Shomini Sen

There are good films, not-so-good films and then there are Salman Khan films. Unless one is an ardent fan of the actor, one has to tread with caution when one is watching a Salman Khan film. You know you must ignore logic, practicality and even technical finesse while watching Salman’s films. His latest Eid release, Sikandar, has Salman Khan once again in a larger-than-life role, flexing muscles at regular intervals and helping those in need at other times. But is the AR Murugadoss film worth a watch? Let’s find out. In a world of evil politicians and corrupt officials, Sikandar aka Sanjay Rajkot is a man of principles and a do-gooder. He may not follow the rules, has cases piled up against him, but he is revered as the King of Rajkot, and his people (praja) are ready to fight for him in order to protect him. A mid-air scuffle with Prateik Babbar- who plays the son of a Mumbai politician- leads to the cops and the politician himself go after him. In Rajkot, the authorities are not able to touch him. He has an army to protect him. However, one fateful night, his wife, Sai Shree (Rashmika Mandanna), gets killed. Mourning her death, Sikandar then goes to Mumbai to meet the recipients of his dead wife’s organs, but with goons, politicians and police after him- will he be able to meet the recipients and help them forms the rest of the story.

Police vs the underworld is a trope that Indian cinema has adapted too many times. An honest officer trying to clean the system even as he and his force are outdone by smart crooks who are hand in glove with the powerful leaders is a story well too familiar. Netflix’s new series Khakee: The Bengal Chapter falls in a similar category- where an honest and brave IPS officer is out to clean up the city- in this case Kolkata- even as his work is hindered by powerful leaders and local crooks. Showrunner Neeraj Pandey and directors Debatma Mandal and Tushar Kanti Roy shift the cop drama from rural Bihar (The first part was Khakee: The Bihar Chapter) to the underbelly of Kolkata where goons and politicians work hand in hand and run a nexus of organ trading, kidnapping, real estates and more. Everyone knows that the system is corrupt and people in government are involved but the honest are scared to raise an alarm while the local goons want a piece of the pie.

The trailer of Nadaaniyan- which marks the debut of Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh’s son Ibrahim Ali Khan in Bollywood opposite Sridevi’s daughter Khushi Kapoor - had given us all enough hints at how bland a film it would be. When I sat down to watch the movie, my expectations were already low considering that the trailer looked unimpressive. But the film, helmed by Shauna Gautam and backed by Karan Johar’s Dharmatic, is far lower than what I had expected it to be. A two-hour bland romance drama, Nadaaniyan makes Gen Z -the film’s target audience- look dumb, dumber, dumbest, and its lead characters one dimensional with zero sense of rationale and practicality.

A series of events and misadventures transpiring over the course of a night is a trope that Bollywood has used in many films. Some have been mystery thrillers and some situational comedies. Netflix’s new film Dhoom Dhaam falls in the latter category where a newly married couple - Prateek Gandhi and Yami Gautam- are on the run from alleged goons across Mumbai - both looking for a certain Charlie. Filmmaker Rishabh Seth merges chaos and comedy- again a tried and tested combination- and delivers a light breezy situation comedy that brings in the laughs and makes you enjoy the 108-minute-long film. Arranged marriages are scary and especially when you barely get to spend time with your partner before tying the knot. Yet scores of people willingly jump in only to be left surprised or disappointed by their partners. Koyal(Yami Gautam Dhar) and Veer (Pratik Gandhi) are one such couple. She pretends to be shy, he is actually shy and while the parents think they are a match made in heaven, they have a lot of revelations in store on their wedding night.

The beauty of Sanya Malhotra’s latest Mrs lies in the little nuances in the screenplay. The film never fully spells out the issues, yet it’s the little moments, an expression here and a dialogue there that give out the message loud and clear. Making a remake of a critically acclaimed film comes with a huge amount of expectations. Mrs is based on 2021’s critically acclaimed Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen which had earned praise worldwide. The Malayalam film is still fresh in the minds of many, so making a Hindi version so soon may feel unnecessary. Yet, the Hindi language remake Mrs is an important film which speaks a universal language. Filmmaker Arati Kadav takes up the challenge and delivers a deeply impactful film that may resonate with many viewers personally.

Hathiram Chaudhary, the permanent resident of Paatal Lok (netherworld) is back, and with him, so is the world of crime and murky dealings that need a desperate cleanup. Paatal Lok Season 1 came out during the first lockdown and blew everyone’s mind with its taut storyline and strong performances. It opened up ways for other similar cop stories that dealt with cases from the underbelly of society. Some were good, some were mere copies, but none captured the attention of viewers the way Paatal Lok had. It took the makers 5 years to come up with a sequel, and after watching season 2 of Paatal Lok, I have to admit it was worth the wait.

Kangana Ranaut’s much-talked-about film Emergency finally hits theatres across the country where Ranaut directs and acts as former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi and retells an era considered one of the darkest phases in the Indian democracy. But re-telling the era of Emergency (1975-77) authentically, without bias, is not easy and Ranaut’s film slips ever so often, making Emergency the movie quite a passable affair. While the film primarily focuses on the 21-month-long emergency period, it also tries to showcase Indira Gandhi’s rise to power. From being termed as Gungi Gudiya (dumb doll) who grew out of her father, Pandit Nehru’s towering shadow to becoming the megalomaniac, despondent leader who saw nothing wrong in imposing arbitrary bans on the basic rights of citizens during the emergency, Indira Gandhi had quite a journey. Emergency tries to capture all this and tries to even humanise the authoritative leader, making her look flawed and even vulnerable at times- unsure of her own decisions. But Ranaut, who also serves as the writer of the film, never really delves deeper into the incidents and loosely strings important political events into a 2.5-hour-long film.

Neeraj Pandey is credited with some incredibly sharp films that have remained iconic for years after their release. Pandey has the knack for making quintessential Bollywood thrillers engaging with his screenplay, plot line and technical finesse. Sure he has also had a few misfires but films like A Wednesday, Special 26, Baby, and MS Dhoni remain popular and relevant till now. His latest Sikandar Ka Muqaddar starts on a promising note and one almost finds Pandey’s Midas touch to the narrative but somewhere through the course of 2 hours 23-minute-long film. Starring Avinash Tiwary and Jimmy Shergill, the film is a heist drama that shows potential in the beginning to be an engaging story but becomes an exhausting watch by the end of it.