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After ENDING boycott trend with Pathaan, SRK shows mirror to the establishment in Jawan

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Shah Rukh Khan starrer Jawan has been creating an uproar at the box office, not just in India but also worldwide. Directed by Atlee Kumar, the film has found a lot of takers because of the non-stop entertainment it provides in terms of action, stunts, dialogue baazi, style, humour and, of course, performances.

However, it would be unfair to say that Jawan is just a massy entertainer. The film goes much beyond that and that is a major reason why it’s more special than the regular masala entertainers. To put it simply – Jawan is not only SRK’s most political film but also one of the most political films from mainstream Hindi cinema featuring one of the biggest superstars.

(SPOILERS begin)

Jawan unabashedly touches upon quite a few national issues in the course of its runtime. The film portrays the sorry plight of farmers in a hard-hitting manner. It shows that a farmer is literally tortured when he is unable to repay a loan of Rs. 40,000. But, at the same time, wealthy businessmen are allowed to take loans of enormous proportions without any issue.

The film also makes a daring statement on the complete lack of facilities in government-run hospitals and that it only takes a few hours for the scene to change, if there is a political will. There is also an angle about the lack of security for Electronic Voting Machines (EVM). One of the highest points in the film is Khan’s monologue where he urges the people to make the right choice while casting their vote and ensure that the government in power is held accountable.

Jawan Shah Rukh Khan

But the most daring part about Jawan is the sub-plot about a large number of kids dying in a hospital because of lack of oxygen cylinders. This is right out of the real incident that took place in Uttar Pradesh a few years back. The film doesn’t stop at this though. It also shows how an innocent was made a scapegoat and the whole blame is put upon that person. Not many people (leave alone stars) are even willing to speak about this incident. But here is one of the biggest mainstream films with one of the biggest stars providing a sharp critique to that incident.

(SPOILERS end)

It would be putting it mildly to state that SRK has taken a risk by making a film with aforementioned incidents. One shouldn’t forget how actors, especially stars, are targeted for portraying anything that is against the establishment since 2014 onwards. But here, Khan has not only agreed to act in such a film as the main lead but also produce the movie. Hence, if the film would have faced any sort of protest or controversy, he would have been hit financially too after investing a large chunk of money in the film.

SRK made a major comeback this year with Pathaan, which made him regain his stardom. However, Jawan was bankrolled and made when Pathaan was long way away from release. This is another example of the major risk he took at a time when his stardom was majorly hit and when it wasn’t known that Pathaan would eventually become a big hit and his comeback.

Even with Pathaan, the star had taken a risk. He knew before the release of the film that he was being majorly targeted by the supporters and leaders of the ruling party. Yet he came up with a film where he is not only romancing a Pakistani but also an ISI member.

Pathaan faced the biggest boycott Bollywood campaign by the supporters of the ruling party. However, the film turned out to be the highest grossing Hindi movie. Of course, this happened because the movie-going public paid no heed to the boycotters and went for the film in large numbers.

But one must credit SRK for not showing lack of spine by meeting some prominent politicians in front of the media in a display of fake support, so that his film gets a smooth release. In fact, Shah Rukh called up a politician at 2 am after the latter had asked people to boycott the film. On the very next day, the politician said there is no need to boycott Pathaan. Khan also didn’t go the Aamir Khan way by pleading the audience to not boycott his film.

Hence, one cannot deny that it was Pathaan that not only put an end but also demolished the boycott trend. After a major fiasco with Pathaan, one hardly notices any serious calls for boycott for any film on social media.

All this also reminds us how SRK had held his ground against Shiv Sena during the massive controversy surrounding My Name Is Khan in 2010. Yes, there have been times where he has met and shown support to prominent politicians of the current regime. But one can’t take away the spine he has shown on various occasions when anyone else in his place would have melted.

Coming back to Jawan, hopefully, its daring content will encourage more mainstream actors to not shy away from showing a mirror to the current Indian society.

Also read: Jawan review (WITHOUT spoilers): A rare massy political entertainer

Jawan review (WITHOUT spoilers): A rare massy political entertainer

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Shah Rukh Khan’s comeback this year with Pathaan was full of high-octane action stunts and dialogue baazi, which paved way for various whistle-worthy moments. The same can be said about his latest release Jawan. Yet, his latest outing is way different than Pathaan. In fact, you won’t even think of that film while watching Jawan. In other words, the actor has given two massy action entertainers that are as different as chalk and cheese.

Directed by Atlee Kumar, Jawan has a complex storyline taking place in two different timelines. To put it simply, it tells the story of a strange looking man (Khan) who enters a Mumbai Metro train from a station like any other passenger. A group of girls, played by Priya Mani, Sanya Malhotra, Girija Oak, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, Lehar Khan and Aaliyah Qureishi, are already present in the train. They too appear like ordinary passengers.

But as soon as the train leaves the station, the man announces that the train is hijacked. The group of girls are from his team. The man frightens the passengers with his antics. A senior cop Narmada (Nayanthara) is given charge of the case as she has handled such hostage situations before. She realizes that the man’s demands are not akin to any other hijacker. Kalee (Vijay Sethupahi), the fourth largest arms dealer in the world, is also forced to get involved in the whole affair.

Jawan is a true blue masala entertainer in every sense. It doesn’t fail to hold your attention even for a moment as it’s full of events and situations that keep you glued to the screen. The narrative is a fine mixture of action sequences, confrontations, humour, emotional moments and dialogue baazi. In fact, this is a rare film of today’s times where a runtime of close to three hours passes away in a jiffy. You won’t even think of checking the time, even during unimpressive songs because they too are taking the story forward.

The interval point deserves a special mention as it’s one of the best first-half ending you will see in a Hindi film. The same excitement is generated in the climax as well (can’t reveal much to avoid spoilers).

But Jawan isn’t limited to being a crowd-pleasing actioner. The film is political in nature with even subtle digs at the establishment. One situation is right out of a real political tragedy in north India, which stuns you and makes you applaud the makers for their daring. And to see a big star like SRK not only agreeing to be a part of such film, both as an actor and producer, is praiseworthy.

As far as Shah Rukh Khan’s performance is concerned, he has never been presented in such a larger-than-life manner before, like Atlee has done here. The film required SRK to show a wide range of his talent while portraying different moods and emotions and he comes up with one of his finest acts.

Vijay Sethupathi, strangely, doesn’t get to emote much in a majority of the period. Thankfully, he comes into his own in the second half and the ending moments. Nayanthara makes a successful Hindi film debut. Thankfully, she wasn’t required to just become a filler, which is the case in most hero-centric masala entertainers. The long list of female cast as the mysterious man’s aides (Priya Mani, Sanya Malhotra, Girija Oak, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, Lehar Khan and Aaliyah Qureishi) do well in whatever was required of them.

Sunil Grover and Ridhi Dogra are likeable too, although they don’t get to do much. Deepika Padukone was said to play a cameo but she has an important role, which she performs well. Sanjay Dutt’s cameo is hilarious.

Jawan also impresses you in terms of the technical aspects like action stunts (a major strong point), camerawork, background score and editing.

Also read: Kennedy review: Anurag Kashyap’s political cum crime drama is impressive

The movie, however, isn’t a smooth ride. It is common knowledge that such films require you to keep logic at bay. But even after doing that, some situations, action sequences and character behavior are too far-fetched. More importantly, after a point in the second half, the proceedings also become complicated and, at times, questionable as well. If not the logic part, they could have taken care of this aspect during the scripting stage itself.

Overall: Jawan is an exciting masala entertainer with a daring political touch.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Sachin read my bowling but Dravid & Lara didn’t, reveals Muralidaran at 800 trailer launch

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The trailer launch of Sri Lankan legend Muthiah Muralidaran’s biopic titled 800 saw the presence of the man himself alongside the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya. Directed by MS Sripathy, the movie sees Madhur Mittal essay the role of Muralidaran.

The conversation among the three cricketing greats took the audience back to their heydays in the 1990s. During the course of the conversation, Muralidaran revealed that Tendulkar always used to read his bowling but some other greats of the game couldn’t.

Sachin Tendulkar and Muthiah Muralidaran

Said Muralidaran, “Some players read (my bowling). I know he (Tendulkar) read me very well, like not many people can do. Lara had success but he never read me also. I don’t know what mechanism it is but he (Tendulkar) read me. I know Rahul Dravid is one of the greatest players (but) he never read me. Sachin always (read); Sehwag, Gambhir and other players (read me). Even in my team, some people read (me) and some people couldn’t. Legends like him (Tendulkar) watch from the seam of the ball from the hand itself, some people don’t.”

Tendulkar shared how deep his friendship is with Muralidaran, which immediately prompted him to attend the trailer launch of 800. “I remember meeting him for the first time in 1993,” said Tendulkar. “We continue to be good friends. Co-incidentally I was in Sri Lanka this last month for UNICEF work. I messaged Muralidaran, ‘I am in your beautiful city. Where are you?’ He said, ‘I am in India. What are you doing in Sri Lanka?’ (laughs) That’s how I am here. He spoke to me for the first time about his biopic and said, ‘Would you be able to come for the event?’ I said, ‘Anytime for you.’”

Tendulkar added, “Yeh itna humble hai, itna simple hai (he is so humble and simple), inspite of achieving so much in life that it’s impossible to refuse him.”

Produced by Movie Train Motion Pictures, 800 also focuses on the history of Sri Lanka in terms of the trouble and tensions the country went through.

Also read: Sachin’s 1st first-class 200 vs Australia in 1998: Forgotten moments

Baaplyok (Marathi movie) review: A sweet journey about a bittersweet relation

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Filmmaker Makarand Shashimadhu Mane made his Marathi feature film debut by presenting a story about a father and son titled Ringan (2017). It had Shashank Shende in the role of the father. His recently released film Baaplyok, as hinted by the name, is also about a relationship between a father and son and this time too Shende plays the father.

There is one similarity and dissimilarity between both the films. Baaplyok is way different than Ringan but it turns out to be just as heartwarming.

Baaplyok takes place in a village in Maharashtra in today’s times. The story starts when Sagar (Vitthal Nagnath Kale) gets engaged to a girl (Payal Jadhav). Although their relation is arranged by their respective parents, there is immense love between the two. So much so that Sagar never leaves any opportunity to meet the girl or have a pep talk with her over the phone. But the only problem in Sagar’s life is his father (Shashank Shende). The two can’t see eye-to-eye and they don’t leave any opportunity to take a jibe at each other, be it for anything.

So when it is decided that Sagar will have to accompany his father to visit their relatives and friends in neighborhood villages on his bike to invite them for his marriage, he initially backs out. But as he realizes that he has no other choice, he hesitatingly agrees. What all happens during their journey forms the rest of the film.

Baaplyok makes it clear at the start that the film is about a journey and you probably also guess how it will end. But not once does it appear uninteresting. This is largely because of the constant humour born out of the conversations between Sagar and his father. The situations they encounter is another reason why this doesn’t appear like any other film about a journey that changes something in the main protagonists. In other words, there are constant doses of sensible and realistic entertainment and at the same time, nothing seems forced.

Baaplyok is also a visual treat for it goes deep into the village and its life. Yogesh M Koli’s camerawork is as per the need. He keeps it simple but at the same time ensures that the quality of frames is rich. The minimal use of background score too goes perfectly with the theme and mood of the film.

The subject is such that it relies heavily on the performances of Vitthal Nagnath Kale and Shashank Shende and both of them are up to the mark. After establishing himself as a son who doesn’t like his father, Kale’s transformation is gradual and natural. Shende, as one would expect from a seasoned performer like him, is thoroughly flawless, especially in scenes where he speaks through expressions. Payal Jadhav also makes her mark felt in a limited role while the rest of the supporting actors, who don’t get much screen time either, lend able support.

Also Read: Dream Girl 2 review: This film also has one Sakina falling for a Sardar

The scenes where the duo meets different families play a role in achieving the desired end. But a couple of encounters, one with a Muslim family and another with a city-based relative, are too short. There might also be a section of audience that would miss a major conflict in the whole narrative.

Overall: Baaplyok is a heartwarming journey about a father and son.  

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Makarand Mane

Writers: Vitthal Nagnath Kale and Makarand Mane

Cast: Vitthal Nagnath Kale, Shashank Shende, Payal Jadhav

Dream Girl 2 review: This film also has one Sakina falling for a Sardar

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Filmmaker Raaj Shaandilyaa’s Dream Girl 2 is the sequel to his 2019 hit and hilarious comedy Dream Girl. But this isn’t an exact sequel of the 2019 movie. It revolves around the same protagonist and the people around him in the same city of Mathura but follows a completely different story. The other common factor between both the films is that the protagonist is forced to impersonate a woman.

Dream Girl 2 is based in Mathura of today’s times. Karamveer aka Karam (Ayushmann Khurrana) is an unemployed young man who just loiters around with his best friend Smiley (Manjot Singh). His father Jagjit (Annu Kapoor) isn’t bothered about his son though. Karam is in love with the rich Pari (Ananya Panday). But her father (Manoj Joshi) is shocked to know the poor condition of Karam and his father.

Worse, Karam also loses his ancestral home because of debts and loans. He is desperate to get out of the financial mess and marry Pari. He comes across an opportunity of impersonating a woman in a dance bar run by Sona Bhai (Vijay Raaz) in order to earn quick bucks. After some hesitation he agrees and starts earning well by impersonating a woman named Pooja.

Ayushmann Khurrana in Dream Girl 2

But his happiness doesn’t last long after he decides to help Smiley get married to his girlfriend Sakina, daughter of the rich Abu Saleem (Paresh Rawal). This creates massive confusion due to which Karan is forced to tell one lie after another. Characters like Abu’s son Shahrukh (Abhishek Banerjee) and Smiley’s aunt Jumani (Seema Pahwa) create more trouble for Karam.

The biggest strong point of Dream Girl 2 is Raaj Shaandilyaa’s dialogue writing. Like the first film, the sequel too is full of witty one liners at regular intervals. The best jokes are the ones based on the contemporary happenings both in Bollywood and the nation. The best one is the idea of a girl named Sakina falling for a Sardar, which is an indirect hint at the Gadar franchise. In fact, there’s another joke on the same film and the song ‘Main Nikla Gaddi Leke’ also makes its presence in one scene.

But when dialogue is the biggest strong point, it isn’t good news for the film and that’s exactly the case with Dream Girl 2. The film starts off well but the plot becomes way too complicated and convoluted. The writing goes overboard when it comes to creating confusion and used too many characters. This becomes a forceful antic in inducing humor. On the other hand, the first Dream Girl, although also a crazy comedy, had a much simpler plot and it used simple situations to create humor.

Dream Girl 2 is also guilty of making fun of the serious issue of depression and its treatment. In one scene a character also says that only rich people suffer from depression.

After the dialogues, the next positive point here are the performances. Ayushmann Khurrana once again shows the right comic timing and energy needed for such a Govinda-like character. He is also impressive as Pooja. The same goodness is carried forward by Annu Kapoor. Paresh Rawal, the new addition in the cast, is thoroughly fine. Abhishek Banerjee plays a character he hasn’t played before with perfection.

Also read: Gadar 2 review – A treat only for Sunny Deol fans

Manjot Singh, Vijay Raaz, Seema Pahwa, Rajpal Yadav, Manoj Joshi and Ranjan Raj (as Tiger Pandey) too chip in with the right support. Ananya Panday fares better than expected but her character doesn’t have much to do. Veteran actor Asrani only has a cameo.

Overall: Dream Girl 2 is only about the dialogues and performances. The film falls shorter than its predecessor.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Director: Raaj Shaandilyaa

Producers: Balaji Motion Pictures

Writers: Raaj Shaandilyaa and Naresh Kathooria

Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Ananya Panday, Annu Kapoor, Manjot Singh, Paresh Rawal, Vijay Raaz, Seema Pahwa, Rajpal Yadav, Manoj Joshi, Asrani, Ranjan Raj

Gadar 2 review: A treat only for Sunny Deol fans despite his absence for a good amount of time

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Bollywood hasn’t had a good relationship with sequels. There have been plenty of films whose second part hasn’t turned out to be good, leave alone as good as its predecessor. But Gadar 2, which is the second part of the historic blockbuster Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, is that rare sequel that, although not as fine as the first film, provides a high dose of excitement, but only for die-hard fans of Sunny Deol and the franchise.

Gadar 2 continues the story after Tara Singh (Sunny Deol), his wife Sakeena (Ameesha Patel) and their son (Utkarsha Sharma) start living in India after making peace with Sakeena’s father Ashraf Ali (Amrish Puri) at the end of first part. However, after allowing his son-in-law Tara to go scot free with his daughter to India, Ashraf Ali faces wrath from Pakistani officials and is hanged to death.

The story is then jumps 17 years later in 1971 when Tara, Sakeena and Jeete are living a peaceful and happy life at a town near the border of Pakistan. The year sees tensions between India and Pakistan and it is a given that the two countries would soon engage in war. It is the war-like situation that separates Jeete from Tara and Sakeena. Tara, who still has the same courage and strength, is hell-bent on stepping onto the other side of the border to rescue his son.

The film also features the evil Pakistani Major General Hamid Iqbal (Manish Wadhwa), who can never forget how his country got humiliated by Tara Singh. He dreams of taking revenge from Tara by killing him mercilessly.

Gadar 2 starts with a bang. The serious and light-hearted sequences provide plenty of nostalgia for the fans. The return of songs ‘Udja Kale Kawa’ and ‘Man Nikla Gaddi Leke’ become the icing on the cake, especially if you are watching the film at a single screen theatre.

However, after a point of time, the audience is in for an unpleasant surprise. Sunny’s character suddenly vanishes and Utkarsh’s Jeete takes center stage. In fact, one starts feeling that he is the main protagonist as he is also given not one but two songs, thanks to his forceful love angle with Muskaan (Simrat Kaur). This, obviously, didn’t go well with the crowd I saw the film with. There were constant angry comments. One person also shouted, “Main yahan Sunny Deol ko dekhne aaya hoon.”

Thankfully, the second half makes up for it as it has plenty of heroic sequences featuring Sunny. This also means that there is a list of opportunities for the single screen crowd and his fans to go berserk. Of course, like the first part, one needs to keep logic aside (which includes accepting the unnecessary and idiotic inclusion of Simrat Kaur’s character in the ending moments), to enjoy such masala entertainers. This also means making the villains behave silly at times. The same was the case in the first Gadar as well. If you are prepared to do this again, you are in for a treat, especially in the overwhelming climax.

The action sequences, obviously, are the film’s USP and, barring a few, they succeed in providing an adrenaline rush. The camerawork and background score also fall in the positives.

It is remarkable to see Sunny Deol carry out such action even after becoming a senior citizen. Needless to say, he is the heart and soul of the film and he carries it on his strong shoulders (including the dhaai kilo ka haath) with lots of power. Utkarsh Sharma shows some improvement from his forgetful debut Genius (2018), which was also directed by his father Anil Sharma.

It is vital for the character of villain to shine in such films. Manish Wadhwa is impressive in the first half but is later reduced to a typical villain we see in such films. Nevertheless, he succeeds in making you hate his character. Ameesha Patel, who doesn’t have a lengthy role this time owing to the story, is average. The same can be said for the debutant Simrat Kaur.

Overall: Gadar 2 is enjoyable only for the fans of Sunny Deol and the franchise. It has taken a tremendous opening at the box office in the rage of Rs. 40 crores and the collections would stay high till August 15. After that, it depends how much the audience has accepted the film. The makers provide a clear hint of Gadar 3, the third part of the franchise.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Anil Sharma

Producers: Zee Studios and Anil Sharma Productions

Writer: Shaktimaan

Cast: Sunny Deol, Utkarsh Sharma, Ameesha Patel, Manish Wadhwa, Simrat Kaur

Also read: When SRK did a Panchayat 33 years ago

Why Karan Johar’s RISK with Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani needs to be appreciated

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The trailer of Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani, which released on July 28, gave an idea that the film is a romantic comedy with a lot of impetus given to humour.

It showed how Rocky (Ranveer Singh) and Rani (Alia Bhatt) meet under unusual circumstances and slowly fall in love. But as their respective families are poles apart, their marriage appears difficult. Hence, they come up with a unique idea – Rocky will live with Rani’s family for three months and Rani with Rocky’s. The promo showed glimpses of the hilarious events born out of the unusual idea brought about by the couple. 

However, the real story of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani starts post-interval. It is in this period that we get to know that the film shows the mirror to the society by portraying various evils like patriarchy, toxic masculinity, fat-shaming, ageism when it comes to love among senior citizens (through Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi’s character), subjugation of women in the name of ‘family honour’ and ‘tradition’, etc.

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani

Without giving away much about the plot, what stands out the most in this part is the sub-plot of the character Chandon Chatterjee, played brilliantly by Tota Roy Chowdhury, who is made to feel ashamed for being a kathak dancer despite being a man. The whole ‘Dola Re Dola’ dance sequence is not only the highlight of the film but also musically revolutionary.

The track about Kshitee Jog’s character and her musical dreams also plays a major role in taking the film over the winning line. Special mention should be given to the small ‘Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai’ sequence. Similarly, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is filled with a number of such progressive moments. Yes, a few dialogues are preachy but when the film falls into the mainstream zone and it smartly weaves a number of social messages seamlessly in a love story, I don’t find any room for complain.

The film also made me think that Karan Johar has taken a big risk with the subject matter of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. He is one of the most prolific filmmakers in Bollywood and runs one of the biggest production houses. Hence, he has all the resources like access to big stars and a huge budget. He could have easily made a more commercially safe film and earned a huge number at the box office.

It is obvious that Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani caters towards the urban crowd because of the social evils it portrays. This is also seen from the fact that it is earning a bigger amount from the urban centres. If Karan had opted for a more commercially viable film aimed at the masses, he could have made more profit. Yet, he decided to go ahead with a gently hard-hitting film aimed more towards the urban crowd, even if it meant not putting the box office on fire.

And let’s face it, there are plenty of Indians who would not only disagree with the progressive stand of the film but would also laugh at them. Apart from taking the financial risk, he didn’t care about this breed of people as well.

Hence, I feel he deserves to be appreciated.

Also read: Kennedy review: Anurag Kashyap’s political cum crime drama is impressive

When BJP & Congress formed alliance & fought an election together. This is not a joke…

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Maharashtra politics has been making headlines since last few years. It all started when the Shiv Sena broke its alliance with their old partner BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) in 2019 and went with their arch rivals Congress and NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) to form government in Maharashtra.

But all hell broke loose a year ago when Eknath Shinde and a large group of MLAs (Members of Legislative Assembly) quit Shiv Sena and joined forces with the BJP to overthrow Uddhav Thackeray’s government. Shinde became the new CM (Chief Minister) of Maharashtra.

The politics of the state took another major turn last week when NCP’s senior leader Ajit Pawar and few other MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra and became the new Deputy Chief Minister of the state.

It is obvious that such twists and turns give rise to plenty of hilarious memes on social media. In fact, that’s a no brainer in today’s times. There have been various memes on parties changing their alliances as if changing clothes. One such meme that got my attention says that the only thing remaining now is for the BJP to form an alliance with the Congress. Anyone with even an iota of knowledge about Indian politics would know that the two parties can’t see eye to eye.

BJP Congress logo

But as strange as it may sound, there was once a time when the BJP had formed an alliance with the Congress and this is not a joke. During the 2009 Sikkim legislative elections, the two parties had formed an alliance. And this wasn’t a post-result alliance in order to grab power after the results are declared. The BJP and Congress actually formed a pre-poll coalition and fought the elections together.

The regional Sikkim Democratic Front (SKM) was just unbeatable in the state. The party had won the previous three state elections in 1994, 1999 and 2004 and it looked like they will repeat the performance. Hence, in order to ensure that the SKM doesn’t come into power again, the BJP and Congress joined hands to ensure defeat of SKM by forming a United Democratic Front (UDF). The UDF also contained a few smaller parties but its big players were the BJP and Congress (Read more about this HERE and HERE).

Funnily, the BJP and Congress’ alliance suffered a heavy defeat in the election as the SKM once again triumphed. In fact, the party won all 32 seats in the state and the alliance between the two arch rivals went waste. The SKM is still in power with their latest victory being in the 2019 state elections.

Somehow, this coalition between the BJP and Congress is mostly forgotten. This is largely because Sikkim is a small state in the north east of India, which doesn’t get prominence in the media and in overall discussions. Strangely, online articles about the coalition of the two parties are also reduced now as compared to a few years ago.

Interestingly, the 2009 general or Lok Sabha elections were held simultaneously with the 2009 state elections. While the two warring parties formed an alliance in the former, they, obviously, fought as enemies in the latter.

P.S: Last year in Meghalaya, Congress became a part of the same alliance as BJP. But it wasn’t a pre-poll coalition where they fought the election together. After the results of the elections were declared, all Congress MLAs joined the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, of which BJP is also a part.

Kennedy review: Anurag Kashyap’s political cum crime drama is impressive  

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In a scene from Anurag Kashyap’s Kennedy, a man violently threatens the owner of a betting business inside his cabin. The owner is petrified and begs for his life. Over here, the POV is much outside the transparent cabin and in the area where the owner’s staff sits. So we see the staff terrified in the foreground but with their backs to the camera and the scene happening in the background. Normally, one would show close ups of the owner and the man inside the cabin in such a moment while intercutting it with visuals of the terrified staff. But not here.

This and various other moments ensure that Kennedy turns out to be an enjoyable affair.

Kennedy centers around a former cop named Uday Shetty (Rahul Bhat). He was once an integral part of the Mumbai Police but was infamous for his ruthless methods. His enmity with a gangster brought out a deeply tragic turn in his life. Circumstances ensure that Uday is presumed dead. He has the helping hand of the corrupt Police Commissioner (Mohit Takalkar).

Uday, with time, becomes more ruthless and commits various serious crimes at the behest of the commissioner as he starts a new life with the name ‘Kennedy US’. He is once given an unusual task by the commissioner. Things don’t go according to the plan and this gives way to some serious repercussions in Maharashtra.

Kennedy movie

COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most sought after topics in various movies and web shows of recent years. The lockdown had a serious impact on the people and this gave way to various stories of people affected by it. Kennedy is also based during the pandemic but the story explored here is not about the sufferings of the people but about a serious political drama that took in the state.

Kennedy quite boldly takes inspiration from the aforementioned political controversy and presents real incidents that happened back then in a subtle but obvious manner. Those who are aware of the events that took place back then would not only find it interesting but, at times, also funny, especially through the kind of humor Kashyap is known for.

But Kennedy is not all about the real politics of the state. The film only takes inspiration from an incident and weaves a fictional tale around it with Kennedy being the epicenter of all the activities. The film is very much his personal saga.

Amidst this, there comes a moment where the film drags a bit. It probably should have ended before reaching 144 minutes. But a bigger minus here is the main protagonist not even coming in radar of the authorities even after committing a series of heinous crimes.

As one would expect from a crime drama by Kashyap, the technicalities like cinematography by Sylvester Fonseca and background score by Raghav Bhatia and Aamir Aziz turn out to be the highlight. The latter could have been used lesser on a couple of occasions. The color grading also aptly suits the subject here. The everyday scenes of Mumbai at night appear different on this occasion,

Rahul Bhat most of the times just speaks through his expressions, especially his eyes. He also meets the character requirement in the latter part and increases his range as an actor. Sunny Leone, strangely, doesn’t have much to do and it is questionable to see her appear so prominently in the promotional material of the film. But she does display some positive confidence here.

Mohit Takalkar, as the police commissioner, leaves behind a terrific impact. For the unversed, he is a prominent editor in Marathi films and also has two credits as a director in The Bright Day and the recent one Medium Spicy. Megha Burman is more than noticeable through a dedicated act. Abhilash Thapliyal is thoroughly impressive.

Overall: Kennedy is not one of Anurag Kashyap’s best but it’s certainly a well-made and daring dark crime drama inspired from a real incident.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Anurag Kashyap

Producers: Good Bad Films and Zee Studios

Writer: Anurag Kashyap

Cast: Rahul Bhat, Mohit Takalkar, Sunny Leone, Megha Burman, Abhilash Thapliyal

Kennedy was screened at the 27th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (aka BIFAN) 2023 at Bucheon, South Korea

Also read: In Adipurush, Raavan rides a bat but still lands on a runway

In Adipurush, Raavan rides a bat but still lands on a runway  

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It was evident from the teaser and trailers of Om Raut’s Adipurush that the character of Lankesh, which is nothing but Raavan, uses a huge bat to fly instead of the Pushpak Vimaan. However, he still has a runway made in his den in Lanka to land the bat. Now why would a bat require a runway to land?

This, unfortunately, is the only unintentionally humorous moment in Adipurush. The rest of the film is uninteresting and, worse, devoid of emotions.

Adipurush only focuses on the story of Janaki (Kriti Sanon) being kidnapped by Lankesh (Saif Ali Khan) and how the former’s husband Lord Raghav (Prabhas) frees her from the demon’s clutches and ends his tyrannical rule on earth. The story before the kidnapping is shown in brief in the opening credits. Fair enough.

However, almost the same hurried pace is seen in the first half as well. The events unfold at an unwanted fast pace, which ensures that even important incidents appear half-baked. For example, the episode of Sugreev and Vaali is shown as an unimportant subplot. The all-important turn in the tale of Vibheeshan walking out of Lanka and joining Raghav’s camp against his elder brother appears as casual as warrior sharpening his sword in the background.

These half-baked incidents and characters ensure that you feel no emotional impact. In fact, you hardly feel for Janaki and Raghav’s separation too, although this part from Ramayan is supposed to be the most moving. Similarly, the makers haven’t been able to portray Bajrang’s (Hanuman) deep devotion for Raghav and Janaki. You hardly feel that, even if you try.

Manoj Muntashir Shukla’s dialogues too become a reason for you to not take the film seriously. There are occasions where the lines are praiseworthy, but most of the times, they fail to provide any applaud-worthy moments.

It is okay to take inspiration from Hollywood superhero and sci-fi films to present a modern take on Ramayan. Instead, what Om Raut has done here is that he has gone way too overboard in making the movie a Hollywood-like visual spectacle. Hence, the over-use of CGI and VFX end up irritating your eyes after a point of time, more so if you see the film in 3D (like I did).

The idea of shooting the whole film in front of a green screen somehow worked in Raut’s last film Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior. But in Adipurush, the idea falls flat as it becomes impossible for you to take the surroundings seriously, even minutes after the film commences.

(Article continued after the trailer)

The biggest drawback in Adipurush is the hugely important character of villain, Lankesh. It is impossible to see Raavan in him because of two reasons. He is made to carry out weird antiques. He is presented in a strange manner in terms of costumes and hairdo. Saif Ali Khan’s performance, especially his way of walking and trying extra-hard to appear menacing, also falls flat. You never feel any fright when he comes on screen.

Perhaps, the only plus point in Adipurush is Kriti Sanon’s performance. She is the only one who appears determined. The same can’t even be said about Prabhas, who is too underwhelming in the titular role.

If only, the makers of Adipurush had put in more unintentionally funny moments, this 3-hour long journey would have been somewhat easy to ride.

Also read: When SRK did a panchayat 33 years ago