Monish Pandit

"Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway" is an okay film, based on a true story that goes deep into the emotional journey of Debika’s fight to retain custody of her children. One can fully comprehend what the mother would have gone through. However, the film being loud and unsubtle, it failed to touch the right chord. TBH i found it a bit forced in bits and pieces. Probably the intentions were right but the execution wasn’t. The film presents a powerful narrative that touches on the themes of immigration, cultural differences, patriarchy, misogyny and the power of the legal system. The film begins with a very emotional scene where Debika’s children are taken away by the child welfare organisation without her (or her husband’s) knowledge. After all the court room to and fro, she’s told that her children cannot be left with her as she is unfit to take care of them. Debika’s actions might feel a bit odd and annoying but it is understandable considering the pain and trauma she must be going through. The film accuses the child welfare organization to be a big scam where all top officials are involved. It would have been nice to see more on this. The story somehow leaves you uninformed and unsatisfied with the accusation. Debika is a smart and educated woman. She is shown to fight her battle all alone. She conveys her message out in open to an Indian mister during an Indo-Norwegian deal. Not bothered of the consequences she manages to rescue her children and almost tries to cross the border (unfortunately gets caught), and does much more to get them back. But instead of making Debika look like a fighter, the film somehow manages to make her look helpless, underconfident and vulnerable. Rani is my favourite and I know how effortless she is. But I felt she was forcing us to feel empathetic towards her character. Rani in the first half was too much noise, at some places it looked overdramatic. Though I did genuinely like her in the second half. None of her court room monologues are touching, nothing hard hitting. Dialoguebaazi has no dum! I am sorry, but I did feel that VB could do a better Debika. Anirban has given a brilliant performance as a greedy, manipulative and abusive husband, evoking anger and hatred in the audience for the character. After watching the trailer, I was a thousand percent sure that “Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway” could be the biggest HIT of this year. I hope it turns out to be one! But for me, I am sort of disappointed.

Farzi centres on an artist who is tired of the system, the differentiation between poor and rich, disappointed by income inequality in India. He teams up with his best friend Firoz to make counterfeit money, but they face challenges from a gangster and a cop. The plot is intriguing and the script is well-written. The narrative is dotted with moral dilemmas that are not easy to negotiate. Farzi is very entertaining. A well-balanced mix of crime, thriller, suspense and comedy creates a unique and engaging viewing experience. Even though the episodes are almost an hour long, it is not boring. Each episode has something going on, some twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It has everything that makes this show binge-worthy. Farzi is a stellar. Outstanding storytelling. Terrific ensemble. Sharp, crisp and intelligent writing. Excellent cinematography. Top notch attention to details. Adorable characters. Impactful dialogues. A dream cast comprising of Shahid Kapoor, Bhuvan Arora, Vijay Sethupathi and Kay Kay Menon . Brilliant performance by each one of them. Watch it, you won’t regret! Eagerly waiting for Season 2. Bring it on, and bring it fast!

The movie beautifully narrates how parents with limited or almost zero resources pull every string they can to fulfil their child’s ambition. In return, burden themselves with lifetime debts, problems with money lenders & social embarrassments. While they continue to fight their old age, physical, emotional and moral battles, the ungrateful child continues to remain least interested. Now coming to the main plot! A murder in desperation, then the “chor-police” game and the twist in the end – all of it was very predictable. In parts, quite unreal too. It sounds like it has been picked up from some story book. Nothing extra ordinary. Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta are class apart. If not for these two, this movie would have otherwise been below average! The first half is too slow while post interval, its rushed. The writing and the screenplay could have been better. Editing is average. Background score is impactful. “Vadh” is not bad but there is something missing. Right from the start you will feel that the story is not well narrated. There is no logic in the climax and therefore it leaves you unhappy. Overall, it’s a one time watch-somewhat average movie. Watch it because Sanjay and Neena are great actors!

This movie deals with different layers of human emotions - Jealousy, Mental Illness & Improper Upbringing. The need for Love, Acceptance & Appreciation. Exploitation, Objectification & Misuse of Power. Indulgence into one's passion and the lack of ability to see beyond. And holding only one person as the centre of your life to seek validation. Every layer has been beautifully and well dramatically depicted. The movie is visually stunning but a bit slow in terms of its pace and slightly predictable. However, it does not let down in establishing a great connection between the characters and their flashbacks. Tripti Dimri makes the audience love her, pity her and dislike her too. She is a brilliant actress and makes an impact even without any dialogues. Babil Khan's screen presence makes us love him but he has a long way to go. No offence meant but he did not do justice to his character. Swastika Mukherjee is such a brilliant actor, proved once again! Such a haunting portrayal of a distant and unaffectionate mother. Uff...those eyes, that cold stare!! Music is soulful and divine. So much theraav and nazakat. A big shout out to Amit Trivedi. The dialogues, art direction, and cinematography are top notch. I am not a film maker nor am I technically sound, so I'll stop here with regards to technical aspects. Qala is an experience. It will stay with you after its done. Favourite dialogue: "Daur badalta hai, daur ki purani aadat hai."

Oh! So bad. One time watch Varun is so monotonous. Kiara was okayish. Anil Kapoor is a treat to watch & Neetu Singh (haven't watched any of her earlier films but here she) was not bad not good either. Manish did what he usually does as an anchor - too much. Asthetics and costumes - nothing that we haven't seen before in a Dharma film. Songs & choreography - bad. Story-emotional, entertaining, funny but not flawless. Edit - could have been a little tight and crisp. Forced laughter and genuine emotions are two prime elements of JJJ. The first half is fun, the other half is tiring and dragged. The subject is deep, heavy and sensitive but the execution is cliche and predictable. It does have its share of likable moments but poorly constructed and therefore leaves you indifferent. However gives you a clear understanding of where to draw the line - between compromise and self respect. Let me skip to the good part. Hmmmm....none actually!! But because Dharma has given us some decent movies in the past, this one is forgivable.

One time watch if you really have nothing else to do. The trailer cut looks promising and sets high expectations but overall the movie is a disappointment. The director did try to create suspense with lots of twists and turns but there's nothing interesting that the audiences might have not seen before. Greed and Betrayal is tried and tested and very BORING!! Enough of the bicchu-maindak reference. ENOUGH! Kuttey is a classic example of a bad movie. Poor dialogues, dark screenplay, gheesa-peeta chaotic story line, same old 'Kaminey' background score and Arjun Kapoor. VB films usually have exceptionally good music/songs but Kuttey fails miserably in this department too. It gave me "Omkara" first copy vibes. Tbh, the movie lacked luster. What a waste of a super brilliant Konkana Sen Sharma. Tabu tried very hard to be the cool corrupt cop. Surprisingly not the usual effortless star that she is! And just like me, Arjun also needs to get serious with his career now. Others were okay, didn't really matter much. I could have spent these 3 hours of my life with my special doing something better. But nevertheless, if there is anyway i can claim my money back, let me know!!

There was a time when women in India were suppressed, humiliated, beaten, subjected to domestic violence and much more. But that was a different era, a different society. Women in those times were underprivileged, uneducated, dependants and unsupported by society and law. In 2022, when law and order are in favour, women in cities have basic education and so much awareness about gender equality, Badru's character in the first half is a little hard to digest. In the name of hope and optimism, tolerating and normalising domestic violence makes no sense at all!! Nevertheless, "Darlings" is dark, deep, thought provoking, sensitive & slightly predictable. But certainly a must watch (atleast one time)!! There is love, care, hope, anger, revenge, self love and acceptance. The trailer gave high hopes but the movie overall is just okay. Alia Bhatt is a top class actor. This era belongs to her. Shefali Shah is unmatched as always, the best! Vijay Verma & Roshan Mathew - brilliant performance. Background score, songs are poor. Screenplay, direction, cinematography and dialogues - not great but bad either. Personal favorites: 1) "mard jaanwar bante hai, kyuki auratein unhe jaanwar banne deti hai". 2) "mujhe toh khala cute lagti hai" You may like it, you may dislike it, but let me tell you - violence is no solution to your problems. "Darlings" is purely fictitious, only for entertainment purpose. Do not take it as your reference guide to deal with domestic violence.