#Bollywood Movies Reviews

[azul-nova-24]

Watch this movie Y'all!!!

Alright, Knives Out lovers and dark comedy fanatics, I am begging you to watch Bloody Beggar (2024) — a Tamil Bollywood masterpiece that is just waiting to be your next obsession. Think Knives Out, but way more twisted.

Instead of the family fighting over inheritance with a nurse as the pawn, here, a family goes to insane lengths to murder a beggar pretending to be their long-lost illegitimate son, claiming his piece of the fortune. And here's the jaw-dropper: the real illegitimate son? He's already dead... and now he's a ghost, guiding the beggar as he tries to escape the deadly grasp of the family.

This film isn’t just a wild ride, it's a deep dive into class war, how money can corrupt, how family can turn into enemies, and how greed twists the minds of even the closest relatives. It's dark, it's shocking, and it’ll keep you on the edge of your seat, questioning who you can really trust when inheritance is on the line.

If you think Knives Out was wild, wait until you see this. Trust me, you do not want to miss it.

[alaska-16]

The thing I like about Laapaata Ladies is about the girl, Phool, yeah that even though Dadi said Phool that your husband will not come, he left you, he took all your money, your jewellery, why would he return to you? And, you know, seeing Dadi doing it for herself and her husband left her and she's doing it all alone, you know. But Phool always, even after she got that money from Dadi, she said that I will do something, unke kaam me hath bataungi she will help her husband. So, the thing is, that even when the surroundings were all negative about her husband returning, she hoped that he will return. She knew that he will return, that he's finding her, she believed him, she had trust in him. Like in arranged marriages, how?, you don't know right, that she is out there and he took all her jewellery and and it's an arranged marriage, typical arranged marriage in that setting. All these things used to happen in that time that the guy will leave her, but she had trust in him, all because he was actually finding her, he was actually praying for her return, he started loving her when he said, ki English, full English mein bol ke dikhau and he said, I love you. He actually meant it. He was praying for Phool's return. That's why the faith and trust in Phool for her husband never died. And I love this.

[unpredictable-easty]

Stree 2 From Feminine Gaze

Bollywood has always been known for its Masala movies. Though there has been a slight turn towards more serious topics these past few years, it is refreshing when one of these entertaining, silly, music-filled movies makes a presence in front of us. 

As a person who likes to dissect a show or movie scene by scene, Stree 2 is a good study. Though it can be classified as another Bollywood masala with a mix of horror thrown in for good measure, there are factors to it that my feminine gaze has caught, scenes that perhaps, if we delve deep into it, would show the societal position of women.

I am sure I would have missed a lot more things than I caught but I would still like to put focus on the scenes that have caught my attention.

Scene 1: In the beginning of the movie we listen to the conversation between the characters where they talk about how women have been leaving their small town for better opportunities. Though at first I thought it was normal but when we delve further in the movie, we find out that the women they are talking about, have supposedly left the town without informing anyone about their intention, they disappeared overnight and nobody heard from them after that.

This scene rankled me. It also shows a significant truth about society. Girls with ‘modern thinking’ somehow become this other creature in our society. They somehow become the enemy of society and their life or well-being becomes an unnecessary thing. So many girls disappeared in the middle of the night and the only conclusion drawn was that they left themselves, without any investigation or even a try at contacting them. 

This problem, when considered for longer, can show why crimes against ‘modern women’ may be dismissed so easily, as if they were not done against a living breathing human.

Scene 2: The scene when they get to know only women with ‘modern thinking’ are getting kidnapped and all the household ladies argue that they would be safe from the monster because they are not modern. 

Pankaj Tripathi points out that if women had social media if they were educated or they went out, all these things also make them modern.

This argument brings out the age-old situation of women themselves not realizing how they have benefited from feminism. Every generation there will be women who will scoff at feminists fighting for rights and they will not realize that whatever freedom they have at the moment came from feminists before their generation. And thus the cycle continues.

Scene 3: The biggest thing to watch for and observe is the way the monster ends up controlling the male population’s mind and makes them revert back to the thinking that is centuries old. 

Here’s a comparison to be made, in the first movie we can see that Stree haunts the village, that she takes away men in dark, she calls their names and if they turn, she takes them. At no point in time is there a difference in men’s societal position, no women tell them to stay in their home the whole day or lessen their importance in their household. While the first thing done to women when the monster controls their minds is just that, control over women in every aspect of their life.

 We can’t blame the male population over it of course but it's the symbolism of it all. One can always argue that the monster was created in that way but we have to remember that what happened in the movie reflects the real life that so many women still live.

It also reflects how women's freedom eventually ends up being an illusion and how it can be taken from them if they don't constantly fight for it.

There is another incident that made me laugh a lot. When JD says to Varun Dhawan, ‘You’re a werewolf, don’t behave like an Animal.’ I don’t think it will take a genius to guess what this was in reference to.

At the end, I would just like to say that this movie not only proved itself entertaining but it’s subtle nuances make it clear that the writers, directors, and the whole production team put a lot of brains behind its planning and making sure that there were a lot of messages that should not be missed. Perhaps if we had more movies like this, the old spirit of Bollywood would be back and we could be entertained while being aware of the social spirit that art should always carry.

[rrcraft-and-lore]

Monkey Man and why I loved the heck out of it

At it's core, it's a Bollywood flick presented to the West with familiar nods to previous action films - I definitely picked up hints of Tony Jaa's influence on Asian action flicks throughout.

It's heavily focused on police corruption, something commented a lot about in India, and here, more importantly, Indian films. Just like America has its love affair with mobster flicks, Bollywood has a long history featuring films that showcase police corruption, sometimes tied into political extremism, fanatical or greedy religious leaders, and Monkey Man comments on all this as well and pays nods to that commonality. We've got televangelists and religious leaders in the states funnelling money, preaching prosperity gospel, and using it to influence politics and fund lavish lifestyles here.

Monkey Man shows this happening in India, and is filled with Indian culture and symbolism through out. The focus on Hanuman, the god and one worshiped by the strong, chaste, wrestlers, champions, and fighters. It's a common thing to have a household deity if you will. Some families might choose to focus worship on Ganesh, others Hanuman, some might do Mata Rani or Lakshmi. Here, it's the divine Vanara (monkey people race) - one of the Chiranjivi - immortals/forever-lived.

Hanuman. Themes of rebirth, common in South Asian history and mythology are present from Kid being a ringer, beat up fighter getting whooped for money to being reborn and facing his trauma through a ritual/meditate process that I don't want to get too much into to not spoil the movie. Post that, he begins his own self alchemy to really become the true Monkey Man. Nods to Ramayama, and an unapologetically Indian story featuring dialogues throughout in Hindi - don't worry, there are subtitles.

And of course a love for action flicks before it, all the way back to Bruce Lee. A beautiful use tbh of an autorickshaw (and you might know them as tuk-tuks in Thailand) which are popular in India with an added kick...I swear, that thing had to be modified with a hayabusa motor. Which is an actual thing people do - modding those dinky rickshaws with motorcycle engines, and considering they weigh nothing at all, they can REALLY FLY once you do that.

Monkey Man brings to the big screen other elements of India people might not know about, such as the gender non conforming and trans community that has a long history in India, presenting them as action stars as they go up against a system of corrupt elites oppressing part of the city, marginalized communities, and minority voices as depicted in the film. I'm not sure if people are going to get all of that without having the context, but I love that it does it without holding anyone's hands.

It's a fun action flick to see in the age of superhero films, and I say that as an obvious superhero/sff nerd. Also loved that Dev included a little bit about Hanuman's own story in the film, and the loss of his powers - almost mirrored by Kid's own loss of self/skills, strength until he confronts his trauma and is reborn, and in fact, remade (not necessarily the same). Also, the use of music was brilliant, including one scene with a tabla (the paired hand drums of south asia) - and Indian music is central to Indian stories.

This is a culture with evidence going back to the Paleolithic with cave murals showing art of Indian dance nearly 30,000 years ago. Yeah, that far back. As well as Mesolithic period art depicting musical instruments such as gongs, lyres, and more.

Indian music is some of the earliest we can find that has high developed beat and rhythm structures such as 5, 7, 9 and now the extremely common and known 4/4 and 3/4 - which so much of Western music is built upon. The foundations and experimentation of/in Jazz. John Coltrane and John Cage were heavily inspired by Indian music and incorporated a lot from it into their works. And Monkey Man blends Eastern and Western music through the narrative as comfortably as it does an Indian story in a very familiar Western accessible structure.

Dev did a wonderful job. And thanks to Jordan Peele for bringing it to screens.

[dhoom-dhaam-diaries]

Critique

Ok Jaanu, it's time for you to step back

There's a reason one’s a cult classic and the other is just … there

--A.K--

So you may be asking: It’s been almost a decade since OK Kanmani and OK Jaanu were released, so Aadhi, why are you still beating a dead horse?

To that I reply, I’m not — that would be animal cruelty.

I just happened to stumble across OK Kanmani (after vigorously searching for it for years, of course) about two days ago. I watched it, and guys… my. world. changed. 🤯

WAIT — before you roll your eyes and scroll away, let me give you some background. I was fifteen when OK Jaanu came out, and I went absolutely goo-goo gaa-gaa for it. I mean, why wouldn’t I? It had everything a hormonal teenager could ever want: ARK, rom-com vibes, ARK + Shraddha Kapoor’s sizzling chemistry, and oh yeah—did I mention ARK?

For those who haven’t watched it, OK Jaanu (and OK Kanmani) is about Adi and Tara, two ambitious young professionals who don’t believe in marriage and decide to pursue a casual live-in relationship. Of course, things get complicated when, surprise surprise, love gets involved.

And not gonna lie, I actually liked it. I especially loved the songs, particularly the title track. But then, I saw the comments under the video: scathing. “This is a cheap remake of OK Kanmani!” “Mental Manadhil (the original version of the title track) is wayyy better!”

Me, the ever sceptic, thought, “there’s no way that OK Kanmani is that good”.

Oh boy. was I wrong!

It wasn’t just good, it was straight up A-MA-ZING. If you thought the chemistry between Shraddha and Aditya was good, then the chemistry between Dulquer and Nithya will set you on fire. No, I’m serious—watch it, and you’ll be blushing so hard, you might turn into a tomato.

In this post, I’m going to break down why OK Kanmani >>>>>>> OK Jaanu, why you NEED to watch it, and why Bollywood seriously needs to stop with these remakes before they ruin anything else. So strap in, cuz I’m going to analyze this so hard that it’ll make my AP Lang teacher proud.

There are four main reasons why OK Jaanu fell short:

1. MCs’ depth and their chemistry (or lack thereof)

Adi: Dulquer Salmaan vs. Aditya Roy Kapur

DQ brings a certain charm to Adi. He’s a little cocky, a little childish (like picking fights with Tara toward the end instead of just saying I LOVE YOU …seriously, bruhhh,) with just the perfect amount of adult. He’s responsible as seen by taking care of Bhavani (the old couple's wife) when she wanders off. He also has a clear sense of drive, chasing a gaming career with big future aspirations, and it's not just talk, he has the skills to back it up. He’s the pinnacle of young adults.

Now, Bollywood Adi? Man-child. I’m sorry, I had to say it. Someone online said that Aditya Roy Kapur basically played the same character in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani as he does here, and honestly, I agree. He plays the same carefree, somewhat irresponsible charmer in both films.

And here’s why this is a problem: the story itself is simple—there aren’t any shocking plot twists—but it’s meant to reflect the youth of India (and even first-gen NRIs). It’s about a generation trying to define relationships without the prospect of marriage hanging over their heads like it did for their parents. While the older generation balks at this kind of arrangement, the original film showed Adi and Tara as two capable individuals making their own decisions about their lives. OK Kanmani portrayed their agency; Ok Jaanu made them look childish, reinforcing stereotypes about our generation being a mess instead of challenging them.

Tara: Nithya Menen vs. Shraddha Kapoor

Nithya elevates Tara to live true to her name, giving the character the shine it needed. She is a star — the energy, the spunk, the twinkle in her eyes—it had me reeling. I wanted to be her, even if just 1 percent.

Yet she’s not perfect. She can be childish (like skipping work to go hang out with her boyfriend), but she knows her priorities. She loves architecture, is passionate about it, and is very good at it. She has a genuine passion for her work, going as far as to further her education in it at a prestigious university, instead of going down the path that her mother laid out for her. One of my favorite scenes is when she is confronted by Adi’s sister-in-law and is berated for their live-in relationship and she hits back with a “does a certificate make everything ok?”. It shows that she’s not afraid to fight for her values even if others don’t agree with it. This is the agency of a young adult: navigating life based on our values, on our own terms, and Nithya Menen gives justice to that.

In almost every scene, she stole the show. When you watch this movie, make sure you hold on tight because she will blow you away.

Bollywood Tara? If you thought Aditya Roy Kapur was bad, at least he tried to give some life to his character, the wrong character, but he tried. Shraddha Kapoor on the other hand was at best poor. Her line delivery was so flat. For instance, when she gets the opportunity to work with Balakrishna Dhoshi, her architect guru, you’d expect her to be squealing, jumping with joy, running around with happiness… but nothing. Literally nothing. You could’ve told her it might rain today, and she might have shown more excitement for that. And the scene when she’s confronted by the sister-in-law, the girl was silent. She was being berated and she just took it. When she does show spunk, it’s with Adi; but because she doesn’t embody this energy outside of him, it feels like she’s trying to be someone else.

Another thing I noticed? The eyes. Nithya’s eyes were filled with adoration for Dulquer, like everything he did was magic to her. Shraddha? She stared at Aditya with this weird look that I can only describe as a predator stalking its prey. Even when she kisses him after coming back from Ahmedabad, it’s so aggressive. 😬 Scratch that—every kiss she gives him is so aggressive. **SLAPS HAND ON CHEEK, I’M GOING TO KISS YOU EVEN IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT **….

hello? Is this 911? Yes, I’m calling to report a crime…

2. Watered down Paplu

Ganapathy in OK Kanmani (Paplu in OK Jaanu) is filled with so much depth and love. You can see the tenderness in his eyes when he looks at his wife, Bhavani. Their relationship answers a critical question: What is love? And takes it a step further: is it love even when the person you love doesn’t remember you?

With this relationship, the answer is yes, yes, and 1000 times yes. It reminds us that love can take many forms and that true love often endures beyond the fleeting moments of passion and youth. This is especially important in the end when Tara asks Adi whether he can take care of her if she ends up like Bhavani. His response shows that he doesn’t see her as a fling, he sees her as a lifelong companion.

  In contrast, while Naseeruddin Shah is a phenomenal actor, his portrayal in Ok Jaanu lacked the same emotional weight. I believe this isn’t because of his acting, per se, but rather the shallow script — many small but impactful moments from the original were cut altogether.

Here’s a scene that really stuck out to me: when Adi asks Ganapathy how he and Bhavani met. While they’re talking, Bhavani is scooping beans into the bean pod, but Ganapathy sweetly takes it from her hands. He scoops out the beans himself and throws away the pod, and he keeps doing this, no anger, no questions, just a simple, loving act. It’s such a small moment, but it says so much about their bond. It’s love in the tiniest, most mundane acts. The equivalent of the ‘orange peel test’ tiktok trend. This scene didn’t make it into Ok Jaanu, which is such a shame because it perfectly encapsulates how love is often about quiet, unspoken care.

Another moment that stood out to me is when Tara sings for Bhavani, and you can see how Ganapathy begins to soften toward Adi and Tara’s arrangement. While he isn’t fully on board with their decision to live together without getting married, he sees how their presence could benefit Bhavani, that is, how it could give her the companionship she craves but that he can’t always provide. It’s such a subtle shift, but it speaks volumes about how Ganapathy’s disapproval slowly gives way to understanding and even affection.

This emotional arc was largely missing in Ok Jaanu as I feel Paplu was already very ‘forward’ thinking and the dynamic between him and Adi was playful from the beginning.

These small, layered interactions between Ganapathy and the younger couple added so much heart to OK Kanmani. By the end, you feel his approval of Adi and Tara as a deeply-earned moment of acceptance, not just of their relationship, but of the changing values of a new generation.

3. The Missing Third Character: Music + Cinematography

A.R. Rahman’s songs were largely recycled in Ok Jaanu, but they didn’t have the same magic, and after a deeper look, I realized why: the cinematography.

Case in point 1: Mental Manadhil vs. Ok Jaanu

Both songs are great, but Ok Jaanu’s cinematography does it a disservice. Both songs are meant to show the exhilaration of liking someone, and Mental Manadhil captures that. The colors are realistic, not overly saturated, like Ok Jaanu’s. In Mental Manadhil, the visuals move fast, the background blurs, the camera shakes slightly, and there are very few slow pans. That imagery feeds into the exhilaration; you feel the excitement. Unfortunately, Ok Jaanu didn’t have the same effect.

Case in point 2: Parandhu Sella Vaa vs. The Humma Song

Let’s start by saying neither song was necessary for the movie. They didn’t progress the plot or add to the characters, and honestly, they weren’t even that good. (The Humma Song is also an atrocity to mankind 😩, but I don’t have the patience to unpack that right now.) At least Parandhu Sella Vaa showed some development in Adi and Tara’s relationship, like the moment when Tara rests her cheek on Adi’s hand after hesitating just a minute earlier, or when Adi pretends to kiss an imaginary version of her. It shows that their relationship has progressed from flirty friendship to something more. Meanwhile, The Humma Song was just an excuse to show ARK’s abs and Shraddha’s legs. It didn’t feel like a progression in their relationship, it felt like lust.

Case in point 3: Aye Sinamika vs. Enna Sona

Not including Aye Sinamika in OK Jaanu is a crime against humanity, and there is nothing that can convince me otherwise. This is the hill I’ll die on.

I loved both songs, but Aye Sinamika captured something more intimate and real. The Tamil version showed everyday things a couple does—dancing, acting silly, sleeping together (guys, not that kind of sleeping, get your head out of the gutter)—reminding Tara of Adi in every little moment. It’s these seemingly mundane, affectionate moments that make their love story feel genuine and lived-in. Enna Sona tried to achieve this, but it leaned too heavily on showing them kissing every five seconds. Combined with The Humma Song and the overall lack of emotional depth between the leads, it ended up feeling like the lead was missing his partner's body, not her presence. The lyrics add to this as well, Aye Sinamika repeats “Nee enne neegandhe” meaning “Don’t leave me” whereas Enna Sonna repeats how beautiful Tara is. The charm and warmth that Aye Sinamika conveyed through subtle storytelling was overshadowed in Ok Jaanu by its overemphasis on physical intimacy rather than emotional connection.

4. Inorganic Story Flow

The Meet-Cute: Cultural Nuances Matter

The meet-cute in OK Kanmani made sense. Adi yelling Tamil expletives at Tara worked because it’s a moment that reflects their shared culture. As a South Indian, you instantly bond with someone who speaks your language, especially in a diverse city like Mumbai. It’s a special kind of connection.

Now you may be wondering, how could it be surprising to find someone that speaks your language. Well I’ll give you an example.I’m from America, where people don’t usually speak Kannada. My family has gotten so used to this that we talk loudly in Kannada because we don’t expect anyone around us to understand. When we went to Mumbai, we expected the same thing, but my mom practically yelled, “Where are we supposed to go?” to me in Kannada, and a security guard responded in Kannada, offering to help. We were completely shocked! This is what I mean, you just don’t expect others to speak the language so when you do, it's like an instant sense of familiarity.

Getting back to the movie: when Adi and Tara meet, they’re surprised. In a place as diverse as Mumbai, what are the chances that he happened to yell Tamil expletives at a Tamil woman? That’s why they bond—it’s a shared cultural understanding. In a foreign city, it’s comforting to meet someone who shares the same culture.

This doesn’t exist in the Bollywood version. If they were from the same town or state, maybe I could understand the meet-cute. But there’s no mention of that in the Bollywood movie, so the connection just doesn’t make sense.

Emotional Moments: Let the Damn Story Breathe

Another problem with Ok Jaanu is that it doesn’t let the emotions breathe. Take the scene where Tara mentions her father and how he’s no longer part of her life. The Bollywood version immediately moves on to the next scene—Adi and Tara miss their train and get a room together. But that was such a pivotal moment! The story needed to sit with Tara’s feelings for a moment before moving on. Instead, it felt like the movie just wanted to tick off all the plot points before getting back to the romance.

Character moments like these are like vegetables in a meal, you might want to rush through them to get to the “main course,” but the vegetables enhance the overall experience. Ok Jaanu treated these moments like an afterthought.

Fights Are the Answer

SPOILER ALERT, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

As Adi gets ready to leave for America, you can see in OK Kanmani that he and Tara slowly start picking fights, but they’re not real fights. They’re both frustrated about their promise against marriage and the looming end of their relationship, so they take it out on each other. These fights add so much depth to their dynamic and make Adi’s eventual proposal hit so much harder.

This layer of tension is missing in Ok Jaanu. Without it, the ending doesn’t feel as emotionally satisfying. I think that tension is important because it makes their decision to marry feel genuine, it’s not about societal expectations, it’s about what’s right for them.

Stop with the Remakes

I know I dragged OK Jaanu pretty hard, and I’ll admit, the movie itself isn’t terrible. But, it definitely is not the magic that OK Kanmani is. If OK Kanmani is authentic Chinese food, then Ok Jaanu is Panda Express, good… but for fast food.

Also why was this movie even made? It’s an exact frame-by-frame of OK Kanmani (minus the soul of course). There was no problem with the original that Hindi dubbing or subtitles couldn’t fix. As an audience, we need to stop consuming hollow remakes of already good movies — if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. And Bollywood is notorious for this. Cough Cough I’m looking at you, Laal Singh Chaddha.

Being inspired by a movie is great, but don't reproduce the same movie and slap on two mediocre Bollywood actors and expect us to eat it up.

It’s insulting… We’re smarter than that 🙄.

TL;DR

For those who read (or skimmed) this far, I applaud your commitment 👏👏👏.

Here’s the takeaway: Whether you liked OK Jaanu or didn’t, I promise you’ll love (or at least begrudgingly respect) OK Kanmani. It’s worth it, or your money back.

(No, but if y’all don’t like it, don’t come after me, I’m just a broke movie nerd with opinions 🫠.)

What do YOU think? Drop your hot takes in the comments, retags, or my inbox…I’m ready to fight😤. I’m scared of confrontment.

[disdadandon]

when i say that Rocky aur Rani is one of the best bollywood movies and one of the most bollywood-esque movie i’ve ever seen, i mean it.

Ranveer Singh is the finest actor in bollywood right now. He’s JUST. TOO. GOOD.

AliaB is Alia-ing as usual. Goddess.

don’t listen to strangers on the internet but if you ever do, listen to me and PLEASE GO WATCH ROCKY AUR RANI RIGHT NOW!!!!!!

[theflixdiaryproject]

"I want to be a chef, but life seems determined to make me a villain!" – Bablu

Shahrukh Khan plays a double role as Bablu, a sweet-natured chef, and Mannu, a dangerous criminal. Bablu dreams of becoming a top chef and winning Sonia's (Juhi Chawla) heart. meanwhile, Mannu escapes from prison, discovers Bablu’s existence, and plots to take over his life to escape the law. chaos ensues as Mannu tries to execute his plan while Bablu fights to reclaim his life.

read my review below (may contain spoilers):

rewatched November 28th, 2024 on Netflix

Duplicate is one of those silly Bollywood movies that I can’t help but enjoy. it’s stupid and over-the-top, but somehow it works for me. the concept of a double role is always fun, especially when it’s Shah Rukh Khan doing it. he’s done double roles before, but this time, we actually see both characters on the screen together, interacting closely. it feels fresh and exciting even though the idea itself isn’t new. the charm of this movie lies in its imperfections. the special effects, which were apparently groundbreaking for Bollywood at the time, are hilarious by today’s standards. I can literally see the edges where one Shah Rukh ends, and the other begins. but you know what? that’s part of the fun. the unpolished effects give the movie a quirky charm, and I forgive it because it was Bollywood's first try to do something ambitious for its time. the comedy and drama in this movie are entertaining, though they’re exaggerated to the max. Shah Rukh Khan brings his usual mix of over-the-top drama and comedic timing, which keeps things interesting. even when the plot gets ridiculous, his antics make it enjoyable. there’s something oddly satisfying about watching Bablu, the innocent chef, trying to deal with Mannu, the dangerous criminal. it’s chaotic but entertaining.

the songs are a mixed bag for me. Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam is definitely a highlight - catchy and memorable. the rest of the songs don’t quite make it to my playlist. I have to mention Juhi Chawla. I usually adore her in movies, but her high-pitched voice in this one can be a bit much after a while. I kept wondering if they dubbed her voice because Bollywood has this habit of doing that to female actresses, and it can be so frustrating. that said, her bubbly and sweet nature shines through, and she adds a touch of charm to the chaos.the story itself is simple but entertaining. it’s fun to see how Mannu tries to take over Bablu’s life and how Bablu fights back. it’s all so overdramatic and silly, yet somehow, I couldn’t look away. all in all, Duplicate is what I’d call a guilty pleasure movie. it’s not a masterpiece, but it’s fun in its own silly way. the flaws, the chaos, and the over-the-top drama somehow hook me in. it’s not something I’d recommend to everyone, but for those who enjoy quirky Bollywood comedies, it’s worth a watch.

final verdict: I think it was okay/watchable

maturity rating: 13+ genre: action, comedy, musical duration: 2h 44m (164 mins) country: India language: Hindi screenplay: Robin Bhatt, Akash Khurana, Javed Siddiqui major cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Sonali Bendre, Farida Jalal

[crookedneighbour20]

recently rewatched this masterpiece of a movie. the script is so very well written. and well, the acting left me speechless. kirti kulhari did so well in her scene, and of course, bacchan sir too. that just goes without saying. the sarcasm is so amazing by him istg . one of the most impactful movies. commendable dialogues.

[redamancy11]

Yesterday while rewatching "sanam teri kasam" I realised one thing that love never happens when we go through the portfolio of the type of person we want, it never happens with the picture perfect guy. Love happens with most random person whom we must have not noticed most of our life or have never crossed our mind. Love happens with the kind of person our mind disagrees the most. Love happens with the person who finds us with the all the flaws and doesn't go around finding what good we have. Love just happens in the most random and tragic way.....🥀🥀

[worldabound]

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

Bhool bhulaiyaa was a masterpiece and can be called a cult classic because I believe it had something for everyone. From the natural flow of comedy from people interactions to the actual genre being a psychological thriller.

The sequels are unfortunately utterly disappointing. The people involved have reduced it to cash grab depending "horror - comedy". The comedy is stilted with over-the-top puns (some are enjoyable) and there is no sight of the intellect with which the first movie was written.

The trailer for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 just dropped and it seems they have re-casted Vidya Balan and added in Madhuri Dixit. The trailer doesn't give me much hopes to see actual good writing like with the first one. It seems that the basic understanding of what made the OG movie so good is missing and the sequels thus feel like a try-hard, empty imitation as a result.

Another thing is the obsession of adding romance in the sequels. While in the original movie the main character and his love interest had naturally bonded over Avni's (Vidya's character) case, the romance in the sequels is a main storyline for some reason. {FEELS VERY SHOEHORNED IN!}

The dialogue in the trailer that said, "You are a pervert" which was answered by "No, no, I'm just a guy" just shows how lovely Bollywood is in its treatment of women. Cause assaulting a woman just make sense when you are male. Kartik Aaryan's character just continuously objectifies women. We are supposed to find it funny. -_-

At this point I just hope Bollywood burns and the people who push these kinds of agendas actually go through hell.

[theletterboxstuff]

My kinda quality time is when we watch movies together while pausing it every five minutes to analyze and discuss the details, give exaggerated reactions and put forth our theories about the plot ahead

[phuljari]

incoming rant: the robotification of women

teri baaton mein aisa uljha jiya (2024) is among the latest movies in the genre of science fiction romance. it reminded me of an old itv show bahu hamari rajnikant (2016) , while i wasn't an avid watcher of the latter, i knew of it's existence. why did it remind of that particular sitcom? well, mainly because of the comedy. but it also reminded me of similar themes in english movies like ex machina (2015), wifelike (2022), archive (2020) and her (2013), which is surely a bit far fetched considering that in her, the ai never had a body. only a voice.

here, i think it's impertinent to also acknowledge male robots in indian cinema, like chitti from robot/enthiran (2010) and g.one from ra.one (2011) even though he wasn't an actual robot? i don't know if he classifies as one. so let's say, non-human, programming-based male entity (nhpbme). similar to samantha in her, a non-human, programming-based female entity (nhpbfe).

so yes, while male robots and nhpbme do exist in the sci-fi romance genre, it's the comparatively larger robotification of women that feeds the male gaze, and the patriarchy by an extention— which is ultimately problematic.

coming to the movie that i actually want to discuss, kriti sanon's sifra, in tbmauj, is the perfect lover, perfect bahu. why? she knows everything aaru (shahid kapoor) likes and wants. she has no chik-chik or tantrums like other girls. she can make cuisines from all around the world, can access everything on the internet quickly. she has perfect skin, perfect hair. probably doesn't age too. she is the dream girl of a typical man. she doesn't have her own opinions or problems, she serves him and him alone. no family of hers to care about, she can care about his family and their needs. the female gendering here acts like objectification.

the worst part of this movie was that it didn't do anything? since it was a comedy, it didn't delve deeper into the nuances of increasing technological reliance that humans have. i think it was probably meant as a warning— when sifra malfunctions and starts executing tasks that were deleted. but even at that, it fails because urmila's (dimple kapadia) company (so intelligently named) e-robots/robotex (something stupid like that), ends up launching her along with few other robots. only adds a dialogue which meant that you need to handle these robots responsibly. then, what was the point of all the testing they tried to do? placing her in different environments like india, when they don't really end up rethinking the whole idea or putting in more safety features? of course, there's no deeper meaning here. indian comedies don't really have subtext.

but it's perpetuates the same old concept of subservient women. rule-followers and caregivers. an image etched in stone. why do women ask– what do men want? men want this, an ideal version. have always wanted. fuelled by the unrealistic p*rn depictions. do they ever think what women want? aaru so casually tells off his friend who has a wife to look at how pathetic his own life is. he defends sifra's un-emotional response to a situation by attacking his friend's relationship asking if human women are any better?

it reminded me of wifelike (2022) where female robots are curated according to a person's need, a replication of their dead spouse. to love them, to serve them, to help them come out of grief. it's so funny to me how in tbmauj, sifra is shown to retain her feelings, getting jealous when aaru interacts with another woman despite getting reprogrammed; compared to how in wifelike, the robotic version of the human it was based on, always ended up leaving the husband because the human version never loved him.

isn't it interesting how female robots instantly get sexualised, and are depicted doing things that one would never ask their girlfriend or wife to do? these robots happily perform roles that are stereotypically feminine, wife-like. they're invented to put aside their feelings (if they have them) to take care of their human partners'. sifra cooks perfect food, emphasized by how many time aaru fired his maid for not cooking things the way he likes it. she probably doesn't have mood swings from periods because she's a robot. she doesn't eat, doesn't get out of shape. and most importantly, she doesn't age (cue: i'll get old but your lovers stay my age). as if the expectations from women aren't enough, that they're required to age gracefully, or best option— not age at all.

if you still don't get it, let me remind you how siri and alexa also end up on the same side of gender spectrum— female.

so the message is, guys, don't give up on your dream girl! you'll surely find a robot that satisfies all your needs! 🙄

men want perfect women, but women can't be robots. let's stop perpetuating the same image and setting unrealistic standards. real humans have real problems, deal with them.

[ek-ranjhaan]

SINGHAM AGAIN REVIEW

What in the multiverse of insanity was that.

I screamed shitless when I saw the trailer, and every time someone entered, I lost my shit. Because, it was crazy.

Oh maan. Like I don't understand why people are hating on it so freaking much.

Singham Again was decent, honestly. Agreed the star cast was overwhelming, but it actually had my interests satiated mainly. All their entries were cool, the puns hit well, certain scenes like the port burning scene had their fair share of adrenaline rush, acting was decent (I dare say even Arjun Kapoor was kinda okay). Overall, it was a cutesy retelling of Ramayana. I actually quite liked the way they presented the scenes and at different locations with the actual evidence of the real Ramayana.

Also, I have this weird habit of counting actors, at least the ones I know, so here we are:

Ajay Devgn as DCP Bajirao Singham

Jackie Shroff as Omar Hafeez

Ravi Kishan as Home Minister Raj Jaishankar

Kareena Kapoor Khan as Avni Kamat Singham

Shweta Tiwari as Devika Singh

Dayanand Shetty as Senior Inspector Daya Shetty

Ankit Mohan as Sarath

Deepika Padukone as DCP Shakti Shetty

Arjun Kapoor as Danger Lanka / Zubair Hafeez

Tiger Shroff as ACP Satya Bali

Akshay Kumar as DCP Veer Sooryavanshi

and holy shit.

Salman Khan as Inspector Chulbul Pandey

[theomenmedia]

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Set To Cross ₹150 Crores In India Alone

Rooh Baba's magic works wonders! Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 inches close to collecting ₹150 Cr through Indian cinemas in just its opening weekend, outshining its rivals!

Read the full article here: https://www.theomenmedia.com/post/bhool-bhulaiyaiya-3-bewitches-box-office-with-a-spellbinding-start-despite-clash

[movieflixy]

NEW SOUTH MOVIE BAGHERA FREE

[theflixdiaryproject]

"a person can live for 4 weeks without food, 4 days without water and may be 4 minutes without air... but a person can't even live for 4 seconds without hope" - Charlie

Chandramohan "Charlie" Manohar Sharma (Shah Rukh Khan) is a small-time street boxer, seeking revenge against Charan Grover (Jackie Shroff), the man responsible for his father’s wrongful conviction. when Charlie learns about Grover’s diamonds being moved to Dubai, he assembles a ragtag team to steal them from the world’s most secure safe - Shalimar. alongside a partially deaf explosives expert Jagmohan "Jag" Prakash (Sonu Sood), a seizure-prone safecracker Tehamton "Tammy" Irani (Boman Irani), Jag's nephew and master hacker Rohan Singh (Vivaan Shah), and Nandu Bhide (Abhishek Bachchan) who is a lookalike to Grover’s son; Charlie’s team enlists the help of Mohini, a bar dancer, so that they would represent India in the World Dance Competition in Dubai. their mission? steal the diamonds and get a redemption.

read my review below (may contain spoilers):

watched Dec 25th, 2024 on netflix

it’s New Year and it's my first post with this new blog. it feels perfect to begin my blog with a movie review of Happy New Year. the title suits the occasion, doesn’t it? but don’t expect a soppy or melancholic story here. this Bollywood movie is wild, loud, and utterly chaotic. it’s a diamond heist movie wrapped in humour, and honestly, it’s just as absurd as it is entertaining. from the very start, I feel this movie is not meant to be taken seriously. it’s full of scenes that make no sense and often defy physics. I'm so used to Indian movies, so I just know that this is typical. but that’s what makes it enjoyable! the ridiculousness keeps me entertained throughout. I love how this film embraces its silliness without trying to pretend it’s anything deeper. what really keeps my focus is the chaos. the jokes are loud and familiar for Asians. they may not land as well with Western audiences, but I think that’s the charm. it’s like a peek into different world and humour, something to celebrate rather than criticise. isn’t that the beauty of movies from different cultures?

this movie gives me no chance to feel bored, despite its lengthy duration. every scene is over the top in a way that makes me giggle, or at least chuckle. I appreciate how the director, Farah Khan, doesn’t attempt to make the story serious, which is her trademark. by keeping it light, the movie maintains its fun vibe throughout. even though it’s far from Bollywood’s best work, I enjoy it a lot. it’s pure entertainment. if I have one complaint, it’s Abhishek Bachchan. I’ve never been a fan of his acting, and even here, he doesn’t impress me. it’s hard to live up to his legendary father, Amitabh Bachchan; or his talented wife, Aishwarya Rai. but overall, he doesn’t ruin the movie. the rest of the cast makes up for it, with their quirky performances and comedic timing. in conclusion, Happy New Year is not perfect, but it’s good fun. it’s a chaotic, silly movie that’s perfect for celebrating the New Year with a laugh. if you’re looking for deep storytelling, skip this one. but if you want lighthearted entertainment, it’s worth a watch.

final verdict: I think it was okay/watchable

age rating: 16+ genre: action, comedy duration: 3h (180 min) country: India language: Hindi screenplay: Farah Khan, Althea Kaushal, Mayur Puri major cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Boman Irani, Suno Sood, Vivaan Shah, Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Jackie Shroff