ALL IS WELL: All is rubbish. A total waste! [1/5]

Good news for all the complainants who don’t waste a chance to criticize Bollywood for being irrational, illogical and unreasonable! Here comes a film that does bother to give you enough reasons to explain what’s coming next and why it is there in the film! Even then the film in question ends up being a strong contender of ‘the silliest film of the year’ trophy, I don’t really wonder why. Picture this; an NRI [Abhishek Bachchan] stops at a roadside dhaba on Chandigarh-Solan highway to feed his family a good meal after a much hurried and hassled drive. The man at the counter is charging him some 5 thousand rupees for 4 people’s meal which is not even served or consumed yet. The poor guy doesn’t carry cash. To save him from the embarrassment, the local dancer [She was the reason for the hiked price] offers him a dance with her in exchange. What comes next is the item number by Sonakshi Sinha heavily supported by the Jr Bachchan. C’mon, even a Rakhi Sawant won’t do it for the said amount!

The problem with Umesh Shukla’s ALL IS WELL is its lazy ambition to become another Priyadarshan movie where cartoonish characters will do anything [banging head on the wall, rolling over one and other, slapping each other] to make you laugh and just laugh in every scene; the plot could anytime allow actors to participate in a nonsensical chase and then, end it all in a wedding-mandup where glycerin [the most-overrated chemical to make you look serious actor] will have a separate counter at the food-court. Though the story is not at all bad for a family entertainer, the emotions get silenced by the screeching dialogues and awful performances.

Bhajanlal Bhalla [Rishi Kapoor] runs a bakery that has hardly any incoming income to run the family. In fact, it is more of a bone of contention between him and his wife [Supriya Pathak Kapoor]. The son Inder [Abhishek Bachchan] fed up of the regular domestic verbal clash has moved abroad to make it big in his singing career. He’s back after some 10 years and the catch is the money he could get to finance his first album by selling the bakery. Sounds simple? Wait, we’ll make it as twisted as any Priyadarshan movie. Add a local slapstick gangster [Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub] & cops will come by design, a secret box of good fortune to run after and a powerful lady with her army [Seema Pahwa with complementary Bugs Bunny teeth] will definitely be coming into scene and lastly, our heroine who’s all set to give her Shaadi a miss ‘cause she loves someone else. Enough to complicate!

For an Alzheimer patient, a doctor suggests, “Inko jitna khush rakh sakte ho, rakho!’ Isn’t it a ‘prescription for all’ statement? The female protagonist [Asin] believes in the signs from the universe so much that you would pick up an orange over an apple from the fruit basket and she might tell you she had saved it for her would-be-husband and now, you have to marry her. ALL IS WELL is full of such irritating, intimidating [to make you leave the theatre] and disgusting elements but what hurts you the most is watching talent like Supriya Pathak Kapoor being wasted utterly. Smriti Irani was cast in the same role earlier. I am not sure at what circumstances Supriyaji accepted the role but it is never to match her caliber. All the stars in the rating given to the film in this review must go to her as the compensatory allowance. Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub is the only one who looks constantly trying to make it work. Rests all are either average or forgettable.

Overall, Umesh Shukla of OMG-OH! MY GOD fame fails miserably to impress. He was probably too confident to see the film’s flaws. With no offence or any disrespect to Alzheimer patients, I think sometimes you need a serious illness to forget something bad happened to you in life. ALL IS WELL takes you in that unfortunate mental zone. Save yourself, if you can! [1/5]  

MANJHI- THE MOUNTAIN MAN: The ‘Man at Work’ Nawazuddin nails it! [3.5/5]

The term ‘Incredible India’ can never be classified to only its breathtakingly colorful places of cultural or natural heritage; or even to the very fact that despite being stung by corruption, crime and constricted behavioral social and over-emotional issues, it is still very much on its feet. In fact, the other and the most significant characteristic of our nation have always been the legends of implausible efforts turning the impossible into the possible. The courageous case of Dashrath Manjhi of Bihar is most likely the most inspiring saga of undying spirit, nerve-wracking guts, survival against all odds and the triumph of true love in modern India. Ketan Mehta’s MANJHI- THE MOUNTAIN MAN is a visual documentation of Manjhi’s arduous 22-year long struggle to bring a considerable change in the society he’s been rooted in. But in the stricture of a Bollywood film that also craves for approval of the entertainment-seekers! A win some, lose some situation!

Dashrath Manjhi [Nawazuddin] is an angry young man traumatized by his beloved wife’s unfortunate accidental death and tormented by the haunting memories of good old times spent with her. Describing the pain better in his own words, Manjhi states in the film, “Kuch bhulaye nahin bhoolta. Fillum si ghus gayi hai humar khopadiya mein, kabhi bhi kahin se shuru ho jaati hai…aage-peechhe, peechhe-aage’. The same vouches for another reference to the film’s back & fourth narrative. The remedy lies in the revenge. Manjhi must fight the evil; in this particular case, a mammoth, invincible and insensitive mountain. The true love needs to pass the test and the only way out is, “Don’t stop till it’s over.” And thus, begins the wrestle between the two taking 22 years to reach a climax in favor of the most unbeatable spirit of a helpless looking man with just a hammer and a chisel in his hands.

Ketan Mehta is blessed with an eagle eye to look out for inspirational real-life stories from the past [SARDAR, MANGAL PANDEY- THE RISING, RANG RASIYA] but this time, his luck takes a giant leap in terms of finding Dashrath Manjhi in Nawazuddin’s chameleon-beating talent of owning a character so much that it could blur all the lines in between the two. The film gets off-track more than a couple of times when Ketan decides to provide some half-hearted, easy, filmy and feeble elements of desperate entertainment values [His buffoonery act on the first encounter with his would-be wife, for instance] but don’t lose your faith in Nawazuddin as he constantly manages to surprise you with his unimpeachable acting skills. If watching him romance with one of the most sizzling actresses of today’s times Radhika Apte is delightful, then his monologues with the mountain are simply worth-whistling. You can’t afford to miss any of the expressions he wears on his face so responsibly. His performance can only be expressed better in his own words on screen, “Shaandar! Jabardast!! Zindabad!!!”

Radhika Apte as Manjhi’s wife is here again to win some serious accolades. Though she misses a shot or two while perfecting the pitch and parlance of a rural-tribal inhabitant, she is in good form. Tigmanshu Dhulia repeats his GANGS OF WASSEYPUR role as the mean & malevolent Mukhiya of the village. Late Asharaf-ul-Haque as Manjhi’s Father is pitch-perfect. This is probably the best and the lengthiest role of his lifetime. Heartbreakingly, he couldn’t be here to enjoy the praise. Prashant Narayanan does his bit good in first part but later, returns only to kill it with a typecast transformation. Deepa Sahi surprises in her one and only appearance. Music is one big letdown. They try hard to sound authentically connected to the pace and the place but sadly, never reach the mark of satisfaction.

MANJHI- THE MOUNTAIN MAN is undeniably Ketan Mehta’s one of the bests; mostly because of two individuals. In Dashrath Manjhi, he finds an extraordinary hero who never surrenders to anything in his road to deliverance. And an excellent player of unswerving performance in his screen version Nawazuddin! Had it been less theatrical and more profound in its nature, MANJHI- THE MOUNTAIN MAN would have been definitely the best film of the year. The task is not completed but you’ll love the MAN at work! [3.5/5]       

गौर हरी दास्तान- द फ्रीडम फ़ाइल: अच्छे-बुरे से परे, एक बेहद जरूरी फिल्म! [3/5]

कुछ कहानियों का कहा जाना ज्यादा जरूरी है, भले ही उनमें नाटकीयता की कमी साफ़ झलकती हो या फिर जिनमें जटिलता बिलकुल ही न के बराबर हो. अनंत नारायण महादेवन की ‘गौर हरी दास्तान’ ऐसी ही चुनिन्दा फिल्मों में से एक है जो अच्छे-बुरे से परे, एक बेहद जरूरी फिल्म है.  

आजादी के ६८ साल पूरे हो गए हैं, और इसमें तनिक संदेह नहीं कि आज हम इस आजादी का मोल आंकने में अक्सर चूक जाते हैं. फिल्म के शुरूआत में ही जब नायक [८० साल का एक स्वतंत्रता संग्राम सेनानी] एक सरकारी दफ्तर की धीमी लिफ्ट पे टिप्पणी करता है, “हम बहुत देर से नीचे नहीं जा रहे?”, सरकारी अफसर समझाता है, “अँधेरे में अक्सर दूरी ज्यादा लगती है”. देश की रुकी-रेंगती ढुलमुल व्यवस्था पर इससे अच्छा कटाक्ष नहीं हो सकता. वही अफसर अगले दृश्य में सहमते-झिझकते कह ही बैठता है, “कभी-कभी लगता है अंग्रेजों को वापस भेज के कहीं कोई गलती...”.

सत्य घटना पर आधारित ‘गौर हरी दास्तान’ एक ऐसे स्वतंत्रता संग्राम सेनानी के संघर्ष की कहानी है, जो अपने वजूद को साबित करने के लिए ३० साल से देश की लचर दफ्तरशाही से एक खामोश लड़ाई लड़ रहा है. बिना रुके, बिना थके. देश की आजादी की लड़ाई में अपनी भागेदारी साबित करने के लिए जिसे आज एक अदद सरकारी प्रमाणपत्र की दरकार है, पर सच की पहचान इतनी आसान कहाँ रही है? बचपन में ‘वानर सेना’ का सदस्य बनकर गुप्त सूचनाएं इधर-उधर पहुँचाने का काम कर चुके गौर हरी दास आज खुद एक दफ्तर से दुसरे दफ्तर चक्कर काट रहे हैं, और इज्जत करना तो छोडिये लोगों में हमदर्दी का रत्ती भर भी एहसास नहीं दिखता. क्या हो गया है हमारी संवेदनाओं को? कहाँ खर्च हो गयी हैं हमारे सामाजिक, मानवीय सरोकार की समझ?

फिल्म का सबसे मजबूत पक्ष है इसकी सच्चाई और भोलापन, जो न सिर्फ गौर हरी दास के चरित्र में दिखता है बल्कि फिल्म की कहानी का भी अभिन्न हिस्सा है. एक-दो दृश्यों को छोड़ दें [एक में गौर हरी दास गांधीजी से बात करते दिखाई देते हैं], तो फिल्म में बेवजह का ड्रामा ठूंसने की प्रवृत्ति से अनंत बखूबी बचते नज़र आये हैं. फिल्म का सबसे कमज़ोर पहलू भी दर्शकों के लिए शायद यही बने. फिल्म एक सधी, पर धीमी गति से आगे बढती है. बिलकुल साधारण से दिखने वाले दास की इस संघर्ष-गाथा में अटूट हौसले का रंग तो गहरा गाढ़ा है, पर इसे एक असाधारण प्रसंग बनाने में विश्वास की कमी साफ़ नज़र आती है.

मुख्य भूमिका में विनय पाठक कुछ ज्यादा ही कोशिश करते नज़र आते हैं. उनका हद से ज्यादा सीधा-सादा-सच्चा होना दिल को छूते-छूते रह जाता है. हालाँकि इस भूमिका को आत्मसात करने में पाठक कोई कसर नहीं छोड़ते. कोंकना सेन शर्मा ज्यादा देर परदे पर नहीं रहतीं, पर पूरी तरह प्रभावित करती हैं. दो टूक तीखे बोल बोलने वाले पत्रकार की भूमिका में रणवीर शौरी जमे हैं. तनिष्ठा चटर्जी एक आज़ाद ख्याल मॉडर्न पत्रकार के किरदार में अपनी दूसरी फिल्मों से अलग ही दिखती हैं. फिल्म के हर हिस्से में आपको छोटी-छोटी भूमिकाओं में ढेर सारे नामचीन कलाकार दिखेंगे, जैसे रजित कपूर, सौरभ शुक्ला, अचिंत कौर, मुरली शर्मा, मोहन कपूर और भरत दाभोलकर.

अंत में, अनंत महादेवन की ‘गौर हरी दास्तान’ आज के भारत में आजादी के मायने भूलती पीढ़ियों के लिए एक ऐसी फिल्म है जो न सिर्फ देश की चरमराती, सोई-सुन्न व्यवस्था पर सवाल खड़े करती है, बल्कि एक ८५ साल के बूढ़े आम आदमी की अपने अस्तित्व को बचाए रखने की सतत कोशिश के साथ उम्मीद का एक सूरज भी जलता छोड़ जाती है.      

BROTHERS: Use your Right to Stay Away! [1.5/5]

No offense is taken if you have opted for a plot full of hard clichés but treating it like one is a big bad crime. And Karan Malhotra is a serious offender of doing so in his official remake of WARRIOR- a punchful fighting action drama from Hollywood. In fact, he has been accused of the same in his first venture AGNEEPATH- another remake, this time of a Bollywood blockbuster. Thankfully, the 100 Cr indemnity at the box-office saved him from facing the heat. My prayers go straight to him for his latest sin. BROTHERS is as painful as the heavy and heartless punches in the ring could possibly hurt a regular man. It is so formulaic in its melodramatic emotions and in the laziest cinematic treatment that as an evolved movie-watcher, you would feel disgusted, snubbed and insulted for whatever intellect you could bring along. And the worst part is, you pay for it.

Catholics are the most ill-treated [in their standard portrayal] and idly-written characters in any typical Bollywood film. You don’t need to ask for their names or surnames as they are all the same. Any Fernandez or Braganza will do. Even David and Maria are a better connect. And then, put the holy-cross all around in as many ways you can. Tattoos look cool, on Catholics. They can be freely shown drinking their guts out. Isn’t it a must in their religion? Putting merely a ‘Man’ at the end of a sentence and replacing every other word with its English translation in a Hindi sentence will positively end all the doubts of them being a Fernandez or Braganza or a D’Souza. If you are being impatient to typecast the Catholics, you sure should rush to Karan Malhotra. He is the one-point source to anything and everything related to them. He is the next Mahesh Bhatt in this particular field of interest.

Now, let’s look at the plot. The alcoholic Senior Fernandez [Jackie Shroff] is released from the jail after serving a life term for accidently murdering his loving wife [Shefali Shah]. He is the man seeking redemption for his sin. So, the tears need to be constantly in supply whether it is the matter of ‘khushi’ or ‘gham’. By the way, fighting is the family game of the Fernandez. The elder Fernandez [Akshay Kumar] has left it long back for the sake of his family and is now leading a regular low life. The real Fernandez [Jacqueline] plays the better-half of the reel Fernandez. What a cheesy trivia! The younger and step-Fernandez [Another Malhotra, Siddharth] is angry, very angry. Enters Mr Braganza, the filthy Lalit Modi of MMA [Mixed Martial Art] league! The hunt for the champion of the league will also witness the biggest clash in Indian fighting scene. It is blood against blood.

Gavin O’Connor’s WARRIOR was a perfect film for Karan Malhotra to remake. One could smell from miles as how he is going to adopt it. The melodrama is on its highest. People cry, shout and walk like zombies-on the-loose to release and reveal their stressed present and stormed past. The writing is all impudent, brazen and audacious, especially in the second half where running commentary of the event covers the most of the part. Songs are relatively more comforting and that doesn’t include one of the most the nonsensical and nasty item songs featuring Kareena Kapoor Khan. My takeaway from these dance numbers is the fact that no matter how titillating they are in nature, the people around in the song don’t bother to ‘bother’ the lady in the middle. How gentle, polite and tender Indian Men in front of camera can be!

At the end, I know it is not the end. Many have taken an oath to keep the histrionics of old-bollywood clichés alive till they are in business. Karan Malhotra is just one of them. The other Karan [Johar] I am sure will get busy in finalizing the deal of another remake for him, soon after confirming BROTHERS’ weekend collection at the box-office. Brothers in crime! If you don’t want to fight with your conscience, use your right to stay away! [1.5]                                                     

BANGISTAN: Satire turns sad, silly and superficial! [1.5/5]

Handling satire on current social, political and religious sentiments is never an easy job, at least not as easy as reviewing (bashing; in other word) other’s films. With BANGISTAN, noted film critic Karan Anshuman sneaks into the other side of the business now where he’s all open to face the shots he’s been taking at till now. And I stand in full salutation for him choosing a subject which is more than relevant in today’s times. We desperately need to develop our abilities to laugh at some of the most serious issues in our lives. Satires act like catalysts in trial of that exercise. Sadly, BANGISTAN promises a lot on that front but misses the target by large. Some serious smart writing, sincere efforts and unambiguous intention are all you need and not a buffoonery plot, chaotic climax and pretentious performances to save the day. Here Mr Critic disregards what he’s been preaching all his life.

The film finds its base in a fictional land where two religious radical groups are at warfare to gain supremacy. You don’t need those visible hints to guess that we are looking at our popular Hindu-Muslim extremists. Smartly, both the group-heads are being played on screen by the same actor [the dependable Kumud Mishra in double role]. Two sides of the same coin? Get it? Meanwhile, there are Shankaracharya [Shiv Subramanium] and Imam Saab [Tom Alter] secretly working towards peace, love and harmony between the two communities. Now, the radicals are planning to make a big shout at the international religious summit to be held in somewhere in Poland. The hardcore halfwits chosen to bomb the Peace convention are Praveen Chaturvedi [Pulkit Samrat] and Hafiz Bin Ali [Riteish Deshmukh].

BANGISTAN starts with a bang and showers hints of satire in almost every scene, dialogue and frame but runs out of impressive ideas and additions soon after the successful take-off. The Islamic extremists are seen cursing America’s policies against them sitting in an American fast food joint named FcDonalds. Well and good! The two chosen activists with switched religious identities and orientations for a fool-proof operation fights for each-other’s religious convictions is too quite exciting but soon, it gets stretched over its limits. And then comes, the all preachy, pretentious and predictable climax where all this ‘laugh and think, and laugh again’ satirical efforts ends in the melodramatic way of finishing it off so that you can go home and not die there.

Another big letdowns are the performances; Riteish Deshmukh is some relief and considerably ‘at it’ for the most parts. Pulkit Samrat doesn’t even try to get out of the impression that he is acting only to impress or imitate Salman Khan. Jacqueline Fernandez is credited here as ‘in a special appearance’ and that doesn’t mean she is doing anything special to the film. Chandan Roy Sanyal is good. Aarya Babbar is funny at places. Veterans Kumud Mishra, Shiv Subramanium and Tom Alter don’t disappoint, though are there only for few scenes.

At best, BANGISTAN is one of those incalculable films in which good cinematography, better production-design and scenic locations lure you to stay idle in your seats till the lights go on. Otherwise; even in its 2 hours of modest duration, there are times when you start questioning your sense of judgment about the film, and not about the extreme religious sentiments the film supposed to hit on. Sad, silly and superficial! [1.5/5] 

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE- ROGUE NATION: The ‘Cruise’ rides, high on entertainment! [3.5/5]

IMF (Impossible Mission Force] has been shut. Agent Ethan Hunt is a wanted now. CIA has taken over the further responsibilities to decide on all the anti-national threats; and also to locate and eliminate Mr. Wanted. Meanwhile, the mission impossible here for agent Hunt is to track and prove the existence of an illegitimate/undercover group of highly-skilled eliminators branded as the Syndicate. Now, you don’t need to be a fan of the popular franchise to guess what follows next. The plot has been set. The tracks are laid. And illustrated as ‘the living personification of destiny’, Ethan Hunt is ready to take you on a thrilling ride where betrayals are norms, guns are on the loose and there is always a ticking time-bomb situation. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE- ROGUE NATION is exactly what it promises to be or is expected to be. Probably, the most satisfying contribution to the series!

Though it all has become a ‘predicted from miles’ mix of elements now i.e. a comic sidekick [Simon Pegg in this case] waiting to throw-up witty one-liners every time his mouth is opened, a grumpy-cranky boss [Alec Baldwin], an understanding, sympathetic and constantly supportive partner [Jeremy Renner], a mysterious femme fatale [Rebecca Ferguson] destined to be the flame of the fearless male protagonist, sooner or later and the almost unshakable villain [Sean Harris] with more distorted desires than his tonal expressions; MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE- ROGUE NATION doesn’t fall in the league of ordinary efforts. The highlights are certainly the high-octane action sequences, pulse-raising bike-chase, the eye-arresting locations and the blazingly electrifying theme soundtrack.

Tom Cruise decidedly looks susceptible at first to every given situation where he is needed to outperform himself and later emerges comfortably as the unstoppable at nothing kind of superhero. He is known and loved for that; and this action-expedition only takes the frenzy a notch up. Be it the hanging out [in literal sense] with the running plane scene featured in the trailers also or the amazing dive in the whirls of pool scene; stunts are visually breathtaking and Cruise as always the most comfortable at it.

Film finds another prop of strength, conviction and visual delight in Rebecca Furguson. Clad in a stunning Golden ball gown, she can kill you with not only her looks but moves that come with a warning of ‘blink and you miss’. She can gift Cruise a sense of bewilderment in his judgments, that too more than once. The best from her comes when she tries to encourage Hunt in pure poise with ‘come away with me’ plea. Simon Pegg successfully marks his comic-best in the weekly polygraph test scene where he has to cheat the technology used to gain considerable information about Hunt. The only weak link likes to be is in the casting of Sean Harris as the chief of the Syndicate. It could have been more fanatic, freaky or dramatic I would say as we are here dealing with Tom Cruise and not some Gary Oldman or Colin Firth in some razor-sharp espionage drama.

On the whole, Christopher McQuarrie directed MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE- ROGUE NATION is a ‘crispier than a wafer’ action adventure that makes your investments in the bucket of popcorns definitely a worth. And if you can catch in IMAX, nothing beats that! Mission to entertain: accomplished! [3.5/5]