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Yatra2: A Treat For Fans Of YSRCP And Jagan Mohan Reddy

Mammotty is his usual charismatic self in an extended special appearance. Tamil actor Jeeva slips into the role of Jagan Mohan Reddy with no hiccups
  • Rating: 3
  • Starcast: Jiiva Mammootty, Subhalekha Sudhakar, Suzanne Bernet, Ashrita Vemuganti, Mahesh Manjrekar and others
  • Director and writer: Mahi V Raghav
  • Music: Santhosh Narayan
  • Producer: Shiva Meka
  • Production Companies: Three Autumn leaves and Vcelluloid Official
  • Published in: Primepost

Mahi V Raghav’s Yatra 2 is the latest addition to the ever-growing list of political propaganda films. The agenda is very straightforward, the viewers should sympathize with what Jagan went through after his father’s demise. In simple terms the story focuses on how Jagan not only established a new political party but also rose to become the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. The two main adversaries are Chandra Babu Naidu (Mahesh Manjerakar) and Sonia Gandhi (Suzzane Bernard). For some strange reason the Congress has been named as Progress Party.

Keeping aside the predictable nature of the story there is no denying that Mahi V Raghav has created some powerful moments. Mahi V Raghav has also penned the dialogues for the film and they are definitely impactful. For example, there is a scene where Jagan (Jeeva) says that ‘the world may not recognize who I am but remember one thing I am the son of YS Rajasekhar Reddy.’ There is another important scene where Subhalekha Sudhakar’s character says ‘if we take a cat to a jungle, it will remain a cat, on the other hand even if you keep a Tiger in a cage it will continue to be a Tiger.’ Another dialogue which deserves a mention is ‘I don’t care if history will remember me or not but if it remembers me, I should go down as a son who did not sidestep the promise given to his father.’ Expectedly all these dialogues led to cheers in the cinema hall.

More than the political aspect what works for the film is the emotional drama. The various upheavals keep the viewers invested in spite of knowing where the film is heading. A special mention must be made of the portions where Jagan has to revive himself amidst the tactics of Chandra Babu Naidu

Jeeva Nails the role of Jagan with absolute precision starting from the body language. He does a wonderful job in portraying the different facets.  Whether it is the head strongness or the fragility.  Unlike the first part Mammotty’s role is more of an extended special appearance but still the legendary actor leaves a strong imprint in all his scenes. Another actor who stands out is Ashrita as Jagan’s mom. The actress plays her part with lot of warmth. The scenes between her and Jagan are one of the major highlights of the film. However here it has to be added that there is not even a single mention of Sharmila, let alone her character and this aspect comes across as very odd.

Mahesh Manjerakar as the conniving politician is more of a caricature but still, he is fine with what he does. However, Suzzane Bernard gets a very raw deal. Appearance wise she has an uncanny resemblance to Sonia which makes her a good fit. But the heavily accented Telugu comes across as jarring coupled with the characterization. There is a scene involving Jagan and her post the demise of YSR. Jagan is seen visiting many houses and consoling families who have lost fathers and other important members. Apparently, all these had died in the shock of losing YSR. Sonia Gandhi strictly tells Jagan to stop the Yatra. The impression that we get is of Sonia Gandhi being a cold-hearted lady.

Music composer Santhosh Narayan has delivered a rousing score. The songs uplift the drama at many places. The best example of that is the song ‘Choodu Nanna.’

This Yatra is worth taking particularly if you are a supporter of YSRCP or Jagan. Even if you aren’t a fan, the movie can be watched for the dialogues and the acting performances.

https://www.primepost.in/yatra2-a-treat-for-fans-of-ysrcp/

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More Glamour Than Acting: A Critique Of Deepika Padukone’s Recent Choices

It is to the credit of Deepika that she took a big risk with her glamorous image when she produced and acted in ‘Chhapaak’ (2020).
published in southfirst

Deepika Padukone has always been a glamorous star. But earlier, she used to balance glamour with acting.

But of late, it has been more glamour and less acting.

Starting with Gehraiyaan (2022), Pathaan (2023), Jawan (2023) and now, Fighter (2024), all followed the same route — all in two years.

It is not that Deepika did not have her share of good performances.

For instance, in Shoojit Sircar’s Piku (2015), the actor shared the screen space with the legendary Amitabh Bachchan and the late Irrfan Khan. And still, she held her own opposite these stalwarts.

Lost in Bhansali’s grandeur 

Deepika Padukone in Padmaavat
Deepika Padukone in ‘Padmaavat’. (X)

In her first collaboration with Sanjay Leela Bhansali — Ram Leela (2013), Deepika Padukone delivered a performance that had the right mixture of spunk and vulnerability.

In Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) and Tamasha (2015), there was both glamour and acting.

In Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, her character goes from being a nerd to a more confident woman.

Deepika pulled off the different shades with finesse.

In Tamasha, the actor had less screen time. Nevertheless, she did make her scenes count.

The song sequence “Agar Tum Saath Ho”, in particular, deserves a mention.

But Deepika Padukone was disappointing in two of Bhansali’s big films — Bajirao Mastani (2015) and Padmaavat (2018), where she was central to the plot.

The Bollywood actor could have done so much more but confined herself to looking glamorous.

In both these films, Deepika was overshadowed by Priyanka Chopra and Ranveer Singh respectively.

Her choice of roles

Deepika Padukone in ‘Chhapaak’. (X)

It is to the credit of Deepika Padukone that she took a huge risk with her glamorous image when she produced and acted in Chhapaak (2020). The Bollywood film was based on a real-life acid attack survivor named Lakshmi.

Performance-wise, Deepika was good, and credit has to be given to her for taking a risk like Chhapaak. However, the movie suffered from a documentary-style approach, and the key flashback portion required more heft in terms of writing and acting.

The financial failure of Chhapaak seems to have had an impact on Deepika’s selection of roles. This is visible from Gehraiyaan (2022).

Directed by Shakun Batra, Gehraiyaan was a keenly anticipated film, given the critical and commercial success of his Kapoor and Sons (2016). It was a complicated relationship drama. In the name of performance, Deepika Padukone was mostly seen doing only intimate scenes with Siddanth Chaturvedi’s Zain.

The focus was more on glamour rather than delivering a solid performance. In fact, Ananya Pandey was much better in the few emotional scenes that she got. The characterisation of Alisha also did not help Deepika Padukone. The best example of this is the portion involving the pregnancy drama.

Lost in action

Deepika Padukone in Pathaan
Deepika Padukone in ‘Pathaan’. (X)

In Pathaan, Deepika  Padukone made for a good action heroine. The actor was fluid in her movements as the Pakistani agent named Rubai. But there was no stand-out emotional scene. Even the love story between her and Shah Rukh jumped out of nowhere.

The highlight of Deepika’s presence remained the controversial “Besharam Rang” song. In Atlee’s Jawan, Deepika Padukone comes only in the second half as the wife of father Shah Rukh Khan.

In that extended special appearance, she has only two moods — one is anguish, and the other is sadness. On top of that, Deepika’s portions majorly slowed down the proceedings and brought the screenplay to a grinding halt.

Now, in her latest outing Fighter, Deepika Padukone’s character is supposed to represent women’s empowerment. She goes against her father’s wishes to become a fighter pilot.

However, for most of the flick, she is required to flirt and look at Hrithik Roshan’s Patty with adoration. She is supposed to heal him. Even the strained relationship with her father ends only because of Hrithik’s character. There is a glazed look that Deepika Padukone carries, throughout Fighter, which is painful to watch.

Even the scenes of her operating the fighter plane resemble a man driving an auto. Glamorous characters can also have substance, a case in point being Deepika’s Cocktail (2016). In the film, she plays an angst-ridden rich girl. The actor looked stunning as always and was impressive performance-wise.

Deepika Padukone and the power position

Deepika Padukone is in a position where she can pick and choose roles that showcase both her beauty and acting. The actor need not settle with the likes of Pathaan and Fighter. It is high time that the Bollywood actor gives more importance to the role she plays rather than acting with big male stars.

For example, when Vicky Kaushal acted with Alia Bhatt in Raazi (2018), he was not such a prominent name as he is now. Similarly, Shantanu Maheshwari was a rank newcomer when he worked with Alia in Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022).

In both films, Alia Bhatt gave more importance to the part and the story rather than focusing on the commercial viability of her male actors.

https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/more-glamour-than-acting-a-critique-into-deepika-padukones-recent-choices/

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Miss Perfect Web Series Review: A Farfetched Plot But A Breezy Watch

The show is about how love happens between Lavanya and Rohit and the multiple subplots taking place simultaneously.
Miss Perfect (Telugu)

Main Cast: Lavanya Tripathi, Abijeet Duddala, Abhignya Vuthaluru, Jhansi, Harsha Vardhan, Mahesh Vitta, and Harsh Roshan
Director: Vishvak Khanderao
Producer: Supriya Yarlagadda
Music Director: Prashant R Vihari
Cinematography: Aditya Javvadi
Rating: 2.5/5
Published in: SOUTH FIRST

Certain people are obsessed with perfection. They cannot even bear a slight bit of messiness. Not just common people but even big stars have admitted to having OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). Director Vishvak Kandero takes this topic in Miss Perfect and mixes elements of the then COVID-19 pandemic.

Lavanya Rao (Lavanya Tripathi) is a HR consultant. She has an obsessive-compulsive disorder for cleanliness and perfection. Lavanya comes to Hyderabad as she has joined a new job. At that time, lockdown is announced, and Lavanya is stuck in her apartment like others. Her maid Jyothi (Abhignya Vuthaluru) stops coming to work.

Rohit (Abijeet Duddala) is Lavanya’s neighbour. He lives in the apartment block opposite her. He is as messy as she is clean. Jyothi also works as a maid for Rohit. She requests Lavanya to inform him that she won’t be coming to work for a while.

Lavanya visits Rohit to inform the same but is shocked at the messiness in his flat. She ends up cleaning his house. In a rather weird turn of events, Lavanya ends up being a maid for Rohit.

Adding to the already chaotic situation, Lavanya’s father Gokul (Harshvardhan) is in a relationship with the apartment president Rajalakshmi (Jhansi). Lavanya has no idea about it. In simple terms, the story is about how love happens between Lavanya and Rohit and the multiple subplots simultaneously.

Analysis

As mentioned in the heading, Miss Perfect has a farfetched plot which takes some time to digest. Lavanya acting as a maid for Rohit is not only over the top but does not make any logical sense either.

Agree that Lavanya has a passion for cleanliness, but a highly qualified management professional becoming a maid for her neighbour just does not sit well.

Apart from the unbelievable nature of the story, another problem with Miss Perfect is that Lavanya’s OCD is merely used as a plot device for the leads to meet. It does not add much significance to the overall scheme of things.

But once you get past the bizarre nature of the plot, there is a quite bit to enjoy — the love story between Lavanya and Rohit has some cute moments. However, the biggest USP of Miss Perfect is the character of Jyothi and the subplot of her wanting to be a singer. There are many shades to her role, and the actress does a good job.

Performances

Abhignya Vuthaluru also shines in the comic bits. Her portions with Harsh Rohan, an aspiring YouTube influencer, leave the viewers in splits. Harshvardhan and Jhansi also have interesting roles, and the actors share a good chemistry. Their interactions bring a smile to the viewer’s face.

Gokul’s dilemma in revealing the relationship to his daughter is well-etched. Lavanya Tripathi as Lavanya does well in pulling off the eccentricities of her role. She skillfully portrays the internal struggle of her character. The actor somehow manages to make the viewers care in spite of the farfetched narrative. Abijeet Duddula is charming as Rohit.

Final take

Miss Perfect is a perfect watch if you are looking for clean entertainment. It is not a web series that would linger in your memory for a long time. But there is enough for fans of light-hearted shows.

(Views expressed here are personal.)

https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/miss-perfect-web-series-review-a-farfetched-plot-but-a-breezy-watch/

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Mohanlal and Anaswara Rajan’s Neru


Jeetu Joseph’s Neru is no Drishyam. There are no big twists and turns here. The plot is set up within the first ten minutes. A blind girl Sara (Anaswara Rajan) is sexually assaulted by an intruder who turns out to be a cliched spoilt brat. In spite of being blind Sara is a skilled sculptor. Mohanlal plays a not so confident lawyer Vijaymohan who eventually gets back his rhythm. The legendary actor perfectly blends into the narrative and plays his supporting role to perfection.

Siddiqui and Priyamani also make for competent adversaries. However the best bits of the film belong to Anaswara Rajan. Her character of Sara has been designed with the right mixture of vulnerability and braveness. Through her role Jeetu Joseph talks about how a rape victim should not hide behind a veil and let that dark chapter define her existence. Jeetu Joseph also does a brilliant job in showcasing the grit of a blind girl. Her eyes not functioning does not make her any less of a human being. Sara has other senses that make up for what she lacks. Anaswara Rajan does an outstanding job and more than holds her own opposite these seasoned actors. (Streaming site Disney+Hotstar)

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Karmma Calling: An Impressive Raveena Tandon, But A Feeble Tale Of Revenge

Main Cast: Raveena Tandon, Namrata Sheth, Varun Sood, Viraf Patel, and Vikramjeet Virk Director: Ruchi Narain
Producer: RAT films
Music Director: Relish
Cinematography: Bhushankumar Jain
Rating: 2/5

For any revenge drama to work, one aspect is of utmost importance; the viewers should feel a certain tension for the protagonist —whether or not she/he will achieve the goal. There should be moments where the protagonist is on the brink of loss.

For those not aware, the web series Karmma Calling, now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, is based on an American TV Show called Revenge (2017).

In this desi adaption, Raveena Tandon plays Indrani Kothari. She is a former actress and now a huge socialite in Alibaug. However, her life changes drastically with the entry of a mysterious young girl named Karma Talwar (Namrata Sheth).

The arrival of Karma turns many lives upside down. She has a score to settle with Indrani and the people connected to her.

In simple terms, Karmma Calling focuses on a young girl’s quest for retribution.

Redeeming factors

Namrata Sheth in Karmma Calling
Namrata Sheth in ‘Karmma Calling’. (X)

One of the few redeeming aspects of Karmma Calling is Raveena Tandon’s performance. OTT has opened a new space for senior actresses with author-backed roles; this web show is another example of the same.

Raveena pulls off the grey shades well. She also does well in the scenes showing the fragility of Indirani. Rohit Roy Bose, as Karma’s father, has an extended cameo. He only appears in the flashback, but still, he leaves an impact in the limited screen time.

The cinematography and the costume design are also appropriately glossy.

Director Ruchi Narain does a good job of exploring the politics of high society.

Loopholes in the web series

Varun Sood in Karmma Calling
Varun Sood in ‘Karmma Calling’. (X)

A major problem with Karmma Calling is the badly-written screenplay, particularly in the revenge portions.

For example, Karma is introduced as an orphan who acquires a lot of wealth. But there is no explanation of any shorts about how she ends up with so much money.

Additionally, no information is given about how she maintains a spacious house with no job other than plotting.

Even the scenes of Karma creating havoc in the life of Indrani and those connected to her leave little to no impact. A major reason is the easiness with which she executes her plans.

Namrata Sheth tries her best to rise above the lazy writing, but her rawness as an actor is visible.

The supporting characters also leave a lot to be desired in both writing and performance.

Viraf Patel plays a rich gay man who is a paternal figure for Karma. He is annoyingly over the top.

Varun Sood and Devangshi Sen, as Indrani’s rebellious children, make for good eye candy. But performance-wise, they come across as too stiff.

Final take

This revenge saga is terribly undernourished and can be easily given a miss.

https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/karmma-calling-web-series-review/

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Three Bollywood Biopics Based On Indian Prime Ministers — All Congress Bashers!

All three biopics depicted the Congress leaders as cardboard cut-outs; they are either scheming villains or incompetent buffoons.

Indian biopics in general turn out as reverential portraits where the flaws of a person are mostly hidden or camouflaged. They end up being more of a highlights reel.

This is even more so in the case of movies dwelling on the lives of politicians and those related to the army.

All three movies mentioned in this article have one striking thing in common—Congress bashing.

Congress leaders reduced to cardboard cut-outs

All three biopics, including The Accidental Prime Minister (2019) depict the Congress party as cardboard cut-outs. The Congress characters are either scheming villains or incompetent buffoons.

PM Narendra Modi (2019) was always meant to be a highly respectful portrait and the film did just that.

Director Omung Kumar took many cinematic liberties in presenting Modi as the perfect person.

An example of this cinematic liberty comes in the portions involving the Gujarat riots. He even showcased Narendra Modi as the hero of religious minorities!

This movie also has some Congress characters who seem to have stepped straight out of the sets of The Accidental Prime Minister.

A better biopic

Pankaj Tripathi in ‘Main Atal Hoon’. (X)

The recent addition Main Atal Hoon (2024) is a biopic on Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This film is definitely notches ahead of the other two movies.

Yes, the movie does come across as a highlights reel, particularly in the second half. But at the same time, there is some visible craft.

Director Ravi Jadhav did a good job of showcasing the different stages of Atal’s life.

The USP of Main Atal Hoon was the use of his poems; they come at the right juncture.

The speeches of Atal are another highlight of the film, especially the scene where he expresses anguish about the disturbing events of the emergency.

Ravi Jadhav also did a fine job of showing Atal’s political ideology, which includes wanting peace between India and Pakistan.

One of the early scenes in Main Atal Hoon perfectly establishes how he was the right mixture of calmness and aggression.

Pankaj Tripathi, in the title role, added another feather to his cap. The actor was magnetic and owned the screen.

A subplot featuring Pankaj Tripathi and Piyush Mishra (as Krishna Bihari Vajpayee, the father of Atul) was filled with so much warmth. The father-son scenes are so endearing, with portions of subtle humour.

But here, too, the portrayal of the Congress continues to be caricaturist.

The characterisation of Indira Gandhi, in particular, left a lot to be desired.

Payal Nair, as Indira Gandhi, was blank in her expressions. She had a sullen face throughout.

A clumsy propaganda

Vivek Oberoi in ‘Prime Minister Narendra Modi’. (X)

Now, to The Accidental Prime Minister, which was released much before these two biopics.

It was released during the run-up to the 2019 general elections. As it was also a biopic on Manmohan Singh, the previous PM, one would have naturally expected some good things about his life and deeds.

But even that film was meant to valorise the BJP and downgrade Congress.

Apart from BJP propaganda, another big problem with The Accidental Prime Minister was the clumsy manner in which the role of Manmohan Singh was written and enacted.

Manmohan Singh is a man who has donned multiple hats apart from being the prime minister. He was an economist and academician.

But in the film, he comes across as eternally confused and a puppet figure.

Anupam Kher is an acclaimed actor who has brought many characters to life. But here, he was doing more mimicry with exaggerated hand movements and a stiff voice.

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Fighter: A Thrilling Action Extravagance With A Charismatic Hrithik Roshan

The storyline is clichéd but director Siddarth Anand packs in the right amount of masala. Fighter is a perfect Republic day outing for those enjoy patriotic action movies.

Rating 3
Starcast: Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, Anil Kapoor, Akshay Oberoi, Karan Singh Grover and others.
Story and direction: Siddarth Anand
Additional story: Ramon Chibb
Producers: Ramon Chibb, Mamata Anand, Ajith Andhare and others
Music: Vishal Shekhar
Production Companies: Viacom 18 Studios and Marfix Pictures
Genre: Action/drama
Running time: 2 hours and 46 minutes

The genre of patriotic/ war movies have mostly been huge money spinners at the box office. There is a certain thrill associated with these films provided the filmmaker makes the viewers root for the men in uniform. Siddarth Anand’s Fighter very much falls under the traditional patriotic genre, but what makes this a different experience are the elements of aerial action. It offers a unique experience particularly if you are seeing it in 3D and IMAX format.

Hrithik Roshan

Fighter focuses on a squad called Air Dragons. The team includes Shamsher Pathania aka Patty (Hrithik Roshan), Taj (Karan Singh Grover), Basheer (Akshay Oberoi) and Meenal Rathore aka Minnie (Deepika Padukone). Anil Kapoor is Rakesh. He is their commander. There is a palpable tension between Shamsher and Rakesh. This is because of a tragic incident that had happened in the past. In brief the story chronicles the bravery of these men while protecting India along with their camaraderie and team spirit.

Deepika Padukone

A big USP of Fighter is its slick and enthralling action sequences. There are many shots of aerial combat and these are a treat to watch. The Action directors along with the cinematography department deserve a big applause. There are three action directors Parvez Sheikh, Sunil Rodrigues and Seyeong Oh. The trio have done a fantastic job in creating exhilarating stunts. Cinematographer Satchith Paulose also does a credit worthy job in capturing the action over the mountains, valleys and airbase through his lens.

Hrithik Roshan as Shamsher Pathania is an absolute treat to watch. The actor’s physique of course makes him a perfect fit for the character, but more than that his performance also stands out; the actor is charming, cocky and ferocious at the same time. Hrithik has some strong emotional moments and he does a swell job.

Deepika, Hrithik and Anil Kapur

The camaraderie between Shamsher, Taj and Basheer has also come out well. Director Siddarth Anand does a good job in etching out their friendship. Akshay Oberoi and Karan Singh Grover do a fine job in their respective parts.

Anil Kapoor plays a strict and brooding senior officer whose working methods are very different from Shamsher. This angle has also been well depicted. Rishabh Sawhney plays the main antagonist. He has a strong presence and manages to stand his own.

Karan Singh Grover and Akshay Oberoi

What doesn’t work for Fighter are the usual tropes of India and Pakistan. There are lines about the true meaning of religion and patriotism; but these dialogues have a jaded feel.

Deepika Padukone as Minnie pairs off well with Hrithik but the actor has shared a stronger chemistry with the likes of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra. Character wise also there is nothing special. She is supposed to represent women empowerment but the ineffective writing coupled with Deepika’s glazed expressions makes it difficult for the viewers to care.

Fighter is an engaging fare particularly if you are an action buff and enjoy watching Hrithik Roshan.

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Indian Police Force: Rohit Shetty’s OTT Debut Is Strictly For Those Who Enjoy His Brand Of Action Movies

Timepass…

2.5

Indian Police Force (Hindi)

  • Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Vivek Oberoi, Mayyank Taandon, and Nikitin Dheer
  • Directors: Rohit Shetty and Sushwanth Prakash
  • Producer: Rohit Shetty
  • Music: Lijo George-DJ Chetas
  • No. of episodes: 7
  • OTT platform: Amazon Prime Video

Rohit Shetty is a director primarily known for making two kinds of movies.

On one hand, there are the likes of Singham 1 (2011) and 2 (2014), Simmba (2018) and Sooryavanshi (2022). In these films, the leading men are presented in a massy way, flouting rules and encouraging extrajudicial action.

Then there is the Golmaal franchise (since 2006), Bol Bachchan (2012), and Chennai Express (2013). Here, the comedy strictly falls under the slapstick type, with a focus on wordplay rather than intelligent humour.

Rohit Shetty’s films have never been highly acclaimed, yet they have been massive money spinners except for Circus (2022).

Now, the director has made his OTT debut with the Indian Police Force, which is co-directed by Sushwanth Prakash.

The web series falls very much under his radar. In fact, on certain occasions, the series has a huge hangover of Sooryavanshi.

Synopsis

Sidarth Malhotra in Indian Police Force
Sidarth Malhotra in ‘Indian Police Force’. (X)

Indian Police Force begins with a series of bombings by the terrorist unit Indian Mujahideen. The bombings take place in Delhi on the occasion of Delhi Police Raising Day.

Kabir (Sidharth Malhotra) is a top officer in the Special Cell unit of Delhi Police. Vikram (Vivek Oberoi) is his senior. They both are entrusted with the task of weeding out bombers.

The mastermind of the bombings is the mysterious Zarar/Haider (Mayyank Taandon).

Zarar looks like an ordinary man from the outside with an innocent persona, but deep down, he hides many secrets.

As the plot progresses, Kabir and Vikram are joined by Tara (Shilpa Shetty) from Gujarat ATS.

There is some professional tension between Tara and Vikram. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game between the Delhi police and Zarar.

The web series also looks at the sacrifices made in the line of duty by the numerous police officers.

USP of Indian Police Force

A big USP of Indian Police Force is how the back story of Zarar has been handled.

Sooryavanshi also featured a back-story about the actions done by Jackie Shroff’s Omar — the bad guy. But here, it has been fleshed out far better.

There is a touching love story between Zarar and Fareeda (Suchitra Bandekar). The moments between Mayyank and Suchitra have a certain tenderness.

As a result, Zarar comes out as a flesh and blood human being rather than just a Jihadi sprouting youngster. Mayyank Taandon does a brilliant job of portraying the varied nuances.

Performances

Among the cops, Shilpa Shetty is easily the best of the lot. The actor pulls off her part with élan.

Despite lesser screen time, Shilpa has a commanding presence, particularly in the scenes with Siddarth Malhotra.

Sidharth Malhotra’s act of Kabir is an extension of the patriotic roles he portrayed in Shershaah (2021) and Mission Majnu (2023). He does well in the action bits, which have some chases. But he overdoes the intensity in the serious scenes.

Vivek Oberoi is an absolute miscast. His character comes across as unintentionally funny. His dialogues evoke more laughter than touching a patriotic chord.

Sharad Kelkar has an extended cameo appearing in the sixth episode. The actor makes a significant impact.

Isha Talwar is seen in the role of a dead wife. Her character is only there to show the romantic side of Kabir, but it does not have any emotional heft.

Girish Kant and Raza Mehta’s cinematography is in perfect sync with the genre. They capture the numerous cities and landscapes efficiently through their lens.

A big problem with the Indian Police Force is that it gives the ‘been-there-and-done-that’ feeling. For those who have watched Rohit Shetty’s cop movies, there is nothing earth-shattering they will find here. Also, the trademark car flying sequences have been tiresome.

Final take

Indian Police Force is just about passable. The show can be best called a timepass actioner.

Perfume (Telugu)
Cast: Che Nag, Prachi Thaker, Abhinaya, Bushan, Rayala Harischandra, Meer, and Krishna Teja
Director: JD Swamy
Producers: J Sudhakar, Shiva B, Rajeev Kumar B, and Srinivas Lavuri
Music: Ajay Arasada
Runtime: 2 hours 20 minutes

3.5

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My short take on Hanuman

Finally watched Prashanth Varma’s Hanuman starring Teja Sajja, Amrita Iyer, Varalakshmi Sarathkumar and Vinay Rai among others. It is the perfect amalgamation of Devotion, superhero and pop culture. Teja Sajja’s character goes from carefree/impish to eventually realizing his powers and using them for the greater good.

Teja Sajja as Hanumanthu has an energetic presence about him and he pulls off the different shades. The women characters fortunately are no push overs. Varalakshmi Sarathkumar playing the elder sister has a strong personality both in the way the role has been written and enacted. The actress also gets her own mass moment which is a delight to watch. Amrita Iyer also does well as Hanumanthu’s sweetheart. She is not just the typical love interest. Ravi Teja’s voiceover to a monkey called Koti provide some laughs. The visual effects are also topnotch. This in spite of the budget being nowhere close to Adipurush. Om Raut and the team can easily learn from Hanuman.
Final word: Do watch, it is thoroughly entertaining for all ages.

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Main Atal Hoon: Pankaj Tripathi Delivers A Magnetic Performance In This Moderately Engaging Political Drama

The film is notches ahead of ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ and ‘PM Narendra Modi’ but continues the caricaturist portrayal of the Congress.

Rating : 2.5

  • Cast: Pankaj Tripathi, Piyush Mishra, Daya Shankar Pandey, Pramod Pathak, and Prasanna Ketkar
  • Director: Ravi Jadhav
  • Producer: Vinod Bhanushali
  • Music: Payal Dev, Kailash Kher, Amitraj, and Salim–Sulaiman
  • Background Score: Monty Sharma
  • Runtime: 2 hours 19 minutes
  • First Published in: SouthFirst

Bollywood’s track record of political dramas is not the greatest, particularly in the recent past. The Accidental Prime Minister (2019) and PM Narendra Modi (2019) were both absolute travesties in terms of storytelling and performance.

Acclaimed actor Anupam Kher reduced Manmohan Singh to a cartoon figure in The Accidental Prime Minister. Vivek Oberoi fared even worse with the horrible make-up and his horrid performance in PM Narendra Modi.

There is no denying that Main Atal Hoon comes under a political hagiography (the subject being treated with reverence).

But unlike the above-mentioned films, this is not a complete washout.

The main reason is Pankaj Tripathi’s histrionics and how Ravi Jadhav staged the speeches.

Synopsis

Main Atal Hoon is a biography of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Main Atal Hoon is a biography of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. (Supplied)

Main Atal Hoon introduces a young Vajpayee who cannot give a speech in the class.

From there on, we follow his journey of becoming a prominent opposition leader and eventually becoming the prime minister of India.

A major USP of Main Atal Hoon is how the director captures the spirit of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s politics. His ideologies have come out well, including wanting peace between neighbouring countries and respecting his political rivals.

This particularly comes out in the dialogues related to Jawaharlal Nehru.

The film is replete with many poems by Vajpayee. Thankfully, these poems have been integrated well and do not come across as tacky.

Performances

Pankaj Tripathi as Atal Bihari Vajpayee in ‘Main Atal Hoon’. (X)

Pankaj Tripathi as Atal Bihari Vajpayee in ‘Main Atal Hoon’. (X)

The scenes of Pankaj Tripathi delivering political speeches also leave a huge impact. A particular mention must be made of the scene where Atal expresses his anguish about the horrific events that happened during the emergency.

The cinematography in these portions is also rock-solid. Lawrence D’Cunha has done a brilliant job in capturing the big scale.

The songs are all melodious. My favourite ones are “Ram Dhun” and “Desh Pehle“.

Among the subplots, Atal’s relationship with his father Krishna Bihari Vajpayee (Piyush Mishra) and Rajkumari (Divya Uppadhayay) has been written well.

In the title role, Pankaj Tripathi adds another feather to his cap. The actor commands the viewers’ attention from the first frame. There is an instant charisma that captivates the audience.

Drawbacks

A big flaw of Main Atal Hoon is the rushed second half. The entire duration of the second half comes across as a political advertisement for the BJP.

Also, the film needed more insight into the statesmanship of Atal.

Lastly, the Congress characters come across as extras from The Accidental Prime Minister and PM Narendra Modi.

Payal Nair, as Indira Gandhi, suffers the most with a very weak characterisation. The stone-faced expressions of Payal Nair also don’t help in any way.

Final take

Main Atal Hoon is worth watching if you want to see how Pankaj Tripathi has stepped into the shoes of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

But those looking for a nuanced political drama are advised to look elsewhere.

(https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/main-atal-hoon-movie-review/)