ritika wagh

Andhaghaaram’s tricky and suspenseful plot is the main highlight of the movie. The movie begins with a killing and suicide sequence which immediately establishes it’s tone. As the story continues, we see various questions unfold and secrets revealed. The story follows Vinod, a depressed cricketer; Selvam, a blind librarian and Dr. Indran, a former psychiatrist. As the story continues to unravel the mystery, we are drawn into the dark and supernatural world that V. Vignarajan has created. Vignarajan’s complex direction and writing, which focuses more on creating moments and details rather on an enormous story leaves an impression on the audience. Each character is neatly portrayed. It’s quite difficult to hold the attention of the audience for this long, but Andhaghaaram’s captivatingly shot narrative manages to do so. Even though the structure of the plot is engrossing, it could have been shorter as the climax feels a bit rushed. Vinod Kishan, Arjun Das and Kumar Natarajan’s performance in their respective roles are the embodiment of the film. They own their part and suit their character perfectly. This movie is dependent on real talent. Wide shots, indoor shots, outdoor shots, light sources, the frames, background score, visual elements, everything is placed meticulously. Andhaghaaram is a new kind of supernatural film with praiseworthy scenes and a captivating storyline. It is a slow burn which proves again that horror more than simply putting “scares”. Thus, Andhaghaaram definitely deserves your attention.

I have treated myself and finished with one of the most prominent limited series, ‘The Queen’s Gambit’. Scott Frank’s ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ follows an orphan girl who takes the center stage in a male-dominated game- chess. The story begins when Beth Harmon discovers her keen interest in chess at the age of 9 while she watches her janitor, Mr. Shaibel, playing chess. The story beautifully captures Beth’s journey and will give you the energy to follow your passion, dreams, life goals. This limited series is crafted in an illuminating way with an exhilarating finale. It follows themes like addiction, equality, kindness, and of course, chess, very elegantly. As chess is a mind game, it becomes quite difficult to bring out the element of drama to keep the audience hooked, but the makers of The Queen’s Gambit have done a commendable job of dramatizing the series and bringing out the tension in the minds of the audience with its rich writing. What makes the series more real and fascinating is the character’s passion for winning and improving, an old fashion model of communication, the vintage chess settings, and the nail-biting match sequences. We get to enjoy the show’s instant pleasures like alluring performances, fashion, and authenticity of chess which brings out the screen alive! I, being a non-chess player, have learned basic terms of chess, like Sicilian Defenses, Doubled Pawns, Scholar’s Mate, Bishop’s Opening, Adjournments along with Beth, and what really inspired me is Beth’s dedication towards chess and hope and support from her family, which she found in her friends and opponents. The Queen’s Gambit will not disappoint you in any aspect.

David Fincher is back after 6 years with another classic Hollywood movie that will leave you spellbound. The script was written in the 1990s by Jack Fincher but the project resumed in November 2019. Mank is a biographical drama about Herman J. Mankiewicz, the screenwriter of Citizen Kane (1941). The movie revolves around how Herman developed his script in the happenings and circumstances during that time. Rather than discussing the entire plot of this movie, I would really suggest you all to watch Citizen Kane (1941), directed by Orson Welles to really understand the motive of Mank in a better way. Talking about the other aspects of the film, Fincher has masterfully made a nostalgic film which revels in grey and is spiteful. It is a technically astounding movie. Each shot is perfectly captured and intelligently directed. The recreation of 1930s and 1940s Hollywood is done brilliantly, its timeless and authentic. Fincher’s structuring of the ‘present’ and the ‘flashbacks’ gives a bold and race like effect. The filming techniques, production design and the musical score are all worth the appreciation. As the opening score of Mank is similar to the Citizen Kane’s score, it gives you the same exact feeling and keeps you hooked. The most loved dialogue from the movie: “You cannot capture a man’s life in two hours. All you can do is to leave an impression.” And just like that, Gary Leonard Oldman perfectly leaves a sudden impression on us with his realistic acting. He comes out a perfect portrayal of Herman J. Mankiewicz. The top-notch performances shown by everyone in this movie is simply astonishing! You won’t be able to connect to the characters or the movie emotionally, but you will know how Hollywood worked in the 1930s and 1940s as the movie’s scenes and dialogues are a perfect reference for that. Also, not everybody will find this movie fascinating. But if you are a true “Hollywood Classic” lover, this movie is the one. Lastly, the one thing I really admire about Mank is its efforts. This is the kind of movie which will really help you to study cinema.

Very few filmmakers pull off the Dark Comedy genre, which is not attempted often in Bollywood. Movies like Delly Belly, Andhadhun, Kaalakaandi, Dev D standout. Ludo, directed by Anurag Basu, deserves a similar appreciation because Basu has done a commendable job with his direction. Ludo is an adventurous rollercoaster of four wild divergent stories into a single narrative, which answers the questions of ‘Karma and Dharma’. Basu has intelligently done crisscrossing of the characters, just like we see while playing the board game ludo. He is a multi-tasker in the movie, and he has perfectly balanced between ‘Kabhi naram naram, kabhi garam garam’ like in the song ‘O Beta Ji’ that comes at the starting of the movie. The ensemble cast has provided us with a high degree of performance. Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Bachchan, and Raj Kumar Rao steal your heart all over again. Aditya Roy Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra, Fatima Sana Khan, Rohit Saraf, Pearle Manney are delightful and mind-blowing with their neat performances. And how can we forget to mention a wonderstruck combination of Pritam and Arijit Singh, ‘Aabaad Barbaad’ and ‘Hardum Humdum’ are so refreshing melodies in the movie. We are blessed to have singers like Arijit Singh who bring out the freshness of the songs so beautifully. Listening to Arijit’s warm and soft vocals after so long feels fresh. In a nutshell, ludo is a feel-good dark comedy with refreshing music, credible acting, and quirky elements.

Raghava Lawrence’s debut in Bollywood by remaking his successful Tamil movie Kanchana was not really a blast. Laxmii, a Horror/Comedy is neither funny nor scary. The movie’s script falls loose on thrill and lacked in many aspects, therefore it failed to entertain its audience. Sharad Kelkar as original Laxmii was a big surprise in this movie, Kelkar has a very impressive and impactful screen time. He nailed his role and leaves quite an impression. Kelkar’s natural acting made us feel the pain of the character. While Akshay Kumar plays his part with conviction. Kumar’s looks and body language is wonderstruck. He tried doing something fresh and he hit the spot. But even Akshay Kumar’s comic timing and humor fails miserably. The costume designers, makeup artists, VFX team have done a satisfactory job. To conclude, Laxmii’s social message to break the stereotypes against transgender community is weighty.