Blog | Amodini's Movie Reviews - Part 12Amodini's Movie Reviews | Movie Reviews by Year, Genre and Rating

Series Review : Tandav

Posted on January 31, 2021 by amodini

Rating : 3.5/5
Genre : Drama
Year : 2021
Number of Episodes : 9
Director : Ali Abbas Zafari
Cast : Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Kumud Mishra, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub, Gauhar Khan, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Sunil Grover
Kidwise : PG-13

I’d looked at the abysmal ratings on IMDB before I started Tandav so I was not expecting much. Plus I’ve also seen Ali Abbas Zafar’s earlier work (Bharat, Sultan) and he isn’t one for finesse. I’m then pleasantly surprised by Tandav because while it is not top-notch it is an entertaining watch.

Samar Pratap Singh (Khan) is the wily, politician son of his wily, politician father Devki Nandan Singh (Dhulia). The goal is to get to the top prize – to become the Prime Minister of India. However, when on the cusp of a major victory and on his way to become PM, Devki suddenly and inexplicably dies, Samar is at a loss. When rumors about a possible murder conspiracy arise, Samar finds himself losing his political footing. What he needs now is to drum up popular support among the youth, and youth leader Shiva Shekhar (Ayub) would be just the man to do it, if only he weren’t so righteous.

This 9 episode first season has a superficially tumultuous story – there are ups and downs with secrets, secret assignations and veiled threats strewn about. Tandav also has a star-studded cast. Saif Ali Khan’s character is defined relatively well, but either Saif is losing his touch, or the beard is obfuscating the emotion, but he can’t quite give this role the oomph it deserves.Dimple Kapadia plays Anuradha Kishore, close associate of Devki Nandan and wily strategist of the first order – and she does it well. Anuradha is ably assisted in her political aspirations by her secretary Maithili Sharan (Gauhar Khan).

Sunil Grover has a plum role as Samar’s right hand man and cold-blooded hatchet man Gurpal Chauhan. With his ever-so-ordinary safari suits, and his reticent, Haryanvi accent, Grover exudes menace. Zeeshan Ayub is very good as Shiva – and his character is one of the better defined ones in Tandav. Kumud Mishra as Devki Nandan’s friend and associate was wasted in an ineffective, shallowly-defined role – it was never quite clear what he wanted or what his game-plan was (if there was one). Dino Morea is back on the small-screen after a while.

While some episodes were pretty tight, there are a few loose ends and inconsistent characters – like political leader Sana Mir (played by Krutika Kamra), who seems kind of wishy-washy with her ideals. Tandav’s story is predictable and a bit basic – kinda like an 80s film. In Tandav what you see is what you get – I wish it had more complexity (there was scope). The characters needed more depth and finessing, because they thought one way and behaved another.

So yes, it’s not all that, but Tandav, on the whole, is a fairly entertaining watch, if you have reasonable expectations.

Kidwise: Violence and some sexual situations.

Posted in 2021, Amazon Prime, drama, New Shows on Amazon Prime, politics, rating-PG13, series, watchable | Comments Off

Movie Review : The White Tiger (2021)

Posted on January 24, 2021 by amodini

Rating : 4/5
Genre : Drama
Year : 2021
Running time : 2 hours 5 minutes
Director : Ramin Bahrani
Cast : Adarsh Gourav, Rajkummar Rao, Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, Manish Asharya, Kamlesh Gill, Mahesh Manjrekar, Swaroop Sampat
Kidwise : PG-13

The White Tiger is based on the Arvind Adiga’s book of the same name (here’s the book review), and while I was initially skeptical of a non-Indian director getting the so-very-Indian ethos of the book correctly translated into film, I have to admit Iranian-American director Ramin Bahrani does a fabulous job.

The White Tiger in the film is Balram Halwai, who in his own words has been bred to be a servant, brought up to please his masters. His master is the youngest son of the village landlord, and Balram, living in the city serving America-returned Ashok and his Indian-American wife Pinky, is very pleased with his good fortune. Through a series of events, Balram will come to re-think this “good fortune” and find himself helpless and hopeless.

The White Tiger is a story of India’s classist society, where the rich are very, very rich and the poor are very, very poor, and there is a wide, almost insurmountable chasm in-between. Balram belongs to the latter class, a servant, used to being routinely trod upon, berated, insulted and dismissed by his employers. Ashok and Pinky belong to the former class, and are full of egalitarian values, thus gentler, kinder souls; Balram privately muses that Ashok could be “The Lamb” where Ashok’s evil father is “The Stork” and his wily brother “The Mongoose”.

Bahrain’s portrayal of each of these characters has depth, and he manages to show us how goodness erodes when push comes to shove. We see Ashok and Pinky treat Balram with kindness, but then also toy with him for his lack of knowledge (Balram does not have much schooling). To them, he is and is not quite a full human being. Balram sees Ashok as his ticket to a prosperous future, and is by turns innocent and cunning, desperation and desperate poverty being the main driver for his actions.

Adarsh Gourav steals the show as Balram. His metamorphosis from naive and faithful servant to a cunning, streetsmart player is beautifully done. Rajkummar Rao as Ashok is very believable; he even gets the returned-from-America accent right. Priyanka plays Pinky Madam with panache (she also produces the film). The entire cast of the film does very well. The only jarring note came from Kamlesh Gill, who while she did well, sounds like an elderly, Punjabi Aunty from Delhi with her accent, instead of a wily, grandmother from a small village.

The White Tiger is an engrossing, well-made film. A must watch.

Kidwise: Some graphic violence.

Posted in 2021, All Netflix, bollywood, book to film, directors, drama, Good Hindi Movies To Watch, Hindi movies on Netflix, hollywood, Netflix Recommendations, New Bollywood Movies, New Films, rating-PG13, recommended, satire, social issues | Comments Off

Series Preview : Tandav (releases Jan 15th 2021)

Posted on January 9, 2021 by amodini

Tandav stars Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Dino Morea, Gauhar Khan, Sandhya Mridul, Kumud Mishra and others and is about Indian politics. It is directed by Abbas Ali Zafar, who has directed films like Sultan, Bharat and Gunday, so while I’m expecting Tndav to be decent it’s not going to win awards for subtlety or nuance.

Tandav is on Amazon Prime the 15th of January, 2021.

Posted in 2021, Amazon Prime Video Recommendations, drama, New Shows on Amazon Prime, politics, Previews | Comments Off

Podcast Episode 10: Top 10 Movies of 2020

Posted on January 3, 2021 by amodini

Happy New Year folks! Here’s my 1st Podcast Episode of 2021! This is Part 1 of the Bollywood Roundup – the Top 10 Bollywood Films of 2020. Part 2 (coming shortly) will talk about the Top 10 TV Shows/Series of 2020.

If you’d like to catch up on 2020’s podcasts (9 episodes), here are the links as well as a list of platforms this podcast is on.

If you’d rather read about the Top 10 Movies and Series of 2020:
– Top 10 Movies of 2020
– Top 10 Shows of 2020

Posted in 2021, Amodini's Movie Reviews Podcast, annual roundup, Best hindi movies, bollywood, Good Hindi Movies To Watch, Hindi Movies List, Hindi movies on Amazon Prime, Hindi movies on Netflix, lists, podcast, recommended, Top 10 | Comments Off

Movie Preview : Ram Prasad Ki Tehrvi (releases Jan 1st 2021)

Posted on December 30, 2020 by amodini

Ram Prasad ki Tehrvi is directed by Seema Bhargava-Pahwa, who’s an accomplished actress (we saw her in the quirky Shubh Mangal Saavdhan and the lovely Ankhon Dekhi), and I’m hoping her directorial venture is as good. The film has an impressive starcast – Supriya Pathak, Vinay Pathak, Naseeruddin Shah, Vikrant Massey, Konkona Sen Sharma and others – so it looks promising.

Posted in 2021, directors, drama, humor, New Films, Previews | Comments Off

Best TV Shows of 2020

Posted on December 26, 2020 by amodini

This was the year of watching stuff at home, and these 10 shows made it to the binge-worthy list. In descending order, they are: :

10. Masaba Masaba (Netflix)

Featuring Masaba, mom Neena Gupta and a healthy dose of pop-psychology, Masaba Masaba was quite enjoyable. And a little frivolous. Watch it for the lovely, confident Masaba who lives and does as she sees fit, even though the real-world and nosy society do get in the way!

9. Special Ops (Hotstar)

This espionage thriller is directed by Neeraj Pandey (he directed “A Wednesday” and Special 26), and stars KayKay Menon as Himmat Singh of the Indian Research and Analysis Wing. Singh and his team analyze patterns of various terrorist attacks in an attempt to catch the perpetrators.

Pandey does this genre particularly well, and Special Ops is no different. And KayKay Menon’s fantastic performance sure helps!

8. Scam 1992 (Sony LIV)

Harshad’s Mehta’s cautionary tale of tampering with the stock market, this has Pratik Gandhi playing the aggressively upwardly-mobile Mehta. The details out Mehta’s sudden rise and fall, and attempts to explain the intricacies of his crime in simple terms.

7. Indian Matchmaking (Netflix)

This reality show features an intrepid, jet-setting matchmaker Sima Taparia and her many clients across the world. The show is so interesting because it features different personalities jiving and clashing with one another as they meet and weigh one another up from the marriage angle.

6. A Suitable Boy (AcornTV in the US, Netflix in India)

Vikram Seth’s doorstopper about the search for a suitable boy for the 20 year old Lata Mehra, who’d rather not marry but is hounded to do so, has been turned into a 6 episode series by the BBC. It is directed by Mira Nair (who also directed The Namesake) and has a humongous cast, with Tanya Maniktala debuting as Lata. Other worthies include Tabu, Ishaan Khattar, Ram Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shourey, Randeep Hooda, Shahana Goswami, Rasika Duggal, Vijay Raaz and Vijay Verma.

The series is primarily in English which is a little jarring, and methinks 6 episodes is too short to take in the richness and detail of the book, but it is what it is – which is enjoyable!

5. Jamtara (Netflix)

A group of young men, including brothers Rocky and Sunny, run phishing scams from a small town in Jharkhand, India. Tensions rise when a local politician wants his cut and the local, seemingly fearless policewoman is out to get them.

Gritty, intense, beautifully acted and directed, Jamtara is a must watch!

4. Mirzapur 2 (Amazon Prime Video)

Season 2 picks after Season 1 which left brothers Guddu and Bablu in a precarious situation. Guddu and Golu must run for their lives after the slaughter, and now plan their revenge against evil, powerful Kaleen Bhaiya (played by Pankaj Tripathi) and his son Munna. The second season is much, much better that the 1st and loses the “wannabe” status. It is just as violent, grisly and riddled with profanity, but is a superbly engrossing watch!

3. Taj Mahal 1989 (Netflix)

Pushpendra Nath Mishra’s quirky look at love is a treat! He weaves in different storylines which almost intersect, and through them presents different situations and viewpoints. Throw in some lovely music, poetry, philosophy, and some fabulous acting and tight scripting and you have Taj Mahal 1989!

2. Panchayat (Amazon Prime Video)

The feel-good show of 2020, Panchayat follows Abhishek Tripathi (played by the very talented Jitendra Kumar who was also in Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhaan), newly minted grad who’s saddled with an undesirable job in a village. This gorgeous show is clean, wholesome and humorous and suitable for family-viewing.

1. Paatal Lok (Amazon Prime Video)

You’d think that we’d get tired of the honest cop trope, but it never does get old. In Paatal Lok we have Hathi Ram Chaudhry, an old-school stickler for the books, mired in a thankless job, career having stagnated in an Outer Jamuna Par police station or as he calls it – “Paatal Lok” (the netherworld).

A plum case falls in his lap, quite by chance, and Hathi Ram (played superbly by Jaideep Ahlawat) is determined to prove his mettle and get that promotion, even when the powers that be want him to let go. Acting, direction and impressive story-telling make Paatal Lok the Best Show of 2020!

Posted in 2020, All Netflix, Amazon Prime Video Recommendations, Amodini's Movie Reviews Podcast, annual roundup, book to film, comedy, coming of age, crime, dark, directors, drama, family-friendly, feel-good, Good Shows To Watch On Amazon Prime, Good Shows to Watch On Netflix, historical, Hotstar, humor, lists, mini-reviews, outstanding, quirky, real-life-based, Reality Show, recommended, romance, series, social issues, suspense, thriller, Top 10, WhaTWON | Comments Off

Best Hindi Movies of 2020

Posted on December 24, 2020 by amodini

What with Covid and all, 2020 has been a low-key year for movie releases in general. Still, even from the few that did release on OTT platforms (Netflix, Prime etc.), I have managed to cobble together a Top 10 2020 Bollywood Movies list that passes muster! Here are The Best Bollywood Movies of 2020 in descending order, with some music and the platforms where you can watch them:

10. Jawaani Jaaneman (streaming on Amazon Prime Video)

Yes, I know you are rolling your eyes at this one, but I did like it. The story of an aging, narcissistic Lothario in for the surprise of his life, a surprise that will literally turn his life upside down, was in parts heart-warming and sweet. Saif Ali Khan plays the playboy with aplomb, Alaya Furniturewala makes an impressive debut and the luminous Tabu lights up the screen!

9. Gunjan Saxena (Netflix)

This real-life based film is about the accomplishments of one of the first female pilots in the Indian Air Force. Watch this film for high-impact story-telling, decent acting and an overall quality production. It’s a story of courage and resilience and suitable for family-viewing. Gunjan Saxena is well worth a watch at #9.

The Podcast Review of Gunjan Saxena is here.

8. Panga (Amazon Prime Video)

Another film about a woman – this time it’s a kabaddi player who has given up the sport at the National Level in favor of being a full time mother and raising her son. When many years later, our heroine Jaya, is dissatisified with her lack of accomplishment while her compatriots have forged on, she must overcome many hurdles to get back in the game. This film raised issues normally not raised in hero-focussed Bollywood, was heartfelt and felt honest. Some great acting – Kangana Ranaut, Jassi Gill, Neena Gupta are all fantastic – and nicely paced events helps bring in Panga at #8.

7. Lootcase (Hotstar)

A middle-class man finds a suitcase full of money and while he is thrilled with the windfall, he is unaware that the not-very-nice owners of that money want it back. Large-scale upheaval results. Kunal Khemu, Rasika Duggal, Ranvir Shourey and Vijay Raaz are very good in this humor-filled action-drama.

6. Yeh Ballet (Netflix)

An unusual film by Bollywood standards, director Sooni Tarporevala’s this real-life based movie is about two boys from the slums of Bombay who want to excel at ballet, and their struggle against family, friends and society at large to do what they love. Yeh Ballet uses the underdog trope well and gives us a lovely, tug-at-the-heartstrings film.

5. Ludo (Netflix)

Anurag Basu’s Ludo, while not quite Barfi quality, is a well-done drama featuring a large cast of characters. 4 different stories intersect and overlap and Basu’s skill at keeping the threads coherent brings in this entertaining film at #5.

4. Raat Akeli Hai (Netflix)

A true-blue murder mystery Raat Akeli Hai has Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the intrepid, quirky policeman Jatil Yadav investigating a suspicious death. There are many characters in this film, but I remember it for the beautifully fleshed out Jatil Yadav and his fawning Mummyji (played by the magnificent Ila Arun). Not since the fabulous Manorama 6 feet Under have I been so impressed with a desi detective!

The Podcast Review of Raat Akeli Hai is here.

3. Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakta Sitare (Netflix)

Konkona Sen Sharma and Bhumi Pednekar play two sisters set adrift by their own special situations in modern society. This film shows them asking the hard questions and having the gumption to actually free themselves from the rules that bind ordinary women. It’s got its rough edges but this film gets you thinking and remembering these sisters and their predicaments for a very long time.

The Podcast Review of Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakta Sitare is here.

2. Thappad (Netflix)

Thappad is a remarkable film with another courageous woman – a housewife Amrita (played by Taapsee Pannu), content with her domestic life – questioning her choices when life goes topsy-turvy in one surprising night. Thappad is remarkable because it questions traditional norms with respect to the role of women in society. The fabulous direction and the heartfelt performances bring Thappad to the #2 spot.

1. Kadakh (Sony LIV)

Kadakh is an unpredictable, edge-of your-seat suspense drama starring Ranvir Shourey, Mansi Multani and a varied and talented cast. Director Rajat Kapoor has made a beautifully nuanced drama with great attention to detail. This genre of film is rare in Bollywood and Kadakh goes straight to my Best Films By Genre List because of its quality and fantastic story-telling.

The Podcast Review of Kadakh is here.

Want more Top 10 Lists? See my Best Hindi Films by Year for 2019, 2018 and 2017.

Posted in 2020, All Netflix, Amazon Prime Video Recommendations, annual roundup, Best hindi movies, bio-pic, bollywood, comedy, detective-film, directors, drama, Good Hindi Movies To Watch, Hindi Movies List, Hindi movies on Amazon Prime, Hindi movies on Netflix, humor, mini-reviews, mystery, Netflix Recommendations, outstanding, real-life-based, recommended, social issues, suspense, Top 10, touchy-feely, women | 2 Comments

Movie Review : Yeh Ballet

Posted on December 19, 2020 by amodini

Rating : 4/5
Genre : Drama
Year : 2020
Running time : 1 hour 57 minutes
Director : Sooni Taraporevala
Cast : Julian Sands, Jim Sarbh, Manish Chauhan, Danish Husain, Achintya Bose
Kidwise : G

Yeh Ballet is the story of 2 boys from poor/underprivileged backgrounds learning ballet, loving it and excelling in it despite objections from family/friends/society in general. It is a lovely, heart-warming film told sparely but with genuine emotion and good acting.

Asif (Bose) is running around with a small-time gang in his neighborhood, but when his compatriots get caught by the police and land in jail, he swears off the petty crime and focuses on his dance. Luckily for him, his brother has managed to land him a spot with a new teacher from America, who notices Asif’s talent in ballet and encourages him. Then there is also Nishu who has made it on reality dance shows on television but is struggling to get ahead in his dancing career. His parents have worked hard to get him to college, and they’d rather he not fritter away his time in frivolous activities like dance. He persists however, and when he finally lands an audition with ballet virtuoso Saul (Sands), Saul helps him and Asif apply to a ballet school in the US.

This film is based on the real life story of two boys – Manish Chauhan (he plays Nishu in the film) Amiruddin Shah and their teacher Israeli-American Yehuda Maor. I really liked this film because although it was slow-going in the beginning and seemed to dither here and there without resolving into a firm plot, it gathered pace and heft by building up the characters and their back stories.

The film feels spare, the acting natural and the emotion genuine. Director Taraporevala shows us the immense odds against these boys and their dancing – the poverty, classism, the bigotry against ballet as an “unmanly” dance. She also manages to convey the honesty of the intentions and the good-will, the warm fuzzy feeling that there are good people and that dreams do come true.

Bose and Chauhan were lovely to watch as dancers and actors, and Julian Sands as ballet teacher Saul Aaron carried the film. Jim Sarbh (he had a major role in the Prime series Made in Heaven), Danish Hussain (we saw him in the marvelous Netflix series Taj Mahal 1989) have supporting roles in the film and are also excellent, Sarbh especially as the dance class manager.

Yeh Ballet is quite lovely and well worth your time. Go watch!

Kidwise: Clean.

Posted in 2020, All Netflix, bollywood, coming of age, dance, directors, drama, family-friendly, feel-good, Good Hindi Movies To Watch, Hindi movies on Netflix, Netflix Recommendations, New Bollywood Movies, New Films, rating-G, real-life-based, recommended, underdog angle, WhaTWON | Comments Off

Movie Preview : The White Tiger (releases Jan 22nd 2021)

Posted on December 12, 2020 by amodini

The White Tiger is based on Arvind Adiga’s Booker prize-winning book of the same name. I reviewed it here on my book blog. The film is directed by Iranian director Ramin Bahraini and stars Priyanka Chopra, Rajkummar Rao and Adarsh Gaurav, who plays Balram, the lead character.

I liked the book so it would be interesting what they do with the film adaptation.

Posted in 2021, All Netflix, bollywood, book to film, drama, Hindi movies on Netflix, New Bollywood Movies, New Films, Previews, social issues, WhaTWON | Comments Off

What To Watch on Netflix and Prime Video – Edition #38

Posted on December 6, 2020 by amodini

– The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives (Netflix Series, 8 Episodes)

Yes, I admit it. When I first started watching this series – the 1st episode that is – I almost gave up. It seemed frivolous and name-droppy, designer-spouting – and you can watch folks talk about their branded cars and handbags and exclusive debutante balls (apparently those still are a thing!) but only for so long.

Anyway, I persevered. Which is to say – I dozed off, and woke up in the middle of a skirmish. After that the show grew better as in it focussed on the 4 long-time friends or 4 Bollywood wives who star in this show : Maheep Kapoor (wife of Sanjay Kapoor who was in The Zoya Factor), Neelam Kothari Soni (90s Bollywood heroine, wife of Samir Soni), Bhavana Pandey (Chunky Pandey’s wife and mom of Ananya Pandey of Student of The Year 2 fame) and Seema Khan (wife of Sohail Khan whom you might remember from films like Hello).

The women’s personalities really come through. They are catty, aren’t afraid to air their opinions, wear heels to the pool 🙂 but are firm friends, and the show does manage to portray their long-standing friendship endearingly. The show ended rather nicely too. I hear there is a 2nd season a-coming.

– Molly’s Game (Netflix, 2 hours 20 minutes, Jessica Chasten, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner)

This fast-paced thriller is based on the life of Molly Bloom, who ran the world’s most high-stake poker games before she was arrested by the FBI. Among the folks who played at her games were members of mafias and crime syndicates, and she was caught in the cross-fire. Under pressure to cooperate with the FBI, Molly refuses to give-in.

Molly’s Game is really well-told and manages to keep us in the thick of it. It goes backwards and forwards in time, but very skillfully and clearly presents Molly’s case. It was an engrossing watch even at 2.5 hours!

– Chaman Bahar (Netflix, 1 hr 51 minutes, Jitendra Kumar)

Jitendra Kumar, who we most recently saw in the lovely series Panchayat, stars in this film as humble pawn-shop owner Billu who falls in love with a school-girl, who stays in her home with her family, across the road from his pawn-shop.

Rinku, the pretty school-girl, has many admirers, whom she is wholly unaware of. Billu, from whose point of view the film’s story is told, attempts to keep the admirers at bay, but ends up messing up his own situation. The film isn’t full of big events, and doesn’t really go from point A to B; rather it is a character/situational study of young, unrequited love in a small-town.