At long last, a pair of old men share the driving seat in an emotional movie ride. Statistics tell us that women outlive men in their lifespans. But what happens when their partners perish earlier and men are left alone in the empty nest? With 102 Not Out, director Umesh Shukla makes a gentle and entertaining attempt… Continue reading 102 Not Out: Two men and an empty nest
Category: First Watch
Reviews of select new releases
October: Slow Cooked Love
October is like that rare, precious and real moment which arrives in our prescribed lives completely unannounced. Like a soft petal, or a floating cloud, or a silent wave. Filled with calm and spontaneity. Making us wonder what to do with it. Savour it? Live it? Run from it? Fast forward it? Solid, ready, and patient, it waits… Continue reading October: Slow Cooked Love
Pari: Date With The Devil
The devil is in the detail: a simple story is fairly layered in the way it is told. Prosit Roy's Pari is definitely not a fairytale. In fact, it is scary, gruesome and quite confronting to watch in parts. Yet I left the theatre with a fuzzy feeling after an evocative, emotional climax and post… Continue reading Pari: Date With The Devil
Pad Man: Bleeding Glory
F*** you Jauhar, Pad Man is here. There is something quite endearing about a man holding a sanitary napkin in his hand and bringing it to his woman in the nick of time. Women, please add this to your list of qualities for the perfect man's CV: must source sanitary pad without qualms. When that… Continue reading Pad Man: Bleeding Glory
Tumhari Sulu
I couldn't look beyond Vidya Balan's face throughout Tumhari Sulu. She has more than enough expressions to hypnotise her audience. Even if I did, it's only when she was using her body to convey something about her character. This setup was for that idiot reporter who asked her that ridiculous question. Now here is… Continue reading Tumhari Sulu
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
A mother and a daughter have the most hilarious conversation about Alibaba and him finding the cave. This was my favourite scene of Shubh Mangal Saavdhan. Sugandha and her mother start to discuss the topic of sex in a rather awkward fashion and then end up questioning assumptions regarding male sexuality. Erectile dysfunction does not cross… Continue reading Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Toilet: Ek Prem Katha
This bride won't budge. She'd rather not do it, thank you very much. Defecating in the bushes before the crack of dawn is not her thing. And so it takes a village, some revolution and the whole nation to build the woman a toilet. Toilet: Ek Prem Katha succeeds on so many levels it is… Continue reading Toilet: Ek Prem Katha
Noor
There is something very endearing about Noor. Though I did wish it delved deeper into the serious issue of organ trafficking and not just skirted around it. That said, director Sunhil Sippy, who co-wrote and directed the black comedy Snip! back in 2000, does craft this coming-of-age story with heart. As a romantic comedy, it works up a charm! Sippy's direction is refreshingly… Continue reading Noor
Phillauri
She is not afraid of the F-word. And her money goes where her mouth is. Anushka Sharma returns with her second production venture after the hard-hitting NH10 and you realise why she chose to associate herself with this period romantic comedy. Director Anshai Lal delights us with his debut movie, written by Anvita Dutt, conveying a… Continue reading Phillauri
Raees
First up, a few mandatory warnings. Ignore any resemblance Raees has to the real life tale of a certain bootlegger-gangster from Gujarat of 90s who shall remain unnamed for perfectly legal reasons. Or the fact that the movie is heavily influenced by classic crime dramas like Goodfellas, The Godfather, Scarface, Heat or ones closer home such as Zanjeer, Deewar, Company, Satya and Gangs Of… Continue reading Raees
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