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Reviews
Guns & Gulaabs (2023)
Too many characters and stories
This series grapples with an abundance of ideas and stories that unfold concurrently but lack a seamless coherence.
As a work directed by Raj and DK, the series naturally piqued my interest. However, compared to "The Family Man", which was meticulously structured around a central protagonist with well-defined antagonists, "Guns and Gulaabs" feels a tad scattered. The narrative shifts from one character to another, making it challenging to pinpoint a central figure.
If you ask me, the only character that stood out and did his part well was Satish Kaushik, though his role was cut short after just a few episodes. While Rajkumar Rao, Gulshan Deviah, and Adarsh Gaurav are undeniably talented, it feels like the series didn't capitalize fully on their capabilities.
My anticipation for "Guns and Gulaabs" didn't quite match the excitement I felt for "The Family Man". Beyond the allure of the Raj and DK banner, my primary motivation to watch this series was the lack of other interesting shows on Amazon and Netflix.
The last episode, however, came out as a pleasant anomaly. That is the only episode that did justice to the entire season and a huge credit goes to Aditya Gaurav. His whole character which had been building up from the beginning comes to a full circle here. I liked the turning point when he comes and visits his father in the hospital towards the end. That connected with the soft yet core character he was playing and the powerful argument he makes. If Indira Gandhi could run the country and Phoolan Devi could lead a Dacoit gang, why can't a woman run his gang? Only Adarsh Gaurav could have delivered this dialogue in the most authentic way for his character.
Overall, Guns and Gulaabs is a show that has many characters and story arcs not adhered together in the smoothest way. The storyline is pretty unique but falls short of the standard set by "The Family Man". For me, the show's redemption lay in its concluding episode that did justice to an otherwise just-okay show.
The Kerala Story (2023)
It makes you think!
The moment I heard about this movie, I wanted to watch it. I did not have much expectations wrt the direction and the execution of the movie considering the challenging nature of the subject matter. So, I went to watch it ready to accept its subpar performance.
The movie was as expected. The cinematography of the deserts of Afghanistan was very beautiful. The depiction of the people and the culture shown was convincing to me (I haven't done any fact-checking but going with what the movie shows). Credit goes to the individual who conceptualized and captured those locations.
By watching the movie, yes, you understand how the so-called naïve girls are radicalized. However, the radicalization part has been a bit overdone and emphasized a bit more. It lacked the subtleties and the nuances but as I mentioned before, I was expecting that by the look of the trailers. That over-emphasis part can be paralleled with the movie "3 idiots" where the characters overplay to explain a point. It looks like the movie makers want to make sure that everyone understood the message loud and clear.
Having said that, the performance from the characters seemed a bit scripted, who otherewise looked talented. I should however commend on Adah Sharma's performance. Given the movies I watched of her (Haseen to Phaseen and Commando 2 or 3), I think this movie gave her a big break. It may even nominate her for the best performance (female) in the movie awards next year. (In fact, the movie itself may earn a couple of nominations.) She may have missed some nuances here and there but that is forgivable, at least to me, given that she still executed the tough role with such determination and courage. Kudos to her!
I am happy that the movie did well. If movies like Pathaan can break the box office, I really think The Kerala Story definitely deserves a chance. It has touched upon such an important issue. Once again, I don't know the facts but given that this is based on a true story, it reflects the ugly truths of the society. It at least makes people think, create an awareness and have them digging for facts. I would any day go and watch and support movies like these than going for Pathaan or like movies. I am not trying to say they are not good or entertaining but I am not drawn to movies that attract people solely by the virtue of big stars, bodies and glamour.
TKS is a movie that is very different and probably the first one in Hindi language (not sure about others) that has been made in the topic. Kudos to the movie makers for making that and for making us think.
Dhoom:3 (2013)
Nothing dhoomy about this series of Dhoom
I am not sure what people found so great about this movie but as a great movie fan (esp Bollywood), I think that there was nothing novel about this movie. The action sequences were just an extension of the previous Dhoom sequences. Just because people liked the original action sequences, it did not mean that they had to EXXAGERATE it in this sequel. They seemed to pop up where it was not really required and looked like it was forcefully plugged in the script.
The next point that leaves me wondering is why Aamir Khan? I am not sure what an actor who is known for using his brains saw in this movie. He was nothing but a poor imitation of Hrithik Roshan - whether it be the dance number or the robbery part in Dhoom 2 or the mentally challenged guy in Koi Mil Gaya (KMG), all of which Hrithik outperformed much better with no doubt. I did not think that Aamir did much justice on his part - neither for the movie nor for himself.
There were many other things that did not go too well with the movie. Katrina, though beautiful and a good dancer sucked terribly with the same pattern of dialogue delivery and her expressions. Although Isha Deol and Ash both performed the title song with almost the same amount of skimpy clothes (with much elegance and well-fit into the script), I felt that Katrina's dance was a bit out of place and had a slight touch of vulgarity.
Overall, there is nothing dhoomy about this series of Dhoom. With stories and performances patched a little from 'The Prestige', a little from KMG, more from previous Dhoom series, the only reason people went (or would go) to watch the movie was for the Yash Raj Chopra banner, expectations after the previous series (both of which were pretty good), good promotions, good music and of course the Aamir Khan and Katrina factors - none of which really helped after watching the movie.
Talaash (2012)
So so
I think the best part of the movie was the Kareena factor. She has been able to get through not only the main character but also the audience with her charming, mystical and (com)passionate ways. She makes you feel that she has the remedy to your every pain. Rani Mukherjee is convincing as a grieving mom. She has portrayed a perfect character for someone who understands the plight of her husband and someone who is trying to get back to life herself. I think Aamir Khan's role could have been better off played by somebody else. There is nothing unique about his role. For a person known to experiment different kinds of roles, it looked like he's acted scenes that have in parts been played by many other actors in the past. The plot of the movie is just okay enough to keep you on it. I wouldn't say it is very interesting. There are some loopholes if you keep looking. There is a thin line between being able to grip your interest and making you fall below the interest level. The main weakness of the movie is that there are many worlds that have been connected together not very strongly. E.g. Aamir Khan's police life combined with the victim's world combined with the prostitute world combined with the slummy goon world combined with Ranee's miserable world combined with the supernatural world combined with Aamir-Kareena relationship combined with Aamir-Rani relationship did not actually seem to fit perfectly with each other for some reason. Just watch the movie if you want to watch another Aamir flick!