Mimi is the story of a surrogate who’s having a baby for an American couple. Kriti Sanon stars along with Pankaj Mishra, although there doesn’t appear to be a “traditional” hero. Mimi is directed by Laxman Utekar – he also directed Luka Chhupi.
Mimi is based on the 2011 Marathi film Mala Aai Vhhaychy! . It releases on Netflix, July 30th.
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre : Drama
Year : 2021
Running time : 2 hours 45 minutes
Director : Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Cast : Farhan Akhtar, Mrunal Thakur, Paresh Rawal, Vijay Raaz, Supriya Pathak
Kid rating : PG
I had high expectations from Toofaan because it is directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. Mehra has the knack of bringing emotions to the screen and presenting them with finesse – Delhi-6 and Rang De Basanti are great examples of the quality of his work. Toofaan though is a relative disappointment. Although not a bad film, it feels jaded and cliched.
Aziz Ali (Farhan Akhtar) is a small-time thug who works for Jaffar Bhai (Vijay Raaz). He is quick to get into bloody fights, and one day visits the local charity hospital to treat a deep gash on his face. There he meets Dr. Ananya (Mrunal Thakur), who treats the cut, but orders him out when she realizes that the wound is caused by his hooliganism.
Ali starts to develop an interest in boxing, and on another visit to the hospital (this time with a respectable boxing ring injury) Ananya encourages him to take the honorable path and leave his lawless activities. But the straight road is a hard slog. Will Aziz be able to remain true to his word?
First the good: fabulous acting all around! In fact the great emoting is what makes this film as watchable as it is. Props to Mrunal Thakur – she feels like a breath of fresh air. Farhan Akhtar has really worked out and built up his body for the role. He actually looks like a boxer and the boxing scenes feel realistic. I wouldn’t have thought Paresh Rawal could pull off the role of a boxing coach but he does – and how!
Then, there is director Mehra’s attention to detail, his ability to round off his characters so they feel believable and real. The film kept up the tempo, and the interest with some well-filmed boxing matches. Panga was another film which also did this well, although the sport in that film was kabaddi.
However, the plot feels like it is from the 80s, with all the attendant predictability and melodrama. Toofaan is a classic underdog story – and I like those – but it’s also full of cliches. There’s one temple scene which is so cheesy I almost missed Nirupa Roy! Then there’s the stereotypical golden-hearted hero who, in one scene, raises his hand against his wife, although he doesn’t actually hit her. Still, he shows no contrition.
Also, while the first half of the film was interesting and set up Aziz and Ananya’s romance nicely, the second half of the film was packed with predictable plot twists, and felt rushed. Shankar-Ehsaan and Loy dish out some uninspired music for the film. Vijay Raaz and Supriya Pathak, both talented veterans, seem wasted in their bit roles.
Toofan is watchable despite the long running time, but is a big come-down from Mehra’s Bhaag Milkha Bhaag which was also a sports movie and starred Farhan Akhtar. Still a decent one-time watch.
Kidwise: Some bloody fight scenes.
Feels Like Ishq is a Series with 6 episodes (1st Season). It’s about young people in love, navigating emotional tumult, and stars Radhika Madan (of Pataakha fame), Tanya Maniktala from A Suitable Boy, Saba Azad – you might remember her as the teeny-bopper-in-love in the cute rom-com Mujhse Fraandship Karoge, and Neeraj Madhav, who played the villain in the first season of The Family Man.
This series will grace your television screens July 23rd via Netflix.
Toofan stars Farhan Akhtar, Paresh Rawal and Mrunal Thakur (whom you might remember from Super 30). Rakesh Omprakash Mehra directs Toofan, which is a sports-based drama. He’d also directed Farhan Akhtar in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, also a sports-based drama, although that was a bio-pic.
Mehra always brings a distinctive point of view and a sophisticated flair to his films (I adored Delhi 6), so I’m looking forward to Toofan. This will be on Prime Video July 16th.
Rating : ⭐️
Genre : Drama
Year : 2021
Running time : 2 hours 15 minutes
Director : Vineel Mathew
Cast : Taapsee Pannu, Vikrant Massey, Harshvardhan Rane, Aditya Shrivastav
Kid rating : PG-13
In Netflix’s Haseen Dilruba, vivacious Rani (Taapsee Pannu) is wed in arranged marriage fashion to mild-mannered engineer Rishabh (Vikrant Massey). Rani and Rishu can’t remain happy together though, and Rishu asks her to leave the home. However he is killed in surprising circumstances, and Rani is the prime suspect.
Netflix’s Haseen Dilruba begins with the death and works its way backwards – so in the first half of the film we get a recounting of the events by Rani herself, as she relates events to Police Inspector Kishore Rawat (Aditya Shrivastav). The initial part of the movie is definitively the better half – since it channels the small-town atmosphere of a Tanu Weds Manu, with the events leading unto the wedding. There is even some humor to be had.
However in the second half, the film completely derails. There are too many logical loopholes to keep track of. Also where in the first half the events were at least believable, in the second, all reason goes out the window. Haseen Dilruba has an interesting premise, but director Mathew can’t keep it straight. Many events don’t have a proper lead-in or set-up giving them a surreal feel; the film’s editing is slapdash.
If Mathew had stuck to the bare bones of the film, it might have made more sense. As it is though, he stretches out important events, padding them with not-credible details and hammy dialogs, often staging them unrealistically. The Inspector-in-charge remains in dogged pursuit, and the entire police staff of inspectors and constables forsake their work and remain entranced by the “hot Bhabhi’s” case. Rani’s character is shown as almost insouciant as she is being grilled by the police. Her parents-in-law, witness to the rifts in the couple’s relationship, apparently don’t blame her.
The film is partially inspired by Roald Dahl’s short story “Lamb To the Slaughter” but even that interesting twist gets lost in the mess that is this film. The whole ridiculous plot is also entwined with silly ideas of romance, and sudden inexplicable personality shifts. Rani’s characters is uneven but at least entertaining to begin with – she is pretty and sharp-witted, sparring with her mother-in-law when she exhorts her to be the susheel, sanskaari bahu they were promised. Rishu’s character is also unrealistic and veers wildly, as he goes from being mild-mannered and tolerant, to psychotic and abusive.
Haseen Dilruba unfolds like a pulpy C-grade film, with over-the-top characters. The film’s actors do well, but are hampered by the illogically conceived characters. Director Vineel Matthew directed Hasee Toh Phasee, and while that film will win no awards, it is much better than Haseen Dilruba. The plot of Haseen Dilruba is enticing but the poor execution and the complete lack of logic and reasoning make this movie a royal mess, one that not even its dependable actors can salvage.
Haseen Dilruba in a flawed film and cannot deliver on its promise.
Kidwise: Some domestic violence, blood, knife-wielding characters, adult situations and themes.
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
Genre : Drama
Year : 2019, 2021
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime
Director : Krishna D.K., Raj Nidimoru
Cast : Manoj Bajpayee, Priyamani, Samantha Akkineni, Sharib Hashmi, Dalip Tahil
Kid Rating : PG-13
I had greatly anticipated The Family Man Season 1 when it first released in 2019, because, well, Manoj Bajpayee. He is one of the finest actors in Bollywood, having starred in fabulous movies like Gangs of Wasseypur I, Shool, and Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar and many, many more. Also this is a Raj & DK production, and they are innovators. They try new stuff – sometimes the innovation goes south, like that forgettable Zombie movie Go Goa Gone, but sometimes they produce magic like The Family Man.
Anyway, so I watched the first episode of Season 1 and was massively disappointed. I dropped The Family Man and didn’t return to it until friends suggested I power though the first, maybe the first 2 episodes, because the series was so worth it. And am I glad I did!
Now that Season 2 of Family Man is out too, I had the special treat of binge-watching Two seasons of The Family Man without interruptions. This was a very good weekend.
The Family Man is about Srikant Tiwari, an intelligence office in the Threat Analysis and Surveillance Cell (TASC), a part of India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA). Tiwari’s job is National Security – protecting the nation from attacks both internal and external. He keeps the dangerous nature of his job hidden from his family – his wife Suchitra (Priyamani), daughter Dhriti and son Atharv.
In the first season of The Family Man, Srikant and his colleagues must thwart attacks from Pakistani terrorists, while in the second, they must prevent the LTTE from assassinating the Prime Minster’s of India and Sri Lanka as they meet for talks and important trade negotiations. I’d say the 1st season is good and the second is fantastic!
The Family Man is a great series because it is multi-faceted. Yes, it is primarily the chase of the bad guys, but there is also focus on Srikant’s family life – his problems with wife Suchi, hints of a past with a former colleague (played by Gul Panag), and his relationship with his kids. The kids were cute, and the son’s character was a hoot. Srikant Tiwari himself is a very interesting character. He loves his family and is dedicated to his job. He is forever dashing about in pursuit of leads, much to the chagrin of his wife. He is quick on his feet, a glib talker and an even better story-teller; not all his stories are true.
The Family Man tells us the tale from two points of view – the first is from Srikant’s , and the second from the villain’s. We, the viewers can see that the bad guys are doing and how Srikant and his team are hot on their trail, uncovering clues, sourcing information from there tech experts/online chatter as well as informants on the ground. There are expertly executed fight sequences and suspense-filled chases – with the climax of the second season being a superbly filmed edge-of-your-seat will-they-won’t-they scene. Each episode is tight and leaves you wanting more.
The characterization and the acting in The Family Man is immaculate. The actors portraying their roles seem real – the Tamilian characters actually speak Tamil, the Kashmiri characters really do seem to be from the region. Srikant’s Tamilian wife drops little Tamil phrases into her Hindi sentences, and Maharatrian Talpade often lapses into Marathi. A lot of the dialog is in English/Tamil where apt, making the whole thing look more realistic (unlike A Suitable Boy, where the English dialogues felt oh-so-phoren).
As far as the acting goes – Manoj Bajpayee is superb but we expect no less from him. Srikant’s wife is gorgeously portrayed by South-Indian actress Priyamani (whom you might remember from the below dance sequence from Chennai Express). Watch carefully for the female dancer:
Sharib Hashmi plays Srikant’s collegue JK with such ease that he is one of the more memorable characters from the series. The addition of several superb stalwarts – Gul Panag as Saloni Bhatt in Season 1, and Samantha Akkineni as Raji in Season 2 – takes this series up several notches. Then there are the 2 child artistes – Ashlesha Thakur and Vedant Sinha who are charming performers, and bring the whole impish sister-brother relationship to life.
I also have it to hand it to the directors for the attention to detail. While I was a little skeptical during Season 1 (some loopholes), Season 2 really brought it’s act together, culminating in a suspenseful, nail-biter of a climax. The Family Man is truly a world-class series of the secret agent genre, and in Srikant Tiwari we have found our Indian Bond; not quite as svelte or debonair, but just as effective in dealing with the baddies. I can’t wait for Season 3!
Kidwise: Gun-fighting, somewhat gory violence with knives.
Haseen Dilruba is a murder mystery by director Vinil Mathew (he also directed Hasee Toh Phasee). This new Bollywood film stars Tapsee Pannu and Vikrant Massey. Massey’s been having quite a good run lately, with the likes of Mirzapur and “Dolly Kitty aur woh Chamakte Sitare“, and hopefully with Haseen Dilruba the streak will continue!
The trailer looks promising and who doesn’t like a juicy murder mystery?
There aren’t a ton of Bollywood movies inspired by books, but there are some well-made ones. Sifting through book to film adaptations that I wanted to list here was fun, because I am a voracious reader/listener (here’s my book blog) and love Bollywood films.
This is based on Jane Austen’s Emma and was quite an entertaining film. It is not lost on me that the Victorian era “marriage-market” films can be so well Indianised and look so natural in modern day India. Still Aisha does well with the casting – Sonam and Abhay Deol make a charming pair. Amrita Puri plays the Harriet Smith character.
Aisha was a real entertainer, all young love, chic details and snazzy music.
Now I couldn’t quite finish this book by Jhumpa Lahiri – it felt so very Bengali with details and little touches I couldn’t identify with. But it was adapted beautifully for the screen by director Mira Nair – a film I sat through and really liked, in so small part because of the fabulous casting: Irrfan Khan, Tabu and Kal Penn.
The Namesake was moving and poignant.
Vishal Bharadwaj took the bard’s works and adapted three of them for Hindi cinema – Maqbool (Macbeth), Omkara (Othello) and Haider (Hamlet).
Maqbool has been adapted so well into a Mumbai mafia scene – Pankaj Kapoor plays Abbaji the aged leader of the group, Nimmi is his beautiful mistress and Irrfan Khan plays Abbaji’s right hand man. Dark and intense, Maqbool is a must-watch!
Junoon
Shyam Benegal’s masterpiece Junoon is a gorgeous film based on Ruskin Bond’s “A Flight of Pigeons”.
Based on events of the partition, this film focusses on Javed Khan (Shashi Kapoor) and his love for Ruth Labrador (Nafisa Ali), a young English girl who seeks shelter with a Hindu family along with her mother Miriam when her father is killed at a church massacre.
Miriam (Jennifer Kendall Kapoor) is against Javed’s overtures – he wants to marry Ruth and make her his second wife. His first wife Firdaus (Shaban Azmi) is bitter and angry at her husband’s infatuation, but powerless, and this push and pull of warring emotions, combined with the political turmoil of the time the film is set in, makes this beautifully crafted movie superbly engrossing.
1947 Earth
Earth is based on Bapsi Sidhwa’s novel Cracking India which tells the story of India’s partition and the upheaval that took place because of the mass movement of people across the newly-created border.
We see events as recounted by Lenny, a 4 year old Parsi girl, now an adult (Shabana Azmi). The story of Lenny, her Hindu ayah Shanta (Nandita Das) and her two Muslim admirers (Aamir Khan, Rahul Khanna) is tragic and riveting.
Ray is a new series on Netflix and is based on 4 stories by director Satyajit Ray. This 4 episode series stars Manoj Bajpayee, Kaykay Menon, Harshvardhan Kapoor and Ali Fazal, each in a separate episode. Dibyendu Bhattacharya (whom we saw recently in Mirzapur), Radhika Madan and Rajesh Sharma also star. Looks interesting!
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre : Romance, Action
Year : 2021
Running time : 2 hours 6 minutes
Director : Dibakar Banerjee
Cast : Parineeti Chopra, Arjun Kapoor, Jaideep Singh Ahlawat, Neena Gupta, Raghuvir Yadav, Rahul Kumar
Kidwise : PG-13
The title of the film says it all – Sandeep aur Pinky Faraar translates to Sandeep and Pinky have fled – which is essentially what happens in the first 20 minutes of the film. Sandy “Sandeep” Walia (Chopra) and Satinder “Pinky” Dahiya must run away together under very unusual circumstances. Starting off as two people at odds with each other – she is a svelte financial maven sporting expensive clothes and handbags, while he is a surly middle-class Jat policeman – the journey, and the challenges it brings, draws them closer.
Sandeep aur Pinky Faraar is not your traditional love story. It starts off with unexpected violence, and completely turns the story on its head. From then on it is a slow burn, and we watch Sandeep and Pinky evade their hunters, bumblingly taking refuge with a kindly older couple, played fantastically by Raghuveer Yadav and Neena Gupta. There is also Jaideep Ahlawat (whom we recently saw in the fantastic series Paatal Lok) as “Tyagi Sir” – Pinky’s mentor and friend.
Dibakar Banerjee’s reputation preceedes him. He has directed crackers like Khosla ka Ghosla, Love Sex aur Dhoka and Shanghai, so his films are always eagerly anticipated. His eye for detail and nuance gives us finely crafted characters. There’s cantankerous, sexist Uncle and emotional Aunty – both characters are people you might have met in some small town of India. Then there’s the character of Munna and his father. Munna is a hoot, a young man with blond highlights, he idolizes Pinky bhaiya from the moment they share their adoration of actor Salman Khan. In a nice touch, they even wear similar bracelets!
Parineeti and Arjun do well too. Arjun is not quite the actor Parineeti is but he is believable as unsmiling, grunting Haryanvi Jat Pinky, although his dialogues seemed a little unintelligible at first. Given that Bollywood heroes are more often like a Kabir Singh (overtly misogynistic or subtly sexist) it is nice to see a gruff, presumably conservative-minded hero evolve into a character who displays kindness and sympathy once he understands the other person’s point of view.
This film’s story is about Sandeep and Pinky but it is set in the larger context of politics and corruption, and touches upon social issues like class and wealth disparity. In one interesting scene, middle-class Pinky derides wealthy Sandeep telling her that for people like her, people like him are unseen and expendable, that even with her wealth and all the advantages it brings, she and her ilk cannot keep from taking more and more than their fair share.
Director Banerjee manages to intertwine all these threads to give us an unpredictable slow-burner of a film. While this could have been better given Banerjee’s skill and past work, Sandeep aur Pinky Faraar is still very, very good. Highly recommended!
Kidwise: Some gun violence. One scene of attempted rape. Might be unsuitable for younger kids.
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