Member Reviews

After Shivaji’s death, his son Sambhaji inherits the Maratha kingdom, facing threats from the Mughals, led by Aurangzeb, and internal conspiracies. While trying to uphold his father’s legacy and defending Swarajya (self-rule) against overwhelming odds, the film captures glimpses of his political mettle, military campaigns, and personal relationships, Performances Vicky Kaushal, in a high-pitched role as Maratha king Sambhaji, unleashes his complete range as a performer – striking a balance between action, romance and loud dialoguebaazi – with grace. It is, without doubt, a career-defining performance for the star. He is perfectly complemented by Rashmika Mandanna, who steps into the shoes of a resilient Maratha queen with poise and elegance. If there’s an emotion that encapsulates Chhaava as a film- it is anger. The men, the Marathas and the Mughals are hungry for power and vengeance alternatively. Chattrapati Shivaji has breathed his last after a prolonged illness and Aurangzeb calls for a celebration to signal the fall of the Maratha empire. The stage is set for his son Sambhaji to take charge of the kingdom at a vulnerable time.

In Anbe Sivam, Madhavan’s Anbarasu, who coerces his friend Sivam, to become his brother figure of sorts, says, “Idhenna kaadhala, asingama sollitte irukkardhukku… (This isn’t love. Why should we keep on announcing it to the world?)” It was a poignant scene about the importance of understanding love without putting it in words. But it was also a reminder that love for one another has to be expressed repeatedly. Why? It is not to just create a sense of acknowledgement about the relationship. It is also to create an example for many others who might think their love isn’t right, or they are not destined for love, or they are not deserving of love. That is why all kinds of love need to be showcased for all to see. And that is why Jayaprakash Radhakrishnan’s Kadhal Enbadhu Podhu Udamai is an important film in Tamil cinema.

The hero of Laila is called Sonu Model (Vishwak Sen). He is a salon owner, and a specialist in women’s makeup. He is said to be the to-go stylist for every woman in that neighbourhood, but the salon is tacky to a fault. And he is unnecessarily confusing his ‘Mass ka Das’ persona with the character of Sonu, and being a walking talking annoyance. We’ll get back to him in a while. The heroine of Laila is called Jenny. She is a physical trainer in a gym. She also takes classes in public parks. She only wears tight-fitting clothes, and it is par for the course considering her profession. The makers want to only feature her in certain frames, and certain close-ups to appeal to us, the common people whose only reason to watch films is to satiate our depravity. What? You never asked for it? And yet, they are doing it in the garb of appealing to mass audience. We’ll get back to her in a while.

Brahma Anandam presents an intriguing premise — real-life father and son, Brahmanandam and Raja Goutham, portraying an estranged grandfather-grandson duo named after the legendary comedian. Director RVS Nikhil builds on this quirky concept but overcomplicates it with excessive subplots, ultimately diluting its impact. Brahma is a rare protagonist who can laugh at himself. Once a celebrated child artist, he struggles to evolve into a skilled theatre actor, finding little success. His fractured family dynamics, unresolved grief over losing his father, and his lack of commitment to his girlfriend, Tara, add to his emotional turmoil. His only constants are his cousin Raasi and childhood friend Giri, grounding him in an otherwise chaotic world. When a promising career opportunity knocks, Brahma rekindles his relationship with his estranged grandfather, Ananda Rammurthy. As the story shifts from the city to a sleepy hamlet, hidden agendas unravel, and chaos ensues. The director, however, takes too long to get to the point, stalling with unnecessary detours to conceal a predictable plot twist.

An extroverted heroine with an inclination to cuss with abandon and the ability to talk nineteen (hundred) to the dozen. A docile hero, the exact opposite of her. And the pair caught up in chaos during the course of one night. This could well be the first hour of Jab We Met. But the dark and quiet galiyaan of Ratlam have given way to the cacophonic roads of Mumbai. The pair here — unlike Geet and Aditya in Imtiaz Ali’s romantic comedy for the ages — are married. This is Dhoom Dhaam. The title is a smart play on the festivities associated with a wedding. After all, ‘dhoom dhoom se shaadi karenge’ is as old as Bollywood itself. But in Dhoom Dhoom, now playing on Netflix, ‘dhoom dhaam’ alludes to the fireworks that follow. What can be more deadly than marriage? Well, a bride and groom on the run on their wedding night, pursued by a gang of goons who are convinced that the newly-married couple are in possession of a key piece of incriminating evidence. Except that they aren’t.

The law of averages — that a brilliant father rarely gives way to an equally illustrious son — was turned on its head as early as the 17th century when Sambhaji took over the reigns of the Maratha empire from his father, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj’s depiction in history — despite tales of his unwavering valour — are unfortunately sketchy. Even the name by which he was referred to — ‘Chhaava’ aka ’lion’s cub’ — is more of a nod to Shivaji’s larger-than-life courage and persona. To cite an almost as-good-as-it-gets allusion, it refers more to Mufasa than it does to Simba. Hence, the unsung story of Sambhaji, and his relentless fight against the Mughals, led by the tyrannical Aurangzeb, needed to be documented. Chhaava does that, with its source material being the eponymously named historical novel by Shivaji Sawant. Which brings us to the tricky question of how much of Chhaava — the book, and by logical extension, the film — is fact and how much of it is exaggerated fact? We will, perhaps, never know.

Kadhal Enbathu Podhuvudamai is a film about the upper limit of a modern family’s progressiveness. For Sam (Lijomol Jose), it comes as a shocker that her parents aren’t the rational beings they seem to take pride in. Their facade of being a modern couple crumbles down when she reveals that her lover is a woman. Director Jayaprakash Radhakrishnan manages to pack in a lot of questions and answers about acceptance in a matter of 102 minutes, with a gripping tale that doesn’t let you meander much. The success of this character-driven film is due to its focus on the conflict and not pretending to be anything other than what it is. The film follows the events of a day at Lakshmi’s (Rohini) household. Lakshmi is excited as her daughter’s lover is expected for lunch. She is also annoyed by the absence of her maid Mary (Deepa), who we are shown to be dealing with an abusive son-in-law at a police station. Lakshmi’s excitement knows no bounds as she is ready with gifts for her to-be son-in-law. However, Sam is petrified as her lover is Nandini (Anusha Prabhu), a woman. We are kept on the edge for almost all of the first half of the film as the ice doesn’t break. Nandini comes with a male friend and Lakshmi takes him for the lover of her daughter. When the cat finally gets out of the bag, Lakshmi flips, revealing her ugly side. What ensues is an interesting conversational drama that makes a case for queer love.

यह जेन ज़ी की फिल्म है। जेन ज़ी बोले तो 21वीं सदी के पहले दशक में जन्मी वह पीढ़ी जिसने पैदा होते ही मोबाइल देखा और इस यंत्र को इस कदर अपना लिया कि अपने दोस्तों, परिवार वालों से ज़्यादा यारी इससे कर ली। इस यंत्र में इन्होंने इतना कुछ भर लिया कि उसे अपनों से ही छुपाने की नौबत आ गई और यही कारण है कि इस जेनरेशन का शायद ही कोई शख्स होगा जिसके मोबाइल में ताला न लगा हो। यह फिल्म उसी ताले के पीछे छुपे राज़ सामने लाकर इस पीढ़ी के रिश्तों के खोखलेपन का दीदार कराती है। बानी और गौरव आपस में प्यार करते हैं। बानी के पिता इन दोनों के सामने शर्त रखते हैं कि तुम दोनों एक दिन के लिए अपने-अपने मोबाइल फोन एक-दूसरे को दे दो। इसके बाद इनके जो राज़ खुलने लगते हैं उससे इनके रिश्ते की दरारों के साथ-साथ इनकी और इनके आसपास के लोगों की ज़िंदगियों का खोखलापन भी दिखने लगता है।