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 The unpublished manuscript was a finalist for the Writing Award in the 2022 Page Turner Awards.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.

Divergent (2014)

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A post apocalyptic Chicago is divided into factions, based on human virtues. They are ‘Abnegation : selfless’, ‘Dauntless : brave’, ‘Erudite : Intelligent’, ‘Amity : peaceful’ and ‘Candor: honest’. While it would be impossible to divide a complex human race on such grounds, it has been done to control them and maintain peace.

Of course, everyone doesn’t fit neatly into the above. This is the film adaptation of Veronica Roth’s first novel in her trilogy and makes an interesting watch especially for someone who hasn’t read the book. The beginning has an aftertaste of Harry Potter and its sorting ceremony, but quickly becomes far more riveting than a sorting hat putting you in a particular house.

It seems like a simple world, but disintegrates into similar patterns of power and politics, where one’s innate virtues are first used for them and later against them. The story is told via Beatrice’s (Shailene Woodley) journey, which is inspiring as well as predictable. She is supported by Four (Theo James), Ashley Judd, Tony Goldwyn and many others, who are restrained by a system which is utopian to say the least.

Kate Winslet makes a special powerful appearance, bringing a quality on screen which only she can. Director Neil Burger, who has made The Illusionist and Limitless, seems very much at home with the subject, weaving a believable world for us to experience.

Watch out for Insurgent and Allegiant which are already in pre-production.

3/5

Main Tera Hero (2014)

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David Dhawan is back! And he offers us a 6-pack cocktail of all his popular heroes! Varun manages to go over the top and entertain, not annoy. We see shades of Govinda, Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Shahid Kapoor and hams and styles of many others in this comedy caper.

While coerced love brings the twists and turns, its the one-liners and silly character traits that kept us laughing throughout. The music was good and this time round, they attached logic to some key details in the plot.

Short at 2 hours 8 minutes, it also stars Illeana D’Cruz, Nargis Fakhri and Arunoday Singh who may not be spot on with comic timing, but do a decent job. The real laughs were provided by Anupam Kher, Saurabh Shukla, Rajpal Yadav and Shakti Kapoor, when ‘Seenu’ (Varun) wasn’t up to his antics.

A fun, light watch.

3/5

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

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A complicated plot and mythological style shield warfare made the movie tedious, entertaining and laughable. I guess the audience had to just identify ‘good guy bad guy’ and relax into watching the events unfold.

The action sequences were brilliantly shot, as were the special effects, which have become standard in Hollywood. Made on a budget of 170 million USD, its already grossed over 300 million USD in its OPENING WEEKEND!

Watch it for the stunts, CGI and scale of weaponry. You have been warned about mindless anarchy, a predictable whodunit and some ‘kuch bhi’ (anything goes) scenes.

2/5

Jal (2014)

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The promos of this film showed the sweeping landscapes of the Kutch desert and ‘beautifully shot’ was a unanimous opinion before we entered the cinema. What remained to be seen was the story and its execution.

The plot was simple, real and rural. It does not come close to anything contemporary. If you can appreciate it for what it is, a tale of villagers shot for the multiplex audience, then you will like the film. The cinematography did not let my attention waver, as there were ample doses of drama interspersed with gorgeous natural scenes and time lapses.

Purab Kohli shines in a difficult role, playing a spectrum of emotions with ease. The director, Girish Malik, has put together a great cast who does their part well, but he doesn’t develop any one character in detail, giving them a ‘caricature like’ feel. They say their stories whilst making ‘jal/water’ the prime focus of survival in the desert.

The two leading ladies Tannishtha Chatterjee and Kirti Kulhari deserve special mention for their appropriate restrain and abandon when required. Overall, the language and diction could have been perfected and subtitles were definitely needed. It ties up well in the end, but could have been shorter. The background score is effective as is the track ‘jal de’.

It seemed like a film which should be edited for IMAX viewing, a short 60 minute feature where people can gasp in awe at one of the many untapped beauties of India.

2/5

Noah (2014)

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If you are expecting to see Noah build an arc where animals walk single file into it, in neat pairs, this is not for you. The film tells us precisely what it calls itself; its all about Noah. Earlier depictions of this film have been pretty safe and by the book. Here of course, cinematic liberties have been taken, to show you the inner turmoil and moral dilemma that Noah faced.

I have maintained time and again that 3D shouldn’t be used if its not required. In a film like this which was mainly over cast, stormy and rainy, it surely wasn’t. There were tough questions which were asked of Noah and his family, sacrifices for the rest of humanity, doubts about how mankind would survive and repopulate the earth. If those questions are seen from the perspective of a single family handed a task to save creation, than this film has come close to showing us what it could have been.

The cast was impressive, with Russell Crowe and Emma Watson being the highlights. Jennifer Connelly has one hard-hitting scene, besides being the strong female figure throughout the film. The length and costumes were perhaps the biggest drawbacks of this film, besides the 3D.

Director Darren Aronofsky has tried a different approach to say his story and has partially succeeded.

2/5

Need for speed (2014)

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A simple film about racing and speed, director Scott Waugh spaced out its highlights in a sensible manner to keep the audience occupied. There were enough moments to keep us guessing, tense, on the edge of the seat or purely entertained.

While it doesn’t have a convincing back story or a strong motive for the proceedings, the gang of four and the cool attitude of the protagonist Aaron Paul makes it watchable. Dominic Cooper does a decent job as the bad guy, while Imogen Poots provides classic British flavour as Julia. Micheal Keaton makes an interesting cameo, while we enjoy the changing landscapes of America and the coolest cars of the world.

2.5/5

Ragini MMS 2 (2014)

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What Ekta Kapoor set out to do, she achieved. The promos promised a frat-house slasher style flick with some scares and sex, we got all that and some humour too.

Picking up from where Ragini MMS left us, we are introduced to ‘Sunny’ playing herself. The Baby doll song being an instant hit, was a smart way to start off the creepy proceedings. AIB cast member Tanmay bhat makes an unrequired cameo, we would have liked some jokes rather than sleaze.

The humour was very effectively provided by Sandhya Mridul and Karan Mehra, both of whom got rewarded by Sunny ;-). Parvin Dabbas tries comedy but annoys and the famous Marathi ‘chutkan / chudail’ back story is finally revealed.

Cheesy, predictable with a few jolts and scares, it was everything it promised to be and nothing more. Sunny Leone can act, so this was a good move for her. Divya Dutta is wasted in a role that didnt need a person of her calibre.

I would have liked more horror, but that genre needs some risk taking and an experimental approach in India, which is unlikely to happen soon.

2/5

August: Osage County (2013)

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We stand on the peripherals of the Weston family, watching the dysfunction, quietly knowing we will be sucked right in at any moment. When that happens, we are privy not only to their eccentricities and delusions, but to the downright disintegration of human relationships.

The Weston daughters are fighting their own battles, have their own secrets and exercise a certain amount of denial (as we all do) to survive. It’s when their mother, the superlative Meryl Streep, displays her own truths, she upsets a precarious balance barely maintained by her girls. Julia Roberts as the oldest, matches Meryl in every frame. The eyes play table tennis watching one volleying the other. Extended members of the family are struggling with their own failures and shortfalls, projecting them on their fragile loved ones.

Our laughter was laced with nervousness and relief, when the tragedy turned to comedy for brief moments .To say the film is dark would be an understatement. The temperatures are soaring, the mood is stifling, the characters are on edge. Morality, logic and maturity take a back seat, whilst every form of shocking behaviour becomes the ‘normal and mundane’.

3/5

Highway (2014)

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What can you expect from a young actress who plays a rich spoiled kid in her first film? Her second film also starts off the same way. ‘Poor little rich girl’ wants to get away from her abundant and opulent life. Get away she does, when she is kidnapped.

From gun shot to gun shot, her performance left me flabbergasted. I was more in shock at how well she acted, how she managed to portray a deep, meaningful character, with so many layers, without saying or doing much. A few glimpses into her world and we were drawn to her story and plight in an instant. She had two very powerful, long, emotionally packed scenes, which she knocked out of the park!

Randeep Hooda, donned the character of the scruffy, unkempt captor so well, with a convincing command over the local language. He has one scene which displays his emotionally caged Mahabir, who matches Veera’s echoes of hurt and childhood suppression. She develops the Stockholm Syndrome towards Mahabir and some of his gang, perhaps as a reaction to the lack of unnecessary violence.

Cinematographer Anil Mehta has captured time and tide in sweeping montages, showing Indian landscape and highways as never seen before. The journey seems endless, yet not pointless. Director Imtiaz Ali has gifted the audience a long nurtured story, which takes you on the winding road within, as it does on screen.

A brilliant set of performances with a visual treat which puts you in a reflective state.

3.5/5