AninditaRoyMusings

MISSION RANIGANJ: This movie is based on the true story about a rescue misssion at a coal mine at Raniganj in West Bengal in 1989.Akshay Kumar who plays Mr Jaswant Singh Gill (the mastermind of the rescue mission) is the main draw of the movie backed up by an ensemble cast of a few 80’s era TV stars.The movie is a realistic portrayal and thanks to crisp editing and true to life dialogues, the movie is a gripping tale of the heroic rescue mission that saved 65 lives of coal miners.Kharaj Mukherjee and Rajesh Sharma both play negative roles. Parineeti plays a de-glam role as the wife of Akshay Kumar, but I couldn’t understand why the director asked her to dance up a storm despite being preggers and why she asked to smile while her husband was going through a near-death situation while trying to rescue the miners. But these are small foibles in an otherwise captivating movie.

TAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR: (Spanning 20 years of her super successful career) Can you ever think of listening to music for non-stop 3 hours, of course you can if it is the iconic popstar Taylor Swift with her mellifluous voice and great stage presence. She changes costumes with every song-silver, golden, white, lavender, blue all shimmery with sequins and faux fur. She is thoroughly grounded. She does not don vulgar clothes or resort to cheap dance moves. Each time she flashes her leg, it is covered with skin-colored clothing. She is a great performer and she gyrates to each song and is backed up by a bevy of backup dancers. The charisma, the energy she displays is simply superb. She plays the guitar and the piano with equal elan. Despite using commonplace props like hockey sticks and umbrellas, the synchronized choreography would grab your eyeballs and also the grandeur of the lighting and fireworks. She is mesmerizing and just too cool.(She asks “Can I take 10 mins of your time to perform my favorite song?”). This one-of-a-kind experience is for your eyes only at just 5 dollars. The way she bows in front of the audience at the end is bound to sweep you off your feet. I was surprised to see a few people recording the show in spite of anti-piracy laws. Oh Calcutta!: You lost me here….

BAGHA JATIN: An awesome period drama with great production value, this movie would capture the heart of any patriotic Indian. (A Hindi version has also released). Dev, over the years has matured as an actor, improved his diction and dialogue delivery and with his charisma carries the movie single-handedly on his own shoulders. Dev has grasped the pulse of the audience, and stays true to the character and displays age-appropriate demeanor. The movie is a product of good research, teamwork, passion and an ardent desire to please the audience. This period drama displays an eye for detail, and the cinematography and the camera angles are superb. Even the CGI with the tiger is pitch-perfect. Dev resists from display of brawn or his dancing skills. Set in 1905 in undivided Bengal, the movie captures the plight of the average Indians under British rule and the now-lost fire of the Bengali youth and their guts to reveal and even sacrifice their lives to ensure the birth of this nation. Even if you are not a history buff, this movie will stir your soul.

RAKTABEEJ (Seeds of Blood): Based on the real life story of the late Indian President Sri Pranab Mukherjee and the terrorist attack hatched against him, this movie is a thriller. Editing is very crisp. Gorgeously mounted on the Durga Puja backdrop, the music is great (especially Naku Nakur and Gouri Elo) and the cinematography is heavenly. The ensemble cast works perfectly and blends in well with the main protagonists. Abir Chatterjee proves once again that he is a dependable actor and renders a competent act as a macho police officer. Mimi Chakraborty is a director’s actor and fleshes out a police officer persona flawlessly. Devlina Kumar is convincing in a small but meaty role. She has sharp features and a great body, only if she gets help from a pimple-popping MD, she would get bigger and better roles. But I felt that Victor Banerjee is miscast as the Prez of India. He just looks like a tired old man. Barun Chanda would have been a better choice. Ankush Hazra shows up in an item number whose choreography is nothing to talk home about. The movie is a wholesome entertainer and it would chime well with the elderly generation. One comment though, men stroke their moustaches to depict manliness and virility. What if women started to stroke their -oh forget it!

ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME MARGARET: Set in 1970, this teenage movie is based on Judy Blume’s groundbreaking novel. Margaret is an extremely shy and meek 11-year old who cannot even look at a guy in the eye.She resists change and is devastated when she has to move to the New Jersey suburbs from New York. Her parents had an inter-faith marriage but she is more inclined to the Jewish religion, thanks to her paternal Grandma Sylvia (played by Kathy Bates) who she finds real fun to be with. She is fascinated by the rabbi addressing the Jewish congregation using words like “Shalom” but freaks out while at the confession room with the Father. Her maternal grandparents disowned her mother(played by Rachel McAdams) long back since she married a Jew despite being a Catholic. This period movie captures the bygone era where families actually mingled and talked to each other instead of being glued to their cell phones. Margaret maintains a diary just like Betty(of the Archies comics fame) and believes in an omnipresent God bereft of any religious attachment. The movie is relatable even to this day with its witty, funny, comic moments with some dollops of sadness. Margaret(played by Abby Fortson) looks a bit like Sara Ali Khan and is sweet and endearing.The movie’s “aha” moment is when the teenage girls shout in unison “We must…..(I am too much of a prude to spell out the rest!)”. Margaret has a glad eye for the hard-working neighborhood guy, Moose and is not so excited when the cool dude in the class kisses her five times. The movie ends with Margaret reaching puberty but is still too young to go on a date. The movie might remind you of the TV show “Wonder Years” and would chime in with the Indian audience thanks to the global emotional quotient and tenderness. Rated PG-13 in the US, this movie is not recommended for family audiences.

NO HARD FEELINGS: Set in Montauk, New York this is a coming-of-age movie about a Princeton bound shy 19 year old guy who is not aware about the facts of life. Along comes 32 year old Percy(Jennifer Lawrence), hired by his obsessed parents,to teach him the yin and the yang of adulthood. Percy had the option of latching onto a sugar daddy but she prefers to be a cougar. The movie has some excellent comic moments that borders on the raunchy side, but friendship and companionship rule large rather than intercourse. The movie has shades of “Summer of 42”, “Wake Up Sid” and even “Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain”. There is an evil Asian character “Doug Khan” who wants to buy Percy’s house. Percy ultimately sells her house to her friend who would retain her prized possessions. In the climax Percy and 19 year old Maddie drive off to the sunset towards sunny California. It is not clear why Maddie gives up college in New Jersey(Princeton, no less) for the sake of his new-found love whereas Percy could have taken up a bartending job at Princeton province and still work it out. The movie is enjoyable, wicked funny and heart-warming. Mathew Broderick plays Maddie’s father and looks out of shape. I wonder why he couldn’t have a man-to-man conversation with his son and keep it sane. This feel-good movie is highly recommended.

ADIPURUSH (THE ORIGINAL MAN): A re-telling of Valmiki’s Ramayana with a motherload of VFX and CGI, this movie lacks the simplicity of Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana. Familiarity with the story is a pre-requisite in following the script. Kriti Sanon as the demure and docile Sita looks frail, yet elegant. Prabhas is strangely one-dimensional in this 3D movie and the Ram-Sita jodi lacks chemistry. I wonder why physical intimacy is not shown in mythologicals whereas in those days, erotica reigned supreme in people’s lives. The movie is superladen with special effects and the Vanar Sena scenes would remind you of Planet of the Apes. The dialogues in modern day Mumbaikar language are cringe-worthy. Saif Ali Khan’s Ravana act is compelling. Saif Ali Khan started as a villian in Tanaji and lookes devilish in the snake massage scene. Though I wonder why every historical Hindi movie villian has to be a clone of Alauddin Khilji (played with aplomb by Ranveer Singh in Padmavat) and handle giant chicken legs.Despite indulging in not-so-great special effects,the movie, mounted on a gargantuan scale, is a visual spectacle. I wonder why Swarna Lankapuri was depicted in a gray scale rather than golden and overall the movie is drenched in gray/blue filter. Essential elements in the Bali Sugrib war are left out. Even Sita’s Agni Prariksha was left out since it is a blemish on Ram’s character. Sunny Singh plays Lakshman to the hilt. The war scenes could have been edited to give some screen time to Hanuman and his unavering devotion to Ram.The movie is a visual delight for kids and the kids-at-heart who grew up reading Amar Chitra Katha.But somehow the movie lacks the soul of Valmiki’s and Krittibash’s work and the climax is abrupt. Despite the three hour’s connect with the audience, the movie fails to make any significant impact on the audience’s psyche. Watch it for the experience of watching a big-budget movie with all its splendour and glory.

IB 71: A middle-rung movie marred by a confusing screenplay and terrible execution. The movie set in the context of the Bangladesh liberation movement in 1971 is too muddled to engage the audience. The third India-Pakistan war after 1948 and 1965 was a strategic brainchild of Indira Gandhi but she is surprisingly absent in the proceedings. Anupam Kher who plays the chief of the Indian Intelligence Bureau, is a caricature. Dilip Tahil plays Zulfikar Ali Bhutto but fails to leave an impact. The actor playing the defence minister Jagjivan Ram is non-descript. This movie, produced by Vidyut Jammewal is a vanity vehicle for the actor. The hijackers use a toy pistol to hijack a plane carrying Indian passengers. The cinematography is brilliant though, essaying the vintage look and feel of this period drama. The movie, touted as an espionage thriller, fails at all levels due to a convoluted script. Two thumbs down.

ABOUT MY FATHER: An average movie, mildly tolerable by the presence of senior citizens Robert De Niro and Kim Catrall(famous for the portrayal of nymphomaniac Samantha Jones in the Sex and the City sitcom). The movie has a Meet THe Parents hangover and the humor revolves around the clash of cultures of the Italian and American couple waiting to be hitched. Robert De Niro plays himself as the grumpy old octogenarian who hams and haws with frowns and scowls. Kim Catrall plays mom to the would-be-bride and has an all-American cheerleading persona and is all buttoned up(surprise!surprise!) with a respectable demeanor. The humor is subtle and does not add to the entertainment quotient. The first half is slow paced and boring-things perk up in the second half with the climax ending on the July 4th weekend with fireworks, food and festivities while the two sides accept their cultural differences and embrace holy matrimonial alliance. The movie ends with the quintessential uplifting and cheerful aura that so common in Hollywood movies. The movie might do well in India where senior citizens are respected the most in the whole wide world.