Bobby Talks Cinema Rss Feed http://www.bobbytalkscinema.com ARTICLE 370 - A better project among the recent purposefully made films that should ideally inspire you to study deeper. (Movie Notes by Bobby Sing)
Having a straightforward political title, ARTICLE 370 begins with a voice-over stating the history of Kashmir during the Partition. Bringing in the highest authorities of the country, then and now, the film openly reveals its purpose and never hides it, unlike some recent similar releases in the genre.
 
Apart from its obvious motive, the most noteworthy feature of the film is its uninterrupted focus that never deviates from the core issue and does not have any songs, romantic angles, or unnecessary subplots. A
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TANDAV - Typical Bollywood hangover kills this political saga. (Movie Notes by Bobby Sing)
Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and featuring a stellar cast, it would be interesting to know what was the brief or vision followed while making the latest web-series Tandav as a political saga?
 
Were they trying to present an Indianized version of the famous American political thriller House of Cards or just wished to quickly make an exciting series exploiting the recent developments in student-politics in India, relating it to the mainstream politicians? Whatever be the case,
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FIGHTER - As usual it entirely relies upon the star ensemble, forced patriotism, and an appreciable women-oriented social message as content. (Movie Notes by Bobby Sing)
In the era of Hindi films being made on almost every major event publicized in the news, I was wondering why the heinous Pulwama attack has still not been a part of a patriotic film since the year 2019. Ending the wait FIGHTER comes up with its cinematic depiction on the screen, simply focusing on the damage caused, yet again ignoring “How it happened, passing all the security arrangements” just like the news media and people following them religiously. 
 
So,
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DUNKI - The REALITY, and PUNJABI CINEMA: A simplistic, impact-less, light-hearted depiction of an otherwise serious & socially relevant subject, missing the reliable Rajkumar Hirani and his lovable finesse. (Movie Notes by Bobby Sing)
When I first heard the subject of Rajkumar Hirani’s next venture with Shah Rukh Khan, it sounded strange and confusing together as the gravely risky “Dunki Travel” and the innumerable deaths involved in it, was not a subject for any comedy or feel-good cinema Hirani is known for. But then he had earlier successfully presented light-hearted comedies based upon the reputed Medical Profession, Mahatma Gandhi, and Education System too, staying away from any mockery or offensive jokes degrading his core subjec
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ANIMAL and its SOUNDTRACK breaking the new-age multiplex norms, remind us how songs used to add magic to our cinema, ever since the beginning. (Articles on Movies, Music, and Poetry by Bobby Sing)
Moving ahead of the controversies about violence, alpha men, misogyny, and toxic masculinity, already discussed at length on various platforms, this is about ANIMAL’s soundtrack, making a huge contribution to the film’s impactful success at the box office. However, if one wishes to ignore, reject, and condemn everything related to the film, because of its objectionable depiction of women and violence, then that would be another extreme, playing blind to its noticeable musical achievement by choice.

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ANIMAL - A strikingly brutal Ranbir Kapoor show, hampered by the curse of second half. (Movie Notes by Bobby Sing)

A film receiving a huge response before release with its 3-minute trailer becomes a tricky bet for the makers as it can go either way carrying the burden of big expectations. Plus, if it is an unusually 203-minute-long film with an “A” certificate, then it becomes even more dicey for the box office, limiting its daily number of shows and ticket buyers.

Interestingly ANIMAL comes as a ruthless surprise, offering a lot to love and hate, ranging from a never before kind of violent action to impactful blood-p
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JAWAN - Surprises as an anti-establishment mainstream Hindi film backed by one of the biggest icons of Hindi Cinema post RANG DE BASANTI. It brings SPINE back into Hindi Cinema. (Movie Notes by Bobby Sing)

JAWAN was expected to be another masala entertainer on the lines of PATHAN mainly eyeing the box office satisfying the Hindi film viewers. It was being talked about as another taut thriller from writer-director Atlee taking its inspiration from films like AAKHREE RAASTA which itself was a remake of its Tamil original.
 
However, JAWAN surprisingly comes up as an anti-establishment mainstream thriller, the indication of which was neither there in its promotional material nor pre-release hype. Th
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GADAR 2 - Heavily relies upon nostalgia with all similar elements of the original, following the exact format of the typical, good old Hindi Cinema. (Movie Notes by Bobby Sing)
When GADAR and LAGAAN came on the same Friday almost a quarter of a century back, I had not yet started writing reviews but was into penning short synopsis for DVD covers and online video libraries. However, even in those initial years of writing, I had said that apart from their great soundtracks, while LAGAAN had a lot of qualitative elements in its creation, GADAR had something else beyond such technical qualities of cinema. 
 
Aamir was yet not 'The perfectionist A
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OMG2 (Oh My God 2) - The boldest, bravest, and most intelligently written film on Sex Education in Hindi cinema to date deserving wide appreciation. (Movie Notes by Bobby Sing)
Exactly a year back, I wrote in an article that Hindi cinema is being taken back by a trend of great performances becoming the only saviour of its various projects. In the last couple of years, I was honestly fed up with writing phrases like ‘performances lift the film’ or ‘the lead acts make it worth watching.’ What was being seriously missed, was a well-written Hindi film in which the writing and direction lead the performances instead of the other way around. In clear words, I was dying to menti
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ROCKY AUR RANI KII PREM KAHAANI - The use of melodious old gems, Dharmendra and Alia are the key merits of this loud and overdramatic film that does not even try to present something fresh. (Movie Notes by Bobby Sing)
The very first scene of the film showcasing an elderly Punjabi lady (a miscast Jaya Bachchan) speaking awful Punjabi in her dialogues puts one off. And then Punjabi characters, language, and feel form the major part of the project by Karan Johar – who ironically began with a film that made fun of an 8-9 years old Sikh kid back in the late 90s.
 
Had written about it in an article when Karan did a film with Diljit Dosanjh playing the lead in 2018. Friends
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BAWAAL (Hindi/Prime) – The weakest film from Nitesh Tiwari based on a weird, illogical idea in the present world of YouTube videos. (Movie Notes by Bobby Sing)
Director Nitesh Tiwari, the man behind commendable films like Children’s Party, Dangal, and Chhichhore, comes up with a project presenting a weird or illogical idea deliberately mixing a troubled marriage and the horrors of the holocaust executed by Hitler during World War II.
 
Introducing an unusual character of a history teacher played by Varun Dhawan, the story keeps moving at a brisk pace but never cares to find some logic in its proceedings dealing with such serious subjects. More c
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MISSION IMPOSSIBLE Dead Reckoning Part One (English/Hindi) - Overcoming the talkative scenes, this is what we call ‘Big Screen Entertainment’. (Movie Notes By Bobby Sing)
Popular series like James Bond, Mission Impossible, or Jurassic Park are not known for their story content but for their mesmerizing execution, action, and thrilling moments providing the big screen entertainment. Their subsequent sequels more or less delivered, ranging from mixed to roaring responses in the past. But thankfully this time, the latest release from the Mission Impossible franchise would receive unanimous praise both from the audience and the critics, particularly for its brilliantly shot action/chase sequences and dare-devil
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JACKSON HALT (Maithili) - An unusually titled Maithili film that makes you recall Hitchcock, and that is a compliment. (Movie Notes by Bobby Sing)
It is a widely known fact that the most common and time-consuming act on OTT portals is surfing what to watch instead of watching something. At times, we keep surfing and then end up watching nothing, realizing that a lot of effort has already gone into the process and it is time to sleep.
 
In this weird scenario, it truly comes as a pleasant surprise when you opt for an unusual film with a strange title of a lesser-known Indian language and it turns out to be a more than decent watch as an intriguing crime th
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19.20.21 (Kannada) - The BEAUTY and IRONY of Indian Cinema and its new-age maestros, not known to a big majority of our population.

The unique feature of our cinema is its diversity in terms of various languages and regions that even surprise cinema lovers all over the world. That is the beauty of our Indian Cinema, which also has an irony associated in terms of lack of awareness about our own films and the master filmmakers, among the Indians living in different parts of the country and abroad.

The scenario was the same in the initial decades until Doordarshan started airing must-watch films in different languages with English subtitles in the 1980s and 90s. It
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How a poetic thought travels from Guru Angad - the second Guru of Sikhs to Ustad Zauq in the times of Mirza Ghalib. (Articles on Music, Poetry, and Life by Bobby Sing)

The exponents of literature all over the world are largely quoted in books and articles with their representative works, their most famous and appreciated expressions written as stories, plays, novels, or poetry. Following the same custom, Urdu poetry and its renowned poets are also often recalled and written about mentioning their most popular verses, which become synonyms with their names representing their entire work.
 
For instance, the name of Ghalib immediately makes you recite a few of
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PATHAAN - Entirely relying upon over-the-top action and nothing else, SRK moves back to the safe bet of masala action films, post trying some different subjects in the past. (Review by Bobby Sing)

Coming straight to the point, an action thriller equipped with fast-paced, over-the-top action sequences thrown at quick intervals is both expected and accepted as a key feature of the genre. We have repeatedly appreciated and cheered for such insertions in both Hollywood films and cinema made in South India, supported by well-executed VFX, defying the logic. So, a film incorporating them as its USP is never the issue provided they are all superbly crafted and entertaining.

However, it certainly becomes a concern when a film entire
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Range Road 290 and Punjabi Cinema - A sincere, courageous, and worth supporting attempt to break the set repetitive pattern of Punjabi films. (Notes By Bobby Sing)
Post the first decade of the new millennium, Punjabi Cinema gradually rediscovered its lost ground and started coming up with blockbusters that got duly noticed by cinema makers all over India and abroad. The positive trend majorly kept working in the next few years, but then it soon got trapped in the ease of making similar films, wishing to repeat the earlier successes merely focusing on comedies. Towards the end of the second decade, the repetitive Punjabi films started getting criticism much more than praise and flops became the obviou
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BHEDIYA - An entertaining first half followed by a talkative, message-oriented second results in a decent watch ending on an experimental note. (Review By Bobby Sing)
As a concept, BHEDIYA had got nothing novel or unpredictable for the new-age audience, well versed with the werewolf genre. But its presentation as a horror comedy was the USP of the project that worked in its favour, creating a pre-release buzz. 
 
Thankfully, the film does not disappoint staying ahead of many recent horror comedies stressing more on comedy than horror. In fact, that has been the case with almost every film of this genre in our recent cinema. The team behind STREE got tha
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PHONE BHOOT - The cleverly written one-liners and entertaining references to the past make it enjoyable at times, but not as any horror comedy. (Review by Bobby Sing)
Exploiting the theme of Ghostbusters, PHONE BHOOT is yet another attempt to make an entertaining horror comedy, which is the recent favourite genre of Hindi Cinema. The USP of the film is its dialogues and casting, featuring Katrina Kaif as the friendly ghost, Ishaan and Siddhant as the ghostbusters, and Jackie Shroff as the loud, evil villain.
 
The film begins on a routine note and the wacky humour gradually starts working as a bizarre comedy (beginning
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DRISHYAM 2 - This faithful remake has a winner second half for the ones who haven't seen the original and Ajay-Tabu-Akshaye for those who already know the suspense. (Review by Bobby Sing)
The original Malayalam sequel of the highly appreciated DRISHYAM was an equally cracking thriller fulfilling the expectations raised. Hence, even if a remake blindly followed the script, adding some sharp performances, it was bound to generate a similar impact on screen for the audience watching it in a different language and region.
 
The official Hindi remake of DRISHYAM 2, not only does the same but also comes up with an additional feature as Akshaye Khanna, who adds his few
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UUNCHAI - Wish there was an equally uplifting soundtrack and a more realistic conclusion in this brave and praiseworthy effort by the team. (Review by Bobby Sing)

Rajshri films and Sooraj R. Barjatya make a notable comeback with UUNCHAI, which is also the 60th film from the banner having an unparalleled reputation in the industry. The film has their trademark simplicity and sweetness along with a social message that has always been associated with Rajshri, for the last six decades.

Based on a tough and unusual subject, the most important feature of the film is that it brings the writer-director Sooraj Barjatya out of his mansion of a predictable and repetitive pattern follow
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MONICA O MY DARLING (Netflix) - It is like a Raghavan film not directed by Raghavan, superbly incorporating the songs, ending on an underwhelming note. (Review by Bobby Sing)
In a disappointing year with more duds and a few marginally likable films, MONICA O MY DARLING comes as a fresh breeze, reinstating music into the narrative, making you recall the good old times before 2000. In fact, it is the superb incorporation of well-composed and written songs in the first half that makes it a better film, forcing you to sit straight and enjoy the on-screen proceedings. A lost feature of our cinema, resurfacing in a new Hindi film after a long time.
 
Beginning with a shocking ‘new-a
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THANK GOD - Another wrongly promoted project based on a thoughtful theme that has far better films made in the past. (Review By Bobby Sing)

More known for his loud comedies, veteran director Indra Kumar comes up with a fantasy post films like Great Grand Masti and Total Dhamaal. This time, he surprisingly focuses on life after death and interactions with the godly management in heaven, judging and deciding the fate of a dead person. The film aptly titled THANK GOD is another example of a wrongly promoted project as it is not any hilarious comedy but a light-hearted, emotional drama differently projected in the p
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CABINET OF CURIOSITIES (Netflix) - An unusually gory and bizarre horror anthology that still deserves to be seen for its execution. (Review by Bobby Sing)

This Halloween Netflix brings an American horror anthology, Cabinet of Curiosities – an unusual television series curated by Guillermo del Toro. The Academy-Award winner, known for his fantasy films, introduces the series and appears at the beginning of every episode, exactly like Alfred Hitchcock used to do before each episode of his TV series Alfred Hitchcock Presents, making a witty and entertaining remark. The gothic genre horror anthology features eight stand-alone
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RAM SETU - It is like a hurriedly made Indian version of an Indiana Jones expedition movie, entirely relying upon its forced climax as a missed opportunity. (Review by Bobby Sing)
A film revolving around the mystery of the famous and sacred Ram Setu (Lord Ram’s bridge) begins with an extended sequence talking about the Taliban, the destruction of Buddha’s statues in Afghanistan, and a Pakistani character too receiving intentional taunts from the central character of an archaeologist (Akshay Kumar).
 
It then strangely has the crucial first 40 minutes, focusing on all unengaging controversies with a lacklustre presentation. The interactions ha
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GOODBYE - A confusing film, which even finds the audacity to depict the demise of a loving mother comically. (Review by Bobby Sing)
Unconvincingly directed by Vikas Bahl, GOODBYE is the third film of the recent years revolving around death and a dysfunctional family, weirdly dealing with the cremation and its last rituals. But where both PAGGLAIT and RAM PRASAD KI TEHRVI had their focus and characterisation quite clear, GOODBYE turns out to be an utterly confused and directionless venture, unnecessarily mixing too many events and sequences in the script written like a comedy.
 
The film tri
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KANTARA (Kannada/Hindi) - The beginning, the end, powerful music, and the lead performance makes this Rishabh Shetty show a not to be missed film in theaters. (Review by Bobby Sing)
Not often comes a film that compels you to ask who this exceptional writer-actor-director is, with such splendid vision and what projects he has made in the past. KANTARA is one of those powerful films that makes you raise the question and thus can easily be included in the list of best Indian movies of 2022.
 
It’s a unique film as it achieves an almost impossible task of amalgamating, action, romance, emotions, drama, comedy, masala, politics, tradition, culture, social division, corruption, mystery, ho
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PONNIYIN SELVAN: Part One (PS-I) (Tamil/Hindi) - The making of this visual epic would certainly be a much more engaging watch than the film. (Review by Bobby Sing)

Ours is a country with an amazingly diverse culture and history, that is still partially taught in schools and colleges as per the regional educational boards. Historical films and historical fictions are thus required to be made making the next generations aware of the lesser-known chapters of the past and the path-breaking creations of our Indian literature. Specifically, when the East is not known to the history and literature of the West and the North is not even familiar with the names of the historical and cultural heroes of the South,
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VIKRAM VEDHA (Hindi) - Why does the same narrative become so flat, routine, and plastic in a Hindi remake? (Review by Bobby Sing)

Another remake of a mega-hit regional language film, yet again raises the question, that why does the same narrative become so unreal, filmy, forced, and plastic when remade in Hindi? Even when directed by the same director duo, strictly following the similar script progression and presentation, VIKRAM VEDHA surprisingly doesn’t turn out to be equally impressive and impactful as the original.
 
Personally, the news of its remake generated no excitement as VIKRAM VEDHA ori
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JOGI (Netflix) - This is the result when a writer-director known for mainstream Bollywood hits is roped in to make a film on the sensitive issue of the Sikhs Genocide in 1984. (Review by Bobby Sing)

Time heals and time also makes the memories slowly fade away passing through generations after almost four decades of a shocking national shame. That is the reason, many (born later) might not be able to feel the exact pain, trauma, and unforgettable shocks experienced by the people at that time when even the known turned into killers in just a few hours. If truth be told then the November of 1984 was quite close to the scary scenario of communal riots in the country around the independence in 1947.

However, the big difference was
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BRAHMASTRA - An over-stuffed visual extravaganza that gives no emphasis to its writing. (Review by Bobby Sing)
The basic difference between filmmaking in the South and the Hindi film industry can easily be discovered while watching Brahmastra Part One: Shiva - an overstuffed and tiring fantasy thriller. While South cinema extensively works in the writing department post finalizing an exciting subject (as recently seen in Karthikeya 2). Hindi cinema just stops at the choice of subject & doesn’t care about the writing and the script, largely relying upon its evident star enigma and the
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LAAL SINGH CHADDHA - A cautiously made adaptation that falls short of expectations, spreading the message of love. (Review By Bobby Sing)
Forrest Gump (1994) is one of those films that might appear to be dated and a bit unconvincing to many in the present age, as numerous films focusing on such dimwit characters have been released in the last three decades. However, for a larger section of cinema lovers (who saw it in the late 90s), it remains a cult all-time favourite, for two specific features, apart from the adorable, flawless act of the magician Tom Hanks
 
First, the film gets widely quoted in life-te
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DARLINGS (Netflix) - Finds the right subject and tone but doesn’t take off as a taut, satirical thriller. (Movie Notes by Bobby Sing)
Hindi cinema is presently struggling with one of its key merits. And it’s the merit of having exceptionally talented performers who can lift an otherwise feeble or confused film, converting it into something watchable and worth discussing. As a result, here we have formed a trend of witnessing many great performances in not-so-equally great films becoming their only saviour.
 
DARLINGS is the latest example of the same, wherein the lead and supporting actors brilliantly perform their part
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GOOD LUCK JERRY (2022) and KOLAMAAVU KOKILA (Tamil/2018) – Hindi cinema needs to move over forced Punjabification of its films, resulting in weak remakes of their immensely likable originals. (Movie Notes by Bobby Sing)
The popular opinion is that a remake needs to be seen and discussed as a stand-alone film, avoiding the obvious comparison with its source of inspiration. I certainly endorse the viewpoint, respecting the team recreating the content by changing its basic settings and characters as per the requirement of its language and region. However, I cannot continue supporting the same, in case a remake turns out to be quite a weak recreation of an immensely likable original writing, presentation, and performances.
 
The s
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JHUND - A decent film about the social inequalities, promoted with deceiving trailers. (Review by Bobby Sing)
Jhund is the fourth project from writer director Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, inspired by the real-life instances of Vijay Barse, a retired sports professor. It comes post his much-appreciated Fandry, the blockbuster Sairat and a brilliant section of the anthology Unpaused: Naya Safar. The real-life icon (it is based upon) brought forward football players from the slum, introducing slum-football, and Jhund is all about their c
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SHARMAJI NAMKEEN - A befitting swan song of Rishi Kapoor, well supported by Paresh Rawal and Juhi Chawla, but it’s not the first of its kind of experiment in Indian cinema. (Review by Bobby Sing)
The last film of Rishi Kapoor subtly prepares the viewers for a brave experiment in Hindi cinema (featuring two actors playing the same character) through an emotional introduction by Ranbir Kapoor, fondly remembering his father. The heartfelt explanation works and one doesn’t feel awkward watching the actors abruptly changing in random sequences, beginning with Paresh Rawal, quickly moving over to Rishi Kapoor in the very first scenes.
&
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RRR (Rise Roar Revolt) - A sum of hard-to-believe, spectacular cinematic sequences as a historical fantasy that is worth your time and money spent on the hiked ticket prices. (Review By Bobby Sing)
The much-awaited film of S. S. Rajamouli is here, and it’s certainly worth the wait with a pinch of salt. The renowned director is known for creating a fantasy world of his own and in RRR (Rise Roar Revolt) he does that yet again, but along with exploiting a historical reference as a mere ploy. 
 
Hence, presenting it as a historical fantasy, this is also one of those rare films in which we have to use the phrase, keep the logical minds at home, even when it takes th
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RADHE SHYAM (Telugu/Hindi) - Interesting premise of palmistry and astrology ruined by a disappointing story progression. (Review By Bobby Sing)
Just when the South Indian Regional language cinema had gained a new set of audience in the North, comes a poorly written mega venture featuring Prabhas and Pooja Hegde in the lead disappointing the excited audience. 
 
Narrated by Amitabh Bachchan and set in the 1970s as a period love story, Radhe Shyam had an interesting premise proving the accuracy of palmistry/astrology and its predictions made by a renowned palmist (Prabhat). But the writi
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THE KASHMIR FILES - One of the most brutal chapters of our history gets an equally brutal film, made with questionable intentions. (Thoughts by Bobby Sing)
Have always been supportive of films depicting the dark chapters of history as they rightly serve one of the key responsibilities of cinema, enlightening the young viewers. However, gone are the times when films were seriously made for spreading awareness, without being biased, depicting the reality, educating the young generation. 
 
The tragic decade of the 90s in particular, changed the entire scenario of our country, drastically affecting the vision behind our Indian cinema. That’s the reason, th
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NARADAN (Malayalam) - Wish this was a powerful film saying the right things. (Review by Bobby Sing)
In the late 80s, a bold Malayalam film dared to reveal the hidden business of ‘creating the news’ shocking the unaware viewers. Directed by Joshi, it was aptly titled New Delhi with Mammootty playing the powerful role of a political victim. Joshi soon remade it in Hindi with the same title featuring Jeetendra in one of his career-best performances. Depicting those pre-digital times, the story of New Delhi revolved around a leading nati
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AAJA MEXICO CHALLIYE (Punjabi) - A confused version of Amitoj Maan and Sunny Deol's KAAFILA made with noble intentions addressing the youngsters. (Review by Bobby Sing)
For the last couple of decades, Punjab has been the hub of both legal and illegal immigration through various agencies and fake agents. Most of the youngsters here dream of settling abroad because of their misconceptions and then suffer along with their families when fooled by the cunning agents. Promising them a safe entry into the foreign countries without a direct visa, a chain of agents in different countries use the illegal donkey route (as it is called), smuggling them into those borders before vanishing from the scene. 

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HRIDAYAM (Malayalam) - Simple, sweet and nostalgic. (Review By Bobby Sing)

While school life is sweet having its own memories, its college life that makes a much deeper impact on our psyche and the unsure future. The relationships are a sum of naive and mature emotions and they stay with us for long, defining how we think, live, and conceive our next decades of life.

 As a film, Hridayam beautifully expresses the fact, following the journey of a soft-spoken but strong Arun from his college days to the marriage becoming a father. It showcases the various chal
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MAHAAN (Tamil) - Surprisingly repetitive and overstretched. (Review By Bobby Sing)
With its lead character (Vikram) named ‘Gandhi Mahaan’, the film opens with a Mahatma Gandhi quote pointing towards the freedom to make mistakes. Ironically, the project seems to be the same (a mistake), wherein Karthik Subbaraj (the director) simply repeats an over-exploited plot of a simpleton turning into a gangster, followed by an unconvincing twist in the end.
 
Attempted as an epic creation, Mahaan begins with a black and white flashback intro
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PSYCHO (Tamil) - You might enjoy watching this intense crime-thriller, if only you have seen none of the director's outstanding works. (Review by Bobby Sing)
The well-known writer-director Mysskin, coming up with a film titled Psycho about a scary serial killer, dedicating it to Alfred Hitchcock (mentioning it in the opening credits) along with the music of Illaiyaraja, was something much more than just being exciting.
 
But sadly, the new age Psycho remains far away from anything even close to being a satisfying watch, keeping in mind the creators and the vision involved in its mak
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MITHYA (Web Series) - Begins on a promising note and then remains watchable for both Huma and Avantika. (Notes by Bobby Sing)
Once again set in a hill station like a few of the recent series, Mithya at least hasn’t got everyone searching for a serial killer for a change. It has a murder, of course, but the focus is entirely upon the relationship between a Hindi professor Juhi (Huma Qureshi), and her student Rhea (Avantika Dassani), making an interesting start.
 
The trouble begins when Rhea gets accused of plagiarism in her writings and that turns her into a psycho youn
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BESTSELLER (Web Series) - Could finish it just because of Mithun Chakraborty playing the investigating officer. (Notes by Bobby Sing)
With an excess of content available at various OTT portals, the one thing any series has to take care of essentially is its start, the initial sequences, and the first 2-3 episodes in particular. Because even if you have something to deliver in the later episodes, the viewers will not wait for that, moving over to another, quickly taking the decision post a disappointing start.
 
That’s exactly what happens with Bestseller, making a mockery of its title, offering an unengaging progression
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WRITER (Tamil) - An exceptional subject, execution and an outstanding lead act makes it a must watch. (Review by Bobby Sing)

Moving over the typical genre of cop movies, Writer comes with an exceptional subject that has never been dealt with before on the silver screen in such a revealing and hard-hitting manner. At one end, it fearlessly depicts the way innocent youngsters get framed to solve the pending cases. But on the other brings forward an issue that presents the human side of the officers constantly working day and night, with no fixed duty hours and holidays.

The film focuses on a soon-to-be-retired head constable, Thangaraj (Samu
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TEEJA PUNJAB (Punjabi) - A hurriedly made film incorporating the farmers' protest. (Review By Bobby Sing)

Cinema often derives its content from society and its major events, establishing an instant connection with the viewers. At times, such inspirations work wonders for a film, leaving a deep impact on the people. But there are instances when such inclusions appear to be deliberate and hurriedly incorporated to exploit the current trending affairs. 
 
Unfortunately, Teeja Punjab falls in the second category, which probably was started with a different vision and script, but later on, got
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THE GREAT INDIAN MURDER (Web-Series / Hindi) - An avoidable murder mystery that remains lost in its characterisations and cheats the audience. (Notes by Bobby Sing)
A murder mystery going through the backstory of every character involved before reaching the conclusion is a very old format of the genre lacking the required excitement. The Great Indian Murder based on the novel, Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup, follows the same story progression and is quite a tough watch asking for multiple sittings to complete all its nine episodes.
 
(Spoiler Ahead)

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A THURSDAY (Hindi) - A message-oriented project that makes you recall a far superior Kannada film ACT 1978 and the mid-80s Zakhmi Aurat. (Movie Notes by Bobby Sing)
Following the core idea of Neeraj Pandey’s sleeper hit A Wednesday, the new thriller featuring Yami Gautam is another hostage drama repeating a familiar story progression and culmination. Despite the praiseworthy performance of Yami and an important social message about the questionable rape laws, A Thursday keeps struggling to make an impact lacking a fresh approach.
 
It also doesn’t work as a mature crime drama because of its too
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BHOOTHAKAALAM (Malayalam) - When the horror works without any scary ghosts through its superlative performances. (Review by Bobby Sing)
It’s a tough task to conceive a horror film without relying upon the key feature of a scary, disfigured ghost accompanied by an eerie background score and fast edit cuts. Ram Gopal Varma tried to explore the genre subtly in his Raat (1992) which he later remade as a blown-up version Bhoot (2003). 
 
However, Bhoothakaalam moves one step further as a psychological, supernatural film made with a ‘holding back’ approach. Ent
https://www.bobbytalkscinema.com/recentpost.php?postid=2463

SHYAM SINGHA ROY (Telugu) - Flawed but immensely watchable love story of reincarnation.(Review by Bobby Sing)
A reincarnation love story with the protagonist recalling his previous birth and the beloved of the past is not any novel premise, seen umpteen times before on the silver screen. But the way director Rahul Sankrityan presents it as a superfine mix of fiction, social themes and the present new-age filmmaking, transforms it into an immensely watchable film with some adorable performances.
 
Written by Janga Satyadev, Shyam Singha Roy begins with a present-day story of
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LOOOP LAPETA (Hindi) - Entangled in its time-loop format, this is yet again a messy film following the west. (Review By Bobby Sing)
A keen follower of Hindi cinema of the last two decades would be well aware of the several releases revolving around the time-loop concept borrowed from original films like Groundhog Day (English/1993) and Run Lola Run (German/1998). For records, none of them could impress the Hindi film audience becoming a hit.
 
Ironically, post all those unofficial remakes in the past, now we finally have an official remake of Run Lola Run that yet again fails to leave any k
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GEHRAIYAAN (Hindi) - An Indian love triangle following a Woody Allen kind of vision with Deepika and Naseer as its only two saviours. (Review By Bobby Sing)
The most concerning fact about the present Hindi cinema and its filmmakers is that they conceive their movies with a dual or rather confused mindset guided by two extremely diverse thought processes. At one end, they make films like Gehraiyaan for the Indian audiences but then write and design them following a format highly influenced by western filmmakers such as Woody Allen. Besides, they keep both the Indian and foreign markets in mind while visualising their new-age projects with a conflicting motive o
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FREEDOM FIGHT (Malayalam) - A brilliant, thought-provoking anthology on the ugly social inequalities. (Review By Bobby Sing) (Movies To See Before You Die - Drama)
After the much-acclaimed The Great Indian Kitchen, writer-director Jeo Baby presents an anthology (directing one of its five segments), pointing towards the ugly social inequalities in our society. To clear the confusion over its title, the stories are not about the independence movement or any political revolution. They are actually about the independence of an individual, fighting with the surroundings, the family, and the visibly divisive society. 
 
The thought-provoking stori
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ALA VAIKUNTHAPURRAMULOO (Telugu) - Allu Arjun shines in this entertaining family drama rehashing an age-old plot.
Ticking all the essential boxes of a mainstream biggie, Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (meaning There in Vaikunthapuram) rehashes an age-old plot of interchanging the babies of the rich and the poor. However, despite the cliché theme and the routine build-up, it successfully manages to entertain, focusing on the twist and the family relationships exploiting the emotional quotient. 
 
The film takes a good one hour to come to its turning point, but a well-conceived second half leaves no roo
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Kapil Sharma - I'M NOT DONE YET (Web Show/Netflix) - The show makes one realize the importance and contribution of The Team in Kapil's success. (Notes By Bobby Sing)
Kapil Sharma began his career on TV channels as a stand-up artist and achieved unprecedented success in a decade, becoming the most successful comedy artist on Indian Television.
 
He returns to stand-up comedy making his web debut on Netflix in a show titled ‘I’m Not Done Yet’. But this time it is about an hour-long show instead of just 5-10 minutes act as seen in his early performances. The duration largely remains the reason one realises that the magic witnessed in his huge
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Anil Sharma's Gadar, Boota Singh and Freedom At Midnight (Articles on Cinema by Bobby Sing)
Released in 2001, Gadar – Ek Prem Katha created a storm at the box office breaking many previous records in terms of ticket sales and footfall in the theaters. Despite releasing along Lagaan – another successful milestone creation, Gadar won over the masses in an unprecedented manner, creating its own noteworthy stature in the history of Indian cinema.
 
As shared by the director Anil Sharma in one of his detailed interviews, the fi
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1980s - The decade of charming debuts and love stories in Hindi Cinema popularly known as Bollywood. (Article on Cinema by Bobby Sing)
Cinema as an art of storytelling is ruled by love stories and every new generation has its own cult love story finding an instant connection with the youth. Hindi cinema has witnessed numerous adorable films about young lovers in its hundred years of history, but the decade of ‘80s deserves a special mention among them all for a reason.
 
Widely considered a forgettable decade of Hindi cinema for various debatable elements, 1980s was actually the decade releasing trendsetting love stories exploring the cinema
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SHAVA NI GIRDHARI LAL (Punjabi) - Music is the only saving grace of this clever adaptation. (Review by Bobby Sing)
Supposed to be the most ambitious film of singer-turned actor-director Gippy Grewal, Shava Ni Girdhari Lal also remains the weakest amongst his three directorial projects to date.
 
Completely relying upon his lead role with no major supporting characters in the script, the film features six actresses of the Punjabi film industry namely Neeru Bajwa, Himanshi Khurana, Payal Rajput, Tanu Grewal, Surilie Gautam, and Sara Gurpal, with a sweet cameo of Yami Gauta
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JHIMMA (Marathi) - An expressive, feel-good film especially recommended for the women. (Review By Bobby Sing)
The praises showered upon the Indian regional language cinema in the last few months have mostly quoted the films made in the South, questionably missing the brilliant Marathi Cinema. In fact, it’s the Marathi filmmakers who have consistently delivered worth appreciating projects without relying upon the action or crime-thriller genre.
 
Jhimma is their latest offering, thankfully bringing smiles back to our lives in these tough times of the pandemic. It is said that travelling enriches l
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YAADEIN (1965) - When a single actor film was given FOR ADULTS ONLY certificate. (Articles on Cinema by Bobby Sing)
The internet revolution revived many exceptional projects like Yaadein, which were either forgotten or rarely talked about in newspapers and magazines in print towards the end of the last century. A first of its kind, daring, innovative and experimental attempt by Sunil Dutt, this was a film releasing in 1965, which truly surprised both the industry as well as the viewers.
 
A never before kind of unique attempt, Yaadein had a soliloquy performance by a single
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SENAPATHI (Telugu) - A slow-burner crime thriller that keeps you thoroughly engaged. (Review by Bobby Sing)
A young cop loses his loaded pistol while chasing a criminal and then the game begins tracking the gun changing hands, resulting in a bank robbery and a series of murders. An official adaptation of 2017 Tamil hit 8 Thottakkal (Eight Bullets), Senapathi also takes its basic idea from Akira Kurosawa’s classic Stray Dog (1949).
 
The film begins with the tragic childhood story of the cop (Naresh Agasthya), narrated in black and w
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REPUBLIC (Telugu) - A bold extension of Nayak revealing the known truth. (Review by Bobby Sing)
Beginning with a George Orwell quote, ‘In our age, there is no such thing as keeping out of politics’, Republic is a bold extension of Shankar’s Mudhalvan that was remade in Hindi as Nayak. An important film of the present times, it is a courageous take on crucial social subjects like rigged elections, political corruption, caste bias, and environmental hazards caused by mean corporate plans supported by the government authorities.
 
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A Rare Musical Evening with Ustad Imtiaz Ali Riaz Ali singing some exclusive gems for all true music lovers. (Articles on Music, Poetry and Life by Bobby Sing)
This is a special invitation to all friends of BTC to cherish a rare musical evening with Ustad Imtiaz Ali Riaz Ali (from Pakistan) singing nine exclusive tracks which were recently added in BTC’s Youtube channel. This rare ‘Mehfil’ is a must for every true music lover as it features many ‘never heard before’ versions of some famous songs (mentioned below) which are surely capable of making your day in a remarkable manner.
 
Along with a fabulous work on Tabla &
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36 FARMHOUSE (Hindi) - The present generation will not believe this is a product from the once showman Subhash Ghai, a hit brand name of the 80s and 90s. (Movie Notes by Bobby Sing)
In the era when Manmohan Desai, Prakash Mehra, Yash Chopra, and more were ruling the box office, Subhash Ghai was the one director who successfully created a brand of his own working with both known and debutant artists in a chain of successful films with some excellent soundtracks. He was also the one given the tag of Showman after Raj Kapoor and Ghai proved himself as the same with both on and off-screen cinematic celebrations till the late 90s.
 
The legend is now running a film
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RANGASTHALAM (Telugu/2018) - The film I keep remembering for its emotional and prolonged DEATH Sequence. (Movie Notes by Bobby Sing)
The super success of Pushpa The Rise in Hindi has forced many to look into the other films made by the writer-director Sukumar. That is exactly where the debate about the comparison between his last Rangasthalam and Pushpa started at the online portals, with many watching and showering praises upon the film, rating it even better than Pushpa.
 
The comparison is not fair as both the projects belong to different genres focusing on the l
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From Frank Capra to Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Dharmendra, Jackie Chan and Akshay Kumar. (Article on Cinema by Bobby Sing)

Inspired plots or films based on borrowed story ideas from the west have been associated with Hindi cinema since the early decades post-independence. There have been court cases related to plagiarism with the films getting banned and the prints destroyed, but the trend continues even in the present. With the world getting connected through the internet, though officially buying the rights is the new norm, we still get to see films or sequences heavily inspired from the world cinema, without any honest acknowledgement. 

Conside
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KADASEELA BIRIYANI (Tamil) - A dark yet well-conceived experimental film that is recommended. (Review by Bobby Sing)
Though based on a routine revenge plot, Kadaseela Biriyani still delivers as a unique film, presenting the predictable content in the most unusual manner. The bizarre yet appreciable execution turns it into an original film, which is also unsettling because of its gruesome violence.
 
Directed by the debutant Nishanth Kalidindi, it has unique characters of two extremely cruel and one simpleton young brother on their mission to kill the murderer of their innocent father. But just when they reach
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CHITHIRAI SEVVANAM (Tamil) - A social thriller yet again pointing towards the curse of online portals. (Review by Bobby Sing)
Pointing towards a real-life case of sexual assault and exploitation of the victim, Chithirai Sevvanam is about an MBBS aspirant, who goes missing after a sensitive video of her becomes viral. The police inform her father, who then investigates and punishes the criminal on his own.
 
The film strongly makes you recall the basic premise of Drishyam (Malayalam), but then moves on to an entirely different narrative falling back to the cliches. Going back and forth in time, the ini
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KAUN BANEGI SHIKHARWATI (Web Series) - A web-series of ten episodes needs to have content and not just names. (Notes by Bobby Sing)

A delusional King (living in his lost glory) sends a message to his four daughters living their chosen lives in the city, hinting towards his decision of declaring a successor. What he doesn’t convey to them is a huge wealth tax liability on him with a deadline and other grave issues related to his Riyasat. Besides, an income tax investigation is also going on against the King, with the officers probing his dealings, in disguise.

The premise that sounds interesting sadly turns out to be quite unengaging and repetitive right fro
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Radio Playback Indian Podcast Show featuring BOBBY SING - Audio Interview in Ek Mulaakat Zaroori Hai

It was a pleasure being the featured artist in the podcast show of Radio Playback India, Ek Mulakaat Zaroori Hai, hosted by the talented Sajeev Sarathie on 9th January 2022. 
 
A big thanks to Sajeev and team for featuring me in their reputed program. Had a great time talking to him about film music, regional cinema, dubbed movies and the way we used to see films in the single screen theater in the last century. 
 
The 53 minutes interview also feature
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SABHAAPATHY (Tamil) - A below average comedy-drama that begins at interval. (Review By Bobby Sing)
Beginning with a voiceover of ‘Vidhi’ (the fate), Sabhaapathy is a comic fantasy drama revolving around a simpleton having a speech disorder of stammering. As we see the titles, the old man representing fate announces that he will be playing a game with Sabhaapathy’s life soon after a road accident. The accident certainly changes his life when he finds a bag full of notes of 20 crores, falling out of a burning van belonging to a corrupt politician (Sayaji Shinde). But strangely,
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PUSHPA: THE RISE (Telugu / Hindi) - Offers everything Hindi film viewers are craving for. (Review by Bobby Sing)
Post the impressive Rangasthalam (2018), writer-director Sukumar returns with Pushpa: The Rise, the first part of his series on the story of an underdog and his rise in the world of sandalwood smuggling. Taking us back to the time of ‘pagers’, Sukumar yet again delivers a powerful film that has everything Indian masala movies are known for. 
 
Ticking all the essential boxes of its genre, the film begins focusing on an ambitious coolie
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The continuing jinx of the First Friday of the year in Bollywood. (Articles on Cinema By Bobby Sing)
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood, has always been associated with superstitions, myths, and good omens when it comes to the release of their mega-projects. The use of numerology in the film titles is widely evident, and the releases planned around the festivals mainly in the second half of the year have been there since the last century.
 
However, one of the major festive times of the year is not considered auspicious, but a jinx supported by facts continuing for the last two decades in particular. T
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ATRANGI RE - Ten quality films in a director's career are surely much better than thirty mediocre ones. (Review by Bobby Sing)
We know Akshay Kumar for completing his films in just a couple of months, moving on to his next, resulting in 2 to 3 releases almost every year. In a recent episode of Kapil Sharma’s show, the actor also revealed that he has seriously advised director Anand. L. Rai to keep the target of directing 25 to 30 films in his career instead of sticking to the idea of making only 7 to 8. 
 
However, after watching Atrangi Re, I strongly felt that certain subj
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Cricket, Comics, Adverts and Movies in the mid-80s. (Articles on Cinema by Bobby Sing)
Cinema and Cricket were majorly promoted through radio and the only channel of Doordarshan in the 80s. But the era was also ruled by print media with comics and magazines playing a major role in the growth of kids and teenagers. Hence, when the Indian Cricket team won the World cup in 1983, a major boom was seen in print advertisements, comics, and magazines focusing on cricket and the popular national icons.
 
Interestingly, the veteran cricketer Salim Durrani had already feat
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MINNAL MURALI (Malayalam / Hindi) - A lovable Indian Superhero film with a difference. (Review by Bobby Sing)
A superhero fantasy film largely remains the same, with a predictable beginning, progression and culmination, heavily relying upon three things. It has to be a mega-project made on a big budget with a glossy look and a heavy dosage of impressive special effects targeting the youth in particular. 
 
None of the three elements are the feature of the latest Malayalam superhero film Minnal Murali to be precise. It is neither a big-budget film nor has the glossy looks loaded with heavy VFX, bas
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KURUP (Malayalam / Hindi) - A polished but less engaging tale of a notorious fugitive. (Review by Bobby Sing)
Conceived as an insight into the life of the fugitive, still wanted by the Kerala police, Kurup sounds exciting as per its basic premise. A fictionalised account of the real-life incidents of the infamous criminal Sukumara Kurup (Dulquer Salmaan), the film is a tale of four decades, from the mid-60s to the early years of the new millennium. 
 
It begins with a flashback of a youngster fooling his parents and the officers at the Indian Air Force training academy. He soon dr
https://www.bobbytalkscinema.com/recentpost.php?postid=2435

FUFFAD Ji (Punjabi) - A family drama that finds it grip towards the end. (Review by Bobby Sing)

Director Pankaj Batra delivered a hit family-comic drama Bambukat in 2016, which had the main track of a tussle between two sons-in-law of the house, written by Jass Grewal. Taking a clue from the same, he now comes up with Fuffad Ji, based on a similar premise of confrontation between the fuffad (father’s sister’s husband) and the son-in-law, written by Raju Verma. Hence, Fuffad Ji can also be called the unofficial sequel of Bambuka
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Bollywood Graveyard Shift - From Anthony Gonsalves to Anthony Hopkins and Horror films.(Articles on Cinema by Bobby Sing)

There has been a prominent presence of lovable Christian characters in our secular Hindi cinema right from the 1950s, following a set format. But despite films like Anari, Mem Didi, Mera Naam Joker, Anand, Bobby, Julie, and more, the one character that rose to the level of a cult heroic figure, remains of Anthony Gonsalves from Manmohan Desai’s Amar Akbar Anthony (1977).
 
The name of a respected, real-life musician of Goa inspired the character played by
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BALI (Marathi/Horror) - An average horror drama with an interesting premise. (Review by Bobby Sing)
Post the much-acclaimed Lapachhapi (2016), director Vishal Furia returns with another horror drama, Bali, yet again pointing towards an alarming social curse related to the medical profession. The film revolves around a hospital in an old colonial-era building and has kids playing a key role in the script, just like we witnessed in Vishal’s Lapachhapi, also remade as Chhori in Hindi.
 
Focusing on a father-son relationship, the f
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83 (Docu-Drama) - Completely focused on the players and the matches, it is like an entertaining but incomplete docudrama, riding high on nostalgia and the splendid performances. (Review By Bobby Sing)
Watching 83 on the silver screen made me thank my stars for being there in my senses, during the era of the 1980s, when both Cricket and Cinema were alive and kicking in their innocent forms.
 
The film made me feel those times, the emotions and that innocence once again when we were just living with a radio, a tape-recorder, a single-channel television, books, and magazines, but nothing else. It brought back the memories of watching the not-so-perfect telecast on a Black-and-White TV along with the family and
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PUKSATTE LIFU (Kannada) - Indian Cinema will miss the exceptionally gifted Sanchari Vijay forever. (Review By Bobby Sing)

It is nothing less than another sad tragedy that a big percentage of Indian movie lovers are not even aware of an extremely gifted, National award winner actor Sanchari Vijay, who unfortunately left this world at the young age of 38 in a road accident in June 2021. An exceptional performer with an amazing versatility reminding you of veterans like Sanjeev Kumar, Vijay was known for his excellence achieved in all character-driven projects in his career of just 25+ films.

Pukasatte Lif
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MAANAADU (Tamil) - A well-executed, captivating film on time-loop concept. (Review By Bobby Sing)

Films based on the time-loop concept have always found it tough to break into commercial potboiler mode, reaching out to the masses. With Maanaadu (meaning conference), writer-director Venkat Prabhu effectively tries the same, coming up with a fast-paced masala entertainer, based on a time-loop twist.

Introducing Silambarasan as Abdul Khaaliq, on his way to attend a wedding, Maanaadu takes some to come to the point but keeps you fairly entertained till the drama begins. Simp
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From News Headlines To Silver Screen (Articles on Cinema by Bobby Sing)

Apart from the biographies of the iconic figures and official films made on real-life events, there is a related genre in cinema that rarely gets discussed or quoted by films enthusiasts. This is the genre in which writers-directors get ideas while reading the headlines/articles in a newspaper or magazine and then conceive an entire film on the same, without disclosing the actual event and names. At times, they honestly reveal the source in their interviews, or the film’s credits, in an indicative manner. But most of the time, it lat
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Release of RAJ KAPOOR: The Master at Work - the book by Rahul Rawail and panel discussion with Ranbir Kapoor and Randhir Kapoor. (Articles on Cinema by Bobby Sing)
In the opening address of my book Did You Know (Vol.1) featuring 51 chapters on some lesser-heard facts about Hindi cinema, I expressed a serious regret. And it was about the lack of books written on the filmmaking styles, strategies, and work structures, followed by veteran filmmakers of our Hindi cinema.
 
We have got books on different films, their individual study and on the entire repertoire of many renowned directors, written by reputed authors and connoisseurs of Hindi films. But rarely has t
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VELLE - The two Deols deserve much better than such poor remake. (Review By Bobby Sing)

Velle didn’t create any buzz with its unexciting trailer but still, the presence of Abhay and Karan Deol together kept the expectations alive. Surprisingly, the film doesn’t turn out to be anything close to an entertaining watch, despite having an interesting premise and a couple of pleasant songs in the soundtrack (again using Punjabi phrases).

Directed by Deven Munjan, Velle is an official remake of the Telugu film Brochevaruevarura
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CHANDIGARH KARE AASHIQUI - A casual yet important film, wrongly promoted as a Comedy. (Review by Bobby Sing)

Once again, coming up with a subject Ayushmann Khurrana is known for, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui is both an important and a casual, careless film at the same time. It’s important as it finds the courage to conceive a rare, mainstream star-studded film on such a not much-talked-about subject. And careless as it purposefully exploits the premise in a light comic manner, promoting as a comedy, yet again relying on Punjabi music and backdrop, blindly sticking to the latest formula of Hindi cinema.


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CHHORII - It marginally works as a fresh horror film, but falls short of its superior original LAPACHHAPI in Marathi, made by the same director. (Review By Bobby Sing)
Chhorii is an official remake of the Marathi horror film Lapachhapi directed by Vishal Furia, which was a sleeper hit of Marathi cinema in 2017. Remaking the film in Hindi, Vishal mostly sticks to the original but also adds some unwanted sequences, giving it a filmy touch. Plus, the Hindi version turns out to be a much more polished and technically rich film in terms of sound and presentation, which ironically hampers its overall impact instead of enhancing it.
 

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ADBHUTHAM (Telugu) - A novel sci-fi romantic drama based on time travel theme that could have been a lot better. (Review By Bobby Sing)
Amalgamating a science-fiction plot with romance, Adbhutham begins on a shaky note showcasing a young boy and a girl on the verge of committing suicide, not known to each other. Some magnetic field abnormalities weirdly connect their mobile phones and they start receiving each other’s messages just before they are about to give away their lives. The annoying conversation makes them postpone the suicide and they begin fighting over the messages and calls, resulting in a new relationship.
 
Till
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CHURULI (Malayalam) - A mystical and abstract cinematic presentation with a limited appeal. (Review by Bobby Sing)
With Churuli, Lijo Jose Pellissery takes us on to an abstract cinematic journey, quite different from his earlier much-appreciated projects. His films have always tried to convey much more than plain storytelling with a visually atmospheric presentation. But Churuli almost entirely focuses on the same that can also be considered as a downer, resulting in a limited appeal.
 
It begins creating a mystical ambince, with a poetic text slide, a voice-over, and a short animation. The voice-over n
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The curious case of Spin-offs in Hindi Cinema - A detailed study (Articles on Cinema by Bobby Sing)
Post the trend of biographical movies, the latest buzz in Hindi cinema is of spin-off films based on the famous characters of hit movies/series of the past. A few weeks back we had the web series Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story based on the key character Himmat Singh (Kay Kay Menon) of Special Ops (2020). And this week, we have the digital release of Bob Biswas featuring Abhishek Bachchan, as a spin-off revolving around the cold-hearted killer of Kahaani released in 2012
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BOB BISWAS - An unexciting spin-off that misses the kick of its original character. (Review by Bobby Sing)
In the world of cinema, a lot depends upon the luck factor and what projects come your way, even if one has the gifted talent. Unfortunately, Abhishek Bachchan remains associated with average films and Bob Biswas turns out to be nothing different directed by the first-time director Diya Annapurna Ghosh.
 
Written by Sujoy Ghosh as a spin-off exploring the most appreciated character of his Kahaani (2012), Bob Biswas sho
https://www.bobbytalkscinema.com/recentpost.php?postid=2420

MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR (Telugu) - An average romantic comedy on the lines of Doordarshan serial MR. YOGI. (Review By Bobby Sing)
In the late 80s, Ketan Mehta created a popular social-comedy T.V. serial Mr. Yogi for Doordarshan, based on a Gujarati novel featuring Mohan Gokhale in the lead. The story revolved around an NRI (they used to say ‘foreign returned’ in those days), who meets several girls for his marriage, keeping their zodiac signs in mind, and goes through hilarious experiences. Mr. Yogi is still remembered as one of the most popular Doordarshan serials of the 80s.
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ANNAATTHE (Tamil/Hindi) - Hugely disappointing offering nothing except the superstar. (Review by Bobby Sing)
In an episode of Kapil Sharma Show, producer-director K. C. Bokadia revealed that he somehow managed to sign Amitabh Bachchan in the 90s, having no script or even a basic story in hand. When the icon questioned him about the subject and script, Bokadia said, “Ab aap aa gaye hain toh story bhi aa jayegi, ab story laana mera kaam hai”.
 
This exactly seems to be the case with Rajinikanth’s Annaatthe, directed by Siva
https://www.bobbytalkscinema.com/recentpost.php?postid=2418

DYBBUK (Hindi) - Why a film becomes less effective in its Hindi remake even when directed by the same director? (Review by Bobby Sing)
Written and directed by debutant Jay K, the original Malayalam film Ezra (2017) is a decent supernatural thriller made on a novel and interesting premise of a Dybbuk–an antique box possessed by a spirit.
 
With the reference to Jewish folklore and centuries-old backstory of a tragedy, Ezra is not any outstanding film, to be honest. But it’s indeed a sincere, watchable attempt that delivers the scares, focusing on the lady of the house and her husband in particular.
https://www.bobbytalkscinema.com/recentpost.php?postid=2417

ANTIM - Nothing new, yet far better than Salman's recent releases, with an impressive lead act by Aayush and an energetic background score. (Review by Bobby Sing)
As a film prominently promoted and led by Salman Khan, Antim neither has any novel subject nor tries any innovative narrative to say the familiar things. Yet, it turns out to be far better than his recent releases, as it keeps focusing on its lead characters without getting into any unnecessary subplots. You don’t get to see the usual loud Salman, forcibly mixing action with comedy and there is no comic character accompanying him in the key sequences. For a change, he never raises his voice
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CHUMBAK (Marathi) - A sincere effort that keeps struggling to hit the right note. (Review by Bobby Sing)
Directed by Sandeep Modi, and co-produced by Akshay Kumar’s Cape of Good Films, Chumbak talks about the dark zone of our society in which the unaware people get targeted through fake chit funds schemes, dubious phone calls, and e-mail lottery scams. 
 
Focusing on a few characters, it begins with Baalu (Sahil Jadhav), who loses all his savings in a small-time investment plan run by a fake company. Left in a helpless state, he decides to get that money back by further robbing a person
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GARUDA GAMANA VRISHABHA VAHANA (Kannada) - Powerful filmmaking that deserves to be seen in theatres. (Review by Bobby Sing) (Movies To See Before You Die - Thrillers)

There are broadly two ways to win over the audience fulfilling their expectations. One is to come up with something entirely fresh that has not been said or seen before. And second is to present the familiar things in a surprisingly innovative manner, providing a novel experience grabbing the audience from the collars. While the first option is certainly a tough one to crack, the second is even more difficult to deliver, reinventing the routine presenting it differently.

Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana successfully cr
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