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Reviews
Ni shi wo de ming zhong zhu ding (2020)
Unbelievably Exasperating
I started this series with high hopes, and it delivered - till around the 14th episode. After that, all the episodes were superfluous and only dedicated to exasperating the viewer & possibly, extending the series.
I particularly despised the character of the female protagonist, who is portrayed as an absolute imbecile, and even that, she does unconvincingly.
This is also the first series amongst all that I have seen till date that I just jumped, after torturing myself till the 22nd episode, to the last one.
Don't be like me. Please just give this a miss. You'll save yourself from insane stupidity & abysmal levels of lethal toxicity, especially in the latter two-thirds of the show.
Bellbottom (2021)
The hijacking ended well, the hijackers surrendered after listening to the songs!
Nice gripping movie, good for a casual evening watch with family. The ending gets you as well & that, is not about the hijacking at all 😁
Watched it in Prime, wouldn't advise a movie theatre watch in this case.
The role of the mother is too stereotyped. The research in getting the era right in the sets, clothes, looks & feels of the movie is amazing. They have gone to some trouble to get the 70's feel.
Mee Raqsam (2020)
A nuanced take on social affects in Modern India
Bharat Natyam is a dance that has southern Indian roots steeped in temple worship. Islam forbids idol worship and obviously therefore, proscribes this dance form. In this film, the protagonist is a Muslim motherless girl who loves this dance form. She and her family are therefore ostracised by their community in a small town in central India. In spite of all the troubles, her father stands like a rock and encourages his daughter to chase her dream.
The movie, as had been mentioned by many reviewers, is a look at the possibilities that sheer passion can draw at, in spite of numerous social pressures and circumstances,
What interested me most is the impression it makes on you in this increasingly polarised nation, especially following the Covid pandemic.
India, particularly, saw an increase in bigotry amongst the general population - caused by the actions of a few narrow minded and tunnel visioned leaders of the minority community who led their folk astray, fuelling widespread bigotry amongst the majority of the country who weren't otherwise prejudiced.
This stands out as an extremely well crafted narrative, demonstrating that bigotry goes both ways, and it never does good.
It shows that those who are cosmopolitan and modern in their outlook even today, are looked down upon in all communities - and stigmatised, just because they are forward thinkers.
History shows us that this has been the case in humans over the years, be it the Sumerians, the Egyptians, the Romans or the Greeks - inequality and social stigmatisation due to caste, creed and religion, has been ubiquitous.
This stereotype can be destroyed by the actions of a just a few individuals and this is celebrated in the movie.
The dance sequences could have been better choreographed and taken a more central part of the plot - but here, it's just a theme around which the social commentary revolves, and revolves and revolves.....
I appreciated the film chiefly because of the ray of hope it brought to me in these dark times. The emotional bonds portrayed between the single father and his daughter were enacted truly well.
Will I recommend it for you to watch? Definitely.
Will I watch it again? Possibly - just to share it with my family, who haven't watched it yet.
Jai Gangaajal (2016)
The Wild East Revisited!
Watched Jai Gangajal today expecting it to be yet more explicitly brutal than Shool or, Gangajal - the raw & earthy rural India's continued resignation towards their fate of poverty and suffering while the rich and powerful have their way. It was all that, but quite a bit more - chiefly because of Prakash Jha, the actor. He has played an elegantly understated role and it is on his shoulders that this film's entire psyche rests. Priyanka Chopra as the chief female protagonist is commendable and more than adequate for this role following her Mary Kom & Quantico appearances and brings that action heroine persona alive wherever needed. But it's Prakash Jha who, as a mild mannered, experienced but corrupt policeman gradually moulting into a cop on a mission - the change catalyzed by sequential cinematic events and a deeply buried and awakening humanity, who totally steals the show. A trifle long, but fast paced by bollywood standards and with a well synchronized restrained soundtrack - this is definitely a must watch movie.