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

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