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Manjhi: The Mountain Man (2015)
Inspirational But Not Sure It Needed To Be Made Into A Movie
A man, Nawaz, in one of the most impoverished districts of India, with no means at his disposal, deciding to create a path through a rocky mountain, to ensure the fate that befell his beloved wife (Radhika), doesn't happen to anyone else. He takes 22 years to hammer his way through and create a path. Overcoming countless obstacles – weather, lack of support from his father or the villagers, corruption, bureaucracy, the upper caste folk – he persists and succeeds. However, strangely, I didn't find the story all that inspiring. There was a touch of madness to his resolve, he lost a lot in terms of his relationships (friends or children) and got made a fool by the scheming bureaucrats and the mukhiya of his village
Nawaz gives a great performance, is very believable and Radhika is very good for the brief while she is there but I couldn't help feeling that there was nothing new in the film – casteism, politicians bleeding the country dry, impoverishment – we've seen it all and (sadly) are almost inured to it
The humour is good – earthy and spicy, the music is very good
This is a story that needed to be told but perhaps it would've been better off as a short film, documentary or even a chapter in our school curriculum – making it a feature film made it stretch a bit too far.
Written By Apurv Nagpal Author of Eighteen Plus for Bollywoodirect.com
All Is Well (2015)
All Is Well- But Not For The Audience Of This One
This is an ad for the book Secrets masquerading as a movie
It's also silly, maudlin, reliant on slapstick and ludicrousness and has one of the worst soundtracks in recent memory
Abhishek returns home from Bangkok after ten years to find his dictatorial, stingy father, Rishi Kapoor, deep in debt to the local toughie, Zeeshan Ayub, and his mother, Supriya Pathak, suffering from Alzheimers. Salvation could lie in some jewelry, left in the safe- keeping of his mother's brother. Or the sale of his Dad's bakery – which the Dad is fundamentally against. Thus begins a ridiculous, hare-brained 'adventure', which also involves Asin (who reads Secrets everyday), and is about to go in for an arranged marriage, but wants to get married to Abhishek, only he is too grumpy / anti-marriage (having seen his parents loveless one) to do so
Along the way, the father-son bicker and try to resolve their issues, the toughie's gang stumble and fumble their way around, stupid caricatures of Punjabi families abound, while Asin gives lovelorn looks and sheds silent tears.
The performances are average – the only one who impresses is Zeeshan – and the music is downright terrible. The second half, towards the end, improves a bit and does make a few valid points but it's lost in the midst of the overall silliness.
This is definitely a film that is the complete antithesis of its title
Written By Apurv Nagpal author of Eighteen Plus for Bollywoodirect.com
Brothers (2015)
Use your Right to Stay Away!
No offense is taken if you have opted for a plot full of hard clichés but treating it like one is a big bad crime. And Karan Malhotra is a serious offender of doing so in his official remake of WARRIOR- a punch full fighting action drama from Hollywood. In fact, he has been accused of the same in his first venture AGNEEPATH- another remake, this time of a Bollywood blockbuster. Thankfully, the 100 Cr indemnity at the box-office saved him from facing the heat. My prayers go straight to him for his latest sin. BROTHERS is as painful as the heavy and heartless punches in the ring could possibly hurt a regular man. It is so formulaic in its melodramatic emotions and in the laziest cinematic treatment that as an evolved movie-watcher, you would feel disgusted, snubbed and insulted for whatever intellect you could bring along. And the worst part is, you pay for it.
Catholics are the most ill-treated (in their standard portrayal) and idly-written characters in any typical Bollywood film. You don't need to ask for their names or surnames as they are all the same. Any Fernandez or Braganza will do. Even David and Maria are a better connect. And then, put the holy-cross all around in as many ways you can. Tattoos look cool, on Catholics. They can be freely shown drinking their guts out. Isn't it a must in their religion? Putting merely a 'Man' at the end of a sentence and replacing every other word with its English translation in a Hindi sentence will positively end all the doubts of them being a Fernandez or Braganza or a D'Souza. If you are being impatient to typecast the Catholics, you sure should rush to Karan Malhotra. He is the one-point source to anything and everything related to them. He is the next Mahesh Bhatt in this particular field of interest.
Now, let's look at the plot. The alcoholic Senior Fernandez (Jackie Shroff) is released from the jail after serving a life term for accidentally murdering his loving wife (Shefali Shah). He is the man seeking redemption for his sin. So, the tears need to be constantly in supply whether it is the matter of 'khushi' or 'gham'. By the way, fighting is the family game of the Fernandez. The elder Fernandez (Akshay Kumar) has left it long back for the sake of his family and is now leading a regular low life. The real Fernandez (Jacqueline) plays the better-half of the reel Fernandez. What a cheesy trivia! The younger and step-Fernandez (Another Malhotra, Siddharth) is angry, very angry. Enters Mr Braganza, the filthy Lalit Modi of MMA (Mixed Martial Art) league! The hunt for the champion of the league will also witness the biggest clash in Indian fighting scene. It is blood against blood.
Gavin O'Connor's WARRIOR was a perfect film for Karan Malhotra to remake. One could smell from miles as how he is going to adopt it. The melodrama is on its highest. People cry, shout and walk like zombies-on the-loose to release and reveal their stressed present and stormed past. The writing is all impudent, brazen and audacious, especially in the second half where running commentary of the event covers the most of the part. Songs are relatively more comforting and that doesn't include one of the most the nonsensical and nasty item songs featuring Kareena Kapoor Khan. My takeaway from these dance numbers is the fact that no matter how titillating they are in nature, the people around in the song don't bother to 'bother' the lady in the middle. How gentle, polite and tender Indian Men in front of camera can be!
At the end, I know it is not the end. Many have taken an oath to keep the histrionics of old bollywood clichés alive till they are in business. Karan Malhotra is just one of them. The other Karan (Johar) I am sure will get busy in finalizing the deal of another remake for him, soon after confirming BROTHERS' weekend collection at the box-office. Brothers in crime! If you don't want to fight with your conscience, use your right to stay away!
Written By Gaurav Rai for Bollywoodirect
Bangistan (2015)
Satire Turns Sad, Silly And Superficial!
Handling satire on current social, political and religious sentiments is never an easy job, at least not as easy as reviewing (bashing; in other word) other's films. With BANGISTAN, noted film critic Karan Anshuman sneaks into the other side of the business now where he's all open to face the shots he's been taking at till now. And I stand in full salutation for him choosing a subject which is more than relevant in today's times.
We desperately need to develop our abilities to laugh at some of the most serious issues in our lives. Satires act like catalysts in trial of that exercise. Sadly, BANGISTAN promises a lot on that front but misses the target by large. Some serious smart writing, sincere efforts and unambiguous intention are all you need and not a buffoonery plot, chaotic climax and pretentious performances to save the day. Here Mr Critic disregards what he's been preaching all his life.
The film finds its base in a fictional land where two religious radical groups are at warfare to gain supremacy. You don't need those visible hints to guess that we are looking at our popular Hindu-Muslim extremists. Smartly, both the group heads are being played on screen by the same actor (the dependable Kumud Mishra in double role). Two sides of the same coin? Get it? Meanwhile, there are Shankaracharya (Shiv Subramanium) and Imam Saab (Tom Alter) secretly working towards peace, love and harmony between the two communities.
Now, the radicals are planning to make a big shout at the international religious summit to be held in somewhere in Poland. The hardcore half wits chosen to bomb the Peace convention are Praveen Chaturvedi (Pulkit Samrat) and Hafiz Bin Ali (Riteish Deshmukh).
BANGISTAN starts with a bang and showers hints of satire in almost every scene, dialogue and frame but runs out of impressive ideas and additions soon after the successful take-off. The Islamic extremists are seen cursing America's policies against them sitting in an American fast food joint named FcDonalds. Well and good! The two chosen activists with switched religious identities and orientations for a fool-proof operation fights for each other's religious convictions is too quite exciting but soon, it gets stretched over its limits.
And then comes, the all preachy, pretentious and predictable climax where all this 'laugh and think, and laugh again' satirical efforts ends in the melodramatic way of finishing it off so that you can go home and not die there.
Another big letdowns are the performances; Riteish Deshmukh is some relief and considerably 'at it' for the most parts. Pulkit Samrat doesn't even try to get out of the impression that he is acting only to impress or imitate Salman Khan. Jacqueline Fernandez is credited here as 'in a special appearance' and that doesn't mean she is doing anything special to the film. Chandan Roy Sanyal is good. Aarya Babbar is funny at places. Veterans Kumud Mishra, Shiv Subramanium and Tom Alter don't disappoint, though are there only for few scenes.
At best, BANGISTAN is one of those incalculable films in which good cinematography, better production design and scenic locations lure you to stay idle in your seats till the lights go on.
Otherwise; even in its 2 hours of modest duration, there are times when you start questioning your sense of judgment about the film, and not about the extreme religious sentiments the film supposed to hit on. Sad, silly and superficial!
Written By Gaurav Rai for Bollywoodirect
Drishyam (2015)
The hunt For A Good Thriller Ends Here! A Remake? So What?
A remake should be judged by the merits its predecessor had seized in and the flaws of its own while recreating something that has already been positioned as a yardstick; not once, not twice but successively four times in a row. For that matter, DRISHYAM directed by Nishikant Kamat manages to maintain the legacy of providing one of the most satisfying thrillers in recent Bollywood.
The road ahead is full of unanticipated twists and turns but you won't feel shaky as the grip is mostly airtight and the ride is pretty much smooth in terms of staying honest to the subject. DRISHYAM, despite a few slack strokes of imperfections in various fields remains a desirable thriller for the most in its 2 hour 43 minutes long duration; and that's an achievement in itself.
Vijay Salgaonkar (Ajay Devgn) is an almost illiterate middle-class family man with a questionably 'decked-up all the time' wife (Shriya Sharan, a complete misfit) and two lovely daughters by his side. Running a local cable network for his living, Salgaonkar is a street-smart fellow who loves to learn from the movies he watches at his office in leisure.
One dark night, his family accidentally falls for a crime that could lead them all to the pit of death but a good family man would never let that happen. He has to stand like an immovable wall between his family and the law-enforcement powers stage-managed by a strict officer and a desperate mother (the terrific Tabu).
Rest is the cat-mouse chase between the two, packed with some real nail- biting moments of anxiety, twists of terrific nature and an extended climax that is more rewarding than the whole film.
DRISHYAM's biggest force is in Jeethu Joseph's taut writing. A story that has all the emotional strings attached to the thrills of the undying efforts of covering up the patches of a perfect crime! A screenplay that doesn't leave much to complain about and a couple of seasoned performances to top it all! The first part takes its own time to set things up in their designed places.
This is the part where you also feel crabby and argumentative about the casting of its lead. The innocence and honesty Mohanlal carried of a middle-aged middle-class family-guy in its first and original Malayalam version are often missed here by large margin. No doubt, Ajay brings a certain kind of intensity in his performance but the vulnerability of an illiterate small-time cable-operator is something that he lacks big time.
The camera-work by the latest talk-of-the-town Avinash Arun is soothing, pleasing and sometimes, old-school too when needed. (Is 'the boys diving in the water' his trademark shot? His last 3 films KILLA, MASAAN & now DRISHYAM give it a strong word).
And then, Tabu enters into the frame and the screen suddenly starts breathing its life. She, as the strong-headed, rough and dictatorial police official and as the exposed mother fighting with the loss of his son, beautifully gets into the skin of the character. She undoubtedly is the most charming thing about the film. In rest, Shriya disappoints mainly with her irrationally 'out of the place' look.
Rajat Kapoor shines in the crowd. Kamat as the director hardly throws anything new which wasn't in the previous versions. But then, we can term this as the 'blessing in disguise' in favor of the film's honesty intact.
Finally, the dearth of a good thriller in Bollywood has been filled with DRISHYAM. So what if the plot/story/screenplay has been adopted four more times before? Engaging, gripping, entertaining and emotionally charged up!
Watch it, especially if you haven't seen any of the previous versions! (My personal favorite is Mohanlal starrer in Malayalam)
Written By:- Gaurav rai for Bollywoodirect