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Bhansali ne Bajirao pe film banayi hai; Documentary Nahi!  I want to start my review with those lines simply to act as a disclaimer (much like the movie) to confirm that my views are of this movie as a movie and not as a piece of historic documentation of a much loved and respected character or a review of how well the film recreates the details of an era, which even historians agree isn't well documented. So then..  Everyone has a weakness and mine is mainstream Bollywood.. Every time a big budget multi starrer is in the making, I'm busy following up on it and eagerly awaiting the release. Add to it an A-list cast, appetising promos and interesting music, and I can't wait any more. Obviously, I was looking forward to Bajirao Mastani - a magnum opus by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who is arguably the most gifted visualiser of our times - love them or hate them, you can't ignore that with every movie Bhansali has made, he has created unforgettable images. And who d

Remember the diabetically sweet family in a Rajshree film which brimmed with motherly, fatherly, brotherly, sisterly, inlawsly (outlawsly) TRUE  love. And even the dog has extra sensory powers?  Dil Dhadakne Do is THE OPPOSITE. It's all about hating your parents - kabhi sad kabhi glum - sab kuch locha hai... You get the drift? It's a mildly humorous tale of a family that has put image above feelings.  Meet the Mehras - family of four, where the parents - Kamal and Neelam (Anil Kapoor and Shefali Shah( hide their marital displeasure behind make up . Their kids ayesha and kabir (Priyanka and Ranveer) are mostly playing their part in  facade that their parents have constructed - one lie at a time. While one parent hides an eating disorder the other must pop anti anxiety pills to live through parties and meetings alike.  This is one dysfunctional rich family - the business empire is collapsing, the daughter wants a divorce, the son doesn't know what he wants and the dog

In one of the opening scenes of the movie, Piku snubs her father’s irrational fears of dying a bowel death by saying, “No one has ever died of constipation.” Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about the movie. This one surely is death by Constipation. No, not bad at all, in fact it has an original, interesting premise – an irate, widowed, old man Bhaskar ( Bhashkor essayed by Amitabh) lives in his own world on his own terms. He is that verbose vociferous vintage caricature who thinks he knows it all and wants to control everyone/everything around him, but there is one thing that literally escapes him – his bowel movements. I am personally not a fan of potty humor, but let’s face it – it is an interesting premise for the film to start with. And with actors like Amitabh Bachhan, Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan in the mix, you can only expect this to be really entertaining. Piku is a slice-of-life story of an eccentric father and his empathetic daughter, who invite y

#KThanksBye Directed by: Abhishek Thapar  & Mozzaika Artists: Tanvi Hegde, Aditi Venkateshwar, Maitreyee Joshi, Amruta Dhramkamble, Divesh Idnani, Abhishek Thapar, Salsa If you, like me, are the average Punekar/Pune-ite, who wonders why we don’t have enough contemporary art shows and theatre activities, then you must read this! Pune has held the reputation of being the creative and cultural capital of the state, but I keep wondering where are the performances? (And I mean beyond traditional shows and regional theatre) Other than the occasional big banner (big ticket) English plays that visit pune hardly witnesses original creative efforts. Well, as I just discovered, it’s right here, right now! For long, I have been scanning “book my show”  to look for theatre/drama events  in Pune in English/Hindi - and I mean original content that is neither amateur not plagiarized. So this weekend, I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon a series of new dance/drama events

If you are into cocktails, you know Margarita is hardly ever served with a straw, but who is to say you can’t have it with a straw? Who sets these standards of normality? What is normality? When life throws a lemon out at you, make lemonade? That might be the “normal adage” but don’t doubt that you might as well slice wedges of that lemon to spunk up your cocktail – have it with a straw, if you may. The magic, after all, is in the concoction - not the goblet, glass or straw. I don’t think the highlight of “Margarita with a straw” is that it is the story of a patient of cerebral palsy. Neither is it her unusual journey of discovering her sexuality.. I think the biggest achievement is how “normal” the story is. Sex and handicap have so far both been terribly misunderstood and/or misrepresented in our movies (and perhaps our society). Let’s recall what Bollywood has us believe mostly: Handicap in bollywood – a good human being, who is tragically handicapped and

NH10 makes you cringe. It reminds you that it is not safe for woman to be on the roads alone in Delhi suburbia. It strikes a fear that roads to hinterland getaways feel like less of a haven and more hell. And above all, it brings to cinema the idea that there exists an extremely regressive cult, where honor is above blood relations. and “karna zaroori tha” is reason enough for Honor killing, even if it's your own child.  Take these brutal realities and soak it in realistic portrayal, and what you have in the end is a film so shocking, so disturbing that makes you hope and pray  that this parallel universe exists only in cinema. It is so true, that I am surprised the film is not banned yet!! (Sarcasm) J We all know those posts on Facebook where people share their treachery, or say they have some illness or share something disturbing and you are lost whether you should hit the “like” button. Because you clearly didn’t like what you saw and yet you want to acknowledge tha