Pankaj Tripathi and Yami Gautam Dharin in “OMG 2” (Photo courtesy of Viacom18 Studios)
“OMG 2”
Directed by Amit Rai
Hindi with subtitles
Culture Representation: Taking place in Mahakaal, India, the comedy/drama film “OMG 2” has an all-Indian cast of characters representing the working-class and middle-class.
Culture Clash: After his teenage son gets in trouble for masturbating in a bathroom stall at his school, his father sues the school district to teach sex education in the school.
Culture Audience: “OMG 2” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and comedy/dramas that tackle sensitive social issues.
Akshay Kumar in “OMG 2” (Photo courtesy of Viacom18 Studios)
“OMG 2” stumbles a bit in the last third of the movie with a very clumsily staged plot development. However, this memorable drama has a timely message about sex education in schools that shows both sides of the issue in a compelling courtroom setting.
Written and directed by Amit Rai, “OMG 2” takes place in Mahakaal, India. It takes a while before movie gets to the trial that is at the heart of the story. Before then, viewers see what caused this legal dispute.
Vivek (played by Aarush Varma) is a teenager in high school who is curious about sex. Hs current worry is that his penis is too small. He’s so gullible that he gets scammed into buying pills that he is told will make his penis larger.
One day, Vivek ends up going in a bathroom stall at the school to see if his penis has gotten larger. He ends up masturbating in the stall. Vivek is horrified to learn that someone recorded a video of him masturbating, and the video has gone viral. Vivek goes on a downward spiral.
Through a series of events, Vivek’s religious father Kanti Sharan Mudgal (played by Pankaj Tripathi) blames the school for not giving enough counseling or protection for Vivek for this violation of privacy and for not teaching sex education in the school. Vivek ends up suing the school district to have sex education classes in the school.
Akshay Kumar has a very awkward-looking role in the movie as Lord Shiva’s messenger, in what are supposed to be scenes that are very comedic or overly sentimental. This role seems forced, just so Kumar could be in the movie. Despite some flaws in the story, the best part of “OMG 2” when it shows the trial, which has some amusing scenes when Kanti clashes with defense attorney Kamini Mahesh (played by Yami Gautam Dhar), who is feisty about her politically conservative opinions. This trial doesn’t just put the school district up for judgment but also society’s attitudes about teaching teenagers about sex.
Viacom18 Studios released “OMG 2” in select U.S. cinemas and in India on August 11, 2023.
Culture Representation: Taking place primarily in 1971, in India and in Pakistan, the action film “Gadar 2” (a sequel to the 2001 film “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha”) features an all-Asian cast of characters representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.
Culture Clash: During Pakistan’s “Crush India” campaign, a Pakistani military leader decides to get revenge on the Indian man whom he blames for killing 40 of his soldiers in 1954, and the Indian man’s adult son also gets caught up in the vendetta.
Culture Audience: “Gadar 2” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the film’s headliners and the movie “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha,” but “Gadar 2” is yet another example of a sequel that is vastly inferior to the original movie.
Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel and Utkarsh Sharma in “Gadar 2” (Photo courtesy of Zee Studios)
“Gadar 2” is a disappointing mess that offers nothing clever to this saga. This sequel to the 2001 film “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha” is proof that waiting several years to make a sequel doesn’t mean that the filmmakers can think of any good ideas for that sequel. The first “Gadar” movie (which took place from 1947 to 1954) was a romance about two people from feuding nations (India and Pakistan), who fell in love with each other, despite disapproval from almost everyone around them. “Gadar 2” is just another mindless action flick about a family caught up in a revenge plot.
Directed by Anil Sharma and written by Shaktimaan Talwar (who, respectively, directed and wrote “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha”), “Gadar 2” also brings back several of the principal cast members who were in “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha.” (“Ek Prem Katha” means “love story” in Hindi.) The events in “Gadar 2” take place primarily in 1971, during Pakistan’s “Crush India” campaign. The movie’s story occurs in India and in Pakistan. The beginning of “Gadar 2” has some introductory scenes as a summary of what took place in “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha.”
In “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha,” Indian Hindu truck driver Tara Singh (played by Sunny Deol) fell in love with a Pakistani Muslim former college classmate named Sakeena “Sakku” Ali (played by Ameesha Patel) during the Partition of India in 1947, when India and Pakistan were in deadly conflicts with each other. Tara and Sakina got married and had a son named Charanjeet “Jeete” Singh (played by Utkarsh Sharma), who was abut 6 years old at the end of the “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha.” Deol, Patel and Sharma all reprise these roles in “Gadar 2.”
In “Gadar 2,” Jeete is now about 23 years old. He lives with his parents in an unnamed city in India. Jeete has been having problems. Much to his parents’ dismay, Jeete has been truant from college. He wants to drop out of college and do something else with his life, but he hasn’t figured out what that is yet. Jeete gets into arguments with his parents, who worry about what the future might hold for aimless Jeete.
Meanwhile, a Pakistani major general named Hamid Iqbal (played by Manish Wadhwa) is plotting to get revenge on Tara, because he blames Tara for 40 of his men getting killed during events that happened in “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha.” In case that information isn’t clear, Major General Iqbal repeats it several times in the movie, because the filmmakers must think viewers are idiots for not getting this information the first few times it was mentioned. Major General Iqbal is the same person who murdered Tara’s father, so Tara has his own reason to get revenge on this corrupt military official.
Major General Iqbal finds out that Tara and Sakina are living with Jeete in India. It’s around the same time that Tara mysteriously disappears. Tara’s family believes he might have been kidnapped and is being held captive in Pakistan. Sakina meets with an Indian lieutenant colonel named Devendra Rawat (played by Gaurav Chopra) to ask for his help in finding Tara. Lieutenant Colonel Rawat warns Sakina that another major Indian-Pakistani conflict is coming.
Against Sakina’s wishes, Jeete sneaks out of the house with a plan to find Tara in Pakistan. Jeete uses a fake passport to cross the border into Pakistan, but he is very nervous when he is questioned about his nationality and loyalties by a Pakistani border agent. Someone who notices Jeete from a distance is Major Anwar Ali (played by Abrar Zahoor), a Pakistani assistant sub-inspector who knows that Jeete is Tara’s son.
Jeete and Major Ali make brief eye contact and look at each other, as if they both know about Jeete’s lies to cross the border. Jeete crosses the border and quickly disappears into the crowd before Major Ali can apprehend him. It isn’t long before Major Ali alerts his colleagues to tell them that Jeete is in Pakistan.
Jeete was wrong about Tara being held captive in Pakistan. Tara has been in India all along. Tara comes home after being missing for a few days. And when Tara finds out that Jeete is looking for him in Pakistan, Tara becomes furious and then alarmed. And you know what that means: Tara goes to Pakistan to find Jeete. And he steps right back into enemy territory, where Major General Iqbal is waiting for him.
None of this is spoiler information, since the trailer for “Gadar 2” gives away about 90% of the plot for this substandard film. Patel, who had a prominent role as Sakina in “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha,” is reduced to being a stereotypical “worried wife at home” supporting role in “Gadar 2.” The movie becomes a father-son rescue/revenge story that is poorly staged amid the idiotic plot.
“Gadar 2” also copies the romance story from “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha.” During the time that Jeete is in Pakistan, he meets and falls in love with a Pakistani woman named Muskaan (played by Simrat Kaur), who finds out that Jeete is really an Indian citizen when he tells her the reason why he entered Pakistan with a false name and fake passport. And so, “Gadar 2” rehashes the “forbidden love” storyline that was in “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha.” The acting performances in “Gadar 2” are not impressive.
One of the worst things about “Gadar 2” is how the movie drags on and on with one ridiculous scenario after another. In fight scenes, there are plenty of chances for Major General Iqbal to immedately kill Tara and/or Jeete, but instead he just sneers and taunts. And then later, Major General Iqbal tells his men how much he wants to kill this Tara and Jeete. Tara is able to fight off dozens of armed soldiers with just a sledgehammer, his signature weapon. Yes, it’s that type of movie.
“Gadar 2” might satisfy viewers who are looking for bombastic and shallow entertainment to pass the time. (And it’s a lot of time, because this very noisy but empty movie is 150 minutes long, which is too long for its very flimsy plot.) Anyone who is expecting this sequel to have an interesting story needs to look elsewhere. There was a 22-year-gap between the releases of “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha” and “Gadar 2.” Was it worth the wait? Absolutely not.
Zee Studios released “Gadar 2” in select U.S. cinemas and in India on August 11, 2023.
Culture Representation: Taking place in an unnamed cities in India, the romantic comedy/drama film “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” features an all-Indian cast of characters representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.
Culture Clash: A wealthy heir and a TV news/talk show host, who have very different personalities from each other, begin dating each other and have ups and downs in their relationship, especially each one agrees to live with the other’s family for three months before getting married.
Culture Audience: “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in watching romantic comedy/dramas that are sometimes over-the-top but have overall good stories with capable acting.
Aamir Bashir, Anjali Anand, Ranveer Singh and Kshitee Jog in “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani” (Photo courtesy of Viacom18 Studios)
At first glance, “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” (which is Hindi for “the love story of Rocky and Rani”) seems like a formulaic Bollywood romantic comedy/drama, with elaborate musical numbers and the expected conflicts and reconciliations in a movie that goes on for more than 150 minutes. (The total running time of “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” is 168 minutes.) “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” has elements of a stereotypical romantic comedy/drama, but there’s also some clever satire, as well as plenty of interesting commentary about society’s gender role restrictions. The movie’s production design and cinematography are visual treats.
Directed by Karan Johar, “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” takes place in unnamed cities in India and is an “opposites attract” love story. Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan and Sumit Roy co-wrote the “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” screenplay. It’s not the best romantic movie you could see in a year, but “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” has enough appealing qualities to be entertaining for people who want to see a love story on a grand scale. It’s a very glamorous-looking movie with a lot of down-to-earth issues that are often difficult for people to discuss.
In “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani,” Rocky Randhawa (played by Ranveer Singh) is a wealthy heir to a successful confection company called Dhanlakshmi Sweets. He is from a Punjabi family whom he describes in the beginning of the movie as “Crazy Rich Indians.” Rocky, who is in his 30s, isn’t what anyone would call an “intellectual.” He also doesn’t do much with his life. He’s not considered smart enough to run the family business.
Rocky lives in a household with three generations of people. His family is very conservative and believes in traditional Indian ways, such as they expect Rocky to have an arranged marriage, not a marriage where he chooses his own spouse out of love. Rocky’s snobby grandmother Dhanalakshmi Randhawa (played by Jaya Bachchan) founded the business that made the family’s fortune. She takes pride in the fact that the recipe for the company’s most popular sweet is a well-kept secret.
Dhanalakshmi is married to Kanwal Lund (played by Dharmendra), who uses a wheelchair and has a brain injury, which are the results of an accident where he fell down some stairs. Kanwal has lost a lot of his memory and motor skills because of his brain injury. It’s later revealed that Dhanalakshmi and Kanwal’s marriage has been loveless for quite some time, even before his accident, but they’ve stayed together out of tradition.
Rocky’s parents have very different personalities and a fairly unhappy marriage. Rocky’s father, who is the son of Kanwal and Dhanalakshmi, is Tijori Randhawa (played by Aamir Bashir), a domineering and stern businessman who is currently the leader of Dhanlakshmi Sweets. Tijori’s wife is the passive and timid Punam Randhawa (played by Kshitee Jog), who has had a long-suppressed desire to become a singer.
Rocky has a younger sister in her 20s named Gayatri “Golu” Randhawa (played by Anjali Anand), an insecure bachelorette who has a talent for being a financial manager, but Tijori discourages Golu and Punam from having careers. Tijori believes that a woman’s only roles in life should be as a wife and a mother. Punam and Golu are plus-sized women, so Tijori sometimes insults his wife and daughter about their weight and body sizes.
Meanwhile, independent-minded career woman Rani Chatterjee (played by Alia Bhatt) has a completely different family from Rocky’s family. Rani grew up in a liberal and progessive Bengali family, and her parents are happily married. Rani, who is an only child and in her late 20s, is a famous TV news/talk show host. She’s very intelligent, opinionated, and assertive. When she interviews people, Rani is a fearless truth seeker who has a low tolerance for dishonesty.
An early scene in the movie shows Rani in a combative interview with a sexist politician named Minister Alok Pradhan (played by Akashdeep Sabir), who is very dismissive of a high-profile rape case that has recently been in the news. He has a victim-blaming attitude toward the female victim. Rani berates him about his misogyny during this live TV interview.
After the interview, Rani’s best friend/co-worker Somen Mitra (played by Namit Das) nervously scolds her about how she talked to this high-ranking politician: “You’ll get us taken off the air,” Somen frets. Rani doesn’t care, and she doesn’t doubt her abilities as a journalist. She wears her outspoken, truth-seeking style like a badge of honor.
Just like Rocky’s living situation, Rani also lives in a three-generation household. Her widowed grandmother Jamini Chatterjee (played by Shabana Azmi) is very opinionated and is a romantic at heart. Jamini’s son Chandon Chatterjee (played by Rota Roy Chowdhury), who is Rani’s laid-back father, is a professional Kathak dancer who teaches Kathak dance classes, mostly to children and women. Rani’s mother/Chandon’s wife Anjali Chatterjee (played by Churni Ganguly) is an English professor who is a stickler for people having the correct grammar and spelling.
Near the beginning of “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani,” Randhawa family is attending a prestigious business ceremony where Tijori is getting an award. During this ceremony, Rocky’s grandfather Kanwal mistakes a female stranger named Mona Sen (played by Sheeba) for being a woman named Jamini. It’s an embarrassing incident because Kanwal approaches Mona by calling her Jamini and starts kissing her as if he’s her lover. Kanwal’s family offers a profuse apology to the surprised Mona, who accepts the apology when it’s explained that Kanwal has a brain injury.
However, Rocky is very curious to know who Jamini is and why his grandfather acted in this amorous way to someone whom Kanwal thought was Jamini. Rocky and his goofy best friend/trainer Vicky (played by Abhinav Sharma) do some research on the Internet. The only clues they have are Jamini’s name and Kanwal’s ramblings about Shimla Coffee House in the year 1978. Kanwal has also been repeating this sentence out loud: “When will the red color leave me?” Viewers will later find out what he means by that statement.
Rocky and Vicky find out through their Internet research tha Jamini is a retired woman who happens to be the grandmother of famous TV host Rani. Rocky and Vicky show up unannounced at the TV network where Rani works. Rocky and Vicky introduce themselves to her and tell them that they think Rocky’s grandfather Kanwal and Rani’s grandmother Jamini had some kind of connection from the past.
Rani is skeptical, but Rocky gives her his contact information, just in case. Rocky, who knows that Kanwal is ailing and unhappy, thinks it would be a good idea if Kanwal could see Jamini again to cheer Kanwa up. Rani doesn’t take this request seriously at all. She thinks that Rocky and Vicky are just two clownish fans who barged into her workplace because they wanted to meet her. When Rocky and Vicky leave, Rani starts laughing.
But later, when Vicky is having dinner with her family, she tells the story of what happened to her at work that day. As soon as she mentions the name Kanwal, Rani’s grandmother Jamini looks like she just saw a ghost. Privately, Jamini takes Rani aside and tells her a secret that Jamini has had for years: In 1978, Jamini and Kanwal had a brief but passionate love affair while they were married to other people.
Kanwal and Jamini decided to end their secret affair so as not to ruin their respective marriages. The former lovers have not seen or spoken to each other since then. Jamini says that Kanwal was the love of her life. Rani knows that Jamini has been sad and lonely lately, so she decides she’s going to help Rocky to arrange a reunion for Jamini and Kanwal.
Some viewers might have a problem with this part of the movie, because Kanwal (even though he’s in an unhappy marriage) is still married. Are these two grandkids trying to encourage infidelity? “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” makes it look like the intentions of Rocky and Rani are to give Kanwal (who is unlikely to be sexually active) one last chance at happiness. In the process of reuniting their grandparents Kanwal and Jamini (who are thrilled to see each other again), a romance develops between Rocky and Rani.
But as expected in a romantic drama, things don’t go smoothly for the main couple. Rocky and Roni have sizzling chemistry together, but the differences in their intelligence causes some conflicts. Rani is the type of person who is well-read and very knowledgeable about a wide variety of subjects. Rocky doesn’t like to read, he’s clueless about current events, and he wouldn’t be able to identify major historical figures if he tried.
There’s a comical scene in the movie where Rocky meets Rani’s parents at the Chatterjee home, and he mistakes a portrait painting of poet/artist Rabindranath Tagorean for being a grandfather of Rani’s family. Rocky often has poor grammar, which doesn’t impress Rani’s English professor mother at all. Rani’s parents are also concerned that even though Rocky is wealthy and doesn’t need to work, he doesn’t seem to be doing much with his life.
Rocky’s father Tijori and Rocky’s grandmother Dhanalakshmi disapprove of Rani because she’s an outspoken feminist. They think she’s a terrible match for Rocky, who is still being pressured to have an arranged marriage. Rocky’s mother Punam and Rocky’s sister Golu approve of Rani but are too afraid to really admit it out loud to Tijori and Dhanalakshmi. Rani encourages Punam and Golu to have more self-confidence.
Rocky and Rani are very much in love. Rocky wants to marry Rani as soon as possible, but she doesn’t want that type of commitment. Rani also has concerns about the differences between their respective families. A long stretch of the movie is about Rani not even wanting to admit that her relationship with Rocky is more than a fling.
When Rocky keeps pushing the issue of marriage, Rani comes up with this idea: For three months, Rocky should live with her family, while she lives with Rocky’s family. Rani says that at the end of this three-month period, if they can tolerate each other’s families, then Rocky and Rani should get married. This is the part of the movie that has some predictability, but there are also a few surprises.
It’s easy to see that Rani’s feminism is hard to accept by certain members of Rocky’s family. Rani isn’t the only person in her family who expierences sexism. Her father Chandon is ridiculed by certain members of Rocky’s family because they think Chandon’s Kathak dance job is too “effeminate” for a man. Rani also inherited some of her intellectual elitism from her mother. Rani has some trouble getting past the fact that Rocky will never be knowledgeable about many things that Rani cares about.
Of course, there are breakups and makeups in “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani.” The long-lost romance of Kanwal and Jamini serves as a reminder to Rocky and Rani about what can happen when the “love of your life” gets away. The music-video-styled song-and-dance numbers range from highly energetic for the fast and midtempo songs to competely mushy and soap opera-like for the ballads. However, after the movie is over, it’ll be hard to get the movie’s ballad theme song “Tum Kya Mile” (sung by Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal) out of your head. “Tum Kya Mile” means “what did you get” in Hindi.
“Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” also has the benefit of a talented cast giving mostly believable performances. Bhatt as Rani and Azmi as Jamini are the two standouts because they are compelling in the range of emotions that they express in this movie. Rani is someone who is very commitment-phobic and seems to want to run away from romantic love when it’s right in front of her. Jamini wants nothing more than to have romantic love and commitment in her life, but it’s elusive because her soul mate is married to someone else and has a faulty memory.
“Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” doesn’t pretend to have all the answers about love. It’s debatable if Rocky and Rani ultimately would be a good match in a long-term marriage. But what will resonate with many viewers is the movie’s message of true love being a precious gift that should be cherished, and true love is about accepting loved ones for who they are. It’s a message wrapped up in a very familiar Bollywood movie package, but the story and performances have enough unique charm to make “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” a memorable viewing experience.
Viacom18 Studios released “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” in select U.S. cinemas and in India on July 28, 2023.
Culture Representation: Taking place in an unnamed city in India, the fantasy action film “Maaveeran” features an all-Indian cast of characters representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.
Culture Clash: A financially struggling comic-strip artist finds out that he can hear the voice of his created superhero in his head, and he battles with a corrupt politician who is the landlord owner of the unsafe building where the artist and his family live.
Culture Audience: “Maaveeran” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in watching superhero action movies that have a good balance of drama and comedy.
Mysskin in “Maaveeran” (Photo courtesy of Red Giant Movies)
“Maaveeran” is an entertaining and often-amusing spin on the superhero genre. The movie’s occasionally substandard visual effects are transcended by the engaging story and watchable performances. Sivakarthikeyan carries the movie with winning charm.
Directed by Madonne Ashwin (who co-wrote the “Maaveeran” screenplay with Chandru A.), “Maaveeran” has moments of being very hokey and sentimental, but they are balanced out by some of life’s harsh realities that are depicted in the movie. (“Maaveeran” means “legend” in Tamil.) The movie has a refreshing take on being a superhero: In this superhero movie, the hero does not have a superhero costume or disguise. He also didn’t get his superpower in a particularly heroic way, by birth, or through accidental genius.
In “Maaveeran,” the protagonist’s name is Sathya (played by Sivakarthikeyan), a graphic artist in his 30s whose passion is drawing superhero stories. In the beginning of the movie, Sathya is the writer/illustrator of a superhero comic strip called “The Great Warrior,” which is published in a local newspaper. The problem is that it’s a low-paying job. And the newspaper’s editor/publisher Dhanraj (played by Madhan Dhakshinamoorthy) says that “The Great Warrior” might be cancelled and replaced with advertising.
Sathya lives with his sassy widow mother Easwari (played by Saritha) and his younger sister Raji (played by Monca Blessy) because he can’t afford to have his own place. Easwari often nags Sathya for not having a better-paying job. She thinks his fascination with superheroes is childish. The slogan for “The Great Warrior” is “Bravery triumphs.”
Sathya, Easwari and Raji live in an apartment building that’s condemned and will soon be torn down and replaced by a more upscale building. The apartment dwellers are relocated to another building, but the conditions in this location are even worse: Plaster falls from ceilings and walls. The plumbing often doesn’t work. And other parts of the building are deteriorating. In addition, there are many creepy and criminal-like people who are living in this building.
Easwari is appalled and feels unsafe. She does what she can to complain to the landlord: a corrupt and ambitious politician named Jeyakodi (played by Mysskin), who is campaigning for an upcoming re-election. Jeyakodi is very dismissive of the building residents’ complaints. He completely denies that the building has any problems. Jeykodi has a subordinate named Paramu (played by Sunil), who is the epitome of a “yes man” enabler.
With these problems at home and at work, Sathya is feeling enormous pressure to keep his job. He has a co-worker ally named Nila (played by Aditi Shankar), who pleads with Dhanraj not to cancel Sathya’s comic strip. Dhanraj gives Sathya one last chance, by saying that the newspaper will keep the comic strip if Sathya can come up with a story that he hasn’t done before for “The Great Warrior.”
The slum-like conditions of the apartment building where Sathya lives become the inspiration for him to do a story about his superhero living in a crumbling palace. When the comic strip is published, Jeyakodi becomes enraged because he correctly assumes that the comic strip is a thinly veiled criticism of the Jeyakodi-owned building where Sathya lives. Jeyakodi uses his clout to get Sathya’s comic strip cancelled.
And to make matters worse for Sathya, he comes home one day to find his mother Easwari has been assaulted when she tried to protect Raji from a sleazy neighbor who intruded in their apartment for sexually voyeuristic reasons. Easwari berates Sathya for being fearful and wimpy. She also says that if Sathya’s father were still alive, he would’ve beaten up the intruder in brave self-defense.
A despondent Sathya feels like his life is falling apart. He makes a half-hearted attempt to commit suicide by falling out of the building. He lands on some scaffolding and becomes unconscious. When he regains consciousness, he finds out that he can hear the voice of the Great Warrior in his head telling him what will happen next and how he can be a better fighter. Sathya is going to need all the help he can get, because a vengeful Jeyakodi makes Sathya a target for bullying.
The rest of “Maaveeran” shows what happens as Sathya is initially frightened and confused by hearing this inner superhero voice, but he eventually uses it to become courageous and harness his own powerful fight skills. He tells a few people about hearing the voice of the Great Warrior in his head. Nila is the only person who doesn’t believe that Sathya is mentally ill after she finds out this information.
One of the movie’s main sources of comic relief is a handyman named Kumar (played by Yogi Babu), who is at the apartment building to do repairs. Sathya and Kumar have some hilarious dialogue because Kumar thinks Sathya is weird, while Sathya thinks Kumar is incompetent. The comedic chemistry between Sivakarthikeyan and Babu is very amusing to watch.
On a more serious level, Sathya clashes with his very opinionated mother Easwari. He craves her respect. And so, he decides he’s going to try to get her respect by going after Jeyakodi. Sathya isn’t seeking justice just for his mother. He’s doing it for all the residents in the building and for anyone else who’s affected by Jeyakodi’s greed and corruption.
Without being too preachy, “Maaveeran” has some pointed observations about gentrification and how low-income people are often forced out or displaced from their homes that become gentrified. Mysskin gives a somewhat stereotypical villain performance as the menacing Jeyakodi, but the performance is always watchable. And although “Maaveeran” has some artistically filmed action scenes that are worth admiring on a technical level, Sivakarthikeyan’s multifaceted performance is the main reason to watch “Maaveeran,” which is the type of engaging movie that seems made for sequels.
Red Giant Movies released “Maaveeran” in select U.S. cinemas and in India on July 14, 2023.
Culture Representation: Taking place mostly in unnamed cities in India, the dramatic film “Baby” features a mostly Indian cast of characters (with a few white people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.
Culture Clash: Working-class teenage sweethearts have their relationship tested when she goes away to college and is courted by a wealthy suitor, who is a fellow student.
Culture Audience: “Baby” will appeal primarily to people who don’t mind watching a movie that’s a tacky soap opera.
Viraj Ashwin and Vaishnavi Chaitanya in “Baby” (Photo courtesy of Mass Movie Makers
“Baby” is an awful and bloated melodrama on every single level. This pathetic excuse for a romantic film has misogyny and abuse against women as acceptable ways for men to treat women as people to “own” and manipulate, not as people to truly love. The movie is on an often-boring loop of makeups and breakups that drag on for far too long in this nearly three-hour film.
Written and directed by Sai Rajesh Neelam, “Baby” takes place over a period of about five to eight years, in unnamed cities in India. The movie opens by showing a man in his 20s named Anand (played by Anand Devarakonda), waking up and vomiting on a street, after he passed out from ingesting unknown drugs. He’s dirty and disheveled. Anand works as a mini-cab driver, and he has a reputation for frequently being a drug abuser who often passes out in public.
Anand has woken up from this stupor after dreaming of his teenage sweetheart Vaishnavi, nicknamed Vaishu (played by Vaishnavi Chaitanya), whom he liked to affectionately call “baby.” The rest of the movie then goes into flashback mode until the last 15 minutes, to show what happened during the relationship of Anand and Vaishnavi, who both grew up in the same working-class neighborhood but didn’t start dating each other until their last year in high school.
“Baby” is a very corny movie in too many ways to count. Vaishnavi first gets Anand’s attention by throwing a pebble at him from her window while he was outside on the street. They make googly eyes at each other and do some mild flirting with each other. Vaishnavi is a stereotypical virginal “good girl” who is very sheltered, while Anand has had a bit of a rougher life. The turning point in their relationship happens after a disturbing abuse incident that happened to Vaishnavi at their school.
Anand and Vaishnavi have the same mathematics class together. One day, their male teacher gets angry at Vaishnavi for not knowing the answer to a math problem. The teacher starts yelling at Vaishnavi and then slapping her hands very hard with a ruler. Vaishnavi and the other students do nothing to stop this abuse and don’t report this crime, because they’re in a culture where teachers are apparently allowed to abuse their students in this way.
After the class ends, a humiliated Vaishnavi is walking outside with her best friend Kusuma (played by Kusuma Degalamari), when Anand joins them. Anand picks up one of Vaishnavi’s bruised hands and asks her, “Will you let me love you?” She shyly says yes. And so begins the up-and-down romance of Anand and Vaishnavi.
After graduating from high school, Vaishnavi plans to go to college, while Anand plans to stay in their hometown and work full-time as a mini-cab driver. He owns his own mini-cab and has been doing this work part-time while in high school. The college that Vaishnavi is going to is far from her hometown but not too far away for Anand to visit several times a month. Vaishnavi does not have a driver’s license.
Anand is very insecure about whether or not their relationship can last when it’s a long-distance relationship. Vaishnavi assures him that their love can withstand this test. Anand is also insecure about his family background and his low income. Vaishnavi comes from a loving home with two married parents (played by Nagendra Babu and Lirisha Kunapareddy), who don’t have names in the movie. Anand describes his home life to Vaishnavi this way: “My father died when I was young. My mother is dumb. I have no money.”
Anand’s mother (played by Prabhavati Varma), who doesn’t have a name in the movie, actually isn’t “dumb.” As later shown in “Baby,” she’s a concerned and compassionate mother who’s a little overprotective, but she means well. In a scene that happens in the movie, Anand’s mother finds out that Anand is having financial problems, so she generously gives him some cash, even though he didn’t ask for it. In response, Anand shouts at her that he doesn’t need her help, and throws the wad of cash on the ground.
Anand’s disdainful attitude toward his mother is one of many examples of how all the principal male characters in this movie are misogynistic. Vaishnavi becomes part of a love triangle, but what’s shown in this movie is not real love, even though the filmmakers are trying to make “Baby” look like an epic romantic story. What this movie is all about is Vaishnavi being treated as a pawn between two men in a battle of their egos.
The trouble in Vaishnavi and Anand’s relationship doesn’t happen right away. At first, Vaishnavi and Anand adjust to her being away at college, because she’s followed Anand’s orders not to drink alcohol, especially when she’s at a nightclub or bar. Anand warns Vaishnavi that if she gets tipsy or drunk, men will take advantage of her and she might get raped. Although it’s a valid concern, it’s very domineering and sexist how Anand dictates to Vaishnavi what she can and can’t do to be a “proper lady.”
As soon as Vaishnavi is told that she shouldn’t get drunk in nightclubs, you just know it’s eventually going to happen. During her first day at college, a popular student named Seetha (played by Kirrak Seetha) introduces herself to Vaishnavi and tells her that they will be friends. Seetha, who hangs out with a crowd of other student partiers, is determined to “loosen up” Vaishnavi, because she thinks Vaishnavi is too prim and uptight.
Seetha and her friends like to get drunk, smoke (tobacco and marijuana) and do other drugs. Vaishnavi politely declines when she’s offered any drugs, but she finally relents (after much pestering from Seetha) and smokes tobacco for the first time through a hookah. Eventually, Vaishnavi starts drinking alcohol too.
At Seetha’s insistence, Vaishnavi lets Seetha pay for Vaishnavi to get a full “glamorous” makeover. After the makeover, Vaishnavi starts wearing makeup and wearing her long hair unrestrained, after previously wearing her hair pinned-back or in braids. Vaishnavi’s wardrobe also changes from being plain and modest to more daring and revealing.
Anand dislikes Vaishnavi’s makeover. He gets so angry about it, they have an argument where he pushes her hard and calls her a “whore.” Anand is later apologetic, and Vaishnavi forgives him. But it won’t be the last time that Anand has an abusive outburst against Vaishnavi. She’s reluctant to break up with him because Vaishnavi thinks Anand is her “one true love.”
Vaishnavi’s outward transformation is immediately noticed by a rich and arrogant student at the school named Viraj Ashwin (played by Viraj Ashwin), who was already attracted to Vaishnavi before her makeover. After her makeover, he becomes even more attracted to her. Viraj begins aggressively courting Vaishnavi, even though he knows that Anand is her hometown boyfriend. Viraj is the type of person who thinks he can buy someone’s love.
The rest of “Baby” has many scenes, dialogue and acting that are absolutely cringeworthy. Shortly after Vaishnavi began attending college, Anand gave an Android phone to Vaishnavi as a gift, so that they can keep in touch. He also gave himself a matching Android phone. Vaishnavi is grateful but also annoyed that Anand got himself a matching phone. She tells him that the gift isn’t as special because he bought himself a phone too.
Meanwhile, Viraj notices that Vaishnavi is using an Android phone that she tells him was given to her by Anand. It isn’t long before Viraj constantly tells Vaishnavi that she should have an iPhone. Viraj says to Vaishnavi: “Beautiful girls should have beautiful phones.” Viraj compares an iPhone to beauty so much in this horrible movie, it starts to look like shameless iPhone product placement.
And sure enough, Viraj eventually gives an iPhone to Vaishnavi, who starts using the iPhone (because it has more features) than the Android phone that Anand gave to her. Anand inevitably finds out and get jealous. More arguments ensue between Anand and Vaishnavi. Suddenly, Viraj is starting to look attractive to Vaishnavi, even though she’s not in love with Viraj.
“Baby” has some very weird and unbelievable moments that make no sense at all. For example, Viraj throws a big party at a nightclub, where he announces in front of everyone that he’s in love with Vaishnavi, even though he and Vaishnavi barely know each other, and they’ve never been on any official “dates.” At the same party, there’s also a scene where drunk Vaishnavi kisses Viraj out in the open at a table near the dance floor, where dozens of people can see them, but then she makes Vaishnavi promise not to tell anyone that they kissed.
“Baby” continues to sink into a tawdry cesspool of bad performances and even worse storylines while showing a lot of abuse and mistrust masquerading as “love.” There’s a subplot about sexual blackmail that is absolutely pathetic. Considering all the misogyny in this junkpile movie, it’s easy to know who is the target of this blackmail. People who think “Baby” is a good movie need to check their attitudes about women and girls, because those attitudes are probably sexist and outdated.
Mass Movie Makers released “Baby” in select U.S. cinemas and in India on July 14, 2023.
Pictured from left to right: Neeraj Kabi, Dipannita Sharma, Ishika Mehra, Niki Walia, Madhav Deval, Shahana Goswami, Rahul Bose, Shashank Arora and Prajakta Koli in “Neeyat” (Photo courtesy of FunAsia Films)
Culture Representation: Taking place mostly in Scotland and briefly in India, the dramatic film “Neeyat” features a mostly Indian cast of characters (with a few white people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.
Culture Clash: A billionaire gathers family members and friends for a lavish birthday celebration at his remote Scottish castle, but not everyone makes it out of this reunion alive, and a tough CBI agent from India is on the scene to investigate the murders.
Culture Audience: “Neeyat” will appeal primarily to people who don’t mind watching idiotic and poorly acted “whodunit” mysteries.
Amrita Puri and Vidya Balan in “Neeyat” (Photo courtesy of FunAsia Films)
“Neeyat” is a very inferior imitation of movies based on Agatha Christie novels. Most of the acting performances are cringeworthy and not credible. It’s also fairly easy to figure out the killer’s motive, even with all the plot distractions. There are enough plot holes to sink this already weak “whodunit” mystery.
Directed by Anu Menon, “Neeyat” (which means “motive” in Hindi) takes place mostly in Scotland, but almost all of the characters in the movie are from India. Menon co-wrote the filmsy “Neeyat” screenplay with Girvani Dhyani, Advaita Kala and Priya Venkataraman. Everything about “Neeyat” tries desperately to be suspenseful when the movie is actually quite dull and silly in too many scenes.
“Neeyat” begins in Scotland, where a pompous, middle-aged billionaire Ashish “AK” Kapoor (played by Ram Kapoor) has invited several family members and friends to his large, cliffside estate called Highgraves Castle. The occasion is to celebrate AK’s birthday. The event planner is a recently hired young man named Tanveer (played by Danesh Razvi), who is efficient and eager to please his new boss. Tanveer is the one who greets most of the guests when they arrive.
AK owns a company in India called AK Aeronautics, which he wants to be the number one outer-space program in the world. AK inherited his fortune from his deceased wife Tahira. And he’s recenly been embroiled in a scandal of misappropriation of funds. He is wanted by the Indian government for owing about ₹200 billion in taxes and fines. In 2023, that’s approximately $243.7 million in U.S. dollars.
Before AK’s birthday party ends, his body will be found at the bottom of a cliff. And all of the guests will become persons on interest in this investigation, which is led by a stern CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) agent named Mira Rao (played by Vidya Balan) who arrives on the scene from India. Mira shows up unannounced because she was there to extradite AK back to India to face charges of financial fraud and corruption. And now, she might have to file a homicide report. Some of the witnesses give contradicting statements about whether AK accidentally fell or if he was pushed over the cliff.
These are the guests and employees who are investigated for AK’s death:
Lisa Kapoor (played by Shahana Goswami), AK’s sweet-natured and sultry younger sister, is a bachelerette who has been living off of his money.
Sasha Mistry (played by Ishika Mehra) is an orphaned teenage distant relative of AK’s late wife. Lisa has been Sasha’s guardian since Sasha became an orphan.
Ryan Cooper (played by Shashank Arora), AK’s only child, is in his 30s. He’s arrogant, irresponsible and addicted to cocaine.
Gigi (played by Prajakta Koli) is Ryan’s “mysterious new girlfriend.” She doesn’t approve of Ryan’s drug taking and doesn’t partake in it.
Jamhad “Jimmy” Mistry (played by Rahul Bose) is the openly gay and flamboyant brother of AK’s late wife Tahira. Jimmy and Tahira ran the family business before she died. Jimmy is resentful that AK, not Jimmy, inherited the family fortune and family business.
Zara (played by Niki Walia, also known as Niki Aneja Walia) is AK’s “spiritual healer” whose best friend is her Jack Russell terrier dog named Rumi.
Kay Patel (played by Amrita Puri) is AK’s loyal personal assistant, who has accompanied AK from India.
Sanjay Suri (played by Neeraj Kabi) is a prominent and wealthy plastic surgeon who has known AK for years.
Noor Suri (played by Dipannita Sharma), Sanjay’s wife, is a famous actress and a glamorous London socialite.
Ishaan Suri (played by Madhav Deval), the son of Sanjay and Noor, is a nerdy film school student.
AK is a controversial public figure not only because of his financial misdeeds but also because it’s well known that he decided to lay off numerous employees of AK Aeronautics without taking a pay cut himself and continuing to have a lavish lifestyle. It’s been reported in the news that some of these former employees were so distraught about losing their jobs, they committed suicide. One of those suicidal employees was a 30-year-old named Devika Chellam, who was a rising star at the company.
Of course, a murder mystery with several characters will have the expected “bombshell” secrets that are eventually revealed. In “Neeyat,” all of the secrets are quite unimaginative and not very surprising. One of the most ludicrous aspects of this story is that CBI agent Mira Rao doesn’t call for backup right away when there might be a killer on the loose. She wants to solve everything on her own.
The mediocre-to-bad performances in “Neeyat” sometimes make it very difficult to watch this moronic movie, as it lumbers along from one “reveal” to the next. The final reveal is foreshadowed too soon, because a certain person’s name is mentioned enough times in the story that you can figure out that this character will be connected to the killer’s motive. An end-credits scene in “Neeyat” hints that CBI agent Rao is not as morally upstanding as she appears to be. With any luck, viewers will be spared from any more Mira Rao movies if these sequels are going to be as misguided as “Neeyat.”
FunAsia Films released “Neeyat” in select U.S. cinemas and in India on July 7, 2023.
Vadivelu and Udhayanidhi Stalin in “Maamannan” (Photo by Red Giant Movies)
“Maamannan”
Directed by Mari Selvaraj
Tamil with subtitles
Culture Representation: Taking place in an unnamed city in India, the action film “Maamannan” features an all-Indian cast of characters representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.
Culture Clash: Two political families have a power struggle, and their feud becomes deadly.
Culture Audience: “Maamannan” will appeal primarily to people who want to watch repetitive and repulsive violence from mostly unlikable characters.
Fahadh Faasil in “Maamannan” (Photo by Red Giant Movies)
“Maamannan” is hate-filled, idiotic garbage with excessive scenes of animal cruelty. It rehashes the same old plots of family feuds and murderous revenge that have already been done in much better ways in many other action flicks. The scenes of animal murders are especially heinous because they’re filmed in close-ups and in slow-motion with enhanced sound effects, as if the director wants viewers to wallow in all the gratuitous gore. It’s disgusting.
Written and directed by Mari Selvaraj, “Maamannan” is yet another violent action flick about family members out for revenge. In this story, which takes place in an unnamed city in India, two political families are feuding with each. The patriarch of one family is Maamannan (played by Vadivelu), who is a member of the legislative assembly (MLA) and a speaker of the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly.
Even though the movie is named after Maamannan, he’s not the main protagonist of the story. Maamannan’s prodigal son Athiveeran, nicknamed Veera (played by Udhayanidhi Stalin), is the “star” character of the movie. Stalin is also the producer of “Maamannan.” In other words, it’s easy to make yourself the star of a movie if you’re paying for the movie to get made.
On the other side of the feud is district secretary Rathnavelu (played by Fahadh Faasil), a truly evil villain who has been in a power struggle with Maamannan for quite some time. Rathnavelu, who is close to Veera’s age, is scion of a wealthy political dynasty that is part of the dominant community in this district. The dynasty includes Rathnavelu’s father Salem Sundaram (played by Azhagam Perumal) and Rathnavelu’s elder brother Shanmugavel (played by Sunil Reddy), who are corrupt but not nearly as monstrous as Rathnavelu.
Rathnavelu and Maamannan have been locked into a dispute over the close election results for Maamannan’s position. Rathnavelu has declared himself the victor, but Maamannan is contesting this election. Rathnavelu has been pressuring Maamannan to give up and concede the election to Rathnavelu. Maamannan, who is a little wimpy and naive, is contemplating what to do.
Veera has had a tense relationship for years with Maamannan, ever since Veera was about 15 or 16 years old, and he temporarily ran away from home after being attacked. Veera was wrongfully blamed for the attack, which tainted his reputation. Veera never really forgave his father for not being as supportive as Veera expected.
Now in his 40s, Veera owns a martial arts dojo, where most of his students are teenage boys and young men. The dojo is how Veera meets Leela (played by Keerthy Suresh), who is a teacher at a school for underprivileged kids. Veera and Leela begin dating each other soon after they meet.
Veera eventually introduces Leela to his parents. Maamannan shows his sexism when he comments to Veera later that Leela isn’t very ladylike because Leela has a tendency to wear jeans and athletic shoes. Veera’s mother Veerayi (played by Geetha Kailasam), who is very passive and mostly mute, seems to have some mental health issues. The minority of women in this male-dominated movie are mostly background characters.
In addition to being a politician, Maamannan is a farmer. The family farm has several animals, but the farm mainly raises pigs. Rathnavelu owns a pack of hound dogs and is involved in dog racing. If one of his dogs loses a race, Rathnavelu doesn’t hesitate to viciously beat the dog to death.
During this bloated, 155-minute, trash dump movie, the feuding escalates between the two families. Maamannan is considered too elderly to get involved in most of the physical fights, so his son Veera is the one who ends up in most of the brutal conflicts with Rathnavelu. The movie tries to show how Veera and Maamannan start to mend their relationship when Veera becomes his father’s protector, but there’s so much nasty violence that Veera commits, he doesn’t look heroic at all.
Rathnavelu is the movie’s worst character, with no redeeming qualities. The acting, writing and directing in “Maamannan” are mind-numbingly terrible. “Maamannan” writer/director Selvaraj chose to film the animal death scenes in such a sadistic way, it sinks what was already a tacky movie into a permanently putrid cinematic cesspool. Disclaimers saying, “No animals were harmed while making this movie” will not convince viewers otherwise. Avoid this awful movie if you value your intelligence and your time.
Red Giant Movies released “Maamannan” in select U.S. cinemas and in India on June 30,2023.
Culture Representation: Taking place in various parts of Asia, the action film “Spy” features a predominantly Asian cast of characters (with a few white people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.
Culture Clash: A spy tries to find out who killed his brother while he hunts down a terrorist.
Culture Audience: “Spy” will appeal primarily to people who don’t mind watching incoherent and silly action movies.
Nitin Mehta in “Spy” (Photo courtesy of Red Cinemas)
“Spy” is a jumbled mess with sloppy editing, a moronic plot, and mindless violence. There’s no originality in this time-wasting film about a spy hunting down a terrorist. There are too many other movies that have the same plot but are much more interesting to watch than “Spy,” whose title is also very unoriginal.
Directed by Garry BH and written by Anirudh Krishna Murthy, “Spy” is supposed to look like a globe-trotting adventure. The movie’s story takes place in Jordan, Israel, India, and Pakistan. All of these different location don’t add anythng substantial to the story. They just serve as backdrops to the generic chase scenes and shootouts in this dreadful action flick.
In “Spy,” most of the main characters are from India. Vijay “Jai” Vardhan (played by Nikhil Siddharth) is an obnoxious Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) agent who is tasked with finding an elusive terrorist named Khadir Khan (played by Nitin Mehta), who is also an arms dealer. There’s also some nonsense about Vijay trying to find a connection betwen Khadir and secrets of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, an Indian nationalist who rose to prominence in the 1940s.
“Spy” is nothing but a checklist of stereotypes. Does the dashing “hero” have a less-dashng sidekick? Check. Vijay’s sidekick is co-worker/best friend Kamal (played by Abhinav Gomatam), who doesn’t do much that’s substantial.
Does the “hero” have a personal tragedy and is seeking revenge for it? Check. Vijay’s brother Subhash Vardhan (played by Aryan Rajesh) was also a R&AW agent, and he was killed in the line of duty while trying to apprehend Khadir. There’s a muddled part of the movie that mentions Subhash was credited with capturing Khadir, but Khadir really escaped.
Does the “hero” have a pretty love interest? Double check. He’s got two: Vijay meets Ashiwaraya (played by Iswarya Menon) in a bar. He breaks a bottle over the head of another guy who tries to talk to her. It’s obvious that something is off about Ashiwaraya because she thinks this type of bullying violence is flattering.
Vijay’s other love interest is Saraswati (played by Sanya Thakur), who is one of his colleagues. “Spy” has old-fashioned stereotypes of women. Ashiwaraya is supposed to be the seductive, “bad girl” type. Saraswati is supposed to be the dependable “good girl” type.
Vijay promises his father (played by Tanikella Bharani) that he will find the murderer of Subhash. The movie goes from fight scene to fight scene with no style or charisma. The same can be said of the bland acting performances from the cast. “Spy” will be quickly forgotten by viewers because there’s not much about the movie that’s worth remembering.
Red Cinemas released “Spy” in select U.S. cinemas on June 28, 2023, and in India on June 29, 2023.
Culture Representation: Taking place in an unnamed city India, the dramatic film “Satyaprem Ki Katha” features an Indian cast of characters representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.
Culture Clash: A goofy but nice underachiever gets into an arranged marriage with a woman from an affluent family, but she is reluctant to consummate their marriage because of secrets that she’s keeping.
Culture Audience: “Satyaprem Ki Katha” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in watching a romantic drama that isn’t a complete stereotype.
Kiara Advani and Kartik Aaryan in “Satyaprem Ki Katha” (Photo courtesy of FunAsia Films)
There is an over-used formula of romantic movies that goes like this: “Boy meets girl. Boy gets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy wins back the girl.” “Satyaprem Ki Katha” (which means “story of true love” in Hindi) has elements of this formula, but the movie isn’t a typical romantic film. At first, this engaging drama appears to be about a husband trying to romance his reluctant wife in an arranged marriage. “Satyaprem Ki Katha” becomes a more meaningful film in its sensitive portrayal of the wife’s sexuality and secrets.
Directed by Sameer Vidwans, “Satyaprem Ki Katha” (which takes place in an unnamed city in India) opens with a musical scene of male protagonist Satyapre, nicknamed Sattu (played by Kartik Aaryan) having a dream that he’s getting married. Sattu is a goofy underachiever, but he’s also hopeless romantic who wants to find his one true love. He lives with his father Narayan (played by Gajraj Rao), mother Diwali (played by Supriya Pathak) and his younger sister Sejal (played by Shikha Talsania) in a middle-class household. Narayan has tried to be an entrepreneur, but several of his businesses have failed.
Sattu soon meets and becomes infatuated with Katha (played by Kiara Advani), the daughter of an affluent businessman Harikishen (played by Siddharth Randeria), who expects her to be in an arranged marriage. Katha lives with her parents. Her sister is supportive Kinjal (played by Maira Doshi), and their mother is outspoken Rasna (played by Anuradha Patel), who also believes that Katha should be in an arranged marriage. Kinjal’s husband Dheeraj (played by Palash Tiwari) is also part of the this tight-knit family.
Sattu thinks that Katha is out of his league. He tries to get her attention anyway, but she doesn’t seem to be attracted to him. But then, to Sattu’s surprise, Katha’s parents decide that Sattu would make a good husband for Katha. Sattu and a reluctant Katha get married in an elaborate ceremony that has the over-the-top musical numbers that you might expect from a Bollywood film.
On their wedding night, Sattu tries to get intimate with Katha, but she rejects his advances. He confesses to her that he’s a virgin. He also says unconvincingly out loud to himself about Katha’s lack of sexual interest in him on their honeymoon night, “She must be tired.” Sattu is a gentleman and doesn’t force or pressure Katha to do anything she doesn’t want to do.
At this point, Sattu is in love with Katha, so he decides the best thing to do is to romance her so that she can fall in love with him too. However, she keeps rejecting him. One day, she blurts out why she doesn’t want to have sex with him: “I’m asexual.” She also explains that her lack of interest in sex is why her recent ex-boyfriend Tapan Manek (played by Arjun Aneja) dumped her.
There’s more to Katha’s story that she initially tells Sattu. There are enough hints that are shown in flashback scenes, by the time the truth is revealed, it’s not surprising. However, what is surprising is how the movie doesn’t take Katha’s secrets and turn them into a tawdry soap opera. Sattu’s reaction to finding out Katha’s secrets is the movie’s obvious way of saying that these matters should be handled with compassion and care—which isn’t an easy thing to do when a spouse reveals some shocking information.
As the spouses who go through an emotional ups and downs in their marriage, Aaryan and Advani have believable chemistry with each other. Their performances anchor the movie and keep it interesting, while the supporting cast members are perfectly fine in their roles. There are parts of “Satyaprem Ki Katha” that tend to get trivial when another musical scene is thrown into the movie. However, there are realistic portrayals about how family members would react to Katha’s big secrets.
Perhaps the biggest flaw of “Satyaprem Ki Katha” is that this 144-minute movie didn’t need to be this long. And the musical numbers, although dazzling, sometimes don’t fit the tone of this movie’s overall serious message. Still, even with some padding in the total running time and some fluffy song-and-dance numbers, “Satyaprem Ki Katha” gives its weighty subject matter enough substance that’s worth watching.
FunAsia Films released “Satyaprem Ki Katha” in select U.S. cinemas on June 30, 2023. The movie was released in India on June 29, 2023.
Culture Representation: Taking place in 1920, in an unnamed city in India, the horror film “1920: Horrors of the Heart” features an Indian cast of characters representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.
Culture Clash: After her father commits suicide and becomes a ghost, a 21-year-old woman communicates with his spirit, and he urges her to get revenge on his ex-wife, whom he says abandoned the family to marry a rich man.
Culture Audience: “1920: Horrors of the Heart” will appeal primarily to people who don’t mind watching a horror with bad acting, a flimsy plot and tacky visual effects.
Barkha Bisht in “1920: Horrors of the Heart” (Photo courtesy of Anan Pandit Motion Pictures)
The horror flick “1920: Horrors of the Heart” is the type of movie that tries to be frightening, but everything about it is so shoddily made, viewers might ends up laughing or wincing at this awful film. This ghostly revenge movie starts off with a weak story and bad acting. It gets worse when it turns into a poorly made imitation of the 1973 horror classic “The Exorcist.”
Directed by Krishna Bhatt, “1920: Horrors of the Heart” is the fifth movie in the “1920” horror movie series conceived by Bhatt. What all of the movies have in common is that they take place in the early 1920s and are about vengeful ghosts who haunt living beings. There’s no real connection between “1920: Horrors of the Heart” and the previous movies in the series. In fact, there’s no connection to good filmmaking at all in “1920: Horrors of the Heart,” whose sloppy screenplay was written by Mahesh Bhatt and Suhrita Das.
“1920: Horrors of Heart” (which takes place in 1920) begins by showing a 21-year-old woman named Meghna (played by Avika Gor) in a conversation with her boyfriend Arjun (played by Danish Pandor) while they are outside of Meghna’s house, where she lives with her father. Suddenly, Meghna is frantically summoned inside the house by a servant. To Meghna’s shock, she sees her father Dheeraj (played by Randheer Rai) hanging from a noose in an apparent suicide.
At the funeral for her father, she is about to pour holy water on his corpse, but the vial burns her hand. There will be more supernatural occurrences surrounding Dheeraj’s death when his spirit eventually appears to her while she’s awake and while she’s sleeping. After the funeral, Meghna finds a secret diary that Dheeraj kept. What she finds out in the journal will change the course of her life.
Meghna’s parents got divorced when she was too young to understand what happened to their marriage. Meghna has been told that her mother Radhika abandoned the family, but Dheeraj was vague with Meghna on why this abandonment happened. In the diary, Dheeraj wrote that Radhika was frustrated that he wasn’t making enough money as a struggling writer.
According to what Dheeraj wrote in the diary, Radhika began having affairs with wealthy British men for their money. Dheeraj also alleges in the diary that Radhika tried to poison him, but it didn’t work. Radhika eventually left the family and put Meghna in an orphanage, but Dheeraj was able to get Meghna out of the orphanage and regained custody of her. Radhika has not been in contact with the family ever since.
Soon after finding out this information, Meghna starts getting haunted by the ghost of Dheeraj, who looks like a bellowing wraith with terrible effects. Dheeraj tells her that in order to honor him, she has to get revenge on Radhika, who is now married to a wealthy businessman named Shantanu Thakur. Radhika and Shantanu have a teenage daughter named Aditi (played by Ketaki Kulkarni), who is pampered and spoiled, but she’s overall a good kid.
Meghna tells Arjun that she’s going to Radhika’s home to get revenge on her dead father’s behalf. Arjun thinks it’s a terrible idea and urges her not to go. Arjun wants Meghna to go to Bombay with him. He gives her 24 hours to decide what to do.
The next thing you know, Meghna shows up unannounced at the mansion where Radhika, Shantanu and Aditi live in a dark and isolated area. And the day that Meghna goes to the mansion happens to be Aditi’s 16th birthday. Meghna doesn’t see Radhika right away, but she explains to Shantanu who she is and tells him that her father has committed suicide. Shantanu, who is friendly and welcoming, has no idea that Meghna is there for revenge.
The Thakur family has a loyal servant named Mr. Chaudhry (played by Avtar Gill), who is a combination of a butler and a nanny. Even though Aditi is 16 years old, she still sleeps with a doll in her bed. The doll, which is named Alice, is a little creepy, like she’s a cleaned-up version of the Annabelle doll from “The Conjuring” Universe.
Soon after arriving in the house, Meghna and Radhika cross paths. Radhika is shocked to see Meghna there, but she doesn’t say anything. Keep that in mind when there’s a certain plot twist revealed later in the movie. Radhika is somewhat cold and distant to Meghna, who has been invited by the friendly Shantanu to stay at the house.
Meghna starts to become jealous of Aditi when Meghna sees that Radhika is a loving and attentive mother to Aditi. One night, Meghna is in the hallway outside Aditi’s bedroom. Meghna eavesdrops and sees Radhika tucking Aditi into bed and telling Aditi: “You are my one and only princess.”
Meghna secretly becomes enraged with what she sees as Radhika’s hypocrisy of being emotionally aloof with Meghna and very affectionate with Aditi. This jealousy fuels Meghna’s rage, and she vows to follow through with the revenge plot. Meanwhile, Radhika starts to have nightmares that Dheeraj is out to get her.
Meghna becomes even angrier when she tells Adita that they are half-sisters, and Aditi says that Radhika never mentioned having another child. Aditi tries to become Meghna’s friend, but Meghna is rude to Aditi and treats her like a pest. Eventually, Meghna feels a lttle bad for how she’s mistreated Aditi and starts to become a little friendlier to her.
But things aren’t so friendly between Aditi and Meghna when viewers see what happens next. As already shown in the trailer for “1920: Horrors of the Heart,” Meghna follows her dead father’s instructions to scatter some ashes in Aditi’s bed while Aditi is sleeping. Aditi then becomes possessed by the ghost of Dheeraj, including having a stereotypical lower, distorted voice. And then, “The Exorcist” ripoff part of the movie begins.
There are so many clues pointing to the plot twist that’s revealed in the last third of the movie, by the time this “reveal” happens, it’s not very shocking. Arjun inexplicably shows up in certain scenes and then disappears, only to show up again with no explanation. And even though this movie is supposed to take place in 1920, the costume designs and hairstyles don’t look realistic to the time period. “1920: Horrors the Heart” is only horrifying if viewers think about the time that gets wasted when watching this insipid abomination of a movie.
Anand Pandit Motion Pictures released “1920: Horrors of the Heart” in select U.S. cinemas and in India on June 23, 2023.
