Archives for May 2026

Baapya (Marathi movie) review: Rajshri Deshpande excels in this drama about transgender acceptance

May 16, 2026 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Storyline: Director Sameer Tewari’s Baapya is about the acceptance of an individual who undergoes a sex change surgery. The story revolves around Anil Borkar aka Anya (Girish Kulkarni), who is a fisherman residing in a village in the Konkan region. It has been 10 years since his divorce from Shailaja (Rajshri Deshpande), who now stays in Mumbai.

Anya currently lives with his second wife Vishakha (Devika Daftardar), his son Sanjay aka Sanju (Aaryan Menghji) from his first marriage and two little daughters from his second. Vishakha loves Sanju as her own son.

There comes a situation where Anya and Shailaja need to sign a few papers together regarding a property they co-owned before their divorce. For this, Shailaja needs to visit the village registrar office. When Shailaja arrives at the office on the given day, Anya, Sanju and others get the shock of their lives when they realize that she has undergone a sex change surgery and has now become Dr. Shailesh.

Review: Baapya deals with a social issue of a person undergoing a sex change surgery not only looked down upon but also mocked by the society. Such individuals are not accepted even in the most urban cities in 2026. So, one can imagine the situation in villages where the film is based. Hence, it is a daring topic explored by the makers.

But this isn’t an unconventional film made for film festivals. The makers have told the story in a light-hearted and entertaining manner without taking the seriousness away of the issue. The manner in which Anya, Sanju and others get to know about Shailaja’s sex change surgery and how the news spreads in the village like wildfire is not just entertaining but also riveting. Some moments where the villagers and, in turn, the audiences are sensitized about transgender individuals is quite touching.

Rajshri Deshpande’s act is also one of the biggest plusses. She should be lauded for taking up such a character. She does well in the flashback scenes where she feels trapped in a woman’s body. But she shows her true acting prowess when she has to act as Shailesh.

But for some reason, Baapya is unevenly divided in the two halves. While the first half is just an hour long, the post-interval portion goes up to around 90 minutes. This wouldn’t have been an issue if the second half didn’t have its share of minuses. The change of heart of one character towards another is plainly abrupt. This is an important point, so it can’t be ignored. There are quite a few scenes that just drag along. This is felt the most in the final 20 minutes or so.

The film also didn’t need these many songs, which hamper the narrative. The rap song in the initial moments comes out of nowhere and without any need.

As far as the rest of the performances are concerned, Girish Kulkarni once again comes up with an earnest and entertaining act. Aaryan Menghji also displays some good acting skills in a challenging role. Devika Daftardar brings forth a convincing act. Shrikant Yadav is likeable as the lawyer and Anya’s close friend. Varsha Dandale succeeds in being funny as Anya’s mother.

Overall: Baapya is a decent entertainer about the acceptance of transgender individuals.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Sameer Tewari

Producers: Working I Films

Writers: Sameer Tewari, Vikrant Katkar, Gaurav Gajanan Relekar and Nikhil Ashok Palande

Cast: Girish Kulkarni, Rajshri Deshpande, Aaryan Menghji and Devika Daftardar

Also read: Khalid Ka Shivaji review: Worth watching for its portrayal of current social reality

This blog is one of the Top 30 Indian movie blogs on the web as per FeedSpot. See the full list here –https://bloggers.feedspot.com/indian_movie_blogs/

Krishnavataram Part 1: The Heart review – Divine spiritual entertainer

May 12, 2026 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Storyline: Krishnavataram Part 1: The Heart is adapted from the Gujarati book ‘Satyabhama’ by Raam Mori. The film narrates quite a few important chapters from the life of Lord Krishna (Siddharth Gupta). It focuses on his life after he gets Mathura residents along with himself shifted to the west coast of India in Dwarka. The story basically follows the three women that enter at different stages in his life – Radha (Sushmitha Bhat), Satyabhama (Sanskruti Jayana) and Rukmini (Nivaashiyni Krishnan). Along with that, the film also depicts how Krishna fulfils his responsibility on earth as the eight avatar of Lord Vishnu.

Review: Krishnavataram is more like a celebration of Lord Krishna’s life. It gets you sucked and mesmerized into its world instantly with its striking and beautiful visuals. Chokkas Bhaardwaj’s production design is something we rarely see even in some of the most expensive films. Despite their grandeur and larger-then-life nature, the sets fall in the believable category. The same can be said about the grand costumes too. They are rich but never in-your-face.

Ayananka Bose’s camerawork enhances the visuals. Also, unlike various Hindi films, this one is impressive in the VFX department as well.

But the movie goes beyond the visuals through a solid script. Thankfully, the three women in Krishna’s life are not shown one after the other in an episodic form. The story of Satyabhama, who gets the maximum footage out of the three women, is finely mixed with that of Radha. Later on, the same is done when Rukmini enters Satyabhama’s life.

Plus, the narrative also includes the political developments and incidents of that era in between the stories of the three women. And it does that without any jerks in the screenplay. Achieving this smoothness is a triumph of the writing as well as the direction. The dialogues are poetic but not too filmy.

This is also a rare Hindi movie where all songs turn out to be impressive. This was important as it’s a musical. From the tracks composed by Prasad S, the ones that impress the most are ‘Prem Ki Leela’ and ‘Krishna Govinda’.

Playing Lord Krishna can be a daunting task for anyone. Siddharth Gupta passes that agni pariksha. Apart from living up to the image of God, he also impresses in scenes where he has to appear vulnerable. It is refreshing to see how the makers have humanized Krishna here. Sanskruti Jayana does exceedingly well while mostly playing a woman of a strong character. But she shines in the emotional sequences too. She is a talent to watch out for.

Sushmitha Bhat is believable and impressive as Radha, except on a few occasions when her accent sounds unusual. Nivaashiyni Krishnan, in the role of Rukimini, gives a mature performance despite limited screen time. Karthik Jayaram (Satrajit), Amonjot Singh (Balarama), Smrithi Srikanth (Subhadra) and others offer good support. Jackie Shroff is superb in a cameo.

The film comes with its share of minuses though. The writers have just assumed that everyone knows not only the whole life story of Krishna but also the parallel events of the Mahabharata. Those who are aware will surely get it and enjoy. But there are many who might not be. They are bound to face confusion and feel abruptness at various points, especially during the ending sequences in Dwarka. Also, the first half has too many songs. A couple of them could have been reduced.

Overall: Krishnavataram Part 1: The Heart is a divine spiritual entertainer. It is a treat for the followers and worshippers of Lord Krishna. Director Hardik Gajjar has highly succeeded in carrying out this tough responsibility.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Hardik Gajjar

Producers: Creativeland Studios Entertainment and Athasrikantha Motion Pictures

Writers: Raam Mori (author of the novel Satyabhama), Sajan Raj Kurup, Shobha Sant, Poonam Shroff and Parth Gajjar

Cast: Siddharth Gupta, Sanskruti Jayana, Sushmitha Bhat and Nivaashiyni Krishnan

Also read: Khalid Ka Shivaji review: Worth watching for its portrayal of current social reality

This blog is one of the Top 30 Indian movie blogs on the web as per FeedSpot. See the full list here –https://bloggers.feedspot.com/indian_movie_blogs/

Raja Shivaji (Marathi) review: Focuses more on being a masala entertainer

May 2, 2026 by Keyur Seta 2 Comments

Story outline: Raja Shivaji tells the story of Shivaji Bhosale (Riteish Deshmukh) from his birth to his coronation when he becomes Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. There are challenges galore for him right from his childhood. His father Shahaji Bhosale (Sachin Khedekar) is forced to work under the rule of Adil Shah (Amole Gupte) of Bijapur.

He, along with his father, mother Jijabai (Bhagyashree) and elder brother Sambhaji aka Shambhu (Abhishek Bachchan) shares a dream of attaining Swarajya. The young Shivaji starts working towards the dream and this eventually brings him come face-to-face with the ruthless Adil Shahi commander Afzal Khan (Sanjay Dutt).

Review: Raja Shivaji leaves no stone unturned when it comes to recreating the bygone era. The production design and costumes are both eye-pleasing and appropriate for that period. The visual quality is further enhanced with the camerawork of the veteran cinematographer Santosh Sivan.

However, the film suffers when it comes to the crucial aspects of writing and direction. The screenplay lacks proper flow as a large number of events are presented in a haphazard manner, especially before Riteish’s late entry. Things get streamlined once he enters the scene but only to some extent. The narrative comes somewhat on track once the battle lines are drawn between the protagonist and Afzal Khan but their all-important meet gets stretched.

It seems that the main focus here was to present a masala entertainer, rather than a historical. This is seen the most during the fight sequences that very much have that south Indian feeling. The slow motion walks and loud background music during action scenes are no longer novel. This still would have been fine if the film had an impressive and engaging narrative.

The major impact comes only when Salman Khan enters the scene. He doesn’t appear at ease when it comes to mouthing dialogues but his antics are quite paisa vasool, which ensures that there is some salvage in the end.

From Ajay-Atul’s music, the theme track is the only impressive song. John Stewart Eduri’s background score is routine. The VFX isn’t up-to-the-mark.

To play the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was a litmus test for Riteish Deshmukh, especially since he is also the director here. He succeeds in the task and it appears that he has given a lot to the character. He shines the most in emotional sequences. However, the past portrayals of Maharaj by Sharad Kelkar and Chinmay Mandlekar appear better than his.

Abhishek Bachchan succeeds in being heroic. Genelia Deshmukh also impresses as Saibai. However, both actors struggle with their Marathi pronunciation. Sanjay Dutt is decent and better than what he did in Panipat in a similar role (Ahmad Shah Abdali). Bhagyashree is impressive as Jijau. Vidya Balan does well too in the negative role of Begum Khadija. Amole Gupte and Jitendra Joshi provide able support while Fardeen Khan is just average. The rest of the long list of supporting actors chip in with good to decent acts.

Overall: Raja Shivaji is an average historical that appears more in the masala entertainer zone. At the box office, it is expected to do well in the Marathi version.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Director: Riteish Vilasrao Deshmukh

Writers: Ajit Wadikar, Sandeep Patil, Riteish Vilasrao Deshmukh, Prajakt Deshmukh and Jaideep Yadav (additional dialogues)

Producers: Jio Studios and Mumbai Film Company

Cast: Riteish Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sanjay Dutt, Genelia Deshmukh, Bhagyashree, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Sachin Khedekaer, Amole Gupte

Also read: Khalid Ka Shivaji review: Worth watching for its portrayal of current social reality

This blog is one of the Top 30 Indian movie blogs on the web as per FeedSpot. See the full list here –https://bloggers.feedspot.com/indian_movie_blogs/