पद्मावत: दकियानूसी पुरुष मानसिकता का 'पैम्फलेट'! [2.5/5]

ऐसे मुश्किल वक़्त में, जब हमारा समाज महिलाओं के सम्मान, उनके अधिकारों और उनके साथ होने वाले अपराधों के प्रति संवेदनशील होने की हर शर्त नज़रंदाज़ करता जा रहा है; मुझे समझ नहीं आता, संजय लीला भंसाली जैसे जज़्बाती और काबिल फ़िल्मकार को परदे पर 'पद्मावत' कहने की क्या सूझी? हालाँकि मैं देश की संस्कृति और इतिहास से जुड़े महाकाव्यों और लोकगाथाओं को सिनेमाई चोगा पहनाने के खिलाफ नहीं हूँ, और विषय चुनने की स्वतंत्रता को भी फ़िल्मकार का कलात्मक अधिकार समझता हूँ, मानता हूँ; फिर भी भंसाली जैसे फ़िल्मकार से इतनी तो उम्मीद की ही जा सकती थी. 'पद्मावत' राजपूतों की आन-बान और शान के भव्य कशीदों के बीच फँसी एक ऐसी दकियानूसी, गर्वीली और ठेठ पुरुष मानसिकता का 'पैम्फलेट' है, जिसे कोरा इतिहास मान कर देखना, सराहना और उसका जश्न मनाना किसी दुरुस्त दिमाग या दिल के लिए आसान नहीं होगा. राजपूताना शौर्य की नायिका को जौहर के लिए पति से अनुमति मांगते देखना ह्रदय-विदारक नहीं है, तो क्या है? 

भंसाली की 'पद्मावत', मलिक मोहम्मद जायसी के इसी नाम वाले महाकाव्य को अपनी बुनियाद बनाकर इतनी भव्यता से परदे पर परोसती है, कि लोकगाथा जैसी लगने वाली कमज़ोर कहानी उसके नीचे कई बार दम तोड़ती नज़र आती है. मेवाड़ के राजपूत राजा रतन सिंह (शाहिद कपूर) अपनी पहली पत्नी की जिद पूरी करने के लिए, अनूठे मोतियों की खोज में सिंहल (अब श्रीलंका) तक चले आये हैं. वापस लौट रहे हैं, तो साथ हैं सिंहल की राजकुमारी पद्मावती (दीपिका पादुकोण). पद्मावती का रूप इतना बाकमाल कि दिल्ली सल्तनत का खूंखार सुल्तान खिलजी (रणवीर सिंह) उन्हें देखने की गरज से, महीनों तक अपने सैनिकों के साथ मेवाड़ के किले के सामने डेरा जमाये बैठा रहा. दिवाली मनाई, होली मनाई और पता नहीं क्या-क्या! युद्ध टालने के लिए रानी की झलक आईने में दिखा दी गयी है. खिलजी की भूख बढ़ती जा रही है. और कहानी धीरे-धीरे ही सही, खिलजी के षडयंत्रों और राजा रतन सिंह के तेवरों से होते हुए रानी पद्मावती के जौहर की तरफ.

फिल्म का लुक हो, लोकेशन, बड़े-बड़े सेट या किरदारों का पहनावा; भंसाली अपनी पैनी नज़र से दृश्यों की सजावट का ख़ासा ध्यान रखते हैं. 'पद्मावत' जैसी पीरियड फिल्म को इसकी दरकार भी थी, और फिल्म को भंसाली अपने इस पागलपन से नवाजते भी खूब हैं, पर कहीं न कहीं दृश्यों की बनावट, किरदारों के तेवर और फिल्म में इस्तेमाल गानों का फिल्मांकन भंसाली की पिछली फिल्म 'बाजीराव मस्तानी' से इस हद तक मेल खाता है कि भंसाली साब की रचनात्मकता को सराहने की ललक जाती रहती है. फिल्म में रानी पद्मावती का जौहर को जायज़ ठहराने और वीरता का प्रतीक बताने वाले दृश्य के बाद, संजय लीला भंसाली का अपने ही बनाये उम्मीदों के सिनेमा के खंडहर में खुद को दोहराते, ढहते, ढमिलाते देखना दूसरा सबसे दिल बैठा देने वाला वाकया है. और परेशान करने वाला भी. 

अभिनय में 'पद्मावत' रणवीर सिंह के जुनूनी अदाकारी का जीता-जागता नमूना है. मांस के लोथड़े पर दांत गड़ाये, आँखों में धूर्तता और चालाकी की चमक जगाये और हाव-भाव में जिस तरह का पागलपन रणवीर लेकर आते हैं, बहुत अरसे बाद किसी हिंदी फिल्म के खलनायक में दिखे हैं. शाहिद थोड़े मिसफिट जरूर दिखते हैं, अपनी कद काठी की वजह से, पर अभिनय में कम ही निराश करते हैं. दीपिका परदे पर आग की तरह धधकती रहती हैं, और फिल्म के ज्यादातर दृश्यों को खूबसूरत बनाने में पूरा योगदान देती हैं. खिलजी के पुरुष-प्रेमी की भूमिका में जिम सरभ बोल-चाल के लहजे में कमज़ोर होने के बावजूद अच्छे लगते हैं. छोटी भूमिका में ही, अदिति राव हैदरी कहीं-कहीं दीपिका को भी पीछे छोड़ देती हैं.  

आखिर में; 'पद्मावत' एक राजपूताना मोम के पुतलों के अजायबघर जैसा है. देखने में भव्य, सुन्दर और शानदार, पर उन्हें बिना हिलते-डुलते पौने तीन घंटे तक एकटक देखते रहने का दुस्साहस कौन कर पायेगा भला? वैसे भी, तमाम उल-जलूल के विवादों के बीच 'पद्मावत' अब एक फिल्म से कहीं ज्यादा संवैधानिक, राजनीतिक और सामाजिक सतहों पर चल रही गुंडई के प्रति अपना विरोध दर्ज का आन्दोलन बन गई है, तो विरोध का स्वर मुखर करने के लिए ही सही, एक बार देखी जा सकती है. राजपूत कहलाने में सीना चौड़ा होता हो, तब तो जरूर...! [2.5/5] 

डैडी: कहानी औसत, ट्रीटमेंट उम्दा! [3.5/5]

असीम अहलूवालिया की सिनेमाई दुनिया मुख्यधारा में रहते हुए भी बहाव से अलग, उलटी तरफ बहने का जोखिम पहले भी 'मिस लवली' जैसी फिल्म में उठा चुकी है. कहानी जहां हाशिये पर धकेल दिये गए सामाजिक वर्गों की हो, चेहरे जहां खुरदुरे हों, चेचक के निशान और खड्डों भरे या फिर गहरे लाल रंग की लिपस्टिक में बेतरतीब, बेजा पुते-पुताये, और कमरे इतने घुटन भरे कि सीलन की बास भी नाक से उतर कर अन्दर गले तक आ जाये. असीम इस कम-रौशन, सलीके से बिखरी-बिखराई दुनिया की, तसल्ली-पसंद तरीके से कही जाने वाली कहानी में जिस बारीकी से परदे के आगे बैठे दर्शक के लिए 'माहौल' बनाते हैं, उन्हें बॉलीवुड में ज़ुर्म की दुनिया पर बनने वाली फिल्मों का 'संजय लीला भंसाली' घोषित कर देना चाहिए. कुख्यात अपराधी अरुण गवली की जिंदगी पर आधारित, असीम की 'डैडी' हालाँकि एक ठोस कहानी के तौर पर सामान्य से आगे बढ़ने का हौसला नहीं जुटा पाती, पर फिल्म-मेकिंग के दूसरे जरूरी पहलुओं पर अपनी छाप छोड़ने में कतई निराश नहीं करती.

मुंबई के दगड़ी चॉल में रहने वाले तीन लफंगों की अपनी एक गैंग है. BRA गैंग, B से बाबू (आनंद इंगले), R से रामा (राजेश श्रृंगारपुरे) और A से अरुण गवली (अर्जुन रामपाल). बड़ा हाथ मारने और भाई (फ़रहान अख्तर) के टक्कर का बनने के लिए जो तेवर और ताव चाहिए, अरुण में ही सबसे कम दिखता है. फट्टू भी वही सबसे ज्यादा है, फिर भी हालात उसे भाई के ठीक सामने ला खड़ा करते हैं. सिस्टम की मार से अपराधी बनने की दुहाई देने वाला गवली धीरे-धीरे खुद ही एक पैरलल सिस्टम की तरह काम करने लगता है. जेल में काफी उम्र काट ली है, अब सफ़ेद टोपी पहन के 'गांधी' बनने चला है. शान से कहता है कि वो भाई की तरह 'भगोड़ा' नहीं है. लोग कहने लगे हैं, पर 'रॉबिनहुड' का मतलब भी उसे उसकी बेटी से पता चलता है.

अरुण गुलाब गवली की कहानी या यूँ कहें तो उसकी जिंदगी से काट-छांट कर फिल्म के लिए बुनी गयी कहानी में कुछ भी ऐसा अलग या नया नहीं है, जो इस तरह के तमाम गैंगस्टर-ड्रामा में आपने पहले देखा-सुना न हो. हाँ, घटनाओं को पिरोने और उन्हें एक-एक कर के बड़े तह और तमीज से आपके सामने रखने का असीम का अपना एक ख़ास स्टाइल है, वो इस तरह की फिल्मों के लिए नया और बेहतर जरूर है. असीम अलग-अलग किरदारों के जरिये गवली की कहानी को परदे पर सिलसिलेवार पेश करते हैं, और काफी हद तक कामयाब कोशिश करते हैं कि गवली का किरदार इंसानी लगे और सिनेमाई परदे को फाड़ कर बाहर आने की जुगत से बचता रहे. यही वजह है कि गवली का किरदार जेल में अपनी मौत की आहट भर से ही पसीने-पसीने हो उठता है; उसका एक गुर्गा उसे नयी टेक्नोलॉजी वाली पिस्तौल दिखा रहा है, पर गवली रोती हुई बेटी को झुनझुना बजा कर चुप कराने में ज्यादा मशगूल दिखता है. 

फिल्म में कैमरा अपने लिए आरामदायक जगह नहीं ढूंढता, अक्सर खिड़कियों और दरवाजों के धूल लगे शीशों से लगकर अन्दर झांकना मंजूर करता है. रौशनी बेख़ौफ़ धूप में छन कर नहीं आती, रंगीन लाल-नीले बल्बों में नहा कर चेहरों, पर्दों, और बिस्तरों पर उतनी ही पड़ती है, जितने से उसके होने का वहम बना रहे. किरदारों की स्टाइलिंग से लेकर प्रॉडक्शन-डिजाईन के छोटे से छोटे हिस्सों तक में असीम की पैनी नज़र और पूरी-पूरी दिलचस्पी साफ़ देखने को मिलती है. डिस्को-बार में 'जिंदगी मेरी डांस-डांस' गाने पर थिरकते कलाकारों के साथ, आपको '80 के दशक का बॉलीवुड जीने से एक पल को परहेज़ नहीं होता. जेल में नया कैदी आया है, खूंखार है, खतरनाक है, और मुंह से 'खलनायक' की धुन निकालता रहता है. ज़ाहिर है, 90 का दशक आ गया है. अब सैलून में संजय दत्त और जैकी श्रॉफ के पोस्टर चस्पा हैं. 

असीम अहलूवालिया का सिनेमा अगर 'डैडी' का शरीर है, तो गवली के किरदार में अर्जुन रामपाल का अभिनय साँसे फूंकने जितना ही जरूरी. प्रोस्थेटिक तकनीक से चेहरे की बनावट में ख़ास बदलाव करने तक ही नहीं, अर्जुन एक अदाकार के तौर पर भी पूरी फिल्म में अपनी ईमानदारी से तनिक पीछे नहीं हटते. उनकी खुरदुरी आवाज़, उनकी चाल-ढाल, उनका डील-डौल बड़ी सहजता से उन्हें हर वक़्त उनके किरदार के आस-पास ही रखता है. निश्चित तौर पर यह उनके अभिनय-कैरियर की चुनिन्दा देखने लायक परफॉरमेंसेस में से एक है. कास्टिंग के नजरिये से फ़रहान अख्तर को भाई (दाऊद इब्राहिम के किरदार से प्रेरित) के तौर पर पेश करना सबसे निराश करने वाला प्रयोग रहा. पुलिस इंस्पेक्टर विजयकर की भूमिका में निशिकांत कामत खूब जंचते हैं. अन्य किरदारों में ऐश्वर्या राजेश, श्रुति बापना और राजेश श्रृंगारपुरे बेहतरीन हैं. 

आखिर में; बॉलीवुड क्राइम फिल्मों का जमीनी जुड़ाव एक अरसे से लापता सा था. गैंगस्टर काफी वक़्त से दुबई में कहीं पूल-साइड पर लेट कर बिकनी में लड़कियों को देखते हुए जुर्म के फरमान सुनाने में अपनी शान समझने लगे थे. फिल्मों ने उनमें अपने स्टाइल-आइकॉन तलाशने शुरू कर दिये थे. पक्या, गोट्या, रग्घू और मुन्ना की टेढ़ी-मेढ़ी शक्लों की जगह गोरे-चिट्टे-चिकने चेहरों ने ले ली थी. असीम अहलूवालिया की 'डैडी' उस खाली जगह में बड़ी आसानी और ईमानदारी से फिट बैठ जाती है. [3.5/5]  

BAJIRAO MASTANI: In the League of Potential Classics! [4/5]

It is not 1960. Films don’t get tagged as ‘classics’ these days anymore. They are either judged by the sound of money they made at the box-office or the number of award-logos they managed to put in the opening graphic-slides before the actual film starts. Watching a 197-min long MUGHAL-E-AZAM, today in theatres, can in fact destroy the very idea of a ‘classic’ for a regular guy who’s not much into cinema, and has come out only to please his grandparents. In times of the shorter, darker and more realistic indie films, Sanjay Leela Bhansali shows the guts to bless Indian screens with the legacy that believed in telling stories from the historical past in the most decorous manner. Classics are made like that only. And to the expectations, Bhansali doesn’t falter in any of the art-forms used while making this motion-picture. Magnum-opus BAJIRAO MASTANI is mesmeric in every frame, mind-blowing in every performance and miraculously magical in depicting Bhansali’s perfectly designed yet tortured world of love chained in pain, angst and grief.

The great Maratha Warrior Peshwa Bajirao [Ranveer Singh] is rising as an invincible threat to the Mughal Empire and its supporting forces. He’s a rare and unbeatable combination of power, passion and mental strength. In his mission to build ‘Akhand Bharat’, he lends his help to his neighboring state Bundelkhand and the victory brings him close to the daughter of its king Chhatrasal. Fearless Mastani [Deepika Padukone] being half-Rajput, half-Muslim girl, is now destined to face the extreme dislike, heavy rejections and sharp protests from everyone around Peshwa. If Bajirao’s first wife Kashibai [Priyanka Chopra] uses her silence against the injustice to her love and loyalty, the religious bodies declare it in full vocal. Bajirao may have the honor to never taste a defeat in any of the battles he appears in but this conflict between love, loyalty, religion and political establishments will definitely put him on the spot. Despite being a 3-century old political love-story, BAJIRAO MASTANI speaks on various grounds that are still much in fashion. In one of the few ‘in your face’ scenes, Mastani encounters one religion-protector with, “religions might have chosen one particular color dedicated to represent them. But the colors never go for any religion.” The social elimination of second marriage and love outside marriage gets thrashed heartlessly despite the Peshwa himself being in it.

With BAJIRAO MASTANI, Sanjay Leela Bhansali pays his homage to MUGHAL-E-AZAM and it shows upfront. The plot-development itself vouches for the same. You don’t need a hint to find a reference in Mohe Panghat Pe Nandlal for Shreya Ghoshal’s Mohe Rang Do Lal. Bhansali also doesn’t hesitate to repeat himself in Pinga where both the leading actresses join the stage to recreate Madhuri-Aishwarya’s sensational faceoff in DEVDAS. Albela Sajan from HUM DIL DE CHUKE SANAM also gets a harmonious mention. Film’s extremely melodic numbers establish Bhansali’s another talent to look for [He’s the sole composer for the film]. The canvas of the film is richly done in visual effects, especially the battle-sequences and it succeeds in creating the era, setting and sight the story finds its root in. The excellence in camerawork, art-design and costumes make every frame a reason to celebrate the spirit of cinema.

On the performances, BAJIRAO MASTANI wholly rests and rises on Ranveer Singh’s prolific shoulders. Who can think of a regular looking guy in BAND BAAJA BARAAT taking on one of the most powerful characters in Indian history? And with such finesse? He is graceful, glorious and gifted. Deepika is another talent who’s constantly making fresh impressions with one electrifying performance after other. Her Mastani is tremendously bold, brave and bright. As devoted wife with pastoral looks and approach, Priyanka Chopra is in her finest form. Though her character-graph doesn’t allow her to go overboard beyond a point, she excels in her restricted skin. Tanvi Azmi as the mother and Milind Soman in a supporting role manage to hold your attention and admiration.

At the end, BAJIRAO MASTANI is not a classic. Not now. May be after a decade but not yet. It is 2 hr 38 min long. Most of us will find it dragged. Most of us will consider it outdated. But it successfully holds the fort of being in the league of films that have plenty potential to be referred as a ‘classic’. This is how one should dream his films and film his dreams. The master is at his best! [4/5]

GABBAR IS BACK: Gabbar returns ‘khali haath’ with no ‘shabashi’ at all! [1/5]

Gabbar returns. With all the charisma, likeability and power to hold your attention leaving way behind in transition, Gabbar returns but only in some futile dialogues, a badly done rap-mix and in the title of the film. 'Why' is the only reaction you would relate to such arrogant effort to encash the echoing sound of once terror, and now horror! The most iconic villain in the history of Bollywood gets the worst tribute ever done. Sadly, Sanjay Leela Bhansali produced GABBAR IS BACK is your typical star-driven south Indian remake that tries to tick every box falling under the formula of a box-office hit but returns ‘khali haath’ with no ‘shabashi’ at all.

   
To start with, this Gabbar is more of a ‘Shahenshah’. When not hanging corrupts till death at the nearest ‘chauraha’, he can be seen teaching physics in a college where supposedly students are taught and trained to be honest that too at a degree where a son could sign on the death penalty of his own father drenched deep in corruption without giving it a second thought. Professor Aditya [Akshay Kumar] is the man in charge here and on mission. It takes no special powers to know that the guy has a tragic past before deciding to clean the system at his own with his own special task force and a harsh sense of judgment. The film is also about personal rivalry and angst against the injustice. It is also a fight between two brands as the hero and the anti-hero in the film like to describe themselves. In one sequence, Gabbar- the good man as forcibly put by the lady [Shruti Haasan] meant only for some kind of breathing space in all those butt-kicking action and ear-kicking verbal exchange shuts the villain's mouth up using his ever-growing popularity. I wish if they could call themselves ‘SnapDeal’ & ‘Flipkart’. The audience would sure find it a lot interesting.   

GABBAR IS BACK- an official remake of a Tamil superhit strives to aim at people’s angst against corruption. The mood gets set when Gabbar kidnaps corrupt government officials and punishes them in the most violent yet less-innovative manner but soon decides to dive into the dreary pool of dead romance. Dealing with the same issue, Rensil D’silva’s UNGLI had definitely more inventive ways of punishing corrupts. Film also fails to hold you emotionally and doesn’t excite you at all with its cheap thrills in the plot. The tragic backstory is too convenient and badly twisted on screen. Even the sensible Chitrangada Singh in her sex siren avatar doesn’t show any spark in her titillating item song. Shruti Haasan is such a waste. Kareena Kapoor Khan looks ravishing in her cameo-cum-song and that’s it. Akshay too is repetitive. Though his remarkable energy on screen and ease at such roles keep him in the race at any given point of time, the over-simplistic and predictable plot hardly gives him much space to show off the charm he has. Sunil Grover reinvents himself as an actor in serious role but with a dubious dubbed voice, he couldn’t maximize the chance well. Jaydeep Ahlawat is average.

Overall, GABBAR IS BACK is a dull and boring action-entertainer where you can sense and predict almost every curve on the road ahead. Watching and re-watching the real and original Gabbar mouthing those timeless dialogues will always be a treat for any cinema-lover or an entertainment-seeker. This latest Gabbar is just a falsifier with fake identity. If the real one could curse this one, he would have sure gone ahead with, “Gabbar ka naam poora mitthi mein milaye diyo” [You have spoiled the name of Gabbar, all of it]! Stay back! [1/5]            

HAWAIZAADA: Get some air! [1.5/5]

As defined on the ‘know-it-all’ Wikipedia online page; coffee table books are an oversized art & literature piece, positioned best in the shelf to inspire conversation. Subject matter is predominantly non-fiction and pictorial. Nothing changes if you dare to compare the same with debutante writer-director Vibhu Puri’s highly ambitious HAWAIZAADA. Both can make you mesmerized with their picture-perfect, magnanimously shot visuals in its in-detailed presentation but that’s it. There is hardly any room for content there. So, keep flipping the pages till you find the levels of your enthusiasm fading down to minimum. And then, leave it for another. These days, they have plenty in stores for you.

Despite having great possibility of being a well-intentioned period drama-cum-thrilling biopic, HAWAIZAADA offers nothing but plain air sure more than what you buy in your favorite wafer pack at the shop around the corner. Before Wright Brothers could go beyond imagination and invent an airplane, there was an enthusiastic Indian named Shivkar Bapuji Talpade who deserved all the respects for being the real pioneer. A plot fascinating enough for a motion picture, no second thoughts on that! But then you have to see what Vibhu does with that further.

Take inspirations from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s extravagant Victorian era-inspired hugely unbelievable sets; make your leading character as dynamic, animated and charming as if he’s not from a historic background but out of a fairytale and then put plenty of gloss in everything that comes in your way. It has been a confirmed Midas touch for Bhansali’s fictional outings. Vibhu, one of his worthy successors tries the same with a biopic and fails miserably. You are left in constant doubts as to appreciate the efforts of such gigantic talents of the industry or to mourn the opportunity getting wasted on such large scale.

Rajesh Khanna says in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s ANAND, “Yeh duniya ek ranmanch hai, jahaanpanaah…aur hum sab iski kathputliyaan” (The world is a big stage, my lord…and we all are nothing but the puppets). I have never seen a biopic so theatrical that you just want to remove the disclaimer and enjoy it as a fictional drama. This Bombay of 1895 never looked so decked up. Shastry [Played by Mithun Chakraborty] as a cranky scientist lives in a dumped ship on the shore and it is barely any lesser than a well-established museum.

On the performances, Ayushmann Khurrana charms with his trademark flirtatious looks and killing smile. I hoped to see the compliments like ‘Awww, how cute he is!’ getting up the next level with ‘Wow, how good he acts!’ but looks like I have to wait a little more. Pallavi Sharda of BESHARAM fame is better than her last. Mithun repeats himself but doesn’t fail at all. For the rests, it’s the child actor Naman Jain and Jameel Khan who show some kind of believability to their characters.

Having said that, HAWAIZAADA does have some of the most impressive efforts on the set-designing & writing front [dialogues & lyrics never fall short of expectations] but the completely off-track romance, bumpy screenplay, lack of much-needed realistic approach and the overtly dramatic Broadway like production-style make it a droning, dull and monotonous watch. [1.5/5]             

MARY KOM: Brands Shine in Real Mary Vs. Reel Mary! [2.5/5]

Considering the miserable condition of sports in India, while looking at the 2-min long sponsorship slide-show at the very beginning of the film; there is no prospect one would not sink in deep thoughts as if these many filthy rich business honchos would dare to promote the real life heroes in sports and not just a plain voracious commercial film on few of them, today we would have more than just one Mary Kom or Milkha Singh to be proud of. Art director-turned-film director Omung Kumar’s biopic MARY KOM is an ambitious film yet a noticeable victim of box-office centered commercialization in Indian cinema. And it hurts more than the innumerable solid muscular punches on our actor-in-desperation Priyanka Chopra’s face in the film!

Born as Mangte Chungneijang, Mary Kom is a five-time world boxing champion hailing from the outer world of Manipur. Earnestly we didn’t know much about her or I would say we were not much bothered until the announcement of this very biopic, but the saddest part is even the film, despite a great promise; plays quite cold towards its central character. In a very hectic and harried manner, we are told about her passion towards boxing, her uprise as a noted player in the ring followed by a quickie downfall in her career post-pregnancy.

Saiwyn Quadras’ story is packed with drama and thrills at regular intervals but never actually shocks you with its inevitable nature in the story-telling. Look at the plot development and you can easily identify the set formulaic patterns of just any sports film, only relief is that its central character is a woman, a mother of two and an underdog from one of the most deserted & sidelined states in India. Bollywood hardly and rarely shows guts of this kind!

MARY KOM’s biggest strength is its environs that plant you in the very real-very existent lush green world of North-East. Most of the supporting cast and people around in every frame make themselves rooted in the place they are directed to be in. But two odd things out that you can’t miss or ignore are the brand positioning and, despite not owning any symmetry or likeness in physical appearances, Priyanka Chopra’s firmness in will and exhorting efforts of all kinds to blur the line between real and reel Mary. So whenever you find yourself in awe to be inspired from the living sports legend being portrayed on the screen, there is one or other product placement ready to mellow down all the intensity, force and passion flowing out. An age-old pain-relief ointment, pregnancy test kit, low-calorie sweetener and what not! You can actually play ‘Spot the Brand’ exercise with friends, later.

Priyanka helms the brigade with some of the real promising talents. Darshan Kumar as Onler- the all season supportive husband to Mary is a revelation. He charms the screen with unconventional looks and true to life acting skills. Sunil Thapa as Mary’s strong-headed coach is impressive, so is the actor playing Mary’s father.

My issues with the film can go as much further as some of the sequences appearing too dramatic to be actual but let’s not get into it more and admire the fact that Bollywood has challenged itself with a subject not very common in practice! Better late than never, I say! Some stories need to be told. This is one. Had it been more focused, would have been better! [2.5/5]

RAM-LEELA: Grand, vibrant & unapologetically sexy but not far from being formulaic! Ranveer & Deepika save the Day! [3.5/5]

As told twice in the film, “Besharam, badtameez, khudgarz hota hai…par pyaar toh aisa hi hota hai (Shameless, insolent & self-centered…but then, that’s what love is all about)”, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Magnum Opus RAM-LEELA clearly sticks to the same in its attitude and in content too. A film that is unapologetically sexy, passionate and bold in nature! A film that celebrates love and life through the most vibrant colours one can throw! A film that portrays cinema as a broad canvas to paint picturesque strokes of human emotions freely and at large.

In his commercial adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’, Sanjay Leela Bhansali creates a fictional territory somewhere near the deserted Runn of Kutch where bullets and guns are more feasible than roses. In the midst of blood & gore rivalry between two communities flourishes the love in the most violent way. Flamboyant Ram (Played by Ranveer Singh) meets even more flashy & intrepid Leela (Played by Deepika Padukone) and the physical attraction at first takes it from there as a thoroughly fiery & flaming passionate love between the two. Now we all have seen ‘Romeo & Juliet’ adaptations of all kinds ranging from the finest (Aamir-Juhi starrer QAYAMAT SE QAYAMAT TAK could be one) to the worst (this year’s ISSAQ); so if you are really asking or looking here for newness and novelty in the storyline you would be fooling yourself big time. But if you have an eagle-eye for the detailing in art & craft, this is undoubtedly the most evolved adaptation till date.

The driving force in the film that really sets screen on fire, is the splendid chemistry between Ranveer & Deepika. When was the last time you actually noticed a Bollywood couple acting adult while making love on screen? When was the last time you could truly sense the gravity of passion between the two while enjoying a fervent kiss? And that too without having any pinch of hesitation or some kind of apprehension in the air! Ranveer rules as a typical hero material that can carry certain oomph to drive his entire female fan following crazy and also in chorus to the same, can make your heart bleed with an emotional flair in his piece of act. Deepika is nothing less than a live magic on screen. She mesmerizes you with her confident-poised look & vividly poignant portrayal of a character that is never a regular in Bollywood. Bravura performance! Supriya Pathak Kapoor as Ba is a treat to watch and the best among some interesting & competent names in the list of supporting cast i.e Richa Chaddha, Sharad Kelkar, Gulshan Devaiah (of Shaitan), Abhimanyu Singh & Jameel Khan (Gangs of Wasseypur fame).

                                                                                                                                

& how can we really not talk about the grandeur in art design, the vibrancy in costumes with joie de vivre & the superlative cinematography setting each and every frame equivalent to a painting on the wall! The teams responsible for these make sure you can’t let your eyes off the screen even for once but is it not obvious when we are for a SLB film? So, what are the things that can make you uncomfortable in a put-off situation?? Well, too much of dead predictable twists in the second half, confusing sub-plots to create melodramatic tension between the lovers, dragged duration of long 2 hours 35 min, a large amount of ‘not-needed’ gunfire acts are sure some of the demerits film holds to restrict itself from being called as a masterstroke from a class filmmaker!

My suggestion! Watch it on the big screen to make the celebration of grandness bigger & better and for the sparkling chemistry between Ranveer & Deepika! They alone will save your money & the day. [3.5/5]