Ciné Ruminations

Why have cats been used as a motif in Raman Raghav 2.0? What is their significance, visually or otherwise? God, mythology and religion also appear plentifully; but one can make out their relevance. Surveillance makes its way into the story nicely (it doesn't have much of a story and yet it is engaging enough. The background score is rivetting! Vicky Kaushal was good but didn't feel like an ACP.) And there is a parallel between playing-God and surveillance (..?) just as there's one between the  psychopath and the cop. Cinematically, the end is good but not story-wise; no closure. #RamanRaghavTwoPointZerO

FAN (Maneesh Sharma 2016 Hindi) #FAN #FAN_Review #SRK #ManeeshSharma #Spoilers_Ahead With the much-delayed Fan , SRK must be hoping to reclaim his image as an actor (Gaurav is easily one of his top acts, more so in the recent years) and remedy the damage done by Dilwale (2015); but his acting prowess and good technical work are damped by an unlikely yet predictable plot thereby giving a less-than-satisfying feel while leaving the theatre hall. Nevertheless, it is worth a watch: it is interesting, mostly engaging but a couple of implausible plot-twists curtail it from becoming great. Gaurav Chandna (SRK) is a Delhi lad who since his childhood days has lived and breathed the superstar Aryan Khanna (SRK). His fondness and fandom for the star get intensified by his striking facial and bodily resemblance to the actor. To the world and Gaurav’s parents (Yogendra Tiku getting typecasted as a father again, last seen as Neerja ’s father), Aryan Khanna is just another actor; for Ga...

#Tamasha #Natsamrat #ImtiazAli #NanaPatekar #RanbirKapoor #ruminations So I am writing this way too late. Too, too late. I have been watching quite a few things. And since I'm late these can't be reviews; reviews are timely. Let these just be reflections and recollections. The freshest recollection is that of ' Tamasha: Why always the same story? ' Regarding  Tamasha , I am unable to gauge my judgment; so I have been finding it difficult to think about it in clear terms. As it ended I knew I had not seen a great, timeless movie; and yet I wasn't able to dismiss it simply enough. Due to this and other reasons, it has been such a challenge to reach this point here and finally write about it. Given its nature, the word and the film,  Tamasha, force into memory the visuals of another recent film. Recollection and reflection allow one to be broad in scope, more inclusive; they allow you to blur the boundaries and make a continuum. Reviews, by nature, are exclusiv...