My Best and Worst of Movies in 2024 - Part I [Theatrical]

Taking into account that there are a good many lacunae in my movie viewing, this is the gist of my theatrical experiences in the year gone:

The Yays

UI - Upendra (Kannada)

It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if S. Shankar and Alejandro Jodorowsky got together and made a movie, UI would be what emerged. In this day when everyone's making super-safe 'movies for dummies', this is an absolute triumph of audacity and divine madness from the maverick Upendra. Even seeing it in Kannada without any subtitles, this was probably the most awed I've been this year. Sadly though not surprisingly, it also seems to have bombed, going out of most cinemas in just a week.

Jagte Raho - Sombhu Mitra & Amit Maitra (Hindi)

OK, this is a cheat, since this movie originally came out in 1956. But the restored version was screened in cinemas this year. Raj Kapoor as an unknown struggler comes to a city and, in his quest for a drink of water, enters a resident colony where he gets taken for a thief and all manner of chaos results. Set in the course of a single night, the film is a satire on urban capitalist society and its sordid underbelly. Remarkably, Kapoor took a part where he is mute through most of the film. It's not perfect, and gets a little preachy towards the end (and the famous Nargis cameo, even though it looks gorgeous, feels like it came from another film altogether. But it's very interesting all the same, and I had a good time on the whole. The resto looks pretty good too in most part.

All We Imagine as Light - Payal Kapadia (Malayalam+Hindi)

My detailed take HERE

Kill - Nikhil Nagesh Bhat (Hindi)

Kill is probably the most fun I've had watching a Hindi movie in a long time. Up to half-way I was wondering if the reviews weren't exaggerating a little about the violence in this movie. But post-interval they crank it up to Holy Shit! levels. One scene with a fire extinguisher is bruisingly memorable. Compared to the bloated ass-fests that most new movies are, it's just a 106 min long and packed with badass action.

Furiosa: Mad Max - George Miller (English)

At nearly 2.5 hours, this film is significantly longer than Fury Road, with a lot of time spent on identifying different factions and their politics. It's not Shakespearean drama, some of it more in the vein of video game cut-scenes, but it's sufficiently punctuated with brilliant action to make the whole dish palatable, and Chris Hemsworth's Dementus is a pleasure.

Manjummel Boys - Chidambaram (Malayalam)

My detailed take HERE

The So-So's / Meh's

Aavesham - Jithu Madhavan (Malayalam)

I have to say that this Aavesham is marred by the 'anaavishyam' (excessive and unnecessary) amount of swag. YMMV. My detailed take HERE

Aadujevitham aka The Goat Life - Blessy (Malayalam)

My detailed take HERE

Merry Christmas - Shriram Raghavan (Hindi)

Mixed feelings. There's a neat little drama here, and a number of trademark Raghavan moments (the pre-interval portion is terrific!), but it's also significantly hobbled by a musical romance the director seems to believe in, but which did nothing for me. Still, you should watch it and make your own opinion. It should be at least better than the bigger movies on account of which it missed the Xmas release date it had been aiming for.

Lord Curzon ki Haveli + Shorts [Wench Film Festival]

I didn't actually plan for the Wench Film Festival, attending only one of the 4 days, which is why this is very fragmented coverage. For the record, this is a fest devoted to fantastic genre cinema primarily directed by 'Women and Non-Binary Filmmakers'. It is engineered by Sapna Bhavnani, an enthusiastic maverick who has worked in fashion and film. The screenings were conducted in a little performance space called Veda Black Box. It's about the size of one of those illicit video screening halls and I had the dickens of a time finding it after Google Maps dropped the ball badly. But it works perfectly for a niche segment like this.

Anyhoo, onward to the films I saw. Apart from one feature-length film Lord Curzon ki Haveli, I saw a bunch of short films of varying impact. A number of the shorts shown on this day were commissioned as a collection of horror outings set in the time of the pandemic. Each film was followed by a Q&A with available crew members from the film. There was also some kind of session with Kaizad Gustad, but I opted to go outside for a break in that time, for fear of becoming sufficiently enraged to murder the maker of the atrocity called Bombay Boys.

These were the notable short films I saw:

Entanglement (Yashaswini Nath) - Relationship drama meets SF in this non-linear movie featuring a couple having severe marriage issues...or is it two sets of couples from mirror universes who are having visions of each other? It's not always on the ball script-wise, but its good parts feature strong performances from the leads (Harleen Sethi and Harman Singha) and thoughtful direction.

Demons (Adesh Prasad) - Tumbbad co-director Adesh Prasad does a incredibly gory and immensely funny take on a 'cure' for drug addicts to be free of their demons. I won't bother with a synopsis for such a brief film, but this was a lot of fun, an affectionate twist on the Mohan Bhakri - Vinod Talwar style B-budget Hindi horror cinema.

Landfills of Desire (Sapna Bhavnani) - More music video than narrative, this one shows a vampire making her way through empty Kashmiri locales (it was shot during the pandemic).  It features an avant-garde percussive score, color filters and flashy editing.

Batshit Crazy and Giallo (Yogesh Chandekar) - These were both more overtly message-y, but had a good deal of visual humor and genre homage. BC features the travails of a Naga dude in Hyderabad running from a bunch of goons targeting him as a 'bat-eating Chinese' responsible for the Covid pandemic. I mainly liked the opening shot where a Ramsay-style Gothic structure enshrouded in fog is revealed to be the Charminar as a municipal worker brandishes a fogging machine. As the name would suggest, Giallo openly references the style of genre masters Mario Bava and Dario Argento (hat-tipping them with an 'Argento Pizzeria' and a 'Bava Heights' apartment complex). The gaudy color schemes and Goblin-inspired score make this a chuckle-worthy watch for fans.

The Lurking (Divyansh Sharma) - Shades of EF Benson's eerie stories in this beautifully shot tale of a dysfunctional family living on the edge of the wood. A harsh domineering father (Ajay Mehra), a mother (Snower Sania Vasudev) who is loving but may have psychological issues, and a child that sees something from within the wood. As the film unravels, different facets of the characters are revealed. Furkan Ali's cinematography and careful grading make for an amazing visual experience.

Anshuman Jha's Lord Curzon ki Haveli was the feature-length centerpiece. This one is a (mostly) one-act thriller with a Hitchcock/Polanski influence. A stuffy Indian-origin British doctor (Paresh Pahuja) and his decidedly more desi spouse (Rasika Dugal) visit the house of the wife's friend. This friend (Zoha Rahman) and her partner (Arjun Mathur) are a strange contrast to our couple, liberated bohemian spirits who have no issues about leaving their guests alone to go up for a quickie in the bedroom; not exactly effusive hosts. They also seem to have a mocking attitude towards the pompous doc and his frigid attitude towards his wife, spiking her drink to see what fun ensues. As the evening progresses, we see a clash of personalities. Issues like the status of immigrants, and the doc's pride in his British citizenship provide fuel for a grotesque black comedy. For me the biggest problem was the thin caricature of the doc's character - he is shown to be such an outright heel that the personality clashes are unbalanced. A good black comedy should be able to shift sympathies between characters, but he starts off as an jerk and as the film moves ahead, behaves even more idiotically. This makes the film a bit of an ordeal to sit through. The always easy to watch Rasika Dugal gets a major character shift over the course of the story and she executes it with relish. It's probably not meant to be taken seriously, but the end seems to suggest that immigrants should react to racism and class snobbery by going the Bonnie and Clyde route.

A Look Back on 2023 in Movies

Unlike most of the folks preparing for their NYE parties, my day job does not give me an off for the next day, so here I am sitting by my lonesome, filing the time by keying in my annual retrospective of watch experiences. If I have generated enough of a guilt feeling to dampen your spirits a little, that's mission accomplished. No? Oh well, we move on.

Compared to the last couple of years 2023 had me watching more films at the cinema, although they still add up only to a handful.  I also watched a few more web-shows than I normally do. Anyway here's this year in retrospective, divided into the usual good-bad-ugly categories (and listing the current streaming networks they're available on in India). Some of the choices will raise an eyebrow or sneering comment, but I'm just going by my gut instinct here. This list also includes a couple of releases from Nov-Dec 2022, which I only caught this year.

The Good Stuff

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (English, Netflix) About, this movie the first thing I would say is THE HYPE IS REAL. Visually outstanding, upping the ante on the terrific first film, this one is equally engaging drama-wise and leaves me wanting for the concluding installment like a heroin junkie craving for his fix.

12th Fail (Hindi) It's old-fashioned, it's sentimental, it's idealistic...it's also one of the best films Vinod Chopra has made (definitely better than anything his protege Raju Hirani made), and an object lesson in how mainstream Indian cinema need not be solely the exaggerated machismo jackasserie the industry is celebrating right now. I LOVED it. (Detailed review HERE)

Nanpakal Neratthu Mayakkam (Malayalam, Netflix) Apart from its all too on-the-nose "screen within the screen" conceit that constantly blares a sensory overload of symbolic dialog and songs, NNM is a pretty darn good whimsical little story about a man that appears to have been occupied by the spirit of another man, the ripples it creates in the lives of the people that knew each of the men, and finally his own identity crisis. Both director Lijo Jose Pelissery and star Mammootty seemed to have had a ball making it. Not a masterpiece like Ee Maa Yau, but damn good all the same.

Bheed (Hindi, Netflix) I thought Anubhav Sinha's film was pretty damn good as a story of grounded heroism in which a cop manning a state border post has to contend with busloads of migrant passengers trying to reach their home while he has orders to keep them out. Rajkummar Rao is a terrific protagonist and there is a sterling supporting cast. The movie falters somewhat when it tries to portray a larger picture about the govt's mismanagement as well as the more generalized points about class differences in society. But when it focuses on the characters and their drama it is a fine example of a more credible coming of age hero story.

Thankam (Malayalam, Amazon Prime) Thankam is a moral mystery (like another of Biju Menon's films - Aarkkariyam). It has its narrative slips (not tight enough in the procedural segments), but the easy depiction of deep friendships, and the emotional upheavals that come from unraveling of the secrets withheld even between the best of friends is terrific. Add in great performances from the lead cast (Biju, Vineeth Srinivasan and Girish Kularni) and some nail-biting tense individual scenes, and this noir-inflected drama is a worthwhile watch.

Dahaad (Hindi web-series, Amazon Prime) - In Dahaad, Sonakshi Sinha plays a lower-caste cop in Rajasthan investigating a series of murders by a womanizing serial killer. I thought it was worthwhile on the whole. Solid performances from Sinha and Vijay Varma in this nicely paced procedural with a well-realized setting. I would recommend it to fans of dark crime thrillers. (Detailed review HERE)

Farzi (Hindi web-series, Amazon Prime) The generic and lackluster first episode of this (Family Man fame) Raj and DK series had me seriously wondering if the burden of simultaneously taking on multiple projects had severely stretched out the creative juices of these guys. Thankfully, the further episodes picked up the slack, and while the best parts of Family Man are superior to anything we see here, this is still a well-made piece of entertainment. (Detailed review HERE)

Cinema Marte Dum Tak (Hindi web-series, Amazon Prime) Director Vasan Bala's exploration of the micro-budget exploitation movie scene by inviting four of its former major players to each make a new film and use it to chart the rise and fall of the genre has humor, passion and a lot of heart. There are moments that have you shaking your head in amused disbelief and other that will bring an honest-to-goodness lump to the throat. Well worth it for the non-snooty cinema nerd.

Arnold (English mini-series, Netflix) - In its 3 defined chapters - Athlete, Actor and American - Arnold sets out to demonstrate its subject's determination to "get there" in all of his chosen endeavors. It goes without saying that the treatment is glossy with more than a little dash of hagiography. But it does offer a detailed and entertaining picture of this larger-than-life fitness/movie icon for whom "Too big is not big enough". (Detailed review HERE)

The Decent Stuff

Oppenheimer (English) I struggled a bit whether I should put in my top-tier list, but my expectations for this film were higher than what it ultimately delivered to me. On the whole Christopher Nolan's magnum opus about the man behind the atomic bomb tests is a decent film, and has some strong moments, but ultimately it is not as emotionally affecting as it should have been. In the back-and-forth narrative I see inspiration from Oliver Stone's seminal film of JFK and David Fincher's The Social Network. But in terms of cinematic imagination the film lacks the bravado of a Kubrick or an Oliver Stone. It looks nice, sure, but not memorable.

Animal (Hindi) This male dominated violent drama is not without its problems, but it at least strikes me as a work that reflects the vision and sensibilities of an individual movie-maker and not a collection of box-office choices. The fact that I could sit through this 200(!) min slogathon without at the end wanting to kill myself tells me that it was doing a few things right. Your mileage may vary. (Detailed review HERE)

Khufiya (Hindi, Netflix) I watched Vishal Bhardwaj's spy drama with mixed feelings. Like with several of his movies there are some good scenes and excellent performances, marred by some really ill-fitting 'quirky' humor and absurd writing. And don't believe the 'based on a true story' heading for one second. Still, it went well enough for me to watch the whole thing late at night in a single sitting. Tabu is a pleasure to watch and I was impressed with what Wamiqa Gabbi, Ali Fazal and sultry Bangladeshi actress Azmeri Haque Badhon brought to their parts. (Detailed review HERE)

Mukundan Unni Associates (Malayalam, Hotstar) Mukundan Unni is probably the most amoral protagonist seen in an Indian movie. I can see where comparisons to the Jake Gyllenhaal movie Nightcrawler come in. This movie has issues for me - I thought it had a great ending near the scene of a bus accident, but it goes on for another 20 min unnecessarily dotting i's and crossing t's. Still, I would suggest giving it the look see.

Maamannan (Tamil, Netflix) Mamannan is a masala film but within that space does try to stand out. While there are fight scenes, the film does not devolve into a brainless machismo action fest. Likewise female lead Keerthi Suresh is not the usual birdbrained damsel in distress. The utter lack of nuance in Faasil's villain is a letdown, and the screenplay could have done with some serious pruning, but I found a film like this more palatable than Jai Bhim which reduces the lower castes to being faceless victims, dependent on rescue by Benevolent Brahminical Heroes. (Detailed review HERE)

The Pope's Exorcist (English, Netflix) After I saw the trailer for this film, I was expecting a campy LOL-fest knockoff of The Exorcist. In most respects this is true. Russell Crowe in the titular part seems to be aware of the camp quotient and his performance reflects the tongue-in-cheek. TPE has sufficient hilariously absurd material to be a decent time-pass watch, especially if you call over buddies and set up some drinks. (Detailed review HERE)

Evil Dead Rise (English, Jio) To its credit, this latest installment in the Evil Dead franchise runs a brisk pace, relies mainly on make-up and practical FX for the scares, and does not detour (apart from the prologue that gets an "eh, whatever" resolution at the end). It is decent popcorn entertainment if also eminently forgettable. (Detailed review HERE)

Renfield (English, Jio) This horror-action-comedy is never particularly inventive and the screenplay not the most well-constructed, but it is in large measure a fun film, in its scrappy way more fun IMO than several of the current phase Marvel movies. Nicholas Cage as Dracula seems to be having a good time.

Monica O My Darling (Hindi, Netflix) MOMD doesn't entirely escape Vasan Bala's penchant for over-writing and referencing, but this is fortunately rare enough that one can enjoy the film for what it is: a solid romp that owes more than a smidgen of debt to Shriram Raghavan's crime capers (dutifully referenced). Huma Qureshi (❤ ❤ ❤) and Sikander Kher totally owned their parts.

The Meh Stuff

The Railway Men (Hindi web-series, Netflix) The first episode of this YRF production gave me pleasant Kaala Patthar type vibes, of a tale of hope within a greater disaster. But soon after, the writing becomes so sloppy as to destroy all sense of immersion. By the third episode, the piling up of "kuch bhi!" moments like when the zombie bride rises up from her gas-slain wedding party to stroll down to the railway station and Raghubir Yadav's train ticket checker gives out a dying speech after he gets stabbed by villainous rioters while saving a Sikh woman, this feels more like one of the scores of terrible 80's Bollywood films. I did watch it to the end (it's just 4 episodes long), but by then I didn't care what happened to who.

Dancing on the Grave (Hindi/English web-series, Netflix) People of a particular generation in Bengaluru will remember the sensational case of Shakereh Khaleeli, on which the series is based. In terms of the making, I would think that the 'series' could easily have been an 80-90 min documentary. It loses too much time on re-enactment of trivialities. Still, if you're interested in this piece of shocking true crime history, it's only a couple of hours of your time in all. (Detailed review HERE)

Bholaa (Hindi, Amazon Prime) I'd say Ajay Devgan's Bholaa is to Lokesh Kanagaraj's Kaithi, what Feroze Khan's Dayavan was to Maniratnam's Nayakan, a remake that took the trappings of the original but buggered the spirit of it. What an absolute waste of time.

Ponniyin Selvan -2 (Tamil, Amazon Prime) I enjoyed the first installment of Maniratnam's adaptation of this historical fantasy but didn't much care for its concluding segment. PS2 seemed sloppier and more hurried, with events and character bits coming across very staccato. Even visually, the number of times the camera kept randomly circling around characters became annoying, and the battle scenes were generic.

Pathaan (Hindi, Amazon Prime) I can't see this as a BOLLYWOOD movie, it is so much borne out of director Siddharth Anand's love of the Mission Impossible and James Bond movies. And like the last few MI films, I admire the technical prowess, but I just don't feel anything for the characters. There is nothing in the writing that strikes a chord: Here everyone just too busy trying to appear cool.

Jailer (Tamil, Amazon Prime) There’s a scene around the 110min mark in Jailer where, as per Prime’s subtitles, Rajini’s character is advising a Telugu movie guy “Don’t make garbage in the name of commercial cinema”. Given the no-emotional-stakes, no-internal-logic and utterly no respect for the audience’s patience this wankfest displays, they have some gall to make a statement like that.  

Leo (Tamil, Netflix) This is basically A History of Violence for Dummies. A trainwreck script of dead-ends and pointless twists is occasionally made interesting by some energetic and imaginative action sequences. (Detailed review HERE)

Sisu (Finnish) In which a Finnish ex-commando turned prospector goes after a Nazi platoon for stealing his gold. I was really hoping to like Sisu, but it was more okey-dokey than thrilling. The movie was a lot like John Wick for me - there's a good bit of exaggerated action and grittiness abounds, but the tone and build-up were wobbly. It's a little too deadpan for its own good and I couldn't give a flying fuck for the lead guy...or even his dog.

Meg 2: The Trench (English) I wasn't expecting cinematic art, but even as a film featuring multiple giant sharks and a giant octopus, Meg 2 can't get its priorities right. The monsters are a muddled side-act in this leaky boat weighed down with an inept plot about muhahaha evil humans going after oceanic unobtaniums. While officially credited to horror maverick Ben Wheatley (Kill List, A Field in England) this one has all the signs of being made by committee.

Pachuvum Athbhuthavilakkum (Malayalam, Amzon Prime) Fahad Faasil vehicle in which he undertakes an escort mission that eventually tests his moral fiber. Individual scenes can be really good, brimming with emotion and subtle comedy, but the pacing is way off at the script level, and it fails to immerse.

Iratta (Malayalam, Netflix) I had great expectations from this, but after watching I thought it was a complete GAAND movie. The basic premise of a crime mystery film where you have identical twin protagonists and the plot is not about them exchanging places is interesting in itself, but the screenplay is sloppy as heck and relies on face-palming contrivances. Characters appear and disappear puppet fashion. You have BGM that orders you to feel a particular way instead of it coming across naturally in the performances. Joju George is a great actor, but this ego trip was a serious misfire.

Un-kvlt Year in Review 2022 (Movies) - The Runner-Ups and the Losers

After the previous 3 Un-kvlt installments where I talked about the movies that rocked my boat in 2022 - Ep 01, Ep 02 and Ep 03 - These are the ones that either didn't quite make the cut or disappointed me big time.

Movies that were decent (Cliched but solid, or ambitious but seriously flawed):

Candyman (English, Prime)

The presence of Jordan Peele in the creative team for the 2021 Candyman reboot was a major attraction, since his presence at least indicated that this would not be some thoughtless cash-in on a known IP. Candyman 2021 is not a traditional remake, but in fact a sequel that incorporates into its backstory the events of the 1992 movie and revisits the setting nearly 30 years later. For me the film works a lot better on paper than on the screen. One of its problems is trying to depict a wide-ranging take on race prejudice within its fantasy universe in a very limited time-frame. The film does get stronger in the climax, where it more fully realizes its horror potential. But even here, it does not reach the heights of the original, losing some of its majesty and mystique in favor of being a social justice cry. (Reviewed on this site HERE)

'83 (Hindi, Netflix/Hotstar)

The story of how the Indian cricket team under Kapil Dev's captaincy went from being complete underdogs to winning the World Cup in 1983 is an incredible and inspiring saga. Sadly director Kabir Khan and his team barely do it justice. The screenplay defines lack of focus, reducing what could have been a gripping tale of courage under fire to a collage of mostly forgettable moments and some puerile patriotic jingo. A small measure of cheer comes from Ranveer Singh's uncannily faithful portrayal of Kapil Dev, but if the aim had been to make an Indian equivalent to Chariots of Fire, then they certainly dropped the ball on this. (Reviewed on this site HERE)

Malayan Kunju (Malayalam, Prime)

This survival saga starring maverick actor Fahadh Faasil is a film of 2 uneven halves. The first is a dragged-out anemic prologue lacking sufficient richness in the narrative to justify the build-up. Thankfully though, this is followed by a superbly executed gripping and visceral second half, masterfully captured by the production crew and performed by Faasil with complete involvement. A shorter, tighter film with less backstory (and less of AR Rahman's spoon-feeding score) would have been a total winner. (Reviewed on this site HERE)

KGF-2 (Kannada, Prime)
The 4-year delayed follow-up to 2018's breakout success gangster drama continues the swagger, and even takes it a notch higher. This is a movie where our gangsta hero can among other things:

• Barge in unannounced into the Prime Minister's working chambers and swag at her, while she hisses ineffectively.
• Have a helicopter hovering above his lawn when his fiancee whines about the lack of breeze.
• Single-handedly assault a police station with a large caliber machine gun to recover a single gold biscuit.

The film's canvas feels genuinely big, and while the strokes are broad, they are also unabashedly virile, with some epic visual moments. What I would criticize is the deja vu occurring over the course of this two-part narrative. The danger of painting in broad strokes is always that there's not sufficient detailing for the characters. A lengthy symphony cannot be composed solely of overtures, and this is where KGF-2 flounders. (Reviewed on this site HERE)

Kaun Pravin Tambe? (Hindi, Hotstar)

Actor Shreyas Talpade, who debuted as a budding cricketer in Iqbal, returns as another underdog trying to make it in cricket. This is the true-life story of Pravin Tambe, a club cricketer who persevered with the game despite not being selected for any national tournament up to his 40's, which is when most sportspeople start to talk about retirement. KPT? has some nice Sai Paranjpe style touches in depicting the Tambe family's lower middle class life and Pravin's struggle to hold various jobs while continuing with cricket. The script is formulaic and most of the characters are etched in broad strokes. But if you like cricket in general, I thought this was better than those bigger-budget cricket movies. (Reviewed on this site HERE)

X (English, Prime)

In X, an amateur movie crew in 70's Texas go to shoot a porno movie on a remote farm owned by a strange and surly looking guy. This is like director Ti West's post Rob Zombie world take on Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It is in some parts good fun, with some canny split-screen juxtaposition and some nice humor, in others it's uninspired or eye-rolling stupid. Since it's Ti West, you know there's going to be a lot of visual nods to the period. It's not a classic but it's not a bad choice for a popcorn movie night. Definitely more engaging than The Innkeepers.

Nna Thaan Case Kodu (Malayalam, Hotstar)

NTCK got a lot of hype, but I didn't find it engaging. This satire tries to take a leaf from Chaitanya Tamhane's Court in capturing the rhythms of a legal proceeding and infusing it with some legal-political farce elements. It is effective in parts. Kunchako Boban's lead is the best element, creating a credible character even when the goings-on around him aren't especially so. But the film meanders a good deal, and sometimes it feels that humorous elements have been forced in to maintain a certain tone. This could have been an entertaining farce at about 100min. At nearly an hour more, the appeal is significantly diminished.

Prey (English, Hotstar)
This new feature in the Predator franchise goes back in time to the 18th century, with a native American protagonist, played by an actual Native American Amber Midthunder. I think the best thing about Prey is that it doesn't spend too much time building the mythology or connecting to previous installments in the franchise. It's never particularly memorable, but it's breezy and has a fair amount of old-skool action. Overall, not a bad way of passing time. 

Movies that sucked / I didn't care for:

Bheeshma Parvam (Malayalam, Hotstar)

This Mammootty starrer directed by Amal Neerad is not as infuriatingly dumb as Mohanlal's film Lucifer, but there's a lot to be desired for in this umpteenth desi take on The Godfather series. BP is less a movie and more a collection of visual and narrative elements the maker fetishizes over. The camera zooms and pans over a medley of 1980's era-specific inanimate objects for no reason other than that Neerad wants to show you how much he was invested in the production design. Inversely the writing is devoid of detail and texture, and emotional moments are negated by a creative sensibility more concerned with the period paraphernalia than the characters. (Reviewed on this site HERE)

Kadaisi Vivasayi aka The Last Farmer (Tamil, SonyLiv)

My favorite Indian movie critic Baradwaj Rangan's enthusiastic review of The Last Farmer suggested an "organic" humanist narrative with an ecological bent. My viewing at the cinema however had me wincing at what I thought was a homily-dropping "arid" slog, hard to "plough" through, and with only few redeeming elements, like Vijay Sethupati's wandering hermit character. Only recommended if you really missed the farming tips from those agricultural programs on Indian National television in the 80's.

Chup: Revenge of the Artist (Hindi)

A mystery film where movie critics are being bumped off by a mysterious killer. Director R. Balki may be a deep lover of ‘cinema’, I don’t know. But in this thriller that's really more filler, what I see is the reduction of that love to some shallow 'reference' scenes that serve as rare quirky respite in a trainwreck narrative with wafer-thin characters and zero emotional engagement. About the only time I whole-heartedly cheered in this movie was when 90's Bollywood's angry hero Sunny Deol yelled out his favorite catchphrase, "Bastard!". Instead of 'Chup' they might as well have called it 'Dabba', which would have served as both reference to the celluloid cans we see in the film AND a pertinent self-critique of its hubris.

Vikram (Tamil, Hotstar)

Lokesh Kanagaraj's previous action drama Kaithi was entertaining masala that had an organic build-up and made you feel for the main characters, so even the exaggerations towards the end could be taken in stride. Vikram is the opposite, so labored and contrived it is sad to think it came from the same guy. The effortless flow and interlocking of scenes in Kaithi is replaced by a jerky unstable narrative that struggles to do justice to its star lineup. The action has the same jerky quality as the writing. If anything Vikram is proof that all this talk about Bollywood films failing  before South movies because people want better content is BS, because I can't imagine anyone that cheers for this bilge having particularly high standards in cinematic entertainment. (Reviewed on this site HERE)

I'm not primarily a series watcher (either on TV or Streaming), because I find it hard to give the time commitment, but I did happen to catch these and you may find them interesting.

TV Series / Mini-series:

The Devil's Hour (English, Prime)

This mini-series on Prime where a suspected serial killer is connected with a single mother and her emotionally-diverse child is a sort of Silence of the Lambs meets The Sixth Sense meets Groundhog Day. The characters have intense obsessive personalities and dark secrets, the crime scenes are gruesome and no one is allowed to feel happy for long. But at the same time it's not misanthropic and does have a sense of humor. On the whole, it is cliched and contrived, but still nicely polished and frequently effective. Fans of mystery/horror dramas can definitely give it a shot. (Reviewed on this site HERE)

As We See It (English, Prime)

The first 8-episode season of this series deals with the lives of 3 adults on the autistic spectrum in very different ways. The three share an apartment where they are guided towards becoming more independent by a behavioral therapist who is the other main character. Autism is a difficult topic as the central theme of a series. To keep things palatable to a general audience, the writing remains on the side of heart-warming when it showcases the troubles faced by the autistics, and the people around who are affected by their behavior. There is a certain amount of pat problem solving and "Love conquers all" element, but I suspect anything else would make it a downbeat niche kind of show. On the whole, quite watchable.

Un-kvlt Year in Review 2022 (Movies) - Ep 03

This is Episode 03 of the Un-kvlt retrospective of movies from 2022, where I conclude with the movies that I really liked from last year (See Ep 01 HERE and Ep 02 HERE). I intend to devote the next set of episodes to lower tier movies, that were either decent or outright sucked. Please leave your feedback to let me know if you think it's worthwhile.

Click on the video link to watch the video of Episode 03 or scroll down to the transcript below if you prefer to read:

Movies I was pleased with:

Atrangi Re (Hindi, Hotstar)

Anand L Rai's Atrangi Re treads some similar lines of glamorized treatment of mental illness and delusion that Imtiaz Ali's Tamasha did. But where Tamasha seemed to be wholly buried up its own ass, Atrangi Re, even though it had some serious flaws, just worked for me. It turned out to be one of the best 'Bollywood' masala movies made in recent times. Sincere performances, committed direction and a genuinely extraordinary score from AR Rahman. I totally agree with the end credits which mark out the film as a truly creative collaboration of the main crew. Just keep all your expectations of real world logic at the door...or further away.

Kimi (English, Prime)

In a career that began more than 30 years ago Steven Soderbergh has made a feature film almost every year, and unlikely for a big Hollywood director, he frequently doubles up as DoP and editor for many of his movies. Kimi is Soderbergh's "virtual windows" wink-wink homage to Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. This is a fun  watch, with Zoe Kravitz making for a credibly tenacious heroine. By giving her near superpowers towards the climax, the film loses some of its tension. But it's still worth the streaming, which is in my view how one should watch a cutting-edge thriller like this, not at cinemas or on ancient disc formats.

Kooman aka The Night Rider (Malayalam, Prime)

This is the new thriller  from Jeethu Joseph, the man behind the Drishyam films. It's rather fun. The plot primarily deals with a cop who decides to moonlight as a burglar purely for the purpose of humiliating his senior colleagues. But very soon this burglar cop is being blackmailed by an unknown entity. A good amount of intrigue is generated in these sequences The last half hour goes into some absurd left-field material, and how much you dig it depends on you, but while I did have a certain "Whatever, man!" sentiment, it remained overall enjoyable and worth the watch.

Avatar: The Way of Water (English)

Avatar 2 is pretty much what I expected it would be. Storywise, it's stodgy and contrived. But James Cameron once again shows why, even in the age of the MCU, he is still king of the large scale technological spectacle. Staying true to the original design, the rendered visuals are seamless with the live action, showing impeccable fluidity and texture. The film's several action scenes are masterfully captured, with no shortcuts or confused edits. The visuals here ARE the story, and a gorgeous experience they make. I was engrossed enough in the world of Avatar 2 to not hugely mind its shortcomings in script and characters, and I wouldn't mind watching it again, on a bigger screen. (Reviewed on this site HERE)

Un-kvlt Year in Review 2022 (Movies) - Ep 02

Continuing with the retrospective of movies from 2022 which I had begun with Episode 1 (see it HERE), here is some more about the movies I really liked from last year. I hope you find this series sufficiently interesting to stick it out for the next episode where I conclude my list of 2022 winners from MY viewings.

Click the video link below for Episode 2 or scroll down to the transcript if you'd rather read:

Rorschach (Malayalam, Hotstar)

A slow-burn mystery with some supernatural leanings, this Mammootty starrer is another example of Kerala movie-makers taking the thriller into new directions and having fun with it. It might not seem so from the first 30min or so, which seems like those dreary mystery dramas Netflix so dearly loves, but when its central conceit was revealed - which I won't spoil for you - I was chuckling with delight. A clever screenplay is complimented with gorgeous night-time cinematography, skillful editing and interesting sound design. Except for the unnecessary and cliche HERO action sequences, this was a hoot.

Ponniyin Selvan - I (Tamil, Prime)

PS-1 is the first installment of director Mani Ratnam's long-gestating adaptation of Kalki's famous multi-volume Tamil literary saga heroing the 10th century era Chola Dynasty. For all my misgivings, this turned out a pleasantly nimble and engaging historical fantasy with a solid sense of fun. The movie avoids the stodgy, pompous air of most Indian period stories (Looking at you, Bahubali). The action scenes are lively, and the script incorporates a bouncy, irreverent humor without being facetious. Visually, it is absolutely gorgeous! I'm definitely looking forward to PS-2.

Kantara (Kannada, Prime)

This was the sleeper hit from the Kannada film industry that transcended language barriers, despite not being conceived as a pan-India narrative. Between the bookends of the intriguing opening and the climax, Kantara is in large measure a standard HERO glorifying venture. But that final segment in which the lead guy undergoes a transformation into a near-mythical entity is such a demented and incredibly visceral piece of heavy metal performance art, I was left breathless and shaking, with goosebumps sprouting over my goosebumps. For pure masala feel, that climax was an unmatched cinematic experience for me this year. (Reviewed on this site HERE)

Un-kvlt Year in Review 2022 (Movies) - Ep 01

As has become an annual ritual for this blog, I have put together a compendium of the films released this year which I had seen (either at the cinema or on streaming), segregated based on my personal rankings, with a excerpted opinion on each. Where possible, I have tried to list the streaming network on which the film / program is currently showing in India. Without more ado...

Movies I was pleased with:

Pada (Malayalam, Prime)

Based on incredible but true-to-life events, Pada is the story of how a gang of Naxal revolutionaries hold a government administrator hostage, demanding in ransom a rollback of exploitative rulings about the ownership of land. The film is a terrific example of how when it comes to well-crafted non-preachy gripping humanist dramas, Kerala cinema rules over most other Indian film industries. The first half of Pada is something that Christopher Nolan's best work represents, a textbook of taut multi-threaded rhythmic build-up of narrative. The second half maintains the tension and the final reveal is a brilliant emotional release. Highly recommended, just make sure to not read too much beforehand.

The Batman (English, Prime)

While it is inspired by the tone of the preceding Christopher Nolan series, The Batman thankfully doesn't repeat the already too many times told origin story or try to beat you as much over the head with turgid grandiosity. The bulk of the narrative is a noir-ish cop mystery action drama (where one of the cops just happens to dress up like a bat). The action, when it happens, is furious and grounded, with some stunning shadowy cinematography. Definitely a promising new movie direction for the Dark Knight detective. (Discussed on this site HERE)

RRR (Telugu, Hotstar)

A movie so hyped it needs no introduction. I'm not quite convinced that RRR is the Second Coming, I still think Eega is the best example thus far of director Rajamouli's imagination. but it is good as a bombastic entertainer. The best parts of course are the thrill sequences, where a lot of thought has gone into building the action. The story reminds me of 1985's Amitabh Bachchan starrer Mard, which is an epitome  of giddy ludicrousness. This one doesn't hit that same level, but scores with its greater technical polish. While Bollywood imports Ajay Devgan and Alia Bhatt are empty marquee names here, both Ram Charan and NTR Jr kick ass and take names and blow up a storm. (Reviewed on this site HERE)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (English)

The sequel is a thoughtful expansion of the BP narrative, very respectful of the late Chadwick Boseman's impact with the title character. Sombre threads of loss and grief run through the film, but always in a moving and dignified manner - the scenes between the film's pivotal women characters make for some of its best moments. But the mandatory insertion of jokes from the Marvel Movie Template jar with the film's tone, and the villain Namor, after an intriguing introduction, is reduced to a boilerplate power maniac. WF was certainly more interesting than the last couple of Avengers movies for me, but it undercuts its own potential for a richer narrative. (Reviewed on this site HERE)

2021: Endgame

Now that the year will be coming to an end in another week, 'tis time to continue the saga of movie opinions. I'm laying down my summarized views of 2021 movies I saw between Aug-Dec 2021 (My take on 2001 Jan-Jul movies HERE).

Shershaah (Hindi, Amazon Prime) As a film, this biopic comes off all too formulaic and pat, with the shallow feel of an overlong army recruitment promo rather than the emotionally involving saga of a brave warrior.

#Home (Malayalam, Amazon Prime) Shallow as an ad-film for a retirement finance plan, yet stretching to a vegetative 160 min, this one wallows in blandness. Too many characters introduced without giving them enough to do. The actors are almost uniformly solid (Indrans shines as the mild mannered indulgent father), but the script foundations are too weak and shaky for this #home to stand up. Site review HERE

Bell Bottom (Hindi, Amazon Prime) While the bulk of Bell Bottom suffers from Akshaykumarism and all that the syndrome implies, it's actually less of a wince-fest than the other movies he has done in recent past. There are occasional sequences where the film springs to life, holding true to its 70's Bollywood hailing spirit. With an actor who has less of an off-screen agenda this could have been a significantly more entertaining movie.

Aarkkariyam (Malayalam, Amazon Prime) Aarkkariyam may be described as a moral mystery with a warm humanist streak. The film errs on the side of rambling, but it is avoids unnecessary dramatics or that dreadful habit of superfluous twists that destabilize the narrative. Beautiful writing and performances make it worth recommending at least as a once-watch. Site review HERE

Shang-Chi (English, Hotstar) Up to about halfways, Shang-Chi and the Something Something was fakking boring. Even after that it never achieves greatness but Ben Kingsley has fun and the climax (with its nods to Return of the Jedi's father-son lighsaber duel) generates sufficient enthusiasm to meet the threshold for a boilerplate marvel feature.

A Ghost Waits (English) While the movie (which mixes elements of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir with Beetlejuice) was pleasant, it was never more than that. There is a sweetness to the romance element, but I felt the makers should have put more bite into the scare and humor segments and not have them be so timid / perfunctory as to be nondescript. Decent as a one-time watch (I saw it on the Arrow blu-ray).

Jai Bhim (Tamil, Amazon Prime) This is reminiscent of 90's Indian movies that mixed scenes of gruesome torture / violence with mainstream masala sentiment. The victims have little personality other than being innocent oppressed folks, and the bad guys are cardboard evil. For a film that so obviously fictionalizes many elements of its story, they could have tried to come up with more interesting writing.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (English) Notable as my first post-lockdown cinema trip. This was a decent fun experience. It succeeds in keeping the fan service at a tolerable level and concentrating on giving likable characters (played by wonderfully cast young actors). It also, succeeds, without banging too hard on cheap references, to generate the sense of adventure Hollywood PG-13 movies had in the late 70's and 80's.

Still need to see (and would love to get more recommendations from y'all):

Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam, Churuli

2021: Intermission

This is just the half-way mark for 2021, but I've seen a fair amount in the great democratic world of OTT / streaming, and I thought I'd do a sum-up of all the stuff so far from this year (there's some Nov-Dec '20 stuff in there too, if you want to be picky). The streaming networks mentioned are the ones hosting it for India. The majority are from Amazon Prime because for a good part of these 6 months, it was the only streaming network I was subscribed to.

I'm not usually a watcher of series, but I did see a couple this year, including:

Family Man Season 02 (Multi-lingual, Amazon Prime) If you saw and liked Family Man S01, watching this is a no-brainer. If you haven't as yet seen the series, but like the idea of a fast-paced action series with some good writing and acting, this is again a no-brainer. The North-South regional / cultural divides are handled with humor and insight. What is especially interesting is that the terrorist characters are shown to be more open-minded and recognizing a common purpose across their differences than the establishment good guys. The action sequences are badass easily rivaling the scope of feature films and more coherent than many of those.

Lupin (French, Netflix) I have not read the original stories of Maurice Leblanc's famous gentleman burglar, but this series, which is a spiritual successor that acknowledges the source, is a wonderful piece of escapist adventure. Lupin is the type of character I have been long pining for in a crime / mystery series. A wave of relief from the surfeit of maladjusted misanthropic assholes that have dominated the genre in recent times, he is a warmhearted emotional man, with love for his family, and a sense of mercy and decency even towards the people who stand against him. Like bronze-age Batman, when he fights it is almost always in self-defense and not to beat someone within an inch of their life. Lupin may be a thief, but he is a Gentleman, and in the realms of entertaining fiction, that counts for a lot in my book.

 

Here are my brief impressions of all the movies I've seen from this half-year:

Drishyam 2 (Malayalam, Amazon Prime) The first Drishyam aka Scenario was a clever suspense drama about how conventionally uneducated but clever family man Georgekutty, outwits the law while shielding his family after the inadvertent killing of a top cop's wayward son. The sequel is a grimmer, heavier tale of how the crime is something that will never stop shadowing the Georgekutty family. A polished script and beautiful lead performances from Mohanlal and Meena make this a gripping follow-up and less dependent on the twist elements than the first film. D2 came early this year and still remains one of my top entertainers for 2021.

Middle Class Melodies (Telugu, Amazon Prime) is one of a new breed of Telugu movies that is not about glorifying misogynistic machismo, and hopefully will encourage more such ventures. It is an ensemble drama with at least half a dozen major characters, each of whom has their own 3-dimensional character and trajectory in the layered script, where numerous threads criss-cross with each other. Some judicious trimming might have reduced the film's sprawling runtime , but even as is, MCM is a charming narrative with relatable characters that will be appreciated by people who liked films such as Maheshinthe Prathikaram / Uma Maheshwara Ugra Roopasya, Kumbalangi Nights etc. 

Saajan Bakery Since 1962 (Malayalam, Amazon Prime) This is one of those examples of a decent idea hampered by a confused screenplay more interested in gimmicks than telling a straight story. It could have been a sensitive observational drama with lashings of humor. Instead, the writers veer the script's tone like drunk truckers, randomly shoving in non-linear events and breaking the 4th wall moments just because they thought it would be cool. In the moments when the film belongs to the actors you can see what it could have been. Sadly they are in the hands of incompetent string pullers and this bakery turns out half-baked.

Tenet (English, Amazon Prime) In general, I had about the same response to it as I had to Inception. The backwards/forwards conundrums are pretty damn good as a visual showcase, like the world's most expensive music video. But I never felt the urgency of the stakes - I mean, why is death by instant annihilation worse than the threat of nuclear catastrophe? The motivations of the characters are sketchy at best, and I never felt that these people were running around for a truly worthwhile purpose. More than 90% of the dialog in the movie is plot exposition and explanation of rules. Call me a fuddy-duddy, but I like a little more heart in my movies to consider them fun.

Joji (Malayalam, Amazon Prime) Adapting Shakespeare's Macbeth as a domestic drama, Joji eschews some of the grandeur of the source work, especially Macbeth's downfall, but within the more limited scope it does justice to being a gripping tale of ambition and intrigue; the bard would not complain, methinks. As is almost a given with most projects Fahadh Faasil is involved with, the acting and technical values are first-rate.

Karnan (Tamil, Amazon Prime) is a mass movie in the truest sense, a mass of people rise up in rebellion against their oppressors. It tries a little too hard for symbolism (butterflies, pigs, dogs, a donkey and even a baby are pressed into this service), but applause for the very organic way it builds up what could have been a boilerplate drama. I liked this a good deal better than Asuran and think Dhanush is going to hands-down take the Angry Young Man trophy for this year

The Great Indian Kitchen (Malayalam, Amazon Prime) This tale of what a newly married woman faces when she enters an orthodox household could have been a thoughtful exposure of the double standards of a patriarchy that sometimes exploits its women without even being aware of the fact, but the writing so loads the dice against the husband character, making him a rude and domineering asshole, that it inadvertently gives a lot of married men free pass to think, "I may have my faults, but at least I'm not THAT guy".

Andhaghaaram aka Darkness (Tamil, Netflix) Almost up to the 30min mark you wonder if anything is going to make sense, and the final explanation / denouement doesn't match the build-up, but for the longest part of its 170(!) min running time, this is one of the most ball-squeezingly creepy Indian horror films I have seen. If you're at all interested in the genre, this is a must-watch. Make sure to go in without reading any detailed reviews / spoilers.

Nayattu aka The Hunt (Malayalam, Netflix) was a tense and gripping dark thriller, about how those who serve power eventually find themselves prey to it. Cops who carry out frame-ups / wrongful arrests to serve their seniors and political masters find themselves in a situation where those very masters find it convenient to crucify them for a purported atrocity, and now they are fugitives on the run. With an interesting story, credible performances, atmospheric visuals and tight editing, it is another example of the seemingly effortless manner in which the current Malayalam film industry churns out incredibly well-made entertaining movies.

Druk aka Another Round (Danish, Amazon Prime) walks a fine line between celebrating drinking and warning about its ill effects. It  avoids moralizing and is made in a relaxing and thoughtful way. The performances are uniformly excellent, led by Mikkelsen expressing accessible charm and aching vulnerability in turn. I guess beyond a certain point what the film is saying is, do whatever it takes to get out of a rut, and find ways to relax when you're stressed...and have a few drinks if you want without guilt-tripping.

Nizhal aka Shadow (Malayalam, Amazon Prime) - A mystery story can go two ways - either be plausible or be entertaining. Some great movies do both. Nizhal, interesting bits notwithstanding, does not satisfy on either count. It does not earn its runtime and there's a distinct feeling of being let down at the end. This is a pale shadow of the movie it could have been.

Sherni aka Tigress (Hindi, Amazon Prime) is, despite how the trailer tries to sell it, thankfully not "just" a star-vehicle. Vidya Balan has a sensible non-obnoxious part she does good justice to. The movie tries to give a broader picture of the different forces that govern man-animal conflict and the forest department that's caught in the middle. Compared to his debut film Newton, the subject matter is less amenable to the brand of humorous and angry satire that Masurkar was able to exploit, and is a little more dry, inducing some forced injection of humor in the caricature portraits of Vidya's boss and family. Also, in spreading its net wide, it also seems less focused and dramatically interesting. But it's still an important film for its message.

Sara’s (Malayalam, Amazon Prime) was to me like watching PK (but less tedious) or Sherni (but less grim), in the sense that it’s not in itself a great movie. The writing is mediocre and the characters feel as designed as their trendy houses and bed-sheets. But it raises an important issue – that of a woman’s right over her body and the state of not having to justify one’s decision to not have children. It avoids obvious villains and in a couple of instances cannily subverts scenes that could have been used for grandstanding. You could probably have a more emotionally gripping and credible story from the same outline, but the candy-coating may mean that more people will be willing to watch this film as entertainment and the message thereby finds a larger audience.

2020: The Year of Movies Outside of the Cinemas

So here we are at the end of one of the strangest years, at least post-millennium. Apart from some die-hard Chris Nolan fans, most of us would barely have seen anything at the cinema. But it's the film that matters, and not where you saw it, so here's my take on the movies I saw in 2020:


I was quite pleased with:

The Disciple (Marathi) - Chaitanya Tamhane's trademark observational style tracks the journey of a man aiming to make his place as a classical exponent. Steeped in the more esoteric world of Hindustani classical music, it doesn't have the impact Court had, but on the whole quite good, and especially rewarding for people that can appreciate large swathes of Indian classical vocal performances.

Ayyappanum Koshiyum (Malayalam) - A revenge story that could have easily been cliched is, by attention to detail and a beautiful organic building up of scenes, made into a gripping yarn. Three hours have rarely gone by so easily.

1917 (English) - Probably the only movie in this post I saw at the cinema. This WW2 action drama is good fun, technically well done, giving the impression of having been achieved as one long tracking shot. It's a gimmick of course, but marvelously achieved. The entire second half has the quality of a dream sequence. The script is like that of a video game and characters have no real depth, but except towards the very end, I didn't feel the film overstayed its welcome.

Choked (Hindi) - I thought the new Anurag Kashyap movie was quite decent. It's more modest than the usual AK film, but that also translates to less self-indulgent. There is one sequence which is brilliant in the way it cross-cuts two entirely different events generating the rhythm in-situ and then goes into a third sequence which is a marvelous fantasy that ties in with the main character. Also, an AK film where no one even says 'Chutiya' gladdens my sanskaari sentiments.

Uncut Gems (English) - It's not often I can stick through a film with a fatally unlikable protagonist, but even at 2hr 15min with some significant sag in the middle, this one can be said to be on the whole gripping and frequently outrageous (in a fun way). Both the script and Sandler's performance work to keep us interested without stooping to give the character cheap sympathy. Under the senses-saturating direction of the Safdie brothers, the film also becomes an ode to street smart New York.


These were alright, but could have been better:

Chhapaak (Hindi) - Fairly alright as these things go, similar to last year's Uyare. Thanks to excellent prosthetic work and quiet underplaying, Deepika Padukone is mostly convincing as an acid attack survivor who reclaims her life...far less so as the lower middle-class public school educated dilli-waali she is supposed to be.

Putham Pudhu Kaalai (Tamil) - An anthology of 5 stories, unrelated except that they are all set in the time of the initial Covid-19 lockdown period. The bulk of the individual episodes are more okay than great, a sort of sentimental oatmeal. Still, there are good moments, and it's lovely to see familiar faces do parts they are comfortable with.

Raat Akeli Hai (Hindi) - A sort of "noir lite" (latte?), never brilliant, but also doesn't have many obvious missteps, apart from casting Radhika "where did I leave that phone?" Apte and some lazy deus ex machina scripting. Mostly it works as a star-vehicle for Nawazuddin Siddique and for its excellent night-time cinematography.

Helen (Malayalam) - Even with its flaws (too long with unnecessary prologue to establish lead character), Helen was a nicely done survival story of a girl trapped inside a walk-in freezer, who must escape before she dies of cold.

Driving Licence (Malayalam) - The "other" Mallu revenge movie with Prithviraj (and written by Sachy). I thought DL was okey-dokey where AK was exhilarating. The situations in the script don't feel as organic, and there's too much of script contrivance, buffoonery and deus ex machina.

Extraction (English) - Extraction on Netflix was a rather decent serious action film up until the very end. The bulk of the film is a lot of road rage and close quarters combat set in the crowded bylanes and box-like apartments of Dhaka, and this is executed efficiently. It suffers in trying to give an epilogue for too many of its characters, and it could have definitely done with some trimming of the dramatic cliches, but it's not bad as Netflix fodder goes.

Avane Srimannarayana (Kannada) - With influences as disparate as Dabangg, Rango and the traditional Yakshagaana (or perhaps taking a leaf out of Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne), it is only natural that after a point Avane Srimannarayana wobbles under its self-indulgent style (the last third is something of a cave-in - at the end, quite literally). But like with Jagga Jasoos, it is for a surprisingly major part of its (186 min!) running time, delightful in its whimsicality.

Vaanam Kottatum (Tamil) - A generic bad guy and a climax that cranks up the stupidity quotient spoil it a bit, but for the longest time, VK is a sturdy masala family drama mixing elements of the rural potboiler with classic Maniratnam style. I love that they give a fair amount of importance to the individual character arcs. Performances are very solid too, especially Radhika showing you why she is one of the great drama queens of Indian mainstream cinema.

Trance (Malayalam) - It has a very strong beginning and some trippy visual ideas, but sloppy writing in the latter half brings it down a few notches. Still worth watching for the strong acting talent on display.


Seriously undermined potential:

Gulabo Sitabo (Hindi) - A potentially beautiful story that turned out a terrible movie. The tone here (like Amitabh Bachchan's oversized prosthetic nose) struck me as completely wrong. What should have been a bleak vehicle about a pathetic rat-like scavenger with grandiose dreams, where the humor should come in biting irony, is painfully shoehorned into a sitcom with grating "comedy scene wala" background music. Even the end of what feels like a 5 hour slogfest is ruined by an imbecilic coda. Amitabh is surprisingly good as a wizened wretched geezer. If they had made it with the right tone he had the chops to give a moving performance. But now that's just a load of coulda-shoulda-yada-yada.

Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithal (Tamil) - KKK aims to be a constant roller-coaster of plot twists, and it occasionally works, but the script suffers from depending on outlandish contrivances and logic gaps it does not have the chutzpah to smooth over. The actors have a (mostly) likeable presence and the script doesn't tries to preach morality, but 160 min is an ass-busting running time for a thriller that doesn't take pains to constantly grip the audience.


Fakk this crap:

Gunjan Saxena (Hindi) - It was so dumbed down they should have a label for it that says "for kids from ages 6-10". The writing has all the finesse of having been done with crayons and thick markers. Every scene is about handing out a homily or making a Hallmark frame. Not a single moment feels free of an agenda, ironic for the journey of a woman that wanted to soar unfettered.

Shakuntala Devi (Hindi) - Going by the tone, it seemed that the director comes from an ad film background. Half the film feels like a promo for detergent or a health drink, and the other half feels like it's trying to sell you a bank loan. I'd rather read a Maths textbook.

Bulbbul (Hindi) - It's not unwatchably bad, and has some seriously well done visuals, but it is the kind of horror story that, if you've seen / read any horror stories before, you will know within the first 15 min EXACTLY how it's going to play out; the film does not once in its entire 90 min running time surprise you. I suppose one must be grateful for its not having the twist-for-twist-sake convolutions that make you want to slap the writers silly, but it is a slog.

Good Newwz (Hindi) - More like Horrifying Newwz, THIS was a terrifying experience!

Ponmagal Vandhal (Tamil) - On paper this masala courtroom drama seemed like an interesting if flawed enterprise; in actuality, it's a train-wreck. The script seems written by a drunk 5 year old, and the direction is devoid of consistency, randomly veering between stylish and creaky 80’s formula. From start to finish a load of rubbish.

Mardaani 2 (Hindi) - I felt that the 105 min running time at least suggested a crisp movie; turned out to be mostly a waste of 105 min on a mediocre potboiler (no songs, that's a mercy) that needed far better writing.

Shyam Benegal - A Master Storyteller

Of all the makers of Indian offbeat cinema that got its second wind in the 1970's, the most consistently interesting artiste for me has been Shyam Benegal. In my humble view, Benegal is the film-maker that can be regarded as the spiritual successor to the legacy of Satyajit Ray . Both of them did not restrict the kind of film they made, displaying their interest in a wide variety of subjects, viewpoints and styles. What they really wanted to do, and what to me is the most appealing quality of their work, was tell interesting stories; and unlike some of the other names of 'arthouse' cinema, tell them in a straight, approachable way, esoterica be damned. What I am attempting here is a list of Benegal offerings, culled from all his films I have seen, which I can heartily recommend to all the people who are interested in films that tell interesting stories in a sensible and entertaining manner. What is fortunate is that many of these films are available in home video format. There may be other worthy films that I have missed but I hope to give a decent representation of his far-reaching body of work. So here goes...

Charandas Chor aka Charan the Thief (1975)

It is not perhaps what I would recommend to a complete newcomer to Benegal's films, because the style runs contrary to the measured approach that he is better known for, but this raw and intensely flavored “slapstick comedy slipping into satire and surreal territory” based on a Habib Tanvir play about two rural con men has several moments of delight, be it the hyper-speed cops n' robbers chases or the absurd and ironic trial proceedings. Also notable for the first appearance of Smita Patil in a Benegal film. 

Nishant aka Night's End (1975)

What could have been a routine 'arthouse' story of social exploitation is fashioned into a far more interesting enterprise. A school-teacher's wife is abducted and gang-raped by the brothers of the tyrannical village landowner. While her husband at first makes frantic and fruitless attempts to get the law to rescue her and then sinks into resigned acceptance of the situation, the woman leverages her hold over the landowner's timid youngest brother, for whom she was 'procured', and demands verily the position of a second wife. The film ends in a hastily arranged revolt of the villagers against the landowner's family, the closing scene being that of the teacher's wife running away with the landowner's brother in escape. A biting irony-laden script, and a fiery performance from actress Shabana Azmi are the highlights. 

Manthan aka The Churning (1976)

Manthan is one of the more unique examples of film production, being funded by voluntary donations from farmer-members of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation. The film does not content itself being an extended plug for the milk co-operative, but provides an interesting narrative with sharp comment on the venal machinations of the various power-broking factions and how they keep the villagers submissive to their exploitation. The film is not to my knowledge available on video, but can be viewed in streaming format at the Amul TV website (video link).

Bhumika aka The Role (1977)
Bhumika is one of my personal favorites in Benegal's oeuvre. Unlike his trademark successes which carry an ensemble cast, Bhumika is squarely focused on its lead character. Smita Patil, queen of Indian offbeat cinema, gives a towering performance here as an actress (broadly based on the autobiography of old-time Marathi star Hansa Wadkar) who was forced into films at an early age to save her family from destitution and ended up becoming a star, but remained starved of true companionship. She goes from era to era, and man to man, searching for the elusive happiness. Benegal uses the background to give us a glimpse into the history of Indian cinema, starting from the early talkies. His sense of humor finds release in sly asides like the matinee hero, whose proposal of marriage has been rejected by Smita's character, with a liquor glass in front of a mirror, arranging his hair Devdas-style, or the director who becomes one of her lovers revealing that he made up a story of his daughter having died during the Holi festival so people wouldn't shower colored powder on him. Bhumika is also one of Benegal's most stylish efforts visually, combining B/W and color footage to show the passage of time and the advent of newer technologies in the film-making process (although Benegal has revealed that it arose from the need to save on the cost of color film stock). 

Kondura aka The Sage From The Sea (1978)

Social concern meets dark fantasy in this uneven but still strong entry from Benegal. Anant Nag plays Parsuram, initially a no-gooder chided by his family for his lack of gainful employment, then transformed after an alleged encounter with the sage Kondura, who grants him a boon which calls for various manner of sacrifice at his end, including complete celibacy. Parsuram finds himself talking to the village goddess and concerns himself with the task of building a temple in her honor. Ironically, the funding for the temple comes from the local zamindar who is a debauch that ill-treats his mentally affected nephew-cum-heir, and is also possibly infertile. Parsuram's increasing fervor to build the temple and restore values of righteousness to the village bring him increasingly bizarre experiences leading to a climax that perverts the cause of religious mania. The film can be shrill in making some of its points but it is undeniably effective in its good moments.

Junoon aka The Obsession (1978)

Based on a Ruskin Bond book A Flight of Pigeons, Benegal's most grandly laid out film of that time (funded by Shashi Kapoor's Film-Valas company) tells a story set during the 1857 mutiny of Indian states against the British colonists. A trio of British women of different generations barely escape from blood-crazed mutineers who have massacred a church-ful of whites and, after running hither and thither, are captured by the patriotic Pathan warrior Javed Khan who would cut them down in an instant...but he has fallen for young Ruth. Ruth's mother constantly rejects Javed Khan's proposals and advances towards her daughter, severely trying both his obsession for Ruth and his Pathan culture which requires him to protect guests against all harm, including himself and his jealous wife. Finally she works a deal in which he agrees to give Ruth's hand to him...if the Indian rebellion wins Delhi. A strong character-driven narrative and rich production are further enhanced by a razor-sharp lead performance by the immensely underrated Shashi Kapoor as Javed Khan

Kalyug aka The Machine Age (1981)

A contemporary interpretation of the Mahabharata played out as a boardroom battle between two business families that will not allow ethics to get in the way of conquest. Nothing more to say here other than that it is highly recommended viewing.

Mandi aka Market (1983)

This racy black comedy set in a brothel is one of Benegal's most openly outrageous efforts and one that, with its themes of incest and stinging digs at morality and politics, would doubtless be suppressed by the plunder-happy so-called 'culture guardians' if it were to be revived today. A richly talented ensemble cast compiled from the who's who of Indian parallel cinema probe into their bawdy parts (hah!) with unabashed relish and the end result is a film that sometimes shocks, often has you in splits and never fails to hold your interest.

Trikal aka Past, Present, Future (1985)

Possibly the closest Indian cinema gets to a Gabriel Garcia Marquez style narrative - a fairly good plot summary can be found here. Surreptitious affairs of passion cross paths with spirit summoning seances and political revolution in a multi-generation Goan family getting painfully shorn of its Portuguese moorings. Again a visually sumptuous film with mesmerizing candlelight photography by Ashok Mehta. Benegal also employs stylized tools like using the same actor to play an archetype across generations.

Suraj ka Satvan Ghoda aka Seventh Horse of The Sun (1993)

Possibly the last of Benegal's 'great' films. I remember seeing this one in its theatrical release in Liberty cinema (Mumbai), and it was, along with Ismail Merchant's Muhafiz (In Custody), the highlight of that year in movies. Adapting a Hindi novel of the same name by Dharamvir Bharati (and apparently simplifying it, I am told that the original work is a lot more labyrinthine, requiring frequent lookbacks to keep track of the characters and situational time-lines), Benegal plunges us into a multi-threaded storyline, each thread of which looks at a different aspect of Love, the sum giving us a picture of this supposedly ethereal emotion in the context of social mores and inner character. If this sounds too academic, I profusely apologize because SKSG is a comedy, and a brilliantly accomplished one at that. Starting off with its scathing dismissal of Sarat Chandra's Devdas, it brilliantly exposes the absurdity of the romantic sentiment as drawn in popular culture. There are no obvious banana-peel jokes but anyone with a smidgen of rationality will find plenty to smile (and frequently guffaw) at in these irony-laden proceedings. All the actors here are superlative but Rajit Kapoor as the narrator and Amrish Puri as a colorful lecherous father who thinks nothing of flirting with his son's mother-in-law deserve special mention. Again one of the best Hindi films I have seen.