Shikhar Verma

Bombay Velvet2015

This is the biggest disappointment of the year. Bombay Velvet is Technically brilliant but it suffers from a narrative inept that takes away the soul of the film. There is not a single scene in the film that can be qualified as Anurag Kashyap's trademark style. It's 2+ hours of complete nothingness.

Mad Max: Fury Road2015

This is the best action movie that has ever graced the face of the earth. 2 hours of non-stop, breath-taking, adrenaline-rushing action set pieces with a very subtle feminist ideology. This mad, mad movie needs to be seen by every single person who enjoys films.

San Andreas2015

There are so many disaster movies cliches in this one that you almost feel like drawing yourself. The sad part is, this film makes Dwayne Johnson's screen presence look like a total dud.

What We Did on Our Holiday2015

A film that lands between a tale of a dysfunctional family and the tale of finding oneself. It also lies between light and dark comedy. Even though the film has brilliant performances, specially from the kids the uneven story-telling is what I din't appreciate much. It's Still Watchable.

The Duff2015

The DUFF has some interesting things to say, like the use and influence of social media on the supposedly innocent high school kids and the fact that everyone is someone they never want themselves to be. But overall its yet another cliched high-school-romantic-comedy that is cleverly directed in order to hide those things. But they are quite evident, aren't they?

Piku2015

Before I can praise anyone for this wonderful, wonderful film I would take a minute and congratulate Ms. Juhi Chaturvedi for her flawless, fearless and weirdly amazing writing. Because, before there is a camera there is a pen and a paper, a laptop and a keyboard, a typewriter and a cup of coffee and sometimes people like us forget to appreciate it. So Juhi Chaturvedi, wherever you are remember there's someone, somewhere who believes you are one of the best in the business. How can you make a film that is basically toilet talk throughout? The same way you can make a film about sperms? Shoojit Sircar's Piku is like a Sunday breeze that doesn't always have the most soothing and fresh air but it's a Sunday breeze after all, you have to go out and feel it. There are no cartoon caricatures, moving pictures and peppy number in the opening credits of the film. All you see are black-and-white labels with a singular red-dot (symbolizing the red bengali bindi) and a soothing sitar playing in the background. Almost instantly you can see the resemblance to a good old Hrishikesh Mukherjee film. The film opens you up to a chaotic Delhi-based Bengali household and its almost impossible to gather everything that is going around. You see a father-daughter duo fighting over how good and bad, walking will do to his morning poop. Opening up the movie like this, Shoojit insures that you get used to the loud and messy duo and almost instantly fall in love with them. There are no grand-moments no innovative gags just pure realism in daily lives that ignite an unpredictable yet fresh comedy. Piku is a special film, not because it has Bacchan saab and Deepika Padukone at their best but because it asks a lot of questions that every single one of us has to face at some point or the other. What do we do when our parents, the same one's who have made us, need us to take care of them? Do you cringe and run away from things? Or do you stay and help them, not because it's you duty but because of sheer love? Do you define a girl's intelligence by how she perceives things? Does a girl needs to get married in order to survives in the 21st century? There are million other important questions and strong themes around which the movie weaves. Even though the film doesn't answer all of them, it's surprising how the writer and director manage to make those strong themes sound very familiar and easy to digest. Piku the film has charming humor and an incomparable chemistry between everyone who graces the screen in this 2 hour 5 minute long rasogulla of a film that's drenched in the sweetest chaashni you can ever imagine. If that's not enough you have Irrfan Khan playing Rana Chowdhary, the owner of a private taxi service who is forced to drive the uptight father-daughter duo from Delhi to Kolkatta. There is a quirky road-trip film hidden behind this family movie that brings out the best out of everyone. Irrfan Khan with his trademark dry humor manages to make you laugh as he tries to convince the old man about his bowel movements and constipation problems. Even though the film is filled with toilet jokes its never crass. For an Hindi feature film the conversations are too long but take my word every single one of them feels like its written with great valor. Almost everything in the film is perfect. The musical score by Anupam Roy leaves a lasting impression, wherein the songs do not hinder the flow of the narrative. The camera pans out to the right things at the right time. For example you see see the camera pan into a Satyajit Ray portrait in Piku and Bhaskor's home, while later she leaves a date just because the bloke does not know any of Ray's work. There are at least 10 other supporting characters that come in and play their respective parts. When the film ends you actually remember every single one of them. Be it the three time divorced aunt played by Moushumi Chatterjee or Raghuvir Yadav playing the doctor who promises to miss the old annoying bloke as he embarks on a journey to his old home in Kolkatta. The only sore to the eye are the half a dozen product placements. But Mr. Smarty Pants Sircar has very intelligently placed them so that they are not annoying, at least not more than the adorable Bhaskor ji. I know I don't praise Deepika enough, just because I can't stand her but even I couldn't disagree to the fact that she is too good here. She actually holds her own in-front of the legend himself. I simple loved the subtle ending to this endearing film. Shoojit Sircar doesn't leave any half-measures here because even in the sad moments of the film he manages to make you smile and love the characters more than you should. Final Verdict: Piku has more heart than all 2015 films combined. Gather your mother, father, grandmother, grandfather and that kachori-eating aunt/uncle who constantly irritates you about how bad the generation is and go watch the film! It's wonderful!