Nushrratt Bharuccha-starrer Chhorii is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The horror thriller is worth a watch, says our review.

Horror has been a ridiculed genre in Hindi cinema for decades. When it comes to horror, the Indian audience has been served a ludicrous cocktail of uninspiring stories, stereotypical jump-scares and irrelevant steamy scenes, film after film. Chhorii, a remake of the Marathi film Lapachhapi (2017), successfully beats these notions to deliver a story that chills and thrills, effectively.

Chhorii opens to a woman helplessly, and violently, losing her unborn child. We know a similar fate will haunt our lead character Sakshi, played by Nushrratt Bharuccha. Why? This is where director Vishal Furia’s brilliance lies. The director, who made the original Marathi film Lapachhapi, takes his time developing and then unraveling the deep-dark mysteries in Chhorii.

We meet eight months pregnant Sakshi and her husband Hemant, essayed by Saurabh Goyal, in a big city. Due to some circumstances, they decide to escape to a remote village for a few days. While this premise might raise questions about the couple’s judgment, we ask you to keep your patience.

Now, even though the wife has her doubts about the new shelter, which is isolated and surrounded by lush sugarcane fields designed like a labyrinth, her husband convinces her that it’s for their safety. In the village, the to-be-mother is cared for by Bhanno Devi, played by Mita Vashisht. She is the wife of the couple’s driver, Kajala, played by Rajesh Jais.

Slowly and subtly, Sakshi understands that the village is not just plagued by a regressive mindset in the name of traditions, but also has menacing evils. Sakshi still tries to ignore the red flags and remains optimistic. Eventually, she becomes suspicious and is troubled by Bhanno Devi’s constant and overbearing presence.

In Chhorii, the sugarcane fields have a life of their own. Their eerie stillness coupled with a haunting background score and impressive cinematography evokes genuine scares. Yes, familiar horror tropes have been used in the film, but they mostly add value to the narrative. At times, the pace suffers due to elongated scenes in the maze-like fields, but the film never gets boring.

Nushrratt Bharuccha gives a solid performance in Chhorii. Her emotions change as the story unfolds. She conveys the initial joy and the subsequent harrowing experience surrounding her pregnancy deftly. Some dialogues she utters about motherhood seem dramatic, but she never resorts to histrionics. Mita Vashisht gives a layered performance. The way she narrates fables in the film will definitely unsettle you. Saurabh Goyal and Rajesh Jais play their limited parts well.

You might predict what’s happening in Chhorii as the film progresses, but plenty of twists and turns make the story engaging. The screenplay gets credit here. You will wonder whether Sakshi can protect her baby, if what she is experiencing are visions or illusions, and ultimately, can she escape the forces that be.

The climax of Chhorii tries to pack in too much information and seems a bit hurried as it ties up the loose ends. This is a tad bit disappointing because the film itself feels longer than required. But surely, the powerful ending will compel you to think about society’s evils. What kind of evil? Let the film surprise, if not shock you, with that.

Chhorii released on Amazon Prime Video on November 25. We recommend you to watch this terrifying tale.

Antim The Final Truth Review: Aayush Sharma’s remarkable transformation stands out in the Salman Khan film. The film has been directed by Mahesh Manjrekar.

Movie Name: Antim: The Final Truth
Cast: Salman Khan, Aayush Sharma
Director: Mahesh Manjrekar

Let’s start with a disclaimer. Bhaigiri takes a back seat in Salman Khan’s Antim. Yes, you heard it right. Except for the Bhai ka Birthday track, Antim, which is an adaptation of the Marathi film Mulshi Pattern, has very little to do with the trademark Salman jingoism, cryptic monologues, slow-mo fight scenes, and choreographed scenes with sunglasses and scarves. Antim revolves around an honest police officer Rajveer Singh (Salman Khan) and a farmer’s son Rahuliya’s (Aayush Sharma) conflict. Mind you the conflict here isn’t the typical cop chasing the bad guy narrative and that’s what makes Antim interesting.

Directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, Antim has a lot going for it. The treatment of the film feels very different from any recent Salman Khan offering. Yes, there is that ever-looming cloud of needing to pander to his massive fan base, yet Manjrekar puts more belief and faith in his writers than Bhai’s bulging biceps. Something that directors haven’t managed to do in a very long time. It could be because Manjrekar has also made Marathi films in the past (Lalbaug Parel, Kaksparsh, Natsamrat) and has used the same formula to showcase the world of Rahuliya and his strife. The backbone of the film and the seed of its conflict lies in the idea of a poor farmer losing his land to forces beyond his control and reach – a reality that has been well documented in several places of Maharashtra. Despite the larger-than-life canvas and loud drums thumping in the garish background score, Manjrekar manages to create characters that are believable.

What stands out in Antim is the remarkable transformation of Aayush Sharma. The actor, who made a shaky debut with LoveYatri, has delivered a performance that stays with you even after the end credits roll out. That is a lot to say for anyone struggling to hold his own ground in a Salman Khan cinematic universe. Aayush’s Rahuliya has a stark resemblance to Sanjay Dutt’s Raghunath Shivalkar from Manjrekar’s very own Vaastav. They both evoke empathy, have an existential crisis as their sinister desires get bigger, and are in the pursuit of happiness. Aayush’s biggest win in Antim is to neither succumb to the pressures of taking on Salman’s larger-than-life screen appeal nor be a bystander and lurk in the superstar’s massive shadow. In fact, Aayush manages to hold his own ground and impress in scenes where Rahuliya has to challenge Rajveer and make him look small. Not an easy task, but somehow the actor manages to pull it off with ease. Salman delivers what can be easily called one of his most subtle and underplayed performances in recent times. Rajveer is no Chulbul Pandey or Raadhey (small mercies!) and that in itself is a step in the right direction for the actor.

Antim’s biggest drawback is its flawed narrative and inability in being consistent in making its characters feel real. The second half could have easily been trimmed and made shorter, songs don’t find an appeal (especially Varun Dhawan’s sketchy cameo in the Ganesha song) and the background score and sound mixing plays havoc on your eardrums. There are too many slaps and punches that after a while feel almost robotic and banal attempts to fill in gaping holes in a weak subplot. Salman’s Rajveer is made to look like he’s unpredictable, doesn’t take sides and is mostly a bystander to events unfolding in front of him, yet 20 minutes into the second half he starts going against his own principles and belief and seems to lose track of what he established so effortlessly in the first half of the film. A character that’s flawed because the makers didn’t know what to do with him.

Antim is a small step in the right direction for Salman Khan and a big step for Aayush Sharma whose path of self-discovery as an actor seems to have begun with this film. Overall Antim has enough ammunition to deliver what it set out to promise – an action blockbuster with a massive emotional connect.

John Abraham’s Satyameva Jayate 2 released today, November 25, in theatres. Instead of hard-hitting anti-corruption dialogues, all we get to see is John flaunting his well-toned physique. Read our review.

John Abraham’s Satyameva Jayate 2, which was released today, November 25, is centred on the corruption in Indian society. You might expect the actor to actively punish the bad men and deliver some meaningful dialogues. Lucky for you, we have watched it, and we can vouch that the film is all about John Abraham’s well-toned physique and is an ode to the masala flicks of the 90s. Some action scenes do click, however, it goes over the top mostly. Without giving away much, here’s our review of Satyameva Jayate 2.

Satyameva Jayate 2 follows up the story of Satyameva Jayate, where we saw Dada Sa, played by John Abraham, die during a fight. Dada Sa’s twin sons (both played by John) are all grown up now and are a spitting image of their father. While one is Home Minister, the other is an honest police officer. They have rather unconventional methods of exacting justice. For those waiting for Dada Sa’s backstory, John appears in a triple role in the film to tell it. This triple dose of John Abraham isn’t the worst thing about Satyameva Jayate, the writing is also insufferable.

To director Milap Zaveri’s credit, he has brilliantly managed to string together the recent tumultuous incidents that shook India. Satyameva Jayate 2 addresses issues like doctors’ strikes, kids dying due to food poisoning, shortage of oxygen cylinders, collapsing flyovers, questions about the patriotism of Muslims, and rape cases. The twist at the interval is also something you don’t see coming. However, by the end of the movie, you remember nothing of it. What you do remember is John Abraham being shirtless and flaunting his abs. We can get why Abraham is in this film – he does action well and, Satyameva Jayate 2 gives him a chance to show off his bulging biceps, flaring nostrils, and lets him beat enemies to a pulp using just his hands and legs as weapons. You will believe it when you see him splitting the table in two with those arms.

There are many things that went wrong with Satyameva Jayate 2. It is extremely loud – so much so that it will split your eardrums. Also, we wonder why Milap Zaveri thought it would be a good idea to chuck writing full-fledged dialogues and fill it with poetry. To make matters worse, Divya Khosla Kumar’s character is meaningless in the film. It feels as if she recited her dialogues on a battery mode. Some of the lines are in poor taste too. The characters do not speak, they shout.

But, Satyameva Jayate 2 is a masala movie and perhaps has an audience who will crowd the theatres to watch it. We can say that there was no need for the second part, but you may differ. Watch it only if you are a big John Abraham fan.

Bunty Aur Babli 2 is enjoyable when the camera is on Rani Mukerji and Saif Ali Khan. And yes, you will miss Abhishek Bachchan.

Movie Name: Bunty Aur Babli 2
Cast: Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan, Pankaj Tripathi
Director: Varun V Sharma

Bollywood’s original heist duo is back. However, this time, with a makeover and a new team. The original Bunty and Babli – Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji entertained the audiences in 2005. Abhishek and Rani’s instant charm and impeccable chemistry contributed big time to the film’s success. Flash forward 16 years, and we have a Bunty aur Babli redux, jazzed up with a makeover and two new entrants. Directed by Varun V Sharma, the film has Saif Ali Khan replacing Abhishek Bachchan as Bunty, Rani reprising her Babli act, and two new faces – Siddhant Chaturvedi and Sharvari Wagh giving the franchise a younger fresh appeal.

The plot is pretty simple. The original Bunty and Babli face their biggest fear of being redundant and their brand being tarnished by two youngsters using their names to con people in the city. Now-retired Saif and Rani are happy in their family life until Inspector Jatayu Singh (Pankaj Tripathi) lands at their doorstep to arrest them for a robbery they didn’t commit. Now, the original B and B not only have to defend their brand but also hunt down the impostors and protect their legacy.

Bunty Aur Babli 2 has a lot that works in its favour. The writing is crisp, the dialogues laced with dollops of witty humour and Pankaj Tripathi is at his best. Also, the pace and length of the film work in its favour. It’s tight and doesn’t drag its feet in important scenes. Rani Mukerji as Babli is a major highlight. Her comic timing and humour are quite a revelation, and showcases a side we haven’t seen before. The over-the-top outfits and garish makeup only add to the caricature that is Babli – and what we love about her.

Amongst the youngsters, Sharvari exudes confidence and has immense potential. Even beneath the prosthetics and makeup, she has a spark and looks like this is what she was born to do. Siddhant uses his charisma to his advantage and goes full throttle when it comes to playing up his Casanova image.

The big elephant in the room is Saif Ali Khan replacing Abhishek Bachchan as Bunty. Those are big shoes to fill. Though the comparisons are unfair, there is an issue is with the casting. As the bumbling Bunty from Fursatganj, he feels out of place and a bit lost. Oddly enough he looks the most comfortable in his designer suits in the second half. You can’t help but think of Abbas-Mustan’s Race when you see a good-looking Saif Ali Khan donning stylish shades.

The songs and music in Bunty Aur Babli 2 are forgettable. That was one of the biggest reasons why the first one worked, with foot-tapping tracks like Kajra Re, Chup Chup Ke and the catchy title song. In fact, this one has a scene with the original Kajra Re playing in the background, which serves as a bleak reminder of how bad the music in the second part is.

Bunty Aur Babli 2 is enjoyable when the camera is on Saif and Rani. There is a chase sequence between the original Bunty-Babli and the newbies, which is a major highlight and is well shot. Overall, the film is entertaining and worth a watch. Yes, you will miss Abhishek and Rani’s chemistry, but don’t let that not be a reason for you to skip the film.

Netflix’s new film, Dhamaka, starring Kartik Aaryan, Mrunal Thakur and Amruta Subhash, starts off with a blast but ends in a dud, says our Dhamaka Movie Review.

Movie Name: Dhamaka
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Mrunal Thakur

Every now and then, we come across a film where an unassuming actor is entrusted with the task of pulling off a role that’s seemingly larger than their cinematic persona. More often than not, director Ram Madhvani is known to throw such googlies at us. Cue: Sonam Kapoor in Neerja. In Kartik Aaryan’s Dhamaka, Ram does it again. He picks a man infamous for his monologues, known for his unruly mane and a toothy smile endearing to many, and places him as his prime-time news anchor – Arjun Pathak – with terrifying bombs exploding on the Bandra Worli Sea Link in Mumbai in the backdrop – both figuratively and literally. And he manages to squeeze a dhamakedaar performance out of this Kartik Aaryan.

Kartik’s Arjun, at the start of this Netflix offering, is a radio anchor, demoted from his prime-time television anchor role despite a five-year successful run. He’s also sitting at his corner radio studio, in a whirl of smoke from his cigarette, going through a divorce draft, reminiscing the life that was. Eventually, we learn about the conflict and how his personal and professional life came to what it is today. He goes on air, starts off with some traffic update – the Sea Link will be shut between 9-10 am due to some construction work, so avoid it – and then he gets his first caller. A man, who identifies himself as Raghubeer Mhate, declares, “Main Sea Link udane wala hoon.

At this point, you know that Dhamaka is taking an A Wednesday (2008) turn, also available on Netflix, if you want to give it a watch. The events that follow are predictable, yet adrenaline-pumping. A common man, a labourer who actually helped build that bridge is now hellbent on destroying it, to get attention. To get an apology. Three workers were killed one rainy day in Mumbai while patch-repairing that bridge. The compensations promised never reached the families. The news never made it to prime time. Everything was forgotten. But not forgiven. Sarkar ko maafi mangni padegi, he says.

The angst of this common man is not hard to identify. You empathise with him, while you ask yourself if a blast, that puts the lives of other innocent people in danger, the way to do it. Ram Madhvani keeps the conflict very basic here, almost not challenging the viewers enough. In all this, there’s the negotiation of an “exclusive”. Arjun bargains his prime-time news anchor position claiming this as his big exclusive and promising the channel higher TRPs. But the game he plays is dirty, and even though he might want to wash his hands off, there’s blood there, the blood of those three labourers, that connects him intrinsically to the main plot.

Neerja was a true story, and despite creative liberties, we knew how it would have ended. Dhamaka ends on a dud and that’s a flaw we cannot overlook. In a hurry to wrap things up, Ram Madhvani takes the righteous path out, that’s not only easy, it is also borderline ridiculous.

Kartik Aaryan does his best as Arjun Pathak. Though he gets ample scope to deliver those monologues that have become synonymous with him, simply by virtue of being a news anchor, they are not grating. Amruta Subhash as Ankita, the boss, is flawless. She owns the screen while she’s on it. Mrunal Thakur as Soumya Mehra Pathak, Arjun’s estranged wife, gets one romantic montage at the start and an emotional tugging-at-your-heartstrings scene on the bomb-affected bridge. Just not enough to decide her impact. We needed more of her.