Amadeus -The Film

 This film, on the life of Mozart, is brilliant.

The film focuses on the rivalry between a court musician in Vienna, and Mozart, an upstart musical genius.

Tom Hulce played Mozart with a rare mixture of audacity and verve. His laughter-at times hysterical- is a nice touch, and gives the character some distinctiveness.

The music, of course, is excellent, and a highlight for even those -like me- who don't understand Western classical music.

Definitely worth a watch. 

Coolie Starring Rajnikanth

 He's cool, whether he's a Coolie, or a jailer, or anyone else. Saw his latest yesterday. Fireworks all the way, with a dose of emotion, and a twist or two.

He has an unmatched screen presence, in my view. He does not need a heroine, who looks like an extra in his presence-such is his magic on screen! He does not have one, therefore.. only a daughter-like figure who accompanies him for most of the film.

The smuggling operation is led by a villain, who has a past. Played by Nagarjuna Akkineni, Telugu film star with aplomb. Kattappa of Bahubali fame has a decent role as a friend of the hero, who gets killed by a surprise villain, and the story is a kind of revenge quest. Shruti Hasan is Ok in her role as the daughter-figure. Amir Khan gets to play a guest role, not a bad one.

The story is not new or great, but enough to hang his acting and screen time on, and for Rajni fans, nothing else matters, as I said. If you are a fan, go for it. if not, well, it's up to you. Only bad thing? The music.

Bonus- Ticket price in Kolkata is very reasonable!

Laapata Ladies- Film Review

 According to me, it's a must-watch and a mast (Hindi) watch. It reminded me of Basu Chatterjee films like Rajnigandha. 

A simple story, great acting by newcomers to this genre-particularly the female leads, lovely build-up of the rural milieu that reminded me of Peepli Live (the film).

This is how a film should be, though I have nothing against well-made masala films as well. That's a different kind of entertainment altogether.

Go watch it, for Ravi Kishan, Chhaya Kadam (the veterans) but even more for the relative newcomers- Pratibha Ranta and Nitanshi Goel. Sparsh Shrivastava is also good. 

No spoilers. There is a bit of suspense to but it is a delightful film. Good writing, editing and direction (by Kiran Rao).

Film Review- A Haunting in Venice

 This is an Agatha Christie story starring Hercule Poirot. If you like mystery stories with twists and turns, this one is for you. It stars a new actor in the lead role, and the supporting star cast is pretty decent.

The story of the film is set in Venice, and has a back story of a girl who apparently has died by suicide. Poirot's author friend invites him - he is in Venice leading a retired life- to a party and a seance by an invited lady medium.

A couple of murders happen in the palazzio which needs a lot of repairs, and has an unreliable telephone line, and is supposedly haunted. The owner, the dead girl's mother, apparently wants to talk to the dead girl's spirit at the seance, but the 'medium' is exposed as a hoax by Poirot. But things get complicated, forcing Poirot to get cracking again, to the delight of his friend and the audience. It ends well.

Gripping, well-crafted.

Film Review- Pathaan

 It's slick, and it has some good locations where it's shot. But it's at least 30 minutes too long- the last fifteen could easily have been eliminated without any loss to the narrative. And it seems like a hotch-potch of various action films I have seen, including a few Bond films. And the cheeky one-liners are missing. Bond heroes are suave, and well-dressed, except in bed. 

Not sure what to make of the action scenes. For one, they are too long. Even Amitabh, thirty years ago finished off his job pretty quickly. What takes Shah Rukh and Salman bhai so long?

The infamous song is ok, no big deal. In general, the dialogue sucks. Dimple and Ashutosh Rana are believable. The hi-jinks action is not. Some of it, like the bikes on a frozen lake, are almost comical. John Abraham does reasonably well as a villain.

5 out of 10 would be a fair rating, in my opinion. But then, it's my opinion.

Malayalam Film Oru Thekkan Thallu Case

 I watched this on Netflix mainly because it stars Padmapriya, a friend and former student. She's done a great job in her role as the wife of a respected guy in a Kerala village, who gets drawn into a long fight with a rival who is jealous and wants more attention/respect from the villagers.

The husband-Biju Menon- also has acted well, though I saw him for the first time- I don't watch that many Malayalam films. So has the girl who plays Vasanthi, the link between the two rivals, and a friend of the wife.

The film is worth a watch, though it may not be a must-watch. The Lighthouse plays a prominent role in the story, making it interesting.

Muramba- Marathi Film Review

This is a film for the family-the major players are these four: boy, girl, and his parents.

The father is played by a well-known actor, while the boy and girl are relative newcomers. You may recognise the girl (Mithila Palkar) as the heroine of Karvaan, the Hindi film that released recently. Certainly worth a watch for its novel style of storytelling, though it has many "typical" scenes -this word is used a lot by the characters, poking fun at stereotypical filmy scenes for a given situation.

The girl and the boy are in a deep relationship that everyone assumes will lead to marriage, and they break up quite suddenly- or so it seems to the parents. How they delve into getting the girl's side of the story and try to get the romance back on track forms the story.

The elderly couple are of course, good actors with long experience, and the youngsters don't let you down. Refreshingly told, it stands up to its promise from the first scene till the end.

Parmanu- Film Review

Goes to prove that a good leader can make a difference. I am talking about Atal Behari Vajpayee who had to take a call, and he did. The story is well-known, about India cocking a snook at the Western powers and conducting nuclear tests anyway.

The film does justice to the event, and has the cast perform credibly. The twists keep you interested, and occur at regular intervals. Diana Penty became one of my favourite actresses after I saw her in Happy Bhag Jayegi-she carried the film on her shoulders. Here she has the only female character in the A-team, and does well. John Abraham did well to produce the film, and is good in his part.

A couple of things were hard to digest- for instance, forgetting to look for bugs in the hotel room (or the phone tapping) in such a secret operation. But the later catching of the American spy sort of makes up for that intelligence lapse.

It speaks well of Indian capabilities when put to the test. Boman Irani in particular, is very convincing and has a critical role.

Beyond the Clouds-Review of Hindi Film

..and made by the acclaimed Iranian director Majid Majidi. I have always held that the top Iranian directors are the best film directors for films that are steeped in realism. This one is fantastic, if you (like me) have grown tired of the formulaic Hindi film, or if you occasionally like to try out a different type of film.

It's an ordinary enough story, about a teen dealer in drugs, his sister, and her would-be molester. Set against the slums, the difference is in the direction, the way the shots convey meaning that evolves, rather than with in-your-face dialogues.

It is about relationships between wives and wife-beating husbands, brother and sister, migrant workers in Mumbai, and strangers who become each other's life life support. Amazingly picturised, and brilliantly acted and directed. Hats off to one of the best directors, again. The flow from one scene to another is so smooth you are unwittingly drawn into each character, and sympathise with them, whether it's the small girl peeping under the bed, or the pimp-gangster.

Beyond expectations, certainly from a Hindi film.

Film Review- The Sense of an Ending

Absorbing, almost lyrical, though not as satisfying as the book.

Having read the book a while ago, I had forgotten the twist. A good thing when you are watching a human interest story with a very big twist. But I remember I was impressed with the book, and had even recommended it to many. By the way, Julian Barnes wrote another one that was about dying, which is worth dying for.

The movie is worth a watch if you either liked Lunchbox (same direcor here) or like Julian Barnes's writing. The director does a good job, keeping the atmosphere of an English Public School, and the countryside (where much of the action happens) authentic. The sequences involving the protagonist and his schoolmates ended too quickly, I thought, and the ones with his daughter were a bit prolonged (because they don't take his story forward). But these minor cribs apart, it's beautifully acted.

Please don't go in expecting a Guardians of the Galaxy, and you won't be disappointed. The book, as it usually happens, is even better due to the detailing.

Bahubali-Film Review of the Sequel

Hero-worship is not something I would recommend to anyone. But I am sorely tempted to recommend Devsena to you. And Kattappa. Why the two minor characters, you may ask, instead of the hero, Amarendra/Mahendra (though he fits his role to a T) or the Rajmata Shivagami? I will explain.

If you have to hero-worship, it need not be the guy who has the might, and therefore wins wars. Or the one who runs a kingdom on her whims (sometimes good, mostly bad as in most monarchies). It is those who are up against adverse circumstances, or deep dilemmas, and still come up trumps.

I would, in this edition of Bahubali, vote first for Devsena, who is the epitome of courage. She, more than anyone else, upholds values of a kind that need cherishing. Having the guts (multiple times) to challenge a Queen who at her whim can have her beheaded, requires a rare courage of conviction. Living through her husband being repeatedly humiliated, she still defies the high and mighty openly.

Second, Kattappa is also worthy of emulation. Second to none on the field of war, he is fiercely loyal to the promise his ancestors made, even when tested in the extreme. His role is actually the backbone of both the films, notwithstanding the fact that his killing Bahubali 1 became the talk of the town.

If you have to hero-worship, I would go for one of these two. The others were just doing their job. I am also happy to see an Indian film of the mind-boggling scale that this one has reached. That in itself is an achievement, in my view. Human emotions are also well-handled, an added  plus. No point making a recommendation, but I wouldn't mind a second viewing, just to enjoy the visuals. They are brilliant.