Dangal

I went for this “greatest film of the year”, 100 crore earning, Aamir Khan magical wonder with great expectations. Alas, with nothing coming back as I wondered what the fuss was all about. Hadn’t there been other great films with brilliant storytelling and awesome themes, this film would definitely been another perfectionist Aamir Khan’s great creations. But I hate to say this about my favorite Indian actor that he has been beaten fair and square by films that have jolted, molded and recreated Hindi cinema this year. 

It’s another real life story about a sport prodigy who hailed from a tiny village and went through the struggle to make it big and make India proud. The only difference was that here a woman breaks the gender norm and stereotype of culture to emerge victorious fueling feminist sentiment and firing oppressed, suppressed angry Indian goddesses. But wait, hasn’t that already been done ? So what ? We watch it again. The scenes were causing a déjà vu continuously. Aamir Khan, you have fierce competition. It’s no longer just the Khans, but a whole bunch of artists, doing some brilliant work. Great performances by Fatima and Sanya.

The wrestling fights were fantastic shwoing lot of technicalities of the sport. The duels were gripping, adding some salt to the repetitive porridge.  I have great respect for the achievements of the Phogat sisters, and am proud of them. But this film does not live upto the hype it has created. Maybe Aamir could have been more creative in the making of the film instead of using his talent in promoting it.

Rating: 3/5

BEFIKRE

Confusing, mindless, misplaced eroticism and clueless, Befikre will leave a question mark on your face at the end. The story line is wayward and irrelevant. I was lost several times during this film. The present scene doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the previous one. Its like watching many short irrelevant clips continuously. The director makes up for the disconnections by the exotic locales of Paris, copious exposures of beautiful bodies of the leads, continuous yet passionless on screen smooching scenes and a constant undertone of sex. 

Ranvir Singh looks good on the screen and knows his act very well now. He sells himself in the film convincingly, inspite of an irrelevant script. That is definitely appreciable. But his role is the same, the one of the alpha male, cocky, hypersexual and a text book Casanova. Vaani Kapoor doesn’t look natural. She has that quality of the NRI returned to India to try her hand in Bollywood with discomfort with the Hindi language. The usual and clichéd Indian nostalgia in a foreign land shows up again as her parents refer to Indian customs, traditions and food. Ranvir is constantly cracking jokes trying to prove the character’s overdose of testosterone.  Most of those jokes have either been repeated or not funny. 

A borrowed idea from Hollywood and desperate attempt to make it relevant to the Indians by shoving titillating erotic and sexual frames, this film  will leave you lost and imbalanced. The only thing good about this film are two songs which are worth listening to, more than once.

Rating – 1 /5 

Kahaani 2

I wonder why this film got mediocre reviews from many sources. Kahaani 2 lives up to the Kahaani franchisee with a gripping story and strong narrative. I always feel that a film should tell you a story. This film is all about a best laid plot and wonderful execution in the direction. A story which has so many facets and they all come together to make an interesting watch. The characters are complete, the acting is mature and the script lives up to the originality of this story. 

A victim of sexual abuse decides to save another from the same peril. The effects of sexual abuse can be far reaching and sometimes can drive the life of the abused. Foregoing her personal life, Durga decides to honor her conscious and save a girl child from the dark black hole of molestation. This conviction gives us to a story acted out to perfection by Vidya Balan. Though the second half is predictable, the direction and the story keep you hooked. 

The clarity and confidence of Vidya's acting are the jewels in the crown of this story. Arjun Rampal surprised me, for I was contemplating a boring, passionless act by him. He has given a very convincing performance and shows promise. The direction and cinematography match to the theme and intensity of the plot making this film a great watch.

Rating : 4/5