The Man With A Golden Gun beat a retreat. In a year that has seen millions of deaths, he decided he will only live twice (in theatres and small screens) in 2021. I will take a bet that James Bond will appear on the small screen for more viewers than the cinema. 2020 is no time to die. 2021 is unlikely to be different. COVID-19 has been the biggest Market Shaper of all times.
What happens when a couple discovers that they are expecting a third child when their eldest son is about to get married. Badhai Ho is a brilliant take on that. This middle class couple is not really thinking of how the new arrival will impact the economics of the family budget. Far from it. Their main anxiety is how to break the news to the family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, relatives ... Each encounter is a potential bundle of embarrassment for different reasons. No one believes for a minute what the couple wants. Everyone is looking at it from their own point of view. That is the nuanced message this film brings.
Jagga Jasoos is an out and out Disney film. It is a comic book that has come to life. There are bright colors and a range of emotions done in bold (a tad oversaturated) color. You travel to exotic places and like any good detective story, the film takes you to exotic and fictitious locations or ask your Bengali friends where is Shundi. The locations create the fantasy Disneyland complete with zebras, giraffes and ostriches. Should you watch it? Read and decide.
Director Konkona Sen Sharma’s debut film is a thriller that opens with Nandu and Brian trying to stuff a body into the trunk of a car. They need to carry the body all the way to Calcutta (since the film is set in the seventies, it would be Calcutta and not Kolkata).Family gatherings are always great settings to show the human dynamics. An event brings several family members together. Stuff happens, and the cracks begin to show in the seemingly “happy family”. This is the way this story unfolds too.
The father is obsessed with vicariously representing India at an international event (not Olympics) and will not let anything come in the way. He gives them a crew cut and makes them wear shorts and wrestle their male cousin. When his neighbors in the village mock him, he just digs his heel in. This is the bit that Aamir Khan does well. He depicts grit and determination that can inspire anyone. In a state which has battled with female feticide and low levels of women’s literacy, Dangal breaks the stereotypes and does it well.








