Category: Recent Posts

Posted on

The Family Man Season 2 : Curtain Raiser

For those who haven’t seen the first season the plot is about Srikant Tiwari who lives a double life. On one hand he appears to be a regular middle- class man who works in a government office pushing files for a living but he is actually an agent at the threat analysis and Surveillance cell (TASC). Srikant’s job consists of going after terrorists and looking for clues while bombs are being defused by the experts. The terrorists here are a bunch of people with links to ISIS and Pakistan. The job of Srikant and his team is to uncover the plot and make sure that the plans of the extremists don’t work.

While all this going on there is also the track of Srikant’s family life crumbling. His wife played by Priyamani is on the brink of an affair. His daughter on the other hand is covering up for a boy who’s is pushing pills in their class. To top it the son is a little brat of his own.

What made this plot work was the treatment of the director duo Raj and DK. This can be particularly seen in how they handled the main character. While we are used to seeing spys as larger than life characters Raj and Dk gave a different spin to this character. Some of the best scenes in the series involve Srikant juggling between his personal and professional life. This juggling act makes the character of Srikanth and his world more relatable.

The series also worked for the jugalbandi of Manoj Bajpai and Sharib Hashmi who plays Srikant’s trusted aid. The friendship that the characters share appeared very real thanks to both the actors. Every scene that both of them appeared brings a smile to your face.

The series also deserved appreciation for how it dealt with some of the issues affecting our country. Yes, the treatment could have been better at places but both Raj and DK deserve appreciation for what they have done.

For example there are scenes where we see the Muslim students being rounded up by the policemen for no fault of theirs. You also have videos of mob lynching that are circulated among the students.

You also have a segment on Kashmir when Srikant gets transferred to that place. There is a scene where Gul Panang’s character talks about how common people are the worst effected in the crossfire between Indian army and militants. She almost suggests that there is no difference between army and militants in this matter. Not surprisingly these dialogues didn’t go down too well with the RSS.

Last but not the least, the series gave the opportunity for Manoj Bajpai to lead from the front which is something that we don’t see in commercial Hindi films.

As a result of all these factors the second season has become one of the most awaited web series of this year. Family Man Season 2 was supposed to release in February but it is releasing now due to the controversy that Abbas Ali Zafar’s Tandav faced.

From the trailer of the second season it is very evident that Srikanth is still juggling between his dual duty of being a middle class family man and world class spy. There are witty one liners delivered by Manoj and the camaraderie between him and Sharib Hashmi looks crackling just like the first season.

The thing which I am looking forward most is watching Samantha. It looks like an edgy character with grey shades. Given the talent that Samantha has we can look forward for a powerful performance.

There has also been some controversy regarding Samantha’s character as some people feel that her character of LTTE militant has been shown in an objectionable manner. However, it wouldn’t be appropriate to judge the character based on the teaser. Raj and DK are sensitive directors and in all probability they would have dealt with the story in a responsible way. 

Posted on

November Story: Slow Paced But Effective Crime Thriller

There is a lot to like about Indhu Subramanian’s November Story streaming on Hotstar. The director takes an interesting premise and does a good job for most part of the show. The twists and the turns keep you engaged, there is a solid cliffhanger at the peak of each episode which will keep you intrigued. Yes, there are issues like the slow pace and the long drawn out climax but it still works in spite of its flaws. The reason for naming the show as November Story is because the character of the crime novelist goes to a particular house every year on November 16th. The series consists of seven episodes on the whole.

Tamannah plays Anu, she is the daughter of India’s best crime novelist Ganesan played by GN Kumar.  Anu works as an ethical hacker while trying to look after her father who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. She is trying to sell their ancestral property that they own without the knowlegde of her father in order to have more money for her father’s treatment. One day Anu comes across a woman whom she had briefly met in the train the previous day. The woman is found dead in the house she’s been trying to sell. To make things worse her father is there in that house at the time of the woman’s death. Anu is sure that her father is innocent and the rest of the series is about how she proves that her father is innocent along with finding out who actually killed that woman.

The good thing about the series is how the director unravels the plot. He builds up the characters really well. You get into the headspace of the characters and as a result you empathise with Anu’s efforts.

The father and the daughter relationship has also been portrayed with the required sensitivity. Anu’s efforts to be a caretaker daughter to her father will definitely strike a chord.

Another good thing about November Story is how things are tied up seamlessly. The narrative is always a step ahead with the guessing game and also in establishing the motives of the culprit.

The humour in the series comes from the cops’ viewpoint, portraying their restlessness and fatigue. While the comic scenes may look odd given the genre of the series but its understandable as the makers didn’t want to keep the narrative too serious at all times. However these scenes work quite well particularly the ones featuring Aruldoss as the investigating police officer.

Technically also November Story is a pretty good product. The background score of Saran Raghavan blends well with the narrative without screaming for attention. The cinematography of Vidhu Ayanna is in perfect sync with the premise of the show. The atmospherics contribute a lot in the audiences being invested in the series.

After playing the glamorous heroine for most part of her career Tamannah gets an opportunity to show her acting skills and she makes the most of her meaty character. One of the reasons why the character resonates is that it shows that a strong women can be vulnerable and have flaws too. The actress oozes confidence in her part, with this role Tamannah proves that she can be more than a glam doll.

GM Kumar plays the ailing crime novelist writer quite well. Another stand out performance comes from Pasupathy. He is very good as the forensic expert with shades of grey. It is a tricky part but the actor does complete justice to his role.

November Story on the whole is a compact whodunit thriller with a strong emotional thread.

Posted on

Cinema Bandi: A Feel Good Film

A good way to describe Cinema Bandi would be as an ode to cinema. It is an endearing story about a group of people who don’t know much about filmmaking but they give it their all to make a film. Set in a remote village the films protagonist is an auto rickshaw driver Veera played by Vikas Vasistha. His life is pretty mudane as nothing much happens in his life. The conversations are mostly about the lack of rains and the bad roads in the village and also the big divide between rural and urban. Although Veera doesn’t make much money he is an optimist who sincerely believes that things will change for better. He often argues that if everyone migrates to the city who will make things better for the village.

Things take a huge turn for Veera when someone leaves behind a bag and in that one you have a high-end camera. During that night he sees a news channel report on how Telugu films with smaller budgets can also become super hits. From here on begins a fun ride mixed with different emotions.

Veera firmly believes that the film will change the fortunes of not just his life but also that of the village. Apart from Veera other important characters include the wedding photographer turned cinematographer Ganesh (Sandeep Varanasi) and the hairdresser turned hero Maridayya (Rag Mayur). Maridayya puts his screen name as Maridesh Babu!

The biggest strength of Cinema Bandi is how the director Praveen explores the psyche of the characters. It takes a lot for the villagers who are mostly dependent on their daily wages to be part of a film. One of the best scenes in the film is when Manga played by Uma shuts up a man who questions her on why she is acting. She responds by saying how those involved in the film have gone the extra mile in their daily life in order to make the film happen.

Another interesting thing about the film is its varied mix of female characters. On one hand you have a heroine who has her own plans of love and marriage. On the other hand there is another woman who doesn’t want to be a damsel in distress. She wants to take things into her own control.

The track between Veera and his wife has also been done well. The ups and downs of their relationship after Veera decides to direct has been shown in an authentic manner.

The cinematography by Apoorva Shaligram and Sagar is suitably rustic and adds in a huge way to the film’s credibility.

Apart from the main characters the smaller characters have also been well written. For example there is a boy who keeps a constant watch on the continuity required for the scenes. There is also a grandfather and we are told that he is the writer for the story on which the film is based. However, for most part he sits without uttering a word.

The performances of the main cast work perfectly in sync with the setting of the story. Vikas Vasistha in particular is very good as the optimistic Veera.

In totality Cinema Bandi is a nice imagination on how a common man would direct a film if he ever gets a camera to shoot (don’t we all have that dream!).

Posted on

Vakeel Saab Versus Pink: This Pink Remake Works Best Only When It Sticks To Its Original Source

There are certain things that you need to keep in mind as a viewer when you are watching Vakeel Saab. The chief most among them are the extra masala elements that are added to satisfy Pawan Kalyan fans. The masala in this one includes three fight scenes and the absolutely unnecessary romantic track with Shruti Haasan. Nerkonda Paarvai starring Ajith as the lawyer also had a couple of additions but the changes there fitted in more seamlessly when compared to this one. Following is my opinion on the areas where Vakeel Saab works and the areas where it could have been better. 

Not surprisingly the biggest strength of Vakeel Saab is the second half. It is in this half that the story finds its footing. The courtroom face off between Pawan Kalyan and Prakash Raj engages you completely. Both the actors share a wonderful chemistry and it is very clear that they had a blast shooting these scenes. Of course the tone of these scenes is more masala laced but there is enough meat here to keep you hooked. Out of the three films Prakash Raj is easily the best opponent lawyer and beats Piyush Mishra by miles in the Hindi version. 

The second half also works better because the focus is on the stories of the three women and the situation that they are caught in. In spite of having a star like Pawan Kalyan director Sriram Venu doesn’t side track the main theme of the film which is a no is a no. He effectively uses the star to get the message across. 

Thaman’s Music and background score is another major winner. The film begins off with the beautiful Maguva Maguva. This song has been used by the director to establish the bond between the three women played by Nivetha Thomas, Anjali and Ananya. Other songs like Satyameva Jayate come at appropriate times and pack quite a punch. The female version of Maguva Maguva in particular is very emotional. 

Coming to Pawan Kalyan it would be unfair to compare the actor to Amitabh Bachchan and Ajit for many reasons. However it has to be said that he does well in the courtroom scenes. The performances of Nivetha and Anjali are also very good. They bring out the different feelings of the character really well. Ananya also does a fair job. 

The biggest grouse that I have with the film is pre- interval portions of Pawan Kalyan as the savior of people. It is peppered with scenes that will give you a major deja vu as we have seen this in many commercial films in the past. The character has also got shades of Sunny Deol from the film Damini. 

The love story between him and Shruti Haasan is another thing which will test your patience. Shruti Haasan hasn’t got anything to do and even in the slight emotional scenes she messes it up big time. It was a track which wasn’t needed in the first place. 

The fight scenes aren’t bad but they don’t really add much to the film. Except for the fight in the park the other two could have been easily chopped off. 

In totality chances are that if you are a fan of Pawan Kalyan you would enjoy the film more. For those who have already watched Pink keep low expectations if you are planning to watch Vakeel Saab. But keeping aside the comparisons, it is good to see a film like this being made in so many languages. The important point is the message has to go down –  A NO IS A NO. 

https://www.primepost.in/vakeel-saab-versus-pink/

Posted on

Stories I Must Tell: An Emotional Journey About The Making And The Remaking Of A Movie Star

The first thing that strikes you about Kabir Bedi’s book ‘Stories I Must Tell’ is the honesty with which the actor has written his autobiography. This honesty can be particularly seen in the way he talks about his relationships, the open marriage with Protima Bedi and the relationship that he had later on with Parveen Babi that changed his life. He also talks about the trauma of the three divorces and how he eventually found fulfillment. In short Kabir Bedi bares his soul and takes you on a roller- coaster journey.

The book begins off with his stint as a freelancer at All India Radio. We see his fascination for the famous band Beatles and how he manages to interview them. There is also a glimpse of his friendships with Rajiv and Sanjay Gandhi. They had become friends at Aunty Gauba which is Kabir Bedi’s first school In Delhi.  Kabir Bedi gives a brief insight into their personalities.

From there we move to his life in Bombay where he started his career in advertising. It is here that he meets Protima Bedi and after a brief courtship they decide to get into an open marriage. More than Bollywood Kabir Bedi focuses on his international journey with particular reference to Sandokan which made him a household name in Italy. In the last chapters he talks about the fascinating love story of his Indian father, a Philosopher in Europe and his British born mother. There is also the heartbreaking chapter on his son Siddarth’s battle with schizophrenia and the consequent suicide.

The best thing about the book is how Kabir Bedi weaves the many worlds of his life, from material to mortal to spiritual. It doesn’t look like he is a first time storyteller. There is certain eloquence to the way he writes.

Not surprisingly the best chapters are reserved for his love life and his parents. There is certain candidness in the way he reminiscences about the significant loves of his life. The first one being Protima bedi, his first wife and mother of his two children, the other one being Parveen Babi the glamorous actress. A lot of the book’s first part is devoted to the tumultuous relationship that he had with both women. He writes that he had gone from one emotionally draining woman to another. At the same time he also admits the mistakes that he did and never paints himself as a perfect man. This quality of Kabir Bedi adds more emotional heft to the book.

Coming to his parents their love story is indeed unique. Their personalities and their journeys from revolutionaries in pre- independence era to eventually becoming spiritual people makes for a fascinating read. Kabir Bedi captures all these things in a deft manner.

His childhood also makes for an interesting read. A part of his initial childhood was spent as a monk in Rangoon. From his childhood Kabir Bedi had experiences with different religions. The reason being his family lineage had a direct connect with Guru Nanak Dev and his mother was ordained as a Buddhist nun. In the chapter ‘Ramblings on the beach’ Kabir Bedi shares his understandings of all religions and these include world religions as well.

Another heartrending chapter in the book is his son Siddarth’s   battle with schizophrenia. You see the helplessness of a father in not being able to save his son in spite of his best efforts. There is no doubt that this chapter will make you emotional.

Apart from the above mentioned ones Kabir Bedi also deserves appreciation for how he sketches his interactions with international celebrities. He manages to give a character sketch of them with their traits.

The one slight flaw is that we don’t understand why Kabir Bedi had to jump into marriages so frequently! He had four marriages altogether but doesn’t talk much about the second and third ones, or for that matter even about the son he had from second marriage. His daughter Pooja Bedi acted in some movies but wasn’t very popular. His granddaughter Alaya F recently made her debut in Jawaani Jaaneman.

In totality, Stories I Must Tell takes you on a roller- coaster journey of emotions. It comes across as a deeply personal story with no superficiality.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

William Shakespeare: A Writer For All Ages

Not all writers have a universal appeal but William Shakespeare’s works have transcended geographical boundaries because of the universality of his themes. Although it has been a long time since the writer has died he is still remembered by many and his works have been made into so many films across languages. William Shakespeare was a playwright who wrote stories of so many genres and in each of these genres he left his own stamp. On one hand you have the likes of King Lear, Hamlet etc which leave you heartbroken, on the other side there are the likes of Tempest, Twelfth Night etc which leave you with a smile on your face.

While Vishal Bhardwaj’s trilogy of Macbeth, Othello and Hamlet is well known there are also other movies which are slightly less known. For example, you have the Telugu film Gunasundari Katha directed by KV Reddy. KV Reddy took inspiration from King Lear but changed the ending into a happy one. Comedy of errors was made in both Hindi and Bengali. The Hindi one was directed by Gulzar and starred Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Verma in leading roles. Comedy of errors is a story about two pairs of identical twins and the chaos that happens as a result. The story ends with the twins finding each other and their parents. Together they resolve the entire problems caused earlier. In Bengal the film was made as Bhrantibilas starring Uttam Kumar.

I haven’t seen the Bengali one but Gulzar’s adaptation was a hilarious comedy with lots of fun elements. It is a complete family entertainer which is something you cannot say about all the comedies. The star cast made the film even more special. While Sanjeev Kumar is as good as usual Deven Sharma matched up equally.

Following are some of the things in Shakespeare writings which explain his universality.

  1.  Plots and Themes- Shakespeare’s plots and themes are something which are timeless. They are not limited to a particular place or time. For example there is the ill fated love of Romeo and Juliet. Although the story is set in England you can place the plot anytime and anywhere in the world. The reason for that are racial, ethnic and the class divisions. Similarly if we talk about Macbeth you have the themes of good versus evil, the dangers of ambition and the influence of supernatural powers. All these themes are as relevant today as they were when Shakespeare wrote the play.
  2.  Complex Characters- One of Shakespeare’s biggest strengths was how he wrote his characters. His characters come with distinct behavioral patterns. He presents human beings with all their vices, virtues, strengths and weakness. Because of that his characters feel like living, breathing human beings instead of being superficial. There are times when he allows the mysteries to go unsolved knowing very well that in real life most people don’t know all secrets about their neighbors, their fellow employees or even themselves for that matter.
  3.  Universality- Because his plots and themes have universal appeal every culture has a Macbeth, a Lear, and an Othello. Versions of all his plays have appeared in almost every language. These include Turkish, Japanese, Korean etc.
  4.  Authenticity- because he had vast knowledge obtained through self education and school he used that knowledge in his writings to make them authentic and believable. He was versed with many languages which include Latin, French and Italian. He also knew many subjects like history, medicine, geography, Flora and fauna, politics and government etc. Last but not the least he was also very well acquainted with human nature and that clearly showed in his writings.
  5.  Observations about Humankind- Shakespeare was someone who didn’t mince words about human nature. He openly expressed his observations about humankind without any flattery or political blandishments. Blandishments are a pleasing statement or an action that we do as a means of gently persuading someone to do something for us.

In totality these are some of the reasons which can be attributed to Shakespeare’s universality. Just like Ramayana and Mahabharata his works will continue to be made forever. You will have new filmmakers exploring his stories in their own ways. The latest being Malayalam film Joji which is inspired by Macbeth.

I will end this feature with a big thanks to William Shakespeare. Thank you sir for writing stories which are so relevant even today.