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Ponniyan Selvan Part 1 – More Of A Docu Drama Than A Historical Epic

The genre of big scale epics has seen a huge revival thanks to filmmakers like Sanjay Leela Bhansali, SS Rajamouli and even Ashutosh Gowariker to an extent. The likes of Bajirao Mastani, Bahubali 1 and 2 and Jodha Akbar have created a deep impact in the audiences mind. With Ponniyin Selvan Part 1 legendary director Mani Ratnam attempts a genre which he has never done in the past. For those who are not aware the movie is based on a novel by the same name. Since I have not read the novel I will be purely judging the movie as a standalone piece.

Ponniyin Selvan tries to be a gripping combination of thrills, intrigue and emotions.  However, in its effort to be plot heavy the film ends up being neither here nor there, particularly for the Telugu and Hindi audiences.

The story is majorly centered on the character of Vanthiyathevan (Karthi) he is entrusted by Aditya Karikaaludu (Vikram) with the task of delivering important messages to Karikaaludu’s father and sister (Prakash Raj and Trisha respectively). As per the messages plans are being laid out by princely kings to bring down the Chola Empire. Vanithiyathevan’s duty is to find out what are the evil plans and who are hell bent on tarnishing the glory of the Chola Empire. Aishwarya Rai plays princess Nandini. Nandini is someone who comes with a mysterious past, this mysterious past is connected to Karikaaludu. Other important characters include Jayam Ravi as Ponniyin Selvan.

What follows is a complex drama that is hard to keep up with.

One of the few redeeming factors of PS-1 is some of the performances starting with Karthi. The actor is a delight to watch whenever he is on screen. His comic timing and the general energy that he brings to the screen is something that uplifts the film at many places. His interactions with both Aishwarya and Trisha bring a smile to your face.

Vikram as Karikaaludu has less screen time but the actor’s intense performance is a treat to watch. Jayram Ravi makes his entry in the second half but the actor makes his presence amply felt.

Both Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Trisha look like million bucks thanks to director Mani Ratnam and the costumes by Eka Lakhani. Mani Ratnam along with Sanjay Leela Bhansali are one of those few directors who best understand how to use Aishwarya. Here too Mani Ratnam casts her smartly as the enigmatic queen with her own secrets.

Cinematography by Ravi Varman also goes perfectly with the requirement of the film. He does a good job in showing the grandeur of Cholas through his lens. The production design by Thota Tharrani also adds to the richness of the frames.

The biggest issue with Ponnin Selvan- 1 is the numerous subplots integrated into the story by the director. Too many things are happening simultaneously and as a result it is difficult to catch up the plot.

The film is also filled with many characters that don’t make any impact whatsoever. Perfect examples of these are ones played by Prakash Raj, Sarat Kumar and Rehman.

The film’s editing is also subpar as the drama moves at a very slow pace, particularly in the second half. Some of the scenes are way too lengthy. A perfect example of this is the climax where Karthi and Jayam Ravi take upon some villains. The fight scene happens in a ship with thundering rain as a backdrop. It is definitely jaw dropping but this action block goes on way too long. Because of this the cliff hanger at the end doesn’t really make an impact.

Music by AR Rahman is pleasant but nothing spectacular. It is nowhere close to their previous associations.

Final word: Watch PS-1 if you are a fan of Mani Ratnam or you like slow paced historical dramas. The rest can give it a skip.

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Chup: A Cautionary Message For Film Critics

R Balki is someone who is known for his audacious ideas. For example in Ki and Ka Arjun Kapoor played a homemaker while Kareena on the other hand was the working woman. The film challenged the gender stereotypes. In Padman Akshay kumar’s character puts on a sanitary pad and squats several times to get an understanding about whether the pad is fitting or not. With the exception of Paa and to an extent Cheeni Kum Balki’s films have never been successful at the box office but there is no denying the ‘inventiveness’ of his films.

With his latest Chup the director goes into a very dark alley. Films about serial killers have been made in the past too. Case in point being Mohit Suri’s EK Villain and the sequel EK Villain Returns. However Balki gives his unique touch here by focusing on dishonest movie critics. The film is also a love letter to the legendary filmmaker Guru Dutt’s films, particularly his last one Kaagaz Ke Phool, a film that was panned severely at the time of its release, only to be acknowledged as a classic after the death of Guru Dutt.

Chup begins off with a gruesome murder of a film critic that begins a chain of events. This serial killer is not after all film critics but only a select few. The commonality in the killings is that all have stars etched on their forehead in the shape of a triangle. Sunny Deol plays inspector Arvind Mathur. Aravind is trying to figure out the motive behind these murders. Parallel to this you have a young entertainment reporter Nila (Shreya Dhanwanthary). She starts falling in love for her neighborhood florist Danny (Dulqer Salman). Nila is someone who is immensely passionate about films and wants to be a critic herself one day. In the beginning this parallel track may seem unrelated but soon enough you realize the importance of this subplot.

First and foremost Chup isn’t really a suspense drama as the identity of the killer is revealed to the audiences just before the interval. The focus here is more on the psychology of the killer and why he is doing what he is doing. R Balki does a splendid job in exploring the psyche of the killer (maybe he took some of his own angst here).

The cat and mouse game between the Inspector and the killer keeps you completely invested. The director gives equal importance to both the men.

The romantic angle between Dulqer and Shreya has also been smartly juxtaposed into the main plot by the director. Nila’s profession also hugely helps in this. Dulqer and Shreya share a warm chemistry, and their romance is very poetic in nature. You wish that they had a happy ending.

As earlier said the film is also homage to Guru Dutt. The many references to Guru Dutt take the story forward and make the character of Dulqer’s Danny more interesting, even though you don’t agree with his methods. The dialogues make you chuckle at several places and also leaves you thinking, particularly if you are an aspiring film critic.

The cinematography by Vishal Sinha also deserves appreciation with special mention to the scenes featuring Dulqer and Shreya.

There is no denying that Balki makes a strong point on how a critic should judge a film for the content and the emotion it evokes and not put their own biases in the review. But killing them to put the message across is taking it a little too far. At the same time you wish the director had put some focus on the community of the filmmakers and their responsibilities as well. There are some logical glitches too, for example we are not clearly shown how the killer is able to kidnap people out of their homes and kill them at different sites. Particularly given that he only owns a bicycle but these are trivial aspects that don’t majorly come in the way of the movie watching experience.

Chup has one of the most unlikely ensembles that you will ever see and each actor knocks it out of the park. Over the years Dulqer has established his niche in not just the Malayalam Industry but also in the other industries that he has worked. His role of Danny has to be the darkest character that the actor has ever played, and Dulqer delivers a stellar performance. He does a stupendous job in bringing alive Danny’s extreme fondness for Guru Dutt and why he identifies with the filmmaker so much. There is a scene in the end where he poses like Guru Dutt in Pyaasa and it is a sight that you are not likely to forget. It is hard to believe that this is the same man who played the romantic lieutenant in Sita Ramam.

Sunny Deol has played a cop in the past too but here the characterization is very different from the commercial films that he did earlier. Sunny is successful in bringing alive the honesty and the desperation of Aravind to catch the killer. The actors screen presence is solid as ever. Pooja Bhatt is also a delight to watch as the psychiatrist even though she doesn’t have a lot of screen time. The same applies to Tamil actress Sharanya playing Nila’s mother.

Final word: Watch Chup for the sheer audacity that R Balki brings to the table and also for some winsome performances.

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Jogi: Diljit Dosanjh Excels In This Important Retelling Of The Atrocities On Sikhs

The sufferings of the Sikh community in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star is easily one of the most harrowing chapters in the history of India, both Gulzar and Shonali Bose delivered heartbreaking films with Maachis and Ammu respectively, you have also had the web series Grahan that was critically acclaimed. Abbas Ali Zafar’s Jogi is an attempt at revisiting those dark times. Abbas Ali Zafar is someone who is known for a certain style of storytelling which is more commercial in nature, case in point being Sultan, Tiger Zinda Hai, Gunday etc. With the web series Tandav the director tried something different but the attempt wasn’t so successful.

With Jogi the director takes a subject that needs a sensitive treatment. Jogi isn’t exactly a Maachis or an Ammu but it still makes an impact.

The film begins off by showing a happy family planning to celebrate their nephews’ birthday. Diljit Dosanjh plays Joginder fondly called Jogi. It is the evening of October 31st, 1984. The opening scene foreshadows what is going to happen next. You know that the nephew’s birthday is not going to happen. Right after this we are shown how the city erupts in riots, with the then Prime Minister being shot dead by her two Sikh bodyguards.  Jogi’s family suffers a personal tragedy as the brother-in-law is set ablaze in a shop. On the other hand the councilor of the Trilokpuri constituency Tejpal Arora (Kumud Mishra) wants to exploit this horrific situation for his own political gains.

He orders the policemen to eliminate the Sikhs from that locality. One of those policemen is the honest cop Ravinder Chautala (Mohmmad Zeeshan Ayyub). Ravinder however decides to help Jogi and his family. But Jogi on the other hand wants to save the entire neighborhood and not just his family. The two of them take the help of the third friend Kaleem Ansari  (Paresh Pahuja) who comes forward without any hesitation. There is also Hiten Tejwani as Lali Katyal. He wants to take revenge on Jogi for his own personal reasons. What follows is a survival drama that gives an important message on religious harmony and the importance of friendship and togetherness.

Abbas Ali Zafar keeps you hooked right from the start and does a successful job in making you root for Jogi. There are no long drawn out back stories of the characters. The film gets right into the issue at hand. The director also takes a bold move by setting the story in the national capital, this makes the film even more hard hitting.

The characters and the way they have written also makes Jogi stand out. The friendship between Jogi, Ravinder, and Kaleem and how the other two stand up for Jogi through thick and thin gives the film some of its best moments. One of the most disturbing moments in the film involves Diljit cutting his hair in order to escape from the rioters. Laal Singh Chaddha featuring Aamir also had a scene where Mona Singh does the same thing in order to save her son, but here this scene hits in a different way.

Some of the closes up shots are difficult to watch but at the same time it does make the film more impactful.

Diljit Dosangh is the perfect casting choice for the title role. There is a certain quality about the actor that makes it easy to root for him. The actor had previously acted in the Punjabi Film 1984 based on a similar subject and that comes in very handy for this. He lets the eyes do most of the talking without any over the top speeches.

Mohmmed Zeeshan Ayyub shines the brightest in the supporting cast. He excels as the police officer who decides to go against his superiors. Kumud Mishra is also suitably evil. The background music by Julius Packiam adds to the tense atmosphere.

The couple of soft spots include the reason for Lalli’s hate towards Jogi. The short flashback feels forcefully inserted and you get the feeling that it doesn’t belong here. The unnecessary love story featuring Diljit and Amyra Dastur slows down the proceedings for a while. It also doesn’t help that Laali has an abrupt change of mind after one lengthy dialogue by Diljit. It would have also been nice if more scenes of Jogi with family were shown.

Final word: Keeping aside the flaws there is no denying that Abbas Ali Zafar reinvents himself with this one.

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Oke Oka Jeevitham: A Good Attempt At Mixing Time Travel And Mother Sentiment

Time Travel as a concept has been much used in western novels and movies. If we talk about Telugu Cinema Aditya 369 directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao was a successful fantasy film. In Oke Oka Jeevitham director Shree Karthik uses time travel as a background to explore the lives of three close friends. The director mixes different genres like science, sentiment, thriller etc. Oke Oka Jeevitham could have been crisper as it does drag in the second half; also Sharwanand comes across as a weak link. But all things considered, Oke Oka Jeevitham has its heart in the right place and is consistently watchable.

Amala brings certain grace to the character of a strong mother

The film begins off with an experiment that a quantum physicist (played by Nassar) conducts along with fellow scientific partner and friend. This experiment is regarding a time machine, but unfortunately for Nassar and his friend it turns out to be a disaster. From there we move to the introduction of Adi (Sharwanand), Sreenu (Vennela Kishore), and Chaitu (Priyadarshi). Each of them has their own set of problems. For example Adi suffers from severe stage fright which is related to the death of his mother (Amala) at an early age. He has lot of passion for music but he starts getting nervous when he is in front of public. Ritu Varma is the supportive girlfriend whose sole purpose is to prod her boyfriend and make him get out of this stage fright (Similar to Ayan Mukerji’s heroines). The father, on the other hand, feels that Adi is wasting his time.

Sharwanand, Akhil Akkineni, Amala and Nagarjuna

Vennela Kishore plays a house agent who constantly regrets on not taking his studies seriously. Unfortunately for Sreenu, his marriage with his uncle’s daughter gets cancelled because of his job status. Chaitu on the other hand is not able to get married; he finds faults with every girl he meets. During his childhood there was a girl who liked him but Chaitu didn’t care for her much. Now that girl has grown into a beautiful woman and is going to get married. It is at this stage that the three friends come into contact with Paul through Sreenu. Paul first convinces Adi to go back in time, after Adi gets convinced Sreenu and Chaitu also decide to join in. Apart from the above mentioned characters there are also three children who play the younger version of Adi, Sreenu and Chaitu. What follows is an emotional drama set against the backdrop of time travel.

Shree Karthick, the director who excelled in mixing time travel

The best thing about Oke Oka Jeevitham are the scenes featuring Amala. Amala brings a certain grace to her part. She does well in her role of a strong mother who cares for her son and tries to help him overcome his shortcomings. She is particularly good in the key emotional bits.

The dialogues by Tharun Bhaskar are another major win for the film. There are a lot of witty-one liners, especially the ones between Vennela Kishore and Priyadarshi. The humor brings a smile to your face. My other favorite bit in the time travel are the scenes where Vennela Kishore pleads with his younger self played by Nithyaraj, to focus on his studies. Both Vennela Kishore and Priyadarshi hold the film afloat and keep you engaged even in the stretchy second half.

Adi, Sreenu and Chaitu characters played by youngsters very ably

The cinematography by Sujith is good as he successfully showcases the difference between the two time zones the 1990’s and 2019. Director Sree Karthik is also successful in integrating the twists and turns which keep you engaged. The scenes featuring the three children are also good, my favorite though is Nityaraj.

Oke Oka Jeevitham fumbles from the middle of the second half where things start getting convoluted. The track of Nassar doesn’t add much to the film beyond a point. He only serves as a catalyst for the three protagonists to overcome their fears and nothing else.

Nitu Varma, the supportive girl friend

The love story between Sharwanand and Ritu Varma is thankfully kept to a minimum but it is something that the makers could have done away with. Sharwanand as Adi is strictly one note in both characterization and performance. The actor looks rather tired and this proves to be a roadblock.

Also the cameo of Ali comes out from nowhere and you are left scratching your heads about why the senior actor is taking up these parts, first Liger and now this.

Final word: Oke Oka Jeevitham is a competent experiment particularly for the audiences of Telugu cinema.

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Bramhastra : This Astraverse Needed More Finesse

There is a lot riding on Ayan Mukherjee’s Bramhastra, with many expecting it to be the savior for Bollywood. A chief attraction for Bramhastra apart from its visual grandeur is the coming together of its two leads Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. The addition of Amitabh Bachchan and Nargarjuna among others has also helped in heightening the buzz.

Bramhastra begins with the booming voice of the legendary Amitabh Bachchan. He introduces you to the secret society of rishis known as the Brahmansh. This Brahmansh possess the powers to control the different astras, the most powerful of these astras are the Bramhastra which was broken into three pieces 30 years ago. After setting up the premise the location shifts to Delhi where we are introduced to the scientist Mohan Bhargav played by the dashing Shah Rukh Khan, Mohan possess the vanarastra. The portion of Shah Rukh is small but the actor draws you in with his charm.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/g7dTjZuwlAM?feature=oembed Junoon (Mouni Roy) is the queen of darkness who wants a piece of Bramhastra. From here we cut to the film’s actual hero Shiva (Ranbir Kapoor) Shiva is seen worshipping in a Durga temple. His eyes fall on a beautiful young woman Isha (a luminous Alia Bhatt). It is love at first sight. Shiva is a DJ with no blood family; Isha on the other hand is a rich young woman. In between the romance Shiva keeps having strange dreams. Shiva has a connection with fire which he cannot explain. This is just the basic synopsis. Saying anything more wouldn’t be appropriate.

There is no denying that Ayan Mukherjee sets up his story well. The voice over of Amitabh Bachchan along with Shah Rukh’s presence does add a certain intrigue to the plot. The foundation of the love story between Ranbir and Alia is rather cliché but both the actors do bring in their real life chemistry. Some of their conversations do bring a smile on your face particularly in the first half.

The Varanasi portions featuring Nagarjuna definitely add a thrill element. A scene which deserves a particular mention is the chase sequence in the hills. This chase sequence raises your heartbeat and you desperately want Shiva and Isha to come out safe from the clutches of the villain.

The interval bang raises expectations with the arrival of Amitabh Bachchan but it is from the second half that the film starts derailing. The real life story of Shiva and how he is connected to this astraverse is way too complex for a common man to understand. The romantic bits in the second half also come across as major speed breaker, only adding to the already exhaustive length of the film.

The climatic fight between Shiva and Junoon is also way too stretched, you feel like you have fought a battle yourself. The climax scene although intense and well acted doesn’t have the required emotional connect.

Ayan also does a poor job in developing the secondary characters. The best examples of this are the characters of Dimple Kapadia and Amitabh Bachchan. Nagarjuna in his shorter screen time has far more of an impact than Amitabh Bachchan. Bachchan’s character is mostly reduced to making Shiva realize his powers. Mouni Roy as the primary antagonist has an arresting screen presence.

Coming to the leads both Ranbir and Alia do the best that they can do with the written material. The good thing about Alia’s Isha is that she is always in the thick of action and does get a lot of screen time; however the character could have done with some agency instead of just making Shiva’s mission her mission. Badru in Darlings with all its contradictions had far more agency than this one. The same applies to her small part in RRR where she at least had that one scene with Junior NTR.

Pritam’s music is pleasing to both the eyes and ears. My favorites among the songs are Kesariya, Deva Deva and Rasiya. But the background score though is far from pleasing. Bramhastra ends with the tease of the second part but that makes the audiences more apprehensive than excited.

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Delhi Crime Season 2: An Immersive Investigative Thriller That Perfectly Depicts The Structure Of Caste And Class

The first season of Delhi Crime was a winner on several accounts. It was based on the aftermath of the well known Nirbhaya case. The series was much more than just your typical police hunt down. The plot was narrated from the perspective of DCP Varthika (A brilliant Shefali Shah). The series made subtle comments on the socio-political conditions that we live in, and how these impact the police force. These included mounting public pressure, dealing with protests and even flak from their own family members. Director Richie Mehta showed a very humane and vulnerable side of the police personnel. The pacing of the story was also fast paced. Most importantly it never turned gory, but yet it was heartbreaking without any melodrama.

Not surprisingly Delhi Crime won an award for outstanding series at the international Emmy awards held in September 2020. It was the first ever Indian series to win this award. Shefali Shah also won numerous awards for her performance. Naturally expectations from Season 2 are high. This time around Tanuja Chopra has directed the series, with Richie Mehta being the creative head.

First and foremost those who haven’t seen season 1 can still connect with season 2 like Family Man 1 and 2 seasons. This time around the focus is on a fictionalized version of the crimes committed by a gang called Kachcha- baniyan and the investigations that followed.

This gang terrorized those senior citizens who lived in gated communities. This gang breaks into their homes in the middle of the night. The reason for calling them Kacha-baniyan is their dressing while committing these crimes. All the gang members are dressed in underclothes. They would also smear their bodies with oil, making it difficult to catch them during a chase.

The rest of the story is about how Shefali Shah along with her team captures the culprits responsible for these attacks. Through this murder mystery Tanuja Chopra also touches upon how certain tribes are criminalized without realizing how problematic it is.

The best part of Delhi Crime Season 2 is the subplot highlighting the class issue and how deep rooted it is in our society. The director makes a strong statement about the injustice done to the underprivileged tribes and how the members of these tribes are criminalized. The show talks about the disparity in society which leads to these crimes being committed.

The aspect of social discrimination is brought through Tillotama Shome’s Lata Solanki. Through Lata Solanki, Tanuja chopra and the creative head Richie Mehta make a point about how no one is a born criminal.

The entire police investigation is also layered. It keeps you hooked to the proceedings. The professional and personal lives of these policemen and women are smartly integrated. The constant pressure that Shefali Shah’s Vartika faces from the higher ups to somehow solve the case makes you empathize with her. Equally effective are the other characters led by ACP Neeti Singh (Rasika Dugal). Her journey from a trainee in the first season to an ACP now is also well explored.

Her dynamics with the demanding husband and the scene where she stands up for herself gives the show some of its best moments.

Shefali Shah continues her winning form, she essays the various emotions from exhaustion to anger with her usual brilliance

Needlessly to say that Shefali Shah continues her winning form, she essays the various emotions from exhaustion to anger with her usual brilliance. Rasika Dugal and Rajesh Tailing also stand out as the loyalists of Vartika. Tillotama Shome is another standout performer. She does a brilliant job in portraying the eccentrics of her character.

Final word: Delhi Crime Season 2 is a perfect binge watch for those who love thrillers that show a mirror to society.

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Liger: A Crossbreed That We Didn’t Need

Not long ago Puri Jagannadh was considered as one of the most successful commercial directors in Tollywood. The director had made a niche for himself with Ravi Teja’s Amma Nana O Tamil Ammaye and Pawan Kalyan’s Badri among other films. Puri reached his peak with the blockbuster Pokiri starring Mahesh Babu.

Vijya and the super rich Tanya, Ananya Pande

But since Pokiri Puri Jagnnadh has seen a dip with many indifferent films like Kalyan Ram’s Ism, Allu Arjun’s Iddarammmayilatho etc. These films lacked the solid masala that the director is known for. In the recent past only Junior NTR’s Temper and Ram’s Ismart Shankar have brought in some profits for the director. When Liger was announced people were excited to see what Puri would bring out from Vijay Devarakonda. Karan Johar backing it along with Mike Tyson’s special appearance made Liger an exciting project. Thanks to COVID Liger has been in the making for over two years and has finally released in a period of huge uncertainty. An apt description for Liger’s quality would be dead on arrival. It is a hotchpotch with zero direction.

Vijay’s physical appearance as MMA fighter is bang on

Balamani (Ramya Krishna) and her son Liger (Vijay Devarakonda) move from Karimnagar to Mumbai. Balamani wants to make her son big in the world of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). Balamani makes her life by selling tea. The father was also an MMA fighter who died some time back. Liger has the appearance of a hulk with stammering issues. His stammering is ridiculed at certain points in the film. Ronit Roy plays the tough coach. He has a connection with Liger’s father; Ronit Roy teaches Mixed Martial arts for free to Liger. Both the coach and the mother give a warning saying that girls are a distraction and Liger shouldn’t get distracted.

This is the cue for Ananya Pandey’s super rich Tanya to come in. She is a social media celebrity with Hollywood aspirations. Tanya is impressed with Liger’s fighting skills and soon love happens. What follows is a cross pollination of genres that leaves your head scratching.

Liger, the largest cat in the world

Liger’s only redeeming qualities are the performances of Vijay Devarakonda and Ramya Krishna.  Vijay gets the physical appearance of an MMA fighter bang on, it is quite clear that the actor has worked on his physicality. He also pulls off the stammering part pretty well; to the credit of Puri Jagnaath the stammering aspect does bring a new dimension in the initial portions. Ramya Krishna also does justice to her part as a feisty mother with big dreams for her son. Sure Balamani comes across as screechy on more than one occasion but the fault here lies with the director and the writers. The mother and son bits are the only scenes where audiences feel some kind of emotion.

Vijya Devarakonda, the poster that shook the nation

The biggest issue with Liger is the lack of clarity on the part of the director; even the weakest Puri Jagnaath films had more cohesiveness than this one. The initial part of the film gives you an idea that it is going to be a mother and son story with the backdrop of MMA. But soon the love story takes way too much attention than needed.

Ramya Krishna justifies her part as a feisty mother and Vijay Devarakonda

Man woman relationships in Puri Jagnaadh’s universe have never had any political correctness but here the director takes it to a whole new level. Tanya falling in love after seeing Liger’s fight is the most clichéd thing you will ever see. Her flirting with Liger is more cringe worthy than fun. Right through the first half she is depicted as Menaka who is going to sabotage Liger’s ambitions. These are just some of the clichés that the director piles upon on. In the second half there is a forced attempt at patriotism with a chaiwalla representing India on the stage of mixed martial arts. There is zero creativity in the way the scenes involving the mixed martial arts have been shot.

The love story makes reappearance in the last twenty minutes where the twist about why Tanya dumped Liger is revealed. This leads to the most bizarre special appearance that you will ever see in the climax. You just wonder what Mike Tyson saw in his part to accept this drivel.

Ramya krishna, Vijay Devarakonda, Ananya. On quite a lot of occasions the cameraman focuses on her midriff. It is sad to see the actress in role like this after a fairly decent part in Shakun Batra’s Gehrayiyaan

The songs and their picturisations give another major headache. The abrupt placements also don’t help. Vijay and Ananya have zero sizzle in spite of the way Ananya is presented. On quite a lot of occasions the cameraman focuses on her midriff. It is sad to see the actress in a role like this after a fairly decent part in Shakun Batra’s Gehrayiyaan.

None of the supporting actors register a strong impact. Ronit Roy is suitably dapper but he is mostly reduced to giving speeches and giving serious glares. Senior actor Ali is thoroughly wasted in an inconsequential role. You wonder what made Ali do a role like this.

Final word: It is high time that the makers think of what they are making in the name of pan India cinema, because this isn’t pan India.