Tag: southfirst

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Salaam Venky: Venky’s Spirit Deserves A Salute, But Not The Film

Too much melodrama!

Salaam Venky (Hindi)

  • Cast: Kajol, Vishal Jethwa, Ahana Kumra, Rahul Bose, Rajeev Khandelwal, Prakash Raj, Anant Mahadevan, Priya Mani, Kamal Sadanah, Maala Parvathi, Ridhi Kumar, Aneet Padda, and Aamir Khan (special appearance)
  • Director: Revathy
  • Producers: Suraj Singh, Shraddha Agrawal, and Varsha Kukreja
  • Music: Mithoon
  • Runtime: 2 hours 17 minutes

Salaam Venky, directed by Revathy, reminds the audiences of several films, including Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guazaarish.

In fact, the debate surrounding euthanasia (mercy killing) in this Kajol-starrer is inspired by Bhansali’s directorial.

However, to Revathy’s credit, she also brings the angle of organ donation through the protagonist.

The other significant influence is the 1971 classic Anand.

The protagonist, Venky, is heavily influenced by the late Rajesh Khanna’s philosophy in Anand. He firmly believes that “life must be big irrespective of the longevity”.

In Salaam Venky, Revathy tries to merge these two aspects, but it is not entirely successful.

There are some truly heartfelt moments, including an extended cameo of a big actor. However, the film never achieves its full potential.

The storyline

For those who are not aware, the story of Salaam Venky is inspired by the novel Last Hurrah. The novel itself was inspired by the true story of the 24-year-old chess player Kolavennu Venkatesh.

The movie follows the journey of a patient with the life-threatening condition DMD (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy), which weakens the muscles from an early age.

Vishal Jethwa is Venkatesh Krishnan aka Venky. His mother is Sujatha Prasad (Kajol).


Venky was expected to live only 16 years. But his zest for life coupled with Sujata’s efforts made him reach 24; however, his death is now imminent. It is only a matter of time.

Venky wants to donate his organs before he dies and urges his mother to appeal for euthanasia. Naturally, Sujata is unwilling as she has not given up on her son yet.

But soon, she reconciles with this bitter truth and accepts her son’s wishes. She finds a lawyer named Parvez Alam (Rahul Bose) with the help of Dr Shekhar (Rajeev Khandelwal).

The court agrees to hear the case but there is still a long way to go. Of course, Venky loses the case but he sparks a much-needed debate.

Apart from the aforementioned characters, there is also Aamir Khan in an extended cameo. But only Kajol can see him!

What really worked?

Before getting into the negatives, it is necessary to say a few things about what works for the film.

Revathy extracts solid performances from most of her cast.

Kajol is resilient and vulnerable in equal parts. She balances both these aspects wonderfully. She is particularly good in the scenes where she is battling her inner demons.

However, the scene-stealer is easily Vishal Jethwa. He does a successful U-turn from his roles in Mardaani 2 and the web series Human, showing good range.

The filminess of Venky’s character would have been grating in the hands of a less capable actor, but Vishal more than rises to the occasion.

His cheerful attitude in the face of adversity does bring a smile to your face.

A particular mention must be made of Venky’s scenes with his love Nandini (Aneet Padda). They are heartwarming and provide some much-needed respite.

One of the other subplots worth mentioning here is the one between Kajol and Aamir. Aamir has a mysterious presence and whenever he appears, there is curiosity in the minds of the audience.

The scenes between the two are few, but they leave a solid impact. Aamir, in an extended cameo here, is more watchable than in his last two ventures.

What didn’t work?

The second half is definitely more gripping than the first. The courtroom scenes between Rahul Bose and Priya Mani, the opposing lawyer, have some meat.

The arguments for and against euthanasia along with organ donation give the film some of its best moments.

However, the biggest issue with Salaam Venky is the tone that Revathy adopts, particularly in the first half. There is too much melodrama, which is not really needed, given the explosive content.

Additionally, the dialogues with filmy references feel overdone after a particular point. On more than one occasion, these dialogues come across as cringe rather than fun.

Some of the other subplots could have also been avoided. The case in point is Venky’s father, who makes an unnecessary comeback, only to disappear after showing how insensitive he was as a father and husband in the flashback.

Aahana Kumara as the TV reporter also doesn’t add much to the plot. The TV debates shown are artificial.

Music by Mithoon is pleasant, but the songs could have been more heartfelt.

Overall, Salaam Venky has all the right ingredients, but the garnishing is the problem!

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Hit 2: A Taut Police Procedural That Is More Gripping Than Its Predecessor

Leaves you excited for the third part.

HIT: The Second Case (Telugu)

  • Cast: Adivi Sesh, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Suhas, Rao Ramesh, Tanikella Bharani, Posani Krishnamurali, Komalle Prasad, Srikanth Iyengar, and Maganti Srikanth
  • Director: Sailesh Kolanu
  • Producers: Prashanti Tipirneni and Nani
  • Music: MM Srilkeha, Suresh Bobbili, and John Stewart Eduri
  • Runtime: 2 hours

Not much was expected when Hit (The First Case) hit the theatres. However, the film surprised many thanks to its arresting screenplay. Vishwak Sen was also applauded for his performance as the officer battling with post traumatic stress.

There were certain issues with the storytelling. The climax was a downer and some of the investigation scenes lacked cohesiveness, but still the film was appreciated for its novelty.

The sequel has Adavi Sesh taking over the reins from Vishwak Sen, but the characterisations of both the heroes are as different as chalk and cheese. Expectations from the sequel are far more thanks to the well-received trailer and its leading man.

The setting of Hit (The Second Case) is Visakhapatnam. Before we are introduced to SP Krishna Dev (Adavi Sesh) there is an important incident that sets the tone of the story.

It is about a man who accidently stumbles upon his wife’s extramarital affair. Expectedly he gets angry and orders her to go away.

The wife goes to a women’s organization and paints a picture of her husband mentally harassing her. This leads to the husband’s humiliation and subsequently he loses his job as well. Later on we also find out that he had committed suicide.

Enter Adavi Sesh

After this prologue the scene shifts to the introduction of Adavi Sesh. Unlike the brooding Vishwak Sen’s Vikram Rudraraju, Adavi Sesh’s KD is more relaxed in the way he conducts his investigations. KD is also a chai addict. For him visiting a crime scene can wait, but not chai.

KD has a live-in relationship with his girlfriend Aarya (Meenakshi Chaudhary). Rao Ramesh plays KD’s superior. KD is someone who is also known for his wit and sarcasm and this adds a different dimension to the character. Maganti Srinath reprises her role from the first part.

A tonal shift in the film happens when a woman is found dead in a gruesome manner. This brings to the fore questions of women’s safety. From here on the film moves to into the zone of an SP versus a psychopath. Two more gruesome murders follow, and the pressure mounts on the police to catch this serial killer.

What is common between the murders is that all three women were part of a women’s organization. At one point it appears that everything has been solved, but soon a big twist comes. And this twist jolts the audiences.

The rest of the story is about why the serial killer is specifically targeting this section. And, most importantly, whether KD is able to put a stop to all this.

The many pluses of Hit2

Hit2 is a film which works on many counts, starting from the technical team. John Stewart Eduri’s background score has the required tension. The effectiveness of his background score can be particularly felt when KD has to race against time.

Cinematographer Manikandan is effective in showcasing Vizag in a different light. The production design also deserves a special mention.

Meenakshi Chaudary in Hit2 has more to do than Ruhani Sharma in Hit1, and the actress does a good job. Both Adavi Sesh and Meenakshi have a good chemistry. Director Sailesh Kolanu treats their live-in relationship in a matter of fact way without making it a big thing.

KD’s scenes with Aarya’s mother (Geetha Bhascker) bring a certain fun element in an otherwise tense ridden film. The audiences miss seeing more of Geeta Bhascker.

The film also briefly touches upon extra-judicial killings and police encounters being celebrated. It is just a brief subplot but nevertheless Sailesh Kolanu makes some valid points.

Creating the back-story

The major area where Hit2 scores over its first part is in the motivation of the killer. The back-story of the villain and why he does what he does has been brought out superbly. Moreover, the actor playing the villain is somebody that the audiences would never have thought of.

Portions of the climax aren’t easy to digest, but as an audience you nevertheless come out satisfied.

Hit2 majorly rests on the shoulders of Adavi Sesh and the actor doesn’t disappoint. KD is a character with various shades and he plays it with a finesse that we have come to associate with him. He has been part of thrillers previously too but Hit2 showcases the actor in a different light.

Of the rest, Suhas and Maganti Srinath hold their own. Some of the senior actors haven’t been properly used by the director. And these include Rao Ramesh and Tanikella Bharani.

Another minor complaint: The scenes of Adavi Sesh with Posani Krishna Murali — they don’t add much weight to the film.

The music by MM Srilekha and Suresh Bobbili is functional. However, there is one romantic song which is both good to watch and hear.

Hit (The Second Case) leaves you excited for the third part, and also a possible crossover between the three heroes in the future.

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Freddy: Karthik Aryan Scores A+, But The Film Could Have Been So Much More

The extra half-star is purely for Karthik Aryan’s transformation!

Freddy (Hindi)

  • Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Alaya F, Jennifer Piccinato, Karan A Pandit, Sajjad Delfrooz, Harshika Kewalramani, and Tripti Agarwal
  • Director: Shashanka Ghosh
  • Producers: Shobha Kapoor, Ektaa Kapoor, Jay Shewakramani, Narendra Hirawat, and Shreyans Hirawat
  • Music: Clinton Cerejo and Pritam
  • OTT platform: Disney+ Hotstar
  • Runtime: 2 hours 13 minutes

Karthik Aryan is someone who is synonymous with lighter roles. Whether it is the Pyar kaa Punchnama series or the recent Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. In between there was also Ram Madhvani’s Dhammaka, but Karthik is someone who is still largely associated with comedy and romance.

With Freddy, the actor does something drastically different. The same applies to director Shashanka Ghosh as well.

There is no denying that Freddy starts off promisingly, but it soon becomes a mundane revenge drama.

Freddy tells the story of Dr Freddy Ginwala (Karthik Aryan). Freddy is someone who has difficulty in communicating with people other than his patients. He is haunted by a childhood trauma. Freddy is a respected dentist but he has no friends except for a tortoise. He desperately wants companionship but it is not happening anytime soon.

Things take a turn when Freddy spots Kainaaz (Alaya F) at a wedding. It is love at first sight for Freddy. Kainaaz is a victim of an abusive marriage. Freddy soon becomes her companion; he also hatches a plan with Kainaaz to bump off her husband.

However, Kainaaz is not what she appears to be and soon enough Freddy faces a big jolt.

The rest of the story is about how Freddy’s personality goes through a sea change and what happens at the end.

The second-half problem

As mentioned, Freddy begins well enough. The social awkwardness of Freddy is well established and as an audience you are invested in his journey. Freddy’s desperation to find a partner makes you root for him. Alaya F’s entry spices up the film. There isn’t much scope for romantic chemistry, but still both Karthik and Alaya are wonderful to watch together.

Things go fine until the big twist comes along. From here the film enters the territory of Shahid and Kareena Kapoor starrer Fida. Much like that film, here, too, Freddy is seething with rage.

Shashanka Ghosh tries to give more dimensions to Freddy, throwing in the angles of mental health and childhood trauma. However, these efforts come across as rather half-baked.

The revenge of Freddy has also been portrayed in a haphazard manner. The thrills are mostly missing.

Kudos to Karthik Aryan

In the title role, Karthik Aryan gives it his all. There is a visible transformation that you see in his body language. He has drastically alternated his trademark mannerisms and merged himself into the character.

Alaya F embraces the dark shades of her character wholeheartedly. Her character-switch is rather abrupt but Alaya is consistently watchable.

The rest of the cast are there just for the sake of filling the screen.

Freddy is a decent attempt at making a psychological crime thriller. However, a lot more effort was the need of the hour, the extra half-star is purely for Karthik Aryan’s transformation.

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Bhediya: A Strong Cautionary Tale On The Importance Of Environment

Varun is brilliant, while Kriti gets relegated to the background!

Bhediya (Hindi)

  • Cast: Varun Dhawan, Abhishek Benarjee, Deepak Dobriyal, Paalin Kabak, and Kriti Sanon
  • Director: Aamir Kaushik
  • Producer: Dinesh Vijan
  • Music: Sachin-Jigar
  • Runtime: 2 hours and 36 minutes

Aamir Kaushik is known for his wacky sense of storytelling: his previous films Stree and Bala are examples.

Stree was based on the folk tale, “Oh Woman Come Tomorrow”. He gave it a feminist touch, elevating the film from the usual horror-comedy genre.

In Bala, Kaushik used humour to convey an important message on baldness and societal standards of beauty.

With Bhediya, Kaushik once again scripts a folk tale with a strong message. This time, the setting is Arunachal Pradesh.

In Bhediya, he focuses his lens on how progress should not be at the cost of the environment. There is also a commentary on how the northeast people are alienated.

These are heavy themes but Kaushik makes them non-preachy through his storytelling.

The plot of Bhediya is centred on a small-time contractor Bhaskar (Varun Dhawan). He gets the opportunity of a lifetime when he is given a road-construction contract inside the dense forests of Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh.

This is his biggest project. But he is aware that this project will destroy the environment.

He also knows that the project would not benefit the local population. Still, he wants to continue the work for the benefits it brings.

His cousin Janardan (Abhishek Banerjee) accompanies him. He has a local friend, Jomin (Paalin Kabak).

Deepak Dobriyal plays sub-contractor Panda. One night, Bhaskar is stranded in the jungle and is bitten by a bhediya (wolf).

Veterinary doctor Anki (Kriti Sanon with a weird hairstyle) provides him first-aid.

However, things start getting worse for Bhaskar because he was bitten by a supernatural wolf. As a result, he too gets some supernatural powers now.

On the other hand, certain people associated with this controversial project are getting killed due to a particular animal.

The rest of the story is about how this mystery is solved and how Bhaskar manages to overcome his inner conflict. This is the synopsis of Bhediya.

Terrific visual effects

The best thing about the movie is how the director balances horror and comedy.

The scenes of Varun transforming into a werewolf at night will give goosebumps to the audience, more so if you are watching it in 3D.

The background music by Sachin-Jigar coupled with the cinematography of Jishnu Bhattacharjee heightens the impact of these scenes.

The computer-generated ‘wolf effects’ are in perfect sync with the nature of the film. The hard work that has gone behind the scenes is evident.

Comedy is a mixed bag

Abhishek Benerjee mostly handles the comedy part. He is a real hoot and often leaves the audience in splits.

Varun’s camaraderie with both Abhishek Benerjee and Paalin Kabak gives the film some of its best moments.

Paalin Kabak also stands on his own, particularly in the scene where he expresses his frustration about the stereotypes associated with northeastern people.

Deepak Dobriyal is fun to watch.

But some of the jokes are rather in bad taste. A case in point is the scene where Varun’s bum becomes a point of discussion; there is also some unnecessary toilet humour which dragged quite a bit.

There are also some avoidable racist jokes.

Varun is brilliant, Kriti is underused

Another major win for the film is how the character of Varun has been designed coupled with the actor’s terrific performance.

Bhaskar is someone who starts with an indifferent attitude towards nature. Becoming rich is his only ambition. However, all these changes after he gets bitten by the supernatural wolf.

The audiences get to see him going through a lot of internal conflicts and eventually changing for the better.

Varun captures all these shades meticulously. He also deserves huge credit for the physical transformation that he goes through when the wolf takes over.

Kriti Sanon has a mysterious presence much like Shraddha Kapoor in Stree. And just like Shraddha, Kriti is largely relegated to the background except for the pre-climax twist.

It has a good emotional touch. However, the impact would have been more if Kriti was better used it from the beginning. Her romance with Varun is rather half-baked.

Sachin-Jigar’s music was better in Stree than in this film but they more than make it up with their background score.

Rajkumar Rao and Aparshakti Khuranna make a surprise appearance, in the end, leaving the audiences curious about a possible crossover film between Bhediya and Stree in future.

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Some Of My Favorite Web Series Across Languages (2021)

Firstly advanced happy New Year and here’s hoping that we will finally get rid of this COVID in 2022. Following is a list of the web series that I have liked most this year. Out of the eight web series that I have chosen there are two Telugu, four Hindi, one English and one Pakistani.

Pakistani

1 Dhoop Ki Deewar– Director Haseeb Hasan’s Dhoop Ki Deewar is a show which is much needed for today’s times. Through a heart wrenching love story the director conveyed a strong anti- war message. The series begins off with an intense India and Pakistan cricket match. You have two families cheering for their respective nations. One family is from Amritsar and the other one is from Lahore.

The first episode gives you a basic idea about these two families. The audiences soon come to know that they are army ones. The main characters are Sara Sher Ali (Sajal Ally) and Vishal Malhotra (Ahad Raza). The fathers of these two are fighting in the Indian- Pakistan border in Jammu & Kashmir. Sara and Vishal don’t know that their lives are going to change forever.

Haseeb Hasan gets many things right with the show. One of those things is the consumption of entertainment across the nations. For example Vishal is shown to be a fan of Atif Aslam songs. The Indian family on one hand is shown to be fond of Pakistani dramas; on the other hand the Pakistani family is shown to be fond of Indian dramas. All these things are narrated in an entertaining way.

The love story between the leads keeps you guessing regarding where it is going to end. At one point it looks like they may have a happily ever after but that is soon drowned with the twists towards the final few episodes. The climax is a highly emotional one; it is very difficult not to be moved. Sajal Ally and Ahad Raza bring the characters to life with their terrific performances. Both of them are equally good and that also helps the audiences in making them root for the characters.

English

1. Sex Education Season 3– There is a major reason why the sex education series is hugely popular. It is a series which had juggled many delicate issues like teen sexuality, gender identity etc. All this was done in such a way that you never feel like being lectured. Sex education season 3 was a worthy successor as it goes a step further. This time the focus was on women’s rights, patriarchy and loving oneself.

Sex education season 3

For those who haven’t seen the first two seasons the plot primarily followed the journey of Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield). He is a student at Moordale Secondary school. Otis is slightly ambivalent toward sex. The reason for that is his divorced mother Jean (Gillian Anderson). She is a sex therapist who has frequent affairs but is unable to maintain relationships.

Another major character is that of Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey).  Otis and Maeve set up a sex therapy business in school in order to help the students who have sexual problems. Season 2 was majorly about an outbreak called Chlamydia that causes students to question and struggle against topical issues.

Coming to Season 3 a major highlight of this one was how it dealt with the female characters. They were written with lot of insight. This insight can be particularly seen with Maeve and also the pregnancy of Otis mother Jean Melbourn. The writing of these characters was also strong in the first two ones but this time it went a notch higher. Emma Mackey and Gilan Anderson were the best out of the ensemble cast.

Telugu

1. Kudi Yedamaithe– Pawan Kumar’s Kudi Yedamaithe was based on an interesting premise of two people having already lived through a particular day. In the hands of a less competent director this premise would have fallen flat but Pawan Kumar did an extremely good job in making the audiences engrossed throughout.

The series comprised of eight episodes and it never deviated from its core plot. Thankfully, there were no forceful insertions like comedy track or songs. The two characters in question here are Adi (Rahul Vijay) and cop Durga (Amala Paul). Durga has her hands full as she is busy trying to catch the child kidnappers. Adi on the other hand is a delivery boy with aspirations of becoming an actor. The core plot is about whether these two can change the turn of events since they are aware of what the rest of the day holds.

One of the major strengths of the series is the subtle variations that the director brings to the table in terms of how he presents the events. This can be particularly seen with Adi’s character. The director also makes sure that the concept of time loop never gets into a boring zone. While Amala Paul is in good form as Durga it is Rahul Vijay who surprises you. He gets equal footage to show his potential.

2.  Unheard– Aditya KV’s Unheard is a series which packs in a lot. There are multiple themes going on. For example you have the ideological stand offs between the revolutionaries. It is a lot to focus on but the director does a good job of keeping you invested.

The series starts off with an idealistic young Gandhian Padma (Chandini Chowdary). She seeks help for an injured comrade played by Priyadarshini. The doctor who helps her is Chalapati (Bala Aditya). The night passes with Padma and Chalapati having heated arguments on the benefits and banes of Nizam rule along with the price of freedom. The next episode is about two revolutionaries with different ideologies, along with Priyadarshini this episode also features Ajay. The rest of the episodes mostly bring back the familiar characters.

One of the most striking aspects of the series is the conversations between the revolutionaries. The series by nature is heavy on dialogues as the characters are frequently saying their point of views. Thankfully the dialogues also written by Aditya KV are just as powerful. These dialogues along with the performances of the actors also aided the script.

Hindi

1. Family Man Season 2– The expectations from Family Man Season 2 was immense, fortunately season 2 more than lived up to the expectations. In fact it was better than the first one. Just like the first season director duo Raj and DK continued to showcase their ability in dealing with conflicts both global and domestic through humanist lens. You don’t come across simplistic heroes and villains here. There are shades of grey on both sides.

By the end of Season 1 Manoj Bajpai’s Srikant Tiwari had quit his task force job and joined an IT company. The reason for that is his guilt about certain events that had happened at the end of the first season. He also wanted to make his family life work but his attempts at neither are working. He is getting fed up of the IT job and the family life has become worse.

The backdrop of Season 2 is Northern Sri Lanka. Samantha’s character Raji is a hardened LTTE militant. The basic storyline is Srikant Tiwari deciding that he has had enough and returning back to where he belongs. The task of Srikant Tiwari this time is to save PM Basu (Seema Biswas) from the hands of LTTE. In addition the old nemeses have also made a comeback.

The biggest triumph of Family Man Season 2 is how Raj and DK deal with the characters of Samantha’s Raji and the entire LTTE thing in general. Samantha had said in various interviews that she doesn’t look at her character as a villain. You understand why she said like that when you see the show. Raji is someone who has faced brutality at the hands of both Sri lankan soldiers and also men in day to day life. Her anger is not just about the governments but it is also about patriarchy.

Samantha embodied all these aspects of her character and delivered a performance that pushes boundaries. The way she did the action scenes was also first rate. Manoj Bajpai as Srikant Tiwari started off from where he left off in the season. Sharab Hasmi in his supporting was equally impressive just like the first part.

2. Grahan– Rajesh Chandel’s Grahan was based on the novel  Chaurasi written by Satya Vyas. The eight episodes covers a story that is set three decades from each other, however there is a commonality that binds them.

Zoya Hussain plays the righteous police officer Amrita Singh. She firmly believes in using her position for the betterment of society. Pawan Malhotra plays the father. When Amrita tries to solve a case of an honest journalist she faces opposition from top politicians. Frustrated she decides to resign, but things take a turn when an old case regarding the Sikh riots in a place called Bokaro comes up. Her world comes crashing down as she finds that her father is the prime suspect in this case.

The most striking aspect of Grahan is the parallels that the director draws between 1984 India and today’s one. There are some sharp observations on how people can be quickly incited by What’sApp forwards and political manipulation. There are some scenes in the present timeline which show how easily people believe in these rumors and turn against each other in spite of living with them for a long time. The underlying message is that the issues are the same whether it is 1984 India or today’s one.

The emotional scenes between Zoya and Pavan Malhotra also struck a chord with the audiences.

3. Mumbai Diaries– Mumbai Diaries directed by Nikhil Advani and Nikhil Gonsalves is a gripping drama that is both emotional and intriguing. The directors took the real life incidents of 26//11 and penned down a fictional story.

The director duo set their story in a crowded, chaotic and low- on resources government hospital. The doctors and nurses are pushed to their limits as victims of gunshots are wheeled in one after another on the night of November 26th.

Although the medical professionals are the centre of the story they are not the only ones under the spotlight. In essence Mumbai Diaries is about the spirit of the people. It was a night where everyone had to be on their toes to fight this unexpected attack.

The biggest success of Mumbai Diaries lies in how they made a thriller that is both heartbreaking and heart stopping. The series makes you applaud the courage and the determination that both men and women showed in the face of death. It also avoided the cliché route of pitting one nation against another, or one religion against another.

Out of the huge ensemble the ones who stood out were Mohit Raina, Konkana Sen Sharma and Satyajit Dubey.

4. The Empire– Mitakshara Kumar’s The Empire was based on Alex Rutherford’s novel The Raiders from the north. It was the first in the series written by Alex Rutherford. The book essentially covered the journey of Babur from Fergana to setting up the Mughal Empire. Apart from Kunal Kapoor as Babur the ensemble cast also included Dino Morea, Shabana Azmi, Drashti Dhami etc.

The Empire wasn’t exactly as engaging as the book but it was still consistently watchable on the account of several factors.

The scale of the series was undoubtedly very striking. The camerawork by Nigam Bomzan and the production design by Priya Suhas was successful in transporting the audience. Mitakshara Kumar worked as an assistant director for several years under Sanjay Leela Bhansali, you can clearly see the influence of her mentor.

Just like Ranveer’s Khilji Dino Morea also had a more of an impactful role compared to Kunal Kapoor who played Babur. Initially we see Dino’s character as a ruthless villain but slowly a psychological insight is also given. His scenes with Drashti Dhami’s Khanzada Begum showed a different side to the character.

The female characters of Dhrasti Dhami and Shabana Azmi were another good aspect of the series. Drashti Dhami in particular molded herself well in a character that requires her to be bold yet restrained and impactful. Both the women characters play an important role in the politics of the kingdom and aren’t mere bystanders.

This is all about the year ender web series, once again advanced Happy New Year.