POPULAR BOLLYWOOD
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BACHCHHAN PAANDEY - 3.0 Stars. (G)
Director: Farhad Samji
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Pankaj Tripathi
हर एक शख्स की ज़िन्दगी मे मिड लाइफ क्राइसिस होता है. हमारे अक्षय के साथ भी हो रहा है. हर करतब लगा रहें हैं बुढ़ापे में. ना हो पायेगा लेकिन फिर भी, कभी कभी अक्षय के दिल में ख्याल आता है.
Kriti can make any movie a good movie, Akshay tries his best to try all sorts of get up to hide his age and look cool. Surprisingly being a very mainstream cinema it doesn't have an elongated forced romance between protagonists. Though they did have a forced elongated flashback which was not necessary at all. Cut the damn time on the movie man... you don't have to make a 150 minute movie!
Anyway not a bad movie especially if you look at it through the lens of popular cinema, it has a good story and has a pretty ok pace and is pretty light and comic in narration. Movie is about a director wanting to make a movie on life and times of a under world Don.
DASVI - 3.5 Stars. (G)
Director: Tushar Jalota
Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Yami Gautam, Nimrat Kaur
एक समय था की सादगी से भरी हलकी फुलकी सिनेमा जिसमे एक छोटी सी सीख भी होती थी. इस सिनेमा के मास्टर थे हृषिकेश मुख़र्जी साहब। दसवीं वैसे ही मूवी बनाने का एक प्रयास है.
Abhishek may not get the accent right like how Yami can but both did work well in this cute sweet movie which will leave you in a simple minded happiness. Nimrat has done a great job in a role that overshadows others.
Movie is about a egotistical uneducated Politician who has to go to Jail for a few days. He meets the Jailer in Yami who won't take No for an answer.
SHARMAJI NAMKEEN - 3.5 Stars. (G)
Director: Hitesh Bhatia
Starring: Rishi Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Suhail Nayyar, Isha Talwar, Sulagna Panigrahi
ऋषि कपूर साहब की आखरी मूवी पूरी करि परेश रावल साहब ने ऋषि कपूर का किरदार खेल के.
Rishi Kapoor shot a few scenes but then could not complete the movie as he passed away. So we get Paresh Rawal in scenes and Rishi in others. Surprisingly not much changes in narration of the story, obviously Paresh is not Rishi Kapoor so the cuteness of the bumbly uncle that Rishi plays can't be done by Paresh but at least we have a good movie on hand.
A forced retirement makes the world collapse for almost all of us, your kids and society want you to behave a certain way in retirement but what if you don't want to sit in a park feeding birds? Rishi does a great job of playing the character who is looking for a new life. No one can play that character like him. Juhi makes a come back for Rishi and both of them make a great duo one last time.
83 - 3.75 (G)
Directed by Kabir Khan
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Jiiva, Pankaj Tripathi
कपिल देव डा जवाब नहीं.
What an actor this guy Ranveer Singh has turned out to be. I forgot I am not watching Kapil Dev. Other supporting cast was not much to write about except the guy who plays Gavaskar, he brings a cool airs about him for being a batsman above the rest and still struggling for form.
The movie is refreshingly simple and good. I expected this to be another - Bharat Mata Ki Jai kind of jingoistic self proclamation of greatness that borders on insanity as the present India likes to see itself. Instead this movie was almost a documentary showing how things unfolded and how much of an underdog Indian team was in 1983 when they won the World Cup. Good one to watch.
BADHAAI DO - 4.0 Stars. (PG)
Director: Harshavardhan Kulkarni
Starring: Rajkummar Rao, Bhumi Pednekar, Sheeba Chaddha, Chum Darang
अगर आपके ज़हन में ये ख्याल उठता है की भाई ये गे लोग का किंग आउट ऑफ़ थे क्लोसेट इतनी बड़ी बात क्यों होती है.
Rajkummar Rao is back with a bang, he was not at his peak form in a few movies. Even though this movie also is formulaic of the middle class setup he has mastered, but this time it had enough twists and turns for Rajkummar to navigate that he was motivated to do a great job. Bhumi gave him good support but Chum Darang was the star that made this movie special. She has a refreshing cuteness that she brings to this entire middle class comic tragedy.
Movie is about a couple who have their own reasons to marry with each other - to get the family off their back. Obviously if you try to out smart society it will create situations. The ending is great, the last scene between Rajkummar and Bhumi on the phone was perfectly done and both of them knocked it out of the park. Watch it.
GEHRAIYAAN - 4.0 Stars. (R)
Director: Shakun Batra
Starring: Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
इतनी गहराइयाँ हैं संबंधों में की आग का दरिया है और डूब के जाना है.
Not a simple movie, not for the weak at heart. This is some real stuff going on. Deepika probably gave her best performance, how we used to call these role non-glamorous roles. Now it is is called an actor doing a role. Hats off to her, she was on a different plane in this one. Siddhant did not have it going but then his character was a difficult one and a little under developed. Ananya is one of the most improved actors today, and we could not have called her an actor few years ago.
2 Cousin sisters have their relationships tangled. The Boy Friends have their own problems going, the problems are real and genuine and everything in the movie happens in a very real way, none of it looks like a movie. When you think now you know what kind of movie this is, it will surprise you with a real ugly life slap. AND it has good music. Watch it.
LOOOP LAPETA - 4.5 Stars. (PG)
Director: Aakash Bhatia
Starring Taapsee Pannu, Tahir Raj Bhasin
सोचो समझो परखो नहीं हुआ? कोई नहीं फिर सोचो समझो परखो!
Do you see a pattern here? Taapsee again features the lead role in another great movie! The female leads just are better and have better movies. Why is it? It's not because women are better at acting, it's because they put in a lot more effort on getting movies that are creative and something new. Also they don't get a bunch of filth that needs to be done in name of big bollywood cinema that their counterparts male actors get. Tahir Bhasin is a perfect foil in this and aligns and sometimes overshadows Taapsee.
Movie is the genre that we have seen often now. A person stuck in a time warp tries to get out of it with a desirable result. The treatment of the movie is so fresh, I love it. The director has taken it in a comic angle and the characters sometimes are right out of a comic specially the sons of the jewelry store guy. repeating same 'pachaas lakh' every time also adds to the perfect comic narration of the movie.
CHANDIGARH KARE AASHIQUI - 3.5 Stars. (PG13)
Chandigarh kare aashiqui - Trailer
Director: Abhishek Kapoor
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Vaani Kapoor
अगर आपके ज़हन में ये सवाल उठता है की भाई ये ट्रांसजेंडर है क्या?
Another LGBTQ movie. Ayushman's movies always are with a message, he gets into the character very well but the character of a macho body builder in itself is very caricatured. It could have been done better but I guess they had to show how extreme testosterone driven Macho guy he is to bring the discussion on transgender alive.
The movie is very informative and still pretty engaging. The star of the show is Vani Kapoor, easily her best work till date. This blog declares her an actor a big honor that she will never know about. She plays this stubborn but delicate, freedom loving but bogged down by society person who is trying to survive but on her own terms.
JALSA - 4.5 Stars. (R)
Director: Suresh Triveni
Starring: Vidya Balan, Shefali Shah, Rohini Hattangadi
दो उम्दा कलाकारों ने दिया इतना स्ट्रेस की हो गया दिमाग का दही.
Vidya Balan and Shefali played a Jugalbandi of stress and pain that only greats who have honed their craft to perfection can. This was a 'Shakti' of Bachchan and Dilip Kumar, that was pain and sorrow this is Pain and stress. Very well done.
Movie is about a hit and run case that hits very close to home. The natural reactions during a hit and run and the trauma a mind can go through both ways, the victim and the perpetrator both are at similar juncture both need answers and both are in pain, one is a sorrowful angry pain and the other is stressful guilty pain.
A THURSDAY - 3.5 Stars. (PG)
Director: Behzad Khambata
Starring: Yami Gautam, Atul Kulkarni, Neha Dhupia, Dimple Kapadia, Karanvir Sharma
मंगलवार हो या बुधवार एक अच्छा कटाक्ष मारने के लिए सब दिन बराबर हैं.
A female protagonist at the helm guarantees the movie cannot be an old school garbage or a really bad movie. Yami puts her best in the movie with Dimple and Neha are pro at their craft. Atul Kulkarni has a pretty significant role and he always does well no matter where you slot him.
A teacher runs a day care kind of facility from home but suddenly turns into a kidnapper. Why, how, what? Good one to watch, I will allow you to forward a little in the first half.
KAUN PRAVIN TAMBE - 3.5 Stars. (G)
Director: Jaiprad Desai.
Starring: Shreyas Talpade, Ashish Vidyarthi, Parambrata Chatterjee, Anjali Patil
हार या जीत नफा या नुक्सान क्रिकेट का कीड़ा एक बार लग गया तो बुझाये न बने
Shreyas does a good job of being this lower middle class Mumbai guy who is obsessed with cricket. Very under rated star but this one was a good performance by him.
The movie is on life and times of one Pravin Tambe who was never a successful cricketer but kept on playing hoping to play Ranji one day. But he was cast as too old and low in skills, but he was very high on perseverance.
COBALT BLUE - 0 Stars. (PG13)
Director: Sachin Kundalkar
Starring: Prateik Babbar, Neelay Mehendale, Anjali Sivaraman
भाई इतनी आर्ट इतनी आर्ट की समझ ही नहीं आयी
An LGBTQ movie that was also a bouncer. Too much of an Art movie, I could see the Cobalt blue shade all over the movie wherever Prateik Babbar ventures but I was lost what the heck is going on. Way way beyond me, or maybe I was just tired.
TV WEB SERIES
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ARANYAK - 3.0 Stars. (PG)
Director: Vinay Waikul
Starring: Raveena Tandon, Parambrata Chatterjee, Ashutosh Rana, Taneesha Joshi, Anna Ador, Zakir Hussain, Meghna Malik
कौन है जो मार के टांग रहा है आदमी है या जानवर या दोनों.
Raveena our yesteryear heartthrob returns as a Mommy and an inspector. She does a pretty good job with what she gets. The haryanvi dialect did not come natural to her but it was well done. Parambrata was too one dimensional. Ashutosh Rana doing his crazy uncle role was annoying. Taneesha was easily the best as Raveena's daughter, what an actor.
The TV series is about a small town serial killer murder mystery that has our suspicion from an man-animal to every innocent dude in town. If you got not much to do you can skip watch this easy going easily understood whodunnit.
BEST SELLER - 3.5 Stars. (PG)
Starring: Arjan Bajwa, Shruti Haasan, Mithun, Gauhar Khan.
किताब लिखते लिखते खून कर दिया या खून कर के किताब लिख दी
Shruti Haasan has come a long way, she carries this series all by herself and does a great job. Gauhar Khan is another actor who is awesome to watch in her complicated role. Others including Mithun lend good support. Mithun needs to tone down and get back to being an actor he can be and please stop using that bad wig. I am sure there are better ones out there.
Story is pretty complicated and full of twists and turns. A best selling writer writes one book and then is in a funk and can't get a second book published. Why did the first one become such a big hit? Was it his? Did he steal ideas? Then there is complicated relationship with his wife and his new fan. Wife has his own fan waiting in the wings. Plot thickens but never becomes over cumbersome. A good TV series to watch.
HUMAN - 2.5 Stars. (PG13)
Starring: Shefali Shah, Kirti Kulhari, Vishal Jethwa
कुछ भी हो जाए दवाई तो बना के छोड़ेंगे
We have discussed Shefali 'great' Shah enough, Kriti Kulhari is another amazing actor but this show was Mr Vishal Jethwa's show. What an actor, the Bhopal accent the lower class attitude the confusion and the frustration all done with so much skill, Vishal rocks.
Show is about Drug trials by big companies and the misuse of human subjects etc. Too heavy a subject to digest. Very gross at times, they show too much of body cutting and medical stuff. One sided villains and victims also make it difficult to watch. Overall the actors do try their best to pull this drab into relevance but it has to be skipped and fast forwarded to not waste your time.
