Thackeray

Thackeray is a celebration of the great Marathi godfather Balasaheb Thackeray. The film has been shown in incidents, marking his achievements and his deeds for the Marathi people. It is patriotic in its tone and a puller for all Maharashtrians. The ideologies of Bal Thackeray have been portrayed strongly stressing on his sense of equality and fairness. Of course his work of discovering Marathi identity for Maharastrians and fueling it to fight for rights cannot be denied. Among the cheering and hooting audience one could feel the strong vibes of Maratha passion.

His stand that every person born in Maharashtra irrespective of his roots, is a Marathi and has the first right to the state and its resources goes on to show his ideology and values. Several instances of enforcing the right against the wrong people were facing, showing his godfather status is a good reason for all Maharashtrians, and Marathis, especially to watch this film.

But then the film has a documentary feel to it with not too much of passion and fire. Shiv Sena is a strong right wing aggressive ideology and the film could have held a more 'in your face' tone instead of the meager depiction of events. Nawazuddin has done a perfect imitation of Balasaheb as the silent and singular, orator and leader. Not a film that has to be watched but as a south indian born n raised in Maharashtra I still enjoyed watching the film for its almost jingoistic connect. Released on an opportune occasion it completes your Republic Day.

Rating : 3 / 5

. 

BOY ERASED

Imagine you were left handed. Though it is not very common but there is nothing really harmful about it. You are not causing any physical on mental problems for the people in your life. It could be family, friends or acquaintances. Then you realize that it is forbidden because your religion doesn’t approve of it. Not just disapprove, but declares you abnormal and tags you as the devil. You and your parents are called sinners and as people who are against God. But for you it is a very natural thing. Being left handed is a natural as breathing and walking. Under your family’s pressure you have to go through conversion therapy where you are addressed as someone who is a sinner and a criminal. You are psychologically brainwashed and treated differently when you don’t exactly know what’s wrong with you.

Boy erased is a real story about a gay teenager who had to suffer Conversion therapy.  This is an intense film and psychologically testing. It is a brilliant portrayal of a normal young adult become a victim of prejudice and religious bigotry. Gerrard Conley suffers conversion therapy which is the most inhuman and the gravest tortures anyone can go through. It is worse than Nazi concentration camps because the victim’s own family force the victims to go through it. In this film one can experience the psychological and emotional trauma the victims have to go through in an extremely hostile set up where every move of the individual is judged and examined with disdain and hatred. A person’s self-worth and self-respect are completely destroyed forcing him/her into an abyss of depression and negativity. There is no escape for him/her because he is dependent on his family and the only way for him to survive is to obey them.

I felt suffocated several times in this film. There came a point where I could not handle it anymore and was on the verge of walking out. To be able to create and communicate the severity of the issue is extraordinary and laudable. To be able to do complete justice and portray the depth of the hostility that the Christian faith has against the LGBT community is a great achievement. Lucas Hedges has nailed the character and acts out Gerrards feeling and mental state perfectly. Joel Edgerton has done great service to the community and mankind as a whole by making a film that exposes the torture that 77,000 Americans, who have gone through the Conversion Therapy. Many still do as most states in the US still allow it.

Rating – 4.5 / 5

Thugs of Hindostan

Thugs of Hindostan should have been promoted as a children’s film. The plot, characters, screenplay and a lot of the dialogue is something children would enjoy. And  the adults children with them would have found it appealing too since they would have a different mindset while watching the film.  While watching this film I was reminded of the funny and childish hero stories that would be shown in Doordarshan long back. The characters would have special powers to defeat a villain. The villain would be greedy and powerful. There would be some funny characters thrown in to bring in some humor. The costumes would be fitting for a TV fiction. There would be a certain ridiculousness to the simple plots and the dialogue would be immature.

Thugs of HIndostan is slightly more complex in its make. But the ridiculousness is still there. In heaps. The background music for certain characters and some animal or bird announcing the protagonist’s arrival is typical of the Ali baba stories.  Aamir Khan plays a complex thug like character, actually the only real thug in the film. He is that peculiar verbose joker kind of a guy who converts to a hero from a thug. He keeps vacillating between the good and the evil. The evil beings played by the British against the good guerilla pirate type Indians. The struggle for freedom ensues after a princess loses her parents, kingdom and freedom to the British.

Amitabh has a great presence and strong purposeful performance. The atrocity called Katrina Kaif continues to torture. She is for cinema what Rahul Gandhi is for politics. Fatima Shaikh looks dull and boring. Her part is mostly shooting arrows in mid air and exchanging glances with Amitabh. The sets and locales are straight out of a pirate film with ancient ships near tropical islands. Overall it’s a predictive and boring experience. There is no entertainment. Maybe the directors were banking on the star cast. This one can be missed.

Rating – 2 / 5

Badhaai Ho

Humor has the key to unlock difficult social situations. Badhaai Ho takes up an unusual circumstance of a central Delhi family and sings their story in funny jokes and one liners. The underlying prejudice and patriarchal stubbornness are dealt with light and quirky jokes.

All people everywhere and more so in India live life by a code created by society. A boy must behave a certain way, do certain things, do a certain kind of job, fulfill certain responsibilities at certain age and then die. This stereotype mold is more rigid and strict for women. Any slight deviation from this set pattern will attract the scorn. mockery, gossip and ridicule from the extended family and society. We as a nation are fanatic about ‘log kya kahenge’ and keeping up with the rules, terms and conditions set up by the society. In that obsession we give up our love for our parents, family and friends. And then when you are bang in the middle of Delhi where most of the life is invested in making a great impression in front of the unforgiving ‘samaj’; things get tough. The clothes one wears, gaddiyaan kitni hai – ek tho hona hi hai, beta kitna kamata hai, beti ki shaadi kyun nahi hui etc etc.; are all indicative of your status in the samaj. It is like a pressure test on every social function under the minor scrutiny of the ubiquitous samaj.

Badhaii Ho soaks all that up and delivers a deviation from the norm in two hours of entertainment. But when love for the family takes over then nothing matters. The lead kinda takes charge and transforms lives of his family. It would be unfair to say that Ayushman Khurana plays the typical Delhi Jat boy in most of his films. On the flip side, I don’t think anyone else can do it so well. He is the best when it comes to that particular character and he has proved it many times. In an emotional second half Surekha Sikri delivers goods that one does not see coming. The proverbial saas turns the tables to shut everyone up. The chic Sanya Malhotra plays South Delhi girl minus the show off. She has a unique quality about her on the screen that stands out as original. Though the plot of the story is humorous, the extra dose of emotions in the second half was necessary to tie open threads. A nice watch.

Rating – 3.5 / 5

Tumbbad

Some films have a strong story. Others have a powerful narrative. Then there are films which work because of the star cast. But there are very few films where the cinematography and art direction are the champions. Tumbadd is a brilliant example of this genre of films. The dialogue is minimal and the story happens in the cinematography and engrossing visuals. Each frame has been meticulously designed to add to the theme. The artistic sets and costumes will delight your vision.The whole film has an eerie and cold feel to it. A story based on ancient folklore to produce an allegory; is a welcome change after being bombarded with realistic and desi cinema. Even though it is not a horror film the prophecy and mythology are captivating and entertaining. The whole film resonates with the age-old fable of the hen that laid golden eggs. We all know what happened to that story. A great experience is revealed in a hidden treasure and the quest of a man to acquire it. Consumed by greed and lust everything is lost and a moral is born.

Not loud, not pompous with just enough characters,  the narrative is dense, subtle and extremely artistic. The director gets us completely involved in the story by creating a suspense in every scene. As an audience you will eagerly wait for the next scene. Each scene has an interesting camera angle that gives movie buffs something different to savor. The background scores and the sets have never communicated like this before. The camera work, production and VFX teams have created some extraordinary work on film that should probably be reminisced as an inspiring kind of film making.

 Its like having exotic rural delicacies after having tasted junk food for ages. The taste not only mesmerizes you but wakes you up to a new experience. You savor the dish and enjoy the moment.  The actors’ expressions and movements speak to you. The minimal dialogues convey maximum meaning. Kudos to director Rahi Anil Barve and creative director Anand Gandhi. Sohum Shah keeps up with the creative director’s vision and gives a contained and wholesome performance as a lead. This is a film that HAS to be watched in the theatre. You won’t enjoy it when it is aired on TV after a month.  

Rating – 4 / 5

Sui Dhaga

Yash Raj Productions makes a film about the struggles of a lower middle class Indian family. The words don’t sit together. Has the Indian audience developed an appetite for realistic desi stories ?  Why would a production house that captured the goddesses in chiffon sarees floating in swiss alps change to bahus in small gallis of apna desi gaon. The films now recite stories of small time chokras and their ‘mad’ in india dreams. From the foreign locales where everything was picture perfect to Indian towns where everything is below average. Yes, we have matured and are confident of our own stories. Maybe we no longer crave to see posh foreign buildings and love our nukkad and naka.

Sui dhaga takes us straight into the heart of a lower middle-class Indian family in a small town. A young woman Mamta inspires her dunce like husband Mauji to change his life and write his story. To give up the ghosts of his past and relive his life using his gift for sewing. The story behind the humble sewing machine is far reaching. From an idea to be independent to a brand that competes in a national fashion design competition, the story travels an arduous path. ‘A Mad in India’ brand breaks the shackels of English speech and posh education. The friend, the worker and even the parents walk the ramp while Mamta and Mauji are the show stoppers leading the new path at the competition.

 

Another film with a great story and an engaging narrative. Sui Dhaga will connect greatly with the audience. With its great timing for humor and witty one liners, the film very nicely blends in the romantic relationship between husband and wife based on respect and team work. The romance builds up as the husband wife team build a business with sui and dhaga.  Varun Dhawan has worked hard on his role. And though he is not a natural instinctive actor he does a decent job of the naïve small time guy. Anoushka shows poise and control in her role as she silently creates a revolutionary in her husband. Many films seem to have this desi ghee personality to them these days. The typical shudh vernacular hindi and the innocent characters with naïve thought may lose their charm if repeated. However, lets enjoy it while it lasts, though I feel it won’t be long.

Rating - 3.8 / 5

MULK

“India is being divided into Us and Them. Them, who have many offspring and are underprivileged are accused by the Us”

“Terrorism is a criminal offense, not a communal offence”

“The definition of terrorism is ‘The unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians in pursuit of political aims’”

“The entire blame for terrorism on a community is based on prejudice”

“ Terrorism has no religion. A religion is being used to fulfill terrorists’ political motives”

“If you cannot differentiate between my beard and the beard of a terrorist like Osama bin Laden, then question the reason for this and not me”

“Whenever someone wants you to divide based on religion, take a good look at how far the election dates are”

“If we start discussing what happened 500 years ago it will take us 5000 years back”

“Societies are not built by caste, creed or religion. They are built in the minds of the people. People in your family, relatives, friends and neighborhoods".

Quotes that you will remember for some time. These quotes define this film and it’s impact. Another simple yet ground breaking story unfolds itself in the courtroom. The prejudices and the thought thereof are spoken out aloud and brought forth in the sacred hall of the courtroom. These prejudices against their facial hair, number of children, food they eat, literacy etc,   are hidden in our conscious and subconscious minds. And these prejudices are leading us to suppress and ostracize that community by labeling them as terrorists. At a time when there are strong under currents of communal disharmony and violence that can erupt and cause serious damage, this film is a warning to people of the imminent danger. It reflects the mood of our society and how our leadership is silently causing havoc by bringing in communal tension. How bonds of friendship and camaraderie are broken at the slight provocation of communal baggage we carry.

Mulk is a subtle film in which the story is the champion and the message, the crown. A rare film in which one cannot single out an actor for an exceptional performance or a pivotal role. Every actor just acts as a means to fulfill a story that aims at sending out a strong message. The film brings forth instances of shock and dismay during the film that bring forth the condescension and hostility against Muslims. And disagree and deny you may, but we all carry this prejudice against this particular community. You may or may not belong to it but this false prejudice lives and thrives within all of us. And we need to separate it from reality. Terrorism has no religion nor does not belong to a community.

Rishi Kapoor, Tapsee Pannu, Rajat Kapoor and Ashutosh Rana give subtle and engaging performances holding the story high. The narrative and making of the film have a natural feel to it which was necessary to imitate reality. A great watch. Should not be missed.

Rating : 3.8 / 5