JAWAAN (2023) : review

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And finally the much hyped, much awaited Jawaan saw light of the day ! Big stars, big budget( humongous budget actually), big music composer, everything super large. But does it meet the expectations of the average viewer? No it goes not. Read on.  A decorated jawan locks horns with a criminal called Kaali, this is in 1986 ( the year movies like Aakhri Raasta released, just for reference). Kaali gets him eliminated and send the pregnant wife to jail. The baby born in jail grows up to become the hero (look alike of the father) and decides to avenge the misdeeds done to his innocent patriotic parents. Well, isn’t it a masaaledaar full on Bollywood- Tollywood drama subject ?  And then the director Atlee also borrows ideas and references from various retro movies, some idea from Sholay (1975) as the hero assembled a gang of jailed Qaidis in order to form a team to nab the villain, then there’s an entire episode borrowed from Dhartiputra (1993), and the basic theme is copy pasted ...
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AARYA (2020) review

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AARYA (2020) 

Directed by: Ram Madhwani 

Cast: Sushmita Sen, Vikas Kumar, Sikander Kher, Manish Chaudhary, Namit Das, Ankur Bhatia, Jayant Kripalani, Sohaila Kapur, Maya Sarao, Sugandha Garg, Flora Saini, Joy Sengupta, Vishwajeet Pradhan, Chandrachur Singh(Sp.App.)

A fresh thriller web series streaming currently on hotstar, official adaptation of the Dutch thriller series Penoza(2010) which was created by Peter Bart Korthuis, “Aarya” is just like its leading lady “achchi hai par bahut lambi hai” 

Set in the Royal and culturally rich Rajasthan, a wealthy entrepreneur from an elite family is murdered, while everyone is reeling under shock his widow till then a submissive housewife transforms into a revengeful lioness to track down the killer and protect her cubs who are apparently under threat. She discovers dark secrets related to her dead husband and the patriarchal family business that has more to hide than reveal. 

The makers rely on dark and gloomy atmosphere created to give that mysterious aura to the onscreen proceedings, to an extent it works but the length can get on your nerves. Nine episodes struggle with each averaging to around 50 minutes, that’s too long and could’ve been made into a taut 5-6 episodic gripping series. Sen gets an author backed titular role, she looks good and plays her part well, flipping diverse emotions effortlessly. Kher and Das do a great job of their meaty roles. 

Why isn’t the rich heritage and scenic beauty of Rajasthan explored? That’s a major grudge against the makers as they’d so much time. Violence is mild, language partially expletive, but the sexual camaraderie between underage artistes was so not required. Even the elderly ain’t spared, a visibly exhausted 80+ Kripalani having Back door action with a moaning Flora Saini will make you cringe. ⭐️⭐️

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