Maska Review: Smooth, Flavored and Long Lasting Maska!!!

Amidst this quarantine period, we have been supported by various OTT platforms for our entertainment. Netflix released their own movie, 'Maska' starring Manisha Koirala, Prit Kamani, Shirley Setia, Nikita Dutta and Jaaved Jaafri! 'Maska' follows a basic premise of a Mother-Son relationship explored through dreams and the age-old family cafe 'The Rustom Cafe'.

                                            

What's Good: Acting: It is such a delight to watch the beautiful and super talented Manisha Koirala onscreen. She is absolutely delightful. Prit is great as Rumi. Nikita is terrific as Mallika. It is Shirley Setia who as Persis is inconsistent as a Parsi girl. Plot: The plot is absolutely simple, straight forward and adorable. Simplicity is Charming. Technicalities: The technicalities are good and decently done. 

                                    

What's Bad: Second-Second Half: The last 20 minutes of the movie is a bit of a letdown but can be overlooked considering the journey it takes! 

                                    

Final Word: 'Maska' comes close to being the next 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham' but falls short but is nonetheless a delightful and amazing watch! It is probably the better takes on a Mother-Son relationship and should not be missed! I rate 'Maska' 3.5 stars! Watch it and make you quarantine worthwhile!

                                   

Thappad Review: Crisp, Hard and Deserved!

Even after days of viewing this movie, it has been incredibly difficult for me to review this Taapsee Pannu starrer movie. For everyone considering that it was 'just a slap', Thappad in this movie is just a Metaphor. The movie also stars Tanvi Azmi, Ratna Pathak, Kumud Mishra, Geetika Vidya Ohalyan, Manav Kaul, Dia Mirza, Maya Sarau and Pavail Gulati. It is directed by Anubhav Sinha previously known for 'Article 15', 'Mulk' etc.

                                                

What's Good: Acting: There is absolutely nothing that can be picked out. Perfection by an ensemble cast. Screenplay: For a subject like this, the screenplay could have faltered but Anubhav Sinha and co-writer Mrunmayee Lagoo do it with such finesse and perfection, there is not a single false note. Story: Its biggest strength is the writing. The movie is not at all male-bashing but shows the positive side of men as well. The climax choked me! Music: 'Ek Tukda Dhoop' shines and shines on. Technicalities: Editing, Background Score, Cinematography, everything is PITCH PERFECT.

                                     

What's Bad: NOTHING! At most, apart from 'Ek Tukda Dhoop' none of the songs make an impact.

                                           

Final Word: 'Thappad' is just a metaphor in the movie. Thappad is Anubhav Sinha's and the BEST FILM  in at least the last 10 years and features Taapsee's BEST PERFORMANCE so far. It's not about smashing the patriarchy or anything, it is just the story of a regular housewife who refuses to brush things under the carpet for 'family honour'. Thappad is near to PERFECT FILM. In my 4 years of blogging, I have never rated a movie so high but Thappad is an ABSOLUTE WATCH and gets 4.75 stars! I cannot stress the fact that how much perfection the film has obtained and the fact that it should NOT BE MISSED AT ALL! There can be a whole length and so much to discuss about this movie! Please let me know if you are willing to discuss!

                                            

P.S. If you have seen the movie, PLEASE encourage your FAMILY & RELATIVES but do NOT miss it!

JJ Review: Jawaani Jaanemann, Hasee(n) Dilruba, Mile 2 Dil jawaan, Kamaal ho Gaya!

So this week saw the release of Saif's 'Jawaani JaaneMann' which also stars Alaya F(Pooja Bedi's daughter) and has Tabu in a special appearance. The cast is supported by an amazing Kumud Mishra, Farida Jalal, Kubbra Sait to name a few. It is directed by 'Notebook' fame Nitin Kakkar.

                      

                                                  

What's Good: Performances: Saif is in the terrific form! Alaya is amazing with her acting and so is the mesmerizing Tabu! Supporting Cast does well too! 1st Half: The 1st Half is downright terrific and Hilarious. Music: 'Gallan Kardi', 'Bandhu Ho Gaya' were my takeaways from this decent album. Maturity: The movie deals with the subject with pre-marital pregnancy in kids pretty maturely and does well in that. Direction: The direction is top-notch and lifts this quirky story.

                                           

What's Bad: Too Little of Tabu: Tabu is merely just in for 20 minutes and I wish she was there in larger screen time. 2nd Half: When the emotional part kicks in, the movie loses grip and mainly since the emotional scenes are not 'emotional enough' to keep one invested. It would have been great if the movie would have stuck to its original premise and not gone down the emotional side!

                                       

Overall, JJ is a decent one time watch mainly due to the quirkiness it has and that beautiful Alaya! It is 'Happy Go Lucky' kind of a movie that is best enjoyed after a tiring day at work. It is 'Safe' (sorry had to do it) to go with 3 stars for this Decent watch.

                                    

P.S. I  would still recommend people to watch 'Panga'  if you haven't!

Panga Review: A Panga you should take!

Kangana Ranaut's 'Panga' released this week. It co-stars Neena Gupta, Jassie Gill, Richa Chaddha and Yagya Bhasin. Being promoted as a tale of motherhood and revolving around the comeback of a mother in Kabaddi, the movie is more than what appears to the eye! It is directed by 'Bareilly ki Barfi' director, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari.

                                               

What's Good: Acting: The performances of the film are simply outstanding! From Kangana to Yagya and even the supporting cast, everyone shines and how! Kangana's chemistry with Jassie Gill is mind-blowing.  Story: A simple story that can be interpreted in different ways. Direction: When the plot is predictable, it boils down to the director and Ashwiny Iyer knows her craft too well to go wrong. Technical Aspects: Everything is pitch-perfect here. The music might be underwhelming for some people! 

                                     

What's Bad: This section is simply about nitpicking. Music: Apart from Jugnu, the songs feel underwhelming. Predictability: The story is a tad bit too predictable leading some people to lose interest too soon!

                                     

Overall, 'Panga' is perhaps the most beautiful amalgamation of Dreams and Duties in the most real way. It can be interpreted as an inspiring story about never giving up or perhaps My interpretation of Panga is that it uses Kabaddi as its base and portrays to us the dynamics and unconditional love of the family! I am going with 4.25 stars! It is a complete package! A MUST WATCH!

                                      

P.S. No matter how busy you are! Do take out time and take the Panga!

Oscars kill Creativity.

With the Oscar nominations due this Monday, the 13th, I tend to highlight the fact how the Academy is highly skewed in their nomination and choices, it is pretty clear that the Oscars tend to kill creativity. How? Let's find out!

                                                  

To begin with the prominent awards in acting, the Academy is in love to nominate and award the characters based on real-life personalities or based on the book or on characters based on period dramas. For instance, the biggest snub of the decade was Glenn Close losing out the Best Actress for 'The Wife', to Olivia Colman for a period drama 'The Favourite'.  Another instance was the much deserved Charlotte Rampling losing to Brie Larson at the Oscars 2015 where Charlotte was nominated for a fictional drama '45 Years' and Larson for 'Room' based on a book by the same name. This year also there is a huge chance that in spite of clearly a superlative performance by Scarlett Johanson in Marriage Story(a fictional story),  the Academy will be rewarding Renee Zellweger for 'Judy' or Charlize Theron for 'Bombshell' both of whom are based on real-life characters of Judy Garland and the journalist Megyn Kelly. So, the main issue in rewarding these artist portraying real-life people is the fact that (in my opinion), the actors tend to LIMIT themselves to those characters and failed to go beyond the limitations of the personality which may/may not help them evolve because playing such characters is more about impersonification than adding creativity and with the Academy rewarding such characters only prompts the producers and directors to make more biopics that shall serve the academy more than the audience. A similar pattern was observed in male actor category where the magnificent William Dafoe was the only nomination from a fictional film and the rest were based on real-life personality or a book. Hence, here the Academy is profusely skewed to book adaptations or biopics. Hence it appears that the director and the producers if at all consider making a fictional movie they go for books rather than their own minds because of the Academy's love for biopics and books. Hence, the Academy should reconsider its guidelines because the releases we have nowadays, there will be a time when we shall only see biopics and book adaptations and the creative minds will go extinct.

Similarly, in the Costumes category, the academy is highly skewed to rewarding period or fantasy drama. What the Academy fails to understand and also stated by fashion designer Jurgen Doering is the fact that in the race to award the more lavish or the more stylish costumes, the academy clearly forgets to reward those designers who design costumes based on the character’s nature, for example, Mary Zophres’ costume for Mia (Emma Stone) in La La Land was aptly done as it matched her character’s positivity and even dwelled with the surroundings. Not only Mia’s but also Sebastian’s costumes matched his character, his negativity and hence it can be said that the rightful recipient should have been Mary Zophres. 

                                                    

Hence with 3 poignant categories being awarded on the basis of something not very appropriate, the Academy should reconsider its guidelines because the releases we have nowadays, there will be a time when we shall only see biopics and book adaptations and the creative minds will go extinct. For example, touted as this year's best Oscar bet, "The Irishman" is also based on the book, 'I heard you paint houses', which in turn is based on the life of Frank Sheeran or The Irishman. Hence, with such adaptations taking the front seat for the Oscars, the Academy may not be affected or feel the need to change their guidelines.

                                                      
Moreover, since a movie's success is usually determined by the 'Oscars' it takes home or the nominations, the Academy should be better at the allotment of movies in their respective categories!

The Decade that was (2010-2019): Best Films of the Decade!

As the decade that past us recently, the Bollywood movies have finally been rich on content and even the audience evolved and showed acclaim for this content-rich cinema. The revenue of Bollywood has seen a sharp from INR68.6 Billion in 2010 to INR131.7 Billion in 2019 showing roughly increase in approx 50% of revenue, were actually the revenue of content-rich cinema has been a major contributor in the later years. Here I list down the movies, I recommend everyone to watch if they haven't as the coming decade promises a lot more meaningful cinema leaving little to no time to view these gems.

Before we begin, here are some MENTIONS:

Guzaarish, Tanu Weds Manu, Piku, Do Dooni Chaar, Meri Pyaari Bindu, Dedh Ishqiya.

TOP 25 (in no particular order):

My Name Is Khan: Performances, Story, Execution, Music!

RAAJNEETI: The entire concept of Modern Mahabharat, Performances, Music, Direction.

UDAAN: Story, Performances, Direction.

ISHQIYA: Story, Performances, Direction, Music, Character sketches.

ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA: This list would be a lie without this movie!

DELHI BELLY: Music, Story, Performances.

VICKY DONOR: Unique, Astounding, Ayushmann.

YEH JAWAANI HAI DEEWANI: Enjoyable, fun and relatable!

HAIDER: The best adaptation of Shakespeare in Indian cinema!

TANU WEDS MANU RETURNS: The best sequel to be churned out of Bollywood yet.

QUEEN: Kangana and the story.

DRISHYAM: A remake but still deserves to a spot here for being the most sincere remake!

DUM LAGA KE HAISHA: The best simple love story seen.

KAPOOR & SONS: The most heartwarming, adorable take on dysfunctional families. Dadu has given life goals!

DEAR ZINDAGI: The therapy and the therapist we all loved! Not to forget Jug's wardrobe.

NIL BATTEY SANNATA: The storyline, cinematography and Pankaj Tripathi.

LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA: One of the best satires about a woman's desire ever explored.

ANDHADHUN: The name is enough. Here is to the movie that is perhaps India's best thriller.

ENGLISH VINGLISH: A mother's struggle to be independent couldn't better depicted and performed!

KAHAANI: The only Vidya Balan movie where the story and direction shined more than her!

GULLY BOY: An interesting take on the hip-hop scenario in India with subtle undertones of family.

MASAAN: Perhaps the only movie whose impact lasted for months.

PINK: Perhaps the most important movie of the decade.

BADHAAI HO: A rather questionable name in the list just like the next one, Badhaai Ho served us Entertainment but also brought forward that not only the grown-up kids, their parents also need their own space and time!

And, my favourite name on this list or rather, my Movie of the decade:

BAREILLY KI BARFI: Yes another questionable entry, BKB not only has some amazing, mesmerizing and loving characters, small-town essence and charm. It is not extraordinary yet there is something Extraordinary!

So, here are my favourites of the decade. Do comment down yours too!