Begum Jaan (2017)- Movie Review by Shoby

Begum Jaan (2017)- Movie Review by Shoby

4.25 Hearts out of 5

It is quite common to see role of a courtesan in a period film and we have seen numerous period films where courtesans have a defining role. Begum Jaan is Srijit Mukherji's take on a courtesan's fight against the society to save her home (read brothel).

Films starts with a shocking incident happening in current India. The very first scene brings chills and makes us ready for something bigger. Next frame takes us to the brother of Bugum Jaan in 1947 ,exactly when Radcliffe draws a line to divide the subcontinent into two different states. The dilemma is like may other ordinary persons, Begum Jaan's brothel also gets affected and they are given a deadline of one month to vacate but this one woman army is not at all ready to forfeit. There starts a roller coaster of intense drama and extraordinary emotions. It was a delight to watch various characters from different part of the land talking in way different languages & dialects in the narrative.

To me the hero of the film is undoubtedly its script & screenplay. Srijit shows us the journey of this unorthodox story line in an immensely out of the box way. With heavy dose of nerve breaking incidents, the dialogues are almost pitch perfect complementing beautifully with the events. In fact, some of them really haunt you even after the proceedings end.

Vidya Balan is one of the finest actresses of the industry and she has proved her mettle yet again with this flawless performance in this author packed role. Supporting cast has played its part beautifully especially Illa Arun, Gauahar Khan, Pallavi Sharda, Pitobash Tripathy and Sumit Nijhawan deserves thousands of praises. Chunky Pandey and veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah also played their small cameos with authenticity.

Soundtrack of the film goes pretty smooth with the proceedings. I loved the way, Azaadiyan (sung by Rahat Fateh Ali & Sonu Nigam) was pictured. Prem Mein Tohre is a soothing track sung by Asha Bhosle. Overall, Anu Malik has managed to give a nice soundtrack with effective lyrics by Kausar Munir.

Cinematography is crisp. Action sequences have been choreographed with credibility, giving a special touch of emotional jolts in between.

Overall, Begum Jaan has turned out to be an excellent movie with bravura performances by the core cast amalgamated with perfect dialogues. It is a brutally honest and shockingly awesome watch.

OK Jaanu- Movie Review by Shoby

OK Jaanu- Movie Review by Shoby

3.25 Hearts out of 5...

Girl & a boy from diverse backgrounds with different career objectives meet up by chance. It certainly looks familiar... Isn't it??? That's why I say, all these stories are somehow the same, what makes them look interesting is the execution. Veteran film maker Mani Ratnam gave a Tamil blockbuster in 2015 (titled OK Kanmani) and Shaad Ali remakes it in Hindi officially under the co-production of cinema giants Mani Ratnam & Karan Johar, starring the celebrated on-screen couple of Aashiqui 2, Aditya Roy Kapoor & Shraddha Kapoor, along with Naseer ud Din Shah and Leela Samson in pivotal roles. Further strengthening the project was the induction of musical maestro AR Rahman (who was also the composer of the original Tamil version) along with legendary poet/ lyricist Gulzar Sb. Remember, last time when the team joined hands to re-do a Mani Ratnam's film, the result was the critical & commercial success Saathiya. Lets see, have they been successful this time.

Aadi (Aditya Roy Kapoor) meets Tara (Shradhha Kapoor) by luck in a white wedding ceremony and both of them develop a nice warm liking for each other. Hence, they decide to have a sit-in relationship till time separates them apart citing their career objectives. Adi wants to be a successful game developer, whereas Tara wants to study architecture abroad. They both start living together in the house of an old-romantic couple (Naseer ud Deen Shah and Leela Samson). Whats happens next should be watched in the film.

OK I agree, the plot is like centuries old but one thing that has made the film attractive is the execution. It is a typical Shaad Ali's film with patches of Mani Ratnam's style embedded within. The moderate portion of first half of the movie is a bit slower but rest of the film moves quickly ahead and thus narrative never bores you down.

OK Jaanu resembles Saathiya in more than many ways. Couple first time meet in a wedding, train sequences and even that Humma Song positioning & choreography was almost identical to Saathiya.

As anticipated writing has been outstanding all through the timeline and dialogues are written brilliantly. I loved the scenes when Adi & Tara meets in trains, metros & bus. All the scenes featuring Naseer ud Deen & Leela are class. With usage of some brilliant Urdu dialect, they are there to entertain the classy audience.

As expected film stands tall in the department of music, dialogues & acting. Gulzar sb has not only penned some beautiful lyrics for the songs (my favourite Saajan Aayo Re) but he has also written fabulous dialogues for everyone. Interesting part is that he has penned the dialogues for the four characters (Adi, Tara, Gopi & Chaaru) while considering the aspect of their character sketches & generations.

Last ten odd minutes of the movie are a treat to watch. Fast, edge of the seat and although climax is very much predictable, it forces you to watch the whole proceedings till the very end.

Overall, OK Jaanu works exceptionally well in patches and it is no doubt a much better film keeping in view that Bollywood has not been able to give us something exceptional for an year or so.

OK Jaanu... Trailer Review by Shoby

OK Jaanu... Trailer Review by Shoby

More than a decade ago, veteran film maker Mani Ratnam made Tamil film Alaipayuthey which had the musical score by the Academy Award winner AR Rahman. Film went on to be a blockbuster. When they decided to remake it in Hindi, they engaged with them the legendary poet Gulzar & director Shaad Ali and the final product that came out in front of all of us was immensely loved Saathiya. Music, Compositions, Lyrics, Dialogues, Acting and almost everything about Saathiya was a class act and really deserved a standing ovation.

In 2015 Mani Ratnam made O Kadhal Kanmani (OK Kanmani) with the super successful music by AR Rahman and now the same team of Saathiya once again joined hands to remake it in Hindi titled as OK Jaanu. 

Trailer of the film is out and the movie is slated to release in January 2017. Starring the hit pair of Aashiqui 2 (Aditiya Roy Kapoor & Sharada Kapoor) the film also stars the veteran actor Naseer ud Din. Trailer of OK Jaanu is fresh, youthful, musical and warm.

Aditiya and Shrada makes an almost perfect on-screen couple with all the little naughtiness, innocence & warmth in their respective acts. Although trailer features glimpse of just one song OK Jaanu's Title track which is off course Gulzar sb's version of Mental Manadhil, one can expect the movie as a grand musical love drama with some excellent signature dialogues from Gulzar sb.