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“Any idiot can be a hero at any given moment. It’s the day to day living that wears you out.” These words, spoken by Sagar Bhai (Bollywood veteran Emraan Hashmi) speaks to one of the central themes of Shyam P. Madiraju’s 55, a film filled with people who are, mostly,…
Leave a CommentJai (Vishy Ayyar) is a taciturn ex-con working as a janitor at Marcella’s Boxing Gym. When he’s asked to train a new hire (also an ex-con) on the job, the new guy chatters away, trying to engage Jai in conversation, but Jai isn’t having any of it, telling the guy…
Leave a CommentThere are more and more films these days that explore the experience of Desis raised in the West, and how they have to navigate two worlds, the world of home culture, and the world they live in on a daily basis, each one with potentially different values. How the individual…
Leave a CommentNaveen Gavaskar (Karan Soni) sits by himself at his sister’s wedding, glumly eating samosas while everyone around him dances and celebrates to the song “Badtameez Dil”. It’s the perfect choice to watch Naveen ponder what the expectations are of him – that his wedding will be next, that he’ll marry…
Leave a CommentI love movies about the making of movies and about the magic of movies in the lives of ordinary people. Give me a Chhello Show, or a Halal Love Story, or a Harishchandrachi Factory and I’m happy. Reema Kagti’s Superboys of Malegaon is another delightful addition to this list. Set…
Leave a CommentI was just thinking last week about how many police procedural films I’d seen recently. They range from the very over-the-top masala films where a policeman is seen to be above the law, larger than life and meting out a kind of extra-judicial justice, something writer Jinoy Jose P. called…
Leave a Comment“In the darkness, you try to imagine light. But you cannot.” Prabha (Kani Kusruti), Anu (Divya Prabha) and Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam) all work at a city hospital in Mumbai. Prabha is a head nurse, Anu is a recent nurse hire, and Parvaty is a cook. Prabha and Anu are Malayalees…
2 Comments“I am the Fury,” growls Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) as she looks into the camera being held by her sister, Lena (Ritu Arya), and then attempts a 540 kick that she hopes will be her signature move in the career she’s aiming at: stuntwoman. Ria fails, and will continue to…
Leave a CommentSaim Sadiq’s Joyland opens with a figure covered in a sheet, almost like a ghost, unable to see – this is Haider (Ali Junejo), the youngest son of Abba (Salmaan Peerzada) the patriarch of this conservative, traditional family in Lahore. But Haider is anything but conservative and traditional. He is…
Leave a CommentThis post first appeared on Totally Filmi on October 17, 2019. Raghavan Nair (Thilakan) has been a station master for the Indian Railways in Tamil Nadu for 30 years, and bids an emotional farewell to the community he’s become a part of — but, as he tells the people he’s…
Leave a CommentMalayalam filmmaker Dr. Biju returns to the film festival circuit with Orange Marangalude Veedu (“House of Orange Trees”), currently screening as part of the New York Indian Film Festival. I’ve written before that Dr. Biju’s emphasis as a filmmaker is to create films that serve to inform and advocate on…
2 CommentsSet in Herat Province in Afghanistan, Rule Breakers follows the radical (especially for the Taliban and their followers) attempt by Afghan businesswoman Roya Mahboob (Nikohl Boosheri) to teach computer skills to Afghan girls. This is no easy feat – from the time she was a girl herself, Mahboob was fascinated…
Leave a CommentI’ll admit to feeling a little – no, let’s be honest, a LOT – of trepidation about watching Kill. I’m very squeamish when it comes to violence and genre films are generally not my thing. But I was curious because the film comes from a partnership of production houses Dharma…
Leave a CommentI spent a number of years living in France, and one of the most interesting words I learned was “sosie” – someone who perfectly resembles someone else, to the point that people could confuse them. I was familiar with impersonators, mostly comedians who did voice imitations of famous people, whether…
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