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.

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.

The Sky is Pink

Movie Review (Hindi)

There are three reasons why the movie stands out -----   

This protagonist is an 18-year-old girl full of life, suffering from a rare disorder of the immune system   

The movie is based on a real story   

         The main protagonist and narrator is already dead when the movie starts
 All the actors, Priyanka Chopra, Fahan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim and Rohit Saraf have done a commendable job. Thanks to director Shonali Bose for telling this story in a moving yet positive way. Though the passing away of Aisha is heart-wrenching, the narration by Aisha herself is perky, funny and witty.
 The years from the parents’ courtship, till they lose Aisha, is portrayed in a manner that bypasses the monotony of linear storytelling.

 I will now go through the pages of My Little Epiphanies but this time with more awareness, as if Aisha was telling me what and why she doodled and penned these thoughts.

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.

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.