Kaun Pravin Tambe (spoiler free) movie review

 

Ok Hindi film Industry…I ll give credit where its due. You actually made an awesome movie this year.

 

 

 

KAUN PRAVIN TAMBE

DIRECTOR – JAYPRAD DESAI (THIS DUDE NEEDS TO START TEACHING CLASSES TO OTHER HINDI MOVIE DIRECTORS ON HOW TO SHOOT SPORTS MOVIES)

CAST- SHREYAS TALPADE, ASHISH VIDYARTHI, ARIF ZAKARIA AND OTHERS

While we have all been busy celebrating the massive and deserved success of South Indian sweep shots like RRR and KGF, this little leg glance of a movie got overshadowed by it. (No, the cricketing metaphors are not gonna stop in this review).  We all collectively agree that mainstream Hindi film makers more often than not SUCK at making biopics, particularly sports biopics. With the exception of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and maybe Mary Kom to some extent, most of them either exaggerate too much or…they just exaggerate too much. That’s it. They put masala where its not needed.

I am tempted here to make this entire review about hating that absolute gutter trash of a film 83..a movie about India’s greatest cricketing moment...which it somehow managed to ruin. However, I will fight the good fight and praise this one. Kaun Pravin Tambe is the biopic of cricketer Pravin Tambe.  We have all heard that adage ‘Age is just a number’. Tambe lived and proved it when he entered mainstream cricket at age 41 defying his lower middle-class background.

However, its not just the typical rags to riches struggle. It is in the balanced manner which it is portrayed on-screen that makes a difference. The moments of emotion are undercut with levity, there are one or two bouncers here and there that threaten to derail the script, however it hits the pitch back again. The movie does have its fair share of stock sports movie moments like the stern but wise coach, family struggles and an unnecessarily hateful sports critic. But even these characters have a lot of nuances and you are actually given a reason as to why the sports critic is the way he is. The screenplay is perfectly paced – it isn’t too dramatic for it to feel ridiculous neither is it too realistic for it to feel like it’s dragging on.

Like it or not, but Shreyas Talpade is presently Marathi industry’s biggest export to Hindi film industry…and he knocks it out of the park here. Comparisons maybe made to Iqbal – another cricketing movie where he played a bowler- but I honestly feel this is much more balanced performance. At every given point of time, even though you are completely aware that the real Pravin Tambe is obviously not like this, yet it still works. His passion for cricket shines through in every frame without overpowering the scene. Also, the supporting cast works really well- especially Anjali Patil as his wife and seasoned actor Ashish Vidyarthi as the coach who sees in Tambe what Tambe himself hasn’t seen yet. Also, one must appreciate the casting director who cast the absolute perfect actor for Rahul Dravid’s role. The dude looks, acts and speaks exactly like Dravid.

 What movies like 83 and ANY future Indian sports movie needs to learn from this one is that you absolutely do not need to put everything in slow motion. This movie has some of the best and cleanest sports action without any jump cuts or speed ramping. It all feels natural, like you were actually watching them play shots. Seriously, this movie makes 83 look like a fucking joke. It was probably made at half the budget but delivers 200 times the cricketing action in a much better way. The scene towards the end where they merge real IPL footage with Shreyas Talpade in it is seamless.

 Director Jayprad Desai has apparently made documentaries and a web series on Zee 5 (it’s called Hutatma and its about the struggle for the creation of Maharashtra and I am about to watch it now). The whole feel of Kaun Hai Pravin Tambe is well..anti-Bollywood-ish. Almost feels like a Marathi movie or a regional movie where they know how to spend money and screen time wisely. (Maybe coz the director and the screen writers are Marathi). Very subtle aspects like the art direction- Tambe’s chawl home – things kept in the background tell their own story…the subtle dialogue with the exact amount of drama necessary has very..un-Bollywood like sensibilities to it. Let’s hope we get to see such intelligent and shrewd directors in the Hindi film industry more. To call this a typical mainstream Hindi movie feels a bit weird. (even though its produced by Disney).

 Kaun Pravin Tambe is like a beautifully bowled leg spinner- with the exact amount of flight and twists necessary to have you stumped. (Yes, why would you think I wouldn’t end this with a cricketing metaphor).

 

STOP WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING TODAY AND WATCH THIS MOVIE ON DISNEY HOTSTAR RIGHT NOW.

 

PS - Only negative I can think about the movie is why I didn’t I watch this before. It apparently came out in April. They should've marketed this better. 

A Tale of two-part movies - the best way to spend a lazy weekend

 

A Tale of two-part movies - the best way to spend a lazy weekend

After making a grand entrance, Thor has finally pierced Thanos with his strombreaker axe, the Avengers – the protectors of the Earth had thoroughly been shocked and nearly defeated by the alien demi-god Thanos’ invasion…the terrifyingly imposing villain needed the six infinity stones to make his wish come true…cause a universal genocide to restore balance…snap away half of the population…surely villains don’t succeed to this extent in any Marvel movie, they always end short of real tragedy…but Thanos actually snaps his fingers…and he succeeds…half of the universe’s population including many avengers…just turn into dust…the Avengers fail… a title card appears on the screen - 'Thanos will Return

That moment, that tease of having to wait a year to see how at all can Avengers succeed…the build -up and hype up to that moment is what made Endgame such a huge success despite being nearly not as good as Infinity War. This is the power of the two parter – or duology as we will be calling it for the purposes of this article.

While the trilogy- a beginning, middle and an end- whether planned like Lord of The Rings or unplanned like The Dark Knight trilogy (yes it was never planned as a trilogy) is a very popular format especially in mainstream franchise driven Hollywood, the two-parter or the duology has not been so. One could say the trend may have begun when Tarantino’s epic Kill Bill was split into two and released a few months apart in early 2000’s. Even the Matrix sequels – Reloaded and Revolutions were shot as one movie but released months apart.

But the trend really caught on when, Harry Potter split its last movie – The Deathly Hollows- into two parts. In terms of story-telling, it allowed for better fleshing out of the characters and the plot points instead of the usual Hollywood way of compressing a large story into 2 hours. But in terms of box office numbers, it REALLY worked its magic. Soon after many other franchises like Twilight, Hunger Games, Divergent etc. did it with their series finale but didn’t see the same results as Harry Potter.

However, the duology hasn’t caught on as much as the trilogy. Of all the mainstream Hollywood movies – Horror movie It Chapters 1 and 2, the animated movie The Dark Knight Returns and Lars Von Triers’ Nymphomaniac are the only ones that tell their stories in two parts. Denis Villenueve’s faithful adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Sci-fi classic novel Dune is surely going to be a duology as confirmed by the Director.

 

UNDERUTILZED FORMAT

If you ask Hollywood about utilizing the format, their answer to any thing is a question – what will make us more money? Just like they did with the Hobbit movies, they would rather everything be a trilogy or more if they know they can mint money in it.

But the duology is a highly under-utilized format even from a commercial angle. In this attention starved world, a set of two movies lasting let’s say 4-5 hours are much a better format than a trilogy which lasts 7-9 hours, thus making it more binge worthy. As was the case with Infinity War or It, the cliff-hanger ending offers instant in-built hype for the second one. Also, the movies can be released within a shorter time span if planned accordingly, thus avoid any risks of delays etc.

 

 

 

INDIAN IMPACT

However, surprisingly the Indian film industry (we are NOT calling it Bollywood anymore) has been ahead of Hollywood in this manner. Not only do we have many duologies released and planned to be released, they have actually been planned sequels for the sake of storytelling and not an afterthought for a quick cash grab.

 

So, on this extended weekend, if you have a afternoon to spare check out these Indian Duology of films –

 

 

5) NTR : Kathanayakudu and Mahanaykudu 

A Telugu movie based on legendary movie star turned politician N T Rama Rao, starring his son Bal Murali Krishna in the title role. This duology was released in 2019 a few months apart. As they say truth is stranger than fiction and NTR’s life story is a testament to it. The first part concentrates on his rise to stardom when the entire south film industry including Telugu and Tamil were situated in Madras. The movie follows NTR’s journey in becoming its first super star and giving it the respect, it deserves.

The sequel follows his rise as a politician. Although obviously written through the eyes of hero-worship and conveniently glossing over his later affair with a much younger woman etc. the politics alone is worth a watch. Rana Dagubatti stars as Chandrababu Naidu and delivers a subtle villainish performance. Though not the best, it is certainly worth a watch.

 

 

4) Raktha Charitra 1 and 2 

This was the probably the first Indian movie to be released in two parts and also the most underrated. Vivek Oberoi’s last good performance and one of Ram Gopal Verma’s last sane movies, Raktha Charitra as the title suggests is of course an epic tale of blood, violence and politics. Based on the unbelievable true story of Naxalite Rebel turned Politician Paritala Ravi and the Andhra Pradesh politics of the 80’s.

Packed with a multi star cast of Vivek Oberoi, Radhika Apte, Shatrughan Sinha, Suriya, Sudeep and many others, everyone delivers subtle yet explosive performances in keeping with RGV’s directing style. The pick of the lot is Abhimanyu Singh (who would later star in many movies like Ram Leela, Gabbar Singh (telugu), Sooryavanshi etc.) Abhimanyu Singh plays the dangerous and downright horrifying villain Bukka Reddy based on real life Obul Reddy.

There’s TV bombs, land mines, revenge killings for two generations…which all might appear fictional…but 99% of the movie is actually true. If you can bear through some violence, this is definitely an epic worth looking into. Its available for free on Youtube or on Amazon Prime. Prime has a slightly censored version for the faint hearted.

 

 

3) Gangs of Wasseypur 1 and 2

Rakta Charitra might have been the first, but this cult classic was the one that introduced Indian audiences to the duology format. Originally released as a single almost 5-hour movie in film festivals, the movie was split into two parts for commercial release and it makes the story better. The multi-generational story inspired from Godfather and Mahabharat takes its time to set up its range of eccentric characters and dialogues as the story grows along slowly but without ever losing its grip.

Having the now well-known names like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Huma Qureshi, Richa Chadda, Pankaj Tripathi paired with experienced acting powerhouses like Manoj Bajpayee, Reema, Sen, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Piyush Pandey and others. This is the movie where Anurag Kashyap found that golden middle between his brand of experimental cinema and commercial success. The duology is single-handedly responsible for making Hindi film industry take an interest in telling rural stories. The movie is obviously known for its dark humor and meme worthy dialogue even after so many years.

The first part with its cliff hanger ending perfectly sets up the sequel which ups the ante in the best possible way.

 

2) Bahubali 1 and 2

This was the Infinity War of India…not just in terms of its commercial success but the Katappa ending to the first one had the entire nation theorizing and memeing for 2 years straight. There’s nothing much to be said about Bahubali. I mean either you have watched it or you don’t watch movies at all. The movie has some rough CGI, but it still holds up even after 5 years. The war scene from part 1 and the coronation ceremony from part 2 remain some of the most epic moments ever put to screen in Indian cinema.

More so than the spectacle, it’s the immortal characters like Sivagami, Bhallaldeva and of course Amarendra/Mahendra Bahubali that always make a story memorable. Rajamouli’s father K Vijayandra Prasad takes inspiration from ancient Hindu epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata and it is visible in the nuanced characterization in what could otherwise have just been a mere spectacle of a movie. Rajamouli’s Snyder-esque skill of visual storytelling makes the movie anytime watch and universally appealing. A reveal that a soldier who was helping in battle is actually Bahubali himself, could merely have been a dialogue. But Rajamouli even makes that into an epic visual scene. The background score by M M Keeravani is a mighty pillar holding this art work aloft.

Watching the first one for the epic cliffhanger and then watching the even more epic conclusion is surely a great way to spend an afternoon.

 

1)       1) KGF CHAPTER 1 AND 2

Bahubali is definitely a better made duology in terms of screenplay, characterization, editing etc. This is not even a countdown of the best Indian duologies but…call it recency bias… but holy fucking shit is the KGF duology is epic! Without even needing to be! If Bahubali is inspired from our ancient epics, then KGF is definitely inspired from the Salim-Javed created genre of the angry young man from the 70’s but taken to the max…with Snyder-esque visuals (yes, no wonder we Indians are Snyder fans) and with epic Back ground score. On paper a rehash of Amitabh Bacchan inspired character from the 70’s point out to the fact that it shouldn’t work at all. In theory, it should be another run of the mill common masala movie which feels shallow but looks good.

KGF however doesn’t just look good..it looks great! Just like Mad Max Fury Road or 300 what could’ve been just a visual epic is in fact an adrenaline packed journey about love, promises, ambition and POWER. The second movie oozes power and loud extravagant ambition in every frame and this is maximalist cinema at its absolute best. The character of Rocky is the new age Vijay but again on steroids. People literally open doors but in slo-mo and set to Ravi Basrur’s rocking background music.

The movie singlehandedly put Kannada movie industry on the map despite existing for so many years. Although they have teased a chapter 3…it’s not at all needed after such an epic conclusion.

 

From the looks of it, this format seems to have worked. Pushpa : The Rise is definitely going to be another duology with Pushpa : The Rule releasing late in 2022.

So there you have it, the perfect way to spend a 5-6 hours on a weekend. A trilogy is so outdated...give us more epic two parters please! 

Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (spoiler free) review

Director – Sam Raimi

 

 

Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

CAST- Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong (no he’s not a multiversal variant of Benedict Cumberbatch. He plays Wong. Yes, even am wondering if he was cast because of his real last name as well), Rachel Mc Adams, Xochitl Gomez (No, I have no idea how to pronounce it) and SOME GREAT CAMEOS.

 

Why is Sam Raimi’s name before everything else in this review? Coz we finally have the rare Marvel movie which feels like it has a unique director’s vision behind it. Raimi is the Madness in the Multiverse of Madness.

THE MULTIVERSE

We were properly introduced to the Multiverse concept for the MCU (Should we even call it the Marvel Cinematic Universe at this point? Or the MC Multiverse?) in the series Loki. If you haven’t seen it, then definitely you encountered it in Spiderman: No Way Home, which united all the Spidermen of the past movies with the current one for the one finally good MCU Spiderman movie. Dr. Strange was an integral part of that movie and this is a logical progression from that one  movie in some aspects. Dr. Strange 1 remains one of my favourite solo MCU movies to date. Not just because it introduced magic into the MCU but because it didn’t follow the typical 1 joke per 10 minutes and big soulless third act battle formula.

The trick about making sequels is that there is always the dilemma of whether to do more of what worked with the first one or to take a completely different direction. The Dark Knight is the gold standard of making sequels and it showed the solution to making a great sequel especially to comic book movies – escalation. It showed us the consequences of the choices made by the hero in the previous movie and how the heroic choice comes at a cost. Dr. Strange 2 follows a similar template.

The movie actually picks up pace from the word go, where in we are introduced to America Chavez – a girl with the power to travel the multiverse. She is unable to control the power herself only accidentally using it when afraid. She is being chased by monsters who are being controlled by someone who wants her power for their personal goals. Dr. Strange takes it upon himself to protect her. But they enemy they are fighting is so powerful that the solution to their problems, may not lie in their own universe. We also see the consequences of Dr. Strange having to always make the risky play or the tough decision. 

 

THE MADNESS

One of the best things about the screenplay is, it establishes the villain very early on. There is no twist moment later. This actually makes the chase very interesting. However, what makes the movie truly unique is of course Sam Raimi. For those not in the know, Raimi directed the Spiderman movies starring Tobey Maguire. You could technically say he is the father of the modern comic book movie. CBM’s didn’t have any respect or big budgets until he showed up. Also, in case you didn’t know – he was previously known for directing the horror Evil Dead movies.

That is perhaps the reason Producer Kevin Feige wanted him for this one. Without really spoiling the movie, lets just say this is the first major horror tinged comic book movie. Be ready to see some PG 13 rated gore and violence along with some creatively shocking moments.

However, its not just about the horror elements. What Raimi brings to the table are fascinating visuals like early 2000’s guitar riffs, slow motion scenes, creepy music, moody montages, slow transitions and yes…a sweet Bruce Campbell cameo. The Raimi touch itself makes the movie worth watching for a fan like me. There are certain scenes which are cut so brilliantly well, that the violence and shock comes from the movement on screen and not through actual gore. The third act battle much like his Spiderman movies is less about two superpowered beings just putting spells on each other and more about helping people realize the consequences of their actions. That is the central theme of the movie and it does a great job of sticking to it.

THE MEDIOCRITY

 Although, the journey through the multiverse is stunning, it is limited. For a movie titled Multiverse of Madness, there isn’t much of the Strange-ness (yes. Intended as always) of that concept being explored. We do get a lot of spell casting and magic but the multiverse aspect could have been explored better.

Another issue is the pacing. It’s a bit rushed at times and the movie could have done a better job of establishing some concepts or character motives. There are closures to certain character arcs in the climax that feel very abrupt. There are also certain concepts that could have been established better. (sorry I have to mildly spoil this – but the ‘music as magic’ concept is brilliant and has relevance to the ways mantras are actually supposed to work. Some establishment of this concept would have been fantastic when the battle actually happens). There is a battle in the middle, where we finally get some VERY LOOOOOOONG awaited Marvel comic book characters finally showing up in the MCU....but they die 5 minutes later for some very stupid reasons. A cheap death to some really awaited characters felt a bit disappointing to the comic book nerd inside me.

Reportedly the original cut is 2 hours and 20 minutes which Disney cut down to 2 hours. (nothing new). This is hoping against hope but the original cut may have some better fleshing out of characters and themes and hopefully we get to see it one day.

THE MAGIC

However, having said all that- Do you understand how much of a relief it is to not see every character crack some dumb joke every time something serious happens? The humor is so well timed and actually makes you chuckle at least. The movie though having its horror elements manages to strike a balance with its comic book side…which again Raimi is the master of. I mean He basically invented the genre to begin with. He knows how to balance character moments and spectacle.

This phase of Marvel movies is perhaps the best phase. They have finally reached that level of popularity where they don’t have to worry about losing an audience. They are doing movies like The Eternals and fantastic TV shows like The Moonknight (seriously go watch it on Hotstar. Its one of the best shows about a superhero with a split personality). They are taking more risks and am loving it! Basically they are doing what DC was supposed to do and am not complaining at all. Directors with their unique style like Raimi or Gunn (even if I don’t like his style at times) need to be introduced more into the MCU instead of cookie cutter directors like Peyton Reed (Antman movies).

 

What this movie has also done is made Dr. Strange the axis of the MCU. It was Tony Stark during the Infinity saga. Dr. Strange showing up in No Way Home and his power and choices affecting the multiverse is one thing. But more than that he is becoming the emotional spine of the MCU and also one of my favourite characters. It would be great to see where we go from here. Also, please give Sam Raimi more comic book movies to direct!

 

The movie is Total Timepass!

 

 

 

PS- They showed the Avatar 2 trailer before the movie and….I think James Cameron is gonna rule the box office again!