Abhirun Das

Exploring politics, gang mafia, caste, the everyday middle class life, the life a minority common man in India, the infamous Delhi Police and the ever questionable nature of hot news, "Paatal Lok" is a series that is gripping, at times downright edge of the seat thriller and yet, at other times it can be an emotional roller coaster depicting scenes so emotionally raw that it leaves your throat in lumps. The two main protagonists are actors at the top of their trade; they are intense, extremely relatable, driven by their own agendas and fuelled with backstories that are rich. All the other characters as well have been well written, with deep backstories that make you understand their arch. What is so special about this series, is that it ends up making you love the characters you were supposed to hate in the first place. The story is a good one, I'd not say spectacular but the performances of the actors make it an absolute smasher. By the end of the series, I was seriously grief stricken for "Cheeni". The narrative of the plot is also filled with a lot of Indian Mythology which gives it another interesting angle. But above everything, the characters of "Paatal Lok" remain the best thing of this series. Inspector Hathi Ram Chaudhury's character alone is enough for you to sit through the 9 highly enjoyable episodes. He is intense, frustrated, moody and at several moments out of control "violent". Yet he is a cop, a father and a husband, bent on solving a case and proving to his wife and son that he is not just another "middle class ch***ya". Flawed, as he is and as we all are, Chaudhary's character at times makes our hearts bleed for him, spuring him on as he races through the underworld of violence and lies. He is a senior to a young officer too, sometimes jealous of his junior's abilities to suceed, yet sometimes the only pillar of support for the young man. "Paatal Lok" isn't one you can afford to miss. This is a series that is not afraid to explore the everyday taboos and takes a bold, graphical approach to addressing issues such as caste, bigotry, transgender plights and even sexual violence. Sit down, and watch "Paatal Lok" and then come back here to read this review. Go, you're missing out on Hathi Ram Choudhury!

What a waste of time this movie is. Salman Khan has not only fallen from his acting calibre but also from grace. The movie has absolutely no rhythm. It is interjected all the time by songs that make no sense at all. Way too many songs in a movie that goes by the genre of Action. The comedy is absolutely dismal. It's forced, it's cheap, it's disgustingly uncomical. No sense of humour, the attempts at comedy consists of extremely loud characters doing monkey like stunts and talking like 2nd graders. Salman Khan has allegedly written the script which leaves me with no surprises seeing how bad his acting is, his writing can only be worse. Bottomline, in BOLD: DO NOT WASTE 3 HOURS OF YOUR LIFE. Even if you're jobless, you have a lot to do than to watch this shitshow called Dabangg 3. I'd rate it half star, but that option is not available. So sadly, I had to give this joke of a movie 1 star.

Dark, gritty with a steely tension even in its seemingly light moments, Joker is a movie that leaves you feeling absolutely mentally exhausted at the end of it because of its sheer brilliance as a movie and the devastatingly beautiful and haunting performance of Joaquin Phoenix. Don't go for the ratings given by Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritics. They should be ashamed to have rated Joker so low. The movie is a dive into the mind of a mentally ill person and how that madness can spiral out of control in a vile and cut throat world. Joker not only portrays the character but also the world, the environment and how people are actually so much affected by it. Phoenix is a master artist who performs the role of Joker so very well that by the end of the movie, you start to feel tired seeing him go through his mental anguish. This is a must watch and this one will stay with you for a long time. So put on your happy face!