NEWTON

Newton is a story about NutanKumar who is a simple man interested in doing his duty. He gives the highest regard to his work and in his work this plot explores many issues and facets of our great country. The lead is a person of great character and integrity and does not allow the “chalta hai” attitude to get to him. He is not interested in jugaad and gives high regard to time and duty. Rajkumar Rao digests this character to perfection showing his unique creative talent and artistry. One of the best character actors in Hindi cinema right now, or should I say the best actor in Hindi cinema, he is a living example of why good looks and a great body are irrelevant to acting. If only our actors spent more time in the theatre improving their craft instead of pumping mass in the gym. If only our actors fed on good acting instead of protein milk shakes and keto diets, the industry would scale new heights. 

The film has a subtlety about it which is very palpable. Below the stoic surface of plain frames and simple cinematography there is a storm of hidden emotion and unsaid tales. The history of the naxal issue and the stagnant decay of the country’s attitudes shake you as the movie progresses calmly. The dichotomy pivoting between change and old guard, reveal itself in entertaining dialogues and defining statements. Anjali Patil reminded me of Smita Patil whose presence was strong and unflinching yet natural. Pankaj Tripathi is amongst the few who can match Rajkumar on the stage. A typical award winning film with great story telling and unconventional narrative this film should be watched.

Rating 4/5

SIMRAN

So after the AIB video where Kangana is singing “Because I have a vagina re”, after all the crazy atrocities she has endured because “she has a vagina re”, Kangana decided to take the feminist propaganda to a new level.  She became independent in Queen and now she is gone all whacky and ballistic because “she has a vagina” ?? So I am an independent woman so I don’t need men in my life. I “should” be divorced and be proud about it and advertise it. I can be reckless with money and be foolish enough to get caught in a goons trap. I won’t stop at that. I will go around robbing banks in the broad daylight and threatening everyone at gun point. Let us allow this female high on estrogen do her thing just for kicks. Let us try this new avatar for experiments sake. But then comes the script. She is allowed to rob banks in the city of Atlanta at will. That too in the U S of A ! Not once or twice but EVERYDAY ?!? She is mentally unstable and needs help. Or maybe she is just spoilt rotten. I didn’t get the part where her manager is arrested for having something to do with the money. I didn’t understand a lot of things. I didn’t understand this film.

I almost forgot to applaud for she refused to have sex without protection. Well done.

It’s shocking to see Hansal Mehta commit such blasphemy. The director of Aligarh and Citylights seems to have some kind of an intellectual breakdown.  The songs seem as ridiculous as everything else. Somehow all the attention Kanagan has drawn in the past few days seem to make sense. She had to for she knew Simran is going to make her audience run out before the interval. I won’t stop you from watching this film but be warned.

We will probably have Kangana jump out the window and emerge unscathed because, yes you guessed it right, – “she has a vagine re”!

Rating - 1/5

Babumoshai Bandookbaaz

                             

                             

From India’s very own wild wild west comes a story of boom boom gun shots and crazy chuthiyapa. A story where women are overdosed with testosterone, you can imagine the condition of the men. This is a film about a contract killer Babu who kills people without blinking an eye. Ruthless, sensationless and egoistic, Babu also takes great pride in his bravado. You know what they say about small people – Tiny men, HUGE EGO. Nawazuddin Siddiqui shows his usual but good cocky craft with dollops of one liners and machismo. 

                      This film is for the young male audience high on adrenaline, who get a hard on thinking about shooting people and fucking everything that has a hole. The theatre was full of them, mind you, and they were trying real hard to engage in a one on one with Babu, the protagonist. All their fantasies have come true with sultry women seducing the gun in their pants and killing contracts seducing the gun in their hands. If only they had guns, I would probably be rotting in some dark corner of the movie hall right now. For they were totally charged and laughed at every chuthiya and bhenchod dialogue that spilt out of men, women, et al in the film. 

                Divya Dutta looks formidable and powerful. A great performance by Bidita Bag, uninhibited and wild. Tahir Bhasin is a strapping stud with a great physique and raw appeal. He shows promise and was a good casting decision. I was expecting a great film of the Omkara and Gangs Of Wasseypur genre. But this film is stupid and moronic. Too many gun shots and too much killing. If only there was some  politics and plotting mixed up, it could have been scrumptious and tasty. The story is nice, but the bloodshed and an over the top ending killed it. I have suddenly lost the value of human life. Boom.

Rating - 2.5 / 5 

Bareilly ki Barfi

Light, fluffy and bubbly, Bareily ki Barfi is unassuming and entertaining. After a lot of films with intensity, seriousness and glum this buoyant film is like cool breeze and fresh air. This is a film that Hindi Cinema should be recognized with. Truly Indian in every aspect, the whole package has a great connect with the Indian filmi audience. Exceptional dialogues and complete characters, each of the actors has done great justice to the script. Funny one liners at perfect timing will crack you up and tickle you.Though this is a romantic film, the story is something everyone can identify with. It is a love story which is plausible and believable presented with natural ease. You cruise through cute romance in the first half and some serious edges in the second, but never feel extreme emotions. 

Rajkumar Rao has outdone himself with a performance worth many awards. A creative actor with great imagination and characterization, he fulfills the role of Pritam Vidrohi perfectly. It would be wrong to typecast Ayushman, but the role of a North Indian regular munda is what he is best at. In the second half he fails to match the craft of Rajkumar Rao and loses his presence on the screen. He has the same expression in the most emotive of the scenes of the film. Kriti Sanon is a looker. With unconventional beauty and a lot of personality she shows great potential. She is capable of unconventional roles and I would love to see her on the paths less trodden.

A very interesting narrative with great characters adds to the originality of the story. A must watch for all who love dialogue baazi.

Rating – 4/5

Toilet - Ek Prem Katha

Toilet is a strong film with a sound story and a great script. Though there are mistakes made in the execution, the film still is a good watch. The narrative is engaging and entertaining. The script writer is talented and experienced. The use of regional Hindi and colloquial lingo gives the film a unique and likeable personality. A love story wound around a social issue, Toilet transitions between both the aspects beautifully. Bhoomi gives a great performance and has a strong presence fulfilling the character of the modern Indian woman. Akshay is his usual self with not much change from his last performance.  Divyendu Sharma fulfills the character of a verbose UP’ite, and at some level outshines Akshay. He is  a talented actor and looks natural on the screen. Though the dialogues are entertaining, at some point one may get irritated of too much chatter. We could do with a few silences and intensity. With too many songs during the film, one loses the relevance of the song in the story. Was the director trying to keep up with the norm of a regular Bollywood film ? 

The regressive mentality and inertia of sticking to culture was interesting. The fight against culture to let go of old values and welcome the new using something as natural and essential as the use of a toilet is palpable.  Dealing with the lethargy of the administrative system using a subtle, funny and effective move was nice. This film could have been edited better by doing away with unnecessary parts. With a compact 2 hours it could’ve had a greater impact and a happier audience.

Rating – 3.5 / 5

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