Showing posts from June, 2018
Veere Di Wedding Review – A Loud, Messy, Necessary Film Veere Di Wedding: Bollywood, What’s Gotten Into You? Two good movies in as many weeks! Bollywood, what’s gotten into you? And not just good — both female-oriented, and mercifully away from the tired old formula. No weepy violins. No tragic martyrdom. No compulsory moral sermon masquerading as empowerment. I loved this movie. Totally. Finally, Women Who Are Allowed to Be Messy Not that there’s a particularly feminine bone in me — but finally, here’s a film that allows Indian women to express themselves without being melodramatic or solemn about it. Think of the great “female-oriented” films of yore: Khoon Bhari Maang , Mother India , and the whole lineage of suffering-as-strength cinema. Ugh, ugh. Veere Di Wedding doesn’t want your sympathy. It wants your attention. There’s a beautiful nonchalance about the four central characters. They’re not trying to repr...
What does this picture look like to you? Infrastructure for the 'Silicon Valley of the East'? Infrastructure for a 'Global City'? Infrastructure of the capital of a state? Infrastructure of a '21st century Indian City'? None of the above. How shambolic is this? I mean, when it rains, the power is cut off. And with this creaking, dilapidated infrastructure, how can we be called a modern and progressive city. Hope some official takes his/her time off filling their coffers and takes action.
Raazi Review – A Rare Bollywood Spy Film With Restraint Raazi: When War Is the Only Enemy I’ve always maintained that when Bollywood veers away from its eternal boy-meets-girl obsession — which, let’s be honest, is about 99% of the time — the results are usually rewarding. Raazi is no exception. Alia Bhatt, Actor — Not Star Alia Bhatt is a seriously good actor. After Highway and Udta Punjab , Raazi gives her yet another opportunity to showcase her range — restraint over histrionics, internalised fear over loud drama. This is not a performance that screams for attention. It quietly earns it. That said, the true star of the film is not Alia Bhatt. The Real Hero: Script and Screenplay The real triumph of Raazi lies in its writing. The script and screenplay are tight, taut, and remarkably disciplined. There is tension without manipulation, emotion without sentimentality, and patriotism without chest-thumping...