Web Series Review – Dark Season 1

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Dark, Netflix, Review, Season 1, Web Series

“It is not just that the past is influencing the present but the future also influences the present. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow are not sequential. They are connected in a never ending circle. Beginning is the end and so End is the Beginning”

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Year 2019. Winden is a town in Germany (this is a fictional place). The town has a private nuclear reactor and there is forest which surrounds the reactor. Jonas Kahnwald’s father commits suicide. His mother Hannah Kruger now meets her school friend and current police officer Ulrich Nielsen which results in an extra marital affair. Jonas returns to college after one month of absence. He and his friends (Bartoz Tiedemann, Martha Nielsen, Magnus Nielsen with the young one Mikkel Nielsen) plans to get into the hideout of a drug dealer near the cave (in the forest of Winden) to retrieve the remnants. In a sudden freaking incident they lose Mikkel. Hunt starts for Mikkel and the investigation team identifies the body of a boy dressed in 1980’s costumes but it is not Mikkel. Also the events have a similarity to the incidents that happened 33 years ago when Ulrich Nielsen lost his brother Mads Nielsen. As the search progresses there are traces of doubts that point to the nuclear plant as well. But what would have actually happened. 

Every department is perfect in the series and the concept will make you awestruck with bewilderment. Tremendous script and theme brought to screen with a stellar cast who just did more than what they have been asked to do. The editing ensured the different time frames are knit perfectly so that the viewers are glued to their seats. The music gave a perfect background and stunning visuals made sure it is a complete package.

One of the astronomical goof I felt is, if there is a Wormhole with Blackhole at one end and Whitehole at the other the travel will make your body split into distorted forms or even into energy due to tremendous gravitational pull and push. Also it would grow by itself engulfing the earth itself. But this can be discarded as nobody has witnessed a Wormhole to say this is how it should be. All the information we have is a minuscule regarding the vibrant universe. We should give creative liberty and also room for fiction.

Image Courtesy: IMDB

Season 1 contains 10 Episodes and is made in German Language and is streaming on Netflix. I started off with English audio but the dialogue delivery is not fitting perfectly with the scenario or the dub artists could not bring the feel of the situation to perfection and I switched back to German audio with English subtitles. This is a must watch TV Series and I go ahead with a rating of 5 out of 5 stars (Once in a lifetime making – Masterpiece) for this extraordinary mystery between the space time curves. I will also plan on a couple of articles around the various scientific concepts that ties the knots within the series.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Click to Watch Series – https://www.netflix.com/in/title/80100172

Gunjan Saxena – OTT Premiere Movie Review

Tags

1994, 2020, Amit Trivedi, Anup Saxena, Bharat Ki Beti, Gunjan Saxena, Hindi, India, Janvi Kapoor, Kargil, Netflix, OTT, Pankaj Tripathi

Happy Independence Day Dear Readers. It has been 74 years since we are free from the cage of colonial rule. In spite of all the challenges the year 2020 has gifted us, the beautiful occasion is a reverberation in each of our minds for the valor and courage to survive and overcome all the odds. What more than a movie on armed forces on an Independence Day. Jai Hind.

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The movie starts in the year of 1999 and Gunjan Saxena is on a mission in the Kargil war front. As part of an attack the soldiers are injured and Gunjan is being assigned with the duty of the rescue operation. The story takes a u turn to the childhood of Gunjan. Gunjan is born in a middle class family. Her father Anup Kumar Saxena is an Lt Col in the Indian Army. She gets attracted to aircraft as a child and decides to become a pilot. Besides the odds due to mindsets of the people and the situation that prevailed at the time she decides to traverse her path to achieve the dreams at any cost. And for those who don’t know who Gunjan is, she is the first Indian woman to fly in a combat zone.

Image Courtesy: IMDB

The best of the movie is the performance of Pankaj Tripathi as Anup Saxena, father of Gunjan Saxena and Janvi Kapoor as Gunjan Saxena. The script was fast paced and it never felt bored. Also the script writers ensured that the dramatic storytelling was followed with ample room for emotions to please the family audiences. The opening chopper view scene of the mountain terrains was sheer beauty to watch. The music by Amit Trivedi also did a decent performance to back up the storytelling. The song mostly came as rendering in the background of the events and that stayed in my mind is Bharat Ki Beti.

Image Courtesy: IMDB

This movie is an eye opener for the next generation to go ahead and embrace their dreams. Also this will instill the thoughts of parents who shows discrimination between the boy and girl. If you give proper love and attention any child can reach their skies. I am not sure about the discrimination she had to face at the deputation center but what I came to know is she has not been send there all alone, she had a lady officer also to accompany her during the deputation. So definitely some factual alterations for dramatization has been done. This could have been avoided for sure. I go ahead with the rating of 3 out of 5 stars (One time watch – Average) for the story of Kargil Girl. The rating would have topsy turvy if the dramatic depiction for public appeal had been changed to realistic story telling. 

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

The movie is currently streaming in Netflix – Watch Movie

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OTT Premiere Movie Review – Dil Bechara

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2020, A.R. Rahman, Aarif Sheikh, Abhimanyu Veer, Afreeda, Dil Bechara, Disney+ Hotstar, Immanuel Rajkumar Junior, Khulke Jeena Ka Tareeqa Thume Seekhathe He, Kizie Basu, Manny, Movie Review, Mrs. Basu, Mukesh Chhabra, OTT, Premiere, Saif Ali Khan, Sanjana Sanghi, Saswata Chatterjee, Satyajit Pande, Sushant Singh Rajput, Swastika Mukherjee

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Dil Bechara is the last movie of the Sushant Sing Rajput whom we lost recently from the film fraternity due to unacceptable and untimely death in the form of suicide. While the investigations are going on, consider this as my last homage to his career. Don’t consider this as a review but consider this as a sneak peak into the movie. The movie started streaming under Disney+ Hotstar from 24th July 2020. I watched the movie on the same day but due to personal obligation the write up got pushed. This movie is an adaptation of the novel The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Also there is a movie already in English out of this book currently streaming in Disney+ Hotstar.

The movie starts with the story “Once upon a time there was a Prince and a Princess. They both died. End of story.”. Kizie Basu is suffering from thyroid cancer and she has support for lungs. It has followed all her life and she has named it Pushpinder. She happens to meet Manny aka Immanuel Rajkumar Junior who has previously suffered from osteosarcoma (a type of cancer that produces immature bone) and has lost one of his legs. Kizie felt Manny to be very irritating. Slowly they start to build a bond between themselves. One of Abhimanyu Veer’s incomplete composition is Kizie’s favorite work. Abhimanyu Veer lives in Paris and besides the odds Manny is making every effort to take her to meet Veer and understand why the composition is not completed. Unexpected turn of events happened.

Sushant Singh Rajput plays the role of Manny followed by Sanjana Sanghi as Kizie Basu, Saswata Chatterjee as Mr. Basu, Swastika Mukherjee as Mrs. Basu and Saif Ali Khan as Abhimanyu Veer. Music is by A.R. Rahman, Cinematography by Satyajit Pande and Editing by Aarif Sheikh. The movie is directed by Mukesh Chhabra. I had a subscription but I believe this movie is available for free streaming in Disney+ Hotstar. I loved Kizie and Manny.  Those who have not watched give it a try. 

My Favorite Scene: The entire plot where Manny invites Kizie and his friend JP to a church and asks them to give a curtain raiser of the eulogy they will do on his funeral day. When you leave the world and be part of the greater cosmos, who knows whether you can witness the love your closed ones showers on you. The real worth is when you can feel it when you are alive.

• My Favorite Songs:
  • Khulke Jeena Ka Tareeqa Thume Seekhathe He
  • Afreeda

*****Will miss you Sushant Sing Rajput*****

OTT Premiere Movie Review – Shakuntala Devi

Tags

2020, Ajay, Amazon, Amit Sadat, Anupama Banerjee, Jishu Sengupta, Movie Review, OTT, Paritosh, Premiere, Prime, Sanya Malhotra, Shakuntala Devi, Vidya Balan

Even though I have read a lot of puzzle books written by Shakuntala Devi for aptitude preparations during my school and college days, I never had tried to understand or even search for who this person was. Shakuntala Devi is the biopic movie about the same human computer and has started streaming on Amazon Prime from 31-Jul-2020. This movie will definitely shed some light into her life.

It was the 1930’s, and the location was Bangalore. Srinivas was learning Mathematics and Shakuntala was playing side by side. Then suddenly she tells the answer for the mathematical problem he is trying to solve. He takes this incident to their parents and they think it to be fluke. But when they gave it a try they were overwhelmed. Immediately their father decides to make use of her capability and starts events to showcase her talents. But her ambition to visit school for learning was overturned to visit school for performances. In course of time she becomes the sole breadwinner of the family. One day while returning from the show she sees her paralyzed sister to be dead. Nobody has taken her to hospital and for this none in the family deserves any forgiveness. She has decided to traverse the path paved and built for herself.

The movie is all about Vidya Balan,because Shakuntala’s life is all about herself. As usual Vidya Balan has done a splendid job but her performance is competed by Sanya Malhotra as her emotionally struggling daughter Anupama Banerjee who could not perceive the childhood she wished for. I am seeing a movie of Sanya Malhotra for the first time after her blockbuster debut Dangal. Jishu Sengupta as Paritosh (Shakuntala’s husband) and Amit Sadat as her son in law Ajay have given perfect support to the movie.

Shakuntala was ambitious who was never confined to a place bound by the shackles of relations. She never had roots but had legs and wings to walk and fly where she wished. I would call her outspoken and that is really required to lead a life for yourself. Also it is the rule of nature we can see in most of the animals. The complication in relationships are coming due to force fitting that behavioral character into a human invented societal principles. I never knew that she had political ambitions, there was a shot which showed her political campaign on TV. When further analysed came to know that she stood in elections as an independent candidate that too against Indira Gandhi.

During her childhood when her sister told her that you would become Bada Aadmi (Big Man) when you grow her reply was why not Bada Aurat (Big Woman). This a question against the patriarchal society. One biggest question I had at the end is we always question and call out the mistakes of our parents but have we ever sat back and thought about the mistakes we are making? With change in time the mistakes do change but we fail to realize it is blocked by our prejudiced thoughts.

The Background score of the movie was okay and not a great one. Songs were not needed and the addition of masala in the portrayal was something which could have been avoided. The movie missed to convey certain elements especially towards the end of the movie, not revealing it as it could serve as a spoiler. A note please watch till credits because  you get a chance to gaze through Shakuntala’s personal albums with mapping to the characters portrayed. I go ahead with the rating of 3 out of 5 stars (One time watch – Average) for the story of the human computer.

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Movie Review – Kappela

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2020, Anna Ben, Anurag Kashyap, COVID, Kappela, Kozhikode, Malayalam, Movie, Muhammed Musthafa, Netflix, OTT, Review, Reviews, Roshan Mathew, Sreenath Bhasi, Wayanad

Kappela got a theatrical release at the start of March 2020 but then came the actual villain disguised as COVID and theaters got shut down. It was not discussed much and later got an OTT release through Netflix. Also I happened to see an interview of the film’s producer ‘who explained the challenge in selling a movie to Netflix. You need to impress with a cut short version of the movie which should not span for more than 8 minutes. Also the words of appreciation from an ace director like Anurag Kashyap gave immense publicity. It is now one among Trending 10 in Netflix India. With so much details already you would have got it whether it is worth watching.

Jessy is a girl hailing from a village in Wayanad. One day she dials a call to an unknown number by mistake. She cuts the call, but the guy keeps on calling and tries to impress her. His name is Vishnu and is an auto driver. Slowly the interaction blossoms out to love. In the meantime Benny who is a member of a reputable family in the village comes with an alliance approach to Jessy’s family and her parents readily agree to it. Jessy is tense and she sets out on a trip to Kozhikode, to meet Vishnu for the first time. Instances bring Roy in between them, wherever they go Roy is also following. The plot turns upside down.

The movie starts off as an adolescent style romantic plot but slowly deviates to a serious thriller. That is the power of script – Superb. It makes you change your opinion on a normal story from average to excellent. This is Muhammed Musthafa’s first film, a long way to go and more to expect for viewers. Background score helps hand in hand to tell the story. The visuals with the village as backdrop was superb, especially the top shorts and the ones involving locations of kappela. Kappela is not a church but a small chapel which is worshiped by Christians.

The powerful script is bolted to success with the riveting performances – Anna Ben as Jessy, Roshan Mathew as Vishnu and Sreenath Bhasi as Roy. Anna Ben has already proven her mettle in Helen but she continues her rhythm as a professional actor. Sreenath Bhasi has given one of his career best performances, he has a lot of shades of emotions. I go ahead with a rating of 4 out of 5 stars (Owes a watch (Good)) for the intervening thriller of Jessy, Vishnu and Roy.

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