Reviews

I'm a fan of director Srijit Mukherji's work because he is always intent on putting up something really ambitious on screen. 'Ek Je Chilo Raja' can be called his most heavily mounted movie till date, and he delivers the goods needed for a satisfactory cinematic experience, though it could've been better.

The movie's screenplay is certainly not it's strength. It is inconsistent. It flatters occasionally with brilliance to deceive later. The first half was supposed to set the platform for the powerful 2nd half. While it does so, it fails to devolop the characters in a memorable manner. Apart from Mahendra Kumar, the other two kumars barely have a few scenes. Rudranil as Doctor Ashwini is criminally underutilized. The romantic angle between the lawyers was a subplot without which the film would've done any day.

The actors however, despite whatever screen time they have, make the most of it. Anjan Dutta and Aparna Sen are expectedly good. Anirban Bhattacharya as Satya Banerjee is menacing in the limited scope he is given. His gaze, his walk and talk, his cold blooded demeanor, make his character memorable. Joya Ehsaan is absolutely fantastic in the latter half of the movie. Jisshu Sengupta playing the lead character has given one of the best performances if not the best performance of his career. The sheer physical transformation he has undergone to play a naga sanyasi, covered only by a loincloth needs courage, and Jisshu proves he's an actor without any prejudices.

Though the screenplay falters at times, the movie is bang on with the facts. The whole case of Bhawal Sanyasi, it's mystery, it's enigma is captured really well. The music, is another place where the movie scores high. Esho he is the theme song of the movie used in several places. The transition of the raja to sanyasi is captured effortlessly by Tu dikhe na. Finally, Tagore's Moharajo E ki Saaje, was probably written for this movie! Hands down, the song with it's visuals is the best part of the movie and gives you goosebumps.

Overall, this movie must be watched for someone who loves bengali movies, and also by someone looking to gain exposure to bengali movies.

My rating- 7.5/10

I want to applaud the makers here for choosing such brave and fresh content. Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti have done a fantastic job in writing the movie. To make a movie on a budding rapper residing in the bylanes of dharavi slum in mumbai, there was always a chance that the movie may not connect with all. But be rest assured, this movie is gripping and infact makes you fall in love with rapping. First and foremost, the setting feels extremely real and authentic, Jay Oza's cinematography must be applauded here. The characters are real, these are people we see around us everyday. Hence, the movie connects very easily with all. Ranveer Singh is on a roll! Padmaavat's Khilji to playing to the gallery in Simmba and then this! He's having the time of his life. He plays Murad with such rawness, vulnerability and earnestness you completely forget who you're watching on screen. Furthermore, add to this his rapping. This is arguably his best performance according to me. Alia Bhatt has limited screen time but whenever she is there, she sets the screen on fire. She is hilarious! Vijay Raaz is fantastic as Murad's father. Now coming to the find of the movie, Siddhant Chaturvedi as MC Sher, based on Divine's character. Siddhant owns his character right from the time he appears on screen. In some of his scenes, he almost steals the thunder from Ranveer. That goes on to say a lot. Definitely, an actor to watch out for in future. Another big factor is music. The songs hit it absolutely out of the park. Each and every song is special in it's way and keeps the movie flowing. Zoya Akhtar also uses some of her father, Javed Akhtar's poems in the movie, doorie and ek hi raasta mesmerizingly. The movie doesn't have any downsides as such, but it probably goes on for 10 mins too long. But even that is a bit of nitpicking. Go and watch gully boy. A film like this doesn't get made in bollywood everyday.

Three stories, all having one common thread, Forgiveness. An emotional rollercoaster. Sister Rani's story was the most impactful according to me, it left me in tears. A great documentary which doesn't take sides and takes the third person perspective. Hats off to Aamir Khan for bringing something like this.

Mandy isn't a movie. It's an experience. An experience which shouldn't be missed at any cost. Director Panos Cosmatos deserves all the credit for his uncompromising vision, and audacity to bring something like this on screen. With a storyline which is fairly generic, Mandy's beauty lies in presentation. Call it a throwback to grindhouse movies,call it an insane LSD induced hallucination, call it a supernatural extravaganza, all of this won't be enough to describe the cinematic experience this movie is. It's a movie which deserves an adjective of it's own. When Nicolas Cage plays the sanest character in a movie, you know you're in for a ride. Nicolas Cage's over the top histronic style is perfect for such type of a movie and lends the movie an emotional backbone. Watch out for the scene in the bathroom where he drinks and shouts unbearably in agony and pain. Mandy wouldn't had been half of what it is without Cage. Lastly, Cinematography, Art direction for it's use of colours and and the music by the late Jóhann Jóhannson. Mandy is dark, insanely violent, and exaggerated by stark reds which make the movie look otherworldly gorgeous. These distinct visuals are accompained by perfectly apt music. The music by Jóhannson is a a tribute to death metal, and together with the imagery it creates an audio visual eruption which leaves in you in a trance.

Do not miss this future cult classic!

Rating: 8/10

This movie definitely has some flaws, but nevertheless must be watched by all those people who love realistic superhero movies , like Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. Director Vikramaditya Motwane himself admitted that he was inspired by those films, and even makes a reference to DC in the movie. Pros: Very realistic movie, there isn't one moment where you feel they have overdone things. The Cinematography making use of natural lights is awesome. The action sequences, though there aren't many are perfectly choreographed. Most importantly they look realistic. The Bike chase sequence is one of the best action scenes in bollywood I would say. Priyanshu Painyuli is a surprise package, he has put in a great performance.

Cons: Overlong. Almost 2 and a half hours long, and it does make you feel it's length. The Villains, though not caricaturish, aren't very strong. Harshvardhan Kapoor's character is a bit dull. So when the film moves into the second half, it does get a bit dull.

There are times when you wish to say a lot, but you're short on words. This sums up my feeling on this 1979 movie, 'The Stalker' by the great Russian auteur Andrei Tarkovsky. This by the way, was the first movie of his which I saw. Bergman once said, "Tarkovsky for me is the greatest, the one who invented a new language, true to the nature of film, as it captures life as a reflection, life as a dream." You have to see a Tarkovsky movie to believe these words. It's a whole new cinematic language which stains your mind forever. Coming back to this movie, It's a Sci-Fi drama set in a post apocalyptic world( set 7 years before the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, eerily foretelling it) about a man who takes two other men into a territory named 'Zone' (supposedly there was a alien invasion there) which has a 'Room' which fulfills man's innermost desires. Forget flying saucers, deadly creatures. This movie essentially raises philosophical questions and embraces metaphysical themes. It is no doubt, symbolic. Simple, yet full of resonance. The movie is bound to leave you puzzled, but Tarkovsky offers no explanation. It borders on ambiguity and let's viewers derive thier own conclusions. What's most impressive here, though is the gorgeous yet bleak cinematography. The zone is represented in vivid colours while the world outside the zone is represented in bleak sepia tones.The movies has extremely long scenes which add a hypnotic feel to it. Shot in highly contaminating conditions in a Chemical plant, many of the movie's crew including Tarkovsky himself succumbed to cancer later, due to high exposure to such conditions. This was Tarkovsky's last movie in USSR before he moved out of there dissatisfied, and this was truly something very unique, unlike any other movie I've seen till date.

P.s. People who get annoyed by art house movies, please stay away. The movie is self indulgent and with scenes of extremely long takes and silence to build up dramatic tension. It's a movie which almost borders on the level of meditation. You've got to give yourself up and forget about time while watching it.

I can't believe the negative reviews this movie has got! I mean it's Deadpool! What did you guys expect? Or is it the butthurt JL fans? Anyhow, let's get the thing clear and loud. Deadpool 2 is Super Duper Fun! Having watched the Super Duper Cut last night which has alternative jokes, added scenes and roughly 15 minutes of extra footage, within the 1st 5 minutes I knew I'm in for a ride and it was a madcap quirky ride, and I savour each moment of it. The director change thankfully didn't effect the movie. In fact, I would say the Jokes are funnier, the action sequences more better. Ryan Reynolds is a riot. He was born to play Deadpool(and to screw Green Lantern). It seems Deadpool has completely become his baby, not only does he use self depreciating humor but also shares writing credits and produces the movie. Maybe in the future, we might see him directing as well. Josh Brolin, after his brilliant turn in Infinity War, plays Cable here, and blends in well. We will see more of him in the future movies. As DP puts it, X Force is nothing but a scheme by Fox to keep Brolin employed! Among the downsides, I would say the plot isn't that strong. Though I personally didn't mind it. The irreverent tone of the movie doesn't go with a serious plot. As long as it's fun, you know it's a good movie. The Mid credit scenes are a riot. Especially the bonus scene. That was ROFL. Overall, don't listen to the purists. If you like your movies fun, you'll love DP 2. Pump the hate breaks haters!

I had heard a lot about 'Tropic Thunder' about how hilarious it is along with being a sharp satire. A great ensemble cast also raised my expectations. It started great. The spoof trailers were Hilarious, especially 'Satan's Alley'. The starting scene is excellent. But I somehow found the rest of the movie, not so interesting. It is watchable, but not ROFL. RDJ plays Kirk Lazarus, An Australian academy award winning actor ( doesn't that sound familiar? *cough* Crowe *cough*) is hilarious with his stereotypical anachronisms of Africans. Ben Stiller plays Tug Speedman, a falling franchise star whose attempts at serious acting have failed. Jack Black plays Jeff Portnoy, a comedy franchise star who relies on toilet humor. Brandon T Jackson plays Alpha Chino ( Ahem!) And Jay Baruchel palys a novice actor. Sure, the satire bits work. RDJ's character mocks method acting. We get it, but still, is that where the fun ends? Frankly, I expected more. Tom Cruise though, in a cameo, brings in the best laughs, and brings the house down.Watch out for his dance in the end. Overall, I think it's definitely a watchable movie, but a wee bit overrated.

Meghna Gulzar's 'Raazi', based on Harinder.S.Sikka's 'Calling Sehmat', Set in 1971,prior to the Indo-Pak war, tells the story of Sehmat Khan, played by Alia Bhatt, the daughter of an Indian informer, who marries her off to a highly influential family in Pakistan so that she can keep the Intelligence Bereau of India updated on the plans and proceedings of Pakistan, given India's assistance to the Mukti Andolan of East Pakistan( now Bangladesh). As Sehmat Khan, Alia Bhatt gives one of her best performances. It's her credit, that at the age of 25, she has earned herself the reputation to carry a movie on her own shoulders. Fantastic to say the least. Vicky Kaushal is impressive in his bit role too. The movie moves along nicely, and doesn't let up pace. The music by SEL is a winner too, songs like Raazi, Ae watan and Dilbaro stay with you. Overall, it is an excellent effort. More than anything else, watch it for Alia's stupendous performance.

The 1st episode took time to get going. Later on, I realized it was setting that perfect platform for the proceedings to begin. By the 2nd episode, to be precise from the entry of Edmund Kemper, played brilliantly by Cameron Britton, this show really takes off. It's about the behaviourial science unit of the FBI, thier sessions with the Serial Killers, to find what were thier thoughts behind these deeds. It's a journey of Agent Holden too. We see him gradually become more and more involved with his work, to the point it starts consuming him. It's a brilliant show with a brilliant concept. No doubt David Fincher is associated with it, directing 4 episodes. A must watch.

The show takes it time setting up the story. There are obvious genre conventions and stuff. But around the halfway mark of the first season, this show becomes unputdownable, and the prime reason for this is Wagner Moura as Pablo Escobar. It is a delight witnessing the actor sink his teeth into the character, and make you root for him even when you see him doing various grisly deeds. The 2nd season was even more intense. By then, the makers knew who the real star of the show was, and they designed the second season accordingly and Moura once again, was excellent. Overall, a well made show, which stands apart from others because of the mesmerizing performance of it's central character. I haven't watched the third season despite glowing reviews just because of this fact that i couldn't imagine Narcos without Moura.

Thank god for Netflix! Thank god they associated themselves with an Indian regional show. Otherwise how would we have known, we were also capable of making such a show which is one of it's kind. People have been comparing it with Narcos, but the similarity ends in the fact that both shows depict the rise and fall of a character through the turbulent times of their respective countries. The good thing about Sacred Games, based on the novel of the same name by Vikram Chandra is the fact that, it is about India. The characters, the story scream Indian. The role of religion in politics, all are depicted masterfully. Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane simply let it rip in this one. Dialogues are peppered with choicest of abuses and the several scenes depicting nudity, shock viewers who are sort of tamed by the Saanskari CBFC. All of it feels very natural though. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is great as Gaitonde. Though, these roles are bread and butter for him. But even by his standards, this is one of his most memorable roles. Saif Ali Khan shows again, box office not withstanding, he is still great at such character roles. Just like Anurag Kashyap, this is a medium where he can be experimental, without taking box office into consideration.Radhika Apte's character though left me a bit cold. All other side characters played by likes of Jitendra Joshi, Neeraj Kabi, Girish Kulkarni, Jatin Sarna, Aamir Bashir fit thier roles perfectly. Kubbra Sait might just have played the most boldest character ever in a Indian movie. Overall, given the cliffhanger, season 2 is coming and for good reasons. This is a must watch.

Fantastic movie. Since Airlift, Akshay Kumar has carved out a space for himself by doing such entertainers with a strong social message. Padman will only strengthen this space of his. A bit understated and less commercial than his last movie, Toilet, this movie deals with the making of low cost sanitary pads, and addresses the condition of the women in India during their days of menstruation. R Balki has crafted this movie expertly. Akshay is as usual, Fantastic. Watch out for his speech towards the end. Inspiring,motivational and humorous, all at the same time. At a time his peers are still doing the same old fare to appease thier loyal fan base, Akshay is winning over new audience, who probably a few years ago thought he can't do anything other than action and comedy. All in all, a must watch.