The Crown S3 & S4

                                                                               

I watched Season 3 quite late after it's release. It gave me a good base for Season 4. S3 continues at the same pace as the previous seasons though the transformation for the next season took place somewhere from the middle episodes of S3. As we progress into the S4 we get to see some real challenges that the royal family deals with. From Thatcher's government to Charles's love affair and wedding, this season is by far the most riveting of all.  The magnanimity of the royal family and their palaces have been done complete justice through stellar cinematography in both seasons. The reserved coldness and lack of emotion play out aggressively in the S4. Even though Princess Margaret has in store a riot of laughter in one episode, every member of the family sacrifices their passions and desires for the dignity of the sovereign.  The queen herself being at the helm of it all. There is great power in not doing anything is what she says, and it's also the most difficult thing to do. But the suffering of each of the characters of the royal family can be felt strongly as if a volcano of emotions is being suppressed and killed. In Shawshank Redemption the character "Red" says that prison is all about routines that are done every day without purpose or meaning. To draw a royal parallel, the royalties are imprisoned in the riches of Buckingham Palace; however magnificent and grand this prison maybe. Large empty rooms with grandiose interiors and paintings look fabulous but do they make it home? Or is it a glorified prison with the sovereign keeping up the idea of the Windsor monarchy?

There has been a lot of hype about Princess Diana's life and story in media, but the story of Prince Charles has not been dealt with the same seriousness. His suffering and deprivation of the life he wanted have been shown brilliantly in the series. Josh O Connor playing Prince Charles, contains the whirlwind of his emotions so well, you will feel his suppression in all his scenes. Emma Corrin playing Princess Diana is this cute puppy that needs a whole lotta love; she doesn't even get a fraction of it. And caught between the devil (royalty) and the deep sea (marriage)  her suffocation plays out harshly. Gillian Flynn plays Margaret Thatcher. Although she is really good she will always be compared to Meryll Streep in Iron Lady. Olivia Colman delivers what is expected of her, however, loses the limelight to Josh and Emma. There are some scenes that are pivotal and essential to the whole series. The chat between the Duke and Diana in the last episode, towards the end, conveys the essence of the whole story succinctly.

A must watch if you are a sucker for British movies and series. It is one of the most defining works in its's genre.

Rating - 3.8 / 5

Bandish Bandits

This series is a beautiful and intelligent blend of ethnic, modern, and futuristic trends, not just in music, but in the lives of Indians. It witnesses transitions in music from the old classics to modern contemporary forms and marries traditions with modernity. Based in the beautiful and historical city of Jodhpur, the backdrop gives a strong take-off for the story from the heritage into the technological. It is a treat for music lovers as they will get to hear a lot of singing and music. Though I don't understand Indian classical music it was great to know how complex and intricate our music is. A great tussle created between these two different generations and ages also makes for contrasting stories and characterization to watch. The traditional classical Indian musical gharanas vs the modern on-stage performances and youtube following, both co-exist and compliment each other without compromising their identity. In many ways, it is a taste of how Indian youth are marrying both these ages with one leg on each side balancing the act and falling many times ; but at the same time creating a new present for itself taking the best of both the worlds. 

The lead, Ritiwk Bhoumik, has a sober style yet grows on you with every passing episode. Manisha Koirala's child representator, who has now grown into a stunning bubbly Shreya Choudhary, gives a natural and easy performance. The legendary stalwart of classical music of Rathod Gharana played by the legend Nasiruddin Shah gives the story a strong pivot from which comes this very Indian, very musical, very original series. Atul Kulkarni convincingly challenges the great stalwart indulging the audience. Though the series gets a bit slow in the later halves, it picks up dramatically towards the end, to finish with a great flourish. 

Rating - 3.75 / 5 

Shakuntala Devi

Being a woman is not easy. And only a woman can handle the feat. This film explores the essence of womanhood through three generations.  The equations three mothers and their daughters share as they balance womanhood and motherhood going through immense emotions and strong bonding. Shakuntala Devi was a celebrated Indian mathematician who became famous for her gifts with numbers and the ability to solve complex arithmetic in a very short time. She was a strong woman and challenged the patriarchy and dominance of men in an age where the woman had to be confined to the four walls of her home and take care of the family. With her abilities, she carved her own life path to do what she wanted and live her life on her own terms. But to what extent was she ready to lead her life on her own terms?  Things get a little complicated when the family and a child come into play. She didn't want to sacrifice her life for her family's sake. Though her husband understands it, will the daughter understand? Will the daughter who is deprived of her childhood and father's love forgive a woman who forced her to change her life for her ambitions? Will the strong, independent woman forgive her mother for not standing up to her father when it was most needed?  These questions will be answered by women who chose to be women in spite of being mothers, wives, and daughters.

On the eve of Raksha Bandhan, this film explores the complex lives of women who made a mark in history even though their personal lives suffered. An inspiring story of a woman who chose her heart over everything else and yet managed to love her daughter more than anything else. Vidya Balan is her true self again and dictates the screen as a protagonist. Sanya gives a heart touching performance and stands out distinctly throughout the story.

Rating - 4 / 5 

Dil Bechara

                                  


I had always heard from friends of how bad book adaptations were. Many readers said that the depth with which a book treats the story is never possible to be transferred on screen. So this time I made up my mind to read the book first and then watch the film. Every great film and series in the past few years have been book adaptations and I wanted to experience what it felt like. So the plan was to read John Greens "The Fault in our Stars", watch the English film and then watch Dil Bechara. Ambitious ! I did finish the book a day before Dil Bechara was released. I couldn't watch the English film though.

Dil Bechara touches and massages your heart lovingly, who knows, maybe it was Sushants way of saying good-bye. It all fits in well, the cinema and what happened. A tragic loss of someone so vivacious and true, it is uncanny to watch this film. In his last film, Sushant gives a great and true performance. He had done complete just to the character. We get to see a new face of love which gives two terminally ill patients a reason to celebrate and live. As these two youngsters engage in each others frivolity and become close, it is heart wrenching to see that ultimately they cant be together. Mukesh Chhabra has done his best even though it is bit dificult to project the depth and detail from a book onto the screen. He has successfully adapted the tender melancholic tone of the book into the film retaining many delicate nuances and paraphernelia. But by trying to follow the book to the tee, the director has had to add too much detail into the story puncturing the main narrative. This has affected the story and intensity of the main theme. For instance, Kizie (Helen from the book) does not live upto her melancholic and resigned state and that greatly changes the game. Sanjan Sanghi has a natural delicateness that doesn't do justice to the whirlwind of emotion her character is going through, which is very important to the plot and is lost because of other frivolous detail.

A grand gesture to show the film to non members, a true dedication to a fine actor. He will definitely be missed.

Rating - 3.5 / 5

ASUR: Welcome to your dark side

Those eyes. Those dreadful eyes. They will haunt you. After you finish watching it and every time anyone mentions “Asur”. We have seen satan so many times in the Hollywood films and series. Beware, we have our very own devil now, and he is called Asur. Its only after watching this series will you realise the depth, breadth and intensity of Indian mythology and philosophy. It will put the evil all over, to shame. Like everything Indian does when it really comes to that.

Also, the time of the script writer has arrived. It has always been the hero, heroine, singers, music directors and a few times, the director, whose works were recognized and cherished. But we have conveniently ignored the creator. The person who gave birth to the story and the characters, without which there will be nothing. The real asur in “Asur” is the screenwriter, Gaurav Shukla. He brings forth a brilliant concept and story by weaving together Indian mythology, theology, astrology into the present and future in a complex yet relevant philosophical series that plays out in Asur. 

There is  good and evil within all of us and Asur is testament of what happens if we choose our dark side. All the dark words you can think of find their place in this dark, seductive and consuming act. Deadly, captivating, dangerous and destructive, the evil has never been so awesome. And in the battle of the good and the evil, the evil looks invincible. So far. The series loses its intensity and grip in a couple of episodes in the middle but the resurgence makes up for it. A must watch !

Arshad Warsi and Barun Sobti lead the cast with Vishesh Bansal, Amey Wagh and Gaurav Arora in supporting roles.

The title track matches the intensity, almost seducing you to the evil. 

Rating - 4 / 5

Shubh Mangal Jyada Savdhaan

Many of us have been at the receiving end of the aggressive promotion of this film in the past few weeks. If you have watched the interviews of the cast and the director on YouTube, or read it in the papers, you will remember Ayushman and the director, Hitesh Kewalya, saying that this film is about “normalizing” homosexuality and it is for the homophobes. And rightly so, the entire film not only tries to normalize homosexuality but is rather obsessed with it. The film is begging and pleading homophobes to change their mindset and accept homosexuals. And how does it do it? Through loads of humor. Every dialogue is a one-liner trying hard to make you laugh. And yes. Some actually do. But there is so much of it that you get overwhelmed with humor. 

The writing seems desperate to hide the issue at hand and stack up directionless, irrelevant and disconnected humor scene after scene. Its as if the director is paranoid that the film might not be accepted by the audience so he has piled every scene and dialogue with desperate humor. I, personally couldn’t follow a lot of it.  Slapstick sarcastic or plain, comedy is the heavy life saving jacket that the film carries throughout but sadly gets drowned by its own weight.

And in this attempt of survival the main theme or purpose of the film is lost. The characters are not developed. Every frame has too many people to fit in and all of them have their one liners being delivered breathlessly as if to tie down the audience to the chair. I understand that the film has to do well in the box office too. But the theme of sexual orientation is perceived to be so defeated that the first “main stream” film does gross injustice to it. Within the same premise of acceptance of a gay son in the middle class small-town Indian family, so much more could have been done. SO much more was expected. Jeetendra Kumar’s performance was a somewhat redeeming quality in the film.

The LGBT community should not have to try so hard to “normalize” itself. I would rather say, does have to try at all. But by trying so hard it once again is at the mercy of the straight community to deliver their judgement. To be accepted or not is in nobody’s control. It can be tried but not shoved down as humor hidden in the invisible cloak of comedy. It clearly shows that the makers and the cast have not understood the issue of acceptance and homophobia.

Rating – 2.5 / 5

  

Shikara

Shikara is the name of the house built by Shiv Kumar Dhar and his wife Shanti. It was their home, a place where their love grew after marriage and the place where they wanted to live out their lives. This Kashmiri Pandit couple was driven out of their homes in Kashmir like the lakhs of other Pandits in the 1990s. The film follows the story of this couple. It portrays pain and agony that people like them had to go through after being dislocated from their homes. The love story unfolds beautifully despite a disaster that dislocates them from their homes.

The dislocation of Kashmiri pundits from Kashmir has not got the due attention it deserves. Imagine if someone today comes to your home and asks you to leave it and your city permanently. Communal tensions and riots have destroyed the lives of so many. Those were just not houses but homes where love and emotions of families were nurtured.By losing their homes the Hindu pundits lost their identity and recognition. They lost their motherland.

In a complete Vidhu Vinod Chopra style the film has been made very subtly and beautifully. There is not as much aggression or violence as one would expect with Kashmir or militants.  But still the emotions and pain have been communicated convincingly. The beautiful couple in the picturesque valley convey the deep pain and loss very subtly.

Rating - 3 / 5

Panga

All readers who feel I am very harsh with my reviews, be warned. Serious criticism coming your way.

We have yet another oppressed woman finds her identity to wave the flag of feminism in the chauvinistic Indian society film. Enough already. How many more of those are we going to get? Aren’t the makers bored? Or are they completely seduced by the idea of remaking the mold and making those hundreds of crores? I mean, it is just so easy isn’t it? I don’t even think they need a scriptwriter now? The mold works. Perfectly. Especially when media is covering the rape and molestation stories with so much passion. Feminism is the talk of the day. Which, by the way, is vented on celluloid and fills the void of injustice in our soul. The public is just consuming the whole idea in kilos. And the films are raking in the crores.

This one doesn’t even have the lady oppressed. She is probably lost her identity and trying to find it or something like that. I couldn’t be bothered. Whatever happened to the game of kabaddi? We hardly get anything about the game. The techniques of the sport. Something to make the story interesting. To get your audience involved. We have had similar films which had intensity. They had passion. About the game. The matches. The players. They had depth. This one barely does lip service. A weight lifting tomboy character played by Richa Chadha, is like the mother figure driving the protagonist in her Bihari Hindi. And a kid who should have been slapped for arguing with the mother is actually the male chauvinist? Two or three remarks to show the villainous side. A jump or two here and there. And voila. India wins an international kabaddi championship. Disappointing.

A complete waste of a seriously talented, explosive and instinctive actor. We want to see the Kangana from Fashion again. We want to see the Kangana from Tanu weds Manu and Queen again. She is probably waiting in a script somewhere. May she come back soon. We finally have a smile that can beat Madhuri Dixit's smile. Fair and square. And it is of a man. Jassie, a gorgeous Punjabi plays the ram avatar husband and frowns exactly twice in the film. The screen is lit by his blessed set of teeth which is, at some level, redeeming. This is no panga. It is just dhanda.

Rating – 2 / 5

Chhapaak

Chhapaak is the sound of the acid hitting the face of the woman who has been attacked with it. The title song in the film says that with one chhapaak ( splash) the identity of the woman is changed forever. A few drops destroy her face forever. She cannot look beautiful anymore. She cannot work anymore. She cannot fulfill her wishes and desires anymore. It's amazing how inventive a man is to destroy, torture. mutilate, afflict suffering on a woman. Anytime a woman pursues something more than she is allowed by the patriarchy, the men invent new ways of suppressing her.

 Like the lawyer fighting for acid attack survivor Malti Agrawal says in the film that most of the victims were women who had a mind of their own and wanted to live their lives on their terms by making their own choices. The choices to be independent, love or marry a man of her choice or any other choice that went against the repressive and tyrannical man. What can be crueler than destroying the face of a woman which is an integral part of her identity? And then faces isolation thanks to the same patriarchy that judges her by her beauty, her face.  A distorted part of her identity that makes her unacceptable and victim of societal bigotry.

Chhapaak hits you hard with the lives of women who are acid attack survivors. It makes you angry and emotional while you witness their grave fate. And like me, you end up thinking of acid attackers and how they can be punished. And in that, the director has achieved his purpose of making this film. In telling the story of Malti who not only survived but fought to punish her attackers, become independent and find love. Deepika gives a poised yet, intense performance of a very beautiful girl who chooses to correct her disfigured face with grit and determination. Vikrant Massey gives a complimenting performance as a serious social worker working for the cause of acid attack victims.

Another important film that intends to wake us up and stop atrocities against women.

Rating - 3.5 / 5