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Kathaal - a pleasant surprise

Kathaal is a film with good intentions that successfully puts across a social message with subtlety being soaked in a light hearted narrative.

Sania Malhotra is improving as an actor with every film - here also she is fluent in her performance. She has been garnering praises for her niche film choices; this film will hopefully add a new dimension to her career. She has been joined by great actors like Vijay Raj and Rajpal Yadav who lend great support.

It's a social satire camouflaged as a comic thriller that is certainly worth your time. You can experience the film on Netflix.

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RRR : A visual spectacle

Despite surface level female characters and wafer-thin plot, RRR keeps you engaged throughout its 180-minute long runtime courtesy of its meticulously designed action sequences, mythological references, grandeur, the vision of director S.S. Rajamouli, music, praiseworthy performances of leading actors and breathtaking cinematography.

If you like to watch nuanced and realistic films, please skip the film. If you are fond of masala entertainers, this film is going to blow your mind. Watch it on the biggest screen possible with the best sound system set up. It's a visual spectacle only Rajamouli could have conceptualized and executed.

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Laxmi - Yet another failed remake attempt

Language: Hindi

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Kiara Advani, Sharad Kelkar etc.

Director: Raghava Lawrence

Genre: Horror, Comedy

Streaming Platform: Disney+ Hotstar

Laxmi, the official remake of 2011 Tamil Film Kanchana, have started streaming in Disney+ Hotstar from 9th November. There are some minor changes in terms of plot introduced to cater to Pan India audience.

Let me highlight the good and bad aspects of the movie so that you can decide whether you should watch this film or not.

The things I have liked :

It's very difficult to find positives in this film. I have tried my best to find a couple of them.

The performance of Sharad Kelkar as a transgender have impressed me the most. He hardly gets 10-15 minutes of screen time. Despite that, he outshines the lead actor Akshay's performance. His dialogue delivery, body language, expressions are simply exceptional.

Another thing I liked about the film is the song 'Bam Bhole' which played out just before the climax of the film. Akshay's energy and coercing performance in that song is something we can cheer about.

The things I haven't liked :

The list of negative aspects of the film is a lengthy one.

The tone of the film from the very first scene is loud. Scene after scene, we are presented with dull and futile frames. By the time, it goes to the interesting flashback of the titular character towards the fag end of the second half, the audience loses all the interest.

The screenplay is miserable. It is full of cliche. It is full of objectionable sexist dialogues. They have tried to infuse the Hindu-Muslim angle in the narrative which is outrageous. All the songs apart from the last one are unnecessary. Had those songs were not there, the film's length could have been trimmed by at least 15-20 minutes.

All the actors have done over-acting in their respective roles. The supporting characters like Ayesha Raza, Rajesh Sharma have acted in a childish and caricature manner. Kiara Advani as the female lead has nothing to add in the film. There is no chemistry between Akshay Kumar and her, courtesy the considerable age gap between them. Akshay Kumar has tried to do a lot in this film. The script is so deplorable that all his effort has gone to vain.

The film is helmed by Raghava Lawrence who has directed the original film too. The direction is underwhelming to a great extent. Due to the pathetic execution, the film fails to create any impact on the audience.

On a nutshell, this is a dated attempt to remake a film no one asked for. It neither has comedy, nor horror. There is no creativity at all. For me, this will surely rate high on my list of worst Hindi films of the year.

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Special Ops : Neeraj Pandey - Kay Kay Menon collaboration - Worth your time?

Cast : Kay Kay Menon, Karan Tacker, Meher Vij, Vipul Gupta, Divya Dutta, Sajjad Delafrooz & Others

Directed By : Neeraj Pandey, Shivam Nair

Genre  : Espionage Thriller

Season : 1

Streaming Platform : Hotstar VIP

Neeraj Pandey, man known for his finesse on making Espionage Thrillers, has presented us impressive nail biting thrillers over the span of last 12 years. Barring his last directorial venture - Aiyaary, his track record has been smooth till date. If we look into his filmography, he plunges more often into this genre; films like A Wednesday, Special 26 and Baby are some of the highlights of his career so far. This time also he sticks to his forte of Espionage Thriller genre with Hotstar show Special Ops. The series revolves around 19 year journey of  Himmat Singh(Played by Kay Kay Memon) of RAW to find the mastermind of terror attacks on India which started with Parliament attack on 2001. Is Neeraj able to hold onto his forte yet again? Please read this review further to find out. As always I'll highlight the underwhelming and overwhelming aspects of the web series. After reading this post, you can decide whether you want to invest your valuable time watching this series or not.

Overwhelming Aspects :

Performances of the actors in key roles :  The actors who acted in the key roles in this web series have given memorable performances. I'll highlight three salient performances of the series who have got the maximum screen time and have done complete justice to their characters.

Kay Kay Menon plays the role of Himmat Singh from RAW. He lits the screen in every scene with the multiple shades of his character. He portrays the gravity and grit of RAW chief and also showcases the vulnerability as a husband/father. He has given arguably his best performance of his career so far. The flawless portrayal of this character justifies the fact why Menon is considered to be one of the finest actors of the country.

Karan Tacker plays the role of a RAW agent who operates from Dubai. He has given a decent performance.

Sajjad Delafrooz, who plays the role of predominant perpetrator, has given a mind blowing performance. His menacing portrayal of the antagonist elevates the standard of the web series.

Screenplay : The screenplay written by Neeraj Pandey is one of the high points of the series. The non-linear screenplay is seamless in jumping around different timelines. 

Background Score : Background score plays pivotal role in the design of thrillers. Background Score is exceptional in Special Ops as well and helps to build on the suspense as the story progresses.

Locations and Production Design : The series is shot in a large scale and locations are treat to the eyes.

Suspense and Unpredictability : The suspense and unpredictability of the series is designed very well. It keeps you engaged till the very end. All the episodes are ended with interesting cliffhangers which more or less builds your intrigue to watch the next episodes.

Underwhelming Aspects :

Editing : The editing is a big let down. Some of the scenes feel way too long due to inferior editing. The series is almost 8 hours long which spans around 8 episodes. Had the editor have done a better job, this series would have culminated within 6 episodes easily.

The slow pace in the first half : The pace of the show is slow in the first four episodes. It takes quite a long time to come to point. From 5th episode onwards  though, it picks up the pace. You have to be little patient in the first few episodes.

Underutilized supporting cast : Supporting cast consists of competent actors like Meher Vij and Divya Dutta. Their acting talent is supremely underutilized in this series

Overall, I enjoyed the series and it indicated Neera Pandey being back in form after the debacle of Aiyaary. I would highly recommend this series.

Rating : 3/5

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Sole Film that made me cry - Taare Zameen Par

Have you ever cried while watching a movie? For me this has been a rarity. There were occasions where I had goosebumps due to cinematic treatment of any topic or vision of the director. But literally weeping during the last half an hour of a film, I don't think that has ever happened before and after this film.

I still remember that day. I went to watch the film with my uncle in a single screen theater. In those days, I was not an ardent fan of movies. I had no idea about the basic plot of this film. I had not even seen the trailer of the film.

I am a huge admirer of Aamir Khan's work over the years. Frankly speaking, he was the sole reason for which I went to watch the film.

The film started and we were introduced to the world of a little kid. The film progressed and as the time went by, I continued to get invested more and more in the world of 'Ishant Nandkishore Avasthi'.

Then came the interval. Oh! We were not even introduced to the character of Aamir Khan. I didn't feel the absence of Aamir as the performance of the kid was captivating.

Second half of the film was even more engaging and emotional. And the climax! Oh my god! The entire theater was crying. It was so emotional and heart-wrenching. We all know the plot of the movie. Let's not waste time discussing that. Else let's focus on why this film was so special.

Casting and performances : Casting and performances by all the actors helped the film to achieve what it has achieved over the years. Darshil Safari, the debutant child actor, delivered a performance which he won't able to replicate in his life. The rest of the supporting actors were fabulous as well.

Aamir Khan playing the second fiddle : It's almost an impossible and improbable task to set aside your stardom and act that too in a supporting role, when you are a superstar. Aamir Khan decided to marshal his troops mostly from behind the camera and made an impactful appearance in the second half which was like a pinch of salt that made the entire meal delicious.

Music : Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy trio, noted music directors of Bollywood, worked hard to come up with an album that was profound, soul stirring and soothing to the ears. The songs played a pivotal role to convey the unspoken emotions the protagonist was going through at the key junctures of the film.

Writing : Writing was one of the major factors on why the film worked and achieved cult status over the years. The writing was simple yet effective. Myriad of emotions were weaved into each and every scene of the film.

Step by step transformation of the kid : The character arc of the kid was etched out in an impeccable way. The problem he faced and how he re-discovered himself and came out of the problem, were shown in a delicate and sensitive fashion. Creators took a laid back approach to present the problem statement first and reached the solution in a slow but compelling way. As the narrative was not hurried, the audience gets enough time to get invested in the characters and start empathizing for them.

To summarise, this is one of my favourite films. I think this is your favourite too. Please share your views in the comments section.