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Thursday, February 29, 2024

Shastry virudh Shastry

This is a story about a 7 year old child who lives with his grandparents in a small town, Panchgani. His parents visit in the weekends from the nearest big city, where they have to stay due to their employment. Tiff between parents and grandparents begin when parents want to take their child with them to Mumbai, and grandparents don’t want to let the kid go because they think adequate care cannot be given to him while parents are out of home all day. The rift becomes wider when Malhar, the father, gets a business proposal in the US. The climax culminates in the court when senior Mr. Shastry (Paresh Rawal) files a case on his son, claiming the custody of his grandson.

The story attempts to showcase the challenges faced by working parents, and how they may end up neglecting their kids. One scene where both parents are looking at their phones and the child silently stares at them, tells the tale. The importance of having grandparents, who try their best to support the development of the child, inspite of their own health issues, is also touched upon.

Casting of characters is good. The central character of Yaman Shastry is played by an incredibly cute child. It is a pleasant surprise to see Mimi Chakroborty, a popular actress in Bengali films, in role of Yaman’s mother. Paresh Rawal is brilliant as the grandfather.

Image courtesy: Google

Thursday, February 22, 2024

12th Fail

What would you say to someone who had to resort to cheating to pass his exams, dreaming of becoming a civil servant? To crack the exam itself is a dream of many. It requires a combination of intelligence, perseverance, hard work and support of family and friends.

Vikrant Massey, almost unrecognizable in the rural boy makeup, plays the role of Manoj Kumar Sharma, who fails his Class 12 board exams because he is not allowed to cheat, due to the intervention of a local DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police). Inspired by him, Manoj gives up on unfair means and decides to become a police officer. Fate introduces him to Pritam Pandey, who brings him to Delhi. The story unfolds with failed attempts, endurance, friendships, guidance from seniors and finally culminates in Manoj becoming an IPS (Indian Police Service) officer. The romantic aspect of the story is presented finely, with Shraddha (Medha Shankar) playing a key supporting role in Manoj’s life.

Acting wise, Vikrant Massey has already gathered lot of recognition for his excellent and convincing performance. Anant Joshi, as Pritam Pandey, has also delivered a good supporting role. The rural flavour and its stark contrast with chaos in Delhi has been captured very well.

 This is an inspiring tale, which encourages one to pursue his dream to the best of his abilities, surpassing all challenges. Also, it is a real life tale.

Image courtesy: Google