The Kerala Story is hardly convincing but that’s not its biggest issue

May 10, 2023 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

Filmmaker Sudipto Sen’s The Kerala Story, which is produced and creatively directed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, tells the story of three young girls Shalini Unnikrishnan (Adah Sharma), Nimah (Yogita Bihani) and Geetanjali (Siddhi Idnani) from Kerala. They form an instant connection after becoming roommates at a nursing institute they join in the same state.

They also have a fourth roommate Asifa (Sonia Balani), who has evil intentions. She tries brainwashing the other three girls in order to get them converted to Islam. Except Nimah, the other two girls fall in the trap. Shalini and Geetanjali also start dating two Muslim guys Rameez (Pranay Pachauri) and Abdul (Pranav Mishra), who also are a part of the same evil mission as Asifa. Shalini, who becomes Fatima after conversion, also gets pregnant with Rameez’s child. She has no idea that her life is all set to get worse at an ISIS terror camp.

The biggest mission for the creative minds behind The Kerala Story was to establish Shalini and Geetanjali’s brainwashing and the subsequent conversion. However, they don’t succeed in this vital aspect and this becomes the film’s biggest minus point. The two girls quite easily start wearing hijab and following the path of Islam. Later, one important character returns to the original faith, which also appears sudden. One can argue that this is a real story, which nobody is denying. But when you make a feature film even on a real story, making the core story believable is the basic criteria.

This ensures that you don’t feel much for the girls even when they are facing severe atrocities. The other issue about the narrative is that by the time the second half arrives, the viewer already knows what has happened with Shalini. The screenplay doesn’t use the flashback style of narration smartly. On top of that, the portrayal of the terrorists, both in India and in the ISIS camp, is far from convincing. They instantly remind you of those one-dimensional terrorist characters from the patriotic action films of the early to mid-2000s.

The creative issues, however, aren’t the biggest problem with The Kerala Story. What is more alarming is the intention of the makers. It’s impossible to not think about this aspect when the makers make it loud and clear whom they are trying to please and who is helping them in their mission.

When the trailer of The Kerala Story was out, the film’s description on YouTube said that this is a story of 32000 girls. But when questions were raised and they were asked to prove their claim, they quietly replaced 32000 with just 3 (see the screenshot below). When AltNews asked director Sudipto Sen about the claim, he couldn’t give a convincing answer (read the article HERE).

The bigger worry with The Kerala Story is that they are largely helped by people of one political party in gaining viewers. One can find various examples of its leaders bulk booking the tickets and distributing them for free to the people. A Facebook post by Darshan Mondkar has quite a few examples (see it HERE).

Hence, The Kerala Story can’t be dismissed as just a movie. It’s a plan to spread a worrying ideology before important elections, which includes vilifying people of one community.

Also read: When SRK did a panchayat 33 years ago

Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan review: Almost a biopic of Bhai marred by the fictional part

April 21, 2023 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

There are films that don’t live up to the goodness of its trailer. There are very few that go beyond the promo. But there are also films that perfectly match the trailer. Farhad Samji’s Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan is that film. However, this isn’t a plus point because we all saw how the trailer was.

Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan is almost like a real-life story of its leading man Salman Khan. He is called Bhaijaan. He has younger brothers who love and respect him a lot and vice versa. His age is advanced but he isn’t married yet. He is known as a messiah for those who need any kind of help but he doesn’t show off his good and noble deeds. The film also has a reference of Maine Pyar Kiya and its year 1989.

If you think this isn’t interesting, let me tell you that this is the best part of the film. The fictional tale about Bhaijaan’s girlfriend Bhagyalaxmi aka Bhagya (Pooja Hegde), her family (led by her big brother played by Venkatesh Daggubati) and the two villains pull the film further down.

The background and characterization of those two baddies is lame to say the least. They are just shown as evil characters who want to finish off Bhagya’s family and later Bhaijaan too since the latter becomes their savior. Well, it’s a different matter that they get plenty of opportunities to succeed in their mission but they don’t because, come on, this is a Bhai film where Bhai has to win in the end.

The whole narrative of Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan has one dry pattern that plays on throughout the film – The good guys are shown having a good time but they are attacked by the baddies but Bhaijaan saves them. This sequence is played throughout the film’s runtime of 144 minutes. This is what is served as a screenplay in a film of such high budget and one of the biggest stars of the country.

Just like some part of the basic tale, Salman’s performance is also right out of real life. He speaks in the same way as he does in his interviews. And as we noticed in his previous films like Race 3 and Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai, there is lack of energy and enthusiasm, especially during the dance and fight sequences. But to be fair to him, the execution of the fight scenes too is ordinary.

Also read: Bheed highlights a pandemic MORE dangerous than COVID-19

Pooja Hegde and Venkatesh Dagubatti aren’t great but much better than him. As explained above, the two villains, played by Vijender Singh and Jagapati Babu, fall flat. One really wonders why Vijender Singh, the country’s sports champion, agreed to be a part of this and play a character that’s more like a caricature.

The best performer of the film is easily Rohini Hattangadi. The rest of the many supporting actors are just present.

Overall: Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan turns out to be exactly what one expected after watching its trailer.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Director: Farhad Samji

Producer: Salman Khan Films

Writers: Farhad Samji, Sparsh Khetarpal and Tasha Bhambra

Cast: Salman Khan, Pooja Hegde, Venkatesh Daggubati, Rohini Hattangadi, Raghav Juyal, Jassie Gill, Siddharth Nigam, Shehnaaz Gill, Palak Tiwari, Vinali Bhatnagar, Bhumika Chawla

Bheed highlights a pandemic MORE dangerous than COVID-19

March 25, 2023 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Anubhav Sinha’s Bheed, which mainly stars Rajkummar Rao, Bhumi Pednekar, Pankaj Kapur and Ashutosh Rana, looks back at the period when the COVID-19 pandemic commenced in India and how the lockdown imposed to curb the same turned out to be a nightmare for the migrant workers.

Bheed recreates the horror faced by the people belonging to the lower strata of the society, while a large number of population was complaining despite being safely inside their homes.

But along with this core issue, the film also features another pandemic that has erupted in India in recent years – the pandemic of communalism.

A religious congregation called Tablighi Jamaat took place in early March 2020 and this turned out to be a super-spreader event as it gave rise to 4000 confirmed cases. The event was attended by 9000 people belonging to the Islamic religion. There is no doubt that this event increased the number of COVID-19 cases in India.

But unfortunately, a section of the media media and the general population latched onto this opportunity to paint the entire Muslim community responsible for spreading Coronavirus in India, just because 9000 of them attended an event. This has become a fad in recent years.

Some of my relatives also jumped at the opportunity to spread memes and posts blaming all Muslims for being super-spreaders. This didn’t come as a surprise though. However, I was taken aback when a couple of close friends and a lady who happens to be the wife of a highly respected actor also openly blamed Muslims for the fast spread of COVID-19 in India. Needless to say, this was enough for my respect to diminish for them.

Interestingly, the tables turned in around May 2021. When the country was reeling under the second COVID-19 wave with thousands of new cases being reported daily, a huge number of pilgrims actively took part in the Kumbh Mela for several days without giving a damn to COVID-19 norms. The videos showed scary visuals of thousands of people stuck together without masks and a care in the world.

This is not all. The election rallies for the Bengal election saw some of the country’s famous leaders take rallies with thousands of people without masks or even a hint of distancing. On top of that, one leader even expressed his happiness at seeing such a huge crowd.. at a time when COVID-19 cases were reaching the rooftop.

When 9000 people gathered for a religious event, their entire community was blamed for the spread of Coronavirus. But nobody, including my near ones, said a word when people from another community gathered in even bigger numbers for the Kumbh Mela and election rallies at a time when the cases were many times more than when the Tablighi Jamaat members did.

COVID-19 is now under control after the invention of vaccines by a number of selfless souls. However, there is no vaccine in the world to curb the pandemic much dangerous than Coronavirus.

But I am glad to see a film like Bheed attempting to portray this harsh reality. The film achieves this the most in the scene were one character refuses to have food provided by a group of Muslims.

Pathaan puts a FULL STOP to the Boycott Gang on Republic Day eve

January 26, 2023 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Shah Rukh Khan-starrer action entertainer Pathaan opened to a mammoth Rs 57 crore at the box office on its opening day. It broke the record for the highest opening for a Hindi film and that too on a non-holiday. The movie is expected to do the same today. The Siddharth Anand directorial venture, which also stars John Abraham and Deepika Padukone, badly needed this not just to revive Bollywood but also to mark an explosive comeback for SRK.

Pathaan has a usual good vs evil story, where you very well know who would win in the end. But along with the bad guys, Pathaan has also defeated the morale of the Boycott Gang. And what a day to choose to do this by the common citizens. Right on the eve of the Republic Day!

For those not in the know, these are the people from the IT cell of the ruling party who spread toxic campaigns. They are against any film who they think is insulting their religion, in this case through the colour of the bikini in the ‘Besharam Rang’ song, or if the main actor happens to be a Muslim, more so the latter. In the case of Pathaan, the title of the film was also objectionable to them since it’s an identity of someone from the same religion.

They also go up in arms against anyone who gives a statement that they consider is ‘anti-national’ in nature. It’s a different story that these are the same people who don’t react at all when Kangana Rananut says something like, “The independence India got in 1947 was bheekh,” because she is the die-hard supporter of their party. It is the party affiliation that matters for them, not the country.

The IT Cell went into action months in advance to share hateful posts, memes and articles against Pathaan, like they do for other films. This also includes spreading fake news and statements that the people associated with the film never made. Unfortunately, the IT Cell isn’t the only ones to carry out these activities. A large number of common citizens too have got involved in such antics in recent years; some of them are even close to us.

Hence, the case of Pathaan is not just limited to a film. It’s a much broader issue of mindless hate being spread in the country. This can also be seen from the fact that even senior politicians and ministers have been targeting the movie, indicating how big the campaign was (I know the PM asked them to stop much later).

So, the earth-shattering box office numbers the film has garnered are also moral slap on the hate that has been continuously spread in the country. This also proves wrong the claim of the IT Cell and their supporters that Laal Singh Chaddha became a flop because of their boycott campaign. The film didn’t work because people didn’t like it. If boycott calls were so serious, films like Brahmastra: Part One: Shiva and, more so, Pathaan wouldn’t have attracted such large number of people.

The issue of Pathaan brings back memories of a similar hate campaign against the 2010 SRK movie My Name Is Khan by another party. The actor didn’t bow down to their demands then and he did the same now. Both the films ran smoothly without changing the title or the identity of the protagonist.

From here onwards, the boycott calls for films lined up for release in the future won’t have the same effect or reaction as it would bring back memories of their fiasco during Pathaan. Instead, these calls would become laughable from now on.

But the boycott campaigners won’t sit quiet. They are paid professionals, after all. Their first reaction to their massive defeat by Pathaan will be that these box office numbers are fake, just to feel good about themselves.

We all need something to keep us going in life…

Also read: What Aamir Khan said about Shivling & why is his film boycotted?

Pathaan Review (without spoilers)

January 25, 2023 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Pathaan is easily one of the most keenly awaited films to have come from India in the last few years. Apart from the makers promising some high-octane massy entertainment, it also marks the return of Shah Rukh Khan as a main lead after over four long years. The hype for the film was highest we have seen in recent years. So the only question worth answering is whether Pathaan lives up to the all pre-release firecrackers?

In terms of the storyline, the film directed by Siddharth Anand has a general tale that one would expect from a high scale spy action film. The story, obviously, revolves around Pathaan (Khan). He is a secret intelligence officer whose only aim is to serve the country, which includes keeping it safe from the clutches of its enemies, especially the likes of Jim (John Abraham).

John’s character is a terrorist but with a twist. He has a grudge against India and its intelligence agency Pathaan works for. Jim, generally, works like a freelance terrorist – someone who would attack any country for money, not for any personal involvement. But when he gets the contract of carrying out a huge attack on India, he gets personally motivated.

But Jim has to deal with Pathaan, who will stop at nothing to save India from such a catastrophic attack. Pathaan crosses paths with a beautiful, confident and strong girl, played by Deepika Padukone. But can she be trusted?

Despite the basic storyline of Pathaan not being very novel, the writers have put in enough surprising elements to keep it interesting. This was mostly helped by the back and forth narration, related to the history of Pathaan. The reveal at the interval point gives a high, even if you had guessed the outcome before.

Such action films tend to go a big downhill or lose the grip post-interval. But Pathaan has been smart in this aspect. Generally, the main motive of the terrorist is revealed at the start in such films and then the hero goes on a mission to foil it. But the main story of Pathaan is unfolded later, which reduces the chances of the film suffering from the second-half syndrome. More importantly, the ending moments, along with exciting, are also moving.

Pathaan is a masala action film, filled with breathtaking stunts and action sequences. The visuals are good enough, if not best, to satisfy the action lover in you, especially if you watch the film in Imax, like I did.

But films of this genre also requires one to leave logic outside the hall. If you are not able to do this, Pathaan is surely not for you, for this film can be enjoyed only in this way. But even from the standards of such genre of films, the creative liberties, both in terms of story development and some action sequences, are too much at times. If the makers would have shown some control over this area, Pathaan would have appealed even to the non-masala crowd.

Coming to the next important question about Khan’s performance, you can’t expect a great act in a film of this genre. But SRK succeeds in portraying the heroism needed to carry the film on his shoulders. The undercurrent of humour makes it better. He also does well while showing his emotional side, especially in the scene where he is seen saluting.

This is one of John Abraham’s better acts; way better than his last two outings – Satyameva Jayate 2 and Ek Villain Returns. Deepika Padukone displays confidence and is impressive in the action sequences too. But her characterization appears confused, which somewhat lowers the overall effect. The surprise element here is Dimple Kapadia who shows her long experience as she shines as Pathaan’s senior.

One of the biggest attraction and the high point of the film is the scene featuring Salman Khan in a cameo as Tiger. It’s one of the many paisa vasool moments in the film.

Also read: Uunchai review: The film overwhelms you despite its lambai

Overall: Pathaan is an enjoyable affair if seen with a big crowd on the big screen while keeping your topmost organ away. The film has a good chance of working at the box office.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Siddharth Anand

Producer: Aditya Chopra for Yash Raj Films

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone, Dimple Kapadia, Ashutosh Rana

Writers: Shridhar Raghavan, Siddharth Anand and Abbas Tyrewala

Selective outrage on Richa Chadha‘s tweet reeks hypocrisy

November 26, 2022 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

First things first. I don’t support Richa Chadha’s ‘Galwan’ tweet. I feel if she had to criticize the government for its working, for which we all have a right, she could have done that without using a comment from a senior Indian Army personnel.

But it is blatant hypocrisy on the part of a few Hindi film celebrities to jump in and target Richa for her tweet and portray her as an anti-national or a big criminal of sorts. These are the same people who turn a blind eye when a fellow celeb who is a supporter of the current ruling party makes even worse comments.

The biggest example of this is Kangana Ranaut. Last year, she famously said, “The independence that India got in 1947 was bheek. We attained actual independence in 2014 (thereby indicating the rule of the current government).

I don’t need to spell out how problematic this comment is. In a single sentence, she has rubbished off our entire freedom struggle and thousands of freedom fighters who sacrificed their everything, including their lives, for the sunrise of freedom. And here is one public figure openly belittling the whole movement as some joke.

Some Hindi film stars openly lambasted Richa for her ‘Galwan’ tweet. But did they ever speak up against Kangana for the aforementioned comments? How can you be up in arms against one person for a three-word tweet but at the same time have no problems at all when someone else makes a comment of a much larger magnitude that rubbishes off the very movement that got India independence? On top of that, Richa has deleted the tweet and also apologized for the same. Don’t even imagine Kangana doing the same.

The reason why Kangana’s comments faces no outrage from few of the same celebrities is because they all are the supporters of the same party. This also points out that for them it is always the party first, nation later. If it was otherwise, they would have slammed Kangana’s statements too. And she has made a big bunch of them. The one mentioned here is just one example.

The same goes for the general supporters of this party. They call themselves nationalists but they completely ignored Pragya Thakur’s comments when she hailed the death of Shaheed Vijay Salaskar at the hands of terrorists Ajmal Kasab and associates. Can you imagine what would have happened if someone from the opposition would have made the same statement?

Hence, only the party matters, nation doesn’t.

Disclaimer: The views expressed by the writer in this article are independent and are not endorsed by the publication he works for

Review: Uunchai overwhelms you despite its lambaai

November 11, 2022 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

Filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya’s name has become synonymous with traditional family dramas mostly revolving around marriages among the wealthy class. He tried something different in terms of the content in Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003) but the result didn’t turn out to be favorable.

Barjatya has once again gone out of his comfort zone by presenting a bromance among a small group of friends in an advanced age in his latest offering Uunchai. The end result has turned out to be way different from his 2003 movie.

Uunchai is about a group of senior citizen friends staying in Delhi – Amit (Amitabh Bachchan), Om (Anupam Kher), Javed (Boman Irani) and Bhupen (Danny Denzongpa). The last one is a professional hiker who has successfully climbed few of the highest peaks in India. He is very keen for the four of them to go for a hike at the Everest Base Camp after preparing for two months. However, Amit, Om and Javed plainly refuse citing old age issues.

One day, out of the blue, Bhupen passes away due to a cardiac arrest, despite being fit and healthy. The rest of the three friends, who are obviously heartbroken, realize that Bhupen had already booked their tickets to visit the Everest Base Camp after two months.

Amit believes they should not only fulfil Bhupen’s wish of visiting the site but also immerse his ashes over there, since he was deeply fond of the place and the activity of hiking. Om and Javed strongly object but eventually give in for the sake of their late friend. But they, obviously, need to face various challenges to fulfil their mission.

The narrative of Uunchai is not just limited to three friends embarking on a hugely difficult mission. The script is deep and layered with special importance given to each character and his or her journey. This ensures that you start having sympathy for the main characters, their friendship and mission too.

Despite the emotional nature of the subject, the film is full of sensible situational humour, which comes as a pleasant surprise. Neena Gupta has a major share in the funny moments and she does a fine job of it.

Mainstream Hindi films about such missions always face the danger of suffering from the second-half syndrome. But this is not at all the case with Uunchai, mostly because the main mission is kept for the latter half. Plus, the screenplay has the right mix of funny, emotional and dramatic moments during this part, which is also handled effectively.

What takes the cakes though is the moment where the friends release Bhupen’s ashes. It was vital for this to be the most overwhelming scene from the film and this is understood well by Barjatya.

A good amount of the story based in the mountainous regions. Manoj Kumar Khatoi’s camerawork has provided eye-pleasing visuals. One can make out the tricks used through VFX during various situations but this doesn’t bother you much. While the film is fine in the technical parts, the songs only reach the average level.

(Review continues after the trailer)

The performances can also be easily included in the positives. Amitabh Bachchan continues to defy his age through an enthusiastic act. Boman Irani and Sarika, whose character later joins the trio in the mission, also provide praiseworthy performances. Anupam Kher is likeable but, at times, he tries a bit too hard in appearing angry and offended.

Parineeti Chopra, who is the hike organizer, gets more scope later as she delivers a decent act. Danny Denzongpa and Nafisa Ali Sodhi are memorable despite having guest appearances.

Also read – When SRK did a Panchayat 33 years ago

But Uunchai is not devoid of any negative points. Its lambaai (runtime) of 169 minutes should have been trimmed, especially during some events in the second half. The film also takes quite a lot of creative liberties. Without giving away any spoilers, the narrative does this the most with Bachchan’s character.

Overall: Uunchai reaches a convincing height despite its lambaai. It says a lot about friendship goals and human spirit without saying much. The film won’t get a big opening at the box office due to Rajshri Productions’ decision of opting to go with fewer shows. But it stands a chance of getting a wider release once the word-of-mouth spreads.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Sooraj Barjatya

Producers: Rajshri Productions, Mahaveer Jain Films and Boundless Media

Writers: Sunil Gandhi and Abhishek Dixit

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Danny Denzongpa, Sarika, Parineeti Chopra, Neena Gupta

Ram Setu review – Last 1 minute somewhat saves Akshay Kumar’s movie

October 25, 2022 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

Despite starring in different genre of films in the last two decades, Akshay Kumar is known the most for his action roles. This is the first image he acquired among his fans and he remains to be a specialist in this form of cinema. Although he plays an archeologist in Ram Setu, he gets more than a chance to showcase his action skills yet again.

But overall, the film falls more in the adventure and mystery zone. Akshay’s stunts are kept simple because of the profession of his character. Ram Setu is not one of his best acts. However, the actor has a knack of carrying a film on his shoulders even while giving decent performances. He has done the same in this film as well.

Ram Setu is a period film that takes place in 2007. Dr Aryan Kulshreshtha (Akshay) is a successful archeologist married to a professor (Nushrratt Bharucchha). He is an atheist who only believes in facts and science. He is sent on an expedition in Afghanistan to restore Buddhist statues that were destroyed by Taliban terrorists.

It is also the period where India’s then government refuses to believe that the Ram Setu bridge between India and Sri Lanka wasn’t made by Ram’s vaanar sena [army of animals] and that it is formed naturally. A wily businessman (Nassar) also has his eyes set on the bridge in order to make a project over there that will benefit him immensely.

The Ram Setu matter goes onto the Supreme Court. Aryan’s next assignment involves studying the bridge and filing a report on the findings to conclude whether Ram Setu is the same as mentioned in the Ramayana.

It was obvious from the trailer itself that Ram Setu is intended to please people from a particular political inclination. The whole film makes it even clearer by taking subtle jibes at the Indian Government of 2007 without taking the name of the party running it.

Talking about the content and the craft, Ram Setu regularly takes creative liberties and shows disregard for logic. You might lose count on things happening so conveniently for the protagonist and his team. This includes Aryan’s escape from the clutches of Taliban, which is not even shown; we are only made to assume.

Despite this, Ram Setu does have a positive point in the form of its engaging and entertaining narrative. The events are lined up in such a way that there is just no scope for boredom.

But what saves Ram Setu the most from falling more is the twist in the very last scene of the climax related to one of the prominent characters. It comes as a surprise and is sure to please the worshippers of the heroes of the Ramayana like lord Ram and Hanuman.

After Akshay, south actor Satyadev Kancharana, who plays Anjaneya Putra aka AP, rules the film with his confident performance. Nassar’s potential as a quality artiste isn’t seen simply because his character is quite one-dimensional. Pravesh Rana, another negative character, fares better.

Also read: Adipurush teaser has triggered opposite political reactions

Nushrratt Bharuccha lends good support but her role doesn’t offer much. Jeniffer Piccinato shows promise. Jacqueline Fernandez struggles but this is hardly surprising now.

Overall: Ram Setu is somewhat rescued by the twist in the climax and the fast-paced narrative. The film would have appeared little better if it had released before the Telugu movie Karthikeya 2, a similar spiritual adventure thriller and much better.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Director: Abhishek Sharma

Producers: Cape Of Good Films, Abundantia Entertainment, Lyca Productions and Prime Video

Writer: Abhishek Sharma

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Satyadev Kancharana, Nassar, Jacqueline Fernandez, Pravesh Rana and Jeniffer Piccinato

Aye Zindagi review – An incredible real story narrated convincingly

October 13, 2022 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

Director Anirban Bose’s Aye Zindagi initially appears like just another story about a person struggling against a terminal illness.

The film begins in 2004 when the 26-year-old Vinayak (Satyajeet Dubey) is being diagnosed with severe liver cirrhosis. He works in Lucknow but visits a hospital in Hyderabad to check if he can undergo a liver transplant because he has only six to seven months to live. Over there, he meets Revathy (Revathy), a grief counselor. Her job also includes encouraging people to go for organ transplant.

Although Vinayak stands a chance for getting a liver transplant, the process has some major financial and emotional challenges in store, including his own deteriorating health. His elder brother Kartik (Sawan Tank), a medical student, keeps his studies aside to look after Vinayak. While undergoing treatment, he develops an unusual bond with his doctor and nurse, played by Hemant Kher and Mrinmayee Godbole respectively.

Despite the storyline, Aye Zindagi is much more than what we expected it to be at half point. It’s based on an incredible true story that took place in India some years back. This is a rare film where the makers haven’t tampered with the real tale and kept it as it is. However, there was no need for this since the real story itself is highly emotional and dramatic, which we get the know in detail once the film ends.

In a film relying on as much reality as possible, it was necessary for it to shine during its various emotional moments and that’s exactly what happens here. The narrative is filled with moments triggering different emotions and each one moves you. The best one happens when there is a major twist in the tale. This particular incident keeps haunting you long after the film is over.

It is vital for such films to be high on performances in order for the audience to feel for the characters. Aye Zindagi doesn’t disappoint on this front too. Satyajeet Dubey provides a dedicated act where we constantly feel for him as he goes through a whirlpool of emotions. The scene where he breaks down with his brother and the climax deserve special mention.

As one would expect from a seasoned artiste like Revathy, she is thoroughly impressive. Hemant Kher, Mrinmayee Godbole and the rest of the actors too contribute positively.

Also read: When SRK did a Panchayat 33 years ago

Aye Zindagi comes with its share of minuses as well. The film’s length, which is 105 minutes, could have been reduced further, especially during the ending moments. The character of Revathy’s son should have been given more importance, in order to increase the impact of the basic storyline.

But the positives easily override the negatives making Aye Zindagi a surprise package of the year where Hindi cinema has been criticized a lot for its content.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Anirban Bose

Producer: Shiladitya Bora

Writers: Anirban Bose

Cast: Satyajeet Dubey, Revathy, Hemant Kher, Mrinmayee Godbole

Adipurush teaser has triggered opposite political reactions

October 9, 2022 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

Filmmaker Om Raut’s Adipurush has been one of the keenly-awaited films ever since it was announced more than a couple of years back. The filmmaker’s Hindi debut Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, his previous effort, had become a runaway hit at the box office, so there was anticipation on what he would offer next.

Apart from the cast of Prabhas, Saif Ali Khan and Kriti Sanon, the major reason why Adipurush made heads turn was because of its adaptation from the great Indian epic Ramayana.

But the reaction to the long-awaited teaser finally released more than a week back would have taken the team of Adipurush by a rude surprise. The initial footage has been panned on social media for more than one reason.

Firstly, the VFX has been criticized as the visuals didn’t impress the viewers. But more than that, the look of Saif Ali Khan’s character of Raavan has been literally lambasted for it doesn’t match with what people imagine the character to be.

Not just that, the looks of Prabhas and Devdatta Nage, who play Lord Ram and Hanuman, along with the depiction of the Vaanar Sena have also come under criticism.

It was gradually realized that the teaser has given rise to opposite political reactions.

Om Raut started off his career with the Marathi movie Lokmanya: Ek Yugpurush in 2015. Apart from narrating the life story of Bal Gangadhar Tilak aka Lokmanya Tilak, the film also gave special footage to the protagonist’s efforts in writing Gita Rahasya, his own interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita.

Adipurush starring Prabhas and Saif Ali Khan — Prabhas and Saif Ali Khan in Adipurush (Source: YouTube teaser screenshots)

His next Tanhaji, his debut in Hindi, was about the achievement of the Maratha warrior Tanaji Malusare.

In other words, both the films were appreciated by the Indian Right Wing. Of course, the movies weren’t aimed at them specifically but their subjects were such that they naturally found takers in people from that particular political side.

The announcement of Adipurush naturally excited the Right Wingers since the film is based on Lord Ram. Plus, Raut’s social media posts are also appreciated by them, especially the ones about the upcoming Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Another reason for the excitement for Adipurush for them was the casting of Prabhas as Ram. The actor has formed a fan base among the Right Wingers after the mammoth success of both the Baahubali movies. The films are considered pro-Hindu because of their content, although they were appreciated with people across political opinions.

Unfortunately for the makers, it is the Right Wingers who have been offended the most by the teaser of Adipurush. Although Prabhas is facing criticisms for his look as Ram, it is the portrayal of Saif that is receiving the maximum flak for him allegedly looking as a Mughal ruler or Alauddin Khilji. Despite being evil, Raavan was a learned scholar and, as per the reactions, Saif isn’t appearing like one in this get-up.

But that’s not all. Quite a few ‘pro-Hindu’ groups have started protesting and calling for a ban on the movie. The teaser has also triggered one such group to demand ‘Sanatani Censor Board’ to ensure that Hindu gods aren’t portrayed in a ‘derogatory’ manner in movies. A few BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) leaders too have slammed the teaser. Right Wingers on social media have also been trending boycott against the movie.

The film’s teaser was launched at a grand event in Ayodhya, where the much talked-about Ram Temple is being constructed currently. Ironically, the chief priest of the same temple has demanded a ban on the film.

On the other hand, the liberal crowd or those against the Right Wing have been providing full support to Adipurush since they believe there should be freedom of expression for the makers to portray any character the way they want. Their main argument is that nobody knows how the characters present in the Ramayana looked in real.

Before the teaser came out, not many would have expected a pro-Hindu movie made by pro-Hindu stars to be slammed by the Right Wing and supported by those having an opposite political view. The moral of the story is that trying to please people of any political ideology can backfire.

We can just wait and watch what happens when the full trailer of Adipurush is released.