AninditaRoyMusings

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.

TENIDA AND COMPANY: The cult favorite Tenida (a creation of Narayan Gangopadhyay) comes alive for the second time onscreen bringing a much needed humor break on celluloid. The foursome of Tenida, Pyala, Kyabla and Habla are etched out true to the original depiction of the much loved and celebrated author. Kanchan Mallick shines as Tenida. And yes, Paran Bandopadhyay is also present in a cameo and brings in a good dollop of comic delight. Gourab Charaborty is Kyabla and Habla speaks in Bangal. The entourage of Riddhima, Mithu Chakraborty and Sabyasachi Chakraborty plays to the gallery. The famous Yogsarpa’s Hari scene in the train is missing and so is the Ghachang Fu, Kachang Ku message from Kagamachi.Tenida’s famous dialogues “Kan Kete Kanpure Pathiye Debo”, “Naak Kete Nagpure Pathiye Debo”, “Puducherry” are there in the movie in all their glory.The screenplay and the editing is brilliant and so is the cinematography. All in all, a wholesome entertainer. Must watch for kids and adults to savour the golden age of Bengali literataure.”DE LA GRANDI MEFISTOFILIS YAK YAK!!!”

NONTE FONTE: What a sheer delight of a movie! In the initial few reels you would feel that familiarity with the famous comic strip by late Narayan Debnath is a pre-requisite. But as the movie progresses, you would realize that it is a fresh new script with a brilliant ensemble cast. The casting of Keltuda is a casting coup. The character of Nonte has the same spiked hair as envisaged by Debnath.The character of Paran Bandopadhyay has been woven into the script to bring in the required flair and comic interludes. The music by Anupam Ray is great too. Overall, an enjoyable fare for kids and adults alike. Do watch it for the world.

DABANGG RELOADED TOUR: I have never seen a Salman Khan live show before and with the entourage comprising of Prabhudeva, Sonakhshi,Jackqueline, Pooja Hegde and Ayush Sharma I was intrigued.
The highest tickets were priced at 40000.(Yes you read that right). The box office opened at 1:30 pm and the gates opened at 5:30 pm. The parking was about 1 km away from the venue. Frisking was more severe than that for frequent flyers almost akin to a cavity search. The organisers confiscated my water bottle (understandable) and my binoculars(but,why?). The show started at 7 pm with Manish Kaul as the MC. The usual ghisa pita “Ami tomake bhalobasi” “Kemon achho Kolkata” was mentioned ad nauseam.
There was also some body shaming with uncouth members of the audience being asked to do complex acts. The stars performed in increasing order of popularity or the pecking order. Sonakshi tried to engage with the audience and Jacqueline did a “Boro Loker Biti Log” number.
Salman’s “Jag Ghumiya” act was the high point of his performance. Guru Randwa also tried to form a Bong connection. Salman did not effuse charm ala Shahrukh, Big B or even Aamir and kept his boorish image intact.There were fireworks and roaming drones and the weather at the East Bengal Club was also nice. But overall the show was scripted in an aloof, nonchalant way that couldn’t warm up the audience, stir its soul or work it into a frenzy. And at 10:45 pm it was a wrap. Still I didn’t feel shortchanged as most handsome men have a way with women. Saat Khoon Maaf.