Bhima - Play Review

Ratings: 4.5/5 

Right or Wrong, virtuous or wicked, bold or timid... It is never an either/or when we talk about humans. One can be either, one can be neither or one can be both. It all boils down to whose perspective are we talking about? Bhima is a beautiful rendition of Bhima's (The Second Pandava's) perspective. It is his story from his lens interlaced with his emotions of triumph, dejection, betrayal, impuissance and submission. Bhima's perspective raises many valid questions which we never pondered upon before. Who was Bhima? Was he a directionless follower, who didn't have any goals and no aspirations or was he a selfless soul who always sacrificed his wishes for his family. What was the burden which even the mightiest one with the power of 1000 elephants couldn't carry? Was he a warrior who had the liberty to pick his own fight or was he a mere weapon who had to fire at his master's command? Did he even have his own identity or was he always a mean to achieve the "greater good"? Greater good for whom and who decided, what was that "greater good" ? 

Is this play a drama or a dance? I don't know.. may be lets call it a dramance! Vivek Vijayakumaran (who plays Bhima) makes the story of Bhima alive onstage with defined and precise moves of a dancer and with the intensity and emotions of an actor. I don't have words to describe how amazing was it to see Vivek transforming into Bhima and making us all spellbound with his terrific energy. His majestic strides of an elephant, wobbling eyes and daftness of the slithering snake and clenched fists of a ferocious tiger are mesmerizing.  This form of art is called Kutiyattam, which is a classical theater form from Kerala with a history of more than 2000 years recognized by the UNESCO as a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity. It is clap-worthy that how Bhima retains the soul of Kutiyattam and presents it in a form which even a layman can understand. 

It was great to see Sachin Gurjale (multi talented personality), who was not only conversing with Bhima (as the world around him) but was also managing multiple musical instruments (Conch, Bamboo, Ghungroo and what not) for background music. It was interesting to see Vivek and Sachin to break away from virtual world to real world to analyze and explain Bhima's point of view. This line especially stuck with me - "It is easy to pick a hero but very difficult to become a hero". 

Kudos to the director Anitha Santhanam, for presenting a classical art in such a lucid manner. It was amazing to see how the play was able to grab audience attention throughout the show.  

Verdict: It is a must see for anyone, who wants to see something innovative and thought provoking much different from usual plays with linear story-line and cliched dialogues. Bhima certainly ups the benchmark for innovation a notch higher. 

P.S. I saw the play at Shoonya on 30th July, when it was a Bangalore bandh and it was pouring mercilessly. I reached the venue 10 min before the show and 90% of the seats were already taken. God save me if it was a regular weekend with a pleasant weather. So, be there well in advance whenever you plan to watch it next :)

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Udta Punjab - Movie Review

Ratings: 3.5/5 

Udta Punjab is a bold attempt to uncover the dirty truth of drug addiction in Punjab. Kudos to Phantom Films for encouraging and supporting experimental cinema in Bollywood. Courtesy the fight between Producer Anurag Kashyap and CBFC, film got enough awareness and hype which should work in favor of the film. 

Plot of the film is quite fresh and it has got a combination some good interesting characters. Shahid Kapoor as Tommy Singh is a 20 something drug addict turned rockstar who is unfortunately the youth icon in Punjab. Tommy himself is not able to fathom the power and responsibility he is carrying on his shoulder. To a great extent he is supporting the drug addiction and his fans are vehemently following his footsteps. Alia Bhatt as a district hockey player from Bihar who is forced to turned into a labor due to consequences. Due to a small mistake, she is getting dragged into this cocaine industry which she does't even understand. Diljit Dosanjh is a corrupt police officer who is getting pulled between his mind and his heart. Kareena Kapoor, who is  not just a doctor but is also a sole crusader against this drug menace. 

Movie starts off as a fast paced story, dealing with a very serious issue. Picturisation, language and mannerism of people make the presentation of Punjab very real. Film shows that at every level people are involved in this scam. How entire generation of youth is getting wasted with this? Suddenly, the plot turns romantic in second half amidst all this chaos, blood bath and politics. Wow!!! How could one even think about it? Shahid and Alia are high on cocaine and meet for 5 mins. Only thing they talk about is who is the biggest loser and for some reason Shahid falls for Alia. I swear, it is a very transaction conversation without any poetry or emotional melodrama. But, when you are high on coke one can see abstract art even in thin air. 

Film scores above average in overall acting department. Shahid looks very believable as a druggie rockstar Tommy Singh. He can do intense roles very well for e.g. Kaminey, Haider. But in 2nd half when Tommy gets normal, unfortunately our hero gets artificial. He doesn't know how to just relax and act normal and I could see a deja vu of Shandaar happening. Big pat on the pack to Alia Bhatt for multiple reasons. First, she took the bold step of doing a non glamorous role which most mannequin actresses shy away from as it hurts their sexy image..meh! I wasn't too impressed with her portrayal of a Bihari labor. She didn't get the diction right nor the body language. But, still amount of efforts she has put up in the role is commendable. Diljit Dosanjh is a celebrity in Punjabi film industry and did a fabulous job of playing a police officer. Kareena Kapoor looks adorable and did a good job of playing Dr Preet. Even the supporting cast of Satish Kaushik and Prabjyot Singh is impressive. 

Direction in the film is definitely above average. I would just like to point out 3 areas which could have been dealt better. First, entire romantic angle of Shahid- Alia was way too filmy and completely artificial. Second, Kareena Kapoor with her team as a crusader against entire system was too heroic. This masala angle doesn't gel well with realistic theme of the film. Third, too many people were killed recklessly in the film. It looked more like a Counter Strike game where you need to kill people to move ahead in game. It seems director just loves Cannes, because every casualty had a wound behind his/her Cann (ear) and blood dripping to the shoulders. Too coincidental that everyone's ears are bleeding! 

Background music and Soundtrack of the film is mid blasting. Movie starts off with an energetic number Chitta ve.. moves to Ud-daa Punjaaab and towards the end we get a very soothing and melodious Ikk Kudi. Totally loved music composition and it was a treat to hear so many new talented voices. 

Verdict: Film is a little rough and harsh, laced with expletives. If you like realistic films and can understand Punjabi you'll love this film. Unfortunately, towards the second half it became a little kitchen king masala else it would have been a classic. I wish Anurag Kashyap would have directed the film as well. Watch it alone or with your wolf pack to enjoy it maximum.

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Sultan - Trailer Review

Trailer Appeal - 1/5

Sultan is an upcoming film on wrestling slated to be released on July 6, 2016. Salman Khan is supposed to play character of desi Hariyanvi wrestler Sultan Ali Khan. Unfortunately, Salman Khan has done complete character assassination of Sultan. Once a Sallu, always a Sallu and to hell with the character. Neither, he is able to speak Hariyanvi nor his body language and fight sequence are realistic. He is only showing off his style in slow motion twisting his fake moustache. Bhai ki movie hai, wo bh Eid pe and critics expect him to do acting.. he must be laughing his guts out. Just because of blind fan following, stars flourish in Bollywood despite being terrible actors.

Anushka Sharma as Aarfa is still somewhat convincing with her bindaas attitude. But again, she is far from getting into skin of the character. Trailer is 3 min 18 sec long and only thing which impressed me was 10 sec scene of Randeep Hooda. He puts in so much energy in every scene he plays that I might watch this movie only for Randeep Hooda.

Plot of the film looks very predictable. A renowned wrestler who went out of business and shape because of some conspiracy and then bounces back to become the champion. At least half a dozen Hollywood and Bollywood movies have been made on this topic from Mithun Da Boxer (1984) to Mary Kom (2014). After viewing inspirational scenes of Farhan Akhtar's training in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Sallu's fitness training looks nothing more than a mockery.

Ali Abbas Zafar is a flop Director and one can't expect any quality film from him. What surprises me is the usage of YRF banner for such a below average film. YRF doesn't care about quality film anymore. All they care about is 200 cr club which Bhaijaan will guarantee with his herd of sheep.

I wish Sultan and Dangal could have released together. Then, audience would have clearly witnessed the difference between perfection and pretension.

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