Immortal India by Amish Tripathi (Book Review- 4*/5) !!!

1614th BLOG POST -->>

Taking just the name “Amish Tripathi” is itself self-explanatory and makes you appreciate the revolution and surprise that he brought in the Indian publishing market with his Shiva Trilogy which is still talked as if it got released last week. After publishing 5 fictional mythology books, Amish Tripathi has come out with his first non-fiction work named “Immortal India” which is a short read of less than 200 pages that can be read in a single sitting of less than 6 hours itself. I have been reading Amish Tripathi’s articles as published since his arrival in Indian book industry hence I know his non-fiction writing capabilities and the book wasn’t much a surprise to me. But for the folks who have read only his fiction books will enjoy reading this book by him and appreciate it as much as his fiction books.

Amish Tripathi has shared his newspaper articles, magazine pieces and several speeches that he delivered at best conclaves, debates and public appearances. The best part about all these articles is his straight-forwardness about the issues. Amish Tripathi does not shy away from speaking his mind irrespective of what religion he follows, which political party he endorses and whatever ideologies he believes in.

The book starts with the section- Religion & Mythology in which my favorite articles are about why the author adores Lord Shiva among all the Gods, The Purpose of God, Recasting mythology and the alternate ending of the Shiva trilogy. The next section is about the social issues our country is facing as of now where author has very rightly narrated about how LGBT issue is never said to be criminal in any of our scriptures. Another impactful chapter is about how religious conversion is negative and never churns anything productive out of it. Almost every chapter in this section is unbeatable and the choice of putting them in the book is commendable. The data shared regarding the difference between our country and others tell us about how great we really are and how wrongly we are projected in newspapers.

The section about history is something for which I would like to personally thank Amish Tripathi. He discusses those topics that people aren’t aware about even a bit. The best information for me has been the chapter State vs Centre where author discusses how the decentralized powers are better than a centralized arrangement. And the last section- Musings is the best closure to this non-fictional attempt which brings the readers closer to their favorite author. Overall, this is a wonderful attempt and I would wish to read many more non-fictional works from the author. Amish have stamped his mark even in this genre too. I give this book 4* out of 5. I am not giving it more because the articles are already on the public forum and hence something distinct was also expected from the book. Recommended!

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!! 

Review: Behen Hogi Teri: A Superb Plot Wasted! **

1613th BLOG POST -->>

“Behen Hogi Teri” is one movie that talked volume through its trailer itself. It had a very promising plot which raised much expectation from the audience in me. The movie starts off well but gets dwindled in the middle itself after the director has finished using all the dialogues and scenes based on the theme where all the girls of your society are termed as your sister from childhood itself. It is funny how the hero of the movie, Rajkummar Rao, is referred as brother of the heroine of the movie throughout and the face that he makes just after it makes you giggle each time. But the plot is stretched too far later on which starts irritating you after some time.

The first half is still delighting to watch whereas second half is about the goof-ups that happens as Gattu, the protagonist of the movie, spreads lies to save him from disaster of letting his and girl’s parents know about their love affair. The dialogues of the movies are brilliant for most of the times and make you relate with it as that is how almost every Indian society act. The movie could have been a laugh-riot but it is just a timepass movie which you can watch after finishing off your whole collection.

The songs are okay. Talking about the performances, Rajkummar Rao is the only player here whom you will remember after the movie rest everyone is forgettable. Shruti Hassan is such a miscast that even though I like her looks I didn’t want her to speak a single sentence as it ruined the essence of the movie each time. Rest all the performances are okay. I give this movie just 2 star out of 5 for being average and not playing to its fullest irrespective of touching a great plot which could have made this movie one of the most popular comedy movie of contemporary times.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!! 

Review: Baadshaho: Unimpressive & Disappointing! **½

1612th BLOG POST -->>

When you see a trailer of a movie like Baadshaho having so many names attached to it like Ajay Devgann, Emraan Hashmi, Ileana D’Cruz, Esha Gupta, Sanjay Mishra and Vidyut, you do not wait for reviews but want to experience it in theater. Above it, after you see the song promo of Rashq-e-Qamar, there is nothing for which you seek validation to watch this movie. You just go.  Watching Baadshaho on the big screen is the only ways to enjoy it if in any case you end up enjoying it otherwise never ever try watching it on television. Baadshaho is one of the movies which must have looked great on script but when it is converted into visuals, it ends up losing its sheen. Not every movie gets transformed as Baahubali or Dangal.

The initial parts of the movie are interesting where the characters are being introduced and story is revealed. But the moment all of them get introduced and their introductory dialogues get over; they are unable to produce the same magic in the plot again. Even Ajay Devgann couldn’t display his best and ends up being effective only in some scenes. Emraan Hashmi tries to deliver and he is satisfactory up to some level. Ileana D’Cruz is perfect and looks stunning on screen. You just want to keep watching her without even a blink. Vidyut is powerful in his role and does whatever he could have in his screen time. Sanjay Mishra has some of the best comedy dialogues and he is also okay in the movie. Esha Gupta is just there to fill up another female spot to maintain some equilibrium. Sunny Leone’s item song is forgettable.

The movie becomes boring once the truck comes in the hand of Ajay Devgann and Emraan Hashmi and you can predict each and every twist and turns right after the current scene itself and hence movie is not able to surprise you as it should have. The thriller didn’t shock the audience even for a single second which is why Baadshaho fails to achieve what it targeted. Some of the dialogues are great which is Milan Lutharia’s movies’ specialty. The songs aren’t catchy except the Rashq-e-Qamar. The climax is very badly executed which takes away whatever momentum the movie had. A movie with such high promises cannot afford such a climax execution. I give this movie just 2.5 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA – VEERU!!! 

Review: Shubh Mangal Saavdhan: Topic handled sensibly! ***½

1611th BLOG POST -->>

When was the last time you heard a Bollywood movie being made about something related to sex and didn’t end up becoming a vulgar stuff or pure crass? Can’t remember, right? Well, I don’t remember a single movie except Vicky Donor where a subject has been treated with maturity and sense. After coming out of “Shubh Mangal Saavdhan” which is based upon the erectile dysfunction referred as gent’s problem in the movie, I felt so good about the way in which the movie has been made making you, as viewer, proud of the fact that such a subject has been treated so respectfully and sympathetically.

The movie starts with how the boy is behind this girl who finally agrees to marry him. The parents also get involved and the love marriage is turned into arranged very appropriately. Just before few days of marriage, the girl finds about the erectile dysfunction problem with the boy and becomes serious about the issue. She wants him to get it treated while he is also wanting to do the same but finds it challenging as he feels that girl is compromising at her end and the families aren’t supporting him the way he wished they would. This plot has been so convincingly dealt with that I felt after completing the movie that I could have watched it so easily with my parents. If that’s what the director and dialogue writers have been able to do, then the movie has won somewhere.

Another great part of the movie is the conversation between the mother and the daughter. The kind of frank conversations shown in the movie between both the characters tells us a lot about the modern India where such stuffs can be shared so friendly between parents and daughter/son. Seema Pahwa, in the role of the frank mother, has hit a century in this movie. SMS would have been incomplete without her for sure. The climax isn’t treated nicely which makes you feel dissatisfactory in the end. If only climax would have been closed down with the same effectiveness, this movie could have become an unforgettable movie of the contemporary cinema. Ayushmann Khurana has performed very well flawlessly. Bhumi Pednekar has acted in the same natural way as she does. All the other actors in the movie are terrific. Special mention to Brijendra Kala in the end! He is also hilarious in the movie. I give this movie 3.5 star out of 5. It is a laugh-riot.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!! 

Review: Babumoshai Bandookbaaz: A movie for Nawaz's fans! ***½

1610th BLOG POST -->>

Lately, I have started enjoying Nawazuddin Siddique’s acting more than before just for the reason that I know the time might change sooner and he would stop getting the kind of roles he is getting today. This is what he does the best- Killing people with humour and this is why I loved watching his latest presence on Box Office with Babumoshai Bandookbaaz. In this movie, he is the main hero and does everything to carry the movie well on his shoulders just like GOW Part 2. He manages to make us feel weird about him. He makes us feel unhygienic watching his lifestyle. He makes us laugh and giggle at his cheap, vulgar and indecent jokes and one-liner. He, in spite of being a wrong guy, makes us vouch for him and support him till the end. This is enough for me to enjoy a Nawazuddin’s movie.

The confidence that he delivers through his body language gives the script a boost and makes you follow the movie more passionately. The presence of another actor, Jatin, also boosts the level of the movie as he does a good work and as a character, gives Nawaz’s character more challenges. The movie is about how both of these guys get killing contracts almost for the same people and they end up playing a game of who will kill the 2 out of 3 before and make the other person leave the killing field forever. But the story takes a slight turn when the character of Bankey Bihari meets the girlfriend/wife of Babu Bihari and gets attracted towards her. The similar fire strikes at the other end too. Babu Bihari delivers greatly even in that particular scene itself when he tests the loyalty of both the characters.

The killing scenes are nicely shot and make you enjoy them. The one-liners and dialogues are amazing. The political background of the movie also makes the whole casting suitable for the movie. Though the movie lacks depth as it belongs in the genre in which we have already watched some amazing stuffs in last few years but still the suspense revelation in the end makes you leave theater with smiles. The background music of the movie is nicely synched with the scenes. The songs are amazing. Talking about the actresses, both of them have performed very well and shines irrespective of strong male actors opposite them. Overall, I would recommend this movie to every Nawaz’s fan. I give this movie 3.5 star out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!! 

Review: A Gentleman: Hit and Miss stuff! ***

1609th BLOG POST -->>

I prefer Varun Dhawan’s over-acting than Siddharth Malhotra’s under-acting any day. I have never understood how girls find Siddharth so handsome and deserving that they go and watch every movie of his. Anyways, I watched his latest flick, A Gentleman, which comes with a tagline “Sundar, Sushil aur Risky”. This movie is kind-of convincing and bearable as it tries to show the same Bollywood stuff in a different way. The fresh treatment to the old concept is what makes A Gentleman little different from the other movies based on the concept of double role.

There are two Siddharths in the movie in the respective characters of Gaurav and Rishi. One of them is nicely settled in a corporate job with al the checklists accomplished to be called a perfect husband material while the other one is a killer who works for a badman and never fails to kick the asses assigned to him as tasks. Haha! The final revelation of this double role is disclosed in the interval itself making the audience ask for more in the second half which makes the job of the directors, Raj and DK, more tougher which is the ultimate reason why this movie is not as best as it could have been. The first half is very nicely handled with the parallel scenes of both the characters shown. It also had songs, dance, romance, comedy etc. to make it a perfect entertainer.

But after the revelation of the secret in the midst of the movie, the second half is more about the same Bollywood stuff when it comes to action movies: cracking some big building with high level of security to get something that can change the course. The action scenes aren’t something to die for but they are still satisfactory. Talking about the performances, Siddharth Malhotra seems to have improved his acting skills. He is convincing in both the characters. Jacqueline Fernandez is nicely cast opposite him who makes the screen glitter with her presence. Suniel Shetty is doing what he did in Main Hoon Na with different accent here. Darshan is also nice as villain. Dialogues are okay. Overall, this is an okay film. I give it 3 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!! 

Review: Trapped: Loved being trapped in this movie! ****

1608th BLOG POST -->>

I used to hear my parents talk about some old classic movies which are shot for the whole 2 hours and more within a closed room or traditional haveli. As my interest is not much in watching the old movies again, I got such an experience for the first time while watching Bheja Fry and it was such a laugh-riot. And today I experienced the same concept in a recently released “Trapped” starring Rajkummar Rao. I don’t think this movie is ever going to be forgotten by me. What an impact it has left behind! The Director, Vikramaditya Motwane, does a terrific job and leaves you thinking about what you would do in such a situation.

The simple plot and the limitations that it had never looks like a challenge for the film-makers as an audience as they have treated it so well for 100 minutes that you never feel bored or find anything repetitive. The angst and helplessness still a hope in the eyes and body language of the actor makes you vouch for him and you feel so much pained just looking at each frame that the movie becomes part of your soul after few minutes itself. The movie shows how a boy gets trapped in a flat at 35^th floor in a busy city like Mumbai yet there is no one to notice him for a week and how he keeps on putting efforts in every possible way to get out of the room.

The best part is that the filmmakers didn’t make anything look funny and illogical. Every attempt by the protagonist to break down the barriers and free himself looks genuine and you support him as if it’s some sports and your favorite team is in the finale. The movie makes you understand the value of everything that you have in life and small liberties that you have which you never realize or appreciate. The feeling throughout the movie and after the climax is why this movie is a modern-time classic. Rajkummar Rao makes his ordinary personality his power and plays this part so flawlessly that you can feel every emotion of his. This is one of the best performances in the recent times. The direction is the winner here. Treating such a subject so convincingly needs utmost talent. I give this movie 4 star out of 5. Recommended!

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!