can you vish?

I do have mixed opinions about this latest Rakshit Shetty outing, impressing at times and faltering at others, but I am not here to talk about that. Indian Cinema is going through an unprecedented time, where the cinema industries across regions are exploring multiple territories, and viewers are also receiving cross-cultural content with open arms. Many movies, especially from the regional industries of Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam are getting released with the new tag of ‘Pan-Indian’ cinema, dubbing them in various languages in order to reach more people. The most common and practical approach adopted is to shoot the movie in the native language (KGF in Kannada, RRR in Telugu, Vikram in Tamil, or Jana Gana Mana in Malayalam) and then dub them into three or four other languages. However, while doing this, what happens in only the dialogues get dubbed while several other linguistic indicators, for example, the billboard in the local language, are often lost in translation. Her...

When I had first heard of Thappad, the premise had felt interesting to me. I did wait for its release, but then the Covid situation took its toll. When the movie had its digital premiere on Amazon Prime on May 1st, I had made sure I caught the movie the very first day. Lately, I seldom share my thoughts on movies I watch, anyway, this is my two cents on it. Spoiler Alert. I saw a lot of discussion revolving around the slap and how it ended in their separation. Some of the viewers, while admitting the intensity of his action, found it a bit hard to digest that they had to separate because of this one moment of aggression. What I felt is that it was not the slap alone that resulted in separation. The fact that he never acknowledged his mistake, and never really apologize for the same until the very end is something that hurt Amu as deeply as the public humiliation inflicted on her by the slap. Instead, initially, he tried to play it down by taking her out to dinners and b...

The tale of the lads raised in the streets, Whose music was shoved right under the sheets. They came up against the odds, Traversed the less taken roads. Rap, they called their art! They sang loud with their heart. The lines are mostly rough, The questions asked are tough. So we sit there mum, Cause their time has come. Keep calm and tune in to the beats, They are the voice of the streets.

Title :  Raees Language : Hindi Year : 2017 Director : Rahul Dholakia Genre : Crime, Drama, Action IMDB Link Watch trailer on Youtube Lead Role : Shah Rukh Khan,  Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Mahira Khan Finally, an SRK movie that satisfied me after quite a while. While Fan had an exceptional first half, the movie lost connection post interval. And while Dear Zindagi satisfied the viewer in me, it cannot be termed as the star's movie, since Alia was the greater soul. But Raees is an all out King Khan show. The life sketch of a shrewd liquor baron, the socio-political landscape of the 80's Gujarat, all have been narrated by Rahul Dholakia with a realistic outlook with elements of drama to satisfy the average cine-goer and keep the cash box ringing. Nawazzuddin Siddiqui is a show stealer as the cop. The intro scene is one of the best in the movie. Ram Sampath has done a good job with music. Udi udi jaaye is my personal favorite. Though Raees is given a la...

Title :  Dear Zindagi Language : Hindi Year : 2016 Director : Gauri Shinde Genre : Drama, Romance IMDB Link Watch trailer on Youtube Lead Role : Alia Bhatt, Shah Rukh Khan, Kunal Kapoor, Ali Zafar, Yashaswini Dayama, Ira Dubey It is all about loving one's life. It is about two roads diverging in a yellow wood and taking the one commonly traveled by, because it is probably the more easier path. Kaira is the soul of the movie. She is young. She is independent. She is a talented cinematographer. And she is hot. We assume her life is picture perfect but obviously it is not. She is going through depression. She doesn't seem to know how to handle her love life. We see the reasons as the plot progresses through the sessions between Kaira and her "dimag ka doctor" Jahangir Khan. These sessions take the story forward. The entire premise is simple, not trying to be preachy or bigly philosophical. Sometimes it shifts into a rom-com with no melodrama. Overall, t...

Title :  Rock On 2 Language : Hindi Year : 2016 Director : Shujaat Saudagar Genre : Drama, Musical IMDB Link Watch trailer on Youtube Lead Role : Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal, Purab Kohli, Sraddha Kapoor, Prachi Desai Rock On had succeeded because it had caught the attention of the youth with its pulsating music and cool ideals. Rock On had succeeded because it had portrayed in an intense and realistic manner. Rock On had ended where Magic had begun, or rejoined after a hiatus. Some years passed by. What happened to Aditya Shroff, Jo, Sakshi, Debby and Killer Drummer? Welcome to Rock On 2. Rock On 2 begins the show in the serene and mystical villages of Shillong where Aditya leads a rather reclusive life after something went wrong a few years back. (Yeah that’s the same way he reacted after fighting with his friends In Rock On! That’s the way he is. He tries to run away from problems.) The friends do meet occasionally. Sing songs and all that stuff. We are a...

Title : Pink Language : Hindi Year : 2016 Director : Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury Genre : Drama, Crime, Thriller IMDB Link Watch trailer on Youtube Lead Role : Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Angad Bedi, Andrea Tariang One fine day, you hear the title of a movie. PINK. You are not amused. Then you hear the names of Shoojit Sircar and Anirudha Roy Chowdhury associated to it. You are intrigued. People start giving rave reviews about the trailer. You watch the trailer. You see Amitabh Bachchan as a lawyer grilling Tapsee Pannu in a debate that treads on the fine line between intercourse by mutual consent and rape. Excited, you make a mental mote and adds the movie into your to-watch list.  The movie releases. As expected, there is no wide release especially down south. Luckily for you, it does release in your hometown. You go on and watch the movie. The protagonists are three independent, working women. (you know the ones with short clothes and who...

Title : Udta Punjab Language : Hindi Year : 2016 Director : Abhishek Chaubey Genre : Drama, Crime, Thriller IMDB Link Watch trailer on Youtube Lead Role : Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt After the seemingly never ending censor-related controversies, social media trending, rational court ruling, newspaper headlines and the condemned leak, Udta Punjab reached the big screens today to huge expectations. And gladly, it proved worthy of all those hype. As already discussed, the movie deals with the rampant substance in the state of Punjab. A pop singer who had more success than he could actually handle, A young wannabe hockey player who had to give up her hopes and migrate from Bihar to Punjab to sustain. A corrupt cop who mends his ways after being handed some hard lessons. A doctor with a golden heart. The lives of these seemingly different persons are connected by a common theme - drugs - and their paths cross at times. Technically and content wise, ...

Title : Fan Language : Hindi Year : 2016 Director : Maneesh Sharma Genre : Drama, Thriller IMDB Link Watch trailer on Youtube Lead Role : Shah Rukh Khan The year 2013. “World’s biggest movie star” Shahrukh Khan joined hands with hit-maker director Rohit Shetty and lady superstar DeepikaPadukone to bring on screen a film by the name of Chennai Express. As the name suggests, the major portion of the story was set in the south, especially in Tamil Nadu. Mindless humor, illogical action and horrendous typecasting were generously thrown in. The critics slammed the movie and its makers. Yet, the aam-aadmi lapped it up, and Chennai Express turned out to be the biggest grossing film of the year. The pattern continued in 2014 with forgettable Happy New Year and in 2015 with the disastrous Dilwale. King Khan scooped so low that he won the infamous Kela Awards, something presented to the worst performer of the year. People started to write him off as a serious actor. Fast ...

Title : Sulemani Keeda Language : Hindi Year : 2014 Director : Amit Masurkar Genre : Comedy, Romance IMDB Link Watch trailer on Youtube Lead Role :  Naveen Kasturia, Mayank Tewari, Aditi Vasudev I sat down to watch the movie with the premonition that the name “Sulemani” had some relations with the Malayalam word “Sulaimani”, which means black tea. To my surprise,” Keeda” apparently means pain, and the title of the film could be loosely translated as “pain in the ass”. The freshness that was experienced in the title was sustained throughout the 90 minutes duration of the movie. Sulemani Keeda tells us the tale of two wannabe writers, who aspire to go beyond the conventional stereotyped notions of mainstream Indian cinema. The presentation, character descriptions are all based on the realities of today’s society. The story deals with their struggles, both in the film industry as well as in their social lives on light notes with mild dosages of adult humor. ...

Title : On Air with AIB Language : Hindi/English Year : 2015 Content creators : All India Bakchod Genre : Comedy, Satire, Current Affairs, Adult Comedy IMDB Link Watch the show online on Hotspot Presented By :  Rohan Joshi, Tanmay Bhat, Ashish Shakya and Gursimran Khamba Before reviewing On Air with AIB, let us have a prologue on All India Bakchod, or AIB as they are popularly known. AIB is a group of stand up comedians who started as a YouTube channel, using humor effectively to highlight matters of significance, explaining things in very simple manner so as laymen could grasp stuff. One prominent example is when they did a video explaining the concepts of net neutrality and urged the audience to file petitions to TRAI. Though they had a niche audience for their videos, AIB got real famous after their Roast program, which drew flak from public for its explicit content. Coming back to On Air with AIB, this is a TV series they launched last year. Season one compl...

Title : Masaan Language : Hindi Year : 2015 Director : Neeraj Ghaywan Genre : Drama, Romance IMDB Link Watch trailer on Youtube Lead Role : Richa Chadda, Vicky Kaushal, Sanjay Mishra , Shweta Tripathi Another realistically made, thought provoking film which keeps the viewers intrigued and in sync with the plot. Though the primary plot is based on lost love, the movie delves into varied issues including the nation’s debatable morality laws, social stigma, cop behavior and the like. Though the viewers are offered a plethora of love stories by our filmmakers, seldom does our movies paint romance in such innocent manner. The nervousness and sincerity are beautifully conceptualized. There is a subtle jibe at the existing social class differences too. Richa Chadda has done a commendable job playing one of the protagonists, Devi. Equally mentionable are Shweta Tripathi, Vicky Kaushal and Sanjay Mishra who all lived their roles.  Director Neeraj Ghaywan used to assist Anur...

Title :  Do Aankhen Barah Haath Language : Hindi Year : 1957 Director :  Rajaram Vankudre Shantaram Genre : Drama, Crime, Comedy IMDB Link Lead Role :   Rajaram Vankudre Shantaram ,  Sandhya ,  Ulhas Do Aankhen Barah Haath (Two Eyes, Twelve Hands) is widely regarded as a classic milestone in the history of Indian cinema. The story of the film is based on the 'open prison' experiment that was conducted some two decades before the making of the movie. Adinath is a prison warden who decides to carry out this experiment on six murder convicts, in an unprecedented attempt to show them the greatness of mercy. He hopes to nourish their human sides by offering them a second chance. Would his gambit pay off? I believe that a film could be labeled a classic if viewers can connect with it and debate it across the dimensions of time and space. In that regard, this movie justifies the tags attributed to it up to a considerable extent. While the story and making...

Title : Piku Language : Hindi Year : 2015 Director :  Shoojit Sircar Genre : Drama, Comedy IMDB Link Watch trailer on Youtube Lead Role :   Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan A director who caught public attention by presenting offbeat themes including that of a sperm donor (Vicky Donor) and a political thriller (Madras Café) in his previous works. A legendary actor whose very presence shoots up the interests of the average cine-goer.  A diva that has attained the tag of ‘Lady Superstar’ by managing to balance commercial success as well as critical acclaim. An actor known for choosing performance oriented roles, and whose portfolio has grown beyond international boundaries. When such eminent personalities join hands for a project, it is understandable that expectations reach sky high. And Piku succeeds in satisfying your hopes. Piku could be described as a realistic; coming of age tale of today’s working women, and their social relationships an...

Title : ABCD 2 Language : Hindi Year : 2015 Director : Remo D'Zouza Genre : Musical IMDB Link Watch trailer on Youtube Lead Role : Varun Dhawan. Sradha Kapoor, Prabhudeva All of us know that ABCD (short for Any Body Can Dance) is a dance based movie series conceptualized on the lines of popular Dance movie franchise, the Step Up. Surely, ABCD 2 is the second installment of the series, but it is not a sequel per se. The story is not a continuation of the first part even though some actors (read dancers) have been retained. To put it short, it is the tale of a dance team which gets bashed publically for having copied dance steps, and their subsequent struggle and eventual rise to the top. Varun Dhawan and Sradha Kapoor has been roped in, probably to increase the marketability. Nevertheless, both justified their selection with some quality movements. The movie has its dose of melodrama, and at times the story seemed just as an excuse to take the film forward. That said,...

Title : Detective Byomkesh Bakshi! Language : Hindi Year : 2015 Director : Dibankar Banerjee Genre : Mystery, Thriller IMDB Link Watch trailer on Youtube Lead Role : Sushant Singh Rajput, Neeraj Kabi, Divya Menon, Anand Tiwary, Swastika Mukherjee Byomkesh Bakshi is a fictional character penned by Sharadi ndu Bandyopadhyay, and one could say he is India’s answer to the famous hat detective, Sherlock Holmes. Several directors have tried their hand in portraying this Kolkata based private investigator onscreen. The latest adaptation is by noted director Dibankar Banerjee, who has come up with a commendable piece of work. Everything begins when Ajit Banerjee visits Byomkesh to seek his advice in the case of his missing father. The eccentric protagonist takes up the case, and he decides to stay at a lodge where Mr. Banerjee stayed before vanishing. He interacts with each distinctive inmates of the lodging, and from there it’s a maze of clues and deductions. The movi...

Title : Dum Laga Ke Haisha Language : Hindi Year : 2015 Director : Sharat Katariya Genre : Comedy, Drama, Romance IMDB Link Watch trailer on Youtube Lead Role : Ayushmann Khurrana, Sanjay Mishra, Bhumi Padnekar Before getting into the plot, this is a Bollywood movie which lets you laugh and enjoy yourselves out. We have our protagonist Prem, who is a high school dropout, presently assisting  his father run their audio store. He is a character with whom the viewer could connect easily. Like most of us, Prem has some notions about who should life partner be. But life has other plans as usual. Succumbing to pressure from family, he is forced into an arranged marriage. He dislikes his bride Sandhya, primarily because she is a bit fat, but also due to her superior educational qualifications. Soon tones of discord arise between them. Prem fears he has been a complete loser in his life, and the rest of the story is better watched than read. Ayushmann has really impress...