Bhatt is lost on this Sadak

Sadak 2           

Disney+Hotstar *ing: Sanjay Dutt, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur

Rated: 4/10

So this was the one with 20 million negative views to the trailer! One wonders why such hullabaloo because for such a strong reaction there needs to be something big that is bad or something that is good. Sadak 2 is neither. It is a rippleless movie on a twisted, 90s subject with Mahesh Bhatt trying hard to give life lessons on familial betrayal, superstition and faith in dhongi babas.

All that is fine, but it seems Bhatt has not moved with the times because Sadak 2, despite the towering presence of Sanjay Dutt and the arresting beauty and histrionics of Alia Bhatt, not to mention the wasted role of Aditya Roy Kapur who is at best a sidekick of a sidekick in the film, the movie really has no story of worth to tell.

Alia Bhatt is an activist heiress on the run, all the way to Mt Kailash if you please, and  she carries with her the weight of a quickly sewn together intrigue of Godmen and relatives who are after her life for no apparent reason.

Why they want her killed is not convincingly told in the road trip where Dutt is fighting his ghosts after losing his original Sadak wife to an accident and living with the agony of having buried a stillborn child.

Mahesh Bhatt has been storytelling with much more chutzpah, better music and an understanding of an issue but in Sadak 2 he is jaded, all over the place, almost directionless and somehow gives you the feeling of having lost his way on a Sadak he so well-defined last time round.

No need to get too hassled about this one. It is not worth too much of a reaction, which is sad because Alia is good as usual, so is Dutt with his veteran looks and acting skills as he knows them.

Treat to watch Neena Gupta

Masaba Masaba

Netflix

*ing: Neena Gupta, Masaba Gupta, Neil Bhoopalam, Amairah Awatanye

Rated: 5.5/10

One doesn’t really have to watch the latest web series on the OTT platform to know that Neena Gupta is a great actor. In a career of nearly four decades and movies like Swarg, Yalgar and Badhaai Ho under her belt, she has once again given a performance that is great. In Masaba Masaba where she pairs up with her daughter in a fictionalised version of their lives, she shines beautifully. Here, one gets to see her insecurity as an actor, her struggle as a mother who wants the best for her daughter and makes her strong and independent in a dog-eat-dog world of entertainment and fashion. Her excitement on meeting Farah Khan for a role is not only cute and sweet, it is amusing as well. Another scene that really brings a smile is how she haggles with the sabziwala for `3 for pyaz (not kanda) — a typical Dilliwala attitude.

Despite the disclaimer that the series is a fictional account of the mother-daughter, there is relatability if one is from the fashion and entertainment industry. For the others, they can take heart and be entertained in the six-episode series of 32 minutes each as it progresses giving a sneak peek in what their life would actually have been — the drama, to be judged and under scrutiny all the time.

While this is Masaba Gupta’s first stint as an actor, even though she had judged a show — MTV Supermodel of the Year last year on MTV India channel, she appears at ease here. Her relaxed demeanor and rather good performance could be due to the presence of her mother.

The other starcast that needs a mention here are Neil Bhoopalam and Rytasha Rathore. Bhoopalam as the brooding investor in House of Masaba fashion, is interesting to watch even though he doesn’t have many dialogues. Rathore, who plays Masaba’s onscreen BFF, is great.

She is funny and the friendship between the two comes out so naturally, it is amazing. Another actor who needs a mention is Amairah Awatanye who plays little Masaba Gupta. She is cute. There are places where director Sonam Nair has put in her place of the grown up Masaba, it is endearing.

Overall, an interesting watch, especially Neena Gupta.