The Bollywood Elephant

To begin with, it is not always about selecting the 'Best Film' at the Oscars. If India were to send the Best Movie to the Oscars, the Tamil movie, 'Super Deluxe' should have been a sure shot choice to send to the Oscars. But Oscars is not about sending the best of what India has, but the movie that can bring home an Oscar.                                       To begin with, this year at the Oscars, India shall have the advantage of its visibility among the 6000+ jury  members because of the movie's director Zoya Akhtar and costume designer Arjun Bhasin are among the members of the jury which also gives them a chance of networking and trying to juice in maximum votes from the jury for their film. Thus, increasing nomination chances (if not winning!)                                                History is proof that the Academy prefers movies based on the underdog stories set in rural India/slums backed by actors who bring to life the super-strong em

'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 syn

There have been various kinds of movies that have to be told but face problems when they have to do not find any producers willing to invest money. Such stories with a desire to be a feature film turn to crowdfund for raising capital for production.                                          As evident from its name, crowdfunding is a practice adopted by a lot of indie filmmakers to gather fund for their films. Not only provide funds, but crowdfunding also permits the public to be familiar with the film and its cast (one of the biggest positives when the box office is concerned). Not only that, as per an investor, " Many independent film producers view crowdfunding as an excellent way to raise funds to cover production costs. Film producers are able to start to accumulate an interesting audience for their movie while raising money to make it."   A few examples of crowd-funded movies is Rajat Kapoor's national award-winning movie 'Raghu Romeo', which wo

'Cake' is a Pakistani movie that released on Netflix recently stars Sanam Saeed, Amaina Sheikh and Adnan Malik in the lead roles. It is directed by debutante director Asim Abbasi. The film deals with a dysfunctional family where the illnesses of their ageing parents amidst their personal turbulence as the kids gather together for their parents.                                                         What's Good:   Acting:  Some fabulous acting is done by the exceptional leads and supporting cast. Story:  Absolutely not on the same as Kapoor and Sons, there is a difference about this Pakistani drama. Chemistry: The chemistry where expected is sparkling and crackling. Message:  A message common to all Pakistani movies, is the importance of staying together is depicted with absolute subtility here. Ode to 90s Music:  The amazing background score reminisces us about old Bollywood music.  The Best thing about Cake:  They are the family next door!                  

This week   saw the release of 2019’s biggest summer release, the Salman ‘Bhai’ Khan starrer ‘Bharat’, based on the Korean film, “An Ode to my Father”. The movie has an outstanding supporting cast that includes names like Ayesha Raza, Kumud Mishra, Sunil Grover, Shashank Arora etc. Post watching Bharat, it can surely be said that Salman Khan still has commitment issues.                                                              What’s Good: Acting(yes, acting!): With such an amazing supporting cast, the acting is pitch perfect. Even Katrina Kaif manages to act well. It’s ‘Bharat’ aka Bhai who lets us down (like always).   Music: Vishal Shekhar’s music is one of the better things about this movie. The Aunt-Nephew connection: The subtle undertones of the relation are pretty decent. Cinematography: The cinematography is pretty decently done.                                               What’s Bad: Length: At approximately 167 minutes, the movie highly overstays i

This week saw the release of Ajay Devgn and Tabu's 'De De Pyaar De' which was directed by debutante Akiv Ali. The premise revolves around a man who goes to India with his girlfriend to his family for their approval. An interesting premise, let's see how it is:                                                         What's Good:   Acting:  Tabu is an absolute delight. Devgn and Rakul Preet are good. The supporting cast and many surprise appearances are phenomenal and elevate the movie experience. Music:  The music is nice and the revamp 'Hauli Hauli' will stick with you for long. Comic Timing:  The comic timing is simply pitch-perfect. Message and Strong Emotion: The movie has a message which may not have been delivered is not interesting but is important and laced with strong emotions.                                                    What's Bad:   Dialogues: The dialogues are poorly scripted. First Half: Takes a lot of time to build u

John Wick series is an action based thriller franchise whose last movie John Wick: Chapter 2 hit the screens in 2017. John Wick 3: Parabellum (meaning prepare for war in Russian) hit the screens this 15th May and can be said: "This is how one makes a sequel."                                                  What's Good:  Acting:  Keanu Reeves yet again tells us that no one apart from him can play 'Jonathan Wick' and Ian McShane tells us that no one can play the manager of the Continental better than him. Action Sequence:  The action sequences are beyond outstanding and well choreographed. Story:  Begins from where the prequel had left, the story is interesting and engaging. Background Score:  The background score dwells very well with the narration. Pacing: The 129 minutes of the movie pass unnoticed. The brilliance of the director and the screenplay writer.                                                 What's Bad: Poor Climax:  The climax