IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack

Imagine a situation when a short duration flight becomes a 8 day nightmare, because of dangerous hijackers. Lives of everyone associated with us, directly or indirectly, would get impacted. This six episode webseries recreates a true incident of a plane hijack from December 1999. A pack of terrorists manage to smuggle arms into Air India flight no. IC 814 from Kathmandu to Delhi, in a bid to free their fellow criminals who had been captured by Indian soldiers. The events are portrayed in a realistic manner.. how the terrorists hold the team of pilots at gun point and force them to follow their instructions. The terrified passengers are also subjected to lot of difficulty with overflowing toilets, limited food and water – two passengers are even injured seriously.

On learning of about limited fuel availability, the terrorists are forced to allow the flight to land at various cities. While senior Government officials of various agencies take critical decisions, newspaper and TV channels cover this incident with passion.

The casting is done very well, along with their makeup. Every scene looks realistic. Vijay Varma looks dapper as Captain Sharan Dev. Dia Mirza is almost unrecognizable as a senior media professional, whereas Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor, Arvind Swamy, Kanwaljit Singh and others have done justice to their roles. 

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Kalki 2898 AD

You would be taken by surprise as the opening sequence unfolds in the battlefield of Kurukshetra from Mahabharata. “Wait, was this not supposed to be set in the future?” – Just when this question pops in your mind, you are taken to the future, more than 800 years from now. You’ll need a while to understand what is happening and get a hang of the terminologies, because everything is different in this new setting. Soon you would find yourself enjoying this high end science fiction movie, along with Prabhas, who looks handsome as the carefree Bhairava. The past emerges in the present (2898), when a young girl accidentally encounters Ashwatthama, son of Guru Drona, who has been living 3000 years to fulfil a task entrusted to him by Lord Krishna during the Kurukshetra war.

Deepika Padukone plays the role of lady in whose womb Lord Krishna is about to reincarnate as Kalki Avatar. Ashwatthama, played by Amitabh Bachchan, is committed to safeguard her and the unborn child, whereas Bhairava wants to gain some credits by surrendering her to the evil forces.

While you realize this is only part of a series that is yet to be released, you would enjoy action sequences between Ashwatthama and Bhairava. Kudos to the creativity, and visualization of the film, because it is not easy to imagine the future and build a strong story, interspersed with glimpses from the past. I loved the scene when Ashwatthama’s stick responds in Bhairava’s hands, revealing his true identity to the audience. Saswata Chatterjee as Commander Manas succeeds to get the audience to hate him whereas you cannot recognize Kamal Haasan as Supreme. You are left yearning for more ... looking forward to the sequel!!

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Chandu Champion

The film opens with an old man coming to a police station, with a grievance against President of India (!!!) and stating his claim for Arjuna award, the prestigious recognition for sports persons. He identifies himself as Murli Kant Rajaram Petkar, and the story goes into flashback.

A young child from a humble background dreams of winning an Olympic medal, but is often ridiculed by his peers. His elder brother brings him to local wrestlers, to learn the sport. Destiny brings him into the army – where he gets trained as a boxer. However, life comes to a standstill when lower part of his body is paralyzed after being riddled by bullets in war. His own family also leaves him to fight his own battle. He takes a second chance at life when his earlier coach, Tiger Ali (Vijay Raaz), trains him for swimming and inspires him to participate in Para-Olympics. He goes on to become the champion he had always dreamt of being.

This movie is definitely a masterpiece that has missed out on the publicity it deserves, I must say. Kartik Aaryan has done  a great job by stepping out of his comfort zone of playing heroes with chocolate boy looks – he looks stunning as a army man turned sportsperson, and even as an old man. Please watch this one for a true story that conveys the inspirational message of resilience, not giving up inspite of all adversity and following your dreams.

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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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DeAr

Sometimes you choose to watch a movie because the premise sounds interesting. What happens when a light sleeper gets to married to someone who snores loudly during sleeping? Interestingly, my spouse also has snoring problem but luckily I am a deep sleeper and have never been bothered by it. :P

The newly wed couple, Deepika and Arjun, try all sorts of options to deal with Deepika’s sleeping disorder – consulting doctors, sleeping on alternate nights. Nothing seems to work for them and Arjun asks for divorce, much to the dismay of his wife and family. Circumstances make him realize that running away from the problem may solve it temporarily but would result in further sorrow. Thus there is a happy ending.

I am not familiar with the cast – Aishwariya Rajesh looks good as Deepika. The name of the movie is drawn from the first two letters of names of the lead couple: Deepika and Arjun. The story is as flimsy as the logic behind title of the movie. Having said that, I’d say it is not very bad and is a one-time light-mood watch.

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Maidaan

Set in 1950s, when Indian football was below par at international level, this movie talks about the contribution of S. A. Rahim, coach of Indian football team in taking the team literally from rags to riches – from the bottom-most to win Asian Games in 1962. He handpicked the team, coached them, inspired them – but was replaced after a couple of unfortunate defeats, although it was not his fault. He was victimized by a combination of an influential official of Football Federation of India and a senior sports journalist. At the same time, fate also went against him, when he was detected with lung cancer. Rahim Sir, as he was fondly called, came back after two years, because of his track record. Luckily the team chosen by him was intact, and they went on to win the title.

Everyone should watch this epic tale of grit, determination, inspiration and achievement. Ajay Devgn, as Rahim Sir, makes an indelible impression as you join him on this battle with many odds right from the beginning. The football players have been played by young actors who have done justice to their roles. Priyamani looks good in her supporting role as Rahim Sir’s wife. You would feel sheer hatred towards the conspiring characters of Rudranil Banerjee and Gajanand Rao, such is the level of their acting.

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Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue

Working in mines has never been safe, being full of risks of both health and also disasters such as fire. In the instant case, which is a real-life story, ground water breaks in from the ceiling of a mine in Raniganj, due to irresponsible flouting of safety norms. Some miners manage to scramble out, whereas 71 are trapped inside. Here comes in Jaswant Singh Gill (Akshay Kumar), a trained rescue officer, but new to the area. The story is about his rising to the occasion, commitment to the task, sheer grit and bravery to overcome all challenges to save the miners. Full of hope, but short on time, Gill identifies people suited to the job but faces lack of cooperation from Sen, who is a local guy, who is burdened with personal agenda. 

This movie is a good time pass watch, but there is no visual treat waiting for you. The story demands most of the movie to be shot inside the partially inundated mine, and rest around it. Some scenes appear dismally done, where the back and fore grounds appear pasted later. Modern techniques have raised the bar of graphic quality and those shots feel like misfits.

Another point to be noted is the character played by Ravi Kishan – that of a pessimistic miners stuck in the mine. With so many successful ventures behind him, I thought it was very nice of him to say yes to a role which is not in the front line. Parineeti Chopra too has a small role, and looks good as Gill’s wife.

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Maharaj

This is the debut film of Junaid Khan, son of the very popular actor, Amir Khan. He plays role of Karsandas Mulji, who has been questioning blind faith and unfair social practices since his childhood. He professed education for women, widow remarriage – and his reformist nature always ended him up in trouble – the very people he fought for turned against him. This movie draws inspiration from the real-life Maharaj Libel case of 1852. 

Karsan is exposed to another tradition when Kishori, his fiancée, is exploited physically by a religious leader, JJ Maharaj.  When Kishori realizes her misjudgement of exploitation as a religious act, she kills herself out of shame but urges Karsan to bring forth the truth behind Havelis, or lavish temples. What follows is a story of determination and grit. The climax is reached when JJ Maharaj sues Karsan for defamation, where tradition and logic battle it out in court.

 

The takeaways include Junaid Khan himself, the grandeur and Jaideep Ahlawat. Junaid looks convincing in his role with his freshness, and not like a first timer. I loved the way he carried attire of pre-independence times – dhoti and kurta, puffed sleeve shirts, etc. I saw some of his photographs, and he looks very different in this movie. The girls, Shalini Pandey as Kishori and Sharvari as Viraaj do justice to their roles. You would not be able to take your eyes off Jaideep Ahlawat – he uses his big frame and acting skills to portray the arrogant JJ Maharaj, who has never laid a foot on road, but on hands of his devotees.

The film strongly urges everyone to say no to blind traditions. This is a movie you would definitely like, and probably watch over and over again.

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Dil Dosti Dilemma

This is a story about a young girl, Asmara who has all the privileges one can wish for. She lives in her own world – shopping with her friends, chilling out without much worry. However, she fails to give respect to her own maternal grandmother, who comes from a humble background, in front of her friends. As a punishment, her mother cancels her upcoming trip to Canada and sends her to stay with her grandparents during summer holidays. Asmara lies to her friends about her predicament, trying to create a false world of her own. On the other hand, she finds it difficult to adjust to her new environment, without air conditioners, attached washrooms, chauffeur driven cars and what is worse, full of nosy neighbours. However, she settles down and makes friends with the chirpy Ruksana, who is about her age only. She encourages Ruksana to pursue her talent and also to start a small scale business. Asmara befriends Farzaan, Ruksana’s elder brother and gradually develops feelings for him.

Parallel story lines are interwoven in the script wherein their humble surroundings lack basic amenities of water and electricity and also face impending threat of builders mowing down the old buildings in name of “redevelopment”. Asmara’s friends face challenges in their personal lives too and they come together to promise to face the challenges and never to lie to each other. The series is wrapped up in a hurried manner, but leaves some strings dangling, creating ground for an upcoming season.

Great acting by Tanvi Azmi and Shishir Sharma, who play Asmara’s grandparents, add weight to the series. The young actors also have done well.

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Crew

Three airhostesses from different backgrounds and aspirations, played by Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon, come together in Kohinoor Airlines. Unfortunately, the airline had not only gone bankrupt but was unable to pay their salaries for long too. Along with their colleagues, they face constant cash crunch, until they choose to do something bold to take charge of their lives. What follows next is indeed a roller coaster ride.

The story draws inspiration from the tale of Kingfisher Airlines which was closed down, leaving the staff stranded. The protagonists realize that they had been tricked only to benefit criminals and decide to mete out a befitting reply to those who had been utilizing them.

The lead actresses look good even though they are in different age groups. A small supporting role by Diljit Dosanjh is also apt. Saswata Chatterjee also looks convincing in his cunning character. Kapil Sharma, in his bid to diversify his visibility, fails to leave a mark in his short appearance.

However much the plot and impressive cast may impress you, and inspite of much media hype and large box office collections, you may find yourself disappointed with the overall execution. The movie probably needed to redo the elaborations and cuts – some sequences look long drawn whereas some parts, including the ending, feel abruptly done. Don’t look for logic or be too critical, enjoy the movie is a one-time watch, no brains required.   

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