Pink [2016]

Language - Hindi
Director - Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury
Run Time - 2 hours, 16 minutes
Genre - Drama
Starring - Amitabh Bachchan

Shoojit Sircar's PINK is a hard-hitting film which brings up the topic of sexual abuse in the country and how the well connected people almost always get away scot-free. Pink is a dark courtroom drama where three women, Minal, Falak, and Andrea are defending their actions which are made in lieu of self-defence.

Amitabh Bachchan plays a bi-polar retired lawyer who offers help to these girls when everyone deserts them, and he does pull off the role with utmost ease and flair, almost typical of him. Kudos to the three newcomers also, all of them have given powerful performances.

This gritty drama showcases the disgusting patriarchal society we live in and how women are judged and subjected to various accusations depending on the way they dress, whether they drink or not amongst other habits. It is so easy to point fingers towards a woman if she drinks or has friends visiting her at night, but do we look at it the same way when it comes to a man? The film delivers a bold message which says that instead of teaching girls to be careful, teach your boys to behave properly.

It is perhaps why I like Shoojit Sircar as a filmmaker because he makes films based on real issues, be it a Vicky Donor, a Madras Cafe or a Piku. Although the movie does feel slow in the first half, the latter half makes up for it. Personally, I feel the movie could have been a little more enthralling than it was. There was an addition of unnecessary characters like Amitabh's dying wife, and I believe the whole political element could have been exploited more.

The best part was that the actual incidence was not even shown until the end credits, the movie works entirely on hearsay of the event.

In all, a good movie, with a brilliant message. To more such films over mindless comedy.

My Rating - 7.2/10

Lights Out [2016]

Language - English
Director - David Sandberg
Run Time - 1 hour, 21 minutes
Starring - Teresa Palmer and Maria Bello
Genre - Horror

What seems like an attempt to make an off-beat horror movie, falls short in providing horrors, as well as a solid storyline. When the trailer says from the director of Conjuring, one is inclined to go for the movie, but the viewer will be left disappointed.

The movie starts off amazingly, with a brutal scene when as a man named 'Paul' is killed by something which can be described only as a horrifying creature. Further, we are introduced to the rest of the characters in the film, Rebecca, his step-daughter, Martin his son, and Sophie, his wife, as they are haunted by the 'creature' - for lack of better words.

Although the movie provides a fair bit background onto who the 'creature' is and why is she haunting the family, there was depth missing in the film; the characters were thinly drawn and the thrills are 'cheap'.

Teresa Palmer, playing Rebecca provides the only silver lining of the film, with a wonderful performace. The rest of the characters hardly have a role in this short-film.

In conclusion, I would say that the concept was nice, implementation was faulty.

My Rating - 6.5/10

Madaari [2016]

Director - Nishikant Kamat
Language - Hindi
Run Time - 2 hours, 13 minutes
Genre - Drama/Thriller
Starring - Irrfan Khan and Jimmy Shergill

Irrfan Khan's films, although off-beat, hardly ever disappoint. Such is not the case with Madaari. I had high expectations from the film, the trailer promised a movie somewhere on the lines of  'A Wednesday'. But sadly, the movie delves too much into the 'message' and thus, the plot suffers. Irrfan's acting, top notch as always, is the only thing that carried the movie forward. The movie overall turns out be quite dull affair rather than the thriller that was promised.

Irrfan Khan plays the Madaari, aka Nirmal, a common man and lone father who takes life as it comes. Until, tragedy strikes, and he decides to take matters in his own hands. Skip to kidnapping the son of the home minister of the country. Can he change the system?

The build-up that one expects from the movie is missing, so is the mystery which should be surrounding a thriller. It stretched 30-45 longer than it should have. The flashbacks as well as the songs were quite irritating and unnecessary additions to the plot.

Irrfan Khan and Jimmy Shergill are provide the silver lining in the movie, and yes, the climax to an instant. But how much can two brilliant actors do, without a good script that should be bringing them together? Irrfan Khan stirs the audience's emotions with his portrayal of a father who has lost the only source of happiness in his life - the son and is hellbent on revenge. Vishesh Bansal as Rohan, the kidnapped kid is quite irritating, and not a character I would have liked to see in such a serious film. The director tries to makeup for the serious overtone with Rohan's character, but that adds more poison to the film.

The idea was right, but the execution was miserable.

One should avoid this movie.

My Rating - 5.8/10 (Only because of Irrfan and Jimmy)

Udta Punjab [2016]

Language - Hindi/Punjabi
Director - Abhishek Chaubey
Run Time - 2 hours, 30 minutes
Genre - Drama
Starring - Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareen Kapoor and Diljit Dosanjh

After a lot of controversies and political mud-slinging, the Bombay High Court finally cleared the film which was one of the most awaited films of 2016. And the hype was worth the wait.

The film is dark and intense and some might even use the word 'heavy', but it is a wonderfully made film covering a real topic which is widely ignored in the state as well as the country. As the film portrays (and the title too), Punjab is the drug capital of India, with more than 70% of the youth addicted. Abhishek Chabeu has successfully made an entertaining movie, while delivering a crucial message, a feat that is rarely achieved.

Udta Punjab is a dark and grim adventure that follows the story of 4 people whose fate have become intertwined in the dark web of the drug trade and abuse in Punjab. Shahid Kapoor plays Tommy Singh, the reel version of our very own 'Yo Yo HoneySingh', who sings and preaches about heroin, coke and cock. Alia Bhatt is a laborer from Bihar, who in her desperation to escape poverty, falls into another trap. Diljit Dosanjh is a corrupt cop, who does not give a second look at the drug problems in the state until it hits own home and lastly, we have Kareena Kapoor playing Dr Preet Sahni, a doctor who runs a rehab clinic. Where does each end up?

What makes the movie interesting is the personality change we see in all our characters as the plot progresses, each realizing the effects of their actions. And the acting of Alia Bhatt and Shahid Kapoor is truly magnificent, mark my words, both shall receive lots of awards for their respective roles. I believe Kareena had quite a weak character, and that is one place where the film lacks.

What works for the movie apart from the serious tone, we have some chase sequences, and also have some moments of laughter which take the serious tone for a while. Also, certain scenes are so powerful, like the time went Shahid is taken to jail, or when Alia's craving for drugs starts.

The music is electrifying and keeps one 'amped-up' throughout. Kudos to Amit Trivedi.

Abhishek Chaubey, a director who has shown his talent in Ishqiya, has certainly escalated his levels. It is commendable how he manages to converge different characters and plotlines into a single story, something which Guy Ritchie has managed to excel in (Snatch, RocknRolla). But the first half of the movie was much-much more interesting that the second half, as it seemed like the movie was going towards the documentary route.

Nevertheless, this is not a movie one should miss out on.

My Rating - 8.6/10

Raman Raghav 2.0 [2016]

Language - Hindi
Director - Anurag Kashyap
Run Time - 2 hours, 7 minutes
Genre - Drama/Thriller
Starring - Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Vicky Kaushal

Raman Raghav is a groundbreaking film, for it explores the mind of a serial killer, which has hardly been covered by Bollywood, and yet never so brilliantly. Yes, the film is intense and gory and violent and people with soft hearts should probably avoid it, but that is where the Kashyap strikes the right chord, as such a gruesome portrayal of a serial killer has never been seen on the silver screen (Bollywood only).

Both our protagonists are interesting characters and the chemistry between them works out really well. Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays Ramanna, a serial killer who is trying to emulate the famed 60's killer Raman Raghav. On the other hand, we have Vicky Kaushal playing ACP Raghavan who is drug addict apart from being manipulative human being. Both are on the hunt for each other, as we get to enjoy a wonderful game of cat and mouse.

Nawazuddin is a proven actor now, as he has demonstrated he can play a wide variety of roles quite convincingly. I think he might be the best actor in Bollywood right now. His scary performance is what keeps the audience enthralled throughout the movie. Vicky Kaushal is just his third film is also quite good. The chemistry between the characters, as Raman tries to find his Raghav is top notch, with each complimenting the other.

The cinematography was brilliant, with certain shots having been so perfectly executed. I'd also like to specially mention the opening credits scene, which was so amazing laid out.

The biggest negative has to be the music. The background score was loud, as well as appalling, sometimes hurting the entire scene. And also, the font used everywhere in the film was so pathetic, it seemed like it was picked up from one the old 'Microsoft Word' fonts and tinkered around here and there.

The concept of having the story split into various acts was also refreshing, and thus, the plot deviation didn't seem all that haphazard. The adrenaline kept pumping all throughout the movie. What could have been such a cliched ending was avoided, and therein lies the credit to Mr. Kashyap.

Lastly, I would again like to give some praise to the man who made this movie, and is the best director in Bollywood - Anurag Kashyap, a man of genius intellect. All his films have been so revolutionary. Be it a Black Friday or a No Smoking, Dev D, Gangs of Wasseypur, or Ugly, he has delivered time and again, and changed our way of thinking about the human nature. We hardly recognize the demons that live among us.

If you don't mind a somewhat intense and gory film, this is not to be missed out on.

My Rating - 8/10

X-Men : Apocalypse [2016]

Language - English
Director - Bryan Singer
Run Time - 2 hours, 24 minutes
Genre - Action/Drama
Starring - James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Olivia Munn, Sophie Turner, Nicholas Hoult, Oscar Isaac and Rose Byrne

Before watching this movie, I was quite skeptical about the same because of the criticism it received regarding its heavy action and lack of plot development. Although, I was pleasantly surprised as I really liked the movie.

The movie follows the X-Men battling out against Apocalypse, the world's first mutant who has risen to power after spending a couple millennia buried underground.

The movie was shot beautifully, each scene more captivating than the previous. The way all the characters were introduced in the first half of the movie was brilliant, and the action was just as much was required. Some people are saying too many characters ruined the film, but one has to understand that X-men movies have always been this way, with multiple characters, as it's a team and not a one-man show. You had the usual suspects - Professor X, Magneto, Mystique, Beast and Quicksilver with a re-imagination of old school X-Men characters Jean, Cyclops, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Angel. And yes, Olivia Munn rocked it as Psylocke, although I would have liked her to have more screen time. Fun Fact - She has done all her stunts in the movie herself. Have a look at her badassery below

SPOILER NEXT PARAGRAPH, Proceed with CAUTION.

Apart from her, all other actors also performed wonderfully, with James McAvoy (Professor X), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique) and Nicholas Hoult (Beast) reprising their roles from the previous movies with quite a lot of ease, and newcomers Sophie Turner (Jean), Tye Sheridan (Cyclops) and Alexandra Shipp (Storm) also showing a promising performance. Evan Peters as Quicksilver has to be the most entertaining character, and his scenes always add some well-deserved humor in the X-Men movies. Nightcrawler and Angel were very dull, I feel their characters could have been improved upon.

I do admit that the villain seemed a bit too cliched, and was killed off quite easily too, but what everyone will not get it is that Jean Grey is one of the most powerful mutants in the world, and her using the 'Phoenix Force' to subdue Apocalypse is also in a way the set up for the next film; which shall involve another one of the greatest foes of X-Men, 'Mister Sinister', as hinted in the post-credits scene. Also, I would like to say the destruction could have been curtailed, it seemed to incline more towards a Transformers movie.

One could argue that X-Men franchise is having no continuity at all, but Bryan Singer had earlier mentioned that X-Men: The Last Stand has been removed from continuity, and the current continuity follows more on the lines of First Class, Days of Future Past and now, Apocalypse.

The background score by John Ottman, was spot on, especially during the first couple scenes of 3200 BC when Apocalypse was buried in the rubble by his followers who despised the false God.

The cameo by Wolverine was also brilliant. I am quite sad that Wolverine 3 is going to be Hugh Jackman's last movie as Wolverine. I don't think any of us can imagine Wolverine played by somebody else.

One error in the film that I noticed was there were discrepancies in the voice modulation of Oscar Isaac (Apocalypse). In some scenes, his voice was quite deep, and in some scenes, not so deep. Such a mistake is not acceptable from a giant studio like 20th Century Fox.

In all, I would say it's a really enjoyable film with the right formula of action and drama, and a pinch of humor to top it off. Bryan Singer has again proved himself by taking the X-Men cinematic universe  to the next level. Can't wait to see what more he has in store.

My Rating - 8/10

Waiting [2016]

Language - Hindi/English
Director - Anu Menon
Run Time - 1 hour, 38 minutes
Genre - Drama
Starring - Kalki Koechlin and Naseeruddin Shah


Waiting starts off quite nicely, it seems to be on of those feel good movies where everything shall go right at the end. But no, it follows the title and keeps us waiting until the end for a plot to develop.

The idea and the concept are right there, also you have two of industries best actors in Kalki Koechlin and Naseeruddin Shah, but the execution is horrible and the movie drags on without any significant story development and thus, seems 'half-cooked',

The movie pivots around two protagonists, Tara Deshpande [Koechlin], a fierce, young and abrasive woman who's husband [cameo by Arjun Mathur] has suffered an accident. On the other side, we have Shiv Natraj [Shah], a calm and composed retired professor who's wife has been in a coma for the past 8 months. The two play the waiting game; hoping their respective partners shall come out of the coma.

In any story, there are 5 parts namely the exposition, the rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement.
 

Sadly, this movie follows a straight line, with hardly any ups and downs. Thus, even with a beautiful and fresh topic, and the phenomenal chemistry between our two leads, the film leaves us with the feeling of 'meh'

Also, there were unecessary flashbacks which were showing the same scenes repeatdely, thus irritating the audience further.

In all, quite an avoidable movie.

My Rating - 6.4/10

Captain America : Civil War [2016]

Language - English
Director - Anthony and Joe Russo
Run Time - 2 hours, 27 minutes
Genre - Action/Drama
Starring - Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johannson, Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Olsen and Daniel Bruhl.

Oh boy, do the Russo brothers know how to make superhero movies. After the Winter Soldier, everyone believed them to be a one film wonder, but they washed away all their critics with this gem of a movie. I am so relieved to say that the next Avengers movies - yes 'Infinity War 1 & 2' is going to be by them.

This was probably one of the most anticipated movies of this year, and like always (or you could say 90% of the times), Marvel does not disappoint. Marvel has built their entire cinematic universe so meticulously and diligently laying out each movie as a part of the bigger puzzle, it's extraordinary.

Civil War follows on the incidents of the previous movies where considerable property damage, as well as human lives, were lost in New York, Washington, and Sokovia because of the actions of superheroes. An incident that occurs in Nigeria, which leads to the death of several Wakandians provided the spark to the fire. There is a call for superheroes to get registered and work in tandem with the government. This leads to a split in the team with Cap and Stark on different sides. At a UN conference to get all nations to sign this law - 'Sokovia Accords, there is an apparent bombing by the Winter Soldier, thus further aggravating ties between Cap and Iron Man and leading to an all out war. Little does everybody know there's someone else pulling the strings.

The movie is made brilliantly, starting off slowly and picking up pace as the story goes on. The Russo brothers like to have a story element to the movie rather than having an all out action packed movie - which is why their movies stand out from the rest.

And what a cast this movie has. Apart from the regular players they've also added Daniel Bruhl (Helmut Zemo), Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther), Tom Holland (Spiderman) and Martin Freeman (Everett Ross) to the MCU. One can hardly fail with a cast so talented.

The action sequences are so well shot and amazing played out. It seems something straight out of the comics (albeit with lesser heroes; Civil War in comics had 100 heroes and villains against each other). The FX was on point. Also, the soundtrack by Henry Jackman was spot on, Well there can only be one Hans Zimmer, but nonetheless, Jackman got it almost perfect.

This movie, I think is the start of a line of serious films up for Marvel, and it leads the change brilliantly. A mature, yet entertaining; thought-provoking film about collateral damage and friendship and trust - it does focus on real-world issues.

Irrelevant, but I had a tiny bit of disappointment when Cap does not die like he does in the comics.

Also, loved the cameo of Peter Parker. It added some humour to the otherwise serious movie.

One should not miss this film. It's a movie everyone shall enjoy.

My Rating - 8.7/10

Zootopia [2016]

Language - English
Director - Byron Howard and Rich Moore
Run Time - 1 hour, 48 minutes
Genre - Animation/Comedy
Starring - Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Ginnifer Goodwin and JK Simmons

Disney is back to being the best in animated movies. Zootopia is a brilliant movie which breaks new ground. The ideas are original and ingenuine, the characters are lovable and of course, the movie keeps your rib-tickling throughout.

For the last decade or so, most of the originality was coming from Pixar, but finally, Disney seems to have caught up and created a wonderful, fun filled movie. Loving the new direction at Disney.
[#fact - Out of the top 4 highest grossing movies this year, 3 are from Disney - Zootopia, Civil War, and Jungle Book]

Zootopia follows the story of the young cop (first rabbit cop) Judy Hopps in the city of 'Zootopia' which is a massive city where all animals live together in peace and harmony. But someone or something has threatened the peace amongst the preys and the predators in the city and Officer Hopps along with her confidante, a fox named Nick Wilde are the only ones who can solve the mystery.

There is brilliant chemistry between our 'dumb bunny' and 'sly fox' as they HUSTLE their way out of various roadblocks they face on their mission. Here we see a great evolution of two animals who have always been enemies into friendship. Other than our two protagonists, other characters are also  quite unique and marvelous including the aggressive Cheif Bogo (Bull), timid Assistant Mayor Bellweather (sheep) and fun-loving and obese leopard Officer Clawhauser.

The animation, of course, being Disney is extraordinary, with the seven districts of the city Zootopia a visual delight.

What gave me immense pleasure was a reference to both one of the greatest movies, as well as one of the greatest TV shows. Disney always tries to add in some references and easter eggs from its own movie universe as well as others and this time it paid homage to Vito Corleone from the Godfather and also to Walter White and Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad; other than some usual references to past Disney movies like Frozen, Wreck-it Ralph, etc

Also, one thing I really liked was the deeper meaning that the movie tries to convey to us about racial discrimination, which is important because it still exists in major parts of our world.

To sum it, I would say it's a wonderful movie for all generations and demographics.

Don't miss it.

My Rating - 8.5/10

Fan [2016]

Language - Hindi
Director - Maneesh Sharma
Run Time - 2 hours, 18 minutes
Genre - Drama
Starring - Shah Rukh Khan

FAN was atrocious, terrible and nonsensical. There is actually not a single thing I can appreciate about the movie.

The plot was non-existent and riddled with loopholes. SRK's acting, which has been applauded, was also nothing extraordinary. It's not that hard playing a double role, and most of the actors in Bollywood have proved that. The action sequences were also quite unreal. it's unfathomable that a local cyber cafe owner and even an actor for that matter can pull off all the stunts and chase sequences that were featured in the streets of Mumbai, Dubrovnik, and Delhi. One can understand if a cop or a hardened criminal are involved in such chases, but characters like Gaurav and Aryan could not realistically pull off such stunts.

Fan follows the story of Gaurav Chandana, who is an ardent fan of Aryan Khanna, a Bollywood superstar. He has a strange obsession over Aryan and wants to meet him on his birthday and present him with a trophy he got for mimicking  his star. To achieve that, he engulfs in criminal activities and lands in jail. Aryan visits him there and tells him that he wants nothing to do with Gaurav. Spurned, Aryan plots his revenge which eventually leads to a cat-mouse game where each tries to teach a lesson to the other.

There are various loopholes in the movie like - there is a vast difference between Aryan and Gaurav, and its shocking to see how Gaurav has fooled everyone in the movie, even Aryan's wife (for a brief period) and kids and likewise when Aryan imitates Gaurav. Also, if Gaurav's parents are not supporting of his obsession, why would they spend so much money on costumes and effects for his performances every year, and also allow him to sell his shop to fuel his revenge? How does a superstar like Aryan Khanna have no alibi for the three hours in London? Logic and reason have been defied to pave the way for the outrageous plot of the movie.

Maneesh Sharma might as well give up on directing after making back to back flops like Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, Shuddh Desi Romance and now, Fan.

SRK's career might as well be over after this. Does anyone remember anything extraordinary he's done in the last five years? The answer's NO. With films like Chennai Express, Dilwale, Happy New Year and FAN, his career has just been going downhill over the years. His rivals Salman and Akshay have meanwhile gone far ahead of the yesteryear's superstar.

In all, I would say JUST AVOID this movie. Even when it comes on TV.

My Rating - 4.2/10