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Auntypreneur movie review: Supriya Pathak shines in this feel-good drama

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Filmmaker Pratik Rajen Kothari’s Gujarati movie Auntypreneur has an unusual title. A person who carries out business is called entrepreneur. So, when an aunty becomes an entrepreneur, she becomes an ‘Auntypreneur’, as per the movie. What sets the protagonist of the film aside is the necessity angle of her business.

Auntypreneur takes place in today’s times in Malad, Mumbai in Poonam Co-Operative Housing Society. Jaswanti Gangani aka Jasu (Supriya Pathak Kapur) stays with her young tenant Raju (Parikshit Tamaliya) and maid Manda (Margi Desai). Her son Bhavik (Ojas Rawal) has been in Dallas, US, where he is doing very well.

Jasu once imagines her housing society about to be demolished by the municipality in her dream. Unfortunately, her nightmare comes true as the municipality gives an eviction notice to the CHS. It says that their builder hasn’t paid property tax worth Rs. 1.96 crores and has run away outside the country. Hence, if they don’t pay up the amount within four months, their building will be demolished.

Jasu doesn’t know how to raise such a high amount in such low time. This is when Raju advises her to start investing in share market, hope for high returns and pay the property tax to save Poonam CHS. Whether Jasu succeeds in her mission forms the rest of the story.

Auntypreneur has a serious storyline but the mood of the film is kept light-hearted and funny. The good part about this is that it provides feel-good family entertainment (except a few jokes aimed at adults at the start). The screenplay and dialogues ensure that there is no dull moment as Jasu goes about her mission. Once different women from the society start coming on board, the drama becomes interesting, also due to the bitter-sweet nature of relationship between a few characters.

One can guess the climax in films of this genre. Auntypreneur arrives at that in an interesting and somewhat nail-biting manner.

Supriya Pathak Kapur is the soul of the film. She is there in almost every scene and she makes per presence count through a flawless and lovable act. Parikshit Tamaliya, the only male in the team, also comes up with a fine act. Yukti Randeria succeeds in playing a modern girl of today’s era. Ojas Rawal makes his character count despite limited screen time.

Coming to the rest of Jasu’s team, Brinda Trivedi, Vaibhavi Bhatt, Kaushambi Bhatt, Margi Desai and Heena Jaikishan also chip in with good acts. Archan Trivedi as the building’s chairman Chaman Kaka is decent.

The cinematography (Vaishakh Manoharan), background score (Mihir Makwana), editing (Harsh Anandani) and the production design (Chirayu Bodas) go with the simple nature of the film.

Auntypreneur also comes with its share of negative points. The whole issue of your housing society being in danger of being demolished in four months should send the society members in panic. It should actually give you sleepless nights. But it doesn’t have such an effect on the members, except Jasu that too not in totality. It is, especially, surprising to see the male members of the society unperturbed by the situation.

Also, Jasu’s son Bhavik is shown to be super wealthy in the US. Hence, he alone could have paid a large share of the Rs. 1.96 crores, if not the entire amount. There is also a change of heart of one character that happens abruptly.

Overall: Auntypreneur is a feel-good family entertainer that should appeal to its target audience of family crowds.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Pratik Rajen Kothari

Producers: Deepali Mhaiskar, Aryan Mhaiskar, Abhishek Jain and Amit Desai

Writers: Shreya Sheth, Shreya Jitan Singh and Abhinav Vaidya

Cast: Supriya Pathak Kapur, Parikshit Tamaliya, Ojas Rawal, Brinda Trivedi, Vaibhavi Bhatt, Kaushambi Bhatt, Margi Desai, Heena Jaikishan

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

Phule review: Pratik Gandhi excels in this decent period drama

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Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Savitri Phule were a social reformer couple who worked for the causes like eradication of caste discrimination, women education, widow remarriage, etc. Filmmmaker Ananth Narayan Mahadevan’s Phule is a biopic on their lives and struggles.

Jyotirao is married off to Savitri when they were kids, as per the traditions and customs of that era. They both belonged to the (so-called) lower caste. Jyotirao starts educating his wife from an early age as he strongly believed that it’s important for women to be educated.

The movie starts off in 1848 when Jyotirao (Pratik Gandhi) and Savitri (Patralekhaa) are already grown-ups and working towards education of girls from their neighbourhood in Pune (then Poona). The two face strong opposition from the (so-called) upper caste people of that time.

Jyotirao’s father (Vinay Pathak) and his elder brother Raja Ram Phule (Sushil Pandey) are also strongly against the couple’s revolutionary activities, which also includes eradication of caste discrimination and encouraging widows to remarry. But Vishnupant Thatte (Adit Redij) goes out of his way to help Jyotirao and Savitri in their mission to educate girls by providing theme space to run a school despite being from the upper caste.

However, after knowing about the couple’s teaching activity, Vinayak Deshpande (Joy Sengupta) and other upper caste members vandalize their school and physically attack Jyotirao. In order to not be a problem for his family, Jyotirao and Savitri shift to the former’s old friend Usman Sheikh’s (Jayesh More) place. Usman has educated his sister Fatima (Akshaya Gurav), who stays with him. Jyotirao opens a school over there. But these aren’t the end of the problems for the couple.

Phule starts off in an abrupt manner when the plague situation of Pune is portrayed. The use of shaky camera while portraying this tragedy also turns out to be a bother. But the film comes on track once the revolutionary activities of the Phule couple begin.  

This half boldly shows the atrocities committed by the upper castes on Jyotirao and Savitri. The response of both of them makes us root for them. One is also touched to see the strong bond between the Phule couple and the Sheikh siblings. This aspect speaks a lot without speaking much, considering the times we are living in.

Phule, however, suffers in the second half. The screenplay is bereft of smoothness with one incident following other without proper flow. The narrative also becomes a lot episodic during this half. This largely affects the impact that one expects from a film based on such a revolutionary couple. The last few moments, thankfully, are a saving grace due to the emotional impact.

The film successfully recreates the bygone era through Santosh Phutane’s deft production design. The cinematography, editing and background score fall in the decent category.

The performances of the lead pair excel and rise above the script when things aren’t going great. Pratik Gandhi skillfully gets into the skin of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and recreates the late figure in a flawless way. Patralekhaa also rises to the occasion with a strong and mature performance as Savitri Phule. Jayesh More and Akshaya Gurav shine as Usman and Fatima.

Amit Behal and Joy Sengupta, as antagonists, are decent. The latter gets repetitive later. Vinay Pathak is a surprise in such a role and he does well. Alexx O’Nell, Ellie and Sara, who play British characters, succeed in leaving behind an impact. Darsheel Safary is wasted in a role that has nothing much to do. Sushil Pandey is average. He too doesn’t get much lines.

Overall: Phule is a decent period drama that has its moments and a fine performance by Pratik Gandhi.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Ananth Narayan Mahadevan

Producers: Dancing Shiva Films and Kingsmen Productions

Writers: Ananth Narayan Mahadevan and Muazzam Beg

Cast: Pratik Gandhi, Patralekhaa, Jayesh More, Akshaya Gurav, Vinay Pathak, Amit Behal

Also read: Puratawn (Bengali movie) review: Sharmila Tagore provides an acting masterclass in this meditative drama

Puratawn review: Sharmila Tagore provides an acting masterclass in this meditative drama

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Memory loss or issues with memory is an unusual problem. More than the person suffering from the same, it affects those around him or her. This is the base of writer and director Suman Ghosh’s Bengali film Puratawn (English title: The Ancient).

The movie revolves around Ritika (Ritupatna Sengupta), a woman working in the corporate sector in a high position. Her marriage with Rajeev (Indraneil Sengupta), a passionate photographer, is going through turbulence. She, along with Rajeev, visits her ancestral home in a small town in West Bengal where her mother Mrs Sen (Sharmila Tagore) lives, to celebrate the latter’s 80th birthday in a grand manner.

But there is also another reason for Ritika’s visit. She and Rajeev wish to reveal to her that their marriage is going nowhere. However, after arriving at the ancestral house, Ritika is pained to know that her mother is facing memory issues. Now, she is more hesitant to tell her about her troubled marriage as she doesn’t know how she would take it.

The aforementioned story is revealed to the audience in the initial portions itself. It doesn’t take long for you to figure out that Puratawn is not so much about story development. It is more about making the viewer feel as a silent spectator as the three characters go about their lives, conversations and challenges.

Puratawn Bengali movie

In other words, the film is more about the treatment. It moves in a gentle manner as it sucks you into its world, which is the ancestral home. In fact, the home is a character in itself as the narrative hardly goes out of it. But special care is taken to ensure that the proceedings never get dreary, leave alone boring. The lives of the three characters and their issues constantly make you feel for them.

The dialogues are like every day conversations but they are also deep enough to move you. The film has various moments which remind you of people from the advanced age from your life. Ghosh has also brilliantly used the flashback technique. The scene where Ritika hesitatingly tries entering Rajeev’s room and the scene cutting to the flashback moment when she entered his room once without hesitation stands out.

Puratawn is also film where, along with the direction, the cinematography (Ravi Kiran Ayyagari), background score and music (Alokananda Dasgupta) and the editing (Aditya Vikram Sengupta) play a major role in creating a meditative atmosphere that is continuously endearing. Production Designer Tanmoy Chakraborty deserves full marks for recreating a bygone era, through major and minor items inside the mansion.

As per the nature of the film, it doesn’t have a conventional climax. But the ending moments do justice to the rest of the content and succeed in moving you.

Puratawn has less number of characters and all of them rise to the occasion. Sharmila Tagore provides an acting masterclass, to say the least. She gets into the skin of an aging lady facing memory issues in a thoroughly effortless manner. The scenes where her memory starts playing with her deserve special mention.

Rituparna Sengupta brings forth the confusion and helplessness of a daughter going through a lot in a fine manner. Indraneil Sepgupta also succeeds in downplaying the emotions of a character who is also going through a turmoil. Brishti Roy, in the role of a house help, also shines. Ekavali turns out to be memorable despite playing a cameo of a doctor.

On the flipside, for some reason, the characters look exactly the same even in flashback scenes that are supposed to have happened years ago. The track of Ritika’s Naxalite uncle doesn’t fit into this genre.  

Overall: Puratawn is a deeply moving and meditative journey about a golden past, uncertain future and a present that’s somewhere in between.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Suman Ghosh

Producer: Rituparna Sengupta

Writer: Suman Ghosh

Cast: Rituparna Sengupta, Sharmila Tagore, Indraneil Sengupta, Brishti Roy, Ekavali

Also read: Only Fawad Khan faces opposition in India, other Pakistani actors are spared

Kesari Chapter 2 review: ‘F***ing’ hard-hitting courtroom drama with lots of creative liberties   

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Just last month, filmmaker Ram Madhvani came up with his Sony LIV web series The Waking of a Nation. It was based on the aftermath of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and how General Dyer was dragged to the court for the same. Although it was inspired from C Sankaran Nair’s case that shook the British Empire after the massacre, it was a fictionalized version with a fictitious protagonist.

Filmmaker Karan Tyagi’s Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Truth Of Jallianwala Bagh sees C Sankaran Nair himself fighting the case against the British Empire where he accuses the latter of a planned conspiracy in the form of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre that killed more than a thousand Indians gathered at the site for a peaceful protest. Although Tyagi’s film also uses a lot of fiction, it is more impactful than The Waking of a Nation.

Kesari Chapter 2 is adapted from the book ‘The Case That Shook The Empire’, written by Nair’s grandson Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat.

During the start of the film, we see C Sankaran Nair (Akshay Kumar) as a lawyer who is a loyal British servant and someone who doesn’t shy away from taking the empire’s side in court. However, he goes through a change of heart after he knows the truth about the gruesome Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The makers have boldly shown the mass murders in a way that even a stone-hearted person would feel the agony and pain.

The transformation of the protagonist is convincing and this is the biggest triumph of the film. This was crucial because had the narrative lagged behind in this aspect, it would have harmed the entire film.

From here onwards, the movie becomes a gripping courtroom drama, with R Madhavan’s character also joining the proceedings, and remains so till the end. There are some developments during this part that take you by surprise. There is no doubt that during a lot of places the courtroom scenes are filmi. But as it provides entertainment in return and doesn’t stop you from feeling for the painful incident of the massacre, you don’t mind.

But Kesari Chapter 2 scores the most during the twists and turns in the pre-climax and the climax. You expect the film to end on a certain note but it surprises you, especially during the final confrontation.

We have heard the words ‘f**k’ and ‘f**king’ numerous times in various web series in recent years. But they have never provided such a huge impact like they do in this film and that too despite being repeated on quite a few occasions.  

A major reason why Kesari Chapter 2 rises to this level is because of Akshay Kumar, who has given one of his best performances. He succeeds in the transformation and becomes unstoppable during the courtroom scenes. However, you don’t see him enter the character of a real historical figure like C Sankaran Nair. The actor more or less shows his own mannerisms and style of dialogue delivery. But because of the impact and the fact that it’s a mainstream Hindi film, you don’t mind that much.  

The rest of the actors also rise to the occasion. R Madhavan gives a fine act as the antagonist lawyer and he also succeeds in being emotional. This is Ananya Panday’s finest act till date. She is more than noticeable here. You just can’t stop hating Simon Paisley Day as General Dyer and that shows how well he has enacted the character.

On the flipside, the makers have taken lots of creative liberties. The real case actually took place in London, instead of Amritsar. More importantly, it took place after the death of General Dyer. And it was actually a case of defamation filed against Nair by Michael O’Dwyer, who was also responsible for the massacre, for writing a book against the British Empire. In the film, we see Sankaran suing the British empire for genocide.

Overall: Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Truth Of Jallianwala Bagh succeeds in providing a tribute to the victims of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and point out how Britain has still not apologized to India for the same. But be prepared for a lot of fiction being added to the real incidents. At the box office, the film will score more in multiplexes than single screens, thanks to its subject and the Adult rating it has received from the censors.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Karan Singh Tyagi

Producers: Dharma Productions, Cape Of Good Films and Leo Media Collective

Writers: Raghu Palat, Pushpa Palat, Karan Singh Tyagi, Amritpal Singh Bindra and Sumit Saxena

Cast: Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan, Ananya Panday, Simon Paisley Day

Also read: Sikandar Review: Film about organ transplant needed script transplant

Jaat review: This Sunny Deol starrer is a paisa vasool entertainer

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Sunny Deol made a phenomenal comeback with Anil Sharma’s Gadar 2 in 2023. The film’s acceptance and box office run was such that nobody expected. Naturally, following this, there was a keen anticipation for his next. It has been a long wait as his next actioner Jaat with Gopichand Malineni has taken almost two years. But the wait has been worth.

Jaat starts off in 2009 when Ranatunga (Randeep Hooda), his brother Somulu (Viineet Kumar Siingh) and others are working as labourers in Sri Lanka for the Sri Lankan army. Once while digging a ground, Ranatunga comes across hidden bars of gold. He decides that they should steal the gold and flee from the place. They succeed in doing so by killing a number of Sri Lankan army personnel.

Ranatunga and others arrive in Andhra Pradesh through the sea route and settle in a village after bribing the cops. Slowly, he becomes a ruthless don and starts spreading his empire.

In the present day, Ranatunga’s men kill a large number of people in the most gruesome manner in a village. Inspector Vijaya Lakshmi (Saiyami Kher) and other female cops visit Ranatunga’s place to arrest him. However, they get trapped. Just then, a stranger (Sunny Deol) by chance enters the village and slowly comes across Ranatunga and his atrocities.

Jaat is based on a typical good vs evil theme but the film isn’t narrated and presented in a clichéd way. Normally in such stories, the hero, mostly a man in a uniform, is given the task to either arrest or eliminate the villain. But here, Sunny’s character unintentionally enters the village and, most importantly, wants an apology for a small incident. Coming to the latter, the whole ‘Sorry bol’ episode is hilarious masterstroke. It also gives rise to exciting confrontational and action sequences. The action isn’t like the typical dubbed south films we see on TV. The fights over here are quite creatively shot.

Jaat goes onto another level once Sunny’s character comes to know the demonic nature of Ranatunga’s character. However, then comes a time when the narrative becomes a bit slow and dragging with entertainment taking a backseat. But thankfully, a couple of sequences later in the second half, including the climax when a major revelation happens, make up for it.

Jaat is a typical Sunny Deol entertainer with a few meta references too both in the dialogues and fight sequences. Hence, those who aren’t his fans or don’t like such type of masala entertainers are bound to be disappointed. But notwithstanding this, the level of violence and gore could have been lessened. This wouldn’t have reduced the overall impact of the villain. Although one can’t expect logic in such genre of films, there are a lot of creative liberties taken.

Sunny Deol makes a late entry but the film completely rests on his shoulders and he delivers consistently. It’s a pleasure and a wonder to see him carry out such fight sequences despite being close to 70. He also scores in the dialogues, especially whenever he narrates the ‘idli’ incident. Randeep Hooda also shines as the villain and you love to hate him.

Saiyami Kher gives an honest act as a cop. Regena Cassandrra is a revelation in a ruthless role. Viineet Kumar Siingh displays his talent yet again. Upendra Limaye takes away all the claps and whistles in his cameo, just like he did in Animal. Jagapathi Babu and Ramya Krishnan are decent in their supporting roles.

Overall: Jaat is a paisa vasool entertainer if you are a fan of action masala entertainers, especially the ones starring Sunny Deol. At the box office, the film will score more in the interiors than in the metros as it’s an ideal single screen film.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Gopichand Malineni

Producers: Mythri Movie Makers, People Media Factory and Zee Studios

Writers: Saurabh Gupta and Gopichand Malineni

Cast: Sunny Deol, Randeep Hooda, Saiyami Kher, Regena Cassandrra, Viineet Kumar Siingh

Also Read: Sikandar review: Film about organ transplant needed script transplant

Only Fawad Khan faces opposition in India, other Pakistani actors are spared

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Earlier this week, Fawad Khan and Vaani Kapoor starrer Abir Gulaal was announced. Directed by Aarti S Bagdi, the film is a romantic drama. As soon as the announcement was made, a section of the political class in Maharashtra came up in arms against the film since it stars a Pakistani actor. They have said that they won’t let the film release in theatres in Maharashtra on its scheduled release date, which is May 9.

This is not the first time that a film starring Fawad has faced opposition in Maharashtra after relations between India and Pakistan soured following the Uri and Pulwama attacks in 2016 and 2019 respectively. A lot of efforts were made to stall the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which also starred Fawad. Last year, his Pakistani film The Legend Of Maula Jatt also faced opposition in Maharashtra, although it wasn’t planned to release in the state.

Strangely, it is only Fawad whose films face opposition in Maharashtra while other Pakistani stars are spared. Its biggest example is the recent re-release of Sanam Teri Kasam, which happened on February 7. This film was not only allowed a release but there was not even a hint of opposition against it despite it starring Pakistani actress Mawra Hocane in the lead.

Fawad Khan and Mawra Hocane

In fact, Sanam Teri Kasam not only became successful but also the biggest hit of all the films that have re-released since last year by earning close to a high amount of Rs. 40 crores. Interestingly, as you read this, it’s still playing in theatres in Mumbai in the second month of its release.

When a film earns this much and runs for two months at the box office, it obviously means that a large number of people went to see it. Hence, it’s difficult to believe that those who are protesting against Abir Gulaal were completely unaware about the re-release of Sanam Teri Kasam.

This isn’t the only example though. In 2016, there was massive opposition against the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil because of Fawad’s presence in it following the Uri attacks. The film, however, was shot much before the attacks happened but that didn’t budge the political protestors. Finally, a settlement was made and the film was able to release. However, a few months later Hindi Medium (2017) didn’t face any opposition, although it starred Pakistani actress Saba Qamar as the lead.

Similarly, in the last few years, Zee’s Zindagi has tied up with Pakistani artistes to produce OTT shows for Indian and Pakistani audience like Churails, Dhoop Ki Deewar, etc. But there hasn’t been a word against these shows.

This makes me wonder why only Fawad Khan faces opposition while other Pakistani actors are spared. Does their nationalistic sentiment get hurt only when a film starring a big Pakistani star releases? Is their nationalistic sentiment limited to the popularity of the actor and is devoid of any equality in their stand?

Also read: Why Vikramaditya Motwane’s documentary on Emergency is more powerful than Kangana Ranaut’s feature film on the same

Sikandar Review: Film about organ transplant needed script transplant

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Over the last few years, we have been dished out quite a few films (except Tiger 3) that are made just to showcase Salman Khan’s herogiri through fight scenes, dialogue baazi, songs and dances and, above all, his noble on screen nature. This has now become a new genre of filmmaking called ‘Bhai films’. Filmmaker AR Murugadoss’ Sikandar is yet another film in this genre.

The story starts off in Rajkot where Sanjay Rajkot (Salman) enjoys the life of an unofficial king of the city. He lives in a palatial bungalow. We don’t know whether he inherited it from his ancestors or earned money himself to build his empire. He has a wife Saisri (Rashmika Mandanna), who is much younger to him. She is married to him since quite a few years but is still unaware how he has so many nicknames. And it is after quite a few years of their marriage that she says she prefers to address him as only ‘Sanjay’.

During a flight, Sanjay beats up Arjun (Prateik Smita Patil) who was trying to forcefully get physical with a woman on flight after blackmailing her just before take-off despite the presence of her little son. Arjun turns out to be the son of a powerful minister (Sathyaraj) from Maharashtra. The senior politician and his son, obviously, are seething with anger and eager to take revenge from Sanjay.

Meanwhile, Sanjay goes through a terrible personal tragedy. This, somehow, brings him face-to-face with Arjun and his politician father.

Sikandar movie Salman Khan

Sikandar starts on a good note. Salman Khan’s entry is impressive. Thankfully, this is a not a typical entry scene where the hero beats up a few random baddies just to enter the film. As said in the above synopsis, his beating up Arjun is a part of the film’s story.

However, from here on, the film goes downhill and never recovers. The personal tragedy of Sanjay takes you by surprise but whatever happens after that is difficult to fathom. Linking the organ transplant angle with that of the minister appears forceful and defies logic.

This angle does have a couple of touching moments, especially with the kid who goes through lung transplant and the incident when the people of Mumbai gather to show support for Sikandar. But these incidents appear miniscule because of the huge fallacies the film is riddled with.

The cat and mouse game between Sikandar and the minister not only lacks logic (even by the standards of Bhai films) but is also filled with moments that either make you laugh unintentionally or go like, ‘What the hell just happened!’.

There are quite a few other major questionable moments in the main plot itself. Sanjay is the undisputed king of Rajkot and enjoys a Godly status. Yet, the people of Mumbai haven’t even heard of him even in today’s times of social media. Sanjay is not just rich but also super wealthy but he, for some reason, prefers traveling by train from Rajkot to Gujarat. Ideally, people with such wealth have their own chartered plane in today’s times. Also, the Fiat taxi used by Sanjay in Mumbai has been off the roads since almost a decade or more. Weirdly, the taxis in which his rest of the team travels are the latest ones.

Sikandar is, obviously, made to celebrate Salman’s stardom but he is one of the biggest casualties of the film. He appears without energy, dedication or even interest as he goes about his usual heroics. And the less said about his dialogue delivery the better. Rashmika Mandanna scores in expressions but once again highly irritates with her heavy accented dialogue delivery. Thankfully, she doesn’t have a lengthy role.

Sathyaraj, despite not being very good, is the best of the lot. Prateik Babbar plays a typical spoilt son of a high profile politician. It is painful to see Sharman Joshi being reduced to Sanjay’s secretary. The same sympathy is felt for a very talented bloke like Jatin Sarna. Kajal Aggarwal is decent while Sanjay Kapoor and Sulbha Arya are wasted. Anjini Dhawan is just average and her silly characterization makes it worse.

Overall: Sikandar is a poor product and makes for a tedious watch. The film is about organ transplant but I wish someone had transplanted its script with a script from its adjacent set just before it went on floors. The film will have a decent run at the box office till today, after which it will struggle.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Director: AR Murugadoss

Producers: Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment and Salman Khan Films

Writers: AR Murugadoss, Rajat Arora, Hussain Dalal and Abbas Dalal

Cast: Salman Khan, Rashmika Mandanna, Sathyaraj, Prateik Smita Patil, Sharman Joshi

Also read: The Diplomat Review: Realistic version of Gadar

Follower review: Realistic glimpse into the making of a political troll

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Since little over a decade ago, politics has become a major interest for the youth. But the problem arises when this interest turns into an obsession for one political ideology. This aspect about today’s politics is realistically portrayed in Harshad Nalawade’s Follower (Marathi with Hindi and Kannada) while keeping the Maharashtra-Karnataka conflict of Belgaum at the centre.

The film tells the story of a youngster named Raghavendra Pawar (Raghu Prakash) aka Raghu, who stays with his mother in Belgaum after his father passes away in an accident. His elder brother works in the US. Belgaum is always in the news for its Marathi-Kannada conflict. Raghu also faces the brunt for being a Marathi in various ways.

Follower Marathi movie

During these times, he gets attracted to the speeches and ideology of a star political leader (Atul Deshmukh), who claims to be the messiah of the Marathi speaking people of Belgaum. Raghu joins his social media IT cell in order to spread the leader’s message and help him in his ‘cause’. Raghu’s political stand and activities strains his relationship with his close friends Sachin (director Harshad Nalawade himself) and Parveena (Donna Munshi).

Follower provides a glimpse into the life of a not just a follower but someone who believes that he is doing social work through his online activities by basically just being a troll. Nalawade’s portrayal will be relatable even for those who aren’t deeply aware about the Maharashtra-Karnataka issue because youngsters are seen obsessing over quite a few political parties throughout the country. The film shows how they never realize that they are just treated as pawns in the hands of their political ‘heroes’ for their ulterior motives. In a way, the film gives a slight remembrance of Avadhoot Gupte’s Zenda.

What makes Follower more interesting and intriguing is that it organically weaves a story of close friendship between three friends and perfectly joins the same with the political conflict. It also makes fine use of flashback. The story could have been narrated in a linear form and it still would have been likeable. But the back and forth narrative converts the film also into a mystery drama. The events that lead Raghu into becoming a staunch supporter of the star political leader is the biggest triumph of the film.

The production value makes the film look more like a telefilm. The lack of proper resources is clearly visible. This, however, doesn’t turn out to be a major issue because of the strong content at hand. The film is also shot in a creative manner by cinematographer Saket Gyani. It is laced with a number of impressive long one-take shots. The one that takes the cake is between Raghu and Parveen when both are riding their respective two-wheelers while conversing. The background score is minimally used, which goes with the nature of the film.

The performances are all natural. Raghu Prakash is fully suits the role of Raghavendra. He goes through the entire journey of his character in a dedicated manner. Harshad Nalawade also adds plenty of life to the character of Sachin. Donna Munshi also performs well and is also aptly cast as Parveen. Atul Deshmukh, the political leader, is thoroughly believable as someone who can brainwash the youth.

The issue about Maharashtra-Karnataka has toxic politics from both sides. For a major duration, it seems that the film shows the evil face of only one side. However, things even out later, which makes the movie neutral in its overall stand. The only questionable aspect is a sudden intimate moment between two pivotal characters, which appears forced.

Overall: Follower is a gritty realistic glimpse into the making of a political troll and its consequences.    

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Harshad Nalawade

Writer: Harshad Nalawade

Producers: Humara Medialabs and Causality Films Production

Cast: Raghu Prakash, Harshad Nalawade, Donna Munshi, Atul Deshmukh

Also read: The Diplomat review: Realistic version of Gadar

The Diplomat review: Realistic version of Gadar

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Filmmaker Shivam Nair’s The Diplomat tells the real story of an Indian lady Uzma Ahmed (Sadia Khateeb), a single mother. She falls in love with a Pakistani national Tahir (Jagjeet Sandhu) while working in Malaysia in 2017. He promises to marry her and help treat her daughter, who suffers from Thalassemia.

However, after she lands in Pakistan, she sees the real face of Tahir. He takes Uzma to the deserted land of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where she realizes that he is already married and also has a few kids. But that’s not all. Tahir repeatedly physically and sexually abuses Uzma before forcing her to marry him.

Once by chance, Uzma gets to know that the only way to escape from there is by somehow reaching the Indian embassy in Islamabad and ask for help. She makes Tahir take her to the Indian embassy through some pretext and, when he and his friends are away, barges inside the embassy and begs for help. But JP (John Abraham), the Deputy High Commissioner at the embassy, doubts her intentions.

The Diplomat is a thrilling drama starring John Abraham and Sadia Khateeb. It tells the story of a woman trapped in a marriage in Pakistan.

As weird as it may sound, the basic plot of The Diplomat is like a realistic version of Anil Sharma’s Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. That movie also saw a woman happily visiting Pakistan, only to realize that she has been trapped. She is then brought back to India with the help of a ‘hero’. The only and a major difference is that The Diplomat is a real story. Hence, realistic means are used for her safe return to India instead of ukhadofying any hand pump.

The Diplomat gets going right from the first scene. The film starts with Uzma entering the office of the Indian embassy, which gets you glued to the proceedings. But, for some reason, she narrates her backstory in short initially, which could have been avoided. This is because when she finally sits down to narrate her past in detail, you already know what has happened. However, the ordeal she goes through is portrayed effectively, which makes you feel for her even more.

The film goes onto another level once the cat-and-mouse game starts with respect to Uzma’s safe return to India. This part is filled with thrill despite their being no action. But somehow, the makers felt the need for action. Hence, unnecessary fictitious conflict moments are created. One can understand the need to do this since it’s a mainstream feature film. But the conflicts cease to be as serious as they appear when they arrive. Another questionable aspect here is the lack of clarity about Uzma’s family. We are not given her backstory for reasons best known to the makers.

However, the emotional last few minutes ensure that you don’t think much about these points. The feeling of patriotism is evoked without jingoism or sloganeering, much like the Raja Krishna Menon’s Airlift (2016).  

Sadia Khateeb is the real star of the film. She comes up with an authentic performance as her character goes through various ordeals at various stages. She projects vulnerability and strength with ease. There are some performances that elevate an actor’s career. This act should do this for her.

John Abraham gives one of his better performances. This time, he plays a rescuer who doesn’t indulge in action. The only issue is his awkward walk in those suits, which is not possible to ignore. Jagjeet Sandhu is thoroughly believable as the evil husband of Uzma. Revathy is likeable and commands respect as the late Sushma Swaraj despite the limited screen time. Sharib Hashmi, Vidhatri Bandi, Kumud Mishra and others provide fine support.

Overall: The Diplomat is a thrilling and moving real-life account of an Indian woman’s escape from Pakistan.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Shivam Nair

Producers: T Series, JA Entertainment, Wakaoo Films, Seeta Films and Fortune Pictures

Writer: Ritesh Shah

Cast: John Abraham, Sadia Khateeb, Jagjeet Sandhu, Revathy, Sharib Hashmi, Kumud Mishra, Vidhatri Bandi

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Sthal (Marathi Movie) review: Subtle yet powerful critique of forced arranged marriages of girls

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India is obsessed with marriages. Weddings take place all over the country in different regions and among different communities and they are celebrated like anything. However, even in today’s times in rural India, the practice of a girl’s forced arranged marriage still exists. Filmmaker Jayant Digambar Somalkar’s Sthal (A Match) boldly highlights this social evil.

The movie takes place in a village in Maharashtra named Dongargaon and it revolves around Savita Daulatrao Wandhare (Nandini Chikte). She is in her Final year of Bachelor of Arts course and her specialization subject is Sociology. Her father (Taranath Khiratkar) and mother (Sangita Sonekar) wish to get her married off soon but she wants to study further.

Prospective grooms regularly visit her house but eventually reject her. This increases the stress for Savita’s parents. Her elder brother Mangya (Suyog Dhawas) loves a girl from their village but he won’t be able to marry her until her sister gets married.

Sthal doesn’t waste any time in presenting the picture of an arranged marriage setting in a village. The elders from both the families have a chat. The girl is then made to sit uncomfortably on a stool and asked questions about herself as if she is accused of a crime. Without saying it, the film speaks out that this is nothing but humiliation for her. All this is achieved in a realistic and bold manner.

Sthal becomes all the more appealing because of the irony it presents through the subject Savita is studying in college – Sociology. In one of the lectures, she, along with her fellow students, is taught about Women Empowerment. The professor says that it roughly means that a woman should have the right to take her own decisions.

In another moment, the birth anniversary of the social reformer Savitribai Phule is celebrated in the college in a grand way and she is hailed as the torchbearer of progressive ideas for women. This is juxtaposed with the arranged marriage scenes at her place where Savita goes through the dreary exercise repeatedly.

The movie also throws light on the evil of dowry, which is very much practiced today. There is a scene where Savita’s friend tells her that their professor teaches women empowerment but doesn’t practice the same. To this, Savita points out that he is teaching it only because it’s a part of the syllabus. It indirectly means that the progressive ideas are only meant to remain in the books.

Sthal ends on an unexpectedly powerful note. The very last scene instantly brings back memories of Nagraj Popatrao Manjule’s Fandry. Nevertheless, it suits the film.

Nandini Chikte’s performance as Savita is as remarkable as the content of the film. She goes through the ordeal of being in front of the prospective grooms with a lot of realistic touch. She converses a lot through expressions and, at times, speaks out her mind with confidence. Sandip Parkhi does a fine job as the professor.

The rest of the supporting cast, including Taranath Khiratkar, Sangita Sonekar, Suyog Dhawas, Swati Ulmale (as Savita’s close friend Gauri) and others also bring about realistic performances.

Manoj Karmakar’s camerawork is simple, which goes with the nature of the film. The same can be said about the background score, which is minimally used.

The only negative point here is the length. This is felt the most when the entire wedding ceremony of Savita’s friend is portrayed, which could have been shortened.

Overall: Sthal is a subtle yet powerful statement against the social evil of girls’ forced arranged marriages, which take away their fundamental rights. The film is a perfect successor to The Great Indian Kitchen and its recent Hindi adaptation Mrs.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Jayant Digambar Somalkar

Producers: Dhun Productions

Writer: Jayant Digambar Somalkar

Cast: Nandini Chikte, Taranath Khiratkar, Sangita Sonekar, Sandip Parkhi, Suyog Dhawas, Swati Ulmale

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