PadMan (2018)

One of my movie goals last year was to watch more non-English language movies, specifically Indian movies as I'd like to change the image I have of Bollywood because of the musicals. I didn't really do it last year so I'm starting now, with PadMan, a movie Sid, my only source of Indian movie suggestions, stressed me so much to watch.

Inspired by the life of Tamil Nadu social activist Arunachalam Muruganantham, the story follows Lakshmikant Chauhan (Akshay Kumar), a devoted husband who gets worried on seeing his wife, Gayatri (Radhika Apte), using a dirty rag during her periods. When his wife refuses to use the expensive sanitary pads he bought at the pharmacy, he sets out to create them himself in order to provide his wife, and other women, a safe and hygienic period and will be criticized by his village and disowned by his family in the process.

It comes without saying that PadMan's is a very inspiring story that deserved to be told but if you have seen as many "inspired by true events" films as I have, you know inspiring alone is not enough. Thankfully, while it drags a bit at times, features an unnecessary romantic subplot which only distracts from the main storyline, and the outcome is predictable, the story is informative, educative and entertaining at the same time without being too preachy, and deals with its taboo subject with humour and a lot of sensitivity.

It also helps that the character of Lakshmikant, a simple, uneducated man living with his mother, two sisters and his wife, is a very likeable and charming one and you can't help but root for him as he tries to improve the life of the women around him. Akshay Kumar is fantastic as he gives a very natural performance and delivers an incredibly touching speech. And he is absolutely adorable when he speaks in Linglish (Lakshmi-English). The supporting cast does a nice job, especially Radhika Apte who is perfect as Lakshmikant's conservative wife, Gayatri.

Sony Pictures Releasing

With PadMan, director and writer R. Balki finds a great balance between comedy and drama —the first never feels forced; the latter is never over-the-top— and delivers a film that will make you laugh and cry. There are a few musical numbers —it's still Bollywood, after all— but they are appropriate and very enjoyable. 

Ultimately, this is a lighthearted, fun movie that deserves to be watched as it brings awareness about an important topic, it being the poor sanitary conditions of women in parts of India either because they don't know about the existence of pads or because they can't afford them. It's not just India or poor countries to be honest, as pads and other female hygiene items are considered luxury items and are taxed as such.

Aligarh (2015)

When it comes to Indian film, I trust Sid and watch anything he suggests me. And I do it with quite high expectations as he has a pretty good taste in movies which has occasionally left me disappointed. Aligarh doesn't fall into that category as it is a pretty good and powerful drama. 

The story revolves around Dr. Shrinivas Ramschandra Siras (Manoj Bajpayee), a professor of Marathi (it is one of the many languages spoken in India) at Aligarh Muslim Univerisity who was suspended from his job and harassed because of his sexual orientation, and follows Deepu (Rajkummar Rao), a young and ambitious journalist who takes interest in Siras's case, as he tries to bring out to light the real story. 

The film is based on a true story --I don't know anything about it as I'm not from India so I don't know how accurate this biopic is-- but Aligarh sure is more than just a biopic. It is a sad but important story about loneliness, but not any type of loneliness but that brought on by a feeling of shame and guilt, a feeling that is not supposed to be there in the first place. It is a story about love, the desire of it and the impossibility of loving. A story of hope. But most of all, it is a story about not gay but humans right. 

The characters, on the other hand, I felt like they could use a little bit more depth. That said, Siras still is a character you will immediately sympathize with and the credits entirely go to Manoj Bajpayee as his performance alone make the film worth watching. He brings so much authenticity to the character, delivering through his eyes an array of emotions and conveying the pain of someone who is not accepted in society beautifully. There are some scenes in which he reads poetry or sings in Marathi that are just wonderful. 

Eros International

While Bajpayee drives the film and will very likely move you, Rajkummar Rao provides Bajpayee with a good support. His performance isn't as compelling but he still manages to give a natural performance as the pushy reporter who befriends Siras. Also, the relationship between Siras and Deepu is quite beautiful.  

At last, Aligarh also features a very fitting musical score and a cinematography that is both simple and powerful. The slow pace though kinda makes it hard to watch at times.

Lootera (2013)

Lootera is one of the many Indian films Sid suggested me. I usually like the stuff --movies and TV series-- he suggests and therefore I had quite high expectations for this film. I guess there's always a first time for everything as this film turned out to be a disappointment. 

In 1953 India, Pakhi (Sonakshi Sinha), the feisty and only daughter of the local Zamindar (Barun Chanda), falls in love with Varun (Ranveer Singh), an archaeologist who went to her village to excavate her old family temple in search of a lost civilization. But Varun hides a secret that could drive them apart. 

Inspired by O. Henry's short story The Last Leaf, the plot of this film is simple and predictable --you can tell right from the start that the love story will not end well-- but most of all, uninteresting and didn't keep me that engaged. I didn't care about the romance at all nor about the twists and turns the story takes.

The main characters were another problem. They just aren't that interesting. Pakhi seems to be that kind of girl who falls in love with the first new person in town, and Varun, well, there's nothing great nor redeeming about him. They eventually get a little better but at the point, it was just too late to care. 

And the acting, it was disappointing too. I saw Ranveer Singh in Padmaavat not long ago and I really enjoyed his over-the-top performance. Here, he is not always convincing and his performance as Varun, a man with a dark secret, is barely decent. Sonakshi Sinha, who I have not seen before, gives a stronger performance as Pakhi but she's not enough to save the movie. 

Balaji Motion Pictures

Especially when said movie fails pretty much under every aspect. To the not so elaborate script and the average acting, add the slow pacing --that almost made me give up on this-- and the score which is beautiful and soulful at times, but doesn't fit at all at others. However, costumes and cinematography are very beautiful. 

Piku (2015)

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Director

Shoojit Sircar

Country

India

Cast

Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Irrfan Khan, Jisshu Sengupta, Moushumi Chatterjee, Balendra Singh, Swaroopa Ghosh, Raghuvir Yadav, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, Akshay Oberoi, Rupsa Banerjee

Storyline

It follows Piku (Deepika Padukone), a young and successful architect who struggles to get her own life, as she goes on a road trip with her stubborn and tantrum tempered 70-year-old father (Amitabh Bachchan) who makes her life nearly impossible. 

Opinion

Since I was suggested to watch it by someone who usually suggests me good film, I watched Piku knowing absolutely nothing about it and having no idea what to expect. That said, I still was amazed by it. This film is so sweet, kind of moving but also entertaining that it makes for a great experience.

Very simple and easy to follow, Piku's is the kind of story where not much happens and doesn't need much to happen since it focuses on the relationship between a daughter and her attention-seeker father. And it explores the relationship quite well. It's a story we all know how it's going to end, but it still manages to be engaging.

And that's mainly because of the dialogue, humour and characters. The dialogue feels so natural, it's a pleasure to listen to it. Read it, actually. Although I missed some of it here and there because at times they were talking too fast and I couldn't catch up with the subs. But let's move on. The humour is shit. Okay, let me rephrase that. The humour relies a lot on toilet jokes, but it surprisingly works very well. Yes, there are a lot of constipation jokes, but some of them are actually funny. And I had some good laughs while watching it.

Then there are the characters. They are pretty good, especially the daughter and father. I do not know, however, whether they were stereotyped character or not since I don't watch a lot of Bollywood movies. Anyway, the performances from Deepika Padukone as Piku and Amitabh Bachchan as her father are also good and they make their relationship quite believable. So it eventually gets emotional. Irrfan Khan also does a quite good job as the owner of a taxi agency who drives them (apparently he is in evey good Indian film I watch).

The Lunchbox (2013)

Original Title

Dabba

Genre

Drama | Romance

Director

Ritesh Batra

Country

India

Cast

Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Denzil Smith, Bharati Achrekar, Nakul Vaid, Yashvi Puneet Nagar, Lillete Dubey, Shruti Bapna, Nasir Khan, Lokesh Rai, Sadashiv Kondaji Pokharkar

Storyline

Thank to a mistake of the lunchbox servire, Saajan (Irrfan Khan), a lonely widower, and Ila (Nimrat Kaur), an unhappy housewife, start a relationship as they exchange notes through the daily lunchbox.

Opinion

Even though I've been suggested this film, I didn't have great expectations. Don't judge me, it's just that I haven't had great experiences with Bollywood. 

Until now. In fact, "The Lunchbox" not only exceeded my expectations, but it turned out to be a film that I'll definitely remember for a long time. It is a delightful, heartwarming and charming drama that shows the power of food.

Originally supposed to be a documentary about the dabba food system in Mumbai (which is a spider-spread delivery system of home food made by wives for their husbands), Ritesh Batra's first feature eventually became a story about ordinary lives that allows us to witness a love blossoming slowly, one letter a day, between two people that couldn't be more different as well as a beautiful, unexpected friendship. 

But don't let you be fooled by appearance, this is not just a romance. The film actually shows the difficulties of life, how unexpected it can be, and that it's really never too late to start living again. And it's quite heartbreaking to see the main character feeling trapped and unable to pursue his dream.

Even though a lot consider this annoying, I found the film's slow pacing perfect. Not a single moment is rushed or dragged, Batra just took the time to slowly develop the story, and even though not much happens, it is highly engaging.

At last, the unknown cast - other than Irrfan Khan for his role in "Life of Pi" and "Jurassic World" I don't know anyone - does a good job.

Over the Top: DHOOM 2

Bollywood movies are an acquired taste. You don't go into them expecting realism and subtlety. Having seen only half a dozen or so, I'm hardly an expert, but one thing I've learned is to toss out my assumptions about what a movie should be the moment I start watching. Designed to appeal to the broadest possible demographic (kids, parents, grandparents, uncles, the family goldfish), they follow the maxim of "more is more." Or in the case of a big-budget action-comedy-musical-romance like Dhoom 2 (2006), "more is lots more." Got a kitchen sink? Go ahead, toss that in, too--maybe someone will need to wash up.
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