The Common Man Speaks

Hindi Medium Review

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As part of my profession, before the release of Hindi Medium, I had spoken to Irrfan Khan in a group interview (read it here). While answering a question, he had said that the film can be adapted in any language. Today, after watching it, I can vouch that he hadn’t said it just to promote the film.

Hindi Medium basically takes a satirical dig at the idea of looking down upon your own language (be it any) while succumbing to the pressure of English. And this is very much relevant today when the knowledge of English is equated with intelligence.

The story takes place in Chandni Chowk, Delhi. Raj Batra (Irrfan Khan) is a successful garment businessman living a comfortable lifestyle with his wife (Saba Qamar) and little daughter (Dishita Sehgal). Raj doesn’t know English and he has no problems with it. His wife, however, is his opposite.

Hindi Medium posterShe doesn’t like his desi manners and is eager to see her family move to the elite class. She feels it is necessary for their daughter to get admitted in a school where children from the wealthy class study. The conflict between Raj and his wife increase when Raj’s lack of education and English knowledge becomes a hindrance for their daughter’s admission in a high quality school.

Hindi Medium is a thoroughly entertaining fare with sensible and realistic humour. Due to a fast screenplay and witty dialogues, you don’t realize when the 133 minutes pass off. The film, however, isn’t limited to this. It has quite a few layers.

Hindi Medium basically stands out for the following messages it smartly weaves in an entertaining manner (without being preachy):

– The use of English is important in today’s times to succeed but not at the cost of your own language. Moreover, you shouldn’t be ashamed speaking in your language just to prove your ‘high status.’

– Although the film doesn’t say it directly, it shows the mirror to these so-called international schools that charge a bomb in order to develop your kid in a special way. In other words, education has been transformed into a shoddy business.

– We tend to look at the poor class of people as potential criminals. The film tries to bridge the class gap without any melodrama.

– The movie isn’t flawless though. There are flaws in the form of quite a few cinematic liberties, more so in the climax (describing them would lead to spoilers).

The high quality content wouldn’t have become so appealing without the presence of Irrfan Khan. He gives us another proof as to why he is not only one of the finest artists but also someone who can easily make you laugh. Hindi Medium is another feather in his cap.

Saba Qamar matches up to him and this only means that she knows the art of acting. Let’s hope we get to see more of her. Deepak Dobriyal is present only in one half but he puts behind a resounding impact. He is indeed a brilliant actor. As the school Principal, Amrita Singh is powerful too. Dishita Sehgal is cute and talented but doesn’t get to speak much.

Overall: Hindi Medium puts forward an important message in a hilarious way. The film hasn’t opened very well at the box office. But it surely stands a chance due to positive word-of-mouth.

Rating: 3.5/5

Review by: Keyur Seta

Director: Saket Chaudhary

Writers: Zeenat Lakhani and Saket Chaudhary

Producers: T-Series and Maddock Films

Cast: Irrfan Khan, Saba Qamar, Dishita Sehgal, Deepak Dobriyal, Amrita Singh

Music: Sachin-Jigar

Runtime: 133 minutes

RUMOUR ALERT! ISIS members spreading AIDS through injections

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ISIS members are spreading AIDS through injection syringes by posing as someone willing to check your blood sugar levels for free. This is the latest What’s App forward message that has gone viral.

Picture: Iconexperience.com

This is what the message reads: Urgent Urgent Please reach to catch them quickly if you have people on your door and they say they are from the Faculty of Medicine so that we measure your sugars for free. as soon as you see such lady or man please immidiately inform the police because these are the people fromISIS (????) who go to the houses and r spreading AIDS virus by injections which look like insulin. please catch such people as soon as they reach you Inform and share this message with all your loved one. (forwarded as received )

Is the news true?

It just can’t be true. This is simply because there is not a single news report about any such incident anywhere on the internet. It is common sense that even if one such incident would have happened, it would have been Breaking News everywhere. It is impossible that a news reaches What’s App but doesn’t reach a single publication (print and online) or a news channel.

It is wise to check Google before forwarding any such messages.

By: Keyur Seta

Begum Jaan Review

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Srijit Mukherjee’s Begum Jaan has an interesting and intriguing storyline with a lot of scope for drama. But a good concept requires convincing execution in order to provide overall satisfaction. Mukherjee, as writer and director, manages this only to some extent. This results in an engaging film that lacks complete appeal.

The film is the official remake of the Bengali film Rajkahini (2015) by the same director. Begum Jaan (Vidya Balan) proudly runs a brothel in Punjab in 1947. She has a group of girls working under her. Being a tough individual, she doesn’t feel ashamed of their profession.

Their life comes to a halt when India gets partitioned and the border is supposed to go through their brothel. Hence, they are told to vacate the house. But Begum and her girls would never budge. What will the authorities do now?

Rajkahini was 160 minutes long. The Hindi version is reduced to 135 minutes. This works for the film as it makes sure that the proceedings are gripping. Some dialogues at times too are praiseworthy. For example, ‘Mahina ginna humein achchhe se aata hai sahab. Sala har baar laal karke jata hai.’ The underlying message against patriarchy and the hypocrisy of the so-called elite class is also well stated.

But Begum Jaan has a major issue. You don’t feel much for the characters and their plight. This is simply because the execution lags behind in the very basic task of establishing the characters and their life story before they landed in Begum’s brothel. Even the back story of Begum is shown in a hurry. When you don’t know much about the characters, it becomes very difficult to have sympathy for them when their lives are in danger.

Furthermore, in trying to create drama, the director has resorted to too much of loudness. There are high screams by the characters and a jarring background score too. Surprisingly, there are hardly any scenes taking place outside the locality of the brothel. This coupled by its location doesn’t give a feel of Punjab, where the story is based.

Cinematographer Gopi Bhagat, however, has succeeded in artistically capturing the flick. The symbolic method of showing only the half faces of Vidyarthi and Kapur on a couple of occasions is too praiseworthy. The musical tracks are as per the need. ‘Woh Subah Humi Se Aayegi’ plays a big role in the climax.

Vidya Balan has once again succeeded in giving a powerful act. She has displayed both ruthlessness and softheartedness with ease. Unfortunately, her act becomes a victim of loudness on few occasions. Pallavi Sharda not only looks ravishing but also scores high on performance. Ila Arun is brilliant as the eldest member of Begum Jaan’s family.

Chunky Pandey comes late but leaves a resounding impact. Here is an actor who deserves more meaty roles than comical ones. Ashish Vidyarthi and Rajit Kapur provide fine acts. Vivek Mushran, known for his debut Saudagar (1991), is the surprise factor. As expected from someone like Naseeruddin Shah, he is fully believable. Pitobash Tripathy once again shows his supreme talent.

Gauahar Khan proves she is not behind when it comes to acting talent. Priyanka Setia, Ridheema Tiwary, Flora Saini, Mishti, Raviza Chauhan, Poonam Rajput and other girls of the brothel are alright. Rajesh Sharma and Sumit Nijhavan, as Salim, provide perfect support.

Overall: Begum Jaan is an average drama that deserved better execution. The film will have a tough journey at the box office. It is not expected to generate good collections.

Rating: 2.5/5

Review by: Keyur Seta

Director: Srijit Mukherjee

Producers: Vishesh Films

Writer: Srijit Mukherjee

Cast: Vidya Balan, Pallavi Sharda, Gauahar Khan, Ila Arun, Ashish Vidyarthi, Rajit Kapur, Rajesh Sharma, Naseeruddin Shah

Music: Anu Malik and Khayyam (for the recreation of ‘Woh Subah Kabhi Toh Aayegi)

Genre: Period drama

Runtime: 135 minutes

Book Review: Beneath A Rougher Sea

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Even in 2017, a person suffering from a psychological illness continues to face stigma from the society. This holds true even in the most urban city like Mumbai. Author Susmita Bagchi’s Beneath A Rougher Sea is a fine encouragement in speaking out about mental issues. But instead of being preachy, it puts forth its point while telling a compelling story.

The novel revolves around an experienced psychiatrist, Aditya. He has been practicing out of Bangalore since years. He treats all types of mental disorders; from simple depression to something as complex as schizophrenia. His wife, Prachi is a general doctor working in a hospital. Something new happens in Aditya’s routine life when he bumps into his old friend, Prakash.

Beneath A Rougher SeaThe two of them had met during their medical college days. After getting irritated by Prakash initially, Aditya became his best friend in no time. But later on, they went out of touch as both got busy with their respective lives. But the real twist comes in Aditya’s life when Deepa, his first love, resurfaces after 22 years.

As is evident from the above synopsis, Beneath A Rougher Sea has an interesting, dramatic storyline. But Bagchi has smartly weaved the issue of psychological illness into it. To provide awareness on mental disorders in such an emotional personal story is no easy task whatsoever.

But the biggest challenge was to present and explain the condition of individuals suffering from psychological disorders. And the author has succeeded here too. Thankfully, she has steered clear of making it sound technical. In other words, a layman or someone with no knowledge of the psychological world would find it easy to grasp.

The conversation between the psychiatrist and the patients was the means to it. The dialogue with every patient is interesting and insightful. And having witnessed the working of psychiatrists from close quarters, I can vouch that it is realistic too. The reality is seen in the numerous characters too. There is a good amount of relativity with them.

Moreover, the pace is crisp. The book is a fast read throughout. As far as the writing is concerned, it’s simple yet appealing. The author has maintained the balance between rich and easy language.

There are few issues that stop the book from being much more. There comes a period where the story doesn’t move much and a lot of footage is given to the discussion with patients. Tragedy with one of the characters should have at least been reduced. This is because the purpose of the character and its story was already achieved.

Overall: Beneath A Rougher Sea is an insightful and interesting novel. It carries out the much needed task of removing stigma from patients suffering from psychological problems.

Rating: 3.5/5

Reviewed by: Keyur Seta

Pages: 279

Publisher: Leadstart Publishing

Price: Rs 299

Cover: A sketch on blue perfectly depicting the storyline

The Salesman Review

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It is believed that technical aspects like haunting and loud background score, editing effects and fast camerawork are a must for edge-of-the-seat thrillers. But Asghar Farhadi’s Oscar winning Iranian film, The Salesman manages to create an enormously thrilling effect just through the use of the script and presentation and leaves you super impressed.

The film tells the story of a married couple, Emad (Shahab Hosseini) and Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti), who are staying in Iran. They work together in a theatre group. Emad also teaches theatre and performing arts in a college. Suddenly, the building they are staying in starts collapsing. They manage to flee along with other residents.

Obviously, they are frantically searching for a new apartment to shift in. Babak (Babak Karimi), their theatre colleague, helps them find a new place, which was earlier occupied by a mysterious woman. One night, Rana goes to take a shower. When Emad returns home, he is shocked to find her badly wounded on her head. Was it an accident or assault?

The Salesman posterThe Salesman is an ideal example of getting your basics right. It proves that if you get your basic prerequisites bang on, you don’t need anything else to hook the audience. Not even a background score. In fact, not having any sound in the background is Farhadi’s trademark. Yet he manages to thrill through an ideal combination of an interesting story, watertight screenplay and brilliant execution.

The film doesn’t start off as a thriller by any means. It seems like a simple drama. But Farhadi has brought in the thriller effect slowly as the story progresses without you even noticing it. The effect keeps on increasing with the passing time. In other words, you don’t realize when you shift to the edge of the seat. Along with providing thrill, the climax also says a lot without saying anything.

Like the content and treatment, the characters too are simple, everyday people faced with extraordinary circumstances. The film shows that even the most ordinary and random person in a large crowd can be living a complicated tale.

The film does have few areas of concern though. The incident of building collapse doesn’t get with the rest of the film. Its magnanimity makes you think about it long after it has passed, which wasn’t needed. There is also one questionable moment in the last 20 minutes or so.

Hossein Jafarian’s camerawork gels with the nature of the film. It’s simple yet effective.

The performances match up to the numerous plus points. Shahab Hosseini beautifully succeeds in playing man possessed with a lot of questions. But he also manages to underplay himself, which was needed and would have been very difficult for most actors. Taraneh Alidoosti portrays various emotions with precision. She too wonderfully succeeds in speaking through expressions.

Farid Sajjadi Hosseini enters only in the last 30 minutes or so but leaves a terrific impact with his brilliance. Babak Karimi, Mina Sadati, as Sanam, Maral Bani Adam, as Kati, and the rest of the supporting actors leave no scope for complain.

Overall: The Salesman is an outstanding thrilling drama. The film is a must watch for anyone who wishes to enjoy something meaningful as well as riveting. Its appeal is universal. It’s releasing in India on 31 March 2017. The positive word-of-mouth might help the film earn decent collections at the box office.

Rating: 4/5

Review by: Keyur Seta

Director: Asghar Farhadi

Producers: Memento Films Production, Asghar Farhadi Produdction and Arte France Cinema

Cast: Shahab Hosseini, Taraneh Alidoosti, Farid Sajjadi Hosseini, Mina Sadati, Maral Bani Adam

Music: Sattar Oraki

Genre: Drama/ Thriller

Runtime: 125 minutes

India release: 31 March 2017

Baahubali 2 has achieved the unthinkable even before its release. Here’s what…

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S S Rajamouli’s Baahubali: The Conclusion, also known as Baahubali 2, is around a month away from its release. It would be an understatement to say that there is high excitement for the film. There has hardly, if not never, been such high degree of eagerness for a film all over India.

The Prabhas and Rana Daggubati starrer will be releasing in a whopping 6500 screens in the country. This is the highest for a film in India. Hence, the film is predicted to amass the highest box office collections ever (at least till the time Robot 2.0 releases).

In fact, the eagerness is such that, God forbid, even if the film doesn’t turn out to be that impressive, it won’t be wrong to make a prediction that its business will still be big.

Baahubali 2 posterHowever, even if this doesn’t happen, Baahubali 2 still will be achieving the unthinkable. In fact, it has already begun.

Let’s face it. The only thing that has united Indians all these decades has been cricket, whether you like it or not. But this is the first time that such a feat has been achieved by a film, at least in my lifetime. I have never seen a film bonding the whole of India like Bahaubali has. The fact that it is releasing in such huge number of screens is a proof of that.

So much so, that most of us either seem to have forgotten or are not bothered that its original language is Telugu and Tamil. (‘south Indian’ for many). Normally, one would expect a Hindi film to achieve such feat. But nobody is complaining.

Another proof of its extreme excitement is the number of views to its Hindi trailer. In just 11 days, it has garnered more than 3 crore 65 lakh views (only the Hindi trailer). On the other hand, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, a hardcore Hindi film with big stars like Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan, has managed 2 crore 81 lakh views in almost two months. Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees has been viewed just over 5 crore times in a long period of almost four months.

This speaks about the film’s pan India interest. On a lighter note, people from all over India are eager to find out why Katappa killed Baahubali. The social media is full of funny memes or posts asking this question. Seriously, how many of us ever expected a non-Hindi film to create such a scenario?

What it has indirectly shown is the power of regional cinema. The same happened last year with the Marathi movie Sairat. The film also found takers outside Maharashtra, something never achieved before by a Marathi film. This is also a wake-up call for those who shy away from watching a regional film saying it won’t interest them. If a film is high in appeal, it will cross state boundaries in India.

Like Baahubali 2 has. It’s neither a Telugu/ Tamil nor a south Indian film.

It’s an Indian film… Jai Mahishmati!

By: Keyur Seta

Hindi trailer of Baahubali 2: The Conclusion:

Badrinath Ki Dulhania Review

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Badrinath Ki Dulhania is a light-hearted romantic comedy. Films of this genre generally follow the same pattern all over the world. A boy and a girl meet, fall in love, get separated in due to some issue and reunite in the climax. But the Shashank Khaitan written and directed film goes further ahead by tackling a hard-hitting issue successfully while keeping the film thoroughly entertaining.

Story: Badrinath aka Badri (Dhawan) is a happy-go-lucky youngster from Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. He has studied only till 10th standard and looks after his family business. He stays with his father (Rituraj), mother (Prabhu), elder brother (Sinha) and his wife (Prasad). His father is an epitome of patriarchy and regressive practices. So, he doesn’t let women in his family to work and dowry is utmost important for him.

Badri also follows his father’s mindset. He comes across Vaidehi (Bhatt) at a wedding and instantly falls for her. But Vaidehi is a progressive thinker who is wholeheartedly against regressive mindsets. Despite that, Badri and Vaidehi fall in love. But how long can two people with such opposite set of beliefs stay together?

Badrinath-Ki-DulhaniaPlus points:

Badrinath Ki Dulhania is loaded with situational humour throughout its duration. It doesn’t generate giggles or extended giggles but proper laughter. There are various little moments or antics by the characters that play a large role in tickling your funny bone.

The most positive point of the film is the way it tackles the social issue of dowry, patriarchy and gender inequality. The film is more of a satire on these issues. It doesn’t speak against them but still manages to ridicule them through the presentation. It scores high mostly because of the hard-hitting and liberating climax. But even here, the lightheartedness is kept intact.

Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt have come of age as actors. The not only share a positive chemistry but complement each other in terms of the performance too. Varun gets every aspect of Badri right. The little nuances that he has brought do a lot in adding humour. Alia is fantastic as the righteous feminist. There is no doubt that she is a matured artist now.

The supporting actors play a large role in generating the effect. Sahil Vaid shines as Badri’s best friend. He is all set to get known after this act. Rituraj Singh is thoroughly realistic. You just love to hate him. Yash Sinha, brings the right temperament as Singh’s fearful son. Sukmani Lamba, as Vaidehi’s elder sister, Swanand Kirkire, Shweta Basu Prasad and Aparshakti Khurrana too chip in with impressive acts.

The film has three impressive songs – ‘Tamma Tamma,’ title  track and ‘Aashiq Surrender Hua.’

Minus points:

The sudden act before interval by one of the two main leads, which is the biggest turning point, isn’t convincing. The rest of the plus points manage to overshadow this somewhat though.

An incident of attempted rape on a male is shown in a funny way, which is absolutely hypocritical. Will you ever dare show an attempted rape on a female in a humorous manner?

The film should have been much tighter in the second half.

A couple of songs aren’t impressive, which make them as obstacles in the narrative.

A kidnapping scene might not go well with some if it is not seen in the right context (it went off well with me).

Overall: Badrinath Ki Dulhania succeeds in rubbishing off regressive beliefs and provides lots of entertainment too at the same time. It shows the mirror to the section of the society that practices evil practices in the name of ‘tradition.’ The film has had a good opening at the box office. The content and the hype will make sure it enters the Rs 100 crore club.

Rating: 3.5/5

Review by: Keyur Seta

Director: Shashank Khaitan

Producers: Dharma Productions and Fox Star Studios

Writer: Shashank Khaitan

Cast: Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Sahil Vaid, Rituraj Singh, Yash Sinha, Shweta Basu Prasad

Why we shouldn’t blame Nihalani alone for Lipstick Under My Burkha sexist attack

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While we were busy analyzing the results of various municipal elections in Maharashtra, the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) imposed their downright sexist thoughts on the audience.

The board refused certificate to Alankrita Shrivastava’s Lipstick Under My Burkha. In other words, they feel the audience should NOT watch this film. The reasons stated by them have sexism written all over them.

In a letter given to the producers, the board justifies their act saying, “The story is lady oriented, their fantasy above life. There are contanious (sic) sexual scenes, abusive words, audio pornography and a bit sensitive touch about one particular section of the society hence film refused under guidelines 1(a), 2(viii), 2 (ix), 2(x), 2 (xi), 2 (xii) and 3 (I).”

Now, let’s break down their so-called justification. They have given away their sick thoughts in the first five words itself by stating that it’s a ‘lady oriented’ film. When you feel offended by female-oriented films, it speaks volumes about your sexist and pro-MCP mindset. You look at it as a threat to your deep-rooted patriarchal thoughts.

Lipstick Under My Burkha and NihalaniThe second justification ‘their fantasy above life,’ means a female can’t be shown having fantasy. These people have had no problems all these years when a male, or ‘hero’ as they call it, fantasizes about a girl in various ways.

The other reasons – There are contanious (sic) sexual scenes, abusive words, audio pornography and a bit sensitive touch about one particular section of the society – don’t hold ground because the job of the CBFC is not that of a Moral Science teacher.

To make matters worse, Nihalani has justified their actions by sugarcoating it with ‘Indian culture’. He said to the media, “The aim is also to protect our culture and tradition. Our motto is right film should go to the public.”

He should remember that it’s a film CERTIFICATION board. So, their job is only to certify films according to age groups and not pass judgments on which films are ‘right films.’ This was also said by the Bombay High Court during the Udta Punjab fiasco last year. Nihalani and CBFC surely couldn’t have forgotten it so soon. After all, who can forget such huge national embarrassments?

And for your information, the issue is not just limited to a film. It is about how a group of individuals are forcing the people to walk onto their patriarchal path. It is also an attack on freedom of expression in one of world’s largest democracies.

However, during every such fiascos by the CBFC, we just don’t tend to look beyond. We criticize Nihalani and other CBFC members but that’s about it. We clearly forget who appointed them and why they are still not removed.

It is the Central Government that had revamped the CBFC committee in 2015. It happened after Leela Samson, the previous chief, and her team resigned due to issues while certifying MSG: The Messenger. The members are handpicked supporters of government ideologies.

Therefore, it is the Central Government that is to be blamed for every attack on freedom of expression by the CBFC. The list of dictatorial blunders by the CBFC is long. So, despite this if they are still not removed, it only means that the government supports them and is propagating its dangerously regressive mindset through the CBFC.

If the government doesn’t support such ideologies, what is stopping them from removing Nihalani and others from the CBFC?

Are they so helpless and powerless?

Conclusion: The film industry needs to unite in huge numbers and protest for the removal of the current CBFC committee team. It has to happen or else we would be discussing the rubbish decisions by these dictators after every few weeks.

By: Keyur Seta

The Ghazi Attack Review

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Story: The Ghazi Attack is based on the underwater warfare between India and Pakistan in 1971 in which PNS Ghazi, Pakistan’s submarine, was destroyed. The Indian Navy gets a whiff about Pakistan trying to secretly attack their submarine S-21 through theirs called PNS Ghazi. Pakistan’s aim is to get a clear route to supply weapons to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in order to continue attacking its rebels.

Indian Navy decides to take preventive measures before it’s too late. A secret operation is planned which is headed by Captain Ranvijay Singh (Kay Kay Menon). He is a hot tempered middle-aged man infamous for disobeying orders. His immediate senior, Lieutenant Arjun Verma (Rana Daggubati) and Executive officer Devraj (Atul Kulkarni) have their task cut out because of Singh’s presence. But a challenge much bigger lies ahead of them.

(For the real story of The Ghazi Attack, click HERE).

Review: While India claims that its naval force demolished Pakistan’s submarine, the neighboring country has always maintained that it became a victim of the detonation of its own mines.

The clear picture regarding the same is not known as the operation was classified. So, if you are okay watching a film with fictionalized events around a historical event, chances are you will enjoy The Ghazi Attack. It’s a gripping thriller with a sensible dose of patriotism.

The Ghazi AttackPlus points:

The biggest plus point for The Ghazi Attack is its gripping narrative that doesn’t go off track even a bit. You are glued to the screen throughout with interest-worthy events making sure you don’t realize when the 125 minutes pass by. The idea of not having a single song should also be appreciated.

The key areas when the attacks take place between both submarines are handled with precision. These moments provide some thrilling and nail-biting experience, especially the climax.

The complete working of the submarine with all the little details provide a learning experience (mind you, not preachy). Before this film, the inside of the submarine was well portrayed by Shyam Benegal in Bose: The Forgotten Hero (2005). Not with such detail though as that wasn’t the need.

Despite the film being based on the India-Pakistan war, it doesn’t resort to jingoism, which is a relief considering the times we are living currently.

The dialogues are appealing yet steer clear from being melodramatic of filmi.

Kay Kay Menon once again reminds you why he is one of the finest actors born in India. He provides a skilled act where he emotes through expressions. Rana Daggubati nicely underplays himself. Atul Kulkarni, another terrific artist, comes up with a mature act.

The rest of the supporting cast is perfect. The late Om Puri makes his presence felt in a cameo.

Minuses:

The technical details and jargons appear like bouncers for the layman sometimes. Too much of instructions also appear repetitive.

Taapsee Pannu has emerged as a talented artist in recent times. But over here, she disappoints. She has the same expression during the entire screen time.

Rahul Singh, an underrated talent, does what was required. But his character suffers from being a clichéd one-dimensional Pakistani officer.

Overall:

The Ghazi Attack is a gripping patriotic thriller. The film has received poor opening collections at the box office. It deserves to earn much more and for that it badly requires word-of-mouth.

Rating: 3.5/5

Review by: Keyur Seta

Director: Sankalp Reddy

Producers: Anvesh Reddy, Venkatramana Reddy, Prasad V Potluri, N M Pasha, Jagan Mohan Vancha and Karan Johar

Writers: Sankalp Reddy, Gangaraju Gunnam, Niranjan Reddy and Azad Alam

Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Rana Daggubati, Atul Kulkarni, Rahul Singh, Taapsee Pannu

Genre: Thriller

Runtime: 125 minutes

Kala Ghoda Festival 2017 Photos

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Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is back in Mumbai, like it is in the first week of every November since a decade. And like every year, this time too the Kala Ghoda lane is packed with a number of work of arts surrounded by a large contingent of art enthusiasts of Mumbai.

This year, there is a big difference which one can easily spot. And a good one at that. A large statue of a black horse (Kalal Ghoda) is adding to the beauty. Maybe because of this, it seems horse is the theme this year. One can find different works of arts modeled on quite a few horse structures inside the Kala Ghoda lane.

Here are some more pictures from this year’s (2017) Kala Ghoda Arts Festival:

 

Street loaded with art pieces lit up during a winter evening.

Kala Ghoda

The new statue of Kala Ghoda (black horse) at the start of the street.

 

A horse statue made out of plastic bottles. ‘Best from waste’ has been a favourite theme at this festival ever since its inception.

Amazing 3D painting. First time I ever saw one.

 

Another part of the same 3D painting. One can see the picture of the great freedom fighter and social reformer, Lokmanya Tilak. Byculla Zoo also features at the top.

A huge kite made out of waste materials.

A unique statue of a horse made out of green leaves. Needless to say, it gives the message of going nature-friendly.

A statue where you can write any damn message. You will find all kinds of bizarre messages too if you look closely.

A slide where even grown-ups can try their hand, rather legs. After all, dil toh bachcha hai ji.

The country is going through a phase when the importance of Indian army and defence is at an all time high. So, it isn’t surprising to see an army tank at the end of the festival lane.