tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14461230933106763522024-03-13T02:25:03.220-07:00Jai Maa DurgaThis blog for Indian Movies & Web Series Reviews and Suggestion List is dedicated to movie and web series lovers.Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-44434098409351616202023-12-14T06:45:00.000-08:002023-12-14T06:45:40.822-08:00Mast Mein Rehne Ka (8 Dec 2023)<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGSotHPXPCx0-LRaKkH-4Vo9_1w-vBeieHuTU27ADRcJNgdps5reiDdAppsTG-kLomGT1e0Kg9IgcvdxTl_65pBXiJUtEWSabEsUPgpo7dHZRjz2VDSRL2HOTCIELD-0DlTHE2v3ChowfjcAD26PPMGWA9IVjFC6q9YbdXpe9bgG5dsXYQORe5JWdeCeH/s1252/IMG_20231214_134027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1252" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGSotHPXPCx0-LRaKkH-4Vo9_1w-vBeieHuTU27ADRcJNgdps5reiDdAppsTG-kLomGT1e0Kg9IgcvdxTl_65pBXiJUtEWSabEsUPgpo7dHZRjz2VDSRL2HOTCIELD-0DlTHE2v3ChowfjcAD26PPMGWA9IVjFC6q9YbdXpe9bgG5dsXYQORe5JWdeCeH/s320/IMG_20231214_134027.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b style="text-align: left;">Genre: </b><span style="text-align: left;">Comedy Drama</span></div><p></p><p><b>Channel: </b>Amazon Prime Video</p><p><b>Language: </b>Hindi</p><p><b>Duration: </b>127 minutes</p><p><b>Writer: </b>Vijay Maurya, Payal Arora</p><p><b>Director: </b>Vijay Maurya</p><p><b>Cast: </b>Jackie Shroff, Neena Gupta, Abhishek Chauhan, Monika Panwar, Faisal Malik, Rakhi Sawant</p><p><b>Editing: </b>Antara Lahiri</p><p><b>Cinematography: </b>Nagaraj Rathinam</p><p><b><u>Introduction</u></b></p><p>Centred around the lives of four individuals, the movie is about the vast desert of loneliness in Mumbai - the city with an otherwise throbbing pulse, where as and when one chances upon a soothing oasis, one should recognise it and hold on to it.</p><p>A man is a slave to his circumstances and mostly the life that he leads is never really solid black or white but one or the other shade of grey, depending upon his state of - greed, debt, love, loneliness, frolic and the likes.</p><p>In his bid to make his existence wholesome, he misses out on contemplating how his actions would affect others and eventually himself.</p><p>But amidst all the humdrum every soul needs to give and receive that unique dash of compassion and sense of belonging to and from at least one person, so as to feel meaningful and keep sane.</p><p>And this much required relationship should be organic but not necessarily conventional!</p><p><b><u>Plot</u></b></p><p>Madahosh Gupta aka Nanhe (<i>Abhishek Chauhan</i>) is a shy and sincere tailor but new to Mumbai and it's cruel and unpredictable ways.</p><p>In spite of working hard, he incurs huge amount of debt and is compelled to perform thefts in the residences occupied by single aged people.</p><p>His only solace in life is spending time with Rani aka Rawas (<i>Monika Panwar</i>), the bindas and street smart beggar girl at a traffic signal.</p><p>While doing theft at an old widower of 12 years aka V. S. Kamath's (<i>Jackie Shroff</i>) apartment, he happens to hurt him and while doing the same at a recently Canada returned widow of 3 years aka Parkash Kaur Handa's (<i>Neena Gupta</i>) flat, he happens to scuffle and scare her.</p><p>Both the senior citizens meet by serendipity and form a much needed friendship so as to mend their sad and lonely hearts.</p><p>In their bid to stop an ongoing theft at a stranger's empty apartment, they hesitantly enter the same. The thief runs away but they stay back and gulp down a couple of beers and available beer snack!</p><p>Addicted to the mischievous act, they do the same repeatedly at assorted stranger's abode until they come across Nanhe trying to perform theft in one such abode, which eventually results in Nanhe getting unconscious by getting bumped on the head by Mrs. Handa who herself becomes unconsciousness while running away shit scared from the aforesaid apartment.</p><p>Both Mr. Kamath and Nanhe (post gaining consciousness) help her in getting admitted to a hospital. Mr. Kamath even foots her vast bill later on, spending almost two-third of his savings!</p><p>On the other side, Rawas who had always evaded being a hooker, gives in to the temptation of earning big bucks, so as to assist Nanhe in repaying his debt!</p><p>Watch the movie to know how both the man-woman relationships end, where the sun of life is setting in one while rising in another!!</p><p><b><u>Analysis</u></b></p><p>The entire movie focuses on the lower and middle class population of Mumbai, so it mostly showcases dingy & narrow lanes, shanty abodes, congested apartments, public parks and Mumbai centric street food. </p><p>The movie is quite real in it's pulse with interesting production design of different abodes.</p><p>The screenplay is commendable and different. The casting is good. The editing is superb. All the actors have performed well. But <i>Jackie Shroff</i> simply stands out. His acting is quite mature and endearing. With all her chatter and naive persona, <i>Neena Gupta</i> is the spark of the movie. <i>Abhishek Chauhan</i> has well depicted a poor soul who is torn apart by Mumbai style cruel treatment. <i>Monika Panwar</i> has well enacted her state of frolic, care a damn attitude and anger of being exploited.</p><p><b><u>Conclusion</u></b></p><p>Watching <b>Mast Mein Rehne Ka </b>was a pleasant surprise as it got released sans any buzz or promotion and turned out to be quite engaging & entertaining along with a <i>loud and clear social message</i> i.e. to find your oasis, hold on to it and stay happy, irrespective of the mad mayhem around.</p><p>Do watch it.</p>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-19054823956627604652023-12-14T01:03:00.000-08:002023-12-14T10:14:42.441-08:00Pippa (10 Nov 2023)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMYDPZyzJuCIYgPnd_nFMwW3jMz7i5GGf3pvRDO9GK2SW4GBUItPdka71rBTPszl4TcWiy_mvKiNj8aj7G5f5PEZz6-A8_TbR9IWX7dt-EixIIUC1kSNzzTc0S-Pfe32-ih8FPNwB7wlNPPFzQO7PcfbPvOccEYJYtAz1GONPUINkNR4c7Ij09mvcZ5m-/s4009/IMG_20231214_134424.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4009" data-original-width="3040" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMYDPZyzJuCIYgPnd_nFMwW3jMz7i5GGf3pvRDO9GK2SW4GBUItPdka71rBTPszl4TcWiy_mvKiNj8aj7G5f5PEZz6-A8_TbR9IWX7dt-EixIIUC1kSNzzTc0S-Pfe32-ih8FPNwB7wlNPPFzQO7PcfbPvOccEYJYtAz1GONPUINkNR4c7Ij09mvcZ5m-/s320/IMG_20231214_134424.jpg" width="243" /></a></div><p><b>Genre: </b>War Action Drama</p><p><b>Channel: </b>Amazon Prime Video</p><p><b>Language:</b> Hindi</p><p><b>Duration:</b> 139 minutes</p><p><b>Director: </b>Raja Krishna Menon</p><p><b>Cast: </b>Ishaan Khatter, Mrunal Thakur and Priyanshu Painyuli </p><p>Woven around <i>Indo-Pakistani War of 1971</i>, specifically the <i>Battle of Garibpur in 1971</i>, <b>Pippa</b> is a well depicted tale of immense personal & professional growth of Captain Balram Singh Mehta (<i>Ishaan Khatter</i>) of <i>India's 45 Cavalry regiment</i> and his newly acquired expertise in manoeuvering <i>PT-76</i>, the Russian amphibious war tank, that floats on water like an empty ‘pippa’ (tin) of ghee and was highly instrumental in his winning the aforementioned battle.</p><p>India won the war which eventually led to the formation of East Pakistan as the <i>new nation of Bangladesh.</i></p><p>Special care has been taken to just touch base with the cruelty bestowed upon the citizens of Bangladesh and Bengali nationalist forces by the Pakistan military and supporting pro-Pakistani Islamist militias called the Razakars who amongst other atrocities violated umpteenth number of girls and women and left them as bad as living dead!!</p><p>Something that totally stands out in the movie and surprisingly not much is being buzzed about is Ishaan Khattar's fluid and perfect dance sequence in the song '<i>Main Parwaana...'.</i></p><p>He dances so effortlessly, with full expressions, without missing a single beat, with crystal clear moves, that his performance seems like a beautiful symphony.</p><p>Undoubtedly, today he is <i>one of the best dancers</i> in Indian cinema.</p><p>The combo of <i>A. R. Rahman</i> (music director), <i>Arijit Singh</i> (singer) and <i>Ishaan Khattar</i> (dancer) is too good.</p><p>Overall, <b>Pippa</b> is a well made movie with good casting, direction, acting, production design, editing and cinematography.</p><p>Do watch it. </p>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-91363324214106709852023-11-22T23:16:00.000-08:002023-11-22T23:34:05.719-08:00The Railway Men (18 Nov 2023)<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSvLeoFHmDWS5mvgW-vVrbzxAkDwhxEueSxcHeW3pjk8t74RMzu0Aq6WuJ0PtPS1t0ALDeN7ZICR4uKYTxKq7yk3giQG2QnZ6c_jMC6ZkswGKBihUWFtzrI0uHXh1ATbcQ-yBInhSB1e7802Da553fUhU7t1utto_bY_GhuebIoTN18QvzDR9pumxYYlt/s690/IMG_20231122_141905.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="690" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSvLeoFHmDWS5mvgW-vVrbzxAkDwhxEueSxcHeW3pjk8t74RMzu0Aq6WuJ0PtPS1t0ALDeN7ZICR4uKYTxKq7yk3giQG2QnZ6c_jMC6ZkswGKBihUWFtzrI0uHXh1ATbcQ-yBInhSB1e7802Da553fUhU7t1utto_bY_GhuebIoTN18QvzDR9pumxYYlt/s320/IMG_20231122_141905.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /></p><p></p><div><b>Genre:</b> Historical Drama Tragedy</div><div><div><b>Channel:</b> Netflix</div><div><b>Language:</b> Hindi</div><div><b>Season: </b>1</div><div><b>No. of Episodes: </b>4</div><div><b>Running Time: </b>51-65 minutes</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Writer: </b>Aayush Gupta</div><div><b>Director:</b> Shiv Rawail</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Cast: </b>Kay Kay Menon, R. Madhavan, Babil Khan, Divyenndu Sharma, Juhi Chawla</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Fact:</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Due to leakage of 40 tonnes of lethal methyl- isocyanate from Union Carbide, a US corporation owned pesticide factory in Bhopal on 2 Dec 1984, as per the official data, 3,800 people were instantly killed, most of whom resided in a slum located in the close proximity to the factory. The unofficial data of instant deaths was much higher!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Till today, the city of Bhopal <i>has not fully recovered</i> from this tragedy.</div><div><br /></div><div>What led to such a tragic night?</div><div><br /></div><div>- Low safety standards maintained inside the factory.</div><div><br /></div><div>- Inapt awareness and training of factory staff.</div><div><br /></div><div>- The mere presence of such a high risk factory in the populated area and not the vacant outskirts.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Webseries Plot:</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The 4 episodes series is primarily about the unsung heroes of Indian Railway whose honest efforts, quick action and sacrifices in ensuring (as much as they could) - the vacation of Bhopal Junction railway station, calling in relief services from all quarters and helping people in exiting Bhopal, helped save a multitude of lives.</div><div><br /></div><div>The screen credits display the death toll figure to be 15,000!!</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Two <i>most heart wrenching scenes</i> from the movie are -</div><div><br /></div><div>- An infant feeding on his/her mother's breast while she is already dead!</div><div><br /></div><div>- A soon to be wed full decked up bride coming out of her abode into the street searching for her missing mother, only to find her entire 'baraat' along with the groom lying dead!!</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Analysis:</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Being the first webseries from the stable of <i>YRF Entertainment</i>, <b><i>The Railway Men</i></b> has been made with careful r&d and scripting coupled with apt casting and production design, making it a brilliant series to watch and engage in spite of the tragic massacre it entails.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Kay Kay Menon</i> as the wise, dutiful and extremely concerned station master simply wins your heart with his yet again display of amazing acting prowess.</div><div><br /></div><div>The actor can emote myriad of emotions sans any dialogue! Also, his continuity throughout the series is awesome.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Babil Khan</i> plays an inexperienced loco pilot with past working experience in the Union Carbide factory with almost perfection. </div><div><br /></div><div>His acting is raw, fresh and honest which makes it quite appealing. He is definitely a talent to watch out for.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>R. Madhavan</i> plays the GM of the West Central Railway zone. He enters the series quite late but brings in the required clout and star power, which stays till the end.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Divyenndu Sharma</i> plays a robber who eventually ends up as a saviour. His energy and dialect brings in the much required comic relief in the series.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Raghubir Yadav, Juhi Chawla Mehta, Mandira Bedi and Sunny Hinduja</i> are other prominent actors that play assorted small but effective roles in the series and help in making it better and wholesome.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Conclusion:</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Do watch <b><i>The Railway Men </i></b>for it's a well engineered fact based fiction and overall good cinema.</div></div>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-35466487210927421192023-11-17T03:11:00.000-08:002023-11-17T03:11:31.651-08:00Tiger 3 (12 Nov 2023)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uT3D_NWxPDJrEGe9mVPB0bYjZcQIipySUZqV7OmojVXOamegaxeCMVJTcwis3OiMeuwpUdKPCxjfxz6RXHikFaShHhKwZSDIiLm5Jx2wdXEuNRdl-GYfGbnvKB-B6LLIDQ3-ovXUqIg3HwsUeVmy9yoOrZV6ZPpzF2W-CzeeVlfPeMtSCu_zohFB92FJ/s900/IMG_20231117_163503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uT3D_NWxPDJrEGe9mVPB0bYjZcQIipySUZqV7OmojVXOamegaxeCMVJTcwis3OiMeuwpUdKPCxjfxz6RXHikFaShHhKwZSDIiLm5Jx2wdXEuNRdl-GYfGbnvKB-B6LLIDQ3-ovXUqIg3HwsUeVmy9yoOrZV6ZPpzF2W-CzeeVlfPeMtSCu_zohFB92FJ/s320/IMG_20231117_163503.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p><b>Genre: </b>Action</p><p><b>Language:</b> Hindi</p><p><b>Duration: </b>156 minutes</p><p><b>Writer: </b>Shridhar Raghavan</p><p><b>Director: </b>Maneesh Sharma </p><p><b>Cast: </b>Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Emraan Hashmi, Revathi, Kumud Mishra, Danish Husain, Ranveer Shorey, Vishal Jethwa, Anant Vidhaat Sharma</p><p><b>Analysis:</b></p><p>The <i><u>best bits</u></i> of the movie are -</p><p>... A chase sequence atop a rocky mountain terrain of Afghanistan. </p><p>It's innovative, quite well conceptualized and amazingly captured on the camera.</p><p>... Hand-to-hand combat scene between <i>Katrina Kaif</i> and a Chinese lady inside a spa while both are wrapped in just bath towels!</p><p>Both the ladies are extremely fit, toned & agile and well manage to pull off the action scene effectively without making it look vulgar at all.</p><p>... Cameo by <i>Shah Rukh Khan</i> when he appears out of nowhere to help escape <i>Salman Khan</i> from his assassination in a Pakistani prison.</p><p>Both the Khans share amazing chemistry and look fabulous performing the long action and chase sequence.</p><p>In fact, <i>Salman Khan</i> looks most agile and lively during this cameo scene!! Also, <i>Shah Rukh Khan</i> looks fabulous sporting his man-bun from 'Pathaan' (2023).</p><p>... Post-credit scene from upcoming movie War 2 featuring <i>Hrithik Roshan.</i></p><p>It features Japanese style ruthless massacre by hooded <i>Hrithik</i> followed by a crooked smile. </p><p>You never get to see his eyes, but can very well feel the intended chill!</p><p>The <i><u>low points</u></i> of the movie are -</p><p>... It's pace which appears quite sluggish at times.</p><p>... An average soundtrack. With such an amazing star cast and budget, one expects much better.</p><p>... A not so fit as required and a tad bit disinterested looking <i>Salman Khan.</i> Gone are the days when a hero can woo the audience merely by mouthing iconic dialogues.</p><p>... The overall direction. Spy thriller movies are clearly not <i>Maneesh Sharma's</i> genre.</p><p><b>Conclusion:</b></p><p>Definitely, the expected adrenaline thrill is missing, otherwise the rest of the elements are in place - amazing stat cast, big budget production design, beautifully covered locales (read Delhi, Mumbai, Istanbul, Saint Petersburg and Vienna), international style chase & action sequences and the likes.</p><p>You can still watch the movie.</p>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-35810192473389116742023-10-29T01:52:00.005-07:002023-10-29T01:52:47.482-07:00Thiruchitramblam (18 Aug 2022)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpTHNmQ4558vMsWkmxLlVVNWsZMOzwfS4_P0Ql8_13qu6RRXnqt17KXhsjrHxpjzKQbOIwPT_mBdzjPbkQId-2ftXMxiciHm3DLO5HXT5NKN65-KtZX3brNN0jcv7qdsQ-TBI7WFPXmOAl__B4Ay4IYYxgImOSJopNhcKBOFhk_s2d9CLAj8b3Ek0SQr6/s603/images%20(20).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="452" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpTHNmQ4558vMsWkmxLlVVNWsZMOzwfS4_P0Ql8_13qu6RRXnqt17KXhsjrHxpjzKQbOIwPT_mBdzjPbkQId-2ftXMxiciHm3DLO5HXT5NKN65-KtZX3brNN0jcv7qdsQ-TBI7WFPXmOAl__B4Ay4IYYxgImOSJopNhcKBOFhk_s2d9CLAj8b3Ek0SQr6/s320/images%20(20).jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p><b>Genre:</b> Drama Comedy Romance</p><p><b>Channel:</b> Amazon Prime Video </p><p><b>OTT Release Date:</b> 6 Oct 2023</p><p><b>Original Language:</b> Tamil</p><p><b>Dubbed In:</b> Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi</p><p><b>Duration:</b> 133 minutes</p><p><b>Director:</b> Mithran R. Jawahar</p><p><b>Cast:</b> Dhanush, Nithya Menen, Bharathiraja, Prakash Raj, Raashii Khanna, Priya Bhavani Shankar</p><p><b>Music:</b> Anirudh Ravichander</p><p><b>Plot:</b></p><p><b><i>Thiruchitrambalam</i></b> is a humorous story about food delivery agent Pazham (<i>Dhanush</i>), his no holds barred friendship with Shobana (<i>Nithya Menen</i>), who lives in the same building as himself, and his unconventional but endearing relationship with his wise & witty grandfather (<i>Bharathiraja</i>).</p><p>A slice of film is also about Pazham's interesting turncoat of emotions with his strict father, Inspector Neelakandan (<i>Prakash Raj</i>).</p><p>Otherwise, the movie is about Pazham's one sided feelings for a couple of girls which soon enough get rejected and disillusion him till he realizes that Shobana is the one!!</p><p>But does Shobana shares the same feelings? Will they both eventually unite?</p><p>Watch the movie to satiate your all such queries.</p><p><b>Analysis:</b></p><p><i>Dhanush</i> has expectantly enacted like a seasoned actor. Whether he is expressing child like glee or disappointment or releasing pent up anger or bashing up baddies, he has managed to do it all within his character. </p><p><i>Nithya Menen</i> simply lights up the screen whenever she is in the frame. She has well matched Dhanush's juvenile vibe.</p><p>Also, they share good onscreen chemistry.</p><p><i>Bharatjiraja</i> is endearing as Dhanush's grandfather, partner-in-crime and middleman between him and his father!</p><p><i>Prakash Raj</i> has quite well enacted his initial role of a strict but grieving father and eventual role of a dependent and supportive father.</p><p>The background score and music are soothing.</p><p><b>Conclusion:</b></p><p>Overall, it's a <i>sweet & funny film</i> about genuine childhood friendship & innocent love between two trusting simpletons.</p><p>You will enjoy watching this clean movie with child-like glee!!</p>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-76495864980442757172023-10-11T23:48:00.005-07:002023-10-12T00:11:53.089-07:00Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty (7 Sep 2023)<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_b0NORd1cSKRg-7BsVuLLFfnH7buJhpozqOrSBf_WTGvUpuG6OY3sb34WHu_vZncnaJPSfPICXFGZXgrVPG0HkKHXprJkXvo4m6rNj2APsmJGvvwFXXGY3SKnW76yU_dxEsKQhZgIf3E9LtsGNQP8AVezpN3Sp2UmGZdtNT32GH3KKjUl_Bi2WBr9h05i/s650/images%20(18).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="442" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_b0NORd1cSKRg-7BsVuLLFfnH7buJhpozqOrSBf_WTGvUpuG6OY3sb34WHu_vZncnaJPSfPICXFGZXgrVPG0HkKHXprJkXvo4m6rNj2APsmJGvvwFXXGY3SKnW76yU_dxEsKQhZgIf3E9LtsGNQP8AVezpN3Sp2UmGZdtNT32GH3KKjUl_Bi2WBr9h05i/s320/images%20(18).jpeg" width="218" /></a></div><p></p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>Genre:</b> Drama Comedy Romance<br /><b>
Duration:</b> 147 minutes</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>Director:</b> Mahesh Babu Pachigolla</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>Cast:</b> Anushka Shetty, Naveen Polishetty</p>
<p dir="ltr">Phoebic of love & commitment, a London based no-nonsense, superbly talented and lovely <i>lady master chef </i>strives to be a single mother at 30, without marriage via <i>IUI treatment</i> aka artificial insemination from an appropriate donor sans any emotional angle or further connection with him!</p>
<p dir="ltr">While engrossed in the selection process, a mutual vibe develops between her and a 25 years old Hyderabad based rookie but effective <i>stand-up comedian</i>, which she blatantly denies to both him and herself and travels far off to stay in anonymity post getting pregnant with his sperm donation.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Distance makes the heart grow fonder and by the time she is ready for delivery while battling the entire pregnancy period alone, she admits her feelings and yearning for him, at least to herself.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Will the two eventually meet? If yes, then how?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Watch the simple, clean, funny, beautifully picturized and sweet movie on <i>Netflix</i> to find out!</p>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-9955838563103651422023-10-09T08:12:00.007-07:002023-10-09T08:12:53.983-07:00Khufiya (5 Oct 2023)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52830Ihtz1UjWMzvqVOn4L51f8nJrDNGuFUMzLeter9q2fWjjfTv9pn52HCTBPK88S0rUuzEg-9k8-maNPWyRAnV4EcNhlYJuSWew-b_3yTAPULEWPUgrKqChx36sQLd5_ytOVwKsqgPpN6GpZ3MNKPOHkN-DNZh3JQ7t1Iz8I2l1r6xG8F49CJi8Gkqs/s660/khufiya-indian-movie-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52830Ihtz1UjWMzvqVOn4L51f8nJrDNGuFUMzLeter9q2fWjjfTv9pn52HCTBPK88S0rUuzEg-9k8-maNPWyRAnV4EcNhlYJuSWew-b_3yTAPULEWPUgrKqChx36sQLd5_ytOVwKsqgPpN6GpZ3MNKPOHkN-DNZh3JQ7t1Iz8I2l1r6xG8F49CJi8Gkqs/s320/khufiya-indian-movie-poster.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><p><b>Genre:</b> Spy Thriller</p><p><b>Channel:</b> Netflix</p><p><b>Language:</b> Hindi</p><p><b>Duration:</b> 157 minutes</p><p><b>Writer:</b> Rohan Narula, Vishal Bhardwaj</p><p><b>Director:</b> Vishal Bhardwaj</p><p><b>Cast:</b> Tabu, Ali Fazal, Wamiqa Gabbi, Shataf Figar, Ashish Vidyarthi, Atul Kulkarni, Azmeri Haque Badhon, Navnindra Behl</p><p><b>Introduction:</b></p><p><i><b>Khufiya</b></i> is based on the book <i>Escape to Nowhere</i>, penned by <i>Amar Bhushan</i>, a former R&AW official.</p><p>R&AW stands for the Research and Analysis Wing. It is the foreign intelligence agency of India.</p><p>The movie is timed around 2004, the post Kargil War period when spy agencies of India and Pakistan were working full time, trying to influence the election results of a neighboring country.</p><p><b>Plot:</b></p><p>The movie starts with the assassination of agent Hina Rehman (<i>Azmeri Haque Badhon</i>), a fresh Bangladeshi recruit and love interest of sharp senior R&AW operative Krishna Mehra aka KM (<i>Tabu</i>), at the hands of Brigadier Mirza (<i>Shataf Figar</i>), who was supposed to get killed by Heena as per the ongoing Project Octopus!</p><p>Being hundred percent sure that Heena's identity reveal is caused by an in-house mole, KM sniffs out her junior but efficient operative Ravi Mohan (<i>Ali Fazal</i>) and puts him and his life-loving cherubic wife Charu Mohan (<i>Wamiqa Gabbi</i>) under constant surveillance.</p><p>Eventually it's revealed that, in spite of signing the nuclear deal with India and being it's ally, CIA - the United States' international intelligence service, turns out to be the one puppeteering Ravi!</p><p>And working in cahoots with him is not his wife but aged mother Lalita Mohan (<i>Navnindra Behl</i>)!!</p><p>Just before KM could put in action Ravi's formal arrest, he gets wind of him being exposed. </p><p>In a quick succession of actions, he packs his bags, kills a couple of nearby planted R&AW agents and flies off to South Dakota (USA) along with his kid son and mother.</p><p>Since Ravi was adamant to take Charu along and she was adamant to stay patriotic and stay back, to expedite the running, Ravi's mother hits Charu on the head with a big torch and even shoots her with a hand pistol!</p><p>Luckily KM and her team arrive on time and rush her for medical aid.</p><p>Past six months, Charu contacts KM and requests her to aid her in getting back her son in lieu of re-igniting the cold trail.</p><p>See the movie to find out how they - help each other to scoop out Ravi & family, let Charu win their trust and stay with them and eventually assassinate Brigadier Mirza, thereby bringing a closure to Project Octopus and KM's personal revenge!!</p><p><b>Analysis:</b></p><p>Primarily helmed by three women - <i>Tabu</i> (prime role), <i>Wamiqa Gabbi</i> (secondary role but more screen time) and <i>Azmeri Haque Badhon</i> (prime character in a miniscule role) and a man - <i>Ali Fazal</i> (meaty role performed with an overdose of good acting), Khufiya is an engrossing espionage tale with occasional thrills.</p><p>The director <i>Vishal Bhardwaj</i> has successfully created the required vibe of intrigue and double-cross with silent espionage in full bloom aka tailing, breaking & entering, planting cameras, long & silent monitor watching, exchange of object into multiple hands and the likes.</p><p>All of the aforementioned ladies are a treat to watch. </p><p>It's amusing to see <i>Wamiqa</i> solo dancing to ’70s Bollywood songs, even in her lingerie and rolling & smoking a doobie when no one is around!</p><p>But her actions don't take forward the story in any manner and you miss the presence of lady-boss <i>Tabu</i> and wish there was a little more of bullish <i>Azmeri</i> in the movie.</p><p><b><i>Khufiya</i></b> has sufficient quota of good parent son bondage. The one between Ravi & his mother, the one between Charu & her son and the one between KM's ex husband Shashank Mehra (<i>Atul Kulkarni</i>) and their teenage son - all of them have a distinct flavor and have been depicted beautifully.</p><p>Surprisingly, the movie has mentions of ISI, the Pakistani intelligence agency but their active operation is not shown as such. Rather, there are few scenes featuring CIA officials, which come across as plain vanilla and quite rushed!</p><p>The climax scene with <i>rogan josh</i> on the dining table occupied by entities from three nations with the danger of life looming above their heads is quite effective.</p><p><b>Conclusion:</b></p><p><b><i>Khufiya</i></b> is not exactly a thriller but it has a lovely ensemble cast and inimitable Vishal Bhardwaj brand of direction.</p><p>You can watch it.</p>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-80876975246181532882023-09-25T23:29:00.001-07:002023-09-25T23:29:32.346-07:00Aakhri Sach (25 Aug - 22 Sep 2023)<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBGmREZrVBQDc2Mv4bt0RrXUOG7d1QS8lwwrKV5fvc610W5MRYhnCissdQZQcjhG5t2RgfU1oh5nzRzqic9Deaw3wj-0rwP-VBR-aV48TgiDeAWN_JD-P2ED4HRxQ_8eFlThV2WFzn_XL59G_QKmZI8sqs1JLoHdb57unXol7SW3hnW6_nXKC4gy-aoId/s263/Aakhri_Sach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="220" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBGmREZrVBQDc2Mv4bt0RrXUOG7d1QS8lwwrKV5fvc610W5MRYhnCissdQZQcjhG5t2RgfU1oh5nzRzqic9Deaw3wj-0rwP-VBR-aV48TgiDeAWN_JD-P2ED4HRxQ_8eFlThV2WFzn_XL59G_QKmZI8sqs1JLoHdb57unXol7SW3hnW6_nXKC4gy-aoId/s1600/Aakhri_Sach.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><b>Genre:</b> Crime Mystery Thriller</p><p><b>Channel:</b> Disney+ Hotstar</p><p><b>Language:</b> Hindi</p><p><b>Season:</b> 1</p><p><b>No. of Episodes:</b> 6</p><p><b>Running Time: </b>31-50 minutes</p><p><b>Writer:</b> Saurav Dey</p><p><b>Director:</b> Robbie Grewal</p><p><b>Cast:</b> Tamannaah Bhatia, Abhishek Banerjee, Shivin Narang, Sanjiv Chopra</p><p>One fine morning, all the 11 members of Rajawat family are found hanging dead with no sign of struggle, except for the old mother who is found dead near her bed with signs of struggle!!</p><p><i>Tamannaah Bhatia</i> plays the diligent Inspector Anya Swaroop who solves this multiple layered extremely confusing heart wrenching case, while fighting her personal mental trauma.</p><p>The series is little spooky but quite well enacted and presented.</p><p>It keeps you hooked and wondering till the end.</p><p>Do watch it.</p>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-84154578078093627992023-09-23T02:59:00.005-07:002023-09-23T07:21:04.605-07:00Jaane Jaan (21 Sep 2023)<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1jAyG3cjbiWmstzxXaqS-ZpiFkflLIYUiuVloekBM5Y41jDvN6ExxhxWqjtVZIm90GKUZSK7g830MlWkOoHx038uknseOosworLVZZ-L2rvVM8nVUVjJ8LEL8oTUnpMxTg9oeStFIqrC-OWYfvHgY2f2IwUahYQJb_k332agiiIDsnNCUydByLyJC3Qk/s450/images%20(7).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="430" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1jAyG3cjbiWmstzxXaqS-ZpiFkflLIYUiuVloekBM5Y41jDvN6ExxhxWqjtVZIm90GKUZSK7g830MlWkOoHx038uknseOosworLVZZ-L2rvVM8nVUVjJ8LEL8oTUnpMxTg9oeStFIqrC-OWYfvHgY2f2IwUahYQJb_k332agiiIDsnNCUydByLyJC3Qk/s320/images%20(7).jpeg" width="306" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><div><b>Genre: </b>Crime Thriller Drama</div><div><div><b>Channel:</b> Netflix</div><div><b>Language:</b> Hindi</div><div><b>Duration: </b>139 minutes</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Writer:</b> Sujoy Ghosh, Raj Vasant, Keigo Higashino</div><div><b>Director:</b> Sujoy Ghosh</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Cast:</b> Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Vijay Varma, Saurabh Sachdeva, Naisha Khanna, Karma Takapa, Lin Laishram</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Introduction: </b></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Jaane Jaan</b></i> is an adroit adaptation of Keigo Higashino's crime novel <i>The Devotion of Suspect X</i> (2005).</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Plot:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Settled in the scenic and silent hill town Kalimpong, Maya D' Souza <i>(Kareena Kapoor Khan)</i> is a single mother and a hands-on cafe owner.</div><div><br /></div><div>Around 14 years back she ran off from the clutches of her sinful & abusive husband and cop Ajit Mhatre <i>(Saurabh Sachdeva) </i>who has somehow located her whereabouts and intimidates her by visiting both her cafe and home.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the past, Ajit - the perennial money monger had manipulated his wife to be a pole dancer and now wishes to do the same to his new found daughter Tara <i>(Naisha Khanna)</i>!</div><div><br /></div><div>This leads to fierce protest from Maya. One thing leads to another and Ajit gets killed by Maya with some help from their daughter!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Naren or Teacher <i>(Jaideep Ahlawat)</i>, Maya's next door neighbour is a maths genius and school teacher who silently admires her since her arrival in their building!</div><div><br /></div><div>He offers to help her get rid of the dead body and instructs her on preventive actions so that Ajit's murder is never traced back to her.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, arrival of charming and dedicated Inspector Karan Anand <i>(Vijay Varma)</i> from Mumbai, changes everything.</div><div><br /></div><div>Though he visited Kalimpong searching Ajit for an in-house police matter, he eventually gets embroiled into solving his murder and his prime suspect is the deceased's estranged wife Maya!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Karan and Naren happen to be FTII graduates and friends from the same batch and are well aware of each other's grey matter and modus operandi.</div><div><br /></div><div>A cat and mouse game ensues, wherein Karan uses his charm and grit to connect murder clues to Maya, while Naren uses his sharp mind and logic to mislead him on a different path!</div><div><br /></div><div>See the movie to see who ultimately wins and how.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Analysis:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The movie has enough twists to keep it interesting, but it's kind of disjointed as a complete product, so the required adrenalin rush is missing.</div><div><br /></div><div>All the lead artists and side artists have performed quite well, but <i>Jaideep Ahlawat</i> has simply surpassed himself and introduced an altogether new style of silent acting with occasional mischievous glint. He comes across as a sharp brained gentle giant!</div><div><br /></div><div>It's heart warming to see <i>Kareena Kapoor Khan</i> experimenting with method acting and non-glamorous role, which she manages with aplomb, though at times her ire seems over acting and the required chemistry between the mother-daughter duo is missing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Relatively better sense of empathy can be sensed between Naren and one of his students who constantly challenges him for a coin trick game!</div><div><br /></div><div>However, with enough close-up shots, <i>Kareena</i> brings ample star power and beauty to the movie. </div><div><br /></div><div>She is a dream to watch when she sings the classic title track in a karaoke bar.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Vijay Varma</i> has cakewalked his role with easy charm and smile. His character lacks depth, but that is not his doing.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Conclusion:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Jaane Jaan</i></b> is an intelligent thriller with good acting and tight screenplay. It's engaging but don't expect any edge-of-the-seat moment.</div><div><br /></div><div>Do watch it and ponder how the entire storyline could have been depicted better!!</div></div>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-76685535650187163272023-09-18T03:16:00.006-07:002023-09-18T07:15:36.144-07:00Avinash Tiwary Is Reigning Supreme In Both Sep 2023 Crime Thriller Web Series!!! 🙂<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kEcUP7VB75TU8X2PD9o3MaXh6_cdMll1DytQHxD0Q-Emt0c6RsTHLf7GQJVGa4aqUnrszs2S3RfuSaAq5Maynv5HcZMpW1fipbQIYqNN8uhE8n01nOyRqPamnHD-DBH1_FMiLqXA4XiNcNC74slKlv_KQa7jjVxssv2jFqqFfyvi63pSTN6luLUs_SKm/s1500/MV5BZTkxNjE5ZWMtNjIyOC00NmJmLTg3NjUtYzRkYTQ5NzQzMDUyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTIxMDk2NDE4._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kEcUP7VB75TU8X2PD9o3MaXh6_cdMll1DytQHxD0Q-Emt0c6RsTHLf7GQJVGa4aqUnrszs2S3RfuSaAq5Maynv5HcZMpW1fipbQIYqNN8uhE8n01nOyRqPamnHD-DBH1_FMiLqXA4XiNcNC74slKlv_KQa7jjVxssv2jFqqFfyvi63pSTN6luLUs_SKm/s320/MV5BZTkxNjE5ZWMtNjIyOC00NmJmLTg3NjUtYzRkYTQ5NzQzMDUyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTIxMDk2NDE4._V1_.jpg" width="256" /></a></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvq4NBC5AsmnooW9weyjJ-ynfnZXfRYeOXJrVIPPuKnWmcF23tdx4vyr2TNor2HmMaoiHoikNuRvZn3vtkucN96jkzoI7HqC0vDKReGYEagQ2AjzIHcUGbUSM9-1-9XuOAmboAqYvz5YiupWuyhFDljkAylT_JC_EZ5zouotdgTcXqGN3DwjiS4dheE03/s1400/kaala_2_1692789436.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvq4NBC5AsmnooW9weyjJ-ynfnZXfRYeOXJrVIPPuKnWmcF23tdx4vyr2TNor2HmMaoiHoikNuRvZn3vtkucN96jkzoI7HqC0vDKReGYEagQ2AjzIHcUGbUSM9-1-9XuOAmboAqYvz5YiupWuyhFDljkAylT_JC_EZ5zouotdgTcXqGN3DwjiS4dheE03/s320/kaala_2_1692789436.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p>The first one is <b>Bambai Meri Jaan</b> (14 Sep 2023) on <b>Amazon Prime Video</b> and the second one is <b>Kaala</b> (15 Sep 2023) on <b>Disney+ Hotstar</b>.</p><p>Playing the chief protagonist in both the web series, he effectively portrays the role of a dreaded gangster in the first one and a committed Intelligence Bureau official in the latter.</p><p>Directed by <b>Shujaat Saudagar</b>, Bambai Meri Jaan is a <i>10 episodes</i> web series with <i>30-50 minutes running time.</i> </p><p>It depicts the life span of <i>Dara Kadri</i> (<b>Avinash Tiwary</b>), the <i>D Company</i> founder, from his childhood days till he leaves for Dubai to escape his arrest warrant by Mumbai Police. </p><p><i>Ismail Kadri</i> (<b>Kay Kay Menon</b>), an honest and devout Mumbai cop turned gangster <i>Haji's</i> (<b>Saurabh Sachdeva</b>) accomplice turned spiritual recluse, plays his father and narrator of the series. </p><p><b>Kay Kay</b> has a crucial role and he has played it brilliantly, mostly with stoic silence and one liners. His acting in the series is beautifully layered and perhaps the best of his acting career!!</p><p>The web series has multiple important characters and all have been casted wonderfully and enacted effectively. In fact their combined acting prowess has surpassed the storyline and script!</p><p>The entire series is embedded with Mumbaiya expletives and at one point the blood and gore becomes too much to handle.</p><p>Overall, the series is familiar, engaging, entertaining and well edited with top class production design.</p><p>Directed by <b>Bejoy Nambiar</b>, Kaala is an 8 episodes web series with 45 minutes running time.</p><p>It delves deep into the not much familiar territory of <i>reverse-hawala</i> carried out by billionaire <i>Naman Arya</i> (<b>Taher Shabbir</b>) and meticulously investigated by IB officer <i>Ritwik Mukherjee</i> (<b>Avinash Tiwary</b>) and his team and eventually officials from other government organizations, like - CBI, BSF and State Police.</p><p><b>Rohan Vinod Mehra </b>well plays <i>Subhendu Mukherjee </i>aka <i>Adinath Bagchi</i> aka Ritwik's father and BSF officer turned revenge seeker and eventually the secret informer of his son!</p><p><b>Jitin Gulati</b> as <i>Balwant Singh</i> is the surprise package of the series and completely mesmerizes with his layered acting as and how his persona undergoes major transformations in the series!</p><p>Here again, the casting is impressive (read <b>Hiten Tejwani, Mita Vashisht, Shakti Kapoor</b> etc.) and almost everyone has performed well.</p><p>The expectant blood and gore is present, but it's designed on familiar grounds and always in control.</p><p>Unusual but deep <i>father-son relationships</i> form the crux of both the web series.</p><p>While both of them travel the deep, dark alleys of underworld, thankfully both the series are intelligently infused with small patches of comic relief and mild romance.</p><p>You will enjoy binge watching them both!! </p>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-26899759994170798562023-09-10T06:39:00.002-07:002023-09-10T07:02:32.562-07:00Haddi (7 Sep 2023)<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP2sT6J-fq0sR-bnBAvahlV7_tHBlipR8BJOa3_faZ7I7ltDmIVWFJKjtVn4MREUghgcifhrqzDUJ-2wf9xmJUwWAlgzF3fn9mu82XE9EcEAJvbdUEsNNPYSzNqCJy_s5W0vIMMPhWSeXnCOtaJ2oaCGDupY1c2g2udTbpruChW_y7xADGhfdEnYDKRF6q/s954/MV5BMzZhYWY0NDEtYjNmNS00ZWE4LThmMzAtZDQ0NDlmMjU1ZWU4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MDU2ODM2._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP2sT6J-fq0sR-bnBAvahlV7_tHBlipR8BJOa3_faZ7I7ltDmIVWFJKjtVn4MREUghgcifhrqzDUJ-2wf9xmJUwWAlgzF3fn9mu82XE9EcEAJvbdUEsNNPYSzNqCJy_s5W0vIMMPhWSeXnCOtaJ2oaCGDupY1c2g2udTbpruChW_y7xADGhfdEnYDKRF6q/s320/MV5BMzZhYWY0NDEtYjNmNS00ZWE4LThmMzAtZDQ0NDlmMjU1ZWU4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MDU2ODM2._V1_.jpg" width="242" /></a></p><div><b>Genre:</b> Crime Drama</div><div><div><b>Channel:</b> ZEE5 </div><div><b>Duration:</b> 134 minutes</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Writer:</b> Adamya Bhalla, Akshat Ajay Sharma</div><div><b>Director:</b> Akshat Ajay Sharma</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Cast:</b> Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Anurag Kashyap, Saurabh Sachdeva, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Ila Arun, Vipin Sharma</div><div><br /></div><div>Till almost a decade and a half back, whatever representation of gay characters I saw in a Hindi movie was always comical and kind of ridiculous.</div><div><br /></div><div>While everyone around guffawed at their scenes, I was always confused and not really comfortable because -</div><div><br /></div><div>a. not much info was available on the subject.</div><div><br /></div><div>b. I have always believed that all forms of existence have a serious and compassionate side. No one can be born to be just laughed at!</div><div><br /></div><div>Fortunately, sometime around 2009, I watched <i>Sean Penn</i> starrer <b>Milk</b> on a movie channel on Tata Sky, wherein he brilliantly portrayed Harvey Milk, the groundbreaking gay politician. </div><div><br /></div><div>Later on, he also won an <i>Oscar</i> for <b>Milk.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Merely watching his performance rested so many of my queries and I wondered when will Hindi movies produce something like this.</div><div><br /></div><div>To everyone's surprise, it was the spate of the concerned webseries that attacked the Indian celluloid with full gutso around 2016, thanks to the absence of vigilant censor on the OTT platform.</div><div><br /></div><div>They showed and continue to show much more direct, detailed and logical content encompassing the lives of LGBTQIA+ community. However, very few of them are Indian productions.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Haddi</b> is one such rare Indian OTT movie that dares to go deep into the life and emotions of a transgender women, played amazingly by <i>Nawazuddin Siddiqui</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>As and when required, he appears a weak & tender woman or an indifferent passerby or a cold blooded killing machine!!</div><div><br /></div><div>He has handled all his scenes with adroit and poise.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, the problem lies with the storyline which is based on underworld activity, revenge and retribution, which makes the movie quite grotesque to watch and confuses the identity of transgender people.</div><div><br /></div><div>The movie does not provide any sort of distinction between transgenders, cross-dressers and others.</div><div><br /></div><div>In short, the movie lacks the depth & layering required to handle such an unexplored subject amidst such a complex violent setting.</div><div><br /></div><div>You can still watch <b>Haddi</b><i> </i>for good attempt & toil, impactful make-up & styling and <i>Nawazuddin Siddiqui</i>.</div></div>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-31087360708564203572023-07-10T00:58:00.002-07:002023-09-10T06:34:59.810-07:00Blind (7 Jul 2033)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1BDI5o119tnSwVpUxVOpMWI3pQd45o9iSFcYjEeCKPbZ2qhIlcYQBc3yUyMO_IRW2MH5z9p8PrjtGHpDkV9_5cEOzGJKdBN5BdV1rAEQ_52pqilOlFgjjajhNoqjAvPWT0pIHw-bKOW8G6tVt-fEZ_r2NabZG-ypjj1Zc5A9qSPxd2IuWcWmMAbhGAPG/s387/Blind_2023_goZ5mJe_5magNlq_Tn8dfpX_2wdm7lW.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1BDI5o119tnSwVpUxVOpMWI3pQd45o9iSFcYjEeCKPbZ2qhIlcYQBc3yUyMO_IRW2MH5z9p8PrjtGHpDkV9_5cEOzGJKdBN5BdV1rAEQ_52pqilOlFgjjajhNoqjAvPWT0pIHw-bKOW8G6tVt-fEZ_r2NabZG-ypjj1Zc5A9qSPxd2IuWcWmMAbhGAPG/s320/Blind_2023_goZ5mJe_5magNlq_Tn8dfpX_2wdm7lW.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><p><b>Genre: </b>Crime, Thriller</p><p><b>Channel: </b>JioCinema</p><p><b>Director:</b> Shome Makhija</p><p><b>Cast:</b> Sonam Ahuja Kapoor, Purab Kohli, Vinay Pathak, Lillete Dubey, Shubham Saraf</p><p><b>Duration:</b> 124 minutes</p><p><b>Plot:</b></p><p>Gia Singh (<i>Sonam Kapoor Ahuja</i>), a blind ex-cop escapes the clutches of The Driver (<i>Purab Kohli</i>), a sadistic kidnapper, tormentor & killer, by narrow margin and finally brings him to justice</p><p>A policeman (<i>Vinay Pathak</i>) and an eye witness (<i>Shubham Saraf</i>) help her in her endeavor.</p><p><b>Analysis:</b></p><p>- <i>Sonam Kapoor Ahuja</i> has good presence as a scrubbed clean, lean and tall protagonist. Her acting is mediocre.</p><p>- <i>Purab Kohli</i> has managed to scratch the surface of appearing & acting villainous. But still he has a long way to go.</p><p>- The movie is half baked leaving a lot to your imagination and ponder!!</p><p><u>You are left with questions like -</u></p><p>Exactly what past experiences made The Driver a psychopath kidnapper and killer? </p><p>Exactly how does he tortures the kidnapped girls?</p><p>Why Gia Singh never shows any warmth or gratitude to the orphanage head (<i>Lilette Dubey</i>) who brought her up like a daughter and still cares like one?</p><p>Why Gia Singh is a bit too much sarcastic about God?</p><p>How a blind and jobless Gia Singh affords a big squeaky clean apartment and a dog?</p><p>When the setting is of Glasgow in UK, how come all the concerned characters are Indian - the victim, the villain, the witness and even the cop!!</p><p>Overall, it's an average movie.</p>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-82533167474206710002023-06-03T07:06:00.002-07:002023-06-03T07:07:51.917-07:00City of Dreams Season 3 (26 May 2023) <p><span style="text-align: center;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhntVDjUFE_rCBJX1RkXTyCo3LBIGMANcahlLk5_dgA5uPNqCZ8p528W_5HorC_7o-BsKo_Q-EdF7EdYI2e7Pqn3K9g2DX43Hg3DIUWLGI6QgOTHDYwFBUadU7ndldc1M_KiSzxnRtEMYx7gpaS6CGvKVBNUxWsdv8xsRZMj4zrb40BlqyFCKW33bG_3A/s1800/City-Of-Dreams-Season-3-2023-Hotstar-Web-Series-Watch-Online.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1424" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhntVDjUFE_rCBJX1RkXTyCo3LBIGMANcahlLk5_dgA5uPNqCZ8p528W_5HorC_7o-BsKo_Q-EdF7EdYI2e7Pqn3K9g2DX43Hg3DIUWLGI6QgOTHDYwFBUadU7ndldc1M_KiSzxnRtEMYx7gpaS6CGvKVBNUxWsdv8xsRZMj4zrb40BlqyFCKW33bG_3A/s320/City-Of-Dreams-Season-3-2023-Hotstar-Web-Series-Watch-Online.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Genre: </b>Political Drama Crime Thriller </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Channel:</b> Disney+ Hotstar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Language:</b> Hindi</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Season:</b> 3</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>No. of Episodes:</b> 9</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Running Time:</b> 39-50 minutes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Writer: </b>Nagesh Kukunoor, Rohit Banawlikar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Director:</b> Nagesh Kukunoor</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Cast: </b>Priya Bapat, Eijaz Khan, Atul Kulkarni, Sachin Pilgaonkar, Sushant Singh, Rannvijay Singha, Divya Seth, Sandeep Kulkarni, Flora Saini, Siddharth Chandekar, Adinath Kothare</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Introduction:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Woven around the power struggle within the prime members of MJS, the leading political party of Maharashtra, their dark & dirty methods and conspiracies, along with their human side, plus the usual police and drug mafia fiasco, <i>City of Dreams Season 3</i> is a compelling watch with obvious similarities with the real world personalities and happenings. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Plot:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Before revealing the storyline of Season 3, let's do a quick recap of two preceeding seasons. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Season 1 (May 2019)</b> was about - assassination attempt on Mumbai’s political stalwart Ameya Rao Gaikwad 'Saheb' (Atul Kulkarni), the leader of MJS Party, which left him paralyzed; his dynamic daughter Poornima Gaikwad's (Priya Bapat) tough crusade to occupy the vacant seat even at the cost of assassinating her brother Ashish Gaikwad (Siddharth Chandekar) and 'Encounter' SI Wasim Khan's (Eijaz Khan) unofficial hunt for Ameya Rao's shooter and the concerned perpetrators. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Towards the end of the season, Poornima manages to position herself as the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Season 2 (Jul 2021) </b>was a mish-mash of several events happening together in multiple character's lives.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Poornima took over as the CM and unleashed hell on Mehka Infra for poor construction and lost lives. She met Jagan Hejmadi 'Anna' (Sushant Singh) to rescue Purushottam (Sandeep Kulkarni), whose mystery woman (Flora Saini) was eventually revealed. She challenged Mahesh Arawle (Adinath Kothare) to a live debate and eventually met him in secrecy. Also, she prepared to inaugurate the Mumbai metro project. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Ameya Rao came out of his convalescence and immediately started regrouping his people and working towards overthrowing Poornima. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Towards the end of the season, Poornima's son Amit got killed in a bomb blast meant to disrupt her rally!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Season 3 </b>starts with Poornima being voluntarily MIA and incommunicado for three plus months on account of being unable to handle Amit's death. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The interim CM and concerned Ameya Rao asks the reinstated Wasim to locate and bring her back, who finally tracks her in Bangkok in a dazed and self punishing mode, both mentally and physically. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Wasim helps her to get on terms with her loss, give it the required closure albeit as much possible and gain back her normalcy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">She returns back to Mumbai and with some initial difficulty, resumes back her CM duties.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Wasim thereafter joins the Drugs Task Force and starts making the concerned strategies and arrests there. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Vibha (Divya Seth) the leader of the ruling party at the Centre wants to topple Ameya Rao Gaikwad and his legacy in Maharashtra for both her personal history with 'Saheb' and political ambition.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Jagdish Gaurav (Sachin Pilgaonkar), the preceeding CM and right hand man of 'Saheb' offers his alliance to Vibha and provides her some secret information against the Gaikwads plus MLAs that he breaks from MJS, so as to cancel the part's majority in the Legislative Assembly and form a new alliance government in the state. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Alongside, he carefully maintains the old loyalist and family man card with the Gaikwad duo with full subservience. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Media mogul Adarsh (Rannvijay Singha) is on Vibha's side for brownie points with the Centre and uses his news segment on television to render a flurry of negative news against the Gaikwads, specially targeting Poornima's Bangkok escapade. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Eventually, the father-daughter duo, Ameya Rao and Poornima unite to protect the Gaikwad legacy in the state politics.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Poornima handles all allegations and questions with strong logic, intelligence and oodles of confidence. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Jagdish makes a good headway in breaking the party but Ameya Rao and Poornima along with other party loyalists are able to control the damage on time by striking political & financial deals with a couple of important party members, resulting their come back to MJS, along with many others. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Towards the end of the season, three of the leading characters are dead!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Watch the series to find who and how. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Analysis:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Season 3 is inarguably the best of all the 3 seasons of City of Dreams webseries, specially in scripting and direction. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The series has a clear focus, good direction and all the five lead artists have performed exceedingly well. They are - Priya Bapat, Atul Kulkarni, Eijaz Khan, Sachin Pilgaonkar and Sushant Singh. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Priya Bapat is actually the main protagonist here and shares amazing chemistry with both Atul Kulkarni and Eijaz Khan. She is clearly the discovery of the season on nationwide OTT platform. Her lady like gentle smile and demure body language alongwith her leader like steely gaze is quite impressive. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Eijaz Khan has got the role of his life and he has ably dug his teeth deep into it. He looks, walks and talks like an encounter specialist with strong loyalty to the lady CM.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Atul Kulkarni has well morphed himself into a loving and proud father of the CM, with his calculations & networking side intact. He easily switches between both the body languages. It's a treat to watch him act. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Sachin Pilgaonkar has well carried off the complex portrayal of a party changing conniving politician who wears a permanent loyal and indulging albeit deceitful smile (or smirk). Actually, it's quite refreshing to see him in such an avatar. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Sushant Singh looks quite believable as the stoic and ruthless Anna of minimum words. He has the minimum dialogues and still he has made his mark. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Divya Seth and Rannvijay Singha in their relatively smaller roles are also impressive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">All the other actors have also acted well. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Production and costume designs are bang on. Editing is impressive. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Conclusion:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Blurring the fine line between right and wrong, the movie is a heady cocktail of political conspiracies and turbulent relationships alongwith a drug mafia angle. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It is beautifully written, wonderfully directed and excellently acted by the aforementioned five artists. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Do watch it.</div></div></div>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-67792838294619511872023-05-31T02:28:00.005-07:002023-05-31T08:21:03.776-07:00Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai (23 May 2023)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNMRvxG5F_kfW7eVx4rxAs32UK-cA78SAi2ekTf94afemRiaenNxYimhkedRnm6P0Y9ZdVmVXZjn_nCGboUQHibyQxFXOiInbsvewLMlpLB0EwRSjkji06f4e1sAIb0fkOpIAOMCfYdPZP5EAERyrPE_ZyAhTK2oteM6_vJ7A_rhdk1d2klPJvm6biw/s1114/Sirfek-min-9ce2cb20-8412-11ed-930b-07db9ad61c50.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1114" data-original-width="900" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNMRvxG5F_kfW7eVx4rxAs32UK-cA78SAi2ekTf94afemRiaenNxYimhkedRnm6P0Y9ZdVmVXZjn_nCGboUQHibyQxFXOiInbsvewLMlpLB0EwRSjkji06f4e1sAIb0fkOpIAOMCfYdPZP5EAERyrPE_ZyAhTK2oteM6_vJ7A_rhdk1d2klPJvm6biw/w259-h281/Sirfek-min-9ce2cb20-8412-11ed-930b-07db9ad61c50.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Genre: </b>Courtroom-Drama</p><p><b>Channel:</b> ZEE5</p><p><b>Language: </b>Hindi</p><p><b>Duration: </b>132 minutes</p><p><b>Writer:</b> Deepak Kingrani</p><p><b>Director: </b>Apoorv Singh Karki</p><p><b>Cast: </b>Manoj Bajpayee, Surya Mohan Kulshrestha, Vipin Sharma, Adrija Sinha, Kaustav Sinha</p><p><b>Music:</b> Sangeet-Siddharth Roy</p><p><b>Editing:</b> Sumeet Kotian</p><p><b>Cinematography: </b>Arjun Kukreti</p><p><b>Introduction:</b></p><p>Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai is a courtroom-drama pulled off effortlessly and effectively by Manoj Bajpayee, the lead artist. </p><p><b>Plot:</b></p><p>Advocate P. C. Solanki (Manoj Bajpayee) fights a solitary battle for 5 years against an uber rich, influential and highly revered godman (Surya Mohan Kulshrestha), so as to get the rightful justice to minor Nu (Adrija Sinha) wronged (read violated) by him.</p><p>As the battle advances from Session Court to High Court and finally Supreme Court, goonism is in full play by the godman's son and team, who resort to intimidation and even killing of witnesses. </p><p>They even try to intimidate and bribe Solanki with a mammoth amount of rupees twenty crore!!</p><p>But Solanki manages to stay above greed, intimidation & fear and remains unpurturbed on his path of justice till he gives the case an examplary closure. </p><p><b>Analysis:</b></p><p>The movie scores high on multiple grounds. </p><p>It has a powerful script with concise screenplay. Not a single frame is lost on unnecessary built up or cheap thrill. </p><p>The direction is quite intelligent and thoughtful. </p><p>Violation of a minor girl and any sort of vibration around relegion or relegious gurus are two of the most sensitive matters and both form the crux of the depicted investigations and arguments in the movie. </p><p>But Apoorv Singh Karki, the director has ably managed to maintain the required dignity & empathy in the scenes concerning Nu and he has kept the arguments against the godman quite logical and completely within the dictum of the Indian law & justice. </p><p>Arjun Kukreti, the cinematographer has not only well captured the iconic bird's eye views of Jodhpur, the Blue City and it's crowded lanes, but he has also captured the court scenes in assorted well conceived angles, thereby making them more effective and engaging. </p><p>Manoj Bajpayee has again surprised with an altogether new style of character portrayal. He is so good and thorough that at times you feel that he is not acting at all but just conversing. </p><p>Watch out for his scenes when twice big shot national level lawyers with star power and intimidating personalities visit the courts to get bail for the godmen. </p><p>Just notice how Manoj Bajpayee expresses his awe & inspiration for them, how he is puts forward his statements against them while being completely intimidated by them and still how thoroughly he does his job with full determination!! </p><p>Also, watch out for his closing statement at the end of the court case, wherein he uses relegion itself as the weapon to stab the sheer misdeed performed by the relegious guru. Full marks to Deepak Kingrani, the writer for writing this scene. </p><p>All the other actors have also performed well. The editing is good. </p><p><b>Conclusion:</b></p><p>It's an engaging and quite well made movie on an extremely sensitive topic sans any propaganda or scandalous depiction. </p><p>The heart of the movie is in the right place. Do watch it. </p>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-13448577303428842872023-05-23T05:23:00.002-07:002023-05-23T23:15:23.408-07:00Saas, Bahu aur Flamingo (5 May 2023) <p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6W8AU8TkUXHZtpjM17_KCudSLt1hwWdKrqvFt434fSmUfyplHBljmkA1cEJuq-vShPsE-dGJmIix4PGqRxVX3ehNtmCbh3U4A1OYr5deDKdwqHMCQ5dFELe7VNRI1Z5A9WpHR8VcywdFw1cL6mD4Z1vgWRmCuke9sWKi3OAlw8_W3At1-kaTm_ZPqw/s1080/Screenshot_20230507_154141_Facebook.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1078" data-original-width="1080" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6W8AU8TkUXHZtpjM17_KCudSLt1hwWdKrqvFt434fSmUfyplHBljmkA1cEJuq-vShPsE-dGJmIix4PGqRxVX3ehNtmCbh3U4A1OYr5deDKdwqHMCQ5dFELe7VNRI1Z5A9WpHR8VcywdFw1cL6mD4Z1vgWRmCuke9sWKi3OAlw8_W3At1-kaTm_ZPqw/s320/Screenshot_20230507_154141_Facebook.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Genre: </b>Crime Drama Thriller</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b>Channel: </b>Disney+ Hotstar</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b>Language: </b>Hindi</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b>Season:</b> 1</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b>No. of Episodes: </b>8</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b>Running Time:</b> 40-55 minutes</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Writer: </b>Saurav Dey, Karan Vyas, Nandini Gupta, Aman Mannan</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Director:</b> Homi Adajania</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Cast:</b> Dimple Kapadia, Naseeruddin Shah, Radhika Madan, Isha Talwar, Angira Dhar, Deepak Dobriyal, Monica Dogra, Ashish Verma, Varun Mitra, Udit Arora, Jimit Trivedi, Vipin Shar</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Introduction:</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">The storyline is set in an imaginative town Hastipur, located in the parched and arid land of north-western India, with a heavy influence of Gujarat-Rajasthan-Haryana belt.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Plot:</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">Rani Baa's (Dimple Kapadia) 'Rani Co-operative’ that employs an array of shunned women and exports a wide range of handicrafts and medicinal herbs is actually a cover for her well built and well hidden cocaine trade which she runs alongwith her daughter, two daughters-in-law, one adopted son and other cohorts. </p><p style="text-align: left;">'Flamingo' is their high demand signature product, whose adultered (by a rival) version puts a politician's son in coma and resultantly catches the attention of anti-narcotics cell. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Alongside, a dead-eyed rival named ‘Munk’ (Deepak Dobriyal) is out with full force and strategies to overthrow Rani Baa and usurp her empire. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Analysis:</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">It's fascinating to see matriarchy in a narcotics centric rustic setting in full bloom, be it - shooting, hand-to-hand combat, love, sexual pursuits both without and post marriage, display of traditions in home arena and shrewd & ruthless dealings outside, liaisons with politicians and police and best of all - total secrecy from menfolk at home!! </p><p style="text-align: left;">Homi Adajania has nailed this make believe world.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Ethnic and fusion costumes, makeup, ancient tattoos, ethnic ornaments are bang on with intricate detailing. </p><p style="text-align: left;">The production design in totality is quite creative and detailed.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Everyone has acted well. But Dimple Kapadia in the helluva new godmother like avatar with quadrupled acting talent and confidence has outshone everybody. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Conclusion:</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">Do watch the webseries for it's innovative & interesting tweak in age old screenplay, oodles of creativity and brilliant acting by most of the star cast. </p>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-82216048656643611622023-05-20T02:09:00.006-07:002023-05-20T02:10:43.138-07:00Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery (19 May 2023)<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyTxXp6JMf7UTy8O04R9getRuPZhBxMh0UcaqjliPru4qOOCKI4s78OiekPWQwD5s8Xq1WP-XKOA_4sAV1vM5w_eVv4Y90jjyfzkeeM727hGIsaH7HEADz1vbdkHquDhgKgiDVP6TjhMsw4c7vJ52H0uHhl0Ezw1LOLxLBsM-yB_Ak24JI6Jd0UjkRg/s316/Kathal_film_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="316" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyTxXp6JMf7UTy8O04R9getRuPZhBxMh0UcaqjliPru4qOOCKI4s78OiekPWQwD5s8Xq1WP-XKOA_4sAV1vM5w_eVv4Y90jjyfzkeeM727hGIsaH7HEADz1vbdkHquDhgKgiDVP6TjhMsw4c7vJ52H0uHhl0Ezw1LOLxLBsM-yB_Ak24JI6Jd0UjkRg/s1600/Kathal_film_poster.jpg" width="316" /></a></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Channel:</b> Netflix</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Genre:</b> Satire Comedy Drama</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Duration:</b> 115 minutes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Producer:</b> Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor, Guneet Monga, Achin Jain</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Director:</b> Yashowardhan Mishra</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It's a light hearted fun film made with an array of both time tested and new <i>impactful artists</i>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It's a film with enough <i>social messages</i>, some are imparted strongly while some are just hinted upon. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Apart from the lead trio - Sanya Malhotra, Anant V Joshi and Neha Saraf, the remaining cast comprises of - Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav, Raghubir Yadav and Brijendra Kala. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It goes without saying that each of them has served their purpose quite well. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Sanya just lights up the screen with her toothy grin and passive comic display. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Raghubir Yadav's comic take on an entrapped girl trafficker needs to be seen to be believed. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The film primarily focuses on the urgent need of finding and safeguarding missing girls rather than employing the country's police force on ridiculous whims of the politicians, but alongside it also hints upon the disparity of caste system, resistance to accept the clout of lady officers both on job and at home, the media circus and last but not the least the labelling of outgoing and free spirited girls as wayward and thus deserving of mal treatment by anti socials. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Overall, it's a nice time-pass movie.</div></div>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-27554916728014255872023-04-25T02:27:00.005-07:002023-04-25T02:31:07.506-07:00Garmi (21 Apr 2023) ably unmasks the corrupt socio-political system around university students<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvieq67wsJ7Uow_ynT3dKsgyQZyOxCUsS7RX5ANo2yjDUiK0SrrZhSFLPpdcec8mosKFHlWhnEjIcX6VZZRnoufWCn2yJQ_wQnAMMz1otXUyDE6OlCiswDW4IEv7hHePf0dNQpr8VzOHS3LT35aGYpq7-vGqOAGD3sKVWwVEp7AtF560X9lb-sdIrJJg/s1419/6632ffb4dcda3c12291e620900ebb195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1419" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvieq67wsJ7Uow_ynT3dKsgyQZyOxCUsS7RX5ANo2yjDUiK0SrrZhSFLPpdcec8mosKFHlWhnEjIcX6VZZRnoufWCn2yJQ_wQnAMMz1otXUyDE6OlCiswDW4IEv7hHePf0dNQpr8VzOHS3LT35aGYpq7-vGqOAGD3sKVWwVEp7AtF560X9lb-sdIrJJg/s320/6632ffb4dcda3c12291e620900ebb195.jpg" width="231" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b>Genre: </b>Thriller</p><p><b>Channel: </b>SonyLIV</p><p><b>Language: </b>Hindi</p><p><b>Season: </b>1</p><p><b>No. of Episodes:</b> 9</p><p><b>Running Time:</b> 41-50 minutes</p><p><b>Writer: </b>Tigmanshu Dhulia, Kamal Pandey </p><p><b>Director:</b> Tigmanshu Dhulia</p><p><b>Cast: </b>Vyom Yadav, Jatin Goswami, Vineet Kumar, Mukesh Tiwari, Deepraj Rana, Anurag Thakur, Disha Thakur, Puneet Singh, Pankaj Saraswati, Pravesh Rana</p><p><b>About The Series:</b></p><p>Made with mostly newbies, it is an excellent and engaging series that depicts how the assorted hierchichal players of university to state level politics automatically choose their next key player aka the upcoming MLA amidst the batch of unassuming serious students and knowingly-unknowingly prepare him by all means (read atrocities) to readily wear his political crown and ultimately choose the life of a hoodlum cum politician over that of an educated civil servant!!</p><p>For this, the only trait that he has to exhibit is '<i>garmi</i>' i.e. anger over things that he finds wrong and the will to fight it bang on sans any worry of repercussions. </p><p>The series ably shows how the entire political mesh up is made up of the chief minister and his aides; the local baba, police in-charge and wealthy businessmen and finally the student council's president and vice-president.</p><p>The series clearly depicts how the students council's president acts as an effective money churner for his clan even before contesting for MLA seat. </p><p>He clearly influences the university's frequent construction and maintenance orders, all of whom are bound to go to his choice of construction company, who will earn a huge sum out of it and thereby hand him or his supporting honchos a huge commission. </p><p>Police raids, arrests and torture inside the police lock-up are more on the whims of the police in-charge and directives received from his political coalition than what is suppose to happen as per law. </p><p>Alongside the series displays - middle class family system, university activities, caste divide, young love & friendships, greed & betrayal by both friends and enemies etc. </p><p><b>The Plot:</b></p><p>A young political science graduate (Vyom Yadav) aspiring to be a civil servant arrives from Lalgunj to Trivenipur University.</p><p>The once thriving vast university has reduced to being a platform of powerplay by collegiate and state level political players, a ruthless police inspector who sees himself as more than just a guardian of the law, greedy contractors, shrewd politicians and power brokers!!</p><p>How will this effect the protagonist's studies and goal of life? </p><p>Watch the series to witness how step by step, the corrupt system sways him away from his original path and self and completely transforms his aura and mission of life!!</p><p><b>Analysis:</b></p><p>The script and direction are expectantly good. Tigmanshu Dhulia has weaved the story nicely with apt narration to eliminate confusion. </p><p>Seasoned actors like Mukesh Tiwari, Vineet Kumar have small but effective roles and they have played their part with lot of conviction. Whereas, Jatin Goswami has a full fledged role and he has simply dug his nails into it. </p><p>The protagonist and other young actors are all newbies, but have performed quite well. They look quite promising. </p><p><b>Conclusion:</b></p><p>All in all, Garmi a well made series that unmasks the corrupt socio-political system that transforms aspiring students into political puppets. </p><p>Do watch it!! </p>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-83187958695872789412023-04-24T01:58:00.002-07:002023-04-25T02:28:59.287-07:00Tooth Pari: When Love Bites (20 Apr 2023) <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5IQkgvnmkaqsbLyYMLoz_LIIaUlxmT0511Yib8MHvaUo3Pg_IwTEZeLRt5n5lNaasWsBnuwKFKWmqJCrPiA5kNLWl-0-XXx1HokwnLxY7Tt_g0zNUXVT3KASRoM-MKcbPAHQwLDgxC2mtEq6eOCKRWYxjjG6ZKTIdv3gssjUxzxFZQzQ_qOign2SnA/s1400/Tooth-Pari_1679376041.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5IQkgvnmkaqsbLyYMLoz_LIIaUlxmT0511Yib8MHvaUo3Pg_IwTEZeLRt5n5lNaasWsBnuwKFKWmqJCrPiA5kNLWl-0-XXx1HokwnLxY7Tt_g0zNUXVT3KASRoM-MKcbPAHQwLDgxC2mtEq6eOCKRWYxjjG6ZKTIdv3gssjUxzxFZQzQ_qOign2SnA/s320/Tooth-Pari_1679376041.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Genre: </b>Fantasy Comedy-Horror Thriller</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Language:</b> Hindi</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Season:</b> 1</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>No. of Episodes:</b> 8</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Running Time: </b>30-47 minutes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Writer & Director: </b>Pratim D. Gupta</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Cast:</b> Shantanu Maheshwari, Tanya Maniktala, Tillotama Home, Sikandar Kher, Saswata Chatterjee, Revathi, Adil Hussain</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It's a <i>vampire-human love story</i> wherein a rebellious lady vampire with a damaged tooth and underground abode falls in love with a shy dentist on the streets of Kolkata, something which is a strict no-no!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Presence of a vampire slayer witch and her team of Cutmundoos add on to the complexity. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><u>Full Marks For:</u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">... Originality and intelligent desification of foreign mythology. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">... Applaud worthy cinematography of old Kolkata lanes and houses. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">... Good acting by the entire cast, but Adil Hussain, Tillotama Shome and Sikandar Kher simply outshine everyone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The lead pair Tanya Maniktala and Shantanu Maheshwari share good chemistry and strong onscreen presence. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><u>Question Mark For:</u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">... No clarification of hero or villain. No moral message at the end of it all !! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Do watch it !!</div></div>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-18601514213494258932023-02-18T03:11:00.003-08:002023-02-18T03:11:52.069-08:00Lost (16 Feb 2023) Is The Latest Hindi Film Release On ZEE5 🙂<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SgO9kTvJqGGJbit6RddQJR99nINkFFkhlqeVYK4RmSrVKDbUdOt7sRj4M3t11z_btug2WTXC2f6bF8meaXInWre7Q2Xgx1ONE-Thun9UXRmHJGMMofRgo1wawbXxJjhbJ4QcPltWHAb5DS9wEXdADKz6fl2dLRl1rvouPFdVHTERguptVXF0pVUSmQ/s2048/MV5BNDA4NmVlYmYtMDlmNy00MTljLTkwYjQtNTFjODAwZjIyMTYzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTI3MzI4MzA@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1638" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SgO9kTvJqGGJbit6RddQJR99nINkFFkhlqeVYK4RmSrVKDbUdOt7sRj4M3t11z_btug2WTXC2f6bF8meaXInWre7Q2Xgx1ONE-Thun9UXRmHJGMMofRgo1wawbXxJjhbJ4QcPltWHAb5DS9wEXdADKz6fl2dLRl1rvouPFdVHTERguptVXF0pVUSmQ/s320/MV5BNDA4NmVlYmYtMDlmNy00MTljLTkwYjQtNTFjODAwZjIyMTYzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTI3MzI4MzA@._V1_.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>A young nukkad theatre activist (<b>Tushar Pandey</b>) suddenly disappears without much trail and no one is expressively bothered by this, except his powerless sister and mother, whose plea for investigation fall to deaf ears. <p></p><p>In fact out of the blue, the police labels him a Maoist and starts questioning (read harassing) his family and associates! </p><p><b>Yami Gautam</b>, a sincere and fearless crime reporter decides to investigate the matter and uncovers the whole saga, only to realise that the activist is alive but actually lost in the complex system of personal vendettas of politicians, police and Maoists.</p><p>The film plot is examplary but linear without establishing the 'why' behind questionable actions.</p><p>The supporting characters are sketchily written. Dishy looking <b>Rahul Khanna</b> and intense looking <b>Neil Bhoopalam</b> stay absolutely unutilized and don't bring any extra edge to the story.</p><p>Yami Gautam has acted well. <b>Pankaj Kapur</b> has proved that however small a role is and however inconsequential the character is written, he can shine above it all. He is the only thing about the movie that has depth. </p><p>At 124 minutes, Lost is an average film, but still it is a nice watch.</p>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-9401538997675313582022-11-23T09:22:00.003-08:002022-11-23T09:23:17.411-08:00Dharavi Bank - A Semi-interesting But Engaging Series 🙂<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjGv-whbithMCzL_7Ab-J_TmbGkLr3wbbS7N1Z6GhL9CfGJNFH1Z2N_at8duSjGoUwapJ2olhJXMU0TNazDWUMtuPnnCdMB5Kv_sBCIZmNhwZP2GA0NSDaMgyBiT2llTRwEIrrzlCfMFIJNY6Vz4bUYkugeAIz8u6oAW-_yuupnt0QSAl-uIIAok-iw/s628/images.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjGv-whbithMCzL_7Ab-J_TmbGkLr3wbbS7N1Z6GhL9CfGJNFH1Z2N_at8duSjGoUwapJ2olhJXMU0TNazDWUMtuPnnCdMB5Kv_sBCIZmNhwZP2GA0NSDaMgyBiT2llTRwEIrrzlCfMFIJNY6Vz4bUYkugeAIz8u6oAW-_yuupnt0QSAl-uIIAok-iw/s320/images.jpeg" width="234" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Release Date:</b> 19 Nov 2022</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Genre:</b> Drama Thriller</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Language: </b>Hindi</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Channel:</b> MX Player</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>No. of Episodes: </b>10</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Running Time: </b>36-59 minutes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Cast: </b>Suniel Shetty, Vivek Oberoi, Sonali Kulkarni, Luke Kenny, Chinmay Mandlekar, Freddy Daruwala, Hitesh Bhojraj, Siddharth Menon, Santosh Juvekar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Director: </b>Samit Kakkad</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Dharavi Bank</i> is woven around the ruthless and powerful modus operandi of Dharavi based underworld, which is heavily interlinked with the business world, ruling state government, opposition and police force.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As per the series, Dharavi is also the storehouse of hundreds of crores of rupees aka a private self proclaimed money bank managed by the mafia. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The main plot is corny but it's well supported by enough well connected subplots enacted by an interesting star cast.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Suniel Shetty</i> as the icy still unforgiving underworld don Thalaivan and <i>Vivek Oberoi</i> as the strategic bursting with anger JCP (eventually CP) Jayant Gavaskar are quite effective and bring the required star quotient on the screen.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Overall, it's a semi-interesting but engaging series with some nerve wrecking scenes and good cinematography of wide mesh of over populated narrow by lanes of Dharavi, one of the world's largest slums.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Considering the total content, the series name is slightly misleading. Also, the series lacks the required depth. It could have been made much better.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We definitely look forward to a better Season 2.</div></div><p></p>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-64031104754465036072022-10-05T07:09:00.005-07:002022-10-05T22:34:20.397-07:00Ponniyin Selvan: I (30 Sep 2022 )<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsInhapq0564w1ucblJ9gDk553ptVFpbL5WDfKiSGZntFLP4eYdnwdpRvkv4NOfCSJ1Lix80mHhXB8RJVocLKk7EPxFvQ9DU6h2f_YS7nqrVEzjpjwgeJOAHb8JYBTAJ7aiZWGJHSA4VRDjMtTK2UPBX_zkdjq8nIFvfVXnJPIqCXZ4tsKelcTSXBvnQ/s1626/FB_IMG_1664974597556.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1626" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsInhapq0564w1ucblJ9gDk553ptVFpbL5WDfKiSGZntFLP4eYdnwdpRvkv4NOfCSJ1Lix80mHhXB8RJVocLKk7EPxFvQ9DU6h2f_YS7nqrVEzjpjwgeJOAHb8JYBTAJ7aiZWGJHSA4VRDjMtTK2UPBX_zkdjq8nIFvfVXnJPIqCXZ4tsKelcTSXBvnQ/s320/FB_IMG_1664974597556.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Genre: </b>Period Action Drama</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Language: </b>Tamil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Dubbed In:</b> Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Duration: </b>167 minutes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Screenplay: </b>Mani Ratnam and Elango Kumaravel</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Dialogues: </b>B. Jeyamohan</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Producer & Director: </b>Mani Ratnam</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Cast: </b>Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Prabhu, R. Sarathkumar, Vikram Prabhu, Jayaram, Prakash Raj, Rahman, Shyam Fernando, Nassar and R. Parthiban</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Music:</b> A. R. Rahman</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Editing: </b>A. Sreekar Prasad</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Cinematography:</b> Ravi Varman</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Art Direction:</b> Santosh Sivan</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The <i>Chola</i> and <i>Pandya</i> dynasties of southern India were two of the longest-ruling dynasties in the world history, with their individual total ruling span ranging for around 1500 years!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>About the Chola empire:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">• Established in 300s BCE</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">• Rise of the medieval Cholas took place in 848 CE</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">• Empire was at its greatest extent in 1030 CE</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">• Disestablished in 1279 CE</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Chalukyas, Cheras </i>and <i>Rashtrakutas</i> were other prominent dynasties that existed in southern India during the aforementioned time span. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Sadly, there is just a passing mention of these dynasties in our history syllabus at school and the nation in general is in dark about their glory! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Thanks to the sheer guts and mammoth efforts of Mani Ratnam, the director and producer of <b>Ponniyin Selvan: I </b>and his team, who chose to dive deep into 1000 years plus old history and created the celluloid representation of Kalki Krishnamurthy's 1955 novel Ponniyin Selvan. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>My observations while watching the film:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">1. It has top of the line cast and crew and everyone has performed quite well, but don't expect it to be a pulsating CGI rich movie like <i>Baahubali 1</i> (2015) and <i>Baahubali 2</i> (2017).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The movie making approach of this movie is different than that of Baahubali series. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The movie is based around 10th century, when the rise of the medieval Cholas was in progress amidst myriad challenges. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">2. Within the first hour, in order to introduce all the prime characters and their locations, the movie throws in your face a spate of difficult to pronounce and understand names of people and unheard of places, which confuses you like crazy, but eventually you get the hang of it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Personally, upon returning home, I googled all the places in the movie and scouted their position on Indian map, for better understanding. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I also googled the political maps of Cholas, as well as, Pandyas and Rashtrakutas, the other two dynasties which play a prominent part in the movie. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Please consider it as the limitations of a North Indian. However, I loved the learning process and it gave me a lot of clarity. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">3. Please don't watch the movie with the expectation of seeing the Aishwarya of <i>Jodhaa Akbar</i> (2008). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">She is still the alluring queen and adorns heavy and exquisite jadau jewelry, albeit the <i>karigiri </i>here is South Indian and not Mughal. And no one can wear such jewels better than her. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In both the movies, she is wise, dignified, but she as Mandakini here is not coy or romantic, but secretive and strategic. Also, there is a gap of 10 plus years between both the movies. A slice of youth has the tendency to slide away in a decade. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">4. The women appear more confident and tactful in the movie than men. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">However, Karthi as Vallavaraiyan Vanthiyathevan has the best role and he performs it with good energy and comic timing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">5. In spite of svelte and strong presences of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi and Sobhita Dhulipala, the movie is devoid of romance.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">All of them love someone, but though apparent, it's basically in their heart and mind and yet to bloom in full! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Whenever possible, Karthi alone flirts harmlessly with everyone! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">6. The movie has 6 songs. A couple of picturisations are quite big scale and impactful.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">7. Cinematography, art direction and editing of the movie are quite impressive. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">8. At the end of it all, the movie does not look complete. So what if it's a prequel? A prequel in itself should be a complete package of sensible entertainment. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Plot:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Chola Emperor Sundara Chozhar (Prakash Raj) is ill and bed ridden. For kingdom expansion, he sends his elder son Prince Aditha Karikalan (Vikram) to Kanchi via the land route and younger son Prince Arulmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi) to Lanka via the sea route.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Both the gallant princes are successful in their respective conquests, but all of their lives and kingdom are in danger from multiple sources. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">They are - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">- The devout bodyguards of King Veerapandiyan (Nassar) of Pandya dynasty, who was beheaded in a battle by Prince Aditha, are in constant look out to avenge their dead king. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">- Led by Chola Treasurer Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar (R. Sarathkumar), a group of Chola chieftains are conspiring to usurp Prince Aditha's right to ascend to the throne. Instead they want to make his uncle, Madurantakan (Rahman), the immediate next king.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">- Post Prince Arulmozhi conquest of Lanka, though he declines the throne, King Mihindu V (Shyam Fernando) of Lanka sees him as a dire threat and sends his men to sabotage and kill him on his way back to his father. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Amidst all this, Karthi plays the part of Prince Aditha's detective cum messenger, sent to find out about the conspiracy in progress and inform the same to Princess Kundavai (Trisha) and Emperor Sundar. The princess further sends him to Prince Arulmozhi for updation of affairs and his safe return.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In the meantime, the intelligent and politically active princess keeps the civil unrest and plotting at rest, while Mandakini is busy influencing her husband, the Chola Treasure's political decisions and her own pursuit of justice. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Conclusion: </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Given the complexity of the subject, the movie is quite well made, though it has it's limitations. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Am I looking forward to the sequel?</b> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hell yes, I am!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I am very much interested to see the chain of events that led to the golden period of Chola dynasty. Also, how will such golden period be depicted?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I want to see the evident mysteries being solved.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I want to see the romance and chemistry between 4 evident pairs and I hope they transform on screen in true blue Mani Ratnam style, that is soulful and passionate, like <i>Roja</i> (1992), <i>Bombay</i> (1995), and <i>Dil Se</i> (1998). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Also, I want to see how their royal food table looked like? For some reason, no such scene was present in the entire movie. </div></div>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-22142081360567738922022-09-21T02:54:00.002-07:002023-04-25T02:10:20.190-07:00'Dahan: Raakan ka Rahasya' is Different and Good!! 😅<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkxUkR5_y7_7KL0Yrfo9axjbCF9yMb_hF8waXcsFU1PyPbs51POeV-2l-ds785lFwq0zg4hL8cYn8Ihc3E0Hb-2O_no5snoQNl1QCb8MV7HU9q963vv59uDO-dyr9Pb97Vcks8ZhnZodR-UARIU1vggT0f8ZUbK6DQlzsFmydO6tQbr3Gc3jpm1DbMQ/s480/0.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="480" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkxUkR5_y7_7KL0Yrfo9axjbCF9yMb_hF8waXcsFU1PyPbs51POeV-2l-ds785lFwq0zg4hL8cYn8Ihc3E0Hb-2O_no5snoQNl1QCb8MV7HU9q963vv59uDO-dyr9Pb97Vcks8ZhnZodR-UARIU1vggT0f8ZUbK6DQlzsFmydO6tQbr3Gc3jpm1DbMQ/s320/0.jpg" width="320" /></a></p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>Release Date:</b> 16 Sep 2022<br /><b>
Genre: </b>Horror Suspense Thriller<br /><b>
Language: </b>Hindi & Rajasthani</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>Channel: </b>Disney+ Hotstar<br /><b>
No. of Episodes: </b>9<br /><b>
Running Time: </b>45-54 minutes</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>Cast: </b>Tisca Chopra, Mukesh Tiwari, Saurabh Shukla, Rajesh Tailang, Rohan Joshi<br /><b>
Director: </b>Vikrant Pawar</p>
<p dir="ltr">Set in Silaspura, a remote town in Rajasthan which is deeply rooted in occult practices and an age old staunch belief of not disturbing or exploring an existing mine, the series is entwined with the presence of a visiting IAS officer; employees and miners of a mining company; the village police, head, priest, sects and commoners and a spate of gruesome murders!! </p>
<p dir="ltr">The main plot has well defined and ably conjoined subplots.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The casting is impressive and everyone has performed quite well.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The series is fearsome and engaging and apt for a binge watch, albeit not during night hours and definitely not with the kids. </p><p dir="ltr">It has good suspense and climax. </p>
<p dir="ltr">It's a mad mayhem with enough fear, agony and aggression but still manages to appear logical!!</p>
<p dir="ltr">Do watch it. </p><p></p>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-42448212428050251062022-07-27T04:00:00.003-07:002022-07-27T11:52:56.498-07:00 3 Latest Hindi Movies That You Can Watch On Netflix 😊<p>Two of these are OTT releases and the remaining one is a theatre release.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>- <u>OTT Release Movies</u> -</b></p><p><b>* Footfairy (24 Jul 2022) *</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqH1QMH2RDwZCp3cyc0RwP4PnIP0VMjkJfMmqG1jLVnKLc1ONgMvYe91C2wUuWYO8Ydxc85xiioozxWXqxiY0x1OFJ9sMM1bmxV7e1F_NjbwYNmQscaZSeCBY2zAJSBzZAq9Vi7LJC3l0tGcjfkC_3nSXGcJx_-IGmSyB2jtMb8Dxa8dQs9Lt5bv1iRQ/s554/images.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="554" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqH1QMH2RDwZCp3cyc0RwP4PnIP0VMjkJfMmqG1jLVnKLc1ONgMvYe91C2wUuWYO8Ydxc85xiioozxWXqxiY0x1OFJ9sMM1bmxV7e1F_NjbwYNmQscaZSeCBY2zAJSBzZAq9Vi7LJC3l0tGcjfkC_3nSXGcJx_-IGmSyB2jtMb8Dxa8dQs9Lt5bv1iRQ/s320/images.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>"Things take an ugly turn for a CBI officer in Mumbai when he is tasked with tracking down a mysterious serial killer with a foot fetish."</p><p>Intrigued with crime and suspense, thankfully the movie is more about investigation than gruesome detailing.</p><p>Gulshan Devaiah performs expectantly well as the CBI officer. Equipped with a small role, Kunaal Roy Kapur enters late into the movie, but ably brings in his own brand of star power.</p><p><b>Duration: </b>114 minutes</p><p><b>* Jaadugar (15 Jul 2022) *</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirC-BF2oET4YLz3JVfs16vCMFpQQt3nCJSgqQNwuntWGQsWtVNLObRA8SikQrX7JR3-pwHP9UfWY4kYlk02mCkCcdeHIGCaN66xc6FQkSSurIX6GR_38ANT4fWgnTlt1rMgVlIwwyxXbpicVuRQqZrJb34QTx_XDtEVOIq5JyZuNWAApYk5inThL-d2Q/s500/images%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirC-BF2oET4YLz3JVfs16vCMFpQQt3nCJSgqQNwuntWGQsWtVNLObRA8SikQrX7JR3-pwHP9UfWY4kYlk02mCkCcdeHIGCaN66xc6FQkSSurIX6GR_38ANT4fWgnTlt1rMgVlIwwyxXbpicVuRQqZrJb34QTx_XDtEVOIq5JyZuNWAApYk5inThL-d2Q/s320/images%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>"A small-time magician with no athletic talent must compete in a football tournament to win the heart of the woman he loves."</p><p>Centred around local football enthusiasts and a local tournament, this sports drama is infused with cute amateur love and magic (no pun intended).</p><p>With few good comic lines thrown here and there, it's a family flick well enacted by Jitendra Kumar, Jaaved Jaffrey, Manoj Joshi and team.</p><p><b>Duration: </b>166 minutes</p><p><br /></p><p><b>- <u>Theatre Release Movie</u> -</b></p><p><b>* Jugjugg Jeeyo (24 Jun 2022)</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLqpXHoeity7CCl6iGxBeRJY7vtqzmH_mh-Oatzcdc1W6KIjEbeCcu3z-spb3wUDv-vJvYl2iBq4nt2qp6XeAm8qIvl4tPkEu_Wa8VotkfuvSpt5VEKLKIR786g86PoUvyca2HRY4mPpyuMQUgI36lS69kaOWjtxMXDSWFfbQd5dp5GViNMpiVUERyQ/s906/images%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="906" data-original-width="680" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLqpXHoeity7CCl6iGxBeRJY7vtqzmH_mh-Oatzcdc1W6KIjEbeCcu3z-spb3wUDv-vJvYl2iBq4nt2qp6XeAm8qIvl4tPkEu_Wa8VotkfuvSpt5VEKLKIR786g86PoUvyca2HRY4mPpyuMQUgI36lS69kaOWjtxMXDSWFfbQd5dp5GViNMpiVUERyQ/s320/images%20(2).jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>"Two couples from different generations confront their relationship issues after marriage, revealing infidelity and divorce."</p><p>This family comedy drama raises and well depicts & discusses the burning social issue of a great number of couples going for separation and divorce, irrespective of their age, type of marriage and reason for divorce (read infidelity, ambition, falling out of love etc.).</p><p>But in the movie, perhaps to keep the entertainment quotient soaring, all this is presented hidden into the pomp and splendour of pre-functions of a Punjabi marriage, which is sadly all about designer clothes, dance and swag sans any soul and depth.</p><p>In spite of A-lister couples like Anil Kapoor-Neetu Singh and Varun Dhawan-Kiara Advani, the movie lacks the required energy and direction!</p><p><b>Duration: </b>150 minutes</p>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-72285335763698636152022-06-30T07:57:00.006-07:002022-06-30T08:58:33.565-07:00End of June 2022 saw a rainfall of good Hindi content on assorted OTT platforms 😊<p>The movie & series enthusiast in me kickstarted June 2022 with engaging series like - <b>9 Hours</b>, <b>Code M Season 2 </b>and <b>Aashram Season 3.</b></p><p><b>She Season 2 </b>was enough to keep me occupied during the middle of the month.</p><p>Towards the month's end, I was <i>fultu</i> spoilt with the following<i> 2 new series</i> and <i>2 movie releases</i> (originally released in theatres) on OTT -</p><p><b>- New Series -</b></p><p>* <b>Avrodh 2</b> (24 Jun 2022) on <i>Sony Liv</i>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNnUCkK5nWmitCdPy3sOYZtsiDV9YdZZux4dzS_Wsqh_EfFQrotbJEZ68qqOuOjb-s_iYdPxz8ZRw2_eziyMxhq_iAWbYDcakIxA8AJf_xwJPXBT1_oJDY21XkOdnP-FGjh7fsBtOzViqAKj_rRQEbYY-GDzw7hny0hWRN5XEMmftgATc3uUaUm4jTA/s468/images__01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="468" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNnUCkK5nWmitCdPy3sOYZtsiDV9YdZZux4dzS_Wsqh_EfFQrotbJEZ68qqOuOjb-s_iYdPxz8ZRw2_eziyMxhq_iAWbYDcakIxA8AJf_xwJPXBT1_oJDY21XkOdnP-FGjh7fsBtOzViqAKj_rRQEbYY-GDzw7hny0hWRN5XEMmftgATc3uUaUm4jTA/s320/images__01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>An extremely engaging plot regarding modular (read micro) workology of terrorist forces attempting to bring down a nation and collective efforts of able politicians, military, intelligence officers and police who detect abnormalities at assorted locations and brainstorm vividly to attach myriad loose strings to identify the mega terrorist plots and nab them on time !!</p><p>The series is engaging but not sleek. Casting and direction is good but it could have been much better.</p><p>* <b>Forensic</b> (24 Jun 2022) on <i>ZEE5</i>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrdpoe1SusKo6v0m6pS0QQtKyIQmfdBC90_JTrht04Sm3ZHFTOzqbGvmxU0guhyQH0oSqiyv9qpNNpQsUPlYhZwipxYd6EQXZx38EXZd_Xu5Es39hWnvt2bW8enITrLCQcFMYnZXvnluJEuAPiKYL2fop7BUF66NpEA7_S6bchzeoSkrNGvDGel_aIQ/s251/images%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="201" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrdpoe1SusKo6v0m6pS0QQtKyIQmfdBC90_JTrht04Sm3ZHFTOzqbGvmxU0guhyQH0oSqiyv9qpNNpQsUPlYhZwipxYd6EQXZx38EXZd_Xu5Es39hWnvt2bW8enITrLCQcFMYnZXvnluJEuAPiKYL2fop7BUF66NpEA7_S6bchzeoSkrNGvDGel_aIQ/s1600/images%20(1).jpg" width="201" /></a></div><p>Like the ongoing trend, it's a hilly region based serial murders mystery.</p><p>Vikrant Messey clearly shines through the series both in wardrobe and presence, well supported by Radhika Apte. They able save the series from being broody.</p><p><b>- Theatre Movies On OTT -</b></p><p>* <b>Runway 34</b> (29 Apr 2022) on <i>Amazon Prime Video</i>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXGbFu1Y899Hytutbg9fsZb0He28HGivd5aNQWWEwempdPNItqRAWATof94xZYjfE2EKrRWVxfeIdAzv0U04KHVgdGcEBN5FdmsnxFHoH_I0NxitxizU7ekBk9CJ64j9HF9vncohnbhOVLTSPk4PYR74ZTcNRPoaNM0QOkh_f8i6GdlxoHfoDA4zclAA/s320/images%20(3).jpg" width="240" /></div><p>Most of it is a courtroom drama concerning an emergency flight landing. </p><p>Both the lead actors - Ajay Devgn and Amitabh Bachchan are expectantly effective, the former in his silence & nonchalance and the latter in his aggression & chaste Hindi.</p><p>But after seeing Top Gun: Maverick (27 May 2022), you do miss that sense of easy understanding of technicality of the flying machine involved.</p><p>* <b>Anek</b> (27 May 2022) on <i>Netflix</i>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkomH5ZlC7W2hzfW6PzBL3fZu4eW31ZMuWNrQJIBY48jAtdp0qx6Uw4hByl1sBFJ0yOp8mamfa5wZMrLDyX6q3qIhSfZzU6dJrBA8bSzF0sOvx3ZqBgursBgjKEOoYRj10lwDJPNa0EAUQ6u-JXh-qlNQGlGZmuEIWvc2lfGK5wrPtfC9GTI-FIvlDMw/s3544/MV5BYzNiNDM4NjYtZDMyMS00YTgyLWIzMWYtNmFhMjBiNWJiN2RjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODE5NzE3OTE@._V1___01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3544" data-original-width="2456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkomH5ZlC7W2hzfW6PzBL3fZu4eW31ZMuWNrQJIBY48jAtdp0qx6Uw4hByl1sBFJ0yOp8mamfa5wZMrLDyX6q3qIhSfZzU6dJrBA8bSzF0sOvx3ZqBgursBgjKEOoYRj10lwDJPNa0EAUQ6u-JXh-qlNQGlGZmuEIWvc2lfGK5wrPtfC9GTI-FIvlDMw/s320/MV5BYzNiNDM4NjYtZDMyMS00YTgyLWIzMWYtNmFhMjBiNWJiN2RjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODE5NzE3OTE@._V1___01.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><p>A thought provoking movie about civil unrest aka demand of a separate nation by two major groups in the north-east, their internal clashes plus clashes with the government forces, spy network and central government's effort to successfully derive a peaceful understanding sans any division.</p><p>The wound is much deeper and complex than it seems. The healers do want to bandage the surface to limit the contagion but don't actually care about the cure !!</p><p>Tricky situation, eh? </p><p>So, what happens? Everybody acts as per their personal understanding of the situation and power to solve it !!</p><p>This is prone to create a mess and abundance of collateral damage.</p>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446123093310676352.post-68251093372177369092022-06-04T07:50:00.003-07:002022-06-04T08:12:25.045-07:00Get Sweetly Reacquainted With The Vagaries Of Rural Life 😊<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQUlTMd5lHyCHvJnjL1f9MS0zhufmrugiMxdd5rvwUpUTpI3MHCv0ZdYpUcW8BkKWHhl6aAUd1gx_fvOeIpEnG03Tu_HdfZMqXbxOLjfKtucdMvQd-SMyn3tmQ8455223wSjYdFxjltHhVlqNqbp1B8kMI4YyuUDf-CoSMVynwQl0_XEzo-oxRFJNQQ/s708/images.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="708" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQUlTMd5lHyCHvJnjL1f9MS0zhufmrugiMxdd5rvwUpUTpI3MHCv0ZdYpUcW8BkKWHhl6aAUd1gx_fvOeIpEnG03Tu_HdfZMqXbxOLjfKtucdMvQd-SMyn3tmQ8455223wSjYdFxjltHhVlqNqbp1B8kMI4YyuUDf-CoSMVynwQl0_XEzo-oxRFJNQQ/s320/images.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p></p><p><b>Web Series: </b>Nirmal Pathak Ki Ghar Wapsi </p><p><b>Release Date:</b> 26 May 2022</p><p><b>Channel: </b>SonyLiv</p><p><b>Genre: </b>Drama</p><p><b>Language: </b>Hindi</p><p><b>Season: </b>1</p><p><b>No. of Episodes: </b>5</p><p><b>Running Time:</b> 34-44 minutes</p><p><b>Director: </b>Rahul Pandey</p><p><b>Cast: </b>Rahul Tatwawaadi, Alka Amin, Garima Vikrant, Akash Makhija, Pankaj Jha, Vineet Kumar, Kumar Saurabh, Ishita Ganguly</p><p>After enjoying the recently released <i>Panchayat Season 2</i> on Amazon Prime Video, watching <i>Nirmal Pathak Ki Ghar Wapsi </i>on SonyLiv is like reading earlier from the safe and feel good worlds of <i>Pinki</i> & <i>Chacha Chaudhary </i>and now shifting to equally fair and good but complex and closer to real life world of <i>Panchtantra</i> !!</p><p>'Nirmal Pathak Ki Ghar Wapsi is a story of a young man who is on a journey to find his roots.'</p><p>He returns to his native village Buxar in Bihar, 24 years after his father took his 3 years old self with himself to a city life.</p><p>His return is not only to his ultra old fashioned but beautiful roots, but also to his silent and dutiful mother who is leading a life away from her husband and kid with silent remorse but pride of being the 'woman of the house'.</p><p>Watch the series for rustic craziness and humor. Also, watch it to get re-introduced to open and accepted violation of human rights and law & order in the non developed villages of our country.</p><p>But most of all, watch it for the superb, strong and silent acting of Alka Amin, the aforementioned mother. Her eyes speak volumes.</p><p>The series will appear slow at times. But it's desi dialect and lovely cinematography of lush green fields will keep you entertained.</p>Prity Poddarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13504134365841699565noreply@blogger.com0