The Great Indian Family: Vijay Krishna Acharya’s Plea For Inclusivity In Diversity

The director shows a huge improvement from ‘Thugs of Hindostan’, but a stronger female lead would have elevated the movie.

An appreciable attempt!
The Great Indian Family (Hindi)
  • Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Manushi Chhillar, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, and Bhuvan Arora
  • Director: Vijay Krishna Acharya
  • Producer: Aditya Chopra
  • Music: Pritam
  • Runtime: 1 hour 52 minutes

Vijay Krishna Acharya is known for directing big-budget extravaganzas. All his films — Tashan (2008), Dhoom 3 (2013), and Thugs of Hindostan (2018) — belong to the action genre and feature big stars.

However, the subject of his latest outing — The Great Indian Family — on the surface appears as a misfit for the director. But he pleasantly surprises us, particularly, when the film gets to the meat of the story.

The Great Indian Family is about a Brahmin boy Ved Vyas Tripathi, also known as Bhajan Kumar.

Ved Vyas (Vicky Kaushal) faces an identity crisis when all of a sudden he comes to know that he is actually a Muslim by birth.

His father, rather the adopted father Siya Ram Tripathi (Kumud Mishra) is a most respected pandit of the small town where the film is set.

Manoj Pahwa plays the uncle of Ved Vyas. His character Balak Ram goes through a shift when the identity of Ved Vyas is known. All this happens when Siya Ram Tripathi is on a pilgrimage.

Yashpal Sharma, on the other hand, plays the rival pandit who wants to bring down the popularity of Siya Ram Tripathi.

And finally, you have the female lead Manushi Chillar who shows no improvement from her Samrat Prithviraj (2022) days.

Positives

The Great Indian Family does take time to get going. Vicky Kaushal’s scenes with his two friends don’t add much to the film.

Manushi Chjillar’s entry only further slackens the proceedings. Her attempt at being a Punjabi firebrand is rather laboured. There is zero spunk.

Vicky’s chemistry with Manushi has none of the sizzle that he shared with Sara Ali Khan in Zara Hatke Zara Bachke (2023).

The best portions of the film are the scenes where Ved Vyas is going through an existential crisis. There was a time when he was adored by his uncle and others. But now, the same family turns its back on him owing to societal pressure.

The situation reaches a point where Ved Vyas seriously thinks of embracing Islam. The paradox here is that without knowing his identity, he finds shelter in a Muslim family. Additionally, his Sikh girlfriend has no issues about him belonging to either of the religions.

It is in these bits that the directorial skills of Vijay Krishna Acharya come forth.

Performances

Another area where the movie scores is the scenes featuring the senior actors Manoj Pahwa and Kumud Mishra.

Manoj Pahwa plays a citizen who is good at heart but can get easily influenced by WhatsApp forwards. But the director makes sure that he doesn’t become a caricature.

Vicky Kaushal and Manoj Pahwa have a couple of dramatic showdowns, and these bits are a delight to watch because of the intense acting on display.

Kumud Mishra conveys a lot with his silence and expressions. The actor particularly shines in the scene where he opens up to the other family members about how he and his wife decided to adopt the boy born to a Muslim mother.

What pulls the film apart from the female lead is the lacklustre music. The only song that works in The Great Indian Family is “Kanhaiya Twitter Pe Aaja“. It has a catchy tune along with Vicky Kaushal’s energy.

Pritam’s soundtrack in Rock Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani (2023)had far better songs.

Final take

The story of The Great Indian Family might sound a little clichéd and a filmy attempt at unifying religions in these difficult times. But it is still an effort that needs to be appreciated.

(Views expressed here are personal.)

Lust Stories 2: An Engrossing Anthology About Love, Sex, And Desire

Much like its predecessor ‘Lust Stories’ (released in 2018), ‘Lust Stories 2’ also offers a fresh perspective on female desires.

Lust Stories (2018) — directed by Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, Anurag Kashyap, and Karan Johar — was a well-made anthology about female desire.

The protagonists in these segments belong to different generations, socio-economic statuses, and upbringings. But the common aspect that bound them was sex and lust.

The standout story in Lust Stories was the short directed by Zoya Akhtar. Her story was about a domestic worker and her boss. Zoya expertly tackled the issue of a class divide through the lens of lust.

Now, after a gap of five years, you have Lust Stories 2. Much like its predecessor, this also offers a fresh perspective on female desire.

Made For Each Other

Lust Stories 2 begins with R Balki short Made For Each Other. This short primarily looks at checking sexual compatibility before marriage. It opens with Veda (Mrunal Thakur) and Arjun (Angad Bedi).

You have both families discussing when their marriage should take place. At that exact moment, Veda’s  daadi (grandmother, played by Neena Gupta) asks Veda whether she and Arjun had pre-marital sex.

As expected, this leads to a complete silence in the room. Daadi also adds that checking sexual compatibility before marriage is as important as doing a test drive before buying a car.

In the hands of a lesser actor, daadi’s dialogue may have sounded awkward. However, Neena Gupta makes the cool daadi work with her natural performance. Her scenes with Mrunal in particular are very good to watch.

Mrunal Thakur and Angad Bedi don’t have a lot to work with. Nevertheless, they make for a good lovey-dovey couple.

The Mirror

The Mirror, directed by Konkana Sen Sharma, is more intense than Balki’s short.

Isheeta (Tillotama Shome) is an individual leading a mundane life. She has repressed sexual desires.

But one day, things take a significant turn when she accidentally sees her domestic help (Amruta Subhash) engaging in a sexual act with her husband in her house (Isheeta’s).

Instead of confronting the domestic help, Isheeta gets drawn to the scene. She gets a lot of pleasure from watching them.

This segment primarily looks at the inner desires of Isheeta and the complexities that arise from her voyeurism. This short also shows that lust knows no caste, colour or gender.

Both Tillotama and Amruta Subhash are in wonderful form with their uninhibited performances. Though it reminds you of Zoya Akhtar’s short in Lust Stories, Konkana adds many more layers.

Sex With Ex

Sujoy Ghosh’s Sex With Ex is a thriller in typical Sujoy Ghosh’s style. This segment of Lust Stories 2 doesn’t completely draw you in, but it isn’t a complete waste either.

David Chauhan (Vijay Varma) is involved in an accident on the outskirts of a town. While searching for a mechanic he visits a hamlet where he runs into his ex-wife Shanti (Tamannaah Bhatia).

Shanti was assumed to be dead for a long time. Expectedly, this reunion brings a flood of memories.

The best part of this segment is the real-life sensuality that Tamannaah and Vijay Varma bring to the table. The twist at the end also takes you by surprise.

Tilchatta

The last chapter of Lust Stories 2 is Tilchatta (Cockroach) directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma.

It deals with two issues mainly — firstly, it is about an upper-caste man who still feels that he is living in the age of kings; secondly, it is about a woman trying to find her agency in an abusive marriage.

The patriarch here is Kumud Mishra and the married woman is Kajol.

Tilchatta takes place in a sprawling haveli. Amit Ravindernath Sharma does a wonderful job of bringing out the toxicity and suffocation that Chanda (Kajol) and her son are going through in that large space.

There is an affecting subplot concerning sex workers since Chanda was a sex worker before getting into this haveli. This subplot adds more heft to the drama.

Both Kajol and Kumud Mishra bring their A-game. Kumud Mishra shows once again why he is considered a brilliant actor. He is absolutely terrific as the torchbearer of patriarchy. The way he unabashedly gazes at the bodies of women with so much lust makes the viewers hate him.

Kajol, as the woman trying to find her agency, conveys a lot with just her body language. As viewers, you want her to take the bold step which she eventually does, although things don’t go exactly according to the plan.

Verdict

Much like Lust StoriesLust Stories 2 also makes a bold attempt at bringing taboo topics to the forefront through the digital space.

(Views expressed here are personal.)

Mission Majnu: This ‘Raazi’ Redux Lacks The Required Heft

Not a goosebump spy thriller!

Mission Majnu (Hindi)

  • Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Rashmika Mandanna, Parmeet Sethi, Sharib Hashmi, Mir Sarwar, Kumud Mishra, Arjan Bajwa, Zakir Hussain, and Rajit Kapur
  • Director: Shantanu Bagchi
  • Producers: Ronnie Screwvala, Amar Butala, and Garima Mehta
  • Music: Tanishk Bagchi, Rochak Kohli, and Arko
  • OTT platform: Netflix
  • Runtime: 2 hours 9 minutes

Stories about unsung heroes, both fictional and based on real-life incidents, have become a genre in itself.

If we talk about fictional narratives, we have War, and The Tiger franchise, both produced by the Yash Raj banner. On the other hand, we have Meghana Gulzar’s Raazi and Vishnu Vardhan’s Shershah which are based on real-life events.

Shantanu Bagchi’s Mission Majnu tries to have the heft of Alia Bhatt’s Raazi. At the same time, it tries to be larger than life. This mixed khichdi never takes off.

Sure, the film has its moments but you get the feeling that it could have been so much more.

The timeline of Mission Majnu is set in the 1970s. It narrates the story of a covert spy agent who resides in Pakistan.

In the beginning, audiences are told that India has successfully carried out its first nuclear bomb test which shocks Pakistan. Now, the neighbouring country wants to build a nuclear bomb to destroy India.

Pakistan takes the assistance of a great scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan (Mir Sarwar), for the job. On learning this, the RAW hires spy agent Tariq alias Amandeep Ajitpal Singh (Siddarth Malhotra) to find out the location of and neutralise the nuclear facility.


Tariq is a tailor working in Pakistan. The rest of the story deals with how he finds the secret location and, in the process, saves India from the evil plan of Pakistan.

There is also the subplot of Nasreen (Rashmika Mandana), a visually impaired woman who has no idea about the real identity of her husband Tariq. Now, this reminds us of both Raazi and also Fanna.

Emotional quotient missing

Mission Majnu begins on a rather slow note with the unnecessary love angle of Tariq and Nasreen. The portion between Siddarth and Rashmika tests the audience’s patience in a big way.

What also doesn’t help the film is the convenient manner in which Tariq goes about his mission. You don’t feel tensed for Tariq which is a big drawback for a film of this genre.

The scenes where Tariq extracts sensitive information from the army brigadier appear too easy. Even random strangers don’t feel anything amiss when Tariq asks for crucial details.

It is only with the entry of Sharib Hashmi that things take a move on.

The scene before the interval takes the audience by surprise with an important twist revealed about the supporting character played by Kumud Mishra.

The scenes featuring the trio are easily the best part of the film. Their camaraderie elevates the film in a big way.

The second half gives some goosebump moments like an important train sequence featuring Sidharth.

Special mention must also be made of the shootout involving the various Indian RAW agents living in Pakistan. It is a sequence that has been well shot and leaves you sad.

Performances & technical crafts

Sidharth Malhotra as Tariq gives his best shot and is somewhat successful in making the audiences empathise with him, in spite of a fractured script.

Kumud Mishra and Sharib Hashmi as the Indian agents are brilliant in their respective parts and their death scenes have a certain poignancy.

Rashmika Mandanna doesn’t bring much depth to her part. Her chemistry with Sid is rather flat. This becomes a major hindrance in audiences empathising with her when Tariq’s secret is out.

The music composed by Tanishk Bagchi, Rochak Kohli, and Arko is quite good. Special mention must be made of the songs sung by Sonu Nigam.

Verdict

In a nutshell, Mission Majnu might not be a goosebump spy thriller but a necessary story to be told.