MUKKABAAZ -- MOVIE REVIEW

There is a lot that honesty can do to a script. Also, there is a lot that Anurag Kashyap can do to a script. 

In what has now become almost typical of Anurag, the opening sequence in Mukkabaaz too, dipped graciously in black humour and coated with silent social commentary, blows the mind away to say the least.

I was instantly reminded of the opening sequence in GOW about people watching Kyoki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi when the TV set gets fired at. 

The original script by Vineet Singh, also the lead in Mukkabaaz, with modifications added on by Anurag, paints a picture with numerous layers, character conflicts and still keeps space for certain, and by now obvious, Kashyap antics. 

Set up in Bariely and Benaras, Mukkabaaz is not the typical and by now, run of the mill sports film. It is a love story caught amidst the loop of social divide, casteism and political ridicule, accentuated by excellent dialogues and music arrangement.

It is a film which strives hard to align with reality and hence does not give the feel-good vibe as it draws to a close. Also, this might be the mildest Kashyap film by any stretch of imagination and hence even the most accessible one. 

There is a thing about women characters and their portrayal in Kashyap's cinema space. Right from Gulaal to Dev D to GOW and even Ugly to an extent, there is visible evidence of a strong headed, focused, witty and almost conniving female characters, sometimes so strong that they become the driving force for the entire screenplay. The men though, usually, in contrast are a little dim-witted. 

Mukkabaaz is no exception. Zoya Hussain, playing Sunaina Mishra makes a wow debut. Everything about her character, right from what was plotted on paper to what transpires on screen, oozes with perfection. there are wonderful little moments where she wins a scene just by her reactions. Sample some where she tries to convince her mother about the guy she loves, or where she reacts when Shravan apologizes to her. Absolute marvel.

And those eyes are to die for. Mark my words. 

It will be an understatement to say that Vineet Singh owns the film. He is the film, he is Shravan and Shravan, Mukkabaaz. I will be insulting his genius if I say that his "act" was par excellence. This is the closest I have seen someone living the character and in the process, becoming one.

There are just so many instances that can be listed here to sing praises about Vineet but I will urge you to watch it on screen and appreciate.

Jimmy Shregil finally gets a meaty role and he too puts out his A game. And there is Ravi Kishan, who despite the limited screen time, delivers a knockout performance.

Then there is the master, the one with a cult following, the maverick Kashyap himself who makes Mukkabaaz as much his own as it is Vineet's. There are the usual cocky styled sequences where there is humour erupting out from tensed situations, the usual brilliant use of background score and music to drive the narrative at the desired pace and the sharp editing and yet Anurag manages to carve out something so unusual that makes Mukkabaaz one of the purer films that I have seen lately. 

The dialogues are absolute gems. If you happen to be from North India, you'd find them all the more amazing. There are so many layers of social commentary and political satire but all of that is cajoled into the script so smartly that at the cost of viewing it passively, one might just even miss out on them. 

Rachita Arora deserves a special mention for putting together a wonderful music album. The tracks complement the story in a way that at times you feel it is almost impossible for Mukkabaaz to switch on to the next scene without a song. 

In closing, Mukkabaaz is a rare film, made by someone who has made a name for himself by making such rare films, acted by actors who lived the characters and more importantly much like real life, Mukkabaaz does not necessarily try to please anyone. it stays true to what the characters and the story demanded and that is where it scores a home run. 

P.S--There is so much that goes in Mukkabaaz at any given instance that it definitely warrants a repeat viewing. 

BAHUT HUA SAMMAN.. BHARAT MATA KI JAY!!

**4 STARS**

MERI PYARI BINDU - Movie Review

Meri Pyari Bindu, yet another romantic film from the YRF stables. Yet another attempt at portraying a refreshing take on love and relationships. Yet another narrative pattern that shows promise but dies quickly thereafter; yet another boring film.

Somewhere between the plot and the screenplay, the story seemed to have gone missing. What happens on screen seems like a mere series of events put together in order to complexly narrate a rather simple story; the events never quite get their share of emotions to make a difference to the audience’s perspective.

On a close analysis, the plot is a done to death idea, novelty being far and few in between. It also appears that the plot was unnecessarily convoluted in order to add elements apart from the basic crux of the relationship between Aayushman and Parineeti. And as a result, the sub plots with substance, for instance, the one involving Parineeti’s father, Aayushman’s equation with his family, the camaraderie between Aayushman’s MBA and Mumbai buddies, never quite get the sortie to carry the narrative forward.  

As an after effect, you start to expect a logical conclusion to these sub plots towards the end of the movie but that sadly does not happen.

The screenplay further highlights the gaps in the story. With continuous shifts from flashback to present, there are at times, moments of indifference as the timeline shifts are hardly recognizable, neither from the behaviour of the characters nor from the set elements or production design. Aayushman’s capable narration could not do justice to the above mentioned point.

In MPB, we see the film from a unilateral perspective. What we see is what Aayushman sees or has seen. And what we see is only Bindu. Never for once are we allowed to have a perspective on Bindu from any one apart from Aayushman’s character. And hence, there grows a tendency to build an expectation about Bindu’s character to act and react. 

The telling blow to film comes right away when we see a contrast in the way Aayushman described Bindu and the way she reacted in certain situations. There happens a gross mismatch between the narrated bit and the acted bit. And that must precisely be the reason why at the point of intermission, MPB had already categorized itself into the list of films that cannot sustain their existence via story telling.

Parineeti Chopra sure lost out on a lot of flab but retained her screen presence. However, what also seemed absent was her ability to effortlessly pull off characters. She seemed too exerted in certain bits, too casual in others. And while she would still demand your attention, the ability to retain the same surely was not on display. She surely is a much better actress than what is on display in MPB. The last segment, 10 mins or so, do a bit of redeeming of sorts; but that is also just about.

Aayushman Khurana is one fine actor and indeed is the sole reason to watch MPB. He displays tremendous ability to grasp and grow with the character. He narrates the film in an impressive manner and totally steals the show in the final parts of the film. However, since Bindu does not quite act in the manner Aayushman builds up her character for the audience, his own character kind of turns out to be dim – witted, at times bordering on to the lines of foolishness.

The debutant director could not hold on to the reins of the film and hence dishes out a very average product. His directorial style seems to have garnered influences of Woody Allen, Imtiaz Ali and even Shaad Ali to an extent, but amidst a plethora of meaningless scenes, the bright parts loose their charm. Despite being just a tick over 2 hours, MPB seems excruciatingly long.

What helps the film surely is the music. Afeemi is a beautiful composition. Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahi enhances the impact with the way it has been used in the film. The editing needed a lot of improvement. The cinematography is at par with YRF standards.

Being touted as the comeback film of Parineeti Chopra, after a self claimed hiatus for about 3 years now, MPB does try to live up to the vibe it constantly yearns to generate but never quite becomes the film that has the capability to actuate the viewer’s interest.

All said and done, MPB does not rise up from the levels of mediocrity, leaves a lot to be desired and ends up being one such film which would have made no difference even if it had not been made in the first place.

 **2 STARS**

PHILLAURI - MOVIE REVIEW

Finally, a refreshing Friday at the films!

Anushka Sharma, is out with her 2^nd production venture and as is evident, the focus clearly is on telling versatile stories, which is not a bad thing at all. But with PHILLAURI, could there have been a little more watertight narrative pattern? Well the answer is in the affirmative but it is not really going to be a major deal breaker for the film, it should not!

PHILLAURI is a fantasy drama, sprinkled with comic relief, guided well by poetic justice and showcased efficiently by the honest performances from the cast. The quest for unfulfilled love as a subject is a routine for any Bollywood film, albeit here, the treatment makes it a novelty of sorts.

So when we meet Kanan, we are immediately fed a dose (read sub plot) of commitment issues and confusion as an undertone for the film. When we meet Shashi and Phillauri, we are served a loveable rhythmic narrative which tries to make sense and relevance in the macro sense for the screenplay.

The narrative shifts from the present to the pre-independence 1919 India and the transition is seamless and blends well with the flow of the film. Romance here has been portrayed rather mildly, almost as if the director wanted the screen to blush while Sahebaan played on 70mm. 

PHILLAURI takes you in to a dreamy world, a world of the folk lore, which might seem extra ordinary at the outset but turns out to be just like the routine, which in itself is not a letdown. It lends a certain degree of reliability to the film.

Technical aspects of the film must be applauded. The VFX and CGI tem have created the most beautiful and alluring ghost ever. And in what is rare for Indian cinema, the visual effects are not cringe worthy. They are extremely well crafted. the sound design is another plus here which kinds of helps in creating the right mood and let it linger, more so in the climax where the background score almost doubles up as a saviour of the film.

The screenplay however, is not a crisp one and the same can be said about the editing as well. Both leave a lot to be desired. The dialogues do their part well. Cinematography has been stupendous! The frames are beautiful and there is attention to detail, which becomes apparent more so due to the languid pace of the film.

Suraj Sharma (Kanan) plays his part effectively as the ever so confused and high on the obvious Canada returned Punjabi. He displays a natural knack for comedy. His obvious underplay of the character helps a lot in getting the comic timing spot on most of the time.

Mehrene Kaur Pirzada as Kanan’s to be wife emotes well in what is a very simple and doting character, sans any negatives.

Diljit Dosanjh, though looks staid in most of the screen time that he gets but that he has screen presence cannot be denied. He does his part almost the way I perceived the writer wrote. However, the transformation in his character, though portrayed well by the effective Dum-Dum track in the background, could have been far better emoted.

And as is a no brainer, this is Anushka Sharma’s film. She shines, in almost every scene. She looks effervescent, and single-handedly justifies the fantasy drama genre with her acting prowess. 

She is endearing as the ghost and vulnerable yet plaint as the poetess back in the day. I might just stretch my neck out and say that she OWNS every frame she is in and you cannot but ignore to see her mature as an actress who knows the game and the rules. 

SMITTEN!

The debutant director, Anshai Lal, captures vrious scenes brilliantly. The way Sahebaan song has been shot is lovely.

Sample the scene where the family welcomes Kanan, or the one where Dadi proclaims 9am as a time worthy enough for a drink, or the scene where Shashi meets Annu or the scene Shashi’s brother acknowledges her love- tearjerker! 

The genius here lies in the fact that the director does not go overboard with anything despite having sufficient enough situations to do so. The humour is situational and not slapstick, the emotions are more left to be deciphered than making them obvious.

However, this ends up in making the film roll over at a languid pace, which is perfect as PHILLAURI has the moments but the film crawls, at places and that kind of lets the entire premise down. The climax went a bit haywire, the immediate post intermission portion said a lot but made no value addition towards the end. 

Also, Nidhi Bisht is wasted in the role of Anushka’s friend which again eats up the screen time and adds on to the number of sub plots.

PHILLAURI, thereby, ends up taking the path much travelled and hence dilutes the sense of Awe!

That said, if slow boiled romances, a dash of fantasy and a relaxed movie watching experience is your cup of tea, PHILLAURI should make for a decent watch.

“Tere bina Saans bhi Kaanch si Kaate” – GENIUS!

*3 STARS*

RANGOON - MOVIE REVIEW

“Sufi ke Sulfe’ ki, lau uth ke kehti hai,

Aatish ye bujh ke bhi, jalti hi rehti hai”

One simply cannot not be astonished, mesmerized and appalled, all in the same breath as Arijit croons to YE ISHQ HAI and the lyrical genius of Gulzar and the poetic justice by Vishal Bhardwaj opens up, layer by layer on the 70mm. However, all is not well here.

There is a sense of anticipation whenever there is a talk in the town about Vishal Bhardwaj coming up with something for the celluloid. Fair enough, he has by far, been at the top whenever it has come to adapting literature as  cinema but the same is not the case when it comes to original scripts and screenplays. (Refer – Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola)

Amidst the storm of the Second World War and the rise against the Empire Raj for the Indian Independence by the Indian National Congress, Bhardwaj develops a story of love, faith and betrayal. The plot in itself is very basic and done to death in many formulaic Bollywood movies, except for the backdrop in which the movie is set.

To be honest, I went in to watch the movie as an ardent admirer of Bhardwaj’s craft and came out hugely disappointed. The ones who did not go in with any expectations whatsoever, too had the same emotion while exiting the theatre. And it is not entirely the canvas that lets the director down, it is the sub-plots and the idea to strike a balance between romance, patriotism, capitalism, war and poetry that lets this film down.

This, is probably Bhardwaj’s most accessible work to the audience as there are hardly any implicits to take away, imageries to give a thought to, subtext to be understood or dialogue to be deciphered. Now if only making a movie less symbolic could also not bring up with it the challenges of lopsidedly composed characters (which have been Bhardwaj’s strength) and scenes written with heavy loopholes as if the director forgot to tie the final draft into a cohesive unit at once.

Rangoon begins with some serious pace and has the moments to get you hooked for a reasonable part of the first half but nearing intermission, you just sense things going downhill. The editing leaves a lot to be desired, not only in terms of cutting the run time but also in hampering the impact of sub-plots due to their haphazard arrangements. There is just too much happening at one go to garner undivided attention to any particular scene.

In what could be ironical, the songs in Rangoon convey the feelings, emotions and thoughts much more effectively than the narrative. The entire magnitude of the romance between Shahid Kapoor and Kangana Ranaut has been beautifully incorporated in the song YE ISHQ HAI which highlights the fact that their relationship is a liberating one, almost Sufi-isq! The genius of Gulzar then goes on to add comparisons with RUMI and TABREZI to further enhance the impact of their relationship but the dialogue, actions and the characters fail to bring it alive on the screen.

ALVIDA, another masterpiece, with great amount of lyrical detailing has only been used as a fade in-out effect song and it again conveys much more meaning as a song than the way it has been used in the film.

BLOODY HELL is your Dhan Te Nan, Oye Boy Charie, Darling, Bidi Jalaile type of song from any of the Bhardwaj’s films. This song essentially hooks you on with its lyrical quality and boy Sunidhi Chauhan is back and how! The rest of the music is spot on and possibly is also one of the very few highlights of Rangoon.

Kangana Ranaut gives a decent performance as Miss Julia, the action star. There is this sense of seen it all with her performance in Rangoon as it gets heavily monotonous and repetitive as the movie progresses. She sure has her moments in her interaction with the Japanese soldier but you have seen that in Queen. She aces the vulnerable moments but you have seen that in Gangster and Tanu Weds Manu. So in a way, though she performs ably, she is not able to bring out and develop the perspective that her character craved for.

Shahid Kapoor is brilliant as he always has been in a Vishal Bhardwaj film. Shahid’s characterization is crafted with care and it shows with the way his character entails on the journey from being the Jamadaar to the man carrying India’s possible chance to oust the Brits. Torn between the calling of his heart and the hopes of an entire nation, Shahid totally aces it.

Saif Ali Khan looks dapper, acts the desired way and leaves an imprint of the class of an actor lost in a syndrome called the 1990’s. He is stern, decisive and almost an antagonist. Despite relatively lesser screen time, Saif manages to hold on to his character.

The British Army General Hardings, recites Ghalib and Meer at the drop of the hat but does not mince his words when the situation demands.

The supporting cast performs ably and Zulfi stands out as one of the supporting characters to the main plot.

Vishal Bhardwaj sure has his moments of genius, be it the wonderfully thought and executed MIYA GAYE ENGLAND with references to Churchill and Hitler, the alluringly haunting scene in the bath tub where Saif reunites with Kangana after her being attacked on by warrior aircrafts and Saif’s discovery of the romance blossoming between Shahid and Kangana.

He is ably supported by the cinematographer who has done an absolutely splendid camera work which makes Rangoon looks plush and almost dreamlike at times. However, apart from the cinematography, the moments which have the capacity to hook you on through the run time are very few.

You cannot take the Shakespearean influence out of Bhardwaj’s work. Tragedy has to strike inevitably but it seems a little too forced in Rangoon. Also, the gamut of euphemisms and metaphors absent from the screenplay have been incorporated in the dialogues and what is a first for VB film, the dialogues are disappointing.

The Indian Army under the British command seemingly cared only about Miss Julia’s night shows, with proper set designs and lighting rather than on their training drills. The superstardom of Miss Julia is almost impossible to be believed to an extent where the army jawans are shown holding Placards stating – LOVE YOU JULIA!

The entire movie could have ended immediately after the first strike on the troop but why does the troop decide to continue, where does all the set and props come from after getting destroyed in the attack, why does CGI has to screw up climaxes? Sadly, Rangoon does not answer these questions. In fact it leaves you with many more but these are more about the existence of the movie altogether.

So Rangoon is a disappointing fare, a rare from Bhardwaj. The performances only lift the film a bit but do not have potential to carry it through. And if you try to look beyond the obvious, as is the case with most of the VB movies, or even focus on the obvious, headache is a guarantee for sure.

In the end I’d close it with the lines that most significantly describe what this film could have been –

“Ek hi TU Khuda to nahi,

Yu kabhi koi Jiya to nahi,

Alvida, Alvida, to nahi”

BLOODY HELL!!

*Why art thou so awesome GULZAR SAHAB!!!*

*1.5STARS*

DANGAL - MOVIE REVIEW

In one of the many intriguing scenes in the film, a young girl, forced into child marriage makes our “Heroes” realize why their father was probably right in doing what he was! And that creates a beautiful balance between the ethos of feminism and patriarchy, silently hinting at why both the extreme ethos are extremely dangerous and why there exists a need for co existence! Dangal is all about this balance.

The characters here, despite being from a biopic are relatable, purely for a fact that none of the characters have singularity of emotion and every character is equally susceptible to normal human fallings. For a film that achieves this kind of characterization, audience involvement is a guarantee for sure.

A young Omkar gives up his career to make his Tau live his dream. The girls give up their childhood to make their father live his dream. The father gives up on everything he has to make his girls live their lives like a dream. Dangal is much more than just your run of the mill sport biopic.

Dangal is a rare film where everything came together seamlessly on screen, right from the performances to the technicalities. The editor has done a splendid job at keeping the film engaging despite a run time of around 3 hours, ably supported by a stellar screenplay.

And if someone deserves an out of the box mention, it has to be Amitabh Bhattacharya, the lyricist. Back in the day, when he penned poetry for Udaan and Lootera, I had almost, in my head, hailed him as the Gulzar of the coming generation. And frankly, his recent work had not been inspiring, to keep it really simple. But Dangal is where you realize his mastery yet again.

The music arrangement by Pritam is average but Amitabh, with his words has made Dangal an absolutely admirable album. Gilheriyaan and Naina (Arijit yet again displays his ability to make a complicated song sound ridiculously simple) stand out as the songs of 2016 for me! And just you feel like running out of the mood, get on Daler Paaji to croon into Dangal-Dangal!

Another highlight of the film is the costume design by Maxima Basu. Dangal should surely be a nominee for the best costume design in the coming award season. The cinematography is visually appealing and captures the tensions and emotion exactly the way it should have been. The commentary during the wrestling matches remains steady, the supporting cast performs ably. So with so much right going on for Dangal, what could possibly go wrong?

Nitesh Tiwari tells a tale with enough substance for the audience to chew on. The film has a settled flow and minimal abruptions. However, towards the fag end of the film, the grip over characters goes haywire, clichéd montages take center stage and a movie which had survived sans dramatic influences for most of its run time, falls back on to them. This, in the larger picture, is a minor hiccup but it just stops Dangal from acquiring that special place that it possibly deserved.

The Phogat sisters are a find. The fact that they manage to hold on to their own in front of Aamir, speaks volumes of their talent. Sakshi Tanwar, despite the limited screen time and dialogues etches a place for herself in the hearts of the viewers.

Aparshakti Khurana, the doting brother, is an absolute crackle on screen. His comic timing is excellent and as a narrator, we view the film from his perspective. His mannerisms and tone suit the flow of the film.  

Aamir Khan has lived the role of Mahavir Singh. This is his performance right in the zone of Lagaan, Taare Zameen Par, Rang De Basanti etc. It takes mastery over the craft of acting for a superstar to play second fiddle to the script. And whenever Aamir has done that, the results have been phenomenal. The only shortcoming was that while Aamir aged physically and emoted perfectly, the voice, pitch etc still remained that of the young Mahavir Singh! So when you hear him shooting dialogues towards the fag end of the film, you do not really feel the fact that here is an aged Mahavir Singh speaking to and for his daughters.

Dangal is a must watch. While we have had sport biopics coming out in numbers recently, apart from Pan Singh Tomar and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag to an extent, there has been none that has stayed with me once I have left the theatre. Dangal therefore fills up the void by becoming a film that told the story of sporting glory and doing the unimaginable with the finesse that it almost felt like slice of life film most of the time.

LATHH GAAD DIYA BHAI !!

FITOOR -- Movie Review

To be honest, the cinematographer does his job remarkably well. The dreaminess that ran through Great Expectations has been captured as is on the camera, almost fairy-tale like but alas it happens to be the only thing that has been kept consistent in lines with Dickens’s work.

Given the fact that Great expectations in itself was melodramatic enough (has been an unnamed source, for its theme, for umpteen number of Bollywood films), the film sulks considerably at creating that mood.

There has been an evident try to make the subject hold to its pretext of being melodramatic and almost theatrical by trying to infuse Urdu in dialogues which come at various impact places in the film, entirely forgetting the fact that Urdu is best enjoyed blended and not as a garnish.

The characters age rather obscurely in the drama that unfolds in a manner that leaves little scope for any layers to develop. There was a clear requirement to tell out the age of the characters for the dialogues they mouthed and the manner of their reactions surely contradicted their apparent age as portrayed on screen

The fluency of Firdaus’s accent goes haywire as with age “Noor” becomes “Knorr” for her (Oh Katrina). Noor grows up to be a chiselled piece of art himself; probably doing lifts with the heavy paint brushes! Dimensions of characters are as loosely defined as Ajay Devgn’s special appearance. Tabu’s intent is unclear since inception and with the progress of story it converts into a rather constipated mix of sub-plots converging entirely at her behest and asking out for the reasons for their very existence in the main plot.

Dickens’s simplistic idea of the societal barriers and falsely lived childhoods has been overcooked here to an extent that makes it unbearable. Fitoor tries to be a clever take on Kashmir’s polity by masking Haider on its head and bask in the glory of soulful slowly brimming romance by trying to ape Lootera and it fails miserably at both of them.

For Haider and Lootera, despite based on watertight narratives and excellent screenplays separated themselves from the rest on the basis of performances alone. Lootera for a matter of fact showcased more “fitoor” in its portrayal of romance than Fitoor itself.

What somehow manages to keep the attention intact is Amit Trivedi’s music. Again it is not something out of the box from Trivedi and quite a predictable soundtrack for someone who’d have followed Trivedi’s discography. Though the lyrics by Swanand Kirkire are thoughtful, the tracks somehow do not add the desired depth to the narrative.

Katrina Kaif, well, tanks enormously in her portrayal of Firdaus. The accent is haywire, the body language and voice tone suggest two different intentions and the emotions, well, are absent.

Aditya Roy Kapoor tries hard to match Katrina as he portrays a rather dimwit Noor Nizami, a natural talent leading a life based on lies. For a character that had so much to offer, the performance largely remains unilateral.

And how often would you see Tabu deliver an inconsistent performance? And the inconsistency graph here ranges from the axis of rubbish to the axis of salute! While she mouths laughable dialogues in front of the still young Noor and Firdaus, to the masterful act in the pre climax scene, Tabu disappoints.

The narrative by Abhishek Kapoor moves along languidly and that isn’t a problem till the time the screenplay has moments to offer or the story has substance to hold on to. Sadly the director lacks the presence of both those elements and it almost seems like an eternity before intermission strikes. Also, digging deeper into the plot itself, there seems to be no justifications for any of the character to behave in the portrayed manner.

In one of the most laughable scenes of the film, our artist hops on to ride with a complete stranger on the promise on being fed on the tastiest Kahwa in the city! Who is who and why is hardly given importance to! There is an apparent lack of flow in the narrative and is barred at places with unnecessary plot convolutions and excessive characters.

Abhishek Kapoor tries to hard to make Fitoor look like one of the classiest films ever made, with abundant randomness scattered throughout in the name of art and logics bypassed in the name of romance. What the director forgot that Haider and Lootera, both being adaptations, tried hard to tell the story rather than sell out as a classic. This is where Fitoor falls, and falls flat.

Fitoor is what happens when grandeur lacks artistry, story lacks substance and romance lacks soul.

**1.5 STARS**

Masaan -- Movie Review

"Sangam insaan ko do baar aana chahiye, ek baar akele aur ek baar kisi ke saath"

As the movie draws to a close with a poignant shot of the boat heading towards the sangam, probably symbolic of the characters move towards new beginnings in their own respective lives, with Indian Ocean's Bhor playing in the background, there is a feeling of inevitability and amusement about human existence and its meaning in the context of a plethora of emotions that surround an individual.

With a story line that is devoid of any sub plot convulsions but filled with layers, each layer to the character, sub plot converge seamlessly.

The film is a slice from the lives of individuals, capacitated enough to look beyond the social norms, brave enough to question morality in its substance and form, eager enough to cross cultural barriers, yes vulnerable at times but capable enough to give the desired direction to their lives.

There are primarily 3 major sub plots. The one involving Devi and her desires, her subjective truth, her struggle to instill the confidence back into her existence dwells on a linear narrative pattern.

The plot involving Devi's father, Vidhyadhar Pathak and his struggle to come to terms with the enormity of situation at hand and to preserve the image in a social set up coupled with the ever tightening strings of financial obligations makes it a delightful sub plot to watch. Also a minor portion including Vidhyadhar's relationship with the little kid serving as his help is delightful.

But where Masaan really scores is on the way the narrative unfolds on the story of Deepak and Shaalu. This is a plot filled with moments of untimely blushes, simplistic conversations and most of the relatable and identifiable situations fill this part of the story in abundance.

Richa Chaddha as Devi is extremely impressive. Her confidence develops as the movie flows along and by the end of the film we find Devi's life coming a full circle. From the amateurish eagerness to paving way to lead her life on her own terms, she plays it with a very matured understanding, both of her character and the context in which her character is supposed to react.

Sanjay Mishra has been in supreme form. Known largely for his comical stint, he came into his own in a gem of a movie called Aakhon Dekhi, amazed all and sundry again in Dum Laga Ke Haisha, gives a terrific performance yet again in Masaan. The pain of social stigma, coming to terms with the mindset of his daughter and finally accepting and acknowledging his insecurities of her daughter leaving him in a brilliant scene where Devi expresses her desire to move out of Benaras. Words fall short to describe his immaculate understanding of his character and the subtlety with which he brings a transformation in his character's mindset and views. Excellent Work.

There's been a long time since an actor impressed so much with his debut effort. Vicky Kaushal has arrived folks and how! An excellent display of method acting coupled with the camaraderie with his friends, mannerisms, all of it make it a treat to watch him perform. However there is one scene that stands apart, along the banks of Ganga, where Deepak breaks down finally, comforted by his friends. Terrific. Never for once you feel as if there is an act going on. Deepak fits into the movie's premise as naturally as it could ever be. After a really long time there has come an actor who plays along with the emotions through his eyes! Grief, anxiety, ambition, willingness and happiness all from the eyes, words reduced to minimal.(Check the scene where he asks the boatman to turn the boat post his conversation with Shaalu)

Shweta Tripathi is unparalleled with her portrayal of Shaalu. There's the genuine blush when on call with Deepak, playfulness in their meetings and purety in the emotion as one would find in a Nida Fazli Ghazal.

Neeraj Ghaywan stiches along a tale spread across a myriad range of emotions, emerging from characters from different walks of life and society and mixes it all with relative ease, categorically setting up Benaras as a silent character in giving shape to the mould of his story telling pattern.

He sets up extraordinary scenes in the ordinary setup. Vidhyadhar's and Devi's confrontation, Shaalu reciting poetry to Deepak and his incapacity to understand a single rhyme, Deepak's outburst as he discloses his identity and address, Shaalu's maturity as she accepts the calling of love and speaking it out to Deepak while on move to pilgrimage are certain scenes to be watched over and over again!

From the beautifully shot Tu Kisi Rail Si Guzarti Hai to an effective and evocative Mann Kasturi, the director builds up emotions from the routine and ordinary.

The cinematographer brings out the story's part of silence and unsaid words through his camera and does a commendable job.

This is one film which should be looked upon for the way it includes the songs in the narrative. Indian Ocean's work has been brilliant and 'Tu Kisi Rail Si' and 'Man Kasturi' were easily amongst the best soundtracks of 2015. Varun Grover's lyrical quality shines efficiently in the tunes of Indian Ocean.

There could be a never ending write up on how small and routine has the potential of delivering the extraordinary and how issues and mentality of a certain society can be challenged and questioned without any melodrama but I shall let Masaan do that talking.

This isn't a movie to be reviewed. This is a movie to be experienced. This is a story to identify oneself with and raise questions on the "why's" rather than the "how's". It makes it's stand on moral issues, ethics, societal stigmas and honesty pretty clear without making it even evident to be solely focusing on them.

Hats off Masaan team. It'll always be a regret to have missed out watching this one in a theatre.

To sum it up,

" Mann Kasturi re, Jag dasturi re, Baat hui na poori re..."

MERA WOH MATLAB NAHI THA - PLAY REVIEW

When was the last time you thought of watching Anupam Kher and Neena Gupta perform live, to a story written and directed by Rakesh Bedi and return disappointed? NEVER? Well if you’d consider MERA WO MATLAB NAHI THA, the above lines fit in to be only partially true.

On a lazy Sunday evening, the St Andrews auditorium was packed to the capacity with an audience eager to watch the mavericks take the stage. And what transpired then was a bit more than 2 hours of a story which, as soon as spelled out hints of connect, disconnected more rapidly with the elements of extremity that filled up the plot.

35 years had passed since the young romance, brewing in the gullys of Chandni Chowk was not allowed to run its course. And at Lodhi Gardens, feeling the cold morning breeze, as if the breeze symbolically showcased the cold that the protagonists had survived in their lives for 35 long years, Anupam Kher and Neena Gupta meet and discuss everything that had remained unanswered only to realize that some things must remain unanswered.

While the conversations for a major part of the first act of the play were smartly written, the childish and rather absurdly presented flashbacks of the couple and their years at Chandni Chowk was what made me cringe! And from thereon, the narrative became a mix of over the top emotions, larger than life circumstances, lives bordering on extreme ends, all in a play which appeared and began like anything but a slice of life.

The beauty of the narrative laid in the manner of un-layering the emotions which began from refraining and ended up being a tell-it-all tale.

There were letters that didn’t reach their address, negotiations in the name of marriage, domestic violence and criminal instincts, falsely lived parenthood and old age rejection, all of it which was not presented as much it was justified. And that precisely was the pain point.

Everything and everyone in the play had something or the other to justify their behaviour which to me was not required simply because it is understood that all what happens in life can hardly ever be justified and for that either of the protagonist had to be a really morally strong character which sadly none of them was and hence it made all the more painful to accept the justifications.

And more so, if the spark still flew after 35 years, justifications for once could have taken a back seat, complaints could have been on the waiting list and a soulful walk down the memory lane, which needn’t be extraordinary but be very normal or routine could have an impact that could have lasted forever.

Neena Gupta though messed up with a dialogue or two in her performance, commanded immediate attention. Her act was natural, heartfelt and strictly up to what was required out of her role. What stood out in her performance was the playfulness with which she rendered some of her dialogues almost as if teasing Anupam Kher and thus bringing out the playful essence of the romance of the teenage.

Anupam Kher, well if I might say, owned the play. Right from his first line till his concluding phone call, he raised the level of the play and almost covered the magnanimity of extremes in the plot with his simple yet poignant performance. The child in the old man came to life while he narrated one of his teenage life blunders, the maturity of his age came to life when he justified both of them to be too ahead in their lives to be gullible. And what has always been a trademark of Anupam Kher’s performances, be it on stage or in front of the camera, spontaneity and improvisations made the play exciting to watch, all of which Kher was blissfully aware of, toying with lines here and there, creating awkward situations, turning the tide of the conversation here and there and yet being true to the essence of the script. Master class.

Rakesh Bedi too chipped in with his comic timing intact like it was on the television and despite being a very minute character in the entire set up; even he came with emotional baggage, making the already heavy script a tad heavier.

The play survived purely on the performances and despite garnering rave reviews, I found it overrated.

MERA VO MATLAB NAHI THA possibly hinted on the possibilities that could have shaped the destiny in a different manner, talked about a lot that could have been different from the scenario that the characters were in but the point of it remained that possibilities do not happen on their own; paths have to be created to walk on.

Also towards the end, when the characters part, knowing that certain things despite being at any stage of life are not possible, but with the respect for each other intact and having lived 35 years in a span of 3 cold mornings, they realize that things have to end; and the end need not always be how we expect it to be for life is about how we adjust to the ending that we have created for ourselves.

And yes at the fall stage in our lives we do realize how life could have been staggeringly different from the one which has been lived; as an afterthought is good once in a while, it is good to reflect on things and equally important to be in the present at the same time.

Sadly I expected a lot of neutrality and commonness from MERA VO MATLAB NAHI THA, which depended on extraordinary and outrageous, the lazy Sunday evening at the packed St Andrews auditorium still was worthwhile for there were reasons enough to tune in your hearts to the frequency the thespians were performing at.

**2.5STARS**