1. PAGGLAIT
What I remember - Few months old marriage has ended with death of husband, and that is the least of the problem for everyone including the bride. Awesome setup of how death is an event in everyone's life just like marriage or any other festival.
FROM THE FILES -
PAGGLAIT - 5 Stars. (PG13)
Director - Umesh Bist
Stars - Sanya Malhotra, Sayani Gupta, Sheeba Chaddha
What a movie! Love it. How many stories can you tell within a simple sombre 12 days after a death? Answer is hundreds. Sanya gets a great movie to anchor, the movie revolves around how she loses her husband within 5 months of marriage and how the entire world crashes.... or does it?
The funny thing about the world is Death is not the finale, it is just part of the fabric of life. Death happens and like any other twist in life, like winning a lottery, changing where you live, or any other major event; death also throws a few twist for every character that is left on earth to deal with this new reality. A few are grieving, a few are hurting, a few are scheming, a few are trying new ways to survive and our main character Sanya is trying to find herself first time in her life!
2. BOMBAY ROSE
What I remember - Is it a painting? Is it a poetry? Is it a movie? Is it a cartoon? I don't know but I have never seen something like this. Every frame has so many things packed and then it also tugs at your heart.
FROM THE FILES -
BOMBAY ROSE - 5 Stars. (G)
Director - Gitanjali Rao
Stars - Cyli Khare, Amit Deondi, Gargi Shitole
How do you rate a movie that has no reference? I have seen nothing like this before! Did you see how many artists were involved in painting this masterpiece? Wait and see the credits at the end. Haunting and beautiful music plays in the background, the story unfolds with each screen shot like a painting. The movie shifting between desires of the mind vs the reality as it shifts from olden times to reality! Just a work of genius that I feel very small to even talk about. You need to relax, sit back and enjoy this ride. Don't expect things to happen, just enjoy paintings after painting unfurl in front of you. Notice the details the beauty and ahh... the music. The movie covers a lot of things from a poor girl's struggles of raising a family by herself, to a beautiful inter religion love story, to friendship and empathy. Gitanjali Rao... you are a genius.
3. SKATER GIRL
What I remember - The face of the skater girl, her face suppressing everything in it. But these wishes of living a life keep coming to her. The village, the kids, the skates and their freedom.
FROM THE FILES -
SKATER GIRL : 5 Stars. Drama.
Directed by - Manjari Makijany
Starring - Rachel Sanchita Gupta, Shafin Patel, Amrit Maghera, Jonathan Readwin, Waheeda Rehman
This is one of those emotional decisions I make because it is my blog. I give a movie 5 Stars and people come back and say what was so special! I have to be true to my senses, when a movie makes me choke up and I can't talk for hours and then I sleep thinking about the movie I got to give it a 5. It makes me think of my Mom's efforts to bring freedom and confidence to people who don't have food on the table. The movie has many cringes, like typical foreigners coming to a village to find themselves and fix the village. But if you keep clear of those things and focus on the Brother and sister relationship and the skate board in their lives, you will cry out of happiness. If you look at the life of a girl and her small steps to do what she wants, her cute little love story and to top it all, great acting from all the characters involved, you will see what I saw.
4. ZINDAGI IN SHORT
What I remember - All those stories are just amazing, I feel happy when I see they make movies, I mean they make these movies.
FROM THE FILES -
ZINDAGI IN SHORT - 4.5 Stars. (PG13)
Directors - Vinay Chhawal, Tahira Kashyap, Vijayeta Kumar
Stars - Aisha Ahmed, Akash Dabas, Deepak Dobriyal
How many good films can we take in a quarter? Another masterpiece with 7 fabulous stories. I think 4 of them were just awesome presentations that were a knock out of the park. The creativity in these stories, the freshness in direction and boldness in presentation is just something we wouldn't have believed a decade ago. If you want to watch a few go with Chhajju ke dahi bhalle, Pinni, Nano sa Phobia, and Sleeping partner. All have a completely different aspect of Zindagi and a fresh treatment that you will enjoy.
5. RAM PRASAD KI TEHRVI
What I remember - Similar genre as Pagglait but very different set up. Ram Prasad has died and now it is time for life to show case through death what it is all about. The mom telling "Nth" time the same story on how he died, is classic. Everyone goes to these things and wants to hear fresh story again, death is just another time pass in the end.
FROM THE FILES -
RAM PRASAD KI TEHRVI - 4.5 Stars. (PG)
Director - Seema Bhargava
Stars - Supriya Pathak, Konkona Sen Sharma, Parambrata Chattopad
Another masterpiece weaved around a death. Similar to 'Pagglait' in genre and treatment but different in content and presentation. Ram Prasad dies and life takes a turn for everyone associated with him. Ram Prasad's sons and their wives have things to fix. There are neighbors, brothers and sisters and everyone has some agenda. Very well done, Death is not a sad affair at all, that's a Human facade because every human thinks how sad it will be when he/she passes away, but otherwise it is all down to business of ..... Life. The movie is never sad, it is funny, dramatic and entertaining all because of true depiction of society. Watch it!
6. CHHORII
What I remember - The best horror movie in recent times, take the bad horror that exists in bollywood and makes into something watchable. The kids running around is scary!
FROM THE FILES -
CHHORII - 4.5 Stars. (R)
Director - Vishal Furia
Stars - Nushrratt Bharuccha, Mita Vashisht, Saurabh Goyal
Horror as a Genre has been pretty ordinary in Hindi Movies.... UNTIL NOW. Here comes chhorii!! What a movie, the horror as genre was transformed by a movie called Stree few years back when they turned it into a Horror-Comedy. In this movie horror remains Horror but they take horror out of just the bhoot and spirits level .. or did they? Maybe it's all their but the treatment is dark and better. Nushratt Bharucha does a great job of being this city girl who is trapped in this small village home that is possessed... or is it? Horror through kids is a different level of horror and when you do not use flying spirits who are picking people in mid air type of gimmicks it becomes more real. The movie is about a couple who need to run from loan sharks to a small village where they get trapped in a house that is ... lets say .. weird. Go Watch it.
7. SIR
What I remember - A love story between a maid and educated NRI type guy. Is it even possible? What are we looking in a partner? Are we that different as people? What about society? Aren't we the society?
FROM THE FILES -
SIR - 4.5 Stars. (PG)
Director - Rohena Gera
Starring - Tillotama Shome, Vivek Gomber
India is booming with these new generation of writers and directors spoiling us with these masterpieces, slicing dicing life like we have never seen before in Hindi movies, what's not to love? Just be happy and enjoy them one treat at a time.
The movie is a complex tale of a house help and a US return 'upper middle class' guy who is struggling to fit into his role in society. The confusion boils over the well barricaded barriers created by society for 5000 years. What follows is a beautiful presentation on how far can a flight of fancy actually fly.
8. AK Vs AK
What I remember - Whacky and weird that only Anurag Kashyap can be. Mashing real life and reel life into one. At times it is so real it disturbs, sometimes its funny. Still remember Anil Kapoor's son stealing the show with his one hilarious take on himself.
FROM THE FILES -
AK Vs AK - 4.5Stars. (R)
Director - Vikramaditya Motwane
Stars - Anil Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap, Sonam Kapoor
Technically it was a movie from last year, but I forgot to cover it. This is not a movie you don't write about, that's blasphemy. The GOAT of originality and creativity Mr Anurag Kashyap is at the helm himself (Actually it is Vikramaditya Motwane, but I still credit AK). Just like the movie 'Bombay Rose', you don't have a reference to deal with this movie. It is so new that it's review should happen in 'Nature' magazine. It is reality mixed with role-play mixed with real things but in a tightly bound story. It did not make sense... right? Yea.. that's the point.
For good 30 minutes you are disturbed by what you are watching. Actually I remained disturbed even after the movie was over. The movie is about real Anurag Kashyap who goes crazy against real Anil Kapoor in a fictitious fight for supremacy with all the real life characters from their lives. Anil Kapoor actually gives a great performance at (whatever zillion years) this age he is at and still refuses to age. Again disturbingly Anurag Kashyap tells him how he will give a performance of his life because in reality he is looking for his real daughter Sonam Kapoor who allegedly has been kidnapped. Unexpectedly the entire show is stolen by a gem of an actor called 'Harshvardhan Kapoor' his cameo is hilarious. Only weak link probably is Anurag Kashyap the actor but without him the movie cannot be.
9. ANKAHI KAHANIYA
What I remember - Lonely is a crowded city and loving a mannequin, 80s love story around a movie theater, and some more. Again, I love these ankahi kahaniya and in general these short story format where you give Directors to go make a short on a lose subject like - Ankahi.
FROM THE FILES -
ANKAHI KAHANIYA : 4.5 STARS. MA.
Directed by - Abhishek Chaubey, Saket Chaudhary, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring - Abhishek Banerjee, Rinku Rajguru, Delzad Hiwale, Kunal Kapoor, Zoya Hussain, Nikhil Dwivedi, Palomi Ghosh
Great talent creating poetry. The 3 top directors picking some good actors and going off into making 'ankahi kahaniya', I wonder do they always come up with a title first and then go about making movies? Do writers write thinking, ok let me write a 'ankahi kahani'? A story not told yet! How difficult is that! I feel too little to even take a stab at critiquing these great people doing this great work. But hey! that's what I do in this blog. Good thing is they don't know they are being reviewed by me.
3 stories, unique in their own way and vastly different are presented to you. Each is a marvel and makes you enthralled and pause; make you Happy and Sad. All 3 are wholesome entertainers, beautifully done. Immigrant workers working day in day out in shops in mumbai, the loneliness of the job makes him look for a partner. In a billion people it is not easy to find someone when you had no training or time to figure how to deal with this problem. Then someone shows up in your life, does it matter if the person is alive? You need someone ... who cares who it is. Second story is about cheating husband, and how to punish him. Do you want to follow the trail and get to the bottom of it? Is it possible you may find your own story while travelling that path? Third story is probably the saddest and more heart wrenching than the rest, young love blooms in 80s single cinema theaters, in the crowded world, glances and few actions are all that can convey love and acceptance. The love story is all about just a few movements, but how do you go beyond that?
10. SHAADISTHAN
What I remember - The mom of the girl who is oppressed putting forth her arguments against the modern liberal girl who doesn't approve her ways. Nicely done movie.
FROM THE FILES -
SHAADISTHAN - 4.5 Stars. (PG13)
Director - Raj Singh Chaudhary
Stars - Nivedita Bhattacharya, Sanjay Dadhich, Kirti Kulhari
Look, I don't like movies which are filled with 'right wing talking points' conversely I love movies when a movie talks against the old school systems of society or in other words filled with 'left wing talking points'. O well... I am jus human. I like confirming my own biases. The movie unabashedly punches the old school society which revolves around 'shaadi', a girl's life is all about shaadi. How to get over with 'the problem' that the girl is, by getting her married off. There is no other reason for her birth. Thinking of it, actually even a guy's life is all about what career he can get to, and how much money can he make for his parents and family. If he can't do it, he is not treated that well either.
The movie is about this girl who has fought and lost against an overbearing society that has parents in it's grip until she meets this group of young musicians who have formed a band and are taking her family with them in their van to a wedding. Kirti Kulhari is a good actor and she fits the role of a single girl musician in a band who cares less about traditions. As I said the movie is a little harsh on the 'shaadisthan society' but there are a few good scenes between girl's Mom and Kirti that defines the message of this enterprise. Overall if you have hated traditions you will love it, because it preaches the choir.
OTHER NOTABLES -
11. WHITE TIGER
12. HASEEN DILRUBA
13. WEDDING GUEST
14. AHAAN
15. SHERSHAAH
