Tag: Pankaj Tripathi

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Criminal Justice Season 4(A Family Matter): A gripping legal procedural intermingling different threads

Director Rohan Sippy along with the writers do an excellent job in keeping up the viewers interest till the end. What makes Season 4 stand out is the exploration of issues like mental health and the grey areas in marriage. Pankaj Tripathi as lawyer Madhav Mishra slips into the part with practiced ease combining humor with empathy

Starcast: Pankaj Tripathi, Surveen Chawla, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub, Shweta Basu Prasad, Mita Vashisht and others

Genre: Drama/thriller

Director: Rohan Sippy

Writers: Sandeep Jain, Sameer Mishra and Harman Wadala

Creators: Harman Wadala and Rahul Ved Prakash

Producers: Sameer Nair, Deepak Segal and Sameer Gogate

Production Companies: Applause Entertainment and BBC Studios India

No of episodes: 8

Streaming site: Jio Hostar

Starting from 5th April 2019 The Criminal Justice web series is one of the longest running web shows next to Panchayat which has also completed four. The character of Madhav Mishra played by a delightful Pankaj Tripathi is a much admired for his wit and the way he solves cases. It is one of those rare web series where as a viewer you need not see from the starting season given that the cases aren’t interlinked, each one is a fresh chapter with a few recurring actors and actresses. For those who are not aware the base of Criminal Justice web series is a British Television series of the same name.

As the title suggests season 4 of Criminal justice is primarily about the fragile family dynamics. Raj (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub) and Anju (Surveen Chawla) were once upon a time a couple, now they stay separately but aren’t divorced. In spite of their fractured marriage Anju lives in the same apartment as Raj. The reason being the daughter Ira (Khushi Bhardwaj). Ira is suffering from Asperger’s syndrome. Asha Negi is Roshini a nurse who has been taking care of Ira and slowly becomes an important member of the family particularly for Raj. Raj’s mother and Anju have made peace with their relationship. This settled dynamics receive a jolt when Anju and the maid find Raj holding a blood-soaked Roshni. What follows is a courtroom drama shuttling backing and forth with the ever reliable Madhav Mishra

A strong aspect of Criminal Justice Season 4 is the dual narrative running simultaneously with the legal proceedings. The complex personal relationships with shades of grey coupled with the difficulties in raising a neurodivergent child has been etched well by both the director and writers. These two aspects give the series an emotional resonance making it more than just another case.

The investigation aspect with numerous layers also catches the viewers unawares on many occasions. You are always guessing on whether Raj is really the killer or there is something more to this. At one point there are seeds of doubt on Ira too, on whether she was somehow involved. Just when you think everything is solved the web series throws an expected googly leading to a brilliant revelation. The ending leaves the viewers with many thoughts on justice and sacrifice.

The angle of Asperger’s syndrome and the difficulties in raising a neurodivergent child has also been dealt with the required sensitivity. Rohan Sippy and the numerous writers have done a very fine job in starting a conversation about this condition, they show how people living with Asperger’s can also bring a fresh perspective. Khushi Bharadwaj plays her part with the right amount of authenticity, even though the screen time isn’t a lot.

As expected Pankaj Tripathi as Madhav Mishra is a delight to watch like the previous seasons. His sharp humor adds a lot to the courtroom proceedings, apart from the subtle comedy Pankaj Tripathi also brings an empathy in the scenes with Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub and Surveen Chawla. His scenes with the wife and the brother in law bring a smile to the viewers face. At one point the wife played by Khushboo Atre becomes an unexpected pillar of support as well.

Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub as Raj is also terrific in portraying the moral complexities of the role. He brings out the inner turmoil brilliantly. Surveen Chawla too is very good. She touches the viewers heart with an emotional performance specifically in the climactic portions. Mita Vashisht and Shweta Basu Prasad in the roles of opposition also bring strength to their respective parts. Their performances add a lot in making sure that the courtroom proceedings resemble a tense chess game.

Mohmammed Zeeshan Ayub and Surveen Chawla

Asha Negi as Roshini is sincere but her relationship with Raj is loosely etched making it difficult for the viewers to care.. The love track of Raj and Roshini has a rushed nature instead of an organic development.

Final word: Criminal Justice Season 4 is a binge worthy watch for fans of the previous seasons and of course the magnetic Pankaj Tripathi.

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Metro In Dino: A solid spiritual sequel exploring the complexities of love and marriage

Metro In Dino movie image

Anurag Basu’s Metro in Dino holds a mirror to today’s society much like the first movie Life in A Metro. Metro In Dino is a mostly gripping concoction of emotions and humor making you laugh as well as reflect. Pankaj Tripathi as Monty successfully takes over the mantle from the late Irrfran Khan. As a flawed husband he is both charming and also heartfelt in the emotional sequences. Sara Ali Khan’s track turns out to be the weak link partly salvaged by a charming Aditya Roy Kapoor

Starcast: Pankaj Tripathi, Konkana Sen Sharma, Fatima Sana Sheikh, Ali Fazal, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, Neena Gupta, Anupam Kher, Saswata Chatterjee and others

Genre: Romance

Story, screenplay and direction: Anurag Basu

Dialogues: Sandeep Shrivastava and Samrat Chakravarthy

Producers: Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Taani Basu and Anurag Basu

Production Companies: T-Series Films and Anurag Basu Productions

Music: Pritam Chakraborty

Cinematography: Abhishek Basu and Anurag Basu

Running time: 2 hours and 42 minutes

Life In A Metro released in 2007 was a romantic drama exploring different topics like extramarital affairs, the sanctity of love etc. The city of Mumbai where the different tracks take place simultaneously was also a character in itself reflecting the hustle and bustle along with the ambitions of making it big. The movie received widespread acclaim for the gripping narration, music and fantastic performances. Life In A Metro is widely considered to be one of late Irrfran Khan’s best work and rightly so, the actor was a sheer delight to watch with his wackiness, his track with an equally good Konkana Sen Sharma was the highlight of the movie.

Late Irrfran Khan and Konkana Sen Sharma

After a huge gap of 18 years Anurag Basu returns back with a spiritual sequel with similar strands and new additions. Like Life in a Metro the locations in this movie also become a character in itself perfectly reflecting the various moods and the emotional upheavals which the characters go through. The story of Metro in Dino focuses on numerous individuals spanning different age groups and cities. Pankaj Tripathi and Konkana Sen Sharma are Monty and Kajol respectively. The two are going through a major midlife crisis, the marriage has lost the spark. In order to escape from the boredom Monty takes the aid of a dating app leading to a lot of chaos. Ali Fazal’s Akash and Fatima Sana Sheikh’s Sruthi on the other hand are a young couple dealing with a major conflict of ambitions and a secured life. Neena Gupta and Anupam Kher play two lonely souls Shivani and Parimal respectively. For most part of her life Shivani has been stuck in a family rut not thinking about what she enjoys. All this changes during a college reunion. Lastly Sara Ali Khan’s Chumki and Aditya Roy Kapoor’s Parth are your typical gen z with issues commitment phobia and clash of ideas regarding the institution of marriage and what love really is. This is the story in brief.

A strong aspect of Metro In Dino is Anurag Basu’s handling of the various strands. The director has done a very good job in reflecting the contemporary society. The fast lifestyles of today and the sometimes-fickle nature of marriages has been brought out beautifully. The city audiences in particular will relate to the multi layered narrative and most would see a bit of themselves in the characters.

The use of music with Pritam and his band performing the songs has also been wonderfully integrated by Anurag Basu. It doesn’t feel jarring at any point. Much like Life In A Metro here too it enhances the various emotions which the characters go through at different points. There are also some occasions in the beginning where the main cast sing songs in the musical style of Anurag Basu’s Jagga Jasoos. This adds an interesting touch too giving a context into the background and the situations.

Among the four tracks specific mention must be made of two. The first one being Monty and Kajol. Both Pankaj Tripathi and Konkana Sen Sharma feed off each other wonderfully, whether it’s the comic situations of Monty unknowingly chatting with Kajol on the dating app or the second half portions where Monty is desperate to make amends. It’s an absolute delight to watch the two in one frame. As a flawed husband Pankaj Tripati delivers a knockout act perfectly capturing the different shades of Monty. A specific mention must be made of the scene in the pre climax where Monty expresses his anguish about how many more times should he say sorry. Konkana Sen Sharma is also delightful as Kajol. She brings out the fierce nature as well as the vulnerability brilliantly, there is a wonderful moment in the second half where Kajol questions about her mother’s passive acceptance of the father’s infidelity and how she doesn’t want to become like that.

Through the track of Ali Fazal and Fatima Sana Sheikh Anurag Basu is successful in bringing out the clash between ambition and practicalities. Ali Fazal plays an aspiring musician with big dreams, his father also had aspirations of making it big in music however things didn’t plan out that way due to family responsibilities. The fear of unfilled dreams and insecurity takes a toll on the marriage of Ali Fazal and Fatima Sana Sheikh. The emotional upheavals of the couple have a rawness to them without trying to sugar coat. Both the actors do a first-rate job in portraying the different nuances.

The story of Shivani and Parimal also has some interesting touches. Through this track Anurag Basu tells a liberating story of an older woman breaking out of a self-created rut. The transformation of Neena Gupta’s Shivani from a doormat to becoming more independent is wonderful to watch. The conversations between her and Anupam Kher have a philosophical touch to them as well regarding how love eventually happens in most marriages. The senior actors play their parts with the right amount of gravity.

Anupam Kher and Neena Gupta

In comparison to the three mentioned above Sara Ali Khan and Aditya Roy Kapoor’s one sticks out a sore thumb. This is mostly because of a Yeh Jaawani Hai Deewani and Ludo hangover. Aditya Roy Kapoor’s character feels like a mixture of Ranbir Kapoor’s Bunny and his own Akash, nevertheless Aditya plays the role with a certain charm salvaging the proceedings to some extent, the actor seems to be having a lot of fun with the quirky nature of Akash and that clearly shows in his scenes. His dialogue about how whether the so called happily married couples are really happy does work as a reflection of most relationships. Sara Ali Khan though is a major let down with her squeaky voice and poor voice modulation. There is an important scene where Chumki has to let out her inner anguish similar to the one in Life In A Metro involving Konkana Sen Sharma, but the way Sara portrays it makes the viewers feel zero emotion.

Coming to the music the songs of Metro In Dino has their own pluses, tracks like Zammana Lage sung by Arjit Singh and Dil Ka Kye by Raghav Chaitanya make for a soulful listen and a good watch. The cinematography by Abhishek Basu and Anurag Basu has a lived-in feel too. The two do a very fine job in capturing both the bustling nature of the cities as well as a certain inner loneliness.

Final word: Metro In Dino is a must watch for fans of intimate cinema.

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Stree 2 Sarkate Ka Aatank: A rollicking sequel with the right mixture of scares and humor

Apart from the horror and scares director Aamir Kaushik also does a fine job in blending impactful social commentary

  • Starcast: Rajkummar Rao, Abhishek Banerjee, Aparshakti Khurana, Pankaj Tripathi, Shraddha Kapoor and others special appearances (Varun Dhawan, Akshay Kumar and Tamanna Bhatia)
  • Director: Aamir Kaushik
  • Writer: Niren Bhatt
  • Producers: Dinesh Vijan and Jyothi Deshpande
  • Production Companies: Maddock Films and Jio Studios
  • Music: Sachin Jigar and Justin Varghese
  • Cinematography: Jishnu Bhattacharjee
  • Running time: 2 hours and 27 minutes

Aamir Kaushik’s Stree 2 is one of those few sequels that matches up to its first part. For those who haven’t seen Stree 1 the plot revolved around a female spirit wreaking havoc in the small town of Chanderi. This female ghost by the name of Stree attacked men at night that too during a particular festival period. She only kidnaps those men who turn around when she calls. Apparently looking into her eyes confirms permission to abduct. There is an underlying satire about how consent doesn’t matter for men. Women even in their non-human form are more evolved. Stree 1 had the right doses of suspense and humor along with a touching origin story. The film also benefitted from the fantastic male cast led by an adorable Rajkummar Rao. Not surprisingly Stree 1 was a major hit.

Stree 2 is one of these few sequels that matches up to the first part

Now you have Stree 2 again set in Chanderi. At the end of Stree 1 the female ghost had left the town, fear has been replaced by respect which was denied to her when alive. Instead of O’ Stree Kal Anna (O Stree, come tomorrow) the new instruction is O Stree Raksha Karna (O Stree, protect us) The mindset of Chanderi people has also undergone a significant change, they have become more liberal with woman marrying outside their caste and having big dreams. However, the peace is short lived thanks to a new demon who abducts girls with modern outlook. His name is Sarkate, a hugely grotesque creature with no head. This Sarkate had burned Stree and her lover alive. Once again, the responsibility of saving Chanderi falls on the shoulders of Vicky (Rajkummar Rao continuing his splendid form). Shraddha Kapoor returns back as the mysterious figure with whom Vicky deeply fell in love. Thankfully the viewers get to know more about her character this time around. Apart from Shraddha Kapoor Vicky gets help from his usual trusted allies Abhishek Banerjee as Jana and Pankaj Tripathi as Rudra. Aparshakti Khurrana as Bittu has as an interesting arc which I will get to later.

Shraddha Kapoor returns back as the mysterious with whom Vicky had fallen in love with

A strong aspect of Stree 2 is how Aamir Kaushik has used the character of Sarkate to explore the patriarchal mindset. Very often we see leaders blaming a women’s mindset for the crimes happening on them. The way Sarkate chooses only those girls who think beyond the traditional boundaries reminds the viewers of the numerous sexist leaders.

There is a hugely poignant moment in Stree 2 when all the Chanderi women break out in unison late into the night, fully aware of the dangers lurking. Stree 2 also touches upon women empowerment briefly while talking about the kidnapped girls. Aamir Kaushik doesn’t go very deep but still these moments are mighty effective.

The humor quotient of Stree 2 is also very strong. Niren Bhatt’s dialogues are filled with punches and often leave the viewers in splits. Abhishek Banerjee as the gullible friend often manipulated by his friends raises many laughs particularly in his interactions with Pankaj Tripathi’s Rudra. The way both of them feed on each other is wonderful to watch. Pankaj Tripathi as the ghost expert continues his great form delivering many laughs. He has also gets a charming romantic subplot with Tamanna Bhatia, it doesn’t last for long but makes for a fun watch.

Aparshakti Khurana as Bittu gets more to do this time around and he does a fantastic job. He is charming as the lover singing a lullaby to his girlfriend. His portrayal of anguish upon his girlfriend being taken away by Sarkate is palpable. At the same time there is a different shade too when Bittu becomes an alpha male as a result of Sarkate’s strong spell. The actor brings out both these shades in a wonderful manner.

Rajkummar Rao as Vicky is spot on in acing the different aspects of his role. Whether it is his lover boy act, or scenes of physical comedy. With this movie he once again proves his ability in jumping genres successfully.

The cameos of Tamanna Bhatia, Varun Dhawan and Akshay Kumar have been smartly integrated. Akshay Kumar plays a lunatic who thinks of himself as Shah Jahan. Akshay’s character is the one who sends a warning letter to Rudra in the beginning. The ending shot suggests that he might be an important part of Stree 3. Tamanna Bhatia sizzles in the special song “Aaj Ki Raat. She adds a lot of glamour with her sexy belly moves. Talking about the songs apart from “Aaj Ki Raat the other two “Aayi nai ” and “Tumhare Hi Rahenga Hum” also make for a good listen and watch. Varun Dhawan as Bhediya gets a dashing entry at a critical juncture. His scene with Abhishek Banerjee deserves a particular mention. Varun’s Bhediya gets attracted to Shraddha and asks him on how to impress her. In response Abhishek Banerjee says that you are Bhediya remain like that and don’t become an animal.

Tamanna Bhatia in Aaj Ki Raat

What drags down Stree 2 much like the first part is Shraddha Kapoor’s character. She has the same set of expressions from Stree 1. The romance between her and Rajkummar feels largely one sided with him doing most of the heavy lifting. The sequences of Sarkate meeting his end also needed to be crisper. The viewers get a feeling of eternity before Sarkate gets defeated.

Keeping aside these small niggles Stree 2 is truly a blockbuster sequel.

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Murder Mubarak: A Toothless Whodunit That Fails To Capture The Spirit Of Anuja Chauhan’s Novel ‘Club You To Death’

Director Homi Adajania tries to mix humour with suspense but fails spectacularly. Also, too many characters add to the fatigue.
  • Main Cast: Sara Ali Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Vijay Varma, Dimple Kapadia, Tisca Chopra, Pankaj Tripathi, and Sanjay Kapoor
  • Director: Homi Adajania
  • Producer: Maddock Films
  • Music Director: Sachin-Jigar
  • Cinematography: Linesh Desai
  • Genre: Murder Mystery-Comedy
  • Rating: 2/5
  • Run Time: 2 Hours 21 minutes
  • Published in: Southfirst

Anuja Chauhan’s 2021 novel “Club You To Death” was much more than just a murder mystery. It was a book that looked at discrimination based on class. The novel was a social satire in many ways.

For those who haven’t read Anuja Chauhan’s work, the setting of the movie is the Royal Delhi Club, known for its lavish parties and high-profile guests.

A murder is committed on its premises and ACP Bhavani Singh (Pankaj Tripathi) is given the responsibility of unravelling the mystery.

Bhavani Singh’s character is modelled on British writer Agatha Christie’s hugely popular fictional detective Hercule Poirot.

Also, there is Karisma Kapoor as superstar Shehnaz Noorani.

The lives of these rich people are juxtaposed with the working class.

For example, there is a caretaker with dementia Guppie Ram (Brijendra Kala).

In simple terms, the story is about what led to the death of the Zumba instructor Leo Mathews (Ashim Gulati) along with the various secrets of the suspects.

Analysis

A still from ‘Murder Mubarak’. (X)

What makes Murder Mubarak somewhat tolerable is the basic storyline.

Sure, the narrative style is tedious but the suspense of who the murderer is keeps the viewers going.

Here, director Homi Adjania and the writers must be given credit.

The last 20 minutes of Bhavani Singh solving the case is interesting.

Among the sprawling cast, Pankaj Tripathi has the most fun. The dependable actor brings his charismatic charm and also gets some good lines.

For instance, in a scene, he says “Aaj kal anti-national banne ke liye zyada patishram nahi karna padta hai (These days, it is quite easy to be labelled anti-national).

A big problem with Murder Mubarak is the overindulgence of Homi Adajania. This can be seen in how the director overstretches the narrative.

Most characters have also been poorly etched; a case in point is Vijay Varma and Dimple Kapadia.

In the second half, there is a badly placed love story between Sara Ali Khan and Vijay Varma while they are doing their parallel investigation.

The writing and the chemistry between the actors are weak.

Sara Ali Khan has one important scene in a crucial flashback towards the end. But the actor messes that scene up with her overacting. As a result, the viewers do not feel the emotional turmoil of her role.

Final take

Despite its engaging subject and an interesting set of actors, Murder Mubarak is a major misfire.

https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/murder-mubarak-hindi-movie-review/

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Main Atal Hoon: Pankaj Tripathi Delivers A Magnetic Performance In This Moderately Engaging Political Drama

The film is notches ahead of ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ and ‘PM Narendra Modi’ but continues the caricaturist portrayal of the Congress.

Rating : 2.5

  • Cast: Pankaj Tripathi, Piyush Mishra, Daya Shankar Pandey, Pramod Pathak, and Prasanna Ketkar
  • Director: Ravi Jadhav
  • Producer: Vinod Bhanushali
  • Music: Payal Dev, Kailash Kher, Amitraj, and Salim–Sulaiman
  • Background Score: Monty Sharma
  • Runtime: 2 hours 19 minutes
  • First Published in: SouthFirst

Bollywood’s track record of political dramas is not the greatest, particularly in the recent past. The Accidental Prime Minister (2019) and PM Narendra Modi (2019) were both absolute travesties in terms of storytelling and performance.

Acclaimed actor Anupam Kher reduced Manmohan Singh to a cartoon figure in The Accidental Prime Minister. Vivek Oberoi fared even worse with the horrible make-up and his horrid performance in PM Narendra Modi.

There is no denying that Main Atal Hoon comes under a political hagiography (the subject being treated with reverence).

But unlike the above-mentioned films, this is not a complete washout.

The main reason is Pankaj Tripathi’s histrionics and how Ravi Jadhav staged the speeches.

Synopsis

Main Atal Hoon is a biography of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Main Atal Hoon is a biography of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. (Supplied)

Main Atal Hoon introduces a young Vajpayee who cannot give a speech in the class.

From there on, we follow his journey of becoming a prominent opposition leader and eventually becoming the prime minister of India.

A major USP of Main Atal Hoon is how the director captures the spirit of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s politics. His ideologies have come out well, including wanting peace between neighbouring countries and respecting his political rivals.

This particularly comes out in the dialogues related to Jawaharlal Nehru.

The film is replete with many poems by Vajpayee. Thankfully, these poems have been integrated well and do not come across as tacky.

Performances

Pankaj Tripathi as Atal Bihari Vajpayee in ‘Main Atal Hoon’. (X)

Pankaj Tripathi as Atal Bihari Vajpayee in ‘Main Atal Hoon’. (X)

The scenes of Pankaj Tripathi delivering political speeches also leave a huge impact. A particular mention must be made of the scene where Atal expresses his anguish about the horrific events that happened during the emergency.

The cinematography in these portions is also rock-solid. Lawrence D’Cunha has done a brilliant job in capturing the big scale.

The songs are all melodious. My favourite ones are “Ram Dhun” and “Desh Pehle“.

Among the subplots, Atal’s relationship with his father Krishna Bihari Vajpayee (Piyush Mishra) and Rajkumari (Divya Uppadhayay) has been written well.

In the title role, Pankaj Tripathi adds another feather to his cap. The actor commands the viewers’ attention from the first frame. There is an instant charisma that captivates the audience.

Drawbacks

A big flaw of Main Atal Hoon is the rushed second half. The entire duration of the second half comes across as a political advertisement for the BJP.

Also, the film needed more insight into the statesmanship of Atal.

Lastly, the Congress characters come across as extras from The Accidental Prime Minister and PM Narendra Modi.

Payal Nair, as Indira Gandhi, suffers the most with a very weak characterisation. The stone-faced expressions of Payal Nair also don’t help in any way.

Final take

Main Atal Hoon is worth watching if you want to see how Pankaj Tripathi has stepped into the shoes of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

But those looking for a nuanced political drama are advised to look elsewhere.

(https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/main-atal-hoon-movie-review/)

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OMG 2: A Compelling Social Drama That Makes You Laugh And Think

Amit Rai’s directorial is another noteworthy addition to the list of mainstream movies that discuss taboo subjects.

A good follow-up!
OMG 2 (Hindi)
  • Cast: Akshay Kumar, Pankaj Tripathi, Yami Gautam, and Pavan Malhotra
  • Writer-Director: Amit Rai
  • Producer: Vipul D Shah, and Ashwin Varde
  • Music: Sandesh Shandilya and Vikram Montrose
  • Runtime: 2 hours 36 minutes

Director Amit Rai’s OMG 2 is not only a good follow-up to the first part but also works as a standalone film.

In OMG-Oh My God (2012), writer-director Umesh Shukla took several digs at the so-called religious men who feed upon the fears of common folk across religions. There was a sharp commentary on all types of religious hypocrisies.

OMG 2 features a different protagonist this time — a Shiv Bhakt. But what remains the same is how it touches upon an important social topic.

Nevertheless, the sequel is a step ahead in many ways.

Synopsis

Kanti Sharan Mudgal (Pankaj Tripathi) runs a pooja shop near a temple. he is a diehard devotee of Lord Shiva and enjoys respect in his area.

His life turns upside down when his son Vivek (Aarush Sharma) gets admitted to the hospital due to exhaustion caused by excessive masturbation (the word used here is a “selfie”).

Things get more problematic when Vivek’s fellow students secretly shoot a video of him doing the act in the toilet and the video gets circulated.  This results in a lot of humiliation for both Vivek and the family.

So, Kanti Sharan decides to flee with his family. It is at this point that Akshay Kumar enters as God’s messenger in human form.

Much like the first film, here too, Akshay guides his protagonist. This time, it is about fighting for his son and not running away from problems.

Kanti Sharan realises that his son has been a victim of misinformation and misguidance. He drags the school authorities and a chemist among others to the court. Here he is pitted against a high-profile lawyer Kamini (Yami Gautam).

Pavan Malhotra plays the judge.

The rest of the story is about how Kanti Sharan brings out the importance of sex education through his arguments and whether Vivek becomes his normal self again.

Highlights sex education

The best part about OMG 2 is how Amit Rai normalises the importance of sex education without making it come across as awkward.

For example, there are scenes where Tripathi shows how the body parts of males and females should be taught in school. He uses the words penis and vagina as normal words. All this comes across as natural.

The film also does a good job of normalising discussions about physical intimacy. There is a progressive outlook that can be felt throughout.

Further, it smartly integrates ancient Indian texts which have references to homosexuality.

There is also a reference to the Kamasutra which Kanti Sharan uses at an important juncture to remind us how progressive the Hindu religion was in the past.

However, the bashing of Macaulay towards the end could have been avoided. It comes as too simplistic.

Commendable performances

What also works for the film are the scenes between Akshay Kumar and Pankaj Tripathi.

The scenes where Akshay imparts wisdom to Pankaj Tripathi bring a smile to your face.

Akshay Kumar plays his part with the right amount of divinity. He also does a Shiv Tandav with admirable ease.

Pankaj Tripathi as Kanti Sharan does complete justice to the arc of the protagonist. His character has several shades from a distraught father to becoming a revolutionary and the actor pulls it off with the finesse that you expect from him.

Yami Gautam as the menacing opponent is also in fine form. She brings in the required aggressiveness and holds her ground.

Pavan Malhotra as the judge has his moments, particularly in his reaction shots.

Verdict

In all, OMG 2 is another noteworthy addition to the list of mainstream movies that discuss taboo subjects.

(Views expressed here are personal.)

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83: Expectations Have Come True

Directed by Kabir Khan, starring Ranveer Singh as Kapil Dev, it is bound to be talked about for a long long time. Other prominent cast includes Saqib Saleem as Mohinder Amarnath, Tahir Raj Bhasin as Sunil Gavaskar, Jatin Sarna as the late Yashapal Sharma, Tamil actor Jiva as Krishnamachari Srikanth and Pankaj Tripati as tour manger Man Singh among others. There is also Deepika Padukone who shows up as Kapil Dev’s wife Romi. The victory of 83 was not just about winning the world cup,  it wasmuch more than that. It was about respect and being taken seriously by the cricketing world. There is a dialogue in the film where Pankaj Tripati’s character says that India has won freedom but is still far from gaining respect. 83 world cup win did exactly that. Except for Kapil Dev no one thought that India would go the distance that it did. There were constant humiliations and many obstacles but one man’s desire transformed the entire team.

Not an easy film to make

It is not an easy film to make as a director for two reasons. One, you should be able to transport the audiences back to that era and two, you need to make sure that today’s generation connects with the journey of the then cricket team. Kabir Khan more than lives up to the expectations, he makes a rousing drama with the right dose of lightness and also some moving emotional scenes. The biggest success of Kabir Khan lies in the fact that he never reduces it to a one man show. Yes, Ranveer Singh is the heart of the film but all the cast members have their moments at different junctures of the film. A good example of that is the scene featuring Jiva. He delivers a moving monologue where he praises his captain in front of a British journalist much to the surprise of Kapil himself. It is something that you don’t see coming. Like this there are many scenes at different points in the film. Much like Bajirangi Bhaijaan here also Kabir Khan explores the idea of love triumphing over hate. Here the medium is cricket. This can be seen in the scene where all villagers along with police watch the final match together in an atmosphere of communal tension.

Recreation of action-packed event

The story of 83 is basically a recreation of what transpired between 1st march and June 25th. Director Kabir Khan along with writers Sumit Arora and Vasan Bala take us through the highs and the lows of this incredible real life story. We see India starting off with a bang as they beat West Indies and Zimbabwe but they start faltering in the next couple of games. A point comes where they are completely down and out. At this stage you have the famous innings of Kapil Dev. His score of 175 gave a huge boost to the team, it gave them the self-confidence that they can go far in the world cup. From that point a new Indian cricket team emerges.

Aseem Mishra, one of the strong points

One of the big strengths of 83 is the cinematography of Aseem Mishra. Through his camera lens Aseem Mishra successfully captures the tension of the matches. His cinematography particularly shines in the scenes involving the aggressive bowling of West Indies. The slow motion camera shots are wonderfully done.

Another striking aspect of 83 is the way Kabir Khan maintains the tempo of the film. He makes sure that you are constantly involved till the last minute. As viewers we know that India has won the 83 world cup but that doesn’t stop you from cheering out loud when that moment comes. A major reason for that is Kabir Khan’s direction.


Emotional moments

83 has plenty of moments that are both humorous and also highly emotional. There are lot of fun moments involving the characters of Yashpal Sharma, Krishnamachari Srikanth, Balwinder Sandhu and Man Singh. At the same time the emotional scenes also pack a solid punch. Apart from Jiva’s monologue my other favorite emotional scene is the one involving real Lala Amarnath and his on screen son Mohinder Amarnath. There is a telephonic conversation where Lala Amarnath says to his on screen son that he has made him younger by ten years. What follows will create a lump in your throat. Additionally there is also the footage of the real life players which is smartly used by Kabir Khan.

The music by Pritam is more functional but it still works in the context of the film. The song Lehra Do in particular gives goosebumps.

Cast made the difference

The cast put together by Kabir Khan takes the film to another level. Over the years, Ranveer has shown that he can transform into any character. With his performance as Kapil Dev he shows that he has reached another level. He manages to capture the attitude of Kapil Dev perfectly along with the physical aspect. There is a scene in the press conference where Kapil Dev says that we are here to win, the way Ranveer says it is a perfect example of how he has imbibed the spirit of Kapil Dev. His acting in the emotional scenes also deserves full marks. In short, he deserves all the best actor awards for next year. Pankaj Tripati is also hugely impressive in his role of Man Singh. He and Ranveer share some of the best moments in the film. Among the rest my favorites are Saqib Saleem, Jiva, Jatin Sarna and Tahir Raj Bhasin.

Deepika Padukone has a small role but she is efficient in what she does. It is also a case of clever casting as you already have a shared camaraderie off screen.

In the final tally 83 is a roll coaster of emotions. Yes, it is manipulative but you don’t complain as Kabir Khan gives you plenty of moments to savor. It is the perfect big ticket entertainer to end the year.

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Alia Bhatt: A Multi Faceted Queen

Today’s feature is a very special one as it is about one of my most favourite actresses. She is the very talented and a multifaceted personality Alia Bhatt. The reason for doing this feature is that Alia will be turning 28 on 15th of this month. Alia has captured the hearts of many ranging across different age groups from children, teenagers, adults and even old people. Apart from being a wonderful actress she has also sung some nice songs in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Highway, Udta Punjab etc. She also opened up a production house recently. The name of her production house is Eternal Sunshine productions. What makes this even more special is the fact that Alia is the youngest actress turned producer. The actress also set up an initiative called co Exist in 2017 which works towards animals and ecological welfare.

Shabana Azmi in one of her interviews had called Alia a wonderful actress with the perfect mixture of vulnerability and strength which is very attractive. When you look at the characters in films like Highway and Udta Punjab you feel that Shabana ji is right. For example, in Highway you see lot of vulnerability as she is scared of her kidnapper but gradually you see the character finding strength and by the end strength replaces vulnerability. A good example of that is the scene when she confronts her uncle in front of entire family. She yells at her father about not warning her about the dangers posed by insiders. The film ends with her going to the mountains and setting up her own factory. In Udta Punjab the character goes through multiple scenes of physical abuse but she never gives up, in fact she becomes a victor at the end. This combination makes her very endearing to the audiences particularly the younger generation both male and female. Males want to have a girlfriend like her while females find themselves in the characters.

Now I will talk about some of my favourite Alia Bhatt performances. Since I have already mentioned Highway and Udta Punjab I will be talking about three more.

1 Raazi – Raazi is based on the book written by Harinder Sikka. It is set in 1971 when India and Pakistan were at the brink of the war and Information is the key for both the nations. Alias character Sehmat gets married to a respectable Pakistani family. Her job is deliver information to Indian government through Mars code. It is a part which isn’t particularly likeable since she has to choose between nation and family. Honestly some of the actions which the character does are questionable but Sehmat never comes across as a villain because of Alias performance.

2 Dear Zindagi – Dear Zindagi was an attempt to normalize Psychiatry through the troubled personal life of a teenage girl. The character in this one is very different from Udta Punjab. The reason being it comes from an upper middle class family and her issues aren’t exactly first world war ones. You have friends to fall upon and also a glamorous profession but Alia still made it work with her spontaneous performance. Her scenes with the therapist played by SRK were one of the chief reasons why the film worked.

3 Gully Boy – As the title suggests the story is about a boy from the gully played by Ranveer Singh but Alia shined in all her scenes with a spirited act. In this film also you can see vulnerability and strength in many scenes. Alias performance worked as a perfect contrast to the understatedness of Ranveer. Through her performance she showed that good actors don’t need a whole of screen time in order to make an impression.

Apart from the above mentioned ones you have also got the Dulhania Franchise, Humpty Sharma and Badrinath Ki Dulhania along with 2 states, Kalank etc. Although these films are more commercial in nature the actress has played strong parts in these films as well. For example, in Badrinath Ki Dulhania Alia plays a girl called Vaidehi who is very clear about wanting to become an air hostess. She is someone who will go to any lengths in order to achieve the dream. Keeping all this in mind it is not surprising that apart from Shabana you have also had acclaimed actors Irrfran and Pankaj Tripati  also praising her. Irrfran had called her a gifted actress with the potential of being an international star. Pankaj Tripati who was the dialect coach of Udta Punjab had called her a hardworking actress.

As I earlier said the actress is a singer too. Her singing journey started with a bit version of Sooha Saaha in Highway however the first major song that she sung was the unplugged version of Samjhawaan in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. This song is not there in the film but is available in Youtube. The actress won lot of appreciation for the song. This was followed by two songs in Dear Zindagi and one of the songs was the club version of Love You Zindagi. After Dear Zindagi you had the song Ik Kudi which she sung with Diljit Dosanjh. In Badrinath Ki dulhania she sang the female version of Humsafar. The last one was Sadak 2. Just like her acting Alia also left a mark with her singing skills.

Now let’s move to Coexist which I mentioned in the beginning. As I earlier said Co Exist works towards animals and ecological welfare. As part of coexist you have the initiative my wardrobe is Su wardrobe. It is a philanthropic initiative where people get to choose outfits from the personal closet of Alia and other celebrities as a part of charity. The entire amount goes to some charity or the other. From one of the proceeds eco friendly solar lamps were sent to economically backward districts in Kikkeri, Karnataka. 

Alias sense of humour is another thing which is worth appreciating. Everyone knows how she became the butt of the jokes after getting the name of India president wrong. She was never offended with the jokes and took it in her stride. She also talked about her favourite Alia Bhatt jokes. In fact Alia also featured in Genuis of the year which was a funny take on the aftermath of Koffe with Karan debacle.

Although Alia is only 27 you can see lot of maturity in her which shows both off and on screen. The biggest example of that is the way she dealt with all the trolling post Sushant Singh Rajput’s death last year. A Koffe with Karan episode was unnecessarily blown out of proportion and a picture was painted of them as enemies. Add to that Sonam’s statement of who is Sushant was attributed to her. The actress took the controversy in her stride and focused on her work. We can see the result in the teaser of Gangubai.

It is a well known fact that Kangana has been attacking her since 2019 just because Alia didn’t promote her film Manikarnika. But Alia never resorted to Kangana’s language and has always given a dignified answer. One reason for that could be that she understands the background from which Kangana comes from.

Alia’s compassionate nature can also be seen with her sister. In We The Women event she broke down about not understanding what her sister was going through in spite of living with her for a long time. It was a very heart-warming event. Similarly when Rishi Kappor was admitted due to cancer Alia made sure to visit her future father in law. She was there for all the family things and balanced the personal life and professional life very well. After Rishi Kapoor’s death it is said that Alia Bhatt called Neetu Kapoor regularly and not Ranbir. 

Alia’s chemistry with all her co stars has always been good but my favourite pairing is with Varun Dhawan. They have acted together in four films starting from Student of the year to 2019’s Kalank. You can see the comfort level and the understanding that they have got. Even in the disaster that Kalank was their scenes were good to watch. My second favourite pairing of Alia is with Ranveer Singh. Before acting together in Gully Boy they acted in the make my trip ads and their pairing was liked by the audience. You can see the respect that they have for each other’s work and that clearly reflected in Gully Boy. It also helps that both of them are passionate actors and love to take on challenging roles.

Although Alia is not someone who is politically very active but there have been times where the actress has taken a stand. For example during the JNU and CAE protests the actress expressed her solidarity for the students through social media.

I will end this feature by talking about the teaser of Gangubai which has been trending for all the right reasons unlike Sadak 2. The dialogues in the teaser have particularly become very popular and have been quoted by fans. A good example of this is the line Kunwari apne Chhoda Nahi, shrimati kisi ne banaya nahi. While the transformation of Alia in the teaser has largely been appreciated there has also been discussion about alternate casting. Now this isn’t really surprising since Hrithik Roshan’s Super 30 also went through similar issues. But we all know what happened after the release of the film. Hrithik impressed everyone with his committed performance and the film went on to do very well. Coming back to this controversy it is necessary that the people wait until the release of the film. The reason being we don’t know which part of the life story Sanjay Leela Bhansali has taken. Since we are talking about Hrithik it is necessary to mention that both Hrithik and Alia have been invited to join the Oscar academy where they might be given voting rights.

I will finally end by wishing her all the best for the future projects which include Bramhastra and her Telugu debut RRR. An interesting thing about RRR is that Alia will be dubbing in her own voice. It will be interesting to see the actress speak Telugu.