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Criminal Justice (Season 4): A Family Matter review: Interesting murder mystery plus courtroom drama

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JioHotstar’s Criminal Justice series, which is adapted from BBC Studio’s British series of the same name, revolves around lawyer Madhav Mishra (Pankaj Tripathi) and the cases he takes upon, which are considered impossible to crack. Criminal Justice: A Family Matter, the fourth season in the series, revolves around another case taken by him.

But by now, Madhav has established himself as a force to reckon with. The law circles are now pretty much taking him seriously. He is joined by his brother-in-law Deep (Aatm Prakash Mishra), Shivani Mathur (Barkha Singh) and his wife Ratna (Khushboo Atre).

This time, it’s the story of well-known surgeon Dr Raj Nagpal (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub), who has separated from his wife and lawyer Anju (Surveen Chawla) but they haven’t divorced. She lives just next door because she wants to be there for their daughter Ira (Khushi Bhardwaj), who is suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome. Raj has hired a full time nurse Roshni (Asha Negi) to take special care of Ira. After some time, Raj and Roshni become close and fall in love. Anju is fine with it while Ira considers Roshni as her best friend.

During Ira’s birthday party, Raj and Roshni get involved in a fight. This results in Roshni leaving the house in anger. The following morning, Kamala (Amruta Sant), the house help, enters Nagpals’ residence and is shocked too to see a dead blood-soaked Roshni lying in Raj’s arms. The police consider Raj to be the culprit and arrest him.

Anju approaches Madhav and requests him to fight Raj’s case as she believes he is innocent. Madhav agrees and enters a difficult maze yet again.

The biggest plus point in this season is that the screenplay, on most of the occasions, is fast paced, which makes for an absorbing watch. The events are women in a smooth manner and keep you interested in knowing what would happen next. However, issues crop in the last three of the eight episodes that prove to be lengthy.

The show has an interesting premise. The idea of Raj and his wife Anju not being divorced, yet the former having another relationship with the nurse (Roshni) takes you by surprise. But the newness is seen only in the initial episodes and later on, the show becomes yet another murder mystery, which, although engrossing, follows the same theme as the first three seasons. Thankfully, the final twist turns out to be a savior as it not only takes you by surprise but also touches you.

The camerawork and background score go with the simple nature of the show. The editing is sharp.

The performances are also one of the biggest plus points. Pankaj Tripathi once again shines as Madhav Mishra. He finely balances seriousness and witty humour. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub succeeds in displaying his talent. He is remarkable in scenes where his expressions do all the talking. Surveen Chawla also puts her best foot forward and provides a mature act. Asha Negi is perfectly cast in the role of Roshni and she also delivers.

Khushi Bhardwaj takes away the cake with a brilliant act as a teenager suffering from Asperger’s syndrome. Shweta Basu Prasad yet again scores as a sharp opposition lawyer. Mita Vashisht lives the character of a veteran and intelligent lawyer. From the rest of the permanent cast, Khushboo Atre, Barkha Singh, Aatm Prakash Mishra, Kalyanee Mulay and Ajeet Singh Palawat continue their good work. Atre gets more exposure this time and she makes good use of it.

Overall: Criminal Justice: A Family Matter is an interesting murder mystery plus courtroom drama but the show is now becoming repetitive with four seasons following a similar pattern.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Rohan Sippy

Producers: Applause Entertainment in association with BBC Studios India

Writers: Harman Wadala, Rahul Ved Prakash, Varsha Ramachandran, Riya Poojary, Sandeep Hain, Sameer Mishra and Anurag Pandey

Cast: Pankaj Tripathi, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Surveen Chawla, Asha Negi, Khushi Bhardwaj, Shweta Basu Prasad

Also read: Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning Review: The finale of the franchise is saved by the 2nd half

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Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning Review: The finale of the franchise is saved by the 2nd half

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If there was one film that had an enormous amount of pressure to turn out to be impressive it was director Christopher McQuarrie’s Tom Cruise starrer Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning. It’s the last film from the globally admired and successful franchise and hence, fans from all across the world were counting on it to be good.

The film is the continuation of the previous one from the series Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning. At the end of it, secret agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) gets hold of the special key from Gabriel (Esai Morales) from the Orient Express. The key holds the key (pun intended) to control the Entity, which has started negatively affecting the world. Meanwhile, the US President Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett) asks Ethan to help the government in controlling the Entity. She doesn’t want him to destroy the Entity as she believes it can destroy cyberspace.

At the same time, Luther (Ving Rhames), Ethan’s associate, has created a ‘poison pill’ that can destroy the Entity. However, it gets stolen. Ethan and Luther, along with their rest of the team – Benji (Simon Pegg), Grace (Heyley Atwell) and Paris (Pom Klementieff) – have their task cut out in order to save the entire human race.

Mission Impossible -

The film starts on a thrilling note but it soon gets onto the bland path. The proceedings are not boring but not exciting either. One does root for Ethan and his team in their monumental task but the lack of action and thrill continue to affect you. On top of that, there is a severe over-use of dialogue with the characters speaking way too much, which, at times, creates confusion. This comes across as surprising because all previous Mission Impossible films have had an action oriented, if not action-packed, build up in the first half.

Thankfully, Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning is saved in the second half where things start getting more serious. This part is more dependent on the two action pieces – the underground water sequence and the plane stunt.

The former is a one-of-its-kind and keeps you fully impressed with the way it has been executed and performed. The airplane fight and survival sequence is when the film truly comes alive. It keeps you at the edge-of-your-seat, especially if you are watching it in IMAX (like this reviewer did). The nail-biting moment at the end followed by what can be called a moving farewell ensures that you go out of the cinema hall with a degree of satisfaction, more so if you are fan of MI series.

As one expects from a film of such an international franchise, the technical department rises to the occasion.

The movie, like the rest of the series, revolves around Tom Cruise and he once again doesn’t disappoint as Ethan Hunt. He is likeable in the emotional moments and tremendous during the exhilarating stunts, especially the airplane one. To see him carry out such antics despite being a senior citizen makes it all the more special.

Ving Rhames, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg and Pom Klementieff do well as Ethan’s teammates. Esai Morales is effective as the bad guy. Angela Bassett leaves behind a mark as the US President.

Overall: Mission Impossible – Final Reckoning works more because of the second half. It turns out to be a good farewell for a series that has impressed action lovers worldwide for close to 30 years.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Producers: Paramount Pictures, Skydance and TC Productions

Writers: Christopher McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen

Cast: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales, Simon Pegg, Pom Klementieff, Angela Bassett

Also read: Ata Thambaycha Naay! review: This heartwarming tale restores your faith in humanity

Ata Thambaycha Naay! review: This heartwarming tale restores your faith in humanity  

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Mumbaikars are often seen complaining about the BMC (Brihanmumbai Mahanagar Corporation) when it comes to running the city. While these criticisms might be valid, it is their poor workers who are always at the receiving end since they become the face of BMC at ground level. Debutant filmmaker Shivraj Waichal’s Ata Thambaycha Naay! is a much deserved tribute to them and their painstaking efforts to keep the city functioning.  

But the movie goes much beyond displaying their difficult lives. It is based on a true and heartwarming incident in the lives of a few BMC workers in 2016, although the film features fictitious characters and their sub-stories.

The Assistant Municipal Commissioner Uday Shirurkar (Ashutosh Gowariker) of BMC decides to get a group of its Class IV workers complete their 10th standard. They had to drop out of school due to some reason of the other. Shirurkar not only decides to provide them education free of cost at a night school but, on top of that, promises to pay them a remuneration for the same along with a chance of salary hike.

These workers include the aged Sakharam (Bharat Jadhav), Maruti (Siddharth Jadhav), Apsara (Kiran Khoje), Jayshree (Prajakta Hanamghar) and others. The responsibility of teaching them is handed over to Nilesh aka Nilu sir (Om Bhutkar). The workers, however, are hesitant to study during this stage of their lives.

Ata Thambaycha Naay Marathi movie

Ata Thambaycha Naay! is a rare film where from the first scene itself you realize that it has been created with a lot of heart, be it any department. You, somehow, start trusting the film and the film, in return, never breaks that trust. The movie has a lot of Rajkumar Hirani-ness to it, although it is not similar even remotely to any of his films. The comparison is only soul wise.

You start rooting for the characters, not just in their new endeavor but also in their day-to-day challenges. The film makes you feel for what all they go through, especially, while cleaning drains. Although the narrative keeps the fun element alive through some smart humour, it doesn’t take away from the seriousness of the issues. To maintain this balance is the biggest triumph of the film.

The film is also blessed with a screenplay that smartly mixes the characters’ (including the teacher) latest challenge with their personal lives through sub-plots. The marriage angle between the teacher and a young girl (Parna Pethe) is simple yet appealing.

The performances rise as high as the content. Bharat Jadhav shows his experience while playing a complex character who is going through a lot internally. Om Bhutkar is remarkable as a passionate teacher who considers satisfaction over money. Siddharth Jadhav once again succeeds in displaying seriousness and humour. Ashutosh Gowariker gives a realistic act while playing the real character of Uday Shirurkar.

Kiran Khoje, Prajakta Hanamghar, Pravin Dalimbkar, Parna Pethe and Shrikant Yadav’s contribution as supporting actors is also noteworthy. The veteran Rohini Hattangadi leaves an impact despite playing a cameo.

There are no major negative points here. A tragic incident during an important moment could have been avoided or, at least, toned down, as the film had already won us over by then. It also somewhere doesn’t gel with the light tone of the film. But the heartwarming ending moments don’t let you think much about this point.

Overall: Ata Thambaycha Naay! is a heartwarming reminder that the world isn’t as bad as we might consider it to be.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Shivraj Waichal

Producers: Chalk and Cheese Films, Film Jazz and Zee Studios

Writers: Shivraj Waichal, Omkar Gokhale, Arvind Jagtap and Dharam Valia

Cast: Bharat Jadhav, Ashutosh Gowariker, Om Bhutkar, Siddharth Jadhav, Kiran Khoje, Prajakta Hanamghar

Also Read: Devmanus review: This drama is a fine mixture of crime and emotions

Raid 2 review: Sequel to an interesting crime drama is a one-time watch

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The bug of sequels hit mainstream Hindi cinema over a decade ago and it has remained till now and there is no reason why it would disappear in the near future. The latest to join the bandwagon is filmmaker Raj Kumar Gupta’s Raid 2, a sequel to its interesting and well-made Raid (2018). Although there has been a long list of sequels, most of them have not been able to justify their existence. Raid 2, thankfully, isn’t one of them.

The corrupt minister Rameshwar Singh aka Tauji (Saurabh Shukla) is sentenced to jail after being exposed of corruption by the honest Income Tax Commissioner Amay Patnaik (Ajay Devgn) at the end of the first film. Raid 2 starts seven years later in 1989. By this time, Patnaik has faced numerous transfers for troubling the powerful. He is now posted in a town in Rajasthan where he exposes the royal Raja Kunwar (Govind Namdeo).

This ensures that Patnaik gets transferred to a city called Bhoj. But this time, the reason for his transfer is also asking for a bribe of Rs. 2 crores. Once, he lands in the new place with his family, he realizes that the local politician Manohar Dhankar aka Dada Bhai (Riteish Deshmukh) is ruling Bhoj and the masses over there literally worship him for the kind deeds he does for the poor and needy. Dada Bhai, on the other hand, worships his mother (Supriya Pathak Kapur), who also loves him no ends.

But after doing his own investigation, Patnaik realizes that Dada Bhai is only pretending to be a messiah of the masses and is, in fact, thoroughly corrupt. Patnaik gets proof of this and gets his senior (Rajat Kapoor) to issue a search warrant against Dada Bhai. However, once Patnaik and his team reach Dada Bhai’s residence and other properties, they don’t find any illegal money or wealth. What will he do now?  

What works the most in the favour of Raid 2 is that, although this film is also about an honest IT Commissioner wanting to expose a corrupt figure, the story is much different from the first part. The character of Dada Bhai and the scenario of his kingdom and his deep love for his mother makes for an interesting villain and premise. The screenplay also ensures no dull moment as it keeps you gripped, except during one song.

Ritesh Deshmukh’s casting also plays an important role and so does his performance. He makes a complex character of Dada Bhai alive and provides one of his finest acts. Ajay Devgn is the backbone of the film as the protagonist. He continues from where he left in the first film and is always on point. His act is especially noteworthy when things aren’t going his way.

Amit Sial is a surprise package. This actor has been giving quality acts in web shows for years. It is heartening to see him score very high in a theatrical venture. Supriya Pathak Kapur gives a moving act as the villain’s mother. Shruti Pandey is another talent to watch out for as Patnaik’s subordinate. Rajat Kapoor is, as always, reliable. Saurabh Shukla and Govind Namdeo score as antagonists. Yashpal Sharma and Brijendra Kala are memorable despite limited screen time. Vaani Kapoor doesn’t have much to do.

But Raid 2 doesn’t rise as much as Raid. The predecessor had a number of thrilling and exciting moments. The second part is not devoid of interesting incidents but it doesn’t provide the kind of kick one expects after watching the first film. Also, this being a sequel of a film where the hero wins, the proceedings in the end don’t take you by surprise. Plus, the angle of Patnaik asking for a bribe leaves behind questions unanswered.

Overall: Raid 2 is a one-time watch anti-corruption saga with fine performances. At the box office, the film will score well till Sunday, after which it will mostly face some struggle.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Raj Kumar Gupta

Producers: T Series and Panorama Studios

Writers: Ritesh Shah, Raj Kumar Gupta, Jaideep Yadav and Karan Vyas

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Vaani Kapoor, Supriya Pathak Kapur, Amit Sial, Rajat Kapoor

Also read: Phule review: Pratik Gandhi excels in this decent period drama