BOLLYWOOD : Not About Big Stars & Their Blockbusters Only!

Well, Bollywood industry is widely renowned worldwide. It's loved and followed by people all over the globe. It features megastars and superstars who dominate through their cinemas. We have Mr. Amitabh Bachchan who has been working in films since last 45 years and still he's wooing all of us. We have 3 humongous Khan Megastars - SRK, Aamir & Salman who have been ruling the industry for more than two decades now. Then there are superstars like Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn & Hrithik Roshan who keep on providing good stuffs on celluloid. Among the current crop of young actors, the likes of Ranbir, Shahid & Ranveer have been quite popular and enjoy a nice fanbase. All these notable actors cum stars are well known by one and all. There's no doubt in that. But then the question arise, 'Is Bollywood about them only?' 'Do they only impart lasting movies?'
And the answer to that is a big NO. Why I say so because there are a lot of films that happened in last few years have managed to strike gold amongst the viewers. They have emerged memorable courtesy strong script and stunning performances. Now a days, audience very much prefers the storyline of a movie and it's presentation over starcast. If a film is good and well made, people welcome it, irrespective of who stars in that film. A big star, no doubt can give a fine film and make it a cult one. And some biggies are nicely doing that. But today we are noticing quality products more from small/moderate projects (low budget movies) that are eventually becoming winners. Films like Gangs Of Wasseypur, Paan Singh Tomar, Kai Po Che, The Lunchbox, Queen, Vicky Donor, Talvar, Dum Laga Ke Haishaa, etc are perfect example of movies minus popular faces yet they proved to be fruitful both critically and commercially. These are tagged as gems which have left their mark at the box office as well as in our hearts. Actors like Irrfan Khan, Manoj Bajpayee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui have been household names despite their 'non superstar' status. Audiences over the years, have matured and are welcoming new, gripping and unique subjects be it Rock On, Piku Or Udta Punjab recently. Moreover, female centric cinemas are setting a benchmark which was hardly witnessed in past. Almost every year, we are seeing and appreciating fabulous films revolved around women. Kahaani, English Vinglish, Queen, Mardaani, Tanu Weds Manu Returns have impressed us which didn't have any major male Superstar. Thus, actresses are getting their value like never before. Also biopics on commendable personalities are being seen these days. We have lauded some genuinely moving and inspiring ones since, you can say, last 4-5 years. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Shahid, Paan Singh Tomar, Neerja are some apt epitome.
Hence, it's pretty much clear that Bollywood in the present era, isn't only about lavish names and their grand movies. Typical, homogeneous, over the top formulaic stuffs don't amaze the viewers much. Yes Superstars are giving massive hits and they will continue delivering the same. But simultaneously, filmmakers are opting for novel and brave attempts on big screens and also succeeding. This indicates that people have changed their taste with every passing year and they hardly are being reluctant to watch & praise a finely crafted film of any genre or concept.
There's a saying which goes like 'Content Is The Real King'. It's indeed!

I conclude. Thanks!

My Take On SULTAN - "Immensely Watchable But Not Memorable"

Well to begin with, I can assuredly say that Sultan is a deeply promising film. A movie potentially very strong, features some genuinely robust and affecting moments that you will laud. It has a star cast who give total justice to their parts, from central players to side ones, all are impressive. The first half runs quite nicely. It has fun & emotions. But problem starts right at the interval point and continues post that. The screenplay suffers from repetitiveness to unnecessarily overlong scenes including a tiring climax. It's length is major drawback here which doesn't help the cause. And to be honest, I didn't find the justification of its run time. Abruptly it becomes a slog. Sharp editing and crispier direction could have done the job. But too much effort to make it better has actually ruined the party. However, Sultan is never an unwatchable experience. As I said, it has some breathtakingly lovely moments, dialogues in particular are well delivered. And actors here are all in good form. Salman Khan seriously commits himself to the titular role and comes up with a convincing show. He emotes well, does justice to Haryanvi accent. Body shape looks apt. This is surely an impressive performance from an actor, who's never known for his acting! So well done for that Mr. Khan!! Anushka Sharma meanwhile has an one dimensional part, yet she is quite commendable. Kumud Mishra is terrific and so is Randeep Hooda who shines even in a small role. Also worthy of mention are Amit Sadh and Anant Sharma who absolutely make their presence felt. Music is strictly average though. Barring Jag Ghoomeya and the title track, no other songs stand out. 
Direction is mixed bag I would say. Ali Abbas Jaffar deserves credit for some fine portions but he fails to keep the momentum up. Had it been little smartly made minus undue stuffs(the flaws I mentioned above), this could have been a great movie experience. In the end, it's only a decent watch thanks to its plusses.

My Rating - 3/5

It's watchable but won't be memorable!!!! But for Salman's efforts and a nice starcast, Sultan deserves to be watched!!!! A blockbuster that's thankfully not baseless!!!

My Take On Raman Raghav 2.0 - "Half Compelling, Saved By Nawazuddin Siddiqui's Brilliance"

Well, Anurag Kashyap and his movies that are raw, dark, bold and gritty always offer exciting & engrossing stuffs to the audiences. That's the reason, I am fond of most of his movies including my favourite of the decade (#GOW both parts). Here, in Raman Raghav 2.0, he returns to form and tells a captivating saga of a psycho serial killer who is in search of his soulmate. It's an interesting plot and Kashyap's storytelling is the same too but sadly not entirely. The problem I found here is that the chapters that include Vicky Kaushal, a.k.a, Raghavan or Raghav ain't that gripping, also they taste patience occasionally. In comparison to the parts of Nawazuddin's Raman, Vicky's Raghav ones are merely anything. Both the actors are commanding on screen though, but Nawazuddin is just something else. And in the end, it's solely his movie. Poor Vicky is convincing but looks feeble in front of the gem called Nawaz. And that's why, this otherwise smartly made thriller falls. Nawazuddin Siddiqui post GOW, has never looked back. He kept on giving splendid performances one after another. And with this one, he's set a benchmark. He's in his own league now, particularly like Irrfan Khan.
Thus, he makes Raman Raghav 2.0 a not to be missed watch. It's a film that's neither as memorable as Kashyap's GOW or perfect as his Black Friday. Still Mr. Kashyap is back with a good solid offering that should be viewed & lauded due to his trump card, i.e, Nawazuddin Siddiqui - the beauty!

My Rating - 2.5 (for the movie) + 1 extra (for Nawaz's stupendous acting) = 3.5/5

I was not fully satisfied in totality yet I enjoyed it thanks to the Killer RAMAN.

#सप्रेम 😍