Tag: Amazon Prime Video

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Saani Kaayidham: Keerty Suresh Scores An A Plus In This Engaging But Problematic Revenge Saga

Arun Matheswaran’s Saani Kaayidham is an amalgamation of two strong influences. One is Shekhar Kapur’s Bandit Queen and other is Quentin Tarantino’s films. Much like Bandit queen here too the director mixes up caste and violence on women. The scenes of revenge on the other hand remind you of the Tarantino’s films. There are multiple shots of the villains being stabbed and tortured. The film is definitely not for the faint hearted. The story of Saani Kaayidham isn’t particularly new but what makes it engaging are the performances of Keerty Suresh and Selvaraghavan. Arun’s direction is at his strongest when he deals with the dynamics between these two. The direction in the revenge portions is less sure footed but more on that later.

Keerty Suresh and Selvaraghavan play half-siblings (Poni and Sangaiyah) respectively. Both of them have faced trauma beyond measure due to an unjust tragic event. Poni works in the police department but that doesn’t stop the upper caste men from raping her. Their excuse for raping her is the husband who stands up to the upper caste men. After being let down by the court and police she sets out on a journey of revenge with her half sibling Sangaiyah. The rest plays out like a cross between Bandit queen and Kill- Bill.

The basic theme of Saani Kaayidham is how a woman always becomes a soft target when men face humiliation and fight in their own worlds. This aspect has been brought out strongly by the director.

In the initial portions we see a strained relation between Poni and Sangaiyah. But once they get together the dynamics slowly change. There is an undercurrent of emotions that come to the surface. This entire process has been well developed by both the writers and the director.

Both Keerty Suresh and Selvaraghavan deliver outstanding performances. After Mahanati it looked like the actress in Keerty was lost. But here Keerty makes more than a strong comeback. She makes you feel the loss of Poni with her terrific acting. She expresses a lot through her fiery eyes. Keerty also gets to perform some action scenes and also punch lines that are generally reserved for men. Needlessly to say she rocks it.

Selvaraghavan also fits effortlessly into his role. He is the perfect foil for Keerty Suresh’s Poni. His role is comparatively more understated but the actor makes sure that the audiences don’t forget him.

The one major drawback of Saani Kaayidham is the excessive violence. It gets nauseating after a point. The vigilante justice is a trope which has been seen in many films, the presentation of the vigilante justice in this one is similar to what we have seen in other films of this genre.

As an audience you get the feeling that the director is glorifying the violence. Agree that Poni deserves justice for what she has undergone but that is no excuse for the blood curling violence that the director employs.

Another issue with the film is the lack of sufficient family scenes between Poni, her husband and the child. Addition of some family scenes would have given more emotional heft.

The villains are all one dimensional as expected. They are mere cardboard cutouts than flesh and blood characters. At the beginning the villains are shown to be very powerful but by the end they are reduced to being powerless.

In a nutshell, Saani Kaayidam is engaging but would have worked more if the director had taken a different approach.

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Gehraiyaan: It Is Turmoil All Through

It is difficult to categorize Shakun Batra’s Gehraiyaan in one particular slot. It starts off with the theme of adultery in relationships; from there we move to various alleys. There is some corporate drama, an accidental murder and finally letting go of your past. There are too many things that Shakun tries to put in and the result is a huge mess. This mess becomes more apparent towards the end. There are too many unanswered questions, the film ends with a hint of sequel but it would be honestly better if the makers don’t go ahead it.

Gehraiyaan tells the story of four individuals. Alisha (Deepika Padukone) is a yoga instructor with a troubled past. She is carrying a huge emotional baggage. She has a start- up plan to launch a yoga app. Karan ( Dhairya Karwa) is a writer boyfriend of hers who is trying to get his book published. Their relationship is in muddy waters. Alisha’s cousin Tia (Ananya Pandey) is a well- off US returned girl. She has the best of everything in terms of lifestyle and money. Tia invites Alisha and Karan for a short trip and introduces them to her fiancé Zain (Siddanth Chaturvedi). Zain is flamboyant, impressive and also flirtatious. It doesn’t take long for Zain to flirt with Alisha, sparks fly and eventually bodies meet too. What follows is a complex web of human relationships that leaves you completely puzzled.

The biggest issue with Gehraiyaan is lack of strong foundation for the intimate relationship between Zain and Alisha. It all comes across as too fast, as a result it is difficult to be invested in the characters. Also except for Karan and to an extent Tia both Zain and Alisha are difficult to sympathize with.

The drama revolving around Alisha’s pregnancy is not just old fashioned but it is also irritating. She pushes Zain to the brinks of frustration. As a result you don’t really sympathize with the problems that her character is going through.

Zain, on the other hand, becomes a complete bad person, so there is no question of sympathizing with him anyway.

Shakun uses the high waves to show the turmoil of the characters but the issue is that one problem comes after another. Therefore the loud roar of the waves seems continuous without giving us the relief.

The starcast tries its best to make the script work but it is a difficult task given the nature of the story. However there are some emotional bits which work in bits and pieces. For example, there is a conversation between Nassurudin Shah and Deepika Padukone towards the end. This bit is quite effective mainly because of Nassurudin Shah. Ananya Pandey also scores in the few emotional bits that she has, Dhairya Karwa as Karan fits the laid back attitude of the character but he hasn’t got a lot to do.

In a nutshell Shakun Batra needs to take a serious break from adultery and strained relationships; he needs to write his stories better.

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Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: A Nostalgia Ride With Plenty Of Heartwarming Moments

Harry Potter books are a franchise in itself. No one expected much from the first Harry Potter book but it was a huge success upon its release. It connected with not just children but also adults. The characters of Harry, Ron and Hermione were firmly etched in the minds of the readers. The subsequent books made the characters and also the world of Hogwarts immensely popular. Through her writings JK Rowling made the readers root for these underdogs. You wanted them to win against Lord Voldermort. Along with the three protagonists another very important character was that of Neville Longbottom. Initially it looked like a character for laughs but as the story expanded there were more shades to Neville.

Not surprisingly the seven books were made into movies. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint became over night stars. Emma went on to act in films like 2019’s Little Women. On the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter the cast and the crew come together to relive their memories of making these seven films.It is difficult to fit in all these stories and experiences in a documentary film but directors Casey Peterson and Joe Pearlman deliver a reunion which will be liked by all Potter fans.

The highlight of this documentary film is the revelations shared by the three main actors. We see how much they have grown along with the franchise. They perfectly articulate the challenges that the each film gave and how they had to portray emotions beyond their age.Another highlight is the exchanges between the directors and the cast. The directors who appear are Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Newell and David Yates. These five men had directed Harry Potter movies at different stages. I particularly liked the one between Daniel Radcliffe and Chris.

Add to that there is also a lot of behind the scene action. These moments work as a cherry on the cake. The sets, the auditions etc will make you emotional.

Finally, the inclusion of the supporting cast also works wonderfully. The moments shared by the men who played Sirius Black, Lucius Malfoy and Dobby in particular are impressive. It is a pleasure to see them talk about what they felt about playing these characters.The one thing which was missing though is a fresh interview of JK Rowling. There is footage of an old one but it would have been nice if there was a new one too.

All said and done, Harry Potter 20th Anniversary is the perfect nostalgia ride for those who have grown up on Harry Potter.

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Joji: Malayalam’s Macbeth

Over the years the works of William Shakespeare have influenced many directors. It started with Romeo and Juliet which has been made multiple times across languages.  A popular desi version is the Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla starrer Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. You also have Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Ram Leela which placed the story in a town that resembled Varanasi. Apart from Romeo and Juliet other works like Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth have also been adopted into movies. For example there is Vishal Bhardwaj’s critically acclaimed Maqbool which took the story of Macbeth and placed it in the setting of a Bombay underworld. Dileesh Pothan draws inspiration from the same source and makes a thriller which haunts you.

The setting of this story is an estate of an influential patriarch PK Kuttapan played by the terrific Sunny PN. Kuttapan lives with his three sons, daughter-in-law and others. From the very first scene we see how powerful Kuttapan is both physically and mentally. He has an iron grip on his family and as a result all the members fear him. Things take a turn when he falls and has a serious injury. Revealing anything more wouldn’t be appropriate given that it would spoil the fun of watching it.

The best thing about the film is the equation shared between Fahadh  Fassil’s  character Joji and the sister-in-law Bincy played by Unnimaya Prasad. Bincy is a character which is stuck in the daily routine of taking care of men around her. The kitchen is the only place where you will find her. In this woman Joji finds his Lady Macbeth. What brings them together is the circumstances and the oppression that they have gone through.

The strength of the writing can be seen in the dynamics that these two characters share. She knows how Joji is turning all the things in his favor, but both of them have a silent agreement which will benefit them. What they want most is freedom. However there is a minor issue which I have and that is the character could have used more given its potential.

The writing of Syam Pushkaran deserves a special mention as well. He skillfully builds up the tension and the dread which is very important for a story of this genre.

Each character has been well etched. The director also shows the aspect of alcoholism, a serious problem in Kerala through the character of joji’s brother. Almost all the characters are flawed and everyone becomes a catalyst for the tragedies that follow.

The film is also rich in atmospherics as the locales have been brilliantly shot. The interiors of the house also tell a story of its own. You can feel the oppression of the character Bincy and she being non relevant in the family decisions.

The house is large but almost sterile. Due to this reason the greenery outside the house offers a big relief to both the characters and also us as audiences.

Fahadh Faasil has created a niche for himself as one of the most exciting actors of this generation and with Joji he continues his brilliance. Unnimya Prasad also delivers a standout act as the oppressed daughter- in- law. Baburaj is terrific as the elder brother.

In totality Joji works as a fascinating study of human beings while exploring the lengths to which humans can go for a thing known as better living.