Swapnilagarwal

I found the movie bang on with many unknown untold stories about our unsung heroes beyond the overly revered gandhi and nehru. It does answer well lot of questions around whys and how's about VD Savarkar while of course busting several myths that were circulating about him till date. Hats off to Hooda for taking up this subject, choosing it for his directorial debut and literally wearing Vinayaks character across stages. Even the support cast is spectacular esp the actors who played his elder brother, Madan Lal Dhingra, Gandhi, Jinnah and many many more. It gets a bit sluggish in bits and pieces but overall successfully narrates a story we all deserved to know long back.

Another sports biopic, not just another one! In a world of more well-known faces of Milkha, Dhoni, Mary Kom & Sandeep Singh, here comes a flick that's based on 2 lesser known oldest women sharpshooters of the world. In many ways, 'Saand ki aankh' is different from the others of same genre - first, it's about not one, but two sportswomen; second, the choice of a lesser known story. In fact, I myself read about these wonder-women only after I saw the first trailer. Without delving into story-line, I would just share what I liked and didn't like about the movie: Yay:

• At so many points in the movie, one wonders, now what else will these ladies accomplish/ win! But then, they prove our vision myopic by showcasing the long list of taboos, rules, dominance of patriarchy and mindsets to be won and it's heartening to see the victories happen before your eyes!
• Debutante director Tushar Hiranandani is a revelation! Somebody who has a history of penning stories and screenplays of not so meaty flicks like Masti, Double dhamaal, Houseful 2 (and same day released Houseful 4), etc. was not expected to repeat a Nitesh Tiwari (Dangal). While Tushar keeps all characters grounded, the overall feel of the movie is credibly rustic and genuine - one actually feels traversing through the lanes of Baghpat (UP). Full marks to Balwinder Singh Janjua for the immaculate screenplay and Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti for the very plausible cinematography.
• The camaraderie of 'womania-gang' was heart-warming. No jealously, no arrogance, only common mutual goals - a true teamwork in every sense! The house-women solidarity reminds one of the likes of Mirch-Masala.
• Special mention of actors - Bhumi literally wore the soul and body of Chandro Tomar, be it the body-language or dialect. She has literally mastered this art since her debut in Dum laga k haisha, making her a method actor in every sense! Prakash Jha was literally unrecognizable yet highly convincing as the family patriarch. Vineet Kumar (Mukkabaaz fame) exuded ample sincerity required for his character.
• Dialogues by Jagdeep Sidhu are catchy, hard-hitting at places and suiting the mood of the film.
• Music by Vishal Mishra is one of the highlights of this movie - peppy, offbeat yet foot-tapping; fully carrying soul of the film! Lyrics are truly meaningful. Some songs do sound a bit similar to Gangs of Wasseypur numbers.

Nay:

• In an age of availability of impeccable prosthetic make-up, Saand ki Aankh failed to add much-needed age and antiquity to the lead actors. When a 28-year old Anupam Kher could look believable as a retired father in Saraansh, something similar was ideally expected here. Nevertheless, actors mitigated this flaw through their polished acting.
• Unlike Bhumi, Tapsee Pannu wasn't able to do full justice to the role of aged shooter daadi. In most part of the film, she looked more 'Tapsee Pannu' than 'Prakashi Tomar'.
• Shooting stadiums in India never get the occupancy and crowd as shown in the movie. However, this can be ignored as on-screen crowd only added to the vigor of the show!

Full marks to the producers - Anurag Kashyap, Nidhi Parmar and Reliance Entertainment to bet their money on a story like this. It takes guts to select offbeat faces for a not so offbeat subject and release it alongside a popular Houseful series movie. However, it was saddening to see empty seats in theater. Such movies definitely deserve a better treatment and much bigger audience. A must watch in theater!

One of the most anticipated movie of the year, directed by one of the most celebrated director of current times, led by one of the most talented actors of Bollywood, came out as a hollow, shallow and completely skewed take on the life of a hugely flawed Sanjay Dutt! Yes, I am starting here with my judgement as I really anticipated some depth and substance from the maker of Munnabhai series and 3 idiots; but Hirani hit another low this time, lower than PK, which definitely was much below the standards set by him through 3 idiots. All previous outings of Hirani had genuine lessons to teach while Sanju preaches some not-so-genuine lessons and conclusions viz.

• First & foremost, "My name is Sanju and I am not a terrorist."
• Most of the terrorists and goons are tilak-dhaari Hindus.
• It's perfectly normal to obtain AK-56 rifles in self-defense from underworld!
• All terror allegations on Dutt were media's imagination (just like no one killed Aarushi, there was no 3G/ 4G scam and Land Rover was on auto-mode - Salman is innocent)
• 900 chuhe kha kar, billi haj ko chali - please call the cat a haaji now; she isn't a killer cat!

Plot: The movie was supposed to be a BIOPIC but it certainly isn't one! It only touches 2 aspects of Sanjay Dutt's life - drugs and terror link allegations. While it is no treachery to indulge in drugs, the latter definitely is one and the director continuously tries to prove Dutt innocent on both counts. There is no mention at all of Richa Sharma and Rhea Pillai (Dutt's first 2 wives) and daughter Trishala, leave aside his much famous affair with Madhuri Dixit. Movie keeps going back and forth in a predictable manner. Hirani uses lot of sexual connotations like in his other movies in an attempt to evoke humour. Cast: Ranbir has already established himself as a perfectionist and here too, he literally lives Dutt on screen emulating his body-language, mannerisms and even drooping eyes! Only front Kapoor lacks on is voice (which lacks the dum of real Sanjay) and extra pinch of machoism. My pick from the movie is Vicky Kaushal as the endearing friend with that typical gujju accent. He definitely outshines Ranbir in most scenes and looks every bit natural and effortless. Paresh Rawal seems to be a misfit as Late Sunil Dutt though as an actor he is not less engaging. Dutt Sahab's grace and poise is perhaps unmatchable! Manisha Koirala as Late Nargis Dutt comes like a breeze on screen while Boman Irani, Dia Mirza and Anushka Sharma have little to do. Sonam's character and Sonam both were as much a waste as was Karishma Tanna. Jim Sarbh, though, is impressive in his limited yet important role. His lisp reminds us of Virus of 3 idiots. Music: While Sanju does have some good music, the songs only reduce the pace of movie and are not required as such. Many of them appear from nowhere. Background score is good and has the usage of trademark Hirani mouthorgan. My conclusions/ observations: i. Sanju isn't a biopic/ biography. ii. The movie completely ignores the regular paroles enjoyed by Dutt in his 6 years imprisonment and attempts only to showcase Dutt as a victim of police trials and media bashing. For me, the movie is a big let-down barring some good performances from main actors. While Hirani maintains he doesn't mean to glorify Dutt, he ends up actually doing so.