Author: aninditaroy444

ASUR: In this movie, Jeet tries a new look and diction but is disappointing. Abir sticks to the written script which itself is nothing to write home about. The movie is designed to ignite Bengali sentiment and incorporates a Durga Puja theme into the proceedings. By the way, the Durga idol that is erected is far from grand and is quite ordinary. Nusrat Jahan lends some glam quotient but her acting skills are quite commonplace. Biplab Chatterjee looks scary.The storyline is not believable and at 2 hours 19 minutes the movie tends to drag and is torturous towards the end. A failed venture from Jeetz Filmworks-the movie is depressive and incomprehensible.

TANHAJI: If you have ever loved Amar Chitra Katha, you will probably love this movie. The problem with this movie is that there are no shades of grey or any layers. Tanhaji is all white while the antagonist Udaybhan is all black. The movie is mounted on a grandiose scale and is a visual treat. The usage of CGI and VFX is rampant and the 3D-effects make it a gorgeous watch. Set in 1670, the movie depicts Maratha valor and the constant struggle of the Marathas against the Mughal empire to achieve “swaraj”. The characterization of Saif Ali Khan reeks of resemblance to Padmavaat’s Khilji.(He eats meat off the bone) He is also shown feasting on a grilled crocodile and chopping off an elephant’s trunk. Kajol’s brief appearance is convincing and her on-screen chemistry with Devgn is also believable. Sharad Kelkar plays Shivaji and brings grace and dignity to the proceedings. Music is energetic and makes clever use of the Nashik dhol. The action scenes are graphic but not gruesome and so, the movie is suitable for children. It’s overall a paisa-wasool family fare. Jay Bhavani! Har Har Mahadev!

CHHAPAAK: What’s not to love in a movie like “Chhapaak”? What’s not to love in a performance as endearing as the one of Deepika Padukone? This movie grows on you like an emotion and makes you laugh and cry but never allows you to pity the acid-attack victim. Most of the movie is a courtroom drama that is realistic and engaging. The statistics at the end show the helplessness of the situation. Deepika Padukone displays real guts and gumption in playing a character with a distorted face at the peak of her career. The movie does not resort to melodrama and brings out the various nuances of an acid attack victim. The movie brings forth a heinous crime in India and how the male dominated society calibrates women according to their beauty. Gulzar’s lyrics are beautiful and Meghna Gulzar’s direction is crisp and matter of fact. With no prominent male lead and a female lead with a burnt face, the movie shows courage in bringing forth a subject as deplorable as rape and pays an ode to the human spirit and its relentless quest for esteem and dignity.

GOOD NEWWZ: This movie is seriously funny and spreads awareness about invitro fertilization. Akshay Kumar is hilarious while Diljit has the funniest one-liners. Kareena and Kiara ably support. Adil Hussain as the doctor is superb as well as Tisca Chopra as his doctor wife. They pull off laugh-raising dialogues with a poker face. The movie is entertaining and the music is awesome. The Punjabi dialogues add to the humor quotient. It is not a family movie with the content being very adult. There is some dose of Bollywood sentiment about going against abortion and going for perpetuation of own’s lineage. The movie is a wholesome affair and is a cross between comedy and melodrama. A perfect movie to end the year on a light-hearted note.

ROBIBAAR: This product from Atanu Ghosh is a disaster with a capital D. The movie stars two powerful performers Prosenjit and Jaya Ahsaan but sans a plot and with a stretched screenplay and dull and drab cinematography it is tiring and clueless. Jaya sports the same dress all through the movie since it is set on a Sunday in Kolkata. Prosenjit looks grumpy and unkempt. The side characters are not well-etched. The camera angles are too few and bring in monotony. The ending is too abrupt. At one scene Prosenjit smashes a mirror and hurts his hand. At the next shot his hands are without any scars. There is no continuity. Jaya Ahsaan looks old and jaded. The movie is flat and dialogue-heavy with nothing happening between the lead actors. This movie is a sore bore. Don’t watch this apology of a movie.

SANJHBATI: Sanjhbati is a house (BB-162) in Salt Lake where lives an old lady with her maid. Things perk up with the arrival of a hunky caretaker. The presence of an old flame of the old lady adds spice to the melodrama. The movie borrows heavily from Gotro which had a stronger context and better screenplay. But this movie has a fresh screenplay and is a tear-jerker and has a predictable ending. Paoli Dam is superb as the maid. Lily Chakraborty and Soumitra Chatterjee are the pillars of this movie. Dev comes of age in his depiction of the caretaker but he does not come across as a village boy famished in search of a job. The movie turns preachy at the end and describes children immigrating to foreign lands in search of a livelihood as villains. The girl who plays Dev’s sister plays her part well. I don’t understand why maids and helps are consistently shown as holier than thou while the own sons and daughters are painted as villains. There is also a constant threat from promoters for “selling the house” to every lonely widow but in reality it is not the case. This movie is well-made sans any song and dance number and still is a sure entertainer.

Professor Shanku O El Dorado: This movie is a tepid introduction of Satyajit Ray’s Professor Shanku into mainstream Bengali cinema. There are no crests or troughs in the movie; the movie progresses in an even pace and is more like a documentary. The villains are cardboard cutouts. Most the cast is Brazilian and the movie is shot in and around Sao Paolo. Sandip Ray did not resort to much dramatization while introducing Shanku’s brilliant inventions. Dhritiman Chatterjee is well cast as Professor Shanku. Subashish Mukherjee did not raise much laughs as NC Biswas. The concept of El-Dorado was not well-explained. The CGI was good and the jaguar and the anaconda were almost life-like. There is a marked absence of any female character as with Ray’s movies for young adults. Although suited for children, they might find it boring and tiring even at 1 hour 34 minutes. Can give it a miss.

MARDAANI 2: If you want to watch one-take Rani in action dressed in khaki, then this movie is a must watch for you. Rani Mukherji is Shivani Shibaji Roy, a upright police officer who undertakes the mighty task of nabbing a ferocious serial rapist in Kota, Rajasthan on her petite frame. The movie takes upon a contemporary burning topic and handles it with subtlety and finesse. However the way rape victims are mercilessly bashed and depicted in utmost gory and grotesque way makes one cringe and feel that the movie is glorifying the act of rape. The performance of Rani Mukherji is top-class as the no-frills, no-nonsense cop which does not cower down under the misogyny of her male colleagues and the society at large. Newcomer Vishal Jethwa makes a sincere attempt to look convincing as the teenage rapist. His debut on the big screen is impressive but he does not come across as menacing and dreaded as his role demands. Sans any song, the movie is slick and crisp at 1 hour 45 minutes. The movie brings across some hard-hitting statistics at the end and this makes one ponder on the disgusting and disastrous state of things in India. Rani has been a consistent good actor and now backed by the most powerful production house in India, she is even better. Watch this movie to experience good storytelling, power-packed performances and a huge dose of feminism.

SAGAR DWIPEY JAKHER DHAN: The premise of the movie with the inclusion of an alien character provokes disbelief. If we can look past that, the movie is an enjoyable ride. Made mostly for children, the movie has excellent cinematography and impressive visual effects. Paambrata, Koel and Gaurav are well cast. The performances of Rajatava and Shantilal are good too. Kanchan Mallick has a prominent role. The movie is shot extensively in Thailand. Suspension of disbelief is required to enjoy this movie. As with all recent detective movies, the unfurling of the truth is too simple and direct. At 2 hrs 4 minutes, editing is crisp and the screenplay is taut. Overall, a pleasurable watch with no major hiccups.

PANIPAT: Grandiosely mounted, the movie is an account of the Third Battle of Panipat fought on Jan 14, 1761 and speaks of Maratha valour, bravery and strength. The war scenes are meticulously shot and the performances of Arjun, Kriti and Sanjay Dutt are brilliant. Sanjay Dutt is particularly convincing as the menacing Abdali and reminds one of Ranveer Singh’s Khilji in Padmavat. The climax is a little unexpected and the movie holds the tension and maintains the drama throughout. The music is quite pleasant. Although the movie is 2 hrs 53 minutes long, it is delightful to watch the palace intrigue, the coalition politics and the different intricacies of the war sequences. Padmini Kolhapure and Mohnish Behl shine in their respective roles. Zeenat Aman disappoints with her wooden performance. Suitable for children, this movie is a magnum opus meant to appeal to all.