Author: aninditaroy444

SPENCER: This movie depicts the journey of young Princess Di from a frustrated royal to an independent woman who breaks away from the shackles of the claustrophobic British regalia and regales in the joy of leading her life as a free commoner. The movie essays the depression, melancholia of a loveless marriage amidst the cold, desolate interiors of the British royal family and Diana’s suicidal thoughts as well as her bulimia nervosa. Christen Stewart shines as Princess Di but Jack Farthing who portrays Prince Charles is found to
be lacking. The stifling royal etiquette and decorum, the incessant reminders of adhering to the palace discipline weighs Diana down. Finally she dresses a scarecrow with her imperial coat-skirt and drives into KFC dressed in commoner clothes with her two boys and identifies herself as a “Spencer” instead of the epithet “Princess of Wales”. A well-made movie meant for the millions of fans worldwide who are still intrigued by the sorrowful life of Princess Di-the People’s Princess.

SOORYAVANSHI: There’s a certain unmissable “zinda-dili” about a Rohit Shetty movie that wins hearts and sends pulses racing. This super-cop drama with the right dose of humor and stylized action hits the jackpot and is a sure-fire high-octane entertainer. Cars turning turtle and blowing up, super stunts that leave you gaping, picturesque locales all leave you wanting for more. Nimble-feeted Akshay Kumar dangling from a helicopter makes you wonder whether he is India’s answer to Tom Cruise. Katrina Kaif has a limited air-time and with her robotic, mechanised movements to “Tip Tip Barsa Pani” fails to hold a candle to Ravishing “Mast Mast” girl Raveena Tandon. Her acting skills have surely improved but her face looks badly puffed up like a vada pao. Akki “Khiladi” Kumar’s comic timing is superb and he effortlessly gyrates and does somersaults like a twenty-year old. Javed Jaffrey impresses as a super cop. Jackie Shroff is ho-hum. Sikander Kher is wasted in a miniscule cameo. Abhimanyu Singh and Gulshan Grover are superlative in their villainish acts. The movie lights up in the second half with the entry of Ajay Devgan(Singham) and Ranveer Singh(Simmba). Their glorious entry creates a “seeti marao” frenzy. Ranveer Singh steals the thunder with his quick wit and overpowering mannerisms. Ajay Devgan bashing up the terrorists to the tune of Vedic chants is pure magic. The movie uses the old song “Chodo kaal ki baatein, Kal ki Baat Purani” from the movie Hum Hindustani picturized on Sunil Dutt but instead of invoking patriotism it comes across as jingoistic. The movie is sprinkled with a few Marathi dialogues which adds to the rustic charm and overall appeal of the movie. In the climax, the three handsome hunks with rippling muscles, dripping machismo and virility strut their stuff in slow-mo and is definitely an “aha” moment. The background score plays an important role in the movie and frequent interjections of the term “POLICE!” uplifts the mood of the audience and instills a feeling of respect and awe for the lawkeepers of the society. The ending title song “Aila Re” is pure magic with the pulsating energy of the three heroes and a quick mention of “Aata Majhi Satakli”. This movie is a feel-good entertainer and is a perfect dekho for the Diwali weekend. It’s good that the makers of this movie waited till the remission of Covid because the larger-than-life stunts that the movie portrays can only be enjoyed in the big screen. Rohit Shetty has initiated a lively, wholesome genre but hope that he does not get repetitive and infuses a better storyline into his movies.

GOLONDAJ: “Shob khelar shera bangalir ei Football” sang Soumitra years back. This movie is a biopic of Nagendra Sarbadhikary, the father of Indian football. The first shot of bodilicious Dev emerging out of the water will make you think that he is Bengal’s answer to Salman Khan. Dev has honed his acting chops and improved his diction. The choreographed football scenes are rivetting. The direction is superlative. The art direction of this period drama is mindblowing. The direction, screenplay and dialogues are top-notch. The inclusion of Anirban Bhattacharya in the proceedings is unnecessary. Inspired by Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan, the climax although predictable, is a treat to watch. Issha Saha is wasted in a miniscule role. There is not much intrigue woven into the script and the movie is a simple clash between the Englishmen vs the native Indians. The background score and the songs are intricately integrated into the movie. Interestingly the face shots and feet shots of Dev are taken separately so you wouldn’t know if Dev was actually playing the game. If you are an admirer of the male form, you will probably like this movie because you would get to watch bare-bodied Dev and his semi-clad team in several reels. This movie is a formula movie but the treatment is unique. A must-watch movie.

RAWKTO RAWHOSHYO: Presented as a thriller, this movie is a pleasant watch. But you would be disappointed if you try to find a premise in the plot. Maybe watching the movie in the theatres would have given me an immersive experience and I would not have been distracted by the going-ons at home and would have imbibed the logic better. Koel with her chiseled features and cascading hair is bewitching. It is hard to believe that she is on the wrong side of forty. She tries hard to carry the movie on her slender shoulders but the script fails her and the audience. It is shown that Chandan Roy Sanyal and Koel meet at a yoga studio and hit it up in the common locker room. In my lifetime I have never come across a gym in Kolkata with common locker rooms for males and females. Bongs have a penchant for hands-off romance and “atlami” and the utterances of love are in English and this movie does not deviate from that. Rwitobroto pulls off his role quite well. The kiddos are super talented and pack a punch. Music is mediocre. The thespian Lily Chakraborty is impressive in her cameo. Shantilal Mukherjee shines with his booming voice. This movie is a passable fare.

FRIENDS: THE REUNION:For many of us from the 90’s generation, F.R.I.E.N.D.S is not just an outstanding sitcom, it is an epic phenomenon. The Reunion pays tribute to the fabulous TV show that aired for a decade and drives the audience down a nostalgic trip down the memory lane. If you can look beyond the botched-up face job of Jennifer Aniston and the corpulence of the white-haired Matt LeBlanc, you will find that most of the actors look the same with the same physique that they had 17 years ago. Seated on the iconic orange sofa, the actors chat about the cherished memories, reminisce about the good ol’days and share trivia about the sitcom. The dialogues are mostly unscripted and are not as engaging as the original sitcom. This is more like a documentary than a movie. It is high on emotions and not so much on comedy. Lady Gaga makes a cameo and delivers a rendition of “Smelly Cat” along with Phoebe. There are virtual appearances of Reese Witherspoon, David Beckham and others. Chandler does not speak at all. Running at 104 minutes, the documentary is a tiring watch at places and would fail to be a recurring watch. It would only appeal to die-hard fans who are sentimental about the simple good old days.

SWITZERLAND: Switzerland is a recent Bengali movie that would warm the cockles of your heart. A small-budget movie that delivers big and is strong in the emotional quotient. Abir Chatterjee plays Shibu, an auto salesman who is always struggling to meet his targets. Rukmini Maitra playing Rumi, is a primary school teacher with a modest income. They have two cute little daughters. With their meager income, they cannot even dream of going to Shimla. To keep up with the Joneses, they suddenly announce that they would be going to Switzerland. What follows are a lot of twists and turns, all measures taken to fulfill their desire to visit their dream destination.The movie is entertaining, the editing is crisp and the music is melodious. Abir aces in action, romance, comedy and even dancing. Rukmini’s histrionics are over-the-top but she endears in her non-glam look. Ambarish is dependable as always. Biswanath, after losing weight, is relegated to non-descript sidey roles. The cute kids are a riot and light up the screen with their presence. Jeet’s cameo is forced-he only wanted to make his presence felt since he is the producer. Parambrata’s cameo is crucial to the proceedings but he fails to make an impact. The movie passes on a simple message that it is better to live within one’s means and not resort to unscrupulous ways to achieve the impossible. The movie also showcases the trials and tribulations of the middle-class families and their grapples with reality. A case of “Sadh achhe kintu Sadhho nai” and coming to terms with it.The movie is light-hearted and is best as an one-time fare. In the movie the protagonists do get to travel to Switzerland but don’t be disappointed if you cannot find the landscaped vistas and the sweeping visuals of the Swiss Alps.