Airlift : It surely lifts the mood

#Airlift : There are two kinds of people in the world , one who get bogged down by adversary and find an escape route  . And then there is another tribe, who when pressed against the wall, rise like phoenix from the ashes. Adversity brings the best out of them.  They are the ones who stand testimony to the indomitable human spirit. They are the men in Ernst Hemmingway’s words “who can be destroyed but cannot be defeated”.  They are the Heroes.  And many of them remain unsung heroes whose heroics have been buried in the pages of history.

Raja Krishna Menon’s Airlift is an attempt to celebrate the heroics of these unsung heroes who toiled hard to evacuate the 1,70,000 Indians stranded in Kuwait during the 1^st Gulf war in 1990.  Menon makes it clear at the onset that his film is not a historical adaptation; rather it is a dramatic representation, where the main protagonist, Ranjit Katyal’s character (played by Akshyay Kumar) is an amalgamation of two Indians Mr. Sunny Matthews and Mr. Vedi whose valiant attempt ensured the safe return of Indians.

Airlift is a deftly done film which balances beautifully between fact and fiction. It evokes emotion without attempting to be too melodramatic. Akshyay Kumar sinks his teeth into the role to give one of the finest performances of his career. He is supremely convincing as his character moves from being a Kuwait loving Indian for whom “ Profit Explains Everything” to an Indian Living in Kuwait who is trying to rescue his countrymen probably at the cost of his own life. His restraint is remarkable.  Nimrit Kaur , whom I have always admired , takes a bit of time  to come to form. But once she is in, she stays put with some brilliant dialogue delivery and some deft expression. Kumud Mishra  once again provides a good supporting hand. Inaamul Haq as  the quirky Iraq  Major with a peculiar accent is a delight to watch. Priya Seth’s cinematography is another high point of the film.  However Airlift would have been a much better film had it stayed away from the unnecessary song and dance sequence. They spoil the narration and sometimes even seem out of place.

Yet Airlift’s success lies in its honest attempt and in its ability to stay away from the conventional bollywood format. Menon stays true to his story and doesn’t go for any heroics. And that makes Airlift a winner. I will go out with 3.5 out of 5.And as the end credits roll, showing news clippings of the gulf war evacuation and photos of the real heroes, the audience stands on its feet and claps. That for sure is enough to lift the mood just before the republic day.

Bajirao Mastani : Visual Opulence !

#BajiraoMastani : With arguably the longest disclaimer in the history of hindi cinema , Sanjay Leela Bhansali makes it pretty clear at the beginning that his magnum opus is not a factual representation of the life of 18^th century Maratha warrior Peshwa Bajirao Balaji Bhat (1700-1740)  , rather it is based on N.S. Inamder’s celebrated novel “Rau”.  From there on, brace yourself for everything that is typical of Bhansali, the grandeur, the scale, the set, the melodrama, the music, the colour, the canvas, the costume, the self indulgence, the drama and of course the dance.

And amidst all these opulence, it is the story that suffers. Subtlety has never been Bhansali’s forte, but trying to recreate “Devdas” while telling the love story of legendary warrior who has remained unconquered in forty one battles is a faux pas, too difficult to be ignored.  So “ Pinga ga pori ” is forced into the narrative to bring the effect of “ Dola re”. While the later had a context in the narrative, the former in fact reduces the conflict and affects the narrative. Wait there is more “Babuji ne kaha Gaon Chod do , Sab ne Kaha Paro ko Chod do” moment. Only the Babuji is replaced by Aai here. Thankfully Tanvi Azmi’s character as Radhabai , Bajirao’s mother, has been fleshed out and she gives a powerhouse performance as a matriarch .

  

However in spite of its inherent flaws, Bajirao Mastani is a breathtaking visual tapestry.  The fountains, the chandeliers, the glass palace, the costume creates magic.  Sudeep Chatarjee’s cinematography is poetic and deserves a standing ovation. Music and background score transports you into a world of its own. Ranvir Singh is pure class. He makes the character of Peshwa his own, even picks up the Marathi accent and gives a delightfully power packed performance, probably his best till date. Priyanka who gets to play a character that goes through different emotions is scintillating. She gives an outstanding performance every time she is in frame and even outshines Deepika in scenes where they are together.  Deepika has a sizzling entry. Yet for an actor who has been in a zone for quite some time now playing each character with aplomb, she gives a slightly inconsistent performance. At almost 2 hours 40 minutes and with a very long melodramatic climax, the editing pulls down the pace and exhausts a bit.

Alright then, in a world where Visual Opulence can be renamed “Bhansali”, Bhansali has a new syndrome called “ Devdas”  and where history starts with “ Disclaimer” I will go out with 2.5 out of 5 for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Labour of Love “ Bajirao Mastani” . Go indulge yourself, the “Experience” may not be authentic yet it’s worth savoring!

Tamasha : When the Mind is without Fear

There is a race out there, a race that has no meaning, yet every damn folk is part of it. Millions are caught in the rut, living a pretentious life, a life that is fast losing its inherent meaning. In a robotic, corporatized world, where you get judged by the minute, there is an inner self that is getting suffocated deep inside, yet powerless to liberate itself.  Gone are the days “When the mind was without fear” – in a modern, materialistic world the mind is tuned to take instructions only. In a world obsessed with pragmatism and success, spontaneity has faded into oblivion.  The inner struggle is so evident, the angst is so palpable, hence the escape to Corsica. Such a poignant and powerful story. And Imtiaz Ali decides to use “Tamasha” to portray it.

Imtiaz who depicted the soul stirring journey of Janardan to Jordan in “Rockstar” decides to tell the story of Ved’s self discovery in Tamasha. Forced to choose an average, ordinary life, labelled as a well behaved man Ved, probably discovers the full potential of his true inner self when me meets Tara in Corsica. Yet he thought that was momentary and resumes his mundane, normal, robotic life once he is back in India, till he meets Tara again, years later. His discovery is gut wrenching for him and fascinating for us, as we continue to live in a cocooned world, in a pre defined way, scared to take the plunge.   However Imtiaz chooses a weird narrative, partly magnificent and partly monotonous to paint the canvas. The opening scene, at almost twenty minutes, is too long and fails to connect with the audience .Much of the first half is lost in capturing the picturesque Corsica without any effort to flesh out the characters. But post interval the film picks up pace and decides to delve deep and gives us some brilliant moments.

Ranbir and Deepika’s Chemistry is enigmatic. Deepika , it seems , is on a roll. She effortlessly gets into the skin of Tara displaying us her myriad moods. Ranbir is back with a superlative performance. Watch out for his monologues in front of a mirror, where he speaks with his inner self or for that brilliant scene where he shares with his family his own story, the story of a life he wants to live. Irshad Kamal’s lyrics are partly haunting and partly playful. Unfortunately the songs have not been used properly. Ravi Verman’s cinematography is beautiful. It is the editing that slows down the pace of the film and it veers in all direction.

Ironically a film that talks about what life “could have been” if we dare to take the path of self discovery, ends up being a film “that could have been so much more”! I will go out with 2.5 out of 5 for Imtiaz Ali’s “ Tamasha” – go be a part  of the journey of self discovery , it may not be entirely fulfilling , yet who knows, it may  fascinate your soul to take the plunge !

Titli : A gut wrenching Flight

#Titli : There exists two India. One that is suave, progressive, an India that is surrounded by malls & multiplexes, that drives Mercedes, which talks about digitization, enjoys the benefits of economic liberalization, promotes or at least pretends to endorse feminism. And then there is another India , that struggles everyday to meet two ends, that takes pride in patriarchy , where relationship tend to become dysfunctional . While we may carelessly ignore it, yet both the places co- exist. Several obnoxious slum windows in many cities open straight into the skyscrapers built just opposite to them. Beneath the superficial harmonious co-existence lies the vulnerable aspiration of many who want to escape away from a ruined present and create a better future.

Growing up in the latter India, just a bit away from an India that seems shining, Titli’s constant effort   was to break away from his family and the world of crime. His quest is for a life with dignity and his dry eyes capture his quest hauntingly. But is it just about escaping from a weird family or is it also about letting go the morbid values he has inherited from them or from the society he has been part of. Is the quest just for escaping   to a better world or to become a better human being? In his pursuit to lead a better life and accumulate money for it, he too manipulated and allowed himself to be exploited till he realized the transformation could not be complete unless the “means” to achieve it is right.

In spite of a bit over indulgence Kanu Behl’s direction is scintillating. He brings out the gut wrenching chemistry of a disjointed family that leads its life in an absolutely unapologetic way. In the struggle for survival, in the world of aspiration, remorse doesn’t have a place. While his elder brother Bawla cries, Titli listens to it indifferently and his wife sleeps peacefully. There is an emotional vacuum everywhere. Relationships are based on needs. Titli takes his wife to meet her love Prince. While they make love, Titli waits patiently in the living room- like the display furniture in the model flat he too is not part of the standard fixture!

Ranvir Shorey has given the performance of his career and Shivani Raghuvanshi as Neelu is the show stealer. Shashank Arora’s desperate eyes reflect his inner suffocation. Yet as Titli , this constant expression doesn’t do justice to his talent. Namrata Rao’s editing could have been better.

Titli is not an easy film to watch, yet it is an important film that needs to be watched. It reflects a part of society, we ignore blissfully. It is a powerful film that showcases family in a way, very few films, barring Udaan have dared to present. 

I will go out with 3 out of five for Kanu Behl’s gut wrenching Titli. Go brace yourself and fasten your seat belt. This for sure is going to be a turbulent flight! 

Talvar... Truth is stranger than Fiction !

Talvar : It s not easy to make a film on a real life case that has been under constant  public scrutiny. It is even more difficult when a book has been written and a film has already been made on it.  It becomes all the more tricky in an age when all pervading media has “cracked” the case several times over and declared the instant verdict.  Yet Vishal Bharadwaj and Meghna Gulzar decide to tread the path already traveled and yet present a compelling and unique dimension to the sordid saga. Their Talwar is as much about the double murder as it is about a system that has become dysfunctional and a society that has become voyeuristic.

The cleverly written, watertight script uses acid wit to reflect on the glaring procedural failures. It is a film with multiple layers. On one hand it presents a disturbing picture of the way media, police and judiciary functions. On the other hand it subtly forces us to think how voyeuristic and insensitive we have become. Though presented in a Rashomon style narrative, where each investigative team has a different perspective on how the crime would have been committed, Gulzar and Bharadwaj somewhere subtly lets us know where their heart lies. And that is probably the only let down in an otherwise riveting piece of work that reflects on the police procedure.

Irrfan, playing the character of Arun Kumar, the then CBI Jt. Director, is in sublime form. He plays a complex character that is going through turbulence in personal life with aplomb. To put it mildly, when he appears on screen, you can’t take your eyes off him! Gajraj Rao as the first investigating officer perfectly plays the role of an insensitive pot bellied, pan chewing cop that we come across so often. Unfortunately Neeraj Kabi & Konkona Sen Sharma, two otherwise fine actors, don’t have much to portray in Talvar.

But the standing ovation is reserved for the director – writer duo of Meghna Gulzar & Vishal Bharadwaj.They have put in quite a bit of effort in researching the subject. Gulzar comes out of a long hiatus with all guns blazing. Her direction is astute and mature. She takes up a complex and nuanced project and makes a very fine film. Bhardwaj’s writing is superb. Using black humour to drive his point he makes a scathing attack on the apathetic and incompetent police procedural, overeager media and an overworked judicial system. Watch out for the climax where the two investigating teams confront each other. While you helplessly watch the mockery and feel the pain, Gulzar- Bharadwaj’s satire also makes you laugh impromptu. And then suddenly you become aware how terrible that feeling can be; to laugh and feel guilty simultaneously.

And that is what Talvar does to you. I will go out with four out of five for this gripping documentary thriller. Yes, truth is stranger than fiction!

Calendar Girls... Really ?

#CalendarGirls: Once upon a time there was a director named Madhur Bhandarkar , who showed promise , made few genuinely good films, flattered to deceive for a while  till he  became a victim of “Ram Gopal Verma” syndrome.  Thus started the obsession of showing a mirror to society, through some absolutely shoddy pieces of work. The modus-operandi remains same, pick up few headlines, garnish them with some titillating scenes, and sprinkle it with some sermonising. Calendar Girls is an extension of that mediocrity.

The production quality is shabby, acting is intolerable, dialogues are so terrible; it makes you wonder if the dialogue writer was on extended dope, casting is messy and script is non existent. Most of the scenes are so unimaginative that they make the soaps on Indian telly look master class in comparison. In order to show that one of the selected Calendar girl is from Kolkata the director decides to show us yellow taxi & durga puja . Probably to make his film look contemporary, one of the character in the film constantly talks about twitter & takes selfies . Rest in peace Creativity.

As far as acting is concerned the debutantes could have easily been replaced by mannequins or to suit Bhandarkar’s purpose by Sunny Loene playing multiple roles! Suhel Seth , Kiran Kumar & Ronit Roy’s role could have been played by any dolt, if at all those characters were necessary to the script . Oh, but then we forgot there was no script in the first place! Probably during the filming of “Heroine” Bhandarkar developed a fascination for bare legs & pushed up cleavage. And that fascination still continues , however the audience has moved on and matured Mr. Bhandarkar.

At more than 140 minutes Calendar Girls is an excruciatingly painful watch. So let the Mallyas have fun with the Calendar Girls, the Madhurs make pretentious films on it, you spare yourself the torture and better stay indoor with the good old calendar.

I will go out with a very generous 1 out of 5 for Madhur Bhandarkar’s Calendar Girls. Sometimes after watching such movies I realise probably “BAN” after all is not such a bad word!

                                                                                                                     

Masaan

#Masaan  : Have you ever stood near a Masaan ( Crematorium),  where each single day number of people are brought in as bodies ,just plain life less bodies. As the funeral pyre lights up, comes a moment of vast emptiness followed by a sense of letting go. After all as one of the protagonist says in the film “Anyways I have heard everything gets sorted out after sometime “. It is the place where the skull gets crushed mercilessly in order to liberate the soul!  And what better city to depict this journey than Benaras – A city that celebrates life and death, with some sense of equanimity.

Neeraj Ghaywan’s directorial debut “Masaan” is about a society in flux. It celebrates love as much as it celebrates letting go, it celebrates life as much as Death. It captures the essence of a small city bursting at its seams thanks to conflicting value system. It is the “Doms” who pile up and set the bodies on fire, they are the last stop in our march to salvation, yet the society doesn’t accept them. When a higher class girl falls in love with a guy who sets the funeral fire, she knows her parents won’t accept him. Yet, there is a new shining India, full of aspiration – so the guy is competing hard to get a respectable job, the girl is ready to run away with him, if required. There is still hope, all is not lost yet. But then life’s ultimate truth, death dawns on them. Yet life must go on....

Somewhere else in the same city, Devi, a fiercely independent and aspirational girl is paying the price for   being caught while having premarital sex with her boyfriend. She denies being apologetic and bold enough to explain her escapade as an “act of curiosity”. Her boyfriend is “Killed” ,her family is blackmailed by the cops, who are supposed to provide protection to the society . While she is mourning the loss of her lover, her father is mourning the loss of family honour. This is the dichotomy India encounters every day, this is the hypocrisy we take pride in. Yet she is not cowed down. Life must go on ....

Varun Grover’s screenplay is crisp and compelling and Neeraj Ghaywan’s direction is astute and assured. It is not a flawless film, yet considering it is his directorial debut, he has done a commendable job. No one has ever breathed life into a (Sa)Msaan the way Neeraj has .  Richa Chaddha , in spite of her inconsistency ,manages to pull off the character of Devi. New comer Vicky Kaushal and Shweta Tripathy are absolutely brilliant. Shweta as Shallu gives an endearing performance. Vicky Kaushal is the find of this year.  And that man, Sanjai Mishra , what an actor he is . With each of his release he is exploring new facets of his acting prowess.

Masaan is a poignant portrayal of multi layered storytelling. It has so much to say, yet so many times the silence in the film speaks louder than the word.  It is highly metaphorical. It shows the conflicts in our society. It reflects the confusing value system we have been a part of.  It shows how a new generation driven by technology and aspiration are ready to move in to a new era. It reflects Hope. There is a bridge, there is a river, both of them bring people in and they also take them away. Yet life must go on.......

Forget awards , forget ratings , forget reviews , just go and be a part of the story !