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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SMOKE (2018) review

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Smoke(2018) web-series  

Directed by: Neel Guha 

Cast: Satyadeep Mishra, Gulshan Devaiah, Neil Bhoopalam, Mandira Bedi, Amit Sial, Tom Alter, Naved Aslam, Luke Kenny, Jim Sarbh, Kalki Koechlin, Prakash Belawadi, Girish Kulkarni & others. 

How I missed this web-series when it Aired originally I’ve no idea, neither has it been discussed at length even though it’s got a high IMDB rating. Set in Goa and shot almost entirely on location it explores the drug nexus and political upheavals in the beach paradise. There are stereotypes galore but no complaints as it’s a well made series. 

Even though the story moves at snail’s pace it’s directed and conceptualised brilliantly, the Russian mafia invasion in the Indian market and the political and legal connect therein is marvellously handled. Guha scores high with his stylish, sophisticated and scintillating direction. The ensemble cast does well including the late Tom Alter in one of his final acts as the ruthless Russian drug mafia king. Devaiah, Sarbh, Mishra, Sial all do well. It’s got ‘adult’ content with graphically violent scenes, expletives and even full frontal nudity. If that offends you, then skip it. 

Drugs, beaches, crime, politics, cops were the basic ingredients in the delightfully underrated Jalwa(1987) and the atrocious Dum Maro Dum(2011) as well, Smoke carries the ‘explosive drug’ theory further, there’s no ‘Smoke’ without fire and there’s certainly lot of ‘Fire’ in this. 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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