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The Vaccine War review

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Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s The Vaccine War starts off just before the COVID-19 pandemic hits the world, starting in China. The movie is largely about a group of scientists at the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research), led by Dr. Balram Bhargava (Nana Patekar) and aided by a group of scientists and doctors (Pallavi Joshi, Sapthami Gowda, Nivedita Bhattacharya and Girika Oak) and others.

The main aim of the movie is to pay tribute to all the scientists, doctors and medical staff who sacrificed a part of themselves to ensure that India makes its own COVID-19 vaccine. The Vaccine War achieves this motto. The film has various moments when the we feel dearly for the scientists or soldiers, as they are called in the film, for their painstaking effort.

The Vaccine War

The performances of the actors also play a large role in achieving this. Nana Patekar is brilliant as a genius yet emotionally cold head of ICMR. Despite the serious nature of the character, there are little nuances that trigger’s laughter, all because of Patekar’s skill. The rest of the aforementioned actors too rise to the occasion.

The team of professionals had enough going in their professional and personal lives for a film to have conflict elements. However, as was the case with Agnihotri’s previous two films, he creates more conflict just to showcase his own personal political agenda and please the supporters of the ruling party.

To achieve this, The Vaccine War creates a cardboard villain in the form of a journalist Rohini Singh Dhulia (Raima Sen). She is vehemently anti-India, who just wants the vaccine to fail. But the film doesn’t stop at this. She is also shown as someone who is working on behalf of foreign interest against India. Her work involves following a ‘toolkit,’ a term very famous among the Right Wingers. To say that the film uses a poorly created character to achieve its political aim would be an understatement.

There is another moment in the film where a large group of journalists in a press conference are also shown to be anti-India. Disclosing the culmination of that scene would lead to spoilers but it leads to an unintentionally hilarious moment. By the time the film ends, it gradually becomes a cinematic version of a government press release.

Overall: The Vaccine War’s tribute to the medical faculty of India gets overshadowed by its political motive.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

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

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

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

(SPOILERS begin)

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

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

Jawan Shah Rukh Khan

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

(SPOILERS end)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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

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

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

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

Ayushmann Khurrana in Dream Girl 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Director: Raaj Shaandilyaa

Producers: Balaji Motion Pictures

Writers: Raaj Shaandilyaa and Naresh Kathooria

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Anil Sharma

Producers: Zee Studios and Anil Sharma Productions

Writer: Shaktimaan

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

Also read: When SRK did a Panchayat 33 years ago

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

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

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

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

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani

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

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

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

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

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

Hence, I feel he deserves to be appreciated.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kennedy movie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Anurag Kashyap

Producers: Good Bad Films and Zee Studios

Writer: Anurag Kashyap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Article continued after the trailer)

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

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

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

Also read: When SRK did a panchayat 33 years ago

Happy Birthday (Short Film) review: Anupam Kher starrer gradually shakes you up

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The title Happy Birthday appears pleasant. But filmmaker Prasad Kadam’s short film, which is named the same, is anything but pleasant and I am saying this in a good way.

Happy Birthday tells the story of Rattoo Oshidaar (Anupam Kher), a religious aged Parsi gentleman who stays alone in Mumbai. He is a medium who helps people interact with their loved ones who are no more. A lady Beth Rose (Aahana Kumra) once visits him as she wants to ask some questions to his late son.

Beth carries the guilt of her son’s death and that has made life miserable for her. What happens after Rattoo Oshidaar takes up the task of contacting her dead son forms the rest of the story.

The biggest plus about Happy Birthday, which is written by Mehak Mirza Prabhu, is that the film keeps changing its mood every now and then and that too in a span of just 18 minutes. And it does that effortlessly and convincingly through the contribution of various departments. For example, at the start you get a feeling that the film is about a helpless old man but the inclusion of the supernatural element brings about a gradual change in your feeling.

But what really takes the cake is the climax for which you are not prepared. Without giving away any spoilers or hinting about them, the finale not only shakes you up but also ensures that you keep thinking about that moment and keep asking various questions. The film doesn’t provide its own interpretation and lets you interpret the back story and the intention of one character.

While the film scores high in the final moments, one also feels that there was a bit more to it or there should have been an announcement about a sequel. Surely, this story has the potential of giving you much more.

Also read: When SRK did a panchayat 33 years ago

The effect of the entire film depended on the performance of Anupam Kher. If he would have faltered even a little, the impact would have been reduced. But he doesn’t as he brings his vast experience at play while playing a difficult character. Aahana Kumra too is reliable in a challenging role. She too contributes in generating the final effect.

Overall: Happy Birthday is an enjoyable short film with a shocking climax.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Prasad Kadam

Writer: Mehak Mirza Prabhu

Cast: Anupam Kher and Aahana Kumra

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Sirf Ek Bandaa reminds us why there should be NO censorship on OTT

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Filmmaker Apoorv Singh Karki’s Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai seems inspired from the real life case of self-proclaimed Godman Asaram, who got convicted for rape and is currently in prison for the same. The film stars Manoj Bajpayee as lawyer PC Solanki, who fights the case on behalf of the victim.

The movie succeeds in exposing a self-proclaimed Godman Babaji (Surya Mohan Kulshrestha). It sends out a strong message on how dangerous it can be to blindly worship demons disguised as Godmen. The film has taken creative liberties as a lot happens conveniently for the protagonist. But you don’t mind this much because of the larger impact it creates. The monologue by Manoj Bajpayee, who gives one of his career best performances, helps the cause tremendously for the overwhelming effect it produces.

But this write-up is not just about how good Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai is.

The film reminds us the high importance of the OTT (over the top) medium and why it is the only source to watch the kind of content presented by Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai. In other words, this movie is a reminder on why it is absolutely necessary for any kind of censorship to be miles away from the OTT medium.

Manoj Bajpayee in Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai

Before the release of Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, the organization founded by Asaram had sent a legal notice to the makers of the film since the character of the villain Babaji appears similar to Asaram. The organization alleged that the movie might tarnish his “character, reputation and standing” in the society (Imagine a convicted rapist worried about his character and reputation being tarnished).

When a film releasing online can create such ripples, one can image the situation if the same movie would have released in theatres. Asaram still has a large number of followers who still believe that he is innocent.

Having said this, it is also doubtful if Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai would have released in theatres as it is. It seems that certain portions of the film could have faced objection, especially the usage of the word ‘Sanatan’ in a couple of places. The same word would have triggered some ‘religious’ organizations of the country as well.

But that’s not all. The film has supporting characters like a real-life celebrity lawyer Ram Chandwani and politicians Venkateshwara Swamy and Bashir, who clearly appear to be inspired from three real-life personalities. The supporters of the two political leaders and their respective parties would have at least filed cases against the film.

Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai has been able to steer clear of all these difficulties simply because it is an OTT movie. The web is the only medium where the audience can see such a film as it is.

Hence, the film is a reminder why there should be no censorship on OTT.

The debate about censorship on OTT has been making rounds in recent times. While some prominent figures from the film industry are opposed to it, there are others who feel otherwise. The people from the latter category have these views because of the adult content in terms of cuss words, violence and sex scenes in OTT content.

But we should remember that if censorship is allowed on OTT, it won’t be limited to cuss words, violence and sex scenes. Any movie or show with a theme that they feel is controversial will become the victim.

A film like Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai mostly probably would.