nairtejas

Kaalidhar Laapata (Kaalidhar is Missing) is such a mature film with mature performances that it's impossible not to love it. An ageing man (Abhishek Bachchan) with growing dementia is left to fend for himself by his family. So starts a journey of exploration and self-introspection, with Bachchan living the character. It's a warm film that's bound to tug at your heartstrings and you'll let it because that's how wonderful the film is.

I was surprised to see that Reema Kagti was showing me the usual story of a motley crew of film enthusiasts banding together to make a dream film in a setting that's not at all conducive for it. Even the conflicts towards the middle show all signs of banality. Yet, it is only after a while that Superboys of Malegaon sheds its banal skin and reveals itself to tug at your heartstrings and never let go. I don't think I have held back tears for so long in a Hindi film in recent times but this one did it. They say you should start and end a film with a bang. Kagti surely knows it too.

Something in Pariwar (Family) prevents it from being a great satire. The stage is set - children have come home to the news of their father's last days. The satire is set - the children praying for their father to die faster. But somewhere the plot loses its way to fit itself into a 2-hour film. Yet, there is enough fodder in Pariwar to make it a laid-back Sunday afternoon film with the family.