First Things First! Scam 2003 Is Not As Gripping As The Pratik Gandhi – Harshad Mehta Show: The Scam 1992. The Comparison May Not Be Completely Fair.
Scam 2003 Follows The Same Template: The Rags To Riches Story, Charismatic Protagonist, Mindless Ambition, Exploitation Of The Greed Of Corrupt Loopholes In The System.
Abdul Karim Telgi Is A Humble & Smart Fruit Seller From Karnataka. After A Short Stint In Gulf, The City Of Dreams Beckons Him And He Rises & Rises As The King Of Counterfeit Stamp Papers! During His Journey, He Either Wins Or Buys The People & System Around Him!
Scam 2003 Belongs To Gagan Dev Riar – His Charm Is Attractive – As Is His Metamorphosis Into A Menace. He Has Gotten Into The Skin As Well As The Mannerisms Of Telgi Impeccably. Even In Simple One Liners Or Complex Episodes, He Keeps You Hooked!
The Show Is Pale In Comparison To The Scam 1992. The Pace Is Slow, Screenplay Weak & The Drama Does Not Seem As Gripping As The Earlier Show. However, Only The First Five Episodes Of The Telgi Story Are Out. So Things May Change In The Second Serving!
Best Feature Film: Rocketry Best Director: Nikhil Mahajan, Godavari Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: RRR
Best Actor: Allu Arjun, Pushpa Best Actress: Alia Bhatt, Gangubai Kathiawadi and Kriti Sanon, Mimi
Best Supporting Actor: Pankaj Tripathi, Mimi Best Supporting Actress: Pallavi Joshi, The Kashmir Files
Best Music Director (Songs): Devi Sri Prasad, Pushpa Best Music Direction (Background Music): MM Keeravaani, RRR Best Male Playback Singer: Kaala Bhairava, RRR Best Female Playback Singer: Shreya Ghoshal, Iravin Nizhal Best Lyrics: Chandrabose, Konda Polam’s Dham Dham Dham
Made In Heaven 2: Glam, Glitz & Grey – A Must Watch Iconoclastic Show !
Talk of the town! Solid writing, powerful performances, iconoclast acts, pastel weddings, designer clothes, beautiful brides, charming grooms, top notch production values – Made In Heaven Season 2 is a wonderful watch!
The template is simple: Each episode has a one or two weddings with an inherent issue or tension, ultra stylish weddings with magnificent clothes and uber themes and the ongoing life stories of ‘Made In Heaven’ wedding planning agency team members. Same sex coupling, Dalit wedding, Muslim wedding, Bollywood deal wedding, self wedding – all scenarios are covered to give the series a strong progressive and liberal credential! The beauty lies that these are not checklist issues, but many of them are handled with great nuance and sensitivity.
Shobhita continues her purple patch – taking her glam stylish svelte avatar of Kaveri (The Night Manager) to next level with more teeth, grit, vindictiveness and vulnerability. Impeccable is the word for Shobita! She is having a ball – “Money softens the blow! For the rest..there’s whisky”
Mona Singh’s Bulbul Johari is a stupendous act – the powerhouse performer unfolds her emotional journey as the series progresses. Whether asking the violence victim bride to stand up for herself or navigating the ‘locker room’ scandal of her teenage son, she is super impressive. She is a class apart! “Hearts of girls are won by respect and love, not force”.
Arjun Mathur is outstanding – he is messy, he is confused, he is fragile, he is choking, he is bottled up, he is struggling, he is guilty, he is victimised – touching portrayal of full range of emotions. His difficult relationship with mother, its impact on his psyche, his inability to open up to his partner, his mother’s death – highly moving! “Some of us are meant to travel alone!”
The biggest discovery and showstopper of the series is Trinetra Haldar – a doctor turned actor. The transwoman actor is exceptional – totally calm and poised as she steals the show playing herself! Full marks to the writers for giving a strong transgender character – a highest paid employee, totally accepted by parents. Trinetra’s Mehek deals with the shit with resilience, anchors her relationships with amazing maturity and loves having fun – “I want to go on a date, not give a TED talk!” I am sure we will see more of her in the days to come!
The show has a very impressive supporting cast – Kalki, Jim Sarbh, Vijay Raaz, Shashank Arora, Shivani Raghuvanshi. Vijay Raaz is a terrific as a feminist, not just a money bags. Watch him when he says – Dhindora pitiye!
The cameos are equally top notch – Fiery and nuclear Powered Radhika Apte, beautiful Mrunal Thakur, diva Dia Mirza, effervescent Sanjay Kapoor, classy Neelam Kothari, composed Samir Soni, charming Vikrant Massey, Neil, Imaad Shah and others!
Writers Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti and Alankrita Shrivastava have done a fabulous job by creating rich characters with strong arcs and given each character a distinct identity. Directors Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar have roped in Nitya Mehra, Alankrita Shrivastava, and Neeraj Ghaywan as directors
Faadu is a clutter breaking slow burn love story powered by exceptional performances of Saiyami Kher and Pavail Gulati.
When Ghalib Meets Gucci
When Bhutan Meets America
When Faiz Meets Ferrari
Faadu starts as a refreshing tale of opposites attract. Manjiri and Abhay comes from a completely different background. Ujjain descendant Abhay, his auto rickshaw driver father, ailing mother and alcoholic brother live in a Mumbai Ghetto where life is an endless struggle and everything claustrophobic. Manjiri hails from an idyllic village in Konkan Coast where her highly supportive poetry loving father has given her complete support and encouragement to fly in the open skies. Both meet, appreciate each other’s candour, fall in love and marry. So far so good.
However, ambitious Abhay is on a single minded mission to break the shackles of poverty and ensure a meteoric rise in the city of dreams. He makes questionable choices resulting into a troubled relationship with family and Manjiri. The journey of impatient Abhay overtakes the romance as he navigates different chapters of his hyper quick but grey growth.
Faadu is indeed a slow burn where Saiyami Kher shines. She is the moral compass and acts an anchor with brilliant clarity. She is the fountainhead of poetry, patience and simplicity. Pavail is equally strong and shows a great transformation. Great supporting cast as well.
Faadu slips in the second half and could have done with better editing. Though, its slow pace could appeal to a few sections. Excellent music and awesome cinematography.
The protagonist Ravi Shankar Tripathi is assigned a case of acid attack on a young Parul Chaturvedi, whose photo he has received recently for a marriage proposal. He is a son of progressive poet and teacher, who has offered to resign due to inability to adjust with the system. Still struggling at his job, he hunts for the culprit and comes across the deep-rooted opinions and perspectives of the people.
The deep rooted gender bias, patriarchy, misogyny, police system, toxicity, father-son’s difficult relationship, witch hunt of the victim – all are explored very emphatically as Pandora’s box opens slowly!
Performance par excellence by Vijay Varma – Heart and soul of the movie. The way he transforms himself while realising his limitations and inner demons is phenomenal. Equally rock solid performances by the entire cast. Special mention for Gopal Datt and Yashpal Sharma. Shweta Tripathi and Seema Biswas once again show their class – simply awesome.
Strong writing and sensitive direction. The music is wonderful and makes a great impact!
Rocky Rani Review: The Grand Bollywood Entertainer With A Dose Of Progressive Messages! A Rocking Watch!
Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani Review: The Karan Johar ‘Its About Loving Your Family’ Get A Socio-Liberal Makeover!
RARKIPK Has All The Typical Karan Johar Ingredients: The Flamboyant Over The Top Super Rich Punjabi Family, Glamorous Protagonists, Top Line Starcast, Designer Clothes, Larger Than Life Sets, Foot Tapping Music, Spectacular Dance Numbers, Smart Humorous Lines, Emotional Masala & A Happy Ending! Only Kajol Cameo Is Missing!
Super Wealthy Family Heir Rocky & Feisty Journalist Rani Fall In Love While Trying To Reunite A Their Respective Grandparents. Rocky’s Grandpa & Rani’s Grandma Are Soulmates Who Lived A Lifetime In A Week But Drifted Apart.
As Always, The Families Are Chalk & Cheese – The Intellectually Culturally Rich Bengalis Replace Gujjus To Lock Horns With The Punju Family. Rocky & Rani Decide To Swap Places And Stay With Each Other’s Family To Bridge The Differences. Inspired By ‘DDLJ’ & ‘2 States’, Both Try To Impress & Befriend The Families. After A Roller Coaster Ride, Love Triumphs!
The Journey To The Marriage Altar Is Where All The Action Is – With Loads Of Social Message – Patriarchy, Misogyny, Bodyshaming, Gender Equality, Racism, Cancel Culture! Feminism – Karan Johar Packages All This In His Typical Bollywood Style! Rocky’s Kathak Dance With Rani’s Father & Lingerie Shopping With Rani’s Mother Clearly Drive A Message. ‘Talent Is Genderless’ Conversation Or Rocky’s Cancel Culture Outburst – All Are Heartwarming!
Ranveer Entertains With His Energy, Comic Timing & Emotions – But This Is What He Can Do At 3 AM In Morning. Nothing New For Him. Alia Is Vaidehi (Badri Ki Dulhaniya) & Ananya (2 States) In Glamorous Sarees But More Stormier This Time! Ranveer Alia Chemistry Keep You Glued! Shabana Azmi Charms & Shows Real Class – Full Marks To Her. Jaya Bachchan Get To Play Amitabh’s Mohabbatein’s Narayan Shankar & K3G’s Yashvardhan Raichand Patriarchal Roles. Special Mention For The Supporting Cast – All Are Wonderful Especially Tota Roy Chowdhury, Anjali Anand & Aamir Bashir.
Pritam’s Music Is Good But It Is The Retro Music That Impresses The Most. Tum Kya Mile & Kamleya Are Beautiful Songs! Cheers To Karan Johar For His Strong Direction, Playing To Strengths Of His Favourite Alia & Ranveer & All Actors, Infusing The Proceedings With Perfect Tadka Of Humour And Emotions!
A child forces her single mother to get a father on rent for a month. She agrees to get one but strategises to bring a misfit father that the child will hate. As expected, the plan fails with the father and son getting along pretty well. Emotions emerge, love creeps in and things become complex. How do they navigate this?
A highly predictable movie with nice warm moments and weak screenplay. But it still sticks! Especially due to excellent performance by Manav Kaul – who is charming and impressive and funny! Genelia as a modern single woman and Manav as a closet romantic have a good chemistry! Zidane Braz and Gajraj Rao provide strong anchor to the movie.
Nothing extraordinary! If you are looking for a clean wholesome family entertainer, Trial Period is a good watch!
Bawaal is an interesting attempt where a couple in troubled marriage discover love over a World War 2 honeymoon trip. Arjun is a highly image-conscious and fake braggart who treats his intelligent, pretty and talented wife Nisha like a piece of dirt. Arjun invites trouble at his school job and finds a novel way to change the narrative. Nisha accompanies her and during the European trip covering Holocaust, Arjun realises his follies.
The story of a rustic uncivilised man redeemed by a brilliant and wise woman is an interesting take and explored before. The movie fails to build on a great premise. And zero marks for the attitude towards Epilepsy….
The attempt to infuse Holocaust is a brave attempt but it fails…especially dialogues like – Every relationship goes through their Auschwitz. Or reducing Hitler’s evil to greed. Expect a big roasting here for the movie!
Varun Dhawan is class apart and is the highlight of the movie. He is effortless and impressive. The supporting cast is wonderful. But Janhvi Kapoor fails to exploit the great character.
Bawaal has wonderful music and smart dialogues. Trust Dangal’s Nitesh Tiwary for a great movie but he could have done much much better!
Bawaal is a decent one time watch – Watch it for Varun Dhawan!
‘Achhi kahaniyaan woh hain jisme tark ho, jo aapko provoke karein to ask why’.
Writer of ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron’ and Director of ‘Hazaron Khwaishein Aisi’, ‘Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin’ brings a dramatic commentary of the modern times! A strong telling of how unverified chat forwards and social media rumours trigger unrest and create destruction!
Mob Lynchings, LoveJihad, Social Media Factory, Chat App Crafted Realities, Cattle Killings, Election Build Ups, Patriarchy, Communalism, Politics Of Hate – All feature in the relatable thriller.
A political rally in Sawalpur, Rajasthan goes out of hand and rising leader Vikram Singh (Sumeet Vyas) faces the heat. His defiant and disapproving fiancee Nivi (Bhumi Pednekar) decides to run away and is saved by a NRI returned Muslim adman Rahab (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). Rahab is on his way to meet his wife’s book launch at a high society literature festival. But the trip becomes a hell of an adventure ride when he becomes the face of LoveJihad, thanks to social media alchemists.
Nawaz is very cool and shines in a very restrained and understated manner. Bhumi and T J Bhanu are the real stars – strong women who fight back, defy patriarchy, listen to their inner voice and keep the moral sanity alive. Sumeet Vyas is stellar and very convincing as suave, polished politician!
Afwaah has cliches as well as smart moments. The butcher scene and a man begging for his life are clearly drawn from one of the biggest riots of India. The Jaipur Literature festival equivalent where all high talks fizzle or the choice of animal at the end of the movie is finest sarcasm. The movie is a courageous attempt but looses grip in some portions and becomes a drag. Afwaah manages to avoid becoming a preachy sermon. But it fails to deliver the punch that was expected from such a film – blame it on the everyday newspapers that we read. Nothing shocks us anymore!
But if Afwaah makes one think of verifying the social media post before blindly forwarding, sharing and believing it, Afwaah would have done a great service to the nation and posterity!
Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai is a stellar court room drama based on the real-life trial and conviction of Asaram Bapu. The film focuses on how a morally righteous lawyer P C Solanki (Manoj Bajpayee) fights the case of young sexual harassment victim Nu Singh for a period of five years and ensures justice.
The movie depicts how self-styled ‘godman’ prey on gullible victims, how naive parents act as accidental catalysts, how goons terrorise the victims and how rich and powerful find ways to delay and distort justice. Though the movie’s end is predictable, Manoj Bajpayee’s performance and strong writing keep you engrossed.
The Shiv bhakt protagonist is brilliant as he deals with the battery of accomplished lawyers and their legal games. The chant of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ and the use of Ramayana analogy as closing statement are smartly brilliant.
Manoj Bajpayee shines with a riveting performance – not his best but even his average is above class. There is no room for anyone else in the movie – the movie’s title is clear about it! But it could be a lost opportunity to focus on the trials and tribulations of the young child and her parents.
A good watch for fans of court room drama and Manoj Bajpayee.
