Recent Reviews by Bharathi Pradhan
Lehren.com
Bharathi Pradhan is a Columnist, Critic & Author with over 50 years of experience. She currently reviews English & Hindi films for Lehren.com and is a Sunday columnist with The Telegraph.
Films reviewed on this Page
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3
Do Patti
Jigra
Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video
Manvat Murders
The Signature
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3
Meandering Before Surprising
Watch it for Kartik Aaryan, Madhuri Dixit, Vidya Balan and for the inclusive twist at the end.
Sometimes, a film takes off with an unpredictably thoughtful ending. The beginning and the middle get written to lead up to it. Director Anees Bazmee and writer Aakash Kaushik seem to have had an unexpected climax in mind before they sat down to take the audience through a maze, keeping alive the question, “Who’s Manjulika?” With the return of Vidya Balan (Mallika) to the franchise, the entry of Madhuri Dixit (Mandira) and the tussle between them, the guessing game goes on.
Read all 12 reviews of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 here
Do Patti
Important, Inconvenient Conversations
Is domestic abuse a hush-hush family matter or a crime against society?
Is domestic abuse a hush-hush family matter or a crime against society? Is a judge who goes by the word of law (and evidence) dispensing true justice or is a lawyer who looks at the spirit of the law more inclined towards social good?
Read all 17 reviews of Do Patti here
Jigra
Gumrah Goes Feminist
An attempt to create a touching story about a sister who fights for her brother. Their journey to come back together tests their relationship, values, and inner strength. Who wouldn't go to great lengths to protect what they love?
Perhaps Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt and director Vasan Bala, who co-writes with Debashish Irengbam, hope that nobody remembers Gumrah (1993), the Sanjay Dutt-Sridevi starrer which Mahesh Bhatt directed for Dharma Productions’ founder Yash Johar. In 1993, it was a besotted Sanjay Dutt who’d helped Sridevi break out of a Bangkok prison where she faced a death sentence after being framed by her boyfriend for drug trafficking. Bhatt had helped himself to the theme from the 1989 TV series Bangkok Hilton where an estranged father helps his daughter break out of a Bangkok prison in similar circumstances as Sridevi in Gumrah.
Read all 18 reviews of Jigra here
Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video
Chor Bizarre
A newly married couple faces a crisis when their private video CD goes missing, jeopardizing their relationship and reputation. The narrative tracks their frantic and tumultuous quest to retrieve the CD, filled with unexpected challenges and surprises at every turn.
The promo promised entertainment around the missing CD of a video shot by a couple on its first night. Written and directed by Raaj Shaandilyaa, the promo stirred a strong pre-release buzz. The sense of fun does spill into the first few scenes as glib-talking mehndiwala Vicky (Rajkummar Rao) stages a scene at the engagement of his girlfriend Vidya (Triptii Dimri). It ends the way Vicky and Vidya had planned it with her lawyer-fiancé walking off in a huff and the man who applied mehndi at functions, stepping in to marry his girl.
Read all 9 reviews of Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video here
Manvat Murders
Women & Crime — Raw, Real & Ruthless
In 1972, seven women were brutally killed in Manvat, shocking the entire country. The local police were unable to solve the case, so Special Crime Branch officer Ramakant Kulkarni stepped in to find out what really happened and reveal the hidden motives behind the murders.
The ritualistic Manwat Murders which brutally claimed the lives of innocent children and women and shook Maharashtra in the 70s, does it again. Amol Palekar had already put it effectively on screen in Akriet (1981).
Read all 3 reviews of Manvat Murders here
The Signature
To Pull the Plug Or Not
After his wife Madhu falls into a coma and is placed on life support, Arvind's world collapses. Can he save his wife and hope for a future together, or will circumstances hold him back?
It is a poignant dilemma familiar to most families. When a loved one is on life support, and prolonging it is unaffordable, can you bring yourself to sign the Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) form? For retired librarian Arvind Pathak (Anupam Kher), it is unthinkable. It’s easier for his pragmatic son (Kevin Gandhi) and daughter (Sangeeta Jain) who have their own lives to lead.