Hotel Mumbai

“Fuck your prayers. That’s what started this shit.” One of the characters retorts to the head chef praying for his guests as they are escorted to a safer place. A hostage recites the Salat at gunpoint, hearing which the terrorist is not able to shoot her. Tourists and guests are being shot with a machine gun and their blood splatters like they were ripe tomatoes being thrown. The gruesome and tragic scenes are the closest you will get to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The film follows the close encounter, step by step, that happened on that dreadful night. And watching it in itself was terrifying and sorrowful; I can’t imagine what the 200 plus hostages must have gone through as they were rescued. The staff of the five stars hotel known for its service continued to treat their guests as Gods even under these dire circumstances. Almost half of the 35 staff lost their lives saving them.

The cinematography is so good that it brought back the images I watched on the television 10 years back. I remember the news channels covering the whole attack showing live visuals of the Hotel Taj Mahal from the Gateway of India. The progression of the film as the terrorists scan every inch of the hotel killing anyone in sight is tense and scary. This is a very different experience compared to, say, a horror film. There is something fatal, instinctive and depressing about it when human life seems so fragile at the gunpoint of extremists. The sets of the interiors of the Taj with the background score make the film so real, it’s as if you are in the hotel. 

 Dev Patel gives a great performance as he adds another jewel to his repertoire of work. But the rest of the cast including Nazanin Boniadi, Tilda Cobham Hervey, Anupam Kher and the boys who played terrorist,s match the high standards to make a consistent film of high intensity.

Rating – 4 / 5

                                                 

The Sky is Pink

The Sky is Pink is based on the true story of Aisha Choudhary who is terminally ill due to a condition called pulmonary fibrosis. The film is based on her life and the journey she and her family go through as they deal with the inevitable. Aisha's mother is a possessed woman who will do everything to keep her child alive as long as possible. She and her husband are ready to go to any length to see their child live and fulfill her tiniest wishes. The lives of the members of her family revolve around Aisha's condition as they struggle with their helplessness of not being able to do much.

This film is about the inevitable end we all face. It is also about the process of dealing with it. Not only for Aisha but also for her family as they come to terms with her early death. It's a very emotional story that expresses the feelings and complications of the family who are going to lose a member. The sentimental chaos and emotional roller coaster the audience experiences has to be attributed to the wonderful scenes created by the director that emotes the feelings of a mother, a father, and a brother.

Somewhere during the film, you may begin to think about your relationship with death or the reality of losing someone you love. The film is philosophical at many levels. The experience is close to one of the life and transformation courses some of us may have done. These courses talk about death to wake us up to the reality of the things that really matter to us. Priyanka Chopra fulfills the character so well that it is as if she is about to lose her daughter. She has mastered different emotions related to being a mother and a wife and portrayed them passionately. Farhan matches her as the husband who takes a backseat allowing the emotional mother to take over as she protects her dying child. Zair Wasim gives another subtle performance as Aisha who deals with her own death while watching her family suffer. Though the suffering can get insufferable at some point which can't be helped.

A different film which made me very emotional and made me think of what really matters. You come out of the hall feeling enlightened. I guess Shonali Bose has achieved her purpose.

Rating - 3.8 / 5

War

Of superheroes, exciting visuals, superb stunts, and awesome action, War is our very own modern era James Bond film with two bonds. These superheroes can do anything and everything and put all mythological characters to shame. Jump off from moving planes, jump onto moving planes, ride racing bikes on sharp mountain curves and come blazing out in racing cars from ships that are bombed. You get more than you can imagine. The movie begins with a protege idolizing a defense war hero and trying hard to win his heart. The expressions and the scenes are as if they are capturing a gay love story unfold. I was just waiting to see a wet juicy smooch to happen between Kabir (Hritik Roshan) and Khalid (Tiger Shroff) as they share several deep gazes and close exchanges between them. But alas, this was a film of action and superheroes and one can only dare to imagine such scenarios.

The film has a good cast, a great plot, great fighting scenes, and entertaining action shots. This was the first Tiger Shroff film I watched because I was never convinced of his acting skills. And I was right because that guy just cannot emote. But I must say that he is Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, and Patrick Swayze all combined in one Indian performer. He has extraordinary fighting action and dancing skills and superb reflex movements that make him a perfect choice for a film like War. He has definitely carved a niche for himself and I look forward to many more action scenes from him. If only he can put as much passion in his acting and dancing skills he would do really well. Yes, dancing too, He lacks emotion and passion in his dancing which is very robotic and programmed.

Hrithik has pumped a lot more oomph in his performance with a strange way of delivering dialogues. Its as if he is trying on some new accent. He is his usual perfect stylish self in is action sequences and dancing. The film could have been much better if they had not dragged it onto an epic that makes Mahabharat look shorter. By the end of it, I was exhausted and in pain. The connecting stories and flashbacks just don't stop! You finally wonder if it is going to have an end, I gave up towards the end and walked out of the last 10 or 15 minutes. It would just not stop! Is Siddharth Anand trying to settle some past tussle with Ekta Kapoor? He could have easily reduced the duration by half an hour at least! Easily. Such a tragedy. A great plot, great cast, great locales, and action scenes all ruined because the director overplayed the hell out of it.

Rating  - 3 / 5

Mission Mangal

A tribute to a great achievement of the Indian Space Program Mangalyaan, Mission Mangal is inspired by the true event of launching India’s first satellite into the orbit of planet Mars. The Indian scientists led mostly by women were able to achieve this feat in the first attempt which no other country has been able to do in the world. It is a laudable and proud moment to celebrate on Independence Day.

The film depicts all the events, trials, tribulations and struggles leading up to the successful and stellar launch of the satellite into the Mars orbit. Faced by hurdles that seemed to make the mission impossible, this film inspires pride watching a team of scientists making the impossible possible. Women scientists turn the tables using everyday household conservation techniques and wastage prevention methods. Techniques that are not only scientific but also cost-saving allowing the mission to succeed at minimal costs.

A great story made into a film for the Indian audience by adding in all the ingredients required to satisfy the Indian palate Mission Mangal will make its audience emotional. It has all the dishes with every spice that we Indians savor in our grand thali. Western scientific supremacy bullying Indian patriotic fervour adds the required pungent flavor. A wholesome character of Tara Shinde is played by Vidya Balan; that of the quintessential working Indian woman inspiring people at home and work. Tapsee, Nitya, Sonakshi, and Kirti give simple and elegant performances. Akshay Kumar is a complete waste of a cast. He does not have much of a role and feels useless.

The film overplays the emotional aspect of the great achievement making it too long. It could have been shorter and more work could have been done on showing the scientific part of the mission. A greater engagement on how the scientists faced scientific and execution hurdles instead of indulging in their personal lives would have been apt. It is a celebratory and tributary film for the Mars mission.

Rating – 3.5 / 5

Batla House

 Batla House is based on the Batla House Encounter which took place on 19^th Sep 2009, in the Jamia Nagar area of New Delhi. In this particular encounter, members of the terrorist group, Indian Mujahideen (IM) were killed and arrested by the Delhi Police after getting intelligence reports of the presence of terrorists responsible for the bomb blasts that occurred in Delhi a few days back in the area.

Tactically released on the nation’s independence day, the film has gained significant attention attracting a good crowd at the cinemas. The experience was that of a documentary specially made for the independence day, to be shown on a national channel to evoke a sense of patriotism and nationalism. It definitely has not gone down well as a commercial film but the impact can’t be felt because, like I said, it was released on the independence day. Or maybe that’s what the makers had in their mind. That only makes it worse because it falls in neither of the categories. The narrative is very poor and patchy. The entire film actually plays out in the final half hour or so. Most of the film focuses or tries to focus on the public outrage and false accusations that the officers had to face after the encounter.

This story has so many layers of a complex democratic system involving religion, media and popular politics playing out in a very serious matter of terrorism. It goes to show how complicated the judicial procedure is and how difficult it is for justice to prevail. A lot could have been done with a story like that but the inadequate script writing and story-telling make the entire effort passionless and redundant.

An already emotionless and static John Abraham is seen to be more so as he fails to emote the emotions of the police officer fighting hard for his country suffering from terror attacks. The rest of the characters lack seriousness and purpose. But yes, I felt that it was the national Independence day and that made the film somewhat enjoyable.

Rating – 3 / 5

Judgemental hai kya

People with a mental disorder are said to have extraordinary intelligence or talents that are prodigal. I guess nature is trying to strike a balance by making them socially unacceptable so that in their solitude they can exploit their gifts to cause great achievements and breakthroughs. Judgemental hai kya brings forth a character with a mental disorder called psychosis in which the individual has no control over their imagination, and loses control over reality. Kangana Ranaut as Bobby is in her element again as she is the queen of this particular character; that of the psychologically ill, society rejected, tortured soul. No one can challenge her mastery over the craft which she has honed to perfection since she started her career. This time too she gives a good performance. But there was a lack of connection between her character with the whole narrative. The director has done a brilliant job by delving deep into the psyche of the psychosis patient. He has tried to give us a taste of the experience that the sufferer is going through. We get it. But at some point it becomes repetitive and I, for example, felt a bit anxious while going through the depth of the disease sometime during the middle of the second half.

As Keshav played by Rajkumar Rao keeps bumping into Bobby and a mystery remains to be solved, the film occurs in a trance induced by a psychotropic drug. With the psychotic behavior, fluorescent colors and strange obsessions; the film jumps in and out of reality, spending most of the time in the mind of the psychotic patient. The mystery getting solved in that mind creates chaos, which is different, interesting and appreciated, but not satisfying. It's as if there is something lacking and incomplete. Raj Kumar Rao's performance further accentuates the incompleteness if the whole experience making it rather dry and superficial. A great idea and story that seriously lacks execution.

Rating - 2.75 / 5  

Super 30

Some Indian brands are famous in the world for their impeccability. The TAJ MAHAL, YOGA, Spirituality, Alphonso, Basmati and many more. Amongst them, one name stands really tall for innovation and intelligence. IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) commands great respect and value all over the world. And every young Indian wants the name as a part of their introduction. Being an engineering student, I was always awestruck by the name and its products. Arguably it attracts the most intelligent people in India and the world and many achievers are from the institutes.  Super 30 is based on the life of Anand Kumar, founder of the IIT Coaching institute of the same name, based out of Patna. Bihar. The institute has been lauded all over the world for its teaching methods and achievements. And yet again India’s wild wild west does not stop to amaze with its shocking and awesome stories.

Anand Kumar an IIT coach is inspired to train underprivileged and poor students capable of cracking the IIT JEE for free. The coaching industry known for its lucrative business has the powerful deeply invested and involved. Thus, we have the same old UP- Bihar’s gunda gardi stopping Anand from achieving a great feat as it will rob them off their money-making schemes. Also, the great Indian divide between the rich English speaking and the poor non-English speaking play out in a passionate and emotional film. The two and half hours take us through the pathos of the underprivileged in India and their struggle to get inspired and compete for the unachievable. The protagonist, a mathematics genius, transforms from a celebrity coach in the money-minting IIT coaching industry to an inspired coach giving his poverty struck pupils the most needed ingredient for success. Belief! The scene where Hindi speaking students play a drama in English to overcome their fear of the language and the people who speak the language was interesting. Also using science to beat thugs and goons was something never done before goes to show the filmmakers kept up with the theme of innovation and invention.

Hrithik Roshan gives an outstanding performance as Anand Kumar and has shed his demigod beauty and star aura to evolve as a common Bihari. His hindi and his accent stand out as distinctly as his avatar as a mathematical prodigy. The writing is as good as the production though it tends to derail sometimes. The bunch of kids give great performances and many have acting potential.

It is sad that in our country the public servants and law makers are the biggest criminals. Another perplexing reality of our great country. This film has to be a part  of your weekend plan.

Rating : -   4 / 5