Aankhon ki Gustakhiyan Movie Review: Neither Rom Nor Com

Posted on July 13, 2025 by amodini

Rating : ⭐️
Genre: Romance
Year: 2025
Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Director: Santosh Singh
Cast: Vikrant Massey, Shanaya Kapoor, Zain Singh Durrani
Kid rating: PG

A blind musician Jahaan (Massey) and a wannabe actress Saba (Kapoor) meet in a train. She has a blindfold on, one she intends to keep on for two weeks to get ready for an audition. In Mussoorie, their destination, Saba, sans her manager, has nowhere to go and hitches a ride with her new friend. Then she persuades him to let her room with him in his villa. One thing leads to another and soon the two are in love. But, surprise, surprise, Jahan ups and leaves. 3 years later they meet in Europe, and old memories come surging back. 

Aankhon ki Gustakhiyan is supposedly a romcom, but there is neither rom nor com. The writing is flat, and characters paper-thin. The dialogs and situations are juvenile and cringey. There is zero chemistry between the leads. 

I can’t fault the actors though when the direction and writing is this dismal. There is suspension of belief and then there is just plain atrocious writing. This film falls into the latter category. I did not know why the characters did what they did, nor did I care – so poorly sketched were they.

I was curious to see Shanaya Kapoor who is the daughter of Maheep, of Bollywood Wives, and actor Sanjay Kapoor. Shanaya does her best with the silly character she’s saddled with. Saba is a woman missing a brain; she decides to share a car, a home and a bedroom with a man she’s just met and cannot see. She’s also entitled and bratty.

Then there is Vikrant Massey who is a very good actor (12th Fail, Dolly Kitty aur Woh Chamakte Sitare), and he also fails to impress in this film. In the first half of the film, Jahaan sported a stubble. In the second, there’s a full beard and a ton of hair – not a good look for Massey. Zain Khan Durrani played Abhinav, Saba’s boyfriend – and he did well too. 

The film was full of tropes we’ve seen before. The ditzy girl and the nerd. The unrequited love syndrome. You could see the end a mile away. Very predictable and boring and a whole lot of tepid nothingness. I was very tempted to leave the theater, but stayed to see if it got better. It didn’t.

Aankhon ki Gustakhiyan is a film to be missed. It’s a pity that this was her debut film, but Shanaya will probably improve (Ananya did), given the right director and script. 

Kidwise: A few liplocks. 

Posted in 2025, bollywood, rating-PG, romance, stinker | Comments Off on Aankhon ki Gustakhiyan Movie Review: Neither Rom Nor Com

Review: Metro In Dino – Stellar Cast in a Musical Mess (2025)

Posted on July 8, 2025 by amodini

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre: Romance
Year: 2025
Running time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Director: Anurag Basu
Cast: Siddharth Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Pankaj Tripathi, Neena Gupta, ali Fazal, Fatima Sana Sheikh, Anupam Kher
Kid rating: PG

I hate to rain on this parade, but “Metro In Dino” is a bit of a hot mess. It starts very music video fashion with Pritam and his band singing a modern ballad atop a tall building, city skyline in the background. The main characters and the introductory scenes come to you via this music video. I wasn’t gaga with this over-the-top treatment but if it had only stopped there! Yes, this is from the director who created the impeccable Barfi, and yes I had very high hopes for this movie, but alas! The good news is that this is not a bad movie, it’s just ho-hum when it could have been spectacular.

Like the earlier “Life in a Metro” this is also a story of a bunch of romantic pairs, some thrown together by chance, some together yet distant, and some just waiting to meet the one. It has a bunch of parallels too – there’s a pair of sisters in in this Metro too, the characters in the film are interconnected, some characters have the same names, there are references to Kolkata and all things Bangla, and some philosophical musings carry over here, 17 years later. And really all that nostalgia works, because you remember and smile at the memory of an older, wonderful film.

Shibani (Neena Gupta) has two lovely grown daughters – the elder Kajol (Konkona Sen Sharma) is married to Monty (Pankaj Tripathi), and the younger Chumki (Sara Ali Khan) is about to be engaged to Anand. Chumki meets Parth (Aditya Roy Kapoor) by chance. Parth is good friends with married couple Akash (Ali Fazal) and Shruti (Fatima Sana Sheikh).

So there’s Shibani who’s regretting her lack of independence, and the loss of friendships she left behind (especially the one with college sweetheart Parimal). Kajol suspects Monty is having an affair. Chumki will be married to Anand soon, but keeps bumping into Parth. Akash and Shruti love each other but different dreams dictate separate life paths. And Rohan loves Jhinuk (Darshana Banik) but she won’t hear of moving away from dad-in-law.

A tangled web it is, but quite well-portrayed by the stellar cast. Strong performances, except maybe Sara Ali Khan, who does try. A special kudos to Fatima Sana Sheikh and Ali Fazal, because they made their tortured love-story shine. Anupam Kher’s Parimal and Parimal’s touching relationship with his daughter-in-law got me misty-eyed. Konkona Sen Sharma is spectacular, as always. I loved the interconnected-ness of the whole thing, the skillful way Basu intertwined stories and attachments. Yes, it is a little cheesy (and a little ham-handed), but one is not watching a documentary, is one?

What sinks the ship is the break-aways into song every 5 minutes. Just when you’re trying to immerse yourself into the poignant moments (and to director Basu’s credit there are a few), along comes Pritam and Co, guitars strumming, long hair streaming, drums ablaze to destroy the scene and your senses. The music interruptions got so frequent, I thought I was in a Ken Ghosh music video.

This death by music might have been palatable, had the melodies been good. There are 11 songs, and most of them sound like each other. Qayde Se is the only lovely one. 

Metro In Dino tries too hard to be with it. Quite a comedown for a genius like Basu, Metro In Dino is still a pleasant, feel-good film.

Kidwise: Fairly clean and free from innuendo.

Posted in 2025, romance | 1 Comment

Materialists: Celine’s Song hath no melody

Posted on July 4, 2025 by amodini

Rating : ⭐️
Genre: Romance
Year: 2025
Running time: 1 hour 57 minutes
Director: Celine Song
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal
Kid rating: PG-15

The first scene of this film makes you think you have a good one; a Friday night entertainer with a sense of humor AND good-looking leads. But then things go south. Not immediately though. At first we’re drawn in watching lovely Lucy (Dakota Johnson) make her living as a match-maker extraordinaire. She’s had 9 matches turn into marriages so far, which is apparently a great hit rate.

At one such wedding she meets Harry, the brother of the groom. Harry (Pedro Pascal), in match-maker parlance, is a unicorn, just like his brother – handsome, very well-to-do, charming, and without any bad habits. When he professes an interest in dating Judy, she tells him that that might not be such a good idea since she plans to marry the next man she dates. He is undeterred.

At the same wedding she also bumps into an old flame, cater waiter John (Chris Evans). Riding with John in his old car after the wedding, they catchup – John is still struggling in his acting career at 37, perpetually broke and living with roommates to afford NYC rents.

As Judy begins to date the wealthy Harry, she also feels the familiar tug towards John. Does money matter? Does love? And must one choose between the two?

Such an interesting premise, with such delectable stars! You’d think this would have been the romcom of the season. Unfortunately not. It’s a dud. The characters are flat. Also Dakota Johnson. For all her luminous beauty Ms. Johnson does not deign to act in this film – which was quite a surprise; I’d really liked her in Persuasion. There she was warm, wry and witty, here she is a cold fish, all monotones and small hesitant gestures. Were she not this beautiful, she might have blended into the wallpaper.

Pascal is decent, but Evans carries the film. You watch him waving that shield around as Captain America and you forget he can act. But he can. And he proves it in this film. 

I did like Lucy’s character – it’s a pity it wasn’t fleshed out very well. Lucy is so torn, but she is a practical girl. She can quite see the advantages of marrying into wealth – but then John is a true friend – one she can actually talk and call upon. Somewhere along the way, Lucy makes up her mind and chooses a guy. The unfortunate part is that we don’t get to see it. The moment comes and goes, with nary an emotion to show for it. 

The film is a romcom waxing lyrical about finding the one to grow old with etc. etc. We have one female with two male suitors vying for her attention. She makes her choice, but the why and the how and the stuff that comes with it just isn’t there. Where is the drama, the emotion, the heartbreak, the joy? Why Lucy does what she does is a mystery.

This film is tepid and very low-key. Even the big moments are so muted down, they hardly register. I felt little for this modern romance. 

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Movie Review : Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha (2024)

Posted on August 4, 2024 by amodini

Rating : ⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Year: 2024
Running time: 2 hours
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Cast: Ajay Devgun, Tabu, Saiee Manjrekar, Shantanu Maheshwari
Kid rating: PG-15

Auron Mein Khan Dum Tha comes from director Neeraj Pandey who has also directed action thrillers like Special 26 and A Wednesday. So he has a reputation as the director of well-made, fast-paced engrossing films. One would assume that a director who has made great films in the past would also make great films in the future. Alas, he proves that theory wrong. 

This film’s plot line is a grand, sweeping love story. The kind that one would remember for ages and ages for that immutable, pure love. But the film itself is so lackluster, that it doesn’t carry the intensity of that kind of a love story, despite having stars like Tabu and Ajay ‘Brooding’ Devgun.

The story goes thusly: Vasu (played by Manjrekar) and Krishna (Maheshwari, whom we saw in Gangubai Kathiawadi) are very much in love. They live in the same chawl in Mumbai and meet each other secretly. He means to ask for her hand, once he is secure in his job and future. And they dream of a life lived happily together. 

Then comes a tragic event which will separate them. For ever and ever. 

But the love will persist. 

For starters, the film is too long and too slow. Pandey follows his directorial habits from directing action thrillers. So each scene is protracted and long and follows the protagonist in every small minute detail. If the protagonist is climbing up a set of stairs, the camera will follow them climbing up. Each stair. Every step of the way. Accompanied by ever, increasing thudding music. Which is fine for some “action” scenes but does not translate well to a romantic tale. 

This is a directorial failure because the actors are pretty good. Tabu and Ajay Devgan, of course, are veterans. But even the pair that play a young Vasu and Krishna – Saiee and Shantanu – do very well. I’m honestly quite surprised by how well Saiee acts. She reminds me of a young, slightly less perky Padmini Kolhapure.

The young romance is interesting enough. And honestly, I could have watched a mini film featuring Saiee and Shantanu. So that works. What does not work is the film going on and on and on, with the young, hopeful couple giving way to an older, melancholic pair.

The other problematic thing about the film is it’s jaded feel. There is 1 scene of attempted rape in this film and it reminded me of the 80s rape scenes with heroines being abducted and molested. In fact, the whole film felt like it was situated in a bygone era – one where lovers spoke in muted tongues, remained restrained and polite and were ever so well-behaved. The storyline veering into “Dubai don” territory, the violent jail skirmishes, Krishna’s band of loyal followers in jail (some terrible acting there) seemed to belong to Hindi cinema of a past decade.

A love story should be one where you are invested and moved. Preferably to the point of tears. Yes, preferably a weepie, especially if it’s going to have the lovers separated. But this film for all its great big lovesick scenes and declarations of unending devotion, left me unmoved.

I have no great big, warm fuzzy feelings for this film or its protagonists, worthy of sympathy though they may seem on paper. What little I do feel is so distant and so far removed that, I cannot say that I will ever recall this film fondly, or at all.

Auron Mein Khan Dum Tha is a very humdrum watch for a love story. I’m not sure it’s worth two and a half hours in a theater. 

Kidwise: One scene of attempted rape. Somewhat gory violence with knives and other sharp implements.

Posted in 2024, directors, rating-PG15, romance | Comments Off on Movie Review : Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha (2024)

Movie Review : Sharmajee ki Beti (2024)

Posted on July 27, 2024 by amodini

Rating : ⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre: Drama
Year: 2024
Running time: 2 hours
Director: Tahira Kashyap Khurana
Cast: Divya Dutta, Sakshi Tanwar, Saiyami Kher, Sharib Hashmi
Kid rating: PG-15

The film is about three women with the last name of Sharma – Jyoti Sharma, Kiran Sharma and Tanvi Sharma. Kiran Sharma (Dutta) has just moved from Patiala to Mumbai about a year back and has yet to make friends and make a life for herself. She is for now, a housewife busy supporting husband and daughter Gurveen. Then there is Jyoti Sharma (Tanwar) who is a teacher at a coaching institute and mother of the whiny Swati Sharma. Tanvi Sharma (Kher) is a state female cricketer. She has a boyfriend who wants her to be more feminine and womanly although he says that he’s in love with her. 

All these three women live in the same building and know each other marginally. The film is about their urban experience, the way they go through life buffetted by its demands, the demands of the people around them, and how they find peace and resolution to their problems. 

It’s an interesting concept, and it’s nice for once to see a woman making a film about other women. The women are the stars and the men are supporting characters. 

The film is enjoyable, but predictable. At times a little too pat and annoying. The younger Sharma girls – Gurveen and Swati are a whiny, spoiled lot. The older Sharma women are a lot stronger, more resilient and patient. 

The film does get into juvenile teeny bopper territory when it deals with problems faced by Gurveen and Swati. And at times it gets a little too overdone like in the story of Kiran Sharma, and her taciturn husband. Dutta is a fine actress but she overwhelms in certain scenes and underwhelms in others and because she’s a fine actress, I don’t think it’s her – it’s the director. 

Saiyami Kher really fit her role. She does very well and her storyline is quite interesting to watch, but unfortunately not as well fleshed out as I’d liked. And then there is Sakshi Tanwar playing Jyoti, as the teacher, who’s always looking for approval in her bratty daughter’s eyes. Jyoti just takes it and takes it and takes it until realization dawns on her daughter – which I thought was real namby-pamby. Like whatever happened to parenting?

I have mixed feelings about Sharmajee ki Beti. It does raise important issues in female urban existence but gets too silly and ham-handed at times. Interesting stories and predicaments are hinted at, but given a surface level treatment. Also, I’m not dazzled by star power, storyline, pacing or direction. I’m deeming it a mediocre watch. 

I hope director Khurana will get better with every film she directs, but this one is not something to write home about. 

Kidwise: Clean.

Posted in 2024, bollywood, coming of age, directors, drama, family-friendly, rating-G, touchy-feely, women | Comments Off on Movie Review : Sharmajee ki Beti (2024)

Movie Review : Chandu Champion (2024)

Posted on July 20, 2024 by amodini

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/4
Genre: Bio-pic
Year: 2024
Running time: 2 hours 22 minutes
Director: Kabir Khan
Cast: Karthik Aryan, Vijay Raaz, Bhuvan Arora
Kid rating: PG-15

There have been many Hindi movies which are made on the lives of famous sportsmen, swimmers and soldiers. Chandu Champion is another. It is the real life story of Murlikant Petkar, who was born in great poverty, in a small, rural village  and became a champion wrestler in the village. 

Then he joined the Army, trained to become a boxer and actually represented India in the Asian games. During a war, he was paralyzed from the waist down. Then he decided to take up swimming and was so good at it that he actually won an Olympic gold medal In the para-olympics. 

It is a remarkable and true story of great indetermination, passion and courage. 

Chandu Champion is made by director Kabir Khan who while he does do the job (his films are entertaining enough – Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Ek Tha Tiger, New York) is not quite known for nuance or fine detail. The film is a typical Kabir Khan product – well-made and competently put together. The pace is good. You will not be bored. 

I am not a great big fan of Karthik Aryan, although this is is probably his finest role; I had no idea he could act like that. I did enjoy Vijay Raaz’s role as Petkar’s Army supervisor, and also coach, later in life. Raaz, as always, is magnificent. Bhuvan Arora (you might remember him from Farzi), as Petkar’s close friend Jarnail Singh, also does a commendable job.

As a member of the audience, you are quite awed by Petkar’s immense courage and resilience. Towards the end of the film, they do show real life clips of the actual man and his life. 

Chandu Champion is a good enough watch. It does not boast of any major stars save Aryan. The film is interesting because of the real life story, but while holding your interest for it’s length, doesn’t leave you quite rah-rah. This is interesting if tepid cinema.

Kidwise: Pretty clean. 

Posted in 2024, bio-pic, bollywood, directors, family-friendly, rating-G, sports, watchable | Comments Off on Movie Review : Chandu Champion (2024)

Movie Review : Kill (2024)

Posted on July 14, 2024 by amodini

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre: Action
Year: 2024
Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Cast: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Kid rating: PG-15

Reviews had Kill at violent and violent it is. Probably one of the most violent Hindi films I’ve ever seen, thanks to the array of gory bone-crunching, blood-splattering, knife-twisting visuals and Foley sounds. Still, engrossing, and well worth a watch.

Army commando Captain Amrit Rathod (Lakshya) comes home after a mission to frantic calls by girlfriend Tullika (Tanya Maniktala, whom we last saw as the winsome Lata in A Suitable Boy); she is being forced into an engagement to another man. Rathod rushes to her aid, but she won’t budge; the engagement shall go through now to save face for powerful Daddy – Baldev Singh Thakur – and then be broken. 

The next day Tullika and family are returning to their hometown via train. Rathod and bumchum pal Viresh Chatwal (Abhishek Chauhan, who did a stellar job in the recent Mast Mein Rehne Ka) are on the same train, but a surprise attack by a large gang of bandits, puts them into commando-ing mode, especially when the bandit leaders realize they have the powerful Baldeo Singh Thakur and family to hold as hostages.

Then, the killing spree begins. Amrit, in fit fighting form despite numerous knife fights with the numerous bandits, manages to almost single-handedly disarm them (Viresh is grievously injured early on). Until the tables start turning. Will Amrit manage to win this battle?

Kill is a condensed action thriller, packing tons of gore, blood, and various weaponry (hammers, knives, hatchets, guns, rifles etc.) into 1 hour 45 minutes. It is intense. There are no songs, additional melodrama or moments of levity to dilute the pace. All we get as a let-up are snatches of Tullika and Amrit’s romance; little flashbacks, foils to the present blood-letting.

Lakshya makes a worthy debut as indefatigable warrior Captain Rathod, although a few acting lessons wouldn’t go amiss. Ashish Vidyarthi as the gang leader, Raghav Juyal as Fani his bloodthirsty son and vetersn tv artist Harsh Chhaya as Baldeo Singh Thakur are marvelous and really bring the intensity home. Tanya Maniktala, unfortunately, has little to do except bat her eyelashes and maybe wield a knife or too.

Kill is an engrossing, well-paced tale. There is not a weak moment, although you might be cringing or closing your eyes for most of it, so gory does it get. If you enjoy this genre, this is your film. For everyone else, this is probably still worth your time.

Kidwise: Caution – extremely violent, for almost the entirety of the film. 

Posted in 2024, action, bollywood, crime, drama, gory, rating-PG15, violent, watchable | Tagged | Comments Off on Movie Review : Kill (2024)

Series Review : Panchayat (Season 3)

Posted on June 7, 2024 by amodini
Screenshot

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre : Drama
Year : 2024
Episodes : 8
Running time : 30 minutes (per episode)
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime
Director : Deepak Kumar Mishra
Cast : Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta, Raghuvir Yadav, Chandan Roy, Faisal Malik
Kid rating : G

If you have seen the first two seasons of Panchayat, you know that they were fantastic. So there is an expectation that season three will be equally fantastic. IT. IS. NOT. I’m not saying it’s a bad season, it’s just not the stellar fare we’ve come to expect. 

If you need a refresher of Season One and Two, let me remind you that this is the tale of Abhishek Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar), who failing to secure the requisite result in the entrance examinations is unable to pursue his dream education. He then, as his last resort, lands a position as Panchayat Secretary or Sachiv in the village of Phulera. 

The first season, we were new to Phulera and to Abhishek.

In the second, Abhishek is well and truly entrenched In the village. Now he has friends around him who regard him with affection and respect. There was also a little beginning, a very little beginning to a maybe romance with Rinky (Saanvika) the village Pradhan’s daughter. 

And now there is Season Three.

This like the previous seasons has as its main characters, Sachiviji aka Abhishek, Pradhan Manjudevi (Neena Gupta, whom we’ve also see in Masaba Masaba), her husband humorously called Pradhanpati (Raghubir Yadav), Deputy Pradhan Prahlad and office assistant Vikas.

The season starts off with the fact that Abhishek has been transferred as the Panchayat Secretary to a different village because he has offended the MLA. He’s loathe to join his duties in the new village and Pradhan Manjudevi wants him back. Manjudevi and husband approach the District Magistrate but she won’t embroil herself in the matter.

The first 2 episodes deal with that problem. Then we have some more local village issues, pretty rustic and involving other minor characters of the village whom we have never met before and may not ever see again. 

So honestly, the first four episodes were slow going. We could have done with a little more facetime of the main characters and a little less of everybody else. When the action did take off, it was because of the Panchayat elections. Standing against the Pradhan is Bhushan aka Banrakas and his wife Kranti Dev (a magnificent Sunita Rajwar). They have the blessing of the local MLA. 

The local MLA (yes, the one who got Sachivji transferred) is a goon, not above using force and violence to get what he wants. Of course, Abhishek stands tall with Manjudevi and her husband because they are in the right. But it will be a tough fight.

Season three is also well made, but the makers have faltered a bit here. The pace and the intensity are laggardly, at least in the beginning. They do catch up in the later episodes, but this is not the Panchayat of Season one and two. It is still sweetness and light and all things bright. Just a tad slow to take off. 

It does end on a cliffhanger. So I am looking forward to season four. Hope springs eternal.

Kidwise: Clean and family friendly.

Posted in 2024, Amazon Prime Video Recommendations, directors, drama, family-friendly, feel-good, Good Shows To Watch On Amazon Prime, humor, quirky, rating-G, recommended | Comments Off on Series Review : Panchayat (Season 3)

Movie Review : Kathal (2023)

Posted on May 31, 2024 by amodini

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Comedy
Year: 2023
Running time: 2 hours 23 minutes
Director: Yashowardhan Mishra
Cast: Sanya Malhotra, Anant Joshi, Vijay Raaz
Kid rating: G

Movies like Jawan and Pathaan might become big hits but true salvation lies only with small budget, interesting cinema. And salvation is within easy reach – by watching this movie, Kathal.

In it Inspector Mahima Basur (Sanya Malhotra) is tasked with finding two missing kathal or jackfruit that have disappeared from a tree in the garden of the local MLA. Apparently they were much prized and will soon be overripe – and useless to the MLA. So, there is a deadline for finding the fruit. 

It is a silly and inane case, but political power being what it is, the entire police thana is engaged in it. While on the case Inspector Basur comes across the case of a missing girl, the daughter of the MLA’s former gardener. But of course, no one pays that case much attention. All the attention is on the missing fruit. 

Inspector Basur really wants to go find the missing girl. But she must tread carefully. She dare not annoy the political bigwigs or her kow-towing-to-thepolitical-bigwigs boss. Will she find a way to investigate both cases to satisfaction?

The story is situated in a small town of the Hindi belt, and it has the requisite quirks. The characters are mostly endearing. Even the silly plot points have a comedic twist. Take for example, the jackfruits the MLA was cultivating. These were prized and were being grown as a gift to the Chief Minister. The MLA is in a tizzy when he realizes his chance of ingratiating himself with the CM, by offering him the prized jackfruit, is in real danger.

Mahima for her part is a smart able officer. She is by turns bemused and outraged, when her senior puts her on jackfruit duty. She also must try to walk a fine line between seeming two bossy to her juniors (her boyfriend among them) and also being a good leader leading her team through a successful investigation.

All the acting is fantastic! The film stars Sanya Malhotra as Inspector Mahima Basur. Anand Joshi plays her beau and her junior at work. Then there is the absolutely marvelous Vijay Raaz As MLA Munanal Pateria who throws his political weight around and creates a hue and cry about the missing Jackfruit.

This is an interesting and fun film Well paced, eventful,  with lots of sprinkled humor. Highly recommended. 

Kidwise : Clean

Posted in 2023, bollywood, comedy, drama, family-friendly, Good Hindi Movies To Watch, Hindi movies on Netflix, humor, Netflix Recommendations, quirky, rating-G, recommended, WhaTWON | Comments Off on Movie Review : Kathal (2023)

Movie Review : Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya (2024)

Posted on May 17, 2024 by amodini
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Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre: Comedy
Year: 2024
Running time: 2 hours 23 minutes
Director: Amit Joshi, Aradhana Sah
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Dimple Kapadia, Dharmendra, Rakesh Bedi
Kid rating: PG

Teri Baaton Mein Asia Uljha Jiya was actually better than I’d expected it to be. It’s light and frothy. There’s quite a few funny bits and a very untraditional storyline –  a good Friday night entertainer. 

Aryan Agnihotri (played by Shahid Kapoor) is a robotics engineer based in Mumbai. He goes to visit his aunt Urmila Shukla (played by Dimple Kapadia) who has her own robotics company in California. Aryan is quite impressed at seeing the technology she has developed, and aunt and nephew enjoying digging into the tech details of all her company has achieved.

When Urmila has to go on a work trip, she leaves him in the capable hands of her secretary Sifra (Kriti Sanon). Sifra is a beautiful, efficient young woman. She strives to look after Aryan and keep him busy and entertained in his aunt’s absence.

Aryan finds her a pleasant, accommodating and knowledgable companion. She can converse in many languages, and speak articulately about art and the many topics Aryan is enthused about. Aryan cannot help falling in love with the stunning Sifra. 

Now Aryan’s family in India are after him to get married. So Aryan decides to bring Sifra to India, to meet his family, as his fiancee. Sifra’s introduction to the family leads to many comedic situations. But it is unclear whether the family will actually accept her as their bahu.

I enjoyed this film because of the unusual storyline. Rather than the same old-same old romance you’d expect from a Shahid Kapoor – Kriti Salon starrer, Teri Baaton Mein spins a modern, techno-savvy tale with humor, twists and turns and fast-paced events.  It is a bright, colorful film with good-looking leads, nice locales, and a shiny patina of the moneyed lifestyle. We’ll take it.

The actors do well. Shahid brings it home in the comedic bits. Kriti Sanon fit the role to a T. Dimple Kapadia is a bit of a misfit in the robotics techno geek role, but she will do. The supporting cast – Aryan’s family – is a hoot. Rather fun to watch!

The film’s premise is, of course, a little hard to believe, but this is not a movie where firm logic abides (inspite of the scientific side-angle). And then post-interval this devolves into the most dreary family melodrama, all overdone emotions and weighty dialogs. Was there not a light-weight resolution to the mess?

But this is Bollywood and this is a movie. To be enjoyed without much ado. Or overthinking. If you do that, you will enjoy this light-hearted watch. 

Kidwise: Pretty clean. There is some innuendo-laden dialog, but shouldn’t be too soul-scarring.

Posted in 2024, Amazon Prime, bollywood, comedy, drama, rating-PG, romance, sci-fi | Comments Off on Movie Review : Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya (2024)