Film Review- Timepass 2

Heart To Heart

Film: Time Pass 2 (Marathi with English subtitles)

Cast: Priyadarshan Jadhav, Priya Bapat, Prathamesh Parab, Vaibhav Mangale
Directed by: Ravi Jadhav
Duration: 2 hrs 25 mins
Rating: * * *

With a slightly irresolute title like Timepass, the film managed to turn the tables and went on to become one of the top grosser in Marathi cinema. While there is a strong revival in Marathi as far as serious cinema is concerned, there have been quite a few commercial ventures that turned out to be duds. 

Timepass and now the sequel are fine examples of good entertainment that will appeal to the classes and the masses. Timepass 2 doesn’t have the same bite as its predecessor but it is still good enough for two and a half hours of entertainment.  

Timepass explored the class difference between a ‘cultured’ girl and an illiterate boy with a golden heart. The sequel opens a few years later, Dagdu (Priyadarshan Jadhav) is now a grown- up and has now become a successful music mogul while his discovers that his sweetheart (Priya Bapat) has moved out of Mumbai to the Konkan region. Along with his friends, he sets out to pursue her ands bumps into her father (Vaibhav Mangale) who hates his guts.

The film revolves around the love story, the father daughter relationship and the young man’s pursuit for marriage.

For most parts, the film is breezy with some whacky lines. The dialogues are smartly written and there is a certain sincerity in the screenplay. It does dip a bit in the latter half but never spirals out of control. It was going to be an uphill task anyway to match the predecessor but fair to say that the entertainment quotient is the same even though the social statements that it makes is not the same.

The performances are commendable – Priyadarshan Jadhav and Priya Bapat are apt while Vaibhav Mangale continues his good form. Prathamesh Parab and Ketaki Mategaonkar, the younger characters have brief roles to play

.

All in all, Timepass 2 is a worthy sequel.     

Published in The Navhind Times, Goa on 3rd May 2015

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Film Review - Avengers: Age Of Ultron

Last Action Heroes

Film: Avengers: Age Of Ultron

Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson

Directed by: Joss Whedon

Duration: 2 hrs 22 mins

Rating:  *  *  *

As far as studios are concerned, the best way to make money is by making super hero films and if you have multiple superheroes rolled in one, irrespective of the content, a bonanza is assured.  If you have a good screenplay then it is a bonus. 

Director Joss Whedon returns with the next installment, Avengers: Age Of Ultron. It treads on familiar grounds and opinion will be divided while comparing it with the first film; I didn’t find it any better or worse than the previous one. 

Moving at a leisurely pace and clocking almost two and a half hours, Age of Ultron is redeemed by a worthy climax, otherwise, most of the film is so very generic. Besides, it is also disheartening to see special effects and green screens take over a film.

The villain this time around is Ultron (Voiced by James Spader) an artificial intelligence program that goes ‘rogue’; incidentally it was a peace keeping program created by Tony Stark aka Ironman (Robert Downey Jr.)  Ultron is convinced that peace can be achieved by purging the Avengers.  Barring Tony and Dr.Banner (Mark Ruffalo) the other Avengers are not in the loop as to what exactly is going on. 

Since S.H.I.E.L.D has dispersed, Captain America (Chris Evans) takes charge and leads the Avengers along with the usual suspects. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) gets more mileage than before and the twins, Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) who can literally play mind-games are two other significant characters. There is also a suggested romance between Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Dr. Banner. 

Given the amount of characters that Whedon has to deal with, they all have to share the screen time and none of the sub plots are particularly interesting. The villain is not particularly menacing and neither is convincing in why he is doing what he is doing. 

There is also one long fight scene between Iron Man and Hulk which starts off well but goes on till the cows come home. Despite of there being so much action and destruction there is hardly any memorable action scene. And is it mandatory to have a clichéd scene where the superhero has to risk his life to go a save a child in distress? 

There are some smart one liners but it is the climax that gives you your money’s worth and fair to say that the film ends on a high. All in all, if you don’t expect something sensational, you won’t be too disappointed.

Published in The Navhind Times, Goa on 26th April 2015

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Film Review - Court

The Jury Is In

Film: Court (Marathi with English subtitles)
Cast: Vira Sathidar, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Vivek Gomber, Pradeep Joshi
Directed by: Chaitanya Tamhane

Duration: 1 hr 55 mins
Rating: * * * * *

Let me put this in plain English: Court is one of the finest films made in recent times, in any part of the world. When it comes to quality, mind and soul stirring cinema, it doesn’t get any better than this film, which also happens to be the debut feature of director Chaitanya Tamhane.  

And what a debut it is.

The subject of Court is something that is usually accompanied by a lot of drama and desk thumping. That legal matters move at a snail's pace, when they move at all, is well known but what happens to those who are at the receiving end of it? And what about those who are involved in the process of delivering justice?

Court deals with an enraging matter with a Zen-like calmness. Imagine an action film without stunts or a war film without gun-fire; this film tackles a strong subject but offers an alternative view.

An elderly dalit folk singer Narayan Kamble (Vira Sathidar) is charged by the police with abetting the suicide of a sewage worker. The accusation is that the dead man heard one of Kamble's songs and the lyrics drove him to commit suicide; he enters a manhole without proper safety equipment and the toxic gases kill him. The charge sounds ludicrous but the law has to take its own course, the singer is arrested and promptly remanded in custody.

A well- to-do activist lawyer (Vivek Gomber, who has also produced the film) represents Kamble in court while the public prosecutor (Geetanjali Kulkarni) fights tooth and nail to ensure he stays in jail. At one point she even cites archaic laws to claim that the elderly singer is a threat to the sovereignty of India. The defense lawyer knows very well that these laws are antiquated and irrelevant, but apart from being patient and carrying on the fight, there is precious little he can do.  

We also get a glimpse of the personal lives of those involved. The prosecutor leads a normal life - cooks food for her family, picks up her son from day care and does all the other domestic chores. There is also an exceptional scene in a train where she discusses olive oil with her friend. In another instance, with complete insouciance she says that the old man should be dumped in the prison for 20 years because she is fed up with seeing the same faces. 

The activist lawyer comes from a rich Gujarathi family, and when he is not fighting for the marginalized, he is seen buying wine and cheese in a supermarker. During a dinner table conversation, his father also accuses him of getting everything easily on a platter in life.  

And then there is the judge (Pradeep Joshi), who goes by the book. At one point he even tells a lady that her case will not be heard because she is wearing a sleeveless top and that is not permissible as per the rules. The law may be a ass but it is still the law.

Had it not been so real, Kafka would have been proud of this farce.

At the end of the day though, they are all doing their jobs to the best of their ability. But morality and the rule book don’t go hand and hand and Court makes this subtle point with great impact.

When it comes to court cases, in India, unfortunately, as many have discovered, the trial is itself the punishment, sometimes even worse. 

This is not a one track narrative, there is no good and bad here and hence there is no preaching.

All the while, the camera is an observer not a participant. In fact, in an Ozu like manner, Mrunal Desai’s frames remain fixed, the camera never moves, barring a couple of times when it pans.

There is no background music in the film, keeping it simple, and Lokshair Sambhaji Bhagat’s powada (poetry) is used to good effect.

The actors, many of them non-professional are in fine fettle. Vira Sathidar looks and plays his character to a T, Geetanjali Kulkarni as the prosecutor and Pradeep Joshi as the judge look more like real life people than actors playing a part.

Do as you please but do not miss this film.

Published  in The Navhind Times, Goa on 19th April 2015

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Film Review - Margarita With a Straw

Cup of Life

Film: Margarita With a Straw

Cast: Kalki Koechlin, Sayani Gupta, Revathy

Directed by: Shonali Bose

Duration: 1 hr 40 mins

Rating: * * * 1 / 2

Directed by Shonali Bose, Margarita With a Straw is a rare film that deals talks about self discovery with sensibility and sensitivity. No wonder the film won a couple of awards at international festivals including one at Toronto.

While the story is well told, a great deal of the credit for pulling it off should also go to the lead actress Kalki Koechlin who has delivered a knockout performance in the lead role.

The film revolves around Laila (Kalki), who has cerebral palsy. While her doting mother (Revathy, reliable as always) looks after her, among other things, the young woman is also discovering her sexuality.

She has a crush on the singer of her college band but that matter doesn’t progress much. She gets a scholarship in New York where she meets Khanum (Sayani Gupta) and part of the film delves on their relationship.   

The screenplay brings out the emotions without being sloppily sentimental and that is the biggest achievement. Usually films dealing with characters that have special needs tend to go over the top but this one driven more by the character rather then what her needs are. That is not to say that it doesn’t bring out the compassion, it does.

The acting is from the top draw, along with Kalki, Sayani Gupta and Revathy fit the bill.

With a story that comes straight from the heart, Margarita With a Straw is eminently worth a watch. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 19th April 2015

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Film Review - OK Kanmani

Love On The Tracks

 

Film: OK Kanmani (Tamil with English subtitles)

Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Nithya Menon, Prakash Raj

Directed by: Mani Ratnam

Duration: 2 hrs 20 mins

Rating: *  *  *

Mani Ratnam’s OK Kanmani marks a return for him to the romance genre – lightweight and easy going, it provides some decent entertainment and as the case with all Mani Ratnam films, the visuals are stunning.

In terms of a plot, there isn’t a great deal happening which makes it Mani saar’s job even more difficult and hence, praiseworthy. Set in Mumbai, Adi (Dulquer Salmaan) is a gaming software developer with plans to go to the U.S. Prakash Raj plays his landlord and his wife (Leela Samson) is in the first stage of Alzheimer’s, in spite of the travails,  they are as happy a couple as can be.

Adi meets Tara (Nithya Menon, terrific) an architect, and before you can cheese, the two fall in love. But they also make a pact, they will enjoy the relationship as best as they can but never get married. These things have happened in other films before so you know exactly where it is heading and how it will end.

But in spite of the predictability of the story, Ratnam manages to hold your attention. Whether it is the city of Mumbai, his favorite train rides or the rain drenched climax, there are some remarkable scenes. And even today, no one picturizes songs with the kind of zing that Ratnam does.

It also helps that the chemistry between the lead players is terrific. Nithya Menon is quite a revelation and Dulquer Salmaan gives her good company.

The film is a bit stretched specially in the later half and some trimming was the order of the day. But the flaws not withstanding, OK Kanmani still makes the cut. 

Published  in The Navhind Times, Goa on 19th April 2015

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