#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.



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#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

#GoodNewwz #BollywoodHindiFilmMovieReview #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

Bollywood Film Review

Johnson Thomas

Film: Good Newwz



Cast:Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Diljit Dosanjh, Kiara Advani, Anjana Sukhani, Tisca Chopra, adil Hussain Yukta Mookhey, Auritra Ghosh, Gulshan Grover

Director: Raj Mehta

Rating: * * 1/2

Runtime: 132 mins



After the debacle that was ‘Kalank,’ Karan Johar’s Dharma productions attempt a comedy hoping to stave the blues cause by lowly Box-office collections of the former. ‘Good Newwz’ is not all good news though. Like it is obvious from the trailer, the film is about an unforgivable error that has caught two different couples in its cross-hairs. Film journalist Deepti and Varun Batra ( Kareena and Akshay Kumar) from Mumbai, are undergoing IVF implants in order have a baby.But the Joshi’s, Doctors both (Adil Hussain and Tisca Chopra) explain to them that there’s been a mix-up in the implants. Honey and Monika Batra( Diljit and Kiara) are the loud mouth, brash, stereotypical punjabi couple from Chandigarh who have received Deepti & Varun’s implant instead. So how to sort out this mess-hap begs the question?



Looks like Karan got the genesis for this idea from his own experiences with IVF and surrogacy. So most of the technicalities are presented in detailed fashion. A lot of it feels like an informatial where the ABC of IVF is explained. Varun and Deepti’s programmed attempts to get pregnant is at least humorous in bits and pieces. Otherwise, its all too loud and unappealing. Raj Mehta, the director fails to make this an endearing or memorable comedy. The over-the-top performances( largely buffoonery) make the film seem closer to slapstick, meant-for-TV comedy rather than cinema.



The sequence at the IVF centre where the harried couples react to the unwelcome discovery is smart but beyond that there’s little in terms of intelligence here. The contrast between couples sets up for a dramatic confrontation but the treatment and the acting is such that it all seems like a big bad joke. The central idea is contrived and the sequences developed to present it are rather unconvincing. The sense of unreality is pretty much galling here. Akshay Kumar gives the impression that he has become much more comfortable in his comedy actor skin. While Akshay performs more fluidly in such sitcoms, Kareena is the only one who does well to stay within the bounds of her character. She underplays her part while the others overdo theirs. While the resultant may not be becoming for want of balance, her consanguinity and sense of character is unquestionable. Diljit and Kiara make the bad look worse with their over-the-top rambunctiousness. Like Deepti says in one of the sequences here, 'Kya Jokergiri hai yeh?'

Johnsont307@gmail.com

#Dabangg3 #BollywoodHindiFilmMovieReview #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas Rating: * *

Bollywood Film Review

Johnson Thomas

Film: Dabangg 3



Cast: Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Nikhil Dwivedi, Saiee Manjrekar, Sonakshi Sinha,Khichcha Sudeep, Nikitin Dheer, Mahie Gill Tinnu Anand, Amole Gupte, Pankaj Tripathi, Nawab Shah, Sarfaraz Khan Director: Prabhu Devaa

Rating: * *

Runtime: 165 mins



Salman Khan’s Christmas release has all the markings of a Salman Khan extravaganza.This 3rd issue in the Dabangg series hopes to cash in on the previous two outings by presenting a familiar arch within the parameters of a past life. The narrative does not regress into ‘Punar janam’ mysticism but instead looks back on Chubul Pandey’s youthful foibles. His past love comes into the picture in a first half flashback…Pandey hasn’t yet earned his uniform and his then love , the naive Khushi (Saiee) becomes a victim of child trafficking …The trafficker is played by none other than Khichcha Sudeep aka Balli whose nefarious intentions destroy the two sweethearts young love and sets Chulbul on a redemptive path - now with uniform and married to a new sweetheart Rajjo (Sonakshi), and all set-up for a second half revenge story.



His vela brother Makkhi(Arbaaz), his mother(Dimple Kapadia) and his father ( now played by Pramod Khanna, Vinod Khanna’s lookalike brother) are the familiar characters in this rather unnecessary franchise instalment. Neither the action, the perennial swag, or the by now stale, repetitive style quotient allows for any meaningful attachment. The opening action sequence is rather drawn out and stretched thin. The rest of the action choreography is frenzied enough to give you a heavy head. The dialogues are distasteful, the songs are numerous but most of them are forgettable - Only a couple of them, Munna badnaam hua and the title track have the ability to get you grooving.



The bar is set so low here that the narrative looks like a meteor shower took out the very semblance of established movie mechanics here. Based on a story and screenplay also credited to Salman Khan himself alongside Prabhu Devaa, Aloke Upadhya with dialogues by Dilip Shukla and Aloke Upadhyay, Dabangg 3 makes other substandard Salman Khan films look really good in retrospect. Everything feels so flimsy and facile here that there’s no impact that’s worth remembering. Even the digging up of a surly past does little to lend character to Chulbul Pandey who continues to appear vaccuous and inconsistent as always. The crass humour is belittling, the representation of docile, naive, love interest is belittling even though Chulbul’s tackling of the issue of girl trafficking is meant to be the cause celebre here.The rather long and irredeemable runtime takes the mickey out of any enjoyment to be had here.



The narrative is slap-dash rather than coherence inducing and Salman’s action stunts look too fake to curry any favor even with fans. There’s also a major issue in having a fictional cop indulge in brutality at a time when Cop brutality in real-life has become a major problem in a multi-cultural democracy like India. Salman has become as slow as Sanjay Dutt is today and it will be a relief to see him play his age from here on. There’s certainly no room for another Chulbul Pandey outing unless its a reboot with a younger more agile and invested actor.



Johnsont307@gmail.com

#Panipat #BollywoodHindiFilmMovieReview #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas Rating: * * *

Bollywood Film Review

Johnson Thomas

A soft-focussed Historical



Film: Panipat

Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Suhasini Mulay, Mohnish Bahl,Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman, Sahil Salathia, Abhishek Nigam, Ravindra Mahajani, Gashmeer Mahajani, Nawab Shah, Mantra, Vineeta Mahesh, Krutika Deo, Shyam Mashalkar, Dishyant Wagh

Director: Ashutosh Gowariker

Rating: * * *

Runtime: 173 mins





According to Bollywood grown historians ( and we've seen it in almost every mainstream hostorical presented on the big screen in recent times ) every battle brought to screen is about unifying India and propogating the pop-patriotic sentiment - even if it be something that took place way before India ( as we know it today) was designated a country (1947). Panipat, the film, is Ashutosh Gowarker's unique way of adding more fuel to that ideal. Otherwise why else would he be glorifying a battle that the Marathas lost way back in 1761 and to add insult to injury, in modern times, is referenced in Management circles as ‘’Panipat Syndrome‘’ a lexicon that incdicates lack of decisive action, preparedness and strategic thinking by Indian leaders - based on the defeat of the Marathas by the Afghans at the Third battle of Panipat.



So this film is basically about romanticising a foolhardy tragedy. For those who want to remain brainless, this film is a panacea of sorts because Gowarikar does his best to present his Bollywoodised version of this page out of the history textbooks, with far more energising sentiment and valoriousness than it deserves. And we should not forget the fact that most of these battles in Ancient India were fought for individual territory and to prevent foreign marauders from exploiting the subcontinent's natural resources - not for unifying India nor were they connected to the freedom struggle. Such individual incidents may have had a cascading effect that might have gathered steam over time to culminate into the freedom movement, though.



Panaprastha, now known as Panipat(currently located in Haryana) was historic even before the Third Battle of Panipat was fought on 14 January 1761 between the Maratha Empire and the Afghan and Baloch invaders. The city , currently famous as "City of Weavers" and a global centre for recycling textiles, has had a tumultous past over centuries. In 1526 the Turko-Mongol warlord Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodhi, the Afghan Sultan of Delhi, at the first battle of Panipat to begin the establishment of Mughal rule in the .Northern Indian subcontinent. The Second Battle of Panipat was fought in 1556 where Emperor Akbar defeated Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, King of Delhi.



Gowariker's Panipat, based on the third battle, is no 300 and neither does it come close to being a 'Braveheart' - which it could have all -too-easily emulated. The original histirical account states that The Maratha Empire led by Sadashivrao Bhau Peshwa (essayed by Arjun Kapoor in this film) with Dattaji shinde's help and the Afghans led by Ahmadshah Abdali ( played by Sanjay Dutt) supported by Najib-ud-Daula(Mantra) and Shuja-ud-Daula (Kunal Kapoor) fought for territory with the 110,000 heavily armed Afghan soldiers emerging victorious against 75000 marathas and 100,000 hapless pilgrims. The casualties on both sides were so heavy ( around 100000 soldiers perished in battle) that The Afghans, as a strategy to recoup and regroup, chose to retreat to Afghanistan rather than face a constant thorn in the flesh in the form of a hostile northern India.



The script by Chandrashekhar Dhavalikar, Ranjeet Bahadur, Aditya Rawal and Ashutosh Gowariker with conveniently contrived and unrealistic dialogues by Ashok Chakradhar envisages a greater role for the women of those times - be it Padmini Kolhapure's Gopika Bai, Zeenat Aman's Sakina Begum or Kriti Sanon's Savitri bai. In fact Sanon's Savitribai gets to utter the most ringing dialogues and become much more central to the plotting. She is the sutradhar and her Savitri bai ( with agile shifts into Marathi lingo) resonates in the collective mind much more than Arjun Kapoor's Sadashivrao. That's as much to do with the all-too-convenient writing as it has to do with Sanon's charming screen presence and fairly ingratiating performance. Ajun Kapoor's Sadashivrao is imbued with a strong personality but his inability to imbibe the marathi spirit and make it stick, makes the character look pompous and the performance, unrefined. Sanjay Dutt'sAhmad Shah Abdali is so weighed down by finery and regalia that he fails to rise to the occasion and raise the pitch, even in battle. The song and dance, even though vicerally and aurally entertaining, do a disservice to the integrity of such a monumental effort. The background score by Ajay-Atul is not distinctive enough to lend authenticity or be memorable either.



The most significant and interesting aspect of this film are its costumes, battle formations, fight sequences, camerawork, sound and production design. C. K. Muraleedharan's camerawork gives us a birds-eye view that is enormously majestic and awe inspiring.Steven Bernard's editing aims to limit the tedium of a never-ending serenade of thrusts and parrys but a 173 mins runtime filled with routine machinations is definitely not magnum opus material. While Gowariker's film, no doubt a monumental effort, is successful in maintaining Maratha pride, it fails to present the historic event with an entirely objective, gritty, realistic and unbiased lens.



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