Hindi Medium - Movie Review

CAST: Irrfan Khan, Saba Qamar, Deepak Dobriyal

DIRECTION: Saket Chaudhary

DURATION: 2 hours 12 minutes

Hindi Medium is 3 Idiots for parents and educators; it is a film about class-mass divide, the idiosyncrasies of the privileged; the pressure that parents put on children; and about how education has now become the biggest business - even among those who claim to be 'prestigious' and 'public.'

Even when it presents disturbing realities, Hindi Medium's charm is that it does not resort to melodrama. It doesn't tease your sensibilities and it does not preach. Everything is under-toned - and what a welcome relief that makes when a filmmaker is brave enough not to resort to emotional manipulation of any sort.

While some plot-points of the film might not pass the 'believability' test, what matters is the message, the sub-texts, the overall take-away that the film delivers. By panning the camera through the lives of Raj (Irrfan Khan) and Meeta (Saba Qamar), and their pursuit to secure a school admission for their daughter Pia, the film plucks at several hot buttons.

Raj is goofy, straight-talking, happy and unpretentious - the kind you will find at north Indian restaurants on a Thursday evening in Bur Dubai. He has no airs about him and has made his riches through hard work. Meeta is ambitious, the wannabe - who is not reduced to the usual 'high society' stereotype.

When their pursuit prompts them to take up residence in a slum, life gives them a few lessons - especially through Shyamprakash (Deepak Dobriyal - what a wonderful, versatile actor this man is!) and his family.

The film might gloss a few yards over the life of the underprivileged but there is no denying the take-away - for Raj, as for you. Here perhaps, for the first time, you will see the protagonist's triumph - of honesty and integrity - not being met with claps by those in the film; the claps will come from your mind.

To see why Irrfan Khan chose this movie, watch him become Raj with absolute ease, throwing at you pure theatre moments, and fantastic humour. Saba Qamar is a delight to watch; she takes on the rather demanding role and gives it the right respect and gravitas. With Deepak too on the frame, the film takes a life unique to its own.

Hindi Medium is a must-watch for educators, parents and students; it tosses many questions but more importantly, it tells you that for most vexing problems, the solutions don't lie elsewhere; they are within you. Take a bow, director Saket Chaudhary!

My Rating: 4/5

Half Girlfriend - Movie Review

CAST: Arjun Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Vikrant Massey, Seema Biswas

DIRECTION: Mohit Suri

DURATION: 2 hours 15 minutes

Half Girlfriend is an adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's book by the same title. The story is simple - a boy from Patna, Madhav Jha (Arjun Kapoor) enrolls himself into St. Stephen's College, Delhi and meets a modern girl from a rich family Riya (Shraddha Kapoor). He cannot speak a single flawless sentence in English and his character follows the Bihari accent through the movie.

He falls for her but she agrees to be his half girlfriend - more than a friend but less than a girlfriend. Arjun is playing a north Indian guy in the film, and stays true to his character throughout.

We have seen Shraddha play the girl-next-door roles in her earlier films and here she is playing the basketball, wants to play at a New York café as a musician but none of this is convincing.

You don't connect with any of these characters and that is where the problem starts. They come, do their scenes and exit without leaving an impact on you. The film lacks real emotions - however hard they try, you aren't able to get involved in the narrative.

Vikrant Massey as his friend, Seema Biswas as the boy's mother appear to take the story forward but end up adding too much drama even in scenes that could have been handled without going overboard.

Mid-way in the film you wonder that if the English language is such an impediment, why won't he just learn it instead of cribbing till the last line in the film?

The story unwantedly brings in twist and turns, even as you eagerly wait for it to end. I can remember at least one place where I heaved a sigh of relief assuming the movie was finally over, only for it to go on for another half hour.

This was the general feeling of the audience watching the morning show. Mohit Suri's films are known for good music and thankfully the songs appear as a breather in this painful storytelling.

Director Mohit Suri tries to weave a love story from a yet another Chetan Bhagat novel but fails miserably. After all, not all books popular with the youth need to be adapted on the big screen and this film is testimony to it. Yes, Kai Po Che, 2 States and 3 Idiots were blockbusters but don't forget Hello was also an adaption of Chetan's One Night @ the Call Centre.

After enduring the pointless movie for 2 hours and 15 minutes, I am glad I didn't waste my time reading the book. The million dollar question remains - if the book didn't really get good reviews, why would anybody make it into a film in the first place?

Watch the film if you have absolutely nothing to do this week or are an Arjun, Shraddha Kapoor fan.

My Rating: 1/5

Meri Pyaari Bindu - Movie Review

CAST: Parineeti Chopra, Ayushmann Khurrana, Aparajita Auddy

DIRECTION: Akshay Roy

DURATION: 1 hour 59 minutes

YRF’s latest offering in romance after Aditya Chopra’s Befikre is Meri Pyaari Bindu. What initially seemed like a regular love story based in the charming city of Kolkata, turns out to be an emotionless yawnfest. Yes! There’s little to like or take away from this love story.

Abhimanyu is a confused soul who seems unclear of his feelings for Bindu. She, on the other hand, is commitment phobic on all levels including her life choices. There’s a Runway Bride twist to her character and that’s not really established well so it makes little sense.

Overall, there’s the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil type friendship angle between Bindu and Abhi who enjoy Bollywood and are uninhibited around one another. Coming to the dialogues, there’s lack of natural conversations between the leads despite the portrayal of their childhood friendship.

At one point in the story, Bindu-Abhi’s meet after 4 years in Goa seems extremely random; of course you have stopped finding sense in their interactions from long before.

Whatever happened to good old love stories or least of all matured characters? Going by the way Abhi and Bindu’s relationship is, he could very well be called her ‘Half Boyfriend.’

The entire first half is a flashback and the narrative takes its own sweet time to establish a base. By the second half, you’re too bored to bother about the messed up leads and are eagerly waiting for it to end.

The only enjoyable scenes in this film are the ones where you see Abhi’s chaotic, happy Bengali family.

Parineeti Chopra as Bindu is given too many makeovers in this film. She is constantly on a fashion parade with her dressing speaking more than her character. She probably seems to have failed to catch the vibe of Bindu’s character and more often than not I saw Parineeti in the film, not Bindu.

Ayushmann Khurrana as Bubla aka Abhimanyu is likable but repetitive. His boy-next-door image has little to hold your attention and neither the chemistry with Parineeti works. He partly performs a narrator to the story too and that is slightly better than his act.

Aparajita Auddy as Abhimanyu’s mother was one of my most favorite characters in the film. Her natural act as the mother is likable enough.

Debutant Akshay Roy directs Meri Pyaari Bindu and I’d say he has some learning to do since this debut won’t be a smashing one. If you have watched the Marathi film Ti Sadhya Kay Karte that released recently, there are chances that you find minor resemblances to this film.

It seems like Roy is trying hard to present characters that are relatable considering complicated romances in today’s times but doesn’t come close enough. He tries to experiment the story-telling process to make the film interesting but doesn’t manage to do so. The whole portion of Abhi and Bindu’s messages when she is traveling to Paris and Australia look extremely out of place.

He captures the Kolkata vibe well and I would even say the interesting start of the film with the Goddess was impressive.

Probably the music is the only saving grace in this film. For retro music lovers, there’s Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar and Bappi Lahiri. Sachin-Jigar’s music too works well for this film.

Meri Pyaari Bindu should have been named as ‘Meri Friend-Zoner Bindu’. With no love and lack of emotions!

My Rating: 1/5

Sarkar 3 - Movie Review

CAST: Amitabh Bachchan, Amit Sadh, Jackie Shroff, Ronit Roy, Yami Gautam, Manoj Bajpayee, Parag Tyagi and Bajrangbali Singh

DIRECTION: Ram Gopal Varma

DURATION: 2 hours 14 minutes

Director Ram Gopal Varma and Amitabh come together after a hiatus of nine years for Sarkar 3 and it is enough to raise your expectations. We know the storyline of the film from the earlier installations but this is a fresh film and doesn't rely much on past references. So, don't worry if you faintly remember the earlier films.

The film starts with the iconic shot of Subhash Nagre (Sarkar) waving his hand, complete with beads. He is clearly the messiah he was, fighting for the rights of the people against the most powerful vested interests.

Amitabh is bang on, doing what he does best and is on top of his game as the intense Subhash Nagre. You don't mind the close-up Ram Gopal Varma shoots of him drinking tea, watching intensely or addressing the masses, because it is him! He holds your attention in every frame.

The film is held together by a robust cast of Manoj Bajpayee, Jackie Shroff, Yami Gautam, Amit Sadh and Ronit Roy among others.

As Sarkar's legal heir, Amit Sadh is impressive and has the meatiest role after Amitabh. His character goes through many sub plots, giving him ample opportunities to prove his acting prowess.

Manoj Bajpayee as the rising politician with views contrary to Subhash Nagre delivers yet another powerful performance. But we have seen him play similar character in earlier film like 'Raajneeti', so he doesn't surprise you.

Amit Sadh's love interest played by Yami comes across as the most under-utilised character. The trailer showed her as a grey character and you wait for her to come in the forefront but alas, not much has been written in the script of Sarkar 3 for her.

It is interesting to see Jackie Shroff in this mix as the Dubai-based don, moving the characters back home like puppets. But he has been given random dialogues like 'Ladoo ka bada problem yeh hai ki who bahut meethi hai' and doesn't really provide any comic relief.

He is seen doing the most stereotypical things in Dubai like feeding the dolphins, visiting the aquarium or posing with yachts in the background in Dubai Marina. You have a feeling that his character could have been sketched much better.

Ronit Roy starts promisingly in the first half as Sarkar's right hand but his character isn't given much scope in the second half.

The film relies on wafer thin suspense and you manage to guess bits of the plot and wait for it to unfold. You leave with a feeling that so much could have been done with the stellar cast Ram Gopal Varma managed to pull for the film, after all.

As it is a Ram Gopal Varma movie, you expect long dialogues, tight shots of random things like the small stuffed toy tiger in Sarkar's living room, the Ganesha hanging on the wall, an extremely tight shot of Yami Gautam's eyes from the cup handles and many more.

Apart from the superfluous shots, the film also has superfluous characters that don't add much to the storyline. But they do stretch the movie and it seems painfully slow in the second half.

Watch the film if you are an Amitabh Bachchan fan as he doesn't fail you. Then again who isn’t an Amitabh Bachchan fan in this country or world ?

My Rating: 2/5

Guest iin London - Trailer Review

Remember the Ajay Devgn and Konkona Sen Sharma starrer comedy-drama film Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge. Well, the makers of the film are back with yet another entertainer Guest iin London.

Directed by Ashwni Dhir, this family entertainer plays on the theme of uninvited guests. While Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Kharbanda play a young couple residing in London, their happy lives are presumably disturbed when an older couple Ganga Chacha played by Paresh Rawal and Guddi Chachi played by Tanvi Azmi land up at their doorstep uninvited.

The movie is about an old couple from Bhatinda who are visiting Kartik and Kriti’s home in London but are uninvited.

The film highlights the social and cultural differences between the two generations. The aim behind this sequel is to reach to every family and not just the peer groups.

When Paresh Rawal and Kartik come together on the screen you are sure to witness some hilarious moments.

Adding to the humour is Sanjay Mishra, who plays a Pakistani in the film.

The film also has a cameo by Ajay Devgn, who played the lead in the first instalment.

The songs of this family entertainer are composed by Raghav Sachar-Amit Mishra and are written by Kumaar.

The film, which underwent a title change from its original title ‘Atithii in London’, has been extensively shot in London and New York.

Panorama Studios presents, A Kiaan Entertainment Ltd (UK) production, produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak, Guest in London is written and directed by Ashwni Dhir.

The film releases on June 16, 2017.

Bank Chor - Trailer Review

After the showcasing the coolest and smartest thieves in Dhoom franchise, the makers are back with the same theme, but with a hilarious twist with Bank Chor.

The film introduces the worst Bank Chor EVER: Champak Chandrakant Chiplunkar, a simple God-fearing, Vaastu-loving Marathi manoos played by Riteish Deshmukh who picks the worst day possible to rob a bank.

The film also features Vivek Anand Oberoi as CBI officer Amjad Khan, who shoots first and interrogates later.

Apart from the two lead characters Bank Chor also features Rhea Chakraborty who portrays the role of a fashion journalist turned crime reporter Gayatri Ganguly aka Gaga.

The film revolves around three people scheming to rob a bank but how their plans fall flat on the face when the circumstances go out of control.

The dialogues are quirky and full on entertaining. You will hear mentions of Aamir Khan, Deepak Tijori and Arvind Kejriwal too.

The robber-cop act of Riteish and Vivek is hilarious but it is Baba Sehgal's cameo that takes away the cake in the trailer.

Bank Chor is produced by Y-Films, a division of Yash Raj Films, and is directed by Bumpy (aka Nature Baba, of Roadies fame).

It is slated to release on 16 June, after several delays. At one time, Kapil Sharma was expected to star in the film.

Tubelight - Teaser Review

The most awaited teaser of Salman Khan's "Tubelight" is OUT!!

The makers of the movie unveiled the teaser at 9 pm on YouTube channel of #Salman Khan Films (SKF). Before uploading the teaser on YouTube, it was aired on Star Gold and Star India network channels at 8:58 PM. This is the third time Salman Khan is collaborating with director Kabir Khan after 'Ek Tha Tiger' and 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' and hence there are huge expectations on the film as both their combination movies have seen a huge success at the box office.

Without revealing any plot from the film in the first look teaser, director Kabir Khan highlights the lead cast along with few war shots in the two-minutes-seven-seconds video. Salman Khan’s innocent cute expressions and child actor Martin Rey Tangu remain as the major highlights of this teaser.

From what is known, the film is based on true story of Indo-China war of 1962, Tubelight makers are eyeing to release the film two days after the release of the movie in India which being June 23rd, 2017. The movie team is planning to release the movie on June 25th in China in a huge number of screens.

Chinese actress Zhu Zhu is playing the female lead role in the film and movie has music composed by Pritam and Julius Packiam.

The film is bankrolled by Salman Khan and Kabir Khan themselves on their Salman Khan Films banner and Kabir Khan Films banner.