#JaiMummyDi #BollywoodHindiFilmReview #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas Rating: * 1/2

Bollywood Film Review

Johnson Thomas

Mummy-fied Indignity



Film: Jai Mummy Di

Cast: Supriya Pathak, Poonam Dhillon, Sunny Singh, Sonnali Seyggal, Nushrat Bharucha, Varun Sharma

Director: Navjot Gulati

Rating: * 1/2

Runtime: 103 mins



This clunker from the Luv Ranjan stable of misogynistic ‘man’ loving, crusading cinema was not expected for sure. This time he has Navjot Gulati helming (his debut film) a supposed comedy romance that fails to drum up interest in either departments.



The central conceit about two fast friends, Pinki(Poonam Dhillon) and Laali(Supriya Pathak) having a falling out in college and subsequently living their lives in ‘opposition’ to each other while still next door neighbors is a little too far-fetched and difficult to comprehend. They even end up wearing duplicate outfits and reading the riot act to their respective children Saanjh Bhalla(Sonnalli Seyygall) and Puneet Khanna(Sunny SIngh) for fear they might fall in love (inevitable) with each other. The youngsters play pretend, the mothers end up at the same functions in similar garish outfits and have a go at each other while the fathers/husbands dutifully allow their wives to to make ‘noise’ over silly matters.



Considering this film comes from Luv Ranjan’s production house, methinks its an effort to curry favor with the female audience alienated by his previous male-centred attempts at cinema.Unfortunately, there’s neither logic, intriguing moments or humor to make this tedious, truculent and totally meaningless effort worthy of a pricey cinema ticket. The writing is totally pedestrian. The reason for the estrangement between the titular Mummies is silly ( Imagine Varun Sharma as the bone of contention) enough to make you want to stay away. The actors ham ( there’s really no one in the film who is brave enough to stand clear of that contagion) it all the way and the Director just couldn’t make this effort light enough to be forgivable. Take a break from the cinemas this week. This one is only likely to leave you colder than the weather...and just as bothered!



Johnsont307@gmail.com

#Chhapaak #HindiBollywoodFilmMovieReview #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas Rating * * * 1/2

Bollywood Film Review

Johnson Thomas

An Empowering Experience

Film: Chhapaak

Cast: Deepika Padukone, Vikrant Massey, Madhurjeet Sarghi, Ankit Bisht, Delzad Hiwale, Devas Dixit

Director: Meghna Gulzar

Rating: * * * 1/2

Runtime: 138 mins



Chhapaak, based on true incidents, revolves around the trials and tribulations of 19 year old Malti (played by Deepika Padukone who models her post acid attack look on real life victim Laxmi). The wannabe singer, Malti’s, trauma begins when stalker/family friend Bashir Khan and aide, throw acid on her face, in broad daylight on the streets of Delhi. And her trials don’t end there. Her brother’s illness and father’s death compound her problems and it is Malti’s lawyer Archana (Madhurjeet Sarghi), who stands by her through this impressive journey of courage and true grit. And moving forward, Amol(Vikrant Massey), the head of the NGO she eventually works for, helps Malti file a PIL to ban the sale of acid and suggest amendments to make the acid violence legislation more effective.



Meghna Gulzar’s matter-of-fact narrative trails the investigation of the attack, court proceedings, the harrowing medical reconstruction treatment and the eventual emotional healing. Even though the narrative seems choppy and uneven at times, through it all, the true grit, resilience and unstinting spirit of the lead character shines luminously bright. The non-linear narrative designed by Meghna and Atika Chohan’s screenplay, has Malti, already moving on from the traumatic experience, trying to land a job while her life revolves around multiple surgeries and court cases - not the singing she envisioned for herself. Director Meghna Gulzar steers clear of melodrama while drawing up strong enough sentiment to floor even the most hard-hearted viewer. Deepika’s performance lends acuity to Malti’s ( and other victims like her) experience. You can actually see the victim growing from strength to strength as the story progresses and she notches up hard-won victories. Vikrant Massey is effective and so are the other largely peripheral cast members. Massey’s Amol is endearingly flawed. His male condescension and privileged domineering gets pulled down pretty often yet he takes it all in like a sport. There’s an innate goodness in him that just cannot be budged. Madhurjeet Sarghi playing the Lawyer Archana, whose steadfast support gave Malti a chance to be able to rewrite her dreams, appears to have an innate affinity for the feminist contours of the character she essays with crafty elegance. In fact Anand Tiwari, as Archana’s husband presents an ideal of a modern marriage without so much as batting an eyelid. Gender stereotypes are deconstructed - Women in this film have all the powerful roles and why not…especially since this story is meant to evoke compassion.



This film is about Malti’s healing and how she challenges herself to use the spotlight to provoke social change. The protagonist’ lack of a victim complex is the most beautiful aspect of this filmed experience.Meghna Gulzar’s narrative provokes thought and questioning, allowing the audience to react to the played out drama, in their own time and pace. The songs (Chhapaak and Nok Jhok especially) have their own infective influence - sometimes relieving the heaviness and other times, lifting up dampening spirits. The makeup and prosthetics may look put on but there’s no doubting the authenticity of this experience. The minor surges in emotion experienced here are much more earth shattering than the pumped up factitious adrenaline rush of a big budget, period actioner… and I daresay, you won’t be unmoved!



Johnsont307@gmail.com

#BhangraPaaLe #BollywoodHindiFilmMovieReview #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

Bollywood Film Review

Johnson Thomas

Dancing up a murky entreaty

Film: Bhangra Paa Le



Cast: Sunny Kaushal, Rukhsar Dhillon, Shriya Pilgoankar, Balraj Singh Khehra, Himanshu Sharma

Director: Sneha Taurani

Rating: * *

Runtime: 130 mins



Bhangra Paa Le is a film revolving around a dance competition and is set within two distinct periods. The film has a sequence set during the World War II where a soldier Captaan (Sunny Kaushal) from the 1940’s, pulls out a dhol and beats up a discordant tune which energises a defeated company into a resurgent battle for survival. His Nimmo(Shriya Pilgoankar) is typically waiting for him in his hometown, Malwa Village, Punjab. This scenario cuts into another, set in contemporary Amritsar, a college where a dance audition for a bhangra troupe led by Jaggi Singh(Sunny Kaushal), is underway. The battle that’s about to rage is for a spot to perform on the world stage in London and Simi( Rukhsar) whom Jaggi hopes to pair up with, turns on the heat with her own individual aspirations. Dheeraj-Rattan’s inter-cutting story-screenplay fails to drum up enough interest or fire-up a fiery tempo despite the high-on-energy dancing by Jaggi and his Pendu Club dancers or the heavy beat and rhythm of the Bhangra.



Sneha Taurani’s film, marketed as a bridge between the traditional forms of Bhangra from Punjab and western dance forms from all across the world, doesn’t do justice to that high-faulting concept. Sunny Kaushal, Vicky Kaushal’s younger sibling makes his solo debut opposite Rukshar Dhillon here. But it’s neither a distinctive nor memorable one. The three film old actor is competent enough as a dancer from both ages but his lack of screen presence makes it all look unremarkable.



A plethora of songs and dances fail to raise-up enthusiasm for this energy sapping exercise that borders precariously on needlessly elongated tedium. Most of the songs are unremarkable, the liberal use of punjabi is rather off-putting and the performances never quite make it to assured. This is a rather ill-fitting attempt at dance/music tribute.



Johnsont307@gmail.com

#ShimlaMirchi #HindiBollywoodFilmMovieReview #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

Bollywood Film Review

Johnson Thomas

A vintage Whine



Film: Shimla Mirchi

Cast: Hema Malini, Rajkumar Rao, Rakul Preet Singh, Kanwaljeet, Shakti Kapoor, Kiron Juneja, Ramesh Sippy, Dharmendra, Tarun Wadhwa, Kamlesh Gill, Priya Raina, Jagruti Sethia, Nita Mohindra, Zoya Khan

Director: Ramesh Sippy

Rating: * *

Runtime: 128 mins



This Ramesh Sippy produced and Directed film made way back in 2015 was forgotten until Viacom18 decided to give it a decent burial by giving it a limited single screen release. Starring Sippy’s ‘Andaz’ & ‘Sholay’ actress Hema Malini with a plot that appears similar to 1984 southern production ‘Ek Nai Paheli’ directed by K Balachander, also starring Hema Malini, Kamal Hassan, Raaj Kumar, Padmini Kolhapure and others. The main construct about the possible romance between an older woman and younger man whom her daughter might have a tender for, may seem similar but that’s where the similarity ends. In Shimla Mirchi, set(obviously) in Shimla, Rukmini(Hema Malini), seperated from her philandering husband Tilak(Kanwaljeet) and unwilling to let the relationship end in divorce, is quick to latch on to her daughter Naina’s(Rakul Preet Singh) advice and immerse herself in the fantasy of a romantic letter she receives from a secret admirer. The letter was received by Naina, written by her ardent admirer Avinash(Rajkumar Rao) and unknown to him, copied and addressed to Rukmini - in a misdirected bid by Naina to uplift her mother’s depressed spirits.



The plotting is ridiculous, there’s no real tempo to this telling. The narrative pace is so lethargic and the characters’ actions so wilful that it makes for a bemusing watch. Avinash, the hero, lacks the communication skills to express his love while his friend, Joginder, in contrast, goes from one foreign national to another as though he is changing his shirt.Avinash’s mother and assorted relatives( all female) see Naina, all dressed up for a friendly photo-shoot( in a saree/lehenga shop) and consider her ideal for a bahu - It’s almost as though they were shopping for one. Naina,( a poorly written part), is a tantrum throwing, glass breaking, wilful damsel who is all-too-eager to see her parents divorced. Rukmini is the traditional wife/doormat who is willing to risk life and limb, climb a rickety tree branch, to catch a glimpse of her estranged husband who happens to be living-in with a younger woman his daughter’s age- just a furlong away from her own home.



Written by Sippy, Kausar Munir, Rishi Virmani and Vipul Binjola, the screenplay fails to serve up enough spice to make this bland, unattractive dish serviceable. While Hema Malini exudes charm, her acting skills fail to achieve an appreciable level of histrionics. Rakul Preet looks like she is trying a little too hard to be effervescent and Rajkumar Rao, even though sincere, looks a little too ill-at-ease.Shakti Kapoor, as Captain uncle, the manager of National Cafe, begins his entry by saying he is a changed man -yeah! And we see that he plays facilitator rather than the well established villain of yore.



Ramesh Sippy’s 25 year long feature film hiatus doesn’t appear to have done him much good. His takes are better suited for TV and the main theme here would have done better as an expanded sitcom - not the pitiable romcom that was attempted here. Even his brief cameo and Dharmendra’s late entry cannot save this vintage whine from being too old-fashioned and musty to be palatable.

Johnsont307@gmail.com