Category Archives: Socio/Political

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

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

Selective outrage on Richa Chadha‘s tweet reeks hypocrisy

Raj Thackeray asked me to play Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, says Akshay Kumar

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During the announcement of his upcoming Marathi historical film Vedaat Maratha Veer Daudale Saat, filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar revealed the actors who would be playing the emperor’s seven warriors in the film. These include Pravin Tarde, Hardik Joshi, Vishal Nikam, Virat Madke, Satya Manjrekar, Jay Dudhane and Dr Utkarsh Shinde.

But the people gathered at the event were in for a huge surprise when it was announced that Akshay Kumar will be playing the character of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the movie. The actor also made a surprise appearance at the event out of nowhere.

He was introduced at the event as the actor who will be playing Chhatrapati by the chief of MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) Raj Thackeray, who was the special guest along with the Chief Minister of the state Eknath Shinde.

Akshay Kumar as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Raj Thackeray (File photo)

Akshay said that he got this role, “Because of Mr Raj Thackeray. He told me, ‘Akshay you should do this role’ and I was taken aback. To play Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s role is a big deal for me. It’s a huge task. I can assure you that I will put in all my efforts while playing this character.”

Interestingly, Thackeray is also known for criticizing Akshay on more than one occasion not-so-long-ago. He had taken a dig at the actor for being a ‘Canadian citizen’ and later also criticized him for asking questions related to mangoes while interviewing India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This is the first time that Akshay will be working with Manjrekar. “I was always very eager to work with Akshay,” said the filmmaker. “I had a lot of films in mind. But I couldn’t see any other actor playing this role. One needs to have a certain personality and look to play this character. Akshay’s image is also correct to play a Hindu raja who brought Hindavi swarajya. So I thought let other films be kept aside, we should do this one first.”

Produced by Wasim Qureshi, Vedaat Marathe Veer Daudale Saat will go on floors next month and will release during Diwali 2023.

Also read: Godavari movie will rekindle our relation with rivers, says Devendra Fadnavis

Adipurush teaser has triggered opposite political reactions

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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.

Why actual ‘anti-national’ statements never face BOYCOTT?

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India is all set to celebrate 75 years of its freedom from the British, which they got in 1947. However, it is ironical that just when the country is reaching the important milestone related to its freedom, a section of the population is busy promoting curtailment of the same.

The whole #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha ‘movement’ is not just unfair but plainly silly. One of the main reasons why the film is being boycotted is the supposed ‘anti-India’ statements made by the film’s lead actor and producer Aamir Khan way back in 2015.

Messages are being circulated claiming that the star said that he wants to leave India as he is feeling unsafe. This is nothing but a fabricated version of what Khan actually said.

As you can hear from the above video, Khan said that his then wife Kiran Rao asked if they should move out of India. Firstly, it wasn’t suggested by Khan. Secondly, the very next thing the actor said was, “Now that’s a disastrous and a very big statement for Kiran to make to me.” Khan himself said on record that what she said was “disastrous” but not many of us paid heed to that, either knowingly or unknowingly.

Funnily enough, the statement came out in 2015. Following this, Khan released three of his films in the following years, Dangal (2016), Secret Superstar (2017) and Thugs Of Hindostan (2018). Except Dangal to some extent, no other film faced boycott. But today, seven years after that statement, there is a massive campaign against the actor for his film Laal Singh Chaddha.

Source: YouTube screenshot from Koffee With Karan promo

This isn’t the only reason why the film is boycotted. Somehow few months before the release of the film, fake messages and memes are being circulated claiming that Aamir said in his show Satyamev Jayate that we shouldn’t pour milk on the Shivling and should instead use that money to help the needy. Some messages are also claiming that he said the same thing in his earlier film PK (2014).

As it is proved in one of my previous articles, Aamir has never made any such statement on the Shivling, either in his show or in the movie. Instead, it was Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal who have made exactly the same statements (read the article and see the videos HERE). The former made it in the movie OMG Oh My God (2012) and the latter while promoting the same film. In fact, Akshay also went onto criticize the practice of pouring oil on Hanuman’s deity on Saturdays.

Hear both of them out in the videos above. Did anyone of you ever come across any boycott calls for Akshay or Rawal?

Even if the boycotters argue that out of these, the statement made by Aamir in 2015 about Rao asking if they should leave India are problematic, it is still hypocritical. This is because they are completely ignoring Kangana Ranaut comment made last year, which is many times more controversial and offensive than what Khan said.

Speaking at a summit organized by a news channel, she described India’s independence from the British in 1947 saying, “Woh azadi nahin thi, woh bheek thi. Aur jo azadi mili hai woh 2014 mein mili hai.” Watch the video of the same below.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MbEVUsH1b-4

Now, I don’t need to spell out how problematic this statement is. In a single sentence, the actress has questioned the sacrifices of all those freedom fighters who fought for India’s freedom. It is also clear that the comments made by Aamir are nowhere near to what she said. Plus, she has had a history of making comments of this nature. Comparing Mumbai with PoK is just one other example.

So, if you are deeply offended and incensed by Aamir’s comments but have no problems with what Ranaut’s said, you know what that makes you. More so if you are celebrating India’s 75years of freedom without having issues when someone said that that wasn’t actual freedom.

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

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Over the last few years, every time an Aamir Khan film gets ready for release, one particular message or meme related to him starts circulating on social media and What’s App. As you must have guessed, it’s shared by the Right Wing fanatics with an appeal to boycott his upcoming film.

With the release of Laal Singh Chaddha not being far, the same message has started circulating again.

The message claims that Aamir once said in his television show Satyamev Jayate that instead of pouring milk on Shivling, it is better to use that money to feed a poor person. Hence, the message appeals to the audience to boycott his next release and use the money you would have spent on the ticket to help the needy.

How true is the message?

The message is fake. Aamir has never said that in Satyamev Jayate. In fact, a topic related to religion or religious beliefs was never addressed in that TV show. Some messages also claim that the actor made that comment in his blockbuster PK (2014). This claim is also false.

Still, if someone can find a video of him saying such a thing, please pass it on. Not that him saying such a thing would justify the boycott, more so after you read below.

Aamir Khan boycott — Aamir Khan in PK and Paresh Rawal in OMG Oh My God!

Who said it then?

Interestingly, the message against pouring milk on Shivling was given by Paresh Rawal’s character Kanjibhai in his film OMG Oh My God (2012). In fact, the character in the movie shares an in-depth and hard-hitting opinion on why it is futile to pour milk on the Shivling, as can be seen from the scene below.

But it doesn’t end here. During the promotion of the same movie, Akshay Kumar, who plays Lord Krishna in it, gave a bold personal opinion on why one shouldn’t pour milk on the Shivling. In fact, he didn’t stop at that. He also criticized the practice of pouring oil on Lord Hanuman’s deity on Saturdays. Watch the video below.

Those spreading communal hatred on the internet and social media have turned a blind eye at Rawal and Akshay’s comments. It is impossible that they are completely unaware about the comments made by these two actors, considering how much research their IT cell carries out.

But don’t expect any such boycott messages for these two actors since their surname isn’t Khan. As we all know, Rawal is also a member of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and an MP (Member of Parliament). Akshay’s fondness for the party is known far and wide.

We are reminded of it every time we eat a mango.

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Rann keeps getting more relevant and that’s not a good sign

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Rann (2010) was one of the better films created by Ram Gopal Varma. It came at a time when the filmmaker was being written off, especially after the debacle of Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag (2007), the remake of Ramesh Sippy’s classic Sholay (1975).

Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Paresh Rawal, Sudeep, Mohnish Bahl, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi and Gul Panaag, Rann gave more than a glimpse of the RGV of his prime.

Unfortunately, the film just didn’t work at the box office and couldn’t reach a large number of the audience.

But since the last few years, Rann has been appearing more relevant than it did more than a decade ago when it had released. In fact, it continues to get more relevant with each passing year and that isn’t a good sign.

Rann was basically about Vijay Harshwardhan Malik (Bachchan), the righteous and honest owner of a news channel called India 24/7. His channel is struggling with TV ratings since he is not willing to carry out any unethical and dishonest means to up the ratings, like other rival channels, including the one headed by the corrupt Amrish Kakkar (Bahl).

Vijay’s son Jai (Sudeep) has the opposite ideology but is unable to do anything since it is his father who controls the channel, much to his frustration. Meanwhile, Purab Shastri (Deshmukh), a die-hard fan of Vijay and a budding journalist, is delighted to have got the opportunity to work for India 24/7.

Apart from being a film on the media, Rann was also a political drama. Mohan Pandey (Rawal) from the opposition is desperate to become the Prime Minister. He forms a deal with Jai to frame the existing PM Digvijay Hooda (KK Raina) in a terror plot. Jai convinces Vijay about Hooda’s involvement in the scandal and the latter airs the ‘news’ on his channel.

This results in an uproar in the nation and Hooda is forced to step down as the PM. The general elections are held mid-term in which Pandey triumphs and is all set to become the next PM. However, Purab gets to know about Jai’s evil plan to frame the innocent Hooda. But is it too late?

Although the term ‘fake news’ isn’t spelt out in Rann, that is the crux of the film’s basic plot. However, fake news as a concept was hardly there in 2010, so, obviously, it wasn’t known by the masses. Hence, the seriousness of the subject wasn’t felt by the audience back then.

But today, we are living in an era where fake news is not just a reality but a regularity. Political parties use it on a daily basis to score brownie points over their rivals. Their leaders are painted as saints while the opposing party leaders are made to look like evil through posts and memes that appear like real news.

Rann had a long and powerful tagline that can be seen above

And our gullible citizens believe them without bothering to do any kind of verification. The controversy of the death of Sushant Singh Rajput received more fuel because of fake news. It went to such an extent that ‘news’ like how some top Hindi film stars saw the live telecast of Rajput’s ‘murder’ were spread and they were believed even by well-educated individuals.

Rann also went way ahead of its time and showed a news channel airing fake news. This might have appeared difficult to believe 10 years back but today this is also a reality. There have been instances where channels have aired ‘news’ that can be sourced only to What’s App forwards.

Rann ends in a powerful way when Vijay addresses the nation and begs forgiveness for airing fake news about Hooda. The dialogues and Bachchan’s performance provides goose bumps as we are told the responsibility of the media from scratch.

Big B’s climax monologue in Rann

A line spoken by Vijay’s character sums up the relevance of the film today – Jab sarkar aur media satta ki duad mein aapsi sauda kar leti hain, toh khabarein banti nahin, banai jaati hain [When the government and the media make a deal in the race to power, news doesn’t happen; it is created]

Superstar’s Silence: Why Halla Bol is more relevant today

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To say that a film was ahead of its times has become a cliché. But there is no better way to describe Rajkumar Santoshi’s Ajay Devgn-starrer Halla Bol (2008). The film would have surely made more heads turn had it released in the current era.

Halla Bol traces the journey of Ashfaque Khan (Devgn). Hailing from a small town in India, he was named after the revolutionary Ashfaqulla Khan. Ashfaque dreams of becoming a film star. He joins a theatre group run by a reformed dacoit Sidhu (Pankaj Kapur) as a first step towards fulfilling his dream.

Sidhu specializes in using the medium of theatre to expose social evils and raise issues that are plaguing the society. Ashfaque wholeheartedly takes part in all such plays that aim to make a difference in the society, staying true to his name.

Meanwhile, Ashfaque’s efforts to get a break in movies pay off and he soon acquires the status of a star. He changes his name from Ashfaque Khan to Sameer Khan. But along with his name, he also changes as a person. Unlike Ashfaque, Sameer plainly refuses to take part in a play organized by Sidhu once for a social cause because this could hamper his star status, much to the shock and disappointment of the latter.

Not just that, the simple and innocent Ashfaque now becomes a womanizer and cheats his childhood love and wife (Vidya Balan) on numerous occasions.

Sameer’s biggest turning point arrives when he witnesses a murder at a party. He doesn’t testify against the culprits out of fear. But when his conscience doesn’t allow him to be at peace, he decides to carry out his duty as a responsible citizen by naming the killers to the police.

However, he receives serious threats since the perpetrators belong to the camp of the powerful and corrupt politician Ganpatrao Gaekwad (Darshan Jariwala). Raising voice against him would mean an end not only for his career but also his life.

Hence, the man known for raising his voice when he was a nobody becomes silent to all wrongdoings after becoming a superstar.

I was quite impressed with Hall Bol when it had released more than a decade ago. But when I look at it today, it excites me even more. It seems the film was tailor-made for the era we are currently living in.

The idea of a superstar not willing to raise his voice against an offence provided an interesting conflict back then. But today, it seems like straight out of reality. A lot has changed since last 6-7 years. Big stars are now super scared to share their opinion on any serious issue, leave alone raising their voice against a wrongdoing, like they used to before.

In fact, some stars are not even willing to speak up on the enormous rising prices of petrol. Interestingly, the same people were happy to share jokes on the same issue when the previous government was in power and when the price of fuel was much lower than what it is today.

Funnily, one star even deleted his tweets from 2012 when he had shared jokes on rising petrol prices. So that people stop questioning him as to why he is silent now.

Hall Bola shows Sameer go through a change of heart later on. He fights the evil forces all by himself [with timely help from Sidhu] to bring justice to the deceased. Of course, it would be laughable to even think of expecting this in reality. Halla Bol, after all, was a mainstream Hindi movie, so it had to end this way.

The extent of the fear of the authorities in today’s times was seen the most last month when famous celebrities shared scripted tweets in favour of the government after Rihanna spoke up on the issue of farmers’ protest.

Funnily, among the famous names who tweeted included the main lead of Halla Bol.

P.S: Halla Bol is available on Amazon Prime Video, Shemaroo Me and Voot.

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