The Great Father Story : For a smart and spirited Sara, her dad David Ninan is a best friend, pillar of strength and more. She’s the apple of the eye for David too, for whom Sara’s smile matters the most. Once when something wipes it off her face, he decides to turn a super hero to restore it.

The Great Father Review : Say a daddy-daughter film and it’s sure to raise some expectations of a few ‘papa’s little girl’ scenes, cute moments of laughter and enough to get one misty-eyed triggering your own parallel experiences. Just like its teaser indicated, Mammootty’s The Great Father is no different. Part-endearing and part-heroic, it’s the tale of a dad who goes to the bravest extent to bring justice to his daughter

Sara (Baby Anikha) is a smart little school girl who is considered quite gutsy by her classmates and whom does she owe it all to? Her daredevil dad, David Ninan (Mammootty), of course. Going by his stories, Sara believes that nothing is impossible for her dad, who has even fearlessly faced dangerous goons in Mumbai. The little world consisting of the dad, daughter and her mom (Sneha) is shattered when something perilous happens out of the blue. Now, all that matters to David is restoring justice and above all, his daughter’s happy face.

Both as an adorable dad and a swag builder, Mammootty is suave and the thriller heavily banks on his evergreen good looks. It gives his fans enough moments to applaud, cheer and be jubilant. Baby Anikha is a delightful darling, especially when she plays the daring and smart version of Sara. Arya, who is back in Malayalam after Urumi, impresses again sporting his hot bod and through his stunt scenes as the cop Andrews. The film deals with an issue that’s become a talking point in our State, especially for the past few months. Even as we have a law and order system to book wrong-doers, what’s the maximum that it can ensure? A criminal who grows fat by the day behind the bars, smiling at us while the court takes its own sweet time with delayed justice?

The sequences featuring the school kids, in which they mouth some adult-like dialogues aren’t tastefully done. The film is also quite predictable and one can see parallels in the factors that unveil the antagonist even in a few other Malayalam films. The final confrontation between the hero and the villain drags on, with too many slow motion sequences and mediocre stunts. And on the whole, despite a sensible foundation and plot, the film doesn’t offer anything artful, other than a handful of ‘mass entertainer’ scenes.

The Great Father is worth your money for its daddy-daughter moments and a timely plot. If only every wronged woman had a hero for a father… you might wish as the end credits roll…

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Kanguva review: A thousand-year-old spectacle with only a few seconds of soul Posted by Sudhir Srinivasan on November 14, 2024 There’s great joy in watching new worlds come alive on screen—living conditions, attire, language, pastimes, poetry, expression of love… Clearly, countless hours and endless effort must have gone into conjuring up such a world from over a thousand years ago. But you know what brings even greater joy? And this is a joy that transcends time periods and landscapes. It’s watching characters come alive, seeing them reveal their flaws, their virtues, their complexities. A car exists so people can drive. A song exists so we can listen. All the detail of a setting exists, so characters can be allowed to breathe. It seems obvious, doesn’t it? And yet, Kanguva, despite its resources and ample runtime, misses this simple truth.

Kanguva

Director: Siva

Cast: Suriya, Disha Patani, Bobby Deol, Redin Kingsley

Rating: 2/5

Suriya plays two roles—Francis and Kanguva, and with the former, whose portions constitute the beginning of the film, you are more willing to forgive. For one, the film has just begun; for another, you expect to pay some waiting tax in such narratives, so the pleasures of the period portions can feel earned. But even as distractions go, ‘Yolo’ deserved to be a better song, Disha Patani needed to be better integrated (if she was needed at all), and the video-game aesthetics needed to dial down the desperation. Each time they face off like a twisted, Indianised Mr. & Mrs Smith, the screen blasts WWE-like titles: ‘Francis vs Angelina’. It’s supposed to be fun, but it’s all rushed. In any case, the film doesn’t seem truly interested in their dynamic. It seems content with the actress strutting in swimwear and cackling in between referring to Francis as ‘babe’.

Watching Kanguva, the word ‘excess’ kept echoing in my mind. Character names and descriptions, guns with elaborate names, even random emojis and time stamps—everything is flung on screen in an unrelenting stream. When we are first jerked back in time from the present, a narrator bombards us with exposition. This is a Romanian king who wants to capture India. These are five islands. He seeks their help. Oh, and this is the makeup of the respective island and its people. Oh, and this is their king. And so it goes. It’s too much information to absorb, too little time to process. Before we know it, Natty’s character flits in and out, hundreds lie dead. We glimpse a powerful image of hundreds of severed arms under water, only for it to vanish in a flash. A stack of bodies follows, again fleetingly. It’s a film with countless things to show, but count yourself lucky if you get to see anything long enough to take it in.

The film fixates on arms—both of the weapon variety, and the limb variety. Let’s talk about the latter. Kanguva’s ally severs his own, turning the deformed limb into a makeshift drumstick. A Roman king demands a hundred severed arms as proof of loyalty. Francis breaks his fingers to escape a handcuff and emerges fairly unscathed (somewhere, Kanguva gets stabbed deep and again, emerges unscathed). In a climactic moment, a child dangles by a single arm. I struggled to make sense of this recurring imagery, but the film does not let you linger enough to think anyway. For example, let’s talk about more important arcs—like Kanguva’s guilt over orphaning a child. But here’s the question: Did he only just realize that his victims had dependents? Was he ever troubled by the lives he took? Introduced as a hardened killer, it’s unclear when we are meant to see him as sensitive. If he’s haunted by past actions, how does he reconcile this with the continued violence he enacts in the name of his tribe?

In Kanguva, this leader figure abruptly leaves his people for the sake of a promise (which shouldn’t be as easy a choice as it seems). But fair enough, he’s free to choose his path, but I wish we were given the chance to understand him. Look at Gladiator: Maximus is noble, yes, but he’s also a man who would rather farm than rule, a grieving husband who has no interest in romance. Such details make him more real; such details create attachment, by association or by admiration.

Kanguva could have been compelling if it weren’t so distracted by grandeur and a bizarre notion of speed. The core ideas—a love that transcends time, the cycle of birth and death, inexplicable attachments to strangers, even a father-son bond between unrelated individuals—are emotionally potent concepts. Siva has handled emotions more gracefully in his better work, but here, Kanguva seems weighed down by its own lofty ambitions. Even in depicting the father-son-like bond, the film fails to hit moving emotional notes. There’s a song, Mannippu, that suggests a slower, more introspective mood to the film, but as soon as it ends, the film plunges back into its relentless pace. Immediately, we’re thrust into a scene where Kanguva motivates a group of women to fight their own battles—a potentially powerful idea, but then, we have no emotional connection to these women, no prior understanding of their relationship with Kanguva. Has Kanguva generally been one to motivate people from afar? What’s his view of the role of women in his ancient society? We don’t know. The idea of the fight is great, but it’s hard to care when we know so little about those killing each other.

There’s a cameo at the end—you already know who it features—and the film teases a sequel. I understand the temptation. There’s a vast, ancient world waiting to be explored, stories to be told from a forgotten era, a setup that promises to bridge a thousand years. But amid all the sharks and crocodiles, the eagles, the constant leaping between timelines, the unending stream of kills… will we learn to pause, if only for a moment, to focus on a human or two? Has there ever been a spectacle that impressed without a soul?

(This review was originally written for and published on Cinemaexpress.com.)

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‘Lucky Baskhar’ movie review: Venky Atluri, Dulquer Salmaan deliver an entertaining drama Director Venky Atluri strikes a fine balance between exploring financial scam and relationships in ‘Lucky Baskhar’, headlined by a superb Dulquer Salmaan

 

Lucky Baskhar, 

the Telugu film written and directed by Venky Atluri, employs the narrative technique of creating tense moments before a twist, then retracing a few steps to reveal the events that led to it, at sporadic intervals. The first time this happens, it is an indication of what the titular character is capable of. When this technique is repeated, there is the danger of it falling flat. There are occasions when we can pre-empt a twist, but the manner in which it unfolds brings a smile. This relationship drama woven around a financial scam is Atluri’s best work till date and is anchored by a powerhouse Dulquer Salmaan, who shifts seamlessly from a common man struggling to make ends meet to a shrewd banker driven by the need to make quick money.

The film begins with Baskhar breaking the fourth wall and telling us, the audiences, his story. Banglan’s production design recreates a lower middle class locality of Bombay of 1989-92, with Nimish Ravi’s camera snaking through the grey-tinged walls of the houses and the narrow, congested lanes. 

The first hour of the film moves along familiar lines. Baskhar leads a hand-to-mouth existence, having to support his wife, son, two siblings and an ailing father. He is forever in debt and cannot afford three plates of vada pav. It is no surprise when Baskhar faces the wrath of a money lender, or when his family gets humiliated. In short, things go from bad to worse.

It is easy to guess that Baskhar will take the bait to make quick money. In these portions, the writing spells out every single detail in a bid to make it easier for everyone to understand Baskhar’s stealthy methods at the bank. 

The relationship drama unravels simultaneously. When we first see Baskhar and Sumathi (Meenakshi Chaudhary), they are in sync with each other, having shouldered each other through tough times. The origins of their romance and the family frictions are revealed briefly in a song, negating the need for further explanation. While some characters in the family are on expected lines, a few characters — the father who keeps to himself and the six-year-old son who shares both his stress factors and his smartness — hold a few surprises.

The 1989-1992 setting allows the makers to bring in references to manipulation of the stock market and money laundering through a character similar to Harshad Mehta. The name is slightly tweaked and Atluri uses this creative liberty to present his own version of a banking and trading scam. If the fraud done by Baskhar in the initial portions can be attributed partly to his luck and partly to the lack of surveillance (an era before CCTV cameras), the later portions hold the key to smart storytelling.

At midpoint, when Baskhar breaks the fourth wall once again to tell us that the story has just begun, he means every word.

Venky Atluri shifts to top gear in the later portions and gets into the murky ways of money laundering and how everyone, from bank managers to small time businesses, willingly or unwittingly, are a part of a large scam. The writing explains the modus operandi in simple terms but does not spoon feed. Baskhar’s character goes through a transformation, from rags to riches, and also lays bare his arrogance. Sumathi is more or less the conscience keeper but is her resistance enough to show Baskhar the mirror? 

The story skillfully uses some of its supporting characters to make Baskhar introspect. But having gone too deep into the mess, can he swim to safety? Will he be allowed to? The narrative rarely pauses and keeps us guessing on Baskhar’s next move.

Dulquer portrays Baskhar with all sincerity. He is endearing as a middle class man and does not hesitate to wear his arrogance on his sleeve in the later portions. The look (by Archana Rao) also helps to enhance his transformation into a man who splurges at the drop of a hat. The silver strands that have begun to show are signs of his mounting stress. Dulquer is in control, both in speaking the language and enhancing the solid writing in the later portions. In scenes where he hardly has a word or two to speak, he conveys it all through his emotions and makes it look effortless. Meenakshi gets a reasonably well-written part and portrays her character effectively. Rajkumar Kasireddy, Maganti Srikanth, Hyper Aadhi, Ramki, Tinnu Anand and Sachin Khedekar are adequate in their parts. The smaller moments that come through Baskhar’s colleagues, including the part played by Gayatri Bhargavi, help to explore how Baskhar loses and regains his humane nature.

GV Prakash Kumar’s score is never subtle. While it considerably infuses life into the proceedings, in a few portions it makes it easy to gauge what is in store. A turning point towards the final portions is an example. Perhaps some ambiguity would have helped maintain the suspense.

The film discusses Baskhar’s moral compass without getting preachy and scores when it talks about knowing when and how to stop. In Baskhar’s words, well played, indeed!

Lucky Baskhar is currently running in theatres

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Amaran movie review: Sai Pallavi, Sivakarthikeyan stand tall in this tale of timeless love Amaran Movie Review: With wonderful performances by Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi, Amaran is a poignant yet powerful tale about Major Mukund Varadarajan's love for India, and his wife Indhu.

Amaran movie review:

        Gentleman cadet Mukund Varadarajan is marching along with his batchmates during his passing out parade. During this march, an animated Indhu Rebecca Varghese shouts out the name of the love of her life. She also runs around to catch a glimpse of Mukund, who is one among the soldiers passing out. GV Prakash Kumar’s rousing score primes the scene for a romantic high. She is jubilant, happy, ecstatic,and sports a smile that reaches her eyes as Mukund marches with a straight face. And at the very last  moment, as the march comes to a close, he finally has half a smile, even without looking at her. Now, is that smile for Indhu? Is he smiling because he has finished his training, and is living his long-time  dream of joining the Indian army? Director Rajkumar Periasamy’s  Amaran tells us that Mukund, after a point, didn’t really differentiate between the two, and that’s what makes his story all the more special.

Amaran begins at the end. 

We know where a rather sombre Indhu (a terrific Sai Pallavi) is going. This isn’t a film that is always subtle, but it isn’t always loud either. “I am in a forever long-distance relationship with my love,” says Indhu, as we first meet Major Mukund at Shopian. Rajkumar wastes no time as he establishes the fact that Major’s unit, the 44 Rashtriya Rifles, is one that has people from across the country. We hear Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Hindi, and of course, Tamil. After a rather interesting introduction to the machinations of this unit, we go back in time to know how Indhu and Mukund fell in love with each other.

The meet-cutes are cute, 

and it is upto Sai Pallavi to do most of the heavy lifting in these scenes. Somehow, Sivakarthikeyan feels more at home in the uniform rather than when he is out of it. Sai Pallavi sells the chirpiness and the ‘butterflies in the stomach’ kind of love, and she wonderfully stays on the right side of the line between cute and caricature, albeit the Malayalam-Tamil dialogue delivery gets some time getting used to.

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Venkat Prabhu’s ‘GOAT’ might let you down if you’re expecting a globe-trotting espionage thriller or a genre-specific entertainer, but it is definitely a celebration of everything fans have ever loved about Vijay ‘The Greatest of All Time’ movie review: Vijay, Venkat Prabhu’s ‘GOAT’ chooses theatrical fan service over a compelling story.

Director Venkat Prabhu sets the tone of his Vijay-starrer GOAT (The Greatest of All Time) right from the very first scene. It’s a recovery mission for a covert team of agents led by Gandhi (Vijay) against the villain Rajiv Menon (Mohan). Gandhi, as someone the film hints about in its title, brings down the house with an action sequence laced with his unique style, but before taking the final shot at Rajiv, he is stopped by his friend, owing to the circumstances. This sequence, in a way, is a synopsis of the overall plot, and such slivers of excellence from Venkat and his team stand apart in this template film enhanced with impeccable fan service.

In GOAT, Gandhi and his Special Anti-Terrorism Squad consisting of Sunil (Prashanth), Ajay (Ajmal), Kalyan (Prabhu Deva), and their chief Nazeer (Jayaram) are seasoned agents/friends. Without their rationales milked in the name of patriotism, we see them as regular office-goers with the usual workroom banter and why Gandhi’s wife Anu (Sneha) isn’t impressed when work spills into their personal space. Unless GOAT is your very first action thriller, you know for sure that all can certainly not be good, and this is just the calm before the storm. So when tragedy finally strikes, and the film moves from 2008 to the present, the pedal hits the metal, and GOAT turns into a Chupacabra.

Inarguably, the best aspect of GOAT is its strong casting. While some might feel like glorified cameos, the dream team feels like the closest we have ever gotten to an Expendables. Not only does the familiarity help us invest in the camaraderie and friendship the team shares, but the veterans bring their A-game to the party.

Despite the ensemble cast, it’s Vijay who shoulders the film in dual roles as Gandhi and his son Jeevan. And Venkat, knowing his assignment well, gives ample space for both characters to have their moments. They both care for their ménage and have their fair share of losses and a mission to complete. Then comes the dichotomy, and that’s where both the filmmaker and his hero shine. As Gandhi, Vijay aces the role of a man with a lot of responsibilities that turn into a burden and end up as grief — the actor Vijay takes centre-stage in a scene where his character faces a major loss. But it’s arguably Jeevan who steals the show (and probably hence the name), and it’s a blast to see Vijay as a young adult, complete with antics we have long loved. Without entering the spoiler zone, it’s safe to say that Vijay has pulled off a role he rarely succeeded in with his past attempts.

It’s brilliant when a filmmaker takes feedback and reworks their product to deliver a better end-product. That’s how we got the Zack Snyder cut of Justice League and a more recognisable titular star in Sonic the Hedgehog. Similarly, after the de-ageing VFX criticism that GOAT’s promotional content got, it’s apparent that the makers returned to the drawing board to give us a far better and more credible rendition of a younger Vijay. Given that it plays a major component in the grand scheme of things, the makers took a precarious call that has worked wonders.

But similar to how the film uses technology to mask a 50-year-old and show a young adult, it also tries to conceal its shallow, simple, and painfully predictable plot with its star cast. If Vijay’s Leo reminded you of multiple films, GOAT will do the same; the Vijayakanth-led Rajadurai, helmed by Vijay’s father S. A. Chandrasekhar (in which the younger character is named Vijay, I kid you not), is a film that instantly comes to mind. GOAT, at its core, is a basic revenge story, and when made to look past the glitz — which you ought to at one point or the other — you are bound to see the paint chipping away from its grand facade. The action sequences are not exciting, the songs and background scores are disappointing, and probably the biggest pain in the neck is the antagonist played by Mohan. The character is bitterly underwritten, and the veteran cannot do much to salvage it. Not to mention how all the prominent female characters are always damsels in distress.

What works for GOAT majorly is how it keeps its stakes to a bare minimum and relies upon playing to the gallery. And boy, when the film gets into fan service mode, there’s no stopping it. Right from hat-tips to Vijay’s previous hit films, dance moves, and even mannerisms and references to his peers and political innuendoes, GOAT is undoubtedly a pop-culture treasure trove complete with its share of exciting cameos and a wonderful homage to a late legend.

GOAT might let you down if you’re expecting a globe-trotting espionage thriller, or just a genre-specific entertainer along the lines of Venkat’s Maanaadu. But if you want to catch the celebration of one of our most popular stars doing everything we love in his penultimate outing — including transforming from a GOAT to a Beast — then The Greatest of All Time is worth the entry fee; even with all its drawbacks, isn’t a lion always a lion?

The Greatest of All Time is currently running in theatres

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