Project Hail Mary

 Movie Review (English) 🌟

I am not a fan of Sci-fi movies. So when I heard about the Hail Mary Project, I knew I wouldn't watch it. I had not read the book. But, I also am a Ryal Gosling admirer and so took the leap and watched. 

And am I glad that I watched!! This isn't the usual sci-fi movie with wars in space and fantastic creatures. It is a simple story of love, camaraderie, bonhomie, fear and vulnerability - all of which we can relate to.

When a lonely astronaut befriends another lonely alien in space, the audience is bound to root for their survival and want to see the two go on adventures together having each other's back. That is precisely what happens. The ending is a definite tearjerker.

Thanks to Andy Weir for this beautiful story and to directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller for visualizing this movie so beautifully, and most of all to Ryan Gosling and Rocky, the alien, for making the story come alive! 

Maidaan (Field)

 Movie Review (Hindi)

I watched Maidaan only on the recommendation of my brother who is a huge football fan. Knowing that my husband would love it too (being another huge fan), we went to watch this movie on the big screen. And thank God we did! I would have missed a gem of a movie. I admit I had no idea that Indian football did make a big name for itself in the 50s and 60s all thanks to the coach and manager of the Indian football team, SA Rahim.

The movie showcases the journey of Rahim in putting India on the map and what a journey. Ajay Devgn, playing Rahim, has excelled himself. His brooding, angry, suffering character was just right. Each of the players seem to have been handpicked due to their likeness to the original players and they played well together. 

The cinematography was what took the cake. The camera compelled me to follow the ball so intimately, it brought each of the matches to life. It was a long movie but never felt like it. Thank you, Amit Sharma for the masterly direction. A big thanks to all the writers and producers for bringing this wonderful piece of history to life.

 Does seem like history though, doesn’t it? 

Laapataa Ladies (Missing Ladies)

 Movie Review (Hindi)

Though the film is a comedy set in rural India, it has several underlying social messages which hit home each time we laugh at the follies of the characters.

 A simple tale of two brides who fail to reach their husbands’ homes, not because of mistaken identities, but because they were invisible! The young brides wore red sarees and had completely covered their heads and faces, as was the custom. So how do you know who’s who and how do you file an FIR accompanied by a picture of a bride whose face is covered? One of the brides follows the wrong man simply because all she is able to see are his shoes.

The film boasts of raw talent who shoulder the story ably. Ravi Kishan, well known in regional cinema, has done a wonderful job as the greedy police official who might have a heart somewhere. Men who are comfortable murdering their wives, young girls who are raised doing housework thinking this is what they were meant to do and girls who wanted to study but were told to stop dreaming and do what is right by social laws- so many currents flow through this gem of a film.

Thank you Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan! Looking forward to more such thought provoking and entertaining films….

Killer Soup

 Web series (Hindi)

What a web series! I do not think I have seen such a twisted, tragi comedy thriller. Also some of the best actors are in it with Konkona Sensharma and Manoj Bajpayee leading the way and simply hypnotizing with their skills. The grey of every character is so beautifully etched that I could sympathize with their predicaments. There is also the ghost who lurks in the corners showing the way!
This is one series everyone must watch. The unpredictability is carried on till the last shot of the series.
Thank you Abhishek Chaubey for the excellent direction and for casting such gifted actors!

(Streaming on Netflix)

4 Hindi Movies you will enjoy

 Movie Reviews

4 Hindi movies that I loved watching and if you have the time, do watch.

(Not in order of preference)

1.      Mission Majnu – A spy story based on real life events but not a James Bond movie. Sidharth Malhotra nails it as the undercover RAW agent posing as a Pakistani tailor who rises above his guilt and secures love for his country and his family. Ashwath Bhatt, playing President Zia was brilliant. Quite a pacy thriller.

 Dhak Dhak – Loved the concept of a road trip with four women for varied ages. So you can identify with which ever age group you are in. With four characters we get four touching stories and the beauty of Ladakh.

 Three of Us- What do you do when you have Shefali Shah and Jaideep Ahlawat sharing screen space? I was hypnotised and the seemingly slow pace of the story glued me to the screen. I felt cheated when the story ends. I wish we had more such stories of the soul.

Sajini Shinde ka Viral Video – Sajini Shinde, the protagonist, played by Radhika Madan is a brilliant teacher, has a strict father, is tormented by a video, and has nowhere to seek refuge. The cake is, of course, given to Nimrat Kaur for assaying the inscrutable police officer investigating the case of the disappearing teacher. But Bhagyashree was the surprise element. After Maine Pyar Kiya, this is her second movie I am seeing and yes, she has grown!!

Choona (Lime)

 Movie Review (Hindi)

This web series is a mix of a political drama, comedy and a thriller and it revolves around revenge and a heist. With the combination of all these elements, it is impossible to take a break from watching the episodes. More so because the actors are spot on with their characters.

I am an admirer of Jimmy Shergill and kudos to him for carrying the role of Shukla so beautifully. His obsession with astrology and vastu which prove to be his undoing builds upon the interesting plot. The story cleverly spins VFX into the scheme of things and this stands out in sharp contrast to astrology and faith healers.

Pushpendranath Misra as director and writer (besides Shristi Dubey and Mugdhaa Ranade) has hit the right spot and made this web series worthy of our time.

Jaane Jaan (Beloved)

 

Movie Review (Hindi)

Jaane Jaan is a thriller-cum-unrequited love story shot in Kurseong and Darjeeling. I say the names because the dark atmosphere in the film is brought on by the mist in the mountains.

The delightful part of the movie are the actors – Vijay Verma, Jaideep Ahlawat and Kareena Kapoor. Their chemistry works magic. It is lovely to see Kareena without make-up (to hide lines) and holding her own along with the two talented men.

I have loved Sujoy Ghosh’s earlier movie, Kahaani. This one is from the same genre, only a little confusing at times with the storyline going back and forth in time. 

This is indeed a good time for the audience to be able to see movies revolving around fine actors and based on a riveting plots.

Rocky aur Rani kii Prem Kahaani

 Movie Review (Hindi)

Raja aur Rani kii Prem Kahaani starring Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh has been directed by Karan Johar. I have been waiting for this moment just to see him take the Director's chair once again. 

And yes, I wasn’t disappointed. Over the top, no doubt, what with Ranveer Singh playing Rocky, a very rich guy with little sophistication, it has to be. However, Jaya Bachchan provided the surprise element for me. That she can be such a wicked north Indian matriarch is a treat to watch! Shabana Azmi and Dharmendra pairing up again is something that lovers of 70s cinema would love to see. Tota and Churni, playing parents to Alia are well-known actors from Bengal, hence the Bengali household is all authentic. Alia  playing Rani, as usual is great at what she does. I enjoyed the way she speaks Bangla.

The use of hit Hindi film songs is an excellent touch. Like all Karan Johar films, the well-to-do family reuniting theme shines through.

Jawan

 Movie Review (Hindi)

Shah Rukh Khan (in a double role) is a complete treat for the eyes. His last movie, Pathan, was quite the sizzler but this is several notches higher. It provides a roller coaster ride with all the masala and slickness one can think of, no time to breathe, not even during romantic interludes. After all, Atlee is the director. Then there are actors like Vijay Sethupathi, Deepika Padukone, Nayantara, each one doing their job commendably.

Even though the movie highlights such important issues as corruption in Health services, Agriculture, Armament deals, Elections, there is hardly time for each of these to take root in our minds.  

As a person who enjoys Shah Rukh Khan films, I wish I could see him do more films similar to Swades, Chak De, My Name is Khan, and so many others. 

What I mean is - films where he is everyman.

Kaalkoot (Poison)

 Web series Review (Hindi)

A gem of a web series! As I watched Vijay Varma playing a cop, Ravi Shankar Tripathi, I was quite wary of his actions, expecting him to breakout into some kind of psychotic rage. It was such a welcome change to see this talented actor as a balanced human being. Anyway, I consider him to be the best of the lot right now.

The story is a hard hitting thriller on the patriarchal way of things. There is a victim of an acid attack played by Shweta Tripathi. Then there are men who consider themselves to be the saviours of society and see to it that young women are taught a lifelong lesson in obedience. Finally, we see fathers drowning their infant daughters in a pond. The pond is now polluted with the phosphorus from the bones of the dead and is poisoning the village! So much for sweet revenge.

The script by Arunabh Kumar and Sumit Saxena, who is also the director, is tight and each character is distinct. Gopal Dutt, the SHO and Yashpal Sharma playing Constable Yadav, were a perfect foil to Ravi’s character. At times though Ravi’s personal life encroached a tad too much into the story.

I am looking forward to this plethora of web series (Dahad, Kohrra) of the thriller genre, each one as good as the other!

Kohrra (Fog)

 Web Series Review (Hindi)

 

This web series on Netflix is one of the best I have seen yet. It is a thriller and a dark one sans humour. It instantly pulled me into its web of murder, revenge, addiction, power play, character flaws... so many layers. The actors are simply the best. The characterization has been looked at down to the last detail and I was living in the Punjab hinterland and its underbelly.

Savinderpal Vicky, who plays the role of policeman Balbir Singh, is one of those rare actors who get into the skin of the character effortlessly (it seemed).

Thank you Randeep Jha and the team of Sudip Sharma, Gunjit Chopra and Diggi Sisodia for bringing this hard hitting story to us. Looking forward to many such gripping tales in the future.

Two Movies and a Web series

 Review

Dahaad, Kathal and Bheed

Watch all the three and then thank me. 

The three have something in common - the protagonist in each of them is a police officer belonging to a lower caste (as per the Indian caste system still followed by many). Two of them are unmarried women.

Dahaad (Roar) is a thriller web-series. You will be binging on this. Sonakshi Sinha has done a wonderful job as a protagonist. She plays a police officer carrying the burden of two curses - being an unmarried woman in a man’s world and belonging to a lower caste. I mention this because these themes flow through the series like an undercurrent, making you constantly aware of them.

But hats off to the psychopath serial killer played by Vijay Verma. I think he has fine-tuned his ability to portray such characters.

That the story has been told impeccably and it portrays a strong woman comes as no surprise because Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti are the creators.

Looking forward to more such stories from this genre.

Kathal (Jackfruit) as a satirical comedy, shines. Sanya Malhotra plays the police officer, unmarried in a man’s world, also belonging to a lower caste, has really honed her acting skills. It’s a joy to watch her smile and catch criminals and carry the movie on her shoulders.

An aside on the story: A fact that it is almost impossible for a woman to marry someone above her caste even if she is a police officer. This officer makes sure that the constable boyfriend gets promoted to a sub-inspector so that the professional gap isn’t too huge. However, the inspector is saddened by the fact that she has been promoted to DSP!!

The movie revolves delightfully around the disappearance of two jackfruits (of a very high quality, or so it seems) from a politician’s garden and trying to locate them and at no point does the movie’s plot seem banal. So who stole the jackfruits and why were so many girls disappearing?

Bheed (Crowd) is in black and white and one of the reasons why it hits the senses hard. Yes, the lack of colour makes the story more poignant. Rajkumar Rao plays the role of a policeman who (yes you guessed it!) belongs to the lower caste. With a strong cast including Rajkumar, Bhumi Pednekar, Pankaj Kapur, Ashutosh Rana, the movie delivers its message well and clear. The COVID times are not easily forgotten. The pain and the helplessness of those walking on the roads for days trying to reach Home and are shut out at the border by an unfeeling administration is portrayed expertly so that it hits the audience hard.

Anubhav Sinha has done a wonderful job trying to bring out the layers of human emotions and drama when faced with the question of survival. 

Korean Drama

 Web series (Review)

I was thinking…
Why have I not reviewed a single movie in the last so many months?
It’s not as if I haven’t seen a movie. In fact, I have seen movies and web series like never before. All thanks to the OTT platforms.
So back to the question… Why the no-review phase? No answer to that.

However, I shall go full throttle now.  Let's begin with Korean drama. Of late I have have been quite hooked to this. Here are reviews of several web series I saw and enjoyed. 

(Do recommend some that you have found interesting.)

The Glory – A hellish journey of a young girl who is bullied at school by her rich classmates. She comes back and exacts her pound of flesh and how!!! The story has snazzy twists and turns which keep you hooked. A not to miss thriller! The protagonist, Song Hye-kyo is one of my favourites now.

The Good Detective – Must watch this series if you like detective stuff. Good dose of humour too.

Stranger, Divorce Attorney Shin, Life – Watched all these mainly because the protagonist is Cho Seung- woo. What a wonderful actor! I assure you, you won’t be disappointed.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo – A must watch as the protagonist Park Eun-bin simply steals your heart as the brilliant autistic lawyer.

Through the Darkness- Gripping suspense drama dealing with the minds of serial killers.

Partners in Justice – Thriller revolving around forensic investigations.

Queenmaker – Corruption, Greed, Politics, Murder- you will find it all in this intense drama.

While you watch all of these and some more, I shall be back with my next lot very soon.

 

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.

Sharmaji Namkeen

Movie Review (Hindi)

For someone who has grown up seeing Rishi Kapoor’s films, this film evoked mixed feelings. I was excited to see him in action and again I couldn’t help the sadness creeping in thinking this was his last film.

Another aspect that will stay with me was the concept of two Sharmajis – Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal. The same scene showing two actors enact the same role took some getting used to.

However, both the actors are great at their job and my heart went out to the lonely retired Sharmaji who was bored at home, who needed permission from his sons to do something out of the ordinary, who missed his wife. It did remind me of the countless wives who are bored all their lives but cannot do a thing about it, thanks to society.

My salute to Rishi Kapoor for the wonderful enactment despite his ill health. After all, “The Show must go on!”

Gehraiyaan (Depths)

 Movie Review (Hindi)

A movie that has romance, tragedy and suspense so beautifully packaged that the audience cannot resist. The fast paced story line has a lot of secrets to reveal and director, Shakun Batra, has done a wonderful job with the pace. 

Deepika Padukone has it in her to light up the screen, not just because of her beauty but for her acting skills as well. She simply needs the right director, as this movie proves. All the other characters provided the support required to make the movie what it is, a thriller that stays with you. Having Naseeruddin Shah and Rajat Kapoor just added to the attraction quotient.

Thank you Shakun Batra and the entire team that wrote the screenplay. We could do with some more of this genre of movies.

Bell Bottom

 

Movie Review (Hindi)

I am glad I watched this movie. I almost did not. The reason being I listened to and read up opinions on the movie. I always try not to do that.

But this was a story around true events of a hijack and a rescue. Akshay is once again involved with flights and rescuing passengers based on true events (Airlift). Bell Bottom of course sees him as a RAW agent and the movie picks up momentum when the rescue missions gets underway. From then on, till the end, there is no time to breathe.

The other actors did not have much screen presence to make an impact except, perhaps, Akshay’s mother played by Dolly Ahluwalia.

 Though there were several factual errors (I learnt about these from the opinions I read), these did not impact my involvement in the story. But I do have a question. Seeing that there are a host of producers for the movie, what prevented them from doing some research before jumping into the shoot? If a world more than 30 years ago is to come alive, there would be so many changes to watch out for.

Well, besides the thrill of the movie, today’s audience does want some credibility to be shown on screen. I hope the next venture will be more on point.

Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar

Movie (Hindi)

I found the name of the movie quite interesting. Pinky (Satinder) was played by Arjun Kapoor and Sandeep (Sandy) was Parineeti Chopra. Besides this, the movie is a fast paced thriller which does not waste time on unnecessary songs and dances. In fact, the edit seems quite ruthless at times, keeping me quite alert.

Director Dibakar Banerjee has always brought something fresh for the audience to mull over. Arjun as a policeman (on the run) and Parineeti as a banker (on the run) have got into the skin of their characters. Neena Gupta and Raghubir Yadav are the best support cast one could ask for. The shooting at Pithoragarh itself adds authenticity to the plot.

Such movies in Bollywood are a rarity. So when they are released, they should not be missed. 

Pagglait (Crazy)

 

Movie Review (Hindi)

Sanya Malhotra is an actress who seems to be open to trying out a variety of roles. So I watched this movie to see what she would be up to this time.  

Writer Director Umesh Bist has cleverly woven the story around an event where emotions run high and skeletons often pop out of cupboards. In this case, this skeleton turned out to be a photograph that pulls the story forward.

Pagglait a light hearted comedy even though the premise is built around a death in the family. Sanya as a wife of five months-turned-widow plays her part effortlessly. The cast couldn’t get any better than this with Raghubir Yadav, Ashutosh Rana, Sayani Gupta and Sheeba Chaddha leading the pack. 

The music by Arijit Singh is like a breath of fresh air and this is his first venture as a music composer. Waiting for great work from him!