The new Bollywood is making brave choices and Judgementally Hai Kya is a shining example of the new experiments of Bollywood. It is a courageous movie – which will challenge you, divide you, confuse you! Better than ‘leave-your-brain-at-home’ cinema.
Kangana and Rajkumar Rao are at the top of their game. Both play the
characters with impeccable conviction and bring out the multiples shades of the
quirky characters remarkably. It is an ode to Kangana’s art that she looks so
natural in the role. Rajkumar is a perfect match to her.
Kangana is suffering from acute psychosis and identity disorder. The
troubled mind has a troubled past and a challenging present. Rajkumar Rao moves
in as a tenant in the house with his wife – who is murdered. The movie catches
edgy thriller style after the murder. The Ramayana theme is invoked in a modern
style and Sita is seen as the victim of male violence. The movie keeps you
guessing and your loyalties to the character are challenged again and again.
The director is the real hero. He paints the pain and anguish of the characters with rich colours and textures. The change in the backdrop and the mood of the film between Bombay and London is nice and consistent. The conflict and the struggles of a troubled mind are beautiful depicted in the title song – noteworthy are the street art that complement the mood of the mind. Spot on!
The director could not have asked for a better actor to demonstrate the anxieties and troubles of a psychotic mind. The scene where she explains that demons are following her – it affects you. She cannot trust anyone – the fall in the drama with Jimmy Shergill again explains the state of mentally unstable mind.
Kangana’s current off-screen controversies and perennial persona helping in adding richness to the character. Is she giving message from her real life – domestic violence, misunderstood, feminine voice? Who is the real mad?
The movie has its flaws. The second half is problematic. The Jimmy Shergill
track is not given the proper treatment. The finale could have been better.
The jury is out on the choice of using mental health patient as the protagonist. I know that it has not depicted all the challenges of mentally ill patients – but I guess it was never meant to be perfect on technicalities. More importantly, I think it helps in opening a dialogue on mental health. Bollywood has impact in India that is too big. The movie is creating awareness of the challenges of mental health patients. It stops us from dismissing their problems as madness. It stops from being insensitive to their challenges. It helps in telling us to educate ourselves and be more sensitive about understanding the troubled minds.
The movie has taken the important topic of Mental Health and given it the right and sensitive treatment. The movie has a significant message for the world – mentally ill patients are different and need their space. Understand them, support them, lighten their mental distress and accept them unconditionally. And yes, do not be judgemental!
A must watch – a difficult watch, a complex watch – but yet a must watch!
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!
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!
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.
Rituals Of Kali Chaudas Include Visiting Crematorium or Smashaan. Also One Has To Kill Evil And Laziness.
I Visited Karan’ Johar Movie At The Theatre & Was Disappointed Today By Bollywood’s Laziness. Karan Johar Was Trying To Be Brave In Exploring Mature Relationships But Was Confused & Stuck To Several Stereotypes. Invoking Too Much Bollywood Nostalgia Was Sign Of Weakness.
Anushka Was Good – The Dependable Rahul Dravid. Fawad Was Definitely Wasted. Ash & Ranbir Will Need To Work Harder To Come Out Of The String of Bad Movies – Karan Johar Does Not Help Them.
Foreign Locales, Stunning Lifestyle, Great Music – Was All There But Something Was Missing. The Movie Sounded Fake. The Only Saving Grace Was The Title Song.
I Think Raj Thackeray Actually Was Helping Promote The Movie…….
Ajay Devgan’s Shivaay Was Already Doomed & Cannot Gather Courage To See It….The Movie Poster Always Tell Us Something…
I Saw ‘Court’ & ‘Dhanak’ On Flight A Few Hours Back And Now This…I Pray That Bollywood Kill Laziness & Become More Courageous….Happy Diwali
Titli has been one of the most amazing films of 2015. It was a part of my top movies of 2015. Here is the detailed review.
Titli Review:
Happy times sow the seeds of darkness.
Dark times sow the seeds of hope.
Titli is a film about these seeds of hope after a lifetime of darkness.
The setting of the movie Titli is black…very black
– A family that takes you down.
– A life that is only dismal darkness
– A life that has no hope
– All the family members live in their own hells. And the way of dealing is with this hell is to make the life hell for the others.
Titli introduces us to the under-belly of the national capital region. It is about those areas that we know that exist but we choose to ignore them. We refuse to see them.
The movie revolves around the father and his three sons. It is a very patriarch driven and crime-driven family. The youngest son is the protagonist and is named Titli. He dreams of leaving the family and setup his parking business – to upgrade his life. But the family gets Titli married to Neelu and add the innocent woman to the crime gang and leverage her to dupe people. Neelu is their passport to additional revenues. But Neelu has her own demons and her own version of hell.
Everyone acts out of selfish interest and use each other. The family of Rajshri and Karan Johar does not exist – here everyone is out to make life miserable for each other.
But Titli and Neelu want to escape the life of violence and poverty. They yearn for a better life.
Ranvir Shorey as the elder son has given his best performance till date. A superb screenplay, excellent direction and great acting. A must-watch. It is a different world. Bollywood’s growth continues in the shadow of blockbusters.
Its that time of the year again! The year 2015 delivered unexpected gems, pleasant surprises, formula films and big letdowns. As an optimist, I am happy that real gems were discovered and Indian Cinema is going beyond select camps and limited talent pool. This is the only way for Indian Entertainment to reach its global potential.
The movie connoisseurs lapped up Masaan, Titli and Dum Lagaa Ke Haishaa. It was heart-warming to see Bajrangi Bhaijaan becoming a Universal Hit like 3 Idiots. Bahubali was literally the giant epic of box office and showed the scales we can achieve.
Formula movie stuck to their brand promise: Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Dilwale, Bajirao Mastani, Dil Dhadakne Do, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, ABCD2, Welcome Back
Bombay Velvet, Tamasha, Byomkesh Bakshi were a disappointment to many. Hollywood’s Jurassic World touched the 100 crore mark in Bollywood.
Here is my take on Bollywood’s Top Movies for 2015.
Best of 2015:
1. Masaan: Poetry, pain and beauty against the multicoloured Varanasi. Neeraj brings heart and art into cinema and showcases four lives stuck in Varanasi. Tu Kisi Rail Si Guzaarti Hai – Just Wow ! Subhash Jha rightly mentioned that see Sanjay Mishra in Masaan and then in Dilwale to see how Bollywood kills talent!
2. Titli: A dark cinema about about Delhi’s under-belly and about the dark lanes that we see and we miss. Story of the a father and this three sons who act of self-interest alone. A superb screenplay, excellent direction and great acting. Ranvir’s best performance of the date.
3. Bajranji Bhaijaan: The power of Salman meets meaningful cinema. Clean and Universal hit like 3 Idiots scores on all areas – story, performances, entertainment. Had a prop called Kareena – the laziest actor of late! The movie did more for Indo-Pak relations than official government diplomats.
4. Piku: Deepika-Bachchan rule with great support from Irfan. Beautiful Bhadra-lok and nuances of relationships. Heart-warming. Motion Se Emotion Se Box-Office Collection! Shoojit Sircar brings biology to Bollywood – like Vicky Donor!
5. Baahubali: Lord Of Rings meets Indian Cinema Heroes. Best advertisement for Indian talent. Almost touched 500 crores. The whole India is waiting to find out why Katappa killed Bahubali? Epic in every sense.
6. Dum Lagaa Ke Haisha: Love in times of patriarchy and arranged marriages. Discovering love. Kumar Sanu and Anu Malik relive the magic of times and add the right flavour to Ayushman-Bhumi acting.
7. Tanu Weds Manu Returns: Kangana’s Haryani accent and swagger was a hit across the board. Anand Rai re-created the magic with Madhavan and Kangana.
8. Bajiao Mastani: The grandeur of Bhansali movie with Ranveer’s powerful acting. Only Bhansali can do this!
9. Drishyam: Ajay Devgan and Tabu shine in the Thriller Drama. The remake of Mohanlal starrer created the right impact.
10. Margarita With A Straw: Kalki and Revathy bring the life of a teenager with cerebral palsy. Talk’s struggle with achieving her physical and emotional aspirations with dignity. Emotional experience.
Honorable Mention:
Shamitabh: Homage to Amitabh’s baritone. Dhanush shines in this egoistic battle movie. Piddi Si Baatein…trust Balki to be different!
The Blockbusters List:
1. Bahubali – 470 Crore (All Versions)
2. Bajrangi Bhaijaan – 320 Crores
3. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo – 190 Crores
4. Tanu Weds Manu Returns – 150 Crores
5. Dilwale – Still Collecting…
6. Bajirao Mastani – Still Collecting..
7. ABCD2 – 106 Crores
8. Welcome Back – 97 Crores
9. Tamasha – Still Collecting…
10. Gabber Is Back – 86 Crores
The Forgetful 2015:
MSG: Messenger of God – No Comments!
Roy: First – It is more Ranbir movie than Arjun Rampal movie! Nothing memorable except Chitiyan Kalaaiyan:
Bombay Velvet: Anurag tries to create larger than life Bollywood movie. Perfect paper movie. Forgiven.
Hamaari Adhuri Kahaani: Adhuri ? There was zero Kahaani. Once upon a time Emraan and Vidya used to be…
Ek Paheli Leela: Leveraging the asset called Sunny Leone.
