Badhaai Do (Congratulations Awaited)

 Movie Review (Hindi)

I was happy to see Rajkumar Rao cast in a role that I would have expected from Ayushmann Khurrana (Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan).

Rajkumar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar are excellent in their roles as both try to deftly negotiate their love lives and avoid a marriage that could be catastrophic for them. In the face of a society mired with prejudices, what better way than to have a marriage of convenience (lavender marriage)? Hopefully, in the real world, marriage and adoption will not be a no-no for the LGBTQ community in the near future. 

Though the film has its comic moments, at its core it remains a tragedy. 

   

Gangubai Kathiawadi

 

Movie Review (Hindi)

I have seen Alia Bhatt in Dear Zindagi, Raazi and Gully Boy and each time I felt she made a place for herself in the world of Cinema. She needed to be taken seriously. Gangubai Kathiawadi did not disappoint. That Sanjay Leela Bhansali saw the potential in her to enact such a role, says a lot.

The metamorphosis from Ganga to Gangubai was evident but subtle and Alia seemed to have total control of her expressions, voice and movement. The rest of the cast lived up to the story. Talking of stories, I am elated that this character was picked up from the book Mafia Queens of Mumbai by Hussain Zaidi and Jane Borges.

Interestingly, it made no difference that the movie did not have a male lead or Hero and I certainly did not miss him!

I look forward to seeing more such powerful characters, especially women, played by competent actors, come up on screen and set it ablaze.