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.

Mission Mangal (Mission Mars)

Movie Review (Hindi)

Based on the true story of the launch of the Mars Orbiter Mission on 5^th Nov 2013, Mission Mangal is an engrossing movie told well. I have always rated movies based on how I am affected by it, though there have been some occasions when I have allowed critics voices to cloud my thinking. I am cured of that now. Why I mention this is because Mission Mangal got me hooked to the screen, though several critics had assured that the movie was a dud.

As a child, I have imagined myself with Capt. James Kirk and Mr. Spock on Enterprise going where no man has gone before. So, in a sense, Mission Mangal opened up that fantastic world for me once again. As I was sucked into this wonderful mystery that is Space, I also enjoyed the stories that each character came with. However, there was a problem here - There was no story on Akshay Kumar, the director of the mission.

Thank you, Jagan Shakti, for following your faith in the story and directing this so admirably. The plot was tight and the actors were really good at their job.

I think such movies are one of the ways to ignite that spark among young minds today. They are raring to go and when they find a true story to inspire them, they will hold on to it and fly.

Rustom

Hindi Movie Review

Akshay Kumar looks good in the Indian naval uniform. It is interesting to see how he has consistently improved his acting capabilities as he has grown older. He takes care of his physique and is mindful of his age. He also has a way of overshadowing the other actors in the film.

Yes, this movie is based on a real life incident but it has a twist to it. The tie up of the murder with corruption at high places was a masterstroke and the court scenes were fast paced. The tight editing kept the audience wanting more. 

I only wish Commander Rustom would once in a while get out of his naval uniform while in custody. His whites were too white to look real. 

Airlift

Movie Review (Hindi)

Quite a misnomer. I really do not understand why the movie has been titled Airlift when the act of lifting in the air happens at the end of the movie. For me, it was the journey towards the rescue operation that was the highlight of the movie rather than flying out.

Many of us would not have the faintest idea of what really happened to Indians during the Iraq war with Kuwait. So this movie truly engages. The film is well shot and the editing is tight. There are no moments of relief keeping in mind the nature of the plot.

I stayed glued to the screen wanting to know how Ranjit Katiyal (Akshay Kumar), the protagonist, overcomes one obstacle after another. A man who was a go-getter businessman turns into a messiah for more than a lakh Indians stranded in Kuwait.

There are moments in the movie where patriotism shines through and it is nice to see the bureaucratic wheel turning sometimes, while the politicians are really painted in a bad light, though I am not complaining.  I generally do not watch Akshay Kumar’s movies, but am glad I watched this one. You should watch it too.