rupak_speaking Reviews

Nilachaley Kiriti (2018)

Not Up To The Mark

[5/10 · 18 September 2021]

After Felu-Da and Byomkesh, turn of the Kiriti now to turn into celluloid in recent years. Kiriti has been played by Indraneil Sengupta, Priyanshu Chatterjee and Chiranjeet in Bengali film industry within last few years, and I saw the first of them, Nilacholey Kiriti. The successful male Indian models who turned to cinema, many of them thrived too for various reasons, have unfortunately not been great actors. Indraneil when directly compared to the actors playing sleuth in different other detective Bengali movies now, turn out to be among the weakest. His acting looked flat, lacking any mannerism or expression, and more importantly the charisma required to don iconic roles. Kiriti is a popular detective character penned by none other than Nihar Ranjan Gupta and our literary classics need better treatment than this. Very ordinary direction and story telling, not much use of background score to build up the mystery, not providing the viewer with time or interest to think over the crime, the entire thing is one flat line seemingly hurriedly told. Other than Indraneil, Rituparna was sub par, Abhishek Chatterjee was never a good actor, Arunima Ghosh was okay, Shantilal Mukherjee, a brilliant actor (I am a fan of his, never got his due from the industry), he obviously did well, rather an unknown actor who played Radha/Ramanuj in a challenging role caught eye. Overall, I would reiterate Bengali literature is very rich, and our literary gems demand up to the mark portrayal when turned into celluloid, however low the budget may be, which seemed the case for this film though. 5.5/10 is all I can give..

Ugly (2013)

True To The Name - A Straightforward Kidnapping Case Made Real Ugly

[8/10 · 18 September 2021]

Ugly is dark, Ugly is made to be ugly, with everyone trying to settle their own issues and making an opportunity out of a crisis, a kidnapping case which if pursued in a straight line should have been solved, but made complicated to the hilt with matters out of the purview of pure investigation coming into the way. It is an exceptional movie by Anurag Kashyap, certainly among his very best, and whoever has an issue with its dark climax, I don't have one. Ronit Roy is unbelievably good in these kinds of roles, saw him in Udaan and he absolutely nails these characters. There was never a drop in intensity and I would easily rate this 7.5/10.

Shor in the City (2010)

A Good Multi-Narrative On The City of Mumbai With Notable Performances And A Character To Remember

[7/10 · 18 September 2021]

Shor in the City is a good enough movie, a multi-narrative take on the city of Mumbai, where strong performances keep you hooked in to the movie. Notably the character to remember, Mandook, and also that of Radhika Apte, Zakir Hussain and his partners need special mention too, the seriously harassed and drained NRI guy trying to set up a business in the city and the short but glamourous presence of former Miss Britain give the edge. To judge how good it is, it should be compared with other multi-narratives on the city, for now can remember Life In A Metro for one. Would give SITC a 7/10.

Berlin Syndrome (2017)

Watch It For Teresa Palmer's Acting

[6/10 · 18 September 2021]

The USP of the this movie is Teresa Palmer's brilliant acting, her non-glamourous look of a tourist in a famous city but new to her right from the first scene where she lands on to the station and comes out of the subway will catch your attention. She carries this entire captive movie on her shoulders and makes it watchable. There are just a handful of characters and it was mostly upon her performance the film depended on, and she delivers. 6/10.

Raazi (2018)

Alia is Good In This True Spy Thriller

[7/10 · 18 September 2021]

This is only the second time I watched Alia Bhatt in a movie after Student Of The Year. There was not much to talk about her debut film but I heard she is one of the finest lead actresses in Bollywood now, and here she got a full opportunity to showcase her acting prowess which, well, she did with aplomb.

Again a real spy story brought to light, hope there are many more coming, with one proper film on Ravinder Kaushik too other than the fanciful Ek Tha Tiger.

Now talking of how good the movie was, I think, it does provide a bit different take to the viewer when it is not purely fictional and based on as real a story as Raazi is, much of it is true and inspires awe, so purely from making of the movie standpoint and how entertaining it was, it took the little time required to build up (please note since based on true incidents, it did not have the luxury to include too much of forced elements to keep you on the edge), but within an hour into the movie you are on the edge as a viewer and there is palpable tension you could feel relating to what Alia's character Sehmat experiences from then on, and that is worth it.

The movie didn't try to be overly patriotic, rather focussed on the common sentiment echoing on both sides of the border from personnel of security, armed forces and intelligence agencies, and the makeshift relationships built for the purpose of mission, which nonetheless built through each day living and sharing together still does matter.

A wonderful story picked up by Meghna Gulzar from the book written on it "Calling Sehmat". A 7/10.

Bornoporichoy: A Grammar of Death (2019)

A Pathetic Movie

[5/10 · 18 September 2021]

In three words, "a pathetic movie". There seems to be a jostle in Bengali cinema to make sleuth or thriller movies but it is not everyone's cup of tea, and Mainak Bhaumik who is the latest to join that bandwagon dishes out a very poor film here. Abir is not good in negative roles and it seems he is trying to make the most of his good time in the industry doing as much work as he can, Jishu does so-so, but Sudip Mukherjee playing his police officer boss is made into a laughing stock in the movie with extremely poorly written dialogues, particularly his. Nothing sits right here and is way below par from an established team of director and actors in the industry. Hardly 5/10.

Sherni (2021)

Vidya Chooses Realism Over Glory In One of The Very Few Films On Our Forests

[7/10 · 18 September 2021]

Bollywood is going places in terms of content, decided to watch Vidya Balan's Sherni, can't remember many Bollywood movies on our forests, there was a multi-starrer decades back where Ajay Devgan played a joke of a ghost tiger and that's it. Sherni tries nothing fancy, even opting out of an audience pleasing climax thereby risking the film's success but chose the as realistic way as possible depicting the work and challenges our Forest Department faces from inside and outside and the conflict of habitus of our forest dwellers with the endangered animals due to shrinking and interrupted forest cover and the politics around it. Acting-wise, notable performances you would get and any other lead actress could have demanded a more glorifying climax for the lead role but not Vidya here. I am happy Bollywood trying different things in an Indian way. 6.5/10.

A River Called Titas (1973)

Ghatak Took His Experimental Film Making To Next Level

[7/10 · 25 July 2020]

There have been few notable movies made in Bengali on the lives of fishermen community like Ganga in 1960, Dwiper Naam Tiya Rang in 1963 before Titas Ekti Nadir Naam in 1973. Incidentally Ritwik Ghatak who is the director of Titas Ekti Nadir Naam was also the scriptwriter for Dwiper Naam Tiya Rang. Ghatak took his experimentation of film making to next level in this direction of his, which is described as hyperlink cinema with multiple narratives, characters and plots and subplots intertwined with each other to present a holistic picture of the lives of the community living by the riverside. Based on the novel by Adwaita Mallabarman, the first half is distinctly different from the second. While there seemed to be a story being built in the initial half came to a sudden halt to intermission. For regular movie watchers, it would seem to take the natural transition to beyond intermission and good enough to cover the whole length of a film, but what we see are different characters and incidents taking place in latter half with the one central character in Basanti and the boy Ananta to a minor extent maintaining continuity. Such experimental story telling with minimalistic movement of camera angles and many close up shots would either have takers or no takers. One particular portion towards the end struck me where after the river Titas died down and the fishermen community was denied their right to the land even, an old village woman talked of only one profession left, that is of begging and the younger woman talked of her old age being an advantage to that end unlike hers. The film ends with Basanti digging through the sand with her hands for some water in starvation baring the stark realities of the hand to mouth poor of our country who know not of many other than a singular livelihood. 6.5-7/10.

The Guerilla Fighter (1973)

Padatik Captured The Revolutionary Bengal Youth of 70s In No Man's Land

[7/10 · 13 July 2020]

Mrinal Sen's Padatik brings to the forefront the Naxalite movement in Bengal on the backdrop of turbulent 70s worldwide when people fed up with unemployment, corruption, political economic mismanagement, social evils, were yearning for a change and the bugle of revolution sounded loud and clear from every nook and corner of the globe. It captures the predicament of the then Bengal youth who were swept away by leftist ideals but those who joined the militant left movement were caught in no man's land due to its failure and misdirection as against the formal left who were able to capture political power through popular support. Pravash Sarkar's portrayal of Dhiman impressed me and the presence of Simi Garewal provided the necessary yet not disjointed relief from the narrative. I wonder why this beautiful and capable actress not made into more lead heroines roles in mainstream Bollywood, maybe she was too glamorous for the then Hindi film industry. The movie won National Award for Best Screenplay in 1973. 7/10.

Subarnarekha (1965)

My Appetite Increases With Each Ghatak Movie And I Am Yearning For More...

[8/10 · 11 July 2020]

The more I watch of Ritwik Ghatak, the more I wonder how such an enormous talent got not taste of success and accolades in his lifetime as much as his contemporaries did. As his movie Subarnarekha reiterates, that no matter how much people bear suffering, they are not willing to read or see on celluloid. But the movie ends with hope when the tired feet of old Ishwar are dragged on by his nephew boy to a yet new beginning with the spirit that not all is lost to life. Mr Ghatak's stories are of sacrifices, sufferings, acute turns and events of life and losses where it hits an individual the most, and he does not treat them with melodrama but portrays those moments as intense and loud as they hit his characters, which I believe he remains true to what it should be. Subarnarekha deals with pragmatism over idealism, realities over dreams, and the unending pursuit of security over everything else and the choices one makes of these. Stupendous acting by Abhi Bhattacharya of Aradhana fame and a young Madhabi Mukherjee who later on appeared in many a great film. My appetite increases with each movie of his and I am yearning for more. Subarnarekha 8/10.

Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)

Anurag Kashyap's Magnum Opus Rightfully Made Its Way Straight Into IMDB Top 250

[8/10 · 11 July 2020]

Gangs of Wasseypur is made to look as authentic as possible. A story which is said to be 80% real and 20% fiction, traces the Wasseypur mafia from pre-independence days, particularly focuses on one lineage which is at war with the established mafia of the town and jostles for supremacy. Other than Manoj Bajpai in first part and Nawaz in the second, particularly impressive were Richa Chadda as the gangster wife Nagma, the scene where she drives away the police searching for jail-breaking Sardar Khan with pitch perfect accent and aggression, debudant Tigmangshu Dhulia as the politiican Ramadhir Singh was cool and 'Definite' Zeishan Kadri is strikingly . The desi-bidesi tunes, moments of confusion and dialogues put in ample doses of humour amongst the blood, gore, deceit and ruthlessness of the gun wielding gangs. Use of the Godfather tune was also notable akin to the plot's resemblance with the iconic film. Nawaz plays a waiter when Manoj Vajpeyee was the main man in Shool and 13 years later he got to play his son and the lead in Part 2, just goes to show the struggle one has to go through on way up if from outside Bolly families. Anurag Kashyap's magnum opus rightfully made its way straight into IMDB Top 250. 8/10.

Mitin Mashi (2019)

Yet Another Cleanly Executed Sleuth Movie by Arindam Sil - Mitin Mashi Is Here To Stay...

[7/10 · 7 July 2020]

Mitin Mashi is a cleanly executed detective movie by Arindam Sil who has grown quite an expertise in dealing with this genre. Other than the first sprint sequence, Koel is very convincing in this sleuth avatar penned by Late Suchitra Bhattacharya, and like Ms Bhattacharya competing with her contemporary great male writers and making a niche for herself, her Mitin Mashi too, I believe, can compete with the other male detectives going around in current Tollywood. Other than one or two frivolous dialogues at the end, this movie is enjoyable and gives ample scope for the viewers to trace the clues themselves and try solving the case, as in my view every good detective story or movie should. A 7/10, Mitin Mashi is here to stay...

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Unconvincing Unmenacing Super Villains With A Nice Buildup But Squandered By Seemingly Faulty Plot And Rushed Script

[6/10 · 7 July 2020]

The first half saw nice buildup to the movie raising expectations to squander it all with an unconvincing unmenacing twin super villains in Electro and the cameo by Junior Osborne in his father's armour reminiscent of Spider Man 1 and a seemingly rushed script. Neither the reason for these maniac turned villains seemed to be strong enough to turn against our super hero, nor the plot helped them enough in this cause. The progression in character development we saw in this movie with eminent chemistry between Andrew Garfield starrer Amazing Spiderman and his lady love played by Emma Stone was the saving grace but not as much as to feel sad about a tragic end to it. 6/10 is all I could muster for this.

Stree (2018)

Low on scare, but high on laughs, this urban legend supernatural satirical comedy certainly entertains

[6/10 · 21 June 2020]

Still not in a mood to watch mafia movies, chose this time a 'comic supernatural', Stree, for my weekend binge watch. Though based on a true urban legend in Karnataka and similar incidents reported from Thailand, Stree as expected of its genre tag stresses on the comical part more than the hauntings and jump scares. It delivers on its comical component with several moments of laugh, and never really attempts to give a seriously scary picture. Other than Rajkumar Rao and his two friends who provide those moments of good laughs with smartly written crisp dialogues, Pankaj Tripathi with minimalistic expressions amuses you too, a cameo by Vijay Raaz and the glamour provided by Shraddha who looked particularly lovely and desirable, makes it a watchable light movie though with a hidden satirical angle to it. Have an issue with the climax though, could have been better worked out, but still 6.5/10, it doesn't fail to entertain.

N.B.: I read the climax has been set up for a planned sequel, if so, it may be okay that way.

Phobia (I) (2016)

Power packed performance by Radhika and welcome to a yet new genre in Bolly

[7/10 · 20 June 2020]

As I keep saying, for serious passionate movie watchers, for whom watching a movie is more than just a past time, how good is a movie is judged by how deep you can delve into its characters and how long they dwell with you. When I chose Phobia over other popular choices, it was about Radhika Apte, and o my, her eyes can talk like no other, and her power packed performance as an agoraphobic young lady made me appreciate a genre, which is not particular favourite of mine. Yes, welcome psychological thrillers in the realm of Bollywood, for the last few years Bollywood slowly is making a transition to a wider gamut of pictures which we are used to seeing in English movies, and the transition is solid and mature, 7/10

Andhadhun (2018)

It Keeps You Guessing

[7/10 · 8 June 2020]

Twist after twist after twist, Andhadhun keeps you guessing all through right uptill it's apparent open ended climax. Yet another feather added to Ayushman's growing versatility as an actor, Radhika Apte is such a natural though she had little to do in this particular film, Tabu keeps on doing justice to her acting prowess right from the days of Namesake, RGV's favourite Zakir Hussain in the role of the doctor or Chhaya Kadam, every part played to near perfection. Much applaud has been rightfully showered on this biggest Bollywood hit of 2018, but what I didn't miss was the tribute to piano use in Bollywood featuring all the clips of our greatest actors and actresses playing this wonderful instrument throughout Hindi film history in the end roll credits. 7.5/10

NH 10 (2015)

Anushka's First Ever Venture Into Production Didn't Fail To Impress

[7/10 · 6 June 2020]

When a meaningful actor turns into producer, there are some expectations raised and we expect good stuff, and that's what Anushka delivers here, just like Pari (though it was a latter production of hers), she is going into genres we are used to seeing in Hollywood only. A trip gone wrong type of movie ends up being in Bhoot Bungalow in most of Bollywood films, but this crime thriller is set in the backdrop of Haryana's honour killings and the script is straight forward and tight, doesn't go into unnecessary excess and though some critics wished for a more struggle-laden climax, it chooses not to be so and leaves aside any poetic component to it. I give it a 7.5/10, at times we are not in a mood to watch certain kinds of movies, and 1/4th into the movie I thought of some other options as I was maybe not in a mood to watch this particular type on a Saturday afternoon, but I stuck to it and I enjoyed it.

N.B: The director initially chose for Rajkumar Rao for the husband's role but eventually went for the look-alike Neil Bhoopalam, who did an equally good job though.

Badhaai Ho (2018)

Mass Entertainer With A Social Message

[7/10 · 20 November 2018]

Badhaai Ho just didn't touch upon but went deep into a subject, none of the Bollywood movies has gone before. The director deals with the theme with finesse, putting in measured doses of comedy and drama to make it a truly mass entertainer for the Indian audience. Movies with such content depend highly on the acting and direction part to get them going, and this one just didn't pull through but brought the house down in laughter as well as gave lumpy throats in various scenes. It is hard to pinpoint any one performance at the cost of being unfair to others, but Gajraj Rao's (the father) mute expressions and initial unease while disclosing the news to his family and the discomfort while peers congratulating him, do show semblances with one Rowan Atkinson of Mr Bean fame; deliberate or not, it surely entertains. Surekha Sikri, whenever appears, the audience is already half smiling apprehending another good laugh, and Neena Gupta is as good as she has ever been acting-wise. Sheeba Chaddha as the girl's mother was perfectly cast and Sanya Malhotra, known as the Dangal younger sister, did well in whatever part she got and looked lovely with that hairstyle. Ayushmann's Delhi accent was too good for a Bong like me to pick, his back-to-back hits now following Andhadhun surely puts him at the top now. The director too smartly outwits the audience with the two sequences following the rehearsing scene in front of the mirror. The film also brings back memories of the Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee movies of late 70s and early 80s, which had a similar dramedy flavour to them. Overall, an assured good time watching it, with a positive social message too. Thumbs up to it, no hesitation in giving a 7/10...

The Finest Hour (1991)

Way Under Rated

[7/10 · 8 October 2018]

It may not be a classic but it is certainly not crap as it is made out to be by IMDB rating. It is a pretty good, in a word, decent movie, with the US Navy Seals training, two rival-turned friends during training days, a love triangle involving them and their assignments during Iraq invasion of Kuwait. I found it a well-rounded enjoyable movie, with the opening soundtrack providing the ideal start to this kind of a story. Nothing got overboard, and the love triangle reminded me shades of Pearl Harbour. No qualms rating it 7/10 as against an unjustifiably low rating of 4.6 by IMDB.

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)

Jim Carrey Has A Full Go With His Hysterics...

[5/10 · 22 September 2018]

Jim Carrey has understandably been given full liberty with his hysterics in this movie, and he obliged with his hilarious peak. He had his moments in the film, but the movie overall fails to impress. It has been all about a one-man show, who did best what he does best, and the Carrey fans certainly won't like to miss it. He might just have carried this movie on his broad shoulders to financial success, but that is just about it. 5/10

Soorma (2018)

A Real Story, Howsoever Told, Deserved Every Bit To Reach Us . . .

[6/10 · 3 September 2018]

The movie Soorma, which showcases the real life story of ace drag flicker Sandeep Singh, never attempted to over-dramatize things and in doing so somewhat fell flat on the audience. It may have deliberately stuck to being true to the real life incidents of this former penalty corner specialist and captain of Indian national hockey team and his unfortunate twist of fate, but in trying to keep it simple, it failed to arouse the viewers enough to truly appreciate it purely as a 'moving' movie. The script and direction left a void I felt. The scenes with Vijay Raaz as coach packed a punch but acting of Angad Bedi, Bishen Singh Bedi's son, left much to be desired. Overall, I give it a 6/10, a story howsoever told which deserved every bit to reach us...

Maati (2018)

Strikes A Chord...

[7/10 · 27 July 2018]

'Maati: In Search of Roots' is meant for a particular audience as the name suggests. True to the character of Meghla, people with origin from erstwhile East Bengal who came over to the other side after Partition, and have grown up listening to the stories of their forefathers bearing the scars of that painful history or have lived to see it, are expected to relate more to this film than an average movie-goer may do. I could see tears silently rolling down in some of their eyes during the narratives and the picturesque landscape of their 'roots' in undivided Bengal with a few mute utterances of their own, acknowledging some of the crucial meaningful speeches. Given the theme of the movie, its success depended centrally upon the acting skills of Paoli Dam and Adil Hussain, who I think did full justice to it. The film tried to spread the reconciling message that the country has seen a lot since and has fought its own fight during their independence from Pakistan on the principles of righteousness, justice and humanity but still remaining very vulnerable to the whims of religious identity. It should not though fail to strike a chord with someone who is noway related to this piece of history but is sensitive enough as a person to understand the pains and nostalgia of it all. Thumbs up to this project and a 7/10 for sure...

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

Walked A Thin Line...

[6/10 · 25 May 2018]

Saw none of the Mad Max movies when I decided to view this one running on TV to get a feel of what the series is all about. Minutes into it I could relate with the post-apocalyptic American movie Cyborg which I saw long back. There is little dialogue in this one, but the costume (had a touch of Star Wars), expressions, music, action sequences, typical of the 80s, did all the talking here. I was fascinated by the fact that it was running along a very thin line, where this unique directorial venture could either turn out to be a classic or a crap. I won't say I was particularly impressed by the movie but the style caught my eye, I found it different from what I saw till date. Hard to rate this one, would go with 6.5/10

Padmaavat (2018)

Worth An Effort

[6/10 · 3 April 2018]

The first half of the first half was slow, but from then on it pretty much comes on track and keeps you glued, yet apart from a few scenes, particularly the one-on-ones and the dramatized climax, you find something amiss as a historical drama. Yes, the makers pretty much make it clear at the start that Padmaavat has nothing to do with history, yet one thing we know for sure that Alauddin did attack Chittor, and that Jauhar did take place after. Due to the controversies and public outcry pressure, all we find in the movie is more of a narrative on Rajput principles and valour and less on the intrigue and politics of medieval India. I do not know how much Bhansali's creative freedom was compromised and if not, how many more songs and sequences he would have added, but yes, it fell short of the quality of western historical or period dramas which Hollywood make. Could straightway compare the duel scene between Khilji and Ratan Singh with the one in Troy, and you can see the difference. Padmaavat was made more in 300 style than like King Arthur (2004) or Kingdom of Heaven. Ranveer Singh got the role of his life, and he had no option other than to work hard for and make justice to it, a big thumbs up for that, yes, he worked so hard that he had to consult a psychiatrist to get back to his normal self from the skins of Alauddin. Deepika, Shahid, and everbody else did their part as best as they could, and the movie rightfully made so much of a business, but my worry is with our so rich history and so many stories to tell, would a director like Bhansali or somebody alike ever dare to work on another such project again, that's the sad part... a 6.5

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

An Average Movie

[6/10 · 23 March 2018]

It is more like a remake of the overused formula plot of old Bond movies where a megalomaniac steals and strikes the superpowers from a hideout to create a misunderstanding and start WWIII and become the principal bargainer in the process. It lacked intrigue, suspense, twists, not that many of Bond movies have that, but was far too straightforward, predictable and cliche. I always liked Brosnan , he is one of the better Bonds I felt, hope he had something more play to with in the opportunities he got to play this iconic character. 6/10