Category Archives: Bollywood

Raid 2 review: Sequel to an interesting crime drama is a one-time watch

Phule review: Pratik Gandhi excels in this decent period drama

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Ananth Narayan Mahadevan

Producers: Dancing Shiva Films and Kingsmen Productions

Writers: Ananth Narayan Mahadevan and Muazzam Beg

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

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

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

2 Replies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Karan Singh Tyagi

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

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

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

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

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

1 Reply

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Gopichand Malineni

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

Writers: Saurabh Gupta and Gopichand Malineni

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

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

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

1 Reply

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sikandar Review: Film about organ transplant needed script transplant

2 Replies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Director: AR Murugadoss

Producers: Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment and Salman Khan Films

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

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

Also read: The Diplomat Review: Realistic version of Gadar

The Diplomat review: Realistic version of Gadar

2 Replies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Shivam Nair

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

Writer: Ritesh Shah

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

Also read: Superboys Of Malegaon review: Heartwarming ode to cinema and friendship

Superboys Of Malegaon review: Heartwarming ode to cinema and friendship

2 Replies

Malegaon, a small little town in Maharashtra, has its own little film industry. It all began after the mid-1990s when local artistes over there started making parodies of iconic Hindi films. These films were made in minimal costs and with whatever resources available. Some examples of these include Malegaon Ke Sholay, Malegaon Ki Shaan, etc. Filmmaker Reema Kagti’s Superboys Of Malegaon is a fictionalized tale of Nasir Sheikh and his friends who started the crazy film industry in Malegaon.

Starting off in 1997, the film tells the story of Nasir (Adarsh Gourav), who runs a video parlour in Malegaon. He struggles to attract audiences as he screens international films. The parlour opposite to theirs is doing well as it screens mainstream Hindi films. Nasir, one fine day, learns the trick of editing and starts compiling action sequences from different films and releases them as a single film.

The trick works wonders but his joy is short lived as he gets accused of piracy by the police, who destroy his parlour. Nasir, then, thinks of a solution. He decides to make his own film, so that he can screen it in his parlour without bothering about piracy. Hence, it will be a film by Malegaon, for Malegaon. His friends Farogh (Viineet Kumar Siingh), Shafique (Shashank Arora), Akram (Anuj Singh Duhan) and others join him in his unique mission.

Superboys Of Malegaon throws special light on the making of Malegaon Ka Superman, one of the most celebrated films from Malegaon’s film industry.

Superboys Of Malegaon sucks you into its interesting and heartfelt world from the first scene itself. Those in love with the medium of cinema would be enchanted by the old world charm on display though the video parlours and old single-screen theatres with wooden chairs. In this way, is a triumph of production design by Sally White.

The film is top-notch in its content too. Varun Grover and Shoaib Nazeer’s writing and Reema Kagti’s presentation makes you root for these kids of Malegaon at the outset. The film, especially the first half, keeps reminding you of Paresh Mokashi’s classic Marathi film Harishchandrachi Factory (2010). This isn’t a minus point for Superboys Of Malegaon because it’s natural to think of the 2010 film as both the movies are about a group of individuals going through various challenges, including minimal resources, to make a film.

Like the Marathi film, Kagti’s movie is also filled with heartwarming and funny moments in the first half when the protagonists go through the process of making their own film.

But Superboys Of Malegaon goes further ahead and kind of surprises you with the conflict element and the turns in the second half. One is taken by surprise at the turn of events and, frankly, at one point, you wonder where the film is heading. But the final act turns out to be a masterstroke through the making of Malegaon Ka Superman. The event leading up to the making of the film and its screening moves and makes you smile no ends.

The movie wouldn’t have reached this level without such naturally fine performances of its ensemble cast. Adarsh Gourav’s character goes through the different stages of his life from 1997 to 2010. He gets it right during each stage and carries each emotion with perfection. Viineet Kumar Siingh once again proves why he is one of the most talented actors of today’s times. Shashank Arora gets sidelined initially but becomes the center of attraction later. He comes up with a phenomenal act.

Manjiri Pupala is an actress to watch out for due to her sheer talent and confidence. Muskkaam Jaferi also chips in with a fine act. The film has good supporting acts from the likes of Anuj Singh Duhan, Saqib Ayub, Riddhi Kumar and others.

Coming to the negative points, a major story development in the second half happens abruptly and it’s also treated in a casual manner. The pace drops for a few moments in the second half. Strangely, the characters don’t seem to age from 1997 to 2010.

Overall: Superboys Of Malegaon is a heartwarming ode to cinema and friendship.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Reema Kagti

Producers: Excel Entertainment, Tiger Baby and Amazon MGM Studios

Writers: Varun Grover and Shoaib Nazeer

Cast: Adarsh Gourav, Viineet Kumar Siingh, Shashank Arora, Manjiri Pupala

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

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

4 Replies

Kangana Ranaut’s directorial venture Emergency tells the story of India’s former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with the main focus being on the Emergency imposed by her from 1975 to 1977. In terms of visuals, the movie recreates the bygone era and various important historical events in a fine manner. Production designers Wasiq Khan and Rakesh Yadav deserve all the accolades for that.

The movie scores well in the performance area too. Kangana, by and large, succeeds in making her portrayal of Indira Gandhi believable. There are some inconsistencies in between but her emotional acts cover that up. The film has convincing acts from the likes of Anupam Kher and Shreyas Talpade too, who play Jayaprakash Narayan and Atal Bihari Vajpayee respectively.

Unfortunately, the visual appeal and performances don’t count for much because Emergency seriously lacks behind the most important aspect – storytelling. Right from the very start, the movie suffers from a haphazard narration and, sadly, continues this throughout its runtime. The events are presented one after the other without proper flow. The writers have just compiled them without any smooth narrative.

Strangely, even the all-important events leading up to the Emergency face the same issue. Hence, the film severely lacks the impact one would hope from such real and serious events. There is some respite later on in the second half when Gandhi goes through a whirlwind of emotions, but that is too late in the day.

While the non-happening events of the film were being played on screen, I could not help but continuously think at the back of my mind about filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane’s documentary on the Emergency titled Indi(r)a’s Emergency.

Despite it being a documentary, it’s more engaging, entertaining and thrilling than not only Kangana’s movie but most of the fictional mainstream films of today’s times. It is narrated not just through a fast-paced screenplay but also with a lot of intelligence. It gradually brings in the character of Indira Gandhi and her act of imposing the Emergency after a fine build-up of background events. The film uses archival footage and animation as tools of storytelling, which works effectively.

The biggest strong point of Indi(r)a’s Emergency is the witty and powerful dialogue. And this is delivered with finesse by lyricist cum actor Swanand Kirkire. What’s noteworthy is that although the film speaks about the bygone era of the Emergency, the dialogues are more relevant to the events taking place in the country currently. This relatability factor comes as a surprise and becomes the biggest takeaway from the film.

Some of us were fortunate to see Indi(r)a’s Emergency at MAMI Mumbai Film Festival in 2023. Unfortunately, there is no news about its release either in theatres or on any platform.

Elham review: Film about a boy’s attachment to a goat succeeds in moving you