Article 15: Get the fak out of here to watch Ayushmann Khurrana deliver a career best performance

The headline is not to be forcedly sensational; when you watch Anubhav Sinha's 'Article 15' you will get the context - it is too cute to not mention that. I am not going to reveal anything more important than what you can already see in the trailer and what you might have seen or read in the promotional interviews that have been out so far.  

Watch trailer here:



Having just watched the film, I have two important demands to make - first that every citizen of India should have read the Constitution of India before they pass school. Secondly, Article 15 (the film) should be made mandatory viewing for each and every citizen of India. Disclaimer: I haven't read the Constitution of India, and I had no idea what Article 15 was till the trailer of this film came out a few weeks ago. Yes, so far whatever I know, I have learned from the films I have watched.

Let me tell you guys a little story. Five decades ago, there was a so called "high caste" Brahmin family somewhere in south India. The head of this family was a chief priest at the most revered temple in town, and would earn a living by performing various poojas and havanas for the so called "lower caste" people. There was a family ritual that the young boys of this "high caste" family will have a thread ceremony (janeu) and eventually follow the family tradition and become high priests themselves. Nepotism is not just limited to Bollywood.

Then a disruptor was born in this family. He had to go through the thread ceremony, and then as a part of the ritual, he would be an assistant to his grandfather during summer holidays and be a part of the poojas and havanas - reciting shlokas and running errands etc. This rogue of a kid who chose science over religion when he was about 15, on one such havana was singing 'I want it that way' (Backstreet Boys) instead of the Gayatri Mantra that he was supposed to chant 108 times under the veil he was given to wear for that holy task.

Despite what this rogue kid did, the "lower caste" family who were expecting a child after getting the said havana done, had their wish fulfilled. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

This has got nothing to do with the truth. May be it does? For me to know, you to guess.

Just leaving it here that me and Rani don't believe in any religion - we are humanitarians and will remain so for this lifetime. Rather than using our time and money for religious activities, we try to do good things for friends and even those who we might not know at all - ever tried offering water to delivery boys when they come home to deliver whatever you've ordered? Try it once, and please give them water in the same glass that you would have it in - you'll feel great. Each time we do so, the delivery boy first looks stunned and then breaks into a wide smile.     

 Review shuru karein kya? First listen to this song:



Dear friends, AYUSHMANN KHURRANA is the actor / man of this decade and hopefully many more. For a cutesy, lovable and goofy bum to look convincing as a cop tough as a nail and not make a fool out of himself, I can't imagine the internal transformation he must have gone through. He had begun the process with Sriram sir's 'Andhadhun', but his role as Ayan Ranjan in 'Article 15' is a huge beast in comparison. When the trailer had landed, I remember saying that I could never imagine Ayushmann could make me wet my pants with his intensity. Man, he did it in 'Article 15'.

Kudos to Gaurav Solanki and Anubhav Sinha, the co-writers, and a HUGE hawaai firing for Mr. Sinha, the director, to make a film that hits you at so many levels, as a human, and as a citizen of a so called secular nation. They made a ball-gripping film about news articles that are published in the seventh page of national newspapers - may be not even there, as the film suggests. Caste-based killings and torture are the new normal in our country. Some lynching videos go viral for a a day or two, till the next Dhinchak Pooja captures our collective attention. 

What bothers me the most as a writer these days is that I feel scared of offending the sentiments of some random fungi sitting somewhere digging his or her nose and scrolling through his or her phone. Making a film like 'Article 15' requires balls of steel, each the size of Jupiter, the planet. Mr. Sinha, the country owes you an award and lifetime free supplies of whatever you need, just for having the courage to take this subject from paper to cinema halls nation wide. I want to watch this film with my entire extended family and see their reactions.

While 'Article 15' ticks all the boxes of being a politically aware film, it also acts as a mirror that has been long missing for us as Indians - it does all this while keeping your heart in your mouth, entertaining you with laughter and tears all throughout. This piece will be incomplete if I don't mention the genius of Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Mohammad Zeeshan Ayub, Sayani Gupta and Nasser sir. They, along with Ayushmann give you the best moments of 'Article 15'. Don't waste time and watch this thriller ride which will make you introspect on things that are most relevant in the time we are living in.

Long live, Bob Dylan... watch the film, you'll know why :)

    

Badhaai Ho: A cinematic baby worth celebrating

Just got back after watching Amit R. Sharma's film, 'Badhaai Ho'. As usual, not a regular review of the film.  I will always remember 2018 for 'Sanju', 'AndhaDhun' & 'Badhaai Ho'.

Before we go any further, a HUGE shoutout & drumroll to the writers, Akshat Ghildial & Shantanu Shrivastava. You guys make the writers' clan super proud with your super fresh & intelligent writing. You guys have joined the league of Juhi Chaturvedi & Hitesh Kewalya - first ball pe sixer - stadium se baahar!

The trailer doesn't give away a fraction of the fun that you can expect at the cinemas this weekend. I swear, I am not exaggerating. The trailer gives a mere glimpse of what has happened, and some repercussions of some decisions.   

The real fun is not the 'what', it is about 'how' & 'what after' & a tear inducing climax that will soften even the toughest criminals. I personally was sold in the first few minutes because the film is mostly set in the same lane as in Habib Faisal's 'Do Dooni Chaar' - my review of DDC brought Rani into my life, so it holds a very special place in my heart. There's something very bitter-sweet about middle-class stories that hits the sweet spot and stays on.  Throw in a heartbreak song, and I am sold.



Though it feels like I have been married to Rani for many lifetimes, but it has only been a few years since we actually got married. For the last two years we have been dodging the most uncomfortable question thrown at us by older relatives, "Badhaai kab hogi?" Badhaai will happen when it has to, but why is it their ONLY concern, I fail to understand. Anyway, I will save that subject for some other time. In this film the announcement of the impending Badhaai is a magical scene.

It raises such a large question on the moral fibre that we have been made to adhere to. The film has done the job if people go back home thinking about the reasons of the decisions or choices they made in their lives, especially the older lot. The younger lot also have a lot of food for thought. Specifically, the equation they share with their parents. For the first 25 years of my life, I barely spoke to my parents. That changed after Rani came into my life. Now if I haven't spoken to them for a day or sent them WhatsApp messages, my day feels incomplete.  You should have seen my parents dance at our wedding - it was a sight to behold.



THEN there is bro-bonding. 

Of late I haven't been on talking terms with my kid bro. So every time there was scene between the brothers, I was weeping. I loved it when the elder brother SLAPS the little one in one scene. I want to do that too! Hahaha. The kid brother in 'Badhaai Ho' is a lovable rascal, like all kid brothers are. It is sad that I can't find the name of the guy who plays that character anywhere online. Shout out, if you know, I will update the piece. Every elder brother deserves a kid bro like him.

For me Gajraj Rao & Neena Gupta will remain Parents of The Decade, or may be a close second to the Duggals (Rishiji & Neetuji in DDC). Dadiji of The Century will be shared with Surekha Sikri in Badhaai Ho & Kamlesh Gill (in Vicky Donor).

Best Actor for me:
Popular category - Ayushmann Khurrana in Badhaai Ho & Ranbir Kapoor in Sanju.     
Critics category - Ayushmann Khurrana in AndhaDhun.

There I said it. Thank me later. Watch 'Badhaai Ho' this weekend or stop complaining about the quality of Hindi cinema forever.

Observation: I think Ayushmann Khurrana is the only actor who has two films playing at Chandan, Juhu simultaneously. Correct me if I am wrong. Actually don't bother. Bye.

Love,

Magik. 

DUM LAGA KE HAISHA: वो तो है अलबेला

For anybody who has grown up in the 90s, it is almost impossible to not like director Sharat Katariya's film, 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha'. Especially for those who have heard Kumar Sanu-Alka Yagnik songs on audio cassettes - on loop, rode Bajaj scooters, wore grotesque sweaters (in my fashion book) that were made at Tibet and sold at roadsides in small towns of North India, and those who are aware of the concept of a now slowly dying ritual - सामूहिक विवाह.

As the trailer already shows, DLKH is about - a mismatch made in heaven. The couple that was never meant to be, but that did become, and a great one at that. Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar play the central parts, Prem and Sandhya - but their lives are not central to their quirk-laden families. Watching DLKH for me was like attending a family wedding - you like some of the attendees and dislike, even hate some, but you only wish well for the couple that is getting married. DLKH stays in the couple's life for a little longer, when things get sour. Very sour.

Watching DLKH was a series of nostalgia attacks for me. I spent a large chunk of my life at Indore, so the lingo used in the film wasn't alien to me. I loved the words employed by Prem, Sandhya, and their respective families - I had heard many such conversations. It was a world I could relate to. Just last evening a friend of Rani had dropped by, and he told me that I should wake up every morning, slap myself and thank God that I found somebody like Rani to be my life partner. I agreed. Compared to the superwoman Rani is, I perhaps don't deserve her.

DLKH is also mostly about that feeling - what is a perfect match? Who is the right person who you should spend your life with? Is there really something called the perfect match? We are all imperfect, but the best part is that we find love and peace with our imperfections. Prem and Sandhya in DLKH are that - perfectly imperfect. They make up for each other's shortcomings, and life goes on. Just how simple a love story can get. No doubt it takes a lot of effort for Prem and Sandhya to get together, but when they do, they can move mountains.

I connected to Prem, played by Ayushmann - he is a prick. I was one, not very long ago. But he is also ALL heart. I also suffer from the same problem. If I love you, I will go as far as Raghu in Badlapur went. If I don't, there is a very thin chance I will waste even a minute with you. I just might - if you are Rani's friend or her guest.  Prem in DLKH is a closet lover boy - the one that I am, and the one that used to be the soul of Yashji's films. He is a mush-ball but slightly apologetic about it. It is just about arriving at the magical moment when Prem falls in 'prem'. Thereafter ho gaya kalyan :D

I don't know why, but the character Prem also reminded me of the Sunil played by Shahrukh Khan in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa... वो तो है अलबेला... हज़ारों में अकेला... सदा तुम ने एब देखा, हुनर को ना देखा   

I think the reason Aditya Chopra greenlit this film is that it is the closest to Yashji's school of romance. Something perhaps he would have been proud to produce, had he been alive. DLKH celebrates pristine love as it is meant to be. With a little bit of family banter thrown in. Director Sharat Katariya has done a great job, both with writing and directing this film. His passion and earnestness come across in every frame. The attention to detail is... GOBSMACKING!

AND THEN THERE IS KUMAR SANU.

Watch this song NOW.



I don't want to take away more from what you will discover in the film after watching it yourself. We can share notes after you've watched. Ayushmann as Prem in DLKH is not just carrying his wife on his shoulders, he is also shouldering the film itself. DLKH is not your regular romcom or braindead entertainer, it is an experience - An endearing tribute to an era that was. The one that I grew up in. The one where I first fell in love. The one where I experienced heartbreak. The one where Kumar Sanu was the voice of love and longing.

Please watch Dum Laga Ke Haisha this weekend. Thank me later.


         

59th Filmfare Awards: A night to remember

Agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaho toh saari kaynat tumhe usse milaane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai’

- Om Prakash Makhija

I couldn't believe my ears when Rani told me that she will get me a pass to attend the 59th Filmfare Awards. She said it very casually, as if it didn't mean much. For me, it meant as if I am going to be at the shoot of Sholay. Or perhaps, being present while 'Aane wala pal' is being recorded. Rani has seen enough and more of such events to care much. For me it was a first. My heart was beating in my eyelid. I couldn't sleep a wink for a week or so. I had stopped eating. I was imagining what I would do there, what I would wear, will I make it past the security or not and so on…

Way back in 2009, when I was to attend the premier of Sankat City, my friend Kartik Krishnan had told me, "Nobody gives a f about what you wear, nobody gives a f about who you are." Though I was armed with that wisdom, I was worrying about I am going to wear that evening. On a normal day I don't give a f about what I am wearing because I know that nobody gives a f about me. Okay, Rani does chide me at times, for the torn jeans and crumpled tee that I step out wearing. Here I was looking at my princely collection of four white shirts and trying to decide upon one.

The choice was simple, the one that took the least effort to iron. Once that decision was made, I was worrying about my look. I told Rani, "I want to look like a badass gangster with a heart of gold." Don't ask me what that means. I am still trying to make sense of what I had said. For the first time in my life I requested Rani to apply makeup on my face. I was doing everything that I never do till I am too drunk.  Hair, makeup and all the razzmatazz taken care of. I remember telling Rani, I know all this is stupid and vain, but I am born for this shit. She nodded in agreement.

 So I step out of my home all set to blow air kisses and sign autographs & the sole of my shoe pulls a fast one on me. I never wear that shoe, but for a few rare occasions and on that fateful evening it decided to ditch me. To show me that I am an idiot. To put me back into place. To make me taste humble pie. I wanted to die. Then I decided it would be simpler to just change the damn shoe. It struck me that if I changed the shoe, I will have to change the damn trouser too. A fine gentleman and a great actor-singer, Ayushmann Khurrana was waiting for me, as I was supposed to tag along with him.

Time was running out and some quick decisions had to be made. The shoe, the trouser, the jacket and everything had to be re-coordinated. It took me 3 minutes to ruin everything that Rani had done to style me. In my new avatar I was now looking like a broke journalist-turned-drug peddler-turned-wannabe neta-turned-disaster gangster. You can see the pic if you need evidence. (I am the white shirt guy, the suit wala bloke is Sujoy Ghosh, who made Jhankaar Beats.) Post that disaster management, I hop into Ayushmann's car a little away from the venue. The first thing he tells me is, "Bro, I think it's a 'formals only' event." I felt like dying again, but I tell him, "dekhte hain yaar."

The moment we reach the venue and step out of the car, we hear mad cheering & hooting. It strikes me that the adulation and love was for Ayushmann & not me. I eat humble pie with both my hands again. What happened next just froze me. I was following Ayushmann & Rani into the venue & sweet mother of Rajinikath, I landed up being seated in the 4th row closest to the stage. Imagine a rookie like me, who still has no IMDB page or anything, lands there. I went numb. All kinds of stars, superstars and the ilk were all around me. My brain didn't explode and I quickly realised that one needs to have a brain for it to explode. Jaan bachi to laakhon paaye.

A little less than an hour into the ceremony I began to get bored. I was tired of clapping. I wanted to go out and breathe easy. I felt like it was cheating. A guy like me can't be rubbing his hands gleefully sitting in the same row as Anupam Kher, Shabana Azmi and so many more. So I walked out of the audi to a better place. You guessed it, the bar counter at the venue. I realised the only people watching the ceremony were either those who were waiting to win an award or those who wanted to clap for the person who they wanted to win for whatever reason. The rest of the junta was at the bar counter.

Had a great time sipping fokat ka expensive whiskey with interesting people from the industry. The chakhna wasn't that great, but mere baap ka kya gaya? Had wonderful conversations, behaved like a fanboy, swapped cigarettes with Swanand Kirkire, spilled whiskey on somebody's expensive D&G suit, soaked in the feeling of being at the sanctum sanctorum of YRF Studios and behaved as if I owned the place. Super fun & I only have Rani to thank from the bottom of my heart & the top of my Patiala peg. Hopefully me & Rani will attend the 60th Filmfare Awards because our film will be nominated too!

That's something I have been 'maanging' from the 'kaaynat'. Sunn raha hai na tu? 

Amen.