Category Archives: Action

Thamma

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: Now, they are sneaking into vampire territory.

Vampire Bat: We do not usually let humans make mockery of us.

Vampire Owl: Unless they can really make a good movie this time.

Vampire Bat: It feels like a near impossible situation for humans.

Vampire Owl: Well, they do make strange dumb movies out of nowhere.

Vampire Bat: We cannot deny their special ridiculous skills, can we?

Vampire Owl: At least death ends them all, the useless mortals.

Vampire Bat: You know that they can do the hate-everyone part well.

Vampire Owl: Well. Hate is only the beginning, the dawn.

Vampire Bat: You know that even death is not the beginning or the end.

[Gets a podi masala dosa and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: A group of vampiric creatures known as Betaals have been wandering in the forests and nearby villages of Indian subcontinent for thousands of years, making the first known appearance to outsiders during the invasion of Alexander the Great. Yakshasan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) has remained the leader of the group since the creatures were created, and has given birth to many other vampiric creatures during his long existence as an immortal. Among the vampires, Tadaka (Rashmika Mandanna) has remained the only female presence among the warriors for the last few years. After witnessing the violence among humans during the partition of Indian subcontinent into India and Pakistan, the group had decided not to drink blood from humans whose violence make them poisonous and make vampire as violent as them. But this leaves vampires weaker, and with lesser quality blood from random animals that they capture from the forest where they have set their base. This does not go well with all vampires, as drinking blood from at least the most evil humans had kept them going without any remorse for their actions.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: After years of controlling the urges, Yakshasan decides to go against the decision and also turns a number of humans into vampires after drinking their blood. This violation of promise makes the situation leads to vampires imprisoning their leader in the caverns until someone else makes a similar violation which would be drinking human blood and bringing new vampires to existence. In the case of vampires, these promises are to be kept immortally. At the same time, a journalist named Alok Goyal (Ayushmann Khurrana) is caught in the same forest and is attacked by a bear, only to be saved by Tadaka. As the vampires come to hunt him, she takes him out of there and reaches his home with him. Even though his mother Sudha Goyal (Geeta Agarwal Sharma) agrees to provide her refuge as Tadaka had saved her son’s life, his father Bajaj Goyal (Paresh Rawal) remains highly suspicious. But in the vegetarian household she struggles to find enough food, almost drinking blood from the neighbour’s dog. Still, there are more troubles that await them, and it would require them to face bigger horror.

The defence of Thamma :: There is always something about Stree and its related universe that keeps us going. That kind of a strength is right behind here. The romance does have its moments even though not really going too far ahead into the depths. The music is pretty much working in favour of the mood and the songs have different touches here. The visuals nicely create the folklore mood and the looks of the city also works well. The darkness is nicely used and some horror also walks in here and there. The action stays alive as much as the feeling of danger. The dance numbers will grace our world for a long time too. There are some parts of the story which makes the connection really well, and some of the humour comes out of nowhere to create a big impact. The ending nicely sets up the situation for a fine sequel, even though one would still doubt the collaboration of so many movies. There are references to many vampire beliefs though, and the historical connections are nicely done, even though the relevance could be questioned. The movie also manages to take some strength out of the universe which has been created here, as Leo did from its world which was already established with ease.

The claws of flaw :: The movie keeps on missing the opportunities which are provided in front of it right from the beginning itself. Some of the humour would feel too silly to have the funny side going here. There are many easy routes taken here as the in-depth journey into folklore is surely not present here. We are faced with a lot of predictabilities here too. The final sequences are not that interesting and the fight just seems to be there to bring the movie too an end – not many surprises or innovations there too. The movie’s use of elements from multiple sources seems to have hurt it too, and calling this movie an action-adventure-romance-horror-thriller-comedy makes it more of something which is not really here or there. The audience can also have the doubt if this would a vampire romance trend as brought on by Stephenie Meyer a long time ago. As this particular film of the popular franchise did not bring the fame and glory that much, one can still feel that this might not even have its own single sequel. The way vampires greet each other and the unrealistic jumping fight scenes do not serve the cause either.

The performers of the soul :: Ayushmann Khurrana leads the way pretty well, even when the situation keeps on moving to the silly side. Rashmika Mandanna makes an interesting vampire, and despite the flaws of the character, manages the humour well – the look here is suited for the vampire too. After all, seeing a few scenes from Pushpa and its sequels had us feeling that her acting skills had gone missing, but here, she takes on the vampire essence really well. There might not be many actresses who would suit this kind of a vampire role. The best of humour comes from Paresh Rawal who checks out for monsters and keeps the funny side alive – Geeta Agarwal Sharma is also around with her funny moments. Varun Dhawan’s cameo was totally unnecessary as just talking about him at the end of the movie was enough – that one never really suited the movie and just pauses the fine flow around there. Sathyaraj’s cameo was fun though and it is nice to see Nora Fatehi as a vampire as much as the dancer. Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s villainy is more related to the looks and movements and there is not much to perform to create the terrifying antagonist except for in the words of others. Faisal Malik also has his shorter nice moments.

How it finishes :: Right after Rashmika Mandanna shows her vampire teeth, we see the Sensodyne Pro-enamel ad on Amazon Prime Video, which becomes the best advertisement that can be shown for a toothpaste – who better than a vampire for a toothpaste and toothbrush ad? Well, this movie serves well in many aspects, but surely not in all of them, especially as Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra did it so well a few months ago. Matching with that particular movie would feel rather difficult here. It might be the same reason why that Malayalam movie grossed so much more than this one, that too on a lower budget. As it is displayed on various websites, the success of that movie is ten times the making cost, while this one has only managed to take home the expense. But a comparison would do only half the justice, as the genre itself has some divergence, with superhero action on one side and action horror comedy on the other side. Still, this one could have managed to do better with the folklore background, as it fuels both of them. Yet, what this movie has done is pretty much interesting and engaging, as it gives us hope for connection with other movies and sequels.

Release date: 21st October 2025
Running time: 149 minutes
Directed by: Aditya Sarpotdar
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Paresh Rawal, Geeta Agarwal Sharma, Faisal Malik, Rachit Singh, Alex O’Nell, Ankit Mohan, Vinod Suyavanshi, Hritika Kanwar, Deepak Kalra, Raj Premi, Shailesh Korde, Krishna Kant Rai, Janardhan Kadam, Hashim Haider, Deepak Daryani

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Yudhra

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: It is always good to watch those lesser-known Bollywood movies.

Vampire Bat: Especially movies like this one without those usual nepo kids.

Vampire Owl: How many movies work without that infinite nepo nonsense?

Vampire Bat: It is too difficult for Bollywood these days. Every movie can’t be Shaitaan.

Vampire Owl: Bollywood without nepo kids and too much mass still works.

Vampire Bat: In the case of nepo kids, their performance is always appreciated for no reason.

Vampire Owl: Yes, their performance will be considered the perfect one, no matter how bad it is.

Vampire Bat: I am surprised by the number of fans these people get when there are so many quality actors whose works feel so realistic.

Vampire Owl: This why I watch Hindi movies only on OTT these days.

Vampire Bat: Well, Amazon Prime and Netflix got most of them and brings us happy smiles.

[Gets a tomato uthappam and three cups of orange tea].

What is the movie about? :: Girish Dixit (Saurabh Gokhale) is an honest police officer who has been known for taking strict steps against the criminals and drug dealers of the city, often becoming target of gangsters. One day, after attending a party with fellow police officers, he and his wife Prerna Dixit (Sharvari Deshpande) meet an accident involving a truck and ends up dead, but the unborn baby miraculously survives against all odds. His best friends Karthik Rathore (Gajraj Rao) and Rehman Siddique (Ram Kapoor) from the Police Department decides to take care of the child, with Karthik adopting him and Rehman serves as a mentor. The child grows up to have anger issues from childhood itself. As he grows up, the situation gets worse, and Yudhra Dixit (Siddhant Chaturvedi) is an even angrier young man not to be controlled by anyone. They decide to send him to Pune in an attempt to make him join the military in the future. There he meets his childhood friend and daughter of Rehman, Nikhat Rehman (Malavika Mohanan).

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Yudhra and Nikhat are once again interested in each other and starts meeting each other regularly. But on one of those days, Yudhra brutally beats up some goons to protect his fellow cadet, leading to them being critically injured and admitted in the hospital. This leads to him being arrested and court-martialed. At the same time, Nikhat leaves for Portugal to study medicine. Karthik who had gone on to become a politician after retiring from police, tells Yudhra that he is disappointed, to which Yudhra asks him not to support him for his actions any more. At the same time, Rehman asks him to join him on an undercover operation, as there are already cases on Yudhra, which could get him to the prison where some of the gangsters related to the drug smuggling are located – he could do something here to find these drug consignments and also find the man who might have been behind the murder of Yudhra’s parents. Now, it seems that there is a motive for life in him, but how well can he achieve that?

The defence of Yudhra:: Yudhra can be considered stronger and sharper than most of the movies of the same genre, and those using similar situations, which are not at all uncommon in Bollywood. This one also has a soul and we feel for characters even when things go a little too further in the name of making it interesting for the crowds – while the nepo kids play themselves, these actors and actresses play rightly according the needs of the characters and not to impress the blind fans. The visuals, especially that of Portugal, remains stunning additions here. The action continuously impresses, as it is not really the mass masala type, and more believable than most of the Bollywood movies. The romantic side is also effective, and the twist work well enough. The moments of thrill in between keep the viewers engaged. The feeling of having more than what meets the eye will still be around there. The narrative moves really well around here, and the romance or drama never really feels out of the place either.

The claws of flaw :: Yudhra never really tries to take the big risk, whether with the action or the romance, even though the chances were always there to be used. The romance disappears too soon after first appearance, and there could have been more moments to contribute to it as well as the action in Portugal, as the scope was very high with the events around. There are moments when we feel that the movie is not going to get to that final resolution. The villains, despite being strong, never really shows that much of their villainy. The movie is also a little bit long, and by avoiding a few dialogues things could have been more interesting. The moments at the military could have also had more attention. The ending could have also been more intense instead of seemingly everything going in the easier path. If we consider even the lesser movies, the intensity in the end would be much more. This one surely works, but for this long a movie which has been building up to this kind of an end, more was there to be taken.

The performers of the soul :: Siddhant Chaturvedi leads the way, and reflects the angry young man really well, unlike those nepo kids of Bollywood who could begin acting only after so many chances being given due to the influence of their parents, uncles, aunties and all. When an actor in Bollywood has too many relatives in the industry, it has been a reflection of how bad that particular person could perform, and thankfully, this one does not have such an actor, and it might also be the reason why Bollywood and its fans decided not to make this one a superhit in a world of dumb Bollywood blockbusters which keep coming without any signs of stopping – they are the zombies of Bollywood. But our leading actors stands taller than any of them in this particular role for sure. Malavika Mohanan, at the same time, seems to be fitting perfectly around here, changing language and industry, and being the right choice, even better than those highly paid Bollywood actresses and nepo actresses. Maybe Bollywood can learn something from Malayalam movie industry about how a family in the film industry can really act from the first movie itself. The villainy is fine, but underused throughout the movie in the case of each negative character.

How it finishes :: One can be assured that this is a fine piece of entertainer with good dose of action and thrills. It is also free from that mandatory Bollywood nepo kid or mass masala influence, which keeps this one a step ahead. The lack of success of this movie can only be attributed to the prejudice of the viewers of its world, and I do not even remember this one releasing here. If we wish to stop the mass masala movies and nepo kids getting all the awards and those who struggle all the way up in the cinema gets avoided, movies like this one needs to be supported. After all, it is so much better than those so-called action movies which grossed rather too much for its standard. This movie never loses its direction, even when the objectives of the protagonist seem to change. We are in for a solid action thriller in here, and we will love without those overrated superstars; there lies the beauty of it and others like Vedaa and Agni in a zone free of nepo kids who would do anything to gain attention. Even though there is no such chance, I would love a sequel to this one too.

Release date: 20th September 2024
Running time: 142 minutes
Directed by: Ravi Udyawar
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Malavika Mohanan, Raj Arjun, Raghav Juyal, Gajraj Rao, Ram Kapoor, Shilpa Shukla, Martin Fernandez, Saurabh Gokhale, Sharvari Deshpande, Shireesh Sharma, Dolly Verma, Joao Mario, Anubha Arora, Kabeer Bhartiya

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here for the review of a once-in-a-lifetime movie.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Sector 36

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: Have you travelled through Sector 36 of the extended castle?

Vampire Bat: It is not an extension of the castle, but our graveyard.

Vampire Owl: Nowadays, we consider it as part of the building itself.

Vampire Bat: Why are you making the castle feel bigger?

Vampire Owl: A bigger castle means better respect.

Vampire Bat: It also means more taxes for all of us.

Vampire Owl: Aren’t we the government? So, we are paying ourselves, right?

Vampire Bat: It is not that direct. There is a procedure for it.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that we do not get most of it?

Vampire Bat: Well, we can only explain it as part of a system.

[Gets a sambar vada and three cups of extra light tea].

What is the movie about? :: In the busy city of Noida, the number of missing kids has been on the increase. A lot of cases reach the police station, but the cops are not much bothered about them as the lost children are of migrants from villages around the city. Inspector Ram Charan Pandey (Deepak Dobriyal), the corrupt inspector of the police station is not interested in anything, and does not even lodge an FIR for these cases, as the life of these commoners do not matter to him, and is of no profit either. His senior officers also ask him not to bother about the same and work with those which matter. Prem Singh (Vikrant Massey) is the house help of a wealthy and powerful businessman Balbir Bassi (Akash Khurana), and is involved in kidnapping the kids, whose bodies are not found later. He murders them and chops them into pieces without remorse, and no remains are usually found. When part of a skeleton is found, the police dismisses the same as the bones of a monkey which came through the sewers.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Ram Charan gets serious only when Prem attempts to kidnap his daughter, but fails. Prem had misunderstood that the girl was a migrant’s child, and leaves her behind when chased. This leads to Ram Charan going on a hunt for the person who has been trying to kidnap the kids, with the help of Constable Shravan Kumar Pathak (Ajit Palawat). But DCP Jawahar Rastogi (Darshan Jariwala) stands on his way, as he would not let anything bad happen to the owner of the house, Balbir. He asks Ram Charan to leave the idea of any investigation near that house, and soon gets him suspended. But he would not stop, and will come up with other plans. But it remains to be seen if he can stand against one of the richest men around, and get to his house worker. This also puts his own family in danger, and the cops of his own police station are now against him. Can he stand as one unstoppable force against them all or will he be destroyed like many others before him?

The defence of Sector 36 :: The movie follows a realistic mode from the beginning itself. There is nothing that seems to be not possible as far as this particular movie is concerned, especially due to taking inspiration from a real-life incident featuring killings. It keeps a chilling mood with the realism that keeps the audience expecting more all the time. There is also a grim, claustrophobic setting that brings the unease and dread with ease. The fear stays on, and the tentacles of the serial killer keeps the movie going forward, and with the police officer finally ready to face him, the audience is left with those high expectations. It also serves as a reminder that the poor never really stands a chance when the highly influential is on the other side. Even though it is not shouted about, the world indeed belongs to the rich, the ones who belong to the one percent or even ten percent. The middle class that tries to side with the poor, would also suffer, as shown here. Well, if you need support, you need money, and that is indeed the point here and the core of realism.

The claws of flaw :: The strength of thrills is low in this one, as the pace itself is low, and that seems to align with the need to keep the whole thing realistic. The transformation of the protagonist also sems to be too quick, and that pace also seems to confuse the writing related to the character, who does not become any smarter despite getting out of the chains that were binding him. The system feels like having no loopholes at all, as if there is no way to escape – there should be some flaw in the design to keep the optimism alive. The ending is also weaker than one would expect, and even if it was done so for the purpose of supporting a sequel, there would be better options. With serial killers or psychos in hand, even within the realistic mold, more is always possible. The absence of a real good figure outside the subaltern is rather disappointing too. The terror her is implied, but the escape is never shown as an option.

The performers of the soul :: The move rests on Deepak Dobriyal and Vikrant Massey to do the expected work, as they play the two characters getting the most screen time, and both needed to perform on different layers. Both characters undergo many changes and are not the same people that we see in the beginning of the movie. While the former is successful in showing the cop being the father and undergoing a positive change, which he emotes really well, the latter who is damaged from the beginning to the end, shows the different shades of his character. There is a lot of depth related to the two characters, and we see the effectiveness with which they are portrayed, and how the same elevates the movie to another level even when it is just going on and on in the usual manner. Akash Khurana plays his role exactly as one would expect from such a character. Darshan Jariwala plays the corrupt side that makes us believe with ease. Ajit Palawat also shows a similar side that works. In comparison, the female characters are to do less work.

How it finishes :: Sector 36 might not be as interesting as the other movies featuring psychos and serial killers, for movies like Memories, Abraham Ozler, Forensic, Anjaam Paathira, Kooman, Antakshari and others will always be above this one by some way. The pacing is slower, and there is no attempt to make it that thrilling. Yet, the fantastic performances and a realistic feeling runs through this one more than ever. As it is based on the 2006 Noida Sector 31 serial murders, that feeling will be more. I do not remember much of it, but the movie follows the realistic mode and the connection is not something that we can think about now. If you are looking for a slow-moving and realistic story about serial killings, this could always be the right movie for you. Then, it also gives a reminder about the system, and how it works, for there will always be something missing and something beyond repair, something about which it is good to be reminded at times.

Release date: 13th September 2024 (Netflix)
Running time: 124 minutes
Directed by: Aditya Nimbalkar
Starring: Vikrant Massey, Deepak Dobriyal, Akash Khurana, Darshan Jariwala, Baharul Islam, Saikia Ihana Kaur, Tanushree Das, Subir Bisawas, Kacho Ahmed, Ajit Palawat, Mahadev Lakhawat, Fareed Ahmad, Trimala Adhikari

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vedaa

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: We are once again into Hindi movies, aren’t we?

Vampire Bat: Well, we have the skills to find the best among them, don’t we?

Vampire Owl: The good ones are rarely noticed though.

Vampire Bat: They do not even travel that much to reach our theatres.

Vampire Owl: We will only have the movies with big names around here.

Vampire Bat: Well, human world would never be fair. They won’t transform.

Vampire Owl: I would question the existence of humanity among humans. Maybe it can be found in the atlas.

Vampire Bat: Humanity is not part of human nature – for them, it is just a word formation.

Vampire Owl: Maybe they should use vampire before the last three letters.

Vampire Bat: They are murdering their arts subjects and languages – soon, they will be left without any word to express their existences. There is no chance to rise like a phoenix either.

[Gets a savala vada and three cups of Yercaud tea].

What is the movie about? :: Vedaa Berwa (Sharvari Wagh) is a Dalit law student who hopes to make it big in studies as well as through sports. She lives with her family in Barmer, Rajasthan, and an IIT-educated Jitendar Pratap Singh (Abhishek Banerjee), a man who seems to be very progressive due to his care for the environment and use of green and renewable energy is the chief of one hundred and fifty villages there. She is always made fun of and verbally abused by the upper-caste people as part of the existing caste discrimination there, and even hesitates to drink water from the same tap which others use. As her siblings also face the same fate, she decides to train herself in boxing to protect her family. But she is forced to clean the floors due to her caste status and is not allowed to learn the sport. Her sister Gehna Berwa (Tanvi Malhara) feels that she should boxing and become the defender of the family in one way or the other.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Her brother Vinod Barwe (Anurag Thakur) has fallen in love with Aarti Meghwal (Urvashi Dubey) who is from a high caste, and due to the lawlessness there and with police being the goons of the higher caste people, there was never going to be an inter-caste marriage, even if both families agree to the same. The higher caste men would take the law into their caste and beat up both families, and if they complain to the police, it is them who would be locked up – there are many fake cases that could be charged, from inciting violence to human trafficking with a whole police station and goons working together. It is shown that the highly educated Jitendar Pratap Singh is the one who controls all of these, and maintains the order of castes in the name of divine origin of the practice. He would go to any extent to make sure that his world is maintained as he wishes.

And what more is to be added to this world awaiting chaos at all times? :: It is then that Abhimanyu Kanwar (John Abraham) makes an entrance. He was a major in the army who was court-martialed for disobeying orders to bring a terrorist named Ilyas Kashmiri (Gowhar Khan) back alive. The same terrorist was responsible for the brutal murder of Abhimanyu’s wife Raashi (Tamannah Bhatia). Abhimanyu joins as an assistant sports coach in Vedaa’s college. He sees her attempts, and also how she is humiliated repeatedly for her caste despite her academic skills and efforts at sports. One day, she is brutally beaten up by the higher caste boys, who also record the same on their mobile phone. Abhimanyu decides to train her, and she shows steady improvement, but the love story of her brother comes to the picture, and lands them all in trouble. As both of her siblings are killed, Abhimanyu decides to protect her. But how far can he succeed in the same while being hunted by people in power?

The defence of Vedaa :: As a movie with a realistic side and the elements that would appeal to the general audience, there is a lot of strength that can be seen around here. The movie starts really well, and also maintains an emotional side throughout its run. The action sequences are effective too, and never goes on with an overdose. This never lowers the level like those mass masala entertainers of superstars. John Abraham is perfectly suited for the role here, and he is one actor who brings lesser known, but classic works to the screen. Sharvari is also really good and blends in here with ease. She brings the emotional side to work while going through the helplessness of the character really well. Abhishek Banerjee makes a sinister villain to create an impact with more than one face and Ashish Vidyarthi also provides good support. Tanvi Malhara as the sister remains lovable. The message of the movie works well, and it elevates the movie at times, especially during the first half. Due the same, the movie gains further strength.

The claws of flaw :: The strong start of the movie is not maintained throughout its run, and there is no rising in level for the work. Some of the moments just deviate from its central idea. The movie could have also been better hyped to bring the interest of people, without which it seems to have struggled to make its presence felt. After all, there are other similar sounding movies, and without the big names at the top who does the usual dumb mass masala stuff, this was always going to go through some struggle. The ending does seem rather predictable, and some of the decisions taken by experienced adult characters seem to be strange too. There were also so many other things which could have been achieved with this particular movie which seems to feel the need to go with the ordinary, maybe to be on the safe side. If this was in another language far into the south, there would have been risks taken, and the movie improved. There is a lot that a flick can achieve with this premise for sure.

How it finishes :: Vedaa seems have suffered due to the lack of audience who would watch a movie without big superstars and staying close to reality – it has never been the thing with Bollywood for a long time as we think about it. The lack of interest of the Bollywood audience in movies like these is rather disappointing, as mass masala seems to be the only genre that could make an impact. It is to be noted that there were times when we actually preferred Hindi movies over others, but nowadays the only good ones stay for such less amount of time in the theatres even if they come. Let us celebrate movies like this at least now, and hope for more to come. The revival of Bollywood to focus on quality material in still awaited, as a few drops of quality come like this one. These days, it seems that John Abraham is one actor who can really be trusted, from the greatness of Madras Cafe and a following Rocky Handsome.

Release date: 15th August 2024
Running time: 151 minutes
Directed by: Nikkhil Advani
Starring: John Abraham, Sharvari Wagh, Abhishek Banerjee, Ashish Vidyarthi, Kumud Mishra, Rajendra Chawla, Tanvi Malhara, Anurag Thakur, Urvashi Dubey, Rajoshri Vidyarthi, Parag Sharma, Danish Husain, Kapil Nirmal, Ajeet Singh Palawat, Meena Shankar, Kshitij Chauhan, Akshay Sharma, Toshab Bagri, Abhishek Deswal, Paritosh Sand, Gowhar Khan, Nirmal Chaudhury, Manu Shekhar, Monisha Advani, Tamannah Bhatia (Cameo), Mouni Roy (Cameo)

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Agni

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: Are we looking for vampires of fire?

Vampire Bat: There are none, as fire burns and ends us in seconds.

Vampire Owl: I was talking about the fire inside us.

Vampire Bat: Well, we are going to need firefighters in that case.

Vampire Owl: I would let the fire burn right inside us.

Vampire Bat: None of us vampires require fire, as we are the dark chilling frost.

Vampire Owl: The darkness in us resists the fire and brings the frost.

Vampire Bat: The northern witches have spread the darkness throughout the realm.

Vampire Owl: The magic in the world has been darker than ever and creating more shadows with the shades making an entrance.

Vampire Bat: The pure evil darkness has replaced our original dark, nocturnal world. Now there is darkness during daytime too.

[Gets a kadai chicken pizza and three cups of iced tea].

What is the movie about? :: Vitthalrao Dhonduba Surve (Pratik Gandhi) has been serving as the Chief of Parel Fire Station in Mumbai, and is disturbed by the fact that there are too many fire outbreaks in his area, leading to restless nights. Sr. Inspector Samit Sawant (Divyenndu), his brother-in-law, is asked to investigate into the matter by the authorities. The two are not in the best of terms, and searches in their own ways. Their wives Rukmini Surve (Sai Tamhankar) and Sayali Sawant (Sakhi Gokhale) are not really happy about this lack of understanding, but there is nothing that they can do about the same. Fire Officer Avni Purohit (Saiyami Kher) finds out that not everything is right around there due to the illegal constructions and lack of enough facilities to fight the fire. But there seems to be something more sinister at work, as Vitthal finds out that there was something about the fire, and it seems more than just a usual one. It seems to spread and cause destruction like no usual accident has been doing.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Senior Fire Officer Mahadev Nigde (Jitendra Joshi) and his own family asks him to take care of his health, as he struggles to breathe at times, but that does not stop him from trying to get to the bottom of the mystery. As time runs out, Samit arrests a businessman, and blames the whole thing on him. He is appreciated by the government, but Vitthal feels that he has captured the wrong person, and the accused might have done many things, but not this particular crime. His son Amar (Kabir Shah) also appreciates his uncle more than his father as he is a decorated police officer. Now, what all awaits the city, and someone knowing this all wander in the streets looking forward to burn the world? Can this particular person be identified and stopped in time? Will there be a final showdown with burning buildings or an arrested criminal who had his strange reasons to get people killed?

The defence of Agni :: The feeling of realism in Agni is too good, and there seems to be no traveling through a journey of nonsense that has plagued Bollywood for a long time. The special effects, cinematography and sound design used here are normal and never makes us feel that it is overdone. There is a lot of fire in this movie, but there is nothing that keeps us away from reality. The performance also feels real and so do the situations. At no moment does this movie try to do the unreal, and that is the beauty of it. It explores the bravery, sacrifice and underappreciated service that the firefighters have been providing, but without gaining that much of an attention. The question remains about how many firefighters do we know even though we might know enough police officers – the fact remains that a mock drill by some of these officers can actually help us in the case of a possible crisis. The main firefighters of this movie are those who will stay in our minds due to what they have been working with here.

Positives and negatives :: The movie does not bring the special around here, as it seeks to remain the usual to stay close to reality. One might feel the need to bring a bigger twist around here, but as the reality element comes into the picture, the same is often forgotten. The flames here become symbols that will stay with us for quite a long time, as it feels like a reflection of lives. The movie is also a reminder on the fact that things are not really what they seem, and that the system will make its own villains, as there might never be a thing like perfect or near-perfect system. Well, it shows that the world can never be fair, but does bring that feel-good factor in the end so that some poetic justice can come to the picture. It leaves us with the faith, belief and hope that efforts and goodness will be rewarded, and the other side would not always have its way. It does the same without preaching and makes the same happen. There is a certain amount bliss that we will feel at the end of the movie, and even if seemingly placed, seems suited. Yet, we long for more, I wonder why.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is led forward by a perfect performance from Pratik Gandhi, who never stays behind in coming up with realistic moments of his portrayal of the main character who stays human and not as a superstar who needs to evoke the dumb masses. The silent intensity that he displays with the determination against hopelessness, will keep us going. He becomes the common man’s hero, and not that wretched superhero of unreality, something which the stars of Indian movie industries have struggled to become. Divyenndu is not far behind in doing the same either, as he goes through the work in a classic manner and not as if there is a mass to be treated into nonsense. They do make a good combination, and we would end up wishing for more of them to do with the investigation together. Among the ladies, it is Saiyami Kher who stands apart, and elevates the movie in her own way. Sai Tamhankar and Sakhi Gokhale follows well. Jitendra Joshi and Udit Arora have some memorable characters too.

How it finishes :: Agni becomes a breath of fresh air among those polluted movies with so called superheroes who fly around murdering villains as if they are sleepwalking. It is a shame that such mass entertainers even bring awards to the actors when they performers do nothing of substance in such cinema which means nothing, but appeals to the dumb. This one reminds us of the Malayalam movie Fireman, but is surely better than all those flicks with the content which stays at a classical level with no heroism at all. This is the kind of movies that need, and such movie elevate Bollywood to such a level which not many so-called superheroes can get it. Against such mindless heroes of mass masala, let movies like this one rise, and also leave with a message that we will remember, and in the end, we respect the right heroes, and when we look closely, none of them are celebrities, and no human among them would want to be celebrated that much. There can only be a few Stree, Bob Biswas, Baby, Te3n, Ek Villain, Wazir, Madras Cafe etc that really thrills without going overboard.

Release date: 6th December 2024 (Amazon Prime Video)
Running time: 124 minutes
Directed by: Rahul Dholakia
Starring: Pratik Gandhi, Divyenndu, Saiyami Kher, Sai Tamhankar, Jitendra Joshi, Kabir Shah, Udit Arora, Sakhi Gokhale, Anant Jog, Pramod Pathakm, Paritosh Pathak, Kanchan Pagare, Abhishek Kandekar, Sushant Shetty

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to another movie dealing with firefighters.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Bob Biswas

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: I am interested in this from the trailer itself.

Vampire Bat: There is a lot to be interested about, in there.

Vampire Owl: Yes, I feel that this could be my favourite film of this lead actor.

Vampire Bat: Abhishek Bachchan has been in need of such roles for long.

Vampire Owl: It seems that everyone around knows this particular character though.

Vampire Bat: Yes, the titular character is from a film which we didn’t watch.

Vampire Owl: Well, as this is a spin-off, I guess that it is fine enough.

Vampire Bat: You can always have more though.

Vampire Owl: I wonder if that would be possible with more theatre releases.

Vampire Bat: We have shifted to OTT from theatres. The rest will be history.

[Gets some French fries and three cups of black tea].

What is the movie about? :: Bob Biswas (Abhishek Bachchan) is a former insurance agent who has been in a comma for years, and has now come back to his senses, only to find out that he doesn’t really remember anything, despite the best efforts of everyone around him. He is told that he has a wife, Mary Biswas (Chitrangada Singh) along with their daughter Mini (Samara Tijori) and son Benny (Ronith Arora). It turns out that he has earned almost nothing from his work as an insurance agent, and he also understands that they are still living in a small rented home. Mary and Benny tries their best to make him remember his past through different incidents which serve as catalysts. Mini spends all her time studying so that she could become a doctor at some point of time. She is so much focused on the same that she even looks out for drugs which help her to concentrate better on her studies. As she finds a new kind of drug which can help her in examinations, there is also the addiction that comes with it. She wanders through risky territories searching for the same.

So, what happens with the events to follow? :: One day, two strangers, Jishu Narag (Bhanu Uday) and Kharaj Sahu (Vishwanath Chatterjee) approach him, and ask him to get back to what he has been doing the best, which is assassination of chosen targets. He doesn’t really believe them though, and keep on going with his life, as well as meet some possible clients as an insurance agent. Soon, he finds himself murdering a man in the neighborhood, as that person was disturbing his daughter with his loud singing, and this comes as a surprise for him. He continues the murders, as a dealer of the drugs, Bubai (Purab Kohli) and his henchmen also become his victims, with him regaining his lost talents. Later, there are other targets added to his list. Indira Verma (Tina Desai) is in charge of the investigation about a few murders which have happened around. She suspects that Bob and Mini have something to do with them. Meanwhile, there is a war going on between different gangs, and some police officers are also part of it. Still, it is yet to be seen if something can be done about it.

The defence of Bob Biswas :: There is something not Bollywood-like about this movie, and that is indeed the strength here. Shot in the city of Joy, Kolkata does give this film some real life with the visuals and the lifestyle. There is always something different about a movie which is shot in Kolkata, and it is not just about Hindi films – we feel a lovely divergence, and a joy which comes with the nickname of the city itself. This kind of setting also suits the film’s genre-blurring, as it is partly a thriller and at times it is drama, with a good dose of action coming at times and getting stronger by the end of the film, as the mystery is finally unveiled almost completely. The emotions run high around here, as much as the mystery which has the need to get solved early enough. There is also a good amount of humour in store here, especially with some black comedy, often related to murders and death. The same is more or less about Abhishek Bachchan, who has done a job which one would love to remember him for – not like the highly forgettable sequels of Dhoom, which have gained all the money at the box-office.

Positives and negatives :: Bob Biswas can be felt as a little bit slow, and kind of lengthy, considering the fact that in the early moments, it doesn’t pick up the pace. Even when it gets into that crime memory quick enough, the overall pace is still the same – yet, there is beauty in this slow pace. There are also reminders of Hollywood movies here, like The Accountant, John Wick, Gemini Man and Hitman, but nothing much is that clear about the origins and rise of this particular assassin, and instead of making this one an origin story, everyone is more concerned about making sure that this one keeps going towards a possible sequel. The subplot doesn’t really work that much, and the movie could have done well without the same. The Kolkata settings could have also been used in the form of some trams at night, the crowded railway stations and the charming old buses, all good enough to contribute to a tale like this. Also, too many characters are dead very easily, and we also have the absence of a single strong villain here, despite menace being always there. Those who seems to be good enough for the same are also dead early, much to our dismay.

The performers of the soul :: This is Abhishek Bachchan’s best movie in a long time, and one can only be glad to see him in this particular avatar. He has blended in nicely into this character with some special problems. Chitrangada Singh plays the lady lead really well too, and we don’t see her that often these days. Samara Tijori who plays the daughter, also has some interesting work to do, even though the character doesn’t get the dimensions as it deserves. She could surely be a talent for the future. Tina Desai’s work comes as the big surprise, as we have been remembering her for the much underrated, but very much memorable thriller, Table No. 21 which also had a song to remember with her around. One has to wonder why she didn’t get that many big roles, as she makes a solid police officer here too, reminding one of Tapsee Pannu in Naam Shabana and Baby – maybe her character could also have a full-length action movie spin-off at some point of time. We note the other characters too, but not that much individually in comparison to these.

How it finishes :: Bob Biswas is known to have come from the movie Kahaani, but I haven’t watched that particular film, and have manage to watch only its sequel. My only relation there is with Kahaani 2, which proved to be a pretty good movie. This movie is also strong with its themes, as guilt and remorse keeps on running through here, with a church and a cemetery at the centre. The message about one’s terrible crimes coming back to haunt the person is evident, and we see the man going John Wick in style, making the final moments of the film very much enjoyable. Unless you are looking for the traces of a Vidya Balan film from a long time ago while making comparisons, this one is surely a fully enjoyable journey despite the slower pace at parts. There is always something about this film, and you have to keep the Bollywood-style requirements away, as this one completely moves away from that mindless comedy. With the theatres opening again, these OTT films have to be very good to keep one watching things online, and Bob Biswas succeeds in doing the same.

Release date: 3rd December 2021 (ZEE5)
Running time: 131 minutes
Directed by: Diya Annapurna Ghosh
Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Chitrangada Singh, Paran Bandopadhyay, Purab Kohli, Barun Chanda, Bhanu Uday, Amar Upadhyay, Kanchan Mullick, Samara Tijori, Ronith Arora, Ditipriya Roy, Karanuday Jenjani, Vishwanath Chatterjee, Kunal Verma, Pabitra Rabha, Yusuf Hussain, Tina Desai, Rajatabha Dutta

<— Click here to go to the previous film review.

<— Click here to go to the previous Hindi film review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Chehre

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: How many faces do we see here?

Vampire Bat: The faces of humans do not matter at all.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that it would matter to us more at some point.

Vampire Bat: The human identity is no longer significant in a world of chaos.

Vampire Owl: Well, at least we can know the lying faces early.

Vampire Bat: Well, it is the only thing that humans do throughout their lives.

Vampire Owl: I did trust too many humans, and that has made a mess. They are the true villains of all realms.

Vampire Bat: Humans are all about lying, cheating and stealing. Being the villains of the universe comes naturally to them.

Vampire Owl: Well, I would say that demons are better.

Vampire Bat: Let the zombies for eat their brains then.

[Gets an orange cake and three cups of cardamom tea].

What is the movie about? :: Sameer Mehra (Emraan Hashmi) is forced to travel through some strong winter in the mountains. He wishes to go to Delhi, but is forced to stop in the middle of nowhere, as the climate only gets worse, and his car is stuck, with trees right in the front. He searches for a hotel or a guest house to wait until the tree is removed by the authorities. He then comes across Paramjeet Singh Bhullar (Annu Kapoor) who asks him to join come to a friend’s place until things get any better, even though there are not signs of something like that happening. He is taken to the house of Jagdish Acharya (Dhritiman Chatterjee), and he also meets Hariya Jatav (Raghubir Yadav) there. Anna (Rhea Chakraborty) is already present there, helping everyone in the building, who are pretty much old. The mobile phones have no network connection out there, and the landlines also do not work, much to the dismay of Sameer who wishes to connect to his wife.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The group of old men is also joined by Lateef Zaidi (Amitabh Bachchan), who reaches there despite the snowfall getting much worse. Sameer is surprised to see everything that happens around this house in the middle of nowhere, which is nothing less than a grand mansion of some older time period. They tell Sameer that they meet there and play a strange game in which these retired professionals of law conduct mock trials. They take some very old well known case and go on with the same. In the beginning, they talk about the case of Phoolan Devi, but later chooses Sameer as the accused. Sameer says that he hasn’t committed any crime, and is ready to face anything that is put in front of him. He is confident that he will win the game, and none of these people are good enough to pose any challenge to him. But there is more than what meets the eye to these people in the mansion.

The defence of Chehre :: What works really well for Chehre is its setting in the middle of nowhere, with snow all around, and the building is also a thing of visual splendour which we cannot avoid. Everything is perfectly suited for what is to happen next in the film. It also seems to come up with a message, even though it seems to be confused about where that is leading. But it never leaves the messages behind, that is for sure. The film does stand for the right judgment and the need for justice to be served, even though it seems almost impossible to be done when law has its loopholes. The cast is also nicely selected here, and we see the signs of the same at different moments. It does need some courage and skill to create something like this which go highly unconventional, and one cannot deny the fact that there is some good research done in the background – the risk does have its own effectiveness to go with it.

The claws of flaw :: The initial introductory dialogue by Amitabh Bachchan during the beginning itself is one of the least interesting starts to a film, and it keeps us wishing to fast forward throughout those dialogues. There are many other dialogues which were not necessary, and often goes out of the equation, seemingly just for the sake of bringing them. Too much speech here adds to the struggle, which also lengthens the film too much. When you keep talking too much without coming up with any action, people can only be confused. Preaching doesn’t always get you were you want. It also struggles to use most of its elements in the best possible manner, even though there were indeed the available opportunities. This could have been something like Pink, or something stranger than we could ever imagine, but the same is not done here. There was even scope for bringing something supernatural into the scene.

Performers of the soul :: Amitabh Bachchan controls things around here, and he makes things clear from the beginning itself. We have seen him doing this a lot, in different movies belonging to various decades. The rest of the support including Annu Kapoor, Dhritiman Chatterjee and Raghubir Yadav are very much suitable for how the game moves on. They are all different when we look at them, and have some interesting perspectives. Emraan Hashmi is also pretty much suitable for this kind of role. Siddhanth Kapoor plays a mute role, a notable one indeed. Rhea Chakraborty shows some promise, but the role is not carried on that much, even though the world could have had more for her. Krystle D’Souza makes a bigger impact, as she blends in very well to the character. There is a certain amount of mystery about her character, and even with some predictability, leaves one with more than what originally meets the eye.

How it finishes :: Chehre is a mystery thriller which can surely boast about its moments, and even though known as an uncredited adaptation of a German novel named A Dangerous Game by Friedrich Durrenmatt, makes its point well within its adapted environment. During the days of COVID-19, containment, quarantine and lockdown, we all love to watch movies set in remote worlds. It is a fine decision to release this movie on Amazon Prime Video, some days after its release in the theatres, as we are yet to see the theatres being opened here. We do know that the movie could have been much better, but for now, we adjust with what we have, and enjoy it in moments. After all, the world as we know it also has had its own limitations in the last one and half years. Nothing is the same any more, and we enjoy what we have here, with less than three months to go to end another year of virus and all kinds of terror to behold.

Release date: 30th September 2021 (Amazon), 21st August 2021 (Theatre)
Running time: 139 minutes
Directed by: Rumi Jaffery
Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Emraan Hashmi, Krystle D’Souza, Rhea Chakraborty, Annu Kapoor, Raghubir Yadav, Alexx O’Nell, Sameer Soni, Dhritiman Chatterjee

<— Click here to go to the previous review.

<— Click here to go to the previous Hindi film review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Bell Bottom

Posted on by

What is the movie about? :: The movie is set during a time period when India was having rather peaceful moments with Pakistan, even though there were many internal conflicts due to different separatist or terrorist-oriented groups being formed within the country, threatening its unity and integrity. It was also the time period when too many flights were being hijacked, much to the dismay of the Indian Prime Minister of the time, Indira Gandhi (Lara Dutta). The newest flight to be hijacked is Indian Airlines flight IC 691, which left Delhi Airport on a fateful morning with passengers including the women’s Kabbadi team of India. It was also the seventh hijacking in the last five years, and this time, the flight had deviated a long way from its path, and there was no communication. Different departments and organizations keep blaming each other for matters of national security, but the Prime Minister calls for immediate attention. They call up the man who has all the information about hijacking, an analyst, also a RAW agent, Anshul Malhotra (Akshay Kumar), codenamed Bell Bottom.

So, what happens with the events here? :: Anshul also has some personal interest in the cases of hijacking, after being happily married to Radhika Malhotra (Vaani Kapoor), and always trying to clear UPSC with lots of hard work. His mother, Raavie Malhotra (Dolly Ahluwalia) was traveling to Great Britain in an Air India flight which was hijacked and taken to Lahore, Pakistan. Even though there was a negotiation between the two governments and also with the terrorists which led to release of the hostages, but only Raavie came back home dead, and it was reported in television that she died of natural causes. But Anshul never stopped focusing on the hijackings which had happened, as he was chosen as part of RAW. Back to this particular hijacking which seems to lead to a group known as Azaadi Dal, but Agent Bell Bottom is sure that this is the work of ISI, and Pakistan has always wanted something to do with these incidents.

And what else is to follow here with the hijack and the investigations? :: As Agent Bell Bottom has a long past related to all of these investigations, his superior officers are confident about his skills, but when the flight lands at Amritsar airport for a change. But when the airplane takes off from Amritsar and once again lands at Lahore airport, Agent Bell Bottom is once again called for an opinion, and this time, they will have to choose a different path. This time, there has to be that change to make a heavy impact, and also to assure that there will be no more hijackings and releasing of terrorists along with millions of dollars as ransom. But it seems that if negotiations are not allowed in Lahore, the airplane will land somewhere else, in a nation where India will be forced to negotiate. Agent Bell Bottom is prepared for the same though, and he calls of a team for an operation which only Mossad had tried before with some success. But they only have time till the next sunset.

The defence of Bell Bottom :: The movie does make the best use of the time period during which it is set. It is something which seems to be focused on, really well. The makers seem to have done a lot of research and has also done some good work in the recreation. The patriotism at the tip of everything also works well for most of time, and the emotional side works less in comparison. Bell Bottom keeps itself floating because it quickly goes back to where it needs to focus, whenever a deviation is being made. It also quickly leaves the usual Bollywood model to the background, and the same hesitates to make its return, and we end up appreciating the same. The final moments of action are also of fine quality, and even when there was the chance to overdo the same, they never take it – they don’t go that much realistic as Take Off had done, but we know how the paths are different, and therefore we know the choices that the makers have to make. The focus on entertainment makes the fine delivery here.

The claws of flaw :: There are surely those moments which were not needed, and some of the initial moments with emotional touch could have been avoided in a movie like this. The film could have directly gone into action, and the initial moments only seem to try and slow down the action just because a romantic song and a background with a tragedy can be there for long enough to be the motivation for what is to come later. There is also the feeling of watching what we have seen, a number of times. Movies like this one can have its own repetitions, but that has to be kept at the minimum. Some of the plot turns are also rather predictable, and those are not the elements which needed to be added in a film like this which could have used more suspense and bigger twists. In the end, we also see that things are solved rather too easily, instead of having a group of events coming together due to circumstances – films like this one can have bigger brains working behind.

Performers of the soul :: You see Akshay Kumar doing what he has done really well with a few movies in the past which has dealt with similar topics and situations. He had faced similar moments in films like Baby and Airlift, and had done the job with so much of quality related to his work – it is something which suits him really well, and we can always trust him to do this kind of job. He would make a perfect spy in a film like this at any moment. I would prefer to see him in films like these, rather than those comedy movies where he is often placed among some lower quality jokes. Lara Dutta as Indira Gandhi might be the biggest surprise which is in store here, even though we knew it from the trailer, and she blends in really well. Vaani Kapoor’s role is more or less the usual one in which we see the lady leads of Bollywood in a movie like this, and that is done well too. Huma Qureshi also has something to add for shorter period of time.

How it finishes :: Bell Bottom might remind us of some of similar films, but not related to hijacking, but in relation with the covert operations abroad. Most of us were not able to watch this movie in the theatres due to COVID-19 pandemic making the grand return in the form of second wave. This one had released during the Independence Day weekend, and there was also Shershaah on Amazon Prime, which would have been the first preference at that time, because most of the audience have Amazon Prime Video, and not the other options. But as a movie, we can consider Bell Bottom to be the winner of that week as far as Bollywood is considered, even though in the case of Malayalam films, it was Kuruthi rising above every other film. With a touch of patriotism and thrills being always there, it is good to welcome this film to Amazon Prime too, as we are still awaiting the opening of theatres in Kerala, with COVID-19 numbers coming down.

Release date: 19th August 2021 (India), 16th September 2021 (Amazon Prime Video)
Running time: 123 minutes
Directed by: Ranjit M Tewari
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, Vaani Kapoor, Huma Qureshi, Denzil Smith, Adil Hussain, Aniruddh Dave, Thalaivasal Vijay, Dolly Ahluwalia, Mamik Singh, Zain Khan Durrani, Abhijit Lahiri, Sumit Kaul, Sunit Tandon, Jatin Negi, Kavi Raj, Amit Kumar Vashisth, Anjali Dinesh Anand, Ashok Chhabra, Balram Gupta, Girish Sharma, Nitin Khanna, Karim Saidi, Deesh Mariwala, Ahmed Yahya Berrada

<— Click here to go to the previous review.

<— Click here to go to the previous Indian film review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Shershaah

Posted on by

What is the movie about? :: Vikram Batra (Sidharth Malhotra) had always wanted to be part of the military force, and achieves the same dream many years after he started thinking about the same. He has been someone who remained strong from childhood itself. He gets assigned to keeping an eye on the terrorist activities in the border area of Jammu and Kashmir area. Things seem safe and under control when he goes there, but as expected, there is always more than what meets the eye as far going close to the borders is concerned. They come against the first group of terrorists quick enough, and Vikram is blamed for not following the orders by Captain Sanjeev Jamwal (Shiv Pandit), even though everything ends perfectly. But Sanjeev still thanks him for saving his life in the process and making sure that the fight ended with them on the winning side, with no casualties at all – they end up being very good friends.

So, what happens with the events here? :: At the same time, there is something more terrifying going on in the background, with acts of terrorism ready to come across the border, and part of it also having roots already. At the same time, there is a flashback of the soldier’s life when he was at his earlier ages. While studying in Punjab University, he had fallen in love with Dimple Cheema (Kiara Advani), who hadn’t noticed him earlier, but had later gone to become his fiance. She had managed to get approval from her father only by telling him that if she won’t get to marry him, she will never marry anyone in her life. He also feels that he should join merchant navy instead of army to get a better salary so that he can get Dimple’s father to agree, but moves back on the same because his dream still drives him forward. She decides to wait for him, as he goes to be part of the army, and she would make sure that there are no more possible alliances being discussed at home.

And what more is to follow around here? :: Back at the camp, there seems to be many battles going on, and not just the small infiltration by the small scale terrorists. Vikram is quick to establish himself as a skilled soldier, and he is also good friends with the local people of Kashmir, due to which some people agree to become informers for him. He is also in charge of some risky operations in the process. There is also a bigger battle in store, as the Kargil War is about the begin. Despite being able to go back home on leave, Vikram has to return very soon, and join his team. Vikram is not someone who would stand back, and it seems that the enemy is crossing all limits, forcing them to quicken their actions. It would be a war which was to decide the future concerning two nations, as well as Kashmir, and the question remains about what is to follow in this for Vikram, as people back at home continue to worry. And then, there are more tales to come.

The defence of Shershah :: When we have war tributes in here, there was always something for us to watch, and this one also stays close to that idea. We also need acts of bravery to keep our world intact. There are some fine actions here which will be remembered, and are going to stay in our memory for the best. The combat scenes are all good, and there is something for our patriotic hearts, which stay on after the film ends too. The emotional side also remains strong, and we feel as part of the moments which the soldiers live through. It is always nice to have good movies dealing with the characters and subject. There are also some visuals of the world around them which never ceases to show the beauty of Kashmir. Along with the same, there is also the war during which the newer generation needs a reminder because even we were too young during the situation in Kargil, or were not born yet – we do get a reminder. You are always happy, and often in bliss to get the same in the name of the country.

The claws of flaw :: When we consider this movie as a work about a war hero, it could have been much more, with better elements of realism having scope to be present. After all, we have had many war movies before, not just in Bollywood, but also in Hollywood, even those works which were awarded well nationally and internationally. The background story, especially the love story remains too weak, and the same adds as an unnecessary part to an otherwise straightforward story of bravery in the border. Focusing on the romantic angle with songs never get old, and as far as love and songs being inserted somewhere when it should be kept at minimum, there is nobody in the whole world matching Bollywood. We do have the predictable moments in here too, and the film chooses not to go for innovation, going through the safe paths rather than anything else. The dramatic moments could also make way for more realistic style in comparison. There were immense possibilities regarding the same too, and there are moments which remind us of the same.

Performers of the soul :: Sidharth Malhotra handles things right, and he has blended into this role quite well too. This is a different kind of role compared to the type of roles in which I had seen him before. He looks very good in this role, and he is even more than that. In the scenes of war, he does the best, and he gets to be inspirational in the display. Kiara Advani is pretty good in what she does, but the love story is rather weak, and not that much suitable in the totality of the scheme of things. She could have got a better role if it was the college time period being shown with less focus on the romantic side, but romance always comes out of somewhere in these films, and that will continue to be the greatest cliché of all time. The other performers are also good, but they don’t really get that much to do. Shiv Pandit is the one who gets our attention the best among them, and there are a few more actors playing the soldiers that have something in here.

How it finishes :: It is always good to provide some tributes to the war heroes, and in doing the same, Shershaah does succeed. The movie still didn’t have that much of a promotion as Toofaan had in this part of India, and that is a shame, because the film should have released with more people knowing about its presence on Amazon Prime Video, the OTT platform which most people uses around here. Still, they would sooner or later understand that this is an interesting, as well as entertaining war drama. There is also a strong emotional side to the same. Being a tribute to the brave soldier who was awarded with the Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest military decoration, the great award for valour, for his actions during the 1999 Kargil War, the film has those perfect moments which will work for the patriot among us. You can never have enough of films on our soldiers, and we pay our respect to the man of valour. Therefore, we watch this movie on Amazon Prime Video, and stay safe from COVID-19 for now. Happy Independence Day and Happy Onam in advance.

Release date: 12th August 2021 (Amazon Prime Video)
Running time: 134 minutes
Directed by: Vishnuvardhan
Starring: Sidharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani, Shiv Pandit, Jaaved Jaaferi, Nikitin Dheer, Himmanshoo A Malhotra, Anil Charanjeett, Shataf Figar, Sahil Vaid, Raj Arun

<— Click here to go to the previous review.

<— Click here to go to the previous Bollywood review.

<— Click here to go to the previous Hollywood review.

<— Click here to go to film reviews from other OTT platforms.

Also, look out for the best of the year so far.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Toofaan

Posted on by

What is the movie about? :: There are some usual days in the big city, as Aziz Ali a.k.a. Ajju Bhai (Farhan Akhtar) is fighting in the streets – there is no hesitation for him in going on beating people mercilessly, and even getting beaten up in the process. After the fight, and after being hit on the head during the process, he goes to hospital where Dr Ananya (Mrunal Thakur) asks them to get out, as she doesn’t want to treat gangsters who keep causing trouble in the city. Soon, Ali begins to develop an interest in boxing, which seems unusual in the beginning for his friends, but he is indeed very serious about it. Even though he has the strength, and wants to keep fighting, lacks the accuracy and technique. It is the same reason why he goes on a trial without any plan, and gets beaten by perfect shots from the seemingly weaker opponent despite going strong in the initial stages. Nana Prabhu (Paresh Rawal) is the coach who makes the difference around there, and Ali hopes that he could train with him some day, and become a great boxer like Muhammed Ali.

So, what happens with the events here? :: It turns out that Nana is the father of Ananya, and after some continuous attempts, decides to take him in, much to his own surprise. But it takes a lot of time and effort to gain the next level of his attention. He has to spend most of his time fighting the lower level of boxers, and he keeps training at all times, leaving his recent life behind. He is very quick to go through the next steps, and at the state level, he is given the title “toofaan” while going through the state championships, quite an easy path to the finals. But things won’t go that easy when Nana finds out that Ananya is in love with Ali. He no longer wants to do anything with any of the two, and Ananya decides to leave their home. This brings the twist, and the later stages of life now has to be dealt in a different manner. But the journey forward won’t be easy for them, and it will make them take some desperate actions in the process, which wouldn’t provide the best results. Yet, they have to make sure that they did make a good attempt.

The defence of Toofan :: As this is a sports drama based on boxing, there is no shortage of action around here, and the fights don’t begin in the ring as far as this particular film is concerned, as the underdog, as expected, had to come from the streets. It is the kind of idea that never gets old, as everyone loves comebacks, not just of one kind, but of different styles. The pattern seems perfect here, and there is the inspirational element at work, even though too much of motivation cannot be good. The emotional moments are pretty much working, even though they are somewhat moving in an expected manner, and predictability is also there in the rest of the things – we still have our dose of inspiration, action and emotions. Some dialogues can be remembered, even though it is the trailer that has the best. The romantic side remains cute, even though often seeming like forced in here. We have watched films like Brothers, and so this one nicely holds on to similar idea with ease.

The claws of flaw :: The sports drama genre has had a lot of repetition in the past, and if you look at Malayalam film industry, there have been two, Finals and Kho Kho, which could deviate from the usual path of the sports drama movies. In comparison to these films, there is a lot of cliches in this one, and from the beginning itself, there are so many things which go on the predictable lines. The songs and dance steps also come out of nowhere, and it is time for the industry to keep them to minimum – they are not mandatory in any case. Having a movie like this without a romantic angle between the main characters was also a possibility here, and maybe that seemed to be too unusual a diversion against the safe path here. It is time that films like these go less predictable, and move out of pattern to bring a higher level of sports drama, for such an improvement is the need of the time – until then, we will adjust with this one in the usual model and hope for the better versions.

Performers of the soul :: The movie has to depend almost completely on Farhan Akhtar, as he is the one name that can bring the audience to this path to watch the flick. He has some fine moments for the audience, even though we have already seen a number of them before, in different forms. There are those happy moments and those highly emotional, sad moments. The moments in the boxing ring are indeed good ones too – those were expected though, as we have seen the trailers. The last movie I watched with him in the lead was Wazir, and that was indeed a good one – well, I haven’t been into Bollywood films much, and this is more a come back for me as a Bollywood film reviewer more than for anyone else. As his character does go for a comeback, the motivation stuff comes into the picture again. Well, sports drama has been meant for the same for a long time, and it is that spirit which Farhan Akhtar maintains here, and it is always better than rich people going on trips to Europe just because they have too much money and they can claim to reclaim their lives.

Further performers of the soul :: Paresh Rawal also does a great job as the boxing coach and trainer. Then, he is also that father figure who is to remembered in another way. As he has done many times, he does again, with emotional moments in this film. He remains completely natural in his act here. Mrunal Thakur is the usual leading lady, and goes through the romantic side that we keep seeing in similar films. She does have a lovely presence though, and plays nicely to the requirement of the movie, and there is lot of positivity brought here by her – she has the same in different stages of life. She would be even more suited for a feel-good movie, and with her face and expressions, is immensely suitable for the same kind of a film. She does remind one of Aditi Rao Hydari at some points. Vijay Raaz is the other most notable face, even though he is not there throughout the film. There are many other characters who nicely play along here, and they all become part of the whole – the signs of the same are present in the beginning itself.

How it finishes :: Toofaan adds to the long list of sports drama movies which have graced the Indian film industries, and does add some entertainment, even though there is no innovation regarding the same – we usually know what happens with the storylines of these films without thinking too much about the same. The thrills that the boxing sport provides is much more than any other, and in that way, this movie manages to come up with more, with the action background always having scope, while the emotional side comes up to add another angle here. With the release being postponed multiple times, and finally releasing in the OTT platform of Amazon Prime Video, it does have enough to keep us interested in the sports, and while the Malayalam movie Godha has us taken to the world of wrestling in a different way compared to Dangal, this one goes the boxing path, and when the sports which are less appreciated get some attention, it is always good. The first Bollywood film I watched after a long time did work for me here.

Release date: 16th July 2021 (Amazon Prime)
Running time: 161 minutes
Directed by: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Starring: Farhan Akhtar, Paresh Rawal, Mrunal Thakur, Vijay Raaz, Mohan Agashe, Hussain Dalal, Darshan Kumar, Supriya Pathak

<— Click here to go to the previous review.

<— Click here to go to the previous Hindi film review.

<— Click here to go to the previous English film review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Trapped

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: Aren’t we all trapped? Isn’t that the reality of our world?

Vampire Bat: How are you trapped? You are wandering all around.

Vampire Owl: I am talking about being trapped in this body and this world.

Vampire Bat: Oh! So, you want to be dead and meet Lady Death to be with her again.

Vampire Owl: Yes, it is kind of like that. There is that certain need which doesn’t go away.

Vampire Bat: You do no the consequences of the same, don’t you?

Vampire Owl: Will I be locked in the top floor of the vampire castle like this particular person ended up?

Vampire Bat: No, unless you make the mistake of locking yourself in. I am sure that you can get out through the keyhole, invoking your inner vampire anyway.

Vampire Owl: Dude, my vampirism is rather inside out.

Vampire Bat: Well, you have to find your true inner vampire, and it is now or never.

[Gets three cups of strong tea with Mariegold biscuits].

What is the movie about? :: Shaurya (Rajkummar Rao) is not the most popular person in the company which he works and has very less number of friends. He has problems talking about his love to Noorie (Geetanjali Thapa), but finally when he manages to do the same, they are together – now the problem remains that they need to get married before she is forced to marry someone else. But before that, he needs to find a house for them live in, and he is just not able to do that with his small salary – both of them don’t earn enough together, and can’t afford to give advance to renting a new house in the locality. There seemed to be many choices earlier, but soon, he seemed to be running out of options, and as the clock seems to be moving so fast, he is prepared to be settled with anything. It is then that he gets what he wants, and feels that this is all going to work fine, but little does he know that it is only going to mess up everything further.

So, what happens next in the movie? :: The new place that he gets to stay is a room at the top floor of an apartment which is newly built, and is at a great height. It is not used for living, as there is some legal issues with its construction, and a case is pending at the court. It stands tall in the city, with no people within and around, as only one old security guard is there to look after the whole thing, and doesn’t really care what happens. So, renting out this place seems to be too easy for the young broker (Yogendra Vikram Singh) who is only happy to gain anything from the same. So, without letting the guard know about it, he just moves in with the essential things without telling his friends or anyone at the company, even his own lover. After he falls asleep, he wakes up late next morning, and in a hurry to get to his lover, goes out, and runs back to get his mobile which he had forgotten – but he had left the key outside the door, and ends up getting locked inside.

And what is to follow with this adventure? :: He finds that his mobile is on low battery, and quickly tries to make calls, but soon the battery gets to zero power, and it turns out that there is no electricity there either. There is no water supply either, and his attempts to break the lock as well as the door itself fails. He tries shouting, but nobody hears him from that far away, and his attempts at writing down things on a cardboard box reaches nobody – even when it reaches someone, it is taken only as a prank as everyone knows that nobody lives in the flat which is plagued by a court case. As days go on, he begins to have hallucinations, and decides to take more desperate measures to ensure his own survival. But the question remains how long he can go on like this, with no chance to communicate to the outside world about his hopeless situation, which gets more and more desperate every day? There is the need to act quickly, or he is done.

The defence of Trapped :: You will find Trapped in its own divergent mode to be effective right from the first moment all these things in the flat begin. This genre is not really something that brings our movies into the confort zone, neither does it do the same for the audience, but this one seems to have got the balance here. You feel the need to get the protagonist out as much as he does for himself – being a common caught in a terrible situation, his tale connects to us better than the others. It also shows the situation in a busy city where nobody cares for the others – it is to be noted that the nobody never really cared that the protagonist was missing and didn’t care to come looking for him – it is all work and nothing else in a busy world which has so less for the common man. We have that there will be hope for more at some other times, but there is none. Rajkummar Rao is undoubtedly the star here, as he makes things better every second, starting from that door getting locked. Geetanjali Thapa has a cute and smart presence in this one when she is there.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does have its slower moments in the middle, and the beginning actually feels rather too ordinary and interesting – it takes getting locked inside an apartment to make things interesting. One also wonders why people never really noticed the fire even in the night – something like that is possible in an abandoned building, and it had to be checked for, no matter where you are – these days, people are suffering from the terrible lack of curiosity, or are they not? It also reminds us of a number of survival thrillers, and you know the names without second thoughts, as they are that good. This won’t come close to being there with them though. It is also the same reason why you would want more with this movie, with more efforts to escape, and what else can be tried differently in an effective manner. The songs are not that interesting, but they are not to focused on.

How it finishes :: When you consider how well this movie seems to have been done, one can only wonder why it doesn’t get to release here with some publicity – we know that even if it is a good movie, the cast wouldn’t matter that much – we know how some of those Bollywood superstar movies run here without much of an audience leading to shows getting cancelled again and again, finally disappearing from the theatre list in less than a week. This type of movies need to have its trailers and posters all around here, and after getting that needed attention, can get to be watched by more people. Serious survival horror has had less attention in our world, and other than Warning which was taken from the much popular Hollywood movie, there is not much being even remotely close to being known to the public. We could have always used more, and it is surely nice to have this one around here. I am sure that we are going to have more of such divergence in the future, like there was with movies like Phobia and Raman Raghav 2.0.

Release date: 17th March 2017
Running time: 105 minutes
Directed by: Vikramaditya Motwane
Starring: Rajkummar Rao, Geetanjali Thapa, Yogendra Vikram Singh, Rahul Dutta , Malay Garg, Girish, Patrick Graham, Rajiv Khanna, Hawk McNab, Hardik Mehta, Rahul Patel, Anup Rupanwar, Shiladitya Sen, RN Shukla, Vivek Soni

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Naam Shabana

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: I know this person from Baby.

Vampire Bat: This is a spin-off prequel to that movie, and so it is no surprise that you know her.

Vampire Owl: So, this is both a spin-off and a prequel? That should mean two levels.

Vampire Bat: Yes, this one also has Ajay Singh Rajput played by Akshay Kumar, Anjali Singh Rajput played by Madhurima Tuli and Om Prakash Shukla played by Anupam Kher.

Vampire Owl: And joins Shabana Khan played by Taapsee Pannu, I see.

Vampire Bat: There is also our own Prithviraj with an evil side.

Vampire Owl: I don’t see what can be better than that.

Vampire Bat: Yes, Ivide had shown his negative shades better than any other.

Vampire Owl: And we remember that older movie with him playing the bad cop getting reformed – Vargam, I guess. I also liked him in his other Bollywood movie, Aurangzeb.

Vampire Bat: Bollywood needs a few more in their movies, just like him. I still have Memories in my head.

[Gets three cups of strong tea with Mariegold biscuits].

What is the movie about? :: Shabana Khan (Taapsee Pannu) is a college student who is also practicing Judo to take part in a number of competitions. Her mother, Farida Begum Khan (Natasha Rastogi) is in full support of her, whatever she plans to do. She doesn’t hesitate in beating up people who cause any kind of nuisance, no matter how small it is, or how meaningless the fight is. She has made herself tougher, as she had grown up watching her father beat up her mother mercilessly all the time after coming home drunk and out of his senses. On one of those days when he was attacking her mother, she had hit her father so hard on the back of his head, that he ended up dead – it had left her in the juvenile home, until coming back stronger to help her mother move forward with her life. This flashback about her is rather unknown to her new friends.

So, what happens next? :: Shabana is quite a popular girl in the college, and one of her friends, Jai (Taher Shabbir Mithaiwala) has fallen in love with her. He asks her to accompany him for dinner, and they seem to have fallen in love, but on that night, they come across some eve teasing, to which she decides to respond – the result is Jai getting killed and leaving her scarred for life. His parents blame her for the incident, and despite going to the police station almost every day, she finds no progress at all. Frustrated and without hope, one day while returning from the police station, she gets the calls of an unknown man (Manoj Bajpayee) who gives her an offer she can’t refuse. She will get her revenge against the four men, but he wants something from her in return. So, will she manage to live up to the promise on her end, and will he be able to do the same?

The defence of Naam Shabana :: A lot of reviewers who go around in Bollywood are sure to miss how good Prithviraj Sukumaran has been in this movie, and there is that tendency to figure out how much they can appreciate everyone else. The makers won’t give that much for someone of such calibre, and the reviewers will just focus more on the Bollywood stars – just like I had written earlier in the review of the short-film, Invisible Actor, that there are actors and superstars, and there are those who are good enough to become both and maintain the balance. Along with him and Taapsee, the movie has its thrilling side going. There are also some very nice action sequences, and nothing overdone in that department. There are also some nice dialogues to go with the same – some of them are actually funny, whether intentional or not. It also feels good to get an origin story, which provides more scope for a sequel.

The claws of flaw :: Some scenes in this movies are just strange – with people removing their shirts to fight, vengeance given so much importance by an intelligence wing, the villain willingly giving away his identity when there was other options considering how smart he is, choosing the rookie to do this dangerous mission when there are experienced people around, and so on. It is still good to see that such Bollywood tendencies get to be controlled up to an extent. Shabana also has rather less attention on her character than everything else about her. Some of the moments just get funny when they shouldn’t have been, and we also get so much less of the villain who should have been the highlight of this movie from the darker side. The first half of the movie, with its stretched romance, becomes the rather too long thing here too. They could have done without the songs too.

Performers of the soul :: As expected, Taapsee Pannu does provide some knockout punches here, and she suits the character really well – even when the character is not flawless, she nullifies a few bad sides. It her work in the original movie which has inspired this one, and she gets to play the girl with fire more. Everyone loved her in Pink, and this one no longer has her as a damsel in distress – she gets to make sure that her agency remains a proud one. Still, as her work in Baby was so effective in such a short time, that would be remembered more. Prithviraj Sukumaran who was seen in Malayalam movies which were different kind of thrillers, Oozham, Ezra and Tiyaan, here we have him playing the villain, and I am sure that having more of him would have helped this movie better. Akshay Kumar’s role is small, but quick and effective, while Manoj Bajpayee only gets to talk, without getting any action. Madhurima Tuli and Anupam Kher also cross over here from Baby.

How it finishes :: Naam Shabana is a movie which could have done better with more focus on its antagonist, and a more consistent character development of our protagonist. If you don’t go for this one with the expectations high considering Baby, you are surely not going to be disappointed – it is that one which automatically let the expectations go high, and the makers seem to have thought that this would bring the money. They could have made more money with better focus on Prithviraj, but here, they have taken rather too much time for even Taapsee’s training to begin. Still, Naam Shabana is another thriller that works, and even without the name of Baby attached to it, there is more to the tale. Maybe the stand-alone feeling will give the flick even more strength. You can only watch this one and come up with your own opinion, and the need for another movie in the franchise.

Release date: 31st March 2017
Running time: 147 minutes
Directed by: Shivam Nair
Starring: Taapsee Pannu, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Manoj Bajpayee, Akshay Kumar, Danny Denzongpa, Madhurima Tuli, Anupam Kher, Murali Sharma, Zakir Hussain, Bhuvan Arora, Taher Shabbir Mithaiwala, Natasha Rastogi, Manav Vij, Mohan Kapoor, Elli Avram, Shibani Dandekar, Virendra Saxena, Aparna Upadhyay

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Udta Punjab

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: I know a few humans who thought that they would never get to watch this movie.

Vampire Bat: There are humans who think that they will never get to see a vampire, but here we are, able to appear whenever we wish to.

Vampire Owl: I heard that they had a problem with censor board.

Vampire Bat: We should be thankful that the movies about the great deeds of Uncle Dracula are not given to them for certification.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that the great imperial vampire video was uncensored?

Vampire Bat: Yes, you easily get that from the violence.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that it is violence – what you see in the video feels rather natural than anything else.

Vampire Bat: It is more natural to humans than us, but they censor it, you know.

Vampire Owl: They are so afraid of the inherent evil in them.

Vampire Bat: Yes, and they blame everyone other than them for the same.

[Gets three cups of English tea with special snacks].

What is the movie about? :: The movie tells the tale of four people people in the state of Punjab, a Punjabi musician named Tejinder Singh (Shahid Kapoor), an unnamed Bihari migrant working at a farm known only by the name Bauria (Alia Bhatt), an inspector in the Punjab police department named Sartaj Singh (Diljit Dosanjh), and a doctor who is also a social activist named Preet Sahni (Kareena Kapoor), whose lives get connected to each other due to the smuggling of drugs into the state. Sartaj’s brother Balli Singh (Prabhjyot Singh) is one of those drug addicts who ends up in the hospital, and it turns out that the police officer had almost no idea about his brother using drugs. He is treated by Preet who hopes to bring him back to normal life, through her rehabilitation cenre. At the same time, she tells Sartaj that the drug menace has become too much and the police department is not taking action about the same.

So, what happens next? :: As Sartaj decides to get deep into the drug problem, Tejinder, who is known by the name Tommy Singh, and as Gabru among his fans, is leading a rather clueless life outside the world of music. Throwing parties all the time, and keeping on consuming cocaine, he has no control over his life. His fans are not that different either, as they follow his example, having no responsibility, and trying to be like him. As Tommy takes this troubled path, he ends up in jail, and there he meets his fans inspired by him ending up in prison just like him. Sartaj is also the one to arrest Tommy, and is influenced by Preet to do something against the drug problem which threatens to turn the state into a situation similar to Mexico. He decides that it is time that he does something about this problem against which nobody even dares to talk or take action.

And, what is to follow next in the adventure? :: As this girl known by the name Bauria wanders around in the farm where she is working, she ends up finding a packet. She understands that it is some kind of drug, as her landlord uses agriculture to hide his dealing with drugs. The girl, who had her dreams of playing national level hockey for the nation shattered, decides to sell this, and get some money. But she doesn’t know trouble she is getting herself into, as she is captured by a gang of drug dealers who sexually abuse her, and keep her locked in their farmhouse. It is then that a reformed Tommy decides to take responsibility to change the world, and Sartaj as well as Preet gets further in gathering information about the drug problem and the people behind the same. But with so many powerful people including police and politicians having their hands in the same, can anyone bring a change?

The defence of Udta Punjab :: There is sincerity about this movie, and we are put face to face against an evil which needs to be stopped as soon as possible. The best thing about the movie is that it never glorifies drug abuse – there was the movie Spirit against alcohol, which began with the glorification of the same only to end up with a message against the same as it strived towards the finish. But Udta Punjab begins and ends with the same idea shown on the screen, and chooses the right path. At the same time, we once again notice that it is Alia Bhatt who steals the show with that kind of a character which is to stay with us for long, unlike what she has been doing with ridiculous romantic flicks like Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya and Shaandar, or some half-cooked story like Dear Zindagi. Here she scores by playing the role of a commoner going through the struggle, and we know how good she can be, from Highway. Shahid Kapoor, at the same time, seems to live in this role, which is too good to watch. Diljit Dosanjh, whom most of us are seeing for the first time on the screen, has a controlled and memorable performance in store for us here. Kareena Kapoor, compared to the rest, has lesser to do, but remains the big presence.

The claws of flaw :: You will feel that the movie does go too slow in the middle, and it also takes a little too much in the beginning to get going, having you as a doubtful one in the beginning. The movie could have used its tale in a more effective way so that nothing is lost in the middle. There is rather too much of ups and downs in this movie, which could have kept itself at a certain level instead of coming down when not expected. A lot of people are also going to feel the essence of a documentary in this one, as there are no real heroes in this one, but common people who struggle against an evil which threatens to destroy our world – not really the usual Bollywood-ish kind of thing, is it? Well, it also seems to be forced to add a little bit of a romantic side to its main characters, and maybe the inspiration for the same is nothing more than knowing that we still have the Bollywood fans to please and gather support so that the one hundred crore mark could be reached. The seemingly funny side is also as a little bit too strange at times to be called funny.

How it finishes :: Udta Punjab is the movie that you can’t ignore, no matter what you think about it – it is also difficult to end up not appreciating this effort which seems so genuine right from the beginning itself. There is a certain amount of honesty here that we will end up appreciating – even when there is chance, the movie doesn’t pretend to be what it is not. It is surely a lesson, something for the new generation who is taking the easy path out with alcohol and drugs; the question will be whether they will learn enough from the movie to stop being addicted or if they will continue to fall into addiction. No matter what the youth decides, it is up to everyone to unite against the drug menace, and also spread the word against this kind of silent terror which has more strength than any direct act of terrorism to destroy our world as well as what goes beyond the same.

PS: Do watch the movie of the week, Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum.

Release date: 17th June 2016
Running time: 149 minutes
Directed by: Abhishek Chaubey
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, Diljit Dosanjh, Satish Kaushik, Suhail Nayyar, Prabhjyot Singh, Harpreet Singh, Manav Vij, Avinash Kumar

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Neerja

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: So, we get to watch the movie which is known as the best of Sonam Kapoor.

Vampire Bat: And the movie which managed to be the Best Feature Film in Hindi for the year at 64th National Film Awards.

Vampire Owl: Her movies before this one happens to be Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Dolly Ki Doli and Khoobsurat, right?

Vampire Bat: It is indeed a scary list. But we should look beyond them as humans are unpredictable in many ways.

Vampire Owl: The last time I trusted one of them, I lost a feather. It was a pre-historic feather which Doctor Frankenstein attached to me.

Vampire Bat: Come on, Bewakoofiyaan which came before these movies was quite an okay movie.

Vampire Owl: I don’t even think about that kind of movies.

Vampire Bat: Don’t tell me that you don’t have the feeling that this could be good or even more than that.

Vampire Owl: I have no feelings about some movies; I just watch as if right out a coffin sleep.

Vampire Bat: Well, lets just watch this one then.

[Gets three cups of Ceylon tea with Arrowroot biscuits].

What is the movie about? :: The movie tells the tale of Neerja Bhanot (Sonam Kapoor) who is in her early twenties, living with her family and having a normal life. She used to be a model, and is now performing the duties of a flight attendant in Pan American World Airways, of which her mother Rama Bhanot (Shabana Azmi) doesn’t have that much of an opinion. The company which was largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until 1991 has her assigned to Pan American Flight 73 which started from the Sahar International Airport in Mumbai, going through Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, as well as Frankfurt Airport in Frankfurt, until finally reaching John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. For the same, she is taken to the airport by her friend Jaideep (Shekhar Ravjiani) who has feelings for her. But there is a past that haunts her, and has kept her away from relationships.

And what is the flashback all about? :: There was that unhappy arranged marriage of her, to Naresh (Kavi Shastri), a man working in Qatar, who had abused her over the dowry and her lack of expertise in doing household work, especially in cooking for him – he is particularly angry at her for him having to spend his money to buy food from outside and expects her to keep good and tasty food ready each and every day when he returns from work. But it doesn’t satisfy him despite her trying so hard. In the end, she returns home and takes up modelling again. Naresh sends a letter from the Middle East, accusing her of not good at looking after home, and asks her not to return without more money. Devastated, she decides never to return to him, supported by her family members. She finds a job as a flight attendant with Pan American World Airways at the same time, and decides to be happy, remaining the big fan of fan of actor Rajesh Khanna, frequently using the quotes from his films as goes through her simple life.

So, what happens next? :: As the flight reaches Karachi from Mumbai, four members of the Abu Nidal terrorist organisation, Libyan sponsored and based out of Palestine, murders the guards, and enters the airplane with guns, grenades and other explosives. Dressed as security guards, they make it through rather easily and keeps everyone at gunpoint. As the hijackers were not aware that the cockpit of this particular flight, Boeing 747 is upstairs, Neerja gets enough time to alert the three American pilots who quickly escapes through the overhead hatch, making their way to the terminal, despite the terrorists keeping on firing at them. This meant that the flight could no longer take off, and the four terrorists, Khalil (Jim Sarbh), Fahad (Vikrant Singta), Safirini (Abrar Zahoor) and Mansoor (Ali Baldiwala) were left in the airplane with their plan already becoming not that effective. But they are determined to kill any number of people if no pilot was sent to the plane – they would start by those holding American passports; who all will survive this unleashing of terror?

The defence of Neerja :: The tale of the courageous lady who saved the lives of 359 people from the clutches of Libyan-sponsored Palestinian terrorists is nothing less than inspiring a long salute from the bottom of the heart, and the courage displayed will inspire more. The movie also makes us sad and depressed about the ongoing acts of terrorism, but makes us believe that there is someone like her who becomes the light. Sonam Kapoor deserves the appreciation for the work that she has done here, coming from some of those terrible movies which gave her not much to work on. But Sonam has brought her best ever performance here, and it is something that will ask for the appreciation, and we shall provide her the same for living through the life of this young lady who died saving lives. She seems to fit in this role better than the rest of the roles in her career, and a lot of Bollywood actresses could have messed this up by overacting, or messed the whole thing up adding unnecessary elements, but here, the leading actress as well as the director keeps things in control. Yes, this one goes realistic.

The claws of flaw :: Neerja, when you look at it as a movie, doesn’t have that much depth to the proceedings. It is all dependent on Sonam Kapoor, and the rest are just there to support her and make sure that she gets more and more chances to do better. We can also see what might be an attempt not to get further into detail, as there is not much talked about the background of the hijacking, and also about how the terrorists decided on this path, as well as a background check on them. There is not much in the music to go for either. The terrorists are also not that much interesting, but that should be more about them also being custom made to fit in, rather than become the people that they have been or should have been. You will also find that there are moments when Sonam Kapoor misses out, but they will be forgotten as they are too minute to notice. In the end, the movie should have also focused more on her being the inspiration rather than focusing on the sadness, for Neerja as well as the flight attendants have all achieved something that anyone related to them could be proud of.

How it finishes :: The biographical movies as well as flicks inspired by real events have been the strong point of Bollywood for some time, even as mindless movies do get to one hundred crore of box-office collection with ease. You know how well Airlift and Rustom turned out to be, no matter how much fiction was added. As a biopic based on the life of someone who who saved life at the cost of her own, and on the one who became the youngest recipient of India’s highest peacetime award for bravery, who was also the first woman to receive the same, this is a movie worth even more. In the year 2004, the Indian Postal Service released a stamp in memory of her. Pakistan government also presented her with Tamgha-e-Insaaniyat, for showing incredible human kindness. These are the kind of tales which should become movies more, so that people can believe that humanity is not without hope, and that there is still chance for redemption of mankind. Movies on such good, brave, men and women will always inspire us to do something great, which we at some point had thought to be impossible. Lets hope that we will be delivered from evil.

Release date: 19th February 2016
Running time: 121 minutes
Directed by: Ram Madhvani
Starring: Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Yogendra Tiku, Shekhar Ravjiani, Kavi Shastri, Sadh Orhan, Vikrant Singta, Jim Sarbh, Abrar Zahoor, Ali Baldiwala, Kavi Shastri, Bobby Arora, Edward Sonnenblick, Arnold Malek, Waqar Khan, Nikhil Sangha, Arjun Aneja, Sushil Tyagi, Ismail Mohammed Mirza, Andy von Eich, Meghana Kaushik, Eisha Chopra, Sunanda Wong, Anjali Khurana, Shashi Bhushan, Aarush Rana, Shaurya Chopra, Vishwendra Singh, Chandra Thakur, Manya Chopra, Prashant Guptha, Asha Joshi, Alex Kozyrev, Ikhlaque Khan

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Dangal

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: I am not that much into wrestling these days. Even though I do wrestle my own demons every day.

Vampire Bat: It is not that much of a wrestling if you look at it from another person’s perspective.

Vampire Owl: But they are good. They even breathe fire once in a week.

Vampire Bat: Why do they breathe fire inside your mind? Can’t they do it at better places?

Vampire Owl: They are my personal demons. They should wrestle at my place only.

Vampire Bat: You should ask Doctor Frankenstein to get a mind projector so that we all can know how the wrestling competition goes.

Vampire Owl: It should be banned in the castle due to the violence involved, so no Frankenstein.

Vampire Bat: You surely got a violent mind there.

Vampire Owl: What can I do? It is in my blood because I drank the elixir of violence during our expedition to the Northern Kingdoms.

Vampire Bat: You should understand that the right thing to drink is the elixir of life. This is a banned drink.

[Gets three cups of strong tea with Mariegold biscuits].

What is the movie about? :: Mahavir Singh Phogat (Aamir Khan) is a former wrestler and a national champion who lives in Balali, a village in Haryana. Despite being a very good wrestler who was better than most of the others around, he had to choose a fruitful job and leave the sport because his father asked him to do the same. But he still remembers the sport, and can beat almost every local champion – his love for wrestling is something that stays, and seems to be something which is forever. Now he does have a good job, but he is not satisfied with his achievements which doesn’t involve what he was so good at. When his wife Daya Shobha Kaur (Sakshi Tanwar) gets pregnant, he declares that his unborn son is going to win the medal for the nation. The superstitious villagers come up with many ideas which would make sure that the child born will be male and not female, and Mahavir awaits the birth of the son who will make him proud.

So, what happens next? :: But things don’t go as planned, as despite trying different strange ideas brought by the village’s residents, Mahavir ends up having one girl after the other, making the total number as four. This leads to him having no more hope about the same, and goes on concentrating on his job as well as household activities. Geeta Phogat (Fatima Sana Shaikh) and Babita Kumari (Sanya Malhotra) are his eldest daughters, who get to live into his dreams, after they beat up the boys who make fun of them. As he realises that a medal is a medal and gold is gold, no matter whoever brings that, he begins training them hard. The girls have to start working hard early in the morning, and even has to cut their hair short, which bothers them in the beginning – they begs him to let them live their life like the other children, but ends up doing what he wants them to do, as he leaves them with no other choice.

And, what is to follow next in the adventure? :: It is the beginning of an adventure which will go and on, getting Mahavir closer and closer to his dreams through his two girls. The time when the girls were wrestling and defeating boys is over, as Geeta goes on to win the junior championships at the state and then the national level, finally getting to capture the national senior championship. It meant that she had to go to the National Sports Academy in Patiala to train with other girls from all around India for the upcoming Commonwealth Games. This changes things, as the coach at the academy, Pramod Kadam (Girish Kulkarni) doesn’t want Mahavir to influence Geeta anymore, and works hard to make sure that only his own methods are correct, and in no way will Geeta do according her father’s methods. Geeta gives in and follows her coach, as well as the other girls, spending their time eating fast food, watching silly romantic movies and having all kinds of fun. Deviating from the ways of her father, can Geeta make it big without her father, or will she find a way to balance everything on her way to gold?

The defence of Dangal :: Dangal is one of those sports drama movies which will save all the other sports from the evil onslaught of cricket which threatens to destroy each and every other sport in India. The Malayalam movie Godha also tries to do the same, as wrestling gets more than one movie to try and do the same. This is also relevant in the times when gender inequality, female foeticide and child marriage don’t intend to stop completely; it becomes even more relevant considering the part of India where this occurs. This is certainly bigger than Lagaan, not just because this is supporting an attention-seeking sport, but also because that inherent foolishness in that flick doesn’t show its head here; the superiority in comparison to M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story is rather clear. For Aamir Khan, this should be one of his best performances too – he earlier had PK, and now he has this one, and not another Dhoom, which is indeed nice. When so many actors are playing safe, we have to appreciate the experimenting the man has been doing with not just his acting, but also the physique. Then there is the patriotic feeling, and we are left with the need for more gold of the nation.

The claws of flaw :: You will find that this movie is so much about the trainer rather than the wrestlers, despite the fact that the girls do some nice job. It is rather strange to see the progress of things here, as the tale here is also rather predictable. The idea of a father making his daughters do only what he wants them to do, doesn’t seem to be that good an idea in every case, and one has to wonder what would have happened if the training had failed – all things are nice when they are successful. Then there is Bollywood, bringing some melodrama with father’s love, as it has a history of bringing parents’ love to the next level of tears – with such a nice beginning, the emotions running around just misses the grip. The movie is also too lengthy, and has its slow moments which pull the flick right back. The climax is predictable, with the last minute win, with a memory of something from the father – it is where the realistic take will have only second place to the emotional addition of low level thrills.

How it finishes :: We already know how good Bollywood is with biographical drama, and there are so many examples of the same, from Neerja to the more fictionalised Rustom and Airlift which was even more acclaimed. It is more like the genre that saves Bollywood from the usual, repetitive stuff that it usually comes up with, adding some superstar to it. Dangal is no different, as it gets its strong emotional side to work in favour of the idea, and tells the tale of two sisters, Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari who go on to win medals at the Commonwealth Games, and their father Mahavir Singh Phogat who trains them. Dangal is very much successful in making the drama work, making it the highest grossing Indian movie of all-time, and also boasts of a great record overseas, especially in China. Well, most of the Bollywood movies go one way, and Dangal chooses another path, and among those movies which go the right way, this one is the flick that made the most impact. For more twisted of such divergent paths, there are Phobia and Raman Raghav 2.0.

Release date: 23rd December 2016
Running time: 161 minutes
Directed by: Nitesh Tiwari
Starring: Aamir Khan, Sakshi Tanwar, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Zaira Wasim, Suhani Bhatnagar, Aparshakti Khurana, Ritwik Sahore, Vivan Bhatena, Kaustubh Pile, Girish Kulkarni, Shishir Sharma, Meenu Prajapati, Badrul Islam

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.