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Sitaare Zameen Par review: Yet another entertaining and moving saga by Aamir Khan

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Since more than a decade, one has seen a large number of sports movies being made in mainstream Hindi cinema. So much so that it has now become exhausting. Filmmaker RS Prasanna and Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par, thankfully, doesn’t appear as just another sports film from the industry.

Sitaare Zameen Par is the official Hindi remake of the Spanish film Campeones (English title: Champions). The story is based in Delhi and it revolves around the assistant coach of Delhi’s basketball team, Gulshan Arora (Aamir Khan). He is an arrogant, brash and a hot-headed guy. His nature once gets him into trouble when he hits his senior coach Paswan (Deepraj Rana) in a fit of rage. Hence, he gets suspended from his job.

Gulshan is also having problems with his wife and former actress Suneeta (Genelia Deshmukh). Frustrated with his life, he gets heavily drunk and bangs his car with a police vehicle. He is arrested and brought in court. As he has had a clean record, the judge orders him to coach a basketball team consisting of players suffering from Down’s Syndrome and Autism. Gulshan doesn’t think much about the players and used words like ‘pagal’ for them. His first day with them turns out to be a nightmare.

Sitaare Zameen Par has a lovely first half with equal doses of funny and moving sequences. The portrayal of Gulshan’s character is a job well done. He is a bad mannered guy but the humour quotient in him will never let you hate him. In fact, he always makes you laugh.

Sitaare Zameen Par

Once, the basketball team members arrive on the scene, the film goes onto another level. They have been portrayed in a mature and intelligent manner. They either make you laugh or move you. The scene just before the interval point is the best moment of the film.  

The biggest challenge here was to transform the character of Gulshan. The film does this successfully by making it gradual.

However, the second half doesn’t match up to the goodness of the first half. Post-interval, the film doesn’t have much of a story to tell before the team heads to the last match. The scenes that fill the gap do entertain you but you expect more conflict and drama, which doesn’t happen. There is one conflict moment but it gets solved soon. The final moment of the match is thrilling but it’s right out of a sports film released pre-Pandemic. The visuals used are also exactly the same.

There is also a questionable aspect in terms of the tournament the Sitaare team plays. They enter the semi-finals by being the fourth team on the points table. This means that they would have lost at least 2-3 matches in the league stage but they are never shown losing a single match.

Thankfully, the ending moments make up for the minuses to some extent and you leave the cinema hall with a good amount of satisfaction.

As far as Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music is concerned, it doesn’t feature a single impressive song. This is quite needed in a film of this nature. The film is fine in terms of the technicalities.

Despite Sitaare Zameen Par being a film about a sports tournament, Aamir’s personal story takes the front seat. The actor makes the character of Gulshan Arora believable and, more importantly, goes through the transformation convincingly. But during some close up shots, he appears to be trying hard and ends up reminding you of his character in PK (2014). Genelia Deshmukh gets scope later on and she makes good use of the opportunity.

Gurpal Singh, as Kartar Singh who looks after the team, provides a lovely performance. He matches up to Aamir during their confrontational scenes. Dolly Ahluwalia Tewari, as Aamir’s mother, is hilarious. Brijendra Kala once again scores. His characterization itself will make you laugh. Aamir’s sister Nikhat Khan Hegde is likeable in a cameo.

The actors who are part of team Sitaare provide applaud-worthy acts. These include, Ashish Pendse (Sunil), Simran Mangeshkar (Golu Khan), Aayush Bhansali (Lotus), Naman Misra (Hargovind), Gopikrishnan K Verma (Guddu), Rishi Shahani (Sharma ji), Aroush Datta (Satbir), Rishabh Jain (Raju), Samvit Desai (Kareem Qureshi) and Vedant Sharma (Bantu).

Overall: Sitaare Zameen Par might not be one of Aamir Khan’s best movies. But it certainly moves you and gives a message about the acceptance of specially abled children in a profound manner.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: RS Prasanna

Producers: Aamir Khan Productions

Writers: Divy Nidhi Sharma (adapted screenplay and dialogues)

Cast: Aamir Khan, Genelia Deshmukh, Gurpal Singh, Ashish Pendse, Simran Mangeshkar, Aayush Bhansali, Naman Misra, Gopikrishnan K Verma, Rishi Shahani, Aroush Datta, Rishabh Jain, Samvit Desai, Vedant Sharma, Dolly Ahluwalia Tewari, Brijendra Kala

Also Read: Criminal Justice (Season 4): A Family Matter review: Interesting murder mystery plus courtroom drama

This blog is one of the Top 30 Indian movie blogs in the world as per FeedSpot. See the full list here – https://bloggers.feedspot.com/indian_movie_blogs/

Sitaare Zameen Par Box Office Prediction: Will Aamir Khan avoid a hattrick of flops?

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Aamir Khan is making a comeback to the big screen with director RS Prasanna’s Sitaare Zameen Par, which is a spiritual sequel to his iconic 2007 hit Taare Zameen Par. The film is very vital for him as his last two outings Thugs Of Hindostan (2018) and Laal Singh Chaddha (2022) didn’t succeed at the box office. He would be hoping to avoid a hattrick of flops. The film stars Genelia Deshmukh as Aamir’s wife.

Trailer and Promotional Material Reception: The trailer of Sitaare Zameen Par has met with a positive response. The idea of a flawed man being ordered to coach a team of 10 players suffering from Down’s Syndrome seems to have touched the audience. At the same time, the trailer is full of funny moments, which is a major plus point. The songs haven’t had the same effect but the response to the trailer has made up for it.

Sitaare Zameen Par poster

Buzz: Going by the promotional material, the buzz for Sitaare Zameen Par is quite high. There has been a positive word-of-mouth for the same. Plus, Aamir’s creative promotional tactics too have kept the film and him in the news. But as the film doesn’t fall in an out-and-out commercial zone, the buzz hasn’t hit the roof.

Box Office Prediction: The positive buzz will ensure that Sitaare Zameen Par will have a good opening. However, the film is not a masala entertainer. It’s sensible and caters more to the thinking audience. In other words, it doesn’t have a mass appeal that the desi audience from the heartland always looks for in the film. It suits more for the multiplex audience.

Hence, the opening for Sitaare Zameen Par will be somewhere in the range of Rs. 15 to 20 crores. There are still four days to go for the release of the film on June 20. If the buzz skyrockets by then, it can go beyond. But more importantly, it’s purely a content driven film and a lot will depend on its final product. If the film’s content receives thumbs up from the audience, it will perform very well in the rest of the weekend and the period thereafter.

But even if that happens, one can’t expect the film to end on Rs. 300 to 400 crores, like Aamir’s other successful films in the last decade and a half, purely because of its genre.

Also Read: Criminal Justice (Season 4): A Family Matter review: Interesting murder mystery plus courtroom drama

This blog is one of the Top 30 Indian movie blogs in the world as per FeedSpot. See the full list here – https://bloggers.feedspot.com/indian_movie_blogs/

Housefull 5 Review: The film falls in the same league as Sikandar

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Producer Sajid Nadiadwala’s Housefull series is going a step lower with each film. The first two films were quite good. The third one was average but watchable while the fourth one turned out to be bad and offensive. However, if you felt the franchise couldn’t stoop any lower, the makers throw in a rude surprise in the form of Housefull 5.

This one is not just the worst film of the franchise but also one of the most ridiculous films of the decade. So much so that it falls into the same league as the producer’s last film Sikandar.

Housefull 5 takes place entirely on a cruise in the UK. The seventh richest person of the country Ranjeet Dobriyal (Ranjeet) has thrown a party on the cruise to celebrate his 100th birthday. His staff includes the board of directors of his company, Maya (Chitrangda Singh), Bedi (Dino Morea) and Shiraz (Shreyas Talpade), along with cruise officer Batuk Patel (Johnny Lever) and Aakhri Pasta (Chunky Pandey). Dev, Ranjeet’s son from his second wife, is also present on the cruise.

However, just before the birthday party, Ranjeet passes away. As per his will, his 69-million-dollar fortune is to be handed over to his son from his previous marriage called Jolly. The next day three people – Jalabuddin (Riteish Deshmukh), Jalbhushan (Abhishek A Bachchan) and Julius (Akshay Kumar) – arrive at the cruise with their respective partners claiming to be Jolly. Just then, a murder takes place and the suspicion falls on one of the three Jollys.

Housefull 5 still

Housefull 5 has an interesting premise of a murder mystery where it is believed that one of the three people claiming to be Ranjeet’s son is the culprit. But the story is narrated in a way that makes you give cringe reactions throughout its huge duration of 165 minutes.

The film touted to be a ‘family comedy’ has cheap and crass situations and dialogues thrown in as humour on a regular basis. The whole parrot sequence is enough to put you off. But even if you somehow keep that incident aside (which is difficult), the narrative still doesn’t stop at regularly coming up with some of the most juvenile ways to make the you laugh.

Housefull 5 also has a murder investigation angle. Even by the standards of mainstream Hindi cinema’s most mindless films, it is shocking to see the absolute absurdity of it.

The music is as absurd as the content with ‘Laal Pari’ adding onto the irritation. The technical aspects like cinematography and editing are difficult to describe when your entire concern is to survive through the film.  

A few performances are the only plus points (just about). Akshay Kumar once again succeeds in a comic role. Jackie Shroff and Sanjay Dutt display good chemistry. Nana Patekar also chips in with a mature act (but you wonder what is he doing here). The rest of the actors, which are plenty, are nothing worth mentioning. The female cast is only used for objectification.

The makers have released two versions of the film with two different killers and named them Housefull 5A and Housefull 5B (I saw the former). But frankly, even before the interval, I lost all interest in knowing the identity of the culprit. So, there is no question of me watching the other version to know who the other killer is because that would result in my murder and there will be no mystery around it.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Director: Tarun Mansukhani

Producers: Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment

Writers: Sajid Nadiadwala, Tarun Mansukhani and Farhad Samji

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Fardeen Khan, Chitrangda Singh, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonam Bajwa, Nargis Fakhri, Jackie Shroff, Sanjay Dutt, Johnny Lever

Also Read: Criminal Justice (Season 4): A Family Matter review: Interesting murder mystery plus courtroom drama

This blog is one of the Top 30 Indian movie blogs in the world as per FeedSpot. See the full list here – https://bloggers.feedspot.com/indian_movie_blogs/

Housefull 5 Box Office Prediction

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Filmmaker Tushar Hiranandani’s multi-starrer comic caper Housefull 5 is all set to release in theatres on June 6. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala’s Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, the movie stars Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Jacqueliene Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri, Sonam Bajwa, Nana Patekar, Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff and many others. The film is expected to be the first big box office grosser of the year.

Housefull 5 is a franchise film, which is an advantage. This also makes it a brand name. That will work in favour of the film. Plus, all four previous movies in the franchise have been successful.

Trailer Reception: The trailer of Housefull 5 has spread far and wide. It is full of entertaining moments for the masses. The makers have given more than a hint that this one will have something happening all the time. But at the same time, a section of the audience hasn’t liked it. The adult aspects about wife-swapping and some sexual humour might not go well with the family audience.

Buzz: Going by the trailer reception, the buzz for Housefull 5 is strong. Despite the fact that the promo hasn’t received unanimously positive response, the fact remains that the film has been noticed clearly. What has also added onto the buzz is the out-of-the-box strategy of having two different climaxes with two different killers. Plus, the film with one version will be released in some theatres while other cinema halls will see a different version. This is something never heard before in any cinema.

Box Office Prediction: Going by all these factors, Housefull 5’s opening number at the box office will be around Rs. 20 crores. The first weekend will be healthy for the film. If the content gets a positive or even a decent response, its lifetime box office collections will be around Rs. 200 crores to 250 crores. If the response is bad, it might wind up around Rs. 150 crores or below.

Also Read: Criminal Justice (Season 4): A Family Matter review: Interesting murder mystery plus courtroom drama

This blog is one of the Top 30 Indian movie blogs in the world as per FeedSpot. See the full list here – https://bloggers.feedspot.com/indian_movie_blogs/

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

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The bug of sequels hit mainstream Hindi cinema over a decade ago and it has remained till now and there is no reason why it would disappear in the near future. The latest to join the bandwagon is filmmaker Raj Kumar Gupta’s Raid 2, a sequel to its interesting and well-made Raid (2018). Although there has been a long list of sequels, most of them have not been able to justify their existence. Raid 2, thankfully, isn’t one of them.

The corrupt minister Rameshwar Singh aka Tauji (Saurabh Shukla) is sentenced to jail after being exposed of corruption by the honest Income Tax Commissioner Amay Patnaik (Ajay Devgn) at the end of the first film. Raid 2 starts seven years later in 1989. By this time, Patnaik has faced numerous transfers for troubling the powerful. He is now posted in a town in Rajasthan where he exposes the royal Raja Kunwar (Govind Namdeo).

This ensures that Patnaik gets transferred to a city called Bhoj. But this time, the reason for his transfer is also asking for a bribe of Rs. 2 crores. Once, he lands in the new place with his family, he realizes that the local politician Manohar Dhankar aka Dada Bhai (Riteish Deshmukh) is ruling Bhoj and the masses over there literally worship him for the kind deeds he does for the poor and needy. Dada Bhai, on the other hand, worships his mother (Supriya Pathak Kapur), who also loves him no ends.

But after doing his own investigation, Patnaik realizes that Dada Bhai is only pretending to be a messiah of the masses and is, in fact, thoroughly corrupt. Patnaik gets proof of this and gets his senior (Rajat Kapoor) to issue a search warrant against Dada Bhai. However, once Patnaik and his team reach Dada Bhai’s residence and other properties, they don’t find any illegal money or wealth. What will he do now?  

What works the most in the favour of Raid 2 is that, although this film is also about an honest IT Commissioner wanting to expose a corrupt figure, the story is much different from the first part. The character of Dada Bhai and the scenario of his kingdom and his deep love for his mother makes for an interesting villain and premise. The screenplay also ensures no dull moment as it keeps you gripped, except during one song.

Ritesh Deshmukh’s casting also plays an important role and so does his performance. He makes a complex character of Dada Bhai alive and provides one of his finest acts. Ajay Devgn is the backbone of the film as the protagonist. He continues from where he left in the first film and is always on point. His act is especially noteworthy when things aren’t going his way.

Amit Sial is a surprise package. This actor has been giving quality acts in web shows for years. It is heartening to see him score very high in a theatrical venture. Supriya Pathak Kapur gives a moving act as the villain’s mother. Shruti Pandey is another talent to watch out for as Patnaik’s subordinate. Rajat Kapoor is, as always, reliable. Saurabh Shukla and Govind Namdeo score as antagonists. Yashpal Sharma and Brijendra Kala are memorable despite limited screen time. Vaani Kapoor doesn’t have much to do.

But Raid 2 doesn’t rise as much as Raid. The predecessor had a number of thrilling and exciting moments. The second part is not devoid of interesting incidents but it doesn’t provide the kind of kick one expects after watching the first film. Also, this being a sequel of a film where the hero wins, the proceedings in the end don’t take you by surprise. Plus, the angle of Patnaik asking for a bribe leaves behind questions unanswered.

Overall: Raid 2 is a one-time watch anti-corruption saga with fine performances. At the box office, the film will score well till Sunday, after which it will mostly face some struggle.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Raj Kumar Gupta

Producers: T Series and Panorama Studios

Writers: Ritesh Shah, Raj Kumar Gupta, Jaideep Yadav and Karan Vyas

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Vaani Kapoor, Supriya Pathak Kapur, Amit Sial, Rajat Kapoor

Also read: Phule review: Pratik Gandhi excels in this decent period drama

Phule review: Pratik Gandhi excels in this decent period drama

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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   

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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

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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

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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.

Fawad Khan and Mawra Hocane

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

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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 movie Salman Khan

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