AninditaRoyMusings

CONTAGION(2011): Does art imitate life or does life imitate art? This in-your-face movie was made in 2011 with a slant on biological warfare, bio-terrorism and the like. This movie is an installment of earlier Hollywood movies with the same name released in 1987 and 2002 but they had limited box office success. This movie has a star-studded cast with Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law and Kate Winslet-all of them make their presence felt. The ensemble cast also throws in some superlative performances and carries the Doomsday conspiracy story forward. In the context of the Coronavirus outbreak (MEV-1 in this movie) the movie is watchable for the uncanny similarity of suffering people and places as in real life right here right now.But the proceedings are very slow and torturous. At almost two hours the movie tries your patience. The movie however does not end in a tragedy. Set in Chicago and paced out over a period of five months, this movie despite its disaster affinity ends as a survivor story on a happy note ala vintage Hollywood. Watch it for the context and content but it would not alleviate the impending gloom that looms large in the present day.

THE PARCEL: This movie is a social commentary and a satirical outlook on the sad jack-in-a-box state of affairs of the doctors in Kolkata. The initial few reels has a Tabu-starrer Astitva hangover but the movie is not a copy-and-paste job. The female protagonist Rituparna Sengupta is shown as a schizophrenic and her husband Saswata Chatterjee (also a doctor) soon follows suit while trying to solve her. Sensitive and brilliant, this movie has Rituparna don a non-glamorous avatar and reiterates the audience’s faith in her as a thinking man’s actor. At a time when most older actresses have retired or are running parallel to parallel cinema, Rituparna’s production house has come up with a script that shows her due diligence (read: hard work) and commitment to rise above above mediocrity. In a career spanning almost three decades, from dancing with Mithun to Manda Meyer Upakhyan she has come a long way and she also has a long way to go.Superlative performances, a brilliant yet coherent script might make this movie a festival favorite as well as a desired watch amongst the classes and the masses.

ANGREZI MEDIUM:This movie is a xenophobic tale of a hapless father(Irrfan Khan) trying to make ends meet, dreams big for his daughter (Radhika Madan) and almost loses his life in the bargain. But in this East is East, West is West story all the immigrants fall for the rustic, dehati father and all the kids and the aunties come home to India to sit with their fathers. There is tons of passive patriotism. The dialogues are really humorous and witty with lots of situational comedy. Lots of cars get smashed thanks to some splendid visual effects. Kareena Kapoor Khan plays the honest policewoman who helps the immies in London and Dimple Kapadia is the upright and benevolent landlady who are bought in by the Made in India contingent. Deepak Dobriyal is the side-kick who supports Irrfan Khan’s idiosyncracies. A multi-starrer with the right amount of brains and brawn, action, comedy and wit-this movie is a pleasurable watch. It is Irrfan’s brlliant comic timing and effortless acting that pulls the movie together. This movie also exposes the international academic placement industry that is milking dry the parents of mediocre students in India.

BARUN BABUR BONDHU:A star-studded venture directed by Anik Dutta, this is a very simple, poignant story of an old man Barun (played by the thespian Soumitro Chatterjee) and his friends and family. The powerhouse script is the king here and ensemble cast gives a stellar performance.The ever dependable Paran Bandopadhyay oozes charm and confidence in every shot. Madhavi Mukherjee looks cute but fails to make an impact. Kaushik Sen, Srilekha Mitra and Arpita Chatterjee are adequate. The climax is very special with its intuitive hidden message. You need to watch this movie to savour the experience. I am too small a reviewer to comment on this movie which has the brilliance of a Ray movie.

BRAHMA JANEN GOPON KOMMOTI: A concept movie from the stable of Nandita and Shiboprasad, this movie has an original screenplay that the audience can relate to and does not make the viewers overthink and get all nerved up over a mindboggling script. Subhashis Mukherjee, Manasi Sinha and Ambarish play small but important characters in this nicely put together ensemble cast. The movie highlights the social atrocities that are dished out to women at all strata of the society and the many masks women have to don to save a marriage. Execution is not top-class but the creative endeavor takes flight with superlative performances and an original agile script that stays true to its course, logic and intention. A pleasurable watch.

KAAMYAAB(HAR KISSI KE HISSE KAAMYAAB): A small-budget movie that will warm the cockles of your heart, this movie is an endearing tale of Sudheer (Mishra), a character artiste who had survived 90’s Bollywood and done 499 movies as a small-time actor. He has now hit Sunset Boulevard, and starts scavenging for a role for the elusive 500th movie. Deepak Dobriyal plays the super-optimistic casting director who makes an all-out effort to bring the yesteryear actor back in business. But years of indiscipline and solitary boozing takes a toll on his health and he falters take after take and is thrown out of the movie sets. The movie exposes the dark side of film-making and the toil and moil involved in the ultra-creative process and so much less remuneration at the end of the day. Nukkad’s Lilliput, 90’s comedy queen Guddi Maruti, veteran actor Viju Khote and several other non-descript actors play important cameos to depict how actors have to constantly upgrade themselves in keeping with the times and shine in every single take but is deprived of the fame, glory and big money involved with superstars. Sarika Singh plays the dutiful daughter who makes an earnest attempt to make her father drop his ego and peacefully retire. But Sudheer dons a wig and a pair of cowboy jeans and tries to convince the younger generation with his mangled accent. The climax is well-crafted and in a matter of 60 secs Sudheer impersonates several characters and ultimately collapses on stage. The movie reminds us that even dreams have an expiry date. The ending credits list the rather longish list of side actors in Bollywood who carved out a niche with stupendous performances like Iftekar, Johnny Walker and the like who donned pseudonames, acted in repetitive roles in movie after movie and played second lead to the hero or heroine for far lesser money, all with a smile. A small-budget movie with a big heart, the movie shows Sudheer somersaulting on his hands ala Shahrukh Khan the producer of the movie. Four thumbs up, hands and toes included.

Here’s my quick review on the recent release BAAGHI 3 starring Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor:
BAAGHI 3: This movie is fun, action, romance, great music and dances all punched in 2.5 hrs. Modeled after Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham the movie takes great pain to describe that it is all in the family. And family is all that matters to keep the bollywood box-office juice flowing. Tiger Shroff has the machinations of a superstar if not the breadwinner of the family-his mild-mannered sibling Vicky has pychological problems but yet holds up to a police job at the ruthless Mumbai Police HQ. Riteish Deshmukh hams along famously with his counterpart Ankita Lokhande. Shradhha Kappor dances up a storm in the Wink Song “Ek Ankh Maru to”(a Bappi Lahiri remix) as the covered up trash-talking girlfriend. She also gets a spot in the superhit song “Dus Bahane” from the movie Dus from the other decade. Abhi B was dancing with Zayed Khan but God knows what happened. The BigB is still searching for work through Just Dial. Tiger Shroff’s real life squeeze Disha Patani prances around in a bikini in a supposedly original Tanisk Bagchi gentle song and shows some tough love. Some tough franchise this-can only be weathered on a sunny day. Tiger Shroff has a long innings in the box office if he stops agreeing to ensemble casting and formula pot boilers and masala movies that’s oh-so Bollywood. Look’s like some 90’s kid is holding Bollywood together.People be people that’s all it counts.

International UnWomen’s Day here I come!Thappad is a two and a half torturous tale of humiliation and the misdemeanor of the misogynist and patriachiacal society of a nation that runs on desi ghee. The censor board turns in its grave as the world starts slowly moving towards the first financial year of the twenty-first century.Move on Bollywood your makeshift, gimmicky, sponsored movies are as good as rat poison, that makes me wonder Hum Aapke Hain Kaun? Crazy Kiya Re! Whatever!!!Here’s my detailed review of “THAPPAD”:
THAPPAD(“The Slap”): The first thing I perceived about this painstakingly put movie is the “horror movie” like ensemble casting that is set up to make the female protagonist look bad and ghoulish. The former beauty queen Dia Mirza shows up as a bored housewife who does not take pangs with her upwordly mobile husband. Taapsee Pannu is a wonderful socialite who dances up a storm at her husband’s office party but is suddenly “slapped” by her husband but the course of events do not make her happy or sad but only alleviates her pain and indignity. The audience loses its patience and even the whistle-blowing members of the male audience start getting upset over a no song-no dance-no music pregnant pause of a movie and seeks out for food and water at a much needed loo-break. Died in the wool theatre maverick Ratna Pathak Shah and another Pune Institute scholar Tanvi Azmi whispers sweet-nothings to the “victim” and move on with their daily chores while the angelic domestic help holds it together for Taapsee Pannu who continue to amaze with a restrained performance and being the director’s actor. The ültra-educated yet socially challenged and illiterate father can only hand her a broken harmonium as she washes out into thin oblivion as the movie ends in negativity, depression and burial of a society that is steeped in disharmony and unfairness and injustice.Shot primarily in Lucknow, Benaras and New Delhi, with a minimally invasive script and minimum investment(low on makeup, lighting, the works) this movie has marched onto March 2020 with only box-office success as its target for the regressive society that’s Bharat. Manav Kaul shows up in a brief cameo but fails to make an impact. Good old Ram Kapoor shows up as the disgruntled lawyer worried over a “financial settlement”. Strangely there is no married bachelor friend around to keep “she” alive.
ME TOO!Yawn!Change the game!TWhile I reach out for a cardiac monitor!To be Continued……

SHUBH MANGAL ZYADA SAAVDHAN: This movie is based on the homophobia of small town middle class families towards bromance. This movie is a one man show of Ayushmann Khurana who has risen above nepotism in Bollywood and currently rules the box-office as the numero uno male protagonist. The dialogues are very witty and staccato jumpshots of the ensemble cast make viewing really interesting. Ayushmann’s no holds barred performance is top class. The supporting cast comprising of Jitendra Kumar and Neena Gupta excitingly moves the movie to the Dilwale Dulha Le Jayenge anti-climax. Jitendra durably shines as the homosexual Hepastion to Khuraná’s Alexander. The movie is innovative but some of the scenes of homo-kissing is savage and shocking. The movie makes flitting remarks about neural terminologies like “Hypothalamus”, “Dopamine” and “Parkinson’s Disease” to explain the attraction of two men. The ending credits roll on to the song “Yaar Bina Chain Kahan Re” with a guest appearance of the once-famous Bappi Lahiri. Definitely a far more enjoyable watch than the Bengali “Nagarkirtan”. This movie with its adult content might be suitable for the multiplex audiences in major metros but might hurt the morality of small town viewers. Fultoos entertainment with some risque shots.