Sikandar Review: Film about organ transplant needed script transplant

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Director: AR Murugadoss

Producers: Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment and Salman Khan Films

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

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

Also read: The Diplomat Review: Realistic version of Gadar

Follower review: Realistic glimpse into the making of a political troll

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Since little over a decade ago, politics has become a major interest for the youth. But the problem arises when this interest turns into an obsession for one political ideology. This aspect about today’s politics is realistically portrayed in Harshad Nalawade’s Follower (Marathi with Hindi and Kannada) while keeping the Maharashtra-Karnataka conflict of Belgaum at the centre.

The film tells the story of a youngster named Raghavendra Pawar (Raghu Prakash) aka Raghu, who stays with his mother in Belgaum after his father passes away in an accident. His elder brother works in the US. Belgaum is always in the news for its Marathi-Kannada conflict. Raghu also faces the brunt for being a Marathi in various ways.

During these times, he gets attracted to the speeches and ideology of a star political leader (Atul Deshmukh), who claims to be the messiah of the Marathi speaking people of Belgaum. Raghu joins his social media IT cell in order to spread the leader’s message and help him in his ‘cause’. Raghu’s political stand and activities strains his relationship with his close friends Sachin (director Harshad Nalawade himself) and Parveena (Donna Munshi).

Follower provides a glimpse into the life of a not just a follower but someone who believes that he is doing social work through his online activities by basically just being a troll. Nalawade’s portrayal will be relatable even for those who aren’t deeply aware about the Maharashtra-Karnataka issue because youngsters are seen obsessing over quite a few political parties throughout the country. The film shows how they never realize that they are just treated as pawns in the hands of their political ‘heroes’ for their ulterior motives. In a way, the film gives a slight remembrance of Avadhoot Gupte’s Zenda.

What makes Follower more interesting and intriguing is that it organically weaves a story of close friendship between three friends and perfectly joins the same with the political conflict. It also makes fine use of flashback. The story could have been narrated in a linear form and it still would have been likeable. But the back and forth narrative converts the film also into a mystery drama. The events that lead Raghu into becoming a staunch supporter of the star political leader is the biggest triumph of the film.

The production value makes the film look more like a telefilm. The lack of proper resources is clearly visible. This, however, doesn’t turn out to be a major issue because of the strong content at hand. The film is also shot in a creative manner by cinematographer Saket Gyani. It is laced with a number of impressive long one-take shots. The one that takes the cake is between Raghu and Parveen when both are riding their respective two-wheelers while conversing. The background score is minimally used, which goes with the nature of the film.

The performances are all natural. Raghu Prakash is fully suits the role of Raghavendra. He goes through the entire journey of his character in a dedicated manner. Harshad Nalawade also adds plenty of life to the character of Sachin. Donna Munshi also performs well and is also aptly cast as Parveen. Atul Deshmukh, the political leader, is thoroughly believable as someone who can brainwash the youth.

The issue about Maharashtra-Karnataka has toxic politics from both sides. For a major duration, it seems that the film shows the evil face of only one side. However, things even out later, which makes the movie neutral in its overall stand. The only questionable aspect is a sudden intimate moment between two pivotal characters, which appears forced.

Overall: Follower is a gritty realistic glimpse into the making of a political troll and its consequences.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Harshad Nalawade

Writer: Harshad Nalawade

Producers: Humara Medialabs and Causality Films Production

Cast: Raghu Prakash, Harshad Nalawade, Donna Munshi, Atul Deshmukh

Also read: The Diplomat review: Realistic version of Gadar

The Diplomat review: Realistic version of Gadar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Shivam Nair

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

Writer: Ritesh Shah

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

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

Sthal (Marathi Movie) review: Subtle yet powerful critique of forced arranged marriages of girls

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India is obsessed with marriages. Weddings take place all over the country in different regions and among different communities and they are celebrated like anything. However, even in today’s times in rural India, the practice of a girl’s forced arranged marriage still exists. Filmmaker Jayant Digambar Somalkar’s Sthal (A Match) boldly highlights this social evil.

The movie takes place in a village in Maharashtra named Dongargaon and it revolves around Savita Daulatrao Wandhare (Nandini Chikte). She is in her Final year of Bachelor of Arts course and her specialization subject is Sociology. Her father (Taranath Khiratkar) and mother (Sangita Sonekar) wish to get her married off soon but she wants to study further.

Prospective grooms regularly visit her house but eventually reject her. This increases the stress for Savita’s parents. Her elder brother Mangya (Suyog Dhawas) loves a girl from their village but he won’t be able to marry her until her sister gets married.

Sthal doesn’t waste any time in presenting the picture of an arranged marriage setting in a village. The elders from both the families have a chat. The girl is then made to sit uncomfortably on a stool and asked questions about herself as if she is accused of a crime. Without saying it, the film speaks out that this is nothing but humiliation for her. All this is achieved in a realistic and bold manner.

Sthal becomes all the more appealing because of the irony it presents through the subject Savita is studying in college – Sociology. In one of the lectures, she, along with her fellow students, is taught about Women Empowerment. The professor says that it roughly means that a woman should have the right to take her own decisions.

In another moment, the birth anniversary of the social reformer Savitribai Phule is celebrated in the college in a grand way and she is hailed as the torchbearer of progressive ideas for women. This is juxtaposed with the arranged marriage scenes at her place where Savita goes through the dreary exercise repeatedly.

The movie also throws light on the evil of dowry, which is very much practiced today. There is a scene where Savita’s friend tells her that their professor teaches women empowerment but doesn’t practice the same. To this, Savita points out that he is teaching it only because it’s a part of the syllabus. It indirectly means that the progressive ideas are only meant to remain in the books.

Sthal ends on an unexpectedly powerful note. The very last scene instantly brings back memories of Nagraj Popatrao Manjule’s Fandry. Nevertheless, it suits the film.

Nandini Chikte’s performance as Savita is as remarkable as the content of the film. She goes through the ordeal of being in front of the prospective grooms with a lot of realistic touch. She converses a lot through expressions and, at times, speaks out her mind with confidence. Sandip Parkhi does a fine job as the professor.

The rest of the supporting cast, including Taranath Khiratkar, Sangita Sonekar, Suyog Dhawas, Swati Ulmale (as Savita’s close friend Gauri) and others also bring about realistic performances.

Manoj Karmakar’s camerawork is simple, which goes with the nature of the film. The same can be said about the background score, which is minimally used.

The only negative point here is the length. This is felt the most when the entire wedding ceremony of Savita’s friend is portrayed, which could have been shortened.

Overall: Sthal is a subtle yet powerful statement against the social evil of girls’ forced arranged marriages, which take away their fundamental rights. The film is a perfect successor to The Great Indian Kitchen and its recent Hindi adaptation Mrs.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Jayant Digambar Somalkar

Producers: Dhun Productions

Writer: Jayant Digambar Somalkar

Cast: Nandini Chikte, Taranath Khiratkar, Sangita Sonekar, Sandip Parkhi, Suyog Dhawas, Swati Ulmale

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

Superboys Of Malegaon review: Heartwarming ode to cinema and friendship

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Reema Kagti

Producers: Excel Entertainment, Tiger Baby and Amazon MGM Studios

Writers: Varun Grover and Shoaib Nazeer

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

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

Why Chiranjeevi’s comments on wanting a grandson deserve more outrage

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I found the recent comments made by Ranveer Allahbadia more than shameful. I felt the same about the comments of his co-participants in the show India’s Got Latent. However, to see the high number of FIRs being registered on him quite baffling. This is simply because we have seen some of the most hateful or derogatory comments made by politicians get a lukewarm or no outrage.

The recent example and a very big one at that is that of the veteran actor and senior politician Chiranjeevi. At a recent event a few days ago, he said, “When I’m at home, it doesn’t feel like I’m surrounded by my granddaughters; it feels like I’m a ladies’ hostel warden, surrounded by ladies all around. I keep wishing and telling Charan (son and superstar Ram Charan), at least this time, have a boy so that our legacy continues, but his daughter is the apple of his eye. I’m scared that he might again have a girl.”

His comment is so problematic that it’s difficult where to begin. Firstly, he makes it clear that boys matter to him more than girls. He clearly isn’t happy being around women and girls even if they are a part of his own family because that makes him feel like a ‘ladies hostel warden’. He even goes onto say that he finds it ‘scary’ that Ram Charan might have a girl again.

Chiranjeevi is a massive star and a senior politician. If not for being the former, as a major political leader one would expect him to share progressive messages to the people of the country. But what is does is the extreme opposite of that.

We have seen and heard about plenty of couples continuing to have children until they get a boy as they believe it is a boy who carries the family legacy forward. The horrific practice of female foeticide is still very much on even in today’s day and age. The reason for these social evils still prevailing is that same obsession of having a boy over a girl.

Chiranjeevi’s comments came right when the controversy surrounding the comedians was taking place. There have been strong reactions to his comments. However, the outrage is nowhere close to what these comedians have faced.

We have clearly displayed what affects us the most.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sangeet Manapmaan Review: Subodh Bhave’s second directorial turns out to be just a one-time watch

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Actor Subodh Bhave’s directorial debut Katyar Kaljyat Ghusli (2015) turned out to be a spectacular affair. There were much expectations for his second film as a director Sangeet Manapmaan, not just because he is in the director’s chair. This film is also adapted from an old classic musical play, just like the 2015 movie. But this time, the end result turns out to be just a one-time watch.

Sangeet Manapmaan is adapted from Krushnaji Prabhakar Khadilkar’s musical play of the same name, which was first staged way back in 1911.

The story takes place in a kingdom in Maharashtra called Sangrampur in an unspecified era. The chief of army Kakasaheb (Shailesh Datar) expresses his wish to the queen of Sangrampur (Nivedita Saraf) to retire from his services because of his advanced age. Although the queen believes he is irreplaceable, she suggests Kakasaheb’s deputy Chandravilas (Sumeet Raghvan) as the next chief. Kakasaheb subtly disagrees with the queen as he believes, despite being a brave warrior, Chandravilas doesn’t possess the exact qualities to be the next chief.

Chandravilas is arrogant and proud about his position as the deputy chief. He has a deep desire to be the next army chief after Kakasaheb retires. He also wishes to marry Kakasaheb’s beautiful daughter Bhamini (Vaidehi Parshurami), who has been his childhood friend.

Meanwhile, Dhairyadhar (Subodh Bhave) is an ordinary villager from the same kingdom, who stays with his doting mother (Neena Kulkarni) and does odd jobs for a living. Being brave and strong, his wish is to join Sangrampur’s army. One day, he saves Kakasaheb from a life-threatening attack from King Dhiren’s (Upendra Limaye) soldiers from the neighborhood kingdom. Impressed by Dhairyadhar, Kakasaheb inducts him into Sangrampur’s army, much to the jealousy of Chandravilas.

The original story is not just interesting but it also weaves together drama, romance, politics and action seamlessly. What pleasantly surprises you is the character of Bhamini, who is shown to be brave, both from within and outside. Generally, stories about kings and kingdoms are male dominated and they display only their bravery. But here, a young girl is shown not just to be brave but also someone who doesn’t let others take decisions about her life, including her marriage. Interestingly, her father also lets her be free.

To find such a character in a play written over 110 years ago indicates the progressiveness of theatre back then. Bhave and the makers deserve credit for selecting a play with this story. The production designing succeeds in recreating the bygone era and ensuring that the visuals are eye-pleasing.

When it comes to doing justice to the original story, the movie does bring about sequences that either move or thrill, especially in the ending moments. However, they are not present throughout the film. In other words, there was scope for the narrative to be more dramatic as well as emotionally thrilling but somehow the film doesn’t turn out to be as gripping as one would expect from such an interesting original story.

The duration of 165 minutes also goes against the movie. Although Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have succeeded in recreating Khadilkar’s songs and composing fresh tracks, the movie could have been easily trimmed if it didn’t have these many songs. There are quiet a few instances where a song applies brakes on the storytelling. Plus, a couple of song situations suit more in the medium of theatre than in cinema.

Subodh Bhave makes the internally and externally strong character of Dhairyadhar believable. He also succeeds in the subtle transformation in the latter stages once he joins the army. Sumeet Raghavan is fine as the scheming and jealous deputy chief. Vaidehi Parshurami does justice to the strong character of Bhamini and portrays different emotions convincingly.

However, there is an issue with the age factor of Bhave and Raghavan as they appear much older to Bhamini. As Bhave plays a 35-year-old man, you can still excuse him. But it is impossible to believe Raghavan as Vaidehi’s childhood friend. His fake moustache also affects his screen presence. Similarly, Upendra Limaye also appears older for the role of King Dhiren.

Coming to the rest of the performances, Shailesh Datar, Nivedita Saraf and Neena Kulkarni score well as Kakasaheb, the queen and Dhairyadhar’s mother.

Overall: Sangeet Manapmaan turns out to be a one-time watch saga. Don’t expect anything of the level of Katyar Kaljyat Ghusli.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Subodh Bhave

Producers: Jio Studios and Shree Ganesh Marketing and Films

Writers: Krushnaji Prabhakar Khadilkar (original play), Shirish Gopal Deshpande, Urja Deshpande and Prajakt Deshmukh

Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Also read: Mukkam Post Bombilwadi review: Decent entertainer trapped in the wrong medium

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

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Hindi film industry brings about films on various subjects but the void of good children’s films has always been there. And children’s films that succeed in moving grown-ups are even rare. Filmmaker and writer Dhruva Harsh’s Elham contributes in filling that void.

The movie is set in a village in Uttar Pradesh. The story revolves around a school going kid Faizan (Taiyo Chan). He lives with his father Rafique (Mahmood Hashmi), mother Safina (Gunnit Kour), elder sister Fatima (Tot Chan) and grandfather Daddu (Umesh Shukla). Rafique is currently jobless, so, obviously, the family is going through a lean phase.

The day of Bakrid is nearing but the family is in no position to buy a goat in order to sacrifice it on the auspicious day. This saddens Faizan as he sees his friends’ families buying goats. But Rafique starts new work of making bedsheets. He does so for the neighborhood lady, who, much to his pleasant surprise, pays him by presenting him with the goat.

This delights Faizan. However, he develops a strange affection for the goat, who he nicknames Dodu. Hence, he shudders even by the thought of the animal being sacrificed on Bakrid. Will Dodu be sacrificed?

The tale of a boy getting attached to a goat was explored in the Marathi movie Peter (2021). However, the basic tale, setting and treatment of Elham are much different.

The biggest challenge for Elham was to establish the bond between Faizan and Dodu, which it does exceedingly well. It forms gradually without you even realizing it. The conflict angle is also played in a simple way without making the proceedings melodramatic. The finale, which is crucial in such stories, succeeds in moving you. It also gives a message without anyone spelling it out.

Elham is also an example of progressive cinema, both in terms of the behavior of characters and the presentation. The jobless father for once doesn’t face any taunts whatsoever from his wife, despite his situation. In fact, she even readily gives him money to buy things from the market. The film, overall, is quite minimal and intimate. There are limited number of main characters and the story is told through close quarters without any taam jaam.

In a country like India, such subjects often face dangers of ruffling feathers with religiously conservative audience. But the makers ensure there is no scope for this in the movie.

The technical aspects, in terms of the cinematography and editing, play a major part in keeping things simple. The background score is minimal and used only when required.

The performances are a big plus point here. Taiyo Chan had a major responsibility while playing Faizan. In a way, he had to carry the film on his shoulders. He gets his act right and makes you root for him. Mahmood Hashmi gives an understated performance as his father, which goes with the nature of his character. Tot Chan, Gunnit Kour and Umesh Shukla, as the rest of the family members, chip in with good acts.

Coming to the minuses, the movie needed to be much crisper before the goat makes an entry in the story. The pacing is an issue during this part.

Overall: Elham is a moving saga with a message.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Dhruva Harsh

Producers: Dr. Raj Kishore Khaware, Utpaal Acharya, Saurabh Varma, Vickey Prasad, Vikas Yadav and Rati Tandon

Writer: Dhruva Harsh

Cast: Taiyo Chan, Tot Chan, Mahmood Hashmi, Gunnit Kour, Umesh Shukla

Also read: All We Imagine As Light review: Poignant portrayal of life in a metro for the not-so-privileged

Mukkam Post Bombilwadi review: Decent entertainer trapped in the wrong medium

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Filmmaker Paresh Mokashi’s Mukkam Post Bombilwadi is based on his own Marathi play of the same name. The story takes place in 1942 when World War II is in full swing. Adolf Hitler (Prashant Damle) is under pressure for not having won the war despite fighting it for years, especially from his wife Eva (Deepti Lele). Winston Churchill (Anand Ingle), the Prime Minister of Great Britain, is making things more difficult for him.

Meanwhile, in Bombilwadi village in Maharashtra’s Konkan, Varvante (Vaibhav Mangle) heads a theatre group. He is struggling hard to rehearse for a play with the members of his troupe (Devendra Pem, Geetanjali Kulkarni and Ritika Shrotri). Vaidya Buwa (Sunil Abhyankar) and Bhaskar (Pranav Raorane), who are also a part of the theatre group, have made a bomb to blow up Britishers.

Back in Germany, Hitler gets to know that he can lay his hands on the secret formula of an atom bomb in Japan. He decides to take matters in his own hands and visit Japan all by himself. But his plane crash lands in Bombilwadi and this creates more madness and mayhem in the village.

Mukkam Post Bombilwadi by Paresh Mokashi

As evident from the above synopsis, the story of Mukkam Post Bombilwadi is fully absurd and one requires suspension of disbelief to enjoy it. Frankly, it doesn’t take much effort to do that as the movie starts on a hilarious note. To see Hitler, Churchill and others speak in Marathi gets you in splits and so do some other moments in Bombilwadi.

However, the level of humour goes downhill later on. Of course, there are plenty of one-liners, jokes and situations aimed to make you laugh. But they only produce occasional humour and giggles. This is simply because this type of comedy suits more to the medium of theatre instead of cinema. In other words, the film remains theatrical and is not cinematic enough. The makers could have exploited the medium of cinema more.

The performances fall in the positive though. Prashant Damle is hilarious as a Marathi-speaking Hitler. He excels even in scenes where his character is troubled or confused. Anand Ingale too shines as Winston Churchill, despite limited screen time. Vaibhav Mangle, Devendra Pem, Geetanjali Kulkarni and Ritika Shrotri also succeed with their comic timing.

Adwait Dadarkar as the British Inspector Cook is impressive and he holds various scenes on his own. The rest of the supporting cast, including Sunil Abhyankar, Pranav Raorane, Deepti Lele, Rajesh Mapuskar and Ganesh Mayekar, are fine too.

The film scores well in the production designing, more so when it comes to the recreation of Hiter’s office in Germany.

Overall: Mukkam Post Bombilwadi is a decent entertainer, more because of the performances than the content. Because of its family entertainment genre, it is expected to do well at the box office.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Director: Paresh Mokashi

Producers: Vivek Films and Mayasabha Karamnuk Mandali

Writer: Paresh Mokashi

Cast: Prashant Damle, Anand Ingale, Vaibhav Mangle, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Devendra Pem, Ritika Shrotri, Adwait Dadarkar

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