Bell Bottom review: "Lacked the thrill that was expected by Akki's standards!!!"

After much contemplation, the theatres have finally opened in many parts of the country with Ranjit Tewaria's "Bell Bottom" hitting the screens last Thursday. Apart from the fact that it is Akshay Kumar's movie with a trailer that promised it be a racy entertainer, it was also in the news for other reasons as well. Apparently, a few nations in the Middle East such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar & Kuwait had banned it due to factual errors over the plot of the movie. Based on a series of hijacks that took place in the 1980s with the emphasis more on Indian Airlines IC421 hijacked in 1984, it seemed like the script had the scope to become a engaging flick. So were they able to do justice to this spy thriller???

Set in 1984, the film unfolds with the news that yet another Indian aircraft has been hijacked & the Indira Gandhi (Lara Dutta) Government were at their wits end. These repeated events meant that they were left with no choice at most instances apart from agree to the demands of the hijackers lest anyone gets injured. Hoping to put an end to this unending saga, RAW Chief Santook (Adil Hussain) decided to bring in his best agent, Anshul Malhotra codenamed 'Bell Bottom' (Akshay) to negate the threat. With a personal score to settle, Anshul chalks out a plan to neutralize the hijackers but the Govt were keen on a diplomatic course of action especially since Pakistan has been extremely supportive in dealing with such hostage situations on our behalf. 

This is Ranjit Tewaria's second venture after "Lucknow Central" (which I haven't watched) & the script was penned by Aseem Arrora (known for "Nanhe Jaisalmer", "Chhalang" etc) & Parveen Sheikh (known for "Bajrangi Bhaijaan", "Phantom" etc). The thread of the movie sounded interesting but when it was recreated on the screen, it lacked the impact that was expected of it. It failed to create the edge of the seat experience & the whole plot as such felt trivialized with the climax just hurriedly shot. At the same time, it doesnt test our patience & the credit for that primarily goes to Akki. On the technical sides, the makeup department did a praise worthy job to make Lara Dutta appear as Indira Gandhi while the BGM by Daniel George was also fine. 

Whenever we have Akki in a thriller, we can rest assured that more often than not, it would be a paisa vasool experience. Over here as well, even at the age of 53 he is fit as a fiddle & has done justice to his part (hmm..it would be cool to see him in a Mission Impossible or Bourne Series type of flicks). As for the rest of the cast, Lara Dutta was impressive as Indira Gandhi, Adil Hussain was solid as usual, Zain Khan as Doddy was good while the others were ok.

Verdict: Being a Akshay Kumar movie, we would have naturally expected it to be a classy spy thriller like "Baby" etc. However, the screenplay wasn't quite upto the mark & failed to quite provide the thrill especially since the story had the scope. In short, give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Home review: "Endearing storyline & performances will moisten your eyes & long for home!!!"

Festivals are part & parcel of our lives which is enjoyed best when we are with our dear and near ones. Among the various festivals, Onam has always been my absolute favorite coz of the thrills & excitement, the big banner releases & above all, the time spent with family as well as the sumptuous dishes that Mom prepared with flair. It's been quite a while since I spent Onam with my parents & this year too, I wont be able to make it back home for Thiruvonam which falls this Saturday. As I reminisced about those Onam celebrations over the past few days, I came across my school mate, Gopesh Sarath's (you might remember him as 'Fakru bhai' in "Aadu 2") post about Rojin Thomas's "Home" in which he is the assistant director & produced by his brother, Vijay Babu's Friday Productions. With a talented cast & crew on board, it surely tempted me to check it out as soon as it was released on Amazon Prime last night.

Antony (Sreenath Bhasi) is a promising film maker who delivered a superhit with his debut project. However, he struggled to pen the script for his next venture & decided to head back home in the hope that it would relieve him of the writer's block. His family consisted of his parents, Oliver Twist (Indrans) & Kuttiyamma (Manju Pillai); brother, Charles (Naslen Gafoor) & grand father (Kainakary Thankaraj). Just like any other father, Oliver was fond of his sons, but as time passed & technology took center stage in many of our lives; his sons especially Antony didnt quite reciprocate his father's feelings. However, Oliver took everything in his stride & made efforts to make himself adept with technology in the hope that it would get him closer to his sons. 

Rojin Thomas burst into the scene like a breath of fresh air with "Philips & the Monkey Pen" & though his subsequent project "Jo & the Boy" wasn't impressive, he did prove that he had all the makings of a talented craftsman. His latest celluloid creation emphasized that belief even further as he took up a subject that focused on the importance of quality time with our parents. Kudos to Rojin for the fantastic casting, as & each everyone led by Indrans & Manju Pillai were spot on as the respective characters (it was interesting to see both of them have a striking resemblance to Rojin's parents). There are many sequences in the movie that will tug at our heart chords, yet at the same time it will give us a smile on our lips. By the time, this feel good emotional drama ends; I'm pretty sure many of you will have a tear welled up in your eye (I certainly had). Though the length is close to 161 minutes, it doesn't feel laborious but Prejish Prakash could have made it trimmer as certain topics does get mentioned but wasn't pursued further. All the other technical aspects were top notch such as Neil D'Cuncha's fantastic frames that oozed warmth, Rahul Subramaniam's BGM that gelled with the mood & the art department for the manner in which the home was decked up which in itself was a character.

Indransetta...you are a legend!!! his performance was just brilliant as he made it so endearing & relatable. He has been surprising us with his consistent power house performances ever since he has been given meaty roles & this one is no different as his innocent smiles and expressions will just melt our hearts. Manju Pillai is another brilliant artist who I have always felt have been under utilized, but with this praise worthy portrayal as Kuttiyamma; Im pretty sure we will be seeing more of her in the coming years. Sreenath was fine while Nasleen Gafoor is rapidly proving his worth as a reliable artist in the couple of movies that he has featured until now. As for the rest of the cast, Johny Antony rocked as usual while Vijay Babu, Srikant Murali, Anoop Menon etc. have done their parts aptly.

Verdict: One of the finest movies that has come out in recent times which will keep us engrossed & also retrospect the need to prioritize our time for our parents who stands by us through thick & thin. In short, a must watch!!!

Rating: 3.75/5

Regards...Ben

Bhuj: The Pride of India review: "Not a movie that would pride itself in the manner it was made!!!"

After the earnest performance of Sidharth as Captain Batra in "Shershaah", it was time to check out Ajay Devgn as Squadron Leader Vijay Karnik in yet another biopic titled "Bhuj: The Pride of India".  I have to admit that I was pretty curious to check out the latter one as it was set against the backdrop of the Indo-Pak war of 1971 with the focus on the brave men & women who joined hands to reconstruct the Bhuj air strip that was destroyed in shelling. It was a piece of history that I wasn't quite aware of & hopefully Abhishek Dudhaiya could make himself proud of his debut venture. 

Pakistan's efforts to put a stranglehold on East Pakistan in the 1970s did not seem to have the desired impact as our forces ensured that they were kept at bay. In order to get the chips in their favour, they decided to bombard the western border of India whihc led to the demolition of the airstrip in Bhuj which was under the command of Sq Leader Vijay Karnik (Ajay Devgn). Our Air Force had the capability to strike back but without a functional air base it wasn't possible to sent in reinforcements. The only option left was to repair the airstrip but with no labour available within the defense forces, Karnik approached the villagers of Madhapar, who stayed in the vicinity to help them in their task. This movie is basically about how these people came forward to help & the impact it created in the war that led to the creation of Bangladesh.

Well there isnt much to honey coat here as the direction was damn mediocre & the script which is the collaboration of quite a few including Abhishek was pathetic to say the least. It came across as stale be it the dialogues which was cringe worthy at times, the sets which seemed like it was from some drama troupe & the VFX that was damn ordinary. None of the technical aspects deserves mention as it was average at best. However, there were a couple of sequences such as Nora Fatehi's escape bid, Sanju's stunts in the trench (it was far fetched & reminded me on Ram Charan in "Magadheera", but still it was fine) that made us take notice  On the performance side, there is precious little that could be done especially when the writing was so shoddy. Even then, I did feel Sharad Kelkar, Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha did a decent job while Ajay Devgn brought in his standard brooding expression. 

Verdict: On the positive side, it definitely motivated me to read up on this chapter of valour that many of us are unlikely to know. On the down side, the manner in which it was picturized fails to do justice to the bravery & dedication of those selfless villagers and the defense forces. In short, do read up on this incident but forget watching this!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Regards...Ben

Shershaah review: Earnest performances but Batra's valour ought to have been celebrated in a grander scale!!!"

On the eve of the 75th Independence Day, we have a couple of  nationalistic movies hitting the screens to celebrate the valour of those brave men & women to whom we are indebted to for the freedom that we experience. However, it would be hard not to admit that over the past few years; the so called 'gate keepers of patriotism' believes in public display of nationalism which at most times feels nothing more than hollow trumpets rather than an inherent spirit in the proper sense.  Anywaz among the two flicks, Vishnuvardhan's "Shershaah" that released on Amazon is the one that is reviewed here & as all of you are aware, it is the biopic of the Param Vir Chakra awardee Captain Vikram Batra. The valour of this incredible soldier continues to inspire many even after two decades of his sacrifice, so was the movie able to do justice to this brave son???

Well there isnt much need to give a gist of the movie as it is basically the journey of Captain Vikram Batra from his childhood until the day he laid down his life for us. This is Vishnuvardhan's directorial debut in Bollywood though for many of us in the South, he has quite a well known name with movies like "Billa", "Aarambham" etc., to his credit. There is no doubt that Vishnu has done a fine job in his choice of artists as almost of them have done their parts well which makes the movie endearing to the audience. At the same time, the war segmentsjust didn't have the impact that was worthy of celebrating Batra's valour. With Dharma Productions funding the project, the war sequences could have been much more impactful & both Vishnu as well as Sandeep Srivastava who penned the script ought to have been much more imaginative. 

On the technical side, it was pretty impressive be it Kamaljeet Negi's cinematography, Sreekar Prasad's editing & John Stewart's score that gelled with the drama.  The main focus was undoubtedly on the protagonist which was essayed by Sidharth Malhotra who has done utmost justice to the role & I personally feel this is his best performance to date. The earnestness & exuberance that he brought to the character captures the lively spirit of Captain Batra. In a movie like this, the romantic sequences are invariably slammed by most but even then there are some portions in this that felt fine & that is primarily due to the chemistry between Sidharth & Kiara Advani. The latter has done a fine job along with the numerous characters that played the part of the soldiers which if I go on to type in will make this review extremely long.

Verdict: If Abhishek Bachchan did a good job portraying Captain Batra in "LOC:Kargil", then Sidharth has nailed it hands down. There is no doubt that the movie is made reasonably well & deserves a watch. But there was scope for much more & more importantly, it deserved as well. In short, yeh dil maange more!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

Kuruthi review: "Engages but lacked the conviction that it deserved!!!"

Onam is just round the corner & with the theatres still not accessible to the public, it invariably means that big budget releases is still a distant dream. However, some directors will still seek to showcase their creations on the OTT platform & Manu Warrier’s “Kuruthi” happens to be one of them. The trailer promises it to be a thriller & is about the impact when faith and prejudice clashes on humanity & relationships.  After a rather lukewarm reception to Prithvi’s “Cold Case”, he would be hoping for a fruitful experience from Amazon this time around as his production house had bankrolled this project. 

Almost a year had passed since Ibrahim (Roshan Mathew) had lost his family to the fury of the floods. However, he still brooded over it & struggled to make peace with his loss, even as he took care of his grumpy father, Moosa (Mammukoya) & younger brother, Resul (Naslen) who on the other hand was getting impressionable with the religious conflicts that happened across the nation. Despite their internal turmoils, life moved along uneventfully until it was turned upside down when a police officer barged into their home with a convict. What subsequently unfolds is a tense standoff that would test the resolve of each of them to stick onto their principles. So which side of the scale would each one align to, will it be on the side of humanity or religious justice???

This is Manu Warrier’s debut venture in Malayalam, though he had donned the director’s cape for “Coffee Bloom” in Hindi. Anish Palliyal aided him in his task as the former had penned the script that tries to look at the impact that religious discord has at a microcosm level. Hence we are introduced to an array of characters whose character ranges from extreme to liberal and how each one tries to influence the other. Even as the core subject seems interesting, the manner in which it is fleshed out fails to capture the attention of the audience. It felt rather shallow with the focus just being on the frustrations of the public and the retaliations that occur to drill home the point “an eye for an eye”. However, as a home invasion thriller it keeps us entertained (an alternate version to the sequence in “Varathan”) with the highlight being the change in dynamics inside the house. For some weird reason, the expressions & body language of the extremists had a zombie feel to it. Kudos to the makers for their apt cast selection & also for the dialogues, especially the ones that were mouthed by Mammukoya, which was insightful yet humorous. On the technical side, it was pretty top notch with special mention for Abhinandhan Ramanujam’s cinematography that captures the mood of the movie perfectly, be it focusing on the expressions or the environment around them while Jakes Bejoy’s music was fine.

Despite not being perfectly written & kind of one dimensional, Prithvi has given a fine performance as the spiteful Laiq who deserves praise for taking up a role that is different & is almost second fiddle to Roshan in the overall scheme. Roshan has done justice to the part that he was entrusted with & seems to evolve into a fine actor with each passing movie. The biggest highlight was undoubtedly was Mammukoya who was fantastic as the irritating, blunt and hilarious Moosa. As for the rest of the cast, Srinda, Murali Gopi, Shine Tom, Manikandan. Sagar as Vishnu, Naslen as Rasool have all done their parts aptly.

Verdict: Did the movie deliver what it promised? As a thriller, there are undoubtedly some exciting sequences once the stage is set but in terms of the core subject which is about the conflicts of the religious binary, it certainly doesn’t break any new ground.  In short, it could have been way better!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Regards...Ben