BAHUBALI 2: Awe-inspiring sequel to the spectacular first part

By

Sharada Iyer

Now I am at peace. I managed to see the ‘first day-first show’ of the most awaited film of 2017-Bahubali 2 and got the answer to the cliff-hanger question on which Bahubali 1 had ended! After all, it had been a crazy period of two years waiting to know the full story.

Anyone reading this need not panic. There are no spoilers. I am just penning a few thoughts…

Two years ago when director S S Rajamouli unleashed his jaw-dropping extravaganza, audience throughout the country were left speechless. A spectacle as majestic as this had never been seen before in the history of Indian cinema. Mounted lavishly on an astounding budget the film was made simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil and dubbed in Hindi and other languages and raked in enough ‘moolah’ to emerge as the greatest blockbuster of Indian cinema. Combining brilliant story-telling with unbelievable special effects and laced with deep emotions the director touched a chord in every viewer’s heart…

…and now the team returns with an equally dazzling sequel replete with all the emotions, drama, intrigue, mesmerizing  special effects and outstanding fight sequences. This is probably the first instance of an Indian film being released in two parts and kudos to the director and story-writer for keeping alive the audience interest and maintaining the tempo and flow of the events in both the films. With the first part having raised the curiosity factor as well as expectation of the audience, the makers were faced with the daunting task of fulfilling all the high expectations… and what a sequel they have come up with! It matches the original in every aspect apart from giving an emotional and believable explanation to the reason the first part ended the way it did.

While the first part starts in the present and goes back to the past to reveal the story of Amaraendra Bahubali, the second part takes off from the past and beautifully comes back to the present to continue with the son Mahendra Bahubali connecting all the dots beautifully and coherently…

Each scene has been crafted with a lot of love, care, thought, precision, scientific input and imagination. The intricate detailing of the sets especially regarding the grandeur of the kingdom ‘Mahishmati’ leaves us spellbound. The song situations in both films are a lesson in computer graphics and excellent choreography. The fight sequences and action scenes are simply breathtaking! It leaves us awe-struck at the unbelievable audacity of the director to have conceptualized and visualized such a magnificent drama and to have had the guts and passion to translate this imagination into sheer cinematic magic with his able team of technical wizards ! The result is a six-hour epic fantasy which takes cinema viewing to another level!!

The tale of the two warring brothers – Bahubali and Bhallaldev to rule the Kingdom ‘Mahishmati’ leaves open a canvas large enough to include basic emotions of jealousy, loyalty, betrayal, confrontation, evil plots and extraordinary fights. The screenplay also includes two exciting love-stories which are very important to the script and a strong mother figure thereby assigning tremendous importance to all the female characters as well.

In the double role of Bahubali, Prabhas is so perfectly cast that it is difficult to imagine any other actor in India to have played the role so superbly. He gave five years of his life to breathe life into this cinematic character and manages to carve a memorable character with his special body language, his handsome looks, his winning smile, his remarkable agility during action sequences and his touching vulnerability during emotional scenes. With these two films, Prabhas outclasses the Khans and other stars to emerge as the current superstar of Indian cinema! 

Rana Daggubatti as the evil Bhallaldev is also brilliantly cast and so is Nasser as the wily handicapped uncle. In the important role of Katttappa, Sathyaraj has created history by being the most intriguing character who formed the vital link which in a way held the two parts of the movie together during the two-year gap.

The ladies are also excellent in their respective parts. Anushka Shetty as Princess Devasena, Tamannah as the bow-and-arrow wielding warrior and above all Ramya Krishnan as Queen Shivagami- all live their role. Perhaps the choice of the entire cast from South is one of the biggest plus-points of the film. As Telugu artistes are not so well-known throughout the country they were able to bring a kind of rare  authenticity to their characters and lived their roles. Had any of the top Bollywood artistes been part of the film their starry images may have hampered with the vision of the director…

If Bahubali 1 broke all box-office records two years back, Bahubali 2’s box-office collections are even more earth-shattering and the film has already amassed Rs 100 crores on the first day itself followed by Rs 100 crores on the second day also. Bahubali 2 has been released in over 6500 screens across the country setting a new record for the astonishing number of screens allotted for any Indian film…

Watching the magic of ‘Bahubali 1-the beginning’ and ‘Bahubali 2- the conclusion’ unfold on big screen is a unique experience and an opportunity not to be missed by any film-lover…

 

 

 

 

Shah Rukh Khan rocks in a never-before-seen avatar in RAEES

By

Sharada Iyer

The Badshah of Bollywood is on a roll… Last year there were two knock-out performances first in Fan and later in Dear Zindagi– and now he starts 2017 with a mind-blowing act in Raees ! Indeed, Shah Rukh Khan delivers one of his career best performances in and as the bootlegger Raees. It requires guts to take on such a complex role with strong negative shades. The character is menacing and ruthless and shows no remorse in killing anyone who makes fun of him, double-crosses him or tries to create obstacles in his path. At the same time he is shown to be a loyal friend, a romantic lover and also has a heart which beats for the poor.

THE PLOT:

The story is loosely based on the life of Abdul Lateef, an underworld figure in the eighties and supposedly an alleged associate of Dawood Ibrahim. It traces the rags-to-riches story of how a poor boy who is sucked into the illegal liquor business when he offers to carry the liquor bottles in his school bag for a small price eventually becomes the most powerful bootlegger in ‘dry’ Gujarat!

The lesson he learns from his mother at a young age- ‘Koi bhi dhanda chota nahin hota aur dhande se bada koi dharam nahin hota’ (No job in the world is small and there is no greater religion than one’s work)– leaves a deep impression in his mind and he gets fully embroiled in his illicit liquor business though he also finds time to help the needy with the money he makes.

Mahira Khan, the Pakistani actress who makes her debut in this film, forms his love interest and supports him in all his endeavours. He has a loyal friend in Zeeshan Ayub and their camaraderie is appealing. All is well in his world till the new police IPS Majmudar played by the versatile Nawazuddin Siddique decides to make it his life’s mission to get him arrested and have him pay for his crimes.

Now starts the cat-and-mouse game and the face-off between Shah Rukh and Nawazuddin becomes the biggest plus point of the film. Their confrontation scenes with the one-liner punches are a delight to watch!

 THE PLUS POINTS:

The racy first half of the film starting from his childhood days grips us from the word go and manages to keep us hooked on to the roller-coaster events in Raees’s life . There are some brilliantly choreographed fight sequences especially the one in the butcher shop and when he massacres Atul Kulkarni’s henchmen.The action scenes and chase scenes showcase a new side of SRK and he looks extremely convincing as the action hero which makes one wonder why directors don’t cast him in action roles more often!

The second half though a little slow manages to keep us engrossed.

Apart from giving a remarkable performance, Shah Rukh Khan looks very handsome and charismatic; the beard, the ‘kohled’ eyes and the glasses –all suit him a lot!

Nawazuddin Siddique comes up with yet another brilliant performance and though he does not have as many scenes as Shah Rukh, he manages to steal the limelight whenever they are together.

The supporting cast especially Atul Kulkarni  (as the first bootlegger for whom Raees starts working) and Zeeshan Ayub (his best friend) lend able support and are superb!!!

The background music is catchy especially the small signature piece which is played whenever Shah Rukh gets away with the loot. Sunny Leone looks stunning and her dance number is very catchy!

THE FLIP SIDE:

There are no nail-biting twists and turns which could have made this gangster drama more edgy and thrilling.

Mahira Khan is a big disappointment! She does not create any great impression and that special ‘X’-factor is sorely missing in her screen persona. With the result the romantic angle is lacklustre!

The songs are very average and in the absence of any great chemistry between the lead pair the duets tend to slow down the narrative…

CONCLUSION:

The film makes us ponder on the well-known nexus between corrupt politicians, corrupt police officers and the underworld Dons in our country. To catch them is a near impossible task and the handful of honest policemen should have extraordinary patience and luck to prove anything against any of them.On the other hand, it also shows how anyone with resourcefulness and daring can actually manage to beat the system and commit crimes without any fear of being caught.

Though Raees cannot be classified as a great film, it is a good film, highly entertaining and definitely worth watching for Shah Rukh Khan’s intense performance and for the confrontation scenes between him and Nawazuddin Siddique!

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Dear Zindagi’ tugs the right chords of our heart!

By

Sharada Iyer

After her brilliant directorial debut ‘English Vinglish’, writer-director Gauri Shinde is back with yet another sensitively crafted and remarkably directed slice of life film- ‘Dear Zindagi’– which helps us to understand that there is nothing called a ‘perfect’ family or a ‘perfect’ relationship and that life’s beauty lies in finding joy in the so-called ‘imperfections’ of life…

Though the film basically deals with the ‘relationships and break-up issues’ of our young protagonist Alia Bhatt, it ends up exploring the intricacies of how the relationships we form at various levels and at different times in our lives ultimately impact us in our behaviour. Every viewer will find something to take home from the film and therein lies the beauty and simplicity of the film’s narrative. It makes us look deep into the recesses of our mind and question ourselves, confront our worst fears, relive our happy memories and learn to find joy and happiness in little things that ultimately matter the most. The film also tells us to stop being too judgemental about others and at the same time not to be affected by what others think of us otherwise we will keep putting a false front and end up being dishonest with our own feelings.

THE PLOT

Alia Bhatt is a young, smart and extremely talented cinematographer who dreams of doing big things professionally. She is full of creative ideas and wants to make her own films and is just waiting for the right break. She has a group of close friends with whom she hangs out with but her romantic life is in a mess. Her relationships never work out and after a point her break-ups start getting to her physically and emotionally. She loses her sleep and gets cranky. The very concept of love starts irritating her and almost starts questioning her own sanity! She has issues with her family also which not only prevents her from getting any understanding from them but also results in bottling up her emotions inside her all the time.

That’s when she realizes maybe she needs some counselling and decides to meet a therapist Dr Jehangir Khan. The rest of the film is all about their therapy sessions where he gets her to open up.  We watch her change from a reluctant youngster unwilling to share anything in her first meeting to confessing her innermost feelings and emotions as she slowly begins to trust him. He lets her do the talking offering interesting anecdotes and stories making the sessions interesting. He helps her pick up her threads and guides her in finding the missing jigsaw puzzles of her life. Their session takes them outdoors as well as they go cycling and spend time on the beach and she starts appreciating life for what it offers.

THE FILM’S USP

The brilliant casting is the biggest plus point of the film. Alia Bhatt never ceases to amaze! This is her third outing this year after ‘Kapoor & Sons and ‘Udta Punjab’ and yet again delivers a flawless performance. Her dialogue delivery is so unbelievably natural that at times it is difficult to believe it is not real life but a film we are watching. Her raw and honest vulnerability is so appealing that she gets us hooked on to the journey of her life from the very first scene. Her ‘breakdown’ and ‘confrontation’ scenes once again reiterate her supreme talent and her ability to tackle a variety of characters.

Shah Rukh Khan seems to be on a spree to do off-beat roles this year. First it was the double role in the song-less thriller ‘Fan’  and now in a character role sans his trademark outstretched arms! As the therapist, he lights up the screen every time he comes with his innate charm and pleasing persona. He has taken up a role befitting his age and his effortless charisma adds a special magic to the otherwise ordinary role. Their on-screen chemistry is unique and indisputably superb!

The rest of the cast is also up to the mark creating the right atmosphere for the story. The natural camaraderie and understanding between the friends is captured beautifully. The three men in her life have varying roles to play. It was good to see Kunal Kapoor after a long time and he looks handsome and fits the role very well. Angad Bedi has an almost ‘blink and you’ll miss’ role. Ali Abbas Zafar gets to sing two songs and is also perfectly cast.

The dialogues get a ‘thumbs up’ and the music though not outstanding is quite apt for the situation, especially the song  ‘Love you Zindagi…’ which stays with us long after we leave the hall…

A FEW MORE THOUGHTS

The subtext of the film also tells us it is okay to approach a therapist for any mental/ emotional dilemmas in life and not to have any stigma attached with people who consult psychiatrists and not to label them as being mentally ill either. Sometimes all a person needs is a listener who will give them a patient hearing and try to help us see life from a different perspective.

So many young girls around us go through several relationships and break-ups trying to find that one ’right’ guy who will make them feel special and loved and also allow them to be free of pretence. As a society even today we frown upon such things and just want that the girl should ‘settle down’ at the earliest. We have rules which decide what the perfect ‘marriageable’ age is for a girl before which things need to be sorted out. As a society so obsessed with marriage it is strange that we don’t seem to allow girls to find their own way.

We may have gone through such a situation in our lives or now may have a  daughter, a granddaughter, a niece, a friend or a neighbour going through this kind of crisis and we could do our bit by altering our perspective by not judging them blindly for we all know-each is fighting his/her own battle of survival in life…

FINAL WORD

It requires guts to make a film not conforming to the box-office diktats, sensitivity to touch upon such a topic and sheer talent to come up with something so refreshingly engaging… So kudos to Gauri Shinde!

Well worth the ticket price!!!

 

 

Ajay Devgn’s SHIVAAY is a Himalayan Blunder

By

Sharada Iyer

 

Ajay Devgn messes up big time with his Diwali offering Shivaay which ends up being a never-ending saga of mindless violence, gory killings and long and boring chase sequences. At a marathon running time of 172 minutes, the film is not only an exercise in self-indulgence , it also tests the viewer’s patience to the limit with the shaky camerawork and sickening action scenes ensuring that every viewer leaves the cinema hall with a throbbing headache…

PLOT

Ajay Devgn aka Shivaay lives in the Himalayas and apart from doing dangerous stunts and helping even the Indian Army, he also happens to be a tourist guide for mountain climbers. He develops an attraction for a Bulgarian tourist (debutante Erika Kaar) who also speaks excellent Hindi (!). A chance intimate encounter with her results in an unwanted daughter who is abandoned by her mother and grows up with the father Ajay Devgn. The kid who plays the role is also a foreign child artiste. She also becomes an expert mountaineer like her father Ajay but is unfortunately mute (pray for what purpose?).

One day while rummaging through her belongings after an earthquake, she chances upon a photograph of her mother and realizes that she is not dead as told by her father. She insists on going to Bulgaria to meet her mother at least once. Now the story shifts to Bulgaria and a lady officer, debutante Sayesha Saigal, of the Indian Embassy is assigned the task of assisting them in finding the mother.

But before any progress can be made, Ajay inadvertently gets sucked into the world of child trafficking and Russian mafia. He manages to get a paedophile arrested in the same hotel that he is staying and the next day to avenge Ajay’s interference in their racket, the child gets kidnapped by the gang members and Ajay gets arrested by the Bulgarian police. The plot gets deeper as the child’s mother re-enters the scene and wants her daughter back. There is also a hacker Vir Das who helps to track the villains before the child is sent away permanently to Romania.

POST-MORTEM 

For a film advertised as a beautiful saga of a father-daughter bond which will be lapped up by the family audience, there were hardly any scenes where the bonding is shown. On the other hand the film’s grim plot of child trafficking takes us into the murky streets of Bulgaria when Ajay  becomes a one-man army and goes on a bone-battering spree against a bunch of weird foreigners playing the bad guys.

Even though action has always been his forte, he loses the grip completely by over-stretching every scene till it turns into sheer boredom. A film with action as the fulcrum should have at least had a charismatic villain lending an engaging touch to the drama but alas! here the faceless villains (all foreign actors) wearing masks only add creepiness to the already gross narrative.

Being the writer as well as director of the film, Ajay Devgn has taken the liberty of having himself in almost every frame of the film as a result of which there no scope for the development of any other character thus making the story very predictable and one-dimensional. Taking a leaf from his director-friend Rohit Shetty, Ajay get hundreds of cars blown up but as he lacks the chutzpah of the latter to knit it into a fun entertainer the result is sheer baloney.  

To add to the nonsense further, there are two new heroines, Sayesha Saigal and Erika Kaar, both much younger than him. While the former is the grandniece of Saira Banu, the latter incidentally is a Polish actress with whom Ajay has done kissing scenes also!!! Coming from an actor who has always refrained from such mush for 25 years, it does seem strange and does not suit his personality at all.

The cinematography is substandard and both the Himalayas and the Bulgarian snow-peaks have been captured without any excitement. Music is plain bad and the ‘shlokas’ appearing every now and then only add to the chaos. Towards the end the fight with the main villain goes on senselessly and the killing with the ‘trishul-shaped’ ice was quite ridiculous!

Wielding the directorial baton is not every man’s cup of tea. Ajay Devgn is a brilliant actor and one of my big favourites. It was sad to see that he had put all his effort into production and direction instead of concentrating only on his acting skills which seems to have taken a complete back-seat here. One wonders what made him plan this film as a Diwali release when families get together and look forward to entertaining films which can be watched together… 

 

‘PINK’ is a gritty thriller with a message!

By

Sharada Iyer

Director Aniruddha Roy Choudhry’s  recently released Pink starring Amitabh Bachchan in the role of a lawyer along with three main actresses in lead roles- Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, and Andrea Tariang is a clarion call to the society to change our mind-set and attitude towards girls and women with immediate effect.

The film tugs at our conscience and makes us see the warped mentality of the society we live in where the rules and diktats to be followed are totally different for women and men. We pass judgements easily on the character of a girl by looking at the length of her dress, who she moves around with or even by something as simple as the time she returns home and also interpret her extroverted friendly nature as ‘asking for trouble’ types!

Why is it perfectly okay for a guy to come late, go to any place he wants, smoke and drink at will, or even flirt around but when girls indulge in the very same things they are labelled as ‘available’ and looked upon as easy prey for these lusty men? Why does their animal instinct and ego make them want to physically overpower a woman when she says ‘NO’? Why are the laws not strict when it comes to punishing the molesters and rapists? Why do powerful people still have a big hand in botching up investigation procedures?

The film addresses many such important aspects of our society by weaving a gripping and thought-provoking court-room drama around a riveting plot.  It highlights an incident which happens one night in the life of three ordinary working girls in Delhi who stay together as paying guests. A seemingly harmless night-out at a rock concert turns into a nightmare when things go out of control resulting in an untoward and unexpected accident that turns the lives of the girls into a living hell.

Instead of accepting the complaint registered by the girls, they are shocked to see tides turn against them with the police arresting one of them and cases filed against her under various sections result in her going to jail. Unknown to them, their old neighbour whom they had seen staring at them sometimes had observed many things and seemed to have an idea of the whole situation. He was a lawyer though he had given up practicing some time ago and things pick up when he decides to represent them.

While the first half is like a racy thriller concentrating on the girls and their story, the second half is devoted to heavy-duty court-scenes with Amitabh Bachchan taking over completely. He lends the necessary gravitas required to drive home the relevant points and there could not have been a better choice for the role.

Honestly, his zest to play novel characters never ceases to amaze. After Wazir and Te3n, this is Amitabh’s third film to be released this year and he continues to stride the screen like a modern-day Colossus mesmerizing the audience with one brilliant role after another!

The fact that the film’s main characters are played by relatively unknown faces not only helps to give credibility to the story but also ends up being the biggest plus point of the film. Devoid of designer wear and stylist costumes these young actors and actresses come across as natural flesh and blood characters we can easily identify with in our everyday lives. Such films make it so evident that our industry has so many actors/actresses with so much talent. If only the top production houses could look beyond the usual gang of Deepika, Sonam, Priyanka, etc., and cast such natural actresses also…

Dhritiman Chatterjee as the Judge is top class but Piyush Mishra in the role of the Public Prosecutor is the only minus point of the film. He overacts and his dialogue delivery lacks clarity. To match Amitabh’s towering presence there should have been a better actor as the Prosecutor.

A few thoughts

For too long have women have been subjected to the lecherous male gaze and been victims of their harassment and narrow-mindedness whether at home or in their workplace. Dealing with this every day has robbed them of a sense of freedom thus chaining them to a ‘set’ image with plenty of ‘do’s and don’ts’!  

As long as such ‘wild’ men are on the prowl, women must exercise caution while mixing with guys…

As if undergoing the mental and physical torture is not enough, it requires a lot of guts and determination on the part of the girls to put up with the kind of questions they are asked right from the time they go to lodge a police complaint to the browbeating they have to put up with during questioning by the lawyers. The harrowing experience is what perhaps makes many of them back out and give up the fight and the cases are then easily hushed up.

It is easy to identify with the emotions of the protagonists as the situations are very believable and many in the audience might have found themselves in similar situations.  It does seem scary! The scene where Taapsee is picked up by the boys to teach her a lesson is quite frightening! Is this what a girl gets for being brave in our society?

Though the film deals with a case in city involving rich people the situation is even worse in rural and backward areas where the status of a woman is even worse with no one ready to fight for them or understand them…

Pink is a timely and thoughtful film and is definitely a must-watch…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KABALI : A FEW THOUGHTS

By

Sharada Iyer

The release of a Rajnikant starrer is indeed not an ordinary event … the kind of mass hysteria that the anticipation whips up in the public psyche is absolutely unique… it is a phenomenon unseen or unheard of in any other part of the world for any other star…such is the power this ‘Superstar’ wields over his fans…

Under the circumstances, it is no surprise that even though it is almost a week since his latest and much awaited film ‘Kabali’ hit the cinema halls, the euphoria surrounding the film continues unabated. Die-hard fans have seen the film multiple times and trade analysts are busy counting the record breaking worldwide collections already amounting to a staggering Rupees 500+ crores and still going strong…

The reactions from critics and fans have ranged from disappointment to superbly entertaining but the curiosity factor which compels one and all to go and view the film is so high that it keeps the cash registers jingling and the makers end up making unbelievable profits.

The last stupendous hit from Rajnikant was in 2010 when director S Shankar gave the ultimate gift to his fans in the form of a brilliantly scripted, taut and racy sci-fi thriller ‘Endhiran/Robot’ with mind blowing special effects and awesome fight sequences. Added to that Rajnikant had a double role- that of a scientist and his android form and needless to say he was in brilliant form.

But now six years have passed…and maybe expecting the star to go through the same antics again and again is taking its toll… ‘Kabali’ has turned out to be a disappointment and ends up being a slow-paced utterly lacklustre saga of mindless and gory killings between warring ganglords in Malaysia.

Rajnikant does his best to salvage this wafer thin plot which has been unnecessarily stretched to a two and a half hour movie but there is only so much he can do. The usual punchlines are missing and so are his special antics like cigarette throwing etc. Yes, he is still able to garner the crazy response from his fans when he comes on screen and the swagger and style are still there but he seemed a little weary, the actions were slower and in general, the energy was missing…

Though the film is set against the backdrop of problems faced by the Tamilians settled in Malaysia and the local Malays, the story hardly delves into the problem deep enough to make any point. In fact this track is introduced in a hap-hazard manner through some weird flashback sequences. To justify his age in real life, in the story he is shown to be returning after spending 25 years in jail. But the film does have plenty of flashback scenes showing a young Rajnikant who has been made to look quite bizarre in that terrible wig and some ghastly printed shirts. He looked far better as the old man with a white beard.

All the henchmen looked very similar and after a point it really didn’t matter who was in which gang and who was killing whom. Many scenes were loud and sets were garish. The scene where an arm was cut and sent in a box was revolting! Chinese men speaking Tamil looked and sounded ridiculous. Kuala Lumpur was hardly shown nicely. Too many scenes were wasted in Kabali driving in the car and crowds greeting him. The fight sequences lacked any kind of special thrill .

The romantic track also lacked warmth and emotional depth. Though Radhika Apte looked bright and lit up the screen whenever she came, her role was quite ill-defined. Pre-interval she was in a pregnant state in all the scenes and post interval, she had not aged even one bit after a gap of 25 years. For a woman who must have undergone so much physical and emotional trauma, she looked pretty chic and the chemistry between the couple was sorely missing. In the role of the daughter Dhansika is spot on and a pleasure to watch especially in her action scenes. The rest of the supporting cast was quite mediocre. The track of the ‘drug-addicted girl’ also made no sense.

There is a poignant scene in the film where Rajnikant enters the villain’s lair, opens a cage and sets free a precious and beautiful Macaw kept in captivity. He then tells his assistant that it must be so frustrating for the bird to be caged behind bars all the time and not be allowed to spread its wings and fly free in the air. After all it should be allowed to test its own skills in the game of survival… Meaningful words indeed because it almost sounded like Rajnikant was reaching out to his fans and trying to tell them to free him of all the reverence and expectations that were forcing him to do the same kind of role again and again. Maybe if they would set him free, he may surprise everyone with a role where he gets to ‘act’ and play a character and not live up to a ‘superstar’ image which cages him inside wigs and dialogues and curbs him from evolving as an actor of his choice…

Hopefully ‘Robot 2′ will see him in a role befitting his stature and calibre…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salman in terrific form in SULTAN

By

Sharada Iyer

After Bajrangi Bhaijan and Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo, Salman Khan once again comes up with a terrific performance and surprises with a ‘hatke’ role which does not conform to his typical ‘superhero’ image. Though he plays a wrestler and there are some brilliantly choreographed fight sequences in the film, Sultan at its heart is a love story which tugs our heart with a see-saw of emotions which we experience along with the protagonists.

Set in the Rewari district of Haryana, the story traces the life of a happy-go-lucky simpleton who takes to wrestling to win over his lady-love and goes through various ups and downs in life making him confront some unexpected situations. Apart from the physical fight in the arena or the ‘akhada’, Salman Khan’s character is shown fighting an inner battle with his own self and he does complete justice to his role delivering a heartening performance which remains with us long after the film is over.

Anushka Sharma in the role of the feisty wrestler (yes, she also plays a champion wrestler) comes up with an excellent performance and her pairing with Salman Khan is both refreshing and fun to watch. Randeep Hooda in a small role as Salman’s coach is perfectly cast and so are Anant Sharma as Salman Khan’s best friend and Kumud Mishra as Anushka’s father. Amit Sadh also looked very good in his role and it would be good to see more of him in future films…

Direction by Abbas Ali Zafar is top-notch and so are the dialogues written by him.  The ‘akhada’ scenes pre-interval are very well done and it sure required a lot of guts on Salman’s part to don the wrestling costume at his age but to his credit he looks fit and  carries it off with aplomb. The fight sequences in the MMA league competition post-interval have been directed superbly and with utmost authenticity. With a lot of nail-biting moments and a flow of emotions the fight scenes in the last 45 minutes raise the bar of the film by several notches and definitely form the highlight of the film.

Two of the songs ‘Jag Ghoomeya …’ by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and the theme song ‘Sultan…’ by Sukhwinder Singh are really good. The other songs could have been easily avoided as neither the tune nor the picturization are worth a mention.

At a running time of almost 3 hours, the film is definitely long and some in the audience may find a few scenes a tad repetitive. Also for those who just don’t like to see fight sequences, no point in venturing but for all Salman fans the film is a  sure treat.

The recent releases are certainly indicating a change in Salman Khan’s outlook towards the characters he wishes to play in the future befitting his age and maturity. He also seems to be confidently delving into his histrionic side which not many directors have had the guts to exploit and remained always overshadowed by his overpowering ‘superstar’ and ‘Bhai’ image. Hopefully he will surprise us with a few more aces in the future…

Meanwhile, give this film a dekko… you won’t regret it ! 

 

DHANAK: Should Children’s Films be so simplistic?

By

Sharada Iyer

Nagesh Kukunoor’s latest offering Dhanak, a children’s film, may have won accolades and awards at the Berlinale Film Festival in February where it was released for the international audience but back home not many are even aware of the existence of such a film. Released alongside a controversial biggie like Udta Punjab on the one hand and a heart-warming Hollywood animation Finding Dory, Dhanak had stiff competition to make a mark.

It is the story of two children- 10-year old Pari and her 8-year old blind brother Chhotu who set off on a journey on their own in a bid to meet Shah Rukh Khan and take his help to get the money needed for the boy’s operation. Needless to say the kids are orphans and suffer ill-treatment at the hands of their aunt because of which they decide to run away from home.

The story set in the deserts of Rajasthan offers a nice glimpse of the State intact with everything from camels, ‘melas’ or fairs, dances showcasing the colourful costumes in their full glory, a foreign tourist who gives the children company for some time and even the famous song-‘Dama Dam Mast Kalandar…’ presented in a new form.

Well! On the face of it there seems nothing wrong with the story of this road trip especially as the two kids come up with brilliant performances. The problem lies in the linear story-telling. Barring a small incident towards interval, there are no twists and turns and everyone they meet is very nice and helpful.

However, in today’s scenario it is very difficult to believe that two small children who set off with just one bottle of water and a few ‘rotis’ (indian bread) actually survive in the desert for so long and meet the perfect people who are ready to help but don’t seem to be concerned about them being all alone, hitchhike their way sitting atop trucks, buses and even a car and eat anything they are offered… all this does seem a little far-fetched. Aren’t there more facets to Rajasthan than just camels and deserts!

Ironically this fairy-tale-like quality of the film becomes both its USP as well as its undoing. Though the film espouses us to be true to our convictions, stay focussed and find a way to realize our dreams in life, the path shown is unnaturally smooth and shorn of obstacles. A story needs drama and lots of thrill to hold the attention of young and old alike. After all, don’t fairy-tales also have wicked witches to deal with? Remember the fairy-tale Hansel and Gretel about a brother and a sister who get trapped in the witch’s house of chocolates and ice creams and use all their ingenuity to emerge victorious?

Coming back to the film, the childish banter between the siblings over their favourite Bollywood hero- no prizes for guessing… Salman Khan for the brother and Shah Rukh Khan for the sister … though fun to watch initially starts becoming monotonous after a while.The repartee is taken to such lengths that the two stars inadvertently get entwined in the crux of the narrative which could and should have been avoided.

Maybe the intention of the director was to show the power and reach of our top stars even in remote corners of our country and the influence they can have over little kids. But with two such talented youngsters at his disposal, the director could have come up with something more novel. The age group for which the movie is targeted may not even be aware of the 25-year old rivalry of the stars.

Points to ponder:

In spite of producing the largest number of films in the world, we have somehow never given due importance to children’s films. They are hardly given priority by any of the top filmmakers and there are only a handful of films catering to the age group of 4-14 years. We really are in dire need of intelligent and entertaining films for this section of the audience as millions of them are watching films which are not exactly targeted for their age-group.

With the rising demand for generating huge revenues in the first week itself, filmmakers are catering more than ever to the baser instincts of the audience and with so much ‘adult-content’, it is becoming increasingly difficult to view films as a family with all age-groups sitting together. Raunchy dance numbers, cuss words, violence and sex seem to be getting more and more inseparable from our box-office potboilers today. These scenes are included under some pretext or the other and are only getting more graphic and gory.

None of the big production houses want to take risks or invest in software for this vulnerable section of the audience. The whole system is becoming so commercial that the makers don’t mind investing precious time, effort and money in remakes of our old classics but not in original scripts and stories in this genre.

 

Delhi Safari, Chillar Party, Zokkomon, Kaccha Limboo, Satrangee Parachute, Green Chic, Stanley ka Dabba, I Am Kalam, Nanhe Jaiselmer, The Blue Umbrella, Jalpari and Gattu were some of the children’s films which saw the daylight in recent years and even won awards at festivals abroad but with little interest in promotion or publicity most of them went unnoticed in our own country.

There is also the problem that in some cases although the subject was heart-warming and performances of the child artistes were riveting the film somehow lacked the spark and excitement in the narrative which is so essential to captivate the young audience. With tough competition from Hollywood’s action and animation films, making a children’s film today requires tremendous resourcefulness.

The less said the better about our animation films. Barring the success of Hanuman, other films like Hanuman Returns, My Friend Ganesha, Bal Ganesh, Arjun –The Warrior Prince, Ghatothkach, Krishna aur Kans, etc., were all way below standard and lacked in a minimum quality of finish and grandeur expected of such mythological films.

Ajay Devgn’s ambitious Toonpur ka Superhero had a dull story-line and the characters were also weird. None in the targeted age-group would have understood that the character Gappi was based on our own music director Bappi Lahiri!!!  Yash Chopra’s Road Romeo was another example of wonderful animation techniques spoilt by the stereotyped characters and clichéd storyline heavily borrowed from a staple Yash-Raj romantic film ! 

Our Hollywood counterparts:

Today’s youngsters have tasted the mind-boggling variety dished out by Hollywood in terms of story, characters, special effects, thrill and adventure and seem to have everything that is essential to capture the imagination and interest of the young viewers. Owing to their universal appeal, such films are the perfect stress-busters for adults also.

Home Alone, Baby’s Day Out, Dunston Checks In, Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Jurassic Park series, The Rise of The Planet of the Apes , Star Wars ,The Journey to the Centre of the Earth, The Avengers, The Transformers, Mr Bean movies, Harry Potter series, The Lord of the Rings, Pirates of The Caribbean Adventures, Star Trek, Narnia, Gulliver’s Travels, 2012… their list of entertaining films is seemingly endless.  

Their animation films like Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Bambi, Simba’s Pride, Tintin, Lion King, Puss in Boots, Kung-Fu Panda, Chicken Little, Madagascar series, Ice Age, Shrek, The Incredibles, Zootopia, Angry Birds, The Good Dinosaur, etc. remain evergreen and exceptional in terms of story, screenplay and direction.

Films like Happy Feet, Wall E, The Bee Movie and Open Season, even manage to have a message to save our environment, our animals, and their habitat.  Others like Cars, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Stuart Little, Ratatouille, Up, Inside Out, and the latest offering Finding Dory are examples of films that combine sensitive story-telling with action-packed adventure and thrilling chase sequences.

Big production houses like Walt Disney Pictures, DreamWorks Animation, 20^th Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures and Pixar are busy throughout the year churning out new and exciting films. Budget is no constraint and production values are at times even higher than the films for adults.

Their scientific base and in-depth knowledge is astounding and computer graphics and special effects are breathtaking. Their dedicated team of researchers puts in tremendous hard work to sketch out the perfect story and screenplay and create outstanding characters with so much sincerity that it is no surprise that the results are spectacular.

The recent success of the Hollywood film Jungle Book in India, both English and the dubbed versions, is a clear indication that if the movie is well made and combines all elements of drama, action and story-telling, children’s films can give even our usual Bollywood pot-boilers a run for their money.

Is it necessary to have only children starring in children’s films?

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We have had success stories when big stars were part of the ensemble cast and contributed to the narrative. Earlier films like Brahmachari, Do Kaliyan, Mastana, Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani, Haathi Mere Saathi, Chota Chetan and later ones like Mr India, Hum Hain Raahi Pyaar Ke, Iqbal, Robot, Koi Mil Gaya, Chota Bheem and Bajrangi Bhaijan were few of the films which not only appealed to the young audience but also made good money.

But the one film which still remains a classic in this genre is the 1954 film- BOOT POLISH- made under the banner of R K Films and produced by Raj Kapoor. Till date, this touching story again of a brother and sister starring Master Ratan and Baby Naaz remains a masterpiece from every angle- story, direction, unbelievably natural acting, superb dialogues and mesmerizing music with outstanding lyrics. This Black&White gem has something so magical about it that even after six decades the film retains its brilliance and remains a landmark film which is going to be almost impossible to emulate…

 

 

UDTA PUNJAB: NOT TO BE MISSED

To be honest, I had not been particularly impressed with the trailer of Udta Punjab and was in two minds about watching it but the furore over the censorship of the film and the ensuing court order definitely piqued my curiosity quotient. I entered the cinema hall with a little trepidation but was completely blown away by the raw honesty and brilliance of the film. So a big ‘Thank You’ to the Censor Board, for had they not raised all their nonsensical objections, the film might not have caught the public attention it deserved.

Udta Punjab fearlessly exposes the dark, depressing and frightening lives of people who get sucked into the horrifying vortex of the ‘drug-world’. Ensconced in the secure haven of our lives, we cannot even begin to imagine the hellish life of the addicts, the alarming ease with which these are made available for consumption and the remarkable alacrity with which the young and the old are taking to it.

Director Abhishek Chaubey’s film not only brings to life this inferno which has engulfed the state of Punjab but also stirs our conscience to understand the frightening reality and enormity of the problem. 

He weaves a brilliant plot which revolves around the lives of four main protagonists: a rock-star with a huge fan following (Shahid Kapoor), who needs his daily dose to churn out his music, a junior cop (Diljit Dosanjh), who turns a blind-eye to the drug-racket because his seniors are too deeply entrenched in the scheme of things until his own younger brother falls prey to the addiction, a ‘Bihari’ migrant (Alia Bhatt) who inadvertently gets sucked into the  dirty whirlpool from where there seems to be no point of return and finally a doctor (Kareena Kapoor), who runs a rehabilitation centre and treats and takes care of the patients with whatever possible means available to her.

The script beautifully goes back and forth showing all four parallel tracks, yet there is a chilling connection of drugs which runs like a life-line that cannot be overlooked. The power lurking in the political corridors and the nexus between the leaders and the cops and the drug-lords is really unnerving making us understand why the problem is not easy to control. The lackadaisical attitude exists because of the vulgar amounts of money involved and seemingly ordinary and unremarkable people seem to be the king-pins operating the racket.

Apart from the taut script, racy narrative and excellent direction, the other USP of the film is the perfect casting of the lead actors who put a lot of life into the characters. Young Alia Bhatt comes up with a scintillating performance and in the stillness of the cinema hall her searing screams of pain and hurt pierce right through our hearts giving us goose bumps. By tackling a variety of characters in all her films she is proving her mettle as one of the finest actresses of the industry. Kareena Kapoor lends a sincerity and dignity to her role that only comes from years of experience. As in her earlier film Ki & Ka, she gets a role befitting her age and talent and she is superb.

Shahid Kapoor’s role as a drug-addicted rock-star requires him to mouth profanity and jump around like a raving lunatic and at the same time experience an inner tussle with his own self.  He approaches the role with a lot of maturity and his scenes with Alia are touching. Punjabi star and singer Diljit Dosanjh who makes his debut in the film is a delight to watch and has an endearing screen presence. His underplayed character stands out and is a talent to watch out for. His chemistry with Kareena is refreshing and infuses a few heart-warming moments in this otherwise grim tale.

 The torture and the agony that marks the lives of people involved and the violence that runs across the whole world of narco-politics are so frightening just to watch in a movie…can we even begin to fathom how much more horrific they must be to experience?

It requires guts to make and act in such films…and to think that the censors almost banned the film !!!

So what are you waiting for? Do go and watch this inescapable and harsh reality of our lives which will definitely jolt you out of your reverie…

NIL BATTEY SANNATA: An endearing piece of cinema

By

Sharada Iyer

 

‘Nil Battey Sannata’ is a phrase commonly used in Uttar Pradesh to signify ‘good-for-nothing’ or ‘useless’. Debutante director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari chooses this quirky but catchy title for her recently released film which is set in the by-lanes of Agra, UP, and traces the heart-warming journey of a mother-daughter duo. The film has several motifs of life intricately woven into the narrative like the power of the ‘never-say-die’ spirit in a human being to overcome obstacles, the travails of a lower-middle class mother to accomplish her goal, the psychology and attitude of a 15-year old girl under the depicted circumstances and the changing moods of the mother-daughter bond during the course of the film.

The mother played by actress Swara Bhaskar is the central character in the film and works as a maid in a doctor’s house (Ratna Pathak Shah plays the doctor) and the two of them share a very warm relationship. Swara discusses her problems, her dreams, her fears as well as her apprehensions with her mistress who in turn not only lends her a patient ear but also comes up with ideas to solve her dilemmas.  Swara’s biggest worry is her daughter who has just entered the tenth standard and has no interest in studies. Her phobia for Mathematics seems incurable and results in her failing the subject with remarkable regularity.

 In a country like ours which gives so much importance to the tenth standard Board Exams, this final year of school becomes a do-or-die year for many children, especially the ones belonging to the lower strata of our society and the marks they secure in these exams can actually make or break their careers.

The film is a beautiful lesson in hope and positivity and reiterates the fact that irrespective of age, gender or status, we can dare to dream and it is up to us to follow that dream with passion and dedication and write our own destiny.

The setting of the film as well as all the characters, the dialogues and the lingo used are very natural and the performances are top-notch.  Swara Bhaskar who just three years back played the troubled daughter in the film ‘Listen Amaya…’ is simply brilliant as the troubled mother in this film. In an interview she had mentioned that to prepare for the character, she went and stayed with the maids in Agra and spent time with them observing their body language, their lingo and picked up those little nuances which have indeed helped her come up with a memorable performance.

Riya Shukla as the daughter is a complete natural and conveys the angst and joys of the adolescent girls of that age with amazing understanding and depth and is a treat to watch. Ratna Pathak fits into any character so beautifully. Just last month she had come up with a superb performance in ‘Kapoor and Sons’ and in this film also she manages to leave her mark in a short but sweet role. Pankaj Tripathi as the humorous principal-cum-maths teacher of the school is superb. It is difficult to imagine this actor who has played such villainous roles in films like ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, ‘Manjhi-The Mountain Man’, etc., in such a delightful role. His scenes in the movie have a lot of humour.

Once in a while our industry comes up with charming ‘feel-good’ films (‘Iqbal’ and ‘Dum Lagake Haisha’ are two recent examples) which may seem simple in terms of budget and star-cast but leave a great impression with their uplifting narrative, natural performances and powerful story-telling. ‘Nil Battey Sannata’ is definitely one of them and promises to bring a smile on your face and a satisfaction in your heart when you leave the cinema hall.

Posting a link to the trailer of this lovely film…hope this makes you all want to see the film…