Judgemental Hai Kya- Film Review

I liked the film. That does not mean you will like it. It's that kind of film (isn't all art?). It is quirky, with an uneven pace (probably deliberate, and may be because mental imbalance is one of the subjects it deals with through its main character), and is full of switches between the present and the past- flashbacks, if you will.

Still, I give it full marks for keeping the suspense going, and for interspersing the serious plot with comedy in the form of some of the supporting characters- Kangana's boyfriend (who is not sure of his status- ha, ha), the two cops (Satish Kaushik is one), and Jimmy Shergill, who is not into comedy, but is a refreshing add-on.

The idea of using characters from the Ramayana, is great, and the sets of the rehearsals for the Modern Ramayana were brilliant pieces of art. Weaving in Duniya mein logon ko (the song) is also a nice touch, and so is the intro to the art of dubbing for films-we rarely get a look at the post-production activities that go into film-making.

It has lots of good things, if you are not too judgemental!

Aligarh- Film Review

Watched this moving film (based on a real incident) on a plane- coming back from Singapore. Manoj Bajpai excels, and the portrait that emerges of the man (a prof. at AMU) is endearing. A much misunderstood, lonely, but competent and respected professor (and poet) at AMU becomes the victim of some rivals' shenanigans, and they invade his privacy and take pictures in his bedroom without permission. And he is victimised, not the invaders.

A journalist takes up the story, and exposes the plot, and suppports the prof. through his trials (literally- he is fighting a case to get his unjust suspension from the job revoked). Played well by Rajkumar Rao.

A minimalistic film, thought-provoking. It's about homosexuality, but it's also about a lot more than that. Dignity, privacy, politics in academics, for instance.

City Lights- Film Review

There was the original Charlie Chaplin film by this name (remade in Hindi as 'Sunayana' starring Rameshwari and Naseeruddin Shah)- and this. This is a remake of a movie called Metro Manila, probably adapted to Mumbai.

The first fifteen minutes are boringly predictable, with the hero being forced to migrate to Mumbai and his being duly cheated out of a large amount of money on arrival. But thereafter, the movie picks up steam, and is unlike most Hindi films- because perhaps it is not a Hindi film originally.

There are pretty good twists and turns that keep you interested, and one man's (actually two, if you count the friend/partner) quest to better their lives, and the consequences (not pleasant for all concerned, but realistic under the circumstances) are worth a look. Patralekha is not bad, Manav Kaul (the partner) is very good. Rajkumar Rao is also pretty decent. One song is well-composed. Reminded me a bit of two films, Gharaonda and Piya ka ghar (with the brilliant song 'Yeh Jeevan hai, is jeevan ka, yehi hai, yehi hai rang roop, thode gham hain, thdi khushiyan') in the seventies and eighties, about Mumbai angst (about housing).

I would have given it a four if the pace initially had been better. As of now, it's a 3.5 on 5.