Q3 - Summer of 2024 a Nice Hindi Movie Platter

 PODCAST THIS YEAR - A-TO-ZED BOLLYWOOD MOVIE REVIEW

1. Buckingham Murders > Call me Bae > Yudhra
2. Stree 2 - Not Streetu
3. Bad Newz - Not Bad Not Good
4. KalKill (Kali and Kill)
5. Mr and Mrs Mahi / Munjya
6. Heeramandi
7. Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya
8. Top 10 Movies of 2023

Podcast - Google / Samsung

Podcast - Apple

REWRITTEN THE SHORT AND QUICK VERSION. 

(No Trailer Links, No Director / Actor Info)

ULAJH - 1.5 Stars. 

The music is weird and sometimes missing, I mean the background score is missing? or something is missing? No one looks comfortable and no one looks honest. What is going on? We all are confused and Ulajhed in this ANOTHER SPY thriller involving PAKISTAN! By God, one more movie about Pak and I am going to stop writing this stupid blog. Oh man.. I can hear a collective sigh of relief from all my readers! Then then .. why do you even read this blog? o well.. I know I too do stuff that's stupid. Okay ... Ms Sridevi Junior has her diction issues and she looks all lost, her character is more annoying than heroic. Mr dependable Gulshan Devaiah is also confused is he a poet, a psycho, a cold blooded killer or a philosopher. Let's move on. 

BAD NEWZ - 2.5 Stars. G.

Mr Amy virk is the only guy who has a comic timing, others not so much. Mr Vicky Kaushal who can do some inspired roles don't have a comic bone in him and Ms Tripti Dimitri cannot carry a movie by herself. She finds it tough going trying to make her presence felt. The movie is about some very rare phenomenon of having 2 fathers in a pregnancy and there are enough situations for a few laughs but they are few. 

STREE-2 - 3.0 Stars. G. 

There was a Stree, few years ago it was a 5 star movie. Now comes the sequel. It can't be the original and it is not. It has a few laughs but it tries too hard. The makers always looking towards west for inspiration has found the 'universe' formula and now created Horror-comedy universe of sad movies. They thooos-ed.. Bhediya and Munjya into this Stree universe to make it all mingled. God save us we are going to see all this garbage in future. Stree-2 by itself is a good movie if you don't have massive Stree expectations. This time it is not 'stree' the villain it is 'sar-kata' the villain, the actors don't rise to the occasion and all the classic characters remain okay in this one.

BUCKINGHAM MURDERS - 4.0 Stars. PG13

Kareena is living it up. As most of us realize in life, teens are worse, 20s are stressful, 30s are tiring and busy and then things start getting easier and fun. Kareena aunty now that she is rid of being sexy and chasing success. She is getting into the business of honing her acting skills. She is passionate and it shows. She is playing a depressed cop on a missing child case, she is constantly haunted by her own demons of losing someone near and dear. Her makeup is minimal, her eyes have dark circles she plays the role. This is a Talaash 2.0 and sometimes you enjoy being depressed with this cop. Watch it. 

KHEL KHEL MEIN - 2.0 Stars. G. 

WHY did anyone ever make a movie called 'Knives out'?? Not only hindi movie but even hollywood has copied the same thing a freakin zillion times! This one is one of the worst attempts at it. Let me tell you something from the entire ensemble of cast, the best actor in this one is .... (drumroll) ..... Fardeen Khan!! Yes... Fardeen is by far the best one above Amy Virk, Taapsee and obviously Akshay 'lost his mind' Kumar. 

YUDHRA - 2.5 Stars. PG. 

Yudhra bhai is mad and always angry, though he doesn't play it like that. This could be true but I found it hilarious that Yudhra is always mad because during pregnancy he did not get Oxygen for a few minutes. साला कहा कहा से ढूंढ के लाते हैं ये लोग.  Sidhanth still needs to act better as he messes up an author backed role with lot of opportunity to hit the ball outta the park but taps it back gently instead. Come on man! Raghav is another guy you will see a lot in next decade. A non actor who will be around as villain and other characters just because he is comfortable in front of the camera. 

AURON MEIN KAHA DUM THA - 3.0 Stars. G. 

This mouthful of a name is made by some old school aashiq uncle who has this fantasy of old school selfless love. Ajay and Tabu back together as lovers after their first movie together a zillion years ago.  

So surprising I say selfless love as if that means anything, love is supposed to be it but actually it is nothing but extension of our ego as a parent, lover, societal human or whatever we think ourselves as. When we drop the world their is only love that is left to feel, but that's not what we are talking here. We are talking stupid movies here, get back and focus you are already late (talking to myself). 

Back to the movie, the one problem is a younger couple plays the younger version of Ajay and Tabu. And they don't look much like Ajay and Tabu obviously. Well that may not be a problem if you think of Ajay and Tabu trying to play 20 something lovers!! Eww... I know the old people had a flash back of Ajay standing on a bike with Tabu doing ruk ruk ruk... arre baba ruk... The younger couple actually are better than older ones so it all works out. Ajay does his Ajay Devgan things staring into nothingness and hoping you will think he is acting. You can watch it its not bad. 

SECTOR 36 - 4.0 Stars. R. 

Vikrant got bored of doing good roles, the hard working lower caste roles. So he decided to do a villain. At first glance this was one of those cringe movies that glorify serial killer, rapists, pedophiles etc. But it takes a turn for the better within first 30 minutes as they skirt the part about pedo and focus more on other characters. The treatment is awesome and Vikrant does do a  good job of being this weirdo who is obsessed with Kaun Banega Crorepati more than killing or living. The guy who stands above all is Mr Deepak Dobriyal! An awesome actor in many movies, but this time he gets the screen time he needed and ohh he acts! Shows the frustration of a cop who can't fathom what he is seeing. Awesome. Watch it. 

SRIKANTH - 3.5 Stars. G. 

Kudos to the filmmakers to show a Physically challenged person having a negative side. Srikanth a true story, tracks this blind person's life of great success. Generally these movies are made to get some awards for the actors but this one looks like a real regular movie. The find of the movie is Jyothika another yesteryear actor who after becoming Aunty is allowed to act and she does a good job. Rajkummar rao plays his role as expected. Overall not a bad one. 

SAVI - 3.0 Stars. G. 

If it was about the name I would give it a 10 Star out of 5 and it would make history in this blog's decade long history, but it's not about the name. Savi wants to get her husband out of the jail by hook or by crook (is that how it is said?). She takes help of a Jail breaking expert in Anil Kapoor who is loving his short character in the movie. Divya Khosla is probably someone's someone otherwise I don't know why she gets to have a movie all for herself! Not that I mind. Who cares. 

 

DO AUR DO PYAAR - 4.0 Stars. 

Creativity of the plot itself is pretty awesome. That's why it gets a 4 star rating. It is a seemingly ordinary extra marital drama until you get into it. Who am I supposed to feel bad about? Who is having an affair and who needs to get out? It has a little bit of a thriller angle to it. Vidya continues to get good roles and Pratik Gandhi continues to act in good meaty roles. Good one to check out. 

PHIR AAYI HASEEN DILRUBBA - 3.5 Stars. PG

Long long time back a 5 star movie was called Haseen Dilruba, now comes the sequel when we have forgotten the original. If you don't remember the original it is hard to follow this. The love couple is back and they will get away with murder again or will they? Taapsee and Vikrant do a good job as they take off from where they left, this time the third wheel is Sunny Kaushal who is a complete misfit for this one. Twists and turns are crazy and stupid but who cares it's all good entertainment in the end. 

MAHARAJA - 3.0 Stars. PG. 

If I say you will say I said it. But who cares I will say it. It is a formulaic south Indian film. no, no... not the blockbuster formula of 'one man army with item songs' but the more drama formula that has a poetic ending and everything is explicitly laid out for you. You reap what you sow... whatever that saying goes. Anyway you get the point. Vijay Sethupati is this blog's favorite South Indian actor and he does not disappoint. But another favorite of this Blog is Anuraag Kashyap the DIRECTOR not the actor! Please sir stop acting and embarrassing yourself. 

ALL INDIA RANK - 2.5 Stars. G. 

I know I saw this one, but until I checked the trailer I did not remember anything. But now I remember, it is the one that has a cute love story in the backdrop of IIT exams just like the series Kota Factory... or am I making it up. 

HINDUSTANI 2 - 1.0 Stars. G. 

A sequel after 20 years. Babaji Kamaal Hassan remembered he could have made money from sequels of his old movies. The problem is he was playing an old man taking on the system like 20 years ago, so now this old man is like 80+ and he is still doing the same thing, fighting 100 people at a time! Please stop sir what the heck. Well.. it's up to you who cares. People ask me to stop writing blog, playing cricket etc.. I don't care so Why should you?

WILD WILD PUNJAB - 2.5 Stars. G. 

This gang has given a lot of laughs but not any more. Our own Chucha does make his chucha type faces but that's all the movie has. I know you may never see it so I will give it away. The funniest scene is when Varun Sharma pees on a check naka and blows it up to pieces .... if that tickles your excitement go for it! This is written by Mr Luv Ranjan who i had a beef (one sided) in my podcast. The movie is about a guy who wants to say to his ex - 'I am Over you'. That's it. Luv Ranjan has an issue. 

WEB SERIES

TRIBHUVAN MISHRA CA TOPPER - 4.5 Stars. R. 

Oh.. how I wanted to write a thesis on this one, but now it will remain a Khwaish. Here you go - A regular guy in Manav Kaul (Awesome Actor) is too nice until he finds he has a skill to give sexual services. He becomes a big star in that world while continuing his middle class small little world. Obviously things don't stay same and things go bad when he is involved with underworld etc. 

Now why is this show so great! What a creative show. Every character is full and complete and each actor is inspired to give his all. Tillotama as an unhappy wife who wants his man to dance like a Baazigar. Shweta Basu Prasad the wife who knows how to play the world but has a thing for guns. Her husband who thinks he is so street smart until he finds he is not. Then comes the main character our Villain. One of the best I have seen - Mr Shubrajyoti Barat! WHAT A GUY. Watch every mannerism as he has a thing about having good rating whether it be his illegal business of kidnapping or his day business of 'Halwai'. Last but not the least is our chamcha villain, the guy is obsessed with his master's family life and wants his boss to have a great marital relationship! and on top of it, he has a backdrop of his own demons. This is just awesome! WATCH IT!

CALL ME BAE - 3.5 Stars. G.

Ananya is the Queen of Gen Z or whatever Generation is the social media generation. She has gone from one of the worst to very good actor in no time. A feat that is unparalleled in Hindi cinema. You go Girl! 

The show remains true to it's artificial-ness and it works. It is like a comic strip a fairy tale. Bae is a perfect rich kid married to a perfect rich family but she let's her personality shine through and all hell breaks lose. She tries her hand at living an average lifestyle trying to be an average journo. Watch it!