Movie Review: Emergency (2025)

 

I watched the film ‘Emergency’ (2025) recently on TV. This is the famous film made by Kangana Ranaut based on the life of late PM Indira Gandhi, and had faced legal issues before its release due to some scenes including the assassination scene.

I found the movie surprisingly good. As compared to most of the other biopics on political figures, I found this one extremely well made. Although, the film tries to capture historical events which are numerous and hence it becomes a challenge to tell the “story” and keep it about the protagonist and not get lost in the historical events. Due to these challenges, I could feel that the pace of the film was slightly faster than could have been. But I know it was near impossible to depict the enigmatic life of late Indira Gandhi ji in a single film and Kangana Ranaut has done it so well!

I remember all the controversies and press reports at the time this movie was being released. I have anyway almost stopped going to the theatres for watching movies and hence I had totally skipped this one at the time it was released. Now I realise what I had missed. But better be late than never and I am happy that I caught it on TV now.

It is very rare to lead a life which late Indira Gandhi had led. Those days, our country was poor and not strong. It is really incredible how our great Prime Ministers of those decades led our country so well. Despite “Emergency” being the theme of this film, which is considered a blot on the face of our democracy, the film does capture many more important events from the history of our country which I have read about and hence was able to relate well. Though I was not aware that Indira Gandhi was arrested by the Janata Party led Govt at the centre and later released due to public pressure. There are many more aspects shown in the film which I have read in newspapers and magazine articles, and the film has very honestly shown those without malice or political colouring. For example, the depiction of Sanjay Gandhi and his role prior to and during the Emergency of 1975. Vishak Nair, the actor who played the role of Sanjay Gandhi has given a really remarkable performance. So has Milind Soman in the role of Army Chief Sam Manekshaw. I was expecting this movie to be all about Kangana Ranaut, as the Press often depicts her, but found that the film will be memorable due to many such actors and characters, and not only for her.

It is very rare to remain relevant and enigmatic all through our life. It is also very rare for one’s death to match the enigmatic life one has led. Mahatma Gandhi had a glorious death matching his life, and perhaps the other person would be Indira Gandhi. I was a very small kid when she was killed, and I still remember the morning. I was at my hometown, standing in front of our house, when the news had broken about her death. I remember that my grandfather, father and uncles were all talking about it. Like most noble families those days, I guess my grandfather and his family were her supporters too. I have some visuals of that morning still in my mind. It is said that kids smaller than 5 do not remember much from their childhood. I don’t know how rare it is, but I have vivid memories of that day. It is a shame that this great film was marred into controversy for depicting her assassination which is very sensibly covered.

This film has tried to depict the complex personality and psychology of Indira Gandhi. I have read many articles where journalists and authors have written that it was very difficult to characterise her. She was not a simple person. And this film has attempted a near impossible task of capturing some of the complexities of her mind and her life. The movie makers get full credit for it.

I highly recommend this film for one and all. And I wish our nation is slightly grateful for the great political leaders we have had in the past.

- Rahul

 

 

 

 

Swiped (2025) and the Evilness of Workplace Harassment

 

Watched ‘Swiped’ (2025), a film based on the life of businesswoman Whitney Wolfe. I was not aware what the movie was about before I started watching it and later discovered that an integral part of the movie’s plot was about workplace sexual harassment. The movie genuinely depicts the scenarios of workplace harassment which women face, as well as the working environment in the tech startups. Although, no movie can do 100% proper judgement to all the characters and all the events, so the movie can also be accused of showing a one-sided story from the point of view of the lead character Whitney. But being a biographical film, this comes hardly as a surprise.

When Whitney joins the startup, and she was not a coder or a software engineer or big marketing name; she joins from the scratch. The credit to spot talent in her goes to one of the founders, Sean. And for a while, everything goes in a dream-like fashion. She is happy at work, is appreciated by all, and the company gets its mojo and everything is going great. But then, she starts dating another co-founder named Justin. The movie does not even show a hint that there was anything objectionable in a “workplace romance”. And thereby, it tries to hide a very pertinent truth about the whole scenario about to unfold.

Workplace romance is riddled with dangers, that is why most good companies have a policy against it. It is a recipe of disaster. Whiteney and Justin are dating and in love, and it is not kept a secret. After a while, the real face of Justin starts showing off, as he starts taking credit for her work, starts sidelining her and pushing her away from the media limelight. Perhaps, he was cunningly aware of what was going to happen after the two broke up. The decision to break up was taken by Whiteney after she had had enough of sidelining by Justin. Things go totally downside after they broke up, with Justin showing totally abusive behaviour by harassing and defaming Whitney. I wondered what Whitney was thinking when she went on that road of workplace romance. Men are typically known to be sore losers when it comes to handling rejections from women they like.

Later, the whole story shows how Whiteney fought against the system which is against women as well as anyone who takes a stand against the workplace harassment. It is an inspiring story of how Whiteney goes on standing for what is right. But it is more of an inspiring story because of the fact that Whiteney did not go down fighting and goes on to achieve greater success in her career. And when a tricky situation comes again in the next company she joined, she still stands tall. Hats off to Whitney Wolfe and her inspiring courage.

At the same time, I can’t stop but reflect on the root cause of all the harassment she was subjected to, which was workplace romance to begin with. In one of my previous companies where I witnessed absolutely toxic work culture, workplace romance was not only tolerated but even ‘encouraged’. There was a policy banning it, but the management just went around the policy by changing the official reporting manager of one of the couples, to avoid detection. I knew of many colleagues, who went on to marry other colleagues, only by seeing the encouragement of this practice. I believe it was purely incompetence and a decision not to take a stand, which made the senior management not respect the company policy of not allowing workplace romance.

The truth is that workplace romance and workplace harassment go hand in hand. Male employees, often in superior positions in the company, if faced with rejection by attractive female employees in junior positions, are inclined to harass them until they are forced to resign or go emotionally broken. Whiteney Wolfe was able to come out unscathed, and the movie shows the harassment situations very well. She went through hell and came out safe, but unfortunately not all are strong enough like her. And even if one woman is subjected to harassment at workplace, it is a failure of the whole company’s policies and the senior management who are supposed to uphold the values.

I feel like wishing that may there be more Whitney Wolfes in the world, but I know this would be a wishful thinking. Laws and polices are designed to protect the weakest in the community; and the fact that the strongest ones come out unscathed of the hostile situations does not mean slacking the rules. Multinational companies are seen to be often lacking stricter enforcement of policies and rules because of lack of accountability of the senior management who know their ‘time is ticking’ and would be out of the door in a few years. So, why take stands and try to improve the workplace environment for the employees, and why not spend most of the time just to improve the company’s performance in the stock market, which is most rewarding for them.

Workplace harassment should be taken more seriously by all companies as well as by the lawmakers of every country. And when it comes to harassment as an aftermath of workplace romance, the only way to prevent it is not to go down the lane in the first place. I am of the opinion that everyone should maintain a purely professional relationship at the workplace, for one’s own safety and for the safety of others.

- Rahul

Reflections on “Gulaal” (2009): A Cinematic Masterpiece

 

I recently watched Gulaal (2009) on the ‘MH One’ TV channel, and I was genuinely stunned by its intricate plot and the thoughtful execution. The film stands out as a rare gem, far removed from the typical lot produced in India. Upon discovering that it was written and directed by Anurag Kashyap, everything made sense—he is a master of his craft, deserving of the highest honours and recognition.

The film lingered in my mind long after it ended. One striking observation was that nearly every character who died seemed to be actively courting their own demise. It’s an eerie pattern worth noting.

The first to fall was Rananjay Singh ‘Ransa’, portrayed brilliantly by Abhimanyu Singh. His performance was so compelling that I looked him up and learned he hails from Sonpur, Bihar. His natural and powerful acting left a lasting impression. Ransa, captured by his envious stepbrother, showed no fear. Instead of pleading for his life, he hurled insults at his armed captor, provoking him until he was shot. It felt as though Ransa invited his own death.

Later, Dukey Banna (played with intensity by Kay Kay Menon) orchestrates the killing of Jadwal, though the film offers no background, making it unclear whether Jadwal’s death was similarly self-inflicted.

Dukey’s elder brother, Prithvi Banna, mentally unstable after their father’s death, spirals out of control. Dukey attempts to shoot him but accidentally kills a dancer instead. Prithvi’s erratic behaviour made his fate seem inevitable.

Toward the end, Dilip, a young student, shoots Dukey Banna. Rather than trying to escape or seek help, Dukey spends his final moments revealing how Dilip’s girlfriend manipulated him to gain political power. It’s as if Dukey chose to spend his last breath enlightening a confused youth rather than saving himself.

Bhati, Dukey’s associate, is later killed by a rival gang. His decision to venture alone into a dark, isolated area is baffling. He could have eliminated Dilip earlier when he was vulnerable. Even Bhati's reaction to being shot—standing still, making no attempt to flee—felt like a silent acceptance of death.

After realizing he was used by Kiran, Dilip tries but fails to shoot her. It’s a tragic moment, reflecting how love can paralyze even in the face of betrayal. Her brother then shoots Dilip, and instead of seeking help, he runs to his empty rented room. That final run felt deeply symbolic—more a journey of heartbreak than a response to injury. It was his homecoming, his pilgrimage, his moment of maturity—tragically timed just before death.

The film’s ending, where the corrupt triumph and the idealists perish, is both ironic and fitting. Gulaal portrays a world where predators roam freely, and some characters, knowingly or not, embrace their fate.

Perhaps when life is lived on one’s own terms, death becomes less a fearsome end and more a threshold to cross.

- Rahul Tiwary

Movie Review: Zara Hatke Zara Bachke (2023)

I watched Zara Hatke Zara Bachke on JioCinema. 

Starring Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke is a comedy film. 

I had seen the promos of the film when it was released and expected it to be a lighthearted comedy based around the theme of "divorce". But I did not know that the movie had much more to offer. I found this movie as a lovely take around the theme of survival of marriage in a world plagued by corrupt government agencies. Vicky Kaushal has done an amazing work and establishes himself as a 'natural actor'. And Sara Ali Khan has given her best in another movie worth remembering. Rest of the cast is also very effective. 

With 8/10, I would rate Zara Hatke Zara Bachke as a lovely family entertainer with a good social message. Especially married couples should watch it to get taste of a life untouched in usual movies. 

- Rahul   

  

Movie Review: Wonka (2023)

Wonka (2023) is a musical fantasy comedy film. After having watched legendary film 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' (2005) where Willy Wonka's character has been immortalized by Johnny Depp in one of the best flicks ever made, I had very high expectations of Wonka (2023).  Also, because the movie was much hyped and marketed across the world. But after watching it, I had mixed feelings.

First of all, the casting of Timothée Chalamet in the role of Willy Wonka was the best thing about this movie and a 'masterstroke'. Timothée has done many other period drama films and already shown his immense talent. Willy Wonka's role came as a cake walk for the super talented actor. 

In Wonka (2023), we are exposed to an imaginary world designed on the pattern of "colonial Europe". The movie shows most of the exploiters as White/European. We also see plenty of characters of African origin and hence the place has become totally of mixed-race which is a design in Hollywood these days. The masters are shown keeping slave-like servants. The characters speak in a comic way, and there is a background score to help too, in trying to make an impression that we are watching a comedy or a children's film and perhaps also hide the depressing exploitation going on in the plot where most people are shown as cheats and thugs. All the businessmen are painted as dishonest capitalists in the movie. 

There is a small girl of African origin, who says, "the greedy beat the needy every time Mr. Wonka. Guess it's the way of the world." Seems pretty harsh reality thrust down the throats of children watching a magician making chocolate with "liquid sunlight" and "condensed thundercloud". I did not like it. 

It is okay to tell kids about evil people; after all monsters and demons are a constant in children's stories. But it is completely different to show evilness in "everyday people" because that is something which belongs to the adult world. The movie seems like training children into becoming cynics and plotting a society suffering from isolation and broken families. 

The movie shows other chocolate makers bribing a policeman in order to stop Wonka from selling chocolates; teaching children about jealousy, bribery and dishonesty of police. 

Later, in order to gain favor, Wonka tells the associate of the hotel owner that "she loves you", and in a rhyme, tells him to "show her some thigh" which is highly objectionable. I wonder why teaching immorality to young audiences was necessary for the film-makers. 

Somehow everyone in this movie speaks while looking at the other person with eyes wide open "without blinking". It gets very weird after a while. 

There are lots of scenes moving at very slow place and it is almost boring. The movie brings an weird scene where Wonka is milking a giraffe and the scene is shot in the most boring way possible while Wonka talks to the girl (without blinking his eyes, of course). 

The movie is revolving around lives of "orphans" which is supposed to be depressing enough for kids. But the movie makers have tried hard to make it 10 times more depressing by shooting most of the scenes in the dark and confined places. Yes, even the giraffe in the zoo is shown standing inside a "room". 

On the plus side, the movie shows humans "flying", perhaps playing on the kids who love imagining it. A little consolation for an otherwise insane plot. 

After the "flying with balloons" scene, Wonka dances with the girl from African origin, and it is almost romantic; which should have been strictly no-no for a children's movie. All children's stories tell about kings and queens who are married, but it is a different thing altogether to show that a teenage boy and a girl made to dance in a romantic manner without any context or need in the plot. 

Due to its absurd plot and the movie makers not able to decide who their target audience were, and hence mixing children's imagination with commercial greed of the adult world, I would rate Wonka (2023) as 4/10. I would rather wish to have given it a miss. 

- Rahul 

Movie Review: Oppenheimer (2023)

When this movie came out last year, I assumed it would be boring; after all, how interesting can life of a scientist be? I know lives of artists were interesting enough, but what can a movie of 3 hours on the life of a scientist offer us? J. Robert Oppenheimer was not an Einstein, or a Niels Bohr and I never read about him in school days. Hence, I dropped the idea of watching it and I recently watched it on JioCinema. 

One interesting thing to know is that the movie is made based on the book "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer" by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. The book had won the year 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. This explains the movie's tilt towards a particular episode in the life of the scientist: "security clearance hearing", to make it more interesting for the viewers. But I did not like the hearings during most part of the movie and it offered some good insights only at the end. The story about nuclear bomb's development was much more interesting and it would have been better if the movie makers covered the nuclear program part apart from giving some insights on other parts of life, like his childhood, parents, of the old age. It is supposed to be a "biopic" after all. 

The star cast of the movie is mind-blowing. It is like a dream to have a collection of so many actors and actresses I liked, and all have been included to make this movie.  

I have been a great fan of Cillian Murphy, and he has done a good job in this movie. After all, he got an Academy Award for Best Actor for this film. But I noticed that he has become almost skeleton like thin, and I am not sure if he became like this for this rule since the real J. Robert Oppenheimer was thin but not 'this thin'.

More than Cillian Murphy, I loved the role played by Robert Downey Jr. He has totally nailed the role of an old astute politician Lewis Strauss and he is hardly recognizable in his role, and it is so amazing to witness his great art of acting. I read that he got Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor too. 

Emily Blunt is great in her role of Katherine Oppenheimer, the wife of Robert Oppenheimer. 

Matt Damon is surprisingly "average" in the beginning and only by the end of the movie he justifies his huge name and fame. 

It is great to see Alden Ehrenreich in the role of a Senate aide to Lewis Strauss. I remember him from his amazing movie "Rules Don't Apply" (2016) and it was nice to see him again on screen. 

Coming back to my overall feeling after having watched it, I think the movie makers should have shortened it to 2.5 hours, and if they could have found any other backdrop instead of "security clearance hearing", it would have been better. I think as a "biopic" this movie definitely falls short of my expectation because it is about only two particular events from his life. 

- Rahul 

Movies: Shehzada

 

‘Shehzada’ (2023) is a brilliant action drama film featuring Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon in lead roles. It is Kartik Aaryan’s next movie after super-hit ‘Bhul Bhulaiyaa 2’. So, what to expect in Shehzada?

First of all, comedy is too good. Kartik Aaryan has already established himself as a great fit for lead roles in comedy films and most of his films become popular because of this. Remember Bhul Bhulaiyaa 2? Shehzada tries to bring some of that flavor in this movie too. Rajpal Yadav has a role in this too and he is too funny. The pair of Rajpal Yadav and Kartik Aaryan is a super hit pair for sure!

Secondly, the cast of this movie is too good as well. Manisha Koirala returns to the screen and graces her role with so much dignity. She still has her old charisma and at the same time she fits so well in her role of a mother.

Kriti Sanon is near perfect in her role. Among the Bollywood’s best-looking actresses, Kriti possesses the best acting talent for sure. She had a glamourous role in Shehzada, and she does it with perfection. She has a positive personality and whenever she and Kartik appear on the screen, audience are hooked.

The movie also features great actors like Paresh Rawal who got a very prominent role. Ronit Roy who got a powerful role and you will astonished as to how he brings so much energy, grace and machoism in his roles. Sachin Khedekar plays a touching role too, as a maternal grandfather. Ankur Rathee as a spoilt brat has done really good job in his character. There is a new face in the form of Sunny Hinduja who is playing the lead villain and he is too impressive. 

All actors and actresses have given really good performance which has made this movie “never a dull moment”.

Now, the songs. Pritam has given music, which is itself to explain the quality. In the title song, we can notice Sonu Nigam who sounds as good as he did in the best of his days. 

“Mere sawal ka” sung by Shashwat Singh and Shalmali Kholgade is my favourite:

Mere Sawaal Ka (Video) Shehzada | Kartik, Kriti | Shashwat, Shalmali | Pritam, Shloke L | Bhushan K - YouTube

Chedkhaniyan (Video) Shehzada | Kartik, Kriti | Arijit, Nikhita | Pritam, IP Singh, Shloke L - YouTube

Munda Sona Hoon Main (Video) Shehzada | Kartik, Kriti | Diljit, Nikhita | Pritam, Kumaar | Rohit - YouTube

Character Dheela 2.0 (Video) Shehzada | Kartik, Kriti | Neeraj, Pritam | Rohit D | Bhushan Kumar - YouTube

Shehzada Title Track (Video) | Kartik, Kriti | Sonu Nigam, Pritam, Mayur | Rohit D | Bhushan Kumar - YouTube

Now, coming the social messages. First, the movie explains the “No means no” concept so very well. Feminists will love this movie. Then, the lead character or ‘hero’ of the movie is like the golden era movies when such characters did not have any flaw. Bantu (Kartik’s character) is funny, truthful (never speaks lies), positive (does not mind hate coming his way especially from his ‘fake’ father), strong, savior of the weak, stands up for that is right, a good son, a good brother, a good friend, a trustful employee, and as you would realize in the end, has a heart made of gold.

Shehzada is 10/10 on entertainment and if you want to really enjoy the 2.5 hours you spend in a theater, this is your perfect experience. Go watch this movie along with your family and hope you will love it too.

- Rahul

Amrapali of Vaishali and Ajatshatru of Magadh

 

Long back during school days, I had read a book from my grandfather’s book collection, whose title I have forgotten now. But, most probably, it was वैशाली की नगरवधू (‘Vaishali Ki Nagar Vadhu’), by Acharya Chatursen. I remember some pages from the book now. Then, I happened to find this movie Amrapali (1966) on Netflix and watched it. They have done a great job by converting the movie it in color now.

At the beginning of the movie, the map of India is shown. Whenever I see this map, I get goosebumps. We have been often taught that India was but a set of small kingdoms in history. So what? Time to time, some great kings used to unify all areas into their great kingdoms. In those days, means of communication were very difficult and it was almost impossible to have large kingdoms. Still, we had kingdoms like Magadh (Present day Bihar) which was huge.

The main character of the movie is Ajatshatru, played by Sunil Dutt. Ajatashatru (492 to 460 BCE) was a king of the Haryanka dynasty of Magadha in East India (present day Bihar). He was the son of King Bimbisara and was a contemporary of both Mahavira and Gautama Buddha. He fought a war against Vajji, ruled by the Lichchhavis, and conquered the republic of Vesali. The city of Pataliputra was formed by by Ajatashatru. Ajatashatru followed policies of conquest and expansion. He defeated his neighbours including the king of Kosala. Ajatashatru occupied Kashi and captured the smaller kingdoms. Magadha under Ajatashatru became the most powerful kingdom in North India.

The movie begins with a war scene. The war scenes are very well shot, given that those days there were not many technologies available. There was a whole row of elephants involved in the war. It must have been challenging to shoot the war sequence without any injuries.

The movie shows a few novelties. Ajatshatru was fighting multiple soldiers single handedly, rotating his sword in the manner in which they have shown Bajirao Peshwa doing it in the recent movie Bajirao Mastani.

The chariot had this weapon, which was also shown in the famous movie Bahubali! I read that Ajatshatru is the inventor of two weapons used in war: the rathamusala (scythed chariot) and the mahashilakantaka (engine to eject big stones).

Using these machines, they were throwing rolls of fire on the enemy army. This has been shown in so many Hollywood movies too.

 Now coming to Vaishali. Vaishali which is near present day Muzaffarpur in Bihar, is known to have one of the most ancient democracies. It is called world’s first Republic.

The movie shows Vyjayanthi Mala in the role of Amrapali. She has given an immortal performance in the movie. Not for a moment she appears as an actress; it seems we are seeing real Amrapali. 

Amrapali is the Chief Dancer of Vaishali. When Ajatshatru, the king of Magadh attacks Vaishali, she asks her friend to bring his head to her as a gift. Amrapali is known to have developed one of the strongest bonds of patriotism.

Ajatshatru falls in love with Amrapali. He says, “An emperor is also a human being”, justifying his love for a dancer who was below his status. 

Ajatshatru attacks Vaishali in order to save and marry Amrapali.

People accuse Amrapali of treachery and she is publicly shamed. To my surprise, this was very similar to Game of Throne’s “Walk of Shame” except its nudity and vulgarity.

Ajatshatru comes to meet Amrapali. Look at the excellent set that is shown in the background. They made this in 1966!

Amrapali is devastated that her kingdom was destroyed indirectly because of her! Look at the dialogues, those are so powerful. She accuses Ajatshatru of murdering so many women just for one woman! So powerful.

 

Ajatshatru is devastated at seeing only hatred in Amrapali despite the fact that he defeated Vaishali’s army only to save Amrapali’s life. She can’t tolerate “hatred” in her eyes and Sunil Dutt has given such a touching performance. He says, “Do not look at me with so much hatred”. It was such a touching moment. The cruelest thing in this world is for a lover to receive hatred in return for his love.

Sunil Dutt and Vyjayanthimala have given an immortal performance. This movie and this story will remain in the classic pieces of arts and literature from India.

Blessed to have watched it.

- Rahul Tiwary 

Watching Gangs of Wasseypur for Second Time

Recently, I watched both parts of movie series “Gangs of Wassepur”. I watched Part-2 first. I remember that when the movie had released in theatres in year 2012, I had gone to a theatre to watch it but I had to leave mid-way because I could not tolerate the violence shown on screen. This time, since I was watching on a phone screen and also for the second time, I was not affected that much. I skipped a few scenes wherever I felt like. Hence, even though the impact of story telling in the movie was full; I was not impacted as much by the negativity and violence.

I also noticed that when Part-2 was released, at that time I had not identified actors like Vineet Kumar Singh and Rajkumar Rao. Manoj Bajpaee’s impact was looming over the second part too, even if he had no role in it. Tigmanshu Dhulia in epic character of Ramadhar Singh, even though in old age, was still soulful. I could also notice that although Nawazuddin Siddiqui played his role very well, I wonder if anyone on earth could identify with his character. I blame his personality for that. In any good movie, audiences are able to identify in part with the hero as well as villain. But When Nawaz plays roles like these, I guess no one gets do to it.

I noticed that in Part-2, Vineet Singh had played his role much impactfully than Rajkumar Rao. Even though Vineet’s role was short, he was appeared as a really brilliant actor. Rajkumar Rao’s role was not too short, but I could not find him creating any memorable performance.

I also wondered why Ramadhar Singh did not shoot Nawaz in the final scene, even though he held a gun in his hand. By virtue of all his cunningness and strength, he should have shot, even if the shot missed the target. But the movie shows him pulling his hand down, as if in surrender. And then Nawaz does this epic episode of emptying multiple guns on him. Which actually is illogical because he was wasting too much time in this process while he was hold up in the bathroom. He should have shot and fled. But the movie maker tried to create a memorable scene there, and tried to depict his hatred which culminated in a sadist burst of anger. Still, I can’t imagine any real reason why Ramadhar Singh was so dejected that he gave up and surrendered like that. I think it was shown that way to make Nawaj appear the total victor.

Zeishan Quadri, who played Definite’s role was epic. All through the movie, he performed so well. I wonder why we do not see him in many other movies after GOW-2.

I wanted the Part-1 later on, and did not like it as much as Part-2. I guess we should never watch a movie sequel in wrong order. But, I noticed that Part-1 is dominated by Manoj Bajpai who has given such a powerful performance that he eclipses everyone else. Nawazuddin Siddiquia looks like a novice in front of him, and Pankaj Tripathi and Tigmanshu Dhulia’s powerful performance also appears regular.

After watching Part-1, I thought that Ramadhar Singh should have given more respect to his son JP Singh and listened to him. If JP Singh had his way, he would have eliminated all members of Sardar Khan’s family much before. The manner in which Singh family was insulted by Sardar Khan and later by Faizal, was the result of tolerating the enemies too much and for too long. The script writers gave a consolation by showing that JP Singh managed to get into power, by conspiring to eliminate his own father. This could have been avoided if Ramadhir Singh was not so arrogant. But it is also not practical that a cunning wise man like him would ignore his own son’s aspirations for so long. Movie writers have to show unrealistic things in order to shock viewers, I guess.  

- Rahul Tiwary

Movie: K. G. F. (Kolar Gold Fields) – Chapter 1 and Yash!

Happened to watch ‘KGF-Chapter 1’ movie and became infatuated with its actor Yash. KGF is a gangster movie which reminds us of Company and Rakt Charitram in parts. It is also a rags-to-riches story and a period drama. You can read about its plot here. But what differentiates KGF is its larger than life portrayal of actor Yash.

In front of Yash, biggest of the biggest Bollywood stars like Salman or Hrithik and even South stars like Rajnikant look pale. 

Yash: India's Brad Pitt 

Yash’s full name is Yash Kumar Gowda and he is a star of Kannada cinema industry. He is working in movies from year 2007 and it is a pity that I came to see him only now. You can read more about him on Wikipedia here. 

Yash as Rocky in KGF; India's answer to Michael Corleone

Still, I wonder about prevalence of violence and cult movies in South India and why it prevails while Bollywood takes dip into romanticism and comedy more often. Most movies from South India which we non-South audiences take note of, are set as action thrillers (e.g. Bahubali). Maybe it is because there is never a sunset for a good action film. And everyone understands the language of a ‘dhishoom’ – action films of Jackie Chan or Rocky Balbola broke all international boundaries and became cult movies everywhere. This may explain why such action films break new grounds every time.

Memories of KGF and Yash’s character Rocky will remain with me for a long time…

-      -   Rahul Tiwary

[#Movies] A Lot Like Love

This is a very interesting movie based on a theme on which a lot of movies have been made. You meet someone you know you want to spend whole life with but due to circumstances and either of you not being on the same page at the same time, you end up not meeting. You spend years separated, in between try to get together but somehow it does not work every time. In this movie, although the love (which looked like one sided) and at-first sight, devil appeared in the details and it never worked out. Such stories keep the viewers at the tenterhooks, who while secretly praying that the two meet again, also wonder if the movie were ‘happy ending’ or not. To the viewers, the two characters look foolish – that they were letting go something which was so amazing and pure. But how we look at ourselves is different from how we actually are. It is indeed foolishness to meet someone you get along so very well with, the person is so very interested in you, but you somehow you become too ‘wise’ and skeptic and let him/her go. It is indeed foolishness because that sacred liking is very hard to find and in most of probability you won’t find it again!

Not everything in life comes with replaceable or complimentary copies which can be retrieved afterwards. Most of the relationships are unique and what you feel about one person, you can’t feel about another. Hence it becomes very important to take decisions before it is too late.

I liked this movie as much for its ending as much for its story which was a roller coaster ride. I wish Emille should not have let Oliver go so many times. Perhaps one of the reasons why she was denying him was because it was Oliver who was making first moves and she did not find it interesting/challenging (as the theory goes) and hence became disappointed. But I loved Oliver’s character – he was so honest and pure.

Anyways, let me conclude this by saying that I loved this movie.

- Rahul

The Magical Journey Called #Baahubali

I watched ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’ during the second weekend after its release. I would confess that my expectations were very high; given that the movie had garnered some very positive reviews and also because it was Indian film industry’s biggest production. It was supposed to destroy Bollywood’s over reliance on a mediocre genre of same old aged superstars dancing around with new actresses 20 years their juniors. I would also add that before this I have watched only a few movies produced in the Southern states of India and I was not impressed. This time though, Baahubali was to bring not a gush of wind but a ready storm.

As it turned out for me, I had not watched anything like Baahubali before (from Indian cinema). I love this genre of epic war movies and hence I judged Baahubali critically after comparing it with some of the greatest ones from Hollywood. And I can say with confidence that I loved Baahubali at least at par or even better than those Hollywood flicks.

As the screen opened in the theater after mandatory singing of National Anthem (customary in Maharashtra), the opening scene of an injured queen running away with an infant in her arms with a pack of enemies chasing her was mind-blowing. You put that intense scene in the beginning and you risk being judged with your own standards all through the length of the movie. But Baahubali turned out to be a magic – whole length of it was as intense and as enjoyable. Of course there were scenes where ‘hero’ chased ‘heroine’ on the mountains; and where both sang some romantic songs even if in imagination – but such songs mostly did not appear imposed or ‘out-of-place’. The war near the end of the movie was as epic as it could get.

If you have not watched Baahubali: The Beginning; yet, the best time is now. But there is a warning: the movie has plenty of violence. Though you must have learnt to manage it, for example by closing your eyes, so as not to get affected by it. If you don’t mind such scenes, go there with a feast waiting for you.

My Rating: 5 Starts out of 5.

- Rahul

[Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal] 

Some Wonderful Movies

The Terminal

The Santa Clause

Problem Child

Evan Almighty

Stella (1990)

Saving Mr. Banks

Mary Poppins

Do Big Budget Films Make Economic Sense?

These days a lot of big budget super hero films are being made. But do such movies make better sense economically? 

The most profitable film of year 2013 was Aashiqui 2 with production cost: Rs 9 Crores; Earnings: Rs 110 Crores; Return on Investment: 1122%! 

Second most profitable was YE Jawani HAI Diwaani (cost 45 Crores; Earning: 190 Crores; ROI: 322%). 

Big budget Dhoom:3 The Movie did pretty less (Cost: Rs 150 crores; earning: Rs 500 Crores; ROI: 233%). Krrish 3 with prod cost of Rs 115 Cr, earned only 160% returns. But relatively small budget films like Ram-Leela (cost 35 Cr); ABCD - Any Body Can Dance (cost 12 Cr); Grand Masti (cost 31 Cr); all earned more than 200% return on investment. Even production time of big budget films would be much higher. 

To me big budget films look like keeping too many eggs in the same basket. Even from social point of view, most big budget action films are pure entertainment, almost in the league of video games, while small budget films with strong story lines have both soul and a good social message most of the time...