Pail te Sumbaran (पैल ते सुंबरान)

"Pail te Sumbaran (पैल ते सुंबरान)"

Watched Marathi movie "Pail te Sumbaran (पैल ते सुंबरान)". This film is directed by Gajendra Ahire and produced by Anil Phadtare. Story is by Gajendra Ahire. Music is by Rahul Ranade. The film runs for about 2 hour 4 min and was released in 2009.

It has a star studded cast including Jitendra Joshi, Sai Tamhankar, Mukta Barve, Siddharth Jadhav, Ravi Kale, Ravindra Mankani, Jayant Sawarkar, Seema Deshmukh, Aditi Bhagwat, Ashwini Kalsekar, Vrinda Ahire and Makarand Anaspure.

Two brothers; elder Vasant, a bank clerk and younger Veeru, a musician decide to visit their ancestral home. As they start their journey they go down the memory lane to their childhood. 

What are the memories? How was their childhood? Are there skeletons in the closet of the past?

Movie starts with a beautiful song. It's a song based on folk music (lok sangeet). As the movie progresses, audience start to gain glimpses and insights in the past of the family. A wealthy and revered family. How one event exposes the facade and what transpires after that. 

The movie depicts the social gap between two classes and how the semblance of this gap being bridged crumbles with the first touch of reality. It also shows how education and the lack of it can reverse the roles within a span of one generation. 

All the actors are proven actors. Makarand Anaspure and Mukta Barve deserve a special mention. They shine in the crowd of talent. Direction is good. The ancestral home is impressive. 

Watch if you have spare time on hand. 

Mumbai Pune Mumbai 3 (मुंबई पुणे मुंबई ३)

"Mumbai Pune Mumbai 3 (मुंबई पुणे मुंबई ३)"

Watched Marathi movie "Mumbai Pune Mumbai 3 (मुंबई पुणे मुंबई ३)". This film is directed by Satish Rajwade and produced by Sanjay Chhabria. Story is by Pallavi Rajwade. Music is by Avinash Vishwajit and Nilesh Mohrir. The film runs for about 2 hour 19 min and was released in 2018. I watched this movie with Aditi and Mihika. 

This is third movie of the series. Cast includes Swapnil Joshi, Mukta Barve, Vijay Kenkre, Mangala Kenkre, Prashant Damle, Savita Prabhune, Suhas Joshi & Rohini Hattangdi. All of them also starred in previous two films.

Gautam and Gauri are now a working couple for three years, pursuing their careers. Despite all the precautions, Gauri discovers that she is pregnant. They don't want the child but family members are ecstatic. Gauri is now confused, as usual. 

Will they keep the baby? Or will they abort? What does the ultrasound report say? What is the issue this movie handles?

Swapnil and Mukta excel in acting as a couple to perfection. Prashant, Rohini and Savita also do well. Suhas and Vijay have a limited role. Mangala's wig is very apparent and looks odd.

Satish Rajwade's direction is good but not excellent. His direction is hampered by the weakest link of this film, the story. Although its a very good idea to make movies that track the progress of the couple and the problems that they face in various phases of their life, here the writer appears to be undecided about the problem that she wants to address. Is it about the couple not ready for baby against parents expecting a baby? Is it Gautam not being ready for parenthood? Is it lack of communication between the couple during pregnancy? Is it availability of too much time for Gauri during pregnancy? As the writer is confused, so is the director. Audience gets double confused and is unable to determine what the director is trying to convey?

Individually, a lot of good things happen in the movie, there are brilliant scenes, heart warming scenes, hilarious scenes and emotional scenes. So although individual ingredients are in place, the binding element, which is story, does not do it's work. As a result the movie appears like an unsuccessful recipe despite good ingredients.  

The main issue appears to be that Goutam does not call Gauri every day. Until the end, movie does not tell us why Gautam does not call Gauri. What holds him?

I watched this movie with great expectations as the previous two movies were very good. This movie, however, disappoints. 

Give it a miss. 

The Meddler

"The Meddler"

Watched English movie "The Meddler". This movie is directed by Lorene Scafaria. It stars Susan Sarandon as Marnie, Rose Byrne as Lori & J.K.Simmons as Zipper. It released in 2016 and is 1 hour 43 minutes long. I watched the movie with Aditi. 

After death of her husband, Marnie decides to move to the city where her daughter stays. Left with no one else and coming to the new city, the only person she can turn to is her daughter who is trying to cope up with a breakup. 

What happens next? Who is the meddler? What does she meddle in?

Outwardly, character of Marnie is outgoing and helpful. She makes friends easily. Goes out of the way to help strangers. Doesn't mind spending her money on them. Constantly pesters her daughter. She shuns any advances by men. But in reality she is lonely. She searches company to cope with the loss of her husband and her loneliness. 

Character of Lori is a bit melodramatic. She suffocates by constant attention of her mother. She wants fate to make decision for her but doesn't like when her mom tries to make one. 

Zipper is impressive. Being a biker, he looks very decent and robust at the same time. He expresses his feelings effectively with limited dialogues. Simmons has a very good personality. 

The reason that gives release to Marnie, however, is not as strong as it should have been. As a result it appears unconvincing and audience gets a feeling that something is amiss. 

Acting is good. Direction is good. Story could have been better. Cinematography is ok.

Not a must watch.

Manikarnika (मणिकर्णिका)

"Manikarnika (मणिकर्णिका)"

Watched Hindi movie 'Manikarnika (मणिकर्णिका)', directed by Kangana Ranaut & Krish and Produced by Kamal Jain. It stars Kangana Ranaut (Rani of Jhansi), Ankita Lokhande (Jhalkari), Atul Kulkarni (Tatya Tope), Kulbhushan Kharbanda (Dixit) and Gaus Khan (Danny Denzompa). Screenplay is by KVV Prasad & Prasoon Joshi. The movie is about 2.5 hours long. I watched it on 25th, day of release in India, with Jayant & Sameer. 

The story starts from the youth of Manikarnika (Manu) Tambe, het marriage to Maharaj Gangadhar rao of Jhansi. Birth and death of her son,  adopting of a son,  death of her husband. War with British. Abandonment of Jhansi. Take over of Gwalior and final battle. 

Kangana makes entry in an impressive scene and looks very beautiful. And that she does throughout the movie. Her acting is also very good. Was Kangana the best choice for the role considering the personality and warrior physique? Probably not. But Kangana compensated in acting what she lacks in physique. Without taking anything away from Kangana, in my humble opinion, Priyanka was ideal for the role. 

The movie has impressive, rich and grand sets. Producers have spent generously to show the richness of princely state and forts. War scenes, especially those of Kangana, are very good and appear realistic.

Direction is good but not excellent. Some of the scenes could have been better. Since the movie has two directors, it's impossible to know who directed what.

Although the film displays a disclaimer that this film does not claim historical authenticity, writer, directors have ensured that they have stayed true to the overall story. 

In such a movie, it is expected that director takes artistic liberty. So,  here Manu (Being a queen) dances with Jhalkari and other commoners. But what can't be excused is that Jhalkari gives milk to Manu with left hand (whereas she is not a left hander). Directors show Manu iwith her hair down and open, before as well as after marriage. At the sane time, all other ladies tie their hair. Loose hair was against the tradition of the time. Directors need not have let Kangana's hair down to make her look beautiful, that can be achieved even when hair are in a bun. 

In short, although, it could have been better,  I liked it. 

Recommend watching this movie.

Little evil

"Little evil"

Watched English movie "Little evil". This movie is directed by Eli Craig. It is produced by Scott Stuber and Jason Michael Berman. It stars Adam Scott as Gary, Evangeline Lilly as Samantha, Oven Atlas as Lucas and Bridget Everett. It was released in 2017 and is one hour 21 minutes long.

Gary marries Samantha. She has a son, Lucas, almost six years old. Gary tries to bond with Lucas. But he is a wired child and tries to bury Gary alive. Gary is convinced that Lucas is an anti Christ. 

Why did Lucas try to kill Gary? Is Lucas Anti Christ? Should he kill Lucas? Can Gary bond with him? 

This film is basically about the love between a father and his step son. But it also has cult,  Satan worship, rituals and what not. 

Rather than making a horror film, director has tried to create a blend of comedy and horror with sprinkling of emotions. In doing so he ends up neither here nor there. The movie comes out like a Jack of all trades....

Acting by all actors is acceptable. I did not understand director's objective of casting Bridget as a Dad. It appears odd and does not serve any purpose. 

The movie also indirectly promotes Satan worship and recognizes existence of Satan. But what happens to Satan is left hanging without answer. In all this melee, the real deal of love between father and son takes a back seat. 

AVOID.

Accidental Prime Minister

"Accidental Prime Minister"

Watched Hindi movie 'Accidental Prime Minister', directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte and starring Anupam Kher (Manmohan Singh), Akshay Khanna (Sanjaya Baru), Suzanne Bernert (Sonia), Aahana Kumra (Priyanka), Arjun Mathur (Rahul) and Vipin Sharma (Ahmed Patel). Story is by Sanjaya Baru. This movie released in Jan 2019. The movie is about 2 hours long. I watched this film on 16th Jan 2019 with Jayant & Sameer.

This movie is based on Sanjaya Baru's book by the same name. Dr. Manmohan Singh was not supposed to be the Prime Minister, but became Accidental Prime Minister. The movie is about reign of Dr. Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister of India for 2 terms (10 years). The events that happened and the way he responded to the events. 

When you make a film that involves real life characters, it's very important that the selected actors have a physical resemblance to the real life figures. Full marks to the casting director and director of the movie for selecting correct actors. In most of the cases, just the appearance is enough to identify the character. It also saves movie time. The only character that did not resemble the real life figure was Rahul.

All the actors in this film are accomplished actors. The movie has lot of characters, so each character gets very little screen time. The actors and director deserve credit for ensuring that each actor and character gets it's due. Anupam Kher and Akshay Khanna excel. You don't think you are watching actor Anupam Kher. You feel you are watching Dr. Manmohan Singh. What better compliment can an actor get?

I have read the book earlier. It's neither very dramatic nor is it controversial. So I was curious how the director has maintained the drama in movie. What I realised, while watching the movie, is that politics is inherently so dramatic that the director needs no additional efforts on that front. Additionally, since audience was witness to these events few years ago, there is a touch of nostalgia to it too. 

Since director had to cover a long period and numerous events, he has adopted a unique style of narration. Rather than narrating a story, he narrates flashes of events using the character of Sanjaya Baru as anchor. If not done correctly, this style can create discontinuity. But director handles it very well. 

The only thing that I found not up to the mark was the sets. The set of hall where PM takes oath and the set of PM office appeared utilitarian rather than elegant and impressive. 

Recommend watching this movie. 

Da Vinci Code

"Da Vinci Code"

Watched English movie 'Da Vinci Code', directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, Audry Tautou and Ian McKellen in lead roles and Paul Bettany, Alfred Molina, Jean Reno in supporting roles. Story is by Dan Brown. This movie released in Dec 2006. I watched this film with Mihika. 

This movie is based on Dan Brown's book by the same name. It's a very famous and brilliant book, hence, I will not go into the story.

Tom Hanks does justice to the character of Robert Langdon. He plays the role so well that you can't imagine any other actor for the role. Audry is good as Sophie. Ian plays cripple Sir Leigh convincingly. Other actors also do justice to their roles. 

Generally when a book is made into a movie, a number of details are lost due to time constraints and the story is changed for "convenience" or "artistic liberty". As a result the movie is generally not as enjoyable as the book. 

This movie, however, is an exception. Here director stays true to the story and captures the essence of story in the movie. Director deserves the praise for it. However, many details had to be done away with. In short, the movie does justice to the book. 

Trivia: Although this book was published after 'Angles and demons', this movie came before that.

Recommend watching this movie. Also recommend reading the book.

Andhadhun

"Andhadhun".

Watched Hindi movie "Andhadhun". This movie is directed by Shriram Raghavan and stars Ayushman Khurrana, Radhika Apte, Tabbu, Anil Dhawan, Manav Raj, Ashwini Kalsekar and Chhaya Kadam. Music is by Amit Trivedi. This film released in 2018.

Ayushman is a blind piano player. One day he lands a job. Later, a retired actor invites him at his home for a private concert and then starts a series of mysterious and dramatic events, twists and turns. 

What happens at private concert? What mysterious events happen? What happens to his lady love? Can he ever see again?

The story starts with a bang. Director captures the imagination of audience within minutes. The movie becomes intense and the intensity keeps rising. Audience thinks: Wow! What a movie. But director takes this response of audience a little too much to the heart and devises one shock after another,  and then another, then one more. The characters betray each other, cross,  double cross and re-cross. In this zeal of shocking the audience, story gets neglected and becomes secondary. Some of the strands remain loose and story of these stands remain incomplete. 

Nevertheless, audience is rooted to the chair to see how it all ends. Eventually it ends with one final twist that may be a preamble for a sequel. Will there be one? This final twist leaves a lingering question in the mind of audience similar to 'Katappa ne bahubaliko kyun mara?'

For a change, the story happens in Pune. For the audience used to all the stories happening in metros (Mumbai,  Delhi etc.) or rural areas (Bareili, Komban etc.) It's a good change. 

Ayushman portrays the blind musician very well. He acts with deftness and confidence. Radhika and Tabu act very well too. Manav Raj looks like a hybrid of Salman and Amir.

Songs of this film are nothing to write about,  however, piano pieces played by the character of Ayushman are fantastic, sublime, worth listening. 

Credit should be given to the one who selected the title of this movie. Is includes the essence of movie andha=blind and dhun=tune. Tune played by the blind and to the tune of blind. 

So apart from the movie going slightly off the track due to directors obsession for shock treatment, the movie is entertaining and interesting. 

Recommend watching!

Gandha (गंध)

"Gandha (गंध)"

Watched Marathi movie "Gandha (गंध)". This film is directed by Sachin Kundalkar and produced by Ranjit Gugle under the banner Flashbulb ventures. Stories are by Archana Kundalkar and Sachin Kundalkar. Music by Shailendra Barve. The film runs for about 1 hour 36 min and was released in 2009. I watched it on Priya's recommendation. 

This film is a collection of three independent short stories and it has won national awards for best screenplay and best audiography. 

'Lagnachya wayachi mulgi (लग्नाच्या वयाची मुलगी)' is first short film. 

This story stars Amruta Subhash and Girish Kulkarni in lead roles. Vina Sane, a 24 year old typist working in a college, is fed-up of the rejections from probable husbands while her parents try to attempt her arranged marriage. One day she meets a mysterious student who is much older than other students. She smells something good when he is around. 

Who is he? Is he a drunkard as the rumour goes? What is the fragrance?

Although Amruta Subhash is not made for this role, she brings the character of marriage hopeful Vina to life with her acting. Girish Kulkarni speaks volumes without speaking much. Character of her father and his acting is very artificial and sticks out like a sore thumb. 

'Aushadhe ghenara manus (औषधं घेणारा माणुस)' is the second story. 

This story stars Milind Soman and Sonali Kulkarni in lead roles. Sarang and Raavi are an estranged couple. Sarang lives on medicines and is HIV positive. One day his wife comes to meet him. She smells some foul odour in the house, but he can't. Finally she finds the source. Sarang can't smell and he can't tolerate his wife leaving. 

Why does he take medicine? Why can't he smell? What does he do?

The difference in ability to smell is representative of the wedge between them. It's a strange story. At one point the film is poised beautifully but appears to go downhill after that. The house of Sarang is beautiful. Milind Soman is OK, Sonali is good as always. 

'Bajula basleli bai (बाजुला बसलेली बाई)' is the final short film. 

It stars Nina Kulkarni in lead role. Lakshmi, daughter in law of house and a childless, middle aged, loving lady, is menstruating and has to sit aside for 4 days as per the custom while her sister in law is in labour. Lakshmi can't help and is restless. 

Is she really menstruating? Does she miss a child? Is she respected in her house?

This movie has continuous rain from start to the penultimate scene. Rain is a character in this short film. Here rain symbolizes gloom and menstruation. Finally when there is sunshine,  it symbolizes hope and end of menstruation.

This movie lives to the title. Every story has something to do with smell for the protagonist. In first film the smell is fragrance. In second it is odour. In third it's nostalgia. The writers deserves praise of stringing the three stories with the common thread of smell (गंध). Third film is the best of the three and leaves lasting impression. First story has urban lower middle class background, second has urban upper class background and third has rural background. 

Director has done a commendable job. He uses symbology and background effectively. It's not easy to develop characters, ensure that story blossoms and then deliver the message; all in about half an hour. When you watch these short films, they don't hit you, but as time goes and you think about them, they grow on you. 

What's different in this movie? Being a Marathi movie,  the title song is in English. But, it's good. 

Collection of short films as a movie has become the new 'in thing'. There are few such movies released in Hindi. This one was made 9 years ago. 

Recommend watching.