Dasara (2023)

 Dasara (2023)

Directed by: Srikanth Odela
Starring: Nani, Keerthy Suresh
Spoilers Ahead.

I loved the opening 15-minutes, where they show us the world and the characters - I found it to be very interesting. Halfway into the first half, I realised that the film is opening up a few plots and running them in a parallel way and that the film could go take any direction from there. I absolutely loved the interval, but I just wish they explored Dharani & Suri's friendship in a more humane way for the interval to land better. To me, the entire 2nd half felt a little flat because I knew the story by the interval. Everything that was adding didn't change anything drastically. And if the villain kills him for the girl anyway, then what's the point of that whole elections bit? But though these questions came up in my head, my favourite scene from the entire film was Dharani going to bat after downing a lot of alcohol. It was sheer swagger.

What I loved about the film is, it has a strong sense of visuals, strong sense of character and setting - which we don't see a lot in Telugu cinema. There lies the problem with the film too, it feels slightly derivative of films we've already seen. And to me, though there were moments that were emotionally landing, there were a lot which weren't also. To me the whole climax didn't have the emotional effect I'd have liked it to. Having said all of these, apart from the few writing issues - the film has a strong directorial voice and I have mad respect for the film for exploring new avenues in terms of the tone and texture. I enjoyed the film, I guess I just expected more.

The Greatest Showman (2017)

The Greatest Showman (2017)

Directed by: Michael Gracey
Streaming on Disney+Hotstar. 

The film has a very enticing premise - the trailer talks about how there's this man who has to make a living for himself and what he decides to do is to give unusual people a voice, by making them part of a circus. There are two underdogs who are being given a shot at life here - one is the man who runs the show, two is the people who are part of it. So suddenly the film because a world full of underdogs who we are rooting for. So it's a sober cocktail of inspiration, motivation and positivity. All of this done in a musical format - I'm not a big fan of this genre but this film mesmerizes you a lot with those songs and the set pieces. There were so many moments in the film which blew my mind with how the choreography, the set pieces, the acting, the camera moves and the music - all of it came together in sync. So I was very involved in the story. The film quickly takes a weird turn, where PT Barnum starts losing himself. He gets sucked into the fame, the money and the glamour of the field. He then shuts the same people who he gave a voice to. They never believed in themselves, but one man came and changed their lives and again did the same which everyone else did to them their whole lives.To me, this was the lowest point of PT Barnum's life. 

Whereas the film has more tangible loses after this, like him losing his marriage and his theatre burning down. One thing I never quite understood was - Jenny was born out of a wedlock - she has been traumatized because of it her whole life - after this, why would she be okay with being the other woman? And also, I didn't like the troop accepting PT Barnum back after him shunning them that badly. I understand that they forgave him, but he just went back to them after he lost everything else. To me, he didn't deserve their love back again. I get it, since it's based on real life, they'd have taken some beats and wouldn't have had the space to explore every layer of these characters. Apart from these few flaws,  Zendaya's track was beautiful, I absolutely loved the songs and I couldn't believe that this is somebody's first film. The film is an amazing, wonderful source of inspiration, motivation and sheer joy.

Fatherhood (2021)

Fatherhood (2021)

Directed by: Paul Weitz
Starring: Kevin Hart, Melody Hurd

Streaming on Netflix.

It's a very simple premise - it's about the struggles of a new father who has to raise his daughter after the sudden death of his wife. It's done beautifully. Though the film doesn't diverge a lot from tropes and is even a little formulaic - the film is very emotionally potent. It's been a few weeks since I watched the film, but the film had such an effect on me that I remember that night so vividly - even the smallest of details - what I had, how I felt - everything. I think it's mostly because death is a very intoxicating thing to brood on, and the film is very hopeful set within the death of a loved one. So the tone it cracks is irresistible - you shed tears, you are inspired, you feel terribly close to your loved ones and you feel grateful to be healthy and alive. One of the good things about the film is, small differences aside, every person is kind and beautiful - they are fighting for the their own different versions of good. So even them fighting is very endearing to watch. 

Kevin Hart is so good in the film, and time and again, it's proven that all comedy actors can beautifully derive pain from within. There is a moment in the film where he has to leave his daughter with her grandparents - it hit me as much as an intense heartbreak scene for a romantic partner. The saddest thing in the film is how he has no time and space to even grieve the death of his wife. Everything seems like a chaos and he can only find moments where he can take a breather and even process what happened. Even the friction he has with his girlfriend is because he didn't grieve properly before he met her and hence anything that goes wrong, makes him feel guilty and he ends up calling it off. Since this is based on a book based on real life, you can't really think of shuffling beats a lot - and though the beats are a little predictable, the film does its job of taking us through a rollercoaster of emotions. Bonus: Listen to 'Slow Up' by Jacob Banks - it's beautifully used in the film.

The Banshees of Insherin (2022)

The Banshees of Insherin (2022)

Written and Directed by: Martin McDonagh
Nominated for 9 Academy Awards
Streaming on Disney+Hotstar.

As I saw the trailer, I was astonished by the simplicity, the absurdity of the premise. This is one premise that immediately wanted me to watch the film - not only is the premise simple, but it also carries terrific mystery. I badly wanted to know the answers. One fine day, a man living in an island, decides to stop being friends with his best friend. Not only does he want to stop being friends, but he threatens to cut every finger of his every time the friend tries to talk to him. It made me think: why, what could have possibly happened? How can you explain this? The film captures a snarky world, where lives are lonely, isolated and terribly simple. Though the film doesn't answer this mystery the way I was expecting it, I was happy with what the film gave me. On more thought, I realized that the absurdity of the premise is such that there can be no "answer" to it. The only way to explain that absurdity is to take us into their world, explain to us how their lives are and then eventually it makes sense to us, at least partially. 

To me, Padraic embodies the man who accepts his life for what it is and is happy about it. Ignorance is bliss. Acceptance is noble. Whatever it is, he's a happy man. On the other side, Colm is depressed about his own mediocrity. He wants to achieve excellence, but he knows that it's too much to expect it out of himself. So, his way of protesting against life is to blame the people around him and self-sabotage under the disguise of isolating himself. What happens to Dominic in the film broke my heart. It's interesting how the film is dark and humorous, but it never quite merges the both. It's hilarious in some portions and depressing in some portions. The beautiful setting of the film made me realize that no matter how beautiful, and how good your life is, it's no fun if you don't have people to share it with. In that way, Banshees of Insherin is a beautiful commentary on the modern-day loneliness, where everyone would love to live at a place there. But this film makes you wonder if the place matters or the people.

Farzi (2023)

Farzi (2023)

Directed and Produced by: Raj & DK

Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Vijay Sethupathi, Raashi Khanna

By now, it feels like Raj & DK have cracked the format - doesn't matter what story they're telling, what world and characters they're exploring - they figure a solid narrative structure for the long format every time. On the surface, the narrative of Farzi is in similar lines of Breaking Bad - a guy who feels like the system is a bad way to live life by, finds a way to live outside of it with an immense talent he has. But it still seems like a different story, because on the surface the reason for both the protagonists is money. But it's more than the money. It's the insults they face, the oppression, the discrimination they face, the way they're treated and looked at. It's all these things that make more of a difference. In Ep. 2 of Farzi, we see a terrific flashback of Sunny. He's abandoned by his father in a train, and he starts drawing on every platform so that his father would recognise it and find him. 

One style I've observed in Raj & DK's storytelling is - they create depth in their stories by treating moments in a slightly matter of fact way. Sunny's father abandoned him. Big deal? It happens. It's life. That's the treatment. We don't feel these emotions with Sunny, and because of that we start looking at Sunny slightly from a distance where we know that he's been through a lot in life and it makes us feel like we are not adequate to judge what's right and wrong for him. And hence, a beautiful grey character who is protected from our judgements is born. Vijay Sethupathi's character reminded me of Srikanth Tiwari - I love how Raj & DK explore middle aged relationships and marriages, within the context of family, and the real world. Again, Vijay Sethupathi loses custody of his kid. Big deal? It's life. And because of this treatment style, it feels like you're witnessing life and you surrender to them more than otherwise. 

The Whale (2022)

The Whale (2022

Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Written by: Samuel D. Hunter

Starring: Brendan Fraser

The Whale is the most potent experience I've had in a long time. It's about a depressed, morbidly obese man desperately trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter. One of the brutal things about the film is how it sustains the emotion of despair. The state where you've given up on life, but don't have the courage to kill yourself either. So you just let things be - and life and death doesn't make much difference and as much as a sparrow's chirp can change your decision. The film sustaining this emotion felt like having to make a choice to life almost every day. And despite everything he faces, what's inspiring about Charlie is his undying belief in people and their ability to care. The film also talks about honesty and hypocrisy in a rich way full of layers. 

This film shows what a good script and a director at the top of his game can do. This script is so solid, it has twists and turns, some terrific set ups and pay offs and every dialogue in the film meant something. Darren's already unflinchingly honest take to tell stories adds a lot to this story. It's brutal where it's brutal. In the scene where Charlie binge eats, it almost feels like a horror film. But the way the film leaves Charlie in a state of being out of despair, the way it eventually hits us with layer after layer in the ending - I could think of no other example but a crescendo in an orchestra. The Whale is a beautiful exploration of depression, despair, hope and humanity - and it makes you feel grateful and inspired. 

The Time It Takes (2022)

The Time It Takes (2022)

Created by and Starring: Nadia de Santiago

Streaming on Netflix.

It's a new format, with ten 11-minute episodes. And the structure of the episodes is also very interesting - whereas the first episode is 10 minutes in the past, 1 minute in the present, and the second is 9 minutes in the past, 2 minutes in the present and so on. It's a beautifully narrative structure to explore the relationship in the past and eventually lead it up to the present. The show explores one relationship, but in a way explores modern relationships in general. And it is brutally disturbing for the way it explores everything bad that can happen within the context of a relationship ranging from feeling distant, to feeling rejected to being cheated on. And my heart was heavy to see that she'd still want to make it work. The duality of modern relationships being very futile vs someone trying with their everything to make something work throws us into an inexplicable dilemma. The show kept me wondering how to feel about everything. The icing on the cake is how it goes to the space where they also explore how childhood trauma can spill over into our adult relationships.

The show is brutally honest and heartbreaking. Mostly because of the narrative structure. We know that they're apart and after that every happy moment in the past feels tragic because we know what it eventually lead to. Everything seems futile. But you also keep wondering if you could get yourself to cherish it till it lasts. The happy moments in the flashbacks are crazy romantic - there's a lot of passionate sex, there are so many cute and tender moments which we enjoy till we actually understand her plight in the present. After that cute moments aren't cute anymore. They're brutal. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Nadia De Santiago, the lead actress was also the creator of the show. She's the hero of the show, she depicted pain and heartbreak beautifully. In the present, just her blank face showed that she was in so much pain. I was just so mad about the ending. After everything... after everything... couldn't she have walked away? I was begging for her to walk away. But they end it before that. I'm still hoping that she did, but guess we'll never know.

Pathaan (2023)

Pathaan

Directed by: Siddharth Anand

Starring: SRK, Deepika Padukone

I loved the teaser of this film and had a lot of expectations, because I enjoyed almost every film in the whole Spy Universe of YRF and this film seemed like a simple, focused, stylish, action flick. But I didn't enjoy the film as much, mostly because of the writing. To me, the image of SRK was outpowering the character a bit too much, to the point where I could feel no stakes or tension, which is key for an action film. The bits that I enjoyed was the cameo crossover (loved the painkiller bit), the backstory of Pathaan and Besharam Rang. My main problem with the film was that the action episodes seemed very convenient - for example in the heist scene - Deepika honeytraps the guy and Shahrukh does the Ka.. Ka.. Karen thing, and then when they actually go and steal it - they just go, show the man some cleavage and steal it. The only obstacle they face is physical force which they easily fight. Take the heist scenes in Dhoom 2, all of them are extremely clever. You don't see them coming. In this film, no matter how bad a situation people are in, they just fight their way out of it. 

I liked the Dimple Kapadia bit, because I didn't see it coming. Usually such parts are played by men, I liked how they flip the cliche this time. And this was the only part where I felt some real conflict in the film. Although inspite of the scale of the film, when John Abraham's character says, he needs Kashmir, it didn't seem as authentic and real. Perhaps because the film doesn't explore these settings in detail as much. Also the only clever bits in the film, Deepika and SRK's track felt a little similar to Hrithik and Aishwarya's track in Dhoom 2. Apart from all this, I enjoyed seeing SRK on screen after a long long time, but I wish the writing of the film had a little more depth. It would've taken the film to another level.

Grass (2018)

Grass (2018)

Written and Directed by: Hong Sang-soo

Grass is a film set in a cafe, where a writer tries to write and is eavesdropping on conversations around for material. The film is essentially an anthology of some conversations that happen around her. It's classic Hong Sang-soo - minimalist setting, film centred around conversations, long shots and a lot of smoking. This film, or even some of other Hong Sang-soo films, operate on this level where he doesn't make you emotionally invest in the characters. It's more on an observational level. And I feel like this story is a perfect premise for his kind of storytelling, where the character is observing people around. It's almost always like this to me. This doesn't mean that his films don't hit you, some bits stay with you and make you wonder - especially if you're an artist yourself. Almost all the flaws of his characters are that those obsessed artists are easily prone to. 

This reminded me of Coffee and Cigarettes, although the conversations in this film are tonally dark - characters accuse each other of being responsible of bad things. The only breather we get is when the characters take smoke breaks. One thing that I like about this film is how honest the characters are, in conversations. It makes you want to be that honest with yourself and reflect. I love the ending where she says that she prefers eavesdropping from a distance rather than being part of the conversation - it says a lot about who she is, and how artists can be.

The Fabelmans (2022)

The Fabelmans (2022)

Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner

This is easily one of the best films I've seen in a long time. Till now, I've been a fan of films which had a post-modern style - non linear editing, voice overs, snappy editing. I've never been a big fan of the classic style of filmmaking, with those films it's the stories that would stay with me. But with this film, I've discovered my love for the classic style of filmmaking. The film moved me so much, and the images are stuck in my head. There are two images that are still vivid in my head - one is the eyes of the 8-year-old boy, the curiosity and the excitement with which he looks at the movies, and two is the eyes of the 16-year-old boy, the moment when he realizes that his family is going to fall apart. I don't know if it's just me, but both the young actors who played Spielberg when he was 8 and 16 respectively, resembled Spielberg - especially his eyes. Apart from his love for filmmaking, I absolutely loved the story about his parents' marriage falling apart. It made me feel uncomfortable and scared, watching this as a third person. I can't imagine what they'd have gone through. And picking up the camera, getting the job done amidst witnessing all of this, is nothing but inspiring.

The character of both the parents is such beautifully explored, with utter honesty and empathy. I can understand why Spielberg would've waited all these years to tell this story, because it's supremely brave to be able to honestly tell an extremely nuanced story like this. Spielberg said that, after this havoc unfolded in the house is when he started looking at them as people more than as parents. Apart from this, the conversations at his house when he was a kid reminded of my conversations at home. I feel like those conversations are universal for any child who wants to become an artist. Although what I really enjoyed was the uncle's character - who's a broke, lonely artist - the way he scares Sam is funny. And I absolutely loved the cameo in the ending. This film tells me that you can tell deeply personal stories with classic style of filmmaking too. Before this film, if someone asked me 'Scorsese or Spielberg' I'd have said Scorsese without a second thought. Now, I'd say that too but I'd admit that I'm yet to watch a lot of films of Spielberg.

True Grit (2010)

True Grit (2010)

Written for the Screen, Edited and Directed by: The Coen Brothers
Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, Matt Damon
Nominated for 10 Academy Awards. 

It's a Western film, with a very interesting premise - after the death of her father, a 14 year old girl sets out to find her father's killer with a sheriff. The film reminds us of the title 'True Grit' in so many instances. Just the way, the 14 year old, Mattie even negotiates deals with Cogburn - she won't budge and she will stand on her word no matter what. Negotiation can be tough to sustain after a point of exhaustion - one of the main techniques of negotiation is to just exhaust the other party - but Mattie won't get exhausted. She would want things done exactly her way. This reminds me of how Rajamouli describes characters - he says when a character stands by their word no matter what, and when we see the extent to which they'd go for what they want - that's when we know the integrity of a character and that is what is a strong character. The film takes off with this premise - it's the story of an underdog and also a coming-of-age story for the girl. All of this set in a Western, it was a delight to watch. 

The series of events that the film presents us are very interesting - at times it feels like the Cogburn and Mattie are on the same page, at the same level of expertise. Although the heart of the film is in the ending 20 minutes - from the time where Mattie sees Chaney. Everyone is at gunpoint from there, and that's where the genre kicks in with full intensity. After the whole shoot out, and after the whole thing was resolved, I loved how the film cuts to 25 years later and explores this whole event from the point of view of past, and history. What's beautiful is that Mattie is still strong on her word. She'd do what she's meant to do, or even more. Mattie is easily one of the most inspiring characters I've seen in a long time, and the film was worth just for that, if not for watching a Western made by the Coen Brothers.