Hats off to Zoya for a brave and inspiring movie. How a small Gully Boy (kid from the street) uses his talent to rise in life against all odds. He uses hip-hop as expression of his despair.
Ranveer’s purple patch continues. He is awesome – again! In complete contrast to Simba and his high-energy self, we see a vulnerable and restrained protagonist. His channelizes his character’s anger and frustration into a productive outlet – rap. He listens to the insults. He maintains his relations and friendships. He makes his point – but never dramatic. He is never over-the-top. Ranveer internalises Muraad effortlessly. He is flawed but honest. He is Dharavi boy with big dreams.
Alia (Safeena) supports Ranveer’s steel resolve with her solid, energetic and power-punched performance. She is truly bombastic as a ‘tod-phod’ character. Siddhant Chaturvedi shines in a great debut and provides the right momentum to the proceedings. He is leading the charge in the first half. He is a great revelation. Kalki, Vijay Raaz and everyone else provide a solid support.
Zoya has made a thoughtful movie that is equally entertaining. She has made a compelling argument. She is giving microphone to the less heard voices of Bombay. The less-privileged living next to high rises can also rise high! It is a positive attitude pill – something that everyone will enjoy.
Zoya probes gently into the souls of each character and presents their conflicts and challenges in a gentle way. It is not just a story of Muraad but also of Safeena, M C Sher, Murad’s mom, Murad’s dad, Sky, Moin etc.
Small and strong statements exist throughout the movie. Ranveer is measuring the bathroom of Sky’s house and compares with his room. Ranveers sees people dragging on lives in the city of dreams. One of the most beautiful moment was when Ranveer is driving the employer’s daughter and she is sobbing. The class divide is wide enough to drown the humanity. Later in the movie, when Sky bridges the divides, Muraad says: Thank You!
And yes, the rap songs have wonderful lyrics. They are a character in itself and one enjoys them thoroughly.
Listen to the great track:
Apna time aayega!
Zinda mera khwab ab kaise tu dafnayega?
Kyun lagta hai yeh bustee ek andha kuan hain
My beloved Bombay is a character in the movie with its trains, Dharavi, fast life. The film gives a real feel of the “Gully” life.
The movie has its heart in the right place. Ranveer Ka Time Aa Gaya Hai! It is the first great movie of the year 2019. Do not miss it! Watch it!
Bollywood’s paradigm shift towards content-driven cinema and death of template movies cemented itself strongly after the strong winds of last few years. If you have reading my annual Bollywood reviews and other blogs, I have abhorred the template movie making where you leverage star access, big production house camps, promote mediocre cinema with heavy marketing and sell artistic cinema to commercial interests.
Public sab jaanti hai….
The Khurranas, Kaushals, Raos, Pannus have dismantled Khans…Content driven cinema of real India has charmed the audience over foreign locales and over-the-top cinema.
Let us start with a quick round-up of my favourite movies of 2018. Treat this as a watch-list for the Holiday Season!
Top 5 movies of 2018:
1. AndhaDhun
What a movie! Sriram Raghavan’s never-wracking and awesome thriller which keeps you on the edge of the seat. Brilliantly written, perfectly directed and wonderfully enacted, this is one of the best Indian thrillers.
Ayushmann Khurrana owns the film and enriches it with his complete subversive act. Tabu is a master-class and shows the eternal talent she is. Each and every character shine and keeps us hooked till the last second – including talented and under-felicitated Ashwini Kalsekar, cannot not see her in 2018 Radhika Apte and welcome back charming Anil Dhawan.
The scene where Ayushmann is playing a melody on piano and suddenly a dead body is seen in the room – it hits you out of nowhere. Or the cat scene. The movie is full of interesting shock and awe treatments with soft gloves.
Filled with Hitchcock motifs, effective music and open to multiple interpretations like Bhagvad Gita and Matrix, AndhaDhun is the best Bollywood movie of 2018.
2. October
Everything is not spoken in love and relationships. The feeling and spiritual connect is more important than the words and symbols. October is about love in its purest form. And it about us, our battles and our connect with the internal and external world.
Juhi Chaturvedi’s beautiful writing is amplified with empathy and care by Shoojit Sircar, after their earlier collaboration on Vicky Donor and Piku. One of the finest performances of Varun Dhawan and ably supported by Banita Sandhu. Watch out for the scene where Dan and Shiuli acknowledge the relationship – moving! Shiuli – what a name and aptly given!
Poetry on screen. Visually arresting. Touching story of love, loss and longing. Slow down India – this is the movie for the soul. Movie of the unconditional love and beauty of silence in a loud loud India.
3. Badhaai Ho
Badhaai Ho is the complete wholesome entertainer of the year! Ayushmann Khurrana shines in yet another celebration of small-town India’s coping with progressive views.
Amit Sharma challenges the age-old prejudices, shame and taboo of sex, desire, choice and individuality of senior citizens. The screenplay, editing and award-winning performances of the entire cast of Ayushmann Khurrana, Neena Gupta, Gajraj Rao and Surekha Sikri will give you a movie to relish and think. Humour is the best way to drive a message and Badhaai Ho does it in a perfect way!
4. Tumbbad
An Indian movie to be proud of! A visually gorgeous treat. Deep and intriguing metaphors.
Set in a small village of Maharashtra, Tumbbad is a psychological horror at its best. Fear is scary but greed of humans is scarier, and it turns men into monsters.
Solid writing, world-class CGI, Hollywood style production values, background music and awesome cinematography make Tumbbad a very distinctive movie. The Ship of Theseus man Sohum Shah delivers a performance that is par excellence. The transformation of his character from childhood to young man to father to his death is depicted beautifully. A original, courageous and haunting Indian movie! A different experience!
5. Stree
Rajkumar Rao charms us in an earthy horror comedy set in a small village Chanderi. The movie drives the message successfully through the travails of charming tailor Rajkumar. Terror strikes the village during four days of annual puja. Men are locked into homes in the evening. The eerie and comic situation arising out of a female ghost is nicely narrated by director Amar Kaushik. Pankaj Tripathi excels, and Shraddha Kapoor lends a strong support.
Apart from the above movies, the following movies deserve a strong mention:
1. Raazi
Meghna Gulzar directs super talented Alia Bhatt for a spy thriller. The Alia super show presents transformation of a Kashmiri girl into a trained spy with her vulnerabilities intact. Vicky Kaushal shines in the movie and cements his position as the emerging star of Bollywood.
The movie has been a safe play for Meghna Gulzar. The music is beautiful. The best part of the movie was equal and respectful treatment of both countries – unlike Pak-bashing Gadar type movies.
2. Manto
The moving story of the enduring and timeless Saadat Hasan Manto – honest, controversial and thought-provoking writer of the Indian subcontinent. Nawaz shines once again in a brilliantly directed Nandita Das movie.
Trust Anurag Kashyap to give a compelling, layered love story. The Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam inspired movie has fabulous performances by Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal and Junior Bachchan.
4. 102 Not Out
The successful Gujarati play was brought to the big screen with Amitabha and Rishi Kapoor leading the cast. The strong script was brought to life by the stalwarts and drove the message of living life to the fullest.
5. Veere Di Wedding
This is an important movie that strengthened the feminine power and broke more established views than any other movie. Full credit to the Shashanka, Rhea and the beautiful cast of Sonam, Kareena, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha.
6. Kedarnath
The Babri Masjid demolition anniversary saw the release of Hindu-Muslim love story set against the backdrop of Uttarakhand floods. Sara Ali is a product of Hindu-Muslim love story and Sushant is a heart-melter – the magic shines in bit and pieces in the beautiful backdrop of Kedarnath and today’s India. Could have been much better like Abhishek’s earlier Kai Po Che!
Sonu Ki Titu Ki Sweety was the sleeper hit of the year. The most average movie with a hit song and nice narrative hit the chord with the audience and went to make 150 crores. Pari and Mulk were nice ventures with Mulk shining with strong performance of Taapsee Pannu and Rishi Kapoor.
Karwaan and Qarib Qarib Single were the easy feel-good pictures featuring Irrfan. Karwaan was philosophical road trip with nice performances by Mithila Parkar and Dulquer Salmaan.
Hichcki, Helicopter Eela, Baaghi 2 were ventures with defined objectives. Canadian citizen Akshaya Kumar continued to charm Indians with Bharat ‘Manoj’ Kumar positioning in Padman and Gold. Padman has its heart in the right place and should help more conversations on the important topic for the emerging India.
Padmaavat and 2.0 (Hindi) were huge movies with the former courting controversies and controversies. Ranveer Singh emerged taller from the movie and Sanjay Leela Bhansali laughed all the way to the bank.
The Rise of Online Streaming in India
One must not forget the emergence of video streaming in India with HBO Go, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar, Eros Now and Zee leading the pack. Netflix and Amazon Prime are in the hot race with significant spends. Netflix relies on its global model and both are investing in local content. It will help both the new talent and tired talent. Mirzapur and Sacred Games were gripping tales matched by powerful acting, strong direction and marketing-distribution of Amazon and Netflix respectively. Pankaj Tripathi ruled Mirzapur and gave one of the most memorable performances. Nawaz’s Sacred Games was yet another gangsta outing for him, where he ruled the show effortless – but no new breaking ground for him. Manto was more powerful and let’s wait for Thackeray movie.
The Fall of Mighty Names
The one you love the most can be the source of your biggest anger. Rajkumar Hirani’s Sanju deserves the top award for the most misdirected wasteful channelling of energies and resources of 2018. Raju Sir – How much we love you and own you for Munnabhai, PK and 3 Idiots. Why this Kolaveri Di?
Aamir Khan sacrificed his Midas touch for a few pieces of gold and created the biggest robbery against himself and his values in Thugs of Hindustan. I will not criticise Race 3 because I did not expect anything from it. SRK’s Zero proved that Khans need to move to new pastures and reinvent the game once again.
The Numbers
You read a lot about the new age movies and the fall of big names. What do numbers say? Sanju made 350 crores, Padmaavat made 300 crores, Thugs made 150 crores, Race 3 made 170 crores. Wow!
AndhaDhun made 110 crores, Badhaai Ho made 150+ crores, Raazi made 200 crores, 102 Not Out 112 crores, Stree made 130 crores. Manto and Tumbbad did not make much money.
The future is bright for Bollywood as the rise of content-driven new cinema continues with fresh talent. The hegemony of the camps and star-power has been shaken. The audience have clearly voted with their feet and the commercial Bollywood is smart enough to smell the coffee.
And as a Cinephile with interest crossing Silicon Valley and Cinema, I welcome the newest Bollywood fan – Elon Musk. Apple is due for the investment in Indian Entertainment space. Will Elon and Apple surprise us? Elon has lots on his place while Apple will take its time. Can Indian marketplace create a global impact?
Happy New Year 2019! May your life and year be a blockbuster hit!
I got introduced to Saadat Hasan Manto when I read Toba Tek Singh in school while studying the partition of India. Khushwant Singh’s Train To Pakistan and Govind Nilhalani’s Tamas completed my partition trilogy. (Tamas’ author is Bhisham Shahni and I watched the Doordarshan masterpiece).
Manto kept on resurfacing at regular intervals and his impact grew on me with the passage of time. Thanda Ghosht and Khol Do threw light on monstrous brutalities committed by fellow human beings in the name of partition.
Nandita Das brings Manto back into the spotlight – a much awaited film on the genius by a sensitive and intellectual director.
Nandita’s Manto depicts his journey from pre-Independent British India to post-partition India and a newly formed Pakistan. The movie’s initial focus is on Manto’s Bollywood days, friendship with Ismat Chughtai, family time with wife Safiya etc. One gets a glimpse of Bollywood personalities, Manto’s fearless voice, his empathy for the less elite members of the society and the power of his words. Post India’s independence, the evil partition divides a newly reborn country. After a brief time in Bombay, Manto moves to Pakistan. The loss of Bombay and the scars of partition slowly affect him and break him down. Liquor and cigarettes become his fast friends and he stops writing back to his friends in Bombay. His pen is still brutally naked and focusses on the monstrous human behavior. He is charged with a case of obscenity in Pakistan and he loses it. The progressive writers also attack him, and he finds himself in a minority. Eventually he goes to an asylum for de-addiction.
Returning after a decade to the director’s chair, Nandita Das provides a very touching portrayal of the man behind the author and his eventual breakdown. She depicts Manto’s struggles, pains and heartbreak with total empathy. Her hard-work in research is very evident.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui is at the top of his game. He looks and plays the attitude of Saadat Hasan Manto with great effectiveness. Manto is a new breaking ground for Nawazuddin, who has mastered the thriller and gangster space. Rasika Duggal is a perfect companion to Manto and she provides the right anchor. She is silent, spirited, strong and dignified. The supporting cast includes stalwarts like Paresh Rawal, Divya Dutta, Rishi Kapoor, Ranvir Shoerey, Javed Akhtar, Ila Arun, Gurdaas Maan, Niraj Kabi etc. Tahir Bhasin shines as Manto’s friend/superstar Shyam. It is worth noting that most of the stars have done the film at zero or minimal cost. Nawaz has charged only Re 1 for the movie. The movie’s production values, art, costume music and background score are world-class and in perfect sync with the movie’s tone. ‘Bol Ke Lab Azaad Hai Tere’ is an anthem!
Manto’s screenplay is the real highlight of the movie. The dialogues are designed to keep you thinking. Sample this:
“Agar aap mere afsaano ko bardasht nahi kar sakte, toh iska matlab yeh hai ke zamaana hi naakabil-e-bardaasht hai”.
“Meri kahaaniyon ko main ek aaina samajhta hoon jismein samaaj apne aap ko dekh sake. Aur kisi buri surat waale ko aaine se hi shikayat ho toh usmein mera kya kasoor?”
“ When religion moves from hearts to head, people start wearing religious caps”
The scenes are very well-designed and thoughtful. Take a very simple scene at the start of the movie – where Manto and Safiya are sitting in a park and discussing about a woman’s facial hair. A simple park banter speaks of their companionship, Manto’s imagination and simplicity of their lives.
Or another scene in which prompts Manto to move to Pakistan. His friend is trying to stop him from going to Pakistan. He argues and says that Manto is not a Muslim enough (in reference to his alcoholic habits). Manto retorts that he is a Muslim enough to be killed. The scene delivers in the message in the most thundering silent way!
Manto’s sensitivity is seen in another scene. He is hurt when Faiz Ahmed Faiz defends Manto’s writing as not obscene, but he also remarks that Manto’s work is not literature. He keeps on thinking about this comment in garden. His daughter’s sickness and his apology to Safiya really affect you – why does he have to suffer!
Nandita weaves Manto’s famous stories into the main narrative with great dexterity but I found the stories to be too brief and directly striking the key message. I understand Nandita never wanted to talk about the stories because everyone knows them – she was highlighting the context and inspiration of those stories. But I would have loved to see Nandita’s Midas touch to these timeless stories.
Many of us do not know Gandhi, so to expect people to be aware of Manto is an important assumption. The movie’s promos and Mantoiyat theme had created an impression of a strong, courageous and larger-than-life Manto. People were expecting more fiery stuff whereas the movie showcased only the few years of Manto’s life. This created an expectation vs reality gap. But it is director’s prerogative to choose what to showcase. The chosen aspect of life is more difficult to showcase. More importantly, it is more significant to be showcased – how a creative genius withers away!
The post millennial generation cannot relate to DevDas and even Gandhi has to be wrapped in Gandhigiri. So, the film came across as a little gloomy and melancholic.
But I should not speak for everyone. Manto would not be happy. He would rebuke me and rightly so! (Remember the Lahore scene. Manto speaks to bibliophiles in Lahore and a member of the audience remarks that readers find Manto’s work dark. Manto rebukes the person for speaking for all readers instead of himself. An important point made when we often see people speaking for entire populace. )
I loved Manto. It is a class act. It is a rare gem. It is one of the fine works of recent times. Its grows on you! And it really makes you think!
“Jab ghulam the, toh aazaadi ka khwaab dekhte the. Aur ab aazaad hai, toh kaunsa khwaab dekhenge?”
The impact and importance of the movie is beyond the box-office numbers!
PK. 3 Idiots. Lage Raho Munnabhai. Munnabhai MBBS.
Sanju does not really fit in the league of the above movies and does not represent a right progression for the skilled director of Rajkumar Hirani’s calibre. But Rajkumar Hirani is Rajkumar Hirani thanks to Munnabhai series. Maybe this is a payback movie. Maybe Hirani was moved by the father-son relationship story or the general drama of Sanjay Dutt’s life.
Sanjay Dutt needed an image makeover. Ranbir need a comeback. Definitely, Hirani did not need this movie. The movie needed Hirani. We will never understand why Hirani chose this movie but let’s move out of this question and think of the movie independently.
The Ranbir Kapoor starrer is the story of selected episodes of Sanjay Dutt’s roller-coaster life. The movie focuses on his addiction to drugs, gun-possession and father-son relationship. The first half focusses purely on the drug addiction and friendship with Vicky Kaushal – who continues to shine and rise. The second half is an attempt to delve deeper into the gun episode and resurrect his image. The demonization of media and the fake news are highlighted smartly to cash in on current sentiments. The second half brings out the goodness of Senior Dutt and his unparalleled efforts to bring his son’s life back on track. The father-son element is the highlight of the movie and will bring tears to you. Indian father-sons have complex and difficult relationships!
Thanks to legal machinery and defamation case industry, the many relationships with women, politicians and others are avoided. Bal Thackeray is absent. Richa Sharma is absent. Rhea Pillai is absent. And so are many ‘heroines’. So, less masala. There are fictional elements introduced like the biographer.
The stars of the movie are Vicky Kaushal and Paresh Rawal. Both of them outshine Ranbir Kapoor – who himself has given one of the best performances of his life. His has completely mastered the character, behavior and physical appearance of Sanjay Dutt. The women actors have marginal presence and music is average.
Rajkumar Hirani fails himself by showcasing only select elements of truth of Sanjay Dutt’s life. Rajkumar Hirani brand loses to Rajkumar Hirani the friend. The midas touch is missing in this wasted opportunity. A pity and a loss for all of us!
We can only speak by our paintings
Vincent Van Gogh
Loving Vincent brings alive the magic of Vincent van Gogh. The movie, made of oil paintings, is a visual delight. The film’s 65,000 frames are actual oil paintings on canvas – painted in Van Gogh style by more than 125 painters. What a thought! What an execution! What a result!
The movie is a cinematic experience not to be missed! It’s like Van Gogh’s paintings and characters coming to life as you experience the story. The efforts and detail-oriented execution of 6 years of creative work bring rich results on screen. The director Dorota Kobiela had planned this as a short movie with crowd-sourced funding but the project gathered momentum and it has become a mammoth masterpiece. The film was made at a cost of USD 5.5 million – a fraction of Marvel and DC budgets! Dorota Kobiela deserves a rich applause for this magnificent and innovative work!
Loving Vincent is the first fully painted animated feature film which revolves around the mystery of Vincent van Gogh’s death. Postman Joseph Roulin asks his son Armand to deliver Van Gogh’s last letter to his brother Theo, but both the sender and the recipient are dead. It’s almost one year since Van Gogh’s death and Armand tries to find out the real cause. There is no conclusive evidence. During his pursuit, the audience discover Van Gogh’s genius, his approach to life, his loneliness, his troubled childhood, his professional challenges, his relationship issues and other facets of his life.
What impressed me the most was that he created his masterpieces and genius body of work within a decade. He had more than 2000 works of art in a decade – we do not need a lifetime to create works that are timeless!
Watch Loving Vincent Trailer
Watch The Making Of Loving Vincent – Painting Techniques
Mughal-E-Azam is a landmark classic of Indian cinema. The movie was the costliest movie and broke all box office records to become the highest grossing Bollywood movie of all time. Its record was broken by Sholay. Its footfalls were higher than Baahubali and Hum Aapke Hain Kaun.
K Asif’s Mughal-E-Azam is a milestone of Indian cinema. It has been reinvented and redesigned by Feroz Abbas Khan as a musical play. Set in the style of Broadway, this musical play accentuates the greatness of original Mughal-E-Azam.
The play was launched in Mumbai and has travelled to Delhi. It was in Ahmedabad for four days and we grabbed the opportunity to see it.
Mughal-E-Azam means grandeur. Feroz Abbas Khan gives Broadway treatment and royal grandness to the play. Each and every aspect of production is impeccable and majestic. The set design and the digital play is the highlight. The choreography is awesome. Manish Malhotra’s clothes and Naushad’s music steal your hearts.
The live music and the singing by actors is terrific. Audience had multiple queries of it being recorded or lip-sync. The actors sang live to clear all doubts.
Parda nahi jab koi khuda se, Parda nahi jab koi khuda se
Bando se parda karna kya, Jab pyaar kiya to darna kya
Wow!
Mughal-E-Azam has a story is timeless and appeals to the broader audience. It is a story that brings out the secular nature of the nation. It has class conflict, love conflict and many other dimensions.
Shapoorji Pallonji produced the K Asif version and they brought it back in theatrical form. This is also a classic in making.
Big cheers to Feroz Abbas Khan. The magic of Feroz Abbas Khan is the grand visualization and courage to reinterpret India’s milestone movie. To contemporaries it for Instagram generation. A timeless love tale in Tinder times.
Watch it!
YouTube Glimpse:
Special note for the Ahmedabad event organizer: It was one of the worst experiences. The basic promise was broken. The seating arrangement was not as promised. The cancellation of two lower categories and they placing them at the top of the ladder was a stupidest mistake. The show started one hour late, and police intervention was required to start the show. Total chaos. Many people came from other cities to watch it and the experience was shameful. Senior citizens had to stand for hours. We watched the 60% of the show standing inspite of my friends paying a bomb for the tickets.
2017 was the year when authentic films with rich content and honest story-telling won the audience approval. The big movies failed and the niche cinema succeeded! Nepotism debate rocked Bollywood while MeToo rocked Hollywood!
Bollywood did not give the best movie of Indian cinema (Angamaly Diaries) nor did it give the biggest movie (Baahubali2). But it did give continuity to the rise of sensible and intelligent movies. 2017 proved that there is no middle ground – either you have big tentpole cinema (Tiger Zinda Hai) or a smart witty indie (Hindi Medium).
The star of the year was Rajkumar Rao with Newton, Trapped, Bareilly Ki Barfi – he joins the legion of Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in creating a trinity of strong performance driven acting institutions! Irrfan is magical but Nawaz and Rajkumar Rao are catching up!
Which movies did I find interesting in 2017? Here is my list:
1. A Death In The Gunj: A disturbing melancholic film about a shy introvert young man set in a small hilly town of the 70s. A rich ensemble cast, beautiful script, haunting background score and an impeccable direction by Konkona Sen Sharma. The films grows on you! A masterpiece, a beautiful painting – a must watch movie!
2. Jagga Jasoos: Jagga Jasoos is a brave attempt and poetry at work. Ranbir and Anurag Basu have created magic on the screen with beautiful writing, editing, songs and visuals. Pity it did not get the audience!
3. Mukti Bhawan: An amazing film about death, life and father-son relationship set in Varanasi raises many interesting questions.
4. Newton: Rajkumar Rao shines as a honest stubborn government official assigned to election duty in remote naxal-infected Chattisgarh forest. Watch-out of the beautiful screenplay, cinematography and strong cast including the brilliant Anjali Patil.
5. Bareilly Ki Barfi: The high-energy colorful comedy is a beautiful celebration of small town India. Kriti Sanon is on a song as a ciggarette smoking flamboyant tom-boy. Rajkumar Rao, Ayushmann, Seema Pahwa and Pankaj Tripathi strengthen the rock-solid script with amazing performances in a beautifully directed and detailed movie.
6. Lipstick Under My Burkha: Alankrita Shrivastava portrays the lives, desires, fantasies and personal struggles of four ordinary women in small town India and drives a larger message about empowerment in Indian patriarchial society. Extremely strong performances by all women protagonists make it real and relatable. Ratna Pathak Shah is a gem!
7. Anarkali Of Aarah: Swara Bhaskar delivers an extraordinary power-packed performance and raises the flag of consent for the women on the margins of society. Highly engaging and colorful movie with strong dialogues and observant direction.
8. Secret Superstar: Advait Chandan’s drama speaks two stories – a young girl who pursues her dream of becoming a singing sensation and a wife in a domestic abusive relationship.
9. Tumhari Sulu: A warm slice-of-life movie that touches one’s heart. A relationship drama that explores the lives of the family when the ambitious house wife gets a job as a late night chatshow RJ. An effortless impeccable performance by Vidaya Balan but Manav Kaul is a revealation.
10. Haraamkhor: What happens when a married teacher gets romantically involved with his young student? Nawaz and Shweta Tripathi shine in this controversial movie.
Worthy Mentions:
1. Hindi Medium: Impeccable Irrfan Khan shines in a slice-of-life film about our educational system and class divide caused by English language.
2. Trapped: A survival thriller about a man who gets locked in a high-rise apartment in Bombay and his attempts to escape the same. Rajkumar Rao shines in this Vikramaditya Motwane directed movie.
3. Raees: The ruthelss smart boot-legger SRK meets a tough cop Nawazuddin in this Gujarat Gangster movie.
4. Shubh Mangal Savdhaan: Right from the title to dialogues to song lyrics, sharp wit is evident in this vibrant movie. Great acting by everyone including Ayushmann who completes his image makeover from Vicky Aryan Donor to men’s problem guy – just breaking the macho image of the hero!
5. Kadvi Hawa
6. Ribbon
Big Misses:
1. Salman’s Tubelight
2. Amitabh’s Sarkar 3
3. SRK’s Jab Harry Met Sejal
4. Ranbir’s Jagga Jasoos
5. Shahid – Kangana – Saif’s Rangoon
Baahubali 2 was the must watch Indian Extravaganza! After ages traffic jams, black tickets, huge intervals and movie-driven national conversations were back! Padmavati was discussed across the nation for all the wrong reasons!
Tumhari Sulu is a warm slice-of-life movie that touches one’s heart. It once proves that strong content can triumph over XLS Template driven movies. Substance is more important than style. Art of cinema can be bigger than business of cinema.
No doubt Tumhari Sulu has a few flaws, but it has its heart in the right place.
Tumhari Sulu is a movie showcasing the victory of the suppressed voice. The triump of hunger to succeed and positive attitude – ‘Main Kar Sakti Hai’ being the slogan of the protagonist. But more importantly, it is a story of a family wanting to live a normal life, move ahead in life and their trials and tribulations. It is the story of any family and every family.
The movie begs us to answer a basic question: Is there a person behind the tag of a housewife? Or is she just a free maid who takes care of husband and childrens’ needs? Does she have talents that have been sacrificed for the success of children and husband? Can she win respect and success in the competitive world?
Sulu aka Sulochana is a middle class housewife living in distant Mumbai suburb of Virar. She has a very supportive husband Ashok who works in a family firm of uniform manufacturers and a school going son Pranav. Her sisters and father form the extended family. She has no friends that we see. She has pretty ordinary circumstances.
Amidst all this, Sulu aspires to do something. She poses with the handbag in the mirror or looks at Air Hostess neighbours with aspiration – beautiful small nuances. She wants to have her own career – in form of a job or business. She wants to try her hand at almost everything. She participates in the school lemon and spoon races, Radio Contests, society competitions etc. She has won lot of prizes and she is proud that she even won Antakshari contest while waiting for an audition.
The film stops of making her a funny caricature though her sisters never stop of ridiculing her. Things take a turn when Sulu decides to turn a radio jockey. The ‘never say die’ spirit of Sulu helps her land the job of a late night chat show host but she slowly starts owning the show and leaves her distinct impression. She successfully manages to avoid her producer’s cues for the show and that saves the show from becoming a cheap stereotype program. She has smart retorts for loaded questions and situations. Her the film fails as there are only two calls – this aspect could have been explored further and given us more insights into her transformation.
As she turns successful in her show and starts enyoying the success, her husband and son face challenges in their lives – another stereotype situation. Husband is humiliated in the family firm. His loyalty of 12 years is discounted as the family scion takes over the reins of the business. He has to manage household errands, work late in the office, give up his cabin, suffer ridicule for a cancelled order that was never his account etc. He faces loss of respect and he is hurt. The frustration is against the contrasting success of his better-half. The movie tries to avoid the trap of Abhimaan/English Vinglish stereotype. He is not jealous. He is supportive and appreciative husband. But there are issues as he fights his own reactions and society fuelled reactions to his wife. Sulu’s show gets bad spin-off in terms of the cheap SMS and forward factories. Her husband gets affected by this and tensions seem to develop. He is torn apart between his own hurt, his own frustrations and also managing to support his wife’s dreams without affecting her dignity. He has been a good husband – who does not mind massaging her wife’s legs after a long day for her. So he is modern and treats wife as equal in their beautifully agreed and adjusted world of Mrs & Mr Sulu. Do notice the song – Rafu – what a word. They have a fight and they patch-up – like a Rafu in our clothes. Impeccable!
The so-called elder sisters of Sulu having nice banking jobs cannot digest the success of the younger sister in a modern setting. They ridicule her for taking up a cheap and bad job. They again direct comments at her husband for allowing Sulu to take up such a degrading job. Very ironic as usually in-laws are villains – but here her own sisters are villains. Not surprising as real life has shown that sisters can be jealous of sisters and play politics within families. Great portrayal of reality.
At the same time, the son is facing bullying at school and shows how modern parenting can be a great challenge. And the temporary lapse of judgement by the son is conveniently directed to mother’s aspirations. The good husband also claims to take care of the future of son alone. A weak departure in the script.
However, the movie belongs to Sulu and her interaction with all the characters around her. This is a national award winning stuff. Sulu makes you laugh. Sulu makes you cry. Sulu makes you to feel for her. This is a performance of lifetime from Vidya Balan. She was a RJ in Munnabhai and she is a RJ in Tumhari Sulu – what a transformation between those two movies.
Take the scene at the end where is goes to her boss and apologizes for resigning from the job. On one side of the frame is the modern, corporate, intelligent suave, successful, stylish, sexy boss Neha Dhupia. On the other side of the frame is not so intelligent, domestic, loud-mouth, dumbish Vidya Balan. The sincerity of the apology makes it one of the finest scenes in the recent times – she mentions how she never had allowed the lemon to fall from the spoon in her life, how she liked the perfume her boss was wearing on the first day, how she believed that she could do anything. That scene moves you and you want to hug her and do anything for her and make her successful – because if she does not win, we all lose!
Performances from everyone including Neha Dhupia as Maria, Manav Kaul as Ashok, Maurya as producer and all others are good. The sisters are perfect! A victory for casting. The songs are perfect – whether it is Hawa Hawai or Rafu – all take the story forward effortlessly and convey what the words cannot – another victory in this department as well for the movie.
Finally, the movie belongs to the director. He has created a masterpiece of human relations. He has created a voice for the silent majority of housewives – who are the catalyst and anchor of every successful family.
Tumhari Sulu is not a perfect movie. It could have been better. But it is a nice movie. Go watch it!
Mediocre is the word to describe Bollywood in 2016. While I was reviewing the noteworthy movies of 2016, I could only count a handful of great movies. In the past few years, there was an abundance of good movies and we were spoilt for choice. I did not experience the same luxury this year.
Bollywood saw shutting down of a few corporate studios as the ignorance of golden fundamentals and reckless decision-making proved costly. Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil brought politics back into Bollywood stream. Aditya Chopra’s directorial venture did not burn the cash registers.
Please find my picks for top movies of 2016:
1. Aligarh: An empathetic portrayal of a retiring academic who gets involved in a controversy. The restrained and internalized suffering of the humiliation and contempt is presented in a very sensitive manner by Hansal Mehta. The movie has several layers – Homosexuality, A Maharashtrian professor in Aligarh Muslim University, Professor befriending Rickshaw Puller, University Politics etc. Rajkumar Rao played a pivotal role and continues to rise. Ultimately, it was the best ever performance of Manoj Bajpayee as Professor S. R. Siras that gave Aligarh its strength and power. Movie of the year!
2. Dangal: A great blend of meaningful cinema and entertainment. Mahavir Singh Phogat’s story was given a winning treatment by perfectionist Aamir Khan and Nitesh Tiwari and team. The movie proved to be a universal hit and won hearts and appreciation. (Read My Dangal Review)
3. Udta Punjab: One of the most controversial movies of the year, Udta Punjab was a gutsy movie. Abhishek Chaubey’s drama brought out the depth, indifference, helplessness and industrialization of drugs menace. An honest mirror on the ground situation, it was strengthened by sleek film-making style and strong performances of its actors. Alia Bhatt once again stole the show with her heart-rendering performance.
4. Dear Zindagi: Gauri Shinde’s Dear Zindagi is fast food wisdom and philosophy on the tap. Alia shines and SRK does a great support act – a welcome move. The movie has a feel good effect and it is an easy watch. The movie has its moments of confusion as it cannot decide about its portrayal of Alia.
5. Neerja: An impressive biopic that built a slow and steady tension in the hijack drama of the year. Sonam gave us an inspiring and authentic performance in a complete de-glam fashion.
Aamir Khan hits the sports-based patriotism and universal message formula once again. While Lagaan was his tryst with sports-based patriotism, 3 Idiots & PK delivered a social message with entertainment.
Dangal has its heart in the right place. The story of Mahavir Singh Phogat has been dramatised for entertainment purpose, but his and achievements of Geeta and Babbita are indeed inspirational. As rural and less-educated India learn to celebrate the female child, this is the strongest endorsement for the fairer sex. Especially coming from Khap-ridden state of Haryana.
The story is simple and everyone knows the eventual outcome. Mahavir Singh Phogat is a wrestler who gave up the sport for practical realities of life. But his hunger for winning the gold for the country remains and he aspires for a son to fulfill the dream. But the fate has other plans and he is blessed with four girls. An accidental altercation of children gives him the brainwave to train his daughters for wrestling and the rest of the film is about their journey to gold and glory.
The film scores on all areas – script, direction, casting, acting, authenticity (wrestling scenes) and succeeds in delivering the overall message.
Aamir Khan once again excels and proves why he is the best in the business. He lives and breathes the character of Mahavir Singh Phogat. It always has been his strength – to bring alive the characters but here he has set a new benchmark for himself. His physical transformation definitely creates an impact but it is his attention to detail (clothing, mannerisms, conversations, angst, hope) that steal the show.
The actors playing both junior and senior Greta and Babbita excel. And Amir Khan gives them space to shine – which is a triumph. Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar deliver great performance as senior and junior Geeta and Babbita respectively.
Pritam’s Daler Mehndi title song gives you the right adrenalin rush. Director Nitesh Tewari and the scriptwriters have done a great job to bring life to a predictable story. The father-daughter differences have been beautifully captured and strongly brought to life by the actors. The initial differences were brought out in a light manner but the young bride’s food-for-thought discussion make a transformative effect. The differences at the later stage get one of the strongest impact creating finale in a father-daughter fight. The emotional distance and the disappointment that follows has been beautifully captured.
The movie is a great watch but it is not a masterpiece. The editing could have been much crisper. The community stigma for girls wrestling as well the sports apathy in the administration are real challenges in India but they come across as common stereotypes.
As noted by Malay, we also saw people standing for the national anthem with pride during the Indian triumph scene in the movie. This act is more powerful than forced standing up for Indian anthem. Respect comes from within and can never be enforced.
Dangal is a great watch but it is not the perfect film. But is a movie with the right heart and the message that needs to be spread. Watch it!
