Author: sandeepadnani

Sandeep Adnani is the Amazon #1 Bestselling Author of ‘The Codes of the Exiled Rogue’ , ‘The Origin of the Exiled Rogue’ and ‘The Prophecy of the Exiled Rogue’ eBooks. He nurtured this metaphysical and transformational fiction idea for over six years before publishing the first part in July 2019. All three books of ‘The Exiled Rogue Series’, a trilogy about the purpose and meaning of life and beyond, are Amazon #1 Bestsellers in multiple categories. His first book, The Codes of the Exiled Rogue was declared an Award-Winning Finalist in the Fiction: Visionary category of the 2021 International Book Awards. His second book, The Origin of the Exiled Rogue was an Award Winner in the Science Fiction: Alien/Space category of the 2021 American Fiction Awards. It was also an Award-Winning Finalist in the Visionary Fiction category of the 2021 American Fiction Awards. His third book, The Prophecy of the Exiled Rogue was an Award Winning Finalist in the Fiction: Visionary category of the 2021 Best Book Awards sponsored by American Book Fest. The omnibus of the trilogy, The Exiled Rogue Series, won the Silver Medal at the Global Book Awards 2022, in the Metaphysical & Visionary Fiction category and Gold Winner at the ABLE Awards in 2024 in the Book Series category. Embarking on new genres, he has seven new stand-alone books in the offing. In 2021, he completed writing a futuristic sci-fi-romance which he is currently querying. The unpublished manuscript was a finalist for the Writing Award in the 2022 Page Turner Awards. He finished writing a mystery novel in 2022 and an Alternate Fiction novella in 2023. He has published three non-fiction novellas in the YOU DECIDE series. He is currently working on an illustrated children's book. He changed careers from the advertising/media industry and is now a mental health counsellor in Melbourne, with bases in Mumbai and Dubai as well.

Bombay Talkies

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Celebrating 100 years of Indian Cinema, this film is a talented tribute by 4 directors; Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap. Four stories that cover totally different genres, social spaces, dreams, aspirations and goals. What ties them together is the string known as ‘our world of films’.

The story by each director is short, yet complete. The well written characters are played by a confident cast. Urban, rural, modern, conservative, everything is weaved in effectively with a message. As each story begins and ends, you feel you have had a balanced Indian meal, a little bit of every spice and food group, giving you complete nutrition and satisfying your palette.

There is a well shot and fitting song at the end, featuring many of our favourite actors and actresses, either through a montage of their previous work or live in the song. That was the best dessert for such a meal. A proud moment indeed for our cinema and the ones that enjoy it.

It is a time capsule worth watching.

4/5

Aashiqui 2

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If there ever was an ‘Anti Alcoholics Anonymous’, its this film. I needed a drink to survive it, maybe even two. Pity we don’t have cinemas that serve alcohol in Mumbai. We were drawn to this film expecting great music, a Kapoor girl and a Kapur guy.

Mohit Suri sorely disappoints in a film named after Aashiqui which had brilliant music. Here too, the music is good, but the pace of the drama and the placement of the songs doesn’t do them any justice.

I was waiting for the film to finish and found myself laughing in scenes which were definitely not funny. Forced drama, romance, empathy, anger, every emotion seemed orchestrated and not natural.

Thankfully, Shraddha doesn’t take any genes from her dad Shakti, but looks like a replica of her mum Shivangi (Padmini Kolhapure’s sister). She has a good screen presence and body language. Her dialogue delivery tends to fall flat, but is saved by a pleasant voice. Aditya has done ‘Action Replay’, but takes on a lead role with confidence, though the character is very poorly written.

1.5/5

Spoilers ahead:

The sole weakness in the film lies in its baseless complication. It appears laughable and almost forced and one wonders why the hero is an alcoholic in the first place. His faceless father and many other loopholes in the story give you many ‘why?’ and ‘huh?’ moments. The end was predictable. Terrible waste of talent and music.

Iron Man 3

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Robert Downey Jr. is back in his arrogant, suave, genius avatar, a little humbled this time round. The movie has a string of spectacular action scenes, which are spaced out between some slow drama, which get a little too sluggish at times. We are used to seeing one guy in a super suit, here we get a treat with multiple super suits, but see much less of Tony Stark’s dry wit than we would like. Watch out for the ‘intense’ Sir Ben Kingsley!

An action treat with brilliant special effects, it fulfils the promise of a summer blockbuster.

3/5

Scary Movie 5

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Spoof, tongue in cheek, slapstick and ridiculous comedy can either see you through the whole film, or you’re wondering why the moron next to you (that would be me), is laughing. Either you like it or you don’t.

2.5/5

The Croods

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We have seen cave people before, but never has their life been presented in a real comic sense. What did they think? How were their survival instincts? Were they scared of anything new? What were their social norms and behaviour towards each other? Saying all this and making it funny and visually rich, is no small feat. And that’s just what this movie does.

4/5

Nautanki Saala

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Ayushman Khurana does it again, but not without some help from his able co-star Kunaal Roy Kapur. Talk about being an overly good Samaritan (which is the only thing I couldn’t digest), this film takes you on an unpredictable journey with lots of witty writing, smart laughs and intelligent direction. Some scenes are brilliant, while others drag.

The ‘nautanki’ aspect is played out well, in the real and stage lives of the characters. Old songs ‘So gaya yeh jahaan’ and ‘Dhak Dhak karney laga’ are remixed and used well. You get the ‘Bluffmaster’ feel from the film, a movie which wasn’t appreciated as much as it should have been. This too, might have the same fate.

Cut some length and this film will surely fare better.

2.5/5

Ek Thi Daayan

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Daayan isn’t a word one hears in daily conversation. It usually has comical or insulting references, but is a word to describe an evil witch. Horror as a genre is yet to receive a proper treatment and viewership in Hindi movies. Bollywood usually dabbles with both horror and thriller genres, achieving a little of both but not fully developing either. This film is a good example.

The movie has set its premise in the promos itself, so you know exactly what you are going for when you walk in to the cinema. The beginning credits song has a haunting and eerie quality. If the entire film had caught that mood, it would have been a stellar flick.

Vishal Bhardwaj’s finishing touches are visible in an Ekta Kapoor film, and they take it up a notch higher than expected. The story builds a world and the characters act within it. There is a myth and the plot develops around it. Some scary moments and good character development make a good first half. It’s the songs and lack of terror which make a damp second half.

Overall this is film which is not tacky or laughable, but cannot be taken seriously either.

2/5

The perks of being a wallflower

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Remember how hard it was growing up, a teenager dealing with issues, trying to fit in, make friends, deal with a crush, excel at school and so much more? Well here’s a film which has so many characters that represent many or all of the above aspects.

Many talented and well-known individuals make up the cast, but the story is the main hero. We see high school through a freshman named Charlie, who gets through the year with two friends, Patrick and Sam, who are seniors. Many issues surface as outcomes of their interaction, some from the past, and some from the present. How they deal with them is the strength of the film.

The movie is sensitive, captures the age and their problems with unapologetic reality. The moments are made dramatic not by action, but by tender, detailed expression. Brilliant acting by the cast and excellent sound, direction and screenplay by the crew.

4/5