Movie Review: Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari

It’s been eight months since the last big Hindi film, ANGREZI MEDIUM, hit screens. Once the lockdown kicked in, films began to go online, even the ones starring A-listers. But producers of some small films decided to wait for cinemas to reopen. Last month, cinemas finally got the go-ahead in most parts of the country while on November 5, the prime state of Maharashtra too gave its nod. This prompted Zee Studios to release SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI on Diwali on the big screen. The trailer of the film has been impressive and carries a good vibe. So does SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI manage to entertain and give viewers a good time? Or does it falter? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1148268 size-full" title="Movie Review: Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari" src="https://ift.tt/3ksG0De" alt="Movie Review: Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari" width="720" height="450" /> SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI is the story of a feud between a wedding detective and a dairy owner. The year is 1995. Suraj Singh Dhillon (Diljit Dosanjh) is a single guy from Mumbai and the heir of Jai Mata Rani Doodh Bhandar. He lives with his father Gurnaam Dhillon (Manoj Pahwa), mother Yeshodha Dhillon (Seema Pahwa) and sister Guddi (Vanshika Sharma). His parents are looking for a right match but their efforts are futile. Suraj's sidekick Sukhi (Manuj Sharma) tells him to be 'cool' and a 'bad boy' and that it would help attract girls. Suraj likes the idea and as part of his stint as a cool bad boy, he breaks the traffic signal and consumes alcohol in front of a girl’s college. Meanwhile, his parents find a match for him. An excited Suraj goes to the girl’s house with his parents. But the girl’s parents refuse their proposal because they had the pictures of Suraj while he was in his 'bad boy' avatar. Suraj is dejected and is dying to know who clicked his pictures after all. After cajoling the Pandit Dubey ji (Neeraj Sood), he gets to know that it’s none other than Madhu Mangal Rane (Manoj Bajpayee), a wedding detective. He believes it’s his job to find flaws in the to-be grooms and thus save the lives of gullible girls and their families. Suraj wants revenge but doesn’t know how. He then realizes that Mangal has a sister, Tulshi Rane (Fatima Sana Shaikh). He decides to fake a relationship with her in order to get back at Mangal. However, he falls for her in real. He expresses his love to Tulshi. She however is hiding a shocking secret about her life and passion. This secret gives Suraj the much needed opportunity to damage Mangal's reputation. At the same time, it can also dent his marriage prospects with Tulshi. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Shokhi Banerjee's story is very interesting and entertaining. One might feel that the makers revealed almost the whole plot in the trailer. But that’s not the case as the film has a lot more to offer. Rohan Shankar's screenplay is entertaining for most parts. The various twists and dramatic points are well fleshed out. However, a few rough edges remain. Also, the humour quotient is limited. Rohan Shankar's dialogues are hilarious and a few of them are sure to induce claps. Abhishek Sharma's direction is neat. He deserves brownie points for keeping the mood of the film light from start to finish. The film never gets too heavy, even in no-nonsense situations. Also, the film is replete with some very quirky characters and he makes good use of them to add to the fun. Moreover, the film celebrates the Marathi culture and the middle-class lifestyle of the city. It fondly also reminds one of the simple, slice-of-life films made by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee. On the flipside, some of the portions of the first half aren’t upto the mark, especially the ‘Bad Boy’ sequence. A few developments are hard to digest, especially the track of the professor deciding not to take any action against his wife despite the latter cheating on him. Also, the manner in which Madhu plans the breaking off the engagement ceremony of his sister is a bit too much. Mangal’s change of heart in the climax also comes across as very unconvincing. Thankfully, the DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE [1995] inspired climax makes up for it. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1148270" src="https://ift.tt/2IAq7Oe" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI starts off on a fine note. The entry of Mangal is hilarious and it neatly explains the dedication towards his work. The film drops a bit when Suraj turns into a ‘bad boy’ and when he gets into detective mode. But it picks up once Suraj starts wooing Tulshi. The twist in Tulshi’s tale is unexpected and gives a nice touch. Post-interval, the patch-up between Suraj and Tulshi happens rather quickly. But the fun continues as Mangal uses a new trick to get back at Suraj. More twists take place in the narrative as new characters get introduced. The finale is predictable but hilarious. Manoj Bajpayee is energetic and is sure to be loved. One rarely gets to see him in such roles and it’s a pleasure how he puts his best foot forward. Surely, this is one of his most memorable performances! Diljit Dosanjh is as always in his element. He suits the part to the T. Fatima Sana Shaikh is quite good in some scenes. But in a few sequences, her expressions are a bit off. This is especially in the scene where Mangal finds out the truth about her. Annu Kapoor (Shantaram Kaka) is impressive and one wishes he had a longer role. Supriya Pilgaonkar (Rekha Rane) is great and contributes to the humour. Manuj Sharma is nice as Diljit’s sidekick. Manoj Pahwa and Seema Pahwa and Neeraj Sood are alright. Vanshika Sharma is funny. Neha Pendse (Kavya Godbole) is beautiful and has a crucial part in which she does very well. Vijay Raaz (Chinmay Godbole) is arguably the funniest part about the film. Sadly, he’s hardly there and on top of that, his character is not utilized well. Rohan Shankar (Ashok) leaves a mark. Vivek R Puranik (Ashok's father), Harsha Gupte (Ashok's mother) and Anjali Ujawane (Vatsavitri Lady) are fine. Abhishek Banerjee (Dinesh) is okay in the cameo. Karishma Tanna is sizzling in the special number. Javed-Mohsin's music is poor. <em>'Basanti'</em> (composed by Kingshuk Chakravarty) is foot-tapping while the title track is catchy. <em>'Waareya'</em> works because it’s well shot. Same goes for <em>'Ladki Dramebaaz Hai'</em>. <em>'Bad Boys'</em> is disappointing. Kingshuk Chakravarty's background score is excellent, especially the theme music used in Manoj Bajpayee’s scenes. Anshuman Mahaley's cinematography is first-rate. Rajat Poddar's production design is authentic and reminds one of the 90s. Vijay Ganguly's choreography is appealing in <em>'Basanti'</em>.  Jia Bhagia and Mallika Chauhan's costumes are realistic for all the characters. Fatema’s clothes however don’t seem to be of 1995 but nevertheless, looks glamorous. Rameshwar Bhagat's editing is fair. On the whole, SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI is a decent entertainer and a clean family film that works because of its plot, the depiction of the mid-90s era and the performances.

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Movie Review: Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari

It’s been eight months since the last big Hindi film, ANGREZI MEDIUM, hit screens. Once the lockdown kicked in, films began to go online, even the ones starring A-listers. But producers of some small films decided to wait for cinemas to reopen. Last month, cinemas finally got the go-ahead in most parts of the country while on November 5, the prime state of Maharashtra too gave its nod. This prompted Zee Studios to release SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI on Diwali on the big screen. The trailer of the film has been impressive and carries a good vibe. So does SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI manage to entertain and give viewers a good time? Or does it falter? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1148268 size-full" title="Movie Review: Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari" src="https://ift.tt/3ksG0De" alt="Movie Review: Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari" width="720" height="450" /> SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI is the story of a feud between a wedding detective and a dairy owner. The year is 1995. Suraj Singh Dhillon (Diljit Dosanjh) is a single guy from Mumbai and the heir of Jai Mata Rani Doodh Bhandar. He lives with his father Gurnaam Dhillon (Manoj Pahwa), mother Yeshodha Dhillon (Seema Pahwa) and sister Guddi (Vanshika Sharma). His parents are looking for a right match but their efforts are futile. Suraj's sidekick Sukhi (Manuj Sharma) tells him to be 'cool' and a 'bad boy' and that it would help attract girls. Suraj likes the idea and as part of his stint as a cool bad boy, he breaks the traffic signal and consumes alcohol in front of a girl’s college. Meanwhile, his parents find a match for him. An excited Suraj goes to the girl’s house with his parents. But the girl’s parents refuse their proposal because they had the pictures of Suraj while he was in his 'bad boy' avatar. Suraj is dejected and is dying to know who clicked his pictures after all. After cajoling the Pandit Dubey ji (Neeraj Sood), he gets to know that it’s none other than Madhu Mangal Rane (Manoj Bajpayee), a wedding detective. He believes it’s his job to find flaws in the to-be grooms and thus save the lives of gullible girls and their families. Suraj wants revenge but doesn’t know how. He then realizes that Mangal has a sister, Tulshi Rane (Fatima Sana Shaikh). He decides to fake a relationship with her in order to get back at Mangal. However, he falls for her in real. He expresses his love to Tulshi. She however is hiding a shocking secret about her life and passion. This secret gives Suraj the much needed opportunity to damage Mangal's reputation. At the same time, it can also dent his marriage prospects with Tulshi. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Shokhi Banerjee's story is very interesting and entertaining. One might feel that the makers revealed almost the whole plot in the trailer. But that’s not the case as the film has a lot more to offer. Rohan Shankar's screenplay is entertaining for most parts. The various twists and dramatic points are well fleshed out. However, a few rough edges remain. Also, the humour quotient is limited. Rohan Shankar's dialogues are hilarious and a few of them are sure to induce claps. Abhishek Sharma's direction is neat. He deserves brownie points for keeping the mood of the film light from start to finish. The film never gets too heavy, even in no-nonsense situations. Also, the film is replete with some very quirky characters and he makes good use of them to add to the fun. Moreover, the film celebrates the Marathi culture and the middle-class lifestyle of the city. It fondly also reminds one of the simple, slice-of-life films made by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee. On the flipside, some of the portions of the first half aren’t upto the mark, especially the ‘Bad Boy’ sequence. A few developments are hard to digest, especially the track of the professor deciding not to take any action against his wife despite the latter cheating on him. Also, the manner in which Madhu plans the breaking off the engagement ceremony of his sister is a bit too much. Mangal’s change of heart in the climax also comes across as very unconvincing. Thankfully, the DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE [1995] inspired climax makes up for it. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1148270" src="https://ift.tt/2IAq7Oe" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI starts off on a fine note. The entry of Mangal is hilarious and it neatly explains the dedication towards his work. The film drops a bit when Suraj turns into a ‘bad boy’ and when he gets into detective mode. But it picks up once Suraj starts wooing Tulshi. The twist in Tulshi’s tale is unexpected and gives a nice touch. Post-interval, the patch-up between Suraj and Tulshi happens rather quickly. But the fun continues as Mangal uses a new trick to get back at Suraj. More twists take place in the narrative as new characters get introduced. The finale is predictable but hilarious. Manoj Bajpayee is energetic and is sure to be loved. One rarely gets to see him in such roles and it’s a pleasure how he puts his best foot forward. Surely, this is one of his most memorable performances! Diljit Dosanjh is as always in his element. He suits the part to the T. Fatima Sana Shaikh is quite good in some scenes. But in a few sequences, her expressions are a bit off. This is especially in the scene where Mangal finds out the truth about her. Annu Kapoor (Shantaram Kaka) is impressive and one wishes he had a longer role. Supriya Pilgaonkar (Rekha Rane) is great and contributes to the humour. Manuj Sharma is nice as Diljit’s sidekick. Manoj Pahwa and Seema Pahwa and Neeraj Sood are alright. Vanshika Sharma is funny. Neha Pendse (Kavya Godbole) is beautiful and has a crucial part in which she does very well. Vijay Raaz (Chinmay Godbole) is arguably the funniest part about the film. Sadly, he’s hardly there and on top of that, his character is not utilized well. Rohan Shankar (Ashok) leaves a mark. Vivek R Puranik (Ashok's father), Harsha Gupte (Ashok's mother) and Anjali Ujawane (Vatsavitri Lady) are fine. Abhishek Banerjee (Dinesh) is okay in the cameo. Karishma Tanna is sizzling in the special number. Javed-Mohsin's music is poor. <em>'Basanti'</em> (composed by Kingshuk Chakravarty) is foot-tapping while the title track is catchy. <em>'Waareya'</em> works because it’s well shot. Same goes for <em>'Ladki Dramebaaz Hai'</em>. <em>'Bad Boys'</em> is disappointing. Kingshuk Chakravarty's background score is excellent, especially the theme music used in Manoj Bajpayee’s scenes. Anshuman Mahaley's cinematography is first-rate. Rajat Poddar's production design is authentic and reminds one of the 90s. Vijay Ganguly's choreography is appealing in <em>'Basanti'</em>.  Jia Bhagia and Mallika Chauhan's costumes are realistic for all the characters. Fatema’s clothes however don’t seem to be of 1995 but nevertheless, looks glamorous. Rameshwar Bhagat's editing is fair. On the whole, SURAJ PE MANGAL BHARI is a decent entertainer and a clean family film that works because of its plot, the depiction of the mid-90s era and the performances.

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Movie Review: Chhalaang

Hansal Mehta in its 2.0 avatar has usually made serious films like SHAHID [2013], CITYLIGHTS [2014], ALIGARH [2015], OMERTA [2018] etc. He did try a black comedy in between with SIMRAN [2017] but it was forgettable. His most recent venture, the celebrated web series, SCAM 1992, too was a no-nonsense affair. But now, Hansal Mehta switches to a light-hearted zone with CHHALAANG. It reunites him with his favourite actor Rajkummar Rao. Meanwhile, it is produced by Luv Ranjan and Nushrratt Bharuccha, a regular in his films, has been casted as the female lead. The trailer promises entertainment and also some amount of thrill. So does Hansal Mehta succeed in acing this genre with CHHALAANG? Or does he fail to deliver? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1148141" src="https://ift.tt/35rMJcG" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> CHHALAANG is the story of a disinterested sports coach finding meaning in life. Mahinder Hooda aka Montu (Rajkummar Rao) is a PTI (Physical Training Instructor) in Sir Chotu Ram School in Jhajjar, Haryana. In his teenage years, he had participated in cricket and athletic tournaments from the same school. But he quit sports after he didn't make it to the state team. Similarly, he also left law when he realized that he'll have to read lots of heavy books. This is when his father (Satish Kaushik) recommended his name to the school's principal Ushal Gehlot (Ila Arun). Hence, she hired him. Montu is not quite interested in doing his job as he believes that sports are not going to help the students. He also indulges in other activities in school, one of them being assaulting couples roaming in a park. During one such session, he ends up harassing a middle-aged couple (Rajeev Gupta and Suparna Marwah). The next day, Neelima aka Neelu (Nushrratt Bharuccha) joins the school as a computer teacher. Montu gets attracted to her and this is when Neelu reveals to him that the middle-aged couple were her parents! She also blasts him for being the moral police. Montu realizes his mistake. Slowly, both Montu and Neelu grow closer. Montu wants to take the relationship to the next level. But before that can happen, there comes a twist in the tale. Inder Mohan Singh (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub), a certified sports trainer, joins the school as PTI. Montu is demoted to being an assistant PTI though his salary still remains the same. Montu obviously protests but the principal doesn't pay heed. Inder arrives and starts giving hard training to the students. He also gets friendly with Neelu, further angering Montu. Singh realizes Montu is jealous and taunts him. An angry Montu assaults Singh. The principal tells Montu to apologize to Singh. He refuses at first and then requests her to hold a competition between two teams of the school. One team would be trained by Singh and the other by Montu. Further, Singh will have the advantage of selecting the best students. Montu asks the principal that if his team loses, he’d resign and he expects vice versa from Singh. Singh gives his nod. The principal, too, agrees and selects three sports for the tournament - basketball, 400 meters relay race and kabaddi. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Luv Ranjan's story is predictable and nothing new. However it makes an important comment that sports are a vital cog in the wheel of the overall development of the child. Luv Ranjan, Aseem Arrora and Zeishan Quadri's screenplay is better. The writers pepper the narrative with some very interesting moments that keep the interest going. The first half especially is well-written, especially before Montu and Singh become arch rivals. This is the point where the interest should have been maintained and the writers succeed in doing so. The characters are also very well-written and fleshed out. In the post-interval portions, however, the script should have been tighter. Luv Ranjan, Aseem Arrora and Zeishan Quadri's dialogues are sharp and quite funny. Hansal Mehta's direction is decent. A film of this genre is not exactly his forte but he manages to pass with flying colours. He has handled the light-hearted and also the sports moments with elan. However, a big issue with the film is its release timing. It should have ideally been released 1 ½ or two years ago, before the release of CHHICHHORE [2019]. That film had a similar premise of a poor, underdog team training hard using creative methods and then giving a tough fight to a strong team for self-respect and honour. Not just that, two of the sports shown in CHHALAANG are also the same as the Sushant Singh Rajput starrer! Also the climax is a bit like PANGA [2020]. To give the credit where it’s due, the makers try their best to use the rustic flavour of the film and by other means to ensure that their film doesn’t remind viewers of CHHICHHORE. CHHALAANG begins on an average note though the opening credits are very creatively done and the Haryanvi setup sets the mood. The film picks up interest once Montu harasses Neelu’s parents and Neelu teaches him a lesson the next day. From here on, the film holds interest well. The film gets better as Singh makes an entry and gives tough competition to Montu professionally and also personally. The intermission point is dramatic. The second half, too, has its share of interesting scenes especially the tricks used by Montu to motivate his team and Neelu and Montu’s father using the <em>'saam-daam-dand-bhed'</em> strategy on the parents. The match scenes are nail-biting and are very well edited. Montu's climax speech where he talks about being parents of Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli etc. is excellent and would have been greeted with claps and whistles if the movie had released in cinemas. <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://ift.tt/3njNk6k" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Rajkummar Rao delivers a very entertaining performance as always. One might argue that he’s being repetitive but watch closely and one realizes that he has added some fine touches and nuances to his role. Nushrratt Bharuccha looks graceful and delivers a lovely performance. She also gets the Haryanvi diction right. However, her character doesn’t have much to do in the overall scheme of things. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub is quite nice as the so-called antagonist. His dialogue delivery especially is praiseworthy. However, his character should have been better fleshed out. Saurabh Shukla is adorable and adds to the fun and drama. Satish Kaushik is dependable as always. Ila Arun is apt for the part. However, the makers should have further stressed on how her character used to tell Montu to help the school earn extra bucks by renting the school premises as a marriage venue. Jatin Sarna (Dimpy) is hilarious and one wishes he had more screen time. Baljinder Kaur (Montu's mother) gets limited scope. Naman Jain (Bablu) has some interesting scenes in the first half and is efficient. Garima Kaur (Pinky) is an integral part of the film’s last 30 minutes and is superb. Rajeev Gupta and Suparna Marwah are nothing great. Music doesn’t work except for <em>'Le Chhalaang'</em>. It has an anthem-like feel and is in sync with the film’s mood in the second half. <em>'Teri Choriyaan'</em> is okay. <em>'Care Ni Karda'</em> appears just before the end credits while <em>'Deedar De'</em> is missing. Hitesh Sonik's background score is exhilarating. Eeshit Narain's cinematography (sports cinematography by Chris Reed) is spectacular. Both the lensmen work well in tandem to uplift several scenes. Shashank Tere's production design is realistic. Same goes for Aki Narula and Arun J Chauhan's costumes. Samidha Wangnoo's costume in the <em>'Care Ni Karda'</em> song for Nushrratt Bharuccha is glamorous. Harpal Singh's action is fine. Akiv Ali and Chetan M Solanki's editing is uncomplicated. Lastly, special mention should also go to Vicky Sidana's casting for getting such great child actors, and also to Rob Miller for his effective sports direction. On the whole, CHHALAANG is a simple, relatable and a well-made entertainer that keeps viewers engaged from start to finish. The performances, writing and well-edited scenes are like an icing on the cake. Recommended!

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Movie Review: Chhalaang

Hansal Mehta in its 2.0 avatar has usually made serious films like SHAHID [2013], CITYLIGHTS [2014], ALIGARH [2015], OMERTA [2018] etc. He did try a black comedy in between with SIMRAN [2017] but it was forgettable. His most recent venture, the celebrated web series, SCAM 1992, too was a no-nonsense affair. But now, Hansal Mehta switches to a light-hearted zone with CHHALAANG. It reunites him with his favourite actor Rajkummar Rao. Meanwhile, it is produced by Luv Ranjan and Nushrratt Bharuccha, a regular in his films, has been casted as the female lead. The trailer promises entertainment and also some amount of thrill. So does Hansal Mehta succeed in acing this genre with CHHALAANG? Or does he fail to deliver? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1148141" src="https://ift.tt/35rMJcG" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> CHHALAANG is the story of a disinterested sports coach finding meaning in life. Mahinder Hooda aka Montu (Rajkummar Rao) is a PTI (Physical Training Instructor) in Sir Chotu Ram School in Jhajjar, Haryana. In his teenage years, he had participated in cricket and athletic tournaments from the same school. But he quit sports after he didn't make it to the state team. Similarly, he also left law when he realized that he'll have to read lots of heavy books. This is when his father (Satish Kaushik) recommended his name to the school's principal Ushal Gehlot (Ila Arun). Hence, she hired him. Montu is not quite interested in doing his job as he believes that sports are not going to help the students. He also indulges in other activities in school, one of them being assaulting couples roaming in a park. During one such session, he ends up harassing a middle-aged couple (Rajeev Gupta and Suparna Marwah). The next day, Neelima aka Neelu (Nushrratt Bharuccha) joins the school as a computer teacher. Montu gets attracted to her and this is when Neelu reveals to him that the middle-aged couple were her parents! She also blasts him for being the moral police. Montu realizes his mistake. Slowly, both Montu and Neelu grow closer. Montu wants to take the relationship to the next level. But before that can happen, there comes a twist in the tale. Inder Mohan Singh (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub), a certified sports trainer, joins the school as PTI. Montu is demoted to being an assistant PTI though his salary still remains the same. Montu obviously protests but the principal doesn't pay heed. Inder arrives and starts giving hard training to the students. He also gets friendly with Neelu, further angering Montu. Singh realizes Montu is jealous and taunts him. An angry Montu assaults Singh. The principal tells Montu to apologize to Singh. He refuses at first and then requests her to hold a competition between two teams of the school. One team would be trained by Singh and the other by Montu. Further, Singh will have the advantage of selecting the best students. Montu asks the principal that if his team loses, he’d resign and he expects vice versa from Singh. Singh gives his nod. The principal, too, agrees and selects three sports for the tournament - basketball, 400 meters relay race and kabaddi. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Luv Ranjan's story is predictable and nothing new. However it makes an important comment that sports are a vital cog in the wheel of the overall development of the child. Luv Ranjan, Aseem Arrora and Zeishan Quadri's screenplay is better. The writers pepper the narrative with some very interesting moments that keep the interest going. The first half especially is well-written, especially before Montu and Singh become arch rivals. This is the point where the interest should have been maintained and the writers succeed in doing so. The characters are also very well-written and fleshed out. In the post-interval portions, however, the script should have been tighter. Luv Ranjan, Aseem Arrora and Zeishan Quadri's dialogues are sharp and quite funny. Hansal Mehta's direction is decent. A film of this genre is not exactly his forte but he manages to pass with flying colours. He has handled the light-hearted and also the sports moments with elan. However, a big issue with the film is its release timing. It should have ideally been released 1 ½ or two years ago, before the release of CHHICHHORE [2019]. That film had a similar premise of a poor, underdog team training hard using creative methods and then giving a tough fight to a strong team for self-respect and honour. Not just that, two of the sports shown in CHHALAANG are also the same as the Sushant Singh Rajput starrer! Also the climax is a bit like PANGA [2020]. To give the credit where it’s due, the makers try their best to use the rustic flavour of the film and by other means to ensure that their film doesn’t remind viewers of CHHICHHORE. CHHALAANG begins on an average note though the opening credits are very creatively done and the Haryanvi setup sets the mood. The film picks up interest once Montu harasses Neelu’s parents and Neelu teaches him a lesson the next day. From here on, the film holds interest well. The film gets better as Singh makes an entry and gives tough competition to Montu professionally and also personally. The intermission point is dramatic. The second half, too, has its share of interesting scenes especially the tricks used by Montu to motivate his team and Neelu and Montu’s father using the <em>'saam-daam-dand-bhed'</em> strategy on the parents. The match scenes are nail-biting and are very well edited. Montu's climax speech where he talks about being parents of Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli etc. is excellent and would have been greeted with claps and whistles if the movie had released in cinemas. <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://ift.tt/3njNk6k" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Rajkummar Rao delivers a very entertaining performance as always. One might argue that he’s being repetitive but watch closely and one realizes that he has added some fine touches and nuances to his role. Nushrratt Bharuccha looks graceful and delivers a lovely performance. She also gets the Haryanvi diction right. However, her character doesn’t have much to do in the overall scheme of things. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub is quite nice as the so-called antagonist. His dialogue delivery especially is praiseworthy. However, his character should have been better fleshed out. Saurabh Shukla is adorable and adds to the fun and drama. Satish Kaushik is dependable as always. Ila Arun is apt for the part. However, the makers should have further stressed on how her character used to tell Montu to help the school earn extra bucks by renting the school premises as a marriage venue. Jatin Sarna (Dimpy) is hilarious and one wishes he had more screen time. Baljinder Kaur (Montu's mother) gets limited scope. Naman Jain (Bablu) has some interesting scenes in the first half and is efficient. Garima Kaur (Pinky) is an integral part of the film’s last 30 minutes and is superb. Rajeev Gupta and Suparna Marwah are nothing great. Music doesn’t work except for <em>'Le Chhalaang'</em>. It has an anthem-like feel and is in sync with the film’s mood in the second half. <em>'Teri Choriyaan'</em> is okay. <em>'Care Ni Karda'</em> appears just before the end credits while <em>'Deedar De'</em> is missing. Hitesh Sonik's background score is exhilarating. Eeshit Narain's cinematography (sports cinematography by Chris Reed) is spectacular. Both the lensmen work well in tandem to uplift several scenes. Shashank Tere's production design is realistic. Same goes for Aki Narula and Arun J Chauhan's costumes. Samidha Wangnoo's costume in the <em>'Care Ni Karda'</em> song for Nushrratt Bharuccha is glamorous. Harpal Singh's action is fine. Akiv Ali and Chetan M Solanki's editing is uncomplicated. Lastly, special mention should also go to Vicky Sidana's casting for getting such great child actors, and also to Rob Miller for his effective sports direction. On the whole, CHHALAANG is a simple, relatable and a well-made entertainer that keeps viewers engaged from start to finish. The performances, writing and well-edited scenes are like an icing on the cake. Recommended!

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Movie Review: Ludo

Director Anurag Basu’s previous film JAGGA JASOOS [2017] didn’t impress the audiences and was also criticized for going overbudget and for being in production for nearly 3-4 years. However, Bollywood didn’t lose trust in him thanks to his good-hearted nature and also because his overall track record has been great. He has helmed some of the most significant films in last 20 years like MURDER [2004], GANGSTER [2006], LIFE IN A METRO [2007] and BARFI [2012]. Hence, it’s no wonder that he got an ensemble cast in place for his next, LUDO. It was unofficially referred to as LIFE IN A METRO 2 as just like the 2007 flick, this film also features multiple stories which are connected to each other in some manner. However, while LIFE IN A METRO was a slice of life fare, the trailer of LUDO indicates that it’s in a wacky, crime comedy space. So does LUDO manage to entertain and enthral viewers? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1147871 size-full" title="Movie Review: Ludo" src="https://ift.tt/38zu5kU" alt="Movie Review: Ludo" width="720" height="450" /> LUDO is the story of quirky characters and how their life gets interlinked in a series of bizarre circumstances. Alok Kumar Gupta aka Aalu (Rajkummar Rao) loves Pinky (Fatima Sana Shaikh) like crazy since childhood. Sadly for him, Pinky ditches him and marries Manohar Jain (Paritosh Tripathi). It’s been three years since she’s hitched and she even has a son. Yet, Aalu continues to love her. Pinky, however, is not happy with Manohar. She gets suspicious that he’s having an affair. However, he lies to her by saying that he goes out to meet his friend, Bhinder (Saurabh Sharma). One day, she follows him. He realizes he’s being followed and hence has no choice but to drive to Bhinder’s villa. Pinky realizes that Manohar isn’t lying and leaves. Manohar then goes to meet his girlfriend, Sambhavi (Geetanjali Mishra). Minutes after he leaves, Sattu (Pankaj Tripathi), a dreaded gangster, arrives and kills Bhinder and his wife. Rahul Awasthi (Rohit Suresh Saraf), a sales executive in a hypermarket, who is kicked out of his house for non-payment of dues, happens to take refuge at the Bhinder villa at the same time. While leaving, Sattu takes him hostage to his sprawling hideout in the middle of a river. While he’s on his way, he kidnaps a person named Bhanu (Bhanu Uday) hostage as he has failed to repay him Rs. 90 lakhs that he owed. He also tells Bhanu’s wife Asha (Asha Negi) that she should tell Bittu (Abhishek A Bachchan) to meet him. The next day, cops spot Manohar’s car in Bhinder villa and conclude that he’s the murderer. He’s arrested by inspector Sukumar Sinha (Ishtiyak Arif Khan). Pinky ruins it by telling the cops that she saw Manohar entering the villa. Manohar, however, tells her at this point that he was with Sambhavi. He pleads her to meet Sambhavi and confess to the cops the truth and only then he’ll be able to get out of custody. Sambhavi, however, refuses to even admit that she has even met Manohar ever. With no other option, Pinky approaches Aalu for help. On the other hand, Asha meets Bittu. Bittu and Asha were married at one point and even have a daughter, Ruhi. Bittu used to work for Sattu but after he fell in love with Asha, he quit. Sattu didn’t like it and he got Bittu arrested. Asha then married Bhanu and became the father of Ruhi. On Asha’s request, Bittu goes to Sattu’s hideout. At this point, Akash Chauhan (Aditya Roy Kapur) comes to meet Sattu. Akash finds out that a porn clip featuring him and Shruti Choksi (Sanya Malhotra), with whom he had a fling once, is viral. He first approaches inspector Sukumar Sinha. But he tells her to bring Shruti to file the FIR. Shruti is getting married in five days to a wealthy chap named Shekhar (Aman Bhagat) and when he meets her and tells the truth, she is livid. Hence, he approaches Sattu. Sattu assures him that his work will be done. As Akash leaves and Bittu enters, a loud explosion takes place there because of Rahul, who had gone to the kitchen to prepare tea and left the gas on. Akash and Bittu escape with minor injuries but Sattu gets grievously hurt. Yet, Sattu manages to take a nurse, Sheeja Thomas (Pearle Maaney) and Rahul hostage. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Anurag Basu's story is promising and sounds fantastic on paper. Anurag Basu's screenplay tries to do justice but succeeds only in parts. There’s no doubt that a lot of hard work has gone in connecting the dots and in ensuring the various parallel stories converge at interesting points in the narrative. While a few of them arrest attention, there are several such intersections which seem to have been done just for the heck of it. Samrat Chakraborty's dialogues are well worded and add to the humour and drama. Anurag Basu's direction is decent. He tries his best to ensure the film stands out not just with the script but also by filling the narrative with some creatively executed scenes. The manner in which he takes his time to establish the characters and then inform viewers how they are related to each other is smartly done. On the flip side, this also gets a bit too much after a point. Also, in order to be unpredictable and quirky, the director takes a lot of cinematic liberties. The manner in which Aalu especially manages to commit crime after crime, to the extent of even killing cops, and he never gets nabbed is too hard to believe. The same kind of unconvincing moments are also a part of the other stories. Moreover, a few stories don’t work individually, and that further mars the impact. LUDO begins in an interesting manner as all the main characters are presented by two mysterious, Ludo-loving men. It takes a while to comprehend how each of them are related to each other and it becomes clear as the film progresses. Sadly, not all tracks work equally. The Aditya Roy Kapur-Sanya Malhotra track is the most interesting. The circumstances which compel them to be together and their conversations make for an interesting watch. The Abhishek Bachchan track is the weakest of all and simply doesn’t work. The Pankaj Tripathi story commences on a rocking note. But it loses steam once he gets admitted into the hospital. Also, the way he manages to escape death everytime is too hard to digest, even in a quirky film like this. The Rajkummar Rao-Fatima Sana Shaikh track has its share of interesting moments but is also unconvincing. Rajkummar’s sacrificial nature should have ideally made us teary-eyed but that doesn’t happen. Lastly, the Rohit Suresh Saraf- Pearle Maaney story is bland, except for some occasional quirky moments. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1147872" src="https://ift.tt/2IuA5R6" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> Abhishek A Bachchan is not in complete form. The scenes of him losing his temper don’t seem convincing; he did a similar act in a much better way in YUVA [2004]. Later on, his performance however gets better but is still let down by the script. Aditya Roy Kapur is apt for the part. His laidback persona works for this role. Rajkummar Rao (credited in the film as Raj Kumar Rao) tries his best to rise above the script. The manner in which he tells Pinky how he turned into a Mithun Chakraborty fan for her is cute. Pankaj Tripathi plays the kind of a role which he has played before in MIRZAPUR but here, his character has a quirk that makes his performance worthwhile. Also the use of the song 'O Beta Ji' for his scenes gives a nice touch. Sanya Malhotra is lovely as a practical girl who wants to settle with a rich guy. Fatima Sana Shaikh leaves a huge mark. Rohit Suresh Saraf hardly has any dialogues but one might not even realize this aspect. His screen presence is too good. Pearle Maaney makes an amazing Bollywood debut and looks ravishing in the second half. Ishtiyak Arif Khan tries too hard to be funny but doesn’t work. Child actor Inayat Verma (Mini) has a crucial part and delivers a splendid performance. Also, it’s after ages that we got a chance to see such a well-written role for a child actor. Shalini Vatsa (Latha Kutty) is a surprise of the film. Paritosh Tripathi gets to shine in the beginning and climax. Asha Negi and Bhanu Uday get limited scope. Saurabh Sharma, Bhanu Uday, Geetanjali Mishra, Aman Bhagat, Varun Verma (Mini's father), Mamta Verma (Mini's mother) and Rajiv Mishra (hotel receptionist) are decent. Shivaaji Satam reprises the role of a CID officer which he has played on TV but he has a blink-and-miss appearance. Lastly, Rahul Bagga (Chitragupt) and Anurag Basu (Yamraj) are entertaining. Pritam's music isn’t of the chartbuster variety. 'Aabaad Barbaad' is the most memorable. The rest of the songs like 'Meri Tum Ho', 'Tere Sirhane', 'Dil Julaha' and 'Humdam' are poor. Pritam’s background score however is way better. Allan Amin's action is first-rate and is not too gory. Ashish Dawyer's costumes are realistic yet appealing. NY VFXWalla's VFX could have been better. Anurag Basu's production design is neat. The different episodes of the film are shot in different cities but set in one town. Yet, due care has been taken to ensure that all the locales look like they are situated in one place. Anurag Basu and Rajesh Shukla's cinematography also works well in this aspect. Ajay Sharma's editing is uncomplicated and the various tracks and stories are neatly woven into the narrative. On the whole, LUDO is interesting and entertaining in parts and consists of unpredictable scenes and bravura performances. But due to a few poor tracks and unconvincing moments, the desired impact is not made. A marginal one time watch.

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Movie Review: Ludo

Director Anurag Basu’s previous film JAGGA JASOOS [2017] didn’t impress the audiences and was also criticized for going overbudget and for being in production for nearly 3-4 years. However, Bollywood didn’t lose trust in him thanks to his good-hearted nature and also because his overall track record has been great. He has helmed some of the most significant films in last 20 years like MURDER [2004], GANGSTER [2006], LIFE IN A METRO [2007] and BARFI [2012]. Hence, it’s no wonder that he got an ensemble cast in place for his next, LUDO. It was unofficially referred to as LIFE IN A METRO 2 as just like the 2007 flick, this film also features multiple stories which are connected to each other in some manner. However, while LIFE IN A METRO was a slice of life fare, the trailer of LUDO indicates that it’s in a wacky, crime comedy space. So does LUDO manage to entertain and enthral viewers? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1147871 size-full" title="Movie Review: Ludo" src="https://ift.tt/38zu5kU" alt="Movie Review: Ludo" width="720" height="450" /> LUDO is the story of quirky characters and how their life gets interlinked in a series of bizarre circumstances. Alok Kumar Gupta aka Aalu (Rajkummar Rao) loves Pinky (Fatima Sana Shaikh) like crazy since childhood. Sadly for him, Pinky ditches him and marries Manohar Jain (Paritosh Tripathi). It’s been three years since she’s hitched and she even has a son. Yet, Aalu continues to love her. Pinky, however, is not happy with Manohar. She gets suspicious that he’s having an affair. However, he lies to her by saying that he goes out to meet his friend, Bhinder (Saurabh Sharma). One day, she follows him. He realizes he’s being followed and hence has no choice but to drive to Bhinder’s villa. Pinky realizes that Manohar isn’t lying and leaves. Manohar then goes to meet his girlfriend, Sambhavi (Geetanjali Mishra). Minutes after he leaves, Sattu (Pankaj Tripathi), a dreaded gangster, arrives and kills Bhinder and his wife. Rahul Awasthi (Rohit Suresh Saraf), a sales executive in a hypermarket, who is kicked out of his house for non-payment of dues, happens to take refuge at the Bhinder villa at the same time. While leaving, Sattu takes him hostage to his sprawling hideout in the middle of a river. While he’s on his way, he kidnaps a person named Bhanu (Bhanu Uday) hostage as he has failed to repay him Rs. 90 lakhs that he owed. He also tells Bhanu’s wife Asha (Asha Negi) that she should tell Bittu (Abhishek A Bachchan) to meet him. The next day, cops spot Manohar’s car in Bhinder villa and conclude that he’s the murderer. He’s arrested by inspector Sukumar Sinha (Ishtiyak Arif Khan). Pinky ruins it by telling the cops that she saw Manohar entering the villa. Manohar, however, tells her at this point that he was with Sambhavi. He pleads her to meet Sambhavi and confess to the cops the truth and only then he’ll be able to get out of custody. Sambhavi, however, refuses to even admit that she has even met Manohar ever. With no other option, Pinky approaches Aalu for help. On the other hand, Asha meets Bittu. Bittu and Asha were married at one point and even have a daughter, Ruhi. Bittu used to work for Sattu but after he fell in love with Asha, he quit. Sattu didn’t like it and he got Bittu arrested. Asha then married Bhanu and became the father of Ruhi. On Asha’s request, Bittu goes to Sattu’s hideout. At this point, Akash Chauhan (Aditya Roy Kapur) comes to meet Sattu. Akash finds out that a porn clip featuring him and Shruti Choksi (Sanya Malhotra), with whom he had a fling once, is viral. He first approaches inspector Sukumar Sinha. But he tells her to bring Shruti to file the FIR. Shruti is getting married in five days to a wealthy chap named Shekhar (Aman Bhagat) and when he meets her and tells the truth, she is livid. Hence, he approaches Sattu. Sattu assures him that his work will be done. As Akash leaves and Bittu enters, a loud explosion takes place there because of Rahul, who had gone to the kitchen to prepare tea and left the gas on. Akash and Bittu escape with minor injuries but Sattu gets grievously hurt. Yet, Sattu manages to take a nurse, Sheeja Thomas (Pearle Maaney) and Rahul hostage. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Anurag Basu's story is promising and sounds fantastic on paper. Anurag Basu's screenplay tries to do justice but succeeds only in parts. There’s no doubt that a lot of hard work has gone in connecting the dots and in ensuring the various parallel stories converge at interesting points in the narrative. While a few of them arrest attention, there are several such intersections which seem to have been done just for the heck of it. Samrat Chakraborty's dialogues are well worded and add to the humour and drama. Anurag Basu's direction is decent. He tries his best to ensure the film stands out not just with the script but also by filling the narrative with some creatively executed scenes. The manner in which he takes his time to establish the characters and then inform viewers how they are related to each other is smartly done. On the flip side, this also gets a bit too much after a point. Also, in order to be unpredictable and quirky, the director takes a lot of cinematic liberties. The manner in which Aalu especially manages to commit crime after crime, to the extent of even killing cops, and he never gets nabbed is too hard to believe. The same kind of unconvincing moments are also a part of the other stories. Moreover, a few stories don’t work individually, and that further mars the impact. LUDO begins in an interesting manner as all the main characters are presented by two mysterious, Ludo-loving men. It takes a while to comprehend how each of them are related to each other and it becomes clear as the film progresses. Sadly, not all tracks work equally. The Aditya Roy Kapur-Sanya Malhotra track is the most interesting. The circumstances which compel them to be together and their conversations make for an interesting watch. The Abhishek Bachchan track is the weakest of all and simply doesn’t work. The Pankaj Tripathi story commences on a rocking note. But it loses steam once he gets admitted into the hospital. Also, the way he manages to escape death everytime is too hard to digest, even in a quirky film like this. The Rajkummar Rao-Fatima Sana Shaikh track has its share of interesting moments but is also unconvincing. Rajkummar’s sacrificial nature should have ideally made us teary-eyed but that doesn’t happen. Lastly, the Rohit Suresh Saraf- Pearle Maaney story is bland, except for some occasional quirky moments. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1147872" src="https://ift.tt/2IuA5R6" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> Abhishek A Bachchan is not in complete form. The scenes of him losing his temper don’t seem convincing; he did a similar act in a much better way in YUVA [2004]. Later on, his performance however gets better but is still let down by the script. Aditya Roy Kapur is apt for the part. His laidback persona works for this role. Rajkummar Rao (credited in the film as Raj Kumar Rao) tries his best to rise above the script. The manner in which he tells Pinky how he turned into a Mithun Chakraborty fan for her is cute. Pankaj Tripathi plays the kind of a role which he has played before in MIRZAPUR but here, his character has a quirk that makes his performance worthwhile. Also the use of the song 'O Beta Ji' for his scenes gives a nice touch. Sanya Malhotra is lovely as a practical girl who wants to settle with a rich guy. Fatima Sana Shaikh leaves a huge mark. Rohit Suresh Saraf hardly has any dialogues but one might not even realize this aspect. His screen presence is too good. Pearle Maaney makes an amazing Bollywood debut and looks ravishing in the second half. Ishtiyak Arif Khan tries too hard to be funny but doesn’t work. Child actor Inayat Verma (Mini) has a crucial part and delivers a splendid performance. Also, it’s after ages that we got a chance to see such a well-written role for a child actor. Shalini Vatsa (Latha Kutty) is a surprise of the film. Paritosh Tripathi gets to shine in the beginning and climax. Asha Negi and Bhanu Uday get limited scope. Saurabh Sharma, Bhanu Uday, Geetanjali Mishra, Aman Bhagat, Varun Verma (Mini's father), Mamta Verma (Mini's mother) and Rajiv Mishra (hotel receptionist) are decent. Shivaaji Satam reprises the role of a CID officer which he has played on TV but he has a blink-and-miss appearance. Lastly, Rahul Bagga (Chitragupt) and Anurag Basu (Yamraj) are entertaining. Pritam's music isn’t of the chartbuster variety. 'Aabaad Barbaad' is the most memorable. The rest of the songs like 'Meri Tum Ho', 'Tere Sirhane', 'Dil Julaha' and 'Humdam' are poor. Pritam’s background score however is way better. Allan Amin's action is first-rate and is not too gory. Ashish Dawyer's costumes are realistic yet appealing. NY VFXWalla's VFX could have been better. Anurag Basu's production design is neat. The different episodes of the film are shot in different cities but set in one town. Yet, due care has been taken to ensure that all the locales look like they are situated in one place. Anurag Basu and Rajesh Shukla's cinematography also works well in this aspect. Ajay Sharma's editing is uncomplicated and the various tracks and stories are neatly woven into the narrative. On the whole, LUDO is interesting and entertaining in parts and consists of unpredictable scenes and bravura performances. But due to a few poor tracks and unconvincing moments, the desired impact is not made. A marginal one time watch.

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Movie Review: Laxmii

The MUNI series has won tremendous love from moviegoers in South India. The film franchise — directed by Raghava Lawrence — is also hugely successful when one looks at its economics and BO returns. Frankly, it didn’t come as a surprise to me when a Hindi remake of the second film in the series — KANCHANA — was announced sometime back. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1147047" src="https://ift.tt/3lfZhcm" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> However, what did catch my attention — and I admit, I was surprised too — was Akshay Kumar’s decision to not just back the project [LAXMII], but also reprise the pivotal role enacted by Raghava Lawrence in the original. Just when you thought that Akshay would attempt a hardcore masala film, the decision to green light LAXMII came as a welcome move. I have watched KANCHANA twice and what genuinely grabbed my attention was the taut screenwriting of the film. The unconventional plot — with a strong message — stayed with me the first time, which explains why I watched it again, after a gap. And I enjoyed KANCHANA during the second viewing as well. Now let’s analyse LAXMII. A few questions before I move ahead... <ul> <li>Does LAXMII grip you, like KANCHANA did?</li> <li>Does Akshay suit the character or is it an over the top performance?</li> <li>What about the VFX? How convincing does it look when juxtaposed with the dramatic and emotional goings-on?</li> <li>Most importantly, does LAXMII combine humour and horror seamlessly or does it hit a roadblock?</li> </ul> The plotline. LAXMII narrates the story of a man, Asif [Akshay Kumar], possessed by the ghost of a transgender, who had been brutally murdered. The family [his wife and in-laws] soon realise Laxmii’s motive: Revenge. To start with, LAXMII is nowhere close to the original Tamil film [KANCHANA], although one notices modifications in the narrative to cater to the Hindi audience. The problem with LAXMII lies in its weak screenwriting. It hinges on humour for most of its first half, but it doesn’t work. It is only towards the second hour — when Sharad Kelkar makes an entry — that the narrative gathers momentum. That point onwards, right till the finale, it gets better. The horror tropes don’t leave much of an impact. Ideally, the jump scares should give you chills, but it’s old school horror. Even the songs — especially the first two songs [including ‘Burj Khalifa’] — deserved better placements/situations. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1147048" src="https://ift.tt/2IaZqzO" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> Raghava Lawrence is letdown by the writing. The writers try to juxtapose humour in the classic horror template, but it lacks meat. Recent horror-comedy hits like GOLMAAL AGAIN [2017] and STREE [2018] worked big time due to a strong screenplay. Unfortunately, LAXMII is an opportunity lost. ‘Bam Bholle’ is clearly the best song, in terms of placement and choreography. The background score adds spunk to the proceedings, while the DoP captures the mood of the film right. The VFX — it has an important role to play here — is alright. Now to the performances. The scene stealer here is — without a shred of doubt — Akshay Kumar. It’s a physically demanding character and the actor goes all out, proving his versatility in the process and delivering a sparkling performance. Kiara Advani looks gorgeous, but gets limited scope. The big surprise is Sharad Kelkar. He is excellent. LAXMII has a plethora of actors — Rajesh Sharma, Manu Rishi Chadha, Ayesha Raza, Ashwini Kalsekar, Tarun Arora and Prachee Shah — and each one of them is strictly okay. On the whole, LAXMII lacks the punch. One expected so much more from this film, but it clearly disappoints.

from Movie Review | Bollywood Movie Reviews | Latest Hindi Movies Reviews - Bollywood Hungama https://ift.tt/3kc1tR2

Movie Review: Laxmii

The MUNI series has won tremendous love from moviegoers in South India. The film franchise — directed by Raghava Lawrence — is also hugely successful when one looks at its economics and BO returns. Frankly, it didn’t come as a surprise to me when a Hindi remake of the second film in the series — KANCHANA — was announced sometime back. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1147047" src="https://ift.tt/3lfZhcm" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> However, what did catch my attention — and I admit, I was surprised too — was Akshay Kumar’s decision to not just back the project [LAXMII], but also reprise the pivotal role enacted by Raghava Lawrence in the original. Just when you thought that Akshay would attempt a hardcore masala film, the decision to green light LAXMII came as a welcome move. I have watched KANCHANA twice and what genuinely grabbed my attention was the taut screenwriting of the film. The unconventional plot — with a strong message — stayed with me the first time, which explains why I watched it again, after a gap. And I enjoyed KANCHANA during the second viewing as well. Now let’s analyse LAXMII. A few questions before I move ahead... <ul> <li>Does LAXMII grip you, like KANCHANA did?</li> <li>Does Akshay suit the character or is it an over the top performance?</li> <li>What about the VFX? How convincing does it look when juxtaposed with the dramatic and emotional goings-on?</li> <li>Most importantly, does LAXMII combine humour and horror seamlessly or does it hit a roadblock?</li> </ul> The plotline. LAXMII narrates the story of a man, Asif [Akshay Kumar], possessed by the ghost of a transgender, who had been brutally murdered. The family [his wife and in-laws] soon realise Laxmii’s motive: Revenge. To start with, LAXMII is nowhere close to the original Tamil film [KANCHANA], although one notices modifications in the narrative to cater to the Hindi audience. The problem with LAXMII lies in its weak screenwriting. It hinges on humour for most of its first half, but it doesn’t work. It is only towards the second hour — when Sharad Kelkar makes an entry — that the narrative gathers momentum. That point onwards, right till the finale, it gets better. The horror tropes don’t leave much of an impact. Ideally, the jump scares should give you chills, but it’s old school horror. Even the songs — especially the first two songs [including ‘Burj Khalifa’] — deserved better placements/situations. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1147048" src="https://ift.tt/2IaZqzO" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> Raghava Lawrence is letdown by the writing. The writers try to juxtapose humour in the classic horror template, but it lacks meat. Recent horror-comedy hits like GOLMAAL AGAIN [2017] and STREE [2018] worked big time due to a strong screenplay. Unfortunately, LAXMII is an opportunity lost. ‘Bam Bholle’ is clearly the best song, in terms of placement and choreography. The background score adds spunk to the proceedings, while the DoP captures the mood of the film right. The VFX — it has an important role to play here — is alright. Now to the performances. The scene stealer here is — without a shred of doubt — Akshay Kumar. It’s a physically demanding character and the actor goes all out, proving his versatility in the process and delivering a sparkling performance. Kiara Advani looks gorgeous, but gets limited scope. The big surprise is Sharad Kelkar. He is excellent. LAXMII has a plethora of actors — Rajesh Sharma, Manu Rishi Chadha, Ayesha Raza, Ashwini Kalsekar, Tarun Arora and Prachee Shah — and each one of them is strictly okay. On the whole, LAXMII lacks the punch. One expected so much more from this film, but it clearly disappoints.

from Movie Review | Bollywood Movie Reviews | Latest Hindi Movies Reviews - Bollywood Hungama https://ift.tt/3kc1tR2