URI

To Laugh or not to laugh?

In a suburb of Chennai, the audience erupted in approval to the jingoism, It was at times hilarious and at times shocking to hear the loud consistent applause throughout the film. The film ended to a standing ovation

We have seen Hollywood consistently use Cinema as an effective medium for propaganda. 

While the Indian's are getting ready for the elections, the whole world has an opportunity to understand the capability of the strength of  the Indian government, its leaders, India's military capability and their commitment to protect the lives of our countrymen.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to leverage cinema to propagate. But Bollywood which I thought was learning in recent times, seems to never forget its revenge mantra. It looks like the entire objective of a surgical strike, is to settle some personal scores. Forty five years after Zanjeer, Yaadon ki Baraat, and a zillion other revenge drama's, our mental state probably needs a surgical strike!!!

That we decided to showcase our military might, the only notable innovation that is worthy of our military might is a drone built by an intern. All the other R & D work is found to be irrelevant and unusable for the surgical strike.

I understand that drones have been used from 2014, to hit ground targets by US. Naive as it may sound, I am a bit confused if in Sep 2016, if we did not have the capability to build a drone that could travel about 10 kms and detonate a target. Not sure why that it was not an alternative in a surgical strike, given that it was alright for humans to cross the LOC. Strange that we are able to send a mission to mars, but we may not have drones that can perform a surgical strike just a few kilometers across the LOC.

A straight forward plot, completely predictable, with no element of suspense or surprise can make for dull viewing if not for the fascinating audience response that erupted for every Pakistani terrorist that was being killed and the cries of Jai Hind.

The film is dedicated to the New india. The Uri Surgical strike signifies the the New Indian thinking. We shall not be taken for granted. 

But to me, at the end of it all, I was just left wondering, if we were making mountains out of molehills. 

For a propaganda film, with elections in mind, the film could have swayed the minds of Indian voters a bit, but we may have belittled ourselves as a nation, in front of the bigger powers and especially China.

SONI, Streaming on Netflix

A not to be missed marvel

All these years, Ardh Sadhya lingered in your memory. The helplessness of the protagonist gnawed you. It was also reflection of our own helplessness about reconciling to the equations of power, often reconciling to passively accepting unacceptable situations.

After nearly 35 years, comes a version, that offers hope. It is just not the police officers who have challenges, it is just not that the women alone who have challenges, it is just not that Delhi alone has challenges. All of us fellow travelers seem to be affected in some way or the other by an exacerbated sense of power of minuscule few and a lack of empathy that seems to engulf us with a feverish speed leading to disrespectfully treating fellow humans resulting in a very cynical and skeptical society.

I liked the conflict, the confusion and the ensuing resolve. I loved the introduction of Amritha Preetham and her book Revenue stamp towards the end and leveraging it to invoke the necessary resolve. 

The ending is not an idealistic ending, but a realistic one, a path that we may either chose now or may be compelled to choose at some point of time. 

We may need tonnes of the idealist Soni, but we may need more Kalpana's to mentor and support Soni's.

There have been so many Soni's in the past, but Kalpana, is probably one of the loveliest woman that you could come across on the screen. 

Soni proves once again that strong characterization makes the narrative all the more credible and compelling.

There so much of debate on Netflix's role. Would we ever get to watch a movie like Soni, if Netflix, was not there. 

Even if this may qualify as Art house, this is highly recommended for everyone.

Petta

By a Fan for the Fan

It’s been a while since Rajini spread so much of happiness for the fans. 

Forget the logic. Allow Rajini to take control over you and reverberate in each and every cell, delight you and indulge in those lovely smiles all along till the last frame. 

The festivities have begun. Do yourself a favour. Get Rajinified.