AninditaRoyMusings

CHANDU CHAMPION: Sports dramas are magical and charming in their own way. This movie is based on the real life story of Muralikant Rajaram Petkar, the Padmashri award winner who aced the Para-Olympics in 1972 as a handicapped swimmer much to the amazement of many. It is a little surprising to note that he survived nine bullets, fifty sleeping pills and got paralysed during the India-Pakistan war in 1965 but still could swim like Michael Phelps. It is not cinematic license but based on true facts that expresses Maratha valor, grit and endurance yet again. And this movie showcases the amazing male form which is engaging and oh so delectable. There is no prominent female lead. The initial reels have a “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” hangover and the stag dance sequence has a Ranbir Kapoor’s “Galti Se Mistake” influence. Vijay Raaz, Shreyas Talpade and Sonali Kulkarni essay their roles well. It is sad to see that the talented Rajpal Yadav being cast in a derogatory role just because he looks a certain way. Sharmila Tagore’s iconic bikini clad picture from the sixties is termed as a dirty picture-pray why pick on the veteran actress? A family movie with a lot of heart and soul is enlivened by Kartik Aryan’s spirited performance and his goofy-sexy grin would melt your hearts. 

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DABARU: This movie is a mixed fare from the production house of Nandita and Shiboprasad. Based on the life and times of the chess grandmaster Sourya Ganguly, this movie is likeable in parts. The first thing that is a letdown is the jarring background score paired with the incessant flow of songs that is present in almost every reel. The first half would pique your interest and the editing is crisp and smart, but the second half fails you with insufferable melodrama and hits a trough. The movie has several cameos by Kharaj, Biswanath, Kaushik Sen and others while the lead actors Rituparna, Chiranjit, Dipankar and Shankar stay true to their craft with their stellar performances. The main protagonists who play Sourya in his childhood and teenage years are superlative. The love track looks forced and unreal. There is a flitting reference to Dibyendu Barua, the ace chess player from Bengal and the serial Mahabharata that was aired every Sunday morning in the early nineties. The movie spans from 1988 to 2001 and ends with Sourya becoming a grandmaster in one of the toughest games of all time that requires mental effort, focus and patience. Surprisingly, there is no mention of IBM’s Deep Blue defeating grandmaster Gary Kasparov in 1996. You will probably enjoy the movie if you carry a pair of earbuds.

LAAPATAA LADIES: Now Kiran Rao has thrown a Rabindra Rachanaboli at Aamir Khan (ref: Noukadubi) Set in 2000 in MP this movie is a wonderful satire on the social mores and regressive practices in rural India. The performances of the ensemble cast, especially of Ravi Kishan as the corrupt police officer are superlative. The movie has a Kangana Ranaut’s “Queen” hangover and it is hard to believe how the missing ladies find instant acceptance in their foster families and find their true awakening with the kindness of strangers.Never knew Madhya Pradesh is such a utopia.The screenplay is the true hero of this movie and gives it a repeat value.Overall, an outstanding movie well suited for family audiences.

NAYAN ROHOSHYO: I felt very upbeat as I noticed the serpentine queue at the movie theatre comprising of viewers from the age of 2 to 90ish assembled to watch the cinematic adaptation of Satyajit Ray’s novella on the big screen. But lo and behold, I found a thriller with no thrill, suspense or entertainment. The movie despite being made under the aegis of Surinder Films have very low production value, an effing flat narrative and deadpan delivery that merely makes an exciting prose a run-of-the-mill dull whodunit. Indraneil Sengupta is very stiff and lacks the intrepid and witty demeanor of a famous private eye. His squeaky voice makes Feluda a commonplace character sans any command or special power. Jatayu and Topshe and especially the wonder kid Nayan deliver delectable performances. The cinematography fails to capture the majestic beauty of Mahabalipuram. Even the dress designs of Lolita Ray are surprisingly not upto the mark. Feluda looks poor in his getup and the blink-and-miss action scene is unbelievably humdrum. This movie is a yawnfest and displays how tired Babuda (Sandip Ray) is, holding onto his lineage and maybe he should pass the baton to someone else now. Its time Indian parents stop dictating their offsprings on what they have to do with their lives. Its no fun if you do not have the passion and gumption of following your father’s footsteps and drive the audience into a sea of misery. 

MAIDAAN: Set in the late fifties and the early sixties, when the entire nation was steeped in Nehruvian idealism and nationalism, sixteen malnourished young boys from different parts of India, under the tutelage of the football coach Syed Abdul Rahim from Hyderabad, find a sense of purpose and belonging in representing the nation as the winning football team from India in the world map.
The movie has a commendable cinematography befitting a period movie and the tight screenplay and glorious and sincere performances of Devgn and the entire cast comprising of young PK Banerjee and Chuni Goswami give the movie a repeat value. The music by AR Rahman is apt and stays true to the gung-ho spirit of the movie. The movie is dialogue-heavy and has a huge Calcutta slant and even depicts the nightclub culture and babudom and the omnipresent “politricks” of Bengalis that has made Kolkata the trashcan as it is today. An uplifting movie with a predictable ending is seemingly based on a true story and is a gripping and exciting sports drama. As the end credits roll, you are left to ponder how Covid ended the lives of elderly people in India in 2020 and 2021. A fascinating movie, suitable for family audiences-I wonder why it had to rot in the cans for so long! 

CREW: Please do not dismiss it as a random chick flick! This movie has a substantial plot, wicked comedy and surprise!, surprise!, a logical screenplay that does not burst at the seams but zips together a well-hashed plot entwining all of the ensemble plot. I urge you to watch this movie not just for eye-balling the eye-candy but also to get realistic power-house performances from the entire cast. Just a little note, I wonder why Bebo has the best of everthing, while Lovely Lolo is too busy getting along with a shifty mind!Generation gap?oh well! Kuch mein hain kaam ki keeda! 

SWATANTRA VEER SAVARKAR: A balanced movie, with nice storytelling that depicts many events starting from the Sepoy Mutiny in 1947 to the Mahatma’s death in 1948. Half fact, half fiction with a speck of jingoism in the veil of nationalism, this movie would not impress history buffs but is a likeable watch due to a well-knit screenplay and the acting chops of Randeep Hooda despite its almost three hours long duration. The eponymous movie does not focus on Maratha valor but also points out that Nathuram Godse was also a Marathi manus. The movie does not let you blink thanks to the authentic performances of the ensemble cast and is good for a leisurely watch on a Sunday.

OTI UTTAM (SO YOU UTTAM): One might say, it is a gimmicky movie, but young adults with an old soul and of course the Gen-X generation who grew up watching re-runs of old black and white movies on the Telly and also their parents who still go misty-eyed over Uttam Kumar the superstar who died young. This is a conservative movie starring Gourav Chatterjee who perhaps never saw his ‘Dadu’ in his living years paying homage to Suchitra Sen and the veteran actress Sabitri Chatterjee but gives a back-handed compliment to Supriya Devi to keep it real and in keeping with the Bengali sentiment who thrives in nostalgia. The Edit FX team did a fantastic job with recreating the image of the matinee idol along with the deep-fake technology. But they could not create the hug (despite having ‘huggingface’ in their kitty) because Uttam Kumar was always presented as taller than his heroines (although the real Arun Chatterjee was a medium-built man). The movie touches upon his revelry with Tarun Kumar and his easy camaraderie with Biswajit although the latter was more successful in Bollywood than him. I don’t know why Jadavpur University is depicted in the same vein as people used to depict Viswa Bharati University in Shantiniketan a few years back. Jadavpur University was created in the pre-independence era and the ‘Makers of JU’ were driven by passion and integrity and they gave the students the freedom to balance out ‘Prem, Porashuno and Politics’ and leave the campus happy with high-ticket jobs. All said and done, an enjoyable movie with great music and production value if you can ignore the current Bong trend of ‘hookah, babes, the tui-tokari lingo and French kissing’.

The following are the capsule reviews for YODHA and ARTICLE 370:
YODHA:Siddie-pooh you are pushing forty, and still banking on your boyish looks to set the box-office by storm.And What’s this with Bong bashing by the way and that too in the first reel itself? Please inform your secretary that Bongs are everywhere including US and Bongoland.And mocking Shahrukh Khan would get you nowhere while one compares the body of work of yours and his. Baisakhi mein Bhangra pale mast rahe “Bangali”. Rest can be dicussed over “Koffee with Karan”.
ARTICLE 370: This movie is similar to the Kashmir Files and the anti-Pakistan jabbering is so hackneyed in Bollywood that a novel attempt with good screenplay, great cinematography and powerhouse acting induces a yawn or two.Recommended for serious audiences.

SHAITAAN: What’s up with you Kajol? Throwing Rabindra Rachonaboli at Mr Devgn for climax inspirations #spoileralert (ref: Jokher Dhan) Well poor Ajay has to chase the box-office to keep wifie happy and he knows that the audience laps it up when he buries humans six-foot deep, dead or alive! This movie can be best described as a psychological thriller and I was expecting that the daughter would get out of Shaitaan’s spell and kill the demon herself the Bollywood way. The family is pretty Indian-they slap and then hug-it’s all in the family. Madhavan’s devilish avatar triggers comic relief rather than fear or disgust. Even when he pulls out his tongue, you think of Einstein’s famous pose rather than black magic.This movie is certainly not of the horror genre- a simple tweaking of the background score and camera angles could have made it one.The movie is devoid of any song except for the end credits so that the negative murmurs of the audience rushing out cannot be heard. Coming from someone who made Tanaji-it’s a sure letdown. This movie is a make-shift job-you can watch it if you are intrigued by the trailer and want to watch it on the big screen. Don’t dig deeper (pun intended!)