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Reviews
First Second Chance (2022)
Simple & Engaging Story!
This short film has been on my wishlist since I have seen its poster on LinkedIn. I finally took some time out to watch it on Youtube and it met my expectation. A beautiful story that conveys a strong message. This short film primarily revolves around two old-aged persons finding happiness and giving second chance to their respective lives after losing their families. Honestly, a lot has been said about this topic and been documented through films and short films but I believe it's always a director's vision that makes every story look different.
I have always believed that women writers & directors have always something different to present - a different perspective, a fresh concept, and a more realistic approach. Lakshmi R Iyer who directed this movie and contributed to the screenplay deserves an appreciation for presenting very well-crafted scenes.
With a simple story, an engrossing screenplay, dot direction, soft music, and, wonderful performances - this short film is going to stay with me forever. I want to write about each of its scenes in detail but will leave it for you guys to watch and appreciate.
Also, shoutout to Streetsmart Productions who's been producing amazing content lately.
Anwar (2007)
Ahead of its time!
Released in 2007, this film was ahead of its time. Manish Jha, as a story writer & director tried to convey such an important message with this story that rarely anyone noticed.
There's a popular misconception about this film that it shows the contrast between the Hindu & Muslim community but I don't think so. Though the structure/theme is set around the political tension between two communities over the years, the subtext is clearly about love. It's only about love. This film tries to explain the metaphor of love from different individuals' perspectives. How each character is connected with love.
The subtext of the film is - Everyone has so much love in their hearts to offer, but they need someone who understands it, who listens, who really want to be loved.
The visuals are stunning and the dialogues are thought-provoking. The dialogues demand you to think about your beliefs. Manish Jha surely needs to be appreciated for the concept & showing it in the kindest possible way taking a route of satire, humor & romance.
We might not have realized it while watching it then but everyone needs to watch this film again. Though the film lacks technical aspects, I believe all we need is an eye to appreciate good concepts.
Mumbai Diaries (2021)
What have you made? Roller Coaster Ride of Emotions!
Where do I start from? From the script, screenplay, characters, perfromances to cinematography & direction, this series is a treat to watch. 26/11 was the worst nightmare for the whole country, especially for the Mumbaikars and no one could ever relate to this series than the family who had gone through the terror at that time. But if you're not from Mumbai and still watching it and could feel like everything is happening right in fornt of you, If this series convinces you that you are standiing right at the middle of the chaos, then yes, the team of Mumbai Diaries 26/11 has successfully managed to rule your heart!
There have been a lot of series & films made on 26/11 documenting the black day filled full of blood, fear, anger, terror & what not but this is the 1st time someone showed us the face of the real heros, the frontline workers - healthcare workers, & the police. Ofcourse, how could we miss the most important sector due to which everything had became complex in reel as well as in real - the media. Choosing this concept, the makers had already occupied my mind & had convinced me to watch this and it was totally worth it
Though it was about the people of the city, but what made it more beautiful and relatable are the small stories of the individuals and how it has been connected to the story. The series surely promotes brotherhood & humanity while keeping the facts intact. It showed the poor system of governement hospitals which we all would agree. How much I wish to have more selfless doctors like Dr. Kaushik Oberoi and its residents who could deal with the poor health sectors.
The makers have put all the talented artist under a roof just to bring out the best ever output and no doubt they did justice to it. Mohit Raina, Konkona, Natasha, Shreya, Indraneel and all the supporting cast will definetely make you beleive in their characters. Casting Shreya again as a media journalist was a smart move though it has already been made clear that her role would not be shown in a positive way. I wish they coluld have given her the role of another character but I have to agree, she was as cunning as the way she was shown in Scam 1992.
Taking about how they have shot it while keeping the color pallate according to the mood. The yellow & blue highlights have been used throughout the scenes depictinng the atmosphere & moods of the environment. The framings were sharp. Great job done by the DOP & editors.
Also, I can see a lot of hatred in the review section just because of the one scene where the maker has given a reality check that hindu religion is also a religion that had promoted religional riots. We are all aware of what happened in 1984 anti-sikh riot, what the hindu community did to the people of sikh community. If a writer is stating facts, it would have been a sign of a maturity if the audience had accpeted it.
The climax was emotional. No, there was not any emotionally perceived scene where people are crying. The climax is about the relief that you'll see on the characters face. The morning after a terrified night is a sign of relief & a road of recovery. This would surely make you cry.
Nikhil Advani's move to show the terror of 26/11 & how it mostly impacted the lives of healthline workers emotionally and professionally wants me to write more about it. But all I could write is,
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Jeena Yahan, Zara Hatke, Zara Bachke, Ye Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan.
Hero (2015)
Family Entertainer Film!
Hero is a pure 'entertaining' commercial film. It has all the necessary Tadkas a typical Bollywood is known for. This film has action, dance, romance, drama & humor. How can we forget the beautifully composed melodies & the background score? Music composer Amaal Malik has created songs like Main Hoon Hero Tera & O Khuda that are still refreshing after so many years. The super talented supporting cast like Tigmanshu, Sharad, Anita, Vivan, Aditya Pancholi have done their best. Sooraj's seems to be a promising actor. Both Athiya & Sooraj are fabulous dancers. Just felt that Athiya could have done better if she had given better dialogues since it was her debut movie so, no complaints. The plot of the film is amazing. The storyline has been written in a contemporary style of the old Hero movie with the right punches. Also, the cinematography of the film is really a treat to watch on big screens.
Overall, it's definitely a family entertainer commercial film.