one time wanderer

Oh, I am such a Chitti Babu, and yet, paradoxically almost, I most desperately need a Chitti Babu in my life to come and try to literally water my crops and be entertaining at the same time. I NEED CHITTI BABU AS A FRIEND GODDAMNIT. Rangasthalam is a must-watch for anyone interested in Indian politics, and how the personal is truly political in a society so steeped in casteism. As my friend pointed out, the movie is a perfect example of the "show, don't tell" formula, and nowhere is this better proven than in its treatment of caste, which exists not as an abstract, academic philosophy, but as the foundation of people's lived experiences. No action is without its significance, and that's why I feel this is a movie that can only get better with multiple rewatches. This is also one of the rare instances when I do not despise a film for being nearly 3 hours long. It was very well paced- a reviewer (an actual one) compared it to a novel, and that comparison is ...

This one had so much potential- the story was engaging enough till it frustratingly wasn't, and the actors were all good, but for what? I feel like they tried too hard- they should have either stuck to the standard jump-scare stuff that Hindi cinema is fond of, or invested in a better script to have a truly psychologically horrifying experience. Instead, the movie flails about, attempting to be everything at once, and ending up being just meh. Honestly, they could have even made it into a zombie movie, and that would have been loads better than the half-assed "ghost" story that happens in the last 20 minutes (don't worry, no spoilers). Also, they completely under-utilised Ashutosh Rana. I mean, this is what he's best at, being parts of projects that haunt you for years afterwards. The more I think about this movie, the more disappointed I get. Watch it, if you must. Otherwise, watch something else. I have been told that Student of the Year 2 (2019) is prett...

Could have been more entertaining, had it not had some of the elitist preaching. Which is a shame, because I was really looking forward to this one, especially it had Prakash Raj and Samantha Akkineni in it, along with Allu Arjun and Rajendra Prasad. I'm sure someone has noticed this before, but I think the "morals" of  Julayi (2012)   and S/O Satyamurthy (2015) are very similar in the sense that they strive to maintain the status quo where the middle class man must learn to stay within his limits, while the upper class man must learn to never settle for anything less than what he is "rightfully" accustomed to. Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020) is, in that sense, the most logical culmination to the Allu Arjun-Trivikram Srinivas holy trinity. Even the titles point to the progressive preachiness- Julayi is just that, an aawara, while S/O Satyamurthy takes obvious pride in the patriarchal name and origin. Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo is a case in favour of genetic basis...

Allu Arjun is what Salman Khan fans think Salman Khan is, but he is obviously not even half as talented as ma boi Bunny. The music is immensely boppable (yes, that's a word), and the title song will probably end up becoming one of my favourite songs of all time- nothing compares to the sheer, almost feral-quality of singing along "MAIN HOON JULAYI" at the top of your voice. In many of his interviews, Allu Arjun has been unapologetically clear that he sees himself as more of an entertainer than a "serious" actor, and we have no choice but to stan. By staying true to himself and his "brand", he is helping all of us accept our inner "trash" selves (not that we should see it as "trash", I am merely owning that word- one must after all, live out one's most authentic self), and as a consequence, accepting his "trash" self too. Whatta clever guy. With this Tollywood spiral that I am currently in, I am starting to re-disc...

I was sceptical of watching this in the year of our lord 2020, because I was afraid of having a #childhoodruined moment on top of everything that this dear year has blessed us with. But boy, was I wrong. Not only was this the #feminism representation I need to see in Bollywood movies, it's also the one of the best "Delhi girl" representations- thanks, Parineeti Chopra. And Ranveer Singh too, of course, but he is someone I was shocked to discover was not from Delhi, so that's about that. The fashion and overall aesthetics of this movie are very pleasing- I loved all the Lucknow fashion especially, and had the very important realisation that at least once in my life I need to possess a rani-coloured chikankaari outfit. PLEASE. Speaking of Lucknow, how cute was Saira's (Aditi Sharma) Abbu?? A1 representation of supportive fathers, and also thanks for not going down the "conservative Muslim" rabbit-hole which I was very scared it would. Even Dimple'...

Another one for the god-tier cinema list. My friend is judging me for loving this one, but how can I not? The music is just perfect, and so is the fashion. Stylish Star craze is a real thing and must be respected. Also, deep rel8 to Valmiki (Murali Sharma in an amazing performance as the villain) and Raj Manohar (Sushanth)- like former, I too am batshit crazy and it's nice to see Tollywood representing me in all my glory in so many movies, and like the latter, I too need a break. Amen.  PS- is it just me, or was there something Oedipal between Bantu (Allu Arjun) and Yasu (Tabu)? 

Technically, I watched Coolie Raja , the Hindi dubbed version, but whatever. I will learn Telugu one day and go back and watch the OG one. Now, I've said this before, and I'll say it again- TCU is a gift that just keeps on giving. This has to be my favourite god-tier movie; nay, as R pointed out, this is GODDESS-tier. All thanks to Queen T,   the best actor to ever exist. Any casual observer can appreciate her acting in films like The Namesake (2006), Andhadhun (2018), etc., but it's her debut movie (as a lead actor), Coolie No. 1 , that made me realise just what a gem she is. The movie is so bad, it's brilliant. Not for a second did I have any doubt that it would turn out to be a good movie- the scene where Raju (Venkatesh) explains why he's Coolie No. 1 took care of that. I was actually keeping a list of all the problematic boxes it ticked off, and honestly, it covered most of them. And if that isn't enough to propel it to the top of the god tier list,...

Spoilers ahead (I will try to not divulge too much of the plot, and stick to the reactions it evoked in me, but still. Knowing the ending is definitely ruining the movie for yourself, so I would advise you to go watch the movie, and then come back). This was probably the saddest movie I have ever seen, but I am yet to cry. I mean, I cried a lot in the beginning, in the prostitution racket bit, but I am yet to cry after the ending. And the reason is because this movie made me confront my own morality in such a subtle yet powerful way that I can't shed tears, because who will I be shedding them for? All the misgivings I had while watching the movie were proven unfounded by the ending, and yet, my heart still broke. There was a profound sense of grief, that I am not even going to try and put into words. That shot of Kamal Haasan in the rain in the railway station- how does one move past it? Even though that's how I know it should have ended, since there is no other ethically ...

Seetha Mahalakshmi is, hands down, the most relatable character I have ever seen in cinema (Sridevi's Sathya from Kshana Kshanam comes a close second). There were so many moments, where I had to pause, because I knew that I would have done/said the EXACT same thing in the same/similar situation (or have already done). And all those shots of her reading... literally how I envision my best life. The beauty of this movie lies in how honest it is about its characters. Rarely in Indian cinema do we get such well-rounded characters, and also such accurate representations of crushing on someone. All of it was so simple, yet so fucking on point; it's no wonder that Godavari is considered a modern classic of Tollywood. Also, the cinematography is in itself amazing, but when you add the natural beauty of the Godavari river, gah. Just too beautiful and dreamy for words! Despite the existence of multiple sub-plots, the movie does a decent job of tying everything together. And also, ju...

#20YearsOfJosh was the reason why I finally got around to seeing this. I had of course, heard all the songs and loved them before; special mention to SRK's 'Apun Bola'- memorising its lyrics at a young age is the reason behind whatever swag I have right now.  Trigger warning though, for RATS. Ugh. I feel sick again. But apart from that, I loved watching it so much! It's pretty iconic, with SRK and Aishwarya being twins (!!!) and Chandrachur and Aishwarya being a couple. As a dear friend said, this is the kind of inclusivity we need in Bollywood. Also, SRK as a gang-leader is all I wanted in life. As another dear friend said, it should be illegal, but we are all thankful that it isn't. *duayein hands emoji* And, that bit with SRK and the rose. And the one where SRK dances in the moonlight. Argh. I guess one's days of being SRK trash are never truly over. That's the lesson I learnt from Josh . And Silsiilay (2005). And Dear Zindagi (2016). And all ...

Disclaimer: I only watched this movie because I have to prepare Virginia Woolf's  Mrs. Dalloway (1925) for an exam, and I didn't want to re-read it (I had already studied it in my undergrad). So I didn't really have too many expectations from it? However, my interest was piqued when I saw that the director was a lesbian, and I decided to finally go ahead with it last night. First of all, I would like to say: petition for books written by women to be adapted to cinema/tv by WOMEN DIRECTORS ONLY. Secondly, this was one of the few instances when I found the movie to be better than the book. Loads better, considering that I was unsure of how well the stream-of-consciousness narrative would translate on to the screen. However, that being said, I do think that to properly enjoy this movie, one needs to have read the source material first. The kiss between Clarissa and Sally was just perfect- it was everything my gay soul needed from a period drama setting. You know what I me...

So, I finished watching Gauri Shinde's Dear Zindagi for the second time today, and I came to the conclusion that I should probably go back to it at least once a year. It is such a simple (we shall come back to this later) yet moving story, highly relatable in parts, and of course the title song ('Love You Zindagi') tying the whole thing together beautifully. I can just appreciate this movie endlessly for attempting to normalise seeking professional help for mental health issues. Considering the kind of shit that pours out of Bollywood on this topic, and how it intensifies the already-existing stigma in society, Dear Zindagi is an actual trailblazer. I'm not saying that the movie is perfect- that is a futile aspiration anyway. I do wish it would have been edited more; the film drifts away a little bit in the two and a half hours, and I think that it would have been a better experience had it just been two hours. However, for the people who called it "too simplist...

Sonali Kulkarni is one of those under-appreciated women in Bollywood who should have appeared in way more movies than she did, and Sameera Reddy, well, she honestly should have appeared in far fewer movies than she did. But Sonali, damn. She was an electrifying presence all the time she was on screen; in every scene of hers, she was probably the most memorable. As for Sameera, no matter how good the scene she appeared in was, she ultimately ended up annoying me, and that feeling just increased as the movie progressed. Speaking of which, the movie is brilliantly paced- fast enough for that adrenaline rush, yet not so fast that you completely lose your brain trying to keep up. Also, I know it's yet another Bollywood remake of a Hollywood movie, but spare me the superiority complex. I'd take John Abraham (with the iconic long hair!) over human manifestation of a headache Ben Affleck any day. Plus, the songs are all bops, and still fresh after 13 years, and if that's not the...

I probably should have given this movie 3.5/5, but I just had to give an extra half star for Roshan Seth. So, 4/5 it is *cue Alex Turner* I want to start with my problems with the movie- firstly, I was so not a fan of Sarita Choudhury's acting here. She was fine at first, but as the movie progressed, her one-tone, one-pitch acting started to get on my nerves. I would have been a bigger fan of the love story between Mina (Sarita) and Demetrius (Denzel Washington) had it not been for her acting, honestly. Secondly, the ending seemed a little too simplistic to me. I don't want to give anything away, but I feel like it needed a little bit more nuance, considering how well structured everything had been before that. Okay, but that was about the Mina-Demetrius ending. I have ZERO complaints about the Jaybhai-Kinnu (Roshan Seth and Sharmila Tagore, respectively) ending. My respect for Mira Nair increased exponentially after Jaybhai's letter to Kinnu (NO SPOILERS) towards the ...

As a child, I was very fond of the Vikram Vetaal stories. I remember reading my book late into the night, and getting into one of my very first "philosophical train of thoughts". Also, I was reading wayyy past I was allowed to (for some reason, my parents frowned upon reading right before bed) in a dim lights (probably by a torch, or if it was winters, those old fashioned heaters) and that habit was carried on for a long time, and that is why, I got glasses for hypermetropia at the tender age of 16. Neeeeerrrd. So, when a friend told me about this modern, Tamil adaptation of the stories, I was immediately hooked. And honestly, the film didn't let me down, in context of the initial excitement. There was a scene where Vedha (Vijay Sethupathi) is sitting behind Vikram (Madhavan) in the car, and it is such a potent reminder of the Vikram Vetaal stories, that you inevitably know that the film is going to get much more dark and messy from this point onwards. I don't know...

TRIGGER WARNING- MENTIONS OF PAEDOPHILIA, RAPE, HONOUR KILLING AND CHILD RAPE Ah, how exciting. My first 2020 film! And it is indeed, 20/20. From the lush surroundings, to the always stannable Jyothika, Ponmagal Vandhal ticked off so many boxes for me, that I completely fail to understand why it has such a dismal rating on Letterboxd. I mean, this was the feminist filmy courtroom drama we deserved back in 2016, and not Pink . I'm sure people have their valid criticisms of Ponmagal Vandhal , but can we at least appreciate that Amitabh Bachhan was not the ultimate saviour here? And rejoice in that fact? It's 2020, and we certainly do not need men to "save" anyone- except for themselves, of course, and heaven knows that they are frankly incapable of doing even that. I'd read a while back that apparently Pink was going to be remade in Tamil, with Ajith reprising Amitabh's role. My only response to that is a fervent prayer that he tones it down several notches...

Oh, to be on the run from both police and an extremely insane criminal gang, with a handsome thief who protected you from goons in a random hotel, and adopted all your problems as his own... and to hear him sing like an angel as you try your best to fall asleep in the forest... and then, after all this is over, take him home to meet your mother in an instantaneous refusal and erasure of class boundaries... RGV was truly at his peak with this movie, and IT SHOWS. From the simple and amazing script, to the lovely cinematography, the evergreen music, and just the sheer breath-taking and scream-inducing aspect of the entire storyline, this one is a must, must watch. It's definitely on my list of 'movies i wish i'd seen first in the cinema hall', because even though watching it in my room was nice and all (especially for the afore-mentioned scream purposes), it would have been an entirely different experience watching it with other people, who were as hooked, as nail-bitey,...

Honestly, I was already prepared to love this movie, simply because it stars both Sadhana and Shashi Kapoor. Moreover, this is the only movie that they did together, so I was very excited to see this one anyway. But even with all this, I was still not prepared to find this movie as beautiful as I did. First of all, the storyline is excellent- typical Bollywood trope of miscommunications and switched identities. However, there's nothing over-the-top about the movie. No melodrama, no excessively intense emotions, and certainly no unnecessary fight sequences. Just a quiet passion that blooms as the story progresses, and makes you fall in love with the idea of love even more. There's also no "villainisation" of any character- even the characters who make mistakes are treated as humans, not reincarnations of the devil himself. After all, it's human to make mistakes, the movie seems to say- and to add to that lovely sentiment, it also says that it's human to apol...

Like I said before when I "reviewed" Humraaz (2002), no one does god-tier cinema like Abbas-Mustan. This was crazy from start to finish, and well, who would have it any other way? Akshaye Khanna, needless to say, is the best actor in this movie. I don't know how big a compliment that is, considering that this movie also stars luminaries like Katrina Kaif and Bipasha Basu. However, I must say that I'm having trouble removing Saif shouting "Run, Sonia!" from my memory, and if that is not the sign of a true artist, I don't know what is.  I would have called the soundtrack a "bop", but this morning I discovered that 2 of the most iconic songs are actually rip-offs of other songs. "Zara Zara Touch Me" (I want the dress Katrina is wearing tho) is a copy of Leehom Wang's "Deep Within a Bamboo Grove" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vzTAOttZec ); and "Pehli Nazar Mein" is lifted from the Korean song "Sar...