Monday, July 31, 2017

Mubarakan - Movie Review



CAST: Anil Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Ileana D’Cruz, Athiya Shetty, Ratna Pathak Shah, Pavan Malhotra, Neha Sharma

DIRECTION: Anees Bazmee

DURATION: 2 hours 36 minutes

As soon as you know this is a film by director Anees Bazmee (Welcome, Thank You, Welcome Back) you begin to make certain – and not entirely inaccurate – assumptions. There will be a case of mistaken identity, there will be meddling men, there will be an ear-drum shattering decibel level to the background music, there will be ensemble songs and a complicated climax where all the confusion gets cleared – you hope — once and for all.

Mubarakan opens in 1990s England. Some rather reckless driving leads to a car crash resulting in orphaned twins who are adopted by a doting aunt and an equally doting uncle, respectively. Karan grows up in London while Charan is raised in Chandigarh.

Unlike their appearance (Arjun Kapoor in a double role), the brother’s personalities are not identical. Karan is fast-talking; Charan is docile. They have another thing in common: the inability to reveal the truth about their love lives to their family.

Surprisingly the confusion in the plot (story by Balwinder Singh Januja and Rupinder Chahal) does not revolve around the twins since one is without headgear and the other wears a turban. They also dress unlike each other, though both have questionable fashion sense. The madness pivots around marriages being arranged for the brothers.

In an early scene in a London mall, you see Karan and Sweety (Ileana D’Cruz) chatting to each other on their phones. A slightly impolite Sweety observes an Indian woman trip and, for no particular, proceeds to taunt her. This cringe-worthy exchange of juvenile verbal abuse goes on for an uncomfortably long time, long enough though for you to begin to dislike Karan’s girlfriend and his mother/ aunt (Ratna Pathak Shah). Of course Karan does not have the courage to stand up for either woman in his life.

Across continents, Charan is in no better place. He’s in love with lawyer Nafisa (Neha Sharma) but is too meek to tell his prejudiced and patriarchal father/ uncle (Pavan Malhotra) about his non-Sikh girlfriend. You don’t blame him really because Malhotra’s default performance setting is shouting. It’s a disappointing acting choice by a fine performer like Malhotra.

When Karan’s guardians find a suitable girl for him, things begin to go from complicated to absurd and then plain stupid. Karan does not want to marry Binkle (Athiya Shetty) because he’s in love with Sweety. Charan does not want to marry Binkle either because he is in love with Nafisa, until he meets Binkle and then he’s confused. Helping the boys out in their state of paralysis and fear is their youngest uncle Kartar Singh (Anil Kapoor).

Anil Kapoor is the only actor in the piece with a hint of a British accent, saying ‘my boy’ and ‘my lad’ with flare. Kartar is a single, middle-aged man who lives in an opulent home that is his homage to Punjab. His Man Friday, Jolly, is a Punjabi speaking English man who offers lassi to the guests and plays along with Kartar’s preposterous ideas.

One of these is convincing Binkle’s family that Charan is a drug addict in order to put them off the marriage alliance. You just know a talcum powder gag and a reference to Udta Punjab cannot be far behind.

Even as he desperately tries to hold his family together, to protect his nephews and solve his own dilemma of being torn between a feuding siblings, Anil Kapoor is the soul of this ensemble comedy and makes up in spades for the rest, who seem to be acting comedy.

But since there’s little to pick between the performances of Arjun Kapoor, Shetty, D’Cruz and Sharma, Anil Kapoor can only do so much to compensate for their endeavours.

Long drawn out scenes and overwritten speeches overacted in overdressed sets bring in narrative drag, which is hara-kiri for a situational comedy that can succeed only if your brain is not given time to apply logic.

Fortunately, the humour does not degenerate to crass double entendres. Family entertainment is clearly at the core and Mubarakan manages to deliver enough laughs.

My Rating: 2/5



Thursday, July 27, 2017

Lucknow Central - Trailer Review




When you have cast like Farhan Akhtar, Deepak Dobriyal, Rajesh Sharma, Ronit Roy and Diana Penty in one movie, half of your work to impress the audience is done. Trailer of Lucknow Central starts subtly and leaves you to say ‘wow’ when it ends.

“Sapna! Band banane ka,” this is how the trailer starts with Kishen Mohan Girotra (Farhan Akhtar) explaining his dream of aspiring to become a big singer. Kishen gets allegedly arrested for a crime he has not done or has he? The promo has this thrilling feel to it making us wonder is this the prison escape movie Bollywood is looking for. We’ve seen many attempts at this genre but this seems to stand out of all those.

Inspired by true events, the story talks about a small town boy Kishen Mohan Girhotra, who dreams of becoming a singer, gets convicted and sent to Lucknow Central. Kishen witnesses the life in the jail and befriends fellow inmates played. Deepak Dobriyal, Rajesh Sharma, Inaam Ul Haq & Rajesh Sharma, as he finds an opportunity to form a band with them. Diana Penty plays a hard-working NGO activist who lends a helping hand to Farhan and the team.

The makers adopted a unique strategy to promote the film through viral campaign #KishenNirdoshHai that piqued the interest of internet users. Several videos and memes claiming Kishen’s nirdoshi were floating around the internet, were later revealed to be a part of Lucknow Central’s marketing campaign.

What does Kishen really choose? Does Kishen escape prison? We will have to watch.

Produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Emmay Entertainment and Motion Pictures, Lucknow Central stars Farhan Akhtar, Ronit Roy, Deepak Dobriyal, Diana Penty, Gippy Grewal, Rajesh Sharma and Inaamulhaq. 

Directed by Ranjit Tiwari, the film is slated to release on 15th September 2017.



Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Bareilly Ki Barfi - Trailer Review




The trailer for Rajkummar Rao, Ayushmann Khurrana and Kriti Sanon's new film Bareilly Ki Barfi is out — and it looks great.

Bareilly Ki Barfi is the story of Bitti (played by Kriti Sanon) who rebels against the conservative norms set by her family.

Her parents want to get her married, but Bitti just doesn't want to settle down.

Enter Ayushmann Khurana, who is in love with her, and enlists Rujkummar Rao's help to win her heart — but she ends up falling for him instead.

The premise of a love triangle between the leads seems very predictable, but maybe this time with Rajkummar Rao's acting skills, and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari (who has directed Nil Battey Sannata) in the director's chair —there will be a fresh spin on an old tale.

If we go by Aishwiny Iyer Tiwari's past work like Nil Battey Sannata, we can expect the film to be a realistic take on relationships with a hint of humour and very real, grounded settings rather than the grandeur we are used to in films with love triangles, like Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.

Kriti Sanon, who was recently seen in Raabta, said that playing a 'bratty' UP girl is like a fresh change for her. "It's a very tomboyish character. She is a girl living in Bareilly but doing things on her own terms. She is someone who is quite bratty and who questions the basic norms. What I really like about the film is also the fact that every relationship is shown very nicely. Also, for me to play a UP girl was very fresh," IANS quoted her as saying.

The film which will be out on 18 August.

Thor Ragnarok - Trailer Review




The new trailer for Thor: Ragnarok released at San Diego Comic-Con was packed with crowd-pleasing moments, from gun-toting gods of thunder and mischief to the reveals of Fenris Wolf and Surtur. But one of the biggest moments is reserved for the end, where Thor and the Incredible Hulk hold an actual conversation.

That’s right, no more “Hulk smash!” but instead, “Yeah, same. Hulk like fire, Thor like water.” OK, it’s not exactly Shakespeare, but the point is, Hulk is talking in sentences, even if it’s like “a 2-year-old.” But why, and why now?

“I was always fascinated by the duality of Hulk and Banner, and seeing how their brains could be interconnected,” director Taika Waititi told at San Diego Comic-Con. “Could we sometimes see Hulk and could we have a bit of Banner’s voice in there? Could we see Banner and have Hulk’s personality through there? And I think in this film we’re going to see that for the first time, where the two are fighting — really fighting this time — for control of the body. And Hulk talking, this idea of a more cognitive Hulk who can say sentences — that obviously has existed in the comics, but I think it’s something the fans want to finally see. […] It’s exactly what fans want to see, and what I want to see too.”

The film, which incorporates elements from Marvel Comics’ popular “Planet Hulk” storyline, finds Chris Hemsworth’s Thor banished to the barbaric world Sakaar, where he’s pitted against his fellow Avenger the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) in a deadly gladiatorial contest. Facing a ticking clock, the thunder god must fight his way back home in time to stop Hela (Cate Blanchett) from destroying Asgard.

Arriving Nov. 3, Thor: Ragnarok stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Cate Blanchett as Hela, Idris Elba as Heimdall, Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Karl Urban as Skurge, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/the Hulk and Anthony Hopkins as Odin.

Justice League - Trailer Review




Warner Bros.’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con has pulled out all the stops for the DC Extended Universe. For the latest trailer for Justice League, the world is still in mourning after the death of Superman. Now, it’s up to the newly formed League to face Steppenwolf (Game of Thrones alum CiarĂ¡n Hinds) and his armies of Parademons.

Justice League is the superhero team-up Warner Bros. has been promising since the inception of the DCEU. After Superman (Henry Cavill) sacrificed himself in the fight against Doomsday in last year’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Batman (Ben Affleck) takes it upon himself to find other superheroes to fight otherworldly threats. That means teaming up with Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher). There’s even a mention of both Kryptonians and the Green Lantern Corp, even though they’re nowhere in sight. Clearly, the heroes have their work cut out for them.

Warner Bros. celebrating Justice League comes after Wonder Woman’s outsized success at the box office. This trailer also makes the movie look like a whole lot of fun, with plenty of action and humour (especially from Alfred (Jeremy Irons) and The Flash). But that doesn’t mean the film will necessarily be another feather in the studio’s cap.

There’s still scepticism as to whether or not it will be an Avengers-style landmark and if it will be yet another black mark on Warner’s slate. At least there’s enough here to keep fans more than invested.

Justice League will hits the screens on November 17th.

Poster Boys - Trailer Review




The makers of the Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, and Shreyas Talpade starrer Poster Boys just released the film’s official trailer and it was one to be reckoned.

The trailer of the upcoming film revealed more on the story of the three lead stars, where Sunny Deol is a retired fauji, Bobby Deol is a school teacher and Shreyas Talpade plays a recovery agent whose lives turn upside down after an uneventful incident happens when their photos appear on a vasectomy poster. The film is said to be inspired by a real life incident.

The situation becomes so awkward and complicated that it becomes difficult for them to explain things to their own families! The movie is a light-hearted comedy where there will be a series of events they will have to experience together.

Also, Sunny and Bobby who have always shared the screen space as brothers, will for the first time not be seen as brothers in this comic drama.

Poster Boyz is a Hindi remake of the 2014 Marathi flick Poshter Boyz, which was produced by Shreyas himself and directed by Dilip Prabhavalakar.

The comedy film was very well received and is again going to be remade in Telugu as ‘Poshter Boyz’ which will be presented by Akshay Kumar and Baahubali star Rana Daggubati.

Meanwhile, this Hindi remake will also be Shreyas Talpade’s directorial debut.

Produced by Sony Pictures Networks Productions, Sunny Sounds Pvt. Ltd., and Affluence Movie Pvt. Ltd.

The film that promises to be a rib-tickler is slated to release on September 8.

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Jab Harry Met Sejal - Trailer Review



Shah Rukh Khan-Anushka Sharma-starrer Jab Harry Met Sejal has been creating a lot of buzz. This Imtiaz Ali film is currently one of the most anticipated films of the year. With SRK looking the most handsome version of himself in the recent past and Anushka doing the adorable 'gujju' accent, the film has struck the right chords so far.

Finally, the film's trailer is out. Red Chillies Entertainment launched the trailer on 21 July and it appears to be another quintessential-Imtiaz Ali 'strangers-find-love-in-a-journey' saga.

The 3-minute-long trailer contains scenes straight from the five already-launched mini trails. What is new is the strong undercurrent of a budding romance between the two protagonists which amplifies as the trailer progresses. In a candid conversation, Sejal tells Harry that she isn't one of those women who leaves her fiance for a tourist guide.

The subtle romantic relationship between these two strangers is what that gives meaning to the film's tagline - 'What you seek...is seeking you!'

Their unique promotional strategy of releasing a string of half-a-minute-long trailers which were named 'minitrails' introduced the two characters, Harry and Sejal, to the audience and delved into their lives gradually, making sure too much of the story isn't revealed.

Even the songs of the film were launched in the most social-media friendly manner encouraging maximum audience participation. The songs have also been recorded and released in 11 languages including Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati and Arabic.

The actors did everything — from club hopping in Mumbai to promote their song 'Beech Beech Mein', the #HarrySeekingSejal contest where SRK asked the audience to find the city in India with the most number of Sejals and he would visit there (which he actually did) or the recent 'Butterfly' song, whose teaser was launched on Twitter and viewers had to tweet using #ButterflyTeaser in order to unlock the teaser video.

Presented by Red Chillies Entertainment, Jab Harry Met Sejal stars Shah Rukh as a Punjabi guy called Harinder Singh Nehra and Anushka Sharma as a Gujarati girl named Sejal Parikh.

The film is expected to release on 4 August.

Sunday, July 9, 2017

Mom - Movie Review



CAST: Sridevi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Akshaye Khanna, Abhimanyu Singh, Adnan Siddiqui, Sajal Ali and Pitobash Tripathy

DIRECTION: Ravi Udyawar

DURATION: 2 hours 27 minutes

Maatr,' 'Neerja,' ‘Akira,’ ‘Begum Jaan,’ ‘Anaarkali of Aarah’; quite a few female-centric stories in the past year have embraced the audiences. Along with the Indian filmmakers who're willing to tell such tales, the audience also seems to be willing to accept such heroic tales of women. 'Mom’ is definitely one such.

Director Ravi Udyawar's debut film, ‘Mom,’ is an eye-opener of sorts in today’s misogynistic society where preconceived notions about how women should carry themselves still exist. Starring Sridevi, this film primarily revolves around the menacing issue of gang rape, set rightly in the heart of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, Indian states that is most notorious for abuse against women.

Devki (Sridevi), a school teacher, resides in Delhi with her husband Anand and two young daughters. The elder daughter Arya is Anand's real daughter and was raised by Devki after her mother passes away. Devki's life changes upside down when a bunch of local ruffians attack Arya in a party. Abhimanyu Singh, a rich spoilt lad along with his goon gang rape Arya and leave her unconscious in the middle of an isolate road.

Mathew Francis (Akshaye Khanna), a tough cop, makes an entry to solve the mystery but fails to prove Abhimanyu and his gang guilty. Soon after, Devki decides to seek revenge from the criminals. She seeks help of a popular detective Dayashankar (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). How Devki emerges a winner is what 'Mom' is all about.

Ravi Udyawar's directorial debut tracks the journey of a mother seeking revenge for her daughter’s gang rape. The movie is perhaps a reflection of the society and the upbringing of a huge male population who still looks down upon women and treat them as mere sexual objects. Ravi has done a brilliant job. He sensitively handles the grievous subject without compromising on the ghastly truth behind these acts of pure evil. The interesting part of the film is that the plot of the film is not extraordinary, but the great performances and gripping subject line make 'Mom’ watchable.

If you thought you have seen it all from Sridevi, think again. She pumps in so much life into the film that it is her performance that steals the show. Her screen presence, her personality, the way she projects her character, her facial expressions are top-notch. Turning your eyes elsewhere will be criminal when she is on screen in the film.

Kudos to Abhimanyu Singh, the main antagonist, who makes you feel disgusted throughout, that’s the beauty of his villainous character. Not undermining the efforts of other talents who make the film, as a whole, a very gratifying watch. Akshaye Khanna, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Adnan Siddiqui, Sajal Ali and Pitobash Tripathy were too good in their respective roles. They deliver a power-packed performance in crucial scenes of the film.

The biggest hiccup of the film is that it is exactly the replica of Raveena Tandon's last release Maatr. From Sridevi's profession to the execution of the plot, the film is picked up from Maatr. Mom will surely face the battle of plagiarism. First half deals with rape of the daughter and second half with the revenge saga, the only difference in this one is that Nawaz and Akshaye's characters were prominent enough to make Mom stand out. The pace of the film is slow too. First half is dragged in a lot of aspects, the pain of seeing her miserable daughter is stretched a bit too much.

Although the production of the film makes it look grand and fancy, the climax is too dramatic for such an intense film. But the one to save this old wine in a new bottle is Sridevi's stellar performance. You may put the film on your to-do list this weekend.

My Rating: 3/5

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Spider-Man: Homecoming - Movie Review



CAST: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon

DIRECTION: Jon Watts

DURATION: 2 hours 13 minutes

Two months after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) has returned to his home turf of Queens, New York, now armed with the technologically enhanced Spider-Man costume that was designed by Tony Stark himself (Robert Downey Jr.) to assist Peter in carrying out his heroic deeds as his neighborhood's friendly web-slinger. However, Peter is more than ready to leave his old life as an ordinary high schooler behind him and become an official Avenger in his own right – leaving his friends, classmates and even his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) to wonder why Peter has been acting so strange of late, in the process.

Trouble then comes knocking when some mysterious and extremely powerful weapons – powered by technology that is seemingly not from this Earth – begins popping up all over New York, spurring Peter to thus investigate where the devices are coming from. It turns out the tech is the handiwork of one Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton), a fellow who operates a lucrative-but-illegal business with his criminal cohorts. Is this Peter’s big chance to prove that he has what it takes to be an Avenger… or should he maybe be focusing on things like his next Spanish quiz and the Homecoming dance, instead?

Spider-Man: Homecoming is not only the first solo movie for Tom Holland’s iteration of the Peter Parker character (following his big screen debut in last year’s Captain America: Civil War), it’s also the first feature-length Spider-Man film to be included as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity. Despite being the third Spider-Man movie released in the past five years (as well as the sixth overall, Civil War aside), the hope heading into Homecoming‘s theatrical release was that its MCU connections – coupled with Homecoming director Jon Watts taking inspiration from classic John Hughes high school movies of the 1980s – would allow the film to stand out as a unique addition to Spidey’s larger filmography. Fortunately, it turns out those hopes were not in vain. Spider-Man: Homecoming works as both a (very) funny high school comedy/drama and strong standalone superhero movie set in the MCU.

Whereas Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy and Marc Webb’s Amazing Spider-Man movies are superhero soap operas that push Peter Parker’s school experience to the background, Spider-Man: Homecoming takes the opposite approach and operates as a high school film first, MCU adventure second. Homecoming keeps the jokes concerning the trials of teenage life flying fast throughout its run time; at the same time, stringing its many moments of levity together with a solid self-contained narrative about Peter’s struggles as regular teenager by day, 15-year old crime fighter on the side. The movie smoothly weaves together its broadly comedic antics with more sincere drama and character development in a fashion that recalls The LEGO Batman Movie – a comparison that is all the more fitting since two of the writers who worked on that film (Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers) were among the six writers to collaborate on Homecoming. In this respect, the Easter Eggs and subplots/references to previous events in the MCU are arguably the least interesting elements of Homecoming… though, that is not to say that they don’t provide important context and/or aren’t integral to the story being told here.

Save for one notably on-the-nose example, Watts does a good job of subtly incorporating the iconography of John Hughes’ most famous high school movies into the larger visual aesthetic of Spider-Man: Homecoming. Watts and his director of photography Salvatore Totino (Everest) embrace the same grounded approach to staging the superhero battles and action sequences here that the more recent Earth-based MCU installments have utilized (the Captain America films especially). While that means Homecoming‘s set pieces aren’t as flashy or visually-dazzling as similar sequences featured in Spider-Man movies past, it’s arguably for the best that Watts doesn’t attempt to outdo the highly stylized web-slinging action of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in particular – and instead, brings Spidey more down to Earth in a semi-literal sense. This, in turn, better allows Homecoming to combine funny sight gags together with action-driven beats that are all the more tense because Holland’s Spider-Man isn’t as invulnerable as his predecessors sometimes were, while swinging around New York (despite the plethora of nifty gadgets that his “Stark Suit” has).

The combination of Holland’s charismatic performance and young age further makes his version of Peter Parker more convincing as a good-natured kid who’s in way over his head, compared to the previous onscreen versions of Spider-Man. Holland’s Homecoming young co-stars are equally likable and believable in their respective roles, especially Jacob Batalon as Peter’s enthusiastically nerdy BFF Ned, Zendaya as the whip-smart, if antisocial, loner Michelle, and Laura Harrier as the Type-A driven yet friendly Liz. Much like Tony Revolori succeeds in putting a rather different spin on Peter’s infamous “enemy” Flash Thompson here, Harrier’s Liz makes for a nice variation on the archetypical Peter Parker love interest.

Thankfully, Homecoming keeps the spotlight fixed firmly on Peter and his schoolmates throughout its three acts, with Peter’s two “parental” figures – see Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark and Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May – effectively serving in a supporting capacity here. (This is also a good place to mention that Iron Man – fortunately – only really makes a glorified cameo appearance in Homecoming, despite what the marketing for the movie would have everyone believe.)

On the villain side of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes/Vulture is definitely one of the better and fully-developed antagonists featured in a MCU movie to date. Adrian is very much a “bad guy,” but Keaton makes him all the more compelling and interesting a baddie to watch through his performance. Moreover, Adrian has enough in common with Peter (in terms of their backgrounds and frustrations with the more privileged Stark) to make him a worthwhile foil to the web-slinger in Homecoming. The Vulture’s goons and/or associates are based on more obscure and less complicated Spider-Man comic book villains by comparison, but capable character actors such as Michael Chernus, Bookem Woodbine and Logan Marshall-Green make the most of their limited screen-time here (as does Donald Glover, in his own supporting role).

Spider-Man: Homecoming doesn’t move the overarching MCU storyline forward as much as some previous chapters in the franchise have, but it does achieve something that MCU films sometimes struggle with: working as a standalone Marvel superhero movie that is enhanced by, not dependent on, its cinematic universe components. Homecoming also continues to evolve the MCU from a genre standpoint, succeeding as a great high school comedy that just happens to be about Peter Parker. For these reasons, Homecoming makes for an excellent blockbuster that can also be recommended as much to casual moviegoers as it can be to die-hard MCU fans. In fact, now that we know the next Spider-Man film will be the first MCU movie set after the era-concluding events of Avengers 4, it may turn out that the groundwork laid by Homecoming will be more important to the future of the franchise than at first glance.

My Rating: 4/5



Sunday, July 2, 2017

Raag Desh - Trailer Review




With Raag Desh, for the first time in the history of Indian Cinema, a trailer of a Bollywood film was launched in India’s Parliament. It was the powerful trailer of Raag Desh. Present for the launch were producer Gurdeep Singh Sappal, director Tigmanshu Dhulia, Mohit Marwah and Mr. Rajesh Mishra, CEO of UFO Moviez.

Starring Kunal Kapoor, Amit Sadh and Mohit Marwah in lead roles, the film revolves around the famous Red Fort trials which changed the course of India’s Azaadi Movement when three officers, Prem Sehgal, Gurbaksh Dhillon and Shah Nawaz Khan were court-martialled for treason against British king.

The trailer looks impressive, especially the cinematography. Director Tigmanshu Dhulia is better known for directing films such as Paan Singh Tomar, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster series and it seems like this one too may turn out to be a milestone work of his.

The first trial of Shah Nawaz Khan, Gurubaksh Singh Dhillon and Prem Sahgal was held between November and December 1945 against the backdrop of general elections in India with the Attorney General of India, Noshirwan P. Engineer as the chief prosecutor and two dozen counsel for the defence, led by Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru. All three of the accused were charged with waging war against the king contrary to section 121 of the Indian Penal Code’.

In addition, charges of murder were levelled against Dhillon and of abetment to murder against Khan and Sahgal. The defendants came from three different religions – one Hindu, one Sikh, and one Muslim – but all three elected to be defended by the defence committee set up by the Indian National Congress.

Raag Desh is written and directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia. Produced by Gurdeep Singh Sappal and UFO Moviez it is slated to release on 28 July 2017.

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Partition: 1947 - Trailer Review




Partition is never an easy subject, particularly for those who have suffered personal losses. Director Gurinder Chadha returns to the subject in her upcoming Partition: 1947.

Focusing on the human devastation caused by the political machinations of a few British overseers, the trailer worth a look. Hugh Bonneville plays Lord Mountbatten, the man who believes his charge to be that of ensuring India's smooth transition into Independence. However, behind the screen, there are several politicians and administrators involved in ensuring that Britain does not leave India stronger than it found it.

Michael Gambon delivers the role of the sinister General Hastings Ismay, who manipulates Mountbatten into dividing India's destiny forever. Manish Dayal and Qureshi play the lovers caught in this web that leads to a religious divide. Om Puri, in one of his last performances, also makes an appearance in this Partition drama.

Speaking about the film, Chadha said, "It is a personal film, and a political film." The international version of the film, named Viceroy's House, focussed on the intrigues of the House, had the feel of a 'British period epic' with its focus on the lifestyles, ethos, and the hierarchies in the Viceroy House during that time. The Indian version, however, focusses clearly on the Partition drama, the reasons and its consequences.

The director revealed that she arrived on the story after reading The Shadow of The Great Game by Narendra Singh Sarila, an ADC to Mountbatten. The research certainly shows in the trailer, with AR Rahman's music raising it another notch.

The film also stars Gillian Anderson, apart from Dayal, Qureshi, Gambon and Bonneville.

The movie is slated to release on August 18, few days after India will celebrate its 70th Independence Day.

Badhaai Ho - Movie Review

How often have you watched a movie about a middle class family living in a cramped flat and wanted to move in with them, if not forever t...