Wednesday, November 27, 2019

An ode to Ye Maaya Chesave!

It is often said that good cinema is a conversation between a movie and its viewers. It can not only transcend you to another world, but also leave its imprints when you are back to reality. Some movies become bed-time stories for kids, while some become vehicles for fans to rever their ‘stars’. Yet, there are some movies which have a calming and soothing effect on you. Commonly referred as ‘feel-good’ cinema (never really understood the origin of it!?), every cinephile has a set of movies that they keep going back to, probably to ‘feel good’ and cleanse the fatigue caused by life (and watching a variety of other cinema). Simply put, it’s the ‘reset button’ that restores you to ‘default settings’.

In my long list of favourites, Gautham Menon’s Ye Maaya Chesave (YMC) comes right at the top. After a long & tiring day at work, give me A R Rahman’s melancholy-filled beautiful soundtrack and the raw chemistry between the naïve and new, Samantha and Naga Chaitanya, and you have me sorted! If one isn’t a sucker for slow-burning love stories, YMC may seem slow and insipid. But, if one is patient with this movie, it most certainly grows on you.

YMC came out in 2010, when I wasn’t clued in enough about Telugu movies. Bollywood was Bae then. On a lazy afternoon with nothing better to do, I decided to watch YMC only because I saw A R Rahman’s name on the poster. Mind you, this was the 8th or 9th week after its release and I hadn’t even heard a single song or seen its trailer. It was a noon show in an almost empty screen at Cine Planet, Kompally, Hyderabad (I reckon it has become Asian Cinemas now). The fact that I had zero expectations helped YMC take over me completely over the next two and half hours.

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Rahman’s magic begins with the soothing instrumental version of Hosaana, played along with the opening credits. After meandering through the backwaters of Alleppey, we are taken to a church where the leads are introduced to us in the backdrop of a wedding. A young boy (Naga Chaitanya) in the guests begins with the movie with a question that essentially becomes the recurring question (for the viewers as well) – Prapancham lo inta mandi ammayilu undaga, nenu Jessie (Samantha Akkineni) ne enduku preminchanu? Aah! The wails of a broken heart! It is quite clever of Gautam Menon (also the writer) to set the theme right in the first scene itself. Because the rest of the movie revolves around you trying to decipher and decode Jessie.

We are quickly taken back in time. Karthik (Naga Chaitanya) is a mechanical engineer with keen interest in film-making. While trying his luck in the films, he falls for his Christian Malayali landlord’s daughter, Jessie. Jessie, two years older than Karthik, is an obedient daughter who wears cotton sarees to work and is raised in a family that considers movie-watching a sin! But, fate makes Karthik fall for Jessie in the first sight itself! But you cannot blame him. The stunning cinematography by Manoj Paramahamsa can make anyone fall in love with the beautiful girl walking awkwardly in a blue cotton saree. Just like Karthik, even the viewers are in trance and A R Rahman’s soulful music only pushes one further into it. Very few contemporary directors (other than the late Yash Chopra) romanticize the beauty of their heroines the way Gautham Menon does. Jessie is one such epitome of beauty and grace.

Along with the opposing the couple, Gautham Menon layers YMC with a highly confused and complex character, that of Jessie. Her stoic and unaffected face acts as a perfect façade for her internal turmoil. While she likes Karthik, she cannot admit it fearing the wrath of her domineering father. She first rejects Karthik, berates him, walks out on him. But then, she also breaks her wedding and feistily admits her love. A moment she appears calm & patient and the next moment she impulsively breaks up with Karthik. None of this makes her look demented. She is a victim of her circumstances and ends up messing up two lives – hers and Karthik’s. You root for them when Shreya Ghoshal mellifluously sings ‘Vintunava’ and we see Jessie & Karthik unite. You root for them harder when a sinful ‘Aaromale’ plays to the backdrop of their separation and estrangement.

The makers deserve a pat on their back for writing such a layered character and then trusting a complete newcomer with it. It is an undeniable fact that the fresh leads appear unbaked in their skills as actors. While many may disagree with me, I think their raw chemistry and unpolished acting skills add to the depth of their characters – they are two young and confused people torn by love.  

Another reason why the movie worked for me is that it ended on a positive note. For such a melancholic story of love and separation, when the estranged lovers meet in Central Park, New York, you can’t help but root for them! Speaking of which, the sequence between the two in Central Park is one of the best scenes in the movie. (I know the dialogues of this scene by heart!). The shock to see your beloved after a sudden separation and then the small talk to break the ice is captured brilliantly! The vastness of Central Park complements their palpable sexual tension. When an impulsive Jessie agrees to marry Karthik, almost as impulsively as she breaks up with him over a text, one tends to forgive her! This high that the viewers get at the end is a perfect reward for staying through their love story. Fortunately, Gautham Menon altered the sad end from the Tamil original and am glad he did!

I write this as I watch Yem Maaya Chesaave for the millionth time. After a long day at work, on the eve of Gautham Menon’s next release, Enai Noki Paayum Thota, I want to reset myself with this ‘feel-good’ movie.

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Chhichhore - Movie Review

In the opening scene of this week’s release, director Nitesh Tiwari’s Chhichhore, we see a plumpy young hosteller run through his college hostel in underpants with a bucket of water in the middle of the night. Sexa (Varun Sharma), as the names suggests is a lecherous lad, who wakes up his friend, Anni (Sushant Singh Rajput) with a mischievous plan to drench the entire hostel. Soon, the entire hostel – H4 joins in, with kids pouring water on each other for fun! Its Holi in the middle of the night! This pretty much sets the tone of the 2-hours that are about to unfold in front of you. Chhichhore is writer-director Nitesh Tiwari’s ode to friendship and bonds made in college.

After watching the movie, I realised how college drama can be legitimately considered a genre of its own. They usually follow three common templates – college dramas centred around sports like Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), Student of the Year (2012) or love stories such as Dil (1990) and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1999) or the ones made around friendships in college like 3 Idiots (2009). But, Chhichhore falls between a sports drama and a movie on friendships. It is a heart-warming tale about friendship, eccentric hostellers in engineering colleges and how failure is not the end of the world.  While the movie is well-intended and wishes to make a point about the unnecessary pressure today’s kids go through to crack competitive exams, the message gets distorted in the din of the crazy antics of the 6 friends – the LOSERS!

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Set in the 1990s in India’s best engineering college – National College of Technology, Mumbai (assuming it to be IIT-Bombay), Chhichhore is all about what happens outside the classrooms – ‘harmeless fun’ as Anni calls it. These are the crackling moments of the film filled with hilarious situations of seniors ragging their juniors, petty fights in the hostel and the scarcity of girls on an engineering college campus. Students even get rechristened with amusing pet names – the one who is always angry, toxic and abuses is ‘Acid’ (Naveen Polishetty), the momma’s pet is called ‘Mummy’ (Tushar Pandey) and the drunkard is called, well, ‘Bevda’ (Saharsh Kumar Shukla)! Since girls are scarce, a model-like girl is considered Halley’s comet – comes once in 75 years! And the comet here is Maya (Shraddha Kapoor), who chooses Anni among the hordes of boys that throw themselves at her.

The movie jumps between the past and the present, where the LOSERS are middle-aged people, who are reunited by a sudden unfortunate incident. Anni and Maya are married but estranged. The rest of the gang has aged with a receding hairline common between them and their equation and friendship intact as it was in college. And the reason for their bonding was not classrooms or general fun in the hostel. It was the college tournament – General Cup (deja vu of SOTY? Yes!), where the LOSERS of hostel H4 have always been at the bottom of the table. The writers cleverly use the General Cup (GC) to drive home the message that losing does not necessarily make one a loser.

The screenplay and editing of Chhichhore deserve the loudest applause. Instead of writing a linear narrative which has a single flashback portion woven into the present, the writers Nitesh Tiwari, Piyush Gupta and Nikhil Mehrotra use a complicated narrative that keeps switching between the past and the present, giving us a narrative which make both the timelines appear to be running in parallel. The writers also cleverly use the struggles and determination of the LOSERS to win GC as an analogy to a boy battling for his life. As I said, the intentions are noble, but the message isn’t driven home well. In 3 Idiots, the message was more pronounced – As Rancho says, ‘Success ke peeche mat bhaago, excellence ke peeche bhaago, success jhak maarke tumhare peeche aaegi’. We know that is the underlying theme of the movie. But Chhichhore falters in this aspect since the message is not as pronounced as I would have liked it to be.

The editing by Charu Shree Roy is perfect for such a convoluted narrative. For instance, see the magic of editing the sports sequences – we have a football, basketball and table tennis match intertwined and being played out for us in parallel, instead of showing each sport individually. The costumes and set design are also on point, recreating the 1990s perfectly well. The music, however, could have been better since there are no memorable numbers in the album. Also, the movie loses some steam post the interval but picks up soon, thankfully.

Another strength of the movie is the great performances from the entire cast. While Shraddha Kapoor as Maya, hardly seems to have aged in her older portions, she provides ample support as the lone girl among the bunch of boys. Tahir Raj Bhasin and Sushant Singh Rajput as Derek and Anni are good as the chief-and-his-deputy combo. Navin Polishetty seems to have a hangover of the ranting and angry characters he has played in his viral Youtube videos, yet, is delightful as the cussing Acid. But, it is Varun Sharma as Sexa, who steals the show. With naughtiness in his eyes and innocence in his antics, he is a treat to watch thanks to his brilliant comic timing. After Choocha in Fukrey, he played inconsequential sidekicks in other films, but finally gets to play a character that is as big as Choocha and honestly, more hilarious!

Chhichhore is a nostalgia-filled ride that uses a great premise to talk about the social pressure on kids today. While I was not completely convinced with it, the fact remains that the movie has its heart in the right place and thus, deserves a watch!

My Rating – 3/5

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Manmadhudu 2 - Movie Review

In an interview recently, Nagarjuna admitted that director Rahul Ravindran has a distinctive style of filmmaking, which does not necessarily communicate with the masses. It is something labelled as offbeat cinema. Nagarjuna’s Manmadhudu 2, written and directed by Rahul Ravindran, is his push into the bigger and massy film genre. On a day when he won the National Award for Best Screenplay for ‘Chi La Sow’, his big-ticket, Manmadhudu 2, hit the big screens. Retaining only the title and male lead from ‘Manmadhudu’ (2002), Manmadhudu 2 is a modern day take on the life of a Casanova pestered into getting married. But its convoluted story-telling leaves you disappointed.

Set in Portugal, the story is centred around a middle-aged singleton, Sam (Nagarjuna) who is a third-generation Indian in Portugal. A brief history of the family reveals how Cassandra in Portugal was inhabited over the years by people of Telugu origin – a clever alibi explaining the large number of people speaking Telugu in Cass’Andhra’. A perfumer by profession, Sam has a sharp taste in exotic fragrances and pretty women – explained adequately through the song, ‘Menina’ (girl in Portuguese). Unaware of his philandering, flamboyant lifestyle, his family – Matriarch mother (Lakshmi), sisters (Jhansi, Devadarshini and Nishanthi) plead, prod and force him to get married because “neeku evaru vandi pedtaru, evaru battalu utukutaru, evaru illu chuskuntaru?”. Yes, a Portugal-bred family has such regressive and irrational reasons. Well, in their defence, “Panivaalu Portugal lo dorkaru”! With a lame premise as this, the movie becomes a ride into turning the womanizer into a householder. Enter Avantika (Rakul Preet) a young waitress who is chosen to be married to Sam. And the rest is just a convolution of elements of mass appeal and a Rahul Ravindran style of slow and simmering filmmaking.

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Rahul Ravindran has been a part of mostly indie and offbeat films, both as an actor and director. His sensibilities are different from the tropes needed in a commercial Telugu film. With Manmadhudu 2, he tries to retain his traits of simple story, subtle humour and conversational story-telling. But this does not come out effectively, mainly because of the poorly written dialogues. The premise is that Telugus in Cass’Andhra’ speak chaste language – something which could have been used effectively for comic relief. But lines like ‘Madhuramaina vyaktivi’, ‘antaraayam kalingchaku’ and ‘Vaidyulu em anaru’ seem farcical. As Sam’s PA, Kishore (Vennela Kishore) says, it is Doordarshan Telugu which is hard to decipher. Barring a few places where it is used comically, it acts as a hindrance to connect to the characters. Also, the uneven pace does not help either – some situations are elaborate while others move swiftly. The biggest inconsistency is the way the lead character has been written. There is not enough explanation for Sam’s aversion to marriage (except his already vibrant life). The love-hate relationship he has with his doting family, which almost makes him look like a Man-child, is not explained well. His quirks like a sensitive nose and OCD for cleanliness do not add anything to the story. The entire blame falls on the writing – the idea was novel but failed in writing or execution.

Coming to the supporting cast, only Rao Ramesh and Lakshmi play on the strengths of their acting prowess and stand out. Vennela Kishore gets major screen-time as the side-kick, but the dialogues or situations do not give him enough material to play with. Even his comic timing does not deliver enough laughs. Nagarjuna looks dapper and is a treat to the eyes, until he takes his sunglasses off, revealing his paunchy-eyes that give away his age. As admitted by himself, he is not a great actor but a great star- not disappointing his fans on the star quotient. But, he is uneasy and listless in most of the scenes that require emotion. Even the short flashback which is meant to explain his current state has him overact and create a caricature out of himself. It was refreshing to see Rakul Preet hold her ground by delivering a strong performance. She flaunts her curves as much as she displays her emotions. But, her efforts go in vain as it does not hold the movie together.

Cleverly naming the movie as Manmadhudu 2 ensured a certain section of the audience to return to the theatres, expecting the fun and frolic ride of ‘Manmadhudu’. But, if you expect Trivikram’s stellar dialogue writing, impeccable comic timing of all the actors and a coherent story, you will be disappointed.

My Rating – 2/5

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Bon Appetit with Curious Appetite!

India is a country with great obsession for cricket, films and food. We may be divided by languages and states, but we all share a common love for food. Being a film fanatic and a food lover, I have always been fascinated by the drool-worthy food that our cinema brings to the big screen. From the mouth-watering dabbas in ‘Stanley ka Dabba’ to the delectably described bourguignon in ‘Julie and Julia’, the glimpses of food from across the world gives foodies like me a major high! Though shows like MasterChef Australia enjoy immense patronage in India, a food-loving country such as ours needs frequent doses of food-porn!

So, when you are in the middle of a never-ending meeting or stuck in the traffic, even a glimpse of delicious food can satiate you. This is when I stumbled upon a great food blog, curated by a dear friend of mine – Curious Appetite! Curious Appetite gives a peek into finger-licking good food, that gives you an instant rush! While I loved all of their posts, listing a few favourites here:

Eat like a King when served like a King: Bored of the usual fare at home or the typical menu at most restaurants? A sumptuous and lavish Thali is the answer! Just like Jodhaa’s rich and extravagant Thali for Akbar (Jodhaa Akbar – 2008), this Thali from Curious Appetite got me all drooling! Continue reading while I run to Ardor 2.1 for this Thali - RIGHT NOW!



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Saw a lot promotion for this place all over the social Media so decided to head to Ardor 2.1 at CP . . We went to try the Modiji ki 56” ki thali aka Khalibali Bahubali Thali . . They claim it to be India’s largest thali that weighs approximately 8.5kg Net . . This thali can be shared with 4 persons, incase it is more than 4 then the per person charge is linearly proportional to the total price of Thali . You can refill the curries , drinks , breads and sweets but not the appetisers . . They will make you wait 30-40 minutes for this thali claiming that it is prepared from the scratch basis every order they receive. This was something which I found it hard to believe though. . The presentation of thali is totally instagram worthy but The taste and quality was totally average. It didn’t meet the expectations and the hype that was created around this place . . Even the service was not upto the mark . It was quite slow , the staff had to be reminded time and again for everything. . Would definitely appreciate them for the unique and new concept of thalis that they have come up with. Kudos !! You can also try their election special thali which comes in the shape of India ‘s Map with dishes from different states . However it didn’t live up to it’s aura that was created around it . . Also they didn’t even accept the confirmed booking from eazydiner and made us wait for the table @eazydinerdelhi . . Ratings 🌟🌟 . . What has been your experience? Share in the comments below . . Stay curious!! . . #food #foodblogger #indianfoodbloggers #bloggersofindia #foodiesofinstagram #eatgram #forthegram #foodporn #foodphotography #foodie #foodgasm #likeforlikes #followforfollowback #ardor2.1 #cp #delhifood #delhi #thali #indianthali #modijikithali #bahubali #khalibali #eazydiner #curiousappetite
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Easy on the pockets and pleasing for the tummy: Not every delicious meal you eat out must pinch your pockets. Like DJ (Aamir Khan) relishes food at his mother’s Dhaaba (Rang De Basanti - 2004) and says – Dhabe mein maa ke haath ka khana milta hai! And this post of garma-garam Amristari Kulcha with dollops of butter, served with Dhaba-style Chhole and Pyaaz ki Chutney can make anyone salivate and run to the nearest dhaba! I think I have got your weekend plans sorted – head to a dhaba and relish such kulchas!
Khata Rahe Mera Dil: If the South is synonymous with Idli-Sambaar, Chole Bhature can be declared the staple diet of the North! Making us drool every Sunday, Curious Appetite brings to us handpicked restaurants and eateries that serve delicious Chole Bhature, turning our Sundays #TemptingSundays. Like Chef Roshan Kalra (Saif Ali Khan in Chef - 2017) says, “World ke Best Chhole Bhature Dilli mein milte hai”, I am craving for this Dilli-wali delightful spread of tangy chhole and crispy bhature from Billi Di Hatti.
Comfort Food Craves: There are days when we treat our tummies to a rich and lavish spread at restaurants. But some days, we crave for our comfort food like the humble kadi - chawal or the evergreen combo of naan with dal makhni. Curious Appetite gets us glimpses of such food as well, such as this heavenly spread from Empress Delhi or the crispy fritters from Bahadurgarh!



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Have you tried these yummy crispy stuffed pakodas at Standard Sweets Bahadurgarh. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 Our All time favourites are the Palak , Aloo and Paneer !! 😋😋. Ps : What Murthal is for paranthas , Bahadurgarh is for pakodas 😋😋 Comment below with your favourite places to have pakodas! Don’t forget to tag your foodie partners here ! Stay curious ! Keep Following us for food updates 🤩 #foodblogger #foodphotography #foodie #foodiesofinstagram #foodporn #instafood #foodgasm #indianfoodblogger #foodbloggersofinstagram #discoverdelhi #pakoda #pakodas #bahadurgarh #standardsweets #snack #pakodalovers #likeforlikes #followbackinstantly #followforfollowback #follow4followback #followusnow #followusforupdates #foodtalkindia #indianfood #delhifoodbloggers #delhifood #delhistreetfood
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Delish Desserts: It wouldn’t be wrong to declare that a majority of us Indians have a sweet tooth. People like us don’t say cheese when we click pictures. We say sweets! (Bad joke, I Know!) But Curious Appetite has an eye for some of the most yummilicious desserts and shakes, and they regularly post tons of pictures and videos on their account! Check out these lick-worthy, chocolate-laden ice creams! Slurping at these pics right now!

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Chocolate is nature’s way of making up for weekdays!! . . This legendary dessert 🍨Missippi Mudpie at Big Chills is a complete soul food for all the chocolate lovers !! . . It is loaded with super rich and thick dark chocolate ice cream with a perfect bottom layer of peanut butter. To add to it ‘s heavenly feel it is layered with the perfect melted chocolate . Every bite of this will make you fall in love in with it all over again ! . This is what we need for perfect sweet endings 🍫💖 . This is definitely in our list of all time favourites 💕 . Don’t forget to follow @curiousappetite50 for food updates!! . Tap on post the to show your love for desserts ! . Tag your favourite places for desserts in comments below ! . Stay curious!! #missipimudpie #photooftheday #instafoodgram #dessert #dessertlover #foodgasm #foodporn #foodlover #foodisbliss #foodislife #foodislove #foodgram #foodblogger #indianfoodbloggers #delhifoodbloggers #discoverdelhi #desserttable #picoftheday #postoftheday #instadessert #staycurious
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Judgementall Hai Kya - Movie Review

There are some movies where it is easier to form an opinion, while there are some where the audience needs time to process what they have seen. Director Prakash Kovelamudi’s ‘Judgemental Hai Kya’ falls in the latter category and leaves its shaken audiences to ponder over the last two hours they spent amidst quirks, chills and thrills.

The movie opens in the twisted, wild world of Bobby Balliwala Grewal (Kangana Ranaut), an eccentric dubbing artist with a dark childhood, who is just released from a mental asylum. She dresses herself in quirky outfits, has a fetish for clicking herself in the avtars of the horror characters she dubs for and lives surrounded by paper puppets that she makes. Just like the colourfully tinted glasses on her windows, her life isn’t plain and two-toned. She suffers from a mental illness, which makes her hallucinate and imagine things which are not always real. The writer Kanika Dhillon brilliantly adds quirks and thrills by showing us the world through Bobby’s mind, blurring the lines between reality and hallucinations, keeping us constantly unsure. This works well for the movie since the audience can never really predict who is the culprit in the scheme of things.

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There are mysterious deaths that happen around Bobby, who has a knack for intuitively sensing anomalies around her. Her suspicion always points towards her tenant, Keshav (Rajkummar Rao), whom she constantly accuses of murders. But it’s never easy to prove – she also seems to harbour feelings for Keshav, snoops into her tenant’s house and joins him and his partner on their Lonavala holiday, uninvited. As I said, it takes time to process this movie because your perspective changes when you think in the hindsight. Was it really her lust for Keshav that made Bobby track him? Not really. She was probably investigating her suspicion. It is such nitty-gritties that make this movie an edgy experience. The second half is replete with bizarre things – adding further to the audience’s confusion of what is real and what isn’t. Interestingly, the writer links the whodunit to Ramayana, with Sita looking for Ravan. To be talking anymore about the plot would lead to spoilers but I would just say the second half could have been tighter. The movie slumps post interval. Again, in the hindsight, may be the writer drops the pace to let the audience experience angst and restlessness, just as Bobby experiences these on-screen. If that really was the writer’s intention, then she succeeds in making me shift in my seat uncomfortably. Yet, I would have preferred if she got to the point faster.

Before talking about the performances, a huge shout-out to the edgy camerawork by Pankaj Kumar, who makes sure his camera captures Kangana in all her quirks. The art design and costumes deserve a mention for creating an outlandish world and dressing the characters appropriately, especially Kangana – giving her a bizarre, ‘mental’ look. The background score by Daniel George adds to the suspense and thrills. But, such a difficult movie belongs to its writer-director/wife-husband duo, Kanika Dhillon and Prakash Kovelamudi. Choosing such a difficult narrative to tell a story through the lens of a mentally ill protagonist is commendable. But adding both humour and elements of a thriller to such a twisted tale deserves a bigger applause. Certain parts of it also felt inspired by Shriram Raghavan’s style of dark humour (probably that is why he gets a mention in the opening credits).

Apart from strong writing and direction, the movie also has a great cast to its advantage. Satish Kaushik and Brijendra Kala as the cops add a fun element to the murder investigation and bring to the table their great comic timing. Writer-actor Hussain Dalal as Bobby’s manager/probable boyfriend is a treat to watch – his banter with Kangana is especially funny. Rajkummar Rao is a great actor and does not disappoint this time either. While he plays a sane yet mysterious Keshav, unlike the eccentric Bobby, he shines in his scenes with Kangana. But, alas, the movie belongs to Kangana Ranaut. She is spectacular as the eccentric Bobby and gets to display her strong acting skills. She switches from sad to scared to happy to helpless – everything in a jiffy! Even her unfunny jokes have a tinge of unintended humour, which displays her impeccable comic timing. Just like her accusations on all and sundry in real life, Bobby passes accusations at the drop of the hat, mostly without any proof. It’s a very difficult character to play and Kangana floors us with her performance.

Judgemental Hai Kya is an exciting thriller and works for most parts of it. Whether I liked it? Yes. Would I recommend it? Most certainly. But would it appeal all kinds of audience? Not really. It is dark, it is edgy and it is unsettling. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Watch it for great performances and a whacky, weird and disturbing story-telling. If you are looking for a light-hearted movie, stay away from this.

My Rating – 3/5

Monday, July 22, 2019

Kumbalangi Nights - Movie Review

One of the best ways to watch a movie is to watch it without knowing what to expect. And that is precisely what I did last weekend with debutante director’s Malayalam hit, ‘Kumbalangi Nights’.

Unaware of what ‘Kumbalangi’ means or the plot of the movie, I let the movie unfold before me. Set in a quaint little town of Kumbalangi, we are introduced to four brothers living in a half-constructed building. The eldest, Saji (Soubin Shahir) runs a small laundry with his friend, Vijay, and leads a life unconnected with his brothers. Bonny (Sreenath Bhasi), the second amongst the four, is mute and prefers to spend his time away from his dysfunctional home, reserving his love and adulation only for the youngest among the four, Franky (Mathew Thomas). Franky studies on a scholarship in a boarding school and returns reluctantly to their nomadic household during his vacations. The third sibling, Bobby (Shane Nigam), is a jobless youth who falls for a tourist guide, Baby (Anna Ben). Baby lives in a household run by women, until her sister marries Shammi (Fahadh Faasil) who moves in with them as the society deems everyone needs a ‘man of the house’. While the brothers lead a nomadic existence, evident from their unkempt appearance and shabby house, Bobby’s love story brings them closer. This is where Kumbalangi Nights blooms and gives us a subtle peek into various social issues.

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The biggest strength of the movie is how it underplays serious issues, without overemphasizing or making a big deal out of them. Be it the difference in class between Bobby and Baby or the gaze of contempt that the society casts over a platonic relationship between Saji and Vijay’s wife, the writer Syam Pushkaran deals them with utmost delicacy. The transition of the four brothers from a ‘Satte Pe Satta’ style dysfunctional family to a loving brotherhood happens organically and does not seem forced. For instance, the movie begins with a reluctant Franky shown to be unexcited about returning home for the vacations. His lack of excitement is explained in the way he is welcomed – there are no warm hugs or his brothers waiting for his arrival. He barely smiles or shows his warmth to his emotionally estranged brothers. This behaviour changes when a foreigner, Nylah, moves into their home, as he misses having a female companion at home. His yearning for his mother’s love is satiated when Vijay’s wife moves in with her baby. See his child-like innocence on hearing her sing lullabies.

The writing and direction also deserve an applause for the subtly driving home the point of consent in a relationship. When Baby declines Bobby’s lustful advances during a movie, an angry Bobby walks out while the confident Baby stands her ground. As he walks off, we are shown on the screen – Arjun Reddy! A brilliant way of showing the contrast between an unconsented kiss on-screen and an off-screen couple defining what consent means. It is such subtleties that help this simple story make an effective ground for various social issues.

Among the performances, the one that stands out is the one I least talked about till now. Fahadh Faasil is spectacular as the slightly eccentric and immensely puzzling, Shammi. Even with a wide smile on his face, he creates an environment of tension and impending doom. The viewer anticipates something wrong to happen the moment he is on screen, but he keeps his eccentric ways in check, till it breaks loose in the end. Apart from producing the film, it is commendable that he took up such a complicated and unlikeable character. The rest of the cast is very good, especially Anna Ben as the spirited and independent, Baby. A special mention of the stunning camerawork by Shyju Khalid, for capturing Kerala in all its glory.

With a crisp run-time of 2 hours, Kumbalangi Nights is a delightful watch and definitely recommended for a light, yet riveting watch.

My Review – 3.5/5

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Falaknuma Das - Movie Review

Telugu Film Industry (TFI) has suddenly seen a spurt in small-ticket Indie movies. From Vishwak Sen’s Hangover style, ‘Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi’, to the latest ‘Mallesham’ (which I missed watching in the theatres), TFI seems to be experimenting with its content, which is a welcome change. After watching Falaknuma Das, I checked its Wikipedia page to be pleasantly surprised that it is apparently a remake of the critically acclaimed Malayalam hit, Angamaly Diaries (another movie on top of my watchlist). I am not sure how close is Falaknuma Das to its original, because I felt it was not sure of its intent and faltered in conveying the message.

The movie is set in the culturally-rich by-lanes of the old city in Hyderabad. Amidst the aromas of biriyanis and payas, a bunch of kids inspired by the local goon Shankar Anna, form their own ‘gang’. As a school-going Das (Vishwak Sen) proclaims to his friend,” Manani kotte poradu ee Falaknuma lo ne ledu”, a wrong sense of pride, valour and aggression sets in these young minds. They grow up to become small-time goons, often resorting to petty fights and brawls. As they age to their late twenties (the movie transitions between 1997 and 2009), over a couple of love affairs, they get embroiled in a gang war which implicates them in a murder. The rest of the story focusses on how they get out of this mess.

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From the trailer itself, it was clear that the movie aims at being real and true to the area it is set in – Falaknuma. The camerawork by Vidya Sagar Chinta succeeds in creating a haunting yet beautiful milieu, capturing the chaos and flavours of the old city, right from the montage shots in the opening credits. I really liked the way the festivities of Ganesh Chaturthi and Bonalu were shot, not to forget the drool-worthy shots of food from Shadaab to Ram Ki Bandi. The writing by Vishwak Sen also adds to the authenticity, with the usage of typical Hyderabadi language and accent. Though I felt the dialogues and diction of the actor playing Das’s mother were not authentic. But, nonetheless, it felt good to see an authentic Hyderabadi movie after a long time, the last of which I remember was Nagesh Kukunoor’s ‘Hyderabad Blues’ (Not considering sub-standard movies such as ‘Hyderabad Nawabs’ and ‘Angrez’). The music by Vivek Sagar, including a Hyderabadi rap, blends well with the theme and so does the wonderful art direction, creating authentic households of the old city.

While the movie is strong in terms of technical details, it did not connect with me emotionally. I go back to what I said initially – it was not sure of its intent and faltered in conveying the message. The movie begins with a tone of brawn winning over brain, where school-going kids take fancy to the rough and rugged goons. There are many children who take this route and turn into hyper-masculine men when they grow up, which is a fair depiction. But, the movie tends to oscillate between the story of a bunch of alcohol-loving vagabonds to a gang-war like story, including a murder. Also, the movie made me ponder over the age-old inconclusive ‘nature vs nurture’ debate. Do young minds get infatuated by brawn over brain and turn into toxic humans, who prefer their physical might over their intelligence? It is noteworthy how this has been subtly pushed into the narrative, by showing the transition of young kids into a brawling brood of men.

The romantic angles also do not add much weight, especially the one involving Saloni Mishra as Dr. Zoya. If Taxiwala showed us a much-contrived love story between a taxi driver and a medico, Falaknuma Das shows a smart doctor falling for a small-time goon. Even if they knew each other from their childhood, the equation seems forced and farcical. An interesting observation is that Das is ill-tempered, male-chauvinist and passes snide comments against his girlfriend, but he does not come across as a misogynist. With all the talk about toxic masculinity and misogyny lately, the one scene where he breaks-up with Sakhi (Harshita Gaur) shows his humane side too. As I said, the movie remains on the surface, oscillating between various themes, not helping the audience connect with the point it is trying to make.

As for the performances, director-actor Vishwak Sen gives a great performance as the Hyderabadi lad, trying to start a business while getting into brawls on the sly. His gang of friends have funny banter, but somehow the camaraderie does not liven the screens like it does in Pellichoopulu or Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi. There are few scenes of fun, especially the opening scene in a bar, where Sonu Shanawaz as Filament stands out. Among the rest of the cast, Uttej shows his experience as an actor and makes a mark. Director Tharun Bhascker Dhaasyam leaves an impactful impression as the upright cop. The girls do not get enough screen-time or material and their over-the-top make-up and appearance make them stand out amongst the other real-like characters.

Honestly, I had higher expectations from the film and it left me mildly disappointed. It is a great stride in TFI towards off-beat stories, but somewhere it falls short. Yet, for a young actor to turn director for such a risky film deserves an applause.

My Rating – 2.5/5