Blog | Amodini's Movie Reviews

Movie Review : War

Posted on October 7, 2019 by amodini

Rating : 3/5
Genre : Action/Thriller
Year : 2019
Running time : 2 hours 34 minutes
Director : Siddharth Anand
Cast : Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Vaani Kapoor, Anupriya Goenka, Ashutosh Rana
Kid rating : PG-13

War, I thought, was over-hyped. And like any super-blockbuster YRF production, chockfull of big names, this had the potential to turn into a damp squib. Well, long story short – it didn’t. War is watchable.

Kabir (Roshan) is a secret agent. When he takes a new recruit Khalid (Shroff) under his wing, Khalid has to work very hard to prove himself. The mentor and mentee turn into close friends until Kabir goes rogue. Khalid must now hunt down his erstwhile teacher, a man he greatly admires and looks up to.

So, interesting premise and one which given the intelligence agency background allows both these fit, svelte men to strut their stuff. There are chases in interesting, exotic locations, and well-crafted fight scenes. Both Shroff and Roshan dance well, although Shroff seems like he’s doing a jazzercise routine when compared to the graceful Hrithik. There’s also the love angle, with the shapely Vaani Kapoor making a short appearance.

It’s one thing after another – the pace never lets up. But it being Bollywood, we have to weave in emotions and pathos, with some mother-son bonding, and some dialogue-baazi, all delivered with a straight face. Now, given the genre of the film, there is not much acting required. Hrithik can flex his acting chops when required but here he does’t need to do more than the minimum. There is no actor in Bollywood who can play a secret agent better than Hrithik, or look as good doing it :). Tiger cannot act (for proof, please see SOTY2), so he fits right in. Vaani is in the film briefly, but does alright. Ashutosh Rana is wasted terribly in a badly defined role.

War has no leading lady – just two leading men. The film is about Kabir and Khalid, and the villains such as they are pale into the background. Also short shrift for the women here, with Vaani barely in there to flash some leg, sing a song or two, and give us the maa-ki-mamta wala shit that Bollywood considers de rigueur.

War is a stylish spy thriller, and carries with it the sheen of money. Given the amount of money spent on exotic locales etc. the film is a bit clunky and lacking in finesse, but is till far more watchable than any of the Dhoom films. Understand though, that with all the spy thrillers/Mission Impossible type films that come in from Hollywood, it has gotten harder to produce fresh content for this genre, and it shows here. Even so, War does reasonably well, and is good paisa-vasool if you are going in for a stylish, masala entertainer.

Posted in 2019, action, bollywood, rating-PG13, spy movie, thriller, watchable | Comments Off

Movie Review : Chhichhore

Posted on September 21, 2019 by amodini

Rating : 3.7/5
Genre : Comedy
Year : 2019
Running time : 2 hours 23 minutes
Director : Nitesh Tiwari
Cast : Sushant Singh Rajput, Shraddha Kapoor, Varun Sharma, Prateik Babbar, Tahir Singh Bhasin, Navin Polishetty, Tushar Pandey
Kid rating : PG

Anuriddh Pathak (Rajput) gets admitted to an Engineering college, and adrift in a sea of nerds, meets and falls in love with the prettiest girl there. Maya (Kapoor) later marries Ani and they have a son. Years later, when tragedy befalls them, their long-lost college friends come to stand by their side.

Chhichhore is a light-hearted look at coming-of-age, college life and the friendships that last a lifetime. Told with humor and a set of zany, interesting characters, Chhichhore will leave you misty-eyed with nostalgia. Threaded into this college-heavy tale, is an underdog story, where the Losers aka the Chhichhore gang have zero chance of winning. There is also a bigger theme on learning from failure and using it as a stepping-stone to success.

The themes this film tries to tackle might be lofty but Chhichhore does a nice job of depicting them. It is an interesting story, well-told. The screenplay passes muster, and the characters are well developed. Director Tiwari (who also made Dangal) creates endearing characters we can root for, and the film is made pleasurable because we are invested in their lives.

Sushant Singh Rajput is a good actor, and even Shraddha Kapoor, who isn’t, does well here. Varun Sharma (whom you might remember from Fukrey) is impressive as Ani’s bumchum pal and senior Grummet “Sexa” Singh Dillon. Tahir Singh Basin as Derek, Navin Polishetty as Acid, Tushar Pandey as Mummy are also very believable as the other “Losers”. As far as the flaws, there’s the makeup. There is a gradation in time here so the characters do age. The aging makeup though is ghastly; the men simply appear to lose their hair and gain potbellies. The film takes some liberties with realism, but it’s all for a good cause 🙂 .

Chhichhore is a heart-warming crowd-pleaser. Go see!

Kidwise: Some adult jokes, but nothing overtly vulgar.

Posted in 2019, bollywood, comedy, coming of age, directors, feel-good, humor, quirky, rating-PG15, recommended, romance, underdog angle | Comments Off

Movie Review : Dream Girl

Posted on September 15, 2019 by amodini

Rating : 2/5
Genre : Comedy
Year : 2019
Running time : 2 hours 17 minutes
Director : Raaj Shaandilya
Cast : Ayushman Khurana, Nusrat Bharucha, Anuu Kapoor, Abhishek Banerjee, Vijay Raaz, Rajesh Sharma, Manjot Singh
Kid rating : PG

Dream Girl, from the trailer, seemed a fun movie – quirky premise, and a solid lead actor. Our hero Karam (Khurana, whom we saw very recently in the fabulous Article 15) can speak in a woman’s voice, a talent that has gotten him cast as Sita/Radha/other Goddess/mythological character in every other play in his hometown of Mathura. Unable to secure a job, Karam finally capitulates and becomes Pooja, a female voice in a “friendship” call centre. Hordes of men are smitten by the silky-voiced Pooja, and Karam finds himself unable to extricate himself from the mess.

Dream Girl drips with sometimes-funny one-liners. The first half goes by quickly, but the second half is a slog. Director Shaandilya makes a hash of the execution, and the screenplay is dead in the water. New and inconsequential characters come out of the woodwork and you are left working out the connections/reason for the scene. Random gags are strung together without rhyme or reason and either get too hammy or too ludicrous to actually be funny. Some of this is so shoddily done that it looks like a poorly made televison serial from the 80s Doordarshan era.

The only thing really going for Dream Girl is its star. Ayushmann Khurana shines in and as the Dream Girl. Nusrat Bharucha, who fared well in Sonu ke Teetu ki Sweety, has little screen time here and is miscast. Annu Kapoor as Karam’s drowning-in-debt dad is over-the-top and insufferable – so same old same old. Abhishek Banerjee, Rajesh Sharma are actors who normally do well, but don’t quite garner applause here.

The film tries to make a patently adult-themed film family-friendly. The Friendship call-centers would rightfully be called phone-sex lines, but Dream Girl doesn’t get that tawdry. The Friendship call-center girls are matronly women who talk to their clients while cutting vegetables or knitting – the pretense of being harmless and non-degrading. Why, oh why? The film might have been edgier and believable had it told it like it was.

Then Dream Girl tries to go all sentimental on us by doing a PSA – on why human beings are so lonely that they are calling “Friendship lines”. The concern is all for the poor lonely men, and not the women who do the unpleasant work of serving those needs. It’s like the scriptwriter has blinders on. Besides, this call to end loneliness, seems fake and tacked on towards the end like an afterthought – there go the brownie points for earnestness!

All in all, a poor business, this film. In the hands of a director who knew what he was doing, this could have been rollicking good fun. Alas!

Kidwise: As I said, DreamGirl tries to cover up unpleasant situations and make them seem normal. So, your kid might have some questions (like I do 🙂 – who calls Friendship call lines?), but nothing vulgar is shown.

Posted in 2019, bollywood, comedy, rating-PG | Comments Off

Movie Preview : The Zoya Factor (releases September 20th)

Posted on September 14, 2019 by amodini

The Zoya Factor is based on Anuja Chauhan’s debut novel of the same name. Sonam Kapoor plays Zoya Singh Solanki, advertising agency exec and unwitting lucky charm for the Indian Cricket Team. Dulquer Salmaan, whom you might remember from Karwaan, plays the captain of the Cricket Team.

Ergo, romance.

Posted in 2019, bollywood, book to film, New Films, Previews, quirky, romance | Comments Off

Movie Review : Mission Mangal

Posted on September 7, 2019 by amodini

Rating : 3.5/5
Genre : Drama
Year : 2019
Running time : 2 hours 13 minutes
Director : Jagan Shakti
Cast : Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Taapsee Pannu, Sonakshi Sinha, Kirti Kulhari, Sharman Joshi, Vikram Gokhale, Nithya Menon
Kid rating : G

Mission Mangal is based on the real-life Mangalaayan – India’s successful mission to Mars, launching the satellite into orbit around the red planet. The story goes thusly: after a failed GSLV launch, scientist Rakesh Dhawan is relegated to the Mom (Mars Orbiter Mission) or Mangalayaan project. The project has tight resources and is considered almost an impossibility. But with Dhawan’s encouragement and Project Director Tara Shinde’s can-do attitude the ragtag team is confident of its success.

The film rests heavy and is made interesting by having a two-pronged approach – the technical and the personal. Kudos to the director for making the film explain its technical aspects in layman terms (complete with audio-visual presentations, including one with puri-frying), which makes the film accessible to many viewers who might have otherwise been turned off by dry science.

Mission Mangal also gives us the back-stories of all of its women-heavy crew. Where Krithika Aggarwal (Pannu) is worried about her injured soldier husband, Neha Siddiqui (Kalahari) faces discrimination because of her religion. Eka Gandhi (Sinha) is ready to leave India and move to the the US, and newly-pregnant Varsha Pillai doesn’t think she can cope with a stressful job and being a mom at the same time. Tara (Balan) is their valiant leader, and she herself is juggling her all-consuming work and her brimful personal calendar and homelife.

The technical challenge is interesting and the characters likable, especially when they all get on board with Tara’s vision and enthusiastically work on vanquishing their goals. Vidya Balan breathes life into her character, and really makes the film what it is. Akshay Kumar is a bit waffly for a Mission Director but he does deliver the patriotic speeches with gusto! Plus it is sorta an underdog story – they are fighting against great odds, on an extremely tight budget, looming deadlines, and no one expects them to deliver anyway. What else is there to do but succeed?

Mission Mangal delivers more drama than science, but that is why it succeeds. It is a well-executed, feel-good ride, and post-watch I’m very well-pleased.

Kidwise: kid-friendly.

Posted in 2019, based on true events, bollywood, drama, family-friendly, feel-good, rating-G, real-life-based, women | Comments Off

Movie Preview : Saand ki Aankh (releases Oct 25th, 2019)

Posted on August 31, 2019 by amodini

The trailer for Saand ki Aankh looks really interesting. It also has a fabulous cast – Bhumi Pednekar, Taapsee Pannu and Vineet Kumar Singh (of the gorgeous Mukkabaaz).

The only unknown quantity here is Tushar Hirandani who debuts as director with this venture. Hiranandani, to his detriment, has written abominations like “Ek Villain” and “Grand Masti”. But then the film is also co-produced by Anurag Kashyap, so we shall see!

Posted in 2019, bio-pic, bollywood, drama, New Films, Previews, real-life-based | Comments Off

Movie Review : Kabir Singh

Posted on August 24, 2019 by amodini

Rating : 1/5
Genre : Drama
Year : 2019
Running time : 2 hours 52 minutes
Director : Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Cast : Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Soham Majumdar, Arjan Bajwa, Suresh Oberoi, Adil Hussain, Kamini Kaushal
Kid rating : PG-13

Kabir Singh (Shaid Kapoor) is the top student at a medical college. He is also a super-jock, a womanizer, used to throwing his weight around and getting his way. When he sees fresher Preeti Sikka (Kiara Advani) and falls in love with her, he uses his college seniority and clout to start a relationship with her. When the tumultuous relationship is brought to an end by her arranged marriage to someone else, Kabir goes to pieces . . .

The film details out the start of the relationship, its aftermath, and it’s affect on Kabir. This film is about Kabir, his life, his moods, his wants and his way. He is up one day, depressed another and dead-drunk the third. His friends and family try to make him see reason but they can only do so much.

Kabir Singh is a well-made movie, finely crafted, nicely paced etc. But, and this is a big but, this “love story” makes my hackles rise. While Shahid Kapoor gives this role his all, the character of Kabir is repellant and pretty loathsome. Kabir wants the girl, whether the girl wants him or not is immaterial. Preeti (Kiara Advani) is a meek, submissive sort of person, almost without a tongue in her mouth – her first dialog is 50 minutes into the film, and all she asks for in that line is validation from Kabir “What do you like in me?”. She is led by Kabir from the classroom to impromptu “dates” under the pretense of teaching her a subject, and she follows him meekly. Some of that might be explained away by his college seniority and the fear of “ragging”, but the film takes it to an incomprehensible level.

Kabir does as he wants with Preeti, and that apparently is quite alright with her. This, we are expected to believe, is ultimate, sublime love, although his behavior towards her is abusive. Instead of dissing such behavior, the film forgives all in the end, and Kabir (spoiler alert!) gets the girl, the approval of his family, the whole shebang!

This stalkerish, controlling, abusive behavior is quite a dangerous thing to portray on screen as “love” because it is apparently being taken as the epitome of romance by some youngsters. While Kabir’s character is a new low, Bollywood has long been on this slippery slope with its sexist agenda, and the whole “boys will be boys but the women have to be pativrata naris” philosophy.

Kabir’s behavior is problematic, and the film indicates that by the perceived disapproval of his family and friends. But on the flip side, he still remains the hero here, not the villain (there is no fall from grace), and receives no lasting reprimand. Also the film is sympathetic towards Kabir – he is the focus, we are prompted to laugh at his “predicaments” – like when his impromptu plan to rape a woman at knife-point is foiled, and he, poor chap, has to go without. Boo hoo. Were it that film-makers would turn as kindly a gaze towards put-upon Bollywood-ian women!

I see Kabir Singh referred to as “romance” and it makes me want to barf. So, despite the fact that this film is well-made, has a great star-cast and supporting cast, and some melodious music, I highly de-recommend it.

Kidwise: Be wary of the massively problematic tone. On screen there are some lip locks/love-making.

Posted in 2019, bollywood, dark, drama, New Films, rating-PG13, social issues, women | Comments Off

Movie Review : Super 30

Posted on August 17, 2019 by amodini

Rating : 3.6/5
Genre : Drama
Year : 2019
Running time : 2 hours 47 minutes
Director : Vikas Bahl
Cast : Hrithik Roshan, Sadhana singh, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrunal Thakur, Amit Sadh, Nandish Singh
Kid rating : G

Super 30, as you know, is based on the real life educational program started by Anand Kumar, who sought to educate 30 underprivileged kids and prepare them to sit for and pass the IIT JEE. The program has been very successful and the film tells us of how it started. I’m not sure how much of the film has been “dramatized” to make an impact but it does make a moving story, told with heart, and is a good watch.

Anand Kumar (Hrithik Roshan) comes from an impoverished background. When he joins an IIT-prep institute as a teacher, he realizes the plight of motivated students who are unable to afford the high price tag the coaching institute demands. The unfairness of it all strikes home. He ropes in his brother (Nandish Singh) and mother (Sadhana Singh) and starts his own free institute to coach poor students for the IIT JEE, under the belief that “Raja ka beta raja nahin banega” – the son of the king will be the king no more; he will be king who is worthy of ascending the throne.

For starters Super 30 is a classic underdog story, so the premise is pretty crowd-pleasing. Anand as a protagonist is almost powerless – he has neither money nor clout. His enemies (Aditya Srivastav as coaching institute owner Lallan Singh) are powerful, capable and willing to employ underhand tactics when words will not work. All Anand has is his belief in the rightness of his work, and the will to succeed.

Anand’s students come from poverty-stricken backgrounds and are beset with feelings of inadequacy and feel like imposters demanding an education, while the English-speaking rich kids of the other institutes poke fun at them for their clothes, language and behavior. Indeed, director Bahl (Queen, Chillar Party) has shown the class divide very well. It is an enormous chasm which Anand encourages his students to cross – the crossing is hard and movingly portrayed.

Super 30 is a journey, from the rocky start to the successful finish. The end is known of course, but the film makes the journey interesting. Kudos to Hrithik Roshan who turns in an amazing performance. While I still think that he is too pretty for the role, despite efforts to de-glamorise him, this is probably one of the best performances of his career.

It was lovely seeing yesteryear actress Sadhana Singh as Anand’s mother. Pankaj Tripathi (who seems to be in every film – not that I’m complaining) as the spineless Minister and Srivastav as the wily Lallan Singh make a mark on the film. Mrunal Thakur makes an impressive Bollywood debut and I look forward to seeing her in the upcoming Batla House.

Recommended.

Kidwise: Some scenes of violence although the film is primarily family-friendly and clean.

Posted in 2019, bollywood, directors, drama, family-friendly, New Films, rating-G, real-life-based, recommended, social issues | Comments Off

Movie Preview : Batla House (releases August 15th 2019)

Posted on August 10, 2019 by amodini

From the director of the magnificent D-Day comes Batla House. Starring John Abraham (with a mustache) the film is based on the real-life “Operation Batla House”. Eagerly anticipating this one!

Posted in 2019, action, directors, drama, New Films, Previews, real-life-based | Comments Off

Movie Review : Article 15

Posted on August 3, 2019 by amodini

Rating : 4.3/5
Genre : Drama
Year : 2019
Running time : 2 hours 20 minutes
Director : Anubhav Sinha
Cast : Ayushmann Khurana, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, Sayani Gupta, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub, Nasser, Isha Talwar
Kid rating : A, R

Ayushman Khurana is Ayan Ranjan, an IPS officer posted to caste-ridden Uttar Pradesh. A modern, well-educated, city-bred young man Ayaan is astounded at the stranglehold of caste and creed in this community. When a gruesome rape/murder case come to light, Ayan realizes that he’ll have to fight corruption, and backward notions to provide justice to his people.

Anubhav Sinha surprises me very pleasantly. His Ra One was alright. I wasn’t impressed by Tum Bin2. I didn’t expect Article 15 to be this good a film. But it is! It is a fantastic film, and it might be the best film of the year. Sinha helms it expertly, layers it beautifully, building up his characters so that we know them, sympathize with them and root for them. Article 15 is also well-paced and ratchets up the tension nicely.

I must say that Khurana can really pick his films. Article 15 is proof and what a remarkable film it is! Ayan is a hero unlike any other – a soft-spoken, non-snarling (for comparisons with Singham – which I also liked) mature young man who doesn’t flex his muscles or even engage in a single fist-fight. He leads by example, with courage and grit, not giving in to baser compulsions or stooping to the levels of his enemies – the stuff that true heroes are made of!

In most traditional Hindi films, the hero is this almost God-like character with astonishing good-looks, astounding physical prowess, the ability to beat up a dozen goons with ease, and/or wily street-smarts. Khurana’s Ayan has none of these (although he cuts a fine figure with that moustache) and comes across as a down-to-earth man grappling with extraordinary issues, using brain instead of brawn. Even without these hero-ish qualities, there is no doubt that Ayan is the hero, just by dint of his evolved thinking and the courage he displays. So very refreshing!

Ayan’s sounding board, his conscience, is girlfriend Aditi (Isha Talwar), who, in her brief role, does well. Khurana of course is marvelous. Equally marvelous is Manoj Pahwa as Brahmdatt Singh, the corrupt officer under Ayaan. Kumud Mishra is Jatav, the Dalit man who has risen up to being a Sub Inspector but still serves in deference to the upper-caste Brahmdatt Singh. Mishra is magnificent; he makes the film better just by being in it.

From start to finish, Article 15 is a fine product. Its strong storyline, wonderful acting and awe-inspiring message are worth watching. Highly recommended.

Kid-wise: Scenes of violence against women, intimidation, and women strung up from a tree.