Shatabdi Chakrabarty

It’s the best movie I’ve watched this year till date.

I loved the movie. Forest Gump is my favourite movie and I went to watch Lala Singh Chaddha with lot of scepticism. But I fell in love with the journey of this movie. The movie has been made with a lot of love and care. It’s a feel good movie meant for peaceful entertainment. The goodness of the movie lingers on mind even after the movie gets over. I loved how the significant historical events of India has been merged with Laal’s life story. Also, I enjoyed how the poignant events of the original movie have been tweaked to fit the Indian scenario. The cinematography is thoroughly enjoyable. The actors has done a commendable job- though Aamir could have portrayed the character better, without typecasting it. I would recommend people to watch the movie- it’s a perfect entertainer for this festive season.

Goosebumps raising excellent dance number base filled with predictable patriotic story line meant to be released on Republic day weekend, topped with mediocre acting - my friends, that's Street Dancer pizza for you. Personally, I love watching people dance, dance well I mean. And when you have Prabhu Deva sir, Dharmesh Yelande, Nora Fategi etc burning the screen with their moves, I was thrilled. I went to watch extravagant dance performances, and I was not disappointed. If you are planning to watch an engaging storyline with top notch acting, please take a Amazon prime membership and binge watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel this weekend. P.S. What's with this Khurana brothers, why are they so damn good! Aparshakti Khurana had a very small part in this movie and he still was my favourite of the lot.

4/5 After Stree, the director Amar Kaushik has once again delivered a laugh riot with a social message. This time it's about accepting our own physical imperfections & shortcomings (compared to beauty standards set to society) and being happy about it. The narrator of this story is the main protagonist's hair - which is voice overed by Vijay Raaz. The narration is crisp and humorous laced with witty dialogues. Never once do you feel that the plot is being overstretched. It was interesting enough to keep me awake at a 23:15 Friday show after a long weekend. Very rarely we come across a movie where all the actors are this much true and dedicated to their character. Undoubtedly Ayushmann Khurrana is the best find of Bollywood of this decade. I am not as comfortable with my own character as he gets comfortable with each character he portrays. He has breathed life into the character Bala who is suffering from premature baldness (due to some Karmik justice, I guess!). Yami Gautam as a local beauty with no brains has completely justified the role she plays. Javed Jaffrey as a know it all, Saurabh Shukla as a supprtive father, Seema Pahwa as the local mustached aunty, Abhishek Banerjee as the supportive friend with funky hair styles in contrast to Bala's bald head, Dheerendra Kumar Gautam as the typical Indian younger brother, the actor playing Bala's grandfather who is the house critic have all delivered fine performances. Bhumi Pednekar has acted well, but her character should have been more fleshed out. Also, they needed a better make up artist for her. And I loved the surprise cameo as Bala's ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend. I liked the subtle pick at our patriarchal society. Also, the non-Bollywood ending made me love the movie some more. This movie can be enjoyed by everyone who is in need of a good laugh. I have one doubt though - are bald people really this obsessed about their lack of hair? P.S. To all the critics demanding that a darker actor should have played Bhumi Pednekar's character - Bhumi is an actor, you know, an actor. She acts, and if she has the capability, can and should act in any character. Why should she not act in this particular role just because she is fair! Isn't criticising this also racism!

1/5 It is said that the morning shows the day. Likewise, from the trailer we can often judge a movie. I had expected a crass movie full of stupid jokes and I watched one. Its hard to believe that someone other than Sajid Khan can direct such a bad movie. It's not that everything is bad. Mr Akshay Kumar tried his best to uplift the movie. The other actors were also not bad. But the script and direction were so very bad that the movie turned out to be a disaster. I really feel sad for Johnny Lever and Nawazuddin Siddiqui for abusing their talents. This movie is for Kapil Sharma fans. Others might watch it at their own risk. I personally watched the movie in a theater to watch the reaction of other audiences and trust me, I was not disappointed. P.S. For all the reviewers marking this as a family movie, I do not know what kind of family equations they have. I personally can never even tell my parents that I have watched such a classless and sexist movie.

4/5 The beautifully crafted trailer was too perfect to let me miss the movie. The movie might not be appealing to everybody, but my guess is, it's going to be a classic for the generation binge watching on Netflix and Amazon Prime. Laal Kaptaan is a movie about dry, uncompromising revenge. At the end, the justice served is chillingly poetic. It's almost like the journey of Mahakaal, tying up the loose ends, coldly serving justice to everybody. Saif Ali Khan has portrayed the intense character of a Naga Sadhu, solely driven by revenge, to perfection. Manav Vij as Rehmat Khan, the antagonist and Simone Singh as his wife are good. Deepak Dabriyal (and not to forget the silly "pindari"s has flawlessly provided the much needed comic relief to the otherwise dark movie. Zoya Hussain as the mother who can do absolutely anything to be reunited with her child is terrific. The historic background is perfect and true to its timeline. The background score matches the plot. Slightly better editing, and the movie could have been a masterpiece. Thanks to Navdeep Singh for showing the courage to make such an unconventional movie and Saif Ali Khan for having the guts to act in an experimental movie, unlike his other Bollywood counterparts. If you are a masala movie fan, this movie isn't for you. For people who love accurate and detailed movie telling, please do not listen to the critics who are bashing the movie and go watch it. P.S. For God's sake, stop comparing Saif's Gosain with Jack Sparrow. Their characters cannot be more different from each other.

4.8/5 Joker introduced me to my new favorite actor : Joaquin Phoenix. The very heart and soul of this very dark and disturbing ( not that I am complaining) movie is perfect in absolutely everything he does. Each of his laughter is chillingly different from each other, each of dance more unsettling that the one before and each one of his actions, though a few of them predictable, will beg you not to even blink your eyes. The story of a mentally ill man being pushed beyond his breaking point by the society who finally lets go of his inner demons has been portrayed perfectly by all the cast members. The director has created the origin story for Batman’s nemesis where the line between right & wrong, sanity & insanity and even reality and imagination is blurred. Though sometimes I felt that the story could have been more compact, I enjoyed the performance of the lead actors so much that I won't complaint. This masterpiece is a must watch for all those who like greyed out stories without distinction between white and black and also those who will enjoy an Oscar worthy performance.

3.5/5 stars I had been waiting to watch this movie since the trailer was released. The movie has an unconventional and hilarious storyline. The strength of this movie lies in the uniquely stellar performances by all the actors and the comic punchlines. A huge thanks to the director for making a thoroughly entertaining movie based on a plot that could easily have turned vulgar. And all the characters are oh so loveable. The only problem I think the movie had was the climax - the social message could have been delivered in a better way. Had the ending been like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, this movie would have been a masterpiece. Overall, this movie is a laughter ride that you can surely board.