Category: Hindi OTT Film Reviews

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Jalsa: Shefali Shah Shines Bright In This Complex Human Drama

Suresh Triveni’s debut feature Tumhari Sulu was a film about a housewife who is full of life. It was a slice of life film that resonated with the audiences, particularly the middle aged women. Here the director switches gears and tells a story about moral ambiguities and class divide among other aspects. There is a lot that the director packs in, sometimes it feels too cluttered but still the film is largely watchable. A major reason for that is Shefali Shah’s presence. The actress is clearly having a blast in her second innings but more on that later.

Maya played by Vidya Balan is a strong willed, super popular journalist. This comes out strongly in the introduction scene of Maya . We see her grilling a powerful person, there is a holier than dow attitude. It is a character which is clearly influenced by Barka Dutt just like the many female journalists that we have seen on screen. Maya is someone who believes that truth should come out however things take a turn when she gets embroiled in an unfortunate accident. Shefali Shah plays the house help of Maya called Rukshana. Rukshana’s daughter is the girl who gets hit by the car and is severely injured.

What follows is a series of events that challenges nearly all the characters and pushes them to confront their dilemmas. Other important characters include Rohini Hattangadi who plays Vidya’s on screen mother. Revealing anything more wouldn’t be appropriate as there are many threads in the screenplay.

Suresh Triveni is successful in capturing the audience’s attention from the start, the sense of dread and foreboding is masterfully captured. As a result you are sucked into the story and want to know what will happen next.

An important aspect of Jalsa is the intricacies of human behavior when they are pushed over the edge. At many points Jalsa unfolds like an examination of human psychology.

The class divide between Rukshana and Maya has also been brought out well by the director. This divide can be seen in many scenes. For example there is a scene where Rukshana’s son comes to Maya’s house. He plays around with motion flush in the toilet; he is very amused by the number of toys that rich people can buy.

The scenes featuring Rohini Hattangadi are filled with certain warmth. It is a straight forward role but still the scenes work because of the effervescence that the senior actress brings in. The good thing about her character is that she gives it back to Vidya’s Maya. She doesn’t take things lying down when Maya has fits of anger.

Lastly the scenes featuring Surya Kashibhatla as the 10 year old boy with cerebral palsy are also very good to watch. The bond that he and Rukshana share comes out naturally. This is why the twist in Rukshana’s character during the pre-climax feels odd.

Coming to Shefali Shah it is great to see the actress doing such great work in her second innings. As Rukshana she uses her eyes to great effect. She does a splendid job in portraying the anger and the dismay. She doesn’t speak a lot in the film but it is her performance that you remember the most. It is difficult to say that this is the same actress who played the unapologetic villain in the web series Human.

The chief reason why Jalsa doesn’t become a great film is due to the inconsistent characterization of Vidya Balan. We are first introduced to her as someone who is absolutely fearless and can manage anything. However there is a serious shift in the tonality as we go along.

Yes a certain fear would be there at the start but you never see her feeling guilty about what she did. It is always about what will happen if the police find out. The character actions and the characterization don’t simply gell.

There is an attempt to show that she is feeling guilty towards the end but it never feels comprehensive. We see Maya confessing to a trainee journalist called Rohini, Rohini is seen taking a video of her confession but there is no guarantee that Maya will be punished for what she has done.

The climax is also underwhelming as Maya never apologizes to Rukshana. We just see Maya sitting on a bench with her. The portrayal of the journalists is also stereotypical in nature. It is something that we have seen in countless other films; honestly it is high time that the filmmakers think differently on how to portray journalists.

Because of the inconsistent characterization Vidya’s performance also suffers badly. Her emotional outbursts feel forced and don’t create the desired impact. Vidya is sincere but we have seen the actress do far better work in the past. This is a performance that she can do even in her sleep.

Another issue with Jalsa is the addition of too many subplots. You get the feeling that Suresh Triveni has bitten more than he can chew.

In a nutshell Jalsa is very much watchable but it needed a tighter screenplay.

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Gehraiyaan: It Is Turmoil All Through

It is difficult to categorize Shakun Batra’s Gehraiyaan in one particular slot. It starts off with the theme of adultery in relationships; from there we move to various alleys. There is some corporate drama, an accidental murder and finally letting go of your past. There are too many things that Shakun tries to put in and the result is a huge mess. This mess becomes more apparent towards the end. There are too many unanswered questions, the film ends with a hint of sequel but it would be honestly better if the makers don’t go ahead it.

Gehraiyaan tells the story of four individuals. Alisha (Deepika Padukone) is a yoga instructor with a troubled past. She is carrying a huge emotional baggage. She has a start- up plan to launch a yoga app. Karan ( Dhairya Karwa) is a writer boyfriend of hers who is trying to get his book published. Their relationship is in muddy waters. Alisha’s cousin Tia (Ananya Pandey) is a well- off US returned girl. She has the best of everything in terms of lifestyle and money. Tia invites Alisha and Karan for a short trip and introduces them to her fiancé Zain (Siddanth Chaturvedi). Zain is flamboyant, impressive and also flirtatious. It doesn’t take long for Zain to flirt with Alisha, sparks fly and eventually bodies meet too. What follows is a complex web of human relationships that leaves you completely puzzled.

The biggest issue with Gehraiyaan is lack of strong foundation for the intimate relationship between Zain and Alisha. It all comes across as too fast, as a result it is difficult to be invested in the characters. Also except for Karan and to an extent Tia both Zain and Alisha are difficult to sympathize with.

The drama revolving around Alisha’s pregnancy is not just old fashioned but it is also irritating. She pushes Zain to the brinks of frustration. As a result you don’t really sympathize with the problems that her character is going through.

Zain, on the other hand, becomes a complete bad person, so there is no question of sympathizing with him anyway.

Shakun uses the high waves to show the turmoil of the characters but the issue is that one problem comes after another. Therefore the loud roar of the waves seems continuous without giving us the relief.

The starcast tries its best to make the script work but it is a difficult task given the nature of the story. However there are some emotional bits which work in bits and pieces. For example, there is a conversation between Nassurudin Shah and Deepika Padukone towards the end. This bit is quite effective mainly because of Nassurudin Shah. Ananya Pandey also scores in the few emotional bits that she has, Dhairya Karwa as Karan fits the laid back attitude of the character but he hasn’t got a lot to do.

In a nutshell Shakun Batra needs to take a serious break from adultery and strained relationships; he needs to write his stories better.

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Dhamaka: Watch It For Karthik Aryan And The Thrills

In his short career so far Ram Madhvani has proved his worth as a director with works across genres. In both Neerja and Let’s Talk the director made use of the limited space and kept you thoroughly engrossed. He has casted actors against the type and drawn wonderful performances from them. For example Sonam Kapoor delivered her career best performance in Neerja. Similarly Sushmita Sen got a rare author backed role in the web series Aarya, the actress made complete use of that opportunity.

In Dhamaka, Ram Madhvani places his bet on Karthik Aryan. Karthik is someone who is best known for his boy- next door image thanks to films like Luka Chhupi and Pati Patni Aur Woh. Many eyebrows were raised when the announcement came of these two working together. However, after watching Dhamaka it becomes clear that Karthik has reinvented himself as Arjun Pathak. For those who are not aware the film is a remake of the South Korean one Terror Live.

Dhamaka begins on a romantic note with Arjun Pathak recalling the lovely moments that he has spent with his wife Saumya Mehra Pathak (Mrunal Thakur). This sequence sets up the story nicely. As the story progresses we come to know that Arjun Pathak was a prime time anchor on a popular news channel, However, he has now been demoted to a Radio Jockey in the same media house. On the personal front too things aren’t going too well as his marriage is on the brink of divorce. One day a random caller Raghubir Mehata ( Soham Majumdar) calls and threatens to blow up the Mumbai sea link bridge. Arjun Pathak doesn’t take it seriously and thinks that it is a hoax. However, he later realizes that it isn’t a hoax and things start getting out of control. Just like A Wednesday initially we think that the caller is a terrorist but he turns out to be a common man with anger against the government. His father was a construction worker. This is just a summary of the story.

One of the most striking aspects of Dhamaka is how Ram Madhvani uses the location of the newsroom. The story is mostly confined to the newsroom. The director once again shows his ability in capturing the emotions within a confined space.  The multiple cameras set up are used effectively by the director. This can be particularly seen during a breaking news scenario.

Another thing that keeps you engrossed is the dilemmas of Arjun Pathak. He is reporting a terrorist attack from the newsroom and negotiating with a man who is responsible for it. On the other hand, his wife Saumya Mehra is reporting live from the site and is helping hostages. All this keeps you engaged throughout. Mrunal Thakur’s Saumya Mehra is a righteous journalist whose values are different from Arjun. Mrunal has a short role but she serves her purpose well as the moral compass.

Dhamaka tries to tackle many things at once. You have corrupt ministers, the angst of the common man, the business of selling news, the world of TRPS etc. These are too many things to handle and the strain of it eventually shows, but the relevance of these issues can’t be ignored either.


The biggest ace of the film though is Karthik Aryan’s performance. Arjun Pathak is a far departure from the usual Karthik Aryan roles. There are a lot of nuances to the character and Karthik Aryan does absolute justice to it. It is a treat to watch the actor embracing the grey shades of the role.

One of the major flaws of Dhamaka is its inability to sustain after a thrilling start. The film begins off with a high note; it is successful in establishing the story without wasting any time but as the plot progresses a sense of monotony creeps in. Another issue is that the supporting characters are one note types with no nuances. The biggest example of that is the character of Amruta Subhash. She plays an assertive boss who only cares for TRPS. It is a part which comes across as too loud. The supporting characters in Neerja and Aarya were far better than what you see here.

In the final analysis, Karthik Aryan delivers a Dhamaka performance but the same cannot be said about the film.

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Meenakshi Sundareshwar: A Slice Of Life Entertainer Propelled By Its Leads

Meenakshi Sundareshwar directed by Vivek Soni rests on a thin plot but the director makes it work with his packaging. He is also aided by his two charming actors in the lead roles. The major theme that Vivek Soni touches upon is the perils of long distance marriage. There are certain other themes which are used as a plot device to build up the drama.

The story of Meenakshi Sundareshwar is set in Madurai. The film begins off by setting up the character traits. Sanya Malhotra’s Meenakshi is a huge movie buff; she has also got the habit of reading books every night before she goes to sleep. In addition, she is also a crazy fan of Rajinikanth. She sees all his films first day first show. Abhimanyu Dassini’s Sundareshwar is a polar opposite. Movies put him to sleep, his only interest is coding. In general he is an introvert who holds back.

In a scene straight out of Tarun Bhaskar’s Pelli Choopulu Sundareshwar’s family comes to the wrong house, the leads come to know about this after they have chatted for a while. This is not the only similarity that the film shares with Pelli Choopulu. Sundareshwar’s father has a very low opinion about his son and he feels that his son is wasting his time in trying to make a career out of coding. Instead, the father wants him to join the family business of sarees. On the first night Sundareshwar gets a message from a company that he has to join urgently. Initially the long distance marriage is all hunky dory as they keep chatting on Skype but the lack of communication soon catches up and cracks begin to appear. Sundareshwar’s problems are further compounded by the fact that he has to hide his marital status from the boss. The reason being the company only wants bachelors. The rest of the story is about how the couple makes their marriage work.

The success of Meenakshi Sundareshwar lies in how Vivek Soni deals with the conflicts between the lead characters. Many young married couples would be able to relate to those problems. There is an important message that the director delivers. The message is about the importance of communication in a relationship. The best thing is that this message is conveyed in a non-preachy manner.

The differences in the personalities also form an important part of the film. These differences are used by Vivek Soni to explain why they are making rash decisions or even holding back when they don’t need to.

The film is also visually stunning thanks to the cinematography by Debojeet Ray. It presents Madurai in a gorgeous way. The music by Justin Prabhakaran is soothing to the ears,

For any romantic film chemistry between the leads plays an extremely important part, fortunately Sanya Malhotra and Abhimanyu Dassani don’t disappoint. They make for a charming pair. Sanya Malhotra particularly shines as a smart, confident woman. Her imitation of Rajinikanth in certain scenes is also fun to watch. Abhimanyu Dassani has less to play with but he still shines with his understated portrayal. The patch up of Meenakshi and Sunderswar happens in a theater which is playing Rajinikanth’s Darbar, it is over the top but it goes well with the mood of the film. The supporting characters don’t have a lot to do but they are efficient in their respective parts.

There is a special thanks which is given to Alia Bhatt at the beginning of the film. The reason for the thank you card is that Vivek Soni had first given the script to her; he wanted to know her opinion about the plot. He was an assistant directors on the sets of Shaandar and Udta Punjab, there they become friends and continued to stay in touch.

Alia loved the innocence of the characters and was thoroughly impressed. She then connected Vivek Soni to Karan Johar. That was how Karan Johar came on board and produced the film under Dharmatic entertainment.

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Sardar Udham Singh: A Slow Burner But Completely Worth Your Time

Shoojit Sarcar is one of those directors who has always had a distinct style in the way he narrates his stories. In his career so far Shoojit has explored many interesting subjects and has been mostly successful barring last year’s Gulaboo Sitaboo. With Sardar Udham Singh the director takes the life of a freedom fighter without succumbing to the usual trope of hyper nationalism that we generally associate with films of this genre. Shoojit presents a layered biopic which strikes a chord with the audiences. Sure the pace is slow and the initial portions are a bit hazy but the eventual product more than makes up for it. It also helps that Vicky Kaushal is in terrific form as Sardar Udham Singh. 

The film opens in a jail in Punjab in 1931 where a freedom fighter is just released. From then the story is split into two timelines for a while. One part of it is the interactions between him and Bhagat Singh (Amol Parashar). The other part is Udham fleeing from Punjab police and his early days as revolutionary. This spilt narrative returns back after Udham has killed Dwyer (Shaun Scoot). Here Shoojit juggles between the present day interrogations by a Scotland Yard officer, Swain (Stephen Hogan) and the other one is the journey of the freedom fighter in UK from 1930 to 1940. In between there is also the heartrending Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the deep impact it had on Udham Singh.

The biggest strength of the film is its writing. There are many powerful moments that make you applaud the writers. One of my favorite scenes is when Bhagat Singh explains his socialist commitment, he says the following words. “A revolutionary has to follow certain principles. You can’t be prejudiced, communal or casteist. There can be no social or economic difference. The only truth is equality.” There is another hugely impactful scene where Swain tries to break Uddam Singh’s silence by saying that you must really hate the British. Udham Singh replies back with a calm smile on his face, he says the following words: “No, I’ve many British friends. I don’t hate you either. You are just doing your Job.”

Lastly there is also a moment in a factory where Udham Singh is working at a factory floor in London. Udham gets enraged by a British supervisor who insults his friend. However, Udham’s anger doesn’t come from nationalistic sentiments alone, he tells everyone to stop working and these include a few British employees too.

The British characters don’t come across as your usual stereotypes and as a result Shaun Scott and also Hogan shine in their limited parts. The changing equation between Uddam and Swain is well developed. Towards the end you feel the detective having a sense of admiration towards Udham.

By the very nature of its story the light scenes are far and few, however the ones between Udham and Bhagat Singh are sure to bring a smile to your face. You wish they had more scenes together.

The massacre of Jallianwala Bagh is something which doesn’t need a special introduction. It brings back many horrendous memories even to this date. Shoojit Sarcar’s recreation of the ghastly incident is successful in bringing out the required emotions.

Vicky Kaushal as I earlier said is terrific. He ably switches from being explosive to restraint as per the demand of the script. Amol Parashar is a great choice for the role of Bhagat Singh. The actor makes a huge impact in all the scenes that he is in.

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Shershah: An Engaging War Drama Within The Confines Of A Familiar Space

Indian war films do follow a certain template and the challenge as a director is how you make it engaging within that genre. Director Vishnu Vardhan’s biopic on Vikram Batra has all the typical ingredients but to the credit of the director he takes a restrained approach, the result is a very watchable film. It also helps that leading man Siddarth Malhotra is in good form. The film can be a game changer for Siddarth. Shershah was a code name given to Vikram Batra during the war.

For those who are not aware Vikram Batra was an officer of Indian army. He was posthumously awarded with Param Vir Chakra for his actions during the 1999 Kargil war. He led one of the toughest operations in mountain warfare in Indian history.

The film’s narrative arc is quite similar to Jahnvi Kapoor’s Gunjan Saxena which was also produced by Dharma. In the opening scene we see Captain Vikram Batra and his troops in middle of the action while they are on their way to destroy the last Pakistani bunker that would recapture the peak. From here we move to the structure of a flash forward narrative. The story of Vikram Batra is narrated by his twin brother also played by Siddarth Malhotra.

The most interesting aspect of the film is Vikram Batra’s equation with the Kashmiri people during his first posting as a lieutenant. We see him getting along with a lot of ease with the local people. He calls them Chacha, uncle etc. The elders also trust Vikram Batra more than his senior officers.

A good example of that is the scene where an elderly man talks to Vikram Batra regarding his son. The son had joined the militants and now he wants to come out of it. While it is difficult to imagine whether all this happened in reality but nevertheless it makes for an engaging watch.

The film comes alive more in the second half when the action shifts to the war. The cinematography by Kamalijeet Negi effectively captures the atmospherics of war and the action scenes along with V affects combined get you into the mood.

The music by Tanishk Bagchi, B Praak etc is also fine and the songs don’t act as speed breakers. My favourite song is the Ranjha one.

The supporting characters have also been written with certain amount of care. Whether that is Shiv Pandit or Sahil Vaid. These supporting characters add quite a lot to the film. Shiv Pandit is particularly impressive out of the supporting cast. The camaraderie that Vikram Batra shares with these men is quite nice to watch.

The love track between Siddarth Malhotra and Kiara Advani’s character Dimple has its share of moments but it isn’t something memorable. It also doesn’t help that Kiara’s Punjabi accent is all over the place.

A big strength of the film apart from its real life story is Siddarth Malhotra’s performance. The actor looks the part and manages to capture the spirit of the real life Vikram Batra. The part of the twin brother isn’t much but he shines there too.

What pulls down the film is some unnecessary things. For example there is a Madhuri Dixit reference in a middle of a war. It feels quite out of place and could have easily been done away with.

Also the writing will remind you of several other war films like Uri etc. But that has also got a lot to do with a fixed template that lot of filmmakers have been using to narrate these kind of stories. A film like Raazi is an exception.

In a nutshell watch Shershah for the spirit of Vikram Batra.

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Haseen Dilruba: An Exploration Of Love And Marriage Under The Guise Of A Thriller

Vinil Mathew’s Haseen Dilruba starts off as an investigation thriller but as the story progresses it turns out to be more than that. Vinil Mathews last film was the romantic comedy Hasse Toh Phasse. This one is a dramatic shift in terms of many things but fortunetly he pulls it off for most part.

Tapsee Pannu plays a middle class girl from Delhi( Rani Kashyap). She has done a beautician course and has certain qualities in mind that she wants in her life partner. Vikrant Massey plays Rishabh Saxena from Jwalapur, he’s an electrical engineer with a government job. His only hobby is repairing electronic items whenever he gets an opportunity. Rishabh is a far cry from the husband that Rani wants but she still ends up in an arranged marriage with him. However the marriage soon starts falling apart. One reason for that is the sexual incompatibility and other reason being the timid nature of Rishabh.

At this point you have the arrival of Neel played by Harshvardhan Rane. Neel is someone who is into adventure sports and it doesn’t take long for Rani to get attracted to Neel. Both of them have a secret relationship and that includes physical too. Things take a huge turn when Rishabh is supposedly dead in a gas explosion and Neel has disappeared. Rani is considered to be the prime suspect for the alleged murder of her husband.

The biggest reason why  Haseen Dilruba works  is due to the way Vinil Mathew portrays the various stages of Rani and Rishabh’s marriage. It swings between Intense disklike and intense love for most part.

Intially Rishabh comes across as a henpecked one but there is a sudden shift in the character when Rani reveals about her having an affair with Neel. The darker tone has been portrayed with subtlety and it never goes over the top. You only have a subtle gesture in terms of the facial features that suggest what is going through Risabh’s mind. Vikrant is good as the timid husband but he is even better when the tonality changes.

The passion that the characters share comes out very palpably and we firmly root for the couple.

The film also looks at how time and circumstances shape our actions and behaviour. There are no heroes and villains here as each character comes out with its own set of flaws. We are ultimately shown how we do crazy things for each other and to each other just because at that time we feel this is the right thing to do.

The film also talks about how men get uncomfortable when women openly choose to express their sexual drive. There are scenes in the beginning  of the marriage when Rani drops her pallu to excite Rishabh but Rishabh feels very uncomfortable.

Like most films of this genre Vinil Mathew employs the technique of going back and forth. The thriller aspect has also been done well since you are constantly guessing about what actually happened.

The thriller format isn’t something new for Tapsee but she still delivers a wonderful performance. She is someone who knows that she has flaws and has a hard time accepting them. However at the same time she has the ability to change as well. Tapsee pulls off all these shades well. Harshvardhan Rane leaves an impact in his small role. He fits the part of the handsome hunk and you can easily understand why Rani falls for Neel.

The only things which stick out are parts of Tapsee’s family. They simply dissapear when the story takes a dark turn and you are not given any proper explanation.

Haseen Dilruba isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but it is worth a watch for the plot and the performances.

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Ray (Anthology): A Good Tribute To The Master Director

Satyajit Ray was not just a celebrated filmmaker he was also a man of many talents. One of his talents was writing stories. Ray anthology directed by Srijit Mukherjee, Abhishek Chaubey and Vasan Bala is a reimagination of Ray’s stories for the modern audience. It is quite a huge task on hand and fortunately the makers do a good job for most part. My most favourite one is Abhishek Chaubey’s Hungama Hai Kyon. The least impressive segment is the last one directed by Vasan Bala. Below is my brief opinion on the four films.

Forget Me Not directed by Srijit Mukherjee

Forget Me Not focuses on Ipsit Nair (Ali Fazal) who has successfully climbed up the corporate ladder. He is called as a human computer by his colleagues because of his sharp memory. He is adored by everyone around him. But things take a turn when he bumps into an old flame and start spiralling down fast. Ipsit is haunted by that girl whom he cannot remember and slowly starts getting restless and loses focus on the job.

Due to his restlessness he also gets into an accident. Initially the impression that we get is he just lost his memory, some sort of dementia but as the story goes along more things come out of the closet and the darker side of Ipsit’s personality is revealed.

That is when we realise that Forget Me Not is not about a single person. It talks about a very important thing which is the growing selfishness of young men and how they will do anything in order to climb up the social ladder. The best thing about this segment is how Srijit Mukherjee unravels the plot and its characters. This can be best seen in Shweta Basu’s role. Initially she comes across as someone who is not so important but Srijit gives a super twist to the character in the climax.

Ali Fazal nails his part of a man whose life is spiralling downwards. The madness and the eccentricity came out perfectly. Shweta Basu Prasad also does a good job particularly when it matters most.

Bahrupiya also directed by Srijit Mukherjee stars Kay Kay Menon as a clerk with an obsession for prosthetics. He is also an aspiring makeup artist who is stuck with a job and a life both of which he hates. His grandmother was a makeup supplier for Hollywood studios, when she passes away she leaves him a lot of fortune which includes prosthetics too. Bahrupiya uses a Joker kind of setting where the protagonist is pushed to doing things which aren’t exactly right. The path that he chooses leads him to do several unpleasant things which also bring him a question of his own identity.

Bahrupiya makes an interesting viewing because you get invested in the character of Kay Kay Menon’s Indrashish and the world that he is tangled in. The Joker kind of setting has been cleverly adapted and the prosthetics that Indrashish uses to fool people has been well executed.

The best part of the story is the existential question that the character faces of who he really is. Is he Indrashish or the Bahrupiya who is hiding under the prosthetics. Kay Kay Menon is at his usual best and he is successful in portraying the character’s transformation.

Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa

After two intense stories this one comes across as a welcome breather by Abhishek Chaubey. The plot is essentially a train journey and focuses on a disorder called Kleptomania. For those who are not aware Kleptomania is an impulse that results in an urge to steal. Manoj Bajpai plays an Urdu Ghazal singer Musafir. During a train journey he meets Asleem Beig (Gajraj Rao), a wrestler turned- sports journalist. As the story progresses it is revealed that it is not for the first time that these two met. Also a shocking revelation is given about Musafir before he became a famous singer that he is today.

This one rests on a thin plot but works because of Abhishek Chaubey’s treatment. The director cleverly uses the glass of the train’s washroom as a device to narrate the story. It is also a pleasure to watch the crackling chemistry between Manoj Bajpai and Gajraj Rao. Both of them are in perfect sync with each other. The Urdu dialogues muttered by Manoj Bajpai’s character are a pleasure to watch.

The dark humour will make you chuckle at many instances. The editing is also razor sharp and it perfectly complements the fast paced journey of these two. Needless to say that the two actors are in perfect form.

Spolight directed by Vasan Bala

It is easily the weakest link in this anthology. The story is about a superstar Vikram Malhotra played by Harshvardhan Kapoor. He has become a sensation just for his one look. He loves to be in the spotlight but he soon faces an adversary in the form of Didi (Radhika Madan). She is a religious leader who is coincidentally living in the same hotel as Vikram. Vikram starts feeling threatened. They eventually meet which reveals a big twist regarding Didi. This twist is the only thing which works in the story.

The biggest problem with this one is the lack of cohesiveness in what Vasan Bala wants to say. The filmy references don’t work except for a couple of ones. Harshvardhan Kapoor also doesn’t have the star aura about him to play this character. Akansha Ranjan is sincere but is let down by a haphazard characterization. Radhika Madan in her brief appearance is the only one who shines here.

Ray anthology can definitely be watched in spite of a limp ending.

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Ajeeb Daastaans: An Uneven Anthology Saved By Neeraj Ghaywan And Kayoze Irani

Ajeeb Daastaans has interesting ideas at its core but it could have been far better. Out of the four stories only two stand out. One is Neeraj Ghaywan’s Geeli Pucchi starring Konkona Sen Sharma and Aditi Rao Hydari. In this approximately 40 minutes film the director combines the themes of caste, sexuality and womanhood. Kayoze Irani’s Ankahi on the other hand is a heartwarming story with winning performances from Shefali Shah and Manav Kaul. Below is my brief analysis of the four films.

  1.  Majnu directed by Shashank Khaitan- Majnu revolves around a couple who end up together because of a business alliance and as a result struggle to find happiness. Things take a turn when a third person Raj played by Armaan Ralhan turns up. He turns their life upside down. The biggest issue with this story is Mirzapur hangover. Right from the atmospherics to the dialogues you are heavily reminded of that series. There isn’t much here to appreciate but there are a couple of positives. One of them is the unexpected revelation of Jaideep Ahlawat’s character. It comes in when you are least expecting it. The other positive is the performance of Fatima Sana Sheikh. The actress does a good job. Jaideep Ahlawat on the other hand looks lost which is strange considering how good he was in last year’s Paatal Lok.
  2.  Khilona directed by Raj Mehta – Director Raj Mehta’s Khilauna is an earnest attempt at highlighting the gap between rich and poor. It does succeed in making you uncomfortable but it is not in a good way. Nushrrat Bharuccha and Inayat Verma play sisters who have strong survival instincts. Sushil played by Abhishek Banerjee is a laundry man who loves Nushrrat Bharuccha’s Meenal. When her illegal electricity connection is terminated she decides to use her sexuality. In spite of strong performances by Bharrucha and Inayat Verma this segment suffers because of cramming too many things. Raj Mehta is not able to humanize the character of Meenal. Too much time is spent on her sexuality.
  3.  Geeli Puchhi directed by Neeraj Ghawyan – Geeli Puchhi is easily the best one out of the four. In its crisp run time the director addresses caste, sexuality and womanhood in an impactful way. In fact a whole movie can be created out of this short story and it would make for an interesting film. Konkana Sen Sharma plays a Dalit assembly line worker and Aditi Rao Hydari is the Brahmin data operator who has been given the job that Konkan’s character wanted.

Historical faultiness stand between these two but they have a mutual attraction which draws them together. However the limits of their mutual attraction are revealed in a quiet but devastating manner. There is also a clever node to 36 Chowringhee Lane which was directed by konkana’s mother Aparna Sen.

Konkana delivers a super performance as usual. With her body language she conveys the multiple battlefronts that a woman faces at any given point. Aditi Rao Hydari gives a pleasant surprise as a seemingly immature woman who is a rebel in her own way.

  •  Ankahi directed by Kayoze Irani- Ankahi is a heartwarming story which works more because of the treatment and also the chemistry between Shefali Shah and Manav Kaul. Shefali plays Natasha the mother of a teenager who is slowly losing her hearing. Natasha and her husband Rohan are drifting apart because of the strain. A welcome distraction arrives for Natasha when she meets a deaf photographer Kabir played by Manav Kaul. Kabir touches Natasha’s heart with sign language and oodles of charm.

What keeps this segment afloat is the way the characters of Natasha and Kabir have been written. It also helps that both the actors share a wonderful chemistry. The scenes between them are sure to bring a smile on your face, especially the one filmed in Kabir’s art gallery. While Shefali Shah stands out Manav Kaul also wins hearts with his charming performance.

To sum it up Ajeeb Daastaans is a mixture of good and not so good stories. It is an earnest attempt but it never comes across as a whole.

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Pagglait: A Story Which Is Much More Than A Widow Who Can’t Cry

Umesh Bist’s Pagglait is set in the backdrop of a large Indian family but unlike Sooraj Barjatiya’s sugar overload Umesh focuses on the hypocrisies and the greed. There is no outright villain here, the circumstances make the characters do what they do. In brief Pagglait is a heartwarming winner which works on many accounts.

Sandhya played by Sanya Malhotra is a young widow who is unable to grieve the death of her husband Astik. A major reason for that is they never shared a close bond but things take a turn when she discovers a startling fact about him. It is revealed that Astik was in a relationship with a girl Akansha played by Sayani Gupta. They couldn’t marry as the girl’s parents didn’t approve of Astik. However the main conflict in the story comes when the family members are informed that Astik had left behind 50 lakh worth of insurance money for Sandhya alone and nothing for his parents who are hugely in debt. From here on an absurdist drama begins where the patriarchal figureheads are hell bent on keeping the money within the family. They devise various plans for that which includes trying to bribe the agent into changing the nominee name. Side by side you have Sandhya finding out more about Astik through the character of Sayani Gupta.

Pagglait touches upon many things starting from the hypocrisy of our culture. A good example of that is the character of Raghubir Yadav. He plays the role of an angry uncle who talks about Sandhya’s remarriage openly. He claims to be open minded but flinches every time her Muslim friend passes by.

In a very subtle manner Umesh shows how money is the only religion we follow. This is reflected in the schemes that the elders employ in order to keep the money within the family. Up until then there is no talk on remarriage but when they realize that Sandhya is the nominee of 50 lakh you have Rajesh Tailing’s character who wants to make Sandhya his daughter in law. The reason being he believes that the money will help his son in setting up a hotel.

The dynamics between Sanya’s and Sayani Gupta’s characters has also been explored well by Umesh Bist. Sandhya’s eagerness to know more about her husband and the bond that develops between these two comes out well.

Umesh Bist also deserves credit for not showing Sandhya as a tragic figure. There is nothing miserable or schmaltzy about the portrayal of Sandhya. Of course she is no Rani Laxmibai either. She is a regular woman leading a life of conformism who has an awakening in the midst of a tragedy.

Cinematographer Rafey Mehmood captures the Ganga ghat with all its beauty and complexity. Dialogues written by Umesh Bist are another major winner. They are both satirical and thought provoking. Arjit Singh’s music goes well with the mood of the film.

The film’s star cast lends even more weight to the film. Sanya Malhotra captures the journey off her character perfectly without missing a single beat. After last year’s Shakuntala Devi and Ludo this is another performance where the growth of the actress is visible. The surprise package of the film though is Ashutosh Rana. Known largely for his negative characters Ashutosh delivers a solid act as the morally conflicted father in – law. My favorite scene of Ashutosh is the scene with his wife where he expresses his anger on almost losing his morality. Sheeba Chadda is also good.

In totality Pagglait is well worth your time.