TS Review: To Audience, With Love Tumhari Sulu! Positive and Entertaining.

Tumhari Sulu is a testament as to why we love Vidya Balan! This movie is  a proof that  masterclass acting can bring any character alive on-screen. Tumhari Sulu is a triumph in acting and direction.

 

                                                   

 

Vidya Balan is outstanding. She can bring any character to life. She literally acts 'the hell of a prolonged screenplay' and makes it interesting  which could have possibly been very boring to watch. She infuses life into Sulochana 'Sulu'. Manav Kaul as Ashok is superb. His portrayal of Ashok is a proof of how much an underrated actor he is. Neha Dhupia as Maria is soothing to watch. Malishka Mendosa who marks her debut is amazing as RJ Albeli. The movie has no faults in the acting department.

 

                                                     

 

Scripted and directed by Suresh Triveni, the script and direction are pitch perfect. Perhaps a 140 minute is a little too long when the story is predictable. The screenplay seems stretched but Vidya Balan saves it from derailing. The dialogues, the lyrics, the camerawork are nicely done. The music is given by Tanishk Baghi and is amazing. 'Ban Ja Rani' and 'Hawa Hawai 2.0' are the best out of the 4 track album.

 

                                                      

 

With an unnecessary extension of the entertaining first half and a predictable yet entertaining second half, Tumhari Sulu is an out and out a Vidya Balan show. I am going with 3.75 stars  for this positive, lovable and sweet movie which will certainly make us  work on the way we pronounce "Hello!" make you say "Main Kar sakti hai" meaning 'I can do it' to your dreams and aspirations.

                                                      

 

P.S. It was a delight to see a slice of life, oozing with positivity movie after so long. 'Tumhari Sulu' is a triumph.

 

                                                   

QQS Review: Qarib Qarib Perfect!

Qarib Qarib Singlle is the release this week and stars Irrfan Khan and a successful malyali actress Parvathy in leading roles. The movie is directed by Tanuja Chandra of 'Zakhm' and 'Dum' fame and is behind the camera after a decade.  Qarib Qarib Singlle is a breath of fresh air.

 

                                                 

 

Irrfan Khan yet again proves that he is a powerhouse performer. Essaying the role of Yogi/Viyogi, his comic timings and subtle undertones of his romantic side he seals his stand in Bollywood. Parvathy plays the role of Jayshree/Jaya and makes an 'impeccable debut' into Bollywood. Her comic timing and beauty can leave the viewers mesmerized for a long time. Neha Dhupia plays a cameo as Anjali and it was a delight to see her onscreen after a long time. Isha Shravani plays the second cameo in the movie and is sweet and charming as her 'Luck By Chance' days.

                                

                                                     

 

Directed by Tanuja Chandra and scripted by her mother, Kamna Chandra, this mother-daughter duo do a fantastic job behind the camera and on the paper. Tanuja Chandra's film has a fresh take on love as well as the screenplay and the camera work is outstanding. It was fresh to see those close-ups which were once famous. The music by Tanishq Bagchi is nice. 'Jaane De' and 'Kahani Khatam' are beautifully written and sung. Overall, technical aspects are great.

                 

                                                      

 

The movie's bad points are just a little 'yawn' moments in the second half and that's it! Had there been some more weight in the story, QQS would've been the BEST Movie of 2017 because the technical aspects were perfect and there was barely any 'major' fault in the movie. But still easily qualifies as one of the best. I rate the movie 4 stars!

 

                                                

 

P.S. QQS qualifies in the likes of 'Hindi Medium' and DARE NOT miss it!

SS Review: 'Secret' Surprise awaits you in theatres!

'Secret Superstar' is the latest offering of 'Aamir Khan Productions' that released on 19th October, 2017. The movie has a tagline- "Dreams Dekhna Toh Basic Hota Hai" and presents it in the most beautiful, understanding and simple way of story telling.

 

                                     

 

Zaira Wasim of 'Dangal' fame proves that she is 'brimming with fresh talent and method acting' through her portrayal of Insia/Insu. Meher Vij, a name we had not heard before will surely be recalled for her outstanding performance as Zaira's mother, Najma. Tirth Sharma as Chintan gives a simple and delightful performance. Aamir Khan as Shakti Kumar, the musician is funny and infuses some comic timing. The performances are outstanding and provide an able support to a strong script.

 

                                                

 

The story explores a mother-daughter relationship through the expression of right to dream. There are sweet little moments of school-age romance, a brother-sister relationship that run parallel to the main story.  The story, the camerawork, the water-tight screenplay, the direction keep you invested in a 155 minute long movie. The music of the movie, which is supposed to play a major role in the movie is somehow underwhelming. Though that does not mean that the songs are not audible. "Gudgudi", " Meri Pyari Ammi" and "I'll Miss You" are the best of the lot.

 

                                                

 

Director Advait Chandan literally is the superstar of the movie. From the story to the technicalities he ensures that the movie does not waver from what it is trying to portray. With just the music being underwhelming, Secret Superstar ticks all the boxes for being a 'MUST WATCH'. I rate the movie 4.25 stars! It is the BEST movie of 2017 so far leaving 'Newton' by a fair distance! Do NOT miss it!

 

                                             

 

P.S. After watching 'Secret Superstar', you will  hug or thank your mother.

                                      

 

 

Chef Review: This chef offers good food in bad quality!

'Chef' is Saif Ali Khan's solo outing after 2 long years. His last release was 'Phantom' where he played the solo lead. Chef is an official remake of a 2014 Hollywood movie by the same name. Comparing this 'Chef' to the original would be unfair.So no comparisons will be drawn in this review!

                                          

Saif Ali Khan as Roshan is delightful. He portrays his role to suit the character very well. Svar Kamble as Ary, Roshan's son is nice. Chandan Roy Sanyal as Shahid is fun and infuses some comic timing into this drama. Milind Soman's cameo as Biju is simply outstanding. But it is Padmapriya Janakiraman who steals the show with her portrayal of Radha Menon. She infuses life with her performance and her chemistry with Saif is amazing.

                                  

Raja Krishna Menon's direction is above average at best. Though it captures the beauty and essence of the backwaters of Kerela well, he somehow fails to connect with the audience. For a movie which explores a father-son relationship o the basis of food has very less of it. And that is the biggest flaw of the movie. The songs are nice with 'Khoya Khoya' and 'Darmiyaan' being the best. The lyrics, dialogues are good.

                                    

Chef had immense potential to be one of the most heartening portrayals of a father-son relationship but Raja Krishna Menon's direction and to an extent, it's 'Rottza'  made the movie an above average affair. Like Roshan's three Michelin stars, Chef gets 3 stars! Watch it for its beauty and Padmapriya! The box office collection will not exceed 10 crores at the box office what so ever. FLOP! 

                                  

P.S. The movie does some justice to the original! But only SOME!

Newton Review: Newton rediscovers Gravity of Indian Cinema!

As of the recent times, the Bollywood audience has been shifting considerably from star power to content driven cinema. Over the past few weeks movies like 'Bareilly Ki Barfi' and 'Shubh Mangal Saavdhan' has cemented that audience has started preffering content over anything else. 'Newton' adds to this list of content driven cinema. Aanand.L.Rai, the producer of content driven cinema like 'Nil Battey Sannata' and 'Shubh Mangal Saavdhan' delivers yet again a gem, 'Newton'!

                                                   

'Newton' is a movie of actors and not stars. Rajkummar Rao is literally on fire! Starting from 'Trapped' to 'Newton' he is simply outstanding. Portraying Newton Kumar, a slightly disillusioned man about how the world works, he is simply phenomenal. Pankaj Tripathi as Aatma Singh, Raghubir Yadav as Loknath and Anjali Patil as Malko are simply phenomena. They portray their roles to perfection. 

                                               

Amit Masurkar's direction is spot on. He skillfully depicts the scenario of an election in the modern day India. The dialogues are thought provoking and intelligent. The editing, the cinematography, the locations are pitch perfect. The movie leaves you with an important message and also makes a strong statement about the condition of electoral offices in India. The music is also audible to the years even though it is not necessary to have those.

                                                 

The movie has everything going for it except the pace. The pacing of the movie is however the only villain. With all said and done 'Newton' is one of the better films of the year and deserves 4 stars! Go out and watch it.

                                              

P.S. I still prefer Rajkummar Rao as "Pritam Vidrohi" from BKB over "Newton Kumar".



SMS Review: Out"Standing". Miss it at your own risk!

Shubh Mangal Savdhan finally released after a long time. Produced by Aanand.L.Rai under his banner "Color Yellow" which is known for its unique movies.  SMS is no exception. It tackles a very important topic in the world today of erectile dysfunction with brilliance. 

                              
 

Ayushmann plays a sensitive, caring, sweet and hopelessly romantic Mudit To perfection.  His problem and the frustrations are so well depicted that you vouch for him and care.  Bhumi as a hopeless "Bollywood Romance lover" and caring Sugandha is awesome.  She is surely the next generation "Vidya Balan". Ayushmann and Bhumi yet again weave magic with their chemistry. Seema Pahwa is on fire and quite literally.  Playing girl's mother she is phenomenal. All the characters were scripted and depicted themselves beautifully. Phenomenal Acts!

                                      

The movie picks up the theme of 'erectile dysfunction' and does justice to it. The hysteria in the movie and the way they portray their message is phenomenal. Dialogues are hoot-worthy and the cinematography, direction and all the technical aspects are amazing. Locales of Haridwar and Delhi are depicted well. And the subtle undertones are outstanding. The music and background score by Tanishq Baghi is out'standing'. The background score dwells along with the narration and the the retro songs used just give an even better approach to the movie. The movie fills you with Bollywood nostalgia.
                                           

The movie faulters in 2 places: 1) The cameo of an ace actor which is perhaps quite "thanda". 2) The last 10 minutes of the movie where seemingly wrapped up quite shabbily. But with all said and done SHUBH MANGAL SAVDHAN gets 4 stars! Go and watch it. In a place like Dublin the movie got an occupancy of 85% in the evening show and considering that it should do well in India as well so a lifetime collection of 25-30 crores should be fair!
                 
                                             

P.S. It is 2017's 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha.' And never knew Ali baba could give life lessons!

AGSSR Review: Sundar but niether Susheel nor Risky. But definitely Stylish.

Barely one gets movies where the lead actors cannot act. What is even more surprising is that in India if you are a 'beautiful face' you get to face the camera even if you have no talent! "A Gentleman: Sundar, Susheel, Risky" is one such movie. Starring the "handsome" Siddharth Malhotra and the "glam doll" Jacquiline Fernandez. Lets see what is worth going for the movie.

 

                                                 

 

Siddharth Malhotra as Rishi/ Gaurav tries to give his best but fails miserably. His action sequences are least convincing. But his styling is sauve and adds to the glam quotient of the film. Jacquiline as Kavya does justice to her role of a glam doll. Her style, dresses and costumes make Kavya's mischiefs come alive. Suniel Shetty surprises by not being able to act well. Darshan Kumar, the only actor is unable  to pull the movie because of a screen time of barely 15 minutes. A perfect ZERO to the movie in the acting department.

                                                       

 

With a plot so convoluted, the movie loses its impact. What could have been a 'safe' play for the directors, in the awe of doing something brilliant, they lose the plot. Though the directors make the locations of Miami, Mumbai and Bangkok appear beautiful which are complemented by some amazing music and background score by Sachin-Jigar. The songs are the highlight of the movie. The dialogues are nice just like the cinematography and rest of the aspects are average at best.

 

                                           

 

The movie even trolls itself with one dialogue: "Jab Jab Jiske Lagne Hain, Tab Tab Uske Lagte Hain." and rightly so. The movie literally "Lagao's" it's own. WIth the beautiful locations, Jacquiline and songs going for it, this gentleman manages to be a one time watch. I rate the movie 2 stars. Watch it at your own risk.

 

                                            

 

P.S. "BAREILLY KI BARFI" should be your watch even if one has other choices, because for me BKB is the best movie of August 2017.