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vikram-pathania
Reviews
Ludo (2020)
Good but feels rather cluttered.
This is an enjoyable watch. It is fast paced, and very funny in some parts. There is also unexpected emotional heft in some scenes. I would have rated it higher but for the cluttered feel. Basu is a skilled director and obviously has a creative mind brimming with ideas. The trouble is that he is too indulgent and crams too many of his ideas into each of his movies. More discipline and less clutter would have elevated this movie to another level.
Onna ga kaidan wo agaru toki (1960)
A mellow, fluid, aching masterpiece
Lovely. Spartan in its sets, the movie keeps centre stage a small cast of characters. The lead actress won over my heart right away - a gentle, beautiful bar girl in post war Tokyo who maintains a graceful dignity in a difficult profession. She copes with demanding employers, unscrupulous rivals, and a family that depends on her. The movie deals in well known tropes - rich but lonely old men bored with their wives and seeking out the company of vivacious young girls in a night district. And yet, not for a single scene felt sleazy or gratuitous. There is an underlying sadness, a sense of the bar girl being hopelessly trapped. And yet the last scene was uplifting. After being tricked by a womaniser, and then taken to bed forcibly by a besotted lover, she comports herself with great dignity as she comes to bid farewell to this lover and his family at the train station (he avoids looking at her out of shame and embarrassment), and then returns to her life with a brave smile.
Bulbbul (2020)
This could spawn a new sub genre
I enjoyed it. I know this because I watched it in one sitting and was engaged for most of the 1.5 hours of run time. The acting is top notch. The sets and costumes are gorgeous. The cinematography is also excellent except that I found the red hues overwhelming at times. The story is simple, rather predictable. It does not fall in the horror genre, rather it is a a feminist revenge fantasy rooted in Indian folklore.
Beyond the Clouds (2017)
Majid never disappoints
This is not among Majid's best works but it is still very watchable and heads and shoulders above most Bollywood films. It is a moving story of two families whose lives get entwined after a desperate girl injures an obsessed man whilst defending herself. Majid is a genius at weaving moments of hope and joy amidst a bleak backdrop. The acting is top notch and Ishaan emotes well - a solid start for a debutant. The movie fared poorly at the box office as is often the case for little gems with no 'face value'. Ishaan is a newcomer and Majid is not known outside the festival circuit in India. Thank goodness for Netflix though - it provides a platform for such movies to reach a much wider audience.