studio orange

if you are into thrillers, don’t miss disclaimer. keeps you hooked till the final episode. well made. engrossing storyline. superbly acted by the leads. backed by a highly listenable soundtrack. watched all episodes at a go.

brilliant. money can destroy the simple pleasures of life. it can make pretend. kind of know-all when in reality knows nothing.

watch for zeenat aman zeenat aman zeenat aman zeenat aman zeenat aman zeenat aman zeenat aman zeenat aman zeenat aman and the music. otherwise the story is so absurd so unbelievable. the same woman hides her disfigured face to become the other woman. the husband fails to recognise that the wife/other woman is one and the same.

kill… no not kill bill but this bloodbath is the indian answer to quentin tarantino’s pulp kind of movies. raghav juyal, who looks like a vir das twin shines. shades of gabbar singh come alive. gripping, gut wrenching rampage, edge of the seat thriller. goes like the title, just …kill

a treat of the aphrodisiac kind to the senses that matter. have been watching on a roll ever since the censor board kept the nudity exclusively for themselves and made us deprived maniacs, irritatingly deprived. not so close encounters of the so near yet so far kinds. if not for the silver pirates, the uncut version would be treasure lost. kind of klpd blame it on rio, uncut was recently revisited thanks to amazon prime. besides the slapstick and the hilarious one-liners. which btw are brilliant, they still make you laugh out loud. if you can keep the morality aside. this time the deeper side unfolded. life is to be taken lightly, whatever the situation. after all we are humans with desires that are forced into closets for the sake of barriers invented to ruin life instead of letting her flow freely minus the guilt trips. no way i’m justifying the story which we all know. just that if there is a will and there are consenting adults. what is done, is done. life goes on. period.

expectations, boy they are high if raj kumar hirani is in the director’s chair. so leave them behind. no comparison with his earlier films is also recommended. now sit back and enjoy a wholesome entertainer about the plight of illegal aliens. unfolding in hirani mode. the subject is serious only rkh could tell dunki in the backdrop of humour. in fact he’s the manmohan desai of today. though much refined and realistic. the story has drama, emotion, tragedy and much more action than any other rkh film. the protagonist is tailor made for srk to step in the shoes of hardy singh. alongside we cruise through the film. for me it’s his best performance this year. tapsee pannu is also at her best. isn’t she always? the supporting cast too give admirable performances. boman irani doesn’t have much to do. vicky kaushal leaves you in tears. he plays the modern day ranjha to his unseen heer. his is a brief but impactful presence. vikram kochar and anil grover too, play their parts well. on the whole dunki is the film of our times. showing how borders, whilst there should be none for any human, are there only for the common man. go for dunki.

alpha beta …pita alpha beta pyara pita kabhi pita kabhie pita alpha son. fatally in love with his father. sometimes thrashed. sometimes thrasher. the alpha male needs no introduction. he was, is and perhaps will be, reinvented to suit boot the times. sometimes as an avatar, mostly as an animal. in the free fall jungle of a world. what will you do: if your freedom is in danger? if you crave for some kind of love from your father, while you are devastatingly in love with him? if your sister is abused in the name of ragging? if the same sister is then married to be a door mat? if your father survives an assassination attack by an unknown enemy? the correct answers are delivered by ranvijay balbir aka ranbir kapoor aka animal. what happens in close encounters of the fatal kind is happening in the highly criticised, rarely praised film of the moment. if protecting your freedom and family by blood or by extension in an anarchy environment. loving them madly. be misogynistic. so be it. yes in some frames women are abused. given the situation, if you were in the protagonist/antagonist’s shoes? maybe you would do worse than make her lick yours, shoes i mean. animal is dark cinema at its best. boldly carried on ranbir’s animal act. being compared to cult films like silence of the lambs, kill bill and other tarantino epics of blood, gore and violence. even if it is to show the film down, is but hidden praise. everyone is rodgering animal. and yet everyone is seeing it. the roar is evident and is being heard in the bank. i liked the 200 minutes of animal. could have been shorter but what the heck. as a friend said, go see at your own risk.

it is difficult to fit in five decades of laurels in 150minutes. no wonder sambahdur seems to be in a rush to the finish. if not for vicky kaushal's finesse in acting the movie would have been average. he not only captures the nuances that sam manekshaw is known for but plays him to perfection. the first half is fast paced and keeps you glued to your seat. intermission comes in a jiffy. meghna gulzar!s direction concentrates on sam, is for sam and only for sam. rest of the characters have little to do. the film belongs to vicky kaushal. it's sam and not him on the screen. he is a marvel in every frame, acting with eyes and expressions. the only other character that shines is fatima sana shaik's take on indra gandhi. frames that feature both vicky and her are the backbone of the film. zeeshan too is good, as is neeraj kabi as nehru but their screen time is minimal. sanya malhotra has nothing much to do. the war scenes are aptly conducted. the writing could have been better. sambahdur is a movie, the icon in some of the most important wars in india's history, deserves. go for it.