Tag: Anil Kapoor

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A rundown of the best political films made in Bollywood

An overview into how Hindi Cinema used to make good political films that had coherence and didn’t pander to the ruling party

The state of the recent political movies in Bollywood cuts a very sorry figure. Movies like the Accidental Prime Minister and PM Narendra Modi are woeful products in more ways than one. Yes they are incoherently staged both in terms of acting and storytelling, but apart from these aspects the movies have been used as tools for negative political propaganda. In the case of The Accidental Prime Minister it was clearly made to malign the former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh along with the entire Congress party. PM Narendra Modi on the other hand was meant to absolve Modi from all crimes and put him on a pedestal.

On the other hand both Kashmir Files and the Kerala Story are hugely islamophobic in nature. There is no denying the sufferings of the Kashmiri pundits but director Vivek Agnihotri presented a rather one sided pictures with all the Hindus being sufferers and Muslims being monsters. The Kerala Story on the other hand hugely exaggerated story of Hindu women being radicalized by the ISIS. Much like Kashmir Files here too you won’t find any positive Muslim character. This hate against Muslims represents the attitude of the BJP government. The success of both these movies is a byproduct of the times we live in.

Then there are the likes of Uri: The Surgical Strike, Tejas and this year’s Fighter. Uri: The Surgical strike was a highly dramatized account of Indian army retaliating to the URI Attacks. The movie was clearly meant to establish that the surgical strike had taken place in real. Not surprisingly the BJP party used the movie as a tool of propaganda particularly the dialogue “How’s the josh”. Hrithik Roshan’s Fighter was on the other hand was inspired by the Balakot strike. The climax of Fighter is straight out of a single screen universe with patriotic dialogues and ample dose of jingoism.

This year the team of The Kerala Story returned with Bastar: The Naxal Story which made a mockery of the Naxal movement, it didn’t find audiences even with those who like propaganda movies. Article 370 on the other hand directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale did fairly well primarily due to the performances of the two leading ladies Yami Gautam and Priya Mani. However the characterizations of the Kashmiri locals which include the politicians was highly laughable. The director made it look like only Prime Minister Modi and BJP are concerned about the welfare of Kashmiri population.

Not surprisingly Narendra Modi mentioned about the movie urging the viewers to watch it a few before the movie’s release. Even you look at Kashmir Files the party workers played a significant role in promoting the movie. But it has to be said that political movies in Bollywood has not always been like this and following is an overview into some of the well crafted political ones.

Rang De Basanti directed by Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra was about the corruption in the defense department that leads to the death of a pilot played by R Madhavan. The movie did not shy away from showing the deep rooted corruption and the cynical attitude of the youth who believe that no good change can come.

What also added to the impact of Rang De Basanti was the way it intertwined the sacrifices made by our revolutionaries Bhagat Singh and Chandrasekhar Azad among others and today’s youth who think thoughts of revolution and sacrificing for the country is an outdated thought. The gradual change in the protagonists played by Aamir Khan, Siddarth, Kunal Kapoor, Sharman Joshi etc was wonderfully written and directed.

Prakash Jha is someone who is well known for directing movies that have an undercurrent of socio political aspects. For example his 2010 film Rajneeti was modeled on the epic Mahabharata while looking at the dark underbelly of the political scenario in our country. Through the huge ensemble of actors Director Prakash Jha cooked a gripping cocktail of complex relationships, an uncontrollable lust for power and rivalry of the siblings among other things.

A major highlight of Rajneeti was the strong characterizations of all the actors.  For example Ranbir Kapoor’s character Samar starts off as a young man leading a quiet life in the US. But getting sucked into the family politics brings out the monster in him. There is a hugely poignant scene towards the end where Samar decides that he has had enough and politics is not for him. Apart from the strong characterizations Rajneeti also had some powerful scenes showcasing the political circus that takes place when candidates meet ordinary people.

Aarakshan on the other hand directed by the same man took up with the burning topic of reservation, special benefits being given to people belonging to a particular caste. There are some powerful scenes in Aarakshan particularly the first half which depicts the class and caste conflict. Case in point being Pratik Babbar and Saif Ali Khan’s characters expressing their contrasting views about reservation, Pratik’s Sushant is a typical rich brat who thinks that Dalits should not be given any special privileges and are afraid of working hard.

Tamil Director S. Shankar is well known for making movies featuring vigilante protagonists. Through his protagonists the director has covered issues that are important to the common man. S. Shankar’s Nayak: The Real hero is the remake of his own Tamil movie Mudhalvan.  Unlike the vigilante protagonists of his previous movies who have an inbuilt social consciousness Anil Kapoor’s Shivaji Rao Gaekwad is more of a reluctant hero who wants to lead to peaceful life. Shivaji starts off as a cameraman in a popular television channel; from there he eventually becomes a reporter. One day his life takes a dramatic turn while interviewing the chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shivaji questions the chief minister on certain things like choosing to not control a violent riot that causes a lot of damage. In a very filmy turn of events Shivaji ends up being the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for a day and does a lot of good,  eventually he replaces Amrish Puri’s Balraj Chauhan.

Of course there is nothing subtle in the way Shankar goes about depicting the issues plaguing the society. Every point feels hammered in but at the same time there is no denying the relevancy of what Shankar addresses. There are scenes in the movie that mirror the real life corruption that we read about everyday from grassroot to national level. Through the character of Amrish Puri director Shankar also explored the harmful affects of vote bank politics and appeasing a certain community to just win the elections.

Nayak: The Hero is a movie that has aged well. Sure it was not a hit movie at the time of its release but over the years it has made a certain place in the viewer’s hearts.

Anurag Kashyap’s  Gulaal is also a noteworthy political movie. The plot of Gulaal is set in Rajasthan focusing on the community of the former royalty who want to restore both the Rajputana province and the kingship.

The central protagonist of this tale is Dilip Singh (Raj Singh Chaudhary), Dilip Singh starts off as an unconfident guy but soon gets involved in local politics after the death of his roommate cum friend Rananjay Singh (Abhimanyu Singh). Rananjay Singh was contesting in college elections, a local commander Dukey Bana (Kay Kay Menon) insists Dilip to contest in place of his slain roommate and he makes sure that Dilip does win on the behalf of the Rajputana party. Running side by side are multiple subplots.

Anurag Kashyap’s depiction of student politics and the violence is hard to stomach; nevertheless the movie makes a strong impact. Gulaal also works as a critique of some movements that talk about how a particular community or a region is superior to the rest.

Sometimes the movie also plays out like a Shakespearean tragedy combing elements of jealousy, greed and corruption. At other times you have the Quentin Tarantino touch in the staging of the scenes that show the lawlessness.

Here’s hoping that Bollywood gets back to making solid political movies. The current trend of propaganda political movies have reached a saturation point which is evident in the lackluster response of the recent ones.

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Slumdog Millionaire

Recently I have read the book Slumdog Millionaire written by Vikas Swarup. I do not have many memories of the movie based on the book except for the Anil Kapoor portions, however I personally feel that the book is more superior in terms of how it juggles between the past and present of Ram Mohammad Thomas a boy from slums who goes on to create history by winning a game show.

Vikas Swarup does a lot of back and forth, at times it does become hard to follow the storyline given that the character of Ram Mohammad Thomas goes through many stages. But still the story holds your interest. Through the central character Vikas Swarup has touched upon the deep-rooted issue of the illegal child labor which destroys the lives of our future generation. There are disturbing scenes in the book where we see children being blinded.

The other societal evils touched upon are domestic violence, police torture etc. The final chapter though ends with a lot of hope for our protagonist in a truly filmy manner. The novel hasn’t got much romance unlike the movie where the love story played a key role however it has to be said that the readers don’t feel the need for romance. The life experiences of Ram Mohammad Thomas and how it helps him in winning the quiz is more than sufficient to keep the audiences engaged.

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Crew : A much-needed female buddy film in mainstream Hindi cinema

Despite the implausible heist portions of the second half, Rajesh A Krishnan delivers a fun movie aided by the trio.
Crew (Hindi); 29-03-2024, Comedy-Thriller, 2 hours 4 minutes, U/A, Theatre
  • Main Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Tabu, Kriti Sanon, Diljit Dosanjh, and Kapil Sharma
  • Director: Rajesh Krishnan
  • Producer: Ektaa R Kapoor and Rhea Kapoor
  • Music Director: Badshah, Diljit Dosanjh, Vishal Mishra
  • Cinematography: Anuj Rakesh Dhawan
  • Rating: 3.5/5
  • Published in: Southfirst

The number of movies with well-known female actors playing buddies can be counted on fingers, particularly in mainstream Hindi cinema.

Sure, there have been the likes of Parched (2015) and Dhak Dhak (2023). Both movies celebrated sisterhood in their own way. But, as far as mainstream cinema goes, male bonding has always been more in number.

Rhea Kapoor went against the tide when she produced Veere Di Wedding (2018), starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar, and Shikha Talsania.

Veere Di Wedding had its problems in terms of storytelling. But it still did strike a chord with the target audiences.

And now, Rhea Kapoor is back with another female buddy film starring actors from different schools of acting — Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Kriti Sanon.

Writers Nidhi Mehra and Mehul Suri have taken inspiration from the real Kingfisher Airlines and the fugitive Vijay Mallya.

Nidhi Mehra and Mehul Suri along with Rajesh A Krishnan have combined elements of heist and comedy and have made a movie that engages the viewers for the most part.

Synopsis

Tabu in ‘Crew’. (X)

The story of Crew is about three air hostesses — Geetha Sethi (Tabu), Jasmine (Kareena Kapoor Khan), and Divya Rana (Kriti Sanon).

On the surface, the three appear to be leading a glamorous life, but in reality, they struggle to keep themselves afloat.

For example, Geetha wants to use her provident fund to start her own business with her husband (Kapil Sharma), while Jessica is looking for someone to fund her start-up.

On the other hand, Divya has loans to repay. Additionally, she has given a picture of being a pilot to her parents when she actually is an air hostess.

The three work for Kohinoor Airlines, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. They have been facing a salary crisis for the last six months.

Crew begins with three of them being detained on suspicion of smuggling gold, but that is only a part of the movie.

In simple terms, the story of Crew is about how the trio is pushed to a corner and takes a route that isn’t ethically right to survive.

The film also gets into a heist mode in the later half when the three decide to take revenge on the fictional Vijay Mallya when he flees from the country.

Sisterhood and chemistry

Kriti Sanon in ‘Crew’. (X)

For a film of this nature, the female actors must have a crackling chemistry and a genuine sense of sisterhood.

Fortunately, both the sisterhood and the chemistry are very much on point.

The jokes, the fights, and the eventual patch-up feel authentic.

Rajesh A Krishnan also deserves credit for never getting into a judgmental mode about the things the trio do.

All three come with their share of flaws, and this makes the movie more endearing.

The brilliant performances, particularly of Kareena Kapoor Khan and Tabu, make Crew hugely enjoyable.

After an intense performance in last year’s Jaane Jaan, Kareena lets her hair down in a complete contrast role.

Her Jasmine is a hustler who is unapologetically greedy and doesn’t mind showing off. However, there is also a deep loneliness.

Kareena does a terrific job of portraying the different facets of Jasmine.

Tabu’s Geetha is someone who is torn between her responsibilities and desires. The accomplished actor is her usual brilliant self. Some of her comic exchanges with Kareena are an absolute riot.

The two also have a delightful action scene in a private jet.

Kriti Sanon is fairly good and holds her own, particularly in the scenes portraying Divya’s moral dilemmas.

Other characters

Kareena Kapoor Khan in ‘Crew’. (X)

Despite their limited screen time, the male characters are also fun to watch. The husband and wife scenes between Kapil Sharma and Tabu have a lot of warmth.

The same applies to Diljit Dosanjh as Jasveer. The actor is his usual charming self and the way he flirts with Divya is adorable.

The viewers feel bad for Jasveer when Divvya deceives him for her needs.

Khulbhushan Kharbanda is Jasmine’s grandfather and an important pillar of support.

Again, the scenes they share are few. But still, Khulbhushan Kharbanda makes for an adorable grandfather.

Implausible heist drama

A couple of aspects come across as stumbling blocks in Crew. One is the heist portions, which border on being quite silly.

The landing portions of the film could have been done with better writing.

Also, the styling of the characters in some scenes leaves a lot to be desired.

They come across as too stylish, which doesn’t gel with the protagonists’ backgrounds.

Verdict

Keeping aside these small niggles, Crew is a breath of fresh air in many ways. It is a definite respite from the regular propaganda and the mass-heavy films we have been seeing in Hindi cinema of late.

https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/crew-movie-review/

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Animal: A Chilling Psychological Portrait Of A Man Who Is Desperate To Get Love And Affection From His Father

Ranbir Kapoor and Anil Kapoor bring their A game but the conundrum of Sandeep Reddy Vanga persist

Rating: 2.5
Starcast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Rashmika Mandana, Bobby Deol and others
Direction, Screenplay and editing: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Additional screenplay: Pranay Reddy Vanga and Saurabh Gupta
Producers: Bhushan Kumar, Krishna Kumar, Murad Khetani and Pranay Reddy Vanga
Music composers: Pritam, Manan Bhardwaj and others
Production Companies: Bhadrakali Pictures, T- Series Films and Cine 1 studios.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga is one of the few directors who became a big sensation with his very first film. Arjun Reddy (Kabir Singh in Hindi) was not just a box office success but it was also intensely scrutinized given the extreme raw nature with which he had depicted the love story of his protagonist.

Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna and Bobby Deol

With Animal the director dwells into another dark tale. This time it is about a father and son; Ranvijay Singh (Ranbir Kapoor) is the son of a successful industrialist Balbir Singh (Anil Kapoor). Ranvijay considers Balbir as the best father in the world, this in spite of having many issues with him. He is sent out of the house twice by his father; first when he went with a gun to threaten his sister’s classmates for ragging her and the second time for a huge argument with his brother-in-law on the occasion of his father’s 60th birthday.  

After a brief love story, marriage and two kids in US Ranvijay returns to India when he comes to know his father was attacked and grievously injured. He decides to find out who his father’s enemies are. In this process his path crosses with that of Bobby Deol who turns out to be his stepbrother thirsting for revenge. Rashmika Mandanna is the disgruntled wife of Ranvijay. She bears the brunt of her husband’s violent actions and his obsessive love for his parent. Soon enough there are no traces of the man that she fell in love with.

A big strength of Animal is easily the twisted father and son dynamics. Sandeep Reddy Vanga doesn’t waste any time in establishing how much Ranvijay craves for his father’s affection along with the workaholic nature of the father. There is a wild streak in Ranvijay from a young age itself.

Anil Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra and Bobby Deol

As mentioned above there is a scene where Ranvijay’s sister comes home crying after a ragging incident. She calls up her father multiple times but Balbir doesn’t lift the phone. Later she pours out her frustration to Ranvijay who immediately goes to her college with a gun. Not surprisingly Balbir gets pissed with his son and ends up slapping him.

This scene successfully sets the base for the friction between father and son. The gradual progression of Ranvijay into an ‘Animal’ has been well staged and does send a chill down the audience’s spine.

The emotional bits between father and son in the later stages are also directed well. There is a scene in the pre-climax where Ranvijay does a role reversal with his father, that is, Ranvijay acting as the dad and Balbir acting as the son. The long years of inner frustration and Anil Kapoor’s repentance packs a big punch.

Ranbir Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna

Bobby Deol appears only in the second half. His scenes are few but Bobby makes a solid impression just with his eyes and overall physical demeanor. The climatic fight between him and Ranbir has lot of raw action and is definitely a delight for those who like this kind of action.

But the overdose of blood and violence is a definite put off. The scenes of Ranbir hacking and killing several men gets nauseating after a point.

Another major flaw with Animal is the depiction of its female characters. They are mostly there only to bear the brunt of men. The best example of this is Rashmika’s Geetanjali. There is an important scene in the second half when Geetanjali has a severe argument in a high pitched tone with her husband. This is because of an affair that Ranvijay had behind her back.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga, director

Ideally the viewers should have rooted for Geetanjali but Rashmika’s screaming makes it difficult to empathize. Another example of a badly written female character is that of the one played by Tripti Dimri. She is a moll who is sent to seduce Ranvijay by Bobby Deol. Ranvijay knows that she is a moll but still ends up having a physical relationship and also makes her lick his shoes to prove her love. This is, to say the least is in very bad taste. 

The music composed by Pritam, Harshavardhan Rameshwar and others make for a good listen. The songs that stand out are Satranga and Pappa Meri Jaan.

Not surprisingly it is Ranbir and Anil Kapoor who lead the acting department. Both the actors get into the zone of Sandeep Reddy Vanga with zero inhibitions.

Animal is not a film that can be slotted as either good or bad. Still there is enough to enjoy if you are a fan of Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s style of filmmaking or if you like Ranbir and Anil Kapoor’s acting. But it is clear that Sandeep Reddy Vanga hasn’t learnt anything from the criticism of Arjun Reddy.

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Anil Kapoor: An Actor Who Has Been Aging Like A Fine Wine

An overview into how Anil Kapoor can become the next Amitabh Bachchan

Anil Kapoor made his Hindi film debut with a small part in the 1979 film Hamare Tumhare. He appeared as the leading man in the 1980 Telugu film Vamsa Vruksham directed by late Bapu. Anil Kapoor’s first lead role in Hindi was Woh Saat Din also directed by late Bapu. However it was the 1984 Mashaal that gave the actor his first big recognition. In this Yash Chopra directorial Anil Kapoor played a tapori who undergoes a transformation under the influence of Dilip Kumar’s character.  In spite of sharing screen space with legendary Dilip Kumar the actor more than stood his own. He rightfully won Filmfare’s best supporting actor that year.

One of Anil Kapoor’s most memorable films as leading man came in Mr. India directed by ace filmmaker Shekhar Kapur. The film released in 1987 and went on to become one of the major grosser of that year. It mixed science fiction with a relatable underdog story. In the titular role Anil Kapoor delivered a stupendous act. He was in equal measure charming and also vulnerable.

Some of his other notable works as a leading man include Ram Lakhan, Tezaab, 1942: A Love Story among others.

But the genius of Anil Kapoor lies in how he has constantly reinvented himself particularly after he stopped playing the commercial hero. In his second innings the actor has played a variety of roles that ranged from comic, intense and even grey to outright negative characters.

A good example of this range is the Zoya Akhtar directorial Dil Dhadakne Do. This 2015 film saw Anil Kapoor playing a self- made millionaire who never tires of repeating his rags to riches story. But beneath this arrogance his character Kamal is also vulnerable and keeps swallowing anxiety pills. The reason for that is his company is on the verge of bankruptcy.

Anil Kapoor delivered a rousing performance. He effortlessly portrayed the grey shades of Kamal. Some of the best moments in the film belonged to him.

Anil Kapoor has also been part of films specially designed for OTT. A case in point is the 2020 film AK VS AK directed by Vikramaditya Motwane. This unique movie saw Anil Kapoor and filmmaker turned actor Anurag Kashyap playing a fictionalized version of themselves. The film begins with a panel discussion where both of them are participating. A small argument blows up into something severe. Anurag splashes water on Anil Kapoor’s face and leaves the place in a huff. Later he returns and tells him that he has kidnapped his daughter Sonam Kapoor. He also threatens Anil that he has only 10 hours to find Sonam and he cannot go to the cops. He further adds that Anil’s search will be recorded. What follows is an emotional thriller with a twist that viewers don’t see coming. As a tense father Anil Kapoor did a fabulous job. The best part about his performance is his absolute lack of vanity.

Anil Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur in Night Manager, Part 2.

If we take some of his outright negative characters the best example is the recently released web-show The Night Manager Season 1 and 2. In this web series Anil Kapoor played a businessman called Shelly. Shelly is supposed to be a philanthropist for the outside world but in real life he is an illegal arms dealer. The monstrous side of Shelly was kept to a minimum in the first season. But in the second season the evilness comes out more. Anil Kapoor delivered a rocking performance both as the suave businessman and also as the merciless monster. One of the scenes in the second season that stays in the viewers mind for a long time is when he talks about bombs in a poetic way while chewing a cigar.

Anil Kapoor in a humour role in Welcome Back

When it comes to comic roles the two Welcome movies are a good example of how the actor left the audiences in splits. In both these films Anil Kapoor is not the main lead. Still he stole the show as one of the main goons along with Nana Patekar. The chemistry between Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar was great. Even in Mubarakan the actor brought so much energy to the table. His nephew Arjun Kapoor had a double role in the film but the audiences came out of the theaters remembering Anil Chacha more.

Also read: Virupaksha: A solid thriller that is high on both atmospherics and content

After he stopped playing the commercial hero the variety of roles he played increased as we have seen in the above mentioned web shows and films. Here’s hoping that the actor continues to surprise the audiences with many more characters in his upcoming films. Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal, Siddarth Anand’s Fighter etc. are his next big releases. Who knows…he may be the next Amitabh Bachchan!

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The Night Manager Part 2: High On Both Thrills And Human Drama

Part 2 of this espionage drama gives a deep insight into global politics through the character of Shelly played by Anil Kapoor.

Stands out for its performances!
The Night Manager Part 2 (Hindi)
  • Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sobhita Dhulipala, Tillotama Shome, and Saswata Chatterjee
  • Direction: Sandeep Modi, Priyanka Ghose, and Rukh Nabeel
  • Producers: Deepak Dhar, Rishi Negi, and Rajesh Chadha
  • Music: Sam CS
  • No. of episodes: 3
  • OTT platform: Disney+ Hotstar

The first part of The Night Manager followed the journey of an ex-Navy guy-turned-night manager Shaan Sengupta (Aditya Roy Kapur). His life takes a drastic turn when a tormented teenager seeks help from him.

The husband of this teen is a criminal and much older than her. He is also an associate of a businessman named Shelly (Anil Kapoor).

On the surface, Shelly is supposed to be a philanthropist. But in reality, he is a businessman who deals in illegal arms.

Shaan takes the help of a woman called Lipika Saikia Rao (Tillotama Shome) who works for the Indian intelligence.

In spite of his best efforts, Shaan isn’t able to save the teenager. And this leaves him absolutely shattered.

The crux of The Night Manager Part 1 was primarily about how Shaan manages to impress Shelly and gets access to his inner circle.

Season 2 synopsis

The Night Manager Part 2 begins with the illegal arms dealer Shailendra Rungta aka Shelly.

He is still not aware of Shaan’s real identity. His trust in Shaan is so firm that he even makes him a business partner.

On the other hand, Lipika is continuing to trace Shelly at the cost of facing heat from the system.

There is also a secret love story developing between Shaan and Shailendra’s girlfriend Kaveri K Dixit (Sobhita Dhulipala).

However, Shelly’s friend Brijpal (Saswata Chatterjee) isn’t still convinced about Shaan’s reliability. Adding to Brijpal’s woes, he loses Shelly’s trust.

Like most espionage dramas, this web series is also about a man who rises against all odds to save the country. At the same time, The Night Manager Part 2 gives a deep insight into global politics through the character of Shelly.

Sobhita gets a strong role

A big area of improvement in comparison to The Night Manager Part 1 is how the makers designed the character of Sobhita Dhulipala’s Kaveri.

In the first season, she was more of a glam doll. But now, the character has been explored much more.

The romantic moments between Shaan and Kaveri are subtle yet effective. However, as viewers you do wish that Kaveri shouldn’t have been reduced to a damsel in distress towards the end.

Sobhita Dhulipala is quite good and does hold her own opposite the terrific Anil Kapoor.

A peek into world politics

Coming to Anil Kapoor, he does a fantastic job of portraying the evilness of Shelly. The monster side of Shelly comes out much more in The Night Manager Part 2.

For example, there is a scene where he butchers a former associate to death with what looks like a Reynolds ballpoint pen.

One of my favourite moments in the show is when he chews on the cigar and talks about bombs in a poetic way. It is so good to see Anil Kapoor reinventing himself constantly.

As earlier mentioned, the theme of global politics is explored through the character of Shelly.

He may look like the villain, but in reality, he is someone who is very much needed by the Indian government. Because people like him are hired to do the dirty work which the government doesn’t want to lay its hands on.

At one point, Shelly is compared to Osama Bin Laden whom America thought it could control, at least at one point in time.

These moments make the show a cut above the usual espionage drama.

Other characters

Aditya Roy Kapur shows once again why he is perfect for the role of Shaan. He lends the required mystery as Shaan doesn’t express a lot. His good looks also come in handy since Shaan is meant to be a seducer as well.

Another character from The Night Manager Part 2 that stays with the viewers is Saswata Chatterjee’s Brijpal. He effortlessly conveys the turmoil of a man who is losing the trust of his friend.

Tillotama Shome as the heavily pregnant intelligence officer continues her impressive form.

She is in equal parts resilient and vulnerable. She also gets her share of masala moments and the actress knocks them out of the park.

The cinematography by Benjamin Jasper and Anik Ram Verma is of the highest order. The desert shots, in particular, deserve mention.

The background music by Sam CS elevates the drama in several places.

Final take

The Night Manager Part 2 is an espionage drama that manages to stand out with its understanding of world politics and stellar performances.

(Views expressed here are personal.)

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Jug Jug Jeeyo: A Dramedy That Packs A Punch

In his debut film Good News director Raj Mehta had picked sensitive topics like the complications of IVF along with the difficulty of not being able to conceive. He made sure that the film was accessible to the audiences as he combined entertainment with enough sensitivity. His latest Jug Jug Jeeyo also follows this pattern. In this film the subject is the difficulty of sustaining marriage. Like Good news here too you have two couples, one senior couple and other younger. Another similarity is the Punjabi background. Jug Jug Jeeyo had its share of lapses but it is a dramedy that keeps you involved till the end.

The story of Jug Jug Jeeyo is about two couples. The first one is Bheem and Gita (Anil Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor). They have been married for thirty five years. The other couple is Kukoo and Naina (Varun Dhawan and Kiara Advani). They have been married for five years. Naina and Kukoo had met in fifth grade. In the opening scene you have junior Kukoo screaming at a boy who speaks to Naina because of his possessiveness.  Through a song we get to know their love story and how that leads to marriage. Manish Paul plays Naina’s brother. After the song we move to Canada where the marriage of Kukoo and Naina is falling apart, they decide to separate but before that there is the marriage of Kukoo’s sister Ginny. Kukoo and Naina decide to reveal the news of divorce after marriage but there is a huge shock waiting for Kukoo. The shock is his father is also on the verge of divorce. Bheem is deeply attracted to Kukoo’s Maths teacher played by Tisca Chopra. Bheem is planning to divorce Geeta after the wedding. What follows is a roller coaster that makes you feel various emotions.

The best part of Jug Jug Jeeyo is undoubtedly Anil Kapoor’s Bheem. Bheem is a difficult person to like. He has an extramarital affair, does drama at the top of a hat and tells lies to get out of situations. However Anil Kapoor makes the character work with his brilliant performance. He is too good in both the emotional and also the lighter bits. A scene which deserves a particular mention is when Bheem first tells his son about wanting to have a divorce to the shocked Kukoo. Right after saying that his body language changes, until then he is cheerful but suddenly he goes silent and goes away from there. In the comic bits the actor just leaves you in splits, for example there is a scene In the middle of the road where he cooks up a story about himself rejecting Tisca Chopra’s character where in actuality she has rejected him. Raj Mehta deserves credit for not giving a happy ending to Anil and Neetu’s characters. He makes the wise decision of keeping it open ended. He also deserves credit for not making Neetu come across as loud in spite of playing a Punjabi mother.

Varun Dhawan as Kukoo also stands his own. He is first rate in the scenes showing Kukoo’s insecurities and selfishness. His scenes with Anil are very good to watch. A scene which deserves a particular mention is when Anil Kapoor introduces him to Tisca Chopra in a near empty hall playing Kalank.

The female characters don’t get the same attention as the male counterparts but both Neetu Kapoor and Kiara Advani are immensely watchable. Neetu Kapoor exudes certain warmth in her comeback. Neetu excels big time in the scene where she bares her heart out to Kiara’s Naina. In that scene Geeta opens up about her marriage, and how in the first few days of marriage itself, she wondered whether Bheem is the right person for her. But this scene would have worked better if the director had given an insight into the early days of their marriage.

Manish Paul’s character is mostly one note. Manish does a fair job but he ends up being a mere sidekick.

The Punjabi background plays a spoilsport here. The swelling background score coupled with the typical Punjabi tropes will irritate you. You wish that Tisca Chopra’s character was more developed instead of being just the other woman.

Jug Jug Jeeyo is a wholesome film with the right mix of comedy and seriousness, definitely worth a watch.

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Thar: Watch It For The Atmospherics And Anil Kapoor

Raj Singh Chowdary’s Thar is a well staged thriller which had the potential of being more. Much like Koratala Siva’s Acharya here too you have the real life father and son duo playing important roles. Thar is technically sound and also benefits immensely from Anil Kapoor’s screen presence but unfortunately the same cannot be said about son Harshvardhan Kapoor.

The story of Thar takes place in the eighties. A series of violent killings are happening in a remote desert town in Rajasthan. Anil Kapoor plays the local cop Surekha Singh. Surekha Singh is given the responsibility of nabbing the killers. Satish Kaushik plays a subordinate cum friend. His character comes from the lower caste.

At this juncture a stranger called Siddarth (Harshvardhan Kapoor) enters the town. He has a certain stoic presence with an aura of mystery around him. He gets involved with a married woman played by Fatima Sana Sheikh. Nothing more can be said about the plot since this is a thriller.

Director Raj Singh Chowdary wastes no time in setting up the plot. The scenes between Anil Kapoor and Satish Kaushik in particular are good to watch. The actors bring in their real life camaraderie to the table.

Anurag Kshyap is the dialogue writer of this one and the stamp of Anurag can be seen at several junctures, particularly the ones related to caste.

Another department that deserves a mention here is the production design and the cinematography. Both Wasiq Khan and Shreya Dev Dube are successful in capturing the rugged terrain of the place. There is a lived in feel with no sense of artificiality.

Not surprisingly Anil Kapoor towers over many of the cast members. It is a combination of Anil’s acting caliber and also the way the other characters have been written. He commands your attention from the word go. Satish Kaushik is the only other actor in the cast who makes an impression.

The one major drawback of Thar is how the character of Harshvardhan Kapoor has been written. In an attempt to create an aura of mystery the director forgets giving some emotional heft. The inadequacies also show up in Harshdvardhan’s performance.  There is no denying that Harshvardhan has been making some brave choices like Vikramaditya Motwane’s Bhavesh Joshi. But he had to realize just making interesting choices isn’t enough.

Another issue with Thar is the forced romantic sub plot between Harshvardhan and Fatima Sana Sheikh. It adds nothing to the story. In fact it slows down the pace of the film considerably which is anyway moving at a sluggish space.

Lastly, the elements of dacoits, drug trafficking etc haven’t been properly explored by the director.

In a nutshell Raj Singh Chowdary shows promise, what he needs is a more fleshed out script.