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.

Movie review: TAMAASHA

An Imtiaz Ali film warrants a watch. His storytelling and narrative has always been novel and many a times quite non-obvious
And when he teams with AR Rahman, Ranbir and Deepika, even at worse,it would still be a decent watch.
TAMAASHA then, is a fairly inconsistent film which with all its blemishes deserves to be seen. It might be unfulfilling, unsatisfactory and even drives home the same Imtiaz Ali message, yet it is not at all disappointing.
With its heart at the right place, one is more than willing to condone the irregular beats.

Rat-race can take a man from you, transform you into a machine and gradually drain you off emotionally. The materialistic need overpowering the elemental emotions.
Also,True love can show you your true self. Running away from the daily chores actually brings you closer to your self.
These messages formed the backbone of earlier Imtiaz's films and this movie too works on the same tangent.

There is a lot to like here if you are willing to invest yourself in the narrative. The crackling chemistry between the leads, brilliant music, and the genius of Imtiaz Ali on quite a handful of scenes.
The scene in which Ranbir and Deepika split, the scene in which Deepika persuades Ranbir to take her back, Ranbir's outburst in front of his Dad and many more emotionally move you. There are inventive presentations and some penetrating predicaments striking our hearts. The turbulence in Ranbir's life feels genuine, and his trauma feels relatable. His outbursts though feels contrived and uneven.

Ofcourse, the film suffers from a lot of self-indulgence and redundancy. The messages too,though well intended, are too many and poorly communicated. The predicaments of the protagonists lack the depth and on a few occasions even come across juvenile.

The performances as expected are powerful.Though Ranbir does a brilliant job, it is Deepika who steals the show with her big expressive eyes and an emotionally enriched performance.Many scenes work solely because of the maturity the lead pair brings to them.

Far from being thoroughly engaging and insightful, the movie sure has a large chunk which can be appreciated.

Do watch it.

Movie review :SPECTRE

Movie review: SPECTRE
There is one thing common between Salman khan in bollywood and JAMES BOND in Hollywood. Both are greater than their respective films. Their brand and reputation is larger than the movies they are a part of. Sadly though, On almost all occasions their movies are mediocre, hardly offer any novelty, are repetitive and so very predictable.

The new bond film: SPECTRE is not only predictable, it is dull and a big bore.
Gone are the days when spectacular locations around the world and a scintillating background worked for the BOND FLICK. The Bourne series and MI series provide all this accompanied by edge of the seat thrill.

Sadly here, there is no thrill, no nail biting narrative and absolutely no depth.
I am among the very rare breeds who are not fond of BOND films. They fail to excite me purely because the spy has it very easy. Troubled waters, but he rarely breaks a sweat and an edge of the seat Action thriller we are talking about.

The demeanour of BOND is the sole thing I love. His tuxedo is something to die for. But that is not enough to make your 200 bucks worth.

The BOND movies were never known for their emotional depth and we are perfectly fine with it. But the flamboyance is missing, the urgency is lacking and the coolness is a thing of the past.
No suspense whatsoever and even the Villainy is disappointing.

All in all, it is a below average film. Avoid it.

Movie review : PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO

Movie review: PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO

A Sanjay leela Bhansali wannabe that is old-fashioned, overly simplistic and too melodramatic.
Save for the last 20 odd minutes which has the signature Suraj barjatiya touch, most part of the movie (though pleasing to the eyes) is quite bad to your senses.

The Prince, with the swagger and style has the riches and the Pauper, with the heart and soul, has love to offer.
The message too is well intended: Family and love transcending every hatred.
But alas, all this thwarted by superficial writing and infantile treatment.

The problems are a plenty here.
The first half is a drag. Meant to be light and breezy, it turns out to be neither. Too many songs(none a chart buster or melodious), sporadic scenes, pedestrian comedy never giving the movie any steam to gather. The entire RAJGHARANA feels superficial and the characters mere caricatures. Visually stunning sets, brilliantly choreographed and shot song-dance sequences all ending up futile. The family clashes are way too shallow, the empathy and sympathy too naive and the screenplay weightless and cosmetic.

The second half too feels stretched and bogged down by lack of emotional depth.
The reunion of family members doesn't give you any high, the scenes failing to escalate any sentiments. Bits and pieces genius of Barjatiya gets diluted by the entire superficial ambience.

To make matters worse, the casting is horribly wrong. Sonam kapoor, Neil nitin Mukesh are the worst possible actors to play these roles. The brilliant Deepak Dobriyal and Sanjay Mishra have no meat whatsoever in their roles. Anupam kher is left stranded (quite literally too) in this overbearing franchise.

Eventually as in most his films, it boils down to Salman Khan to save the day. He is earnest, looks a billion bucks and offer some relief in this overdrawn and tedious watch. I could sit the entire length just because of him.

But here is the catch. After all this overbearing and over enduring proceeding, the final 20 minutes might just suddenly transform your thoughts. Strangely, you might ignore and forget everything and feel good about the movie. Why? Because it made you cry, gave you lumps in your throat.
If that is all what you are looking for ( and Salman khan ) give it a watch.
Otherwise, Stay away.

Movie review: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE Rogue nation

Impossible is Tom Cruise failing to surprise us with his daredevil and almost life-threatening stunts. The recent MI franchise introduces him half adhering and half hanging to an airplane while it gets airborne. How he keeps pulling it off  at 53 is some mystery. But onscreen, it is exhilarating and looks nothing short of spectacular.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is then, a fitting justice to its predecessors: it is thrilling, stylised and gives you just the adrenaline rush you are looking for. It follows the same formula as the earlier counterparts and emulates it with flair.

The film packs in every element to make it entertaining as hell. It absolutely wastes no time in introducing the menacing villain and quickly establishes the improbable tasks that lay at the forefront.

Barring the first franchise, which was quite intelligent and dense, all other flicks have emphasised more on edge of the seat action and nail biting thrill.To their credit, they have been very successful in mastering this art.

This movie too, has its share of some genuine tension laden scenario and some real adrenaline action sequences.Tom Cruise jumping into a large whirlpool and the entire underwater event is just fantastic. Another heart pumping action scene involving Tom Cruise on the motorbike is riveting too. Cruise on motorbike is sheer romance to the eyes.

The plot, for sure is not very smart, and doesn't offer any surprising revelations.
Nothing enlightening about the proceedings, but the fast pace, techno mumbo-jumbo and the relentless action never lets the interest dip. For almost the entire 2 hours, the viewer remains interested and engrossed. There is hardly any loss of steam and the pace stays brisk throughout.
A special mention for Rebecca fergueson( the dubious spy), she looks gorgeous and is fantastic in her action strings.She is way way better than any bond girls we have been witness to.

Finally, it was heartening to see a climax which was character dominated and not CGI driven. No mayhem and no chaos. Only one man to another. More effective for me this way. Though many would disagree, I was quite relieved.

In the end, the film entertains you to the hilt and satisfies your expectations. Go get your money's worth.

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.