Author Archives: Keyur Seta

Paradise (English-Sinhala-Malayalam) review: Provides a gradual hard-hitting jolt

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Filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage’s Paradise is a Sri Lankan-Indian joint venture produced by Newton Cinema and presented by Mani Ratnam’s Madras Talkies. The movie is a tri-lingual in English, Sinhala and Malayalam.

Paradise tells the story of a couple from Kerala, Kesav (Roshan Mathew) and Amritha (Darshana Rajendran), who visit a hill station in Sri Lanka to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. Their trip coincides with the mass protests in April 2022 after the country declares bankruptcy. Hence, there are agitations at various places for basic necessities of life.

But Kesav and Amritha are not bothered much and they start spending quality time with each other. Kesav’s happiness doubles after his upcoming web series gets greenlit by Netflix. However, their happiness is short-lived after they are robbed at night when they are fast asleep. Both of them lose their gadgets. Kesav faces a bigger loss as his work related stuff was in the iPad and mobile phone, which got stolen. They lodge a police complaint.

This reviewer hadn’t seen the film’s trailer before watching the film and that turned out to be a good idea since the trailer gives away a lot.

As the couple start their trip, one is constantly reminded of the impending protests in the background. And that is enough to not only keep you hooked but also anxious of things turning sour for them. Once the robbery takes place, the narrative goes into a different drive.

What’s more impressive is that the movie is not narrated like a crime thriller with elements to keep you hooked, especially through the technical departments. It follows a gradual narrative and has enough material naturally to keep things tense. The film scores the highest during the handling of the ending moments that provide a jolt. Along with that, Paradise also deserves brownie points for portraying the slow and seamless cracks in the relationship between Kesav and Amritha.

The characters are seen giving references of different versions of Ramayana. During a conversation, one character speaks about the Jain version of the epic. This appears like a casual conversation until you experience the ending moments, which leave you speechless as well as with a few questions.

There is not much of a negative point in Paradise. The only little issue here is that the two of them face a personal problem after their stuff is stolen and are not directly affected by the mass protests. Of course, the robbery can be an indirect reason for the lack of amenities in Sri Lanka at that time. But one would expect them to face something directly related to the volatile situation.

Roshan Mathew and Darshana Rajendran have proven their talent on numerous occasions over the years. They are flawless here too. There are various moments when they speak a lot without saying much, especially when their relation is going through a gradual turmoil. The movie also has some fine performances from numerous supporting actors.

Overall: Paradise is a finely narrated drama that refuses to leave you much after it ends.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Prasanna Vithanage

Producers: Newton Films

Cast: Roshan Mathew, Darshana Rajendran

Also read: Pushtaini review: A true-blue independent film with a big heart

Pushtaini review: A true-blue independent film with a big heart

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A lot of indie films are based on unexpected journeys that bring about a change in the film’s character(s) and provide a heartwarming message in the end. Director, actor and producer Vinod Rawat’s Pushtaini is also one such film but it succeeds in standing apart due to quite a few reasons.

The story revolves around Bhupinder Rawat aka Bhuppi (Vinod Rawat). He is a struggling actor in Mumbai, who has just landed a role in a film starring the famous actor Ankur Bhatia (Rajkummar Rao) for a small sum. If this wasn’t enough, his friend (?) Sumit (Nitin Goel) shows him a video of his sex scandal that happened while he was drunk recently. Bhuppi has no idea of him indulging in such an act. But now Sumit asks for Rs 8 lakhs from him, else he threatens to make the video viral.

This takes Bhuppi to his hometown in Nainital in some hope to get the money from his family to pay Sumit. He visits his sister’s family first and gets a jolt to know that his father died mysteriously a year ago. His father had created a will on his name. Bhuppi hopes to lay his hands on the money, so that he is bailed out of the embarrassing situation. However, things are not as easy as they seem. Circumstances take him to a voyage across the state of Uttarakhand with unexpected people.

The aforementioned story appears very massy or commercial. But Pushtaini is anything but that and this is not said in a negative manner. The movie is made with limited resources. Even the numerous actors are from Rawat’s own family.

This, however, doesn’t stop Pushtaini from becoming a heartwarming, funny and emotional saga that says a lot without saying much. The narrative uses unconventional means but it never loses track and continues to keep you gripped, with some surprising turns adding to the goodness. The short duration of 80 minutes also helps the cause. A major positive here are the dialogues that are conversational but at the same time funny and moving.  

On the flipside, it is difficult to believe that in today’s day and age of connectivity, Bhuppi was unaware that his father passed away for one long year. There are also a couple of moments of emotional outbursts by the protagonist that don’t gel well in an otherwise subtle narrative.  

But this doesn’t reflect negatively on Vino Rawat’s performance since he does well in those moments too. The actor, who is Hrithik Roshan’s acting coach, shows a gamut of emotions with ease. He deserves to get more and bigger acting opportunities. Rita Heer (Dimple), Hemant Pandey (Hemant), Prema Karayat (Bhuppi’s aunt), Nitin Goel and Mithilesh Pandey (Yashpal Sharma) also chip in with good acts. They, along with various others, don’t make one feel that they are non-actors.

Pushtaini doesn’t boast of rich production design or flashy editing or camerawork. But the technical aspects work well suit the film of this nature.  

Overall: Pushtaini is a true-blue indie film with a big heart.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Vinod Rawat

Producers: Lotus Dust Pictures and VinRaw Films

Cast: Vinod Rawat, Rita Heer, Hemant Pandey, Nitin Goel, Rajkummar Rao

Also read: Maharaj review: Karsandas Mulji’s story, unfortunately, is relevant even after 160 years

Maharaj review: Karsandas Mulji’s story, unfortunately, is relevant even after 160 years

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The name of Karsandas Mulji isn’t heard often when one speaks of Indian social reformers that were active during the British Era. Filmmaker Siddharth P Malhotra’s Maharaj will perhaps make him a talking point to some extent as the film is based on his heroics in a bygone era.

Produced by Yash Raj Films, Maharaj, which is streaming on Netflix, is based on the book of the same name written by Saurabh Shah in 2013. It narrates the story of Karsandas’ fight against an evil priest. The story starts off in a village in Gujarat in the 1820s where Karsandas, as a kid, questions everything, especially religious practices. He is sent to Bombay to his uncle’s place after he grows up (Junaid Khan). Karsan’s critical and revolutionary mind makes him a fearless journalist and a social reformer. He regularly writes about the evil social practices in Dadabhai Naoroji’s (Sunil Gupta) newspaper.

Karsan is engaged to Kishori (Shalini Pandey) and they deeply fall in love. During that era, Jadunathji (pronounced in the film as ‘Yadunath’) Maharaj (Jaideep Ahlawat), the priest of the biggest haveli (temple for Vaishnavas) in Mumbai, is worshiped by millions. He makes negative use of the devotion by engaging in ‘charan sparsh’ with young girls. The activity is nothing but sleeping with girls in the name of blessing.

One such ‘charan sparsh’ activity by Jadunath enrages Karsan and brings both of them face-to-face with each other. Karsan vows to expose and punish Jadunath through the use of his pen but the evildoer is unperturbed because of his powerful social position.  

The basic plot of Maharaj is similar to that of Manoj Bajpayee starrer Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai (2023), which was based on the infamous Asaram case. But the makers of the former can’t be accused of taking inspiration from the latter for two reasons – Maharaj is also based on a true story and the film was in production before the Bajpayee starrer was released.

Apart from that, what sets Maharaj apart is that it takes the viewer deep into the chamber of the evil Godman and his practices over there. It also goes into detail when it comes to the religious practices and rituals of the devotees of Shrinathji. What also makes the film hard-hitting is the powerful lines, especially the ones mouthed by Karsan. The sequence where he addresses a large group of devotees after Jadunath shuts the haveli temporarily provides goosebumps and is certainly the highest moment of the film.

The court proceedings, although arriving much later, keep the hard-hitting nature of the film alive and the dialogues play a major role here too. The final moment surprisingly doesn’t provide the kind of a kick one would expect, especially after experiencing the aforementioned scene. But nevertheless, the film ends on a high, more so because of the tribute given to the real Karsandas Mulji.

Maharaj isn’t fully perfect in its narrative though. The idea of traditional families happily giving away their daughters to Jadunath for ‘charan sparsh’ despite knowing what he actually does with them and accepting it as an important ritual is not established at all. We also don’t get to know how Karsan earns enough money to live a decent lifestyle. There are a few other questionable moments and creative liberties too.

Subrata Chakraborty and Amit Ray’s production design recreate the bygone era to perfection. The film is also rich in music (Sohail Sen) and the background score (Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara).

Maharaj marks the debut of Junaid Khan in what is one of the most heroic and challenging characters of recent times. The young actor displays his talent by successfully getting into the difficult shoes of Karsandas Mulji (more so in the scene mentioned above), except for one or two instances. Jaideep Ahwalat is remarkable as the evil Godmen who doesn’t lose his cool even once, no matter what the situation. The actor keeps the character’s evil nature alive even behind a smile.

Shalini Pandey is noticeable despite limited screen time. Sharvari is the surprise package. She lights up the role of a young woman who becomes an important part of Karsandas’ journey. Surprisingly, she is credited as ‘special appearance’ whereas she is a supporting character and has more to do than Pandey. The film also has good supporting acts from Sneha Desai, Jay Upadhyay, Sunil Gupta, Priyal Gor, Jamie Alter (defense lawyer), Utkarsh Mazumdar (Lalvanji Mahraj), Vaibhav Tatwawadi (Dr Bhau Daji Lad), etc.

Overall: Maharaj is a hard-hitting social saga about fake Godmen, which, unfortunately, is relevant even after more than 160 years.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Siddharth P Malhotra

Producers: Aditya Chopra for Yash Raj Films

Writers: Saurabh Shah (book), Vipul Mehta and Sneha Desai

Cast: Junaid Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Shalini Pandey, Sharvari

Also read: Maidaan review: One of Ajay Devgn’s finest acts in one of the best sports dramas

Rahul Gandhi’s rise above EXTREME national bullying

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The year was 2014, just before the Lok Sabha Polls. Rahul Gandhi gave an interview to the very aggressive Arnab Goswami on Times Now. The decision turned out to be disastrous for him. The anchor started showering one tough question after another to which Rahul had no answers. Well, he did give answers but none of them were even half convincing with some making no sense. Plus, his nervousness was clearly visible.

This happened at a time when Rahul had already started being a subject of jokes. This interview made it worse. Not only the people of India but also the IT cell of the current ruling party started making jokes and memes on him. Honestly, I was also one of those who laughed at the memes and snippet videos from the interview and felt he is not at all cut out for politics. Then the inevitable happened when the result of the 2014 General Elections was out. The Congress had a record defeat and the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) got a thumping majority.

With the BJP winning so handsomely, I felt that the topic of Rahul Gandhi will be down and dusted as I firmly believed that he was a closed chapter. However, he was continued to being ridiculed on social media and What’s App. There were a lot of instances during his speeches and interviews where he said unintentionally funny stuff, which made things worse for him. Snippets from these also started making rounds.

It seemed that Rahul gained some confidence before the 2019 Lok Sabha Polls but he was still not being taken seriously. This was seen in the result of the polls in which BJP secured an even bigger victory than 2014. I, along with many others, was more than convinced that Rahul’s political career is over and that he is getting importance in the Congress camp only because of nepotism.

But Rahul somehow didn’t give up. He gave some fiery speeches during the anti-NRC and anti-CAA movement. Later in 2022, his confidence during his Bharat Jodo Yatra was impossible to not get noticed. The nervous and fumbling politician gave rise to a confident and determined leader. Very few would have expected this after his aforementioned 2014 interview.

Rahul’s confidence and fearlessness went even higher during the campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls. He was now a new and refined leader. His attacks on the government appeared convincing instead of forced. This influenced the final outcome of the polls where the INDIA alliance won as many as 232 seats and NDA were down from 353 in 2019 to 293.

The result has further indicated that one has to take Rahul Gandhi seriously and his journey in politics is far from over.

His rise is more than noteworthy simply by taking into account the psychological effect of such extreme national bullying can have. Many of us get mentally affected even if we receive 5 negative comments or face some bullying on social media. But this man was a target of the entire IT cell machinery and crores of ruling party supporters for around a decade. He was targeted not just from a political point of view but was subjected to plenty of personal attacks and even insults.

This can have extremely negative psychological effect on anyone. Just imagine your very existence being a butt of jokes for crores of people. Anyone else would have given up politics and taken retirement. But somehow, Rahul decided to keep going and reached as far as spoiling the mood of the ruling party in the recently-concluded 2024 General Elections. He ensured that those who were dreaming of ‘400 paar’ could not even touch 300 seats.

The other thing that has quietly happened in the last few years is that the IT Cell and the supporters of the ruling party have stopped circulating Rahul’s unintentionally funny moments. This can also be because their Supreme Leader has given even more of such moments and that too in controlled interviews and scripted speeches.

All this has also ensured that the nickname of ‘Pappu’ is no longer being associated with Rahul.

I am not a fan of any politician, including Rahul Gandhi. But it is impossible to not notice his rise purely from a psychological point of view.

Also read: Indi(r)a’s Emergency review: Shows the period’s relevance today

When India played this match in 57 DEGREES heat!

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One thing that is common during all IPL (Indian Premiere League) seasons is that the it is played in extreme heat, especially in the latter half which takes place in April and May. But much before the IPL began, there was a time when India used to host international matches in the heat of April and May.

One such match that was played in India in the May of 1998 is unforgettable, more for the weather than the cricket played. As unbelievable as it may sound, the day the match was played, the ground temperature was as astonishingly high as 57 degrees Celsius!

The mid and late 90s were known for the various triangular series (this is majorly missed today). In the summer of 1998, India hosted an unusual tri series featuring the hosts, Bangladesh and Kenya. The interest level for the series, called Coca-Cola Triangular Series, was higher than one would expect.

Also as expected, India was the first team to easily reach the final. Their last league match was against Kenya in Gwalior on May 28. This was the match which recorded a temperature of 57 degrees Celsius. I still remember former cricketer turned commentator Sunil Gavaskar showing the temperature to the viewers before the match in a device. I was stunned to see 57 degrees on it. The commentators even discussed how difficult it would be for the players to play in such conditions. This might well be the hottest condition in which a cricket match has been played.

Photo source: CrickeTendulkar Facebook page

The match, which was expected to be another one-sided Indian win, turned out to be a surprise. In other words, the temperature wasn’t the only thing that made news that day. Kenya opted to bat first and scored a fighting total of 265 for 5 in their 50 overs. Captain Maurice Odumbe top scored with 83 while Ravi Shah and Hitesh Modi provided solid contributions with 70 and 51 respectively.

I and a few friends were actually happy to see Kenya score such a total. We thought we would get to see a good display of Indian batting. The rest of the Indian matches in the tournament were easy victories for the home side and hence, weren’t exciting.

However, we were in for a rude surprise as India’s strong batting line up started collapsing. Sachin Tendulkar, who was having a dream run in 1998, was the first one to be dismissed. India started losing wickets at regular intervals and were all out for just 196 with not a single batter reaching even 40. The defeat could have been much bigger as at one stage India were 155 for 8. But there was some resilience from Anil Kumble (20) and Venkatesh Prasad (19). See the scorecard of the match HERE.

(Article continued after video)

With the win, Kenya succeeded in reaching the finals. What the defeat did was that it generated some interest in the final match that was played in Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on May 31. India opted to bowl first in the match and one could easily see the spring in their stride to avenge the defeat in Gwalior.

This time, Kenya were all out for just 196; the same score that India scored in the previous match. India’s openers Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly too seemed all charged up. They were literally toying with Kenya’s bowling. Their partnership ended at 77. Jadeja was promoted and he scored an unbeaten 50. But Tendulkar was the scene-stealer with an unbeaten 100 off 103 balls. India won by 9 wickets with as many as 15 overs to spare. See the scorecard of the match HERE.

(Article continued after video)

Few years later in 2001, I had gone to watch the practice match between Board President’s XI and the touring England side at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. I got talking to an English supporter and during the course of the conversation, I mentioned about this tri series. He wasn’t aware of this series and was shocked that India played a tri series with two ‘minnows’. I remember him saying, “India, Bangladesh and Kenya? This is not a tri series.”

However, I feel such tournaments with major countries help associate nations gain more exposure. Today, Ireland and Afghanistan are playing a lot of bilateral series with stronger teams. But a triangular series like the aforementioned one would help them even more.

Also read: When Australia DELIBERATELY batted slow in this WC match

Taangh (Longing) Review: Moving story of a Hockey champion 6 decades after attaining glory

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Bani Singh’s documentary Taangh (English title: Longing) has the backdrop of the 1948 Summer Olympics, where India won the Gold medal in Hockey. But it can’t be addressed as a sports documentary by any means. The film is, no doubt, rooted in the sport of Hockey but it gradually turns into a heartwarming journey of a few hearts getting united a lifetime after getting separated during the Partition of 1947.

Taangh tells the story of Bani Singh who sets out to find out more about her father and the former Hockey great Grahanandan Singh aka Nandy Singh. The film is directed and shot by her. Nandy Singh was a part of India’s Hockey team that won the Gold at the 1948 Summer Olympics in England. It was an incredible moment in the Final as India beat England, the same nation that ruled them for almost 90 years, in front of their home crowd.

Six decades later, Nandy Singh suffers a stroke at the age of 84. His strong will to recover inspires his daughter, Bani Singh, to delve into his past to know the champion Hockey player that he was before she was born. She records her experiences, which eventually become this film.  

Nandy Singh, obviously, isn’t a professional filmmaker. Taangh is more of her personal journey. But not once does it feel that she isn’t from this field. She uses simple techniques to film her experiences and conversations with a number of people. She is ably helped by editor Abhro Banerjee. Bani got the access of archival footage of the matches of the Olympics but she doesn’t go overboard in using it. The background score is also minimal, which was also as per the need.

Such a simple presentation of Bani’s story suits the film perfectly because the whole story is not only emotional but also with some amount of twists. This might be Bani’s personal story but it gradually becomes as important to you as if it’s your own.

The film starts off with Bani trying to find more about her father’s legacy but sees a sharp development when she gets to know that he had a close friend called Shahrukh, who was staying in Pakistan. Nandy and Shahrukh were part of the same Indian team before the Partition. However, following the formation of two countries, Shahrukh became a part of the Pakistani Hockey team.

Bani makes it her mission to trace Shahrukh and makes a visit to Pakistan. However, she doesn’t know if he is alive. The culmination of her mission in Pakistan becomes the highest point of Taangh. It, somewhere, reminds you of the search for Rancho in Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots, although not as dramatic by any means but as moving. In fact, the ending moments of the film are enough to move even a stone-hearted person.

There is no major negative point in Taangh. But a question that keeps lingering in your mind even long after the film is over is why the two long lost friends didn’t see each other through video calling. A reason is given for this as a passing reference but it’s difficult to digest.

Also read: Indi(r)a’s Emergency review: Shows the period’s relevance today

Nevertheless, this doesn’t stop Taangh from being a saga as moving and heartwarming as any feature film (this doesn’t mean that the makers shouldn’t consider making a feature film out of the story). It successfully drives home the message of peace and humanity in a profound way without saying much.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Director: Bani Singh

Editor: Abhro Banerjee

Taangh was screened as a part of the Parda Faash festival developed by Asia Society India Centre in collaboration with Film Southasia and the Goethe Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, Mumbai

Maidaan review: One of Ajay Devgn’s finest acts in one of the best sports dramas

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Amit Ravindernath Sharma’s Maidaan is based on the life of India’s celebrated football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, played by Ajay Devgn, during the golden period for Indian football, which started in the early 1950s. Rahim is a selfless coach who only has one mission in life, which is to take Indian football to greater heights.

The movie starts off when Rahim is India’s coach when the team horribly loses against Yugoslavia by 10-1 in the 1952 Olympics. Following the defeat, the coach lists down genuine reasons for the team’s loss and asks for some changes from the Football Federation of India (FFI) in Calcutta, including the revamping of the team. Although federation member Shubhankar (Rudranil Ghosh) doesn’t pay heed to the demands, the chief Anjan (Baharul Islam) agrees to the same.  

Hence, Rahim tours all over India to gather players for upcoming tournaments. Although Rahim builds a new team, the journey doesn’t start off well and he gets a bad name. But along with Shubhankar, he has another nemesis in the form of a veteran sports journalist Roy Choudhury (Gajraj Rao). The two are always looking at ways to spoil the party for the coach. If this wasn’t enough, Rahim also faces a personal setback. Will his dream of taking team India to newer heights be fulfilled?

There have been numerous sports dramas and films based on real sports events in mainstream Hindi cinema over the years. Some of them, like Chak De! India (2007), Dangal (2016) and 83 (2021), have turned out to be supreme. Also, these films have a set template where the team (or a player) faces an important tournament in the second half where it plays the semi-final and, lastly, the final. The same is the case with Maidaan too.

But there are quite a few reasons why the film doesn’t appear repetitive. Firstly, the first half is fresh and unlike other sports dramas, especially the part where the protagonist builds the team. His personal tragedy (which can’t be revealed to avoid spoilers) plays a major role in generating the emotional connect. The narrative in the second half also keeps surprising you with events in between the matches. These points, along with Sharma’s fresh presentation makes Maidaan stand out.

Of course, such films work only when the sport is captured satisfactorily. In the case of Maidaan, the cinematography during the football match scenes by Andrey Valentsov is spectacular to say the least. The performance of a large number of actors who play football players deserves high acclaim too for the final result.

These players have been deliberately not given too much screen time because the film is mostly about Syed Abdul Rahim. It will be an understatement to say that Ajay Devgn has managed his job well. He has, in fact, provided one of his career best performances. The scenes where he is affected by his personal tragedy bring out the best from him. Rest of the supporting actors like Priyamani, Gajraj Rao and Rudranil Ghosh leave an impact too.

Also Read: Big celebs endorsing UNRECOGNIZED Phalke Awards adds confusion & lowers value of real Phalke Award

There are no major negative points in Maidaan, only minor ones. It would have been better had they given some background about Rahim and what all he did before becoming India’s coach; his life as a football player. The demonizing of opposition teams could have been, at least, lowered down. It is also questionable to show the character of journalist as so anti-India.

Overall: Maidaan is one of Hindi cinema’s best sports dramas with one of Ajay Devgn’s career best performance. Despite the film not opening with a bang, it will slowly climb the ladder of success at the box office.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Alibaba Aani Chalishitale Chor review: Vivek Bele’s dialogues deserve special mention  

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Subjects about friendship never get old. Most of the times, these are emotional films about a group of friends who face an internal adversity only to reconcile in the end. Aditya Ingale’s Alibaba Aani Chalishitale Chor is also a story about a group of friends and what happens amongst them, but there is a twist. It’s a comic drama with a dash of adultery.

The movie is based on the play of the same name (which this writer hasn’t seen). It tells the story of three couples, played by Subodh Bhave-Shruti Marathe, Anand Ingale-Madhura Welankar, Atul Parchure-Mukta Barve and a single guy (Umesh Kamat), who are a part of a group of friends in their 40s.

The seven of them decide to venture out of the city on a farmhouse for a weekend of relaxation and partying. At night, when all of them are merrily dancing, the lights suddenly go off. During that brief moment, one can hear a loud kiss, followed by the sound of a hard slap. Nobody knows who kissed whom and who slapped whom and whether the kiss and slap are related. This single incident is enough for everyone to doubt their respected spouses.

On top of that, each one of them get an e-mail from a stranger who has started a blog that publishes secrets among the people of their group and after eight days, he or she will reveal what exactly happened that night.

Alibaba Aani Chalishitale Chor is a rare movie where the dialogues score the highest. Vivek Bele, who also wrote the play, has come up with hilarious lines that get you in splits regularly, especially the theories about what happened that night. A lot of the conversations happen over the phone and these are also filled with humour. You are reminded of his previous work on a film on similar lines in the form of Badam Rani Gulam Chor (2012).

The dialogues have been rightly complemented by the actors. After Vaalvi, one again gets to see the funny side of Subodh Bhave and he proves his versatility yet again. Mukta Barve is seen in a different role for the first time and she too scores high. Umesh Kamat, as the only single person in the group, gets good scope and he latches onto it. Anand Ingale, Atul Parchure and Madhura Welankar provide funny and mature acts too. Shruti Marathe is decent.

The movie has a funny and enjoyable first half which also establishes the tale well, makes you laugh and curious about what happened during that fateful moment. But for a good amount of time in the second half, the story doesn’t move much, except creating more curiosity. You still don’t lose interest because of the funny lines.

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

But what really hurts the film is the finale, for which you have been waiting eagerly. The major reveal in the end takes you by surprise but it isn’t exciting or interesting enough. The same goes for the message given. The film would have been a much better entertainer if it had scored well in the climax.

Overall: Alibaba Aani Chalishitale Chor is a one-time watch because of the humorous lines.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Director: Aditya Ingale

Producers: Nitin Prakash Vaidya, Nikhil Vadarkar, Viraj Londhe and Sandeep Deshpande

Writer: Vivek Bele

Cast: Subodh Bhave, Mukta Barve, Shruti Marathe, Anand Ingale, Madhura Welankar, Atul Parchure and Umesh Kamat

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

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The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai completes 50 years this year. It is an extremely revered site for cricket lovers from the city. In fact, it can also be called a place of worship for them for the numerous memories they have had here over the years. As the stadium completes 5 decades, I am reminded of the very first time I entered this place to watch a match way back in 1998.

It was a Ranji One-Day West Zone League match between Mumbai and Gujarat. It was my brother’s eighth birthday, so apart from both of us, our parents also joined us. Our major reason for going for this match was to see the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli bat together.

Apart from them, the Mumbai team also comprised of some other well-known names like Amol Muzumdar, Pravin Ambre, Abey Kuruvilla, Paras Mhambrey, Jatin Paranjpe, Ramesh Pawar, etc. It was a star-studded Mumbai line up back then.

Although this was my first visit to the Wankhede, it was the second time I set foot inside a cricket stadium. The first time was in the same year at the Brabourne Stadium for a match between Mumbai and Australia. Myself, my father and brother got to see Sachin score his first double hundred in first-class cricket in the match where eventually Mumbai beat Australia (read more about that match HERE). I was expecting a similar experience at the Wankhede.

Photo for representational purpose only. Source: Deccan Chronicle

There was nothing known as ‘October heat’ that would continue till November back then. Hence, it was a pleasant Sunday November 22 morning on the day of the match. The excitement inside me knew no bounds. As we entered the stadium, it took me a while to believe that I was indeed inside the Wankhede for the first time. For some time, I was just looking around the stadium.

I was hoping to see Mumbai’s star batsmen chase the target and that’s what happened. Mumbai won the toss and sent Gujarat into bat. Kuruvilla and Mhambrey ensured that the opposition never got going. They were eventually reduced to 181 for 9 in their 50 overs. This was some sort of recovery after they were 15 for 3 at one stage. There were some fun moments when Kuruvilla stood near the boundary where we were sitting and there was some funny banter from the crowd.

The excitement in the stadium knew no bounds when Mumbai’s captain Sachin Tendulkar came into bat with Rajesh Sutar. Mumbai lost Sutar early at the score of 11. But the fall of wicket was met with cheers of joy as that gave us a chance of watching Sachin and Kambli bat together. Me, and a lot of others, were in the stadium for precisely this reason. Their on-pitch pair instantly reminds us of their historic 664 run partnership during an inter-school Harris Shield tournament in 1988.

The beloved duo from Mumbai didn’t disappoint as they started going after the Gujarat bowling and we got to see an array of attacking shots from both. To see the two in action play a wide range of shots on my very first outing at the Wankhede was something I can’t explain in words. A sixer Kambli hit near the stand where we were seated is still fresh in my memory and the moment of the match for me.

Both Tendulkar and Kambli reached half centuries in quick time. The former eventually got out but not after scoring a delightful 51 of just 36 balls with 8 fours and 2 sixes. Kambli continued the onslaught and he ended up with 90 not out of just 61 balls. His innings contained 10 fours and 3 sixes! Mumbai went onto chase the target in just 25.5 overs with just 3 wickets down.

I couldn’t have asked for a better first visit to the Wankhede.

This was also probably the last match-winning partnership in a limited overs match between Tendulkar and Kambli. If not that, it is surely a lesser-known one. The match wasn’t recorded as first-class matches hardly got live coverage in those days. Hence, there is not much about the match on the internet, except scorecards like THIS one.

That makes it all the more special.

Also Read: When team Mumbai almost AGAIN defeated Australia

Big celebs endorsing UNRECOGNIZED Phalke Awards adds confusion & lowers value of real Phalke Award

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Dadasaheb Phalke Award is the highest honour for a film artiste in India. It is given each year by the Government of India to one individual for his or her outstanding contribution to cinema. It is a part of the National Awards each year. However, over the last several years, a number of private awards have been started in the name of Dadasaheb Phalke, which has not only created confusion among the public but is also threatening to lower the importance of the actual Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

The new private awards in the name of Phalke that have cropped up in recent years are – Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards, Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Awards and Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Awards.

With the name ‘Dadasaheb Phalke’ attached to each of the awards, the public comes under the impression that a particular film artiste has received the prestigious Phalke Award given by the Government. What makes things worse is that a section of the media also reports as if an artiste has received the real Phalke award. At times, they don’t even care to mention the full name of the award and that this is not the actual Phalke award.

A few years ago, there was a lot of hue and cry on social media when news about Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of MSG fame receiving the ‘Phalke Award’ spread like fire. It was later found out that he was given one of the private Phalke awards and not the actual one. It was all a result of a publication giving a misleading headline, which created an online uproar.

This year, the confusion regarding Phalke awards increased manifolds. Earlier, not many big stars used to attend and accept these awards. But this year, some of the biggest names in the industry – like Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Rani Mukerji, Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor, etc, – attended the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards earlier this week and some of them even won in different categories. Also the kind of media coverage this particular awards function received this year was never seen before.

One can just imagine the kind of recognition this unrecognized Phalke Award has now received with the endorsement of some of the biggest names. On top of that, some media houses, like previous years, didn’t care to mention the full name of the award, making it look as if these stars have won the actual Phalke Award. The headlines in the press releases regarding these awards shared by some PR (Public Relation) executives also mentioned only ‘Phalke Award.’

These stars have either a shelf or a room full of awards. So it’s sad to see them endorsing these awards that are unrecognized by the government just to add on to their tally of awards. It is not possible to stop any firm or organization from organizing any private awards. So the least that the industry can do is to not give them importance in order to maintain the sanctity of the actual Phalke Award and, more importantly, the honour of Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, the Father of Indian Cinema.

Tomorrow, someone might just start a parallel National or Padma Awards by adding a few more words in the title.

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