Category Archives: Bollywood

Singham Again review: Time-pass family action film despite some hiccups

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Rohit Shetty’s cop sagas started with the brilliant Singham (2011). It was obvious for him to bring out a sequel to it. But Singham Returns (2014) turned out to be just an average fare. His latest and third outing in the series, Singham Again, is better than the 2014 film. Hence, it keeps alive his Cop Universe, which also contains the enjoyable Simmba (2018) and Sooryavanshi (2021).

In the pre-climax scene in Sooryvanshi, Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn) vows to finish off the terrorist Omar Hafiz (Jackie Shroff), who is hiding in Kashmir. As fate would have it, Singham soon gets posted in Kashmir and during the start of Singham Again, he captures Omar in an operation. Omar warns Singham that he will have to deal with a new evil force.

Meanwhile, Singham’s wife Avni (Kareena Kapoor Khan) is a part of India’s cultural ministry and is currently staging the Ram-Leela for nine days in a modern way for today’s youth. The new evil force mentioned by Omar is Danger Lanka (Arjun Kapoor), who has an eye on Avni. He carries out a mission to abduct her and takes her to Sri Lanka. There is nothing much known about Danger Lanka.

But this doesn’t soften up Singham as he promises to bring Avni back. He takes the help of IPS (Indian Police Service) officer Shakti Shetty (Deepika Padukone), ACP (Assistant Commissioner of Police) Satya (Tiger Shroff), Inspector Sangram Bhalerao aka Simmba (Ranveer Singh) and Anti-Terror squad officer Sooryavanshi (Akshay Kumar).

Singham Again Review

Singham Again doesn’t start on a promising note. The all-important entry of Singham is lukewarm. On top of that, we have already seen it twice in the trailer and the title song released before the film. But what puzzles you the most is the capturing of Omar Hafiz. It seems as if the terrorist gives himself away to Singham while the latter walks away with the credit and accolades. It is also easy to notice the body double of Shroff in that sequence where his character carries out bike stunts.

However, the film starts getting better once the abduction angle comes in and we are introduced to different characters. The entry of Tiger Shroff is the best of all because it happens when you least expect it. He has also performed better than his recent outings as he has underplayed himself.  

The story of Ramayana in the Ram Leela running parallel to Singham’s story is impressively done and plays a major role in you rooting for the good guys. The action and stunts, which are the vital elements in Shetty’s Cop Universe, succeed in providing the desired effect on the big screen. But the film also successfully keeps the humour quotient high, especially during a few meta references.

However, Singham Again ends just like a regular larger-than-life action film. Although there is a feel-good factor in the end, it lacks something special. After witnessing the finale of few other big scale action films of the recent past, you expect more, especially when an ensemble action cast has assembled.

Singham Again is also hampered by the decision of the makers to show way too much in its lengthy trailer, which kills the surprise factor. This had impacted Sooryavanshi too. It impacts this film even more.

Apart from the title track, there are no songs here. But the new title track isn’t as effective as the original one and you also miss its signature tune in the background score. Girish Kant and Raza Hussain Mehta’s camerawork fits the bill.

Coming to the rest of the cast, Ajay Devgn succeeds in commanding respect as a revered figure. Kareena Kapoor Khan provides a satisfactory act. Ranveer Singh appears over-the-top at the start but he makes up for it later on with a hilarious performance. Deepika Padukone, as Shakti Shetty aka Lady Singham, is decent. Akshay Kumar is likeable in a cameo.

But the surprise factor is Arjun Kapoor. He has reinvented himself as a ruthless villain. Jackie Shroff, as the other bad guy, fits his character well. Dayanand Shetty, in a cameo, continues doing what he had done in the TV show CID.

Overall: Despite some hiccups, Singham Again succeeds in being a time-pass family action entertainer for the festive season. The tiny cameo of Salman Khan in the end and the announcement of the next film in the franchise titled Chulbul Singham also helps its cause.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Rohit Shetty

Producers: Reliance Entertainment, Jio Studios, Rohit Shetty Picturez, Devgn Films and Cinergy

Writers: Kshitij Patwardhan, Yunus Sajawal, Sandeep Saket, Anusha Nandakumar, Abhijeet Khuman, Shantanu Srivastava, Rohit Shetty, Milap Zaveri and Vidhi Ghodgaonkar

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Arjun Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Jackie Shroff, Akshay Kumar

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

Stree 2 review: Niren Bhatt’s dialogues shine the most in this horror-comedy

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Filmmaker Amar Kaushik’s Stree was about the villagers of Chanderi fighting against a female evil spirit called Stree, who attacks and takes away the men residing in the village. After a lot of twists and turns, the men are freed in the end and Stree vanishes after her long braid is cut. But in the end, the viewers are given a hint that the mysterious girl with no name (Shraddha Kapoor) is a witch after she leaves the village.

The story of Stree 2 continues a few years later when Chanderi is a peaceful place. Vicky (Rajkummar Rao) and his best friend Bittu (Aparshakti Khurana) are leading a happy-go-lucky life, except that the former is still waiting for the girl with no name (Shraddha) as he loves her. Their buddy Jana (Abhishek Banerjee) is in Delhi studying to become an IAS officer.

However, the peaceful life of Chanderi gets disturbed after Bittu’s girlfriend Chitti (Anya Singh) goes missing, as opposed to men going missing in the first part. This time, a demon called Sarkata (a man without a head) is responsible for the mayhem. The villagers believe that Vicky will once again free them from the evil force. Vicky takes help from his usual friends Bittu and Rudra (Pankaj Tripathi). They call back Jana from Delhi.

The basic plot of Stree 2 is not only similar to Stree but also akin to a lot of stories about a monster creating havoc in people’s lives. Plus, what happens in the end is anybody’s guess. Hence, it is important in such films for the journey to the end to be funny and gripping. This happens in Stree 2 through its regular doses of humour.  

As far as the film’s making is concerned, the biggest star here is the writer Niren Bhatt. His dialogues are not only consistently hilarious but also worth remembering later. The meta references of the latest films and some happenings of the country are the icing on the cake. In fact, there is not much of a story development in the first half. But you will hardly notice that, thanks to Bhatt’s humour. Plus, director Amar Kaushik’s handling of the tale is also praiseworthy.

Stree 2 is technically more sound that the first film. Jishnu Bhattacharjee’s camerawork gets noticed regularly, especially in the horror sequences. Background scorer Justin Varghese doesn’t get carried away by the genre. Hemanti Sarkar’s sleek editing also falls in the positive. The VFX, a crucial part of such genre of films, is of a high standard.

The performances are also praiseworthy. Rajkummar Rao is in top form, especially during the comic sequences. The same can be said about Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana and Abhishek Banerjee. These four actors do complete justice to the dialogues during their conversations, which are aplenty. Shraddha Kapoor gets more scope later on and she plays her part well.

The surprise factor in the form of Akshay Kumar’s cameo works well. He is highly impactful. Varun Dhawan (from Bhediya) and Tamannaah Bhatia’s cameos fit in the narrative. But Atul Srivastava, Aakash Dabhade and Mushtaq Khan, who are carried forward from the first film, are hardly there.

Apart from the first half, the film also has a few more glitches. The horror sequences become repetitive as they are already done do death in a number of Hindi horror films. The film also needed to be shorter in duration considering its story material. This is also felt in the post-credit sequences, which are too lengthy.

Overall: Stree 2 is a worthy sequel and another positive addition to Maddock Films’ horror-comedy universe.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Amar Kaushik

Producers: Maddock Films and Jio Studios

Writer: Niren Bhatt

Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee

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

Kill review: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s action ride engagingly stays on track  

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Filmmaker Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s ambitious action saga Kill is a first not just because of the violence and gore it projects in Hindi cinema but also in terms of cinematic finesse. After going through this ‘ride’, one can vouch that the makers succeeded in their ‘mission’.

Kill revolves around the love story between the commando Amrit Rathod (Lakshya) and Tulika (Tanya Maniktala). The former returns from an army camp after days and gets to know that Tulika’s father Baldeo Singh Thakur (Harsh Chhaya) has planned her engagement with someone else and that too the very next day in Ranchi. Amrit takes his colleague and close friend Viresh (Abhishek Chauhan) to Ranchi.

Amrit gets to know that Tulika and her entire family is returning to Delhi the next day through a train. He and Viresh also get into the same train. Over there, Amrit gets an opportunity to propose marriage to Tulika, for which she happily agrees.

However, unknown to Amrit, Tulika and others, a group of dacoits headed by Fani (Raghav Juyal) and his family members attack the train and start looting the passengers of their valuables. Amrit and Viresh spring into action and this starts a ‘bloody’ battle between them.  

One has come across a large number of Hindi films where a single hero fights against a group of baddies in order to rescue innocents. But Kill stands apart from all those flicks simply by how it executes its goal.

The train compartments built for the shoot purpose are straight out of reality. On top of that, the film is full of fight sequences that take place in such a crammed space. But that space doesn’t act as a hindrance even once. The fight scenes are convincing and entertaining. Hence, the entire technical department deserves praise, especially the cinematographer Rafey Mahmood and Se-Yeong Oh and Parvez Shikh for the fights and stunts.

When it comes to the latter, Kill also goes several notches higher when it comes to violence and gore. One has seen such bloodbaths in the Hindi arena only in a few web series. Such a gore-fest is a first for a theatrical release. Perhaps, Ram Gopal Varma’s Rakht Charitra (2010) and Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal (2023) come mighty close.

Kill also nails it in the casting. Debutant Lakshya proves in his first outing that he is impressive in both emoting and action stunts. Raghav Juyal, who is seen as such a baddie for the first time, excels and entertains. Tanya Maniktala also rises to the occasion and gets to do more than just romance. Ashish Vidyarthi and Harsh Chhaya live up to their reputation of being seasoned performers. Abhishek Chauhan, in a supporting role, is also impressive.

Kill comes with its flipsides though. It is questionable to see one of the richest men in India Baldeo Singh Thakur making his entire and extended family travel in a train for long distance. Fani and his gang members, despite being professionals, don’t resort to guns and execute the whole mission through sharp objects. One can still ignore these aspects so that your overall experience isn’t ‘killed’.

But what hurts the film the most is a tragic incident that happens midway. It somewhere lessens you rooting for the good guys, especially the lovers. Plus, it is not shown to be as devastating as it should have been. This point also ‘kills’ the repeat value for Kill.

Overall: Kill takes the audience on a satisfying action ride without derailing.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat

Writers: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat (story, screenplay and dialogues)

Producers: Dharma Productions and Sikhya Entertainment

Cast: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Raghav Juyal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Vinod Rawat

Producers: Lotus Dust Pictures and VinRaw Films

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Siddharth P Malhotra

Producers: Aditya Chopra for Yash Raj Films

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 4 out of 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Also Read: Amaltash (Marathi movie) Review: Tenderly created saga on love, life & music

In an era of govt pleasers, Bhakshak comes as a beacon of hope

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Filmmaker Pulkit’s recent saga Bhakshak, starring Bhumi Pednekar in the lead, tells a fictitious tale inspired from horrific case of a girls’ shelter home in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. In 2018, it came to light that a number of orphan girls in a shelter home in the town run by an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) were subject to rape and sexual abuse. The perpetrators roamed free because of their political connections.

But the truth finally came out and after a long period of trial and the people alleged in the crime were punished. The Supreme Court reportedly criticized the then government of Bihar over the delay in filing the correct FIR (First Information Report) in the case.

Bhakshak, which is streaming on Netflix, is about an honest and upright journalist Vaishali Singh (Pednekar) who runs a small news channel called Koshish News, with the help from her only staff member Bhaskar Sinha (Sanjay Mishra) in Patna. She gets to know about the gruesome case of rape, molestation and murder of a number of orphaned girls in a shelter home in Munawwarpur (name changed) after a source hands over a copy of an audit report.

The report states that such heinous crimes are taking place in a shelter home for girls in Munawwarpur. The report is ignored by the authorities since the shelter home is run by Bansi Sahu (Aditya Srivastav), who has major connections among the political bigwigs in the state. How Vaishali and Bhaskar make efforts for the victims to be freed and given justice by facing various obstacles, including Vaishali’s own family, forms the rest of the story.

Bhakshak is a fine example of narrating a chilling tale in an honest manner. The narrative doesn’t give too much footage to the gruesome crimes but still establishes the wrongdoings and its perpetrators in a heart-wrenching manner. This and various other moments are an indication of mature filmmaking, barring few creative liberties here and there. Bhumi Pednekar, Sanjay Mishra and Aditya Srivastav’s brilliant performances also play a large role in creating an impact. You can’t help but feel for Bhumi’s character and you can’t stop hating Srivastav and his associates.

But Bhakshak is more special because it comes at a time when government propaganda films or movies where the government or the ruling party is pleased are seen regularly. It’s quite cringeworthy how artistes bow down to the political class either to be in their good books or because they share the same ideology or some other reason. The number of such films have increased in recent times, obviously because of the general elections nearing.

During such an era, Bhakshak comes across as a breath of fresh air or a beacon of hope when it comes to the conscience of the film industry. The movie takes a hard-hitting route and provides a no-holds-barred approach when it comes to portraying the criminals and those with criminal mindsets within the political class. The film’s bravery can be seen also from the fact that the makers have named the state of Bihar instead of creating a fictitious state in India, like quite a lot of films.

On the other hand, we have films that take the easiest way out where they pretend to tackle something of national or social importance but eventually and indirectly end up pleasing the government or its ideology. In some cases, however, they have even stopped pretending to be neutral.

Interestingly, this is the second film by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment that has dared to show the mirror to the perpetrators of heinous crimes by the powerful. Just a few months ago, the banner did the same with Jawan, which presented not just one but several humongous loopholes and injustice in our system.

Also read: Fighter Review: Regular cross-border action drama

Fighter Review: Regular cross-border action drama

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Filmmaker Siddharth Anand’s Fighter is touted to be India’s first aerial action film. It revolves around a group of Indian Air Force officers. The story starts off in 2019 when a combat unit Air Dragons is created in response to the increase in the illegal cross border operations by Pakistan. The unit consists of Squadron Leaders Shamsher Pathania aka Patty (Hrithik Roshan), Minal Rathore aka Minni (Deepika Padukone), Sartaj Gill (Karan Singh Grover), Basheer Khan (Akshay Oberoi) and Sukhi (Banveen Singh), a junior officer. The group is headed by Rakesh Jai Singh (Anil Kapoor).

The Air Dragons officers are asked to bond with each other. During this time, Patty and Minni get close. There are issues between Patty and Rakesh Jai Singh due to a disturbing past incident. Meanwhile, the officers are sent to Jammu for an operation. During this time, a suicide bomber kills a large number of CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) jawans in an attack in Pulwama.

The incident, obviously, enrages Patty and team. They decide to fight back and take revenge. Air Dragons succeed in their mission. However, the dreaded terrorist Azhar Akhtar (Rishabh Ravinder Sawhney) has more deadly plans up his sleeve against India.

A major highlight of Fighter is the aerial action scenes and there are plenty of them. Apart from keeping you thoroughly interested and, at times, at the edge of your seat (especially if you see the film in Imax, like I did), these scenes also boast of good VFX and camerawork. Of course, a good amount of creative liberty is taken since it’s a mainstream commercial film. The movie also deserves to be praised for the detailing it follows with respect to the professional lives of the air force pilots.

Fighter, however, at the heart of it is just like a regular cross-border action drama with loads of patriotism. Anyone following Hindi cinema for even around 25 years would have seen plenty of this in a number of yesteryear films. The movie has all the clichés one would expect from a film of this type, from half-baked, half-intelligent and immature Pakistani military officers to the heroic dialogue baazi between the good and the bad guys.  

The film also suffers from being lengthy. This is felt in the second half where, surprisingly, action and the subject of terrorism take a backseat and the narrative switches onto a number of emotional moments born out of the interpersonal relations between the characters. All those who saw the trailer and felt that this would be an out-and-out action thriller are bound to have an unpleasant surprise. Thankfully, the film makes up for this in the climax.

Vishal-Sheykhar’s music is decent. Apart from ‘Sher Khul Gaye’, the theme song ‘Vande Mataram’ is not only touching but it also adds to the emotions in a lot of situations. But by the time the film ends, one starts feeling that the track is overused.

Fighter is helped a lot by the performances. Hrithik Roshan fits the character of Patty to the T. He is impressive while portraying different shades of his character. And it’s difficult to believe that he is 50. Deepika Padukone is likeable and determined as Minni. Anil Kapoor commands respect, even with a single glance. Akshay Oberoi and Karan Singh Grover offer fine support. In the role of the mastermind terrorist, Rishabh Ravinder Sawhney is just average.

Overall: Despite the negatives, Fighter still turns out to be a one-time watch and for this, the revenge operation in the first half and, more importantly, the climax are largely responsible.

Rating: 3 out of 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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