Renuka Vyavahare

Sanskrit teacher Shrirenu Tripathi (R Madhavan) is unhappily single at 42. He nearly loses hope of settling down until he is introduced to 32-year-old Madhu Bose (Fatima Sana Shaikh), a pretty girl proficient in French. He lives in Jamshedpur; she in Kolkata. Despite their age gap, contrasting personality and mindset, they hit it off. An arranged marriage evolving into love seems likely but there’s more to their story than meets the eye. While he’s over the moon to have finally found a companion who loves him just as deeply, a nagging fear still lingers. Why would someone as beautiful, young, and accomplished as Madhu fall for someone like him? What could she possibly see in him? His fear turns into reality when ahead of their marriage, he discovers the two have a past. The movie begins on a promising note. A single man in his 40’s, believing in old school romance is ashamed of being a virgin because society feels so. For the modern world, he is abnormal, an awkward loser, who needs to do something about his situation because there’s no way he can be happy. Madhu on the contrary, is liberal and wonders why anyone would expect women to be virgins today. Their match feels doomed from the beginning until they find a common ground amid the chaos and moral conflict.

When it comes to matters of the heart, one shoe doesn’t fit all. Multiple people across ages and cities discover this the hard way, as they grapple with evolving relationships in times of modern love and its unsurety. Falling out of love is normal. How you manage to fall back in love with the same person over and over again, defines a relationship’s longevity. Modern love can label this as toxic; traditional love can see this as a significant compromise to stay committed. There are no rights and wrongs in love, or are there? Anurag Basu’s 2007 ensemble film ‘Life in a Metro’ was an ode to love and survival in Mumbai. The film comprised great actors, riveting stories while letting Mumbai rain be the main character. 18 years later, he takes his fascination for changing relationship dynamics and perception of love in the digital age a notch ahead.

Following the murder of her father, Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) is trained to be an assassin by criminal organisation Ruska Roma. Once on field, she goes rogue in pursuit of the man who destroyed her family. To achieve that, she needs to fight his entire tribe on her own. Hollywood has generated a spade of female-led badass babe-action thrillers. Angelina Jolie in Salt and Wanted, Scarlett Johansson starrer Black Widow, Jennifer Lawrence in Red Sparrow, Linda Hamilton in Terminator, the examples are plenty. What sets Ballerina apart, beyond its terrific action choreography, is its casting. Ana de Armas’ Eve is fierce yet feminine. She’s hardened by life but not bereft of emotion. The softness of her past isn’t eroded by the brutalities of her present. She kills like an assassin but empathises like a woman–she fights like a girl. Director Len Wiseman creates a distinct lead that doesn’t aspire to be a John Wick and Ana de Armas’ casting is a cherry on top. The actress blends pulsating action and vulnerability flawlessly. She is one woman army who only trusts her instincts.

A school teacher (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his ex-wife (Karen Gillan), reunite under mysterious circumstances. The internet is down; cellular network, TV are about to crash… the world is about to end. Strangely, in their final moments of uncertainty, they stumble upon billboards celebrating an ordinary 39-year-old accountant called Charles Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) aka chuck. Who is he, what is his story and why is he being hailed as a hero? The film then follows Chuck, his childhood, grief and growing up years. As an adult, dressed in a corporate suit at 39, he breaks into an impromptu dance in the middle of the road. It makes him happy and gets him to think. ‘Why do we wait for an opportunity to be happy? There’s no such thing as the right time. There’s time and what you do with it. You will veer towards art, dance and music in crisis but there’s art to Maths also. There’s beauty and joy in every little thing you do.

The death of an ageing billionaire (Ranjeet) on his luxury cruise brings chaos to the lives of those aboard the ship. His will names his son ‘Jolly’, as an heir to his property. Chaos turns into frenzy when three Jollys (Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh) show up to claim the wealth. If the plot wasn’t crowded enough, there’s a masked killer on the loose and everyone’s a suspect. Who’s the killer and who’s the real Jolly? Housefull franchise‘s existence is rooted in slapstick comedy, so you walk in knowing what to expect. Akshay Kumar slapping CGI monkeys, girls blatantly objectified and Riteish Deshmukh gobbling a parrot as annoying as the one in ‘Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon’, don’t surprise you. You snigger at lines like ‘Thokte raho……. Taaliya’, ‘mera popat kabhi nahi uthega’, but overlook the cringe because that’s what the brand is all about. What surprises you is the utter lack of humour, even dirty humour if we may say so in the script and sheer wastage of a zillion actors who are known for their comic timing.

Both hopeless romantics, Ranjan (Rajkummar Rao) and Titli (Wamiqa Gabbi) are desperate to get married. When they pull all the strings to make it happen, Ranjan finds himself stuck in a time loop. He keeps waking up on the same day – a day prior to his wedding day. Bhool Chuk Maaf’s release drama strangely and accidentally paid ode to its theme. From a theatrical release to OTT and back to theatrical release, it kept going in circles too. The film’s story tests your patience equally, but the outcome compensates for the scattered and meandering build-up. Oblivious to the demands of adulting, Banaras sweethearts Ranjan (Rajkummar Rao) and Titli (Wamiqa Gabbi) are obsessed with each other. He doesn’t have a job, and she is too reckless to care. They decide to elope but abort the plan midway because she realises it’s unfair for their parents to face the repercussions. They want to be together but not at the cost of their families’ wellbeing.

After the untimely death of her parents, little Lilo (Maia Kealoha), wanders around a Hawaiian island wreaking havoc. Unable to process loneliness and grief, she gets along with fishes and frogs, but makes the life of her elder sister Nani miserable. Looked upon as a misfit by girls her age, Lilo’s wishes of finding a true friend are answered when an equally troublesome alien Stitch, (voiced by Chris Sanders) bumps into her. It’s interesting when characters aren’t likeable per se and yet you weep for them. Both the lead characters (Lilo and Stitch) are destructive and don’t regret the bad behaviour one bit. It is people around them who must get used to it and find their way around these two. While the film revolves around the little girl and her alien pet, it is Lilo’s relationship with her sister Nani (Sydney Agudong) that lies at the heart of the story.

Relentless Patnaik (Devgn) is a thorn in the lives of the corrupt. He is the party pooper of the privileged who think they can evade law and hence, the chemistry and conflict that unravel once he goes digging has a comic-thrilling element to it. One does not expect efficiency or honesty from public servants let alone heroism and hence the anomaly makes for an interesting watch. The second time around, Raj Kumar Gupta mounts his crime drama on a bigger scale. A brooding Patnaik dressed in formals, enjoys Singham like slowmo entry, glamour and clout. He can be transferred or suspended but he is always in power much against the odds. Ritiesh Deshmukh makes for an interesting no-nonsense, white collared antihero Dadabhai. He is a prodigal son, revered philanthropist and a powerful political leader. He is too good to be true and that leads Patnaik to go sniffing after his massive empire and assets. The two outsmart each other in a series of deceitful activities but only one can emerge victorious.