Mulk - Movie Review

In the opening sequence of this week’s release, Mulk, a regular Muslim household in Varanasi is shown to be celebrating its patriarch, Murad Ali Mohammad’s (played by Rishi Kapoor) birthday. We see their ‘Shudh Shakahari’ neighbor, Chaubeyji, secretly relishing the kebabs, while his staunch vegetarian wife does not even touch the food in a Muslim household. She tells another lady, ‘Naach gaane tak toh theek hai, par innke yaha khana nahi kha sakte’. This sequence shows what exactly director Anubhav Sinha has in store for his audience and he uses his strong leads, Rishi Kapoor and Taapsee Pannu, to throw some light on the co-existing communal harmony and discord in our country.

Murad Ali Mohammad is a retired lawyer, who lives with his wife and brother’s family in Varanasi. Their peaceful lives are shattered when Murad’s younger brother, Bilal Mohammad (played by Manoj Pahwa), is taken into custody, owing to his deceased son, Shahid Mohammad’s (played by Prateik Babbar) involvement in a terror attack. Murad’s elder daughter-in-law, Aarti (played by Taapse Pannu), steps in as their lawyer to fight for the family and to prove that one traitor in the family, does not render them equally guilty. Anubhav Sinha, through his gritty and border-line melodramatic script, takes us through the excruciating humiliation and accusations of treason that a family goes through, when their son fails them and their country. The movie also throws a light on how politics and religion are intertwined in our country, where media and internet are used as a medium to only spread false propaganda. Whether the family succeeds in getting the charges cleared or not can be easily predicted, but the narrative does so by not favoring or criticizing any one community.

Like another gritty courtroom drama, Pink, Mulk works majorly for its dialogues. And just like Pink, I felt the courtroom arguments in Mulk were not convincing enough, but were more emotional and as I mentioned earlier – borderline melodramatic. Also, there are a lot of evidences and arguments against the family, but the movie seems to give its defense lawyer, Aarti, all the right moves which seem unconvincing to a certain extent. But, these inconsistencies can be overlooked owing to the message that this movie aims to spread. In today’s communally delicate times when a person’s patriotism is questioned based on his religion, Mulk hits the right notes. The movie does not take sides, but succeeds in conveying how impressionable young minds are polluted by the political and religious discourse in our country. One of the best dialogues in the movie is – ‘Terrorism is a criminal act, not a communal act’.

In terms of the craft and technicalities, Rishi Kapoor and Taapsee Pannu have strong characters and both play their parts seemingly well. Nina Gupta, Manoj Pahwa and Prateik Babbar provide ample support. They show the helplessness of an embarrassed outcast family and the courage of a righteous family fighting for their lost reputation.  The camerawork by Ewan Mulligan is quite natural and real. Anubhav Sinha has not had a decently reputable movie before and Mulk seems like his best work till date. A special mention of the dialogue writer (I could not find the name of the dialogue writer), for those thought-provoking dialogues.  

Mulk, will make you uncomfortable at times and uneasy with the injustice, especially in the first half. The second half is where it gets slightly problematic with the unconvincing courtroom arguments. None the less, it has a very pertinent message with no over-the-top preaching. The judge, played by Kumud Sharma, says in his closing statement -  ‘Agar koi samaaj mein acche aur boore ka bhedhaav karein, toh ghar pe calendar mein dekh lena election ke liye kitne din bache hai’ – perfectly summing up the fool our country is made, in the guise of ‘Dharm’ and ‘Desh-Bhakti’. In spite of its problems, Mulk definitely deserves a watch!

My Rating 3.5/5

P.S: It is so good to see Sunidhi Chauhan singing songs for many movies lately. This movie also has a number by her!

RX 100 - Movie Review

Over the last couple of years, Telugu cinema has seen some great works by debutantes like Pellichoopulu and Arjun Reddy. Just like everyone else, I hoped that this would pave way for more such interesting work in the Telugu Film Industry. But, debutante director Ajay Bhupati’s action love story, RX 100, starring newcomers Karthikeya and Payal Rajput is a big, appalling let down!

Shiva (played by Karthikeya) is a small-town orphan, living with and working for a local leader, Daddy (played by Ramki). Ramki has political allegiances with Vishwanatham (played by Rao Ramesh), whom he helps win the Zilla Parishad elections. Shiva, who runs a cinema theatre in this small sleepy town near Rajahmundry, falls for the snobbish and arrogant, Indu (played by Payal Rajput), Vishwanatham’s Bangalore-bred daughter. Predictably, the lovebirds are separated, where the girl is married off to an NRI in USA, turning her lovelorn hero into an aggressive rowdy. Whether they reunite or not, forms the rest of the movie. The movie which released last week has been garnering praise for its supposed ‘surprising twist’ in the second half, which gets a mention on its Wiki page as well. I wonder how can the viewers be so dumb and not see this coming – it was so evident and obvious!

Leaving aside the predictability, a movie needs to develop its characters and layer its sequences accordingly, to create an engaging narrative. Sadly, the movie fails here on all accounts. All the characters are one-tone, barely giving a glimpse of their equations with each other or the reason behind the enmity between the warring factions. The performances are so flat and weak, that they barely evoke any emotion in the audience. Most of the cast seems to know of only one emotion – aggression, which reflects in almost any scene that you pick. Tickets for this movie should have come with a user manual on decoding the bland expressions on most of the actors faces. Even the love-making scenes meant to be sensuous are complete damp squib. The comic scenes are not funny at all, but, the dialogue writer leaves the audiences unintentionally in splits, owing to some of the most clichéd lines written in recent times. With a song popping up every 10 minutes in the first half and an excessive dose of background score, the movie further tests your patience!

Director-writer, Ajay Bhupati, tries to be a mix of Sriram Raghavan of Badlapur and Sandeep Vanga of Arjun Reddy, failing miserably to be either! A director is responsible to get the best out of his actors and tighten the script, but he seems as less involved in the making of this film as I was while watching it! At 2 hours and 30 minutes, the movie is ridiculously long, and by the time it reaches its crescendo, the viewers have already given up. Speaking of the performances, Karthikeya, playing the lead, clearly tries to revisit Vijay Devarakonda’s aggressive Arjun Reddy, but struggles to show any other emotion or even look half as convincing. Payal Rajput is given the quintessential props of an independent women in Indian cinema– she is a snooty, motor-mouth, cigarette smoking woman, who is open about her sexual needs. Giving credit where it’s due, for the first time, a movie talks about women being as capable of objectifying and lusting for men, as men are for women! Among the other actors, not a single supporting cast displays even an ounce of honesty in their characters. A talented actor like Rao Ramesh is the only one who is worth watching, to a certain extent. A special mention of the brilliant camera work (I was not able to find the cinematographer’s details online), for using some of the most slick and innovative shots. One such unusual shot was in the beginning of the movie, where a character is shown running, with his arms brushing against the frame of the camera to show his movement.

I cannot remember when was the last time I had to endure such a long and emotionless tirade. I always jot down my thoughts on my phone during a movie, for writing my reviews. Some movies are so engrossing that I get time to make notes only in the interval, while most others give me a breathing moment in between. In this case, my phone was out throughout the movie, giving me enough time to write a novel to critique it! Watch it if you must!

My Rating: 1/5

Dhadak - Movie Review

A disclaimer before I begin – I have not watched the Marathi hit, Sairat, of which Dhadak is an official remake. I have not even seen its rushes or the extremely popular song, ‘Zingaat’. So, this is an opinion solely based on director Shashank Khaitan’s ‘Dhadak’, with no parallels being drawn to ‘Sairat’.

Dhadak, introducing Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter, is a poignant love story of two young college going protagonists, Madhukar (played by Ishaan Khatter) and Parthavi (played by Janhvi Kapoor). Parthavi is the only daughter of a powerful feudal lord and politician, Ratan Singh (played by Ashutosh Rana) and takes pride in flaunting her clout. Madhukar, on the contrary, is a simpleton and son of a small-time restaurant owner in Udaipur. This sweet teenage romance is soon disturbed by the upheaval caused by Ratan Singh, owing to the class difference between his princess daughter and the pauper she falls in love with. The lovestruck couple run far away from this mess and the rest of the movie tracks their shaky journey ahead.

True to Karan Johar’s Dharma style, Dhadak is shot on a grand and beautiful canvas. With the backdrop of a picturesque Udaipur, the camerawork by Vishnu Rao romances the beautiful faces of its leads. Director Shashank Khaitan, who has also written this adaptation, leaves his trademark stamp in the form of a pretty heroin, a rich-poor divide and – an unevenly paced narrative. This is the biggest problem with the movie – that it does not let its viewers get emotionally invested in it. The first half is used to develop the love story and feels rather long, especially since one can predict what is about to come. Post interval, the movie picks up pace, albeit a wobbly one. The plot is set against the backdrop of differences based on caste, social standing and politics. But these are not layered well to create a seamless flow. Especially towards the end, the director hurriedly moves towards the climax, without letting the viewer understand the gravity of the situation. Nonetheless, the movie has its elements – the banter between the lead couple and the antics by Madhukar’s friends. Ankit Bisht and Shridhar Watsar, who play Madhukar’s friends evoke quite a few laughs and act more than mere sidekicks. Ashutosh Rana as Parthavi’s arrogant and haughty father, Ratan Singh, gets an ill-conceived role, but is good in whatever little he gets.

But, the surprise package here are the leads, Ishaan and Janhvi. While Ishaan had already garnered praise for his first movie, ‘Beyond The Clouds’, it is Janhvi, who makes a strong and confident debut. She not only looks extremely beautiful, accentuated by Manish Malhotra’s creations, but emotes rather well for a new-comer. She looks a bit underprepared in the initial Udaipur sequences, but delivers a good performance once she gets comfortable. Ishaan fits the role perfectly, as a young first year undergrad student, and displays the nervousness and vulnerabilities of a regular 20-year old. Their equation looks endearing and their trajectory from uncomfortable teens to a married couple is captured beautifully. Both the leads are also gifted with extremely emotive eyes and show good command over their craft, much better than the histrionics shown by their respective half-brothers in their debuts (Arjun Kapoor and Shahid Kapur in Ishaqzaade and Ishq Vishk, respectively).

A word of caution, the movie uses a language heavily influenced by Marwari, so non-native Hindi speakers may find some dialogues hard to understand. Also, it is an adaptation of a much successful and gritty, Sairat. But, every director and writer brings in his own sensibilities and treatment to the narrative. So, watch it with an open mind, without comparing it with the original, because it is a good one-time watch!

My Rating – 3/5 (0.5 just for its lovely leads)

P.S – Interestingly, Janhvi’s half-brother Arjun had made his debut in a similar Romeo-Juliet kind of love story, Ishaqzaade. But he was lucky to have got Habib Faisal calling the shots with no colossal comparison to another film, and this is where Janhvi is unlucky.

Sanju - Movie Review

While I was watching this movie, a fleeting thought that occurred to me was that biopics are very difficult to make. A person carries multiple facets throughout his life and condensing it to a duration of 3 hours is no easy feat. Hence, it is the writer’s prerogative to show whichever facet he wishes to delve into. Sometimes, the writer’s perspective connects with the audience and the other times, it just appears not completely honest. Director Rajkumar Hirani’s much awaited ‘Sanju’, falls slightly in the latter category.   

Written by the director himself along with his co-writer from his previous blockbusters, Abhijat Joshi, Sanju is a retelling of the tumultuous times in the life of ‘Bad Boy’, Sanjay Dutt. With a spectacular Ranbir Kapoor in the lead, Sanju has an equally strong supporting cast, headlined by Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Sonam Kapoor, Manisha Koirala, Dia Mirza and Anushka Sharma. The movie is the journey of Sanjay Dutt, focusing majorly on his tryst with alcohol, drugs and his infamous brush with the law in the 1993 Mumbai blasts. This is where I found the writing to be uneven and not completely honest. The focus seemed to be primarily on Sanjay Dutt’s legal troubles and at one point, it seemed like the movie was made to cleanse his image. Probably, the other facets of his life were not included as they involved prominent people – his publicly famous affairs with his leading ladies, his two wives before Manyata, his estranged daughter and his equation with the other actors in the industry. So, the writers chose a script that tries not to offend anyone.

The makers also issue a disclaimer that the movie is based on ‘true events’, but they have taken certain ‘cinematic liberties’. So, the writers can be given the benefit of doubt about their narrative, where the lines between facts and fiction seem to have been blurred. For example, one of the prominent characters is Sanjay Dutt’s best friend, Kamlesh Kanhaiyalal Kapasi (played by Vicky Kaushal) – a friend nobody heard about before today. But, the bumpy writing is camouflaged by brilliant performances by the well-cast ensemble! Ranbir Kapoor as Sanjay Dutt is phenomenal! He acts with so much conviction that you see Sanjay Dutt on the screen, and not Ranbir Kapoor. He puts his well-honed acting skills to good use, and transforms brilliantly from a 21-year-old drug addict to a middle-aged man fighting to get his name cleared. It is undoubtedly his best performance till date!

Among the supporting characters, it was Vicky Kaushal as Sanjay Dutt’s Gujarati bestfriend, Kamli, who has outdone himself. He is witty, has the perfect Gujju-slang and delivers a powerful performance, maintaining his ground without being the main lead. After a very long time, we see Paresh Rawal in an extremely important and lengthy role as Sanjay Dutt’s father, Sunil Dutt, playing the guide and teacher that Sanju needed. His scenes with Ranbir Kapoor are pure gold, especially the one where they both sing at the harbor. Also, I liked his life lessons and linking them to Bollywood songs. Manisha Koirala has a small role, but is effective and should work more often! Sonam Kapoor, after being the weakest actor in ‘Veere Di Wedding’, delivers a much better performance, as Sanjay Dutt’s Parsi girlfriend who leaves him to marry a doctor in USA (Parsi and Married to a doctor in the US- Subtle reference to two of Sanjay Dutt’s most famous affairs!). Dia Mirza is just about okay, but my major issue was with the caricature played by Anushka Sharma. As Sanjay Dutt’s biographer, she is placed under a quirky façade, with atrocious hair and sky-blue eyes, making her look less of a human!

The movie has a typical Rajkumar Hirani stamp all over it – it is comical, it has subtle romance, there is rebellion and bouts of emotional scenes too. But, the emotional connect somehow gets lost due to the various inconsequential subplots and some Bollywood masala elements. Rajkumar Hirani is one of those rare directors, whose repertoire is a testimony of successfully blending elements of mass appeal with a strong message. Like ‘3 idiots’ talked about the flaws in our education system and ‘PK’ questioned superstition, Sanju tries to fight sensational journalism and trial by media. Rajkumar Hirani, who also edited the movie, keeps it crisp by reducing the length of the songs. But still, the movie is generously long at 2 hours 45 minutes.  

Despite the irregular writing and its length, Sanju works for its brilliant performances and Rajkumar Hirani’s craft. But yes, it deserved a better script.

My Rating – 3/5

Lust Stories - Movie Review

In 2013, prominent directors from Bollywood -  who cater to different genres and audiences - came together to make an anthology, ‘Bombay Talkies’, which beautifully showcased the stark contrast in each of their story lines and the reflection of each of the director’s sensibilities.

In 2018, ‘Lust Stories’ is an anthology directed by the same set of directors - Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee and Karan Johar - focusing on the common theme of lust and how it is more complicated than love. Released only on Netflix, this movie boasts of an ensemble cast comprising of Radhika Apte, Neil Bhoopala, Bhumi Pednekar, Manisha Koirala, Jaideep Ahlawat, Sanjay Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Neha Dhupia and Vikky Kaushal.

The movie opens with the part directed by Anurag Kashyap, which was co-written for the screen by its leading lady, Radhika Apte. Kalindi (played by Radhika Apte) is a married, young professor, who has a one-night-stand with one of her students, Tejas (played by Akash Thosar). Kalindi is fierce, bold, but also extremely insecure. In beautifully shot monologues with Kalindi, one is made to understand that she seeks validation through this fling. She hopes this lust does not affect her, but it does - she becomes erratic, envious and in a scary, yet comical turn of events, displays how possessive she is about Tejas. Among all the 4 stories, I was extremely intrigued by this one – solely because it warranted a greater deal of explanation and squeezing it into a slot of 30 minutes was a daunting task. The director succeeds in doing so to a certain extent, but, I wished for more. Nonetheless, Radhika Apte brilliantly makes up for it, as the vulnerable, jealous and restless middle-aged woman, who seems to justify her antics through condescending thoughts.

The second short film is shot by Zoya Akhtar, starring Neil Bhoopalam and Bhumi Pednekar. Ajit (played by Neil Bhoopalam) is a typical white-collared single man, living alone in a tiny 1-BHK in the Maximum city. He is in a physical relationship with his maid, Sudha (played by Bhumi Pednekar). While it is evident that he only lusts her, Sudha secretly harbors feelings for him, which come down crashing when Ajit’s wedding is fixed. Zoya Akhtar specializes in using subtle nuances to highlight deep relationships and using a simple clutter-free story, she delivers here as well. In this short, Bhumi Pednekar barely gets 2-3 dialogues but uses her expressions and body language to drive a point, which is praiseworthy. I particularly liked her encounter with a fellow maid (played by Rasika Duggal), which acts as her moment of realization that being a domestic help, all she can expect is lust and not genuine love. I would also laud the cinematography on this one, for excellently using the dark, congested Mumbai flat to add to the tension of the narrative.

The next short in the series was directed by Dibakar Banerjee. Among all 4 of them, this one was the most unsettling story, that tries to break the mould that we usually see Indian women in. Reena (played by Manisha Koirala) is in a love-less marriage to Salman (played by Sanjay Kapoor), and seeks solace in the arms of her husband’s best friend, Sudhir (played by Jaideep Ahlawat). This story moves mostly in the form of conversations between a woman who seeks to free herself from the shackles of an unhappy marriage, her paramour who lusts for her but is unsure of taking the relationship ahead and a husband who treats his wife as a mere possession. What is unsettling is the sheer fact that Reena plays a bold, carefree and spirited woman, who puts her life before her teenage daughters – a reason her husband and her lover give her to reconcile with the man she does not love. Her relationship with Salman is beautifully explained – she does not love him. That does not imply she hates him, either. It was lovely to watch Manisha Koirala after a long hiatus, in a role which breaks the stereotype about women and their needs and sensuality. Jaideep Ahlawat is finally getting his due and he is impressive, just as Sanjay Kapoor.

The last one in the anthology is a light-hearted take on sexual satiation by Karan Johar. Megha (played by Kiara Advani) is a school teacher whose wedding is arranged by her parents to a boy-school bred novice, Paras (played by Vikky Kaushal). But, her marital life is marred by the incompatible sexual urges of the couple. In a comical sequence, Megha is compared to a cat who has ‘9 janam! Apne pati se 2 zyada’, while Paras calls himself a devil in slumber – an alligator. Clearly, the comparisons being used as a euphemism for their sexual prowess. Drawing inspiration from her colleague, Rekha (played by Neha Dhupia), a sultry librarian, Megha decides to take things in her own hands to reach where her husband was not able to (Yes! Pun intended!). Coming from Karan Johar’s stable, it has elements of comic relief and never becomes overtly uncomfortable for its sexual innuendos, though while trying to fit it into 30 minutes, the director seems to rush towards the end. Kiara Advani was a surprise and delivers quite an impressive performance. Vikky Kaushal has an endearing aloofness around his character, which makes him a treat to watch. Full points to Karan Johar for ruining his trademark background score from K3G for a scene in this movie!

Lust stories is a mixed bag – some simple stories told well and some complex stories tried to be told well. While all of them have done a worthy job, if I must rank the directors based on their work in this movie, it would be Zoya Akhtar > Dibakar Banerjee > Karan Johar > Anurag Kashyap. In terms of the performances from each of the shorts, it would be Radhika Apte > Bhumi Pednekar > Manisha Koirala > Kiara Advani. (Girl Power!!)

Best part is that it is free (if you have a Netflix account, that is), making it a definite watch.

My Rating – 3.5/5