My Suggestions From Current OTT Releases 🙂

Good content seems to be showering on all OTT channels.

Upon browsing, you are prone to find something or the other, worthwhile to occupy your creative mind.

Personally in the last few days, I have binge watched and liked the following series and movies on assorted OTT channels - (sharing only one from each channel)

- Netflix: Squid Game (9 episodes)

An extremely engaging and mind churning Korean series about a set of lethal games (which appear physical but are actually mental) played by a big group of people who are desolate with life due to extreme financial fiasco, for an insane amount of prize money, which will only be given to the final winner. Rest all will die beforehand!

- Prime Video: Sardar Udham

It's about an unsung hero who was a close aid and follower of Bhagat Singh. The movie feels slow paced in the beginning, but soon enough you gel with it's tempo.

Watch the movie to see a different visual treatment of Jallianwala Bagh massacre and Vicky Kaushal.

- Disney+ Hotstar: Dil Bekaraar (10 episodes)

Set in the backdrop of late 1980s, it's a cool amalgamation of sweet family drama and exposure of a the then national issue.

If you are born in the 60s or 70s, watch it for the sheer nostalgia of a forgotten and relatively sweet & simple lifestyle.

It's lovely to see Raj Babbar, Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure together in one frame after ages. Chandrachur Singh plays a small role but surprises you with a total look makeover.

- Sony Liv: Tabbar (8 episodes)

An extremely well made and engaging series with excellent screenplay and acting. Storyline is a simple case of drugs misplacement. But the treatment of the story is fantastic and full of surprises.

Pawan Malhotra and Supriya Pathak are a treat to watch as an aged middle class God fearing Punjabi couple.

- ZEE5: Bob Biswas

It's a horizontal sequel to Kahaani (2021) wherein the director's cap has passed on from Sujoy Ghosh to his debutant daughter Diya Annapurna Ghosh and Bob Biswas' character playing has passed on from Saswata Chatterjee to Abhishek Bachchan.

Watch the movie tosee an evolved and much better performing Abhishek Bachchan.

- MX Player: Matsya Kaand (11 episodes)

It's a revenge drama wherein a series of con games are pulled off by Ravi Dubey and his small team, using more of disguise and minute planning rather than muscle. He follows the guidance of stoic Piyush Mishra, who has developed an altogether new and impressive style of dialogue delivery.

Ravi Kishan and Rajesh Sharma bring their own zing.

Antim: The Final Truth (26 Nov 2021)

Genre: Crime Action

Language: Hindi

Duration: 140 minutes

Director: Mahesh Manjrekar

Cast: Salman Khan, Aayush Sharma, Sachin Khedekar, Mahesh Manjrekar, Mahima Makwana, Sayaji Shinde, Upendra Limaye, Jisshu Sengupta, Nikitin Dheer, Rohit Haldikar

Music: Ravi Basrur, Hitesh Modak

Editing: Bunty Nagi, Sarvesh Parab

3 Interesting Observations:

Let's start with my 3 observations after watching the movie -

... Sachin Khedekar is totally invested in the movie. He holds on to his character from start till end with elan and conviction.

... Aayush Sharm is invested in his career. In spite of being a villager, he sports chiseled looks and golden-ish beard and moustache.

He makes full show of - muscular body; all possible emotions like crying, laughing, smirking, threatening and mocking; fight sequences, dance movements and romance.

... Salman Khan is also invested in Aayush's career. He has less screen time than his protégé and no heroine!

Even in the scenes, where the cop in him is reprimanding the criminal in Aayush, he doesn't emanate the vibes of ill-will or hate. It appears as if a guardian is disciplining a young adult.

Plot:

Centred around the plight of poor farmers forced to sell their lands to rich and exploitative zamindars and industrialists, the movie opens with Rahul aka Rahulya's (Aayush Sharma) family being forced to relocate from their village to Poona, once his father Dattaram Patil (Sachin Khedekar), suffers blows and humiliation at the hands of his boss, to whom he had already sold his land and works there as the gatekeeper!

Once in Pune, Rahulya's anger and restlessness puts him on a non returning spree of crime and soon enough he becomes a dreaded and eccentric gangster of Pune and indulges into the heinous acts of land grabbing from poor farmers. Alongside, he also does few Robinhood acts and romances Manda (Mahima Makwana), a girl who runs a tea stall.

Rajveer Singh (Salman Khan) is a know-all, daring and righteous Sikh cop, who decides to clear the crime in the city by turning the gangsters against each other. But when it's Rahulya's turn to get eliminated, he comes and saves him!

Finally everyone gets eliminated. Watch the movie to see how and by whom!

Analysis:

Antim is an Hindi adaptation of the Marathi film Mulshi Pattern, but the latter's treatment is starkly different from the former.

The latter focuses on the plight of farmers and their families upon being forced to leave their land and dignity back in their village to earn a livelihood in the city by doing menial jobs and undignified treatment.

While the former focuses on action scenes, superhero image of Salman Khan and new hero image of Aayush Sharma.

The movie's star cast is good but storyline contradicts itself a couple of times. The chemistry between the lead pair is nil. The direction and music are average. 

Conclusion:

On the whole, it's an average movie filled with bullets, slow motion and cheesy dialogues.

Bunty Aur Babli 2 (19 Nov 2021)

 

Genre: Comedy Romance

Language: Hindi

Duration: 138 minutes

Director: Varun V. Sharma

Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji, Pankaj Tripathi, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Sharvari Wagh

Music: Shankar Mahadevan, Loy Mendonsa, Ehsaan Noorani

Editing: Aarif Sheikh

Today, after 16 years when I think about the original Bunty Aur Babli (2005), I am fondly reminded of -

a. The natural fun filled chemistry of the leading couple aka Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji.

b. Insanely colorful but interesting dressing of Babli aka Rani Mukerji.

c. Bullish presence of Amitabh Bachchan.

d. Iconic song 'Kajrare kajrare' performed by Aishwarya Rai and overall good and peppy numbers.

However, in the sequel Bunty Aur Babli 2 (2021) -

a. The chemistry between the lead pair Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji is quite bland.

What happened to Karan and Rhea of Hum Aur Tum (2004)?

b. Except for some post interval scenes in Abu Dhabi, Babli aka Rani Mukerji's dressing and makeup is quite garish.

Even her mode of acting is unnecessary loud with nuances of over-acting.

Why did a seasoned actress like Rani resort to such insecure performance?

c. Well, Pankaj Tripathi has performed his usual self and kept his scenes relatively entertaining. 

But can Big B's aura be replaced? Absolutely not.

d. Forget any iconic number, the entire music of the movie is quite forgetful.

An Interesting Observation:

Saif Ali Khan is supposed to look like a desi and rustic small towner in major parts of the film, but ends up looking royal. Also, a tad bit jaded.

While Siddhant Chaturvedi is supposed to look like a city bred educated and suave gentleman, but still looks more of a desi and rustic lad!

Why happened to the Langda Tyagi level of performance, enacted by Saif in Omkara (2006)?

How long will Siddhant take to come out of the mould of a 'desi gully boy'?

In the sequel, only Rani and Pankaj manage to carve clear characters and hold on to them throughout the movie. Saif just delivers his lines with no impact or single characterization.

The leading pair look quite dapper in their expansive designer wears, in the foreign location scenes that appear shortly after the interval.

They also have a plump faced young male child in the film who manages to score few laughter now and then.

Gully Boy (2019) fame Siddhant carries well different prosthetics and debutant Sharvari looks quite confident. 

Both of them are young and presentable with slim and toned bodies, but are unable to create any magic together.

Movie Analysis:

Overall, Bunty Aur Babli 2 is an average movie with no innovation, poor script and much left to be desired direction.

Last but not the least, this movie makes you feel the impossible. It makes you yearn for Abhishek Bachchan! His performance in the prequel was bang on.