Harry met Sejal

Imtiaz Ali Khan should take a break. Do something else for a while. Hairy(Harry in Gujrati) mate (met in Gujrati) Sejal is another pile of pig shit.  There were instances in the film where the leads didn’t have dialogue to say. They probably muttered something that came to their lips in those instances. SRK screams at the sea imagining his voice is heard in India. Anoushka is cuddling SRK throughtout, but they don’t have sex. Indian Culture, YAY! I am trying very hard to recall something good about the film. And the only thing I can think of is the character of Sejal who is a Gujrati girl with a heavy Gujrati accent. The whole Gujju thing of money mindedness and legal suaveness was a little entertaining. It was difficult to believe that a girl from Mumbai whose family runs a diamond business, can have a Gujrati accent. I am from Mumbai and have many Gujrati friends. I imitate their accents a lot. But most of them have humbler backgrounds. Anoushka pulls off a very good Sejal. She looks stunning too. Shah Rukh Khan is at his worst. His already artificial acting gets more so, because of lack of a script and content. He tries hard to look broad by walking with his chest out and broadening his shoulders, which, believe me, looked as if they were detached from his main body. Tryinh hard to match Anoushka’s frame ? 

                        First half is somewhat bearable but second half is stinking crap. Imtiaz Ali probably thought that the locales and scenic beauty of Europe will make up for the garbage he has served. But it is worst because he is mocking at his audience by taking them for fools, lured easily by European glitz, colonial architecture, shiny discos and posh cafes. The whole elitist thing of mocking someone’s accent and making that as a basis of a whole film is rather pathetic. And impressing with phoren phrames and phoren chamdi ? You can do better. Ararara Imtiaaaz , thoda cock (coke in Gujrati) pee aur Hairy mate Sejal jaisa gaanda tatti dalna band kar de.

Rating - 1 / 5

Lipstick under my burkha

Simple, bold and easy. A strong film with one clear agenda and easy narration. These are the kinds of films I like. The whole rigor of the suppressed Indian woman waking up and realizing the possibility of freedom and individuality can be witnessed again. These couple of years have been all about feminism, and uncovering sexual and gender identities. Lipstick is another such film, but with a refreshing avatar and uninhibited storytelling. The uniqueness of this film is the location of the story, Bhopal, which is definitely a city but not a metro. So the woman is still suppressed but is waking up to liberation and spreading her wings. 

Alankrita Srivastava presents an unabashed side of the Indian woman, who desires sex as much as a man does. She has had enough and wants to break the chains of culture, conformism and expectations.  Veteran actress Ratna Pathak delivers the goods with great aplomb. Konkana Sen Sharma’s craft and acting does not need dialogue. Her expressions and nuances practically narrate the story. Aahana and Plabita are a delight to watch. Though the film loses the grip in the first half, the second half ties up loose ends and gives an unassuming ending. 

Rating - 4/5

Jagga Jasoos

This film is as idiotic as it’s name. It is directionless, headless, clueless, meaningless, senseless and moronic. One may categorize it as a fantasy film, but even fantasies have a story and structure. Musical ? Maybe but what's the story ? This film lacks basic order. One cannot understand what the film is actually about. Is it about a boy with a disability ? Is it about a man uncovering a heinous international crime ? Is it just a comedy which doesn’t have to make any sense ? One ends up being constipated with all that’s happening in the film. A girl is narrating stories about her boyfriend to children. Suddenly the boyfriend is solving crimes as he stutters. Then his father is solving an international mafia crime. I could not get a grip till the end.Jumping through running trains, dodging bombs and riding ostriches are the ideas to make you laugh.  Anurag Basu became too ambitious and cocky trying to satisfy his whims. It turned out to be 3 hours of nonsense. At this rate Ranbir is going to lose his repute as an actor. One can never expect much from Katrina. DO NOT WATCH.

Rating – 0/5

MOM

Mom is one of those films which get nominated in many categories and maybe win an award for one. It’s a great story with interesting narrative and fresh cinematography. The detailing of emotions of the main characters is meticulous and praiseworthy.  Sridevi stands tall and magnificent as a protagonist. Such is her brilliance that her presence can almost be taken for granted. Her performance is subtle and natural yet poised and important. A lot of work has been done on the cinematography and it is evident. The frames and movements on the celluloid make this film very unique. The director has tried to give an international appeal to the quality of the film. The story is interesting and the narrative is unique with slight gaps here and there. The brutality of rape can never be expressed completely through performing art, yet the film conveys and communicates it powerfully. If only the same tone had been conducted into the rest of the story, the film could have been a masterpiece. I don’t get what Akshay Khanna is doing in the film exactly.

The first half of the film is not for the faint hearted. I would advise you to be strong. There is respite in the second half, but also a bit of disappointment. Hats off to the young actress, Sajal Ali, who delivers a great performance with confidence and ease. Nawazuddin makes his presence felt as always, with a role that fuels the story. A good film after a couple of months is always welcome.

Rating – 3.75

Bahubali 2 - The Conclusion

Humongous, gargantuan, gigantic and enormous, everything about this film is massive.  Every frame shines from the golden ornaments, the golden throne and golden palaces. The opulence and magnanimity of flourishing Indian empires will overwhelm your vision just as the spectacular visuals of grand elephants, flying soldiers and the limitless strength all the living beings possess in this film. The royal characters are stronger than all the Greek gods put together wielding all weapons one can imagine. Beautiful strong women are as deadly and beautiful and can put the likes of Andromeda and Aphrodite to shame. A story of succession and heirdom spanning three generations this film is as heavy in its narrative and script as in the sets and visual effects. The 7 feet tall, muscular heroes stopping and fighting huge elephants, dislocating large monuments and clashing in duals vibrated the seats we were sitting on and shook the walls of the cinema hall. The characters are well played out by each of the actors doing complete justice to the aura of the film. Ramya Krishnan’s majestic presence and big eyes kept up with the royal court in her palace, while Anushka Shetty’s beauty is magnetic and mesmerizing. 

The whole experience has the classic south indian nature to it giving a very unique and different experience from Bollywood. On the flip side it’s a heavy dose of all the above. Its like this wedding you go to which is grand and opulent and has a spread of rich, greasy and heavy cuisine. Do we like the food ? OH yes ! But it leaves you feeling lethargic and immovable .I had a heavy feeling in my head for a few hours and a good night’s sleep helped me get over the hangover of the dinosaur that is Bahubali 2. A bit too much and unnecessary exaggeration of everything, I would recommend this film if you can handle overdoses.

BEGUM JAAN

I am not sure if it would be right to say that Begum Jaan is Bollywood’s answer to Game of Thrones, because the brutality against women and savagery of suffering is  so overdone that it surpasses normal film watching. A Facebook friend claimed that the film is not for the faint hearted, well I would say it’s a bit difficult even on the strong hearted. Set in the era of partition of India and Pakistan, Begum Jaan is a story of a woman who defies the government against relocating her residence which falls on the line of partition. Begum Jaan happens to run a brothel in the outskirts of a certain town in the Punjab region. The director has tried to showcase the deep psychological and emotional suffering of prostitutes, which becomes far more savage with the incidence of partition and eviction of Begum Jaan and her brothel. So the deep suffering of the women working as prostitutes and their stature in society is further brutalized by their conviction to fight against authorities in not moving out of their property. The use of language and words typical to an Indian brothel is done in abundance and pomp with Vidya Balan delivering sharp lines in whore lingo, copiously. If that was not enough, there is free use of blood, death, fire and physical violence which will probably kill the faint hearted and leave others deeply disturbed. 

Most educated, dignified men brought up in environments which respect women, will think twice before touching a woman again. We understand brutality and violence against women is severe but this film creates an ugly and unbearable face of the whole issue that is deeply depressing. Vidya Balan’s talent lost its charm due to the narrative and storyline and the vicious one liners. Yes, maybe somewhere there is a certain sense of retribution to the issue of rape and molestation but if the expression and presentation too loose their dignity then it is almost abusive of the cause. Overdone, excessive and mentally penalizing, this film left me giddy and sombre.

Rating:  3/5

Badri Ki Dulhaniya

CUTE IN CAPITALS…. ENTERTAINMENT full on…. A joke in almost every line, this film will make your heart MELT. The actors, the direction, the story, the songs and everything else is just too cute. Its got the right amount of Bollywood masala to make a savory dish that will lift your heart and make you sing. In following the trail of success led by the epic Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, this is another love story involving the families and the inherent drama that comes with it. I was feeling unwell before I went for this film but am feeling happy and warm as I write this review after just having watched it. I had high expectations of this film after watching the trailer and the film lived upto it. The story and the actors are almost the same as in the other dulhaniya film, but the dialogues and the narrative are different and special. There is the usual drama in the second half but the first half is so much fun that it's hangover will pull you through the second half. Alia and Varun share an exceptional and special chemistry and I hope they make the most of it giving us many more humptys badris and their dulhaniyas.  Varun has established himself as the quintessential Bollywood hero and Alia compliments his cuteness with her natural presence on the silver screen. Shashank Khaitan had a clear and sharp vision for this film to be all entertainment and it clearly beats Humpty Sharma ki Dulhaniya  in that aspect. After many serious films with world class direction, this film is like a dance in a barath with fun and frolic. You are a fool if you miss this one.

As a serious film watcher I request my readers not to talk on phone during the film or converse loudly in the theatre. It’s very disturbing for the audience and very indecent.

Rating - 4/5