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House of the Dragon: The Lord of the Tides (2022)
Finally an episode with a heart
House of the Dragon has been so hasty throughout its existence - fussing over foreshadowing and minute details regarding sets and authenticity, making timejumps, introducing characters on the way - that it had been remiss in making the viewers actually connect with the characters. Another major thing it has been remiss in has been the character arc development (how did Daemon undergo such a drastic change is completely missed in the time jump that took place between ep 5 and 6). Episode 8 finally gets the former right. It manages to make us connect and feel sad for Viserys, make us see and empathise with his desperation about wanting the family to love each other even though we understand why that's impossible to forge over a supper. It makes us see the love Daemon has for Rhaenyra, it shows us how vile Aegon and Aemond are instead of just spelling it out for us, it shows the dilemma Alicent goes through on the daily instead of just dropping that in one dramatic scene as they did in episode 7. Till episode 7, I have felt very iffy about this series. It had the stories, actors, background music and production value but it lacked a soul. I have been rooting for it since the fantastic pilot but the show was still not reeling me in. It has finally found its soul and I hope it retains it and gives us the mindblowing war scenes, hard-to-predict twists, scandalous politics along with it.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)
Inconsistent as ever
I have to begin by mentioning the best part of this film - countersight. What a genius concept. Rowling had once mentioned that the toughest part about writing a world of magic was deciding what magic cannot do. Rowling's work had excelled in the field of time travel and divination on a level that few sci-fi/supernatural works have. Using countersight was another genius instance although I believe it should've been put to much more use. Hope it returns in the rest of the films of the series.
The rest of the film however tries very hard to confuse you by creating a muddle of topics and fails at it. It continues to be rigged with inconsistencies and now it has, sadly, fallen to predictability on every level as well. It has become more about confirming our expectations about the background/identity of certain characters. It pains me how Rowling *kind of* forgot a significant moment from the Yule Ball where Dumbledore mentioned he had only stumbled upon the room of requirement once in the form of a bathroom that just appeared out of nowhere.
Another painful aspect about this film is it lacking in depth. Dumbledore's talks with Harry during the resolution part of the films used to be an enjoyable read/watch for me. Here a lousy "let's call it a fate" plays spoilsport.
The film moves at a meandering pace, taking itself overtly seriously and at no point does this style of narration add anything to the film thus making it exhausting whenever it indulges in it. The background music has always been amiss in the Fantastic Beasts series which is a shame because Harry Potter had arguably one of the best music of all.
Overall, as a fan I automatically connect and look forward to watching the character of Dumbledore - who is played very differently by Jude Law that I'd ever expected - but that's mostly the only thing that holds my interest in this series.
Rocketry: The Nambi Effect (2022)
A necessary watch
India has truly never treated her scientists right. This is the story of one such scientist who was wronged on a supreme level. The story is in public domain but the justice to him was so delayed that, like the idiom goes, it was as good as denied. Kudos to R Madhavan for taking up his story and telling it to the world. However, while doing so, he has been remiss in many aspects.
The movie is frequently extremely on-the-nose and, overall, crudely done. A woman who hasn't smiled in years smiled because of our leading man and we see a nagging mention of it even though we never saw how that equation developed. People around our leading man keep telling us how exceptional he is but we don't really get to witness his smartness until much later. Little factoids keep getting thrown around and the characters append "most people in India don't know this" after saying them in an obvious attempt to be didactic towards the audience.
The film also frequently takes itself too seriously and whenever it does so it, to much disappointment, pulls focus away from its genuine attempts at storytelling. One subjective issue I take with the film is its act of glorifying the one thing that the lead character was indefensibly wrong about. It doesn't even try to put a spin on it to talk about the flip-side of it. And sadly it delivers this sore justification through Shah Rukh Khan.
Shah Rukh Khan is fantastic in his cameo/supporting act. He has been given terrible dialogs and screenplay and yet he does his best to deliver it on his charm and screen presence. R Madhavan is as fantastic as ever. He carries the film on his shoulders with great expertise. Sadly, the same cannot be said about his direction and screenplay-writing, which leave much to be desired.
I am going with a 6/10 with an extra star solely because this is a story that needs to be heard by all. We can't undo the wrong done to Nambi Narayanan but hopefully we don't commit this mistake against our future scientists.
Brahmastra Part One: Shiva (2022)
Ambitious but falls flat
Shows like Mahabharat and Ramayan have enjoyed popularity across generations and people of different belief systems. The stories are known to most of the viewers and yet the beauty lied in the way it was delivered through screenplay, dialogs, acting, etc which attracted the viewership. The potential for beautiful cinematography and excellent CGI has always been immense in these stories but the lack of budget and technology always cut it short by a lot. Brahmastra, with its ambitious budget, set out to fulfill that want. Sadly it forgot to do everything else.
Inspired from the many popular Hollywood fantasy dramas from Harry Potter to Game of Thrones (PG-13 version) to Star Wars in many aspects and infused with references to ancient Indian scriptures, Brahmastra feels like the Ra. One all over again. There's an unnecessary love story infused in it to deliver the Harry Potter-esque message of power of love which doesn't really land. The villain is another cliched megalomaniac with a Bellatrix-like stooge trying to bring him alive.
Alia playing a bimbo damsel-in-distress after roles like Gangubai and Mehrunissa is such a fallback for her as an actor. Ranbir too gives a mediocre performance. Amitabh shockingly misses in parts as well. A cameo by a superstar was probably his worst performance in his entire career. To be fair to him, he has been off-screen for a while, he's probably just rusty.
There was more excitement in guessing who's the actor behind certain purposefully hidden characters than the characters themselves and you know you have not done your job well as a writer when that happens. The childish dialogs being spoken by grown adults felt as ridiculous as they felt annoying. Definitely the worst aspect of this movie. What made it worse was the fact that these terrible dialogs were infused in between intense and visually powerful scenes and they immediately pulled focus because of how odd and FAQ-like they were. The punchlines were painfully unfunny.
Having said that it's not entirely a wasted experience. The CGI, as said above, is all time best for an Indian movie. The background score and the way they have been placed will give you goosebumps. The soundtrack is also good although the biggest hit, Kesariya, is weirdly placed. The action direction is also fantastic. Alas, all the highs struggle and fail to make up for the lows.
One day India will make the greatest fantasy drama of all time. We have had the stories and now we also have the technology. Today is, sadly, not that day.
Brahmastra Part One: Shiva (2022)
Ambitious but falls flat
Shows like Mahabharat and Ramayan have enjoyed popularity across generations and people of different belief systems. The stories are known to most of the viewers and yet the beauty lied in the way it was delivered through screenplay, dialogs, acting, etc which attracted the viewership. The potential for beautiful cinematography and excellent CGI has always been immense in these stories but the lack of budget and technology always cut it short by a lot. Brahmastra, with its ambitious budget, set out to fulfill that want. Sadly it forgot to do everything else.
Inspired from the many popular Hollywood fantasy dramas from Harry Potter to Game of Thrones (PG-13 version) to Star Wars in many aspects and infused with references to ancient Indian scriptures, Brahmastra feels like the Ra. One all over again. There's an unnecessary love story infused in it to deliver the Harry Potter-esque message of power of love which doesn't really land. The villain is another cliched megalomaniac with a Bellatrix-like stooge trying to bring him alive.
Alia playing a bimbo damsel-in-distress after roles like Gangubai and Mehrunissa is such a fallback for her as an actor. Ranbir too gives a mediocre performance. Amitabh shockingly misses in parts as well. A cameo by a superstar was probably his worst performance in his entire career. To be fair to him, he has been off-screen for a while, he's probably just rusty.
There was more excitement in guessing who's the actor behind certain purposefully hidden characters than the characters themselves and you know you have not done your job well as a writer when that happens. The childish dialogs being spoken by grown adults felt as ridiculous as they felt annoying. Definitely the worst aspect of this movie. What made it worse was the fact that these terrible dialogs were infused in between intense and visually powerful scenes and they immediately pulled focus because of how odd and FAQ-like they were. The punchlines were painfully unfunny.
Having said that it's not entirely a wasted experience. The CGI, as said above, is all time best for an Indian movie. The background score and the way they have been placed will give you goosebumps. The soundtrack is also good although the biggest hit, Kesariya, is weirdly placed. The action direction is also fantastic. Alas, all the highs struggle and fail to make up for the lows.
One day India will make the greatest fantasy drama of all time. We have had the stories and now we also have the technology. Today is, sadly, not that day.
HIT: The First Case (2022)
Rajkummar Rao carried the film
There are very few actors who can do what Rajkummar Rao manages to do with as much versatility without turning the characters into a caricature. And trust me none of the actors in that league are mainstream. Rajkummar is an absolute natural in this role whether it be in the action scenes or when he's protecting his vulnerability or when he is internalizing his PTSD or when he's losing control of his anger issues. The story is decent with a twisted ending which felt odd and not satisfying as an action thriller is supposed to feel. Sanya was underutilised for she is a phenomenal actor too. I haven't watched the original but this one felt like it stood on its own completely submerged in the location it's set in. The direction isn't as skilled as one would've hoped for from a movie like this, the editing too could've been sharper. However, Rajkummar's phenomenal screen presence more than makes up for it. Worth a watch.
House of the Dragon: The Rogue Prince (2022)
Liking some specifics
Don't have much to say that won't give away the spoilers so I'll just say that there are certain things that are reminding me of what I used to like about Game of Thrones. The dialog writing is good and pulls focus. The silence between those dialogs say a lot too and that's what we used to love about Game of Thrones to begin with. The show is still quite predictable in its writing. I don't mind it but I am hoping we will see something soon that will throw us off. And no I am not necessarily talking about plot points. We've already known how this story is going to go.
The music, costumes, lighting and other technical aspects were never a letdown in Game of Thrones, even at its worst so it goes without saying that they remain great here as well.
House of the Dragon: The Heirs of the Dragon (2022)
A fantastic start.
It actually makes me sad that this spinoff doesn't have the hype it deserves because the most popular show of our times ended so terribly that its legacy was extinguished the moment its final credits rolled. It completely vanished from popular culture.
Good thing is House of the Dragon CAN potentially stand on its own. The first episode has set up the universe well both for the few Game of Thrones geeks who are still around and those who were entering this universe for the first time. Game of Thrones fans already know how this is going to go down so there isn't much of a twist expected until "the event" (by which name there is an episode of Game of Thrones in season 5) happens. So what's really pulling me to watch this is the screenplay, dialog, music and the good old drama that we loved about the original show until it went to the dogs. Hopefully this one would continue to get better throughout its run.
Darlings (2022)
Something fresh
Darlings is an decent attempt at dark comedy. It deals with a sensitive issue and churning comic scenes around it was always going to be a difficult task. Having two phenomenal actors at the helm helped the writing attempt to achieve this.
The film, however, took its sweet time finding its tone. For quite some time it wasn't clear whether they were going for a satire or a purposefully flimsy approach or were attempting to approach it more seriously with comedy being more slapstick. Sudden dream sequences didn't really help. The film, however, did eventually find its tone and when it did even segments that felt odd earlier hit hard (watch out for the dream sequence in the climax).
Shefali Shah has a fantastic comic timing, she should definitely attempt more comedy roles. Alia Bhatt shines and continues to climb the ladder to becoming an actor that demands you to take her seriously. She's still weak in comedy scenes but she more than makes up for it in intense scenes. The supporting cast did well too.
Here's something fresh and different after a long time from Bollywood. Catch it on netflix this weekend.
Anek (2022)
A necessary watch
ANEk rides on the Ayushmann Khurrana platform of socially aware films but starts and ends with the mic passed on to the actor whose story is being told. This is a step in the right direction. It corrects what Aysuhmann's last film left to be desired. However, Anek isn't just about the North East region of India. Anek is ambitious. Almost too ambitious for its own good. It's less film and more an idea. The idea of moving towards participatory democracy. The idea of India transitioning into the United States of India.
Anubhav Sinha is a fantastic questioner. You can see that he hates leaving any question unasked and that habit is at the forefront in this film. His questions are often challenging and occasionally even existential. The hope is that his insatiable urge of asking questions will rub off on the moviegoers and will make them imbibe critical thinking that our education system has largely kept at bay.
The movie stays on brand with this theme and even ends with a question. Reasoning is simple. The film wants the public to come up with answers to those questions instead of being didactic about its point. And the film does its job of giving every side enough footage to appear unbiased - the government, the disillusioned government officer, the politicised rebel group, the militant group who represents the voice of the people, the group whose entire struggle is nudging mainland India to recognise them for real and not just on paper. Unlike other political thrillers, this film is extremely nuanced. So much so that I've seen people thinking it's muddled because of it. It's a fair concern because the film is noticeably marred by what I call as the Batman vs Superman syndrome.
The editor has done the entire crew dirty. Their job is so choppy that it does terrible injustice towards everyone else from the actors to writers to cinematographers all of whom have done a near-perfect job. There are scenes where you can actually tell that they were cut to shorten the film and thus end up being pointless. There are also a few plotholes (why is Joshua having a change of heart 3 years into his stay in the unnamed state of the NE) which demand a level of suspension of disbelief that you don't expect from a film this rooted in reality. Add to that the production value of the film is cheap probably because of its tight budget.
Ayushmann Khurrana, however, does his level best to carry this film despite all its shortcomings. His performance lifts the film and keeps you engaged even when the editing zones you out. His shades of gray are more impressive than his transition into the empathetic man - the latter he has done often throughout his career. Watch out for his scene right after the viral North-South language scene. It's a career-high, award-worthy performance that involves a nihilistic question that is bound to make literally everyone uncomfortable and ends with a statement that would rile up a large chunk of his audience. It's a shame though that the film doesn't give him enough action sequences because the man was bulked up enough to pull it off. Andrea does a phenomenal job for a debutante. She is consistent throughout the film. Seasoned actors Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa and Loitongbam Dorendra live up to their names specially the latter two who get ample footage in the film.
Despite all the issues that plague this film, its highs are so thoroughly engaging and leave such a slow burner impact on you with its very relevant questions that they almost make up for the lows. Hopefully, we will get the director's cut of this film someday which would do justice to it.
Badhaai Do (2022)
Pleasantly surprised by the depths it attempts to achieve
Ayushmann Khurrana and Rajkummar Rao have taken it upon themselves to start mainstream conversation around LGBTQ+ issues. So much so that I expected Ayushmann would play a cameo in the end but I think that would've been a little too much of a fanservice.
If Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga was the pioneer in this area, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan took it forward by leaps and bounds and opened a giant gateway, paving a path for more films to attempt more nuanced discussion on it and that's what Badhaai Do does well.
The trailer made the film appear very gimmicky, formulaic and stagnating, thankfully the film itself was a revelation. It touched upon a range of issues from internalized homophobia to misogyny within the community to biphobia to racism towards north-eastern people to dynamics within homosexual relationships, apart from the family issues that ELKDTAL and SMZS had started the conversation about. The depth it attempts to achieve is pleasantly surprising.
Performances by Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar are phenomenal. They don't slip even for a moment. The direction supports their realistic portrayal by avoiding too much dramatization for comic relief. The climax is Bhumi's career best performance.
However, the screenplay, in an attempt to tick off a lot of checkpoints, has a couple of misses. The film has a heart for the most part and that's appreciable given that the films in this area so far have been solely made with the purpose of starting the conversation, but the songs - while beautiful - very often feel disconnected or don't gel well. The story feels rushed at some points and other points the pace takes a dip.
Regardless, a brilliant attempt to tell a story and take the step forward in the right direction. Hoping this leads to more films with nuanced storytelling.
Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022)
Best theatrical release since the pandemic began
Bhansali's direction is the most unique one in Bollywood. You can identify he has directed the film from his signature style of dialogs, music, camerawork, writing, sets, everything. And yet he also marvels at showcasing a range while maintaining his signature style. Gangubai is a fantastic example of this.
There's a scene in Gangubai where one of the workers comes to Gangu - the only woman who had studied till 9th grade - to help her write a letter to her father. She didn't know what to write at first so one of the other workers pitches in and then more join in. In one of the most powerful instances of show-me-don't-tell-me form of writing, Bhansali manages to punch your gut with this scene. There are many other instances of the way he poetically paints the screen but I would not spoil any further.
Alia isn't a surprise in this film. She has had the potential to do this since we saw her in Highway. Despite the fact that she is a mainstream actress and fairly young, there are several scenes (including crucial ones) in the film where Alia vanishes into the character so perfectly - through her expressions, gait, voice acting - that you'd forget it is her. That's an feat most of her peers don't even aspire to achieve.
Bhansali focuses so much on other aspects of the filmmaking that his scripts often tend to be weak. Thanks to the fact that this film is based on a book, that flaw is plugged in this film.
Like every other remarkable work, Gangubai too isn't without flaws. Casting a man in the role of a transwoman in 2022 is problematic. I thought we had moved past this habit. Additionally, it continues the trope of angry-villainous transwoman character that Bollywood has been presenting since the beginning of time. I am aware that the film is based on a book and it's probably the author's fault that they saw Razia Bai from a villainous lens but it could've been rectified in the film.
The film loses its edge in the second half. It feels rushed because there's so much to tell and not enough time to do so. So the natural flow gets hit with knife on multiple occasions and you would definitely notice it.
Regardless, the film manages to stay with you and the fact that I am writing this review three weeks after watching the film should elucidate that. It's definitely the best film to have released in the theatre since the pandemic started. Go watch it if you haven't yet.
Gehraiyaan (2022)
Ambitious but far from what it aspires to be
Credit where it's due, Shakun Batra doesn't consider his viewers stupid. I like that the direction, for all its desperate need to be taken seriously and come off as deep (they didn't even spare the film's title!!), not once tries to be condescending. Attention to detail is what I admired the most about Kapoor and Sons and Shakun, once again, doesn't disappoint in that area. The music is beautiful and very on brand. Not wannabe at all. OAFF has done a commendable job. The performances are good too. Siddhant showed potential in Gully Boy and in Gehraiyaan we see him get his due. His screen presence is phenomenal. Deepika does a decent job as well.
The issue with the film is, as I'd suspected, it's confused and, ironically, often superficial. It deals with trauma, mental health and psychological tussle well, no doubt. It also gets its characterization near perfect but the screenplay remains confused about its goal. When the storytelling became difficult and directionless, the film fell flat for quite a while and then the treatment switched over to that of a thriller - almost feeling like two entirely different films. It's vaguely ambitious but remains miles away from what it aspires.
The best thing to have come out of this film is the song Caught In A Mess. Giving an extra star for that. When will it be out on Spotify?
The Great Indian Kitchen (2021)
An engaging watch
The film draws you in with its minimalism and realism. Apart from the dramatization around the climax, which actually works in parts depending on whether or not you were enraged by the lead's plight, and a little too on-the-nose handling of a couple of scenes, the film does well. It feels like a peep into an actual household. This realism is actually what makes it such a convincing watch. The camera work is so marvelous that the scenes with repetitve chores, which have been relentlessly shown to make a point, not for once feel skippable. In fact the change in tonality, all of which is conveyed purely through Nimisha Sajyan's flawless acting skills, are rather engaging. A recommended watch.
Aranyak (2021)
Rewarding Finale
The storyline was weaved with an excruciating amount of effort which pays off in the last two episodes. It really hits the note with what it wants to show us and how it convincingly keeps us deviated from the truth.
The only complain is in the midst of it all it lost the pace and hold on our attention very often. Still definitely worth a watch.
Atrangi Re (2021)
A missed opportunity
Atrangi Re is a romantic movie that uses schizophrenia as a plot device. The movie was never advertised as one that would serve the purpose of destigmatizing the mental illness but it seems like a missed opportunity given the oblivious-to-the-plot audiences it had managed to pull. In fact, it often plays on the ableist tropes that exist in our society to propel the story forward and not once does it attempt to redeem itself of it. Usage of the word 'pagal' for Sara's character or a psychiatrist actually saying she should be put in a museum because of her disorder or the entire reasoning behind giving her medication rests on "ladki chahiye ki nahin" are some stark examples of this. All without a single attempt to condemn this attitude at any point in the film. Even the resolution relies on convenient existing tropes and never actually gets into the actual cure.
The film is centered around Dhanush's character, his tragedies, his desires. Despite being a doctor, he treats the manifestations of Sara's psychosis with envy. While one could have argued this was his way testing whether she does really love him à la Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, the treatment of the illness throughout the film and specially in the climax shows otherwise.
Besides the problematic way in which the illness was dealt with, the film very often becomes predictable and requires a good amount of suspension of disbelief. The climax revelation, while beautifully shot, was already spoiled in its entirety halfway through the film.
What does work, however, is A R Rahman's soulful music. He is the true winner of this film. As for performances, Sara takes her time to get comfortable in her character but eventually she shines in many scenes of the film. This is her best performance till date. Dhanush's portrayal of his character would frequently remind you of his character from Ranjhana. Nonetheless, he owns this films. There's also the interfaith marriage subplot which works in parts. Direction is good too.
Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021)
An ambitious attempt that's worth a watch
I had already read too many spoilers before watching the film (one of the reasons why I try to avoid watching trailers). However, knowing those spoilers allowed me the chance to appreciate the MANY scenes showcasing the struggles the community goes through even before Vaani's character comes out to Ayushmann's.
Relatable middle class family quirks is something you expect of Ayushmann movies and there are a plethora of lines you would have most certainly heard in your homes. What you also expect of Ayushmann movies is a bold redefinition of regressive notions that need to be discarded and the film continues this legacy of his. There was a sequence where the definition of 'normal' was challenged. Ayushmann took charge of that (without getting preachy or going on a monologue) and every argument he gave was airtight. In yet another scene, where his character is on the receiving end of the flack, 'strength' is redefined. Vaani does a marvelous job at this. The juxtaposition of what's perceived as strength and what's real strength left me speechless.
Ayushmann is one of the most hard working, nuanced and earnest actors in the industry. One of his best qualities is knowing when to take a backseat and there's a whole sequence in the film where this quality of his is quite literally on display. Vaani is an absolute revelation. Her mature, reserved and sincere attempt at telling the story of the trans community is worthy of applause.
However, the film leaves much to be desired. The strategy of giving a social message wrapped in a cliched, loud romantic comedy doesn't work quite as well because the packaging falls flat. The editing is sharp and while the heart of the film is mostly done justice to, everything else - from gabru of the year competition to the absurd Manu-Sandy rivalry to the sister characters - has been cut so hard or done in such a half-baked manner that they are hard to buy and very often feel like a gimmick. The resolution seems too rushed.
Regardless, the attempt to have a larger impact on the society by the Abhishek Kapoor film is so sincere and on such an ambitious scale that for the sake of that goal alone I wish it would have high viewership. At least some of them might go back with a changed perspective. And for that I am going with a 3/5 rating. Go watch this mind-bending story with your friends and family.
83 (2021)
Watch it for the all-round collective viewing experience
At one point during the film the police comes knocking on the door of a Muslim family during a curfew imposed in the town after communal riots. They ask for the score of the match. It's a predictable scene but it's done remarkably well. The curfew norms collapse as does the communal tension as people at war come together to celebrate the sport. Indira was popular for using sports and entertainment in her politics so historically speaking it does check out.
I'm not a fan of sports nationalism but Kabir Khan has a way of making it work every so often in the film. The interval point highlights this ability of his well. And how could he not have done this? The story of underdogs is much too relatable. It's almost a shared culture for us Indians.
Telling a known story is risky. It could easily turn into a snoozefest. Not every match could be made interesting unless you take liberty with facts. Glad the Zimbabwe match was written extensively though. Packed with adrenaline rush.
The movie isn't without flaws. In the interest of revival of theatrical vieweing, I don't wish to fixate on them but there are far too many cuts for reactions and many of them are not worth it. The screenplay was almost non-existent for most of the first half. When that's unavoidable you should improve the editing. There's a lot of fanservice some of which works but others were avoidable (looking at you, the forced interjection of the curly haired cricket wunderkind).
Nonetheless, the movie is worth watching. When the scene cuts to Kapil Dev at the end, it doesn't feel odd or different. It feels like the guy you just watched grew older. If that's not a testament to Ranveer Singh's acting skills I don't know what is. But in an underdog story how can we forget the underdog talent of the film - Tahir Bhasin who is wonderful as Gavaskar. We need to see him more often @bollywood. While the first half is weak the interval point does a lot to make up for it. Lehra Do is an anthem.
Watch it for the portrayal of fanfare, the reluctance of taking liberty with facts which puts the film at the risk of being less dramatically pleasing, the message of cricket as a uniter which goes a long way in these times of polarization, the simplicity and effectiveness of dialogues. Watch it for the all-round collective viewing experience that's been missing for the past two years.
Gulabo Sitabo (2020)
This film is bound to leave you thinking about a plethora of things
Gulabo Sitabo is one of the most subtle commentaries on the society, politics and people that I've seen in the recent times. It says so much without emphasising what it is saying.
The script is simplistic and not much to discuss about. The story follows linear narration style and there isn't much of a reveal until the climax. However, where it excels is in giving sharp satire on everything that we see everyday but rarely stop to notice.
The film talks about greed- of many kinds- but not without first showing its root cause. Every character in this film is a social scavenger but there are some worth sympathising with. The film's climax discuss a political metaphor and how it exploits the very people it takes help from. What's best is the film rises above the propagandist tropes of wannabe serious undertones that the OTT content is rigged with lately. It applauds and highlights the strength of power in hands we rarely see them in without discrediting or snatching power away from the ones who currently possess it. It's strictly allergic to showing sides as black and white.
I love the subtle handling of the topic- mostly because I don't like it when the filmmakers start underlining the obvious twice like they're trying to teach me a lesson- what I don't enjoy is the subtle approach the movie takes at trying to keep the audience involved. I don't demand the makers to convert this into a thriller or punch moments of emotions that leave the audience welled up, but its watch-me-give-a-damn attitude regarding audience's attention span does come out as a noticeable flaw.
The heroes of the film are the actors, both lead and supporting cast. While Amitabh is the obvious show stealer, Ayushmann not only holds his ground in front a legend like him but actually leaves a mark. It's easy to mistake him for a one-dimensional character but watch him prove you wrong.
Overall, it's definitely recommended for anyone looking for new content to watch this weekend but if you're the kind of viewer who finds life in inanimate objects and are a sucker for metaphors and symbolism or are keen to look at the performances of two of the greatest actors of Bollywood, this one's right for you. This film is bound to leave you thinking about a plethora of things.
Chhapaak (2020)
An important film, deserved better
Chhapaak is such a socially relevant film erasing the disillusionment that we live in where we're not even properly aware about the suffering of the victims and the laws (or lack thereof) that have been made to combat the same! It's our responsibility to be aware and act!
The narration of the film was non-linear and I get the intent of doing so but it made a large chunk of the second half of the film a little dull.
This is easily Deepika's best performance closely followed by her work in Piku.
The film got trampled at the box office due to the controversies most of which were unfounded and unnecessary. Maybe now that it is on streaming services it will get the recognition it deserves.
Game of Thrones: The Iron Throne (2019)
One of the Worst Series Finales in the History of Television
There are so many problems with this finale, and I am not even talking about technicalities, literal plot issues but nonetheless let's start with the few good things that happened in this episode:
1. Jon petting Ghost at last and the scene being shot in the same way as the one shot earlier (season 4, perhaps?)
2. Arya's arc was well written. She's the one character that didn't encounter a fatal error with her arc as almost everyone else did. And again it was a callback to season 4 finale. I hope she discovers the mystery lying to the West of Westeros.
3. The biggest win in this episode was the metaphor of Sansa's hair. She has always copied the hairstyle of more powerful women who have influenced her life from Catelyn to Cersei to Margery to Daenerys but she finally got a new hairstyle showing that she's come into her own at last. I'm glad somebody on the team reminded D&D of it.
Now let's come to the bad, oh it's gonna be long-
1. What was Dany's justification of committing the mass murder? She refuses to respond to Tyrion's question and when Jon asks the same question she says Cersei used the innocents to cripple her? Where? Had she gone deaf when the city surrendered and the bells rang? We still have no real reason why she committed the genocide cause she was clearly not clinically mentally ill.
2. Where did the "others don't get to choose" Dany suddenly come from? It literally feels like after S08E03 we skipped two seasons and directly jumped to S08E05. The Dany who was not to be the Queen of Ashes became so for no reason. The Dany who always controlled her impulses and chose the mellow path suddenly became violent for no reason. The Dany who always took others' inputs and gave people multiple chances suddenly became adamant and dictatorial.
3. Jon killed Dany? I have never laughed at a scene this hard. I know why they went for such a romanticized direction of that scene (it was supposed to be a callback to season 4 Ygritte's death scene again. Too many callbacks? I know!) but how did he suddenly kill her? Yes Tyrion put the thought in his head but Dany had just given the "build the world with me" pep talk. He had no reason to think she'd kill him after all she was willing to marry him and break the wheel together despite him having a better claim to the throne. Tyrion's pep talk had been proven wrong!
4. Drogon comes screaming into the room and burns the throne out of angst but doesn't kill Jon, the murderer of his mother? Were the writers on crack when they wrote this episode?
5. Jon tries to justify Dany's mass murder to Tyrion with "put yourself in her shoes". Is this the same Jon who fought for the living by putting himself at risk? Is this the same Jon who saw his family massacred but stuck by his duty? The man who fought his brothers of the Night's Watch and died for saving the lives of innocent Wildlings?
6. What was the point of Tyrion's sarcastic "she murders evil men" pep talk? Everywhere Dany went she killed evil men because they were *evil men*. Is Tyrion trying to justify the acts of slavers or the Dothraki Khals or Viserys? Is he trying to say Dany has become too powerful to see right from wrong even though 2 episodes ago she fought the Army of the Dead risking her army, dragons and her own life? So all of a sudden her sense of decision making became clouded? Very convenient? **slow claps**
7. Tyrion confessing he was in love with Dany, even though the only sign he showed was a slightly incredulous expression at the end of season 7 when Dany and Jon were doing it on the boat, was for whom exactly? It made us all cringe.
8. What was the point of bringing Arya to King's Landing in the last episode (while making the fatal attempt of ruining her character arc along with everybody else's) and then having her escape out of *fear of death* and then having her come back to King's Landing again in this episode and doing absolutely nothing *AGAIN*?
9. What was the point of the scene where Dany makes the grand entry and the camera work shows her as a dragon with wings? Was it supposed to imply that all dragons are bad? Is that why Jon was pushed as a good guy? Is that why Drogon didn't go on a mass murder throughout Westeros while lamenting his mother's death? Oh wait...
10. Lastly (because I don't have all day to list every damn problem with this episode), the worst thing the writers could've done was make Bran the King and actually have Lords vote for him!!! First off why is no one questioning why he didn't warn everyone about Dany burning King's Landing beforehand when he clearly had visions of that in S04E02 and S06E06? It's not like no one knows he can see the future. He literally says to Tyrion "Why do you think I came all this way?" and had said earlier (in S08E01) that he is "waiting for an old friend) while expecting Jaime to arrive. Why did no one ask his help in making strategies for the attack on King's Landing? The writers seem so desperate to get from the good-Dany to bad-Dany arc that they completely stripped the writing of all sense to force her to break bad within one episode.
The most tragic thing about this season is that it was the most hyped one of all time and more people were watching than ever before (about 1 Billion according to some estimate). The way it has disappointed, it has set another record for this show. This time for being the worst season and the worst series Finale for any series ever!
Game of Thrones: The Bells (2019)
The writing on the show is abhorrently and irreparably bad.
Does Dany have mad impulses? Yes. It's been pretty clear that she tries to exude power by fire and blood. Does Dany know how to control them? Also yes. The woman has the strongest will. She doesn't shudder. Even Arya, the silent assassin and winner of death, lost her nerve when she came face to face with the wights for the first time while Dany went all mighty with her three dragons, ready for the kill and didn't back down even when she lost one of her dragons there.
Yes, I hear a lot of chatter about her being the Mad Queen and how it was about time but let's focus on how this has been dealt with on the show. When Aerys Targaryen, the Mad King tried to burn the city, he was paranoid and vulnerable, about to lose his throne. He screamed "BURN THEM ALL" in defense. He had an unjustifiable reason, sure, but it could still be explained. When Cersei turned Mad Queen in the season finale of Season 6, she had a reason for it too. She wanted to cast aside those who were threats for her (Margery, Septon, etc) while also taking revenge from the civilians who insulted her, spat on her and threw excreta on her during her walk of atonement on the same road. So, again, an unjustifiable reason, but it could still be explained.
What Dany did in King's Landing today had absolutely no reason altogether, except for the writers being desperate to reach the plot point GRRM had told them about and letting the die hard fanboys and fangirls of the show do the dirty job of coming up with a justification for them. Dany burning up the iron fleet (what an absolutely nonsensical scene was that by the way?) and all the scorpions was still understandable to a certain extent. Her blowing open the entry for the siege of King's Landing was again justifiable. When she started burning up the Golden Company instead of allowing them a fair fight against her army, things started turning sour but these things were still explicable. Her turning up with Drogon screaming and instilling fear in the hearts of the Lannister army was a smart move to make the surrender. In fact at that point I felt like laughing at all the Dany-is-the-Mad-Queen propagandists. The bell rang. It was all fine. Cersei had lost. Out of nowhere, Dany started flying and deliberately burning the civilians. This was not only completely out of character but also completely unjustifiable from every point of view. Even if Dany had charged to Red Keep and turned Cersei, Mountain and Qyburn to ashes, it could have been explained. It would have been dishonourable and unfair, but it could've been explained with "well you killed Missandei". The fact that she suddenly decided to burn all the innocent civilians with her army raving and raping along the way made absolutely no sense at all.
It's possible that Dany would go for a similar arc in the books as well because it feels like a plot point GRRM would've told D&D and those clowns mindlessly and desperately wanted to reach that plot point somehow. This was one of the many problems this episode (and the entirety of season 7 and 8) have had. Every single character's arc has been ruined beyond repair by the makers. Be is Sansa turning from a strong woman who overcame her hurdles and assaults to become a powerful and smart woman who could outdo Baelish or Jaime whose character arc had finally taken the turn it deserved. Be it Arya who seems to be the most powerful treasure of Westeros and yet ran away on Sandor's one command or Jon who has become the powerless, spineless man. Guess they are going to force me to pick up those long, unnecessarily descriptive books of Martin so that I could get a closure.
Game of Thrones: The Last of the Starks (2019)
The writing just got worse
First let's discuss the good. I'm glad they didn't rush the episode. They put time into showing the farewell to the martyrs of the Battle of Winterfell and its aftermath. Daenerys playing politics was fun to watch cause lately she had been pushed into a love struck character. The tensions between various characters was shown well in the first few minutes but D&D are clearly pushing things at this point. Arya's character arc has come to an end, it seems and I like where it's winding up. Jon was always a fool torn between duty and love it was nice to see him torn between love (for Dany) and love (for his family). Brienne and Jamie did it at last. Good for her. Tormund going back to the North of the Wall seems like the right thing to do now that the Long Night is over. Varys' characterization remains intact. He has always been the betraying snake to every ruler ever and he loves to fool himself into thinking that he's 'serving the realm'. Cersei's game is still going strong while she tries to pass off Jaime's child as Euron's. The turn brought by Rhaegal's death was also pretty saddening but done well.
Now let's look at the bad. They still haven't explained the lose ends of the last episode like what was Bran doing warging into the ravens during a goddamn war. Why was he not aiding anyone with information? It doesn't make sense why Sansa still doesn't trust Daenerys. They have turned Sansa into an adamant character who has gone from being a stupid, gullible girl to being hard-brained. Additionally Sansa betraying Jon's trust to watch Dany's claim get taken away sounds very Cersei-like. When Arya was anyway going to kill Cersei why couldn't she have just joined Jon and Dany? I understand Dany's impatience but she should've still waited longer and let people heal. They JUST fought a huge battle. Rhaegal was still injured and clearly couldn't handle more injury from the battle. How did Dany (and her advisors) not take precautions against the Scorpion when they had already seen it in a battle earlier and knew the kind of damage it can do? While I agree that Euron took them by surprise I still expected Dany to have trained her dragons to know how to dodge the spears flying at them, the way Drogon always does. The worst part of the episode goes to the characterization of Daenerys. How could a woman who literally gave up her fight for throne to fight for the living knowing it might mean sacrificing her entire army, her dragons and probably even herself transform into being a mass murderer within a single episode. I understand that she's at her most vulnerable at this point but her fight has always been for the people. Plus where is all the advisory? It seem that at this point all Varys and Tyrion are doing is being hindrances in Dany's arc instead of actually giving any proper advice on what alternative they can choose to bring down Cersei. D&D have never written Dany very well. They have kept her character a bit confused but this was the worst turn they have given to her character so far. I hope they come up with more war strategies than giving in to the whim of Dany haters and letting her transform into the Mad Queen.
Game of Thrones: The Long Night (2019)
The Greatest Battle in the history of Television
One of the things I've always loved about Game Of Thrones is that it doesn't shy away and it doesn't do fan service. It does what is in the plan irrespective of how fans may be disappointed by that. Clearly this 10/10 episode has disappointed hoards of fans of Jon Snow because his entire arc culminated into nothing. Arya Stark on the other hand steals the show once again! The problem with people finding this disappointing is that they expect the show to be just another mainstream show where everything is predictable and hero worshipping could be done in their predictable sacrifices *ahem* Avengers *ahem*. However Game Of Thrones can end your entire build up in a blink (like they did with Red Wedding or Ned Stark's death) because that IS life. The best part is whenever the show is about to do this switch up, it gives a foreshadowing well in advance as well, most just fail to see the inevitable. Of course some characters are annoying. We see Sansa taking charge as a leader and protector of Northern interests for 2 seasons only to find her escaping and hiding and letting women and children die when the dead rose in the crypt. We see Jon Snow proving himself to be utterly useless ONCE AGAIN. We see Dany not taking the Mad Queen arc that many people have been expecting her to take for many seasons. We see Tyrion and Varys becoming utterly useless but all of that's just the audience not being able to digest things not going as they want. Everything does remain in character. What however does go lose in this episode is what Bran was doing warging into the crows when he didn't even provide any aid in the battle, strategically. Why were Jon and Dany not in co-ordination while fighting the Night King. Why didn't the two dragons have the satisfying Fire Vs Ice War (although that's just for the visuals). Talking about visuals, we couldn't have asked better. Miguel's battle direction was top notch. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the episode and found it to be one of the best. Right up there with Winds Of Winter and Rains Of Castamere.
Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour (2018)
Taylor Swift slithers her way to the top again!
Taylor Swift has always been a perfectionist. She never leaves a single stone unturned and this tour is a marvelous example of the same. Performing hits after hits mashed up along with the songs off her latest album which was the highest selling album of 2018 in US, Taylor Swift really showed why she's a force to be reckoned with. From captivating visuals to firecrackers to ginormous stages to intricate details to amazing choreography to live instruments and vocals (something we rarely see in pop culture anymore), Taylor Swift impressed the millions she played to on this tour and now she's impressing millions more with the new netflix movie. Watch this 2 hour movie and get lost in its marvel!