Gangubai Kathiawadi

#Gangubai Kathiwadi is a biopic based on the life of a brothel owner and leader from the 1960s. It celebrates the bravado and badassery of Ganga who became #Gangubai in Kamatipura, Mumbai. This famous red light area has gained popularity in Bollywood as the mecca of Mumbai's underbelly.  In the quintessential Sanjay Leela Bhansali style the sets, costumes, and the grandiose of Kamatipura, catch your attention and stay on till the last frame. The subdued backgrounds from the 1960s are in sync with the tone of the depressing lives of prostitutes then. And #AliaBhatt in white is the shining glimmer of hope, the grand hero of the film dominating every dark frame in spotless white saree. The film revolves around Gangubai and her grandiose, over two hours, making her the Amitabh Bachan of Kamatipura.

The film depicts the depressing lives of prostitutes in the 1960's who faced exploitation, abuse and were shunned by society at large. Gangubai rises like a phoenix to fight it, giving sex workers an identity and claim. She fights for their safety and dignity as their leader and champions for their civil rights. Why should a woman who is stripped of her dignity and respect withhold her tongue? Why should a woman who relieves a man of his lust be ashamed of what she does when he isn't? Why should she carry the burden of morality when it is actually the men who are losing it ? Fearless and unabashed, Gangubai makes men dance to her music, beating them in their own game with cocky one-liners; kicks, and punches even.  The dialogues and their delivery are the cornerstones in the entire story, delivered by the godmother of thousands of sex workers.

 The single obsession with Gangubai can be a drag but there is some respite in Alia's performance. I was convinced that choosing Alia for Gangubai was a big mistake. How can someone so pretty and clean justify the role of a harsh, tough sex worker? But she has proved to not just give a striking performance but also fill up the gaps and inconsistencies in the story. 

Rating ; 3.5 / 5

Panghrun

#Panghrun means a blanket in Marathi, symbolically used at the end of the film that changes everyone's lives. Laxmi is a child widow who loves ballet and wants to marry a British officer in his shining uniform. Alas, she is remarried to an elderly widower priest so she can take care of his daughters.  Set in a small village in Konkan Maharashtra during pre-independance period this film is a poignant narration of the desires of a young girl suppressed and asphyxiated by #misogyny and #patriarchy.  She is supposed to be happy for being remarried and have her hair intact (widow's heads were shaven). It didn't matter that her older husband was still mourning his dead wife and showed no interest in Laxmi.

In such a scenario discussing the carnal desires of a woman is unthinkable. Is she supposed to suppress her desires and emotions?  Shouldn't a woman desire a man, her own husband in fact, as much as any man who desires a woman? And what will the consequences be when she can't control her urges ? 

#Panghrun deals with these dense, complicated (man-made) issues beautifully through slow-paced heavy narration. Every scene carries a heavy burden of the intense conflict between desire and morality. Adorned by meaningful kirtans, carrying a message for every incident, the film carries a soulful and ethereal tone throughout. Though it may seem slow to most of us living in the digital age, every scene and frame carries so many dimensions to it conveyed perfectly by radiant acting and picturization. I have never experienced such burden within the undertones of every scene in any film. It had to be slow to be able to absorb all of it frame by frame and dialogue by dialogue. Gauri Ingavle's performance has left me speechless. She has conveyed Laxmi's turmoil creatively, while Rohit Phalke does great justice to his role. The dramatic ending made me very emotional. One can expect this only from a #Marathi film. 

Rating - 4 / 5

Badhai Do

 

Badhai Do is another valiant effort for acceptance of the LGBTQIA++ community by cis het folk.  This film is based on the concept of Marraige of Convinience often considered as a means of hoodwinking the hetero society to escape homophobia and the gross discrimination and hate that follows it. A queer man and a woman decide to get married to satisfy the socio-cultural hetero norms to please their family, community, and society outside their bedrooms. They live their seperate homosexual lives so as to create this "win-win" situation so all parties are happy. 

In this premise, Badhai Do uses the unusual arrangement and the events that occur within it to create humor and entertainment. The film makes most of the situation by bringing out difficult details of two individuals with different mindsets trying to make it work for everyone outside their lives but themselves. The conflicting gender based roles within the construct of a hetero family, the sharing of expenses, answers to be given to the society at large for their partners, and the pretense of being a couple to look "normal" and be accepted: it's all there.

 No doubt the script is sharp with perfect dialogues timed immaculately. But personally, I felt a strange sense of melancholy throughout the film. Issues like the effort, mental and psychological trauma, the acting and pretense, and denial to be oneself of the two gay people are just not taken into account. Both the lead actors are straight, obviously, so that sense of deprivation, suffocation and suffering is just not being realised. It's as if a straight guy and straight girl are sharing an apartment. This is deeply disturbing because the film uses humor at the expense of two lives that are not really living and breathing as they should. Also, even in such an arrangement, somehow, god knows how, but somehow, the woman is suffering more than the man. Though both of them are queer, patriarchy will not let go no matter what the circmstance is.

I dont see why there is such a monumental effort,yet again, in another queer hindi film, to beg for acceptance. The arguments of commercial viability and social entertainment seem important. But will a straight man live and pretend to be gay and stay with another straight man ? Will two cis het women be able to do it ? If that can't even be imagined, then how is it possible for two queer individuals ? Exactly when is this toxic nonsense going to end ? And the grand ending of acceptance and happily ever after is infuriating.

Good effort by the cast and bla bla bla .............Whatever.....No Badhaai here..... 

Its high time India knows everything it has to about LGBTQIA++ and moves on to live and let live. They don't get the luxury of getting convinced. Enough time and effort has gone into this. ENOUGH. 

Chandigarh Kare Ishq

 

Abhishek Kapoor takes a huge risk in making an in-your-face film. The story is about the life of male-to- female transgender in a highly misogynistic and patriarchal region of India. Moreover, the lead male is a bodybuilder, which is a testosterone-driven, macho, and chauvinistic profession. The film plays out in these circumstances and situations giving the maker a lot to work with. Manu (Ayushmann) has two sisters who are big advocates of patriarchy, and for the first time, women who are visciously heteronormative.

In my personal experience, North India is seriously homophobic. The fear and anxiety related to flexibility of gender and sexual orientation are very deep compared to the southern regions of India. And this can be witnessed throughout the film. The film does an amazing job of bringing this out in the open and creating awareness about gender dysmorphia and gender/sexual fluidity. Though Manu's character lived up to its expectations, Manvi's character seemed somewhat inconfident and tepid. The deadly pounding of masculine chauvinistic punches could have been fought back with equal aggression. This could've sent a strong message balancing the guilt-driven psyche of transgenderism. 

Ayushmann knows his niche and strong suit extremely well and uses it in film after film. He is industry's  most intelligent strategist and actor in the way he chooses roles and scripts. Kudos to Vaani in looking, playing and being the part of Manvi - the cast director has hit the bull's eye. The film had to end in a dramatic way as it is a hindi film which was not really necessary. A simlpe sweet thoghtful ending would have continued the main tone of the film. A film important for Indians, especially the law makers. 

Rating  3.5 / 5

Beyto (2020)

This film is about "Beyto" a young swimmer whose family has immigrated to Switzerland from Turkey. A hard working computer science student and a professional swimmer, Beyto is the quintessential"perfect" son any parent would want. But as always, perfect sons are more often than not ....? You are right - gay. And his parents are as orthodox as they come, for they don't want to benefit the country they migrated to. They are loyal to their own country even though they have left it to enjoy greener pastures. And you can only imagine the fate of Beyto. The fact that they trick their own prodigal son after knowing that he is gay is proof enough of the deep dense prejudice and homophobia. Like a pig for slaughter, Beyto becomes a victim of a dupe planned by his own parents. 

What follows is gut wrenching, heart wrenching and edgy as we witness acute hatred for gays in the Arabic world.  Burak Ates will not only make you mad with desire but will make you fall in love with Beyto as he gives a controlled and complete performance. 

The film has a unique and satisfying ending that will surely appease the audience.

Hawaii (2013)

 In the sea of intense series and films, with strong dialogues and racy stories, watching Hawaii is like meditation. Like a beautiful wildflower slowly blooming in the grassy meadow, this film calms the mind and refreshes it with its tranquillity. This story of two men who become friends and later, fall in love, is simple and serene. Based in Argentina, a homeless young man comes back to the town where he grew up, looking for his relatives. But on discovering that they don't live in the town he is forced to live like a hippie. He then stumbles on his childhood friend Eugenio, who is kind to him and offers him work and stay. Though most of the film is very quiet with a very simple direction following the daily lives of these two decent young men, the director very delicately unfolds the feelings that develop between these two friends. After being used to intense storylines, nail-biting suspense, and hard-hitting scenes and dialogues, Hawaii will rejuvenate the harrowed mind of the film buff. The silences with very little dialogue and the simple being of the characters in every frame are such a welcome change. In strong contrast to most gay films where the sexual tension is the elementary part of the storytelling, Hawaii barely uses it in the storyline. More than the attraction, the longing, and togetherness of these two souls unfolds beautifully. The attraction that both feel is subtly yet distinctly portrayed. This is just the kind of story the gay community the world over needs. Where sexual obsession is replaced by the delicateness of feelings, emotions, and companionship. The happily ever after is when Eugenio conveys his feelings to Martin in an innocent deed that warms you up and fills the heart.

#hawaii2013 #filmreview

The Married Woman

 A Married Woman is based on Manju Kapoor's book with the same title. I haven't read the book but I can say with confidence that it is a very good one. I will definitely say that this is one of the best Indian web series I have watched so far. I rank it amongst the top series with Asur and Made in Heaven. Maybe because it is an adaptation of the book, the makers were able to write a series of such depth and meaning and execute it to perfection. The characters are mature and complete. The narrative is fierce, intense yet deeply emotional. 

There are two worlds in this story and the characters from both worlds sort of confront each other through the eight episodes. Two ideologies, traditions vs modernism, battling it out through characters that are fierce advocates of their respective ideologies makes the series compelling and engrossing. One looks forward to the interactions and sort of underlying debates that go on in superb articulate dialogues. In the backdrop of serious communal conflict and in a conservative India which still did not permit unconventional love, these various conflicts have been used to tell a love story that blossoms beautifully. On one side we have the Indian culture manual following family, as opposed to free-thinking characters who do not believe in any boundaries, some of them fall prey to religious fanaticism. And one person is stuck between the two worlds pulled by societal chains on one side and self-realizing freedom on the other. All of this is communicated not only through dialogue but every element including the costume and design. And they are interspersed with urdu shayari that give you goosebumps. This is one of those series in which some dialogues will always be remembered. 

"For the first time in my life, I experienced freedom. Wife, Teacher, Hindu, Muslim, Punjabi, these man-made identities, he removed all these and saw me for who I am. I saw myself in his eyes. Free. " 

"You opened your heart completely in the very first meet. Totally bare with all the cracks"

The concept of pansexuality in itself is a new idea even for people of alternate sexuality. For once, it was not so much about sexuality, but about love, bonding, and companionship. 

Riddhi Dogra has given a stupendous performance. She is controlled, courageous and brilliant in every scene. Monica looks effortless on the screen but I am not sure if the work was. She has a presence on the screen that fits the character of Peeplika like a glove. Exception yet natural storytelling makes this series a must-watch. Kudos to writers Jaya Misra, Surabhi Sarat, and Aparna Nadig. 

Rating : 4.25 / 5