Gold!

#Gold - Akshay Kumar scores a hattrick with this independence day release by tugging the right strings of patriotism yet again!

The story follows the standard formula of a typical sports film but makes you all patriotic and proud in the end (d’uh).

Just when Chak De India marked its 10th anniversary, this one, which draws parallels with several of the Chak De concepts, was released. Akshay says in the film that he can see 2 matches in parallel; I could see Gold and Chak De in parallel.

This one has the potential of becoming a cult classic by growing on you every time you watch it. Its a great team effort and all characters are pretty much equal in depth and scope. Was wonderful to see Kunal Kapoor make a comeback.

Check it out for the sheer spirit; do not try to figure out the percentage of authenticity vs drama.

3.5⭐️ from me.

Mulk

#Mulk - A powerful, hard-hitting and impactful film.

Its not just a story; its more of a sentiment.

There is no subtlety or metaphors or beating around the bush; its all right there in your face.

Rishi Kapoor is in his Rauf Lala look and gives a solid performance; Manoj Pahwa, Nina Gupta and Prachi Shah support ably; Ashutosh Rana is okay but not quite as good as he used to be; Pratik ‘Smit’ Babbar is just his mediocre self despite the new middlename; Taapsee Pannu steals the show with her poignant performance.

Overall, worth a watch.

3.5⭐️ from me.

Karwaan

#Karwaan - A ‘comedy of errors’ so to say.

The story is simple but somewhat uncommon. The characters are relatable with real-like problems.

The film journeys through numerous scenic locales in South India which are very pleasing to the eyes.

Dulquer Salmaan makes a promising Bollywood debut and fits the part to a T(although the southern accent is kind of a deal breaker); Mithila Palkar is alright; Irrfan just rocks the part and carries the film through. He has some extremely witty/quirky lines which he delivers to perfection. Really liked the background score.

All in all, a decent one time watch.

2.5⭐️ from me.

Ranangan

#Ranangan - Happened to watch this on Prime and would like to give myself a pat on the back for making it through the entire film.

Its overly dramatic with a impractical and kinda nonsensical plot.

Everything is over the top - be it Sachin Pilgaonkar’s acting, Swapnil Joshi’s curly locks, the spooky basuri background track or a song featuring Santosh Juvekar, Vaibhav Tatwawadi and of all people Ali Asgar. Really...what were you thinking??

That said, the story has a flow and is tightly woven.

Overall cannot be dismissed as a hopeless flick. Watch if you have immense patience and nothing much to do.

2⭐️ from me.

Bucket List

#BucketList - A simple and predictable story with zero element of surprise, thanks to their excessive promos!

The story at times feels incomplete as if some required part/clarification either got chopped off during editing or wasn’t written at all.

The performances are inversely proportional to the stellar cast!

Renuka Shahane, Milind Phatak, Pradip Velankar are almost like fixtures with minimum scope. Shubha Khote’s Marathi sounds weird and impacts her seamless performance. Vandana Gupte’s Marathi coated Hindi was just meh. Sumedh Mudgalkar is okay but not even comparable to his performance in Manjha. The only 2 characters having scope are Sumit Raghavan’s and Madhuri’s. He meets expectations while she is just a pleasure to watch with her charm and effortless acting. Her NRI accent is kind of a turn off though.

Overall a one time watch. Madhuri fans might enjoy it more.

2.5⭐️ from me.

102 Not Out

#102NotOut - A slice of life film with a typical and predictable plot.

You know what you are in for right from the get go; no surprise elements except for a rare one here and there.

The story is simple and based on a ‘gheese-peeta’ premise but the take is somewhat fresh.

Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor are seasoned actors and this is a piece of cake for them. However, I found Amitabh’s Gujju accent a bit weird. Jimit Trivedi supports ably; in fact he seems to be straight out of a Gujarathi family sitcom like Khichadi or Tarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma!

Absolutely loved the title track - audio as well as the video. All in all nothing to go ga-ga about; its a one time watch.

2.5⭐️ from me.