Phir Aayi Haseen Dillruba

Tapsee Pannu and Vikrant Massey come back on screen as Rani and Rishu, to tell you about their life post their escape from police. A surprise addition is Sunny Kaushal, who plays the role of Abhimanyu, a compounder. He is totally smitten by Rani and much to his own surprise, he gets married to her. However, he discovers that she is not only married, but her husband is also alive, living in the same town, under the pseudonym of Ravi. Jimmy Shergill also comes back to screen as the persistent cop, who has personal interest in uncovering the truth behind the crime the lead pair had committed in the prequel.

The twist in the story is introduced midway – the apparently simpleton guy is a psychopath in reality, who would go any lengths to punish betrayals. This movie revolves around Sunny Kaushal, his passion for Rani and how he helps her and Rishu to escape from claws of police, just to see her happy, and hoping against hope that she would choose him over her previous husband.

For me, this was a great movie and a befitting sequel, albeit a few badly written dialogues and loose ends. Great acting by Sunny Kaushal and Jimmy Shergill, very beautiful Tapsee, except her overly done floral hair do-s, are key things to look out for.

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Haseen Dillruba

A good plot to keep you hooked to the movie till the very end. This is an apparently simple tale of love, which is moulded on the lines of a crime thriller. Vikrant Massey plays the role of Rishu, a simple guy who gets married to an incredibly beautiful girl, Rani (Tapsee Pannu). While they are in the process of getting to know each other, enters a very handsome cousin (Neel, played by Harshvardhan Rane). A short fling and he is gone. Rani confesses about her extramarital affair to Rishu, who cannot accept the pain of being betrayed. You should watch out for this segment, when Vikrant has done most of the emoting with his eyes. Gradually things start getting better between the two – when Neel resurfaces, and the past comes back haunting Rani and Rishu.

Big shoutouts go out to the performances of all actors, who bring the characters to life. Vikrant Massey showcases his acting abilities as he transforms from a reserved guy from a small town to an insane lover. The support cast have also done their job well. Initial awkward moments after marriage have been portrayed realistically, adding a subtle comedy element. You’ll love the movie right from the start – and the ending would leave you looking forward to its sequel.

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Maharaja

A much hyped movie, I thought, maybe because the central character, Maharaja is played by Vijay Sethupathi, a popular actor from South India. The story revolves around a dustbin, which has lot of emotional value for Maharaja, who claims to be a simple hairdresser. However, the dustbin gets stolen. Police are baffled when Maharaja comes to them to file a report for a missing dustbin, inexpensive and old. Actual events that had happened are shown in series of flashbacks with intermittent swings to the present. There are events when Vijay steps out of the simple man version to become someone who is willing to kill, for a purpose that is revealed at the end.

Conceptually it is ok that our past experiences shape our present and future. Life comes boomerang to the villain after he and his friends commit a heinous crime against Maharaja’s daughter. However, continuous harping around a missing dustbin, and finally turning out to be a crime has been poorly designed, I’d say. Also, the director seems unsure about police being an honest force or not. Since it is a dubbed from a Tamil version, there is not much lip sync between dialogues in Hindi, but that is acceptable. Nothing much to look forward to when it comes to locations, because it is mostly shot in police station, in and around Maharaja’s workplace and home. 

Much criticism apart, you may still watch it to form an opinion yourself.          

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Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life

This is a painful tale of a simple villager and his brother who find themselves stranded at an airport, where they arrive after being promised jobs in the Middle East. A stranger takes them away after snatching their passports into the sandy desert. The brothers are separated and put to do jobs they had not imagined. Najeeb (Prithviraj Sukumaran), the protagonist, faces much difficulty in adjusting to the situation – people around him speaking a language he does not understand, without basic amenities, amidst a desert that appears endless, no telephone to contact family or any means to find out about his brother. He loses track of time as he learns his new job as the herd of fleets of camel and goat. There seems to be no hope ahead for him.

Miraculously, he meets his brother and his friend, who help them escape. The second part is about endurance, when the trio embark on an impossible mission – of walking across the desert, without food and water. This part could have been more practical.. like if their savior had managed to smuggle a vehicle for transportation - I mean, who can even dream of walking across a huge desert?

The movie ends abruptly wherein it says that it is not Najeeb alone, but many such youths, who are hoodwinked in the name of work and good pay abroad. Many of them are lost and never return.

As for the acting, Sukumaran does a commendable job as Najeeb. The makeup artist deserves applause too, as he creates the unkempt look of the protagonist and his brother, the white-clad Arabs, and others.      

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Srikanth

Imagine your life if you happen to be completely blind by birth. While those of us blessed with vision cannot imagine how difficult it would be to survive, this movie narrates the real- life tale of Srikanth Bolla, a blind boy, who went on to become a successful industrialist. His life is transformed by his teacher, Devika (played excellently by Jyothika) and his sheer perseverance. In a fortunate interaction with late President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, he stated that he wanted to become the first visually challenged president of our country. 

This is such an inspirational story wherein one can do well in life, by accepting your limitations and giving an honest shot to achieve the best out of life. He says, that although he cannot see, he can very much dream. 

I did not know that earlier, visually challenged persons were not allowed to pursue Science after Class 10 – a rule Srikanth fought against and opened up opportunities for blind students in the future. He went on to study in MIT, Boston which is a prestigious institute and came back to India to establish Bollant Industries, working in the area of packaging material. He gets the support of his teacher and also Ravi, his investor cum friend.

Superb acting by Rajkumar Rao has made this film a must – watch for everyone. He had to keep his eyes closed throughout. Jyothika fits in the role of Devika Teacher well, whereas Sharad Kelkar looks convincing as Ravi.

 

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