Shakuntala Devi review: "Rushed screenplay leaves out significant aspects!!!"

What is the expansion for (a+b)^2? I presume most of us would be able to answer that, thanks to our fantastic teachers & ofcourse, Chacko maash from "Spadikam". Over the years, our nation has been blessed with some of the finest mathematicians that this world has seen such as Aryabhata, Ramanujan, Bose, Rao etc. Another name that also gets mentioned is Shakuntala Devi popularly known as 'Human Computer' & holder of the Guinness World Record for the 'fastest human computation'. Interestingly, an official certification was given to her daughter only a couple of days back, after the feat was achieved in 1980 as the Guinness authority had no such norm in those days.  Bollywood decided to pay tribute to the math wizard in the form of a biopic directed by Anu Menon with Vidya Balan playing the titular role. So were they able to do justice to this iconic legend???

The film opens with Anupama Banerji (Sanya Malhotra) slapping a criminal case on her famous mother, Shakuntala Devi (Vidya Balan). So how did the two of them end up in a tumultuous relationship? But to understand that, the director takes us back to the latter's childhood (or rather the lack of it) where we are witness to Shakuntala's gift to solve complicated mathematical problems in a jiffy. Her father (Prakash Belawadi) saw that as a money spinning opportunity & arranged shows where she showcased her arithmetic skills. However, her relationship with her parents got strained after her sister passed away. Armed with an exceptional brain & supreme confidence, she moved to England & made a career out of her awe inspiring talent. In due time, she got married to Paritosh Banerji (Jisshu Sengupta), an IAS officer & soon after, Anupama was born. Though Paritosh was a supportive husband, differences crept in & with time, it took a toll on their daughter as well. So was this the price that Shakuntala had to pay for her fame & legacy???

Apart from helming the project, Anu Menon has also worked on the screenplay along with Nayanika Mahtani & Ishita Moitra based on the conversation that they had with Anupama. This can be said to be the first mainstream movie by Anu, though she had showcased her talent in the past with "Waiting". There is no doubt that this biopic is enjoyable and focuses adequately on the relationship between the mother & daughter. But I felt the screenplay in the first half was rather average, since we are made to feel that she achieved the highs without breaking much sweat. It is as if she just showed up in England & everyone was floored by her talent. Considering the fact that it was pre-Independence, it is inevitable that there would have been challenges like racism and even in our nation, sexism would have been another hurdle. None of these are shown & they try to squeeze in everything be it her take on astrology, homosexuality or taking part in elections. They should have focused on how she overcame these challenges as it would have made the audience value the brilliance, talent & resilience of this incredible lady in a much more meaningful manner. 

On the technical side, Karan Kulkarni's score & Keiko Nakahara's visuals were fine and does contribute adequately to gloss over the flaws. Whenever Vidya Balan takes up a role, we can rest assured that she would nail it & it's no different this time as well as she was absolutely fantastic as the protagonist. Showcasing a myriad of emotions, Vidya yet again proved that she is indeed on top of her game even with such sporadic appearances. Giving her ample support was Sanya, Jisshu & Amit Sadh, all of whom have done their parts aptly. Kudos to Spandan Chaturvedi & Araina Nand who essayed the younger versions of Shakuntala. 

Verdict: It's surely an entertaining movie that would endear to the family audience. There is no doubt that it has its flaws but Vidya has given a fantastic performance and the mother-daughter relationship which is the crux of the movie has been picturised well. In short, do check it out!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

Dil Bechara review: "Seri...surely the perfect swansong for Sushant!!!"

Sushant Singh Rajput...a name that we have been hearing in media regularly in recent times with some of them seeing it as an opportunity to get themselves back in the spotlight while others with a greedy eye on the TRPs. The sad reality is that he left his family & fans much before anyone could have fathomed & though the truth ought to be found out, let's give him the dignity he deserves rather than through crappy prime time debates. His last movie "Dil Bechara" released last night & to be frank, it was hard to hold back tears as the story & at times, some of the dialogues made it hard to distinguish between real and reel. Ever since the music & trailer released, I was totally hooked onto it; but did the movie provide us the catharsis that we hoped for???

The film unfolds in Jamshedpur, where Kizie Basu (Sanjana Sanghi), a thyroid cancer patient finds it hard to enjoy life thinking of the inevitable that the future holds for her. It is into this pall of gloom that Immanuel Rajkumar Junior aka Manny (Sushant Singh) enters like a breath of fresh air. His arrogant, nosy & insistent nature irritates Kizie, but both of them soon warm up to each other which even includes her supportive parents. Incidentally, he also had a brush with Osteosarcoma & was keen in making sure that all of Kizie's wishes were fulfilled which even included meeting her favourite musician in Paris. So does destiny smile on these love birds???

Based on John Green's novel "The Fault in our Stars", this is the directorial debut of Mukesh Chhabra who has been in the industry for quite a while both as a casting director and actor. Shashank Khaitan and Suprotim Sengupta has worked on the screenplay & I certainly felt that they could have done a much better job. There is no doubt that the romance between the protagonists makes us completely engrossed and the character arc created for them is fine. However, Manny's parents or the trip to Paris (which actually was supposed to be an important portion) barely had any significance. It tugs at the heart cords and many portions does make our eyes welled up especially the church sequences, but it could have been much better. 

On the technical side, AR Rahman's music was just brilliant with the title track which I had kept in loop rendered by the maestro himself being my personal favourite. There are other impressive tracks as well like 'Taare Ginn', "Khulke Jeene Ka' etc. However, at the same time I kinda felt that it had a nostalgic touch to it as the music arrangements seemed to have faint resemblances to his yester year hits. Kudos to Amitabh Bhattacharya for the soulful lyrics & to Satyajit Pande for capturing the visuals aesthetically.

It's hard not to sound biased when speaking about Sushant coz of the tragic end  to his life, but in all fairness he has undoubtedly done a fantastic job. You just cant help feel sorry for him & wish things could have been a whole different. The exuberance and melancholy that Manny possessed was perfectly captured by him and giving him competent company was Sanjana Sanghi. Some of you might remember her from "Rockstar" or "Hindi Medium". She has done a fine job as Kizie and seemed the perfect fit for the role. As for the rest, one cant help wish that Saswata Chatterjee (Killer Bob Biswas from "Kahaani") & Swastika Mukherjee had more screen space, Sahil Vaid did his part aptly while Saif was wasted in a cameo that barely had the impact that was expected.

Verdict: Though it is hard to dismiss the reality in the present situation, I would still say as frankly as possible that this movie ought to be watched. It certainly has its flaws but the romance, music, the chemistry between the lead pairs and most importantly Sushant makes the viewing experience worthwhile. So dont miss it!!!

Rating: 3.25/5

Regards...Ben

Kappela review: "Well intentioned and crafted though it might give mixed signals!!!"

When will the cinema theatres reopen? Hmm...tough question to answer especially with the number of active COVID cases surging like crazy. One of the last Malayalam movies to hit the screens just before the lockdown was Muhammad Musthafa's "Kappela". Since I dont recollect seeing it release in Bangalore, I had given it a miss & was reminded about it when my friend, Ranjith asked me to check it out when it released on Netflix close to three weeks back. Hence I had watched it but due to paucity of time never got to pen down my opinion about it. Well most of the people have praised the movie, so am I also part of that team???

Rains lashed heavily on the beautiful valleys of Poovaranmala as Jessy (Anna Ben) boarded the bus to Kozhikode to visit her lover, whom she had never met in person. So how exactly did they get acquainted in the first place? It all began coz of a wrong number that she had accidentally dialed, which happened to belong to Vishnu (Roshan Mathew), an auto driver. With time, through repeated interaction, they eventually fall for each other. At around the same time, she received an alliance from an affluent family in the locality & that spurs her to meet Vishnu hoping that she could lead a life that she dreamt of with him. 

Directed & penned by Muhammad Musthafa, this is the directorial debut of the experienced National Award winning actor. He has chosen a topic that isn't out of the ordinary after all we have come across such news numerous times. However, the manner in which he builds up curiosity in the audience and the character arc that he has created for the lead characters (Vishnu & Roy) is commendable. His efforts was complimented by the excellent cinematography of Jimshi Khalid and Sushin Shyam's melodious tracks. But there are a couple of aspects likely to raise eyebrows in atleast a few & that is with regard to the message that it conveys. These include possible 'stalking' of Vishnu shown as rather normal, kind of 'moral policing' by Roy (though I feel that gets negated by the climax', 'patriachal' family where the girls are shown to have not much of a voice & when they do decide to take a decision independently, it could turn out to be wrong. Well I'm not going to harp about it, as it didn't affect my viewing experience at all. 

Before talking about the individual performances, kudos to Mushtafa for his choice of artists as each one of them have done justice to their roles. It's not so often that an actress especially a beginner manage to do meaningful roles in a row & Anna Ben has been lucky with that. As in her previous movies, she was a perfect fit as Jessy whose innocence and twinkle in the eyes makes it endearing to us. Roshan has slowly and steadily made people to take notice of him with earnest performances while Sreenath Bhasi deserves praise for his fine act that has been coming at a consistent frequency in recent times. As for the rest, Nilja Baby was really good while Sudhi Koppa, Nisha Sarang, Navas Vallikunnu did their parts aptly. 

Verdict: Musthafa has created a well intentioned and honest movie that captures a slice of life which isn't unknown to any of us. It is unfortunate that he couldn't showcase it on the 70mm screen but to be frank, how often do such movies manage to run without being held over for some other big banner movies. So in that respect, it's great that it was released in Netflix & garnered predominantly positive responses from most quarters. As for me, both the performances and the story appealed to me and if you haven't watched it, don't miss it!!!

Rating: 3.25/5

Regards...Ben

Sufiyum Sujatayum review: "Script fails to realize its full roohi!!!"

With quite a few movies from the other film industries having already released on the OTT platform due to the COVID crisis, it was just a matter of time before the Malayalam industry also joined the bandwagon. So last weekend, we had Friday House Productions release “Sufiyum Sujatayum” on Amazon Prime to the delight of the movie aficionados. I was particularly keen to watch it as my buddy; Gopesh was also part of the team as an assistant director. The trailer had a mystic aura about it with soulful music that would endear to anyone. So was the movie as captivating???

The film unfolds in a rustic village where Sufi (Dev Mohan) returns after a decade to visit his Ustaad’s (Swamy Shoonya) tomb. However, he dies soon after & the news is conveyed to Rajeev (Jayasurya). Incidentally, Rajeev was in an unhappy relationship as his wife,  Sujata (Aditi Rao Hydari) wasn’t still able to detach herself from the memories of her pre-marital affair with Sufi. In the hope that the mortal remains of Sufi would bring a sense of closure for her, Rajeev decides to take Sujata to the funeral.

This is the second venture of Naranipuzha Shanavas, who garnered considerable critical acclaim for his directorial debut in “Kari”. Apart from calling the shots, he has penned the script as well which I felt was rather underwhelming. His choice of artists for the titular role made sense with Dev Mohan & Aditi, matching their parts. But their love story which is the main foundation on which this movie is built upon is on shaky ground as the depth of their relationship isn’t explored which would have thrown light as to why Sujata couldn’t move on in life with Rajeev. Shanavas nailed it when it came to imparting a mystical feel to the Sufi, but he fails to add substance to the character. The last half an hour is gripping and provides a distinct closure to the tale. On the technical side, it is really impressive especially the music by M. Jayachandran. His soulful tracks be it ‘Vathikal Vellaripravu’ (sung by Nitya Mammen , Arjun Krishna etc), ‘Alhamdullilah’ (by Amrita Suresh & Sudeep Palaad) and the brilliant ‘Azaan’ rendered by Zia-ul-Haq  (best I have ever heard), just  elevates the overall experience. Anu Moothedath has done a fine job with the cinematography while one cant the say about Deepu Joseph when it comes to editing as it lags at numerous sequences.

Though packaged as a Jayasurya movie for obvious reasons, he had more of a supporting role with limited screen space. However, he was impressive as the irritated and helpless husband who tries to salvage his marriage. Aditi Rao is making a return back to Malayalam after she made her debut in Prajapathi in 2006. She has done her part reasonably well as she suited the role in terms of appearance & dance, though she failed to convey the sorrowful emotions adequately. The same also applies to the debutant Dev Mohan but I would put the blame for that on an underwritten role rather than the lack of his abilities. As for the rest, Siddique and Manikandan Pattambi deserve praise for a job well done.

Verdict: It was certainly a movie that showed a lot of potential, but falters primarily because of a half baked script. Shanavas gives glimpses at various instances where the story could have been impactful as the chemistry between the lead pairs were palpable, though it fizzles out without going the distance. Even then it is still worth a watch primarily coz of its endearing sound tracks, mystic aura & the manner in which it ends!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards…Ben

Ponmagal Vandhal review: "Court room drama fixated on narratives rather than evidence!!!"

After having binge watched various web series during the lockdown period, the news of a movie finally hitting the screens certainly put a smile on the lips of movie buffs like me. However, it wasn't on the 70mm screen but rather on Amazon Prime which was a unique experience for the industry and the audience. It happened to be Fredrick's "Ponmagal Vandhal" which had Jyothika as protagonist & bankrolled by her husband, Suriya. Im pretty sure that the title would have reminded most of us of the song from Vijay's "Azhagiya Tamilmagan", though it is actually inspired from Sivaji Ganeshan's "Sorgam".  Anywaz it's been almost three weeks since I watched this flick, but didnt quite have time then to pen down my opinion about it. 

Close to two decades back, Ooty was rocked by the spine chilling deeds of Psycho Jyothi who apart from killing two men was also believed to be responsible for the kidnap and murder of numerous small children. However, before she could be tried in a court of law she was killed in a police encounter. In the present day, 'Petition' Pethuraj (Bhagyaraj) reopens the case as he believed that Jyothi was framed while the actual culprit roamed free. His daughter, Venba (Jyothika) takes it up as the first case of her career & as expected she faces a lot of flak from the public for trying to relieve the murderer of the charges that was proved rather convincingly according to them. But when Venba proved that the main eye witness in itself was unreliable & fabricated, it became evident that there was more to the case that what met the eye.

The topic of child abuse, rape & the ordeal that the survivor has to go through to get justice is what Frederick narrated in his debut venture. Along with Lakshmi Saravanakumar, he has penned this impactful and relevant subject,but there is evident lack of tautness in their script. The biggest flaw is the lack of legal validity in the arguments presented since for some reason the whole case is fought on the basis of statements rather than compelling evidence. However, the manner in which the core subject is picturised makes it worth watching as it didn't make it gross & also gives us a lump in our throat in some of the sequences. As far as the technical aspects were concerned, it was aptly done.

Ever since Jyothika has made her comeback, her choice of movies has been well thought making sure that she was either the protagonist or had a substantial role. As Venba, she has given an earnest performance with some stand out sequences inside the court room. She was adequately supported by Bhagyaraj while Parthiban also makes his presence felt though Thiagarajan's role could have been far more impactful if it had been etched well.

Verdict: Frankly speaking, it was a movie that could have been far better if more attention was invested in the details. Instead Frederick seemed content to convince the audience through Venba's emotional discourses rather than systematic investigation and proof to substantiate her claims. It is an ideal situation that all of us want to see played out in the courts as many a time justice is denied and the survivor's character is tarnished & shamed in front of the public eye by the opposing lawyer due to lack of compelling evidence. In short, falls well short of expectations despite having the premise for it!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Regards...Ben

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