Kaala #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #OTTSeriesReview

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #OTTSeriesReview #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit #DisneyHotstar #Thinkinkcommunications Title: #Kaala Cast: #AvinashTiwary #RohanVinodMehra #NivethaPethuraj #TaherShabbir #JitinGulati #ElishaMayor #HitenTejwani #MitaVashisht #ShaktiKapoor #AjinkyaDeo Creator/Director: #BejoyNambiar Rating: * * * Runtime: 8 Episodes/ 30-50 mins each Producers: #BhushanKumar #KrishanKumar #BejoyNambiar @everyone #everyone @everybody #everybody

Bejoy Nambiar’s busy crime series ‘Kaala’ is yet another attempt to milk the patriotism angle by intermingling the army within this so-called powerplay of money, crime, and corruption. It’s about the persistent investigation of a reverse Havala racket by an IB team. It’s not exactly intelligent but is immersive enough and has quite a few tense moments thanks to a bustling momentum, surprise reveals, plot twists, a contra-twist, and some standout performances by #AvinashTiwary #RohanVinodMehra and #JitinGulati. Gulati’s nuanced essay of a queer man owning up to his identity while wreaking havoc on the world around him/her is the best performance in that space, yet.

Jawan #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit Film: #Jawan Cast: #ShahRukhKhan #VijaySethupathi #Nayanthara #DeepikaPadukone #SanjayDutt #SanyaMalhotra #PriyaMani #SunilGrover #GirijaOak #LeharKhan #SanjeetaBhattacharya #AaliyahQureishi #SeezaSarojMehta #EijazKhan #RidhiDogra Director: #Atlee Rating: * * Runtime: 170 mins #RedChilliesEntertainment #SpicePR #everyone @everyone #Everybody @everybody

This one is where ShahRukhKhan as Father and son apes the #VishalDadlani look and #KamalHassan’s chameleon act in #Indian while trying to rectify the ills of society by heading an army of skilled women who are in jail for crimes that were meant to save society. It’s his show all the way, the swag, the romance, the action, the dialogue ensures that its him hogging the limelight. Everyone else is just window dressing and even the villain comes across as a caricature. In fact Atlee’s film feels more like a comic strip than a cinematic adventure. The narrative is strip happy, the performances are stylised and unrealistic and the action feels contrived and fake.And the loud melodramatic turns are pitiably ineffective. Even though the film tries to address current ills like farmer suicides and electoral malpractice, there’s no emotional connect driving it forward. What’s with the bandaged look? Doesn’t make sense whatsoever. Atlee and S Ramanagirivasan’s screenplay lacks cohesiveness, Sumit Arora's dialogues sound vacuous and the songs are imminently forgettable. This film doesn’t have staying power!

Haddi #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit Film: #Haddi #ZeeStudios #ChaseIndia Cast: #NawazuddinSiddiqui #AnuragKashyap #MohammedZeeshanAyyub #IlaArun #SaurabhSachdeva #RajeshSharma #ShriidharDebey Director: #AkshatAjaySharma Rating: * * 1/2 Runtime: 134mins #everyone @everyone #Everybody @everybody #ChaseIndia #ZeeStudios #AnanditaStudios

A gritty but also grisly, gory, macabre tale of revenge and retribution boxed within the world of transgender people, ‘Haddi’ flirts around evil politicians and vicious goons who also appear to have some linkage with the ‘Kinnar’ world. Ultra-violent, bestial, and off-putting, the narrative devolves into confusion and mayhem as the Kinnars take on the Politician in a lesser evil versus greater evil fight for cadavers and human remains. #AnuragKashyap appears to be having a ball and #Nawazuddin makes a sincere effort to look and feel the part but the narrative’s obsession with the gruesome and the ghastly makes it hard to appreciate anything here. There’s neither subtlety nor nuance to be had here