Niraj Bagri

In the new age cinema it takes lot of courage to bank on old theme of nonsensical comedy and cast an ensemble of actors whose average age is more than 50. Is it worth the risk? The theme is very similar to the prequels. Loads of money is stashed at a location whose incomplete address is known to group of people who try to outdo each other and reach there first to decode the exact coordinates and take the moolah. Climax has nothing special but the journey towards it is! The movie completely relies on the humour quotient. No wonder director Indra Kumar has tried to rope in as many comedians as possible. Most of them have done decent work, Johnny Lever stealing the show in his short appearance. It was good to see Madhuri Dixit in her old avatar, glitter in the eyes and facial expressions intact. Wish she could freeze aging like Rekha. Worrying part about the movie is the senseless & immaturish scenes and sequences. But the good thing is, lot of people enjoy such comic caper. In today’s hectic & demanding life it isn’t a bad idea to leave the worries at home and have few hours of total dhamaal. A clean film with no violence or vulgar item number or objectionable scenes or raunchy dialogues, making it perfect for a family outing. If you still have some funny bones left in the body, can keep your intellectual hat away and stop being judgemental for 2 hours 20 minutes then book the tickets, popcorn & cola for fun filled weekend entertainment. For me, it was good time pass. Paisa vasool.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Magnanimous sets, colour-coordinated opulent dressings, passionate drama, strong emotions, heavy dialogues, beautifully choreographed graceful dance sequences, meaningful lyrics laced songs & powerful performance by all the actors are hallmark of Kalank. It gives glimpses of a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. Slow pace & length of the movie are dampners. It is an intense love story set in 1940’s wherein a rich man (Sanjay Dutt) has illegitimate child (Varun Dhawan) with his lover (Madhuri). Due to societal ethos he doesn’t embrace either of them and mother-son relation also gets strained. Varun tries to take revenge from his father by seducing his daughter-in-law (Alia Bhatt) who herself is second wife of Aditya Roy Kapur who was coaxed by his first wife (Sonakshi Sinha) to enter into wedlock again since she (Sonakshi) was about to die due to cancer. Their lives turn topsy-turvy when revenge gets replaced with true love. Director Abhishek Verman has taken a bold decision to make period film on love. Why bold? Because it has been tried several times in the past and needed something different to make it interesting or something interesting to make it different. Fortunately, Kalank won’t be a “kalank” in his career. Above all, I found Kalank very intense and strong on emotions because of the medley shown between pious & illicit love. I am a teetotaller but can vouch that movie will be best enjoyed after few pegs of your favourite drink. That’s when the mind and heart gets synced to blur the judgement between moral righteousness and situational predicaments. After all, life seldom doles out easy options. Kalank is recommended for passionals who enjoy period drama and don’t mind over-the-board poignant love story. Ironically, despite not being in favour of this genre, I liked the movie. That’s the beauty of Indian cinema!

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Films with controversy always generate curiosity. In Bollywood, even negative publicity is good for box office. After some tussle with the name (Mental became Judgementall), finally the movie saw light of the day. Glad, it did! It is a dark comic thriller which revolves around the life of Kangana Ranaut who suffers from certain mental illness due to her troubled childhood and poor parenting. Rajkummar Rao moves in as her tenant and things start getting quirky when his wife dies under mysterious circumstances in the same house. While he claims that Kangana is the culprit because she is besotted and obsessed with him, she accuses Rajkummar Rao of multiple murders. Truth prevails in the end. Judgementall Hai Kya is all about Kangana playing mind games with the audience. First half explains her state of mind & post-interval movie turns serious and becomes hardcore murder mystery. The film is technically aesthetic and pristine. Editing, narration, cinematography, direction, etc. are to the mark. Acting is top notch. Kangana has pulled an ace yet again. And kudos to her for holding on to her decision of doing films only where she gets meaty roles. What an answer to powers-to-be in Bollywood who were rubbed the wrong way by her! Rajkummar Rao is anyday brilliant. Touching on the controversy, the film doesn’t make fun of people affected with certain mental conditions but it also doesn’t treat the subject with sensitive maturity. Sadly, in India we still haven’t come to terms with the fact that mental disorder is not a taboo, neither does it make a person “mad”. Rather, it is just like any other illness which requires medication, proper treatment and care for the patient. This is one of those movies which will divide the audience opinion to extreme ends. Some might like mental dual between Kangana and Rajkummar Rao while others will term the same as confusing and hotchpotch. I too changed my opinion twice or thrice...now you don’t be judgemental about me! Alright, let me sum it up. People evaluating the film from cinematic lens will definitely like it, while those looking for typical Bollywood masala and fun might be disappointed. All said and done, the movie is indeed different!

This year Bollywood has seen lot of sports based inspirational movies. Be it Gold, Soorma or Mukkabaaz all of them had similar underlying message. Sui Dhaaga has also tried to repeat the same theme, but with a thread and needle. Let’s figure out what got stitched. It is a story of a couple where husband Varun Dhawan is talented, hardworking but rudderless and housewife Anushka Sharma is organised, ambitious & his pillar of strength. Agitated by his employer’s insults and encouraged by his wife, Varun ditches his salesman job to pursue his passion and grandfather’s legacy, tailoring. One failed attempt and bogged down by hospital expenses of his ailing mother he goes back to routine job, this time at a clothing fashion brand. Tricked by his new employer he again feels cheated which makes him leave this place too. With the support of family and friends he participates in a fashion show to restore lost pride and prove his worth. The movie shows the inspirational journey of a typical first generation entrepreneur who faces innumerable struggles, makes difficult choices at crucial junctures of life, moves out of his comfort zone, faces the wrath of disgruntled family members, commits mistakes and learns from them, falls down but gets up quicker, stronger and more determined. All of these couldn’t be more relevant in today’s business environment! It was a refreshing change to see money-deprived Varun Dhawan and unglamorous Anushka Sharma leading a commoner’s life. They carried it off pretty well though. A particular sequence in which Varun and Anushka literally go berserk to get free sewing machine deserves a clap. Rest of the star cast have also contributed decently in their limited roles. Most of the other technical parameters of the movie are fine except for the story which starts off nicely, gathers decent momentum but towards the end starts galloping at such a pace that climax looks unreal, as if a fairytale. No wonder the film gets wrapped up in 2 hours. Is it worth watching? A yes and a no. People like me who get motivated by reel-life success stories will find Sui Dhaaga entertaining and inspirational. Others may get bored and classify it as clichéd or too filmy. So check your genre of cinema and take a call. If judged strictly on merit, I will rate it 2.5 out of 5.

Movie Review : Mardaani 2 Rani Mukerji was one of the finest actresses of her time. To see her again on big screen is a delight. And knowing fully well that Mardaani 2 is all about her, it’s no surprise her fans were eagerly waiting for it. Thankfully, she hasn’t disappointed them. Just like its prequel this one is also about cop chasing the culprit, for crime against women. Rani Mukerje has become an IPS, posted in Kota. She is immediately handed a tough task of nabbing a psycho-rapist-murderer who has created rampage in the town. Short film with runtime of 1 hr 46 mins only, Mardaani 2 has lot of similarities with Mardaani. While it was child trafficking in 1st part, this one is about rape. And if you thought Tahir Raj Bhasin was a competitive villain then, wait till you see Vishal Jethwa now. You’ll hate his character in the film, but the man has given a stupendous performance. Seldom do we get to see a lawbreaker committing such heinous crime with utmost ruthlessness and brazen manner. His expressions, body language and demeanour is spine chilling. Rani Mukerje’s role and performance looks bit repetitive, but, just like last time she has aced it here too. Despite of such a long break from the industry she is versatile and full of energy infront of the camera. Her dialogue delivery is fierce and confidence paramount. The scene where she speaks about equality between men and women is worth an applause. Correction to my opening statement of this review...she still is! Movie touches not just the current burning subject of brutal crime against women, but also exposes general mentality of Indian males who still feel women are not equal to them, shouldn’t be outspoken, aren’t meant for jobs “entitled” for men and should not dress or behave in a manner construed as “provocative”, if they wish to remain safe and unharmed in the society. Sigh! Mardaani 2 is a hard hitting film which will leave the audience disturbed for major part of the movie, despite of knowing the end result. Well, that’s a compliment to the filmmaker for creating that impact and reason enough for you to go for it. Recommended.

Movie Review : War Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Finally, Pitr Paksh is over and Bollywood doles out a big release midweek. When Krish meets Munna Michael, the sparks are bound to fly. Greek god looks, amazing dancers, perfect bods, stunt masters...they have a lot in common. So let’s find out whether 2+2 is four, or more! War is an action thriller set against defence backdrop. A set of spy agents headed by Hrithik Roshan try to nab an international terrorist who plans to destroy India. Then something conspires and Hrithik starts killing prominent Indian personalities from different walks of life. Indian government chooses another stalwart Tiger Shroff to take rogue agent to task. Tiger happens to be an ardent fan and follower of his mentor Hrithik but vows to avenge the traitor. Thus, the war begins! The movie is very stylish, rather too stylish. The cool attitude shown by lead actors, specially Hrithik, during tense situations is difficult to digest. For me, that was a major drawback in an otherwise entertaining film. The plot isn’t amazing, but not bad either. They actually make up for the slack during climax. Typical of Yashraj films, the sets & locations are spread across the globe, including Arctic ocean. You know the film is high on budget when Mercedes SUV, Audi sportscars and BMW bikes fly around, no cost spared. Movie has two songs, both very melodious. Editing and screenplay is astute. Coming to the starcast, Hrithik and Tiger are superb. While you can see the young man making extra effort to give his best shot, his older colleague does it like a pro. Be it action sequence or dance, the sync is terrific. And if you think “dola re” song from Devdas had best dance duet in Bollywood, between Madhuri and Aishwarya then watch out for Hrithik and Tiger’s mesmerising act in “jai jai shiv-shankar”. Bound to leave you speechless and wanting for more! Vani Kapoor is good in her short and sweet role. All of a sudden there seem to be a flood of defence/intelligence based content in India. “Sacred Games”, The Family Man” and “Bard of Blood” are few such web series which can give any movie a run for money. Since the script and execution is so powerful that nobody will complain for the overdose. But yeah, it does throw a word of caution for Bollywood which’ll now have to up the ante to thwart the competition from this evolving media. Thankfully, India’s population is well segregated and balanced for both the forms of entertainment to coexist and thrive, provided the final outcome is delicious. War, as a film, has most of the check marks covered leaving not many reasons for movie lovers to feel disappointed. But it also lacks too many wow factors. All-in-all, an action packed drama which is pleasing to the eye, soothing to the heart and not heavy in head. What more do you need in such depressing times, except for few more sops and tax incentive for individuals, from our honourable Finance Minister 😉

Movie: Romeo Akbar Walter Starcast: John Abraham, Jackie Shroff, Mouni Roy Rating: ⭐️⭐️ John Abraham is trying to create a cult for himself by increasingly doing movies of a particular genre like Force, Madras Cafe, Force 2, Satyameva Jayate, Parmanu etc. Subjects related to national interest. Romeo Akbar Walter is an addition to the list. Movie is supposedly inspired by a true incident during India-Pakistan war of 1971. A banker (John Abraham) gets trained to become RAW agent who is planted in Pakistan to give heads up regarding their military movements to RAW chief (Jackie Shroff) and avert a disaster of strategic importance in a village near India-Bangladesh border. The concept is not new neither is the presentation. It has often been portrayed in Indian cinema, latest being Raazi which raised the bar really high. Pace of the film is biggest drag. It is too slow to ignite any sort of excitement during 2 hours 30 minutes of long screen time. It does give some insight on how spy agencies work but not enough for audiences to like the entire meal just for a good starter. Main protagonist John Abraham fails to bring out right emotions and body language. His stoney faced expressionless act leaves lot to be desired. Also, once known for his drop-dead gorgeous looks, he looks pale, aged and extremely tired on screen. God knows whether he needs to visit a dermatologist or visited them too often! Mouni Roy has fairly insignificant presence. Jaggu dada is better of the lot. He exudes vintage charm but his character in the movie isn’t suitable for the kind of acting he is liked for. I am halfway through “Criminal Justice” on Hotstar and regret leaving it midway to watch Romeo Akbar Walter. In the age of superior content web series across genres, Bollywood will have to raise their standards for survival. Alas, movies like these aren’t helping them in any way. Romeo Akbar Walter is a thriller which provides no thrill. Not recommended.

Movie Review : Pagalpanti Motley of out-of-flavour film stars come together in a multi-starrer film. Helmed by veteran director Anees Bazmi, Pagalpanti is supposed to be a laugh-a-riot. But what it turned out to be is an incomprehensible & nonsensical farce. The movie, based in London, is about three unlucky blokes, John Abraham, Arshad Warsi & Pulkit Samrat who are good for nothing. They spoil the easiest of jobs or business undertaken, one of which is inflicting hundreds of crores of losses to dons Anil Kapoor and Saurabh Shukla (business partners and jija-saala jodi). They in-turn owe this money to don of dons Niraj Modi, yeah, you read that right...same guy who duped Indian banks. The circus continues for 2 hours and 13 minutes, with bimbettes like Kriti Kharbanda, Illeana D’Cruz and Urvashi Rautela thrown in along with few other supporting actors. Climax also sees mama Choksi dropping in, and our three heroes turning patriotic by looting their ill-gotten money to return to Indian government. Pagalpanti is one of those horrendous films which has nothing going for it. Story is third grade, humour not worth a dime, screenplay and cinematography defying all logic, songs dropping in without any warning, dance steps reminiscent of street dance during festivities, all dozen stars failing to impress...I can go on and on with more flowery words but for the sake of your time and mine, let’s stop here. Let me admit, after a long long time I have seen a movie of this stature. With character names like “wifi”, “tulli” and “bulli” Pagalpanti has stooped to a new low. Go for it if you want to earn the privilege of watching the rarest of rare gems of Bollywood...pagalpanti it is. Rating: you must be joking!

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Biopic of Narendra Damodardas Modi is released a day after he created history by becoming just the 3rd PM of India to win consecutive Lok Sabha elections with absolute majority. This is no coincidence. It also shows the confidence this man and movie makers had regarding BJP’s win. Truly, the timing couldn’t have been better! We all know the film is about Narendra Modi, his ascend from a nobody to taking oath as 14th prime minister of India in 2014. The biopic practically touches all important milestones of Modi’s life. Selling tea, marriage, love for his mother, his journey to Himalaya in search of self-realisation, entry in RSS, role in helping Keshubhai Patel become first BJP chief minister of Gujarat, Keshubhai’s subsequent insecurity with Modi, earthquake in Bhuj, his own coronation as CM of Gujarat, cordial relations with Vajpayee and Advani in formative years, bonding with Amit Shah, Godhra riots, SIT investigation and report, terrorist attack in Akshardham temple, wooing Ratan Tata for Nano project in Sanand, US visa denial, vibrant Gujarat, his march to Delhi and then, the ultimate. Vivek Oberoi has essayed the role well, only hiccup is his diction & dialogue delivery which resembles more with Abhishek Bachchan in Guru movie than Narendra Modi. Other actors didn’t have much screen space. Thankfully, the movie isn’t presented as a documentary. It has sufficient commercial angles to keep it interesting for the viewers. Sadly, the movie doesn’t go beyond 2014. It would have been interesting to see the director’s take on demonitisation & GST. Perhaps there’s a sequel in the making, just like NDA’s second stint. Does the movie idiolise Modi? Thankfully, NO. It highlights his straightforward ideologies, good work done by him, his love for the nation and determination to conquer the impossible. Something which is already known and acknowledged by all, even his detractors. Yes, the film talks only positives about him but that’s typical of every biography. Hence, no complaints. Keeping my personal opinion about the man aside, I would give a thumbs up to the movie simply because of conventional portrayal of aspirational journey of an unconventional chai wala manoeuvring his way through dirty politics to rule the heart of at least 270 million Indians, those who voted for NDA this time. Remaining hardliners might still want to see the film to criticise every aspect of it. In either case, PM Narendra Modi is the winner!

Movie Review : Mission Mangal Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Independence Day” has always been Bollywood’s favourite time to dole out movies of a certain genre. And why not? It makes sense for them to cash on people’s nationalist sentiments and patriotic emotions. But there’s greater compelling reason to release Mission Mangal on this historic day. More on that later. The plot is simple and known to all. India’s attempt to reach Mars. Movie starts with a failed mission to space by ISRO, headed by genius scientist Rakesh Dhawan (Akshay Kumar). Unhappy with this performance Akshay is asked to head seemingly impossible task of sending satellite to Mars. Challenges are many, starting with a motley crew of young, inexperienced & disinterested scientists, crunched timelines, sparse budget, rickety office, demotivating colleagues...all-in-all, very unfavourable environment. But the team uses conventional thinking, drawing motivation from daily chores and routine, to find unconventional solutions to launch the satellite under various professional constraints. And finally, our man and his girl Friday Vidya Balan help overcome all hurdles to become the first nation to successfully reach Mars in its maiden attempt. Mission Mangal has basic ingredients of an entertainer. Despite of known end-result tempo is well built, sets are appealing, graphics is above average coupled with superior screenplay and cinematography. Casting is bit off track. Most of the core team members doesn’t look or behave like scientists. Their character buildup seems childish, forced and bit over-the-top. Maybe, perception of this profession demands more seriousness. But to give them credit, their acting is good. Akshay, the ring master, has pioneered the art of excelling in such flicks. Although nuances of space technology is explained for audience understanding, it might still go overboard for many. It’s a pity India loses hundreds of talented scientists to NASA and other countries which has actually set ISRO back in its space program by few years. Despite brain-drain we have reached moon and mars, propelling India to the big league. The film is a tribute to ISRO which was setup on this very day 50 years ago, making the movie really special. From couple of maverick scientists to 17,000 strong workforce, it has come a long way, definitely standing as nation’s top pride. The movie might not be giving customary adrenaline rush or goosebumps to the audience. But it does provides feel good factor, specially, towards the end. The emotional fool in me liked & enjoyed the portrayal of national success, befitting of a superpower. Had it not been for some kiddish stuff in the middle and cast’s unnecessary family distractions, Mission Mangal would have gained two more stars. So, I rest my case with three, and an aye! Jai Hind 🇮🇳