The Railway Men (18 Nov 2023)

 

Genre: Historical Drama Tragedy

Channel: Netflix

Language: Hindi

Season: 1

No. of Episodes: 4

Running Time: 51-65 minutes

Writer: Aayush Gupta

Director: Shiv Rawail

Cast: Kay Kay Menon, R. Madhavan, Babil Khan, Divyenndu Sharma, Juhi Chawla

Fact:

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!!

Till today, the city of Bhopal has not fully recovered from this tragedy.

What led to such a tragic night?

- Low safety standards maintained inside the factory.

- Inapt awareness and training of factory staff.

- The mere presence of such a high risk factory in the populated area and not the vacant outskirts.

Webseries Plot:

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.

The screen credits display the death toll figure to be 15,000!!

Two most heart wrenching scenes from the movie are -

- An infant feeding on his/her mother's breast while she is already dead!

- 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!!

Analysis:

Being the first webseries from the stable of YRF Entertainment, The Railway Men 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.

Kay Kay Menon as the wise, dutiful and extremely concerned station master simply wins your heart with his yet again display of amazing acting prowess.

The actor can emote myriad of emotions sans any dialogue! Also, his continuity throughout the series is awesome.

Babil Khan plays an inexperienced loco pilot with past working experience in the Union Carbide factory with almost perfection. 

His acting is raw, fresh and honest which makes it quite appealing. He is definitely a talent to watch out for.

R. Madhavan 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.

Divyenndu Sharma plays a robber who eventually ends up as a saviour. His energy and dialect brings in the much required comic relief in the series.

Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Raghubir Yadav, Juhi Chawla Mehta, Mandira Bedi and Sunny Hinduja are other prominent actors that play assorted small but effective roles in the series and help in making it better and wholesome.

Conclusion:

Do watch The Railway Men for it's a well engineered fact based fiction and overall good cinema.

Tiger 3 (12 Nov 2023)

Genre: Action

Language: Hindi

Duration: 156 minutes

Writer: Shridhar Raghavan

Director: Maneesh Sharma 

Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Emraan Hashmi, Revathi, Kumud Mishra, Danish Husain, Ranveer Shorey, Vishal Jethwa, Anant Vidhaat Sharma

Analysis:

The best bits of the movie are -

... A chase sequence atop a rocky mountain terrain of Afghanistan. 

It's innovative, quite well conceptualized and amazingly captured on the camera.

... Hand-to-hand combat scene between Katrina Kaif and a Chinese lady inside a spa while both are wrapped in just bath towels!

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.

... Cameo by Shah Rukh Khan when he appears out of nowhere to help escape Salman Khan from his assassination in a Pakistani prison.

Both the Khans share amazing chemistry and look fabulous performing the long action and chase sequence.

In fact, Salman Khan looks most agile and lively during this cameo scene!! Also, Shah Rukh Khan looks fabulous sporting his man-bun from 'Pathaan' (2023).

... Post-credit scene from upcoming movie War 2 featuring Hrithik Roshan.

It features Japanese style ruthless massacre by hooded Hrithik followed by a crooked smile. 

You never get to see his eyes, but can very well feel the intended chill!

The low points of the movie are -

... It's pace which appears quite sluggish at times.

... An average soundtrack. With such an amazing star cast and budget, one expects much better.

... A not so fit as required and a tad bit disinterested looking Salman Khan. Gone are the days when a hero can woo the audience merely by mouthing iconic dialogues.

... The overall direction. Spy thriller movies are clearly not Maneesh Sharma's genre.

Conclusion:

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.

You can still watch the movie.

Thiruchitramblam (18 Aug 2022)

Genre: Drama Comedy Romance

Channel: Amazon Prime Video 

OTT Release Date: 6 Oct 2023

Original Language: Tamil

Dubbed In: Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi

Duration: 133 minutes

Director: Mithran R. Jawahar

Cast: Dhanush, Nithya Menen, Bharathiraja, Prakash Raj, Raashii Khanna, Priya Bhavani Shankar

Music: Anirudh Ravichander

Plot:

Thiruchitrambalam is a humorous story about food delivery agent Pazham (Dhanush), his no holds barred friendship with Shobana (Nithya Menen), who lives in the same building as himself, and his unconventional but endearing relationship with his wise & witty grandfather (Bharathiraja).

A slice of film is also about Pazham's interesting turncoat of emotions with his strict father, Inspector Neelakandan (Prakash Raj).

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!!

But does Shobana shares the same feelings? Will they both eventually unite?

Watch the movie to satiate your all such queries.

Analysis:

Dhanush 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. 

Nithya Menen simply lights up the screen whenever she is in the frame. She has well matched Dhanush's juvenile vibe.

Also, they share good onscreen chemistry.

Bharatjiraja is endearing as Dhanush's grandfather, partner-in-crime and middleman between him and his father!

Prakash Raj has quite well enacted his initial role of a strict but grieving father and eventual role of a dependent and supportive father.

The background score and music are soothing.

Conclusion:

Overall, it's a sweet & funny film about genuine childhood friendship & innocent love between two trusting simpletons.

You will enjoy watching this clean movie with child-like glee!!

Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty (7 Sep 2023)

 

Genre: Drama Comedy Romance
Duration: 147 minutes

Director: Mahesh Babu Pachigolla

Cast: Anushka Shetty, Naveen Polishetty

Phoebic of love & commitment, a London based no-nonsense, superbly talented and lovely lady master chef strives to be a single mother at 30, without marriage via IUI treatment aka artificial insemination from an appropriate donor sans any emotional angle or further connection with him!

While engrossed in the selection process, a mutual vibe develops between her and a 25 years old Hyderabad based rookie but effective stand-up comedian, which she blatantly denies to both him and herself and travels far off to stay in anonymity post getting pregnant with his sperm donation.

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.

Will the two eventually meet? If yes, then how?

Watch the simple, clean, funny, beautifully picturized and sweet movie on Netflix to find out!

Khufiya (5 Oct 2023)

Genre: Spy Thriller

Channel: Netflix

Language: Hindi

Duration: 157 minutes

Writer: Rohan Narula, Vishal Bhardwaj

Director: Vishal Bhardwaj

Cast: Tabu, Ali Fazal, Wamiqa Gabbi, Shataf Figar, Ashish Vidyarthi, Atul Kulkarni, Azmeri Haque Badhon, Navnindra Behl

Introduction:

Khufiya is based on the book Escape to Nowhere, penned by Amar Bhushan, a former R&AW official.

R&AW stands for the Research and Analysis Wing. It is the foreign intelligence agency of India.

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.

Plot:

The movie starts with the assassination of agent Hina Rehman (Azmeri Haque Badhon), a fresh Bangladeshi recruit and love interest of sharp senior R&AW operative Krishna Mehra aka KM (Tabu), at the hands of Brigadier Mirza (Shataf Figar), who was supposed to get killed by Heena as per the ongoing Project Octopus!

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 (Ali Fazal) and puts him and his life-loving cherubic wife Charu Mohan (Wamiqa Gabbi) under constant surveillance.

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!

And working in cahoots with him is not his wife but aged mother Lalita Mohan (Navnindra Behl)!!

Just before KM could put in action Ravi's formal arrest, he gets wind of him being exposed. 

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.

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!

Luckily KM and her team arrive on time and rush her for medical aid.

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.

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!!

Analysis:

Primarily helmed by three women - Tabu (prime role), Wamiqa Gabbi (secondary role but more screen time) and Azmeri Haque Badhon (prime character in a miniscule role) and a man - Ali Fazal (meaty role performed with an overdose of good acting), Khufiya is an engrossing espionage tale with occasional thrills.

The director Vishal Bhardwaj 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.

All of the aforementioned ladies are a treat to watch. 

It's amusing to see Wamiqa solo dancing to ’70s Bollywood songs, even in her lingerie and rolling & smoking a doobie when no one is around!

But her actions don't take forward the story in any manner and you miss the presence of lady-boss Tabu and wish there was a little more of bullish Azmeri in the movie.

Khufiya 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 (Atul Kulkarni) and their teenage son - all of them have a distinct flavor and have been depicted beautifully.

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!

The climax scene with rogan josh on the dining table occupied by entities from three nations with the danger of life looming above their heads is quite effective.

Conclusion:

Khufiya is not exactly a thriller but it has a lovely ensemble cast and inimitable Vishal Bhardwaj brand of direction.

You can watch it.

Aakhri Sach (25 Aug - 22 Sep 2023)

Genre: Crime Mystery Thriller

Channel: Disney+ Hotstar

Language: Hindi

Season: 1

No. of Episodes: 6

Running Time: 31-50 minutes

Writer: Saurav Dey

Director: Robbie Grewal

Cast: Tamannaah Bhatia, Abhishek Banerjee, Shivin Narang, Sanjiv Chopra

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!!

Tamannaah Bhatia plays the diligent Inspector Anya Swaroop who solves this multiple layered extremely confusing heart wrenching case, while fighting her personal mental trauma.

The series is little spooky but quite well enacted and presented.

It keeps you hooked and wondering till the end.

Do watch it.

Jaane Jaan (21 Sep 2023)

 

Genre: Crime Thriller Drama

Channel: Netflix

Language: Hindi

Duration: 139 minutes

Writer: Sujoy Ghosh, Raj Vasant, Keigo Higashino

Director: Sujoy Ghosh

Cast: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Vijay Varma, Saurabh Sachdeva, Naisha Khanna, Karma Takapa, Lin Laishram

Introduction: 

Jaane Jaan is an adroit adaptation of Keigo Higashino's crime novel The Devotion of Suspect X (2005).

Plot:

Settled in the scenic and silent hill town Kalimpong, Maya D' Souza (Kareena Kapoor Khan) is a single mother and a hands-on cafe owner.

Around 14 years back she ran off from the clutches of her sinful & abusive husband and cop Ajit Mhatre (Saurabh Sachdeva) who has somehow located her whereabouts and intimidates her by visiting both her cafe and home.

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 (Naisha Khanna)!

This leads to fierce protest from Maya. One thing leads to another and Ajit gets killed by Maya with some help from their daughter!!

Naren or Teacher (Jaideep Ahlawat), Maya's next door neighbour is a maths genius and school teacher who silently admires her since her arrival in their building!

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.

However, arrival of charming and dedicated Inspector Karan Anand (Vijay Varma) from Mumbai, changes everything.

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!!

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.

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!

See the movie to see who ultimately wins and how.

Analysis:

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.

All the lead artists and side artists have performed quite well, but Jaideep Ahlawat 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!

It's heart warming to see Kareena Kapoor Khan 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.

Relatively better sense of empathy can be sensed between Naren and one of his students who constantly challenges him for a coin trick game!

However, with enough close-up shots, Kareena brings ample star power and beauty to the movie. 

She is a dream to watch when she sings the classic title track in a karaoke bar.

Vijay Varma has cakewalked his role with easy charm and smile. His character lacks depth, but that is not his doing.

Conclusion:

Jaane Jaan is an intelligent thriller with good acting and tight screenplay. It's engaging but don't expect any edge-of-the-seat moment.

Do watch it and ponder how the entire storyline could have been depicted better!!