The Bollywood Elephant

 This year has been tough for the movies and everyone associated with cinema. In 2020, a total of 27 notable releases came out in theatres, and approximately 35 movies released on OTT platforms like  Netflix, Prime Video, Hotstar, etc. Considering the dull and gloomy 2020 has been, the Bollywood Elephant has decided to only focus on the positives and the best films and series 2020 has offered!                                               First, we pick the best actors, music, dialogues, singers, story, screenplay, direction, and finally my Top 5 films of the year! FILMS: Best Actor (Male):  This year it was really tough to pick 1 when one is spoilt for choices. However solely based on this man's phenomenal performance as Aaloo and the entry scene in particular sealed the deal for me to pick him as the performer of the year (male). Rajkummar Rao yet again proved how effortlessly he transforms from Aaloo in Ludo to Montu sir in Chhalaang! I wish he gets his due at the box-office so

 2 years after the debacle of 'Jagga Jasoos', director Anurag Kashyap is back with his multi starer movie, 'Ludo'. The movie stars Rajkummar Rao, Abhishek Bachchan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra, Asha Negi, Pearl Maane, Fatima Sana Sheikh, Shalini Vatsa. It is scripted, directed, and photographed by Basu himself who collabs with his companion, Pritam for music!                                                   What's Good:  Acting: This time RR walks away with the cake from Tripathiji's hand. He is terrific. Abhishek, Tripathiji, Aditya, Rohit, Pearl, Lata, and everyone else is absolutely PHENOMENAL. Fatima might be a hindrance however can be overlooked! Story:  Basuji's writing is absolutely phenomenal. No one could have made an anthology so nicely and connected the dots so beautifully. Music:  'Hardum Humdum', 'Abaad Barbaad', 'Dil Julaha' are absolute gems and Pritam gives us one of the few albums worth remembe

Even in lockdown, Akshay Kumar treats us to his horror-comedy flick 'Laxmii' directed by Raghav Lawrence. The movie is based on the Tamil flick 'Kanchana' which was also helmed by Lawrence. The movie also stars Ayesha Raza, Ashwini Kaleskar, Sharad Kelkar, Rajesh Sharma as the able supporting cast! The movie is an OTT release available on Disney+Hotstar.                                                             What's Good:  Performances:  Akshay Kumar gives the performance of his career. He portrays Laxmii with exemplary conviction and words fall short to praise this man. Sharad Kelkar, Ayesha Raza, Ashwini Kaleskar provide extreme support to Akshay's performance. Message:  The message finds relevance in today's world and is necessary. Comic Relief:  Ayesha Raza and Ashwini provide some much needed comic relief in this movie.                                                                                   What's Bad:  Screenplay:  The screenplay of t

This lockdown season has helped me uncover some small and beautiful gems which the audience has missed watching in theatres. A movie that boasts of names like Sanjay Mishra, Pankaj Tripathi, Eklavi Khanna, Shivani Raghuvanshi, Anshuman Jha; ' Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain ' is a heartwarming and delightful piece of cinema which we did not know but needed in our lives! The movie had released in 2018 but largely went unnoticed because of reasons best known to the audience. What's Good:  Story:  The story follows 3 distinct love stories and depicts how love has matured over generations. A silent ode to all those women whose marriage and love got lost within household chores and responsibilities.  Performances:  With a cast so perfect, nothing goes wrong in this one! Pankaj Tripathi even in his minuscule role leaves an everlasting impact. Direction:  Harish Vyas' direction is pitch-perfect and guides this movie well. Camerawork:  Farooq Mistry's camerawork captures Banaras an

 To begin with, familiarizing ourselves with what Nepotism means is necessary. Nepotism is " Nepotism  is based on favouritism granted to relatives in various fields, including business, politics, entertainment, sports, religion and other activities." So Nepotism exists in all fields and is a very normal and natural process and there is absolutely nothing wrong in it. A doctor shall promote their kid, similarly an engineer, businessman etc. Therefore it is very normal that there shall be nepotism in every field but then why is Bollywood singled out specifically? Not to forget, trending Boycott Bollywood, disliking trailers is not a solution and in fact, there is a bigger issue than nepotism that exists!                                  The real issue is an 'Entrance Test' and 'Privileged vs Oppressed'. As it has become clear, the are certain 'gangs' that control who gets a movie, who does not. These gangs are run by elite, glamourous people who decide