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. 

   

Bala

Movie Review (Hindi)

I do try to catch up on movies that star Ayushmann Khurrana and I have not been disappointed. He takes on movies and roles that make sense even if the movie is mainstream Bollywood. After Andhadhun and Article 15, I watched Bala. I might have missed a couple in between but hope to see those sometime soon.

The movie Bala has a weakness and that is its meandering script. There are times when I zoned out from what was happening on screen. Missed the tightness in editing. Loved the music by Sachin-Jigar. 

Ayushmann was quite convincing as a young man struggling with his receding hairline. Having Saurabh Shukla and Seema Pahwa as parents only adds to the fun in watching. Though Yami Gautam and Bhumi Pednekar are good actresses, they could not shine on screen. Their characters did not get the scope to grow.

Carry on Ayushmann! I am sure you will not disappoint us with your choice of movies.

Article 15

Movie Review (Hindi)

I think films are a hit when they hit close to our hearts. 

We have had the Constitution since 1950 and even today Indians are yet to understand and accept its contents. This is rampant in areas where politicians, lawmakers and security forces are in cahoots, loving the power they seem to have over people who are essentially poor. Poverty opens the doors to all sorts of discrimination. It is easy to beat down a person already compromised.

The movie, Article 15, has drawn out this chasm in our society. When the protectors of law decide to side with perpetrators of crime because they feel empowered, all is lost. The protagonist, Ayaan, played by Ayushmann Khurrana, is caught in this power play even though he is an IPS officer. He has no idea about societal discrimination in the heartland of his country he is proud of. He is therefore, quite shocked when his staff at the small station he is posted in, state their position in society based on their castes. He is enraged when the Dalits are referred to as They, as though they were from another planet.

The movie is gripping in the way the story is told and is edited. There is a sense of menace and danger lurking in the corners and I at times felt engulfed by its shadows. How a gang rape is easily turned into an honour killing, how witnesses are forced to change their statements, post-mortem reports are messed with, criminals are sheltered and go missing and how the CBI botches up, are all intelligently played. That the leader of the underground Dalit force could be an educated young man who could hold an intelligent conversation was a brilliant move as was the piling up of carcasses and overflowing septic tanks.

The cast was brilliant in their roles as was the music, not the forget the opening with Bob Dylan's "How many miles must a man walk down ..."

I have been an Anubhav Sinha fan since Mulk. I now really look forward to more such movies that need to be screened all over the country.