Avengers Endgame - Movie Review

Spoilers alert! (Is there anyone who hasn’t seen it yet!)

A complete ode to the fans and a fitting reward for us being glued to the screens for over a decade, religiously watching every one of those 22 films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The grand finale of a journey that made the franchise perhaps the most valuable in the world.

The story picks up from where Infinity War left us - half the universe is gone, including our beloved superheroes, but Nick Fury’s last pager to Captain Marvel gives momentary hope, as with her help they find Thanos and kill him, but not before he has destroyed the stones. Depressed after the realisation that it is indeed all over, hope again returns with Ant-Man coming back from the quantum realm, bringing the possibility of time travel and undoing what Thanos did 5 years ago. With a plan to steal the infinity stones right from their source before Thanos gets them, and bringing back all who are dead, the leftover Avengers embark on a journey through time and space, giving us an enjoyable nostalgic ride of some of the last 10 years of MCU. Easier said than done of course. With many obstacles in the past, classic Marvel action, and clever lines, making us smile throughout, we get the much desired grand climax and the epic battle (once again) between the Thanos army and all our favourite superheroes. Many moments of cheer, adrenaline, humour, and wow!

Is it good action? Yes. Good special effects? Yes. Big screen entertainer? Yes. Paisa Vasool? Yes. 

A mind-blowing the-end of an iconic Avengers saga worthy of its epic-ness? Not exactly. 

In many ways, Endgame suffers from what I call the “curse of the sequel”. When the first movie is so good, the sequel always disappoints, even though by itself it may have been a perfectly good movie. And we know so many of these underwhelming sequels. In that sense, the Avengers series peaked with #InfinityWar, where we saw all superheroes together for the first time, each flexing their special strength against an undefeatable enemy, and failing spectacularly. Because we had Infinity War, by the time we came to Endgame, we had seen-there-done-that all superhero action. What more could there be? 

And that’s why what Endgame needed was a more powerful story that led to the inevitable endgame. We all knew how it would end, what we wanted to be wow’ed by was HOW it got to the end. Unfortunately, that’s where the makers took a lazy path, with a simple time-travel plot (masked as complex quantum theory!), mixed with dollops of self-indulgent MCU nostalgia, and with emotional shockers of a few unexpected deaths. The emotions that the audience feels with our loved superheroes becomes a substitute for a good story. And that’s where #Endgame disappoints and comes as a distant second to #InfinityWar

The other thing that made Infinity War was Thanos, the complex, multi-layered villain who is chasing the larger purpose of making the universe a better place (and not a selfish egotistical power trip). He was so good at being bad that his victory was inevitable. But Endgame misses this vital part of the plot and reduces Thanos to just another villain, who simply must be destroyed. Such a miss! 

Despite all this, #Endgame needs to be watched and celebrated as the culmination of an epic decade with MCU, that has given us THE defining mythology of our times.

#Endgame is indeed the end of an era. But, that can only mean one thing... the one thing that comes after the end.. a new Beginning. Marvel, we’re ready... 

Kalank - Film Review

Arijit Singh’s haunting title track is probably about the best thing in this movie. That and maybe the visually gorgeous trailer that reflects the beautifully elaborate and extravagant sets. But, last I checked, a movie needs a little bit more to really make the cut. 

The good news. It’s great to see that Bollywood is struggling to make a big budget, big sets, big star cast blockbuster (Remember Thugs of Hindostan!). And is actually succeeding in making smaller, deeper, more meaningful cinema. Only very recently, it was exactly the opposite. Just for that, it’s rewarding to see #Kalank fail spectacularly. 

The story, set just before Independence, revolves around Roop (Alia) who, after a completely and convolutedly unconvincing ‘majboori’ gets married to Dev (Aditya Roy Kapur) as his second wife. This is Satya’s idea (Sonakshi), who as the dying first wife, wants to leave behind Roop as a backup wife, because, how can the husband be without a wife even for a single day. What if he needs a cup of tea the day after the wife is dead! That becomes the base for a marriage without love (but with respect apparently, as Dev tells Roop). Moving to a new city, Husnabad (in today’s Pakistan), the young and restless Roop rebels to learn music from the friendly-neighbourhood tawaiif, Bahaar Begum (guess who!). The kotha, located in the infamous Hira Mandi, becomes the site, where she meets street boy, blacksmith Zafar (Varun Dhawan) and falls in love with his in-your-face-and-in-my-abs-I’m-a-bastard-and-I-know-it personality. Love is in the air amidst the randomly beautiful holi colours. Love is in the street as she is also a reporter for the politically-charged local newspaper, run by her politically charged husband Dev. Love is also, in the totally irrelevant bullfight between Varun and, well, the bull. Tired already? Wait, there’s 2 more hours to go. The plot then intertwines Zafar’s back-revenge-hate-story, with the rising communal unrest before Partition, creating an inconsequential saga of unconvincing hate-love-hate-love between Roop and Zafar, between Zafar and Dev, between Bahaar Begum and Balraj Chaudhry (Sanjay Dutt) and even between Zafar and best friend-turned-foe Abdul Khan (Kunal Khemu), leading to the final climax with a confusing message of kalank vs. love. And you’re left wondering. Is that what it was all about? Huh! 

Abhishek Varman, Really? Is this the kind of movie you’re making in 2019? We know your earlier hit 2 States wasn’t exactly a piece of art, but given its source book, at least it was a fairly simple enjoyable modern day young love story. Kalank is neither simple nor enjoyable and as far away from modern as it can possibly be. 

The movie felt it was Karan Johar and Abhishek Varman trying to do a Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The grand sets, the colours, the larger-than-life scenes, game-of-thrones inspired Hira Mandi street, the very Devdaas setting of Madhuri and her mannerisms and her kotha, and a ‘dola re dola’ type sequence between Madhuri and Alia. Even Alia’s ‘natkhat’ kite-flying introduction scene was reminiscent of Aishwarya Rai’s ‘man mohini’ introduction in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. But, if anything Kalank shows that only Bhansali can do a Bhansali. Kalank was like a wanna-be Bhansali movie, that had the beautifully grand sets but lacked the taste, that had the actors but not the performances, that had the ambition but not the conviction, that had the money but not the story, that had the vision, but not the craft. 

What a pity to have all of this and not put it to good use. In that sense, a more appropriate word for the movie would be not kalank but “klaant”, which means wasted or jaded. The film is wasted in not being able to tap the potential of the stellar cast who have a proven track record of good performances. The film is wasted in not being able to translate the magnificence of the sets into a gripping visual narrative. The film is wasted in not being able to find meaning in a moment of Indian history that, by definition, is so filled with emotions and meaning.

A movie that has Varun and Alia as the central characters, but doesn’t have the one thing that is guaranteed in a movie with them - their chemistry. A movie that has one of the best (kathak) dancers in Bollywood, Madhuri, but not one properly choreographed kathak number. A movie where Alia is playing a character that she herself is not convinced about. A movie where Varun plays a poor street boy, but you feel nothing for him. A movie where you could leverage an old flame between Sanjay and Madhuri, but only translates into one cold (almost boring) scene towards the end. And, as a die-hard Madhuri fan, I have to say this. C’mon guys, do you honestly think this is all that Madhuri can do - an aged tawaiif! She played Chandramukhi once beautifully, agreed! But have you not seen Dil, Beta, Lajja, Hum Aapke Hai Koun, Tezaab, Dil Toh Pagal Hai, Ram Lakhan, Mrityudand, 100 days, and many more.

Sigh!

When, at the end of the movie, Roop looks at the screen and asks the audience ‘what did you see in this movie kalank or love’, you can’t help but wonder that that is not really the right question at all. The right question is ‘why did we come to watch this movie?’ Because the only kalank at the end of the really long 2 hours 48 mins and 13.9 seconds! was the movie itself. A kalank on the Hindi film industry of 2019, that is, otherwise, making such exciting and modern day films. 

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... 

Gully Boy - Film Review

“There shooter-on ka khaas meri gully mein

Poorey sheher ki awaaz meri gully mein

Meri gully, meri gully gully gully mein

Meri gully, meri gully gully gully mein”

#GullyBoy may turn out to be THE defining youth cult movie of this generation. 

Being young is synonymous with being obsessed with finding ourselves. Defining our own identity is often a struggle between three parts of our lives that are in constant conflict with each other - our family or parents, the world and society at large, and our own emotions and fluid notions. Dil Chahta Hai (2001, Farhan Akhtar) was the youth movie for the 1990s generation, who were concerned with finding themselves through an inward journey of their own personal romantic experiences. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011, Zoya Akhtar), ten years later, was the youth movie of the 2000s generation, who were trying to find themselves through an outward journey of resolving the struggle between their heart (what they wanted to do) and their mind (what they chose to do). And Gully Boy (2019, Zoya Akhtar), almost ten years later, is possibly the youth movie of this generation, who are trying to find themselves through defining the world too.  

The story is about Murad (Ranveer Singh) who lives in a troubled family in Dharavi in Mumbai but keeps his sanity together through a gang of supportive friends and strong girlfriend (Alia Bhatt). Harbouring a hidden talent for writing poetry, he is drawn to a local rap artist MC Sher (Siddhant Chaturvedi), who becomes his mentor to bring out the rap artist inside him. Through a series of emotional ups and downs, youtube hits and being discovered by more producers (Kalki Koechlin), he finally breaks out of his internal and social barriers, finding his calling of becoming the rap sensation that he truly is.  

But, Gully Boy is not just a rap-to-riches story. In fact, the story is almost incidental, the happy ending almost irrelevant. And the movie knows it. The beauty of the movie is in the ugliness it shows in the cities that we live, and the story just becomes the canvas against which to paint the portrait of the city through the eyes of a gully.

The movie is not just about celebrating the rap movement as a sub-culture of our cities. The movie IS the rap itself, which through its poetry, its narrative, its dialogues and its characters, shows an angry mirror to the society we live in. It ridicules the misogynist chauvinistic male (song, Sher Aya Sher). It pokes at the nationalistic intolerant sentiment that is raging through our country (song, Jingostan Beatbox). It makes us feel the helplessness of the quiet acceptance of inequality in our society (song, Doori). And most of all, it puts at centre, the unleashing of the power-within of an individual, as the only way to move forward (“tere andar ka lava fattney de”).

Ranveer Singh, as Murad aka Gully Boy, is brilliant as an understated, self-effacing, introverted slum boy. It’s a reminder that he is a talented actor and he can do more than just the usual over-the-top performances. Alia Bhatt, as always, gives a convincing role, as Safeena the strong-willed girlfriend, standing in-step with Murad, egging him on. Though we would have wanted to see more of her. Newcomer, Siddhant Chaturvedi, as MC Sher, is a discovery. He is a force of nature, as an accomplished rapper, with the look and body language that exudes power-packed rap throughout the movie. 

The soundtrack beautifully accompanies the rhythm, mood and the beat-box of the movie. And is possibly one of its kind rap album that we will be listening for a long time to come.

Gully Boy simply must be watched, because it is an important film of our time. Because it breaks format. 

It is set in the slums, without any filter. It speaks honestly about our lives but doesn’t lose hope. It is angry at what we’ve become but doesn’t endorse violence. It’s a feel-bad movie that is liberating. It is a movie dedicated to rap! Need I say more…

"Apna time aayega, Apna time aayega, apna time aayega

Tu nanga hi toh aaya hai, kya ghanta lekar jaayega"

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga - Film Review

What’s a movie without an agenda these days? If we don’t make a point with a movie, what’s the point, right? Especially if that point is a whole point of view that we want to establish very clearly, in black and white. So that no one misses the point. Unfortunately, that’s the point where the movie starts missing the whole point!

To give credit where it’s due, full marks to the producer (Vidhu Vinod Chopra) and director (Shelly Chopra Dhar) to try and bring the topic of homosexuality as the mainstay of a love story, with the sole purpose of bringing understanding and tolerance in a society that is still depressingly discriminating, Section 377 or not. We applaud the intent behind the movie. And we applaud the attempt to use mainstream stars and classic Bollywood melodrama (or as the protagonist of the story Sweety, calls it ‘siyappa’) to bring the message to the larger public.

But, the message cannot be the movie. A good film with a point of view is one that makes the audience feel the message through its storytelling. Think #UdtaPunjab. By building characters that we identify with, a good film helps us understand how prejudiced we can be towards people we think choose an abnormal path. Think #BadhaaiHo. Through dramatic scenes and emotions, a good film shows us a mirror to our faces, making us realise the unequal society we live in. Think #Pink Through powerful moments and dialogues, a good film gives us a way of correcting our discriminatory ways towards a more open and inclusive society. Think #Dangal

Alas, #EkLadkiKoDekhaTohAisaLaga is a film with a message, but is not a good film. The story revolves around Sweety Chaudhary (Sonam Kapoor) an introverted young girl living in traditional minded but loving Punjabi business family, headed by father Balbir Chaudhary (Anil Kapoor). She wants to escape to find her true love but is dominated by her alpha-male brother, Babloo (Abhishek Duhan), till a chance encounter with wanna-be theatre playwright Sahil Mirza (Rajkumar Rao) gives her a friend for life, who then becomes her partner-in-crime to help her unite with her true love. The movie meanders around in the first half, with pointless jokes and seen-before family antics till the big turning point is revealed right before the interval. This raises hope for a potentially interesting plot to take over. But, after the interval, it continues with the same un-entertaining moments, and many near-lectures of how people’s sexuality is not a disease, but something they are born with. And how we should accept the people we love, just the way they are. Hey-ho-hum. Where have we heard that before!

Anil Kapoor, as the dad, with a secret love for cooking gives some delightful moments in the film, with great comic timing and real emotions. Sonam Kapoor, as usual, is un-impactful and that is a pity because she is the central character of the movie, but she makes a bad story-telling fizzle down even more. Rajkumar Rao is wasted both as the unconvincing romantic in the first half and as the crusading friend in the second half. Juhi Chawla, as a random pointless character with too much screen time, overacts as an exaggerated Punjabi aunty that we have seen toooooooo many times. And Abhishek Duhan, with quite a substantial part, gives a monochromatic (I’m always angry and macho) performance. All and all, pretty underwhelming.

The film tries too hard to make the point. And for all the dialogues it has about ‘listening to your heart and not your head’, it is a movie that is all ‘head’, spelling out for us what we should think and why it matters. At some level, perhaps main-stream Bollywood is not able to understand alternate genders in a real way, and that’s why is not able to tell stories on this topic that are real.  

As we’ve seen in recent Hindi cinema over the last few years, we have come a long way in telling real stories about women, families, social issues, youth lives, etc. But it seems we have a way to go on homosexuality.  But at least, we have started. For that, we give this film some credit.

Glass: Film Review

When the world has superheroes coming out of every nook and corner… when the world starts becoming dependent on superheroes to come and save them… when the world’s belief in superheroes becomes bigger than their belief in God… there has to be a counter force that questions this. Are these superhumans for real, or is there a logical explanation for their ‘apparent’ superpowers? Is it simply that because we have lost our faith in our leaders and our institutions, that we so desperately need to believe in heroes? Is that the reason why we do not want to see the simple human physio-psychological explanation behind a man who is unbreakable (David Dunn, played by Bruce Willis), a man with multiple personalities especially the fiercely strong human-animal Beast (Kevin Wendell Crumb, played by James McAvoy), and a man with a super mastermind (Elijah Price, played by Samuel Jackson)

This is what the movie #Glass attempts to explore, and for that M Night Shyamalan gets full marks. It is delightfully tangential and comes as a surprise when seemingly unrelated characters (from the 2 movies) come together, in an unexpected setting of a psychiatric hospital, being in therapy to be cured of their i-think-i-am-a-superhero mental condition, by Dr Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson). The story then revolves around the therapy conversations, menacingly building up (a bit too slowly) towards the grand un-expected twist, that we always wait for in Shyamalan movies. 

And the climax comes with the all-too-familiar and powerful background score build up. Our hearts are racing. We are waiting to be hit by it. Waiting for Shyamalan to just blow our brains with his brilliance. Waiting to exhale. Waiting.. Breathless... White-faced… aaaaaand then we exhale and it’s over. Too little, too late. We pack our bags and we come home. Just another day.

By now, we have come to accept that we will never again see the genius of The Sixth Sense (1999) and Signs (2002), which not only kept us on the edge of our seats through the entire movie but also overwhelmed us by the final twist in the end. We went from spine-chilling scenes to emotional breakdowns through the course of the story-telling, finally ending in ‘woah-what-was-that’ feeling that stayed with us months after we walked out of the movie hall. We know by now, not to expect that. But, at least we need one or the other - either a gripping narrative (like the Village) or a fantastically amazing ending (like the Unbreakable). Unfortunately, Glass gives neither and leaves us underwhelmed. 

It’s a joy to see a surprisingly-not-so-old-looking Bruce Willis, and Samuel Jackson back after 19 years. But the story-telling doesn’t allow us to enjoy their performances separately or together. James McAvoy does a good job showing his multiple personalities but somehow doesn’t leave you impressed. And Sarah Paulson as the mysterious doctor is decent but bland. As a result, the characters and their performances also make a weak impact.

To be clear, it’s not a bad movie at all and between the actors and their performances, there are moments and ideas to latch on to. The continuous reference to comic books imitating real life is really cool. It’s just that it’s not a Shyamalan-good-movie, even though it had the makings of it. It’s like you end up getting a flavour of what his films are like, without really getting a real bite of the taste, leaving you sufficiently teased, but totally unsatisfied. Or as crime master, Gogo told us all those years ago “Haath Toh Aaya Par Muhn Na Laga” 

Maybe if he had worked with the idea without forcing the link to Unbreakable and Split? And perhaps a stronger point of view of what was it all for? To restore our faith in heroes? Or maybe to destroy it? To question our beliefs on what we take as real and what is fiction? 

Maybe.. 

If only... 

Alas!

The feeling we have come to live with, in the last many years of Shyamalan movies. But, like our belief in superheroes, we will not give up. We will still come to watch your next, again hoping.. maybe, this time!