White Tiger: A Book Adoption That Does Justice To The Novel
Tandav: A Potent Mix Of Shakespeare And Politics (Hindi Web Series)
Tandav: A Potent Mix Of Shakespeare And Politics
It is quite easy to see why director Abbas Ali Zafar’s Tandav has irked the BJP government and the bhakts. This nine episode series portrays many of today’s issues starting from the farmers protest to fake encounters. In the very beginning there is a scene where we see police officers killing three people in a fake encounter. You also have a Muslim youth who is arrested the next day for participating in the farmers protest. There is also the whole angle of JNU, though in the show it has been replaced as VNU for obvious reasons. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub’s character as the idealistic student leader is clearly inspired from Kanhaiya Kumar. Tandav is Abbas Ali Zafar’s boldest work to date. Yes there are times where the show slackens but it still deserves a watch.
The plot of Tandav runs along two tracks simultaneously. On one side of the coin you have Saif Ali Khan’s Samar Pratap Singh. Samar is a popular politician in the country’s biggest political party JLD. Samar is tired with the senior players running the party. He is particularly vexed with his father Devki Nandan played by Tigmanshu Dhulia in an extended cameo. Devki Nandan is about to have his new term as India’s Prime Minister. It is a turn that Samar isn’t too happy about as he believes that he deserves the Prime Minister’s position. Writer Gaurav Solanki adds a Shakespearean touch to the storyline. Sara Jane Dias plays Samar’s wife and Sunil Grover is the faithful aide Grupal. Dimple Kapadia plays Devki Nandan’s mistress and an important member of the party. At the end of the first episode Samar poisons his father to fulfill his ambition of becoming the next Prime Minister. However he doesn’t end up becoming the Prime minister due to a huge turn of events.
On the other side of the coin you have the character by the name of Shiva who epitomizes idealistic values. Shiva and his fellow mates capture the attention of the media when they bring the farmers protests to their attention in order to save a fellow student (a Muslim) from illegal confinement. Shiva is a UPSC aspirant but he doesn’t know that his destiny is going to change in a big way. He is pushed into college politics after persuasion from his friends. Another important member of this gang is Sana Mir played by Kritika Kamra. Sana comes with her own baggages which include an affair with college professor Jigar played by Dino Morea. What follows is a potent mix of Shakespeare and politics which keep you engaged.
The best thing about the show is how the writer integrates so many issues that are bothering our country. Yes, there is a downside to that as well but writer Gaurav Solanki deserves kudos for how he ties all the issues together.
A.R Rahman’s popular Yuva anthem from Mani Ratnam’s film has been used smartly by the director. The anthem is used at the right moment and it arouses in you anguish at the current state of politics.
The interactions of Samar and his aide Grupal is a major highlight of the show. There is a scene where Samar asks him whether he ever feels guilty about the things he does. Grupal replies by saying that he erases his guilt by feeding his cat. He further adds that after eating the cat sleeps on his lap and he feels at peace with himself, a very symbolic comment on our many so called ‘philanthropists’.
The Shakespeare an angle has also been well used by the director. The scenes of Saif hallucinating about his dead father are used to convey Samar’s guilt and show that he is also a human being with emotions.
Where the show falters though is the treatment of certain subplots and certain characterizations. For example the whole track of the mystery caller who gives information to Dimple Kapadia’s character isn’t properly etched. The character of Saif’s wife also needed to be better.
In this huge ensemble the actors who stand out are Sunil Grover, Dimple Kapadia and Saif Ali Khan. Known for his comic image Sunil Grover does a complete U Turn here. He is first rate in his portrayal of a powerful henchman. After Omkara Saif Ali Khan impresses yet again in another negative role. The actor blends well in the setting without overpowering it. Dimple Kapadia is also very impressive in all the scenes that she is in. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub fits the character perfectly and proves to be a good counterpart to the selfish character of Saif. On the whole Tandav is an inside look of how Indian politics works and about the different players involved in it.
Master: Two Vijays, A Juvenile Home And Drugs
Master: Two Vijays, A Juvenile Home And Drugs
Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Master is a rare mainstream film where the villain gets equal footage to the hero. In fact we are introduced first to Vijay Sethupathi’s Bhavani rather than the hero Vijay Thalapathy and the reason for his evilness is also well established by the director. This plays a huge factor in the exciting face-off between the hero and the villain at the end. Plot wise Master is a routine good versus bad story but to the director’s credit he does package it in a fairly interesting way.
In simple terms the story is about an alcoholic professor JD played by Vijay Thalapathy. After working as a college professor he is sent to a juvenile home to reform the young children there. There his life takes a huge turn due to Bhavani. The rest is about how Master wins over Bhavani and also reforms the children and others who work for Bhavani.
An important part of the film is the realistic picture of life in juvenile homes and how the young prisoners there are treated. Lokesh Kanagaraj succeeds in making you empathize with the cause of juvenile children through JD. The major reason for this is how the characters of the young children have been written. He is also effective in showing the transformation of JD in the second half. There is also a strong message from the director about giving up alcohol and drugs.
The comic scenes where Vijay Thalapathy talks about why he is single are quite hilarious. You have references to Titanic, Premam, Attarintiki Daaredi and other movies. These scenes work well as they raise ample chuckles. Malavika Mohanan, the female lead has nothing much to do, like in most commercial movies.
Anirudh Ravichander’s background music is a major asset for the film. His background score elevates many of the film’s action scenes and slow-mo moments. The songs are also quite good.Performance wise Vijay Thalapathy is good but Vijay Sethupathi is the show stealer with his solid acting. Apart from being an effective villain the actor also shows his comic side in the scenes of banter. Master is a typical commercial film but well packaged.
Kaagaz: A Solid Story Wasted
Satish Kaushik’s Kaagaz has its heart in the right place but never comes together as a whole due to its dated treatment. The only redeeming factor for this one is the ever dependable Pankaj Tripati who gets to play the leading man for the first time in his career. His sincere performance is the only thing which makes you sit through this one.
Based on a real life story, Pankaj Tripati plays a bandmaster called Bharat Lal in a village in Uttar Pradesh. He is content with his tiny shop and his small family until a well wisher advises him to get a loan for expanding his business. When Bharat Lal tries to get the ownership papers of his land to keep as a mortgage for the loan, he realizes that his extended family has declared him dead in order to usurp the land. Rest of the story is about how Bharat Lal struggles to prove that he is still alive. In doing so sometimes he takes extreme steps which make him look like a buffoon for the villagers. But this doesn’t stop him from wanting to prove himself alive. Satish Kaushik, the director, also plays the lawyer character who initially takes up the case of Bharat Lal just for the sake of it but later he turns out to be a big support. What follows is a social comedy which doesn’t fully exploit its potential.
The first thing which strikes you about the film is the treatment which reminds you of 70’s. Agree that the film is set in the 70’s but as a filmmaker Satish Kaushik should have realized that he is making a film for the 2021 audience. You can clearly see the datedness of the film from its first frame. To make matters worse there is also a pointless item number early on in the film. The song looks completely out of place and you feel like fast forwarding.
Another bothersome aspect of the film is that it plays out more as a comedy. There is an attempt to dilute the seriousness of the topic which shouldn’t have happened. The best example of this is the reaction of the wife to the scenario. She responds to his predicament by saying that she also has doubts whether he is a ghost or an actual person.
In reality 20,000 people have been declared dead in Uttar Pradesh for various nefarious reasons while they were very much alive. The director failed to portray the gravity of the situation by taking a light hearted approach. Bharat Lal was so frustrated to prove himself alive that he stands in an election to get his name into the official record. Likewise he goes to the extent of kidnapping his brother’s son so that his name will appear in the police records.
Kaagaz has also some similarities with Aamir Khan’s production Peepli Live. That was also a social comedy but unlike that this one is a missed opportunity.
Maara: For The Wanderer Within You
Dhilip Kumar’s Maara is one of those films which need patient viewing. The reasons are – one, the pace, two, the concept of magic realism. It is good that the film is released on Amazon and not in theatres.
Inspired from Dulqer Salman’s Charlie it tells the story of Maara played by Madahavan as discovered by Paaru played by Shraddha Srinath. Paaru is a restoration architect and a relentless romantic. When she goes to Kerala for an assignment she comes across some paintings by a person called Manimaaran/ Maara. Impressed by his art she tries to know more about him. Since he is elusive she tries to know about him through the real characters he drew. What follows is a stunning visual imagery mixed with the charm of Madhavan. Apart from being a painter Maara is also a wanderer who touches people’s lives. However, he is not a wanderer just for the sake of it. There is a larger purpose for it.
The first thing that strikes you about the film is the heavy influence of Imtiaz Ali and also Sanjay Leela Bhansali to an extent. Just like Imtiaz Ali’s films here also you have the concept of finding yourself and also the right atmospherics. You can also see the influence of the poet Rumi who himself is an inspiration to filmmakers like Imtiaz Ali.
Two things stand out most in Maara. One is the fantastic cinematography by Dinesh Krishnan and the art direction by Ajayan Chelissery. The painted roads, the ageing houses and the grass peeping out of the walls are all done well. Everything is aesthetically very good and works well for the camera. The art direction is equally well complimented by Dinesh Krishnan who captures the beauty of the landscapes and the created set designs.
As regards to the main plot it is definitely a ‘Feel Good’ story. Maara is jovial, friendly and empathetic to people irrespective of their status. In short a Good Samaritan. Among his interactions with people my favorite one is that of sex worker Selvi played by Abhirami. It reminds you of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya. The character of Madhavan itself is written well and the actor plays it with his trademark charm. He shines in both the light moments and also the emotional scenes. One of my favorite lines of Maara is “they will only remember the reason why you died and not you.’’ He says this to a girl who tries to commit suicide. The supporting cast also works well. Mouli as Velliya is particularly impressive as the person who brings up Maara. He plays his part with a perfect mixture of cuteness and strictness. His love for Meenakshi and the pre climax scene when he finally meets her leaves you emotionally moved.
The biggest problem with the film is the character of Paaru played by Shraddha Srinath. It is written very loosely and on top of it the actress doesn’t help her cause either. In fact you feel happy that Madhavan has only one scene with her and that too at the end. Her battles with the family have also not been dealt convincingly enough. They are forgotten midway through. Also you don’t see a single scene where Paaru is doing restoration work as she is supposed to do.
The pace of the film is also a major villain. It is only at halfway point that you get a sense of what the director is trying to say, that too only for niche audience. For the rest it will go over their head.
Maara: For The Wanderer Within You
Dhilip Kumar’s Maara is one of those films which need patient viewing. The reasons are – one, the pace, two, the concept of magic realism. It is good that the film is released on Amazon and not in theatres.
Inspired from Dulqer Salman’s Charlie it tells the story of Maara played by Madahavan as discovered by Paaru played by Shraddha Srinath. Paaru is a restoration architect and a relentless romantic. When she goes to Kerala for an assignment she comes across some paintings by a person called Manimaaran/ Maara. Impressed by his art she tries to know more about him. Since he is elusive she tries to know about him through the real characters he drew. What follows is a stunning visual imagery mixed with the charm of Madhavan. Apart from being a painter Maara is also a wanderer who touches people’s lives. However, he is not a wanderer just for the sake of it. There is a larger purpose for it.
The first thing that strikes you about the film is the heavy influence of Imtiaz Ali and also Sanjay Leela Bhansali to an extent. Just like Imtiaz Ali’s films here also you have the concept of finding yourself and also the right atmospherics. You can also see the influence of the poet Rumi who himself is an inspiration to filmmakers like Imtiaz Ali.
Two things stand out most in Maara. One is the fantastic cinematography by Dinesh Krishnan and the art direction by Ajayan Chelissery. The painted roads, the ageing houses and the grass peeping out of the walls are all done well. Everything is aesthetically very good and works well for the camera. The art direction is equally well complimented by Dinesh Krishnan who captures the beauty of the landscapes and the created set designs.
As regards to the main plot it is definitely a ‘Feel Good’ story. Maara is jovial, friendly and empathetic to people irrespective of their status. In short a Good Samaritan. Among his interactions with people my favorite one is that of sex worker Selvi played by Abhirami. It reminds you of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya. The character of Madhavan itself is written well and the actor plays it with his trademark charm. He shines in both the light moments and also the emotional scenes. One of my favorite lines of Maara is “they will only remember the reason why you died and not you.’’ He says this to a girl who tries to commit suicide. The supporting cast also works well. Mouli as Velliya is particularly impressive as the person who brings up Maara. He plays his part with a perfect mixture of cuteness and strictness. His love for Meenakshi and the pre climax scene when he finally meets her leaves you emotionally moved.
The biggest problem with the film is the character of Paaru played by Shraddha Srinath. It is written very loosely and on top of it the actress doesn’t help her cause either. In fact you feel happy that Madhavan has only one scene with her and that too at the end. Her battles with the family have also not been dealt convincingly enough. They are forgotten midway through. Also you don’t see a single scene where Paaru is doing restoration work as she is supposed to do.
The pace of the film is also a major villain. It is only at halfway point that you get a sense of what the director is trying to say, that too only for niche audience. For the rest it will go over their head.
Year Ender Special: Ak Vs Ak Review, Honorable Mentions Shakuntala Devi, Thappad And Jaanu
Some Of My Favorite Films Of The Year Across Hindi, Telugu And Tamil
Belated Merry Christmas and advanced Happy New Year to everyone. Since 2020 has been a truncated year for obvious reasons it is difficult to make a comprehensive list of the movies which came in that year. Within the choices that we had following are the movies I liked best in the three languages I saw.
Hindi Films
1. AK VS AK – Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane AK VS AK is easily one of the most experimental films that you have had this year. It is a perfect example of a well made Meta film with Anil Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap bearing their souls. Both Anil and Anurag were excellent in their portrayal. The plot of the film revolves around Anurag kidnapping Anil Kapoor’s daughter Sonam Kapoor after a public spat between the two. This film has plenty of inside jokes which will make you chuckle like the scene in which Abhinav Kashyap’s successful film Dabbang is mentioned in comparison. However the scene which brings most laughs is when Harshvardhan Kapoor tries to impress Anurag Kashyap and blames Vikramaditya Motwane for sabotaging Bhavesh Joshi.
It is a clever joke because that film was also directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and co produced by Anurag Kashyap. But the film is much more than just a series of inside jokes. It also looks at the paradoxes of a Bollywood star’s life and how they are expected to act even during tragic times. The scene where Anil Kapoor has to dance for the audience amidst his frantic search for Sonam is an example for this. It is a scene which reminds you of Chaplin and Anil’s acting in that scene deserves a particular mention. In short don’t miss this one, it is streaming on Netflix.
2. Thappad – After Mulk and Article 15 director Anubhav Sinha delivered another socially relevant film called Thappad. It was a film which convinced many of us that a slap could lead to a divorce. Pavail Gulati plays the husband who slaps his wife played by Tapsee Pannu in a fit of anger. For him it is something which has happened at the heat of the moment but for the wife it dismantles her married life completely.
Although this is the central plot you have other things happening simultaneously like the track of a poor domestic help who suffers beatings from her husband. It is not an easy film to pull off but Anubhav Sinha was in control for most part. The performances of the cast particularly the supporting players were very good. My favorite ones are Kumud Mishra, Pavail Gulati and Dia Mirza. Pavail Gulati in particular was very good as the husband who is clueless to his own shortcomings.
3. Chhapaak – Meghana Gulzar’s Chhapaak was a sensitive take on the real life acid attack survivor. The film also raised some important questions like the legal system which doesn’t treat acid attacks as grave a crime as rape. Is 10 years of imprisonment enough for scarring someone’s face/life and very importantly why acid is easily available across the counter are some of the questions that this movie raises. The film also had its share of light hearted moments like the conversations between Deepika and fellow acid attack survivors in a shop. Deepika in the title role slipped convincingly into the character making it the best performance of her career. The relationship of Deepika and Vikrant Massey’s Amol was also handled very nicely.
4. Shakuntala Devi – Generally Indian biopics glorify its protagonists, the best example of this is Narendra Modi film which was purely made with the intention of projecting Modi as a superman who can do no mistakes. Even Neeraj Pandey’s MS Dhoni didn’t offer any real insight into Dhoni’s life apart from showing things that people already knew. Anu Menon’s Shakuntala Devi was different as it portrayed the famous mathematician Shakuntala Devi with all her faults.
In fact at a certain point you begin to resent this woman who lies to the media that her husband played by Jisshu Sengupta is a homosexual. She is so overbearing that you feel complete pity for both the husband and the daughter played by Sanya Malhotra. The film did have its share of loose ends but it was largely an engaging film on a woman who had a very strong personality. Vidya Balan’s uninhibited performance was an icing on the cake.
5. Ludo – After a disastrous Jagga Jasoos Anurag Basu made a strong comeback with this multi layered narrative. Much like Life in a Metro this one also looked at different aspects of the society through multiple characters. It also had a philosophical touch as it dealt with the concepts of Dharma and Adharma through the two narrators one of which is Basu himself. The only thing which could have been better is the character of Pankaj Tripati who starts off as an important character but after a point is sidelined. You also had some bold jokes on BJP and Republic Channel through the voice artist character of Aditya Roy Kapoor. The actors who stood out in the ensemble were Rajkumar Rao, Fatima Sana Sheikh, Aditya Roy Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan.
Telugu films
1. Jaanu – Jaanu is the remake of Tamil film 96 which starred Vijay Sethupati and Trisha. This one starred Sharwanand and Samantha. For those who haven’t seen the original, the story is about two silent lovers Ram and Jaanu meeting at a school reunion after many years and exploring their past. It is one of those rare love stories where you root for the couple and want them to have a happy ending which isn’t possible.
The contrasting characters of the two also made it interesting. Ram is someone who is too shy while Jaanu on the other hand is more expressive. The one complaint with the film though is its pace. It takes time to get used to it and you get the feeling that the initial portions could have been a little crisper. While Sharwanand was good, it is Samantha who is the driving force of the film. The supporting cast comprising of Vennela Kishore, Saranya etc were also good in their brief parts.
2. Ala Vaikuntapuramlo – Story of this film isn’t new by any stretch of imagination. You have two babies who are swapped at their birth like in the book Midnight Children by Salman Rushdie. The rich one grows up in a poor family and the poor one grows up in a rich family. But what made Ala Vaikuntapuramlo entertaining is the treatment of Trivikram Srinivas and the performances of Allu Arjun and Murali Sharma. The best part of the film was the cat and mouse relationship between the characters of Allu Arjun and Murali Sharma, son and father. Trivikram Srinivas invested plenty of time to build their relationship which is why the scenes between them work most in this film. Murali Sharma got very good footage as the greedy father and he was impeccable in his portrayal. Tabu who should have been an important character in this film was totally wasted.
3. V – It is not always that you have an action thriller which has repeat value but Indraganti Mohan Krishna’s V got its masala elements in a perfect order. The story of V is about a mystery man who tries to take revenge for his wife’s brutal murder without getting caught by the police officer who is determined to catch him.
It is a straight forward premise elevated by the treatment of the director and particularly the performance of Nani as the villain fighting for a cause. There is also lot of black humor and the scenes of Nani with his fellow travelers were hilarious. After playing the hero for a long time it looked as though Nani completely unburdened himself in this one.
Tamil Films
1. Putham Pudu Kaalai – Set during the lockdown Putham Pudu Kaalai was a well made anthology by directors Sudha Kongara, Gautam Menon, Suhasini, Rajiv Menon and Karthik Subbaraj. The first four stories were set in the upper middle class milieu while the last one was about two thieves and a typical Karthik Subbaraj film. My favorite story of the lot is Gautam Menon’s ‘You and me’. This segment was about a reluctant granddaughter who has to stay at her grandfather’s place due to lockdown. She is waiting for the stay to get over. Director Gautam Menon built up the different stages of the relationship well. A scene which deserves a particular mention is an emotional conversation between the two and through that the director tells you what a good conversation can do. MS Bhaskar is riveting as the grandfather and gets able support from Ritu Varma, the granddaughter. Another segment which deserves mention is Karthik Subbaraj’s Miracle. The black humor makes you chuckle and the background music is also done well. But it has to be said that this segment works as a single unit more than a part of anthology. Bobby Simha as the main thief appears to have had lot of fun playing the character.
2. Dharala Prabhu – A remake of Ayushmann Khurrana’s Vicky Donor, Dharala Prabhu was a well made film where the makers retained the soul apart from adding a certain freshness of their own. For those who haven’t seen the original the plot revolves around a young man who takes up the job of sperm donor to earn some quick money and the wife’s reaction when she comes to know of it. The best part of Dharala Prabhu was how it dealt with a number of sex and reproductive issues without making them feel like moral Issues. A particular mention must be made of how it dealt with the topic of adoption from a female perspective. Harsh Kalyan is no Ayushmann but the actor did a good job nevertheless. Vivek is over the top but still his character works well as the fertility specialist Kannadasan.
These films are by no means representative of the films of 2020 but within the limitations of availability these are the films that I chose. I would end by wishing advanced Happy New Year to everyone and hoping 2021 turns out to be a better year regarding movies. If you haven’t seen some of these films I would definitely recommend you watch them.