Manas Mohapatra

During the pandemic lockdown, there was no shooting, so the few movies that came around this time were weak in all aspects due to personal turmoil and travel restrictions. Main thing which was missing was the story, and the movies seemed like a personal rant of someone, just built to stretch itself into a three hours of running time. A space filler. After pandemic when the world returned to normalcy, they started making movies from scratch. So you have now some parts of the film shining brilliantly while rest part is filler. Story fails to execute itself satisfactorily, and the viewer can sense the pandemic discomfort still weakening all film making efforts. This film starring a hero in his forties, reflects the depressing reality of our present times. Call him 'uncle' as much as you want, but there is no hope of new heroes of younger generations coming or any refreshing new story taking the burden off of our tiring lives. And this film is made in 2025. The pandemic is long gone.

This film is for the children of those who watched Sunny Deol films during their growing years. The actions are exaggerated and unreal, but that's what Bollywood is all about. Our children should have the same experience we had. Film grows weaker towards the end, but the strength on display for two and half hours cures all human weaknesses.

You can watch for thirty minutes straight about two people lying lazily on the couch and discussing what they would like for dinner, whether go shopping today or keep it for tomorrow, why John shouldn't have called Tom and Harry together to his party as both are on bad terms, why his hair is appearing gray, is he growing old or what, wait it's only a hair shining in the light, dude you should get your eyesight checked or something.. (thirty minutes over).

Watch it for an explainer of our times. The movie threads itself through the common denominator of our city lives, from birth through the end. What is it you call success, whether the amount of money you could make or the lasting relations you carried in your memory? This film deals with the latter, but don't blame the movie if it fails to reflect emotions on the viewers side, with all the hate going on in this world. Watch it with your pet cat or pet dog sitting on your side.

Trying to center itself around a huge suitcase and 'Sanju', this movie captures the human journey in a nutshell, quite successfully too, if you look for it.

The (T.V) movie holds ground only when both Fania and Alma Rose are in the picture. Otherwise, it loosens outwards when showing other characters. The austere conductorship of Alma Rose proves to be a necessary evil for putting up a team together and levelling any differences. A meaning in life is falsely shaped and then vaporized towards the end, leaving the viewers empty handed. The movie bombs towards the end with a hint that it wasn't meant to be watched. Four stars nonetheless, for it's a thoughtful watch, especially for those who are readers. No one expected more from a film with prisoners waiting for departure. I reckon, this much beauty you can extract from any life, from any interaction, which borders on insanity rest of the time, most of the time. The character of Fania played by Vanessa Redgrave turns deeply philosophical as she testifies how the gods have left their children. A movie on the human condition. For mature viewers.

Those who were surprised by the disconnect of this much hyped book to the holocaust, with which it is famously linked, would find this movie liberating. Definitely a movie which makes you return to the study table, to relive those moments again and again.

The distress of having growing offsprings at home is shown through the eyes of a surgeon. Poignancy of the situation runs throughout the movie, as it does throughout one's life. It ends with stoic acceptance of your children's mistakes as your own.

If you are having a bad day and run this movie to escape, then you'd be much disappointed, as your day would end with more notes of despair. It is not a horror movie nor does it reach any where near the superhero genre of movies like X-Men, to which it forcibly jumps to emulate. There are long, stretched sequences, where nothing much happens except mundane interactions between two or three people. Sometimes a girl shrieks for minutes and you want to hold your head with both hands. You wait for other superheros but the film ends with the same two or three characters without showing anything new.

Though a lacklustre (intentional?) movie and nothing is found till the end, it kept me engaged throughout the duration. Horror is nowhere comparable to conventional hair raising movies in this genre. The kinetic force with which victims are sucked towards the sky, is what is all that interests one. Rest is all work stress.