Gehraiyaan
Despite initial reservations about Gehraiyaan’s premise – a tale of emotional distance, infidelity and wrong decisions (every other Bollywood film goes that way these days) – one has to agree: this is a refreshingly good film.
It might be a bit long – the running time is two hours and 28 minutes – but the story of Shakun Batra (who also directs), Ayesha Devitre, Sumit Roy and Yash Sahai feels like it’s been rewritten multiple times. It would otherwise be nearly impossible to craft such a simple story around such a complicated set of flawed characters.
Deepika Padukone (excellent as always) plays Alisha, a 30-year-old yoga teacher who plans a newfangled workout app while supporting her cohabiting boyfriend (Dhairya Karwa), who has given up his career as a copywriter to focus on writing of a novel to focus on . No sooner spoken to her father (an extraordinarily reserved Naseeruddin Shah) – whom she blames for her mother’s suicide – Alisha is easily courted by Zain, her cousin’s fiancé (the cousin is played by Ananya Pandey, also quite well; Zain is Siddhant). Chaturvedi).
Alisha is gone forever and Zain also has a world of worries to deal with – he’s a budding property developer with a Rs 1.4 billion deal that’s barely hanging in the balance. The two, who are already engaged to other people, are a disaster waiting to happen; You feel it the moment they meet.
Karan Johar’s Gehraiyaan is a fine, fine film with excellent performances, while The Fame Game, an eight-episode series also directed by Johar, is simply a vehicle for Madhuri Dixit-Nene, who still lights up the screen with her aura and performance brings
Lit without glamorous high-key lighting and shot like an indie film without elaborate, nimble camera movements, Gehraiyaan is impeccably done. Batra, who previously directed Kapoor and Sons, has a tight grip on his narrative and the portrayal of his characters. We may not like these people, but it’s just as hard to look the other way when they’re digging the graves they’re digging for themselves.
Gehraiyaan is definitely not for everyone – heck, it might even put many people off for the plot and the incessant display of sexual encounters – nonetheless, it’s a fine, fine film with excellent performances and a cinematic story that feels very real.
Produced by Karan Johar and streamed on Amazon (it was due to be released theatrically but was deemed too much for censorship), Gehraiyaan is rated “A”. There are a lot of unnecessary scenes where the main actors get “hot and heavy”.
The Glory Game
Top of the trend — and how could it not, the show has Madhuri Dixit-Nene in the spotlight in a meaty role — The Fame Game is another Karan Johar production that tells the kind of stories he (and most of Bollywood ) is currently dealing with the most: the personal lives of celebs, the price of fame and infidelity.
Madhuri is Anamika Anand, a Bollywood goddess with a very private life who has never hit rock bottom in her 30-year career. Married to her cousin Nikhil (Sanjay Kapoor in a well-acted role) who is financing her latest film with the help of shady, lecherous investors, Anamika is constantly kept in check by her gruff mother (Suhasini Mulay), but still finds time to her to be an understanding mother of my own children. The children are a hooded young girl who craves attention (Muskkaan Jaferi) and her older brother who deals with sexual identity issues (Lakshvir Saran).
Anamika disappears from her home after attending an awards ceremony in the very first episode. There is no evidence of a break-in or kidnapping. A police investigation is immediately launched, led by a dedicated policewoman (Rajshri Deshpande) who loathes Bollywood stuff.
According to the police officer, everyone is a suspect, including a Shah Rukh Khan-esque superstar named Manish Khanna (Manav Kaul), who started his career with Anamika and starred with her in her latest film; The two were once a beloved film couple.
There are little things that Bollywood fans can giggle at. Madhuri’s oil painting in the title sequence, for example, hints at the fascination the famous painter MF Hussain had for her (Makarand Deshpande plays a painter with uncombed white hair like Hussain, late in the story).
However, for the avid binger, the overall plot and big reveals (which include a psycho-fan played by Gagan Arora) don’t come as shockers. On the other hand, The Fame Game is simply a showcase for Madhuri, who continues to light up the screens with her aura and performance to this day. If that’s the case – and I see no other reason for this show’s existence – then the series has served its purpose.
The eight episodes of The Fame Game are a binge worth. I watched them in a single session, albeit at a speed setting of 1.25 and 1.5 on the Netflix player.
Created by Sri Rao and directed by Bejoy Nambiar (Wazir), The Fame Game is streaming on Netflix and is suitable for Age 16+, Implied Sexual Encounters and other adult situations
Published in Dawn, ICON, March 6, 2021
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