Permanent Roommates- webseries REVIEW.

                                                                                  Genre- Sitcom                                                                                      2 seasons- 7+7 episodes
                                                             Time duration- 55min each

                                                             Written by- Biswapati Sarkar.

“Indian series? Mujhe toh Naagin pata hai.
 Web series? Wannabe Game of thrones hai kya?
 Accha utna sadist nahi toh wannabe FRIENDS? Accha wesa nahi hai?
 Indian series hoke Balaji is not the producer WHATTT?
TVF kaun hai yaar, AIB ki branch hai koi?

When students go abroad for studies, they leave with a suitcase filled with hopes of their parents and hearts of their lovers (also daadi ke Aachaar ka dabba.) More than India’s economy, high school lovers are the ones to be worst hit by this constant brain drain from India. While some hearts are left back at the check-in counter of the airport, a few of them do make it to the foreign country.
Everybody knows about the insecurities and ‘skyping’ phase associated with long distance relationships. But what happens once this ‘long distance’ ceases to exist between a relationship? TVF’s answer to this question- Permanent roommates.
Web series as a medium in India is currently in its inception phase and is catching up quite a rage. Permanent Roommates- a third kind of love story as they fondly call it, ironically is the kind that takes you away from the fairy tales and brings you back to the reality which is not that bad after all. I say that because there is not one character in the series who doesn’t remind you of someone from your life.
Be it Mikesh’s father- who reminds you of that distant happy-go-lucky uncle of yours,

Or Tiwari- who acts innocent- is cunning- still dumb- but is helpful.

Or Leo- who once lived off his girlfriend’s chillar but later formed a ridiculously huge empire of his own.

Or Tanya- practical and composed she might be, but still ends up falling for someone exhibiting neither of these virtues.

The web series has dealt with the after effects of a long distance relationship really well. A long distance relationship sometimes works not because of the love, but because of it being a safe haven for the couples who can’t actually deal with each other in real life. Ironically, conflict happens when the couple actually starts living together. And this point is exactly where Permanent Roommates gives its important message-
“You don’t always need to be practical. Sometimes you need to be hopelessly romantic for a relationship to maintain its charm.”
With the catchy one liners, out of the world plot twists and innovative use of characters, the writers maintain a grip on the viewers through their constant humor. Permanent Roommates is among the precious pieces of entertainment where the story is the actual hero; no over the top acting or useless drama.
A series can capture your mind for a relatively prolonged period of time depending upon its content. Having done said that, I can effectively say that Permanent Roommates won’t be a waste of your time and internet speed. Go watch it if you haven’t already.

I would rate it- 4.5/5

CONJURING 2- Movie review

    Since time immemorial horror flicks have used the tried and tested cliché, that the 'shy' ghost decides to show itself only to that one person (preferably the youngest and naïvest) whose claims are bound to get dismissed by his friends. The revelation of a presence of that ghost to everyone is considered either as the climax or the end of the film. Story and Direction wise James Wan has been clear in his approach to staying away from this cliché by keeping the ghosts in conjuring 2 as 'bold' and beautiful. *grins*

Conjuring 2, thankfully doesn't use any cheap thrills or scare tactics to make you panic every now and then. What it offers you instead, is a TERROR that builds up as the story progresses.

There is something specifically attractive about a horror flick, which apart from giving the essential 'WOAHs' 'OMGs',  has got a substantive plot to offer you as well. That way you are ensured that if not the chills and screams, it at least gives you a story to ruminate on.
Another interesting aspect about Conjuring and Conjuring 2 is that, although the movies aren't connected to each other as far as the plot is concerned, there is a certain reason why events happen the way they do and a kind of link is established.
The climax would still make sense even if you don't try to figure out the link. Although reasoning out the climax by linking it to the previous film would leave you astounded.
Simply put, Conjuring leaves you with certain questions unanswered in your mind; conjuring 2 answers all of them IF you pay close attention. *winks*
To talk about the negative aspect of the film, there are certain scenes which don't make any sense with respect to the plot of the film. But again, you can always consider them as those questions to be answered in the next film.

If you are someone who is going to the film expecting your lover to hold your hand and scream and shout every now and then, maybe it is not the right film for you.
Verdict- I am never watching a horror flick in a theater again.
Oh I mean, 4.5

Movie Review- Phobia

Phobia.

-By Pawan Kripalani

You are all alone in a room. A dark, noiseless, spooky room. You suddenly start feeling cold, but that doesn’t bother you because you are occupied by your thoughts. The feeling of numbness engulfs you. You are about to fall deeper into that abyss when suddenly something taps you on your shoulder. You answer to that tap by looking beside you. You suddenly spring back to life realizing that it is your sister tapping on your shoulder, urging you to get up and exit the cinema hall, because even the end credits roll of the movie Phobia has ended.

Oh wait. That was about me and I wasn’t intending to explain what the word ‘phobia’ is all about. The movie will do that job better.

    Phobia, literally means ‘an irrational fear of something.’ Depending on the environment and surroundings and with the increasing population, different kinds phobia have developed overtime. Agoraphobia (fear of open public spaces) is the one which Mehek (Radhika Apte) deals with in the film.

    In the past as well, Bollywood has released movies dealing with medically generated conditions. While some of them like Paa (Progeria), Tamasha (Depression), Taare Zameen Par (Autism) went well with the audience, the others like Margarita with a straw (Cerebral Palsy) failed miserably at the box office. Although Phobia belongs to this sphere of Bollywood dealing with medical conditions, but the treatment given to it is what sets it apart from the rest of them.

    The entire film is shot in one single house. The movie has clearly steered away from using any bombarding horror music, clowns in hideous make-ups, to portray the existence of non-existent horror. The movie has kept the concept of agoraphobia original, and it has revolved around the life and experiences of the person (i.e Mehek) who suffers from the same. Still, the movie gives you the requisites of any horror film like ‘the chills’, the occasional gasps and goosebumps (a lot of them). Radhika Apte has put in a lot in terms of acting for this film and for that she definitely deserves a standing ovation. Another person worthy of an applause is the DOP (Jayakrishna Gummadi) who by his cinematography has made sure that the viewers altogether don’t develop claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces) by viewing the same room for 2 hours!

         The movie is a must watch for anyone who is in for a psychological thriller. It is definitely not for the ones who are expecting an ensemble cast of ghosts wrapped in white cloths and skeletons doing all sorts of things from screaming to doing Bharatnatyam.

Rating- 4.5 star

Character I would have liked to play- Mehek.

MOVIE REVIEW

Sairat
-Directed by Nagraj Manjule.

Gazed unabashedly,
Loved unabashedly.
Fought for love.
Didn’t even flinch once before pointing a gun at the lover’s enemy.
Took responsibility of lover’s life.

It is always the hero who usually does all the above mentioned things in a typical Indian film, right?
Right.
What if I tell you that I know a film in which a HEROINE does all that for a hero and much more but it doesn’t even look one bit odd?

    ‘Sairat’ meaning ‘wild’ in Marathi, literally suggests the core nature of the film. Right from the badass heroine Archie (Rinku Rajguru)to her adorable lover Parshya (Akash Thosar) and their lovestory, everything about the film is wild. 
Typically set against a rural backdrop whose language is raw, the film tells the story of two lovers, and their struggle to protect their love against all odds. The conflict and the overall story make it sound like typical film doesn't it? Why would a typical regional film like this made by some Marathi director whose last name isn't Scorsese, Kashyap or for that matter Hirani, gain international acclaim and national awards? Simple answer- Because it is REAL. The rawness of reality has been maintained in each and every aspect of the film including the language. Having done said that, let me make this clear to you that the movie isn't another boring piece of cinema which is supposed to be intellectual and great only because the critics say so. Sairat has got everything that makes a film worth watching- drama, bloodshed, love, songs (SUPER AMAZING) and conflict. That is the beauty of Sairat- even if you are left amazed, you cannot say that "it's only a film and all this doesn't happen in real life." Be it the happy or the sorrowful parts, even if they haven't been necessarily experienced by you, you know that those actually happen, in reality.
     
    Go for Sairat, even if you don't understand Marathi. The film           speaks louder than its words, literally. 
    P.S- English Subtitles me grammar mistakes bhi nahi hai. :P


   I rate the film- 5/5
   Character I would have liked to play- Archie, without any doubt.

BOOK REVIEW.

1984- George Orwell.
Genre- Utopian and Dystopian fiction.

     Since time immemorial, humans have yearned to learn about the future in the present itself. That is because, there is a certain kind of curiosity attached with the knowledge of the future owing to it’s mysterious nature. Now don’t you think that someone might have already cracked this mystery? A certain person could have predicted the future of the mankind just right?

  

 Eminent scientists like Einstein and Stephen Hawkings had predicted the takeover of artificial intelligence over the natural. Orwell in this book, has tried to express the same worry through a story- such unpredictable and much alluring. 

    Now imagine a world, where every movement of yours is recorded. There is a certain someone/something keeping a watch on everything that you do day and night. You are not even left alone for a moment. This world, where the Tele screen (which keeps a watch on you) is the reality and the concept of ‘privacy’ is passé. Now to give you an idea of how the tele screen works, you can take the reference of the reality shows- Big Boss and Big Brother; only difference is that you don’t get any brownie points for living a life like that. You have to live like that under constant surveillance, so that you obey every order of the ultimate figure in authority- The Big Brother. The only person to whom you can show any love, loyalty or respect is the big brother, whose existence by the way isn’t specified but isn’t questioned either. Now would you survive in a world like that? Let me answer that for you- You certainly won’t. But guess what the catch is? You will have to live anyway,

      The Big Brother is the focusing point for love, reverence, and emotions. Below him, comes the inner party- number limited to 6 million. And below that, comes the Outer Party. If the Inner Party can be regarded as the ‘brain’ of the state, then the Outer Party might as well be referred to as it’s hands. And the speck of dust at the feet of this structure, can be regarded as the Proles- the relatively submissive and ‘dumb’ section consisting of 85% of the entire population.

     Winston Smith, the protagonist of the story is one such rebel who wishes to gain his freedom. According to him, “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two equals to four. If that is granted, all else follows.” All he wanted was a world in which he could live the way he wished to, without facing any objection. He believed that he could construct a world like that for himself by using his luck, cunningness and boldness. Now what lies at his receiving end- success or failure? That is something you ponder on while reading the story, whose answer you get only by the end.

    Why should you read this book?

-One can assert complete control over you and your life by keeping a track of everything that you do. That is the underlying philosophy practiced by the Big Brother and his party. In today’s world where our likes and dislikes, transactions, whereabouts can be tracked by technology easily, we surely have a reason to worry. It won’t be long until the idea of Big Brother is incorporated not only in reality TV shows, but in our real life too. You never know! *grins*

Overall, I would rate the book 4/5.

Movie review- Natasamrat.

  A play along with its characters, brings alive the imaginary world penned down by a writer. Nana Patekar with his performance in Natasamrat, brought alive many such worlds single-handedly.

  Time and again it has been proved that method acting takes a toll at some point or the other on an actor’s personal life. The joker thrilled the audience with his performance at the cost of Heath Ledger’s life (The dark knight,2008).  Urmila Matondkar needed to take psychiatric help after playing a possessed character (Bhoot, 2003). Now what happens when an actor fills up into himself an ocean of numerous such impactful roles acted by him? What happens when the mind of this actor starts brimming and overflowing with this ocean? He drowns. Natasamrat is the story of such an actor who eventually gets overpowered by his own art.

     Natasamrat is an adaptation of a Marathi play with the same name, written by Kusumagraj. Ganpatrao's character (Nana Patekar) in the movie is influenced by Shakespeare’s King Lear. The movie has the essential essence of a Shakespearean tragedy. “A true skill of an actor lies within his power to not let the viewer get distracted by a bag of chips in his hand while watching him on stage,” is a striking remark made by Ganpatrao which pretty much defines his role, and the gist of the film. Ganpatrao captivates us with his performance to such an extent that we end up becoming like the audience he wishes to greet i.e the one not getting distracted by a bag of chips. A subtle metaphor, eh?

    

     *Facts about the film*

1. The movie is a form of poetic communication that is both scintillating and refreshing. It has got dialogues influenced by Shakespeare’s plays having the same depth and meaning albeit having the Marathi touch.
   

Ganpatrao- "The whole world is a stage, and every man must play his part. Unfortunately, mine is a sad one."

2. The man behind the Natasamrat, i.e Kusumagraj who initially scripted the play, he himself was influenced by many of Shakespeare’s characters.An eminent writer had once described him as a poet of humanity by saying, “his words manifest the social discontent but retain the optimistic conviction that the old world was giving to the new one.”

      True to what had been said about Kusumagraj, he has carried that essence in every

      play written by him, including his masterpiece Natasamrat.       

3. Natsamrat is a movie that every performer can relate with, especially an actor. It is a modest symbolization of each and every bead of sweat and pain gone into the making of an actor. It is not just a movie, its an appreciation of art!
4.       

4. There are moments of light humour as well, shown in the friendship of Ganpatrao and Ram (Vikram Gokhale) who also has done a phenomenal job.

5. The supporting cast- Medha Manjrekar, Mrunmayee Deshpande, Sunil Barve, Ajit Parab and Neha Pendse have contributed well in their part for building up the story.
   

   

               The only negative thing I can point out about the movie is its plot, which is a bit clichéd as compared to the present times. But that argument can be settled by taking into account the fact that the play originally was written way back in the 70’s and also considering Nana’s power packed performance.

                As a conclusion to this review I would like to say that, this Shakespearean tragedy, true to its nature and wise in its approach should be watched by every budding cinema-lover out there!

          

               I would rate the movie- 4.5 star. 

Movie Review- Bajirao Mastani

Movie Review-

Before I review the movie, I would like to interest you with how the script for Bajirao Mastani was written…

(Bhansali visits a historian. Excerpts of their conversation-)

Bhansali- Please tell me the story of Peshwa Bajirao 1 and his wife Mastani.

Historian- Sure. So he was the great ruler of the Maratha Empire. He was known for his tactics like…

Bhansali-(Cuts him in between) No No, skip that part. Tell me something about his love life.

Historian-(aghast) Love life? Par unka toh arranged marriage hua tha?!

Bhansali- The love life with Mastani. Tell me something about that. (grins)

Historian- (takes about 10 minutes to talk about their complete love story)

Bhansali- Perfect! I will make a movie only on their love story!

Historian- But we don’t even have any authentic facts related to the same.How will you make a full-fledged movie?

Bhansali- (smirks)  You don’t know my style of movie making, historian babu. (walks away like the knight in the shining armor)

               ..And this is how the foundation of Bajirao Mastani was laid. You heard him right. Bajirao Mastani isn’t about the valour of Bajirao or his biography as a whole. It is solely a king’s love story. Now one question that you should ponder upon is that, in spite of having a story base like that, what makes Bajirao Mastani a must watch?

1.     This is one of the rare films, where the script and dialogues steal the show completely. (Bhansali, Prakash Kapadia)

2.     Bhansali initially had written the script by keeping Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan in mind as the lead pair (quite a few years ago). He never found a replacement for the lead pair until Ranveer and Deepika happened. Unsurprisingly enough, they both fitted in the shoes of their respective characters just like Cindrella did.

3.     “In a movie, people observe your looks for two and a half minutes, but to pull a movie for two and a half hours, you need to act.”- Nana Patekar.

Ranveer Singh’s performance in Bajirao Mastani is an exemplar of Nana’s quote. He stole the spotlight not only with his magnificent looks, but also with his larger than life performance.

4.     Deepika Padukone served full justice to the character of Mastani. She emitted the emotions not only through her acting, but through her eyes as well. You could actually feel Mastani all over in her aura.

5.     Bajirao loved Mastani with the same intensity as Ram loved Leela (RamLeela, 2013). The chemistry between the two is sizzling, irresistible and violent at the same time.One can’t help but wonder if Bhansali actually weaved a real life romance between the two while making them act their respective roles!

                             

6.     And finally last but not the least; this is the part where a cherry adorns the cake. In the movie’s case, Priyanka was the cherry who played one of the most meaningfully splendid supporting roles ever written. From her accent to her dressing, from her dialogues to her dialogue delivery, she pulled off a Kashibai with great ease.

   I would like to conclude by saying, that Bajirao Mastani is one of the once in a lifetime kind of epic romances that the audiences yearn for. I am sure, that the way names of Raj- Simran, Devdas- Paro, got immortalized in the pages of history, Bajirao-Mastani are going to add up in the list too! 

Overall, I would rate the movie a 4 star.

P.S- If you are someone whose cup of tea is anything but a love story, then probably I won't promise that you will like the movie; unless of course you are open to a classic romance kind of a thing!

                                         

                                                                Fin.