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  • The Annual Bollywood Review – 2023

    The Annual Bollywood Review – 2023

    The Annual Bollywood Review – 2023

    The Quick Summary:

    1. Bollywood Bounces Back: After Being Challenged By The Southern Spice, Bollywood Regained Its Chutzpah – On All Fronts. The Purple Patch Was Reflected In People Presence At Theatres, Single-Screen, Multiplex & Digital Screenings & Of Course, Profits. Bollywood Was In Conversation Throughout The Year – Pathan’s Deepika Bikini, Animal’s Jamaal Kudu, Misogyny & Violence, Jawan’s Impact, Gadar 2’s Success, Rocky Rani’s Kiss, 12th Fail’s Warmth.

    2. Santa SRK Shines: Badshah SRK Set The Stage With The YRF Spyverse Actioner Pathan, Scaled Success With Southern Style Jawan & Balanced The Mega Run With Hirani’s Dunki. SRK’s Impeccable Market Sense Showed In His Reinvention As An Action Hero To Be Relevant To Today’s Audience. And His Twitter Rizz.

    3. Entertainment With Progressive Messages: Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, SRK’s Jawan Or Hirani’s Dunki – The Mainstream Bollywood Packaged Entertainment With Socially Relevant Themes & Messages. Ranveer’s Dance & Lingerie Shopping Act With Citizen Khan’s Voting Gyan & Farmer Suicide Angle In Jawan Resonated Impactfully. Make No Mistake – Karan Johar’s Rocky Rani’s Influence Will Show In Days To Come.

    4. Sunshine Success: Everything Worked At Bollywood This Year.

    Pathan Worked

    Jawan Worked

    Gadar 2 Worked

    Animal Worked

    The Kerala Story Worked

    Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar Worked

    OMG2 Worked

    Tiger 3 Worked

    Sequels Like Gadar 2, Dream Girl 2, Tiger 3 Worked. Original Work Like Jawan, Animal, Dunki Worked.

    5. Cinematic Excellence Persists: Among The Business Boom & Cacophony Of Success, Gems Like 12th Fail, Pokhar, Bheed, Three Of Us Also Bloomed.

    6. Beautiful Co-Existence: People Were Back In Theatres. Movies Like 12th Fail And Gadar 2 Continued For Months. Direct OTT Releases Became More Common & Certain Movies Found Their Ideal Audience In Digital Streaming. Everyone’s Happy With The Arrangement.

    7. Southern Movies Are Becoming Mainstream: Jailer, Leo, Salaar & PS2 Showed There Is A Growing Audience For Southern Movies In The North As Well.

    For Annual Bollywood Reviews Since 2012 & Movie Reviews  – Refer To www.ashokkarania.com

    The Top Movies Of 2023:

    1. 12th Fail: The Power Of Dreams. Vikrant Massey’s Emotional & Earnest Showcase Of The Gruesome IPS Journey Won Hearts.  A Sleeper Hit. One Of The Best Movies. The Strong Content, Excellent Screenplay & Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Directorial Treatment Wins The Day. VVC Beats Protege Rajkumar Hirani (Dunki). Special Marks For Vikas Divyakriti’s Inclusion & Great Adaptation Of Anurag Pathak’s Book.

    2. Jawan: SRK’s Massy Bollywood Masala Entertainer For The Political Bharat!  Farmer Suicides To Medical System To Voting – Shining SRK Showcase It All. Deepika, Vijay Sethupathi, Nayanthara & Sania Shine In The Highest Grosser Of The Year.

    3. Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani: The Karan Johar ‘Its About Loving Your Family’ Get A Socio-Liberal Makeover! Dharmendra & Songs Steal The Show Amidst An Ensemble Cast Of Bollywood’s Top Talent Including Alia & Ranveer.

    4. Sirf EK Bandaa Kaafi Hai: A Manoj Bajpayee Masterclass Where Shiv Bhakt Leads From The Front. A Stellar Court Room Drama Based On The Real-Life Trial & Conviction Of Asaram Bapu!

    5. Three Of Us: A Simple & Moving Tale Of A Dementia Patient’s Revisiting Of Childhood Places, People & Memories. Shefali Shah, Jaideep Ahlawat & Swanand Kirkere Are Terrific In A Tale Of Memory, Friendship & Love. The Gentle, Tranquil, Sensitive Film Is A Soul Sister Of Oscar Favorite Past Lives

    6. Bheed: An Experiential Portrayal Of The Largest Migration Of Modern Time. All Shades Of Emotion In The Black And White Saga.

    7. Dunki: Rajkumar Hirani’s Take On The  Illegal Immigration Practice Spiced With Smart Humour & Humanity

    8. 8 AM Metro: A Heart-Warming Tale Of Two Strangers Striking An Unique Relationship. Slow Burn Movie Of Honest Emotions.

    9. Afwaah: A Political Thriller Of Modern Times – Showcasing The Impact Of Social Media On Gullible Public!

    10. OMG2: Pankaj Tripathi Shines In A Movie On The Important Topic Of Sex Education.

    Honorable Mentions:

    1. Khufiya

    2. Kathal

    3. Jaane Jaan

    4. Pathan

    5. Pokhar Ke Dunu Paar

    6. Ghoomer

    7. Satya Prem Ki Katha

    8. Gulmohar

    9. Goldfish

    10. Joram

    The Commercial Success Stories Of 2023:

    1. Jawan

    2. Animal

    3. Pathan

    4. Gadar 2

    5. Salaar

    6. Jailer

    7. Leo

    8. Tiger 3

    9. Rocky Rani Ki Prem Kahaani

    10. PS2

    The Forgetful Movies Of 2023:

    1. Tejas – Kangana’s All Time Flops Continue….

    2. Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan – Family Productions Of Salman Khan

    3. AdiPurush – The Perfect Spoiler Of Ram On Celluloid

    4. Ganapath

    5. Selfiee

    And Many Movies Were Neither Here Or There: U Turn, Gumraah, Kuttey, Bloody Daddy, Tiku Weds Sheru Etc.

    Bollywood Persona Of 2023:

    Alia Bhatt Is The Betaaj Badshah (Undisputed Queen) Of Bollywood & Clearly The Most Influential Achiever But The Person Who Moved The Needle & Transformed Identity To Catalyze & Energize Bollyoowd Was The King Khan – Shah Rukh Khan!  

    Lots of Web Series & Short Movies Are Also Enriching The Bollywood & Entertainment Space – But They Are Out Of Scope For This Current Review.

    What’s Your Take? What You Loved? Hated?

  • The Banshees Of Inisherin: Melancholic. Macabre. Maddening. Morbid. Must-Watch.

    The Banshees Of Inisherin: Melancholic. Macabre. Maddening. Morbid. Must-Watch.

    An impeccable, thought provoking and insightful epic of human relationships and life!

    When friendships break!

    When existential questions hurt!

    Just like every other day, Padraic visits his best friend Colm for the ritualistic trip to the local pub. Colm refuses to speak and breaks the friendship which devastates Padraic to no end. Padraic persists on winning back his friend but Colm is equally stubborn and threatens to cut off his fingers one by one if Padriac does not back off! Ouch! And shockingly, he walks the talk! Heart-breaking and horrifying!

    What a story….what an impressive set of eclectic characters!

    Colm is a thinker who wants to have a purposeful life and leaving a lasting impression on the world! His icy cold rejection of Colm is incisive – “I just don’t like you no more”!

    Padraic just wants to be nice human being and feels kindness is what one will be remembered for! His reactions to Colm as well as his interactions with animals are moving!

    Dominic is the troubled teenager who steals the show when he says “there goes that dream”!

    Padriac’s sister Siobhan is a wise, well-read and strong woman with dreams and ambition…Her silence pierces as well as her retorts like “not another silent man in Inisherin”

    And what an ending! Will not spoil the beans…tell what you think of it?

    Colin Farell and Brendan Gleeson’s chemistry as two friends at odd is amazing! The whole range of emotions from confusion to shock to anger is well a master class in acting – expressed with eyes and body language! Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan are rock solid and lift the movie to a next level.

    Martin McDonagh focusses on human relationship and small town absurdities with the backdrop of war in a remote Irish island. Life in a judgemental and probing community can be claustrophobic and maddening! The writing and screenplay is very meaningful and incisive – translated impeccably on the big screen with an emphatic treatment! The cinematography is a character in itself and transports you to the beautifully Irish countryside. The visuals and music have a calming effect – acting as a meditative healing amidst the melancholic pain!

    A movie that will touch you and set you thinking!

  • ‘Monica O My Darling’ Review: Womaniya Blast In A Musical Comic Thriller!

    ‘Monica O My Darling’ Review: Womaniya Blast In A Musical Comic Thriller!

    A taut pop culture rich thriller with unapologetic eccentric characters! A social climber has it all – great job, beautiful fiancé and a bright future – till things go south! A femme fatale secretary and a kick-ass police officer create a mad energy of its own! And there are murders along the way!

    Huma Qureshi & Radhika Apte have a blast in the intriguing murder mystery! Huma Quereshi is a riot. Radhika Apte is completely sassy. Lovely to see them enjoying in their well-written characters. Rajukumar Rao does a great job but he has been there, done that. A great ensemble cast.

    The music is terrific and adds to the quirky fun. Songs like ‘ Yeh Ek Zindagi’, ‘Love you so much that I want to kill you’ ‘Bye Bye Adios’ etc are a character in itself!

    Smart writing, strong screenplay, fabulous dialogues, marvellous acting and outstanding music make it a nice watch. Editing could have been better. Director Vasan Bala creates a cool cocktail of Johnny Gaddar, Sriram Raghavan and James Hadley Chase novels.

    Worth a watch!

  • Kantara Review: “wooooooaaaav”  Insanely WOW! 

    Kantara Review: “wooooooaaaav”  Insanely WOW! 

    Kantara Review: “wooooooaaaav”  Insanely WOW! 

    Kantara is a must watch movie! A true cinematic experience that deserves a big screen immersion! 

    Kantara is an outstanding mesh of visual extravaganza, creative storytelling and mind blowing performances! Full credit to actor director writer Rishabh Shetty for staying true to local milieu & rustic taste while avoiding the temptation to masculinize the movie like the recent southern potboilers. 

    Kantara brings together diverse threads to create a unique fabric:

    – Human being’s search for peace and sukoon

    – Local beliefs and culture 

    – Human greed and nature’s bounty

    – Human rights and rule of law

    Technically world-class, sensitive treatment, awesome cinematography and powerful vivid music take us straight to the coastal Karnataka life – the Bhoot Kala festival, the Kambala event, wild boar hunting etc. Daiva’s scream guarantees goosebumps!  

    The last fifteen minutes have taken the movie to next level with Rishabh’s performance – the climax will keep people talking for a long time! 

    Kantra – Watch it – The power of cinema that will stay on….

    And yes, if you love Kantara, do not forget to watch Tumbadd – one of India’s finest movie! And the one I rate  one notch higher than Kantara!

  • Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Review

    Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Review

    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 – Dark & Daring

    Titli – Dark & Daring

    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.

  • Are You Ready For 2014?

    Are You Ready For 2014?

    The end of the year ! Time to review. Time to redefine.

    2013 will soon be history. I am sure we will say “GoodBye” to 2013 by remembering its highs and lows. More importantly, enriching ourselves by the lessons it taught us.

    2014 is in front of us. Let us look ahead.

    How do we want 2014 to be?

    What do we want to be in 2014?

    And in 2015? And further ahead. It is important to set those right priorities for ourselves. It is important to set clear goals. Once that is done, there is tremendous clarity of thought. All things fall in place.

    The most important things after having clear goals is discipline and commitment. Nobody won a nobel prize for their plans. Nobody got a promotion for their thoughts. Everyone got ahead because of results and actions, which only happen after execution and discipline. Let us act. Let us fight that cynical voice. Stay away from negative thoughts and persons.

    Things may not go as per the script. But we still have to face reality. Take adversity by the horns. Accept challenge and prepare a new approach, if things do not right. It is always important to have Plan B.

    Always be positive. Always manage time well. Google Maps cannot guide our lives. Nor can anyone else. We are our own architects. It is convenient to find problems outside of us. Difficult people will fall in line eventually.

    Finally pursue excellence. It helps you become expert. It helps you to leave your mark. It helps the world to help you !

    How does this translate into workplace? Let us have clear goals for ourselves. Let us have clear KRAs. If we have some challenges, be pro-active and clear it. Review self. At a high level, if we see our work or anything that we do as job or task, we have one approach. But if we see our work and other activities as mission, our perspective changes. We get lot of power and energy from within. HR Performance Appraisals, Punctuality, Attendance, Follow-Ups, Reminders, Stress – all go out of our lexicon. Leadership becomes our mantra. Making it happen becomes our mantra.

    Time flies. 2013 is gone. 2014 will also be soon gone. Focus on only 3 goals for 2014. These goals can cut across work, family, self. No more. No less.

    I hope everyone of us have more achievements and more celebrations in 2014. Dreams do come true.

  • Raanjhanaa : Epic Love Saga Wins !

    Raanjhanaa : Epic Love Saga Wins !

    Love is in the Bollywood air ! After Aashiqui 2 and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Raanjhanaa brings a different love story with a twist.

    Aanand Rai’s Tanu Weds Manu was an impressive outing. I was looking forward to Raanjhanaa and A R Rahman’s music. I was very curious to see Dhanush – can he pull off a full fledged Bollywood movie based in Benares? I was pleasantly surprised. Raanjhanaa is one of the best movies of 2013 inspite its melodramatic second half.

    Raanjhanaa is an epic love story where a passionate lover meets innocent beauty. The boy is an ardent devotee of his love while the girl is at her casual best. The first half keeps us hooked with engaging plot, great acting, nice music and beautifully captured Benares (different from traditional images we see on TV). Dialogues are earthy, witty and impeccably placed. Consider this one : Pyaar na hua, UPSC ka imtihan ho gaya. Dus saal se paas hi nahi ho raha.

    The movie gets diluted in the second half due to the political plot and confused direction. If Raanjhaana had continued its first half tone, it could have been better. I know Rai had a great challenge for second half, but the current chosen second half’s melodrama diluted the impact.

    A R Rahman is wonderful – each song is a beauty. Whether it is Tum Tak or Title Song or Tu Mun Shudi – Rahman take forward the Rockstar form and balances it with Benares times. Abhay Deol is his usual self and is rooted in his character. Swara Bhaskar is a strong and a real emerging talent. She had excelled in Rai’s earlier outing Tanu Weds Manu as well. Sonam Kapoor is at her best in the movie. She really transforms her throughout out the movie and this can be considered her strongest performance to the date. But the real winner is Dhanush. Dhanush wins you over with his passion and persistence. You really root for him. You want him. Every slap of Sonam brings you closer to Dhanush.

    Dhanush rules the screen. He owns the movie. Though he received 1/3rd of Abhay Deol’s compensation, he hits the ultimate jackpot. He proved that Kolaveri Di is not his only claim to fame. He has the talent. Can he break the South Jinx? Can he surprise us again ? We are waiting !

    The new Bollywood is a great place. Again and again it is proving that what really matters is talent and hard work. When they shine, looks really take a back seat. Irfan. Nawazuddin. Dhanush. It is exciting phase for Bollywood.

    Raanjhanaa – Recommended !