Monthly Archives: April 2025

Puratawn review: Sharmila Tagore provides an acting masterclass in this meditative drama

Memory loss or issues with memory is an unusual problem. More than the person suffering from the same, it affects those around him or her. This is the base of writer and director Suman Ghosh’s Bengali film Puratawn (English title: The Ancient).

The movie revolves around Ritika (Ritupatna Sengupta), a woman working in the corporate sector in a high position. Her marriage with Rajeev (Indraneil Sengupta), a passionate photographer, is going through turbulence. She, along with Rajeev, visits her ancestral home in a small town in West Bengal where her mother Mrs Sen (Sharmila Tagore) lives, to celebrate the latter’s 80^th birthday in a grand manner.

But there is also another reason for Ritika’s visit. She and Rajeev wish to reveal to her that their marriage is going nowhere. However, after arriving at the ancestral house, Ritika is pained to know that her mother is facing memory issues. Now, she is more hesitant to tell her about her troubled marriage as she doesn’t know how she would take it.

The aforementioned story is revealed to the audience in the initial portions itself. It doesn’t take long for you to figure out that Puratawn is not so much about story development. It is more about making the viewer feel as a silent spectator as the three characters go about their lives, conversations and challenges.

In other words, the film is more about the treatment. It moves in a gentle manner as it sucks you into its world, which is the ancestral home. In fact, the home is a character in itself as the narrative hardly goes out of it. But special care is taken to ensure that the proceedings never get dreary, leave alone boring. The lives of the three characters and their issues constantly make you feel for them.

The dialogues are like every day conversations but they are also deep enough to move you. The film has various moments which remind you of people from the advanced age from your life. Ghosh has also brilliantly used the flashback technique. The scene where Ritika hesitatingly tries entering Rajeev’s room and the scene cutting to the flashback moment when she entered his room once without hesitation stands out.

Puratawn is also film where, along with the direction, the cinematography (Ravi Kiran Ayyagari), background score and music (Alokananda Dasgupta) and the editing (Aditya Vikram Sengupta) play a major role in creating a meditative atmosphere that is continuously endearing. Production Designer Tanmoy Chakraborty deserves full marks for recreating a bygone era, through major and minor items inside the mansion.

As per the nature of the film, it doesn’t have a conventional climax. But the ending moments do justice to the rest of the content and succeed in moving you.

Puratawn has less number of characters and all of them rise to the occasion. Sharmila Tagore provides an acting masterclass, to say the least. She gets into the skin of an aging lady facing memory issues in a thoroughly effortless manner. The scenes where her memory starts playing with her deserve special mention.

Rituparna Sengupta brings forth the confusion and helplessness of a daughter going through a lot in a fine manner. Indraneil Sepgupta also succeeds in downplaying the emotions of a character who is also going through a turmoil. Brishti Roy, in the role of a house help, also shines. Ekavali turns out to be memorable despite playing a cameo of a doctor.

On the flipside, for some reason, the characters look exactly the same even in flashback scenes that are supposed to have happened years ago. The track of Ritika’s Naxalite uncle doesn’t fit into this genre.

Overall: Puratawn is a deeply moving and meditative journey about a golden past, uncertain future and a present that’s somewhere in between.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Suman Ghosh

Producer: Rituparna Sengupta

Writer: Suman Ghosh

Cast: Rituparna Sengupta, Sharmila Tagore, Indraneil Sengupta, Brishti Roy, Ekavali

Also read: Only Fawad Khan faces opposition in India, other Pakistani actors are spared

Kesari Chapter 2 review: ‘F***ing’ hard-hitting courtroom drama with lots of creative liberties

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Just last month, filmmaker Ram Madhvani came up with his Sony LIV web series The Waking of a Nation. It was based on the aftermath of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and how General Dyer was dragged to the court for the same. Although it was inspired from C Sankaran Nair’s case that shook the British Empire after the massacre, it was a fictionalized version with a fictitious protagonist.

Filmmaker Karan Tyagi’s Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Truth Of Jallianwala Bagh sees C Sankaran Nair himself fighting the case against the British Empire where he accuses the latter of a planned conspiracy in the form of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre that killed more than a thousand Indians gathered at the site for a peaceful protest. Although Tyagi’s film also uses a lot of fiction, it is more impactful than The Waking of a Nation.

Kesari Chapter 2 is adapted from the book ‘The Case That Shook The Empire’, written by Nair’s grandson Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat.

During the start of the film, we see C Sankaran Nair (Akshay Kumar) as a lawyer who is a loyal British servant and someone who doesn’t shy away from taking the empire’s side in court. However, he goes through a change of heart after he knows the truth about the gruesome Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The makers have boldly shown the mass murders in a way that even a stone-hearted person would feel the agony and pain.

The transformation of the protagonist is convincing and this is the biggest triumph of the film. This was crucial because had the narrative lagged behind in this aspect, it would have harmed the entire film.

From here onwards, the movie becomes a gripping courtroom drama, with R Madhavan’s character also joining the proceedings, and remains so till the end. There are some developments during this part that take you by surprise. There is no doubt that during a lot of places the courtroom scenes are filmi. But as it provides entertainment in return and doesn’t stop you from feeling for the painful incident of the massacre, you don’t mind.

But Kesari Chapter 2 scores the most during the twists and turns in the pre-climax and the climax. You expect the film to end on a certain note but it surprises you, especially during the final confrontation.

We have heard the words ‘f**k’ and ‘f**king’ numerous times in various web series in recent years. But they have never provided such a huge impact like they do in this film and that too despite being repeated on quite a few occasions.

A major reason why Kesari Chapter 2 rises to this level is because of Akshay Kumar, who has given one of his best performances. He succeeds in the transformation and becomes unstoppable during the courtroom scenes. However, you don’t see him enter the character of a real historical figure like C Sankaran Nair. The actor more or less shows his own mannerisms and style of dialogue delivery. But because of the impact and the fact that it’s a mainstream Hindi film, you don’t mind that much.

The rest of the actors also rise to the occasion. R Madhavan gives a fine act as the antagonist lawyer and he also succeeds in being emotional. This is Ananya Panday’s finest act till date. She is more than noticeable here. You just can’t stop hating Simon Paisley Day as General Dyer and that shows how well he has enacted the character.

On the flipside, the makers have taken lots of creative liberties. The real case actually took place in London, instead of Amritsar. More importantly, it took place after the death of General Dyer. And it was actually a case of defamation filed against Nair by Michael O’Dwyer, who was also responsible for the massacre, for writing a book against the British Empire. In the film, we see Sankaran suing the British empire for genocide.

Overall: Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Truth Of Jallianwala Bagh succeeds in providing a tribute to the victims of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and point out how Britain has still not apologized to India for the same. But be prepared for a lot of fiction being added to the real incidents. At the box office, the film will score more in multiplexes than single screens, thanks to its subject and the Adult rating it has received from the censors.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Karan Singh Tyagi

Producers: Dharma Productions, Cape Of Good Films and Leo Media Collective

Writers: Raghu Palat, Pushpa Palat, Karan Singh Tyagi, Amritpal Singh Bindra and Sumit Saxena

Cast: Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan, Ananya Panday, Simon Paisley Day

Also read: Sikandar Review: Film about organ transplant needed script transplant

Jaat review: This Sunny Deol starrer is a paisa vasool entertainer

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Sunny Deol made a phenomenal comeback with Anil Sharma’s Gadar 2 in 2023. The film’s acceptance and box office run was such that nobody expected. Naturally, following this, there was a keen anticipation for his next. It has been a long wait as his next actioner Jaat with Gopichand Malineni has taken almost two years. But the wait has been worth.

Jaat starts off in 2009 when Ranatunga (Randeep Hooda), his brother Somulu (Viineet Kumar Siingh) and others are working as labourers in Sri Lanka for the Sri Lankan army. Once while digging a ground, Ranatunga comes across hidden bars of gold. He decides that they should steal the gold and flee from the place. They succeed in doing so by killing a number of Sri Lankan army personnel.

Ranatunga and others arrive in Andhra Pradesh through the sea route and settle in a village after bribing the cops. Slowly, he becomes a ruthless don and starts spreading his empire.

In the present day, Ranatunga’s men kill a large number of people in the most gruesome manner in a village. Inspector Vijaya Lakshmi (Saiyami Kher) and other female cops visit Ranatunga’s place to arrest him. However, they get trapped. Just then, a stranger (Sunny Deol) by chance enters the village and slowly comes across Ranatunga and his atrocities.

Jaat is based on a typical good vs evil theme but the film isn’t narrated and presented in a clichéd way. Normally in such stories, the hero, mostly a man in a uniform, is given the task to either arrest or eliminate the villain. But here, Sunny’s character unintentionally enters the village and, most importantly, wants an apology for a small incident. Coming to the latter, the whole ‘Sorry bol’ episode is hilarious masterstroke. It also gives rise to exciting confrontational and action sequences. The action isn’t like the typical dubbed south films we see on TV. The fights over here are quite creatively shot.

Jaat goes onto another level once Sunny’s character comes to know the demonic nature of Ranatunga’s character. However, then comes a time when the narrative becomes a bit slow and dragging with entertainment taking a backseat. But thankfully, a couple of sequences later in the second half, including the climax when a major revelation happens, make up for it.

Jaat is a typical Sunny Deol entertainer with a few meta references too both in the dialogues and fight sequences. Hence, those who aren’t his fans or don’t like such type of masala entertainers are bound to be disappointed. But notwithstanding this, the level of violence and gore could have been lessened. This wouldn’t have reduced the overall impact of the villain. Although one can’t expect logic in such genre of films, there are a lot of creative liberties taken.

Sunny Deol makes a late entry but the film completely rests on his shoulders and he delivers consistently. It’s a pleasure and a wonder to see him carry out such fight sequences despite being close to 70. He also scores in the dialogues, especially whenever he narrates the ‘idli’ incident. Randeep Hooda also shines as the villain and you love to hate him.

Saiyami Kher gives an honest act as a cop. Regena Cassandrra is a revelation in a ruthless role. Viineet Kumar Siingh displays his talent yet again. Upendra Limaye takes away all the claps and whistles in his cameo, just like he did in Animal. Jagapathi Babu and Ramya Krishnan are decent in their supporting roles.

Overall: Jaat is a paisa vasool entertainer if you are a fan of action masala entertainers, especially the ones starring Sunny Deol. At the box office, the film will score more in the interiors than in the metros as it’s an ideal single screen film.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Gopichand Malineni

Producers: Mythri Movie Makers, People Media Factory and Zee Studios

Writers: Saurabh Gupta and Gopichand Malineni

Cast: Sunny Deol, Randeep Hooda, Saiyami Kher, Regena Cassandrra, Viineet Kumar Siingh

Also Read: Sikandar review: Film about organ transplant needed script transplant

Only Fawad Khan faces opposition in India, other Pakistani actors are spared

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Earlier this week, Fawad Khan and Vaani Kapoor starrer Abir Gulaal was announced. Directed by Aarti S Bagdi, the film is a romantic drama. As soon as the announcement was made, a section of the political class in Maharashtra came up in arms against the film since it stars a Pakistani actor. They have said that they won’t let the film release in theatres in Maharashtra on its scheduled release date, which is May 9.

This is not the first time that a film starring Fawad has faced opposition in Maharashtra after relations between India and Pakistan soured following the Uri and Pulwama attacks in 2016 and 2019 respectively. A lot of efforts were made to stall the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which also starred Fawad. Last year, his Pakistani film The Legend Of Maula Jatt also faced opposition in Maharashtra, although it wasn’t planned to release in the state.

Strangely, it is only Fawad whose films face opposition in Maharashtra while other Pakistani stars are spared. Its biggest example is the recent re-release of Sanam Teri Kasam, which happened on February 7. This film was not only allowed a release but there was not even a hint of opposition against it despite it starring Pakistani actress Mawra Hocane in the lead.

In fact, Sanam Teri Kasam not only became successful but also the biggest hit of all the films that have re-released since last year by earning close to a high amount of Rs. 40 crores. Interestingly, as you read this, it’s still playing in theatres in Mumbai in the second month of its release.

When a film earns this much and runs for two months at the box office, it obviously means that a large number of people went to see it. Hence, it’s difficult to believe that those who are protesting against Abir Gulaal were completely unaware about the re-release of Sanam Teri Kasam.

This isn’t the only example though. In 2016, there was massive opposition against the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil because of Fawad’s presence in it following the Uri attacks. The film, however, was shot much before the attacks happened but that didn’t budge the political protestors. Finally, a settlement was made and the film was able to release. However, a few months later Hindi Medium (2017) didn’t face any opposition, although it starred Pakistani actress Saba Qamar as the lead.

Similarly, in the last few years, Zee’s Zindagi has tied up with Pakistani artistes to produce OTT shows for Indian and Pakistani audience like Churails, Dhoop Ki Deewar, etc. But there hasn’t been a word against these shows.

This makes me wonder why only Fawad Khan faces opposition while other Pakistani actors are spared. Does their nationalistic sentiment get hurt only when a film starring a big Pakistani star releases? Is their nationalistic sentiment limited to the popularity of the actor and is devoid of any equality in their stand?

Also read: Why Vikramaditya Motwane’s documentary on Emergency is more powerful than Kangana Ranaut’s feature film on the same