Nah, still doesn't explain why you killed Baahubali, Katappa!

Being big fans of Baahubali, the Beginning, no surprise that we were waiting for the release of Part 2, The Conclusion. I still remember walking out of the theatre two years ago and telling the Mister that we will be back to see Part 2 on the first day of the release. Well, that didn't happen and I spent day 1 deleting all the spoilers on Whatsapp (thanks by the way) during my time on vacation but nevertheless, we made it the first weekend we were back. As spectacular as Part 1 was, I went in expecting so much from Part 2 that I think I spoilt it for myself a bit. If I absolve myself of that, I still think I came back from a feature film which was a mishmash of Kyunki Saas bhi kabhi Baahu thi meets Game of Thrones meets Mahabharat in parts and somewhere there's a smattering of a bad Bollywood comedy - All this despite the movie being a treat for the eyes visually, given the sometimes over the top VFX. So, here's some thoughts:

Characters

While Amarendra Baahubali is a beautifully fleshed out character - He is just, fair, kind-hearted, giving, helpful, all that while looking like a million bucks; Shivagami came across a bit messed up - Lets rewind to the same fearless lady breastfeeding hers and another's child as her own, while presiding in court; she's the same lady who instituted Baahubali over the less kind Bhallal as king though the results of that contest were different. In this part, she lets her ego and her anger get the better of her. She behaves like a sore mother in law when Baahu wants to marry Devasena against her wishes and pretty much in every exchange involving the three of them afterwards. The only thing missing was a "Ladka humare haath se nikhal gaya "dialogue. I wish you were the same awesome Part 1 Shivagami in this one too! 

 

Devasena, the indomitable and absolutely impressive warrior princess, who knows how to sing, use a sword with the same oomph (Recall. -Jodha Akbar), sometimes comes across as a petulant child looking for trouble. While I admire how she gives it back to Shivagami (You go girl!), sometimes she's just unnecessarily aggressive making already broken matters worse. To top it all, it amazes me how someone with this unbreakable spirit throughout the movie agrees to be meekly subdued and serve as a slave in chains till her son (who she saw drown minutes after giving birth to him) comes back. Appreciate the optimism but how did she make no effort to run, to check on her son or rescue him - Its honestly mind boggling. 

Then there is Katappa - the mean but not lean warrior leader who was revered and feared amongst the ranks but we knew he had a softer side, especially for Baahubali the young prince. But, watching him behave like Kader Khan trying to help Govinda woo his heroine in the first half cracking painfully silly jokes is a let down. Towards the second half, how he agrees to do something against his conscience again doesn't allow you to feel for him. His allegiance to the regency is known but not seen as strongly as his loyalty to Baahu - Discarding that for royal duty in a scene I didn't fully comprehend was just very sad. 

Bhallaladeva - the antagonist. He has more lines, more dialogue, makes more sense, more every thing in part 1. In this, he is, a caricature of Duryodhan from Mahabharat ever listening to his scheming mentor (here also his father), not close to spewing enough venom and not looking half as much as the villain you so much want him to be. There was a brotherhood, some semblance of dialogue between him and Baahu in Part 1. Here, Nada. Except a monologue scene with a dead Baahu that I didn't quite get. 

The low point for me - A Scene I didn't comprehend or even like

Baahu's death was such a non-event - it is sad. The build up to the defining moment of Part 1 was under-impressive and mediocre at best. Was Katappa really captured for treason when Baahu saved him? If yes, then how did he suddenly want to keep his promise when he was under treason in the first place for breaking it? The only explanation he offered a dying Baahu was "Rajya aadesh" after which Baahu tells him to look after his mother - forgetting all about the wife he sacrificed the kingdom and his family for. Further, how Bhallal appeared at the scene that too alone, is so questionable, given that in the same place a few seconds ago, infiltrators were being fought off.  Was the whole thing a ploy? SSR could've explained better what in hell was going on there especially when this scene is supposed to answer the most popular question for the last two years - Why did Katappa kill Baahubali?

Other things

While the special effects are of course killer - they have some excellent teams bringing in these mysterious lands which seem real, the animals don't seem like clunky CGI, very up there level of VFX in the league of Game of Thrones for me. But, it is sometimes over the top. The ship bringing Baahu and Devasena back to Mahishmati turns into a plane like flying saucer object with horses flying aside it for company as well. The catapult using palm trees idea is ingenious but the multiple times imagery of the shields turning into a small fortified flying object comes across as overdone and bizarre!

I also didn't comprehend the regressiveness with the whole idea of Baahubali thinking his mother will soften towards him if he has a child. Why, when you have creative freedom and you're creating an entirely fictional story in fantasy land, would you want to insert such ancient regressive ideas, is beyond me. That too when you have three such strong women characters - Shivagami (the matriarchal ruler of Mahishmati), Devasena (the warrior princess), Avanthika (the warrior almost princess!). 

Now, to Avanthika - while she's important to part 1 and the whole first half has Shivu chasing behind her, in part 2, she's barely there. In fact when the flashback ends and we cut to the present, you can't even spot her in the frame. Is she so unimportant to the plot? And the rebel army she fights for whose main agenda is to free Devasena - the head seems like the king of the Kunthala desh which is where Devasena was from - But this loose end is never tied up. You're left to do some match the faces and figure this out for yourself.

Nevertheless, Baahubali, as a franchise deserves to be seen. It has two amazing war sequences and just simply to have a movie of that scale with special effects as seamless as any comparable English fantasy movie, with such good looking Brawn in the shape of Prabhas and Rana Daggubatti is truly appreciable. However, Part 1 clearly rules my heart over part 2. Novelty factor aside, I felt it was richer in storyline, fuller in characters and more consistent throughout which I think Part 2 may have sacrificed for the grandeur and effects they received acclaim for in Part 1. I will in the future watch both the movies again but they'll never be watched without Part 1 hogging more viewing time. The franchise will remain one of my favourite movies of all time and I'll be ever proud for a movie like this to come out of India. 

Dear Sanjay Leela Bhansali,

From the trailers and the songs and perhaps from the moment I read about Ram-Leela a year ago, along with of course the SLB tag, it was up there on the list. Ram Leela was a movie to be looked forward to. Something that would almost save this year, which has been at least relatively less bombarded with good movies as compared to last year. We’ve had few gems, Yes. And we were hoping to wrap the year up with some cinematic brilliance in Ram Leela. Error on our part to expect, you say? Perhaps. 

But we came in to be awed. For your movies, an audience like us comes in ready to absorb anything, even over-the-top sequences which we will disregard as unacceptable otherwise. We know we will see rich red and brown silks, incessant warm  candle-lit hues and the two hours will be a sure-shot visual treat. We came in wanting to be overwhelmed, but left being grossly underwhelmed. 

From the moment the sand artist made the elegant necked swan to create the SLB logo, I settled in hoping for similar elegance in the movie. In the first fifteen minutes, after about a 100 gun shots, a scene with a kid un-imaginatively named Goli in this gun-extravangaza, pissing off a roof, Ranveer Singh appearing out of nowhere and breaking into a male item song in absolute garish clothes which he peeled off systematically to all the female hysteria, I started losing hope. It further didn’t help that there was a plethora of filthy ‘Dhoti-geeli kar li’ and likening the heroine’s bust size to 136 (Yes, 136 – this is not a typo) strewn generously throughout the movie. At a point I wondered, if I was watching a Grand Masti sequel by mistake. SLB, you are hallmark to beautiful cinema, please leave the rolling-in-the-mud kind of sleaze-fest to the insignificant others. 

Indeed, you made it clear it would be Goliyon ki Ras-leela, but I wish there was more of Ram-Leela. The pair is together for bits and pieces in the first half and out of each others’ sight in the second half. You talk about love despite distances maybe? But, nowhere in the first half, for me at least, were you able to establish this love. The two couldn’t keep their hands off each other for a scene, did they even find the time to fall in love? To think about each others’ souls and hearts and not vital stats and ‘size’? *facepalm*

Something I was craving to see till the very end was this love story. Romeo and Juliet fell in love at first sight, yes. But, wasn’t that followed up by pure romance? Physical intimacy was a small part of their love, not the only thing they seemed to do when alone! For a man who made Khamoshi, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas which were dripping romance and love, it is unbelievable why you would want to overlook something you are naturally and obviously good at – Capturing emotions of love and making people dream about this kind of consummate love for days afterward. 

Normal lovers exchange everything, I agree. Dirty messages, make sleazy advances at each other behind closed doors. But they also do so much more. They talk about their lives together; they look into each others’ eyes lovingly, without their hands simultaneously having to undress the other all the time. I’ll agree I love how Ram Leela are so real, but I feel there could have been so much more to them than we saw! I wish there was. 

Let us look at some high points of the movie. The music of Ram Leela is so haunting, it stays with you for days afterward. Mor Bani Thanghat sets the tone for the musical extravaganza from the opening credits and every few minutes, a new ride comes up and is an absolute pleasure to the ears. Laal Ishq reminds you of a peaceful yet inexistent state of love. Lahu Munh Lag gaya has the naughty, fun touch of love at first sight.

It is not as if there were no moments of brilliance in the movie. The scene where Dhankorba cuts Leela’s finger and Ram comes to her window at night and leaves that bloody mark from a broken finger on her door. It still gives me goosebumps. Couple of dialogues here and there – Beauty! “Ye toh aisa ho gaya na Ba, ki jaan nikaal bhi di aur zindaa chhod bhi diya”. Beautiful music, combined with absolutely beautifully shot sequences –A fantastic chasing sequences toward the end with the metal pot falling and rolling aimlessly, while Kesar Bhabhi runs for her honor and life alike; Deepika’s introduction scene, where she shoots in the sky, while there is an explosion of color and life with everyone playing Holi around. These little gems are there, individually shining, albeit shadowed and hidden away in the badly meshed chaos of the plot.

I went away, deeply wanting more from the movie. I went away feeling sad, because I felt this could have been so much better. It was in my head at least before I saw it. To-die-for outfits, extremely gorgeous looking actors and fabulous music definitely can enhance a plot. But here, there was such minimal flesh to actually dress-up, it almost seems like a hollowed mannequin beautifully dolled up in a window. It may have been liberating for you to make something so easy-going and loose flowing, but I wish it had something to keep me more engrossed and tied down. I wish I felt Ram and Leela’s pain and less my own at having witnessed this utter mess. 

Vicky Donor..Of Dilli, sperm donation and Annu Kapoor!

Rarely comes by a movie with oodles of humour and a subtle message. Same goes for Vicky Donor. Something that starts with a WHO statement on sperm donors, stating that several families are childless due to lack of sperm donors and ends with a couple walking off from an orphanage with an adopted child, is a very discreet way of promoting the idea of adoption, of respectful sperm donation.

And everything in between (Save parts of the second half) are absolutely hilarious, stuffed with stereotypes and jibes at two ethnicities.

Pretty straight forward plot. Vicky Arora (Ayushmaan), the true blue Punjabi Delhi boy seems to attract a lot of unwarranted attention from Annu Kapoor (The owner of an Infertility clinic and sperm bank), who believes Vicky has quality sperm and must donate to save the world (and the business).Vicky resists but relents and once the money starts coming in, becomes quite a regular. Family doesn't know, girlfriend/wife doesn't know and when the truth comes out, all emotional hell breaks loose. All's well in the end however as Annu Kapoor finds out, takes blame and tries to fix all the damage he's caused in his own queer way.

The high point of the movie for me, is in the treatment of the subject of sperm donation. There is absolutely no hesitation in showing how people actually react to the idea. How dates can end up with one tight slap, how wives can just pack up and leave, how mothers think it's a dirty profession and how the donor himself might have reacted when the idea is first thrown at him. Select soft serious ideas such as the legality of the issue, the treatment of the money and the gifts is all carefully wrapped and comically delivered to ensure you understand and remember the message but laugh your heart out. You can't really ever forget Annu Kapoor's obsession with sperm and how every conversation and every sentence has to have a connection to it, his gesture to indicate sperm movement and the hallmark dialogues such as "Eh kaam legal hai, aaj se hi nahi.. Mahabharat ki time se..jananiyon ke jaab baache nai hote the toh rishi muniyon ko bulwa lete the.. baba aulad nai hai... babe ne ki kitta, tathastu kitta....... Hogiya"..Or even "Vadiya vadiya kha te vadiya vadiya phen, load na le asar pade ga sperm pe.."

You almost can't help but sympathise with Annu Kapoor at some point for how he diligently chases Vicky, acting as part-time chauffer, part-time bill payer at restaurant, to convince him to donate sperm.

Annu Kapoor has got to be the most impressive character in the movie, with his seemingly natural comic action in the movie, definitely closely followed by Dolly and Beeji, Vicky's mum and grandmom. The two women come across as typical endearing Punjabi women who will fight over 'Dolly's attache' and Vicky's lack of seriousness, but will bond over their late night regular bar setups agreeing on one thing that Punjabis are the world's best race.

All in all, a must watch, purely for the fun you can have at the cost of blatantly laughing at Punjabi and Bengali stereotypes and the side of Delhi you get to see. Parts of the second half dragging making you believe it's a hindi movie after all, but definitely one you mustn't miss.