Badla - Film Review

It’s really exciting to see that finally, we have found a genuine champion director for thrillers in Bollywood. Welcome back, Sujoy Ghosh. After Kahaani 1, Ahalya (short film), Kahaani2, and Te3n (as producer) comes another power-packed film that is all about the intricate story-telling of a series of incidents that connect to a larger plot, with a final reveal of the hold-your-breath-mystery at the end.

Sujoy, this is clearly your calling. And hope you’re able to explore this genre to its fullest over the coming years. There are many stories waiting to be told and there is unlimited potential, which has hardly been tapped in Hindi cinema.  How many really good Bollywood thrillers can you really think of?

The entire story happens around a 3-hour conversation between the accused, Naina Sethi (Taapsee Pannu) and her newly appointed lawyer, Badal Gupta (Amitabh Bachchan). Naina is accused of murdering her extra-marital lover and Badal (who has never lost a case in his life) wants to know the whole real story so that he could save her before a new witness is presented to the police. Naina recounts the series of events that have led her to be arrested and through many counter-questions from Badal, we learn new reveals, twists and turns in the flash-back, making us question what really happened, and furiously guessing who did it, and why, and how!

Amitabh Bachchan rocks as always, playing Badal to the tee. As always, he acts with what he does and acts with what he doesn’t. His dialogues are as impactful, as his silences. It is amazing to see how his expressions speak to you, sometimes giving you another message than what he is saying with his mouth, and you understand as if it’s a secret between him and you. He is easily the greatest actor of our time and he reminds you, again and again. Hats off!

Taapse Pannu, is a great match too. She is such a discovery of the last few years. From Pink to Mulk, to Manmarziyan (see my review https://books-booze-boxoffice.blogspot.com/2018/09/manmarziyan-film-review.html) to #Badla, she has given consistently good performances. She has great screen presence and is a delight to watch. She lights up the screen and you always walk out, wanting more of her.  Her chemistry with Amitabh Bachchan, too, is great in the film, both when they get along and especially when they don’t. 

It is interesting to see that after some really good mystery thriller movies in the 1960s-70s, we lost the knack of telling these stories in Bollywood. Remember Gumnaam (1965), Teesri Manzil (1966), Jewel Thief (1967), Ittefaq (1969) Dhund (1973) among others. But, one can understand why. It’s not easy to tell a crime thriller mystery story. 

A good crime thriller firstly needs a strong building of characters and their in-depth psychology, that will explain why different people in the plot behaved in a certain way. That’s where the motive for the main event (murder) comes, that’s what triggers the entire plot, and the sequence of events. Action of certain characters. And reaction by the others. 

Then, it’s how the story is told to the audience, in a way that not only keeps them engaged (on the edge-of-their-seat), but also makes them want to guess the grand reveal. In most movies, we are passively receiving the entertainment being given to us, but the active participation of the audience is what makes a murder mystery different from all other genres. This storytelling is almost like a duel between the audience and the movie-maker. The game of ‘who is more clever’. The movie grips you, teases you and even tries to confuse you, but if you’re looking carefully, there are enough clues to guess. And the final result of this joust is revealed at the end, when you either win (“I told you so, I guessed it”) or lose (“wow, didn’t see that coming”). And you walk out of the movie hall, playing back all the events in the story again to see how it all fits, in hindsight. 

But, the interesting thing is this. Despite the result, the movie always wins, because if you guessed it, you feel under-whelmed and if you didn’t, you feel stupid! (If you want to know, I was in the former category)

And this is why what Sujoy has achieved is no mean feat. He has managed to create a murder mystery crime thriller that stays true to form. Next time, dream bigger Sujoy. Make it more intricate. Go deeper and higher. May you discover the Agatha Christie in you!

A classic crime thriller, from a really talented director, with brilliant performances from one of the best actors of our time. What more can we ask for?

Captain Marvel - Film Review

A woman who doesn’t realise the potential that lies within because of what she has been told all her life. A woman who is so strong that she needs to be deviously controlled by men who are either threatened by her or want to use her power. 

A woman who eventually sees the lies and the deception that the men in power have fed her. A woman who finally breaks free of her own inner trap when she realises an important truth. That she is not weak because of how often she has fallen but how amazingly strong she is because of how fast she has gotten up and fought back, every single time. 

This could be the story of every strong woman on this planet. In this case, it’s the story of Carol Danvers (aka Captain Marvel)

Set in the 1990s America, before the creation of the Avengers, #CaptainMarvel is an important link in the whole universe (as always, don’t miss the end credits). It tells the story of Vers (Brie Larson), a fighting soldier of the powerful ruling race Kree, who is trained to fight the arch enemy, the alleged terrorist race, Skrulls. When an anti-Skrull mission goes wrong and Vers ends up on Earth, she makes the important ‘connection’ with a young Nick Fury, with whose help she traces back her forgotten human past, that eventually leads her to discover her own truth and to become the super hero that she was destined to be. 

Great visual effects, classic super hero fare, and full paisa vasool experience that we would expect of a Marvel franchise. 

In Captain Marvel, we find a welcome addition to the boys club of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (well, we have Black Widow, but she’s not really an equal, is she). She is tough, she has a sense of humour, and she has more super powers than all the other boys put together. 

And in Brie Larson, we find a delightful character, who effortlessly balances being tough and being feminine, at the same time.

And in that we see the important difference between Captain Marvel and the other (and first) real big woman super hero on the big screen, Wonder Woman. 

Wonder Woman is an amazon.  She shows her force in a way that strips men of all power and control. She can do what men can’t. She will fight when men won’t. She will lead so that the men can follow. She is strong because men are weak. She lives outside of the world created by men and challenges it. She doesn’t need men. She is man enough for the world. 

Captain Marvel, is a woman. She shows her vulnerability but will not let men take advantage of it. She can do what men can and a little bit more. She will fight the good fight, with or without the men. She will lead along with the men. She lives inside the world of men and seeks to change it from within. She is strong but she also needs good men to make the world better.

Thoroughly enjoyable, especially for all Marvel fans. We cheer the references to Avengers, the hints to upcoming stories from MCU, the clever one liners, and the back story linkages to stories that have already been told. 

A story of a super hero, the story of a woman and her journey to find herself. Because only when she saves herself, can she save the world, and indeed the entire universe...