Thriller helmed by women
A call to spy
Amazon Prime Original
*ing: Radhika Apte, Sarah Megan Thomas, Stana Katic
Rated: 7/10
Wartime spy thrillers come with their own notalgia attached to the sepia shades of a bygone era of conquest and cruelty. World War 1 stars in such big screen saga in a big way and pretty often but this one comes as a women’s special, made even more special by the sterling performances of all the ladies involved — one jew, the other part Indian and yet another a French woman.
These three women are employed for the first time ever in war territory, by British establishment, and the three of them, guided by a Jewish head of operations back in London, weave a story that keeps you on edge despite the slow moving events.
Radhika Apte as a sufi signals woman stands out not just because of her exotic looks but also because of her short spurty performance in a role that is small but highly impactful.
The arresting thing about this spy story is the fact that it is helmed by women, unthought of in that era. The story has been spun from a no-nonsense to the bone plot which leaves no space for pauses. So sit tight and enjoy this true story of spies who wore skirts, were courageous, innovative and determined to save the world from Hitler and his dreaded Gestapo even as country after country falls to the Jewish pogrom.
Confusing humdrum
I Am Your Woman
Amazon Prime Original
*ing: Rachel Brosnahan, Arinzé Kene, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Bill Heck, Frankie Faison, Marceline Hugot, James McMenamin
Rated: 4/10
This underworld story, not so much about the underworld, but its fallout on the families of criminals, is slow moving, a bit boring and sometimes confusing. In the end, however, it grows on you as the story progresses.
A desperado does shockingly loving things like presenting a child to his wife who can have her own. Then he vanishes, leaving his wife and the little one to go on the run. The story goes on in the badlands of a 70s America where co-criminals are on the hunt for the wife of this desperado Eddie to find out where he is. The run gets interesting when an ex-wife pops up along with a son and lover who is helping the women be safe.
Not too much of anything to write home about.
Has heart in right place
torbaaz
Netflix
*ing: Sanjay Dutt, Nargis Fakri, Rahul Dev
Rated: 5.5/10
Here is a film that has a lot of promise and after a bit of a shaky start, it manages to suck one into the lives of those who have lost everything and hence hope and chance to pick themselves up and start over in a war-torn country like Afghanistan where the only hope for the children is to not get sucked into a system that will put them on a path of death and destruction.
Girish Malik’s Torbaaz takes you on a journey that is full of emotions, has a message, is touching and told from a very different fresh perspective. It is rare for Hindi cinema to tell such powerful stories. But then it has kids, there is bound to be a message and some tears involved.
It is good to see Sanjay Dutt play a man who plays the role of an Army man here and despite his personal loss is able to once find purpose when he comes in contact with the children in a refugee camp. His transformation from a man who wants nothing to do with a country where he suffered a loss to a man who is willing to give up his life for the sake of one change for the kids is not without making one sentimental and find a connection— how a parent would do anything to protect his kids and give them a purpose.
Together with the kids who give a stellar performance, Dutt carries the movie on his shoulders rather well. Sadly, Nargis Fakri doesn’t have much to do here. Rahul Dev plays the part of the Taliban well. His body language makes him fit for the role.
The barren landscape is in keeping with the whole idea of how desolate the lives of the people in refugees camps are and how little they have in terms of a good future.
Overall a movie for those who are love good subject and content.
Low on scare quotient
durgamati: the myth
Amazon Prime Video
*ing: Bhumi Pednekar, Arshad Warsi, Jisshu Sengupta, Mahie Gill
Rated: 5.5/10
The general premise is that remakes never live up to the expectations of the people. This is because one expects Bollywood to do a better job done by makers from regional cinema. Or it could be that since there are more Hindi speaking audience. But the truth is that if one has already seen something, the copy is never better. The original Dev Das was much better or should one say closer to what was in the book by Sarat Chandra. So Durgamati... directed by G Ashok, is not an exception to the case in point for those who have seen the Tamil-Telugu version... Bhaagamathie directed by him.
This is a tad strange why a director who gave a better version in the original version would fail to evoke the same enthusiasm and not better his fare; that is the whole point of a remake — to make the next one better. More so since it is the Hindi version.
The problem here is not that Bhumi Pednekar has failed to give her best, she has done a great job. The problem here is that there is very little when it comes to the scare quotient. Those that are there don’t manage to give you goosebumps. A haunted house, a witch and a folklore seeped in history, all fall flat due to cliches.
Then there is the whole how a politician can never be honest; but here he can’t do anything wrong. We have seen enough Bollywood movies that what one sees is not the truth. Hence what happens at the climax is not a surprise. Not good for a crime thriller.
Still all is not lost here if one has not seen the original version. For them, Durgamati... is a welcome change. But if one is watching it for horror one will be disappointed.