rajni agarwal

SHAKUNTALA DEVI premiered recently on AMAZON PRIME VIDEO and was another eagerly awaited film. The movie stars Vidya Balan in the lead role and she is supported by Santa Malhotra playing her daughter and Joshi Sengupta playing her husband. The movie is made on Shakuntala Devi s journey from her childhood to the end and is told from her daughter’s perspective and THAT I feel is the first flaw of the film. As an audience I expected to see her mathematical genius mind being unravelled or interesting trivia about her life to be the highlight of the movie. Whereas these were definitely part of the movie, the overall crux of the movie seemed to be to portray her as an insensitive and caring person - be it as a daughter or wife or mother. However, that does not take away from Vidya Balan her genius as an actress and she portrays Shakuntala to the T - whether it is the way she used to dress up or walk or speak or even her overbearing and at time, annoying laugh and she is brilliant. I especially loved her nasal South Indian accent. The movie is 2 hours 10 mins long but feels much longer because of its slow pace. The supporting cast is good including Amit Sadh as the daughter’s supportive husband. Watch it to see the mathematical genius on reel and for Vidya Balan

THE OLD GUARD premiered on NETFLIX a few days back and is touted as an Action film. The movie tells the story of a group of people (initially 4 and then 5) led by Charlize Theron, who are immortals. They cannot die whatever be their injury as they heal themselves within minutes. Hence, they take up missions to serve the world. However, a big pharmaceutical company aims to capture them to extract and study their genetic components, so it can make medicines to reverse or stop aging etc. what happens is the rest of the movie. Firstly I was expecting a full-on action movie with missions, hostages being rescued and so on and though there is action, there is NO mission. The movie simply talks about their lives and escapes but there is really NO solid story. The only recognisable name in the cast was Charilze Theron and though the entire team of actors has done a decent job, NOTHING really stands out. So at the end of the 2 hour run time, I was disappointed as I expected so much more. The only highlight of the movie is the soundtrack, with lovely haunting tracks being sung at different points in the movie. Watch if you are a fan of high strung action, otherwise you won’t really miss anything.... for More reviews follow me at @rajnisboxoffice

PATAAL LOK is a web series streaming on AMAZON PRIME VIDEO qnd comprises of 9 episodes of almost 40 to 50 minutes each. The story is about an assassination attempt on a prominent TV news anchor Sanjeev Mehra (played by Neeraj Kabi) by 4 people who are caught immediately. The case is handed to Inspector Hathi Ram (played superbly by Jaideep Ahlawat) who starts his investigation and discovers several dark truths on the way. The main cast is supported by several superb actors like Ishwak Singh who is assisting Hathi Ram in the investigation, Niharika Dutta, Swastika Mukherjee and so many others. Gul Panag is super as the Hinglish wife who keeps looking out for business opportunities. Abhishek Banerjee as Hathoda Tyagi is exceptional in striking terror into your heart every time he gazes at the screen. In fact, everyone is superb in the acting department. But viewers be warned about its extremely dark content, foul and crass language, extreme violence and scenes that are sometimes really offensive. The series tries to depict the violent and dark side of gangs, caste affiliations and political legacies. It is very, very heavy to watch and definitely not for kids but even for me...I had to take long breaks of a few days before I could continue the episodes. AND YET, there is something gripping about the entire series and you want to know what happens in the end. So watch it if you dare but if you can reach the end, you probably won’t regret it. For more .. follow me at @rajnisboxoffice

PENGUIN starring Keerthy Suresh in the lead role started streaming on AMAZON PRIME VIDEO yesterday and is a saga based on a mother’s hunt for her lost infant son and her unfailing courage. Rythm played by Keerthy Suresh is griefstricken when one day her son is kidnapped by a masked person as he is off for a school picnic near the forest area. A massive hunt yields no results and they have no clues except the kidnapper was wearing a Charlie Chaplin mask. Fast forward 6 years and life has changed for the mother when one day she suddenly finds the son, out of nowhere. But he has changed. What has happened.. how she goes about hunting the kidnapper... how it affects her personal life and so on is the crux of the story. The movie is well made and you tend to remain glued to the screen to see what happens next. A lot of disturbing scenes about the kidnapping, which may be gross too, so definitely not for kids. Keerthy Suresh is well cast and so are all the other actors. A special mention for Master Advaith who plays the son Ajay and whose expressions at times give you a spooky feeling. At almost 2 hr 10 mins, it’s watchable if you are a fan of mysteries and whodunnit movies. But some element was missing and I felt it could have been made a bit faster. A few loopholes as the son goes missing on a school trip but no mention of that fact. Also there are so many twists in the movie that by the end of it, I simply wanted to get over with the movie. It’s a good watch for all thriller movie fans and has been simultaneously released in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. For more follow me on @rajnisboxoffice

GULABO SITABO premiered on AMAZON PRIME VIDEO and became the first A-lister movie to do so without waiting for a theatrical release, after the lockdown. With 2 great actors - Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushman Khurrana- the movie was highly awaited by movie lovers but that was totally unnecessary, as I discovered yesterday much to my disappointment. The movie is about Mirza (Amitabh Bachchan) whose Wife/ Begum owns a big haveli in Lucknow city and Baankey (Ayushman Khurrana) who is one of the many tenants in the haveli. Since the tenants pay a measly sum as rent, Mirza is keen to throw them out and sell the haveli to earn good money. The plots, plans, measures that both these main characters employ, form the crux of the movie. Vijay Raaz plays a significant role as an archaeologist and Farrukh Jafar as the Begum. The movie has so much talent but unfortunately, with no good story, no one is put to good use. The movie moves at a slow pace and there are times when Amitabh’s dialogues are inaudible and sound like a mumble. There is an interesting twist in the end, but the torture of watching the movie, just for the twist in the climax is just not worth it. The time duration of 2 hours felt really stretched and it amazed me as to how the deadly combination of Amitabh Bachchan, Ayushman Khurrana and Shoojit Sircar did not work. I must add that I am glad this movie was not released in theatres as the viewers would have spent a bomb on the tickets, food, etc and it would definitely not have been worth it. Sadly, can be totally avoided. Follow me at @rajnisboxoffice

JAMTARA SABKA NUMBER AAYEGA premiered a few months back on NETFLIX. The web series deals with the real life incidents of the issue of phishing scams that are a common occurrence in the country. Data shows that they seem to originate mostly in the town of JAMTARA, Jharkhand. The series depicts the life of a group of young people who are involved in the scam and the problems they face in their daily life. The series also tries to highlight how all of this is an organised crime with one person mostly heading the entire criminal activity. Firstly, the entire star cast is new and each one of them fits beautifully in their role. Looking at them, you sometimes tend to forget that you are watching a work of fiction, as they look like real criminals. Amit Sial as Brajesh bhai deserves a special mention as he really gives you the creeps in his negative role. Secondly, the episodes are of varying durations from 25 minutes to 50 minutes and with a total of 10 episodes, you can actually binge watch the entire series. Thirdly, it depicts the harsh realities of some parts of our country and the problems that are a daily occurrence there. On the negative side, the language is very crass and totally over the top, making it unsuitable for kids. Secondly, though the story has its share of twists, the ending is left open and though the viewer can imagine what it must be, I personally hate it when there is a lack of clarity at the end. Lastly, I wish the makers had focused more on the scam aspect as I felt the story of the personal lives of the characters takes too much prominence. But the positives outweigh and if you can overlook the bad language, the series can be watched. I, for one, wrapped up the series feeling very appreciative and thankful for my sane life, in comparison to the problems that the world has.... for more such reviews, follow my Instagram handle @rajnisboxoffice

CHOKED premiered on NETFLIX a few days back and stars Saiyami Kher, Roshan Mathew, Amruta Subhash in the main roles. The movie is about a couple who are striving to make things work financially as the wife (Saiyami Kher) works in a bank at the counters and the husband (Roshan Mathew) is out of work. The story is set during the demonetisation time in India during November 2016. Saiyami Kher keeps finding bundles of rolled up old currency suddenly appearing from her kitchen sink drain, every night, as her sink is perpetually choked. So every night she hears these strange voices from the drain pipe and when she opens it to clean it, these rolled up wads appear along with the choked water and dirt. She decides to keep it a secret from her husband and how her life changes and the events that follow is the crux of the movie. The movie also highlights the problems that the ‘Aam junta’ faced due to the government’s sudden announcement about demonetisation. Firstly, the story and concept are good but just not executed in an effective manner. I was actually expecting to see some magical elements in the movie, which was not to be. Secondly the star cast is pretty ok and realistic in their performances. Thirdly, the husband is depicted as toooo good and even though his wife nags him all the time, he doesn’t retort or defend himself. I wonder if such husbands exist in reality. Lastly, the pace of the movie could have been faster and with a run time of 2 hours, it feels long. Overall, a one time watch ONLY for the concept of the movie and to see for yourself as to how the narrative could have been made more exciting for the viewers... for more reviews follow me on my Instagram handle @rajnisboxoffice