Keep calm and speak in Hindi

You guys are going to be (maybe) slightly disappointed with the review because you are going to hear all good things about this one everywhere else. The much talked about Hindi Medium. It is completely fine if you didn’t hear about the movie till very recently. You are not alone. Maybe the Dank Irrfan meme video by AIB is more talked about than the movie. Yes, that was a promotional endeavour. 

Let’s not digress though; let’s talk about the movie. There is this understanding that we all have with these movies- we know that the movie is going to be a commentary on something prevalant in the world we live, it is going to caricaturise and create exaggerated copies of real life characters and then going to end with a ‘sermon on the mount’ scene where every heart will melt in one go and BAM! Problem? What Problem? But there is also a problem with that arrangement. Why can most of such movies not rise above that. Ever. 

Specific to this movie- that’s what largely happens. You will find it slightly ridiculous to believe that these super rich people albeit from Chandni Chowk will ever do even half of what is shown in the movie. The movie starts with the problem of immense pressure on parents to get their kids enrolled in Nursery (I am so glad I was born when I was born- and you thought I am going to give you the decade of my birth. Ha!). Delves slightly into how parents become a looming inhibition if they are not up to mark. And then suddenly becomes a commentary on classism. And then all these are resolved through a change of heart, some minutes of screen time for redemption and then finally a climax song and speech. 

Cool, you want me to believe all that, I will. But don’t expect to be happy to hear things like “Inn bachhon ko (referring to underprivileged kids from a government school) agar ye school (the best school in the city) mile toh ye aasman fodke aage nikal sakte hain.” Excuse me? Wrong messaging much? Are you resolving with the fact that education in these 5 star resorts in the name of schools is better than the average public or private school?

The films calls for all this upon itself because it promises to raise a problem and provide maybe an idealistic resolution. But all this doesn’t take away from the sheer talent that is Irrfan Khan and more than him, the STAR- Deepak Dobriyal. Watch this movie just for them. So effortless, so involved and so impactful. Irrfan’s wifey in the film is not bad too. She does what she is required to do. Sanjay Suri and Neha Dhupia- please! I mean please. Stay at home rather than doing these cameos. And Amrita Singh- how are you acting better than ever in your career now? She is good too. Don’t miss another stereotypical portrayal of a Delhi girl by Mallika Dua in a brief cameo. She gets some laughs out in the theatre though, so it is only a repetition for people who follow her on digital platforms. 

In conclusion, watch it because it is better than general shit that bollywood throws at our faces at most times. But get your patience pills handy for the second half. 

Positives- Irrfan Khan, Deepak Dobriyal. Do you need more?

Negatives- Stereotypical predictable story, hard to accept plot development
Picture credits- Maddock Films

Mere pyaare Ayushman

I watched several movies in these past few weeks. Movies, in my head, are these therapeutic mediums that come to your rescue in the darkest times. Whether you are happy or heartbroken, movies are there to give you the much needed catharsis. And somehow that is what I expected Meri Pyaari Bindu to do for me. I always thought this would be a movie of moments- sweet, emotional, cherishable. But as the movie starting rolling, a flickering NO starting flashing in different corners. Essentially (yes, I use that a lot) it boiled down to three things- Ayushman’s subtle performance, a new favourite in ‘Maana ki hum yaar nahin’ (maybe because of current mood) and Parineeti’s makeover (read weight loss). The third one being the most prominent.

The movie wasn’t bad and it might be liked by some but it did not seal the deal for me. Not at least in the first watch. And the super apparent post production dubbing by actors did not help. It was like hearing an audio recording over a video that was playing. Even if the story wasn’t the most layered, I was ready to give in to the charm of the film but it never rose up to the occasion. Bindu was supposedly this super quirky, strong headed, whimsical girl who knew her way around the world. She got everything super easy because she was street smart and also because she had a loyal loyal friend in Abhimanyu. But then what happened? She got into the music scene with much ease but then broke down with one miss? She broke 2 engagements before falling for the male lead but then broke it with him too because she was not in the best phases of her life. Fair. But umm..2 years and you not only found another man, you decided to marry him without giving a second try for a person who loved you since he saw you two decades ago. I did not buy into it. Especially when the issue was never their equation.

But the old classics infused some energy into the film which was a refreshing break from very average album otherwise. Parineeti sang and she sang good but acting- Aenn! (it was a phonetic expression- try it. Aenn! Like a buzzer, Aenn!). But But But Ayushman Khurrana. He was a real gem when compared to everything around the movie. He was so nuanced, sincere and so present. Watch this movie for him.

Pluses- Ayushman Khuranna, One song at the end, How the movie is shot, Old melodies
Minuses- Parineeti and equally the film makers- get over the weight loss, Wafer thin story line, Doesn’t have moments

 

(Picture credits- Yash Raj Movies)

So excited about being ‘Trapped’

Have you heard of this movie Trapped releasing tomorrow? If not, let me tell you. This might be the most underplayed and un-marketed movie in the recent times but is very promising. By the looks of it (trailer), Trapped, directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, appears to be about a man who is locked in. Where? His own house. Is he kidnapped? No. Is this under some extraordinary circumstances- does not appear so. Just a very regular day where he is leaving in a hurry to pick someone up; someone who he has decorated the house with a ‘WELCOME’ sign for.

But in an unfortunate turn of events, he is trapped in his own house with no resources to fall back on. Just imagine that scenario- an innocent setting with so much to take from you if it gets this peculiar. 

It does not seem to have any other characters physically present in the movie except for the super ignorant security guard that Raj Kumar Rao- the superbly brilliant actor- keeps calling out for.

The movie is set in a high res apartment building and takeson the isolation and survival of this man throughout. So simple but impactful. The film had its world premiere at the Mumbai Film Festival on October 26, 2016 where it was praised and received a standing ovation. After releasing on March 17, 2017, it would be made available on Netflix. Yay!

Do check out the trailer for the movie and catch it at a theatre near you tomorrow onwards. 

Image Source: Wikipedia

 

This ‘was’ us- At least till the next season!

Oh my god! What a show, This is us. If you haven’t already started watching it, you are missing onto some real emotions, drama and a reflection of your own life- trust me when I say this- everyone can relate to some or the other part of it.

The first season of this awesome show just concluded and this piece is going to be full of spoilers so really if you haven’t started watching it yet- catch it on hotstar and binge it away.

There was so much talk about how Jack is going to pass away, how is his story arc going to culminate in the last episode of this season, where will it leave the relationship between Rebecca and Jack, etc. etc. And the season finale rose so much above all of that. It was such a fulfilling experience to watch a couple who were from different worlds met with a mere coincidence and changed each others’ lives forever. How Jack is flawed, emotional but earnest and how Rebecca is this giving, stable partner who is reminded of what she gave up by her own life at a juncture where she ‘wasn’t needed anymore’. How they came together to not only build their own lives but also impact the three lives that were ‘responsible’ for. Not to forget, they were on such different paths but came together so seamlessly and that can never be summarized better than how Jack did during last few minutes of the episode.

The show has to be watched for the sheer chemistry that the entire cast shares. And calling them cast members seems like an insult to their talent- they ARE the characters they are playing. And so bloody well. I am just too overwhelmed after watching it and I really can vouch for it that you will too if you are even slightly, what do we call it, umm…HUMAN! The fight between Jack and Rebecca- Oh my God! Such a reflection of what a relationship really is.

Even though the finale did not really show a lot concerning the other characters, the couple of minutes spent on them were so apt. New opportunities for Kevin- do not miss the ‘those three magical words’ too from his woman. Revelations for Randall and Kate. And just so so much of excitement for what the future and the past in this show’s case hold for these characters.

Please watch, you will love it.

Those of you, who think that this is not your cup of tea- Still share this piece with your friends, ALIENS (Koii…Mil Gaya Music cue- AUM AUM AUM!)

 

Image Source: Wikipedia

Let’s start with the ‘King’- Kong: Skull Island

For the longest time now, people have been telling me to write about the entertainment pieces that I watch (which are a lot!). Now, going back in time and talking about titles I have watched in the past might not be the best-suited route for this and maybe in the future posts, I will delve deeper into retrospective opinions- but first let me take a selfie! Ha! No, let me start with the latest flick I watched (just yesterday). Kong: Skull Island.

Well, let me make it clear in the beginning that I strongly believe that there are several genres of movies and they should only be judged based on that; and by that logic- Kong wasn’t half bad! What do you expect from a monster movie of 2017, which is trying to revive/rebuild a franchise based on a mythical character entertaining audiences since 1933? An ensemble, good build up, CGI worth appreciating and some random characters who would be killed at several points in the movie. And you know who they are from the very start. Also, enough with making the casts multi-ethnic! Too obvious Hollywood, too obvious! Although I wonder how Tom Hiddleston’s character (who is a ‘tracker’ who tracks, for lack of a better world, Jackshit!) survives without a scratch on his body or on that muscle tee that he flaunts his biceps in throughout the movie! Well there is a reason why they are called heroes, I guess. #LifeGoals

You are introduced to Kong early on in the movie and you are not disappointed; quite frankly, I did not care for why these guys would land up on this island- you just want them to land, get trapped and then run for their lives; and that THEY DO. What was amazing was the casting of Brie Larson. Really? After an Oscar, you take up a role which had 5 dialogues in total! But, I digress. Let’s talk again about how Kong is this amazing anti-hero monster that everyone loves (including a tribal colony on the island with means to paint themselves in yellow and blue) and who the main characters actually try to save on his own island by the end of the movie. He is a monster who is a caretaker, who is (the) king, who eats octopus-like creatures and who for no rhyme or reason has a thing for the main female character. As for the creatures, there are just so many on that island- and the amazing thing is that only one of each variety is ever introduced in the movie. Budget constraints much! But are we really concerned by that? No. The highlights of the movie are when Kong smashes helicopters, breaks jaws of the skull-crawlers (another lethal creature on the island- final showdown worthy!), gets burnt completely to reappear to save the day etc. etc. The CGI moments basically.

Throughout the movie, I only wished that the amount of expressions or emotions on Kong’s face was complemented equally by all actors in the movie. Mind you, it has some amazing actors like Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, John C. Reilly, so on and so forth. It seems like the CGI talent was better at imitating emotions than actual human beings. But again, what are you expecting from a monster flick! The effects, scale and camerawork; and they all work but the editing doesn’t. Was the editor half-paid or just rushed through the second half of the movie? Chopped it up left, right and center. There was literally a scene where three characters were lying on the ground almost about to die and next we see an aerial shot of all of them posing like the Avengers.

In a nutshell, don’t miss it if you are into this universe or monster movies in general. Especially try watching it in IMAX if it is accessible to you. And just one more tip, go in with NOT many expectations but a LOT OF popcorn and cola because it is kinda sorta fun!

P.S. I have kept it short- first post no! Let’s see what later posts have in store. Well, whatever I write but figure of speech yo!

P.P.S. Do stick around for the post-credits scene. Why did I write that so much later in the post, you ask? Because it bloody well prepares you for the wait- it is ACTUALLY a post-credits scene. Like after all of them. Who does that?!

Image source: Comingsoon.net