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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.

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

                   

Joker (2019)

Joker Review: Written by Yogeswaran Ganapathy @moviemanyogi

Ratings: 4.5/5

Synopsis: A film which chronicles on how a small time clown in Gotham City became the legendary Joker.

Joker Trailer

When the end credits roll, you sit back and let it all settle, and after a point you finally realise that you have just witnessed a masterpiece unfold in front of your very eyes. That is power of the film – Joker!

Joaquin Phoenix is born to play this role. His filmography from The master (2012) to Her (2013), to You were never really here (2017) all made Phoenix brood into a performer who can give life to character of JOKER. Jack Nicholson in batman (1982) was a goofy, campy and eccentric joker. Heath ledger in The dark knight (2008) was an anarchist who did things as he pleased. Joaquin Phoenix gives yet another unique dimension to this character. He explores the untouched  process of how a mere nobody becomes the guy everybody feared in Gotham. 

I used to think that my life was a tragedy, but now I realize, it’s a comedy.

Phoenix has the best joker laughter after that of Mark Hamill’s joker. Joaquin blends into the role effortlessly. The way he moves, the way he dances, it is all so effortless and magical. The way he puts effort in each and every step as he runs from his terrors and torments makes us feel the intensity that he faces. One thing is for sure, only phoenix could have done this aspect of joker with such finesse. 

Todd Phillips who had directed the Hangover trilogy, has given such a beautiful, poetic movie. Todd known for comedies, this time ventures into film having dark and gritty tones and delivers splendidly. The director has taken inspirations from Taxi driver (1976) and The king of comedy (1982). He has Modelled the era of the 80s based on these two films. The metaphors running throughout the film are stunning. Comparing the growing number of rats to the number of dissatisfied people is a prime example. The director also takes subtle digs at comedies of current times which made jokes mainly based on sleaze and didn’t have anything innovative to offer. He also ensures that the screenplay moves forward by making innovative use of DC comics folklore. Be assured, I am not going to spoil any of the brilliant twists though.

Is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there?

The opening sequence shows a group of street children picking on a helpless poor man. They proclaim that he is weak and beat him up. That’s exactly what is wrong with society. Be it the society in today’s times or earlier times, bullying and picking on the weaker sections are constantly persistent and not being spoken of many a times. Joker is ridiculed, constantly bullied and picked upon which brings about a Change in him. The society has never cared for people with mental illness and quite simply neglects them. The gritty portrayal of the society in its real way is a great job done by direction and writing. 

Lawrence Sher gives a cinematography which engages you and at the same time makes you wary of every little detail. The movement of the camera to cover the dance sequences of Joaquin phoenix is poetry in motion. The long shots intensely zoomed in on the joker gives us time to channelise and compartmentalise the feelings of those on screen.

My mother always tells me to smile and put on a happy face. She told me I had a purpose: to bring laughter and joy to the world.

Robert de Niro plays Franklin Murphy which is almost the continuation of his role from the ending sequences of The King of Comedy (1982). He represents everything that represents the typical materialistic society, too comfortable with superficial fun and games, not caring for the real problem existing in the outside world. Not caring about people. 

The film is haunting and stays with you for quite sometime. This is mainly due to the theme it tackles and also partly because of its heart pounding music by Hildur Guðnadóttir. The writing of the film says That “Society makes the man ” and not the opposite which is usually said. 

Joker will surely stand the test of time and emerge as one of the greatest character studies made on a comic-book character. Heath ledger would definitely be smiling from the heavens, his legacy is restored and honoured. 

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir – trailer Launch

written by Souranath Banerjee

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir: The trailer launch.

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir
The Fakir in mid-air!

When you enter a movie theatre you don’t really expect to see a colourfully dressed Fakir (wearing a turban and cool shades) sitting calmly in mid air without any visible support, right in front of the auditorium gate! Cheerful people are busy taking selfies with the pious man who certainly doesn’t seem to mind all the attention.

And this is exactly how you know that you have reached the right location, the right event – the Trailer Launch at Juhu PVR for the film The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir.

Ajatashatru Lavash Patel has lived all his life in a small Mumbai neighborhood tricking people with street magic and fakir stunts. He sets out on a journey with the intention to find his estranged father, but instead gets dragged on a never-ending adventure.

An adaptation of Romain Puértolas‘s best selling novel by the same name, The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir (English) and Pakkiri (Tamil) will release on 21st June all across the world – in India, Singapore, Malaysia, USA, UK, Canada and Sri Lanka.

An official French – Indian – Belgian production!

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir
The event had just started.

And so back at the trailer launch, buzzing with reporters and film-industry people all waiting for the event to start, but in the midst of all the filmy crowd the most happy-faces were of those many die-hard fans patiently waiting for their Superstar, the Hero, the Lifeline of the movie to arrive, none other than Mr.Dhanush.

The rest of the cast include some big names from around the world, the likes of Bérénice BejoErin Moriarty, Barkhad Abdi and Gérard Jugnot.

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir
The man himself!

Finally Dhanush walked into the theatre and the show began! We watched the trailer amidst deafening whistles and shrieks from Dhanush-fans which is a sure sign that the audience are more than ready to love the extraordinary journey of this Fakir!

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir
Director Ken Scott hugging Dhanush.

Then as the trailer ended with huge applause and appreciations, Dhanush spoke a bit about the film, his first International movie experience, his on-set chemistry with the other actors and specially about his bonding with director Ken Scott. Then he spoke directly to his euphoric fans and answered some questions from the audience – Dhanush is such a soft spoken, modest and down to earth person. A real Star, a real gentleman.

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir
Dhanush interacting with the audience!

Others on the stage were the producers of The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir – Saurabh Gupta, Gulzar Inder Singh Chahal, Aditi Anand, Samir Gupta, Piiyush Singh and music director/singer Amit Trivedi.

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir
Ken Scott

Director Ken Scott spoke about his own experiences of visualising the film, interacting with Dhanush and the overall creative process.

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir
Saurabh Gupta

Among the producers Saurabh Gupta and Aditi Anand put forward some interesting insights as to how the story of the Fakir had begun, the idea, the initiation, the collaborations, the challenges – an extraordinary journey indeed!

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir
Aditi Anand

Amit Trivedi guaranteed us that the music and songs in the film will be something to look forward to!

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir
Amit Trivedi

Finally it was the end of a superbly entertaining trailer launch, and when Dhanush was accompanied by Aishwarya on stage the shutterbugs went crazy!

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir
Aishwarya with Dhanush

Save the date, The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir aka Pakkiri (Tamil) will release on 21st June. You won’t dare want to miss Dhanush’s first International movie on the big screen – do you?

Image courtesy: @CinemaForensic

The Nun (2018)

The Nun Review

written by Anu Gopinath

The Nun touted to be one of the most awaited horror flicks of the year, falls desperately short of expectations and one feels robbed off all the excitement and anticipation created by an exemplary original movie and a well made trailer.

My Ratings: 1/5

Last night, after a long deliberation and strong recommendations of my fellow CFians (The Members of the Official Cinema Forensic Film Club), when I finally watched the classic that is The Shining, I The-Nunrealized that it is considered a classic not because it scared the wits out of the audiences but because of the way it toyed with our minds! Mr.Kubrick used the story, the settings, the background score and the actors to successfully weave an intricate web of darkness in the hearts of the audiences, thus making us feel the horror and plight of characters!

But unfortunately the subtle points where Mr.Kubrick scored with his classic is exactly where Corin Hardy falters with his new flick The Nun.

Set as a prequel to the extremely successful Conjuring series, director Corin Hardy tries and tries in vain to explain the origins of one the most feared villainess of recent cinema history. The Valak!

The movie is set in the year 1952 with a priest and a sister being send to an abbey in Romania by the Vatican to investigate the recent suicide of a nun. The eerie settings of the abbey and competent cinematography of Maxime Alexandre makes the perfect setting for a decent horror flick!

Borrowed heavily from the likes of its predecessors and classics like The-NunThe Omen (1976), the movie on the onset, which had everything going for it, come a cropper the moment director failed to instigate suspense and intrigue in the minds of the audience and inadvertently looses their interest and attention!

Relying heavily on the rigmarole of the usual gimmicks of a below average horror show, it makes the mockery of a movie franchise whose original (The Conjuring 2013) is entitled with the honor of redefining this genre in the last decade!

The cast – Demián Bichir, Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet and of course Bonnie Aarons does a commendable job of holding the fort but their hard works are completely undone by a loosely written script which lacks in both substance and suspense! It neither The-Nunmanages to convince us of the origins of the spectacular villainess nor does it do justice to its originals!

The background score from Abel Korzeniowski which should have been the pillar of support to an already failing storyline, also fails to live up to the expectations and compounds to the misery that is The Nun!

The filmmakers often tend to forget that a movie just because it belongs to the horror genre doesn’t always need to be loud and dramatic. At times subtlety is the need of the hour to lure the audience towards the story and if possible have a more meaningful experience.

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com

The Shining – a plethora of confusions, reincarnations, theories and assumptions!

The Shining – a plethora of confusions, reincarnations, theories and assumptions!

written by Sebastian DK

In the year 1980, Stephen King‘s famous novel The Shining got adopted into a feature film (by the same name), directed by none The-Shiningother than Stanley Kubrick, casting Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers among others. A film that became a cinematic milestone and since then being celebrated around the globe as one of the top psychological horror movie ever made!

But then, how many of you have watched The Shining more than once just to comprehend the overall notion of the film – please raise your hands!

Well, to be honest I personally needed repeated viewings of this mystic feature in order to grasp the various complexities in the The-Shiningstoryline and also to dismantle the various theories that circles around this Kubrick classic.

And here are a few such theories that I hope will clear out some of the doubts which invariably people have after watching The Shining for the first time!

/ The 1921 Jack Torrance Photograph Confusion

I think this confusion could be cleared up to some extent (though not completely) with the help of certain points/facts placed under two theories: a) The Reincarnation Theory, and b) The Absorption Theory.

Before reading, keep in mind the fact that the hotel only reveals its dark magic when people are alone there. By isolating its inhabitants, the hotel illustrates how people behave differently when they know there’s no one else around.

a) The Reincarnation Theory:

There are many (tiny, easy to miss) hints throughout the film that suggest that Jack had been at the hotel before, and the present Jack The-ShiningTorrance is actually a reincarnation of the old Jack. These four hints stated below are the ones I found out to be the most significant:

* The bedroom conversation scene between Jack and his wife Wendy, in which Jack says, “I feel as if I had been here before”. One of the very first hints, and it actually points straight at ‘reincarnation’.

* In the washroom, Delbert Grady, during a conversation with Jack, says, “You’ve always been the caretaker. I’ve always been here”. Delbert implies that it was actually Jack, and not him, who was the The-Shiningactual caretaker of the hotel.

* During a conversation with the ghostly bartender Lloyd, Jack exclaims, “I like you, Lloyd. I always liked you”. Now that’s a strong suggestion that Jack sure had visited this place before, no?

* Jack is always at ease while being around or with ghosts. Though negligible, this fact is also a tiny suggestion that Jack was very much a part of The Overlook Hotel, in a different life, at a different time, and since he is used to it, he therefore blends in pretty well with the ghosts at the party/ball. Its all a normal occurrence to Jack, and that’s what Kubrick wants to show us.

b) The Absorption Theory:

Okay, if you wish to dismiss the idea of Jack’s reincarnation, go ahead, I say! Yeah we could do that since there isn’t anything solid The-Shiningthat confirms it, just mere dialogues that could very well be ignored. Now let’s look at it from a different angle.

It is possible to place a fact stating that “the photo might signify that Jack has been ‘absorbed’ from the present into the hotel’s past”. What if (a strong “if” here) Jack is a normal person who has been sucked into the hotel’s darkly violent spirit? My point is, its a horror movie adorned with a smooth touch of the supernatural, no? The message in that scenario might be that we can’t escape such powerful histories or forces of evil, and The Overlook Hotel was itself built on stolen native land and founded on cruelty.

Now we sure can give Jack the title of Mr. Protagonist, and the title The-Shiningof Mr. Antagonist to The Overlook Hotel. Funny, but actually makes (a little) sense!

In the reincarnation theory, Jack was always a part of the hotel. In the absorption one, Jack is merely sucked into it. Either way, Jack becomes a part of the hotel’s history and that’s all there is to it.

Many other things also come into play, like ‘environmental isolation leading to madness’, and (I’m repeating here) The Overlook Hotel itself being a supernatural evil spirit (“Delbert Grady opening the door to set Jack free” is a valid strong point as in this scene a supernatural force does a ‘real’ thing). But, to be honest, there is no specific clear explanation to anything at all, and I think the director intended to keep it that way.

/ The Charles And Delbert Grady Confusion

What about the two Gradys? Ever noticed Charles Grady being mentioned only once, while Delbert Grady is seen several times in the movie? Think it was a mistake on Kubrick’s part?
Confusing, no? I agree!

Ok here’s what…..
* The hotel manager tells Jack that his predecessor did hire a
‘Charles Grady who was totally normal to begin with, but lost his
The-Shininghead because of cabin fever (environmental isolation) and murdered his wife and two daughters and subsequently took his own life with a shotgun’. Nobody mentions Charles post that scene. (correct me if I’m mistaken, I don’t remember hearing ‘Charles Grady’ more than once)

* As for bald Delbert Grady, well, he is seen quite a few times in the movie. That dude is like a bad disease that won’t go away!
In the washroom, Jack encounters Delbert’s ghost (their first
meeting) and addresses him as the caretaker, also adding that he
recognized Delbert from the newspapers. But Delbert only replies
The-Shiningback saying that the caretaker is in fact Jack himself and not him (already stated above). Remember Delbert saying that one of his daughters attempted to burn the hotel down, so he had to ‘correct’ (kill) them, and also his wife when she interfered.

* Striking Common Fact: Charles and Delbert both ‘had a wife and two daughters each, and both committed familicide’.

So, about the confusion surrounding the two Gradys, I guess its possible to place three contrasting facts:

* Well, if ‘reincarnation’ is the trend here, then its possible that one
is the reincarnation of the other, and that both are from the past (Jack’s past).

The-Shining* Filmmaker’s error with the names.
I’m not neck-deep into this as Stanley Kubrick is one of the finest guys in the business. But he is also human. What do y’all think?

* Fun fact: What was baldo’s full name again?
Could be “Delbert Charles Grady” or even “Charles Delbert Grady”.
I mean, it sure is yet another strong fact that sure as hell satisfies the condition!

Hope this post clears most of the confusions surrounding the movie The Shining. Undoubtedly one of the most confusing, multilayered film, but then I believe that’s exactly the reason why it is also one of the greatest, and of all time!

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com

Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

Mission: Impossible – Fallout Review

written by Souranath Banerjee

Mission: Impossible – Fallout Review: If there is one movie that is meant to be watched and awed only for its Stunts – this is the one!

My ratings: 4/5

‘The end you’ve always feared is coming. And the blood will be on your hands. The fallout of all your good intentions.’

Finally got to see the latest adventures of Ethan Hunt, a fresh set of impossible missions that of course was made possible by Tom Cruise and his IMF team (no suspense there) and this time they call it Mission: Impossible – Fallout.

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie (his second MI directorial mission after Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation); the basic plot for this movie is simple enough, primarily hinging on Hunt’s emotional decision to save a life of his team member and while doing so complicating his original mission and risking lives of millions.

And speaking of his team members Ving RhamesSimon PeggAlec Baldwin – the original Impossible Missions Force (IMF) is back; and
yes, they all look pretty old and glum but still carry enough nostalgia
for the audience to look beyond those aged faces and enjoy their sentimental bonding instead.  

Henry Cavill fits in perfectly and proves to be a worthy opponent for Hunt. And beware – he is not a ‘scalpel‘ but a ‘hammer‘ and ‘He’s not Mission: Impossible - Falloutjust some observer. He’s an assassin.’

Both Vanessa Kirby as the sexy vicious White Widow and Angela Bassett as the calculative CIA head make their presences felt. Rebecca Ferguson is back with a twist of her own, Sean Harris resurfaces as the dangerous criminal mastermind, even Michelle Monaghan has a cameo, but unfortunately Jeremy Renner who was a part of both Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation was no where to be seen!

But remember this movie is not about the plot, not even about star-cast or the performances, not about the cinematography, the editing or the background music (which are all pretty much awesome though), and definitely not about the suspense of completing the final mission. Mission: Impossible – Fallout is all about the
unbelievable stunts that have been performed throughout the movie with incredible accuracy.

There have been enough media hype over this and I am sure by now you all must be aware that Tom Cruise does most of his death-defying stunts himself and that is indeed an extraordinary feat for any actor, but then at the age of 56 – now that is what I call an impossible mission to accomplish! And hat’s off to Mr. Cruise’s Mission: Impossible - Falloutdedication and fitness level that he performs these stunts in supreme style and perfection!

Let’s first consider the 25,000 ft High-Altitude Low Opening parachute jump performed in Abu Dhabi for which Tom Cruise trained for an entire year and it is the first time ever that any actor have risked trying such an antic for a movie!

Then there is the helicopter chase in New Zealand for which he actually learnt to fly a helicopter – got both private and commercial pilot’s license, and finally did a Downward Spiral which most experienced pilots won’t dare attempt!

Also a helmet-free high-speed motorcycle chase through the busy Paris streets against the traffic and that too without any safety rig!

Then of course the infamous London roof-top chase where Tom had to leap from one building to another, unfortunately broke his ankle as he landed, still pulled himself up and completed the shot – because he Mission: Impossible - Falloutknew that he’d broken his leg and they wouldn’t get a chance for
another take!

And also there are those deadly hand-to-hand combat sequences, risky rock climbing moments, hanging for your life from a helicopter situations and some intense car chases just to keep you attentive for the entire 2h 27min run time!

Trust me, these stunts are the real reasons to go for this sixth franchise Mission: Impossible – Fallout and it is totally worth watching them on the big screen!

‘How many times has Hunt’s government betrayed him, disavowed him, cast him aside? How long before a man like that has had enough?’

Honestly no idea how long before Tom Cruise has had enough or in other words how many more MI instalments will be coming up in future but then one thing is for certain – for Mr. Cruise ‘age’ and ‘MI instalments’ are just a number!

Keep them coming I say!

Similar Interest: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

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

Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom

written by Anu Gopinath

“The difference between a great artist and an ordinary one is the ability of the former to know when to stop” – Sherlock Holmes.

My Ratings: 1.5/5

Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom review: Gone are those days when heart wrenching stories were told through the medium of cinema and timeless classics told the Jurassic-World-Fallen-Kingdompoignant tales of love, heartbreak and injustice.

Cinema was once the medium of common man through which he expressed his frustrations against injustice, his lament for his long lost love and his youthful exuberance of his triumphs. But while sitting through the tiring 2 hours of the latest installment of Jurassic Park, one cant help but wonder about the futility of the rigmarole that is “sequels”.

A movie riddled with scientific inaccuracies and mindless special effects, has the two main characters reprising their roles of the previous installment and gives a below par performance Jurassic-World-Fallen-Kingdomwhich makes the film a painful watch.

It is high time Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard give a long review of their resume and decide whether the characters they have done till now do justice to their abundant talent. With absolutely nothing new to offer the film huffs and puffs through its entirety with a wafer-thin storyline and below par special effects.

An almost non-existent storyline which borrows heavily from the first two installments, the director J.A. Bayona even dares to touch the controversial topic of human cloning in a desperate effort to hold the attention of the audience – but fails spectacularly!!!

The timeless classic that is Jurassic Park (1993) has stood the test of
time and it was the touch of the finest auteurs of world cinema that Jurassic-World-Fallen-Kingdommade this movie what it is today – Steven Spielberg.

Its unique storyline, spell binding special effects and amazing background score struck the right chord with the audience and yet it is the same traits that become the new installment’s undoing.

It’s with a heavy heart that I am writing the obituary of a grand cinema franchise which not only did redefine the genre but also became a benchmark to which future sci-fi flicks would be weighed, measured and judged!!

If only men knew when to walk away …  if only …

Similar Interest: Jurassic World review

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com

Deadpool 2 (2018)

Deadpool 2 Review

written by Souranath Banerjee

Deadpool 2 Review: If you like quirky insolently funny kind of comedy blended with extreme gore – this is your game!

My ratings: 4/5

11 years in the making, the first Deadpool film emerged in 2016, Canadian actor Ryan Reynoldspet-project that went on to become an unexpectedly Marvel-ous success of the year! The film was made out of $58 million (only) and went on to collect a whooping $783 deadpool-2million worldwide – the highest grossing Superhero-movie with an
R-rating!
The trailers created such hype and immense fan-following that the producers announced its sequel Deadpool 2 just 3 days before even the first film hit the theaters!

And finally the wait is over, the second installment is hot out of the oven and it is no less inappropriately funny (often to the point of vulgarity), addictively raunchy and disrespectfully sarcastic than the first one. Guaranteed boost in violence, swearings, racist jokes, sexually awkward moments and self-referential super-hero-world wisecracks!

You all better get ready for the lizard-skinned Wade Wilson who managed to gain extraordinary healing powers from an accident and got transformed into this cool superhero Deadpool; and mark my words – this time he is determined to take down all the baddies of the world!

‘You’re no hero. You’re just a clown, dressed up like a sex toy.’ Ouch!

deadpool-2Like any other superhero from either DC or the Marvel universes Deadpool also has certain set of responsibilities (mostly self-imposed though) and by the end of the movie he goes through enough comic sufferings to achieve the impossible (well almost).

But the real question that needs our attention is that this buffoon of a superhero who every now and then breaks the fourth-wall and chat up the audience just to deliver another smart one-liner – will he be able to commit to a dream from a loved one and sacrifice his life if necessary to save an innocent?

Superb comic-timing by Ryan Reynolds – definitely his foul sense of humor is the core of this franchise! Not to forget Colossusdeadpool-2DopinderBlind Al and Deadpool’s girlfriend Vanessa who continued to be at their very best in this sequel too.    

Introduction of director David Leitch (who replaced Tim Miller) and also the introduction of a whole bunch of new characters – the one-eyed villain from the future Cable played by Josh Brolin, the most ‘lucky’ new recruit in the ‘X-Force’ team Domino played by Zazie Beetz and Julian Dennison as the kid who has problems in controlling his superpowers. Awesome cool performances all around! 

And guess who plays the Vanisher? Hint: The same guy was supposed to play Cable – but didn’t. 

deadpool-2Overall a highly entertaining film that turns out to be exactly what it promised to be!

And let’s face it, when grotesquely violent action-sequences (like a guy being shredded into pieces in a huge grinder, another one literally torn into half from his belly, and hundreds of chopped heads and limbs flying around the screen most of the time) make you heartily chuckle, eat your popcorn with a smile and wait for the next gag – then the writers Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and Ryan Reynolds must have done something right!

Wade Wilson is undoubtedly the funniest superhero in a costume and lucky for us he is kinda immortal, which means never-ending franchises. Wink. Wink.

‘Tell me they got that in slow-motion’ Absolutely hilarious!

P.S: Still wondering about Stan Lee’s cameo – couldn’t find him anywhere in the film!

Similar Interest: Deadpool review

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com