crb-17113 Reviews

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023)

Karan Johar Imprimatur (Undenyably)

[8/10 · 25 September 2023]

Without even knowing who directed or produced, the viewer would recognize the renowned KJo within minutes after the film rolls. It is classic: glamorous, opulent sets with vibrant costumes, backgrounds and big song /dance numbers. The film has a tough story to tell because of familial culture clashes. And the story is told quite well. Acting by all is excellent, with standout performances by the leads, especially Jaya Bachchan. Just a look from her says volumes. A personal treat for me was Dharmendra singing Abhi Na Jao to/with Shabana Azmi. Ranveer and Alia exuded chemistry and carried their roles well, making conflicts quite believable. I would love to have seen this on the big screen, but no showings were nearby. Grateful that it was released on Amazon. Thank you, Karin Johar for this beautiful, engaging and very entertaining experience.

Jawan (2023)

Jawan - A most memorable film

[10/10 · 10 September 2023]

As a fan of Shah Rukh Khan, I have watched almost all of his movies - many more than once. And Pathaan must be 30 times...I just love that movie. Yet Jawan is special. There is an incredible story told asynchronously. And by time film ends all pieces fit perfectly. Every cast member performed in stellar fashion. But SRK was especially magnificent. No spoilers here, you will have to watch to see why. The cinematography was excellent; film shows landscapes and architecture that is quite beautiful and at times, stark. The action is amazing and makes sense. Music and dancing are perfectly woven into the story. You will not want the film to end. Even the ending with credit rolling is a joy to watch. Kudos to Atlee Kumar and his team and all the support staff who brought us this wonderful entertainment. I have now seen it twice. If I could give it more than 10 stars, I would. I think this is one for the record books.

Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (2023)

Good & Enjoyable

[7/10 · 13 August 2023]

I tuned in to Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan on a super hot Saturday afternoon when not much on tv caught my attention. Previously, I read an internet review, and the author said while not the best, he found it enjoyable. I seldom watch Salman Khan movies. Last one I saw was Sultan while on a flight, and I thought it was very good. I also liked the only one of the Tiger movies that I have watched. AND I loved him in his Pathaan cameo.

KBKJ was good. I liked Salman Khan's quiet demeanor in this role (when he was not fighting). I feel like his performance as an older brother who loved his "siblings" was well done. I enjoyed the other characters. Pooja Hegde was delightful and did a great job bringing her character to life. The story was also good. I liked the use of discovery to figure out key points in the story and help me understand the issues. The action scenes at times reminded me of his Tiger role.

Action films are my favorite genre and this had plenty of action. My rating of 7 means I thought it was good.

The Trial (2023– )

Kajol is Stellar in The Trial

[7/10 · 23 July 2023]

I really liked the series. Kajol's performance as the trial lawyer, Noyonika, was excellent. Though modeled after the US Good Wife, the stories and court room set ups were quite different. I also liked that, even though pressured from family, including her children, and her husband's colleagues, she did not trust and forgive her husband. As a student of Indian culture, I find this refreshing as the culture promotes family first and in many cases the wife would forgive and forget.

Kajol is excellent at articulation and speaking volumes with her facial expressions and her eyes. While I liked the character of Vishal Chaubey, I found the torch he carried for Noyonika to be quite exaggerated, and this got in the way of the story. The actors in the series were all very good. Kubbra Sait said a lot using facial expressions and her eyes.

Additionally, the young girls ongoing access to the pornographic videos should never have been part of this series. This caused me to lower my rating to a 7.

Given the series 8 finale where Rajeev announces his future plans, I look forward to season 2, if there is one. As of today this has not been confirmed.

Beyond Paradise (2023– )

Relationship Drama ruins it

[5/10 · 28 March 2023]

I love Death in Paradise. And really enjoyed Kris Marshall in Sainte Marie. In this latest series, I like the mysteries and the characters in the Police Dept, including Humphrey Goodman. The solutions are good, but the video of Humphrey and his colleague viewing the crime as it is committed, while creative, is offputting. And the drama between Humphrey and Martha, especially at the end of EP 6 is enough to make me quit watching. Their relationship on Sainte Marie was lovely and did not take up too much air time. But in Beyond Paradise the stormy relationship seems like 20% of the episode. I will watch EP 7, but this may be when I say "goodbye". There are a lot of other good British mysteries.

Pathaan (2023)

Pathaan Has Fans Super Excited

[10/10 · 26 January 2023]

Was at FD/FS in Jaipur, India on 25 Jan at Raj Mandir iconic cinema. Sold out audience, 1165 seats sold. 1 screen. Totally unique experience for me (Hail from USA NC). As action is my favorite genre, Pathaan wowed me: 1 action scene after another. Shah Rukh was magnificent. Use of his body in action scenes was impeccable. And his specialty, facial expressions, were spot on. I was thrilled to see a female action heroine. Deepika Padukone was amazing. John Abraham as villan was chilling and ruthless. I loved the movie. Yes it was implausible...so is Iron Man (which I love). IMO, there was not a slow moment. It was in Hindi with no subtitles, but I could follow the story for the most part. I will see again while I am still in India. Then hope to see on big screen with subtitles when I get back to USA. The distributors added more screens after first show openings, calling Pathaan, a "box office" monster. In addition to the great movie, watching with 1164 other SRK fans was a most unique and special experience. The fans cheered throught the movie and danced to both songs. Fans were almost all men. And I know of no theater in USA with 1 screen for 1000+ seats. Yet I am pretty sure all had a perfect view. The SRK Jaipur Fan Club facilitated this experience for me, and I am grateful.

Brahmastra Part One: Shiva (2022)

Good story ans spectacular VFX

[8/10 · 18 September 2022]

Drove 250 miles roundtrip on Sat, Sept 10 to see this film in Cary, NC. Intent was to counter the "boycott" movement. Not expecting much. And was I surprised. Had learned early Saturday about Shah Rukh Khan cameo. This (for me an avid SRK fan) was highlight of movie. Shah Rukh owned the screen, and the theater as Mohan for 15 minutes!!! However, the rest of the story was engaging, and the time flew. I loved Amitabh Bachchan as Guru; he was stellar. Agree that Alia was underutilized, but she did shine in her screen moments. Ranbir in Shiva role brought confusion to the story... I liked this. As he was trying to figure out what was going on, so was I.

Have seen lots of comments about the stilted dialogue between Shiva and Isha. What was clear to me was the love between them...their eyes and faces gave it away. I hope to see this movie again ... looks like it will be OTT next time.

Darlings (I) (2022)

Exceptional Acting and Direction

[10/10 · 6 August 2022]

Promoted as a dark comedy. I did not see comedy, nor darkness. I saw an excellent film dealing with a very complex topic and actors who made it come alive on the screen. Alia Bhatt (Badru) is outstanding as the loving wife, who is not in touch with the reality of her situation. Any of us of us who know women or have volunteered to help women in similar situations recognize the pattern immediately. Shefali Shah as Badru's mom renders an excellent performance. Her dialogue about the scorpion is perfectly delivered and becomes a theme for the movie. Vijay Varma as Badru's husband played his role perfectly. Film was released on Aug 5 and on Aug 6, Varma was in the news about all the hate feedback he was getting. To me the hate reaction is testimony to his impeccable acting. Roshan Mathew as family friend had a major role to play to bring the situation to crisis and he did it very well.

Direction seemed spot on, but even more the script and editing kept me engaged and time flew as I watched this 2.25 hour film.

The first part of the film was a hard watch for me. I wanted to swoop in and protect or do harm. The story was amazing and as the ending drew near, I had no idea how it would turn out. But for such a tough topic, the ending was as it should be - kudos to Parveez Sheikh (screen play).

This is probably the best film of the year to date from Bollywood. My rating - 10.

Zamaana Deewana (1995)

Slow Start, Good Movie

[7/10 · 24 July 2022]

Other reviewers provide in depth summary and analysis, and I think they do far better than I can. Another reviewer noted if you can get past first 30 mins, this movie is entertaining. I agree. Anupam Kher, Kiran Juneja, Shatrughan Sinha and Ravi Kapoorb were very good in their various roles. Shah Rukh Khan and Raveena Tandon slayed this film. Their challenging relationship made for a lively build into a very steamy romance. Both actors used their facial expressions and eyes to communicate without words. It seems impossible to doubt their love for each other as the film progressed. Having watched more of Shah Rukh's later films, I was prepared to be unimpressed by this pairing. And was I ever wrong. Better editing, cutting some of the early scenes and the one in the hospital would have netted a higher rating from me. Final analysis: I am glad I decided to watch this - kept me very entertained on a rainy Saturday.

Jab Harry Met Sejal (2017)

Loneliness finds Love

[10/10 · 2 April 2022]

First time I watched, thought OK, but not impressed that 50+ Shah Rukh was romancing 29 yr old Anushka. Prompted a few weeks ago, by blog "Don't Call it Bollywood," I watched again. And this time it knocked me for a loop. Only explanation I can think is very close to anniversary of my beloved husband's death. Now I have watched several more times and read comments from others on YouTube. All these commenters loved and appreciated the film.

YouTube Comments: "This is all about loneliness we all have in our lives and joy of meeting someone who cures it." "This movie seems to be with basic storyline, but it has got many layers and hence it blooms slowly and stays forever with you. Imtiaz is an esoteric director who can be understood only by few. The way he spins the love between two strangers is amazing with soulful lyrics from Irshad Kamil. Yadon mein was truly a great experiment that it haunts you in a magical way." "SRK at its best...no one can play Such Romance as like him...his eyes still speak with his actions."

...and many more.

Why this movie pulled me: After being divorced for 17 years and very lonely, I met the love of my life in 1996. We had 15 wonderful years together before brain cancer took him. This movie and the songs evoked strong emotions in me. Shah Rukh's body language and eyes need no words. When he "sings" Yadoon Mein, I long for the presence of my wonderful husband.

The ending scene where Harry meets Segal at the wedding venue is rich both dialogue from Harry and emotion. The lines are beautiful.

This is a very sophisticated movie with complex nuances.

I wish everyone could see it the way I do and not just take it at surface level.

If you have not seen it and know loneliness and love, you deserve to watch Jab Harry Met Sejal.

My rating: 10.

Dilwale (2015)

Why I love Dilwale (2015)

[8/10 · 1 April 2022]

Facts - 20 December 2020 Google "The film went on to earn approximately $26.6 million (INR 1756.5 million) by February 2016. The film's final overseas gross was US$30.2 million (194 crore), the highest ever for a Shah Rukh Khan film, and making it the twelfth highest-grossing Indian film overseas."

It has probably grossed more than this since it is now 2022.

I have watched Dilwale countless times. I will not repeat summary; see other reviews. I am drawn by Love: the love of family and love between Kajol/Meera and Shah Rukh/Kaali. Raj. At another point in time Shah Rukh noted he and Kajol have the best 4 eyes in the film industry. So true in Dilwale. Should you re-watch, check out the eyes. Kajol's icy performance after the crash is stellar. Have only seen her in movies with SRK, so perhaps she has played such a hardened role in other films. But in Dilwale, this role was gripping. Shah Rukh stayed clearly in love the entire movie and portrayed the love, often with no words. His facial expressions convey a story. Additionally the scene between SRK and Varun Dhawan/Veer near the end of the movie when they expressed love as siblings was magnificent. Again Shah Rukh's eyes are an open book. And at the end of the scene, his eyes tell you he is angry and something important is going to happen.

I enjoyed the performances of Mukesh Tiwari and Pankaj Tripathi. Feel like their roles added pertinent information to the story.

Also liked action scenes. Thank you Rohit Shetty.

I rated the film an 8. Clearly higher than many other reviewers. Would love to have rated it 10. But I felt like it dragged in spots: Boman Irani scenes were too long; same for Johnny Lever; for sure with Sanjay Mishra. Also, the script for Dhawan was hokey, at times.

I bought the DVD set. This is a movie I will watch again and again.

My rating - 8.

Pardes (1997)

It Is in the eyes

[8/10 · 18 February 2022]

Finally watched Pardes after purchasing a subscription from Zee5. The story kept me engaged. Thought the character development was good. Regardless of how long the movies are, I have come to understand Bollywood movies are long. So while I think this movie might have been shorter. What do I know? Since this is 2022, and I live in USA, I typically do not write summaries of the stories. Others have done that. This movie had very good character development. Consequently I liked some of them and did not like some of them. The kids were delightful. My best comment is about Shah Rukh Khan. He is mesmerizing without saying a word. His eyes are so expressive that one can read his feelings. At age 32, he had the capacity to act without using words. If you can catch one of his interviews on YouTube from around same time, you will note that his acting is much more expressive than his flat tone and facial expressions in interviews of the time. If you have not watched Pardes, I recommend. However, some of the scenes are pretty violent, which I had not expected based on the overview here on IMDB.

My Name Is Khan (2010)

My Heart Ached

[10/10 · 10 February 2022]

I am still reeling from watching this film last night. My assessment of a movie is the impact it has on me. Several Days ago, I watched the 2022 Oscars front runner. I found it disturbing and for the entire viewing except for the last 10 minutes, I kept trying to figure out where it was going. This was the complete opposite of how I felt watching My Name is Khan.

I was hooked from the start. An added granule for me is that I have a granddaughter with Asperger's Syndrome. Her physicality is not affected. But she is very literal and very smart. The young actor who played the child Rizwan and his Mom stole my my heart.

I started the movie late in the day and should have headed for bed after about 90 minutes. I could not stop the movie. It was mesmerizing.

The story and the acting were both superb. And the cruel treatment by "normals" of differences (religious, cultural, and developmental challenges) was painful and had me weeping.

I worked at a national association in downtown DC on 9/11. Around 11ish a senior manager advised us all to go home. We left the building and the streets were packed with pedestrians. Cars jammed the streets and there were no subways. We had no idea how to get home and feared that buildings near us would soon be attacked. Providing this as background because after a few weeks, some of our Muslim co-workers had discussions with us to let us know their experiences. The place where I worked had good hearted people. But there were many stories in the news that were not illustrative of good hearted.

My soul aches for the people in MNIK, especially Khan and his family. And some scenes caused me to sob. A neighbor's death in Afghanistan could breach the loving bonds of friendship between two boys. A woman's hijab causes others to berate her (still happens today 12 years later). An innocent man is arrested and confined 15 days primarily because of his name. And through it all Rizwan Kahn kindly sticks to his mission, taking a break when needed to help others along the way.

Shah Rukh Khan was amazing in this role. At no time did he lose the role, not even when dancing, which was rare as it should have been. Kajol was perfect, and as a Mom I cannot even image the loss of one of my kids...but she did, and we all felt for her. I loved the content with Mama Jenny and the boy.

I applaud Karan Johar for making this film happen and for superb directing. I will watch it again, and probably again, etc. This for me was a 10+

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001)

Second Time Around

[10/10 · 8 February 2022]

Got into Bollywood after an amazing trip to India in late 2019. Then saw Letterman interview Shah Rukh Khan. Started watching his films. K3G was among the first. I think I have seen 30+ now. Hard to pick a favorite. But watching K3G again in Feb, 2022, I have to say this is a top favorite. The story is well told thanks to Mr Kohar. The streaming quality of the film on Netflix is excellent; characters and scenery are crystal clear. And it is over 20 years old.

If you want a more complete summary, please check out some of the other reviews. This review just highlights my recent viewing.

Mrs. Jaya Bachchan was the heart and soul of this movie. As others have said she says a lot without using words. At times, I wanted to jump into the screen and hug her.

Hard to believe she did not win any awards for the role.

Shah Rukh Khan turns on the romance big time. The pyramid scenes with Kajol and him are exquisite. I could rewatch this part with Surabaya Hua Maddham playing almost every day. Additionally, while I like him in all his roles, he played this one with seriousness and his incredible gift of portraying emotion. The love between him and his parents near the end was heart rendering. Brought tears in my living room in U S A.

I had not paid close attention to Hrithik Roshan in first viewing. But got engaged by his excellent performance this time. He, too, conveys a lot of emotion without many words.

Kajol was a delight. When Rahul first talks with his Mom about Anjali, he mentions she is crazy and talks a lot. And Kajol played the role that way.

If I could have changed anything, I would like to have seen more demonstration of the love between Rahul and Anjali in second half. But that is not how it was written.

All time fav...a 10.

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)

Really Engaging

[8/10 · 4 February 2022]

Perhaps because I am a senior citizen in the USA, I found this movie to be very engaging. The story line was fine, and I love that this film could mostly pass for family friendly. The acting by all was superb. I especially appreciated Amitabh Bachchan. I am a late arrival to "westerners who love Bollywood." But I have seen Amitabh in other roles. In KANK, his flexibility was phenomenal. And he had the best and wisest lines that touched my heart: " Love and death both come uninvited. No one has control over them." In quite a few of the approximately 30 Bollywood films I have seen so far, there are these nuggets of wisdom that capture me.

As mentioned by many reviewers Shah Rukh Kahn was stellar. I did not like the lines he as Dev at time spoke to his "son" (played preciously by Ahsaas Chana). I felt they were too harsh for this sweet child. Take note, Mr Johar, for the future. Of course, it is now 2022 and 2006 was long ago. So perhaps Mr Johar's writing has become more appropriate for the situation. But even with this Mr. Khan's performance was gripping at times. The love between Dev and Maya lept off the screen.

Even the bedroom scene was well managed. No raw sex as we find in many Hollywood movies.

The costumes, music and scenery were excellent. It was fun to see places I have been. That rarely happens when the filming is In India, although I went to India's golden triangle in 2019.

While some reviewers addressed the film being too long and tedious at times, I have become comfortable with the time frame for this genre. And I repeat, I did not find it tedious. This movie kept me engaged the entire time.

If you have not seen KANK, give yourself a gift and go for it.

Dear Zindagi (2016)

Amazing Movie

[10/10 · 13 January 2022]

Perhaps it is because I could relate so much to the Protagonist, Kaira. When she finally made a breakthrough, I recalled a similar moment in a session with two excellent mind doctors here in the USA. As other reviewers mentioned the first half was challenging at times, but definitely made sense as the film progressed.

Shah Rukh Kahn once again displayed his incredible talent; his acting was superb. He conveyed empathy while maintaining the professional boundaries of the role. He also had some amazing lines. A favorite: "Do not let the past blackmail your present." And of course, Einstein's definition of insanity.

This was my first time to see Alia Bhatt. What wonderful flexibility as an actress. I experienced her sadness and her joy. To me this is the richness of movies and excellent actors.

I loved this story and was impressed by the entire cast.

I have only one peeve: I love Bollywood films. I do not understand a word of Hindi. As an American, I watch with subtitles. Most of the films provide subtitles for the music. This film did not. I missed that feature. And I actually paused the movie to find the English lyrics of one of the songs. The blend of English with Hindi was difficult at times. I had to rewind to play the English again because the subtitles only showed up for Hindi. This did not cause me to lower my rating.

For me, this movie was a 10.