Producer Aditya Chopra and director Siddharth Anand unveiled the first song of Pathaan, Besharam Rang, on Monday that has broken the internet! Shilpa Rao, who has play-backed the song for the ethereally gorgeous Deepika Padukone, says the song is addictive because of how Deepika is looking in it!
Shilpa who has sung many blockbuster hits for Deepika like Subhanallah and Khuda Jaane says, ”Deepika is a whole vibe in Besharam Rang and the track is addictive because of her! I have many sung many songs for Deepika but some have been of romance, some have been of falling in love, some have been of finding your true self, but this one is very different. This one is where she is confident in her own skin, she’s like taking on the world as brilliant as she is and she (her character in the film) is in fact embracing her good and the flaws that she has!”
The talented singer adds, “Deepika is saying that this is what I have to offer to the whole world and I think that is what I love about the song. Many women across the world need to feel really confident in their skin, no matter where we come from. We need to embrace our goodness with the flaws and really celebrate ourselves and that is what I love about Besharam Rang and really hope the audiences love it. Have a blast listening to it guys.”
The song features a sizzling Deepika with Shah Rukh Khan, who plays a gun-toting spy with a license to kill in Pathaan.
Both are looking their hottest and fittest best as Deepika flaunts her hot bod in bikinis and SRK – a perfectly chiselled eight pack! Besharam Rang was shot in Spain’s most gorgeous coastal towns Mallorca, Cadiz and Jerez.
SRK and Deepika are one of the biggest on-screen pairings in the history of Indian cinema given their epic blockbusters Om Shanti Om, Chennai Express and Happy New Year.
Pathaan is India’s biggest ever action spectacle for audiences. The visually spectacular Yash Raj Films’ action extravaganza, Pathaan, is part of Aditya Chopra’s ambitious spy universe and has the biggest superstars of the country Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in it.
The adrenaline pumping, visually extravagant film is set to release on Jan 25, 2023 in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
Apart from the last 10-12 minutes of Kantara that are quite overwhelming, there’s another sequence that left a strong impression on me. And that’s what I want to talk about today.
PS- spoilers ahead !
I recently watched Kantara and had a lot of emotions. But so much has already been said about the film and I don’t think I have anything new to add to that.
However, there’s one portion of the film that exemplify sheer brilliance of writer-director Rishab Shetty, his knowledge of the subject and how he subtly encourages the audience to use their imagination with exceptional visual storytelling.
Before I proceed, keep this in mind that our protagonist’s name is Shiva.
The sequence in the second half, after Shiva finds out about his cousin Guruva’s murder and goes to his friend’s shop to get high. He talks to the blacksmith while smoking up and just then is attacked by landlord Devendra’s henchmen.
This fight sequence is what had my attention.
Shiva’s senses are so heightened that he fights off a dozen men in a very skilfully choreographed brawl. Every punch, kick and blow are performed with tremendous finesse and proficiency, but with equal amount of monstrous rage and aggression.
It all plays out almost like a dance – like Tandav.
Shiva was performing Rudra Tandav, which is a form of Tandav performed in a violent and destructive state.
But that’s not all.
Another element that symbolizes the fierce and destructive nature of Rudra Tandav is thunder and lightning. Shiva fights the henchmen whilst a thunderstorm arose.
The rain was also use as a symbol to “cleanse” Shiva off his sins.
And in the last 10 minutes, we see Shiva perform another type of Tandav at the Bhoota Kola – Anand Tandav – The dance of bliss where Shiva emerges in his purest form and experiences transcendence.
You can watch Kantara on Prime video in, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam and on Netflix in Hindi. Andread the full review of the film here.
The best jokes are often the ones not intended for laughter.
Bhediya is an imaginative triumph. And the source code of its success resides in the jocular belief system. The film doesn’t take itself seriously and that turns into a gift that keeps on giving.
From a bird’s-eye view, Bhediya is an environment satire wrapped in the horror comedy foil.
A realist conflict perched atop fantastical aftermaths, the film carries an outlook which doesn’t aim to reform or demonise the society, but rather cartoonise it.
Racist humor, insensitivity and feudalism are ingrained in each characters vices – what you choose to chuckle at slyly reflects the bias programmed within. Romance, thankfully is minimal and low-key, allowing the hilarity to gallop.
Bhediya oscillates between being a character-driven film to a plot-driven tale like a hypnotist’s chain. The film swaps cues from characters to plot wherever dullness tends to lurk.
You’re always invested, infested by either grossing out at snarky-shot excreta or a tail wagging CGI standout. You’re in for the ride and it doesn’t disappoint.
Amar Kaushik’s comedies are of the wisecrack sort. It comes from a space of self assurance. The more secure a person you are, the better shall be your self-deprecating humor.
Bhediya claims pride at finger-poking itself and owning it’s shortcomings. Plot devices done to death or tropes trembling on the crutches of time, Bhediya takes jibes at its own creative limitations and not just addresses the elephant in the room, but trains it to dance.
Most crucially, Bhediya gets its inherent politics right.
No ass-pleasing or detesting accompany the narrative. The film mocks the universe equally. The film also doesn’t suffer from the savior syndrome that recent films have been plagued with, whenever the premise is set in Northeast of India.
The North Easterners here are smart, tuned in and most importantly normal life an Indian should be. Neither war torn survivors nor chilled out Hillbillies, Arunachalis in this film, led by the seamless performance of Paalin Kabak are finally somewhat geographically and culturally appropriate. Yet, there’s long way to go and understand that Northeastern hill rangers aren’t as poverty-stricken as mainland stigma imagines them to be.
Which leads us to the serious stuff in the film – the conflict.
Tum karo pedon se pyaar toh amrit barsega. The very idea of a deforestation story placed in Arunachal Pradesh is generic. The foundation lacks inventiveness and the consequent world building is also pretty sketchy in the film.
The practical portions of the film are half-baked and not well researched. Perhaps, a better study of the roadway politics and mafia could’ve rendered the film sufficient more plot points and arcs but that’s a story for another day, another film probably.
This whole clunky fray seems passable for the film, as mentioned, isn’t here to prove a point but screw around with it. The journey isn’t saving the green but shooing away the whacked out werewolf within. The Bhediya.
And the Bhediya is a riot.
Every frame of the supernatural-spirit animal is a blast. The killings are aesthetically acidic and satisfying – an avenging forest guard-dog ravaging apart petty humans. Social commentary garnished with punchy dialogues spray wit on a plaster of the good ole’ slapstick. Some jokes are so meta, Zuckerberg might want to buy them.
Bhediya works because it tickles you so hard, you let go of the fact that it bit your bum a while ago.
Bhediya is a raging soul and Abhishek Banerjee is its throbbing heart. An actor with shapeshifting abilities, Banerjee plays the jester of this court and smacks every scene out of vicinity with his impeccable and elusive comic timing. This man is a massive credit to the Hindi film industry. A rare, irreplaceable talent.
In the melee, Kriti Sanon’s role gets warped in a catch 22 situation. A character that could’ve been much better written and provided more meat. But commendable how she makes chicken salad out of the chicken shit presented to her and works towards the payoff. A very selfless and benevolent performance, in hindsight. The woman’s a team player.
Varun Dhawan is at a very interesting point in his career. Statistically, one of the most successful Indian actors ever, the man hasn’t yet been coroneted with the marquee status he so rightfully deserves. A pro-wrestling/sports entertainment fanatic, Dhawan’s career trajectory is akin to that of WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes.
Generational talent stuck in the undercard – leaves company – works around the world and returns home as a megastar. This is Varun Dhawan’s made-man year and Bhediya is his WrestleMania 38. Took him ten years to break the proverbial glass ceiling.
The torch hasn’t been passed. Dhawan has snatched it. As his favourite Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would quote, Varun Dhawan has Layeth The Smacketh Down!
Writer Niren H. Bhatt and director Amar Kaushik have a notorious entertainer. Bhediya is the assclownery we need in this world too worked up.
And if the post-credit scene is a cue, safe to assume that madness has just entered the chat.
ZEE5 Global, the world’s largest streaming platform for South Asian content, has set a benchmark when it comes to thrillers and is all set to announce its next. The platform today announced the premiere of its direct to digital movie – Blurr. Produced by Zee Studios, Outsiders Films and Echelon Productions, the film is a psychological thriller starring Taapsee Pannu and Gulshan Devaiah. Directed by Ajay Bahl, the movie will premiere exclusively on ZEE5 Global in Hindi with subtitles.
Written by Ajay Bahl & Pawan Sony, Blurr is the story centred around a woman, her struggles and how she fights back overcoming her ordeal. This visually distinctive film revolves around Gayatri played by Taapsee Pannu who is slowly losing her sight whilst trying to investigate the death of her twin sister. Taapsee Pannu’s never seen before avatar and the plot twists will keep you hooked in shocking ways.
Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global said, “At ZEE5 Global,we have constantly focused on expanding the horizon of storytelling by catering to the evolving needs of our viewers. The year 2022 has been powerpacked with blockbuster titles for us and we are now extremely excited to unveil the Taapsee Pannu starrer ‘Blurr’ as a direct to digital release on our platform. With a unique storyline and a stellar cast, we are certain that this horror thriller will keep our global audiences hooked to their seats.”
Shariq Patel, Chief Business Officer, Zee Studios said, “Zee Studios is committed towards consistently elevating the scale of its content. ‘Blurr’ comes with an extremely talented cast led by Taapsee, who has broken barriers with this one. She is an absolute delight to watch. Looking forward to bringing this fabulous film to audiences on ZEE5 Global.”
Producer and Actor – Taapsee Pannu said,Thrillers form an important part of my filmography and Blurr was one such a script that kept me on the edge with its screenplay and the situations the protagonist was thrown into throughout the film. That’s why it was an immediate yes when Vishal reached out to me for this project. Having shot almost half the film blind folded I am taking back home a lot of memories and real bruises which truly made me value the clear vision even more. After section 375 I was really looking forward to working with Ajay sir. I hope the OTT audience is ready for some thrills and chills with this one.”
Producer Vishal Rana said, “It gives me immense joy as we announce the release of Blurr. It is not just a film but an experience to live and I’m sure that the audiences will enjoy every single moment of this edge of the seat thriller.”
Producer Pranjal Khandhdiya said, “In today’s times, the biggest challenge for making good films is to find right collaborations. For us, Zee Studios & ZEE5 Global have been the strong support always. Blurr is a special film for Taapsee and I and we promise that audiences will have a never before experience watching it.”
To all the fans of eerie environments and pure terror, brace yourselves for ‘Blurr’ arriving on ZEE5 Global soon!
Blurr will exclusively premiere on ZEE5 Global, December 9, 2022
When you first start walking as a toddler, you take a gentle step on the ground. Find your balance on one foot and then place the other to stand on both feet. Slowly you begin moving forward, holding onto your parents, guardian, siblings, or simply objects around you.
Once you perfect the balance on two feet and grasp the idea of walking, you learn to firmly stand upright and walk without support. And eventually you can run.
Now, if you’re a non-vegetarian, picture the same analogy.
Typically, all meat-eaters start out playing it safe. You have eggs, then move on to chicken, then try some steak or pork sausages. Then you occasionally experiment with the delicacies of the world. Perhaps some caviar, crickets, frog legs, or even some monkey brain?
The world is your oyster (no pun intended)!
The same analogy applies to Bones and All, except it’s the journey of a girl walking alone to uncover the root of her dietary requirement – cannibalism.
Credit: Yannis Drakoulidis / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures
There are films that you can go in blind. You don’t need to watch the trailer, promotional materials, or even see the poster before you decide to watch them.
Bones and All is not one of them. It’s the stuff of nightmares.
It is not for everyone and will most certainly leave the audience divided in its fate and box office success.
But allow me to perhaps convince you of how deliciously dark, creative, and impressive this piece of experimental art is.
The film dives dramatically quickly into its premise of cannibalism and wastes no time to shock as well as ease the viewer into an unfathomable world of someone tempted to devourer human flesh.
It traces the life of a teenager Maren Yearly [Taylor Russell] who’s been abandoned by her father overnight, leaving behind only some cash and an audio cassette with a recorded message by her father.
What follows is her journey navigating through life on her own, carrying the burden of a haunting secret and meeting people along the way that shape her into adulthood.
Credit: Yannis Drakoulidis / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures
Sully [Mark Rylance] emerges (literally) as a father-figure to guide Maren early on in her journey. His character provides a sense of normalcy for Maren as well as the audience to understand the desires and conflicts of a cannibal. A concept too bizarre for words.
The film doesn’t show them as outsiders, but as ordinary people. They live among us, as one of us, using their cannibalistic radar to find their own and resisting the urge to kill and consume.
But that’s not all.
Before you get too comfortable with the paradigm, we’re introduced to another complex character Lee [Timothée Chalamet], grappling with his past, present and the future. Thus, shifting the genre to a coming-of-age romance that delves deeper into the human psyche and raw emotions.
Maren and Lee develop a special bond – rejected by the world, united by their desires.
They travel across the country learning to survive, fend for themselves, fighting their demons, and learning to accept and love. They yearn to fit in with the norm.
A heart-breaking moment in the film is a mature Maren says “Let’s be people… Let’s be them for a while.”
A lifestyle neither of them have experienced or enjoyed in a world that wouldn’t understand or accept them.
Credit: Yannis Drakoulidis / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures
Speaking of the performances, Bones and All is a brave choice of any actor to portray such unconventional characters. The lead cast of Russell, Chalamet and Rylance play their parts of “eaters” with absolute conviction.
Credit ought to be given to Director Luca Guadagnino for shaping the actors and bringing out their best in a terrifying world.
Also, cinematography by Arseni Khachaturan skilfully captures the little towns, highways, back-roads, and fields across America, setting the right tone for the film.
The only drawback is the film’s pace that loses momentum between the high-powered sequences that are far too long and slow. The duration of the film drags quite a bit; A crisper narrative could’ve / would’ve been better.
It would be unfair to divulge in all the details and the nuances in the film as it’s an experience to be had.
Credit: Yannis Drakoulidis / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures
It is a 130 minutes of coming-of-age love story, blended with raw drama, romance and horror. “Raw” being the operative word.
Bones and All will make you squirm in your seat, test your limits and ultimately desensitize you to the most unsettling sight on reel.
It is an unusual tale of love, desires, morality, friends, trauma, inner demons that can either be too consuming or be consumed. It is about setting your own rules and creating your boundaries.
However, all said and done, it is a film that perhaps shows you how to accept and embrace life as it is – the good, bad and the ugly – bones and all included !
Apotheosis is the word rattling around in my brain as I walked out of the theatre after witnessing the last seven minutes of Kantara.
The film written and directed by Rishab Shetty also solely rests on the man’s electrifying performance. And those last seven minutes in an already blistering third act is an example of a hypnotic culmination of the whole 150 mins of what could only be called a canvas, painted by a man in complete control of his craft and unabashedly in his milieu.
The cultural context and rootedness are so ingrained in the DNA of the film that the first 15 minutes almost feel like a visual and aural overdose. It is as an exposition-heavy prologue that leads into the main character’s introduction – Shiva, the quintessential rebel with a cause.
Shetty isn’t interested in rushing through the plot, devoting his sweet time to set up the context, the environment, and the servility shown by the villagers towards a feudal landlord which is unquestioning, but again inculcated via decades of loyalty.
Actor-Director Shetty is clever enough to trust his audience to know that the other shoe will drop, but he stretches it out, adding to conflicts between Shiva and new Forest officer Murali (Kishore). A clash of egos would bring to mind the fiery anger showcased by the protagonists in Ayappannum Koshiyum, underscored by the reasoning of those leads which both lie in shades of grey.
This is also sprinkled in with dreams and nightmares Shiva suffers through, which only serve to unsettle him and increase the volatility of the character.
However, unlike the Kannada film industry’s most famous antiheroic output (KGF 1 & 2), Kantara‘s protagonist is a far-controlled man, prone to seeing reason. But all of these plots are explored by being in a serial progression, instead of intertwining them and making them convoluted. As a result, while the movie is long, it doesn’t deter your enjoyment or lose your attention.
The comedy is just enough to make you laugh while simultaneously looking at it with raised eyebrows, while the love track feels a tad bit underdeveloped. However, the character of Leela (Sapthami Gowda) has far more agency than you would expect from a film so focused on its alpha protagonist.
However, Shetty’s performance sometimes borders on incandescent. His commitment to the role almost threatens to overshadow his co-stars and the ensemble, who are all universally solid.
Veteran actors like Achyuth Kumar (as landlord Devendra Suttooru) and Kishore manage to be impactful regardless.
The true nature of Kantara‘s success lies in its brazen confidence in the story and its determination to tell its truth; To give voice to the voiceless and provide agency while simultaneously wrapping it up in the testosterone-fuelled action extravaganza sheen.
And of course its thesis on the real cornerstone of myths, the rise of legends and the eventual apotheosis borne out of anger and rage of finally standing up, removing the blindfold and dictating “enough”. All of which catapults Kantara to a movie that has far bigger reach on a sociological and even anthropological context.
With cinematography by Aravind S. Kashyap and the potent musical score by B. Ajneesh Lokanth, a complete balletic tandem of technical prowess contributes to a brilliant form of storytelling about myths. Kantara presents the collective memories of realistic stories mutating into myths and the ambiguous intermixing of the supernatural and the real, and the narrative confidence to not provide an answer.
Imagine Robinhood living in the world of Game of Thrones, but make it Pakistani and fiercely Punjabi. You get The Legend of Maula Jatt (TLOMJ)… and I’m here for it!
There’s love, there’s war, there’s blood and gore, and a whole lot of entertainment.
Starring Fawad Khan in the titular role, TLOMJ is an out-and-out action drama set in a Shakespearean-esque period with raw characters, locations and emotions.
Maula Jatt (Fawad Khan) is a tortured, lonely, lost soul battling his inner demons to avenge the murder of his parents. The film follows the “hero’s journey” of departure, initiation to the unknown to fight his enemy and a triumphant return home.
But what sets TLOMJ apart from the clutter is its technicalities and attention to detail.
Stunning visuals and cinematography by Bilal Lashari build a strong foundation for this dystopian world, set in a time in history where tribes competed for power. Each frame is meticulously planned and shot making it an immersive experience.
Written by Nasir Adeeb and Bilal Lashari, the dialogues are equally powerful. The wickedly clever Punjabi dialogues spoken with fluidity makes a cerebral yet entertaining impact. Whether it’s the words of love, hate, power or of weakness – the crisp writing is the backbone of the film.
It almost makes you wonder if the film would’ve had equal impact if it were in another language. Probably not!
Speaking of the performances, it’s the negative cast that takes the cake.
Hamza Ali Abbasi as Noori Natt and Humaima Malick as Daaro Nattni are fabulously villainous as the brutally evil siblings and leaders of their gang.
Abbasi delivers a villain we love to hate; An antagonist we can’t help but root for in a battle with the protagonist. Noori, the most feared warrior in the land, teases the viewers with a menacing smile and a catchword “soniye” before thrashing his victims. A performance guaranteed whistles and loud applause in single-screen theatres everywhere.
Another rogue to look out for is Maakha Natt (Gohar Rasheed) who is as evil and venomous as the scorpion’s poison he sniffs. It’s quite deliciously dark!
The kohl-eyed Malick is savagely intimating as a protective sister and princess defending her land. Her restrained speech and equation with her brother may remind you of a character in Game of Thrones… I’ll let you figure this out! Malick’s screen presence is remarkably unforgettable.
That unfortunately brings us to a forgettable lead character, Mukhoo Jattni (Mahira Khan). Introduced as Maula’s loudest cheerleader and his “love interest”, Mukhoo presence isn’t more than a prop or a mere supporting character to simply aid the progression of Maula’s journey.
The supporting cast of Faris Shafi as Mooda, Shafqat Cheema as Jeeva Natt, Saima Baloch as Rajjo, and Nayyer Ejaz as the army leader impressively commit to their roles.
TLOMJ is based on the characters conceptualized by Nasir Adeeb in 1979, that are just as bold and audacious in 2022.
The film is unapologetic for pushing the envelope in each frame and keeping the audience at the edge of their seats. Expected the unexpected – The Legend of Maula Jatt will catch you off guard!
Watch out for the poetry “Duniya taun apni kahani” that binds all the key characters together as well as sets them apart in their respective journeys. A crafty and nuanced approach to demonstrate their state of mind and fate.
Who says films can’t be crude and simultaneously beautiful?
Popcorn Rating – [5/5]
The Legend of Maula Jatt is a wildly adventurous and fierce experience that’s a sure-shot game-changer for Pakistani cinema. Be ready to be shocked, awestruck and thoroughly entertained!
This Dussehra, a Hindu festival that signifies the victory of good over evil, I came across a message that was circulating across WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram that read “Never draw a line around a woman”.
We’ll have to dig a little deeper to fully understand what this means in the context of the festival.
But in short, Dussehra is celebrated as the victory of Lord Ram over Ravan, who captured Goddess Sita with ill intentions. On this day, effigies of demon King Ravan are burned to signify destruction of evil – literally and symbolically.
You may be wondering what has this Hindu festival got to do with the Emma Mackey starrer Emily?
The crux of the above-mentioned statement is the essence of the film and the sentiment it carries for women in every era.
“Never draw a line around a woman”
Based on the life of author Emily Bronte, Emily takes us on a journey that would’ve / could’ve been the inspiration for to write the bestseller “Wuthering Heights”.
The biographical drama introduces Emily atop a hill, talking to herself. She’s one with nature, with the breeze gracing her face and fingers.
Only, she’s not talking to herself – she’s narrating a story between a captain and the queen. Fictional characters developed by Emily through whom she’s vicariously living her present.
She is animated and perky with a twinkle in her eyes as she feels both characters’ emotions and their being. But not for long…
As she climbs down the hill, so does her spark. She transforms into a reclusive young lady, doubting her every move and her existence all together, in a world where she was a misfit.
In a world that is constantly drawing boundaries her to fit in with the rest of the crowd.
A vibrant girl on the hill who moved with confidence, is now too afraid at the foot to even look above her own shoes with a fear of being judged. Or perhaps being punished for thinking differently.
Again, you may still be wondering how does any of this have any correlation with Dussehra?
Emily is a young girl who is imaginative, fierce, and enigmatic, which is also the reason for being misunderstood and a misfit in society.
A heartbroken Emily is forced to wear a literal and metaphorical mask to protect herself from judgement. The pain of being an oddball or perhaps too progressive for her time.
She is fighting for her place in a confined world that’s always rejected her for being eccentric. A world that keeps pushing her deeper in a box and drawing boundaries around her for thinking different.
A world where’s no freedom in thought.
Emily finds solace and comfort in her stories, with fictional characters that give her life. A highly imaginative introvert drowns herself in thoughts that are too wild for people to appreciate or even comprehend.
It’s far easier to simply live inside her head, in a world she has created without boundaries or restriction in thoughts.
She’s loud, provocative, emotional, overwhelmed in her imagination and even thrives in the world made with a pen on paper. But she’s too intractable for the real world.
But it’s only a matter of time till she pushes that line of restriction to a space where there’s total freedom in thought and action. A place in the world where she’s remembered and celebrated as one of the most popular novelist and poet to have ever lived.
Emily, written and directed by Frances O’Connor, is a heartening and inspiring journey of womanhood, love, sibling rivalry and freedom in thought … with a touch a goth.
Cinematography by Nanu Segal is worth praising for capturing the most scenic frames and skilfully setting the tone especially in moments of eerie silences.
Last but not the least, the magnetic presence of leading cast members Mackey and Oliver Jackson-Cohen make it a gripping watch.
The slow-paced screenplay may not be for everyone, but the film’s heart is in the right place to transport you to a different time in the world. A world with yetanother woman who had the courage to walk over the line drawn around her and set herself free.
Choice. A concept you need to elude yourself from while watching Pushkar – Gayatri’s Hindi iteration of their slobberknocker offering from half a decade ago.
To gauge Vikram Vedha objectively, you need to treat it as a standalone.
Set in the heartland of our nation Uttar Pradesh (UP), the film oscillates between the underbellies of Kanpur and Lucknow. A nefarious gangster Vedha (Hrithik Roshan) is on the prowl, sneaking through the fingertips of police like sweat trickles through the neckline.
All until he voluntarily surrenders himself to them and what ensues thereon is the tussle of power and moral perplexity.
Alike the story’s inkling towards they grey matter, cinema in today’s world has evolved beyond the realms of good or bad. To understand an offering meticulously, one has to acknowledge the fact that every film comes with its own share of upsides and shortcomings.
No film is entirely abysmal as long as the trailer tickers don’t prompt you to leave your brains at home. Even the worst of content pieces carry some redeeming qualities.
The recent release Brahmastra Part One: Shiva despite of being a steadily plain fantasy film had its own moments of grandeur and exhilaration to balance the experience. Vikram Vedha, too, has its own cart of goods.
It is a rider film. A mainstream project designed to draw money in a state of economic flux of the film industry. It is a visual feast mounted atop the shoulder of tested crowd-pullers like Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan to expose a new flair of cinema to a wider audience and see if the remake trial and error method could bear fruits and forge new creative gold.
That’s why you remake stuff. To try new mechanisms in front of a different addressable market.
Vikram Vedha mostly succeeds on the showboarding and pageantry, with whistle-worthy moments galore in the film to entice the galleries – the major chunk of moviegoers whose monies make or break a film’s business potential.
The works fine and seamlessly for the people who avail cinema as a recreational service. Folks who grind the week under God’s hot sun, meddle with personal conflicts everyday and want an escape on a weekend from the otherwise mundane and testing life.
Vikram Vedha is a delectable and slurpy proposition for India’s working class audience. The machismo, the high-speed entrances, exits and confrontations, dialogue-baazi et al.
The film comprises of all elements that a 2 Bade Hero Wali Picture is expected to flaunt. In that parlance, Vikram Vedha is a completely satisfying watch and superior to most other actioners released over the years.
Contrary to the recently revered overboard style of action, this action flick has controlled, slick and uber stylistic action sequences. If you roared watching Dhoom 2, Race and Don, quite likely that the single screen conditioning in the child within will be content to the brim.
The portion of the audience Vikram Vedha might struggle to satisfy are the cinema enthusiasts. The ones on social media and OTT, who’ve grown up watching bangers after bangers from the Hindi film industry and has evolved exorbitantly in taste now. The relatively smaller and harder to please portion of the market that is rapidly growing in number courtesy being the youngest population in the world. This portion of the audience is far more hungrier for challenging content and believes in calling a spade a darn effing spade.
For this demographic, Vikram Vedha falters on certain levels.
Right off the bat, it isn’t rooted enough as a story. An idea that originated and was designed for Chennai has been transported to UP by makers who seemingly aren’t very well versed with the culture of the region.
Alike many predecessors, Vikram Vedha treats the dialect rather casually. The Kanpuriya and Lucknavi lehja are spoken in a very caricaturish tone. Every other word has a “wa” added needlessly – bandookwa, junglewa, shatakwa. You get the drill.
This film, too, fails to understand that kathit and likhit dialect sound starkly different. But weirdly enough, this time around, Hrithik Roshan’s dialect doesn’t sound overboard and suits his mad-hatter character. Saif Ali Khan’s Vikram is to be excluded from this list of errors as his hold on the language is bang on. Perhaps his ancestral roots play saviour here.
A major downer for Vikram Vedha is it’s controlled aggression. A story boiling with rage, travesty and personal turmoil, it never completely lets go of the carnage and holds back a lot of venom.
A film of such sort where no character is black or white, where morality and moral high grounds are non-existent, the ordeal should’ve been afforded the license to be tenfold acidic rather than being philosophical and romantically nonchalant.
Which steers us to probably the biggest and gravest pitfall for the film. The performances. The supporting cast has fashionably tanked in this film. Everyone except Satyadeep Mishra has been wasted with the lacklustre material.
Since the story doesn’t organically blend and belong to its universe, the subplots seem rushed, phony in connotation and hence rob the film of the emotional investment and consequent impact desired.
While Vikram Vedha scores maximum as a stylishly shot and packaged film, the lack of depth in screenplay and dialogues choke out its incredible possibilities. A neo-noir film clad with expositions, the performances never reach the imperative impetus of mind bending internalisation. If only the writing could’ve tried to break through and not fit in.
Vikram Vedha is enjoyable because of its leading men. Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan and visibly having a ball out there. We meet Roshan after almost four long years and the hazel eyed wonder-boy from our childhood. A man who seems to be owning his essence way more than before.
Presented like a rugged Tom Ford megamodel, Vedha is a fun ride because the actor playing it is having joy playing a mad-hatter.
Saif Ali Khan, over the past two decades has metamorphosed as one of the most evolved actors in the industry and no complaints from him either.
These two men made the most out of already iconic characters and they don’t even remind you of R. Madhavan or Vijay Sethupathy in either light. That’s a victory for both parties.
The music is surprisingly forgettable. The trio of Vishal – Shekhar – Hrithik have given us Bang Bang, Ghungroo and the duo of Hrithik Roshan – Ganesh Hegde have given us the timeless It’s Magic and Let’s Party. They miss the beat this time. But watching a gangster dance isn’t much of a viewer demand either. So, that can be given a pass.
To understand Vikram Vedha in a nutshell, we have to flip a page from the pro-wrestling playbook. We all have grown up watching WWE. It’s primarily a combat sport, where athletes hitting the superkick are galore. But only Shawn Michaels turned the superkick into the Sweet Chin Music.
For he made it into a moment, blended his move into storytelling. That’s why no matter how good a wrestler is, you remember those who create moments. ‘Cos you remember those, who made you feel something.
Vikram Vedha has a great arsenal of moveset. All it needs is to blend the moveset into storytelling. A tale inspired by many tales of Betal Pachsi, Vikram Vedha is enjoyable and passable enough to grow into a franchise. Go all in balls out, own its skin and dive deep into the madness.
Pushkar – Gayatri are gifted makers and a massive credit to the Indian film industry. They deserve boatload more such opportunities.
Aur kasam bata rahe hain, aisa kar diye toh agli baar gadar mazaa aayega aur tajjaub bhi hoga.
Watch the exclusive interview with Pushkar-Gayathri here:
