TV Review: Aryanak

Aranyak is the new Netflix show about the two cops, Angad (Parambrata Chattopadhyay) and Kasturi (Raveena Tandon), who are handed over an extremely difficult murder case that involves numerous people around the hill station. The murder mystery becomes personal when they realize that the case ties with their dark past or compromises the family security. The superstitious theory about the return of some serial killing Leopard-man becomes certain when the diggings indicate that this all leads to a hunter in the jungle.

Not sure if Aranyak is based on the famous Bengali novel by the same title written by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. But the credit should be given to the writing and the screenplay of the show. I think the mystery is very complicated and has the driving factor that makes you binge-watch all eight episodes. I think the season finale doesn’t do justice as compared to how all the previous seven episodes were maintaining the storytelling. The last episode ran in haste and the conclusion of the season looked pretty weak to me.

I think this show marks the return of Bollywood‘s mast-mast girl, Raveena Tandon. Maybe I am wrong but I noticed her years ago in Anurag Kashyap‘s Bombay Velvet song. Anyway, I don’t remember Raveena in any memorable role in the past. And even here, she was just average. Her facial reactions were flat and there were many scenes where her performance needed a push but she couldn’t. Veteran Parambrata had another impressive number of acting credits. Ashutosh Rana also gave a decent show.

If I am not wrong, there will be another season. This should have been a mini-series. But for now, Aranyak is a very interesting mystery thriller to get entertained.

Film Review: Atrangi Re (2021)

Vishu (Dhanush) and Rinku (Sara Ali Khan) end up in a forced marriage that results in Vishu’s breakup with his girlfriend. Rinku was married to him so that she can stop dreaming about her lover’s return. Just when Vishu develops emotions for her, Rinku’s boyfriend surfaces.

Believe me, I am aware of the plot that I am writing to you and that has occurred millions of times in this industry. But the story gets interesting after wasting one hour of your precious life. So you may take it this way that the plot of Atrangi Re is interesting but the execution is outrageous.

While you begin to watch this film, the direction and the leading performances look spot on but somewhere in your heart tells you that there is something really wrong with the film. The film lacks the heart, all the hard work of Sara Ali Khan and Dhanush looks wasted because the script is not doing any justice. Just like the whole wrong sentence should be rephrased for a better meaning, the story deserved a better screenplay. Especially the second half is meaningless, overstretched, and lost. Instead of coming to the conclusion, we are wasting our time watching cheesy humor.

What impresses me about Dhanush is that he chooses the right role where he really fits in the story and does a better job. And his acting is upgraded for sure and you can judge that by observing him when he is laughing-gassed to get married. This is the first time I watched Sara Ali Khan’s performances and she really has some acting skills at this early phase of her career. Yes, she was reminding us of Jab We Met‘s Geet, in fact, the whole film was like Jab We Met crossing the path with Raanjhanaa.

I think the biggest plus of this film is A.R.Rahman‘s score. This has to be his best work since Raanjhanaa. Melodious and soulful. Even if a few songs were ordinary, that old beat was just right there. On so many occasions, his background score was disconnecting me; especially when Vishu and Rinku are getting married.

Overall, I wish I would say that Rahman’s music saved the day but Atrangi Re, despite two above-average performances, is a disappointment. Even the presence of superstar like Akshay Kumar didn’t help nor was he utilized.

Ratings: 5/10

Film Review: Don’t Look Up (2021)

Two astronomers find out that a comet is about to hit the planet in six months. So they try to explain and alarm the catastrophic situation to the president and to the media but to their shock, no one believes them or takes them seriously. Instead, Adam Mckay shows a deep disturbing materialistic world where humans are greedy, careless, and irresponsible.

Don’t Look Up is a mockumentary or an ugly horoscopic ultra-predictor of the cosmic negligence that is excessively thoughtful. The elements may connect to everything how the world revolves now like global politics or global warming. Adam Mckay since The Big Short has been pretty much critical about US politics and the new dark dramedy is a poetic way of protesting.

Don’t Look Up has a star-studded cast in Leonardo Di Caprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Timothée Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Himesh Patel, Cate Blanchett, and Meryl Streep but they all had an average performance besides Di Caprio, and Jennifer Lawrence. Especially Di Caprio’s display of anger on the live show was just terrific. I felt that piece of performance was a bit personal as he himself has been voicing his concerns about global warming for years.

I think the film will definitely make rounds at the Oscars. Nominations for the best editing, original screenplay, actor, actress, director, and picture look very likely to me. The final thirty minutes were simultaneously disturbing, destructive, and melancholic. Looking at the plotline, I was eager to know how the film is going to conclude and Adam Mckay perfectly put it to an end. Don’t Look Up definitely is one of the best films of the year.

Ratings: 8.7/10