From Viewer to Reviewer: My Film Review Adventure

Excerpts from published film reviews.

April 2017

Chauthi Koot (Punjabi)

Excerpt

Slowly, the framing narrative dissolves into the main story. For me, this was the finest part of the film--how the framing narrative leads you on, without really ever letting you know that you are being brought into a particular village household, where you are going to stay for a large part of the film. Here, amidst a palpably eerie and fearful atmosphere, an Amorres-Perros-like tale unfolds, underlining the irony of human existence.

Chauthi Koot is a fine example of minimal filmmaking, where the idea is to achieve more through less. The cinematic elements are reduced to a bare minimum, for example:

--the background score is entirely absent (for enhanced eeriness) or is replaced with selected ambient diegetic sounds (for intensified mood),

--the editing is straightforward because most shots use long takes,

--the shots combine camera tracking with still frames, so a moment is exposed almost in real-time to the film's characters as well as the audience, thus enhancing the immersiveness,

--the camera angles are clean, and the framing and composition are almost by the book (a couple of frames in the film are so beautiful, they remind you of picnic scenes painted by Monet and Renoir),

--the dialogues are optimized and the emphasis is on the expression of body language, and

--the sets are replaced with real locations, and local character actors replace commercial names, so the establishment of the milieu is easy and pretense-less.

Chauthi Koot employs all of these to achieve and convey the paranoia and distrust that prevailed during the times of Punjab militancy.

It also uses a technique, which I would like to call pseudo-climax, in which you are given the illusion that the story has reached its natural peak but the filmmaker is just playing with your sentiments--the real peak and resolve are still far and one has to continue to roll towards them. And when they actually arrive, the suddenness and abruptness shock you--things happen sans the cinematic build-up, just like they would in real life. The reality is harsher and more ironic than how a filmmaker would prepare you to face it. You could even say that the filmmaker himself leaves the pretense of filmmaking midway, after the pseudo-climax, and adopts a more maverick route to bring you to a realistic destination.

April 2017

Kaatru Veliyidai (Tamil)

Exceprt

Leela's character must have appeared very strong on paper but Leela on screen is nowhere near the person she may have been visualized to be. She is pretty, independent, and has the acumen to handle medical emergencies, but why is she so feeble in her relationship with Varun? Why does she give in? Moreover, while Varun's brashness is indirectly justified through various anecdotes, Leela is treated with utmost apathy. She is reduced to Varun’s muse in spite of having so much to her.

Such a reduction of the female character is definitely a big drop in Mani Ratnam's standards since Roja. And, even with the freshness of sharp cinematography and clean production design, Kaatru Veliyidai reeks of patriarchal thought, while pretending to superficially talk against it.

May 2017

Hindi Medium (Hindi)

Exceprt

If you have seen its trailer then you already know the major plot points of Hindi Medium. Perhaps you also know that it is a message-driven film. What pulls you into the theater, however, is the promise of witnessing satisfying performances by a carefully assembled cast. The good news is that the promise is fulfilled, not entirely but mostly.? But, the performances would be lackluster if not for good writing. In that department, the dialog and screenplay both come out as clear winners. The dialogs are tickling and the screenplay is engaging.

The story focuses on carrying out a gentle, gradual but thorough exposé of our school system, particularly the problems and practices arising out of an over-competitive admission process. The screenplay deserves full marks for using this particular subject as a knife to cut a cross-section through the strata of urban India, exposing how a child's education is perceived and approached in the middle, lower-middle, and upper-middle classes.

May 2017

Moh Maya Money (Hindi)

Excerpt

Later in the film, all of this is in a way justified in an unexpected turn of events, which comes as a big reveal But let me clarify, the word big is relative to the scale of surprises, the twists and turns in the film, which for the longest are quite basic. An illegal deal goes messy. The couple gets pulled into the vortex of consequences. Must find a way to get out. As time runs out, dire choices have to be made. When the chances of escape get narrower, rage takes over.

All this may sound thrilling (albeit stale), but the film takes its time to establish the motives and modus operandi, which is good but somewhere in its thoroughness and detailing the thrill gets compromised (even with non-linear narrative structure), until it all gets really complex and a new character, played by the talented Vidushi Mehra, comes into the picture.

As the unforeseen victim of the botched-up deal, she finally brings out the desperation that we expected the lead pair to somehow express. The film still lacks in thrill but that void gets filled up with drama, which is a relief because it imparts the much-needed 'plot thickens' feel to a relatively stoic screenplay. And from that point on the film gets better, leading you to an end that leaves you thinking about the events.? And that's precisely why I am writing this review. I haven't been able to stop thinking about the film.

Should we call it a success, then? I am indecisive. You could if you look at the eventual impact. But during the film's run time, you could easily feel disengaged.

May 2017

LOEV (Hindi, English)

Entire review

It is a challenge to distribute indie films in India. Seldom do they find a screening opportunity beyond a few film festivals. A case in point is Konkona Sen Sharma's directorial debut 'A Death in the Gunj' (2016), which, even after being lauded across festivals, hasn't yet found a theatrical release.

In such a scenario, when Netflix picks an even lesser known film like Loev, it is a moment to cherish. Yes, it isn't a theatrical release, but it is out and accessible. And that's what matters. (Netflix has got some more indie films in its collection, should you want to watch. These include 'Miss Lovely', 'Gandu' and 'Brahman Naman', to name a few.)

Love can be complicated and Loev doesn't make any attempt to simplify it for you. It doesn't even set a pretext. Instead, it takes you straight to its protagonist, a shirtless young man, preparing for a road trip, harrowed by the forgetfulness of his flat mate.

Beginning there, the film gradually and slowly unravels a triangular romantic equation between three young men. And rather than dwelling on how they met or what may happen to them, Loev stays focused on the equation while using conversations as the key storytelling device to expose just enough details about these characters as seem to matter to the story.

In between these conversations, it takes pauses to glance at the lushness of idyllic settings. The film is shot on location in and around Mumbai (Wai and Mahabaleshwar) but manages to very cleverly avoid the cluttered touristic places (in the latter two cities especially) with the use of high-angle long shots.

The cinematographer doesn't seem to meddle with the setting too much to get a perfect shot. It just lets nature be, and captures its vastness in an unhindered way by distancing the camera as much as possible.

Similarly, the director doesn't meddle with the characters too much, just lets them explore the nature as well as, maybe, the nature of their relationship. Not much really happens. And am glad that the screenplay allows the men to wonder, wander, think and agonize more than I have seen in some other LGBT films.

But if it was just about platonic exploration, the film might have become boring. So, the director has thrown in an ample amount of sexual tension to keep the audiences hooked. And in dealing with sexual tension, Loev doesn't succumb to clichéd homoerotic depictions (remember 'Dunno Why Na Jaane Kyun' from 2010?). Instead, like old romantic movies, it weaves a profound atmosphere with threads of vulnerability, muted agony, and unrequited desire. Loev thus hinges mostly on the sublime side of love.

I say mostly because the carnal isn't completely ignored. It is included as a significant plot point, which, although tackles the burgeoning sexual tension, also gives rise to a muffled cacophony of diverse emotions. These were a little hard for me to fathom, so I felt lost a bit after this point. Luckily the story had already reached its denouement by this time, so the confusion didn’t last too long.

Nevertheless, the silence of idyllic pauses could still manage to ring through the layers of conflicting emotions, establishing that the true grit of Loev lies in echoes of those quiet moments.

The actors deserve to be appreciated, especially the two leads Shiv Pandit and late Dhruv Ganesh. I had noticed Shiv in Shaitan (2011) where he had held his own among a rather skilled ensemble cast that included Kalki Koechlin, Kirti Kulhari (Pink), Niel Bhoopalam (24) and Gulshan Devaiah (Hunterrr).

I haven't seen any other work of Dhruv Ganesh. It was heartbreaking to learn that he passed away before the release of this film. The mischievous spark in his big eyes symbolised youthful energy, and coupled with some really good acting skills, he expressed sincerity, boredom, uncertainty and pain effortlessly. He was superbly talented. What a loss!

I was also saddened to read that the movie had to be shot in secrecy because of the growing vigilantism against homosexuality in the country. See: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/05/03/netflixs-new-gay-love-story-had-to-be-shot-in-secret-for-fear-of-breaking-indian-law/

Loev is a good film but given this news piece, it becomes an important film, which needs to be supported and encouraged. However, if you still live in denial of same-sex romance, it may not be an easy watch. So, do exercise your caution.

June 2017

Amar Akbar and Tony (English)

Excerpt

It is a film about Indians abroad, but unlike many other films that have relied upon the talents of stalwarts like Shabana Azmi, Om Puri, Anupam Kher etc, the film chooses UK based actors, who are low on drama, that's the flip side, but high on contextual belongingness, and thus bring authenticity to their parts. Although, acting talents differ. The men, including the Papaji and Chachaji, surprisingly, are more important here, both in terms of what role they have to play and how they play it. The relationship of Papaji and Chachaji with the younger boys creates interesting subplots.

I adored the film because it offered me a less glitzy, more real version of London's desi world than we are used to seeing in Karan Johar's films. There are girls and nightclubs, but not fairy tale versions of them. There are Punjabis, but those who are more practical. Not those who lecture on love for India or philosophize on family and friendship.

June 2017

A Death in the Gunj (English)

Excerpt

One cannot help but notice how the directorial debuts of both Aparna Sen and Konkona Sensharma demonstrate an affinity towards the remnants of the Anglo-Indian life and culture in postcolonial times.

The setting of Aparna Sen's 36, Chowringhee Lane (1981) was Calcutta in the early eighties, where an old and lonely Anglo-Indian woman copes with changing times and declining relationships.

The backdrop of A Death in the Gunj (2016) is McCluskiegunj, a (real) place in erstwhile Bihar, now Jharkhand. Gunj, as it is referred to in the film's title, was once home to 300 Anglo-Indian families, most of whom left India after World War II. If Wikipedia is to be believed, descendants of only twenty families still 'remain' in this quaint little idyllic habitat.

It is December 1978 and McCluskiegunj is rustic, unkempt, and decaying. The ground is covered with dried leaves. The sky is murky. The daylight is pale. Amidst this ambiance stands an isolated colonial bungalow owned by the Sharmas (played by the charismatic Om Puri and Tanuja). The house is crowded with Sharmas' guests--their children (a young couple with a daughter) and extended family (nephew, niece, and their common friends, all adults). Their interpersonal dynamics are unraveled slowly, through playful interactions--banter and practical jokes, picnics, and lunches, all of which suggest a shared childhood.

The cinematographer has washed the setting and characters in the faint light, thus creating low-contrast visuals that may take a while to get used to. But once you do, McCluskiegunj may feel at home. Or at least reminiscent of one. That's the kind of old-world charm it creates. So much so that the place and atmosphere stay in memory longer than the story.

June 2017

Liar’s Dice (Hindi)

Excerpt

Mohandas uses both his suggestion as well his craft to her advantage. Cinematography becomes a great hook to begin with. A nicely framed abstract starting shot opens the film. It is abstract in that it is not connected to the story, as much as it is connected to the place, but it casts a strong, puzzling foreshadow. It's almost like a harbinger of times to come, events to unfold. This shot is followed by a slow paced montage of snow clad mountains framed by vernacular architecture, which plants you into this breathtakingly scenic village, and lets you soak the aura before you get entangled in the story. It also sets the pace of the film. Slow.

The other strong anchor of the film is its beautiful, nimble but frayed female lead, Kamala, played by Geetanjali Thapa.

July 2017

Dunkirk (English)

Excerpt

Very tactfully, Nolan chooses his narrative anchors, who lead us into the battlefield and who we follow and experience war with. There are anchors on the land, in the air as well in the sea. Through each anchor and how they cross paths, we are glued to the diegetic operations. Their mates, commanding officers, implements, and setbacks lead us in different directions, and thank god for that. We get to witness it all. Their struggles, as well as everyone else's. At an arm's length. (That's how it felt on an IMAX screen)

This place-bound anchoring is a sound and clear narrative strategy, which you may have missed recognizing but that definitely doesn't evince its absence.

Another thing, Dunkirk is NOT a war film. Its setting is WWII but its theme is homecoming. It may seem to restrict itself to the 'trenches' (figuratively speaking) but the lookout is for a safe spot--home! (As opposed to victory.)

July 2017

Shab (Hindi)

Excerpt

The line between romantic and sexual pursuits is thin. All the characters have overstepped it at least once, and have been thrown aside. It’s then that they cross paths and resonate with each other as if they were mirror images: Benoit and Neil are grieving silently, while Afia and Mohan are leading double lives.

Amongst all four, Afia is pivotal--the connector, the spine. And, perhaps, in order to establish her centrality, Onir guards her mystery so painstakingly and for so long, that it fails to matter when it is revealed. The protractedness is tiring.

October 2017

Rukh (Hindi)

Excerpt

With an impressive beginning and a brilliant end, Rukh meanders in the middle, tediously, slowly, and monotonously. Rukh uses a muted and dragged form of storytelling to portray characters who have grappled with their past for quite long and seem to have lost all steam to counter any more surprises in life. They are in the midst of the so-called moving-on phase when an incident forces them to revisit the past and make sense of it by discovering the truth.

The difficulty of unraveling the truth is compounded by the characters' ambiguous (you can call it grey) rendition—a sorrowful yet detached widow, a distanced yet inquisitive son, and a friend and a corrupt business partner whose true intentions and expressions are hard to read because the actor playing that part—Kumud Mishra—was, it seems, asked to keep it transient (he, however, fails to make the transient look effortless and natural), and a couple other associates, who also straddle the black and white tracks. The confusion this creates is boggling but later you realize it is also important.

November 2017

Ribbon (Hindi)

Excerpt

The film offers numerous instances where Kalki has proven her acumen without coming across as trained or repetitive, for example, scenes where her character is feeling frustrated and defeated, yet struggling to not spoil the moment for those with her at that time, even at the cost of, say, thrusting a handful of French fries in her mouth to depict Sahana's stress-coping mechanism. In all the variants of such a moment, you realize how well she has mastered the craft of effortlessly expressing transient emotions.

June 2018

Lust Stories (Hindi)

Excerpt

Leaving behind the cushy territory of Bollywood romance, Lust Stories takes its characters into semi-dark intimate spaces conflicted by the polar pull of love and lust.

--The first story (by Anurag Kashyap) explains this conflict through an extended soliloquy on ownership.

--The second story responds to its overt predecessor by keeping it mute through the sheer inability of its characters to exercise ownership (Zoya Akhtar).

--The third story tackles the subject of emancipation through the quiet and willful acceptance of desire (Dibakar Banerjee), and

--The fourth one, in turn, throws desire in your face (Karan Johar). From making a career out of telling persuasive stories about unrequited love, Johar is now talking about unrequited desire. But his signature loudness and perverse referencing to popular culture remain.

The novelty of Lust Stories lies in keeping it short. (So, you and I are saved a 3-hour-long musical extravaganza of love, lust, and loss.) Of these four shorts, the ones by Zoya Akhtar and Dibakar Banerjee are the most impactful and leave you thinking. In their stories, sexual contact between the characters exposes a lot more about their psyche than when the characters are out of the bedroom. And that's where I feel the title Lust Stories is apt. Desire is integral to a character's mental makeup, and its expression is formative in establishing our understanding and perception of a character.

June 2018

Sachin: A Billion Dreams (English)

Excerpt It is euphoric, yes, it is bound to be. But manages to stay low-keyed. And in this restrained tonality is embedded a good deal of exposition of his journey, all the crests, and troughs. The narrative strategy is simple--to focus on key people close to him while following the timeline of his Cricket career. Life and career are thus more-or-less equally addressed, and instances from life and subsequent reflections on them, help us understand his cricket better.

The voiceover is unconvoluted (no Gulzar here) yet many lines are as deep as Gulzar's. No Karan Johar or Simi Garewal either to extract sensational information. And no Amitabh Bachchan to drown everything with the loftiness of a baritone voiceover. Instead, Sachin himself, along with myriad other accomplices, in all their earnestness.

The editing is no mean feat. Pre-recorded footage, the most important of which is a plethora of home videos, is stitched seamlessly. The soundtrack by A. R. Rahman is unobtrusive. In fact, the same can be said of every department. Even though Sachin is speaking to us through a medium, it seems unmediated.

Alongside his voice, it is heartwarming to hear a fair deal of his wife Anjali's thoughts too. She exposes his vulnerable side. Sachin too admits to it, but Anjali offers a more intimate view of the person as a husband who refused to change their infants’ diapers, as a doting father who's also a coach to their son Arjun, and as a somewhat introverted partner, whose remaining absorbed in the game had, at first, created some self-doubt in her.

I have yet to come across a feminist commentary on the documentary, but I am sure it will speak of how a hero's journey is a patriarchal construct, in which women play supporting, sacrificial, roles.

Sorry to disappoint you dear feminists, but this is all about the journey of a hero who is entrenched in the patriarchal system and who, to a great extent, hasn't questioned or broken the existing social and familial norms. It was also odd that while his son’s pursuits were discussed, the career goals of Sara, the elder of the two children, were not included. The anecdotes concerning the father and daughter end with her toddler years. Without being judgmental, I just wish we could get to know her interests at least as equally as we got to know her brother's interests.

July 2018

Hereditary (English) (The heavily censored version that was released in Indian theaters)

Excerpt

However, there comes a time when the supernatural completely takes over, and that's where this otherwise carefully assembled macabre dish loses its flavor. The occulted conspiracy and its aftermath do not really convince. It does not seem plausible because there is so less of it that is otherwise exposed that whatever of it is revealed eventually, doesn't seem relatable. Moreover, it waters down all the empathy we had garnered for the characters. Thus, making the efforts of the director in character build-up seem to go to waste. And that's sad because what could have been a disturbingly haunting story is then just reduced to a series of thrills at the cost of somebody's misfortune.