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Fugly

Starring Jimmy Sheirgil, Mohit Marwah, Kiara Advani, Vijendra Singh, Arfi Lamba

Directed by Kabir Sadanand

Rating: ****

Let’s first get the picture right. Contrary to what the trailers and promotional images tell, Fugly is not a Fukrey-friendly flick about four friends having a ball in life. This film means business. Light on top and substantial underneath, this is the Rang De Basanti of the post-Modi era. Thoughtful and at times brilliant, it tells us a great deal about the state of a culture and people searching for reasons to keep the spirit of nationalism alive as self-serving corruption grows all around us.

“There has to be a reason why one feels like dying for this godforsaken country of ours,” one of the four protagonists wonders aloud, as one of them virtually martyrs himself in protest against the the highhandedness of a cop who has been ruthlessly hounding and blackmailing the four protagonists.

Who would have known that forty-four years after Raja Harishchandra (1913), India would be subjected to one of the most powerful and touching epics to have ever released from their film industry. This film was of course Mehboob Khan’s magnum opus Mother India (1957). A remake of Khan’s previous film Aurat (1940), Mother India has renowned actress Nargis playing the role of Radha; who is by far one of the greatest characters to have graced the big screen. The film was released 10 years after India’s independence and partition from British colonial rule. It is centred on the social and economic conditions of the country during the post-independence era and met with unanimous acclaim both from the critics and the public.

The story is based on Radha, Shamu (Raaj Kumar) and their children, who are subjected to extreme exploitation from Sukhilala (Kanhaiyalal) after Shamu’s mother takes a 500 rupee loan from...

Pran Kishan Sikand

Pran Kishan Sikand dreamt of becoming a professional photographer. Little did he know that a measly, humble ‘paan’ (betel leaf) would change his life and set him on his destined path. It was 1939 or thereabouts. Pran was at a ‘paan’ shop at Lahore, enjoying a munch with his friends when a stranger approached him and asked whether he wanted to act in films. Pran was amused and asked his name. Stranger introduced himself as Muhammad Walli, a renowned film maker in the flourishing film district of Lahore. He said he was making a Punjabi film and Pran looked a perfect fit for the role of a villain in the film. Pran just brushed him off. Walli kept insisting that he pay a visit to the studio, and pushed a piece of paper with his address into Pran’s hands. The film was Yamla Jat (1940), a runaway hit that year.