Movie review: RAAZI

A rare Bollywood film which offers no chest-thumping, no jingoism, and more so, no sight of an Indian flag being hoisted anywhere. And yet a film which portrays patriotism in its true sense.

RAAZI then,is a sensitive and a gripping tale about love, sacrifice, loyalty- all for a cause and eventually the futility of it all.

Early into the film, the protagonist Sehmat (played by a brilliant Alia Bhatt) voices,“ The country is us, We are our country”.

Quite an appealing statement, and yet an obvious one. And therein, a valid point to comprehend as to how our deeds and actions would invariably pave the way for a Nation we aspire to build and safeguard.

The film,on the other hand slowly and steadily gathers steam as Sehmat works her way into gathering intel. Surely, the ease at which she is able to infiltrate and gain access feels convenient and contrived, yet the ‘building-up to something’ narrative keeps us invested. 

The tension feels palpable and the scenes where her cover would blow up anytime are thoroughly engaging.

To the filmmaker’s credit, she deliberately steers away from any unnecessary sub-plots, slapstick humour and spoon-fed explanations. She stays true to the gripping narrative infusing and expressing just the right sensitivities on both the sides. This is no ‘My Nation is holier than thou’ film. There are no villains here. Just ordinary people in a situation where everyone would stand to lose.

“When its War, nothing else matters, not you or me, nor anyone, just the War”, remarks an Officer in the end. 

War and its preparations consumes one and all. And if anything remains,are just the casualties. 

Go watch it.

Movie review: RAID

In our country, if ever the corrupt powerful Ultra-rich feel threatened and are subject to damage, it is only and only on celluloid.

And when Bollywood showcases them feeling helpless and getting decimated, the common man, even though transiently,feels empowered.

Hence, movies like RAID are more than just welcomed and looked upon with sincere expectations. Unfortunately though, the product seldom matches the assumption.

RAID hence, is another lost opportunity. At best, it is just another average film which runs out of ideas post intermission.

Based on true events, it begins promisingly. Slowly and steadily building up the tension and throwing up genuine laughs in between. Both the protagonist and the antagonist matching up and matching well. 

But soon, predictablilty surfaces and from there on, it is all redundant and repetitive.

The problem doesn't just begin, it further amplifies after the interval. 

Post-interval it is painstakingly abyssmal. Absolutely nothing to keep us intrigued, nothing left to suprise and nothing causing an emotional orgasm. 

And when the job is finally done, it just ain't clapworthy. Never for once, giving you the high, never truly making you feel empowered.

A movie which can easily be avoided.

Movie review: SONU KE TITU KI SWEETY

Movie review: SONU KE TITU KI SWEETY

You laugh on a joke instantly, not because it made much sense but because it was funny. It is purely instinctive driven and not a thought-out event. 

And therein lies the crux of SKTKS. It’s a film like all other Luv Ranjan films: illogical, nonsensical, sexiest and stupid but like all his earlier films provide for some great instinctive laughs. Laughs that are easy and cheap, slapstick and sexiest but still, they are what they are-LAUGHS.

Good humour stays with you for long, seldom gets redundant and is thoroughly enjoyable. 

And yet, if not for these all it could manage is just a burst of laughter somewhere, the job is still pretty much done.

You know what to expect from a Luv Ranjan film. A silly plot, absurd predicaments, stupid protagonists and an implausible gender sketch. It is an unconvincing and unrealistic world he portrays, but that is exactly his recipe to garnish laugh-out-loud moments. And on that front, he delivers and delivers consistently.

He knows his audience, and he knows what makes them laugh. They will laugh from the heart and not from the mind, he must believe.

For Every dip in the scene, for every drag in the proceedings, for every redundancy and cosmetic approach on the screen, he has the ‘Belly laugh’ as his answer.

Works for many, doesn’t work for some. Probably, he understand the numbers.

So far so good. But will he evolve? The bigger question, does he need to?

NEWTON: Movie review

"The problem is not your honesty, it is the pride that you take in your honesty", vocals Sanjay Mishra to Rajkumar's character NEWTON.
Quite a statement. He further adds, "Doing you job honestly is always expected". And therein lies the crux of NEWTON.

NEWTON hence, is all about doing your job. Not bringing about a change, not causing a revolution, not being a rebel: just doing your job sincerely.

NEWTON is no hero, and the film isn't heroic. But it is penetrating enough. Perspective enough. Intriguing enough.

Hope in our country is not an option, it is a compulsion. And hence we aspire for greater endeavours. It questions our pride in our nation, in our democracy and many a times provide insights into our Modus operandi.

The beauty of NEWTON is that it doesn't pretend. It only portrays. And portrays subtly and splendidly.  It doesn't want to impress anyone( we all haven't forgotten the self-propaganda laden TOILET: Ek PREM KATHA), nor pretends to find a solution. It just wants you to know.

NEWTON is beautifully written, emaculately characterised and wonderfully enacted. Almost every character is flesh and blood and belongs to the movie. You just can't imagine anyone else playing these characters.

NEWTON doesn't have answers nor it dwells in finding them. All it wants is to make you understand your responsibilities and work towards it. Don't be remembered a hero, but be remembered the Man who did his job.

NEWTON is one of the finest films made in Bollywood.
Don't just watch it, recommend it.

Movie review: JAB HARRY MET SEJAL

'Today's cinema is today's literature', is a school of thought that Imtiaz Ali believes in.Over the years, his execution of that thought have intrigued us and entertained us.

Given his celebrated past, his films have carved a reputation of their own.
A reputation that says, 'Good is not good enough. Better is expected'.
And hence, we don't expect just good films from him, we want great films.

Sadly, JAB HARRY MET SEJAL is an Imtiaz Ali film that doesn't behave like an Imtiaz Ali film. Doesn't behave nor feel because it stays stagnated and dwells long into shallowness.
The man who made me fall in love with his earlier films now breaks my heart with his current one.

It breaks my heart to see Imtiaz Ali falling prey to bollywood clichés. It disappoints me that the man who wanted to experiment tells a 'Been there, done that' story. It hurts to see that the characters we always seemed to connect, cause no turbulence in our blood.

It is quite acceptable that a filmmaker fails to translate a novel concept, an idea or an experiment into a decent expression. Trying and failing is anyday better than failing to try.
The sad part is that with JHMS, Imtiaz Ali doesn't try anything different. His Harry met Sejal long time back.He basically  replicates the same approach of his earlier films(even dilutes them), throws in  newer, beautiful European landscapes and tells a story. A story where the European landscapes overpower the central protagonists.
The filmmaker known for his characters and their journeys being limited to showcase just exotic locations.

We loved Imtiaz's work for a reason. We were invested in his soul-searching, travel laden explorations, were intrigued in his take on contemporary love, feelings and character journeys. But in JHMS, all he does is repeat himself. And he not just repeats his work ,dilutes it and displays a half-baked, stale and boring tale of love and longing.

This was one film I wanted to enjoy. And j didn't. Sadly i wanted Harry to meet Sejal differently.

Movie review: LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKA

In many of the scenes, LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKA does to men what many bollywood films have done to women -  treat them as objects, make them look silly and mark them as one-dimensional. But if we didn't complain then, no reason why we should now.

The good thing is, LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKA wants to talk Women empowerment, not shout, scream or yell. Prime-time debated and discussed, echoed in ever metro city, this term has made the most noise but has hardly found a solid footing.
The film then, has a serious undertone but expresses it with genuine fun and humor.

To be honest, India is more of a Man's world. Most of India dwells in small towns and Small towns have their own bizarre modus operandi. They want their women to have varied roles but be submissive in all of them. They want them to be the 'Buajis' , 'biwis' , 'bahus and betis' with their terms and conditions. Every role with a tag, every behaviour with a restraint, and every move meant to be judged.

LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKA resides in these small cities, shows their taboos  and in turn, reflects a larger image.
An image which might not hold a universal appeal, but a reality that exists.
A reality which we are apprehensive to accept, but most of us inherently want.

Men in India are a scared species. Scared and insecure. They are scared of women, are insecure of them. They fear when a  woman responds, reacts and retaliates.
They are used to the tamed ones and hence lose it the moment a stronger one is face to face.

LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKA is not a penetrating perspective nor a wholesome justification. But it works because it dares and still stays breezy. It is terrific at places and has some genuinely funny moments. The good thing is that even when it is not, it doesn't drag or gets too indulgent. Repetitive maybe yes, but never boring.

A small film about small cities reflecting smaller mentalities. But raises a question? Is the mentality limited only to the smaller cities?
Watch it.

Movie review: DUNKIRK

"All we did was Survive", voices an embarrassed, rescued soldier.
"Well, that's good enough", is the response he gets.
DUNKIRK then, is a WAR film not about WAR. It is after all, a Christopher Nolan film, the Christopher Nolan way.

DUNKIRK was history to us when we read about it. But Nolan makes it an experience. He grasps us by the neck, drops us amidst that dreaded period and forces us to feel. And not just feel, imbibe.

Nolan does not allow DUNKIRK to celebrate much. Infact, what should it celebrate? He traps us, scares us, chokes us. But not unlike other war films showing corpses, mutilated bodies and intestine protruding bellies. He doesn't want you to look away, he wants you to get invested.
Invested in the grim and hopelessness of the soldiers? Why and what for?
And pretty soon you realise Why. With DUNKIRK, Nolan wants to give you, infact give us a sense of purpose.

Yes, he gives us a sense of purpose. A purpose beyond our limitations. A purpose beyond our self-centered, self-catererd and self-driven walk of life.
He uses DUNKIRK to address 'US', to give away the 'I'.
If a cluster of civilians could evacuate an army, it is purely because they wanted to.
Likewise, We could make the world a better place, only if we want to.

We all have the grit, the mettle, the resilience and the strength. It is just that when pushed to the walls, only then we realise it. Nolan gives you that Wall.

Should you watch it or not? It's a Christopher Nolan film, you will regret it if you don't.