POPULAR BOLLYWOOD
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CARGO - 2.5 STARS. (SCI-FI)
Cargo - Trailer
Director: Arati Kadav
Writer: Arati Kadav
Stars: Vikrant Massey, Shweta Tripathi, Nandu Madhav
The movie had a lot of promise, I have not seen a Sci-Fi genre in Indian movies. A good point of this movie is that it is probably written by an Indian writer and not copied. No trying to mimic a western movie, but after the novelty of the plot wears out the movie lacks any speed, twists or an engaging story to carry it forward.
The movie is about 'Rakshas' species taking care of humans after death (like yamraj). They have decided to make it an efficient corporation style job, when humans die they are serviced before they are sent on. The movie does not explain anything, about the entire complexity of the plot. They almost show it as if this is sequel to a movie that has explained everything previously. Till the end you are confused and you want a good clear explanation of what the concept is all about.
SADAK 2 - 1.0 STAR. (PG13)
Sadak 2 - Trailer
Director: Mahesh Bhatt
Writers: Pushpdeep Bhardwaj, Mahesh Bhatt
Stars: Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Bose, Sanjay Dutt. Aditya Roy Kapoor.
Sadak was made in 90s, what a different time. Sadak was gory, loud and bloody. It's highlight was a transgender menacing villain. Most of the plot may not fit in today's world. But if you have decided to make a Sadak, you need a big budget, great music. gory fights, and huge love story. That's what Sadak in 90s meant. None of that was in Sadak 2. They tried to have an idiotic god-man who tried to be menacing. He was carefully made not hindu or muslim or any other thing that you have ever seen. The producers had no money, or maybe covid hit and they just decided to shoot in their living room. Ridiculous scenes like standing on top of a Mount Kailash looked like shooting from your living room to a projector screen showing Kailash. It was as bad as the skits I do.
The movie is about Sanjay Dutt who can't get over his wife's death (Sadak Couple). Now he finds a purpose in life to help 2 lovers who have come to ask for help. A good plot completely screwed up with uninspiring direction and story and everything else.
YAARA - 3.5 STARS. (PG)
Yaara - Trailer
Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia
Stars: Vidyut Jammwal, Amit Sadh, Mohommed Ali Shah
Vidyut Jammwal is definitely a type casted actor, and why not? He is the best fighter in Bollywood so it is imperative that his movie should have some action, but Vidyut was stung by the "Aamir Khan" bug. I remember Aamir was called 'Chocolate Hero' he was cute and easily a heir of Rajesh Khanna as a ladies man. But he decided he did not want to be Chocolate Hero and he started on this huge historic path of being an institution in himself, made movies that are wide ranging. The difference is - He was Aamir Khan and Vidyut is Vidyut with very limited talent. Oh.. I wish Vidyut wouldn't wish more than what he had. Now this Quarter we have 2 Vidyut movies where the guy is shying from throwing a good solid Flip and Punch. Come on dude... don't do that.
The movie is about 4 friends who start off in college days amongst the 'Naxal' unrest and the past catches up with them, the friends meet again and they have live for each other one more time. The tale of love, betrayal and friendship done a few 100 times. I will admit this is definitely not a stale story, it has a lot of freshness and some good moments. Not a bad one to pass your time to. A decent story and ok acting makes this movie a 3.5 Starrer.
GUNJAN SAXENA - THE KARGIL GIRL - 4.0 STARS. (G)
Gunjan Saxena - Trailer
Director: Sharan Sharma
Writers: Nikhil Mehrotra, Sharan Sharma
Stars: Janhvi Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Angad Bedi
This will go down as movie that produced an 'Actor'. Please welcome Ms Janvi Kapoor the Actor. The girl packs a punch in this great movie which has a great Director in Sharan Sharma at the helm. This is how you make a movie about Kargil - no chest thumping, no enemy bashing, no nationalistic testosterone going crazy. Plain and simple, staying real on human emotions. The backdrop of Kargil remains the backdrop. A one dimensional portrayal of all soldiers is so embarrassing and pathetic in the movies that this is a great welcome change. I was ready for a movie where they will be in your face how Hindustan is great and mostly Hindus for that matter. But it was a welcome surprise.
The movie is about this girl who wants to become an Airplane Pilot and how she ends up being a Kargil Hero. The movie has lot of important characters from her Dad, Brother to her Boss. Everyone of them make her who she is in various ways. There are no big emotional melt downs, none of the high octane drama the subtle small moments make a lasting impression. No one is villain and our Hero herself has lot of self doubts that make her real and not a plastic Hero. What a Director can do! Wow.
RAAT AKELI HAI - 3.5 STARS. SUSPENSE. (PG)
Raat Akeli Hai - Trailer
Director: Honey Trehan
Writers: Smita Singh
Stars: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, Aditya Srivastav
Similar genre as 'Knives Out' and some scenes resemble it, but the plot is completely different. Hindi movies don't have many in this genre, so it makes for interesting watch. It is pretty complicated for being a whodunnit mystery in Hindi. Too many characters and too many relations not explicitly explained for dumb audience like me. Anyway it is a pretty good watch. Nawazuddin never disappoints and he has a nice side story going while he solves the murder mystery.
CLASS OF 83 - 3.5 STARS. (PG13)
Class of 83 - Trailer
Director: Atul Sabharwal
Writers: Abhijeet Shirish Deshpande, Atul Sabharwal
Stars: Bobby Deol, Anup Soni, Joy Sengupta
Bobby भैय्या देखत है भईया सब लोगवा एक्टिंग करत है बस वो ही पीछे रह गए. तो लो भैय्या हम भी एक्टर बन गए और लगा ली है फेस पे ब्रूडिंग एक्सप्रेसशन। दबा लेगा दाँतों तले उँगलियाँ यह ज़हा देख कर अपनी चाल.
Must be the 20th year in the industry so finally Bobby has decided to try his hand at acting. Not a bad job, he does look depressed and brooding. His wrinkles act as scars of a defeated person who still has a fight in him. Good Job Bobby, the entire point of acting is when you don't do it. Bobby does not do much and that's when he acts.
Movie is about 1983 cop deciding to make a gang of vigilante Police officers who he trains to take down some bad elements which have been a thorn in his hey days.
KHUDA HAAFIZ - 1.0 STAR. (PG13)
Khuda Haafiz - Trailer
Director: Faruk Kabir
Writer: Faruk Kabir
Stars: Vidyut Jammwal, Shivaleeka Oberoi, Annu Kapoor
The movie did not take any time to disappoint. It started with some middle eastern country as the backdrop with some lilting tunes and my hopes skyrocketed. I was like maybe this will be a "Khuda Gawah" showcasing some great middle eastern culture and music. My Bad. Nothing happened. Next I was like well .... Vidyut is going to destroy an entire country to save his wife a great violent love story? Nah... My Bad. Remember Vidyut wants to be Aamir? He plays an average Joe who is trying to save is wife in a foreign land and he tries hard to show how he does not know how to fight. Very painful to watch. Entire movie than man does not change his expression nor does the movie's tone changes.
LOOTCASE- 4.5 STARS. (G)
Director: Rajesh Krishnan
Writers: Rajesh Krishnan, Kapil Sawant
Stars: Kunal Khemu, Rasika Dugal, Gajraj Rao
Finally a comedy that actually is just comedy, pure and simple comedy. Every character is hilarious and has a 'thing' about them. Every character is just outright funny within themselves. Probably Kunal Khemu is the least funny character and the movie is all about him. The cast is also awesome and every one has been used the best way possible. Great direction and acting.
Movie is about how a common man finds a bag filled with money and obviously gets embroiled in a lot of mess. As I think of it, Kunal Khemu's wife and kid have there lines that are hilarious. Enter the gangster obsessed with National Geographic is hilarious, the cop is awesome. The politician has his own little quirks. Just out and out funny comedy. A must watch.
SHAKUNTALA DEVI - 3.0 STARS. (PG)
Shakuntala Devi - Trailer
Director: Anu Menon
Writers: Anu Menon, Nayanika Mahtani
Stars: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra, Jishu Sengupta
Everyone my age knows who Shakuntala Devi was. The human computer who could do calculations faster than computers of those days. We did not know how her life was or what her personality was. This movie does a lot of justice in portraying her as a human who is a flawed genius. The first half of the movie is probably like a 1 star and the second half is like a 4 star movie. Nothing happens in first half except consolidating what we already know about her. Second half delves into the character of a fierce competitor who wants to win every single thing in life. If it was a man, he is exalted to highest honors - Michael Jordon, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, even most politicians - they are all jerks but no one talks about that, they are first winners and great competitors. When it is a woman she is a jerk first. The movie does a great job in showing how Shakuntala is flawed but that is what she wants to do, that does not make her a bad person but due to being a woman her achievements come with twice the labor. Fast forward the first part and watch the great second half of the movie.
BUDGET MOVIES
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ATKAN CHATKAN - 2.5 STARS. (G)
Atkan Chatkan - TrailerDirector: Shiv Hare
Writers: Aadesh Raathi
Stars: Lydian Nadhaswaram, Amitriyaan, Taaha Shah Badusha
A small budget movie about street kids who's love for music makes them do things they won't do otherwise. Somehow there are very few 'kid' movies that keep you engaged, they always make kid movies about slum kids, I would actually like to see a middle class kids movies which may not fall into familiar traps and may be more engaging.
MEE RAQSAM - 4.5 STARS. (G)
Mee Raqsam - TrailerDirector: Baba Azmi
Writers: Husain Mir, Safdar Mir
Stars: Juhaina Ahsan, Shivangi Gautam, Danish Husain
What a beautiful Slap on Religion, Culture, and Tribalism. A beautiful poetry simply told and still packs a punch. Baba Azmi we want more from you what a great movie, it is bold with an explosive end and still never leaving it's basic trait of being unassuming.
Story is about a Muslim girl who loves "hindu" dance of Bharatnatyam, needless to say that is enough for the entire humanity to revolt. I have seen a lot of Dad Daughter relationships in movies, but this one is probably up there at the top. What a Dad she got, I want to be that to my kids. He is rock steady and just obstinate about getting what her Daughter wants. It is just a dance! but it is not just a dance for the world. Society has a big ego and naturally it gets hurt because it is so big you can't carry it around without getting mad. But within our society we have people who don't carry extra baggage they are happy to help whoever is in front of them. A must watch.
CHINTU KA BIRTHDAY - 4.5 STARS. (PG)
Chintu Ka Birthday TrailerDirectors: Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh (co-director)
Writers: Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
Stars: Vinay Pathak, Tillotama Shome, Seema Bhargava
How do they think of a movie like this? I am just blown away by it. US has attacked Iraq and all Indian families have fled the place except one, they are trapped and stuck. It is Chintu's family and it's his Birthday. Somehow he never gets to celebrate his Birthday worls issues end up spoiling his party. Another Dad that I adore, decides no matter what he is going to give chintu his Birthday. A US Soldier is stuck just like Chintu in a war he doesn't understand. Everyone is stuck in this world not at all pleased with why it is like it is. A little bit of love and a lot of toughness washes away as we all are just plain vulnerable humans with coating of Country, Religion, Identity that has nothing to do with us. Another beautiful simple movie that Punches above it's weight. Watch it.
CHIPPA - 3.5 STARS (G)
Director: Safdar Rahman
Writer: Safdar Rahman
Stars: Sunny Pawar, Mala Mukherjee, Surojit
A great kid story based in Bengal. This kid is a cute and very good actor, he takes you on ride with a letter from his Dad. He runs away from home goes around in various parts of cities and touches a lot of stories that happen around us all the time and returns back home. a Good cute story that needs a patient relaxed watch.
PENALTY - 3.0 STARS. (G)
Penalty - Trailer
Director: Shubham Singh
Writers: Tasha Bhambra, Akhilesh Choudhary
Stars: Lukram Smil, Kay Kay Menon, Shashank Arora
If Kay Kay Menon is in a movie I am just waiting for him to be a bad scary guy who will be really mean. He does not disappoint. He is the mean coach who is against outsiders (Eastern states) from playing instead of his players. That pretty much is the premise of the movie, similar to 'Axon' the movie that was about Eastern state people are treated as outsiders in India. It is a pretty good movie but does not engage enough. If you start it, please finish it, end is the crux of the movie. Maybe fast forward to end?
DOLLY KITTY AUR WOH CHAMAKTE SITAARE - 4.0 STARS. (R)
Director: Alankrita Shrivastava
Writer: Alankrita Shrivastava
Stars: Konkona Sen Sharma, Bhumi Pednekar, Vikrant Massey
Probably the first complete out and out women oriented movie about how women are as human as men including the bad. When you have a great star studded ensemble you can't go wrong - Alankrita is a great writer / Director and Konkana Sen Sharma and Bhumi are both master of their craft. Add in Vikrant Massey and we have everything we need.
The movie is about 2 cousin sisters who are living in same city, and trying to make sense of this thing called life. Wife is stuck being a wife and single is stuck being single. Then there are expectations from society and your own expectations from you. Add to it our expectations from others, we judge but hate to be judged. We want to be left alone but when we make mistakes, we want someone to be by our side. All of it is so complicated does it make any sense? Yes and No. Dolly didi and Kitty take a swing at it... yea that thing called Life and give us a slice of it.
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PAREEKSHA - 4.0 STARS. (PG)
Director: Prakash Jha
Writers: Saurabh Gupta (additional writing), Prakash Jha (Writer)
Stars: Adil Hussain, Priyanka Bose, Shubham
A throw back low budget movie of the 70s, the era of Shabana Azmi and Om Puri. The formula used to be to show the travails of poor people and I always used to wonder where is the positive message? Om Puri or whoever it was would be pummeled with lot of pain and humiliation and that was it. Anyway... this movie is similar old school movie which is a very pleasant surprise in 2020. Now I don't see these movies enough and hence I loved it.
The movie is about a rickshaw puller who sees talent in his son. He wants his son to be taught in a private school, we know that is not going to be easy. The way movie goes, it is pretty fast paced, it does not go on a beaten path where poor is good and rich is bad. No .. life takes over, obstinate wishes. Wishes that can come true but they are wishes they are supposed to stay unfulfilled, if they get fulfilled they are not wishes. As that dude Ghalib said - हज़ारों ख्वाइशें ऐसी के हर ख्वाइश पे दम निकले.
UPAJ -5 STARS. (G)
Upaj - Trailer
Director: Hoku Uchiyama
Writer: Hoku Uchiyama
Stars: Pandit Chitresh Das, Jason Samuels Smith
This is a old documentary that came to Amazon Prime so we rented it. The best part about this is the Producer - Antara Bhardwaj, because she is family. Can't be too biased about it but I am. The documentary tracks a 60+ year old Kathak Great and a young Tap dancer Jason as they embark on a trip to India. The camera work and everything associated with documentary makes you feel you are in the thick of things right there in midst of these 2 greats going around in India. My daughter is a Tap dancer and Antara herself is a great Kathak dancer so viewing this made it even more special. Jason is the ultimate cool dude as he has completely different life and philosophy as compared to Pandit Chitresh Das but they share a bond in two similar but different classical art forms.
WEB SERIES
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INDIAN MATCHMAKING - 4.0 STARS. (PG13) - TV SERIES
Indian Matchmaking - TrailerStars: Sima Taparia, Vyasar M. Ganesan, Pradhyuman Maloo
I did not have much expectations from it except for that it is from the great Smriti Mundhra who gave us 'A Suitable Girl' which was on similar lines, while that documentary tugged at strings much closer to heart this one was a out and out commercial entertainer. Indian Matchmaking is not that "Indian" it is mostly international-Indian matchmaking. It is hugely entertaining and gossip enticing. All characters are very human and regular and still special in their own way. Except for the end which is quick and incoherent after all it is a docuseries. I like the treatment of the show that has no bias towards or against the entire match making system itself and Sima Taparia is a perfect anchor as she treats her customers like products and is not into Philosophy or Judging the entire process, actually she is the process.
BANDISH BANDITS - 3.5 STARS. (PG) - TV SERIES
Bandish Bandits - Trailer
Creators: Amritpal Singh Bindra, Anand Tiwari
Stars: Ritwik Bhowmik, Shreya Chaudhary, Naseeruddin Shah
A TV series about classical music could be boring but if you add a little drama it always helps. The show's highlight are it's classically based songs. If you love classical music, this is a must watch but if you don't still you will love the music. I have never liked anything associated with 'classical' I am just not a classical kind of guy. Classical is supposed to be pure, but what it actually becomes is - Rigid, and snooty. The show confirms my bias, it can be classical Physics, or Music or Dance, the greats are not very happy people they are all back biting, snooty, always mad, cheating each other and just every bad human trait becomes prominent in them. But that makes for good drama.
AFSOS - 5.0 STARS. (R) - TV SERIES.
Director - Anubhuti Kashyap
Stars: Gulshan Devaiah, Anjali Patil, Heeba Shah
I won't say it is perfect but it is near perfect. It is crazy creative, whacky, weird, and funny. I was so enthralled by it that first time in my life I understood why people binge watch something, I wanted to go on and on. Director Anubhuti whoever she is, NOW she is someone, and when I googled her she seems to be Anurag Kashyap's sibling. Anyway ... Anubhuti you are awesome.
Afsos is a series about a man who wants to die, and tries to commit suicide but is unsuccessful. He has 'afsos' he can't die, there are others in the story that have afsos of their own and this comedy turns, thriller, turns murder mystery, turns whacky and weird in no time. Best thing I watched for sometime.
