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filmmakersvision · 4 years

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Top 10 Hindi Performances of 2019

December 27, 2019

by Inakshi Chandra-Mohanty

1. Manoj Pahwa - Article 15

It is simple to play the good guy. When your thoughts align with the character’s moral compass, it isn’t too difficult to step into his/her shoes. But when playing an antagonist, it is impossible to blend into the character with the same seamless effort. In Article 15, Bhramadatt Sing, played by Manoj Pahwa, is the main antagonist. Not only is he a villainous character, he is also a realistic representation of a certain section of people who exist in society, people who take advantage of caste discrimination to commit crimes. In this case, Pahwa had to understand the character without allowing his own views to dilute it. With his performance, he manages to create a sense of appalled disbelief towards his character. There is no point at which his behavior and actions do not disgust the audience. Even before the character is revealed to be the main inciter of violence, his biased actions already predispose the audience to dislike him. Sing is that character that people want to believe doesn’t exist, but is in fact present all around. And Pahwa portrays this horrifying character with full sincerity.

2. Siddhant Chaturvedi - Gully Boy

Who knew that this young boy with no claim to fame except for a supporting role in a web series would become a sudden Internet sensation? When selected for the role of MC Sher in Gully Boy, Siddhant Chaturvedi probably had no idea his character would gain a cult following, superseding the film’s popularity. But Sher isn’t typical. The hero’s friend normally isn’t recognized, constantly living in the hero’s shadow. Sher, however, doesn’t let Murad dominate any of the scenes they have together, and Siddhant Chaturvedi’s performance supports this balance. He does not let himself get overwhelmed by his co-star, Ranveer Singh’s, 8 year long experience in films. At least he doesn’t show it. Despite having no background in rap, Chaturvedi’s rapping style is filled with the passion and force of an experienced rapper. He not only perfects the lingo, he makes people believe in him as a rapper, a friend, and a mentor. Unlike the clichéd companion, threatened by his friend’s rise in popularity, Sher is Murad’s supportive backbone. The nuanced creation of this character shows Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti’s brilliance in writing. But without a talented actor, like Siddhant Chaturvedi, it would have been impossible to bring this character to life.

3. Gulshan Devaiah - Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota

While very common in the 1970s and 1980s, the double role has become a rare phenomenon in Indian cinema today. As the film industry has developed, it has become far more difficult for an actor to play two different characters in the same film convincingly. The most recent use of this concept was in Aurangzeb, with Arjun Kapoor playing twin brothers on opposite sides of the law. But this was a commercial and critical failure mainly due to Kapoor’s inability to create a distinction between the characters. Like the characters in Aurangzeb, Gulshan Devaiah’s characters in Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota are at the two opposite ends of the spectrum. Mani is Supri’s guru and Surya’s hero, while Jimmy is his disgruntled twin brother. Devaiah’s performance controlled the conflict in the film. If he wasn’t able to convince the audience of the distinction between the personalities of his two characters, and of the enmity between them, Surya and Supri’s fight would seem futile. Devaiah has both the villainous smile and the innocent eyes that bring out the contrast between the two brothers, making the conflict strong, and the film worthwhile.

4. Rasika Dugal - Hamid

In Kashmir, there are many women labeled “Half Widows” because their husbands have disappeared (many taken by the army under suspicion), and they have no information on whether these men are alive or not. Rasika Dugal plays one such woman, Ishrat, who deals with her husband’s disappearance while trying to raise her son away from the negative influences of extremist violence in Kashmir. As the only member of the cast (apart from the soldiers), that isn’t Kashmiri, Dugal had to put in twice the effort to perfect the mannerisms and diction of Kashmiri Muslims. With the fluency of her enactment, it didn’t seem at any moment as if she was acting. But getting into character is just one aspect of a good performance. It is also necessary to create an emotional connect with the audience. The topic is such that just the simple facial expression of exhaustion was enough to captivate the audience. The years and years of wait have completely drained Ishrat, and she has lost the strength to even cry. The lightness with which Dugal played this role is remarkable and befitting to a serious film like this.

5. Geetika Vidya Ohlyan and Saloni Batra - Soni

For the first time, I am clubbing two actors together in the best performance list, as neither would be complete without the other. Soni is a film that thrives on the chemistry between the two female leads, as they both deal with different levels of sexism in their daily lives as police officers. The two characters, Soni, played by Geetika Vidya Ohlyan, and Kalpana, played by Saloni Batra, are two sides of the same coin. They both have different personalities that reflect in their work. Soni’s temperamental, rebellious persona is balanced by Kalpana’s thoughtful, controlled nature. But these contrasting personalities come together in pursuit of a similar goal, to stand up for woman empowerment. As a subtle take on sexism, the film required nuanced acting to recognize the inherent sexism present in the lives of all women. Ohlyan and Batra beautifully portray the struggle of women in their professional and personal lives, further supported by their chemistry. One cannot exist without the other. Together, the two women form the crux of the film.

6. Yami Gautam - Bala

In her seven year Hindi film career, Yami Gautam hasn’t had much success. While she was delightful in her first film, Vicky Donor, her roles after that were limited. The films in which she had a lead role, such as Total Siyappa and Sanam Re, were critical and commercial failures. She spent the remainder of the time playing supporting roles in films such as Batti Gul Meter Chalu and Uri, in which there wasn’t much scope for her to showcase her talent. With the release of Bala, the expectations from Yami Gautam weren’t as high as they were from her co-stars, Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar, who have generated a considerable fan base with their consistent work in the past few years. But, Gautam outshone them both. Her performance as Pari Mishra, Bala’s love interest who is a model and Tik Tok star, is the highlight of the film. The film is a heartfelt, socially moving story told in a dramatic manner. Therefore it is necessary for the actors to create a balance between the two worlds: the realistic and the unrealistic. As a former Indian television actor, Yami Gautam knows exactly how to maintain this balance. Indian television is not just a platform for dramatic overacting, as many believe it to be. It’s a balance between scenes involving overdramatic tension and those with nuanced conversation. Pari’s identity as a Tik Tok star, means that her mannerisms in everyday life are much more dramatic than normal, but when everything settles down, she has the ability to have a normal conversation. Yami Gautam displayed this dichotomy with perfection. And now she has become the most appreciated aspect of the film.

7. Priyanka Chopra - The Sky is Pink

After a three-year break from acting in Hindi films, Priyanka Chopra is back with a bang. In The Sky is Pink, she plays the mother of a young girl diagnosed with a life threatening disease. Such a role is not only emotionally draining, it is also physically strenuous, as she has to step into the shoes of the real life Aditi Chaudhary. She has to be faithful to her, especially when it pertains to such a sensitive topic. Priyanka Chopra fully imbibes this role. She beautifully portrays the emotions of a distressed mother and at the same time a wife struggling to keep her marriage intact in the face of death. At first it seems difficult to imagine her as the mother of a teenage daughter, but the chemistry she shares with Zaira Wasim, playing her daughter, Aisha Chaudhary, leads to a passionate mother-daughter relationship, that completes the film.

8. Shahid Kapoor - Kabir Singh

When a film is remade, it is very difficult for the actors to live up to the expectations of the original. Shahid Kapoor steps into the shoes of Vijay Deverakonda, a Telugu superstar who delivered his career best performance in Arjun Reddy, the precursor to Kabir Singh. The passion and angst that Deverakonda brought into his performance is difficult to emulate. Which is why Kapoor doesn’t try to become Deverakonda. He does not attempt to match the original and instead brings his own flavor into the character, which sets Kabir Singh apart from Arjun Reddy. The one scene that perfectly demonstrates this is the Holi scene. In this scene, Kabir Singh is feeling a combination of emotions including anger, sadness, and passionate love, which all can be beautifully seen in his eyes. No other Hindi film actor can emote with his eyes the way Kapoor does. Even Deverakonda attempts this, but his performance in the scene in the Telugu version leans more towards anger and passion than pain. On the other hand, Kapoor portrays his character in this scene as painfully suffering bringing out another dimension in the character. This may not be the best performance that Kapoor has delivered in his career, but it definitely is his most impactful one.

9. Anjali Patil - Mere Pyaare Prime Minister

In Mere Pyaare Prime Minister, Anjali Patil plays a single mother, traumatized after being assaulted while using an outdoor bathroom. Patil has always chosen roles that lean towards the unconventional route. While she has dabbled in multiple languages, her Hindi films have not been successful, and her performances in supporting roles barely noticeable. With this film, she is finally playing a strong role in a Hindi film. Her character is one that is in mental and emotional distress after experiencing such a horrendous crime, yet cannot express it as she still has to fulfill her duty as a single mother. The restraint that Patil brings into her performance is beautiful. It is reflective of the balance between the heaviness of the storyline and the lightness of the mother-son relationship. Though this is not as powerful a role as Patil has played earlier in other language films, it is still one that requires effort, as it is not easy to play a sexual assault victim, especially when that victim is also a mother.

10. Kangana Ranaut - Judgementall Hai Kya

Kangana Ranaut is one actor that never fails to impress. With each performance, she exceeds her previous ones, making her one of the fastest growing actors in terms of talent. In Judgementall Hai Kya, she plays the feisty, socially awkward Bobby, whose mental health issues, make people disbelieve her when she claims an accident was actually a murder. The film was acclaimed for treating mental illness with sensitivity. At times in the film, the craziness of Bobby’s actions make her seem insane, which Ranaut does with perfection. But Ranaut is also able to show that the mental illness is a part of Bobby’s personality that does not make her abnormal, just different than normal.

Special Mention: Shweta Basu Prasad - Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota

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filmmakersvision · 5 years

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Soni Review

January 21, 2019

by Inakshi Chandra-Mohanty

4/5 stars

It is very difficult to make a film about women empowerment without getting preachy. That is why filmmakers tend to make films with strong female characters but only as a supplement to the larger story, not as the story itself. However, Soni is a film about women. It’s about their daily lives, their struggles, and the small obstacles they face that amount to a larger problem of a patriarchal society. People assume that women in positions of power can be the strength for other women but at times, even they are helpless, and unfortunately this movie shows us the mirror of how deeply ingrained male chauvinism is in our society.

The film follows two women, Kalpana (Saloni Batra), a superintendent of police, and Soni (Geetika Vidya Ohlyan), a policewoman junior to her, as they and their team try to reduce crime against women. However, Soni’s short-temper in contrast to Kalpana’s rationality, cause obstacles in their mission. With minimal dialogues and a short runtime of 1 hour 30 minutes, the screenplay is concise and subtle. The director, Ivan Ayr, is focused less on building story and more on building atmosphere, through actions and expressions. The tension is not in the plot but is in the friction amongst the different characters. There are moments which are slow, but they work as an addition to this overall atmosphere of despair and discomfort. Ayr has created a universe that has very little light. The tone is supposed to be that of gloom, and the use of blues, greys, and blacks in the color scheme, give even the daylight shots a feeling of sadness. However, despite this bleak but authentic portrayal, there is a sense of relief that at least these women exist and try to make a change even if their efforts go in vain.

Both of these characters are prototypes of women we see in society today. Soni is the young, vivacious woman, marred with difficulties in her personal life, and eager to make a change by rebelling against the system. She has no control over her emotions and is transferred multiple times on charges of misconduct. Kalpana, on the other hand, is more experienced. She has seen how the system works, and how the world works, which is why she is more methodical in her approach. Soni and Kalpana’s bond is the thread that holds this film together. Geetika Vidya Ohlyan and Saloni Batra share such an amazing chemistry on screen due to their impressive, realistic acting skills. They are able to show the vulnerabilities of each character as they try to navigate the frailties of the system.

Both characters are so different in their personalities and approaches to their cases, but their lives are not much different. Soni has to deal with an ex Naveen, who made a mistake (which we are not aware of), but is now asking for forgiveness. He shows concern for her, yet there are times when he makes misogynistic remarks, like the idea that he needs to protect her after she is threatened, as if she cannot take care of herself. Kalpana’s life is not much different. Her personal life looks perfect on the surface as she has a loving family and caring husband that are supportive of her profession. However, there is hyper-masculinity looming around her. For one, her husband, also a police officer, constantly undermines her. He supports her, yet also claims that she as a female superintendent is not authoritative enough with her juniors, which is why Soni rebels. There is also her mother-in-law who constantly ask her about her plans to have children in the future and harps on about how she shouldn’t be working the night shift. But, the most impactful scene in the film, is when she, her husband, her sister-in-law, and her brother-in-law are discussing the misconduct of Soni. With casual tones, her brother-in-law and her husband laugh and talk about the situation. Her brother-in-law even goes on to say that women like Soni tend to come from homes where there is a lot of violence. His view is chauvinistic and stereotypical and Kalpana clearly disagrees with him, but stays silent, out of respect for the relationship, and knowing that her speaking up will just aggravate the situation.

It is characters and situations like these, which this film uses to show hypocrisy in society. Men who are supporting the rise of women to power are also trying to control that rise by imposing their thoughts and convictions on these women, without listening to them and trying to understand what they truly want. It’s not the men who are proudly patriarchal and demeaning towards women that are the biggest threats, but it is the men that are assumed to be progressive, but are subtly patriarchal in their thinking due to their upbringing and the people around them. Soni is important and impactful because is a stark representation of all that is wrong with our society. Solving individual crimes will not solve the problem of why these crimes happen in the first place. The mindset of people needs to change, and until that happens, women are not safe.

#bollywoodreviews #soni film #netflix india #ivan ayr #geetika vidya ohlyan #saloni batra #bollywood

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