Renee’s Treasure Book Review
Good children’s films are the ones that also appeal to the grown-ups. The same goes for children’s books too. Indrani Sinha’s Renee’s Treasure falls in this category. It is a novel that goes beyond the target audience. Apart from narrating an interesting tale, it is filled with nostalgic moments.
The story is set in 1960 and it revolves around the 11-year-old girl Renee. She is smart and adventurous. She stays with her mother, whom she fondly addresses as Mamoni, father, two younger brothers, Jatin and Sonu and grandfather. Renee’s father, who is a junior engineer with railways, has been recently transferred to Varanasi from Bareilly.
Like every child, Renee is excited for her upcoming birthday. But this year, it’s even special since her grandfather aka Dadaji has hidden a secret gift for her, which she needs to uncover. He has strictly urged her not to disclose this to anyone, including her parents. Unfortunately, Dadaji passes away on her birthday. Now, Renee is left all by herself to search the gift. She finds help in the form of her new friends, Anil aka Sacchu and his sister Anita.
The basic plot of Renee’s Treasure itself is exciting as well as intriguing. It keeps you guessing about the gift. This coupled with a free-flowing narration with regular twists make sure you are hooked. Sinha has also smartly women thriller elements. This makes you recall the method used by Satyajit Say in his Feluda series, where there is thrill but at the same time, the mood is completely light-hearted.
The most vital aspect in such stories is the uncovering of the treasure in the end. Sinha has thankfully kept this part simple, which goes with the nature of the entire book.
The author’s language and use of words plays a large role in making the book appealing to both kids and grown-ups. The little ones would enjoy the story and mystery. But adults would also find high doses of nostalgia. The children’s antics in school and home would surely bring back memories of their younger days. The book indirectly gives a message that life was indeed simple and more pleasurable for children back then.
There are few issues that limit the book’s greatness. The long bygone era of 1960 isn’t felt much. It rather looks like the book is based in the early 1990s. On few occasions, the narration gets too descriptive. There is a romantic angle between two teachers in the school. Although it is cute, we wonder about its relevance with the main story.
Overall: Renee’s Treasure is an intriguing as well as light-hearted nostalgic saga. It has the potential of impressing both children and grown-ups.
Author: Indrani Sinha
Rating: 3.5/5
Review by: Keyur Seta
Pages: 145
Publishers: Leadstart Publishing
Price: Rs 150
Cover: Beautiful painting that induces nostalgia and the joys of simple life
South Africa won this world series but hardly anyone remembers
(This is the 2nd episode in my 'Forgotten Cricket Moments' series. For the 1st episode, click HERE.)
In the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy, India comprehensively defeated South Africa today in a do-or-die encounter at the Oval, London. It can also be said that South Africans once again lived up to their nickname – chokers.
The team has been consistently falling apart in crunch games in world series since 1996 Quarterfinal loss against West Indies (I don’t blame them for the 1992 World Cup Semi-Final defeat). Following this, three or four generations have continued the tradition of succumbing in big games in ICC tournaments.
With today’s loss, South Africa has failed to reach another final of a world series. At least, this is the general belief.
Now, what if I tell you that South Africa has not only been in the final of a world series but also won the trophy? No, I am not talking about the triumph of its Under 19 or Under 15 team, but the proper men’s team.
South Africa’s first achievement in that series was that it reached its first final by defeating Sri Lanka in the Semi Final by 92 runs (Duckworth-Lewis [D/L] method).
The final between SA and West Indies was truly exciting. Batting first, West Indies were all out for 245 with three balls to spare. At one point, they were on their way to go past 300. They were helped by Philo Wallace’s 103 off just 102 balls with 11 fours and five sixes. But Jacques Kallis had other plans with the ball. He finished with outstanding figures of 5 for 30.
The South African openers started off well with a 54 run stand. But the team kept losing wickets and were 137 for 5 when Jonty Rhodes was sent packing. It seemed they are all set to succumb once again. But this is when the late Hansie Cronje, their captain, took matters in his own hands.
He had two crucial partnerships with Dale Benkenstein and Derek Crookes. South Africa was eventually home by six wickets and three overs to spare. Cronje was unbeaten with a responsible and brave 61, which had four fours. But it was Kallis who was declared the Man of The Match as well as the Man of The Series.
The ICC Champions Trophy started out in 1998 as ICC Knockout and the series was called Wills International Cup. As per the name, it was a knockout series participated by all test playing nations; nine at that time.
This was the world series that South Africa won. But, unfortunately, very few of us remember.
Of course, there is no denying that it is weird to see South Africa faltering so very often in crunch games in world series. But it is certainly wrong to say that they have never won any.
See the scorecard of the match HERE.
By: Keyur Seta
Review: Sachin – A Billion Dreams
Documentaries are considered boring by the masses, at least in India. But Brahmanand S Siingh’s Pancham Unmixed, a documentary on the legendary music composer R D Burman, proved that even documentaries can be entertaining. Sachin – A Billion Dreams is the latest film in the genre to make us think this way.
Directed by James Erskine, the film tells the journey of India’s legendary cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar. Not many would know that he was a mischievous kid. But there was this purity and passion in him that stood out. Sachin was 10 years old when India won the 1983 World Cup. This was the incident that made him realize his dream of winning the World Cup for India.
Sachin took cricket seriously at the age of 11 when he started learning under coach Ramakant Acharekar. It was his elder brother Ajit who saw the potential in him and took him to Acharekar. His international career starts off as a 16-year-old youngster in November 1989 and ends 24 years later in November 2013. He retires with the satisfaction of having won the World Cup for India in 2011.
It is refreshing to see a documentary giving high importance to storytelling. The writers (Erskine and Sivakumar Ananth) have followed a feature film-like technique when it comes to adding drama and emotions. Some important events from Sachin’s life have stood out well. The incidents like his debut match, father’s demise, 2011 World Cup victory and the retirement speech deserve special mention. These moments don’t make us feel as if we are watching a documentary.
However, having witnessed Sachin’s career from close quarters, it is puzzling why these important milestones were kept away:
- The first test century holds a high place for any batsman. But Sachin’s first test hundred against England at Manchester in 1990 (also the first of his life) is not celebrated in the film like his other achievements. It was a heroic effort by the then 17-year-old to save the match for his team and remain unbeaten at 119.
- His first one-day international century (110 against Australia at Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1994) also finds no place. Sachin is known the most for his centuries in ODIs. So, what was the reason for not including his first hundred in this format?
- One of the most celebrated moments in Sachin’s career was when he won the match against South Africa in the Hero Cup as a bowler. The opposition team needed just six runs from the last over. Sachin surprised everyone by volunteering to bowl and saw India home in one of the most incredible victories at the Eden Gardens.
But the biggest downfall of Sachin – A Billion Dreams is that it hardly shows things that are not known to his fans. Those who have been following him since his early days would already know almost everything that the film features. And in today’s digital age, you can find hundreds of his interviews on the internet where he has spoken about his life.
I also wonder why Sachin and it makers have refrained from mentioning that the film is a documentary in the various promotional events. They have always maintained that it's either a film or movie.
Overall: Sachin – A Billion Dreams is an entertaining celebration of the Master Blaster. However, it is meant only for his die-hard fans.
Rating: 3/5
Review by: Keyur Seta
Director: James Erskine
Producers: 200 Not Out Productions and Carnival Motion Pictures
Writers: James Erskine and Sivakumar Ananth
Hindi Medium Review
As part of my profession, before the release of Hindi Medium, I had spoken to Irrfan Khan in a group interview (read it here). While answering a question, he had said that the film can be adapted in any language. Today, after watching it, I can vouch that he hadn’t said it just to promote the film.
Hindi Medium basically takes a satirical dig at the idea of looking down upon your own language (be it any) while succumbing to the pressure of English. And this is very much relevant today when the knowledge of English is equated with intelligence.
The story takes place in Chandni Chowk, Delhi. Raj Batra (Irrfan Khan) is a successful garment businessman living a comfortable lifestyle with his wife (Saba Qamar) and little daughter (Dishita Sehgal). Raj doesn’t know English and he has no problems with it. His wife, however, is his opposite.
She doesn’t like his desi manners and is eager to see her family move to the elite class. She feels it is necessary for their daughter to get admitted in a school where children from the wealthy class study. The conflict between Raj and his wife increase when Raj’s lack of education and English knowledge becomes a hindrance for their daughter’s admission in a high quality school.
Hindi Medium is a thoroughly entertaining fare with sensible and realistic humour. Due to a fast screenplay and witty dialogues, you don’t realize when the 133 minutes pass off. The film, however, isn’t limited to this. It has quite a few layers.
Hindi Medium basically stands out for the following messages it smartly weaves in an entertaining manner (without being preachy):
- The use of English is important in today’s times to succeed but not at the cost of your own language. Moreover, you shouldn’t be ashamed speaking in your language just to prove your ‘high status.’
- Although the film doesn’t say it directly, it shows the mirror to these so-called international schools that charge a bomb in order to develop your kid in a special way. In other words, education has been transformed into a shoddy business.
- We tend to look at the poor class of people as potential criminals. The film tries to bridge the class gap without any melodrama.
- The movie isn’t flawless though. There are flaws in the form of quite a few cinematic liberties, more so in the climax (describing them would lead to spoilers).
The high quality content wouldn’t have become so appealing without the presence of Irrfan Khan. He gives us another proof as to why he is not only one of the finest artists but also someone who can easily make you laugh. Hindi Medium is another feather in his cap.
Saba Qamar matches up to him and this only means that she knows the art of acting. Let’s hope we get to see more of her. Deepak Dobriyal is present only in one half but he puts behind a resounding impact. He is indeed a brilliant actor. As the school Principal, Amrita Singh is powerful too. Dishita Sehgal is cute and talented but doesn’t get to speak much.
Overall: Hindi Medium puts forward an important message in a hilarious way. The film hasn’t opened very well at the box office. But it surely stands a chance due to positive word-of-mouth.
Rating: 3.5/5
Review by: Keyur Seta
Director: Saket Chaudhary
Writers: Zeenat Lakhani and Saket Chaudhary
Producers: T-Series and Maddock Films
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Saba Qamar, Dishita Sehgal, Deepak Dobriyal, Amrita Singh
Music: Sachin-Jigar
Runtime: 133 minutes
RUMOUR ALERT! ISIS members spreading AIDS through injections
ISIS members are spreading AIDS through injection syringes by posing as someone willing to check your blood sugar levels for free. This is the latest What’s App forward message that has gone viral.
Picture: Iconexperience.com
This is what the message reads: Urgent Urgent Please reach to catch them quickly if you have people on your door and they say they are from the Faculty of Medicine so that we measure your sugars for free. as soon as you see such lady or man please immidiately inform the police because these are the people fromISIS (????) who go to the houses and r spreading AIDS virus by injections which look like insulin. please catch such people as soon as they reach you Inform and share this message with all your loved one. (forwarded as received )
Is the news true?
It just can’t be true. This is simply because there is not a single news report about any such incident anywhere on the internet. It is common sense that even if one such incident would have happened, it would have been Breaking News everywhere. It is impossible that a news reaches What’s App but doesn’t reach a single publication (print and online) or a news channel.
It is wise to check Google before forwarding any such messages.
By: Keyur Seta
Begum Jaan Review
Srijit Mukherjee’s Begum Jaan has an interesting and intriguing storyline with a lot of scope for drama. But a good concept requires convincing execution in order to provide overall satisfaction. Mukherjee, as writer and director, manages this only to some extent. This results in an engaging film that lacks complete appeal.
The film is the official remake of the Bengali film Rajkahini (2015) by the same director. Begum Jaan (Vidya Balan) proudly runs a brothel in Punjab in 1947. She has a group of girls working under her. Being a tough individual, she doesn’t feel ashamed of their profession.
Their life comes to a halt when India gets partitioned and the border is supposed to go through their brothel. Hence, they are told to vacate the house. But Begum and her girls would never budge. What will the authorities do now?
Rajkahini was 160 minutes long. The Hindi version is reduced to 135 minutes. This works for the film as it makes sure that the proceedings are gripping. Some dialogues at times too are praiseworthy. For example, ‘Mahina ginna humein achchhe se aata hai sahab. Sala har baar laal karke jata hai.’ The underlying message against patriarchy and the hypocrisy of the so-called elite class is also well stated.
But Begum Jaan has a major issue. You don’t feel much for the characters and their plight. This is simply because the execution lags behind in the very basic task of establishing the characters and their life story before they landed in Begum’s brothel. Even the back story of Begum is shown in a hurry. When you don’t know much about the characters, it becomes very difficult to have sympathy for them when their lives are in danger.
Furthermore, in trying to create drama, the director has resorted to too much of loudness. There are high screams by the characters and a jarring background score too. Surprisingly, there are hardly any scenes taking place outside the locality of the brothel. This coupled by its location doesn’t give a feel of Punjab, where the story is based.
Cinematographer Gopi Bhagat, however, has succeeded in artistically capturing the flick. The symbolic method of showing only the half faces of Vidyarthi and Kapur on a couple of occasions is too praiseworthy. The musical tracks are as per the need. ‘Woh Subah Humi Se Aayegi’ plays a big role in the climax.
Vidya Balan has once again succeeded in giving a powerful act. She has displayed both ruthlessness and softheartedness with ease. Unfortunately, her act becomes a victim of loudness on few occasions. Pallavi Sharda not only looks ravishing but also scores high on performance. Ila Arun is brilliant as the eldest member of Begum Jaan’s family.
Chunky Pandey comes late but leaves a resounding impact. Here is an actor who deserves more meaty roles than comical ones. Ashish Vidyarthi and Rajit Kapur provide fine acts. Vivek Mushran, known for his debut Saudagar (1991), is the surprise factor. As expected from someone like Naseeruddin Shah, he is fully believable. Pitobash Tripathy once again shows his supreme talent.
Gauahar Khan proves she is not behind when it comes to acting talent. Priyanka Setia, Ridheema Tiwary, Flora Saini, Mishti, Raviza Chauhan, Poonam Rajput and other girls of the brothel are alright. Rajesh Sharma and Sumit Nijhavan, as Salim, provide perfect support.
Overall: Begum Jaan is an average drama that deserved better execution. The film will have a tough journey at the box office. It is not expected to generate good collections.
Rating: 2.5/5
Review by: Keyur Seta
Director: Srijit Mukherjee
Producers: Vishesh Films
Writer: Srijit Mukherjee
Cast: Vidya Balan, Pallavi Sharda, Gauahar Khan, Ila Arun, Ashish Vidyarthi, Rajit Kapur, Rajesh Sharma, Naseeruddin Shah
Music: Anu Malik and Khayyam (for the recreation of ‘Woh Subah Kabhi Toh Aayegi)
Genre: Period drama
Runtime: 135 minutes
Book Review: Beneath A Rougher Sea
Even in 2017, a person suffering from a psychological illness continues to face stigma from the society. This holds true even in the most urban city like Mumbai. Author Susmita Bagchi’s Beneath A Rougher Sea is a fine encouragement in speaking out about mental issues. But instead of being preachy, it puts forth its point while telling a compelling story.
The novel revolves around an experienced psychiatrist, Aditya. He has been practicing out of Bangalore since years. He treats all types of mental disorders; from simple depression to something as complex as schizophrenia. His wife, Prachi is a general doctor working in a hospital. Something new happens in Aditya’s routine life when he bumps into his old friend, Prakash.
The two of them had met during their medical college days. After getting irritated by Prakash initially, Aditya became his best friend in no time. But later on, they went out of touch as both got busy with their respective lives. But the real twist comes in Aditya’s life when Deepa, his first love, resurfaces after 22 years.
As is evident from the above synopsis, Beneath A Rougher Sea has an interesting, dramatic storyline. But Bagchi has smartly weaved the issue of psychological illness into it. To provide awareness on mental disorders in such an emotional personal story is no easy task whatsoever.
But the biggest challenge was to present and explain the condition of individuals suffering from psychological disorders. And the author has succeeded here too. Thankfully, she has steered clear of making it sound technical. In other words, a layman or someone with no knowledge of the psychological world would find it easy to grasp.
The conversation between the psychiatrist and the patients was the means to it. The dialogue with every patient is interesting and insightful. And having witnessed the working of psychiatrists from close quarters, I can vouch that it is realistic too. The reality is seen in the numerous characters too. There is a good amount of relativity with them.
Moreover, the pace is crisp. The book is a fast read throughout. As far as the writing is concerned, it’s simple yet appealing. The author has maintained the balance between rich and easy language.
There are few issues that stop the book from being much more. There comes a period where the story doesn’t move much and a lot of footage is given to the discussion with patients. Tragedy with one of the characters should have at least been reduced. This is because the purpose of the character and its story was already achieved.
Overall: Beneath A Rougher Sea is an insightful and interesting novel. It carries out the much needed task of removing stigma from patients suffering from psychological problems.
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewed by: Keyur Seta
Pages: 279
Publisher: Leadstart Publishing
Price: Rs 299
Cover: A sketch on blue perfectly depicting the storyline
The Salesman Review
It is believed that technical aspects like haunting and loud background score, editing effects and fast camerawork are a must for edge-of-the-seat thrillers. But Asghar Farhadi’s Oscar winning Iranian film, The Salesman manages to create an enormously thrilling effect just through the use of the script and presentation and leaves you super impressed.
The film tells the story of a married couple, Emad (Shahab Hosseini) and Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti), who are staying in Iran. They work together in a theatre group. Emad also teaches theatre and performing arts in a college. Suddenly, the building they are staying in starts collapsing. They manage to flee along with other residents.
Obviously, they are frantically searching for a new apartment to shift in. Babak (Babak Karimi), their theatre colleague, helps them find a new place, which was earlier occupied by a mysterious woman. One night, Rana goes to take a shower. When Emad returns home, he is shocked to find her badly wounded on her head. Was it an accident or assault?
The Salesman is an ideal example of getting your basics right. It proves that if you get your basic prerequisites bang on, you don’t need anything else to hook the audience. Not even a background score. In fact, not having any sound in the background is Farhadi’s trademark. Yet he manages to thrill through an ideal combination of an interesting story, watertight screenplay and brilliant execution.
The film doesn’t start off as a thriller by any means. It seems like a simple drama. But Farhadi has brought in the thriller effect slowly as the story progresses without you even noticing it. The effect keeps on increasing with the passing time. In other words, you don’t realize when you shift to the edge of the seat. Along with providing thrill, the climax also says a lot without saying anything.
Like the content and treatment, the characters too are simple, everyday people faced with extraordinary circumstances. The film shows that even the most ordinary and random person in a large crowd can be living a complicated tale.
The film does have few areas of concern though. The incident of building collapse doesn’t get with the rest of the film. Its magnanimity makes you think about it long after it has passed, which wasn’t needed. There is also one questionable moment in the last 20 minutes or so.
Hossein Jafarian’s camerawork gels with the nature of the film. It’s simple yet effective.
The performances match up to the numerous plus points. Shahab Hosseini beautifully succeeds in playing man possessed with a lot of questions. But he also manages to underplay himself, which was needed and would have been very difficult for most actors. Taraneh Alidoosti portrays various emotions with precision. She too wonderfully succeeds in speaking through expressions.
Farid Sajjadi Hosseini enters only in the last 30 minutes or so but leaves a terrific impact with his brilliance. Babak Karimi, Mina Sadati, as Sanam, Maral Bani Adam, as Kati, and the rest of the supporting actors leave no scope for complain.
Overall: The Salesman is an outstanding thrilling drama. The film is a must watch for anyone who wishes to enjoy something meaningful as well as riveting. Its appeal is universal. It's releasing in India on 31 March 2017. The positive word-of-mouth might help the film earn decent collections at the box office.
Rating: 4/5
Review by: Keyur Seta
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Producers: Memento Films Production, Asghar Farhadi Produdction and Arte France Cinema
Cast: Shahab Hosseini, Taraneh Alidoosti, Farid Sajjadi Hosseini, Mina Sadati, Maral Bani Adam
Music: Sattar Oraki
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 125 minutes
India release: 31 March 2017
Baahubali 2 has achieved the unthinkable even before its release. Here’s what…
S S Rajamouli’s Baahubali: The Conclusion, also known as Baahubali 2, is around a month away from its release. It would be an understatement to say that there is high excitement for the film. There has hardly, if not never, been such high degree of eagerness for a film all over India.
The Prabhas and Rana Daggubati starrer will be releasing in a whopping 6500 screens in the country. This is the highest for a film in India. Hence, the film is predicted to amass the highest box office collections ever (at least till the time Robot 2.0 releases).
In fact, the eagerness is such that, God forbid, even if the film doesn’t turn out to be that impressive, it won’t be wrong to make a prediction that its business will still be big.
However, even if this doesn’t happen, Baahubali 2 still will be achieving the unthinkable. In fact, it has already begun.
Let’s face it. The only thing that has united Indians all these decades has been cricket, whether you like it or not. But this is the first time that such a feat has been achieved by a film, at least in my lifetime. I have never seen a film bonding the whole of India like Bahaubali has. The fact that it is releasing in such huge number of screens is a proof of that.
So much so, that most of us either seem to have forgotten or are not bothered that its original language is Telugu and Tamil. (‘south Indian’ for many). Normally, one would expect a Hindi film to achieve such feat. But nobody is complaining.
Another proof of its extreme excitement is the number of views to its Hindi trailer. In just 11 days, it has garnered more than 3 crore 65 lakh views (only the Hindi trailer). On the other hand, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, a hardcore Hindi film with big stars like Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan, has managed 2 crore 81 lakh views in almost two months. Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees has been viewed just over 5 crore times in a long period of almost four months.
This speaks about the film’s pan India interest. On a lighter note, people from all over India are eager to find out why Katappa killed Baahubali. The social media is full of funny memes or posts asking this question. Seriously, how many of us ever expected a non-Hindi film to create such a scenario?
What it has indirectly shown is the power of regional cinema. The same happened last year with the Marathi movie Sairat. The film also found takers outside Maharashtra, something never achieved before by a Marathi film. This is also a wake-up call for those who shy away from watching a regional film saying it won’t interest them. If a film is high in appeal, it will cross state boundaries in India.
Like Baahubali 2 has. It’s neither a Telugu/ Tamil nor a south Indian film.
It’s an Indian film… Jai Mahishmati!
By: Keyur Seta
Hindi trailer of Baahubali 2: The Conclusion:
Badrinath Ki Dulhania Review
Badrinath Ki Dulhania is a light-hearted romantic comedy. Films of this genre generally follow the same pattern all over the world. A boy and a girl meet, fall in love, get separated in due to some issue and reunite in the climax. But the Shashank Khaitan written and directed film goes further ahead by tackling a hard-hitting issue successfully while keeping the film thoroughly entertaining.
Story: Badrinath aka Badri (Dhawan) is a happy-go-lucky youngster from Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. He has studied only till 10th standard and looks after his family business. He stays with his father (Rituraj), mother (Prabhu), elder brother (Sinha) and his wife (Prasad). His father is an epitome of patriarchy and regressive practices. So, he doesn’t let women in his family to work and dowry is utmost important for him.
Badri also follows his father’s mindset. He comes across Vaidehi (Bhatt) at a wedding and instantly falls for her. But Vaidehi is a progressive thinker who is wholeheartedly against regressive mindsets. Despite that, Badri and Vaidehi fall in love. But how long can two people with such opposite set of beliefs stay together?
Plus points:
Badrinath Ki Dulhania is loaded with situational humour throughout its duration. It doesn’t generate giggles or extended giggles but proper laughter. There are various little moments or antics by the characters that play a large role in tickling your funny bone.
The most positive point of the film is the way it tackles the social issue of dowry, patriarchy and gender inequality. The film is more of a satire on these issues. It doesn’t speak against them but still manages to ridicule them through the presentation. It scores high mostly because of the hard-hitting and liberating climax. But even here, the lightheartedness is kept intact.
Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt have come of age as actors. The not only share a positive chemistry but complement each other in terms of the performance too. Varun gets every aspect of Badri right. The little nuances that he has brought do a lot in adding humour. Alia is fantastic as the righteous feminist. There is no doubt that she is a matured artist now.
The supporting actors play a large role in generating the effect. Sahil Vaid shines as Badri’s best friend. He is all set to get known after this act. Rituraj Singh is thoroughly realistic. You just love to hate him. Yash Sinha, brings the right temperament as Singh’s fearful son. Sukmani Lamba, as Vaidehi’s elder sister, Swanand Kirkire, Shweta Basu Prasad and Aparshakti Khurrana too chip in with impressive acts.
The film has three impressive songs – ‘Tamma Tamma,’ title track and ‘Aashiq Surrender Hua.’
Minus points:
The sudden act before interval by one of the two main leads, which is the biggest turning point, isn’t convincing. The rest of the plus points manage to overshadow this somewhat though.
An incident of attempted rape on a male is shown in a funny way, which is absolutely hypocritical. Will you ever dare show an attempted rape on a female in a humorous manner?
The film should have been much tighter in the second half.
A couple of songs aren’t impressive, which make them as obstacles in the narrative.
A kidnapping scene might not go well with some if it is not seen in the right context (it went off well with me).
Overall: Badrinath Ki Dulhania succeeds in rubbishing off regressive beliefs and provides lots of entertainment too at the same time. It shows the mirror to the section of the society that practices evil practices in the name of ‘tradition.’ The film has had a good opening at the box office. The content and the hype will make sure it enters the Rs 100 crore club.
Rating: 3.5/5
Review by: Keyur Seta
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Producers: Dharma Productions and Fox Star Studios
Writer: Shashank Khaitan
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Sahil Vaid, Rituraj Singh, Yash Sinha, Shweta Basu Prasad