Tumhari Sulu : WonderWoman

#TumhariSulu: The film opens with a scene where our main protagonist Sulu, who loves to participate in contests of all kind, is taking part in a lemon and spoon race, a game where speed and balance play an equally important role. And that’s a powerful allegory to the things to follow. Life, so often is about that equilibrium. And it is an individual choice. But then we live in a society where most people have an expert opinion on everything and everyone, where your school marks determine how you are treated for the rest of your life as an individual and where we are judged by the minute by all and sundry. And hence Sulu, an effervescent middle class housewife with an adolescent kid, is subjected to constant nagging by her settled and relatively well to do sisters and father because years back she had flunked her 12^th exam. But then it doesn’t bother her indomitable spirit, she insists “main winner hoon” and continues with her relentless pursuit to find an identity.

Sulu’s character is fascinating. A happy go lucky housewife who exudes a sense of self-assurance without being arrogant. Even when complications arise in her marital life, Sulu remains pragmatic and decisive. It is only when her ever supporting husband doesn’t answer to her question about “whose team he is in” her vulnerability comes to the fore. Vidya Balan breathes life into the character and makes it her own. Her eyes convey every emotion, every feeling. One can give such a performance only when one is having a ball and the Balan after some forgetful outing is well and truly back. You can neither take your eyes nor your ears off Sulu . She effortlessly vacillates between being an optimist to a realist, who is full of ideas and has a zest for life.

The beauty of Tumhari Sulu lies in its detailing, in the way every character has been etched out. Manav Kaul, who plays Sulu’s husband also does a terrific job. The scenes where they are together is enthralling. Their chemistry is infectious. The first half is breezy and uses lots of tongue in cheek humor to introduce us to the middle class Mumbai family and their life. It is the second half that becomes bit contrived when with Sulu’s success and his own dead end job Ashok starts feeling bit insecure. There are some unnecessary sub plots that drags the pace.  But director Suresh Triveni interjects just in time to pull the film back on track. The film uses lots of imagery to drive home its point. Watch out for the scenes where the pigeon sitting on the window pane acts as symbol of liberation.  

Tumhari Sulu is an endearing slice of life film that also touches upon many important areas while giving a strong message. It mercilessly depicts the impact on the psyche of an employee who is dealing with a bad boss at work place. It exposes the woes of working women who constantly have to go through a guilt feeling. It somewhere deep within speaks about the importance of balance in life but then it leaves that decision to the individual. It celebrates the indomitable spirit of Can Do. So next time someone messes up with your confidence, look straight into those eyes and say “main kar sakta hai”. Remember life is only yours and decision must be yours and only yours. Never let anyone else decide for you.

Hellow , hope you are listening !

 I will go out with 3 for the film and an additional 0.5 for that incredible Vidya Balan and the ensemble cast.

Qarib Qarib Singlle - Well Almost !

#QaribQaribSinglle : Yes when you are single , yet have a past and fast approaching middle age you often crave for another “L” ,it can be  Latte or Love,  just to get over an existing  “L” ,loneliness . There are few films where how you tell the story becomes more important than the story itself, where imperfections often add to the beauty and vulnerability. Qarib Qarib Singlle is one of those films. It’s a film about the journey of loneliness and letting go.  And mind you, these journeys are often the most difficult ones full of self doubt. So we have Jaya (Parvathy), a 35 year old lady who had lost her Army officer husband few years back and Yogi (Irrfan) , a 40 year old man who is still single in spite of having three past relationships. And they meet through a dating site.

They are as different as chalk and cheese. While Jaya carries herself in pastel dresses for Yogi its always effervescent red or yellow. While one needs regular sleeping pills the other effortlessly dozes off even in the middle of a conversation. While Jaya is restrained, Yogi is outspoken. Yogi finds company and happiness in whomsoever he meets; Jaya has confined herself to her lonely home and work. Yogi lives in the moment, Jaya still carries the baggage.  And these contrasts that make their journey from Mumbai to Rishikesh to Gangtok to Jaipur a delight to watch.

Tanuja Chandra , coming back after a long hiatus  , and writer Gazal Dhaliwal use humour to tell us a story that has multiple layers .However Tanuja’s direction seems patchy and the camera work at times is too in your face . But the dialogues are witty and Irffan resumes from where he left in Piku. His comic timing is superb. Parvathy, playing a character that is strong yet vulnerable, is terrific in some scenes and terrible in others. But it is their imperfect chemistry that makes Qarib Qarib Singlle such an enchanting journey. The film stumbles a bit in the second half but a whimsical Irffan keeps you invested in the story and the journey. I loved the pacing of the film and some of its Hrishikesh Mukherjee touches.

Qarib Qarib Singlle is an interesting film that will keep you invested provided you walk into the theatre without those baggages.  It is a refreshing take on loneliness, love and letting go. Delete those old passwords, come and explore life with a dash of humour. Remember life is not about the destination it is about the patchy, rickety yet enthralling journey and age is just a number. I will go out with three out of five for this little film that breaks away from norm.   

Secret Superstar : To Dreams and Dreamers !

#Secretesuperstar : It is not often that one comes across two films in a year where Burkha instead of a sign of oppression becomes a symbol of liberation. And that’s the irony of the world we live in and celebrate. If “Lipstick Under the Burkha” exposed  a society buried deep under a labyrinth of hypocrisies full of scary feudal, myopic mindset with deep rooted rudimentary ideologies, “Secret Superstar” takes the battle head on and celebrates  dream , hope ,mother , mother hood and the inherent desire to dream  and right  to live that  dream.

At 3 AM in the night when her mom cajoles her to go to sleep and not to waste her time dreaming, Insiya confronts her telling “ Sapne Dekhna to basic hota hai , intna to subko allowed hona chahiye” . The depth and irony of the statement straightaway comes and hits you.  No one has any control on dreams, yet again and again so many around the world are forced not to dream. And as a result so many dreams die, some like those stillborn babies and some like unborn foetus killed inside, brutally and silently. Unfortunately no one ever pauses to notice the slow, painful death of the  dreamer along with the dream. Insiya’s dream is not just to become a superstar singer but also to free her mother from a barbaric father. The film exposes domestic violence and its repercussion on children at home.

Secrete Superstar beautifully explores the mother – daughter relationship. Zaira Wasim and Meher Vij share a delightful chemistry. They share each other’s happiness, helplessness and dream. Watch out as they break into an impromptu dance when the man of the family leaves for work. Young Tirth Sharma as Chintan takes one down a nostalgic trip to those good old school days. He literally lights up the scenes where he is in.  Chintan and Insiya’s innocence laden adolescence love story is endearing.   Aamir Khan once again shows the kind of investment he does into his character. As a loud, irritating, cheesy music director Shakti Kumar, khan gets that rare chance to play to the gallery (post Rangeela) and he delivers with elan.

In spite of a predictable storyline and a convenient and manipulative screen play, I walked out the auditorium with a lump in my throat and dream in my eyes. And that for me is a sure sign of a winner.

Alright then, To Mothers, to Mother hood, To sacrifices, To Dreams and To that Indomitable Spirit of Winning.   

Newton : We need more of them !

#Newton : Everyone noticed the falling of fruits from tree but it took one Sir Issac Newton to ponder over the reason behind it that led to the discovery of gravitational force. It isn’t a mere coincidence that Amit Masurkar’s Netwon has a scene where the main protagonist Nutan Kumar aka Newton is eating an apple while reading the election manual. Everyone goes through the process of reading a manual and as shown in one of the scenes in the movie ,many in fact know the process by heart, but there are only a few who have the courage to follow the rule , to stand in the line of fire to deliver their duty .

Newton asks many tough fundamental questions, many of whose answer it doesn’t have. But it forces one to ponder. In a powerful scene the main protagonist reads out the names of the candidates to the naxal hit villagers, telling them that they can vote for their choice of politicians who will fulfill their demands and the villagers respond back telling this is the first time they are hearing those names and none of the politicians even know their problem. In the final act we see the forest has been destroyed. Plants got replaced by plants (industrial). No one asks the questions around the people who live in those jungles, no one is bothered about their livelihood, their culture, their practices and their lives. They probably remain just as headcount in the voter’s list. People remember them every five years only during the great Indian circus. Foreign media visits, Photo –ops happen and then they are forgotten like those burnt houses. The film is a terrific satire on the dance of democracy. And the beauty of the film is it doesn’t take sides. It leaves the audience to decide for himself.

Newton boasts of an ensemble cast where everyone out performs everyone. Pankaj Tripathi and Rajkumar Rao are outstanding. Want to learn acting? No need to go to an acting school. Just watch these two pounce upon each other, almost literally! The support cast of Anjali Patil, Raghubir Yadav and Sanjay Mishra are terrific too. The films dialogues are witty and razor sharp. I couldn’t find a single dull moment. At 106 minutes its length was just perfect.

If you are looking for answers then Newton isn’t a film for you. But if you are the kind who gets disturbed by the happenings in his/her surroundings , who comes back home and contemplates over the tough questions asked , the one who loves to do what is right than what is convenient , the one who does his duty without thinking that he is doing a favor , go and watch Newton. They don’t make such satires too often now a days, at least in Bollywood. It isn’t a flawless film, yet who cares , we need many such Newtons , in our lives and in our cinema. I will put it right up there along with Mukti Bhavan and Death in Gunj as one of the finest films of 2017.

Simran - A Kangana Ranaut Show !

#Simran: Two distinctly different films within a film and an irresistible Kangana Ranaut .  Simran opens beautifully, like most of Hansal Mehta films, and we are introduced to Praful Patel (no, not the former civil aviation Minister) our protagonist, the housekeeping staff from “Hotel Industry”. The next 42 odd minutes are extremely breezy as we discover the life of Praful , a 30 year old divorced and a bit whimsical  yet focused  girl who wants to live life on her terms and fulfil her dream of having her own house , just to run away from the constant nagging of her father.  One fine morning, after another round of fight with her father, Praful takes off for an all-expense paid trip to Las Vegas. And her life takes an ugly turn and within minutes the script also starts circling around, not being able to apply its landing gear. It is a pity that a film which courted controversy over writing credits actually suffers because of the script. As they say may be too many cooks spoiled the broth.

Simran is an out and out Kangana Ranaut show with not even a distant second in sight. She acts like a lady possessed. Beneath the quirkiness lies a vast emptiness. Behind the tough “devil may care” attitude lies a vulnerable Simran who wanted to be loved, heard and understood. And Kangana beautifully exposes it.  She is on a roll. Watch out for the scene where she tries to tell her suiter about her character flaws. Some of the dialogues in the film are razor sharp. The cinematography is just par but the music is a big letdown.

It is the third act where the film nose dives and the script becomes contrived.  So you come across repetitive bank robberies with the same modus operandi, banks with only cashiers, without security guards. Instead of focusing on the jauntiness which seemed to work for it in the first half, the second half focuses on myriad emotions with some inconsequential scenes including a car chase.

However in spite of some of its flaws , Simran is a film I enjoyed watching and probably can even re watch just for its irrepressible protagonist . I’m sure Kangana must be tired, because she is constantly running in mind. How I wish I could have said the same about Simran ! I will go out with 3 out of 5 for this Kangana Ranaut blitzkrieg. 

Lipstick Under My Burkha : Rebel in Man's World !

#LipstickUnderMyBurkha :  Way back in 1942 ,Ismat Chughtai in her celebrated story “ Lihaf” scathingly  established  the identity of women  and her  existential realities ,while exploring the other dimensions of social complexity  in a patriarchal society where female sexual desire is repressed . And that landed her in court with charges of obscenity. If one goes by the reaction of censor board to Alankrita Srivastava’s coming off age film “Lipstick Under My Burkha” it seems nothing much has changed in last 75 years. Ours is a beautiful society. A society that is buried deep under a labyrinth of hypocrisies, presented in the guise of values. Peel that layer off and you will discover a scary feudal, myopic mindset with deep rooted rudimentary ideologies.

Lipstick Under My Burkha dares to strip that layer off and goes onto hold a mirror to the society. While on the surface the film explores the life of four women, of different age group who belong to Bhopal, a city on the brink of modernization, their suppressed craving, their aspiration, deep within it talks about their indomitable desire to live, to dream without any inhibition, to enjoy without the fear of being judged or labelled to live an apologetic life .  While Shirin ( Konkana) is not allowed to fulfill her aspiration of being a working women by her infidel husband who uses  her just to fulfill his carnal instincts , Buaji ( an excellent Ratna Pathak Shah) a 55 year lady who has almost forgotten her name has been humiliated as she discreetly expresses her sexual desires and fantasies  . So it is the society that decides who can have a sexual urge and at what age. Rihana had to hide her desires of becoming a singer under a Burkha , while Leela had  to struggle hard to escape from the small city to give wings to her dream. And in all of them the desire to free themselves from the clutches of stereotype is burning. The lipstick is symbolic of their rebellion, their free spirit.

The performances are uniform and the female leads have given a stupendous performance. The narration is engaging and the screen play is smooth. It is only the contrived ending that fails to do justice to an otherwise terrific and bold film. There is a scene where Buaji says how quickly our eyes adjust to darkness. And that‘s telling scene. May be we all have adjusted to the darkness. May be someone needs to light a match. I would highly recommend Lipstick under My Burkha as your weekend watch. It’s an evolved film, a rebellion in a man’s world ! And if you still need a rating to watch a film then 3.5 out of 5 it is . 

Jagga Jasoos : Its a dreamy World

#JaggaJasoos : It’s a fairy-tale world . A world where Katrina’s acting doesn’t stick out like sore thumb has to be a fantasy world. Ravi Varman’s exquisite camerawork and Anurag Basu’s heady imagination transports one to the land of thousand fables.  But to keep one engrossed for 170 odd minutes the least one requires is an enchanting story.  Unfortunately Basu absorbed in his craft and spirit of experimentation makes the cardinal mistake of being over indulgent. And that is where the film suffers.

Make no mistakes; Jagga Jasoos is a passionate and unapologetic attempt to take us back to the days of child like curiosity and innocence.  Influenced by the story of Feluda, Hitchcock & Sherlock Jagga goes out on a quest to find Badal Bagchi, the man who had adopted him and had discovered the teenage sleuth in him. Their bond has been beautifully exploited.  However Basu stuffs Jagga’s adventurous trip with too many repetitive narratives and that drags the pace of the film and makes it extremely predictable. The film also lacks humour.  Most of the films dialogues are in lyrics form and Pritam and Amitabh Bhattacharya get ample scope to flex their creativity.Ranbir as usual is in top form creating a full bodied character that is smart, vulnerable and whimsical. Saswat Chattarjee, a fine actor, plays the role of Badal Bagchi with aplomb. The film’s music is engaging.

It is frustrating that while Basu transports one to the fairy-tale world , he fails to keep one there for long  or may be just he himself stays there for far too long ! It is a pity considering Jagga Jasoos  is otherwise a bold attempt to exploit a genre whose potential  hasn’t yet been tapped by bollywood . I will go out with 2.5 out of 5 for this Tintin-esque musical adventure. Go watch it, who knows it may rekindle the child hood memories in you. How I wish while Anurag Basu went on a hyper imaginative spree, someone should have focused on the basic essential of a film, the narrative. Taking three years to make a film doesn’t mean its length has to be three hours!

Gurugram: Kingdom Of Nostalgia

Gurugram is a city of nostalgia. Situated 32 KM southwest of the national Capital the place in its own strange little way lets one relive the childhood memories, more so if you were born in a small town.  The summers here are all about long, frequent, unannounced power outages. 6-8 hours of repeated, unapologetic power cut is what you get ready for, as the memories of growing up in a pre-liberalized India comes crashing in.  The city doesn’t allow you to look too far away for company .It has lots of incubation centers, not only for startups, but also for mosquitoes. And the poor insects are always ready for company and quite flexible too. Depending on how your boss treated you on a particular day, you can decide if you want to unleash yourself on them or helplessly go to sleep as they sing and sting.   

The traffic here is a connoisseur’s delight.  On the connecting roads, they move in all direction , at the same time , as the helpless traffic police stands still exactly like the hapless Gandhi statue , that symbolizes secularism while the mass celebrates beef ban and pork fest . And on the highway, that apparently is the life line of the city, the circus begins at the stroke of 8 in the morning and 6 in the evening. The sight on most days can be compared to the sight of ants moving towards food item at negligible pace in one straight line. Call it the power of pheromone or the symbolic representation of herd mentality.

Every time one intends to indulge in small pleasures of life, the city like a true Bournville chap, asks one simple question- “Have you earned it “. So if you want to watch a good film (e.g. MuktiBhawan. Anarkali of Arrah, A death in the Gunj) either you have to fight the traffic woes to travel far off or risk safety and sacrifice sleep to catch them at odd hours. The choice of course is yours. And if you are the kind who loves to explore a city and its happening places, Gurugram of course offers few places. Actually two to be precise, Cyber City and sector 29. You can keep visiting them till you die of boredom or claustrophobia.

As far as the seasons are concerned the Weather God here follows a simple binary programming mechanism.  In between navigating through dense smog and braving blows of strong loo wind, you do encounter bouts of passing showers. And buoy those quarter hour of quick shower are enough to drown most city roads as you sail through your childhood memories of paper boat voyage. When you move towards the outskirt, along with pigs you can also spot peacocks and peahens. I was told their numbers are dwindling. But you can’t blame the peahens for that. May be the polluted city air that makes us teary eyed every now and then isn’t doing enough for the sanskari peacocks to cry. 

But as a city that houses the “who’s who” of corporate India, the city that headquarters most of MNCs ,Gurugram reminds you that life is a great leveler. Like a true Indian Dad it reiterates at every given opportunity that you must struggle hard today if you want to be happy someday.

The city bears a strong resemblance to Katrina Kaif. In spite of not learning the “ A” of acting in fifteen long years  she still commands  a premium and Gurugram in spite of being a below par place to live still gets the best of talent. One has looks, the other has opportunity. She started her career with Boom (yes the film was named boom, blame it on nostalgia once again) and Gurugram with the boom in Indian economy and American dream.   And both I guess have been lucky. One was close to Salman, the other to Delhi, at least they were when both of them started out! 

A death in the Gunj

A death in the Gunj :  Konkana Sen Sharma does it once again , this time as the debutante director . Her firstborn champions the art of simple story telling. It is eerie, atmospheric and moody- yet in each of its characters one will find a slice of his own life. The opening shot of the film sets the tempo and mood as the narrative moves back to the beginning of the week when the story started unfolding in the idyllic colonial outpost, McCluskiegunj. While on the surface A death in the Gunj looks like a slow paced thriller with an eerie sense of impeding doom, deep within it is a study of human behavior.

The story unfolds as Nandu along with his family and cousin Shutu visits his old parents living in McCluskiegunj to celebrate Christmas and New Year. They are joined by his friend Vikram, the hot headed poster boy of machismo and Brian. Each one of them are unique to each other and yet somewhere underneath they are so similar – opportunist to the core. And therein lies the crux of the film.  The film bares open the complexities related to human behavior and how they react differently to different situation. While Shutu gets bullied and exploited by most, the moment he got an opportunity, he too leaves the little Tani alone, who has been his only constant companion and goes on an escapade with Mimi ( Kalki Koechein) . Sexually trapped Mimi , rejected by Vikram , uses Shutu to gratify her sexual desires . Nandu doesn’t even waste a minute to blame his wife Bonnie when Tani goes missing. The interpersonal dynamics are brilliantly exposed. There are few telling scenes in the film. Watch out for the scene where Tani discovers Shutu’s name is not engraved on the family tree and co relate it with the climax. Then there is a scene where the entire family is having dinner and Shutu is conveniently forgotten. He is repeatedly bullied and sidelined. There is a constant fight going on inside his mind. The turmoil is so palpable. After all we all have been Shutu at some point in our lives.

The brilliance of the film lies in its ensemble cast, its beautiful characterization, its serene cinematography and the earthy back ground score. Each character has been crafted with care and each one of them gives a solid performance and Vikrant Massey leads the pack. His Shutu, will forever haunt you. The fluidity and flexibility with which he plays the character is remarkable. Ranvir Shorey , Tillotama Shome and Kalki are in fine form. Arya Sharma as little Tani is adorable. It was endearing to see Tanuja , back on screen after long and watching Om Puri , probably for one last time on big screen, as he says “ Tulsidas wapas nehin ayaega” is nostalgic .

 “A death In the Gunj” is a finely crafted tapestry that exposes the myriad hues of human psychology. It will be right up there along with “ Udaan” as one of the best Debut films made in India. Its a tribute to Konaka’s ability to bring the finest together and get the best out of them. Go explore the complexities of human behavior and the art of simple story telling!

Sachin - A Billion Dreams

#SachinABillionDreams : 15^th Nov 1989 to 18^th Nov 2013 , the nation romanced with one man for 24 magical years . Cricket in India was never about just 22 yards, Sachin for our generation was way beyond a superman, he was the memories we grew up with. Answer to “Sachin he ke out hogeya” defined the mood of the country for over two decades. If Gavaskar stood for resilience, Kapil for flair, Sachin was the one who represented Hope and Aspiration.

It is not easy to make a film on someone who is under constant media glare since the age of 16, who steers clear of controversies and whose autobiography has just been published couple of years back. But director James Erskine uses a non linear narrative to intercut between different phases of his career to stitch together a riveting saga. The home videos have been beautifully used to keep the documentary engaging.  It gives a good sneak peek into the masters’ mental strength. Watch out for Sachin’s interview post his selection to Indian Team. Even as 16 years old he was very confident and was not wary of Pakistani attack that comprised of few supremely talented players. That speaks about his mind set. There is not much in the story that you already not know, but then the master himself narrating the story makes it exciting. What works for the film is Sachin speaking about his own failures, struggles and pressure of coping with the expectations.  And this is where Sachin transcends from being a demigod to a mere mortal who overcame adversities through sheer hard work. And that is what Sachin was to 120 billion Indians, one among us, yet far superior to most, the one who fulfilled our own unfulfilled dream to be world beater. The film does well to stay away from being hagiographical.

                                                          

Sachin – A billion Dreams is a beautiful documentary that helps you relieve your memories and inspires one to dream. It reinforces the importance of humility, hard work and conviction.  It leaves you with a lump in your throat. As you walk out of the auditorium tears of nostalgia overwhelms you. Afterall you have just relived a huge part of your life. Go watch it right away  , watch Sachin step out and hit Warne for a six , watch him as he tackles the desert storm, watch him as he celebrates the world cup win , watch him as he walks one last time to bat for India , feel the lump in your throat as he gives his farewell speech and discover yourself in each of his journey .  Between 22 Yards and 24 years how quickly time flew by, nostalgia, tons and tons of it.

As for rating, all I would chant is “Sachin .. Sachin “. The man means a world and I ‘m forever a fan boy.

Naam Shabana : Really ,Who Cares !

Did you watch Kuldeep Yadav plotting the wicket of Peter Handscomb in the last Test against Australia. The wrist spinner fooled the batsman into believing that he is going to bowl a wrong’un whereas he actually bowled a chinaman that went through the gates of Handscomb dislodging the stumps. Writer director duo of Neeraj Pandey and Shivam Nair does the same to the audience. Bowled them through the gate! NaamShabana promoted as the story of the making of a spy can at best be called a predictable revenge drama where an undercooked espionage angle is force fitted. The film, a spin off from 2015 sleeper hit Baby, tracing the life of the female agent Shabana Khan, goes so much into the details that after a point it becomes too predictable and boring.

The film opens with two hard to believe pot bellied intelligent agents cornering their target, a dreaded arms dealer whom intelligence agencies of multiple countries are chasing for a decade, in a busy street. As the film progresses the agency decides to send a green horn to neutralize the target that even the experts couldn’t get hold of. So much for sensible writing.  The first half that traces the back story is extremely slow.  The story lacks conviction and the screen play is incoherent. Even the casting is uninspiring. If taut screen play and well choreographed chases were high point of Baby, Naam Shabana suffers from lazy writing and unimaginative editing. After a point even the background score becomes irritating.

Taapsee Pannu’s laboured acting is too evident in a film where she has almost 120 minutes of screen time. She is solid in scenes where she is kicking ass, but insipid in scenes where she needs to emote. As far as Manoj Bajpayee is concerned it seems the producer had paid him only for his voice or the director probably forgot what a fine actor he is. It is such a pity that his scope in the film is reduced to just delivering few badly written dialogues.  The rest of the cast from Baby including Akshay, Anupam and Danny are used just as  dressing in the salad to lure the audience. In espionage movies a lot depends on editing and pace. Sadly in Naam Shabana the editing is sloppy and at 150 minutes it tests your patience.

It is unfortunate that a film which had so much promise at conceptualization stage just ends up taking the audience for a ride. With some solid effort and intention it could have ended up being such an interesting story. I will go out with 2 out of 5 for this confused and badly written film. Patience is a good virtue to possess. So save some money and wait till it gets a Television premier.

Trapped - Are You ?

#Trapped: There are high-rises around. There are millions of people around. Yet no one can hear your voice or may be no one wants to. Have you ever experienced that loneliness, the feeling of being left out, the helplessness of not being able to reach out? Have you ever spoken to the mirror in front or with the lizard on the wall at some moment of wretched loneliness?  Have you seen life slip by, as you set out on our journey to fulfil those big aspirations, get trapped in a vicious cycle and realized at the end of the day how you have missed celebrating the small things in life. Have the realization of being blessed with the basics to live a comfortable life ever dawned on you?

While Vikramaditya Motwane’s ingenious film Trapped belongs to the survivor genre, his only protagonist Shourya’s struggle is allegorical. It is as much a struggle within as it is to break out of the claustrophobic set up. Motwane and his writers Amit Joshi and Hardik Mehta intelligently use symbolism to drive home their point. The apartment Shourya gets trapped in is metaphorically named “Swarg”. The city where his voice struggles to reach out to a single person is actually the maximum city Mumbai where millions live. And the main protagonist himself, who gets scared of rat, is named as Shourya . But when put against the wall, Shourya’s survival instincts come to the fore and he fights all odds.

Trapped is neither an easy film to make, nor an easy film to digest. Motwane shows enough courage to take up the project and Rajkumar Rao puts his heart and soul into the character. In just about seven years from playing Adarsh in  Love Sex & Dhokha to Shahid Azmi in Shahid to Deepu Sebastian in Aligarh to, Deepak in City lights to  Shourya in Trapped , this man has metamorphosed into one of the most flexible young actors we have today. Watch out for scene where he comes back to the flat after being trapped in it.  The eyes say it all, the feeling of conquering his inner fears . Sidhhartha Dwivedi’s cinematography is top notch. He masterfully uses natural light and shoots from close angles to create the tension.

However unlike other survivor films like Cast Away, Trapped fails to give enough edge of the seat moments. While you understand Shourya’s plight after a point you don’t feel his pain. Shourya’s attempts become repetitive. And that is where Trapped loses some steam. However personally for me it was not just a film about survival, it was a film with a much deeper metaphysical subtext.

Trapped is a gutsy attempt at making good cinema and deserves a watch. Go, acquire the courage to fight and get out of the vicious cycle or remain lonely and trapped. The fight is as much within as it is with outside world. Your choices can liberate you or leave you scared for life!

Rangoon

#Rangoon: Do you remember Sachin Tendulkar’s 241 not out at SCG against Australia ? As Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee steamed in to bowl full length deliveries outside off stump and Sachin, instead of creaming them through the cover, would put his head down and play straight or simply let it go. As an audience, when the innings was in progress, we all sighed at the sight of a missed opportunity to hit a boundary. Something similar happens while watching Rangoon. Every scene of Rangoon is visually breathtaking and pregnant with possibilities and yet it stays short of touching the soul.

 It is not easy to live up to the standards of Haider , arguably Bharadwaj’s finest . And this time he didn’t have either Shakespeare or any of his tragic characters to fall back on. A magnificently picturesque canvas, heavy slice of history, a love triangle in the backdrop of war for independence, some superlative performances, Rangoon had all the ingredients of being another Vishal Bhardwaj epic. But then probably he had so much to say that the film misses out on what exactly it set out to portray. Bhardwaj tries to do what Tarantino did in “Inglourious Basterds” to present historical fiction using a large paint brush. But then while the later stayed true to the theme, the former strays around too much. The shoddy editing and an overstretched and convenient climax don’t help the matter much.  Every time the film comes close to exploring the emotions, the screen play veers around.  

However even a struggling Vishal Bhardwaj can give one a cinematic experience which only a handful of directors can claim to give. And Rangoon on that account is a film that must be seen to understand what scale, canvas and aesthetics mean. Even simple scenes are made to look magnificent. The performances have been even and Kangana Ranaut once again shows who the real queen is.  While the backdrop can be anything, Kangana makes sure you will remember Rangoon as the story of a fierce yet vulnerable Julia .The cinematography won’t let you take your eyes off the screen.

Remember the Sachin innings. Only after it got over we realised it was history in making. It was not fluent, it was not flawless. Yet it was an innings that you will watch every time you want to understand what mental strength and concentration means.  Rangoon too has its share of issues especially in editing and screen play, but then it’s a film that helps you understand the medium. It’s a film that is visually enriching and who knows how history will look at Rangoon. Bloody hell, after all it’s a “Vishal Bhardwaj creation”.

I will go out with 3 out of 5 for this Kangana Ranaut starrer. The show must go on!

In pursuit of ....

He woke up to the screeching sound, as the nose wheel of the aircraft touched the ground. From the tiny windows of the plane he looked outside. The airport stared at him. The same old forlorn look. Ah airports, he thought, the melting point of so many emotions, emotions of meeting, emotions of parting and yet it never matters to the airport.  It never reciprocates, may be it doesn’t even understand the feelings. Have you ever been deeply in love with someone for whom you are just one of those many suitors? Have you seen the irreverence in her eyes when you pour your heart out to her? It doesn’t matter to her, it doesn’t matter to the airport either.   Both are indifferent, the world doesn’t affect them, emotions don’t touch them. Sometimes he wonders, why he can’t be like an airport. Stoic and equanimous. 

As he got out of the aircraft and moved towards the shuttle, it seemed someone whispered in his ear. He looked back. Nah, no one was there. It was only a gust of fresh breeze that touched his cheeks and went past.  Faceless yet familiar. Playing hide and seek. The whispering was almost hushed.  He looked towards the sky. The sun was making one last sincere attempt to shine before bidding a goodbye kiss to the night. And the sky was splashed with divine colors as day and night marched towards each other. He had seen this before, ages back, standing on his terrace, in his corner where dreams everyday clashed with reality at the stroke of twilight. And in those days dreams won every day, every single day. Reality was a naïve, distant competitor. As he got down the shuttle he watched the gardener watering the airport garden. The fragrance of the water drenched soil was so invigorating. He tried remembering when the last time he had this feeling. But then, why are these feelings coming back today. As he looked around he saw the airport signboard. Ah then, it was the familiarity of home town, a place where he had left a piece of his heart. He had gone out in pursuit of success, he had come back in search of happiness.

The sudden turbulence in the plane and the subsequent announcement of the air hostess to tighten the seat belt woke him up. The screen in front showed the aircraft flying at 600 miles per hour and his destination New York , four hours away . He sat up and drank a bit of water. Ah a dream it was. Today the table has turned a full circle and reality became the winner. Dream has become a naïve, distant competitor. Home then is far away, far far away.   

Haraamkhor

Haramkhor : This is a strange film! Throughout the 94 minutes, I was completely engaged in the film, watching the story unfold, yet when I came back home, I found multiple layers to the story. The title of the film is “HaramKhor” yet director Shlok Sharma rightly treats his characters as they are, with all their frailties, without being judgemental about them ( I m presuming the declaimers were put just to please censor) . The disclaimer talks about exploitation, yet I was not too sure if the film was meant to be on exploitation or the story of the loneliness of adolescence, the desire to have a companion, be cared, be physically close and the complexity of it all. If Sandhya would have been 18 years 15 days instead of 15 years then the entire arc would have been different. So, then it is a story about age.   That period of life when impishness of childhood is on its way out and maturity is just about setting in.  That period in your life when you feel the urge but don’t understand it.  And what happens when you meet someone who fulfills those desires, but you are not too sure of his intentions. But then was Shyam and Sandhya’s relationship exploitative? May be morally or legally, but I didn’t find Sandhya thinking it to be, till Nilu tells her that probably both of them have chosen the wrong man . Let’s go back to the “Age” discussion then. And if it is indeed about age then watch out for that ghastly last scene where this innocence of age is lost, where Kamal having lost his love and his friend mercilessly attacks Shyam.  

The characters have been etched out beautifully in Haramkhor and with the two child actors Irfan and Samad in full flow the film keeps you invested for most part of it.  Their chemistry and loyalty to each other is a treat to watch. Sweta Tripathi , who played an endearing character in Masaan , picks up the complex character of Sandhya going through myriad emotions . Nawaz as the village teacher Shyam is absolutely natural with his mannerisms. The cinematography captures the heartland of Madhya Pradesh. And I loved the scenes where the camera pans on to the empty fields and windmills, probably reflecting the emptiness inside and continuous churn.  

However my problem with Haramkhor is its inability to delve deeper. It could have explored the complexities has it decided to scratch beneath the surface. Yet it is a bold attempt that deserves a watch.  So go and find the Haramkhor, is it Shyam or Mintu or Kamal or the judgemental society that jumps to a conclusion. To each his own!