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….

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.

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.

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.

Gulabo Sitabo

Movie Review (Hindi)

I have grown to enjoy all the movies that Amitabh Bachchan has acted in lately, meaning as an older man rather than the angry action hero. I am also a huge follower of Ayushmann Khurrana's movies. And when both are present in the same movie, of course I do not give it a miss!

So I had to watch Gulabo Sitabo and as expected it was an amazingly well made engrossing movie. 

The protagonists, Mirza and Baanke, played by Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann respectively, have a lot of competition for screen space. Not only with the other characters but with the huge Haveli, known as Fatima Haveli, located in the old part of Lucknow, the sprawling palatial home of his wife, which  Mirza wants to own more than anything else.

With Juhi Chaturvedi as the screenplay writer and Soojit Sarkar directing, there were bound to be some takeaways. So lawyers, builders and archeologists (this was a first!) descended on the haveli owner (by proxy) and the tenants, and it was holy mayhem! 

What also stood out for me was the woman power. Be it Begum, the owner of Fatima Mahal, played by Farrukh Jaffar, or Guddo, Baanke's sister, played by Srishti Srivastava.
The cinematography beautifully brought the crumbling Fatima Mahal to life with the lives of the tenants and landlord intertwining and playing out in different ways.

Thappad (Slap)

Movie Review (Hindi)

Nothing prepared me for the resounding slap! I knew it was coming but when it came it sent shock waves through me. Somehow it signaled the death of something beautiful.

Someone commented, “A slap is too little a thing to break up a marriage.” The slap, in fact, broke the dream of that ideal marriage. What is important in a married woman’s life?  A wealthy husband who looks at his wife as someone to look after his needs? A downright cruel husband who blatantly shows his physical power over his wife? How many slaps before one can call it cruel?

The movie was really thought provoking. The slap was merely a symbol for various other resounding hurtful slaps which the characters in the movie learn to live with.

Amrita the protagonist, played by Taapsee Pannu, delivers a hard message squarely in your face. The other women, mother played by Ratna Pathak Shah and the mother-in-law played by Tanvi Azmi have made peace with domesticity and its compromises. Amrita’s lawyer Nethra, played by Maya Sarao hesitates to fight her domestic battles and gets courage from Amrita’s demand of being respected and living a truly happy life. The woman next door, Shivani played by Dia Mirza, who lives with her teenage daughter, might seem alone, but is happy to live with the memories of her loving husband. The maid Sunita, played by Geetika Vidya, fights her wife-battering husband and emerges victorious.

Taapsee has been doing some good work in movies like Pink and Mulk. She along with the director, Anubhav Sinha, known for movies like Article 15 and Mulk, have nailed it in Thappad. Each character’s story weaves into one another seamlessly making it more hard hitting.

The early morning tea with lemongrass and ginger which is sipped at various points in the movie tells its own story. Its fresh fragrance lingers on as the movie signals a new beginning for all the characters.

Little Women

Movie Review (English)

When an excellent director along with a host of excellent actors make a movie based on a book which was a runaway success in its time, you do get an excellent movie.

Many, many years ago when I had read the book, Little Women, I had taken time and allowed the four sisters and their mother to make themselves at home within me. The movie does not have that advantage. It has to move at a brisk pace and make changes wherever required. So, in that sense I felt like a stranger in the March household in the movie. But I did enjoy myself. 

I am glad the movie was directed and written by Greta Gerwig. She has done so with all the sensibilities required to bring alive the spirit of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. I loved the powerful cinematography and the thought out edits. The constant movement back and forth into the past and the present was wonderfully done. Somehow the colours of the past seem much brighter and the characters more lively.

Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothee Chalamet and all the others, thanks for bringing the book and its characters to life so beautifully!!

Chhapaak

Movie Review (Hindi)

Chhapaak, a splashing sound (made by acid thrown on someone’s face, in the context of the movie)

Acid attack survivors who are women, have somehow not been in the limelight for whatever reasons. But these women live each day of their lives reminded every moment of how difficult it is to live a normal life. Not only do they see themselves as someone they cannot recognize but so does society, which often looks upon them as freaks.

I am happy Meghna Gulzar selected this topic to direct which, not surprisingly, has not been a topic for commercial movies. I was pleasantly surprised at the treatment of the film. There was a documentary feel to this movie, based on a real life acid attack survivor, which made the pain stand out.

Deepika Padukone playing Malti, made a point in opting to do this movie and it is a risk as she is seen as an acid attack victim with a face quite unlike hers. She is growing as an actress no doubt but she needed to be more than a giggly school going girl. Vikrant Massey, who plays Amol, shines in every role he does as he brings a certain truth to his work.
Hopefully, this movie will create enough ripples in the corridors of power to take a relook at the laws that should give justice to those who suffer. It is also necessary to create a social environment where acid attack survivors feel safe and cared for.
 

Knives Out

Movie Review (English)

As a huge fan of Hercule Poirot, I was pleasantly surprised to watch Knives Out. Even though the demeanor of the investigator in the movie was very different from Poirot, the brain ticking away trying to put the puzzle pieces together was a joy to watch.

The story was interesting as was the atmosphere. The writer/director Rian Johnson has fitted in several elements that one expects in a murder mystery so there was no slacking at all. With the best actors in the business holding fort, there was scarcely any scope for the story to falter. The funny thing was that the death of the patriarch was not the mystery.

Seeing Daniel Craig in a very different avatar from James Bond as Detective Benoit Blanc was a delight as he takes on the case not knowing who enlisted him to investigate!

Hopefully, this is the beginning of many mysteries being solved by Detective Blanc.

Photograph

Movie Review (Hindi)

Two very different worlds collide and there is no eruption of any form, just a slow melt. That is the story of Photograph. The technique the director, Ritesh Batra, uses is tricky. His story unfolds slowly without any hurry but most importantly, without any ups or downs. Throughout the movie I waited for the moment of crisis and it never came, making me feel cheated. The movie ended as strangely and left me feeling a little lost.

Miloni, played by Sanya Malhotra, is a young, intelligent and pretty woman. But she hardly talks or smiles. Rafi, played by Nawazuddin, is also not much of a talker. But then Nawazuddin makes every character his own and is at ease.

Thank god we had Rafi’s grandmother, played by Farrukh Jaffer, coming in who brings some life on screen, managing to ignite some reaction from the other two.

The cinematography was wonderful because it was easy to be a part of Mumbai going through its streets, chawls, cinema halls, teashops and the Gateway of India. This last one is where it all began with the photograph taken by Rafi, one of several professional photographers at the Gateway who coerce you to get clicked. Miloni gets clicked but then vanishes without paying and the copy remains with Rafi. He uses this photo to introduces her as his fiancée to his grandmother. 

Batra’s earlier movie, Lunch box was also slow moving but the story was gripping. Looking forward to more movies from Ritesh, only I need something to hold on to.

Gully Boy

Movie Review (Hindi)

"He is just a Gully Boy" said one of the characters in the movie. But “just the Gully boy” went on to rule hearts. Ranveer Singh, playing the reticent character Murad, expresses his dissatisfaction at the way things are in his world in the Dharavi slums through poetry. The energy levels in the movie rise with the entrance of MC Sher played by Siddhant Chaturvedi, the rapper who shows Murad a way out of the mundane. Our Gully Boy then raps his way into a confident individual able to stand up to his father’s dominance.

With actresses like Alia Bhatt and Kalki Koechlin providing support, the movie is bound to do well. The characters are well etched and the edit is fast. Dharavi stands out as a world holding many, many stories waiting to be told.

Director Zoya Akhtar certainly knows how to hold the attention of ciné goers, ending with the competition. It is an age-old trick which somehow always get the right reaction to a sense of vindication. I only wish the director had risen above this and taken the movie to a different level.

 Nevertheless, I loved the statement, so pregnant with hope and aspiration – Apna time aayega!

Bohemian Rhapsody

Movie Review (English)

This particular Rhapsody had me from the word Go. From the first scene, as the auditorium filled with the melodramatic music that only Queen could come up with, I began singing. Growing up, Queen was always on the top five of my most favourite rock bands.

So, I was quite apprehensive when I heard about this movie and I read a few reviews which were not full of praises. Anyway, anything to do with Queen, I needed to be in on it. And was I glad to have watched this wonderfully directed and superbly enacted movie!!

To be able to decide which aspect of Freddie Mercury to highlight, which years to look into and at the same time highlight the growth of this remarkable band was the work of some genius. To end the movie on the Live Aid concert note – was a well thought out move - the piece de resistance for Queen as far as performance goes. But of course, some of their best music was composed after this concert.

Thank you, Rami Malek (actor), Brian Singer (Director) and Anthony McCarten (Screenplay writer) for resurrecting Freddie and Queen so brilliantly. The slick edit got the movie going at a fast pace just apt for depicting Queen. 

I wanted to come out feeling good about Freddie and not dive into the darker world that he hid so well from his fans and I am glad I saw Freddie at his best!

Queen continues to Rock its fans making us feel like Champions!!

Badhaai Ho (Congratulations)

Movie Review (Hindi)

There are some things in life which the younger generation take for granted. For example – Parents are there primarily to fulfill the needs of children or the household. That they are two individuals who are human beings with the same sense and sensibilities as them does not seem logical to them.

So when a middle aged couple, (played expertly by Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao) expect another child after 16/17 years, there is a negative eruption in the house and bad jokes and rib poking float around among friends, relatives and acquaintances.

The movie deals with this subject and deals with it expertly. The elder son of the couple, Nakul (played by Ayushmann Khurrana) is working and has a girlfriend (played by Sanya Malhotra), his younger brother is in class XII and both become butts of jokes. Strangely, it is only when Nakul’s girlfriend Renee’s mother talks about the embarrassment that the older couple has caused, that Nakul speaks out for his parents and is able to see things in proper light.

Funnily enough, this kind of a situation, (late pregnancy), was a common occurrence just two generations ago.

Though the film is not a big budget one, meaning there are no huge stars in it, the actors are the best in the business. The person who simply stands out with her act is Nakul’s Granny, played by Surekha Sikri. She cantankerous, very annoyed with her daughter in law at all times, furious that the son and daughter- in-law should indulge in love making at their age but also standing up for them when society makes fun of them.
These are the kind of films that will rule the roost because they hit closer to home. It is primarily our story that we see on screen and we love to watch it from the outside watching how things unravel and then fall into place.

Raazi

Movie Review (Hindi)

Here is a Hindi movie which is a spy thriller but not quite. It has the entire gamut of an emotional drama and that is why it is different and that is why it is so watchable. I have been an admirer of Alia Bhatt and this movie simply strengthens my belief in her acting skills. Besides she has got one of the most talented directors, Meghna Gulzar, to direct her.

This movie is based on real life and has several heart-stopping and heart-breaking moments. Despite high drama what stood out was the subtlety of the enactment. Just not what is expected from a commercial Hindi movie with its over the top acting, hamming and mindboggling stunts. 

What stood out was the fact that Pakistan was not depicted as the war mongering ogre that it is generally shown as. Here, Indians marry Pakistanis and can live happily, though thanks to our political and armed discourse we are making it more and more difficult.

The movie is like a breath of fresh air. Each character has been excellently portrayed and there is the 1970s feel in the surroundings.

Sehmat is a character who will not be forgotten anymore, whether it the real Sehmat or the actor Alia who brought her back to haunt us.

Hichki

Movie Review (Hindi)

Rani Mukherji has truly excelled in this movie. Maybe for me the story resonates closer to my heart. While working as a fellow with Teach for India I learned to empathise with my students and their stories. I see situations in the movie and they hit close to home.

The entire storyline about kids attending an elite school from the nearby slum because of RTE is not new. They are looked down upon by the other students; teachers give up on them from day 1. But the fact that these students should get a teacher who has a handicap herself (afflicted with Tourette’s syndrome) and the way ahead makes for an interesting plot. The students have enacted their roles pretty well as has the teacher (Neeraj Kabi) who sees no good in them.

It is interesting to note how unusual tics are overlooked when you get to know the person. Rani as Naina Mathur is brilliant with her neurological problem and her highs and lows with her class and in her family. The movie got me teary eyed and I cannot take that lightly.

P.S. You do not always need an unusual story. Convincing acting and a smooth edit could get the laurels.

The Shape Of Water

Movie Review (English)

The USP of the movie is its height of imagination and then hitting the right note connecting with the audience through that imagination. The movie is a love story. Elisa, who cannot speak, is an orphan and works as a janitor in a secret scientific facility. She falls in love with a marine creature held captive in this facility.

As plans are laid for this creature to be cut up and studied, the audience becomes a part of the group that sets out to rescue him. The fact that the creature becomes Elisa’s lover follows naturally and only endears the characters.

Elisa beautifully expresses herself, “The way he looks at me, he does not know what I lack, or how I am incomplete. He sees me for what I am as I am. He’s happy to see me. Every time, every day.” If that is not love, what is? The sensitivity used by director, Guillermo del Toro, and the closure of the love story is simply magical.

When Elisa approaches her close friend and neighbor, Giles, to rescue the creature, he remarks that the creature is not even human. She sums it up, “If we do nothing, neither are we.”

The writing is there on the wall. Do we care?

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Movie Review (English)

Mildred Hayes, played by Frances McDormand, the protagonist, is no perfect mother. But she will not rest till her daughter’s killer is brought to book. Single handedly, she takes on the establishment and the only ones on her side are the socially oppressed. Her fight to get justice leads her to the three billboards, well, just outside Ebbing in Missouri where she lives.

The plot weaves around the lives of Mildred, her son, her ex husband, the police chief and his family, the deputy and his mother and the proprietor of the billboards. People who begin as enemies turn into friends, as circumstances change with sudden events.

Frances McDormand, as the single mother living through the guilt of being a bad mother, of trying to get justice for her daughter, suppressing her anger, her fear and again giving vent to these emotions, has excelled. This role ought to fetch her the top accolades.

Does Mildred get justice for her daughter, Angela? Well that is a question that will haunt you long after you have walked out of the hall.