Recent Posts – Page 29 – Rigobertha Reviews

February 15, 2024November 28, 2024

Love Storiyaan: Heart-Warming Tales Of Love

These stories of resilience leave the viewers with a feeling of happiness. The show works best since real-life couples narrate their stories.

Main Cast: Aekta Kapoor, Ullekh NP, Nicholas Jonathan Kharnami, Rajani Karki Chhetri, Farida Saha, Sunit Kumar Saha, Rahul Banerjee, Subhadra Khaperde, Dhanya Ravindran, Homayon Khoram, Tista Das and Dipan Chakraborty.
Director: Hardik Mehta, Vivek Soni, Shazia Iqbal, Rahul Badwelkar, Akshay Indikar, Archana Phadke, Collin D’Cunha
Producers :Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Somen Mishra
Music Director: Shantanu Dutta, Sangeet Haldipur, Siddharth Haldipur, Sarang Kulkarni, Anurag Saikia
Cinematography: Rakesh Krishna Bhilare, Linesh Desai, Harshvir Oberai, Piyush Puty, Rohin Raveendran
Rating: 3.5
Published in : Southfirst

Love stories always make for a great watch, irrespective of their format. They make your heart skip even if you are not a romantic, at heart.

The basis of Love Storiyaan are the stories featured in India Love Project, an initiative by journalists Niloufer Venkatraman, Priya Ramani, and Samar Halarnkar.

Through the six episodes, directors Hardik Mehta, Vivek Soni, and Collin D’ Cuha, among others, touch upon various social and political constructs that hinder love.

The Love Storiyaan

The first story, “An Unsuitable Girl” (an interesting spin on Karan Johar’s “An Unsuitable Boy”), focuses on a Malayali man and a 40-year-old Punjab writer who is also a divorcee.

Hardik Mehta directed it.

The second story, “Love in the Air”, is about Shillong-based radio jockeys Nicholas J Kharnami and Rajan K Chettri.

The last four stories are more political in nature.

For example, Shazia Iqbal’s “Homecoming” is about a Kolkata-based couple who fell in love at the height of the Bangladesh Liberation Movement in 1971.

The fourth is “Raah Sangharsh Ki”, directed by Akshat Indikar. The political aspect comes out even more strongly in this tale of an inter-caste marriage between Brahmin IIT graduate Rahul Banerjee and Dalit girl Subhadra Khaperde.

They meet at the demonstration of Narmada Bachao Andolan.

The fifth one is “Faasley”. Director Archana Phadke focuses on the love between a Malayali woman and an Afghan man. They meet at a college in Russia and eventually end up together.

A situation arises when the woman moves to war-torn Afghanistan. This short talks about numerous challenges; one of the difficulties involves making ends meet in a war-torn Afghanistan.

Lastly, there is “Love Beyond Labels”. It is about the first transgender couple who got married in West Bengal.

Director Collin D’Cuha showcases their journey from seeking help to creating history.

Analysis

There is a template that these six episodes follow.

We begin with the couples in the present day. From here, it is about how they met and fell in love.

At times, there are old pictures, videos, and dramatised recreations. There is nothing per se wrong with this template, but the recreations do not have the same impact as the real-life couples talking about their love and the hurdles they overcame.

Keeping aside this aspect and the shaky staging at places, the directors have done a brilliant job of capturing the emotional core. They are helped by heartfelt narrations.

All the stories have their high points. For example, the first one has an adorable Malayali man. His scenes of trying to build a connection with the kids of his partner have a lot of warmth.

Love Storiyaan docu-series is streaming on Amazon Prime Video — ‘Love Storiyaan’ docu-series is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. (X)

Helping him in this relationship are two dogs who play an important role. Dog lovers are going to have a feast.

My favourite segment of this docu-series is “Raah Sangharsh Ki”.

The love story between a Brahmin man and a Dalit activist has some hard-hitting moments. The scenes of Subhadra, in particular, stand out; like the one where she talks about casteism.

There are some strong moments of sarcastic humour too that raise chuckles. The viewers clearly understand that Akshat Indikar is in awe of Subhadra’s fearlessness.

In “Faasley”, Archana Phadke does a good job of recreating the war-torn Afghanistan.

The narration of falling in love with the common interest of Bollywood movies brings a smile to the viewer’s face.

There are also some bits where the woman talks about the large Afghan family of her husband and how they jelled with her, thus making her overcome the initial awkwardness.

Collin D’ Cunha’s “Love Beyond Labels” is a fitting end to this web show.

The director intermingles the concepts of sexuality and gender with ease. This is one of my other favourite segments.

The couple coming to terms with their bodies have some impactful dialogues.

Verdict

Love Storiyaan is a treat for those who like intimate love stories. This celebration of love should be on your watchlist. The docu-series is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/love-storiyaan-docu-series-review-heart-warming-tales-of-love/

February 12, 2024November 14, 2024

Aarya Season 3 (Antim Vaar): Sushmita Sen Delivers A Ferocious Performance In This Bumpy Yet Engaging Finale

The fast-paced narrative coupled with the interpersonal relationships make this show worth watching.

Main Cast: Sushmita Sen, Ila Arun, Sikander Kher, Viren Vazirani, Aarushi Bajaj, Pratyaksh Panwar, and Vikas Kumar
Director: Ram Madhvani, Kapil Sharma and Shraddha Pasi Jairath
Producer: Endemol Shine India and Ram Madhvani Films
Music Director: Vishal Khurana
Cinematography: Kavya Sharma
Rating: 3
Published in: Southfirst

The final part of season 3 begins with Sushmita Sen’s Aarya getting further entangled in the web of crime. The heroin has been caught by the cops and Aarya is desperate to get it back.

Nalini Sahiba (Ila Arun) and Abhimanyu (Shashvat Seth) are after her, besides a Russian drug dealer, Mikhail. On one hand, you have Aarya devising ways on how to deal with her new enemies, and on the other, she has lost the trust of her three children and the cracks are becoming wider.

Adding to the spice is ACP Khan (Vikas Kumar). He is on an intense hunt to find evidence against Aarya and finish the drug empire. The rest of the story is about whether Aarya can win back her children’s trust and what will be her end.

Much like the previous seasons, the biggest strength of this finale is the dynamics of Aarya with her offspring. While leading the business empire, Aarya is a formidable boss lady whom you don’t want to mess with. But with the children the matter is different.

There is a vulnerability and helplessness that comes out strongly. It is in these scenes that the show shines the brightest.

Fantastic Sushmita Sen

Sushmita Sen is fantastic in showcasing the various nuances. The actress shines the best in the portions where Aarya is down and out. The character of Aarya is no Mother India. She has her flaws, and some of her actions are questionable.

Among the youngsters, Aarushi Bajaj does most of the heavy lifting, her love story with Dhruv (Bhupendra) has some nice moments. The confrontation scenes between Aarya and the daughter have come out strongly.

Ila Arun, as Nalini Sahiba, also makes a strong impact. She is menacing without trying too hard. Shashvath Seth though goes way over the top with his antics. Sikander Kher as the loyal Daulat is fair. The same applies to Vikas Kumar. He continues to be earnest as a determined officer.

As mentioned above, the show has a fast-paced narrative. There are twists and turns at regular intervals with scenes of double-crossing. This keeps the viewers engaged. The use of tabla and Sanskrit shlokas as part of the background score also packs a punch.

What makes the finale a bumpy ride is the character of the son Veer (Viren Vazirani). The viewers had felt sympathy for him in the first part of the third season but here he comes as irritating with little to do.

He repeatedly talks about how his mother is responsible for the death of his fiancée Roop. This becomes tiresome after a point. Similarly, the writing comes with its share of loopholes.

Final take

Aarya Season 3 (Antim Vaar) is a treat for Sushmita Sen fans. It is great to see the actress doing solid work by getting roles she wouldn’t get in mainstream cinema. Both Aarya and Taali are reminders of how Sushmita Sen deserves better movie roles.

https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/aarya-season-3-antim-vaar-web-series-review/

February 10, 2024December 5, 2024

Bhakshak: A Hard-Hitting Saga That Makes Pertinent Points On The Power Of Real Journalism

‘Bhakshak’ is not everyone’s cup of tea but it is a must-watch for those who like gritty dramas based on real-life incidents.

Main Cast: Bhumi Pednekar, Sanjay Mishra, Sai Tamhankar, Aditya Srivastava, and Surya Sharma
Director: Pulkit
Producer: Gauri Khan and Gaurav Verma
Music Director: Anurag Saikia and Anuj Garg
Cinematography: Kumar Sourabh
Rating: 3.5
Published in: Southfirst

Directed by Pulkit and written by Jyotsana Nath Pulkit, Bhakshak is based on the horrific incidents reported in a shelter home in Muzaffarpur, Bihar.

Several girls were sexually abused in the shelter home run by a politician.

Real-life incidents always make for a gripping cinema, provided they are well-directed. Thankfully, the director along with the writer, has done a brilliant job of keeping the viewers engaged.

The film does meander at places, and there was no real need for the songs. But still, all said and done, Bhakshak is a must-watch.

Synopsis

Bhumi Pednekar in a still from ‘Bhakshak’. (X)

Vaishali Singh (Bhumi Pednekar ) is a small-time independent journalist who runs a news channel called “Koshish“. In simple terms, the movie is about her attempts to bring forth the reality of Munnawarpur shelter home.

The man running this shelter home is also a journalist named Bansi Sahu (Aditya Srivastava). Bansi Sahu has strong political connections and has zero remorse about his activities.

So, it becomes an uphill task for Vaishali and her colleague Baskar Sinha (Sanjay Mishra) to expose the truth.

Authentic sans melodrama

‘Bhakshak’ is a thriller that revolves around child sexual abuse. (X)

Director Pulkit does not waste any time in setting up the plot.

Bhakshak starts on a disturbing note that sets the base for the drama to follow.

A strong aspect of the film is how the director shows the struggle of Vaishali in digging for the truth. She faces challenges in both her professional and personal life.

We see Vaishali constantly going out for long hours and this results in problems with her husband (Surya Sharma), who is shown to be frustrated with the erratic timings of his wife.

Additionally, the in-laws feel that Vaishali should soon become a mother.

There are showdowns between the husband and wife. Many working women would relate to Vaishali’s struggles.

The sexual exploitation done in the shelter home has also been portrayed with the required sensitivity. A section of viewers are sure to feel highly emotional.

The director also deserves credit for not taking the melodramatic route and exaggerating scenes for the cause of the effect because the nature of crime is disturbing in itself.

Director Pulkit also deserves credit for how he has portrayed journalism and Journalists.

There is not a single scene of journalists screaming in front of the cinema in a filmy manner. He keeps it authentic.

Pulkit also takes digs at the section of people who unquestioningly believe in WhatsApp forwards.

However, at certain places, the film loses grip with some repetitive writing. The songs are not needed. For example, the song towards the climax.

Mesmerising performances

Apart from the strong writing. Bhakshak also scores big on the performance front.

Bhumi Pednekar aces her part of a fearless journalist. She does a perfect job of showcasing the mannerisms, and her dialect is also praiseworthy.

Sanjay Mishra is wonderful. He brings in the much-required humour in certain situations. His rapport with Bhumi’s Vaishali is a delight to watch.

Aditya Srivastava makes for a truly despicable villain. The actor makes the viewers hate Bansi Sahu with just his facial expressions. Sai Tamhankar, as SSP Jasmeet Kaut, plays an important role. She brings in a certain gravitas.

Verdict

Bhakshak is the perfect example of how to make a hard-hitting drama. Do take time for it. The film is streaming on Netflix.

(Views expressed here personal.)

https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/bhakshak-hindi-movie-review/

February 9, 2024November 16, 2024

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/

February 6, 2024November 22, 2024

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

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/

February 5, 2024December 24, 2024

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.