1. Hungama Hain Kyun Barpa
Why aren't more movies set in a train? Director Abhishek Chaubey has done a brilliant job yet again, I just hope people do notice and appreciate his effort this time. Although Manoj Bajpayee has been around for a very long time, I feel like he has been rediscovered through OTT platforms. What a performance that was, absolutely spellbinding! Audience never really cared about actors like Manoj Bajpayee or Kay Kay or Pankaj Tripathi, despite the fact that these guys are trained actors and have worked in theatre. But with the explosion of digital platforms, which sends content directly to the viewers, allowing the audience to watch it at a time of their own convenience and from their own comfort zone, the hidden gems of Indian Cinema are finally receiving the recognition and appreciation that they always deserved. In 'Hungama Hai Kyun Barpa', the wide range of emotions displayed by Manoj are so real, you feel like the character of Musafir Ali has come to life. It doesn't remain a fictional story after a while, you end up becoming a fellow passenger in the train witnessing the proceedings as they happen. But Manoj Bajpayee is not alone in this wonderful film, his fellow passenger is yet another genius actor discovered very late by the Indian filmmakers. Gajraj Rao playing Aslam Baig has done a phenomenal job. Every single time, it's such a joy to watch this actor, I find it quite shocking that it took everyone so long to realize the potential of this brilliant actor. 'Hungama Hai Kyun Barpa' is without a doubt the best film of this anthology and a must watch for everyone.
2. Spotlight
Spotlight is the story of a one note actor, a man who wants to become a serious actor but doesn't even know how to act. Interestingly, the director chose Harshvardhan Kapoor to play this role, because Harsh wasn't required to act in this film, he just had to be himself! The entire film has been presented like a satire, talking about all the sensitive issues of our country with an added dose of humour. Chandan Roy Sanyal lends a powerful support to not just Vikram (Harshvardhan) but also to the film and is an absolute delight to watch. Radhika Madan once again gives an effortless performance, she enters the story quite late but makes a pretty good impact. A key problem with these movies is that they have taken inspiration from some very short stories, so there is always a scope for boredom to set in if you stretch that story into an hour long film. The movie feels long, but it does have its moments.
3. Forget Me Not
The first thing that I noticed in this film is what a fine young actor this Ali Fazal is. He has polished himself so well in the last few years, he should be talked about like other actors of his age, but unfortunately that is not the case. His popularity is nowhere close to actors like Ranbir, Ranveer or even non-actors like Kartik Aryan and Varun Dhawan. The movie starts of in a very stylized manner and moves along at a pretty good pace, but then it slows down and becomes confused as to where to go next, and how to proceed further, just like the lead character of the film. After a while you start wondering as to why is this story taking so long to reach its conclusion. The actual story by Satyajit Ray is quite short and simple, this film on the other hand added quite a few layers to the original story. I just feel the director waited way too long to unravel the story. Great acting by Ali Fazal, he is very convincing displaying every single state of mind Ipsit Nair goes through. Other actors have done a fine job, but the story doesn't offer them a lot to do. 'Forget Me Not' is strictly average.
4. Bahrupiya
Bahrupiya is the story of a man who feels rejected by the society and is of the firm belief that God has no interest in providing any kind of help to people, in fact all the God's enjoy watching human's go through all the hardships of life. 'God Vs Evil', and 'with great power comes great responsibility' are the themes integrated into the story. Kay Kay Menon, the man at the centre of all the action is as always amazing. The concept of telling stories in the form of an anthology initiated by Netflix, deserves to be praised not just for the unique stories that they offer but also for exposing the current generation to some of the finest acting talents of our country. Dibyendu as the Baba has done a pretty good job, he comes across as mysterious as well as scary. The scenes between Kay Kay Menon and Dibyendu Bhattacharya are really good. I wish they had not kept so many sex scenes in the film, I just didn't see the point of having them in the story. Watching 'Bahrupiya' with your family won't be easy because of all those scenes.
