Once the cherry on the cake, the item number has now become bait to a ‘fishy’ audience. As quality of music and choreography becomes increasingly questionable, the likes of songs you see in promos or cinema make you question ‘Is this supposed to be attractive? Sexy?’ No one has immunity from this curse, men have also become candy to be paraded, falling abysmally short of their female counterparts. There is some respite though when the occasional good number (or not so bad or tolerable) hits the screens. Everyone wants to be in the ‘Mohini/Sheila/Munni/Lovely’ club but Pinky/Razia are not allowed. Sometimes we are left cringing and offering sympathies to the best of performers.
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 The unpublished manuscript was a finalist for the Writing Award in the 2022 Page Turner Awards.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.
Happy Ending (2014)
Rom Com 101 with no new additions or twists and turns, it serves us the same dish we have been having with an edge on the humour and a jaded casanova Saif Ali Khan. His alter ego makes up for the Saif we have seen many times, whilst Kalki provides some laughs.
It’s great to see Preity back on screen and Govinda steals the show in his limited yet ‘expansive’ role. Kareena may not be Saif’s good luck mascot, it’s time he acknowledges that, though their chemistry is fiery and fun. Ileana and Ranvir are passable, the locations are great and the music is surprisingly good.
No points for guessing how it ends! Happy of course 😉
2/5
And so it goes (2014)
When two stalwarts such as Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton team together, you are assured good performances. This film has a simple story of a grumpy realtor, Oren. He needs his neighbour Leah to bring a little nurturing on the table when he is faced with the task of taking care of his estranged 10 year old grand daughter.
You can guess what happens. It’s heart warming nonetheless. Being nice never goes out of style and good old fashioned love is always welcome, at any age! A lazy home or flight watch.
2.5/5
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
A comedy with brilliant production values which create a picture perfect old world charm and complimentary Art Deco, we witness an illustrated story book come to life.
Director Wes Anderson presents a fictitious hotel so convincingly that we hope it’s real and want to visit it some day! His main characters couldn’t be more different from each other, but their unspoken chemistry is great. Concierge Ralph Fiennes and lobby boy Tony Revolori are heroes of a story with many villains. There is love, drama, murder and deceit, but it is all done in a cartoon-like fashion, with exaggerated looks and fashion, making every situation comical.
Multi award winning and rightfully so, the film entertains with every frame’s aesthetics and tickles with its many antics and funny writing. An ensemble cast supports and surprises with its unexpected entry and exit.
An intelligent laugh!
3.5/5
NH10 (2015)
A thriller that takes you by surprise and raises more questions than it answers, it describes a birthday no one should have. The violence that is perpetrated by women on women and how they stand and watch as it happens is shockingly real.
Issues of honour killing and treatment of women in our villages is brought to the fore by an adrenaline filled Anushka who reveals a new menacing actor inside her. What was meant to be survival turns out to be a complex web where caste, power and barbaric treatment call the shots.
A film that keeps you breathless and engrossed in a way which is rare for Hindi cinema, using sound ( a team of five have worked on it) to accentuate every aspect. Be it fear, action, emotion, motion, day dream or tension, we can feel every nuance. It is captured and presented brilliantly by director Navdeep Singh.
Actor Darshan Kumar who showed us his docile side in Mary Kom unleashes a monster inside him. Neil Bhoopalam gives adequate support and Deepti Naval gives us a short yet intense performance.
What do we do in such a situation? What instincts take over? Who will help us? And how do we help ourselves? People broke in applause as a way to release the tension built in the film, which would have worked even better without an interval.
Given the current climate the film will be and should be seen by ALL.
4/5
My Old Lady (2014)
Director Israel Horovitz makes a slow paced film about an old (and super cool) lady who has a poetic task of explaining French rental and ownership laws to an American. Complications arise and the viewer is treated to a languid series of events.
Maggie Smith is a consistent delight. Kevin Kline plays the frustrated American very well. Kristin Scott Thomas’ character transforms the most.
A light drama, it is perfect for a flight watch.
2/5
Interstellar (2014)
A ruined ecosystem forces humans to look for another planet. We become semi-physicists via the subtle yet detailed theories described in the film. From worm holes to black holes, time space singularity and gravitational time dilation, we get the whole deal and have enough time to process it at 169 minutes.
Director Christopher Nolan does what he does best, combining music, aesthetics and performances to provide a kick ass (pun intended) film. While we can guess what may happen, we cannot fathom how. The way that is explained is the beauty of his direction. It is not an easy or entertaining subject, but he achieves both.
Actors Mathew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain deserve special mention for their efforts, while a few other greats support them. Music by Hans Zimmer is heart moving and thrilling, while the special effects create varying landscapes and almost mythical geographies.
The result is a film which has to be enjoyed on the largest screen possible. A must see for Sci-fi lovers and those who enjoy the genre of space.
4/5
Fifty shades of Grey (2015)
Not having read the book, I was amazed by the ‘odd arrangement’ between the couple and asked myself many times ‘why would a woman do this?’
Based on a book written by E.L.James, actors Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson play the extremes of dominance/power and innocence/vulnerability. Though it is not a conventional couple, you can see why it would or would not work, depending on which flavour of ice cream you prefer 😉
I fear the result is a film which will be better than the book, though it was a bestseller. Some scenes (non sexual) and lines leave a lasting impact in the otherwise confused, painful and twisted fairytale.
2/5
Boyhood (2014)
Chronicling the lives of the entire cast over 12 years to show us the journey of a young boy and his multiple families is a rare feat achieved by director/producer/ writer Richard Linklater and his team.
Primarily we see patterns, of choice, fear and relationships. We see how a story can surprise you even though you seem to have identified what can or cannot happen. That’s the beauty of the human free will, we can elect to change our circumstances by simply taking responsibility rather than exercise an external locus of control.
Performances range from average to sublime while we digest the natural progression of the story. It made for an engaging watch with an awe for the time period, patience and dedication it was shot in.
3.5/5
Birdman (2014)
Michael Keaton shows us why he is still in the business with this rare and layered performance, where we not only hear the voices in his head, but see the havoc created in his life.
What he has is probably not a clinical affliction, but the result of ego, insecurity and performance pressure. In any case his histrionics are well supported by an equally whacko ensemble, all of whom seem to have alter egos to match the (in)sanity quotient of the group.
What results is an alarmingly inspired series of events which can make you think either of two things. A) why do I understand this?? B) how do I understand this?? Thankfully I thought the former, so I came out knowing what the pursuit of fame can drive people to.
A dark comedy with awkward moments which seem perfectly normal if you dive in to the world written, produced and created by director Alejandro G. Iñárritu.
3/5
Movies&Musings 