October

Its great to see Hindi cinema graduate from the mold of hero, heroine, villain, dance and dhishum dhishum to a variety of new genres and themes. We see so many new stories. Different from the old, rusty and repetitive films. Films that have variety that cover human emotions other than love. And even if it is love the story is the champion and not the plain vanilla puppy love. October is light, simple, modest and drama free. It is a story that could happen to any of us. The film is as easy as any of our lives or our friend’s lives happening in front of us. 

A sweet story of an unusual character who is given in to the possibility of love. A character so plain and naïve that he goes on to do everything for that tiny possibility. Mocked at and ridiculed by the “regular” world for his nature and actions, Dan is that eccentric friend we all have who does not easily fit in. He has his own outlandish and childish ways and a belief system that is almost faulty. And he gives up everything for that belief.

The best part of this film is the importance of not so important things of life. The carpet of night jasmine fallen on the green grass. It’s delicate yet captivating smell that can drive a person to live and not die. The small favors of friends which tell you how much they care. They do it even though they do not have to. The tiny issues and small misgivings which blow out of proportion and get people into fights. Its like that lovely faint breeze that makes the evening beautiful. Like the small waves at the lake which do no more than lightly kiss your feet. This film may be boring for many , but the best part is its soft feathery feel that will warm you and make you feel complete.

Varun Dhawan has given a great performance but it is so obvious he is trying very hard. Does he lack confidence? If he does he should not. Because he is a good actor. Banita Sandhu gives a convincing performance. This is a good film if you are the kind who can simply gaze at the sky or watch rain for hours together or just sit on a park bench doing nothing.

Rating – 3.5 / 5

HICHKI

We humans are designed to not accept anything that deviates from normal. We sideline and marginalize those few because we do not understand them. We are designed to be comfortable in the majority and suppress minority. It could be anything from having a physical impairment or a mental disability or following a life style and path that is not “normal”. We fail to realize that this deviation from normal was the deliberate doing of nature to allow the extraordinary to flourish. Most scientists, inventors, innovators and pathbreakers had a disability of some form. It was this disability that made them unique but unacceptable by the society. Hitchki is a story about such people who were rejected and humiliated by the society because they did not fit the mediocre majority. They were marginalized because they had huge potential hidden behind a disability, an abnormality. It’s an interesting couple of hours about a teacher with Tourette’s syndrome who changes the lives of the poor, under privileged children. Both of them are marginalized and ostracized for their respective shortfalls. Both manage to outshine and win by discarding the norm and inventing new paths.

 

The skeleton of this film is borrowed from the Hollywood film, Remember the Titans. However, the flesh and blood is all Indian. The idea maybe similar but the story, execution and emotions are shudh desi. This is a complete film with gripping narrative and continuity. The emotions expressed are strong and captivate you during the entire duration. The stories of students in a privileged Indian school coming from different backgrounds makes for a great symphony of experiences. The strong, the weak, the class and the mass all together bring forth an emotional experience of a good film. Its wholesome and satisfying. I was surprised when I learnt that this is a Yash Raj production. No beautiful goddesses in flowing chiffon sarees, no sweet candy love stories and no foreign locales. This film is on earth, in India with a grounded and strong realistic story. Rani is one of the most intelligent actors we have, who balances her craft to perfection. She truly knows her talent and also knows how to use it. The child actors give great performances far beyond their years. This is a complete film for the entire family and will entertain audience of every age.

Rating – 4 / 5

3 storeys

The duration of this film is 1 hour and 40 minutes. The 1 hour and 30 minutes of it are simply fabulous. But the last 10 or so minutes completely destroy the great hour and half before it. Its so sad that something so amazing be destroyed by 10 minutes of disappointment. It’s like having a royal, absolutely perfect muti course meal be ruined by dessert. Three strong stories which will remain in my memory forever for their great narration and strong script. I remember Jeffrey Archer’s short stories, especially “Twist in the Tail” after watching this film. His stories were brilliant and had great twists at the climax. Same are these stories which build up to a brilliant climax and the climax leaves you enthralled and joyous. For you would never expect those endings.

 A great film to watch, but just try to walk out before Richa Chhada starts spoiling everything at the end. Every character gives a gripping performance. Renuka Sahane outdoes herself. Masumeh Makhija is brilliant and so are the two teens who play love birds. Pulkit Samrat looks dapper with the perfect body and great looks, but his acting is depressing. His desperation to imitate Salman Khan is pathetic and miserable. The nuances and intricacies of a chawl neighborhood has been brought to fore intelligently. The director has woven wonderful stories without compensating the charms of the Mumbai chawl. One can never fathom the secrets a human being carries and the untold incidents they have experienced. This film is about those stories buried deep inside.

Rating – 4 / 5

Gulabjaam

Film Review :

Foodgasmic ! This film is about the love for food and cooking. It is about the emotions and passion that one feels for food and cooking. It was a very emotional experience for me since food is my first love. I have always dreamt of owning a restaurant and maybe I will someday. But my relationship with food is one of passion and deep love. If God asked me for one reason to be alive, it would be food. The sensations of exhilaration and satisfaction that comes with every morsel of tasty food cannot be experienced by anything else. A sense of satisfaction and greed at the same time; leaving you nourished and excited after the meal, food is one of the greatest gifts of God to mankind. All these thoughts and sensations come to life as you watch this film. There are other films too based on food and cooking. But this film will be special because I am from Mumbai and have grown up on Maharashtrian cuisine. Even though I am south Indian, my palette is more accustomed to Marathi cuisine. Of course, South Indian food is a different and wonderful story in itself. 

But this film is about traditional Maharashtrian food and two beautiful stories about people who love food. Aditya and Radha are two souls lost in their journeys are brought together by food. Aditya’s story is the cliché MBA grad wanting to answer the call for a creative career. Radha’s past has left her scared and resentful. They find themselves through each other as they cook to forge strong bonds of friendship. Sensuous cinematography comes alive as we witness these two souls cut, shape, fry and boil. A medley of delicious food in front of eyes with emotions playing over the screen at the same time, this film is a great teaser for your senses. One can savor every frame which has a hundred different items on the banana leaf making the traditional meal. The twists and turns in the story add to the lovely sensations the visuals of the food produce. Sonali Kulkarni gives an exemplary performance outshining Siddharth. Though Siddharth gives a natural and easy performance, he cannot match Sonali’s craft. This is one of those rare films which you can watch many times and never get enough of it. Slurrp Slurrrp.  

Rating - 4.5 / 5 

Aiyaari

I feel a little lost after watching this film. I still don’t understand what exactly the film was about. I mean yes, it is about the Adarsh Housing Society scam. The building in the posh south Mumbai area on a plot reserved for the families of defense martyrs. But, there are many lose ends to the story. There is an element of surprise at the end which is very difficult to understand.  Is it about a mentor and his protege facing off though they seem to be on the same side ? Was this a plot by a secretive team of highly specialized defense personnel? Or is it all about wearing masks and changing disguise to remain camouflaged? 

The story is way too haphazard and random. There is this whole effort to give the film a Jason Bourne, Mission Impossible look and feel. The weapons and the high-end technology show off to make it impressive is childish. The 3 D projection technology of weapons is like a useless ornament usually worn to cover up something ugly. But without the story and acting it is useless.  

What makes it worse is when you cast an expressionless and stony actor like Siddharth Malhotra. You are definitely driving in the last nail in the coffin. Good looks and toned physique do not a good actor make. The only interesting part that kind of holds you till the end is Manoj Bajpai’s acting and intensity. It’s because of him that you might be able to make some sense out of this confusing crazy knotty mess. The film needed a lot more suspense and intensity. Neeraj Pandey could have built up the story with more action and movement and give the story depth.

All those weapons and hunky guys could’ve engaged in serious combat with the goras. A little more boom and bang would’ve added to the impact making the hidden aspects more interesting when revealed. Anupam Kher is completely wasted I don’t understand who he exactly was and what he is doing in the film. I don’t understand the role of Adil Husain. He barely has any dialogue. It is a great story with a good plot but the elements haven’t been given a thought and are laid out haphazardly.

Rating : 2 / 5 

Pad Man

Padman is a biopic film based on the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham who is a social entrepreneur from Tamil Nadu. He is known for invention of machines that can make sanitary pads at one third the cost making it available for women at cheap rates. This film is a documentary film that followed all the rules of Bollywood commercial film making. With dollops of emotion and a great narrative Pad Man is less of entertainment and more of celebration of a legend; a legend who understood the extent to which a woman’s life is in danger due to poor sanitation.  The physical pain a woman goes through every month is nothing compared to the excruciating pain she has to face due to the taboo and stigma associated with mensuration; especially in rural and semi-rural India. It’s the story of a man who took upon the challenge of fighting strong prejudice and a narrow mindset to address a very important issue of sanitation. He did not give up in spite of being uneducated and fought his way through bigotry and social stigma. 

The film’s narrative is interlaced with strong emotions indigenous to India and Indian culture. This film makes a strong connect with most of Indian audience making it a memorable watch. Though long and typical of a biopic, this film blends the characters into the story easily. There are no shocks, twists or turns in the story proving great direction and a meaningful script. 

Akshay Kumar gives a sweet performance and wins your heart with his speech at the UN in the film. Radhika Apte proves her mettle once again with superb character acting. She completes the story of a society that harbors shame, guilt and contempt successfully. Sonam Kapoor has an oblivious presence in the film. Director Balki has taken the risk of making a long film in order to showcase all aspects of the life of lead character Laxmi Prasad Chauhan. That risk has paid off. The triumph after the turmoil is poignant and dramatic. It was surprising to see many young people watching and enjoying the film. This is a story that Indians will like.

Rating – 3.5 / 5

PADMAVAT

A magnanimous presentation of drama through symbolism and personification, Padmavat is brand Bhansali overdone.  Sajay Leela Bhansali is the only director in Hindi cinema that seems to be fanatic about the opulence of ancient Indian royalty and romanticizes it on celluloid boundlessly. Padmavat is a long film of humongous extrapolations of a directors imagination and artistry. It showcases the great opulence of the famous Rajput royalty and finer nuances of the culture and sensibilities. It sketches the director’s imagination of the evil and good on the screen. The story, dialogue and narrative are pictorial and visual. He does these with extreme symbolism for the two sides. Symbolism in the form of colors, costumes, get up and presentation of the characters and their surroundings in every frame. The behavior and rituals of these characters strongly attach to good and evil. The long bearded, evil looking Allaudin Khilji is shown to be eating meat all the time and murdering innocents. A womanizer who is always wearing black and silver, speaking in the language of barbarians which are not that royal even though he is a king. His ways and methods are treacherous and wicked. Hopelessly selfish and bloodthirsty he is a menacing villain. His songs and dance moves are pirate like and the only thing lacking was a chain made of skulls around his neck. But it is replaced with the black get up and shiny jewelry. One cannot miss the desperately trying to be effeminate character speaking Hindi in a strange accent. It is sad that queer is associated with the evil and his character in the film is contemptuous and scoffed at.

On the other hand we had the Indian royalty shining in gold and red. The characters of Padmavati and Rawal Ratan Singh display oodles of poise, grace and dignity. In their actions and dialogues they convey the godly goodness and behavior is royal blue. The fort, court rooms, verandas, temples and bright red sarees covering women’s faces, all symbolize everything that can be good and pious. The costumes and jewelry are a treat to the eyes.

Ranvir Singh gives a good performance as he acts out the frivolity and madness of the evil side and does it alone. Deepika shows great poise and understanding of the royalty and eminence of a queen famous for her beauty. A lot of effort has been invested to make her look beautiful. I personally liked Shahid because of his consistency and strong expression. This is a film that can be watched once, and because you are watching it for the first time you will endure the dreariness.  I have promised to take my mother for this film but I don’t think I have the strength to go through that drama which is too much even on the large screen.  A one-time watch for its larger than all our lives experience. SLB should give us 5 years before his next film so we can wear out this one.

The coincidence of the drama before the release of the film with the drama IN the film is uncanny.

Rating - 3/5