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Jugnuma is a rare gem. It is not mainstream, doesn't have songs, has an open ending, an abstract theme, yet has a narrative and pace that keep you hooked for the full 2 hours.

Set in Uttarakhand in 1989, the costumes, the setting, the devices used, even the color scheme are inch-perfect. There is no way one can mistake it for any other time period.

It doesn't take long for the film to move forward and enter the realm of magic with a flying start and a burning conflict.

The cast absolutely kills it, from the orchard owner ( Manoj Bajpayee), to his wife (Priyanka Bose), to the elder daughter (Hiral Sidhu, who is one hell of a horse rider-what a find!), to the manager (Deepak Dobriyal). One of the risks with such a cast is that the actor who is more mainstream than others ends up having the movie revolve around them, which just takes away attention from the script. In Jugnuma, everything is so spontaneous and understated that it allows the film and the script to take prominence.

As one enjoys all that unfolds through some great scenery, camerawork, and acting from the whole cast, there is a wonderful scene in the first half where the village lady (Tilottama Shome) tells her son a story which pretty much gives out the meaning of the film, at least my meaning to me. I am not going to retell that story, but it is at the spiritual core of the film: how humans forget who they really are, unaware of their highest potential, and decide to follow their lowly base tendencies. Yet, if they are looking for signs of light, there is always a way back.

A lot happens after this, and some things are intentionally ambiguous, but it is all about your mental journey. The beauty of the film is in letting your mind and your thoughts fill the gaps and paint a picture for you.

This is a film for everyone. If my 7-year-old son can remain engaged and invested in the film for a full 2 hours and not be disappointed by the open ending, you can too. Please go and watch this rare gem.

Dangal (9/10) is the kind of film for which the 70mm medium exists. It has universal appeal, is technically brilliant and more than anything else it is a film that skillfully balances popular sentiments and realism. It is going to reach tens of millions of people without having compromised the quality of storytelling.

An extraordinary story of some extraordinary people who not only conquered their fears but also a society which had the negativity to kill their dreams even before they were born.

If Chak De was a fine example of exemplary editing in a sports film and Pan Singh Tomar was an exceptional sports film with great depth and realism, Dangal would forever be remembered as one of the best Indian sports film for the sheer reach it will have. Wrestling is a fast paced technical sport. To make the whole thing look as authentic as it has looked in the film, it would have required some meticulous planning and extensive training and they have done it really well.

The fact that you feel the frustration that Mahavir Singh Phogat feels in the final scene and you along with the whole audience begins to clap after each of Geeta's winning bout as if there was a live game at display shows how supremely engaging the film is. One negative, though not significant enough to harm the film is that it has over dramatazied the narrative at the cost of slight misrepresentation of the facts.

Only if the majority of Indian film makers could realize that it is not impossible to make good cinema with popular appeal, we would start getting more than just a couple of Hindi films every year worth watching. Now is a good time to list Top Films from India in the Sports/Drama genre: 1)Paan SIngh Tomar 2)Dangal 3)Chak De India 4)Iqbal 5)Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander 6)Lagaan 7)Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Just like Bhashkor Banerjee doesn't like liars I wouldn't want to keep my readers in dark for long. I just loved the film. I loved each bit of this film from the core of my heart. It is the best (if there is any other) slice of life, road trip film to have come out of Bollywood in recent history. The film has all the ingredients to be a wonderful cinematic journey and it just doesn't fail. It has the star of the millennium leading from front. Many would also go to the extent of calling him the actor of the millennium as well and I would rather choose to agree than to disagree. It also has one of the best character actors that Bollywood has today. It also has someone by the name of Deepika Padukone who is no way close to the other two when it comes to acting but she is learning and she must get the credit for that. Not to miss out on the fact that she also manages to take your attention on the screen away from none other than Big B himself, courtesy her charm. She plays her part well enough to make the film a joyous journey. And over all this you have Shoojit Sircar, who has now started to show glimpses of brilliance through simplicity, a tag that has been associated with Basuda and Hrishida for long. He seems to have perfected the art of taking difficult subjects and turning them into supremely smooth slice of life films.

The film never gets distracted from its central subject which is Bhashkor Banerjee's stomach just like the Banerjee family never gets time to discuss anything else. The film is a joyride for the whole of 2 hours and 5 odd minutes. It makes you laugh out loud for phases lasting from few minutes to tens of minutes, only to slice new layers of sensitivity in the next few. Even though the span of the film is a few days, Sircar so skilfully is able to show us the deeper traits of all the characters that you begin to relate with each one of them. There are hardly any weaknesses in the film, but the strongest of strengths is the realness of the film. There are quite a few slice of life films that Bollywood has been able to create in last few years, none is as natural as this.

The film begins with a lot of fast edits, which are required when you have a real Bengali situation with real people trying to make multiple points unintentionally moving towards a chaotic confluence of non-ideas. The film could have easily made use of quite a few cinematography tricks to please you on the road trip, but why would it ever need to con the audience when it has such amazing character waiting to give you a free laugh and a cheerful tear. Instead, he uses Anupam Roy's brilliant voice and composition to blend with the screenplay. There are surely quite a few stereotypes that the film breaks and at the same time there are few it doesn't because some stereotypes just don't go.

At 70, Amitabh Bachchan is still at the top of his game. If you have ever been a big Bachchan Saab fan and have not got the best of him lately, this is going to be your dope. His comic timing will put all comedians of today put together to shame. The way he has played the part of an over anxious, ageing and well-meaning Bengali is only something that he could have done and no one else. Needless to say the reason why Irrfan Khan is who he is today is his natural dialogue delivery and he does it again. Every time he delivers a dialogue or even when he communicates in silence, it becomes a treat to watch.

As the story of the film moves ahead, the landscape shifts from the crowded Delhi roads to the 'cultured' streets of Calcutta. Each frame shot in the last 20 minutes of the film will rekindle your love for the city of joy and would want to make you go there again, not just for the aesthetics of the frame but because it speaks through the character of its wood and the structure of its soul. I would not want to spoil anything for you, but I can not not mention the scene where the 70 year old Bhashkor Banerjee rides a bicycle and wanders through Calcutta's core with the look of a child. You would want to watch these five minutes again and again.

Go watch Piku today, and don't just leave it at the theatres, bring it home through your heart…err….stomach.