mehtarohit87 Reviews

Lightyear (2022)

A decent PG Sci-Fi

[7/10 · 4 August 2022]

When the reviews started to come out and IMDB ratings dropped, I was surprised to see the disappointment among the viewers. In the mix bag of disappointment, people complained about the movie being boring, not funny, not like Toy Story, lacking Pixar feel, etc.

Finally, the movie came to Disney+ and I had to see where the disappointment was coming from. In my understanding, the disappointment is coming from some set expectations of what a Pixar Toy Story movie "should" be. I did not have those expectations. The trailers made it obvious that they were taking a more serious direction with the film and after watching the movie I was satisfied with the choice. For those who have not seen it, my recommendation will be to keep the following things in mind:

Do not think of this as a Toy Story universe because it is not. This is a mature film not really entertaining for the young ones. But if you are looking for a family friendly sci-fi, this is a solid movie. This is the story of the character that inspired the toy. The story is heartwarming and challenging. Lightyear is struggling at deeper levels to form connections and have a sense of belonging while dealing with issues of incompetence. These mature themes make the film engaging and deeper than what most of the reviews claim.

I found the movie to be a solid sci-fi movie with mild humor sprinkled throughout. It is a family movie which is rare for good sci-fis. Chris Evans was the perfect choice for the voice. I can see why Tim Allen would not have justified the role because this is a much younger and less sure Lightyear. Tim Allen has more authority in his voice and Evans captures the self-doubt really well.

Some minuses: Taika Waititi was not used as effectively. There were opportunities for more humor with him but the situation in the movie were usually tense when his incompetence was more jeopardizing than funny. While the degree of humor, in my opinion, was justified, I do feel some character work could have helped cater to a younger audience.

Overall, if you would like to see how Lightyear came to find his confidence, identity and style, this is a satisfying movie.

Great News (2017–2018)

Naïve and silly

[4/10 · 3 November 2018]

You make a comedy show about news in a time when you could do some wonderful humor on the on-going social problems and use it as a platform to help people understand divisive issues. Instead the showrunners chose to make a naïve show with silly jokes and banal comedy that has been overdone. It clearly comes from a place where people are ignorant of their own privilege to be in a position where they have access to such programming and still this is what they choose to share with the world.

Meri Pyaari Bindu (2017)

500 Days of (Bindu)

[4/10 · 24 September 2018]

I fell into the trap of following some good actors from a new wave realism in India. I liked Ayushman in Dum Laga ke Haisha, so I followed him here. While this film is guised as realism visually, in narrative terms it is still a stale 90s-00s Yashraj mindset film (usually based on a romcom they like in Hollywood). Characters make unrealistic filmy choices that helps the film mark itself as non-realism.

Yeh Meri Family (2018– )

Harshu in the Middle

[6/10 · 19 September 2018]

When the feeling of 90s nostalgia starts to wash off in an episode or two, I believe, one starts to realize that what we have here is a medley of Malcolm in the Middle and Mother India. And the creators aren't shy about it either. However, I don't think this brazen remixing should be confused with creativity. Because once the clihed tropes settle in, you are left with the crux of the content. This is where the test for the writers begin.

I think the core stories are quite interesting because they connect with a sense of realism for a lot of 20s and 30s something in India who have access to filmmaking platforms and networks now, finally. While this is a great thing for Indian cinema and TV, it also raises the bar for originality. We cannot complain our whole lives about lack of originality in Indian films and then repeat the same mistakes when given a chance.

Also, the urge to connect with the tropes and styles that define the show is strong among the creators. Connection to Mother India is obvious. The foundational structure and style of Malcolm of the Middle becomes evident too very soon. Once you see it, you cannot unsee how much they influence the show. But, I am troubled more by the lack of subtlety in making these connections. I think the writers need to respect their audience and tone down on the cinematic and nostalgic references. They need to be there but not in our faces.

Unless, Yeh Meri Family moves to a subtler style, this show will become one of the many things that happened on Netflix. If they want it to be remembered, they need to go deeper into the emotional journey of becoming a teenager in India and the commonalities with kids growing up today all over the world. This transcendence can make it a great show, which it has potential to be. Will the creators realize this? That's a different story.

PS. Don't judge an Indian show or film by its ratings these days. Audiences can be quite monolithic when it comes to tastes.

Mulk (I) (2018)

India needs this movie, but doesn't want it

[7/10 · 14 September 2018]

Mulk addresses the ever-lasting communal prejudice in India that the Hindu majority chooses to condone and even adamantly argues against. It may not be a perfect film but it definitely is not worth the rating people have forced upon it. If you are not certain about the film, it addresses arguments and concerns regarding the intersection of Islam and terrorism in India. Don't judge it without watching it yourself.

WPC 56 (2013–2015)

Good premise, Poor writing

[6/10 · 7 September 2018]

Right off the bat, the show's premise presents several creative venues to pursue. You have a woman officer in a male dominant profession, allowing premise for critique of workplace sexism, assault, gender discrimination, and oppression. You can also tie with racial and socioeconomic issues and create a golden show.

This is where the first season starts, showing a lot of promise. But it quickly turns to cliches of personal relationships for the women officer. It is sad to see such a good premise being wasted in form of a one-dimensional character who is defined by her love life and the men in her life. The second season onward, this show is no different from any other gender-normative writing. I wish the writers rethink why they wanted to make the show in the first place. Personal lives are interesting, but it shouldn't define the character alone. Her ambitions, passions, inner struggles all could be explored, but weren't. Perhaps get more women writers and producers.

Kanoon (1960)

Let's find flaws in the Indian Judicial System, shall we?

[7/10 · 16 April 2011]

The word's on the street that director B.R. Chopra, commercially successful after his early sensations like Naya Daur and Dhool ka Phool, was once in Germany attending a film festival. He took it as a challenge when told that 'Indian films have nothing but songs', hence, giving birth to Kanoon (1960), India's first songless Hindi film.

I always believe that when taking a critical decision, people either choose between right and wrong OR between friends and strangers. Irrespective of the fact that its someone from your family who sinned, you'd choose between right and wrong. Rajendra Kumar falls under a similar dilemma in this 150 min courtroom drama.

The film revolves around a judge, played by the superstar of that era, Ashok Kumar. Kumar had faith in this unconventional story about a judge who starts to find flaws in the Indian Judicial System after a failed decision from the past comes haunting his court. Played by Jeevan, a man who went to prison for ten years for a crime he did not commit is released. Ironically, he commits the exact crime he went to prison for, just to prove a point. Although, he suffers from a stroke during the proceedings, successfully brings out some serious flaws in the system.

The story takes its natural course with another murder. The film is about the proceedings of this case in Kumar's court, defended by Rajendra Kumar who is also the soon to become son-in-law of the judge.

The film starts with promise, drags at times and picks up again. This happens not once or twice but at several occasions. The lack of expertise in the genre is visible as the grip at the mystery looses right in the beginning.

As a viewer, you are a part of all the secrets. Or that is what you think. As most of the characters are one dimensional, there is nothing much left to fathom. For one who is an ardent follower of mysteries, this is a below average feature. From the Indian point of view, this rebellious film was an instant classic. Nothing like the usual Indian films, Kanoon casts a strong impression on the Indian minds. Although, at a couple of instances some brief music pieces are inserted as a part of the story, these do not let the story digress from its main course; just slows the pace a bit.

The acting, to my disappointment, was equally over-the-top as the other Indian movies, especially the ones of those times. Ashok Kumar, being the senior most actor, is content. On the other hand, Nanda, playing his daughter, is heavily artificial and Rajendra Kumar walks in and out of his zone of comfort. Others are just forgettable. But the one that bothers the most, is Mehmood. Though Mehmood grew out to become the greatest comedian alive in India, this was one of his early films and probably one of his worst performances. His bizarre style of delivering dialogs break the rhythm of the film that could have been much better without his idiotic mannerisms.

The Sound of Music (1965)

Sound of Mucus?

[5/10 · 16 April 2011]

This is the heart warming story of an Austrian nun (Julie Andrews) who enters the Von Trapp family as the governess of Georg Von Trapp's (Christopher Plummer) seven mischievous yet adorable children, and ends up entering their hearts with her warm personality and sugar coated music. At the risk of sounding cheesy, 'The Sound of Music' is regarded as one of the most loved cinematic treats of all times. Full of now- popular songs and laced with extravagant background score, the film has its own soul.

The beautiful cinematography takes you to a trip of the magnificent land of Austria during the time of the Second World War. The hummable songs include the all time favorites like 'the Lonely Goatherd', 'So long, farewell' and many more. No matter how stone hearted you are, you get emotionally attached to the adorable children of the Von Trapp family.

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Though, a few points cannot be overlooked. Julie Andrews' portrayal of Maria, the carefree and loving nun, comes out to be more artificial and over-the-top than realistic. Based on the hit musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein II on the memoirs of Maria Von Trapp, the film is naive in characterization as almost all the characters displayed are one dimensional. The only character balancing the cheese being oozed by almost everyone is Christopher Plummer's Cpt. Georg Von Trapp.

All throughout the film, Plummer seems detached from the surroundings which helps his character. No matter how popular, hummable or adorable the songs are; some of them just catch you defenseless. Unlike the hit musicals like 'Singin' in the Rain' and 'The Wizard of Oz', some of the famous songs in the film are out of context at times. It is always hard to explain in a musical why a song is relevant, but some of the inappropriate situations for the songs make them just unacceptable. The children singing in the festival or in a party sounds reasonable, but a senior mother of the church singing valuable lessons of life to her confused nun, is just too unrealistic for me to stomach.

Some other characters like The Baroness and the postman have sudden change of values at the appropriate points in the film. There is a 70% chance that you will like this highly entertaining and lovable family film. But if you are a fan of more realistic and easy to digest stories, even if it is about a computer program controlling the world, this is not your cup of tea. For a musical enthusiast too, this is not one of the best musicals you'll see.

Clerk (1989)

A comic masterpiece?

[1/10 · 2 December 2010]

If Manoj Kumar intended this to be a comedy, he couldn't have done a better job. This movie, in all aspects, may it be the cinematography, direction, music, acting or the classic dialogs, is so bad that it actually goes round the globe to be awesome.

It is hilarious and every time I watch it with my friends, we laugh so hard that we pee our pants a bit. Every single scene and every minute detail in this movie is awfully worked at and badly directed. This is the epitome of self-indulgence. Manoj Kumar is so obsessed with his style of film-making that he has no clue how horrible he has become. This is, undoubtedly, my favorite comedy, ever.