Andhadhun (2018)

Andhadhun (2018)

"What is life? It all depends on liver"

When these are the opening lines of a movie, you know it’s going to be wild.

Based upon and duly acknowledging 2010 French short film L'Accordeur (The Piano Tuner) Andhadhun is easily the best dark comedy thriller of Hindi Cinema. It’s unpredictable, it’s fast, it’s funny and it memorizes you from the very first scene and doesn’t let you go; not even to bathroom.

It’s tricky to write about it without giving away the plot but let’s try.

Akash (Ayushmann Khurrana) is a blind piano player in search of inspiration, he accidently meets Sophie (Radhika Apte) and starts playing piano at her restaurant. One of the regular customer is Pramod Sinha (Anil Dhawan) a film star of old times, who invites Akash to play at his house for his wife Simi (Tabu), and things are never the same again, literary.

The story keeps on developing on its own; the situation keeps on getting out of control for every character. The characters are not caricatures but normal human beings mixed up in difficult situation. Even the negative characters don’t enjoy crime yet they are ruthless in pursuit of their goals. Even smaller characters are well placed and add flavor to the whole experience.

The background music is exceptional and provides tremendous mood for the movie; I would specially like to mention the music piece which is being played during a scene in which people are trying to mop the floor of blood and trying to dispose a body.

The screenplay is amazingly tight and the story keeps on throwing twists on you at a more regular basis than you can handle. It is a director’s medium and Sriram Raghvan uses it well. He even pulls up an ‘inception’ in the end.

Performance wise Tabu is exceptional; it would be a shame if she wins an award in supporting actress category, she deserves better. Ayushmann is perfect, it’s not his expressions but non-expressions which is praise worthy; you will understand when you watch the movie.

Overall watching this movie is like driving very fast on the wrong side of the road, you never know what would hit you.

Rating ****1/2

Avengers : Infinity War (2018)

It is challenging to write this review. Well, let me rephrase it, it is challenging to write this review without giving out important plot details, but it a big movie to miss, so I am going to try anyway.

It goes without saying that reviews seldom matters in Marvel Universe, continues 19 super successful movies stand testament to that fact. People who want to see this movie will, and I am not standing in the way unless I want to be stampeded.

Avengers: Infinity War starts moments after Thor: Ragnarok ended; a ship containing Thor, Loki, Hulk and assorted Asgardians is faces with other unidentified ship.

As diehard fans of Marvel Universe expected the ship turns out to be of Thanos. Remember that guy, who generally comes in the post credit scenes in different shades of purple face and talks about ruling/controlling/destroying the universe; talk about ambition huh.

Inspired by Reliance India Mobile he is on a mission to collect all six infinity stones, literally to ‘kar lo duniya mutthi main’. But obviously we have the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Dr Strange, Spider Man, the Fat Chinese/Japanese/Korean friend of Spider Man, Stan Lee, Bald African Tribe and God knows who to stop him, right…..Right, please please please RIGHT!!!!!!!

Well ……………

However action quickly stats and bodies start to fall from the first scene, and I don’t just mean the expendable types (Like hero’s sister character in Hindi movies, who only destiny seems to be getting molested).

Moving on, different superheroes starts meeting previously unacquainted life forms, and forging new partnerships in a bid to stop the big bad Thanos. Will they be able to do that forms the rest of the story.

As usual the movie is filled with Easter eggs and reference of past movies, the high point of the movie is the interactions between different characters, notably Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man and Doctor Strange. Bruce Banner/ Hulk have their own moments.

Superhero movies are doomed with predictable storylines and outcomes, but that is not the case here, running approximately 2 and a half hour and handling Dozens of characters, movie still find time to show the emotional side of Thanos and his point of view as well.

9 out of 10 people going to watch this movie will have more question than answers, and the makers of the movie seems highly inspired with Game of Thrones, if you know what I mean.

The next couple of movies like Ant man and the Wasp and Captain Marvel will have time lines previous to the climax of Avengers: Infinity War, so the sequel will start right were this one ended.

Movie needs to be seen goes without saying and waiting for the sequel will have its own set of conundrums like “Kattappa ne Bahubali ko kyon mara”.

Rating ***1/2