Movie review: DANGAL

DANGAL movie review: Remember what CHAK DE did for hockey and women? DANGAL does the same for wrestling and women.

A Good sport biopic film invests you in the protagonists and intrigues you into the sport, while a great one makes you fall in love with both. DANGAL, then, oscillates in between- rising above than just being good but falling short of being great.(Only if it could have done without the caricature villainous Indian coach).

For all those who thought of DANGAL as SULTAN 2.0,  DANGAL is actually what SULTAN could never be.
DANGAL paves the way of how a sport biopic film should be - insightful, moving and inspiring. Maybe not entirely, but predominantly.

When the opening credits are rolled out, we see the haryana dialect advisor's name along with the wrestling advisor's name (Arjun awardee),  and you know that the filmakers had put in the extra effort and done the research requisite for a sport biopic.(The film gets the wrestling moves spot on, a commendable effort).

The success of a sport biopic is when the journey of the protagonists absorbs the viewers. Their plight, their efforts, their pain, their rise, their fall and eventually their redemption all sweeping the viewers along the way. What happens to them on the screen, alters the chemicals in your blood. DANGAL does that to you.

DANGAL smells of the 'akahadas mitti' and feels like the 'thud on the wrestling mat'.
The father's desperation, the girls initial aversion, their transformed passion all having the emotional depth.
The 'Kushti in the Akhaadas' and the 'Wrestling in the tournaments' competently and splendidly executed.(Never before they seemed so real).

SULTAN had one Superstar(Salman Khan) playing the character to his whims and fancies, whereas DANGAL has another superstar(Aamir Khan)becoming the character. What you see on screen is Mahavir Singh Phogat, the father and not Aamir Khan, the star. Fantastic portrayal.

DANGAL wins your heart, Mahavir Phogat wins your heart, the Girls win your heart. You cry when they cry, you smile when they smile and you celebrate when they celebrate.
Go watch it.

Movie review: SHIVAAY

You learn a thing or two about Ajay Devgn after surviving SHIVAAY. Existing virtually in every frame of the movie, he seems to be smitten by self-obsession and engrossed in self-indulgence.
And so it turns out, SHIVAAY is an absolute mess that should never have happened.

For what I understand, movies are made for the audiences.They are manufactured to suit our nuances, crafted to cater to our emotions and customised for our entertainment.
Sadly, SHIVAAY delivers nothing for the audiences. It is strictly by Ajay Devgn, of Ajay Devgn and for Ajay Devgn.(Not even for his fans).

With all its self-indulgence, SHIVAAY might have still worked, if at all it had a coherent script with an emotional core.(After all, it had a father-daughter relationship). Alas, it turns out not just bad, it ends up being disastrous.

There is not one sane moment in the film. Like the film itself, each character and their predicament is either ridiculous or pure bizarre. You seem to loose count of absurdity, as scenes one after another keep unravelling.

So half-witted the characterisation is, the mother acts childishly, the father behaves irrationally and the child never feels like one. Hence, the sympathy and the concern for them never ever surfaces.
The agony is, it ain't just all shallow, it is stupid.

The problems are not few or many. The problem is the entire product.Your patience is not just tested, it takes a pounding. Your intelligence is insulted and your emotions run absolutely dry. What a waste, What a shame.

The audacity of the Director is omnipresent. As if the opening credits weren't enough, the end credit displays Mr. Devgn's name yet again in case we happen to forget who was behind the camera.

Mr. Devgn, we loved you in front of the camera. Behind the camera you have insulted Devgn, the actor and many of us, the audience. We won't forget this easily.

You might gain something from the film, but you surely will loose a lot of credibility.

Don't watch it.

MS Dhoni: Movie review

"It is good that you chose cricket, but beyond that what matters is the kind of person you are"( SACHIN, A BILLION DREAMS), this quote has stayed with me ever since, summing up the entire essence of playing the sport and being the Man.

And here we are then, having watched DHONI and falling short in knowing the Man.Failing to even remotely relate to the kind of person he was or currently is. Failing to come to terms with the Man that got us 2 World cups.
Disappointingly, we have yet another biopic that reveals nothing about the protagonist.

DHONI, AN UNTOLD STORY should have been titled DHONI, TELL ONLY WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN KNOWN STORY.

With DHONI, the intrigue was never in his rise to stardom. 'A small town boy dreaming big and getting it', ain't just about Dhoni. As a matter of fact, it is almost about every third Indian sportsman. And a lot many sportsmen have had a far more challenging, formidable and taxing ordeal.

The intrigue then, is the Man himself. A Man of very few emotions, his ambiguous demeanour has never been an access to what lies beneath the skin. A Man who has been a revelation and yet have faltered on many occasions, someone who has brought laurels to the nation and yet has been questioned about his conduct, should have made for a fascinating and an insightful premise.
A man that won many hearts, but along the way disturbed many a minds.
(His conflict of interest in the IPL, leaving the captaincy Mid-series, decision regarding his retirement and many more).

To be honest, it needed a great deal of research and balls of steel to address the pertinent questions about an Indian Cricket demi-god. Could the filmmaker do it? (last heard MS DHONI was paid 70 percent of the total film's cost to make his biopic). Could the filmmaker even think about it?
Easier way is to be smart instead, cash in the brand of the cricketer and mint money at the box-office.

Hence, the filmmaker played safe and smart, showcasing the flamboyance of the cricketer's batting that has pumped the nation's heartbeat.( Who cares even if you have watched it a 100 times over in the highlights package on Star cricket? Don't forget, you are a true cricket fan and patriot.)

Matters of the heart never needed the mind to intervene.

Alas, I had other ideas.

Movie review: PINK

Finally we understood. And Finally we triumphed.
Some years back it was QUEEN. And now it is PINK.
PINK, like QUEEN, is more than just a film. And it does more than just entertain.

While QUEEN was all about finding yourself, PINK is about realising what one has become.

PINK is actually BLACK. It is scary, unpleasant and disturbing. A reflection of the society we inhabit.

PINK is also symbolic. Symbolic of the helplessness we find ourselves in, symbolic to the feudalism we are accustomed to and symbolic to the times we live in.

"PINK is for the girls". So we say to ourselves. And many more irrational, chauvinistic and sexist taboos we tag to women.
'Independent women' remains a phrase only and nothing more.
And thus, PINK hits you right where it should. It hammers on the subject, both by being subtle and not, and in turn makes you sit up and take notice.

PINK is for everyone because it can happen to anyone. PINK walk the streets, drive down the roads, work hard and party harder.
The only thing they don't is that they don't feel safe. We don't feel safe. We don't let them feel safe.
PINK draws out the problem and projects the filth inside us. It offers us the mirror and forces us to look away. Brilliant.

Pink preaches too. But, only after practicing.

Go watch it. Do not miss it at any cost.

Movie review: SULTAN

Reviewing a Salman Khan film is always a tricky proposition. Tricky because one is not sure who to review, Him or the film. His stature against the film's substance, and the line turns ever so blurred.

"Bhai ki entry dekhi. Paisa vasool." And you can't debate about the 200 bucks you paid for.
"Bhai ke moves dekhe. Repeat value hai film ki." This when you can't even muster the courage to complete viewing it the first time.
"Bhai rocks. He is actually like this only. He doesn't need to act. He is a natural." And you get lost in the transition too.

His movies then, on most occasions, become a mere vessel to portray the length and breath of his larger than life image. They are manufactured to suit the fancies of the superstar and to cash-in on his super stardom. And in that regard, they seldom fail.
SULTAN too, though in trying to be different, ends up being not much of an alteration. Not a great film, but a big big money spinning blockbuster.

The Man has an enchanting persona and a screen presence very few actors possess, there is no denying this fact. The charm, the innocence and the sincerety he brings to the forefront is both infectious and engrossing. To give credit where it is due, he even makes ordinary scenes look stunning and spectacular.

But it is time now when one needs to separate Him from his films. Yes, he has an unmissable charm and a peculiar swagger, but will that always suffice?. What about the film at hand which boasts of having a screenplay, a story and other characters.
Just because he is brilliant in a film, doesn't mean the film is brilliant too.

SULTAN then, is an overlong, overly simplistic and way too predictable sport-romance drama which doesn't spring any surprises.
Yes, Salman khan is the life of the film. He makes you invest in his character and even root for his redemption. He makes his Man-child character lovable and shines throughout the proceedings.
He succeeds for sure but the film doesn't.
The movie ropes in every trick of the trade and every possible clichés from numerous bollywood and Hollywood enterprises to amalgamate a redemption story.
But sadly, it lacks the novelty, the depth and the sentiments associated with that redemption.
No heart warming in the romance, no heart wrenching in their separation and no adrenaline rush in his redemption. 

Unfortunately though, this won't ever matter. After all, "Bhai ki film hai, bus dekhni hai." And it won't end here. After watching his films, they would declare it a Blockbuster never ever witnessed on celluloid. The fans will go berserk painting the social media with taglines such as- "Bhai rocked,"  "The best Salman khan film ever".
What they will forget is that they said the same for BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN too and before that and before that too.
2018 EID and they will have yet another "Best Salman khan film ever".

UDTA PUNJAB : Movie review

UDTA PUNJAB could have been more penetrating. Yes, it could have been more tighter and yes, it could have been more insightful.

But still, it deserves to be seen. Because it dares to be brave, dares to be different and dares to break the norm.

Does it really make a dent on the subject it offers? Maybe not, but it doesn't die wondering.
It offers no breakthrough either, but then it wasn't meant to. It reflects a reality that has plagued the state and succeeds in displaying some great dark humor.

The film works on many levels, even though it falters in doing so. Just like a kid who has suddenly learnt to walk, it is more of a triumph  though discomforting in the process.

The film soars and soars high when it projects dark humor. It succeeds when it stays dark and dizzy, capturing the drug addicts with all their moods and nuances. Though to be critical, One would have wished more infiltration into the subject.
Also, the film could have easily done without the investigation part. Instead, it would have been wonderful if the story chewed into the turbulence and life-style of the protagonists.

Now to the other question: Does it entertain? Yes, it does. It displays a disturbing issue and yet stays light, witty and non-preachy. The characters keep you invested in the narrative and the screenplay keeps hitting you with some splendid scenes.
Though it does drag a bit more for our comfort, yet it stays away from self-indulgence. It dips every now and then, but rises with some brilliant moments.

Here are some moments of absolute brilliance.
1. The scene in which Shahid kapoor, locked in jail finds the criminals chanting him as as idol is both hilarious and hard-hitting. The youth cheering for a celebrity for all the wrong reasons.

2. Alia's outburst in front of Shahid stirs and shakes you. Alia makes the scene her own reflecting how powerful an actor she has become.

3. The dialogues at places are pure gems.
"Pehle banda to ban jaa, VIP baad mein banana", shouts Diljit to Shahid.
"Puri nasal kharaab kar di hai, Jab bhai par baat aayi to Jhatka laga", voices Karen to Diljit.
All relevant statements projecting the world we breathe in and the bubble we are used to live within.

Watch it in case you haven't.

Movie review: MASSAN

"Everyone may not be a great talent, but great talent can come from anywhere."
Good filmmaking doesn't demand or necessitate a manufactured grandeur.
All it needs is a skilled craftsman who understands the essence of the script and has a penetrating perspective and depth to his filmmaking.

MASSAN then, is an immensely natural, disturbing and moving portrayal of two protagonists faced with their biggest odds. Painted with remorse and poetry, the film has an insight and is thoroughly enriching.

Shot against the backdrop of U.P., the film has two different stories running in parallel. The female protagonist, whose sexual adventure with her boyfriend ends up tragically and the male protagonist's love and grief saga- form the film's premise.

The film has a lot to offer both in terms of its narrative and its substance.The entire ambience of a small town is beautifully captured with each character written in blood and flesh. Every character has his own turmoil, his own characteristics, his own grief making the display so compelling.

There are so many facets to the proceedings and each one so subtle and with much emotional depth.
The father-daughter confrontations feel authentic and has an alarming realistic polarity to it. The friction and the love they share are a treat to watch.
The romance has this infectious charm and innocence which is hard to find currently. For all those in their 30s and beyond will find the romance so very nostalgic.
The father-cop interactions reveals the shocking reality. No matter how defiant you stay, you have to bow down to the harsh truth.

The biggest strength of the script is that you can feel the pain of each character, their fear, their anguish and their remorse. You are smitten from the word go, and gets invested and engrossed gradually.
The beauty of the script is that by the end you have a smile on your face no matter how disturbing the circumstances were shown to be before.

There are moments of absolute brilliance too. The scene where the male protagonist gets a FB page print out of his lover, the scene where the female protagonist calls the house of his dead boyfriend to recover her money and many others are pure gems. The love, anguish and fear of the father, the resilience and defiance of the female protagonist, the sorrow and the melancholy of the male protagonist are all intertwined spendidly.

The music and lyrics are powerful and become a character in themselves. The acting is spell-binding. Every actor is terrific and succeeds in bringing out every possible emotion.
All in all, a perfect film of an imperfect world.

You will miss a lot if you miss this film. Highly recommended.

Movie review : FAN

Fans all over the world are a fascinating breed. They come in all forms, textures and  with varied emotions. Nothing unusual in their appearance but underneath that skin, buckets laden with bizarre sentiments. Passion, fixation, obsession, addiction, lunacy, fanaticism  are all terms we are aware of, but these FANS: they live them.

"Tum nahi samjhoge", voices Gaurav (aka FAN) each time he is asked a relevant question. Very true. What goes inside a fanatic, obsessed fan's mind is for him and only him to know. Difficult to comprehend and more so, tragic to watch.

FAN, then begins ever so promisingly, stays engaging for a while, but then eventually ends up falling short of what it sets out to achieve.

As the title suggests and the trailers revealed, the film hinges on the obsession of an ardent fan for his moviestar which turns into an alarming and threatening retaliation when confronted with rejection. Obsession, you see, never seeks rationality. Obsession for can turn into an Obsession against.

The initial reels projecting the making of  FAN feel authentic and have the required innocence and charm. We see Gaurav immersed head-to-toe in his idol worship and waiting for his turn to meet his icon. Not so much of insight, but nevertheless a pleasing observation.

The film stays engaging as Gaurav attempts to meet his star. Barring a needless run and chase sequence at the Delight hotel, the proceedings stay afloat displaying the fixation of Gaurav for his icon. There is this brilliant scene where Gaurav (flooded among a crazy croud) sees Aryan waving to his fans, his mind and body in awe of his star. You can feel his ecstacy and euphoria, and at that exact moment you do become him.

Post-intermission is pure standard bollywood stuff. Predictability looms large and too many cinematic liberties spoil the thrill. The chase sequences(though shot exotically) are way too long and way too exhausting. Wish there was more of some penetrating face-offs instead of long drawn chases. The writing, too, in the second half becomes incompetent and even flawed. If You'd want to do without songs, you'd better have a tighter script.

But what makes the film rise above its flaws, and makes it watchable is some self-deprecatory humor and very good dialogues.
"Sorry bol do na. Sanki hai woh", vocals Aryan's secretary to which he responds,    "To mein kya hun?"
"I will make it up to you sir", an apologetic Aryan says to the billionaire to which he reacts forcefully, "You better do, I am paying you for it".
Wish there was more of it, and more to the Celebrity demigod vs the fanatic fan duel. A celeb's ego and attitude against a fan's infatuation and fixation. Not a solution, but a perception maybe.

"Actor hai, acting hi to karta hai sirf", vocals the disgruntled FAN at one point. So legitimate, so valid a fact and yet so distant a belief.

I liked the movie, because I went in to understand it. For SRK fans, it will be a delight. For others, not a bad one time watch.

Decent enough, but not great.

Movie review : The Jungle book

Technology now can make us believe in almost everything. Not only can they create a wilderness in a man-made studio, they can even put actual wild animals to shame. If someone said we could live within a computer, I wouldn't dare argue or question.The CGI crafted virtual world seem so enticing and so engaging, that it feels very dull and tedious switching back to reality.

The Jungle book, in all its making, is yet another marvel of technology that takes up the timeless tale of Mowgli, modifies it with flair and ends up being a visually stunning display of movie making. It tells a familiar story but spectacularly and with elan.( Maybe minus the requisite humor)

For us growing up in the 90's ,reciting the Jungle book anthem 'jungle jungle baat chalo hai' and being witness to Mowgli and all his antics every sunday, the film offers plenty of nostalgia with the right dose of thrill and pleasure.

The jungle this time though, is more dark, more cynical and more dreadful. And these exact attributes make for some real edge-of-the seat thrill. No child's play when danger looms around each corner, you better hold your kids strongly. You will jump out of your seat, the first time Sher Khan latches onto Mowgli. The entire escape chase involving the buffaloes and many others will set the pulse racing.

Beneath all this splendidly CGI crafted ambience we also are a spectator to the wily wisdom of Bagheera, the goofiness of Balu, the hypnotic Kaa, the maternal love of the she-wolf and finally the innocence and exuberance of Mowgli. But to be honest, all this emotional turbulence lacks any actual depth and does not have the required layering.
Also the entire subplot involving the monstrous ape Louie is needless and  unimaginative.

But these intrinsic politics do not harm the larger proceedings. The pace stays healthy throughout and the terrific VFXs seem to consume you altogether. The humanity expressed by animals is eventually infectious and by the time it all ends, you leave with a smiling face and more so happier kids.

The film is a must watch for both kids and adults. Do not miss it.

Movie review: KAPOOR AND SONS

A Karan Johar enterprise which is everything unlike him and his movies - No larger than life characters, no improbable scenarios, no decorative set-pieces, no needless song-dance sequences. And yet a beautiful and heartfelt demonstration on celluloid which shakes and stirs you along its way.

KAPOOR AND SONS, then is a roller coaster family drama which has more highs and far less lows. Meant to explore the facets of a family bonding, it is surely predictable in its story, but the narrative is novel, enriching and heart touching.

Projecting a Dysfunctional family's modus operandi can be quite a challenge. More often than not their depiction turns bizarre, implausible and unreasonable. 
But this film stands firm and real in its presentation of the family's discourse and conflict, and thankfully doesnt go overboard. At times the conflicts( internal and external) does become overwhelming, but still have an inherent rationality attached to them. 

The clashes, the disputes, the friction and the discord the family is stuck into feels genuine and most importantly feels relatable.
There is depth to each character, and their emotional turbulence never ever feels shallow or superficial. The members are not at each other's throats here, nor shout their lungs out. Subtleness is the order of the day, which brings out the required order from chaos.

There is this natural flair sprinkled around the kapoors, making the proceedings swift and believable. The entire tale of forgiveness and acceptance is both enriching and entertaining.

The cast is in tremendous form, the dialogues apt and the backgroud score is another character. The background music makes your heart feel even more. Absolutely no melodrama and no grand monologues, only a believable ambience all around.

The last half hour or so made me misty eyed and I never felt so soothed before.
Go watch it if you havent.

Movie review : ZOOTOPIA

ZOOTOPIA: The movie about an animal's world mimicking the human existence is by far the smartest animation film made in recent times.
"No matter how evolved we become, deep down we are just animals", vocals a rodent. Apart from being quite funny, the statement also rings just the right bells to our human existence. We being no less animals, and far less human.

I could not help but juxtapose the entire proceedings on celluloid to the current predicaments we live in. Caught amidst the tolerance/intolerance and nationalism /Anti-nationalism debate, the film provides more than a few rational insights. You need not be extreme in your opinions, need not be impulsive and judgemental. You just need to act promptly. Serve and protect rather than rule and bully.

A small town bunny cop embarking on a journey that is laden with all the virtues and vices around him feels absolutely relevant to the times we find ourselves consumed into. Make the world a better place is basically doing your job the way it is ought to be done.

Bunnies are cute and dumb, foxes are sly and wicked and many other prejudices and stereotype tagging are interwoven into this delightfully clever artwork. Being judgmental, sticking on to old-thinking, are all there splendidly executed.

Like all great animation movies, the narrative is brilliantly imaginative, novel and is laden with wit and humor. Most times it is not humor, but a clever insight that makes you invest so much in the movie.

You are going to miss a lot if you miss it. Do watch it. Highly recommended.

Movie review: AIRLIFT

An Indian flag being hoisted anywhere(and especially on foreign soil) is a sight which will always get you misty eyed.The joy and the pride associated with it is beyond any explanation.The feeling of being a part of the Nation and contributing to it in any which form is almost an obligation, and should not merely be an option.

AIRLIFT then, is one such film we can actually be quite proud of. Based on Indians turned refugees in Kuwait due to Iraq and the events leading to their rescue, the movie tells us a tale which stays engaging and gripping till the very end.

Surely it lacks the cerebral approach of an ARGO, but it more than makes up for it by having a big Indian heart.(After all, it is a bollywood enterprise and we, the people are more emotionally driven than cerebral acting.)

Bollywood has had a bad history of projecting real-life incidents on celluloid.
Almost involuntarily, they seem to inject melodrama, too much cinematic liberties and way too many contrivances in their portrayal, thereby diluting and hampering the narrative.
Thankfully, the film stays immune to these aspects and carefully steers away from the sensationalised and overly decorative display.

"Jab chot lagti hai tab Maa hi yaad aati hai", vocals Akshay kumar when questioned about his transformed approach towards the motherland.
No chest thumping, no pompous and no over the top nationalism. Pure and quite natural response to an adverse situation on an alien soil.

The entire tale of the sorry state of Indians in Kuwait is very well-executed.There is genuine concern and a palpable tension laden undertone.The proceedings stay engaging and gripping in the first half and dialogues(though minimal) keep the narrative upbeat.
The transformation of Akshay kumar(from outright rejection of Indian songs and proclaiming himself as a Kuwaitian to developing concern and sticking together as one big Indian family) is beautifully done. In the process, his gradual bonding with his wife too comes off quite natural and heart-warming.

Surely, the approach is more emotionally enriching rather than intelligent, innovative and smart. There is only one real smart scene when Akshay kumar turns Poker face and fools the Iraqi-general. One would have wished more scenes like this. Nonetheless, the poignant drama stays touching all the time gradually consuming us along.You begin to feel and care for the people. ( the biggest triumph of the script)

The only big disappointment lies in the pre-climax when Akshay does a bollywood heroism enroute to Oman. What should have been a real impact scene and could have turned into a clap worthy moment, sadly sticks out like a sore thumb.

Akshay kumar performs brilliantly and bares out his soul in displaying the anguish and helplessness of a man responsible for lakhs of Indians.Truly, a splendid performance.

Barring very few and minor contrivances, the movie stays thoroughly appealing and in the end, gets you all misty eyed, moving and stirring you all along
What a great beginning to 2016.

Do not miss it.

Movie review: WAZIR

Suspense is gold if it builds up gradually and bursts out outwitting you completely.  The entire emotional turbulence of anxiety, anticipation and excitement regarding the outcome of a situation can be quite enticing and satiating.
But the same Suspense can be a terrible disappointment if it becomes predictable from the word go, takes way too many loopholes to pan out and can't surprise you.

WAZIR then, commits the same old sin of being way too predictable for a suspense drama and way too leisurely for an edge-of-the-seat thriller. It suffers on account of an incompetent script and a genuine lack of substance.

The film begins promisingly with the two lead protagonists, suffering from grief and guilt (of losing their children), uniting and bonding over the game of chess.
Both Mr.Bachhan and Farhan in terrific form and their moods in perfect sync.Add to this, Mr.Bachhan vocalling some of the film's best lines with so much finesse(the way only he can) makes you invest in the narrative and even condone the leisurely pace.
But all this eventually is a recipe on the lines of 'flattering to decieve'. Game of chess against the game of life, the pawn against the king, all the style and swag-All this buildup for nothing.

Given the predicaments of both the leads, our sympathies for both, not for once surfaces. Blame it on the poorly sketched out characters or a weak script, the emotions of grief stricken parents does not find a way in our hearts.
All this could have easily been swept under the carpet if the thriller element had been up to the mark. One could easily miss the flaws and shortcomings if the pace is healthy and the proceedings have the required urgency. But sadly, the unravelling of the plot happens without any major twists or turns taking away any intrigue left whatsoever. The latter half of the film merely becomes a routine revenge drama.

The big final revelation could be seen from miles away. Nothing startling and nothing surprising. To make it even worse, the director spoon-feeds us the entire details as if we hadn't any clue. High time the filmmakers start trusting the audience's intelligence.

In the end, what should have been a well made noir cum suspense drama turns out low on substance and even low on intelligence.

Give it a miss.