Must take this Pareeksha
pareeksha
Zee5
*ing: Adil Hussain, Sanjay Suri, Priyanka Bose, Shubham Jha
Rated: 6.5/10
This is not the first time that a film has been made that talks about the disparity that exists between the haves and the have-nots when it comes to education in our country. Nor is it the first time the writer-director has made a movie on the subject. Remember Aarakshan, back in 2011? While Pareeksha is not in the similar vein, it takes you on a journey of a father’s, a rickshaw-puller, desire to ensure that his son gets the best education. ‘It is the only way to get out of this hell’ he tells his son. For this he is willing to do anything — even take to thieving.
Jha doesn’t make any excuses for what the father, played by Adil Hussain, did just tells you that our education system is such that while it offers opportunities for the rich, there are none for those who are less privileged. ‘Every child has the calibre, it is the hunger to better one’s life is where the difference lies’ is an apt dialogue.
The film, inspired by a story shared with Jha where a cop would take time from his duties to teach a bunch of underprivileged, but talented kids. Some of the kids were so intelligent that they qualified for engineering colleges, and had Jha’s stamp all over in the one hour 42 minutes of some great performances by Adil Hussain.
Hussain, as Bucchi the rickshaw-puller, is brilliant. His emotions are raw and makes you find a connection with the father who wants the best for his child even if he takes the wrong route and has to pay a heavy price for the same.
There are so many heart-wrenching moments that will tear one up. One where Bucchi breaks down in front of the policeman begging him to not tell his son what he has done, another how a rich father doesn’t approve of Bucchi’s son sitting on the seat in the rickshaw and gets angry.
Despite the predictability in the film, the intent of Pareeksha is in the right place, A movie that makes for a must see.
scotland
ShemarooMe Box Office
*ing: Adam Saini, Khushboo Purohit, Chetan Pandit, Manish Vatssalya, Daya Shankar Pandey
Rated: 5.5/10
Revenge is a dish best served cold. This is the premise of Scotland, a movie that is part in English and part in Hindi. The movie is about a father who looks for justice for his daughter who is sexually assaulted by four men. Nothing unusual here. However, this one comes with a bit of a twist.
The father is a well-known doctor. For a doctor to turn killer, that too in cold blood, is a kicker. The story is simple enough and there are no other twists and turns. In the first half hour, one comes to know how the story is going to unfold. The question that this film asks here is whether it is correct to take the law in one’s hand and serve justice? It makes you think — is it right to walk the dark side when the system fails to get you the justice you want? It is a question of morality versus ethics.
Adam Saini, who is also the story writer, plays the doctor. It is interesting to see him plot revenge without having any remorse while killing. While he appears to be a little stiff in delivering dialogues, his poker face — I don’t know what you talking about — was well-mastered.
Director Manish Vatssalya, who also plays the ACP, manages to keep one engrossed even though the plot is out right at the beginning. He keeps you glued for two hours and one minute with only one thing — does the doctor get away?
Fun to watch
work it
Netflix
*ing: Sabrina Carpenter, Jordan Fisher, Keiynan Lonsdale
Rated: 5.5/10
If you are looking for a movie that is funny, has great dances and some great music Work It is just the right film to watch. Though this is not the best dance movie, there have been others like Grease, Dirty Dancing and Flash Dance still, given this past year, one would say that this one will help beat the blues with its peppy numbers and some awesome moves especially those by the physically challenged. Who said you need two good legs to dance? It is definitely not stopping these guys from following their passion.
That is what Work It is about, a girl who has two left feet suddenly finds herself in a position where she needs to learn how to dance or lose a chance of getting into a college her father went to. From there on, the movie takes you on a roller coaster ride where the characters and the situations are relatable. This is what makes this film so likeable despite their being nothing new in terms of the storyline which has been played out a thousand times.
It is the chemistry between two friends who have known each other since they were in kindergarten, it is the wild side of Liza Koshy that makes you smile, it is the go get attitude of Sabrina Carpenter that makes you think that sometimes it is good to be creative and take risks.
Overall, a sweet and cute movie to watch if you love dancing.