can you vish?

 If you know me personally, you might also know that I am a regular at the International Film Festval of Kerala, held annually in December at Thiruvananthapuram (and if you don’t know me personally, just read the first sentence). A habit that started during my Thiruvananthapuram days in 2016, I look forward and try to attend the week long celebration of cinema - unless life or a killer virus gets in the way. Prologue Since the dates for the next fest are officially announced during the conclusion of the current fest, what follows is an year long wait. Nothing significant happens for the most part of the year, so let us skip ahead to November - when the registration opens for delegates. Yes, we know that there are over ten thousand delegate passes and registration window usually lasts days - still most of my friends (and I) hit the servers with a passion  until our registrations go through. Once that is done, the wait begins for the schedule to be released - where we would come...

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...

Most of the film festivals around us were conceived before a time when the numerous OTT platforms or even the Internet was a thing. Those days, we could only watch the movies that were screened in the cinemas near us. Film festivals were probably the only way to get a taste of cinema from around the world. Now, of course, times have changed so much that a South Korean TV show was the biggest hit of the past year worldwide. We have digital platforms offering carefully curated, critically acclaimed movies. Content has never been more accessible.  In such a time, have film festivals lost their relevance? One look at the huge crowds who turned up for this year’s IFFK would tell you the answer is a big, loud NO. Film festivals are all about movies, and yet not only about watching them. The feeling of a community action that you get when you see co-delegates with their clothe-bags and id tags, the adrenaline rush from the careful scrutiny of the screening schedule to pick the films match...

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 :  Zeitgeist The Movie Language : English Year : 2007 Director : Peter Joseph Genre : Documentary IMDB Link Watch trailer on Youtube Zeitgeist film series is a set of three documentary films which discusses various conspiracy theories. Zeitgeist : The Movie is the first installment of the trilogy, which was directed by Peter Joseph and released in 2007. The movie is divided into 3 sections - the first one proposes theories of how Christianity and other major modern religions designed fraudulent concepts of God by copying concepts from other pagan religions. They propose that religions are nothing but a collection of hollow lies and superstitions, and how people confuse them with scientific phenomenon (like astronomy, for instance). The second section focuses on the dirty politics of government of the United States of America, and go on to claim that the infamous 9/11 was actually an inside job. The final section deals with the origin and gro...

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 : East Side Sushi Language : English Year : 2014 Director : Anthony Lucero Genre : Drama IMDB Link Watch trailer on Youtube Lead Role : Diana Elizabeth Torres, Yutaka Takeuchi, Rodrigo Duarte Clark Are you a food lover? Do you like trying out exotic food from exotic places? Then, you are gonna love this film. Do you watch those small, less-noticed, colorful, feel good movies? Then, you are gonna love this film. East Side Sushi tells the tale of Juana Martinez, a Mexican woman who quits being a fruit cart vendor, try out many other jobs, and finally become what her heart wanted - a sushi chef. Her path was not easy a bit. She had to convince a hell lot of people, starting from her family, and had to wage her battles over notions that some jobs are gender specific. Well, one could say the movie belongs to the English Vinglish family. East Side Sushi is one such movie which let the smile on your lips in tact throughout. I have never ha...

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 : Sherlock - The Abominable Bride Language : English Year : 2016 Director : Douglas Mackinnon Genre : Crime, Drama, Mystery IMDB Link Watch trailer on Youtube Lead Role :  Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs After almost two years of baited anticipation, the hat detective and his doctor friend is back, this time in what apparently is a time twisting episode, as the plot unravels itself in the nineteenth century. Sherlock fans, do not be disheartened. The times may have changed, horse carts may have replaced motor cars and certain socio-political situations might be from the past, but the super confident-arrogant nature of Mr. Holmes and the helpful, concerned and rebuking nature of the good old Watson remain intact in this "special" episode. Though this is an off-episode, I would advise you to watch the first three seasons before you watch this (if you have not watched already). So, what is the abominable bride all about? To be sho...

Title : Departures Language : Japanese Year : 2008 Director : Yôjirô Takita Genre : Drama, Music IMDB Link Watch trailer on Youtube Lead Role :  Masahiro Motoki, Ryôko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki The concepts of birth, life and death have always fascinated the imaginations of human beings. Though the scientific base to the theory is debatable, most religions around the globe preaches of an afterlife after death. Hence, when someone passes away, it is the duty of his family and friends to make sure he reaches the other world safely. In this regard, funeral ceremonies are very elaborate and pious. The astounding  pyramids of Egypt bear testimony to the fact that most of us considers death as a passage rather than the end. However, the persons entrusted with the role of preparing the deceased in their journey to the next world do not often get the deserved attention in the society. 2008 Academy Award winner (for the best foreign language film) Departures tell t...

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 : Anarkali Language : Malayalam Year : 2015 Director : Sachy Genre : Drama, Romance IMDB Link Watch trailer on Youtube Lead Role : Prithviraj Sukumaran, Biju Menon, Miya George, Suresh Krishna Many of us might be familiar with the tale of Anarkali, the court dancer who was supposedly Jahangir’s secret lover. But when a debutant director announces the title for his directorial venture, one is not very sure what to expect. Is he gonna portray the Mughal times? Or is he planning to base the plot on the ageless tale of love? One fine day, the trailer releases and doubts are put to rest. Anarkali, as the team behind it described, is a romantic drama with feeble elements of thrill sprinkled here and there. The storyline is not very gripping or deep, and it is compensated by the beauty of the breathtaking visuals. Cinematography is the soul of the movie, and Sujith Vasudev deserves an applause. Prithviraj Sukumaran is apt for the role of Shantanu, our mysterious wan...

Title : Court Language : Marathi Year : 2014 Director : Chaitanya Tamhane Genre : Drama IMDB Link Watch trailer on YouTube Lead Role : Usha Bane, Vivek Gomber, Pradeep Joshi As the title seems to suggest, Court is a courtroom drama on the very outset. But it is not all about two lawyers traversing through the sections of IPC and the final verdict by the judge. Rather the movie goes on to show us glimpses of their personal lives, including their public dealings, homely chores and social circles. A folk singer by the name Narayan Kamble is framed and brought in for a trail. He is accused of having inspired the alleged suicide of a sewage worker through one of his poems. To draw an analogy from the timeless classic 12 Angry Men, the plot focuses more on the process than on finding out if the accused is indeed guilty or not.  The debutante director has succeeded in presenting the sequences in a realistic manner. This is probably novel in Indian cinema, whose co...

Title : Baishe Srabon Language : Bengali Year : 2011 Director : Srijit Mukherjee Genre : Mystery, Crime IMDB Link Watch trailer on YouTube Lead Role :  Parambrata Chatterjee, Prasenjit Chattarjee, Raima Sen Baishe Srabon (22 Srabon) is a Bengali crime thriller with enough mystery elements thrown in to keep you the viewers enthralled and guessing. A serial killer is on the prawl, who finishes off people at nights and leaves verses from poems behind. The clueless police seeks the help of a brilliant ex-cop who was suspended from service thanks to his infamous torture methods. The script is intense, with cross references to Bengali literature and some history. The casting is perfect, and background score stands out. The movie is not exactly a fast paced thriller, but never loses the flow. Parambrata Chatterjee is turning into one of my favorite actors.