Badrinath Ki Dulhania Movie Review: An average story with a great message and lots of laughter

Movies are a great emanation for making people aware about the issues ubiquitous everywhere and not just for entertainment and this film doesn’t fall short of that. Women empowerment and abolishment of dowry system are the issues elucidated and infested through this film in a very light manner. Inspite of such sturdy messages, the camaraderie of Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt succeeds in getting the audience laugh on their punches.

Story, Screenplay and dialogues:

When it comes to romantic movies, the story has always been, the boy meeting the girl and they falling  in love and enduring the perseverance of either, the society or family and then the happy ending. How this movie differs is the circumstances under which the two meet. More than the story, the screenplay has elevated the performance of the film.

Every now and then, a punch is thrown at the exact moment when the audience may feel weary from the message that the film has to offer. The tone of the dialogues and the accent of Uttar Pradesh is a real charm and a welcoming chortle.

 

Direction and Star Performances:

Shashank Khaitan who started off his career with Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania has improved a lot. He has not only worked on the direction, story and script of its predecessor but also this film and if you’ve seen this latest work, then you would agree that, it goes without saying this film is far better than the last one.

Alia Bhatt in Student of the year was very lame. But since then, she has galloped quickly. She has become one of the best young actors in Bollywood and it reflects in this film. Her character Vaidehi meaning, Sita, wife of Lord Ram, in Sanskrit, is very inspiring and often breaks the trend. She is the real protagonist in this film.

Varun Dhawan as Badrinath, is a maverick person, but due to the constraint of basic education, cannot match the intellectual level of Alia Bhatt. He has done exceedingly well.

Sahil Vaid sharing a greater screen space than other actors, gives a sturdy performance. Other good performances came from Shweta Prasad, Yash Sinha and the person whose name is nowhere available, who played Vaidehi’s sister.

The Last Word:

It’s a good film, if you’re going for the laughter and the strong message, but a predictable story ruins the fun. Nevertheless, laughter packed, good cinematography, a great screenplay and dialogues, make up for the gaffes. But if you’re looking for a bit of action, beasts jostling each other and a great editing, then go for Kong: Skull Island.

My Rating: 3.5/5

 

 

Commando 2 Movie Review: The trail leads nowhere

What’s Good: Vidyut Jammwal’s knack to perform stunts.

What’s Bad: Almost everything other than the action. The melodramatic dialogues and a tedious plot.

Watch or Not?: You can watch this when it airs on television. There’s nothing great about the action or acting in this film.

Commando 2 stars Vidyut Jammwal (Karan) as a commando, Freddy Daruwala (Bhaktawar), Adah Sharma (Bhavna Reddy) as cops assigned to arrest Vicky Chadda, a money launderer in Thailand.

The movie opens with Vidyut Jammwal, single-handedly beating thugs on a mission, which leads him to Vicky Chadda. He teams up with Freddy and Adah Sharma to put Vicky Chadda behind bars. Freddy and Vidyut cannot see eye to eye for no reason and Adah is just stupid with her Hyderabadi accent, who apparently is an encounter specialist and runs around her target foolishly, just to kill him from point blank distance.

Direction & Writing:

A good name in the industry such as Deven Bhojani, conjuring such a bland comes as a shock. An action movie needs to be adroit with crisp dialogues. This movie lacks the pace to be an action flick. It seems anyone can write an action movie these days. You just have to follow Bollywood movies and think that an archetypal story will suffice.

With dialogues like, “Mere haath pair toh toh khud mere orders nahi mante”, “Zinda rekhke konsa swach bharat ka zhanda uthane wala tha yeh?” or “Next time tum aisa kuch karenga na, toh mein bol rahi mereko jabardasta pyaar ho jayenga tumharese aur mein hoton pe chapka dungi ek do”, a film can only look so crass.

 

Star Performances:

When it comes to action, there’s no one better than Vidyut Jammwal. But with his countenance, he only comes off as a person with no emotions.

Adah Sharma is a peculiar encounter specialist with a Hyderabadi accent. if her character was to evoke fun, then she has succumbed to do so.

Esha Gupta, Shefali Shah, Suhail Nayyar form an average cast. There was a lot of anticipation from Thakur Anoop Singh and as a debutant, he does well.

The Last Word:

You feel lucky when you realize there’s no song in the movie, but then you hear “Commando” every time Vidyut moves. Commando 2 is a very formulaic film, with bad acting and dialogues. If you want to endure 2 long hours then watch it for yourself.

My Rating: 2.5/5

Te3n Movie Review:

Can you relate yourself when I tell you someone is playing bang-bang and then, at first, all the blood rushing through their body, all that effort being rewarded for and all of a sudden they realise exuding less force within? Well, that’s exactly how this movie was, but get out of the earlier context.

A case of kidnapping, a troubled grandfather with the determination of finding the kidnapper follows a trail till he meets the convicted.

The movie starts off in the present and the scenes from the past are revealed with great directorial care. The likes of Bijesh Jayarajan of ‘Yudh’ fame and Suresh Nair meant a complete package of thrill and mystery. Following Kahaani’s huge success in screenplay, this film too had the same enigma following around.

Directing was of the top notch, may be a par better than the writing considering the figment of imagination put forth by the story writers. The first half was the epitome of graceful and refined conglomeration of directing and cinematography.

When I think of Amitabh Bachchan, all I can perceive is simplicity; elegant simplicity. Age is no bar for this great actor. He makes each expression his own feeling.

Talking about simplicity and great acting, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Vidya Balan are not far behind. Nawaz’s acute and sharp performance coupled with Balan’s captivating act take away any second thoughts you’re having about watching this film.

Suffice it to say that this movie has all it’s bearings in place. But an archetypal trend in the last four years of Bollywood films makes it all, a little déjà vu. I was constantly thinking of Jazbaa, which is, on so many levels, an alike movie. Another movie would be Wazir, which was released earlier this year, exhibited a very similar framework of the story and the twists in this movie were almost as if pried off from Wazir.

The Last Word:

Inspite of all of the above going on, I’m pleased with the film, not so with the climax. Having said that, strong and compelling performances of the three musketeers, a great host of background music, along with nail biting mystery makes this film a good finish.

My Rating: 3.5/5

If you haven’t watched the trailer, here’s the link:

 

Sarbjit Movie Review: A cry for help

From Omung Kumar, the director of much appreciated Mary Kom, comes a movie about an ordinary farmer from Bhikiwind, Punjab who under the influence of alcohol crosses the Indo-Pak border and is incarcerated in Pakistan for 23 years, being mistaken for an Indian spy. The film emphasizes on the plight of Sarabjit Singh and the hardships faced by his family, especially his sister, Dalbir Kaur.

The tone of the movie is a notch higher in terms of the intensity as compared to Mary Kom. Randeep Hooda starring as Sarabjit, brings out the predicaments of the man who is wrongly convicted for bombings in Lahore and Faisalabad. As the movie is narrated from the perspective of his sister, it rules out the possibility of him being a spy which the unconfirmed sources from RAW agree to disagree.

Apart from the various controversies the story (real life story) has faced, the screenplay, dialogues and acting uplift the movie to a great extent. The screenplay goes in detail exploring the life of Sarabjit’s struggle to maintain sanity, Dalbir’s fight to bring her brother back and his wife’s and daughters’ disturbance at keeping Sarabjit’s memory alive.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s zealous and invigorating performance will surely dwell in your mind and remind you of your elder protective sister. Randeep Hooda as Sarabjit was captivating, profound and gave a stellar performance. His camaraderie with Aishwarya Rai was terrific in spite of her being his sister in the film. Richa Chadha has always been one of the best actors of Bollywood. Even the performance by Ankita Shrivastav and Shiwani Saini as Sarabjit’s daughters conveyed the intended effect.

The Last Word:

Omung Kumar in his dirctorial has immensly outplayed the boundary of Sarbjit being a boring and a tedious movie. He gives a great message through this film. Currently 403 Indians and 278 Pakistanis are in imprisonment between the countries, many of them mistaken for being a spy. Our responsibility is to not let anyone mislead us and to trust our conscience.

My Rating: 4/5.

 

Baaghi Movie Review: Action packed, no brainer and unimpactful

With the stock of a trailer with so much action, stunts and the scenery captured in a way gratifying the viewer, it seems the movie was quite surreal when it extended from two minutes to a little over two hours. With a chiseling body Tiger Shroff exuded some moves in Heropanti. But when it came to acting he just couldn’t capitalize.

We talk a lot about how Bollywood is entertaining, but no one sees past the naive and cheesy acts in the movies. For starters, even the name of the movie was a borrowed one. The premise is picked up from the Indonesian hit Raid, and if that wasn’t enough, the screenplay and dialogues were terrible.

Tiger Shroff just couldn’t move past the words, “Abhi toh maine start kia hai”. Shraddha Kapoor kept the same demeanour as from the movie Ek Villain. With Sanjeev Datta’s debut writing experience, which is conjured from the diverse releases from Bollywood movies and Sabir Khan’s consistant work of directing muddled movies continues.

Though the action looks quite captivating, the same cannot be said about other aspects. Tiger Shroff’s and Shraddha Kapoor’s acting succumbs to keep the film entertaining. The film falls flat with the humdrum nature of the screenplay and the lack of originality.

The Last Word:

Though an interesting choice of playgarism has yielded the movie a bit of attention, the film has only a tidbit to offer besides the hand-to-hand fights and the kicks of Tiger. The film is tacky and it lacks a strong plot, but the cinematography and the scenic beauty somewhat pleases the eye.

My Rating: 2/5.

Bajirao Mastani Movie Review: An impeccable turret of moviemaking with a twisted storyline

Though an elucidated disclaimer says that the story depicts the life of Bajirao Peshva and his love story revolving around Mastani, and that the real events have been changed as per the need, for the purpose of storytelling; it doesn’t make up for wrong idealizing of what Peshva stood for. It’s like saying, “I’m writing a story based on your life and showing you as a man who brought shame on your family.” Now, isn’t that fiction? Technically, yes it is. But, since I’ve used your name and portrayed your character through my writing, the whole story points out one name and it’s yours, and in it you’re a bad person. So yeah, by doing that, I am throwing mud at you. To make myself clear, by altering the real events the writer has in fact done an offense.

I don’t know how many people from India have known about Bajirao Peshva, but its distressing to know that people have resorted to believing the story of the film and have painted an image, that’s by far, isn’t anything like Bajirao. So, other than the manipulation of the story and exploiting the whole Peshva house, the storyline for the film has been neat. The most salient and virtuous aspect on paper are the dialogues. They are the backbone of how the Maratha’s used to live, communicate and rule. They are the embodiment and the structure of the Maratha’s. Prakash Kapadia, who also assisted in writing the screenplay of the film Katyar Kaljat Ghusli, has also penned down few poetic lines, which increase the magnificence beyond praise.

When it comes to directing a historical film, a great responsibility is on the shoulders of the director. More than actors, he needs to be prepared for the guiding the actors, the etiquettes and the manner in which they are supposed to maneuver and act. Personally, I’ve never seen a director so blended in directing a historical love story. His direction cannot be criticized.

And when it comes to acting, Ranveer Singh has left an impact so sturdy, as if it has been engraved on my heart. A fabulous piece of acting from him and it shows. The scene of the last battle, when he walks alone into the army of the opposition and decapitates and destroys a major part of it, is when you’ll realize, you’ve seen something magnificent which cannot be forgotten.

Portraying Mastani, Deepika Padukone has given the performance of her lifetime. She is the dandiest in the film and gives the best judgement to her role. Priyanka Chopra, after her recent success in American T.V. series, Quantico, is captivating beyond measure. Saying that this character played by her is tough, is an understatement. She is a treat to watch.

The Final Word:

With picturesque cinematography and mesmerizing acting, the film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali touches the heart, though manipulating the story does not do any good. Gathering all the resources and conjuring a movie, which only focuses on the love story of a man, is not a biography but only an aspect of one’s life and I invite the youth (of at least our country) to think before believing some apocryphal stories. Showing Peshva dancing, or Kashibai and Mastani dancing together with their sarees wore below the belly button cannot be fathomed or forgotten. There are many flaws in respect of the story and the references made, but the worst thing is, they’ve created a fiction on the life of Bajirao Peshva; the Savior of Sanatan dharma.

So for this particular movie I’m going to implement a different rating system.

My Rating:

Acting: 5/5.

Directing: 4.5/5.

Materials or references used: 1.5/5.

Story: 0.5/5.

Overall rating: 0.5/5.

The truth of my experience of ‘Katyar Kaljat Ghusli’: Movie Review

Words evade my mind and my hands feel numb as I sit to write about this spell bounding experience I had while watching the adaptation of ‘Musical- Katyar Kaljat Ghusli’. With the abundance of an auteur writer Purushottam Darvekar, a great personality in the world of music- Jitendra Abhisheki and an actor and singer- Dr. Vasantrav Deshpande, the play, “Sangeet Katyar Kaljat Ghusli” was premiered in 1967. This play was showered love and support and the viewer got completely immersed in it. It had a great run from its inception till now and Subodh Bhave decided to make it into a movie.

Most people who are accustomed to watching Marathi plays or live in a very religious/musical ambience, must have heard the virtuoso of Abhisheki buva crooning to classical music. The emotions it brings out, are, to be honest, unexplainable. After listening to his songs, I know the power of music. It is that blessing endowed to humans, which puts our life into transition. It has been already said by somebody that many good scripts come and go every day, but an invincible, sensible and thought provoking script is a rare one. It would have indeed been the case when Purushottam Darvekar wrote this story. The screenplay for the movie was written by Prakash Kapadia, who has been a part of many accomplished projects, Devdas, Black and Bajirao Mastani (yet to release) being some of them.

Like the story, screenplay and dialogues were not good enough, comes Subodh Bhave’s directorial debut with this film. I knew the film was going to be awesome, but it was Subodh Bhave who with his extreme efforts and knack for filmmaking has taken the movie so high. I do not see any film coming near it and overtaking the prestigious place that it has engraved on my heart. A little something from the movie still lingers even now and it has been through sheer efforts of this whole team. The film also includes seventeen songs, each filled with the aura of classical music. I cannot help but think about how the composers (Abhisheki buva & Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy) composed this musical elixir. A good thing I felt about the songs was, that was no actor changed the voices for every coming song.

Subodh Bhave like always has been much of a dominating actor and an attention capturer in movies. His simplicity, retained over by his character in the movie is captivating.

Shankar Mahadevan as Panditji was a brilliant strategy which to its fullest. It is evident that the singer can act very well through his maiden performance.

Sachin Pilgaonkar as Khansaheb was equally connecting. He has outperformed in every way he could. He was mesmerizing and was a target of being hated, because of his believable, but very sophisticated act.

Mrinmayee Deshpande, Amrita Khanvilkar & Sakshi Tanwar were absolutely marvelous. Even the actors who played the characters of the King and queen, evoked the right emotions. This is a movie where every actor has given invigorating performances.

The Final Word:

It’s a disappointment, that this movie has got only four shows in Goa.  But that’s all that gets under the, negatives of this movie. I think it was the best movie of all time. You should not miss it for the world. I wish to watch it again and again and again.

From every film that I’ve watched this year, this was the best for me.

My rating 5/5.

This is the trailer, watch it if you haven’t:

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo Movie Review:

With more heavy sets, sophisticated cast and a saporific touch of the 1990’s, Sooraj Barjatyas’ directorial has returned and with that, Prem is back. Sooraj didn’t take any projects for directing after Vivah, which was nine years back. A humongous hype had enveloped since the announcement of this film. The script was written and screenplay was sketched, which included almost all the elements from his previous work. So, Sooraj thought, it deemed fit to bring back the literally depreciated characters of all times; Prem. He had a great run with Salman Khan, and what best way to manipulate it? Thus, ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’. He put all his effort to project an almost similar story and ideologies into a profit making machine. And look it’s already working.

Prem Ratan Ratan Dhan Payo commensurates with Sooraj’s every movie. It’s nothing new, being in tow with the drama, emotional content, the seemingly sweet romance which are actually pretty much just a boring and awkward couple of moments and a creepy/cliché climax. Of all the above things, the worst is when I feel like he has picked off right from where he left. If I think about the story for a minute, I think it was Prem from ‘Hum Saath Saath Hai’ or ‘Hum Aapke Hai Kaun’, who lived his life for past 16 years and appeared in Ayodhya and belied as a King, in this movie. It’s a serious thought that filmmakers need to consider before writing such crass stories. They are converting the public into their puppets and most of us laugh at what they throw at us.

I thought, even with the kind of story in hand, the directing could have been a tidbit better. There were a few instances, when the screenplay needed some alterations. Sometimes it was unintentionally funny and sometimes, even creepy to watch the scenes unfolding on the screen. It cannot even be said that the sort of ambience created is a result of desultory screenplay, as there nothing to digress from.

Salman Khan looks comparatively boosted up after his last blockbuster Bajrangi Bhaijaan. His complexion is way much cooler and his attitude and his maneuvers toward the camera are affable.

There was a time when Bollywood used to cast actors according to their age, skills, looks and chemistry. Now, that new trends have crawled in Bollywood, which emphasize on how to maximize profit, rather than focusing on the technicalities, much of it has changed. Salman is seen romancing with Sonam Kapoor, Shahrukh with Anushka, Katrina and so on and forth. Though Sonam Kapoor is average in her acting, being herself which involves overacting, this was an epitome of how wrong the casting of films is ubiquitous these days.

I really wanted to experience a good show of acting from Swara Bhaskar, but she was given very little screen space, despite her being one of the best actors. Anupam Kher has always been known for performing different characters with grace and this was one of them. It was good to see Aashika Bhatia, Deepak Dobriyal and Neil Nitin Mukesh in this movie. Neil is, as I like to think, a very talented but underrated actor. I wish he’ll get more offers after bagging a role in English T.V. series Game Of Thrones.

The Final Word:

I you’re watching this movie because of Salman Khan, then beware, you might get bored of it. This was not a deal breaker for me but certainly a half-baked movie. From technical perception, this is a poorly made movie, but considering the entertainment point of view, it is just an average movie.

It may seem as a good entertaining movie in the moment, but take some time to think. Is it?

My Rating: 1.5/5.

Shaandaar Movie Review: A witty take on the women empowerment issue

A leap from Chillar Party to the elegant & thought provoking Queen, comes a movie directed by Vikas Bahl with another message. With his reputation and knack for producing films showing a different perspective to the ubiquitous issues, the hopes were too high for this new Rom-Com. Bringing a new romantic story to Bollywood is as difficult as making money from a Sci-Fi film (In Bollywood). Vikas always comes with a new crisp and he has outperformed himself every time. His Chillar Party was one of the few movies for children, which was actually suitable for the child’s eye. A spark of zest could be seen in every child actor. Then came the delirious Queen, who was equally funny, curious and inspirational. But with Shaandaar, the story cannot commensurate the novelty of his previous work. Nevertheless, it is “Shaandaar”.

The trio of Pankaj Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor and the debutant Sanah, together conjure magic. And then there’s “Aila,” I mean, Alia Bhat. She’ll blend in with any actor and protrude everyone. Since her first film, she has burst into with quite the talent. Vikas has kept the screenplay overwhelmed with the entertainment quotient. A few dialogues between Pankaj and Shahid immerse you into the film. Over all, the writing unit impresses the brain.

With the duties of arranging the marriage of Isha (Sanah); the head of the family Mummiji (Sushma Seth), the lady Hitler, sets a business deal with a rich family. JJ- Jagjinder Joginder (Shahid Kapoor), the wedding planner falls in love with Aila Alia (Alia Bhat). The story moves around till the day of wedding. What happens during those 2 hours is humor and brain. But the key to the whole script was, it did not digress from the actual message, keeping in check with the comedy.

The Final Word:

It is implied from this point of time, that when Vikas directs a film, it is going to be a good one. But keeping that in mind, Shaandaar is average when compared to his earlier films. If you’re looking for good actors, dialogues, a story with a subtle message, go buy yourself a ticket of Shaandaar. And another mention goes to the spellbinding narration. Digs on that, like totally (Watch the movie to understand this).

My rating: – 3.5/5.

Rudrama Devi Movie Review: Other than Anushka Shetty’s galvanizing performance, the film fails to cheer up.

Have you seen Tees Maar Khan? If you have, then you must remember the things Akshay Kumar pulled off in it. My point is, as was Akshay Kumar unaware of predicting the story of the movie he was shooting in the movie Tees Maar Khar, so was Gunasekhar, the director and writer of this movie. With so much pre-production, effort worth appreciating and the story of Rudrama Devi, which is borrowed from the actual ruler of Kakatiya, it’s a shame that this film didn’t put forth the best of the content.

As much as I could read about Rudhrama Devi, the story of this film has bits and pieces of her life in it. A female child is born to Ganapatideva, the ruler of Kakatiya. But considering the precarious condition of the dynasty and consistent attacks from other empires, King Ganapatideva announces the child as a male prodigy to the eyes of his citizens. The people know her as Rudradeva, who defies all limitations thought to bring down a galloping woman. She manages the empire and overcomes many hassles. There are a few side characters and sub-plots appended to the film. As a result of which, the story and the screenplay lengthens. The story as it goes, is above average, but the dialogues were the one’s which really sucked the ambience out of the film.

Director Gunasekhar must have thought, a film with abundant war scenes could not fail. The last segment when the war breaks, there are a few army formations having a resemblance to this year’s war themed film Baahubali. But the major difference between these films was Rudrama Devi didn’t exude any realistic or logical formation. They are the most ludicrous formations I’ve ever seen and 3D made it worse. Of course, I didn’t go for a 3D show, but I can see what went wrong there. The thing is, apparentely you cannot produce a better film with hokum. It tried very hard to protrude the ubiquitous level fround in films in India. Another setback was, over a couple of times, a cartoon clip just slipped right in front of the screen, which was very irritating and ratified the limitations of showing those scenes through actual humans. And if there was no other flaw, this movie had songs. I don’t get the idea of showing those dances if they are not going to choreograph it coherently.This was such an experience, when we go for the gathering of a school and children of 10 dance and we laugh seeing them do cute little things.

Rudrama Devi is portrayed by Anushka Shetty and she is very dazzling with a prince’s armour. She is fierce and exhuberant when Rudradeva & beautiful, coquetry and ravishing when Rudrama Devi. Her acting is very soothing and is the only reason why this film should be seen. With So much focus on Rudrama Devi, the other actors like Allu Arjun, Rana Daggubati,Nithya Menen, Vikramjeet Virk and Prakash Raj. Though most of them perform well, Rana Daggubati, Nithya Menen and Prakash Raj stand out.

The Final Word:

With this film going on floors four months before Baahubali, the storyline taken from the life of an empress, with a colossal budget and a sturdy starcast, Rudrama Devi as a film is really crappy. Right from dialogues to action scenes, it all looks like there was a rope tied to the person.The war and the cheap level of animation will seem like you’re playing kochadaiyaan on your mobile phone. This is an ingenuine and impromptu effort despite the surprising performance from Anushka Shetty and couple others. If you have to, watch it for Anushka Shetty.

My rating: 2/5. 

Rudrama Devi Trailer