sgupta001-817-774557 Reviews

Jalsa (2022)

A complex medley of emotions

[8/10 · 19 March 2022]

The movie is about two mothers, two children and everything in-between. It shows clearly how despite belonging to different poles of the society, we are essentially bound by the same set of emotions - fear, greed, anger and ultimately and overwhelming sense of helplessness.

A must watch for the commendable performances by everyone (special mention to master Surya), a nail biting tear jerking climax.

Rocket Boys (2022– )

Extraordinary! An ode to the pioneering scientific minds of India

[9/10 · 10 February 2022]

Rocket Boys chronicles the journey of two extraordinary scientists involved in India's making since the early days of independence. Homi Bhaba and Vikram Sarabhai. The pioneers in India's scientific research and laying the foundations to take India to the world mantle and be a scientific and technological force to reckon with.

Jim Sarbh has given the performance of a lifetime (yet) - you see Bhaba all the time. You don't see the actor. The actor simply disappears and all you see is the character. Hats Off! True homage to the great scientist being portrayed by such a great actor.

Ishwak has done an equally extraordinary job, the calm, poised young mind, with a passion to serve the country and her people in whatever means he could, and finally laying the foundation of India's space program, currently one of the top 5 in the world.

I would be more happy if the script stayed true to known facts and avoided fictional characters like Raza Mehdi or Vishwesh Mathur. May be dramatization was required. But a true historical account would make an equally honest appeal. It would certainly not diminish the glory of these pioneers.

Finally, a word about the glimpse of the character of APJ Abdul Kalaam in the show. Every scene of him, makes us want for more. Hope there is a season 2 and it focuses on the works and struggle of Kalaam Sir!

Dracula Sir (2020)

A Modern Fable

[8/10 · 11 April 2021]

A modern time where a Dracula is a misfit, a subject of ridicule, subject of curiosity but not someone who is feared. The Dracula work his day time job, lives a friendless life, tries to sympathize with the helpless and may be in the process tries to redeem himself from centuries worth of pent up sins of passion and instinct.

A true masterpiece.

Lucknow Central (2017)

You can create your identity wherever you are!

[7/10 · 14 October 2017]

What can you do when your only crime is dreaming something big? Lucknow Central is about a jailbreak. How five jailed for life inmates come together (can't stop noticing the much clichéd - Hindu-Muslim-Sikh-Isai representation here) who want to take the opportunity of an inter jail singing competition to make an escape, posing as one of the competing bands. The protagonist (played by Farhan) is the band leader, who himself once had the big dream to become a popular singer. As the story unfolds, we realize that their redemption is not in breaking free, but to earn respect, identity and finally be known by their names and not numbers.

Good direction, great dialogues, flawless characterization (Deepak Dobriyal amazes with his portrayal of a Bengali, down to even perfecting the accent which is natural and not overtly comical as most filmmakers tend to make it - the more I see of this guy, my respect for him increases), story development, and music (although noticed the GoT dada-daa--da tune once in the end :-)). As expected, another very good Farhan Akhtar movie.

7/10

Poster Boys (2017)

Truth needs sensation to be heard

[7/10 · 9 September 2017]

Some stories are so absurd, that they must be true!

This is what can be said for 'Poster Boys', a directorial venture of Shreyas Talpade (himself an accomplished actor, although lately kind of disappeared from the mainstream).

The topic of male sterilization and the associated taboo in India, especially when you live in a small village community, is presented in a funny and exaggerated manner. It is nice to see another attempt to re-launch Bobby Deol (as yet another borderline comic character). Although can't say it is much successful. In fact Sunny Paaji's effortless timing and dialog delivery made him overshadow his younger brother in nearly every scene together. He stole the show. Shreyas Talpade, who plays one the three main characters in the story, is OK; dons a 'tapori' look as a recovery agent, with two of his sidekicks (who by the way, gave some of the good laughs), getting into unwarranted troubles most of the time.

The movie tries to treat the subject in a quasi satirical manner, with references to how media can be manipulated by simply making some sensational moves. 'Truth needs sensation to be heard' - a sad but apt comment, made by one of the characters.

Overall nice, watchable and funny. Not that a must watch, but you most likely won't regret wasting your time.

Psycho Raman (2016)

Another superb performance by Nawaz

[7/10 · 2 July 2016]

To be frank, except the superb portrayal of Ramanna alias Raman alias Ram, a psychopathic serial killer - kind of straight out of the characters seen in the TV series "Criminal Minds" early seasons, there is nothing much worth praise in this movie.

Nawazuddin has long become a bankable actor, and has kept most of his performances remembered be it small or big. And this movie is yet another feather in his cap.

The movie tries to make a noble effort, in a neo noir way, to draw the comparison between the 21st Century serial killer Raman and the young Mumbai cop Raghav who is trying to apprehend him. Two opposite poles and yet so similar. While it somewhat tries to show the evolution of Raman in his own way, it also shows the fall of the police officer into his own hell!

But it has not been quite successful. May be something lacked in the story, or the script or the direction. Easier said than done! But whatever the drawbacks may be, the way Nawaz goes under the skin of the character and makes his on screen persona as disagreeable and as scary as possible, is thoroughly commendable. Had it not been him, not sure who it could be.

Anurag Kahshyap is one of the best story tellers Bollywood has seen in the last couple of decades, but while he has been producing good movies lately, directing is something on which he seems to be losing his grip. That is nothing to be resented as the guy already reached his pinnacle with his "Gangs.." series, enough to remember him for a lifetime. "Raman Raghav 2.0", in essence tries to showcase the same objective emotionless story telling, but turns out to be an hasty accomplishment. It seems he is getting bored at the job. Strange background music, peculiar vocals, non-imaginative camera angles, occasional jumps..all reminiscent of the devolution of RGV. Hope I am wrong.

In summary, watch this movie for Nawaz, the movie in itself is not gore at all, but his mere screen presence makes it very much so. That is the power of theatrics.

Laal Rang (2016)

Great Movie, Music, Dialogs

[8/10 · 27 June 2016]

One of the best movies coming out of Bollywood this year, Laal Rang is a arguably not a big budget movie but with great performances is a memorable entertainer.

A gripping story of tales of love, affection, friendship, betrayal in the backdrop of black market trade of human blood and finally culminating into a emotional climax. The neo noir elements are so visible and yet the comic moments are so subtly crafted, that the movie stands apart in story telling and direction.

The movie excels in every department. Some really talented crew over there making the lyrics, dialog, music, editing and direction. Very realistically narrated, superb dialog (many deserve to go down as quotes) and a knockout performance by Randeep Hooda (playing Shankar).

The movie presents the classic time tested topic of a generally accepted bad guy turning out to be everybody's hero with an unexpected sacrifice. This has rarely failed with the Indian viewers!

Traffic (I) (2016)

A Triumph Called India!

[8/10 · 29 May 2016]

Not very often you come across a movie which makes you feel the spirit of a nation and given the diversity of culture, demographics, religion, beliefs and value systems India offers a big big challenge.

This movie is not merely a thrilling portrayal of how a human heart was driven from Mumbai to Pune in 2008, amidst rains and high traffic on a weekday against all hurdles to save the life of a girl in the nick of time. It is far more than that.

It says the story of people who want to stand up despite falling down and being disgraced, those who want to take responsibility despite knowing that the chances of winning are slim, those who make tough emotional choices to let their loved ones go, story of people who despite their wealth and fame appear utterly helpless in front of fate...and so on

Traffic is a story of a medley of characters, placed in different situations, with different background, united on a common mission,all abound in their errors and imperfections. And it is a story of rising above those odds and fighting till the end with all stakes in..

A tight script and apt background score, ingenious story telling and natural performances from everyone makes this small budget small duration movie carve out a place for itself. More than anything this movie has a spirit beyond its celluloid. It triumphs in the diversity of India and how her people can come together because they just want something so succeed.

Veerappan (2016)

Totally Avoidable

[3/10 · 28 May 2016]

When a movie comes out about Veerappan, and there have been quite a few, that too from the RGV camp, your hopes run high. But like most his recent movies this disappoints.

Three minutes into the movie and I was thinking how to endure the next two hours of this mindless, poorly scripted, poorly scored movie. It is somewhat painful to see the descent of RGV, the filmmaker who mastered the art of Indian gangster movies and carved a name in the horror/thriller genre.

This movie is completely passable except the short and natural performance by Usha Jhadhav who plays Veerappan's wife. Overall the movie has nothing more to offer than what you might have already seen in the trailers.

What surprises me, the earlier movie by the same director "Killing Veerappan" garnered much more praise and was undoubtedly a better crafted movie. Why he took the pain of shooting another version?

Airlift (2016)

An Excellent Masterpiece

[8/10 · 24 January 2016]

The trailer of Airlift created quite a buzz and made people dig internet to find out exactly happened with the Indians stranded in Kuwait during the Gulf War or the events that preceded them. Little did many know till then, about someone like Ranjeet Katiyal or what he did. And we are talking about pre twitter pre facebook days and to a large extent pre mobile and pre internet days as well. So it does remain a 'Story to be told'.

The movie tries to capture the essence of those events, depicting the efforts made by a rich businessman who decided to stay back, take care and finally arrange safe passage of for the more than 150,000 Indians stuck in the war zone.

Story apart and without going deep into the topic whether the events filmed on celluloid happened exactly the same way, it is needless to say that the movie is a cinematic masterpiece in itself. Brilliantly written script, excellent dialogs and cinematography and in every way a flawless production in showing a war torn country and its people who suddenly belong nowhere. The only weak point I found was the time when the protagonist got into a hand fight with the Iraqi soldiers. It is so unbecoming of a shrewd businessman that he is reputed to be.

Akshay Kumar has once again delivered a powerful and believable performance, but the true show stealer has been Ms. Kaur (remember the lonely devoted housewife in 'The Lunchbox'?) with her consistent, effortless, strong yet gentle and graceful performance. Some of the best lines have been bestowed on her, and she delivered them in gold.

It would not be complete without saying that this movie is an apt tribute, just on the eve of the Indian Republic Day, to the unsung heroes of India who have at some point of their lives, dedicated a small part of themselves to the service of their fellowmen, without self and without regret. They rose above the boundaries of religion, language, caste and even borders. And that is the real feat of this movie. Well Done Mr. Menon! 8/10

Chotoder Chobi (2014)

A Sensitive Portrayal

[8/10 · 1 June 2015]

How much must one be pained to decide to end his line with his death, leaving no one behind? How much burden must one bear to decide against creating progeny, because they might just suffer in the same way?

A lot indeed!

Chhotoder Chhobi (translated 'A Picture about the Little Ones' or aptly enough 'A Short Story') deals with the unconventional topic of dwarfism and its impact on the lives of people suffering from this genetic disorder. It shows how they are forced to live a secluded society, often treated with inequality, amusement and unsolicited sympathy by the bigger crowd. It shows how they are forced to live within the circles of 'traditional jobs', often having to struggle their way up even for the most usual things.

"Now it is illegal to show animals in the circus. So people come to see us. We are the animals.." says the protagonist Khoka who works as a clown ('joker' as is commonly called in India) in a circus. Like his fellow 'jokers' he also gets paid a pittance, and forced to run errands for the master besides regular work.

As events turn, Khoka meets Soma, also a dwarf, with whom he starts weaving dreams of a family, only to realize Soma has decided not to have family or children because she does not want her future generations to suffer the same ostracism and social hardship that she and her fellow dwarfs are forced to endure. The movie however ends in a happier note with both agreeing to live as friends, caring for each other.

The strength of the movie is its story and its portrayal of the lives of dwarfs in the Bengali society; with utter sincerity and realism. The production quality is excellent and acting by the lesser known actors (and I feel most of them are probably non professionals) is unexpectedly fluid and natural. Kaushik Ganguly is one of the few Bengali movie makers from whom I have developed great expectations and he has lived up to his mark once again.

A excellent movie and food for thought.

Bombay Velvet (2015)

Dozed Off!

[5/10 · 17 May 2015]

When a movie by Anurag Kashyap comes out you expect something different. The director had re-defined the standard of fine storytelling through his 'Gangs..' series. And as it is, his stories generally have a hard hitting neo noir tinge to them which keeps the audience glued to the screen.

But this movie disappoints. Even the director's previous venture 'Ugly' seemed better. Except a successful attempt in creating late 60's environment and visuals of Bombay (it wasn't Mumbai yet), there is hardly anything worth praise. An old story line (inspired by many as rightly acknowledge by the director in the opening credits), poor casting (except Anushka who barely fits the role), overly melodramatic script and so on.

Half an hour into the movie, the interest goes away. It is not clear what is the subject and what is the direction. Midway it picks up some steam only to lose it fast. In the end I sit there waiting for the movie to finish in a very predictable way, yawning through the action scenes and wondering if at least the story could have been written better...

Badlapur (2015)

Intense and Dark

[8/10 · 9 March 2015]

Very rarely one comes across a movie which makes him empathize. Badlapur is one such movie. Shockingly convincing, intense and dark makes you feel every inch of the emotional turmoil and heart wrenching pain the protagonist goes through.

Sriram Raghavan after a long time have once again given a movie with down to earth performances, brilliant script, story-telling and an engrossing tale of loss and revenge which takes you through a journey of time, places and faces.

Not to say the movie marks the rise of Varun Dhawan as one of the industry's finest actors.

Mardaani (2014)

A Crisp Entertainer

[8/10 · 24 August 2014]

Very rarely comes a movie which engrosses you from start to the finish. Mardaani is one such installment which keeps you glued with its tight script, brilliant performances and excellent production values. A worthy comeback movie for one of the finest actors in Hindi cinema.

Keeping the movie just over one and a half hour, sans out of context songs and dance numbers, no nonsense down to earth dialogs and believable sequences make the movie a pleasure to watch. The greatest achievement is in portraying a senior female police inspector in Mumbai Crime Branch as a normal person just like anyone else with friends, family and yet an iron determination to take on the criminals as one's professional call of duty. No frills, no melodrama, no big talks. Just doing what is needed.

Probably Rani's career best after 'Black'

8/10

Revolver Rani (2014)

Kill Bill Indian Style? Well almost!

[7/10 · 26 April 2014]

The backdrop of Chambal, the famous (or notorious) wastelands of India has been the origin of several romantic stories. Of rebels and outlaws. An Indian version of wild wild west if I may say so.

This installment comes with a bit of freshness. The leading lady runs an empire for herself. Kangana plays Alka aka. Revolver Rani, who rules her herd at gunpoint with seemingly insane lack of fear or concern for any consequences and with an irresistible urge to defy everyone to prove her mettle. Comic yet scary at times. Until she discovers that she has been made pregnant by her otherwise parasitic boyfriend (played by Vir Das). All her attention turns to the unborn child and the movie starts taking surprising and not so surprising turns.

In a tale of power, seduction, love, conspiracy and treachery, the uncrowned queen of the wastelands finally finds herself riddled with burns and bullets; but she defies death only to wake up at an unknown location as the movie ends. Well a tale of revenge must follow and we will wait for that! We did for Kill Bill. Didn't we?

The strength of the movie is Kangana. The National Award winning actress has delivered a solid performance throughout and proved with ease how she can handle such a character which demanded acting skills and physical fitness alike. The energy she pumps in doing every bit of the movie is simply amazing. Piyush Mishra, a fine actor himself gives a powerful performance as the uncle Balli who mentors Alka and yet finally holds his own scheme of things higher than anything else.

The dialogs and lyrics are good, script and story telling is not remarkable but able to etch certain characters pretty well. Music is neither a weakness nor a strength. The editor has done a good job and overall the direction by Sai Kabir is commendable. Certainly an enjoyable watch and even in the end leaves you wondering what happens next. 7/10.

Bhoothnath Returns (2014)

Entertaining and Refreshing Look to a Common Subject

[7/10 · 12 April 2014]

"Trailer hit hai to picture hit. Aur gaanaa hit hai to picture super hit."

Well the strength of Bhoothnath Returns are its dialog. Witty and apt. All set to become popular one liners for sometime. Movies about a person returning from the dead to the living world have either been mostly horror or comedy. But this particular installment has a message, almost like a satire to the affairs of the Government, media and lack of empathy to the common people. There are a couple of twists and turns in the story and finally we have ghost contesting national elections as an independent candidate and not using all the supernatural powers he has got. A common man...er a common ghost!

Superb performances by Big B, Parth (lookout for this kid!) and Boman (and almost everyone else) helps to make it an enjoyable watch. The camera work and music are commendable. Especially the 'Dharavi Rap'. Probably better than the popular 'Party' number.

Weaknesses? Well it drags at times. The movie is well around two and a half hours and it feels that the movie could have been edited better. Anyway a better watch than most of the other Hindi movies released around the same time, very topical and entertaining. 7/10.

Phoring (2013)

Simple Yet Enjoyable Watch

[7/10 · 1 April 2014]

Well, I don't find any sizable reference about the writer/director Indranil Roychowdhury on IMDb, so I guess he is fairly new to Cinema world. And that makes his attempt to create a story of adolescent infatuation with an older lady a notable one.

The plot has nothing seriously new to offer, as this kind of subtle play of emotions and memories has been kind of a common in several movies I have seen. The closest in comparison being Malena, the Monica Bellucci starter with roughly the same story line. But while the latter has been told with more of a humorous note, Phoring echos a medley of emotions which makes it memorable and commendable.

The key strength of the movie is the simplicity and genuineness with which a suburban lifestyle has been portrayed and the way simple things and events have rendered a distinct fresh flavor to the whole act of story telling and visually presenting it. An eye to detail and an attempt to create a natural and believable environment has made the movie worth watching and praising. Thoroughly enjoyable. 7/10

The Reincarnate (2014)

A Beautiful Musical Journey Centuries Apart

[8/10 · 30 March 2014]

When I started watching Jaatishwar, it did not strike me. It appeared dull, without any strong story line and probably a disappointment. Things started changing when Rohit (the lovelorn Gujrati guy who by now had left Kolkata to study Portuguese Colonial history in Humbolt Univeristy - my my !!) meets Kushal who recalls himself as Hensman Anthony reborn (and he indeed is)!

Little is known about Anthony Firingi who was born a Portuguese and adopted colonial Bengal as his home. He earned quite a bit of popularity as a poet and singer in the Bengali language during the early 19th Century. I don't know how much historically correct the account of the life of Anthony Firingi shown in the movie is, but the brilliance with which the stories of two different times are intertwined in the story telling is highly commendable. Especially the way the Kobi-r Lodai (Poet Duel) between Anthony and Bhola Moira mixes with a contemporary rock concert is memorable.

Overall the movie takes you through a journey of ages together, a journey of passion, poetry, devotion, music, love, desires and forgiveness. The music by Kabir Suman is probably the biggest strength which presents two different times in perfect harmony and melody. Sir, you simply rock!

The Royal Bengal Tiger (2014)

Splendid!

[8/10 · 27 March 2014]

Storytelling has been always the core of a movie. Making a movie on the split personality disorder has not been new in the movie world, but I hardly remember any attempt in the Bengali film world and at least not recently. And this is where 'The Royal Bengal Tiger' scores very high. Not only a novel attempt but a splendid production.

Absolutely brilliant story telling, a tight and believable script, great performances by Abir Chatterjee and Jeet as the two (or one?) protagonists of the movie. Not to mention the subtle message which yet stands out loud - 'fear is a state of mind'.

My congratulations go to 'new' director Rajesh Ganguly in the Bengali Cinema Block - Brilliant Sir and looking forward to hear a lot about you!

Mountain of the Moon (2013)

Spectacular Attempt

[7/10 · 23 March 2014]

The movie is based on a novel written by a noted Bengali writer almost 100 years back. And the story still remains the main asset of this movie. It not only takes you through the visual marvels of the Dark Continent, but keeps you engrossed in a tale of adventure and thrill throughout.

Dev as the protagonist (Shankar) appears a miscast initially and in fact over-shadowed by Gerard Rudolf during major part of the movie. The acting was constipated, lacking natural reactions and expressions. But as the movie progresses, Dev evolves. Especially the sequences towards the ending have been carried out brilliantly.

The movie is high on production value. Well researched costumes, props, landscapes and use of CGI make it a visual delight, enough to make any filmmaker proud. In fact this movie costing less than 3 Million USD could easily parallel any international or Hollywood movie made on the same story. Hats off to the makers for that!

Overall a good movie to watch, 7/10.