Pooran Shahani

Reviews and other content aren't verified by Google

A good movie can be watched anytime...I've watched this one 67 years after it's release for the 1st time now & enjoyed it thoroughly . Based on a short story by one of my fav authors & that of millions of her fans around the world...the great Dame of Mystery writers , Agatha Christie, this one is a classic twisty who-dun-it . And the movie execution doesn't disappoint with a fluid, pulsating , witty , suspenseful flow to it brought to life by some of the finest actors of that era, my fav in this movie being Charles Laughton as the aged, ailing barrister for the defendant who hasn't lost his sense of humour, honour, wits & will to fight a seemingly losing case . Really enjoyed the witty banter introduced just for the movie with the actress who was his wife in real life , their chemistry is amazing . Can't say more without giving out spoilers or the wicked, surprise ending...so definitely recommend it for watching for those who enjoy a good mystery which reveals itself in the courtroom. Imagine a murder mystery in Black & White , with no corpse shown, no bloody or gory scenes , no nudity, profanity , no fancy locales or fast cars, no gadgets , CGI & all the things that divert attention & still one can't predict the ending....that is the fabulous talent of the one & only Agatha Christie !

Thnx again to these OTT platforms for introducing good regional cinema to Hindi-English speaking / watching movie fans like me . And thnx to the few brilliant fim makers down south who make different cinema which is till so engrossing & engaging. All the actors bar none play their characters / roles to perfection . But the credit for this excellent movie also lies with the technical behind the scenes team of writer, screenplay, the BGM especially during action & tense scenes , the loving , almost artistic cinematography of night scenes & especially of one of the jewels of Kerala, Munnar ...wherein the locale becomes a character too...juxtaposing it's calm, serene, poignantly beautiful atmosphere against the chaos reigning within the 3 main protagonists' lives who are under threat of arrest or more . Kudos to the Director for a near perfect movie experience . Certainly a recommended watch .

My fav kinda movies ...a tight, linear , almost simple plotline with an underlying current of whatever message a movie may try to convey...nothing in your face , but subtly always there. One can watch it just as an action thriller, a prison break movie or a disaster movie...Runaway Train scores on all of these , coupled with a stunningly cold & bleak but beautifully shot landscape of wintertime Alaska , brilliant action cinematography ,an adrenaline ride with a rousing climax & rip roaring performances of the 3 main characters played by Jon Voight, Eric Roberts & John P. Ryan . And being a huge fan of trains in general, certainly recommend watching this Runaway Train running along for the most basic & cherished need of any human, even hardcore criminals....Freedom !

Not a movie for the faint hearted please ! It's said that truth is stranger than fiction & Sector 36 based on horrific real life incidents proves this saying yet again, by delving into the depravity that humans have descended into. The movie works at 2 levels ...one a personal narrative of an abused kid now grown into a pyschopathic killer with a "sick" boss & other called the " system" about how things work in the real world . The movie is gruesome, dark, scary , meant to shock & it does . Shot brilliantly with hues & a mood that captures & draws one in into the horror & terror of the events. An able support cast bar none , with a special mention of Darshan Jariwala as one of the top cops . But towering above all are the 2 lead actors, Vikrant Massey & Deepak Dobriyal . To watch Massey play the unhinged bad guy after his goody-goody roles is a masterclass in acting , it's terrifying because of how common place he looks even when he lets the beast inside his character out . Full credit to this new age actor for even taking up such a role . Not to be left behind is Deepak Dobriyal , portraying the character of a cop who works within the " system" till a personal incident jolts him to work as per his inner system - to actually do his job & to do it well . Every scene with these 2 terrific actors in it is worth watching . As many here may have or will write, this movie for me was worth the watch just for the 17 minutes long interrogation scene in a police station mainly between Vikrant & Deepak's characters. As Vikrant nonchalantly spills the beans on his shocking deeds thereby driving the incredible tension in this scene , running amok with his superlative performance, it is Deepak Dobriyal who balances it out with fewer words but his brilliantly nuanced facial expressions ,as he a career police officer who has seen a lot, is still stunned into disbelief , shock, disgust , even fear , to hear the gruesome details ...what a scene ...reminiscent of the scene from the Dark Knight with a similar interrogation setting between Heath Ledger's Oscar winning turn as the unhinged Joker , balanced by Christian Bale's brilliant act as Batman. The climax for me was unexpected but fitting i think. Kudos to the Director Aditya Nimbalkar . Recommended watch but only for those with a strong stomach !

A hidden gem , if you like a slow burn , noir-ish take on a darkish slice of life ....where every individual in the movie finds out their true selves . To be honest the only reason I clicked on it was the lead presence of Shefali Shah & Vidya Balan & boy do they both deliver ! If Vidya is great in one scene & you feel nothing can get better , then in walks Shefali Shah in another scene & knocks the ball out of the park....watch it for the virtuoso performances of 2 of the finest actresses of their generation, ably supported by the lesser well known but equally brilliant in each of their roles actors, bar none . Kudos to the entire team behind this Jalsa of life especially the director. Recommended watch

Recommended for the plot line that beautifully blends ancient Indian myths , interweaving the great epic Mahabharat's characters with a futuristic dystopian India awaiting deliverance through the birth of the 10th & final avatar of Lord Vishnu as Kalki ! People may say it's a Prabhas movie as he's the leading younger superstar actor but this 1st part of Kalki for me , belongs to Amitabh Bachchan , who plays the role of Ashwatthama . Imagine playing an angry old man at the age of 82 & Mr. Bachchan absolutely nails it as he did it in his heydays (ofcourse with a lot of he lp from CGI & vfx ) but the fact he can still carry off such a role is incredible. Borrowing a bit from Hollywood pop culture, loved the Mad Max movies feel to the dystopian dusty roads, few of the vehicles, the fights . Missed Kamal Hasan as he's not got much to do in this move , but I'm sure the second part will do justice to his tremendous talent with a much longer screen time. An array of very capable star actors who all deliver & a few cameos ( no spoilers ) . Certainly a recommended watch . Can't wait for it's next part .

4.5 stars for Maharaja ! Like most , the major draw to watch this for me was the masses favourite actor , the hugely talented , the one & only Vijay Sethupathi....he has hardly starred in any bad movie, this one being the 50th movie release of his career . A sensitive yet gripping story , it has no mystical mythical lands, no special effects , no fancy cars, abodes or foreign locales , no heroes with gym-toned buff bodies, no actresses in revealing outfits , no 100 dancers in the background ....just a twisted slice of life , earthy story, with pathos & humour in equal measure ,that will keep you in your seat & at times the edge of your seat , with its at times non-linear narrative as it moves back & forth to establish the main characters & plotline ( a bit gory at times in the action sequences , so viewer's discretion advised ). Kudos to the writer, screenplay & direction for keeping a tight grip on the proceedings without allowing the movie to get too maudlin , keeping it more on the side of a thriller . Vijay Sethupathi as the titular character delivers yet another powerhouse performance wherein he loses himself in the character that he portrays , ably supported by all the other character actors & Anurag Kashyap known more for his directorial prowess in Hindi cinema, plays the antagonist ( the bad guy) , with surprising aplomb , where he too has a human , family side to him. the 0.5 star I certainly give for Anurag's portrayal as the bad guy , especially for the last 2 scenes of the climax, where he manages to outshine even Vijay Sethupathi , which is no mean task for any actor . Recommended watch .

A period in the mid to late 80s where the stars of the ageing Badshah of Bollywood as a lead actor was on the wane , with new actors making their mark as "heroes" . But the older generation of producers / directors who had seen & experienced Amitabh Bachchan's midas touch at the box office by this time paid less attention to story, scripting , dialogues , direction & depended more on the star power of their lead star. Toofan is one such movie with the familiar trope of Manmohan Desai stable , separated ( this time knowingly) at birth , twin brothers . Bad in most departments except the ageing but still towering presence of the one & only Amitabh Bachchan , who tries his best to rise above the repetitive mediocre storyline & the 2 stars of this review from his humble fan forever , is just for him.

Kudos for all the technical aspects , the music, atmosphere , the baroque & sunny beauty of Italy ( unfortunately in black & white but beautiful nonetheless ) & the excellent star cast led by the talented Andrew Scott. If i have a grouse with the entire concept of the show is how the Police doing good initial detection work, just miss acquiring a photo each of the 2 central characters ...Dickie & Tom Ripley . I mean in the scenes with Marge character when the inspector & later his constable visit her, Dickie's pics are spread all over her table & still no one asks her about it ....hard to believe . For me the cops not asking for pics of suspects especially so that they can circulate them ( as they have the passport numbers of both the characters) & in the light & shadow interview in Venice even if Tom can't be recognised as he can't be seen clearly ( which again i accept with a grain of salt) his voice & modulation are same as when the same cop first met him in Rome . Someone should have thought of this during the scripting stage . Still worth a watch if for nothing else then for Andrew Scott's portrayal of Ripley .