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Krantijyoti Vidyalay Marathi Madhyam Review: Tackles an important issue but in a convenient way

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Storyline: The film revolves around a 99-year-old Marathi school in Alibaug called Krantijyoti Vidyalay Marathi Madhyam. The school is everything for its Principal Shirke sir (Sachin Khedekar). But currently, the school doesn’t have any future. The state government has ordered to raze the school as, according to them, its lease period is over and the structure of the building has become weak. The plan is also to make an English medium international school in its place. This has happened to thousands of Marathi schools in Maharashtra.

Shirke sir, who is obviously sad by the development, shares the news with his former students and calls them to Alibaug for a solution. These include, Kuldeep aka Deep (Siddharth Chandekar), Anjali (Prajakta Koli), Salma (Kahitee Jog), Rakesh (Harish Dudhade), Vishal (Pushkaraj Chirputkar) and Suman (Kadambari Kadam). Baban (Amey Wagh), another ex-student and a close friend of Deep and Anjali, is also a part of team. He has always been living in Alibaug. Will they succeed in their task?

Review: Written and directed by Hemant Dhome, Krantijyoti Vidyalay Marathi Madhyam instantly transports you into its enchanting and pleasant world. The school and its premises bring about a lot of nostalgia for anyone who has fond memories of his or her school life. The film’s emotional quotient goes higher when the ex-students arrive and relive their old and golden days.

Krantijyoti Vidyalay Marathi Madhyam

But at the same time, it’s also surprising to see none of them feeling sad by the fact that the school will cease to exist in a few days from now. It is only after Shirke sir reminds them that they realize that they need to save the school. However, there are still not much complains in the first half, especially after the interval block, which indicates that the film will now fully focus on the main issue of saving the school.  

But for some reason, the focus keeps shifting from the main conflict to the personal lives of the characters and you wonder why. And once the film gets back to business, it tackles the issue of Marathi schools with a lot of filmi-ness. The whole conflict is dealt in a very simplistic way and things happen too conveniently for the main characters. This is felt the most in the track of the character played by Anant Jog.

Krantijyoti Vidyalay Marathi Madhyam has some fine performances though. Sachin Khedekar is an apt choice for the role of Shirke sir. His subtle act ensures that he naturally commands respect. Siddharth Chandekar is believable as a movie star and he doesn’t overdo in proving it. Prajakta Koli shines as she provides a mature act as Anjali. Amey Wagh is at his hilarious best but he also scores in emotional scenes.

Kshitee Jog also puts her right foot forward in a role where she had to act tough as well as soft. Harish Dudhade, Pushkaraj Chirputkar and Kadambari Kadam also provide good support and get proper opportunities. As mentioned earlier, Anant Jog suffers from a weak characterization. Nirrmitee Saawaant impresses despite limited screen time.

The film’s technical aspects are of high quality, especially Satyajeet Shobha Shriram’s camerawork that captures the school and the town of Alibaug in an artistic manner.

Overall: Krantijyoti Vidyalay Marathi Madhyam tackles a noble cause but in a convenient manner.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Director: Hemant Dhome

Writer: Hemant Dhome

Producers: Crazy Few Films and Chalchitra Mandalee Productions

Cast: Sachin Khedekar, Siddharth Chandekar, Prajakta Koli, Amey Wagh, Kshitee Jog, Harish Dudhade, Pushkaraj Chirputkar, Kadambari Kadam

Also read: Gondhal Review: A night of ritual turns sinister

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/

Daayam review: A teenager’s coming-of-age saga while navigating grief

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Storyline: Daayam, which is a Malayalam film, takes place in a town in Kerala. Kalyani (Aathira Rajeev) is going through the most emotionally challenging period of her life after her mother passed away a few days back in the most unexpected manner. Her house is full of relatives as they need to complete a few rituals for the departed.

There are murmurs about all not being well between her mother and father Raghu (Pradeep Geedha) in recent times. Kalyani mentally takes stock of these situations as she tries settling into a new life with her father.

Review: Indu Lakshmi’s writing coupled with Prashanth Vijay’s presentation transports the viewer into the quiet yet profound world of Kalyani where she is forced to deal with a new challenge. The proceedings are simple but full of feeling. Hence, one instantly feels for the teenager.

The death of Kalyani’s mother is the central incident. But we are not shown a glimpse of it even for a second and neither the funeral too. It is only through conversations that the viewer experiences it. Yet, one can easily feel that incident throughout the film. Even the grief of the protagonist is felt purely through her behavior and body language. There is only one moment where she breaks down but her grief is established even before that.

This was also possible because of a thoroughly dedicated performance by Aathira Rajeev. She literally lives and breathes the character and her grief. There is not even a second where she tries even a little bit harder than required. It is clearly a performance that should be talked about for long.

Daayam also throws light on the social dynamics when it comes to gender. The narrative goes onto this path in the most organic and gradual manner by shifting the focus on Raghu’s office situation. This is also where the film has a flipside. The office incident is quite serious and important to the narrative. But it is treated in a little casual manner whereas it deserved a clearer portrayal.

The film also develops a little bit of mystery surrounding Kalyani’s mother’s death at the start. But this aspect is quite forgotten later.

During the latter parts of the film, Pradeep Geedha gets a chance to display his different moods and he does that exceedingly well. He keeps the mystery quotient alive in his performance, which was vital.

The film scores high in the technical front. Rakesh Dharan’s camerawork is artistic but simple, which was the need there. Christy Sebastian’s editing is quite smooth flowing. The use of minimal music by Varkey goes with the nature of the film.

Overall: Daayam is a profound coming-of-age saga about a teenager navigating grief.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Prasanth Vijay

Producer: Jessy P

Writer: Indu Lakshmi

Cast: Aathira Rajeev, Pradeep Geedha

Also read: Dhurandhar review: Well-crafted spy drama trapped in the wrong medium

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/

Dhurandhar Review: Well-crafted spy drama trapped in the wrong medium

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Storyline: Angered by the Kandahar Hijack of 1999 and the Parliament Attack in 2001 by Pakistani terrorists, India’s IB chief Ajay Sanyal (R Madhavan) proposes ‘Mission Dhurandhar’, which is a plan about an Indian spy infiltrating Pakistan’s underworld and thereby its terror network. After his proposal is accepted, India’s secret agent (Ranveer Singh), who identifies himself as Hamza Ali Mazari, discreetly enters Pakistan in 2004. As per his mission, he enters the Lyari area in Karachi, where underworld activities are rampant.

Hamza gets employed at a juice stall by its owner Aalam (Gaurav Gera). He gets to know from his boss that Lyari is infested with the underworld war between Babu Dakait and Rehman Baloch aka Rehman Dakait (Akshaye Khanna). Hamza earns Rehman’s trust by saving his son’s life from an attack by the men of Babu Dakait. Hence, Hamza’s initial mission of infiltrating Pakistan’s underworld turns out to be a success as he becomes a member of his gang. But he has a long and difficult road ahead of him.

Review: Since more than a decade, mainstream Hindi cinema has seen a number of films about spies on secret missions for the sake of the country. The aforementioned story of Dhurandhar might also sound similar to some past Hindi movies. But the film stands apart when it comes to the treatment. Instead of including high-octane and larger-than-life action stunts, glamour and dialogue baazi, it relies on a narrative more on the realistic side. Of course, there are creative liberties being taken but they are believable.

Dhurandhar Ranveer Singh

What sets Dhurandhar apart is also the main content. One won’t find spy activities between both countries as the center point. The film is more about the politics and mafia of Pakistan with the issue of terrorism kept in the background for a majority of the duration, especially in the first half. Dhar should be commended for the research on this topic and choosing to explore it, which hasn’t happened before. This also makes it advisable to do some research on the underworld of Lyari and its connection to Pakistan’s politics before watching the film.

Dhurandhar goes onto high gear once things hot up in the second half, where the real espionage drama takes center stage. The portrayal of 26/11 terror incident from the point of view of Pakistan is applaud-worthy. This period also gives rise to some dramatic and thrilling moments with the film ending on a high note.

However, despite these plusses, when it comes to narrating the story, Dhurandhar appears to have been trapped in the wrong medium. This narrative suits more for a web series, going by the way characters are explored and the story is fleshed out. This becomes an issue as the first half becomes as lengthy as two hours. It is not possible to edit out any portion, including the love angle (which is closely knit to the main story), thereby making it more suitable for the longer medium. This is also because the story doesn’t end as the film is set to return for a second part on March 19, 2026.

The other slip up here is the development of the love track about Sara Arjun, which should have become a scandal considering that she is the daughter of such a prominent politician and that too in Pakistan.

And as expected, Dhurandhar indirectly appeases the supporters of the current government of India on a few occasions.

The film scores high when it comes to the production design by Saini S Johray. A lot of thought and detailing has gone into this area while recreating Lyari of the yesteryears. Vikash Nowlakha’s camerawork is spectacular. From the music, the title track and ‘Ishq Jalakar – Karvaan’ are brilliant. Shashwat Sachdev’s background score doesn’t go overboard in providing thrill. It becomes loud only when needed. The action is also more into the realistic zone, instead of over-the-top stunts.

The performances too are top draw. Ranveer Singh is fully believable as a spy who becomes a trusted ally of Rehman Dakait. He scores in the emotional moments as well as while performing action. But the one who steals the show is Akshaye Khanna. He brings his entire talent onto display as he performs various moods of his character with perfection. Arjun Rampal and Sanjay Dutt succeed in being wild with restraint.

R Madhavan provides a mature act. His character looks unrecognizable. In such an ensemble cast, Rakesh Bedi gets more than noticed as the prominent politician of Lyari. Sara Arjun makes a confident and successful debut as Hamza’s lover Yalina.

Overall: Dhurandhar is a well-crafted spy drama with fine performances. However, its narrative suits more for a web series. Hence, the film is more inclined towards the multiplex audience instead of the masses. This makes it doubtful whether it will become a major success at the box office.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Aditya Dhar

Writer: Aditya Dhar

Producers: Jio Studios and B62 Studios

Cast: Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi

Also read: Haq review: Yami Gautam excels in this one-time watch courtroom drama

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/

Fast bowling was NOT allowed in this match

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The headline must have made you wonder how on earth is this possible in a game of cricket. But this is true and there is a story behind it. In the era of 1997, Sri Lanka were the world champions in ODI (one-day internationals) cricket and a threat to team India.

This is about the second match of the three match ODI series between India and Sri Lanka in 1997 after the three-match test series between both the teams produced a boring 0-0 result, courtesy some bad weather in all three matches.

The first ODI was won by India in Guwahati by 7 wickets. The 2nd one was played on Christmas at Indore’s Nehru Stadium. Cricket fans expected a good contest on the festival. The match was the ODI debut for India’s all-rounder Hrishikesh Kanitkar.

The Sri Lankans won the toss and decided to bat. But early into Javagal Srinath’s first over, it was felt that the pitch was behaving strangely. The ball was bouncing awkwardly and the batsmen were having issues. On the fourth ball of the over, Romesh Kaluwitharana was bowled off another awkward delivery, which he played onto his stumps. The last ball of the over bounced weirdly for Sanath Jayasuriya. He edged it to the slip area, where Rajesh Chauhan dropped the catch.

Photo for representational purpose (Photo courtesy: Patrika.com)

India’s captain Sachin Tendulkar decided to give the spinner Chauhan the second over after looking at the strange behaviour of the pitch. His over was alright but the next one, bowled by Srinath, got the umpires and match referee worried. After the last ball of the over, which hit Roshan Mahanama on his gloves, the match officials decided to call off the match due to the unplayable nature of the pitch. In 3 overs, Sri Lanka’s score was 17 for 1 (see scorecard HERE).

This was the first time in the history of cricket that a game was called off due to the unsafe nature of the pitch.

The result, obviously, was sad for cricket lovers around the world, but not more than the 25000 odd spectators who had turned up. There were fears about how the crowd will react to this fiasco. There were also reports about a local lawyer almost deciding to file a case against Indian captain Tendulkar, Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga and match referee Ahmed Ebrahim for denying the ticket-paying public their right to watch the match.

In order to pacify everyone disappointed by the turn of events, an exhibition match of 25 overs was decided to play between both the teams. But how does one play on a pitch that was behaving so dangerously?

Hence, it was decided that fast bowling won’t be allowed in the match. Only spinners and slow medium pacers can bowl.

Those were the days when T20 was unheard of. So, an ODI match of 25 overs actually got us excited as we were watching on TV, even if it was unofficial. India’s two senior batters Tendulkar and Mohammed Azharuddin didn’t bat in order to give youngsters a chance. I remember Sourav Ganguly bowling gentle medium pacers in the match, much slower than his actual deliveries.

Sri Lanka batted first and scored 180 for 8 in their allotted overs. In response, India fell 2 runs short by reaching 178 for 7 in their 25 overs. I remember India needing 4 runs of the last ball when Kumara Dharmasena was bowling to Navjot Singh Sidhu. Despite it being an exhibition match, there was intense tension before that ball. Sidhu could manage only a single of that ball. Despite India losing, the crowd was treated to an entertaining day of cricket.

(Article continued after video)

Short highlights of the exhibition match

There are reports that before the start of the ODI, India wanted a bouncy pitch with grass in order to tackle Sri Lanka’s top-order. But when the team reached the venue, they realized that the groundsman had produced a dry pitch with cracks, which would assist both fast bowlers and spinners. So, they got the groundsman to prepare an alternative pitch. However, when the Sri Lankan players brought this to the notice of the match referee Ahmed Ebrahim, they eventually decided to play on the first wicket.

The third ODI of the series, which was played in Goa, was won by Sri Lanka by five wickets, thereby drawing the series 1-1.

Interestingly, much later in 2009, another India-Sri Lanka ODI was called off due to the dangerous nature of the pitch (see scorecard HERE). This time, the venue was Delhi’s Ferozshah Kotla Stadium. Co-incidentally, the match in 1997 was played on December 25 and the one in 2009 on December 27.

Strangely, less than a month and half after the 1997 ODI blunder, a test match between West Indies and England at Kingston, Jamaica on February 2, 1998, was called off in the first session of the first day for the same reason after the latter batted for 10.1 overs. As a kid, I remember bowlers like Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh appearing deadlier than they were on that pitch. This was the first test match to be called off due to the nature of the pitch (see scorecard HERE).

Also read: Sachin-Kambli’s unknown match-winning partnership: 50 Years of Wankhede

Gondhal Review: A night of ritual turns sinister

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Storyline: Gondhal is a night-long ritual held in one of the interiors of Maharashtra. It is performed in presence of a newly-married couple in order to eliminate the obstacles from their lives. A folk performance throughout the night is a part of the ritual, which is attended by the entire village. The story starts off when Bhivaba (Kishore Kadam) arrives to perform the ritual for the newlywed couple Anandrao (Yogesh Sohoni) and Suman (Ishita Deshmukh).

But this is not going to be just another night of the said ritual. Sarjerao (Nishad Bhoir), the son of the village Patil, is jealous to see a girl as beautiful as Suman being married off to the simple and innocent Anand. In fact, Sarjerao was earlier supposed to marry Suman but he couldn’t after his father asked for a huge amount in dowry. Despite Suman now being a wife of another man, Sarjerao is not in the mood to accept defeat.

Review: Gondhal, which is written and directed by Santosh Davakhar, gets the viewers transported into the interiors of the village and the ceremony of Gondhal in a thoroughly impressive manner. It does that through a long one-take shot that not only follows different characters perform different tasks but also in presence of over 100 junior actors in a large open area. Veteran cinematographer Amalendu Chaudhary makes his presence felt in various other shots as well.

Gondhal Marathi movie

No stone is left unturned when it comes to portraying the ceremony and its various aspects. One can find even minute detailing with regards to the rituals, costumes and production designing.

But the actual story begins at the interval block through an interesting development. This makes you think that the story will go on an expected route. But it actually goes onto the sinister mode. There comes a time when the ritual becomes a mystery drama. Even if you are able to guess the final outcome, its presentation keeps the proceedings interesting. Gondhal indirectly presents an irony of dark human intentions even while performing a sacred activity.

Ilaiyaraaja’s music is decent. His background score succeeds in enhancing scenes of different moods.

Ishita Deshmukh suits in the role of a newlywed wife. But she also shines whenever she has to act naughty. She is a find for the future. Yogesh Sohoni is perfect as the naïve young husband. He gets to display his talent more in the climax.

Nishad Bhoir is fair as the desperate Sarjerao. Kishore Kadam impresses the most during the initial long one-take scene. Suresh Vishwakarma, as Patil, and the rest of the supporting actors chip in with decent performances.

Coming to the negatives, an act committed by Bhivaba post-interval doesn’t appear convincing. It is difficult to believe that a character like his can take such an extreme step. There are also a few instances where the film could have been crisper.

Overall: Gondhal is a fine saga about a ritual turning into the night of crime. This is the debut feature film for Santosh Davakhar both as a writer and director but it doesn’t appear so.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Santosh Davakhar

Producers: Davakhar Films

Writer: Santosh Davakhar (story, screenplay and dialogues)

Cast: Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni, Nishad Bhoir, Kishore Kadam

Also read: Haq review: Yami Gautam excels in this one-time watch courtroom drama

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/

Haq review: Yami Gautam excels in this one-time watch courtroom drama

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Storyline: Haq is a fictionalized and dramatized version of the historic Shah Bano Begum vs Mohammed Ahmed Khan case. The film is adapted from journalist and author Jigna Vora’s book ‘Bano: Bharat Ki Beti’.

The film starts off in 1967 in a town in Uttar Pradesh. Shazia Bano (Yami Gautam Dhar), a young girl full of life, gets married to the lawyer Abbas Khan (Emraan Hashmi). She is happy with choosing him as her life partner. She gives birth to two children and is pregnant with the third. This is when Abbas goes on a three-week visit to Pakistan to settle some property dispute in their ancestral place.

However, Abbas returns after three months and that too after marrying a young girl, Saira (Vartika Singh). Shazia devastated to know that her husband had a second marriage and that too by keeping her in the dark. Things start getting murkier for Shazia from here on, which eventually compels her to take Abbas to the court.

Review: It is widely known that Haq is a courtroom drama. Hence, it is obvious for the audience to anticipate the narrative to go on the legal route. There is also this danger that the portion before the courtroom scenes might make you impatient. Thankfully, nothing of that sort happens here.

Yami Gautam Dhar in Haq

The route to the court is finely structured and presented. The whole journey of Shazia’s happy marriage turning sour is well narrated. This was also possible because of the smooth transition of Abbas’s character from being the hero to the antagonist. Emraan Hashmi has always been a fine performer (even when he was labeled as a ‘serial kisser’) and he has proved the same here as well.

Once the film goes onto the legal route, you, naturally, expect it to go into overdrive. However, for some strange reason, the opposite happens. The narrative during this half doesn’t turn out to be as gripping as before. There are also some portions where the goings appear dry and episodic.

The film ends on a fine note with Shazia’s monologue but it seems too much dependent on the final part. Even for this, it is Yami Gautam Dhar’s bravura act that keeps you glued and moved.

Also during the rest of the film, she lives the journey of Shazia Bano with a lot of maturity. This one is easily one of her best acts and one of the best performances of the year. However, it is a mystery that both Yami and Emraan look almost the same even after a span of 18 years.

Danish Husain’s character as Shazia’s father is shown to be very progressive, even by today’s standards. He does full justice to it. Sheeba Chadha and Aseem Hattangady are impressive as Shazia’s lawyers. Vartika Singh shows promise as Saira.

Haq scores high in production designing. The colour grading too makes the bygone era believable. Vishal Mishra’s music is nothing much to speak about. The film needed, at least, one impressive theme track. Sandeep Chowta’s background score enhances the proceedings.

Overall: Haq is a one-time watch courtroom drama, aided by Yami Gautam’s fine act. As far as the box office is concerned, its appeal lies in the urban multiplex centers.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Suparn Verma

Producers: Junglee Pictures, Insomnia Films and Baweja Studios

Writers: Jigna Vora (original book) and Reshu Nath (story, screenplay and dialogues)

Cast: Yami Gautam, Emraan Hashmi, Danish Husain, Sheeba Chadha, Vartika Singh

Also read: Homebound review: Neeraj Ghaywan’s film reminds you of your privilege in a hard-hitting way

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/

Teen Paayancha Ghoda review: Fine portrayal of friendship and mistakes during teenage

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Storyline: Teen Paayancha Ghoda (English title: Three Legged Horse) takes place in 2003 in Pune. Adnan (Kunal Shukla), a carefree youngster, has been flunking his 12th standard exams. He has already lost two years in the process. His girlfriend Chandrika (Ria Nalavade), who is even more carefree, continues to support him despite his failure.

Adnan’s father is in the rehabilitation centre for alcoholism. He isn’t strict with Adnan and doesn’t have any grudges for him failing in exams. But Adnan’s nana (Gajanan Paranjpe), who is a retired IPS (Indian Police Service) officer and with whom he lives, is super strict and has given an ultimatum to him to pass his exams this year.

Chandrika comes up with a plan to get a fake marksheet created for Adnan. For this, she contacts Rathore (Avinash Londhe), who is from the same age group. The purpose of creating a fake marksheet germinates into an unusual friendship between the three youngsters. But where will their wrong path lead them eventually?

Review: Teen Paayancha Ghoda is from the makers of the brilliant drama Amaltash. This film also falls in the unconventional zone like the earlier one but it’s hugely different both in terms of the storyline and its treatment.

Teen Paayancha Ghoda Marathi movie

It deals with a simple storyline but it’s nowhere narrated and presented in a conventional or straightforward way. Noopur Bora and Yogesh Vinajay Joshi have creatively narrated the tale in a way that you discover it in a novel way and through little details. The flashback to 2001 on quite a few occasions is also smartly done.

The film shows the three central characters indulging in an illegal activity. However, they are not shown as bad people. They are going through the wrong path only out of necessity. Of course, the film doesn’t justify their act but you somehow start liking them, especially Rathore. The organic way in which friendship develops between the three character plays a major role in it.

Suhas Desale and Rushi Tambe’s camerawork completely goes with the nature of the film. It is more like a glimpse into the world of the three youngsters. The same unconventionality is seen in the editing (Makarand Dambhare and Suhas Desale) and background score (Chlkwrk).

The performance of the three youngsters also plays a major role in making the tale believable. Their casting is just right. Kunal Shukla makes the character of Adnan believable. Along with being subtle, he also scores in being sarcastic. Ria Nalavade succeeds in playing a strong woman with a lot of spunk. Both are a lookout for the future. Avinash Londhe is apt in the role of the fully introvert Rathore. He speaks on various occasions through expressions.

The movie has some senior actors in cameos and extended cameos. Gajanan Paranjpe exudes fear every time he appears. Devika Daftardar is convincing as a mute and deaf character of Rathore’s mother. Sandesh Kulkarni and Rohit Kokate display mature acts in characters with limited screen time.

There are, however, issues that stop Teen Paayancha Ghoda from being superlative. The last 20 odd minutes don’t go with the nature of the rest of the film, which is light-hearted. The transition doesn’t appear as seamless as it should have been.

Overall: Teen Paayancha Ghoda is a fine portrayal of friendship and mistakes during teenage.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Noopur Bora

Producers: Darshan Productions and Medium Strong Productions

Writers: Yogesh Vinayak Joshi and Noopur Bora

Cast: Kunal Shukla, Ria Nalavade, Avinash Londhe, Gajanan Paranjpe, Devika Daftardar

Also read: Amaltash review: Tenderly created saga on love, life & music

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/

Thamma review: Shows hope but loses ‘blood’ in the second half

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Storyline: The film revolves around a struggling television journalist Alok Goyal (Ayushmann Khurrana) staying in Delhi with his parents (Paresh Rawal and Geeta Agarwal Sharma). He once goes on a jungle adventure with his friends outside the city. He becomes a victim of a bear attack and is forced to hide in a cave-like place for safety. Just then, a beautiful girl (Rashmika Mandanna) rescues him.

Alok gets to know that her name is Tadaka and she is a part of a tribe of Betaals led by the crazy Yakshasan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). People from the tribe capture Alok just when he and Tadaka are getting attracted to each other. Tadaka defies the tribe’s rules and frees Alok. But in order to save herself from her tribe for being a traitor, she too moves to Delhi with him. This encounter changes Alok’s life forever.

Review: Thamma has an interesting storyline that gains your interest right at the onset. There is a right amount of humour and thrill after Alok and Tadaka enter each other’s lives and face numerous funny and thrilling situations. Once the two reach Delhi, the intrigue level increases as Tadaka constantly tries hiding her real self. The interval point comes across as a surprise.

Thamma movie

The second half takes off well from that point and makes you interested in knowing where will all this lead. However, the film goes downhill from here on. The narrative becomes too complicated and self-indulgent. It seems that the makers were trying too hard in providing thrill through this genre and thereby ended up going overboard. A few of the rules of the Betaal community also appear weird and too convenient. The finale too is quite underwhelming.

The film also leaves a few questions unanswered. For example, we are shown an encounter with King Alexander at the start but the character never returns. But the most bewildering part is the sudden disappearance of Alok’s mother without any reason whatsoever!

Thamma scores well in the technical department through. Saurabh Goswami’s camerawork is impressive. The film is also rich in visuals, mostly because of the VFX. The background score (Sachin Jigar) adds to the thrill.

The performances are a mixed bag. Ayushmann Khurrana is the best of all. He goes through various emotions and situations with relative ease. Rashmika Mandanna is better than a couple of her previous outings as far as her expressions and body language are concerned. But her heavy south accent hampers her act yet again. Paresh Rawal once again shows how dependable he is when it comes to displaying humour with subtlety. Geeta Agarwal Sharma is memorable despite limited screen time.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui appears entertaining initially but starts becoming repetitive. It seems he was trying a bit too hard in being funny later on. He also brings back memories of his act from Kick (2014). Faisal Malik of Panchayat fame shines as the cop. Varun Dhawan is decent in a cameo from Bhediya. Abhishek Banerjee fares better in his cameo.

Overall: Thamma has an interesting and entertaining build up but it suffers from a messed up second half. The film will score well at the box office in the six-day extended Diwali period but will slow down from Monday onwards.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Director: Aditya Sarpotdar

Producers: Maddock Films

Writers: Niren Bhatt, Arun Fulara and Suresh Mathew

Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Paresh Rawal

Also read: The Ba***ds of Bollywood Review: Unabashedly whacky take on Bollywood with an overdose of expletives

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/

Book Review: ‘Undefeatable Krishna’ by Shubha Vilas

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Author Shubha Vilas has established himself as one of the specialists of ancient Hindu scriptures. Among his various works, he is known the most for retelling the Ramayana through a set of six books, with each being an insightful and entertaining read.

The author has now stepped into another celebrated epic Mahabharata and has presented the first book titled ‘Undefeatable Krishna’, thereby starting off with the most central figure in the scripture.

The book narrates various chapters from the Mahabharata where Lord Krishna played an important part. The book starts off by retelling the events before the great war of Kurukshetra and ends with its consequences after that.

Shubha Vilas has largely picked up not only interesting but also important chapters from the Mahabharata where Krishna has played a role in giving important life lessons not only to the characters in the epic but also the readers at large. The only surprise is the chapter on Arjuna and Subhadra’s love story and Krishna’s role in their union. You wonder about its importance with regards to the Mahabharata. But as it’s interesting and amusing to read, there are no complains.

Undefeatable Krishna book by Shubha Vilas


Like his various previous works, the author’s distinct style of writing is the high point of the book. He has once again used simple language and at the same time narrated various events in a larger-than-life manner. It makes you visualize the scenes as if they are taking place in a movie mounted on a large scale.

There are various incidents that are presented with a lot of style during the war of Kurukshetra. The one that stands out is the moment when Jayadratha is killed by Arjun. If this moment is played in a film in the exact manner as described in the book, one can expect the audience to break into an applause.

However, the book is not all about larger-than-life style. There are equal number of moments that overwhelm you and touch an emotional chord, especially if you happen to be an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna. The author has succeeded in presenting the various shades of Him and indirectly shown what a personality He is.

But at the same time, the author has also presented Krishna like a common person with human nature. For example, He not being able to sleep at night as he is concerned about Arjuna’s vow of killing Jayadratha before sunset the next day. There are other examples too of the same.

Major negative points are missing in ‘Undefeatable Krishna’ but there are minor ones. The events of the Mahabharata are narrated somewhat in a non-linear way in the latter part, which could have been avoided. A major part of the book contains lessons being preached by the author with respect to the various events of the Mahabharata. This part could have been shortened. On 2-3 occasions, double inverted commas are missing at the end of dialogues.

Overall: ‘Undefeatable Krishna’ is yet another winner from Shubha Vilas. The book is for those who have already read the Mahabharata and would like to delve deeper into it.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Author: Shubha Vilas

Publishers: Jaico Books

Pages: 214

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Homebound review: Neeraj Ghaywan’s film reminds you of your privilege in a hard-hitting way

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Storyline: Homebound is a story of two best friends from the less fortunate backgrounds and what all they go through because of their identities. Mohammed Shoaib Ali (Ishaan Khatter) and Chandan Kumar (Vishal Jethwa) hail from a small town in India. The families of both lead a life of poverty. But that’s not all. Shoaib and Chandan also regularly face discrimination on the basis of their religion and caste respectively.

In order to get respect from the society, the two friends appear for a police recruitment exam. They believe that once they join the police force, the attitude of the society will change towards them. While they are on the way to the examination centre in train, they meet Sudha Bharti (Janhvi Kapoor), who is also from the lower caste. After giving the exam, Shoaib and Chandan anxiously wait for the examination results, which keep on getting delayed.

Review: There is a scene in Homebound where Shoaib is made fun of by his office seniors because Pakistan loses against India in a cricket match, thereby assuming that his loyalty lies with the neighbouring country. The guy’s friendly colleague tries to pacify him saying that those who are targeting him for his religion are drunk and they are doing it just for some ‘fun’.  


In another instance, a woman is not allowed to cook mid-day meals for kids in a school after the parents realize that she belongs to a lower caste.

The film also shows the severe struggle of the people from the lower strata of society to survive the COVID-19 pandemic in what can be described as a heart-wrenching part of the film.

Homebound isn’t the first film to show these miseries of the less fortunate and it won’t be the last either. But its starkly appealing manner of representing the atrocities one faces due to one’s religion, caste and social positioning moves you profoundly.

At the same time, it also makes us realize how privileged we are. Even though we might not be millionaires but the kind of lives we are living is a dream for a large majority of our country’s population.

The performances of the two lead actors play a vital role in creating the impact. With this performance, Vishal Jethwa has announced that he is one of the most talented actors around. His portrayal of the journey of Chandan is completely praiseworthy, especially during the ending moments. Ishaan Khatter is not behind though. He has provided a thoroughly mature act as his character goes through different challenges throughout the film.

The actors playing the family members of both Chandan and Shoaib are also praiseworthy. Janhvi Kapoor acts decently but she is a miscast in the role of Sudha Bharti.

The other negative point, although minor, is the length, which could have been shorter.

Overall: Homebound is one of the finest films to have come in recent years. Its selection for the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language category appears to be the right decision.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Neeraj Ghaywan

Producers: Dharma Productions

Writers: Basharat Peer, Neeraj Ghaywan and Sumit Roy

Cast: Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, Janhvi Kapoor