Chhatriwali Movie Review: Rakul Preet Singh Shines But The Movie Fails To Touch Upon Deeper Emotions
There are only a few Bollywood movies that we know are headlined by actresses. If you think Bollywood actresses cannot carry off an entire movie on their shoulders, watch Chhatriwali on Zee5. Headlined by Rakul Preet Singh, the movie revolves around breaking stereotypes and speaking about condoms without them being taboo. While we like to use fancy terms for condoms like a balloon or a chhatri, Chhatriwali is here to go in-depth about why using and talking about condoms is not taboo. Chhatriwali Plot Chhariwali revolves around a girl next-door Sania Dhingra (Rakul Preet) who belongs to a small town Karnal and is desperately looking for a well-paying job to be independent. While she goes around tutoring school kids in her locality, it meagrely fetches her any money. Highly focused on fetching a decent job, she hops on from one interview to another but finds no luck. One fine day she has a chance to meet with Ratan Lamba (Satish Kaushik) who is highly impressed by her knowledge of chemistry. Lamba immediately offers Sania the job of Quality Control Head at his company but the only catch here is he owns a condom-making company, Condo Condoms, in Karnal. While Sania contemplates taking up the job, the tempting salary forces her to say yes. But you know what they say - charity begins at home. Chhatriwali is the classic case of spreading awareness in society but theres a lack of awareness within the four walls you live in. When she realizes the importance of a condom, Sania tries to convey the same to her husband Rishi Kalra (Sumeet Vyas) who feels using a condom is like ‘raincoat pehenke baarish mein bheegne ka kya mazaa.’ While Sania is on a mission to convey how condoms are not just used to prevent pregnancies, she is on a mission to make an impact on conventional society. What Worked The performances! Well say this again and again - Rakul Preet Singh ate the movie and how. The Chhatriwali was carried off Chhatriwali on her shoulders. Playing the girl-next-door, which she has played quite a few times in her short career, is a delight to watch. Sumeet Vyas proves he is a rising star and blends into his character effortlessly. Adding that little masala to the film is Satish Kaushik with his expertise in pulling off character roles. What Went Downhill It isnt the first time Bollywood has produced a movie that revolves around a delicate topic like this. Weve had Aparshakti Khurranas Helmet, which dealt with the subject in a humorous way, and Nusshratt Bharucchas Janhit Mein Jaari, which pressed on the seriousness of the issues. While Chhatriwali addresses the issue, it fails to convey a message either way. The Tejas Vijay Deoskar directorial is more of a family problem than becoming a societal or rather universal issue. The Final Verdict Chhatriwali is a must-watch if youve ticked every interesting movie or web series off of your list. If executed rightly, the movie wouldve bought it home with a big 4 stars. However, Radio Citys verdict would be 2.5 stars, solely for the performances.
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Thank God Movie Review: Fantastic Story, Not So Fantastic Acting By Sidharth Malhotra And Ajay Devgn
If you like to waste your precious time and money on things that are not so useful, you can use it to invest in purchasing the tickets of "Thank God". Thank God was released on October 25. Starring Ajay Devgn, Sidharth Malhotra and Rakul Preet Singh. After watching the trailer which already made me believe that the movie is not even going to be liked by the die-hard fans of Sidharth Malhotra, it became a box-office disaster. The story is about Ayan Kapoor (Sidharth Malhotra) who gets into an accident and finds himself in a place that looks unrealistic. There he meets Lord Chitragupt (Ajay Devgn), where CG asks Ayan to play a game of life and death, giving him a chance to save his life. The story is good enough but the acting will make you regret watching the movie. Talking about Sidharth Malhotra who always fails to give his best expressions to the dialogues he is delivering, lacks in providing justice to the character of Ayan. There is a funny scene in the film where Ayans wife Ruhi (gorgeous Rakul Preet Singh, despite playing a small role) is supposed to accuse him of lying. She says something like "tumhari expression se toh nahin lagta" - as if she was talking to the actor, not the character. This made me laugh out loud. As per the script, it was supposed to be a movie that connects the audience with the harsh reality of the world we are living in. But, it fails to do so because of the actors who lack to give justice to the characters. Well, I have successfully wasted the 2 hours and 10 minutes of my life by watching this film. If you dont wish to waste yours, go and re-watch something you like.
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Sardar Ka Grandson Movie Review: This family film will plaster huge smiles across your faces
Call it suspension of disbelief or whatever fancy term you adhere to, but ‘Sardar Ka Grandson’, the new Netflix film will propel you to absolve your sense of logic for a brief interim. Written by debutante director Kaashvie Nair, Anuja Chauhan and Amitosh Nagpal, the film is about unconditional love that can move mountains. Over here, a home.Sardar Rupinder Kaur (a terrific Neena Gupta) is the acerbic but affectionate nonagenarian, we can instantly relate to. She is suffering from tumor yet she harbours a small wish. To visit her ancestral house in Lahore. She requests her grandson Amreek (Arjun Kapoor) to fulfill her wish. Thus, Amreek must set to achieve the seemingly impossible mission from Amritsar and we witness him being put through the wringer, countering obvious and sometimes bizarre roadblocks. From his thwarted romance with Radha (Rakul Preet Singh), to emphatic citizens from across the border, to an unrelenting Pakistani government official (Kumud Mishra), Amreek must surpass it all.Despite several predictable clichés and a few over-the-top situations proving to be detrimental, ‘Sardar Ka Grandson’ is unflinchingly sincere and honest in its intent. Being familiar with the idiosyncrasies of the average Indian family allows enough room for laughs and tears in equal measure. Largely, it allows you to seize a few moments of happiness amidst this overwhelming sense of grief that has engulfed us all. It makes us want to hold our parents and grandparents dearer to us than they already are and helps us understand why do they value memories and possessions deeply.Cinematographer Mahendra J. Shetty and National-Award winning production design duo Sriram Iyengar and Sujeet Sawant lend period-appropriate authenticity to pre-Partition Lahore. Kavish Singh puts together a fine ensemble cast led by a supreme Gupta. Though her prosthetics make her appear much younger for someone meant to be in their 90s, Gupta is an absolute hoot whose love and words are unfiltered. Kapoor puts up his sincerest best to play the affable and endearing grandson, though he can still improve upon his comic timing. Rakul makes a significantly pleasant impression. Aditi Rao Hydari as young Sardar and John Abraham as her husband Gursher Singh strike charming cameos. Soni Razdan and Kanwaljeet Singh as Amreek’s exasperated parents and Divya Seth as his aunt are delightfully cast as well.Over two hours and nineteen minutes, the film is elongated by an emotional climax. Yet, it’s a harmless, fun family film that you are willing to submit yourself to. If at all I had to really pick a bone with something out here, it would be in placing the grandson before the grandmother in the opening credits of the film. It wouldn’t hurt to place Ms. Gupta first, would it?
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De De Pyaar De Movie Review: Tabu, Rakul Preet shine the brightest in this refreshing comedy
Before we begin, let me exclaim this, loud and big. The women win in the Luv Ranjan universe, for a change.Having been a staunch, dismissive viewer of the’ Punchnama’ films and ‘Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety’ in the past, I was skeptical about the treatment that might be doled out to the women in this Ajay Devgn-Tabu-Rakul Preet Singh-narrative. But man, I’ve been surprised, and how.Set in London, 50 year old money man Ashish (Ajay Devgn) meets 26 year old Ayesha (Rakul Preet Singh), an engineer who moonlights as a bartender on the weekends. Ayesha clearly believes that men are like fine wine. Ashish is aware of the restrictions, his age brings him, despite the obvious suggested to him by his shrink/friend (Jaaved Jafferi). Yet, love happens between the two, despite a brief moment of doubt. Trouble comes calling when the duo land up to meet the folks in Manali and skeletons come out of the closet, with the appearance of Ashish’s ex-wife Manju (Tabu).Written by Ranjan, Tarun Jain and Surabhi Bhatnagar, the film is laced with clever lines sprinkled throughout the film with enough room for a dialogue to be started upon pressing issues that hinder modern-day relationships. Romance dominates most of the first half, so the plot kicks off in the latter. The hick-up though, is in the pacing of the film. Which is a bit alarming considering debut director Akiv Ali is a senior editor in the business. The music of the film is a welcome respite in these remix-plagued times with ‘Tu Mila To Haina’ and ‘Chale Aana’ emerging as clear favourites.In the hands of lesser-capable actors, the film would’ve been a frivolous watch. But leading ladies Tabu and Rakul Preet deliver strong, impactful performances that are relatable and inspiring. Tabu is exceptional in a key scene where she shatters stereotypes about age gaps, parenthood and fidelity. Rakul Preet falters in the emotional scenes but brings a lot of individuality and respect to a role that is constantly under judgement. Kudos to Devgn for embracing a part where his age is practically the butt of all jokes in the film. I particularly enjoyed the spin-off his ‘Singham’ gets. Jimmy Sheirgill, in an extended cameo as Manju’s prospective suitor, brings the house down in the second half. The rest of the cast is barely serviceable, though a wiser casting decision could’ve been made in case of Ajay and Tabu’s daughter in the film.Eventually, ‘De De Pyaar De’ is a harmless, fun watch that delivers the laughs and offers the food for thought.
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