Report Card 2018: A Heart vs Mind Battle!

2018 has been an interesting year for the film industry around the world. With some major banners falling below expectations and small banners springing up surprises. The net revenue of Bollywood has grown from $116.8 billion in 2017 to $132.8 billion in 2018. In a first, there was a failure of domination of the Khans at the box office that was surpassed by Khurana, Rao and Kaushal aka Talents and Story. Like it is, if there are good films, there are bad films.

                          

 Before discussing the good films, here are 5 films that disappointed me the most:

5.) Namaste England: Regressive, Demeaning and Poorly Acted and Directed.

                                                           

4.) Welcome to New York: Still figuring out what they wanted to deliver.

                                                              

3.) Race 3: Anything and everything happening.

                                                       

2.) Thugs of Hindostan: Childish and immature.

                                                        

1.) Zero: A perfect Zero (in every department).

                                                         

Where all the Khans failed at delivering content and numbers, there were certain surprises that sprung out of the oblivion. So, here are my Bollywood favourites from the year.

                                             
10.) TIE

• Baazaar: Performances, direction and Story.

                                                        

• Simmba: Ranveer, Message, first half and TOTAL MASALA entertainment(with forced songs and excessive moral policing though).

                                                         

9.) Manmarziyaan: Music, towering performances by the 3 actors.

                                              

8.) Tumbbad: Novel, Interesting, Cinematography and Intriguing.

                                                        

7.) Raazi: Performances, Music and Story.

                                                         

6.) Sanju: Good as an independent movie but not as a biopic.

                                                       

5.) Mulk: Important, Relevant and Interesting.

                                                           

3.)     TIE:

•  Stree: Experimental, Unique and Performances.

                                                          

•  Badhaai Ho: Unconventional and Super Entertaining.

                                                   

2.) October: Does it have a false Note? The only place where it lacks or loses to the top movie is Music, otherwise, it's perfect.
                                                    

1.) Andhadhun: Tabu- The name is enough! Everything including Music.

                                               


Best Actor (Male): Ranbir Kapoor for Sanju.

                                              

Best Actor (Female): Tabu for Andhadhun and Neena Gupta for Badhaai Ho.

                                             

                                             

Best Supporting Actor (Male): Manoj Pahwa for Mulk.

                                             


Best Supporting Actor (Female): Surekha Sikri for Badhaai Ho.

                                              

Best Music: Amit Trivedi for Manmarziyaan.

                                               


Best Director: Sriram Raghavan for Andhadhun.
                     
                                                

Honourable Mentions: Blackmail, Kaalakandi, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, Pari.



Overall, 2018 was a great year for the Hindi film industry in a long long time and we hope that 2019 is bigger and better and we hope that good cinema gets its due while we have a power packed 'masala' entertainer once in a while!

So here is my report card for Bollywood movies this year! Kindly let me know your favourites too!

2.0 review: Its Pretty, Bad! Chitti is back!

The much-awaited mammoth '2.0' finally hit the theatres with superstar Rajnikanth reprising his role of the human-robot Chitti and with Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson joining him in this time!

                                            

Rajnikanth as Vasigaran/Chitti/Chitti 2.0 does full justice to his roles as the human robot. He and his expressions are spot-on!! Akshay Kumar as the antagonist Pakshi  Rajan is menacing but does not have enough meat for his role. Amy Jackson plays the role of the pretty damsel really well as Nila. And it is an out and out Rajni movie.

                                                         

Shanker delivers us ' Rajni brand of entertainment' after Robot. Though his screenplay, the story is weak but his direction is good and offers a strong message as well. The VFX is top-notch and really makes the movie look an absolute delight. However, the over the top emotional quotient, forced social message do some damage to the second half. The dialogues are just about ok but the background score by AR Rahman is delightful.

                                                         

An entertaining and fun 1st half but a boring second half with an interesting climax, Shankar succeeds but is unable to fully deliver an entertaining Rajni movie. But it is surely better than his contemporaries like Kaala, Kabali and even Robot itself.  I am going with 3 stars! Watch it for the magnificence of the 3D aspect.

                                                  

P.S. Its worth the wait of 2 years and the production budget of 540 crores.

Baazaar Review: A Baazaar you have to definitely visit!!

This week is the release of a low-key movie 'Baazaar' starring Saif Ali Khan, late actor Vinod Mehra's son Rohan Mehra, Radhika Apte and Chitrangda Singh in the lead roles and is directed by debutant director Gauravv K Chawla.

                                                             

                                                            

Saif Ali Khan is back and how! He makes a fabulous act as a shrewd business Shakun Kothari and delivers a fabulous performance. Rohan Mehra, who makes his debut is literally outstanding and makes a debut which makes you want to see more of him. He does make his late father Vinod Mehra proud. Radhika Apte as Priya is interesting and pivotal. Chitrangda Singh has a lot of heavy lifting to do in the movie as Mandira and makes a just about effort to portray it.

                                    

Debutant director keeps the direction absolutely sleek and fabulous. An interesting plot keeps the viewer invested and the first half of the movie is out and out terrific. The grip of the movie does slip in the second half but the engaging and convincing acts make up for the lost grounds. The dialogues are fabulous and the music is on point. The movie can more or less be summarized a 'Understanding Stock Market for dummies' and does a good job at explaining this to people.

                                             

The movie is an interesting watch which will perhaps get overshadowed by the riot 'Badhaai Ho', and a slippy second half  but certainly deserves attention and love from all quarters. I am going with a 3.5 stars for this Saif-Rohan starrer. It's a bazaar one should surely visit. The lifetime of the movie is expected to be about 15-20 crores (certainly deserves more).

                                     

P.S. The movie released without an interval in Dublin, yet kept me as viewer interested and invested for its 140  minute long run time. You should definitely visit this Baazaar.

BH Review: Badhaai Ho! Movie delivered very well!

The kind of cinema Ayushmann Khurana is been associated with is rather amazing and surprising. He has been associated with taboo breaking cinema and this week's release 'Badhaai Ho' is no exception. He movie revolves around the central idea of parents in their early 50s, receive the news of the pregnancy.

                                       

Ayushmann Khurana is on fire and quite literally. If you thought Andhadhun was his career best, be ready to re-think your choice. He just expresses Nakul onto another level. The real boss here is Surekha Sikri who as dadi, gets the best one-liners and is surely one of the most compelling supporting actor one shall see. Gajraj Rao and Neena Gupta are fabulous and express their varied expressions with ease and share an adorable chemistry. Shardul Rana, Sheeba Chadha and Sanya Malhotra don't have much to do but are great in whatever little role they have.

                                      

Debutant Amit Ravindranath Sharma takes up a taboo subject and delivers an entertaining, funny and adorable film. The first half is full of terrific one-liners, and the pacing is well kept. The second half on the other is a little slow due to the romantic angle and a bit of melodrama but the director ensures that one does not lose out interest in the movie. The addition of the society angle just improves on the story and the DOP captures Delhi, the way it should be. The songs are audible but it is primarily the treatment of the subject, the editing and the dialogues that are the real and absolute triumph here.

                                      

                                       

'Badhaai Ho' is one of the best movies to come out this year. Better than a lot of big budgets this year, Badhaai Ho brings to table one of the taboo topics and does it with proper technique and finesse. I am going with 4 stars for this Ayushmann Khurana starrer. The box office is expected to be 80-90 crores.

                                 

P.S. Let's have an 'Andhadhun' applause  for 'Badhaai Ho'.

SD Review: Sab Badiya Hai! A well stitched movie with minor loose ends.

This week Varun Dhawan's 'Sui Dhaga: Made in India' released along side Vishal Bharadwaj's 'Patakhaa'. So, I decided to review this Sharat Katariya directed affair and it was a totally sound decision.

                            

Varun Dhawan is exemplary in his role as Mauji. His dialect, appearance and acting are all on point. He brings an unusual charm to Mauji. On the other hand, Anushka as Mamta is totally terrific. Her angst, emotions are all on point. They share a crackling chemistry which lights the screen. Raghubir Yadav as Mauji's father, Yamini Dass as Mauji's mother, Namit Das as Guddu play their role and to perfection. The movie is sound in the acting department.

                                                

Writer-Director Sharat Katariya keeps the story simple like his previous movie, 'Dum laga Ke Haisha' and that is where there is disappointment. The story had enormous potential which is left half done due to a loose screenplay. The editing, cinematography, DOP are all on point. One of the major reason which makes the movie highly watchable is Anu Malik's background score and music. The background score captures the essence of small town area and the music dwells well with the narrative. Apart from a loose narrative, Sui Dhaga scores a well on other technical departments. In other words, 'Sab Badhiya Hai'.

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Overall, Sui Dhaga is a heartwarming movie with its heart in its right place and elevated by supreme performances. I am going with a 3.5  rating. The movie also asserts the fact that 'dreams do come true only if effort is right'. The business of the movie will be around 75-85 crores.

                                                       

P.S. SD leaves u with a huge smile which stays long after you leave the theatre.

Manmarziyaan Review: Just like Love, it is Complicated, Messy, Confusion and Flawed.

An ace director like Anurag Kashyap decides to helm the director's hat for something that is out of his comfort zone i.e. Romance and delivers a beautifully created mess called Manmarziyaan. The movie  stars Vicky Kaushal, Taapsee Pannu and  Abhishek Bachchan in the lead roles. 

                                                 

Have you ever thought you'd fall in love with Abhishek Bachchan? Well surprisingly, Abhishek infuses an unusual charm to Robbie and aces his act. But it is the terrific acts of the Vicky Kaushal and Taapsee that really holds the movie together. They bring life to Vicky and Rumi and their chemistry is undeniably crackling. The terrific leads are ably supported by  Vikram Kochchar, Pavan Malhotra, Poonam Shah among others.

                                               

Kashyap does an excellent job in bringing to life the complexities of modern day love. The movie does have vibes of Bhansali's classic, 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' leading to the plot appearing a bit far fetched and predictable. Kashyap's terrific first half leaves u wanting for more from the second half but the second half falters giving way to a lot of melodrama. Kanika Dhillon's writing is good but the screenplay and dialogues are absolutely bang on. Amit  Trivedi does an exemplary job in the music department and all the songs are nice to hear and dwells with narration with 'Daryaa', 'Sachchi Mohabbat', 'Choch Ladiyaan' being personal favourites. The editing, the cinematography and DOP capture the essence of Punjab very well.

                                                   

On the whole, Manmarziyaan is absolutely like love: beautiful, complicated, messy, confusing and flawed but it is also one of the only movies where Kashyap's mingling of critical and commercial cinema come together and deliver something that shall  stay  with you for sometime even after you leave the theatre. It has a niche audience and shall click with the people who are hardcore takers of romance. I  am going with 3.75 stars for the movie. The business of Manmarziyaan shall be somewhere between 35-45 crores.

                                                     

P.S. U simply cannot miss the lovely banter between Rumi and Robbie in the second half. It is simple, sweet and charming.

  

Stree Review: The 'Stree' of your dream is right here!

This week Bollywood had 2 major releases: The Rajkummar Rao-Shraddha Kapoor starrer 'Stree' and the Deols' Yamla Pagla Deewana Phir Se'.  I decided to watch the former and so here are my thoughts the Dinesh Vijan production, "Stree" starring an unusual pair of Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor.

                                              

Leading the show is the ever-reliable Rajkummar Rao as Vicky who effortlessly pulls off the role of 'Manish Malhotra of Chanderi'. His comic timing is spot on and brilliant even better than Bareilly ki Barfi. On the other hand, Shraddha Kapoor surprises with her acting skills in this one as the mystery girl. Her chemistry with Rajkummar Rao is palpable. Adding to the fun are Aparshakti Khurana as Bittu, Abhishek Banerjee as Dana and Pankaj Tripathi as Rudra are once again amazing and brilliant. They just simply add more to this madcap ride. 

                                                    

Based on the ridiculously true phenomenon of Nale Ba, about a witch who knocks on the door of the houses, the writing of  'Stree' is a real triumph. In spite of having a limited scope in this tale, the ridiculous phenomenon is entertaining told through the dialogues and writing of Raj & DK(of Go Goa Gone fame).  The editing is a little troublesome but does not exactly hamper the viewing for the audiences. The first half an hour takes time to build up but completely redeems itself in the thereafter. The music by Sachin Jigar is spot on and outstanding. A perfect blend of foot-tapping 'Aao Kabhi Haveli Pe' to soothing one in 'Nazar Na Lag Jaye'. There is some amazing work done here.

                                                        

Overall, 'Stree' is the best movie to have released post 'Raazi' (better than 'Sanju') and surely deserves to be on your watchlist for some pure madcap fun and frolic. 'Stree' should also prove to be the game-changer for Shraddha Kapoor and as for Rajkummar Rao, he is the best. I am going with 3.75 stars for 'Stree'. The business of this movie should be around 40-50 crores being a medium budget movie.

                                                     

P.S. This is rightfully the 'Stree' of your dreams!