Category: Short Takes

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Revisiting the gripping psychological horror thriller Tumbbad

Some of my thoughts on what makes Tumbbad special upon its re- release

Much before the Maddock horror universe (Stree 1 &2 along with Munjya) there was Rahi Anil Barve’s Tumbbad, the movie was a gripping morality tale under the guise of a horror/thriller. What made Tumbbad stand out was the director’s portrayal of human greed, the movie portrayed how greed can turn ordinary human beings into monsters. Through this film Rahi Anil Barve showed how these types of men are more dangerous than a cursed supernatural entity.

The movie begins off with a CGI generated sequences giving an insight into the destruction that greed can cause. Tumbbad is an actual village in Maharashtra. The cursed village forms the fabric of this horror tale. The movie is set in the latter half of British Raj adding an interesting layer. In the first ten minutes we are introduced to a woman who looks more like a zombie than a living human being. We see this woman tied up in a remote house. She is mostly seen sleeping and has to be fed period periodically otherwise the situation will become dangerous. One night the duty of feeding falls upon a young boy Vinayak Rao (An excellent Sohum Shah plays the older version). The mother has taken the injured younger brother to a hospital. That particular night becomes an extremely dangerous rite of passage. That very night the younger brother dies. The mother along with Vinayak Rao leave the place, she takes a promise from him that he would never come back to Tumbbad. But Vinayak Rao has made up his mind on hunting for the ancestral treasure. This treasure is guarded by the first-born son of earth goddess and obviously he isn’t going to part with the treasure so easily. This is the story in brief.

There is a famous quote of Mahatma Gandhi on how the world has enough for everyone’s need but not enough for everyone’s greed. This quote perfectly the storyline of Tumbbad. A strong aspect of Tumbbad is the characterization of Vinayak Rao. Vinyak Rao’s obsession of unearthing the ancient treasure is not just about getting the gold but it is also about establishing his manhood. This later also seeps into the son played by Mohmaad Samad. Vinayak Rao is very much aware of his frailties but cannot overcome it. Through his character the director has also covered Brahmin patriarchy, the oppression of women along with greed.

One of the recurring motifs in Tumbbad is use of wheat. When Vinayak Rao first learns of his family secret he is completely covered with wheat flour. Later he uses a wheat flour to tempt a god, the wife is seen running a flour mill in his absence and even in the end the flour leads to the final deciding chapter. One way of interpreting this is that hunger makes human beings do things that they don’t normally do.

The movie is divided into three chapters spanning around thirty years. Rahi Anil Barve along with the story writer Narayan Dharap gave an insight into how upper-class Indian Men paved the way for feudalism and imperialism to thrive. The movie ends with the beginning of capitalism. It subtly hints on how the same social structure continues but with fresh intermediaries. All this makes Tumbbad relevant even now.

Of course, Tumbbad does have its share of flaws too. The middle portions do drag somewhat, also the track of Vinayak Rao and the mistress doesn’t organically jell, the mixture of Marathi and Hindi is also hard to follow but still there so much to like. Sohum Shah who is also one of the movie’s producers was truly brilliant in showcasing the various nuances of Vinayak Rao. He played the cold-blooded opportunist in a fantastic manner. Particularly admirable was his use of body language. Complementing him perfectly is the technical department. Pankaj Kumar captured the wide landscape of Tumbbad admirably sucking the viewers in, Nithin Zihani Choudhary and Rakesh Yadav’s production design also made the movie an immersive experience.

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Enola Holmes 1: A worthy successor to Sherlock Holmes

Millie Bobby Brown plays the determined sister with the right mix of feistiness and oodles of charm. Director Harry Bradbeer is successful in setting up an origin story with themes of feminism

Recently I have seen a film called Enola Holmes streaming on Netflix it is the first one in the series of movies focusing on a fictional sister to an already fictional detective. The movie is based on the book The Enola Holmes Mysteries: The case of missing Marquess by Nancy Springer. Millie Bobby Brown plays the central character. Like her brother Sherlock (Henry Cavil) she is extremely intelligent. The mother Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter) gives her daughter a rather unusual upbringing given the times the film is set in. Through the movie Enola turns out to be an equal firebrand to her already feisty mother. Enola knows many things like deciphering messages that have been written in a secret code along with a Japanese marital art called Jujustu among others. The broad storyline of Enola Holmes 1 is about a young woman becoming a detective to find her missing mother, in the process of finding mother she comes other mysteries too.

The best part of Enola Holmes part 1 is the characterization of the central character coupled with Millie Bobby Brown’s charismatic performance. Throughout the movie she gives a running commentary on what Enola is going through. This could have been irritating in the hands of a mediocre actor, but the dialogues coupled with Millie Bobby Brown’s charm keeps the viewers engaged.

The various disguises of Enola are also charming to watch, often times she dresses up in men’s clothes. This feels like a running gag but at the same time there is a deeper symbolism too. For Enola dressing up in a man’s dress gives her a greater sense of freedom. It allows her to do what she wants without being discovered. How Enola navigates the 19th century patriarchy influenced by her mother is wonderful to watch.

The movie also benefits immensely from the recreation of Victorian England. The CGI coupled with the costume department is absolutely spot on. There is a historical context to the events happening in Enola Holmes. Like a decisive vote over a reform bill.

The different equations of Enola with the brothers also gives the movie some of its best moments. For example, Cavil’s Sherlock is seen mostly cold, but every time Enola outsmarts him there is also a palpable happiness. Apart from Millie Bobby Brown Helena Bonham Carter is also a treat to watch as the revolutionary mother Eudoria.

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Angry Young Men (docu series): Rides high on nostalgia but low on professional insights

Ironically for a duo known for their powerful screenplays Namrata Rao’s narration is quite lackluster

August 21, 2024

The duo of Salim- Javed have revolutionized mainstream Hindi Cinema with the likes of Sholay, Deewar, Zanjeer and Don among others. The plots are simple but their ability in capturing the angst of the common man and representing the anger through their writings have made the movies hugely memorable. The docu series of Angry Young men streaming on Amazon Prime is a series of interviews that merge the professional and personal lives of this powerhouse duo. Except for one tiny shot in the final episode both Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan aren’t seen together.

As mentioned in the headline Angry Young Men rides high on nostalgia. A lot of discussion is centered around Sholay, Zanjeer and Deewar. These parts of the documentary needed some serious editing. Nothing new emerges about these movies particularly for hard core movie buffs. However, there is one interesting bit where Javed Akhtar talks about the popularity of Gabbar Singh played by Amjad Khan. Although Sholay had many stars Amjad Khan was the actor who made the biggest impact as a merciless dacoit with no backstory.

One reason Javed Akhtar gives for Gabbar Singh’s popularity is the lack of moral compass. The viewers found it fresh to see an unapologetically bad villain. The centrality of mother figures in their movies also offers interesting anecdotes. Both of them lost their respective mothers at a young age. The female characters of Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan has also been touched upon. Except for Seeta Aur Geeta the writers had never written female oriented movies but still most of their heroines had substantial roles. Lastly it is also great to hear from the master director Shyam Benegal dissecting their popularity. He talks about how the 70’s needed a hero who would clean up the system on behalf of people and the likes of Zanjeer perfectly tapped into this.

One major problem with the Angry Young Men docu series is the overdose of stars. From Kareena Kapoor Khan, Abhishek Bachchan to Karan Johar the frames are filled with way too many people. Half of them don’t add much significance and this includes Amitabh Bachchan too. Amitabh Bachchan owes a lot of his stardom to them but that doesn’t come through. Lastly their writing process has been hardly explored, there is one mention of Salim Khan coming up with the storylines and Javed Akhtar doing the dialogue writing, but even that is superficial.

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Modern Masters SS Rajamouli: Self adulatory in nature, still an engaging watch

The insights of V Vijayendra Prasad, MM Keeravani, Rama Rajamouli etc. give the documentary some of its best moments

Modern Masters directed by Raghav Khanna and Tanvi Ajinkya is an absolute treat for the fans of the celebrated director. Right from the beginning it is clear that both of them are in awe of SS Rajamouli and how the documentary has been designed as a tribute. Just like his on-screen heroes the tonality is that of reverence and awe. This method does come with its drawbacks as there isn’t much of a critical analysis however there is never a dull moment

A strong aspect of Modern Masters is the narration of the family members. Through the various anecdotes the viewers understand the passionate nature of Rajamouli and his eccentricities while filming a movie. The documentary also successfully sheds light on Rajamouli’s modest beginnings. Seeing the struggles of his father and how that influenced the creative choices.

Although Rajamouli’s debut movie Student No 1 was a commercial success it is very clear that Rajamouli looks at Simhadri as his breakthrough movie. It was Simhadri that set the tone for Rajamouli’s future films. There is also an intriguing insight given by MM Keeravani about the use of a Tamil rustic song to showcase the transformation of Junior NTR. The producers weren’t very sure about its placement, but he was very clear about audiences enjoying it which turned out to be true. The courtship of SS Rajamouli and how he convinced Rama for marriage is charming. Just like his movies here too his persistent nature comes forth strikingly.

The anecdotes regarding the Baahubali films are also engaging. Initially the movie had a slow start with the talk being not so positive. One of the producers Shobu Yarlagadda went into a panic mode and there was major anxiety about Baahubali 2’s future however things changed with the movie growing on the audiences and eventually becoming a blockbuster. Karan Johar is the only one from the Hindi fraternity to appear in the documentary. The movie could have done with few more Hindi and Telugu personalities, keeping that aside Karan Johar makes an interesting analogy by comparing Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay with this. Upon its release Sholay also had a slow start with many people dismissing it but subsequently the film made a major splash and has now become a commercial benchmark.

Prominent film Journalist and reviewer Anupama Chopra is also a part of this documentary. She asks questions regarding the criticism of Bahubali and RRR being sexist and casteist. The answers aren’t completely satisfactory nevertheless there is an interesting bit where he talks about being an atheist while still being a believer of Sanatana dharma. According to him a person can be both. Talking about the controversial love scene in Bahubali 1 he says that Tamannaah’s Avanthika is much more than just a hard warrior, adding that there is also a woman looking for love beneath the tough exterior.

Rajamouli’s creation of strong villains particularly Rana Daggubati’s Bhallaladeva and how he likes Ravana more than Rama adds an interesting dimension to the documentary. To sum it up Modern Masters could have done with more depth particularly the questions about Bahubali and RRR, still it is entertaining enough.

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Paradise: A gripping insight into Srilanka’s economic crisis coupled with Ramayana and patriarchy

Recently I have seen a movie called Paradise streaming on Amazon Prime directed by Prasanna Vithanage. The film is set during the period of Srilanka’s economic crisis (2022). Paradise begins like one of those Mani Ratnam ones along the lines of Bombay or Roja but soon switches gears moving into an entirely different territory. Roshan Mathew and Darshana Rajendran play a married couple, they are in Srilanka to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary fully aware of the political turmoil. They chose this place as they thought it would be less expensive.

The place of their home stay fits the title of Paradise perfectly given the coziness of their surroundings. Initially the viewers are given the impression of them being the perfect couple however a theft changes everything. Cell phones and laptops have been stolen. Roshan Mathew’s Keshav is terribly upset understandably too as the laptop contained all the material of his new project. He files a police complaint and also threatens Seargent Bandara (Mahendra Perera) that he would report to the Indian High Commissioner if the thieves aren’t caught along with getting back the stolen items. The police bring in the possible suspects acting very fast, but this only adds fuel to the already volatile situation in that area. Everything goes out of control for both the police and the couple. This is the story in brief.

Through the runtime of 1 hour and 34 minutes Prasanna Vithanage touches upon some important aspects without big speeches. For example, he makes viewers understand the socio-political happenings of Srilanka through dialogues about shortage of essential items along with the conversations of the supporting characters like Shyam Fernando who plays the tour guide. The movie also makes a strong statement on police brutality without any explicit scenes. In the movie some poor workers are accused of theft leading to severe beatings. One of them die in police custody.

Finally, the director also talks about how tourists should be more sensitive to the socio-political environment of the country they are in. The initial frustration of Keshav is definitely understandable but at some point, realization should have been there about how he is putting the lives of both himself and the wife at stake. Keshav shouldn’t have let himself get carried away in the wave of arrogance. Although Darshana Rajendran’s Amritha is more sensitive than Keshav she should have been firmer in making the husband understand what he is doing isn’t right.

Performances wise both Roshan Mathew and Darshana do justice to their respective parts. Darshana adds a lot of vibrancy with her charming nature. Sure, there are times where Amritha’s empathetic nature just seems to be an add on to compensate for Keshav’s insensitive behavior. However, Darshana does do a wonderful job as the movie’s conscience. Roshan Mathew also does a splendid job in portraying the desperation of Keshav particularly the mood swings. Keshav is someone who gives the impression of being all powerful when he is actually just another visitor, and the actor does a swell job in bringing out that. Throughs his lens cinematographer Rajeev Ravi expertly captures both the vibrant landscape and the looming dread.

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Me Before You: A must read for those who like intense love stories

Jojo Moye’s novel shares more than one similarity with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish but it is hard to say who was influenced by whom given that the movie came first.

The central subject of Jojo Moyes novel for those who haven’t read is Euthanasia, a person deliberately wanting to end his life with the permission of the law. This happens when an individual is no longer able to bear the suffering from a disease that cannot be cured. What makes the book more than just a love story is how the writer has given an insight into the condition of Quadriplegia (a form of paralysis that affects all four limbs) Yes, the ending of the book is definitely debatable much like the movie Guzaarish. Both the book and movie do seem to suggest that those suffering from Quadriplegia have no other alternative than ending their own life. However, there is no denying that Me Before You is an emotional roller coaster

The storyline of Me Before You is about the journey of two polar opposites. On one hand you have Lousia Clark a common girl leading a normal life. She hasn’t seen much of a life beyond her tiny village. On the other hand, there is Will Traynor a rich guy who once led a very active life. He had travelled worldwide and participated in extreme sports. An accident leads to him being wheelchair bound for life. In a twist of events Lousia becomes a caretaker of Will Traynor and from here begins a roller coaster of a journey.

A strong aspect of the book for me was the gradual progress in the relationship between Lousia and Will. In the beginning Will is mostly cranky with Lousia which isn’t surprising given that his once active life has gone for a toss, however as the story progresses the readers get to see a different side of Will too. The light repartee and the way he teases her are fun to read. Both of them have an influence on each other with Lousia learning self-love, Will meanwhile learns to enjoy life’s little moments. While entertaining the readers Jojo Moyes has also a done good in addressing some heavy topics, for instance the discrimination faced by disabled individuals and quality of life among others.

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Cuckhold: A gripping novel that makes the viewers empathize with Bhoj Raj

Bhojraj Singh Sisodia is best known for being the husband of a reputed poet saint Meerabai, not much information is there about him other than being Meerabai’s husband. Kiran Nagarkar’s cuckhold is a biography of this man set against the backdrop of India in 1600’s.

It is hard to say how much of Kiran Nagarkar’s writing is fiction and how much reality is there. Keeping aside this aspect there is no denying that the writer has given a wholesome perspective of the ruler. The readers come to know about the different qualities of Bhojraj Singh Sisodia. For example, a courageous warrior and also someone who came up with distinctive schemes.

Kiran Nagarkar is successful in transporting the viewers to those times. The description of the war strategies and the ways of gathering information about the enemies’ position is very engaging. What also adds to the book are the numerous philosophical talks which represent the king’s thought process.

The internal battles of Bhojraj and his feeling of bewilderment with lord Krishna being his rival has also been written well. The readers can feel the various emotions that he goes through. Cuckhold is a long book, over 600 pages but for those who like elongated historical fiction it is a must read.

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James by Percival Everett: A terrific reimaging of the novel Huckelberry fin that examines the inhumanness of slavery

The adventures of Huckelberry Fin is one of the most read books in literature. Mark Twain’s creation of both Tam Sawyer and Huckelberry Fin is still remembered fondly for how he showed the evolution of two young lads and their friendship. In the Adventures of Huckelberry Fin there is a peripheral character of an enslaved black man called Jim. Just like Huckelberry Fin he is also someone who is on run albeit for a different reason. Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans and as a result get separated from his wife and daughter forever.

In this action-packed reimaging Percival Everett has put Jim at the center and has done a wonderful job in fleshing out what is originally a supporting character. The novel James is not an easy read, terrible things happen to noble people just because of them having a certain skin. There are characters who degrade and take advantage of Jim.

Writer Percival Everett brings out the inhumanness of slavery in a heart touching way. The novel has also got good doses of suspense, this aspect also makes it a very engrossing read. To put it simply James by Percival Everett is a must read particularly for those who like action packed stories with some social consciousness.

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Kafeel Khan autobiography: A gripping real-life story that gives a deep insight into the medical crisis

Recently I have read a heart touching autobiography of a doctor who was suspended on the charges of medical negligence and corruption among other things. Dr Kafeel Khan went great lengths in order to procure oxygen cylinders in the year of 2017. He rallied the staff and did an incredible job in controlling the health care crisis. After being hailed as a hero the situation took a drastically different turn for both Kafeel Khan and nine more individuals.

As mentioned above Kafeel Khan’s autobiography is a deep dive into the various problems concerning the health care sector. He has given as many details as possible from his personal experiences, as a result the book comes across as authentic making the readers think and worry about the future of health care. A particular mention must be made of how he describes the shortage of Oxygen. The readers feel that they are watching the situation firsthand.

Through his writings Kafeel Khan has also touched upon the dangers of hate campaigns, how this hate campaigns can destroy both families and communities. How the media social and mainstream play a major role in escalating hatred has been elucidated in great detail.

The book also makes you salute the moral strength of Kafeel Khan. In spite of suffering so much his major concern is about the lives that have been lost and how more lives can be saved. He never gets into a communal debate regarding that incident.

Kafeel Khan’s autobiography leaves the readers with many thoughts not just about what Kafeel Khan had to go through, but the system of health care in general which is such an important part of our daily lives.

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Alia Poem: March 15th 2024

A very happy 31st birthday to you Alia

Alia you are like a shining star forever sparkling

You have proved to be a smart cookie in adapting to different on-screen characters

You have made the roles of Gangubai, Veera Tripathi, Safeena, Bauria and more your own

In spite of not being a natural dancer there is so much joy in seeing you dance

I can never forget your Kathak dance in the film Kalank, the grace and those expressions were too good

Similarly, the scene in Gangubai where your character goes into a trance like state while dancing was so well enacted

In Rocky Aur Rani ki Prem Kahani you pulled off both What Jumka and Dhindora Bajare Re in an excellent manner

The first song had undertones of mischievousness and the second was a high energy one which required absolute lack of inhibitions

In both the songs Alia your movements were as smooth as butter without a single false step

Both the songs can be watched any number of times particularly for your expressions

As a producer of course it is early days but the subjects you have backed in both Darlings and Poacher are very commendable

Thank you so much for replying to my comment on your Instagram page regarding Poacher

It felt so good when you replied back with emojis and also took my name Prabhatha

Honestly it felt like I had climbed Mount Everest that day

In my mind I was flying with unadulterated happiness. Wish I had wings really like birds

It is a day that I can never forget and will forever cherish

Keep shining like the star you are

All the very best for your new chapter in professional life starting with Jigra where you will do some hardcore action

You have always proved the sceptics wrong by successfully portraying different characters

I am sure that both Jigra and the solo YRF spy film will showcase a vastly different facet of you

Once again wishing you a very happy 31st birthday from one of your biggest fans, you are truly a queen of hearts and absolute Rani

May you continue to flourish as an actor, producer and businesswomen along with other roles in your personal life