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Awarapan 2 review: Emraan Hashmi’s smashing comeback is an engaging crime drama

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Storyline: Awarapan 2 is a continuation of Awarapan (2007). Shivam Pandit (Emraan Hashmi) is miraculously saved despite being shot several times after the end of the first film. The second movie continues years later when he is doing an odd job in a town in Rajasthan. He is still mourning the death of Aaliyah (Shriya Saran), who he dearly loved and regularly visits her grave.

Once during the ritual, Shivam finds an abandoned infant at the graveyard. He hands the girl over to his well-wisher who is running an orphanage. He names the girl Aaliyah. Years later after Aaliyah grows up, a family adopts her. However, it is soon found out that she has been abducted by child traffickers and sent to Bangkok. Shivam is pained after knowing this and decides to visit Bangkok right away to rescue her and other children.

Review: The first Awarapan was more of an emotional affair and had limited action scenes. But the trailer of Awarapan 2 contained only brutal fight scenes. This made one wonder if the film will follow the recent trend of violent action films.

However, Awarapan 2 turns out to be way different from its trailer.

The movie wastes no time in unleashing the nostalgic factor for the fans of Awarapan. If you are one of those who is smitten by the 2007 movie, chances are that you will be glued to Awarapan 2 right from the start. Vishnu Rao’s cinematography is particularly noteworthy during this part.

The screenplay gradually goes onto the crime thriller mode once the story takes the turn and the protagonist goes onto his mission. The film then becomes an out-and-out crime action drama with the nostalgia factor remaining very much there.

The idea of the main hero infiltrating an underworld gang abroad instantly reminds you of the Dhurandhar series. Of course, there have been plenty of films where a good guy becomes a mole in a gang. But since the Ranveer Singh starrer is recent, it instantly pops up in your mind. But thankfully, the common factor ends here.

Although Awarapan 2 has emotions to its core (just like its predecessor), this one is more into the masala action zone, especially in the second half. The film throws in a bunch of new and interesting characters, especially Zorawar (Puran Gabbi), and some twists to keep the interest going.

The only issue here is that in the last 30 minutes, the proceedings become quite filmi with things happening at convenience for the protagonist on a few occasions. This is felt the most when the Buddhist monks arrive out of nowhere. But a couple of whistle-worthy moments in the end turn out to be the saving grace.  

Awarapan 2 is also a rare film in today’s times where almost all the songs appear impressive. Along with the reprised versions of ‘Toh Phir Aao’ and ‘Tera Mera Rishta Purana’, the new tracks too sound impressive.  

Coming to the performances, it’s an Emraan Hashmi show. The actor not only lives up to the expectations of playing Shivam Pandit once again convincingly, he also lights up the scene every time he appears. In fact, he even makes Shivam Pandit’s melancholy appear endearing in a way only he can.

Despite Emraan’s presence, Puran Gabbi makes his presence felt and how! He is convincing and highly confident as the bad beast Zorawar. Shabana Azmi displays her talent yet again, despite limited screen time. Disha Patani fares better than usual. Aniruddh Rawal is also praiseworthy as a man suffering from Autism. Child actor Myrah Shivan gives a fine act. Atul Kumar, Suvinder and Vijayant Kohli provide able support. Shriya Saran’s cameo is appealing and it arrives at an important moment in the film.

Overall: Awarapan 2 is an interesting crime thriller with the right dose of emotions and Emraan Hashmi at his best. Nitin Kakkar succeeds in the difficult test of directing the sequel of a cult film.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Nitin Kakkar

Producers: Vishesh Films

Writers: Vishesh Bhatt, Bilal Siddiqi and Sanjay Masoom (additional dialogues)

Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Puran Gabbi, Disha Patani, Shabana Azmi, Suvinder Vicky, Aniruddh Rawal, Myrah Shivan

Also read: Ikka review: Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna starrer is a 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/

Maaran review: Hard-hitting saga on flesh trade and society’s victim-shaming tendency

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Storyline: Maaran, which is a Gujarati film, is based on the illegal business of flesh trade. The story takes place in a fictitious village called Vaadi. Supplying girls is the main business for Ratan (Yash Soni) but he keeps it in the shadows. For the world, he works as a security guard in a posh tower in the city outside the village. Ratan lives with Birwa (Deeksha Joshi), who he had abducted five years ago. The girl’s younger sister Purva (Tarjani Bhadla) has been searching relentlessly for her.

Ratan and Birwa’s life goes through some change when the former’s friend and acquaintance Babu (Shruhad Goswami) abducts Urmi (Prachi Thaker), who turns out to be a tough girl. Meanwhile, Ratan eyes Tara (Druma Mehta), who stays in the tower he works at, as his next target.

Review: Maaran throws light on the horrific social reality of India about lakhs of girls going missing in the last few years after being abducted and taken into flesh trade. The film instantly gets you involved in the murky and dark world of Vaadi in a bold manner.

You do get surprised seeing Birwa live in with Ratan at the start despite being kidnapped by the latter. But this aspect is explained later and it is quite convincing. However, Urmi not being disturbed and traumatized despite being kidnapped recently is difficult to believe.

Maaran Gujarati movie

The film scores while showing a parallel track of a woman even from a wealthy family being in danger of being dragged into the flesh trade. The screenplay finely mixes the various tracks and is brisk in pace.

The only other point of concern is that they could have gone into some details on how this entire illegal business works. This would have made the viewers more familiar with the subject.

The characters of Ratan and Babu are not portrayed as typical negative characters despite them being important cogs in the wheel of the flesh trade. Somehow, some light is thrown on their human side without making them subjects of sympathy.

The large amount of credit for this also goes to Yash Soni and Suhrad Goswami. Yash has an image of a good boy. He sheds that identity here and how! He is thoroughly convincing as the rough and evil Ratan. Suhrad has also derived a divine image of Lord Krishna after Laalo – Krishna Sada Sahayate. He too comes out of it and provides a believable act as a ruffian immersed in flesh trade. But at the same time, both actors also subtly switch over to their human side.

The film also equally belongs to Deeksha Joshi who comes up with an award winning act. Her character goes through various emotions and moods and she fulfils each challenge with ease. She is particularly heart-breaking in the pre-climax and climax. Prachi Thaker suits the character of Urmi. Trajani Bhadla’s performance grows with the film. Druma Mehta is perfectly cast as the sophisticated lady.

The technicalities also rise on the occasion in the form of the cinematography (Pratik Parmar), editing (Omkar Nilange, Harsh Anandani and Devarshi Barot) and music (Aalap-Parth).

But Maaran is much deeper than just a film about a heinous crime against women. It also brings forth the stigma attached to the girls who have been rescued from flesh trade to such an extent that their own families refuse to accept them even after they are rescued. The tag of being ‘impure’ attached to them is a deep result of patriarchy. This victim-blaming and victim-shaming makes you wonder if these families are as guilty as the perpetrators of the flesh trade.

Overall: Maaran is a hard-hitting saga on flesh trade and the society’s tendency to shame the victims.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Abhishek Jain

Producers: CineMan Productions

Writers: Divya Thakore

Cast: Yash Soni, Deeksha Joshi, Shruhad Goswami, Prachi Thaker, Tarjani Bhadla, Druma Mehta

Also read: Ikka review: Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna starrer is a 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/

Time River review: Moving tribute to the village folk artistes of Gourbazar

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Music is an integral part of Indian culture. Hence, musicians are spread throughout the length and breadth of the country. A lot of them have become a part of the popular culture after showcasing their art through films, musical performances, reality shows and, in recent times, social media reels.

But there are countless musicians who are excellent practitioners of their respective art but remain unknown to the masses. These are the folk artistes found in plenty of villages in the country. Filmmaker Debjani Banerjee’s documentary Time River is a moving tribute to one such community of folk artistes.  

The film focuses on Uttam Das and other folk and baul singers of Gourbazar village in Paschim Bardhaman district in West Bengal. The film is a glimpse into their world as they peacefully live their lives while practicing their art, mostly based on God and His philosophy.

Time River documentary

Time River doesn’t follow the conventional method of storytelling seen in documentaries where a voiceover narrates the subject along with the use of text. Instead, Banerjee simply uses the audiovisual medium to establish her subject and lets it unfold naturally. The method works very well as one is transported to Gourbazar in the initial few minutes itself. The portrayal of nature plays a major role in it.

Uttam Das and his co-artistes’ narration of their lives and work appears honest and without any pretense. It becomes quite clear that there wasn’t any script and they were made to speak as they wished.

As Uttam Das and others are folk artistes, it was vital for their song performances to be top-notch. The performances are sure to move you even if you don’t understand the language and rely only on subtitles (like this reviewer did).

Time River documentary poster

The film also excels when it comes to the technical aspects like the cinematography (Subal KR), editing (Banerjee and Subal) and sound designing (Dibakar Saha and Archisman Mukherjee).

Time River also subtly touches upon the issue of the village’s natural resources being in danger of being destroyed in the name of ‘development’.

It is not possible to find a major negative point in the film. The only aspect that could also have been covered is how Uttam Das and other folk artistes are managing their lives financially.

Overall: Time River is a moving tribute to the village folk artistes of Gourbazar.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Director: Debjani Banerjee  

Producers: Debjani Banerjee, Subal KR and D Banerjee

Also read: Duet review: Sidhant Gupta excels in this artistic glimpse into a man’s grief-stricken world

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/

Duet review: Sidhant Gupta excels in this artistic glimpse into a man’s grief-stricken world

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Storyline: Duet, which is a short film, is based in the period when the COVID-19 pandemic had just started creating havoc in India. The film is about Mihir (Sidhant Gupta), a musician who stays alone in a spacious apartment in Mumbai. He is going through a period of profound grief as he recently lost his elder brother to the deadly virus. Mihir is trying to complete his musical assignments but is unable to concentrate because of his state of mind.  

Review: Director Sheetal Menon’s film is an artistic glimpse into the grief-stricken world of Mihir. It makes the audience a spectator as the protagonist somehow goes about living his life out of extreme sadness. Without saying much and just through little moments and conversations, the film provides an emotional message of the importance of letting your loved ones know what they mean to you until it’s too late.

Duet short film by Sheetal Menon, starring Sidhant Gupta

There is art written in every frame with even the most random visuals standing out, like a fan slowly moving, curtains fluttering in the slight breeze, etc. Cinematographer Siddharth Srinivasan has a major share here. There are various moments where he has shown his brilliance. Sid Acharya’s music elevates the film with Moinak Bose’s sound designing adding to the effect.

Sidhant Gupta literally lives the film’s message in every frame. He completely surrenders to Mihir’s grief by being at his vulnerable best. Sayani Gupta and Puja Sarup excel in their respective cameos.

Duet, however, appears too long for a film that doesn’t have any conventional story to tell and is nothing more than a glimpse into the world of a grieving man. Perhaps, the film should have ended much before its duration of 37 minutes as it does test your patience at times. This ensures that it becomes not more than a one-time watch.

Overall: Duet is an artistic glimpse into the grief-stricken world of a musician played dedicatedly by Sidhant Gupta.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Sheetal Menon

Producers: Bejoy Nambiar and Sheetal Menon

Writers: Arpita Chatterjee, Sheetal Menon and Neil Balthazar

Cast: Sidhant Gupta, Sayani Gupta and Puja Sarup

Watch Duet on YouTube:

Also read: Ikka review: Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna starrer is a 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/

Ikka review: Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna starrer is a one-time watch courtroom drama

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Story: Ikka revolves around the celebrated Public Prosecutor Arjun Mehra (Sunny Deol). He is known for fighting for the truth and that too by adhering to ethics. He stays in Mumbai with his wife Avantika (Dia Mirza) and daughter Samaira (Daria Bedi).

One day, Shouryamann Gaur (Akshaye Khanna), son of a wealthy industrialist and politician Harshvardhan Gaur (Shishir Sharma), gets accused of attempting to murder Soma Mittal (Akansha Ranjan), a young girl he met at a night club. Arjun is offered to fight Shouryamann’s case as a Defense Lawyer this time. He plainly refuses because of the past equation between both of them. However, circumstances force Arjun to fight Shouryaman’s case.

Review: The sub-plot about Arjun being compelled to fight Shouryamann’s case instantly reminds you of an old Sanjay Dutt movie, which, in turn, was ‘inspired’ from an iconic Hollywood movie. However, this point also ensures that Ikka becomes more than just a normal courtroom drama. It brings the personal equations of the characters at the forefront thereby making it an emotional courtroom drama. This also puts the audience in an interesting dilemma in terms of whose side should they be on.   

As far as the courtroom scenes are concerned, there are engrossing. The dialogues and the sarcastic digs by Arjun, Public Prosecutor Madhura Banerjee (Tillotama shome) and the judge (Vijay Vikram Singh) triggers humour at regular intervals.

Ikka stars Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna who are at loggerheads due to their past but are forced to work together.

However, with the genre of courtroom drama being over-exposed in the OTT world, especially in shows like Criminal Justice, one constantly gets the feeling of been-there-done-that. Plus, there are also some questionable aspects related to the proofs and witnesses brought during the case. The biggest one is the absence of CCTV angle brought into the proceedings to find out if a person was present at a particular site, which is bewildering.

The film doesn’t end with the courtroom case. But the final turn in the story, which justifies the title, is easily predictable.  

Sunny Deol plays a lawyer for the first time after his famous act in Damini (1993). But with this film being closer to reality, one can’t expect him to shout “Taareekh pe taareekh” in the court, although there is a mention of “Dhai kilo ka haath” at one point. The actor does well as an intelligent lawyer and an emotional father.

Akshaye Khanna, strangely, has continued his act as Rehman Dakait from Dhurandhar (2025) when it comes to both his expressions and dialogue delivery. He is formidable during his confrontational sequences with Sunny though. On a lighter note, a visual of Metro Inox Cinemas playing Dhurandhar is visible for a second.

Tillotama Shome once again puts on an impressive act as a lawyer much junior to Arjun. Dia Mirza shines as an emotional mother. She also succeeds in being firm during her scene with Shouryamann. Child actor Daria Bedi impresses with her talent. Sanjeeda Shaikh leaves behind an impact in an important scene. Vijay Vikram Singh is good as the judge. Thankfully, he is not a typical judge that we have seen plenty of times in films of this nature.

Overall: Ikka, which is streaming on Netflix, is a one-time watch emotional courtroom drama that could have been more impressive.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Director: Siddharth P Malhotra

Producers: Alchemy Films

Writers: Althea Kaushal and Mayank Tewari

Cast: Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna, Tillotama Shome, Dia Mirza, Daria Bedi   

Also read: Welcome To The Jungle review: Enjoyable chaos after a long time

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/

Alpha review: An unconvincing action film that becomes reverse Dhurandhar

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Storyline: Director Shiv Rawail’s Alpha is about a serum called Alpha. Once it is injected into a person, he or she develops superhuman capabilities. It is developed under the guidance of Lt. Col. Fateh Singh Lakhawat (Bobby Deol). The serum gets injected into Sita (Alia Bhatt after growing up) while she is still in her mother’s womb. The incident happens under unusual circumstances due to which Fateh adopts her and trains her to become the deadliest Indian soldier.

However, things don’t go according to Fateh’s plan and Sita goes rogue. She comes across RAW (Research and Intelligence Wing) Chief Vikrant Kaul (Anil Kapoor) and his daughter Durga (Sharvari). A conflict takes place between both the parties until Sita is told the biggest secret of her life.

Review: As soon as Sita grows up, she kills a number of innocent government officials as per the orders of Fateh. Plus, she shows no remorse after realizing that she was taken for a ride. Hence, it is not possible to have any sympathy for her, leave alone root for her. In fact, the entire film is full of questionable acts and behaviours by its main characters and writers. Here’s having a look at some of them (SPOILERS alert):

–A serum as deadly as Alpha easily gets a nod from the government and the army. Nothing is said about its side effects. We are later on shown that a person tests the serum on some human beings, who die soon after its administration. But nobody gets to know about it. There are other questionable aspects too about the army, which makes you feel glad that the real army doesn’t work this way.

–The top officials are able to access the serum even for their personal use without anyone noticing it. One character simply opens a fridge-like machine and gets hold of the serum to administer it to his wife as if it is Red Bull or Sting.

–There comes a point where Sita wants to kill a couple of characters. But even when she has a clear chance of doing so, she instead ties them up and makes noodles while adding Chings Schezwan Chutney to it. Soon, she also exclaims, “I am loving this desi Chinese!”

–Bobby Deol’s Fateh Singh Lakhawat keeps on switching between Hindi with Haryanvi accent and normal Hindi throughout the film.

–After the first half, it is established that the film is basically a battle between three good people against one evil. The narrative gets to the final battle between both the parties after a number of silly twists. There are times when a lot of major explosions take place but there are no authorities to, at least, take note of it and the media to report on it.

–Both the Dhurandhar films have had a lot of impact on our minds when it comes to spy action films. But even if you don’t think about the duology, Alpha doesn’t let you do so for it somehow becomes like a reverse of Dhurandhar. The Aditya Dhar film saw an Indian RAW agent infiltrate Pakistan’s criminal and ISI (Inter Service Intelligence) network without anyone realizing. Alpha has a Pakistani ISI agent infiltrating India’s army and nobody gets to know of it even after decades.

Performance wise, Alia Bhatt does well when it comes to action. But her ‘I don’t care’ attitude appears forced. Sharvari and Anil Kapoor come up with sincere acts. Hrithik Roshan is decent in a cameo. But the one who impresses the most is Bobby Deol. But his act is certainly not enough to overshadow the various fallacies of Alpha.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Director: Shiv Rawail

Producers: Yash Raj Films

Writers: Uday Chopra, Soumil Shukla, Shridhar Raghavan and Ishita Moitra

Cast: Alia Bhatt, Bobby Deol, Sharvari and Anil Kapoor

Also read: Welcome To The Jungle review: Enjoyable chaos after a long time

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/

Welcome To The Jungle review: Enjoyable chaos after a long time

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Storyline: Director Ahmed Khan’s Welcome To The Jungle is about a chaotic journey of a film crew. Corrupt billionaire businessman Sinha (Zakir Hussain) gets to know from someone from the government that if the opposition comes to the power after the elections, his financial fraud will be exposed. Hence, he decides to indulge in some business venture which would go into losses. He eventually decides to make a flop film after investing Rs. 1000 crores in it.

Sinha gets on board two amateur filmmakers Dev (Rajpal Yadav) and Das (Paresh Rawal). Their friend Nainsukh (Shreyas Talpade) comes in as the cinematographer. They select a story about Indian soldiers that takes place in a jungle and name it Welcome To The Jungle. For the main lead, they hire Rajiv Kohli (Akshay Kumar), a top star who is now a flop star. His ex-girlfriend Nadia (Disha Patani) is signed as the lead actress along with Sinha’s daughter (Jacqueline Fernandez). Circumstances force Dev and Das to cast gangsters Yeda Anna (Suniel Shetty) and Romeo (Arshad Warsi) too. Similarly, a lot of actors come on board and the film gets rolling. However, the huge crew lands into unexpected trouble.

Review: The basic premise of Welcome To The Jungle instantly reminds you of Farah Khan’s Tees Maar Khan (2010), which also starred Akshay Kumar in the lead. The main difference is that he played the director in that movie. But the difference that matters the most is that WTTJ is better than the 2010 flick, although the latter had its moments here and there.

It is anybody’s guess that one needs to keep logic and reasoning miles away while watching such movies. But this is worth only when we get non-stop entertainment in return. That is what happens with Welcome To The Jungle.

Welcome To The Jungle

The basic plot of a wealthy business wanting to make a flop film itself is funny and interesting. It is also something that used to happen during the olden days. The screenplay gives you no time to breathe. There are plenty of bizarre happenings, both during the film shoot and the second half when the terrorism angle takes over. But, again, the fast pace and the fact that the film is honest in what it is trying to do ensures that you don’t mind that much.

A major plus point here is the dialogue. Most of the jokes land well and make you laugh. The meta humour goes well too. Farhad Samji, who has written the lines, is back to his earlier days with this film. A racist joke and body shaming humour could have been avoided though. There are also quite a few sequences that are straight out of a few other films. This is not a big downer though. The biggest issue is the length in the second half, especially during the climax, and the overdose of explosions.

The film has one of the largest ensemble cast. This role is tailor-made for Akshay Kumar and he once again rises through his comic timing. Suniel Shetty, whose character trait and name are repeated from Awara Paagal Deewana, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav carry their tasks well. Raveena Tandon gets a meaty part and she excels in it. Disha Patani isn’t bad. Jacqueliene Fernandez struggles yet again. Farida Jalal and Kiran Kumar deserve special mention for being scene stealers!

Tusshar Kapoor and Aftab Shivdasani are average. Lara Dutta is decent in an extended cameo. Mukesh Tiwari, Yashpal Sharma, Krushna Abhishek and Kiku Sharda don’t get much to do. A talented bloke like Shreyas Talpade, who, although funny, is cast in an inconsequential role. Jackie Shroff succeeds in looking like a terrorist but doesn’t get much scope to perform. The same is the case with Vindu Dara Singh, his associate.

Zakir Hussain, whose character is modelled on Vijay Mallya, does well but disappears later. Daler Mehndi appears awkward and performs poorly. The late Pankaj Dheer, Feroze Khan and Puneet Issar are likeable in their cameos inspired from their characters from BR Chopra’s Mahabharat. Urvashi Rautela is hardly there.

Overall: Welcome To The Jungle is an enjoyable chaotic ride after a long time if you are ready to keep logic and reasoning aside.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Ahmed Khan

Producers: Firoz A Nadiadwallah and Cape of Good Films

Writers: (Late) Neeraj Vora and Farhad Samji

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever, Arshad Warsi, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Raveena Tandon, Jackie Shroff

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/

Main Vaapas Aaunga review: Moving saga on the aftermath of the Partition

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Storyline: Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga is the story of the aftermath of the Partition of 1947 that led to the formation of two countries – India and Pakistan. Ishar Singh Grewal (Naseeruddin Shah) is a 95-year-old man living in Chandigarh with his son (Rajat Kapoor), daughter-in-law (Anjana Sukhani) and others. He had to migrate there from Sargodha (which now lies in Pakistan) during the Partition. He once forces his driver to take him to the other side of the border to Sargodha through Attari. Ishar is, obviously, stopped by the soldiers guarding the border. At that time, he suffers a stroke and starts suffering from dementia.

Ishar is in a critical condition. His family wants him to pass away, so that they get free from his responsibility. However, his grandson Nirvair aka Nivy (Diljit Dosanjh) deeply cares for him. He arrives at Ishar’s side from London and tries to make sense of what the latter is blabbering. Nivy realizes that his grandfather is reminiscing his pre-partition days when he (younger self played by Vedang Raina) was in love with his college mate Afsana (Sharvari) and needs a closure to that chapter. Nivy decides to do whatever it takes to help out his grandfather before he bids adieu to the world.  

Review: The Partition of 1947 killed many. But the ones who survived through it have had to go through a much deeper pain. The pain of leaving behind the place they grew up and the people who were dear to them and live with the painful memories for the rest of their lives. Main Vaapas Aaunga portrays that pain of lakhs of individuals through the character of Ishar. This makes the movie much different from the usual Partition sagas from mainstream Hindi cinema for it throws light on the prolonged trauma of the 1947 tragedy.

Main Vaapas Aaunga

The biggest USP of the film is the sweet and unusual bond between Ishar and Nivy. The latter is never shown going overboard in caring for his grandfather and his unfinished chapter. As expected from an Imtiaz Ali film, there is subtlety galore.  

Naseeruddin Shah is on a bed almost throughout the film. Yet he emotes and expresses convincingly without overdoing it even once. In other words, he displays his deep talent in what is one of his best performances ever. Diljit Dosanjh compliments him perfectly. He provides a mature and subtle act of a determined grandson. The two actors are at their best during the ending moments, which move you thoroughly. These moments also remind you of the documentary Taangh (Read more about it HERE).

The film also narrates Ishar’s pre-partition story through a parallel narration. This part is also narrated convincingly, although some moments appear stretched. Vedang Raina shows the right energy and talent needed. Sharvari is likeable and emotes well. The flashback portion also comes alive through some fine work by the production designer Suman Roy Mahapatra.

Coming to the other actors, Rajat Kapoor and Anjana Sukhani provide good support. Banita Sandhu does well but her accent is questionable.

However, despite the performances and the subject, Main Vaapas Aaunga falls short of being superlative. The biggest reason for this is that the screenplay is dry most of the times. The basic tale is interesting but it’s narrated at a snail’s pace, which tests your patience on a number of occasions. In fact, the execution, at times, takes the film into the film festival zone, which wasn’t required here. This, obviously, also makes the movie unnecessarily lengthy at 166 minutes.

There are also some important questions that remain unanswered. We are told that Ishar visited Pakistan later in 1953. But what did he do after that till the time he reached the age of 95? Did he ever try visiting the country again when his condition was much better? In fact, we are not told anything about his life after he migrated to India.

Overall: Main Vaapas Aaunga is a moving saga about the aftermath of Partition that could have been better. Because of its treatment and execution, it stands no chance at the box office.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Imtiaz Ali

Producers: Applause Entertainment and Window Seat Films

Writers: Imtiaz Ali and Nayanika Mahtani

Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Diljit Dosanjh, Vedang Raina, Sharvari

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/

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

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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.

Baapya Marathi movie 2026

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

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Krishnavataram Part 1: The Heart review – Divine spiritual entertainer

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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.

Krishnavataram Part 1: The Heart movie

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/