The Bollywood Elephant

“Yes Meeta, come around at 9:30 pm with your niece to my place. I would certainly like to put her to test before I employ her as my daughter’s caretaker.” Said a workaholic Subhagi(VB) and a mother of one-year-old Pia whom she took from the crèche and went home. Subhagi is a divorced workaholic whose job does not permit her to spend a lot of her time with her one-year-old daughter Pia. She is desperate to find a caretaker of Pia, believing that at least Pia shall be home with a nanny while she is at work. Her doorbell rings and it is Meeta, the caretaker of the neighbouring house who has got her niece, Reshma(AB) as a nanny for Subhagi’s daughter Pia. Seeing Pia cry, Subhagi ensues Reshma with the task of stopping Pia’s cry which she is able to stop within seconds. This convinces Subhagi that she can trust Reshma with Pia and thus takes her documents and employs her in haste. Meanwhile, Subhagi is also fighting the custody case for Pia with her ex-husband Kanishk who is a doct

Amazon Prime Video came out with a neo-noir thriller series 'Paatal Lok'. The series stars Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh and Neeraj Kabi, Abhishek Banerjee in the lead roles with Gul Panag, Deepak Tiwari, Rajesh Sharma supporting this able cast. This 9 episode series is directed by Avinash Arun and Prosit Roy and produced by Anushka Sharma.                                                        What's Good : Acting:  Terrific acting performances by such a talented cast but it is Ishwak Singh's Imran Ansari who stands out and shines. Story: The story is undoubtedly the real king of Paatal Lok. Dark, Gritty, Merciless and Ruthless storyline is extremely phenomenal and totally leaves you in splits. Cinematography:  The story needed a good complement from the cinematography which is delivered to it by the ace director and cinematographer. Technicalities:  The technicalities of the series is decent however choppy editing in parts makes things appear a bit hammy. Re

Worldwide, the ratings from the movie portal Internet Movie Database (IMDb) ratings play a huge role in determining a person's mind to watch a particular movie in the theatre or at home! Even though these ratings neutralize over time, IMDB ratings continue to be a major driver of a person's choice to watch a movie in theatres or not which contributes to its box office collection that describes a movie's fate as a Flop/Average/Hit.                                   Of recently, the platform has been grossly been misused because even if a movie is a good movie and worthy money-spinner, it does not get it due credit at the place where it matters the most: The Ticket Windows and gets declared as a Flop. There are certain movies which in spite of no content and poor ratings still manage to rake in money, the movie in question being Baaghi 3 (2020) which raked in 95 crores at the Box office, undeservingly. Another instance where the movie worked because of the only star powe

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 letd

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&

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 mere

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 simp