Blog | Amodini's Movie Reviews - Part 13Amodini's Movie Reviews | Movie Reviews by Year, Genre and Rating

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.

Posted in 2020, All Netflix, based on true events, bollywood, Hindi movies on Netflix, hollywood, Netflix Recommendations, New Shows on Netflix, real-life-based, Reality Show, WhaTWON, women | Comments Off

Podcast Episode 9: Kadakh Movie Review

Posted on December 1, 2020 by amodini

I reviewed Kadakh a couple of weeks ago, and if you’d like a Podcast version of it is – here it is!

Bollywood does do suspense-thrillers, but they are few and far between (here’s a list). Kadakh is a worthy addition to this list because it is a fantastic, unpredictable film. It stars and is directed by Rajat Kapoor. Listen on or read the review to see why this film is a wonderful one to see!

Posted in 2020, bollywood, dark, directors, drama, Good Hindi Movies To Watch, outstanding, recommended, suspense, thriller | Comments Off

Series Preview : Bhaag Beanie Bhaag (releases Dec 4, 2020)

Posted on November 28, 2020 by amodini

Lately we’ve seen more and more female comics take to the stage. Not that they weren’t there before, but the exposure on Netflix/Prime has increased with specials – like Comicstaan which featured many female comedians, and Ladies Up, which was pretty good.

Bhaag Beanie Bhaag is the story of such a female comedian. Bindiya Bhavnagar realizes she doesn’t want to go down life’s traditional, pre-ordained route; she wants to do stand-up instead. Swara Bhasker plays Bindiya aka Beanie.

I’m looking forward to this one!

Posted in 2020, All Netflix, comedy, humor, New Shows on Netflix, Previews, WhaTWON, women | Comments Off

Movie Review : Ludo

Posted on November 23, 2020 by amodini

Rating : 3.8/5
Genre : All-in-one
Year : 2020
Running time : 2 hours 29 minutes
Director : Anurag Basu
Cast : Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Bachchan, Sanya Malhotra, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Fatima Sana Sheikh, Rohit Saraf, Pearle Maaney
Kidwise : PG

Ludo is a 4 person game. And life is Ludo, with our four players being : Bittu (Bachchan), Alok (Rao), Akash (Kapoor) and Rahul (Saraf). Bittu is a small time conman, and used to be the right hand man of Sattu Bhaiya (Tripathi) before he left the life of crime to settle down in happy domesticity. Alok aka Aloo runs a restaurant and pines for Pinky (Shaikh), who ditched him in favor of a more favorable alliance. Akash must clear the air with ex-girlfriend Shruti (Malhotra), and lands up at her home, where wedding preparations are in full swing, 3 days before her marriage to another man. And Rahul is the innocent bystander who gets caught up in a crime.

These 4 stories of different people, start to intersect and then things really get interesting. Some of the main events in the film are shown through different perspectives – sometimes we are taken back in time, and shown a different angle, introduced to a fact we did’t know before. You connect the dots, and the little a-ha moments make the film.

Any self-respecting crime caper has to have a villain, bags full of cash and madcap chases. Ludo has all that and some unpredictable quirks. There’s humor, drama, love, pathos. There’s also an impressive and large star cast, all of whom do reasonably well.

Of the 4 main protagonists, Rajkummar Rao stood out. He was hilarious as the helpless-in-love Alok. Abhishek Bachchan does decently but the role is such a downer, and Bachchan seems to be caught up in reprises of the same “regretful” character portrayals. Here, his character gets caught up in some emotionally drippy scenes with a kid. And I’ve had it up to here with precocious, cutesy little somethings spouting smart nothings; I wish Bollywood would lay off and just let kids in films be kids.

Aditya Roy Kapor and Sanya Malhotra as the main romantic pair in the film have great chemistry; they keep demurring but we know how it will end! Pankaj Tripathi is in his heyday, and a hoot here as wily mobster Sattu Bhai.

Ludo starts very well, but starts to lose steam as it goes along. Also, director Basu casts himself in a small cameo as a “sutradhaar” or prescient narrator – which seemed gimmicky. Still Ludo is a fun watch; just don’t expect it to match Basu’s Barfi qualitywise.

Kidwise: Gunslinging and violence. Adult situations are implied but nothing explicit is shown on screen.

Posted in 2020, bollywood, crime, directors, drama, Good Hindi Movies To Watch, Hindi movies on Netflix, humor, Netflix Recommendations, New Bollywood Movies, quirky, rating-PG13, romance | Comments Off

Movie Preview : Ludo (releases 12th November)

Posted on October 24, 2020 by amodini

Ludo has a large star cast – 4 heroes, and at least 2 heroines that I could see in the trailer. And it is directed by Anurag Basu, who also brilliantly helmed one of my favorite movies of all time – Barfi! Also the very lovely Life In a Metro. Is it any wonder that I’m looking forward to this madcap Diwali blockbuster?

Posted in 2020, All Netflix, bollywood, directors, Hindi movies on Netflix, humor, New Bollywood Movies, New Films, Previews, quirky, WhaTWON | Comments Off

Podcast Episode 8: Bollywood For Beginners

Posted on October 20, 2020 by amodini

I had so much fun making this Podcast episode about Bollywood For Beginners. When I’m recording my podcasts I’m always on the fence about just starting to speak and letting go, or preparing the script beforehand (speaking naturally generally wins). For this episode though, I had the basics in my head, and once I started to speak, I went on for about 24 minutes, thus breaking the sound barrier 🙂 of 10 minutes.

I hope you have as much fun listening and enjoy my picks. If you’d rather read, here is the written Bollywood For Beginners page. And the lists, of about 300 highly recommended films, mentioned in the podcast episode are:

– Best Hindi Movies By Genre
– Best Hindi Movies By Year

Posted in 2020, Amodini's Movie Reviews Podcast, bollywood, Good Hindi Movies To Watch, Hindi Movies List, how-what-why, lists, mini-reviews, outstanding, podcast, recommended | 2 Comments

Movie Review : Cargo

Posted on October 17, 2020 by amodini

Rating : Poor (2/5)
Genre : Sci-fi
Year : 2020
Running time : 2 hours 5 minutes
Director : Arati Kadav
Cast : Vikrant Massey, Shweta Tripathi, Nandu Madhav
Kidwise : PG

Cargo’s premise is an interesting mix of Hindu mythology and space opera. In Hindu mythology, when people die, their souls are collected by the god of death Yama. In the film, in the near future, this “traditional” death has been changed so that deaths are now processed through the Post Death Transition Services. The PDTS runs several spaceships, one of which is the Pushpak – 634A manned by Rakhasa (demon) Prahastha (Massey), and he’s been doing this single, solitary job all by himself for a very long time. Suddenly though he gets a new assistant Yuvishka Shekhar (Tripathi), and things start to change.

There are very few characters in this film. There’s Prahasta, a mild-mannered, quiet man (or demon – they look very human, apparently) who processes his “cargo” of dead people every day. The process is the same for every dead person, and monotonous but Prahastha does his job patiently and dutifully, and has come to enjoy his solitary existence. He communicates with his superiors and co-workers via video streams, but other than that and the minimum back-and-forth with his cargo, keeps very much to himself. Then there’s Nitigya Sir (Madhav), Prahastha’s boss, whom we only see through his video chats with Prahastha. And lastly, there’s University topper Yuvishka who comes on board the Pushpak-634A, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, full of new-fangled ideas on handling cargo, eager to do her job by the book.

Director Kadav shows us the isolation of Prahastha’s life, one repetitive day at a time. With the upheaval of Yuvishka’s coming, and the changing dynamics between Prahastha and Yuvishka, Kadav delves deeper into Prahastha’s personality, his repressed emotions and memories. She also touches upon changing relationships and burgeoning friendships. But that exploration feels so slight, so minute, that I can’t dredge up any strong feelings nor do I care about any of the characters!

The whole thing gets pretty monotonous – there are long scenes where the characters sit unmoving, thinking, watching – and the dialogs and the interactions between Prahastha and Yuvishka remain stilted and superficial. It is frustrating because I can feel a good film underneath all that slow-moving action, but I can’t quite get to it.

With only three characters in the film, it is a challenge to keep things interesting of course, and Kadav doesn’t quite succeed. Very few films do. One of them is the sci-fi film “Moon“, which has one character – a solitary astronaut on the moon. Another is the South Korean “Castaway on the Moon” which is more fable than sci-fi. But both these films managed to do what Cargo fails at – get us interested in their lonely protagonists.

On the positive side, I thought the premise interesting. There’s even some folklore built around the PDTS (even though it has no impact on the story), like the fact that there has been a peace treaty with the humans, or that each Rakshasa has a special superpower. The film has a low budget and the sets/the spaceship shows it, but that didn’t bother me. Also, the actors are great performers – we know that because we’ve seen them before (Laakhon Mein Ek, Raat Akeli Hai, Mirzapur) so I’m blaming the director here 🙂 .

This film doesn’t quite work, but hopefully is a precursor of things to come. I hope Kadav can refine her film-making skills and keep at it; Bollywood could sure use some good sci-fi!

Kidwise: Clean.