Shomini Sen

Kashmir valley and insurgency in the state have both served as themes for numerous films in Indian cinema. The beauty of the valley and the unfortunate political climate of the state have always been a topic of discussion and heated debate across India, thus serving as the perfect premise for films. Netflix’s latest film Baramulla, featuring Manav Kaul and Bhasha Sumbli in the lead, sets the story deep into the valley, but instead of romanticising about Kashmir, it depicts the grim reality of the place, riddled with curfews, terrorism and more. Directed byAditya Suhas Jambhale, who also serves as a co-writer with Aditya Dhar and Monal Thaakar, Baramulla keeps terrorism as just one of the subplots, while the main plot revolves around a case of missing children, which DSP Ridwaan Sayyed is appointed to solve.

Yami Gautam and Emraan Hashmi’s latest film, Haq, brings a landmark case from the past to the forefront. The Shah Bano case, where the Supreme Court upheld Allahabad High Court’s verdict that gave senior lawyer Mohammed Ahmad Khan the order to pay lifelong maintenance to his estranged wife Shazia Bano Begum, is a case that changed the trajectory of muslim women and their rights in India. Inspired by the case and based on Jigna Vora’s book Bano: Bharat Ki Beti, Suparn Verma’s film fictionalises the landmark case, adding emotional depth and drama to make it into a solid and impactful film.

Maddock Films’ newest offering, its horror franchise, Thamma, featuring Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna, opens up a new world. After ghosts and werewolves, Thamma introduces the world of Vampires or ‘Betaals’ to the audience. Ayushmann returns to the big screen after a long hiatus, taking up a character which is similar to his previous films, yet strikingly different as it belongs to the fantasy fiction genre. Directed by Munjya director Aditya Sarpotdar, Thamma explores a new genre in the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe- MHCU- a name coined by the banner- where Vampires thrive on blood but also maintain an equilibrium between their world and our world.

Lord Curzon Ki Haveli, directed by Anshuman Jha, may have been a great mystery thriller on paper. The film, with a very Hitchcock vibe, starts on a promising note, but soon enough, almost 15 minutes into the film, it loses steam. Yes, that early. I will be honest, I sat alone only for its actors. It features Anuj Mathur, Rasika Dugal, Paresh Pahuja and Zoha Rahman- all very watchable actors, all who have proved their mettle in projects before. But Lord Curzon Ki Haveli is unable to use these actors to their hilt thanks to a sketchy plot which is woke unnecessarily and a terribly written screenplay.

In Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound, Vishal Jethwa and Ishaan Khatter play Chandan and Shoaib, childhood buddies from the marginalized section of society, who are acutely aware of their social status and desperate to earn the respect and validation they rightfully deserve. Early in the film, we are told that Chandan hides his caste identity. Desperate to break generational discrimination, both Chandan and Shoaib apply for Police jobs, but instead of opting for the reservation quota, Chandan applies in the general category. When a perturbed Shoiab questions his move, Chandan admits that he is scared to reveal his caste lest he be thrown again into doing menial jobs. That moment sets the tone of Homebound. A film about two young men who try honest means to get jobs and earn the respect of society, but society constantly fails them, ridicules them, and never allows them to shine.

When Gangs Of Wasseypur realised and became a cult in subsequent years, it paved the way for similar films. Stories set in the heartland, about crime, and of peculiar names. It set a template that several filmmakers tried to use; some created impact, but most failed to get the flavor that director Anurag Kashyap brought to the Wasseypur series. But what happens when Kashyap uses the same template that he had set to now after 13years? His latest Nishaanchi seems to be heavily inspired by the Gangs series with generational angst, revenge, and a bit of romance thrown in. Starring Monica Panwar, Vineet Kumar, Vedika Pinto, Mohammad Zeeshan Ayub, Kumud Mishra and debutant Aaishvary Thackeray- Nishaanchi has authentic performance and brings back Kashyap’s unique depiction of a small town in North India, but is marred by the filmmaker’s overindulgence.

Are two Jollys better than one? In Subhash Kapoor’s latest film Jolly LLB 3 the maker brings actors Arshad Warsi and Akshay Kumar together for a courtroom dramedy. Both Arjsad and Akshay have played Jolly LLB in the previous two films, and the fact that Kapoor has managed to bring the two together in the sequel is perhaps the biggest draw of this film. There are fans (like me) who loved Jolly LLB with Arshad Warsi in the lead. An honest, genuine issue-based film - it had surprised me pleasantly when it was released. Kumar’s take in the sequel was more commercial, featuring the actor’s usual theatrics and some dance numbers. It obviously had its fan base. So, to bring the two characters for the third part and tell a story effectively is a great feat for the makers.

Filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s The Bengal Files tells a gory chapter from the pages of history. An incident that had ravaged Bengal due to communal violence and left thousands dead. However, the Calcutta riots of 1946 are not as widely known as the partition and gory violence that took place weeks before India’s independence. Agnihotri, who has also written the film, connects present-day riots in Murshidabad to the Direct Action Day of 1946 in ways one possibly can’t fathom. Of course, since it’s an Agnihotri film, the plot and screenplay are divisive from the word go. CBI sends its officer, Shiva Pandit (Darshan Kumar), to Murshidabad to investigate the disappearance of a Dalit girl. The prime suspect and eyewitness is Bharti Bannerjee (Pallavi Joshi), a lady in her 90s who suffers from dementia. Suspicions are also on the local MLA Sardar Husseini (Saswata Chatterjee), who holds a lot of power among the people there.