Category: Movie Reviews

Movie Review: Bhediya

Streaming on: Jio Cinema
Running time: 2 hours 36 mins
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Abhishek Banerjee
Genre: Horror Comedy
Rating: 4/5

I am a little late to this party, but glad I made it!

It starts slowly, and the first hour or so can be painful. Maybe the brown from Arizona has affected my brain, but I have not been able to shake the greenery from the movie out of my head. However, the jungles of the Northeast take your breath away.

Varun Dhawan plays an ambitious road contractor wanting to build roads in Arunachal Pradesh. He is accompanied by his cousin, Janardan (played by Abhishek Banerjee) and Jomin (played by Paalin Kabaak). Varun and his partners must get permission from the locals to build the road through the jungles instead of around it. This plan would cause more deforestation. Having failed to get permission from the elders, Varun convinces the youth and gets the required signatures to start the project. Varun gets bitten by a wolf, and one thing leads to another. Kriti Sanon plays a local Veterinarian doctor who treats Varun. Strange events unfold, and the protagonists search for answers that lead to twists. This horror comedy guarantees laughter with its comic timing and witty dialogues.

Bhediya is Amar Kaushik’s third movie. He delivers strong messages about racism against people from the Northeastern part of India and the conservation of nature. However, The movie overstays its welcome and could have been shorter. The beginning of the film could have been made more attractive. But overall, it is a must-watch!

Movie Review: Hello Charlie

Streaming on: Amazon Prime
Running time: 102 minutes
Cast: Aadar Jain, Jackie Shroff, Elnaaz Norouzi, Shlokka Pandit
Genre: Comedy
Rating: 2/5

Forty minutes into the movie, I looked at my husband and asked him when the comedy part would start. Hundred minutes into it, I found myself asking the same question.

The movie revolves around Jain and Shroff – Jain being someone who cannot get anything right and Shroff being the billionaire who scammed various banks. Shroff’s girlfriend (Elnaaz) thinks Shroff could flee from the country in a Gorilla costume and hires Jain to transport the Gorilla to Diu. The comedy part is supposed to start now. Sadly, you don’t get everything in life.

Here’s a thing about comedy movies – it is all dependent upon comic timing and dialogs. At times, the story does not matter. You cannot force comedy. Something similar happened here. The comedy scenes did not fly despite having good actors like Rajpal Yadav and Bharat Ganeshpure. I wonder if Jackie Shroff even shot the Gorilla scenes since we mostly see keyhole shots of his face. Elnaaz and Shloka did well in their brief roles. Siddhant Kapoor surprises you in the character of the inspector. It is unsettling how similar Jain and Ranbir Kapoor look. They even talk alike! It may/may not be a good thing for Aadar in the future. We’ll see about that.

Overall, the movie was alright and not a must-watch. If you want to watch something funny, this movie may not be it.

Movie Review: Laxmii and more…

Runtime: 2 hours 21 minutes
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Kiara Advani, Sharad Kelkar, Rajesh Sharma, Ayesha Raza Mirza, Manu Rishi Chadha, Ashwini Kalsekar, and Tarun Arora
Rating: 2/5
Featured image credit: onenewspage.com

I don’t watch horror movies. They leave an impression. N loves horror movies. This one was for him.

Look at the cast again. They’re all good actors. I had great expectations when I started watching the movie. But something was amiss.

It started fine. A few scenes scared the s#!t out of me (PS: I scare easy). That tempo did not stay for long. With the introduction of more characters, the acting failed to feel organic. This is not to say ‘bad acting’, just that the characters did not fit well. Laxmii, in terms of acting, could have been stronger. The supporting actors’ acting skills could have been utilized more. The VFX effects could have been sharper. The storyline is probably the replica of the original movie ‘Kanchana’; a few twists and turns would have helped to pep up the rating. However, Sharad Kelkar’s strong performance eats them up all – combined. He is excellent as Laxmii in the flashback. Overall, they could have done a much better job. On another note, the movie reminds you of ‘Bhool Bhulaiyya’ in a few ways.

Nevertheless, the substance of the movie is good. They’re hitting the right spots. Our country needs to warm up to the third gender and be more accepting. This reminded me of a few instances from my past life –

  1. A decade ago – It was my last year of undergrad. I used to take the train to school and traveled first class. I took the train back home at approximately 5 PM. You see familiar faces when you take the trains around the same time every day. When the train stopped at Nerul, I saw a few ladies sitting on the floor of the first-class compartment (not uncommon). I had to jump over them to board the train. I didn’t get a chance to look at the faces – only their neatly pedicured toenails. As soon as I entered, I saw my mother’s friend from work and found a seat next to her. Lucky me. My seat did not allow me a good view of the ladies sitting on the floor though. The compartment was comparatively silent that day. My mother’s friend and I started chatting. She almost whispered and I wondered why. Out of curiosity, I tried to sneak a peek at the floor. She stopped me and whispered, “Avert your eyes. They’re transgenders.”
    TBH, I was amazed. Looking at their outfits, appearance, and voice I wouldn’t have been able to guess their gender. I don’t know where they were going, what they did to survive but I hope they tried to make an honest living.
  2. Less than a year ago, Women’s day celebration @ Visa – We had the pleasure to hear women leaders speak. One of them was Gauri Sawant. That woman is such a captivating speaker. I always knew transgenders in India survived in sub-optimal living conditions; she gave us a clearer picture. She told us about the journey of her life and her experience of being a transgender mother. She adopted her daughter, Gayatri, in 2008 after Gayatri’s biological mother (a sex worker) died of AIDS. Gauri saved Gayatri from being sold in the sex-trafficking industry. My heart sank.
    Then she moved on to tell us about how she started ‘Aajicha Ghar’. It started when a sex worker asked her if she wanted her 3-month-old son whom she could not take care of (doing what she did). Gauri took the baby as her own and started the organization. ‘Aajicha Ghar’ takes care of abandoned children of sex workers and transgender children. Noble. You can learn more about the organization here –> https://aajichaghar.com/
    I am awestruck by her dedication, zeal, and drive to make this world a better place. You need to be very special, brave, and courageous to be able to do this. Grand Salute to her!

The point is, the transgender community has been deprived of their fundamental rights. Have you ever wondered why you never saw a transgender kid at school or college? Why you haven’t met transgenders at work? Why it took us 100 years to put the 3rd checkbox for transgenders to identify themselves? They’ve been sidelined and discriminated against for years. We have been oblivious of their challenges. This needs to change. And we need to be the ones inspiring and implementing the change. Maybe start sponsoring education, make reservations at schools, colleges, and work. I, for one, have decided to be more cognizant of their challenges and extend monetary help to non-profits.

Hope this inspires you to make a difference. Looking forward to reading your experiences and ideas in the comment section. Love.