Surga Thilakan

Sacred Games - a great start for India home production from Netflix. I have not read the book, so not aware who needs to share credit for the mind blowing script - Vikram Chandra or Varun Grover. The first 4-5 episodes are more of the same - a Wasseypuresque Anurag Kashyap cocktail of sex, profanity, violence, crime and politics. But that is an investment into it's series finale where all the ends come together into a heady zone of religion, philosophy and a searing commentary on the socio political landscape of India today. There is so much texture and the script is so meta, it will take a double viewing to get all the parts. Nawaz is utterly brilliant, nailed every scene he is in...I worry after dark parts like this if he will go the Joker way like Heath Ledger. It is not possible to be this good and have a normal existence off reel. This script is Anurag's home turf, the same grit and grime with several homegrown Godfather like characters - he can perfectly cut through the fabric of this in his sleep. Disappointingly he pushes nothing new here stylistically and stays safe within the boundaries of what we have already seen several times before. That apart, the direction is tight and competent from both him and vikramaditya motwane. There is solid technical heft across departments - Aarti Bajaj with the edit, music, art, production and a pitch perfect ensemble cast (except Radhika Apte notably sticking out like a sore thumb). I am not sure I have understood the ending at all - if anyone has decoded, pls ping me separately to not give spoilers away - the alpha and omeganess of it all is swirling around in a confusing set of possiblilities. Sacred Games is a deep dive into philosophy, religion and mythology along with several metaphorical references to the social and political climate of today. It's an intricate layered script and production fully deserving of respect. In the end, the audience is left like a hungry dog, tongue out, salivating, wanting more and in that lies the success of what it has done for Netflix.

Sanju - Ranbir!! As in the outstanding trailer, Ranbir shines brightly with a career best performance, demonstrating range, sensitivity, style and chutzpah - he is probably the best Bollywood mainstream lead we have had in several decades. The film however tries to simplify too much in too short a time and takes a morally sympathetic position that conveniently explains away some of the darker possibilities of the situation. Too much use of narration as a tool to move the story forward also doesn't make the plot feel entirely organic, not all characters are well developed in this style - the only ones you truly feel for are father and friend. The dialogues, as with all Raju Hirani films are cult and pepper the film with happy laughs throughout. Paresh Rawal and Vicky Kaushal are outstanding and hit all the right emotional notes, rest of the cast is a hit and miss. Net net, Sanju delivers and is a good film worth a watch.