Madgaon Express review

Goa is by far the most glamourous destination in Bollywood, its beaches replacing any other seen on the celluloid. Add to that the Goan music, the techno beats and visuals of beach shacks and Indian actors in beachwear, Goa seems more attainable than the beaches one sees in US or South East Asian movies. The visuals of drugs, hippies in dreadlocks and Russian mobsters gives it some edge too; Goa is not just  beach paradise, theres some danger too, it says. So to present a Goa that turns most of these tropes on their heads, or at least sideways would seem like a bold move.

Madgaon Express, directed by Kunal Khemu, takes the Goa that viewers often see on the big screen and turns over its head. Sure there are the beaches and shacks and cocaine and Russian/firangi folks, but there is also homegrown mafia, narrow bylanes, three-star lodges, unreserved train coaches.

By no stretch is Madgaon Express a perfect film. On the contrary, it suffers from pacing issues, disjointed narrative, and minimal to zero chemistry between the main characters. The movie starts with the chawls of Mumbai and then proceeds to wander in the by-lanes of Goa. The Goa seen in this movie is not the glamourous place we have become accustomed to.

Starting at the beginning, the storyline of Madgaon Express seems disjointed, with may concurrent storylines, each with their own potentials. Kunal Khemu set out to make a caper buddy film, and he nearly succeeds; I say nearly because he falters in a key film-making aspect - actors. Kunal Khemu did go for fine actors, but there is little to none interplay between them. Each seems to have prepared their roles in solitude and not bothered to do together. As a result we get each actor doing their part but their energy levels rarely match. Divyendu as Dodo, Pratik Gandhi as Pinku, Avinash as Ayush playing childhood friend don't get that well to be convincing as chaddi buddies . Amaong the supporting characters, Upendra Limaye as Mendonza bhai, Chhaya Kadam as Komal Komdi as the antagonists don't come across as menacing or funny..

As I said earlier, Kunal Khemu eschews the regular celluloid haunts for less glamourous location, not just for Goa but also for Mumbai. This gives this film a more grungier, grounded look. Even the Goa beaches look desolate and polluted. In place of glitzy hotels, we have a three-star lodge with window ac. The part about the actors talking of the beauty of the Konkan region, only for the viewers to discover that the train travels at night is both funny and relatable at the same time!

On the plus side, Kunal Khemu's love for Goa shines on the screen. He has been visiting Goa on and off, and knows its nooks and crannies. There is little to no glamour in the Goa that we see, but a lot reality vibes, which is possible if one has been visiting a place for a long time.

Kunal Khemu makes a few appearances and each of his appearances are a delight.

To surmise, Madgaon Express, though not a well crafted movie, still has  some charma. It is well suited for an afternoon watch with friends.

Sultan of Delhi, a book review

I finally got around to reading Arnab Ray's Sultan of Delhi, and found it more entertaining than the other books of his that I have read. The reason for the same is simply the accessibility of the material. While The Mine is a horror novel which aimed at suffocating its readers and Mahabharat Murders is a thriller that is heavily inspired from an epic, Sultan of Delhi is more relatable on account of it having a lot of Bollywood references. The book is a testament of the author's maturing as a storyteller.

The book is ambitious in its scope, starting off with the Partition and stopping at the economic liberalization of 1990, with a detour through the Emergency. These events, in addition to being historically important, serve as important placeholders in the story as it is during these times that the titular Sultan of Delhi Arjun Bhatia faces his own nadirs. The Partition is when a 10 tear old Arjun is forced to grow up in a night. During the Emergency he is down on his luck and borrowing money, but after Emergency his rises up from ashes. The 90s Liberalization is when he is looking forward to growing further, but is also aware that a storm is coming his way.

While these three events are the poles on which the storyline hangs comfortably, the role of Bollywood to take the narrative forward is a good choice. Arjun himself is not too much into movies, but people around him are, and the changing tastes in music serve as an aid in moving the story forward. From the debate between Rafi and Kishore in the beginning to the talk about remixes at the end, Bollywood songs serve as a creative way to note the passage of time.

The character of Arjun is sketchy, leaving the reader to imagine him accordingly. Bangali is even sketchier. As far as character sketches go, all of them are defined loosely. This serves the story well, as the reader can visualize each character as they wish.

Arnab has set his ambitions high with Sultan of Delhi, but the book shows some inconsistency. Descriptions of the Partition, Lahore, Delhi and UP are bare bones. But he excels when writing about Kolkatta. In fact, the Kolkata parts seem to be written the most earnestly, moving as they do at a leisurely pace. The hurried pace of the non-Kolkata parts make for the novel to be a frenetic read, but they could do with some more descriptions of the place.

I must give kudos to Arnab to talk about caste in one of the novel's pivotal moments, and not in a perfunctory manner. The mention of caste underlines the lawlessness of UP, ostensibly in the 60s or 70s, but seems timeless. It also serves to show the cleverness of Arjun, how he navigates the north Indian mafia. Not just in one point, it is the caste, though not said explicitly, that earns Arjun a place in the smuggling gang. I have not read many Indian pulp authors, but from what little I have, this mention of caste is used cleverly by Arnab. Caste is mentioned openly in the 60s and 70s, but after the Liberalization, it is only spoken in a coded manner, showing how things still haven't changed, even though the language has.

To sum up, Sultan of Delhi has a lot of ambition in its scope but is let down by the hurried pace it takes to achieve it. The story telling is fast paced but does become inconsistent at time while some passage pull the reader in with their words. Arnab has said that he will probably not do the sequel to the novel as he had intended, which seems fine as the story ends at a place where things still hang in a thread but the story still seems to have reached a nice conclusion. Arjun is till the Sultan of Delhi, having fought adversities that destroyed his family in childhood, saw him at his nadir and then rise again to a position where he has the pulse of all that happens in Delhi. The reader closes the book that Arjun is still the Sultan, which may be construed as a happy ending.

The book is not a page turner, but keep at it and the reader will be pleased when it ends.

Some Thought on Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya...

 Bollywood doesn't have a good sci-fi tradition. In fact, all the memorable and successful sci-fi movies that have come out of Bollywood can be counted on ones finger. Off the top of my head there's Mr X in Bombay (invisibility formula), Mr India (invisibility device), Kkrish (superhero and alien technology) and maybe more. Rajnikant's Robot was not actually Bollywood so it doesn't count.

So, after a long time when a new sci-fi movie from Bollywood was set to hit the screens, I was intrigued. The premise also seemed topical, as it looked like it dealt with robotics and artificial intelligence.

The paucity of sci-fi as a genre in Bollywood has meant that there are no tropes to fall back on. The genre is ripe for setting tropes which future Bollywood movies can follow. Mr India did it brilliantly by explaining away the science behind it in a few dialogues by Ashok Kumar and later setting up what could be done by such a premise in the ensuing hijinks. Kkrish too set up the template for Indian superheroes. While Shenshah had done it earlier, the movies managed to update it. Which brings me to the move in question: Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya (TBMAUJ).

Going into the movie, I was aware what to expect, what with the trailers not bothering to build any expectations. The movies is based on a flimsy premise and an even flimsier story.

Shahid Kapoor as the brilliant robotics engineer with no time for love seem to be chanelling his Kabir Singh persona to portray an unconventional and free male. His family consisting of many forgettable characters (including, surprisingly, Dharamendra!) want him to get married, but Shahid just wants to be free and do whatever he is doing, which is not much.

Kriti Sanon as Sifra the robot is required to be expressionless, which she does admirably. Her Sifra is emotionless but that does not mean she is inept. But she is let down be ho her character is written. The super-intelligent robot that can master everything fast can is a simpleton most of the times, not able to grasp the nuances of language. 

Since sci-fi does not have established tropes in Bollywood, TBMAUJ chooses not to establish  new ones itself. Instead it chooses to walk the path of 90s comedies movies and family dramas. Watching all the hijinks on screen I had a feeling of deja vu as most jokes seemed to be a variation of earlier jokes. That and the supporting characters having been 90s and early 2000 staples nearly convinced me that I was watching an old film instead of a new release. In fact, the movie's title track was also an indi-pop hit in early 90s!

The premise of a human, that too the brightest robotics engineer, falling for a robot is fantastic as it is. But the movie does not explore this premise. Instead it moves on to an even more fantastic premise, where the bright robotics engineer attempts to con the extended family into marrying the robot, the family being none the wiser. I can say with confidence that a person that is fooled into falling for a robot is not bright, whether a robotics engineer or not. Period.

All in all, TBMAUJ tries to entertain by basing itself on an unbelievable premise. But the film's reliance on 90s and early 2000s entertainment tropes makes it seem like a nostalgic trip instead.

American Gods: Some notes

Finally read Neil Gaiman's American Gods, years after watching the first two seasons of the TV show. Before the TV series I didn't know such a book existed. It was the pace and intrigue of the first season that drew me to the book, and the snooziness of the second season that put me off it. But I did endd up reading the book in the end.

Coming to the book after watching the series, it was hard for me to imagine the characters other than the TV actors that played them. So, Shadow was Ricky Whittle for me, and Mr Wednesday was Ian McShane. Reading the book, however, I could see that the characters in the book were a different from what I saw on the TV, but it's hard to get rid of an image once it is settled in your brain.

American Gods can be a little daunting for someone not familiar with US or world mythology, what with the book having large doses of both. But with enough patience, the story pulls the reader in. The story of a mortal caught between warring gods, unaware of what is making them do so, becomes intriguing as one progresses. Shadow Mood, fresh from prison and mourning his wife, finds himself taking up a new job as a driver to a mysterious character named Wednesday. His job takes him on road trips across the American land, searching out gods that were brought to American shores by believers and then abandoned by them as they found newer gods. These gods live on, surviving on the fringes of American society, seeing their relevance diminish in favor of newer gods.

The book, with its myriad sub-plotlines and characters that are never explained, is a taxing read, but in the end. It takes a long time to set things up. The first and second acts are fast paced as they introduce newer characters, only for them to disappear and come later. The main characters of Shadow Moon, Wednesday and Laura are well fleshed out, but others are sketchy, asking the reader to imagine them as they please. In fact, the first two acts take up a major chunk of the book, leaving a very short third act to wrap things up. Neil Gaiman is a gifted story teller, and knows that the trick to telling a good story is to speak a lot, but tell as little as possible, thus building up stakes. A lazy reader or a someone fed on constant visual simulation may find their attention wavering; a habitual reader, however will appreciate the bits of info drops throughout the story, that fit together in the end.

Which is not to say that the story does not meander. The entire track of the Arab seller and the djinn may accentuate the loneliness of foreign spirits, but is a djinn reall a God?  Even the plotline about the thunderbirds goes nowhere, till a subtle hint of the consequences ends it.

American Gods was published in 2001, when Internet as we know it today was beginning to take shape. Reading habits were different then, and people had longer attention spans with lesser distractions. Reading it in 2024, I was aware of the change in habits that has occurred in the intervening 23 years. I could only imagine the characters like how I'd seen them on TV. I found myself re-reading passages because my attention had wavered. A certain impatience has crept within the readers to move things faster. All of this was made worse by the fact that I was an Indian, living in India, reading about an American man's journey across the USA in the service of forgotten gods looking for relevance. The credit for me finishing goes in large to Neil Gaiman's skill as a story tell and weaver of fantasies.

Some Thoughts on Merry Christmas

 I watched Merry Christmas a month ago, so what I write down are not some fresh opinions, but well weighted considerations.

I only heard about Merry Christmas the movie just a few days prior to its release. The marketing of the movie was non-existent, and unless one followed any of the persons associated to the movie on social media (I do not), its easy to miss.

On the whole Merry Christmas seems a series of misdirections strung together. To a person used to the current Bollywood fare, the story may seem to meander and drag, searching for a  plot to develop. But all the slow pace of the first half pays off handsomely in the second half, as the actions become more apparent.

The plot seems simple enough: Vijay Sethupathi, on his first night upon releasing from prison, meets Katrina Kaif, whos date runs out on her after discovering that she has a daughter. Two lonely souls connect on a Christmas night. Things take a turn for the worse when Katrin's husband is found dead, apparently having shot himself. Vijay's reluctance to be involved in any police procedural, even if it is a straight case of suicide, results in him witnessing the same events occur before him, though with someone else (Sanjay Kapoor) doing what Vijay did earlier. The plot thickens, and as the mystery unfolds, the viewer is rewarded with 'ooh' moments galore. All that the audience saw earlier was not just story development, it was the story itself.

The roller-coaster of character development keeps the viewer guessing about their true motivations. Why was Katrina looking for a date on a Christmas night daughter in tow? What crime did Vijay Setupathi commit? Is Sanjay Kapoor just a creep who wants to score on a lonely woman? How much did Luke Kenny charge for his role?

The movie does a good job of setting up a noir look; Mumbai noir is enticing. It sets up the characters expertly and then toys with the viewer's expectations. Vijay trying to adjust to his new life as a free man is perfect as the weary loner. Katrina with a kid in tow convinces as the vulnerable woman that can pull the weary hero's heartstrings. Her character turn in the second half transforms her into a femme fatale, all the while building up a mystique about the little girl. Sanjay Kapoor enters the story as a good samaritan and progressively transforms into a creep. In fact, his clean looks and jovial demeanor lend well into his good guy act. Vinay Shukla's performance in the last act effectively pivots the movie from a crime thriller to a cat-and-mouse game. He may come across as a comic foil, but it is this turn that gives a new direction to the happenings..

I enjoyed the shots of Mumbai that are rooted in a particular location rather than zooming out to the entire city. The close of the city adds to the atmosphere of the film. The repeated use of the same location makes the movie more lived in and familiar.

To end, Merry Christmas is the kind of film that stays in your mind even a month after viewing it.

Bunty Aur Babli - How times change

 Watched Bunty Aur Babli 2 on Amazon Prime and frankly, the review was bound to be predictable: the sequel is no match with the original. However, I was a little intrigued because of the how the makers make the story move forward. Bunty aur Babli are retired and living anonymous lives and their names are usurped by two thieves that carry out impossible crimes. The original pair, feeling indignant about the turn of events are forced to throw their hats in the ring. So who'll be the better one, Bunty-Babli 1.0 or Bunty Babli 2.0?

What a story sirji!!

As far the movie goes, this is where it peaks, at the story idea. Another novel way of connecting to two films is the use of Pankaj Tripathi.

Lets get to the story now.

So Bunty and Babli have retired and are living anonymous lives, coping with their daily routines. But their legend lives on, and two upstart youngsters decide to assume their mantels to carry out audacious heists. The police is bamboozled so the officer in-charge asks the original pair to help him in nabbing their successors.

As the characters of Bunty and Babli goes, Rani Mukherjee manages to some extend to channel the original Babli. I say she manages to some extent because Babli 1.0 was a Sikhni from Bhatinda (?), and this showed in her mannerisms. But the older Babli could be any north Indian housewife that is bogged down by the daily grind. The Punjabi tadka is definitely missing from this avatar. Saif is completely miscast as Bunty here. While Abhishek Bachchan made Bunty a loveable fraudster, Saif is just plain hassled and would not be able to take anyone into confidence the way Abhishek Bachchan did. As regards Bunty aur Babli 2.0, they are two Genz Z yuppies that look good but don't seem to have any personality, only justifications for what they do. They do look good, but their reasons for doing elaborate scams don't make any sense.

In a way, the difference in the characterization of the lead pairs is an indication of the way we are as a society and how do we see ourselves. While Bunty aur Babli 1.0 (BB 1.0) were innocent persons with stars in their eyes and big dreams, Bunty aur Babli 2.0 (BB 2.0) come across as more driven and focused in what they want and how they want it. While BB 1.0 stopped dreaming and started enjoying the easy money they came into, BB 2.0 are doing what they do because they have goals, and will stop scamming when their goals are achieved. From 2005 to 2021, we as a society have moved from being aspirational to knowing what we want. The 2021 India what is inundated with brands and looks is a far cry from the 2005 India where Babli would get dresses sown from the local darzi after tearing photos of film stars. Also, the presence of parents in BB 1.0 gave an emotional heft to the movies, while in BB 2.0 the absence of the same underlines our intensely individualistic approach. This is not to say that BB 1.0 were more grounded; it just highlights the shifting of ground between BB 1.0 and BB 2.0.

Some smart story writing: the plot about BB 2.0 just taking over the legend of BB 1.0 to do heists ties in both the movies, at the same time making them distinct from each other. It allows both stories to have their own arcs. Also, the placing of Pankaj Tripathi as a constable in BB 1.0. I rewatched the movie and can say confidently that he wasn't in the movie. These two changes tie both the movies together, while giving a hat tip to Amitabh Bachchan who is not present in the latter film.

As far as performances go, the characters are not memorable. While BB 1.0 had a great cast apart from the three leads, the second movie doesn't have any memorable characters. Pankaj Tripathi, capable actor that he is, seems to be dialing in his performance. The music too is not memorable. As I write this, I can't remember any song from that movie. This is in sharp contrast to BB 1.0, which had the memorable Kajra Re, and also the peppy Dhadak Dhadak.

To sum up, Bunty aur Babli 2 is at best an honest effort, but it needn't have attached itself to its more memorable predecessor.

Sonchiraiya

A group of policemen..er, dacait or baaghis are walking silently in the bright and arid Chambal ravines. They see a dead snake up ahead, run over by a vehicle. They start to retreat, choosing to look for an alternate route when the leader steps forward, kneels and prays to the gods and orders his men to trust God and march ahead. A good beginning that seems to foreshadow something.

Instead it doesn't.

The trailers of Sonchiraiya had me excited for a good daaku film after Paan Singh Tomar in 2012. A nice blend of the good vs evil formula, with some interesting characters. While this film does have interesting and memorable characters, it suffers from the inconsistencies in its direction. Director Abhishek Chaoubey can't seem to decide which way he wants to steer the film, whether it is to be about a contrast between Vakil Singh (Ranvir Shorey) who wants to carry on being a baaghi and Lakhna (Sushant Singh Rajput) who is looking to surrender and thus turn a new leaf. Or is it to be about the baghis and Indumati (Bhumi Pednekar), who is on the run with a child. Into the mix is the whole caste interplay between Rajputs, Gujjars and Dalits. The movies touches on all these points barely before moving on. So there is some friction between Vakil and Lakhna about the baaaghi ka dharam - baaghi code of honor - in the beginning but it does not surface again till the end, and even then it is forced. Indumati appears mysteriously enough, carrying a girl to hospital, but all mystery about her vanishes soon, only to return at the most unexpected moments. The doctor of the baaghi sets the ball rolling with the caste frictions between a Rajput and a Dalit, followed by later by one more friction between a Rajput and a Gujjar, but then again, these dissolve and are never brought up again.

To be honest, each of these points would not have been so evident had a better actors been essaying the roles, The present cast, though talented, fail to mesh together to be convincing. The actors seem to be emoting in a vacuum without playing off each other. As a result, there are some fine performances but no cohesion. Manoj Bajpai as the head baaghi who is willing to accept the will of the goddess is good but doesn't convince is place in a group of hardened dacoits on the run. Seriously, he would need more wits about him since he is running away  from the law.

Sushant Singh Rajput delivers what is expected of him suitably. As the baaghi who questions the baaghi dharam, he portrays his doubts quite well. But other than that he can't portray friction against Ranvir Shorey or any sort of connection with Bhumi Pednekar, wirh whom he spends a lot of time on road. He is Manoj Bajpai's blue eyed boy, but even here, he doesn't sow chemistry with Manoj. It is at best a servicable performance.

Bhumi Pednekar too is in the far end of the pool as Indumati Tomar. Her one expression is one of being dazed, with intermittent shows of emotions. Her Indumati is not convincing as a woman running away from a deeply misogynistic society after committing a crime, the onus falling on the narrative instead.

Ashutosh Rana is a real treat in this movie apart from Ranveer. He brings a certain ruthlessness and sense of rustic morals to his characters. He has his own motives for going after the baaghis, which is revealed quite later in the narrative and adds another layer to his character. From being ruthless to cunning to impulsive to displaying sadness when alone, he brings out the humanity in what would have been a one dimensional villian.

Where the movie fails miserably is the characters of the two girls. Thematically, both girls are meant to be the plot devices that move things forward; innocence lost and about to be lost respectively. One haunts Manj Bajpai and Sushant Singh, while the other is the reason Bhumi is on the run, but neither shows any emotion n their faces. Just the presence of kids in a frame does not signify innocence. The girl whom Bhumi carries is supposed to be fatally injured, but does not show any signs of being in pain, maintaining instead just a poker face. Done well, both of these girls could have been the pivots for the major character arcs in this film. Instead, they just act as place holders.

Sonchiraiya is a film that tries to tackle a lot of things without resolving them. Its shows ambition but fails to achieve them.