TGIE Review: Worth an escape to the cinema!

'The Great Indian Escape' is a movie directed by Taranjiet Singh Namdhari and stars Asheesh Kapur, Raj Singh Arora and Raghav Rishi in the lead roles. It is a true story based on the aftermath of the 1971 Indo-Pak war and an escape made by 3 Indian Air Force officers after they were held as Prisoners of War. it is a story of motivation, bravery, courage, valour and love for our motherland.

                                               

What's Good: Story: Needless to say, the story is one of the strongest points of the TGIE. Performances: The performances by Asheesh Kapur and Raj Singh are absolutely amazing which are ably supported by the rest of the cast. Direction and Editing: Director and Editor Taranjiet Nambi masterfully edits and directs the movie. Dialogues: The dialogues are well-written and do not go to the 'hyper-nationalism' way. Art Direction and Set Design: The art direction and set design are absolutely spot on. They seem to be in sync with the times the story is set in. Chemistry: The chemistry among the leads is absolutely amazing and delightful.

                                            

What's Bad: Raghav Rishi's Debut: The narrator of the entire incident Dilip Parulkar aka Raghav Rishi is a bit unconvincing in his debut. His dialogue delivery is outright flat which hampers the impact the well-written dialogues could have had. The VFX and Superimposed imagery: Another aspect that refrained the movie from having an amazing impact was the superimposed imagery and the VFX which was done in such a way that it was obvious that it is superimposed.

                                             

All in all, The Great Indian Escape deserves your time because it talks about a true story that should have graced the silver screen earlier but could not. Moreover, the movie leaves you with immense motivates you, makes you realise and feel proud of those who are at the border protecting us. I am going with 3.5 stars for 'The Great Indian Escape'. It is a 1 Time Must Watch.

                                     

Kesari Review: A story that deserved better!

The Battle of  Saragarhi was a battle that took place in the British era of 1879 in India where 21 Sikh soldiers fought against 10,000 afghans to protect the Saragarhi fort. It was a story that was begging to be brought to celluloid and finally the master of patriotic acts Akshay Kumar brings this story to life with the help of Dharma Productions and director Anurag Singh.

                               

What's Good: Story: The Battle of Saragarhi is a reason alone you should watch Kesari. Performances: Performances are outstanding. Right from Akshay Kumar to Parineeti's special appearance, everything is outstanding. Action: Most of the action sequences are well choreographed. Dialogues: The dialogues are rousing and patriotic. Music: The song 'Teri Mitti' will echo long after you leave the theatre.

                                        

What's Bad: Editing: The editing is shabby and incoherent. First Half: The first half takes wayyyyyyyy to long to build up. Screenplay: The screenplay is pretty lazy. Exhausting: By the time the movie ends, the viewer is exhausted because of all of those fighting sequences that even the movie ending on an emotional note, fails to connect.

                                        

Kesari is a story that deserved better treatment. A shabby and slow first half is very average but is uplifted by a terrific and pacy second half but n0t enough to make you connect emotionally to the story but does rouse the patriotism a bit. I am going with 2.5 stars.

                                         

P.S. Do yourself a favor and watch 'Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota'.