Indraneel Kundu

I couldn’t bring myself to watch the ending of this movie and for a change, I mean it as a compliment to the makers of this movie. There have been many movies on Kerela police recently and they have all been watchable. But if they are common in a way, the characters have been the center of the narrative. They also depict the Malayali way of life, cinematographic attention to the scenic locales of Kerela to match ‘God’s own country’. The layered story telling was top notch. While the neighboring state continues to have an antagonistic attitude towards police and promotes polarizing viewpoints, the filmmakers from Kerela are producing movies with strong social themes to spread positive message about public and police relations.

Intelligently layered storytelling. Balanced, non-judgmental narrative on extremely relevant social themes. A story of redemption with no black and white characters. Good pace, didn’t feel rushed or stretched. Brilliant acting and strong performances from the leading characters. It is a success in depicting the evolution of media and hopefully allows both the news makers and consumers to mature.

A terrible movie made in bad taste. There was no intention to entertain, the creators were pleasuring themselves. I would vote for greater censorship because movies are increasingly promoting foul language and perversions in the name of artistic freedom. I felt remorse for choosing to watch this movie on Netflix and not turning it off soon enough.

Three stars for entertainment value. It is rather long and feels stretched. The message is a good one, a pointed satire. However, it needed support from cinematography and screenplay which was at odds with pace of the movie and not at par with the deep philosophies being talked about. A large part of the movie exploited the brilliance of two central characters. Enjoyed it but wanted more.

I was reminded of the Bengali movie ‘Bancharamer Bagaan’ after watching this movie. It was a pleasant and fun movie. All the characters gave brilliant acting performances while Mamooty brought in his charisma. The reason for this post is not to review the movie but for my realization of the great value of a man in a society. When one keeps hearing of the criticism of patriarchal societies and brutalities of men against women and children on a regular basis, you can’t look upto the eyes of your mother, sister, wife, daughter and not feel a little bit defensive for being born as a man. You accept being the second class parent as a reparation for crimes committed by other men. We have started celebrating motherhood and our daughters in most societies. It’s time we celebrate the courage and adventure-seeking in men and give the pillars of society their due. A good man is worth at least that much.

I got through 5 mins. It had ‘f*#k’ uttered 10 times. It felt like the same ‘guy’ was playing both characters. I had to stop because it felt irreverent (Anurag Kashyap syndrome), failed to inspire or intrigue. I have a very high place for Satyajit Ray and this isn’t a tribute while lacking the quality to be a spin-off. Neither will it get the youth to read or watch more of Ray’s work. The purpose then is the cheap commoditization in the name of a Master, for profit and mass consumption. Any Ray fan would know that these are the polar opposites of his life’s work and ambition. Artistic license works for artists and there are a lot of wannabes.

The first couple of episodes promised a lot. Thereafter it fell apart. However, there is strength in the cast and the storyline. I hope it is redeemed.

A very muddled movie. Difficult to watch. Neither entertaining nor intellectual. Very awkward. Ironically, it’s how the mainland Indians, from South or otherwise feel about NE India.

Nawazuddin is a black hole. He dominates the screen. The ending felt a little rushed. A few scenes were at odds with the overall pace and style of storytelling. The darkness of an underprivileged mind is difficult to watch and is a major challenge for any movie with such a central plot. I am unsure if I would have enjoyed a longer version with more character development, even though I pointed out that the ending seemed abrupt. I feel, I would have enjoyed the movie as much if all other characters other than Nawazuddin’s were proxy/silent. I found nothing redeeming in the movie. Only shades of gray, even the lighter moments had the unmistakable pull of the black hole, the misery of feeling inadequate and sinking into the abyss. Once again, Nawazuddin is a black hole.

I was impressed by how every character in this movie left a mark. A well made movie. No twists in the plot, a straightforward portrayal of police work.