The Common Man Speaks

Merry Christmas Review: Sriram Raghavan leaves behind his stamp yet again

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When a filmmaker consistently leaves behind his signature stamp on all his films and, barring one attempt, has a super successful record, he becomes a genre in himself. Sriram Raghavan is easily one such filmmaker. His latest Merry Christmas has all his thriller elements along with his trademark humour.

Merry Christmas is based on the French novel ‘Le Monte-Charge’ by author Frédéric Dard. This is for the first time that Raghavan has tried a period film. The story is set in Mumbai in the 1980s (then Bombay). It’s the Christmas Eve (December 24). Albert (Vijay Sethupathi) returns to Bombay after quite a while. He goes out to eat at a restaurant where he meets Maria (Katrina Kaif) and her mute daughter Annie (Pari Maheshwari Sharma) under weird circumstances.

Albert and Maria meet again at a cinema hall. They then start talking and form an unusual bond. Hence, Maria invites Albert to her place. Albert has had a dark past and Maria is not happy with her married life as her husband Jerome (Luke Kenny) is cheating on her. Albert and Maria both start feeling for each other. After Annie goes to bed, they both go out to celebrate Christmas. But, out of the blue, a deadly crime takes place, which puts Albert and Maria in trouble.

Sriram Raghavan’s movies are known for being right on the money from the start, with something or the other continuously taking place. But Merry Christmas is an exception where during most of the first half of the film, nothing much happens. This, however, doesn’t trouble you since the proceedings are thoroughly engaging, especially due to some witty humour taking place in some of the most unexpected places.

The film changes gears once the crime takes place. Police procedure and the behavior of cops is always unique in Raghavan’s films and Merry Christmas is no exception. It also doesn’t repeat any of the traits of the cops from his earlier films.

The only firm issue with Merry Christmas is its abrupt climax. It seems that the film is ended in a hurry and you don’t feel like leaving the cinema hall. However, one also can’t deny that the manner in which the narrative reaches the climax and a major twist coming from a character who didn’t seem important before, is praiseworthy. Hence, the ending portion is a mixed bag. The other concern here is one activity a couple of characters engage in in the second half, which could have at least given less importance and shortened.

Merry Christmas is also brought alive by Mayur Sharma’s production design of the bygone era of Mumbai. The old bus stop of Bombay is enough to invoke nostalgia for those grown up in this city in the 1980s and 90s. As one would expect from a film by this filmmaker, the technical aspects in terms of the camerawork, background score and editing are praiseworthy.

There was always eagerness to see how Vijay Sethupathi would perform in a Sriram Raghavan film. The actor delivers a top-notch performance and gets every ounce of Albert right. A special mention should be given to his subtle humour. This is one of Katrina Kaif’s better performances, although her usual limitations are noticeable.

Sanjay Kapoor and Tinnu Anand succeed in being hilarious. Vinay Pathak and Ashwini Kalsekar leave behind an impact despite arriving late. Radhika Apte is fine in a cameo. The child actor Pari Maheshwari Sharma shows impressive acting abilities.

Overall: Although Merry Christmas isn’t among Sriram Raghavan’s best works, the movie definitely works for thriller lovers and is worth watching for its key moments.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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

Panchak (Marathi movie) Review

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Beliefs in different superstitions is a part and parcel of live all over India, including among the educated class. Superstitions often make way for comedy if looked at them from a distance. This tussle between superstitions and science is tackled by directors Rahul Awate and Jayant Jathar’s Marathi movie Panchak in a humorous way. The film is produced by Madhuri Dixit Nene and her husband Dr Shriram Nene.

Panckak is a belief where if a person from a family dies during a certain astrological time, it is followed by five more deaths within a year either from the same family or from people close to that family. The story takes place in the interiors of Konkan. Ananta Khot (Dilip Prabhavalkar) dies in his old age. The family’s priest Joshi (Vidyadhar Joshi) realizes that the man passed away during Panchak. Hence, the entire Khot family and their near and dear ones get scared as they feel five more deaths will follow in a year’s time.

However, Ananta’s son Madhav (Aditnath Kothare) finds this laughable since he is an atheist and a believer in science and rationality. He also works in the field of science. He faces the wrath from Joshi and the entire family (played by Satish Alekar, Bharti Achrekar, Anand Ingle, Nandita Patkar, Deepti Devi and Ganesh Mayekar) for his outlook but he is unperturbed. What actually happens till a year from that period forms the rest of the story. Madhav also shares a complicated romantic relationship with Revati (Tejashri Pradhan), who stays in the same village.

Panchak had the difficult task of creating a dark comedy out of someone’s death. The narrative and dialogues maintains the balance and ensure that nowhere does the proceedings become insensitive. The film also goes onto the extent of providing some rib-tickling and crazy humour all within the parameters of the subject. The confrontations between Madhav and his family members is funny in a natural away, even though it becomes slapstick at times.

Pankchak doesn’t have much of a story development. This isn’t felt much in the first half where the unfolding events keep you glued. But the same doesn’t happen in the second half where you start feeling that limited story material. Hence, more onus is given to gags and some incidents are stretched. The whole idea of hiding something from one character in the second half appears more like a ploy to keep the runtime over two hours, whereas it would have been fine if the film would have gotten over before that. The humour also appears a bit repetitive in the second half.

The finale, thankfully, is a nice and simple end to the debate and the story.

The performances fall in the positive. Adinath Kothare is thoroughly impressive as a firm but affectionate Madhav. He scores while portraying different moods of his character. Nandita Patkar gets more than noticed while playing an interesting character with perfection. Anand Ingle, Deepti Devi and the rest are also without fault. Veterans like Dilip Prabhavalkar and Bharti Achrekar leave an impact despite limited presence. Tejashri Pradhan is likeable in an extended cameo.

Like a number of previous Marathi films, the picturesque Konkan is explored richly here. Pooja S Gupte’s camerawork is impressive but at the same time quite simple and apt for the subject.

Overall: Panchak is worth watching for the humour and the ensemble cast.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Also read: Ole Aale (Marathi movie) Review: Nana Patekar starrer is a moving family drama

Ole Aale (Marathi movie) Review: Nana Patekar starrer is a moving family drama

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Filmmaker Vipul Mehta’s Ole Aale is the official Marathi remake of his Gujarati blockbuster Chaal Jeevi Laiye (which this reviewer hasn’t seen). The film is produced by the same banner Coconut Motion Pictures, which produced the original movie.

The title Ole Aale is a shortcut of the names of the two main protagonists of the film – Omkar Lele (Nana Patekar) and Aditya Lele (Siddharth Chandekar). The two share a bittersweet father-son relationship as they stay alone with a house help (Makarand Anaspure) in Pune. Omkar is a successful and wealthy businessman, who has absolutely no time for his father. In fact, he is so busy in making his dream of having an office in every country of the world come true that he hardly even acknowledges his father’s presence.

Omkar, on the other hand, is troubled by the fact that his son, who is his only family member after his wife died years ago, ignores him all the time. However, he stays in good spirits and sports a jovial mood most of the times. He loves irritating his son regularly in a playful manner to express his disappointment.

One fine day out of the blue, Omkar and Aditya are faced with a very serious situation, which compels the latter to look at life in a different way. The development ensures that the father-son duo goes on a holiday in the northern parts of India. Over there, they meet a young girl (Sayali Sanjeev), who becomes their companion. What happens with Omkar and Aditya forms the rest of the story.

Stories about a child or children being indifferent and rude towards a parent or parents isn’t a novel idea. But you won’t feel the redundancy in that topic in Ole Aale simply because of the fast pace and, more importantly, some simple and witty humour. The aspect of providing entertainment is kept as the topmost priority throughout the movie through the aforementioned factors.

The comic timing of the main cast also helps in keeping the entertainment factor alive. But at the same time, the actors also rise during the emotional moments. Nana Patekar succeeds in playing a man affected by his son’s behavior but not showing the same through a mature and subtle performance. Siddharth Chandekar also suits the character of a badly behaved son. But he scores even higher when his character goes through a transformation. Sayali Sanjeev once again displays her talent while Makarand Anaspure lives up to the humorous expectations from him.

The film also boasts of some enchanting visuals of Hrishikesh and other scenic areas of north India through the lens of cinematographer Gulam Nabi.

Ola Aale, however, isn’t completely a smooth journey. The twist before the climax is surely surprising but also questionable. The film could have also ended much before its duration of 2 hours and 22 minutes. The idea surrounding the two goons and its mystery is too far-fetched. A simple film like this could have used a much simpler idea. Needless to say, this angle played a major role in increasing the film’s runtime.

Overall: Ole Aale is a pleasant and entertaining watch for the family audience.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Also read: Naal Bhaag 2 Review: Continues the heartwarming tradition

Dunki is this year’s Laal Singh Chaddha

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Rajkumar Hirani recently completed 20 years as a filmmaker as his debut Munna Bhai MBBS celebrated two decades. In all these years, he and Shah Rukh Khan came close to working together but things couldn’t go forward. So when the two heavyweights finally join hands through Dunki, your expectations rise, irrespective of the story, genre, etc.

As far as the story of Dunki is concerned, it starts in 1995 in a small fictitious village in Punjab named Laltu. Manu (Taapsee Pannu), Buggu (Vikram Kochhar), Balli (Anil Grover) and Sukhi (Vicky Kaushal) are living miserable lives. They feel the only way to better their existence is to migrate to England. However, they are unable to do so despite trying hard.

One fine day, a soldier Hardy (Shah Rukh Khan) arrives in Laltu to repay Manu’s family for the huge favour one of her family members did to him. When he realizes that Manu, Buggu, Balli and Sukhi are desperate to go to England, he vows to help them. After trying a lot, they realize that the only way through which they can enter England is through the donkey method, which is illegal immigration (called as Dunki in the movie).

Dunki appears like two different films in the two halves. The first half keeps you hooked throughout in a typical Hirani way – no time pass, only dialogues, regular conflicts and heartwarming moments. The humour over here is not as funny as one would expect but the proceedings are at least mildly entertaining. Before the movie, it was felt that it would be difficult to root for the characters in their illegal task. But after going through their respective situations, it doesn’t get difficult.

As said earlier, the second half is a different film about the struggles of the group of people to enter England. Till this point itself the movie had fallen short of expectations from a Hirani product. But from here onwards, it goes further downhill. The various events are not only unconvincing but also uninteresting. And by the time the film ends, it becomes worse. Also the whole idea of narrating the film in a flashback makes it predictable on a lot of occasions.

As you move out of the theatre, you are confused thinking why two greats like Hirani and SRK decided to join hands for something like this. More importantly, you also wonder what exactly is the point of telling this story in the first place, especially due to the climax.

The performances save Dunki to some extent. Shah Rukh Khan brings in the right energy needed for this character and carries the film on his shoulders. But the different tone through which he speaks throughout becomes too obvious and questionable, especially when his character grows old.

This is one of Taapee Pannu’s better acts. Vikram Kochhar and Anil Grover provide dedicated performances. A great talent like Vicky Kaushal is wasted in a cameo, although he does well. Deven Bhojani and Boman Irani are decent in other cameos.

The other saving grace is CK Muraleedharan, Manush Nandan and Kumar Pankaj’s camerawork and the visuals of different countries of the world. As far as the music is concerned, ‘Nikle The Kabhi Ghar Se’ is the only impressive track.

Overall, Dunki is this year’s Laal Singh Chaddha. Not in terms of the plot or the characters but because of the end result and a major story development in the climax, which is not possible to reveal to avoid giving out spoilers.

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

Animal, surprisingly, isn’t called out for its silliness    

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Very few films make the kind of noise Sandeep Redddy Vanga’s Animal is making right after its release. The movie, starring Ranbir Kapoor in the lead as Ranvijay Singh, is being called out for its severe violence and the promotion of misogyny. There have been countless articles and social media posts on the same and they just keep on increasing with every passing day.

(SPOILERS ahead)

After finally watching Animal today, I am not impressed. But my dislike for the film is more for other reasons. No doubt, I also felt that it promotes misogyny through its central character. He is someone who doesn’t treat his wife as equal in any away, though he makes it look as if he loves her. Worse, he sleeps with another woman secretly. Although he confesses about it, he has no remorse and, on top of that, tries to justify the same. His worst behavior pattern is the violence he metes out to his wife and he doesn’t feel guilty for that too.

I can somehow look at Ranvijay for being thoroughly mentally ill (although it’s too difficult) and the film as a case study of a person suffering from severe mental disorders and what happens when your family doesn’t take action when you start showing such signs so early in life.

Coming to the violence in Animal, I didn’t find it problematic as we have seen worse than this in Hindi web shows released in last three and a half years. Even a film like Rakht Charitra, which released 13 years ago, had almost the same level of violence and gore.

My major issue with Animal is its silly storyline and its narration. The most laughable aspect here is the complete lack of police or the presence of any sort of authority. Ranvijay announces on national television that he will behead the person who tried to kill his father but there is just no reaction to the threat. As a school kid, he brings a rifle in school and fires it in the class but doesn’t face any consequences, leave alone arrest.

Here comes the biggest one. Ranvijay gets hold of the huge machine gun that has gained popularity on social media in recent times. The number of gunshots fired in that scene is the same as one can see in a war between two countries. But despite the crazy amount of violence and the fact that Ranvijay killed over 100 people, he faces absolutely nothing and gets treated after being injured. Despite the fact that all those whom he killed were goons and criminals, one would expect him to fact at least something from the law.

This is not the only example though. There are various such moments in the film where you are astonished by the complete absence of law enforcement agencies in any way, even in foreign countries. One can somehow excuse these instances if the film is a madcap comedy or a mindless action thriller. But Animal definitely doesn’t fall in this category.

The movie also suffers from an abrupt narrative. The most important incident of Ranvijay’s father getting shot and the former returning to India happens so suddenly that it doesn’t impact you. One can understand that the aim here would have been to present the incident in an experimental or out-of-the-box style but it doesn’t work. The protagonist’s transformation from a young kid to a man possessed is also abrupt.

The worst of such incidents happens in the second half when one character is about to die and is in desperate need of a heart transplant. We are told that there is only 1% chance of that person getting a heart transplant done. But we, as an audience, don’t even realize when the transplant gets done and the character gets a new lease of life. Such an important incident is presented in a lazy manner.

Perhaps, the acting is the biggest plus point here, apart from the technical areas. If the writing would have risen to the same level, Animal would have been a different beast altogether (pun intended).

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

Jhimma 2 Review

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Filmmaker Hemant Dhome’s Jhimma (2021) told the story of a group of seven women – played by Sonalee Kulkarni, Suhas Joshi, Sayali Sanjeev, Kshitee Jog, Suchitra Bandekar, Nirmitee Sawant and Mrinmayee Godbole – going on a trip to London through a travel agency run by Kabir (Siddharth Chandekar).

The trip turns out to be a life-changing affair for them with each battling something or the other internally. As they break the shackles, rediscover and heal themselves, as an audience it moves and uplifts you. In terms of the writing and direction, Jhimma scored high despite being on the lengthier side.

The mere announcement of Jhimma 2 meant that the group of ladies would be embarking on another trip organized by Kabir and that’s exactly the case with the sequel. They yet again travel to Britain, but this time it’s the Lake District. Jhimma 2 doesn’t feature Sonalee Kulkarni and Mrinmayee Godbole. We see the inclusion of Rinku Rajguru and Shivani Surve to make it a total of seven.

It is difficult to explain the story of Jhimma 2 because it doesn’t have one. It simply carries on the formula about a group of women going on a foreign trip without their family. The premise and the characters were new in the first film. Hence, it turned out to be interesting to explore one character after another and their backstory. Jhimma 2 simply carries on to do the same, although this time the backstory is not given to all the characters. So, it just turns out to be a repeat exercise. For example, Nirmiti Sawant’s conversation with her politician husband had purpose in the first film. But here it’s just used as a filler. Even the humorous scenes given to her, and other characters, aren’t funny enough.

The narrative does include a few conflict elements but they are episodic and not interesting enough for you to develop concern. For example, the character of Shivani Surve is troubled but you don’t feel much for her because her issues are touched only on the surface. A serious incident during the interval point appears more forced than organic. It also defies logic.

Also Read: Naal Bhag 2 Review: Continues the heartwarming tradition

The strongest point about Jhimma 2 are the performances by all the eight actors. In fact, it is the acting that ensures that you don’t give up on the film, followed by the visuals of the picturesque locations. But you might wonder why the same group of friends visited England yet again. The answer lies in the word ‘subsidy’.

Rating: 2 out of 5

Director: Hemant Dhome

Producers: Chalachitra Mandalee, Jio Studious, Colour Yellow Productions and Crazy Few Films

Writers: Hemant Dhome and Iravati Karnik

Cast: Suhas Joshi, Sayali Sanjeev, Kshitee Jog, Suchitra Bandekar, Nirmitee Sawant, Rinku Rajguru, Shivani Surve and Siddharth Chandekar

Tiger 3 Review (without spoilers)

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Synopsis: After successfully serving his nation in a daring mission in Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), Avinash Singh Rathore aka Tiger (Salman) is living a simple life with his wife and ISI agent Zoya (Katrina Kaif) and son Junior (Sartaaj Kakkar). But as he is a RAW agent, he can’t enjoy peace for a long time. He is sent on a mission to rescue his fellow agent Gopi (Ranvir Shorey) from a foreign land. Although he rescues Gopi, the latter dies due to severe injuries. Just before dying, Gopi reveals that Pakistan is planning a deadly mission against India and Zoya is hand-in-gloves with them.

The mission is being planned by the ruthless Aatish (Emraan Hashmi). Tiger, who is already disturbed and confused about Zoya’s possible involvement in the evil mission, gets another jolt when Aatish kidnaps Junior and forces Tiger to do what he wants him to.

Review: After watching some high-octane action sequences from a series of films in the Yash Raj Spy Universe, one would keep the same expectations from Tiger 3 on this front. The film passes this test. In fact, the action in some places, mostly in Salman’s entry sequence, is even better and it makes for a thrilling experience, especially when seen in Imax (where this reviewer saw).

Tiger 3

Tiger 3 thoroughly rides on such impressive action throughout its duration of 130 minutes. Of course, like the previous films in this universe, one needs to keep logic and reasoning away to enjoy these moments, especially the old troupe of the good guys not stopping a bullet even when hundreds are showered on them through some deadly machine guns.

Apart from action, the film also shines in other technical areas like cinematography and background score. To see various foreign countries and their portrayal is another plus here.

While Tiger 3 is high on technical aspects, the same can’t be said about its content. The film has a complicated storyline (not all is covered in the aforementioned synopsis) which is narrated in a rather confusing way. On top of that, the stakes here aren’t as high as the previous films in this universe. In other words, the mission is such that one doesn’t feel the tension and worry that one did, especially in a film like Pathaan. This ensures that there are a lot of been-there-done-that moments. The film also leaves a major question unanswered related to the mission (which can’t be revealed to avoid spoilers).

Tiger 3 also lags behind when it comes to the villain. While Emraan Hashmi acts well, he is surely not menacing enough to create a fear in you. The same can be said about the other bad guys.

From Race 3 onwards, Salman Khan hasn’t been in good form. He has had issues with his performances and energy levels in his films of last few years. He is much better in this film, also because the role of Tiger suits him. His screen presence works wonders. One wouldn’t expect much from Katrina Kaif after seeing her, over the years. She scores high only on action sequences. Simran, the actress who played Pakistan’s Prime Minister, provides a mature act. Revathy is also likeable as the RAW chief.

Tiger 3 reaches its highest point during the cameos of Shah Rukh Khan as Pathaan and Hrithik Roshan as Kabir. The former has a longer screen time and his chemistry with Salman is once again exciting. The rest of the film, unfortunately, doesn’t reach this level.

Overall: Tiger 3 turns out to be a one-time watch action extravaganza. At the box office, it has enough masala to be a hit. But it needs to be seen if it turns out to be a blockbuster.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Director: Maneesh Sharma

Producers: Aditya Chopra for Yash Raj Films

Writers: Aditya Chopra (story), Shridhar Raghavan (screenplay) and Anckur Chaudhry (dialogues)

Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Emraan Hashmi, Revathy

Naal Bhag 2 Review: Continues the heartwarming tradition

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Cinematographer Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti’s directorial debut Naal (2018) turned out to be one of the finest Marathi films of this era. It is always tricky to create a sequel to a film that is so iconic. It wouldn’t be a smart idea to expect Naal Bhag 2 to be as great as the 2018 movie because such movies happen rarely. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t expect it to take you on yet another heartwarming and emotional ride.

Naal told the story of the kid Chaitu (Shrinivas Pokale), who stays with his aunt Sumi (Devika Daftardar) and uncle Shankar (Nagraj Popatrao Manjule), thinking them to be his real parents. The kid was adopted by the two due to certain circumstances. Chaitu, one day, gets to know about his real mother Parvati (Deepti Devi) and becomes eager to be with her. Circumstances bring Parvati to Chaitu’s house but she forcefully hides her emotions after seeing Chaitu and ignores him. The film ends with Chaitu making peace with his stepmother and stepfather. (Read the review of Naal HERE)

Naal Bhag 2 takes place a few years later when Chaitu and family visit his real parents’ Parvati and Ajinath (Jitendra Joshi) house for holidays and to tackle one issue. Chaitu meets Parvati’s children Chimi (Treesha Thosar) and her specially-abled brother Mani (Bhargav Jagtap), who are actually his real siblings. Chaitu gets bowled over by Chimi’s cuteness and is overjoyed to know that he has such an adorable sister. Chimi, however, doesn’t reciprocate his feelings as she is too close to Mani. It becomes a mission for Chaitu to win his little sister’s love.

Naal 2

Naal Bhag 2 gets you transformed into its world – the picturesque village filled with natural beauty. You are thoroughly reminded of Yakkanti the cinematographer along with the filmmaker. The content goes hand-in-hand with the location as the story moves organically like a gentle stream. You get instantly captivated by Chaitu’s struggle and start rooting for him. The makers are fortunate to have got the same kid for the sequel. He continues from where he left in the first film but gives a mature performance this time as a grown up Chaitu. He holds the film on his gentle shoulders, which was the need of the hour.

Along with Chaitu’s struggle, the movie also features the conflict between the grown up siblings as they are involved in a land dispute. The juxtaposition of these tracks speak a lot without speaking much and it culminates in a heartwarming way. But that’s not all as the final moment turns out to be applaud-worthy.

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

These points also overshadow some minuses. Elaborating on them, Chaitu’s fondness for his real mother is not seen much here. Although he has made peace with Sumi, there is hardly any notable reaction when he sees Parvati for the first time after years. The pace somewhere drops for some time in the second half and the film could have ended a little before 130 minutes. There is also a lot of repetition of information on the sub-plot about land dispute.

The film belongs as much to the little girl child actor Treesha Thosar as much as to Srinivas Pokale. She is adorable from the word go and plays a major role in you rooting for Chaitu. Bhargav Jagtap, in the highly challenging role of the specially-abled Mani, also puts his best foot forward. The grown up artistes – Deepti Devi, Nagraj Manjule, Jitendra Joshi, Devika Daftardar and others – are fully reliable.

Overall: Naal Bhag 2 is yet another heartwarming journey from Sudhar Reddy Yakkanti that deserves to be seen on the big screen.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti

Producers: Zee Studios and Aatpat

Writers: Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti (story and screenplay) and Nagraj Popatrao Manjule (dialogues)

Cast: Shrinivas Pokale, Treesha Thosar, Bhargav Jagtap, Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, Deepti Devi, Jitendra Joshi, Devika Daftardar

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

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Filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane’s Indi(r)a’s Emergency, as per its name, throws light at the period where India’s then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency in 1975, which led to the curtailment of basic rights of the citizens and utter chaos. While doing that, the movie, which is produced by Applause Entertainment, also succeeds in indirectly stating that the dark period is relevant even today.

Narrative:

Indi(r)a’s Emergency is a documentary which is not at all narrated like a documentary. The film is, in fact, is as gripping as a dramatic thriller. Instead of showing different individuals merely speaking on the screen on the subject, the film, for more than 95% of its time, uses visuals from plenty of archival footage along with an impactful narration by lyricist-cum-actor Swanand Kirkire. The script is not only crisp and to-the-point but also filled with powerful and witty dialogues.

The film narrates the story like any other fictitious drama. Although Indira Gandhi’s tenure as the PM starts in 1971, the movie begins from 1942 onwards when MK Gandhi’s Quit India Movement is in full flow. After building the back story, the screenplay gradually brings Indira Gandhi in the picture.

The film, basically, shows the rise, fall and the rise of Indira Gandhi as the country’s PM. The character arc of the protagonist is finely created and this is what largely makes Indi(r)a’s Emergency much more than a documentary. Without making any actor play the former PM, the film triumphs in building her character like any other powerful protagonist who gradually becomes obsessed with power. The makers have wonderfully used animation to depict incidents for which no footage is available, especially the courtroom scenes.  

Boldness:

The movie doesn’t hold back when it comes to portraying the horrors of Emergency and how the then establishment made it look like a successful exercise. Madhur Bhandarkar’s feature film on the same subject titled Indu Sarkar (2017) had succeeded in throwing light on the atrocities by the then government, which have been brushed under the carpet over the decades, but Indi(r)a’s Emergency goes beyond that despite being a documentary. The whole episode of the government machinery literally wiping out the entire Turkman Gate locality is the boldest part of the movie. Similarly, the exploration of the character of Indira’s son Sanjay Gandhi forms a major part of the film.

Relevance in today’s times:

A major reason why Indi(r)a’s Emergency appeals to this extent is because of its relevance in the contemporary times, although the makers never spell this out. A number of happenings and incidents one sees in the film reflect the current situation in the country. Labeling failures as masterstroke is something we have been witnessing in today’s times along with the curtailment of the free press and witch hunting of the opposition, although not officially like during the Emergency.

Interestingly, the movie also features video opinions of the common citizens who had become fans of the then regime and started believing that Emergency was a blessing. But what takes the cake is a naïve citizen powerfully proclaiming that as the Emergency has managed to do ‘so much good’ for the nation, it should be imposed even more. If this wasn’t enough, the movie ends with a powerful quote from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar – “Bhakti in religion may be a road to the salvation of the soul. But in politics, Bhakti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship.”

Overall:

Indi(r)a’s Emergency is neither for the fans of the previous or the current regime. It’s basically aimed at the citizens who are concerned for the nation and don’t want dark chapters of the history being repeated.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Indi(r)a’s Emergency was premiered at the MAMI Film Festival in Mumbai on October 28, 2023

When Australia DELIBERATELY batted slow in this WC match

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The 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup had a number of unforgettable moments, right from South Africa’s heartbreaking exit to India scoring a mammoth 373 against Sri Lanka to the one-sided final between Australia and Pakistan. But there was another significant on-field antic that has been forgotten over the years. This was in the league match between Australia and West Indies played at the Old Trafford, Manchester.

West Indies were put into bat by Australia. Their innings started on a disastrous note and continued the same till the end of their innings. They kept losing wickets and were 20/3 at one stage when Brian Lara departed for just 9. The Windies never recovered and were bowled out for a paltry 110. The dangerous Glenn McGrath was at his best as he had figures of 5 for 14 in 8.4 overs.

Wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs, who opened the innings, was the only West Indian to show any fight as he remained not out on 49. He became the first opener in World Cup history to carry his bat throughout the innings. Interestingly, the second highest contributor in the West Indian innings were the 22 extras.

In reply, Australia reached the target of 111 with just 4 wickets down. This sounds like a normal one-sided match but it wasn’t as simpler as it looked.

In the 1999 World Cup, the next stage after the league matches was the Super Six. The rules were such that if a team enters that stage and along with it the team they beat also makes it to that stage, the former will get extra points. In other words, if Team A beats Team B and they both enter the Super Six, Team A will automatically get extra points for having beaten Team B earlier. Similarly, Australia, which had to reach the target in 47.2 overs to qualify, had lost to New Zealand, so they didn’t want them to qualify. They wanted WI to qualify for the aforementioned reasons.

Once it was confirmed that Australia was going to win the match easily within the stipulated overs, this equation started playing in the batters Steve Waugh and Michael Bevan’s minds. Hence, they started batting as slowly as possible, so that the West Indies gets a better net run rate and would, hopefully, enter the Super Six. This would mean that Australia will get more points automatically in that stage.

The crowd at the Old Trafford, obviously, got bored and started raising slogans to see Waugh and Bevan batting at a snail’s pace. All of us, who were watching it on TV got bored too. I remember Phil Simmons bowling his gentle medium pace and the two batters blocking him as if they were facing a dangerous fast bowler in a test match. Australia eventually took as many as 40.4 overs to reach the target of just 111. Bevan remained not out on 20 off 69 balls and Waugh took 73 balls for his 19 not out! (See the whole scorecard HERE)

The Aussies faced flak from the media after that match. Matthew Engel of The Guardian wrote, “Some have thought the complexities of the qualification system unfathomable. Yesterday the Australians fathomed them, and the result was a dreadful and shameful game of cricket.”

But Australian tactics didn’t work as West Indies still didn’t qualify for the Super Six and New Zealand did. This didn’t affect Australia though. They went onto win the 1999 World Cup easily and everything about their match against the West Indies was forgotten.

The Australian batting brings back memories of the 1994 Wills World Series ODI between India and (again) West Indies in Kanpur when Manoj Prabhakar and Nayan Mongia didn’t even try chasing 63 in 54 balls. They kept blocking and eventually India lost! Of course, there is no similarity in the end result and what the two Indian batters did was more unfathomable than Waugh and Bevan’s actions. Prabhakar and Mongia were ultimately banned from playing any further matches in the series.

Also read: He was selected for ‘83 World Cup, but could play in ‘99