tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220861312024-03-15T08:22:49.670-07:00Random ThoughtsAmit Shirodkar's blog.
This blog has 2 parts:
1) My own thoughts on a variety of subjects.
2) A collection of links, stories, articles, etc. that I found on the web, liked and wanted to share with others.Random_Blogger 1 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02290453110651564149noreply@blogger.comBlogger452125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-74486521363025169132024-03-14T01:29:00.000-07:002024-03-14T01:29:59.300-07:00Anweshippin Kandethum (Malayalam)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><b>Anweshippin Kandethum</b> --> Seek and you shall find. This Malayalam movie lives up to its title. I saw it on Netflix.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">The movie is a police procedural drama. Set in 2 parts, it joins both of them quite well.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">SI Anand Narayanan (Tovino Thomas) has always thought differently from other police officers. He is more interested in solving a case correctly than sucking up to his superiors. <br />Naturally this independent streak gets him into trouble. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">The movie starts with him being suspended, and waiting to meet the SP. In between he starts remembering the case that got him suspended.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">Anand was the initial lead into a murder of a young girl, Lovely Mathan. He suspected the hand of someone in the nearby monastery, but is prevented by his superiors from going ahead. The superiors frame a history sheeter and try to beat him into confessing. Any suggestions given by Anand are dismissed. He is sent to get biryani for them instead of taking part in the investigation.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">But Anand bypasses them, and uses proper police investigation to arrive at who murdered Lovely. He learns some shocking secrets along the way.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">Unfortunately, as the team is taking the killer to the court, he/she escapes. After a chase, the killer is run over by a train and dies.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">The team bears the brunt of his/her death. They are suspended for negligence. Not only are they branded killers in public opinion, but also they don't get the satisfaction of having proven in court that they were right.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">Flashback ends, present begins. The SP (who is sympathetic to them, unlike the previous superiors) gives them a cold case. 6 years old. Another young girl (Sridevi) was murdered. Multiple teams have tried to solve it, including a reputed officer, and failed.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">The team takes it because </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">a) They get something to do</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">b) If they fail, nobody is going to say anything because others have failed before.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">The team goes to the village, which is highly antagonistic to them because the previous police had used heavy handed means while investigating. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">But slowly and surely, they make progress. Thread by thread they unravel the mystery. And find the culprit.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">Who was the actual murderer comes as a real shock in the end (at least I couldn't guess it). </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">The cinematography captures the essence of the village in both cases. The lives of ordinary people, the simmering politics, buried resentments, the tension in the air when people have to deal with police, all are presented well.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">The movie never develops a fast tempo. But that I think is deliberate. It is a relatively slow, but not at all boring journey. The emotions in the team, their highs and lows, all are captured pretty well.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">There is no gore, no extra bloody scenes. Just plain mystery, and the unravelling of it. It makes this a wonderfully different film, and totally family friendly.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">All in all, recommended.</span></span></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-79230066383511140472023-12-26T08:35:00.000-08:002023-12-26T08:54:42.218-08:00Kadak Singh (Movie)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;"> Saw <b>Kadak Singh </b>on Zee5 (Hindi).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;">A man - A. K. Srivastava (Pankaj Tripathi) apparently tries to commit suicide, and ends up in the hospital. There it is discovered that he now has retrograde amnesia due to the suicide attempt. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;">The amnesia is so bad that he doesn't even remember his own daughter. He only remembers his younger son, that too at year 5 (the son is now 17, the daughter is older).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;">A. K. was investigating a major chit fund scandal as part of his work at the Department of Financial Crimes (<b>DFC</b>). He suspects that his suicide(?) was related to that scandal's investigation. Interestingly, one of his colleagues had earlier committed suicide a few days earlier, and he too was looking into the same case.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;">His extremely strict demeanour at home has led his children to give him the nickname of "<b>Kadak Singh</b>".</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP;">Since he remembers almost no one, he trusts no one. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashomon_effect" target="_blank">Rashomon effect</a> method is used well in this movie. </span><span style="font-family: "Noto Sans JP";">There is a daughter Sakshi (Sanjana Sanghi), a love interest Naina (Jaya Ahsan) - his wife died in an accident years ago, a colleague, a boss, a head of the department. </span><span style="font-family: "Noto Sans JP";">Everyone tells their own version of the story. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Noto Sans JP"; font-size: medium;">It is A. K. who has to put the pieces together, and decide which pieces are correct and which are false.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;">A. K. may have forgotten people and places, but his procedural memory - he was the top investigator at his department - is intact. In all of this he is helped by the nurse at the hospital - Ms. Kannan (Parvathy Thiruvothu). She is the only one he can trust, because she has no vested interest in him or the events surrounding him.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;">The supporting cast is good. Sanjana Sanghi is an unexpected pleasant surprise. She showcases all the aspects of being an elder daughter in a house with a dead mother and a "married to his work" father, and a druggie younger brother, well.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;">Arjun (Paresh Pahuja) as the devoted junior colleague, who has full faith in his boss' ethics, and Tyagi (Dilip Shankar) as A. K.'s boss, do a good job. So does Naina as his love interest. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;">The surprise package is the nurse, Kannan. With extremely limited scope, she still manages to show so many emotions as to endear herself to you.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;">Amidst all of this, Pankaj Tripathi stands tall. His eyes are expressive. His acting is as close to perfect as can be. He is one of my favorites, and proves again how good he is in this film.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;">Where the film lacks is in pace. It is slow (but steady). And is hampered by the fact that it is shot mostly indoors (hospital), thereby limiting the options for increasing the tempo.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;">But overall, will definitely recommend.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans JP; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Noto Sans JP"; font-size: large;"> </span></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-31643717318584988812023-12-13T08:38:00.000-08:002023-12-13T08:47:47.141-08:00Kannur Squad (Malayalam)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic; font-size: medium;"><b>Kannur Squad</b> is</span><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;"> a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;">2023 Malayalam-language crime thriller directed by Roby Varghese Raj</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;"> and produced by <b>Mammootty</b>. The film is based on a real life police squad </span></span><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Nanum Gothic; font-size: medium;">who were part of the Kannur Squad, a crime investigation unit, formed by former Kannur SP S. Sreejith IPS.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Nanum Gothic; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Nanum Gothic; font-size: medium;">I watched this on Disney + Hotstar.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Nanum Gothic; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Nanum Gothic; font-size: medium;">The movie starts off with the squad, led by ASI George Martin (Mammootty) finding an apparent suicide in the forest. They suspect murder instead. After investigating, they find the culprit and solve the case. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Nanum Gothic; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Nanum Gothic; font-size: medium;">But shortly thereafter, one of the members, CPO Jayan is found guilty of taking a bribe. This brings the entire Kannur Squad into disrepute and it is disbanded.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Nanum Gothic; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Nanum Gothic; font-size: medium;">A couple of years later, a rich Muslim businessman, Abdul Wahab, is found murdered in the course of a dacoity at his house in Kasargod. The local police are unable to make any progress. So the SP of Kasargod gets the Kannur Squad formed again, in spite of resistance due to the previous stain on their reputation.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Nanum Gothic; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Nanum Gothic;">The squad gets into action. Using good old fashioned detective work, they find that a local named Riyas had purchased two SIM cards for someone else. On further investigation, they discover that Riyas found that Abdul Wahab had kept a lot of money at his house. He then involved two more people called Ameer and Zulfiqar, in exchange for a cut. Ameer and Zulfiqar also got 2 goons, Hathooda and Bambiha</span><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: "Nanum Gothic";"> along for the job.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: "Nanum Gothic"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: "Nanum Gothic"; font-size: medium;">The job went wrong. Money was not at the house. In anger, Ameer killed Zulfiqar and assaulted his teenage daughter. Then they escaped.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: "Nanum Gothic"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: "Nanum Gothic"; font-size: medium;">The squad makes an all India chase. First Bhubaneshwar, then Faizabad. There they are given one single constable of the UP Police, Yogesh Yadav. Using his local knowledge, they land up in a village where the criminals' accomplice Pawan stays. And what a village!! Every one united in trying to kill the policemen "who are outsiders", without any morals about their own villager who is a criminal.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: "Nanum Gothic"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: "Nanum Gothic";">Pawan gives them Payagpur as the destination. One more train chase. </span><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Nanum Gothic;">The squad manages to capture Hathoda and Bambiha on the train leaving Payagpur.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Nanum Gothic; font-size: medium;">But the main ones, Ameer and Zulfiqar, are going to Babaganj to finally cross over into Nepal. So the squad rush and corner them in their hideout in the jungle. After a fierce fight, the squad manages to overpower them, aided by the <b><i>Sahastra Seema Bal </i></b>(our border force for the Nepal - Bhutan border).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: "Nanum Gothic"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: "Nanum Gothic"; font-size: medium;">In all of this, there is no support from the department. Air tickets are not sanctioned. They have to travel using a standard police SUV for thousands of kms.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: "Nanum Gothic"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: "Nanum Gothic"; font-size: medium;">In the end, they are asked to turn back. In one of the best scenes of the movie, Mammootty refuses a direct order from his superior. And the chase is still on.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: "Nanum Gothic"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: "Nanum Gothic"; font-size: medium;">There is no mystery in this movie per se. Everything is pretty cut and dried. It is the grit with which the squad faces a lot of hardships, and their never-say-die attitude, which raises this movie above normal level.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: "Nanum Gothic"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: "Nanum Gothic"; font-size: medium;">Once they capture the criminals, they are offered plane tickets "to rush back as soon as possible", so that their superiors can bask in the glory of a job where they had no positive contribution. The squad refuses, and comes back by road :-).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: "Nanum Gothic"; font-size: medium;">The squad fight for the pure nature of being a police officer, which is to capture criminals and bring law and order into society. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;">This is what I think cinema originally was supposed to be about. No gimmicks. No special effects. Only pure storytelling.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-family: "Nanum Gothic"; font-size: medium;">Mammootty magic backed up by an excellent supporting cast.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-family: "Nanum Gothic"; font-size: medium;">A film definitely worth a watch. </span></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-91349482002343544692023-12-07T00:30:00.000-08:002023-12-07T00:32:26.609-08:00Mumbai Police (Malayalam Film)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans; font-size: medium;"> I recently watched "<b>Mumbai Police</b>" (Malayalam) on Disney + Hotstar.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans; font-size: medium;">The film starts with a police officer driving and talking on the phone with someone. He says "I have found the culprit". And the next moment, he has an accident.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans; font-size: medium;">From there the story begins. Because in this accident, he has had a major memory loss. He not only doesn't remember the culprit, but a whole lot of other things as well. He doesn't remember his friends - in the Police and outside, his own sister, where he lives, etc. He doesn't even remember who he is, in the true sense of the word.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans; font-size: medium;">Plus he is again given charge of the same case that he had solved. But for him, this is like a new case due to his unique condition.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">ACP Antony Moses (Prithviraj Sukumaran), this policeman, starts all over again. We find that the case is actually the brazen shooting death of a fellow policeman and friend Aryan John Jacob (</span><span style="font-family: "IBM Plex Sans";">Jayasurya)</span><span style="font-family: "IBM Plex Sans";"> . The death (by a sniper's bullet) occurred</span><span style="font-family: "IBM Plex Sans";"> at a function where tons of policemen were present, ironically for giving a gallantry award to Aryan Jacob. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "IBM Plex Sans"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">Antony's brother-in-law Farhan Aman (Rashin Rahman), who plays the </span><span style="font-family: "IBM Plex Sans";">Commissioner of Police) tries to help him get his memory back.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "IBM Plex Sans"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "IBM Plex Sans"; font-size: medium;">Antony discovers that Aryan, Farhan and he were very good friends. They earned the nickname "Mumbai Police" because all of them had served in Mumbai at a point in time, although Aryan hadn't served exactly at the same time as the other two over there.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans; font-size: medium;">The plot dives and weaves among possible suspects. Antony discovers a lot of things about himself. He finds that he was not a good person and has earned a lot of enemies, some of whom try to attack him post discharge. He actually was called "Rascal Moses", such was his reputation.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans; font-size: medium;">During this time Farhan is also not his usual self.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans; font-size: medium;">Antony finds that his previous investigation was not really up to the mark, which is surprising as he is a competent police officer. So then was he deliberately messing up the case? Was he protecting someone after finding the truth?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans; font-size: medium;">There's a sudden twist at the end, and the truth is revealed. It is at a very personal level, and is pretty unexpected.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">All the main actors have done a decent job. </span><span style="font-family: "IBM Plex Sans";">All in all, a decent mystery. Worth a watch.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;"><br /></span></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-37504498068842815972023-11-06T08:05:00.003-08:002023-11-06T08:05:46.340-08:00Monster (2022): Malayalam film<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">One more of Mohanlal's films. I am a big fan of his in particular, and Malayalam films in general. So I am biased :-).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><b>Monster </b>is a thriller film with a major twist at the end.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Bhamini (Honey Rose) is a driver at a She-Taxi company. A partner in the firm, Lucky Singh, is her pickup for the day. Lucky Singh is a "Malayali Punjabi". He has a flirtatious, over-the-top manner. He is a Malayali who embraced Sikhism after a Sikh holy man changed his fortunes drastically one day in Amritsar near the Golden Temple.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Lucky Singh flirts shamelessly with Bhamini in spite of knowing that she is married. He invites himself to Bhamini's home even though it is a actually her wedding anniversary. Her husband, Anil Chandra (Sudev Nair), has a foot injury from a recent accident. The other people in the house are Anil's daughter Kunjatta </span><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">(</span><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Jess Sweejan) </span><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">from his previous marriage, and a maid, Durga (</span><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Lakshmi Manchu).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Lucky Singh has a bumbling yet cheerful manner. Yet we know that beneath that exterior, there is something hidden. And that comes out in a drastic manner. The film stops at the interval with a dramatic twist.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">In the second half, Bhamini's world comes crashing down. Just as she is on the verge of doom, comes another twist. And things move towards the climax, where the biggest twist is revealed.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">The second half is a story of wasted potential. The script writing isn't taut enough. The interrogation scenes lack finesse. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">And the most major twist lacks a certain sensitivity that a female director might have done better at. Vysakh, the (male) director, excels at action scenes. There is one between Mohanlal and a female character that is especially good.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">This is by no means anywhere near Mohanlal's best. However, if like me, you are a Mohanlal fan, then this is still worth a watch. For others, I would guess it's a 50-50 toss-up on whether you would like it or not.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><br /></span></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-47678953895594365722023-10-07T00:04:00.001-07:002023-10-07T00:04:05.127-07:00Asur (Web series, Season 1 and 2, Jio Cinema)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><b> Asur on Jio Cinema</b> (free). I finished Season 1 and 2. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><i>Drafted in June, forgot to publish. Ah well...</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br />Story is decent. A blend of modern technology and ancient scripture (Vedas, etc.). By itself it wouldn't have been enough to keep you hooked. But good writing, slick direction, and a skilled star cast manage to hold your attention most of the time. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">The series tries to draw you into a moral dilemma, akin to Thanos. It (at least partly) succeeds, and I think therein lies its success.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">The growth of the characters due to what befalls them and the decisions they have to take have been shown quite </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br />Arshad Warsi, Barun Sobti, Anupriya Goenka, Riddhi Dogra, Sharib Hashmi all are good. So is Marathi manoos Ameya Wagh.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br />One nuisance is the ads that come on Jio Cinema (even if you have a paid subscription). But it is what it is.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br />Worth a watch. Not family friendly due to disturbing visuals (language / nudity is pretty controlled most of the time).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br />https://www.jiocinema.com/tv-shows/asur/3500240</span></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-15447378172278206042023-10-07T00:03:00.009-07:002023-10-07T00:03:42.046-07:00Khufiya (Netflix)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> <b>Khufiya </b>on <i>Netflix</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />Tabu is a married RAW operative who battles her secret identity and also struggles with conflict due to loving another woman.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />There's a mole in RAW that leads to a lot of leaks, and ISI getting the upper hand in Bangladesh. To correct this, Tabu tries her best. But her loved one gets murdered in the process. The mole (Ali Fazal) escapes outside India too.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />The rest of the movie is about retribution and redemption.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />Tabu - excellent as usual.<br />Ashish Vidyarthi and Atul Kulkarni as Tabu's boss and estranged husband respectively are solid as expected.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />Ali Fazal is competent. Wamiqa Gabbi as the mole's wife is bold enough to do a couple of explicit scenes (just enough to make it rated 16+, else rest is ok). His mother is played well by Navnindra Behl.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />Azmeri Haque Badhon is a Bangladeshi actress who did a good job as Tabu's recruit cum lover. <br />Raghu Ram of Indian Ocean fame was a pleasant surprise.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />The disappointment is the usually competent Vishal Bharadwaj. His direction is good in parts, but not enough to grip you in entirety.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />Worth a watch, but not as good as it could have been.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81252372">https://www.netflix.com/title/81252372</a></span></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-12044989332731913312023-08-14T23:13:00.001-07:002023-12-26T23:36:29.879-08:00Por Thozil (Tamil movie)<div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Watched <b>Por Thozil</b>(Art of War) on Sony LIV. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Story has 2 policemen - a very seasoned one (Sarath Kumar) and a total rookie (Ashok Selvan) - paired together to catch a serial killer who is targeting women. He seems to have come out of dormancy after 30 years.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Nothing great in the story per se - I nowadays am a little tired of the overuse of serial killers. But the chemistry between the 2 leading men is great. The evolution of the rookie, and a little bit of mellowing of the tough seasoned cop in his company makes the story worth watching.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Very little gruesome scenes, so ok from that point of view.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The seasoned cop has had a rough childhood. At one point the rookie has a soft corner for the serial killer because his father had physically abused him throughout. The senior cop brushes this away saying, "Lots of people have a tough childhood. But all don't become criminals. Some become normal people who catch criminals."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The rookie replies, "Sir, you may be many things. But a normal person is not one of them."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I watched in Tamil. There's a Hindi audio option too. But I prefer to watch in the original language.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.sonyliv.com/movies/por-thozhil-hindi-1000231235" target="_blank">https://www.sonyliv.com/movies/por-thozhil-hindi-1000231235</a></span></div></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-82356702937813769302023-06-01T00:27:00.002-07:002023-06-01T00:27:16.701-07:00Dahaad (Web Series, Hindi, 2023)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Saw <b>Dahaad </b>recently on Amazon Prime: <a href="https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Dahaad/0KPV2GFQQ5XA8NCXXQ82XO3G1C" target="_blank">https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Dahaad/0KPV2GFQQ5XA8NCXXQ82XO3G1C</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Anjali Bhaati (</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sonakshi Sinha</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">) is a Sub-Inspector at the relatively sleepy town of Mandawa in Rajasthan. She is a feisty woman, brought up by her late father to live proudly. Belonging to a lower caste, she faces the double whammy of caste prejudice and the constant questions regarding her marriage.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">She has her boss - Devi Singh (Gulshan Devaiah) and a previously senior, now demoted to her level - Kailash Parghi (Sohum Shah). </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One fake "Love Jihad" case leads to another woman disappearance case being investigated. They find out that she was found dead. But her case leads to another. And another....</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Initially thought of as suicides, too many dead women lead to a rethink. All ran away from home to get married and ended up dead. Later the police figure out that it's murder, not suicide. So serial killer enters the picture.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The rest of the series is how they investigate, and go after the serial killer. He's an apparently mild mannered, teacher - family man - do gooder from the same town. His son goes to the same school as Devi Singh's son. Anand Swarnakar (Vijay Varma). The last guy you'd suspect.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The series is based on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohan_Kumar_(serial_killer)" target="_blank">Cyanide Mohan</a>, who operated in Karnataka.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A lot of issues are highlighted skillfully without preaching - the evils of dowry, the utter disregard for people of lower castes, and the way society functions. Even a police office like Anjali has to face discrimination in her day to day life.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">All the episodes are quietly entertaining and firm. There's very little drama usually. But that is the charm. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anand Swarnakar goes about his tasks coolly and calmly. No mess, no fuss. Other than the killings, of course.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anjali Bhati learns to reign in her impetuousness and stick to facts and procedure.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Devi Singh's arguments with his wife are so real that you can almost imagine them happening to you or someone else you know. His desire that his daughter will not be less than any boy, and his talk with his son about sex are heart warming.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The most a character grows is the demoted cop, Kailash Parghi. He goes through so many conflicting emotions - the need for promotion, the dread of bringing a new child into this horrible world, etc. that you just love the way it has been handled. His tremendous hesitation and soul searching when he must choose between a promotion and loyalty to his colleagues is one of the highlights of the show.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anand Swarnakar is the star of the show, of course. Clever, methodical, cool. Always thinking of how to get out of a corner. The way he wins one battle against Anjali and his betrayal of his own student are brilliant manouvers.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The supporting cast is also good. The ladies who come under his spell. Anand and Devi Singh's wives, Miriam as the new wife when Anand runs, Anand's other family members, all do a good job.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some dialogues and scenes get etched in your memory. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One belongs to Anand. While teaching kids in remote villages, he says </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">that each grain of sand represents an evil committed by humanity. Humanity committed so much evil that Rajasthan turned into a desert.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Second one is for Anjali.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When she is prevented from entering the Swarnakars' house for searching because of her caste, she brushes him aside, stating: “Kaun unch kaun neech, ye tere pushton ka time nahi hai, sanvidhaan ka time hai, kayde kanoon ka time hai."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Note: Not family friendly. </b>The concept and a few uncomfortable scenes are the reason.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">All in all, a must watch.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-31429396776126056242023-04-22T04:59:00.001-07:002023-04-22T05:00:35.918-07:00Jana Gana Mana (2022, Malayalam)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic;">Saw <b><i>Jana Gana Mana </i></b>recently on Netflix --> <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81477034">https://www.netflix.com/title/81477034</a> (Original Malayalam, English subtitles).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic;">Seldom does it happen that a movie is so out of the ordinary that it feels as if it belongs to some other realm altogether. This is one of them. What starts off as one thing swirls into something else altogether, taking you along for the ride.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic;">The brutal rape and murder of a lady Muslim college professor (Mamta Mohandas as Saba) shocks everyone. As students start protesting, they are brutally beaten on campus by police. People are enraged - nationally via Social Media. Law and order threatens to spiral out of control. A cop (Suraj Venjaramoodu as Sajjan Kumar)</span><span style="font-family: "Nanum Gothic";"> comes in, and promises justice to the dead lady's mother. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic;">The cop cracks the case, and 4 people are arrested. But then before the case is to go to trial, all 4 are gunned down by the same ACP. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic;">Story over, right? Wrong.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic;">A human rights case is filed against the extra judicial killings. Public sentiment is firmly on the cops side, esp. the ACP who "delivered justice". But the lawyer (Prithviraj Sukumaran as Aravind Swaminathan) </span><span style="font-family: "Nanum Gothic";">"representing" the 4 dead men gives a major twist to things. Now things go topsy-turvy.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Gothic";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Gothic";">The movie paints a picture of the state of the eco system that we all live in. How the media manipulates us, how we never know what goes on in the name of law and order, and how nobody has time for the actual truth.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Gothic";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Gothic";">The movie touches on the rampant casteism in our society, esp. educational institutions (remember Rohit Vemula?), handling of various rape cases, to encounter killings (that bring cheer in the short term but can be grossly misused in the long term), to "they can be identified by the clothes they wear" (if you know, you know).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Gothic";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Gothic";">Suraj as Sajjan Kumar does a fantastic job of showing all the emotions that he goes through. Anybody who can act with silence is a good actor.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Gothic";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Gothic";">On the other hand, Prithviraj has all the "seeti maaro" dialogues - "we all want instant coffee, instant justice". But his character raises pertinent questions about what kind of a society we live in, and do we want to continue like this?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Gothic";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Gothic";">Those two together make for a great film.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Gothic";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Gothic";">The movie has flaws. Prithviraj's back story gets a rushed treament. Other characters are not as well developed.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Gothic";">None of the lower caste characters uplift themselves - the others have to do the uplifting. Also there are multiple taunts on the BJP - something that could have been avoided, but Kerala is Kerala :-).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Gothic";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic;">Setting aside these minor flaws, <b>a must watch.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic;"><b>Not family friendly - </b>not because of the physical content but because of the emotional level. If you show it to your kids be ready for multiple deep discussions.</span></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-91215962940779019412023-01-31T09:54:00.001-08:002023-01-31T09:54:13.734-08:00An Action Hero (2022, Hindi)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><b>An Action Hero</b> is a Hindi film. Watched this on Netflix: <a href="https://www.netflix.com/watch/81514149?source=35">https://www.netflix.com/watch/81514149?source=35</a> . This is truly the one that got away, and I would have gladly paid to watch this in the theater. Not for any big screen sequences, but just to give my bit towards this fun gem.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Maanav (Ayushmann Khurana) is an "Action Hero" in Hindi movies. His life is going great.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Until a fateful day while shooting in a small town in Haryana. Vicky Solanki, brother of a local strongman/politician, wants to take a photo with Maanav. But Maanav is distracted by his new car, and ignores Vicky. An incensed Vicky confronts Maanav, who pushes him and Vicky dies, totally by accident.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">But the strongman, Bhoora Solanki (Jaideep Ahlawat) is out for revenge. Maanav flees to UK, where he has a house. Bhoora follows him there as well. Maanav doesn't know him, but soon finds out :-). No amount of pleading by Maanav is enough to pacify Bhoora, who is out for revenge. And then they go hammer and tongs at each other.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">There's a bunch of characters who pop up - a fixer called Sai (Neeraj Madhav from "A Family Man") who is also a double crosser, a lower level gangster called Kaadir (who also wants to get Maanav), and finally a Don who is the name changed version of Dawood Ibrahim. There's Harsh Chhaya as Maanav's assistant, as competent as ever.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">During this time, Maanav's reputation in India is in the toilet. News anchors are going hammer and tongs at him. Special mention to the Arnab Goswami parody by Sandeep Dhabale. He has you in splits. Others are cleverly presented so that you can imagine whichever anchor you want in their place.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">But the main characters are Maanav and Bhoora. They have a hate-love relationship. Beating the crap out of each other, and yet stopping short of killing the other multiple times.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Even though it is Ayushmann's film, Jaideep has the choicest dialogues. Delivered with his classic deadpan look, he has some gems like:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>Chhota kare toh galti, bada kare to misaal banti hai. </i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>Jyada samajhdaari dikhai, to mein bewakoofi kar doonga.</i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And the killer one when Maanav doesn't recognize the gangster Kaadir either:</span></div><div><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“Saale kisi ko to pehchan le! Hum saare chu**ye hai kya jo tujhe maarne nikale hai?”</span></i></b></div><div style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Oxygen;">There is a twist in the end, which I can't reveal as it would be a spoiler. </div><div style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Oxygen;">The movie is beautiful at many levels. It shows how the media and public opinion can swing in an instant. The same media first crucifies Maanav, and it also praises him after a twist. </div><div style="font-family: Oxygen;">It is a satirical look at our society in general at one level.</div><div style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Oxygen;">On the other level, it shows the growth of Maanav. From a cushioned, pampered action hero to one who really fights for himself. </div><div style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Oxygen;">It also shows what really motivates a person - Bhoora and Maanav are brutally honest with each other about that part. The end also says something about the real driving force behind people.</div><div style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Oxygen;"><i>The movie is not family friendly </i>due to the rough language used, so beware. Other than this caveat, a must watch.</div></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-70774938326407557292023-01-26T08:35:00.002-08:002023-01-26T22:31:38.902-08:00Pathaan review<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Saw "Pathaan" today. Low on logic, big on action.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">SRK is on India's side. Deepika is a Pakistani. ISI agent. John Abraham was a RAW agent. But John felt let down by his country during a very crucial time. So now he's a freelance terrorist who's anti India.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Other star cast is good - Ashutosh Rana + Dimple.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Plot - not much. Shah Rukh has to stop John. Lots of body count on the way.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />Special appearance by Bhai. And door opens to YRF Spy Universe (grand term) where these folks will do cameos in each other's films.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">SRK is back. He was looking anemic previously, now no more.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Haters will hate. And find ways to #BycottBollywood, spelling mistakes and all.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Summary: Go if logic is not a criterion. And for the action. And for the scene post credits, Marvel style.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-2974833024064113222022-12-30T05:04:00.002-08:002022-12-30T05:04:22.728-08:00Dedication - "Din Dhal Jaaye" <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Din Dhal Jaaye" from Guide, sung by Mohd. Rafi. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The story goes that Rafi gave umpteen takes for this song. And at that time there was no chopping and recording sections. The entire song had to be done again from start to end.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">S D Burman was the music director. After some time he went up to Rafi and asked "Why are you doing retakes? Every time I found your singing perfect."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Rafi sahab said "At the end of the song there is 'Aise mein kisko kaun manaaye'. The emphasis on 'kaun' that you put when explaining it to me, I am not getting it. Once I get it, I will stop."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">S D Burman had no answer to this. Rafi kept singing. And stopped when he got it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They don't make them like they used to anymore.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">https://open.spotify.com/track/0YSDElkycJ6Z8raNGUlWiZ?si=af1480307bae48d8</span></p>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-17074657594717316492022-11-07T02:48:00.000-08:002022-11-07T02:48:01.178-08:00Rakshan The Ghost (Tamil)<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Saw this on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/in/title/81646772<br /><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A blend of everything: John Wick, childhood trauma, uncontrolled action.<br /></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You know what is coming when the movie starts off in the desert. And within 3 minutes the body count has gone to 50.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Story? <b>Nagarjuna</b>. The invincible. Called <b>Ghost</b>, in case there was any doubt.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ok but story? <b>Nagarjuna</b>. Body count in thousands.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ok seriously, story? Sigh. Ok. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Haunted by childhood trauma of Hindu - Muslim riots. Taken under his wing by an Army officer. Has an older sister called Anu (Gul Panag), who becomes estranged from their father due to his objection to her marrying an older divorced man. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Becomes an Interpol officer who deals in blood spill as if it was water. After a child rescue attempt ends in the child's death at the kidnapper's hand, goes rogue. Drifts away from partner / lover (Sonal Chauhan).</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Chops off gangsters and then vanishes.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Until big sister calls him since she is in mortal danger. Reforms spoilt niece, puts holes (big and small) in everyone, and rescues the day. Never even coming close to dying.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Action sequences are slickly directed. There's some decent sword play, and other stunts. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But the rest of the film left logic at the door right at the beginning. When the child is shot, the "first aid" that Nagarjuna applies is a big pad of cotton. I'm not kidding. This is the level at which the rest of the story operates.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I am a Nagarjuna fan (ever since "Shiva" in Hindi, back when Ram Gopal Verma could direct). So I watched it for him, and didn't mind the missing storyline. If you are a Nagarjuna fan, you will not be disappointed. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Others, there's pretty much nothing for you. Please watch John Wick instead.</span></div><p></p>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-52497883088739093232022-10-27T08:02:00.006-07:002022-10-27T08:38:53.690-07:00Vikram Vedha (2017, Tamil)<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> "It's easy to choose between right and wrong. But hard to choose between 2 wrongs."</span></p><p>Vikram is an honest police officer who is out to rid the world of as many criminals as possible. But he has 2 major flaws: </p><p>1. He sees everything in black and white.</p><p>2. He uses illegal / immoral means to achieve his goal, esp. in encounter killings.</p><p><br /></p><p>The counterpart to Vikram is Vedha. A gangster who has committed 16 murders. Terror and a law unto himself. But extremely loyal and family oriented.</p><p>Vikram is out to get Vedha. The main story starts with an encounter where many of Vedha's aides are killed. That sets in motion a chain of events that draw us into the gray area of right and wrong, puppet and puppeteer. The encounter has multiple facets, all which pose moral questions as well as pose a mystery.</p><p>Vedha surrenders himself in a major surprise to Vikram. But soon he's out on bail arranged by his lawyer - Vikram's wife. And the mind games begin. </p><p>Vedha tells Vikram 3 stories that shake his entire belief system.</p><p>Based on Betal Pachisi, this is a good adaptation. It takes the gist of that tale and gives it a good flavor of its own.</p><p>Acting is first class. Madhavan as Vikram is good as usual. Vijay Sethupati as Vedha does a good job in being understated instead of over the top.</p><p>The twist at the end is delicious. I didn't see it coming.</p><p>Totally worth a watch.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-17385128075900589072022-10-03T06:52:00.002-07:002022-10-03T06:52:44.569-07:00Dhareshwar Math Mandir (Patan, Satara)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> <b>Dhareshwar Math Mandir </b>is a cave temple located in Patan taluka, Satara district. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Google Maps will show you directions.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It's a cave temple, hundreds of years old. Water always falls down on the outside 365 days a year without any apparent water source above. पाण्याची सतत धार म्हणून धारेश्वर. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5lYVcMIMDAsYfTgvueLvbpSb0OJw6zyuYNQa2xquvHgsVlOM7rfguTX_seyJnuVCFbLmcFvZpY-l1xBjGffOQQV8GwVGwQWK2zNgqxdHPo6X-fuy5b-xyWxHIybDLKyhbGgKfDm3gYaNReTrH-nlRyhkyeAMIrGudTTEKJw8rprxg01msbA/s1045/IMG_20221002_123146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="1045" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5lYVcMIMDAsYfTgvueLvbpSb0OJw6zyuYNQa2xquvHgsVlOM7rfguTX_seyJnuVCFbLmcFvZpY-l1xBjGffOQQV8GwVGwQWK2zNgqxdHPo6X-fuy5b-xyWxHIybDLKyhbGgKfDm3gYaNReTrH-nlRyhkyeAMIrGudTTEKJw8rprxg01msbA/w537-h347/IMG_20221002_123146.jpg" width="537" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Swayambhu idol of Lord Shiva was discovered by villagers inside this cave. Then they found out that it was a temple and restored it. The idol apparently grows a little every year. It was underground, now it has come overground.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The story goes that Lord Ram visited this temple after defeating Ravana. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There's a visit by Pandavas during Agyatvaas mentioned too. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Pujari was a kind, gentle sort of guy. It's a Math. So there have been (22?) Swamis so far, many of whom took Samadhi there as well. While telling the stories, the Pujari mentioned that Pandavas restored the temple and then later Lord Ram visited it. I didn't have the heart to correct him on chronology :-). </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Road leading up to it was horrible towards the end. Rocky and a little dangerous. We thought we would reach the Lord directly at a point in time :-). </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Oh, and the monkeys! There are lots of them. So beware - keep car doors and windows closed. If you want to feed them - we did - then keep all the food ready to give / throw. They are fast, and will reach you in the blink of an eye. So just be alert. None of them troubled us, but they are always on the lookout for food.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtck_K-lWYuZxHh6PRIOZR43uWfBQkLewZSU5YIKhgQYXMH_sgeMI8I9vpKGJ_AyNjkdGNhvRFl7ASCFAhfoxfTuipUbvAdGQsqPe1giOjtg68KNsIhhjdstHxNTLFlXswyzJNmnFftHk4JIgrVEbt5DGeKEyrcxkjE2b7mzDjJYvSUZuFlz0/s784/IMG_20221002_123158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="588" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtck_K-lWYuZxHh6PRIOZR43uWfBQkLewZSU5YIKhgQYXMH_sgeMI8I9vpKGJ_AyNjkdGNhvRFl7ASCFAhfoxfTuipUbvAdGQsqPe1giOjtg68KNsIhhjdstHxNTLFlXswyzJNmnFftHk4JIgrVEbt5DGeKEyrcxkjE2b7mzDjJYvSUZuFlz0/w327-h436/IMG_20221002_123158.jpg" width="327" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It's just something about a cave temple that I like. And unlike some places this is not dark and gloomy inside, it's quite well lighted.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">All in all, this place is definitely worth a visit. </span></div></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-59459221071505946042022-09-23T22:51:00.003-07:002022-09-23T22:53:19.254-07:00Hush Hush (Amazon Prime) Series: Season 1<p><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;"><b><i> Amazon Prime</i></b> just launched (Sep 22) a mystery drama series called "<b><a href="https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0RY1H8MI9HFWKQ4CJH78WTICRL/ref" target="_blank">Hush Hush</a></b>"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">A quartet of friends (rich and famous) have their lives going on as usual. Until, at a party, things go horribly wrong for one of them. The others also get drawn into it. A man dies. And you have a full scale disaster on your hands. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">Then onwards, it is a spiral. It is also a discovery for 3 of the friends that they may not have known the 4th (Juhi Chawla as Ishi) well at all. Ishi is found dead at her home, presumably death by suicide. After that, so many layers of her life unravel that it becomes harder and harder for them to remain loyal to her, and cracks begin to show.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">It is a curious quartet of friends.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">Ishi - Juhi Chawla - the power broker who roams around in the corridors of the high and mighty. She has powerful friends and equally powerful enemies.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">Saiba - Soha Ali Khan - the journalist who gave up her risky job to start a family. As talkative as Ishi is measured.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">Dolly - Kritika Kamra - the youngest - bubbly Punjabi girl whose MIL has only one aim in life - get an heir out of Dolly for their khandaan.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">Last but not the least, Zaira - Shahana Goswami - a very successful designer who has 2 problems in her life: An old flame and a psychotic assistant, who really can't be trusted.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">The case is investigated by a brilliant yet non worldly wise inspector called Geeta (Karishma Tanna). During the investigation, she finds out that Ishi was actually an orphan. And she has left everything she owned to her friend in the orphanage (Ayesha Zulka as Meera). Meera now runs a girl's orphanage along with her husband.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">Why did Ishi die? What was it amongst her many scandals that finally got her? Why are people after her friends who try to unravel the mystery behind her death? Did the dead man have many friends who are out for revenge or is there more than meets the eye?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">The overwhelming feeling that one gets while watching this season is "With this much talent, this is all you came up with?" There's a brilliant lineup of actors and supporting actors - other than the main ones there's Benjamin Gilani as Dolly's FIL, Vibha Chibber as ACP Madhu, Geeta's boss.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">But you still get a feeling that in the planning of having multiple seasons, you got short changed in this one. The serial promises to take off to great heights, but never does. You have things used as check boxes - f*** being thrown around generously, same sex relationship, etc. But it feels more bolted on than part of the original structure. Gurugram is the setting. But you never get a feel of the place, like any good series gives you. See Patal Lok for what a brilliant job looks like in making you almost smell the place it is located in.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">3 directors have directed this - Tanuja Chandra, Kopal Naithani, Ashish Pandey. Maybe too many cooks did spoil the broth.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">The relationship between Ishi and Meera is so complex. But it never gets its full due.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">The tension between the friends - with Saiba doubting Ishi's character and Zaira blindly supporting her dead friend - is half baked. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">Karishma Tanna is supposed to be a middle class Haryanvi. But she looks like she just took off glamorous clothes and wore middle class ones. Ayesha Zulka is much better in looking the part of a </span><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">(relatively) </span><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">poor woman.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">It is Juhi Chawla's first OTT foray. She seems to have gotten a raw deal as far as her character handling by the makers goes.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">The only part which really was done well was the evolution of Dolly. From a overwhelmed by MIL, keeping her mouth shut woman to an assertive, independent thinker, her evolution is the best.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">Also Benjamin Gilani going full scale MCP during his tirade against Dolly and her friends to his employee was refreshing. Although he did use the phrase "self actualized women", which was like the "Love Storiyaan" part of the Kesariya song in Brahmastra.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Ubuntu;">The one thing that will entice me for Season 2 is that one of my favorites - Jaaved Jaafri - enters at the very end as a CBI officer who will now lead the investigation.</span></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-46046162763374738552022-08-17T01:36:00.002-07:002022-08-17T01:37:33.305-07:0012th Man (Malayalam)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Continuing my streak of viewing Malayalam films on OTT, I recently saw <b>12th Man (</b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Malayalam). </i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">OTT Platform:<i> Disney+ Hotstar</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This stars <i><b>Mohanlal</b></i>, and a bunch of characters (11). The other actors I am afraid I don't know due to my limited knowledge of the Malayalam film industry.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">11 friends gather at a resort outside the city for a bachelors(?) party hosted for their friend Siddharth. It includes Fida, Siddharth’s fiancée Aarathy, Mathew and his wife Shiny, Jithesh and his wife Dr. Nayana, Sam and his wife Merin, Zachariah and his wife Annie.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">7 out of the 11 are college mates. The others are their spouses / fiancee (1). In the beginning they are annoyed by a drunk person called Chandrashekar who demands alcohol for them. They try their best to get rid of him. But he keeps popping up everywhere, even in the party.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the party, one of the group (Fida) says that even though they are close friends, there are always secrets between them. Others disagree. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Then someone suggests that they should play a game to finish off this argument. The game is simple. Everyone will keep their mobile phones out on the table for 1 hour. Any call received will be played on speaker phone. Any private text will be read out.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As expected, nothing good comes out of this :-). One by one embarrassing secrets start tumbling out. Financial problems, family issues, etc. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The icing on the cake comes when Siddharth gets a call from one of his friends asking about the name of abortion pills that he got for one of the women in their group. All hell breaks loose. Accusations and counter-accusations fly around as to who the woman is (and by association, who the man is that had an affair with her). Insults are thrown at each other</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The party disintegrates rapidly. Everyone goes to different parts of the resort, including their own rooms.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After a while, </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Shiny is found dead near a view point. Did she fall, commit suicide, or was murdered?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The police arrive. The friendly drunkard - </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Chandrashekar</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">- turns out to be actually an ACP who has been temporarily suspended. The actual investigating officer has to handle election duties, so he hands over the case to his superior (</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Chandrashekar</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And then the game of cat and mice begins. Everyone is called, Agatha Christie style, into a big room. They are told to unlock their phones and put them on the table. So the game is resumed, this time with </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Chandrashekar</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> as the puppeteer. He accesses everyone's phones, tells them whom to call, what to speak, etc.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It's only these actions primarily that peel back the layers. A lot of skeletons tumble out of everyone's closets. Affairs, financial irregularities, huge money transfers between people in the group, etc. - a whole basket of motives is presented.. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">How Chandrashekar guides the investigation towards a conclusion is the meaty part of the movie. Mohanlal effortlessly switches between the drunkard in the beginning to the sharp detective after the incident. He has the meatiest role, and does full justice to it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The other characters are also well cast. They make their roles believable to a large extent.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">All in all, a good film. Family friendly, nothing to worry about.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Note:</b> <i>There is only Malayalam audio available, with English subtitles.</i> I personally love watching any movie in its own language for the feel it gives. But to each his own. If you are looking for other language options, there aren't any for this film.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-80607497795602740082022-08-04T04:14:00.004-07:002022-08-05T01:26:19.099-07:00Under Suspicion (2000)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><b> Under Suspicion</b> is a 2000 Hollywood film. Starring Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman and Monica Bellucci in the main roles.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">This is one of my favorites. One that I watch again and again, although not frequently. Because it is an intense one. So I space out the viewings.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Trust is fragile. It is undefinable. But it either exists or it doesn't. And you know for sure whether someone trusts you or not.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">If someone is guilty of a crime, then they deserve to be punished. But what of suspicion? If someone is suspected of a ghastly crime without proof, isn't it actually worse than being guilty?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Gene Hackman (Henry Hearst) is a wealthy tax attorney. He is about to give a speech at a big fundraising event, as the city celebrates a festival. Just before the event, he is called by Morgan Freeman (Captain Victor Benezet) for questioning. Just 10 minutes, is what he is told.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">As the questioning by the Captain and Detective Felix Owens (Thomas Jane) proceeds, Hearst learns that this is no 10 minute matter. It is also very serious. A young girl has been raped and strangled. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">There has been one more rape and strangling of another young girl a few weeks ago. He is being questioned about that too.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">So it is obvious that he is the prime suspect.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">In the beginning Hearst is at ease. Rich, powerful, connected. Captain Victor Benezet's boss is eager for Hearst to be released ASAP. He even interrupts the questioning to have Hearst cross over the street to the event, give his speech, and then go back to the police station.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">As the interrogation proceeds, there is a lot of back and forth. Hearst's life is peeled apart piece by piece until there is absolutely nothing left. We learn that his is a sexless marriage due to which he visits prostitutes in absolutely shady areas (one near the first murder). </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Why is the marriage sexless? Because his wife, Chantal (Monica Bellucci) thinks that he tried to seduce her niece, who is a young girl. So she withholds the one thing that he most desires as a cruel form of punishment.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Hearst has been lying to the police from the start. There are gaps in his story. This convinces them that he is the murderer and they go at him real hard.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">In her adamant belief in her husband's guilt, Chantal allows the police to search their mansion, even though they had no basic initial evidence to do so.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Is Hearst the killer? That's a spoiler I can't go through with.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">But the mystery is not the juicy part. It's the dynamic duo of Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman. </span><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Monica Bellucci plays an important role, but she is not the main attraction.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Freeman and Hackman - Cat and mouse. Dancing, dueling. Repartee - witty sometimes, insulting to the other at times. Trying to wear the other down. Expressions. </span><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Absolute masterclass in acting.</span><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"> They turn an ordinary story into something at a much higher level. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Back to trust. If you have it, heavenly. If you don't, nothing else matters. All the money and luxury in the world is hollow if you don't have someone important to you believing in you.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Currently on Netflix. <i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>Not family friendly, as you might have guessed :-). <b><i>But most d</i></b></span><i style="font-family: Oxygen; font-weight: bold;">efinitely worth a watch.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-39430697115790479102022-07-26T20:23:00.000-07:002022-07-26T20:23:05.531-07:00The Gray Man<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Watched <b>The Gray Man</b> on Netflix. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />CIA assassin is targeted for termination by the new people in charge. But obviously he cannot be killed, no matter what or who is thrown at him. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />Nothing new in the story. Ryan Gosling does a fair job as the indestructible agent. Rest is more memorable for the carnage than the storyline. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />But couple of surprises. <br />1. Captain America (Chris Evans) plays an out and out psycho to reset his goody-goody image. He goes all out in the psycho department until the director yelled "cut!" at him. And he still kept stabbing / torturing.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />2. Small but noticeable part as an "honorable assassin" for apro Dhanush! Tamizh hero in Hollywood movie! Aur kitne acche din chahiye?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Unfortunately he is referred to as Avik San for some reason. Kaala Japanese vibes? </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Even more unfortunately his scenes are mostly in the dark. Sorry to say, makes it harder to see him 😜 (#racist). </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />So watch it if you like the genre. Or for psycho Captain America. Or our nanban Dhanush.</span></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-77157957412377668592022-06-22T00:30:00.000-07:002022-06-22T00:30:09.082-07:00Pawankhind (Marathi)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"> Saw <b>Pawankhind </b>(<b><i>Marathi</i></b>) recently on Prime Video.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Maharashtrians don't need any introduction to this. This epic story is imbibed on our minds.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">For non-Maharashtrians: This was an epic battle between Marathas at a mountain pass near the fort of Vishalgad. The Marathas were providing cover for <b>Shivaji Maharaj </b>who was escaping from the fort of Panhala which was under siege by <b>Siddi Jauhar</b>. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">The unequal battle was fought between <b><i>300 </i></b>Marathas led by <b>Baji Prabhu Deshpande</b> and <b>Sambhu Singh Jadhav</b> against the <b><i>10,000</i></b> strong Adilshahi forces (Bijapur Sultanate) led by <b>Siddi Masud</b>, son of Siddhi Jauhar.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">The pass was previously known as Ghod Khind. After this battle it was renamed as Pawan (Holy) Khind. It was chosen because it was narrow, and only a few people could pass it at one time. This helped reduce the numerical advantage that the Mughals had.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">A solider named Shiva Kashid resembled Shivaji Maharaj in appearance. He volunteered to dress like Maharaj and get captured. This bought some additional time due to the confusion over identity, before Siddi Masud realised the error and gave chase.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Baji Prabhu had told Shivaji Maharaj that he would hold on until he heard cannon fire 5 times from the fort of Vishalgad, an indication that Shivaji Maharaj had reached safely.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">The forces fought for several hours, and held off a vastly superior force. Almost all of the 300 Marathas were killed, along with 1000 or more of the Adilshahi forces.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br />A gravely injured Baji Prabhu held on, only letting go of his hold on life after hearing the cannons from Vishalgad.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">When you see the movie, there's one thing that you notice. All the characters seem to have been inspired by the greatness of whoever they were playing, and raised their level automatically. It's as if they know that they owe it to others to give their best. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">You can see why Shivaji Maharaj was (and is) revered - he not only was great himself, but inspired others to raise their level just by his presence.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Other than the blood and gore, there's a few scenes that make you emotional. The good bye that Shiva Kashid (Ajinkya Nanaware</span><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">) says to Shivaji Maharaj, knowing that he is going to a sure death. The gentle chiding of Baji Prabhu to his King when Maharaj was refusing to leave them to fight without him is touching. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br />It's a very good cast of actors. Chinmay Mandlekar as Shivaji Maharaj, Ajay Purkar as Bajiprabhu Deshpande, Sameer Dharmadhikari as Siddhi Jauhar, Aastad Kale as Siddhi Masud, Ankit Mohan as Rayaji Bandal, Mrinal Kulkarni as Maasaheb Jijau, Akshay Waghmare as Koyaji Bandal; all have done justice to their roles. Even the supporting cast is solid.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Liberties have been taken with the cinematic rendering of the story. But the crux has been retained. A bigger budget would have made this a grander film. Action scenes are sometimes technically jarring. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">But still this is a great effort from the director Digpal Lanjekar, and the entire team</span><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"> .</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">The smile on Baji Prabhu's face just before he dies in the film, grinning at the 3 main Mughal opponents, is worth a million words.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Totally worth watching.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-66087061913615796442022-06-19T04:46:00.003-07:002022-06-19T04:52:15.505-07:00Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Saw <b>Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 </b>on <b>Netflix</b>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br />If you have seen Bhool Bhulaiyaa (1), you will like it. If you haven't seen </span><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Bhool Bhulaiyaa (1), you will still like it 😊.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">The main characters are Kartik Aryan (Ruhan), Kiara Advani (Reet) and Tabu (double role).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">The standard haunted haveli, where Monjolika has been captured inside a room protected by holy symbols, is the only thing common between BB (1) and BB (2). The rest is a completely new horror - comedy story. Anees Bazmee, being a pro at comedy, tilts more towards that than the horror part. But it's thoroughly enjoyable with the innocent looking Ruhan taking everyone for a ride, making up things on the fly, and generally winning the day. He makes silly things believable, and has a charming air about him.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">There is some horror in the story too. Tabu never seems to really age. Her ethereal beauty shines through even when made up gruesomely as a ghost. Her acting is as top class as ever, especially bringing out the differences between twin sisters. Slight mannerisms here and there, and you feel they are 2 completely different people.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Kiara (Reet) as the leading lady is disappointing. Granted that she has to share screen time with Tabu. But she could have done more, and its a little dismaying that she didn't up her game. Just about OK.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">If you compare 1:1 the cast of BB (1) vs BB (2), obviously BB (1) wins hands down. Vidya Balan and Kiara Advani is too much of a gap. Akshay Kumar is superior to Kartik Aryan. And there's no Shiney Ahuja, Paresh Rawal or Vikram Gokhale to lend their support. There were absolutely killer comedy scenes in BB (1). BB (2) has many that make you laugh, but none that will leave you rolling in the aisles. And Vidya made my blood freeze at least once. That didn't happen anytime during BB (2) with me.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">But whoever is there in the film, does their job well. </span><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Rajpal Yadav, as chhote pandit, is a class act as usual. Sanjay Mishra, Rajesh Sharma and Ashwini Kalsekar are solid. Govind Namdeo does his bit. Even the child artist (Samarth Chauhan) </span><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">does a good job.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">So all in all, worth a watch. You won't be bored. And yes, there's a twist at the end which is satisfying.</span></div>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-27746303859169832532022-05-29T07:47:00.001-07:002022-05-29T08:41:54.462-07:00Kashmir Trip musings - 2022<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> “Gar firdaus, bar ruhe zamin ast,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">hamin asto, hamin asto, hamin ast.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "IBM Plex Sans";">“If there is paradise on this earth, it is here, it is here, it is here…”</span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: "IBM Plex Sans";">-- </span><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">Amir Khusrau</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">We just returned from a visit to Kashmir (week ending 28 May). This blog is not really about the places to visit - that you can get from a Google search which will return a plethora of sites.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">No, this is more about what I felt on the ground.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;"><br /><b><i>Disclaimer: </i></b>My sample set is really small. One driver who was with us continuously for a week. A few local drivers that took us around at various tourist spots, shopkeepers that we met, hotel employees.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">Tourism is booming in Jammu and Kashmir right now. Travelers from all over India are swarming there. Hotel availability is an issue. All good from that point of view.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">The talk with locals starts on expected lines. "We have no problems with India. All our earning comes from there. We are all one people anyway. Unrest is just a media creation. Don't believe all that you see on the TV channels."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">Scratch the surface, wait long enough, and something slips through.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">One of the local drivers, who took us to Betaab valley (named after Sunny Deol - Amrita Singh's movie by the same name) said "Betaab valley is so beautiful, that you won't feel like going back to Hindustan from there." Slip of tongue, but very noteworthy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">Our continuous driver was all business generally. But in a week, there will be times when you do speak your mind.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">We asked him about how the situation was during COVID times. He said that they were confined to their homes. No phones, no internet for 6-10 months. "Aap ke saath aisa ho jaaye to kaisa lagega aap ko? Mere dost ki Ammi ko COVID hua. Na landline, na mobile phone chal raha tha. Humein hi pata hai hospital kaise le gaye unko."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">"Internet nahi hota hai to bahut dikkat hoti hai Sir. 2010 mein band kiye the. Jab Burhan Waani shaheed huye the tab bhi bahut dikkat hui thi."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">Burhan Wani. Shaheed. Terrorist for us. But shaheed for him.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">Another time our tempo traveller was stopped because of a passing Army or CRPF convoy. This has been started since the Pulwama attack where 40 of our CRPF jawans were martyred in a suicide attack in 2019. It's very inconvenient. But necessary from my point of view.<br />Chat during one such stoppage. "Sahab, kitni security force hain yahan par. 80 lakh Kashmiri. Unko sambhalne ke liye 16 lakh force (Army + CRPF + J&K police, etc.). Jagah jagah par rokte hain. Humein bahut dikkat hoti hai."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">During our trip, Yasin Malik's sentencing happened (life in prison). He is a classic case of how we lost the plot and turned a killer of 4 Air Force officers into a Nelson Mandela type of figure for the Kashmiris (hard to achieve this, but we did it). Our guide said that "Accha hua unko maut ki sazaa nahin hui. Warna shaayad aap ki trip yahin pe khatam hoti. Mein kuch nahin kar paata."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">We chatted with our tour operators (local and Mumbai). The feeling that they have is that people in Kashmir have not earned for 2+ years due to COVID. Coffers are empty, and money is low. So this year their priority is to earn. And get their houses up and running. Which is understandable. When your stomach is empty, first thought is to put food into it. That is why the locals are not even entertaining any requests from terrorists / insurgents. <br />The Amarnath yatra this year will, God willing, pass off peacefully because nobody wants any risk to their income.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">The issues (if any) may start next year. Once stomachs are full then we shall see if the love still remains. I don't want to go into the politics of it. But hearts and minds are not won in a day. It's a tough balancing act that our government and agencies have to do. <br /><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: IBM Plex Sans;">Some people may never be fully in India's favor. But if enough get firmly behind us - hopefully for love of India, worst case purely for financial reasons - we may yet turn the tide. Best is if the "shaheed" turns into "terrorist". Hope is eternal.</span></p>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-74407498850966676372022-04-17T18:26:00.005-07:002022-04-17T21:07:47.710-07:00Mai: A Mother's Rage (Season 1)<p> <span style="font-family: helvetica;">An ordinary mom turned avenging angel. That is the story of "Mai" in short.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sakshi Tanwar plays <i>Sheel, </i>an ordinary doctor mom, whose daughter (<i>Supriya </i>- Wamiqa Gabbi) is run over by a truck in front of her own eyes. The rest of Season 1 is spent in Sheel getting deeper and deeper into the mystery behind Supriya's death, finding that it was a murder, and then avenging it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sheel works in an old age home with medical facilities in Lucknow. Her husband <i>Yash </i>(Vivek Mushran) is an engineer, but is stuck </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">running their pharmacy shop and</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> doing electrical odd jobs in his spare time. Their daughter, Supriya, is a mute doctor who also is a stand-up comedian. She is run over on the date of her younger cousin brother's birthday.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The truck driver who runs over Supriya apologizes to Sheel. While apologizing, he says "I didn't want to do it!" This sets Supriya thinking and she follows the trail. The trail leads to a murky world of medical scams, ruthless characters, and the SPF (Special Police Force) of UP.</span></p><p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87)" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The cast of characters includes <i>Jawahar</i> (Prashant Narayanan), Jawahar’s lover <i>Neelam </i>(Raima Sen) and Jawahar’s band of goons. Two of them, <i>Prashant </i>(Anant Vidhaat) and <i>Shankar </i>(Vaibhav Raj Gupta), deal with Sheel the most. First they treat her with kid gloves out of sympathy. Then they find out how ruthless she can be on her path of vengeance.</span></span></p><p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87)" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There's a whole bunch of characters - including the always reliable Akash Khurana (<i>Goel) </i>as the higher level crime boss, Seema Pahwa as a woman who has killed her abusive husband and owes Sheel a debt of gratitude, and </span></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87)" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Farooque </i>(Ankur Ratan) of the SPF who had a personal interest in Supriya.<br />But none of them are developed beyond a point. Only Sheel as the main protagonist and Prashant are very well etched. Even Shankar, loyal to Prashant, is shown properly.</span></span></p><p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87)" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Raima Sen as a typical gangster's moll is wasted. So is Seema Pahwa, who still manages to showcase her brilliance by the emotions in her eyes. Vivek Mushran never manages to rise above the mundane. Wamiqa Gabbi is good in her role, even with the mute limitation.</span></span></p><p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87)" style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;">The use of colors is brilliant. It adds to the whole atmosphere.<br /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87)" style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;">This is almost family friendly. Just a few scenes here and there - 13+ can see it methinks. Has a A certificate.</span></p><p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87)" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In spite of its limitations, the series is worth watching for Sheel (Sakshi Tanwar). The emotions that she shows are just amazing. So is her single minded determination. How she uses her medical knowledge to take revenge is mind boggling at times. </span></span></p><p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87)" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />Hell hath no fury like a mother on the warpath - see it just for her.</span></span></p><p><br /></p>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22086131.post-51827686378598834862022-03-07T00:56:00.006-08:002022-03-07T04:57:18.997-08:00Pune 52 (Marathi Movie) Review<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">This is a relatively old movie (2013). I just saw it yesterday on Amazon Prime. Couple of scenes will make it one degree short of family friendly, but I think you can watch it with teenagers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The movie is set in the early 1990s in the Pune 52 pin code area. Amar Apte (Girish Kulkarni) is a struggling detective who gets mostly cheating spouse cases. His lack of earning and their overall situation makes for daily fights with his wife Prachi (Sonali Kulkarni). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">One day Amar gets a case of a woman who is cheating on her husband with a prominent builder, Prasad Sathe (Kiran Karmarkar). While Amar does get incriminating photos of the 2, the police go after him since the builder has clout and files a case of invasion of privacy. As a result, Amar has to forgo his earnings from the case as a bribe to the police.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This leads to further tensions between Amar and Prachi. These are increased by her mother (Bharti Achrekar), who has been helping them out financially.<br /><br />Enter a mysterious woman - Neha (Sai Tamhankar). She claims to be Prasad Sathe's wife, and asks Amar to spy on him. <br />While spying Amar discovers that all is not as it seems. He then starts playing his own game. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the interests of not giving too much away, Neha disappears after a series of events. And then Amar starts getting a lot of business from Prasad Sathe and his contacts. The fights between Amar and Prachi totally go away as his earnings start rising dramatically.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />But something eats away at Amar, to the point where reality and imagination start to blur. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Somehow the plot doesn't get very exciting. You keep trying to figure out what the director is trying to say. This film is labelled as belonging to the "Neo noir" category. Which for me means - dark lighting, some weird concept being thrust at you, and some things left for your imagination.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">At the end you are left with the thought that this could have been so much better. Amar's character is underdeveloped. The mystery is limited to your imagination. It could have been this, it could have been that. But it isn't great at all (that or neo noir is not for me). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The superb cast is the main reason to see this film. Girish Kulkarni is damn good. Sonali Kulkarni is a treat, as always. Sai Tamhankar does her job well (even though her character is underdeveloped too). Bharti Achrekar's talent is wasted.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The scenes between Amar and Prachi are too good. Any husband wife will identify and appreciate them :-).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Recommendation:</b> <i>Watch, but with low expectations. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>Random Blogger 3 (Amit Shirodkar)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15355417557050473850noreply@blogger.com0