Film Review - Baga Beach

A Paradise Lost

 

Film: Baga Beach (Konkani with English subtitles)

Cast:Paoli Dam, Jean Denis Romer, Akash Sinha

Directed by: Laxmikant Shetgaonkar

Duration: 103 mins

Rating: *  *  *

After the success of the acclaimed The Man Across The Bridge, the expectations from director Laxmikant Shetgaonkar were sky high. To be fair, he has attempted to make a film which is in complete contrast to his previous venture, if that one had a steady rising graph like a straight line, Baga Beach, this years National Award winner for the Best Konkani film, follows the zig-zag pattern while rising upwards.

The theme that the director focuses on is something we can empathize with – migration, loneliness, the search for greener pastures, social ills including pedophilia and the is something we encounter in daily life. Fortunately, the screenplay doesn’t preach about these issues and prefers to skim the surface, after all, cinema cannot change situations but can certainly highlight them.

And now coming to, what will be the most talked about point for everyone after watching the film, the handheld or the shaky cam. The whole film is shot in that way which can be disconcerting for the audience. Traditionally, many directors have resorted to using the shaky cam, Paul Greengrass (Bourne 2 and 3, United 93) uses it a lot (he almost abandoned it in Captain Phillips though) and right from Godard, Kubrick to Cuaron and Lars Von Trier have used hand held cameras. But none of them made a whole film using that technique. 

Handheld shots are generally used to give the sense to the audience of ‘being there’ and watching it as it is happening giving it a touch of reality. When it is slightly over done, it gives a sense of discomfort to the viewer, and many times, that is precisely what the director wants to do, make the audience feel a bit uneasy. When it is completely overdone, it can even cause motion sickness, more so if you are sitting the lower half of the theatre. In fact the Hollywood film Cloverfield (2008) had many people leaving the theatre during the course of the film because of motion sickness. 

I must confess to having felt some uneasiness while watching Baga Beach. The technique was effective when the film started off, there are a bunch of characters we are introduced to. An impressive Paoli Dam plays Shobha a migrant (or lamanis as they are called in Goa) who makes a living by selling clothes on the beach, she is friendly with Devappa (Akash Sinha) a young man from Karnataka who is looking for a job, as a lifeguard. Jerry (Rajesh Karekar) already has that job but like the typical Goan fad, he also wants to go abroad.  

He is a part of the D’Costa family (Prashanti Talpankar and Pradeep Naik) who have rented part of their house to an elderly German (Jean Denis Romer), a pedophile who is eyeing a little boy in the family. As it happened in real life to many  the families, they are oblivious to the fact that anything untoward can happen to their son.  

The film centers along these characters and their tribulations. A social worker (Sadiya Siddique) tries to improve the lives of these street children who fall prey not only to strangers but many a times, the offenders are much closer home. 

The disadvantage of shooting a whole film on handheld, with close ups, zoom in and zoom out happening all the time is that even when a poignant or thoughtful point is made, the audience can barely soak it in as, when it cuts to the next scene, there is that disorientation again. The motive is clear and understandable - to unsettle to the viewer, but the question is, how much shakiness can the human eye and brain process?

Given that he is not a full time background music composer for films, the veteran musician Emiliano D’Cruz’ score is impressive and overall, the acting is also at par. In a de-glamoured role Paoli Dam puts up an impressive show along with Akash Sinha.

As a film that tries to tell a story differently, Baga Beach is a worth a watch and more over, being a regional film, it is certainly worth promoting. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 1st June 2014
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Film Review - Raid 2

Give Me Raid !

Film: Raid 2

Cast: Iko Uwais, Tio Pakusodewo, Arifin Putra

Directed by: Gareth Evans

Duration: 2 hrs 30 mins

Rating: *  *  *  * 

Very few sequels come close to the original but suffice to say that director Gareth Evans has pulled it off, again. Raid 2 is the best action flick to hit the screens in ages and it is only fair to say that this Indonesian product beats all contemporary Hollywood action films hollow.

At the outset, it must also be mentioned that there is plenty of violence in the film and the director literally goes hammer and tongs, the violence may be abhorring, you can’t but admire the way it has been choreographed and shot. If you don’t like blood, stay away but if you like no-holds barred action of the highest quality, Raid 2 is a joyride.

Raid Redemption (2011) was an international hit primarily because of the non-stop high octane action. Raid 2, starts off in first gear. Rama (Iko Uwais) meets a police officer and decides to go undercover to bust a ring, for that he has to go to prison first and gain the confidence of Ucok (Arifin Putra) the son of a gangster Bangun. Rama manages to infiltrate the gang, as the son wants to overpower his father and join hands with the opposition. 

What ensues is a bloody battle and the almost hour long climax is a tour de force. 

While the action may look mindless to some, there is no denying that the choreography is of the highest standard. Take the car chase for example, those CGI enhanced effects from say all the Fast and Furious films don’t create the kind of impact that Raid 2 does.

The film also scores because of the super fine editing, there isn’t a lot of fast cutting like Hollywood and you can see the action happening in a more convincing fashion. And it is not all bam bam action, Evans also pays subtle tributes to action films of the past, the fight outside the nightclub in snow is inspired by Toshiya Fujita’s  - even the climax of Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol.1 where the bride takes on O-Ren Ishii, is a tribute to the Japanese film.

Bullets are fired, skulls are smashed, knives are pierced, bones are broken the action and violence is of the next level here. It can be termed mindless but the way it is portrayed, it can’t be dismissed as mindless. 

When I walked out of the theatre, there was one word that came to mind – wow. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 1st June 2014
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Film Review - CityLights

Sin City

Film: City Lights
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Patralekha
Directed by: Hansal Mehta
Duration: 2 hrs
Rating: * * * 1 / 2

Officially adapted from the Philippines-UK film Metro Manila, City Lights directed by Hansal Mehta for Mahesh Bhatt and co. is a cut above the rest. It is a grim tale of family that moves from the village to the city, not knowing what is in store for them. Even in real life, there are several universal tales about such families that have migrated assuming that the grass is green on the other side. Apart from the adaptation by Ritesh Shah, Hansal Mehta’s direction is most impressive.

Deepak (Rajkummar Rao) hails from Rajasthan and along with his wife (Patralekha) and little daughter they come to the big bad city of Mumbai. Right away, he gets conned by a real estate agent. No job, no money, life is far from being a bed of roses as they expected it to be.

The wife is forced to take up employment in a dance bar while he manages to get a job as a driver for a security agency whose job is to transport valuables for their clients. Manav Kaul plays his supervisor who wants to make Deepak a part of his baleful agenda.

The characters are very well etched – Deepak being a village bloke wants to live in peace honestly and to some extent is quite naïve as well. Without gloating too much, it conveys the harsh realities that people have to go through pushing them in a corner to take extreme measures.

The most jarring part of the screenplay is the background music and songs that pop up from time to time completely undermining the situation. Mehta has a better knack for telling a story through situations, not songs.

The cast plays an important role in City Lights – newcomer Patralekha puts up a good show, she conveys her vulnerability in the right measure and pulls through in the emotional scenes as well. Manav Kaul as the friend is first rate but ultimately the film belongs to Rajkummar Rao who is simply terrific. The film is yet another feather in his cap which is collecting them at a rapid pace. For his performance itself and as a film that has something to say, City Lights is worth a watch.

Published in The Navhind Times on 1st June 2014
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Film Review - Maleficent

Slipping Beauty

Film: Maleficent
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley
Directed by: Robert Stromberg
Duration: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: * * 1 / 2 

Disney is busy these days rehashing old stories and giving them a different touch. We have seen a handful of films in recent times and Maleficent takes on the story of Sleeping Beauty this time.

The story unfortunately doesn’t pull enough punches, there is way too much focus on the visual aspect that gives us birds, animals and some beautiful backdrops but that doesn’t compensate for a taut tale. It is not a surprise that there is attention to detail as far as the images are concerned because director Robert Stromberg who makes his debut, has worked as a visual effects designer on several films.
 
Angelina Jolie is Maleficent, a faerie with wings who is deserted by her lover, Stefan (Sharlto Copley of District 9 fame) –not only that, he even clips her wings, literally. There is a divide between the humans and the faeries living on the moor. When Stefan becomes the king and has a daughter, Maleficent curses the baby that after her 16th birthday she will prick her finger and fall asleep for good. Fortunately, there is also an antidote for her curse.

The baby turns out to be a fine girl Aurora (Elle Fanning) and lives with the three pixies in the forest with Maleficent keeping a close eye on her. Eventually, in the climax, the curse does take effect and so does the antidote, for good measure.

The pace of the film is issue, there are long stretches where little or nothing happens and you desperately want the director to get on with it. As mentioned, the stress is on the visuals even though the 3D doesn’t contribute anything positive to experience.

Angelina Jolie breathes some life into the film with her performance other wise this Sleeping Beauty doesn’t have a great deal to keep you awake.

Published in The Navhind Times on 1st June 2014
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Film Review - Kuku Mathur ki Jhand Ho Gayi

Capital Woes

Film: Kuku Mathur ki Jhand Ho Gayi

Cast: Siddharth Gupta, Ashish Juneja, Simran Kaur Mundi,

Directed by: Aman Sachdeva

Duration: 1 hr 50 mins

Rating: * *

Almost upto the interval point I was wondering what exactly is the point of the film and where is it heading to. Yes, it was mildly entertaining mostly because it was set in Delhi and captured some of the essence of the city with some authentic lines, but beyond that, it was not exactly going places. 

Kuku (Siddharth Gupta) and Ronnie (Ashish Juneja) are chaddi buddies. While the latter takes over the family business and is well off, Kuku still struggles to find his footing in life. He does the odd job of working on the sets of a film but it doesn’t get him anywhere and unsolicited advice creates a problem between the two friends.

There isn’t much of a story here, it relies on characters and funny lines. Being Delhi, there is an amusing  mata-ka-jagran episode and the lingo used is spot on. It gets the odd chuckle but nothing more than that.

The new kids on the block are sincere and with a better story line surely the director will be able to give us a superior product next time.

Published in The Navhind Times on 1st June 2014

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Film Review - Blended

A Raw Mix

Film: Blended

Cast: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore

Directed by: Frank Coraci
Duration: 1 hr 57 mins

Rating: * 1 / 2

After travesties like Jack and Jill, Grown Ups 2 in the last couple of years, Adam Sandler is back with yet another dull and dreary film. Thankfully, it also has the charming Drew Barrymore to lighten the burden just a bit.  

Most Sandler films in recent time are like Akshay Kumar or Sajid Khan equivalent of English film. They hardly have a story or a comprehensible plot and character development is a even rarer occurrence. 

Jim (Sandler) is a caring single parent who happens to go on a blind date with Lauren (Barrymore) who is a single mom, that outing doesn’t go very well. They happen to have common friends and both of them, along with their families land up in Africa for a holiday (don’t ask for the logic how that happens). 

Expectedly, cupid strikes when they realize how caring and lovable the other person is. The only surprise is a two minute cameo by the South African fast bowler Dale Steyn, the rest of 115 minutes are as predictable as they can get. 

Terry Crews as a singer of band who makes an appearance from time to time provides some entertainment; I wouldn’t mind watching a film with him in the lead.  But meanwhile this one is strictly for those seeking fluffy entertainment. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 1st Jun 2014

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