Gulabo Sitabo review: "Big B rocks in this quirky flick!!!"

One of the earliest forms of entertainment for the general public was puppetry & though over the years, this age old art form might have been relegated to the sidelines; it still retains its charm in the small towns. Just like many others, even I was intrigued with the title of Shoojit Sarcar's latest venture which was "Gulabo Sitabo". For the uninitiated, these are popular characters in puppetry whereby we have Gulabo & Sitabo both of whom fought over the same guy with the former being his paramour while the latter his wife. So will the actual movie be as interesting as its name & will it be able to inject a new lease of life into this dying art???

Lucknow, the land of nawabs and tehzeeb attracts scores of tourists every year as it still provides ample glimpses of its splendor of the bygone era. Located in the older section of this city is a dilapidated mansion which belonged to Fathima Begum (Farrukh Jaffar), whose health made her confined to her quarters. The responsibility of taking care of the property was left to her husband, Mirza (Amitabh Bachchan) who was fifteen years younger to her. They had leased out many of the rooms as the rental amount took care of their livelihood. However, the grouchy and avaricious septuagenarian Mirza harboured hopes that his wife would leave her mortal form sooner rather than later & would leave him as the sole custodian of the mansion. He was in loggerheads with most of the tenants especially Baankey (Ayushmann Khurana), who responded to Mirza's tricks in a tit for tat manner despite staying over there without having paid his measly rent for months. With both of them hell bent on making the other's life as arduous as possible, Mirza seeks the help of a lawyer while Baankey befriends a govt archaeologist who tries to convert it into a heritage site. So who will eventually have the last laugh???

Shoojit is an individual who needs no introduction with an array of praise worthy movies like "Piku", "Madras Cafe", "Vicky Donor" etc., to his credit. His latest flick as the name indicates is the constant bickering between two characters though this time around, the reason for the conflict is the mansion. As in many of his previous ventures, the script was penned by Juhi Chaturvedi & she has doone a wonderful job in ensuring that the supporting cast arent just for the numbers. Most of them get to mouth some delightful lines be it Fathima, Guddo, Christopher or Gyanesh. Actually, the mansion itself is presented as a character that has stood the test of time & seen better days. Kudos to the art department for having done a praise worth job & Avik for his impressive visuals. The climax was pretty good & well thought out, as we cant help smiling and feel sorry at the same time. 

Was it just me but I kinda felt Big B's physical makeover & character development reminded me of Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol'. The legend has been smart in his choice of movies as it enabled him to showcase his superior skills that he is bestowed with through years of experience. I personally rate Mirza as one of his finest characters to date & would be surprised if he is not in contention when the award season begins. Ayushmaan has created a niche for himself in the industry by opting for movies that focuses on problems and incidents that the commoners face in small towns. He doesnt get overawed in front of Big B & has done a fine job. I would also rate Srishti Srivastva's portrayal of the fiesty Guddo as one of the highlights while others like Farrukh Jaffar, Brijendra Kala & Vijay Raaz also gave earnest performances.

Verdict: It was as interesting & hatke as its title as the perennial fight between Mirza and the tenants to secure control of the mansion keeps the audience entertained. There might be quite a few who wouldnt warm up to the story but Im pretty sure that there will be none who would refute that Big B rocked along with his co stars. In short, dont miss it!!!

Rating: 3.5/5

Regards...Ben

Penguin review: "Does justice to the title, as the movie fails to take flight!!!"

With COVID 19 having unleashed havoc across the globe, the economy had nose dived in most countries & our nation has been no different. As the lock-down restrictions are still not completely taken off, the film industry has been one of the worst hit with the theatres not given the permission yet to function. This has led to quite a film makers opting for release of their celluloid creations in OTT platforms like Amazon. One such movie that released this weekend is Eashvar Karthic's "Penguin" that has Keerthy Suresh in the lead. Personally, I found the trailer pretty interesting & hence the expectations for an engaging thriller was rather high.

The film unfolds in Kodaikanal, where Rhythm (Keerthy Suresh) was a few months away from the birth of her child. However, her pregnancy upto that point wasn't peaceful as she was constantly traumatized by the nightmares of her lost son who was kidnapped by a mysterious character dressed up as Charlie Chaplin. The loss of her child also led to the separation from her partner, Raghu (Lingaa). Things take a turn when her son, Ajay (Advaith) reappears out of the blue though at the same time, another girl goes missing. So where was Ajay all these years & was the same kidnapper responsible for the latest abduction???

With all due respect to the director, the primary reason why this movie made heads turn was coz Karthik Subbaraj was involved in this project. Later on it dawned on the audience, that he was in the capacity of a producer but however it would be fair to say that it provided a springboard for the debutant Eashvar Karthic to showcase his talent as a story teller. Unfortunately, he failed to utilize the opportunity as the script was far too underwhelming & just didnt have anything worthwhile that would keep us engaged except for the opening sequence which was impressive. However, two individuals deserves special mention & those are Kharthik Phalani for his stirring cinematography & Santhosh Narayanan for the apt BGM.

None of the characters were well etched & it might have contributed to the fact that I felt the casting ought to have been a lot better. Hence none of the artists manages to awe the audience which includes Keerthy as well who I would have to admit without mincing words, over acts in many parts. Actually Cyrus, the dog has done a fine job & seems the most sensible among all the characters. 

Verdict: After all the expectations that were created coz of the well crafted trailer, the movie as such was a huge letdown. They tried to create a westernized feel with some stunning visuals & impressive BGM, but without a solid script to back it up; it didnt serve any purpose. In short, dont bother!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Regards...Ben

Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal review: "A lazily scripted rom thriller!!!"

After the rather introspective "Thappad", I was in the mood for an enjoyable feel good movie & that's when I decided to check out "Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal". As the makers expected, the name was pretty catchy thanks to A R Rahman's track in "Thiruda Thiruda" & the trailer conveyed the vibe of it being a fun filled flick. Seems like another hit in the bag for DQ who has begun 2020 with a bang with his first production "Varane Avashyamunde" doing extremely well at the box office. I hope to watch that by the next weekend & hopefully pen down about it if it feels worthwhile. Anywaz was his latest Tamil flick as bindaas as the trailer???

Sidharth (DQ) & Kallis (Rakshan) are the application developers in Chennai who led a chilled out life in their bachelors pad. However, the money that they busted mainly came from the crimes that they committed as con men. Though DCP Prathap (Gautham Menon) gets a sniff of their plans, they managed to give him the slip & decide to hatch a plan that would help them get out of this way of life. This decision was fueled by the fact that Sidharth was in an affair with a free lance beautician, Meera (Ritu Verma). Unfortunately, their plan didn't quite pan out in the manner that they had expected as the DCP catches up with them. 

This is Desingh Periyaswamy's debut venture & it 's been a project that has been in the making for quite sometime. Apart from calling the shots, he has penned the script which clearly indicated that he didnt quite have an eye for detail. He has staged the sequences in an engaging manner which slowly interests the audience after a rather lack lustered beginning. But the manner in which the heists are planned & executed felt way too convenient & illogical. An avid & sensible movie viewer will be able to plan the sequences with much more sensibility. But there is no doubt that it was enjoyable despite the flaws, as there quite a few hilarious gags along with a sequence towards the end that involved Gautam Menon that would definitely evoke laughs. K M Bhaskaran has done a fine job with the visuals while the music by Masala Coffee didnt quite work for me.

All the four artists has done a fine job with the lead role obviously being DQ who was an apt choice as the cool dude who doubled up as a con man. He was ably supported by Rakshan who mouthed most of the funny lines. As for the girls, both Ritu Verma & Niranjani did justice to their roles. I was presently surprised to see Gautham Menon perform reasonably well as the DCP & he nailed it in the climax sequence.

Verdict: As per the latest reports, it has done reasonably well at the box office & should have the producers silently happy. There is no doubt that it will keep the audience entertained as it has a mix of everything be it romance, comedy, thrills etc. In short, despite the obvious lazy detailing of the heist sequences, it's still worth a try!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

Thappad review: "Even a single slap is not justifiable!!!"

It’s been an eventful weekend for Indian cricket as the Women booked their spot in the final four of the T20 WC while the Men tasted their first series defeat in the World Test Championship. At the same time, life limped back to normalcy in the Capital as the violent agitation that rocked the very foundation of the nation finally ceased to everyone’s relief. Well I will talk about that topic on my FB page some other time. This week also saw the release of Anubhav Sinha’s “Thappad” which focused on domestic violence but not quite in the manner that most of us would have expected. Even if one believes that he is liberal, there are situations in the movie that would make many of us introspect.

Amrita (Taapsee Pannu) is a sprightly young housewife who catered to the needs of her husband, Vikram (Pavail Gulati) &  mother in law (Tanvi Azmi) with exuberance. They were contemplating a move to UK as Vikram’s company gave him the hint that they intended to make him charge of operations over there. In anticipation of the promotion, he throws a party for his friends & family. However, it ended on a sour taste as his senior colleague informed him that he was not considered for the position. As expected, it didn’t go down well with Vikram who in a fit of fury slaps Amrita who was trying to pull him away from a physical confrontation with his colleague. Incidentally, that one slap changed their life forever & how that happens is what the movie talks about.

With an enviable track record in recent times with movies like “Mulk” & “Article 15”, Anubhav Sinha is someone who doesn’t need any introduction. In the company of Mrunmayee Lagoo, he has scripted yet another socially relevant topic that doesn’t get focused upon as much as it should. As per the National Family Health Survey (NHFS-4) conducted by the Union Health Ministry, about 27% per cent of women have experienced physical violence since the age of 15 in India. The main emphasis in the story is that even a single slap is one too many & wives ought not to be taken for granted irrespective of whether it was done in the heat of the moment or even if the person is a good guy in general. Anubhav showcases the relation among couples across different age groups & strata of society in a convincing manner. It feels rather monotonous at times since hardly anything seems to happen with Amrita sulking & Vikram refusing to stitch a proper sentence expressing his sincere apology for a significant amount of time. But if you invest yourself into the protagonist’s mindset, then you would realize that her behaviour does make sense.

First & foremost, kudos to Anubhav for his apt choice of artists as they have done utmost justice to their roles. Taapsee Pannu as expected gave a fine performance though I felt Pavail Gulai’s role was more challenging. He needed to find a balance whereby he shows his arrogance yet make people support him & in that sense, he has done a good job. Equally impressive were Tanvi, Kumud Mishra, Ratna Pathak & Dia Mirza who did their parts aptly.

Verdict: The main point that the movie focuses upon is the mindset that we have in our nation regarding the pre-conceived notion about the type of behavior that is expected from a female. She has to take things in her stride & make the relationship work in a family even if it means that she has taken a backward step in her career or interests. It’s basically a sense of entitlement that the Indian society gives to the males, though that trend is definitely changing in many of the families. It might not be a time pass feel good movie but rather it makes us think as to whether we also endorse our flawed social structure subconsciously. In short, do watch it!!!

Rating: 3.25/5

Regards...Ben

Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan review: "Even Trump gives his approval!!!"

Less than 24 h before POTUS touches down on Indian soil & he has already made his presence felt with tweets & re-tweets ( if you haven't seen his "Baahubali" tweet, please don't miss it, I can assure you that it will make your day) about his eagerness to meet up with his Indian counterparts. One such tweet happened to be about Hitesh Kewalya's "Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan", when Trump expressed his approval for human rights campaigner and LGBTQ activist Peter Tatchell praise for the movie. The Indian legal system took more than a century to decriminalize homosexuality & even Bollywood have struggled to break out of their mindset of stereotyping such individuals in movies. But changes have started to show & seems like "Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan" is yet another step in the right direction. 

Kartik Singh (Ayushmann Khurana) & Amit Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar) are based in Delhi & have been in a relationship for quite a while. On the occasion of Aman's cousin's wedding, they travel to Allahabad to break the news of their relation to his folks. But even before they could do that, Aman's father Shankar (Gajraj Rao) who is a scientist & has created a furore among the farmers in the locality for his invention of the black cauliflower; sees them engrossed in a compassionate kiss. As expected, all hell breaks loose in the orthodox household & the rest of the movie is about as to whether the family accepts the lovers to their fold. 

There is a good chance that most of you wouldn't have heard of Hitesh Kewalya prior to this, but in all likelihood he is one to look out for if he creates movies like these. Though he wasnt the director of "Shubh Mangal Saavdhan", he had assisted R S Prasanna in the screenplay & dialogues which showcased his abilities to stitch a scene in an engaging manner. All of those skill sets are put to good use in his debut venture, where he has decided to take up a topic of same sex relationship which is still not adequately explored by our film makers. The biggest positive in the movie is his ability to balance the entertainment quotient without becoming overtly serious or resort to derogatory cliched comedy. Both the halves were entertaining though the latter part felt kinda repetitive & too focused on the family. However, Hitesh's choice of artists were spot on & Tanishk Bagchi's tracks were pretty impressive.

It's not easy to make a mark for yourself in the movie industry but Ayushmann managed to do just thanks to his stars & hard work. What has stood out in his movie career until now is his eye for unique scripts which is mostly about stories based in small towns that connects instantly with the people. As Kartik, he was fantastic as the bindaas lover & he was ably supported by Jitendra. There was more than a good chance that Jitendra would have been overshadowed but Hitesh's smart choice of dialogues & the former's earnest performance ensured that he is on an even keel or maybe even a step ahead. It was heartening to see both Gajraj & Neena Gupta share screen space yet again & as expected, they rocked the scenes along with Maanvi (as Goggle). The same amount of praise also applies to the rest of the cast as well.

Verdict: As per the latest box office reports, it's doing steady business & should turn out to be a profitable venture for the makers. It definitely deserves that as it's both entertaining yet thought provoking that in the sense that it's homophobia that needs treatment rather than homosexuality. In short, do check it out!!!

Rating: 3/5

Regards...Ben

Tanhaji review: "Ajay Devgn strikes gold both as actor & producer!!!"

If one is to observe carefully, there has been a steady stream of movies inspired from history in the past couple of years. The latest to join the bandwagon is "Tanhaji" based on the life of the Tanaji Malusare, the military chief of Chhatrapati Shivaji. There is no doubt that movies like these gives us a glimpse of many unknown heroes even if many of the events will not have been as dramatic as recreated on celluloid. Anywaz I was certainly intrigued by Saif' being cast as the antagonist & was more than eager to know whether it was a performance on par with his Langda Tyagi???

The Marathas under the leadership of Shivaji (Sharad Kelkar) was steadily becoming a force that the Mughals had come to fear. The Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb (Luke Kenny) decided to make his displeasure known by sending an enormous army with Mirza Raje Jai Singh (Yuri Suri). As feared, the Marathas failed to hold ground & Shivaji had to sign the Treaty of Purandar whereby he had to surrender 23 of his forts. Aurangzeb's ambition to expand his empire to the South made him decide to choose Kondhana as his capital in the region. In order to ensure that his plans were put to action, he annoints his trusted soldier Udaybhan Singh Rathore (Saif Ali Khan) as the commander of the region & asks him to do the needful. However, the Marathas werent going to be a silent spectator to this & they decided to orchestrate a strong response under the commander ship of Tanhaji (Ajay Devgn). This led to the Battle of Sinhagad & how it eventually panned out forms the crux of the movie.

This is Om Raut's directorial debut in Bollywood after his critically acclaimed Marathi movie "Lokmanya Ek Yug Purush". He has penned the script in the company of Prakash Kapadia & both of them have done a fine job in ensuring that the audience is kept interested. Raut has done justice to the script as he creates a captivating canvas with ample use of CGI. If at all there is a flaw, I kinda feel the characterization of Saif as Udaybhan could have been different. He seemed to be more or less like Ranveer Singh's Khilji in "Padmaavat" be it in the body language & appearance. The final showdown between Saif & Ajay was damn good which will surely generate a lot of cheers. Keiko Nakahara deserves praise for the visuals however the same cant be said about the music though the BGM by Sandeep Shirodkar was impressive.

It's been quite a while since we have seen Ajay in a meaty role & he was bang on as the protagonist. However, my favourite was undoubtedly Saif who was excellent as Udaybhan & showcases his negative side with aplomb. Kajol might not have had much screen time but she made her presence felt & the on screen chemistry that she shared with her husband was excellent. As for the rest of the cast, I felt Sharad Kelkar was an apt choice for Shivaji along with Luke Kenny as Aurangzeb. Both of them have done justice to their roles.

Verdict:  There is no doubt that the movie will appeal to the audience coz of the manner it is taken ensuring that the story is told at a reasonable pace. It has already collected 100 C at the box office & seems poised to collect more. In short, do check it out!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

Darbar review: "Thalaiva rocks but Murugadoss doesnt!!!"

A fortnight into 2020 & we had the first major release in the form of A R Murugadoss's "Darbar" which featured our Thalaiva. The Superstar is here to lighten up the Pongal celebrations & we can rest assured that he would certainly do that which the trailers also seemed to confirm. But from a personal point of view, I didnt quite find the trailer unique in the sense it is bindaas stuff but nothing that we haven't seen before. Anywaz I hoped that Murugadoss would be sensible enough to make utmost use of Thalaiva's stardom by inserting a credible story line. So is that what eventually happened???

On the behest of the Home Ministry, Aaditya Arunachalam IPS (Rajnikanth) was asked to flush out the Mumbai underworld scum. Being the upright officer that he was, he took up the challenge with a vengeance & dealt with the gangsters with an iron fist. As expected, this got him into trouble with the Human Right Commission but he ensured that they bent to his demands. Soon enough, he gets his hands on Ajay Malhotra (Prateik Babbar) who was the kingpin in the drugs & prostitution market. But his father, industrialist Vinod Malhotra's (Nawab Shah) influence meant that he didnt have to serve time in jail. To make matters worse, the Govt itself applied pressure on Aaditya to go easy on Ajay's case which the former refused to adhere to. So how does Aaditya manage to outsmart everyone???

A R Murugadoss has been in the industry for two decades now & has numerous hits to his name. However, he never had the opportunity to direct Thalaiva until "Darbar" came along which he himself had penned down. There is no doubt that the movie is a celebration of Thalaiva's style & stardom though not quite upto the level of "Petta". As far as the script is concerned, I certainly felt this was the weakest since "Linga". The scenes with his on-screen daughter Nivetha Thomas was endearing while the ones with Nayanthara felt unwanted. On the technical side, Santhosh Sivan was fantastic as usual with his cinematography while Anirudh churned out some chart busters. However, Sreekar Prasad ought to have trimmed many sequences. 

Thalaiva was on song as the bad ass cop & was electrifying as usual. This was his first police officer role in 27 years since "Pandiyan" and hence it was refreshing to see him in that character. Nivetha Thomas has done a fine job, Suniel Shetty was ideal as the antagonist but he was barely used while Nayanthara was not even required. As for the rest of the cast, they did their parts aptly.

Verdict: About a week have passed since the movie has hit the screens & it has set the box office on fire with world wide gross collections close to 200 C. This is in addition to the 220 C that it garnered from its pre-release business. In effect, it has galloped away to a monstrous hit. There is no doubt that Thalaiva has rocked but I certainly felt Murugadoss barely gave much thought to the story line. Naturally the next question is, does a story line actually matter??? Hmm..I certainly believe so though when we see collections like these many might think otherwise. In short, there are lots to cheer if you are a Rajini fan!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Regards...Ben