Ghayal Once Again :: Movie Review

Ghayal Once Again written & directed by Sunny Deol which is the sequel to 1990 blockbuster Ghayal lags far behind to its prequel in terms of storytelling and execution making it a drab affair which fails to leave the desired impact. There is a scene in Ghayal Once again in which the Firang bodyguards of the antagonist tell Sunny Deol to drop his weapon and be ready to die in a fist fight. We, sitting in the audience could sense what is going to come their way and take pity on those firangs. Probably, it's not their fault as those firangs might not have seen Damini or else they would have known about Sunny's dhai kilo ka haath or for that matter Gadar in which Sunny Bhaji uprooted a hand pump with his bare hands. So, no prizes for guessing what happens to those firang bodyguards afterwards. Obviously, they are beaten black & blue to the pulp. This scene very much sums up the essence of Ghayal Once Again where our Superhero is out on streets to fight against the corrupt. What the film lacks is originality as we have seen umpteen movies revolving around the same premise. It's been 26 years since Ghayal hit theaters and times have changed since than. So, it comes as a shocker right at the beginning of the film when you come to know that a rape victim has committed suicide because the victim feels that she will be ostracized and the incident will affect her family especially the future of her sisters. Undoubtedly, being a rape victim puts you in a hapless state but when a media intern working in a leading publishing house commits suicide after being raped by her boss, it reeks of shoddy writing. I mean, aren't we living in 2016 where girls are fighting for their equal rights even when it comes to visiting those sacred shrines where their entry is prohibited. So, watching a young educated girl ending her life just for the fear of being ostracised puts you off right at the beginning of the movie. And, these glitches while stitching the screenplay continue to stare at your face right throughout the movie. You see a business magnate controlling the official machinery sitting well within confines of his home. He is aided by his tech savvy staff who not only hack into other computer systems including a Government portal but also track down their targets with the help of their sim cards. It is the shoddy screenplay that fails to elevate the stature of Ghayal Once Again beyond the realms of an average action drama. 

The story of the movie has been penned down by three writers namely Sunny Deol, Shaktimaan and Sagar Pandya. I personally feel it takes special kind of talent to come up with such a kind of story-line especially when three people are involved in writing it down. Literally, they have turned the movie's protagonist unto a Superhero with special powers. Else, how would you explain a man lying down beneath running vehicles and coming out scratch-less or him hopping on to one running train from another. He also ably gatecrashes a helicopter right into the high-rise abode of his adversary. In the movie, Sunny Deol is not less than any Superhero, the only difference being that he doesn't wear a cape or Superhero costume. The film begins by telling us that Ajay Mehra (Sunny Deol) who was behind bars for killing Balwant Rai and his men in 1990 is a free man now. He has come out of the trauma of his troubled past with the help of doctor (Soha Ali Khan) and has started a news-channel by the name of Satyakam. He is an upright journalist who along with his team is out to weed out corruption and injustice. ACP Joe (Om Puri) who once caught Ajay has also retired from Police force, is an RTI activist and is in touch with Ajay.  Raj Bansal (Narendra Jha) is a business magnate of Mumbai whose son Kabir is a arrogant druggie. Joe has filed RTI application against some malpractices adopted by Bansal's company while procuring some land. During a meeting, Joe is shot dead by Kabir in a fit of rage. This incident is captured on camera by four college going youngsters namely Zoya (Daina Khan), Varun (Rishabh Arora), Anushka (Aanchal Munjal) and Rohan (Shivam Patil). The youngsters decide to hand over this evidence to Ajay Mehra unaware of the danger lurking at them. Will Ajay be able to save these four youngsters and avenge the death of Joe is what forms the rest of the story. 

Sunny Deol as Ajay Mehra is at his best when it comes to action sequences. Sunny packs quite a punch in his angry avatar with his eyes growing wide but he is a let down in emotional sequences. It is a treat watching him tear apart his opponents in some of the well captured action scenes. 

Soha Ali Khan shines and makes her presence felt with her subtle yet powerful act in the movie. 

Narendra Jha has played the role of antagonist to the TEE in the film. He has ably portrayed a character who is in a dilemma as despite of knowing that his son is wrong, he goes all out to defend and save him. 

Tisca Chopra once again manages to leave a lasting impression with her impeccable act in the movie. 

As newbies, Daina Khan, Rishabh Arora, Aanchal Munjal and Shivam Patil have given descent performances and have portrayed their respective characters with conviction. 

Amongst ensemble starcast, noticeable performances have been delivered by Om Puri, Manoj Joshi, Zakir Hussain, Sachin Khedekar and Neena Kulkarni. 

Ghayal Once Again comes nowhere close if compared to its prequel Ghayal. A disjointed story-line and a scratchy screenplay which is a blend of contemporary with the modern, never lets the movie rise above a  tame affair.       

 

ROHIT SHARMA. 

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Saala Khadoos :: Movie Review

Saala Khadoos helmed by Sudha Kongara is a well concocted inspiring flick not only about boxing but also about determination, selfless love of a guru (coach) towards his shishya (protege) and red-tapism, politics prevalent in sports bodies of our country. To begin with, if we start to count the number of competent sports movies made in our country, we can count them on fingers. This is a genre which has lot of potential but unfortunately very few filmmakers have tried to helm movies on this genre. Barring, Bhag Milkha Bhag or Mary Kom which were biopics, the only recent film that comes to my mind is Shimit Amin's Chak De. But, Chak De was about Hockey and Saala Khadoos is about boxing. The basic premise of the movie seems to be inspired from the Hollywood flick Million Dollar Baby where Client Eastwood trains his protege played by Hillary Swank. What works heavily in favor of Saala Khadoos are the earnest performances delivered by its star-cast especially the lead pair R.Madhavan and newcomer Ritika Singh. Saala Khadoos is a rugged sports flick which keeps you engrossed in the on-screen proceedings. Generally, movies revolving around sports resort to the formulaic 'emergence of an underdog theme' but Saala Khadoos doesn't travel the beaten path. India has lot of such champs but we need more mavericks who can find out the hidden talents present in our country and than further train and nurture them to become champions.  Sudha Kongara shows how true champs get going under the able guidance of their mentors even when the going gets extremely tough. Sudha shows her female protagonist as a born fighter, but than she escalates the drama to showcase how the fierce fighter gets converted into a perpetual winner when she finds her true Dronacharya in the form of a selfless boxing coach. It is her coach who instills the confidence in her to emerge victorious by facing the odds that are stacked up against her. Saala Khadoos portrays enduring mentor-pupil affinity through some really well captured scenes and dialogues. 

The story of Saala Khadoos has been penned down by Sudha Kongara who has interlaced the basic premise of pupil-mentor affinity with trajectories like scheming officials in sports bodies, sibling rivalry along with a dash of romance but the narrative has a soaring quality and texture. It simply takes off with any room for breathing space. The breathless quality of storytelling goes well with the protagonist's stormy and mercurial nature. The movie begins by introducing Adi (R. Madhavan) who was a boxer and is presently the coach of girls boxing team. He has a bad equation with a corrupt boxing official (Zakir Hussain) who fabricates a sexual harassment charge against Adi and gets him transferred to Chennai. Adi is quite frustrated as he knows there is no potential in girl boxers of Chennai. Upon reaching Chennai, he comes across Madhi (Ritika Singh) who is a foul-mouthed fisher woman by profession but has a natural penchant for boxing. Adi senses the potential in her and decides to take her under his wings. Since Madhi is reluctant to enter boxing arena, Adi decides to pay her Rs.500 every day to come for boxing training as he sees a champion in her. How Adi manages to train her and convert the fisher woman into a boxing champion is what forms the rest of the story. 

R.Madhavan has undeniably delivered the best performance of his career till date in Saala Khadoos and carried the movie on his broad shoulders. Madhavan has imbibed the traits of his character both physically as well as emotionally and ably enacted them on-screen meticulously. R.Madhavan has delivered an exemplary realistic performance which is a testament to his hard work and dedication towards portraying this character. Right from his body language to expressions....everything is pitch perfect in this movie. Madhavan looks totally convincing as the boxing coach who despite his eccentricities is ready to go to any length to groom his protege unto a champion. Truly, a match winning performance.     

Ritika Singh as Madhi is a revelation. It is Ritika's spirited portrayal of a pugilist that makes it possible to ignore the flaws in craft as it's hard to point a finger at her performance. Right from the body language of a boxer, to her mercurial temprament and the fight within her, Ritika simply nails it. We see Ritika in two different avatars in this movie; while in the first half she comes across as a carefree, foulmouthed fisher woman ready to pick up fights; in the second half we see a mellowed down avatar of hers who is more focused, determined raring to go. And, to her credit, Ritika is equally convincing and at ease while portraying both these avatars. Ritika literally makes you feel for her character with her brilliant and realistic portrayal. 

The musical soundtrack of the movie has been composed by Santosh Narayanan which is average but he scores brownie points for his background music. The cinematographer of the movie is Sivkumar Vijayan who has done a splendid job behind the lens. Right from capturing the aggression in boxing ring, Vijayan's camera glides across capturing the anger and frustration of the movie's protagonists turn into retrieval with effortless ease making it a delight to watch. The movie has been edited by Satish Suriya who has done a crisp job at the editing table and kept the run-time of the movie to 109 minutes. As a writer-director, Sudha Kongara deserves accolades for making this unusual but competent sports film. The way she has conceived and crafted the guru-shishya dynamics in the film is applause-worthy. As a director, Sudha Dongara has made sincere efforts and managed to impress. 

One aspect which makes Saala Khadoos worth a watch is that it has its heart and soul at the right place. It might not be as exciting or thrilling as the average Bollywood masala fares but it still manages to entertain you due to earnest performances and inspiring storyline. 

ROHIT SHARMA. 

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Airlift :: Movie Review

                                             

Airlift helmed by Raja Krishna Menon portrays the incongruity of over 1.70 lac Indians stranded in Kuwait during 1990 and their evacuation in the most realistic, entertaining and thrilling manner making it a great watch. Airlift narrates a story which needed to be told. After all, its the story about the world's largest civilian evacuation till date which was done by India. It was in August 1990 that Saddam's army took control of Kuwait and unleashed a reign of terror. There were around 1.70 lac Indians living in Kuwait at that time who found themselves stranded in most averse situation. During those turbulent times, one person who selflessly made a difference with his efforts to get all the Indians safely was Ranjit Katiyal. Ranjeet who was a proud Kuwaiti and successful businessman saw his world tumbling in one day when Saddam's forced invaded Kuwait. He could have easily left Kuwait with his family but he chose to wait and stay there to help all fellow Indians stranded there. And, one person, who takes Airlift several notches higher with his impeccable act is Akshay Kumar as Ranjit Katiyal. Akshay exemplary portrays the character of a real life hero, a hero whose conscience gets awakened during the most troubled times. Most importantly, Airlift tells us that with unswerving ascendancy and attenuate virility, how a hero is concoction of the troubles that humanity be bequeathed from its shortcomings. I would like to applaud the makers for choosing this story so that cinegoers come to know about this incident which never got a mention in our history books as average Indian including me was completely unaware about this world's largest civilian evacuation done by Indian Government. More than 500 planes were flown over war zone area by Air India to safely evacuate 1.70 lac Indians. And, most importantly, it tells us the story of a unsung real life heroes like Ranjit Katiyal who risked their everything just for the sake of their fellow-Indians. Since this is a realistic movie, so, in the end Airlift tells us that there were two commendable emigrants namely Mr Matthews and Mr. Vedi who were the masterminds behind this rescue operation and that both of them were amalgamated into Akshay's character.   

The story of Airlift has been penned down by Raja Krishna Menon and the credit for writing the screenplay of the movie goes to Suresh Nair, Rahul Nangia and Ritesh Shah. The writers have audaciously woven a tale with layers of human emotions with select personal stories without going over the top. There is no exaggeration, excessive melodrama or playing to the galleries and this the biggest USP of Airlift. It is the story of a man whose conscious and heroism gets awakened in the gravest situation. The film's opening scene begins a day before the invasion where Ranjit Katiyal (Akshay Kumar) is clinching a business deal in Kuwait. He likes to be known as a Kuwaiti instead of Indian and prefers Arabic music over Indian music. He is a shrewd businessman who is living a luxurious life with his wife Amrita (Nimrat Kaur) and his young daughter. His world comes tumbling down when Iraq invades Kuwait on August 2,1990. As Ranjeet moves out of his home, his car is stopped by forces and his driver is gunned down in front of his eyes. Fortunately for Katiyal, a convoy of Iraqi Major Zayd (Inaamul Haq) is passing by at that moment who recognizes Katiyal and his life is saved. Major Zayd offers free passage to Ranjit Katiyal and his family in lieu of huge money. Just when Ranjit is planning to leave the country with his family, he finds several of his employees stranded in his office with a sense of security around him. It is at that moment, the selfish businessman Ranjit gets transformed and decides that he won't leave the country until all the fellow Indians are evacuated safely. He with the help of his rich friends organizes a camp for 1.7 Lac Indians. The rest of the film portrays how Ranjit tries to use all his contacts and negotiating skills for the safe evacuation of all Indians from the dire situation. 

Akshay Kumar has come a long way as an actor since his Khiladi days and his impeccable act in Airlift is a testament to that. Undeniably, Akshay is the soul of Airlift as with his powerful act he literally owns the screen in the movie. There is a virile vividness about Akshay's character in the movie (who is both strong and vulnerable) which Akshay has captured brilliantly. The ease with which Akshay has portrayed his subtle transformation from a selfish business tycoon to a humbled refugee with a mission to save lacs of people around him is commendable. There are several scenes in the movie where Akshay simply talks with his expressions rather than words like the scene where his driver is killed in front of him or the scene where he goes to fetch the wife and daughter of his slain driver. You can watch the transition in his body language with passing time when no Government help arrives. Akshay is simply OUSTANDING in the movie. 

Nimrat Kaur who was last scene in critically acclaimed Lunchbox is a scene stealer in the movie. Nimrat also gets to portray a complex character in the movie as she is a disgruntled wife albeit for different reasons as the movie progresses. As the movie opens, she is angry with her husband because she she feels he is a self-centered business tycoon but later she is miffed over him because now the same self-centered man decides to be a messiah for other stranded Indians ignoring the choice of leaving the country with his family. Nimrat ably portrays myriad emotions in the movie. Her act is a treat to watch in the scene where confronts cantankerous whining man portrayed by Prakash Belawadi. 

Inaamul Haq who gets to portray a major character in a movie after Filmistan is spot-on in the movie. As the greedy and sinister Iraqi Major, Inaamul has nailed his character to perfection. His expressions, dialect and penchant for Amitabh Bachchan is a treat to watch in Airlift. Inaamul provides quite a comic relief in the movie with his delightful act. 

Feryna Wazheir shines and makes her presence felt with her subtle yet powerful act as Tasneem in Airlift.

Purab Kohli has enacted the character of Ibrahim Durrani with utmost conviction in Airlift. Purab has ably essayed the character of a man who helps Akshay in his mission whilst he is also trying to locate his missing fiancee. Prakash Belawadi stands out as the cantankerous old man who is always whining about one issue or other. Kumud Mishra shines with his typical Babu act in Ministry Of External Affairs who puts in sincere efforts for the evacuation of stranded Indians. 

The musical soundtrack of the movie that has been composed by Amaal Mallik & Ankit Tiwari is ear pleasing. The cinematographer of the movie is Priya Seth who has not only ably captured the devastated city swaddled with fear but also the fractured souls of characters in the movie. Priya's framing of desert sequences lends a unique texture to Airlift. The movie has been edited by Hemanti Sarkar who has kept the run-time of the movie to 124 minutes. As writer-director, Raja Krishna Menon has kept things as close to reality as possible which is applause worthy. Raja has made honest efforts to give the film a docu drama feel which is evident throughout the movie. He has devoid the movie of any over dramatized situations or exaggerated flourishes which heavily works in favor of the movie. Raja Krishna Menon has packaged the movie in such precise and unapologetic way that we get the feeling of being there during the time of the action.

      

ROHIT SHARMA. 

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Wazir :: Movie Review

Wazir helmed by Bejoy Nambiar is an intelligent movie that portrays the story two battered souls in a thriller format with strong undercurrents of emotional turbulence making it a descent one time watch. Nambiar's previous two flicks namely Shaitaan and David had one thing in common ; strong characterizations and slick,stylish execution which is very much evident in Wazir too. The highlights of Wazir are its plot especially the well etched out characters, bravura performances and its editing with a crisp run-time of 103 minutes. 

The story of Wazir has been penned down by Vidu Vinod Chopra where as the screenplay has been jointly written by Vidhu & Abhijat Joshi. The basic plot of Wazir is quite interesting with the narrative displaying the kind of unpredictable writing that we seldom get to watch in Hindi movies. The best part is how the game of chess especially the chessman (chess pieces) have been interwoven into the screenplay ; be it the mysterious character of Wazir or the other characters who have been shown as simply pawns in this broader game of life. A lot of the dialogues on life's whimsies expectantly use chess tropes for which due credit must be given to the dialogue writers i.e. Abhijeet Deshpande and Gazal Dhaliwal. Wazir is a story about friendship of two individuals with fractured souls albeit for different reasons. The common grief that both of them share is loosing of their loved ones. When it comes to their characterizations ; while one of them Farhan Akhtar is brave yet defeated by a personal tragedy, vulnerable and honest , the other Amitabh Bachchan is a wheel chair bound genius with bouts of wit and a mastermind. I liked the way the movie opens building up the swift romance between ATS officer Danish (Farhan Akhtar) and Ruhana (Aditi Rao Hydari) without wasting any time. Their idyllic life suffers a major jolt when a tragedy strikes and they both are unable to come out of the grief. Hereafter, Danish meets Omkarnath/Panditji (Amitabh Bachchan) who is a wheel chair bound chess champion. Panditji lost his wife and his legs in a road accident. But fate plays a cruel joke in Panditji's life when his young daughter dies a mysterious death at Minister Qureshi's (Manav Kaul) residence. He is told that his daughter died after falling from the staircase at Qureshi's residence where as Panditji believes that she was murdered. Danish begins to investigate this case and soon Panditji is attacked and threatened by a mysterious man Wazir (Neil Nitin Mukesh). Who is Wazir, Will Danish be able to uncover the truth behind the murder of Panditji's daughter is what forms the rest of the story.  

Amitabh Bachchan as Pandit Omkarnath Dhar is as masterly as any fine actor be in Wazir. Right from his first shot, he takes possession of his character in the way, only he can. Bachchan exemplary portrays a character who often resorts to humor in order to overcome his personal grief and stay alive. He mostly emotes through his eyes and in his eyes you can see not only the desperation but also the strength and determination of a helpless father who is out to seek revenge.  

Farhan Akhtar has come up with another impressive performance in Wazir. He ably enacts the journey of a character from being emotionally drenched and anguished to a determined and loving friend out to seek revenge. His camaraderie with Amitabh Bachchan is the highlight of the movie. Farhan has a reputation of delving deep unto the skin of the character & In Wazir he literally looks like an ATS officer that he is supposed to play in the movie.

Aditi Rao Hydari proves her mettle as an actress by portraying the character of a grieving mother with utmost conviction. She looks truly captivating in the movie and has enacted her part gracefully in the movie.

Manav Kaul has turned out to be the surprise element of the film with his impeccable performance. As the power hungry Kasmiri politician, Manav looks malevolent and sinister all the way. His expressions are a treat to watch in the scene when Farhan visits his office to investigate about Panditji's daughter death.

Neil Nitin Mukesh plays his part to pitch perfection in Wazir. His devilish grin and evil antics stay with you for a long time after you exit the theater. Neil has made the most of the screen time assigned to him in the movie.

John Abraham has come up with a impressive cameo in Wazir. During his short stint on-screen, he literally looks his part of being an ATS officer.

Technically Wazir is a marvel. Right from its music (Advaita, Rochak kohli, Prashant Pillai, Ankit Tiwari), cinematography (Sanu Varghese), background music (Rohit Kulkarni) to its editing (Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Abhijat Joshi) is in tandem with Bejoy Nambiar's eloquent vision. As a director, Bejoy Nambiar once again proves that he is master of his craft when it comes to helming stylish, slick flicks. Though, he is let down by a convoluted second half yet he manages to engage you in the movie till the very end because Wazir remains true to its purpose, of conveying the emotions that underline the action.

ROHIT SHARMA. 

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Dilwale :: Movie Review

Dilwale helmed by Rohit Shetty takes you on predictable lanes of love, betrayal, action, melodrama making it an average masala affair. Since last flick that Rohit Shetty & Shahrukh worked together in i.e. Chennai Express was a monstrous hit, so the expectations from this movie were quite high. And when Kajol was announced as the leading lady opposite Shahrukh in this movie, expectations soared to an altogether different altitude. And, fortunately for Rohit Shetty it's the charming chemistry between Kajol & SRK that has saved this convoluted drama from going haywire. In fact, all the actors in the film have given earnest performances but the basic plot which is the pillar of strength for a movie is missing. Dilwale isn't like a typical Rohit Shetty film in many ways apart from the cars. Dilwale is more of a love story and an emotional drama between siblings. Even, Chennai Express was a love story but it had dollops of humor quotient interlaced in the narrative which is missing from Dilwale. No doubt, there is humor in Dilwale too but it is quite few and far in-between. Dilwale is more like a potpourri with Rohit Shetty throwing in a bit of everything in the movie ranging from romance, action, comedy, drama, heartache. But, there is no cohesive storyline to back up all these elements making them fall flat. Still, Dilwale can be watched once for its slick action, well choreographed songs and earnest performances by its starcast. 

Dilwale like many other Rohit's films begins in Goa where Veer (Varun Dhawan) is living with elder brother Raj naam to suna hoga (Shahrukh Khan). They own a car garage where they modify cars. Why ? Arre Bhai, It's a Rohit Shetty film where cars play a pivotal role in the movie and characters appear in-between. While going on a test drive, Veer meets Ishita (Kriti Sanon) and after a few meetings they fall in love with each other. Veer has a run-in with some local drug dealers who rough him up. There, we get a hint that amiable Raj has a violent past as Raj along with his two old trusted aides (Mukesh Tiwari & Pankaj Tripathi), raids the hideout of drug dealers and beats them black & blue. While the drug dealers threaten him of dire consequences from their boss King (Boman Irani), Raj tells them to tell their King that Kali aaya tha. Kali.....Whatta name but hey wait, there's more to come. A flashback ensues and the scene shifts to Bulgaria where Raj was Kali, son of Mafia Don (Vinod Khanna) engaged in a bitter turf war with a rival (Kabir Bedi). In Bulgaria, Kali meets Meera (Kajol) falls in love with her and takes her out on a five minutes date.  Meera ditches Kali only to fall in love with him later. After a love song and few reels, some misunderstanding ensues and Meera thinks Kali has ditched him. Confused ? Wait! There's more to follow.....Let's move ahead as now we come to know that Ishita is sister of Meera who disapproves of her sister's alliance with Veer because he is brother of Kali (who is now Raj). Now, Veer, his bosom pal Sid (Varun Sharma), Ishita and a petty thief (Johnny Lever) try their level best to reunite Meera & Raj. What happens thereafter, is a typical Bollyood Formula Film photo finish. 

Shahrukh Khan once again proves why he is known as King Khan or King of romance with his impeccable act in Dilwale.  His majestic presence lifts up some very ordinary scenes in the movie. While his younger Avatar where he romances Meera will make many a hearts go aflutter, his chiseled physique coupled with his profound voice and apt expressions lend a certain aura to the character of Kali. His eyes belie many emotions as the angst ridden Raj wanting to clear the misunderstandings with his lady love.

Kajol, as expected, is simply brilliant in the movie and delivers a memorable performance. She truly excels not only in the emotional parts but also takes you by surprise in a scene which gives twist to the movie in the first half. Her chemistry with Shahrukh has to be seen to be believed.

Varun Dhawan has portrayed the character of Veer to pitch perfection. With his endearing act in the movie, Varun is bound to increase his fan-following manifold. The best part about Varun is his chameleon like fluidity which makes him a great versatile actor. He has not only come out good in comic scenes which is his strength but also in emotional scenes especially with SRK.

Kriti Sanon not only looks like a million bucks but also portrays her character to the Tee in Dilwale. She might be just one film old in Bollywood but she has stood her ground firmly amongst stalwarts in Dilwale.

Varun Sharma is growing in strength as an actor with each subsequent movie of his. His penchant for comic timing is in full florid display in Dilwale. In fact, Varun's monologue where he explains how difficult it has become to maintain a girlfriend in today's times is a scene stealer.

Amongst ensemble starcast, noticeable performances have been delivered by Sanjay Mishra, Boman Irani, Mukesh Tiwari, Pankaj Tripathi and Johnny Lever. 

ROHIT SHARMA. 

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Bajirao Mastani :: Movie Review

BajiRao Mastani helmed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a soulful pageant that not only smittens you but also transports you into a land of passion, grandeur, love and war making it a Big Screen watch. When it's Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Bollywood's Maximum Man, rest assured that half measures are never an option. Unbridled cinematic hedonism is par for the course. With every film, Sanjay has taken the expectations of audience to a higher altitude. This has been the dream project of Sanjay since long, hence he has left no stone upturned to make Bajirao Mastani, a grand affair. The attention-grabbing visuals, the effervescent colors, the intense drama intertwined in the screenplay and the powerhouse performances by its lead starcast, captivate and suck you into the movie right from its first frame. Sanjay does what he knows best ; using Bollywood elements like song, dance, larger-than life protagonists and their epic love affairs- and attempting to redefine the form of Hindi movies and telling them in his own auteur style. What stands out most about the film is passion ; the filmmaker's, that of his actors', and even in the film's characters. It is impossible to watch this film impassively. There are enough magical scenes, to make you feel you have to watch it a second time to soak it all in. The film and the viewer gets its biggest adrenaline rush from the strong, pulsating chemistry that the lead pair Ranveer and Deepika unfold from the time they meet till the climax of the film. There is an alluring magic in the film that will enchant you. There is exhilarating energy,  passion, thrill and romance in the movie that unspools on-screen via its characters especially Bajirao played by Ranveer Singh. Those who were skeptical about Ranveer portraying Peshwa's character because of his off-screen persona & antics, will be biting their tongues after watching his performance in the movie.     

This time, Bhansali has showcased the Maratha history in his own impeccable style. The story of the movie has been penned down by SLB where as the screenplay and dialogues have been written by Prakash Kapadia. The movie elevates the legendary Peshwa Bajirao, 18th century warrior-hero determined to establish Hindu rule across the Bharatvarsha to the level of a selfless crusader for love in a climate of hate and bigotry. Though the movie features the key battles of Bajirao, yet its more focused on his passion for Mastani, the courageous and beautiful half Rajput, half Muslim Princess of Bundelkhand. The movie ably conveys the message that all religions preach love but love has no religion. Love, is a religion by itself and those that swear by its tenets become immortal like Bajirao and Mastani.  At its core, Bajirao Mastani is all about love. The movie tells the tale of Bajirao Peshwa (Ranveer Singh) who has won all the 40 battles that he ever fought and wants to create one united Hindu Nation. How he meets, falls in love and marries Mastani (Deepika Padukone), who is half Rajput and half Muslim despite being already married to Kashi (Priyanka Chopra).    

Ranveer Singh....Take a bow. What a performance. I have no qualms in saying that this is Ranveer's best performance till date. The ease with which Ranveer Singh has imbibed the traits of Peshwa and further portrayed them on-screen is truly commendable. Ranveer's hardwork & dedication towards enacting this role is visible from his tenacity on the character. He is virtually perfect in each & every frame of the movie. He looks very convincing as the blazing Bajirao in the fight scenes. But, the scene in which he pines for his love Mastani with sad, bloodshot eyes will be etched in your memory for a long time. It won't be a surprise if he sweeps away with the best actor trophies at most of the award functions for his performance in the movie. 

Deepika Padukone mesmerizes you with her portrayal of Mastani in the movie. She looks and enacts her part of being the warrior princess with utmost conviction. She looks fiercely determined as a warrior and passionate in the love scenes. The intense love scenes between her and Ranveer are a treat to watch. Deepika is proving her versatility by playing diverse characters as her role in the movie is in stark contrast to her roles in Piku & Tamasha which released earlier this year.     

Priyanka Chopra hits all the right notes and delivers a bang-on performance as Kashi in the movie. It's a delight to watch Priyanka emote her character's journey from being child-like innocent in the beginning to a mature lady standing tall after the second marriage of her husband. Priyanka Chopra has ably captured the finer nuances of her layered character and essayed them on-screen with her acting prowess. Priyanka's body language and her rendition of typical Marathi catch phrases lend a authentic feel to her character in the movie.

Amongst, the ensemble starcast noticeable performances have been delivered by Tanvi Azmi, Milind Soman, Mahesh Manjrekar, Raza Murad and Aditya Pancholi.

And finally, as with all SLB movies - the craft is something to look forward to. It is evident that every technical department - stunning visuals captured by Sudeep Chatterjee's cinematography, Production Design by Saloni Dhatrak, Sriram Iyengar, Sujeet Sawant, Costumes by Maxima Basu, Anju Modi, Stunts by Shyam Kaushal - has worked hard and in consonance to realize Bhansali's meticulous, ravishing frames, a signature single-source backlighting bursting through palaces and warzones. 

Sanjay Leela Bhansali deserves all the accolades for making a colorful and rich historical film on such a big canvas. His biggest attribute is his eye for detailing which is evident in each & every frame of the movie. It would not be wrong to say that he has painted the film in a myriad of colors and exrtacted the best out of his cast & crew.      

Bajirao Mastani has each and everything that you expect from a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. Picture perfect frames, huge colorful sets, beautiful heavy costumes, emotions, poetic lines and melodrama. It's a spectacular show !

ROHIT SHARMA. 

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Angry Indian Goddesses :: Movie Review

                                                              

Angry Indian Goddesses by Pan Nalin is a intelligent, well made, must watch Indian motion picture which rakes up some real issues that are prevalent in today's hypocritical society albeit in an entertaining manner. From the surface, AIG looks like a female bonding story but scratch the surface and a diverse range of issues ranging from gender discrimination, rapes, homosexuality, legal battle and revenge crop up. The beauty of AIG lies in its well etched out characters and their respective stories. And, when you have talented staracst portraying their respective characters with aplomb, it acts as icing on the cake. Another major highlight of the movie is that all the leading ladies of AIG represent the true picture of today's modern urban women with none of them faking the sanskari culture. Though, our sanskari censor board once again plays the spoilsport by muting several dialogues in the movie which acts as a deterrent. 

The opening prelude sets the tone for this wonderful movie which celebrates womanhood as you watch Pammy (Pavleen Gujral) dropping gym weights on the guy's foot who is teasing her in the gym ; singer Madhureeta (Anushka Manchanda) attacking the interrupters during her performance ; photographer Freida (Sarah Jane Dias) quitting a fairness cream shoot ; Corporate honcho Suranjana (Sandhya Mridul) after tearing apart her subordinates, strips to her bikini and dives into a pool ; a wannabe Bollywood starlet Joanna (Amrit Maghera) fails to obey her director's instructions of being a damsel in distress during a shoot and Lakshmi (Rajshri Deshpande) catches hold of a eve teaser literally by his balls. 

The women in AIG are brave, sexy and candid. They have the guts to barge into a men's toilet, drink, smoke, use cuss words, share sex jokes and break a drinks bar with a cricket bat. But, all of them have had their share of high/lows in life and are fighting their respective demons. While, one of them who has been the college topper feels that she has just been reduced to being a mere commodity at her in-law's place ; the other is pissed off with judicial system as her brother was gunned down in front of her eyes and is still awaiting justice. Another, a budding Rockstar is miffed off because she is not able to cut down the album of her choice as everyone wants her to sing typical Bollywood songs. But, when they get together, they set the house on fire. Their sitting together, drinking and talking their hearts out is what lends the most plausible moments to the film. They are women of substance and steel....., a domineering bunch they sure are. All of them are trying to live their life at their own terms and all of them gather at one place, Goa. The reason of their coming together is impending marriage of one of them. Hereafter, begins the revelry, bonding, some masti and discovery of their own selves. 

But, remember Nalin has called his film Angry Indian Goddesses. They are angry and he tells you why right from the beginning. If the film's prelude showcases the hypocrisy of our society in perceiving women, the pre climax portions of the movie lend a further impetus to it. The dialogues spoken by a cop (Adil Hussain in an effective cameo) reek of the typical mentality with which young free spirited women are looked at. Cigarette peeti ho, Ye kapde kaise pehne hain, itni raat ko beach pe party, open jeep mein ghumti ho.....all these comments make women look like culprits rather than victims. And this takes AIG to another level, much beyond a film about female bonding, a feminist statement or a tribute to women power. It's a film that reveals the innermost feelings/desires of every girl/woman and most of the females will be able to relate with one or the other part of the movie. 

Sandhya Mridul carries off her part of being the corporate honcho with the right amount of confidence and attitude. She looks perfectly poised while in board meeting or during her telephonic conversations, ably displays her vulnerable side when she comes to know about qualities of her girl child and also when she sets out to seek revenge in the climax.

Sarah Jane Dias not only displays a cool demeanor throughout the movie but also proves her caliber as an actress. As Freida, the photographer,  Sarah packs quite a punch in her character. I am sure she is gonna win lot of hearts with her apt performance in AIG.

Anushka Manchanda  literally enlivens the character of Madhureeta in AIG with her brilliant act. With AIG, Anushka has proved that she has a penchant for acting too apart from singing. 

Pavleen Gujral is at her natural best as the Delhi based, housewife,Pammi in AIG. The scene in which she confides to Madhureeta about her loveless marital life speaks volumes about her acting prowess.

Amrit Maghera has portrayed the character of Joanna to the tee in AIG proving her mettle as an actress. Her expressions while having a wet dream, while convincing Lakshmi to forget about revenge and while being teased over her British-Indian accent are so very comprehensive.

Rajshri Deshpande gets to play the most complex character in AIG with several dimensions attached to it  which she has done with effortless ease.

Adil Hussain stands out and makes his presence felt while playing a effective cameo in AIG.

Arjun Mathur shines in his guest appearance as boyfriend of Madhureeta. The concerns of his character about well being of his girlfriend were so genuinely reflected by Arjun that we could walk in his shoes. Subtle yet powerful act.  

As writer-director, Pan Nalin has conceived and crafted the tale eloquently on-screen. He scores all the brownie points for making a flawless movie where every single scene conveys, a very powerful, undercurrent message without being loud about it.   

Angry Indian Goddesses is a must watch movie for every individual who wishes to grow and come out of his/her closet.                  

ROHIT SHARMA. 

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