Monthly Archives: May 2015

Book Review: Operation Jai Mata Di

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Author: Pratik Shah

Publisher: Self-published

Price: TBA

Pages: 251

Additional Feature: Prologue of the author’s next book titled ‘Unravelling’

Rating: * * * *

Review By: Keyur Seta

The book was received as part of Reviewers Programme on The Tales Pensieve.

After going through the title, cover image and synopsis, debutant author Pratik Shah’s Operation Jai Mata Di appears like a typical hostage saga with the only difference being the number of hostages. But thankfully, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The book in totality is a motivating and inspiring political drama providing vision and hope amidst complete apathy by the political class.

Picture: Smashwords.com

The story is set in today’s era at Vaishno Devi. Thousands of devotionally and emotionally charged pilgrims are slowly trekking their way to the Bhavan of their beloved Goddess. But just some distance before their destination, 10,000 pilgrims are kidnapped by armed men in a daring midnight operation.

The Government of India and the entire nation is shaken by the audacity of the hostage-takers. The Prime Minister is under serious pressure not only from the opposition but also the citizens to act quickly to save the pilgrims. Worse, the PM has to deal with a selfish and opportunistic Defense Minister. Will the hostages be saved?

The USP of Operation Jai Mata Di is its main plot, which takes you by surprise and has the potential to appeal to every concerned citizen of India. The consequences of the kidnapping and the final culmination can be best described as emotionally overwhelming and inspiring. The only issue with the plot is some errors and the over-ambitious motto at times.

But mostly, Shah has succeeded in handling a sensitive issue with maturity, especially the working style and psyche of politicians and the government. His proper knowledge of the political process is also visible. The motivating dialogues also help the cause.

Coming to the writing, the language is rich but at the same time simple and understandable for all. However, some important sentences should have been less simplistic. The pace is fast and gripping but the build-up before the kidnapping gets tedious after a point of time. But the real problem area is the missing of comma and other punctuations throughout the book. The editor should have taken care of these basic issues.

Overall: Operation Jai Mata Di is for thriller lovers and also those who are fed up of the almost irreparable corrupt system. It will be hugely surprising if the book isn’t made into a movie.

Tanu Weds Manu Returns Review

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Director: Anand L Rai

Producers: Color Yellow Pictures and Eros International

Writer: Himanshu Sharma

Cast: Kangana Ranaut, R Madhavan, Deepak Dobrial, Jimmy Shergill, Mohammad Zeeshan Ayub

Music: Krsna Solo and Tanishk-Vayu

Genre: Drama/ Comedy

Release Date: May 22, 2015

Rating: * * * ½

Review By: Keyur Seta

There has been a craze for sequels in Bollywood since five years or so. But strangely, there has hardly been a sequel that has matched up to the first film of the franchise, leave along being better than it. Apart from Lage Raho Munna Bhai and Jannat 2, I can’t think of any worthy names.

Anand L Rai’s Tanu Weds Manu Returns enters this rare list as it not only matches to the first film, it even surpasses it as far as entertainment is concerned. It presents an old pickle in new bottle in the most hilarious way.

Coming to the story, Tanu (Kangana Ranaut) gets married to Manu (R Madhavan) at the end of the first film. But in a span of for years, their marriage crumbles. They return to their hometown and apply for a divorce, much to the agony of their respective parents.

Picture: Indianexpress.com

Completely out of the blue, Manu comes across a college student Kusum (Kangana Ranaut), who is a lookalike of Tanu and falls for her. On the other hand, Tanu flirts around with her family’s Paying Guest (Mohammad Zeeshan Ayub), a law student, and her old flame Raja Awasthi (Jimmy Shergill). Is this the end of the journey for Tanu and Manu?

First things first – it is difficult to recall the last time you laughed uncontrollably as much as you do in Tanu Weds Manu Returns. The film is a complete laugh riot that gets you out of your seat after almost every few seconds, even during serious moments. Comedy gets better when it is unpredictable, both in terms of the type of jokes and situations. This is the case here.

Apart from the one-liners, writer Himanshu Sharma should also be lauded for using specific character traits of characters to induce humor. He has maintained a fine balance between modernism and desi-ness. Out of all characters, Kusum deserves special mention. Don’t be surprised if people gain sudden interesting in learning Hariyanvi (I am already in the list).

But amidst such goodness, the film has a big negative area. Almost every important story development lacks conviction. For example, Manu suddenly falling in love with Kusum in such a short period and that too when he is going through such a painful divorce is difficult to believe. The same is the case with other important points. On top of that, the climax is predictable and clichéd. However, the high doses of entertainment won’t let you fret over these points.

The music also plays its part. ‘Banno Tera’ is the best of the lot. The song has become an instant rage. Chirantan Das’ camerawork with vibrant visuals goes well with the theme. The film is well edited, especially during the very last frame.

Kangana Ranaut gained a lot of fame after her performance in Queen. Now, with this marvelous act, she has become one of the top actresses to come from Bollywood. She manages the difficult task of playing two hugely opposite characters with ease and a lot of passion. You will specially fall in love with Kusum. R Madhavan’s character sketch isn’t that exciting but he manages well.

Apart from Kangana, Deepak Dobrial is the star of the film. He is a fine artist and he shows it here while playing Manu’s best friend. Jimmy Shergill and Mohammad Zeeshan Ayub too aren’t far behind. Rajesh Sharma, as Kusum’s brother, displays his talent yet again. The film is well-supported by Swara Bhaskar, Ejaz Khan, K K Raina, Rajendra Gupta and others.

Overall: Tanu Weds Manu Returns is a non-stop laugh riot. The film’s goodness will be reflected in its positive box office collections.

Picture: Desimartini.com

Aga Bai Arechya 2 (Marathi Movie) Review

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Director: Kedar Shinde

Producers: Kedar Shinde Pictures and Eros International

Writers: Dilip Prabhavalkar and Kedar Shinde

Cast: Sonali Kulkarni, Dharmendra Gohil, Bharat Jadhav, Surabhi Hande, Prasad Oak

Music: Nishaad

Genre: Drama

Release Date: May 22, 2015

Rating: * *

Review By: Keyur Seta

The basic prerequisite for the sequel of a successful film is an interesting concept that takes the franchise forward. Its clear absence becomes the reason for the downfall of Kedar Shinde’s Marathi movie Aga Bai Arechya 2.

Unfortunately, this is not its only problem area. Such a description also means that the film is way below the enjoyable and humorous first film in the franchise Aga Bai Arechya (2004), which starred Sanjay Narvekar in the lead.

The film centers round Shubhangi aka Shubha (Sonali Kulkarni). She is in her 30s but not yet married due to a mysterious and tragic condition in her life. As soon as she touches her lover in any way, the latter gets involved in a serious accident. This has been going on since her childhood.

Intrigued by the story of Shubha’s life, author Vikram (Dharmendra Gohil) decides to write a book on her life. Initially, she strictly refuses but slowly gets convinced about Vikram’s sincerity. She reveals to him about her past lovers (Bharat Jadhav, Prasad Oak and Madhav Deochake). Will her unusual ‘curse’ continue to torment her? Or will it set her free finally?

Aga Bai Arechya 2 suffers from an unconvincing concept, which is taken forward through a questionable plot point. Seriously, why would Shubha allow a complete stranger to narrate her tragic personal story to the world considering her situation? But what takes the cake is the important turn in the second half. It’s not possible to reveal much to avoid spoilers but there is no harm in saying that this particular point induces unintentional laughter.

Also, the overall setting and characters appear outdated in today’s era. So, what do we have going for the film? Being the sequel of a humorous movie, thankfully there is some amount of genuine laughter that stops the film from completely falling apart.

Nishaad’s music is another plus point. Songs like ‘Ek Porgi Sandhyakali’, ‘Dil Mera’, ‘Maza Dev Kuni Pahila’ and ‘Jagnyache Bhaan He’ are good enough to take back home. Suresh Deshmane, the DoP has provided with satisfying glimpses of the Konkan region. The rest of the technicalities are decent.

Sonali Kulkarni is one of the finest actors around. She brings in her goodness to overshadow the fallacies and also manages to look ravishing. But it would have been better if she wasn’t asked to scream at times. Dharmendra Gohil, known for his theatre performances, makes a confident debut in Marathi cinema.

Bharat Jadhav displays his skills well in a hatke role. In cameos, Prasad Oak and Madhav Deochake are average and the two girls playing younger Shubha provide likable acts. The rest of the supporting cast is decent.

Overall: Aga Bai Arechya 2 fails due to basic issues. The presence of Sonali Kulkarni in the lead and the family-oriented subject will help the film earn well at the box office in the first week.

Review: Bombay Velvet

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Rating: * * ½

Review By: Keyur Seta

Director: Anurag Kashyap

Writers: Vasan Bala, Gyan Prakash, Anurag Kashpap and S Thanikachalam

Producers: Fox Star Studios and Phantom Films

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap, Karan Johar, Satyadeep Mishra, Manish Choudhary, Kay Kay Menon

Music: Amit Trivedi

When a filmmaker like Anurag Kashyap joins hands with Ranbir Kapoor for an ambitious project like Bombay Velvet, one’s expectations are sure to rise. But the not-so-exciting trailers made us think otherwise. And the film in totality turns out to be exactly what it showed from the promotional material. It’s a tried and tested saga with Kashyap’s artistic touch.

The story commences in 1949 when Balraj relocates to Bombay with his mother. Due to abject poverty, he (Ranbir Kapoor) grows up to become a pickpocket street urchin, guided by his best friend Chiman (Satyadeep Mishra). During one such incident, he comes in contact with the wealthy businessman Kaizad Khambata (Karan Johar), who makes Balraj the whole and soul of his new Jazz nightclub Bombay Velvet. He now becomes Jonny Balraj.

Singer Rosie (Anushka Sharma), who also has had a disturbing past, becomes the star of Bombay Velvet. Rosie falls in love with Balraj. Simultaneously, attempts are being made to turn Bombay into a metropolitan city. At the same time, Balraj’s ambition transforms into greed.

Those in love with Mumbai (Bombay earlier) and have been staying here since long would feel nostalgic and amazed by the re-creation of old Bombay. This old Bombay charm is Bombay Velvet’s biggest strong point, even though on few occasions the scenario easily appears like a film set.

As expected, Kashyap has churned out a number of memorable moments through his artistic presentation. A scene displayed through a mirror and another one where Balraj strangles a person driving a car are examples of his brilliance.

Picture: Indianexpress.com

But the film falls short of being superlative. The entire plot is predictable and tried and tested, which in turn is narrated unevenly. For example, the tale is established in the initial portions in a hurried manner whereas the pace drops in between and during the ending parts. The second half has a filmi twist, which can best be described as silly. Also, the behavior of few characters is questionable during some key incidents.

The film is about a Jazz nightclub so one does expect the music to fall in the same league. But the problem here is that there are too many nightclub songs, which are also similar to each other. Coming to the technicalities, the first half sees abrupt cuts every now and then. The camerawork is impressive. The brilliant background score adds plenty of life to the proceedings. The scene where Balraj gears up to shoot baddies with two machine guns deserves mention.

Although this is not one of his best acts, Ranbir Kapoor succeeds in bringing Johnny Balraj alive. He leaves his mark during a quite a few sequences. Anushka Sharma does what was required from her. But there isn’t much depth in her character. Karan Johar is the surprise package. He molds himself into the character of Kaizad Khambata in a confident manner.

Manish Choudhary is a quality performer and he proves it yet again. Satyadeep Mishra will get noticed after his act here as Balraj’s best friend. He nicely underplays his character. Kay Kay Menon, as the cunning cop, is believable. Vivaan Shah, Jagdish Rajpurohit, as the Police Commissioner, Sandesh Jadhav and the rest play well-supporting characters.

Overall: Bombay Velvet is a one-time watch for those who prefer Anurag Kashyap brand of cinema. The high cost of production and lack of mass appeal will make it tough for the film to earn good or profit-making collections at the box office.

E-Book Review: Capturing Wildlife Moments In India

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“This post is a part of the book review program of at Saevus Wildlife India in association with The Hemchand Mahindra Foundation for the book Capturing Wildlife Moments in India“

Photographer & Author: Ashok Mahindra

Presented By: Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Oxford Publishers

Rating: * * * *

Review By: Keyur Seta

The main aim of Wildlife Photographers is to make the reader experience a wild safari inside a jungle while sitting miles away. Their task is difficult than video shooters due to the reliance only on still pictures. Ashok Mahindra’s e-book ‘Capturing Wildlife Moments In India’ achieves this aim hands down. This is not the only achievement of the book though.

‘Capturing Wildlife Moments In India’ is a collection of wildlife images, which includes animals, birds, reptiles and also nature, clicked by Mahindra over a period of time at different national parks of India.

The book is a treat not only for wildlife lovers but also for city dwellers trapped in concrete jungles. The well-shot and well thought pictures transport you to the raw interiors of forests. But, as mentioned by Mahindra, wildlife is not only about wild animals. Therefore, he has also given importance to other aspects of jungles. Other impressive feature is the trivia about some species and the back story behind the capturing of a number of pictures.

It is difficult to select few best among the 100 + pictures. But these are the ones that stand out:-

– Images of the Royal Bengal Tiger

– Asiatic Elephants spraying mud over their bodies to combat heat.

– Sal Trees at Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh.

– A spider trying hard to trap a butterfly

– A crocodile, deer and a bird appearing together.

– The picturesque Jogi Mahal below Ranthambhore Fort, Rajasthan.

– A mother elephant trying to convince her kid to get inside a lake.

– A Spotted Deer ready for mating.

But apart from presenting wildlife pictures, the deeper intent here is to encourage sustainability of wildlife habitats that are diminishing rapidly. It is like a wakeup call to the people of today’s times. The photographer-cum-author has also provided a list of solutions for the same.

Coming to the minor negative points, the written matter on some occasions needs to be short since it is a pictorial book. This becomes more problematic due to the very small font as one is required to zoom in and out regularly.

Overall: ‘Capturing Wildlife Moments In India’ is a pleasurable jungle safari.

More pictures from the book:-

(Click to enlarge)

Salman Guilty: Faith in judiciary restored! But don’t forget Constable Patil!

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By: Keyur Seta

So the D Day in Salman Khan’s 13 year old hit-and-run case has turned the tables for the superstar after he was proved guilty and sentenced to five years imprisonment. Although this was expected, we all had our doubts considering how our judiciary has been biased towards the famous and powerful.

However, with Salman being convicted for the crime, the faith in Indian judiciary is restored for a lot of Indians like me. This was a bloody important verdict not because Salman was involved in the crime but simply because it is a big assurance for the Common Man that the Law is equal for all.

Picture: Dnaindia.com

The problem we have is that the Law has proved to be equal for all in this case but the huge number of so-called fans of Salman think otherwise. Else, why would their be many prayer events for the actor’s release? Ironically, these are the same people who always crib and complain that our Law system or Judiciary is biased in favor of the powerful.

But apart from the point of view of equality of Law, there is another reason why it was absolutely necessary for Salman to be proved guilty. People have forgotten or rather aren’t aware how Salman used his influence in torturing honest Constable Ravindra Patil, who had stood by the truth. Read about him by clicking HERE.

Patil’s story is heart-wrenching. He refused to budge under the pressure of power and change his statement that Salman was indeed driving the car. Just Google ‘Constable Patil Salman Khan’ and your heart will break.

The media is hardly giving any importance to the story of Patil for obvious reasons. Worse, a blogger who had fearlessly written about it was pressurized to remove his post. Plus, we all remember the shameless lie of Salman’s driver driving the car. One surely deserves the strictest of punishments when he uses such devilishly corrupt tactics to hide the truth.

One could really hope and pray that our Judiciary continues to show such strictness in all such cases. I personally dedicate this verdict to Constable Ravindra Patil. Now, his soul will Rest In Peace.

And to those who are feeling Salman is undone, just try and answer this – Suppose a complete nobody like me had committed the crime and had later tortured the Constable to death, would you have still felt for me the same way you did for Salman? Try answering this.

6 reasons why household chores should be shared by both spouses

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“I am writing for the #ShareTheLoad activity at BlogAdda.com in association with Ariel.”

By: Keyur Seta

Topics like women empowerment, equality for women and women liberation started trending in India after the start of the new millennium. The issue gained mammoth momentum after some disturbing crimes against women that came to the forefront since December 2012. More and more people are demanding equality and respect for women through debates that start in just any setting, be it your home, office, news channels or just any gathering.

Picture: Sarusinghal.com

Unfortunately, as far as my personal experience goes, this preaching about equality for women isn’t being practiced in a lot of families I know, including those belonging to the modern urban class. Since the last couple of decades or so, women are no longer confided to being just housewives. Although not all women are working professionals today, the number of women doing office jobs has certainly increased to a large extent.

But here is the great irony. Instead of liberating women, this change of scene has instead burdened them with double work because now they have to deal with their professional job as well as the job at home as an unpaid maid. I am talking about families I have seen closely, which includes my relatives, friends, neighbors and well-wishers (some of them might be reading this).

Despite the changing times and despite women becoming a key force in India’s financial growth, they are still expected to cook, clean, wash (clothes & utensils), look after the kids, etc. After the marriage, the husband continues his role of working in office without lending any help at home. But what’s more surprising is to see some women having no problem with this whatsoever! Of course, there are exceptions but I have comes across very few such.

This is 2015. It’s high time we practice what we preach. It is high time the workload at home is shared by both the spouses. If this doesn’t happen, your support for equality and emancipation of women is plain hypocrisy.

Sharing the workload has a lot of benefits too. Here they are:-

Love Factor: The professional scenario in modern India has become such that married couples aren’t getting much time to spend together. Sharing household chores before and after work will provide them with more ‘we’ time and rekindle their lost pre-marriage romance. Work will cease to be work when carried out with the one you love.

Anti-Stress: I can state from my personal experience that doing household chores like cooking, cleaning and washing help you de-stress from the hectic day you have had. This might sound outrageous to some but it is like a therapy.

Picture: Yahoo Movies (Daawat-E-Ishq)

Get Entertained: Putting on some music or playing Antakshari or cracking jokes will make the activity all the more joyful. Even narrating some funny or interesting incident you experienced recently will make the task very interesting. And in case if you are a filmi keeda like me, there is nothing more joyful than recalling some ham scenes from some of the terrible films. (Search ‘ham scenes’ on YouTube if you are unaware about it and chances are you might get addicted to them.)

Gratification: Contributing to running the household gives the same amount of satisfaction as completing a project at work successfully. This point also comes from my personal experience. It also provides the same kind of gratification an artist gets after finishing a piece of art.

Health Factor: Activities like cleaning, sweeping, cleaning the floor with a wet cloth, washing clothes and bringing groceries and vegetables help you exercise. I firmly believe that anything providing health and fitness benefit should be attacked upon (in a good way).

Larger Good: This is the most important point. The root cause for all crimes against women is that they are treated inferior to men. It is said that charity begins at home. If you wish to see women being liberated or treated equally in our society, start from your home. Merely preaching and supporting women empowerment in debates won’t change the social status of women unless you practice what you preach.

People, from both genders, give strange or ‘daily soap’ reactions when they get to know that I cook and do household chores (including jaadu and pochha maarna). I am waiting for the day when they won’t find anything unusual in it. Woh Subah Kabhi Toh Aayegi!

Ram Kapoor discloses the most laughable decision by Censor Board (Exclusive)

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By: Keyur Seta

The new Censor Board, headed by ex-filmmaker Pahlaj Nihalani, has been receiving criticism and flak in huge proportions following their shockingly silly decisions to ban certain words, sequences and, in some cases, an entire film. Plus, their cuss list, which prohibits harmless words like ‘sala’ and ‘kutta’ are making things worse for them.

Picture: Santabanta.com

But recently, the CBFC came up with a decision of cutting a particular scene, which is been labeled as their most laughable blunder ever. The said sequence is from Devang Dholakia’s upcoming film Kuch Kuch Locha Hai starring Ram Kapoor and Sunny Leone.

During a recent media interaction, Kapoor disclosed the cut ordered by the board. “You will laugh at this but this is a fact. There is a sequence in the film where Sunny Leone presents me with a gift. Since I have nothing to give her in return, I present her with a banana, saying it is very nutritious. This scene was chopped off by the censors.”

As we raised our eyebrows and were about to react, he added, “Wait. Would you like to know their logic? They said they are chopping it off because it is a night scene. If the situation had taken place during the day, they said they would have allowed as it wouldn’t have amounted to double meaning. But since it is a night scene, it becomes double meaning for them.”

Kapoor expressed the need to do something about this saying, “It’s absolute nonsense.”

Gabbar Is Back Review

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Director: Krish

Producers: Bhansali Productions and Viacom Motion Pictures

Writers: A R Murugadoss and Rajat Arora

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Suman Talwar, Shruti Haasan, Sunil Grover

Rating: * * ½

Review By: Keyur Seta

Frankly, you don’t need to be an expert to judge a hero-centric commercial masala entertainer. One just needs to ask whether the film provides entertainment. As far as Gabbar Is Back is concerned, it’s a mixed bag. The film is an entertaining saga but it suffers from some serious issues. But if you are an Akshay Kumar fan, you are in for a treat.

The story centers on Aditya (Akshay Kumar) in Mumbai. He is a Professor but secretly heads an anti-corruption unit that kills corrupt government officials. Aditya carries out this secret activity with the pseudonym Gabbar. He targets people from different government departments one after the other. The police try hard in tracking him but never succeed.

During one such anti-corruption exercise, Gabbar’s dark past resurfaces in the form of the corrupt, evil and ruthless businessman Digvijay Patil (Suman Talwar). How long will Gabbar continue his acts? Will he ever face its consequences? The film is an official remake of the 2002 Tamil film Ramanaa.

Picture: Wikipedia

Gabbar Is Back is a typical single-screen saga. The difference here is that it portrays the issue of corruption faced by the Common Man. No doubt, the topic is explored in mainstream Hindi cinema innumerable times. But what makes the film stand apart is the manner in which the protagonist executes his plans. The hospital or medical corruption episode is one of the most memorable sequences in recent times. Anyone with an expensive experience at a hospital will thank the film for this incident.

The film comes with a baggage of negative points. Logic isn’t important in this genre but few events are too unreal to believe. It is vital for the character of the villain to be strong to be pitted against a mighty hero. But what we have here is a foolish antagonist who is more funny than scary. For example, just minutes after the news of the passing away of his beloved son, he screams, “I am a brand!” without a tear or any sorrow whatsoever.

Unfortunately, the character of the female lead (Haasan) is also a disappointment. She is shown to be a silly girl who has nothing to do with the main plot. It is annoying to see Bollywood continuing such regressive portrayal of women even in 2015. And then, there is a raunchy item number too featuring Chitrangada Singh.

Gabbar Is Back does surprise you in the last few minutes. However, that part is difficult to digest given the genre (can’t reveal much to avoid spoilers). Plus, the penultimate events leading up to the finale aren’t so overwhelming.

Coming to the technicalities, the editing and camerawork are decent but the background score is unnecessarily loud, maybe because of the southern influence of the director Krish, which is also seen in a lot of sequences. Apart from the title track, the music isn’t noteworthy.

Lastly, it’s completely an Akshay Kumar film as far as performances are concerned. It’s a tailor-made role for him which he performs with all his might. He is surely the King of Bollywood when it comes to action. Suman Talwar, as the villain, suffers due to the characterization. He is otherwise a fine actor.

Sunil Grover and Ishita Vyas have their moments. It is sad to see Shruti Haasan doing something in which Sonakshi Sinha has achieved PhD. Jaideep Ahlawat and the rest of the actors are just average.

Overall: Gabbar Is Back is for Akshay Kumar fans. The film will earn decent at the box office but it won’t be a formidable success.

TimePass 2 (Marathi Movie) Review

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Rating: * * ½

By: Keyur Seta

Director Ravi Jadhav’s Marathi movie TimePass 2 treads on the same path as TimePass. The film is high on humor but not so high on content. In taking forward the love story of Dagadu and Prajakta, the makers have resorted to not only age-old clichés but also unconvincing factors. But there is enough entertainment for the target audience to savor this dish once.

The story of Dagadu and Praju takes a leap. Dagadu is now 30 years old and unmarried. He still dreams of Prajakta (or Parajakta), although it has been a long time since she left him. She has settled in Konkan with her father aka Shakaal (Bhalchandra Kadam) after leaving Mumbai. Prajakta’s father is eager to marry her off with a well-cultured guy.

Both Pictures: Marathistars.com

Meanwhile, Dagadu’s crazy friends encourage him to meet Prajakta, express his love for her and get married to her. Hence, he along with his friends goes on a mission to Konkan. But does Prajakta still love him? What about Shakaal who hates Dagadu to the core?

The USP of TimePass 2 is its humor. But while the comic moments in the first film were born out of Dagadu’s adolescent antics and cute obsession, here the onus is on crazy, whacky and slapstick situational comedy in plenty of doses, which keeps you entertained throughout. Although at times it appears forceful and silly, it goes with the genre.

But the problem areas are big, which cannot be ignored. The basic plot itself is questionable. Why did Dagadu wait till the age of 30 to search for Prajakta? Why didn’t the couple be in touch all these years through various technological means? Also, the twist about the secret profession of a character is completely unconvincing. The film also derails from the main aim post interval and ends on a clichéd, tried and tested manner.

From Chinar and Mahesh’ music, the song ‘Praju’ stands out. The rest of the songs fall in the ‘not bad’ or ‘decent’ category. ‘Madan Pichkari’ doesn’t go well with the family movie genre. Vasudeo Rane’s camerawork captures the beautiful Konkan in a simple and subtle manner. The background score is as per the need. The jingle ‘Insaniyat Ke Dushman’ should have been used more though.

Priyadarshan Jadhav carries the difficult task of playing the grown up Dagadu with confidence, although he overdoes on a few occasions. Priya Bapat once again provides a convincing and likeable performance. Vaibhav Mangle was remarkable in the first film. He goes few notches higher here by being convincing during both comical and emotional moments.

It is heartwarming to see Prathamesh Parab entering the scene every now and then, displaying his typical crowd-pleasing behavior. The same can be said about Ketaki Mategaonkar although she doesn’t get to speak much. Sandip Pathak and two other actors playing Dagadu’s friends are decent while Bhalchandra Kadam, as Dagadu’s father, is effective once again.

Overall: TimePass 2 is a one-time watch entertainer. The brand value and some tremendous hype will make sure that the film will break box office records.

Director: Ravi Jadhav

Producers: Nitin Keni, Nikhil Sane and Meghana Jadhav

Writers: Ravi Jadhav, Kshitij Patwardhan and Priyadarshan Jadhav

Cast: Priyadarshan Jadhav, Priya Bapat, Prathamesh Parab, Ketaki Mategaonkar, Vaibhav Mangle

Music: Chinar-Mahesh

Genre: Romance/ Comedy