The Bollywood Elephant

Hey Readers, Happy New Year! Thank you for your support and the love as in a few days time the Blog turns 3 years old! And before we reach there, I would like to conclude with this decade's best list!                                          Before we rank these movies, here are some honourable mentions: Hum  Chaar:  This bitter-sweet tale about friendships and infatuation was adorable, to say the least! All this in a Rajshri style!                                                     De De Pyaar De:  This one was a fun watch with a message at the end! Not to forget the beautiful Tabu!                                                    Laal Kaptaan:  This was a slow burner which was coupled with some brilliant acting and beautiful cinematography!                                                       Batla House :   This JA starrer was inspired from real events had actually dealt with subtlety on the encounter by the same name!                                            

This week was a quiet week at the box office considering 2 small budget movies 'Photograph' and 'Milan Talkies'. 'Photograph' is directed by Ritesh Batra (of Lunchbox fame) and stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Rafi and Sanya Malhotra as Miloni/Noorie in the lead roles who are ably supported by Farukh Jaffar as Rafi's grandmother. There was a bit of sceptical as I would have preferred Tigmanshu Dhulia's Milan Talkies to this movie. Here is my take on Ritesh Batra's Photograph.                                                What's Good:   Performances:  With Nawaz in the lead, there is not a single folly in his act as Rafi but it is Sanya Malhotra's Miloni who stays with you long after you leave the theatre. Terrific! An Ode to Mumbai:  Ritesh Batra gives a tribute to Mumbai in a unique way, unlike the way he did in 'The Lunchbox'. Cinematography: One of the best scene in a long time (Tumbbad is an exception). Slow Burner:  Being

After making thrillers like 'Kahaani', 'Ahalya' and the screenwriter for movies like 'Kahaani 2', 'Te3n' etc. Sujoy Ghosh, one of the best directors of Indian Cinema delivered these intense thrillers but soon after made 'Kahaani 2', which made his credibility in danger. He delivers 'Badla' this week, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Amrita Singh and Taapsee Pannu in lead roles and all that can be said is, 'Revenge is best served COLD'. 'Badla' is an official adaptation of the Spanish film, 'The Invisible Guest'.                                                  What's Good:   Performances:  Amitabh Bachchan is at his usual best as Badal Gupta. Amrita Singh as Rani is an absolute delight and we need to see more of her. Manav Kaul as Jimmy is good in his small cameo.  Dialogues:  The dialogues are decent enough. The Twists : The twists are good and unexpected and bring the much-needed thrill. Story: The story