Anusuya Bhattacharyya

This movie is very impactful, humane and speaks to the grassroots so powerfully. It's responsible because it showcases problems in society and solutions, both. It's surprising that after watching Satyameva Jayate so eagerly each week, it never occurred to us that those solutions, be it organic farming, women's empowerment or combating domestic abuse, can be communicated using films. When watching Satyameva Jayate, I thought it was Aamir Khan at the forefront, but after watching this movie, Kiran ji, I got the feel of how integral you must have been in that journey. This is simply a masterpiece. Storyteller Biplab Goswami, please take a bow, what twists and turns! I couldn't guess a single plot twist !!! Finally, the performances were so real, these people could be your neighbours. Nothing seemed out of place, so natural yet nuanced performances. Deepak please don't fall off cycles, it's dangerous what you were doing. Phool your innocent smile is so cute, and we were concerned about you throughout the film!! Jaya, you couldn't hide your education even though you tried a lot. Go save the world girl! I really appreciate that this is a completely family friendly movie with no bad words used.

The emotional core of Onward is spot on and well executed. Ian often misses his dad, and as the trailer shows, he is given an opportunity to bring his dad back for a day. However, the spell only works halfway and their dad's legs appear. Onward starts off as a quirky tale of a quest of two brothers. Typically, one is shy, introverted (Ian) and other bold and goofy (Barley). We expect the quest to be studded with unexpected pot pourri of magic and technology, some hair raising rescue sequences and visually stunning animation. The movie delivers on all those fronts. However, that's not what makes Onward truly shine. What really sets apart this stellar tale is that there are many unexpected emotional insights along the way. The brothers are not just plain geek or plain fool hardy. They have much to unpack about each other's inner world, even as they carry around their half dad who cannot use any of his senses (except touch). This movie juggles myriad emotions of love and grief, closure and sacrifice with ease. The biggest takeaway for me was that in our obsession with our losses, we often overlook our blessings. This world embodies the core principle of PIXAR, that technology is in service of the story. Here the technology is truly secondary, and the magic (which forms the basis) runs on magnificent attributes of character: concentration, heart, trust and courage. No wonder magic is hard to master!!! Ian must learn all these and learn them well, and as we come to the stories' unexpected yet touching climax... we see the brothers deeply bonded like never before. My only issue with this movie is it feels too short for a Pixar animation. But I guess that's because the span of the movie is practically 1 day of Ian's life.