A Format Which Needs A Reformat
Anthologies: A Format that Needs A Reformat
Today’s feature is about the emerging trend of Anthologies. Initially anthologies were only made in Hindi starting from Bombay Talkies but now the trend has stepped into Telugu and Tamil as well. The reason for anthologies to be interesting is that it gives filmmakers an opportunity to explore different genres, it also gives an opportunity for actors to play different parts. Of late, the genre is losing its shine as a result of stories which are one dimensional. Case in point being Paava Kadhiagal along with the recently released Pitta Kathalu. But before that I will give a brief description about six anthologies, four of which I liked and two I didn’t.
The first one is Bombay Talkies. It is a collection of four stories directed by Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee and Anurag Kshyap. It was made as a celebration of 100 years of Indian cinema. The stories were about how cinema impacts the life of the common man except for the first one directed by Karan Johar. The first one was about homosexuality and in a way an odd one out. But that didn’t become bothersome as it was about breaking out from your shackles and coming to terms with your sexuality. Out of the four this one was my favourite.
Onir’s I am was more serious given the issues that it tackled from child abuse to Kashmir etc. In spite of the heaviness of these themes it was thought provoking and never boring or depressing. The anthology felt necessary and was a welcome break from the commercial format.
The third one is Putham Pudu Kaalai. It is an anthology set in the times of COVID- 19 and deals with lives of the people amidst the pandemic.
In Putham Pudu Kaalai the first four stories are set in the upper middle class milieu except for the last one directed by Karthik Subbaraj. The story of Karthik Subbaraj is about two thieves and through them the director talks about how greed leads to nothing. It also explores how miracles can indeed happen sometimes.
The best way to describe Putham Pudu Kaalai would be as an uplifting exploration of love and longing amid the pandemic. My favourite story out of the five is the first one directed by Sudha Kongara. The story is about a reunion between two lovers in their middle age and how the lockdown enables them to enjoy the company of each other. One of the major reasons why the story works is due to the chemistry between Jayaram and Urvasi.
The last one is Unpaused, just like Putham Pudu Kaalai this anthology is also heart warming. One of the stories in Unpaused is about a woman who thinks of killing herself after she discovers that her husband is a sexual predator. But just then a stranger rings the bell. Apartment talks about finding your inner strength and shows that death is not the solution. In totality the anthology was both uplifting and melancholic.
Now let’s move to Paava Kadhaigal and Pitta Kathalu. All the stories of Paava Kaidhagal revolve around caste and Honour killings. There is nothing wrong in making films about caste and honour but it should not be in such a way that it makes you lose faith in human beings. In all the four stories the parents are the villains which is even more disturbing. Vetremaran’s segment particularly made me angry. It was too prolonged and it also didn’t help that you had fine actors like Prakash Raj and Sai Pallavi. Because of their acting you feel the pain more.
In Pitta Kathalu three of the four stories portray women as villains. For example in the first story you have Lakshmi Manchu’s character who takes advantage of a girl in order to rise in politics. It is a typical story which vilifies an ambitious woman. Nag Ashwin’s X Life is the only different one in the anthology. It talks about people’s obsession with gadgets and how they are losing the human touch. I would end by saying that it is high time that the filmmakers reflect on the kind of stories they are making just because they have freedom. They need to move out of stories which have abuses, extramarital affairs etc.
Drishyam 2: A Worthy Sequel
Drishyam 2: Super Follow Up To Drishyam 1
Sequels are always a tricky business given the expectations of the people and it is very rare that a sequel is as good if not better than the original. Drishyam 2 is one such where it completely lives up to the expectations of those who loved the first part. It is a perfect example of how to make a good thriller. The twists and the turns keep you completely hooked. The climax and the pre climax deserve particular mention.
For those who haven’t seen the first part the plot revolved around a Cable TV operator George Kutty who is leading a happy life with his wife and daughters. Things take a turn for the worse when his family commits an accidental crime and the burden of protecting them and their secret falls on him.
The story of Drishyam 2 begins six years after the incident. George kutty now owns a theatre and also plans to make a movie. The two daughters are also grown up. Anju played by Ansiba Hasan is a subdued college student. Anu played by Esther Anil is somewhat rebellious. Meena is still the naïve wife who picks on her daughters and isn’t very happy with her husband’s plans. Asha Sharath also reprises her role of ex cop Geeta Prabhakar.
But beneath the normalcy the family is still scarred by what happened in the past. Director Jeetu Joseph paints a realistic picture of the trauma. Anju develops a medical condition because of it. This includes having nightmares and feeling fear whenever she sees the police. Meena’s character is constantly worrying about where her husband had buried the body and someone will find it one day. Whenever her husband goes out of town she asks her neighbor Sarita to sleep with her as she cannot sleep alone. Anu the youngest has kind of moved on.
However it is not just the family which has changed, the people around them have also changed. In the first part the people of the town were rooting for George Kutty’s family horrified by the police actions. This time around they have loosened their tongues. Most of them believe that they indeed committed the crime. What really happened on that day becomes a matter of gossip everywhere. The situation changes when the current IG deploys shadow police officers to get the truth out of George Kutty and his family.
Just like the first part the biggest strength of Drishyam 2 is its writing. It is tough to write a sequel to a story where the crime is the same but Jeetu Joseph does a super job in building up the plot. He also brings freshness to the sequel while retaining the spirit of the prequel.
A suspense thriller is not only about how you begin but it is also about how you end. The courtroom scene in the pre climax mirrors a crucial scene from the first film. Just when you think that Geroge Kutty is going to be punished a new twist shows up where we realize that George Kutty has pulled the rug from under the feet of everyone including the audience.
Drishyam 2 also scores high on emotions. There are many scenes which move you. If the movie has to be summed up in one line it is what the judge tells the IG in the end that both families deserve justice. The director is successful in making you empathize with both Mohanlal and also Asha Sharath, but more with Mohanlal. There are no heroes and villains here.
Mohanlal carries on from where he left off in the first part. He makes George Kutty’s character his own proving once again why he is a legend. The supporting cast also does well but Asha Sharath deserves a particular mention for her performance as a mother who wants her son’s killers to be punished.
In totality Drishyam 2 is a highly satisfying sequel to the first film.
White Tiger: A Piercing Take On The Underbelly Of The Rich
It is not often that a director does justice to a novel. But Director Ramin Bharani does more than enough justice to the written material. Apart from capturing the spirit of the novel it also raises many pertinent questions. The film dwells deep into the caste mechanisms and how the rich put the poor in their place. The best way to describe it would be as an anti slumdog Millionaire. In this case it is a compliment to the film White Tiger.
The movie begins off with establishing the character of Adarsh Gaurav’s Balaram. We see Balaram narrating his story starting from the rural village of Laxmangarh. From Laxmangarh we go to Delhi where Balaram works as a servant to his master Ashok and Madam Pinky. The couple is played by Rajkumar Rao and Priyanka Chopra respectively. Balaram is fascinated by Ashok but that soon turns into bitterness because of a particular incident. Ashok and Pinky believe that their goodwill changes the class structure of the society. However they come with their shades of grey particularly Rajkumar Rao’s Ashok. Whenever Pinky speaks about education and equality her in-laws think that she is speaking too much. This is the synopsis.
The best part of White Tiger is how director Ramin Bharani manages to handle the heavy duty themes of caste, corruption and globalization. It never feels heavy handed and yet the message comes across perfectly. Ramin Bharani also deserves kudos for avoiding the clichés of the exotic India. He adopts a dark satirical tone while laying bare the hypocrisies of modern India. On one side of the coin you have the outright brutality of Ashok’s father and brother. On the other side there is the well meaning but ineffectual kindness of Ashok and his wife.
One major change when compared to the book is Priyanka Chopra’s character. Unlike the book here Pinky is better written and has an arc. Not surprisingly Priyanka fares far better with her American accent than Rajkumar Rao. Priyanka shines in her extended cameo and works well as a catalyst for the change in Gaurav.
The director also deserves appreciation for he builds up the character of Balaram. Initially we get the feeling of Balaram romanticizing his master. At one point he even calls Ashok as his ex. From there the transformation of the character has been done in an effective manner. In fact, no feeling of sadness for Ashok comes when he is killed by Balaram. There is a feeling that Ashok deserves it.
The cinematography Paolo Carnera also plays a significant part in building up this universe. He captures the two distinctly different words with flair. In short, the cinematographer is successful in capturing the texture of the novel on to the screen.
The lines written for Adarsh Gaurav deserve a special mention. His observation of his master results in dialogues which hit the right spot.
The only point where White Tiger feels like a letdown is the casting of Rajkumar Rao as Ashok. The actor gets a clumsily written part and the American accent that Rajkumar Rao puts on becomes bothersome.
Not surprisingly the film belongs to Adarsh Gaurav. The actor sinks his teeth into the role and comes up trumps. This film should open doors for the actor.
On the whole White Tiger is a film which deserves your attention and time. It is must watch particularly for the many masters who take their servants for granted.
White Tiger: A Book Adoption That Does Justice To The Novel
Tandav: A Potent Mix Of Shakespeare And Politics (Hindi Web Series)
Tandav: A Potent Mix Of Shakespeare And Politics
It is quite easy to see why director Abbas Ali Zafar’s Tandav has irked the BJP government and the bhakts. This nine episode series portrays many of today’s issues starting from the farmers protest to fake encounters. In the very beginning there is a scene where we see police officers killing three people in a fake encounter. You also have a Muslim youth who is arrested the next day for participating in the farmers protest. There is also the whole angle of JNU, though in the show it has been replaced as VNU for obvious reasons. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub’s character as the idealistic student leader is clearly inspired from Kanhaiya Kumar. Tandav is Abbas Ali Zafar’s boldest work to date. Yes there are times where the show slackens but it still deserves a watch.
The plot of Tandav runs along two tracks simultaneously. On one side of the coin you have Saif Ali Khan’s Samar Pratap Singh. Samar is a popular politician in the country’s biggest political party JLD. Samar is tired with the senior players running the party. He is particularly vexed with his father Devki Nandan played by Tigmanshu Dhulia in an extended cameo. Devki Nandan is about to have his new term as India’s Prime Minister. It is a turn that Samar isn’t too happy about as he believes that he deserves the Prime Minister’s position. Writer Gaurav Solanki adds a Shakespearean touch to the storyline. Sara Jane Dias plays Samar’s wife and Sunil Grover is the faithful aide Grupal. Dimple Kapadia plays Devki Nandan’s mistress and an important member of the party. At the end of the first episode Samar poisons his father to fulfill his ambition of becoming the next Prime Minister. However he doesn’t end up becoming the Prime minister due to a huge turn of events.
On the other side of the coin you have the character by the name of Shiva who epitomizes idealistic values. Shiva and his fellow mates capture the attention of the media when they bring the farmers protests to their attention in order to save a fellow student (a Muslim) from illegal confinement. Shiva is a UPSC aspirant but he doesn’t know that his destiny is going to change in a big way. He is pushed into college politics after persuasion from his friends. Another important member of this gang is Sana Mir played by Kritika Kamra. Sana comes with her own baggages which include an affair with college professor Jigar played by Dino Morea. What follows is a potent mix of Shakespeare and politics which keep you engaged.
The best thing about the show is how the writer integrates so many issues that are bothering our country. Yes, there is a downside to that as well but writer Gaurav Solanki deserves kudos for how he ties all the issues together.
A.R Rahman’s popular Yuva anthem from Mani Ratnam’s film has been used smartly by the director. The anthem is used at the right moment and it arouses in you anguish at the current state of politics.
The interactions of Samar and his aide Grupal is a major highlight of the show. There is a scene where Samar asks him whether he ever feels guilty about the things he does. Grupal replies by saying that he erases his guilt by feeding his cat. He further adds that after eating the cat sleeps on his lap and he feels at peace with himself, a very symbolic comment on our many so called ‘philanthropists’.
The Shakespeare an angle has also been well used by the director. The scenes of Saif hallucinating about his dead father are used to convey Samar’s guilt and show that he is also a human being with emotions.
Where the show falters though is the treatment of certain subplots and certain characterizations. For example the whole track of the mystery caller who gives information to Dimple Kapadia’s character isn’t properly etched. The character of Saif’s wife also needed to be better.
In this huge ensemble the actors who stand out are Sunil Grover, Dimple Kapadia and Saif Ali Khan. Known for his comic image Sunil Grover does a complete U Turn here. He is first rate in his portrayal of a powerful henchman. After Omkara Saif Ali Khan impresses yet again in another negative role. The actor blends well in the setting without overpowering it. Dimple Kapadia is also very impressive in all the scenes that she is in. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub fits the character perfectly and proves to be a good counterpart to the selfish character of Saif. On the whole Tandav is an inside look of how Indian politics works and about the different players involved in it.
Master: Two Vijays, A Juvenile Home And Drugs
Master: Two Vijays, A Juvenile Home And Drugs
Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Master is a rare mainstream film where the villain gets equal footage to the hero. In fact we are introduced first to Vijay Sethupathi’s Bhavani rather than the hero Vijay Thalapathy and the reason for his evilness is also well established by the director. This plays a huge factor in the exciting face-off between the hero and the villain at the end. Plot wise Master is a routine good versus bad story but to the director’s credit he does package it in a fairly interesting way.
In simple terms the story is about an alcoholic professor JD played by Vijay Thalapathy. After working as a college professor he is sent to a juvenile home to reform the young children there. There his life takes a huge turn due to Bhavani. The rest is about how Master wins over Bhavani and also reforms the children and others who work for Bhavani.
An important part of the film is the realistic picture of life in juvenile homes and how the young prisoners there are treated. Lokesh Kanagaraj succeeds in making you empathize with the cause of juvenile children through JD. The major reason for this is how the characters of the young children have been written. He is also effective in showing the transformation of JD in the second half. There is also a strong message from the director about giving up alcohol and drugs.
The comic scenes where Vijay Thalapathy talks about why he is single are quite hilarious. You have references to Titanic, Premam, Attarintiki Daaredi and other movies. These scenes work well as they raise ample chuckles. Malavika Mohanan, the female lead has nothing much to do, like in most commercial movies.
Anirudh Ravichander’s background music is a major asset for the film. His background score elevates many of the film’s action scenes and slow-mo moments. The songs are also quite good.Performance wise Vijay Thalapathy is good but Vijay Sethupathi is the show stealer with his solid acting. Apart from being an effective villain the actor also shows his comic side in the scenes of banter. Master is a typical commercial film but well packaged.