Akshay Kumar’s spy-thriller Bellbottom is directed by Ranjit Tewari, who also directed Lucknow Central. Haven’t seen that and am a bit skeptical going by the IMDB rating.
The trailer is not much more than music and slo-mo, but the cast is impressive – Vaani Kapoor, Lara Dutta and Huma Qureshi. Qureshi does well in spy-thrillers – remember D-Day?
Rating : 3.5/5
Genre : Reality
Year : 2021
Platform : Netflix
Episodes : 7
Kidwise : PG-13
What The Love is a reality show hosted by Karan Johar where he helps 6 young people find true love, or at least get started on the journey. The series is entertaining to watch, just like most of Johar’s films. It is fun and light-hearted (mostly), delivers drama, and has the sheen of expensive show-making.
The first episode is the “getting started” one, in which Johar brings together a group of young people (not sure how they were chosen, but there must have been about 50 of them), for a party where he meets and mingles with them in an effort to narrow down his picks to 6 individuals.
The rest of the episodes each focus on a single individual, and Karan attempts to suss out their failed love-ki-kahaani so he can make it better. He does this in a variety of ways – getting them a mental makeover with an “expert”, getting them a physical make-over with look-and-makeup consultants (and they really knew what they were doing), and sending them on prep dates, with famous celebrities, like Arjun Kapoor, Huma Qureshi and Ali Fazal, who give him (Karan) feedback on the individual.
It helps that we are all suckers for luv-shuv and happy endings.
Then he sets up 2 dates for this individual, and after the dates have finished the individual has to pick 1 of the dates, and assuming that the person he/she went on a date with reciprocates the interest, they proceed further on their own, sans Karan.
The series worked firstly because Johar is a showman, and he knows how to present the stories interestingly. Also, it helps that we are all suckers for luv-shuv and happy endings. There’s also depth to these tales because some of them deal with real trauma, body and esteem issues, and repressive social mores, and Johar seems truly sympathetic; I feel a twinge of sadness as he muses over the fact that he himself hasn’t found ”the one” yet.
It was interesting to see that one of the episodes featured Rabane, a gay eager-beaver, whom Johar ( a gay man himself) schools. My favorite episode was the 2nd, which featured lively pathologist Aashi, and her experiences with the arranged marriage process, and discussing weighty issues with judgemental Indian men and their mothers.
This was an enjoyable, well-made show, and is well worth the watch.
Kidwise: Mostly safe for the young-ones except for Episode 3 which had some explicit innuendoes.
Rating : 4.5/5
Genre : Romance, drama, suspense
Year : 2021
Platform : Netflix
Number of Episodes : 7
Director : Tahira Kashyap, Vinay Chhawal, Vijayeta Kumar, Punarvasu Naik, Smrutika Panigrahi, Rakesh Sain, Gautam Govind Sharma
Cast : Neena Gupta, Divya Dutta, Sanjay Kapoor, Deepak Dobriyal, Swaroop Sampat, Isha Talwar, Rytasha Rathore
Kidwise : PG-13
Zindagi inShort is a collection of 7 short films, presented episodic fashion. Each story is about 15-20 minutes long so combined this is less than 2 hours long. And what a lovely 2 hours it is!
Each story stands independently, and they have no connection to each other. The tales come with twists and revelations/surprises, and the theme of each varies from love to infidelity to rebellion. There are 7 different directors at the helm and the series has been produced by Sikhya Entertainment (which also produced fantastic films like The Lunchbox, Masaan and Titli among others).
The first short film is “Pinni”. Pinni is a Punjabi sweet, and the film is about a housewife, played by the marvelous Neena Gupta, who discovers a new way of looking at life. Pinni is directed by Tahira Kashyap (Ayushman Khurana is her husband). The second is “Sleeping Partner” featuring Divya Dutta as Beena, who’s sick of her abusive husband (Sanjay Kapoor). Then there is the lovely “Chajju ke Dahi Bhalle”, the quirky “Thappad”, the surprising “Nano so phobia”, the flaming “Swaaha” and the reflective “Sunny Side Upar”.
While I loved “Chajju ke Dahi Bhalle” I have to make a special mention of “Thappad”, which is a tale about a brother and a sister, and so interestingly filmed – throughout the film we only ever get to see the faces of the brother and sister, every other character in the film is shown only in little snatches of limbs, hands waving, feet kicking, fingers pointing, and it still manages to convey the desired emotion quite effectively!
Each of these films is something special! The acting is top notch, but then what else could it be if stalwarts like Neena Gupta, Divya Dutta and Deepak Dobriyal grace the screen? Beautifully told, wonderfully acted, these quirky films are a pleasure to watch. Highly recommended!
Yes, The Girl on The Train is based on the book by Paula Hawkins, except that here, the characters are all desi.
Parineeti plays Mira Kapoor, a woman who thinks she saw something out of a window of a moving train. It doesn’t help that she’s a depressed borderline alcoholic, has “episodes”, and can’t be taken seriously (I’m going off of the book here – the film might have indianised this a bit). The marvelous Kirti Kulhari plays the policewoman investigating crime. Adits Rao Hydari and Avinash Tiwary also star.
I loved the book so I’m hoping that director Ribhu Sengupta (who directed the well-done Amitabh-starrer series Yudh) doesn’t mess the movie up. The trailer looks fantastic, so here’s hoping! This is on Netflix 26th of February.
Here’s the 2nd part of my 2020 RoundUp in which I summarize the Best Series or Shows of 2020. You can listen to the 1st part (Best Movies of 2020) here.
As always this Podcast is available on all the Platforms listed here.
If you’d rather read about the Top 10 Movies and Series of 2020:
– Top 10 Movies of 2020
– Top 10 Shows of 2020
Do my Top 10 make your Top 10 too? Let me know in the comments!
Rating : 3/5
Genre : Drama
Year : 2021
Platform : Voot
Number of Episodes : 8
Director : Oni Sen
Cast : Arshad Warsi, Barun Sobti, Sharib Hashmi, Anupriya Goenka, Riddhi Dogra, Vishesh Bansal
Kidwise : PG-13
Asur is the hunt for a serial killer. This 8 part series has Arshad Warsi as forensic expert Dhananjay Rajpoot who leads a CBI team. Barun Sobti plays forensic expert Nikhil Nair who used to work under Dhananjay but quit due to differences and is now teaching at the FBI. When Nikhil starts getting coordinates of places where murders have been committed, he decides to return to India and his old job, much to his wife Naina’s (Goenka) chagrin.
On his return he works on the investigation of the most recent murder, where the killer has mutilated and burnt the body so that it is unrecognizable and untraceable. Nikhil still manages to unearth clues which reveal the perpetrator . . .
Asur mixes the serial killer trope with Hindi mythology, rooting the killer and his destructive instincts in religious mumbo-jumbo. The episodes take us back and forth in time giving us a look-see into the killer’s life, his childhood and the forces that ultimately come together to make him a devious criminal.
While the idea is good, and the Hindu mythology angle very interesting, the execution does not pass muster. I’m a little surprised that this series garners a high rating on IMDB. There are many holes in the plot and character inconsistencies. There is little attention to detail – for example, in one scene, purportedly in the US where Nikhil and Naina are living, the electrical sockets are of the 3 round-pin type, which is not found in the US.
The dialogs seem juvenile and inexplicable in places – not sure what the writers were thinking. At one point, CBI investigator Nusrat (Dogra) says that no-one can solve the case except Dhananjay – which left me flummoxed. Yes, Dhananjay is our hero, but is he the only competent officer in the entire department and are the other incompetent officers just proclaiming their own worthlessness?
Arshad Warsi is one of the better actors out there, but his character seems very uni-dimensional here. Barun Sobti is not the actor Warsi is and can’t get beyond a superficial portrayal of a nerdy investigator (and what’s with the long locks?). Sharib Hashmi was quite good as CBI investigator Lolark Dubey, and Anupriya Goenka and Ridhi Dogra are about average.
The series ends with a convoluted climax and without a clear resolution – so there will probably be a second season. I just hope that that one is more coherent and competent.
Recently I’ve watched some Malayalam films of such excellent quality that I had to make a post about it. You have probably read my reviews of Kumbalangi Nights and Bangalore Days. Here are 5 more gorgeous films on Netflix and Prime:
– Eeda (Netflix)
A modern-day Romeo and Juliet tale, Eeda has Aishwarya (Nimisha Sajayan) and Anand (Shane Nigam) who fall in love after a chance meeting in Mysore. The problem is that they belong to families on the opposite sides of the political spectrum. They both hail from the Kannur district, where their families live, practice their often violent ideologies and bay for each other’s blood.
I liked Eeda quite a bit because of its lead characters. Shane Nigam we saw in Kumbalangi Nights, and while I haven’t seen any of Nimisha’s movies, her performance in The Great Indian Kitchen has been getting rave reviews. They both are excellent in their likable characters – also great chemistry. The film went from a love-story to a high-strung drama very quickly. Well-paced and artfully told.
Sachi (Shane Nigam) and Vasudha (Ann Sheetal), young and very-much-in-love are looking forward to spending time with each other. When Sachi parks in a quiet parking lot hoping to sneak a kiss with a yet hesitant Vasu, they are both in for a surprise.
I won’t give too much away but this film took a sharp turn from a love story to an edge-of-your-seat suspense thriller – very unpredictable! Fantastic performances by the entire cast, but Shine Chacko outshone everyone! An absolute must-see!
Helen (Anna Ben) is studying to be a nurse and hopes to go to Canada to work so she can help out her father with his debts. She’s also in love with a Muslim man, a match her religious father will definitely not be happy with. One normal, ordinary day, Helen goes to work, but doesn’t come back home. Her distraught father files a report at the police station, but Helen is not found.
This movie was a lovely mix of emotions. The father-daughter relationship is portrayed beautifully and the talented Anna Ben is a pleasure to watch as the dutiful daughter and determined young woman that she is.
– Kappella (Netflix)
Jessy (Anna Ben) gets talking to Vishnu (Roshan Mathew) on the phone quite by accident, but their accidental conversation spawns a friendship. Convinced that he is the one, very-much-in-love Jessy decides to go to the big city to actually meet him face-to-face. But their simple meeting runs into trouble, when Jessy sees a man following them.
This film started off as a simple, sweet love story, but turned rather unpredictably into an intense thriller. This was a fabulous film – really tight and well-paced, and had great acting to boot. We have seen Anna Ben before in Kumbalangi Nights and Roshan Mathew has made forays into Hindi movies like Anurag Kashyap’s Choked.
Mahesh runs a photo studio and lives a placid, pleasant life in his small town. One day, his life is thrown into a tumult when he is publicly humiliated by a goon. Mahesh, ashamed and embarrassed in front of his community swears that he will not rest until he has gotten his revenge.
This was such an interesting, beautifully done film. Wonderfully crafted and paced, with great attention to detail, this film has depth, humor and poignancy. Also a fantastic performance by Fahadh Faasil.
Rating : 3.5/5
Genre : Drama
Year : 2021
Number of Episodes : 9
Director : Ali Abbas Zafari
Cast : Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Kumud Mishra, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub, Gauhar Khan, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Sunil Grover
Kidwise : PG-13
I’d looked at the abysmal ratings on IMDB before I started Tandav so I was not expecting much. Plus I’ve also seen Ali Abbas Zafar’s earlier work (Bharat, Sultan) and he isn’t one for finesse. I’m then pleasantly surprised by Tandav because while it is not top-notch it is an entertaining watch.
Samar Pratap Singh (Khan) is the wily, politician son of his wily, politician father Devki Nandan Singh (Dhulia). The goal is to get to the top prize – to become the Prime Minister of India. However, when on the cusp of a major victory and on his way to become PM, Devki suddenly and inexplicably dies, Samar is at a loss. When rumors about a possible murder conspiracy arise, Samar finds himself losing his political footing. What he needs now is to drum up popular support among the youth, and youth leader Shiva Shekhar (Ayub) would be just the man to do it, if only he weren’t so righteous.
This 9 episode first season has a superficially tumultuous story – there are ups and downs with secrets, secret assignations and veiled threats strewn about. Tandav also has a star-studded cast. Saif Ali Khan’s character is defined relatively well, but either Saif is losing his touch, or the beard is obfuscating the emotion, but he can’t quite give this role the oomph it deserves.Dimple Kapadia plays Anuradha Kishore, close associate of Devki Nandan and wily strategist of the first order – and she does it well. Anuradha is ably assisted in her political aspirations by her secretary Maithili Sharan (Gauhar Khan).
Sunil Grover has a plum role as Samar’s right hand man and cold-blooded hatchet man Gurpal Chauhan. With his ever-so-ordinary safari suits, and his reticent, Haryanvi accent, Grover exudes menace. Zeeshan Ayub is very good as Shiva – and his character is one of the better defined ones in Tandav. Kumud Mishra as Devki Nandan’s friend and associate was wasted in an ineffective, shallowly-defined role – it was never quite clear what he wanted or what his game-plan was (if there was one). Dino Morea is back on the small-screen after a while.
While some episodes were pretty tight, there are a few loose ends and inconsistent characters – like political leader Sana Mir (played by Krutika Kamra), who seems kind of wishy-washy with her ideals. Tandav’s story is predictable and a bit basic – kinda like an 80s film. In Tandav what you see is what you get – I wish it had more complexity (there was scope). The characters needed more depth and finessing, because they thought one way and behaved another.
So yes, it’s not all that, but Tandav, on the whole, is a fairly entertaining watch, if you have reasonable expectations.
Kidwise: Violence and some sexual situations.
Rating : 4/5
Genre : Drama
Year : 2021
Running time : 2 hours 5 minutes
Director : Ramin Bahrani
Cast : Adarsh Gourav, Rajkummar Rao, Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, Manish Asharya, Kamlesh Gill, Mahesh Manjrekar, Swaroop Sampat
Kidwise : PG-13
The White Tiger is based on the Arvind Adiga’s book of the same name (here’s the book review), and while I was initially skeptical of a non-Indian director getting the so-very-Indian ethos of the book correctly translated into film, I have to admit Iranian-American director Ramin Bahrani does a fabulous job.
The White Tiger in the film is Balram Halwai, who in his own words has been bred to be a servant, brought up to please his masters. His master is the youngest son of the village landlord, and Balram, living in the city serving America-returned Ashok and his Indian-American wife Pinky, is very pleased with his good fortune. Through a series of events, Balram will come to re-think this “good fortune” and find himself helpless and hopeless.
The White Tiger is a story of India’s classist society, where the rich are very, very rich and the poor are very, very poor, and there is a wide, almost insurmountable chasm in-between. Balram belongs to the latter class, a servant, used to being routinely trod upon, berated, insulted and dismissed by his employers. Ashok and Pinky belong to the former class, and are full of egalitarian values, thus gentler, kinder souls; Balram privately muses that Ashok could be “The Lamb” where Ashok’s evil father is “The Stork” and his wily brother “The Mongoose”.
Bahrain’s portrayal of each of these characters has depth, and he manages to show us how goodness erodes when push comes to shove. We see Ashok and Pinky treat Balram with kindness, but then also toy with him for his lack of knowledge (Balram does not have much schooling). To them, he is and is not quite a full human being. Balram sees Ashok as his ticket to a prosperous future, and is by turns innocent and cunning, desperation and desperate poverty being the main driver for his actions.
Adarsh Gourav steals the show as Balram. His metamorphosis from naive and faithful servant to a cunning, streetsmart player is beautifully done. Rajkummar Rao as Ashok is very believable; he even gets the returned-from-America accent right. Priyanka plays Pinky Madam with panache (she also produces the film). The entire cast of the film does very well. The only jarring note came from Kamlesh Gill, who while she did well, sounds like an elderly, Punjabi Aunty from Delhi with her accent, instead of a wily, grandmother from a small village.
The White Tiger is an engrossing, well-made film. A must watch.
Kidwise: Some graphic violence.
Tandav stars Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Dino Morea, Gauhar Khan, Sandhya Mridul, Kumud Mishra and others and is about Indian politics. It is directed by Abbas Ali Zafar, who has directed films like Sultan, Bharat and Gunday, so while I’m expecting Tndav to be decent it’s not going to win awards for subtlety or nuance.
Tandav is on Amazon Prime the 15th of January, 2021.
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