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Reviews
Bangalore Days (2014)
Don't wait, just watch it
I love everything about this movie! Absolutely everything! It's funny and cute. It's light-hearted yet poignant. Simple yet well-calibrated. I can't stop raving about it!
My favourite part is how the cast brought the characters to life! Everyone was perfectly casted for their roles and hence, the chemistry was electrifying between the cousins and their respective partners.
My heart skipped a beat whenever Arjun and Sarah shared a scene. When he held her hands and dropped a kiss or just the way his eyes shined in her presence; it was beautiful to watch. She was the calm to his storm. Arjun carried rage throughout his life and it held him back but with Sarah, he smiles freely and there's a lightness to him. We never see him go into depth about his past and he doesn't have to for the audience to know Sarah understands him. Sarah's disability is treated gracefully. It is a part of her identity and changes the way she interacts with the world (her needs are different and so her mother insists she should move to Australia where well-maintained facilities can assist her), but Arjun looks beyond that. When her condition is revealed, Arjun (and the audience) is taken aback but that doesn't stop him (or us) from loving her. He learns about her and does his best to accommodate her so they're enjoying experiences equally. Such respectful treatment from Arjun and the makers is why the audience does not look down on or pity her condition. Rather, we're inspired by her energy and to look at who she is as a whole she is as a whole.
My own qualm with the story is I wish we got a strong formal apology from Das (aka Shiva) to Divya. Their relationship grew as the story went on and we see the different layers to them individually. We see Divya come into her own in the relationship and not let him treat her like a doormat. She goes out and seeks the opportunities she deserves in Bangalore (college, friends, independence) and gives him the opportunity to join her. He too changes his ways but not in the 'girl fixes boy' trope. I love how Divya is such a fun driven woman with a soft side. The way she went about learning Das's past and bringing peace to Natasha's parents and him was beautiful. She sought to heal their wounds. She didn't defend Shiva or force Natasha's parents to reconcile with him. She just gave them the opportunity to know that their daughter thought of them in their last days and the solace in knowing she was going to return. Likewise, she gave Shiva the opportunity and confidence to grieve and seek forgiveness.
Dia (2020)
Adi & Dia
This is a film I wanted to watch for a while now but I didn't get around to it till today. I wasn't disappointed - it lived up to the expectations of a touching love story with moments that make you smile and characters who you feel for. When Adi's heart broke, so did mine because I fell in love with his character and the energy he exuded.
I understood Dia and her journey from feeling like an outcast, falling in love, depression, and so on but I didn't like her until I saw her in the second half with Adi. At first I thought the actress playing her was too stiff, even in her evocation of love for Rohit. But in the second half, I realized that the portrayal was true to Dia's characterization. Dia's love for Rohit was earnest and intense yet their relationship wasn't right for her (or didn't get the time to be) because she was still struggling to love herself. With Adi, we see a lightness in Dia that's possible because Adi makes Dia feel alive, loved, and reminds her that she is capable of facing life as an individual. He isn't her only tether to this world; he's her key to happiness.
Adi, I love you. I love your energy, your smile, how pure you are, and I love how you strive to be the best version of yourself. Your relationship with your mother was the most beautiful part of the film but it also ended up being the part that broke my heart. His poor soul endured such a tragedy in the second half that I hated the movie.
Before the ending, I was struggling between rating the movie an 8 or a 9. But the minute I saw that he died, unnecessarily in the end, because the director wanted the movie to be unpredictable, I was heartbroken. I regret watching the movie post her return to Mumbai.
Doctor G (2022)
He lost the 'Male Touch'
This might be Ayushmann's most unlikeable character yet. I'm not rooting for him, I'm not being swayed by his charm. Yet, I watched the film and gave it a 9 because his unlikeability was so real to the men I've met and the females around him (and the humour laced with the feminist gaze) made it a refreshing watch. I was worried he'd be glorified and end up with Rakul but no, he understood that he was an asshole and that friendship is a thing!
Throughout the film, you see Ayush's character embody the male gaze we're so accustomed to seeing but near the end we see him deviate from that path. Is he a completely reformed man? No, absolutely not. Like Shah said, he's shown growth but he needs observations for a final decision to be made.
Vikram Vedha (2017)
Delightfully Surprised
If you ever want a masterclass of acting, watch Vijay Sethupathi's performances in this film and Super Deluxe. The characters cannot be more different but he executed each role with finesse! Cannot imagine anyone else as Vedha, especially with the pinch of humour Sethupathi added with his snappy comebacks and expressions at the end. I couldn't believe how much I was laughing at this neo-noir thriller and that credit totally goes to you!
Madhavan will always be my favourite pan-India superstar. I disagreed with Vikram a ton but your performance was never the reason. At first impressions (the scene in the station where VIkram and Vedha meet for the first time), Vikram aggravated me with his black-and-white thinking. I wish the writers were a little more subtle with Vikram's perspective rather than saying "main police hoon, tum gunda" (watched the dub version) but I understand it's effect so overlooked it.
Kathir as Pulli won my heart with his innocence and the bond the brothers shared was heartwarming to watch.