not miss it.