Category Archives: Film Reviews (Indian)

Reviews of films made in India (from any state, in any language).

Bhonsle (2018)

Bhonsle Review

written by Souranath Banerjee

Manoj Bajpayee reinvents himself with every film he does and this one is no exception!

My ratings: 4/5

Mumbai – the city of dreams; but then who gets to dream first? The locals or the so called migrants? The film portrays the time when the conflict between the Maharashtrian extremists and the Bihari emigrants was at its peak. When a dingy chawl in Mumbai got divided into two distinctive communal groups and managed to mirror the tension of an entire state at a micro perspective.

Bhonsle Trailer

With this conflict being the backdrop, Bhonsle is a film that revolves around a lonely retired cop whose only goal in life is to get an extension of his working years and join back to his police duties. His retired boring routine is killing him (literally), as brilliantly depicted through a dream sequence at the very start of the film.

An aged Mr.Bhonsle (yes, the film is named after him) wearing the typical Marathi styled white-cap along with the white shirt and trousers, who stays in a certain Churchill-Chawl where communal tensions are escalating rapidly with high tendencies of occasional violent outbursts. Vilas, a petty yet ambitious Maharashtrian party-worker struggles to establish himself as a local leader and what better way to get importance than to teach the immigrants a lesson.

But Bhonsle who hardly ever speaks, is surprisingly indifferent to everybody around him. No amount of tension in the chawl seems to get his attention. But then arrives this new Bihari family (a sister and his little brother) and through a string of brief yet sensitive events, Mr.Bhonsle feels an emotional connection to them. And soon the wellbeing of his next-door neighbours start to matter to him; and after a point their wellbeing is the only thing that mattered to him!

Bhonsle (2018)

Directed by Devashish Makhija (of Ajji fame), this is an incredibly well told/directed story, subtle but highly effective in putting forward complicated human emotions and desires.

Manoj Bajpayee, he has hardly 12 lines of dialogue throughout the 2hr run time of the film, but his silence, his body language, his looks, the pain in his eyes speaks volumes! His exceptional performance resonates even long after you leave the theatre. Santosh Juvekar, who played the role of Vilas, the enthusiastic Maharashtrian fanatic also displays immense control over his acting capabilities. Ipshita Chakraborty Singh, Abhishek Banerjee and young Virat Vaibhav – all have done justice to their roles.

Superbly shot by Jigmet Wangchuk and so well edited by Shweta Venkat the film transports you to the dark rat-infested, poverty-stricken gullies and chawls of Mumbai where people have nothing else other than their dignity and identity, and they are ready to fight for it!

Overall a superb film that had its run around some of the most prestigious festivals across the globe. Now it is your turn to watch!

Poster courtesy:www.imdb.com.

Kaamyaab (2020)

Kaamyaab Review: Written by Yogeswaran Ganapathy @moviemanyogi

Ratings: 4/5

Synopsis: An everlasting ode to the pillars of movies – The character Artists.

The opening sequence of Kaamyaab shows a montage of the films in which Sudhir (Sanjay Mishra) has played the role of character artists. The montage ends with one of his most recognisable dialogues “Enjoying life; aur Option kya hai “. But ironically, his present life is anything but that. He is remembered as that guy who played that part but not as THE guy who played THE part. That is beautifully captured by the way he is presented on screen for the first time. He is in the middle of screen but out of focus. That’s what the life of any character artist is. 

He realises that he has acted in 499 movies. The idea of doing a 500th movie crops up. He wants to ensure that his legacy is not just lost in few seconds of WhatsApp forwards but a memorable one. And thus begins a new journey towards the elusive 500th film of his life!

Enjoying life; Aur Kya hai.

The direction of Hardik Mehta is supported by the his solid writing. The Bollywood industry is explored with a gaze that would make us laugh and cry with same intensity. He also makes pleasent little tributes to all the character artists, which added the nostalgic feel to the film. The dialogues by Radhika Anand deserve a special shout out for aiding the screenplay in a very good way. Comedy is sprinkled in right doses and issues such as casting couch, nepotism are touched upon in subtle ways throughout the film.

Deepak Dobriyal, Manoj Bakshi – the supporting cast of the main ‘Supporting star’ did their best. Isha Talwar appears in a few scenes but has great impact on the character arc of the lead actor. The first half is breezy and the second half is where the conflicts are explored. The family of the Sudhir forms the emotional conflicts. The interactions with the daughter are staged to give us an emotional urge. Sudhir removes his fake make up and reveals his real face to the world in only two brilliantly written sequences. Only Sanjay Mishra could have convincingly pulled off both the scenes with such ease.

Enjoying life; Aur Option Kya hai.

People only remember about the Sun that appears during the day, but not the stars that are present all the time. Such is the case with film stars and character artists. The fact that Gauri Khan produced Kaamyaab is bitter sweet, as most people noticed the film because Shah Rukh Khan and his company Red Chillies Entertainment’s name was attached to the film; which in itself is ironic. The last one minute of the film surely raises the bar of how films make you breathless with just one mind boggling moment. Kaamyab is definitely a resounding kaamyab.

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com

Enai Noki Paayum Thota (2019)

Enai Noki Paayum Thota Review: Written by Yogeswaran Ganapathy @moviemanyogi

Ratings: 3/5

Synopsis: An underwhelming bore of an action-comedy film that almost transcends into a parody of it’s genre.

The movie has all the elements you see in Goutham Vasudev Menon (GVM) films. From the voice-overs to the pleasing songs to the police story to the damsel in distress heroine. After few minutes into the film, I sensed that, this is in fact, the director paying tribute to his earlier film Accham Yenbadhu Madamiyada (2016). That one didn’t work only in the last part. But this film only works for the first few minutes.

This romance film also lacks the chemistry between the leads which is very essential to the genre. When Lekha (Megha Akash) signals her love for Raghu (Dhanush) the feeling we get is so bland. There are sparks here and there like when they talk for the first time over phone. But these moments are far too less to make it a compelling case of love. The more it is stretched, the more it feels like a disaster.

Enai Noki Paayum Thota
Dhanush in Enai Noki Paayum Thota

The action portions try to be the saving grace but end up being even more ridiculous. The meta dialogues in this portion, like the references to Pokkiri work decently.

The voiceovers of Dhanush are shoved down our throat and unbearable beyond a point. The sentences never seem to end and it goes into a zone where it is describing things in to a person thinking that he is blind. The film doesn’t take its premise seriously despite trying hard to establish it. Beyond a point, the hero’s journey becomes sort of a parody/satire where the hero wins anyway neglecting any collateral damage.

The casting and acting is totally off. This is primarily due to the lack of depth in writing. Dhanush is stranded between three phases – Cool dude, beast mode and Autopilot mode.

The second and the third modes are unintentionally funny. Megha Akash is the text book damsel in distress and has only a small range of emotions. Sasikumar becomes a early 2000s Vijaykanth. Sunaina is reduced to a “are you okay?” repeating friend. It is such a shame to see GVM who has given memorable villains like Daniel Balaji (Vettaiyadu Vilayadu) and Arun Vijay (Yennai Arindhaal) gives us a one note villain Kuberan.

Enai Noki Paayum Thota
Enai Noki Paayum Thota

The music is the biggest positive of the film. Darbuka Siva has composed tunes that will rule our playlists for a long time to come. Maruvaarthai pesadhe is undoubtedly the pick of the lot.

GVM quotes bharathiyar’s Veezhven endru ninaithayo (Did you think I have fallen?). Ironically, he has fallen very bad in this film. The title roughly translates to the “Gun after me”. After watching the film, we are bound to feel that the gun is after us, The audience.

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com

                   

Article 15 (2019)

Article 15 Review

written by Souranath Banerjee

The most significant Indian Cinema of the last few decades!

My Ratings: 4.3/5

1949. Let us begin from the very beginning. A quick recap.

‘… shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of race, religion, caste, sex and place of birth.’ – Indian Constitution. Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar. Fundamental Rights. Right to Equality. Article 15.

Fast-forward to 2014. Badaun gang rape allegations –  a true incident that happened at Budaun district, Uttar Pradesh; two teenage girls went missing and the following morning they were found hanging from a tree. It was a case of gang rape and murder, which both the local police and the CBI tried their best to cover up. Why? Because the murdered girls were poor and belonged to the Dalit community (the untouchables). And the murderers were from the Upper-Class, the rich and the influential.

The film Article 15 directed by Anubhav Sinha (of Mulk fame) is based on the above mentioned tragedy. The movie also takes inspiration from a number of other incidents from across India where people are being humiliated on a daily basis, condemned and tortured, and denied justice just because they belong to a particular caste.

Agar sab barabar ho jaayenge toh raja kaun banega?” (If we all become equal, then who will be the king?)

Farq bahut kar liya, ab farq laayenge.

Ayushmann Khurrana (who has mastered the art of choosing great scripts) does a fabulous job portraying the man who is desperate to change the system by being a part of the system. Thankfully not portrayed as an outsider, otherwise the script shouldn’t have worked so well. Kumud Mishra, Ashish Verma – both play pivotal roles and plays them to perfection. Sayani Gupta and Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub, though having limited screen time still manages to make an impact on the audience.

But Manoj Pahwa is the man who grabs the spotlight; his performance as the corrupt cop eager to derail the case is an absolute delight to watch!

Let’s be Indians firstly and lastly.

Special mention to Ewan Mulligan’s cinematography which brilliantly escalates the suspense and also gives the film the much needed feel of reality. Music by Mangesh Dhakde is so well balanced, just enough to maintain the intensity of the film.

Since Satyajit Ray‘s exquisite drama Sadgati (1981) starring Om Puri, Smita Patil and Mohan Agashe, hardly any other filmmaker have attempted to touch the sensitive subject of Caste-discrimination. And thus Article 15, a superbly directed social-thriller by Anubhav Sinha is surely the most significant Indian Cinema of the last few decades!

A film that dares to shed light over the sinister shadows of our civilisation, on the darkness that a nation unanimously prefers to ignore, on a curse that have been burning human lives for generations. Someone needs to put out the fire that torches the innocents, someone must heal the wounds, and put an end to this vintage shame. Someone must help us regain our faith in humanity!

But as Article 15 effectively points out – the real problem is that we are still waiting for that ‘someone’.

That someone needs to be Us.

Article 15 Trailer. YouTube.

P.S. According to the study of NCRB data on Caste Discrimination in India, the atrocities committed against SC and ST women are disturbingly high; statistics of the year 2016 alone shows 2541 rapes and 786 murders. That too, only half of these crimes are said to be officially reported.

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com

SUPER DELUXE (2019)

Written by Yogeswaran Ganapathy @moviemanyogi

My Ratings: 4.5/5

Super Deluxe Review: A unique Tamil film which can never be replicated and is a definite watch for any movie lover!

Super Deluxe is a film which encompasses various issues on a runtime on 176 minutes and still fresh, interesting and highly engaging. The film has managed to bring together A-list stars, child artists, budding actors and gives a satisfactory final output.

Thiagarajan Kumararaja who last directed the cult classic Aaranya Kaandam (2011) has returned after almost a gap of 8 years and he has returned with a bang! We have waited for 8 years and the film is worth the wait. This film is surely an instant classic. The director manages to make every shot in the film speak to the audience.

The background, the wall posters, the warning signs on the road, the songs being played on the radio, the scenes going on in the television, the flickering of lights, the designs on the T-shirts all convey something to the viewer. The art direction and production management team has to be appreciated on a whole new level.
The screenplay of this film is by 4 directors who have their unique vision. The way in which the director manages to combine the stories and visions of all of them and give us a mixture with his own unique style is to be highly appreciated. Super Deluxe also has some subtle nods to Aaranya Kaandam scattered throughout.

Vijay Sethupathi has taken a role, which any A-list star would outrightly reject. This is his best performance, second only to his portrayal of Ayya Aadhimoolam in last year’s Seethakaathi(2018). The sequences in which he appears are truly the USP of the film. The child artist Ashwanth Ashokkumar playing “Rasukutty” his son in the film also has a beautiful arc. Gayathrie who appears in only a few scenes gives a spectacularly subtle performance. We are able to instantly resonate with what the character goes through in the scene where she meets Vijay Sethupathy for the first time. Vijay Sethupathi is one artist true to his art and his character is sure to be remembered for a long time to come.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Fahadh Faasil’s story arc is a splendid dark comedy on the lines of Andhadun. Samantha as vaembu rocks throughout the film and gives a variety of emotions that suit the situations perfectly. Fahad Faasil is like the conscience of the director to talk to the audience on various issues. His rants on the stereotypes are sure to have a huge fan following or should I say a separate fanbase!!!

Then we have the story of 4 school boys whose intentions turn into eventful incidents which help in moving the film forward without compromising the story. I don’t want to reveal anymore about this story arc. It has to be enjoyed in person. Ramya Krishnan ties beautifully into this story and also adds to the narrative in a splendid way. Myshkin, as usual, gives a superb performance. He is probably the best director working as an actor in today’s times. The scene where Mysskin meets Vijay Sethupathi is the best scene of the film. The lighting and setting of that scene elevate it to a whole new level and draws the viewer into the screen. Their character arcs merge in a simple, beautiful and highly satisfying way.

Bucks/Bagsu (Bagavathi Perumal) of Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom fame acts as a ruthless, menacing, sexist cop. He makes you hate his character from the gut. That is what is truly intended and he manages to do that perfectly.

The background music created by Yuvan Shankar Raja is awesome. The music at various points of the film is always in sync with the mod and is effective.                   

Gender bias, lust, parenthood, LGBT discrimination, politics, social stigma, chaos theory, Celestial theory, Religious superstitions, relationships are all encompassed in a Pandoras Box. Each of these issues makes a film on their own. But the director has managed to tie them together and unravel them in splendid ways and then has given a satisfactory ending to every one issue/event he has taken up. Please make your next film a bit sooner.

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-Xq_Zz3nPA

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com

Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota (2018)

written by Souranath Banerjee

Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota Review: After ages I watched a typical Bollywood action masala film and enjoyed it to the bone. Ouch!

My ratings: 4/5

If a film keeps you smiling even after you have left the theatre, it has definitely done a job well!

Vasan Bala (writer of Raman Raghav 2.0) directs his second feature – and we have the best action comedy of recent times! An ode to the VHS era, Bruce Lee martial art flicks and also to the old Bollywood spells like Geraftaar (1985) and Aaj Ka Goonda Raj (1992)!

Separated childhood lovers finding themselves in adulthood, a set of good/evil twin brothers, a VHS inspired Karate kid who can beat 20 goons singlehandedly, a charming yet psychotic villain who kills in a wink – clichés lining up one after another. But the beauty of Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota is that it takes advantage of all these clichés, owns them proudly and churns them into pure cinematic humour.

Now what is fresh in this movie is the concept of ‘Congenital Insensitivity to pain’, Abhimanyu Dasani (his debut film), a brilliantly choreographed action sequence with Kishore Kumar’s evergreen song ‘Nakhrewali’ playing in the background and then of course the overall amazing performances!

Abhimanyu Dasani (son of Bollywood actress Bhageshree) stands out clearly as a winner in his debut film. Superb screen presence, he looks like a younger version of Madhavan plus the extreme level of fitness. Then there is the immensely talented Radhika Madan (earlier seen in Vishal Bhardwaj‘s Pataakha) and she is an absolute delight to watch. Mahesh Manjrekar and Jimit Trivedi are at their best perfectly blending into the roles and giving the film the additional support it needed. Even Shweta Basu Prasad made her presence felt in her cameo.

And then of course we have Gulshan Devaiah in his effortlessly charming double roles – he is so natural, funny and full of charisma. His best performance till date.

Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota is essentially a love story but told in style and a rare confidence that we search for but seldom find in our current day movies.

Paap ko jala ke raakh kar doonga” (Will burn all evil/sins to ashes) is the idea in prominence throughout the movie but it gets specially silly and enjoyable when told from a kid’s perspective.

Though the voiceovers repeatedly reminds us “Har mindblowing kahani ke peeche kuch bahut bure decisions hote hain” (There are always some bad decisions behind every mind-blowing story), but trust me, your decision to watch this awesome movie will definitely be a good one!

Go watch it.

Film Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb0-Mw_V_bA

Poster courtesy:www.imdb.com.

Thadam (2019)

Written by Yogeswaran Ganapathy @moviemanyogi

My Ratings: 3.25/5

Thadam Review: Despite a slow first half, the murder mystery gets into full speed going into the second half and ends with one the best crime thriller twists in the genre!

Thadam means CLUE in Tamil. And in this murder mystery it is all about joining the right clues and finding the killer.

Arun Vijay since his comeback has chosen pretty good scripts and Thadam falls in that list. He plays dual roles here, one of an educated IIT graduate named Ezhil and other who is a petty thief named Kavin. He excels in both the roles and gives a satisfactory performance!

Magizh Thirumeni has done a pretty decent job as the writer/director. The hardwork, efforts, research he has put for the project is very evident. A crime drama which is very much in touch with legal tussles and its loopholes in a very realistic, gripping way. 

Tanya Hope makes a memorable debut performance. She plays the love interest of Ezhil. The chemistry between them is pretty good. She plays an integral and interesting character. Smruthi Venkat plays a naive character. She is instantly having a good emotional connect with the audience. The dialogues in her scenes are very effective.

Fefsi Vijayan plays a ruthless cop role to perfection.

Sonia Agarwal plays a cameo role which affects the story in a very impactful manner. Yogi Babu‘s character has totally been underwritten. His comedy feels very forced. I feel bad that such a good performer has been underutilized.

The music by Arun Raj (debutant ) is decent, the opening credits is very catchy.

A well written script, though the screenplay is a bit dull in the first half where the romantic portions seem a bit dragged but post interval the movie shifts to a whole new level of awesomeness.

The typical murder whodunit is given a fresh and clever twist. The final moments of the film will keep the audience on the edge of their seats for sure!

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWdqv8YiQjg

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com

Sonchiriya (2019)

Written by Yogeswaran Ganapathy @moviemanyogi

Sonchiriya Review:It is a movie that comes once in a decade and celebrates cinema in its purest form.

My Ratings: 4.5/5

The basic Plot line is simple enough – movie revolving around a gang of dacoits in Chambal valley during the 1970’s.

The first shot of this movie speaks volumes. The audience are given a feel of what the film is going to be right from the first shot. It is gutsy, violent, raw and yet peaceful at the same time. This is that kind of a film which makes you fall in love with cinema once again. The director Abhishek Chaubey has done a magnificent job of giving us this movie in the best possible way.

Manoj Bajpayee plays Man Singh, the leader of the Thakur baaghis (rebels). His character is such that, despite being a rebel, he follows certain principles and is deeply religious. He believes that once if you are cursed, no matter what you’ll definitely receive punishment for it.

Apart from that his highest principle is the Dharma of a rebel. That Dharma is given various genius interpretations throughout the film.

Manoj Bajpayee has once again proven that he can excel in any given role, and Sushant Singh Rajput is splendid as Lakhna Singh.

He is an important member of the Thakur gang. His character deeply resembles that of Manoj Bajpayee. And yet there are subtle differences which make their characters stand out in their own way. I believe this is Sushant Singh Rajput’s best performance since his portrayal as MS Dhoni. He effectively shows a range of emotions from fear to happiness to rage to disbelief.

Bhumi Pednekar‘s arrival with a child named Sonchiriya is the catalyst that elevates the film to a whole new level. Bhumi gives a stellar performance that is surely going to be remembered for a long time. The child artist gives a memorable performance as well.

All of the supporting cast like Ranvir Shorey, Ashutosh Rana, Mahesh Balraj and the rest manage to hold their own.

The most important fact to note is that of writing. Abhishek Chaubey and Sudip Sharma have written properly fleshed out characters who are given satisfying character arcs. There is very little shortcomings whatsoever. All the scenes are interconnected and the audience feel as if they are another character in the movie. The direction is pretty solid and screenplay is very fluent. Abhishek Chaubey gives us a realistic sense of women and their conditions in 1970s rural india. They are grounded and highly realistic. The dark humour scenes are the icing on the cake. The shootout scenes are well choreographed. The music is pretty decent.

The dialogues though few elevate the film to a whole new level. For instance when the rebels are involved in a shootout with the police forces, Manoj Bajpayee says “these government bullets won’t harm us but the government policies can Kill us !!”. This scene is even more special as it happens with the then prime minister Indira Gandhi declaring emergency in the background.

The cinematography by Anuj Dhawan does a fine job of conveying the desires of the characters even if they don’t utter a word.

Sonchiriya means a golden bird. People seek the bird truly knowing that they can’t find it. I urge you all to find THIS Sonchiriya in theatres before it becomes elusive.

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aejAkKGiimk

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com

Vada Chennai (2018)

written by Anu Gopinath

Vetrimaran’s Vada Chennai, the first part of his ambitious trilogy sets the tone for an ultimate gangster flick which may well go down as one of the classics in the history of Indian cinema!

My Ratings: 4/5

With his film Vada Chennai, directorVetrimaran, in this first instalment, draws the battle ground and the pawns like a painter taking his time to pour out his life’s work in to the canvas. Each character is well defined, their shades, grey and the clouds of vengeance, ever looming!

One has to hail the brilliant efforts of the director as he successfully manage to sponge up the hard life of the fishermen. Dialogues are spontaneous, jokes never seemed to be forced and the language very much limited to the slang and colloquials of the slum dwellers.

Supported by a brilliant cinematography by Velraj, the director does an astounding in capturing the stench of rural perception in the life of the people and its colony, where dreams of a man starts at his doorstep and ends in the garbage bins of the same colony.

Vada Chennai tells the story of Anbu (Dhanush) a gifted carrom board player who inadvertently gets involved in the clock and dagger games of two rival gangs.

The movie if played in chronological order will come short of a decent action flick. But it’s the brilliance of Vetrimaran and the editing team lead by G.B.Venkatesh to present the movie the way it is presented, ever holding the cards close to their chest, tantalisingly revealing each cards, one at a time n each one of them making the storyline turn a corner, keeping the audience engaged and at the edge of the seats. 

The story goes back and forth in time and the narrative is so crisp and the editing so impeccable that each story is left hanging at a tantalising point before the director jumps to continue with thread of the next story, leaving the audience in an agonising wait while their fertile imagination tries to fill in the rest.

Music and background score by Santhosh Narayanan is an absolute revelation.

India  finally wakes up to the idea of the strength and power, a decent background score holds in the grand scheme of things. Santhosh Narayanan relies on the local folk songs, soft rock and at times even punk rock to set the tone of the movie. But his talent of deciphering the director’s perception of the story comes to the fore when he saves a “gem of a move” up his sleeves and reveals it  by letting the silence accentuate the boisterous effect of the compounding suspense in many scenes. Result, drool- worthy!!!

Dhanush as Anbu is brilliant in his portrayal of a simpleton who inadvertently get sucked into the scared games of betrayal and vengeance of mafia gangs.

Aishwarya Rajesh lends good support to Dhanush as his love interest and plays the supporting role to perfection.


The director has retained the core of the supporting cast of his previous cop-flick Visaranai and SamuthirakaniDaniel Balaji,KishorePawan, Radha Ravi and Aamir play their part to perfection and holds the different story lines of the movie together through their gritty performance.

So the board is set! The game is afoot! And Vetrimaran in a move which can only be described as audacious and brilliant, gives the threads of all storylines into the hands of Andrea Jeremiah. And Miss Jeremiah, in a career defining  last quarter of an hour , waltzes into the storyline by not only tying up all the ends of the threads but also put a fucking bow on it!!!

Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5GG5HJ1hVk

Similar Interest: BEST OFFBEAT INDIAN CINEMA OF RECENT TIMES (10+1 LIST)

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com

Sacred Games ( TV Series)

Sacred Games Review

written by Anu Gopinath

The series takes a dark undertone from the word go and it’s highly appreciative of the directive duo for discussing the subjects of sex and violence with such level of authority!

My Ratings: 4/5

Long has been the content driven cinema taken a backseat and was pulled into the eroding deluge of memories of a lost generation who
revelled in their Bajaj and bell bottoms! Long has been the pride of Sacred-GamesIndian cinema taken a beating when the world was presented with the narcissistic, megalomaniacal and voyeuristic version of our life and cinema. The same pride that we earned and the respect that we commanded from the world cinema, which took eons of pain and hard work to achieve but still demanded the sacrifices of the lifetime of works of some of the greatest auteurs of Indian cinema like Satyajit RayGuru Dutt, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and company!

And when I completed watching the new web series Scared Games starring “the content “ in the lead, it is with absolute relief and pride that I can say, that all hopes are not lost for Indian Cinema!

Directed by two of the brilliant visionaries of contemporary cinema, Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap, the first Indian Netflix Original TV Series – Sacred Games tells us the story of the intertwined lives of a mafia don nearing the twilight of his life and the struggles of an honest cop trying to do right amidst a corrupt system. The series bears the rare stamp of authenticity and manages Sacred-Gamesto hit all the right tones in its adaptation of the Novel of the same name written by Vikram Chandra.

The series hinges on the story of the rise and fall of gangster Gaitonde, played brilliantly by Nawazuddin Siddiqui and how his life is intertwined with life of the honest cop, Sartaj Singh performed by Saif Ali Khan.

The TV series takes a dark undertone from the word go and it’s highly appreciative of the directive duo for discussing the subjects of sex and violence with such authority that was seldom seen in Indian cinema and has to be considered as one of their masterstrokes. The story deals with religious terrorism with a brilliant screenplay which has a heavy dose of bloodshed, sex, gore and violence and the end product which is devoid of any unwanted transgressions by the censor board, makes it a compelling watch.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays the gangster with such elan and composure of an artist who is in control of his creation, taking his Sacred-Gamesown time to paint the shades of white when in love, dark when he’s avenging his enemies and grey, when keeping his comrades in line.

Saif Ali Khan has finally found his calling and he’s absolutely brilliant as the inspector Sartaj Singh and to his credit, underplays his role of a cop who is constantly being harassed, degraded and kicked around by his corrupt seniors. He in no way comes across as a conventional hero who fights the villains single handedly and saves the day. But he is our below average common man who is scared and thinks a hundred times before taking a step, an under performing overweight policeman who has a conscience, a simpleton who runs towards the warm embraces of his mother when things get too tough for him. And he absolutely delivers the goods with an astounding performance and
Sacred-Gamesfinally is given the platform to display his talents – the same talent which we had a few of the fleeting glimpses in the brilliant Omkara and Ek Hasina Thi. The Nawab is back and how!

But, when brilliance of Nawazuddin Siddiqui is always expected and Saif’s performance is worthy of appreciation, it’s the work of the supporting cast that completely steals the show and is what makes this series apart! Such is the depth and brilliance of their acting that one has the feeling of sitting in an Opera House and has been accorded the rare honour of seeing the brilliant performances of one sopran after the other, with each trying to outplay the other with the performances of their lifetime.

Sacred-GamesSpecial mention should go to Jitendra Joshi who was an absolute hoot as the constable Katekar, Rajshri Deshpande as Subhadra, Kubra Sait as Kukko, and then Neeraj Kabi and Geetanjali Thapa. Each and every single one of them gave a performance worthy of an ovation and carries the story on their shoulders and keeps the story moving.

Radhika Apte, the crown jewel of parallel cinema is surprisingly left with a role that is not as meaty compared to her colleagues but the woman holds her fort whenever pitted against the brilliance of Saif and the cast.

Superbly written by Varun GroverVasant Nath and Smita Singh, cool camera work and brilliant editing compounded with unique storytelling and absolutely mind blowing background score by Rachita Arora and Alokananda Dasgupta makes this thriller an Sacred-Gamesedge of the seat affair. Not to forget the perfect casting by Mukesh Chhabra Sacred Games is probably the best thing to have come out of Bollywood since Gangs of Wesseypur!

Sacred Games is, by no means over and with the serious talents of the likes of Pankaj Tripathi waiting in the wings and with a plot line left at an interesting juncture, one can expect a cracker of a second season in the cards!

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com, Sacred Games Facebook page