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Jai Bhim (2021)
Bravo!!!
JAI BHIM (Hindi Movie, Amazon Prime,2021) - Bravo!!! If you have to see only one movie in 2021, watch this one. It's unsettling, shocking, real. In the era of SQUID GAME and Suryavanshi fantasies, we need such real life stories. I feel so much guilty that we are still carrying the burden of this 2500 years old rotten caste system where our fellow human beings are still treated worse than animals. As if the actors have not acted, it feels like I am watching CCTV footage! There is minimal heroism, maximum expression. There is not much court room drama, still the pace of the story is intense. The police and system which were supposed to protect us, provide everybody equal rights for survival, in reality literally killing people based on their surnames!!! :-( This movie based on a real life story on tribal rights made me sad, this movie made me hopeful too! Hats Off to all the Actor-Director-Story Writers and entire crew members. 10/10.
Ludo (2020)
You must watch this Game of Ludo
What a movie! A must watch. Best of 2020. Anurag Basu has done it again. I was so frustrated with much hyped Laxmi, but equally impressed about this movie. Four different stories cross each other by extraordinary chain of events. Pankaj Tripathi is hilarious, outstanding as usual. I have now become fan of him. Rajkumar Rao, Aditya Kapur, Abhishek Bacchan have done descent job. Few small characters also made their presence felt. But real hero (or heroine) of the movie is Storyline. It makes you laugh, cry and remain hooked to your seat (or bed!). At least two songs are really very soothing (my personal favourite is Arijit Singh's "Aabad Barbaad". Worth watching over Diwali weekend. But due to its adult content (though very few) is not suitable for all in the family, it's so unfortunate. 8/10 from me.
Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story (2020)
Must Watch for Dalal Street Enthusiasts
Scam 1992 The Harshad Mehta Story - Another excellent show at SonyLiv after JL50, worth binge watching. Based on the true story of life (and death), rise and fall of "Big Bull" of Stock Exchange Harshad Mehta who rigged the market which destroyed many common men's wealth, dreams and sometimes lives too. However you will enjoy it fully only if you have some kind of inclination towards share market. Pratik Gandhi has delivered an outstanding performance in the lead role. I have heard that he is a very well known theater artist in Gujrat, I think after this he must get more opportunities as he deserves it. Thanks to his acting brilliance, at one point of time we develop sympathy for this hated character too when he is harassed beyond the point of his own mischiefs due to political cover up. Shreya Dhanwanthary as the investigative finance journalist Sucheta Dalal of Times of India has also done a descent job. Must watch for Dalal Street enthusiasts. 9/10 from me.
Breathe: Into the Shadows (2020)
A Very Interesting Pschycological Thriller After Long Time
A really very interesting psychological crime thriller after long time. I really liked Madhavan starrer Breathe 1, that's why had high expectations about Breathe 2 and it didn't disappoint either. Abhishek Bacchan as the central character who is forced to kill seemingly random characters to save his baby daughter was outstanding. Nithya Menon as the helpless mother and Amit Sadh back in his police uniform have also done justice to their characters. However the real hero of the movie is story and screenplay - full of twists and turns - forces you to watch episode after episode against your plan! Revealing anything more will not be justice for this wonderful series. Worthy of your viewing time in this weekend. Manasi Das Biswas
Lalbazaar (2019)
Good but Could have been better
Lalbazar @ The latest OTT series @ ZEE5 Premium
Presented by Ajay Devgan, Lalbazaar is an interesting crime thriller in the backdrop of crimes in Kolkata. The script has one main story which starts with murder of a sex worker and multiple sub stories. Gaurav Chakrabarti and Saurasani Matra as young and enthusiastic lead cops are superb. However one of the main issues with the series is its broken or heavily accented Hindi dialogue delivery by other Bengali actors (including Kaushik Sen who was otherwise fabulous in his role as AC Homicide with a past trauma) which may not go well with Hindi audiences. Script is Ok with some twists but not anything out of the world. Specially introduction of too many characters here and there to touch various social issues was not really necessary according to me. Also few sub stories are easily predictable like the one where one person's over dependency on his mother lead him to do bizarre things . if you have seen the famous Alfred Hitchcock movie "Pschyco" do you need any more clue after that? And yes, it's not a family drama which you should see with young kids! 3/5 from me.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015)
Wins your heart in straight sets !!!
A heart warming movie which I am lucky to watch after 6 months of long gap at satyam Cineplex at Nehru place, New Delhi, whatever reason of the delay may be. But then change is the only constant in life! Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi's simple, religious but stubborn and emotional character is depicted by Salman with ease, this movie will surely increase his fan followers many folds. Nawazuddin has taken himself to a different genre all together by now, he as the supportive and sensitive Pakistani reporter is simply awesome. But no words can explain the performance of the gifted child actress Harshali who has played the character of the mute and deaf girl from Pakistan lost in India. We have laughed with her, cried with her. The beauty of Kashmir and colour of Delhi have given another dimension to this movie by Kabir Khan. Karina also looks stunning, but unfortunately like any other Salman movie, actress here also has very little role to play. It also doesn't portray Pakistan as a completely evil nation, which is a good thing. The music by Pritam is descent even if not extraordinary. The best thing is you will never get bored during the entire length of the movie. However yes, there are few stereotype and melodramatic scenes - like Salman wants to cross the border without visa but with permission from Pakistani soldiers or the last scene, but when something wins your heart in straight sets you can overlook few unforced errors! 8/10 from me.
Buno Haansh (2014)
A must watch!
A must watch! Dev has given another powerful performance as the central character and silenced his critiques yet again. Not sure how long the intellectuals can go on ignoring his talents! Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury's direction is outstanding. The thrilling story is based on Samaresh Mazumdar's novel, - it is the gripping story of Amal - a simple man, born into a poor family who works as a security guard at a mall. He gets tempted by the world of wealth and lust and lives his ordinary life to join the underworld, and gradually gets trapped into the world of greed and crime. All the supporting casts - Srabanti, Tanusree Chakraborty, Sohag Sen, Sudiptaa Chakraborty, Moon Moon Sen have performed their acts exceptionally well. The music and songs have matched the situations perfectly. Shantanu Moitra along with Anindya and Chandril and other singers have done wonders. Specially I was in love with the song - "Zindagi kahin bhi thamti nahin (Life never stops anywhere), " Overall 4.5/5 from me.
Kick (2014)
Salman Khan's not so powerful Kick
If you can put your brain to rest and want to forget everyday reality and enjoy for 3 hours, "Salman Khan's Kick" can be the right option for you! The hero (Salman Khan) who fights for his friends and dignity of women turns to a Robinhood kind of thief who saves terminally ill children, a cop (Randeep Hooda) tries his best to catch the Devil, a villain (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) with a strange menacing smile and a heroine (Jacqueline Fernandez) who basically does the narrator's job; in summary this is all Kick is about. Songs have nothing special about them so that we want to remember, story is OK,sometimes you can see real humour and comedy, good support from supporting cast like our very own Mithunda. You need to watch the movie to get the fun, this movie is not for serious review.
Children of War (2014)
A Dark Masterpiece
"A dark masterpiece"! That is all what I can say about this movie. A ruthless, cruel, violent graphical depiction of the almost forgotten 1971 genocide happened in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) by Pakistani Army where almost 3 million people were killed and 4 lakh women were raped. It is hard to believe this is Mrityunjay Devvrat's debut film! This movie is not for the faint hearted, the "A" really means something here. Forget about the other horrific torture on human being, sudden scenes like two pakistani soldiers are casually shooting cows as they loose a bet or the captured women prisoners are thrown out from the trucks like unused materials will send shiver down your spine. It is unthinkable how absolute power can bring us down so low and human can perform such unthinkable acts to other fellow human being in the name of country, religion, language. I have never seen such brutal and explicit depiction of rape after "Bandit Queen", a weapon used by pakistani Army to destroy the morale of common men. Indranil, Raima,Tilottoma were OK, Victor was impressive in a small role and Farooq Seiq was very good as an undercover leader of one of the Muktiyodha(Freedom figher) gang. RIP Farooq Seikh sir, we will miss you. However for me the superstars were Rafiq and his sister Kausar (I forgot to note their actual names, sorry about that), the protective brother and elder sister, what a performance they have given! And yes, Pavan malhotra as the cruel Pakistani general is really outstanding, he, in some cases reminded me of Stoph Waltz who played the infamous SS Col. Hans Landa in the movie "Inglorious Basterds". In the movie we have three stories running in parallel (Raima-Indranil, a journalist and his wife whose lives were massacred by the Pak army, a brother and sister who are the only survivors in their village and Victor who is trying to lead his villagers to a safe place and of course the freedom movement) which finally will merge. The background score was also fine. This movie is not for the masses, so it will definitely not do a good business in box office, but certainly will be appreciated in many forums. 8/10 from me.
2 States (2014)
Simple Storyline but Worth Watching
In one sentence - a simple and sweet journey with some obvious hiccups due to two families cultural differences which ends well. But it is a very good movie which you must watch because somewhere I read(and believe too) the most beautiful stories of our lives are those which are simple! When I read Chetan Bhagat's 2 states I was not convinced that it can be converted to a full length movie as it lacks twists and turns like "5 point someone", but then I was wrong. The story goes like this - two IIMA students fall in love quickly, (I am sure this movie will inspire more young students to work harder for IIMs for little different reasons ) but problem starts when the couple decides to marry only after the acceptance of their parents who belong to south and north Indian families. Alia has done a very good job again, this girl knows acting, I was super impressed by her performance in "Highway", here also she has done a wonderful job and has overshadowed Arjun Kapoor who too was good. However my personal favourite was Revathy, she as an orthodox Tamilian mother who has a liking for Karnataki Music has given an extraordinary performance. Amrita Rao as the proud and rude Punjabi mother of the groom will finish as close second. In fact fathers also have done a decent job, the casting was really well. The icing on the cake was great songs - very enjoying and refreshing. I hope this caste and race and religious differences still haunting our young generation will end one day! Final verdict? 4/5 from me.
Krrish 3 (2013)
The Best Among 3 Sequels. A Revolution in Indian Sci-Fi Genre
A very good entertainer but not for the very serious philosophers!! You need to have an open mind to enjoy the movie. Science-Fiction Superhero movies with the subjects like DNA, Antidote, Cloning etc are still very uncommon in India. X-Men, Superman, Spiderman, Independence day, Matrix kind of movies are still way out of reach for the masses as it is difficult to identify ourselves with the complicated concepts in contrast to the action heroes boarding expresses or killing Pakistani army.Hats off to Rakesh Roshan for his brave attempt starting from "Koi Mil Gyana" which brought a revolution in Indian cinema for Sci-Fi genre. Krrish-3 is the best among all the sequels. Hritik was extraordinary as usual, he has played 3 Avatars - Rohit, Krish and Krishna with great ease. How I wish he had acted in more movies frequently, Indian cinema has missed his acting talents which is far superior than his dancing stances or great looks for which he is better known for. Priyanka as Krishna's wife and Vivek Oberoi as the main villain (Kaal) was good, but the real surprise package was Kangana, her acting as one of the Manavar (Mutant) who can change her appearance was simply excellent. The visual effects and action stunts can compete Hollywood movies. The only downside of the movie is the music and songs, none of them touches your heart. Yes, the movie was heavily inspired by X-Men, but that was well customized for Indian context. I loved the concept "All those who have a kind heart to help others are Krrish".
Gravity (2013)
Fantastic - Only Comparable to Apollo-13
The best science fiction ever made in last decade, a masterpiece, in fact it can only be compared to another ground breaking movie and my all time favorite – Apollo-13. Friends, please don't judge it by downloading in your computers, you will get nothing out of it, it is a 3D marvel. Sundra Bullock was never considered to be in the league of highly extraordinary Hollywood actresses, but here she has given performance of a lifetime, kudos! You will feel the horror, the fear, the loneliness, the desperation; even more than the astronaut thanks to the director. I am a great sci-fi fan and love aliens and monsters :-P, but this movie is a great example that you don't need ugly aliens or horrific martians to make an impact, all you need is to create the right atmosphere. George Cloonie also has made a great impression though his on screen presence was much less than that of Sandra's. The 3D visions of beautiful earth from space was just mesmerizing, so was the debris of the satellite coming towards you. Coming to the story, a Russian satellite which was destroyed intentionally started a chain reaction and turned the mission to a struggle for existence. But unlike Apollo-13 you don't have Ed Harris to save you out from Houston, you are all alone and nobody can hear your scream! Though it's a adventure/sci-fi genre, few of the conversations were really touching, specially when Sandra got hold of a Chinese wavelength where a father was singing to an infant which did not help her anyway for survival but reminds her of her dead daughter. It shows so beautifully that whichever language we speak, our emotions are all the same, we are only human.5/5 from me, an excellent cinema experience, MUST WATCH!
The Lunchbox (2013)
Extraordinary Story of Ordinary Lives!
The Lunchbox(Movie -2013) Review - The movie "The Last Samurai" ended with a quote something like "We all seek some small measure of peace, and few of us ever find". After many years "The Lunchbox", a movie from a completely different background and culture echoed the same thought to my ears, really it is never too late to start your life again. You can expect the movie will be a gem as you have the two best character-artists of this decade – Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui playing the lead roles. However I didn't expect Nimrat Kaur will also give such an awesome performance as I never followed her before except "Cadbuy Dairy Milk-Silk adds", and I apologize for my ignorance sincerely! Nimrat was equally great. This movie can be an excellent demonstration of what extraordinary performance really means in any acting-learning institute of any part of the world, trust me on this!!!
The start of the story - A frustrated housewife prepares an excellent lunch for her husband with great care. But unfortunately (or fortunately!), it reaches to an equally lonely person on the verge of retirement - Saajan Fernandes (Irrfan Khan) whose wife died long back. This simple cross connection by Mumbai Dubbawalas in the age of digital era starts a beautiful and interesting romantic relationship however ending of which has been kept open-ended for our own imagination. At the same time we can see an excellent equation and emotional turmoil building up between Saajan /Irrfann, the serious and lonely parting boss and Shaikh/Nawazuddin, his future replacement, who is funny and enthusiastic and quiet opposite to his boss.In some cases Nawazuddin has overshadowed Irfann too! The direction was superb, specially the depiction of the supply chain of the Mumbai Dabbawalas through the city is just extraordinary.Hats-off Ritesh Batra for his unbelievable first time direction.
Disclaimer: This movie is 4.5/5 from me, 0.5 is deducted only for its little slow pace , otherwise it in an extraordinary story about very ordinary lives. To me, this movie deserves all the critical appreciations it has received both in India and Outside. Avoid only if you really hate slow paced realistic depiction about everyday common lives of Tom,Dick and Harry and expect only superheroes doing superhuman activities; otherwise this is a "MUST WATCH"!
Shuddh Desi Romance (2013)
Charming Rom-Com
Sometimes we don't want to go for a movie to think about social issues,follow very complicated plots or enjoy super action scenes;sometimes we want to simply relax,forget everything and laugh out our worries in those 2.5 hours;"Suddh Deshi Romance" is one such movie - it is full of fun and laughter backed by power-packed,sweet and naughty performances and few nice songs around small town beautiful city Jaipur. It also depicts the current youth's dilemma about life long commitment. Rishi Kapoor in a special character was awesome, Sushant was brilliant, both the heroines(Parineeti and Vani) had done their parts beautifully though Parineeti had major on screen presence. Giving away anything more about the story will be gross injustice to this charming rom-com,Go,laugh,Relax and Enjoy with your friends and family.
Satyagraha (2013)
Good, Brave Attempt
"Satyagraha" Movie Review – It is a good move whatsoever, but not great. Frankly speaking, a little disappointed, but the fault is all mine as I had a lot of expectations. . Amitabh Bachchan as retired school principal Dwarka Anand was excellent as always. Manoj Bajpayee has given another awesome performance as corrupt politician. Amrita Rao was good, she should have got more opportunities in her career. But none of the other characters have done anything extraordinary to remember for long, in fact Arjun Rampal, Ajay Devgan and Kareena were stereotypic. The movie raises many justified issues but unfortunately at the same time too many things have made the movie more complicated. We have to understand in the socio-political environment existing in current India, even great Mahatma Gandhi would have failed to address everything to everybody's satisfaction, Anne Hazare has honestly tried his best and he is no Mahatma either! The end of the movie was rather abrupt with no definite conclusion. Not sure whether the director wanted to state that it is the sad and static state of our Govt whichever party rules. However I will always admire Prakash Jha's passion to highlight burning issues to commercial audience – be it issue of reservation ("Araakshan"), Maoist Movement ("Chakrabuyhaa") or this one. Standing firm for "Burning Ambikapur" takes far more courage than boarding "Chennai Express".
Madras Cafe (2013)
Must Watch!
"Madras Cafe" (2013) Review - What an exceptional thriller - 4.5/5! You will never realize how 2 hours 30 mins will fly. It is great that it is close to 50 cr mark, one sixth of the business of the "Chennai Express", only it is six times better movie than that! I also didn't realize why it was so much hue and cry around this great movie, can't we call a terrorist organization simply a "terrorist organization" which carried out the assassination of one of our country's PM whatever their belief is? Politics have become so cheap! Hats-Off to Shoojit Sircar, for being realistic and not crafting another superman fantasy about RAW agents. He was so brave that one of the most important characters(Nargis) playing a journalist spoke "fluent English" all through the movie which is exact match for an NRI journalist. It is unbelievable in the era of "Item Number" and "Silly Jokes" the movie doesn't have one single song, except the concluding one. John was good, specially his expressionless expression on the account of his personal tragedy was touching, it reminded me of Ajay Devgan in "Zaakham" or "Hum Dil De Chukay Sanam". But the real hero of the movie is the "Script", it was so intense, you can hardly relax your eyes looking elsewhere other than the screen! Must watch! I am hoping "Satyagraha" will be even better, review coming soon.
The Wolverine (2013)
Wolverine goes to Japan ....
A Good action thriller which you can expect from X-Men movie but not something extraordinary which you want to remember for long once you are out from the hall. This time Wolverine goes to Japan on the request of a dying Japanese lord who long back was saved by Logan during Nagasaki disaster. Now the real story begins ...story of love, story of betrayal, ugly family politics for power, Ninjas, Good and Bad mutants (thankfully only one on each side!) and most important few really amazing action scenes like one on the top of bullet train. There were few glimpses of Jeane in Logan's dream portraying his frustrations, loneliness and pain which added a different dimension to Hugh Jackman's character. Jackman was brilliant no doubt.
D-Day (2013)
Good Watch
Watched the movie at Inox City Centre, Kolkata at 2-50 PM IST show. A good action-thriller indeed. I was surprised to see an almost full house at such an odd hour. Coming back to the movie, the best part where the director should get most of the credit, is to portray the undercover raw agents as human beings of fresh and blood who get hurt, have family turmoil to deal with, even die for their country and are sometimes easily abandoned by their own country for the shake of diplomacy. That's why I can easily tell this is a much better movie than "Ek Tha Tiger" which was just a fairytale. The strength of the movie is acting - Arjun,Irfan,Huma all have brilliantly performed, Rishi Kapoor has given a brilliant performance in a negative role again after Agneepath. Shruti Hasan was OK in a small role as a prostitute but has nothing much to do. However even more than Shruti Hasan's tragic murder, the poisoning of Irfan's wife and little son by PAK army/D appeared more cruel to me. You don't need to go that far to depict an evil as an evil. However the ending was too much Bollywoodish. Few of the scenes were really shot in Karachi which added spice.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013)
This Movie is by Farhan, for Farhan of Farhan .. Just Excellent!
A Very good movie to watch. Surely Farhan deserves a standing ovation and surely all awards for this year just waiting to be handed over to him. His extreme dedication to be in Milkha's shape is an old story now, but his acting talent is even more impressing. Hats Off to the director for the courage to make a movie which is not about cricket!! This movie will surely inspire the young souls who dream big in the area of athletics. However the movie is little too long, it can be shorten by sacrificing 1/2 songs. There are few moments which really touch your heart - like when Milkha is asking his sister to wear the National team's blazer.
Raanjhanaa (2013)
Wow!!
Just wow! It was my expression after the movie! It was a dream debut of Dhanush in Bollywood, and it was a majestic entry. Also it was a strong lesson for the people who judge people by their looks only and not by their talents. Many recent bollywood stars would would have considered them privileged if they would have been even half an actor as this young guy. The movie started with the backdrop of Benaras, a city which has its own mesmerizing charm. The simple humorous love story becomes complicated as the time progresses and you understand love and passion is not all about dancing around trees in the exotic foreign locations, it can be very very cruel, full of betrayal too. Sonam also has acted well, so are the side actors - in fact few great performances along with good storyline is the heart of the movie . A. R. Rehman's music was really good. so are few songs. This movie is an honest attempt to rediscover complicated human relationship, portrays our own Indian locations beautifully, experiments successfully with unusual casts, Go and Watch! 8/10 - VERY GOOD!
Lootera (2013)
Average ...
Lootera (Hindi Movie, July'13) Review -I agree now, I don't understand movies:-). Critiques must have third-eyes or special emotional senses! In onegreat newspaper, I read this movie was comparable to "Gone with Thewind" :-), forgive me!!! I was excited, but unfortunately if you have read O' Henry's "Last Leaf" you can very well understand what is happening and why and can leave the show 30 mins before safely. The backdrop of 1953 is very beautifully portrayed, so is the Zamindar bari where the Zamindar (Sonakshi/Pakhi's father) refuses to believe his era is gone in the independent India. Sonakshi and Ranveer's acting was decent, so are few songs; but the backbone of the movie as a good story is horribly, terribly absent. Yes, you have few twists, but to anticipate those you don't have to have Einstein's IQ! And that's where the movie becomes slow, sometimes very slow. Materpiece by Vikramaditya Motwane?? Sorry guys, No way, "Udaan" was much much better!! My rating 2.5 - "AVERAGE".
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013)
Good !!!
Yeh Jawani Hai Dewani - Definitely worth a watch, a pleasant experience. The director Ayan Mukerji has done even better job after "Wake Up Sid". Though Ranbir(Bunny)-Deepika(Naina) chemistry has done wonders, still I was blown away by Ranbir's wonderful acting yet again as smart, confident, charming, ambitious young star this time. The houseful RDB was a proof that Ranbir will go miles from here, he is the king of the teens and young hearts (and yes, the news is, I still consider myself young!)! It is not only a Rom-Com movie, in few cases it has gone very deep into emotional turmoils which we face sometime between a golden overseas career and relatively simpler but content life with our near and dear ones. People may not like the happy ending and expected decision, but I liked it very much personally as it vibrated my own decisions. The songs by Pritam was very good, specially "Fakira" was awesome. I was bowled out by Maduri's item dance, she still looks the same when I was 10 ;-). Kalki did another brilliant job after Shanghai in limited time. Aditya Ray Kapoor and Farooq Sheikh was also good in their roles. Manali where Bunny and Naina met for the first time was picture-perfect, hats-off to the camera crew, I don't remember the names, but it is people like them who make the difference. The story is simple, so no point in telling it here, instead go and enjoy. Overall 7/10 from me.