NEWTON (HINDI) (2017)

Director Amit V Masurkar's Newton is a black comedy on the Indian electoral process as it is put to test in the treacherous leftist rebel infested jungles of Central India. Rajkumar Rao plays, nay, is Nutan Kumar aka Newton - an upright clerk working for the government and is assigned the duty of being the presiding officer of an polling station deep in the jungles of Dandakaranya. 

The movie narrates his travails as he strives to conduct a textbook election with his rag-tag team of three officials even as he is challenged by reluctant commander of para-military forces Atma Singh (a brilliant scene-stealing Pankaj Tripathi),  an indifferent tribal populace who are simply too tired of being cannon fodder and collateral damage in what appears to be an unending war of attrition.

The supporting cast of Raghubir Yadav, Anjali Patil and Sanjay Mishra in a minor cameo play their parts competently. 

The movie raises multiple pertinent questions on the much celebrated mechanics of the Indian electoral process, the media circus that surrounds it, the meaning of democracy to a populace seeking to stick on to their simple-living roots, exploitation and corruption which lurk in the garb of development and political empowerment without being preachy or boring.

Masurkar mines the laughs with amazing regularity in the most unlikely situations and ensures that the narrative moves along on a brisk pace. The movie has already received several accolades in the Berlinale where it premiered and is a worthy contender from India in the Best Foreign Language Film category for the Academy awards.

A MUST WATCH !!

RATING - 4/5

THUPPARIVAALAN (aka THE DETECTIVE) (TAMIL) (2017)

Mysskin presents our own homegrown Sherlock Holmes sorry in his inimitable style with most of his trademark elements. Vishal plays the protagonist Kaniyan Poongundran with Prasanna as his sidekick Mano -a la Watson (albeit in much minor part). The above average mystery unfolds in a linear narrative which keeps you hooked. Vishal fits the role for the most part as the emotionally remote, brainy detective and is convincing in the kinetic action set pieces. The rest of the cast including Prasanna, Vinay, Andrea, Bhagyaraj and John Vijay are apt in their minor parts. After Pisaasu, once again, Arrol Corelli impresses with his background score which elevates the proceedings. Overall, while it is definitely not a masterpiece by any measure, is flawed and could be leaner, the auteur in Mysskin succeeds in making an engaging thriller which has the potential for becoming a fabulous franchise.

A PRETTY GOOD WATCH !! RATING - 3/5

DUNKIRK (ENGLISH) (2017)

Ace auteur Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk is based on a daring rescue of allied soldiers from the French coast where they were pushed to the brink of annihilation/capture by German army which had surrounded them on the land, Luftwaffe fighter planes that rained bombs and fire from the skies and U-boats that torpedoed any approaching rescue vessels. 

With as many as 400,000 soldiers stranded on the shores and hopes of their survival growing slim as every passing hour found the German army testing their weary resistance and every sortie of the Luftwaffe slaughtering these sitting duck soldiers by the dozens. Only a miracle could have saved those men. 

Indeed, a miracle did happen and it was made in the way that best of miracles are made. It was made by ordinary men who performed extraordinary feats and dared to push the horizons of the faintly probable into the firm shores of the possible. In narrating this story, Nolan too weaves a miracle of sorts as he keeps us hooked to the suspense and thrill throughout its duration even when we are familiar with the history of this monumental evacuation of nearly 300,000 men which was one of the crucial turning points of the war.

A sense of foreboding permeates every frame like a fuse that is lit with the very first frame threatening to blow everyone to smithereens at any moment. Nolan brings his trademark twist to a genre by bravely desisting from the time tested template tropes of war movies such as creating backstories for characters which help the audience connect to them and root for them, bloody war sequences, tense discussions of a war-room, rousing speeches from leaders and villainous enemies. 

Without resorting to any gruesome imagery or ever showing a single enemy soldier, he strikes terror with the perennial threat of deadly attacks and the attacks that strike at the most unexpected moment. Again, despite abstaining from any backstories to any of his characters, he forges a near universal connect between the  faceless group of us - the audience - and the group of hapless, near strangers fighting together as soldiers for survival on that blighted beach. We root for their survival through a gruelling battle that spans land, water and air and witness those near nameless boys graduate in the tough school of war and become men.. That is.. If they don't end up as bodies. 

Once again, we find Nolan showcasing his mastery in seamlessly weaving together multiple timelines - in a la Inception mode - where he sets these timelines to tick at different paces; a week on the shore; a day on the waters; and an hour in the skies, thereby elevating the sense of urgency. 

A cast consisting of of largely unknown/lesser known actors with cameos by Tom Hardy (once again behind a mask for the most parts), Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance and Kenneth Brannagh deliver competent performances. Besides Nolan, the real stars of the movie are the excellent technical crew that he has marshalled. They are lead from the front by music director Hans Zimmer who pounds you with a ticking, thudding time-bomb of a score that at once sees you quivering on the shores, bouncing on the waters and soaring through the skies and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema who cans the stupendous aerial action sequences which make your eyes stretch wider than the IMAX widescreen. Editor Lee Smith comes out with flying colours, in what must have been one of the toughest jobs, as he brings together the multiple timelines into a smooth narrative.

Nolan has delivered another masterpiece that is like no other. Within a few moments, with a masterly sleight of hand, enlists each of us in the audience as a private and transports us to those treacherous shores of Dunkirk, desperate for survival for nearly two hours. And.. that is his successful inception. 

A heady cocktail of a riveting suspense thriller, a superlative spectacle, an immersive and nerve racking experience of war as never before. If one looks beyond the gripping war drama and digs a little deeper, we might find some resonance with contemporary issues of Brexit and swelling waves of refugees as well.

A TOUR DE FORCE !

A MUST WATCH (in IMAX) !!

RATING - 4.5/5

Jagga Jasoos (Hindi) (2017)

Director Anurag Basu goes back to the palette used in his previous feel good venture - Barfi - and creates a whole new universe of a breezy caper. The movie is a quirky, comical  adventure presented as a musical, aimed mainly at the young (& young at heart) audience.

Ranbir Kapoor is in top form as the  stammering amateur - Tintin-esque - detective and is ably supported by the rest of the cast especially Saswata Chatterjee.

Music director Pritam and lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya have delivered aces in the form of excellent background score and catchy songs which enliven the proceedings.

Ravi Varman  has crafted beautiful frames with his cinematography capturing the beautiful vistas of the North-East as well as West Africa.

On the flip side, Basu's film suffers from his over indulgence results in avoidable bulk in running time as well as some parts which are unconvincing as well as tacky.

Nevertheless, it is an interesting and first of its kind experiment in Bollywood that almost succeeds and the entire team deserve kudos for that.

WORTH A WATCH !!

RATING - 2.5/5

Kaatru Veliyidai (Tamil) (2017)

 A self-centred macho fighter pilot;

An angelic, bold, yet, thoroughly smitten army doctor;

Kashmir on the brink of Kargil war;

A cinematographer (Ravivarman) who captures the snow-capped peaks, drab mountainscapes, colourful weddings and intimate indoor shots in spectacular visuals which are breathtaking in equal measure;

The Mozart of Madras bringing his A game and delivering aces;

A turbulent romance which has the potential for being a mature and captivating drama;

A master auteur who despite relying on several of his time-tested template tropes can present them in a refreshing manner that few could manage;

Sounds like the perfect recipe for an epic romance... Right ...?

Alas... If only life was so predictably rewarding...

Aditi Rao Hydari gets it pitch perfect across the entire spectrum of her emotional journey as Dr. Leela with just the right notes of confidence, madness, love and vulnerability. She is all grace and glows (perhaps, a tad too much) in every single frame in resplendent manner. 

Karthi brings in a valiant performance as the cocky, self-centered fighter pilot who could oscillate unpredictably between the extremes of a romantic to a ruthless, even cruel, chauvinist with smirk in those aviator shades. However, one could sense an undercurrent of unease in his portrayal of VC as if it is not a perfect match or perhaps, he couldn't convince himself of pulling this off.

One feels something is amiss and is lost in the process of translation from the written words to the wow-inducing visuals. The evolution of the romance as well as the character arcs, especially Karthi's is unconvincing and as a result, you are not connected to the characters or care for them, as you should.

Further, the entire stretch of scenes set in Pakistan appear contrived despite some well written voice-overs.

Ultimately, the movie could neither stir the emotions in you nor soar into the pantheon of great movies.

By the time the credits start rolling, it leaves you in a breathtakingly beautiful, albeit, an empty breezy expanse (kaatru veliyidai) - seeking more even as you find it is just a middling venture that has gone with the wind.

All that glitters...

A GOOD WATCH (which could have been so much more) !!

RATING - 2.5/5

RANGOON (HINDI) (2017)

Rangoon is set in 1943, when the British colonials in India were fighting the advancing Japanese and Netaji Bose's Azad Hind Army on the country's north east along the Myanmar border and a resurgent freedom struggle under Mahatma across the country. On this wide and raging canvas, Vishal Baradwaj crafts a love triangle involving a clutch of plucky characters. Rusi (Saif Ali Khan) a Parsi aristocrat and an erstwhile action hero whose career was cut short by an accident where he loses a hand and becomes a movie producer. Nawab Mallik (Shahid Kapoor) is jamadar in the British Indian army. And, then there is Miss Julia (Kangana Ranaut), a daredevil movie star who complements the incomplete lives of both these men. 

  

Kangana is fabulous as the pioneering action star of her times and is able to ace a role which is physically as well as emotionally demanding. She owns this part and explores its innocence, action, romance, confusions, arrogance, vulnerability as well obsession with aplomb. Shahid is excellent as the sincere jamadar Nawab Mallik who is torn between his mission and his love for Miss Julia. Saif is a natural as a bruised aristocrat who is driven to desperation to salvage his life and love slipping away. Of the competent supporting cast, the notable performances are from Saharsh Shukla as Zulfi, Miss Julia's make-up man and confidante and Richard McCabe as the British General Harding with a taste for Urdu poetry.

After completing his spectacular trilogy of Shakespearean tragedies with Maqbool, Omkara and Haider, in Rangoon, Vishal Bharadwaj presents an ambitious period drama set against the second world war and packs in a potent mixture of love, action, jealousy, deceit and more through lush visuals of Pankaj Kumar. 

Vishal Bhardwaj also excels as the music director as he delivers a background score that accentuates the moods of the movie even as continues his fruitful collaboration with Gulzar and the duo have come up with some wonderful songs. 

Rangoon, thus, presents quite a heady cocktail of fine performances, several stand-out sequences such as the conversation between Kangana and a captured Japanese soldier, both glib in their own languages, trademark humour, some great dialogues, superb songs and captivating cinematography. Yet, one feels that there is something amiss which stops it short of being a masterpiece that it seeks to be. The romance does not exactly set the screen afire, the narrative fabric couldn't consistently weave together the multiple strands, the length could have been a tad trimmer or perhaps, the finale could have been much more nuanced.

But, BLOODY HELL ... it, still, is a GREAT WATCH !!

RATING - 3.5/5

CLASH (aka ESHTEBAK) (ARABIC) (2016)

What is the essence of democracy ? Is democracy the best system for all countries at all times ? What happens if a democracy is denuded to a state where it is merely a form of majoritarian rule with scant regard for the rights and aspirations of its citizenry and especially, those of the minorities ? In such a case, would it be any different or better than an authoritarian regime ?

After almost three decades of dictatorial reign, when the government of President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown by the events following Tahrir Square in  2011, popular elections brought Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood to power in Egypt. However, his radical religious agenda drove a deep wedge in a multi-ethnic society and after a popular, violent uprising by his opponents in 2013, the army took control. This pushed the country on the brink of civil war. Egypt became a chaotic crucible and was enveloped in a season of daily protests on the streets between supporters of Muslim Brotherhood who felt that their democratically elected government was unfairly unseated and supporters of the army who sought an end to the fundamentalist regime of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The film captures one such day when protests break out in various parts of Cairo between these opposing factions. The entire movie is set and has been filmed within the confines of a police van which has been deployed on the street. While it starts with the arrest of an Egyptian born journalist working with the Associated Press covering the clashes along with his local freelance cameraman, the van is quickly filled up with a motley assembly of people cutting across the spectrum of age, economic status and owing their allegiance to either side of the ideological divide. Tempers fray with the supporters of Muslim Brotherhood and the pro-army group find themselves at each other's throats and find that their strength of ideological conviction is put to a litmus test by this sticky situation. As the cops try to shepherd the police van to safety traversing through treacherous streets of midtown Cairo filled with rioting mobs, the van - literally as well as figuratively - becomes a simmering cauldron ready to explode.  

While at an apparent level, it is a clash between competing factions which seek to wrest power, at another deeper level, it is equally a clash between ideologies that we espouse, which tend to define us and appropriate our entire identities with the basic ethos of humanity which resonate across competing and often contrasting ideologies, geographies or for that matter, any other divides. Thus, despite being set in Cairo, the movie strikes a near universal resonance, especially given the politically charged climes that we inhabit.

Director Diab's ambitious narrative is replete with frenetic riot sequences, sniper shootings, stonings, water canons, laser strobe lights and tear-gas clouds which are captured in full blooded intensity from within the confines of the van by cinematographer Ahmed Gabr's adroit handheld camerawork. Despite being a serious movie set to the pulse of a racy thriller, it incorporates a healthy dose of humour in the interactions and the inherent contradictions between the ideologies professed and the behaviour forced by the circumstances. It also underlines the enduring nature of humanity that triumphs over all obstacles like a stubborn plant which challenges and survives on the rock face even as there are undercurrents of anxiety which are lurking just below the surface and which are capable of unleashing the inherent animal instincts which are susceptible to be stoked by mob mentality. Diab populates the movie with engaging characters which we could connect to and the fact that his narrative shuns siding with any particular group enhances its universal appeal.

While the constricted confines of the police van creates a claustrophobic atmospheric through the entire movie, director Mohamed Diab ensures that the setting adds far greater value than merely being a gimmick. In a way, the confined space of the police van in Clash is also a stark metaphor of a country which stands on a precipice with little room to maneuver. A country which finds that a much vaunted political spring after decades of repression has failed to heal the fissures that divide the society. This has, in turn, resulted in deep distrust in each other, a sense of hopelessness and frustration which feed into a vicious cycle of acrimony and chaos that permeate this society. The movie is also peppered with instances where the occupants of the van display rays of kindness, humanity and humour which shines through the clouds of conflict that threaten to eclipse their inherent goodness. 

Clash presents a heady concoction filled with multiple ingredients that have come to define the times that we live in - chaos, hopelessness, frustration, mistrust and humanity which has the potential to shine through even the thickest veneers of ideological convictions that seek to derail our rationality.

Thanks to the universal appeal, Clash has received multiple laurels at film festivals across the world. It was screened as the opening movie at the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes 2016 and was the winner of Best Film and Audience Award at the recently concluded International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK),  2016. It was also selected as the official Egyptian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards.

In conclusion, I couldn't agree more with Tom Hanks who has praised the film by saying - 

"If there's any way you can see Clash by Egyptian director Mohamed Diab, you must. You simply must. The film will break your heart, but enlighten all."

A MUST WATCH !!

RATING - 4.5/5